ã€ŠI Was a Sword When I Reincarnatedã€‹


 Chapter 1: Its a sword?

    <h4>Chapter 1: Its a sword?</h4>

    Where am I?

    I woke, and the first thing that came to my eyes was a beautiful sight. The gloomy sky stretched as far as the horizon. Light shines through the deep water like a halo. The sun is about to rise. The view of the sunrise from the top of a high mountain glittered like a rainbow, and I was thoroughly impressed.

    The moon is setting on the other side of the horizon. A huge silver disk that I didn¡¯t see. It¡¯s top is disappearing on the other side of the horizon right now.

    It¡¯s an overwhelming scene. I have lived for 30 years and I haven¡¯t seen such a beautiful scene. It¡¯s strange that I don¡¯t cry.

    No wait. I lived for 30 years? Am I still alive? I mean, I¡¯m dead?

    The scene I sawst, was a bright red convertible that was in bad taste. The man in the driver seat had a smartphone in one hand, thinking about the day after tomorrow, and augh like a horse.

    Yes, even while driving. Heughed happily. But I didn¡¯t have fun at all this foocking bastard!

    And so, I remembered so much my heart cried¡­ ¡­ I should be dead. No, I¡¯m dead?

    ¡ºU-mu. What is that thing?¡»

    ¡ºSo. Are you finally awake?¡»

    ¡ºUo! Who is it?¡»

    Suddenly a voice sounded. The figure isn¡¯t seen in the surrounding area. No, doesn¡¯t it echo in my head?

    ¡ºIt¡¯s going to be hard, so hang in there.¡»

    ¡ºEh? EH?¡»

    ¡ºWell, see you ar-¡»

    Then, I couldn¡¯t hear the man¡¯s voice anymore.

    ¡ºEh? Hell-o?¡»

    I called out, but there wasn¡¯t any answer. Just what was that? Auditory hallucination? But I heard it clearly¡­ ¡­

    Then, in order to look at the surrounding area, I tried to move.

    My body doesn¡¯t move.

    ¡ºOof? But Why? Or rather, what was I?¡»

    I thought I was tied up, but it doesn¡¯t seem that simple.

    My body feels strange. First I don¡¯t have any feeling in my hands and feet. No, in the first ce, everything besides them feel strange.

    ¡ºNo eyelids. Eyes¡­ ¡­ If I can¡¯t feel my eyes, how can I see?¡»

    I looked down at my body. I was a little uneasy, but I could move my gaze.

    ¡º¡­ ¡­ It¡¯s a sword.¡»

    In my line of sight, lodged inside a pedestal, was a sword.

    For some reason, my body is a sword, and I understand it is natural. The situation is beyond the scope of understanding. But even so, if a sword = myself, without a doubt, I understood it.

    Eyes¨D¨Dish thing, is in the sword¡¯s foundation.

    ¡ºI died¡­ ¡­ and reincarnated as a sword?¡»

    What second-rate light novel is this. I want to think that this is a dream, but I can¡¯t pinch my cheeks with this body.

    ¡ºFor the time being, a sense of skin?There¡¯s something like that.¡»

    My body is a de, that pierces the pedestal beneath it, is something I understood. It was different from the feeling of touching skin, but there was some feeling of touch.

    ¡ºAnother world?¡»

    That much is certain.

    Anyways, the sun and the moon are out at the same time. It isn¡¯t the huge silver moon that set a moment ago, it¡¯s a smaller moon. Besides, red, blue, green, purple and yellow, pink, there are six more moons that sparkle in the sky.

    ¡ºUsually, when it¡¯s a light novel of a different world reincarnation thing, there¡¯s usually a cheat ability.¡»

    Would I who reincarnated as a sword, in the first ce be able to handle a skill?

    ¡ºThe ssic reincarnation cheat is appraisal but¡­ ¡­ Oh, seriously? ¡»

    Somehow there seems to have been a convenient development in our circumstances.

    I was safely able to confirm my status.

    Name: Unknown

    Registered Wielder: None

    Race: Intelligent Weapon

    Attack:132 Mana: 200/200 Durability:100/100

    Skills

    Appraisal: Lv6, Self-Repair, Self-Evolving, Self-Modifying, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Wielder Status Small Boost, Wielder Recovery Small Boost, Skill Sharing, Magician.

    Something like that, seems amazing.

    Appraisal: Lv6: Information on what I see, is disyed.

    Self-Repair: It repairs damage done to the weapon automatically. Unless it¡¯s beenpletely destroyed, reconstruction is possible.

    Self-Evolution: Despite being a weapon, it has various evolutions.

    Self-Modification: Alters oneself, and optimizes it.

    Telekinesis: Using magic, one can manipte an object without using my body.

    Telepathy: Using magic, one can speak to another person¡¯s mind. Bypassingnguage, mutual understanding is possible.

    Wielder Status Small Boost: All states of the wielder are increased by 5.

    Wielder Recovery Small Boost: HP, MP, Stamina, and Magical Power recovery rate is boosted by 20%.

    Skill Share: With the registered wielder, it¡¯s possible to give them a skill.

    Magician: Feel the flow of magic. Proof of a Magician.

    I might be really amazing? At the least, I¡¯m not an ordinary weapon. I might have the ability to be ssified as a rare or unique weapon. However, why is my name unknown? Is appraisal too low leveled or is it not from the original?

    Well, I don¡¯t understand it too well, but it¡¯s fine for now.

    Next is to check my appearance. My de is a mysterious white metal that shines, with a blue line, and even at a first look it¡¯s very beautiful.

    The muted hues of the elegant golden guard has a carving of a brave wolf on it, and a red oriental ribbon. On the handle, in red and white braid, attice pattern has been woven.

    But that¡¯s self praise, but no matter how you look at it, it¡¯s not an ordinary mass-produced item. I think the sword is of considerable value. But, I don¡¯t know how strong an attack power of 132 is. The possibility that the sword is just some very expensive ornament isn¡¯t zero. However, because of the skills, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s so.

    If I was, that would be the worst. If I was just some rich sword, I would plunge myself into a hearth and probably die (?).

    However, it is a gorgeous sword. If this was an RPG, it would be the equivalent of the appearance of a mysterious figure.

    ¡ºBut, it¡¯s only a sword.¡»

    In my mind, I made a sigh.

    It doesn¡¯t meant that I was good looking when I was alive. That being said, I wasn¡¯t ugly enough to stand out. I was a minor character that was everywhere. So, I don¡¯t have any lingering attraction my body when I was alive. Rather, even after reincarnating, I didn¡¯t have anyints. Instead, it was my wish to change.

    That said, I wouldn¡¯t be a sword. Sword.

    Now, I can¡¯t eat food or y games either. I can¡¯t even get rid of my virginity.

    Is, is that so. If it¡¯s me the fact that I¡¯m a sage is decided! Another life where I must live carrying this burden.

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    I despair. If I had arms and legs I would be throwing the down to the ground in sadness.

    I mean, the magician skill, is it that sort of thing? Which reminds me. Only that skill is a different color than the others, but it feels different¡­ ¡­ Stop foocking with me! Don¡¯tugh!

    How long was I feeling depressed for, even I don¡¯t know. Was it 5 minutes or 1 hour? During the time that I was stunned, it seems it became something silly¡­

    ¡ºNow because I¡¯m a sword, do I need to worry about such a thing? Anyhow, I¡¯m a sword.¡»

    Besides, if I didn¡¯t reincarnate, I would have died on the spot. When thinking about it carefully, I might actually be quite lucky. Even though I died, I am still able to be conscious in this way.

    That sounds right to me. Not everyone has the experience of bing a sword. If I don¡¯t have fun, isn¡¯t that a failure?

    If that¡¯s what I believe, I think I¡¯ve made a breakthrough. Isn¡¯t that not escapism?

    An unexpected second life. Well, a sword life. I might as well aim for the summit of sword. It might be better that way.

    What¡¯s the top as a sword? Well, having someone use me is most important, I¡¯m out of the question. For example. A hero? But the sword of a hero goes through many hardships. I would fight against the demon lord. Depending on the situation I might get broken. That means in the end I would need the teacher of a legendary cksmith to repair me. Also, the hero might be a fool spouting about justice with hot defined muscles. Probably a handsome guy. The exact opposite of me. To be honest, I don¡¯t think we would get along well.

    I might as well be used by a woman. It¡¯s best if she¡¯s pretty, nor should she be clumsy. That¡¯s several levels better than a muscle-headed hero.

    After that, her skill with a sword. A brilliant swordsman, using me to mow down enemies, and bing a hero. And that beloved sword is recorded inside textbooks several hundred yearster.

    ¡­ ¡­ Well, if it¡¯s just a dream it¡¯s easy if I¡¯m just saying it. Do I need to make a majorpromise? For now, let leave this in.

    I can¡¯t hear the man¡¯s voice at all, so I guess I¡¯ll leave.

 Chapter 2: I Can Fly

    <h4>Chapter 2: I Can Fly</h4>

    Now, first let¡¯s check the surrounding area first.

    First, I¡¯m in what appears look like an old ruin. Without a roof in the vast empty in, I stand alone. If it¡¯s seen from a distance, it might be mistaken for arger water fountain.

    As for me, the pedestal was set in the center, with this treasured sword stuck into it. What about that? Is it legendary sword that is given to those that reach it? Since, the surroundings don¡¯t feel like a dungeon.

    Because of the pedestal it¡¯s not possible to turn around, I can¡¯t see anything behind me. But, as far as the eye can see, there weren¡¯t any tall trees, just bushes and shrubs. If I look closely, there¡¯s an asional shadow. I wonder if it¡¯s an animal.

    ¡ºNot a single person to be found.¡»

    I can¡¯t move myself?

    Wait a second, if I¡¯m not mistaken, there should be a telekic skill. Maybe, I can move with it?

    ¡ºMun.¡»

    Concentrate. Telekinesis Telekinesis.

    Suddenly, I think I felt my body get lighter. There¡¯s a feeling that the sword slightly separated from the pedestal. The most important thing, is to imagine the sword flying through the air.

    ¡ºOoo! I floated!¡»

    If I can imagine it, it¡¯s easy. After I escaped the pedestal, I could move free through the air.

    ¡ºI can fly!¡»

    [Note: This is said in Engrish. Hence the title.]

    There isn¡¯t much speed, but it¡¯s enough for now. I became clear that I could move on my own.

    I tried moving around the area near the pedestal. As before, it looks like a ruin. I think the bricks are made of light brown blocks. Exposed to wind and rain for many years, the color has darkened, and moss covers patches here and there.

    The area¡¯s diameter is 20 meters across.

    ¡ºWho on Earth built this. I feel like it¡¯s the person who made me¡­ ¡­ ¡»

    This is very worn out, I wonder if I was also left here for so long?

    Even if I said sword reincarnation, a sword can¡¯t be made from nothing. It should be expected that somebody made my body. Well, if my body didn¡¯t transform into a sword, but.

    The maker would be the first person to use me, unless the producer is dead then the possibility of that disappears.

    But my body, the sword, is free of moss and dust. It¡¯s just like someone just put me here only yesterday.

    I was thinking about various things while observing my surroundings, when a feeling of unease ran through my body.

    ¡º¡­¡­ Huh?¡»

    Somehow, tired¡­ ¡­ The sensation of losing all my strength attacks the sword.

    And, I fell.

    ¡ºSeriously?¡»

    I try to use telekinesis desperately, but it doesn¡¯t react at all. Height, I estimated 10 meters.

    ¡ºFloat! Please float!¡»

    But, struggling was useless as I hit the ground with all of my might.

    Gaii~i~i~in! called a great resounding metal sound.

    ¡ºEee¡­ ¡­ Isn¡¯t it broken somewhere? Some cracks or¡»

    I hurriedly looked at the status of my body, but everything seemed fine. Also, my body doesn¡¯t feel strange anywhere. To fall from that height and end up fine, this might be an amazing sword after all.

    ¡ºBut, why did I fall?¡»

    A feeling like fatigue came to be, and I couldn¡¯t use telekinesis anymore.

    In order to find the reason, I check my status.

    I immediately understood the reason.

    ¡ºYou no longer possess any magic.¡»

    It was Possessed Magic: 0/200. Probably, when using telekinesis, magic will be continually drained. The fatigue is probably caused by this. Even when the magic is cut off, my saving grace must be that we don¡¯t lose consciousness.

    ¡ºI didn¡¯t fly for 5 minutes. It was probably around 3 minutes.¡»

    For a moment I waited on the stone road. Then, my magic recovered slightly. It appears that it restores itself 1 per 1 minute. I restored it to 60 after waiting for an hour, and was able to use telekinesis once more.

    ¡ºAlright, I float.¡»

    I don¡¯t seem to have any problems. I checked my status as it is. My magic is decreasing rather intensely.

    ¡ºWhile I use telekinesis, the consumption is 1 per 1 second? Then, after calctions it¡¯s about 200 for 3 minutes.¡»

    Also it¡¯s unbearable to be mmed into the ground. I, before I lost all my magic, returned to the pedestal in a hurry. After I am embedded in the pedestal, it¡¯s strangely calming.

    ¡ºFuu. Would I be able to return to this.¡»

    But, I was unskilled at movement and I understood that it would be dangerous. For a little while, I¡¯ll avoid leaving the pedestal¡¯s perimeter, and observe the in.

    When looking at the in, a variety of creatures can be seen. Like the savannahs of Earth, contrary to my expectations it wasn¡¯t only mammals, there was something that looked exactly like a bug, and some guys without a definite shape.

    For example, the ant-like thing I saw earlier had the shadow the size of a small dog.

    The sword was fine. At least, it looks to me like there¡¯s no need to attack.

    ¡ºAgain, this isn¡¯t Earth.¡»

    Moreover, if I look in the distance, there were shadows of evenrger beasts. Although it¡¯s only a rough eye measurement, it looks to be around 10 meters. At least, I think it¡¯s that big.

    ¡ºIs it the so-called evil beasts?¡»

    I saw them, and there was 1 thing that worried me.

    ¡ºWith such a evil beast here, would it be possible for a human to reach here?¡»

 Chapter 3: Encounter with goblins!

    <h4>Chapter 3: Encounter with goblins!</h4>

    Day 2 of resurrection.

    Something hase.

    Footsteps are approaching from behind the pedestal.

    It¡¯s sounds like more than one also.

    ¡¸Gehegehahu¡¹

    ¡¸Agiyagiyo¡¹

    ¡¸Gegiya!¡¹

    Conversation? Are they talking? I don¡¯t know the meaning, but it seems they aremunicating.

    Judging from the voice, I get the feeling that they are monkeys.

    The presence gets closer.

    Already right behind.

    Okay,e here a little bit more.

    Then i will know its form.

    zazza

    A little more.

    ZAZZAZZA

    One meter more.

    ZAZZA - -pita

    Damn it.

    It stopped right behind me.

    ¡¸giyagiyu¡¹

    ¡¸giyarugaga¡¹

    ¡¸giyanga?¡¹

    ¡¸guruhaa-¡¹

    What is it? What the hell are you saying? It sounds like a discussion¡­

    And, something, just touched my handle!

    Clearly, the handle is grasped.

    Although it is simr, I feel that it is too stiff to be the touch of a human hand.

    It seems to be trying to remove me from the pedestal.

    I felt a feeling of strange resistance as the form that did not understand who i was picked me up.

    How should i say it, the form should be confirmed¡­ after it can be omitted separately¡­

    Somehow, i resisted it using telekinesis.

    The mystery partner puts more power in, after failing to remove me the first time.

    But it is naive.

    It is resisted with all my power.

    Like hell i will let it pull me out.

    ¡¸GYAGYA!¡¹

    ¡¸GYUGAGAGA¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸HAGAHAFU!¡¹

    In order to support theirpanion, the others begin shouting.

    As i try to force myself in, the challenger beings to skirt around the pedestal to remove me .

    ¡¸Giyaruga!¡¹

    ¡¸Gorugiyaru!¡¹

    Because of that, these guys worked their way perfecting into my sights.

    Are you serious.

    Green skin.

    The brutal and more like a gori ugly face.

    A head with short horns, wielding clubs and wearing furs.

    So, the guy really was just a goblin.

    Goblins tried to remove me.

    Wait! wait, not Goblins! If i be a magic sword used by goblins it¡¯s over.

    If it was a Goblin King at least, it was good. Even if its seen, how is it a Goblin Grunt?!

    While resisting with telekinesis, i tried verifying the status of the two that entered my sight.

    Race: Goblin: Evil: Demon Beast Lv5

    Hp: 17 MP: 5 Physical Strength: 8 Endurance: 11 agility: 12 intelligence: 6 Magic: 3 dexterity: 7

    Skills

    Club technique: Lv1 , Digging: Lv2

    Race: Goblin: Evil: Demon Beast Lv5

    Hp: 20 MP: 2 Physical Strength: 9 Endurance: 12 agility: 10 intelligence: 5 Magic: 2 dexterity: 8

    Skills

    Swordy: Lv1, Vignce: Lv1, Poison resistance: Lv1

    Ho-ho i see.

    Even though the are from the same race they are subtly different.

    Well, yea¡­

    When the weapons are different, of course they will be different.

    Another one gets impatient with me noting out easily and hase around to the front so i appraised it.

    Race: Goblin Leader: Evil: Demon Beast Lv2

    Hp: 24 MP: 6 Physical Strength: 11 Endurance: 15 agility: 13 intelligence: 7 magic: 7 dexterity: 7

    Skills

    Swordy :Lv1, Art of Survival :Lv1, Dismantling :Lv2, Leadership :Lv1

    This guy is a Goblin Leader.

    The level is low though, Is it a race effect or possibly evolution? It seems a little strong.

    Although only a little bit really.

    What to do.

    There are no signs that they will leave.

    In order to somehow remove me, this time it started hitting me.

    Still when it finds that useless, it¡¯s time for a substitution.

    Apparently, one was still in my blind spot and it grabbed onto me.

    ¡¸Huuuuunnnnnn¡¹I put power in desperately while making a painful voice!

    Maximum power resistance.

    When it realized it was impossible with its power the leader borrowed the goblinpanions club and starts hitting more with that.

    With its face dyed in anger it starts going wild with displeasure at not being able to remove me.

    After all, it is a goblin.

    It¡¯s behavior is too stupid.

    While it was a struggle to the goblin, the pain and confusion caused it to kick the pedestal.

    But the pedestal seems to be more solid than expected.

    Holding onto its toe, it is jumping up and downically.

    Ku Ku Ku.

    Serves him right.

    The leader which was in my blind spot, in a state of anger hurled the club at one of the other goblins.

    Hey wait a minute, aren¡¯t they friends?

    What a thought, Goblin bastard.

    Surprisingly, it began to spit at me!

    I can feel its dirty saliva on my de.

    Ah! Really -! I feel really bad! The humiliation.

    Ok, i see, It¡¯s war.

    I will do it!

    The first target is this guy before my eyes.

    I changed into a goblin leader, and i took aim at the goblin that knows swordy.

    I measure the timing and stop resisting with telekinesis.

    SUPPON~ (Boing)

    The sword which lost resistance suddenly is pulled up inly by a goblin.

    the goblin which used to much force lost its bnce and fell on its backside.

    A fool.

    it¡¯s full of openings!

    Using telekinesis, i casually move the de.

    The de inly cut the windpipe of the defenseless goblin

    I faked an ident, and one was defeated.

    Not being able to understand the situation, The ones who stayed rushed up to him.

    There! , I exploded in action using a ram attack.

    Well, its a sword so the ram attack = Finisher.

    As usual practice during a quarrel, I beat the strong guy first.

    It is the goblin leader that was targeted.

    Not expecting the sword to move automatically, of course he couldn¡¯t avoid my ram attack.

    I look down at my sword de which prated to the back through the stomach in utter amazement.

    A sly trick.

    I fall down to the ground just as is.

    two more.

    To my surprise , is it the first person? For murder, it didn¡¯t feel ufortable.

    I wonder if its thanks to having the body of the sword.

    The feel which stops a foe, tears it, and opens its interior also didn¡¯t feel unpleasant at all.

    Rather the mood is in high spirits.

    Hyahaha, It is meat! I can¡¯t help it.

    However, About cutting down a partner, there was no feeling of evasion at all.

    On the contrary, there is a strange sense of fulfilment.

    It may be the feeling of satisfaction that came from being a sword.

    I attacked one of them that turned his back and was going to start running, and buried it with a single blow.

    The other one is scared and unable to stand up.

    It was easy to bury it.

    Race: Goblin: Evil: Demon beast Lv2

    Hp: 12 MP: 9 Physical Strength: 7 Endurance: 11 agility: 10 intelligence: 6 magic: 3 dexterity: 8

    Skills

    Swordy: Lv1 ¡ºKobold Killer¡»

    But, Good for me.

    Despite being a surprise attack, they were all killed in a single blow.

    Attack power 132 is not for show.

    Well, I don¡¯t know whether it is strong, but with goblins as the standard it seems to be.

    However, there is one thing I¡¯m concerned about.

    ¡¸Was i just sparkling?¡¹

    When i dealt the fatal blow to the third or fourth goblin, the sword de emitted light for a moment.

    To tell the truth, When i killed the second one i felt like the air around me shone also.

    I think it was my imagination though.

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t just my imagination?

    But i think i didn¡¯t shine when i killed the first one.

    Well, there don¡¯t seem to be any abnormalities, but lets check ¡ºStatus¡»first of all.

    Name: Unknown

    Race: Intelligence Weapon

    Attack power: 132 Magic power: 166/200 Durability : 100/100

    Skills

    Appraisal: Lv6 ?Self-Recovery rank 1 ? Demon stone value 3/100?¡¸Grade 10¡¹, Self-modification, Telekinesis, Telepathicmunication, Small rise in owner status, Small rise in owner recovery, Skill sharing, Magician

    Set skill

    Unavable

    Memory skill

    Digging: Lv1¡´New¡µ, Dismantling:Lv1¡´New, Swordy:Lv1¡´New¡µClub technique: Lv1¡´New¡µ,Leadership:Lv1¡´New¡µ, Art of survival:Lv1¡´New¡µ, Kobold Killer ¡´New¡µ

    What!? The items in my status increased.

    The first thing i noticed is Self-Evolution.

    Self-evolution ¡´rank 1. Demon stone level 3/100, Grade 10¡µ

    Rank 1? will self-evolution include something like level?

    And, there is a demon stone level.

    With 3 / 100.

    Ah! The sparkling three times.

    Which is also the level on demon stone 3/100

    Are they connected with each other? And Grade? I don¡¯t know what this means either.

    Just, It was added after it, If I¡¯m not mistaken it will be connected to the grade.

    Did i get the skills when i shed after killing the Goblins?

    One of the beat goblins had it in the first ce. Viligance is not visable so i think its certain.

    Did i absorb the goblins skills?

    When i select a skill, Something like information resounded.

    The current remaining memory is 10.

    Set a skill? ¡ºYes/No¡»

    Of course its ¡ºYes¡».

    Then i entered into a skill choice screen.

    I choose them from the top down.

    Set Skill

    Digging Lv1, Dismantling Lv1, Swordy Lv1, Club Technique Lv1, Leadership Lv1, Art of Survival Lv1, Kobold Killer.

    Memory Skills

    None

    It changed!

    Could it be set? It isn¡¯t understood well.

    When saying that it isn¡¯t understood well, it is a standard to shine.

    Why didn¡¯t i shine after the first kill? There is a hint, The level of Demon stones 3/100.

    Demon Stone.

    It is a word often heard in the stories involving summonings to a different world.

    It is a crystal filled with magic that is in the bodies of Demon beasts.

    As i imagined, however.

    When you refer to the different methods of killing the goblins one of them was cut in the throat while the others were pushed through.

    Perhaps this is the difference.

    ¡¸Hmm.

    Try it out?¡¹

    I rushed over to the goblin i first deafeated.

    I set the de in the stiff who fell down to the fullest.

    It is an act that degrades a corpse, but it is for the sake of inspection.

    Forgive me.

    The third time i seemed to get the desired reaction.

    With a slight firm touch, the sword de glittered.

    When the demon stone is pierced as expected, it seems im able to absorb its magic or something.

    The demon stone of a goblin seems to be in its stomach.

    The demon stone levels increased to 4/100, in memory skill column, Vignce and poison-resistance were added.

    Paying attention , the skills level is different this time.

    The Goblin leader had Dismantling Lv2 and one of the underlings had Digging Lv2

    But the skill you can get seems to be Lv1

    Somehow, it was like a level reset.

    Is it possible to level up these skills?

    Is it by using it? or should i take in a demon stone? Inspection was necessary in the future.

    No matter how, I¡¯ll set the Vignce and Poison-resistance skills.

 Chapter 4: Skills, Magic Stones, and Me

    <h4>Chapter 4: Skills, Magic Stones, and Me</h4>

    Um.

    The goblin corpses are a nuisance.

    Having fallen in front of the pedestal, they are now constantly in sight.

    I went out of the ruins while dragging the corpses using telekinesis.

    It left traces of their blood on the ground, but its better than their dead bodies.

    Then dug a hole to bury the dead.

    I hope that the hole digging skill i just got works.

    Un.

    I can dig it.

    It can be dug noisily with a ¡°zakuzaku¡± by the thin sword de. (Note: zakuzaku = crunching sound)

    It seems like I¡¯m even using a shovel.

    However does the digging skill contribute to it, or is it simply thanks to telekinesis, could not be determined.

    Probably, i want to think that there was some effect.

    Well, it is good to have been able to collect skills while waiting for a suitable person toe.

    Maybe that¡¯s what i should aim to do while waiting. Be stronger as a magic sword.

    And with that decided, i started to search immediately.

    Using telekinesis, i jump around the ruins.

    When my magic power decreases, ind and take a rest.

    Because the surroundings are a in, even if i go far away, I¡¯m a little relieved to not lose sight of the pedestal.

    The one found first was a little mouse with six legs.

    ¡ºPromptly,

    I appraised it.¡»

    Name: Six-legged rat : animal Lv1

    Hp:2

    Mp: 0 Strength: 1 Endurance: 1 agility: 10 Int: 2 Magic: 0 Dexterity: 3. Skills

    None

    Weak.

    Too Weak.

    There isn¡¯t even any skills too.

    However, i am all right with just being able to absorb its magic stone.

    The current magic stone level is 4/100

    After gathering 96 more i expect that my rank will go up.

    Please die for my growth.

    I nose-dived at the mouse.

    My attack easily hits the unsuspecting mouse.

    The mouse split in two.

    However, my body does not shine.

    ¡ºOh, why is that?¡»

    Once again, the de pierced the dead mouse.

    But i still do not shine.

    Was i not able to take in the magic stone by the present attack?

    I opened up the body of the mouse carefully to investigate a cause.

    It¡¯s quite a grotesque site, but i was saved thanks to being a sword.

    It is gross, but i don¡¯t need to vomit.

    I think whether I feel slightly sorry.

    As a result of the investigation, i could not find traces of a magic stone within the mouse¡¯s body.

    Then, i noticed.

    When i confirmed the status of this mouse, it was transcribed as an animal.

    Isn¡¯t it that only demon¡¯s have a magic stone inside if them?

    Even on earth, animals don¡¯t have such a thing inside themselves.

    To inspect this theory, i have be the rats worst nightmare and attacked all that i could find.

    The result, After killing three more, i could not find a magic stone.

    Next i aim at Demon beasts.

    Well, One was found already.

    It¡¯s arge centipede approximately 50 centimeters long which has been eating the bodies of dead rats which i had killed.

    Name: Giant Centipede : Demon bug: Demon Beast : Lv4

    Hp : 18 MP : 7 Strength : 6 Endurance : 10 Agility : 14 Intelligence : 1 Magic : 6 Dexterity : 2

    Skills

    Vibration sensing : Lv1 , Climbing : Lv1 , Poison fang.

    The family is a demon beast.

    At first i pierced the head.

    However, it struggles, it rampages.

    A yellow liquid seeps out of its mouth, ¡°BitanBitan¡± while thrashing around.

    To put and end to it, i cut up the body this time.

    Still the dividedrge centipede moves back and forth showing the vitality peculiar to an insect.

    But soon its wriggling stopped. A?, Its disgusting.

    However, he was defeated.

    My sword de glittered when i cut through the area around the centipedes heart which had stopped moving.

    As expected, the demon beast seemed to have a magic stone.

    Skills gained by the way, was the vibration sensing :Lv1 Climbing: Lv1 and poison fang.

    But i don¡¯t have fangs¡­

    When i set it and used it, my MP decreased by 5, and a liquid delicately seeped out from my de.

    This is probably poison.

    Oh, If it can be used, that¡¯s fine!

    Next i tried to set climbing and set vibration sensing, but wasn¡¯t able to do it.

    (Beyond the upper limit of the set skill)

    I seem not to be able to employ all the skills that i got somehow or other.

    Status item, Self-evolution (rank 1 magic stone 5/100 memory 10) With what is said, memory 10 seems like the number of skills which can be equipped.

    To be sure

    Digging : Lv1, Dismantling: Lv1, Warning: Lv1 Swordy : Lv1 Club technique: Lv1 Leader: Lv1 Art of survival : Lv1 Climbing :Lv 1 Poison resistance : Lv1 Poison fang.

    Are the 10 skills which are set.

    When i tried removing Club technique and set vibration sensing, i was able to do it.

    Well, i don¡¯t really need ¡¸club technique¡¹, so let¡¯s go as is until i get a new skill.

    Leader, art of survival, poisonous resistance, and climbing obviously don¡¯t to seem to be necessary for me.

    I want to get a transformation skill

    With that said it is time to resume the search.

    The next discovery was 2 shadows that were walking ahead.

    By the silhouette it seems like a bowlegged chimpanzee walking on two legs, Green Skin, it is those ugly fellows.

    ¡ºA Goblin.

    Furthermore, it¡¯s holding something in its hand¡»

    Race: Goblin : Evil demon: Demon Beast: Lv2

    HP: 14 MP: 2 Strength : 6 Endurance: 9 Agility: 10 Int: 5 Magic: 3 Dexterity: 6

    Skills

    Club Technique: Lv1 Digging: Lv1

    Race: Goblin : Evil demon: Demon beast Lv3

    HP:16 MP:3 Strength :7 Endurance :10 Agility :10 Int :5 Magic :2 Dexterity : 7

    Skills

    Throwing technique : Lv1 Hunting : Lv1

    Race: Poison fang rat : Demon: Demon Beast Lv1

    Current status: Dead

    HP:0 MP: 3 Strength : 4 Endurance : 7 Agility : 14 Int :1 Magic : 4 Dexterity : 4

    Skills

    Warning: Lv1

    Without status i would not be able to tell that the goblin on the right is slightly a higher level than the other, it¡¯s a good skill.

    Well, they are weaker than the other 3 i killed earlier.

    It seems i¡¯ll manage somehow.

    Moreover their prey the poison rat was being held up.

    That will be mine!

    Using the shadow of a bush so as to not be noticed i approached.

    The distance is about 2 meters.

    First, its the higher leveled one.

    ¡ºHYUUHHHAA! Hand over the magic stone!¡»

    Un, I¡¯m not really that bloodthirsty, i just wanted to try saying that!

    DOS

    With a dull sound, i pierced the goblin from behind.

    There was no resistance at all.

    I pull out of the goblin body immediately while noticing that the sword de glitters.

    And attacked the other stunned goblin.

    With this, 2.

    I was able to get throwing technique and hunting skills without a problem.

    And the new demon.

    But i looked puzzled at a strange point.

    It doesn¡¯t have a neck.

    No matter what i think it¡¯s strange.

    ¡ºPoison fang rat? Though, Is there only Warning for a skill?¡»

    Even if i think how, its strange that it doesn¡¯t have a poison fang in its skills.

    It doesn¡¯t match the name.

    For now, i tried turning up the rats lips with telekinesis.

    Long Canine teeth.

    And yellow liquides out from the points of its teeth.

    is it venom?

    Fumu.

    Why is it? There is a skill such as Poison fang in a centipede, and not the rat that has poison fangs.

    Even if i worry, there are to few hints.

    If i hunt more demon beasts i will slowly gather information.

    The skills seemed to have reacted immediately.

    Thanks to vibration sensing and hunting that is.

    I could sense some existence while moving subtly across the grass.

    It does not seem to be so big.

    I sneak around to the other side of a bush slowly.

    Race: Scavengers (Birds) : Demon Bird: Demon Beast Lv5

    HP:13 MP:5 Strength : 9 Endurance :11 Agility :15 Int :6 Magic :3 Dexterity : 7

    Skills

    Poison resistance : Lv1 , Digestion reinforcement.

    A bird?

    The sensing ability seems wonderful!

    Here we¡¯ll carefully.

    I skimmed the ground while flying to not make any sounds, careful to avoid grass, and attacked.

    I cut its neck and the scavenger is soon lying on the ground.

    ¡ºPhew¡­ Because it would be troublesome if it flew away,

    I¡¯m d i was able to defeat it first.

    ¡» I stab into the Scavenger and absorb its magic stone.

    I learned digestion reinforcement.

    However, I don¡¯t need digestion reinforcement.

    After all i have no digestive organs.

    In the first ce this skill could be remembered.

    I admire theck of constancy of self-evolution.

    Well, is the next victim here?

    A guy possessing the skills that i don¡¯t have is good if possible.

    In that way i caught a strange shadow when looking for prey.

    Something like a kite, floating at low altitude.

    The movement speed isn¡¯t fast, but the movement is strange and irregr.

    It looks like a flying green jellyfish.

    Race: Air floater: Devil nt: Demon Beast Lv5

    HP: 14 MP:10 Strength : 6 Endurance : 11 Agility :4 Int :2 Magic :11 Dexterity : 5

    Skills

    Magic absorption : Lv1 Hawk eyes , Floatation.

    I try getting closer, but it doesn¡¯t react.

    Only, ten meters ahead of me, it still just floats.

    Should i attack it? I decided to try to sh at it first!

    I target is its core and the location with a design that looks like eyes, on its mushroom/jellyfish like body.

    Whatever there is, i seem able to react, so i approach slowly.

    And it was as soon as i approached about 2 meters away.

    The air floater showed a movement more alert and agile than i could imagine.

    ¡ºUeee, I¡¯ve got a bad feeling!¡»

    About 10 tentacles have stretched towards me.

    The red tentacles moves strangly reminding me of an angleworm or a snake.

    Very creepy.

    But, because i stopped for an instant to take in that horrible site, the tentacles wrapped around me.

    ¡ºUgh, Is my MP being absorbed?¡»

    Via the tentacle, I understood that my MP was being siphoned off.

    In addition to feeling terrible, it¡¯s dangerous.

    I feverishly attempted to escape.

    Fortunately, the strength of the tentacle was no bid deal, and it was possible to move just a little to cut myself out of its grasp.

    ¡ºHii?

    That was close!¡»

    When i checked my status, about 10 of my MP had been sucked away.

    If i would have stayed being held, i wonder how it would have turned out.

    That guy is dangerous.

    I¡¯mmitted to kill it.

    I decided to sneak over top of the air floater, when in ce i charged with maximum velocity.

    After all, as for the power and strength of the tentacles, they aren¡¯t that great.

    I cut the tentacles that havee after me once again, skip and pierce its body.

    With the feeling of having prated some hard objectes a shining sword de.

    The evidence that the magic stone which is a vital spot was destroyed.

    With a ¡°thud¡± the air floater deprived of the power fell to the ground.

    Because it was floating by the power of a skill, that body which died lost buoyancy.

    And a skill of Flotation and magic absorption is added to me.

    They both seem like useful skills.

    In particr, i tried floating and it was verypatible with telekinesis.

    At any rate, even if nothing is done, it¡¯s a decent skill.

    Of course it takes MP to use , but it takes far less than to float using only a telekic force.

    When it¡¯sbined with telekinesis, I can fly 5 times longer.

    If magic absorption is alsobined, i could fly even longer.

    In that way i noticed a certain thing when i inspected floating.

    ¡ºThough an air floater had a skill like flotation if i remember right, there were no such skills of flight in the scavenger.

    Though it is a demon beast of the bird type.¡»

    It¡¯s the same as the poison fang rat.

    The skills that should be there are not.

    Is there amon point?

    Poison fang and the flight skills to is there a reason?

    Well, as for flight i don¡¯t know if i can obtain it since i don¡¯t have any wings.

    Un? Wait a moment, If it¡¯s wingless, can¡¯t a flight skill be used? After all is flight not a skill?

    For example there are no skills such as walking or breathing in a goblin.

    And it¡¯s the same as it¡¯s natural for a bird to fly.

    That¡¯s the proper function in which not magic, but a body has a skill.

    The magic and the skills aren¡¯t rted there.

    So when i think so, as for the fang of the poison fang rat, couldn¡¯t it have simply been a mechanism of the body using something like a poison nd that gives venom to the fangs?

    It¡¯s the same as the poisonous snakes which were also on earth.

    On the contrary, the Poison Fang the giant centipede used was poison which was created by magic, it¡¯s probably a fantasy-like special ability.

    ¡ºBecause swordy is an acquired one which was trained and obtained, can it also be absorbed as a skill? ¡»

    There are still many things i do not understand about my body.

    More inspections seem to be necessary.

    The hawk eye skill was also considerably good.

    It¡¯s a skill which gives the ability to see things in a bird¡¯s eye view. (T/N The author calls the skill Falcon/Hawk eye but it seems it is actually meant less literally such as being birds eye, so its really just a 3rd person POV skill.)

    Fortunately, the whole environment could be seen now.

    It¡¯s the feeling as if the camera is now affixed to a fan that can finally move freely, instead of before where it was as if i was looking through a camera fixed to a handle.

    Well, it isn¡¯t possible to separate very far from the body.

    ¡¾Alright! Time to hunt even more various kinds!¡¿

    By the way, the status of the present sword is

    Name: Unknown

    Race: Intelligence weapon

    Attack power : 132 Magic Power 200/200 Durability 100/100

    Skills

    Appraisal Lv6, Self- recovery, self- evolution, (Rank 1, Magic stone level 9/100, memory: 10) self modification, telekinesis, telepathy, small rise in owner status, small rise in owner recovery, skills sharing, magic

    Set skills

    Digging Lv1, Warning Lv1, Sword y Lv1, Hunting Lv1, Vibration sensing Lv1 , Throwing art Lv1, Magic absorption Lv1, Birds eye view, Poison fang, Floating.

    Memory skill

    Dismantling Lv1, Club Technique Lv1 , Leader lv1, art of Survival Lv1, poison resistance Lv1, Kobold Killer, Digestion reinforcement.

    Modification point.

    (These are the changes the author made. ) I added ¡°the eyes of the hawk¡± (Birds eye view as i called it) skill to the air floater and added the following parts to the sentence.

 Chapter 5: Rank up!

    <h4>Chapter 5: Rank up!</h4>

    ¡ºOraOra! What color is your magic stone!¡»

    It is now the 5th day since i have been reincarnated as a sword.

    It was just after i had in the 12th demon beast since morning that this happened.

    ¡¾Self-evolution has activated.

    Self-evolution points acquired : 10¡¿

    Immediately i check my status.

    Self-evolution ¡¾rank 2, Magic stone value 102/300, Memory 12 points 10¡¿

    The magic stone value has exceeded 100

    ¡¸Oh, isn¡¯t it early?¡¹

    When checking it this morning, the magic stone value should have only been at 80.

    ¡¸Hmmm, The only difference since yesterday is that i moved to another hunting ground.¡¹

    Because i understood that i could fight without a problem, i moved my monster hunting grounds further from the ruins.

    The enemies seem to be stronger as i leave the ruins, A ¡¸Crash Boar¡¹with a hammer like nose, An ¡¸Iron Ant¡¹which is a demon ant that can even crush rocks, Bigger and badder monsters appear frequently prowling the area.

    They are also higher levels, possess more skills, and their magic stones are bigger.

    ¡ºSo, Size of the magic stone¡­¡­ ¡»

    ¡ºPerhaps, the magic stone from strong demons, has a value that isn¡¯t 1?¡»

    Yeah maybe.

    In the first ce, the magic stone of ¡¸Crash Boar¡¹of two meters, and the magic stone from the small fry goblin can¡¯t be worth the same value.

    ¡ºWill i confirm it a little in detail?¡»

    My status has also improved.

    Moreover, it improved more than you can imagine.

    Attack power : 162 Magic power : 300 Endurance: 200

    ¡ºOh! this fellow is happy, If i keep absorbing the magic stones, bing the world¡¯s strongest sword is not just a dream! I¡¯m also increasing the number of memories quietly. ¡»

    Ok, Lets aim for the counter stop!

    ¡ºAnd¡­ What is point 10 of the self-evolution?¡»

    When leveling up, i seemed to get it.

    I try to examine there in detail.

    Oh? Some various items appeared.

    Is it a list of skills?

    A list of possible skill acquisition.

    Attack power small rise, Durability value small rise, Telekinesis small rise, Sense talk small rise, Magic power small rise, Memory increase (small), skill level up, demon beast knowledge, nt knowledge, mineral knowledge.

    Ooo? Though there are various kinds, is it that? Is it a bonus skill-like fellow?

    I pick small increase in Magic Power, for the time being.

    ¡¾Use 5 points, to acquire magic power small rise? Yes/No ¡¿

    Can i get it really? It¡¯s YES of course!

    ¡¾You have acquired Magic Power small rise¡¿

    Then the self-evolution points decreased to 5, and magic power small rise was added to the skill list.

    Furthermore, my MP went up by 100!

    Self-evolution sensei is great~! What next? I want everything, but i don¡¯t have enough points.

    This time, i try to choose the skill level up.

    As for this, surprisingly it seemed to be able to make a memory skill i possessed at present increase in level.

    But, i seem to have to choose a skill separately.

    When i tried choosing fencing it required 2 points.

    Everything was tried but in the end everything was 2 points to level up.

    However, poison fang seemed to take 5 points.

    Floating also required 5 points. What is the difference, i wonder if poison fang and floating are 5 points because they do not have a level.

    Umu. i am at a loss in various ways, but I¡¯ll choose Attack power small rise here.

    It would be the most effective against the demon animals.

    And, after attack power small rise was added my Attack Power rose by 50.

    Good.

    With this, I came to look forward to increasing the magic stones value.

    ¡º¡±Yoshi!¡±, A motivation came! I¡¯ll hunt demons around here, hunt and hunt exhaustively! ¡»

    So I¡¯ve decided, let¡¯s take action at once!

    I glide triumphantly, through the ins.

    Looking for monsters from the sky and striking them down on discovery.

 Chapter 6: Goblin?Immediately?Decapitated!

    <h4>Chapter 6: Goblin?Immediately?Decapitated!</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    ¡ºMagic Stone get©`!¡»

    ¡¸shiyugiyagiya©`!¡¹

    ¡ºAs expected, dens are delicious!¡»

    Currently, I¡¯m in a Goblin den.

    But I wasn¡¯t able to find it on my own; I followed an underling Goblin and found it.

    I just let it swim about for a bit, and it led me here all on its own. With that, I can clear them out all at once. What a great strategy, right?

    I had followed the Goblin by flying at low altitude, with my footwork being waspletely silent. Well, I don¡¯t have any feet, but that¡¯s how it was.

    I must have been stalking him for¡­ Probably close to an hour? The Goblin had started dancing abruptly at points, and became engrossed with the sight of ants walking in procession, so most of my time waspletely wasted.

    I didn¡¯t even observe the Goblin for a long time, but its actions were quite irritating. Because it advanced so slowly, I had contemted killing it many times.

    ¡ºBeheading that Gob left a deep impression on me.¡»

    I¡¯d like to praise myself for enduring for as long as I did.

    And so, I¡¯ve continued to assassinate Goblins since then.

    I should have gotten rid of more than 30 already, but an uproar has yet to ur. Have they really not noticed me yet?

    ¡ºOh, this is quite a wide passage.¡»

    I continue my advance. Around the corner¡¯s arge room; it¡¯s about 20 meters in length, but the height is a little less than 10 meters.

    Inside, crowded together, there¡¯re Goblins, Goblins, and more Goblins. There must be more than 50 of them.

    1 on 1, they¡¯re nothing but small fry, but in these numbers they¡¯re a considerable threat. I can easily defeat even medium-sized monsters, but¡­ That¡¯s the power of a group for you.

    Later I learned that the Threat Level spikes when Demonic Beasts that can use group tactics make a horde.

    The Threat Level a lone Goblin possesses is ¡®G¡¯. However, it bes ¡®F¡¯ when there are 10 and ¡®E¡¯ when there¡¯re more than 100.

    By the way, Threat Level ¡®E¡¯ is the equivalent of a Lesser Basilisk or an Ogre. It¡¯s at the level that entire viges are essentially doomed.

    And, at the back of the room sat an eye-catching existence. Many wounds are engraved onto its face, and its build is close to twice that of the other Goblins. Its appearance fits the word ¡°Veteran¡± to a tee. It¡¯s dressed in Iron Armor, with a huge Sword propped up to the side; both were likely taken from Adventurers.

    ¡ºOhh! Bingo!¡»

    Race : Goblin King : Evil Beast : Demonic Beast Lv.21

    HP :87¡¡MP :26¡¡STR :47¡¡END :39¡¡AGI :26¡¡INT :17¡¡MGC :16¡¡DEX :29

    Skills:

    Coercion :Lv1, Sword Techniques :Lv2, Sword Arts :Lv4, Leadership :Lv4, Raise Morale :Lv3, Shield Arts :Lv2, Provocation :Lv1, Throwing :Lv1, Ambition :Lv1, Vigor Maniption

    Equipment:

    Broken Crude-Iron Long Sword, Cracked Crude-Iron Armor, Leather Shield, Leather Loincloth

    Its Status is iparable to the other Goblins. It truly is the Goblin King.

    ¡ºPerhaps they¡¯re aware of an intruder, but chose to defend the King?¡»

    While looking at its Status, I trembled in delight. Excitement, like one you would get standing before an all-you-can-eat buffet, welled up.

    Moreover, I¡¯ve confirmed that the other guys are the best of their kind. There¡¯re Soldiers, Archers, Knights, Mages, Thieves, Warriors, Monks, Healers, and Shamans, most of which had unconfirmed existences until now.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get to it!¡»

    I thoroughly enhance my power. Telekinesis¡¯ strength is capable of being changed depending on the mental image, and it¡¯s possible to generate tremendous eleration with Telekinesis via magic.

    Making use of this, I name this move The Telekenesis Catapult Attack! Kukuku, the first to taste it is you, Goblin King!

    Dashing around the corner, I aim at the Goblin King and release my power. I went from 0 to max speed near instantly, and in no time I arrived at the King.

    Telekinesis ispletely silent, and so the Goblin King wasn¡¯t able to react at all.

    With that, I pierced right into its face.

    *DOBON!*

    I, who flew at the head of the Goblin King, became stuck in the wall.

    My power is frightening even to myself. It¡¯s surpassed the level of a catapult; it¡¯s already at the level of a cannon.

    With a slight dy, the Goblin King¡¯s body slowly fell, and for an instant, silence dominated the room.

    After that instant, shrieks and angry shouts resonate within the small space from the Goblins.

    ¡ºGiyaoOOOoo!¡»

    ¡ºGuRuuuAAAa!¡»

    ¡ºGoRURUUuaaa!¡»

    One guy panicked and, flustered, ran up to the body of the King and roared. There certainly are many reactions.

    Then, besides the King, the guy who must be something like the King¡¯s Adjutant shouts out something amidst the chaos. After that, 5 Goblins turn towards the passage and start running.

    The Goblins, who don¡¯t think that a sword can move of its own volition, seem to think that somebody threw a sword from the depths of the passage.

    Thinking so, all of the Goblins turned their eyes to the passage.

    Idiots! There¡¯ll be no one there even if you all look that way!

    Smoothly, I slid out of the wall. With that momentum, I collided with the Adjutant.

    Or rather, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say I specifically targeted this guy.

    ¡ºGive me your Magic Skills!¡»

    As a tactical goal I aimed at the King, but as far as Goblins are concerned the one I wanted to defeat the most would have to be this Goblin Mage. I was dying for this guy¡¯s Skills ever since I saw them.

    Race : Goblin Mage : Evil Beast: Demonic Beast Lv.9

    HP:27¡¡MP:36¡¡STR : 14¡¡END:15¡¡AGI:20¡¡INT:16¡¡MGC:19¡¡DEX:12

    Skills:

    Minerology :Lv1, Leadership :Lv1, Staff Arts :Lv2, Quarterstaff Arts :Lv1, Fire Magic :Lv3, MGC ¡ü Low, Magic Maniption.

    Equipment:

    Broken Oak Staff, Fur Robe

    ¡ºFuhahahahahaha! With this, I can use magic!¡»

    It¡¯s magic in a different world! One of the yearnings of the otakus! There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t want to use it!

    That very same magic has just fallen into my hands! There¡¯s no helping it if I¡¯m a little excited!

    ¡ºBut before trying Magic, I¡¯ll finish up with these guys!¡»

    From there, it was a one sided ughter.

    The increased Morale brought about by the King disappeared alongside him, so the Goblins quickly started panicking and fell into disorder. The Mage, which had the ability to quell the confusion, had disappeared as well.

    Top of their species or not, they¡¯re no match when they¡¯re no longer acting as a group. Normal Goblins can¡¯t even deal damage to me, so long as it isn¡¯t a critical.

    And so, the Goblins that lost the power of the group became nothing but a disorderly crowd. Or rather, due to their close proximity, their numbers only ended up obstructing their movements, so they might have be even less of a threat.

    ¡ºAlright, this guy¡¯s thest Archer!¡»

    As for the other guys who could attack over long distances, I cleared them all up. Afterwards, to me who couldn¡¯t be attacked due to staying close to the ceiling, the crowd of EXP Values could only look up.

    I simply defeated Goblins while flying around the outskirts of the herd, taking precedence on the ones who tried to run away to keep any from escaping. A considerable amount of Goblins still escaped, but 30 of them were still hunted down in the end.

    The improvement of my Skill Levels surprised me. When I absorbed the power of the Goblins¡¯ Magic Stones Sword Arts and Club Arts improved in session.

    It seems that when I have the same Skill as my enemy, absorbing their Magic Stone increases Skill Proficiency. Or perhaps I simply absorb the umted Level of the enemy¡¯s Skills? Well, either way, the fact that my Skills can be improved is pleasant information.

    ¡ºFuhahahahaha! Give me the experience!¡»

    Today¡¯s Status!:

    Name :Unknown

    Race :Intelligent Weapon

    ATK: 212¡¡MP: 400/400¡¡Durability: 200/200

    Skills:

    Appraisal :Lv6, Self-Repair, Self-Evolution ¡´Rank 2 ?Magic Stone Level :185/300 ?Memory :12 ?Points :0¡µ, Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telepathy, ATK ¡ü Low, Owner ALL Stats ¡ü Low, Owner HP Recovery ¡ü Low, MP ¡ü Low, Skill Sharing, Sorcery

    Set Skills:

    Stealth :Lv1, Evasion ¡ü :Lv1, Vignce :Lv1, Sword Arts :Lv1, Impact Resistance :Lv1, Vibration Sensing :LV1, Throwing :LV1, Magic Absorption :Lv1, Anesthetic Fang, Bird''s Eye View, Poison Fang, Floating

    Memory Skills:

    Digging :Lv1, Dismantling :Lv1, Leg Strength ¡ü :Lv1, Archery :Lv1, Club Arts :LV1, Harvesting :Lv1, Leadership :Lv1, Hunting :Lv1, Shield Arts :Lv1, Survival Arts :Lv1, Spear Arts :Lv1, Martial Arts :Lv1, Shortbow Arts :Lv1, Dagger Arts :Lv1, Weather Prediction :Lv1, Climbing :Lv1, Poison Resistance :Lv1, Disease Resistance :Lv1, Axe Arts :Lv1, Paralysis Resistance :Lv1, Trap Creation :Lv1, Smell Enhancement, Absorption Enhancement, Kobold Language, Digestion Enhancement, Pain Reduction, Taste Enhancement

    £Î£Å£× Skills:

    Coercion :Lv1, Transportation :Lv1, Recovery Magic :Lv1, Singing :Lv1, Fear Resistance :Lv1, Sword Dancing :Lv1, Acrobatics :Lv1, Contract Magic :Lv1, Conceal Presence :Lv1, Sword Techniques :Lv1, Summon Kin :Lv1, Pugilist Arts :Lv1¡¢Mineralogy :Lv1, Raise Morale :Lv1, Flexibility :Lv1, Instantaneous Movement :Lv1, Purification Magic :Lv1, Staff Arts :Lv1, Small Axe Arts :Lv1, Pickpocket :Lv1, Mental Resistance :Lv1, Oath Magic :Lv1, Medicine Manufacturing :Lv1, Quarterstaff Arts :Lv1, Warhammer Arts :Lv1, Longbow Arts :Lv1, Provocation :Lv1, Escape :Lv1, Engineering :Lv1, Drowsiness Resistance :Lv1, Ambition :Lv1, Belly Crawl :Lv1, Club Arts :Lv1, Support Magic :Lv1, Carpentry :Lv1, Herbalism :Lv1, Cooking :Lv1, Night Vision, Vigor Maniption, AGI ¡ü Low, MGC ¡ü Low, Magic Maniption

    Note:

    The previous trantors used the literal trantions of these Status values (excluding HP and MP, which were already using the English Alphabet), but I¡¯ve put them into Game-like format for space conservation.

    For those who want to know what the literal trantions SHOULD be: STR = Physical Strength, END = Physical Fitness, AGI = Agility, INT = Intelligence, MGC = Magic Power, DEX = Dexterity. I¡¯ll be using the shortened Game-like terms from now on when they¡¯re used under the context of Stats, but I¡¯ll use their proper names if they fit better. Either way, the two ways of saying them are synonymous.

    This is the sound for ¡®Breaking¡¯.

    Once again, I¡¯ll be changing them to more game-like values. ATK = Attack Power, MP = ¡°Held Magic Power¡±. Durability is Durability.

    Now some Notes regarding Skill Names:

    War Staff Arts ¡ú Quarterstaff Arts as per Faceman¡¯s suggestion

    Narcotic Fang ¡ú Anesthetic Fang as per greedxviii¡¯s suggestion

    Transportation (ß\°á, tranted as-is, but it rtes to Carriages)

    Sword Dancing (Çú„‡Ðg, it¡¯s essentially ¡®Musical Sword Arts¡¯. ¡®Sword Dancing¡¯ was the first thing that came to mind, so there it is)

    Instantaneous Movement (Ë²°k is ¡®Instantaneous¡¯. Just that one word. Breaking the characters down to ¤·¤å¤ó¤Ñ¤Ä results in the same thing, but two of my Machines mentioned Movement, so I¡¯ll go with that until proven otherwise)

    Mental Resistance (¾«ÉñÄÍÐÔ, as-is, but Mental could also be ¡°Soul¡±. I¡¯ll keep it as Mental for now, but if someone who knew Japanese could rify, that¡¯d be great)

    Club Arts (°ôÐg, ¡®Stick-fighting Arts¡¯. It mentioned Cudgels, so I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s where the other TL¡¯s got Club from. Because of that, I¡¯m rolling with it.)

 Chapter 7: Night Flight

    <h4>Chapter 7: Night Flight</h4>

    Um¡­ Which way is the Pedestal?

    I eliminated the entire nest of Goblins and emerged triumphant, but¡­

    The darkness of night has already wrapped around the surrounding area, so I¡¯ve lost my sense of direction.

    ¡ºWell, there¡¯s the silver Moon over there, so¡­?¡»

    I have no idea. I don¡¯t know what direction the Moon rises and, of course, I don¡¯t know which direction the Sun rises either. I¡¯ve already be a lost child.

    ¡ºShould I give up going home today¡­?¡»

    To me, the Pedestal has been certified as my home, more or less. I¡¯d like to return there every day, if possible. In addition, sitting inside of the Pedestal somehow gives me peace of mind.

    However, it seems that it¡¯s impossible to return.

    Well, it can¡¯t be helped, so let¡¯s treat ourselves to somete-night hunting. Until now, I had been hesitant to go out at night in the ins, but I don¡¯t have a choice.

    With that, I took to the air and searched for Demonic Beasts while maintaining a height where the ground is just barely in view. I¡¯m not only at this height to search for Demonic Beasts, but also to easily reach the ground in case of a surprise attack from above.

    ¡ºFlying high in the sky, I can see quite far into the distance. It¡¯s quite nice.¡»

    I haven¡¯t seen one yet, but being attacked by some sort of transcendent Dragon would be the worst. So, not with just my eyes, I¡¯m remaining vignt with all five senses. Well, five sense-like things, given the fact that I don¡¯t have a body.

    Anyways, it seems that the strength of Demonic Beasts doesn¡¯t spike up just because of the night. Rather, it seems that they¡¯ve grown weaker under the cover of darkness.

    Even if it takes time to find them,bat¡¯s settled in an instant.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s good, it¡¯s good! Using Echolocation to detect them! Convenient Skills are great!¡»

    For Monsters of the night, exploration Skills are quite substantial.

    Especially Echolocation. With this Skill, I can grasp the topography of the area as well as Demonic Beasts, so I¡¯m able to search the surroundings with considerable detail.

    ¡ºAmassing Magic Stones like this, I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to Rank up?¡»

    Yeah, I was getting caught up in the moment. I was so sessful in killing the nocturnal Demonic Beasts that, in my excitement, I didn¡¯t pay attention to my surroundings. I had single-mindedly focused only on chasing prey.

    ¡¸GYarURUroOOOo!¡¹

    Suddenly, such a roar resounded within my ears. I looked up to find the source, and found a Demonic Beast whose size far surpassed that of a Giant Bat approaching from above.

    ¡ºImpossible! There was no reaction from Echolocation!¡»

    Shortly before I had used Echolocation, but there was absolutely no response.

    ¡¸Gyagyaoo!¡¹

    ¡ºOhtto!¡»

    At extremely-high speed, the huge shadow passes by right beside me.

    It¡¯s like a ne!

    ¡ºNuah!¡»

    A sound simr to a high-pitched metallic shriekes from my de with just a grazing touch. The impact is terrific, with all trees within about 10 meters being blown away. But that¡¯s not all. With just that slight contact, checking my Status, my Durability was shaved off by 30.

    ¡ºSheet! What an unpleasant surprise!¡»

    Are surprise attacks your main ? No thanks. I¡¯m just a sword. Aren¡¯t I a good sword? Even if I am, I¡¯m just a sword! A sword!

    Even so, I¡¯ll still feel offended when I¡¯m struck!

    I was sent flying in surprise, but I managed to stabilize my posture in the air. I wasn¡¯t able to get a good look at my assant, however.

    It¡¯s Fast! That¡¯s all I can say.

    Other than that, I figured out why it wasn¡¯t caught with Echolocation.

    Although it hasn¡¯t even been five seconds since it collided with this master of the shadows, it¡¯s already far off into the distance. He¡¯s way too fast.

    I don¡¯t always use Echolocation, but when I do, it usually takes about a minute to examine the area using the rebounding sound waves. If something has that much speed approaches from more than 30 meters away, then it takes about 5 seconds for the signal to reach me.

    ¡¸Gyoooo!¡¹

    ¡ºDamn, here ites again!¡»

    I try using Appraisal at thest second while barely dodging him.

    Race : Lesser Wyvern : Deteriorated Sub-Dragon : Demonic Beast Lv.21

    HP:223¡¡MP:95¡¡STR:95¡¡END:122¡¡AGI:98¡¡INT:142¡¡MGC:63¡¡DEX:37

    Skills:

    Intimidation:Lv2, Stealth:Lv2, Fire Resistance:Lv3, Airflow Maniption:Lv3, Poison Resistance:Lv3, Scale Hardening, Smell Enhancement, Absorption Enhancement, Sight Enhancement

    Strong! It¡¯s a Wyvern: a degradation of the dragon species ¡ª it¡¯s just a degradation, but it¡¯s still the strongest Demonic Beast I¡¯ve seen so far! It¡¯s got a lot of Skills, too!

    I avoided a direct hit because I devoted myself to evasion, but the wind pressure alone made my whole body shake as a fierce gust of wind assaulted me.

    I¡¯ve made light of this world. I¡¯ve never had a hard fight, but when ites to Dragons, is there room for fighting halfheartedly? I don¡¯t think so.

    ¡ºDamn it!¡»

    My opponent might be able to move even faster than this.

    Isn¡¯t this an impossible game? No, wait. If I give up, then it really will be the end. It¡¯s still too early to give up. When the timees, I¡¯ll be able to escape to the ground somehow. Maybe. But before that, let¡¯s take on this challenge. Or rather, it¡¯s unlikely that I¡¯ll be able to get away if I don¡¯t do something. I¡¯ll have to depend on counterattacks, even if all I can do is damage him a little.

    So, let¡¯s try to counter his charge. I speed up a bit in reverse, as to make an attempt to run at the same time. Survival is my priority.

    Like that, I wait for the rush of the Wyvern. It seems that because it¡¯s so fast, turning to charge once again takes a bit of time. While circling widely, it turns this way. The fact that I don¡¯t have to worry about being rushed consecutively is my only saving grace in this situation.

    ¡ºIt¡¯sing!¡»

    ¡¸Gurugyaooo!¡¹

    My aim is its Abdomen, which appears to be softer than the rest of its body. I¡¯ll just barely dodge by escaping below, and then raise my edge skywards to cut its stomach. I¡¯m unsure whether it¡¯ll go well, but I¡¯ll try it anyways. If it¡¯s wounded, then I can take that opportunity to escape.

    Rapidly, its huge body approaches, but I was unexpectedly calm. Certainly, it¡¯s faster than things like Cars and Motorcycles, but there¡¯s no need to be overwhelmed because it¡¯s simplying at me in a straight line. My n¡­ Will it work?

    ¡ºSooi!¡»

    ¡¸Guraa!¡¹

    Yeah. I failed. In the middle of a rush, this guy dodged the full brunt of my swing¡­ Still, that strike left a deeper impression than I thought it would.

    Even though I intended to calm myself down, fear seemed to linger in my subconscious regardless. Even so, the edge that I raised cut the Wyvern¡¯s stomach a little. To its huge body, I made a scratch. When I found that I had given it a wound, I became genuinely happy.

    ¡¸GURUruRUwu!¡¹

    ¡ºWait, didn¡¯t that make it super mad?!¡»

    Even though I dealt so little damage, it seems that its anger is at its MAX! Didn¡¯t this tactic have a boomerang effect?! While making its turn, its vicious eyes were ring,pletely fixed on me.

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t this slightly bad?¡»

    And it rushed once again. I had resolved myself ©` to dodge this guy.

    ¡ºGuaa!¡»

    ¡¸GYAGYAUUUOOOO!¡¹

    ¡ºDamn it! This damn lizard! ©` Even though it was only struck once!¡»

    Because I understood the bnce of defense and offense I aimed to counter, but the Wyvern immediately performed a feat of acrobatics using its tail, manipting its centrifugal force. With that, I received a direct hit from the talons of its hind leg.

    I didn¡¯t just take the attack, however. When I was hit by its w I bounced directly in front of the fellow¡¯s eye, so I made the split-second decision to jab myself into it. Well, as a result, the tip of my de has been broken. The fragments should still be within the Wyvern¡¯s right eye. Serves you right!

    ¡¸GIIGIIIAAAAAAAA!¡¹

    It twisted and writhed in agony while flying (although its flights seems quite disturbed).

    ¡ºApart from that, am I alright?¡»

    Only about ? of my de is left. The rest splendidly snapped off. Naturally, there¡¯s no pain, but am I really alright?

    There doesn¡¯t seem to be any problem flying. To begin with, I fly using Telekinesis and Floating so my flight has nothing to do with air resistance. With that, even with a change in shape there doesn¡¯t seem to be any changes.

    Magical Power doesn¡¯t seem to be leaking out from the damage, either.

    ¡­ Surprisingly, I¡¯m alright. How much will Self-Repair be able to regenerate, I wonder. It¡¯d be unpleasant to remain in this state.

    When I thought such, the broken part of my de began to glow slightly. Then, although it¡¯s only a couple of millimeters, it started to bulge. This is probably the start of restoration.

    Phew. Self-Repair seems to be working properly.

    ¡ºSheet, that damn Lizard! How dare it do this to me!¡»

    Anger immediately boiled up after I confirmed my own safety. To put my beautiful white de into this tragic state¡­ Inexcusable!

    It seemed that the Wyvern didn¡¯t n on letting its damage slide either, so with my mind distorted by hatred I recklessly threw myself up at the Wyvern. Still, even with my reasonpletely gone, I can only chase it endlessly.

    Its movements have be poor with its injury, but it¡¯s still faster than me.

    ¡ºEven so, I¡¯ll do it!¡»

    I¡¯ll cut him up until he¡¯s nothing but a pile of severed bones! If my body¡¯s a sword, then it¡¯s no longer restricted with the same limits that I¡¯m used to! And, if so, then there must be a way!

    First, I slow down a little to change the course of the Wyvern. That way, it would be misled into thinking that I was going to escape. And, just as expected, the Lizard-bastard threw itself in a straight line.

    What an idiot! It took the bait!

    I change my route at once, elerating towards the wing of the Wyvern. The Lizard-bastard was headedpletely straight, so it couldn¡¯t dodge even if it wanted to.

    Then, with both of us elerating with tremendous momentum, we collide. As a result, my de almostpletely disappears. The remaining amount would be about ?. But it was worth it as the Lesser Wyvern¡¯s left wing was cut at the base, causing it to fall to the ground.

    Through my baiting, my altitude ended up exceeding 30 meters. As one would expect, not even a Sub-Dragon could fall from this height without a scratch.

    Upon approaching the Lesser Wyvern that fell to the ground, its neck is bent in a strange direction with arge quantity of blood and vomit pouring from its mouth. The body¡¯s still convulsing, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before it meets its end.

    ¡ºFu©` Looks like I somehow won.¡»

    That was dangerous. If I received just a little more damage I would have been done for. My remaining Durability is 23. I really did just barely survive.

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s good that I defeated it¡­¡­ But what should be done about its Magic Stone?¡»

    The Magic Stone needs to be recovered, but retrieving it from the Lizard-bastard will be difficult for me who¡¯s lost most of my de. There must be a way, right?

    Watching the recovery of Self-Repair, it seems like it¡¯ll take quite some time to make a full recovery. It¡¯s possible that it won¡¯t be repaired overnight either.

    Meanwhile, on this in crawling with starved Demonic Beasts, I can¡¯t help but think that the Lesser Wyvern¡¯s corpse isn¡¯t exactly ¡®safe¡¯.

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯ll manage somehow¡­¡­¡»

    As for recovery via Self-Repair, it seems that the oozeing out is bound to the broken section.

    ¡ºNunununu¡­!¡»

    I¡¯ve got to put some fighting spirit into it! By doing so, won¡¯t the speed of the ooze squeezing out increase!? ©` Yeah, what stupid things are you thinking, me?

    ¡ºOh?¡»

    I have the feeling that the brightness of my de increased, somehow. Is this, by any chance¡­¡­ Ohh. The restoration speed of the de rose remarkably. Seriously?

    Is it possible that the even the effects of auto-recovery Skills increase when it coincides with the user¡¯s intentions? Alongside that increase, my MP is decreasing at an amazing speed: 1MP/sec. But it¡¯s worth it at this point, as my de will bepletely repaired at the expense of only ~200 MP.

    ¡ºIt was a struggle, but I gained some useful knowledge.¡»

    That, and a Magic Stone. These are the fruits of struggling with all my might. Its Magic Stone isparable to 20 regr ones.

    The Lesser Wyvern¡¯s Magic Stone was located at the base of its neck. I had attempted to aim at it in the middle ofbat, too.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s take a rest for today in the bushes.¡»

    Note:

    Rather than ¡°Convenient Skills are great!¡± it¡¯s actually ¡°Convenient Skills are huge!¡± ¡ª huge as in quantity. I¡¯m thinking he means that ¡®they y a huge part¡¯, thus the trantion. ±ãÀû¥¹¥­¥ë¤¬´óÁ¿¤À!

    It¡¯s actually ¡°¤¦¤ª¤Ã¤È¡± ¡ª which is ¡°uh-oh¡± or ¡°oops¡± or even ¡°sorry¡±. You¡¯ve probably heard it in anime, as it¡¯s pronounced ¡°Uotto¡±. Because it¡¯s more of a sound that escapes his lips (if he had any lips), I¡¯ve kept it as a hyperbole.

    The literal trantion is ¡°galley¡±, as in a ship, but¡­ That¡¯s not very fitting, I¡¯d think. I¡¯ll change it if someone has a better suggestion. ¥®¥ã¥ê¥£¥Ã!

    Machines are giving ¡®The surprise attack was the main? I¡¯m good.¡¯, so I¡¯m thinking that the MC is using gaming lingo. ¤ªÇ°¤â²»Òâ´ò¤Á¤¬¥á¥¤¥ó¤À¤Ã¤Æ?¡¡°³¤Ï¤¤¤¤¤ó¤À¤è

    I think the MC¡¯s making the joke that even though he¡¯s a sword, he doesn¡¯t like colliding with things (in case of a dual, in other words).

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    Ensig:

    Some of you may have noticed that in the Appraisal of the Lesser Wyvern it¡¯s categorized as a ¡®Deteriorated Sub-Dragon¡¯ ¡ª not ¡®Evil¡¯ like the Goblins and such have been up until this point. Because of this, I¡¯m thinking the format is actually like the following:

    Race: (Race Name) : (Racial Derivation) : (Racial ssification) Lv.##

    If that¡¯s the case, I might make changes to the Goblin derivation in the future, but I¡¯ll have to see more monsters to be sure.

 Chapter 8: My first time using Magic

    <h4>Chapter 8: My first time using Magic</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    It¡¯s the day after I killed the Lesser Wyvern.

    I rose to the sky and looked for the Pedestal; because it¡¯s daytime, I can see farther, so I thought I¡¯d have better luck finding it.

    My suspicion turned out to be true, as I can see the pedestal a considerable distance away. It was terrible of me to leave it so far behind, so I nned to return to the pedestal immediately.

    ¡ºUryaa©`!¡»

    With that, I flew to the pedestal in great haste. I encountered Demonic Beasts along the way, but I pierced through all of their Magic Stones immediately; they were delicious. For me, who experienced heatedbat with the Wyvernst night, lower leveled Demonic Beasts are no longer a match.

    The farther away from the Pedestal, the stronger the Demonic Beasts seem to be. Conversely, the Demonic Beasts are weaker the more one approaches the Pedestal.

    Surely, this is caused by the strange Magic which spreads out of the Pedestal. Perhaps it was set that way as a sort of Barrier. Because I had been using MP a lot recently, I was able to get that sort of feeling from the area. I don¡¯t know who made such a thing, though. I wonder if it was my creator?

    Anyways, I managed to arrive before even one hour passed thanks to charging straight with all my power. In the end, moving during the day is the most efficient.

    Although I was only gone for one night, I missed this ce. It feelsfortable to be in the presence of the Barrier.

    ¡ºUoo©`! Pedestal! I¡¯ve returned!¡»

    With that, I dive into the pedestal.

    *supo*

    Mm, with this I can rx. It¡¯s very calming inside of the Pedestal. After all, this ce is my home. This Pedestal is a space of healing.

    ¡ºFuu. Atst I can take a breath?¡»

    For a while, I spend time simply looking up at the clouds. Ahh, I feel at ease.

    Taking breaks is quite enjoyable.

    ¡ºFufufufu¡­¡­ A©`hahahaha! Atst! I¡¯m no longer just a simple sword, Jo**!¡»

    Yes, because I have Magic.

    During yesterday¡¯s Goblin extermination, I obtained the Fire Magic Skill from a Goblin Mage. THE long-awaited Magic.

    ¡ºFire Magic set.¡»

    Preparationsplete.

    I focus my consciousness. I¡¯ve used Skills many times, so I should be able to use Magic one way or another. That¡¯s what I thought, but ¡ª

    ¡ºNothing¡¯s happening.¡»

    I just don¡¯t understand how to use Magic. After letting out a groan, nothing happened. That¡¯s all.

    ¡ºWhy? Is it ack of Magic Power? No, that Goblin Mage didn¡¯t seem to have more than me¡­ For the time being, maybe I should try setting all the Mage¡¯s Skills.¡»

    After setting Minerology, Leadership, Staff Arts, Quarterstaff Arts, Fire Magic, MGC ¡ü Low, and Magic Maniption, I prayed for sess. With that, a number of images appeared.

    Fire ?Arrow and Fire ?Shield? Then, I¡¯ll choose Fire ?Arrow.

    If it¡¯s going to be my first spell, it has to be Attack Magic!

    ¡ºOhh, the image of the incantation appeared.¡»

    I try reading the incantation, which floated into my mind, out loud. As I did so, I could feel Magic Power drain from my de.

    ¡ºFire ?Arrow©`!¡»

    *shuon*

    An arrow made out of me appeared in the air in response to my shout.

    ¡ºOh? Ohhh?¡»

    The finished me arrow then flies like a genuine arrow into the distance. The spell was a sess.

    ¡ºA©`hahaha! Sess!¡»

    The Fire Arrow¡¯s power was only to the degree that it burnt some ground. It it¡¯s like that, then it would be 100 times better to just rush in myself ¡ª but it¡¯s different. The important thing is that I was able to use Magic all on my own.

    ¡ºThen, onto the next! Fire ?Shield!¡»

    A small buckler of me is produced.

    ¡ºHmm. But how strong is it?¡»

    I use Telekinesis to throw a stone. I¡¯ll test it using power only to that degree. It¡¯s thrown at about 130©N/hour, I¡¯d guess? The Shield properly prevents it. After that I throw the 2nd, then the 3rd.

    The Shield managed to prevent the third shot, then disappeared. It might be able to prevent arrows, but it¡¯s doubtful it would be effective against swords or axes.

    Well, that¡¯s the extent of its usefulness, it seems.

    After that, I yed with magic for a short while. The MP consumption is ~5 for both spells, so if I were to improve them continuous use should be possible.

    ¡ºFire?Arrow! Fire?Arrow! Hyahho©`!¡»

    I calmed down only after ~30 minutes passed. A couple of shrubs looked like they caught on fire, but that might just be my imagination.

    ¡ºFuu. That reminds me, I still have to properly inspect these Skills.¡»

    I¡¯ll only be setting the Skills needed to use Magic, so first I remove any Skills that seem unrted.

    The ones remaining were: Staff Arts, Quarterstaff Arts, Fire Magic, MGC ¡ü Low, and Magic Maniption.

    ¡ºThese two don¡¯t seem that rted.¡»

    I removed Staff Arts and Quarterstaff Arts.

    ¡ºFire ?Arrow!¡»

    It seemed to activate without a problem. Next, I should exclude MGC ¡ü Low.

    Again, I could still use Magic. Next, Magic Maniption. At that point, I only had it and Fire Magic set.

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be used.¡»

    I set Magic Maniption once again.

    ¡ºFire ?Arrow.¡»

    *shuon*

    It seems that Magic Maniption is required to use Magic. I¡¯ll have to make sure it¡¯s set from now on; that way, I won¡¯t have to be worried if I get another skill with a simr name to Fire Magic.

    ¡ºMaybe I should also set Vigor Maniption? Magic Maniption is needed for Magic, so I wonder what Vigor Maniption is used for?¡»

    The Skills that I received from the previous owner of Vigor Maniption ¡ª the Goblin King ¡ª are: Coercion, Sword Techniques, Sword Arts, Leadership, Raise Morale, Shield Arts, Provocation, Throwing, Ambition, and Vigor Maniption.

    It it Sword Arts? No, there¡¯s no new techniques rted to the Sword. ¡ª What¡¯s this?

    After inspecting Sword Techniques, I found that it allowed usage of techniques with Vigor Maniption. The techniques seem to be MP-consuming abilities for Warriors to use.

    There¡¯s Double ?sh, which creates a twin attack and Heavy ?sh, which is something like a certain-kill technique. These are also quite interesting.

    ¡ºShall I try them immediately?¡»

    If I have stronger techniques, then I can fight against stronger Demonic Beasts. The benefits will also apply to regr hunting.

    ¡ºGoblin hunting has already beenpleted, so maybe I should go on a little excursion?¡»

    Note:

    Essentially the sound of sliding into something ¡ª in this case, it¡¯s Sword-bro sliding into the Pedestal.

    Reference to Dio from Jojo¡¯s Bizarre Adventure. Thanks to R1CK_D0M for pointing that out!

    The sound of something being generated, I think.

 Chapter 9: Fierce Battle! The menace of Area 5

    <h4>Chapter 9: Fierce Battle! The menace of Area 5</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    It¡¯s the been 10 days since I started wielding Magic.

    My day-to-day life hasn¡¯t changed; I spent my time striking fear into the hearts of Demonic Beasts by ughtering them, and absorbed enough Magic Stones for Self-Evolution¡¯s to reach rank 5.

    I¡¯ve also gained arge number of Skills, as well as Skill Proficiency. The hideout of Gourmet Orcs, which is a subspecies of Orc, was especially delicious as they had a great number of Techniques and Magic Skills.

    As for their racial characteristics, most of them had high level of Cooking and Dismantling skills, both going up to about Lv5. It¡¯sughable, but despite being a Skill that I¡¯ve had no opportunity to use, the only Skill with a level higher than those two has be Sword Arts.

    80% of the ins have been dominated, so now it¡¯s something akin to my personal garden.

    ¡ºAlright, shall I go?¡»

    My next objective is to explore outside of the ins. It¡¯s a ce that I named ¡®Area 5¡¯ without permission.

    Somehow or another, the strength of the Demonic Beasts isn¡¯t distributed evenly around here. The farther away from the Pedestal¡¯s Barrier in the ins, the stronger the Demonic Beasts. As for the area around the Pedestal, only small fries like Goblins appear ¡ª so I¡¯ve designated that area as Area 1. As the number increases, so too does the strength of the surrounding Demonic Beasts.

    And for now, Area 5 is set as the maximum difficulty.

    Outside of Area 5 ispletely uncharted territory, but from what I can see the ins be a Forest. asionally, I can catch a glimpse of Demonic Beasts that move between the trees, but they don¡¯t seem much different from the small fries from Areas 1 and 2. There certainly don¡¯t seem to be any that¡¯re stronger than the Demonic Beasts of Area 5.

    Well, as for the question of why Demonic Beasts of Area 5 don¡¯t just go there, I figure I¡¯ll be able to understand once I¡¯ve reached there.

    ¡ºThere¡¯re no small fries in sight.¡»

    As the area number increases on the ins, the number of Demonic Beasts tend to decrease. Instead, the Area widens, and the number ofrge Demonic Beasts increases. In Area 4, which was my main battlefield until yesterday, I was only able to hunt about 20 of them per day. But, because the Magic Stones¡¯ values exceed 15 each, the gain is overwhelmingly higher than simply hunting hundreds of Goblins.

    Ah, by the way, this is my current Status:

    Name:Unknown

    Race:Intelligent Weapon

    ATK:314¡¡MP:1000/1000¡¡Durability:800/800

    Skills:

    Appraisal:Lv6, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self-Evolution¡´Rank 5?Magic Stone Status: 1366/1500?Memory: 34?Points: 23¡µ, Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telekinesis ¡ü Low, Telepathy, ATK ¡ü Low, Owner ALL Stats ¡ü Low, Owner HP Recovery ¡ü Low, MP ¡ü Low, Memory ¡ü Low, Demonic Beast Knowledge, Skill Sharing, Sorcery

    In regards to Skills I¡¯ve changed them a lot, so I honestly can¡¯t grasp all of them. Among them there¡¯re a lot of Skills that can¡¯t even be used, too.

    As for ones that I use all the time, Sword Arts has a Skill Lv. Up bonus, so its level is particrly high.

    Initially it didn¡¯t do much, but once its Level exceeded 3 it started showing overwhelming effects. As it increases one¡¯s ability to manipte a sword, what do you think happens if you are a sword? I became able to attack my opponent¡¯s weak points with deadly uracy.

    In addition, my ability to elude the attacks of giant Demonic Beasts also increased. Because I have the body of a sword, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that this Skill rose both my Offense and Defense.

    ¡ºOh, a Demonic Beast!¡»

    Race :Goblin :Evil Beast :Demonic Beast Lv3

    HP:10¡¡MP:2¡¡STR:7¡¡END:9¡¡AGI:8¡¡INT:4¡¡MGC:2¡¡DEX:7

    Skills:

    Cooking:Lv1, Vignce:Lv1, Poison Resistance:Lv1

    Description: An evil being born of a fragment of the Evil God, which was destroyed 100,000 years ago. These beings are born with strong malice and hatred towards those not of their own Race, so it''s impossible for it to them to live in harmony with others. They excel in Agility and Dexterity, and they''re violent and cruel by nature. Upon discovery, it is rmended to exterminate these beings immediately. Threat Level: G

    Magic Stone Position:Center of the body: Sr Plexus.

    I discovered a Goblin walking near the end of Area 2. The Goblins¡¯ nest was annihted, but you could still see them asionally.

    As for the exnation provided under the rest of its Status, it¡¯s the effect of Demonic Beast Knowledge, which I gained using Self-Evolution Points. It¡¯s capable of being used in tandem with Appraisal.

    Thanks to that, battles have be much easier. Why? Because the weak point of Demonic Beasts, their Magic Stone, bes clear. With that, I¡¯m able to turn my initial attack into a certain-kill.

    ¡ºBut seriously, remove on sight¡­? They¡¯re treated just like cockroaches.¡»

    This is the first time I¡¯ve met a Goblin after gaining Demonic Beast Knowledge, but I¡¯m getting the feeling that they¡¯re more evil than I initially thought. Well, that could simply be because I¡¯m human-like. I was originally a human, and so I¡¯ve decided to side with the humans at least. I¡¯ll just turn these guys into EXP from now on.

    In that way, I move while hunting Demonic Beasts and viewing their descriptions.

    ¡ºHyaho©`!¡»

    I hade up with a great movement method the other day.

    1: Use Telekinesis at maximum firepower, and st off.

    2:Entrust my descent to free-falling.

    3:Repeat.

    I had thought of it while using the Telekinesis Catapult Attack. I name it: The Telekinesis Catapult Movement Method. Because the only expenditure urs at the start, I can save a considerable amount of MP.

    Repeating the Telekinesis Catapult Movement Method, I arrived at Area 4 before noon. The Demonic Beasts in Area 4 are quite formidable. The amount of opponents I can defeat with one attack decreases, and a fair amount of Durability is decreased by attacks from the other side. Topare, my Durability doesn¡¯t decrease by the attacks of Goblins at all, but attacks from the Demonic Beasts in this Area can decrease it by over 100 if I¡¯m hit directly.

    And finally, while hunting Demonic Beasts along the way, I reached Area 5.

    ¡ºWell, what kind of Demonic Beasts will appear in this Area?¡»

    I¡¯m making use of multiple exploration Skills to look for the Demonic Beasts. Finding the other party andnding a preemptive strike is very important while hunting, after all. In some cases, they can be defeated without any damage on my side.

    ¡ºHowever, there don¡¯t seem to be any Demonic Beasts.¡»

    I looked around for an hour, but I wasn¡¯t able to discover any Demonic Beasts at all.

    Are there perhaps absolutely no Demonic Beasts here? I had named this ce Area 5, but was it possible that Area 4 actually had the highest difficulty?

    As I thought so I got a little impatient, but I was able to discover one at the edge of the area. There was a giant reaction in terms of Magical Power. Undoubtedly, it was a Demonic Beast. Moreover, it was one of unprecedented strength.

    ¡ºUwaa©`! What a strong magic power reaction!¡»

    Until now, the Demonic Beast with the strongest Magic Power was a re Leopard which was in Area 4; it was a fire-attribute Demonic Beast with a length of ~7-8 meters. I could handle its Fire Magic, but its Magic Stone had a value of 47, you know? It was pretty brutal.

    This reaction, however, exceeds it.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s gain a bit of altitude.¡»

    I fly upwards as to not be discovered on the ground. Using Skills, I concealed my Magic Power as well. Even though the level of each of my individual Skills are low, whenbining the effects of multiple simr Skills their effect raises. For the me right now, I¡¯d be difficult to detect if the opponent¡¯s Perception Skills wasn¡¯t strong.

    ¡ºI found it! But¡­ What is it? A puddle?¡»

    On the ins, a lone Puddle(?) can be seen. It looks to be ~5 meters in diameter?

    But, from that Puddle, I can sense a strong Magic Power. Hmm¡­ Is there something inside of it?

    Should I approach it?

    At first nce, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything inside of the Puddle.

    ¡ºI should get a bit closer, and then Appraise it.¡»

    As one would expect, Appraisal won¡¯t work with the current altitude difference. I have to get within ~20 meters.

    And so, I approached the Puddle.

    *Burururn*

    The surface of the water shook.

    The wind? No, the wind wouldn¡¯t be able to shake the entire thing. It seems like some form of gtin?

    *Bururururururun*

    The Puddle shook even more, and then overflowed like a fountain, making it give off the illusion of it exploding. Looking closely, it¡¯s not water at all.

    ¡ºUgee ! It¡¯s a huge Slime!¡»

    It seems that what I thought was a puddle was actually an extremely consolidated Slime. And so, I reacted by taking a fighting stance.

    The Slime¡¯s full length exceeded 15 meters. Its surface if Blue, but within its interior, it¡¯s mixed with Gold. As for its figure, it looks like a huge Steamed Bun made out of water.

    This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Slime this big. Ordinary Slimes are, at best, about 1 meter long. Even the higher ranked ones don¡¯t exceed 2 meters.

    Furthermore, from that body of over 15 meters contains transcendant-level Magic Power. It¡¯s¡­ A bit overwhelming.

    ¡ºWell, first I should use Appraisal.¡»

    Race :Slime Lord :Viscous Spirit :Demonic Beast

    HP:620¡¡MP:822¡¡STR:539¡¡END:727¡¡AGI:308¡¡INT:54¡¡MGC:668¡¡DEX:266

    Skills:

    Evasion:Lv3, Evasion ¡ü:Lv4, Fire Resistance:Lv6, Mimicry:Lv6, Absorption:Lv8, Hardening:Lv8, Instant Recovery:Lv7, Abnormal Status Resistance:Lv7, Leap:Lv5, Softening:Lv8, Viscous Body Techniques:Lv7, Viscous Body Arts:Lv8, Physical Attack Resistance:Lv7, Predation:Lv9, Magic Perception:Lv7, Dimensional Storage, Vigor Maniption, Absorption Enhancement, Strongly Acidic Viscous Body, Digestion Enhancement, Magic Maniption

    Description: The strongest of the Slime species. It preys on the surrounding Demonic Beasts and grows indefinitely; it also has the ability to use Space-Time Magic to keep its opponent in Dimensional Storage, as to use them as a long-term food source. Its minimum Threat Level is C, but it varies depending on the amount of food in its environment; the highest reported Threat Level is A. It is said that such beings have preyed upon even Dragons. A subjugation force should be dispatched immediately upon discovery.

    Magic Stone Position:The Center of its body.

    Uwa©`. This is a pretty dangerous Demonic Beast, huh? Infinite growth¡­¡­ This fellow before my eyes has a description that makes it seem that it¡¯s incredibly dangerous, but I had already expected that.

    Physical Attack Resistance and a Strongly Acidic Viscous Body? If I charge in badly, I¡¯ll definitely be dissolved.

    And Viscous Body Techniques is also a pretty nasty Skill. It¡¯s a general term for attacks using a liquid-like body, but the other Slimes I¡¯ve seen only had it at about Lv4. That level was also excellent, as it allowed them to morph parts of their bodies to use whip-like attacks ¡ª but this guy¡¯s is at Lv7.

    ¡ºI¡¯m getting the feeling that a direct hit is a death g .¡»

    So, what should I do? Attack with Magic? My most effective one is Fire Magic, but because the Slime Lord has me Resistance it¡¯ll be useless. As for other types of Magic, there don¡¯t seem to be any that¡¯d be effective.

    The Slime Lord grows its body, but it still can¡¯t reach me who¡¯s at a raised altitude. However, it seems to have identified me as food due to its high Magic Perception.

    Perhaps I could steamroll it with Skills? So long as I whittle away at it, there¡¯ll eventually be a decline in its use of Instant Regeneration. With my battle experience against other Slimes, I know that their attacks using their acidic bodies will give subtle damage, even though I¡¯m a sword. This fellow¡¯s body is incredibly acidic, so I don¡¯t want to have to attack it too many times.

    ¡ºSo, ©`Uo!¡»

    The body of the Slime Lord bends slowly while its body quivers, and, like a gun, it shoots a piece of its own body like a bullet. A bullet made out of strong acid.

    ¡ºNot good-!¡»

    Using a Skill to get a grasp of the projectile¡¯s location, I dodge it somehow. But now that it¡¯s attacked, I can¡¯t remain passive. I don¡¯t have confidence that I can evade attacks more intense than that one.

    ¡ºAlright, fine. I¡¯ll make this a brief battle. I¡¯lle at you with a single certain-kill attack.¡»

    I set Skills rted to high-speed mobility and destructive offensive-power, and throw together abination that¡¯ll allow the strongest Telekinesis Catapult Attack I can use.

    But that¡¯s not all.

    ¡ºI know your habits!¡»

    Using a Skill called Phantom Body, I create an illusion that looks just like me. This guy¡¯s great, as it emits Magic Power simr to that of the main body, making it difficult to distinguish from the real thing. In addition, when it takes a physical attack, its internal Magic Power bursts, generating a light shock wave. Its power is only to the degree of an adult hitting with all their might, but it¡¯s effective as a surprise.

    With this, my preparations areplete.

    ¡ºPhantom, charge!¡»

    Without a sound, the phantom rushes straight at the Slime. In response, the Slime Lord extends a tentacle. With that, the Phantom was struck easily. But that¡¯s fine.

    It surely felt the impact that the Phantom gave off, so the Slime Lord extended its tentacle once again to intercept it. That¡¯s important, as while it¡¯s defending, it transports its Magic Stone to the opposite side of the attack. Because its body ispletely liquid-like, it can freely move the Magic Stone within its body.

    But that¡¯s just what I was aiming for. After all, that means that the slime covering the Magic Stone is thin on its back.

    ¡ºEven in evolution, habits don¡¯t change!¡»

    I begin funneling MP like jet fuel, and burst forward.

    In the end, it was nothing more than a simple dash. However, I put my heart and soul into that dash.

    ¡ºFor this attack alone, I intend to give it a name. I¡¯ll name it: The Heavenly Instant-Kill Technique !¡»

    Because the tension was high I cried out my idea, but if I was calm, it would definitely be rejected. Probably.

    All sound disappeared for an instant. That¡¯s the evidence of moving above the speed of sound.

    *ZUDOOOOOoooooooo!!*

    A mighty roaring echoed throughout the ins. If I wasn¡¯t a sword and had keen ears, I would have fainted in agony.

    The Slime Lord couldn¡¯t react, and arge hole was opened within its body. Of course, its Magic Stone was annihted as well.

    *BURuburuBURUBu*

    And with that, the Slime Lord stopped moving, and spread out along the ground. It resulted in the dubious spectacle of some mystery-mucous covering the ground.

    ¡ºFuu, it seems I won¡­¡­ Still, that was quite dangerous.¡»

    Nearly half of my de was dissolved by the Slime¡¯s skin. If I was taken into him, I would have disappeared in an instant. It was the correct choice to deal with it in a single blow.

    ¡´ The effects of Self-Evolution have been activated ¡µ

    ¡´ Self-Evolution Points acquired: 30 ¡µ

    Surprisingly, it seems that the value of its Magic Stone was 150. As expected of an advanced Demonic Beast.

    Name :Unknown

    Race :Intelligent Weapon

    ATK :352¡¡MP :1300/1300¡¡Durability :1100/1100

    Skills:

    Appraisal:Lv6, High-Speed Self Repair, Self-Evolution¡´Rank 6?Magic Stone Status: 1516/2100?Memory: 40?Points: 53¡µ, Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telekinesis ¡ü Low, Telepathy, ATK ¡ü Low, Owner ALL Stats ¡ü Low, Owner HP Recovery ¡ü Low, MP ¡ü Low, Memory ¡ü Low, Demonic Beast Knowledge, Skill Sharing, Sorcery

    Now then, shall I also inspect the Skills that I¡¯ve obtained here? There¡¯re some Skills that seem considerably useful.

    Here¡¯s the first jab . I can save the main Skills forter, so first I¡¯ll use the Softening Skill which seems quite interesting.

    ¡ºOhh. I became limp.¡»

    It doesn¡¯t seem to be strong because its level is low, but my de definitely became limp. When I shake my body, my de resounds with a *myonmyon* . Interesting.

    As for Mimicry and Hardening, I can¡¯t see any effects. For Instant Regeneration, because I have High-Speed Self-Repair, I wonder if it¡¯ll do anything.

    Well, those Skills were only appetizers; now let¡¯s try the main Skills.

    ¡ºDimensional Storage: Activate¡»

    It¡¯s the so-called Item Box Skill.

    A stone disappears right before my eyes. When I use it again, a stone appears out of thin air.

    When I put a bunch of stones and grass inside, a list of stored objects is disyed in my mind. How convenient.

    ¡ºNow, to test its capacity.¡»

    If the amount¡¯s extremely little, I¡¯ll be quite disappointed. First, I¡¯ll put a bunch of items in to look for the limit.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start with this guy.¡»

    I try to store the corpse of the Slime Lord, which was left unattended. Its mass is quite substantial; I think it¡¯d be able to fill about half of a 25 meter swimming pool.

    However, I was able to store it in an instant, and it seems that there¡¯s still space remaining.

    ¡ºAs expected of an advanced Demonic Beast¡¯s Skill.¡»

    It doesn¡¯t mean much to me, but I think it¡¯ll be useful for whoever ends up equipping me. For transporting stuff like food, for example.

    By the way, once Self-Evolution is activated, my MP and Durability immediately recover. Thanks to that, I¡¯mpletely unhurt. Mental fatigue, however, isn¡¯t reduced.

    ¡ºI¡¯m tired, let¡¯s hunt in low Areas for the rest of the day.¡»

    Note:

    ¡°Ugee¡± is essentially ¡°Yuck¡± ¤¦¤²¤§!

    I don¡¯t have to exin what gs are, right?

    Sword-bro is meaning the boxing jab here, so I think he¡¯s making the point of ¡°weakening the number of Skills he¡¯s obtained from the Slime Lord¡± here. ¤Þ¤º¤Ï¥¸¥ã¥Ö¡£

    I¡¯m going to go out on a limb and guess that *myonmyon* is a hyperbole for the sound a metal sheet would make if you shook it. ¥ß¥ç¥ó¥ß¥ç¥ó

 Chapter 10: Letâ€™s go to Area 5

    <h4>Chapter 10: Let¡¯s go to Area 5</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    Today, too, I¡¯ll be exploring Area 5.

    Because I fought the Slime Lord in the South yesterday, I¡¯ll search a different direction today.

    In the East area I discovered a huge Snake exceeding 20 meters in length: a Doppel Snake . The thickness of its body was like that of a Drum.

    As its name suggested it had a Skill called Fission Creation, which allows the user to create a body double which can imitate their original Skills, abilities, and so on.

    When I defeated the first Doppelg?nger and it disappeared like a phantom, I was really surprised. However, because its tactics revolved around using its double from a safe distance, the main body wasn¡¯t actually that strong.

    Its fighting power didn¡¯t really exceed that of a Demonic Beast from Area 4. Once I found the body lurking underground, the fight was finished in an instant.

    I used the Fission Creation Skill immediately after obtaining it, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸This isn¡¯t the body of a Sword¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s me from when I was living as a human.¡»

    And so, the doppelg?nger created by Fission Creation imitated a Human. At the same time, my thoughts were transmitted simultaneously, so I was able to move my Sword and Doppelg?nger body at the same time.

    ¡¸Oh? If I do this, won¡¯t I not need someone to equip me?¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously? But what¡¯s the strength of my alter ego?¡»

    Wouldn¡¯t equipping myself using my double be pretty good?

    Or so I thought, but it didn¡¯t go very well.

    First of all, Fission Creation has a time limit. Currently, the limit¡¯s 5 minutes. Second, the Doppelg?nger is incredibly weak. With the exception of INT, its stats all had an average of 5 ¡ª weaker than a Goblin¡¯s.

    Moreover, its Skills were reduced. The Doppelg?nger has the same Skills as my main body, but all of its Skill Levels were 1.

    Like that, it can¡¯t be used. I don¡¯t know what would happen if I leveled up the Skill, but the Doppel Snake¡¯s Fission Creation Skill was Lv9, which made its Doppelg?nger body stronger than the main body, so¡­

    Anyways, the other Skills I obtained from the snake like Molting, Heat Perception, and Scale Regeneration couldn¡¯t be used, so there was only one other Skill that would be useful. It¡¯s a Skill superior to Poison Fang called Sovereign Toxic Fang . It also had the Deadly Poison Fang Skill, but this Skill¡¯s effects are above it.

    For now, the Doppel Snake was ced into storage. Dimensional Storage still wasn¡¯t full after holding that giant snake. Its capacity is greater than expected.

    In the afternoon, I headed towards the Northern area. Of course, I hunted down any Demonic Beasts along the way; after defeating them they were immediately stored.

    After conquering the East, I understood that within the North, East, South and West there would only be one big Boss. I guess they would be like Area Bosses? Regardless, the only Demonic Beasts that I found strong were the Slime Lord and the Doppel Snake; everything else probably just served as food for them.

    So, the next area boss I would face was the one in the North.

    ¡ºThe Area Bosses always have strong Skills, so I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡»

    What was there was the smallest of the Area Bosses. A Turtle Demonic Beast; its Magic Power wasn¡¯t at all inferior to that of the other Area Bosses.

    Its overall length was only about 5 meters, and from its shining ck shell 10 tubes stick out. At the peak, a thick gun-barrel protruded.

    ¡ºA st Tortoise.¡»

    As it so happens, I¡¯ve defeated a lower ranked version of this fellow. It was a Demonic Beast called a Cannon Tortoise, which absorbed the surrounding air from tubes and shot it from itspressed barrel.

    ¡¸GOOOooooOooo!¡¹

    It¡¯s a type of Demonic Beast whose chosen form ofbat is long-range bombardment; its detection range seems quite wide as well. Already, its eyes have be fixed upon me.

    ¡¸Goo!¡¹

    *BOBOBOU!*

    Compressed air bullets are shot consecutively. I didn¡¯t think that it would be possible to release those continuously. For Canon Tortoises, it could only shoot once, and left no shots in reserve. Indeed, this is a superior race.

    ¡ºWhoa there!¡»

    Air bullets continued toe flying at high speed. I took a trajectory to evade, but¡­¡­

    *BOBON!*

    ¡ºNua!¡»

    An air bullet unexpectedly bursts, and I¡¯m crushed by the exploding air bullets from all directions. The explosions themselves almost the equivalent of being hit directly. Is this due to the aftermath ? Or, more importantly, being able to remotely explode them remotely¡­ What an amazing power!

    *Bonn!*

    ¡ºGu! Dangerous, dangerous!¡»

    While my escape routes were sealed, there¡¯s also the threat of air bullets in pursuit. With a direct hit, 400 durability is shaved off. In addition, I can see more being fired.

    By the way, thanks to Airflow Vision I can see the iing colorless and transparent air bullets. If I didn¡¯t have that, it would have been difficult to avoid anything.

    For the time being, I need to break through. I descended using Telekinesis Catapult to avoid an air bullet, and zigzagged at maximum speed while continuing to dodge its endless barrage.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t get cocky!¡»

    I asionally received damage, but I was gradually approaching the Tortoise.

    ¡ºI¡¯ve got you!¡»

    If I get this close, it¡¯s my win. My de plunges into the exposed neck of the turtle ©` not.

    ¡ºAh?! Don¡¯t run away!¡»

    With a speed impossible to imagine from the slow movements of a Tortoise, it retracts its neck and legs. I attack the shell out of vexation, but it¡¯s only cut a little. If I attack multiple times, I might be able to break through but¡­¡­

    ¡ºAs if I¡¯d permit such a thing!¡»

    *BOBOboBOboboBO!*

    The Tortoise who had retracted its neck began to rotate at high-speed. Really, it¡¯s just like Ga**ra . And, like that, it scatters air bullets indiscriminately.

    Precisely because it¡¯s not directly aimed at me, it¡¯s difficult to read, and thus difficult to avoid.

    All around me air rends the ground, but even if I take distance there would still be air bullets in the sky.

    I try to move to the blind spot directly above it, but because of the perception Skills that the tortoise possesses it simply distributes the air bullets above itself.

    ¡ºOhtto! Dangerous!¡»

    If the top is hopeless, then perhaps the bottom would be a better choice. It might not be able to attack on its underside, after all.

    I y with my Status a bit while dodging the air bullets fired off by the Tortoise, and manage to make some changes without a problem due to the Thought Division Skill.

    Using my leftover Self-Evolution Points, I achieve Soil Magic Lv4; the level that it bes legitimately usable.

    This fellow will be on the receiving end of this Skill, as I¡¯ve be able to tunnel using the abilities I¡¯ve obtained.

    ¡º©`Dig dug!¡»

    I dive into the hole dug with magic; the ending of the tunnel is directly below the Tortoise.

    ¡ºDig dug! Dig dug!¡»

    But that¡¯s not all. Casting the magic consecutively, I hollow out holes at the feet of the Tortoise. The ground, which couldn¡¯t tolerate the weight of the Tortoise, sinks in, causing its big body to be swallowed into the ground.

    ¡ºAll ording to n!¡»

    Furthermore, because I had dug the holes at an angle, after a single rotation the Tortoise ends up falling upside down.

    When it struggles to get up, I sandwich it in ce using Soil Magic.

    Kukuku. You won¡¯t be able to escape in this state.

    Then, The Tortoise takes its neck and legs out, only to attempt to return back inside. But didn¡¯t miss that chance.

    The fastest blow that struck down even the Slime Lord resulted in an explosion of the head of the Tortoise.

    In the end, it¡¯s nothing more than a Tortoise. It wasn¡¯t a match against me.

    ¡ºVictory!¡»

    However, that was quite dangerous. Once again I¡¯m reminded that Area 5 isn¡¯t to be taken lightly.

    By piercing into the Tortoise¡¯s shell through the head-portion¡¯s opening, the Magic Stone on the side of its heart was acquired one way or another.

    Of course, I also stored the st Tortoise itself; the storage still wasn¡¯t filled.

    ¡ºNow there¡¯s one less Magic Skill remaining. Let¡¯s head back for now.¡»

    The search of Area 5¡¯s Western region will be put off until tomorrow.

    I still want to inspect the Skills I got from the Tortoise for now.

    After returning to the Pedestal, I try out the Skills;pressing the air as well as firing two air bullets seems possible. It went well, because the two Skills seem useful.

    Air Bullet Discharge strengthens the surrounding air, thus ¡®casting ¡® the bullet. It seemed that through sucking air into the inside of its shell, the st Tortoise gained the ability to fire continuously. As for me, if I use Airflow Maniption in conjunction with Wind Magic, repeated shots also seems possible.

    Air Compression can be used topress air; at first it looks in, but it¡¯s actually quite interesting.

    For example, I can add strength to the bullet fired from Air Bullet Discharge, or can make apressed wall of air around myself as a shield. It could be said that alone it¡¯s weak, but when used with multiple Skills it bes quite strong.

    ¡ºI¡¯m happy that there¡¯re a bunch of good Skills, but? in order to utilize them, more training is required.¡»

    Strong Skills are pretty hard to master.

    Note:

    Doppel as in ¡°doppelg?nger¡±. In Japanese it¡¯s literally ¡°Dopper¡± though.

    The name of the Skill is actually ¡°King/Sovereign¡± ¡°Poison Fang¡± ¡ª but because it was a bit too simr I changed it to ¡°Toxic¡± ¡ª because that seems superior to ¡°Poison¡±. The Author didn¡¯t borate on the effects of Sovereign Toxic Fang, so it¡¯s best to assume it¡¯s just a stronger version of other Poison Fang derivations.

    There¡¯s a joke here that doesn¡¯te through in trantion, but ¡°aftermath¡± can also be read as ¡°waves that remain after the wind has subsided¡±

    Reference to Gamera, a japanese-turtle-alien-thing that can suck its limbs in and fly around like a UFO.

    Yeah. It really is just as it appears.

    This line is something along the lines of ¡°It didn¡¯t match up to my expectations¡±, or more urately ¡°it couldn¡¯t rival my sh¡±. The line I gave it fits the same intentions

    ¡®Casting¡¯ is referring to ¡®Bullet Casting¡¯

 Chapter 11: Departure for Lunch

    <h4>Chapter 11: Departure for Lunch</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    ¡ºI won?!¡»

    Raising my edge towards the sky, I raise my shout of victory.

    I¡¯mying down on the ground after fighting the strongest boss of Area 5.

    The Tyrant Saber. To be honest, I thought I was going to lose.

    With a build exceeding 10 meters, it moved like the wind and could use three-dimensional movementbined with aerial jumps. Its magic-enhanced fangs and ws werepletely brutal, shaving off only a little less than 500 Durability just by being grazed.

    Moreover, its fur was coated in Magic Power ¡ª but even without that, its muscles were hard enough to resist my de anyways.

    In the end, I used up 15 Self-Evolution Points on Sovereign Toxic Fang, so my victory was decided at the end of a long war. With Appraisal, I had found out that its Poison Resistance was low, which is why I used it. If that wasn¡¯t the case, I would have had no choice but to escape.

    But, somehow the Saber¡¯s movements had dulled due to the poison, so I continued to attack. When I finally defeated it, 4 hours had passed since the fight began.

    However, the oue was worth the risk. To start with: its Skills.

    I obtained Vibration Impact, as well as a Skill called Vibration Fang Skill, both of which are frighteningly amazing.

    The vibration from Vibration Impact is transmitted to the target when they¡¯re struck, which results in a strike that¡¯s capable of destroying your opponent from the inside.

    Vibration Fang allows its user to amplify the sharpness of their fangs via ultra-high vibration; it¡¯s the so-called Super-Vibration de Skill. Because both Skills had greatpatibility with me, my offensive ability jumped up explosively.

    But that¡¯s not all. Combining Air Bullet Discharge with Vibration Impact resulted in a new Skill called Vibrating Bullet Discharge. It¡¯s a fiendish attack which allows the same vibration effects to ur at long distance.

    Another boon from the fight was that my Self-Evolution Skill was raised by a rank. Using Magic Stones from the Area Bosses granted values more than 150 each; that,bined with hunting in Area 4, resulted in enough to rank up.

    Name :Unknown

    Race :Intelligent Weapon

    ATK :392¡¡MP :1650/1650¡¡Durability :1450/1450

    Skills:

    Appraisal:Lv6, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self-Evolution¡´Rank 7?Magic Stone Status:2109/2800?Memory:47?Points:68¡µ, Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telekinesis ¡ü Low, Telepathy, ATK ¡ü Low, Owner ALL Stats ¡ü Low, Owner HP Recovery ¡ü Low, MP ¡ü Low, Memory ¡ü Low, Demonic Beast Knowledge, Skill-Sharing, Sorcery

    Also, thanks to the rank up, I made aplete recovery.

    ¡ºI still have time tonight.¡»

    In front of me stood the mysterious forest.

    It¡¯s the forest-area which opens up to surround Area 5. The n was to survey it earlier, but¡­¡­

    ¡ºSo, what should I do?¡»

    I¡¯ve sustained no damage, and I have time, too. Shall I go?

    ¡ºI¡¯ve alreadye this far, and I could return without doing anything, too.¡»

    And so, I decided to explore the area outside.

    -Just in case, I didn¡¯t immediately rush in, and instead decided to watch for any inhabitants by making full use of Night Vision and Heat Detection.

    ¡ºM-mm, there¡¯s nothing¡­¡­?¡»

    There seem to be a ton of wild animals, but there¡¯re almost no Demonic Beasts - other than Goblins, of course. But it would be excessive to forcibly chase them around and kill those.

    ¡ºAre the only Demonic Beasts around here small fry?¡»

    For Area 6, I was prepared to enjoy victories over Divine level Demonic Beasts.

    But this ce isparable to Area 1. To be honest, it¡¯s quite a letdown.

    ¡ºAh-, as expected, I feel that my hopes have been shattered?.¡»

    In spite of carefully taking a stance which was set to flee at any time, it seems that choosing to observe the woods from the outside is making me out to be nothing more than a fool.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll go in at once.¡»

    I jump into the forest using Telekinesis Catapult with a *babyun* .

    With that, I enjoy a panoramic view of the woods from above. There¡¯re still no signs of any big Demonic Beasts.

    ¡ºAh, discovered a clearing.¡»

    In the middle of the forest, there¡¯s an open field where the trees don¡¯t grow. I change direction with Telekinesis and drop towards that space.

    And stuck into the ground.

    ¡ºAll right,nding sess!¡»

    When using the Telekinesis Catapult Movement Method my body¡¯s at an angle, so making anding sometimes ends up with me crashing onto the ground on the side of my de. Such anding deals hardly any damage to me, but I¡¯d still count it as a failure.

    A ¡°sess¡± would be piercing the ground with my de, like this time. Somehow, it makes me feel better.

    It¡¯s easy to make a propernding if I use Telekinesis just beforending, but generally I entrust it to gravity and drop down to make a game out of the sess/failure count fromnding. It¡¯s one of my few pleasantries other than hunting.

    With the ground conveying its texture through my de, I get the feeling that thisnd is something like a swamp. The feel is wet and sticky like y.

    ¡ºThen, another jump¡­¡­ Hm?¡»

    My body doesn¡¯t move. Is the quality of the y-like soil higher than I thought? I invoke Telekinesis a bit stronger this time.

    ¡ºI-Impossible¡­¡­ Telekinesis isn¡¯t working?¡»

    Or, to be exact, the moment I activate it, it¡¯s forcibly terminated. The best solution in times like these is to put my all into it. I umte Magic Power, and load it all into Telekinesis.

    *pos*

    A light sound seems to escape. And then, nothing happens.

    ¡ºImpossible.¡»

    The Magic which I used was absorbed into the ground. All the MP I had poured into it had been lost in an instant.

    ¡ºWell, if that¡¯s how it is¡­¡»

    I try to use a Skill. My strategy is to use Vibration Fang to make a gap between my de and the ground. But, it seems that Vibration Fang doesn¡¯t work either.

    Then, perhaps an Air Bullet couple provide enough lift? Once again, it doesn¡¯t trigger.

    Using Fire Magic, I can blow myself away! -But that also doesn¡¯t work.

    ¡ºEh-¡­¡­ What to do?¡»

    Taking a break from my escape attempts, I observe the surroundings.It¡¯s nothing more than a forest; really nothing more but¡­ It seems that the reason why Demonic Beasts of the in don¡¯t go into the Forest is due to this Magic Power absorption phenomenon.

    To higher leveled Demonic Beasts, Magic is important, so if they wander into the forest haphazardly they could get bogged down. Just like me.

    ¡ºThe only constion is that I don¡¯t feel hungry¡­¡­¡»

    For a little while, I try to invoke other Magic Skills, but it seems that they¡¯repletely nullified.

    Because my MP isn¡¯t absorbed from my de, if I don¡¯t continuously fire off random Skills, escape might be possible.

    About my sight, because it seemed to be controlled by Magic Power within my de, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem.

    After several hours passed, I noticed something.

    ¡ºMy MP isn¡¯t recovering.¡»

    It might be because the atmosphere in the area iscking any Magic Power, but it seems that MP wasn¡¯t being restored automatically. I still have more than half remaining, but I don¡¯t want to waste it.

    This is bad; as it stands, I won¡¯t be able to get out by myself.

    Ah-, how could such a thing¡­¡­

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    3 days have passed since then. There¡¯s still no change. On the first day, I tried to find ways to escape using Skills, but I¡¯vee to the conclusion that it¡¯spletely impossible.

    I can¡¯t use any Magic, not to mention attack Skills; even Telepathy isn¡¯t possible.

    All I can do is hope for a other creatures passing by and identally pulling me out by chance.

    Or perhaps a natural disaster miraculously urring and blowing me away.

    A Humaning along and pulling me out would be the best result, but¡­

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    10 days have now passed since I¡¯ve been stuck.

    Please forgive me.

    I hadn¡¯t paid attention to the reality of the situation. It doesn¡¯t need to be a Human. I¡¯ll sincerely apologize to all of the Goblins I¡¯ve killed, because I¡¯m no longer able to call them EXP anymore. So please, someone release me.

    After you release me, I¡¯ll follow you for life. Anything would be fine. Even a Zombie Kobold.

    Please.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    One month has passed.

    Because I¡¯m a good sword, please pick me up. Please!

    I¡¯m of excellent quality, you know? I¡¯m something of a Magic Sword. I¡¯m not sure, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯re many like me, you know?

    I can even cook.

    I have a bunch of Skills, too.

    If I use Points, I can even level them up if you¡¯d like.

    Look, look! Cooking Lv10!

    ¡´ Cooking has reached LvMax ¡µ

    ¡´ Bonus Stats will be attached to the Cooking Skill ¡µ

    ¡´ A new item has been added to the Self-Evolution Bonuses ¡µ

    Would Dismantling be useful too? Wouldn¡¯t it be convenient? I can level this up too. Hey look, another Lv10!

    ¡´ Dismantling has reached LvMax ¡µ

    ¡´ Bonus Stats will be awarded to the Dismantling Skill ¡µ

    I also have Appraisal. It can be improved too, you know? Hey, I raised it by 1 Level.

    Aren¡¯t I amazing?

    Mybat capabilities are even higher, you know?

    Both Sword Arts and Sword Techniques are Lv7.

    If you¡¯d like, I could also grant Magic Skills, you know? Look, Fire Magic Lv10! How is it?

    ¡´ Fire Magic has reached LvMax ¡µ

    ¡´ me Magic Lv1 had been learnt ¡µ

    ! Well well, there was even more on top of that! How about it? There¡¯s nothing to lose through picking me up, you know?

    This Skill, too ¡ª

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡¸-¡­¡­!¡¹

    Ah. I was too eager to see people and had an auditory hallucination. It seems that I¡¯ve already gone terminal.

    ¡¸-! ¡­¡­ T-t wa--!¡¹

    Eh? Could this auditory hallucination be real?

    *Gatagatagatagata!*

    A slight vibration is transmitted through the ground. What is it?

    ¡¸Sti- Ch-i-g-¡¹

    ¡¸!¡­¡­ I¡¯- ca-y -u! Wha-¡¹

    It¡¯s a Human¡¯s voice!

    A human came! Thank you, God!

    Hey, I¡¯m over here! I¡¯m stuck! Don¡¯t I seem like a legendary sword? That being the case, pull me out! Please!

    *Gatagatagatagata!*

    The real identity of the noise was the wheel of a carriage. The covered wagon appears from out of the forest.

    But isn¡¯t it going to fast? If you turn with such a speed-

    Just like that, the carriage overturned in front of me.

    *Gashan-!*

    Uwaah-! Are the people inside alright? But why were they in such a rush? They seem to have been chased by something.

    For now I can¡¯t talk, so I can only watch over them. A person crawls out from the carriage while I anxiously worried over the safety of its riders.

    Ohh, it looks like they¡¯re safe. He had the clich¨¦ appearance of a Merchant from a fantasy game. Speaking of appearances that use a simr overcoat, would it be easier to understand if I described his appearance as simr to that of a merchant from Dr**n Qu**t 3?

    In addition, a small subordinate-like small manes out. After the small man called out, several men and women also came out.

    But¡­¡­ Their appearance is terrible.

    Wearing tattered clothing which clearly wasn¡¯t washed, their clothes are hardly clothing at all, because they¡¯re only tied to their bodies with a single string each. Their hair is dirty as well, and big cors are fitted around their necks.

    ¡ºves¡­ There¡¯s very in this world?¡»

    Well, I¡¯m slightly disappointed. My precious feelings of a different world have been tainted. - ves aren¡¯t particrly bad, of course. I just thought that the Humans of this world would have been a little different from my former one.

    ¡¸Have the ves carry the luggage!¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, do it now! Hey, you, hurry up! Take the luggage!¡¹

    ¡¸Uuu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Do it quickly you half-wit!¡¹

    Uwa? what scum. It¡¯s Human waste. The little man beats a ve burdened with heavy baggage with a whip. Just looking at that, I start to feel sick.

    ¡¸It¡¯sing!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii! Come on!¡¹

    And, the cause of their panic appeared.

    ¡¸Gurururu¡¹

    It was a Demonic Beast: A Bear with two heads.

    Note:

    As in Saber-Tooth Tiger ¡ª not a sword. The actual trantion is ¡°Tyrant Saber Tiger¡±, which I would have changed to ¡°Tyrant Saber-Toothed Tiger¡± but that¡¯s kind of a mouthful. Thus the trantion.

    In the second half of the sentence (after thema) I¡¯m pretty sure sword-bro is just saying that he can leave without any trouble.

    Babyun = Whoosh; should I continue using the Japanese pronunciation? Or perhaps change it to the western norm?

    Literally ¡°POS¡± ¡ª ¡°no result but empty air¡± as said by Mystletainn. ¥Ý¥¹

    The Author actually just used a double-space to represent the time change. I¡¯ve changed it to three asterisks marks used by the Author inter chapters to make the time change more visible.

    All of these lines were supposed to be in one paragraph ¡ª probably to disy Sword-bro¡¯s growing desperation ¡ª but because it just makes it look like a wall of text instead, I¡¯ve separated the lines to create partial pauses with the same effect.

    See 6.

    ¡°me Magic¡± is different from Fire Magic. me = »ðÑ×, Fire = »ð

    Reference to a Merchant from Dragon Quest 3.

 Chapter 12: Can a Sword mofu a Kemonomimi?

    <h4>Chapter 12: Can a Sword mofu a Kemonomimi?</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    Author¡¯s Note:

    Cruel Descriptions?

    Panic reaches the ves and Merchants who are faced with the 2-headed Bear running out of the bush.

    ¡°The Horse-drawn carriage was being attacked by Demonic Beasts of the forest.¡± That would probably be an appropriate way to describe this situation.

    The Merchant was in a hurry to put part of the load on the ves, but then a different order wasmanded of them.

    ¡¸ves, hold it back!¡¹

    The Merchant would take that chance to run away.

    The ves don¡¯t even have any weapons. The only reason they¡¯d be sent out is to be eaten and buy some time. Even the ves should understand that much. But they obeyed the words of the Merchant and headed towards the Bear.

    Why? The thought had crossed my mind when I first saw them, but perhaps they¡¯re bound by Magic or something? The Magic Power absorption of thisnd doesn¡¯t act on the body, so it doesn¡¯t seem to interfere with whatever Magic was used to make the contract.

    A tree¡¯s trunk was cut down, and a male ve was blown away. With only one shot, the lower half of his body bid farewell to his upper half. Despite being a low-ss Demonic Beast with only a Threat Level of F, it isn¡¯t an opponent that can be confronted without decent equipment. These ves are simply too powerless in the face of the Demonic Beast, which is the personification of violence.

    If this keeps up, it¡¯ll only take a couple of minutes for the ves to bepletely annihted.

    I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do anything about it since even my voice has been taken. The only one capable of getting away from this situation unscathed is the piece of trash formerly known as the Merchant.

    Damn it! If only someone pulled me out!

    While I aimlessly though so, a figure stood before me.

    A ve girl. But even though the girl was dirty, her hair wasn¡¯t unkempt; it was done up and fastened in ce.

    And her ears¡­ They¡¯re cat ears. On the top of her head, she had the mark of an animal! - It¡¯s a Beastman ! It¡¯s a Mofumimi !

    I forgot the terrible scene unfolding in the area and was momentarily impressed. Well, Cat Ears are a treasure of the world, right? It¡¯s hard not to be moved.

    Ahh,e on already! The inability to let out my voice is so irritating!

    And the Girl¡­ Pulls on me. - Please, I want to immediately mofu this Nekomimi! No, wait. How could I mofu with the body of a sword? Telekinesis? No, no. Since I have a sense of touch, if I can gently do it with the side of my de-

    The girl continued to cling to me with all her strength.

    She was told to die, but is still adamant about living. She¡¯s one that doesn¡¯t give up. This girl. I want this girl to use me.

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    The girl puts more force into her grip. Come on! Pull me out!

    However, it seems that I was more firmly stuck into the ground than I imagined. Judging by appearances, she¡¯s only about 12, give or take 3 years? It¡¯s to my understanding that she wasn¡¯t given enough food, so she¡¯s quite skinny. With the powerless arm of such a girl, it mustn¡¯t be easy to pull me out.

    Hang in there! Do your best! Or rather, look behind you!

    Just like that, the Bear was approaching behind the girl. As for the other ves¡­ It was hopeless.

    Only the girl remains.

    ¡ºPull me out!¡»

    ¡¸¡­? A voice?¡¹

    ¡ºYou, can you hear my voice?!¡»

    ¡¸Who¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºThe sword! I¡¯m the sword which you¡¯ll pull out.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Surprising.¡¹

    ¡ºYou don¡¯t seem surprised¡­¡»

    ¡¸I am.¡¹

    ¡ºEnough of this, the Bear ising! Pull me out quickly, girl!¡»

    Talking seems possible under the condition that we¡¯re touching, it seems. The girl seems to be the expressionless & taciturn type of person. Good! Please, say ¡°idiot¡± with an embarrassed face!

    The girl groans and puts more power into her arms.

    *Zuzu*

    ¡ºI moved a little!¡»

    ¡¸Uu-n¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDo your best!¡»

    *Zuzuzu*

    ¡ºJust a little more!¡»

    ¡¸Nunu¡­!¡¹

    *Zubo!*

    ¡ºI¡¯m out!¡»

    ¡¸Beautiful sword.¡¹

    ¡ºThank you, but that¡¯s not the case!¡»

    ¡¸It is.¡¹

    ¡ºCan you fight?¡»

    ¡¸A little.¡¹

    I confirm the status of the girl.

    Name :None ¡¡Age :12

    Race :ck Cat Beastman

    Job :None

    State :Enved

    Status:

    Level :4

    HP :29¡¡MP :17¡¡STR :13¡¡END :10¡¡AGI :16¡¡INT :8¡¡MGC :7¡¡DEX :15

    Skills:

    Sword Arts :Lv1, Night Eyes, Skinning Expert , Directional Sense

    Titles:

    None

    Equipment:

    Old Rags

    There¡¯re really few! She has Sword Arts, but¡­ Ah, but that¡¯s alright!

    ¡ºEquip me!¡»

    ¡¸Already equipped.¡¹

    ¡ºYou need to go further! Properly imagine equipping me!¡»

    ¡¸? Alright.¡¹

    ¡´ Nameless has been registered as equipped ¡µ

    Alright, this¡¯ll be the first time I¡¯ve used Skill-Sharing.

    ¡´ Nameless has received multiple Titles ¡µ

    ¡ºOh? What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡»

    Attempting to use Appraisal on them¡­¡­ Seems possible.

    The girl had received the Titles: Master of Fire, King of Cooking, King of Dismantling, and Skill Collector; those four. When Skills be LvMax, that seems to ur. Their respective Skills have their effects increased, and in the case of Skill Collector, proficiency acquisition seems to be more efficient.

    Well, I¡¯ll leave it for now. Such information isn¡¯t exactly helpful right now.

    ¡ºFight. You should be able to.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºDefeat that guy. Believe in yourself, and wield me!¡»

    The Sword Arts Skill should be able to deal with the situation somehow. The opponent¡¯s a lower-rank Demonic Beast, anyways. With Sword Arts Lv7, losing is impossible. There¡¯re other Status ¡ü effects in ce as well.

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Yes. I understand.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, good girl.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Yaa!¡¹

    The poise of the girl was absolutely beautiful. With movements befitting an expert swordsman, she moved closer to the Bear and, with a single strike, she pierced it right through the heart. It was as if I had hit tofu, as I was met with absolutely no resistance.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºYou were able to do it. How was it?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Yes. Thanks to you?¡¹

    ¡ºIndeed. Won¡¯t you thank me?¡»

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    After saying so, the girl prepared to put me back into the ground, so I stopper her in a hurry.

    ¡ºWait! Don¡¯t put me back into the ground!¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡ºBecause of the ground here, I can¡¯t do anything. Therefore, take me with you for a while.¡»

    ¡¸Uu-n?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸You would be taken, probably.¡¹

    ¡ºBy the ve Traders?¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    That would be unpleasant. Even though I had found a Mofumimi girl with much effort¡­ I want this girl to use me! Even if I¡¯m taken away by a Merchant and sold to a connoisseur, to be sealed once again would be a much worse result!

    ¡ºWhy not escape?¡»

    ¡¸Impossible. Can¡¯t defy: cor.¡¹

    ¡ºIs it some form of Magic Tool?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. Tried to kill multiple times, impossible.¡»

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve tried to kill the ve Traders?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ve tried to kill them and escape.¡¹

    I see. This girl was more bloodthirsty than I thought. But it¡¯s not like I dislike that.

    ¡ºSo, it was impossible because of the cor.¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    While talking with the girl, I saw a man running from the other side of the forest. It¡¯s the ve Trader. By the way, the little man had already passed away. His corpse is sprawled out just a little ways away.

    ¡¸Only one¡¯s alive?! I¡¯m ruined! Such a heavy loss ¡ª sheet!¡¹

    There¡¯s no sign of the man mourning over the deaths of the ves, or even his subordinate. Rather, he wasmenting his broken cargo. He¡¯s so sheetty that it¡¯s refreshing.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Did you defeat the Twin-Headed Bear?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸How did you¡­¡­ What is that sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Picked up.¡¹

    ¡¸Give it to me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Un.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, what¡¯s with those eyes, huh?!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Tch. Damn beasts with their gloomy eyes.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¡­!¡¹

    Suddenly, the man strikes the girl. Seriously? It¡¯s a feeling that I¡¯m used to, but¡­ From the girl who was now crouching on the ground, the man forcefully took me away.

    ¡¸Hoo¡­ Isn¡¯t this sword beautiful? Won¡¯t this be able to make up my losses?¡¹

    While ignoring the groans of paining from the girl, the man began appraising me.

    ¡¸Hey, beast. Load the goods that¡¯re still salvageable. Then, we¡¯ll depart for town.¡¹

    Because of the ve Contract, the girl can¡¯t go against the will of the man. She stood up aimlessly while dragging her body, which much have been aching.

    Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. With just that, my killing intent is at its peak. Damn it! If not for the Magic Absorption in this ce, I would have killed this guy already!

    ¡¸-Kupe?¡¹

    When I thought of using Telekinesis, it was possible. Teehee.

    No, for some reason, it seems that the Magic Power absorption was weakened after leaving the ground. When I was stuck into the ground the absorption was instant, but now there¡¯s a postponement of about one second until it¡¯s absorbed.

    And so, while thinking that I wanted to kill the ve Trader, I used Telekinesis with all my power and swung vigorously. As a result, Ipletely pierced the face of the ve Trader, splitting his skull hard enough for his brain fluid to burst out.

    Ah. I did it?

    Uu-m. Maybe because he was a piece of sheet? Or, perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m a sword? Either way, the feeling of guilt doesn¡¯te out at all. When I killed a Goblin for the first time there was a slight aching in my conscience, though.

    ¡ºWell, what should we do now?¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    Note:

    This is essentially the Author making it known that there¡¯s Gore. ¡®Nuff said.

    Essentially, it¡¯s ¡°Beast/Animal Person/Man¡±. I took my pick andbined them as a Race.

    Yeah. This was a pain to trante. It was the same with the title ¡ª in fact, at first, I thought it was a name of some sort. It turns out that Sword-bro is referring to Kemonomimis (essentially people with animal ears/tails) for the Title, and here he¡¯s subbing out ¡°Kemono¡± with ¡°Mofu¡± as a sort of ng-thing.

    Mofu is essentially ¡°rub¡± or ¡°cuddle¡± or other such things. ¥â¥Õ¥ß¥ß˜”¤ä!

    What a pain~

    I¡¯m not entirely sure about Skinning Expert. It¡¯s °þ¤®È¡¤êÉÏÊÖ which can be separated into °þ¤®È¡¤ê (¡°Stripping/Tearing Off/Skinning¡±) and ÉÏÊÖ (¡°Skillful/Expert/etc.). It could be ¡°Stripping Expert¡± because she¡¯s a ve, and that sort of stuff¡­ It happens. And, in fact, that¡¯s the most probable trantion, because there¡¯s a legitimate Deconstruction Skill which has been mentioned before ¡ª making ¡°Skinning¡± sort of like a double. But I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll keep it as-is until told otherwise via rmendations/mentions in the Story beyond this point.

    There¡¯s supposed to be a ¡°¤½¤¦Òâ×R¤·¤í¡£¡± here in the middle, but it trantes to ¡°Be conscious/aware¡± ¡ª which doesn¡¯t fit well in English. I¡¯ve transmitted the feeling of the sentence as best as I could in the next sentence, though.

 Chapter 13: Teacher & Fran

    <h4>Chapter 13: Teacher & Fran</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    Author¡¯s Note:

    It seems that it¡¯s almost been 20 chapters since I¡¯ve started updating every day.

    ¡ºCalm down. First, let¡¯s confirm the situation.¡»

    ¡¸I am calm.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re too calm.¡»

    This girl is more self-paced than I thought. I have a premonition she¡¯ll be very sessful.

    ¡ºYou have now be my wielder.¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡º©`Anyways, I¡¯m a Magic Sword more or less. I should be quite strong¡­¡­ Or so I believe.¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s why, I want you to use me as your sword. Even if you want to stow me away, it¡¯s alright. But you¡­ Do you intend to use me? In other words, will you use me to y Demonic Beasts?¡»

    Indeed, a girl shouldn¡¯t simply be forced to live such a life.

    Because I¡¯ve been equipped for the first time, I have the feeling of wanting this girl to use me, but if she says she doesn¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll give up.

    ¡¸I want to use you. Definitely want to use you.¡¹

    An immediate response. That figure which grasped onto my hilt tightly was as dignified as theye.

    ¡¸I will be stronger. Absolutely.¡¹

    What circumstances would motivate her to this extent?

    ¡ºWhat is your goal?¡»

    ¡¸Break through the wall.¡¹

    ¡ºThe wall? What¡¯s that?¡»

    While listening to her story, I discover that Beastmen seem to be a species that evolves, much like Demonic Beasts. There¡¯re various conditions depending on the Race, but all evolved Beastmen receive respect from their people.

    However, the vast majority of Beastmen die without being able to evolve. There seems to be a great difference between Beastmen who have evolved, and those who have not too.

    The ck Cats, which is the Race of the girl, have had no one who has evolved throughout all of history. Because of this, they¡¯re treated like underlings among the Beastmen. Her parents also pursued evolution, but ran out of strength in the middle of their adventure. The girl caught the eyes of ve Traders, and was captured.

    The girl has inherited the will of her deceased parents, thus her drive for achieving evolution.

    ¡ºMh, mh! What a story! A worthy reason! I¡¯ll make certain that you¡¯ll evolve!¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºOf course! I¡¯ll forge you without holding back, right from the start; then, we¡¯ll go into a Dungeon to level up! And then, evolution!¡»

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s fine! I wouldn¡¯t pick just anyone to equip me! ©`Er¡­ That reminds me, what about your name?¡»

    I still haven¡¯t heard her name yet, even though she¡¯s my important wielder. But the answer that the girl gave was unexpected.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t have one.¡¹

    ¡ºEh? You don¡¯t have a name?¡»

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    Certainly, she had no name in Appraisal, but to really have no name¡­

    ¡ºWhy?¡»

    ¡¸Name disappears once you enter a ve contract.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm? What do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸New masters usually want to decide on a name, so your name is erased.¡¹

    I see; so perhaps after using Contract Magic it¡¯s forbidden to use their name? It¡¯s like they¡¯re Chihiro who had their name stolen by Yu**ba .

    ¡¸My name was erased when I was 8.¡¹

    That means that she¡¯s lived 4 years as a ve without losing the determination to achieve her goal. It was surely a life wrought with troubles. She¡¯s gained a little of my respect.

    ¡ºIs that so¡­¡­ Then, what was your original name?¡»

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    It¡¯s the same name as a dog which I kept a long time ago, but oh well. It¡¯s easy to say, at least.

    ¡ºHm©`m. Then your name is Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Is that alright?¡¹

    ¡ºIs that no good?¡»

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s not no good. I¡¯m Fran.¡¹

    She seems to be happy. She nods her head again and again. With this, it¡¯s be easier to call out to her. But, from the words given from Fran next, I became perplexed.

    ¡¸Your name?¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Me?¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    In the past month I never talked to anyone, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about it, but¡­ I¡¯ve never had a name, huh. How foolish, to have never noticed.

    I have the name that I used during myst life, so I could im that as my name. But that would be a person¡¯s name, so it would be quite an odd name for a Sword.

    But¡­ Looking at my Status, my name is Unknown. Sheet! If I had thought about it earlier, I would have been able to think of a cool name!

    Something like ¡°Cursed Sword Ch**s¡± or ¡°Derfl**ger¡±!

    ¡ºWell¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸No name?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s correct.¡»

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll name you.¡¹

    Well, that¡¯s fine too. She is my wielder, after all. If Fran gives me a name she likes, then I will receive that affection. Besides, I¡¯m apathetic towards what name I¡¯m given, so she should call me what she¡¯d like.

    ¡¸Uu©`n¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡º*Dokidoki*¡»

    ¡¸Fu©`mu¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡º*Wakuwaku*¡»

    ¡¸Mumu©`¡­¡­ I¡¯ve decided.¡¹

    ¡ºOh! I see! So? What is it?¡»

    ¡¸Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºHa?¡»

    ¡¸Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºWhy?¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯ve said that you¡¯ll train me. Therefore: Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºAh©`. There¡¯re no other contenders? Just that one?¡»

    ¡¸There isn¡¯t. Best regards, Teacher.¡¹

    ¡´ Name has been temporarily set to Teacher ¡µ

    Uwaah©`! An announcement came?! It¡¯s a lie, right? My name isn¡¯t seriously Teacher, right?

    ¡¸Disliked?¡¹

    She¡¯s as expressionless as before, but there¡¯s a subtle anxiety showing on her face. Just a little. I can¡¯t say that I hate it if you look at me like that!

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not bad! It¡¯s a good name©`!¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    And so, Teacher was decided as my name. I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s not a proper name for a sword, but it¡¯s fine so long as Fran likes it. Or so I persuaded myself.

    ¡ºSo, what shall we do from now on? Seeing as the ve Trader is dead, what happened to the contract? Was it dispelled?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not. Cor didn¡¯t fall off.¡¹

    Fran points towards her cor.

    ¡¸The Contract should be at a ve Firm.¡¹

    ¡ºSo even if a ve Trader dies, there¡¯s no meaning so long as the contract remains?¡»

    ¡¸Go to town: get caught.¡¹

    It seems I¡¯ll have to deal with this cor somehow.

    ¡ºIs breaking it no good?¡»

    ¡¸Mn. If broken: I die.¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Seriously?¡»

    ¡¸Seriously.¡¹

    Ohh. Dangerous. I was thinking of just cutting it off.

    ¡ºHow should I deal with it¡­¡­?¡»

    Perhaps a Skill of some sort? When I thought so, I found some Skills I wanted to try.

    However, because I can¡¯t use Skills in this ce, I have to leave the Magic Power absorption zone.

    ¡¸Then, leaving the forest should be fine.¡¹

    I receive something valuable from the carriage, and we start moving. Of course, the Bear was also collected.

    I have my de wrapped in the carriage¡¯s cover as a makeshift sheath, using the small man¡¯s belt to fasten it to Fran¡¯s back. Because she¡¯s quite small I almost drag against the ground, but I don¡¯t really mind.

    Just by equipping me, her physical abilities are considerably strengthened. Fran seems quite surprised from that.

    In less than 30 minutes we were able to pass through the forest, it was surprising indeed. Incidentally, because of Conceal Presence, we didn¡¯t encounter any Demonic Beasts.

    ¡¸Amazing. Teacher is amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºAhahaha, you think so?¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡ºNow then, I¡¯ll try out a Skill.¡»

    First, Recovery Magic. I used Magic to try and cure her abnormal condition. There was no effect.

    ¡ºThen, next is this.¡»

    Next would be using Purification Magic, treating her status as a curse.

    ¡ºLv2 should be enough.¡»

    It, too, was no good. I have hope in the next one, however.

    Contract Magic. As its name might have suggested, my aim is to override the ve Contract with my own contract.

    Contract Magic allows its user to make a contract between the user and the target via Magic. Depending on its Level and the amount of MP used, I can choose from several contract contents. However¡­ I cannot make a contract if the target doesn¡¯t consent. I can only make a contract with one target at a time; attempting to making multiple contracts at the same time will result in failure.

    So are the details of Contract Magic.

    If the ve Contract is using Contract Magic, I think it¡¯s possible to overwrite it.

    And so, I used Contract Magic with the image of dispelling prior Magic while making sure to also call the Magic within the cor out.

    *pachi*

    A small snapping sound resounded. I certainly felt that the Contract Magics had interfered with one another. However, my Contract Magic is too low, so it¡¯s been repelled.

    ¡ºAlright, this means that it¡¯s possible to overwrite it.¡»

    One by one, I use Self-Evolution Points to level up Contract Magic. Finally, at Lv7, I was able to overwrite the contract. As for the amount of Points used: it was 12.

    For the contents of the Contract, it was ¡ºRange :None ?Bestow Name :Fran¡» . It seems giving other false names would also be possible using this method.

    *pakin*

    The ve cores off naturally, due to the overwrite.

    ¡ºIs your body alright?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s alright. No problems.¡¹

    I watch the flow of Magic Power inside of Fran, but as she said, there¡¯re no problems. Also, the Magic Power from the Contract Magic that bound Fran until recently was mainly based in the cor, so it itpletely disperses within a couple of seconds.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Mmh. The sight of a cat-eared girl being bashful! Beautiful things are beautiful! It was really cute! When you look carefully, it¡¯s easy to see that she¡¯s quite beautiful. When she grows up, others won¡¯t be able to leave her alone.

    That¡¯s no good. I won¡¯t allow it. You¡¯ll have to defeat me if you want to go out with Fran!

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    While my passion burnt by myself, Fran removed something from her waist. It¡¯ the wallet that the ve Trader had.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s inside?¡»

    I peer inside, only to find it having numerous contents.

    There¡¯re several pieces of money. Well, I don¡¯t understand this world¡¯s currency, so I don¡¯t really know how much these¡¯re worth. There¡¯re Silver, Copper, and other such things, so it¡¯s likely not a huge amount at least.

    Besides that, there¡¯re a couple of tools. They seem to be Magic Tools. Fran demonstrated each.

    There¡¯s a Torch which can be lit using Magic, a small pitcher which produces drinking water, and a Bracelet which has the effect of STR +1.

    It¡¯s not all that great, but it¡¯s interesting in its own way. The Bracelet with STR +1, that is.

    ¡ºAlright, what shall we do now? Other than your main objective, are there any prospects for right now?¡»

    ¡¸Hm©`m. A town.¡¹

    ¡ºAround here?¡»

    ¡¸Over there.¡¹

    ¡ºOver there, you say¡­¡­ About how far?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know.¡¹

    Apparently, she had heard the ve Trader speaking of a city to the East by chance. Because the Sense Of Direction Skill that Fran possesses, we¡¯ll be able to advance in that direction somehow or another. As a result, her response wouldn¡¯t go beyond a carefree ¡¸There.¡¹.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s head there then.¡»

    And so, that marked the start of our journey.

    This is roughly the current Status:

    Name :Teacher

    Equipment Registration :Fran

    Race :Intelligent Weapon

    ATK :392¡¡MP :1650/1650¡¡Durability :1450/1450

    Magic Power Conductivity ?A

    Skills:

    Appraisal :Lv7, Appraisal Concealment, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self-Evolution¡´ Rank :7?Magic Stone Status :2109/2800?Memory :62?Points :18 ¡µ, Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telekinesis ¡ü Low, Telepathy, ATK ¡ü Low, Owner ALL Stats ¡ü,Owner HP Recovery ¡ü Low, MP ¡ü Low, Memory ¡ü, Demonic Beast Knowledge, Skill Sharing, Sorcery

    Set Skills:

    Sword Arts :Lv7, Pugilist Arts :Lv3

    Sword Techniques:Lv7, Pugilist Techniques :Lv1

    HP Recovery Rate ¡ü :Lv1, Evasion :Lv2, Evasion ¡ü :Lv1, Leg Strength ¡ü :Lv2, Instant Recovery :Lv1

    Recovery Magic :Lv1, me Magic :Lv1, Purification Magic :Lv3, Soil Magic :Lv4, Fire Magic :LvMax, Support Magic :Lv3

    Danger Perception :Lv1, Vignce :Lv4, Presence Perception :Lv2, Harvesting :Lv2, Echolocation :Lv1, Magic Perception :Lv3

    Stealth :Lv3, Conceal Presence :Lv3, Escape :Lv1

    Intimidation :Lv2, Ambition :Lv1

    Fire Resistance :Lv1, Fear Resistance :Lv1, Impact Resistance :Lv1, Abnormal Status Resistance :Lv1, Mental Resistance :Lv1, Poison Resistance :Lv3, Drowsiness Resistance :Lv1, Disease Resistance :Lv3, Physical Attack Resistance :Lv1, Paralysis Resistance :Lv2

    Dismantling :LvMax, Throwing :LV3, Cooking :LvMax

    Aerial Jump :Lv2

    Mineralogy :Lv1, Medicine Manufacturing :Lv1, Herbalism :Lv3

    Poison Breath :Lv1, Fission Creation :Lv1

    Vigor Maniption, Dimensional Storage, Vibration Fang, Floating, Parallel Thought, Magic Maniption

    Night Vision, Absorption Enhancement, Sight Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Bird''s Eye View, Hearing Enhancement, Vitals Enhancement, AGI ¡ü Low, MGC ¡ü Low, Taste Enhancement, STR ¡ü Low

    Memory Skills:

    Weapon Skills:

    Archery :Lv1, Sword Dancing :Lv1, Sword Arts :Lv7, Pugilist Arts :Lv3, Club Arts :LV3, Shield Arts :Lv3, Staff Arts :Lv1, Small Axe Arts :Lv1, Quarterstaff Arts :Lv1, Warhammer Arts :Lv1, Dual Sword Arts :Lv2, Spear Arts :Lv4, Halberd Arts :L2, Greatsword Arts :Lv1, Martial Arts :Lv3, Shortbow Arts :Lv1, Dagger Arts :Lv3, Longbow Arts :Lv1, Katana Arts :Lv1, w Arts :Lv1, Viscous Body Arts :Lv1, Axe Arts :Lv3, Whip Arts :Lv1, Stick Arts :Lv1, Pike Arts :Lv1

    Technique Skills:

    Sword Techniques :Lv7, Pugilist Techniques :Lv1, Shield Techniques :Lv1, Warhammer Techniques :Lv1, Spear Techniques :Lv2, Halberd Techniques :L1, Viscous Body Techniques :Lv1

    Physical Skills:

    HP Recovery Rate ¡ü :Lv1, Evasion :Lv2, Evasion ¡ü :Lv1, Leg Strength ¡ü :Lv2, Hardening :Lv1, Acidic Saliva :Lv1, Flexibility :Lv1, Instant Recovery :Lv1, Instantaneous Movement :Lv1, Molting :Lv1, Softening :Lv1

    Magic Skills:

    Recovery Magic :Lv1, me Magic :Lv1, Wind Magic :Lv1, Contract Magic :Lv7, Summon Kin :Lv1, Purification Magic :Lv3, Oath Magic :Lv1, Soil Magic :Lv4, Fire Magic :LvMax, Support Magic :Lv3, Water Magic :Lv2

    Detection Skills

    Footstep Perception :Lv1, Danger Perception :Lv1, Airflow Vision :LV1, Vignce :Lv4, Presence Perception :Lv2, Harvesting :Lv2, Hunting :Lv1, Vibration Perception :LV1, Electromaic Perception :Lv1, Heat Perception :Lv1, Echolocation :Lv1, Magic Perception :Lv3

    Concealment Skills:

    Stealth :Lv3, Mimicry :Lv1, Conceal Presence :Lv3, Silent Flight :Lv1, Survival Arts :Lv1, Escape :Lv1, Tunneling :Lv1, Night Cover :Lv1

    Influence Skills:

    Coercion :Lv1, Intimidation :Lv2, Leadership :Lv1, Raise Morale :Lv1, Ambition :Lv1, Roar :Lv1

    Resistance Skills:

    Fire Resistance :Lv1, Fear Resistance :Lv1, Impact Resistance :Lv1, Abnormal Status Resistance :Lv1, Mental Resistance :Lv1, Poison Resistance :Lv3, Drowsiness Resistance :Lv1, Disease Resistance :Lv3, Physical Attack Resistance :Lv1, Paralysis Resistance :Lv2

    Technical Skills:

    Digging :Lv3, Transportation :Lv4, Dismantling :LvMax, cksmithing :Lv1, Singing :Lv1, Acrobatics :Lv1, Craftsmanship :Lv1, Sewing :Lv1, Pickpocket :Lv1, Leap :Lv1, Throwing Arts :LV3, Climbing :Lv1, Engineering :Lv1, Belly Crawl :Lv1, Carpentry :Lv1, Cooking :LvMax, Trap Creation :Lv1

    Art/Science Skills:

    Mineralogy :Lv1, Medicine Manufacturing :Lv1, Herbalism :Lv3

    Magical Ability Skills

    Absorption :Lv1, Airflow Maniption :Lv1, Air Compression :Lv1, Air Bullet Discharge :Lv1, Aerial Jump :Lv2, Vibration Impact :Lv1, Chastisement Thread:Lv1, Provocation :Lv1, Weather Prediction :Lv1, Ultrasonic Impact :Lv1, Poison Breath :Lv1, Fission Creation :Lv1, Magic Absorption :Lv1

    Special Ability Skills

    Scale Regeneration, Orc yer, Vigor Maniption, Phantom Body, Goblin yer, Kobold yer, Narcotic Fang, Dimensional Storage, Vibration Fang, Floating, Parallel Thought, Magic Maniption, Demonic Thread Creation, Demonic Poison Fang

    Passive Skills:

    Night Vision, Scale Hardening, Smell Enhancement, Absorption Enhancement, Strongly Acidic Viscous Body, Shell Enhancement, Shell Weight Lightening, Sight Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Hair Enhancement, Hair Hardening, Bird''s Eye View, Hearing Enhancement, Pain Reduction, Vitals Enhancement, AGI ¡ü Low, Predation, MGC ¡ü Low, Taste Enhancement, Eggshell Camouge, STR ¡ü Low

    Synthesized Skills:

    Vibration Bullet Discharge

    Note:

    Reference to Yubaba from Spirited Away.

    Both are references to swords of some sort. The first is a reference to Demonic Sword Chaos ¡ª or, Kaosu (Ä§„‡¥«©–¥¹ = Ä§„‡¥«¥ª¥¹) ¡ª from the Rance Series. Thanks to Mesaphrom for pointing that out!

    The second is a reference to Derflinger ¡ª or Derufuringa (¥Ç¥ë¥Õ¥ê©–¥¬©` = ¥Ç¥ë¥Õ¥ê¥ó¥¬©`) ¡ª from the Zero no Tsukaima Series. Thanks to Mystletainn for pointing that out!

    The sound of Sword-bro¡¯s (nonexistent) heart palpitating.

    The sound of Sword-bro¡¯s excitement building.

    It¡¯s ¡°Shisho¡± (ŽŸ½³), so technically it could also be ¡°Master¡±. Not the ¡®Goshujin-sama~¡± type, though.

    The contents are actually ²»¶¼ºÏ¤Î¤Ê¤¤¹ ‡ì¤Ç¡¢¥Õ¥é¥ó¤ÈÃû\¤ë¤³¤È, but I essentiallypounded the information. The bit prema is saying ¡°A range with no inconvenience¡± which, when separated intopounded characters = No Range ¡ª thus the trantion. The second half is just as it appears; dering Fran¡¯s name.

 Chapter 14: The Walk to Town

    <h4>Chapter 14: The Walk to Town</h4>

    Through the improvement in Appraisal, there were some changes in the Status disy. The first change was the mysterious ¡°Magical Power Conductivity¡±. Fran didn¡¯t seem to know what it was either. Is it the efficiency in conducting Magic? Really, I have no clue.

    The next changes rted to the disy format of Skills. Different types of Skills became sorted, so it¡¯s be somewhat easier to look at.

    Oh, I also came to understand Self-Modification, which I didn¡¯t understand thus far. Apparently, thanks to it new effects are gained once I reach a counter stop.

    It can grant Superior Skills, which are simply be better versions of the Skill they¡¯re derived from. To Skills that have reached LvMax, modifying it into a Superior Skill is a great bonus. However, these Skills are excluded from the Set Skills that I can share with Fran, and are usable only to me. This is, of course, because my own Skills cannot be Set Skills. Putting it into two categories for Skill Sharing seems to be impossible.

    However, because it uses up 10 Self-Evolution Points, I¡¯ll need to give serious thought to the Skills I want to modify. Why it uses Self-Evolution Points is quite mysterious, but because they¡¯re primarily based in Self-Evolution itself, Self-Modification could be something akin to a support of Self-Evolution.

    Along the way to the Town I teach Fran about myself, too. There¡¯s nothing to hide, after all. We also need to know the proper truth beforehand in order to arrange an alibi of some sort for one another; that way we won¡¯t be found out by others.

    I taught her about my ability to absorb Magic Stones, Skill Sharing, my ability to increase the Stats of my wielder, etc.

    ¡¸Magic Stones¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºMhm. However, I just leveled up recently, so there¡¯s a long way to go.¡»

    ¡¸Un.¡¹

    ¡ºAh, hey. What are you doing?¡»

    ¡¸Un.¡¹

    *Gangan*

    My de was pressed down into the middle of a Fang Rat, piercing the Magic Stone along the way. Usually, I would try to absorb it but she was a little unreasonable.

    ¡ºWait, wait! It¡¯s no good if it¡¯s just cut! It has to remain in contact with my de!¡»

    ¡¸Like this?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, like that.¡»

    ¡¸Really absorbed¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI can be stronger through doing this. We can also sell any materials we gain, so we should hunt Demonic Beasts proactively.¡»

    ¡¸Un. Roger.¡¹

    The journey up until this point has gone on without any problems. It seems that the ins were quite special after all, as the Demonic Beasts which appeared outside of the forest weren¡¯t very strong either. At best, they¡¯d be equivalent to ones found in Area 2.

    In regards to meals, it¡¯s left to me.

    When my sanity had been depleted, Cooking was one of the Skills that was elevated, after all. The ingredients are the Demonic Beasts stored within Dimensional Storage. Thanks to Cooking, I found out whether Demonic Beasts were edible or not.

    Because Fran has the same Cooking Skill as me, she should be able to cook, but I¡¯ll be taking charge in this area. This is the duty of a guardian, after all.

    Furthermore, I also made absolutely sure that my Resistance Skills were set, alongside Absorption Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Predation, and other such Skills while meals took ce.

    Predation allows the user to absorb the power of what the user eats. I don¡¯t know how much of a difference it¡¯ll make, but there¡¯s no problem with setting it anyways.

    At present, Fran¡¯s status looks like this:

    Name :Fran ¡¡Age :12

    Race :ck Cat Tribe

    Job :None

    State :Contracted

    Status:

    Level :5

    HP :73¡¡MP :65¡¡STR :41¡¡END :32¡¡AGI :43¡¡INT :28¡¡MGC :32¡¡DEX :45

    Skills:

    Night Eyes , Skinning Expert, Directional Sense

    Set Skills:

    Sword Arts :Lv7, Pugilist Arts :Lv3

    Sword Techniques :Lv7, Pugilist Techniques :Lv1

    HP Recovery Rate ¡ü :Lv1, Evasion :Lv2, Evasion ¡ü :Lv1, Leg Strength ¡ü :Lv2, Instant Recovery :Lv1

    Recovery Magic :Lv1, me Magic :Lv1, Purification Magic :Lv3, Ground Magic :Lv4, Fire Magic :LvMax, Support Magic :Lv3

    Danger Perception :Lv1, Vignce :Lv4, Presence Perception :Lv2, Harvesting :Lv2, Echolocation :Lv1, Magic Perception :Lv3

    Stealth :Lv3, Conceal Presence :Lv3, Escape :Lv1

    Intimidation :Lv2, Ambition :Lv1

    Fire Resistance :Lv1, Fear Resistance :Lv1, Impact Resistance :Lv1, Abnormal Status Resistance :Lv1, Mental Resistance :Lv1, Poison Resistance:Lv3, Drowsiness Resistance :Lv1, Disease Resistance :Lv3, Physical Attack Resistance:Lv1, Paralysis Resistance :Lv2

    Dismantling :LvMax, Throwing :LV3, Cooking :LvMax

    Aerial Jump :Lv2

    Mineralogy :Lv1, Medicine Manufacturing :Lv1, Herbalism:Lv3

    Poison Breath :Lv1, Fission Creation :Lv1

    Vigor Maniption, Dimensional Storage, Vibration Fang, Floating, Parallel Thought, Magic Maniption

    Night Vision, Absorption Enhancement, Sight Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Bird''s Eye View, Hearing Enhancement, Vitals Enhancement, AGI ¡ü Low, MGC ¡ü Low, Taste Enhancement, STR ¡ü Low

    Titles:

    King of Dismantling, Skill Collector, Master of Fire, King of Cooking

    Equipment:

    Regr Clothing, Bracelet of Strength +1

    For her Status, she¡¯s overwhelmingly stronger than Goblins. In fact, she¡¯s stronger than a Goblin King. She would be about equal to the Demonic Beasts and the top of the Orc Race in Area 3. She¡¯s also changed from her previously shabby clothing into ones from the horse-drawn carriage.

    Each of her equipments¡¯ Stats have also been improved by ~20 per piece; this is due to the effects of Skills like Owner ALL Stats ¡ü and STR ¡ü Low. They¡¯re quite the cheats. Like this, there¡¯ll be no problem in a fight against lower-leveled Demonic Beasts.

    As for her Skills, these are the basic ones, but they¡¯ll change often because I modify them depending on the situation.

    The only problem at hand is money. The currency unit of this world seems to be ¡°Gorudo¡± . From the ve Trader we received 2 Silver Coins, and 24 Copper Coins. That¡¯s a total of 224 Gorudo. It seems that¡¯s along the fine line of having lodging at a hotel for one night.

    The reason why I said ¡°it seems¡± is because Fran isn¡¯t an expert on the market of the world. It¡¯s just general knowledge.

    And so, the first order of business is getting money. Preparing Armor and such will be essential, after all.

    Just in case, I have a certain prospect that we can use. That is, the corpses of the Demonic Beasts which have been stowed away in Dimensional Storage. Because they seem to be the main source of ie for Adventurers, selling them as materials would be worth a little at least.

    So, before arrival, we¡¯ll dismantle the material and sort out the ones that¡¯ll most likely sell.

    Because the materials gained from high-ranking Demonic Beasts might attract unnecessary attention to Fran, we¡¯ll have to sell materials from lesser ranked Demonic Beasts for now.

    Well, that¡¯s an issue for when we arrive at town though.

    ¡ºAlright, it¡¯s done.¡»

    We¡¯re in the middle of camping at the moment. Fran is in the process of dismantling the materials. Apparently, so long as I¡¯m registered as Equipment, even if she¡¯s not holding me Skill Sharing will still be in effect. The Status raises will also remain. So Fran can use Dismantling even if she¡¯s a little bit away.

    In one hand Fran held a knife, dismantling the corpse of a Demonic Beast lying on the ground. Deodorization from Purification Magic is also being used in order to keep Demonic Beasts from approaching due to the smell of blood. Fran set that up all on her own.

    Currently, I¡¯m preparing a meal . It¡¯s a stew using the meat of Demonic Beasts inside of a pot taken from the ve Traders¡¯ carriage. I¡¯m also making use of medicinal herbs harvested using Herbalism, so the nutrition¡¯ll be perfect.

    As a sword, it¡¯s easy for me to cut up ingredients, and mixing isn¡¯t a problem using Telekinesis. The taste should be absolutely wless ©`©` Cooking is LvMax, after all. It¡¯s quite regrettable that I can¡¯t taste it for myself.

    This division ofbor will be the default in the future. I¡¯ll be in charge of Cooking and lookout, and Fran will be responsible for Dismantling. I¡¯ll take the Magic Stones, and everything will be either sold or eaten.

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s finished.¡»

    ¡¸Un.¡¹

    ¡ºRinse your hands with water.¡»

    ¡¸Aqua ?Create¡¹

    Fran washes her hands with a *pachapacha* sound using water I created via Water Magic, with me as the source of MP. There¡¯re no problems in regards to consumption. Because Fran is the one using me, my Magic can be freely used, so we¡¯ll be able to generate as much water as necessary.

    ¡ºIs the Dismantling finished?¡»

    ¡¸Almost. One is impossible.¡¹

    ¡ºAhh, the Tortoise?¡»

    For the st Tortoise, even at LvMax it seems impossible to dismantle with just a knife. Well, it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s a high-ranking Demonic Beast, after all.

    The Tyrant Saber couldn¡¯t be dismantled yesterday either. It¡¯s an issue with the tools.

    ¡ºIs it my turn today as well?¡»

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡ºMmh. Leave it to me. As for you, have a good meal.¡»

    ¡¸Un. Thank you.¡¹

    Now, I should dismantle it quickly before Fran¡¯s finished eating.

    ¡°Correction¡±

    It¡¯s a Skill that could be said to be one of a kind; an amazing Skill resultant from reaching a counter stop: a Superior Skill.

    And it¡¯s worthy of the title ¡°Superior¡±.

    Note:

    Counter Stop is Japanese gaming lingo for ¡°When something reaches max value¡±, in this case, it¡¯s when a Skill be LvMax.

    Previously tranted as ¡°Night Vision¡± ¡ª which it technically is. It¡¯s spelt like this ¡°Ò¹Ä¿¡± whereas the Night Vision Sword-shisho has is ¡°°µÒ•¡±. To be honest, I knew that it was a bit different, but the Skills were practically synonymous. Now that Fran has both Skills however, I need to change it. Originally I would have made it ¡°Cat Eyes¡±, but there¡¯s a possibility that other Races will have the same Skill, so ¡°Night Eyes¡± is the middle ground I settled with. As always, if you have a better rmendation let me know

    It¡¯s ¥´¥ë¥É. That could also be changed to in old ¡°Gold¡± ¡ª but in the end it would just be a guess based off of the onomatopoeia, so I kept it as Gorudo. Tell me what you guys think.

    The Author makes a ¡°¡ú¡± here, which is essentially them referring back to a previous part of the chapter. For which part they¡¯re referring to, it¡¯s the part rted to Self-Modification¡¯s ability to elevate LvMax Skills to ¡°Superior Skills¡± ¡ª I¡¯ve marked it with a ¡°?¡± for easy finding if anyone wants to read it again.

 Chapter 15: Randell the Merchant

    <h4>Chapter 15: Randell the Merchant</h4>

    It¡¯s the third day since I met Fran.

    We¡¯re still walking towards the town. To others, I would be invisible due to the wrappings put in ce while being carried on Fran¡¯s back. If someone spots a loosened portion and sees me, then I have no excuse.

    ¡ºHey, will I be able to enter the town easily?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºThere¡¯re no toll fees or identification cards needed?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    *furufuru* Fran shakes her head back and forth. Cute.

    No, no, rather than that!

    Fran was a ve, so of course she wouldn¡¯t have done any entrance procedures. But, because of that, I have no information to go off of.

    ¡ºSo long as anyone else is present, information should be obtainable.¡»

    But even if I say that, throughout these three days not a single trace of people has been seen.

    There¡¯re no Peddlers nor Travelers ¡ª there¡¯s not even any bandits. Why? If there were any thieves, I¡¯d be able to beat information out of them at least.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not a highway.¡¹

    The ve Trader seemed to move through a dangerous area for the sake of time. As a result, it was attacked by a Demonic Beast and wiped out. My condolences. Not towards the Trader, of course. He should have died alone without involving the ves.

    ¡ºHm? There¡¯re highways, huh.¡»

    It seems that the purpose of highways are to avoid areas where Demonic Beasts appear frequently ¡ª to skirt areas where Humans shouldn¡¯t be, essentially.

    ¡ºWhere is the highway?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯ll appear if we keep walking.¡¹

    ¡ºI hope.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯ll be alright. Probably.¡¹

    Four hours have passed after she said that. We advanced leisurely while hunting Demonic Beasts as we walked.

    Then, we discovered the long-awaited highway.

    ¡ºAlright! The road!¡»

    The road is far better than the animal trails we had used thus far; even the grass is removed. Instead, the ground is worn through its long history of peopleing and going; traces of wheels can be seen clearly, too. Without a doubt, it¡¯s a highway.

    Fran continues towards the town with her Sense of Direction.

    ¡¸Mu, reaction of living creatures.¡¹

    ¡ºThey don¡¯t seem to be people. Perhaps Goblins?¡»

    ¡¸Hunt?¡¹

    ¡ºJust in case. We might be able to sell their materials, and their Magic Stones can be absorbed.¡»

    ¡¸Roger.¡¹

    When I nodded using my body in consent, Fran deviated from the highway and began to run. She¡¯s already gained the ability to run between the trees like the wind using Skills like Leg Strength ¡ü and such.

    ¡¸There.¡¹

    It seems that their n was to ambush anyone passing through, because Goblins had hidden themselves in bushes on the side of the highway. There¡¯re 3 total. Fran erases her presence and goes around to the Goblin at the back of their formation. Without a sound, it¡¯s struck from behind.

    ¡¸Fuu.¡¹

    ¡¸Gi?¡¹

    Its body is cut down from behind, and it crumbles to the ground with a *gurari*

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    Because my Skill level has rose, the Sword Technique Double?sh could be activated with reduced movements, thus cutting through the remaining two bodies. The Goblins didn¡¯t even know what happened.

    The entire battle had finished before the first body had even fallen to the ground.

    ¡¸Teacher, please.¡¹

    ¡ºMhm. Leave it to me.¡»

    After absorbing the Magic Stone, I cut off the horns of the Goblins, which can supposedly be used as materials. The remaining bodies were thrown into Dimensional Storage. It would be bad if I had left them unattended near the highway and arge Demonic Beast followed their scent, after all.

    ¡¸Teacher, another Goblin.¡¹

    ¡ºThere was still one left, huh.¡»

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s running in a straight line, shall we take it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Once again, Fran starts to run. However, an unexpected development unfolded because of that decision.

    ¡¸Sh*t! Get away from me, damn Goblins!¡¹

    ¡¸Giigigi!¡¹

    ¡¸GuruRUA!¡¹

    A lone carriage was being attacked by Goblins. The Goblins numbered 6, while there was only one person on the side of the carriage.

    ¡ºPerhaps the Goblins from before were on lookout?¡»

    While their fiends attacked the carriage, they would watch for Adventurers; such was real n, perhaps.

    ¡¸Help?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. In the meantime, do your best old man!¡»

    After erasing her presence once again, a surprise attack from behind isunched. Three bodies were cut down using the shortened movement of Triple?Thrust. The power of three consecutive thrusts is weak, but against Goblins there¡¯re no problems.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m saved!¡¹

    ¡¸Giii!¡¹

    ¡¸Noisy.¡¹

    Fran, who suddenly appears her opponents, chops down the Goblins which raise cries of intimidation with a *zashuzashu*

    The final Goblin turns heel in order to escape, but Fran throws me and deals a decisive blow. Thanks to the Throwing Skill, its stomach is urately prated. I intended to make adjustments mid-flight in secret if I went astray, but it wasn¡¯t necessary.

    ¡¸T-thank you, youngdy. You saved me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re¡­ Quite strong. Are you traveling alone?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡¹

    Fran is reticent, but it seems that the man misunderstood based off of her attitude. Well, I don¡¯t want to transfer our poor information, so I¡¯m grateful for that. Mentally, I directed Fran to keep the misunderstanding as-is.

    ¡¸If you¡¯d like, would you like to hitch a ride on my carriage? I¡¯m headed towards Aressa.¡¹

    The name of the town we were headed to seems to be Aressa. The man of gentle manners in front of us seems quite determined, however.

    His aim seems to be obtaining an escort while simultaneously offsetting the favor we earned by fending off the Goblins.

    However, because we wanted information, we decided to take up his offer. But shouldn¡¯t the debt of having one¡¯s life saved not be so light?

    I use Fran as a middleman to ry my thoughts.

    ¡¸Hire as an escort?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, yes. Of course.¡¹

    Fufun. Don¡¯t force a smile.

    ¡¸Information in exchange. That¡¯s good enough as a fee.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha, interesting! I like it! Get on!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The name¡¯s Randell. You?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, best regards on the journey, Lady Fran.¡¹

    I don¡¯t forget to strip off the horns of the Goblins before getting into the carriage. I then proceeded to immediately ask him a question. Through Fran, that is.

    ¡¸Do Goblin horns sell?¡¹

    ¡¸Goblin horns huh?, they do, but they¡¯re terribly cheap. As a catalyst for Magic, its quality is the worst.¡¹

    Is that so? I suppose stripping all of those off was just a waste of time, then. Randell continues, however.

    ¡¸But even if that¡¯s the case, if you take it to the Adventurers Guild, you should be able to get a reward seeing as they¡¯re pegged to be exterminated upon discovery.¡¹

    The description from Appraisal said the same thing, Thinking about it, that description is quite arbitrary¡­

    The description clearly exined that Goblins were hostile to essentially everything, but in the first ce, who wrote that description? God? If we assume that, then it would probably be God¡¯s side who destroyed the Evil God, so the description depicting ¡°Evil¡± would be biased.

    Looking at it from a Goblin¡¯s perspective, they might feel that justice is on their side, and Humans are evil.

    Well, even if that¡¯s the case I¡¯m notining or anything. I just killed a bunch of Goblins, after all. Only good-natured people would feel conflicted in the face of that exnation. As soon as it was discovered, they would have a feeling of guilt. As for me, because it was written that they were ¡°Evil¡±, I could simply use that as my excuse. Or rather, I should say that my desire to hunt only grew because of that fact.

    That might have been the purpose that whoever wrote the description was aiming for. It could have been to kindle people like me to hunt those of the ¡°Evil¡± faction.

    As expected, could the one who wrote the exnation really be God? Come to think of it, when I was reincarnated into this world I had heard a powerful voice, so perhaps that was God. Then it¡¯s fine if they¡¯re a good natured person, right? Yeah, that¡¯s how it is. Even if they tried to manipte me, I wouldn¡¯t know of it at least. Or perhaps that¡¯s their strategy? No, no but¡­¡­¡­

    Stop, stop. If I start doubting everything randomly without information, I¡¯ll just be stuck in an endless cycle. There¡¯s no harm at the moment, so I¡¯ll just stop thinking so deeply.

    ¡¸But really, I¡¯d have never expected a group of Goblins to attack on this route.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. This is a road which is visited by Adventurers regrly, after all.¡¹

    Adventurers. They even have a Guild, this really is a fantasy, huh. I¡¯m looking forward to going to the Guildter.

    ¡¸Personally, I can only fend off one or two Goblins at a time.¡¹

    By the way, Randell¡¯s Status looks like this:

    Name :Randell ¡¡Age :39

    Race :Human

    Job :Merchant

    State :Normal

    Status:

    Level :20

    HP :62¡¡MP :85¡¡STR :30¡¡END :31¡¡AGI :34¡¡INT :45¡¡MGC :40¡¡DEX :41

    Skills:

    Transportation :Lv3, Coachmenship :Lv2, Negotiation :Lv2, Arithmetic :Lv5, Commerce :Lv6, Spear Arts :Lv3, Speech :Lv2

    Titles:

    None

    Equipment:

    Inferior Iron Spear, Leather Breastte, Spider Silk Overcoat

    Well, one-on-one against a Goblin he wouldn¡¯t lose, but being surrounded would be pretty harsh. There¡¯s only a difference of four levels, but the status of Randellpared to the cheat-like Fran is terrible.

    ¡¸For some reason, the Demonic Beasts have be are a bit more active than a month ago.¡¹

    A month ago, huh. About the time I captured Area 5, then.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Not sure. Well, it might have to have something to do with Maokami ins , though.¡¹

    ¡¸Maokami ins?¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s ssified as a Rank A Haunt that¡¯s located to the East of here.¡¹

    ¡¸Famous?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Although it¡¯s inferior to the sizes of another 10 Haunts, it¡¯s still Rank A.¡¹

    ¡°Haunts¡± seem to refer to areas under the control of Demonic Beasts, Dungeons included. The Ranks have a range of G ~ S, with A being second from the top.

    It¡¯s not at the level of the 10 Haunts ssified as Rank S, but Rank A is dangerous enough despite that.

    In such a ce, I hunted frequently. So, if you were to talk about the Bosses, they were universally recognized as Strong.

    But that¡¯s not what concerned me. I try to ask a question through Fran.

    ¡¸Why is it called Maokami ins?¡¹

    ((See to understand the stuff Sword-shisho thinks about below.))

    In that in there were a few Demonic Beasts of the wolf type, but rather than one of them being an Area Boss, there was a feline instead. And so, I don¡¯t understand why it would be called Maokami ins.

    ¡¸Legend has it that long ago, a Demonic Beast of Rank S called a Fenrir passed away in those ins. In the center of the in, the Magic Power of the Fenrir still seems to persist, so the ins seem to have the interesting characteristic of having weaker Demonic Beasts the closer you get to the center.¡¹

    So rather than some sort of barrier, it was actually the Magic Power of Fenrir? Moreover, it was a dead one? Without those boundaries I would have lived quite a harsh life, so I¡¯d like to genuinely show my gratitude to that Fenrir.

    Still, for what reason was I stuck in such a ce? It¡¯s quite worrying.

    ¡¸I had heard that there¡¯s some sort of altar in the center of the ins, but I don¡¯t know of its origins. It seems that various people checked it, but it remained unclear.¡¹

    ¡ºEh? What about me? Is there no information regarding the sword stuck in the middle?¡»

    ¡¸In the altar, was there a sword?¡¹

    ¡¸A sword? Not that I know of.¡¹

    ¡ºHm©`m. I thought that I would have been able to understand my origin, but I guess it won¡¯t be that easy.¡»

    Randell didn¡¯t have any more information regarding the ins. How regrettable.

    ¡¸Maokami ins is also surrounded by a special forest which has the special property of depleting Magic, too.¡¹

    I had quite the trouble with that already. I don¡¯t want to enter that ce ever again.

    ¡¸Thanks to that, the Demonic Beasts of Maokami ins don¡¯t wander outside, but it¡¯s not like it doesn¡¯t have an impact on the outside either. You see, every few years there¡¯s a sort of territorial dispute in the ins, and a battle between Large Demonic Beasts urs.¡¹

    I suppose that would be something like an alteration of generations for the Area Bosses?

    ¡¸At that time, Demonic Beasts from the forest are sometimes scared off, and be quite aggressive. Being frightened by the signs of stronger Demonic Beasts, some appear around the highway. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s possible that the cause for the Goblins this time could have been another territorial dispute, see?¡¹

    That¡­ Is definitely my fault. I hunted all of the Area Bosses, so the aftermath of the battle likely resulted in a turf war. Tehepero.

    Randell was at a loss as to whether he would be able to retrace his path back to the highway, but in the end he seems to advance by force because he has to meet a deadline.

    Hahaha¡­ Sorry Randell. I won¡¯t charge any additional fees for acting as your escort as an apology. So, seriously. Sorry.

    Note:

    Sound effect for shaking violently. ¡°Thump¡± would have been simr, but wouldn¡¯t have the same effect.

    To get them on the Carriage, I think. ¤·¤«¤·¤³¤ÎÄÐ¡¢ƒžÄÐ¤ËÒŠ¤¨¤Æ½Y˜‹Š¤«¤À¤Ê¡£

    I won¡¯t ask why Sword-shisho didn¡¯t mention how Adventurers were fantasy-like until now, seeing as the word was thrown around quite a bit. It¡¯s probably just that the Author couldn¡¯t find a good ce to mention it, though.

    Speech actually uses ¡°Ðg¡± ¡ª which is ¡°Arts¡± in all of thebat stuff, so I felt a little like making this ¡°Speaking Arts¡±, but ¡°Speech¡± is good enough, right?

    ¡°Maokami¡± is abination of ¡°Ä§¡± (Demon/Devil/Evil Spirit/etc.) and ¡°ÀÇ¡± (Wolf). They¡¯re pronounced ¡°Ma¡± and ¡°Ookami¡± respectively. Because it¡¯s a name, I stuck with an onomatopoeia.

 Chapter 16: Arrival at the Town of Aressa

    <h4>Chapter 16: Arrival at the Town of Aressa</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    We continued to be tossed about in Randell¡¯s carriage for two hours.

    ¡¸Oh, I can see Aressa!¡¹

    Atop a hill, I saw what appeared to be walls. Although, even if I say that I saw them, it was still quite distant. It¡¯s a distance that seems like it¡¯d take another two hours to reach.

    Still, it¡¯s quiterge. ording to Randell, it seems to be the biggest town in this area, with a poption of around 10,000. The only Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the area also seems to be in Aressa.

    That reminds me, I forgot to ask about something important.

    ¡¸How much is the entrance fee of the town?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s 300 Gorudo.¡¹

    Crap, I don¡¯t have enough. What should we do? Goblin Horns seem to be too cheap if they¡¯re sold to anyone other than the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­

    That being the case, I should also ask about the prices of other things as well. That way, I can calcte the necessary expenses, and n for the future.

    ¡¸How much per night at an inn? Cheap ones are OK.¡¹

    ¡¸An inn, huh¡­ The lowest rank inn would be about 200 Gorudo. Of course, rooms like that woulde without meals.¡¹

    I also asked about prices of other things. The average meal is 50 Gorudo, a loaf of bread is 10 Gorudo, a cheap knife is 300 Gorudo, and using a bathhouse is 20 Gorudo per visit.

    Those seem to be the rough values, at least. 1 Gorudo is about 10 yen, it seems.

    As for money¡­ The coin rankings are: Copper Coins ¡ú Large Copper Coins ¡ú Silver Coins ¡ú Large Silver Coins ¡ú Gold Coins ¡ú Large Gold Coins. It takes 10 coins of the same kind to go up a rank. Even though Randell¡¯s a merchant, it seems that he¡¯s never seen a Large Gold Coin.

    ¡¸How much for Goblin Horns at the Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸One pair would be 20 Gorudo. Merchants would buy them for about 5 Gorudo per pair, though.¡¹

    Cheap! Goblins are really cheap! If you didn¡¯t hunt 10 a day you¡¯d be unable to pay the inn¡¯s charges¡­¡­

    But what should we do? Even if we sold the 8 pairs of horns to Randell, we still wouldn¡¯t reach 300 Gorudo.

    While being troubled, my Presence Detection showed a reaction. It belongs to something further ahead on the highway.

    I tell Randell to slow down, and then proceed to scout ahead. Regr old Goblins were hiding in the bushes, it seems. As always, we¡¯ll counter using an ambush of our own.

    The battle is finished in an instant with Fran¡¯s swordy and my Magic. While collecting the horns of the five Goblins, I catch sight of a sword one of them were carrying. Wooden Clubs wouldn¡¯t be worth anything because they¡¯re nothing more thanrge branches, but I¡¯m sure that a sword would be worth something, at least.

    ¡ºLucky. If we sell this to Randell, we just might reach 300 Gorudo.¡»

    When we return to the carriage, Randell buys the sword for 200 Gorudo. Its price was higher than expected.

    ¡¸That much?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s made out of Bronze, but it¡¯s in good condition. Adventurers would surely buy it if it were put for sale.¡¹

    That really was lucky. With this, we¡¯ll be able to enter the town. Of course, the horns will be sold to the Guild, too.

    As we continued along the highway, we hunted another Demonic Beast, which Randell bought. It was a ck bug known as the ck Beetle. Its length was about 50cm long. It seems that its exoskeleton is used to make protective gear for beginners, so he bought it for 20 Gorudo.

    Still, Demonic Beasts are quite cheap. Its materials could be used to make protective gear, yet it¡¯s only priced at 20 Gorudo? Well, I suppose being a lower ranked Demonic Beast would also contribute to that, though. Aiming for weapons carried by Goblins would likely be more effective. As expected, it¡¯s the fate of Goblins to be hunted by me.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡¸So, Randell, were you able to return safely?¡¹

    ¡¸While traveling, there were a number of times it became quite dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh. Who¡¯s the youngdy?¡¹

    ¡¸I picked her up along the way. I¡¯ll be taking care of her Admission Procedures as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. Your luck must have been good foring across Randell¡¯s carriage. Randell¡¯s quite strong, so having him around would be quite reassuring, right?¡¹

    Towards the words of the middle-aged Gatekeeper, Randell smiles wryly. In actuality, it was Fran who protected and escorted Randell, after all.

    However, because revealing that fact would have been unnecessarily conspicuous, we decided upon the scenario of Randell picking up and escorting a young girl along his trip.

    ¡¸Alright, that¡¯ll be 300 Gorudo. Here¡¯s your temporary entrance certificate. It¡¯s valid for 3 days. Because re-entry costs money again once it wears off, be careful!¡¹

    Alongside that information, I had already learned that if one has an official identification as the town¡¯s inhabitant, or an Adventurer card, entering the town seems to be free. Because of that fact, I wanted to hurry and obtain an Adventurer card.

    ¡¸Wee to the town of Aressa!¡¹

    Joining the Adventurer¡¯s Guild doesn¡¯t seem to have an age restriction. There is, however, an aptitude test that needs to be taken before the card is issued.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll be heading back to the shop. I suppose Fran will be going to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Unn.¡¹

    ¡¸My store¡¯s along the West side of main street, so if you have time please pay me a visit.¡¹

    After saying so, Randell went on his way.

    Even as he left, he didn¡¯t say anything else. Even though it could only be seen as na?ve, he let a young girl that was walking along the road alone apany him without even knowing her circumstances. Even until the end, he didn¡¯t ask of anything but her name. He was a genuinely good natured person.

    After we¡¯ve collected some money, we should pay him a visit. A visit to the man who was our firstpanion on our journey.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s get going.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 17: My Insignificant Doubts

    <h4>Chapter 17: My Insignificant Doubts</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    We walk over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild through the road that Randell had taught us.

    H©`mm. It¡¯s quite a beautiful town. It looks like a European-like town from the middle ages. It¡¯s got a good feeling of ¡°fantasy¡± floating about.

    Also, this is the first time since I¡¯vee to this world that I¡¯ve seen so many Humans. That alone would be enough to raise my spirits.

    I only became more excited, because we ended up walking within arge group of people, each of different races. There was an old Kemonomimi with a fluffy tail, a big-breasted woman who ruined my image of Erofus ¡ª er, Elves. There¡¯re also a wide variety of other races walking about, like bearded Dwarves.

    Mixed among the crowd, I was able to see the figures of Adventurer-like people here and there, too.

    After confirming a couple of their statuses, I find that there doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone that can match Fran. I¡¯d like it if we can find someone with a close status.

    In addition: Fran¡¯s sheer number of Skills as well as the levels of said Skills are overwhelmingly higher than most. The highest Skill Level I saw was from a guy with Lv5 Sword Arts. I know the difference between that level and Lv7 well.

    It¡¯s possible that if they utilized Skills or Status values, they might be able to win¡­ Because I¡¯ve fought on the in, I understand this fact.

    Or rather, the difference of Status makes little difference in the face of Skills. But it¡¯s jus because of this that I don¡¯t think Fran will have a problem fitting in with adventurers.

    But still, I couldn¡¯t help being a bit depressed for a different reason.

    The reason is the performance of the other Adventurers¡¯ weapons.

    Name :High-Quality Steel Longsword

    ATK :398¡¡MP :5¡¡Durability :600

    Magic Power Conductivity?F

    Skills:

    None

    My form is equivalent to that Longsword, and yet¡­ Its ATK is superior to mine. I have a feeling of loss as a sword.

    To add insult to injury, there¡¯s its material: Good-Quality Steel. In other words, Mithril and Orichalcum ¡ª the so-called legendary metals ¡ª lost to simple Steel. That¡­ That¡¯s depressing.

    After that, weapons, all boasting higher attack power than me, jump into my eyes. 1 in 5 people would have one better than me.

    And, hung at the waist of the man who was walking before me, was this:

    Name :Mithril Alloy Dagger

    ATK :423¡¡MP :20¡¡Durability:700

    Magical Power Conductivity?D+

    Skills:

    None

    ¡ºHa¡­ Hahahaha¡­¡­¡»

    I can¡¯t do anything butugh. Aah. I was weak. I defeated Demonic Beasts, thinking that I was so clever. But in reality, I was simply a sword with an excess of decorations.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºAah, Fran. I¡¯m already useless.¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    I exined the situation to Fran; about how I was an inferior Sword if you look past the Skills ¡ª more inferior to any random weapon, at that. Surely, it was some upstart nouveau riche who made me.

    *pat pat*

    Fran pats me after I finished the exnation.

    ¡ºFran¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAre youforting me?¡»

    ¡¸Teacher has Skills.¡¹

    Hm¡­? Wait¡­ Wait, that¡¯s right, girl! I may be inferior to the average sword in attack power, but I can support with Skills! Or rather, that¡¯s my only worth! Then it¡¯s decided! I¡¯ll be the king of Skills!

    However, it would be best to buy a proper sword, as opposed to an inferior one like me, right? You¡¯ll have no choice but to use me for now, but I¡¯ll buy a strong sword for you eventually!

    Therefore, we should register with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and earn money energetically!

    ¡ºAlright! I¡¯m sorry to have worried you. I¡¯m fine now, so let¡¯s go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    An excessive amount of time was taken because of my moping, but we¡¯ve finally arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡ºIt¡¯srge¡­¡»

    It was considerable sizepared to the surrounding buildings. The size was likely due to the amount of Adventurers whiche here.

    ¡ºI have a request!¡»

    I¡¯m all fired up! ¡ª Ah, but no one heard me.

    The inside is cleaner than I thought it would be. I expected its interior to look like some form of dingy pub, with an overpowering impression and cluttered interior, but¡­ The front desk seems like it belongs to an expensive hotel.

    Well, if it looked terrible, I suppose that would stain the reputation of the Guild.

    However, when a 12-year-old girl walked in, a considerable amount of attention was drawn. While we walk up to the counter, the eyes of the surrounding Adventurers are following us.

    ¡¸Register.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, yes. Are you alone?¡¹

    ¡¸Alone.¡¹

    ¡¸Erm¡­ This is the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, so¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    It seems that in this world, a 12-year-old girling alone to register to be an Adventurer is rare. Their weapons and protective gear are perfect, and so despite her only being 12 years old and giving off an atmosphere that shows discipline from a young age, the mumbling continues to increase. Even when I was a child I acted better than them.

    Fran doesn¡¯t have any armor, either. Rather, her appearance is quite shabby, which would only bemon for runaway ves.

    We¡¯re too out-of-ce.

    I recovered from my thoughts once the Receptionist starts to exin.

    ¡¸Anyone can register, but there¡¯ll be a test.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯ll be a test of fighting forms, but is that alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Good.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you really sure? You could get injured¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Unconcerned.¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ If anything happens, the Guild takes no responsibility.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    ¡¸So, you still wish to do it¡­¡­? I understand. Just a moment, please.¡¹

    She probably understood that Fran genuinely wanted to take the test. The Adventurers be a bit noisy.

    There wasn¡¯t anyone who started a quarrel, but the atmosphere is nowhere near weing. A child taking on an Adventurer¡¯s test¡­ It likely rubbed them the wrong way.

    That would be natural. If I was in their position, I would likely feel the same way.

    ¡ºAre you alright, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t understand.¡»

    After a few moments, the Receptionist returns.

    ¡¸Sorry to have kept you waiting. This way, please.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    At the back of the Guild was a spacious area surrounded by walls on all sides. It seems that this is the Guild¡¯s training ground, or at least something simr.

    A rugged man is standing in the middle of the grounds. His height would be about 2 meters. He¡¯s wearing rough ck body armor, which looks like it would be sharp to the touch; he looks just like a High King ruling at the end of a century . A huge Battleaxe is leaning against his side, which doubles his overpowering impression. From behind him, I can practically see the *gogogogo* sound effects.

    If it was a regr child, they would cry as soon a theyid eyes upon him. Even I, who was used to the pressure of Demonic Beasts, was slightly surprised.

    ¡¸Are you the registration applicant?¡¹

    Uo©`o. Through his re alone, that powerful of intimidation increases.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    However, Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be frightened at all. It¡¯s the same attitude as always. My girl is a big shot!

    ¡¸I¡¯m your testing examiner, Donnadorondo ¡¹

    There¡¯re way too many ¡°do¡±s¡­ It¡¯s difficult to say. He doesn¡¯t look like a Donna either.

    ¡¸The contents of the examination are easy. You have to fight me. If you¡¯re defeated too easily, you don¡¯t pass!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸Just so you¡¯re aware, I¡¯m not good at holding back. When I fight, I do it seriously. If you don¡¯t want to fight, now¡¯s the time to leave!¡¹

    The moment Donnadorondo shouted that, a terrible pressure fell over us. Isn¡¯t this obviously the Coercion Skill ? Doesn¡¯t that mean that the fight has already begun?

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Note:

    Once again: Kemonomimi = Human + Animal Traits ¡ª just like Fran.

    You could see Erofu is abination of ¡°Erotic¡± and ¡°Elf¡±. Essentially Elves from hentai/porn/eroge. If you don¡¯t know what those three things are, you¡¯re untainted, so run away while you still can.

    So, it mentions a *buibui* here, which could be a Pig sound effect, or essentially ng for ining¡±, so I simply changed it into ¡°mumbling¡±. It also mentioned á÷ÈË (Hunter), but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s just referring to all the Adventurers watching. Still, because I¡¯m unsure, advice is wee! á÷ÈË¤È¤·¤Æ¥Ö¥¤¥Ö¥¤ÑÔ¤ï¤»¤Æ¤Þ¤¹¤±¤ÉºÎ¤«

    Used usually in the background of scenes with a lot of tension. Like facing down a powerful opponent in a manga. Each ¡°go¡± looks like this: ¥´

    Just so you¡¯re aware, every time he said ¡°girl¡± after he was equipped, it could have also meant ¡°daughter¡±. Äï

    It sounds pretty weird, but it¡¯s supposed to. You should put it into Google¡¯s audio trantor or something. ¥É¥Ê¥É¥í¥ó¥É

    It¡¯s not Intimidation (Íþ‡˜), but rather Coercion (ÍþˆR). I¡¯m just mentioning that because I had to double check to make sure. Ã÷¤é¤«¤ËÍþˆR¤Î¥¹¥­¥ë¤òÊ¹¤Ã¤Æ¤ë¤è¤Ê?

    Reference to Raoh from Hokuto no Ken. Thanks to midoyashii for pointing that out!

 Chapter 18: ï¼¶ï¼³ Donnadorondo

    <h4>Chapter 18: £Ö£Ó Donnadorondo</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    Standing in the Adventurer Guild¡¯s training grounds, we stand face to face against our examiner. There¡¯s a fierce sense of intimidation in the air.

    If I was still a human, I have the feeling that I¡¯d kneel on the ground and beg for my life. But as a sword, so I¡¯m fine.

    Well, let¡¯s see what he¡¯s made of.

    Name :Donnadorondo ¡¡Age :46

    Race :Kijin

    Job :Great Warrior

    State :Normal

    Status:

    Level :38

    HP :346¡¡MP :173¡¡STR :178¡¡END :163¡¡AGI :101¡¡INT :90¡¡MGC :81¡¡DEX :116

    Skills:

    Coercion :Lv4, Transportation :Lv3, HP Recovery Rate ¡ü :Lv5, Danger Perception :Lv4, Instruction :Lv4, Presence Perception :Lv3, yback :Lv4, Blink Step :Lv3, Soil Magic :Lv2, Throwing :Lv5, Poison Resistance :Lv7, Lumbering :Lv4, Axe Techniques :Lv7, Axe Arts :Lv8, Roar :Lv3, Revival, Vigor Maniption, Steel Body, Automatic HP Recovery, STR ¡ü Low

    Titles:

    Guild Instructor

    Equipment:

    Greataxe of Heavy Wrought Steel, Sovereign ck Iron Turtle Armor, Cloak of the Violent Fang Tiger, Stone Dragon Shoes, Substitute Bracelet

    Uge©`e! Strong! In terms of Status it¡¯s ourplete defeat! This old man¡­ His physical abilities exceed that of the Lesser Wyvern! In addition to that, he has a variety of Skills at high levels. His equipment is also at a whole other level.

    Name :Greataxe of Heavy Wrought Steel

    ATK :650¡¡MP :3¡¡Durability :650

    Magical Power Conductivity?E+

    Skills:

    None

    650 ATK? You¡¯ve got to be foocking kidding me! That¡¯s absolutely mortifying!

    He¡¯s also a member of the cool-named Race called the Kijin.

    The title of the Instructor is no joke, either. All the Adventurers we¡¯ve seen thus far don¡¯t hold a candle to this man.

    This fellow ising at us full-force? Seriously? This is a Beginner test, right? If it was a normal beginner, I can¡¯t think that they¡¯d be able to do anything but lose outright¡­¡­

    Ah well, let¡¯s give it a try. Even if we don¡¯t win, we should show off our abilities at least.

    ¡ºFran, are you ready?¡»

    ¡¸O©`K.¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s begin!¡¹

    The figure of Donnadorondo bes hazy.

    And Fran jumps to the side immediately.

    Go!

    ¡¸One, avoided!¡¹

    ¡ºNot good -!¡»

    When I noticed, there was already an Axe right beside us in mid-swing. It was at a speed that would be unimaginable from someone with such arge body. Moreover, looking at how the ground is bing hollow, his power is also immense.

    ¡¸Muun!¡¹

    In addition to the already present swing, he strikes the Axe to increase its speed further.

    *DOGOON!*

    The ground was gouged, and stones became nothing but gravel, scattering across the ground. Fran¡¯s bangs shift due to the wind pressure.

    Hey, wasn¡¯t that first strike just now incredibly dangerous? Even though it was only a grazing blow¡­ I¡¯ve already taken a serious amount of damage. This is too much, right?! How could you pass this exam with thus guy?!

    ¡ºIt¡¯d be dangerous to run away¡­ In that case, let¡¯s attack!¡»

    I refuse to wait-and-see. Before receiving another dangerous attack like that, I¡¯ll go at him at maximum force. I won¡¯t worry about killing him; the other side is overwhelmingly strong, and even if his HP became 0 his bracelet would simply be a sacrifice.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Ho? This one¡¯s quick!¡¹

    The blow was easily caught with the axe. Even when secretly supported by AGI and STR raising Skills, this person still ovees it.

    However, his win isn¡¯t certain.

    To prevent any continuous attacks against Fran, Donna¡¯s lower body is bound by tentacles.

    ¡¸Nuu?! Aria Destruction!¡¹

    Fufun. Don¡¯t be so surprised. Fran didn¡¯t emit any Spells ¡ª she didn¡¯t even chant.

    To tell you the truth, I alone am capable of invoking Magic without any trace. And so, Donnadorondo, who needs to deal with Fran, wasn¡¯t able to avoid any Magic aimed at his feet. Contrary to his situation, Fran nimbly jumped backwards and released an attack.

    Donna was confined, and only capable of moving his upper body, so he¡¯s at the mercy of Fran¡¯s assault. All he can do is receive it. Eat it.

    ¡¸¨D¨DTri?Explosion!¡¹

    ¡¸NuoOOhh!¡¹

    Donnadorondo was engulfed by the Lv10 Fire Magic. It¡¯s am attack that¡¯s difficult to prevent, as explosionse from three directions simultaneously. Of course, Fran had only pretended to invocate it; in truth, I had used that Technique.

    Doing it this way, while I chant, Fran can hold a Sword Technique in reserve.

    ¡¸Fuuuu¡­ Dragon?Fang!¡¹

    This is a thrusting Sword Technique of Lv7. Moreover, Vibration Fang is used alongside it. The small figure of Fran rushes over to therge body of Donna, who can¡¯t move due to the explosion.

    I wonder if he noticed the real nature of the Skills that Fran was using? Donnadorondo opens his eyes wide as his face makes an expression of surprise.

    ¡¸This girl is¡­¡­!¡¹

    However, even if he notices it, avoidance is impossible.

    ¡¸The end.¡¹

    ¡¸Guggaaaah!¡¹

    The attack pierced through to Donna¡¯s nk, sending his gigantic build flying.

    *Doon!*

    His body, which likely exceeded 200 kilos., was blown 10 meters away and embedded into the wall of the training grounds.

    I had only used this technique against Demonic Beasts, so I suppose this would be what happens when it¡¯s used against a humanoid opponent.

    But¡­ Perhaps we overdid it? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s dead, but¡­

    ¡¸¡­¡­ *Gofu*¡­¡­¡¹

    Excellent, he¡¯s alive. While vomitingrge quantities of blood, Donnadorondo seemed to remain conscious.

    Fran approaches slowly. Will you be using Recovery Magic? While I considered what she¡¯d do, I was thrust before the eyes of Donna.

    ¡¸Pass?¡¹

    Mhh, that was aposed decision. As for me, I had alreadypletely forgotten about the exam.

    ¡¸¡­¡­ You¡­ Pass.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    This fellow¡­ He can still move? What a sturdy guy. Even though he was pierced through the nk, to my surprise, Donnadorondo steps out of the wall and begins tough. Taking a quick look at his Status, his HP has already recovered to about 300, and his wound is closing, too.

    ¡¸Hahahahaha! You¡¯re the first rookie to have ever given me damage!¡¹

    His toughness is already monster-ss, seriously. Does someone who can kill this man even exist?

    ¡¸Donnadorondo!¡¹

    I hear a deafening roar, followed by the receptionist rushing over.

    ¡¸I told you not to do anything unreasonable, so what was ¡ª Eh?¡¹

    Ahh. I see.

    This old man¡­ He¡¯s sent out to repel any unhatched beginners, isn¡¯t he? If that¡¯s the case, I suppose it would be unexpected that Fran was the one who sent the other side flying.

    ¡¸Eh? Ehh?¡¹

    It seems that the receptionist is quite surprised to see Donna seriously injured.

    Note:

    It¡¯s essentially ¡°Oni/Ogre Person¡± ¡ª but I wasn¡¯t sure whether I should just make it ¡°Oni/Ogre¡± or not, seeing as there¡¯ll likely be a Demonic Beast of that exact Race¡­ So, transliteration! If anyone has a better suggestion, feel free! ¹íÈË

    Both ¡°yback¡± and ¡°Revival¡± have to do withing back from the dead. ÔÙÉú and ÆðËÀ»ØÉú

    The bracelet is Éí´ú¤ê¤ÎÍóÝ†, which could also be ¡°Sacrificial Bracelet¡± ¡ª so essentially another thing rted to revival. It¡¯d take his ce if he died, essentially.

    Just TRY to trante ¤Õ¤¶¤±¤ó¤Ê without cussing while staying true to the writing. I dare you.

    No, this isn¡¯t me praising my naming sense. It¡¯s really there. ·N×å¤â¹íÈË¤È¤«¤¤¤¦¡¢¤«¤Ã¤³¤¤¤¤·N×å¤À¤·¡£

 Chapter 19: We Joined the Guild

    <h4>Chapter 19: We Joined the Guild</h4>

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Well-, I lost!¡¹

    ¡¸Donna, this is noughing matter.¡¹

    After the examination, Fran and I were brought by Donnadorondo to the top floor of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    Waiting for us was a thin, blond, fair-skinned man. If one looked at his ears, they would discover he was an Elf. At first nce he seems weak, but¡­¡­

    Name :Klimt ¡¡Age :136

    Race :Wood Elf

    Job :Greater Spirit User

    State :Normal

    Status

    Level:67

    HP:180¡¡MP:616¡¡STR:87¡¡END:89¡¡AGI:138¡¡INT:259¡¡MGC:333¡¡DEX:98

    Skills

    Chant Shortening :Lv7, Appraisal :Lv5, Archery :Lv3, Harvesting :Lv5, Nature Magic :Lv6, Spirit Magic :Lv7, Ground Magic :Lv6, Compounding :Lv5, Soil Magic :LvMax, Poison Resistance :Lv3, Paralysis Resistance :Lv4, Water Magic :Lv5, Medicinal Herb Knowledge :Lv7, Cooking :Lv4, Magic Maniption, Child of the Forest

    Unique Skills

    Favor of the Spirits

    Titles

    Guild Master, Guardian Deity of Aressa, Master of Nature, Master of Soil

    Equipment

    Staff of the Old God''s Cherry Tree, Scale Clothing of the Fission Snake, Cloak of the Young Wind Dragon''s wings, Shoes of the Moon Rabbit, Substitute Bracelet

    It was a man who exceeded Donna. Those Magic Skills are just too dangerous. Spirit Magic also seems to be quite rare. As expected of a Guild Master.

    ¡¸First, let me hear your name.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Age?¡¹

    ¡¸12.¡¹

    Donna howled at the words of Fran.

    ¡¸What? You really are as old as you look!¡¹

    Ahh, I suppose it would be like that. Looking at Fran¡¯s abilities, it would be easy to think that she was actually a member of a long-lived race. Otherwise, it would be quite bizarre, given her appearance.

    ¡¸Donna¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ah-, excuse me.¡¹

    Donna, who was rebuked by the Guild Master, shrugged his shoulders. Not cute at all. However, his manners arepletely different than the one before the examination. At the time he the embodiment of Fun¡¯nu , but now he has the feel of of a good-natured uncle.

    ¡¸However¡­ I understand how you feel. Only 12 years old, and yet capable of using Sword Techniques directly after firing off Lv10 Fire Magic ¡ª without a chant, even? Is that some kind of joke?¡¹

    The Guild Master furrows his brow. His eyes be sharp, as if peering deep into Fran.

    ¡¸Moreover¡­ You have a Appraisal blocking Skills?¡¹

    That reminds me, this person has Appraisal, doesn¡¯t he? He likely tried to find out whether the story told by Fran was a lie using it. However, it was intercepted.

    At times like these, my Self-Evolution Points were well-used. The nice thing about this Skill is that it effects Fran as well as me, unlike some Skills.

    Appraisal Concealment :A Skill used to inhibit the use of Appraisal on the user. When equipped with this ability, Appraisal of the user¡¯s equipment is also blocked.

    However, because of this Skill doubt has surfaced.

    ¡¸So, ording to you, you¡¯re 12. But where did youe from?¡¹

    ¡¸Secret.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Is there a reason for that?¡¹

    ¡¸Secret.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Haa¡­ How troublesome.¡¹

    We-ll, I¡¯ve be slightly anxious. He¡¯s trying to probe Fran.

    ¡¸Pass? Fail?¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t turn away someone strong enough to take on Donna.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, Guild Card.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­ I understand. I¡¯ll prepare it now, so please fill in the necessary information on this form. If you cannot write, then perhaps I could do it on your behalf?¡¹

    ¡¸Unconcerned.¡¹

    On top of Fran¡¯s parents giving a good education, she was also taught how to read and write in order to increase her value as a ve.

    ¡¸Any skilled Adventurers are wee! Right, Guild Master-?¡¹

    ¡¸Haa¡­ That¡¯s right. The Spirits aren¡¯t being noisy either.¡¹

    ¡¸Spirits?¡¹

    ¡¸Even if you look around, only Spirit Users can see them.¡¹

    ¡¸What do they tell you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, Spirits are sensitive to emotions. Therefore, depending on their behavior I¡¯m able to determine those with malicious intent, and those with a wicked heart.¡¹

    Spirits sure are convenient. I¡¯d also like to use them by all means. The problem is whether there¡¯s a Demonic Beast that¡¯s capable of using Spirit Magic.

    ¡¸Is there a Demonic Beast that can use Spirit Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯re Spirits which feed on the malice of others, but even so they rarely devour such things from Demonic Beasts. Regrettably.¡¹

    I see. That¡¯s good news. That just means that there¡¯re some worth looking for.

    ¡¸Guild Master, we¡¯re ready.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    The Guild Master personally guides us to a small room adjacent to the front counter. There¡¯s something like an alter within the room, and a crystal ball is enshrined there.

    ¡¸Please touch this. It will finish immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Just as the Guild Master said, it finishes in an instant. It seemed to register Fran¡¯s Magical Power one way or another. Next to the crystal ball, the receptionist tinkers with the crystal ball. Pressing the card against it, the process seems to bepleted.

    ¡¸Now, to select a Job.¡¹

    ¡¸Job?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. There¡¯re various benefits depending on the Job itself, but each person has their own aptitudes.¡¹

    Speaking of Jobs, Randell had been a ¡°Merchant¡±. Donna is a ¡°Great Warrior¡± and the Guild Master is a ¡°Greater Spirit User¡±.

    ¡¸For Jobs, Fran can choose¡­¡­ Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Nell?¡¹

    ¡¸Her Job aptitude is a bit¡­ Strange.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh?¡¹

    I look at the screen from behind the Guild Master.

    Warrior, Swordsman, Pugilist, Magic Swordsman, Blink Swordsman, Magician, me Magician, White Magician, Summoning Magician, Tamer, Spy, Doctor, Butcher , Cook

    There¡¯re a lot. Job aptitude seems to depend on the Skills that Fran has equipped. There¡¯re also Spear Arts and Spear Techniques equipped, but it seems that there¡¯s no Job for them. Even though there¡¯re Jobs called Cook and Butcher¡­

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­¡¹

    Even the Guild Master is at a loss for words. Is this perhaps bad?

    ¡¸Haa¡­ Well, Magic Swordsman and Magician were to be expected after hearing of the battle with Donna.¡¹

    Ah, it seems to be alright. He¡¯s probably getting used to being surprised.

    ¡¸Then, what will you choose?¡¹

    ¡ºAsk about his rmendation.¡»

    ¡¸Suggestion?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Because Magic Swordsman, Blink Swordsman, and me Magician are all intermediate Jobs, they¡¯re quite rare. The benefits gained from them will also be quite strong. If you wish to use both the sword and Magic, I rmend the Magic Swordsman. If it¡¯s just swords, then the Blink Swordsman. If you wish to focus on Magic, then perhaps the me Magician.¡¹

    I see. What to do¡­¡­

    ¡ºWhich one would you like, Fran?¡»

    £¨Magic Swordsman: cool.£©

    ¡ºThen, perhaps the Magic Swordsman?¡»

    However, there¡¯s still one piece of information needed before the final choice.

    ¡¸Change Jobs?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You may do so at the Guild at any time, however, only one Job¡¯s effects can be set at a time. So, if a high leveled Magic Swordsman changed to a Lv1 Blink Swordsman, their status would fall.¡¹

    Well, I don¡¯t mind because that¡¯s what I expected. If it can be changed anyways, then perhaps Magic Swordsman would be alright for now?

    ¡¸Then, Magic Swordsman.¡¹

    ¡¸With this, the Guild Card has beenpleted.¡¹

    It looks like a regr bronze card. Fran¡¯s name, ce of registration (Aressa), Job, and the Adventurer Rank of G are all listed.

    ¡¸The Guild Card can be used as an identification card, and having it re-issued will cost 5,000 Gorudo. Because it¡¯s been registered via the Magic Power of the individual, it¡¯s only usable by that person alone. Be careful not to lose it.¡¹

    Other points, such as other cautions and its application in the Guild were then exined by the Guild Master. Usually this would be work of a receptionist, but in this case the Guild Master took care of it all personally.

    Collecting all of the information together, it can be summarized as the following:

    Regarding Guild requests:

    An Adventurer can only take requests in ordance to their Adventurer Rank. Specifically, they¡¯re only able to take requests one Rank above and below their own.

    Under certain conditions, a Rank-up test can be requested.

    For the color of the cards:

    G and F are Copper, E and D are ck, C and B are Silver, A is Gold, and S is tinum. Purchasing the materials required for the card isn¡¯t necessary.

    There aren¡¯t any annual membership fees, but there is the possibility of being demoted or expulsion if an Adventurer doesn¡¯t take on a request for a certain period of time.

    Betrayal against the Adventurer¡¯s Guild will result in aplete purge of rank, so it¡¯s best to be careful. In addition, it¡¯s best to be careful of trouble between Adventurers, because the Guild takes no responsibility.

    Thatst piece of information was likely advice specifically for Fran. Didn¡¯t doing so just raise a g, though?

    ¡¸With this, you¡¯ve be an Adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Is there anything else you¡¯d like to ask about?¡¹

    I¡¯ve inquired about what I¡¯d like to hear, but there¡¯s still one thing left to ask.

    ¡¸Examination content, published?¡¹

    ¡¸No. Because it involves the ability of the Adventurer themselves, doing so would be reckless.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you not wish to attract attention?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t want to.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll make you a promise. We three people: Donna, Nell from reception, and I will not reveal information regarding the examination. Well, doing so would be convenient for us as well. Donna stands at the front of the Adventurers in case of emergencies, so it would be better to not reveal his loss.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give my assent. If the littledy wants to keep it a secret, I understand.¡¹

    ¡¸I think that, given your abilities, you¡¯ll attract attention immediately regardless, but¡­¡­¡¹

    U-mu. I can¡¯t refute that. Well, I guess it¡¯s fine that it¡¯s peaceful for now, at least?

    Note:

    Easiest name to trante so far. It only has the option of being the name Klimt. ¥¯¥ê¥à¥È

    A couple of notes regarding some of this guy¡¯s Skills.

    First: I had previously tranted ÍÁÄ§Ðg as ¡°Ground Magic¡±; now, however, it is ¡°Soil Magic¡± ¡ª because ´óµØÄ§Ðg (which this guy has) is the ACTUAL Ground Magic. My best guess is that Ground is the LvMax Magic type gained through Soil Magic, like how me was to Fire. I¡¯ve made the changes to C10 and C13 ¡ª but I can¡¯t remember if it was mentioned elsewhere, so if it was, tell me!

    Second: Compounding is like the medicinepounding. It could also be ¡°mixing¡± Õ{ºÏ

    Regarding the titles:

    ¡°Guardian Deity¡± can¡¯t just be ¡°Guardian¡± because it¡¯s ÊØ×oÉñ (literally Guardian Deity).

    Not sure why this guy has the Master of Nature title despite Nature Magic only being Lv6 but¡­ *shrug* It¡¯s there. ˜äÄ¾ÐgŽŸ

    For those who actually trante that on their own, it¡¯ll be ¡°Tree/shrub Technique/Magic Practitioner/Master/Teacher¡± ¡ª but all the ¡°Master¡± titles are like that. I made that change because it fit with the fact that the Skill needed to be maxed out, but¡­ Perhaps I need to reconsider now that this one¡¯s arrived?

    This might just be a reference to a noise or something. ¡°He was all *Fuu-nuuu!* for example. But I have no clue. When I did a search, it brought me Duel-Master pages and this image, so this is just my best guess.

    The image is fitting, after all. ¥Õ¥ó¥Ì-

    Receptionist¡¯s name = nnel Nell (¥Í¥ë) apparently. -kun was also used, so I¡¯m unsure of their gender at this point. In the previous chapter I had used ¡°Ms. Receptionist¡± at the end, but it turns out that was just my machines being sexist. (ÊÜ¸¶‹Ý = Receptionist or Reception Woman)

    Because it¡¯s possible that the Guild Master simply uses -kun because Nell is likely way, way younger than him, and not directly equivalent to any sexual orientation. Not that that matters, right?

    ¡°Butcher¡± is rted to the Deconstruction Skill, but ¡°Deconstructor¡± just doesn¡¯t sound right as a Job among the other ones, and ¡°Demolitionist¡± brings the image of someone standing a couple hundred feet away and blowing stuff up, so¡­ Yeah. Butcher was listed as an applicable trantion, so I went with it.

 Chapter 20: Selling Materials

    <h4>Chapter 20: Selling Materials</h4>

    ¡¸Would you like to take a request immediately?¡¹

    This was asked by Nell the receptionist. I was reminded by those words; after getting the Guild Card, there was so much to do that I forgot about it. And ¡°it¡± was that we won¡¯t be able to stay at an inn if we don¡¯t sell our materials to the Guild.

    ¡¸I have Goblin horns.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, in that case, I¡¯ll ept them at the request report counter. This way, please.¡¹

    Because Fran¡¯s a new Adventurer, Nell politely leads the way after his response. As one would ept from a receptionist of the Adventurers Guild. They¡¯re very thorough in educating their members.

    ¡¸Also materials.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, you can sell those at the material purchase counter. First, however,es the payment for the Goblin Horns.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸8 sets, so that¡¯ll be 160 Gorudo total. Please confirm it.¡¹

    The amount needed to book a room at an inn hasn¡¯t been reached yet. The worst inn was supposedly 200 Gorudo, so we¡¯ll need just a bit more if we want to stay overnight.

    We move over to the material purchasing counter after the transaction is verified.

    ¡¸Have the materials already been dismantled? If not, they usually take up a lot of space, so it can be brought to the space beside the counter. If it¡¯s toorge for that as well, we¡¯ll use a special room instead.¡¹

    Nell carefully exins. So, what should we do¡­ Lower ranked Demonic Beasts are cheap, judging by the advice we were given in regards to the Goblins and Insects earlier. So, I suppose the minimum we should give should be intermediate or above? I have a couple of slightlyrger ones, so perhaps those?

    ¡¸Slightly big.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, I would like for it to be ced in the purchasing space. Are they currently stored at an inn? Materials should be managed carefully if they¡¯re expensive, so -¡¹

    Ahh, at first nce we don¡¯t look like we¡¯ve brought anything, so I suppose his question is natural. However, when I was Appraising people earlier, I found many individuals with the Dimensional Storage Skill, so it shouldn¡¯t be unheard of. It should be fine if I take it out here and now because of that.

    ¡¸Taking out.¡¹

    Of course, the materials are actually being taken out by me. This is one of the slight drawbacks of this Skill and Skill Sharing. Fran can use the Dimensional Storage Skill as well, but the storage is exclusive to Fran. Simrly, I can¡¯t share the contents of my storage with Fran, so she obviously can¡¯t retrieve anything I¡¯ve stored.

    Fran assumes a stance that makes it seem as though she takes out the materials, and I ce the materials where she directs.

    At first, I take out beginner-ss materials exclusively.

    Among them is Fran¡¯smemorative first prey, the Twin-Headed Bear¡¯s fur and ws. Because its innards can be used to make good medicine, they remain within the storage. I also leave them because it would make a disturbing scene if they were brought out. I bring out two sets of Poison Fang Rat pelts and fangs, and figure it would be best to stop there for now.

    ¡¸When did you¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Whileing to town.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you also dismantle these yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    Some curious Adventurers became a little noisy in the surrounding area. Oi, don¡¯tugh after ncing over here. Hmm¡­ Could it be that the materials are worth even less than expected?

    Then¡­ Next I¡¯ll ce one a bit better.

    From Area 2 in the ins, I take materials from 3 Demonic Beasts.

    First are the sinister-looking wing membranes and resonating bones of Giant Bats. Next are the fangs, fur, and skulls of Crashing Boars. Finally, I take out the shells and horns of Rock Bison.

    Although they aren¡¯t strong Monsters , they should be enough to buy a few days worth of lodging at an inn, alongside cheap protective gear.

    We could gain even more if I took out the materials from the Tyrant Saber or the Doppel Snake¡­ But I refrained. Not only would doing so attract too much attention, but the materials might be able to be used to make Fran weapons as well.

    The Guild Master¡¯s scale clothing makes use of something simr to the scales of the Doppel Snake, and the cloak used by Donna made use of a Demonic Beast¡¯s fur simr to that of the Tyrant Saber. In other words, those materials would be ones which only high-ranking adventurers would be able to use in their equipment. It would definitely make amotion if we sold such materials here.

    Nell is making a slightly difficult face. As expected, it would be difficult toprehend the fact that the young-aged Fran could take down strong Demonic Beasts ¡ª Demonic Beasts that even an adult male would have trouble defeating.

    Nevertheless, the materials from low-grade Demonic Beasts wouldn¡¯t grant much ie, so this is for the sake of getting funds. Even if it¡¯s a bit conspicuous, it would be better to finish it all at once.

    That being the case, perhaps it would be better to sell off all of the lower and intermediate ranked Demonic beasts here and now¡­?

    ¡ºHey, what do you think?¡»

    £¨One time is better.£©

    ¡ºIndeed! Then, I¡¯ll take out the rest!¡»

    I take out several pouches worth of thread from Stone Spiders, as well as their carapaces and poisonous fangs. Next, I take out Burrowing Moles ws and fur, followed by the pelts and ws of the Paralysis Nailed Cat are then ced into the purchasing space.

    Because I can use most of the meats to make meals for Fran, I leave them within the storage.

    ¡¸All this.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Yes. I see. I¡¯ll now use Appraisal, so please wait a moment.¡¹

    Nell uses Appraisal on each of the materials. That skill is incredibly versatile. Other receptionists are also called over, so in the end three people check over the materials.

    Everything had gone through Appraisal after about 10 minutes.

    ¡¸Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Altogether, we¡¯ll purchase them all for 195,000 Gorudo total. Is that eptable?¡¹

    Ha? 195,000?! Seriously?! Isn¡¯t that way too high? I had thought that ~30,000 would have been satisfactory¡­

    ¡¸Very high?¡¹

    ¡¸No, that¡¯s a reasonable price. Even though they¡¯re materials from Demonic Beasts with Threat Degrees of F an E, due to the fact that the state of the materials was extremely good, the price was increased.¡¹

    I didn¡¯t think of the material¡¯s state. But¡­ Thinking about it, that would be correct. It would be outrageous to think that the price of a pelt covered with scratches would have the same price as a beautifully preserved one.

    ¡¸For example: usually, the fur of a Twin-Headed Bear is purchased for 6,000 Gorudo. The fur you¡¯ve brought, however, doesn¡¯t have any scratches. The deconstruction is perfect, and on top of that, the whole body was prepared. Because of that, its price was raised to 18,000 Gorudo.¡¹

    It tripled. Unbelievable¡­ Since the other materials are also in such a state, the price would be reasonable¡­ Right? Well, I¡¯ll ept it regardless.

    ¡¸This is the reward. Please confirm it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran tucks the money away in Dimensional Storage immediately.

    ¡¸Then.¡¹

    With that, Fran turned her back to the counter.

    ¡¸Goraa! Wait just a second!¡¹

    Note:

    It¡¯s ¹²øQ¹Ç. I¡¯m not sure what ¡°resonating bones¡± are ¡ª but it could also be ¡°sympathy/sympathetic¡±. Those¡¯re the only two options, so I went with ¡°resonating¡± because it might rted to the Bats¡¯ echolocation.

    The Author used Ä§Îï (Monster) here as opposed to Ä§ª• (Demonic Beast). *gasp*

    There¡¯s no mistake, because it¡¯s in legitimate numbers (195000) in the raw.

 Chapter 21: ClichÃ©

    <h4>Chapter 21: Clich¨¦</h4>

    ¡¸Goraa! Wait just a second!¡¹

    After receiving payment for the materials, we¡¯ve been stopped by a single Adventurer right before leaving the Guild.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, wait brat!¡¹

    Fran, who ignored the man, attempts to pass by through moving to the side. Because he blocked the way in such a shy manner, he likely wasn¡¯t expecting to bepletely ignored. Hurriedly, he moves to block Fran¡¯s route.

    But Fran continues walking.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t I say to wait?! Hey, are you listening?!¡¹

    ¡¸In the way.¡¹

    ¡¸Listen up and stop!¡¹

    Incredible. We really did experience such a refreshing temte development. I¡¯m slightly interested in this mob-like Adventurer.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s listen to him a little.¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine if you understand.¡¹

    Looking at the man¡¯s appearance, he¡¯s a mob character no matter how you look at it. He has slightly-damaged Iron Shoulder Pads with spikes facing outward, the spikes seem to have design as a priority. For armor he¡¯s wearing pitch ck Leather Armor with a smell I¡¯d like to avoid experiencing no matter what, and a Battleaxe strapped to his back. Finally, he has a bald head that could only be seen by people cosying as a Bandit.

    Ahh©`, my reincarnation is worthwhile meeting this ssic Fantasy element: The King?of?Mob character.

    If his cheeks had scratches, he¡¯d be perfect¡­ Truly regrettable!

    Moreover, 4 simr fellows came out in a stream behind him. It¡¯s a mob character festival! Woohoo~!

    ¡¸Hey!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    Mr. Mob raises his voice, and turns towards the astonished Nell.

    ¡¸This is favoritism!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha? Favoritism?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! When I sold the pelt of a Twin-Headed Bear earlier, it wasn¡¯t bought for even 2,000 Gorudo!¡¹

    Listening to those words, Nell makes a deep sigh.

    ¡¸Ahh, I remember. You¡¯re the party who brought the corpse of a Twin-Headed Bear that had scarring all over, one of its heads missing, and a badly bruised body, then demanded it be dismantled and sold, right?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! We gave the same thing: a Twin-Headed Bear, so shouldn¡¯t we have gotten the same amount of cash?!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not the same at all. The materials that you brought in all had the lowest ratings possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? Rating?¡¹

    ¡¸Good grief, this is why I hate muscle-brained mercenaries like you¡­ Because your fighting power is alright, you act all high and mighty despite being a beginner. You don¡¯t understand even a fragment of what it means to be an Adventurer. Just drop dead.¡¹

    Woah. Nell had said it in a low voice, but I heard it. If possible, let¡¯s try not to oppose Nell from now on.

    ¡¸Your group had surrounded the Twin-Headed Bear, and recklessly stabbed it from all sides, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. We lured it in with bait, and then all 5 of us attacked it. Because it had a Threat Level of F, it was advised for beginners to take care, but it was an easy win! Saying that it would be a hard fight, I guess other Adventurers are just cowards!¡¹

    Ah©`. I get it.

    He likely confused the reason for that difficulty rating. There¡¯s a difference between ¡°difficult to defeat¡± and ¡°difficult to defeat cleanly¡±. The simplistic Mr. Mob and his buddies probably thought that so long as it was defeated they could cash in regardless of the corpse¡¯s state.

    They made too lightly of the cheat Skill known as Dismantling! Skinning it neatly, and polishing every material is difficult! It¡¯s hardbor! Even Fran and I only managed to dismantle these materials through considerable hardships. We thought we would be hated if we brought them in without dismantling them first, after all.

    ¡¸Is that so?

    The Fur waspletely worn out, and wouldn¡¯t be usable for decorations. If it was used for equipment, the product would no doubt be lower grade.

    The heads are usually processed and stuffed as trophies, but one was missing and the remaining one was badly damaged.

    The nails were missing as well, giving it the minimum value.

    Organs that could be used for medicine were wounded too badly to be usable, and the meat had already spoiled by the time it was brought in, so it couldn¡¯t even be used for food.

    In other words, the Twin-Headed Bear you brought in was almost as good as garbage. You brought a bulky piece of rubbish in, so wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for us to make any money off of it?

    Ahh, also, because it wasn¡¯t dismantled, I had to dismantle it myself didn¡¯t I? The dismantling rate for disposing of things like the rotten internal organs should have been taken into consideration when it was assessed. The total should have been 1,600 Gorudo, right? In retrospect, even that was too much.¡¹

    The man can¡¯t interrupt Nell as she continues to talk about his evaluation. Stunned, all he could do is listen to Nell talking like a machine gun in utter amazement.

    I would too if he was directing those words at me. However, it seems that he still couldn¡¯t understand. No, he wasn¡¯t capable of understanding. He seems to be the type who refuses to back down.

    ¡¸So noisy, stop nagging already! Talking about things that seem suitable in order to make a smokescreen, don¡¯t foock with me! The amount you gave us was unfair, so cough the rest up right now!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right!¡¹

    I was amused at first but¡­ This is just pitiful. He¡¯s the type that believes that his reasons are absolute, and refuses to listen to others. He¡¯ll make noise until his opinion is epted.

    It¡¯s bing more irritating by the second.

    ¡¸It isn¡¯t unfair.¡¹

    ¡¸It is unfair! It was decided unfairly!¡¹

    ¡¸Haa¡­ Instead ofining, why not improve your ability to hunt? Unlike Mercenaries which just cut down their enemies, being an adventurer is difficult in a lot of ways. Although, judging by your appearance, it seems impossible for you to be a proper Adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Haa?! You talk so highly about Adventurers, but on the battlefield they¡¯d be seen as nothing but cowards! If we took ¡¯em on, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance!¡¹

    We¡¯re likely not the only ones feeling offended by this guy. The eyes of the neighboring Adventurers seem to certify that suspicion. To make a fool out of Adventurers here¡­

    Furthermore, he directed such words towards the beautiful receptionist Nell, who is no doubt popr. Because he picked a fight with Nell as well as Adventurers in general, it¡¯s natural that the anger in the surrounding is building up.

    These guys¡­ Do they have some kind of death wish? Their status is inferior to the other Adventurers in the lobby.

    Name:Damun ¡¡Age:27

    Race:Red Dog Beastman

    Job:Warrior

    State:Enraged

    Status:

    Level:15

    HP:78¡¡MP:40¡¡STR:37¡¡END:36¡¡AGI:33¡¡INT:20¡¡MGC:19¡¡DEX:18

    Skills:

    Transportation:Lv1, Sword Arts :Lv1, Theft :Lv2, Threatening :Lv1, Poison Resistance :Lv1, Axe Arts :Lv3

    Titles:

    Failure of the Battlefield

    Equipment:

    Crude Iron Battleaxe, Crude Iron Breastte, Torn Deer-Leather Armor, Bracelet of Strength (Fake)

    He¡¯s a small fry. This is the status of the strongest of them. If it was me, I could beat him in less than 5 seconds.

    While being troubled over what to do, the supposed leader of the group turns this way. I suppose he thought that arguing to Nell would be useless; that¡¯s what I can read from his foolish appearance, at least.

    ¡¸Besides, how the hell could a brat like this bring in such arge amount of Demonic Beasts?!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸The exchange must have been fixed!¡¹

    ¡¸And so? What could that have to do with this? Suddenly iming that this girl got the materials through illegal means has nothing to do with you, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ It is! It is rted! Because that money should have been ours to begin with, we have the right to take it back!¡¹

    Uwa©`a. There¡¯s no longer any sense remaining in this guy¡¯s argument. What kind of thought process led him to that conclusion? Kichi©–i is over here©`!

    ¡¸She gathered those materials with her own hands. Her abilities are enough to kill a Twin-Headed Bear and beautifully dismantle it at minimum.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah! You really think so?! Hey, you¡¯re a member of the ck Cat tribe, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Cat tribe are particrly famous for their people beingplete weaklings. For a member of that tribe to kill a Demonic Beast like that one is impossible! As expected, there¡¯s definitely something more to it!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn brat. I¡¯ll overlook your crime this time if you pay some constion money. Take out the money you received a minute ago.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe¡­ The Guild doesn¡¯t stick their neck into a fight between Adventurers, so you won¡¯t be intervening, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Tch¡­¡­¡¹

    To their behavior, Nell bes stiff. What they said was correct. The Guild doesn¡¯t interfere with the quarrels of the Adventurers. In other words¡­ Whatever happens, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild will turn a blind eye. Even if that quarrel bes a crime. That should be natural.

    If these guys are really thinking that, then something must be wrong with their heads. It¡¯s not even at the level of a fool anymore. Could it be that inside of their heads, there¡¯s a Slime trapped inside?

    ¡¸Hey, what¡¯s with that look?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran looks up at the man. Her face is expressionless as always. But a clear anger is evident within her eyes.

    ¡¸Ah? Does a weak member of the ck Cat tribe intend to go against someone from the Red Dog tribe?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah! Damn cat, don¡¯t get carried away!¡¹

    ¡¸You put us Beastmen to shame! But hey, I just might forgive you if you hand over the money, you know?¡¹

    To call her the lowest of the low, is that what you intend to say? If Fran wasn¡¯t angrier than I was, I would have cut them down long ago.

    *Buti*

    The sound of one running out of patience. I surely heard such a thing.

    Fran¡¯s goal is to raise the position of the ck Cat tribe, to seed the will of her deceased parents. With these guys¡¯ abuse, she probably can¡¯t endure any longer.

    ¡¸Shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Your barking is noisy, dog .¡¹

    She said it! You said it, Fran! You did well! I¡¯ll treat you to something deliciouster!

    ¡¸You bastard! I¡¯ll kill you!¡¹

    I¡¯m tired of hearing temte-like lines already.

    ¡¸Impossible, weakling.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah? Did you just call me a weakling?¡¹

    ¡¸Even though you¡¯re just a weakling of the ck Cat tribe!¡¹

    ¡¸Disappear in 5 seconds, or bark 1,000 times. I¡¯ll overlook you, dog.¡¹

    ¡¸You-! After I have my way with you, I¡¯ll sell you off to the ve Traders! No more mercy!¡¹

    Extortion, assaulting a little girl, and human trafficking. These guys are finished. If the police were around, they¡¯d immediately be arrested. There¡¯re already some Adventurers walking out of the Guild.

    Well, shall we put an end to this?

    ¡¸Bad breath. Stop talking.¡¹

    ¡¸Foocking brat!¡¹

    He put his hands on his weapon! Yes, justifiable defense has been established!

    ¡¸Die, brat!¡¹

    Out of the question. You can¡¯t even move anymore, after all.

    ¡¸Ah? I-Iaa, AHHHhhhhhhhh! My foot is-! Hiiaaaa!¡¹

    The man¡¯s body, losing its support, falls to the side. Both of his legs have been severed from the knee.

    Fran didn¡¯t pull me out, either. She had used the Lv6 Sword Technique: Aura?de. It¡¯s a technique which develops a de made purely out of magic power, just for an instant. Its power is low, but it can bebined with Vibrating Fang, and depending on the user¡¯s MGC, it can be invisible. It could be seen as an ideal technique for assassination.

    And she¡¯s already learnt how to use it! Fran, my frightening girl!

    The man squirms about like a caterpir in the pool of blood which continues to grow from his legs¡¯ wounds.

    ¡¸AHiiII, Ahiiiiiiii¡¹

    Disgusting! Absolutely revolting.

    ¡¸You¡­¡­ But, Aahh?¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡­!¡­ I-It hur-!¡¹

    Two more people fall to the ground due to Vibration Bullets fired by Fran breaking and tossing their legs aside. In addition, as a follow-up attack, more Vibration Bullets are fired at their faces. Their power is held back, but their noses are destroyed and their frontal teeth arepletely lost. Their eyes might be done for as well.

    The two remaining can¡¯t understand the situation. For the time being, they back away from Fran, so they likely understand that she¡¯s dangerous at this point at least. However, it¡¯s not like Fran¡¯s disdain has disappeared. They should have run away.

    ¡ºSlow judgement is fatal.¡»

    Cleanup would have been troublesome, but Fran would have been fully capable of killing them if she intended to.

    Fran kicks the floor, and in the next moment, she¡¯s right before one of them them. And with me, who¡¯s still covered in cloth, she strikes their face with all her might.

    *Gan! Gan!*

    More or less, it was equivalent to striking with the back of one¡¯s sword. No, because they were hit with the side of the sword, perhaps it would qualify as a side strike? Well, regardless, their legs and faces now haveminuted fractures . Most likely, low-leveled potions won¡¯t be able to heal thempletely.

    Turning around, the first technique from Pugilism: Aura?Kick is used against thest one remaining. With vibration applied, of course. He was abut to draw his weapon, but it was toote. His knee was broken, and the muscles inside were shredded. To finish with, he¡¯s struck in the face with a vibrating elbow strike.

    End scene. Noise from the surrounding Adventurers has disappeared entirely, and only the screams for help from the other men resounded in the Guild.

    ¡¸Hey?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸May I go?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­ Yeah. Thank you very much. We hope to see you again.¡¹

    Ohh, Nell has a good smile. How refreshing. Secretly, I make a mental thumbs up for ¡°Good Job¡±.

    ¡¸Well, as for you guys, I¡¯ll hand you over to the soldiers.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh- Ahh, you don¡¯t n on catching that damn brat?! We were suddenly attacked, so-!¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? What nonsense are you saying? Damn scum, all that child did was act in self-defense, isn¡¯t that right?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. That¡¯s right! That¡¯s how it is!¡¹

    ¡¸It waspletely self-defense!¡¹

    Hooray~ I can be at ease if Nell and the other Adventurers have to give testimony.

    ¡¸It hur©`! It hurts! Please, heal me!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, before that, I need to receive the bill for the floor you defiled. Blood is hard to remove, you know? You suffered a great loss, so I¡¯ll leave it at 10,000 Gorudo. If you pay it, I might just heal you.¡¹

    You didn¡¯t say that you¡¯d heal them for sure! Nell!

    After listening to Nell¡¯s remarks, we leave the guild.

    A considerable amount of time was taken up. The sun is already starting to set.

    ¡ºShall we look for an inn for the time being? Since we¡¯re in town, I¡¯d hate to camp out.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Note:

    For those who don¡¯t know, ¡°Temte¡± is essentially equivalent to clich¨¦ ¡ª it¡¯s just that it¡¯s a bit ng-ish.

    It was Gocha Gocha Uruse in the flesh. Better strike that off the bingo card.

    I may or may not have spent over an hour watching Vocaloid music and ending up at this when I linked that.

    This is from the follower-mobs, just so that¡¯s clear.

    ¡°Beautiful Person (F)¡± (ÃÀÈË) is used here. Nell is confirmed to be a girl ¡ª and a beautiful one at that. Add another temte to the list, m8¡¯s.

    ¥À¥à¥ó. The first two characters could actually be ¡°dumb¡±. Well yed, Author.

    Changed Fran¡¯s Race to ¡°ck Cat Beastman¡± because adding Beastman in is actually more urate. The exact trantion would be ¡°Beastman?{Type} Tribe¡±, but instead of adding in ¡°Tribe¡± I¡¯ll just have it as a bit of invisible logic. For example: You can understand that ck Cat Beastmen in general are being talked about if I say ¡°ck Cat Tribe¡±, right?

    Unknown reference, I have literally no clue as to what it could be for/from. Based off the context, I suppose it¡¯s some sort of insane character? Or perhaps a nonsensical one? ¥­¥Á©–¥¤

    È® is ¡°Dog¡± ¡ª but it can also be the derogatory ¡°loser/asshole¡± ¡ª essentially the same as calling them lower beings. Just know that as the conversation progresses.

    He uses ·¸¤· which is, so we¡¯re clear, essentially ¡°rape¡±. When ¡°assault¡± is used in the line above, it can also be rape.

    I think this was a joke, but trantion killed it. It¡¯s essentially a reflection on how, as a ¡°broadsword¡± type of sword, rather than a ¡°back¡± he used his ¡°abdomen¡± (side) to strike a non-lethal blow.

    The type of fracture one would get from car crashes. It¡¯s literally ·Û³Z¹ÇÕÛ ¡ª so minuted fracture¡± is the only trantion.

 Chapter 22: Nellâ€™s Side

    <h4>Chapter 22: Nell¡¯s Side</h4>

    My name is Nell. I work as a receptionist for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the town of Aressa.

    Today, I was quite astonished.

    I¡¯ll start at the beginning, when a young girl whose appearance wasn¡¯t clean by any means came to the reception desk at the Guild.

    Unintentionally, I had asked a question.

    ¡¸Ah, yes. Are you alone?¡¹

    ¡¸Alone.¡¹

    ¡¸Erm¡­ This is the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, so¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    It seemed as though she really intended to be an Adventurer. She even seemed to carry a sword on her back¡­¡­

    If one thinks of making money, Adventurers are one of the things that naturallye to mind. And so, I thought that this girl was aiming to get rich, much like many others. But a lot of such people die. Especially for children, it can be said that most people who be Adventurers don¡¯t survive.

    And so, I informed the Guild Master of the young girl. Sure enough, Donnadorondo was to take charge of the exam.

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild doesn¡¯t have any particr conditions for recruiting, as to attain a wider range of talented people. However, the Guild Master of Aressa secretly imposes a limit. That limit is to protect those younger than 15 years old by inhibiting their registration. Of course, it¡¯s not explicitly stated.

    When a childes to register, Donnadorondo is put in charge of the exam, thus forcing the participant to fail. At first, he¡¯d give verbal threats as a show of force, and then makes them submit by force if they don¡¯t give up at that point.

    Without exception, children could not win against Donnadorondo. So, it could be said that the chances of sess for Donnadorondo¡¯s exam was ¡°0%¡±.

    Even though it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, it¡¯s for the sake of the child. Children have usually no training to be qualified as an Adventurer, and so they¡¯re bound to die almost immediately. If one did survive, then they would be lucky just to scrape by financially. There¡¯s no way that they¡¯d be able to make a lot of money, after all.

    They aren¡¯t just sent away afterwards, however. When the child fails, I can enroll them in the Beginner Training conducted by the Guild without a participation fee. If they ept andplete the training, they can take the exam once again.

    That day, however¡­ There was an exception. I didn¡¯t watch over the test, so when I rushed to the training grounds in response to arge noise, finding the girl standing unhurt, and the figure of Donnadorondo sunk into the wall vomiting blood¡­ I was surprised to say the least.

    But the surprises happened one after another afterwards.

    First would be the number of possible Jobs. Where there was usually only 2, maybe 3 to choose from, the girl had 15. Furthermore, they included intermediate Jobs like the Magic Swordsman, me Magician, and Blink Swordsman. At the time, I couldn¡¯t even let out my voice¡­¡­

    After making the Guild Card, the girl- Fran was her name ¡ª wanted to sell some materials. Because they didn¡¯t seem to be carrying anything, I had thought that they stored the materials in an Inn¡­¡­

    But instead, they took the materials out of nowhere.

    Talking about storage, Item Boxes to mind, but that wasn¡¯t the case in that situation. The materials were taken out of the hole which appeared out of thin air. It was a Technique from a super rare attribute: the Spatial-Temporal attribute. I¡¯ve worked at the Guild for a long time, and among the people I¡¯ve seen capable of using Spatial-Temporal attributes this girl was the 3rd.

    The next surprise was when the fur of a Twin-Headed Bear was taken out. Its threat level was only F, so it wasn¡¯t a very strong Demonic Beast ¡ª but I had never seen one in a state like that one.

    The fur didn¡¯t have a single cut, and had absolutely no blood stains. The dismantling was perfect, and the two heads remained close to one another. Moreover, it was arge individual, so its fur weighed in at about 1.3 times the normal amount.

    Aristocrats would want this material without a doubt. It could be made into a coat, or even a carpet¡­ Otherwise, it could be used as a material for a piece of high-quality equipment.

    The cleanly dismantled Poison Fang Rat pelts could also be used for a wide range of applications. Its materials can be used to make poison-resistant gear, so despite being a lower ranked Demonic Beast, its value is high.

    To that 12-year-old girl who brought out perfectly dismantled materials, the surrounding Adventurers could only raise voices of surprise. Some looked back at their own dismantled furs and give a dryugh.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. What she did next stole their voices entirely, rendering the Guild quiet.

    She took out materials from the Giant Bat, then the Crashing Boar, then the Rock Bison, the Stone Spider. the Burrowing Mole, and finally she stopped at the Paralysis Nailed Cat. F and E threat level Demonic Beasts came out one after another.

    A Demonic Beast of threat level E is said to be capable of leveling a vige. It¡¯s equivalent to an average Adventurer at rank D if it¡¯s one-on-one. In other words, those who hunt them would have to be people who have ascended the ranks of beginner adventurers, or a party of said ¡°beginners¡±.

    And this girl hunted them alone? Moreover, she dismantled them perfectly? For dismantling of that caliber, a Dismantling Skill level 5 or 6 would be necessary at least¡­ But having a Skill of such a high level at only 12 years old was abnormal.

    By any chance¡­ Did she have a form of blessing? But even with that, I thought that she was a little too strong¡­¡­ The results of the mock battle with Donnadorondo weren¡¯t a lie, it seemed.

    But what was the true identity of the Adventurer who asked that her personal information remained a secret? There¡¯re many people who have done the same, but¡­

    I strongly endured it, and assessed the materials properly. It was the most materials brought in by any copper ranked Adventurer recently. Naturally, it was a record high for the amount of materials brought in by a G rank.

    If it had ended there, I would have finished while thinking ¡¸A Promising Rookie has arrived.¡¹

    Instead, a certain situation developed. It was one that I expected, but it happened earlier than I thought it would.

    Who would have thought that fools would cause a fuss within the Guild¡¯s walls? Doing so would allow me to take away their Guild Cards. At worst, they could have even been turned into crime ves.

    Thinking back, they were a rookie party that caused trouble regrly. The leader was a Mercenary who crossed over and became an Adventurer because he didn¡¯t make enough to eat.

    But seriously, a useless Mercenary has no ce picking a fight with an Adventurer! Unlike Adventurers who require a great deal of talent, Mercenaries abilities only include battling and decreasing the size of their brains.

    There¡¯s no end to these guys who convert to Adventurers thinking that it¡¯ll be easy simply because they have some war experience. Such people have high pride, and low ability. I wouldn¡¯t mind if they were more skillful, but¡­

    Well, anyways. This group of idiots was of that category. They were primitive people who carried in a Demonic Beast that they hunted because theycked the Dismantling Skill.

    They also misunderstood the Guild¡¯s rule not to get involved in fights between fellow Adventurers. The rule means that we¡¯ll overlook mere squabbles. If we overlooked criminals, however, the Guild would be dissolved by the country. I¡¯m really tired of idiots like them who can¡¯t understand that much.

    And so, while the group of idiots continued to add groundless arguments to their foolish reasoning, Fran snapped. Because she was the expressionless type, I didn¡¯t recognize her at all.

    Nevertheless, a quiet child bing angry is amazing. I¡¯ll make sure to avoid angering Fran. I vowed so in my heart. At the end, I was called out to. Inevitably, it gave me a bit of a start.

    The Adventurers who had spectated the event were also stunned. Without a doubt, they came to the understanding that she was stronger than them.

    Even though she had stained the ground with the blood of fools, I didn¡¯t particrly mind. Rather, I thought that she did well.

    Screaming to be healed, were they idiots? Ah, right, they were.

    They likely carried other crimes, so the death penalty was almost certain. At minimum, they would be Mining ves. They had threatened with illegal trafficking and attempted extortion, after all. In this Kingdom, such things are categorized as capital offenses.

    While watching Fran leave the Guild, I had a simple thought.

    ¡¸Before they¡¯re delivered, could you extort the constion money?¡¹

    Note:

    Remember: Copper = G & F Rank. The Author wrote ¡°Copper Rank¡± (ã~¥é¥ó¥¯) explicitly, so Nell is talking about both. There¡¯re references to rank via the types of Adventurer Cardster on as well, which is why I¡¯m mentioning this.

 Chapter 23: Old man Gallus

    <h4>Chapter 23: Old man Gallus</h4>

    ¡ºI didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be refused.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡º¡±Even if you have a Guild Card, we don¡¯t give shelter to children¡±?¡»

    When we had arrived at an inn, that¡¯s what the proprietress had said¡­¡­

    Clearly, she was paying attention to Fran¡¯s appearance. Fran¡¯s wearing tattered clothing and sandals, so she must have thought that Fran was either poor or a runaway ve. She doesn¡¯t smell bad, however.

    I can clean us using Purification Magic, so we¡¯repletely sanitary.

    ¡ºI suppose we should fix your appearance by buying Equipment first, then.¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    But I don¡¯t know where we can. Well, because I¡¯ll be choosing the equipment just leave it to me!

    We head towards the town¡¯s za, located near the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Around here, there¡¯re shops with Adventurers lining up inrge numbers.

    There¡¯re lots of shops and stalls, so there¡¯re enough Adventurers to match. There¡¯re smithies for Weapons and Armor, Tailors, Apothecaries, essory Makers, Taverns, Restaurants, etc. There¡¯s Really quite the variety.

    This is also a good ce to study the prices of things.

    An Iron Knife is 2,000 Gorudo, a Grade 5 Life Potion is 10,000 Gorudo, a Grade 4 Antidote Potion is 20,000 Gorudo.

    Grade 5 seems to be the lowest rank, but the price is quite reasonable. Even deep wounds seem to be cured in an instant, after all. If there was a medicine with the same effect in Japan its price would be far higher, which is why I think that the price is alright.

    Such products are lined up next to one another, so I¡¯m getting strangely excited.

    ¡ºHow interesting©`¡»

    ¡¸Un.¡¹

    ¡ºOh! Fran thinks so as well?¡»

    ¡¸Lots of rare things. Amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºI see, I see.¡»

    Looking at Fran¡¯s eyes, they¡¯re shining bright. Her expressions don¡¯t change much, but it¡¯s good that Fran¡¯s also enjoying this.

    Now then, where¡¯s the shop we¡¯re looking for? As a matter of fact, while we were browsing I had heard an encouraging bit of information.

    That is, about a famous cksmith who was staying in Aressa. They seem to have rented a store to open their smithy, too.

    I want that cksmith to make Fran some armor. It might be impossible given our current funds, but we may as well ask.

    ¡ºWell, I wonder where it is.¡»

    Looking around, there¡¯re many smithies and Armor shops, but none of them seem all that great. If it was a shop with an amazing cksmith, I figured there would be arge crowd, but I suppose not.

    ¡ºPerhaps they¡¯ve already closed for the day?¡»

    It could be so if their goods were popr enough.

    ¡¸You there, youngdy. Like what you see?¡¹

    ¡¸Un?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes, you mydy.¡¹

    Good heavens, did someone make a pass?! I put my guard up, but the voice belonged to an old Dwarf. It¡¯s possible that he¡¯s just an Erojiji using the disguise of a wrinkly old hermit, however, so it¡¯s not safe yet.

    If he ns to do anything strange, I¡¯ll pretend to fall and pierce his foot to scare him off.

    ¡¸You seem to be looking for some armor, so how is it?¡¹

    ¡¸How did you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I could understand with a look at you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, so cautious. Wha©`t, it¡¯s pretty simple. Looking at your footwork, I can see that you¡¯re quite skilled. And yet¡­ Your armor is quite poor. You¡¯d turned your eyes to many Armor Shops and cksmiths, so wouldn¡¯t the only conclusion be that you¡¯re looking for some armor?¡¹

    This guy¡¯s not just your run-of-the-mille old man! Just who on earth is he?

    Name:Gallus ¡¡Age:82

    Race:Dwarf

    Job:Magic cksmith

    State:Normal

    Status:

    Level:33

    HP:260¡¡MP:273¡¡STR:152¡¡END:100¡¡AGI:56¡¡INT:120¡¡MGC:148¡¡DEX:95

    Skills:

    Dismantling :Lv2, Fire Resistance :Lv7, cksmithing :LvMax, Smithing Magic :Lv9, Appraisal :Lv7, Mining :Lv3, Sewing :Lv5, Hammer Techniques :Lv2, Hammer Arts :Lv7, Poison Resistance :Lv2, Leatherworking :Lv4, Fire Magic:Lv9, Dedication :Lv6, Magic cksmithing :Lv7, Discernment :Lv9, Blessing of the God of Fire, Vigor Maniption

    Extra Skills:

    God''s Eye

    Titles:

    Wandering Master Smith, Honorary cksmith of the Kuranzeru Kingdom, King of cksmithing

    Equipment:

    Magic Steel cksmithing Hammer, Leather Clothes of the Fire Lizard, Sandals of the Phoenix Tree, Stamina Recovery Bracelet

    This old man was the great cksmith from the rumors, it seems. I suppose that would also exin his keen observation from a moment ago?

    Well, it¡¯s convenient at least. He ended up finding us, so I¡¯ll consider myself lucky.

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Wahahahaha! Even though I look this old, I¡¯ve still got a long way to go! So, why don¡¯t you take a look at my shop?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm.¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, this way.¡¹

    Guided by Gallus, we¡¯re led to a store at the corner of the za. In the meantime, the gazes of innumerable people are turning their eyes to us in the surrounding area. Their stares stick, so it¡¯s pretty ufortable.

    ¡ºEh? Isn¡¯t everyone around looking here?¡»

    ¡¸Enemies?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, they¡¯re not but¡­¡­¡»

    The gazes from merchant-like men are particrly terrifying. Fran, who misunderstands those stares as intimidating res from enemies returns sharp nces around the area.

    What on earth is going on?

    ¡¸Ahh, don¡¯t worry about it; it¡¯s just pressure from greedy Armor merchants. I¡¯ve driven them away in the past, but since then they¡¯ve started persistently approaching people who¡¯ve purchased items from my shop in order to sell them second-hand.¡¹

    No, no, isn¡¯t that troubling in itself?

    ¡¸We©`ll, we¡¯ll be going around back to get in, so be at ease. More importantly, what¡¯re you looking for exactly?¡¹

    There¡¯s no way I can feel relieved with just that¡­ But there¡¯s no helping it even if I worry about it. Rather than that, it was good luck to find a skilled cksmith, so we should take this chance no matter what.

    ¡¸Why to me?¡¹

    ¡¸I only sell to Adventurers who¡¯ll actually use my wares. You, my dear, are one such person.¡¹

    What a stubborn craftsman. I don¡¯t hate that, though.

    ¡ºFirst, have him show you a sword.¡»

    ¡¸First, a Sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? Aren¡¯t you already carrying a fine sword? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen an Intelligent Weapon, you know?¡¹

    What?! How did he know? Appraisal? No, I have Appraisal Concealment. It¡¯s impossible for it to have been exposed!

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Intelligent Weapon?¡¹

    Good performance, Fran! Keep up that deceit!

    ¡¸Ahh, well¡­ It doesn¡¯t make a difference©`. I was just making sure. My eye is a little special you see, so even if you have Appraisal blocking Skills, I can still see a bit of information. Especially in regards to Equipment.¡¹

    There was such an ability?! Now that he mentions it, on top of having Appraisal and Discernment, he also had the God¡¯s Eye Skill, didn¡¯t he¡­? Is that its effect?

    ¡¸Well, only an Intelligent Weapon would have its Attack Power and Magic Power Conductivity. Is that enough of an exnation, Sword?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I can understand in that case. This girl¡­ I want Fran to be able to use a proper sword.¡»

    ¡¸Oohh? You really can talk? You really are intelligent! Incredible©` incredible©`!¡¹

    ¡ºYou look like a kid¡­¡»

    ¡¸Teacher also, sometimes.¡¹

    ¡ºEh, seriously?¡»

    ¡¸Really.¡¹

    ¡ºA©`hh, well. I suppose in the face of something interesting, anyone would revert to the mind of a child.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I look over to old man Gallus who¡¯s still frolicking around.

    ¡º¡­ I¡¯m the same as that?¡»

    I¡¯ll try to be a bit more prudent in the future.

    ¡¸Oops, sorry©`. I was just a bit excited. Anyways, looking at your performance, a different sword doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be necessary.¡¹

    ¡ºNo, no. Did you look at it right? Old man, your swords are stronger. Like that sword over there.¡»

    The High-Quality Steel Longsword that I had seen in town earlier was made by this old man, no doubt about it. And in this shop simr weapons are all over the ce. All of them were at least as strong as me, if not more.

    Watching such weapons, I hold back feelings that seem like they¡¯d make me cough up blood. How would a blunt weapon like mepare to them?

    ¡¸Well, only in terms of simple attack power. Ahh, I see. By any chance, do you know of Magic Power Conductivity?¡¹

    ¡ºMagic Power Conductivity? I know of it, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸But do you know what it is, hm©`? It¡¯s pretty importa©`nt.¡¹

    ¡ºHow is it important?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s really important, you kno©`w! It¡¯s especially important when evaluating a sword!¡¹

    How! Enlighten me, already!

    ¡¸It¡¯s quite the wonder©`.¡¹

    ¡ºExin in detail, please.¡»

    ¡¸Mmh. Magic Power Conductivity refers to the efficiency in which a piece of equipment can be d in Magic Power. When it¡¯s made use of, the weapon¡¯s performance varies greatly.¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm.¡»

    ¡¸For example, this weapon:¡¹

    Gallus picks up a Dagger which was hung on the wall. Appraising it, I find that it¡¯s made of Steel. Its Magic Power Conductivity is E.

    ¡¸Its Magic Power Conductivity is E, which means the conduction efficiency is around 5%. And so, using 100 Magic Power, its attack power rises by 5.¡¹

    Gallus exins further by taking out a Dagger made out of Mithril. Its Magic Conductivity is C-, with a conduction efficiency of about 70%. In other words, pouring 100 MP into it results in an ATK increase of 70. With this, conductivity is definitely important. It allows the difference in performance to be overturned easily.

    ¡¸Furthermore, efficiency isn¡¯t the only thing that increases with conductivity ratings. The amount of time magic can be contained within the weapon also increases. In other words, effects imbued upon the weaponst longer.¡¹

    ¡ºSo, is Mithril¡¯s conductivity of C- quite high?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Mithril is particrly superior when ites to conduction efficiency. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that weapons exceeding C- exist on the market as well, but by giving priority to increased conductivity, their basic attack power is low. In most cases, at least.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, A is amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmh. Swords with a conductivity of A are pure Magic Swords; they have a conduction efficiency of 200%. Frankly, regr weapons pale inparison.¡¹

    200%¡­ So if 100 magic power is put in, ATK raises by 200? That¡¯s absurdly strong, isn¡¯t it?! I suppose that means my time hase?

    ¡ºIs there a limit to the amount of magic power put into the weapon?¡»

    ¡¸That depends on the materials. As for your material¡­¡­ I don¡¯t understand it very well. Halmolium seems to be the base, but there seem to be a mix of magic metals as well¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran hands me over to Gallus, and he taps me with a hammer with a *concon* as if to be certain.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t seem to be inferior to Orichalcum, so about 1,000 magic power wouldn¡¯t a be a problem I think. Well¡­ Normally most people wouldn¡¯t possess such an enormous amount of magic power in the first ce ¡ª even the Court Magician in the Royal Capital can barely reach 800 MP, after all!¡¹

    Disregarding Gallus who¡¯sughing with a *Gahahaha!*, I internally break out into a cold sweat. For me¡­ I can supply 1,000. In other words, I can increase my ATK by 2,000¡­? I had always found it a little strange up until this point. I could defeat seemingly-difficult opponents in one shot. Aiming at their vitalsbined with eleration via Telekinesis probably contributed as well, but¡­¡­ I had probably wrapped myself in Magic Power unconsciously.

    ¡¸Lasts how long?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that depends on the material. For E, it¡¯s 5 minutes. Each sessive rank increases that by about 2 minutes.¡¹

    ¡ºThen, for A¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯d be 29-30 minutes.¡¹

    ¡¸Long.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s more than enough for a short-term battle.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºThen I¡¯m not a dull sword?¡»

    ¡¸If you¡¯re dull, then most of this world¡¯s swords are dull as well.¡¹

    ¡ºI see, so that¡¯s how it is¡­¡­ Uo©`h! I¡¯m d©`!¡»

    I¡¯m really, really d! If I had eyes, tears would be pouring out from my happiness. I¡¯ve be a sword in both body and mind. Finding out I was stronger than other swords, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be this pleased. Well¡­ It isn¡¯t an unpleasant feeling.

    ¡¸You¡¯re at the pinnacle of strength for a Magic Sword. You might even reach the feet of Divine Swords.¡¹

    ¡¸Divine Sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou. Were you made by a Divine-ss cksmith?¡¹

    ¡ºWell¡­ I don¡¯t know. I have no memories of my creator.¡»

    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDo you know something about it? If you do, please tell me.¡»

    It feels quite bad not knowing my roots. And so, I want to know one way or another.

    ¡¸You see, cksmiths have a ranking system.

    There¡¯s the regr cksmith, Advanced cksmith, Magic cksmith, and finally Divine cksmith. There¡¯re other Jobs derived from those as well, but the Job that reigns above them all is the Divine cksmith without a doubt. There¡¯ve been no more than 5 people who have reached that level in the past. Truly, cksmiths of legend.¡¹

    ¡¸5 Legendary people. Cool.¡¹

    ¡¸For cksmiths like myself, they¡¯re existences to admire. Divine Swords can only be forged by cksmiths of the Divine ss.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd you think a Divine cksmith made me?¡»

    ¡¸I think so, but I can¡¯t be sure¡­¡­ You¡¯re quite weakpared to other Divine Swords, but you¡¯re too strong to be a regr Magic Sword. You¡¯re right in the middle.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s with that¡­ Then it could have just been a skilled Magic cksmith who made me?¡»

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s also a possibility.¡¹

    ¡ºHow much stronger are Divine Swords?¡»

    I asked so purely out of curiosity. ¡°How much stronger could such a sword be stronger than myself?¡± It was with such a thought.

    ¡¸Divine Swords are said to be transcendent weapons that divide the sky and rend thend. In fact, there are records depicting such a sword taking the lives of over 10,000 people in only a matter of hours in a war of the past.¡¹

    ¡ºAre they all swords?¡»

    ¡¸So long as it¡¯s a weapon forged by a Divine cksmith, it¡¯s referred to as a Divine Sword. It seems that there have been ones that don¡¯t take the shape of swords, though.¡¹

    ¡¸Seems?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve seen one such weapon. The me Sword: Ignis.¡¹

    ¡ºI see. How much stronger was Ignis?¡»

    ¡¸When I had seen it my Appraisal Skill was low, so I couldn¡¯t see it all, but¡­¡¹

    Name:me Sword?Ignis

    ATK:1800

    Magical Power Conductivity?SS

    Skills:

    me Magic Bestowal, God me Bestowal, Unknown

    ¡¸That¡¯s about it.¡¹

    ¡ºAhh, so it¡¯s like that. I¡¯m sorry for holding any form of rivalry in my heart¡­ There¡¯s no way that I could match up to a Divine Sword.¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be like that¡­ As a sword, aren¡¯t you plenty strong enough?¡¹

    ¡ºConsoling an inferior sword? What a nice old man you are¡­!¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯re a good sword. I¡¯m happy to have met such an interesting weapon!¡¹

    ¡ºOld man Gallus!¡»

    ¡¸Sword!¡¹

    Disregarding us, Fran who lost interest in us started browsing the rest of the shop.

    ¡¸Nn. This Breastte is good.¡¹

    Note:

    Like Erofu ¡ª just with ¡°old man¡±. In other words, a perverted old man.

    Regarding some of the Skill names:

    Dedication (²»Ãß²»ÐÝ) is actually ¡°Without sleep or rest¡±.

    Smithing Magic (or more urately cksmithing Magic ¡ª å‘Ò±Ä§Ðg) and Magic cksmithing (Ä§·¨å‘Ò±) are extremely simr, but are different things. I¡¯m not sure what Smithing Magic would look like, but¡­ Well, there it is.

    Discernment (Ä¿Àû¤­) is not Appraisal (èa¶¨).

    ¥¯¥é¥ó¥¼¥ë = Kuranzeru, unless someone has a better suggestion

    ¥Ï¥ë¥â¥ê¥¦¥à = Halmolium ¡ª it seems to be an ingot-type from the Atelier series that¡¯sposed entirely out of pure Orichalcum.

    Fran actually says ¡°Magic Sword? Divine Sword?¡± probably as a ¡°What¡¯s the difference¡± question, but in English just asking for what one article is would be enough to understand the difference. ¡¸Ä§„‡?¡¡Éñ„‡?¡¹

 Chapter 24: Equipment Acquisition

    <h4>Chapter 24: Equipment Acquisition</h4>

    ¡¸Gahahaha! Sorry for leaving you alone, miss!¡¹

    ¡¸Un.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m enough in terms of weaponry. I¡¯d like you to make me a sheath instead, is that fine?¡»

    ¡¸Ou! I¡¯ll make the best sheath you¡¯ve ever seen!¡¹

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t pay you too much, though¡­¡­ We want other equipment as well, after all.¡»

    ¡¸Is that so~? How much is your budget?¡¹

    ¡ºLeaving some for lodging and medicine, about 150,000 Gorudo.¡»

    We¡¯ll be buying cheap protective gear, but Gallus is a renowned Magic cksmith. 150,000 might be a bit low.

    ¡¸Really. Alright, because I like you guys, I¡¯ll sell you one set of equipment and a sheath for that much.¡¹

    ¡ºIs that really alright? I¡¯m saved.¡»

    ¡¸This much is fine! Then, what kind of armor would you like? I may be a cksmith, but I can also work with leather. I don¡¯t mind whatever you choose.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm. Well, what do you think?¡»

    ¡¸Lighter is good.¡¹

    ¡¸Leather then. My rmendation is to use steel to strengthen the areas that cover your vitals.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸What about headgear?¡¹

    ¡¸Better with none. Bad visibility.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, perhaps an earring for Beastmen? There¡¯re types that don¡¯t need a piercing, if you¡¯d like.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Just a moment, then.¡¹

    Old man Gallus takes multiple pieces of equipment out from a storehouse of some sort. There¡¯re various kinds.

    ¡¸Try out whichever one catches your eye.¡¹

    Name :Remodeled Breastte of the me Bull

    DEF :88¡¡Durability :330/330

    Effect :Fire Resistance ¡ü Low

    Name :Remodeled Gauntlet of the Paralysis wed Cat

    DEF :39¡¡Durability :160/160

    Effect :Impact Resistance ¡ü Low, Paralysis Resistance ¡ü Low

    Name :Boots of the Poison Wyrm

    DEF :52¡¡Durability :200/200

    Effect :Poison Resistance ¡ü Low

    Name :Mithril Earring of the Cat Tribe

    DEF:10¡¡Durability:100/100

    Effect :Magic Resistance ¡ü Low

    As a set, the DEF adds up to 189.

    It¡¯s weaker than the Guild Master¡¯s equipment, butpared to most Adventurers around town it¡¯s a bit strong. It¡¯s better equipment than I had expected to receive.

    The main color of the equipment is ck, which suits Fran better than I had anticipated. In addition, two pieces of clothing without any defensive properties were also tailored for her.

    ¡ºIs it alright giving us such strong equipment?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Strong Adventurers should be equipped with strong equipment. Above all, this equipment is inferiorpared to yourself, so it¡¯s quite vexing. Well, anyways, I won¡¯t go into the red or anything, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Come again in the future. It¡¯s not every day I get an opportunity to analyze an Intelligent Weapon, after all.¡¹

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that reason a bit strange?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind it. It¡¯s for Appraisal and Discernment.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, if that¡¯s how it is¡­¡»

    ¡¸Bringing in materials is also wee, you know? If you bring them in, I¡¯ll lower the price of the equipment made out of it.¡¹

    At his words I remembered the strong Demonic Beasts¡¯ materials I had stored. Since I won¡¯t be selling them to the Guild, wouldn¡¯t passing them to old man Gallus for the sake of better equipment be as inconspicous as it gets?

    ¡¸Materials.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right. I¡¯d like you to make some protective gear out of them to dispose of them without attracting attention, old man.¡»

    ¡¸Hou. Putting it like that, their quality must be quite substantial.¡¹

    ¡ºThey¡¯re not from small-fry Demonic Beasts. They¡¯re from beings with threat levels of D and C.¡»

    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for an entire Country to take action for Demonic Beasts of Threat Level C. If one such creature appears near a town, the armed forces appearing soon after would be expected.

    Even for Adventurers, they¡¯re dangerous to the degree that you¡¯d need at least 3 parties ¡ª more than 15 people ¡ª of Silver ranks.

    ¡ºAre there any vacant rooms we can use?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, there¡¯s an empty room over there. Did you bring them with you?¡¹

    ¡¸We did.¡¹

    ¡¸You have an item bag, then? But where¡­¡­¡¹

    No item bags can be seen from the figure of Fran. She only has clothes, sandals, and me equipped currently.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s an ability of mine.¡»

    ¡¸I see. Interesting¡­ For a Sword to have an item box ability¡­¡­ I had no idea¡­¡¹

    While the old man murmurs and mumbles to himself, I was moved to the vacant room. It was likely a warehouse of some sort originally. It has a dirt floor, a high ceiling, and a sizeable area. I have noints.

    ¡ºThen, I¡¯ll take them out.¡»

    I take out the fur, fangs, and ws of the Tyrant Saber. Next are the poisonous fangs and scales of the Doppel Snake, and followng that is the shell and skin of the st Tortoise. With just that, the room was filled with materials.

    For the materials of therge Slime Lord, I left them stored and simply conveyed their existence verbally. The whole room would be covered with its slimy liquid if I took it out, after all.

    ¡¸What the¡­¡­?! Did you kill these? Despite them being materials of high-level C and D ranks?¡¹

    ¡ºWell¡­¡»

    ¡¸Alone?¡¹

    ¡ºTo be precise, it was just me. I had used Telekinesis to soar around at that time.¡»

    ¡¸Hahahahahaha! How fierce! You must have quite the variety in abilities.¡¹

    ¡ºIf one¡¯s basic abilities are low, versatility is key.¡»

    ¡¸If it¡¯s this, then¡­ Equipment of considerable quality can be made. It¡¯ll be gear at a level that would be out of reach to a bronze rank.¡¹

    That should be expected, it¡¯s material of only strong Demonic Beasts after all.

    ¡¸However, these are all leather materials. I can¡¯t handle it all alone. I¡¯ll have to cooperate with someone. After that, that guy¡¯ll ¡ª¡¹

    ¡ºUm, old man?¡»

    ¡¸Oops, excuse me. Because there¡¯s such interesting work after a long time, I¡¯ve grown a tad excited. I wonder how many times you¡¯ll surprise me before you¡¯re satisfied!¡¹

    While saying so, a big smile floats on his face.

    ¡¸Then, will you?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    ¡ºHowever, it¡¯ll be a custom-made set provided by a skilled artisan. How much would be sufficient old man?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­¡­ Even with materials provided, the price usually wouldn¡¯t dip below 2,000,000 Gorudo.¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously? That¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡»

    ¡¸This material¡­ Is it fine if I take it all?¡¹

    ¡ºAah, yeah that¡¯s fine.¡»

    ¡¸Then, the negotiations¡¯ll be simple. There¡¯re far too many materials for the equipment of the youngdy alone, so I¡¯ll buy the surplus materials. For the price, how about we settle with aplete offset of the crafting cost?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯d be a great help.¡»

    ¡¸Alright, deal.¡¹

    ¡¸How long?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯ll take one month.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯ll take longer than expected,¡»

    ¡¸What are you saying? That time is already pushing it! Well, that¡¯s just because of the material, of course. It¡¯s an odd job, for sure, but thankfully there¡¯re enough raw materials to work with, so it¡¯ll work out one way or another.¡¹

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped. What do you think, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Looking forward.¡¹

    ¡¸Ou! Leave it to me!¡¹

    Old man Gallus then proceeds to prepare several iron barrels to load the body of the Slime Lord into. The slime seems to have multiple uses.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve looked already, but¡­ Are there no Magic Stones in these?¡¹

    ¡¸None.¡¹

    ¡¸Really. That¡¯s too bad.¡¹

    ¡ºCan Magic Stones be used in equipment as well?¡»

    ¡¸Ou. During creation, I can mix them in. For example, using the fang of this Doppel Snake assures a Poison Resistance effect for armor; for weapons, toxic effects would be expected. However, those effects could increase with the addition of the Doppel Snake¡¯s Magic Stone. Using other stones would also apply an effect, but the materials have a natural affinity with the Magic Stone of the same kind.¡¹

    To think that Magic Stones had such a use¡­ Unfortunately, their Magic Stones have already been absorbed by me. Perhaps I should leave Magic Stones that have Skills I have already in the future. They can be absorbed from storage at any time if they turn out useless.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll be careful in the future.¡»

    ¡¸Ou, that¡¯s good then.¡¹

    ¡ºThen I suppose we¡¯ll take our leave for today.¡»

    ¡¸Bye bye.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m sorry for troubling you in various ways.¡»

    ¡¸Hahaha! Just look forward to the finished products! Make sure toe back for the sheath in 3 days, too.¡¹

    ¡ºUnderstood.¡»

    Because we had processed the materials, strong armors could be ordered. Really, it was quite a good encounter.

    ¡ºYou look good, Fran. You match the look of a fledgling Adventurer to a tee.¡»

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡ºNext is¡­¡­ Do you need underwear?¡»

    ¡¸ ? Not really.¡¹

    ¡ºI-Is that so?¡»

    Because she said so, it¡¯s alright, right?

    No, that won¡¯t do. Certainly the hurdle is high when ites to lingerie and undergarments, but if I back away now, I¡¯ll end up running away forever! If I do so, Fran will lose quality as ady!

    Here and now, I must take the offensive!

    ¡ºThat¡¯s no good. We¡¯re going to buy some underwear!¡»

    Note:

    ¡°Wyrm¡± should actually be ¡°Sub/Inferior Flying Dragon¡±, but ¡°Boots of the Poison Sub-Dragon¡± sounds kinda¡­ Well¡­ Weird. Especially because the Wyvern way back when was a sub-dragon of sorts, making the identity of the boots¡¯ materials quite vaguepared to other gear. If you have a better rmendation,y it on me. ÁÓïw¸o.

 Chapter 25: *Dokidoki* â€” Iâ€™m a guy, after all

    <h4>Chapter 25: *Dokidoki* ¡ª I¡¯m a guy, after all</h4>

    It¡¯s been 10 minutes since we left old man Gallus¡¯ shop.

    ¡ºHere it is.¡»

    ¡¸Frilly.¡¹

    As Fran said, looking through the store window a lot of frilly women¡¯s clothing are disyed.

    ¡ºBecause it¡¯s a shop specializing in women¡¯s clothing.¡»

    ¡¸Buying what?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean, what?¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s enter.¡»

    My heart isn¡¯t pounding just a little, currently. Well, I don¡¯t have a heart to begin with but¡­ Any man would react like this. In addition, this is the first time I¡¯ve entered such a shop ¡ª I hadn¡¯t done so even in my past life.

    ¡¸Wee!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸An? An Adventurer?¡¹

    Coming out from the back of the shop is a vulgar delinquent-like young woman. She has deep blue short-cut hair, and is wearing impressive cyberpunk-looking clothing, exceeding my expectations of a fantasy.

    ¡¸And? What do you want? We¡¯ve got underwear, lingerie, casual clothing, formal attire, pretty much everything. What¡¯re you looking for?¡¹

    £¨What are we getting?£©

    ¡ºJust say as I say.¡»

    £¨Understood.£©

    We¡¯ll give the general idea, and then push rest onto the saleswoman.

    ¡¸Underwear for 5 days. Easily washable: good.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh.¡¹

    ¡¸Also, clothing and underclothes for under armor.¡¹

    ¡¸5 days worth of those as well?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸For underwear, I¡¯ll assume the lowest size would fit. Got any preferences?¡¹

    ¡¸Appropriate.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s no good for a cute girl like you!¡¹

    Thisdy was once an Adventurer. She had conceded on getting sturdy underwear for the sake of adventuring, but she was dissatisfied with there being few cute ones to choose from, so she took action. Uniting with the storekeeper of this store, she had developed various articles for female Adventurers.

    ¡¸For a fair-skinned, ck-haired, ck eared beauty like yourself, this one might be good.¡¹

    What? ck panties!? Moreover, one with a fascinating tail hole? Outrageous. Truly, outrageous!

    ¡¸This series has a hole in it specifically for Beastmen. How is it?¡¹

    Well¡­ Isn¡¯t it a bit too mature for Fran? It¡¯s still a bit too early. Cuter ones would be more suitable. While thinking such, the youngdy introduces other goods.

    ¡¸Or perhaps something like this?¡¹

    ¡ª Those are striped panties, no doubt about it. Moreover, they¡¯re ones with stripes of light blue and white!

    ¡¸These, too.¡¹

    Kuh ¡ª Stop! Don¡¯t make me look at the modest-shaped cream colored underwear decorated with small ruffles and bows¡­!

    More enchanting types of underwear are unleashed in sequence, all of which are strong yet stic.

    ¡¸We also offer a service to open tail holes in articles which don¡¯t already have them, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Then, these.¡¹

    ¡¸Ok, Ok. Anything else?¡¹

    Is there anything else needed? Girl stuff¡­¡­ Cleansing foam? No, I suppose a face-washing tool?

    ¡¸Facial-wash tools? If you have them.¡¹

    ¡¸We do. The ones at the side suppress dirt really well.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, please.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Apparently, there don¡¯t seem to be any bras. Perhaps this country¡¯s civilization isn¡¯t advanced to the point where they exist yet?

    Fran is small ¡ª perhaps simr to a cliff. Well, because she has that tsurupeta attribute bras aren¡¯t necessary for the time being.

    ¡¸So: 5 days worth of underwear and underclothes, along with shirts and short pants made with materials permitting good airflow. Would you like any of those with longer lengths?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Two long ones.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. After that is facial soap and towels.¡¹

    There¡¯s soap? Is it the same as the soap on Earth?

    ¡¸I made the soap exclusively for the face with Alchemy. It¡¯ll cleanse the skin and make it smooth; it¡¯s also odorless for the sake of female Adventurers, you know?¡¹

    Really? That¡¯s pretty good. You¡¯d be discovered by a Demonic Beast in no time if you smelled of flowers while on the hunt, so it¡¯s quite helpful if it¡¯s odorless.

    ¡¸Thank you for your patronage!¡¹

    I¡¯ll have to teach Fran how to wash her clothester. If I do a bad job, she might not have any spare clothing left over¡­ I should do it? No way, that¡¯s dangerous in various ways. She¡¯ll have to do it for herself. I¡¯d feel like dying if Fran saw my work and judged it as garbage, after all.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    30 minutes after everything was sorted out, we¡¯re standing in front of an inn. Thedy from the clothing store had rmended it when we asked. A lot of female Adventurers use it, it seems.

    Its appearance is neat, so it doesn¡¯t seem to be that bad.

    Upon entering¡­ Its interior is also clean, and there¡¯re even flowerpots ced around. I use Telekinesis to scrub a small corner of the entrance, but there¡¯s no dust. Mmh, it¡¯s a good inn.

    ¡¸Teacher: worrywart .¡¹

    ¡ºWha-!¡»

    I¡¯m only like this for your sake! Fran!

    ¡¸Wee.¡¹

    At the counter is a youngdy. She seems to be a bit over 20 years old.

    ¡¸Rooms avable?¡¹

    ¡¸Would it be a room for one?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, alone.¡¹

    ¡¸Are there any people to serve as your guardians?¡¹

    As expected, is it no use for a child to go in all alone?

    ¡ºFran, take out your Guild Card.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. This.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Is this real?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The woman stares at the Guild Card for a little while, and finallyes to the understanding that it¡¯s the genuine article.

    ¡¸Well, with this your identity has been cleared. It¡¯s 300 Gorudo for a room without meals. 400 Gorudo will cover the room and two meals. Each room within the inn is private. So, what would you like?¡¹

    ¡ºA stay for one day, meals provided.¡»

    ¡¸One night with meals.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. Here¡¯s the key to your room, please be careful with any valuables in your possession.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After that, she went through an exnation about the prices ofmodities and such, like how Lanterns and hot water are provided through the use of Magic Tools. I was surprised when she mentioned toothbrushes, but it seems that they simply make use of Purification Magic somehow.

    ¡¸You can exchange this tag at the dining room for a meal. The dining room is always open, so it can be exchanged at any time.¡¹

    While saying so, she passed us two exchange tags. They must have a good system in ce to allow their guests to dine at any time.

    Well, because I have a plentiful supply Demonic Beast meat, I could probably go without the meals anyways. From now on, perhaps it would be best to simply prepare our own meals instead¡­ Any number of dishes can be ced in Dimensional Storage, so hot foods could be eaten at any time.

    The only problem would be where to make the food. Roasted meals and soup would be boorish after a while, so order to prepare for various meals proper kitchen utensils will be required.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡ºThis room isn¡¯t that bad.¡»

    There¡¯s a bed, a desk, and a chest set to the side; the room ispletely spotless. Furthermore, dancing clothes are provided, likely in order to spend timefortably. Finally, there¡¯s a spot on the wall in order to hang one¡¯s armor. This inn has a service to be reckoned with.

    ¡¸Teacher, alright here?¡¹

    ¡º ? ¡»

    ¡¸Such a great room?¡¹

    Ahh, so that¡¯s it. Fran has lives as a ve for more than four years, so this room of this level would probably seem incredibly luxurious.

    This poor child! I will absolutely make her happy! But first, I should relieve her!

    ¡ºThis is our room.¡»

    ¡¸Very luxurious¡­¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s not that amazing. This ismon.¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºReally. From now on, you can stay in rooms like this without reserve.¡»

    ¡¸Uo©`!¡¹

    Fran pushes both fists to the sky in a manly way and lets out a roar.

    ¡¸It was good to follow Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    ¡¸Already: winners at life.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s to that extent?!¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s my time.¡¹

    She¡¯s already happy at an unreasonable level, and her spirits have risen. It¡¯s hard to see from her facial expressions¡­

    But it¡¯s good so long as she likes it.

    Note:

    ¡°tsurupeta¡± (¥Ä¥ë¥Ú¥¿) is essentially t-chested. Otaku lingo is hard to trante.

    Fran calls Sword-shisho ¡°sister-inw¡± (Ð¡¹Ã) or, separated: ¡°little mother inw¡±. It probably has a meaning in Japanese that isn¡¯t present in English, so I changed it to this. It should be about equivalent¡­ Probably.

 Chapter 26: Saãƒ¼ber Tigeãƒ¼r

    <h4>Chapter 26: Sa©`ber Tige©`r</h4>

    We rxed a bit at the inn, but we¡¯re not finished with shopping just yet.

    ¡ºHey, let¡¯s go shopping before sunset, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Buying?¡¹

    ¡ºSeasoning and cooking utensils. It¡¯d be nice to eat delicious things when we¡¯re camping out, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºThen we¡¯ll need seasoning.¡»

    ¡¸Important. Top priority.¡¹

    ¡ºThen let¡¯s head out to a general store. If we ask someone from the inn, they¡¯ll likely be able to tell us about one.¡»

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡ºJust in case, remember to lock up. We haven¡¯t left anything, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We were rmended to a shop by one of thedies at the inn. Its location was apparently just across the street.

    ¡ºHere it is.¡»

    The sign out front reads ¡¸General Shop Sa©`ber Tige©`r ¡¹.

    ¡¸Sa©`be©`r?¡¹

    ¡ºIt doesn¡¯t look like a general store at all.¡»

    ¡¸No choice but here.¡¹

    As Fran said, this is the only general shop nearby. A bit reluctantly, we enter.

    *curran curran*

    ¡¸Wee©`!¡¹

    It¡¯d be a fairly normal looking general store on the inside¡­ If there wasn¡¯t a macho man as the owner. He had only said ¡¸Wee©`¡¹, but a transcendent throaty sound reverberated throughout the store. Without the consonant mark, his speech would have been a whole other level of manly.

    ¡¸General store?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Although it¡¯s often misunderstood, this is indeed a general store.¡¹

    Of course it would be misunderstood. It¡¯s called Sa©`ber Tige©`r. Furthermore, a macho man who wouldn¡¯t look out of ce prowling a dungeon is the clerk. You can understand just through his movement that his appearance isn¡¯t just for show, either. Shall I Appraise him?

    Name :Rufus¡¡Age :41

    Race :Human

    Job :Merchant

    State :Normal

    Status:

    Level :30

    HP :238¡¡MP :153¡¡STR :120¡¡END :107¡¡AGI :77¡¡INT :74¡¡MGC :69¡¡DEX :74

    Skills:

    Transportation :Lv3, Dismantling :Lv4, Harvesting :Lv2, Arithmetic :Lv1, Commerce :Lv2, Warhammer Techniques :Lv4, Warhammer Arts :Lv6, Tracking :Lv2, Ice Resistance :Lv2, Cooking :Lv1, Vigor Maniption, Giant Killer

    Titles:

    Giant yer

    Equipment:

    Merchant''s Apron, Arithmetic Earrings

    That¡¯s not the status of a Merchant. That¡¯s the status of an intermediate Adventurer ¡ª one with the Skills and constitution of a Vanguard, too! His Arithmetic and Commerce Skills are the ones that seem out of ce instead!

    ¡¸Adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Originally, yeah. I had always dreamed of opening up a store of my own, so I worked to umte the funds needed. I retired from the life of an Adventurer 3 years ago and finally fulfilled my dream.¡¹

    ¡¸Why the name? Not cute.¡¹

    Ms. Fran, please be a bit less direct!

    ¡¸Haha, that¡¯s asked often. I wonder why¡­ To tell you the truth, when I was opening my shop I wanted something to attract attention. In the end, I decided to disy that.¡¹

    The shopkeeper points the the wall at the back of the store, where a stuffed Saber head is disyed. It has a forceful expression that makes it seem like it could roar at any moment.

    ¡¸Cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Right? It¡¯s a bit unpopr around women, though. Even though it¡¯s so cool.¡¹

    Is this store really alright? If it wasn¡¯t referred to by thedy at the inn, I¡¯d run away as quickly as possible.

    However, while Fran was making conversation I had looked around the store. The selection is actually quite good. Not just seasonings, convenient goods are all over the ce.

    ¡¸Ah, but I¡¯m getting in the way of your shopping. Please, take your time.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s get what we came for then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Naturally we¡¯re buying salt and an assortment of herbs, but I¡¯d also like expensive things like sugar and spices. We¡¯ll also be buying dishes and utensils afterward.

    But isn¡¯t the security around here a bit careless? This world is different from Japan; it¡¯s a dangerous ce. Undoubtedly robberies happen. And yet, this shop exhibits its products just like Japan, making use of a system that allows the customer to choose their products directly. Couldn¡¯t shoplifters act as much as they¡¯d like¡­¡­? No, maybe not. The owner¡¯s a former Adventurer, so he wouldn¡¯t overlook amateur shoplifting. It¡¯s likely that he¡¯s able to use this style of showing his products because he¡¯s confident in his abilities.

    In the end, we purchased about 3,000 Gorudos worth of items and left the shop. It seems that we were thought of as good customers. In addition to being told toe again, the shopkeeper passionately saw us off personally.

    ¡ºAs for our remaining funds¡­ There¡¯s a little over 40,000 Gorudo, huh.¡»

    ¡¸What next?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d like to buy Potions, but¡­¡­¡»

    We won¡¯t be able to buy any expensive Potions.

    ¡¸Recovery Magic.¡¹

    ¡ºAt its level it¡¯s only the degree of soothing.¡»

    ¡¸Raise level?¡¹

    ¡ºI considered that.¡»

    I have 18 Self-Evolution Points remaining. 2 Points are necessary to raise the Skill¡¯s level, so I could increase its level 9 times. In other words, I have enough Points to get a Skill from Lv1 to the Max.

    ¡ºThere are still some Skills that I¡¯d like to raise.¡»

    ¡¸Which ones?¡¹

    Sword Techniques for example. After the examination at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the Guild Master had called Dragon?Fang a medium-grade Sword Technique. A Sword Technique of Lv7 is medium-grade. And so, just like Magic Skills, if I get Sword Techniques to LvMax something¡¯ll happen, right? That¡¯s what I think, anyways.

    ¡¸Un. I think, too.¡¹

    ¡ºRight?¡»

    Also, because the power of Sword Techniques depends on the level of Sword Arts, in order to make full use of them Sword Arts needs to have its level raised as well.

    After that would be Fission Creation. It¡¯s pretty useless right now, but if I raise its level¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to use it inbat just like the Doppel Snake did? It would also save a lot of trouble if I could use a doppel body as Fran¡¯s guardian when she goes out shopping.

    ¡¸Good.¡¹

    ¡ºRight?¡»

    After that would be Skills for the sake of life preservation, like Instant Recovery, Abnormal Status Resistance, and Physical Attack Resistance. They¡¯re simple, but they¡¯ll be overwhelmingly reliable in a predicament. Moreover, those three Skills seem to have severe acquisition conditions: the so-called Top Skills.

    Fran¡¯s still a low level, so taking a single attack from an a Demonic Beast above intermediate rank would be the end. It can¡¯t hurt to be too careful until she bes a high level.

    ¡¸Forgot.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll be keeping Instant Recovery active, so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad for the time being.¡»

    And then there¡¯s Recovery Magic. Instant Recovery is a good skill, but it¡¯d be great to be able to heal other people.

    I want to raise its level intensively, rather than leave it iplete.

    ¡ºWell, any Skills are good enough.¡»

    In the end, after more consultation at the inn, I ended up raising Recovery Magic to the counter stop. It now allows Abnormal State recovery, so it¡¯s convenient. Even if Fran sustains a major injury it can be healed, too.

    Furthermore, Healing Magic Lv1 was obtained. Just like how me Magic was obtained from Fire Magic, it was obtained after Recovery Magic reached its peak.

    ¡ºWith this, our means of recovery are secured.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºNow then, what shall we do tomorrow? Perhaps we should take a request from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? There¡¯s still money left over, so we could rx for several days if you¡¯d like.¡»

    ¡¸Take request.¡¹

    ¡ºIs that alright? We¡¯ll probably end up going out of the town.¡»

    ¡¸Ready.¡¹

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s go to the Guild tomorrow.¡»

    ¡¸Un. Looking forward to Adventurer work.¡¹

    ¡ºOu. We¡¯ll have to take some time to raise your level, too.¡»

    ¡¸After that?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat would you like to do? We can do anything you¡¯d like.¡»

    ¡¸Anything¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºOu. Is there anything you¡¯d like to do?¡»

    ¡¸Un¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºHahahaha! You should think long and hard about it. We have plenty of time.¡»

    ¡¸Un. I will.¡¹

    Note:

    Shop-entrance bell-noise thing. Yep. ¡¡¥«¥é¥ó¥«¥é¥ó

 Chapter 27: These Guys Again

    <h4>Chapter 27: These Guys Again</h4>

    This is the first morning that I¡¯ve woken up at an inn.

    Murmuring ¡ºI don¡¯t know this ceiling¡­¡» was simply a matter of course. Well, I didn¡¯t lie down because I don¡¯t sleep, but¡­

    I move Fran who seems like she¡¯s weak to mornings, and proceed to change her clothes. I clean her with Purification Magic and wash her face using water ¡ª also created by magic. Fran¡¯s hair is shortcut with curls swaying often move at the ends, so I don¡¯t forget to fix her terrifically disheveled morning hair with water as well.

    After I¡¯ve finished, Fran finally awakes.

    ¡¸Good morning.¡¹

    ¡ºDid you sleep well?¡»

    ¡¸Very.¡¹

    Next, we head out to the dining room for breakfast.

    ¡¸Got it. Please look forward to our morning special!¡¹

    A wooden te is ced in front of Fran with a *don*. The meal consists of an omelet atop a firm piece of brown bread, 2 sausages, and a serving of boiled carrots. There¡¯s also a soup with a couple of other ingredients within.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡¸Delicious.¡¹

    To Fran who was formerly a ve, this meal must be incredibly delicious ¡ª or so I think such while watching her eat with gusto. There, there. Eat a lot to grow big and strong.

    £¨However, Teacher¡¯s cooking: more delicious.£©

    During yesterday¡¯s dinner she said the same thing.

    ¡ºHaha, what a nice thing to say.¡»

    £¨It¡¯s true. I want Teacher¡¯s Cooking.£©

    Well, my Cooking Skill has reached the counter stop. Because of that, we¡¯re now in the mysterious situation of a sword being the best chef in town. In fact, even though Fran has the same Cooking level as me, I¡¯m a better cook ¡ª likely due to my memories of my past life. Even with the King of Cooking Title and the best abilities, it¡¯s impossible to match up to food that¡¯s never been seen on this world it seems.

    It might really be necessary to give thought to preservingrge quantities of food created through my Cooking Skill¡­

    ¡ºIf we get a request that requires us to leave the town, I¡¯ll cook some lunch.¡»

    ¡¸Looking forward. Must go immediately.¡¹

    ¡ºThen you¡¯ll have to look for a request.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We left for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild after the meal.

    ¡¸Hello.¡¹

    ¡¸Good morning. Have youe to find a request?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The request board is that one over there. Make sure to remember that G Rank Adventurers can only receive G and F Rank requests.¡¹

    First, we take a look at the G Rank requests.

    There¡¯re few G Rank Adventurers here early in the morning it seems, so there¡¯s no one in front of the board.

    ¡ºHarvest Medical Herbs, Hunt Wild Boars, Pluck Weeds from around an Estate, and Pick Garbage off the Road¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Dull.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Thepensation is low, too.¡»

    Next we look at the F Rank requests.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re better, but¡­¡­¡»

    Subjugate 5 Goblins, Exterminate Fang Rats, and Gather Mushrooms from the Forest.

    The fact that they¡¯re all dull hasn¡¯t changed.

    Well, it can¡¯t really be helped that only requests of this level are present. Besides, Fran¡¯s level is low, so it would be best to raise Fran¡¯s level by hunting small fry.

    ¡¸Then, this.¡¹

    ¡ºMedical herb harvesting. It¡¯s our first request, so that would be for the best, right?¡»

    In more detail, the request consists of gathering medicinal herbs used for fifth grade Potions: Heal Grass. There¡¯re a lot of them grown in the forest, apparently.

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. This request, then. I¡¯ve confirmed it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know what Heal Grass looks like? There¡¯re documents you can look at if you¡¯d like.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m OK.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. You¡¯ll need toplete 5 requests in order to rank up, so do your best.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    We made a bigmotion yesterday, but it seems that the Adventurers¡¯ favorability towards Nell was high enough to cover for it. Good, good.

    ¡ºAlright. Let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After arriving at the gate, we showed our Guild Card and easily passed through. The gatekeeper seemed to remember Fran and was surprised to see that she was an Adventurer.

    ¡ºSo, which way shall we go?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ That way.¡¹

    ¡ºFollowing your heart?¡»

    ¡¸Intuition.¡¹

    That¡¯s a good answer. There¡¯s no hurry toplete the request, so it¡¯s fine to behave like this.

    ¡ºWe should pick up medical herbs other than Heal Grass along the way. Then, if another requestes out for different herbs we canplete it immediately.¡»

    ¡¸Teacher: genius.¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha! Praise me more!¡»

    ¡¸Teacher: amazing genius.¡¹

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    We continue advancing through the forest at a leisurely pace. We¡¯ve already harvested enough Heal Grass at this point toplete the request, alongside other herbs, mushrooms, and nuts inrge quantities.

    Using my Harvesting, Herbalism, and Cooking Skills I can distinguish whether any of the herbs will be useful. Danger Perception also helps in the search, because it allows me to sense dangerous mushrooms and herbs even without knowing their name or effects. In other words, it allows me to distinguish materials that can be used for poisons.

    Everything¡¯s stored in Dimensional Storage, so the only thing that could be considered a problem is the fact that we have to harvest them one by one. Fran seems to be satisfied with the meal that I cooked, so she¡¯s walking in high spirits.

    ¡¸Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºOu.¡»

    Abruptly, Fran stops. But I¡¯m not surprised. I noticed too, after all.

    ¡ºGoblins. There¡¯re no more than 10 of them.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºThere really are a lot of Goblins around here, huh.¡»

    Fran¡¯s hand is already gripping my handle in preparation for a fight, and I don¡¯t stop her. Goblins can be hunted safely and grant decent EXP, so they¡¯re fine.

    I wouldn¡¯t rmend fighting off these numbers formon beginners, though.

    ¡ºIs an Adventurer surrounded?¡»

    ¡¸There.¡¹

    ¡º3 Adventurers, huh. As for the Goblins¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸13.¡¹

    ¡ºThey¡¯re high quality ones, too.¡»

    A Soldier, Thief, and Archer seem to be leading the flock of Goblins.

    Their opponents seem to be novice Adventurers. Standing against the group of Goblins dressed in cheap armor, they can only scowl with pale faces.

    ¡ºA Soldier, a Ranger, and a Magician. The party¡¯s bnce is alright, but if the rearguard is approached too closely things will easily take a turn for the worst.¡»

    All of the party¡¯s members have received damage to some degree; the Magician in particr seems to have suffered a serious injury.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll rescue.¡¹

    ¡ºUnderstood.¡»

    ¡¸Shave off with Magic, then break through.¡¹

    We both chant spells from Soil Magic in unison. My chant was for the spell Stone?Barrett, which fires off a small stones like a buckshot. Because my MGC is about 5 times higher than the average person, my stones have roughly the same power as bullets. If enemies are grouped up, it¡¯s possible to hit multiple bodies at once.

    My ability to guide the Skills also seems to be due to Sorcery, but because I can¡¯t share it with Fran, she¡¯ll have to use magic the normal way.

    As for the reason we didn¡¯t use Fire Magic, it¡¯s because of our location. Forest fires are dangerous.

    ¡¸Stone?Arrow.¡¹

    ¡ºStone?Barrett!¡»

    Fran¡¯s magic defeats one, and mine takes out five, so a total of 6 were defeated ¡ª one of which was the Goblin Thief.

    ¡´Fran''s Level has risen to 6¡µ

    Level Up hase! Well, we have no choice but to ignore it for now.

    While both sides are confused about what happened, Fran rapidly approaches the Goblins.

    ¡¸Hah.¡¹

    She slides between the Adventurers and Goblins and cuts down two Goblins as she passes by. Of course, I¡¯m also participating in the battle. I take care of the Goblin Archer that would provide the most difficulty for the Adventurers with Stone?Arrow.

    ¡¸Eh? A child?¡¹

    ¡¸Strong!¡¹

    The Adventurers are surprised. The Goblins were as well, but recovered and attempted to strike back with the Soldier Goblin as the lead.

    ¡¸GyaGYAOU!¡¹

    Hou. Understanding that their opponent was strong, they attacked with all of their members without hesitation. In spite of being a Goblin, it has good judgment.

    ¡ºBut it¡¯s futile! Stone?Barrett!¡»

    I¡¯ve continued chanting throughout the entire battle. I don¡¯t even need to breathe to do so, after all. Because of that, the chant for Stone?Barrett was alreadyplete.

    Two Goblins to the right are impaled with stones, causing them to lose their lives after vomiting up blood.

    As for two on the left, they aren¡¯t even close to a match for Fran.

    ¡¸Slow.¡¹

    Double?sh is released, and the final two are cut down in an instant.

    The situation had been turned on its head within just 20 seconds, so the Adventurers could only watch with befuddled expressions on their faces. I want to look at their goofy faces for a while longer, but it would be bad to leave the injured person as-is.

    ¡ºRecovery Magic is already making itself useful.¡»

    I check over the Magician¡¯s status and find that his HP is simply decreased. There¡¯re no physical defects or abnormal states.

    ¡ºJust a regr Heal will do just fine.¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨DCuring light, Group?Heal¡¹

    That spell is the wide-range Lv7 Recovery Magic: Group?Heal. Because the other two were more or less damaged, they were recovered with it as well. What a kind girl, using such a spell for their sake!

    ¡¸Group?Heal? From such a small child?¡¹

    ¡¸Uah! This isn¡¯t some second-rate Magic!¡¹

    Astonished, the male Warrior and female Ranger let out words with wide eyes.

    ¡¸Moreover, is that a Magic Sword¡­?¡¹

    Ah, I¡¯ve been noticed. Well, there¡¯s a clear difference between my appearance and regr swords, so my identity would be revealed to anyone who sees me. Ahh©`, how troubling.

    ¡¸That aside, Eustace, are you alright?!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? My injury was healed?¡¹

    The Magician doesn¡¯t seem to have any problems. If he tries to coax Fran to buddy up with their group due to this situation, I might get angry, you know?

    ¡¸Alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m saved.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much. Hey, you too!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Thank you?¡¹

    Bowing shoulde first, that¡¯s just the basics. The fools from the other day seemed to have thought differently, however.

    ¡¸You are¡­¡­ An Adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Um, may I ask your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    After that word was spoken, the Adventurers turn to each other and start whispering to one another.

    £¨Do you know that name?£©

    £¨I don¡¯t. But it¡¯d be impossible not to know of such an outstanding child¡­£©

    £¨Yeah.£©

    £¨I don¡¯t know either.£©

    Their conversation was probably along those lines.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Kral. She¡¯s Lily, and he¡¯s Eustace.¡¹

    The Warrior gives a polite introduction, but Fran seems to have already lost interest in them.

    ¡¸I see. Then.¡¹

    It seems that she wants to confirm her Status as soon as possible.

    ¡ºIs that alright? We might get a reward, you know?¡»

    £¨Merciful. Want to see Status.£©

    Is that so. These guys look visibly inexperienced, so we couldn¡¯t really expect a big reward from them anyways. However, while Fran was about to leave, the Warrior leader Kral quickly speaks up.

    ¡¸Ah, please wait.¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡¸These Goblins were the ones that you defeated.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? This girl took down all of these Goblins? What are you talking about?¡¹

    ¡¸Just be quiet!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve already saved our lives, we can¡¯t possibly ept anything more than that.¡¹

    He has good intentions, so a bad impression might be left if we decline him here.

    ¡ºPerhaps just taking the materials from higher quality Goblins would be fine?¡»

    ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll take high quality.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Highbreeds were mixed in?!¡¹

    Hey, hey, you didn¡¯t even know that? It might be hard to tell looking at their basic appearance, but they¡¯ve got bigger physiques and haverger horns.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran ignores the surprise of the three people, and proceeds to strip the Highbreeds of any usable materials at her own pace. The faces of the Adventurers be a bit odd as she does.

    Fran takes the horns and Magic Stones into the bag hanging at her waist. It¡¯s a dummy bag, of course. It¡¯s simply used as a cover for the items to be put into Dimensional Storage.

    ¡¸There were three of them?¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that a bit dangerous? We should notify the Guild¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, wait. Are those really higher kinds?¡¹

    ¡¸Probably. Their bodies are obviously a bit bigger than the rest.¡¹

    We seem to have made them more flustered than expected. A problem of some sort seems to have arisen.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, three Highbreeds appeared at the same time, so it has to be reported to the Guild!¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You don¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡¸If Highbreeds are present, there¡¯s a high chance a King has been born.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The Adventurers describe in detail, but here¡¯s a rough summary:

    When a Goblin King rises to leadership, thebat power of all of the Goblins increases significantly. I knew about this fact as well.

    Bing able to hunt more Demonic Beasts as a group, individual Goblins don¡¯t die as often and more Highbreeds cane into existence. In turn, this increases thebat power of the horde and a terrible cycle is born.

    In fact, once the horde grows big enough a Queen is born. A Queen was once born in the ins, too. I suspect that the reason for its existence is to help unify the outskirts of the group when it¡¯s grown really big.

    Most importantly: children born to the King and Queen Goblins are all Hobgoblins. If the Hobgoblins breed with normal Goblins, their children are Hobgoblins as well.

    A single Hobgoblin has a Threat Level of F. A group of them led by a King seems to surpass Threat Level D.

    ¡¸Things get out of hand if it gets like that. It would be a disaster due to an outbreak of Demonic Beasts.¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t even imagine how many viges would disappear¡­¡¹

    Indeed, for the local Adventurers this would be a matter of life and death. I can only looks at it it as a clump of delicious EXP, but for the present Fran the situation could pose quite a threat. That being the case, we should nip it at the bud.

    ¡¸We¡¯re going to immediately report it to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡¹

    Saying so, they each pick up a corpse of a Highbreed. Without the bodies, there would be no material serving as evidence after all.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, please excuse us.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for your help, really.¡¹

    ¡¸It seems like I was saved by you, so thank you very much!¡¹

    And so, we helped some young people and ended up getting the rest of the materials from the Goblins for ourselves. It¡¯s not a bad result.

    ¡ºNow to absorb the Magic Stones.¡»

    After moving away from the novice Party, I take out the Magic Stones and absorb them. I already have all of their Skills, but the umtion of small things add up eventually. I received them gratefully.

    ¡¸Hey, Status, look?¡¹

    ¡ºYes, ye©`s. I¡¯ll look now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Name :Fran ¡¡Age :12

    Race :ck Cat Beastman

    Job :Magic Swordsman

    State :Contracted

    Status:

    Level :6

    HP :80¡¡MP :71¡¡STR :45¡¡END :34¡¡AGI :46¡¡INT :30¡¡MGC :36¡¡DEX :47

    The Status values are raising steadily. In particr, STR and MGC both rose by 4. That¡¯s most likely an effect from being a Magic Swordsman.

    Actually, the effects of being a Magic Swordsman are like this:

    Magic Swordsman :Intermediate Job

    Requires Sword series Techniques & one Magic type at Lv6 or higher to acquire.

    Effects:

    When leveling up, STR and MGC will be more likely to raise. Acquisition efficiency for Sword and Magic Skills will increase. The power of Sword and Magic Techniques will increase.

    It¡¯s a very well-bnced Job. I¡¯ll tell Fran about the rises in her Status values.

    ¡¸Good feeling.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right. Do your best, and it¡¯ll keep increasing like this.¡»

    ¡¸Oo©`!¡¹

    The expressionless Fran punching her fists into the air is too cute~ Alright! Let¡¯s put in some fighting spirit and look for more prey!

    ((There''s an Author''s note regarding a change made to the Receptionist confirming Fran''s request. Seeing as the change is already implemented, I''ve omitted it.))

    Note:

    ÉÏÎ»·N keeps appearing, and has done so ever since C10 when talking about the Goblins with Jobs, so I¡¯ve been tranting it based off of the context (into things like Higher Species, Higher Quality, etc.), but now I¡¯m just going to use ¡°Highbreeds¡± as the official title ¡ª seeing as that¡¯s what they are. Higher (as in superior) members of their species. As for whether I¡¯ll change all of the past stuff: Nope. Just consider ¡°Highbreeds¡± an official title that wasn¡¯t dered until now (because Sword-shisho didn¡¯t know the official title ¡¯till now). Convenient, amiright?

 Chapter 28: Resolution and Growth

    <h4>Chapter 28: Resolution and Growth</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    It¡¯s been one hour since we parted with the beginner party.

    ¡¸Double?sh!¡¹

    ¡¸GYAGAGE!¡¹

    ¡¸ShuGYOGA©`!¡¹

    ¡´Fran''s Level has risen to 9¡µ

    ¡¸It rose.¡¹

    ¡ºYes, yes. We¡¯ll confirm the changester.¡»

    We¡¯re currently at war with a crowd of Goblins.

    I didn¡¯t particrly intend to find their den, but we eventually became surrounded by Goblins after hunting them for EXP for a while. There¡¯re ~100, probably. Furthermore, multiple Highbreeds are leading them.

    ¡ºMiddle?Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Saved.¡¹

    ¡ºHere theye again!¡»

    *hyuh hyuh hyuhyun hyun!*

    A myriad of stones are thrown towards Fran through the gaps of trees. It seems that it¡¯s not just stones, however. Wood chips and such are mixed within.

    The Goblins in the surroundings are all throwing such things in unison. Because the attack is from all sides, avoiding would be impossible.

    ¡¸Teacher!¡¹

    ¡ºAah, leave it to me. Fire?Wall!¡»

    A dome of fire covers Fran¡¯s body, protecting her from the projectiles. But their attack wasn¡¯t over.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re approaching!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran takes a stance with me in her hands, and when the wall of mes disappears ¡ª

    ¡¸GORURAA!¡¹

    ¡¸GyoGYOga!¡¹

    ¡¸GiyARU©`!¡¹

    Ten Goblins attack Fran simultaneously. Two of them jumped too early, and crashed into Fire?Wall, causing them to be engulfed in mes and writhe along the ground.

    ¡¸Heavy?sh!¡¹

    We pass through the crowd exchange blows with the Goblins. Doing so, 5 Goblins were immediately defeated.

    ¡¸Gyaha!¡¹

    ¡¸KU¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸GushIHAA!¡¹

    ¡¸AU!¡¹

    Striking the Goblins, Fran¡¯s small body dances while being colored bright red. Swords tear at her shoulders and Spears bore into her back,

    but Fran bears the pain and continues to hold me in her hands. I wanted to suggest setting Pain Reduction, but losing ones¡¯ sense of pain might adversely lead to even more damage.

    ¡¸KAAH!¡¹

    The usually quiet Fran lets out a war cry and attacks the Goblins. With that, 10 more are defeated.

    This battle of offense and defense has repeated several times, leading to the corpses of a little less than 40 fallen Goblinsying around Fran. Still, the number of Goblins surrounding Fran don¡¯t seem to have decreased.

    ¡ºMiddle?Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Fuu¡­ Haa¡­¡¹

    ¡ºOi, Fran! Are you alright?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Alright.¡¹

    ¡ºWe should escape soon. There¡¯re other methods of gaining EXP, ones even more efficient than this.¡»

    We made light of their numbers¡­ The numbers that the Goblins would put to war.

    My body feels neither pain nor fatigue, and is repaired as soon as I sustain damage. For better or worse, I¡¯m able to fight without struggling against strong Demonic Beasts.

    But as a result¡­ My sense of danger had been dulled. Things like it¡¯s too dangerous, or that Fran wasn¡¯t ready yet hadn¡¯t evene to mind. I had thought from the bottom of my heart that we¡¯d manage somehow with my power.

    And yet, we¡¯re now in a hard fight against the Goblins¡­ But it¡¯s toote to regret now.

    In Recovery Magic is an auto-recovery spell that resurrects the target when their HP bes 0 ¡ª although the Spell is only works once per chant. It¡¯s difficult to die when one has this technique, and it makes victory only a matter of time.

    But¡­ How much pain would need to be endured, and how much blood would need to be shed until then? Fran still isn¡¯t ready to endure such things. Remembering this fight might breed a trauma, so we should withdraw before that urs.

    ¡ºThey¡¯reing again! We can still escape!¡»

    If it¡¯s through Floating and Aerial Jump, making our escape through ascent would be possible. The wall of Goblins would be easy to break through, too.

    ¡¸Not running.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat are you saying?! Getting hurt any more than this is pointless! If we go huntrger Demonic Beasts we¡¯ll gain even more EXP!¡»

    ¡¸Not pointless.¡¹

    Muttering so, Fran takes a stance with me once again. A look of strong determination appears on her face as she does so.

    ¡¸With Teacher: I won¡¯t die. Without dying: pain can be known. Can be used for battle. Then, experience is umted.¡¹

    ¡º ! ¡»

    ¡¸Fighting to the limit: necessary to be strong, I think. This is¡­ The perfect battleground.¡¹

    Saying so, Fran has a ferocious smile.

    Ah, I made light of Fran. She had resolved herself long ago. It was only me who wasn¡¯t prepared.

    My resolution to see Fran hurt wasn¡¯t strong enough. Aren¡¯t I too na?ve? Certainly, if she¡¯s led by me her level will rise. But would that really make her¡ºstrong¡»?

    Experience and strength of will. Enduring pain can only happen in battle, so isn¡¯t there no meaning in just having one¡¯s level raised?

    Fran understood that firmly.

    ¡¸Teacher: guardian.¡¹

    Amazing. Unlike living snugly in Japan, readiness is different from being overprotected here.

    Alright. I¡¯ll also show my resolve. I¡¯m prepared! No more hesitating! Let¡¯s abandon my easy-going protective spirit! Even without my protection, she isn¡¯t a weak kitten. She¡¯s a fierce child ¡ª a predator sharpening her fangs!

    ¡ºLeave the recovery to me!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯m going!¡¹

    With that, Fran sprints. She plunges into the crowd of Goblins and swinging me to her heart¡¯s content. And as for me, I put my heart and soul into supporting Fran as she umtesbat experience.

    In that way I noticed a change in Fran.

    ¡¸Ha! Rah!¡¹

    Haven¡¯t her movements be a bit amazing? Even though she isn¡¯t using Sword Techniques, her thrusts almost match the speed of Triple?Thrust. Even now, with Double?sh ¡ª no, its movement exceeds Double?sh.

    I had thought Fran was utilizing Sword Arts, but¡­¡­ That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    No, wouldn¡¯t that be natural? Suddenly getting Sword Arts at a high level one day, it would be impossible for her body and mind to so easily adapt. So far we had been finishing off small fries and concluding out battles in an instant, so it wasn¡¯t a problem¡­ But now, fighting to her limit, her Skills and body have begun working in unison.

    Until now only the sharpness of my de could be admired, but that was only then. Now, things are different. Sword and Body are one. As the number of Goblins increase, the uracy and ferocity of her attacks does as well.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    Two hours have passed.

    ¡¸Ha¡­¡­ Ha¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, you¡¯ve done well!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­!¡¹

    The corpses, blood, and bodily fluids of the Goblins are littered across the ground; it was a disastrous scene that seemed to havee straight from hell. At the center, using me as a cane, Fran barely stands. There¡¯re no wounds thanks to Recovery Magic, but her endurance has been stretched to the limit, as can be seen as her shoulders raise and fall intensely.

    She¡¯s covered in blood, dust, and mud to the extent that not a single surface of her skin is clean. Even the newly bought protective gear was dyed dark red. The damage of the armor in particr is quite terrible, so repairs will be necessary.

    If I had attacked more proactively we probably wouldn¡¯t have had such a hard fight¡­ But it was necessary for it to be difficult.

    Only 6 levels were gained, but the growth that Fran has shown exceeds such things. During the middle of the fight Goblins were defeated exclusively through smashing their Magic Stones ¡ª in other words, during the melee her skill had reached the point where I would pierce into the exact area of the opponents¡¯ vital areas.

    ¡º-Stamina?Heal¡»

    I cast a Magic used to recover one¡¯s endurance, but mental fatigue won¡¯t be cured through it.

    ¡ºRest a bit. I¡¯ll remain vignt of the surroundings.¡»

    While I do so, I suppose I could secure any usable materials an absorb any remaining Magic Stones¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯ll help.¡¹

    ¡ºOi. Are you really alright?¡»

    ¡¸Finish quickly: leave quickly.¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­ The King didn¡¯t show up in the end, so we should finish before reinforcementse, then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright. Take care of their equipment and horns. As for me, I¡¯ll focus on the absorption of Magic Stones.¡»

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

 Chapter 29: Spoils from the Goblins

    <h4>Chapter 29: Spoils from the Goblins</h4>

    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù

    Author¡¯s Note:

    I ced an entry into a Webnovel Competition for the chance to attract more readers!

    I¡¯ve also revised the HP part of the status disy to show the numerical value of the previous level.

    ¡ºMost of it¡¯s been collected.¡»

    ¡¸Lots.¡¹

    ¡ºOu. My Magic Stone Status reached almost 200 in one go.¡»

    Even though there were a bunch of Highbreeds, there were surely more than 100 small fries.

    ¡ºHowever, it seems that no Demonic Beasts are approaching.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Pleasant.¡¹

    I had thought that the surrounding Demonic Beasts would be attracted to the smell of so much blood, but¡­ They change direction suddenly as soon as theye near. Perhaps even with low intelligence they can still learn to fear the sight of such a disastrous scene. Well, collecting materials was easy because of that as Fran said.

    ¡ºI obtained some new Skills, too. Moreover, it seems to only be interesting ones.¡»

    Of the spoils obtained from the war against the Goblins, thergest is of course Fran¡¯s growth. She¡¯s improved in a variety of ways physically.

    Also, with the exception of those that were broken or rusted, we¡¯ve obtained 50 weapons made of Iron and Bronze. There were a couple of forageable suits of Armor as well, but¡­ Well¡­ Because they smelt terrible, most of them had to be discarded. We found a couple of Magic Items as well, which is a good harvest. I¡¯ll have to examine them in detailter.

    As for the new Skills:

    I received Chant Shortening, Bncing Act , Retainer¡¯s Contract, Kicking Techniques, Kicking Arts, Ghost Magic, Poison Absorption, Poison Magic, Axe Techniques, and Imperturbability.

    These Skills came from a Hobgoblin Dark Mage, a Hobgoblin Necromancer, a Hobgoblin Grappler, and Hobgoblin diator.

    But that brings about a problem.

    ¡ºThere were Hobgoblins among them, huh.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The Four individuals which offered new Skills came from Hobgoblins ¡ª which have statuses exceeding the Goblin King from a while back. That can only mean that the Goblin Queen was already born, and breeding has already begun.

    ¡ºAre the Goblins quick to grow?¡»

    ¡¸Un. 10 days: bes adult.¡¹

    ¡ºThey¡¯re seriously on the same level as insects¡­ Anyways, in that case this could be quite dangerous, couldn¡¯t it?¡»

    There¡¯s the possibility of Hobgoblins being bred inrge numbers as we speak.

    ¡ºIt would be best to report back to the Adventurers Guild. I would have liked to hunt them all down with just us, but leaving the situation alone could lead to heavy damage.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    For now, we should collect the Hobgoblin corpses ¡ª

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I snap up and rush towards Fran, and she calmly catches me with a firm grasp.

    ¡¸Over there!¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, are these all Goblins?¡¹

    ¡¸What is this devastation¡­¡­?!¡¹

    ¡ºIt seems like we were spared the trouble.¡»

    The new arrivals are Adventurers. Among them are the figures of the novices we had helped a couple of hours ago, so they seem to havepleted their report of the Goblins and sessfully got the Guild to send a dispatch.

    Dangerous, dangerous. I was almost seen moving about freely.

    ¡¸Lass, are you alright?!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you injured?¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    ¡¸This¡­¡­ Was this all done by you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The 10 Adventurers have looks of surprise as Fran nods her head.

    ¡¸This many¡­¡­ With just one person?¡¹

    ¡¸If that¡¯s true, Rank E¡­¡­ No, Rank D. A Rank D Adventurer could take care of an army of this size. It doesn¡¯t seem like a small den, though¡­ No, it¡¯s far, farrger.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?! Rank D?!¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously¡­?¡¹

    They seem to havee to that conclusion at their own convenience. Certainly an Adventurer¡¯s Rank is associated with monsters¡¯ Threat Levels, but¡­

    The same Rank as the Demonic Beast is usually only given if a well-prepared party can face off without suffering any fatalities. At the same time, the power of an Adventurer fighting alone would be lower than a Demonic Beast of the same Rank.

    In other words, if Adventurers of Rank E create a party of ~4-6 people, theirbat potential will allow them to hunt a single Demonic Beast of Threat Level E. At the same time, every member of the party would be able to fight equally with Demonic Beasts of Rank F.

    ¡ºHmm~, one Goblin is G, 10 is F, and 100 is E, so¡­¡»

    To Fran who defeated 100 Goblins singlehandedly, Rank D would be a bit low, wouldn¡¯t it? Moreover, the Goblins had the environmental advantage of the forest, and even had arge number of Highbreeds mixed within their numbers. That should also raise the evaluation, even if only a little.

    A Dwarven man who seems like the leader of the dispatch exins that to the group. Mh, mhh! It¡¯s nice hearing Fran be praised! Praise her more!

    However, it seems that Fran doesn¡¯t care much for their evaluation. Interrupting the Dwarf, she ces the body of a Hobgoblin in front of the group with a *thud* .

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    ¡¸This is¡­ A Hobgoblin?¡¹

    ¡¸There.¡¹

    ¡¸Moreover, four of them?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re already at stage where Hobgoblins are leaving the den¡­?!¡¹

    This situation seems to quitest-minute. If left alone, chances are a Goblin invasion will ur in less than 10 days.

    ¡¸Oops, sorry. I¡¯ve forgotten self-introductions. The name¡¯s Hellbent . I¡¯m a D Rank Adventurer from Aressa. What¡¯s your name,ss?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you on a journey? Thanks for stopping the Goblins here.¡¹

    ¡¸? Adventurer from Aressa too.¡¹

    ¡¸Muh? No, I¡¯ve been in Aressa for over 10 years, but I have no memory of seeing you,ss¡­¡­¡¹

    It would be hard to miss the expressionless Fran who¡¯s small, beautiful, and strong besides. The 3 men who seem to be party members of Hellbent nod as well. Another party, this one consisting of Beastmen, show a simr reaction.

    ¡¸Registered yesterday.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha?¡¹

    ¡¸No way! What Rank are you, then?¡¹

    ¡¸G.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa? You¡¯re this strong yet you¡¯re Rank G? What kind of joke is that?!¡¹

    ¡¸No, strength and Rank don¡¯t always match up. For example, Elves can train for many years in the woods. If theye out to the rest of the world and register as an Adventurer, they¡¯d be Rank G even though their power would match Rank D.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it~¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, we were in the wrong for doubting you, Fran!¡¹

    Aah, it ended up like this after all. For long-lived races, young aged appearances mean nothing. The setting of having several years of experience would be far easier to understand than the truth.

    ¡ºThese guys are making a big misunderstanding all on their own, is it alright not to correct them? Surely they¡¯re thinking that Fran looks young but is actually a middle-aged woman.¡»

    £¨Doesn¡¯t matter.£©

    She seems so uninterested in their evaluation that it¡¯s refreshing. Regrettable. I wanted to see these guys¡¯ surprised faces when the truth was revealed. Well, it would be troublesome to exin, so it¡¯s fine.

    ¡¸Anyways, we have to find the Queen¡¯s Den before the situation gets out of hand. We should return to the Guild at once!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s selfish, but I¡¯d like the youngss toe with us as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸That takes a load off our shoulders. Alright, let¡¯s head back! It¡¯s a race against time!¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    Name :Fran ¡¡Age :12

    Race :ck Cat Beastman

    Job :Magic Swordsman

    State :Contracted

    Status:

    Level :6¡ú12

    HP :80¡ú189¡¡MP :71¡ú115

    STR :45¡ú92¡¡END :34¡ú74¡¡AGI :46¡ú82

    INT :30¡ú50¡¡MGC :36¡ú62¡¡DEX :47¡ú63

    Titles :

    King of Dismantling, Master of Recovery, Skill Collector, Master of Fire, King of Cooking

    ¡´New¡µMatch for a Thousand, Goblin yer, One who ughters

    Fran¡¯s Status looks like this. The increase in Status is extremely good. Furthermore, she gained three more Titles!

    Match for a Thousand:

    A Title awarded to individuals who stood their ground against 100 or more opponents on equal footing alone, and lived to tell the tale.

    Effects:

    HP +20, STR +20, END + 20

    The Skill: Indomitable Resolve will be acquired.

    Goblin yer:

    A Title awarded to individuals who fell 100 or more Goblins on the same battlefield.

    Effect:

    The Skill: Goblin yer will be acquired.

    One who ughters:

    A Title awarded to individuals who harvested the lives of 100 individuals on the same battlefield.

    Effects:

    AGI +10

    The Skill: Mental Stability will be acquired.

    For the Skills:

    Indomitable Resolve:

    In adverse circumstances:

    Fear is invalidated

    Recovery Speed ¡ü High

    Goblin yer:

    Damage against Goblins ¡ü

    Mental Stability:

    Mental hurdle against bloodshed ¡ý

    Stabilizing effect on the user''s mind

    They¡¯re good Titles. I want them too, but because I¡¯m a sword, I don¡¯t seem to be able to obtain any Titles. Anyways, Match for a Thousand is amazing. The conditions for acquiring it are difficult, but isn¡¯t it a slight cheat? Its Effects, that is.

    I noticed something important, too. The Skills that Fran obtained independently aren¡¯t included with my Set Skills.

    Because of this, if Fran obtains useful Skills on her own, I can change my Set Skills in more useful ways.

    While we head towards town with the Adventurers, I tell Fran about her Status.

    £¨Match for a Thousand? Rare.£©

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    £¨Hero¡¯s Titles!£©

    Fran shows slight excitement. I¡¯m d.

    ¡¸Hey, have you not joined a Party yet,ss?¡¹

    ¡¸Party?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou. If you haven¡¯t, why not join ours?¡¹

    Hellbent is soliciting us into his party, huh. Moreover, his eyes show that he¡¯spletely serious. Hearing what he said, the other two parties also raised their voices.

    ¡¸- Wait just a minute, you¡¯re not the only one aiming for that!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t try to steal the lead. Any Party would want such an excellent Adventurer among them.¡¹

    This is somewhat pleasant, hearing that Fran was epted by the Adventurers

    ¡ºWell? What shall you do?¡»

    £¨My Party: Teacher£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s possible to hide my identity even if you join other parties, you know?¡»

    £¨It¡¯s alright. Teacher: here.£©

    ¡ºIs that so¡­¡»

    Well, we can¡¯t afford for my abilities to be seen, so it would be difficult to join a party.

    For now, at least.

    Note:

    Rather than an actual sound, an expression was used here. It¡¯s ¥É¥µ¥Ã¤È ¡ª literally ¡°with a thud¡±

    This guy¡¯s name is really weird. It¡¯s this: ¥¨¥ì¥Ù¥ó¥È. ¡°¥¨¥ì¡± = Helle/Here, ¡°¥Ù¥ó¥È¡± = Bent/Vent/Wendt. As per the suggestion of Mach and mllhild, his name shall be Hellbent. Putting it into a text ? voice machine also makes it sounds like ¡°Hellbent¡±, so there it is.

    Regarding the titles, I decided to change the way the ¡°King¡± Titles were worded for the sake of partial-uniformity with the ¡°Master of¡± Titles.

    š¢Â¾Õß. If they sounded alright/were grammatically correct, I would have used ughterer or Massacrer¡­ But ¡°One who ughters¡± works just as well, I think.

    (Note from the future) Bncing Act (ÝX˜I) is extremely simr to Acrobatics (ÇúÜ¿) when tranted. Search up the Japanese characters and you¡¯ll find that the former is usually involving public acrobatics/bncing acts, and thetter refers to a certain Moogle ss from Final Fantasy, specifically one of its skills: Acrobatics.

 Chapter 30: Ranking Up

    <h4>Chapter 30: Ranking Up</h4>

    Author¡¯s Note:

    We¡¯re at 30 chapters now. This is all thanks to the support of everyone;

    it¡¯s my main motivation!

    In addition, I changed the Status view in Chapter 29 because it was difficult to see the improvements. I also revised her HP, because a value of 20 is Low, so it now looks like the following:

    Status¡¡Level:6¡ú12

    HP:80¡ú189¡¡MP:71¡ú115

    STR:45¡ú92¡¡END:34¡ú74 AGI:46¡ú82

    INT:30¡ú50¡¡MGC:36¡ú62 DEX:47¡ú63

    After the incident with the Goblins, we rushed back to Aressa and finally arrived. I had wanted to repair Fran¡¯s protective gear, but it seems like it¡¯ll have to wait until after we finish business at the Guild.

    I removed dirt and stains from the gear with Purification Magic as an act of etiquette, but its severely damaged appearance hasn¡¯t changed. None of the Adventurers nearby seem to mind it, however.

    ¡¸Hellbent, how was it?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou. We need to report to the Guild Master.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll notify him, please wait a moment.¡¹

    Seeing the serious face of Hellbent, the fact that the situation is dire was clear. Nell rushes towards the back in a hurry.

    Several minutester, Nelles back and calls for Fran and the dispatch.

    ¡¸The Guild Master sent for you. This way.¡¹

    When we entered the Guild Master¡¯s office, both he and Donna were present.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s hear the report.¡¹

    ¡¸Aah. We headed to the scene with Kral, which is where we met Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸At that point the battle was already over.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then I¡¯d like request that Fran¡­¡­¡¹

    The Guild Master sighs lightly ¡ª likely because he understands Fran¡¯s taciturn nature. ¡ºHow should I have her talk?¡»is the face he¡¯s making. Well, should I lend my support here? It seems to be quite the urgent situation, after all.

    ¡¸Can you report what happened?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, take out the Horns.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. This.¡¹

    Fran takes a Hobgoblin Horn out of Dimensional Storage, and brings it out of dummy bag.

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­ A Hobgoblin Horn?¡¹

    When the Guild Master understands what it is through Appraisal, he makes a stern expression.

    ¡¸Mixed among the Goblins there were Hobgoblins?! How many Goblins were there? And how many Hobgoblins as well?¡¹

    Donna picks up the horn and bes astonished as well.

    ¡¸A lot.¡¹

    ¡¸Er¡­ In a bit more detail, please.¡¹

    ¡ºThere were around 130 of them.¡»

    ¡¸Around 130.¡¹

    ¡ºWithin them were 4 Hobgoblins, and around 20 Highbreeds.¡»

    ¡¸Hobgoblins: 4, Highbreeds: around 20.¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible!¡¹

    Donna stands up unintentionally.

    ¡¸This is definitely a sign that a Goblin stampede ising!¡¹

    ¡¸Calm down Donna.¡¹

    ¡¸Excuse me.¡¹

    ¡¸Now then, Fran, a question. What happened to the Goblins? Did you withdraw?¡¹

    ¡¸Defeated them.¡¹

    ¡¸So you didn¡¯t withdraw, then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fought to the end.¡¹

    ¡¸This is bad.¡¹

    What¡¯s bad?

    The Guild Master exins that the Goblins Fran defeated were most likely the ones kicked out of the den when there were too many mouths to feed. As breeding was continually ordered by the King, the low-ss Goblins would no longer be able to match up to their children, so they were sent to battle Fran with the resolution to die.

    Furthermore, the fact that there were Hobgoblins and Highbreeds mixed among them could only mean that the den already consists of purely Hobgoblins.

    ¡¸The scale of the Goblin stampede will berge.¡¹

    ¡¸We should put an emergency summon out to the Adventurers immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll prepare today and tomorrow, and attempt to exterminate the den the day after. Will it be that sort of n?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The first step would be getting Adventurers with Thief-like Jobs locate the den. That should be made into a special request.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll secure some Potions.¡¹

    It¡¯s be quite busy. Receptionists (excluding Nell who was already present) were called in and given various instructions.

    ¡¸Now then, Hellbent. I¡¯d like to assign more work to you, is that alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Is it guidance to the battleground?¡¹

    ¡¸It is. I¡¯d like you to return there with Thief Adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. This situation is serious for all of Aressa, so I¡¯ll do everything I can.¡¹

    At the words of Hellbent, the other Adventurers nod vigorously a well. They seem like they want to stick with Fran as well, but I won¡¯t permit it.

    We have to repair her protective gear, and after that she needs time to rest. I won¡¯t concede on that.

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡­ Please take a rest for today. Asking you to work with your protective gear would be unreasonable.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Nn.¡¹

    Fran nods regretfully. Guild Master, good job!

    Hellbert gives his affirmation, too.

    ¡¸Then.¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, wait a minute. Before you leave, go by the Receptionists and apply to rank up to F.¡¹

    ¡¸? Haven¡¯tpleted 5 requests.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no reason for an Adventurer who could take out an army of Goblins alone to do that. There¡¯s also the fact that G Ranks won¡¯t be able to join this subjugation, so the timing¡¯ll be convenient.¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! Even just one more strong Adventurer¡¯d be better at this point!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a prettyst-minute request, so we don¡¯t know how many Adventurers will be participating. Considering that, anyone withbat potential is valuable.¡¹

    ¡¸The request to participate in the subjugation should be posted tomorrow, so be sure to ept it!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Make sure.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re saved.¡¹

    ¡¸Then¡­¡¹

    Following the words of the Guild Master, we do the Rank Up procedure at the reception desk. It was simple, so there weren¡¯t any particr problems. The time taken would be less than a minute, too. Afterpleting it, the letter F appeared on our Guild Card.

    ¡¸Went up!¡¹

    She seems happy. The evaluations of others doesn¡¯t matter, but when the Rank actually raises visibly she takes interest, it seems. It¡¯s just like Levels. Well, it¡¯s a measure of her strength, after all.

    ¡ºAlright, our participation is assured. Now, we should go repair your gear. Will the money we have on-hand suffice, I wonder?¡»

    ¡¸Sell weapons.¡¹

    ¡ºTo the Guild?¡»

    When we inquired about it, we received the reply that the Guild didn¡¯t purchase anything other than Materials and things like Herbs.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s take them to Gallus then.¡»

    The problem is whether a skilled cksmith like Gallus would be willing to take in such bad weapons or not¡­

    ¡ºNo, wait. There¡¯s still one other person, a Merchant we¡¯re acquainted with!¡»

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡ºOi, oi¡­ Well, his presence was thin, so I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s Randell.¡»

    ¡¸Aah.¡¹

    Stop with the¡¸There was a person like that, wasn¡¯t there¡­¡¹reaction¡­ Well, I don¡¯t really know him that well either.

    ¡ºHe had said that he¡¯s located along the Western side of main street, I think.¡»

    ¡¸Search.¡¹

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    I was worried about whether we¡¯d be able to find Randell¡¯s shop in a big town like Aressa, but it was found quite quickly; it was right near the entrance to the street. Randell can be seen standing out front.

    ¡¸Oh, if it isn¡¯t Fran! By any chance, were you looking for my shop?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Came to sell.¡¹

    ¡¸Wonderful! Come,e, right this way.¡¹

    And so Randell invites us into his shop.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s very disorderly, isn¡¯t it¡­¡»

    In the small shop, the shelves are crammed with products. Honey and poison are lined side by side, weapons are neighbors to misceneous goods¡­ But it¡¯s not consistently like that.

    ¡¸Dirty.¡¹

    ¡ºOou¡­ Even though I was going out of my way to be silent about, you went right out and said it!¡»

    When I look over to Randell, I see a wry smile stered across his face.

    ¡¸Haha¡­ You said it well. Even though I just organize them by what seems to sell¡­¡¹

    Even so, aren¡¯t there a bit too many products? Well, it¡¯s not my ce to say so, so I keep that to myself. For the average person, this ce would be hard to approach, however.

    ¡¸This: buy.¡¹

    ¡¸Uwa¡­ You had an Item Bag, huh!¡¹

    ¡¸More or less.¡¹

    Equipment is taken out one after another, some of which draw Randell¡¯s attention.

    ¡¸Still, this is¡­¡­! What an amazing amount!¡¹

    ¡¸Still more. About the same.¡¹

    ¡¸Ehh? Wait a minute. I¡¯m sorry about this, but could you disy them on the floor?¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸It must be pretty high-quality to store so much¡­ Mine¡¯s pretty small and hard to use, so I¡¯m a bit envious.¡¹

    Just like a pro, he makes small talk while assessing the arms. His eyes are sharp; it¡¯s the face of a merchant.

    ¡¸Hmm, most of them aren¡¯t in good condition.¡¹

    ¡¸From Goblins.¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, so that¡¯s where you got them. Some are made from Steel, so they¡¯d be worth a little more¡­¡­ It¡¯d be about 13,000 Gorudo total, I suppose?¡¹

    £¨Alright?£©

    ¡ºThey¡¯re worth about 200 Gorudo on average, huh¡­¡­ Looking at their state, it seems like it¡¯d be a good price?¡»

    ¡¸Understood. That¡¯s fine.¡¹

    Randell takes out some coins from what must be is Item Bag.

    ¡¸Here you go then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    All of the money was tucked away in Dimensional Storage. Because they¡¯re easy to take out, it makes a good substitute for a wallet.

    ¡¸Thank you very much. And please,e again.¡¹

    There¡¯re a lot of interesting products, so we¡¯ll probablye again. At that time, let¡¯s buy something.

    With money in hand, we head to old man Gallus¡¯ shop. Merchants are assembled around the square as always, so we enter from the back door we used the other day.

    ¡¸Hello©`.¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh, it¡¯s you! What happened? The Sheath isn¡¯t done yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, different.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d like you to repair the Equipment you sold earlier¡­¡­¡»

    Showing him the protective gear¡¸What the hell-?!¡¹was his reaction.

    ¡¸Wait a minute, it¡¯s only been a day¡­¡­ What in the world happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Fought Goblins.¡¹

    ¡¸Goblins?¡¹

    ¡ºTo be exact: arge army of Goblins numbering over 100.¡»

    ¡¸Hobgoblins, too.¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? Isn¡¯t that really serious?! A stampede¡¯s going to ur!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s already been reported to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡»

    ¡¸Ah, is that so. Well, that¡¯s fine then.¡¹

    ¡¸Teacher: benevolent.¡¹

    ¡¸Teacher?¡¹

    ¡ºThat would be my name.¡»

    That reminds me, I didn¡¯t tell Gallus my name, did I? But I have a bad premonition¡­

    ¡¸Haa? Why such a strange -¡¹

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t it such a good name? Fran thought of it!¡»

    Notice, Gallus!

    ¡¸Ooh. It¡¯s¡­ A good name. Really.¡¹

    ¡ºRight? Isn¡¯t that right?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s the best name! It¡¯s an excellent name for a sword!¡¹

    Phe©`w¡­ That was close. Gallus continues praising my name while looking over at Fran frequently. ¡­ It¡¯s unnatural.

    ¡¸That reminds me, you came to get your gear fixed, right?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right! Can it be fixed? We have to go assist in the Goblin subjugation the day after tomorrow.¡»

    ¡¸No problem. Repairs can be finished immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Cost?¡¹

    ¡¸Right¡­¡­ 10,000 Gorudo.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s quite cheap.¡»

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s the price of the Magic Crystal.¡¹

    ¡ºMagic Crystal?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, unlike Magic Stones, Magic Crystals are a mined from the ground. After storing enough magic power they can be used as catalysts.¡¹

    ¡ºThis is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not needed for regr repairs, but it¡¯s necessary to use one for Smithing Magic.¡¹

    ¡ºThen you¡¯ll be repairing the gear through Magic?¡»

    ¡¸Ou. Want to watch?¡¹

    ¡ºIs that alright?¡»

    In the end I decide to take up old man Gallus¡¯ offer, and watch him repair Fran¡¯s gear.

    First he ces the gear on top of a workbench with a Magic formation drawn on it, then he puts a yellow Magic Crystal onto a what seems to be a pedestal.

    After that, he proceeds to cast a spell with a long chant.

    ¡¸- Repair!¡¹

    With the sound of Gallus¡¯ voice, the magic formation shines bright. Once the light ispletely settled, protective gear that seems as though it¡¯s brand new is all that¡¯s left on the workbench.

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºAah. They¡¯re as good as new.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s pretty convenient for stuff like this, but its effect falls when it¡¯s used on gear too many times. I got off with a small Magic Crystal this time, but next time I¡¯ll have to use one a bit bigger. The fee¡¯ll be 30,000 when that happens.¡¹

    If that¡¯s the case, it might be cheaper to buy a new setter¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to consider that when the timees.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. I¡¯ve got to do well so that you can do your best fighting against Hobgoblins!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll defeat both the King and the Queen!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Our prey.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! How reliable!¡¹

 Chapter 31: Organization and Verification

    <h4>Chapter 31: Organization and Verification</h4>

    It¡¯s now the night of the day we exterminated the army of Goblins.

    We¡¯re at an inn.

    ¡ºNow then, shall I review my new Skills?¡»

    Fran already left to take a bath, so I figure I should confirm my Skills to kill some time.

    By the way, this inn isn¡¯t the same one we stayed at yesterday. We moved to a slightly better inn rmended by the Guild. It has the expensive fee of 600 Gorudo per night, but there¡¯s arge Bathhouse and the food they offer is of higher quality and quantity.

    I mentioned it before, but the new Skills are like this:

    Chant Shortening, Bncing Act, Retainer¡¯s Contract, Kicking Techniques, Kicking Arts, Ghost Magic, Poison Absorption, Poison Magic, Axe Techniques, Imperturbability

    Because I unfortunately can¡¯t use Kicking Techniques, Kicking Arts, and Axe Techniques, I¡¯ll exclude them. Also, because Imperturbability seems to have the effect of calming its user down in battle, I can¡¯t try it here.

    And so, first is Bncing Act. It grants a bonus to both jumping and bncing, it seems. I tested it out by flying about in the room, but it doesn¡¯t have much of an effect on me. Regrettable. I think it¡¯d be a suitable Skill for Fran.

    Now for a show-stopper. It¡¯s time for the inspection of new Magic.

    First: Poison Magic. For the spells I can use, they¡¯re Poison?Arrow and Create?Poison. Well, because it¡¯s only Lv1 they only have the effects of a weak poison, so they don¡¯t seem like they¡¯ll have much of an effect against strong opponents. Even if it was used on ordinary people its effect would only be to the extent of loosening their bowels .

    I test out Poison Absorption by sucking in some poison I created with magic, but I don¡¯t understand it very well. It seems that it¡¯d restore HP and MP, but because I have neither there¡¯s no effect. Poison Absorption would be useful in environments with poisonous fogs, however. I could y an active part as a sword with air purification capabilities.

    Next is Chant Shortening. Its effects are hardly visible at Lv1 ¡ª it probably shortens the chant by ~1 second, I think? Even in a drawn out battle its impact would be low. Furthermore, I have the feeling that its effect won¡¯t be that amazing even if I raise its Skill Level.

    Out of the remaining Skills, my favorite is Ghost Magic, so I¡¯ll save it forst.

    The other remaining Skill is Retainer¡¯s Contract. It seems to make a specialized contract with Contract Magic in order to summon individuals with Summon Kin, but¡­ Because the level of Summon Kin is low I can¡¯t summon anything strong even if they¡¯re contracted. I could summon weak ones, but if they¡¯re weak then there¡¯s no point in using it in the first ce.

    ¡ºNow for Ghost Magic.¡»

    Incidentally, despite being called Ghost Magic spells at Lv1 are Create?Lesser Zombie and Locate?Undead, these two.

    For the time being, I take out a Goblin¡¯s corpse. Making a barrier using Purification Magic, blood doesn¡¯t dirty the floor. My forethought is wless.

    ¡º- Create?Lesser Zombie!¡»

    ¡¸Aaaooouaaa¡­¡¹

    ¡ºUwaa¡­¡­¡»

    Even though I¡¯m the one who made it, it¡¯s still unpleasant! Does its dposition advance before it bes a Zombie or something? It¡¯s good that I don¡¯t have a nose¡­ I understand the feelings of Kri**in well.

    ¡ºWait there.¡»

    ¡¸Auu¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDid you hear mymand?¡»

    I have to pay careful attention here. All it¡¯s doing is swaying in ce, but still.

    Next, I use Locate?Undead. Simr to Presence Perception, I was able to feel the presence of the Zombie.

    Well, now I¡¯ve tried out both spells, but¡­¡­ What do I do with this guy, exactly?

    Ah, speaking of which, what¡¯s the status of Summon Kin? Uwa¡­ Lesser Goblin Zombie is listed. Can¡¯t I delete this?

    ¡º¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡»

    ¡¸Aa-¡¹

    I gave a brief apology and cut down the Zombie. I don¡¯t know if Zombies from Dungeons are the same, but this Zombie doesn¡¯t have a Magic Stone.

    To the Zombie who¡¯s no longer moving, I use Purification Magic¡¯s Turn?Undead, causing it to disappear. The Zombie also disappeared from the list of contracted beings in Summon Kin.

    ¡ºUn, rest in peace.¡»

    From now on, let¡¯s not use Ghost Magic recklessly. I¡¯ll make sure your death wasn¡¯t in vain, Goblin Zombie! Ah, wait, it was already dead.

    ¡º¡­¡­ Let¡¯s pull ourselves together and move on.¡»

    Next I¡¯ll check the Magic Items we looted from the Goblins.

    ¡ºThere¡¯re 7. I wonder what effects they¡¯ll have¡­¡»

    Two of the items are weapons. Specifically, they¡¯re a Knife and a Hammer, both made of steel. Neither have things like ATK ¡ü Low, but the Knife looks like it¡¯d be useful for skinning. As for the Hammer, I¡¯ll let it sit in Dimensional Storage for a while.

    One of the Magic Items is an essory. It has the subtle effect of lowering INT while raising STR.

    ¡ºSTR+5, INT-8¡­¡­ This is the sort of item a musclebrain would use, isn¡¯t it?¡»

    Fran won¡¯t be needing it. She uses Magic, so it would really only be considered if the increase and decrease were equal.

    The next three are defensive gear. There¡¯s Iron Armor with rust prevention, Leather Armor with size adjustment, and a Helmet made out of materials from a Magic Tree with Impact Resistance.

    Because their DEF attributes are so low, aren¡¯t they simply unneeded? The gear we received from old man Gallus offers much higher performance.

    Thest one is an Item Bag¡­ But it can¡¯t be used.

    ¡ºWasn¡¯t there something like a User Registration for these?¡»

    I suppose it¡¯d be simr to Equipment Registration. The Goblins had used it as an essory case for storing stones and nuts to use Throwing with.

    ¡ºPerhaps I can override the registration¡­¡­ Maybe Contract Magic¡¯ll work?¡»

    Might as well try it out.

    ¡º-Contract!¡»

    It was no good. It was the same feeling as when I tried to override Fran¡¯s ve Contract. Overwriting is possible, but Lv7 is just too low to do so.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ To find out what¡¯s in the bag, let¡¯s raise the Skill~¡»

    Such a thing will be put on hold for a while.

    ¡ºThe remaining money is¡­¡­¡»

    Today¡¯s earningse to 109 Goblin Horns, and 20 Highbreed Horns. By the way, one Highbreed Horn is 100 Gorudo.

    Thepletion of the Herb Harvesting request also granted 100 Gorudo.

    Because I handed 10,000 Gorudo to Fran, I have exactly 36,884 Gorudo stored up.

    ¡ºShould I buy Mana Potions for the day after tomorrow? It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be a waste to do so.¡»

    Rather, will that be enough?

    ¡ºThere¡¯re still a lot of enigmatic materials stored away from Harvesting, too¡­¡»

    I should sort this stuff out.

    10 Poisonous Grasses, 10 Light Mushrooms, 10 Paralysis-Cure Grass, 10 Highly Poisonous Grasses, and 10 Heal Grasses. Because each Harvesting Request requires 5 of each, we canplete 10 requests. However, because we ranked up to Rank F faster than expected, we won¡¯t be able to improve our Rank with G Rank requests anymore.

    The only Harvesting request of Rank F is for 5 Highly Poisonous Grasses, so if we hand in the ones we have we¡¯ll still need toplete the request another 18 times.

    Because Dungeons are restricted by Rank, I want to raise our Rank just a bit more.

    Anyways, there¡¯re still 30 mysteriously hazardous substances. Most of them seem harmless enough, but there¡¯re 2 Mushrooms that¡¯re quite dangerous. They set off arge reaction to Danger Perception, and even their appearance spells danger. They¡¯re blue umbre-like mushrooms with white and red spots ¡ª no matter how you look at them, they¡¯re Toadstools.

    ¡ºOnly these mushrooms will be kept in reserve. We should take them over to Randell¡¯s shopter.¡»

    I¡¯d like to collect information on Hobgoblins in advance, so tomorrow will be quite busy.

    Note:

    ¸¹¤òÏÂ¤¹. I thought that it might be ¡°Upset stomach¡±, but it really is just as I tranted it.

    In my opinion, poisons like this one are still pretty convenient in certain situations.

    Reference to Krillin from DBZ. ¥¯¥ê©–¥ó = ¥¯¥ê¥ê¥ó

    Not sure if this is referring to the two Mushrooms, or the other ones. ¤¢¤È¤Ï¡¢¥é¥ó¥Ç¥ë¤Îµê¤Ë¤Ç¤â³Ö¤Ã¤ÆÐÐ¤Ã¤Æ¤ß¤ë¤«

    My guess is that it¡¯s the Toadstools that¡¯ll be sold to Randell, with the other things going to the Guild/wherever.

 Chapter 32: Franâ€™s Side

    <h4>Chapter 32: Fran¡¯s Side</h4>

    ¡¸Fu¡­¡­ Ha¡­¡­¡¹

    Baths are the best. When I told teacher that I loved them, he was somewhat surprised. ¡ºYou¡¯re a cat, though?¡»he said.

    Do cats dislike baths? I¡¯m from the ck Cat tribe, but I¡¯ve never seen a cat before. Nobles in the capital seem to keep them. Mother had said that they live better lives than us.

    I want to see one with Teacher sometime.

    Teacher is a very wonderful sword. He¡¯s the first sword I¡¯ve talked to, but if he¡¯s judged by his voice, he¡¯d be simr to a Human I suppose.

    He¡¯s very strong. He made me strong, too. I won¡¯t be outdone by a Demonic Beast. But as I am now is no good. I can¡¯t constantly be managed by Teacher. I¡¯ll be a burden to him.

    Even for the Goblins we fought today, if Teacher fought alone not only would the fight have been easier, it would have ended quicker as well.

    Mastering the powers I got from Teacher should be my first priority. After that, I¡¯ll be even stronger. Training like that, I think I¡¯ll surely be able to break through the Wall.

    And so, today I spoke a bit selfishly and fought against the Goblins. Teacher scolded me at first, but then he forgave and even praised me.

    I was very d. I¡¯ll be fighting the day after tomorrow, too. It¡¯s another chance to be stronger.

    ¡¸Oh, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸We met at noon. Because the Guild is allied with this Inn, all members of the Guild staff can use the bathhouse.¡¹

    Aah, this person is one of the receptionists.

    ¡¸Are you staying here?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸A©`ah, still cute as ever, huh~¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡¸Kya©` your head tilt rally is the best!¡¹

    When she was working, she was giving off a much quieter feeling. Was she hiding her true nature?

    ¡¸Hey, is calling you Fran-chan no good?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much! Fran-chan!¡¹

    All of a sudden she clung to me. I don¡¯t mind, but it was a bit surprising. Her chest made a slight *funii* and it¡¯sfortable, so I¡¯ll permit it.

    ¡¸The big subjugation war will be happening tomorrow, huh.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you hear the announcement?¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that you haven¡¯t. Apparently the Goblins seem to be overflowing from a dungeon of some sort.¡¹

    ¡¸Dungeon nearby?¡¹

    Dungeons are naturally famous once they¡¯re discovered, but I¡¯ve never heard of one being near Aressa.

    ¡¸It seems to have appeared only recently¡­ Up until now there was only a cave there.¡¹

    ¡¸Dungeons can be built that quickly?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. That¡¯s right.¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, you don¡¯t know? As a trial of sorts against mankind, the God of Chaos makes them appear in various ces every so often.¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t know. God of Chaos and Evil God: different?¡¹

    ¡¸My, you don¡¯t know that either, huh. Your elder sister here¡¯ll exin it all to you.¡¹

    And so, the receptionist exined the legends.

    ¡¸To put it simply, this world has 88 Gods. Among them, there were 10 that were especially strong.¡¹

    First, the God of the Sun, the God of the Moon, the God of the Sea, the God of the Land, the God of mes, the God of Storms, the God of Forests, and the God of Beasts created the world and all its inhabitants.

    The God of Hades created the Ring of Samsara , and thews of the world were made.

    The 78 Children Gods made various materials, and brought them to the world the Parent Gods had made, thus making the worldrger.

    ¡¸Children Gods?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. The God of cksmithing, God of Swords, God of Darkness and God of Cooking are good examples of those.¡¹

    Finally, the God of Chaos did as its name suggested, and spread chaos into the world. But it was a necessary evil to prevent the stagnation of the world¡­ Or so the receptionist says. Its job seems like quite the challenge.

    I understood it well. Surpassing adversity leads to growth. Fighting against the Goblins, I was able to grow.

    ¡¸And the Evil God?¡¹

    ¡¸Originally, the Evil God was the God of War. But after indulging itself too much in its power and attempting to rule the world, the other Gods struck it down. It¡¯s said that evil beings are born due to its excessive grudge ¡ª through a curse that it scattered across thends.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    So, in the end, the God of Chaos is good. The Evil God is bad. He¡¯s like the ve Traders that kidnapped me.

    ¡¸Anyways, as I said: Dungeons are one of the trials that the God of Chaos created. Dungeon Masters are followers of the God of Chaos, and actively create chaos because of it.¡¹

    Dungeon Master¡­ Would they have any Magic Stones for Teacher to eat? They¡¯re sure to have a lot of great Skills.

    ¡¸It¡¯s still being researched, but it seems that the first thing done in creating a dungeon is the creation of its core. The creature that is closest to the Core when its created bes the Dungeon Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Weak and strong ones, then.¡¹

    ¡¸Yep. The difficulty of the Dungeon depends on the strength of the Dungeon Master, so when an animal ends up being the Dungeon Master its difficulty tends to be lower.¡¹

    ¡¸Strange Dungeon Masters too?¡¹

    ¡¸Dragons, Orcs, Wolves, Cockatrices¡­ So long as they emit a life force, they can be a Dungeon Master.¡¹

    ¡¸People?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Human Dungeon Masters have popped up several times in the past.¡¹

    Man-made Dungeons¡­ Interesting.

    ¡¸Well¡­ Even if it¡¯s called a trial from God, it isn¡¯t any less troublesome.¡¹

    Because people will end up dying, that can¡¯t be helped. The people looking for a fight like me are the minority.

    ¡¸In the case of rare Demonic Beasts inhabiting a Dungeon, however, it can be used to make a living as an Adventurer.¡¹

    Dungeons aren¡¯t purely bad things. There are people who can be rich because of them.

    ¡¸There¡¯re Treasure Chests, strong weapons, and magical items too.¡¹

    There¡¯s a legend of a Hero who defeated an Evil Dragon with a weapon found in a dungeon; heter went on to found a country. But because I have Teacher, things like that aren¡¯t necessary.

    ¡¸But in the end, some items from Dungeons are too strong? They can be used in wars to cause just as much harm as good, don¡¯t you think??¡¹

    In the end, the conversation shifted to theints of the receptionist.

    I don¡¯t hate the God of Chaos for letting me get stronger in Dungeons.

    ¡¸Day after tomorrow: looking forward to it.¡¹

    Note:

    Fran made a pun here. Essentially, she used ¡°Neko¡± as the start of what would have essentially tranted to ¡°Wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing/hiding one¡¯s true self¡± ¡ª or in this case, the closest would be ¡°hiding one¡¯s true cat¡±. She then followed up with ¡°She¡¯s a human, though.¡± It doesn¡¯t trante over very well (as in at all), so I edited the line. The pun disappeared, but that can¡¯t be helped.

    The receptionist (and many other people, such as the Adventurer parties up until this point) have used -san up until this point. -chan is more familiar, if you didn¡¯t know.

    Regarding the Gods¡¯ names:

    *¡°God of the Silver Moon¡± (ãyÔÂ¤ÎÉñ) was kept as just ¡°Moon¡±, but I¡¯ll change it if it turns out there¡¯s more than just a single moon (and other Gods of other moons, respectively).

    *¡°God of Storms¡± = ¡°God of wind and rain¡± (ïLÓê¤ÎÉñ)

    *¡°God of Beasts¡± = ¡°God of animals and insects¡± (ª•Ïx¤ÎÉñ¤¬)

    *¡°God of Hades¡± = Literally ¡°God of Hades¡± or ¡°God of the realm of the dead¡± (Ú¤½ç¤ÎÉñ¤¬).

    Samsara = Endless cycle of death and rebirth. Buddhism, I think.

 Chapter 33: Arrangements before the Departure

    <h4>Chapter 33: Arrangements before the Departure</h4>

    It¡¯s the day of the Hobgoblin subjugation.

    We ended up going over to old man Gallus¡¯ smithy in order to receive the sheath we ordered.

    ¡¸Hey, I¡¯ve been waiting. Come and take a look!¡¹

    ¡ºOoh, this is my sheath, huh!¡»

    Handed over from old man Gallus was a stylish ck leather scabbard. It¡¯s a bit in, but because the tailoring is good it doesn¡¯t look too shabby.

    ¡¸Nn, Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºMhm. Then, right away¡­¡­¡»

    I¡¯m excitedly sheathed into the scabbard as Fran raises the scabbard up to just below my eye-level.

    *supo*

    ¡ºO©`h¡­¡­¡»

    It¡¯s very calming. It¡¯s roughly the same feeling I got when I fit into the pedestal. Rather, it might have been that the pedestal was designed to be sheath-like to give me peace of mind.

    ¡ºA©`hh¡­¡­¡»

    I let out a voice as if I¡¯m in paradise ¡ª the kind that one would let out when they take a dip in a hot bath. This really is good¡­ I didn¡¯t know that swords would have such a strong desire to be sheathed, even though I am one.

    Moreover, thanks to the skill of old man Gallus it¡¯s a perfect fit. It¡¯s like I¡¯m tucked into my own personal futon, giving me peace of mind. If it¡¯s like this, then I want to be in a sheath all the time¡­ It¡¯s just that rxing.

    ¡ºOld man Gallus. You¡¯re the best. Seriously.¡»

    ¡¸Gahaha! It¡¯s good that you like it!¡¹

    ¡¸Teacher, happy.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, this is a great sheath~¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not just a regr sheath, you know?¡¹

    Gallus had an impish smile on his face as he took the sheath in his hand.

    ¡¸Rather than just making some dull old scabbard, I installed a couple of tricks, you see.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?! Is that true, Lon**rk ?!¡»

    ¡¸Lon**rk? Who¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡ºAh, excuse me. I was a bit too excited.¡»

    Still, there¡¯re tricks in the sheath? Looking at it, I don¡¯t see anything¡­

    ¡¸See these metal fittings here?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, when you remove them like this -¡¹

    *paka*

    ¡¸Opens lengthwise.¡¹

    ¡¸Ou. Even without using the young miss¡¯ hands, you¡¯ll easily be able to get out of the sheath by using Telekinesis.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm? That¡¯s pretty good. It¡¯d also make it easy to get back into the sheath.¡»

    Controlling the metal fittings using Telekinesis, moving in and out of the sheath can be aplished in no time.

    ¡¸Convenient.¡¹

    ¡¸Right? It was a bit tough to find a good way to implement it while keeping its strength, you know?¡¹

    Even though he¡¯s a cksmith, his leatherworking is first ss. As expected from someone with cksmithing at the highest level possible.

    ¡ºThen, may I gratefully ept?¡»

    ¡¸Ou. Go for it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Now to go to the meeting ce. It seems that everyone who¡¯ll be participating in the subjugation will be gathered in front of the gate. Because the Goblins haven¡¯t started pouring out of the Dungeon just yet, it seems like it¡¯ll be possible to exterminate them without causing any damage to the surroundings.

    ¡ºI wonder how much damage we¡¯ll be able to do with this many Adventurers¡­¡»

    There¡¯re about 50 people gathered.

    ¡¸Not very strong.¡¹

    ¡ºDonna is the strongest, it seems.¡»

    Donna is Rank C, and is famous as an instructor who trains beginners. There¡¯re other Adventurers of Rank C gathered, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any objections with Donna being the leader.

    ¡¸Oi, what¡¯s a child doing here?!¡¹

    For Fran, however, there seems to be an objection. Well, to a group of Adventurers with their tension rising by the second, having a young girl mix in would undoubtedly thin out the energy in the air, so of course there would be fellows who be irritated.

    ¡¸What¡¯re you even doing, carrying a sword around like that?¡¹

    The source of the voice in this case is ¡ª Aren¡¯t you a child as well?! Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m led to believe judging by the slender youth¡¯s appearance. He¡¯s wearing tidy, fully intact armor, so there¡¯s a clear air of inexperience.

    Because G Rank Adventurers shouldn¡¯t be able to participate, he should be F Rank or above¡­¡­ But he has the appearance of someone who wouldn¡¯t even be able to beat a Goblin. His Status is a little higher than a Goblin¡¯s, but it¡¯s only a slight difference.

    Maybe, rather than ranking up throughbat, he did things like delivery quests and such, and was allowed to Rank up after doing nothing but baggage-carrying requests. With Sword Arts Lv1, he¡¯s by far the weakest Adventurer I¡¯ve seen so far. To call upon even people like this¡­ There really must not be enough people.

    ¡¸Exterminating Goblins.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, this is an important fight to defend Aressa. Children like you will only get in the way! Only Adventurers with ranks above F can participate anyways, so kids should just go home!¡¹

    He makes an unpleasant face as he says so. In response: Fran, who works at her own pace, casually ignores the young man and simply stands absentmindedly.

    ¡¸Hey, did you hear me?¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk. Come on, this isn¡¯t a yground for children. Go y Adventurer over there.¡¹

    Most likely, this young man is feeling anxious about the uing fight against the Hobgoblins. Well, there statuses will be far superior to his, no doubt. And so, after getting all worked up, his mind is in a strange ce. Because of this, he¡¯s started to quarrel with someone who should be his ally.

    The reactions of the Adventurers around us vary. To the scene of young people making noise, some are amused, and some are indifferent and ignore the scene. From the side, the scene of children making noise must be quite out of ce.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it, stop moving out of the way!¡¹

    Fran casually avoids the arms of the young man who lets out an irritated shout. Because he only seems to be getting angrier, shouldn¡¯t someone stop him? So I thought, but the surrounding Adventurers don¡¯t look like they¡¯ll step in.

    No, there were some who were going to intervene with a shout, but they were stopped by the other Adventurers.

    ¡¸Oi, leave it alone!¡¹

    ¡¸Why should I-¡¹

    ¡¸That one is-¡¹

    ¡¸The rumor is-¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously-¡¹

    It seems that the tale of the Goblin subjugation from earlier spread throughout the Adventurers in the Guild. However, a guy who turns a deaf ear to the information circting in the surroundingses out. It¡¯s here, an Adventurer that will scold the youngd is here!

    ¡¸Oi, brats! You¡¯ve been noisy for a while now, get it?! Because you¡¯re in the way, get out of here! You can carry our luggageter!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m not a baggage carrier! I¡¯m a fully fledged F Rank Adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸As if! At best, you¡¯re an F Rank Adventurer who¡¯s fresh out of Rank G!¡¹

    ¡¸Regardless, I¡¯m Rank F; therefor, I have the qualifications to participate!¡¹

    ¡¸Also Rank F.¡¹

    ¡¸ ? ¡¹

    The youth, who looked down on Fran, shows a surprised look. It seems that the fact she¡¯s an official Adventurer caught him off guard.

    ¡¸Gyahahahahaha! You? An F Rank? If a small fry like you is F Rank, then I¡¯m an A Rank!¡¹

    It seems that this guy knows his limits enough not to say S Rank.

    ¡¸Oi, oi. Are those guys seriously F Rank? Adventurers Ranks sure are easy to advance, huh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well, they¡¯re just scavengers in the end.¡¹

    ¡¸I registered just to link my experience in myst job, but it seems like I¡¯ll have an easier time advancing than I thought!¡¹

    Are these guys former mercenaries? ording to what I¡¯ve heard, there was a war in a neighboring country that ended earlier than expected. Because of that, mercenaries sprung up in vast quantities.

    Although, looking at their Status, they don¡¯t amount to much. Even though it¡¯s like that, how can they brag so much?

    ¡¸Heheheh. You, don¡¯t you have something good the©`re?¡¹

    ¡¸Ohh? That¡¯s a pretty good sword¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hand it over for a little.¡¹

    They have sharp eyes to hone in on me. Well, any points they gained were lost when they put their hand forward, though. The deduction mainly came from theirck of risk management abilities.

    The young man who was involved with Fran only a moment ago felt a sudden chill and jumped back with goosebumps. It was a wise reaction. He must have sensed the bloodlust that Fran¡¯s giving off. Inparison, the mercenaries continue to reach their arms towards me with vulgar faces.

    ¡¸Nn-¡¹

    ¡¸You guys, that¡¯s enough!¡¹

    Right before Fran makes her move, Donna steps in between her and the mercenaries¡­ And scolds them.

    ¡¸Seriously, you damn fools! Don¡¯t cause an unnecessary uproar right before we head out!¡¹

    ¡¸No, we weren¡¯t¡­¡­¡¹

    As expected, they¡¯re still able to sense the overpowering sense of intimidation given off by Donna. Their faces became stiff.

    ¡¸No excuses; I saw all of it. Still, we need to be at our best to exterminate the Goblins! That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll overlook it this time.¡¹

    In the meantime, Fran looses interest in the men and withdraws her bloodlust before walking away. I judged that it would be better not to stand out any more than this, so I instructed her to do so. The Adventurer from before, however, makes aint about Fran behind us.

    ¡¸You ¡ª Instructor Donnadorondo just came and helped you, aren¡¯t you going to give your thanks?!¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! That¡¯s only natural, seeing that the youngdy isn¡¯t the one I helped!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha?¡¹

    ¡¸I couldn¡¯t have our fighting potential decreased right before we left, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸ ??? ¡¹

    Only Donna knows just how dangerous Fran is. Still, even Fran knows how bad it would be to reduce our forces right before the battle in the heat of the moment. Probably. Well, even if she went overboard, we¡¯d be able to work it out with recovery magic one way or another.

    ¡ºThere might be a couple of aftereffects, though¡­¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s do our best exterminating Goblins as usual.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Of course.¡¹

    Note:

    Definitely a reference to Lonberk from Dragon Quest. I know, because the censor moves in the next line, revealing the previously-missing character to finish off the name. (¥í¥ó¥Ù©–¥¯ & ¥í¥ó©–¥ë¥¯ = ¥í¥ó¥Ù¥ë¥¯)

 Chapter 34: Goblin Subjugation - Outbreak of war

    <h4>Chapter 34: Goblin Subjugation - Outbreak of war</h4>

    ¡¸It¡¯s a Goblin!¡¹

    The lookout raised a shout.

    Using the materials we brought, we should have been in the middle of building a rudimentary base in front of the dungeon right now.

    However, from the entrance of the dungeon a Goblin seemed to appear. We had taken out the Goblin patrols in the vicinity to prevent a sudden rush, but it seems we fell behind schedule because of it.

    ¡¸Teacher, there.¡¹

    ¡ºOi, construction of the base isn¡¯t even finished yet. Ah¡­ It¡¯s turned into aplete melee, huh¡­¡»

    The Adventures and Hobgoblins were fighting all jumbled together. In such a state, throwingrge area fire spells into the mix was out of the question. The Adventurers on the other side seemed to be fighting with Donna as their center.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going.¡¹

    ¡ºOk. But before storming the dungeon, we should thin out the ones outside. If the Adventures got annihted I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep easy.¡»

    ¡¸Teacher doesn¡¯t sleep.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a metaphor, a metaphor!¡»

    Fran unsheathed me and started running. First, she headed to the ones fallen into crisis: the novices. Without stopping her run, she mowed down her opponents happily. As for surprise attacks from the rear, they only numbered 1.

    ¡¸Weak.¡¹

    ¡ºEven if it¡¯s a Hobgoblin, by itself, it isn¡¯t that strong.¡»

    For now, the status of the specimens that we defeated were like this:

    Race : Hobgoblin Swordsman : Evil Beast : Demonic Beast Lv.8

    HP: 69¡¡MP: 38¡¡STR: 34¡¡END: 33¡¡AGI: 25¡¡DEX: 23¡¡INT: 19¡¡WIS: 19

    Skills:

    Coercion :Lv1, Evasion :Lv1, Sword Techniques :Lv1, Sword Arts :Lv3, Leadership :Lv1, Instantaneous Movement :Lv2, Cooperation :Lv2, Vigor Maniption

    They¡¯re almost the same as a Goblin King, but with a slightly weaker status. As for skills, the experience-rich Kings have more versatile ones, but these Hobgoblins have the Cooperation skill. Fighting arge group would be troublesome indeed.

    The rubbish mercenaries that picked a quarrel with Fran before the departure were already lying dead on the ground as proof of this. Being eager for achievements, they seem have gone too far ahead, granting themselves wounds that cover their entire bodies. Even at a nce, it¡¯s obvious that they can¡¯t be saved. Against foes with Cooperation, even if they¡¯re small fry, plunging into them head-first would obviously end like that.

    Fran doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed, or, if they were truly unfortunate, she may have simply forgotten about them already.

    ¡¸Ha©`!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s an all you can eat!¡»

    While Fran swung me, I fired invisible attacks like Aura?de into the surroundings, cutting down Hobgoblins while trying not to attract attention to myself.

    ¡¸Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously, this cute little girl is ¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Who ¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸No way ¨D¨D!¡¹

    Oh, thed from before is still here. Without overdoing it, he¡¯s been fighting steadily. Now, while being too surprised at Fran¡¯s figure, he fell for a moment and got himself into a pinch. He was saved by a senior, though.

    The other C and D rank Adventurers are frantically holding the entrance of the cave, so Adventurers with insufficient strength are closer to the base. Therefore, the Hobgoblins attention was naturally directed at the peerless being: Fran.

    ¡¸Big catch.¡¹

    ¡ºThey keep oning from the sides, huh. It¡¯s good that we¡¯re alleviating the strain on the other Adventurers, but¡­¡»

    As for myself, I have to restrain from absorbing magic stones here. If it bes known that the magic stones from the Hobgoblins that Fran defeated are all missing, various troubles might ur.

    Therefore, I¡¯m verifying their Skills one by one with Appraisal, and only absorbing the magic stones from Hobgoblins that have Skills I absolutely want.

    ¡ºNow it should be fine, right? Quickly, let¡¯s break into the dungeon.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    If it¡¯s inside the dungeon, then I can absorb magic stones without minding the people around us; I can just hide the evidence by stowing away the enemies¡¯ corpses.

    Fran moves towards the dungeon. At the entrance, people and Goblins are fighting, all tightly packed together.

    ¡¸ording to reports: Cave Type.¡¹

    Dungeons have various categories, including Labyrinth Type, Cave Type and Nature Type. Cave Type is often seen in recently-created dungeons. Traps are almost nonexistent, but in exchange there seem to be many that haveplex structures ¡ª almost resembling an ant nest.

    ording to the Conjurers who used disposable Familiars to scout, there were nothing resembling traps on the inside. For therge amounts of goblinsing and going traps would be a hindrance after all.

    There was no talk about any kind of special rooms, either. About these ¡®special rooms¡¯, they¡¯re essentially areas with peculiar effects such as sealing Transfer, sealing Recovery, or absorbing Magical Power. If they¡¯re entered without noticing the difference between them and normal rooms, there¡¯s a high risk of total annihtion. The ones that seemed to have ways to detect the difference concluded that there weren¡¯t any such ces here.

    For us, this was good news. Without having to mind traps of any sort, being able to focus purely on battle is great.

    ¡ºForward!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYahoo©`!¡»

    Fran crossed over the wall established at the cave entrance by the Adventurers by running through the air. Donna, who saw the spectacle, was astonished. With round eyes he looked up to her. Oioi, if Fran had a skirt on then he¡¯d be guilty, right?

    ¡¸That was¡­ Aerial Jump?! Isn¡¯t that supposed to be a Sky Knight¡¯s unique skill?!¡¹

    Ha? Is this¡­ Slightly bad?

    ¡ºSky Knights? Judging from the name, it gives the impression of a fairly high ranked job¡­¡»

    Sky Knight, huh¡­ How highly ranked is that upation, I wonder. Depending on the answer, the use of Aerial Jump might be barred in front of others. At any rate, it¡¯s rted to the ¡°sky ¡±. Seems strong.

    ¡¸Teacher, toote.¡¹

    ¡ºMu¡­¡­ Is that so?¡»

    Well, Fran has a point there¡­ Or rather, from now on such things will happen from time to time, so hiding everything might be meaningless in the end. If that¡¯s the case, maybe it¡¯s better to have identally used it while bing serious.

    ¡¸Aside from that: Goblins.¡¹

    ¡ºOops, that¡¯s right.¡»

    ¡¸Teacher uses magic. Afternding, I¡¯ll finish them.¡¹

    ¡ºUnderstood.¡»

    Fran uses Floating, ascending even higher. Matching that, I invoked Tri?Explosion.

    *DOdoDOon!*

    The crowd of Hobgoblins in the vicinity of the entrance were blown away all at once. The explosion ended up creating a smoke screen in front of Donna, but even with that, with Hobgoblins as his opponents, he has the power to kill them with a single strike. Frannded and without a moment¡¯s dy attacked the routed enemies.

    ¡¸Sonic?Wave!¡¹

    Lv5 Sword Art: Sonic Wave. It¡¯s an art that releases a shockwave, so it was a good choice for knocking down the clustered group of Hobgoblins.

    ¡¸Chance.¡¹

    With the number of Goblins at the cave entrance diminished, Fran rushed in with a *woosh*.

    ¡¸Wait! Only Rank D Adventurers and above should be entering the dungeon!¡¹

    We knew that, of course. However, in order to have no one hinder us from entering despite that, we went and acted before they could give out any orders. Donna and the others were still fighting against the Hobgoblins, after all.

    ¡¸Sheet-! Go, chase after the little miss!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah yer right. Normally it¡¯s ¡®ye reap what ya sow¡¯, but lettin¡¯ such a tiny girl die just don¡¯t sit right.¡¹

    ¡¸You idiot! It¡¯s got nothing to do with that!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha?¡¹

    ¡¸If left alone, that little miss will take all the sweet spots!¡¹

    ¡¸No way, that little girl will?¡¹

    ¡¸That Aerial Jump from before, and even the Magic she just cast¡­! When you¡¯re thinking about that little miss, ignore her outward appearance ¡ª think of her as a remarkably skilled Adventurer wearing the skin of a child !¡¹

    In regards to the raw materials after the fight¡¯s been all mopped up, the Guild splits them equally among all of the Adventurers involved (after taking a cut for itself, of course). However, you¡¯re permitted to keep the loot for yourself if you defeat something alone, and ce the corpse inside of your item bag.

    In other words, the more you defeat, the more you earn. That seems to be a measure put in ce to increase the motivation of the Adventurers, but depending on the situation I¡¯d think that it could cause quarrels and reckless delving¡­ Like how we delved into the Dungeon at our own convenience.

    ¡¸Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºThis is¡­¡­ A clump of experience points!¡»

    Within the dungeon, the Hobgoblins are packed like sardines.

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡ºOu! re?st!¡»

    Lv1 ze Magic: re?st. It¡¯s a magic where a wave of heat is formed by converging mes. Its range isn¡¯t particrly wide, but it¡¯s far more powerful than Fire Magic.

    *KyUUUin¨D¨DBoBoOn!*

    The heat ray pierced the goblins, and the shock wave mowed down any of the remaining ones. When firing this magic in a narrow space like a cave, its power is tremendous.

    Once again, Fran plunged forward.

    ¡ºWe bought a Transfer Feather using the money we had on-hand, so let¡¯s go as far as we can!¡»

    Note:

    ¡®Sky¡¯ can also mean ¡®Heaven¡¯. (Ìì)

    This is essentially the expression ¡®a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing¡¯ with ¡®child¡¯ instead of ¡®wolf¡¯. In Japanese ¡®clothing¡¯ is usually subbed out with ¡®skin¡¯, too.

 Chapter 35: Goblin Subjugation - Storming in

    <h4>Chapter 35: Goblin Subjugation - Storming in</h4>

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gukya-!¡¹

    ¡ºFire?Javelin!¡»

    I scatter spells with short chanting times, shaving down the numbers of goblins. Fran cleans up the approaching goblins missed by my barrage. Together, we are cooperating well.

    We didn¡¯t end up stowing away all the corpses, either. If we didn¡¯t leave behind a share for the guysing inter, it would only incur more enmity than necessary. Moreover, the limit of our storing space isn¡¯t yet grasped. If the time came that we couldn¡¯t store any more, it would be quite unpleasant. However, all corpses whose magic stones I absorbed, we made sure to collect.

    I use Appraisal duringbat, checking our opponent¡¯s statuses and briefly identifying their skills. If I find one with anything useful, then their magic stone is cut through, as to absorb it before its corpse is stowed away. The bodies are stored to destroy the evidence. Once the process is finished, I put Appraisal back to work on those that aren¡¯t cut down yet.

    Repeating the above over and over again, I¡¯ve be strangely adept at using Thought Division. Now, casting two spells withrge chants at once is possible. Since spell chants need considerable concentration, I had thought that even with Thought Division, 2 simultaneous arias would be impossible, and yet¡­

    As expected, hard-to-use skills need practice to fully master them, or else their true potential can¡¯t be disyed.

    ¡ºHahahaha, Fire?Javelin x2!¡»

    Nearly 20 mences pour down on the Hobgoblin crowd at my shout.

    ¡¸Teacher: amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºBefore long, Fran will be able to do this as well!¡»

    ¡¸Gives headache. Ki©`n ¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s a feeling I don¡¯t know, so~¡»

    Thanks to the fact that I don¡¯t have a brain, I don¡¯t get things like headaches. It¡¯s likely because of that that I have a higherpatibility with Thought Division, too. There¡¯s also the possibility that I¡¯m having an easier time because I have the Sorcery skill.

    ¡¸While fighting: aiming for lower grade spell arias.¡¹

    ¡ºMy next target is chanting different spells simultaneously.¡»

    ¡¸Do your best.¡¹

    ¡ºOu. Leave it to me.¡»

    Fortunately, we don¡¯t have to worry about running out of sparring partners here.

    Just like that, with Fran continuing to be peerless, we pushed deeper into the dungeon.

    Just in case, I had used Echolocation to investigate the topography of the cave, but at Lv.1 no detailed information could be gained. Given that, Presence, Vibration and Heat Perception are being used to head towards areas with a high number of Hobgoblins.

    ¡¸Teacher, found stairs.¡¹

    ¡ºSo it had a second floor¡­¡»

    The second floor seems to be just like the first. Maybe it was made simply because the density of Hobgoblins increased?

    Well, either way, it¡¯s good for me. I¡¯ll be able to gather even more Skills, after all.

    ¡¸Teacher, there.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, that¡¯s¡­ A treasure chest!¡»

    At a dead end, an enshrined chest stands alone. It¡¯s made out of old looking wood, and is around the size of a microwave. Its metal fittings are covered in rust, giving it a certain charm.

    ¡ºHm, hm! This is the ultimate charm of dungeons! Right!¡»

    ¡¸Teacher asionally bes like this.¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha! So, what now? Open it? How do we unlock it?¡»

    ¡¸Possibly a trap.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm. That¡¯s right¡»

    Well, in my case that¡¯s no problem. If I use Telekinesis, then it can be opened from a remote location.

    ¡ºFran, take some distance.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºNow, let¡¯s open it!¡»

    *GiGii¡­¡­*

    *Hyun!*

    From inside the treasure chest, a single arrow flies out. If someone opened it by hand, the arrow would have passed right through the middle of their head.

    ¡ºSo, it was an arrow trap.¡»

    ¡¸Clich¨¦.¡¹

    ¡ºNow then, shall we see what¡¯s inside?¡»

    ¡¸Excited.¡¹

    Inside of the chest was¡­ A small ck stone.

    The result of Appraisal was that it¡¯s a¡ºPocket Heating Stone¡». It¡¯s a body-warmer type magical tool that seems to emit a scarce amount of heat when it¡¯s charged with magical power.

    In town, it would probably go for around 1,000 Gorudo. Maybe a freshly made dungeon only has things like this?

    ¡¸Dull.¡¹

    With a flop, Fran¡¯s cat ears hung t. Truly, a disappointment.

    ¡ºFor gold and silver treasures or strong magic items, it seems that we¡¯ll have to wait until arge dungeon¡»

    ¡¸Nn. At least: experience earned.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the spirit! Let¡¯s keep going!¡»

    Afterwards, as if to release her disappointment, Fran went into an even more peerless state against the Hobgoblins. Before I noticed it, it reached the point that Hobgoblins started to flee as soon as they saw Fran¡¯s small figure. Maybe information about her spread? Well, even so, Fran chased the fleeing Hobgoblins and finished them with a single strike to their backs.

    The King and Queen also ended up being easily hunted down. Even if they¡¯re said to be somewhat strong, in the end they¡¯re only Hobgoblins. With this, is themission consideredplete? The cave keeps on going, though¡­

    ¡ºShouldn¡¯t the end be around here?¡»

    ¡¸More ahead.¡¹

    ¡ºCould the Dungeon Master be ahead¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Going while possible.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s keep going!¡»

    Like that, we continued pushing further into the second floor until we discovered a gate.

    ¡¸Big door.¡¹

    ¡ºIs it a boss atst? Just in case, let¡¯s ready the Feather of Return.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    *Gigigiii¡­*

    Using my Telekinesis to push open the gate, the door slowly opens while making a creaking sound. Beyond it is a somewhat wide room, and inside is¡­ Nothing? No, there¡¯re tiny presences of demonic beasts. Maybe they¡¯re Insect types?

    ¡ºDon¡¯t lose focus, get it?¡»

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    *Batan!*

    Ooh! Suddenly the gate closed. Maybe it¡¯s one of those. ¡®A door that won¡¯t open back up until you defeat the boss¡¯ type of trap.

    ¡ºBut weren¡¯t we told that there weren¡¯t any traps?¡»

    ¡¸Imprisoned?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, calm down.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s alight. Just need to defeat everything. Nothing changed. No problem.¡¹

    Right, Fran has nerves of steel after all.

    *BuBuBuBuBuuu*

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºSeems that they¡¯reing.¡»

    Gushing into the room, insect type demonic beasts with green carapaces appeared. Sprouting horns, they looked like softball-sizeddybugs. However, on the other side, a Giant Isopod-looking insect appears. Extremely disgusting.

    Race: Army Beetle Leader : Cmity insect : Demonic beast Lv5

    HP: 8 MP: 20 STR: 4 END: 3 AGI: 22 DEX: 11 INT: 5 MGC: 12

    Skills:

    Wind Magic Lv.1, Summon Kin Lv.5, Leadership Lv.1, Cooperation Lv.1, Acid Fang

    Race: Army Beetle : Cmity insect : Demonic beast Lv2

    HP: 6 MP: 10 STR: 3 END: 3 AGI: 20 DEX: 10 INT: 2 MGC: 4

    Skills:

    Hardening Lv.1, Acid Fang

    Race: Army Beetle Medic : Cmity insect : Demonic beast Lv4

    HP: 10 MP: 15 STR: 1 END: 7 AGI: 20 DEX: 10 INT: 4 MGC: 8

    Skills:

    Recovery Magic Lv.2, Acid Fang

    Race: Army Beetle Shooter : Cmity insect : Demonic beast Lv4

    HP: 3 MP: 18 STR: 2 END: 2 AGI: 20 DEX: 10 INT: 3 MGC: 10

    Skills:

    Wind Magic Lv.3, Acid Fang

    They¡¯re small fry, but their number is no joke: they easily surpass 100. Not only that, the leader has Summon Kin. If it¡¯s not immediately destroyed, it¡¯ll have a snowballing effect.

    ¡¸Interesting.¡¹

    It seems Fran is already firmly walking the path of a battle junkie. Thrusting herself into the army of disgusting insects, she joyfully started to fight. As for me, I keep using Telekinesis to seal the movement of the insects as assistance.

    If they¡¯re this small, even Telekinesis at its lowest output could prevent their movement. When the opponents arerger, it¡¯s more efficient to just throw the usual spells, but¡­

    ¡¸Sh! Haaa!¡¹

    After stopping their movements, Fran pierces their magic stones. For once, an unusual demonic beast has appeared, so we¡¯ve left behind about half of the materials to be collected.

    The most troublesome ones are the Shooter¡¯s Wind Magic, but its power is exceedingly weak. On top of that, their MP is low, so they run out after shooting only a couple of times. Honestly, it¡¯s nothing more than a distraction in the end.

    The Leaders keeps summoning subordinates one after the other, but that¡¯s more of a reward rather than a punishment. The magic stones just keep piling up.

    30 minutester, on the other side of the gate, the presences of several people appeared.

    ¡¸Sheet! It won¡¯t open!¡¹

    Donna and the others seem to have arrived.

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s end this.¡»

    ¡¸Bonus stage¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºNow, now. I feel the same, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    That marked the beginning of the extermination. In rapid session, Fire Magic and wide ranged Sword Techniques were released one after another. It was finished in no time at all. Not evensting 5 minutes, the ~200 remaining bugs were obliterated.

    Before anyone noticed, my Wind Magic had risen to Lv.7. That¡¯s just how many magic stones were absorbed.

    *Gashan*

    ¡ºHuh? That side opened?¡»

    The gate that Donna¡¯s group was intensely striking against remained shut just like before. Instead, a gate hidden in the wall of the opposing side opened.

    ¡¸Amazingly strong magical power.¡¹

    ¡ºThis strength of magical power¡­ It must be equal to a C rank demonic beast ¡ª no, even higher.¡»

    From the opponents I¡¯vee across until now, the one with the strongest magical power was the gluttonous Slime Lord. The magical powering from beyond the gate, however, exceeds it.

    ¡ºNo way¡­ For a recently created dungeon to have a being with such high magical power¡­¡»

    ¡¸Itching to fight.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, this time the enemy is really dangerous. We have to prepare properly.¡»

    Antideath , status raising series, regeneration, invalidation of status abnormalities at fixed intervals and so on. Having put on as many buffs as possible, we enter the room.

    Note:

    Not sure what this sound effect is for, but I¡¯m thinking that it has something to do with the ringing one would hear when experiencing a headache.

 Chapter 36: Goblin Subjugation - Demon

    <h4>Chapter 36: Goblin Subjugation - Demon</h4>

    Whaty beyond the gate waspletely different than the cave we were in up until now. When we entered, we were surrounded by walls made of stone bricks; it was what would be called ¡®an unnatural room¡¯.

    ¡¸Yo, yo! Our first guest! Wee!¡¹

    Uun, a character fitting the title of an evil older brother floats in the air. His skin is ck like tar, two bat-like wings sprout from his back, and horns sit atop its head. Truly, it was an appearance filled with the air of intimidation. It¡¯s just¡­ His delinquent-like behaviour spoils it all. Its scariness is cut by half¡­

    Well, let¡¯s use Appraisal.

    Race: Demon : Fiend : Demonic Beast Lv.30

    HP: 1900 MP: 2409 STR: 720 END: 798 AGI: 775 DEX: 658 INT: 882 MGC: 1108

    Skills:

    Digging Lv.3, Darkness Magic Lv.4, Coercion Lv.4, Transportation Lv.2, Panic Lv.4, Sword Techniques Lv.5, Sword Arts Lv.5, Abnormal Status Resistance Lv.7, Soil Magic Lv.7, Climbing Lv.1, Poison Magic Lv.7, Magic Barrier Lv.6, Dark Magic Lv.Max, Cooking Lv.1, Darkness Reinforcement, Darkness Immunity, Night Vision, Automatic MP Recovery, Maniption Immunity, Skin hardening, MGC ¡ü Low, Strength ¡ü Low

    Extra Skills:

    Skill Taker Lv.6

    Titles:

    Demon Count

    Equipment:

    Demonic Shadow-Steel Longsword

    Exnation: Only summoned by Dungeon Masters, this being is native to Dungeons. Followers of the God of Chaos, theirbat prowess is exceedingly high, with their lowest Threat Level at C. The existence of individuals reaching level S has been confirmed. During the summons, for the sake of increasing the abilities of the dungeon master, it''s abilities are extremely varied.

    Magic Stone Location: Heart

    ¡ºA Demon, huh¡­¡»

    It¡¯s too strong. Its Status exceeds 1000. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this.

    Darkness Magic:

    The superior version of Dark Magic. It rules over darkness, shadow, poison and death.

    Panic:

    Causes the abnormal mental state to those who are subject to its user¡¯s sight.

    Magic Barrier: By consuming magical power, a barrier resistant to both physical and magical attacks can be created.

    Skill Taker:

    After meeting certain conditions, this skill allows the user to steal skills from the target.

    Uwa, his skills are also full of troublesome ones.

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s a terrible opponent. If you lose focus it¡¯ll be an instant death!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Having absorbed magical power from the goblins and army beetles, my MP is almost full. My skills and spells can be used as much as desired, and yet¡­ Our victory is far from assured against the opponent in front of us. It¡¯s overwhelming to that extent. As to be usable at any moment, I have the Feather of Return prepared at all times.

    ¡¸Hah! Quite determined, aint¡¯cha? Good! Even if I¡¯m fightin¡¯ a brat I won¡¯t show mercy, got it?! You came here to clear the dungeon, after all!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, Demon! What the hell are you doing?! Quickly, dispose of that¡­ That thing!¡¹

    Hm? Looking closer, on the other side of the room is a Goblin. Only¡­ It¡¯s different from normal goblins. It¡¯s speaking words fluently, too.

    Race: Rare Goblin : Evil Beast : Demonic Beast : Dungeon Master Lv.11

    HP: 25 MP: 131 STR: 12 END: 12 AGI: 13 DEX: 7 INT: 44 MGC: 13

    Skills:

    Digging Lv.2, Summon Kin Lv.5, Club Arts Lv.2, Talk from the Heart Lv.2, Taming Lv.2, Ambition Lv.1

    Equipment:

    Evergreen Oak Club, Leather robe, Substitute Bracelet

    It¡¯s small fry-ish, but it certainly seems to be the dungeon master. Then, that thing shining in the cavity of the wall is the dungeon core? Which makes this the deepest part of the dungeon?

    Well, in the end it¡¯s just a small fry. Did this fellow really enve a demon?

    Goblins and Beetles I can understand. They¡¯re adequate subordinates for such a weakling¡­ But isn¡¯t this demon far too big a jump? Maybe it¡¯s because of a special ability given to dungeon masters? If it had a specific ability to enve demons, that would be interesting. Still, I¡¯m not able to identify a skill which is capable of that.

    Another regrettable thing, it doesn¡¯t seem to have any skills to manipte the dungeon. Most likely, the dungeon is changed through the dungeon core. That¡¯d have to be it, given that there aren¡¯t any rted skills belonging to the so-called dungeon master.

    ¡¸Shut it! I¡¯ll properly get rid a¡¯ the intruders so just simmer down!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it¡­! I invested all the GP I had into the Monster Lottery, drawing an extremely rare, supremely ranked Demon and yet¡­! Why won¡¯t it listen to my orders?! Rrrgh¡­ and even in spite of being a skill-user type, its eager to fight head-on!¡¹

    Wah, that¡¯s one unbelievable exposition-speech¡­ But thanks to it, all has be clear. As for the Goblin¡¯s question, the demon has the Control Immunity skill, and so it doesn¡¯t seem to ept the dungeon master¡¯s control.

    ¡¸How could someone have reached all the way here¡­! What about my handpicked elites?!¡¹

    ¡¸Weren¡¯t they done in? They were only goblins, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸By such inferior creatures as humans, there is no way that my army corps of goblins, the supreme creatures, could be defeated!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes. You¡¯re right~¡¹

    ¡¸Regardless, I order you to crush that guy!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d do that even without your order, y¡¯know? They seem t¡¯ be pretty tough.¡¹

    Saying so, the demon unsheathed his sword.

    ¡¸Since this guy¡¯s bein¡¯ noisy¡­ Let¡¯s go?¡¹

    Like that, the demon closed in with a thrust. In spite of his magic skills being higher, he himself came in for close-quarterbat. What an ultra-belligerent guy! Looks like he would get along well with Fran.

    ¡¸Oraa!¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    *Giiin! Gakii!*

    ¡¸Haha! You¡¯ve got a good sword t¡¯ be able to exchange blows with this one!¡¹

    Name : Demonic Shadow-Steel Longsword

    ATK: 561 + 450 MP: 56 Durability: 1000

    Magical Power Conductivity?C+

    Skills:

    Return to the Shadows

    The magical power conductivity is high. It seems like it¡¯s already d in magical power, and its ATK surpasses 1,000. Furthermore, due to the skill Return to the Shadows, even if it¡¯s thrown it¡¯ll return to the demon¡¯s hand.

    On this side, we expended about 500 MP to raise my ATK . Like that, we could exchange blows but¡­

    ¡¸Tsk, so your sword¡¯s superior, huh? Then, how ¡®bout this?!¡¹

    ¡¸? ¡ª Ku¡­!¡¹

    Just when he disappeared from sight, the bastard suddenly appeared from behind.

    Not good! Fran¡¯s left arm waspletely severed. Large quantities of blood have started gushing out, and her the HP just keeps decreasing.

    ¡ºWhat happened¡­?!¡»

    With Telekinesis, I recovered Frans left arm and pressed the two cross-sections together. Then, in a hurry, I chanted Greater?Heal. With that, the small amount of flesh lost regrows ¡ª it¡¯s Lv.1 Healing Magic after all. Something like rejoining a lost limb is easy.

    ¡¸Oh? So you even have the Telekinesis skill? And usin¡¯ that level of Recovery Magic, too! Are you perhaps a Magic Swordsman?¡¹

    The demon wasughing, but on this side it was noughing matter.

    ¡ºThat move just now¡­ What was that?¡»

    Once again, the demon¡¯s figure suddenly vanishes. Then, not a momentter, it attacks from the rear.

    ¡ºFran! Are you alright?!¡»

    ¡¸Al¡­right.¡¹

    ¡¸Oraora!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸So, you can already receive it! You¡¯ve got some good reflexes!¡¹

    No matter how you look at it, he seems to simply vanish. Teleportation? But he shouldn¡¯t have a skill capable of such a thing. Then, perhaps magic? Dark Magic, or maybe Darkness Magic¡­?

    ¡¸Ora!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    As expected, that¡¯s it. Just now, when the demon transferred, magical power leaked out of his shadow. Then, he reappeared from Fran¡¯s shadow. It¡¯s a transfer magic that utilizes shadows.

    If the trick is known, then dealing with it is possible. We¡¯re able to properly grasp the moment before he reappears now as proof.

    ¡¸Hyahaa- Ga-!¡¹

    ¡¸Too cocky!¡¹

    ¡¸Kahaha, that¡¯s the way to go! You¡¯ve already figured out the trick, huh?¡¹

    Tsk. To think he had this much lee-way. That strike that cut open his nk had Vibration Fang and Demonic Poison Fang added, but even with those¡­

    ¡¸Ah? Poison? To poison me with something surpassing my Abnormal Status Resistance¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s the way!¡¹

    Yes, yes. Freaking battle junkie!

    Demonic Poison. It falls short of the effects of Sovereign Poison and Deadly Poison, but it should still do more than an ordinary poison. And yet, because of this guy¡¯s Automatic Recovery skill , its effects are essentially nonexistent.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s aim for his vitals with a direct attack.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Our advantages in this fight are that the enemy is still taking us lightly, and that my existence has still gone unnoticed.

    I haven¡¯t been attacking openly, after all. Secretly, I¡¯ve kept on assisting while keeping the Feather of Return ready for us to escape at all times.

    ¡¸Haaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Hyahaha!¡¹

    Once again the furious sword fight continues.

    *pka¨D!*

    Then, during the fight, something glittered around the two. Immediately following, from inside of the light, Hobgoblins emerged. How many? 4.

    ¡¸GO, servants of mine! Kill the intruder!¡¹

    It was the dungeon masters doing. Summoning Hobgoblins here is¡­ More than out of ce, I can only say it¡¯s astounding.

    As should be expected, Fran and the Demon¡¯s fight is immensely dangerous, and incredibly fast-paced. The Hobgoblins could only stand there,pletely unable to interfere.

    ¡¸What are you doing, quickly, get in there!¡¹

    On the dungeon master¡¯smand, a Hobgoblin resolved itself and approached the circle ofbat¡­

    ¡¸Get lost!¡¹

    And was immediately bisected by the demon¡¯s sword. At the same time, one more was in by Fran.

    ¡¸What are you doing?! They¡¯re allies!¡¹

    ¡¸Such sheetty small fry¡¯d do nothin¡¯ but get in the way! Just when it got good, too- vanish!¡¹

    Throwing a ck ball of light, the demon blew away the remaining, pitiful Hobgoblins and sent them to heaven.

    Angry and humiliated, the dungeon master quietly trembled where he stood. Looking at him, one could even pity him a little. Unrted to such a miserable dungeon master, Fran¡¯s battle was getting more furious by the second.

    Inside of the stone hall, only the sound of swords shing could be heard.

    ¡¸Hah, this is fun! Oi! Still, goin¡¯ like this it¡¯s clear ¡ª yeah, crystal clear!¡¹

    Shouting so, the demon repelled me greatly before taking a small distance away from Fran.

    Just what is he nning?

    ¡¸Now, it¡¯s time to settle this! First, I¡¯ll be taking yourbat power!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºCrap, it¡¯s his Extra Skill!¡»

    ¡¸Hyahahaha! Eat this! Skill Taker!¡¹

    Note:

    [M1] It¡¯s ¡®™Ä§²®¾ô¡¯ (Demon Count/Earl), but my understanding of the hierarchy is King¡úDuke¡úEarl¡úCount¡úBaron¡úKnight, so I¡¯m going with Count (seeing as the demon doesn¡¯t have the behavior fitting for a high-noble type demon)

    [E1] It¡¯s ÐÄÔ’ here, which is literally ¡®Heart Talk¡¯. Searching it up, I found that it¡¯s something akin to a heart-to-heart¡­ I think. If anyone has a better suggestion, feel free.

    [M2] E was 5%, C- was 70%, A was 200%, so a C+ should be around 100%. The demon put in 450 MP or 15-20% of his total MP, in other words.

    [M3] He should be around 1400 ATK.

    [M4] Healing M. Lv.1 derives from Recovery M. Lv10, so its the superior version. For all those like me having a hard time remembering it.

    [E2] The Demon doesn¡¯t have any sort of HP recovery Skill, but this is what Shisho says, so¡­ *shrug* (Å«¤Î³Ö¤Ä×Ô„Ó»ØÍ¥¹¥­¥ë¤Î¤»¤¤¤Ç)

 Chapter 37: Goblin Subjugation - Conclusion

    <h4>Chapter 37: Goblin Subjugation - Conclusion</h4>

    ¡¸Eat this! Skill Taker!¡¹

    The demon shouted this while pushing his hand forward.

    ¡ºKu-! He got us!¡»

    Just like the name implies, it¡¯s a skill to steal an opponent¡¯s skill. The demon hadn¡¯t used it at all during the fight, so I hade to the conclusion that it had some sort of difficult condition to invoke ¡ª like ¡®must be touching the opponent¡¯ or ¡®must invoke over a long period of time¡¯! But in the end, it¡¯s merely shouting and pointing!

    For it to be feasible to invoke it with just that¡­! With a shout brimming with confidence to that degree, it can only be assumed that the invocation condition was fulfilled.

    He said that he would steal Fran¡¯sbat power, so did he take Sword Arts and Sword Techniques? Just when I had raised those skills with great troubles¡­! Having to raise them a second time is¡­ ¡ª No, rather than that, if Swords Techniques is taken right now, our death is almost assured!

    ¡ºTsk, depending on the case, we¡¯ll have to use the Feather of Return!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    The demon, still standing with his hand outstretched, didn¡¯t move. Fran also didn¡¯t look as though anything happened.

    ¡­ Huh?

    ¡º¡­¡­ Fran, are you alright?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk! It failed, huh!¡¹

    Lucky. Somehow it seems to have failed. So maybe its sess isn¡¯t always certain?

    Well, our situation is a bit unique, too. The skills Fran¡¯s using aren¡¯t her own, they¡¯re mine. In other words, they¡¯re the ¡®equipped weapon¡¯s¡¯ special-ability category Skills. Even if a plundering-series skill is directed at Fran, it¡¯s possible that the Skills won¡¯t be stolen from her equipment.

    ¡¸This damn- Rrrg! Can¡¯t do anything about it if it didn¡¯t work. In that case, eat this! Darkness?Vortex!¡¹

    Looking angry, the demon fired off Darkness Magic. It¡¯s a huge vortex of darkness that shaves off the ground like a drill while approaching Fran.

    So, he¡¯s started using spells¡­ Looking at his Status, he truly seems like a long distance bombardment type.

    ¡¸Ha©`!¡¹

    And yet, it just can¡¯t hit Fran.

    ¡¸Oi! Once more!¡¹

    ¡¸Ho©`¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    Even if its attack power is high, his attacks are too monotonous. He¡¯s just like the Fran from a short time ago: undoubtedly strong, but with littlebat experience. Well, he has only just been created by the dungeon master.

    ¡¸Dark?Spear!¡¹

    ¡ºFire?Wall!¡»

    ¡¸Darkness?ster!¡¹

    ¡¸Naive.¡¹

    ¡¸RRrrrg! Stop movin¡¯ around!¡¹

    It¡¯s Darkness Magic, so it should really have a bunch of diabolical spells attacking the opponent¡¯s weak points¡­ But this is several times more detestable. They¡¯re nothing but one-hit kill spells.

    In this match, Fran is at a disadvantage. After all, the amount of brute strength between the two is too big. Our attacks can¡¯t attain a decisive blow, while this guy¡¯s all bring certain death.

    Gradually, the times that Fran speaks decrease. It seems our leeway is being lost. Should we flee now?

    It¡¯s just¡­ We still haven¡¯t raised any considerable aplishments. By running wild in the Dungeon, we managed to cut down the number of goblins. Because of that, I think the objective of preventing them from going towards the town has been achieved¡­ But originally, that would have been done by the C and D rank Adventurers.

    And so, that brings us to this demon. If only something could be done about this guy, it¡¯d be the same as capturing this dungeon. Even if it¡¯s been decided that we¡¯ll escape, for Donna¡¯s group who will be fighting this guyter, I want to leave a bit more damage on this guy.

    ¡¸ck?Bomb!¡¹

    ¡¸Mu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaa!¡¹

    The demon, after losing its temper, started scattering a bunch of wide-range spells. This is bad. In risk of being swallowed up, even the dungeon master is raising screams. Thankfully, we were saved by the narrow room. Had it been a bigger space, we might have been annihted by a more extensive spell. In here, however, the dungeon master would be dragged into it.

    ¡ºNo, wait!¡»

    I might have stumbled upon a good idea.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s a demonic beast of the dungeon.¡»

    I recall Donna¡¯s exnation. He had exined a couple of things before the departure, but in summary it was stuff along the lines of ¡®the dungeon core can be reused, so don¡¯t destroy it¡¯. At that time, he also gave a rough exnation of the core and its master.

    The dungeon¡¯s nucleus is the dungeon core. If it¡¯s destroyed, the dungeon dies. Any created monsters, alongside the dungeon master, are destroyed in that case. The core is protected by a high density barrier so that half-hearted attacks won¡¯t be able to destroy it, but¡­

    Connected to the dungeon core is the dungeon master. If the master dies, the core supposedly bes dormant.

    More important than that, however, is that if the dungeon master gets annihted, all dungeon monsters bite the dust ¡ª just like when the core is destroyed.

    In other words¡­

    ¡ºIf that goblin gets defeated, the demon also vanishes!¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D Fire?Arrow¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¨D Bastard! That¡¯s cowardly!¡¹

    Seeing the spell fired by Fran, the demon performed a transfer in a state of panic, protecting the Goblin. As expected, my guess was right on the mark.

    The dungeon master has a Scapegoat Bracelet equipped, but in the current situation, it¡¯d use its only revival after an instant death. After that, only the worst course of events would await, so this guy can¡¯t afford to not protect the dungeon master. Even though he isn¡¯t bound by any sort of contract, it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s disconnected from the reality that he is, in the end, a ¡®dungeon monster¡¯.

    ¡¸*niyari* ¡¹

    ¡¸This brat- don¡¯t get conceited!¡¹

    ¡ºFire?Javelin¡»

    ¡¸Seriously? With no chant?!¡¹

    Nope, it¡¯s me using stealthily magic.

    ¡¸Fire?Arrow!¡¹

    ¡ºTri?Explosion!¡»

    ¡¸Fire?Arrow!¡¹

    ¡ºFire?st!¡»

    *Bon, BAN, DogOOn!*

    Firing nonstop spells, the demon ispletely engulfed.

    ¡¸Ku©`!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiiiiiii!¡¹

    If it¡¯s only being grazed by the explosive mes, it¡¯s hard for the dungeon master to die. As long as the demon bastard doesn¡¯t move, we¡¯re at a standstill.

    ¡¸You idiot! It¡¯s ¡®cause of this that I said t¡¯ make mybat area in the room before this one!¡¹

    ¡¸BE QUIET! If you didn¡¯t stay here, then this room¡¯s defensivebat power is lost!¡¹

    This dungeon master is an idiot beyond saving.

    Bit by bit the demon¡¯s HP decreases, but this guy¡¯s magic defense is higher than expected¡­ Like this, our side will run out of magical power first.

    ¡ºFran, change of ns.¡»

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    I continue to cast magic non-stop with double chanting while Fran chants the Wind Magic spell she learned just now.

    Lv.4 Wind magic: Sonic Shooter. In a nutshell, it¡¯s a spell to increase the speed of a thrown object using the power of the wind. Once it¡¯s used, manipting the object¡¯s trajectory is possible to a certain extent.

    ¡¸Ready.¡¹

    ¡ºMh, I¡¯m ready any time.¡»

    ¡¸Ha¨D!¡¹

    ¡ºHyaa©`!¡»

    I¡¯m sent flying on a trajectory circumventing the demon, approaching the Goblin.

    ¡¸What kind of skillful action is©`! Wind magic? Even with that, I won¡¯t let ya!¡¹

    Because of the spellsing from Fran, the demon can¡¯t move imprudently. Therefore, he swung his right arm widely, wanting to knock me down. Even whening at high speeds, the demon seems to be able to perfectly see me, huh¡­

    The demon¡¯s fist draws near, matched up perfectly ¨D¨D¨D and misses.

    ¡¸Wha¨D?! Gaha!!¡¹

    At thest moment, I altered my trajectory with Wind magic and released my amassed telekinesis all in one go. It¡¯s the nostalgic Telekinesis Catapult Attack. With it, I charged towards Demon¡¯s defenseless torso.

    Of course, most of our remaining magical power was transmitted into my de. This was meant to be our final attack, so if it fails the only remaining option is to flee via transfer.

    ¡¸Im¡­poss¡­ible¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºI somehow made it¡­¡»

    Even this demon couldn¡¯t defend against the Telekinesis Catapult given these circumstances. Piercing the demon¡¯s barrier, the tip of my de is buried deep into its chest.

    Still, it gave me a cold sweat when I found its left arm thrust between me and its body. When did it even do that?! Had I been stingy with the conducted magic power, I might have been in a tough spot to pierce that arm¡­ It seems that I took the demon too lightly.

    ¡¸No way¡­ The Demon got ¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸UoOo¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    I had split the magic stone perfectly in two. Now, it was being absorbed into my de.

    ¡¸Gaaaaa¨D¨D¨D!¡¹

    Having his magic stonepletely devoured, the demon raised a dying shriek filled with agony before falling down on the spot. Fuu©` Thank goodness. He didn¡¯t turn into something like silver dust , so I got worried that he might have not been dead, but the raw materials ¡ª or rather, its corpse was properly left behind.

    We won¡¯t stow it away, however. It¡¯s a shame, but I n to pass the body of the demon to the Guild as an apology for rushing ahead. Besides, even if we collected it secretly, it would be difficult to keep hidden. The reason for that is rted to the dungeon core¡¯s system.

    While dormant, the core can be used (with certain limitations) by pouring magical power into it. It¡¯s limited to creating things that it formed while it was alive, but bringing forth Items and Demonic Beasts is possible. With the magical power of humans, nothing great can be summoned, but¡­ Even so, anyone who touches the dungeon core can see the list of things possible to be summoned. In other words, when someone reused this dungeon core, the Demon would end up listed.

    Yeah. Assuming we secretly take the demons raw materials, we¡¯ll definitely be busted. Once that happens, we¡¯re assured to have a massive amount of envy and enmity aimed at us.

    Therefore, we¡¯ve decided to leave the body to the Guild. But first¡­ A small disguise has to be made. With help of an explosion spell, we blow away the area around the Demon¡¯s heart, resulting in arge hole opening up in its chest.

    With this, we can just say that the magic stone was smashed to pieces and vanished due of Fran¡¯s attack. The end. It should work as an excuse for why only the body remained¡­ I hope.

    We could also insist that we¡¯d only be taking the magic stone, but that would mean that Fran¡¯s share would be too big. Doing that would definitely incur the resentment of the other Adventurers. Well, I guess there will be a lot of fellows who won¡¯t believe that we didn¡¯t take it too, but that can¡¯t really be helped. One can¡¯t give what one doesn¡¯t have.

    The Demon¡¯s sword we have honorably received. If it¡¯s this, we might be able to sell it after falsifying its origin. Worst case scenario, we¡¯ll end up breaking it down and selling the materials.

    Ah, while we were at it, we also finished off the dungeon master. To utilize the core, the dungeon master is said to be a hindrance after all. First, we deprived him of the Scapegoat Bracelet, then we vigorously cut him part. Scapegoat Bracelet, GET.

    ¡¸Teacher.¡¹

    Fran pushed her fist into the air, making a victory pose. It was a somewhat cowardly tactic, but she looks happy having beaten a higher ranked opponent.

    [Self Evolution process invoked. 40 Self Evolution Points acquired]

    Alright! As one would expect from a demon¡¯s magic stone.

    From the fighting until now, my magic stone value had been 2599/2800. Now, it was 3099/3600. It ended raising by 500.

    ¡ºWith this, various power ups are possible.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    -Fran¡¯s level has risen ¡ú

    -Fran¡¯s level has ¡ú

    -Fran¡¯s level ¡ú

    -Fran¡¯s ¡ú

    Fran¡¯s level also increased 8 times! This time we obtained something simr to a victory thanks to the ipetency of the dungeon master, it was truly a godsend.

    *gogogo*

    Oh, it appears that the seal on the gates have been lifted.

    ¡¸Oooi! Little miss, are you there?¡¹

    ¡¸I-Isn¡¯t¡­ Isn¡¯t this a demon¨D?!¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?!¡¹

    Note:

    [M1] The hyperbole for ¡®broadly grinning¡¯.

    [M2]Bosses in certain games do this.

 Chapter 38: Goblin Subjugation - Return

    <h4>Chapter 38: Goblin Subjugation - Return</h4>

    The following concerns the return of us, having captured the dungeon, to the town.

    In the faces of the Adventurers, profound fatigue but overall delight can be seen.

    They had 10 casualties total, but for a Demonic Beast disaster of this scale, it appears fortunate to end with only this much.

    For being able to quickly capture the dungeon due to us annihting Demonic Beasts along the way, we received the gratitude of the Adventurers. You might say that not monopolizing the corpse of the demon also had a hand in our favorable reception. More precisely, that was a huge part of it.

    It appears that a Demon¡¯s raw materials are substantially higher priced than Demonic Beasts of the same rank. It¡¯s an endemic species that doesn¡¯t exist outside of dungeons, after all.

    The amount of experience gained is also remarkably different; they¡¯re said to even rival a Threat Level A Demonic Beast by themselves. Fran¡¯s level rising 8 times is understandable in that respect. Demons appear to be quite the delicious opponents¡­ Well, on the flip side, they alsoee with therge risk of us getting eaten up instead.

    After leaving the Dungeon, we were scolded by Donna for having rushed forward alone. We received around 1 whole hour of preaching.

    The scene with the Conqueror of the Century¡¯s End preaching to a small neko girl was beyond criminal ¡ª it was way too funny! When Iughed Fran pouted, but somehow she was able to bear with it to the end.

    Also, if not for the mediation from thed we were involved with before the departure, Donna probably would have continued for even longer. The mercenaries who picked a quarrel with Fran were dead, and the fact that he didn¡¯t end up the same as them was thanks to Fran; because of this, he came advocating in our defense.

    ¡ºThose guys¡­ They really died in the end, huh¡­¡»

    £¨Even said in a good voice: can¡¯t deceive me.£©

    ¡ºAhaha¡­ As expected?¡»

    £¨Teacher didn¡¯t get scolded. Unfair.£©

    ¡ºNow, now.¡»

    £¨Only I got scolded.£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m sorry.¡»

    £¨Teacher. Lots of meat.£©

    ¡ºUnderstood.¡»

    £¨Roasted meat.£©

    ¡ºAlright.¡»

    £¨Steak and skewers, too.£©

    ¡ºOki-doki©`¡»

    Lately, because Fran keeps eating my cuisine from Earth, I¡¯ve started thinking that she might end up bing a glutton character. Well, if this cheers her up, then let¡¯s make as much as she wants! For having defeated a highly ranked opponent like a Demon, a celebration is necessary, after all. Eat as much of whatever you want!

    But before arriving at the town, I should confirm the fruits of battle. Before ranking up it was like this:

    ATK :392¡¡Retained MP :1650/1650¡¡Durability :1450/1450

    Skills:

    Self Evolution [Rank 7?Magic Stone Status :2599/2800?Memory :62?Points :0]

    And now, it¡¯s like this:

    Name :Teacher

    Equipment Registration :Fran

    Race :Intelligent Weapon

    ATK :434¡¡Retained MP :2050/2050¡¡Durability :1850/1850

    Magic Conductivity?A

    Skills:

    Appraisal Lv.7, Appraisal Concealment, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self Evolution [Rank 8?Magic Stone Status :3099/3600?Memory :70?Points :40], Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telekinesis ¡ü Low, Telepathy, ATK ¡ü Low, ALL Wielder Stats ¡ü, Wielder Recovery ¡ü Low, MP ¡ü Low, Memory ¡ü, Demonic Beast Knowledge, Skill Sharing, Sorcery

    With each evolution, my stats be increasingly amazing. In the beginning my ATK increased no higher than 30 per rank, with my MP only advancing by 100. My Durability and MP recovery were also nonexistent. How will they end up if I rank up even further? I¡¯m looking forward to it.

    Next are the Skills that leveled up. The Hobgoblins and Army Beetles had reasonably high skill levels, so some have grown quite a bit.

    Wind Magic Lv.7, Sword Techniques Lv.8, Sword Arts Lv.9, Summon Kin Lv.6, Hardening Lv.4, Abnormal State Resistance Lv.3, Soil Magic Lv.5, Poison Magic Lv.3

    As for Skills, the Hobgoblins had quite a few new ones as well.

    Darkness Magic Lv.1, Bow Techniques Lv.1, Panic Lv.1, Club Arts Lv.1, Soul Talk Lv.1, Shortbow Techniques Lv.1, Dagger Techniques Lv.1, Taming Lv.1, Katana Techniques Lv.1, Leatherworking Lv.1, Magic Engeneering Lv.1, Magic Barrier Lv.1, Dark Magic Lv.2, Alchemy Lv.1, Cooperation Lv.5, Trap Perception Lv.1, Darkness Reinforcement, Darkness Immunity, Acid Fang, Automatic MP Recovery, Control Immunity, Skin Hardening.

    Extra Skill:

    Skill Taker Lv.1

    Despite having obtained 40 Self Evolution Points, there are way too many things I want to do with them, so ¡®40¡¯ ends up feeling like a small number.

    I should raise Sword Arts and Sword Techniques, as well as some Magic¡­ Since I got my hands on Darkness Reinforcement, maybe I should raise Darkness Magic? Summon Familiar also seems like it could be useful, so raising its level and seeing what happens might be a good idea. There¡¯s also the previously-abandoned Instant Regeneration and Abnormal Status Resistance. Furthermore, Skill Taker is also on the list¡­ And because the ¡®transforms into a superior skill at Lv.10¡¯ might apply to it, there doesn¡¯t seem to be an end to my troubles in sight.

    But, of course, I¡¯m not the only one who gained things. Fran has reached level 25. Usually, a Demon would have granted a huge amount of experience for a full party, but Fran had it concentrated on her alone, so¡­

    Name :Fran¡¡Age :12

    Race :ck Cat Beastman

    upation :Magical Swordsman

    Condition :Contracted

    Status:

    Level :12¡ú25

    HP :189¡ú304¡¡MP :115¡ú215

    STR :92¡ú150¡¡END :74¡ú129¡¡AGI :82¡ú140

    INT :50¡ú95¡¡MGC :62¡ú117¡¡DEX :63¡ú108

    Skills:

    Goblin yer, Mental Stability, Skinning Expert, Indomitable Resolve, Directional Sense, Night Eyes

    [New] Insect yer, Growth Efficiency ¡ü, Demon yer

    Titles:

    Match for a Thousand, King of Dismantling, Master of Recovery, Goblin yer, One who ughters, Skill Collector, Master of Fire, King of Cooking

    [New] Insect yer, Big Game Devourer, Dungeon Conqueror, Demon yer

    Insect yer:

    A Title granted to those who exterminated no less than 300 insect type Demonic Beasts in a single battle.

    Effects:

    Acquisition of the Skill :Insect yer

    Big Game Devourer:

    A Title granted to those who overcame an overwhelmingly difficult opponent alone.

    Effects:

    HP +20, All Stats +5, Acquisition of the Skill :Growth Efficiency ¡ü

    Dungeon Conqueror:

    A Title granted to those who either killed a dungeon master, or destroyed a dungeon core.

    Effects:

    Inside of Dungeons: HP & MP Recovery ¡ü

    Demon yer:

    A Title granted to those who have in a demon.

    Effects:

    Acquisition of the Skill :Demon yer

    Again and again came the cheat Titles. Big Game Devourer in particr is just as powerful as Match for a Thousand. Thanks to that, Fran¡¯s status is quite something. Already, the sum of all her stats is equal to Donnadorondo¡¯s.

    Fran¡­ What a frightening child! ¡ª No, it¡¯s my fault that she¡¯s like this. Fran has ambition, so I don¡¯t think that she will get conceited, but¡­ There is the possibility for her to search for even more dangerous ces from now on. I have to stay focused and properly support Fran.

    And so, raising Skill levels is an urgent matter.

    ¡ºHey Fran, which Skill do you want to raise?¡»

    £¨Sword Arts and Sword Techniques.£©

    ¡ºYes, of course.¡»

    This time we experienced it first-hand ¡ª just how hard it is for Magic to show results on highly-ranked opponents. With a sword on the other hand, even in an unfavorable position a chance for aeback exists. In fact, I can be proud of my ability to do so due to my high Magic Power Conductivity and vast MP reserves.

    ¡ºThen, for now shall we raise Sword Arts and Techniques?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, done¡»

    Expending 6 Self Evolution Points, Sword Arts and Sword Techniques have reached Lv.MAX. Furthermore, Master Sword Techniques Lv.1, Master Sword Arts Lv.1 and Sword Attribution Lv.1 were derived.

    Master Sword Arts and Techniques I can understand, but ¡®Sword Attribution¡¯? It seems to be a Skill to be used with Magic, allowing one to infuse a sword with a magic attribute for a fixed time, but¡­ Well, unless we try it out, there¡¯s no way of knowing its full effects.

    So, what shall we raise now? There¡¯s still Skill Taker, too.

    Skill Taker :Lv.1

    Allows the user to choose a single Skill with rarity ¡Ü Grade 1. If the chosen Skill is Lv.1, the Skill¡¯s chance of sess is 50%. Only one Skill can be targeted at a time.

    Cooldown :1 day

    Range :Skill Level ¡Á 1m

    Ho, skill rarity, huh¡­ Appraisal¡¯s level isn¡¯t yet sufficient, so it doesn¡¯t show the Skill¡¯s degree of rarity.

    If I used this, then even more progress in collecting skills could be made¡­ Furthermore, if it became possible to steal an opponent¡¯s Skill, battles could be even easier. Above all, it would be possible to obtain skills which I previously couldn¡¯t get my hands on ¡ª ones from beings without magic stones¡­ Skills from civilized races.

    What to do about this¡­ I¡¯m already totally enthusiastic, but what about Fran?

    ¡ºSay, about Skill Taker¨D¨D¡»

    With that, I exined the general stuff to Fran.

    £¨It¡¯s good.£©

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    £¨Extra Skills: definitely super strong.£©

    ¡ºAlright. Then, let¡¯s level it up.¡»

    Ending up recklessly charmed by her cute words, I decide to raise it to Lv2 see what happens.

    Skill Taker :Lv.2

    Allows the user to choose a single Skill with rarity equal or below grade 2. If the chosen Skill is Lv.2, the Skill¡¯s chance of sess is 60%. Only one Skill can be targeted at a time.

    Cooldown :2 days

    Range :Skill level ¡Á 1m

    What? Lv.2 and 60% chance? Alright, let¡¯s raise it some more!

    Leveling up Extra Skills seems to cost 3 points per level, so my remaining Self Evolution Points are only 7¡­ But I don¡¯t regret it.

    Skill Taker :Lv.Max

    Allows the user to choose a single Skill with rarity equal or below grade 10. If the chosen Skill is Lv.10, the Skill¡¯s chance of sess is 100%. Only one Skill can be targeted at a time.

    Cooldown :18 days

    Range :Skill level ¡Á 1m

    Nothing that can be done about the 18 day cooldown, so we¡¯ll just have to think properly about when to use it. Well, in our case Fran and I each have a chance, so we should be able to use it a bit more carefreely. I¡¯ll definitely have to investigate what Skills would have rarity Grade 10ter.

    Maybe I should raise Appraisal¡¯s level for that? If by any chance Skill Taker can steal Extra Skills and Unique skills, then it¡¯d be unbelievably strong. To put it bluntly, it¡¯d be aplete cheat.

    I want to use it at once, but¡­ There¡¯re only allies around us. Won¡¯t some bandits appear? Well, even after thinking that, I know that bandits that woulde to take on a bunch of adventurers don¡¯t exist.

    And so, without anything urring we reached the guild.

    It was in quite the festive mood when we arrived. Adventurers were rejoicing at our victory while we received the remuneration for our efforts. Everyone¡¯s face is cheerful.

    ¡¸Little miss,e over here for a moment.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Led by Donna, Fran and I move towards the Guild Master¡¯s room. None of the other Adventurers are surprised. They understand that Fran contributed the most, after all.

    Various rumors had gone around, but even Adventurers who doubt Fran¡¯s ability seem to havee to the understanding that her summons has to do with her involvement in the subjugation.

    ¡¸Ahh, must be nice. It¡¯ll be a bonus for sure, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t be helped, it was a spectacr victory.¡¹

    ¡¸She saved my life, y¡¯know?¡¹

    ¡¸What did she do to be so strong at that age¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s a monster I say. A monster!¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe she¡¯ll want to enter our party?¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa¡­ Haaa¡­ Fran-chan, CUTE!¡¹

    The voices are split into Good Will: 5, Envy: 4, and Disgusting: 1. ¡ª Hey wait, thisst guy is just in creepy!

    ¡¸Ah, Fran. I¡¯ve been waiting.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸First, I¡¯d like to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, the subjugation ended with very few casualties. For a dungeon of this degree to have a demon¡­ If we had conquered it normally, the number of fatalities wouldn¡¯t have been aughing matter.¡¹

    His words held a hint of gratitude, but a smile didn¡¯t cross his face. This person was different from Donna in that he doesn¡¯t let his guard down. Even now I get the feeling that he¡¯s doubting us.

    ¡¸Still, stealing the march on everyone else and going out on your own is troubling. That being said, this time we escaped harm because of it, so I won¡¯t rebuke you for notplying with orders.¡¹

    It seems that after weighing various factors in the subjugation, the result ended up with us avoiding any punishment.

    ¡¸As for the demon you were said to have defeated¡­ I saw the corpse.¡¹

    Donna would need to show it to him, after all.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be frank. That was a Threat Level B specimen. Did you really defeat it by yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then¡­ If that¡¯s true, then it means your abilities are befitting of an A rank.¡¹

    I¡¯m pleased with the evaluation, but if our rank was suddenly changed to A and we got assigned dangerousmissions right away, I¡¯d be troubled.

    ¡¸Had luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? In what way?¡¹

    For now, we decided to tell the truth.

    ¡¸I see, so you aimed at the Dungeon Master to restrain him, then got him by surprise¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Dungeon Master: an idiot.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, not dying instantly is still strange¡­ Besides, about this demon¡¯s corpse¡­¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸The fatal attack to the heart. How many people do you think can pierce a tenacious Magic Barrier and defeat a Demon?¡¹

    ¡¸Mmh?¡¹

    ¡¸Haa¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Well, alright. Then, onto the real issue.¡¹

    As expected, he¡¯ll ask about it?

    ¡¸What happened to the Demon¡¯s magic stone?¡¹

    ¡¸Annihted.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­ Such a creature¡¯s magic stone is tremendously useful. It¡¯s valued so highly that entire countries would desire it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸And you truly don¡¯t have it?¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡¹

    I¡¯ve absorbed it after all.

    ¡¸Haa¡­ I understand. I¡¯ll believe you.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t lie, so¡­ Perhaps we¡¯ve managed to deceive him for now?

    Then, the moment I became relieved:

    ¡¸Wait a minute! Do you seriously n to overlook this just like that!?¡¹

    Vigorously opening the door with a *BAAN*, somebody barged into the room.

    Note:

    Conqueror of the Century¡¯s End.

    Previously ¡®Talk from the Heart¡¯.

 Chapter 39: A ClichÃ© â€˜Foolish Nobleâ€™ Appeared

    <h4>Chapter 39: A Clich¨¦ ¡®Foolish Noble¡¯ Appeared</h4>

    The one who barged into the Guild Master¡¯s room was a fat, sluggish, unhealthy looking man d in silver armor.

    ¡­ Who the heck is this? I didn¡¯t see him on the way in ¡ª I couldn¡¯t even sense his presence¡­ Ah, maybe it¡¯s an effect of his equipment?

    Name :Auguste Alsund¡¡Age :29

    Race :Human

    upation :Soldier

    State :Normal

    Status:

    Level :30

    HP :108¡¡MP :99¡¡STR :52¡¡END :53¡¡AGI :45¡¡INT :50¡¡MGC :47¡¡DEX :45

    Skills:

    Acting Lv.1, Singing Lv.1, Horsemanship Lv.1, Deceit Lv.1, Court Etiquette Lv.4, Sword Arts Lv.1, Arithmetic Lv.1, Socialising Lv.2, Poison Resistance Lv.1, Poison Knowledge Lv.2, Herbalism Lv.2

    Unique Skills:

    Law of Lies Lv5

    Titles:

    Viscount, Vice Commander of Aressa¡¯s Knight Order

    Equipment:

    Mithril Longsword, Sturdy Silver Full-Body Armor, Red Lion Mantle, Ring of Presence Concealmen

    He¡¯s quite unbnced, isn¡¯t he¡­ Despite being Level 30, his status values are low ¡ª probably around that of an E Rank Adventurer.

    Besides that, his Skills are beyondme. Things like Socializing are high, so he¡¯s probably a noble of some sort, but something like Sword Arts Lv1¡­ Isn¡¯t that way too low for a Knight? And yet, despite that he has the title of Vice Commander?

    ¡¸What exactly are you referring to with, Sir Auguste?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly as should be expected! A Demon¡¯s magic stone? A thing of such value¡­ For a young girl to monopolize it is absolutely uneptable!¡¹

    ¡¸I thought that¡¯s what you were meaning, but¡­ Regarding subjugations, the raw materials of Demonic Beasts defeatedpletely by oneself are granted wholly to the person in question. She, having defeated the demon, has the legal rights to the Magic Stone. Or rather, for giving the Demon¡¯s raw materials to the Guild despite that, there isn¡¯t a single reason why we should hold her at fault.¡¹

    ¡¸Nonsense! If it was something to the degree of Hobgoblin materials, then you could let her have as many as she wants, but high-ranking materials like the ones from a Demon ¡ª just handing it over to the likes of a low-ss Adventurer would be absolutely absurd!¡¹

    In the end, it seems that the materials we obtained were even more amazing than I thought. I¡¯m regretting giving that body away a bit, now¡­

    ¡¸This young girl, didn¡¯t she arbitrarily act on her own? That¡¯s clearly a vition of orders! This sort of person, does she even have the right to receive a proper reward?!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuu¡­ If we¡¯re moving to the subject of ¡®order vition¡¯, then believe me when I say it really can¡¯t be helped. Just about every Adventurer would end up as subject to that judgement, after all. In fact, it would be rather strange if Adventurers didn¡¯t behave on their own ord. If you know of an Adventurer that hasn¡¯t vited any rules or orders, then please, I would very much like to meet them.¡¹

    ¡¸So you¡¯re all just a band of low lives after all¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well,pared to the well-behaved gentlemen of the Knight Order, it¡¯s a given that we¡¯d end up looking like a gathering of crude ruffians.¡¹

    The Guild Master¡¯s eyes aren¡¯t smiling at all while he speaks¡­ One can even feel the blood thirst being emitted. It¡¯s gotten to the point that I¡¯ve started admiring this fat noble for not noticing it at all. Maybe because his facial skin is so thick, he ended up being naturally thick-headed?

    ¡¸Hmm. Then let me tell you something good. Thisss is lying, alright?¡¹

    *Giku-*

    Ah, is that this fellow¡¯s unique skill?

    Law of Lies

    Allows the user to see through lies spoken by others, while making one''s own lies be harder to be seen through. Furthermore, the user¡¯s lies will be easier to believe by others.

    It¡¯s an ideal Skill for crooks, dictators, and founders of questionable religious sects. How does this guy own such a Skill and still only have the rank of a Vice Commander in a local Knight Order? In regards to the type of position held by hated people in fantasy novels, isn¡¯t the scale too small?

    Depending on the way it¡¯s used, it¡¯s a skill capable of doing horrendous things, and yet¡­ Well¡­ I suppose this just goes to show you that no matter how excellent a Skill is, its power is fully reliant on its user.

    It would seem that we¡¯ve been driven into a corner¡­ Or, we would be if his next words were what I expected. But they weren¡¯t.

    ¡¸She said that the Magic Stone was annihted, but that was definitely a lie. There¡¯s no doubt that she¡¯s hiding it somewhere.¡¹

    Huh? No, that wasn¡¯t a lie, you know? To say ¡®it was annihted¡¯ was the truth.

    ¡¸¡­ Even if that¡¯s the case, she owns the property rights to the Magic Stone.¡¹

    ¡¸No, a false report in this sort of situation can¡¯t be tolerated! Besides, what if she¡¯s hiding something else, too?¡¹

    ¡¸Really annihted.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you still lying?¡¹

    What the heck is this guy saying? Since he can detect lies, he should know that what Fran said was the truth¡­

    ¨D No, that¡¯s just it, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s possible that he¡¯s well known for having the Law of Lies Skill. In that case, if he says that someone is lying, then they¡¯re automatically turned into a liar. Using that, he¡¯s nning on setting Fran up.

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t talk for now¡»

    £¨Understood.£©

    Now, the real question is ¡®What¡¯s his goal?¡¯¡­

    ¡¸This isn¡¯t the site for official talks ¡ª she only came here to talk privately. Even if she spoke in jest, there isn¡¯t any sort ofw that would find fault in that, is there?¡¹

    The Guild Master is strangely covering for us. Perhaps he has a hatred of nobles? Well, regardless of his reasons, I¡¯m grateful. Go for it, Guild Master!

    ¡¸She attempted to steal from nobles like myself while we weren¡¯t aware: no matter the ce, that¡¯s a crime!¡¹

    ¡¸I will say it once again: I wasn¡¯t aware that something like telling a joke was a crime.¡¹

    ¡¸Regardless, this girl isn¡¯t trustworthy! I¡¯ve heard that you don¡¯t even know her birthce! She might be a foreign spy! Deliver all of her belongings to the Knight Order! If we receive and inspect the goods, no more will be said about her rude conduct today.¡¹

    Haa? This fellow, what did he just say? Deliver her belongings? Isn¡¯t that just a cover up for extortion? Does he seriously think we¡¯ll abide?

    ¡¸What are you saying?!¡¹

    ¡¸To begin with, you bastards of the Adventurers Guild ignored our Knight Order and went to the Goblin Subjugation on your own, right? You loathed that us elite Knights would snatch away the gains ¡ª an appropriate behavior for vulgar Adventures. If you hand over the Demon¡¯s raw materials, we just might overlook this slight.¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? We did contact the Knight Order. The date and time we nned on carrying out the Subjugation were properly conveyed.¡¹

    ¡¸Humph, don¡¯t lie! At least half of the loot, all of the Demon¡¯s materials, and this girl¡¯s baggage: hand them over!¡¹

    ¡¸Half the gains? All of the Demon¡¯s materials? There is no reason to give such things to the Knight Order that didn¡¯t even do anything.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying?! You bastard Adventurers ¡ª too blinded by greed with what¡¯s waved in front of you ¡ª made light of protecting the town and went towards the Goblin den! While you did so, we Knights carried the town¡¯s public order on our backs!¡¹

    ¡¸So, you all got cold feet and didn¡¯t want to participate, thus ignoring our request¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, did you say anything?¡¹

    ¡¸No. Nothing.¡¹

    So it was like that¡­ The Knight Order was scared of the Hobgoblins, so they deliberately ignored the appeal for participation in the Subjugation campaign. And so, the Adventurers went alone. When they returned, they not only had very few casualties, but also produced tremendous gains. Now, the Knights want in on those gains.

    So, who¡¯re the greedy ones again?

    ¡¸Oi, kid! For starters, hand over that sword. It appears to be considerably beautiful, so where did you steal it? Speak the truth!¡¹

    The sheetty, fat noble approached.

    £¨Kill?£©

    ¡ºWait, let¡¯s observe a little while longer.¡»

    I also want to beat him into the dirt and chop him up, but we should refrain.

    ¡¸Inside the Guild, the Knight Order has no authority. Even so, do you still insist on ordering us around? To demand us to hand over half the gains that the Adventurers risked their lives for?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s our natural right.¡¹

    This bastard, he really said it. And now, even more tremendous bloodthirst is gushing out of the Guild Master. Uwa, after getting this angry, he¡¯s done well for enduring the desire to start a fight. Instead, he¡¯s just smiling cheerfully on the surface¡­ This Guild Master is a man worthy of respect.

    ¡¸First, hand over signed contracts. You, bastard, if you write your name here then the delivery of the raw material will be epted.¡¹

    ¡¸Is this the consensus of the Knight Order? Or, to rephrase my question, the Commander also knows of this, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, is it fine for me to inquire?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? That¡­ There is no need for such ¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸The one who decides that is me.¡¹

    It seems that the tides have changed.

    ¡¸To inquire about something like this, is there any problems with that?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t joke around! Are you saying that I¡¯m lying? Un-Unbelievable. For today I will take my leave!¡¹

    Uwaa¡­ He totally hit the nail on the head, huh. Whether it was for earning reputation among his peers or for indulging in embezzlement of profit, it¡¯s certain that this guy came here without permission.

    ¡ºOk, let¡¯s try it out on him.¡»

    Try what, you ask? Skill Taker, of course. He even has a Unique Skill all nicely prepared, after all.

    £¨I want to try too.£©

    ¡ºMh. First, I will attempt it.¡»

    The target is obviously the Unique Skill. Thinking about it, this Skill would be quite hard to use on an opponent if you didn¡¯t have Appraisal, huh¡­

    I¡¯m mentioning that because the Demon didn¡¯t have Appraisal. The Dungeon Master had said that he won the Demon through something like a gacha-automat , so maybe the Demon¡¯s Skills were strange because of that? Or perhaps Demonic Beasts won in the early stages of a Dungeon all have random Skills? Or maybe the Dungeon Master simply forgot to add Appraisal to its Skills¡­?

    Yeah, thatst one is the most likely.

    ¡¸I wille again!¡¹

    Oops, the sucker almost left.

    ¡ºSkill Taker!¡»

    ¨D ¨D Sess. The best part of this Skill is that it has no visible effects, allowing it to secretly steal Skills. It¡¯s truly viinous.

    Law of Lies: Lv5, get! With this, we¡¯ve verified that Unique Skills can be stolen. Furthermore, it seems that the Skill¡¯s true danger is that the stolen Skill remains at the same level when it¡¯s taken. If a high leveled Skill was stolen, you¡¯d suddenly be an expert.

    The w is that the Unique Skill that I gained doesn¡¯t count as a Set Skill. Whether for good or bad, because it¡¯s registered as mine, I can¡¯t share it with Fran. The opposite will most likely hold true as well. In the future, we¡¯ll have to choose who steals what depending on the situation.

    ¡¸Skill Taker.¡¹

    Following me, Fran muttered in a tiny voice. Naturally, this was also a sess. The next highest Skill, Court Etiquette Lv4, got stolen.

    Kukukuku. It¡¯ll be quite entertaining when he notices that his precious Skills are gone!

    £¨Teacher. Did it.£©

    ¡ºOu, it was a huge sess.¡»

    £¨Now: kill?£©

    ¡ºCan I kill him, can I kill him¡­ Why do you want to put an end to him so much?¡»

    £¨Hate him.£©

    I have a hunch that this child is gradually bing dangerous¡­ Right, shouldn¡¯t she be moredylike and refined now that Court Etiquette has been obtained? No? It¡¯s impossible after all, huh¡­

    ¡¸Haa¡­ I¡¯m very sorry about that.¡¹

    ¡¸Who was that?¡¹

    ¡¸A greenhorn son of a big noble, and also the Vice Commander of Aressa¡¯s Knight Order. He¡¯s a snob that bought his position with gold, and because his pedigree is good he¡¯s hard to deal with. Around one year back he moved here, and ever since he¡¯s been brandishing his social position at every opportunity. Because of that, he¡¯s hated by most of the town. Showing such foolish behavior towards the Guild is a first, though.¡¹

    ¡¸Comin to the Knight Order?¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible. With people like him, their parents will suppress anyints to the end. It¡¯s because of that that he¡¯s grown up to be such a fool, too. Moreover, he possesses a Skill called Law of Lies that can see through lies¡­ To be frank, even I can¡¯t deal with him, and he can¡¯t be taken lightly.¡¹

    ¡¸Small fry, but Vice Commander? With money: it¡¯s OK?¡¹

    ¡¸You should takeints like that to the country itself. Anyways, small fry or not, his level is reasonably high. It¡¯s often said that nobles party up with strong Knights and hunt Demonic Beasts to raise their level, so that¡¯s likely the case for him.¡¹

    So, it¡¯s real power-leveling huh. If it¡¯s like that, then it¡¯s no wonder that hisbat-series Skills haven¡¯t grown. In the end, he only has the appearance of a level 30 knight.

    ¡¸Next time: beat to a pulp.¡¹

    ¡¸If possible, please don¡¯t. The Vice Commander is a fool, but the Commander is a reasonable fellow, so if I report this event to him the Vice should behave for a short while.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    ¡¸Really, don¡¯t. If it bes a situation where you started a fight, the troubles won¡¯t end with you alone.¡¹

    It¡¯s for your own sake after all, huh. Well, in this person¡¯s case, a give-and-take rtionship is probably more reliable than friendship anyways.

    ¡¸Once again, for offering us the Demon¡¯s raw materials: thank you very much. Thanks to that, the Guild has profited greatly.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸So, do you really have the Magic Stone?¡¹

    Es tu, Guild Master!?

    ¡¸It¡¯s a joke.¡¹

    ¡¸Dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸What is?¡¹

    ¡¸Almost reached for it .¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! That¡¯s quite scary! Well then, please take care around him. He abuses his Skill to see through lies and has been remorselessly tricking others.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s alright.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so? If you say so, then it doesn¡¯t matter, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Finished?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, thank you again. Ah, but onest thing.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Please go rank up at reception. I¡¯ve already processed the documents.¡¹

    ¡¸Again?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, again. You raised outrageous aplishments, after all. An Adventurer who exterminated a Demon alone¡­ It¡¯s not possible for such a person to im to be Rank F. For now, your rank will be raised to D.¡¹

    ¡¸Not E?¡¹

    ¡¸I nned to raise it to C, but as expected I wasn¡¯t able to obtain the other branches¡¯ consent.¡¹

    Well, that should have been obvious. A 12 year-old girl who just became an Adventurer independently crushed a Rank B Demon? What kind of adventure novel would that situatione from? In fact, getting raised to D is already a stretch.

    ¡¸Understood. Going to reception.¡¹

    ¡¸Please treat us well from now on. Yourpensation will also be paid when you get there ¡ª alongside a bonus.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It seems that the rumor that we¡¯d be ranking up at the reception spread, so the other Adventurers got noisy. Apparently, this was the fastest rank up in this Guild¡¯s history. It¡¯s only been 4 days since we registered, after all.

    It started with betting on whether it was actually Fran that would be ranking up, but through skipping a rank, we appear to have caused some really heavy losses¡­ Or rather, the racket we caused became even louder than originally expected.

    ¡¸Haha! Thanks to the little miss, I made a killing!¡¹

    ¡¸Shi©`t! Such a heavy loss¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Wahahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸So, how is it? Shall I treat you to a drink?¡¹

    ¡¸Idiot, as if such a small child could drink alcohol!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! You can?¡¹

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s get you an Apple Juice!¡¹

    And with that, Fran¡¯s rank went up to D. Rank D, huh¡­ She¡¯s already a splendidly ¡®average¡¯ Adventurer.

    Thinking about today¡¯s events, maybe it would be better if I reveal myself? There might be even more situations like the one from earlier, but if it¡¯s a Rank D Adventurer, then having a slightly odd Magic Sword wouldn¡¯t be all that strange.

    A sword that grows stronger by absorbing magic stones¡­ If that much was revealed, it would also be easier for Fran. Anything more than that¡­ I don¡¯t know. Next time, let¡¯s try asking Old Man Gallus for some advice.

    Anyways, in rtion to the Demon¡¯s Magic Stone, most of the fellows seem to think that Fran is secretly holding on to it, so revealing myself is no problem. Their understanding will simply change from ¡¸She¡¯s secretly holding onto it¡¹to¡¸Her sword absorbed it¡¹. If it¡¯s like that, then returning only the Demon¡¯s raw materials to the Guild is fine. It¡¯s also thanks to that that everyone got a bonus.

    So¡­ Next, shall we provide today¡¯s alcohol on us? umting small favors is important, after all.

    ¡¸Today: my treat.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯re ya sayin¡¯? As if I¡¯d let m¡¯self be treated by such a small kid!]

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay. Also got a bonus¡¹

    ¡¸Ohh. How big of you!¡¹

    ¡¸Not fat .¡¹

    ¡¸Gahaha, ain¡¯t you amusing, lil¡¯ miss!¡¹

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll be regaining my losses through drinks!¡¹

    ¡¸Wahahaha!¡¹

    In the end, those drunkards managed to drown no less than 100,000 Gorudo¡­

    Author Note: (modified)

    Below, there¡¯s a longer exnation, but the point is the MC¡¯s and Fran¡¯s Shareable Skills are only the ones obtained from absorbing the magic stones, called ¡®Set Skills¡¯. These Skills can be Normal, Extra, or Unique skills. Any others can¡¯t be shared. However, any Set Skills (sharable) that go through a change and be Unique Skills can no longer be shared. (Just to note, Sword Arts ¡ú Master Sword Arts is not an example of a Skill changing from a Normal Skill to a Unique Skill)

    Note:

    Essentially, the Demon would have been won by something like a 7-7-7 line on Slots.

    ¡®It¡¯ being her sword (meaning she almost considered the Guild Master an enemy and pulled the sword on him). It¡¯s for this things that I love Fran.

    Generous = futobbara, Fat Belly = futohara, so Fran thinks she got called fat.

    Ensig: Thanks to lygarx for offering a suggestion on how to trante that joke over to English!

 Chapter 40: Poisonous Fish Seem to be Delicious

    <h4>Chapter 40: Poisonous Fish Seem to be Delicious</h4>

    It¡¯s been 2 days since the Goblin subjugation.

    We¡¯vee to the guild to look for amission, but it¡¯s not for the money. At the moment our pockets are full, after all.

    After selling off all of the Hobgoblin Horns, looted equipment, and the materials from the Beetles, we gained around 30,000 Gorudo. Considering the fact that they were materials from small fries, you could say they were sold a bit on the expensive side. Furthermore, some of the Hobgoblins¡¯ equipment included weak magic items, so those were particrily expensive.

    On top of all that, we received quite the bonus for our participation in the subjugation. The standard participation reward was 30,000 Gorudo, with any bonuses amounting to ~40,000 Gorudo. Fran¡¯s special bonus was another 300,000 Gorudo on top of that.

    Adding the cash we gained from selling the raw materials, our total ie was ~400,000 Gorudo. Or, it would have been, but because we treated everyone to drinks, it decreased by 100,000. Because the other Adventurers got a nice bonus out of the subjugation, they ended up turning up in the morning to thank us.

    Anyways, today¡¯s request will be for the sake of gaining experience. As a consequence of our irregr rank ups, we have insufficient experience inpleting ¡®normal¡¯ requests. In fact, the only one would have been themission for collecting Heal Grass.

    Therefore, we decided to look for a normal request.

    ¡ºThe onlymissions Fran can take as a Rank D are marked C, D or E Rank.¡»

    We¡¯re no longer eligable for easy G and F Rankmissions. They wouldn¡¯t have been badmissions to umte experience¡­

    ¡ºHarvesting, escorting, patrolling the highway, and assisting in construction with magic, huh.¡»

    ¡¸Subjugationmissions: good.¡¹

    Assuredly the most convenient requests for us are subjugationmissions, but the bulletin board doesn¡¯t have any of our Rank. Are they popr?

    ¡ºHow about asking Ms. Nell?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Luckily the lineup to the reception desk was also barren.

    ¡¸Nell.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Fran. Good day .¡¹

    ¡¸Good day.¡¹

    ¡¸About the recent Goblin subjugation, you yed quite an important part in it, didn¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well.¡¹

    ¡¸You even ended up defeating a demon. Waa~, isn¡¯t that amazing~? You¡¯re cute, strong and lovely!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaaaan! An embarrassed Fran is also cute~!¡¹

    When did they get so close? Unbeknownst to me who is with Fran almost 24/7, did they get together at some point? Just where the heck¡­?

    ¡¸No subjugationmissions?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, right now there are none, huh~ Well, to begin with, the recent Goblin stampede was an abnormal case, right? Usually, Demonic Beasts seldom appear so easily.¡¹

    Of course. If hoards of Demonic Beasts appeared in the vicinity of the town resulting in subjugationmissions being emitted every day, then the daily lives of normal citizens wouldn¡¯t be possible after all.

    Still¡­ It appears that the number of Demonic Beasts in the vicinity of Aressa is even less than we thought.

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, wait a moment. It¡¯s not a subjugationmission, but there is a request that you¡¯ll certainly encounter Demonic Beasts in, is that ok?¡¹

    ¡¸Where?¡¹

    ¡¸Mh~ Wait¡­This one.¡¹

    Hm? Investigation of the ecology of the Poisonous Swamp? ¡®It¡¯s possible that Demonic Beasts have settled in the swamp situated near the Forest of Starvation. Verification of their existence is needed before starting the remation project¡¯?

    ¡¸The area mentioned is a troublesome swamp that poisonous gas spills out of asionally; the gas causes poison damage to any peddlers going through it.¡¹

    It seems because of that, there¡¯re ns to fill up the poisonous swamp¡­ But before sending in the workers, it¡¯s necessary to investigate whether or not there¡¯s any danger. It¡¯s especially so since there are rumors of Demonic Beasts living there, so this investigation appears to have maximum priority.

    ¡¸A subjugation party would usually be sent out, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Defeating them all: OK?¡¹

    Fran, that¡¯s a death g!

    ¡ºFran, that¡¯s no good.¡»

    ¡¸? Don¡¯t defeat?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, I don¡¯t mean that part, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s no problem if you defeat them. Rather, doing so would cut down on thebor.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It¡¯s no use. I¡¯ll just have to carefully pay attention.

    ¡¸While you¡¯re at it, why not take thismission as well?¡¹

    ¡¸Medical nt harvesting?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. It¡¯s a herb called New Moon Grass, and it¡¯s quite rare. It doesn¡¯t grow close to the town, but if it¡¯s close to the poisonous swamp then I think you should able to find it.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll take it.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. I pray for your good luck. Let¡¯s meet again in the baths?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Now I see, so it was in the inn¡¯s bath! Well, that¡¯s good. Proactively wanting to interact with others besides me, that is.

    ¡ºording to the map¡­ The swamp¡¯s a little ways away from where we met Randell.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºIf we depart now, I get the impression that we¡¯ll return¡­ Probably the day after tomorrow?¡»

    A sleeping bag, nket, and cookware is all we brought. With that, our camping preparations wereplete.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡¸That?¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like it.¡»

    Around 100 meters worth of wends can be seen ahead of us.

    We barely noticed any time passing since we left the town.

    On the way here, the only enemies we met were ck Bugs and Giant Centipedes. I suppose because we having smashed their den, we didn¡¯t encounter a single Goblin.

    In regards to any Demonic Beasts that leave a Dungeon prior to its defeat, after a few days their link to the Dungeon is severed. Because of that, even when the dungeon ¡®died¡¯, the Demonic Beast that left the Goblin Den didn¡¯t end up getting exterminated. Instead, they continued living on the outside.

    And so, the moment the Dungeon got shut down all the Hobgoblins got annihted, but the regr Goblins who had already left the dungeon should have still been roaming around here¡­

    I guess most scattered or ran way. Even while camping, we weren¡¯t attacked even once. Needless to say, we were extremely bored.

    ¡¸Smells like poison¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAbnormal State Resistance is set, alongside Poison Breath and Poison Absorption. There¡¯re no problems.¡»

    ¡¸No Demonic Beasts?¡¹

    ¡ºSeems so. Yet, if they¡¯re lurking deep in the swamp it¡¯s possible that we won¡¯t be able to sense them.¡»

    ¡¸Attacking with magic.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, wait! If you blow it up imprudently, then poison will end up scattered all over the ce.¡»

    The end goal of themission is to reduce the damageing from the poisonous swamp, so what are you thinking, trying to amplify it¡­?

    ¡ºA way to minimize the coteral damage¡­¡»

    ¡¸Fill it with Soil Magic.¡¹

    ¡ºThe swamp is too big. Soil pollution is also a concern.¡»

    Hmmm¡­ Maybe I should try leaving Fran behind and scanning the area by myself?

    ¡¸Store the swamp.¡¹

    ¡º?¡»

    ¡¸Dimensional Storage: absorb swamp water. Like that: Demonic Beast left bare.¡¹

    ¡ºGenius? Indeed, that¡¯s a good idea.¡»

    They wanted to reim the swamp anyways, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem. If they¡¯re a group of people with high awareness, then they might be noisy about environmental problems or destruction of nature, but¡­ I don¡¯t want to hear it! Even aftering to a different world, I don¡¯t want to care about stuff like that! That¡¯s only to be expected, right?

    ¡ºThen, I¡¯ll be storing the swamp¡¯s water.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    This will also be a good experiment. Currently, my Dimensional Storage¡¯s limit still isn¡¯t in sight. Adding up all the harvested Demonic Beast materials, it should currently contain about half of a 25? pool.

    So, let¡¯s see how much swamp water it can take. It¡¯s quite arge swamp, and its depth also seems to be considerable, so¡­ Its Volume must be quite immentse.

    ¡ºAlright! Harvesting: start!¡»

    *Zuzuzuzuzu¨D ¨D*

    Slowly, the water level drops.

    ¡ºIt¡­ It won¡¯t stop.¡»

    Eh? Far from the limit being reached, the swamp¡¯s water is already decreased by half and the storage still isn¡¯t getting close to full.

    ¡º¡­ I ended up harvesting it all.¡»

    ¡¸More space?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. My guess is that it¡¯s not even half-filled.¡»

    I think that around five 25 meter pools worth got absorbed, so¡­ Dimensional Storage is incredible.

    ¡¸Lots of Demonic Beasts.¡¹

    ¡ºHee, those?¡»

    ¡¸Fish.¡¹

    Appearance wise, they look like cow-sized Catfish.

    Race :Madness Fish :Demonic Fish :Demonic Beast Lv7

    HP :100¡¡MP :32

    STR :33¡¡END :39¡¡AGI :38

    INT :10¡¡MGC :22¡¡DEX :17

    Skills:

    Stealth Lv3, Presence Perception Lv3, Poison Secretion Lv4, Poison Resistance Lv7, Tunneling Lv3, Water Magic Lv2, Poisonous Fangs

    Description:

    A troublesome Demonic Beast that produces poison from its skin to kill other aquatic creatures and defend itself. Throughout history, there have been Viges that were annihted when one appeared in its water source. Its staple food is a peculiar seaweed that grows even in contaminated waters. Its body is exceedingly delicious. Because it is naturally endowed with Poison Resistance, its body contains no poison. Threat level E.

    Magic stone location: Head, interior of the brain.

    Weak. Going by its status, it¡¯s a small fry. Still, with poison rted abilities and the ability to hide beneath the water¡¯s surface, it¡¯d be quite a nuisance. Well, it was no trouble for us though.

    There were 5 of them total, but they were easily dispatched and Dismantled on the spot. The muddy poisonous fish scales, poison nds and poison fangs were stripped off immediately.

    The body appears as though it¡¯d be delicious, and from the bones a Dashi could be made. Fish dishes can now be added to our cooking repertoire.

    ¡ºWith this, themission isplete. Next is collecting medical nts, so let¡¯s finish it quick and return.¡»

    Author note:

    I¡¯ve been informed that when clicking on an author¡¯s name, some couldn¡¯t get to the author¡¯s page and see the activity report. So¡­ Authors shouldn¡¯t use pen names?

    When I go to look at the activity reports of others, I just click on the Author¡¯s name and go to their page, where their activity report can usually be seen, but¡­

    Is there some where that isn¡¯t the case?

    I haven¡¯t mastered Narou¡¯s functions by any means, so right now I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m sorry.

    That being the case, in the afterword of the next chapter I will include a detailed record. I also have been considering adding settings and other such things to the data in Chapter 0.

    Note:

    It wasn¡¯t directly mentioned, but I¡¯m pretty sure most (if not all) of the ¡®bonuses¡¯ being talked about here is from the Demon¡¯s materials.

    Nell used ¡®konichiwa¡¯, so it can be assumed that Fran came to the adventure guild after 10AM. That¡¯s prettyte considering the fact thatmissions are usually posted first thing in the morning.

    Numa =ke/pond/bog/swamp, aka ¡®a body of water¡¯. I¡¯m going with ¡®swamp¡¯ since no one makes remation projects for ake, and also because the water quantity is about 2,500?, which is a bit low for ake.

    5 ¡Á 974? = 4,970? = 1,312,935Gallons

    ¶¾ÑÀ (@ the Footnote) ¡Ù ¶¾¤ÎÑÀ (¡®Poison Fang¡¯ in previous chapters). The former doesn¡¯t have a level, so I figure it¡¯s more of a Passive skill. That being the case, its name will be ¡®Poisonous Fangs¡¯.

    Japanese soup stock. Google it for images.

 Chapter 41: Otherworldly Cooking

    <h4>Chapter 41: Otherworldly Cooking</h4>

    It¡¯s now been 7 days since the Goblin subjugation

    It¡¯ste at night, and we¡¯re in the inn¡¯s kitchen.

    As promised to Fran, I¡¯m here to cook her some food. Since the sight of a lightly floating sword cooking would certainly cause amotion, Fran is here with me too.

    The cooks said ¡°If it¡¯ste at night after the Dining Room is closed, then there¡¯s no problem¡±, so we¡¯ve properly received permission. With this, I¡¯ll give my all at cooking!

    ¡ºChan Chan Chara Chachacharara~¡»

    ¡¸Chanchan?¡¹

    ¡ºChanchara, Chan Chan Chan~¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºWee! It¡¯s time for Otherworldly Cooking!¡»

    ¡¸Oh~~?¡¹

    Not understanding the meaning of my words yet still guessing the mood, Fran started pping.

    ¡ºThe first meal today is¡­ This!¡»

    ¡¸Meat?¡¹

    ¡ºCorrect! Prepared for you today is minced meat from Rock Bison and Crash Boar: 30©K of each!¡»

    Moreover, Rune Tulip bulbs that resemble onions, Golden Chicken eggs, breadcrumbs, and all sorts of spices were also prepared.

    ¡ºThen, knead this Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYou should make use of what you have, right?¡»

    ¡¸With this: able to eat Teacher¡¯s cooking every day.¡¹

    ¡ºConsidering your Titles, you should also be able to make good dishes.¡»

    ¡¸Can¡¯t make what I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡ºAh, that¡¯s right after all.¡»

    What Fran wants to eat is Earth¡¯s cooking, and no one but me can make that. Even if simr cooking is possible, in the end the degree of refinement would end up different.

    So, with that I went on to chop the Rune Tulip bulbs. For the sake of cutting them into fine pieces, I¡¯ve decided to use Aura?de.

    So far, I had used myself after taking a thorough wash through boiling and purification magic, but¡­ Still, I had used Demonic Poison Fang for ying Demonic Beasts earlier, so a bit of anxiety still remains. Until now Fran¡¯s shown no sign of bad conditions, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it¡¯s safe.

    The finely chopped Rune Tulips were carefully stir-fried in the frying pan.

    ¡ºMix together the minced meats, then make an onion-shaped ball. After that, add spices and keep on mixing.¡»

    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹

    I also mixed the remaining minced meat with Telekinesis. When that waspleted, 60©K worth of special-hamburger base waspleted.

    Honestly, I had a feeling that I went overboard, but¡­ When it¡¯s put into Dimensional Storage it won¡¯t go bad, so it¡¯s fine.

    ¡ºNow let¡¯s start grilling the hamburgers.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even using an enormous oven with Magic to shorten the process, it couldn¡¯t be done in one go.

    ¡ºIn the meantime, the next step is to cut up all of these vegetable-like ingredients and put them into a stew.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºThen, I¡¯ll also begin cutting.¡»

    The ingredients besides Demonic Beast flesh were arranged plentifully.

    Affected by the ambiance of the town market, I now realize that I may had gotten a bit carried away. After following my instincts, I gotpletely swept up in buying ingredients¡­ Arge earthenware pot of Miso and Soy Sauce alongside a giant bag of spices were also bought. After that, several super-extrarge sized pots got purchased.

    Because of that, another 100,000Gorudo ended up being used. Ha¡­ Hahaha¡­

    ¡ª No, it was for the sake of making delicious meals for Fran, so it was necessary!

    ¡ºNow we add some water¡­ And next, we¡¯ll throw in the spices.¡»

    I added heat with Magic while using Telekinesis and Magic to shred the vegetables like a mixer. When finished, it was a specially-made demi-ce. It smelt good, to say the least.

    After that, tomato sauce, consomme soup, chicken bouillon and so forth were also made. At this point I¡¯ve started instructing Fran on the ways to use the ingredients.

    ¡¸Guro, guro.¡¹

    ¡ºMhm. Keep stirring, just like that.¡»

    Around the time the third batch of hamburgers were cooked, all the soup and sauces werepleted.

    Good, good. If there are matching seasonings at the market, then I¡¯m able to make any cuisine!

    I cover the hamburgers in demi-ce sauce and toss them into Dimensional Storage one after another. The n is to have them avable regardless of the time and ce while still steaming hot.

    In the same way, tomato juice and japanese ponzu vored ones were made. Tyrant Tiger Stew, Deep Fried st Turtle, Dopple Snake Kabayaki, Fried Stone Spider, Stewed Rock Bison Tongue, Ginger Air-grilled Crash Boar, Sausages, Bacon, Jerky, Meat Miso and other such dishes werepleted as well.

    ¡ºAlright. The meat dishes are almost finished.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Before long, dawn broke. We¡¯ll end here today and continue tomorrow.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    And so, we¡¯re once again in the kitchen.

    Today we¡¯ll be doing fish-based cooking. ¡ª Well, even if I say that, I don¡¯t have any fish ingredients other than the Madness Fish meat. I think I¡¯ll turn it into

    Nitsuke, Shioyaki and Tempura.

    I also considered making some into Meuni¨¨re, but as expected a Japanese should eat Japanese cuisine! Er¡­ Not that I¡¯d be eating it, of course.

    Ah, by the way, about the poisonous swamp: it seems that our actions turned into some sort of ghost story about a suddenly-vanishing poisonous swamp. Ms. Nell knew that we did something, but it seems that she wasn¡¯t the type of person who would spread that information to other Adventurers. Maybe we overdid it¡­

    Oops, while thinking the Nitsuke finished. It¡¯s got a good color to it.

    Well, that¡¯s about all for the main cooking, but we¡¯re not finished yet.

    Next are the side dishes. Let¡¯s start off with soups. We¡¯ll be re-using the soup-like things made yesterday, but this time we¡¯ll fine-tune them with salt and pepper as well as throw in some other ingredients. A Consomme Soup with Sausages¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be delicious?

    Furthermore, making use of the Madness Fish bones, the Chinese Fish Dashi Soup was alsopleted.

    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget about Sd and Stir-Fried Vegetables either. The nutritional bnce has to be enforced with an iron grip with Fran in her growth period. Rted to that, her current state is quite worrying. Lately she¡¯s gotten somewhat better-rounded, butpared to the other kids in town she still looks feeble. Furthermore, it feels like her height is little short¡­ Meals are important, no matter what.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. Next are the staple foods.¡»

    Somehow, I had made light of Aressa¡¯s market, as today I found myself surprised that even Rice was sold there. In this area, the Northern and Southern regions appear to meet, so Rice and Wheat-based items are both eaten.

    The Rice is cooking quietly, in several earthenware pots we bought for its sake.

    Of course, flour is also being made use of. Udon, Bread, Naan and Okonomiyaki, all such carbohydrate-parade foods were around. Bread could be found in the standard baguette type, but there were also the rectangr type that Japanese people love.

    We also made Chinese Noodles, since Lye Water was also at the market.

    I don¡¯t think that any mistakes were made when kneading the noodles, since the process of making them went well because of the strange water. And so, Ramen, Yakisoba, and more could be made.

    Now, since we have rice and Naan¡­ That has to be made.

    ¡ºWell then, next I was thinking of making a special dish.¡»

    ¡¸Special?¡¹

    Hey, hey, your expectations are a bit too high if your eyes are gleaming like that¡­ Well, I guess I¡¯ll just need to do by best, huh?

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a special-hyper-ultra dish! Its name is ¨D¨D Curry!¡»

    ¡¸Kuuree? What is it?¡¹

    ¡ºFufufufu. Well, you¡¯ll see.¡»

    Curry was my favorite food back on Earth. Here, I don¡¯t eat ¡ª not even a single sign of appetite has shown up thus far. But the feeling of wanting Fran to eat delicious food is there instead. Therefore: Curry needs to be made. We can¡¯t go on without it.

    ¡ºBreak the spices like this.¡»

    ¡¸Beautiful.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s for the sake of making a delicious curry.¡»

    ¡¸Cook it?¡¹

    ¡ºRight. While blending it, you keep on cooking.¡»

    ¡¸Hmmm.¡¹

    One hourter, 3 business sized pots filled to the brim with curry sit in front of us.

    In the beginning, we finished with just a normal sized pot. Spices are expensive, after all.

    However, after Fran taste tested the first batch, she kept on eating it at a dreadful pace. In the blink of an eye, we ran out. Afterwards, upon Fran¡¯s continuous demands, all of the remaining spices were put towards making curry in vast amounts.

    Sweet, mild, and scathing vors were made, and the vegetables and meat were altered to fit. Even if I say so myself, they¡¯re masterpieces. If we took them to Japan, I have absolute confidence that it would sell.

    ¡¸I was born to meet this dish.¡¹

    ¡ºYou like it that much?!¡»

    ¡¸Thanks Teacher.¡¹

    ¡ºThat feels like the most emotion-loaded ¡°Thanks¡± I¡¯ve received up until now¡­¡»

    I have to make sure that Fran doesn¡¯t eat only Curry from now on¡­

    Counting all the dishes made in these 2 days, ~2000 portions should have been made. In other words, we¡¯ve made over 1 year¡¯s worth of food. However, contrary to her appearance Fran is a big eater, so the chances that it¡¯ll disappear sooner than that is quite high.

    Well, with this there won¡¯t be any concerns about meals for a while at least.

    ¡¸For now: second serving of curry.¡¹

    ¡ºBut you just ate¡­¡»

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡º¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. Only one more serving, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran exercises properly, so just one more shouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ Right?

 Chapter 42: Regarding the Future and Such

    <h4>Chapter 42: Regarding the Future and Such</h4>

    It¡¯s now been 10 days since the Goblin subjugation.

    This morning, we returned after what seemed like a long time to Gallus¡¯ shop. As usual, merchants had intense looks in their eyes while they loitered around his store.

    ¡¸Afternoon.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, if it isn¡¯t little miss and Teacher! It¡¯s been a while! What can I help you with today?¡¹

    ¡ºFirst things first, how¡¯s the armoring along?¡»

    ¡¸Gahaha! It¡¯s going fine! When you see it, you¡¯ll definitely be surprised!¡¹

    ¡¸Looking forward.¡¹

    ¡¸So, did you onlye to ask for an update?¡¹

    ¡ºNo. Actually, we wanted a bit of advice ¨D¨D¡»

    I exin to the old man how I grow stronger as Magic Sword through absorbing Magic Stones. Since Gallus hadn¡¯t leaked the fact that I was an Intelligent Weapon, he seemed like a trustworthy fellow.

    ¡¸I see, so you had that type of ability¡­ And, essentially, you¡¯re wondering whether it¡¯s alright for others to know or not?¡¹

    ¡ºUh-huh. So, what do you think?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ I think you¡¯d better not.¡¹

    ¡¸As expected: unusual.¡¹

    ¡¸Got that right. I¡¯ve heard ofrge scale Magical Tools having simr traits, but for a sword to have such ability¡­ It¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of it.¡¹

    So my abilities were something that even a famous cksmith hasn¡¯t heard of? In that case, it¡¯s definitely not on the level of a normal person¡¯s knowledge¡­

    ¡¸As expected. Teacher: amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸A bit too amazing. Intelligent Weapons aren¡¯t unheard of, but one that can grow by absorbing Magic Stones ¡ª and even gets skills through them to boot¡­ It¡¯d be easy to see something like that beingbeled as a Divine Sword.¡¹

    Divine Swords: equipment of legends. The ones that exist are undoubtedly super weapons. Compared to me, they¡¯re on a whole different level of might.

    ¡¸A single Divine Sword can easily influence the military bnce between Nations, you know.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s at that level?¡»

    ¡¸Aye. Even though my knowledge only covers 5 of them, each one has unbelievable legends associated with ¡®em.

    Being the origin of the ¡®Divine Sword¡¯ title, the first divine sword: Alpha.

    Achieving fame in a war which ruined entire Countries, the divine sword that brings abnormal mentality to its wielder: Berserk.

    Having served a single horseman to kill an army measuring 30,000 strong, the Battle-Horse sword: Chariot.

    Considered to have sealed the Demon King itself, the Demon King¡¯s sword: Diablos.

    And then, the sword of me that we¡¯ve already spoken about before: Ignis.

    In addition to those, there¡¯re several other Divine Swords. Almost all of them have stories of mass-ughter, and end with sites of great destruction in the end.¡¹

    ¡¸Divine Swords: amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, there¡¯s always some exaggerations mixed in with their tales, but without a doubt they¡¯re onpletely different levels. Of course, every Nation keeps their des¡¯ locations a secret, and the whereabouts of the Divine-ss Master cksmith(s) who forged the Divine Swords ispletely unknown. Whether they¡¯re still alive, or if a new Divine ss cksmith was born¡­ Anything rted to them is unknown.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it. Maybe they didn¡¯t want to be used by governments and hid, or¡­ Maybe they¡¯re being sheltered by the Gods. There¡¯re lots of rumors, but the truth is unknown. It¡¯s for that reason that each Nation keeps an iron grip on the Divine Swords that they know of.¡¹

    ¡ºSo, they¡¯re existences of that magnitude, huh¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Right. If by any chance the information that you¡¯re a Divine Sword spread¡­ No doubt people woulde to steal you for the sake of acquiring your strength. And it wouldn¡¯t be some small number, either. It wouldn¡¯t even matter if you were actually a true one or not; in such peoples¡¯ eyes, it¡¯d be fine to steal first and verifyter. After that, they¡¯d test you out to measure your ability.¡¹

    Whether it¡¯s entire Nations or simply individuals, Divine Swords are certain to be aimed at by many.

    ¡¸Even if their opponent wields a Divine Sword: surprise attacks, poisoning¡­ There¡¯re always ways to give themselves an edge. Since your wielder is the little miss, some might turn to ¡®sweeter¡¯ forms of persuasion, but¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIn the end, it¡¯s better to keep my abilities hidden.¡»

    ¡¸You ought to do that. I¡¯m happy that you came to open up to me, but make sure you don¡¯t be careless and get discovered from now on, alright?¡¹

    The risk gained from revealing my abilities is far toorge. For now, let¡¯s keep it a secret.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    After departing from old man Gallus¡¯, we went to the Guild to turn in ourmissions as per usual. We were doing well day after day ¨D¨D would be something I say tentatively, but it¡¯s a fact that we¡¯ve been steadily piling uppletedmissions. There was nothing else to do, after all.

    ¡¸Today: also disappointed.¡¹

    ¡ºThere was nothing besides insects, after all.¡»

    ¡¸No consistency when chewed.¡¹

    ¡ºOn this side, I¡¯ve only gained 7 points in Magic Stone Value in these 10 days¡­¡»

    Commissions like ¡®harvesting¡¯ or ¡®investigating¡¯ are nice, but our desired Experience Points and Magic Stone Value aren¡¯t being gathered at all.

    ¡ºFran is Level 25 now, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºThen¡­ From now on, it¡¯d be best not thinking that you¡¯ll be leveling up as fast as you used to.¡»

    ¡¸Next: dungeons?¡¹

    ¡ºHaunts, probably.¡»

    ording to the rumors we¡¯ve heard, Haunts have Demonic Beasts in high numbers, just like Dungeons. It¡¯s for that reason that they¡¯re known as ¡°Boundaries of Demons ¡°, after all.

    Maokami ins also falls under that category. I think above 90% of the creatures there were Demonic Beasts, after all.

    That being said, I¡¯d prefer not going back there. Not only is there the fact that we¡¯d have to get close to the Forest of Starvation, but it also appears that the Threat Level in the ins skyrocketed since I left.

    Around the time we came to town, the Adventurers made an investigation of Maokami ins ¡ª as to keep an eye on the turf war betweenrge scale Demonic Beast. The reports filed to result of said investigation confirmed the presence of several Rank B Demonic Beasts.

    During the time I was there, neither shadows nor figures of such beings were present. However, when talking about Demonic Beasts, even without breeding they can be produced spontaneously when magic power coagtes. Most likely, the Demonic Beast that showed up were born like that.

    If that¡¯s the case, then after I departed, Rank B Demonic Beast were born¡­

    ¡ª Really close!

    If they had been born any earlier, I might not be here now. Or rather, that fact is almost certain.

    There¡¯s even the possibility of an A Rank existing there, so the reconnaissance team¡¯s main body is still in the middle of continuing the survey. Because the danger is high in the ins itself, they¡¯re supposedly observing from inside of the Forest of Starvation. Staying in that forest for a prolonged period: thanks, but no thanks.

    Anyways, an A Rank, huh¡­ For such a being to havee into existence¡­ Saying that the in is an A Rank Haunt gives me a bad feeling, but I can agree with it. Or rather, I should probably count my lucky stars that the Demonic Beasts were weaker while I was there.

    ¡¸Then: dungeon delving after all?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s also possible.¡»

    However, our taking down the Demon in thisst Dungeon wasrgely due to luck. If the Demon was cool-headed and came to finish us off at long range, then we would have had to flee without being able to do anything.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s not challenge Demon bosses if wee across any. We might be able to handle weaker ones, though.¡»

    Hm¡­ From now on, we should collect information on Dungeons and Haunts. We can¡¯t leave the town before receiving the armor from Gallus anyways.

    £¨Check up on dungeon info?£©

    ¡ºMh. Let¡¯s pass the rest of the day doing that.¡»

    We¡¯ll have time to spare no matter what we do, so let¡¯s take our time searching the Guild¡¯s reference room for today.

    In the second floor of the Guild is a room dedicated to books and documents. I can¡¯t really imagine many Adventurers reading documents as part of their preparations, but there seem to be some people here and there. They¡¯re all Scouts or Mages. Different from the muscle brains responsible for the vanguard, they came to search for information on theirmissions, I guess.

    One can really see the sorrows of the intellectual Adventurers up here.

    ¡¸Oho. Is this your first time here, missy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, let me take a look see at your Adventurer Card.¡¹

    At the Reference Room¡¯s reception desk sits an old man with a small build. He¡¯s bald with a white beard that reaches his chest, and his eyebrows have grown to the degree of hiding his eyes entirely. Even if he¡¯s wearing a ssy robe, I can only think of him as a hermit.

    ¡ºHe brings quite the pointless ambiance¡­¡»

    ¡¸Hoho, so you¡¯re the rumored Magic-Sword Girl, eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Rumored?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! Lately, you¡¯ve be quite the talk, missy. Because of that I immediately recognized ya!¡¹

    So rumors have started to spread, huh. Well¡­ There¡¯s not much that can be done about us standing out like a sore thumb at this point. Judging by the old man¡¯s response, the rumors don¡¯t seem to be bad at least.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Shuuren, and this here reference room is managed by me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Taking documents outta here is forbidden, but transcribe ¡¯em all you like. A single parchment is 300 Gorudo, and you can loan a pen for 30 Gorudo per hour.¡¹

    Paper is quite expensive¡­ Well, information is valuable in the long run, after all.

    After buying one sheet of parchment, we start searching for the desired documents. Since Shuuren showed us where the documents were whenever we asked, finding things was quite easy.

    The first thing we looked for was a map of the continent.

    Taking a look at it, we¡¯re currently in the Jylbard Continent. Its form seemed close to a caltrop. It¡¯s probably around the size of Africa, but that¡¯s just conjecture. In the first ce, it¡¯s questionable whether or not the map is urate.

    The town of Aressa belongs to a Kingdom called Kranzell, and it¡¯s located in the Western part of the caltrop-like Jylbard Continent. I didn¡¯t know until now, but if you went West for ~5 days from here, you¡¯d probably be able to reach the sea.

    ¡ºSo, ces with Dungeons close to Aressa include¡­ Iluuf and Urmut.¡»

    Iluuf is in a neighboring country to the North, and belongs to the Belios Kingdom. If we can¡¯t cross the border, then no matter how much we struggle there¡¯s no way we¡¯d be able to reach it.

    On the other hand, Urmutys South of Aressa, and also belongs to the Kranzell Kingdom, so there shouldn¡¯t be much trouble with entering it.

    £¨Both have dungeons.£©

    ¡ºIluuf has one C Rank Dungeon.¡»

    £¨Urmut: two D Rank Dungeons.£©

    So, do we take quality or quantity? Hmm¡­ I personally think that Urmut would be the best choice. There wouldn¡¯t be any problems regarding borders, and it¡¯s probably best to umte experience in lower ranked Dungeons first.

    ¡ºSo, which one?¡»

    £¨Urmut. Warm up with D Ranks first.£©

    ¡ºI also agree. Then, let¡¯s keep researching. This time, let¡¯s aim for information regarding the Dungeons of Urmut.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After that, we should find the route we¡¯ll be taking to get there, and any stops we should take along the way. There appears to be both and and a sea route, too.

    ¡ºBy sea or bynd¡­ Which would be better, I wonder?¡»

    £¨Land route would be easier.£©

    ¡ºThat¡¯s true. By the way¡­ Have you ever been on a ship Fran?¡»

    £¨Once, as a ve. Was kept crammed at the bottom.£©

    Somehow¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Or rather, that¡¯s her only memory of a boat trip! That¡¯s no good! No way that can stay like that!

    ¡ºI-Is that so. Well then, how about this time we enjoy ourselves on the sea route?¡»

    £¨Enjoy?£©

    ¡ºOu. Traversing the sea on a boat is enjoyable. There¡¯re also delicious marine products to be had.¡»

    £¨¡­ Fish?£©

    ¡ºThere¡¯d also be Shrimp, Lobster, Crab, and other shellfish too. There¡¯s a great variety.¡»

    £¨Nn. No choice but the sea route, then.£©

    So it¡¯s for food in the end¡­ Well, with that we¡¯ve decided in favor of the sea route.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡¸N©`n¡­¡¹

    Fran stretched out over the table. It seems that her body has gotten stiff from sitting for so long¡­ Probably. We¡¯ve been in the Reference Room for 2 hours straight, after all.

    ¡ºThen, the things we should researchter would be¡­¡»

    £¨Nn. Urmut¡¯s delicacies.£©

    ¡ºWell, there¡¯s that too, but there are also other things to investigate, you know¡­¡»

    Passenger fees, nns for our exact route, and so on.

    £¨Right. Those too.£©

    ¡º¡­ Do you really understand?¡»

    £¨Can¡¯t go without investigating specialities.£©

    ¡ºAh¡­ Oh well.¡»

    Note:

    A note on ¡®Haunts¡¯: in Japanese, it¡¯s Ä§¾³. That can also be tranted to ¡®Boundary of Demons¡¯. Info on Haunts was introduced in C15, but a tl;dr version is ¡®they¡¯re areas under the control of Demonic Beasts¡¯.

    Just restating because C15 was released a while ago.

    1 day = 40©N usually, as walking speed is ~5©N per hour. Then, the time to build/take down camp before/after 12 hours of daylight needs to be taken into ount ¡ª but ¡®5 days¡¯ could be air distance, too. With all this information, maybe I should make a map?

 Chapter 43: What Occurred

    <h4>Chapter 43: What urred</h4>

    We¡¯re walking towards the exit of Aressa.

    We¡¯ve taken a simplemission again today while searching for some Demonic Beasts. You could also say that there was nothing else to do besides this.

    ¡¸Yo! Anothermission today?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    One of the gatekeepers ¨D Dert ¨D calls out to us as we leave. He was the person who admitted us when we first arrived at this town. Thinking about it, we¡¯ve formed a pretty good rtionship with this uncle. We pass by almost every day and Fran stands out, so I suppose it was only a matter of time. He¡¯s a nice person. Even to the unsociable Fran, he tries to talk to her every day.

    A guardsman showing a different reaction to Fran¡¯s unsociable-and-sour impression at first nce would be understandable, but Dert seems a bit soft. Testament to their rtionship building, Fran¡¯s lowered her guard a little.

    ¡¸Cute, as always.¡¹

    ¡­ Isn¡¯t this guy just a lolicon?

    ¡¸That reminds me, are you acquainted with Viscount Alsund?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s talking about that guy. The noble who cameining to the Guild.¡»

    ¡¸Ah. Small-Fry Vice Commander.¡¹

    To Fran¡¯s words, Dert was momentarily astonished before proceeding tough.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s the one.¡¹

    ¡¸What about him?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, for some reason it looks like he¡¯s searching for little Fran. It¡¯d be best to be careful. Yesterday, some fellow calling himself the guy¡¯s subordinate came here to check if you passed through.¡¹

    Hooh. How suspicious.

    ¡¸Since he¡¯s a noble, he does whatever he pleases in the town¡­ Even more, he seems to have a skill to see through lies.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    In reality, he had the Skill to see through lies. Now, I have that ability.

    ¡¸So, about that Skill: in the world of nobles it¡¯s something of a godsend. Giving its user the ability to grasp their opponent¡¯s weakness, and allowing quick dispersion of political opponents¡­ Those guys, telling lies is as easy as breathing for them, after all.¡¹

    Mr. Dert, I must say, you¡¯re my kind of guy. The type of guy who holds prejudice against nobles!

    ¡¸Because he has that Skill, even if that Viscount causes trouble his parents crush anyins. And because of that, he got excessively carried away and became prone to doing foolish things. Those actions extend to little Fran as well, so I have no idea what he might want with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Good to hear. Ah, also on the subject of the Viscount, I caught wind of a slightly dangerous rumor.¡¹

    ¡¸Rumor?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm, it¡¯s from a few days back. It seems that Viscount Alsund¡¯s state has started to be¡­ Odd.¡¹

    ¡¸How so?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, he abruptly began acting suspiciously. Just when rumors started appearing stating that he might be bing mentally ill hemitted a terrible fault in thepany of Royalty. I don¡¯t know the full details, but apparently his family was enraged ¡ª there were even talks this was thest time he wouldn¡¯t be forsaken. Thereafter, it¡¯s just been getting worse and worse. Various rumors like ¡®he¡¯s been cursed¡¯ or ¡®he¡¯s been possessed by the Evil God¡¯ are flying about.¡¹

    Uwaa, and that guy might be stalking us? That¡¯s scary.

    ¡¸Well, anyways. Take care!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Ourmission today is to harvest New Moon Grass. Since Fran still remembers where it grows, we should be able toplete it no problem. While we¡¯re at it, we n on seeing how the development of the Poisonous Swamp is going. If things go well, we¡¯ll find a couple of Demonic Beasts along the way.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    A short time after advancing on the highway, we sensed a couple of presences.

    £¨Teacher.£©

    ¡ºYeah. We¡¯re being followed.¡»

    The number of people tailing us is two. One is amateurish ¡ª he isn¡¯t hiding his presence or anything. It¡¯spletelyid bare.

    We slowly change our course off of the highway, and as we do so the presences follow after us. As expected, we¡¯re being pursued.

    Like that, we advance for a short while into the forest, and allow the presences to close in.

    ¡¸Oy! Stop right there!¡¹

    From behind, an angry voice is heard. To be lured here unawares¡­ He¡¯s truly praise worthy.

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ Small-Fry Vice Commander?¡¹

    ¡ºViscount Augusto, right?¡»

    So, Dert¡¯s warning came true. The one besides him is probably a subordinate or something¡­ But somehow, he doesn¡¯t give off the impression of a Knight. Anyways, for Augusto, at first nce you wouldn¡¯t be able to know that it was him. It¡¯s just to that extent that he¡¯s changed.

    His cheeks are copsed inwards, with bloodshot eyes and untidied hair which was falling out at certain points. He was going bald from misery¡­ It¡¯s an appearance that wouldn¡¯t be out of ce in a horror movie as a vengeful ghost. Erm¡­ He didn¡¯t be an Undead, right?

    Just what happened to him in these 10 days? He was a sickening fellow, sure, but when I see him in this state I end up feeling a bit sympathetic.

    ¡¸Y¡­ Y©`¡­ You!¡¹

    Uwaa¡­ He¡¯s drawing near¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯ve Come to take Compensation For¡­ The Rudeness youmitted against me in the Guild!¡¹

    That¡¯s quite sudden. Without any introductions, he¡¯s abruptly started shouting. Since he¡¯s doing so after such a transformation, I have a bad hunch.

    ¡¸Who might you be?¡¹

    ¡¸What? Are you saying that you have¡­ Forgotten myself?!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s our first time meeting.¡¹

    ¡¸Truly? No, don¡¯t lie! There¡¯s no way that¡¯s-¡¹

    ¡¸Truly Truly. Mistaken for someone else.¡¹

    It seems Fran doesn¡¯t want to get involved. Has he really fallen this much? No¡­ That shouldn¡¯t be enough to deceive him. Right?

    ¡¸Eh? It¡¯s¡­ Truly a misunderstanding? No ¡ª it¡¯s a lie! A¡­ Lie¡­ Right?¡¹

    ¡¸Not a lie. Truth.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Eh? It¡¯s not a lie after all? It¡¯s really not?¡¹

    Maybe he¡¯s believing it because he¡¯s gone a bit loopy? There¡¯d be no way he could believe that otherwise¡­ Will Fran actually get away with this?

    That¡¯s what I thought, but¡­

    ¡¸Ah! That Sword! After all, you are the beastgirl from the Guild!?¡¹

    Sorry Fran. Because of me, he noticed.

    ¡¸After all, it was a lie, right?! Sheet¡­ Everybody keeps telling me nothing but lies¡­ !¡¹

    You don¡¯t say!

    ¡¸That sword, Give it here!¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up! Filthy Adventurers like you shouldn¡¯t defy Nobles! Hand it over!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t want to.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I-I¡¯m the one who decides that! Me! Auguste Alsund !¡¹

    Augusto wed the nails of his right hand into head, scratching and tearing away at his skin. Hair quickly falls and blood trickles down his forehead in response. Yet, even with that he doesn¡¯t snap out of his entric behavior. Now, he¡¯s started to scratch his head with both hands.

    ¡¸? Gone mad?¡¹

    How troublesome. While consulting Fran about whether we should flee or kill, his subordinate steps forward.

    ¡¸Now, now, Sir Auguste. Leave this to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Gu-gununu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll only punish them a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸Is That so? Then I¡¯ll leave it to you. Hihihi.¡¹

    What an unpleasant face tough with¡­ Since his mind seems to have snapped, there¡¯s just no way to go about fixing him, huh?

    ¡¸And so: hand over the magic sword. That¡¯s an order from the Viscount.¡¹

    ¡¸No way.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku¡­ Rather than resorting to violence, quickly handing it over is better for you, don¡¯t you think?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s Right! Gyuran is a master Mercenary!¡¹

    ¡¸Understand that? If you do, hand over the sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Not. A. Chance.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk. Sheetty brat, don¡¯t get all conceited, a¡¯right! Can¡¯t you e¡¯enprehend th¡¯ difference in our abilities?¡¹

    Well, let¡¯s just see how strong this gum-pping Gyuran really is.

    Name :Gyuran¡¡Age :34

    Race :Blue Cat Beastman

    Job :Mercenary

    State :Normal

    Status:

    Level :31

    HP :168¡¡MP :136

    STR :78¡¡END :81¡¡AGI :118

    INT :70¡¡MGC :60¡¡DEX :81

    Skills:

    Intimidation :Lv3, Danger Perception :Lv3, Archery :Lv2, Strong Presence Perception :Lv5, Sword Techniques :Lv5, Sword Arts :Lv6, Shield Arts :Lv4, Instantaneous Movement :Lv3, Commerce :Lv3, Spear Arts :Lv3, Dagger Arts :Lv3, Threaten :Lv3, Capture :Lv3, Paralysis Resistance :Lv3, Vigor Maniption, Pain Reduction, AGI ¡ü, Directional Sense, Night Eyes

    Titles:

    None

    Equipment:

    Illusionary Pyroxene Magic Sword, Dagger of the Sovereign Serpent, Leather Armor of the ze Lion, Shoes of the Hundred-Eyed Skink, Shield of the ck Stone Tree, Gauntlets of the Lesser Dragon, Hidden w Ne, Bracelet of Protection, Bracelet of Poison Resistance

    So-so, I guess? He¡¯s not a small fry, but he¡¯s not powerful by any means. As a ¡®master mercenary¡¯, he¡¯s quitecking.

    ¡¸Hm? You¡­ Are you a ck Cat?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸My esteemed self is from the Blue Cat Tribe. Could it be that you detest me?¡¹

    ¡¸Blue Cat Tribe: the enemy.¡¹

    Fran gives off a strong feeling of hostility as those words leave her mouth.

    ¡ºFran? What is going on?¡»

    £¨Blue Cat Tribe: have lots of ve merchants. ck marketeers as well.£©

    ¡ºLike the ones who caught Fran¡­?¡»

    This man might also be rted to such things. He has Commerce, Threaten and Capture after all.

    £¨Mhm. Around 300 years ago: the Blue Cat Tribe started bing ve traders. Tricked members of the ck Cat tribe. Made into ves and sold.£©

    ¡º¡¯Tricked¡¯?¡»

    £¨Blue Cat tribe pretended to be friendly, thenunched a surprise attack. Many of the ck Cat tribe: caught and sold. Appealed to the King of the Beastmen, but because of status: couldn¡¯t receive an audience.£©

    What a despicable story¡­ I¡¯ll remember it. The Blue Cat Tribe consists of ve traders. Fran¡¯s enemy is my enemy. In other words, that guy is my enemy.

    ¡¸What¡¯s with you, finally going silent? Are ya trembling? Well, it¡¯s toote now kahaha. You¡¯ll have to experience a bit of pain:ment your own recklessness! I won¡¯t give you any big wounds, though. You¡¯d be unable to be turned into merchandise if I did!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯spletely guilty. This fellow is definitely connected to the ck market ve dealers.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The man drew his des, both of which were d in magical power. They seem to be somewhat strong.

    Name :Illusionary Pyroxene Magic Sword

    ATK :650¡¡MP :200¡¡Durability :600

    Magic Power Conductivity?B

    Skills:

    Illusionary Attack

    Name :Dagger of the Sovereign Serpent

    ATK :373¡¡MP :100¡¡Durability :700

    Magic Power Conductivity?C+

    Skills:

    Sovereign Toxic Fang

    £¨All over his body: magic tools?£©

    ¡ºYeah, looks like it.¡»

    £¨Then, take?£©

    ¡ºUsing Dimensional Storage?¡»

    Wouldn¡¯t harvesting the opponent¡¯s equipment during battle be effective? We¡¯d been thinking so for a while now, ¡ª No, actually, we only noticed we could recently.

    Originally, we tried various things to test the power of the Dimensional Storage. Tests to see if the passage of time truly stopped, or if the temperature really didn¡¯t change among others. The results of our investigation showed that the raw materials didn¡¯t rot, and foods stayed piping hot. After testing regrly, we came to the conclusion that time really stopped.

    In the middle of such tests, we suddenly came up with the idea of stealing equipment from opponents. Since we had only been fighting Demonic Beasts there was no chance to try it out, but¡­ The perfect opponent has arrived.

    ¡¸Oh? You got the guts for it, lil¡¯ girl?¡¹

    Fran unsheathes me¡­ And Gyuran falls to the ground.

    ¡¸¨D¨DHuh?¡¹

    ¡¸First: bracelets.¡¹

    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    Moving to his side in an instant, Gyuran¡¯s arms both fall to Fran¡¯s feet. On each arm was a magic bracelet.

    £¨Teacher: harvesting went well?£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    No mercy for enemies, right? Or rather, it seems that her actions are slightly more severe than usual, with a calm anger resonating around her. Towards the screaming Gyuran, Fran¡¯s eyes grow dark as she pushes me against the bracelets. With that, Dimensional Storage invoked.

    ¡¸Sword, too.¡¹

    I retrieve the fallen sword without issue. It seems that I can harvest things so long as they¡¯re separated from the wielder¡¯s hand.

    ¡¸Why?! ording to my Skill, she shouldn¡¯t be this strong ¡ª Only my life, pleaaaaaah!¡¹

    Skills? This guy can talk quite well despite being in such a state¡­ Ah,e to think of it, he had a Pain Reduction Skill. Is it thanks to that? Now, what were his other skills again¡­? Ahh, I see, he was talking about Strong Presence Perception!

    Strong Presence Perception

    Allows the user to perceive the difference in Levels between themselves and others.

    So, it¡¯s because of this Skill that he figured Fran¡¯s Level was below his. A member of the ck Cat tribe with a lower level, and a young girl on top of that. In his eyes, there must have been plenty to make light of.

    Hmm¡­ Besides Strong Presence Perception, AGI ¡ü is a good skill, but¡­ Skill Taker can¡¯t be reused in the end. As expected, it¡¯s absolutely necessary to think before we use it. Hopefully a good opponent will arrive in front of us while Skill Taker is usable.

    ¡¸Attempt harvesting again. Armor?¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii¨D!¡¹

    *Zaku*

    I jab into the shoulder of the man who is trying to flee by crawling away.

    ¡¸I-It huuurts!¡¹

    Even if he has Pain Reduction, there¡¯s no way this would remain painless in the end. While thinking so I invoke Dimensional storage, but¡­

    ¡ºI can¡¯t harvest it. It appears that it¡¯s not possible to take anything that the other party is wearing.¡»

    How disappointing. If it was possible, it would have been quite useful duringbat.

    £¨Then¡­ If the wielder dies it¡¯ll work?£©

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s right, but¡­ I¡¯ll do it, so ¨D¡»

    £¨Nn-nn. It¡¯s alright. I will.£©

    Uttering so, Fran swings me down without hesitation.

    ¡¸Ag¨D¨D kahyuu¨D¨D¡­¡­¡¹

    With the nape of his neck cut, the sound of air escaping his lungs releases from his lips. As his life fade, he squirms slightly, moving what remains of his arms midair¡­ And dies. Not quick enough.

    ¡ºAre you alright?¡»

    £¨Would have been experienced eventually. This guy as the first: good luck.£©

    For having killed a person with her own hands for the first time, she¡¯s quite calm. Perhaps it was because he was a bitter enemy of her tribe, or maybe it was because he was a scoundrel?

    Well, the Mental Stability Skill might also be showing its effect. It¡¯s a skill that lowers the mental hurdle towards killing, so¡­ It¡¯s good that she obtained it before this experience.

    Anyways, I can rationalize it all I¡¯d like, but it¡¯d be best to ignore it for now. So long as Fran doesn¡¯t end up troubled for no reason, then it¡¯s fine. I never liked hesitant protagonists anyways. To get depressed every single time they kill an enemy is nothing but irritating.

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s harvest it at once!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºFirst, the armor!¡»

    Armor, Boots, Dagger, Shield, Gauntlets, Ne, one by one they get harvested.

    ¡¸Hihihihihiii!¡¹

    It was uncertain whether it was augh or a scream that was raised as Small-Fry Vice Commander Auguste fell on his backside.

    ¡¸Ri¡­ Ri-Ridiculous! He was the hero of the Ruze War! To defeat the ughterer of a th-thousand men, that Superhuman, th-this easily¡­!¡¹

    He really waspletely fooled¡­ ughterer of a thousand men? That¡¯s just tooughable. Besides, this Gyuran: a Hero? No way. Anyone with even a speck of human intellect could realize that. It¡¯s difficult to believe that someone would fall for such a lie.

    No, maybe¡­ Is this my fault? Since I stole Law of Lies, has he be unable to distinguish truth from lies?

    £¨Teacher¡¯s fault.£©

    ¡ºEh¡­ So it is, after all¡­¡»

    £¨Nn. Good job.£©

    ¡ºAh, you were praising me.¡»

    She¡¯s harsh on those she¡¯s showed hostility to, as usual.

    Well, you reap what you sow. It¡¯s just his bad luck that he picked a quarrel with us. Right. I¡¯m not at fault. Nope.

    ¡¸And Gyuran¡¯s equipment, Where did it go?! I-I bought That as a present ¡ª i-it¡¯s the highest grade of armor!¡¹

    You really were an easy mark, huh. After being inspired with a bunch of lies, you easily opened your wallet. How pitiful.

    ¡ºHey, what should we do about him?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­ Ignore.£©

    ¡ºHmm. Is that alright?¡»

    For now, I guess we¡¯ll just focus on harvesting Gyuran¡¯s corpse. If it¡¯s left alone, it seem that he could be an undead, after all. It¡¯s a bother to have to dispose of it, but it can¡¯t be helped.

    While we¡¯re at it, I take the ~20,000 Gorudo he had on him, too. Can¡¯t let anything go to waste, right?

    Now, how should we deal with Auguste¡­ Arrest him? Kill him? Ignore him? Brainwash him?

    While being troubled about how to approach the issue, a new presence appeared, closing in on our location.

    £¨Teacher¡­!£©

    ¡ºAh, it¡¯s got quite the amount of magical power. It might just reach Threat Level D! Be careful!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Just a note: when the subordinate said ¡®me¡¯ they used ¡®Watakushi¡¯ which is a strangely formal way of addressing oneself ¡ª probably used for a self-important and/or cool effect. When they say ¡®I¡¯ they use ¡®ore¡¯ (°³ - masculine way of addressing oneself), and continue using ¡®ore¡¯ from that point on.

    For this line, he essentially lost his cool and talked slurringly ¡ª like a small time Gangster.

    ¡®Blue Cats¡¯ aren¡¯t actually ¡®Blue¡¯, in case you didn¡¯t know. The name belongs to these types of cats.

    Pyroxene.

    ¡®¥ë©`¥º¡¯. It should be something like ¡®Careless¡¯ in trantion, but it sounds like ¡®Ruze¡¯ when vocalized by a word¡úsound trantor so I went with that for the sake of irony.

    The Author spelt Auguste¡¯sst name slightly different here than he didst time.

 Chapter 44: After What Occurred

    <h4>Chapter 44: After What urred</h4>

    £¨Teacher¡­!£©

    ¡ºAh, it¡¯s got quite the amount of magical power. It might just reach Threat Level D! Be careful!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Despite my approximation, whatever¡¯s approaching has a peculiar magical power. It¡¯s not the same as a Demonic Beast¡¯s, Human¡¯s, or¡­ Well, anything¡¯s. Really, it¡¯s quite a strange magic power.

    And that enigmatic presence ising towards us at frightening speed. Perhaps it¡¯s aiming at Fran? No, the idiot Viscount still counts as a Noble, so maybe he¡¯s the target?

    Well, anyway, this is no time to be careless.

    ¡¸Why is your sword still drawn?! Do you intend to kill me?!¡¹

    For some reason Auguste is being noisy. Thinking about it, it¡¯d be bothersome if he became a hindrance during the fight, so let¡¯s have him be quiet for now. Lv3 Dark Magic: ¡ºMind?Lost¡». It¡¯s a spell that steals the target¡¯s consciousness, causing them to faint. My guess is that this guy won¡¯t have any resistance.

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­?¡¹

    *thmp*

    Moving the copsed Viscount to the side, we remain waiting for a few tens of seconds, and what showed itself was a strange half-translucent thing. How to describe it¡­ It¡¯s like a water sphere that keeps winding and changing its form while floating in the air.

    ¡¸Miss Fran, you haven¡¯t killed him, right?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Suddenly, it started talking. Wait, it¡¯s not guaranteed that it¡¯s actually talking, as there isn¡¯t any evidence of it having a mouth ¡ª let alone a face. Still, I think that it¡¯s talking. Its voice seems familiar, too.

    ¡¸Guild Master?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Ah, is this your first time seeing one of these? This is one of the kinds of Spirits I use. Please, be at ease.¡¹

    ¡¸Spirit¡­ First time seeing one.¡¹

    It¡¯s also my first timeing across something like this. How should I say this¡­ It¡¯s a bit different from what I imagined. I had thought that Spirits would have a more humanoid appearance ¡ª something like a Sylph or an Undine.

    It seems Fran was thinking along simr lines.

    ¡¸Somehow, strange¡¹

    ¡¸What is strange! To call it strange¡­ This child is an Intermediate level Spirit, therefore is has no human appearance. However, this child is also cute by all means you know!]

    ¡¸Cuter ones: better.¡¹

    ¡¸The ones with humanoid appearances are Superior Spirits. There is no way someone would summon such a being for anything other thanbat.¡¹

    Ah, so Spirits with humanoid appearance are Superior Spirits. Furthermore, the Guild Master is able to summon ones like that. This one¡¯s only an Intermediate level, but it already has a lot of magical power, so just how powerful would a superior one be, I wonder?

    If he can have several Spirits summoned simultaneously, then he¡¯s quite the force to be reckoned with¡­ The Guild Master is already tremendously strong all by himself, so with the addition of Spirits, wouldn¡¯t it be a bit out of hand? Well, I guess that¡¯s to be expected from a Guild Master.

    ¡¸What did you want?¡¹

    ¡¸Oops, that¡¯s right. I received information that Viscount Auguste left the town chasing after you.¡¹

    That only just happened¡­ He has some pretty good ears.

    ¡¸The gatekeeper, Sir Dert, kindly notified me. It was something along the lines of ¡®Viscount Auguste went out chasing after her, will she be alright?¡¯.¡¹

    Dert, I¡¯m sorry for having thought that you might be a lolicon. You were just a good person.

    ¡¸Nn. He appeared.¡¹

    ¡¸As I thought! An appeal to the Guild came in about securing the Viscount behind the scenes. You didn¡¯t kill him, right? Right? Erm, maybe you identally killed him? That sure would be troublesome!¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t kill.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Good! Then, I¡¯d like to take him off your hands. Of course, you won¡¯t be handing him over for free.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Thank you! Well then, I will immediately make my way towards your location, so could you guard him for the time being?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, excuse me!¡¹

    At with the Guild Master¡¯s words, the Spirit¡¯s figure disappeared. It seems that it was used in ce of a messenger.

    10 minutester, the figure of the Guild Master appeared. Pretty fast. Seem like he put quite a bit of effort intoing out here.

    ¡¸Miss Fran, thank you for waiting.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Viscount Augusto is¡­ Ah, there he is. Hey, over here.¡¹

    The Adventurers the Guild Master brought along lifted the Viscount up and carried him off.

    ¡¸Where will he go?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, to the source of the request: Count Olm?s.¡¹

    That¡¯s a name I haven¡¯t heard yet. Who is he?

    ¡¸Count Olm?s is Viscounts Auguste¡¯s esteemed father.¡¹

    ¡¸Father detaining his child?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I would like this to remain between just us, but from the start Viscount Auguste had a problematic personality. Still, for the sake of possessing the Law of Lies Skill, Count Olm?s didn¡¯t punish him, but instead used him.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸However¡­ A few days ago, the Skill suddenly vanished. The reason is unknown, as it¡¯s quite an unusual situation. Well, it¡¯s possible that because he only used his Skill for worthless things, one of the Gods punished him.¡¹

    Hmmmm, he was given a punishment alright. Therefore, it¡¯d be fine to be seen like that.

    ¡¸Anyways, how he ended up after losing the Skill left even me astonished. He was the type to use the Skill to distinguish truth from lies with whoever he met, so when it was lost, it appears he became unable to trust anyone anymore.¡¹

    I see. If a Skill you had since birth was lost, then what would be of you? In his case, he became distrustful of other humans. Well, it wasn¡¯t that simple, of course. It was more along the lines ofpletely breaking.

    I had only thought that I obtained a convenient Skill, but¡­ I should refrain from using it as much as possible. I don¡¯t want to be like the foolish viscount. Thinking that I¡¯d be alright so long as I had that Skill¡­ I¡¯m not special enough for something like that to be reality.

    ¡¸A few days prior to the discovery he also caused problems towards members of the Royal House, who were visiting for an inspection. Disregarding all semnces of etiquette, he grabbed at them and started shouting not to tell lies in front of an audience.¡¹

    Uwaa¡­ That¡¯s terrible. No, wait¡­ We also stole the Court Etiquette Skill, didn¡¯t we? Did that also¡­?

    ¡¸And, while under house arrest, he slipped out of his room and hid himself. On that asion, it seems that he took quite the sum of money with him¡­ Most of it, he apparently used. We tracked his spending all the way to the ce he bought some expensive armor.¡¹

    In all likelihood, that was done under the influence of Gyuran. Then, after catching Fran he intended to abandon Aressa and escape¡­ As if this idiotic noble would be able to pull that off.

    ¡¸In Count Olm?s case, he doesn¡¯t want this ordeal to breed argemotion. And so, before Viscount Auguste caused any more uproars, he came requesting to have him secured in secret.]

    ¡¸Secret?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. This is my personal opinion, but I believe he¡¯s concealed the fact that his son lost the Skill and ns to make use of it in some way. Whether he ns on directly manipting him, or perhaps ns on using some manner of medical treatment to get the Skill back remains to be seen, but¡­ For the time being, he wants to restrain the Viscount. And so, as to prevent the exposure of this incident, the Count wanted to proceed with the highest possible degree of secrecy. It¡¯s something along this lines.¡¹

    Hm Hmm¡­ So in other words¡­ Hush money has been prepared?

    ¡¸*Jii©`* ¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Don¡¯t stare so much. You have the privilege of having this treated as an aplishedmission with a bonus properly added on top.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸In exchange¡­ You already know, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Mouth: sealed.¡¹

    Towards the suddenly nodding, seemingly self-confident Fran the Guild Master directed a strangely uneasy gaze.

    ¡¸Haa. Truly, I beg of you: keep it a secret. The other party is a powerful Noble after all. If he¡¯s angered various troubles are sure to follow.¡¹

    We also want to be spared from being dragged into the family troubles of Nobility. Even if we weren¡¯t asked, there¡¯s no way we¡¯d go around spreading rumors.

    ¡¸Well, in regards to the Viscount¡¯s personal effects I was told there was no need to recover them, so don¡¯t worry.¡¹

    It seems that it¡¯s been concluded that we plundered the equipment alongside and arge sum of money. Er, it¡¯s a bit different, you know?

    ¡­ It seems our debt towards the Guild Master has increased.

    Afterwards, we made the decision to keep Fran¡¯s name from the Count. For such a powerful Noble, I doubt he¡¯d have interest in the name of amoner. It¡¯d be really unlikely, right? Still, this is just in case.

    By the way, themission fee alongside the hush money added up to 200,000 Gorudo, so all of a sudden our money doubled.

    As one would expect of a Noble¡¯smission. Their sense of money must be strange indeed.

    Note:

    The sound effect for staring intensely.

 Chapter 45: Return of the A Rank

    <h4>Chapter 45: Return of the A Rank</h4>

    We¡¯ve gone to the Guild again today.

    In thest few days a lot has happened, but the unchanging days have started up again. Frankly, there¡¯s not enough excitement. If there were goodmissions it¡¯d be alright, but¡­ Well, you know.

    ¡ºThere are only Rank C requests with arge amount of working hours¡­¡»

    £¨Again: medical nts gathering?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯ve also had enough of that, you know~?¡»

    There¡¯s still a whole week before we receive the armor from old man Gallus. In the meantime, what should we ¡ª hm?

    As Fran opens the door to the Guild, we find it unusually noisy on the inside.

    ¡¸Nell. What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Right, Fran doesn¡¯t know. I wonder if you haven¡¯t met yet?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, after finishing the investigation of Maokami ins, the Rank A and B Adventurers have returned.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯re Rank A¡¯s?¡¹

    ¡¸Yep. In our guild, there¡¯s a single Rank A Adventurer, and 10 B¡¯s. Around one month ago they left for the investigation of the Maokami ins. Other than them, no less than 15 people of Rank C to F apanied them to gain experience. It¡¯s thanks to that the Goblin Subjugation became a big deal.]

    Indeed. If there had been A and B Rank Adventurers then the situation could have been settled far easier. In fact, there¡¯d be a high chance that a few elite would have been picked out to capture it.

    However, in that case we wouldn¡¯t have been able to bring down the Demon, so for us having them return now rather than then was lucky.

    ¡ºAnd I had thought that Donna was the strongest¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹

    ¡¸Donna wasn¡¯t strongest.¡¹

    ¡¸Mr. Donnadorondo is skilled at teaching, so he holds the teaching position. In addition, if he had continued to serve in active duty he certainly would have been B Rank by now, you know? However, saying that he wanted tomit himself to the next generation, he became an instructor. It¡¯s already been 15 years since he took that position, so over half of Aressa¡¯s B and C ranks were taught by him, you know? Because of that, most Adventurers listen to Mr. Donnadorondo.¡¹

    It was also for that connection that Donna was at the front line of the Goblin Subjugation.

    ¡¸The A Rank too?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, that person is different. Or rather¡­ That person listens to no one. Honestly, their personality is so overbearing that they¡¯re difficult to handle, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸My, my¡­ Nell, are you speaking ill of me behind my back?¡¹

    ¡¸Kya©`! Amanda! Don¡¯t draw near while erasing your presence! It¡¯s because you do stuff like that I said you¡¯re difficult to handle!¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufu~ It¡¯s good being hard to handle you know? I¡¯m not a dog for running errands after all.¡¹

    Their words are harsh, but smiles are floating on both of their faces. Their rtionship is good enough to freely bad mouth each other, I guess.

    But anyways, she¡¯s quite the beautiful woman. A slight Japanese-like air drifts about her ck hair cut at the shoulders. She¡¯s a gentle and tender type of beauty. Her voice also floats with a gentle feeling, ringing pleasantly in the ears.

    However¡­ The feeling I have after hearing her conversation is that her character is fairly stubborn.

    ¡¸Let me introduce you, Fran. This is Amanda, our A Rank Adventurer as well as our ace. Well, she isn¡¯t a bad person, and she¡¯s fond of children. At any rate, her title is-¡¹

    ¡¸Wah-! Stop it, Nell! That¡¯s embarrassing!¡¹

    ¡¸Why? It¡¯s the perfect title for you.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, buzz off! ¡ª Ohohoho. Sorry for showing you something unsightly. It¡¯s nice to meet you, little miss. I¡¯m Amanda.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing¡­ To be so capable at such a young age¡­ You¡¯re quite promising~¡¹

    ¡¸Do you see, Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸Naturally.¡¹

    That¡¯s an A Rank Adventurer for you. To see through our strength after only looking at us a little. It doesn¡¯t seem to be an Appraisal type Skill, however. Perhaps it¡¯s simply her own ability built up through experience?

    Name: Amanda¡¡Age: 58

    Race: Half-Elf

    Job: Champion of Storms

    State: Normal

    Status:

    Level: 70

    HP: 646¡¡MP: 825

    STR: 327¡¡END: 293¡¡AGI: 451

    INT: 390¡¡MGC: 423¡¡DEX: 356

    Skills:

    Coercion Lv7, Chant Shortening Lv6, Stealth Lv8, Dismantling Lv8, Fire Resistance Lv6, Hand-to-Hand Techniques Lv4, Hand-to-Hand Arts Lv7, Wind Magic LvMax, Danger Perception Lv9, Presence Perception Lv8, Herculean Strength Lv5, Mining Lv7, Harvesting Lv8, Instantaneous Movement LvMax, Blink Step Lv7, Sleep Resistance Lv6, Sword Attribution Lv7, Throwing Lv8, Poison Resistance Lv6, Cold Resistance Lv5, Whip Techniques LvMax, Master Whip Techniques Lv2, Whip Arts LvMax, Master Whip Arts Lv4, Storm Magic Lv4, Paralysis Resistance Lv8, Magic Perception Lv5, Lightning Resistance Lv7, Orc yer, Vigor Maniption, Giant yer, Physical Reinforcement, Demon yer, Dragon yer, AGI ¡ü High, Storm Reinforcement, Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills:

    Grace of the Spirits

    Tiles:

    Orc yer, Guardian of Children, Giant yer, Dungeon Conqueror, Demon yer, Dragon Killer, Personification of a Gale, Master of Wind, Exterminater of Demonic Beasts, Rank A adventurer

    Equipment:

    Magical Whip of the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s Whiskers , Full-Body Leather Armor of the Old Multi-Headed Snake, Overcoat of the Poisonous Lizard Demon, Shoes of the Sovereign Bull Demon, Heavenly Ring of Sacrifice, Ornament of the Thunderbird¡¯s Plumes, Ring of bulwark, Feathered Throwing Knives of the Paralysis Owl ¡Á24

    The title, ¡®Guardian of Children¡¯, must have been what Nell was alluding to. Is it a Title given to ones who like children, or¡­?

    Well, anyways, she¡¯s strong. I was astonished when I saw the Guild Master and Donna, but Amanda is on another level. Frankly, she¡¯s quite terrifying. That is, this person could even go hunting for Demons.

    There¡¯s no point in going against her. No matter what manner of surprise attacks are set up, I just can¡¯t see us iming victory.

    ¡ºShe¡¯s dangerous. Never go against her.¡»

    £¨Nn. Sure.£©

    ¡¸The story of being the one to raise Ranks fastest since the founding of the guild, of course I¡¯ve heard about it. A tiny, terribly cute, beautiful beastman Girl wielding a Magic Sword!¡¹

    Eh? I¡¯m happy that Fran is being praised, but¡­ Wasn¡¯t there a bit too many references to her appearance? Who on earth described her like that! Where¡¯s the bastard that looked at Fran with dirty eyes?!

    ¡¸But, despite that the Guild Master said to not be careless. He said that if you¡¯re fooled by her appearance then you¡¯re in for a painful experience.¡¹

    Oi, Guild Master! What are you saying to an A rank adventurer?! ¡ª Well, if the Guild Master went ¡¸Fran-chan, £Ã£Õ£Ô£Å¡«¡¹ it would probably be worse.

    ¡¸Ah, right. Fran. The Guild Master was calling for you.¡¹

    ¡¸He was? Fine if I go to the room?¡¹

    ¡¸Please, if you could?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸My, what a shame. I wanted to take her to eat, but with the Guild Master as my opponent, I¡¯ll give up.¡¹

    ¡¸Bye bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaa~ cute~ I want a little sister like you!¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda, just how old do you think you are? You¡¯re mistaking ¡®sister¡¯ with ¡®daughter¡¯, don¡¯t you think¡¹

    ¡¸Ne~ll~? Just because you¡¯re a bit young, there are good things and bad things to say, you know? Besides Half-Elves age slowly!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes. Right. Amanda is still young.¡¹

    They get along really well. Leaving behind Nell and Amanda messing around, Fran moves towards the Guild Master¡¯s office.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    *GanGanGan*

    ¡¸Hey! Who is it! Such rude knocking!¡¹

    *Gacha*

    ¡¸Came.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, it was Miss Fran. How should I say this¡­ If you enter before admission is epted from the inside, then there¡¯s no point in knocking.¡¹

    ¡¸Shocked.¡¹

    ¡¸Haa¡­ Please be more careful next time.¡¹

    Sorry, Guild Master. I will firmly educate her.

    ¡¸Called: why?¡¹

    ¡¸To be frank, there¡¯s amission I earnestly want you to ept.¡¹

    A request from the Guild Master? There¡¯s no way not to have a bad premonition, but still.

    ¡¸There¡¯re voicesing from in and outside the Guild holding your ability in question. Of course, I know that they¡¯re unjustified, but from the perspective of someone who doesn¡¯t know you personally there is no way for them to believe in your abilities. And so, to quiet those voices, won¡¯t you take on a certain request?¡¹

    No no, the one who went around raising our Rank at his own convenience was you, you know? And now, youe to us with this?

    ¡¸Ranked by you arbitrarily.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it hurts if you say it like that, but¡­ Listen, there are more jealous folks sprouting up than expected. Furthermore, there are also voices advocating for you, which makes the situation grow worse. There are many rank D and C Rank Adventurers that have recognized you, understanding your power from experience on the field. It¡¯s beginning to seem as though you¡¯re popr because you¡¯re a mascot.¡¹

    Adventurers from the intermediate level and above growing to respect her were expected, but¡­ To think she was also being seen as a mascot¡­

    ¡¸Among the lower ranked Adventurers, many don¡¯t approve. There are also those who still haven¡¯t been able to ascend from Rank E for a long time, so after seeing you being raised to rank D so easily, too many have gotten jealous.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave them be.¡¹

    ¡¸I would also like to leave it at that, but I simply can¡¯t anymore. Some among them are spreading unfounded rumors like you bought your Rank with money, or that I have preferences for little girls and have been charmed by you.¡¹

    For some reason, he¡¯s begun mutteringints.

    ¡¸There is no way that I prefer little girls! Good grief, spare me please. To begin with I prefer ¨D¨D¡¹

    This guy¡­ Could it be that he just doesn¡¯t like being called a lolicon, so he brought this up?

    ¡¸epting: notpulsory?¡¹

    ¡¸Now, now. If you say it like that, then there would be several bonuses attached, right?. Please, just hear me out at least.¡¹

    He¡¯s desperate. Really, it only feels like he wants to deny the suspicions of him being a lolicon.

    ¡¸The bonus added onto themission fee is obvious, but there¡¯ll also be an entrance permit for the Dungeon of the town of Urmut issued.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ How did you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, if you request documents rted to it in the Reference Room, even if you don¡¯t want me to know I¡¯ll end up knowing about it. For admission to the Dungeon your Adventurer Rank is certainly sufficient, but with that alone permission won¡¯t be granted. In all likelihood, the person deciding will ce their judgement ¡ª with the possibility of rejection ¡ª on the spot.¡¹

    Is that so¡­ And for a lone, cute little beastkin girl, there¡¯s definitely a chance we won¡¯t pass. Furthermore, even if she does pass the process might take a while.

    ¡¸If you have a permit, examinations are unneeded. You can immediately dive into the Dungeon.¡¹

    And, as a result, save time. Tsk, this clever Elf. He knows quite a bit about us, huh.

    ¡¸¡­ For now: I¡¯ll hear you out.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much. Well then, themission is this one.¡¹

    Essentially, themission is an investigation request for the Dungeon in Aressa.

    ¡¸A Dungeon in Aressa? First time heard about it.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a dungeon that has already been captured, but it¡¯s usually not open to the public. Every few months, the Guild carries out a survey.¡¹

    ¡¸Captured, yet: investigation?¡¹

    ¡¸The Dungeon Core is still in one piece, after all. If you have the core, then a small amount of maniption is possible¡­ It¡¯s only to the degree of being able to spawn certain Demonic Beasts using the spawning settings, and creating items though. In addition, those can only be made so long as they¡¯re within the range of the Core¡¯s magical power. Because of all that, Aressa¡¯s Dungeon is limited to the production of Demonic Beast with at most Rank F, alongside only a handful of items.¡¹

    With that, it isn¡¯t profitable at all. Were it possible to simply create high-level Potions or Demonic Beast with rare ingredients, then it would give birth to amazing profits.

    ¡¸And if the Core amasses a lot of magical power?¡¹

    ¡¸If that was possible then we wouldn¡¯t have to go through so many hardships. We had assembled several dozens of human magicians to channeled their power into the core, but even with that there wasn¡¯t much change.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, how does it store magical power?¡¹

    ¡¸The core drains it from veins within the ground, the atmosphere, and apparently from any Demonic Beasts and Adventurers inside of the Dungeon. In addition, even if it isn¡¯t much, Dungeon Masters have other means of filling it with magical power. Otherwise, the maintenance of thebyrinth would be impossible¡¹

    Vast amounts of magical power should be necessary to summon things like a Demon normally, after all.

    ¡¸Therefore, it¡¯s important for Demonic Beasts to inhabit the dungeon. If they don¡¯t, then magical power isn¡¯t umted, and to a certain degree the Core can¡¯t do its work. As for Aressa¡¯s dungeon, it¡¯s set up to generate items at periodic intervals. The request also includes the retrieval of those.¡¹

    ¡¸Subjugating the Demonic Beasts: alright?¡¹

    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯d multiply again soon enough. Rather, thinning them out so they don¡¯t be too numerous is also part of the job. If left alone for too long, evolutions might ur¡­ And that would be dangerous.¡¹

    Thepletion fee is quite good, too. There¡¯s just one problem, though. That is, in the details ¡¸For several Parties¡¹ is written. To work together with idiots like the ones who attacked us: no thank you.

    ¡¸Ah, in regards to the parties, arrangements have already been made.¡¹

    ¡¸What types of people?¡¹

    ¡¸Thismission serves simultaneously as a Rank Up examination to Rank D, so at present 9 Rank E adventurers are divided into 2 Parties, and a 3-person Rank C Party serves as the examiner. I can pledge for their background, but for their nature¡­ You¡¯ll have to confirm for yourself.¡¹

    I¡¯d hate to cast the request away, but¡­ What shall we do? We¡¯re fine even if we don¡¯t take it, after all.

    ¡¸Next, in the case you ept themission I would need to receive a written Oath.¡¹

    ¡¸Written Oath?¡¹

    ¡¸Oath Magic makes it possible to bind a target through a written pledge.¡¹

    ¡¸Like a Contract?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. However, in contrast to a Contract which is from one person to another, a written vow is able bind several. In exchange, the bond is frail.¡¹

    ¡¸Hm.¡¹

    ¡¸The content of the vow would be barring the disclosure of the request¡¯s contents. In the case this Oath is vited, your Guild Card would contain a remark about your vition. At worst, measures of decreasing one¡¯s Rank, or even Expulsion would ur.¡¹

    Oath Magic, huh? Somehow, it gives me a bad feeling. Binding someone through magic, no matter what it¡¯s for, reminds me of very.

    ¡ºFran. What now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn©`?¡¹

    When Fran showed a troubled expression the Guild Master, somewhat panicked, ced a small bag on the table.

    ¡¸Now, now. I put a personal bonus for you as well, so¡­¡¹

    Hmm. A personal bonus from the guild master, huh? From that we can expect something, but¡­

    ¡¸Please, take a look.¡¹

    As he turns the bag upside down, around 20 magic stones roll out.

    ¡¸These are?¡¹

    ¡¸Something like my secret savings. They are magic stones I obtained while I was still in active duty, and each one of them is from a Demonic Beast of Threat Level D or above.¡¹

    So it seems. Selling the magic stones would be fine, but they can also be used for producing armor. In other words, this reward is better than gold.

    Still, the Guild Master¡¯s eyes seem as though they¡¯re probing for something¡­ Did he realize that we desired magical stones? Fran doesn¡¯t sell her magic stones, so perhaps he¡¯s begun suspecting us of something based off of that?

    ¡¸Why magic stones?¡¹

    ¡¸Well? Are they to your liking?¡¹

    If anything imprudent is said here, I have a hunch that our side will gain the disadvantage. Of course, even if it¡¯s exposed that we desire magic stones, the purpose will still be unknown. With that in mind, we ought to finish it here.

    ¡¸Not bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Right?¡¹

    £¨How about Teacher?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m sorry to say, but I don¡¯t know what Skills they hold. At best, I¡¯m able to know which Demonic Beasts they¡¯re from. The extent of their magic power is also hard to guess.¡»

    Even so, the ones the Guild Master ced in front of us are certainly good magic stones. Threat Level D was on the same level as the st Tortoise and the Doppel Snake, after all. Still, topulsorily undergo Oath Magic is a bit¡­

    ¡¸From these, I will present you with whichever two you¡¯d like. How about that?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ For ten: I¡¯ll ept.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha- As you would expect, that is-! Three!¡¹

    ¡¸Nine.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, that will go on with 4, 8, 5, 7 and in the end, won¡¯t this pattern raise it to 6?! No way! Four stones. I won¡¯t yield more than that.¡¹

    ¡¸Then: decline.¡¹

    ¡¸Gu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Five. Paid in advance.¡¹

    ¡¸Mumu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Good bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright¡­¡­!¡¹

    Oh, good job Fran! To corner this Guild Master!

    ¡¸In exchange for them, I¡¯ll be counting on you for afore-mentioned matter.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard all about it!¡¹

    Without warning, the door is flung open and Amanda storms into the room. The same entrance pattern as Auguste. Is the security of this room even remotely alright? Even as a joke, it¡¯s still supposed to be the Guild Master¡¯s room.

    But, well, that¡¯s an A Rank Adventurer for you. I couldn¡¯t feel her presence at all.

    ¡¸Let me borrow this for a moment!¡¹

    Amanda quickly snapped the documents the Guild Master ced in front of him and started reading. What an audacious woman! And yet, even with her attitude, the Guild Master isn¡¯t saying anything.

    ¡¸I thought so! For the apanying Adventurers¡­ Won¡¯t there only be men?!¡¹

    Well, there¡¯s no helping it. Even if you say that there aren¡¯t any girlsing along, it¡¯s only because there are so few female Adventures. The ratio is around 20 to 1, I think? If you consider that, then it¡¯s not strange for there to be no woman among the 12 peopleing along.

    ¡¸Among males reeking of sweat, the cute little Fran would be all alone¡­ There¡¯s no way I could permit such a thing! Therefore, I will be going with her on thismission!¡¹

    ¡¸No. Furthermore, there is already someone with a suitable Rank that will be acting as-¡¹

    ¡¸I will be going with her!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ I understand.¡¹

    To talk down to the Guild Master with such vigor¡­ The Guild Master probably noticed that no matter what he said, it would have been useless.

    ¡¸Miss Fran, are you also alright with that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. No problem.¡¹

    Note:

    Nell is almost talking down on the A rank (through the use of negative connotation mostly).

    The same material used in the wires of Akame ga Kill.

    The sound of hitting the door. Yep: hitting, not knocking.

    Remember: there¡¯s Contract Magic (Æõ¼sÄ§Ðg) and Oath Magic (ÊÄ¼sÄ§Ðg), but they¡¯re not the same.

 Chapter 46: Introductions

    <h4>Chapter 46: Introductions</h4>

    It¡¯s been one hour since we received the request from the Guild Master.

    We¡¯ve returned to the inn.

    ¡ºThen, shall I absorb the Magic Stones?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºI wonder what kind of Skills we¡¯ll get¡­¡»

    ¡¸Excited.¡¹

    ¡ºThinking about it, this is a bit like a grab-bag , huh.¡»

    ¡¸Grab-bag?¡¹

    ¡ºAhh, how should I put it¡­ A grab-bag is a bag filled with hopes, dreams, and a bit of despair.¡»

    ¡¸Somehow: amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºMany brave men have challenged such bags for items of favor, only to meet a terrible fate.¡»

    ¡¸Has Teacher seen one before?¡¹

    ¡ºWell¡­¡»

    ¡¸Amazing!¡¹

    Well, before I make a fool out of myself, let¡¯s use absorb the magic stone.

    Thanks to Demonic Beast Knowledge, I can see the stones¡¯ Ranks just fine. With 5 stones total, 3 are D Rank, and 2 are C Rank.

    The D Rankse from a Fortress Hermit Crab, a Sea Lion, and a Trident Shark. I had chosen Demonic Beasts of the sea since we hadn¡¯t actually seen the ocean yet.

    As for the 2 C Rank magic stones, one is from a Red Colossus, and one is from an Old Yeti.

    ¡¸First: D Rank.¡¹

    ¡ºMhh! Here we go!¡»

    Fortress Hermit Crab¡¡Magic Stone Status:39

    Hunger Resistance:Lv1, Water Pressure Resistance:Lv1, Underwater Respiration:Lv1, Weight Reduction

    Sea Lion¡¡Magic Stone Status:79

    Swimming:Lv1, Current Maniption:Lv1, Water Bullet Discharge:Lv1

    Trident Shark¡¡Magic Stone Status:43

    Underwater Acoustics:Lv1, Current Jet:Lv1, Watersports :Lv1

    We obtained quite the variety. We¡¯ve attained an extensive set of water-based Skills, just as nned. Next is the well-awaited C Rank stones.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    The Magic Stone thrown into the sky by Fran is cut in two through in one stroke by me. Uo©`, it came, it came! After a long time, the sense of absorbing big-game hase!

    Red Colossus¡¡Magic Stone Status:196

    Frenzy:Lv1, Heat Resistance:Lv1, Weight Increase, STR ¡ü

    Old Yeti¡¡Magic Stone Status:127

    Cold Resistance:Lv1, Poison Knowledge:Lv1, Ice Resistance:Lv1, INT ¡ü Low

    With these, a long-awaited Rank Up will ur! Prior to absorbing the 5 stones, my status looked like this:

    ATK:434¡¡Retained MP:2050/2050¡¡Durability:1850/1850

    Magical Power Conductivity?A

    Skills:

    Self-Evolution¡´Rank 8?Magic Stone Status: 3146/3600?Memory: 70?Points: 2¡µ

    And now, it¡¯s like this:

    Name:Teacher

    Equipment Registration:Fran

    Race:Intelligent Weapon

    ATK:478¡¡Retained MP:2500/2500¡¡Durability:2300/2300

    Magical Power Conductivity?A

    Skills:

    Self-Evolution¡´Rank 9?Magic Stone Status: 3630/4500?Memory: 79?Points: 47¡µ

    Alright, alright! With this, I can tweak my Skills yet again. This time, Superior Skills are the things on my mind. I couldn¡¯t afford to tamper with it before, but I¡¯d like to make use of it.

    And so, my eyes are fixed on Sword Arts LvMax. When I make it a Superior Skill, will it simply be Master Sword Arts, or will it be apletely unknown Skill? If it does be Master Sword Arts not much will change in terms of sword-fighting, but what would happen to Sword Techniques? If its supporting skill Sword Arts disappears, would Sword Techniques even be usable? Or, because I have Master Sword Arts, would it work without an issue?

    The chance to find out has arrived. Even if the worst urs, there¡¯re many Goblins that carry Sword Arts, and with Self-Evolution Points, bringing it back to LvMax isn¡¯t really an issue.

    ¡ºDuring thismission, we should be able to secure a magic stone from a Sword Arts carrier!¡»

    ¡¸Ooh©`¡¹

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    It¡¯s been two days since that was said. We¡¯ve once again returned to the Adventurers Guild.

    ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s take this chance to introduce ourselves. My name is Cruz. I¡¯m the leader of the C Rank party¡ºAzure Guard¡» to which these two, Rigg and Izel, are members of. For thismission, I¡¯ll be acting as your instructor as well as your examiner.¡¹

    Name:Cruz Liuzel ¡¡Age:28

    Race:Human

    Job:Blink Swordsman

    State:Normal

    Status:¡¡Level:33

    HP:256¡¡MP:175¡¡STR:113¡¡END:119¡¡AGI:178¡¡INT:80¡¡MGC:91¡¡DEX:119

    Skills:

    Malice Perception:Lv3, Stealth:Lv2, Evasion:Lv5, Court Etiquette:Lv3, Presence Perception:Lv4, Sword Techniques:Lv5, Sword Arts:Lv7, Self-Defense Arts:Lv4, Leadership:Lv2, Instantaneous Movement:Lv7, Cold Resistance:Lv4, Poison Resistance:Lv5, Trap Perception:Lv2, Vigor Maniption

    Titles:

    Righteous

    Equipment:

    Mithril Longsword of me, Light-Silver Steel Armor, Light-Silver Steel Gauntlets, Light-Silver Steel Greaves, Cloak of One Hundred Spiders, Bracelet of Poison Resistance

    He¡¯s an Ikemen. A blonde-haired Ikemen. An Ikemen that¡¯s C Rank despite his young age, and judging by his white-and-shiny equipment he¡¯s probably loaded. Furthermore, he has a family name, meaning he probablyes from an aristocratic home. His very facial features seem to emanate a feeling of nobility. Undoubtedly, this man is popr! Tch!

    Aside from that, he has the Righteous Title. With that in mind, he doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person¡­ So I¡¯ll refrain from cursing him for now. If he goes after Fran, it¡¯ll be an instant death, however!

    ¡¸I use the Sword as my weapon. Please treat me well.¡¹

    Although the abilities between C Ranks should be roughly equivalent, he¡¯s weaker than Donna. Or rather, I should probably see Donna as top-ss among C Ranks.

    In terms of Status, his tworades are simr to him. Rigg is a user of Water Magic, while Izel seems to be something like a Scout-oriented Thief. Although they give offpletely different feelings than Cruz, their rtionship seems to be good. They must have been picked quite skillfully.

    ¡¸From the E Rank party ¡ºRoar of the Dragon¡», m¡¯ name¡¯s d: the leader. My fort¨¦ is the Spear. With us ¡®ere, this Dungeon exploration¡¯ll be finished in no time!¡¹

    d has spiky gray hair and suntanned skin, and behind him several Yankee-like youths raise their voices. His height is most likely more than 180cm.

    Name:d ¡¡Age:23

    Race:Human

    Job:Warrior

    State:Normal

    Status:¡¡Level:20

    HP:127¡¡MP:97¡¡STR:67¡¡END:56¡¡AGI:47¡¡INT:50¡¡MGC:46¡¡DEX:42

    Skills:

    Transportation:Lv2, Bncing Act:Lv4, Danger Perception:Lv3, Hunger Resistance:Lv3, Pugilist Arts:Lv1, Spear Techniques:Lv1, Spear Arts:Lv4, Threatening:Lv3, Climbing:Lv3, Vigor Maniption

    Titles:

    None

    Equipment:

    High-Quality Steel Spear, te Armor of the Rock Ox, Vambraces of the Rock Ox, Boots of the Giant Spider, Overcoat of the Stone Spider, Bracelet of Self-Healing?Low

    It seems that the condition to raise to Rank D is only whether or not you can use Techniques, so while he¡¯s not particrly strong, Rank E¡¯s should be at about his skill level. As for the four other members of his party, they have simr Spear-rted skills. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a lot of flexibility, but they¡¯re probably strong when working together. Or¡­ That¡¯s the impression I have, anyways.

    From what I¡¯ve seen, Rank C¡¯s are usually around Level 35, Rank D¡¯s are about Level 25, Rank E¡¯s are around Level 15, and Rank F¡¯s are only about Level 10; Rank G¡¯s are even lower. That¡¯s more or less how the ranks¡¯ level-zones are.

    There are exceptions to that, however. For example, the former Mercenaries that picked a fight with Fran and were exterminated. Their levels were ~15, but their abilities didn¡¯t match up. Judging by their low Skill levels, they likely power-leveled just to seem strong.

    Viscount Auguste is a simr case. Even though he was Level 30 ¡ª about Rank C in equivalency ¡ª he would probably lose against an E Rank in a fight.

    In that respect, d is quite good. His status is definitely one that would allow him to step foot into the grounds of Rank D.

    That being said, his personality doesn¡¯t seem to be all that great. He¡¯s been looking at Fran all this time, so chances are he thinks that the lovely little Fran is out of her mind for participating.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Frion, leader of the E Rank party:¡ºEyes of the Forest¡». I¡¯m not very good with weapons, but I can use Spirit Magic topensate.¡¹

    A blond, thin-eyed Elf. There¡¯s no other way to describe him. He seems a bit younger than the Guild Master.

    Name:Frion ¡¡Age:49

    Race:Wood Elf

    Job:Spirit User

    State:Normal

    Status¡¡Level:26

    HP:71¡¡MP:233¡¡STR:36¡¡END:34¡¡AGI:60¡¡INT:91¡¡MGC:111¡¡DEX:69

    Skills:

    Archery:Lv1, Harvesting:Lv2, Cultivation:Lv4, Evil Perception:Lv3, Nature Magic:Lv3, nt Knowledge:Lv7, Drowsiness Resistance:Lv3, Spirit Magic:Lv5, Soil Magic:Lv3, Water Magic:Lv4, Medicinal Herb Knowledge:Lv4, Divine Protection of the Spirits, Magic Maniption, Child of the Forest

    Equipment:

    Cane of the ck Speckled Elm, Breastte of the Red Monkey, Clothes of the Forest Spider''s Thread, Overcoat of the Forest Spider''s Thread, Ring of Water Production

    He¡¯s a Wood Elf: same as the Guild Master. His Skill configuration is also simr. The only difference is that he¡¯s not strong, huh? I think that d¡¯s overall strength is higher. In particr, his peculiar pro-magic build seemingly characteristic to the Elves isn¡¯t that eye-opening.

    As for hispanions, there¡¯re two Warriors and one person with the configuration of a Ranger. It¡¯s pretty well-bnced.

    ¡¸Then I guess I¡¯m next? I¡¯m Amanda. Best regards.¡¹

    Without mentioning her Rank, she gives a brief greeting. However, just that was enough. The only Adventurer that didn¡¯t know of her would have been Fran a couple of days ago, after all.

    The Rank E¡¯s are too shocked for words. That an A Rank would take on a Rank D request is unprecedented; she sticks out like a sore thumb.

    Only d seems capable of forming his words.

    ¡¸I see how it is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean that I know th¡¯ reason an A Rank like you¡¯d take on such a low-rank request! Thismission¡¯s probably just somethin¡¯ you took in your spare time, right?! We had to seriously prepare ourselves, y¡¯know?! This isn¡¯t where you should be ying around!¡¹

    Uwa©` He said it right to her face, huh. Well, I can see that he¡¯s only pretending to be tough given by his stiff expression though. Maybe he¡¯s at the age where he¡¯spelled to pick fights with the strong?

    ¡¸I have no intention of simply ying around though? Besides, I have permission from the Guild Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk¡¹

    ¡¸Now, now. Then, the youngdy next please.¡¹

    Cruz diverts the conversation to bring a change to the bad air starting to develop. With the selfish Amanda and the seemingly-strong d, he has good reason to worry about the situation. This has definitely surpassed the duties of an examiner. My condolences.

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ That¡¯s all? Is there anything else?¡¹

    ¡¸Rank D. Beastman. Favorite thing: Curry. Don¡¯t particrly dislike anything.¡¹

    d, your gaze is scary. He doesn¡¯t really seem to like Fran. She¡¯s a newly-raised Rank D, so it¡¯s possible that he can¡¯t permit such a young girl being ranked higher than himself.

    ¡¸No, that¡¯s not¡­ I was meaning your weapon choice or the like¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, brat. I said it before, but we¡¯re going at this mission seriously. If y¡¯think this¡¯ll just be a simple excursion, then it¡¯s better for you to go back home and suck your mom¡¯s teat ¡®nstead!¡¹

    We©`ll, you certainly like picking fights, huh d? Even though you¡¯re a Human, you seem more like a mad dog. Moreover, he¡¯s even using his Threatening Skill. His intention to make her cry is clear, but¡­ Well, things like that don¡¯t work on Fran at all.

    ¡¸Mother¡¯s dead.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Tsk.¡¹

    Mhm. Those words hit the hardest, huh. If he could retort to even that, his identity as a Human would seriously be doubted. In addition, he would¡¯ve needed to do so under the bloodthirsty gaze that Amanda¡¯s giving off.

    ¡¸For an adult to shout at a child! Seriously¡­ Are you alright, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. No problem.¡¹

    Such a threat was only at the level of a puppy yapping away whenpared to the feeling of intimidation given off from a devil. Hopefully, my implied meaning in those words is understood. Anyways, d returns with provocation. His aim isn¡¯t Fran, though.

    ¡¸You-! Wadda ya mean by that? Aah?¡¹

    ¡¸Err©` Then, because the self-introductions are over, I¡¯ll move on to the briefing.¡¹

    Wanting to avoid any more turmoil, Cruz forcibly ends the conversation. Hang in there, Cruz. I have no means of helping you, but because the above-mentioned dispute has happened early on, do your best. It¡¯s a good opportunity, probably!

    ¡¸Please, attempt to be friends for the duration of the request.¡¹

    ¡¸Fu©`¡¹

    ¡¸Ke¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Good friends.¡¹

    ¡¸I sincerely hope that¡¯s the case¡­!¡¹

    After crying so in desperation, Cruz moved onto the briefing.

    ¡¸The request consists of the investigation of Aressa¡¯s Dungeon:¡ºCobweb¡»which has already been conquered. In addition, we are to recover the Magic Ore that¡¯s being generated by the Dungeon at the same time.¡¹

    The Dungeon consists of sixyers, and its inhabitants mainly consist of insect-type Demonic Beasts. In particr, the 5th and 6thyers are essentially Spider Demonic Beast nests, and their numbers are noughing matter.

    ¡¸Because the Magic Ore is generated in the Dungeon Core Room, it¡¯s necessary to make our way there.¡¹

    ¡¸So we¡¯re to collect Magic Ore, then.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, ¡¯bout the Demonic Beasts, can we take ¡¯em down? They¡¯re bein¡¯ allowed to live there on purpose, right? ¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, there¡¯s no problem. Reducing the number of Demonic Beasts is also part of the request to a certain extent.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe. I¡¯m lookin¡¯ forward to it.¡¹

    Spider-type Demonic Beasts by the name of Trap Spider reside in Cobweb, ranked at Threat Level F. It isn¡¯t a bad opponent for low-ss Adventurers for the sake of experience.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll warn you now, but while the Spiders are weak when they¡¯re alone, they¡¯re intelligent enough to use traps in groups. Their true threates from their cooperation. Please, don¡¯t be careless.¡¹

    ¡¸Ke, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d lose to a Demonic Beast that even a Rank F could take care a¡¯. They¡¯re nothin¡¯ but experience points.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ In addition, Demonic Beasts aren¡¯t the only thing to watch out for inside the Dungeon. Most of the traps in Cobweb aren¡¯t a big deal, but watch out for Transition Traps .¡¹

    Transition Traps are traps that transfer their victim to any ce in the Dungeon. It¡¯s difficult to prevent them from triggering, so even experts can fall into a crisis.

    There seem to have been cases where Transition Traps ced in spider webs were triggered, sending their victims to Monster Rooms. There¡¯s a need to be careful.

    ¡¸The Transition Trap is a fiendish trap that can sometimes involve more than just yourself. Be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah. I got it, I got it.¡¹

    He doesn¡¯t understand at all. I¡¯m worried. With a reckless, ipetent fellow with a high likelihood of sabotaging others¡­ I¡¯ll have to protect Fran.

    Author''s Note:

    Combat methods and Titles have been added to the earlier chapters.

    As for the current Status of Fran:

    Name:Fran ¡¡Age:12

    Race:ck Cat Beastman

    Job:Magic Swordsman

    State:Contracted

    Status:¡¡Level:25

    HP: 304¡¡MP: 215

    STR:150¡¡END:129¡¡AGI:140

    INT:95¡¡MGC:117¡¡DEX:108

    Note:

    A Grab-Bag is essentially a bag filled with a variety of objects; people¡¯re supposed to simply reach in and grab something without knowing what¡¯s inside. A goodparison would be Booster Packs for cards.

    So, there¡¯re two ¡®Swimming¡¯ skills here: Ë®Ó¾ from the Sea Lion and ß[Ó¾ from the Trident Shark. Because I¡¯m simply using machines, I can¡¯t be sure of what the difference is, but I did look into the single characters that made the two different and found that the former seems to be just in old swimming (Ë® = Water), while thetter seems to be referring to the sport/game-oriented side of swimming (ß[ = y).

    ÜžÒÆ¤ÎÁF. Tempting as it is, I won¡¯t trante it as ¡®Teleportation Trap¡¯ because it¡¯s possible that ¡®Teleportation¡¯ will simply be a stronger version of Transition. Something like a trap that teleports its victim anywhere in the world, for example.

 Chapter 47: A Little Bit of Training

    <h4>Chapter 47: A Little Bit of Training</h4>

    It¡¯s the first day of the Dungeon Investigationmission.

    With the group who left the Guild after making amotion, we arrived at the entrance to a cave after half of the day had passed.

    Well, the journey itself was quite serious in its own way. Mainly due to d. It seems he has the king-of-the-mountain trait, not liking anyone taking the lead other than himself; he just charged ahead each and every time. I was surprised that he would even talk back to the examiner: Cruz.

    If he really wants to raise to D Rank, he couldn¡¯t seriously think that leaving a bad impression is the way to go, right? Or is he thinking that ¡®I have to be assertive!¡¯ = ¡®I¡¯m the type to make decisions proactively!¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯m not scared of my superiors!¡¯ = ¡®I have courage!¡¯¡­?

    I don¡¯t see the appeal.

    Well, the thoughts of one person doesn¡¯t amount to much in the end.

    Anyways, because Amanda is quite strong-willed, standoffs between the two continued to ur regrly. Because d always ended up losing to Amanda¡¯s vigor, he really should have stopped opposing her from the start.

    Frion stayed uninvolved with any disputes, taking the position of aplete bystander. However, it could also be said that he was unwilling to lend a hand in quelling the arguments, too. Because of this, mediation between the two whenever a dispute urred was left entirely to Cruz. Is it just my imagination, or does he seem strangely fatigued even though only half a day has passed? Everyone should really pitch in to help with these sorts of things.

    What about Fran, you ask? Well, everyone has strong points and weak points.

    That all aside, it was interesting to see Amanda battling along the way. Not only was her use of the whip amazing, but her use of wind-type Magic seemed incredibly useful. Unlike fire-type magics, using them in the middle of a woond is fine.

    After everything that urred, we arrived a bit behind schedule. While we should have arrived at the Dungeon in the evening, it¡¯s already night.

    ¡¸Erm¡­ Originally we should have gone inside on the first day and traveled through twoyers of the Dungeon, capturing the rest tomorrow, but¡­ Because we¡¯re a little behind schedule, we¡¯ll stop and camp here today and head into the Dungeon early tomorrow. Sound good?¡¹

    ¡¸What d¡¯you mean ¡®camp¡¯! We should just hurry up and start conquering the Dungeon immediately, right? Conquering this Dungeon¡¯ll be easy; there¡¯re only small fries inside, y¡¯know?¡¹

    ¡¸The Ranks of the Demonic Beasts within are indeed low, but it¡¯s dangerous to go in with a tired body. And so, we¡¯ll be camping here today.¡¹

    ¡¸I agree.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds good.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk! Cowards!¡¹

    Even after saying so, d doesn¡¯t stand up and go in by himself. Even he should understand that it¡¯s dangerous to go into the Dungeon after walking for half a day. Cruz seems a bit unsatisfied with his reaction, but he doesn¡¯t say anything else.

    To be honest, d¡¯s the type of person I inherently dislike. He¡¯s just the sort of person to start throwing in weird suggestions and quibble when an agenda is about to be finalized in ss. Even though the surroundings are thinking¡¸Geez, it doesn¡¯t matter. I just want this to be finished so I can go home, so be quiet already.¡¹he¡¯d continue to oppose the popr opinion endlessly.

    ¡¸Fran! Would you like to sleep in my Tent? It¡¯d be fine to leave the watch to the men.¡¹

    ¡¸Decline.¡¹

    ¡¸A©`hh, so co©`ld.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll leave the first watch to you, miss Fran. After that, my group, d¡¯s group, and Frion¡¯s group will take over in that order.¡¹

    Oho, he pushed the Midnight watch ¡ª the most difficult time ¡ª to d, huh. You shouldn¡¯t do that, Cruz. Even if it¡¯s only a little, don¡¯t retaliate.

    ¡¸The A Rank won¡¯t be keeping watch?¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda is acting as a spectator. Besides, if I asked her to help then it wouldn¡¯t be a proper test for you guys. If she participated, it¡¯d take less than an hour to traverse the Dungeon on foot, and we¡¯d be able to leave for home before the day ends. As for the results of the examination in that case: you¡¯d all fail.¡¹

    Even non-standard opponents would be easily finished off by an A Rank. In fact, they¡¯d only be at the level of a nuisance. With that, it¡¯d be better to look at Amanda as insurance in case of an emergency.

    ¡¸Ke. Is that so.¡¹

    It¡¯s already been decided that I¡¯ll keep watch as well when it¡¯s Cruz¡¯s turn. He continued grumbling afterwards, but was made to fall silent by Amanda in the end.

    ¡¸You should have been notified beforehand, but meals and bedding are to be prepared by each party individually, alright?¡¹

    There¡¯s also that. After asking Randell, we obtained some high-quality bedding. A sleeping bag and nkets, all for just 7,000Gorudo!

    As for the meals¡­ Well, that goes without saying. I had cookedrge quantities of Demonic Beasts for this exact purpose, after all. Because we¡¯re the first watch we postponed the meal, however.

    ¡¸Oi, Oi. Can a single brat e¡¯en keep watch?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh? Y¡¯think I can just trust a brat¡¯s words so easily?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s a Rank D Adventurer. That¡¯s higher than you guys, right? If she says that there¡¯re no problems, then it¡¯s fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Her even being Rank D is questionable! What could a kid have done while we were on expedition, hah? Chances are, she just used ¡®er body t¡¯gain the favor of that lolicon Guild Master, right? So, how¡¯d ya be able to do it, huh?!¡¹

    Ah©`, this guy was part of the returned-from-the-investigation group, huh. In that case, he wouldn¡¯t have a chance to witness Fran¡¯s battle prowess. At a Rank of this level, tricks shouldn¡¯t be possible to measure the ability of an individual, yet d misunderstood that as us getting our Rank through unjust means.

    Well. Our increase in Ranks was quite peculiar. There¡¯s plenty of room for doubt.

    Still, I can¡¯t forgive what I can¡¯t forgive.

    ¡ºFran, how are you holding up?¡»

    £¨? Nothing particrly wrong. Slightly noisy.£©

    d continues exercising his Threatening Skill, but it seems that it¡¯s only seen as a bit noisy to Fran.

    ¡¸Ability.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha! Ability? A brat like you can¡¯t reach Rank D with jus¡¯ ability!¡¹

    ¡¸Ability (mine and Teacher¡¯s).¡¹

    ¡¸Hyahaha! A¡¯right, then show me. Let¡¯s ¡®train¡¯ a little.¡¹

    After saying so, d lifts up his Spear. It seems he¡¯s intent on having a mock battle.

    Fran raises slowly in return. Haa©` Her battle-preparations are alreadyplete.

    ¡ºFran, sparring is fine but don¡¯t go too far, alright?¡»

    £¨Understood. Just training a bit.£©

    She has a good smile. However, no one else is saying anything. Because Frion and hispanions aren¡¯t the type to speak up I can understand it, but¡­¡­

    I¡¯d have thought that Amanda would have put a stop to this at the very beginning¡­ Instead, she¡¯s justughing. Well, maybe she figures there¡¯s no problem due to the difference in ability between Fran and d.

    As for Cruz though, he doesn¡¯t seem to n on stepping in at all. Has he be so exhausted that he¡¯spletely ran out of fuel? No, it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s the case. He¡¯s looking at the two with an earnest expression.

    That reminds me, I didn¡¯t see Cruz in the Goblin Subjugation either. Chances are, he was part of the return group in that case. In other words¡­ He also wants to ascertain Fran¡¯s abilities. Cruz¡¯s twopanions are casually paying attention to the surroundings, as to act as substitutions for Fran.

    ¡ºFran, before we begin, you should set up a Barrier in the surroundings.¡»

    If we start the mock battle as-is, d might end upining that we didn¡¯t do a proper job as lookout.

    £¨Nn. Understood.£©

    ¡¸¨D¨DWind?Zone¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨DGround?Zone¡¹

    Wind?Zone is a magic barrier from Wind Magic, and can cover any range from its origin in a dome-shape. If anything intrudes within the barrier, the caster can sense it using the flow of wind.

    Ground?Zone is also a magic barrier, this time from Soil Magic. It also creates a dome of any range from the origin. The difference between it and Wind?Zone is that it acts on and under the ground. On the other hand, it has no effect on intrusions via the air.

    Through employing both Wind and Soil, one is able to cover all directions.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Ha? This is¡­ Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Moreover, from two attributes¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?¡¹

    d¡¯s party members started making noise in the background. Up until now, they had been watching things develop with smirks on their faces¡­ But now they¡¯ve taken on a blue tint.

    ¡¸You¡­ You¡¯re a Magician?!¡¹

    ¡¸? Not a Magician.¡¹

    ¡¸No, but, that jus¡¯ now was Magic, wasn¡¯t it?!¡¹

    ¡¸Usable without being a Magician.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s true, but¡­¡­¡¹

    It seems that with only barrier-type magic we¡¯ve managed to intimidate d. It¡¯s only a simple Lv4 magic, so only Rank E Adventurers and their equivalents will show up for Fran.

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s begin.¡¹

    ¡¸Right. A¡¯right, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡®I can¡¯t use magic, but my Spear won¡¯t lose¡¯. Such is the feeling I get from the determined expression on his face. In a fight between a Sword and a Spear, the Spear has an overwhelming advantage. In a one-on-one match, it can¡¯t be beat.

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Any time.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsuyaah!¡¹

    No wait-and-see tactics? Is that alright? Perhaps he¡¯s going full-offensive since he sensed Fran¡¯s strength a bit?

    With all his energy ced in a lunge to her face, d has no ns on stopping just before the strikends. Frion, who was watching in an easygoing manner while dining shows an expression of shock. This is, indeed, surprising. From behind, d¡¯srades leak a scream. Seeing Fran not move at all, they must have thought that d¡¯s strikended directly.

    However, their expectations were way off the mark.

    ¡¸No use.¡¹

    Fran, with only light swing of me, deflects the tip of the spear. d, whose body was covered in too much momentum, bes wide open. There, Fran¡¯s kick explodes.

    ¡¸GAH!¡¹

    Blown off his feet, d falls to the ground.

    ¡¸Damn it!¡¹

    ¡¸Continue?¡¹

    ¡¸Obviously! My guard was down jus¡¯ then, but I won¡¯t be ¡®olding back from now on!¡¹

    Ohh! This is the first time I¡¯ve heard the bad-loser clich¨¦! He¡¯s unsightly for saying such a thing, so I can¡¯t really say that I approve. Well, maybe I can a little.

    ¡¸Then, my move.¡¹

    ¡¸Aa©`gh!¡¹

    From d¡¯s perspective, Fran¡¯s figure should have disappeared, followed by a sudden impact from the side. Through Fran¡¯s quick movements, he was struck with my stomach.

    ¡¸I can still¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oraoraoraah!¡¹

    In desperation, d swings his spear around violently, giving off consecutive thrusts. Fran isn¡¯t hit at all, however. Thrust, thrust, thrust. Dodge, dodge, dodge. I wonder how long this process repeated itself?

    ¡¸Why?! What¡¯s-!¡¹

    ¡¸Not hitting.¡¹

    ¡¸How is this even-!¡¹

    It¡¯s probably been around three minutes since d continued striking with his Spear. I already feel dizzy, you know? Panting, his expression has turned miserable, probably due to the shock of realizing that not even one of his attacks have been sessful.

    ¡¸Damn it, damn it!¡¹

    ¡¸Then, time to finish.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn iiii¨D¨DGOHA!¡¹

    For the second time, I strike him. This time, the strikends on his face, causing him to lose consciousness and fall onto his back.

    ¡¸Leader!¡¹

    d¡¯spanions quickly rush to his side.

    ¡ºWell, with this he shouldn¡¯t make such a fuss anymore.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Regrettable.¡¹

    ¡ºAhh, regrettable indeed.¡»

    He didn¡¯t make a good sparring partner by any means. Still, against a person with such a difficult personality, the battle wasical at least.

    ¡¸Fran, so stro©`ng?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Suddenly, Amanda¡¯s arms wrap around Fran. I wasn¡¯t even able to notice her approach. Damn, how mortifying.

    However, Amanda has a hint of difort on her face. She has the same gentle smile as usual, but¡­ Her eyes aren¡¯t smiling at all. If anything, they look the same as a bird of prey which found game.

    ¡¸Hey. Won¡¯t you spar with me as well?¡¹

    ¡¸With Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a Solo A Rank, you know? I¡¯ve been having trouble finding a training partnertely, but if it¡¯s Fran then some good practice might be possible!¡¹

    Ahh, she wouldn¡¯t have anyone to train with, would she? Sparring with an A Rank¡­ It would be a valuable experience. Training in of itself is good. I don¡¯t think that any idents will ur, either¡­¡­

    ¡ºHey, Fran¨D¨D¡»

    £¨Great training for Master Sword Arts.£©

    ¡º¡­ That¡¯s right.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Hah¡­ it¡¯s no good. She¡¯s inplete battle-mode right now. It won¡¯t be possible to stop Fran when she¡¯s like this.

 Chapter 48: A Short Spar

    <h4>Chapter 48: A Short Spar</h4>

    ¡¸Haahhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuu!¡¹

    ¡ºDangerous! This is seriously dangerous!¡»

    Amanda¡¯s whip strikes where Fran had just been standing.

    *DoGOoOoO*

    That isn¡¯t the power of a whip! It¡¯s more like some sort of giant mallet was thrown into the fray, sinking the ground in!

    ¡¸Ahahaha! That¡¯s the way, Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    We¡¯re caughtpletely in Amanda¡¯s pace. Fran¡¯s been obstructed by that transcendent-quality whip right from the start, so it¡¯s impossible to get in close.

    As expected of an A Rank Adventurer. I had thought that we could have a good match, but I was making light of her.

    ¡ºThat whip sure is troublesome¡­¡»

    Only defensive movement can be taken to block its attacks, whiche from any angle. The strikes are ever-changing, and infinite in variety. Sometimes, the attacks cane in the form of heavy-hitting blunt strikes, sometimes they can cut clean through rocks, and sometimes, not even sound can keep up with them. Frankly speaking, it¡¯s strange that Fran hasn¡¯t been defeated already.

    ¡ºAre you alright?¡»

    £¨Teacher, interference: forbidden.£©

    ¡ºI know.¡»

    £¨Nn! Will absolutely get an attack in.£©

    ¡ºOu. Do your best.¡»

    That might be too high a target¡­ Amanda hasn¡¯t even moved from her starting position, after all.

    She¡¯s already peerless when ites to the whip, but it should be kept in mind that Amanda¡¯s Job is Champion of Storms, meaning she¡¯s fully capable of using the higher form of Wind Magic: Storm Magic. However, she has yet to use any magic whatsoever. In other words, she hasn¡¯t considered it necessary to do so.

    Even if I observe her flow of magic using the Sorcery Skill, there¡¯s no change. And, on top of not using any magic, she hasn¡¯t even used any Whip Techniques, giving a looming feeling of dread.

    However, Fran isn¡¯t ordinary either. Gradually, she¡¯s getting used to the movements of the whip. The distance between her and Amanda is growing shorter.

    ¡¸Now!¡¹

    ¡¸Na?ve!¡¹

    ¡¸Predicted.¡¹

    ¡¸Mu-! You did it, huh!¡¹

    Maybe the mock battle was worth it, after all? Fran reached a position where I could almost reach Amanda.

    Finally, after five minutes since the battle began, Amanda was forced to move her legs. Fran, receiving an immense amount of bloodthirst, takes some distance once again.

    ¡¸Ah, pardon me. It seems that the na?ve one was me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Sh!¡¹

    ¡¸-Bu¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the first time in a while that I needed to dodge in a fight.¡¹

    With her whip undting like a snake, Amandaunches herself at Fran. Her movement is just like a snake. Furthermore, the presence of magic was felt from whatever Skill she was using. Most likely, it¡¯s a Whip Technique.

    With that, the battle intensifies even further. Wounds, big and small, cover Fran¡¯s entire body the more time passes. The power of the whip d in magic power using Whip Techniques is terrific, and while Fran is barely able to evade them, she¡¯s being damaged by the wind pressure.

    Still, I¡¯m not too worried. The day we met Amanda, we went to look up information on her. Right off the bat, we found that she was a good person in general, and was good-natured through and through.

    To begin with, Amanda has managed an orphanage for more that 30 years. There¡¯re nearly 500 people in the current Aressa who came from said orphanage, making her well-loved by many.

    When Cobweb was still active near Aressa in the past, Adventurers flourished. Because of that, the number of orphans whose Parents died while adventuring also rose, and the guards weren¡¯t exactly the kindest, either. At 20 years old, Amanda (only a D Rank at the time) extended a helping hand out to such children.

    Casting her materials aside, she built an orphanage to educate and bring up any orphans she could find. Nowadays there¡¯s plenty of help from people around town, and the management of the orphanage is favorable as well, but¡­ Back then it would have been painful to smile through it all.

    Furthermore, regarding the Title ¡®Guardian of Children¡¯, to obtain it you not only have to save children, but be loved by them as well. It¡¯s said to be a Title that would be lost upon enacting any inappropriate behavior.

    Amanda, possessing such a Title, would obviously be a good friend for Fran, who is a child herself.

    Perhaps, so long as they¡¯re both mutually satisfied, then it¡¯s of no consequence whether injuries are inflicted in this battle¡­ Or maybe, it¡¯s because all of these wounds aren¡¯t inflicted with malicious intent.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuu¡­¡­¡¹

    Still, the intensity of this battle is worrisome.

    It¡¯s gradually bing a one-sided battle, with Fran on the defensive.

    ¡­ Huh? At this rate, isn¡¯t this really bad? Anti-Death prevents instant death, but it isn¡¯t absolute. You could die again immediately if you¡¯re in a Poisoned or Bleeding State.

    Should I stop them?

    ¡ª No, let¡¯s wait and see for a while longer. Fran is intent onnding at least one blow in this battle.

    ¡¸Now!¡¹

    Fran moved. To Amanda, who activated another Whip Technique, she stepped forward by force. At onlooker might see it as desperation, but I know that¡¯s not the case.

    ¡¸Gu¡­!¡¹

    The whip, thrust forward, scrapes out Fran¡¯s side. Blood dances in the air as it escapes the open wound, but Fran, who pushes her back by force with Wind Magic, advances with a grimace.

    ¡¸As expected of you!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha¡­¡­!¡¹

    Using half of her remaining magic, Fran lunges with her whole body. It isn¡¯t a Sword Technique, but its offensive power is probably equivalent to one.

    Furthermore, there was no time for Amanda to pull back her whip for the sake of a counterattack.

    ¡¸Wind?Shield!¡¹

    GYyYyan!*

    With a high-pitched sound, the blow which had Fran¡¯s whole body invested in it was¡­ Prevented. Wind Magic, which Amanda hadn¡¯t used up until this point, had nullified it. It goes without saying that it was only used because Amanda had been driven into a corner. However, Fran¡¯s aim was tond a single blow. She won¡¯t be satisfied with just this.

    And so, Fran released the magic she had reserved: re?st.

    It wasunched immediately after defensive magic was used. Even Amanda wouldn¡¯t be able to reactivate a proper defensive measure in time.

    ¡ºSplendid!¡»

    Throughout the entire battle, I had been chanting Arias with Parallel Thought to see what times I could potentiallynd a blow, and in my opinion, that was the best timing thus far.

    ¡¸Kuu!¡¹

    *GaGOOOOON*

    With Amanda hit directly by re?st, a great explosion ensued. A cloud of dust, kicked up as though a bomb had detonated, covers the entire area. The ground around us melts, bing something akin tova. Just how hot is it, I wonder?

    She isn¡¯t dead, right? She¡¯s an A Rank, but the explosion just now was a bit dangerous¡­¡­ There was a time when I thought so.

    What manner of magic would it take for her to remain unscathed? Not only that, to be in perfect condition! No matter how you look at it, this woman¡¯s too far out of the norm! I know that there¡¯s Fire Resistance and all, but to that extent?!

    ¡¸That was dangerous¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ Regret¡­ful¡­¡¹

    *dosa*

    With that, Fran copses with a look of vexation. With such excessive bleeding, there¡¯s no question that she had be light-headed. And so, reaching the limit of her endurance, Fran went unconscious on the spot.

    ¡ºHow regretful¡­¡­ Still, you¡¯ve done well.¡»

    It was good to have fought against this monster of an opponent here. Furthermore, she did it without my assistance.

    ¡¸Fran! I¡¯m so sorry!¡¹

    Amanda approaches the copsed Fran in a hurry, and takes out a Potion before sprinkling it on Fran. Without a doubt, it¡¯s a first-ss Life Potion.

    ¡¸As a reward for your perseverance you should havended that strike, but¡­ Grace of the Spirits protected me automatically.¡¹

    I see, so it was thanks to Grace of the Spirits. It seems to be a Skill which automatically invalidates damage to a certain degree. It¡¯s an extremely strong Skill, but it has the drawback of needing 24 hours to reuse.

    Fran might be unconvinced, but I think that her strike was definitely a good one, one that invoked the absolute defense of her opponent.

    Well, for now, rest well. As for the watch¡­¡­ The others can take care of it. Probably.

 Chapter 49: Lessons from Ms. Amanda ?The So-Called Explanation-Time?

    <h4>Chapter 49: Lessons from Ms. Amanda¡¡?The So-Called Exnation-Time?</h4>

    It¡¯s been one hour since Fran¡¯s sparring match and defeat with Amanda.

    After waking up, Fran took a seat face-to-face with Amanda. As Amanda was feeling apologetic for letting the battle escte so far, it was decided that she would teach us some of the information we wanted to know.

    As Fran was able to learn a lot through the battle, I don¡¯t really think that there was a need take over Fran¡¯s watch and personally guard her while she slept as well as grant us this, but¡­ Since it¡¯s already like this, we¡¯ve might as well ept it, right?

    ¡¸Then, first I¡¯ll exin fighting Skills.¡¹

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡¸However, I¡¯m not too strong when ites to theories, so I won¡¯t be able to exin everything. Is that alright?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine.¡¹

    To us who know near-nothing, any information is precious.

    ¡¸Then, Combat Arts are things like Sword Arts, which allow one to improve their handling with a respective weapon; these improvements can also be seen with Techniques. Combat Techniques like Sword Techniques, Pugilist Techniques, and my preferred Whip Techniques all hold special moves that consume one¡¯s magical power. Did you know of that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I know.¡¹

    Sword Arts is required to learn Sword Techniques, and Bow Arts is required to learn Bow Techniques. Furthermore, it¡¯s impossible to learn Combat Techniques at a higher level than their respective Combat Arts, making the two a pair. In other words, one must bear in mind that if their Sword Arts is only Lv5, they can only level Sword Techniques up to Lv5.

    ¡¸After that is only a matter of learning how to use Combat Techniques themselves, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m not really clear on the details surrounding that.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸No, well, the methods to learn can be grasped through training, but¡­ I don¡¯t really know the detailed theory around it. If you ask someone researching the subject, you might be able to understand it a bit better.¡¹

    ¡¸Just training method is fine.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s usually how it is for Adventurers. Anyways, I suppose for that I should talk about the prerequisites of Vigor Maniption and Magic Maniption? As for the reason for needing them¡­¡­ To be frank, I don¡¯t know why either. As a Half-Elf, I gained both of them before I could remember. Well, it seems that Fran didn¡¯t have any problems with them either, so shall I simply omit it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, moving onto the training method for Combat Techniques, just envision yourself pouring your magic into the weapon as well as your body. Then, like a sh, Combat Techniques arrive. The Techniques themselves are activated when you don¡¯t go against that sh. After the first use, the Technique is acquired in the form of a Skill of sorts, so there¡¯s no problem using it from that point on. Fran can use Combat Techniques too, so do you remember acquiring them?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, Fran is still small, so you probably learned your Combat Techniques when you were even younger, right? It¡¯s possible that you¡¯ve forgotten. Still, to be able to use Combat Techniques at such a young age, you¡¯re pretty prodigious, huh.¡¹

    Dangerous. We were saved by the fact that Fran¡¯s a child. Anyways, in regards to the method of obtaining Combat Techniques, I have a rough idea of how it works. With this, not only Sword Arts, but Sword Techniques should also be able to be trained manually.

    ¡¸Once a Combat Technique has been learned, you should continuously use it to raise the Skill¡¯s level. The reason being each time a level goes up in a form of Combat Techniques, a new Technique is learned.¡¹

    Lv1 must be the most difficult to raise, then.

    ¡¸Next, shall I move onto the description of Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸In Magic, the basic attributes are Soil, Water, Fire, and Wind. Their superior versions are Ground, Ocean, me, and Storm respectively.¡¹

    All four of the basic attributes can be used already.

    ¡¸After those are what are called posite attributes¡¯. Those are Lightning, Ice, Nature, Lava, Sandstorm, and Life: those 6.¡¹

    ¡¸Composite?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You can acquire those attributes after improving two of the basic attributes. For example, Nature Magic requires Water and Soil Magic.¡¹

    ¡¸Possible to learn? Or not?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll get to that.¡¹

    To learn Magic, one can either be a pupil of an experienced magician, or learn it through means of memorization, or¡­ Well, there¡¯re various methods.

    Amanda seemed to have learned how to use magic through memorization and training. However, the training method is quite terrific. What makes it terrific is the fact that the method itself closely resembles the practices of a certain Hunter¡ÁHunter .

    For Water Magic, one has to touch water every day, drink it, soak in it, and hammer the essence of water into one¡¯s mind and body. When water flows even in one¡¯s dreams, then it bes possible to learn Water Magic.

    If it¡¯s Wind Magic, then running about naked in strong gales would work. For Soil, you¡¯d just need to be buried under the ground, or take bites out of stones. Well, such training might be a bit excessive, so only some magicians do such things¡­ Was it my imagination that Amanda¡¯s eyes swam for a moment? She would have trained for the Wind, so¡­¡­

    Anyways, unlike Sword Arts, there seems to be no guarantee that magic can be learned, the reason being ¡®The Wall of Talent¡¯. For Sword Arts, even if there¡¯s a difference in the effort needed between individuals, anyone can learn and improve through proper dedication. In Magic, however, if you don¡¯t have talent, you can¡¯t acquire it. Period.

    ¡¸Talent?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It might be better to say that each person has a certainpatibility with each attribute. For a person ipatible with the Fire Attribute, no matter how much effort they put into learning Fire Magic, they won¡¯t be able to do so.¡¹

    So, without talent, no matter how much training one does, it would all be to waste? Even with the dedication to burn oneself, it¡¯d be possible to achieve no results¡­ How terrible.

    ¡¸Currently there isn¡¯t a method of examining which attributes one has a talent for, however, I don¡¯t think a person with absolutely no talent exists, so it¡¯d be possible to learn Magic so long as one keeps at it.¡¹

    ¡¸Depends on efforts.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. Incidentally, I had attempted to train myself for Fire, but I wasn¡¯t able to learn it in the end. Instead, it seemed that I had talent for Wind, so I was able to learn it in about a week.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that there¡¯re also cases of geniuses capable of using Magic ever since they were born too, I think? I wonder if Fran¡¯s one such case?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t remember, huh. Well, that¡¯s fine. Returning to the subject ofposite attributes, there¡¯re two main issues in acquiring them.¡¹

    ¡¸Have to learn two attributes first.¡¹

    ¡¸Right. After that, there¡¯s the question of whether you have talent for theposite attribute itself.¡¹

    Because of those two things,posite attributes are extremely rare. Until now, the onlyposite attribute we¡¯ve seen has been Nature Magic from both the Guild Master and Frion¡­ Both of which are Wood Elves. Because of that, I¡¯m under the impression that aptitude towards Nature Magic simply came to them due to their Race. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s simply to be expected thatposite attributes aren¡¯t seen often.

    ¡¸And so,posite attributes are very rare.¡¹

    As for Fran, I wonder where her talent lies? Magic shared by me is usable without a problem for the four basic attributes; Dark and Recovery Magic are also the same. In that case, perhaps Skills gained through a shared rtionship disregard talent. No matter how you look at it, it¡¯d be highly irregr for her to have talent in all 4 attributes, after all¡­

    ¡¸Next, I¡¯ll exin the rest of the attributes.¡¹

    ¡¸Dark and Recovery?¡¹

    ¡¸Just like those. First, let¡¯s start with Light and Dark.¡¹

    The Light and Dark attributes aren¡¯t included among the four basic ones. While the methods to attain them doesn¡¯t differ with the basic four, they¡¯re exempted simply due to the overwhelmingly few amount of people with talent for them.

    Surprisingly, they¡¯re even rarer than those with talent with Composite Magic, making the order of rarity 4 Basic ¡ú Composite ¡ú Light and Dark. Being able to acquire Dark Magic from the Demon was extremely lucky.

    ¡¸With the inclusion of Light and Dark, there¡¯re even more attributes to be derived. The derivations of Light are Purification and Illusion while Dark can be derived into Poison and Ghost.¡¹

    Everyone with talent for the Light attribute will also have talent with Purification and Illusion without exception. Simrly, talent in the Poison and Ghost attributes is also guaranteed if one has talent with Dark, so the derivation attributes are actually seen as subordinate-attributes in the eyes of researchers. Also, having talent with the derived attributes doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that an individual will have talent in the Dark or Light attributes themselves.

    Furthermore, Poison and Purification have higher attributes: Decay and Cleansing. There¡¯re way too many magic attributes.

    ¡¸Other than those, there¡¯re also unique attributes.¡¹

    The unique attributes include Recovery, Support, Summoning, Contract, Space-Time, Moonlight, Spirit, Smithing, and other non-generic ones. Practitioners of Support and Recovery Magic seem to be plentiful, but when ites to attributes like Space-Time and Moonlight, their rarity surpasses even Light and Dark.

    ¡¸Those¡¯re only the ones off the top of my head, but there¡¯re many other unique attributes scattered across the world. There seem to be attributes unique to Demonic Beasts, too.¡¹

    ¡¸Such as?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, rumors have it that Dragons possess magic only usable by themselves. There¡¯s a simr case said about Fiends and such. Compared with mankind, Demonic Beasts that can use magic outnumber us by a wide margin, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, in the first ce, Demonic Beasts make use of magic on a daily basis. Demonic Beastsrger than castles would be killed off in no time if they didn¡¯t reinforce their bodies with magic, right? To them, magic is second nature ¡ª like breathing. Because of that, Demonic Beasts can use Magic even without Magic Maniption, unlike mankind. Their Magic Stones might also have a hand in that, too¡­ But of course, there¡¯re also ones that have Magic Maniption as well, further increasing their efficiency.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the same with Combat Techniques. Even with differences between Vigor Maniption and Magic Maniption, in the end, aren¡¯t they simply Skills making use of magic? Because of that, Demonic Beasts can make use of Combat Techniques without Vigor Maniption.¡¹

    I suppose Skills like Vibration Fang would fall under that category?

    ¡¸And, due to the Demonic Beasts¡¯ peculiar magic-oriented nature, there¡¯re many individuals capable of using Light and Dark attributes too. Looking at it like that, they¡¯re far more talented than mankind.¡¹

    That reminds me, there¡¯s still one thing that I¡¯ve been wondering about.

    ¡¸Is Dark Magic only used by bad people?¡¹

    The Demon made use of it, and Poison and Ghost Magic are the types used by viins no matter how you look at it. If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to trust a practitioner of Ghost Magic on our first meeting no matter what. They¡¯d be an evil person, after all. Or¡­ I¡¯d imagine them to be so, anyways.

    ¡¸That¡¯s not the case. Demonic Beasts may make use of it, and civilians might think that it¡¯s inherently bad, but¡­ For Adventurers, magic of all kinds is generally recognized as ¡®useful¡¯. For example, Ghost Magic is really useful in Dungeon exploration, you know?¡¹

    Alright. In that case we can make use of Darkness Magic without a problem. With that, Darkness Reinforcement and other such Skills won¡¯t simply be left to collect dust.

    Finally, we asked about thebinations ofplex attributes.

    Water + Soil = Nature

    Water + Wind = Ice

    Water + Fire = Life

    Wind + Fire = Lightning

    Wind + Soil = Sandstorm

    Soil + Fire = Lava.

    Those are thebinations.

    As for theposite attributes between Light and Dark as well as unique attributes, they have yet to be confirmed.

    ¡¸Well, I don¡¯t know of them, at least.¡¹

    ¡¸I want aposite attribute.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran made use of Soil and Wind magic a while back, and you¡¯re good with Fire too, right? With those, it¡¯s possible to aim for Lightning, Sandstorm, and Lava.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹

    Alright, if that¡¯s what Fran wants then we¡¯ll obtain one without fail!

    I could learn aposite attribute through absorbing one, or through manual acquisition. I was able to learn me Magic through Fire Magic Lv10, so the possibility of aposite attribute being learned through raising the levels of other magics is high.

    ¡ºAs it stands¡­¡­ The attribute second to Fire is Wind.¡»

    In the Goblin Den, Wind Magic Lv3 was repeatedly obtained through absorbing the stones of Army Beetles. The efficiency of absorbing higher-leveled Skills is better than lower-leveled ones, after all.

    Raising Wind Magic through the insects¡¯ Lv3 versions took far less time than advancing Sword Arts through the Goblins¡¯ Lv1 versions.

    ¡ºWhat shall we do¡­¡­ Perhaps we should give it a level or two?¡»

    47 Self-Evolution Points remain. We should leave 28 of those for the sake of testing out the Superior version of Sword Arts.

    ¡ºWhat do you think?¡»

    £¨What to do?£©

    In the end, we used 6 Points to raise Wind Magic¡¯s level. As we attained the Lightning Attribute properly, I have no regrets. Furthermore, the Storm Attribute and Master of Wind Titles were also obtained.

    £¨Want to use it quickly.£©

    ¡ºNot here. We only just heard about Composite Attributes from Amanda, so somehow using one immediately would be bad.¡»

    £¨Alright¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºWhen we return to Aressa, let¡¯s test it out. Alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Note:

    Surprisingly mentions Hunter¡ÁHunter without any censorship (á÷ÈË¡Áá÷ÈË).

    In regards to the higher version attributes, the first (Decay) is actually Ptomaine Poison (ËÀ¶¾). Because Ptomaine is found in putrefying corpses/vegetation, Decay seems to be fitting, so I went with it.

    The second is Â}›·, with the first character being Sacred/Holy/Pure and the second being Cleaning/Cleansing/Cleanup. ¡®Cleansing¡¯ in itself can be linked to the purging of sins/filth, so that¡¯s what I decided upon.

    It should also be noted that ›·»¯, which I¡¯ve tranted as ¡®Purification¡¯ could also be ¡®Cleanup¡¯, so if Teacher and/or Fran happen to get it and the first spell is something like ¡®Clean¡¯, then I¡¯ll change Purification ¡ú Cleaning, and keep Cleansing the same.

 Chapter 50: Traps and Tricks

    <h4>Chapter 50: Traps and Tricks</h4>

    It¡¯s the second day of the Dungeon Investigation.

    ¡¸Alright, we¡¯ve broken through 5yers.¡¹

    Our group has already finished exploring fouryers.

    As for any problems: there haven¡¯t been many. d, most likely due to the effect of yesterday¡¯s defeat, has remained quiet. No, perhaps his silence is due to the shock of witnessing the spar between Fran and Amanda when he woke up? Well¡­ It serves him right either way.

    Still, Amanda¡¯s approach for ¡®training¡¯ was quite terrifying¡­ The spar was fierce, and I could only witness Fran being beaten half to death too. When her side was practically gauged out my guts went cold¡­ Not that I have any guts, of course!

    There¡¯re many metaphorical expressions that use parts of the body, so it¡¯s quite difficult to use them for me who is inorganic. Still, that doesn¡¯t matter. The point is, I was a tad worried.

    It was good that we were able to see the strength of an A Rank Adventurer firsthand, so while Fran was a bit vexed with the result, she doesn¡¯t seem to have started disliking Amanda. Rather than seeing her as an opponent who she narrowly escaped death from, it¡¯s more likely that Fran is viewing her as another wall to someday climb over. Testament to that is the sense of goodwill I can feel from her towards Amanda.

    As for Amanda herself, it seemed that the spar fromst night was satisfactory. She hadmented the fact that she could easily defeatmon Adventurers simply by wielding a Whip, but with Fran¡¯s high prowess in evasive maneuvers and attack even she would be in danger if she rxed.

    It was because of this that the morning was noisy with her request to spar again¡­ Even to Cruz and Frion, the spar between Amanda and Fran was like something from a different dimension.

    They didn¡¯t particrly change their attitude towards Fran, but pieces of their actions andnguage indicated a slight feeling of awe towards Fran. With that, it seems that they¡¯ve fully recognized her strength.

    Surprisingly enough, something akin to kindness was even felt from Cruz. Perhaps he¡¯s finally realized that the one he lost to was Rank D? Or perhaps he¡¯s the type of person who would only ept another after measuring their strength firsthand. How manly, Cruz. However, Fran is off-limits!

    Moving on,yers 1 to 4 didn¡¯t have any strong opponents and the traps were few, so we simply proceeded without pause for the most part. The Demonic Beasts themselves were Insect-type, so while it¡¯s a shame, I couldn¡¯t obtain any new Skills from them.

    ¡¸Now, just a reminder, Trap Spiders will be appearing from now on.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸If we¡¯re surrounded it¡¯ll get troublesome, so be careful.¡¹

    Bing bound by thread is more than enough to lead to defeat ¡ª even if your opponent is weak.

    ¡¸At the same time, the number of traps will increase. The Transition Traps are particrly dangerous, so prepare ordingly. Rather than focusing on the detection of enemies, I¡¯d like to ask everyone with the Thief Job to focus on finding traps.¡¹

    And so, with Thieves as the lead, we plunge into the fifthyer. In case ofbat, Warriors step forward, with the Magicians providing support from behind.

    The materials capable of being gathered from the Spiders, being quite strong for their rank, have moderate value. Their utility is also a part of that. However, they¡¯re weak to fire and burn up easily, so we¡¯ll be refraining from fire-type Magic as much as possible. Instead, Fran wields me.

    Like this, traversing the 5th Layer can be done without a problem. Well, that¡¯s only to be expected with this much fighting power on our side.

    However¡­ We immediately encountered a problem after delving into the 6th Layer.

    ¡¸Sheet, e¡¯en though they¡¯re jus¡¯ small fries!¡¹

    ¡¸They aren¡¯t falling, even with Spirit Magic¡­? This can¡¯t be!¡¹

    The Trap Spiders have suddenly be stronger. Not only their size, their increase in vitality is also inly visible. Perhaps the deeper we delve, the stronger they will be?

    After using Appraisal, I can only be surprised by their Name and Description.

    ¡ºFran, these aren¡¯t Trap Spiders, they¡¯re Trick Spiders, their evolution!¡»

    At a nce, a Trick Spider only seems to be arge Trap Spider, but their contents are entirely different. They¡¯re the products of Highbreeds that have evolved, after all. The Threat Level of a single Trick Spider is E.

    As for their Status, their offensive power is more than double what we¡¯ve been facing thus far. Furthermore, they make use of Confusion Poison, and even have the Deadly Poison Fang Skill. It seems that the number of Adventurers who mistook them for Trap Spiders and attacked them only to lose their lives in the process aren¡¯t few.

    ¡¸Gennell! What¡¯s wrong?!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯ve tried using an Anti-Venom, but it¡¯s not working¡­¡¹

    So someone got hit, huh¡­ The Poison from Trap Spiders is very weak, so if one swallowed a 5th Grade Anti-Venom it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. And so, mistaking the Trick Spiders for Trap Spiders, they must have continued fighting while swallowing low-ss Anti-Venoms, thus falling prey to the deadly poison.

    ¡ºFran. These guys are dangerous.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    When Fran takes even the smallest scratch, I immediately apply Antidote ¡ª a technique that can even nullify Sovereign Poisonpletely.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m saved!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Trick Spiders. Strong Poison.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-! Trick Spiders?! Impossible! Did evolution ur?!¡¹

    In truth, Trick Spiders aren¡¯t supposed to be created in this cave. The strongest of this Dungeon¡¯s Demonic Beasts were supposed to be Trap Spiders.

    However, if several factors ovepped then evolution, an urrence surpassing one¡¯s expectations, can happen.

    Those factors start with the birth of an individual too strong for its species. Although it is brought forth by the power of the Dungeon, there are individual differences between each Dungeon Monster. Demonic Beasts with more power than other individuals ¡ª sometimesbeled as Unique or Rare individuals ¡ª are more than capable of appearing.

    And when a powerful individual is born, what do you think happens? It takes a monopoly of the food, forcing the weaker individuals to either cannibalism or starvation. There is the possibility of the strong individual to evolve after eating enough food¡­ But there is also the possibility for a weaker specimen evolving through its survival and cannibalism.

    There have been cases where both sides evolve only to eradicate one another, but there have also been cases where the evolved individuals live symbiotically, changing the entire Dungeon ecosystem.

    Furthermore, there¡¯re cases where the idental ingestion of experience-rich food, or external factors leading to evolution.

    Well, in the case of a captured Dungeon, thetter two cases are pretty improbable.

    ¡¸Damn, we were careless! Ms. Amanda!¡¹

    ¡¸I understand. Fran, will you being as well?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That marked the beginning of a one-sided ughter. In an instant, we began reducing the number of Trick Spiders that the Rank E Adventurers were having trouble with. In only minutes, the cluster of ~20 spiders transformed into nothing more than a pile of silent corpses.

    ¡¸Fighting against small fries really is boring. Right, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nh-nn. Fun.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, is that so? Well, so long as Fran had fun it¡¯s fine.¡¹

    While Fran has an enjoyable expression, the rest of the Adventurers have looks of fatigue. Even d seems to be nearing his limit.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s pull back to the 5th Layer! Those guys shouldn¡¯t follow us there!¡¹

    Unless they¡¯ve overpopted or received instructions from a Dungeon Master, Dungeon Monsters are restricted to their own Layer. And so, the Trick Spiders shouldn¡¯t be able to give chase after we reach the 5th Layer.

    ¡¸If they¡¯re already breeding, this is pretty dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸We know already!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, act as the rearguard.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸E Rank Parties, withdraw!¡¹

    ¡¸Got i- Gyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Calm down! ¡®S just a scratch!¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯re more ¡®hind us!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯S only one! Jus¡¯ don¡¯t make any noise!¡¹

    ¡¸Here theye again!¡¹

    Falling into a panic were some of d¡¯s party members from Roar of the Dragon. Not only do they not seem to be ustomed to being surrounded by Demonic Beasts, they¡¯ve taken on the Status Abnormality: Confusion.

    ¡¸Just wait a sec!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut it!¡¹

    d is just barely retaining his fighting spirit as two of his subordinates, ones who took a surprise attack from the rear, blindly ran towards the swarm of spiders ahead.

    ¡¸Wait! There might be traps over there!¡¹

    And so, sure enough, by running into the area that the Thieves hadn¡¯t scanned yet they triggered traps.

    *KYUIIIIIIN*

    ¡¸That¡­ Was that a Transition Trap?¡¹

    ¡¸Not good-¡¹

    With that, Fran disappeared.

    I, who should have been in her hand, was left behind.

    ¡ºEh? Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

 Chapter 51: Its Name is Urushi

    <h4>Chapter 51: Its Name is Urushi</h4>

    Fran disappeared.

    She disappeared by getting caught in a Transition Trap that one of d¡¯spanions set off!

    The weapons of the two others who were caught in the trap were also left in ce, just like I was. Not only their Spears, Daggers and Throwing Knives were also left behind. Simrly, Fran¡¯s throwing equipment alongside the Dagger of the Sovereign Serpent fell beside me as well.

    ¡¸Forced cancetion of equipped weapons¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Even the spare weapons were left behind¡­¡¹

    I had heard about the range of the Transition Trap beforehand, but they even force the cancetion of equipped weapons? If the trap was that dangerous, why wasn¡¯t that mentioned in the exnation?! Sheet, for even the registration to disappear¡­! Please¡­ Stay alive¡­ No, it¡¯ll be alright. She should be alright.

    What can I do? There must be some way to look for Fran¡­¡­ There should be something capable of doing so in my various Detection Skills!

    ¡¸Ridiculous! I¡¯ve ne¡¯er heard a¡¯ such a brutal trap existin¡¯ in this Dungeon!¡¹

    ¡¸That ain¡¯t a trap that should be in a Dungeon of this Rank!¡¹

    Cruz was also caught by surprise. Apparently, the trap doing this really was a bolt out of the blue.

    ¡¸¡­¡­ I think I know how this happened.¡¹

    ¡¸What, what do you know?¡¹

    ¡¸The Trick Spiders have a Highbreed variant called the Trickster Spider, which are known to have the Trap Remodeling Skill.¡¹

    Trap Remodeling? In other words, they can modify the traps in the Dungeon? What a troublesome Demonic Beast! Even more, the they¡¯re Highbreeds of Trick Spiders? Isn¡¯t that bad?

    ¡¸It was already irregr that Trick Spiders showed up, right? If Trickster Spiders are present as well, it¡¯s not a huge surprise.¡¹

    ¡¸Ku¡­ Izel, the Map!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already checked it. If the terrain¡¯s remained the same, there should be a small room up ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going!¡¹

    After picking up the Dagger of the Sovereign Serpent and I, Amanda breaks into a run. I¡¯ll remain quiet for now.

    Spiders in the surroundings pounce at Amanda all at once. Oi, oi. It hasn¡¯t even been 24 hours yet! Without Grace of the Spirits, Amanda won¡¯t be able to revive! Even if it¡¯s Amanda, this number is-!

    ¡¸Nuisances.¡¹

    *ZAN!*

    Amanda¡¯s right hand blurs, and even the Spiders that hadn¡¯t jumped at her in the surroundings burst open instantly. One strike. With only one strike, the Spiders were wiped out. I¡¯ve made lightly of Amanda yet again. I wasn¡¯t even able to see her attack just now. Like this, she never got serious in her battle with Fran either, huh.

    After a minute, we arrive at the small room. Naturally, we do so without triggering any traps.

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Victor! Bart!¡¹

    However, there was no one else inside the room.

    ¡¸Even the destination of the Transition Trap was changed, it seems¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet! Th¡¯ hell are we gonna do?!¡¹

    ¡¸We should split up and look around. However, it¡¯d be nothing but suicide if we divided our numbers too much in the current situation. Izel, d, members of Roar of the Dragon and I will form a unit. Rigg and the Eyes of the Forest will form the second. Finally, Amanda will move herself, with that, we¡¯ll have three groups.

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    With that, the Adventurers move out¡­ But Amanda stays in ce. Leaning me against the wall, she closes her eyes and concentrates. It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s using Wind Magic¡­

    Ah, she must be thinking about a method of searching for Fran. I can¡¯t just leave this situation to the Adventurers. I have to do my best as well.

    Telepathy is ¡ª useless. Because my Equipment Registration has been cut off, my connection to Fran waspletely severed. Usually, thanks to that connection I would be able to use Telepathy even if she was far away, but¡­ I can¡¯t feel Fran right now. To be so uneasy simply by having our connection dissipate¡­! No, the anxiety Fran is feeling likely trumps mine, I must calm down!

    If only I had an Art rted to Transition, or something like a spatial leap¡­ Anything would be fine so long as I could fly to Fran. Or, perhaps a Skill that can return Fran to me¡­¡­ Are there any good Spells that can be used?

    No, wait. Pulling Fran back just might be possible with Summon Kin. Fran is contracted by me, so even if our Equipment Registration was dissolved, the contract remains! And, I think I can say that Fran is my kin¡­¡­

    However, I¡¯ve neglected verifying Summon Kin¡¯s effects after its level had risen. I couldn¡¯t summon anything when it was Level 1, and even after its level improved, because I don¡¯t make contracts I figured it would be a waste of time. Thus, I didn¡¯t check. However, things may have changed with the Skill¡¯s raise in level. Even if the possibility is small, I¡¯m clinging at straws here.

    Is Fran¡¯s name here-?

    Hm?

    Fran¡¯s name isn¡¯t listed, but instead the list of ¡®kin¡¯ I can summon are a bunch of individuals that I don¡¯t know about.

    Summonable Kin: Wolf, Gray Wolf, Brown Wolf, Red Wolf, Blue Wolf, Green Wolf, Yellow Wolf, ck Wolf, Ruby Wolf, Emerald Wolf, Thunder Wolf, Onyx Wolf

    What on earth is this? A wolf festival? I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t remember contracting such beings at all.

    For now, I should look at the details of each individual.

    The first Wolf is just amon wolf. The Grey and Brown Wolves are simply wolves that evolved from regr wolves after specializing in AGI and STR respectively. The Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow Wolves are wolves that can control the attributes of Fire, Water, Wind and Soil respectively. The ck Wolf controls Darkness and Poison.

    The Ruby Wolf is the me attribute Highbreed of a Red Wolf. Simrily, Emerald is the Storm attribute, and the Thunder Wolf is Lightning. The Onyx Wolf seems to be a Highbreed of the ck Wolf with control over the Darkness, Poison, and Ghost attributes.

    Although there¡¯re various other features, my eyes remain on one of the abilities of the Onyx Wolf. That is, the Life Perception Skill! Moreover, the Red Wolf and any proceeding wolves have the Echolocation and Keen Smell Skills. So, if it¡¯s an Onyx Wolf, will it be able to find Fran?

    With that thought, I decide to choose the Onyx Wolf instead of the others.

    ¡º¨D¨DSummon?Onyx Wolf!¡»

    To make sure that a strong individual appears, I pour the maximum amount of MP into the summon. I don¡¯t know how much of an effect it¡¯ll have, but¡­

    ¡¸Gururuu¡¹

    From a magic formation appearing out of thin air, a Wolf with jet-ck fur springs out.

    I-It¡¯s a bit bigger than expected. Considerably so. I thought it would be about the size of a big dog, but¡­¡­ This fellow is moreparable to the size of a cow.

    ¡¸An Onyx Wolf? In a ce like this¡­?¡¹

    Dangerous. Ipletely forgot about Amanda. She¡¯s super surprised. Eh? If it¡¯s like this, then won¡¯t it just be subjugated¡­?

    It¡¯s releasing a terrific amount of magic from its entire body while growling all the while as a form of intimidation¡­ No matter how you look at it, this wolf is a hostile Demonic Beast!

    ¡¸Grrrrrrr¡­¡­¡¹

    Please stop. Why are you growling so much? And stop releasing your magic!

    ¡ºOi, stop growling! Behave yourself!¡»

    ¡¸Gururr!¡¹

    It¡¯s no use. It¡¯s like it¡¯s not even listening. Should I try even harder to persuade it? Or rather, why does it look like it¡¯s suffering? Just what¡¯s going on?

    Name:None

    Race:Onyx Wolf:Demonic Wolf:Demonic Beast

    State:Contracted, Magic Power Discharge

    Status:¡¡Level 1

    HP:319¡¡MP:313¡¡STR:146¡¡END:156¡¡AGI:251¡¡INT:103¡¡MGC:201¡¡DEX:128

    State:Magic Power Discharge? That is-! That must be the reason why its magic is being dispersed all the time! Ah, is that because of me? Is it because I put too much magic power into the summoning?

    ¡´Will you perform¡´Christening¡µon the Onyx Wolf?¡µ

    At a time like this?! Should I give it a name? Let me see, a name¡­ A name¡­

    ¡ºYour name is Urushi !¡»

    Jet ck contains the character Urushi , and the dark red hairs asionally mixed in with its mane is also associated with thecquer tree. Furthermore, the wolf has control over the Poison attribute, which rtes to how acquer tree can give one a rash. Even though I thought about it in the spur of the moment, I think it¡¯s a good name.

    ¡´¡´Christening¡µof the Onyx Wolfplete¡µ

    ¡´Onyx Wolf is evolving¡µ

    Eh? Evolution? I only named it, though? What¡¯s going on? Is it because its magic is running out of control? Can someone exin what¡¯s happening?

    As I thought such things, the Onyx Wolf in front of me transformed just as the announcement said it would.

    ¡´Urushi has evolved into a Darkness Wolf¡µ

    ¡¸AOOOOooooo!¡¹

    It¡¯s lively all of a sudden. Is its magic discharge alright?

    Name:Urushi

    Race:Darkness Wolf:Demonic Wolf:Demonic Beast

    State:Contracted

    Status:¡¡Level 1

    HP:451¡¡MP:670¡¡STR:216¡¡END:217¡¡AGI:310¡¡INT:202¡¡MGC:441¡¡DEX:208

    Skills:

    Darkness Resistance:Lv8, Darkness Magic:Lv1, Keen Smell:LvMax, Stealth:Lv7, Fang Techniques:Lv5, Fang Arts:Lv5, Shadow Lurk:LvMax, Shadow Movement:Lv5, Aerial Jump:Lv8, Dread:Lv4, Vignce:Lv6, Conceal Presence:Lv6, yback:Lv5, Decay Magic:Lv1, Instantaneous Movement:Lv5, Action Muffling:Lv6, Ghost Magic:Lv5, Life Perception:Lv7, Mental Resistance:Lv6, Poison Magic:LvMax, Echolocation:Lv7, Roar:Lv8, Night Cover:LvMax, Dark Magic:LvMax, Night Vision, Sovereign Toxic Fangs, Automatic HP Recovery, Automatic MP Recovery, Poison Immunity, Shapeshift, Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills:

    Predation Absorption

    Titles:

    Kin of the Sword, Kin of the Wolf God

    Description:

    A Highbreed Wolf Demonic Beast capable of manipting the Darkness attribute. Its Status is lowpared to other Demonic Beasts of the same rank, but its Skill and Magic diversity is top-ss. With many Skills rted to stealth, especially the ability to hide and move within shadows, these Demonic Beasts are very difficult to find. Their existence has been confirmed, but there have been very few discoveries. Threat Level C.

    Magic Stone Location:Heart Cavity

    This fellow is huge. It was already quiterge as an Onyx Wolf, but now it¡¯s at least twice that size. Onyx was cattle-rank, but the tip of a Darkness Wolf¡¯s foot to their shoulder exceeds 3 meters.

    A sense of dignity flows from its deep, gold eyes as it res at the surroundings. Its fangs are as sharp as daggers, and its limbs are more burly than even a bear¡¯s. Its ck hair is the only thing that it kept through its evolution, sparkling with a peculiar gleam. Ir resembles the sky of a starry night, shimmering depending on the angle it¡¯s seen from, and holding a mysterious beauty.

    In addition, it¡¯s quite strong. Its Threat Level is C. Also, as its description said, its stealth-rted Skills are quite considerable, with an Assassin-like Skill configuration. Its magic is also quite substantial.

    When Ipare it to the Tyrant Saber of the same rank it¡¯s inferior physically, but their magic are leagues apart. That¡¯s how it is.

    ¡¸Abrupt evolution? Could this be¡­ A Darkness Wolf? It¡¯s my first time seeing one¡­¡¹

    For even Amanda to only see it for the first time, is a Darkness Wolf that rare?

    ¡¸Moreover, there¡¯s a flow of magic connected to Fran¡¯s sword?¡¹

    Ugee¡­ It waspletely seen through! The danger towards Urushi fell, but I have a feeling that her interest towards me rose in return¡­

    ¡¸Amazing¡­ I knew that it was a Magic Sword, but to think that it was a Demonic Beast Weapon¡­¡­ Furthermore, you don¡¯t see one with a Demonic Beast of Threat Level C lodged inside every day.¡¹

    Demonic Beast Weapon? Judging by her words, it seems to be a weapon that Demonic Beasts reside within. Hmm, so there¡¯re weapons like that too¡­

    Ah, not now, Fran!

    ¡ºUrushi, can you understand me? If you do, raise your right paw.¡»

    ¡¸Oon¡¹

    *sa*

    Urushi raises its right forepaw.

    ¡ºNext, your left hind leg.¡»

    ¡¸Oon¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, this time raise your left forepaw and right hind leg at the same time. Can you do that?¡»

    ¡¸UoOon¡¹

    Well, it seems that it can understand my words. In addition, I feel that I can understand Urushi¡¯s feelings somehow or another. A sense of motivation is currentlying from it. Perhaps that¡¯s thanks to Telepathy?

    I¡¯ll disregard Amanda muttering¡¸Cute¡­¡¹for now.

    ¡ºDo you know where Fran is? She is my wielder.¡»

    ¡¸Oon¡¹

    Urushi smells me with a *kun-kun*, then closes its eyes for a couple of seconds and howls *woo-woo*. It seems to have been using its Skills one way or another.

    ¡ºWell?¡»

    ¡¸Aoo©`on!¡¹

    Urushi howls loudly before biting onto my handle and lifting me up.

    ¡ºI¡¯m not heavy?¡»

    ¡¸Hwuoon!¡¹

    Because I¡¯m in its mouth its bark sounds a bit silly, but because Urushi is huge, even if I¡¯m being lifted with its mouth there doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem.

    With that, Urushi runs through the cave with a terrifying speed. Please be safe, Fran!

    ¡ºAlright Urushi, hurry!¡»

    ¡¸Huohuon!¡¹

    Note:

    Urushi is the raw trantion of ¡®¥¦¥ë¥·¡¯, which was left that way without beingpounded as ¡®Æá¡¯. The proper trantion for both is Lacquer, or more specifically Lacquer Trees, which will exin the proceeding lines.

    Urushi = Æá. Jet ck = Æáü\.

 Chapter 52: Heading for Fran

    <h4>Chapter 52: Heading for Fran</h4>

    Urushi, who is holding me in its mouth, runs vigorously. Will I be able to reunite with Fran just like this? No, wait, isn¡¯t this bad?

    ¡¸Wait! There¡¯s a trap!¡¹

    Amanda shouts such words from behind. The worst possible oue would be to have a Transition Trap activate right now.

    ¡ºUrushi, because there¡¯re traps here be careful!¡»

    ¡¸Ohwn?¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re unconcerned?¡»

    That¡¯s right, it has Aerial Jump Lv8, doesn¡¯t it. So long as it doesn¡¯t step on the trap, it won¡¯t be activated. Furthermore, there seems to be magical power within Urushi¡¯s eyes. I believe it¡¯s Dark Magic, but¡­ Hmm.

    Perhaps it¡¯s a magic that allows one to see the locations of traps? That would exin why Urushi asionally makes unnatural movements, seemingly avoiding something. Well, regardless, it seems that it has a trap-sensory system in ce.

    No traps have been activated at all thus far. However, after running about 300 meters from the small room, Urushi suddenly stops in ce.

    ¡ºUrushi?¡»

    ¡¸Hwoon?¡¹

    ¡ºWhere is Fran?¡»

    Urushi ces me on the ground and sits down in ce.

    ¡¸*Hah-hah-hah-hah*¡¹

    ¡ºNot *hah-hah* -¡»

    ¡¸OnOon!¡¹

    All of a sudden, Urushi starts scratching at the wall, digging with great vigor.

    ¡ºEh? Is she perhaps on the other side of that wall?¡»

    ¡¸Ohn¡¹

    ¡¸Is Fran over there, by any chance?¡¹

    With a face of astonishment, Amanda approaches. Or rather, how the heck did she manage to keep up with Urushi?! ¡ª No, in terms of AGI Amanda should be higher, so perhaps that¡¯s only natural?

    ¡¸¨D¨DWind?Vortex!¡¹

    Using Storm Magic, Amanda shatters the wall.

    ¡ºA hidden passage!¡»

    ¡¸This Dungeon¡­ It¡¯s because of ces like this that I hate it. Even detection spells from Wind Magic wouldn¡¯t have worked.¡¹

    This ce must be an end location for Transition Traps, one meant solely for imprisoning people.

    I¡¯ve searched for presences within, but I can only feel signs of Spiders. Is she really there? I can only feel an indescribable sense of unease.

    ¡ºUrushi, go!¡»

    ¡¸Oon!¡¹

    Urushi uses Aerial Jump and runs nimbly over the ground.

    ¡ºThere!¡»

    Amazing, Urushi! She really was here! I can see Fran!

    However-

    ¡ºShe is¡­ Fighting¡­?¡»

    Fran was at the far end of the passage, alive and moving.

    However, she was surrounded by small spiders. Spiderrvae, most likely. Those spiders clustered around Fran one after another. Even if they¡¯re weak alone, their number is clearly dangerous!

    ¡ºUrushi, hurry!¡»

    ¡¸Hwon!¡¹

    However, I notice something strange. In Fran¡¯s hand is something akin to a dagger, a weapon that she shouldn¡¯t have had. What is that? Fran should have been unarmed¡­ Was luck on her side, allowing her to find it from a treasure chest?

    No, that¡¯s not the case. It seems to be the Hidden w Ne that we took from Gyuran. If it¡¯s imbued with magic power a dagger-like w protrudes from the inside, but its efficiency isn¡¯t good.

    ¡ºRun away, Fran!¡»

    It¡¯s no use. She¡¯s not within the range of Telepathy yet. But why is she not running away¡­? The reason why Fran refused to escape despite being surrounded by spiders was clear after taking a closer look.

    Behind her were the figures of two fallen Humans. They were d¡¯s party members who had transitioned together.

    Fran was trying to protect them.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    Damn, these small fry spiders are irritating! Even if I try to use Magic, because these guys¡¯ webs are in the way the spiders surrounding Fran wouldn¡¯t be affected in the slightest.

    ¡ºThe level of your Sword Arts is low, Fran!¡»

    Fighting in such a state is suicide!

    I could only watch as spiders jumped on Fran. Not good! The current Fran can¡¯t fight that number of ¡ª no. She can¡­?

    Her movements are certainly slower, but the way she¡¯s wielding the de isn¡¯t that bad. She cuts down a small spider and dodges the shot threads nimbly. Was Sword Arts Lv1 ever that strong? Ah, another one was cut down.

    However, the cluster of small spiders remains on the offensive. Climbing along the wall, they¡¯ve started aiming for the fainted Adventurers this time. Fran makes use of the Hidden Fang immediately, but it isn¡¯t enough to stop the spiders. All at once, the Spiders pounce.

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t be reckless!¡»

    Using her body as a shield, Fran puts her life on the line to protect the adventurers. With that, the fangs of the small spiders make their way into Fran¡¯s flesh.

    Blood¡­! Furthermore, a big one has¡­! A parent spider?!

    With the parent spider¡¯s momentum, she was thrown to the ground.

    ¡ºUOOooooo! Mooveee!¡»

    ¡¸OOoon!¡¹

 Chapter 53: Exceeding the Limit

    <h4>Chapter 53: Exceeding the Limit</h4>

    Fran was overwhelmed by the parent spider. From the spider¡¯s mouth, sharp fangs are clearly visible.

    The moment I saw those¡­ My thoughts became seething.

    Will I be exposed to Amanda? -Just what are you worrying about, foolish me! Focus on what¡¯s important!

    ¡ºUOOooooo! Mooveee!¡»

    ¡¸OOoon!¡¹

    ¡º¨D¨DFire?Javelin!¡»

    *Kyuiiiiin ¡ª BOboOBoOBoON!*

    Urushiunches jet ck arrows that mow down the spiders, and my spear of me pierces through the obstructive cobwebs, setting them on fire in the process.

    A little less than 20 spiders were obliterated all at once.

    ¡ºDamn¡­!¡»

    However, that was all.

    Even more Spiders squirmed out at the end of the passage. Their me resistance was considerably higher whenpared to Trap Spiders.

    ¡ºIn that case¨D¨D¡»

    I¡¯ll just have to pierce through with Telekinesis Catapult! It had been 10 seconds since we found Fran, and since that time I¡¯ve continued stockpiling Telekinesis. Doing so was subconscious. It had already been ingrained as a habit. Just like how a Swordsman would ce their hand on their de¡¯s handle at the first signs of battle, I stored Telekinesis.

    However, until now I had hesitated to release it. I was mindful of Amanda, after all.

    But it wasn¡¯t just that, either. Somewhere down the line I had started feeling that it would be useless. Because I shed against the spiders of this Dungeon, I know firsthand the hardness of the spiders and the strength of their webs. And so, I came to the understanding that a simple Telekinesis Catapult wouldn¡¯t be enough to reach Fran.

    And so, what was I to do?

    ¡ºJust exceed the limit!¡»

    I actually put the power of my usual Telekinesis Catapults to the ¡®limit¡¯ every time. They genuinely make use of my ¡®full power¡¯.

    However, is there really a limit? No. There has never been such a thing.

    The ¡®limit¡¯ I¡¯ve used thus far was ced by myself to secure a margin of safety. It was a limit ced so that I coulde out of the attack unscathed. So, if that¡¯s how it is, then I¡¯ll simply remove the limiter.

    Exceed the limit!

    My magic power rushes wildly into my de. Even I don¡¯t know how much magic I¡¯ve channeled anymore! However, I¡¯m still in control!

    Not yet. I need more power! I cloak myself in mes using Sword Attribute, bringing it to the limits of my magic as well!

    My de bes red-hot, glowing in the dark cave. Urushi, feeling the immense heat, releases me. I¡¯ve reached a temperature that¡¯s started to slightly melt my de, so that was obvious.

    The spidersing from the passage, sensing the oing catastrophe, spew thread towards me¡­ But it¡¯s useless. Just by approaching my scathing form, the threads burn up and disappear.

    ¡ºYou spiders are a hindrance! Get out of my way!¡»

    *GyuudOOOoooOOOoooO!*

    I set off the umted Telekinesis, resulting in an explosion.

    With unprecedented eleration, I incinerate and pierce through the wall of spiderwebs. The multitude of strong cobwebs that had been set up were like paper. Even with the hard shell of a spider, once touched by my mes they became nothing but cinders.

    If it was the usual Telekinesis Catapult, I would have been trapped in the thread halfway through¡­ But not this time. With the intensity of the heat and shockwave, any spiders in my path were crushed.

    And with that, I was able to pass through the defensive wall built by the spiders. Just as I did so, I invoked Telekinesis Catapult once more. However, this time it was facing the opposite direction.

    ¡ºUOOoooaaah!¡»

    Presently, I¡¯m a cannonball. Even if I don¡¯t hit something directly, destruction spreads through the shockwave alone. And so, if I got too close to Fran she would also be damaged. Therefor, my solution is to use Telekinesis to m on the brakes. The cobwebs can also be used for this purpose.

    ¡ºGet away from Fran, you damn spider!¡»

    I rush directly to the parent spider and, as usual, pierce its magic stone. Ovee by the Telekinesis, the spider can only convulse before being blown away.

    After that, I use Recovery Magic on Fran immediately.

    ¡º¨D¨DHeal!¡»

    It¡¯s a low-grade spell, but it prioritizes speed. She should be safe for the time being.

    Now, how is she?

    Name:Fran ¡¡Age:12

    Race:ck Cat Beastman

    Job:Magic Swordsman

    State:Contracted?Poisoned (Deadly)?Light-headed

    Status:¡¡Level:25

    HP:106/250¡¡MP:31/166

    STR:120¡¡END:109¡¡AGI:110

    INT:75¡¡MGC:87¡¡DEX:88

    Skills:

    Stealth:Lv1, Court Etiquette:Lv4, Presence Perception:Lv1, Sword Techniques:Lv1, Sword_Arts:Lv3, Instantaneous Movement:Lv1, Cooking:Lv1, Insect yer, Vigor Maniption, Goblin yer, Mental Stability, Demon yer, Skinning Expert, Indomitable Resolve, Directional Sense, Night Eyes

    Titles:

    Match for a Thousand, Insect yer, King of Dismantling, Master of Recovery, Goblin yer, One who ughters, Skill Collector, Dungeon Conquerer, Big Game Devourer, Demon yer, Master of Fire, Master of Wind, King of Cooking

    Inflicted with Deadly Poison and Light-headedness, her remaining HP is 106. I need to heal her at once! Frantically, I use Antidote and Greater?Heal, bringing her to a perfect condition.

    ¡ºFuu¡­ I can feel relieved with this¡­¡­¡»

    Just in case, I use Heal and Antidote on d¡¯srades, too. They¡¯re idiots who rolled up Fran in their own mistakes, but I¡¯ll forgive them for the sake of Fran who risked her life for them.

    For now, it seems she¡¯s fallen asleep, but what happened to the other spiders, I wonder?

    ¡¸Auun?¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, when did you-! Ah! Shadow Movement, huh.¡»

    How dangerous, being able to surprise even me. I hadpletely forgotten! If we had made use of its Shadow Movement, it would have been far easier to arrive here¡­¡­

    In the middle of the pile of spiders Urushi exterminated, it held something in its mouth. Oi, isn¡¯t that a spider leg?!

    Haa¡­ Just thinking about the food expenses for this fellow is going to give me a headache¡­

    Well, it¡¯s good that it annihted them at least.

    ¡ºFran. Fran?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºAre you awake?¡»

    ¡¸Teacher?¡¹

    ¡ºOu. Everything¡¯s alright.¡»

    ¡¸The spider?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s gone.¡»

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    That reminds me, when I looked at Fran¡¯s Status she achieved Sword Arts Lv3. She even gained Sword Techniques and Vigor Maniption. Incidentally, Instantaneous Movement and Cooking also showed up. When we met, she didn¡¯t have such Skills. It seems that even with me Equipped, Fran will still gain proficiency.

    Furthermore, even when the Set Skills disappeared her Titles remained. Master of Fire, for example.

    However, isn¡¯t her growth quite fast? In a month, her Sword Arts has improved by two Levels¡­ Perhaps that¡¯s due to my influence? Maybe using high-level Skills has a good effect on the growth of Skills in general?

    Regardless, her gaining Skills is of little importance right now. Even without them, Fran¡¯s fighting spirit still would have persisted, even while poisoned and surrounded by spiders.

    ¡ºYou did well.¡»

    ¡¸Teacher: tattered.¡¹

    ¡ºWell¡­ Only a little.¡»

    Thepensation for using magic power beyond the limit of a regr Telekinesis Catapult wasrger than I thought.

    Combined with the magic I used to slow myself down, I consumed more than 1,200 MP. That¡¯s more than four times the cost of a usual Telekinesis Catapult. On top of that, I only have 800 Durability remaining. Even with using Telekinesis used to slow down my momentum, that much damage was still taken. It would have been dangerous if I collided with a firm obstacle at that speed.

    A deep crack has spreads through the middle of my de, and the parts that had been melted by heat have be ck. I¡¯m partially destroyed without a doubt. If amon sword became like this, disposal would be immenent.

    ¡ºWhen a bit of time passes, I¡¯ll recover.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHey, hey, what¡¯s with that face?¡»

    ¡¸My fault.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s not the case. It¡¯s the result of my foolishness. I should have controlled myself a bit more.¡»

    It was more difficult to control magic beyond the usual limit than I thought. To be frank, it was difficult to adjust the amount of magic power I made use of.

    However, through this event I think I¡¯ve found the true value of the Sorcery Skill. So far, I¡¯ve been looking at it as a substitute for a high rank Magic Perception Skill that can increase the power of Magic by raising the degree of magic power imbued.

    However, it¡¯s more than that. Because it allows me to understand the flow of magic, I can imbue magic power beyond natural limits, and because I can understand the flow of magic, I can just barely control it. An overboost of magic is possible, so to speak. Doing so is a double-edged sword, however.

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s fine so long as you¡¯re safe.¡»

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    The deep impression of a teacher and pupil reuniting. That was the atmosphere that should have been given off¡­ If no one else was around, that is.

    ¡¸Hey¡­ Did that sword move on its own? Moreover, it seemed to have shouted several times¡­¡­ It used magic as well, and-¡¹

    I forgot about Amanda©`! Well, I was prepared for this to some extent, but Ipletely forgot about her halfway through!

    I got too impatient and shouted through Telepathy¡­ Even though it usually only reaches who I intend it to¡­ At the time, it was transmitted in all directions. Naturally, Amanda would have heard my voice.

    I even used magic to fly via Telekinesis, so¡­

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, wait. It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s just, I asked you unconsciously. So, only tell me if you really want to. Everyone has their own circumstances.¡¹

    Even if you say that, you definitely heard me speak, right? What¡¯s the point in hiding it? There is none, right?

    £¨Teacher?£©

    ¡ºFran, do you want to tell Amanda?¡»

    £¨Nn¡­£©

    You¡¯ve taken to her quite a bit, huh. Well, I had felt that was the case after the mock battle, but¡­ Well, if Fran wants to tell her, I won¡¯t object.

    ¡¸Amanda.¡¹

    ¡¸Ye©`s?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s like this ¨D¨D¡¹

    - 3 Minutes Later -

    Amanda is unreasonably excited.

    ¡¸When you¡¯re talking about Intelligent Weapons, they¡¯re the weapons that make their own decisions, the things that¡¯re mentioned in fairy-tales, right? Kyaa! They really exist!¡¹

    She¡¯s surprised after seeing one for the first time. Intelligent Weapons are rare, as expected.

    However, it seems that part of the reason for her high spirits stems from the fact that she was confided in with such a deep secret.

    ¡¸Thank you for telling me, Fran! And¡­ Teacher?¡¹

    ¡ºOu.¡»

    ¡¸Amazing¡­ You really can speak~¡¹

    ¡ºWell, please treat me well from now on.¡»

    ¡¸Yes. Same here! I¡¯ll take the secret of you two to the grave! Also, consult me about anything you have trouble with, alright? I¡¯ll help Fran¡¯s friends anytime.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I have the Title Guardian of Children, feel free to rely on me as well, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸A©`h, so cu©`te! If it¡¯s for Fran, I¡¯ll do anything!¡¹

    Well, it¡¯s good that we confided in her. I didn¡¯t really want to do something so boorish, but I made use of Law of Lies as well. All of Amanda¡¯s words are true. In other words, Amanda really would do anything for Fran.

    ¡ºHow nice, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, but I really want Fran to know that flustered feeling Teacher was giving off before striking the spider~! I was surprised to hear¡ºFran, don¡¯t be reckless!ing from a sword, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Teacher: flustered?¡¹

    ¡ºOu. I¡¯m ashamed.¡»

    ¡¸Because Wolfie jumped without warning, I couldn¡¯t provide cover fire with magic, too. It¡¯d get caught up in it if I did¡­ I was quite flustered, myself~!¡¹

    ¡¸Owuu¡­¡¹

    I¡¯m 100% no-good! In a haste-ridden panic I made error after error! There should have been way more methods to choose from! I should have requested Amanda for help or used Urushi¡¯s Shadow Movement from the beginning¡­!

    Haa¡­ Not just Fran, I have a lot to learn too¡­

    Note:

    Amanda calls Urushi ¡®Wolf-chan¡¯ (¥ª¥ª¥«¥ß¤Á¤ã¤ó) here.

 Chapter 54: Urushi and Fran

    <h4>Chapter 54: Urushi and Fran</h4>

    ¡¸This dog is?¡¹

    ¡ºDog¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Wuu¡­¡¹

    As expected, it must be pitiful to be seen as a mere dog.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s something I summoned.¡»

    ¡¸I was surprised when it came out all of a sudden~¡¹

    ¡ºFran, this is Urushi. It¡¯s a Darkness Wolf that, as I said, arrived via my summons.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuun¡¹

    ¡¸Good boy.¡¹

    When Fran strokes its head, Urushi raises a joyful voice.

    ¡¸There, there.¡¹

    ¡¸Whuu¡¹

    ¡­ This guy is a Wolf, right? It¡¯s acting just like a big dog would¡­

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah, hah, hah¡¹

    ¡¸Cute.¡¹

    As the nape of its neck, its muzzle, and its chin are rubbed Urushi closes its eyes out of pleasure and licks Fran¡¯s face. Hey, hey, didn¡¯t you eat a giant Spider just a little while ago? You should probably wipe up your face, Fran¡­

    Well, that aside, Fran¡¯s safe so how should we proceed? I guess first we should meet up with the rest of the Adventurers. I was a bit impatient so I didn¡¯t worry about it before, but this Dungeon was dangerous for d and Frion, right? If they ended up dying I¡¯d have trouble sleeping at night.

    ¡¸Hey, you guys, get up.¡¹

    ¡¸Uu¡­¡­ Nnh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Huh¡­? Where¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸In a panic, you guys triggered a Transition Trap and got caught up in its effects.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, right, the lil¡¯ kid was too!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯S she a¡¯right?¡¹

    It seems that after bing unable to fight after being transferred, these two passed out due to poisoning and bleeding. However, while in a light-headed state, they caught glimpses of Fran defending them.

    ¡¸Y¡¯saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Oh-ho. The fact that they bowed their heads is worthy of praise considering they¡¯re d¡¯spanions. If they had acted haughty towards their benefactor I would have punished them a bit.

    ¡¸Ohn¡¹

    ¡¸Uwo! What¡¯s that?!¡¹

    ¡¸Wolf! It¡¯s a Demonic Beast!¡¹

    They didn¡¯t react very well, huh. They¡¯re finding it hard to even stand up ¡ª or should I say that they¡¯ve beenpletely paralyzed from shock? They¡¯re just sitting on their backsides looking up at Urushi with desperate expressions.

    ¡¸Amanda! Please, save us!¡¹

    ¡¸Oou?¡¹

    ¡¸Hii! Its tongue! Its tongue is-!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, no.¡¹

    ¡¸KUUuuu¡­¡¹

    When Amanda exins that Urushi is Fran¡¯spanion the two manage to settle down.

    ¡¸T¡¯ make such an ¡®ighly ranked Demonic Beast yerpanion¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸S¡¯ th¡¯ first time I¡¯ve seen a Demonic Beast Weapon!¡¹

    After saying so, their eyes became full of respect towards Fran once again. They¡¯repletely captivated by Fran. It seems like they¡¯ll begin calling her ¡®Big Sis¡¯ any moment now.

    ¡¸Ah, anyways, what¡¯ll we do now?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, where¡¯re th¡¯ others?¡¹

    ¡¸They went looking for you guys.¡¹

    How should we go about finding everyone else¡­?

    ¡¸Urushi: look for Humans?¡¹

    ¡¸Oon!¡¹

    With that, Urushiid down and stared at Fran.

    ¡¸Ride?¡¹

    ¡¸On, Oon!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my, it¡¯s quite intelligent, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s back is still high up even when itys down, so Fran simply climbs up.

    ¡¸Soft¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Aun!¡¹

    Fran holds onto the back of Urushi¡¯s neck, and I fix her in ce using Telekinesis. Like this, she won¡¯t be shaken off.

    But what should we do about Adventurer A and B? They won¡¯t be able to keep up with us on foot, but it¡¯s dangerous if we leave them here. Should we ask Amanda to escort them?

    ¡¸Urushi: carry?¡¹

    ¡¸Onn¡¹

    Urushi gently looks up at Fran and gives her a short nod.

    ¡¸Like dogs?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Tha¡¯s kinda abrupt, lil¡¯dy¡­ Dogs¡­ Well, I guess I like dogs, but-¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Uoo-!¡¹

    Urushi lifts the nape of Adventurer A¡¯s leather armor with its mouth, just like how a parent cat would carry its kittens.

    ¡ºAre you alright with giving them a lift?¡»

    £¨Wafuun!£©

    Well, alright, but don¡¯t pick up Fran like that.

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll carry you.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Amanda will?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, so behave yourself alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaa!¡¹

    Amanda picked up Adventurer B and ced him under her arm despite him clearly beingrger than her. What an odd sight to behold.

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Hwoooon!¡¹

    With that, Urushi starts running. By the way, I¡¯ve been sheathed and am assuming my usual position on Fran¡¯s back. I¡¯ve sealed up the crack on my de for the time being, but I should wait until we leave the dungeon for aplete recovery. Until then, I¡¯ll just have to patiently settle with emergency repairs.

    ¡¸Urushi: amazing. Running through the sky.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s thanks to Aerial Jump Lv8.¡»

    Unlike Aerial Jump Lv1 that we possess with effects simr to multistage jumping, Lv8 allows Urushi to perfectly run through the air. It seems that it¡¯s quite a pleasant experience for Fran.

    ¡¸Spiders ahead.¡¹

    5 Trick Spiders can be seen heading towards us.

    ¡¸Go.¡¹

    ¡¸Hhwoon!¡¹

    Oi, oi, Urushi, even if you don¡¯t n on slowing down there¡¯s no reason to speed up, right? Even the pitiful screams of the Adventurers are being ignored.

    ¡¸Huhoon!¡¹

    Called upon by Urushi¡¯s roar, jet ck spears rain down on the spiders. Furthermore, the spiders on the left and right were torn to pieces and scattered about just as Urushi entered the next passageway. Most likely, it was Urushi¡¯s doing when its forepaws moved at lightning speed.

    ¡º¨D¨Dre?st!¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨DFire?Arrow¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨DWind?Cutter!¡¹

    In the nest-covered passageway, magic is fired in rapid session to create a way through. Although the strength of the nests themselves are considerable, they¡¯re unable to endure the continuous barrage. Like that, we run through the cave without stopping while eliminating any spiders along the way.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no response.¡¹

    ¡¸Hii¡­ Hii¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ha¡­ Hah¡­¡¹

    Amanda mutters so with aposed expression, while the two Adventurers look like they¡¯re barely holding onto their lives.

    After running for a while, we arrive in front of an especiallyrge passage. Inside was arge amount of spiders. Because of the numerous nests set up in the vicinity it¡¯s hard to see, but seriously, the number of spiders here is amazing. However, the presence of Humans can also be felt. Most likely, these presences belong to Cruz and the others. How is it that they managed to break through to this point? Perhaps there¡¯s an alternate entrance?

    Well, either way, we won¡¯t be stopped by something of this level. Firing magic in rapid session, we break through the passage and arrive at some sort of great hall. It¡¯s about double the size of the room we fought Army Beetles in at the Goblin Nest.

    Spiders jostled around in such a room. Not only on the floor, nests had been set up all over the ceiling and walls, amounting to more than 50 total. Inside that spider-filled hall was Cruz, as well as the others. Isn¡¯t it unreasonably dangerous to challenge this room with their fighting potential? Testament to that, they were cornered against a wall. Some of them had Status abnormalities.

    ¡¸Damn it, e¡¯en if I cut an¡¯ slice ¡¯em¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸If the path of retreat wasn¡¯t blocked off¡­!¡¹

    It seems that they went too far in and got trapped.

    At the center of the spiders was a remarkablyrge spider. Poisonous-looking purple hair is grown over its entire body, arousing a feeling of difort.

    Race:Trickster Spider:Demonic Bug:Demonic Beast¡¡Lv13

    HP:196¡¡MP:110¡¡STR:71¡¡END:89¡¡AGI:103¡¡INT:61¡¡MGC:45¡¡DEX:108

    Skills:

    Keen Hearing:Lv5, yback:Lv3, Leap:Lv1, Poison Spray:Lv3, Lasso:Lv4, Trap Remodeling:Lv7, Trap Perception:Lv6, Trap Creation:Lv6, Confusion Poison Generation, Confusion Fang, Shell Enhancement, Infrared Sight, Enhanced Molting, Paralysis Poison Generation, Paralysis Fang, Deadly Poison Generation, Deadly Poison Fang

    Description:

    A Highbreed of the Trick Spider species, this demonic beast makes use of traps while hunting. Its ability to modify traps with the Trap Remodeling Skill in Dungeons is particrly troublesome, with turning simple Poison Spray Traps into fatal ones, or redesigning Transition Traps to lead to their own nests being notable examples. Its physical abilities are low, making it weak in closebat. Threat Level C.

    Magic Stone Location: Head

    So it was present in the Dungeon after all. A Trickster Spider. Its Status far surpasses the other spiders, too.

    It¡¯s the boss of the spiders that caused Fran to have a terrible experience!

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s take our revenge!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸OOooon!¡¹

 Chapter 55: Do Tricksters Feel Fear?

    <h4>Chapter 55: Do Tricksters Feel Fear?</h4>

    Just as I raised a shout in front of the hoard of spiders, I heard a pitiable scream.

    ¡¸Uwaa! Help!¡¹

    ¡¸Leader!¡¹

    ¡¸Big bro !¡¹

    Adventurer A was already released, and B rushed forward in a panic.

    Hmm. It appears that d¡¯s been wound up with thread, rendered to a state that he¡¯d probably be dragged into the cobwebs. Rather than being Poisoned, he¡¯s been Paralyzed. He¡¯s in quite a pinch.

    ¡ºShall we help? Urushi, to the Adventurers.¡»

    ¡¸Onn¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. ¨D¨DFire?Arrow!¡¹

    Magic is cast to burns down the spider¡¯s cobwebs, but¡­

    ¡¸Achichichi! Hot!¡¹

    The mes streamed down the thread, coiling around d himself as well. His hair might get a bit singed, but he won¡¯t die.

    ¡¸AOOoooooon!¡¹

    With that Urushi unleashed jet ck arrows, defeating the spiders surrounding the Adventurers. I don¡¯t know if the spiders are intelligent enough to consciously feel fear, but after witnessing Urushi¡¯s strength they edged back.

    Well, the reactions of the Adventurers was more terrible, though.

    ¡¸Uwaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell is this guy?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hii! This magic power is¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸An Onyx Wolf?¡¹

    ¡¸Idiot! This is way stronger!¡¹

    ¡¸I di¡¯n hear anythin¡¯ ¡¯bout this!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it¡­! Everyone calm down!¡¹

    They had just been struggling against Rank E Demonic Beasts, so it¡¯s understandable that they¡¯d fall into a panic when something of a higher rank appeared in front of them.

    ¡¸No, wait! Amanda¡¯s over there!¡¹

    ¡¸An¡¯ on its back, ain¡¯t that the lil¡¯dy?!¡¹

    ¡¸Ehh?¡¹

    They seem to have noticed somehow or another. With this, we won¡¯t have to worry about Cruz jumping out and attacking. Alright, as for our arch-nemesis the Trickster Spider¨D¨D

    ¡¸Bleed out and die!¡¹

    *DoGASHK*

    ¡¸This is the consequence of doing such a terrible thing to Fran!¡¹

    Amanda¡¯s whip was breaking the Trickster Spider into pieces. Its Magic Stone was being shattered, too.

    Well, of course it¡¯d be an instant kill. Trickster Spiders are only Threat Level C due to how troublesome they are with the Trap Remodeling Skill, right? In terms of status, they¡¯re closer to Threat Level D. Still, to be finished off so easily¡­

    ¡ºEh ¨D¨D Ms. Amanda¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    I sent Telepathy to Amanda unintentionally.

    ¡¸Ah!¡¹

    Turning in ce, Amanda¡¯s has an expression of ¡®I really did it now!¡¯ stered on her face.

    I had told her about my ability to absorb Magic Stones only a short while ago. In fact, didn¡¯t she promise to give us the Trickster Spider¡¯s Magic Stone? Wasn¡¯t it something like an unspoken agreement? No, maybe it was foolish to believe her carefree ¡®I¡¯ll hand it over~¡¯?

    In that case, I, who didn¡¯t make her promise properly, am in the wrong¡­

    ¡¸Well, now we can take out the rest of the spiders!¡¹

    She¡¯s trying to gloss it over!

    ¡¸Right, Fran!¡¹

    ¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. We should give priority to exterminating the other spiders for now.

    ¡¸Nn, let¡¯s do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Grruuuu!¡¹

    ¡ºIn that case, let¡¯s make them feel the true meaning of despair!¡»

    As a barrage of Fire Magic is immediately released, the frenzied dance of Magic began.

    Amanda¡¯s Wind Magic cut down the spiders on the ceiling together with their nests, Urushi¡¯s Dark Magic skewered the spiders to the walls, and our Fire Magic burnt down the spiders over wide areas. Even Frion participated, binding the spiders in ce by wrapping ivy coils around their bodies.

    The best part, however, was when Amanda used Storm Magic on the ceiling, finishing off all the spiders all at once. Perhaps this is Amanda being serious? The magic didn¡¯t affect the Adventurers at all¡­ It was perfectly under control.

    ¡¸As expected of Amanda.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh©`? I was praised by Fran!¡¹

    Her bashful figure in response to being praised doesn¡¯t seem strong at all, though.

    Once we finished, what was left of the spiders was littered across the floor. Although they¡¯re quite tattered, there should be usable materials here and there. Magic Stones should also be scattered about.

    ¡ºUrushi, look for Magic Stones.¡»

    ¡¸Auf¡¹

    At the very least I have to secure a Magic Stone from a Trick Spider, so I asked Urushi to reserve a couple of them for me. Urushi, who has a good nose, found them one after another.

    Moreover, it¡¯s stowing away them inside of the shadows. It¡¯s an application of Shadow Lurk, most likely. How convenient.

    ¡¸You two, um, er¡­ That wolf¡­¡¹

    Cruz and the others approach cautiously. They made it out alive, but it seems that some of them are in pain. The Poison in their bodies must have started taking effect.

    ¡ºFran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. ¨D¨DAntidote! Anti?Paralyze!¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh¡­! We¡¯re saved!¡¹

    Frion sat down on the spot, probably out of relief. There was even a guy who started crying. Well, it¡¯s good that no one ended up dying.

    ¡¸So, this fellow¡­ Is it possibly an Onyx Wolf?¡¹

    ¡¸Different. Darkness Wolf.¡¹

    ¡¸Ehh?¡¹

    ¡¸This is the first one I¡¯ve seen!¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously¡­?¡¹

    So noisy. Well, it¡¯s a rare Demonic Beast that even Amanda hadn¡¯t seen before, but¡­

    ¡¸Miss Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen such a strong Summon before¡­ Rather, Isn¡¯t it a bit strange that you¡¯re only Rank D if you can summon this?¡¹

    Frion¡¯s eyes shine while he watches Urushi, seemingly losing his inner battle against his curiosity. Perhaps he¡¯s a researcher-type?

    Anyways, doesn¡¯t it stick out a bit too much? We¡¯ll attract too much attention when we get back to town¡­ And whether it could even stay in an inn is questionable.

    Truth be told, I¡¯ve tried to un-summon Urushi, but it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s possible. It seems that it¡¯s the type of summon that simply remains summoned.

    Also on that note, with normal Summoning, magic is consumed so long as the Summon is around. In this case, however, magic was only consumed during the Summoning process. I¡¯m quite thankful for that.

    ¡ºUrushi. Using Shadow Lurk, can you hide in Fran¡¯s shadow?¡»

    £¨Ohn£©

    After responding via Telepathy, Urushi sinks into Fran¡¯s shadow. Ohh, it was instantaneous. Furthermore, there¡¯s no sign of it at all. Because I have the Sorcery Skill I can just barely identify its presence, but it would be extremely difficult for lower-ranked Adventurers to notice.

    ¡ºWhen it town, can you possibly remain inside her shadow?¡»

    ¡¸Kuu¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºNo good?¡»

    ¡¸Onn¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s just that you¡¯d stick out a bit too much in town. It¡¯s possible that you¡¯ll be attacked on sight, you know?¡»

    ¡¸Ouu¡­¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s earsy t with a *petan*, making what seems to be a sad expression. Muu¡­ Even if you make a face like that, it¡¯s not like you were forced into her shadow.

    £¨Teacher, a plea from me as well.£©

    ¡ºNo, but that¡¯s¡­¡»

    £¨No good?£©

    £¨Ohnon?£©

    How sly! Having four round eyes directed at me is no fair! To the people in the surroundings, this is only a strange scene of a man and beast staring at one another, though.

    ¡¸Oon!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? Did you detect something?¡»

    ¡¸Aooooon¡¹

    Ohh? With its howl, Urushi began shrinking! Within seconds it became the size of amonrge-sized dog.

    ¡ºIs this perhaps the Shapeshift Skill? I had thought that it was a Skill that allowed its user to change its form to another Demonic Beast¡­¡»

    ¡¸On, oon¡¹

    ¡¸Kya©`a! It became so small! It¡¯s so cute! Ahh, I want one too!¡¹

    No no, it¡¯s small if youpare its size from a minute ago, but it¡¯s still plentyrge¡­ Well, if it¡¯s like this, maybe it¡¯s tolerable for town?

    ¡ºHaa¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. Can you retain this form when we¡¯re in town?¡»

    ¡¸Onn!¡¹

    £¨Thank you Teacher. With this I can mofumofu Urushi all the time.£©

    Fran, was that your reason for pleading with me¡­? Well, I want to mofumofu Urushi as well, you know!

    Anyways, there¡¯s no helping it. I¡¯m the one who summoned it, so I have to take care of it properly. When the timees, should we take it out on walks? On that note, I guess there¡¯s no real need for a leash? Hm¡­ It¡¯s really turned into the feeling of having a pet dog, huh.

    ¡¸Best regards mofumo- Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Oon?¡¹

    Note:

    Adventurer B shouts out ¡®¥¯¥é¥Ã¥É¤ÎÐÖÙF¡¯ or ¡®d-aniki¡¯. Because I¡¯ve been fully changing the text to English and simply ignoring honorific titles (while sometimes mentioning them in Footnotes), putting in -aniki here would be out of ce. Thus the trantion.

    Since there was a chapter that had ¡®mofumofu¡¯ in the title, I¡¯m not sure if this needs mentioning, but¡­ ¡®mofumofu¡¯ (¥â¥Õ¥â¥Õ) is literally ¡®soft to the touch¡¯, but in context it essentially means ¡®cuddle¡¯. It can also be used as a sound effect which is why, to my understanding, it¡¯s used as an onomatopoeia regardless of context.

 Chapter 56: The Core Room

    <h4>Chapter 56: The Core Room</h4>

    After exterminating the spiders our party made its way to the Dungeon Core room.

    ¡¸That over there is the Magic Ore.¡¹

    ¡¸Hooh. So this is Magic Ore in its purest form? It¡¯s quite amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Ain¡¯t this th¡¯ same as a pile a¡¯ treasure?!¡¹

    d¡¯s eyes shine as he rushes towards the Magic Ore.

    ¡¸Pu-¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t youugh, damn it! Jus¡¯ who d¡¯you think is at fault fer this!¡¹

    ¡¸Your life-saver.¡¹

    ¡¸Gu-¡¹

    ¡¸The cost of life.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I know already!¡¹

    d¡¯s hair had been burnt from Fran¡¯s Fire Magic, so it was shaved off. However, because it was a bit hard to cut it all using a dagger, several ces remained unshaven. It¡¯s amusing to look at, no matter how many times I see it. The fact that we could have solved his hair issue using Greater?Heal is a secret.

    ¡¸Pfhuhu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet¡­¡¹

    Every time Amanda and Fran looked towards him, they fought a losing battle against their withheldughter.

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah. Now then, Ms. Amanda: please collect the Magic Ore.¡¹

    ¡¸Ok.¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone who has an Item Bag, please do so as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Anyways, there sure is a lot of it. The Core room ispletely filled with high-purity Magic Ore ingots. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Magic Ore is quite precious, and is useful when making weapons.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware, but information regarding this ce is confidential. Upon speaking about it the Pledge will immediately be broken, thus notifying not only the Guild, but the Country as well. That being the case, please be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸We had no problem entering because we had permission, in the case an outsider enters the vicinity a Barrier would immediately detect them.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran should be careful too, ok? Otherwise the Guild Master will be noisy.¡¹

    ¡¸Why go so far?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, there¡¯s a lot of Magic Ore here, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s exactly why. Characteristics between Dungeons Cores vary, most notably regarding the amount of magic power needed to produce certain items. In this Dungeon, Magic Ore with high purity can be created with very little magic power.¡¹

    I see, so that¡¯s why it isn¡¯t open to the public.

    After all the Magic Ore was packed away, Cruz took a look at the Core¡¯s settings. If its state is as normal, only Trap Spiders should be listed as spawns.

    ¡¸How is it, Cruz? Are all the Trick Spiders exterminated?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s reported back more than one species.¡¹

    Although their numbers were significantly reduced, the Trick Spiders weren¡¯t fully subjugated. In this case, if we leave them alone they¡¯ll just start breeding again. It¡¯s also possible that another Trickster Spider is out there. If we leave things as they are, not only will the difficulty of the Dungeon be raised, but the recovery of Magic Ore will be considerably harder as well.

    There is, however, a good point to leaving the situation as it is.

    Inparison to Trap Spiders, the materials from Trick Spiders are more useful, and thus more expensive. If they¡¯re recovered on a regr basis, it wouldn¡¯t be bad by any means. Furthermore, the Trick Spiders provide more magic power to the Core. As a result, the production of Magic Ore would also be influenced positively.

    ¡¸Well, in cases like this ain¡¯t it better t¡¯ leave th¡¯ decision t¡¯ th¡¯ Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s indeed the case. On top of that, we¡¯ll have to report the finding of Human Bones.¡¹

    As it happens, we ended up finding what seemed to be brand-new bones within the hall we exterminated the hoard of spiders in. Moreover, there were enough for almost 10 people. Judging by their condition, we arrived at the conclusion that the individuals had died one or two months ago.

    And yet, ording to Cruz, reports of deaths in this Dungeon hadn¡¯t urred for several years.

    So, just where did all of those bonese from? A Barrier that perceives intruders made by an A Rank Adventurer with the nickname ¡®Barrier Salesman¡¯ is in effect at the Dungeon¡¯s entrance, so it should have been difficult for anyone to get in without permission, and yet¡­ Well, it¡¯s quite the mystery.

    ¡¸Then, for now let¡¯s return.¡¹

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    In regards to the journey back, there weren¡¯t any particr problems. Fran was defeated in a mock battle against Amanda again.

    Urushi joined in as well, but both of them were beaten up. That being said, their cooperation improved considerably thanks to that battle; even Amanda was surprised.

    Urushi¡¯s fighting style has a high level of versatility. First is in regards to its Magic. With the ability to use both Dark Magic and Poison Magic, it can y an active role through both frontal attacks, and attacks from unusual angles.

    Second, with its Fang Techniques its direct attacks aren¡¯t something to scoff at. In particr, its use of Shadow Movement is terrific. It¡¯s the kind of surprise attack that a Fiend would use, but in Urushi¡¯s case, it¡¯s actually more efficient. It can attack using Dark Magic without exposing its body by hiding inside of shadows, and its ability to transition in and out of Fran¡¯s shadow at unexpected times could be seen as downright dirty. The distance it can transition in is a bit short, but that¡¯s not much of a problem inbat.

    If the Demon from a while back could utilize magic in this way, we would have had no choice but to run away.

    Anyways, as thanks for the training, we were taught a bit about about¡´Christening¡µ. As a result, it was discovered that the reason for Urushi¡¯s evolution was undoubtedly Christening. Still, Fran had given me a name, so why was it that nothing happened?

    Through Amanda¡¯s exnation, I figured that out as well.

    Christening is essentially the act of a higher-ranked individual giving a name to a subordinate or retainer. However, not only a name is gained. Through Christening, something akin to a contract is formed, strengthening the connection between both parties¡¯ souls.

    The receiver of the name has their potential released, resulting in a raise in Status among a variety of other benefits.

    In the case of Fran and I, she wasn¡¯t regarded as a higher ranked individual. So, while I gained a name, the act of receiving it wasn¡¯t exactly the same as taking part in the Christening ritual.

    In Urushi¡¯s case, its potential was let loose and it evolved. Furthermore, it fully received the excess magic power that was running rampant in its body. In the case that I put off Christening¡­ It most likely would have gone out of control, only to be subdued by Amanda. I¡¯m very sorry, Urushi. You were in quite the pinch.

    Anyways, the information I wanted to know most ¡ª the reason why Demonic Beasts of the Wolf type appeared in Summon Kin ¡ª remains unknown. I managed to infer a little, but there¡¯s just not enough information.

    I¡¯d like to research that alongside more detailed information on Magic in the library but¡­ Well¡­ ces where one has to sit still for long periods of time are Fran¡¯s weak point.

    I suppose when ites to fishing she¡¯d be able to manage, though. Most things seem possible at the mention of all-you-can-eat curry.

    Mhh. On the note of food, the size of the servings she¡¯s been eating have been increasingtely. She¡¯ll be dashing straight into the Gluttonous Character archetype if I leave it alone¡­ I should definitely reduce the amount I¡¯m serving her.

    Ahh~, but I be so weak when she stares at me with those eyes. With Urushi in the picture, that stare¡¯s power has been amplified by two~

 Chapter 57: Returning to Aressa

    <h4>Chapter 57: Returning to Aressa</h4>

    ¡ó The day after we set out to return ¡ó

    We¡¯ve finally returned to the town of Aressa¡­ But there¡¯s a bit of amotion at the front gate.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s all the fuss about?¡»

    ¡¸Lots of people.¡¹

    Certainly, arge number of Humans have gathered. I think I¡¯ve seen them somewhere before, but¡­ Where?

    ¡¸Knights, huh. What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡¹

    Cruz¡¯s words jogged my memory. Their armor looks just like the set that Auguste was wearing. In fact, the man leading the group had armor even more luxuriously decorated than his.

    ¡¸Small fry knights.¡¹

    ¡¸My my, that¡¯s well said.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, wait a minute both of you¡­ Please make sure not to say such things in front of the Knights! The only strong thing about them is their pride!¡¹

    ¡¸I know, I know.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I understood as well. To be frank, the public¡¯s impressions of the Chivalric Orders was low, but it wasn¡¯t to the level that they would openly antagonize towards them. Why was it that the Knights themselves picked quarrels despite that fact, I wonder?

    ¡ºWell, for now¡­ Urushi, make sure to stay quiet, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Onn¡¹

    It¡¯s already in its miniature form, but Urushi¡¯s still attracting a decent amount attention. It¡¯d be troublesome if the Knights quibbled with us because of this fact.

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? The leader seems to be Urs.¡¹

    That reminds me, the Guild Master had said that their leader was a respectable man.

    ¡¸Ohh, is that you, Ms. Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s been a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed it has! Having you here is quite reassuring!¡¹

    He¡¯s quite the lively old man, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s shorter than Donna, but their expressions arergely the same. Ò» He could be described solely with the words ¡®Dandy Macho ¡®.

    Name: Urs?Bendoro ¡¡Age: 52

    Race: Human

    Job: Shield Knight

    State: Normal

    Status:¡¡Level: 50

    HP: 527¡¡MP: 223¡¡STR: 218¡¡END: 274¡¡AGI: 132¡¡INT: 103¡¡MGC: 119¡¡DEX: 122

    Skills:

    Coercion: Lv3, Pugilist Arts: Lv4, Hardening: Lv4, Danger Perception: Lv2, Horsemanship: Lv4, Leadership: Lv6, Shield Techniques: Lv8, Shield Arts: Lv8, Abnormal Status Resistance: Lv4, Spear Techniques: Lv3, Spear Arts: Lv6, Provocation: Lv7, Poison Resistance: Lv7, Magic Perception: Lv2, Vigor Maniption, END ¡ü, Fortitude

    Titles:

    Baron, Leader of Aressa''s Knights, Defender

    Equipment:

    High-Quality Mithril Spear, High-Quality Adamantite Kite Shield, Sturdy Silver Full-Body Armor, Red Lion Mantle, Bracelet of Mental Abnormality Resistance

    He seems to be a bit stronger than Donna. However, while Donna is an attack-type Heavy-Warrior, Urs is a defense-type Heavy-Knight.

    ¡¸Has something happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. There was a reaction to the Barrier. It seems that there¡¯s a Demonic Beast of Threat Level C nearby.¡¹

    ¡¸So you¡¯re heading out to subjugate it?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. First, we have to ce restrictions to the outside of the town, then we¡¯ll investigate the surroundings with a fine-toothedb. We¡¯ve issued a request for support from the Guild, too.¡¹

    Hmm. He really is an upright man, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s something like a stereotypical Knight.

    ¡¸There¡¯re a lot of young Knights¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, they¡¯ve joined the order for various reasons. A purge was performed, you see. Once the problematic people disappeared, the motivation from the youngsters increased.¡¹

    The ¡®problematic people¡¯ stemmed from Auguste, no doubt about it. Once he and his followers disappeared, more proper Knights must have taken their ce.

    Anyways, a Demonic Beast of Threat Level C, huh? It couldn¡¯t be-

    Immediately, the eyes of the Adventurers who participated in the Dungeon investigation turned to Urushi, who sat itself down beside Fran.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸On¡¹

    ¡¸Muoo! That is¡­ A Demonic Beast? Even if it¡¯s small, what a dreadful amount of magic power¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Most likely, the Demonic Beast you guys detected was none other than Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Is it Ms. Amanda¡¯s familiar?¡¹

    ¡¸Nope. This is Fran¡¯s pet.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. This youngdy¡­? Hm. Is she perhaps the girl who wields a Magic Sword from the rumors?¡¹

    It seems that the name of the before-mentioned Magic Sword wielding girl hasn¡¯t spread.

    ¡¸Well, if it¡¯s familiar then it¡¯s fine, but¡­ Can you distinguish it somehow?¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. Next time, wrap with a scarf before passing through. Have to issue a Familiar licenseter?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. How about I just ask you a couple of questions for now, and I¡¯ll write down your answers on the official documentation?¡¹

    ¡¸Thoughtful.¡¹

    ¡¸Then first, you¡¯re positive this is a Darkness Wolf, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After taking out a small piece of parchment, Urs starts writing. It seems that an official certificate is absolutely necessary to have a familiar.

    ¡¸A©`nd¡­ What¡¯s its name?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi. And you? What¡¯s your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Next, what¡¯s it¡¯s gender?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? One moment.¡¹

    Hm? That reminds me, I didn¡¯t check that either. It didn¡¯t think about that at all.

    ¡¸Hyuuin!¡¹

    Kya©`, Fran, how bold! She just walked behind Urushi, lifted up its tail, and confirmed whether or not anything was there! Perhaps it¡¯s simply because she¡¯s a child¡­? To Urushi, this whole ordeal must be a disaster.

    ¡¸Male.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuuuuun¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh. Is that so.¡¹

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    After tying a red scarf around Urushi¡¯s neck, we were granted entry into Aressa. In ordance to the Familiar contract, we also received a crest to show that he was tame. It seems it¡¯s meant to be put on a cor or a simr item.

    When we arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, there was a small uproar.

    ¡¸¡­¡­ Seriously, this time it¡¯s a C ranked familiar? It¡¯s not like you were a popr topic already or anything.¡¹

    Right after opening his mouth, the Guild master threw that sarcasm at us. Still, it can¡¯t really be helped. When any meddlesome Adventurers got in our way to the Guild Master¡¯s office, Urushi returned to its true size and bit their heads. Of course, he didn¡¯t kill them or anything; it was just simple y-biting. They were left half-dead and covered in blood because of it, though.

    ¡¸And on top of being a Darkness Wolf, it¡¯s a Unique individual? Even though it¡¯s already a rare race¡­¡¹

    What? Unique individual? There¡¯s no way I overlooked something like that. Isn¡¯t Urushi just a regr Darkness Wolf?

    ¡¸Unique individual? Urushi is?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you didn¡¯t notice? Normal Darkness Wolves havepletely jet-ck fur, but this fellow has red mixed in at the edges. Because it¡¯s tucked into the scarf, it¡¯s a bit hard to see. In addition to that, it has a Unique Skill. A regr Darkness Wolf wouldn¡¯t have something like that. Even if it was only Level 1, having one means it¡¯s a Unique individual.¡¹

    Seriously? I didn¡¯t know about that at all¡­ I had never seen other Darkness Wolves, so I thought Urushi was the norm.

    ¡¸Well, setting that aside¡­ For aplishing my request, thank you. With Amanda vouching for your strength as well as the addition of your familiar, people won¡¯t be making light of you anymore. Amanda¡¯s recognition in particr will spread through Merchants and Adventurers like wildfire, so when you arrive at Urmut it¡¯ll probably be amon rumor.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Please make sure to take your Guild Card to the reception deskter. It¡¯ll be stamped to grant you entrance to Urmut¡¯s Dungeons.¡¹

    Alright, alright! With this, we can do Dungeons.

    ¡¸Nn. Then, leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh, may I suggest confirming the status of your Job while you¡¯re there? A Job increase might be possible, after all. Usually it¡¯s 500 Gorudo, but I don¡¯t mind waiving the fee this time. Think of it as a farewell gift.¡¹

    A farewell gift, huh¡­ So stingy! We¡¯ll ept it, though.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸When will you leave for Urmut?¡¹

    ¡¸Soon.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. It¡¯ll be a bit lonely.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­ You don¡¯t mean it.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. That¡¯s not true. For better or for worse, you¡¯ve impressed me. But, with this, my quiet daily life will return once more.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Take care.¡¹

    Seeing Fran lower her head with a *pekori* , the Guild Master¡¯s eyes went round. He seems pretty surprised. So Fran can do stuff like this too, huh?

    *BAKAN*

    ¡¸Fuu. I kept being surprised right to the end.¡¹

    Note:

    ¡®¥Þ¥Ã¥Á¥ç¡¯ = Macho, ¡®¥À¥ó¥Ç¥£¡¯ = Dandy. Feel free to Google the two separated and/or together.

    Denotes lowering one¡¯s head.

    Door-m SFX.

 Chapter 58: Klimt - side story

    <h4>Chapter 58: Klimt - side story</h4>

    Knock* Knock*

    ¡¸Enter.¡¹

    ¡¸Uncle, I¡¯ve prepared the report.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, Frion. You came at a good time.¡¹

    It was my nephew, Frion, who entered my office. Recently since there were many people who rudely entered my room without waiting for an answer, they seem to have forgotten that I¡¯m the guild master. In this aspect, Frion is courteous. Taking a lesson from that, I would like to protest against the various unclear rumors.

    ¡¸Please, sit.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for your hard work. There seem to have been various irregrities this time around, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸There were many times that I almost died.¡¹

    The appearance of the Trickster Spider and the mysterious pile of human bones, is it? These problems were giving me a headache. Still, the discovery of the human bones was quite lucky.

    ¡¸Uncle, about those bones¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I believe that some of them were the remains of Auguste Alsund.¡¹

    Actually, one of Auguste¡¯s subordinates had confessed about a certain ploy. That is, the smuggling of Magic Ore using Transfer Stones.

    Transfer Stones are magic toolsposed of a pair of stones. When stone A is used, the holder is transported to stone B. However, because they can only be used once on top of being very expensive, they usually aren¡¯t amassed inrge quantities.

    Auguste¡¯s n consisted of cing one such Transfer Stone inside of the Dungeon, as to returnter without being sensed by the barrier and steal Magic Ore.

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, this n would havemenced three months ago, when he dered his interest of inspecting the Dungeon and went in by force. Of course, I didn¡¯t lend him any Adventurers for something he was doing of his own convenience, so with their forces alone, it would have been impossible to fully traverse the Dungeon.

    Sure enough, they were unable to get past the third floor, forcing them to turn back. As it turned out, however, they had used that asion to set up a Transfer Ore in secret. I had conducted a personal investigationter, but nothing had caught my attention at the time. Most likely, it was because they prepared an expensive Transfer Ore with a concealment function. Up until there, the n was going smoothly. Later, I¡¯ll have to seriously reevaluate the security system.

    Anyways, it was after that point that irregrities began to ur. The Trap Spiders evolved into Trick Spiders after preying on one another, and Auguste, who turned back at the third floor, had no idea.

    Well, we didn¡¯t know either though. As a result, the intruders were wiped out when they transferred in.

    However, they also brought in new Transfer Stones after going in, as to allow multiple intrusions.

    Through doing so, several intruders were sent in¡­ But no one returned. This was natural, given the fact that they were transferred right into a spider den.

    As a result, a trick spider who had eaten the magic tools, such as the transfer stones possessed by those who were sent in, made an even further evolution. That¡¯s my theory for why the Trickster Spider made its appearance in the dungeon.

    If I knew that was going on inside the Dungeon, I wouldn¡¯t have sent in low-ranked Adventurers. I¡¯ll need to give them a generous bonus.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be giving you a bonus for the danger you were subject to as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸That aside, your report, please.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    The reason I had called for Frion was because of the request I had given to him personally.

    ¡¸Then, ording to you, how was she?¡¹

    He joined the dungeon investigation request to observe the rank D adventurer Fran, and to that I mean to ascertain who she is.

    He is not only an Adventurer, but a member of the Guild¡¯s staff as well. Rather than a Spy, he would be more like a hidden examiner.

    ¡¸One moment please. ¨D¨DTarua.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm. It¡¯s been a while, Klimt.¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯re as splendid as ever.¡¹

    We Elves are a race that loved by Spirits, and among us there are people who are born possessed by a Spirit. It¡¯d be about every 1 in 10 people, I suppose?

    The Spirits that possess such Elves are known as Guardian Spirits, and are capable of receiving training. Furthermore, unlike Contracted Spirits, Guardian Spirits require significantly less magic power to summon; you could say they¡¯re a buddy-like existence.

    Many Guardian Spirits have affinities that the Elves are naturally gifted, so Nature, Soil, and Water spirits are numerous. Frion¡¯s Spirit on the other hand is special.

    It¡¯s of the Soul attribute. Among Spirits, such an attribute is rare. I¡¯ve made a contract with a single Soul Spirit, but its abilities don¡¯te close to Frion¡¯s Tarua.

    There were times when the Spirit perceived Fran as wicked, but half the time it was wrong. That was the capability of my Soul Spirit. Tarua on the other hand is much stronger, making it more suitable.

    ¡ºThrough my judgement, I could not see a wicked heart on the young girl called Fran. In fact, it has been a while since I saw someone with such little malice towards others.¡»

    ¡¸For example, how she acted towards the Adventurer called d?¡¹

    ¡ºFumu. That case was somewhat curious.¡»

    ¡¸Curious how?¡¹

    ¡ºUmu. When the one known as d caused amotion, the others reacted with anger and irritation¡­ But that wasn¡¯t the case for that girl. On the contrary, whenever d caused trouble, she found it rather interesting.¡»

    d¡¯s Roar of the Dragon was a promising young party. Their pace for growing was fast, considering they were able to reach Rank D within only a couple of years. Well, if you excluded Fran, that is.

    Their problem, however, lied with their attitudes. They cause trouble, and they¡¯ve made a lot of enemies as well. Even with that, however, I could promote them to Rank D without a problem.

    Therefore, they were considered for this time¡¯s request.

    Using them, I could watch how Fran reacted towards people with bad character. At the same time, by having d interact with someone of a higher Status, I nned on having d be aware of his own hubris, but¡­

    The effect was a bit more drastic than anticipated. Because theycked sufficient strength, I intended to decline their promotion from the start, but when they were notified of such they epted it with slightly-disappointed faces and a deep nod. I could understand why they reacted so after hearing about the Commission through Frion.

    Nowadays, the Adventurers are preaching of Fran¡¯s splendor.

    ¡¸Tarua, thank you very much.¡¹

    [Umu]

    ¡¸Return?Tarua¡¹

    ¡¸Then, Frion. What kind of impression do you have of Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Let me think¡­ She¡¯s an amazing child, I suppose?¡¹

    [Is it not the same?]

    [Yes. But, it isn¡¯t only her strength. How should I say it, I felt like her actions were considered beforehand. Shall I say that it is the conclusion I reached after I had a conversation with the person herself? Rather than concerning a plot, I think that she just thinks about things more deeply. To be thatposed at that age, it¡¯s to the extent that I want to learn from her.]

    [Hohou. That will serve as a reference.]

    [If you say so, it¡¯s worthwhile to persist. But, why are you fixated on that girl to this extent?]

    [Do I seem to be that fixated?]

    [Yes. To the degree that rumours of you having a Lolitaplex is spreading.]

    [Silence!]

    It was a waste to think he was courteous. Let me tell you, I don¡¯t have a Lolitaplex, you know?

    The reason I was fixated with Fran in particr¡­¡­¡­ One is because weck information. As a guild master, I have to pay attention to troublemakers who are always in the center of turmoil. Despite this, there is surprisingly little information on her. Since she was approved by me as a guild member, this is like one of my duties.

    It was never a Lolitaplex. However, everyone has me as a Lolitaplex, Lolitaplex. Oops, my thought deviated a bit. Not good, Not good.

    [Speaking of what I know, she has a magic sword, and is said to have appraisal.]

    [I know of the magic sword, but appraisal?]

    [Yes. It is certain.]

    It was a magic stone that I handed over as an advance payment for this request, and I was convinced when I saw her selection. She chose a rank C magic stone of only two among the 20 stones, other than that, she also chose the magic stone that came from a demonic beast that inhabited the sea. It is too much to be a coincidence.

    She not only possesses Appraisal, but also Appraisal Concealment. This is surprisingly advantageous in battle. That alone deserves precaution.

    [Another thing, one of her weapon skills reached an advanced level. Judging from herbat style, it appears to be the art of a master swordsman. In addition, her magic is me, storm, and darkness, and she learned lightning and healing afterward. Furthermore, her MGC is more than 100.]

    A while ago, Fran changed jobs and returned. Her chosen upation is a Magic Warrior which is the advance level of a Magic Swordsman. It¡¯s status growth is better than a Magic Swordsman and it has the inherent skill [Magic Convergence]. The condition to choose this job is to have one or more of the sword, ax, or spear systembat arts to reach the advance level, in addition to using two systems of advance magic, it means that the MGC is more than 100.

    And also, in the column of possible upation choices, there seem to be Darkness Art User, Storm Art User, Lightning Art User, and Healing Art User.

    In this short period, I wonder how much her skill will grow. She is in her first half of her teens. It is half-hearted to call her the term genius. There is possibility of her holding several blessings of god. Honestly, I can¡¯t help but feel fear.

    And then, the second reason that I¡¯m fixated on her.

    While her real nature is unclear, she is growing at a terrifying rate. It is impossible not to be rmed.

    [Well, I thought it even when she chose the magic stone, her naive side was unexpected.¡±]

    Certainly, I didn¡¯t think that she would really change upations. If you go to the temple, you can change your upation without leaking any information even if it is rather expensive. Isn¡¯t she concerned that the information about her ability growth and skills would be leaked to us? Or, did she not think to this extent?

    [Also, Amanda likes that one.]

    If I indirectly bring up the subject of Fran, I thought that she would start talking about apany Fran on this request¡­¡­ I was surprised that I got even more than I n to. Perhaps, she might have noticed my expectations. She was that concerned about Fran.

    [Does Ms. Amanda have the ability to judge a person that much?]

    [Rather than that, she could see through children. For example, though a child is seen, but if he or she is a long lived species who merely grows slowly, she normallyes into contact with them. Is her title usage the reason for that, I wonder?]

    In other words, Fran is truly 12 years old. Until today, there was a small doubt of her being disguised as a long lived beastman.

    [Honorable Uncle, I don¡¯t understand. I wonder what kind of person she is?¡± (pengu: just a genius girl with a magic sword that has another world memories)

    [I don¡¯t understand either. No, it is probably who is she not?]

    [What do you mean?]

    [We were convinced that she was concealing something. But, is such a thing really true?¡±

    Naturally, since she works as an adventurer at that age, I¡¯m sure that she has some kind of circumstances. Just like many other adventurers. However, the kind of schemes and conspiracies we were anxious about didn¡¯t exist. That is the final conclusion we came to from the gathered information.

    She has diverse skills and a magic sword, a little belligerent and easily involved in trouble, apanied by a unique darkness wolf, thought to have a special background, and is in someway a 12 year old girl.

    It is neither more nor less than that. Could it be that the figure of Fran we saw is not everything? No, when I list it again, I am likely to fall into paranoia again. Not good, not good.

    [Don¡¯t depend on the judgement of the spirits too much, you might lose the eyes to judge people.]

    It may be that Nell, who got along well with her in a blink of an eye, has a very discerning eye.

 Chapter 59: Night of Return

    <h4>Chapter 59: Night of Return</h4>

    ¡¸Then, kanpai!¡¹

    ¡¸Kanpai¡¹

    ¡¸Kanpai!¡¹

    The night after we finished the dungeon exploration.

    Fran is at the bar. Amanda and Nell are also here. Having heard that Fran was leaving Alessa, they decided to throw a farewell party.

    ¡¸Aah! Fran-chan is leaving me! Farewells are so sad!¡¹

    ¡¸Me too! Do you really have to go!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Going to dungeon¡¹

    ¡¸Is the dungeon more important than me!¡¹

    ¡¸Right! It¡¯s just a dungeon! Didn¡¯t you only just meet Amanda, while we have been friends for nearly a month, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Mou! It¡¯s not about length! I¡¯ve been making friends with Fran-chan on a sleepover!¡¹

    They keep talking, about how d and The Roar of the Dragon failed the exam, how Donna was dumped by a woman, all the while drinking more and more.

    The two gradually got drunk and the skinship increased. Urushi eventually retreated to Fran¡¯s shadow after being stroked too much.

    ¡¸I am also concerned about Fran-chan¡«¡¹

    ¡¸The orphanage?¡¹

    ¡¸Ara? Fran-chan knew? But it¡¯ll be all right. There is no problem if I leave taking care of the children to the director, right?Isn¡¯t it better if I go out and earn a lot of money for the orphanage? So, I¡¯ll go Dungeon Diving with Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I don¡¯t mind¡¹

    ¡¸E? Really? Yahoo!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s no good!¡¹

    ¡¸Eeh? Why, Nell?¡¹

    ¡¸You, did you forget the contract?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, that one. Ngh, I¡¯ve signed a troublesome one!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re bad with the Guild Master¡¯s sweet words, right¡¹

    ¡¸Uuuuh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Contract?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! I can¡¯t leave Alessa¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Ehm, you see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, Amanda! There are too many people here!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, right. ¨D¨DSilence!¡¹

    Amanda set up a barrier to block sound. It¡¯s a good magic for telling secrets, but maybe because she¡¯s drunk her control was not too good.

    Not just our own table was affected, but several of the surrounding tables got affected as well. Suddenly the sound disappeared and I could see a customer with a look of confusion on his face.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t we enter a dungeon? That¡¯s pretty important over there. After all, it¡¯s a ce where we can mass produce magic ore. It¡¯s a ce where it can be supplied steadier than with a mine, right?¡¹

    That is true. Looking at it from a military standpoint, it would be quite important. It may be natural to hide the existence using Oath Magic.

    ¡¸But, the dungeon is under the jurisdiction of the guild, right? Even for a country it¡¯s not something they can just obtain. But, the country wants the dungeon in Alessa no matter what!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸And, Alessa is quite close to the border of the Raidos Kingdom, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Our rtionship with Raidos is quite bad. That country is expanding pretty aggressively. At worst, there is the possibility of Alessa being targeted¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s impossible to keep the magic ore a secret forever. Some day it¡¯ll be known¡¹

    ¡¸And the country has been trying to obtain jurisdiction of the dungeon on the basis of this fact!¡¹

    ¡¸However, I do not want Alessa¡¯s guild to lose this jurisdiction to the country! Because there is nothing else around Alessa than that dungeon, so if that dungeon is taken Alessas ie with sharply decline, right?¡¹

    ¡¸And, our sries would be cut too!!¡¹

    ¡¸So, the guild needs to guarantee that there is enough strength to protect Alessa even if we¡¯re attacked by a neighboring country. By making Rank A adventurers be residents¡¹

    So for that reason Amanda cannot leave Alessa, huh?

    ¡¸Because the country is eyeing us, the knight order here is kept weak. Commander Urs is a graduate of Alessa so he refused to leave though. The knights used to be a lot more serious in the past!¡¹

    It was not just because of bribes, but also for reasons such at Auguste bing Vice-Commander, and perhaps there was also an element of harrasment.

    ¡¸And so, that¡¯s why I can¡¯t leave this town¡«¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Even though I wanted to take care of Fran-chan©`!¡¹

    ¡¸I said, it¡¯s impossible!!¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, I¡¯ll cherish today at least!¡¹

    ¡¸Yay. Truly Amanda!¡¹

    ¡¸Ara, not you, Nell. Only Fran-chan¡«¡¹

    ¡¸Stingy©`!¡¹

    ¡¸Good stuff! Fran-chan¡«! Don¡¯t forget me even though you¡¯re leaving!!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Won¡¯t forget¡¹

    Well, she was beaten up many times. Of course she won¡¯t forget that.

    ¡¸What!? Fran, you¡¯re leaving Alessa!?¡¹

    ¡¸Wh-What did you say!?¡¹

    Somehow, it seems like the surrounding adventurers had been listening in. It seems the effects of Silence had ended without me noticing.

    It¡¯s a dwarf. Sitting there with a huge ale mug it certainly matches the atmosphere of a dwarf.

    Who is he? I feel like I¡¯ve seen him somewhere but¡­ Ah! He was one of the rank D adventurers who came after we had first fought the goblin army! I think his name was Hellbent.

    ¡¸Hey, you serious!?¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet, and we wanted to let her enter our party¡¹

    ¡¸What! We were going to invite her!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chaaan!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, don¡¯t try to steal a march, guys!¡¹

    Heyhey, where did all these guyse from!? Somehow, it seems like everyone at the surrounding tables were adventurers. Besides that, even more adventurers have gathered!

    ¡¸Fran-chan, I¡¯m d to have gotten to know you!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it! I haven¡¯t repaid the favor yet, ya know¡«!¡¹

    Frion and d are there too. It seems they too have been drinking here.

    ¡¸Where are you going?¡¹

    ¡¸Ulmut¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! A dungeon huh!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice! Some day we want to go too!¡¹

    ¡¸Wait a second! You should rank up first!¡¹

    ¡¸Yoosh! A cheers to the youngdy¡¯s prospects!¡¹

    ¡¸Uooohh!!¡¹

    ¡¸Cheers!!¡¹

    ¡¸Kanpai!!¡¹

    ¡¸Kampai!!¡¹

    ¡¸Bring more booze!¡¹

    ¡¸Bring a whole barrel!¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahahaha!!¡¹

    ¡¸Drink! Drink!¡¹

    ¡¸Another! Another!¡¹

    It¡¯s a real Don Chan fuss. They even want Fran to drink!

    ¡¸Are ye drinking, Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸This¡¯s not juice! It¡¯s something better¡«¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, Amanda! What the hell are you making her drink!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s just wheat juice!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll drink¡¹

    ¡¸No!¡¹

    ¡¸Eee¡«! Stingy! Just a bit!¡¹

    ¡¸Stingy¡¹

    ¡¸No means NO! I¡¯ll be taking that!¡¹

    ¡¸Ooooh! Nell is downing it fast!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s hot!¡¹

    ¡¸This is fun, Fran-chan¡«!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Well, Fran looks like she¡¯s having fun so I guess it¡¯s OK.

    In the end everyone drank until they copsed. Fran and I ended uping home in the middle of the night. It seems Urushi was sleeping in Fran¡¯s shadown most of the time.

    ¡ºAre you OK?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    While I couldn¡¯t drink myself I did enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe I got a little drunk from that alone. It seems poison resistance does not fully negate alcohol.

    ¡¸I¡¯m OK¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºAre you hungry now?¡»

    If she¡¯s hungry I¡¯ll just pull something out.

    ¡¸Bit hungry. Curry?¡¹

    ¡ºThis time it¡¯s not curry. Just a moment! Yosh, the date has changed!¡»

    This inn has clocks in all the rooms. In fact, it seems it¡¯s a fairly cheap magic tool so it¡¯smon.

    Most ces has a clock on the wall to show the time. However, I have never seen a wristwatch so maybe it¡¯s hard to downsize it.

    And, there are calendars. Each month is 30 days but there is a special day every three months. It¡¯s written as a Party Day. It seems like the four seasons are officially separated by this day.

    So, one year ends up with 364 days. By the way, today is March 18.

    ¡ºWell then, try this¡»

    ¡¸? What¡¯s this? Smells sweet¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a pancake. Actually, I wanted to make a decorated cake but I wascking in materials and time. So, I settled for this¡»

    ¡¸Why? Any celebration?¡¹

    ¡ºYupp! Today it had been one month since we first met. How could I not make something?¡»

    It was actually quite hard. I had to be creative to not be noticed. Doppelganger is still lvl 1 so it can only be used 5 minutes a day.

    Even if you greatly lower the status of your alter ego and kept pouring magical power excessively with the Sorcery skill, the maximum limit of activity was 15 minutes.

    I could only send my Doppel out secretly while Fran was sleeping. But since we had already gotten permission to use the kitchen outside of working hours it¡¯d have been a waste not to use it, right?

    I secretly snuck in the material during our shopping and then advanced the preparations for 15 minutes every night; making cream from the milk, cutting fruit for decorations, it was hard work.

    I finished the first prototype a few days before we went to the dungeon. I studied how to bake with only 15 minutes to work with every night; it was a fierce challenge!

    In addition to that, because my Doppel was so weak the level of Cooking actually sunk to 1!! It was a real challenge to make decent dishes like that!

    I tasted it once but due to the quality of my Doppel its sense of taste was really dull. In addition, it seems to use magical power to digest things

    eaten in reverse, it is a vicious cycle that the activation limit bes shorter as you taste it!

    Also, when people saw me during the work I could not exin what I was doing, also due to the quality of my Doppel.

    Well, because things didn¡¯t work out I ended up cooking while carrying my main body. The more you¡¯re used to a skill, the more you tend to rely on the sensation of it. //Maaka: Like Small-Fry Vice Commander did

    ¡¸This cake, for me?¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    It looks like Fran hadn¡¯t noticed anything, Surprise Sessful!!

    ¡ºPlease go ahead!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll eat¡¹

    On top of the two-tiered pancake, I had put plenty of fresh cream, syrup and fruit. Fran cut the pancake with a fork and started eating.

    ¡°Mogyu Mogyu¡­¡±

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡¸Tasty. Super Tasty¡¹

    ¡°Mogyu Mogyu Mogyu Mogyu¡­¡±

    Good! it seems like she liked it. Fran is eating energetically in silence.

    ¡ºHey, your mouth is all sticky¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºYosh, that¡¯s better¡»

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    ¡°Mogyu Mogyu¡­¡±

    ¡ºOi, you got sticky again!¡»

    ¡¸Because the cake is good¡¹

    ¡ºYes yes¡«¡»

    Fran goes silent again. She wouldn¡¯t say another word and just kept eating the pancake.

    ¡¸Thanks for the food¡¹

    ¡ºIt was nothing¡»

    ¡¸Ne, Teacher?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    That smile is more than enough of a reward.

 Chapter 60: Verification

    <h4>Chapter 60: Verification</h4>

    ¡¸Oh, have youe today too? Magic-Sword Girl¡¹(Shuuren)

    ¡¸Nn¡¹(Fran)

    Stop it with that name, Shuuren-jisan!

    We were in the Guild¡¯s library to learn more about some things Amanda taught us during the dungeon visit.

    Fran has no problem focusing on most things but when studying her concentration doesn¡¯tst long.

    So, we¡¯re checking carefully while keeping it quick.

    Thest few days have consisted of sparring with Amanda in the mornings, taking a nap after lunch and then studying in the afternoon. It has been rather rxing.

    ¡¸Today I want to study magic¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Even if you say that, there are many different kinds¡¹(Shuuren)

    ¡¸Then,pound magic¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Hou. Then, on the shelf there, on the third row from the bottom, on the right end there are beginners books aboutposite magic¡¹(Shuuren)

    As always, he has an amazing memory.

    The books rmended by Shuuren-jisan contains a brief introduction to variouspound magics which is easy to understand.

    I read while asking Fran to turn the pages for me. Fran does so with a bored expression. After that, I studied various other spells but as for rare attributes there wasn¡¯t very much written.

    And so, let¡¯s summarize what I¡¯ve learned is these past few days;

    - Wood Magic: Composite of Water and Earth. As its name suggests, it can control nts. It can not only grow nts, but also make them die. There also seems to be a spell for not getting lost at sea.

    - Ice Magic: Composite of Water and Air. It can manipte cold air. It can attack with ice and snow, and it can also freeze objects by removing heat in the area. There are also spells for Cold Resistance.

    - Life Magic: Composite of Water and Fire. It is Magic which maniptes life itself. It does have recovery spells but that¡¯s not its true value. It¡¯s able to nurture life, and can even create artificial lifeforms (homunculi) whenbined with alchemy!

    - Lightning Magic: Composite of Wind and Fire. It can not only control electrical forces but also maic fields. Apart from attacking it can also be used to enhance the body¡¯s nervous system, increasing reaction speed.

    - Sand Magic: Composite of Wind and Earth. Apart from manipting sand, it can also be used for drying, dehydration, weathering, etc. It seems like it can be used for processing food this way.

    - Lava Magic: Composite of Earth and Fire. It maniptes metals, ores,va, etc. It¡¯s an attribute with a strong connection to the deep earth. It seems to have spells useful for cksmithing.

    That¡¯s howpound magic works. There are also the special attributes.

    - Spatial-Temporary Magic: It¡¯s Magic that can manipte time and space. Metastasis, time maniption, and summoning are confirmed to be of this attribute.

    - Moonlight Magic: Deals with reflection and mental maniption, even physical maniption. In my opinion, it really reminded me of vampires and werewolves.

    - Auxiliary Magic : Attributes specialized for assisting status ups, barriers, etc. There is a technique that is simr to other attributes, but effects like auxiliary attributes can not be obtained it seems.

    Another thing I was interested in was old man Gallus¡¯s skills, so I checked out his other skills in detail.

    - cksmith: A system gathering magic that is necessary for smithing. It is something created by the God of cksmithing. It includes various spells dealing with fire, wind, molten iron, and so on, but it seems that it can only be used for smithing because its power is drastically reduced when its used in battle.

    - Magic cksmith: Allows the creating of magic equipment by putting mana into things created with cksmithing. It provides magic control far beyondmon cksmiths, allowing the user to give the desired effects and attributes.

    Even though their names are simr they arepletely different.

    There are many other things I would like to look into, but we decided to leave the library room. I lost to the sound of Fran¡¯s stomach grumbling so we went to eat lunch.

    Oh well, it can¡¯t be helped. If we eat lunch we can go and verify some skillster. Fran is tired of the study room anyways.

    After we left the town we had Urushi confirm that there are no people nearby. Now, let¡¯s verify the skills!

    First, let¡¯s confirm the skills I got from the spiders. Unfortunately I was not able to absorb the Trickster Spider¡¯s magic stone, and we had to be careful with absorbing other stones too since we were not alone, but I managed to absorb 10 magic stones from Trap and Trick spiders.

    Confusion Poison Generation: Lv 1

    Infrared Vision: Lv 1

    Poison Jet: Lv 1

    Paralytic Poison Generation: Lv 1

    Strong Poison Production: Lv 1

    Poison Generation skills gave you the ability to create poison in your body. It can give poison attributes to your blood and body fluids. This poison has no effect on the creator so Fran is unaffected when using it.

    Infrared vision is, well, as its name suggests.

    Poison Jet is the ability to spray poison. It¡¯s a meaningless skill if you don¡¯t have a poison generation skill, but regardless of that I can already inject Demonic Poison. It seems like our repertoire is getting quite dirty¡­

    I also want to check the Attribute Sword.

    ¡ºFirst is the me Attribute¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn¡¹(Fran)

    I also used it against the spider web, but it¡¯s quite powerful.

    ¡ºIs it hot?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸It¡¯s alright¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ou¡¹(Fran)

    Fran answers with a calm face while swinging my red-hot ming body. It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s enduring so it should be fine.

    However, Urushi looks like he finds it too hot. It seems like the user is less affected by the heat.

    There might be a problem when using the Overboost of the Sorcery skill though. Let¡¯s try it carefully with a little power.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Hot¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Kyaun¡¹(Fran)

    Un, it seems like it¡¯s impossible to swing me in this state. It seems like it can only be used with the Telekic Catapult. Too bad.

    ¡ºWell, shall we try the other attributes as well? We¡¯ll try all basic attributes first¡»(Teacher)

    Earth and Water attributes are subtle. Of course the attack power increases, but both seem to simply increase the impact power. It seems like it¡¯d be useful with blunt weapons.

    However, the effect of Wind attribute is good. It increases my sharpness tremendously. Although the effect doesn¡¯t affect asrge an area as the Fire attribute, if it¡¯s pure attack power the Wind Attribute wins hands down.

    ¡ºHow about the Dark Attribute? Is it possible to use Attribute Sword with it in the first ce?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Try?¡¹(Fran)

    Oh! It¡¯s a sword of darkness! Cool¨D¨D!! However, I don¡¯t understand the effect well. It definitely increases the sharpness.

    ¡ºUrushi, do you understand?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Oon¡¹(Urushi)

    Urushi understands Dark magic better than me. I thought he might have a hint.

    ¡ºAh! Urushi!¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Gyan!¡¹(Urushi)

    Urushi who was sniffing the de let out a scream. Hey, what are you doing?

    If you check the status, his MP is decreasing. It seems like it has a Mana Burn effect. Moreover, it just requires physical contact.

    ¡¸Kuu¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Alright?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Uun¡­¡¹(Urushi)

    I learned the effect through Urushi¡¯s sacrifice. Yosh, let¡¯s continue to the next one.

    ¡¸Next, Lightning¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºYosh, Let¡¯s do it!¡»(Teacher)

    My de is crackling with electricity. Fran tried the cutting ability.

    It¡¯s pretty useful. If we keep it weak it acts as a stun gun. If we make it strong it will fry the opponent from the inside. Moreover, it¡¯s difficult to defend against since weapons and armor would just conduct the electricity. It should be quite effective in battle.

    ¡¸Lightning sword. Cool¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºDoes Fran like this?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn. Biri-biri, amazing¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Oon!¡¹(Urushi)

    Fran is swinging around my crackling body. Next to her, Urushi¡¯s fur is standing straight, he looks like a hedgehog. Looks kinda gross. It seems both are having fun though.

    Next up are the special attributes. First we tried Recovery and Auxiliary, but the Attribute Sword wouldn¡¯t even activate. It seems only the basic,pound and light/dark attributes could be used with Attribute Sword.

    ¡ºNext is Fran¡¯s new inherent skill¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn. Magical Convergence¡¹(Fran)

    It is a skill she got when changing her ss to Magic Warrior, so I don¡¯t have ess to it. Therefore I can¡¯t give her advice on it. First, let¡¯s have Fran use it.

    Magical Convergence: Increase the power of magic and fighting techniques by manipting and converging magical power instead of increasing the amount of magical power used.

    ording to the description I got through the Sorcery Skill it seems to be a skill which breaks the user¡¯s limits.

    ¡ºBe careful¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn¡¹(Fran)

    First Fran cast an ordinary Fire Arrow. Five ordinary fire arrows appear. I¡¯m very familiar with this spell so it¡¯s just right forparison.

    And then, the Magical Convergence version.

    ¡¸¨D¨DFire?Arrow¡¹(Fran)

    Bobow!!

    ¡ºWhoa! Ain¡¯t that amazing¡»(Teacher)

    The arrows are twice their normal size and there¡¯s almost twice as many as well. It seems the power of each one is quite high.

    ¡ºCan you do it more precisely?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Will try¡¹(Fran)

    After experimenting we found out that the Magical Convergence can be used quite liberally. Its effect is consumed by a single spell but increases its power several time over. It seems to be useable about 20 times.

    It seems the magical power consumption when using Magical Convergence does increase to about three times normal. Well, as long as I¡¯m here we won¡¯t have to worry about that though.

    More importantly, it¡¯s better than being unreasonable by using my special skill. Since I couldn¡¯t control the Sorcery skill even if I forced it. It¡¯s power is simply too high so it would hurt Fran.

    Fran¡¯s Magical Convergence may not have the output of the Sorcery skill, but it can be controlled perfectly. It truly is worthy as a unique skill of a high-ranked job.

    Well then, we still have some skills to verify left.

    ¡¸What next?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right. Well then, how about trying that?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸That?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Oun?¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡ºSkill Superiorization¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Oo¡¹(Urushi)

    For the sake of today¡¯s request, we have secured some magic stones from Goblins. Of course, they have Sword Arts.

    ¡ºI¡¯ve been thinking about how we should use the Self-Evolution points. I think we should do some experiments with Superiorization¡»(Teacher)

    I¡¯d like to know if Superiorization is useful. If it¡¯s not worth the points we¡¯ll ignore it in the future.

    ¡¸Nn, agree¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s do it?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn¡¹(Fran)

    My remaining Self-Evolution points are 41. We¡¯ll use 10 to superiorize Sword Arts.

    ¡´ Sword Arts: LvMax will be superiorized ¡µ

    A few seconds after the announcement ended I start shining brightly. Something amazing ising!

    ¡´ Superiorization ispleted. Sword Arts: LvMax has changed to Sword Arts: SP ¡µ

    The name is quite subtle; it just changed the notation to SP. Well then, what kind of skill is it?

    Sword Arts: SP - Special skill: The Sword Arts skill growth rate of equipment registrants greatly increased. All status of equipment registrant +2. The effect of Sword Arts skill rises.

    It was expected that the effect of the Sword Arts skill would rise. However, the status and growth rate increase is a terrific ability. Rather than empowering me, the superiorization improves the growth and strength of my equipment registrants!

    Since the growth rate of Sword Arts greatly increases it means that Fran will be able to one day stand at the peak of swordsmanship even without me.

    ¡ºFran, how¡¯s the feeling when swinging me?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Same as usual¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºHow about Sword Techniques?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn. Dragon?Fang¡¹(Fran)

    It looks like it¡¯s working properly. No problems with Sword Techniques either huh. With Fran activating a Sword Technique from a higher level than her Master Sword Arts level it means it properly counts as a higher level than the Sword Techniques. Well, it seems like I won¡¯t need to take over and raise her Sword Arts intentionally.

    Superiorization. Not bad. However, it¡¯s hard to tell whether it¡¯s always better to do it. It¡¯s a matter of priority. Well, the Sword Arts I tried this time is a weapon skill, I do not know how magical skills will change. I would like to try it for a bit.

    ¡¸Teacher, want to superiorize other skills too?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºWell. No, let¡¯s stop for now. Rather than that, I have something I¡¯d like to talk with you about¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Consultation?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºAh. After we went to dungeon, I have reflected on things¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn. Me too¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºUntil now, we¡¯ve equally increased all useful skills; magic, weapon and otherbat rted ones right? But, I thought about whether to raise a different kind of skill¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸I see¡¹(Fran)

    Unlike the wide outdoors, escape routes are quite limited in a dungeon. I¡¯vee to realize that to survive there you need more than justbat ability.

    This is the candidates I¡¯ve thought about for that.

    Chant Shortening: Lv 1

    Crisis Detection: Lv 1

    Sign Perception: Lv 2

    Instant Regeneration: Lv 1

    Abnormal Status Resistance: Lv 3

    Magical Barriers: Lv 1

    Trap Sensing: Lv 1

    With Crisis Detection, Sign Perception and Trap Sensing we can try to avoid traps and dangerous enemies in advance.

    Chant Shortening will widen our range of viable tactics.

    Instant Regeneration, Abnormal Status Resistance and Magical Barriers will allow us to survive in a pinch.

    I have 31 Self-Evolution points left. I could max out one of the skills or distribute it to three different skills for diversity.

    As for me, I¡¯d like to increase the detection skills for a bit, especially the Trap Sensing. When you think about dungeons, it¡¯s traps right?

    ¡ºWhat do you want to do, Fran?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Unnn¡«¡¹(Fran)

    After talking with Fran, we decided to raise the Sign Perception, Trap Sensing, Chant Shortening and Abnormal Status Resistance to Lv5.

    Since we¡¯re not diving into a dungeon right at the moment, I felt we should probably save some points but¡­ I decided to raise the levels right now. Are we a bit too loose with points?

    If you can get the skills you want, don¡¯t you want to use them right away? So we decided to allocate the necessary skills right now.

    With this we¡¯ll be much safer when exploring the dungeon. I only have 5 Self-Evolution points left though.

    ¡ºWith this we should be safe even in a dungeon¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nn¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸On¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡ºBut, you won¡¯t regret it?¡»(Teacher)

    ¡¸Nope¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Owan!¡¹(Urushi)

 Chapter 61: Getting New Equipment

    <h4>Chapter 61: Getting New Equipment</h4>

    ¡¸Equipment, ready?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou! It¡¯s perfect!¡¹

    Four days after the farewell party we were at old man Gallus¡¯s workshop.

    We have been in this town for one month now. Today is the promised day.

    ¡ºHas it gone well?¡»

    ¡¸Gahahaha! It¡¯s the best! It¡¯s been the most enjoyable time of my life!¡¹

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that exagerating it?¡»

    We gave him C and D ranked monster materials. It¡¯s certainly not weak but a cksmith of Gallus¡¯s level would definitely have worked with more advanced materials.

    ¡ºHaven¡¯t you created stronger equipment before?¡»

    ¡¸Nono, I didn¡¯t mean it is my best work ever¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸How to say it, it¡¯s like I put my soul into it. That¡¯s important! Well, I always but my soul into it. However, there are moments when I can do a particrly satisfying job¡¹

    Nope, I can¡¯t really understand what you mean¡­

    ¡¸This was one of those times. My skill, creativity, soul, and more. There are times when theye together amazingly well¡¹

    ¡ºWell, what can we expect then?¡»

    ¡¸Ou! This is armor blessed by God!¡¹

    ¡¸God?¡¹

    Gallus went to the back of the store and brought back a huge bag. He then put the contents on the counter with a confident expression.

    ¡¸Take a look, this is the youngdy¡¯s new armor!¡¹

    Name: ck Cat¡¯s Armor

    Defense : 100

    Endurance : 600/600

    Effect: Pleasant Sleep, Deodorant, Purification, Mental Stability Boost

    Name: ck Cat¡¯s Gloves

    Defense : 70

    Endurance : 600/600

    Effect: Impact Resistance Boost, Arm Strength Boost

    Name: ck Cat¡¯s Light Shoes

    Defense : 65

    Endurance : 600/600

    Effect: Jumping Boost, Agility ¡ü Mid

    Name: ck Cat¡¯s Heavenly Earring

    Defense : 15

    Endurance : 300/300

    Effect: Poison Resistance Boost, Noise Tolerance ¡ü High, Attribute Resistance Boost

    Name: ck Cat¡¯s Mantle

    Defense : 85

    Endurance : 600/600

    Effect: Cold Resistance, Heat Resistance, Equipment Self-Repair

    Name: ck Cat¡¯s Leather Belt

    Defense : 15

    Endurance : 300/300

    Effect: Magic Resistance ¡ü Low, Abnormal Status Resistance ¡ü Low, Item Box (small)

    Yes, that is horrifyingly powerful. It¡¯s far stronger than our current equipment, which we paid 150 000 for. It¡¯s even superior to the expensive equipment we took from Gyuran.

    By the way, the equipment we took from Gyuran is like this:

    Name: Leather Armor of the Fire-fighting Lion

    Defense : 90

    Endurance : 500/500

    Effect: Fire Resistance ¡ü High, Poison Resistance ¡ü Low

    Name: Shoulderpads of the False Dragon

    Defense : 61

    Endurance : 400/400

    Effect: Impact Resistance Boost, Arm Strength ¡ü Low

    Name: Hundred Eyes Shoes

    Defense : 45

    Endurance : 330/330

    Effect: Paralysis Resistance ¡ü Low, Agility ¡ü Low

    Name: Shield of the Kuroishi Tree

    Defense : 68

    Endurance : 900/900

    Effect: Fainting Resistance Increase, Impact Resistance ¡ü Low

    Name: Protective Bracelet

    Defense : 15

    Endurance : 300/300

    Effect: Magic Power Consumption Reduction, Physical Barrier

    Name: Anti-poison Bracelet

    Defense : 5

    Endurance : 100/100

    Effect: Poison Resistance ¡ü Mid

    The equipment made by old man Gallus has both excellent defensive power as well as effects. Moreover, it¡¯s also lighter than our current equipment? But, what does he mean with them being blessed by God?

    ¡¸This is my masterpiece, the ck Cat series!¡¹

    ¡¸Good name¡¹

    ¡ºBut, it sounds too cute for an old man¡»

    ¡¸Onn¡¹

    ¡¸Leave me alone! Well, it wasn¡¯t I who named it as such¡¹

    ¡¸then, who named it?¡¹

    ¡¸It was God¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Owan?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸What, you didn¡¯t know? This is a ¡°Named Item¡±¡¹

    It seems Named Items are special items given a name by a God. For example, if the God of cksmithing recognizes something made by a cksmith then a name will be given to it by the God.

    It seems legendary equipment found inbyrinths often are Named Items.

    Divine protection will be granted only to the best created items, increasing their performance further.

    ¡¸It is the highest honor a cksmith can receive to have an item created by them be recognized by God. I thank you for giving me that opportunity. My acquaintance who helped with the production also cried from joy. Thank you!¡¹

    ¡ºNo no, we¡¯re the ones who should thank you for such amazing equipment¡»

    ¡¸Gahahahaha! With the divine protection that equipment canpete with equipment created from Rank B monsters!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s amazing!¡»

    ¡¸Moreover, the protection is amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºEh? You mean it¡¯s not the resistances that¡¯s the protection?¡»

    ¡¸Well, you¡¯ll get it somehow when you equip it¡¹

    ¡¸Got it¡¹

    We borrow a room in the back where Fran can put on the ck Cat series. The equipment has a sense of unity with white fringing on a ck background, which kind of resembles Fran.

    The equipment has both a boyish atmosphere and cuteness living together. Clothes with a hole for the tail. A pleasing outerwear with a cored big shirt in bisuche style. The jeweled sp at the chest also adds femininity. It shows off her navel but I¡¯ll forgive it since it¡¯s cute.

    Open-fingered gloves and boot-like shoes which covers her calves. The leather belt has a cowboy-like shape and can conceal a dagger. It even has a small Item Box which can hold about five potions. The tinum-colored earring doesn¡¯t have much of a presence but it looks cute when Fran wears it.

    The mantle reminds me more of a raincoat rather than a mantle. Still, it¡¯s light and supple, and it doesn¡¯t disturb movement.

    ¡¸Mostly non-metallic materials have been used. It was a real struggle to make leather this strong. Theposite materials used to make the equipment was created through immersing the Tyrant Saber¡¯s skin, the Doppel Snake¡¯s scales and the st Tortoise¡¯s shell in the Slime Lord which had been mixed with various reagents¡¹

    ¡ºJust hearing that is amazing¡»

    ¡¸It was a series of failures before I was satisfied. Because it¡¯s made with a special material it¡¯s far stronger thanmon metal armor. Above all, it¡¯s light¡¹

    Lightness is important. Fran uses speed and agility as her main attributes, so this is perfect equipment for her. When I checked again, I noticed something.

    ¡ºck Cat¡¯s Protection?¡»

    ¡¸You noticed? It¡¯s the effect of God¡¯s blessing. ck Cat¡¯s Protection is given while wearing the whole ck Cat Set. The effect is all status +10. In addition, it negates instant death effects. In exchange, it can only be used by the ck cat Tribe¡¹

    To get such protection from equipment, isn¡¯t that fantastic? All status +10 alone is a amazing. While it might not be quite as hard as heavy te armor, considering its lightness it is definitely far better than that. It has a huge amount of effects and is as hard as metal fitted armor.

    ¡¸Very cool¡¹

    ¡ºMoreover, it¡¯s cute. Overpowered!¡»

    ¡¸Right? It¡¯s the strongest equipment right. Gahaha!¡¹

    ¡ºIs it really all right for us to get this for free?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, that was the promise. Since I got all the extra material I still made a profit you know. Also, just being able to create that has been amazing, so I wouldn¡¯t ept money even if you wanted. However¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸However?¡¹

    ¡¸There is one thing I must tell you. This is equipment of the highest quality. However, due to that, it requires a rather powerful demonic magic stone to repair damage to it. Which would be quite expensive¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAbout how much would it cost?¡»

    ¡¸About 100 000 the first time, then it¡¯ll probably double each time¡¹

    ¡ºGeh! That¡¯s pretty bad¡»

    ¡¸Yes. However, the mantle has Equipment Self-Repair. That actually affects everything equiped so if you are not in a hurry you can just wait a few days for it to be restored¡¹

    That¡¯s a relief. Then, maybe we won¡¯t have to get it repaired ever. Phew, I rushed to conclusions.

    ¡ºThen, next would be equipment for Urushi¡»

    ¡¸Is that your dog?¡¹

    ¡ºAa, it seems that we have gotten a familiar. Is there any armor that can be equiped by a wolf?¡»

    There are other problems as well. Urushi changes in size often. We can¡¯t afford it breaking everything he does. If it fits when he¡¯s small, it¡¯ll probably strangle him when he grows big.

    When I told Gallus about it he said it won¡¯t be a problem.

    ¡¸There are many armors with automatic size adjustment functions. If you just get one with that it will be fine¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸On?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou! Leave it to me. I can make it in two days¡¹

    ¡ºIn that case we¡¯ll rely on you¡»

    ¡¸Ooon!¡¹

    ¡ºThen, how much would it be?¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ If I get 50 000 I could make something quite good¡¹

    ¡¸Good, please do¡¹

    After that, Urushi ended up licking and hitting old man Gallus with his wagging tail as he tried to take measurements, and other such things happened.

    Since old man Gallus is quite tough it was fine, but a normal cksmith would have had his life endangered. Or rather, isn¡¯t this old man amazing? To take no damage from all that¡­

    I guess I¡¯ll have to seriously train Urushi to behave or we¡¯ll have a serious incident some day.

    ¡¸Where are you guys going next?¡¹

    ¡¸Ulmut¡¹

    ¡¸Hou. I¡¯ve already done what I wanted to do in this town. Maybe I should head to Ulmut next?¡¹

    ¡ºOh? Well, should we head there together then?¡»

    If it¡¯s old man Gallus he¡¯s most wee to join us.

    ¡¸By the way, what route will you be taking?¡¹

    ¡ºFrom here we¡¯ll head south to Darth and take a ship to Barb. From there we¡¯ll head to Ulmut onnd. It¡¯s more expensive than only heading bynd, but it¡¯s also faster. More importantly, I want Fran to get to experience a journey by boat¡»

    ¡¸Go together?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, youngdy. I don¡¯t think I can go with you¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºWhy?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Dwarves are mountain folk¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸In other words, we¡¯re not good with deep water. I can¡¯t swim!¡¹

    I see, because he¡¯s a dwarf. Certainly, when I look at Gallus he¡¯s built like a boulder. He definitely doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d float.

    ¡¸I see. Too bad¡¹

    ¡¸Kuu¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Sorry¡¹

    ¡ºWell then, I hope to meet you again in Ulmot¡»

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

 Chapter 62: New Wings

    <h4>Chapter 62: New Wings</h4>

    Three days after receiving the new equipment.

    ¡¸See you¡«¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be waiting!¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s meet in Ulmut!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡¹

    ¡¸See you¡«¡¹

    We were seen off from Alessa by Amanda, Donna, Gallus, Randall and Delt.

    ¡ºIt was a good town¡»

    I do not know about any other towns in this world, but I¡¯m d this was the first ce we visited.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºWell then, lets head west from here on. To the port town Darth¡»

    We¡¯ll get on a ship in Darth and head south from there to Barb. After that we¡¯ll travel by foot to Ulmut.

    Since we sold all the materials we had we have plenty of money. So, my current goal is to take a good ship. Preferably a real passenger ship rather than a transport ship.

    If it turns out to be too expensive I¡¯m nning on earning a little in Darth. We bought quite a bit of potions but we still have one million Gorudo. It¡¯ll work out somehow.

    ¡ºWell then, I¡¯m counting on you, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    Urushi lowered himself and Fran jumped up on him.

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve got a good grip?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran is holding on to Urushi¡¯s cor firmly. The cor made by Gallus has a string specifically for making it easy to grab hold of. If she holds on it that, Fran will not be thrown off easily. Nice job, old man Gallus!

    Urushi¡¯s forelegs are equiped with ck and gold anklets. They slightly increase the strength and speed of the wearer and they also has a size adjustment effect so Urushi can wear them no matter what size he takes. These were also made by Gallus.

    He¡¯s amazing to make these in just two days. As expected of a master cksmith.

    ¡¸Urushi, Go!¡¹

    ¡¸Ooooooh!¡¹

    Urushi barks with great spirit and runs west.

    Fast Fast!! Alessa is quickly disappearing behind us!

    ¡ºKeep it up, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Onon!¡¹

    Urushi speeds up even more with my encouragement. His tail is swinging with excitement. But, it seems Fran doesn¡¯t share the excitement.

    ¡¸Eyes, hurts¡¹

    It seems Urushi is too fast. Fran can¡¯t keep her eyes open due to the wind shear, so I use wind magic to reduce the pressure.

    ¡ºHow¡¯s this?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, feelsfortable¡¹

    Good. It seems Fran can enjoy the scenery confortably now by just narrowing her eyes a little.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Birds¡¹

    ¡¸That mountain, the top is white¡¹

    Fran is enjoying the ride. The scenery is flying past us. Also, Urushi never slows down at all. Even if there are obstacles he just flies over them with a jump and continues in a straight line.

    ¡ºOh, is that a magical beast?¡»

    ¡¸Where?¡¹

    ¡ºLook, behind that tree¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡ºOoon¡»

    asionally we spot magical beasts, and hunt them down. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any strong magical beasts around here, they all die from a single attack by Urushi. I absorb the magic stone, store the meat, and let Urushi eat the bones and organs. Un, it¡¯s best not to waste anything.

    However, this high speed didn¡¯tst. No matter how much of a magical beast Urushi is, he¡¯ll get tired if he keeps running. He¡¯ll also get hungry.

    Sometimes he also uses Sky Step so his MP has also decreased a lot.

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s go by foot for a little while¡»

    ¡¸Good job¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯ll we do with urushi?¡»

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    Urushi barks lightly and then slips into Fran¡¯s shadow. Urushi has two skills for entering shadows; Shadow Dive and Shadow Migration. Shadow Dive can only enter a shadow, while Shadow Migration allows him to move from shadow to shadow.

    Unlike Shadow Migration which consumes a lot of MP, Shadow Dive seems to consume almost no MP at all. Also, it seems to only consume MP when entering the shadow and nothing while remaining inside of it. Therefore, it seems like Urushi can rest and recover while inside a shadow as such.

    If he¡¯s in Fran¡¯s shadow he¡¯ll also of course move along with Fran so it¡¯s a useful skill.

    ¡ºWell, shall we continue leisurely?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We keep on going while having lunch at the same time.

    Around here the surroundings change. The forest surrounding Alessa ends and turns into ins. However, it¡¯s not a savannah like wilderness, but a green grassy in.

    Considering the changepared to around Alessa you understand it¡¯s actually quite far. It makes you understand just how fast Urushi was.

    It¡¯s only been half a day since we left Alessa. When I casually looked up into the sky my mind shouted out in surprise.

    ¡ºUoooh! That, that! What is THAT!?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºLook, over there! Up there!¡»

    ¡¸Which one?¡¹

    ¡¸On?¡¹

    ¡ºThere, next to the clouds! The one floating in the sky!¡»

    ¡¸That floating ind?¡¹

    ¡ºFloating ind? What¡¯s that? FANTASY!!¡»

    You know, it¡¯s a flying ind! A Flying Ind!! Ghibli fans will drool. Well, even if you¡¯re not that, no fantasy lover can resist that.

    Just above us, an ind is floating in the sky. I get excited just watching it!

    how is it floating? Is it that? Flight Stones? Or is it wind magic? An even more fantasy-ish power? Nice¡«, I want to go¡«!

    ¡ºNe, nee, is that not something rare?¡»

    Fran doesn¡¯t seem very surprised. Maybe it¡¯s amon sight in this world.

    ¡¸Nn. Sometimes they float¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously!?¡»

    How terrible! It¡¯s already been two months since I reincarnated into this world, yet I still didn¡¯t know of such a wonderful spot!

    No, wait a second. If it¡¯s amon urance, that means you can visit them without problems right?

    ¡ºI want to go up there!¡»

    ¡¸Impossible¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Is that so?¡»

    ¡¸Very high¡¹

    It seems you need to use a certain magic item to get up that high, and the usage fee is tremendously high. Fran doesn¡¯t know exactly how much it costs but it seems impossible for ordinary people to go up there.

    Is it like how private space travel was in my old world? but, I want to go!!

    ¡ºHey, isn¡¯t there any other way?¡»

    ¡¸Seems to be some magicians who can fly up there themselves¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡»

    In that case, wouldn¡¯t Urushi¡¯s Sky Step work? If you keep using it to jump ever higher¡­

    ¡ºUrushi, how about it?¡»

    ¡¸Kuuuu¡­¡¹

    It seems like it¡¯s impossible. Well, I guess he¡¯d run out of MP from such continous use.

    Then, what if we use Floating? No, impossible. There is an altitude restriction for floating, and if you go above that it¡¯ll just slow your fall instead of maintaining the altitude.

    ¡ºI wonder if I can get up there with Telekinesis¡»

    ¡¸Teacher, cunning¡¹

    ¡ºHm?¡»

    ¡¸Me too¡¹

    ¡ºWant to go?¡»

    ¡¸Of course¡¹

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    ¡¸Well, let¡¯s not rush¡¹

    That being said, as a matter of fact¡­ No, wait! I got a sh of inspiration!

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s give this a try shall we?¡»

    I use Telekinesis to hover in front of Fran with my side up.

    ¡ºNow, get on!¡»

    ¡¸Get on?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d know about surfing. Anyway, stand on top of me¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran seemed a bit nervous about standing on me.

    ¡¸All right¡¹

    ¡ºOu! Also, it¡¯d make it easier if you used Floating. I¡¯ll be using wind magic to weaken the wind resistance¡»

    ¡¸Got it¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, enter Fran¡¯s shadow for now¡»

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s go!¡»

    I made use of Telekinesis and Floating and flew upwards. Acting as a surfing board, with Fran on me.

    ¡¸Oooh. Flying¡¹

    Sess!! I¡¯ll name it Telekic Air Ride!

    Initially I moved horizontally. Fran seems to be OK with the movement. It seems to have been a good idea to fixate her feet with Telekinesis.

    I turn right, turn left, go up and down while gradually increasing the speed. Good. It doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s go¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºOryaaa!!!¡»

    I was flying in a spiral, going up smoothly. I don¡¯t rise vertically since that wouldn¡¯t befortable for Fran.

    ¡¸Amazing. Teacher is amazing¡¹

    ¡¸On on!¡¹

    ¡ºUrya uryaaa¡«!!¡»

    Telekinesis Full Power!! We¡¯re gradually approaching the floating ind. The ind which originally only looked like a tiny pebble has grown to the size of a fist.

    Even though I¡¯ve already reached a height where clouds are racing by, the ind is still far away. It really is high up in the sky.

    The bottom of the ind is just in rock. I really want to see what¡¯s on top of it.

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m sorry!¡»

    I was bing exhausted. It¡¯s no good, it seems it was impossible to fly into the sky while carrying Fran. It seems that continous application of force is different from the explosive strength of the Telekic Catapult. I¡¯m running out of magic power.

    Perhaps, even with practice I could only fly for about 15 minutes?

    If I be good at this it will be a new method of transportation, which seems to be useful for bypassing dangerous areas as well as escaping quickly.

    ¡¸Too bad¡¹

    ¡¸Ouuu¡­¡¹

    ¡ºSheet!! Some day I will definitely get there! Just you wait!¡»

 Chapter 63: Neel Village

    <h4>Chapter 63: Neel Vige</h4>

    Two days after leaving Alessa¡­

    We have arrived at Neel Vige, halfway between Alessa and Darth. We made it in half a day even though it normally takes four days by horse. We got here so fast thanks to Urushi¡¯s fast legs and my ability to get through swamps and over cliffs with Telekic Air Ride.

    If we get another familiar like Urushi we could travel really far in no time at all by riding them in tandem, don¡¯t you think? Thinking so, I tried another summoning, but¡­

    It was no good. Why, why did the summoning list get all grayed out and unusable¡­

    I could not find out much about that in the guild library, but I think my ¡°Vessel¡± is simply insufficient.

    Summoners refer to the upper limit for contracts as ¡°Vessel¡±, and the familiar¡¯s strength as ¡°Capacity¡±.

    Vessel is as it sounds, while Capacity has a water-like image. A powerful familiar has a greater Capacity, and they can only be summoned as long as the summoner has the Vessel to support that Capacity. And, when the summoner¡¯s Vessel is filled up by the Capacity of the summoned familiars it is impossible to make further contracts.

    Urushi is a unique individual of a Threat Level C monster. It¡¯s not really strange at all for his Capacity alone to fill up my Vessel.

    ¡ºFor the time being, we don¡¯t have a choice other than to keep burdening Urushi huh?¡»

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    You don¡¯t need Telepathy to understand this. You¡¯re saying you¡¯re going to do your best, huh. I am happy to have such a praiseworthy pet.

    ¡ºIn the meantime, could you get smaller Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Ou¡­¡¹

    Well, despite that, I do not intend to pamper you.

    ¡¸Gate is over there¡¹

    The vige is surrounded with a wooden wall, it seems you have to enter through the gate.

    When Fran presented her guild card to the guard at the gate he was quite surprised but we were able to enter without problem.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a tranquil vige, ne¡»

    Uncles with scythes giving of a farm-like aura, aunts doingundry, it¡¯s almost like a painting.

    ¡¸Countryside¡¹

    ¡¸On¡¹

    ¡ºAs you say¡»

    We¡¯ll be staying here for the night. The questions is whether there is even an inn here.

    ¡ºBy the way, is there an adventurer¡¯s guild here you think?¡»

    It might not even be 100 people living in this vige. Would there really be a branch in such a small vige?

    As I thought so, there it was! Well, at least there is the sign hanging there. But no matter how you look at it, it¡¯s just a normal house. Furthermore, it¡¯s even smaller than the other houses.

    ¡¸Hello¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, wee?¡¹

    Even the inside is really a private house. It¡¯s like someone just smacked a counter at the entrance to some old house.

    ¡¸Girl, this might seem like a caf¨¦ or a tool store, but it¡¯s actually a branch of the adventurer¡¯s guild ya¡¯know?¡¹

    ¡¸Know¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? Ehm, well, what do you want?¡¹

    Well, it¡¯s not that we really want anything. We just saw the guild signboard and entered on a whim.

    But, to be honest¡­

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s sell the material¡»

    We picked up the materials from the monsters we beat while going here. It¡¯s just from threat level G and F, but it will at least cover todays lodging.

    ¡¸Want to sell this¡¹

    We took out the materials from the Storage, making the receptionist uncle¡¯s eyes open wide in surprise.

    ¡¸Where did you get this?¡¹

    ¡¸Defeated¡¹

    ¡¸You did, girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Yupp, he has a doubting expression on his face. Maa, it can¡¯t be helped really.

    ¡ºFran, the guild card¡»

    ¡¸This¡¹

    ¡¸Girl, you¡¯re an adventurer? Eh? Rank D? Haha, ain¡¯t this well done¡«¡¹

    Treating it as a fake huh? Seems like he thinks it is just a child¡¯s mischief.

    ¡¸Still, it¡¯s really well made. Can¡¯t tell the difference¡¹

    The uncle holds the card over the crystal functioning as a guild card authitentication device. It seems like he¡¯s going to check if it¡¯s real or not. And, he gives off a startled shout.

    ¡¸Hoho, it¡¯s real? A real D rank adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Real¡¹

    ¡¸How surprising!¡¹

    From what he tells us, it seems like Alessa sends a few adventurers to Neel vige on a half-year basis. He¡¯s been stationed in this vige for 3 months so he didn¡¯t know about Fran.

    However, he had heard that an amazing neer had appeared in Alessa from merchants travelling to Darth.

    ¡¸Say, it was a ck cat beastman girl, who¡¯s terrifyingly strong, and so beautiful it makes the guild master cry? The so called Magic Sword Girl. I¡¯d heard that you were no weaker than C rank¡¹

    The first half is good; Strong and Cute. To make the guild master cry¡­ Well, that rumor doesn¡¯t harm Fran. The problem is the nickname! Even here it¡¯s Magic Sword Girl! What the hell is up with that!?!?

    ¡ºFran, you¡¯re being called Magic Sword Girl you know!¡»

    I have ot correct it!!

    ¡¸Magic Sword Girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou, that¡¯s you right, Girlie¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s widespread after all!¡»

    If I do not correct it here, it will spread even further.

    ¡¸Nn. Cool¡¹

    ¡ºEh? No way?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m a Magic Sword Girl¡¹

    I¡¯m apealing with a broken heart. Does she like it?

    ¡¸I knew it¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Wait a minute! Something like Magic Sword Girl? Is that OK to be called?¡»

    ¡¸?? It¡¯s good. Cute and cool¡¹

    ¡ºU, Urushi, what do you think?¡»

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    Aaaa¡­ He¡¯s positive about it. Am I alone in this? What about the uncle there?

    ¡¸How nice. I hope I¡¯ll be able to pile up enough achievements to get a title some day¡«¡¹

    I have norades here!!

    Are? Is my sensibility wierd? Is Magic Sword Girl a cool nickname? Seems like it¡¯s seen as a good nickname¡­

    Maa, if Fran likes it, it can¡¯t be helped but¡­

    ¡¸Oops, got lost in the story there. We don¡¯t buy that here¡¹

    ¡¸Is not a branch?¡¹

    ¡¸Even if you call it a branch, it¡¯s mainly here to contact Alessa¡¹

    Is that so? It certainly doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any money in a ce like this. Probably, it¡¯s just doing simple monster extermination and such.

    ¡¸However, we do buy medicinal herbs and such. Since it¡¯s used in the vige. How about it? If you have any I¡¯ll buy them¡¹

    Medicinal herbs huh? We collect stuff when we have the time, though a lot of it is poisonous grass. Even Urushi does search for it, but he too finds mostly poisonous grass. Is it because he is good at poison magic?

    We don¡¯t know its exact effect, but the seemingly dangerous poisonous grass has been piling up in the Storage.

    ¡¸Poisonous grass?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it depends. Some are used for pesticides or for producing anesthesia. Here¡¯s a list of all different herb we¡¯re buying¡¹

    There¡¯s about 20 kinds listed, but we don¡¯t have much of the ones on the list. The only one we have a reasonable amount of is Ghost Grass. I have no idea how to use it, but Urushi found a sizeable colony so we have a fair amount.

    ¡¸Here¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Ghost Grass. And it¡¯s a lot!!¡¹

    Even this amount is just one third of what we have in Storage.

    ¡¸Used for?¡¹

    ¡¸This? It works as a catalysy for Ghost Magic, and if you process it with alchemy you can make undead purifying potions¡¹

    Hohou, that¡¯s some good information. When we get to the next city, should we bring it to an alchemist? No, it would be interesting to try it out ourselves too right?

    ¡¸Then, in total that¡¯ll be 7000 gorudo. Well, this guy can¡¯t be found easily around here so we¡¯ll be saving this¡¹

    Oh? is that so? We found a colony near the vige quite easily¡­

    ¡¸Actually, this area seems to have many areas where magical power has stagnated, and undead will spawn there. There are a lot more undead than normal monsters. Well, it¡¯s mostly Lesser Zombies and Lesser Skeletons, so it¡¯d not that dangerous¡¹

    £¨Teacher, what to do?£©

    ¡ºIs it the ce of the colony?¡»

    £¨Nn. Tell?£©

    Un, it¡¯s fine to tell him. I don¡¯t want to monopolize it and I don¡¯t know if we¡¯lle by this area anytime soon. There is no reason to keep it a secret.

    ¡¸Found a colony nearby¡¹

    ¡¸Hee?¡¹

    ¡¸This child did¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ve heard that some pharmacists train dogs to find medicinal herbs. Has that dog been trained to do so?¡¹

    ¡¸Have no done, but his nose is good¡¹

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    ¡¸hey, will you sell information about this colony? If we have such a ce we can harvest it periodically¡¹

    ¡¸Intended to¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m grateful!¡¹

    We decided to show him to the colony. At first, we were told to mark the location on a map, but we really don¡¯t know the geography of the neighborhood at all. Actually, since I was carried around while we traveled I don¡¯t really remember much about the exact locations. We¡¯ll have to depend on Urushi¡¯s nose here.

    Payment would depend on the size of the colony, but it would be at least 50000 gorudo.

    ¡¸I¡¯m a rank E adventurer, name¡¯s Argen. Nice to meet you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

 Chapter 64: Colony

    <h4>Chapter 64: Colony</h4>

    With Urushi¡¯s speed it takes 2 hours to the colony of Ghost Grass. Walking normally would take a day. We decided to move with Argen on a horse and Fran on Urushi.

    Argen was quite surprised to see Urushi get big. Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. He thought Urushi was a dog, and he turned out to be a Darkness Wolf. I will praise him for not running away.

    However, Argen¡¯s horse is terrified. It refused to get within 5 meters of Urushi while moving. It made Urushi a little depressed. Come on, you¡¯re a predator! Don¡¯t get down from a damn horse!!

    ¡¸Urushi, good boy¡¹

    ¡¸Kuuu¡¹

    As Fran said that, we came back to a ce I recognized. That rocky cliff, and that tree on the hill; we passed here yesterday as well. Over there¡¯s where the colony was.

    ¡¸In that forest¡¹

    ¡¸Hou, well done finding it¡¹

    It¡¯s a small grove a bit away from the highway, which you¡¯d normally not have any reason to enter when travelling. We could not have found it without Urushi¡¯s nose.

    ¡¸Thanks to Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸On¡«on!¡¹

    Urushi sticks out his chest as if bragging.

    ¡¸Hee¡« As expected of a threat level C monster¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi is amazing¡¹

    ¡¸Oon¡¹

    Don¡¯t look so embarrassed! Because Urushi is so smart he really does have a lot of facial expressions.

    ¡¸Well then, shall we go?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Here¡¹

    It¡¯s nothingplicated getting this far. Though the colonies are in the middle of the forest.

    ¡ºHey, shall we ask a little about how to use Ghost Grass?¡»

    I¡¯m interested in magical catalysts.

    ¡¸Um?¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Ghost Grass, how to use?¡¹

    ¡¸There are various uses, but if used as is it has abined effect of poison and paralysis. It¡¯s pretty dangerous if you eat it without knowing anything. Though I don¡¯t think anyone would ever eat it by mistake¡¹

    ¡¸Other uses?¡¹

    ¡¸By making it into a potion. You can make a potion that only damages the undead, and sprinkling that on the ground can keep undead away temporarily¡¹

    So it¡¯s like Holy Water?

    ¡¸Also, it can be used as a catalyst to increase the effect of Ghost Magic. I¡¯m an amateur when ites to knowledge about Ghost Magic though, so it¡¯s just something I¡¯ve heard¡¹

    Hmm, there are a set amount of known uses it seems. It seems interesting to try out some experiments with it.

    While we were walking and being taught about Ghost Grass, right before we entered the forest, Argen suddenly stopped.

    ¡¸Argen?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, are they really further up here?¡¹

    ¡¸Growing up there¡¹

    ¡¸Iya, understood¡­¡¹

    What? Did he suddenly be afraid? But why? There are no sign of enemies.

    ¡¸?? Going?¡¹

    ¡¸Iya, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwawawa! Don¡¯t push me!¡¹

    ¡¸On! On!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaa!¡¹

    Arget got pushed by Urushi¡¯s nose, fell forward and rolled forward into the forest.

    Ah¡­ Isn¡¯t that too excessive? Arget crashed headfirst into a tree.

    ¡¸Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!¡¹

    ¡¸All right?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡¸I, I got it!¡¹

    Oh? Didn¡¯t he say he¡¯d return home already? Making him forcibly enter the forest if he doesn¡¯t want to is a bit harsh, you know.

    However, this time it was Fran who stopped and tightened her expression. Well, I¡¯m the only one who can see that change in expression though. I also know the reason why Fran stopped.

    ¡ºSomething¡¯s there¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Probably a monster¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? There¡¯s a monster?¡¹

    Raising the level of Sign Perception was worth it. It seems Argen doesn¡¯t notice it. Well, his highest detection skill is Chrisis Perception at lvl 3 so it can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡¸Towards the colony¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡¹

    I just feel a presense, so I don¡¯t know any details. However, if it was a really strong monster we¡¯d be able to feel it¡¯s magical power all the way over here easily. It¡¯s not an opponent we cannot beat.

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s go carefully¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Oun!¡¹

    ¡¸So he can even do things like that huh¡¹

    Urushi gave out a quiet howl. Then, a thinyer of shadow covered Fran and Argen. It¡¯s a barrier that blocks of their life-signs. It covers the body like like armor so you can move with it active. Furthermore, it even shrinks the body a little, a perfect covert mode.

    ¡¸Going covertly¡¹

    ¡¸Ou¡¹

    ¡¸Got it¡¹

    We slowly approach the colony of Ghost Grass. When we¡¯re approaching the center of the forest we can detect the magical power of the enemy. It¡¯s a magical beast of about rank E.

    Fran and Urushi won¡¯t have any problems, but it might be a hard foe to Argen.

    ¡¸You should crouch a little¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, ok¡¹

    ¡¸Guruu¡¹

    We proceeded while protecting Argen. Light is filtering in from ahead of us, from the clearing where the Ghost Grass grew.

    ¡¸¡­there¡¹

    ¡ºHuman?¡»

    When we looked into the colony from the shadow of the trees, something was there. It was squatting down in the field of red and ck Ghost Grass and doing something. It seems like it¡¯s picking the grass.

    However, I do not know if it¡¯s a human or not. It¡¯s wearing a big robe with a hood covering the head. Although it feels a bit too thin it is human-like in terms of physique.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s take a moment to observe¡»

    £¨Nn£©

    ¡¸It is slow, it¡¯s slow¡¹

    The moment when the robed person stood up, we saw it¡¯s face. And Argen suddenly gave out a shout.

    ¡¸Wa!!¡¹

    ¡¸Who!?¡¹

    Damn! We were noticed!

    ¡ºSheet! Let¡¯s go, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Ouuuu!!¡¹

    Make fast decisions. Rough estimates are not good, you need to be decisive.

    ¡ºSkeletons have their magic stone in the torso¡»

    ¡¸Decide with a single blow¡¹

    So, the thing wasn¡¯t human. Peeking out from the hood is a white skull.

    It¡¯s a skeleton. I don¡¯t know why a monster is picking Ghost Grass, but since we¡¯re noticed we¡¯ll take care of it quickly.

    ¡¸Fu!¡¹

    Fran makes a great leap while drawing me, and Urushi runs along the ground like a ck wind.

    The skeleton starts to move but, toote! We¡¯ll make it no matter what!

    But, the next action by the skeleton waspletely unexpected.

    The skeleton didn¡¯t pull out a weapon nor chant magic, nor even show any intention to dodge, it just held it¡¯s hands above it head.

    ¡¸Hiyaaa!! Help!!¡¹

    ¡ºWait a-! Fran! Urushi! Stop!¡»

 Chapter 65: Bernardo

    <h4>Chapter 65: Bernardo</h4>

    In front of us the skeleton is cowering while trembling.

    ¡¸Pl, please spare meee¡«¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran looks really confused.

    ¡¸Aah! God of the Netherworld! Please, help me!¡¹

    ¡¸Um¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii!! I¡¯m not tasty! I have no money!¡¹

    Somehow, it seems like we are the viins here¡­

    ¡¸Oioi, Fran-chan! What happened!?¡¹

    Argen had regained hisposure and was approaching.

    ¡¸? Beat a monster?¡¹

    ¡¸Noo! Don¡¯t kill me!!¡¹

    ¡¸What the? Argen too is surprised at this guy¡¹

    ¡¸I was¡­ I was just surprised because it was so sudden¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t beat?¡¹

    ¡¸This skeleton is someone¡¯s creation, so don¡¯t beat it¡¹

    ¡¸Creation?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s kindda like your Urushi. It was created by some Necromancer (Ghost Magic user) somewhere¡¹

    ¡¸Then, not enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, if it serves some evil guy it could be an enemy, but just beating it suddenly without asking questions is a bit too much. In some cases that could be considered a crime¡¹

    Is that so? If we take down this subordinate, we could be making an enemy of the Necromancer.

    I heard from Amanda that Ghost Magic is not considered evil in and of itself, and that the undead created by it are not particrly hated by adventurers either.

    Undead that spawn naturally are considered pests, but those that serve a necromancer are treated like a pet or subordinate, much like Urushi who is allowed into towns despite being a magic beast.

    ¡¸I, I am a good representative?¡¹

    Your appearance ispletely that of an evil-looking undead though.

    ¡¸however, this is the first time I¡¯ve met a talking skeleton¡¹

    ¡¸Rare?¡¹

    ¡¸Pretty much so. I guess it was created by a pretty skilled necromancer¡¹

    ¡¸My master is a genious indeed¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, it seems you can not only talk but also have a fairly good thinking ability. It really must be an amazing necromancer¡¹

    ¡¸Bones, what you doing here?¡¹

    ¡¸Collecting catalyst¡¹

    ¡¸Ghost Grass is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. But it seems someone has torn down a lot of it. It¡¯s a shame¡¹

    It got torn down by someone? Is that about us? No, but if it grows in the wild you can¡¯tin if it¡¯s harvested right? There is no sign here saying it¡¯s someone¡¯s field. That¡¯s why we are not evil! Or is that not what you meant?

    ¡¸Are you growing it here?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Because of the dense magic power it is suitable for cultivation. I just provide fertilizer and water the field¡¹

    Aaa¡­ It¡¯spletely a cultivated field. It seems like there is no sign because there¡¯s a barrier protecting it.

    ording to the skeleton you would normally have a feeling that you do not want to go here, which is a psychological effect caused by the barrier.

    Right as we were about to enter the forest, it must have been that barrier which caused Argen to be frightened all of a sudden. It seems like the barrier is concealed somehow, even my senses didn¡¯t pick it up.

    ¡¸A barrier that rejects people? Then, was it an application of magic of the spiritual control system of Ghost Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly¡¹

    So it¡¯s a type of spiritual control. Thanks to our battle with the demon we have a control immunity skill and Urushi has resistance towards mental skills so I guess we didn¡¯t notice when we came herest time.

    ¡¸But, it seems like something that has prated the barrier. Like you people¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Argen was ncing at Fran, but that can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s best if we apologize¡»

    ¡¸Sorry¡¹

    Fran made a clean and deep bow. Good! Sincerity is important when apologizing.

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    We took out a bunch of Ghost Grass we had left and put it on the ground.

    ¡¸Mistook it as growing wild¡¹

    ¡¸It was you?¡¹

    ¡¸Returning¡¹

    ¡¸No, I¡¯m grateful for the feeling but, you should keep that¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t need?¡¹

    It seems it¡¯s no problem to take some and make potions ordinarily, but it seems the quality his master seeks is not normal.

    ¡¸Just pick it up¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. But it¡¯s not really such a great prize¡¹

    It seems like the quality of Ghost Grass deteriorates slightly when it¡¯s touched by the living.

    ¡¸I was troubled¡¹

    ¡¸Not using all this?¡¹

    ¡¸How to say it? Ummm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know, I have to ask my master¡¹

    Maybe, if his master is concentrating on alchemy he could be really good at that too. It¡¯s a bit wasteful, but it¡¯s best if we still return this Ghost Grass.

    Then, the skeleton asked me with an apologetic tone.

    ¡¸I cannot carry this much. I¡¯m really sorry but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Will carry¡¹

    It¡¯s something we got ourselves into, it can¡¯t be helped¡­

    ¡¸Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Argen. What will you do?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯lle too. I¡¯m rted to the issue after all. Besides, the colony belongs to someone, so I would like to ask if we may keep harvesting some Ghost Grass in the future¡¹

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s go! Ah, I¡¯m Bernardo by the way¡¹

    Name: Bernardo

    Race: Skeleton (Skeletal Undead)

    Condition: Contract

    Status Level 4

    HP:40, MP:183, STR:23, END:17, AGI:34, INT:122, MGC:61, DEX:38

    Skills

    Darkness Resistance LV.4, Sword Arts Lv.1, Harvesting Lv.3, Regeneration Lv.3, Vibration Operation Lv.2, Dark Magic Lv.1, Magic Maniption

    Titles

    none

    Exnation: A dead body which moves through magic. Many serve a necromancer. They generally have a low intelligence, but posses regeneration and will keep moving until its Magic Stone is destroyed or until it¡¯s magical power is cut off. Threat Level F. Magic Stone postition: Torso

    For a skeleton this guy has high intelligence huh. Magical power too. Even though the exnation said they have low intelligence. Is it not just a skeleton after all?

    ¡¸I am Argen¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran. This is Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸On!¡¹

    ¡¸Hou¡­ A Darkness Wolf huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Know of it?¡¹

    ¡¸I have only received knowledge about it from Master¡¹ (TL: Meaning he has never seen one before)

    Bernardo looks closer at Urushi. Although it¡¯s just a slightly special-made skeleton it seems Urushi is a bit afraid. Well, he wins overwhelmingly inbat strength though.

    I think we¡¯ve walked for about an hour. In the middle of a wilderness, just north of the forest, there is a small hut.

    ¡¸We¡¯re here¡¹

    A small hut at a prarie, that¡¯s whates to mind.

    It¡¯s not at all big, and certainly doesn¡¯t look like the home of a powerful necromancer.

    ¡¸Ragged¡¹

    ¡¸My master does not care much about such things¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu. That¡¯s right¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Guruu!¡¹

    There was a sudden voice from behind. There was no premonition, even though I have the detection skills active and we even have Urushi here!

    ¡ºI couldn¡¯t feel him!¡»

    £¨Nn£©

    £¨Oun!£©

    Fran and Urushi are ready to go at any time. I also start charging up with magic power.

    ¡¸Wh, Who is it?¡¹

    ¡¸When asking a person¡¯s name, is it not appropriate to name oneself first?¡¹

    ¡¸M, My apologies. I am Argen, an adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Fran. Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry. He¡¯s my master¡¹

    So, this is the necromancer in question!

    If we had encountered him without knowing anything, we would have definitely attacked!

    A dusky ck robe. A multitude of skull-themed essories. Morbidly white skin. His face was mostly shadowed by the robe, and all I could see was a wide smile that seemed to reach all the way to his ears. I think it¡¯s a man, but I can¡¯t be certain.

    He¡¯s super suspicious. He really seems like an evil necromancer.

    The necromancer introduces himself loudly while his rope flutters in the wind.

    ¡¸Fuhahahahaha!! My name is Jean Dovey! The one who shall be the supreme lord of the undead!!¡¹

    I really don¡¯t want to be involved with this one. I want to just have Fran turn around and leave the way we came. This guy was that really annoying loudmouth type of guy¡­

 Chapter 66: Jean Dovey

    <h4>Chapter 66: Jean Dovey</h4>

    ¡¸Fuhahahahahahaha!! My name is Jean Dovey! The supreme lord of the undead!¡¹

    It was a suspicious person in a slightly inessible atmosphere shouting a monologue. If there¡¯s even an incident, there is no doubt this guy would be really suspected to have caused it.

    Name: Jean Dovey

    Age: 49

    Race: Demonkin

    Job: Dark Guru

    Condition: normal

    Status : Level 45

    HP:180, MP:616, STR:91, END:93, AGI:119, INT:179, MGC:226, DEX:123

    Skills

    Darkness Resistance Lv6, Chant Abbreviation Lv4, Appraisal Lv8, Sign Concealment LvMAX, Kin Summoning Lv8, Staff Arts Lv4, Ghost Operation Lv8, Ghost Magic LvMAX, Dagger Arts Lv2, Compounding Lv7, Poison Resistance Lv3, Poison Knowledge Lv7, Fire Magic Lv3, Netherworld Magic Lv5, Medicinal Herbs Knowledge Lv4, Dark Magic Lv5, Absolute Sign Concealment, Ghost Rampage, Friend of the Dead, Magic Maniption, Magic Power Boost

    Unique Skills

    Soul Eye

    Titles

    Scales of Assasination, Undead Creator, ughterer, Necromancer, King of the Dead

    Equipment

    Dragon Bone Staff, Dead King¡¯s Robe, Demon¡¯s Shoes, Bracelet of Death, Substitution Bracelet

    Absolute Sign Concealment? That certainly exins why I didn¡¯t notice him.

    Regardless, he¡¯s strong. His physical status isn¡¯t that high but magical status and skills are considerable. He is just a little weaker than Klimt, the Guild Master of Alessa.

    And this guy is the necromancer huh. Being able topletely hide himself from detection means he can force you to fight only his undead in battle. I¡¯d prefer if we don¡¯t have to fight this guy.

    ¡¸Are you a demonkin perhaps?¡¹

    Argen¡¯s voice sounds quite terrible.

    ¡¸Hohou! So you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you can glimpse the horns at the top under the robe, and those ws and fangs. Also, pure white skin is another characteristic of demonkin¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve studied quite well. Yes! I am a demonkin indeed¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s rare to see one around here, so I was surprised¡¹

    ¡¸There are not many of us demonkin on this continent, that¡¯s true. We mostly live on the eastern continent¡¹

    Are demonkin a type of human? I am a little worried, but it might be that mymon sense is a bit wierd, like how I thought about Ghost Magic. Anyways, it doesn¡¯t seem like demonkin are all enemies of humans at least.

    ¡¸So, where are you guys from? It seems like Bernardo has brought you here huh¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, they seem to have a problem¡¹

    ¡¸Hm? Oh well, let¡¯s talk in theboratory for the time being. Come along¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone, pleasee this way¡¹

    Is that cabin theboratory? What should we do. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s an enemy but¡­

    Fran and Argen are already following him, so I guess I¡¯ll just pay attention.

    ¡ºUrushi, pay attention you too¡»

    £¨On!£©

    ¡¸Hahaha! Wee to our abysmal institute of darkness and death!¡¹

    He¡¯s acting extravagantly, but, theboratory¡­ Maybe the outside is just camouge and the inside as a state-of-the-art institution with tons of equipment? NOPE!

    It¡¯s wider than I thought but that¡¯s about it. Other than that, it was just a normal mountain cabin like I had thought.

    ¡¸Laboratory?¡¹

    Fran seems to have the same question.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Since my experiments are often apanied by danger, the main body of theboratory is in the basement so that the surrounding area will not be damaged. Do you want to see it? Fufufu, let¡¯s say that curiosity killed the dragon. Kukuku!¡¹

    I see. Certainly, I can feel magical power from underground. What Jean says is true. On one hand I want to see, on the other I don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s theboratory of a necromancer. It must be like a ughterhouse! Corpses, one after another.

    ¡¸Here you go¡¹

    Bernardo is arranging tea cups at the table. He was wearing an apron before I knew it. It gives off a surprisingly human vibe.

    ¡¸Thanks?¡¹

    Wow, looks poisonous¡­ The liquid in the tea cups is a reddish purple. Is that really tea? Or does it only look like poison? However, Jean took a cup and downed it all at once.

    ¡¸Mm, this excellent fragrance. Exotic taste. It truly is the best¡¹

    Really? Well, the Crisis Detection isn¡¯t reacting, and we have Abnormal Condition Resistance too.

    ¡¸It¡¯s ok¡¹

    Fran gently returned the cup to the tray after drinking the mysterious tea. I¡¯ll let her eat something to get the taste out of her mouthter.

    ¡¸So, Bernardo, what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, the thing is¡­¡¹

    Bernardo exins the circumstances to Jean. Uwaa¡«, he¡¯s looking this way.

    ¡¸I see. Is there a lot of Ghost Grass?¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t use this?¡¹

    Fran takes out the Ghost Grass, but Jean shakes his head.

    ¡¸It¡¯s useless. If a living being has touched Ghost Grass even once their life force will contaminate it. It¡¯s not a problem for normal use but it¡¯s not useable to my purposes¡¹

    It¡¯s no good huh.

    ¡¸Well, it can¡¯t be helped. I don¡¯t own thend that field is on, and I hadn¡¯t even put up a sign or anything¡¹

    ¡¸If you¡¯re willing to overlook it we would truly be grateful¡¹

    ¡¸How about making the Ghost Grass you guys picked up be a present?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really¡­ BUT!¡¹

    ¡¸Uh¡¹

    Jean suddenly shouted loudly and started grinning. Hey, you even shocked Fran! This guy¡¯s behaviour is really hard to predict.

    ¡¸To be sure, it was something I cultivated right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way there won¡¯t be anypensation right? Naturally, just lowering your head won¡¯t be enough¡¹

    Aah, it¡¯s this kind of development? Well then, what will he want. Money? Or some medicine or material for an experiment? Maybe something we have to fight to obtain.

    Fran and Argen are looking at Jean waiting, and the tension in theb is high.

    ¡¸Shall I have this girl here ept a request of mine?¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Of course, I¡¯ll pay you the fee. How about 200 000 Gorudo?¡¹

    ¡¸Content?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, it¡¯s notpulsory. Even if you are obliged to do it, it¡¯s annoying to make you do it¡¹

    ¡¸Um, what is it you want me and Fran-jouchan to do?¡¹

    ¡¸As for you, nothing¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You¡¯re not needed¡¹

    ¡¸I,Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Therefore, you go home. Even if I sit here, it¡¯s disturbing¡¹

    So, it¡¯s convenient if Argen just goes home? If ites down to a run-in with Jean it¡¯s probably better if he¡¯s not here.

    ¡¸Argen, bye bye¡¹

    ¡¸Even jouchan!? Okay, I got it. Then let me be rude for just a moment, just once¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸She is still an adventurer, please make a formal request at the guild¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu. Got it. If I do not, will the guild be causeing trouble?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, probably¡¹

    Hou, Argen-kun, you yed a good hand there. With this, Jean cannot ask something impossible of Fran.

    ¡¸I understand. Since I¡¯m an adventurer¡¹

    E? Seriously? I didn¡¯t see thating at all. I cannot imaging him walking through mountains and dungeons at all.

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. A Rank B adventurer!¡¹

    He took out a silver card from his pocket while saying so. True enough, he seems to be a rank B adventurer. Ain¡¯t he a senior huh?

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll be leaving it to you, ojouchan¡¹

    Argen said so and left. Still, it¡¯s good that we got the promise to periodically buy Ghost Grass.

    ¡¸Well then, before moving on to the main subject¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Now we have no hindrances in the way¡¹

    Mu. That smile looks really evil. Is he suddenly revealing his true nature? Crisis Detection isn¡¯t reacting at all!

    ¡¸That sword¡¹

    He points at me. Perhaps his target is me? Are you going to say you want to be offered me or what?

    ¡¸Now, don¡¯t you mind talking anymore?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku, I understand! Also, the soul that lives within that sword! You can speak with Telepathy, can you not! Now, show me your true nature! Kahahahahaha!!¡¹

 Chapter 67: Cause Found

    <h4>Chapter 67: Cause Found</h4>

    Have my thoughtse true? What does it mean?

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸My eyes can¡¯t be deceived, my skill ¡®Soul Eye¡¯ is a skill that can target the soul! I¡¯m looking at the soul directly! Appraisal blocking is meaningless! Fuhahahaha!¡¹ (TL: wow, this guy is annoying)

    Seriously? It¡¯s an appraisal skill that can¡¯t be blocked? Gas had a simr skill, magic eye skills were scary! Damn! What will I do? Should I keep my mouth shut? No, I shouldn¡¯t hurry.

    Jean nods with his hand on his chin, while the tension is increasing over here. ¡¸I saw some rare things! Intelligent weapon for one. Performance is sufficient, and if I can borrow your power, my long cherished wish will be well within my grasp!¡¹

    ¡ºWish?¡»

    ¡¸Oh, so you finally speak. Sword, it¡¯s a strange experience to talk with a speaking sword! It¡¯s funny but pleasant!¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so.¡»Wow, it¡¯s tiring when the tension is too high.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll have to give you an exnation of the request so you guys can help me.¡¹

    Hmm? I feel like I don¡¯t want anything. Simply, he just wanted to know if I could really talk?

    ¡ºHmm, you know I am an intelligent weapon, is there nothing else?¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, I mean, do you want me?¡»

    ¡¸Can I have you if I want you?¡¹

    ¡ºNever! I will not give myself over.¡»

    ¡¸If you don¡¯t want to give yourself to me then I don¡¯t really have any interest.¡¹

    ¡ºDo you really not want me?¡»

    ¡¸Well¡­ I don¡¯t need you.¡¹

    It feels like a lie, but he¡¯s not lying at all. It seems he really isn¡¯t interested. I really do not need him to be serious. Well, I feel a bit frustrated, but I feel more relieved.

    ¡¸Are you satisfied? Shall I exin the request? Kukkuku.¡¹

    What kind of impossibly difficult demands are you going to throw at us? Thoughts of human experiments and assassinations are swimming in my head.

    ¡¸The request is to aid in my exploration!¡¹

    It was an ordinary request. Huh? Really?¡ºExploration? Where are you going?¡»

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m d you would like to help me, the location is not far, and with me, you can arrive in less than 30 minutes.¡¹

    The ce isn¡¯t that far, I hope it is not a dungeon. Some say there is a dungeon around a field near here. But Jean has betrayed my expectations before.¡ºAre we aiming to go to a dungeon with a den of the undead inside?¡»

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    No, no, if there is a dungeon is that area, we haven¡¯t heard any information from Alessa. What does this mean?¡ºI did not hear this information in Alessa¡»

    ¡¸Of course you didn¡¯t. After all, I''m the only one that knows.¡¹

    ¡ºDid you hide the information?¡»

    ¡¸Well, there isn¡¯t an obligation of reporting it. Because disaster could ur, reporting is rmended, but it¡¯s not that bad even if we don¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸News to me.¡¹

    ¡¸If you report it you¡¯ll receive a reward, so most would report, but the location of the dungeon isn¡¯t exactly in this country, rather it¡¯s not of any country, so there¡¯s no need to report.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹(Fran)

    A ce not belonging to any country? Is it a buffer zone or something?

    ¡¸Fufufu. You¡¯re troubled.¡¹

    ¡ºCan you tell me the location immediately?¡»No, maybe I don¡¯t want to know.

    ¡¸Well, let me tell you the history of discovering that dungeon!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ask!¡¹

    ¡ºImpossible!¡»

    As a result, Jean spoke vainly, sprinkled with gestures.¡¸About ten years ago appearances of the undead were frequently reported in the area. In the vige of Neel, somehow, the sightings of undead were higher than other demon beasts.¡¹

    We heard something about that from Agen. So the ghost grass has been useful.

    ¡¸Originally, as a necromancer, I came to survey the area. I continued my research steadily, scolding my heart that seemed to break sometimes, I made efforts through sweat and blood.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah-¡¹(Fran) Fran, you don¡¯t have to apud!

    ¡¸As a result, I made a big discovery! I found several strange spells of magical reservoirs! Fahahaha! It will be amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Magical reservoirs?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a phenomenon where the magical powers of the natural world umte in one ce by various factors, and a beast is born from stagnant pools of magical powers.¡¹

    ¡¸Ho.¡¹

    ¡¸However, attributes that resemble ghost magic has been added to the magical pond I had discovered. Of course, it¡¯s not that there was no magical unbnce among the puddle¡¯s attributes. Volcanos¡¯ magical reservoirs which have a strong fire attribute means it¡¯s easy to create demon beasts of the fire attribute, just as water attributes are most likely to be born around water.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, from ghost attribute reservoirs, the undead are born?¡¹

    That¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of undead.

    ¡¸Yes, I guess it¡¯s pretty funny though.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸This is just a in, I¡¯ve examined records from ancient times but there¡¯s no site of an old battlefield nor underground tomb. I investigated the vegetation and nt life, but the factors that might strengthen ghost attributes are missing. So why is there a magical reservoir with ghost attributes.¡¹

    ¡¸Well?¡¹

    ¡ºHm?¡» If you ask me, the big question is why?

    ¡¸Possible factor?¡¹

    Jean suddenly got up and walking around with wild gestures, making the tension in the room grow. ¡¸Someone is deliberately doing so! Well! I initially thought so, for example, it might be part of military operations of the Raids kingdom of the North and the kingdom of Belio.¡±¡¹

    ¡ºWas that wrong?¡»

    ¡¸In the first ce, it¡¯s impossible to artificially create a magic reservoir and add more attributes and the likes. I haven¡¯t heard of any seeding but there are few studying.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I examined if there was anything inmon with magic reservoirs.¡¹Jean looks back at the bag and points to it. It seems like when a detective is showing off a guess.

    ¡¸Something?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, before that, do you know the existence of floating inds that travel around?¡¹

    It¡¯s not that I know, but I¡¯ve seen them. In fact, I could be challenged tond on one, but that seems impossible.

    ¡¸There¡¯s something that falls from the floating inds sometimes around here, it¡¯s a nt growing in the upper part of the ind, or a rock, it varies from time to time.¡¹

    ¡ºIs that what causes the undead?¡»

    ¡¸What a person you are¡­ it is. The magical pool of the ghost attribute and the position of where the objects fell were all the same.¡¹

    Wow, if I said the conclusion earlier the tension would have fallen. I bet he wanted to announce it himself. I sit on a chair and spoke frantically. No, this was useless.

    ¡¸So, because I felt the ind was suspicious, I went up there, and I found a dungeon!¡¹

    I havepletely lost my motivation. Well, I wish it were quiet at least.

    ¡¸The dungeon is a dungeon of mainly the undead, so the whole floating ind is enveloped in the ghost attribute and is sticking to everything, including the objects that fall as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Floating ind a dungeon?¡¹

    ¡¸Whether it was a dungeon core born in the sky and picked up by a nearby floating ind or a dungeon core that urred inside the floating ind, as far as I know, that is the only floating ind dungeon.¡¹

    Dungeon cores not only appear on the ground, but also in the sky? Does the core that was created in the air fall and crack? No matter how much the core is protected by barriers, if it falls from high altitude it will note out unscathed.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no such thing, as the strange power seems to work and the core will not move from the spawned point unless there¡¯s a special reason. If it is in the air it will be left there, so that even if it¡¯s swallowed by water it does not move.¡¹

    ¡¸Reason?¡¹

    ¡¸For example, if the core on a floating ind moves like this, though it¡¯s an old record, it seems that there has been a dungeon core inside a gigantic golem that turned into a moving dungeon. It will be an exception, do you understand?¡¹

    Truly a mysterious object created by the chaotic god himself. There¡¯s still so many mysteries.

    ¡¸How did you get there?¡¹

    ¡¸If you be a magician there¡¯s various ways.¡¹

    ¡ºDoes the floating ind not belong to any country?¡»He said such a thing a little while ago? Is it not the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Kranz that we are in now.

    ¡¸It¡¯s because of the migratory route of the ind that a country cany im on it, right now it¡¯s just a little over the Raids kingdom and the Belio kingdom. So it doesn¡¯t yet belong to anyone. Even thending troops can not be sent and so the existence of the dungeon is not cleared up.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸But it¡¯s a nasty thing, the dungeon is quite dangerous. It¡¯s also a golden egg. If you know that there is a dungeon on a floating ind where there is little danger of those on the ground, you will get it by any means possible, even if it causes military actions¡¹

    ¡ºIs it okay that we go there without permission?¡»

    ¡¸I have to get it out of the way.¡¹

    Do you mean it¡¯s dangerous?

    ¡¸Well, I will say again, will you ept the request? We will go to the dungeon of the floating ind and carry out a search of the inside.¡¹

    ¡ºHow long do you consider exploring? Do you aim for capture or something else?¡»

    ¡¸Of course, my aim is capturing. If you attack the dungeon and capture it, it would douse the fire between nations.¡¹

    Certainly if you destroy the dungeon core and get rid of the dungeon there will be no war over it. Huh? Is he actually a nice guy? Such a stupid¡­ !

    ¡¸But, if it seems difficult, capture a certain beast to return to the ground¡¹

    ¡ºCapture a beast?¡»

    ¡¸What kind?¡¹

    ¡¸The beast¡¯s name is Dead Eater. Undead yet it eats the undead, it¡¯s a demon with a threat level B. Even if you can not capture it in the current , if you add the ghost beast as your subordinate you can make future progress.¡¹

    ¡ºThreat level B?¡»

    ¡¸Originally I was going to use a potion of ghost grass to advance my capture but if you are as skilled as I think you guys are, it¡¯s more secure than potions or anything like them.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fired up.¡¹(Fran)

    Well, what to do? Danger is dangerous (TL: no duh). However, it seems to be worth it. Besides, going to a floating ind is a big deal

    ¡¸What will you do?¡¹

    (I want to go to the dungeon.) (Fran)

    That¡¯s right. I do too. Besides, it¡¯s an unspoiled dungeon, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s also great to visit a floating ind. As a result of consulting Fran, we decided to ept the request.

    ¡¸Okay! Let¡¯s do our best! FAHAHAHAHA! It¡¯s bing fun!¡¹

 Chapter 68: Unforeseen Insight

    <h4>Chapter 68: Unforeseen Insight</h4>

    We decided to take Jean''s request.

    ¡¸Well, let''s introduce ourselves again! My name is Jean Dovey, the one who faced the darkness, looked into the abyss of wisdom and is the overlord of the immortal!¡¹

    Well, while he is a necromancer, is he also a researcher? It somehow feels as if I''m getting used to Jean''s actions. Unfortunately.

    ¡¸I am Fran. ck cat family. I like curry and pancakes. This is Urushi.¡¹??

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸I''m seeing it for the first time but it seems it''d make a goodpanion if it was undead.¡¹

    ¡¸Oun!¡¹

    ¡¸No good.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahahaha.¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s not a lie nor a joke that I am an intelligent weapon. The name Fran gave me is Teacher.¡»

    ¡¸Ho, your name is Teacher?¡¹ Ah! Is it impossible for him to read the mood? ??¡¸It''s an entric name, it is! It''s good, I love it!¡¹

    It was a funny one.???

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹(Fran)??

    The two people shook hands. However, I will negotiate so that the reward for the request will be changed slightly.

    ¡¸Fewer rewards,¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Why?¡¹(Jean)??

    ¡ºInstead, we want the magic stones.¡»

    ¡¸Magic stone? Is that a good enough payment?¡¹

    ¡ºYes?¡»

    ¡¸Well, well, what are you going to use it for?¡¹??

    ¡ºWell¡­ ¡­¡»As expected, he asked.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ ¡­ I see, I see.¡¹??Jean brings his face closer to me. Being watched feels terrible!

    ¡ºWhat? What is it?¡»

    ¡¸The magic stone''s value¡­¡­¡¹??

    ¡º!¡»

    ¡¸Maybe you can convert the magic stone into an energy of some sort?¡¹??

    ¡¸What do you know?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Guru¡¹(Urushi.)??

    ¡¸Kuku, with my Soul Eyes secrets are meaningless. You want a magic stone so you have some use for it. It''s a mystery but there can only be one answer!¡¹

    Wow, what vain thinking! It''spletely perfect! In the first ce, can he use such an appraising skill?

    ¡¸You look frustrated, did I hit the mark?¡¹

    ¡ºSo?¡»

    ¡¸Fahahaha, it was a joke, but it seems to be the right answer!¡¹

    It''s over! I''ve been caught by his trap perfectly.??

    ¡¸Goa¡­¡¹

    Urushi, don''t look at me with eyes like you''re surprised. You have wide eyes too!

    ¡ºdamn!¡»

    I''ve gotten stuck. I brush my hair back in my mind. You guessed a crazy thing! No, I may be influenced by Jean. Perhaps it hasn''t done any damage to Fran''s education. I might kill Jean if heughes like "hahahaha" again.

    ¡¸But if you''re a magic sword that eats magic stones, that''s fun. And¡­ perhaps you don''t only gain powers but skills as well?¡¹??

    ¡º!¡»

    Hey, do you really understand? There''s no surprise in your voice anymore. Rather, for reference, I would like to ask why.

    ¡ºWhy do you think so?¡»

    ¡¸Is that actually right? Hahahaha, truly?¡¹??

    ¡ºI never thought you could see through it.¡»

    ¡¸Surprise.¡¹?(Fran)?

    ¡¸It''s simple. The first thing I noticed was your skills, there were too many simrities, so I guessed that you could share skills with her.¡¹

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    ¡¸That means that some skills are from your skill, but how could you have such a versatile skill? Even if you''re legendary, how many skills could you have? I thought there must have been a way for you to grow your skill.¡¹??

    Everything is being seen through.

    ¡¸In addition, theposition of the skill is somewhat funny, so you can infer that you didn''t grow your skills through natural means.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? The skillposition is weird?¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ (Fran)??

    ¡¸Did you not notice it yourselves? For example, it''s weird to have abnormality tolerance.¡¹

    Normally, in order to acquire abnormality tolerance, seven or more lower abnormality tolerance skills such as poison resistance and paralysis resistance are required, and it seems that the total of all skill levels must exceed 40. However, we only have poison resistance: lv.3; drowsiness tolerance: lv 1; disease tolerance: lv 3 and paralysis resistance: lv 2. Well, it does seem strange.

    Besides, although Dark magic is only lv 2, I have Darkness magic. Even if I shouldn''t have it yet, I do have it. There''s also no swordsman, but swordmanship is there. The more I looked, the more the skills seemed weird.

    ¡¸Therefore, I thought that you are acquiring skills with something else, though I thought that you could have taken them away with Skill Taker, but it feels a bit unnatural.¡¹

    His reasoning is perfect! No, I guess if one had a bit a knowledge and insight they could probably figure that out as well. If so, I have to be careful with people with magic eyes in the future.

    Well, it can''t be helped if this happens. I decided to tell Jean everything. I asked him if he could help us with collecting magic stones if we helped with exploring.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Good idea, it sounds interesting. That is, do you have to have the magical stone in order to absorb the skill from a magical beast that possesses that skill?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Please assist me. I will help you two onto arge boat! Huhahahaha!¡¹

    Uwaa, this guy is suspicious, but the fact that he''s a necromancer is authentic. The dungeon heading over us now is the undead dungeon. Some confidence can be expected.

    ¡¸Do you know there''s an evil spirit with skills like yours?¡¹

    ¡¸Where is it?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ou?¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸There''s a high possibility that it is also on the floating ind. Because it is the evil spirit of a demon beast!¡¹

    ¡ºWow. What kind of evil spirit?¡»

    ¡¸Huh, do you know the evil spirit called a memetic spirit?¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t?¡¹(Fran)

    Jeanughs and shakes his head. Urushi is shaking his neck fur in the same way. I also do not know.

    ¡¸As the name implies, it''s a demon that mimics a wall and attacks those who approach. Well, it''s not that strong so it won''t be a problem if you don''t notice the surprise attack.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat kind of skills does it possess?¡»

    ¡¸It has mimicry skills as the name suggests. Its other interesting skill is appraisal disturbance.¡¹

    Appraisal disturbance seems to be a skill that doesn''t allow one to be appraised urately. Unlike appraisal blocking, it only weakens it. If the level goes up, lower leveled appraisals can be invalidated.

    ¡ºWill we have our appraisal cut off?¡»

    ¡¸A skill with good appraisal disturbance?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it''s different! It''s preemptive to this point!¡¹

    ¡ºHey. Well then why did you talk?¡»

    ¡¸Because I wanted to talk!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­ ¡­¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ku.¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡ºOh, I see.¡»

    ¡¸It''s still a story that doesn''t not matter.¡¹

    Sometimes among memetic spirits there seems to be a mixture of evil spirits, like a supernatural species, a spoofed spirit. (So sometimes there''s a fake spirit that acts like a mimicry spirit) Since it is threat level D, it seems to be quite strong. But because it''s difficult to distinguish from a real mimicry spirit, it seems weird to put them in a different group.

    ¡¸And this disguising spirit is the beast I rmend for you!¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Well, as the name implies, it possesses a unique skill for camouging, which doesn''t simply preventing appraisals, but allows you to show false information at a whim.¡¹

    ¡ºSo it could purposely make someonee to a false conclusion?¡»

    ¡¸Oh, that''s the most fearsome part of the skill, it''s far more troubling than just blocking.¡¹

    Appraisal blocking is a skill that prevents opponents from finding out information about you. In other words, the only appraisal result the opponent gets would be whatever wasn''t blocked. The information that could not be obtained remains.

    But what about camouge? By releasing fake information, the possibility that the appraisal was prevented seems low, and if one believes the information they got, it will be easier to surprise them. In other words, you will be able to stay ahead in the war of information.

    ¡¸And it''s possible tobine it with appraisal blocking. After you block a little information and let the false information slip, the false information seems that much more believable! I think it''s a very terriblebination.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸In addition, appraisal camouge is a unique skill so it will also be effective against most magic eyes. Most of the skills in the demon eye system can be prevented with this!¡¹

    ¡¸I want it.¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºOh, I absolutely want it.¡»

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Fahahahaha, leave it to me. In thest exploration I already found where a mimetic spirit is!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh great.¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºTruly someone we can rely on.¡»

    ¡¸Ou Ou Ou!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Don''t be afraid to speak the truth, don''t be shy!¡¹

    No seriously, I wasn''t expecting that. Also, Jean might be a little cool. It looks like he''s seriously shining. You may not be ustomed to being praised by people, but lift yourself by yourself.

    ¡ºAh! Too bright!¡»

    ¡¸Oh!¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ooo¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Fahahahahaha!¡¹

 Chapter 69: Ghosts

    <h4>Chapter 69: Ghosts</h4>

    The next day, we went down the stairs. Last night I was asked to stay at Jean¡¯s cottage¡­Well, the night when the mind is not so sharp brings a morning of refreshness.

    asionally I could hear a mysterious groaning voice, explosions from underground and sounds of people moving outside my room. How does Fran sleep so well! I am d she is a heavy sleeper though.

    Breakfast is a fried purple egg and a ck-green soup, and there was also a pale blue milk-like drink and fried mystery meat. The rest also had mystery meat and blue milk.

    It seems that the taste is not bad, but it¡¯s still scary. Fortunately it did not cause an abnormal state, but is it really okay? I confirmed it with Fran and Ursi about 5 times.

    ¡¸Come here.¡¹

    After that, Bernardo guided us to a stairway so we could get down to the basement, where the self-proimedboratory was. No, when you get down to the basement, there were plenty of facilities. It was rude to call this self-proimed.

    ¡¸You seem surprised at the true form of ourboratory.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s pretty amazing.¡»

    ¡¸Cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Ou.¡¹

    There was a huge magic circle drawn in the middle of the floor, tools like a sickle and a cane were hung on the wall and instruments like sks and mortars were left in a cluttered mess. Poisonous medicinal herbs and ore sat in pots and baskets, and there was even a big kettle with a strange liquid boiling inside.

    How nice! I would definitely call this aboratory, it feels like a workshop. It has an atmosphere like a secretboratory of a necromancer. I want to try all sorts of teasing!

    ¡¸What¡¯s there?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you mind?¡¹

    ¡¸Smell of blood.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha ha ha, as expected of a beastman, your nose seems to be good. This is the room where dead bodies are kept. It has strengthened walls for the more dangerous experiments I did a little while ago!¡¹

    It sounds casual, like some sort of corpse store. Truly like a necromancer. Did you die? Are we alright?

    ¡¸Well, let''s prepare. You guys have dimensional storages, so can you bring a variety of items?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹

    Should we carry luggage? Well, our odds of survival will rise, so I will bring as much as I can.

    ¡¸First of all, with this and this, Oh, I will bring this too, that is also necessary, I wonder, I will bring this and this, anyway I am not carrying it. Then, with this and that -¡¹

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that too much?¡»

    A small mountain was made on the floor in a matter of seconds. From potion-like objects to strange instruments, there¡¯s a lot of variation. Inside, there were amusing skeleton-shapedmps, pendants that simted zombies, and tools that I would hesitate to even touch.

    ¡¸Sniff¡¹

    ¡ºThose, Urushi! Stop it. Do not know what that does! ¡»

    ¡¸Kuu ¡­¡¹I can not smile because it could be seriously cursed.

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped, I''m going to put half of it in.¡»

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    While listening to Jean saying who knows what, we finished stowing the items in about an hour.

    ¡¸We¡¯re ready!¡¹

    ¡ºIs it finally time to start?¡»

    ¡¸Finally.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    We left theboratory with Jean leading us. The question is, how do we get to the floating ind?

    ¡ºWhat is the way to go to Floating Ind?¡»

    ¡¸Teleportation?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, I''m a necromancer, I don¡¯t use magic like that!¡¹

    Does that mean there is a technique of flying in the sky for evil magic orher witchcraft?

    ¡¸Well?¡¹

    ¡¸Fahahaha. Well keep watching! You¡¯ll know soon! Bernardo!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you ready?¡¹

    Where did youe from? B. When did you get here?

    ¡¸Bernardo will guide you to the back of theboratory. There is a magic circle about 10 meters in diameter, and magic stones were arranged on top of it in a regr pattern.¡¹

    ¡¸Well! It is good!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for the hard work.¡¹

    ¡¸Let''s show it at once! Pay attention to the essence of my magic!¡¹

    Jean who screamed so, crossed his hands in front of himself and pushed up towards the bag and the sky. He began to recite spells without notice.

    It is perfectly a behavior of someone else, but now it suited Jean well. I was watching from the yards and I had no sense of incongruity at all.

    ¡¸Cool¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    Well, I can¡¯t deny it. Continuously spiraling while saying an aria, strike a pose, a spiraling magical spirit swirls around Jean as he continues casting spells, it¡¯s certainly like a cool magician.

    ¡¸----¡¹

    ¡¸----¡¹

    Even so, it takes a long time. He has been chanting for about 3 minutes now. It has this long of a chant.

    And after another 3 minutes.

    ¡¸---- Overspec ¡¤ Undead ¡¤ Summoning!¡¹

    Along with a powerful cry, the magic circle lights up in jet ck light. It is such an overwhelming sight that the ck light fountain is shining vigorously from the ground.

    ¡¸Kahahaha, pleasee out, my servant! Your name is Andy!¡¹

    ¡¸Goo-san!¡¹

    ¡ºWow! What is that!¡»

    ¡¸Great!¡¹

    ¡¸Guruuuu!¡¹

    We saw the foot that appeared to crawl out of the magic circle, we were surprised. Fran¡¯s eyes shone brightly, but Urushi raised his guard. I was also a bit wary.

    When the ceremony ended, the skeleton Jean summoned exceeded the magic circle¡¯s length of 10 meters. It¡¯s probably a Wyvern. Not the Lesser Wyvern that I fought before, but therger, more powerful genuine Wyvern.

    ¡¸Ha ha ha ¡­ ¡­ How is Kuhahahagahogo ho! How is it! Isn¡¯t it amazing!¡¹

    His heart was throbbing, he was sweating and his breathing was rough - I guess it was more tiring than I¡¯d thought¡­ But the result is worth bragging about. It¡¯s so cool, and has such a strong magical power¡­

    Race name: Skeleton ¡¤ Wyvern ¡¤

    Overspec: Ghost Story: Monster Lv 30

    Condition: Contract, weak point rxation

    HP: 1034

    MP: 433

    Foot strength: 539

    Physical strength: 551

    Agility: 531

    Intelligence: 10

    Magical power: 93

    Devices: 55

    Skills:

    Threat: Lv 6, Covert: Lv 3, Appraisal Disturbance: Lv 3, Depression: Lv 6, Reproduction: LvMax, Magical Barrier: Lv 5, Vengeance, Poison Invalid.

    The status far exceeds Lesser Wyvern. Also, I have one skill I have not seen.

    ¡ºA Ghost? I haven¡¯t seen this before¡­¡»

    Ghost Spirit: Complex skills of superior evil spirits who have a strong grudge.

    Due to the influence of appraisal disturbance, the effect is not understood at the same time.

    ¡¸The evil spirit is a synthetic skill thatbines several skills.The effects include Flight, Magic use, Physical tolerance, Mental status resistance, Grudge conversion, a status increase, Light magic resistance, Recovery magic obstruction and Purification. It bes a skill thatbines weak points of necromancy.¡¹

    Indeed, it is a skill thatbines various effects. It would be difficult to fight.

    ¡¸Although it has beneficial effects such as flying, it can be said that it is a double-edged sword that also increases its weaknesses.Though we can reduce the weaknesses with our magic, worry is unavoidable.¡¹

    ¡¸Weakness reduction?¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you mention it, that¡¯s how it is. The name is also something strange. Overspec?¡»

    ¡¸Well, it is the effect of the technique called Overspec, undead summoning¡¹

    It seems to be a technique you can learn at Lv 5 of the Netherworld magic. Is not it a high level technique! The effect also has a tremendous thing.

    Undead''s HP, MP, strength, physical strength, agility of +200, y Lv + 5, weak points relief, unparalleled performance which is summarized by this technique. Instead, it seems that the undead summoned through it will simply disappear after 24 hours. That¡¯s still strong. If the weaknesses of the ghosts are reduced, it will be enough for defense.

    No, despite the insecurity of defense, I want the skills of ghosts. If equipped only at the time of movement, you can move by flight.

    ¡ºCan you get Ghost skills if you go to the dungeon?¡»

    ¡¸Do you want to be have ghost skills?¡¹

    ¡ºOh, it''s the flight that''s in there that I want.¡»

    ¡¸If it is then, you better absorb this.¡¹

    Jean takes out things like jewels from the bosom. It was a special magic tool that can summon the dead spirit who is the Lord of the magic stone by incorporating the Devil''s Manastone. It seems to be called a summons ball.

    ¡¸I will give you a magic stone in this¡¹

    ¡ºI think it''s okay, I think it''s a fairly powerful manastone.¡»

    ¡¸It''s fine, it''s a demonic stone called Berserker Ghoul, but it''s always a troublesome devil in a frenzied state.It attacks regardless of your friend or friend. Take it as if you have something to use Oh, but let us serve you guys! ¡¹

    So, I decided to have the magical stone and to be thankful. I will return this debt in the dungeon.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    Oh!

    I will cut a magic stone thrown into the air by the Fran.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve had such a powerful magic stone. And I get a ghost skill, a decaying fang: Lv 1,. The decaying rot makes the partner rot, that is, it seems to be a corrosive attack.

    And, vampire skills. Lucky. I got a means of flying with this. I might even be able to go to floating ind by myself.

    ¡ºI will equip it immediately¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Devil skill set!

    ¡ºOh, oh?¡»

    ¡¸Fluffy¡¹

    What is this feeling. As Fran says, it''s fluffy and strange. I can see something. warm. It sounds like a sunny day ¡­ ¡­ Oh, I feel good.

    ¡¸This is! Dude, hey, Teacher, you''re dangerous! Get rid of your evil skill now!¡¹

    ¡ºWow?¡»

    ¡¸Gow Gow Gow!¡¹

    Something like a dog is barking. It would happened to be towards?

    ¡¸Are you listening? Get rid of your evil skills!¡¹

    ¡ºNanka, like rising into heaven -¡»

    ¡¸Master please!¡¹

    Ah, pleasure -.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    Ah, it was dangerous. I was literally ascending.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡ºOh, I''m fine.¡»

    Apparently it seems that strong grudge skill is necessary, as its name suggests, in order to control evil skills. I do not have such a thing, evil skill set ¡ú no grudge ¡ú There is nothing to remember ¡ú Buddha! That¡¯s what it seems to have be.

    Fran should be like that as well, but it seems that it did not be apulsory Buddha visit due to the connection between the body and the soul, instead it just became a state of trance.

    In the case of myself, because the soul is contained in the instrument called the sword, the power to hold back to this world seems to be weak.

    Evil skill is sealled.

    ¡¸Well, I got interesting data! Thank you!¡¹

    ¡ºI almost died! ¡»

    ¡¸Ha ha ha, I got a valuable information, is that not enough?¡¹

    Damn. In this case, he is seriously talking about his bad feeling.

    ¡ºHey. enough. Let''s start quickly.¡»

    ¡¸Then, get on Andy¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    ¡¸Because there are so many ces to grab, hold on where ever you want¡¹

    Well, it''s a bone. Fran is caught between the wings and holds the spine tightly. Urushi returned to her shadow. Jean is sitting on his neck.

    ¡¸Are you ready?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Well, let''s go, fly away, Andy!¡¹

    ¡¸Gowohoa!¡¹

    Andy started pping with Jean''s shouting. Thinking normally, there is no way to fly with the wings of the bone, but Wyvern ''s giant ignored gravity and flew into the sky. It is an effect of the ghost skill.

    ¡¸Fuha! Aim is the undead''s dungeon!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

 Chapter 70: Andy

    <h4>Chapter 70: Andy</h4>

    Jean called out Andy and he is truly capable.

    Beyond the extraordinary altitude we have gone beyond a bit, it will rise with Gungun. Moreover, thanks to the magical barriers, coldness and wind pressure are also reduced, andfort is alsofortable.

    ¡¸So high!¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Fahahaha, those who live on the ground are like garbage!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Yeah, trash!¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºStop saying garbage. Ants is cuter!¡»I only rememberedter that calling them ants is still pretty mean¡­

    ¡¸I see it!¡¹(Jean)

    As we passed through the clouds, an ind of huge rocks appeared in front of us, floating in the blue sky. The sight was honestly overwhelming.

    ¡ºOoooooo! Awesome!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ou ou.¡¹(Urushi)

    It¡¯s a homerun! I feel touched.

    Andy keeps pping towards the ind unaffected.

    ¡ºAre we going in now?¡»

    ¡¸Well, what do you think Teacher? Don¡¯t you want to finally rush into the dungeon?¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Not on dungeon yet?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Dungeon is a term that refers to what is in the sphere of influence of the dungeon core, so whatever is in the sky, or rather, whatever the magic power of the dungeon core can reach is part of the dungeon.¡¹

    It seems Jean¡¯s words have raised a g as I felt massive signs of somethinging towards us.

    ¡ºSomethingsing!¡»

    ¡¸Until yound on the floating ind, some demons named Bone Birds will attack you in arge flock.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Countermeasure?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Countermeasure? Fahahahahaha, just break through the front, it¡¯s a flock of small fry.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸I see!¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºThat¡¯s not the kind of size we can just break through!¡»

    ¡¸But they¡¯re faster than Andy, it¡¯s impossible to escape.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡ºIs there something like a tool or a barrier to eliminate the undead?¡»

    ¡¸Tools like that aren¡¯t convenient for such small fry! Though there is a technique to eliminate undead, I can¡¯t use it so close to Andy.¡¹

    So we can only break through from the front? Damn, I¡¯ll use brute force then!

    ¡¸Fahahaha! Andy! Full of rage, but this is good!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸GOOOOOOO!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Teacher!¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºI can¡¯t be helped! I¡¯ll do it loudly!¡»

    ¡¸Wow!¡¹(Fran?)

    That¡¯s how we entered a battle with the Bone Bird flock. As individuals, they are G rank. However, there¡¯s around 1,000 birds. Bone Birds cluster like clouds, even if they were knocked down or defeated, it feels like there¡¯s no progress.

    With the blessings that Andy releases, Jean''s magic, Fran''s sword swings, Flying around in the air and Urushi knocking down birds one after another, we¡¯re bound to make a dent though¡­

    ¡¸- Reverse Undead!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸- Fire, Arrow!¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Gagaoou!¡¹(A beast)

    ¡¸Gollo Ooh!¡¹(A beast)

    Me? I flew away from Fran. Everything was wrong with Jean. I will be missed when I be like this.

    What Fran is using now was a phantom sword of the phantom stone that she took from Guiin before. Although it is a sword with the phantom attribute, it also has a small Light attribute so it was quite effective against the undead.

    Fran using a sword other than me¡­ I will endure it.

    ¡ºHaha! An all you can eat buffet after such a long time! There¡¯s so many magic stones to eat!¡»

    For the flock to be this dense. Even if we jumped around randomly, we would be able to beat the birds without pause.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a Magic stone festival!¡»

    ¡¸Kisha!¡¹

    ¡¸Shogyo!¡¹

    ¡ºThat won¡¯t work!¡»

    They try to close my movements with the intimidation skill, but such a low level is meaningless to me.

    Name: Bone ¡¤ Bird : Undead : Demon Lv 3

    HP: 18

    MP: 6

    STR: 7

    END: 10

    AGI: 16

    DEX: 3

    INT: 1

    MAG: 5

    Intimidation:Lv1, Beak Attack:Lv1, Evil Spirit

    These guys gave me the skill of the Dead, but since these things are evil spirits I should be careful. Rather, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll equip it anytime soon¡­ Furthermore, Beak Attack is useless to me, since I don¡¯t have a beak¡­

    After 30 minutes, we broke through the flock of Bone Birds and approached the floating ind. When you see it up close, it¡¯s really impressive.

    By the way, the skill Evil Spirit seems to be abination skill of Flight, Magical Emission, Grudge Conversion, Light Magic Weakness, Recovery Magic Weakness and Greater Purification Magic Weakness.

    Also, I was told not to equip it. Not that I n to.

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡ºFinally?¡»

    ¡¸No, not yet.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡ºWhat does that mean?¡»

    ¡¸I will know soon - it came!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Same as Andy?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Fuha! It looks alike! Andy is a Wind Wyvern skeleton, but they are Lesser Wyverns! They are different grades!¡¹(Jean)

    Name: Lesser ¡¤ Wyvern ¡¤ Skeleton : Undead : Demon Lv 10

    HP: 108

    MP: 50

    STR: 87

    END: 63

    AGI: 133

    DEX: 12

    INT: 1

    MAG: 33

    Threaten:Lv 3, Covert:Lv 2, y:Lv 3, Spirit, Poison Nullification

    It was a little weaker than the Lesser Wyvern I encountered before, but it seemed that it was going to be hard to beat down with the y and Undead skills attached. And about 30 such people are there.

    Besides that, it is not only that.

    ¡ºWow! What¡¯s that? Is that a Cannon?!¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s a bombardment from the ind. It could be a stray bullet shot by mistake. Teacher, concentrate on interception.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, what about the Wyverns? ¡»

    ¡¸I will deal with them!¡¹

    ¡¸You will?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Fran and Mr. Urushi have notpletely shake off Bone Bird yet!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger.¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹(Urushi)

    It¡¯s thest stretch until we cannd.

    I intercepted the cannonfire, sometimes crushing the shells directly and sometimes intercepting them with magic. Though there were a lot of shells, I managed to prevent us getting hit.

    ¡ºDangerous!¡»

    It was dangerous. Although I somehow warped the trajectory with magic, if it was a few momentster we would have been run through by the cannonfire.

    ¡ºJean! How did you survive this shelling when youndedst time.¡»

    ¡¸That time, I was following a Skeleton Griffon! For my fellows who wore wind armor, these attacks were useless! So, I got in from the front!¡¹

    Will it ever end? Besides, there is no longer that skeleton that I have not summoned now. It may be called out with overspec.

    ¡¸Gyo Oho!¡¹

    Damn, the wyvern skeletons are getting restless! But because we handled the storm of shells, it got out of hand! It was quite quick, and the attacks of the flock seems not to have been hit directly. If you hit it, you can beat it.

    What is this? Is this not silly?

    Andy buries its head into a wyvern, biting through fur with its teeth. It¡¯s almost as if he¡¯s saying ¡°Count on me!¡±

    ¡¸Thank you, Andy.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Goou!¡¹(Andy)

    But it¡¯s only possible because of Andy pushing himself. It¡¯s impossible to manage this number normally. Regeneration is gradually failing to catch up and Andy¡¯s HP is dangerously low.

    ¡ºJean! What are you doing!¡»

    ¡¸Wait a moment! I¡¯m preparing it now!¡¹(Jean)

    Then I saw it, Jean was in the middle of putting magical power into a summoning ball. Do you still have a trump card to summon?

    ¡¸Okay! I¡¯m ready! Teacher, Urushi, get back!¡¹

    ¡ºRoger that.¡»

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Fran, keep still in case of anything! Believe in me!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸Fahahaha, that¡¯s a good reply.¡¹

    ¡ºSo? What are you going to do?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to do this! Andy, do it!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Gowawon!¡¹(Andy)

    ¡¸Waa¡¹ (Fran)

    ¡ºDeformed?¡»

    ording to Jean¡¯smand, Andy¡¯s bone body starts to strain and transform. The ribs and sternum swelled, wrapping Jean and Frans, the wings folded like covering the body. Because it¡¯s flying with the evil spirit skill, it won¡¯t affect flight¡­

    It¡¯s as if the wyvern¡¯s neck is growing from a sphere made of bone.

    ¡¸-Instant summoning!¡¹

    Meanwhile, Jean summons a new creature. Instant summoning is a technique to summon a part of a creature for a certain period of time. Although it is much weaker than the main body, there is a merit that even if the body is dead, there is no influence on the main body.

    ¡¸Slime?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºWhat? Damn it--¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine like this!¡¹(Jean)

    What Jean called was a bright red slime. The slime started to wrap around us.

    ¡ºJean?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay!¡¹

    Jean said that we should stay as we are. Hey, hey, is it melting? The undead slime called Undead Ooze haspletely covered Andy and the party. Meanwhile, although the shell is bending around Andy, it seems that somehow it is enduring. Though I don¡¯t know how long it willst. What will Jean do?

    ¡¸Andy! It¡¯s been a rough time.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Goou!¡¹(Andy)

    ¡¸Well then!¡¹(Jean)

    When Jean ordered, Andy changed directions with hurry. It¡¯s form with his head facing away from the floating ind.

    ¡¸Gaaaooooooooou!¡¹(Andy)

    Andy unleashed a powerful breath that he had charged within himself. A tremendous ray paints the sky white. It¡¯s super powerful without a doubt. Andy then curled itself up like a bullet and sped towards the floating ind while crushing several wyverns.

    ¡¸Fahahaha, good! Andy! You¡¯ve done it exactly as nned!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Fast.¡¹(Fran)

    Andy¡¯s magic power is decreasing with tremendous momentum. Hey, isn¡¯t this dangerous? Certainly if an undead runs out of magic power won¡¯t it disappear? But Andy did not stop releasing the breath and the floating ind was rapidly approaching gungun.

    ¡¸Make sure not to bite your tongue, Fran!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹(Fran)

    Scary!

    Immediately afterwards a light shock hits us. Apparently it seems that physical barriers were set up, but in front of Andy, those were useless. And¡­

    ¡¸DOGOAGOAOSOGO!¡¹

    ¡¸Huuuuu¡¹

    ¡¸Aaa¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuwen¡¹

    ¡ºWow!¡»

    Andy made a huge crater on the floating ind. Despite the fact that Undead Oooz received the shock, it was an incredible shock. Anyway, HP is decreasing for everyone. The body of Undead Oooz has disappeared. Andy, who received the shock the most, had not kept its original shape already. Both whole body and manastone are shattered. It¡¯s only possible to distinguish half a skull.

    ¡¸Goou ¡­ ¡­¡¹(Andy)

    ¡¸Andy, we will not forget your loyalty.¡¹(?)

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹(?)

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹(fran)

    ¡¸ou!¡¹(Urishi)

    ¡ºYou¡¯re amazing.¡»

    ¡¸I''ll send you thest at my end, sleep peacefully. - Ascension¡¹

    ¡¸Gou-¡¹(Andy)

    From the remnants of Andy, the light rises and raises to the heavens. It was a beautiful sight.

    ¡¸Bye bye¡¹(Fran?)

 Chapter 71: Rush

    <h4>Chapter 71: Rush</h4>

    Thanks to Andy, two hours afternded on the floating ind.

    ¡¸I saw it, that''s the entrance to the interior of the dungeon!¡¹

    We passed through the wandering forest of zombies and skeletons and reached a ce like ruins.

    There were no noteworthy battles in the forest. The enemies are only lower demon animals,not smart enough to erase any indication of their presence. There are no elements other than arge number that are likely to be a threat. Well, if there¡¯s something of note, it would be the absorption of magic stones and Urushi.

    There seemed to be traces of a staircase that descended into the basement in the center of a group of ruins.

    ¡¸It''s here, thest time I was exhausted before I got here, but this time I still have plenty of time!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat should I look out for? There¡¯s plenty of dangerous traps, aren¡¯t there? Last night I heard about a secret n.¡»

    ¡¸Leave the leading to me, you guys should concentrate on battle.¡¹

    ¡¸all right¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸On on!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Wait a moment, please.¡¹(Jean)

    Jean takes out the summon ball again and begins to cast.

    ¡¸---- High undead summoning!¡¹

    What was summoned was a deadly monster. It looks a little like a zombie? A mummy with good skin? It had such a feeling. Looking at it from a distance, it may seem like a slightly thin person with brown skin. It also wore clothes knitted with warp yarns.

    ¡¸Thy name is Sercan!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Va¡¹(Sercan)

    when he sees it. I''m toozy, if you care all that much, check out previous chapters skill sheets and you''ll find the correct terms. Where''s that shrug emoji when you need it?

    Tribal Name: Custom ¡¤ Revenant: Dead

    Spirit: Demon Lv 14

    Name: Sercan

    HP: 69

    MP: 165

    Power: 33

    Strength: 23

    Agility: 66

    Intelligence: 109

    Magical power: 25

    Devices: 93

    Skills:

    y: LvMax, momentary yback: Lv 4, trap cancetion: Lv 5, trap detection: Lv 4, yback enhancement

    (good luck with that)

    ¡¸Kuku, this is a specially made servant whom I made improvements on with custom undead techniques for this day!¡¹

    It is a devil devoted exclusively to leadership. It seems to be at the expense ofbat power, but ying power is not hampered. Looking for traps and dismantling them, it bes a wall of flesh that takes on the trap with himself if you don¡¯t do it. Well, convenient and ipetent.

    ¡¸Fahahaha ¡­ I will go, Sercan, lead us!¡¹

    ¡¸Va!¡¹

    However, Sercan was tremendously useful. Most traps canceled out, or it starts and disables them.

    It seems that Jean has supplemented the magic power necessary for regeneration, so there is no worry of falling down or death.

    ¡¸Va!¡¹

    Gashakon! (Note: Sound effect)

    Oh, it was skewered to the spear that came down from the ceiling! I could not cancel it, nor catch it on purpose and invalidated it. However, Sercan ys it¡¯s role immediately and walks as if nothing had happened.

    I did not do a good job.

    In addition, Jean only said once, but it already grasped its internal structure. We almost never stopped and we had been searching steadily.

    The zombies that asionally appear are destroyed before attacking fran with my attack.

    ¡ºGood.¡»

    ¡¸Well, here it is not¡¹(Jean)

    ¡ºWhat do you mean? ¡»

    ¡¸Thest time, supplies have run out in the hall ahead of us and we¡¯ve had to turn back, so I don¡¯t know what''s in there.¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸Is there something in the hall?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸There¡¯s a monster room, in which you will see an intermediate demon beast¡¹

    Apparently there seems to be a stairway to get down to the basement in a ce beyond that hall. The speed of advance will fall considerably. There¡¯s probably a new gimmick.

    First of all is a hall.

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s all about the preemptive magic strike.¡»

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    ¡¸Oh!¡¹

    And annihtion begins

    About 30 of the dead spirits copsed in the first magic. Still, there are still more than 50 bodies left. But that wasn¡¯t all. From the magic room (circle?), the evil spirits gushed out one after another.

    Inside is mixed with intermediate demons such as zombie soldiers equipped with weapons and armor, skeleton warriors, and magical beasts.

    ¡ºlet''s go!¡»

    ¡¸Hmm!¡¹

    ¡¸Guru!¡¹

    Well, it''s not our worst enemy. Rather, a monster room without traps, it¡¯s easy for frans to fight. me magic works well also.

    In only 20 minutes all the spirits were put back into the corpses.

    ¡¸well done!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡ºIf you have this degree of opponent¡»

    ¡¸Oh, novice¡¹(???)

    ¡¸Nom Nom¡¹(Urushi)

    Urushi is as usual. Why doesn¡¯t eating zombie meat break your belly? Or is it rather tasty? No, it seems that everything goes well with rot, it''s unexpected ¡­ ¡­? Well, I hope it¡¯s delicious.

    ¡¸Do you have any injuries?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m okay¡¹

    Then Jean purifies the room and we decide to take a rest for about an hour. In the meantime I will make a meal but I take out the curry at the request of Fran.

    ¡¸Oh, supreme¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºYou never get tired of it.¡»

    Every time let her eat it, she praises me every time. It is not a lie that if I had a tail it would be standing tall.

    Jean also had had some curry, and he seems to like it quite a bit. I¡¯ve changed it twice.

    ¡¸Mu¡¹

    Don¡¯t look at me like that Fran! I still have plenty! The children be very aggressive when ites to food.

    Jean gave Urushi the femur of a Skeleton Lizard. He was gnawing on the bone, As Urushi also experienced a blessing.

    Because I am have time and am taking a break, I decided to tell Jean about the undead spells. I thought of Amanda at the time, but who better to ask than the lord of the undead himself? I , but I would definitely know who heard the advanced party more than examine himself.

    ¡¸Kahahaha ¡­ it is difficult to raise knowledge, but you have a good idea! It was good to hear!¡¹

    Jean is a researcher and I thought that if I could hear it would teach me ¡­ Rather, he was a man of a system he wanted to speak, to talk about things not even heard. As a result, you got to know a lot about the evil spirit.

    I was particrly surprised about the concept of the soul. I thought that the undead magic was manipting the soul of the dead or manipting it with the soul possessed by the corpse, but that was not the case.

    It seems that the power may cause part of the soul that should originally go to theher world to stay in this world. And the fragments of the soul in which imperfections and power are put together arebined with the magic stone, transforming it into a powerful evil spirit.

    So it was generally rmended that a necromancer cast a ghost spirit. Because they can be cleansed by serving a Necromancer and can ascend. For grudge who wanders while suffering with gratitude, it can be called salvation. Besides, if you serve as one body, you will also have 1 Vengeous Spirit that you dislike people. Among them are those who are going through countries to purify the evil spirits and ascend.

    ¡¸Well, I''m not that kind of fond of getting up to it, instead of ascending, I will lend you my power, a way of saying ¡°Give and Take¡±. Even if I make things disposable, I''m grateful, soughter will not stop, Yo!¡¹

    ¡ºI''m telling you, but you used Ascension for Andy, did not you?¡»

    The technique of Ascension which Jean used for Andy was a technique to clear up the grudge of the dead spirit and ascend the fragments of the soul. It was a famous magic typical ofher witchcraft, which was also mentioned in the information examined in the library.

    Although it is slight, it is a technique that interferes with the soul, so consumption is severe, depending on the strength of purification grudge it is even to reduce the life expectancy of the caster. Indeed, Jean did not be a fighting force for a while after itnded. Andy would have disappeared if it left as it was, and one should not use Ascension by force.

    ¡¸Well, it''s about that extent that we can do it, for a short while, for Andy who served with loyalty, he is for the hands at least, are not youining?¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸No, not for such a good guy¡¹(Fran)

    ¡ºNoints¡»

    ¡¸on!¡¹(Urushi)

    ¡¸Is that so, right?¡¹(Jean)

    Something, it''s a breezy atmosphere. However, Jean seems embarrassed that she made such an atmosphere. My ears are red. And, in order to change the topic, I just started to talk about the future by further raising the voice of the crowd. Well, it¡¯s okay though.

    ¡¸Fufa, Fuha! Well, next will be the second tier!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡ºIs there any information?¡»

    ¡¸No, not at all!¡¹(Jean)

    Why do they look great?

    ¡¸But please be calm. There are measures!¡¹(Jean)

    ¡¸What?¡¹(Fran)

    ¡¸This is it!¡¹(Jean)

    What Jean took out is a familiar summons ball.

    ¡ºWhat''s in it?¡»

    ¡¸If you see it you will understand! So fufufu, you won¡¯t forget it!¡¹

    Then Jean began to recite the summoned spell again.

 Chapter 72: Dungeons Corridor

    <h4>Chapter 72: Dungeon''s Corridor</h4>

    ¡°-High undead, summoning!¡± (Jean)

    It appeared from the undead summon stone of Jean¡¯s. What came out though? Fog? Vapor? It was something indefinitely whitish.

    ¡°Cloud?¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°This is the secret of dungeon capturing, it¡¯s a custom ghast fly.¡±

    Race name: custom ghast

    Dead Spirit: Demon lv 7

    Name: Fly

    HP: 22

    MP: 401

    Power: 8

    Stamina: 13

    Agility: 36

    Knowledge: 89

    Maka: 210

    Devices: 19

    Skill: Dissolution: lv 7, Map creation: lv 6,munication: lv 3, shadow sse: lv 7, magical absorption: lv 6, trap detection: lv 3, Evil spirit, physical attack nullification

    This thing seems to specialize exploring.

    Fran reaches out to touch it, as well as Urushi who imitates Fran by trying to bite it. Even I cannot catch the fume like fly.

    ¡°Oooh¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Wow¡± (Teacher)

    Just this is interesting. The white smoke stagers over and over. If we weren¡¯t inside the dungeon, we wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.

    ¡°Fly can send information from the map creation to me through the mind! Even without doing anything, you can get a map of the dungeon! Kahahaha! I cannot get rid of this shaking by myself!¡±(Jean)

    Certainly, without Fly, mapping would be crazy.

    ¡°Go, Fly!¡± (Jean)

    By Jean¡¯s order, the fly begins to divide into twenty bodies. One body is weak but it¡¯s not battle power we¡¯re concerned about. Fly starts to move quietly. At first nce it seems like the smoke is following the air current.

    ¡°After about ten minutes we can get a map of what¡¯s up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± (Fly?)

    Is it not pampant yet? It¡¯s only a small fish. Fran is posing with Urushi, having a motivated face.

    ¡°Last time I didn¡¯t do this to find out about the floors. I just went ahead to scout.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°So is this structured floors in your mind?¡± (Teacher) Certainly you¡¯re not saying there¡¯s no information of this floor at all?

    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t break through this area before, so I don¡¯t know theyout ahead, but there¡¯s no problems as we¡¯ve made improvements.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what¡¯s ahead?¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s something that I know of only one. It¡¯s the mimic spirit you¡¯re looking for, but it appears up ahead. They are the one that blocked Fly¡¯s way.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Really? Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Nn.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Ou!¡± (Urushi)

    ¡°Before we go, let¡¯s have a drink before the battle¡± (Jean)

    ¡°What is this?¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Fuhahaha! It¡¯s a specially made spirit potion. It has the effects of reducing damage from the dead and increasing resistance against special attacks such as spirit control.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Amazingly high-performance! Isn¡¯t it petty valuable.¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°It''s not a big deal. If it¡¯s on the market, it¡¯s about 200,000 gold.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°High!¡± (Teacher or Fran, I forgot)

    200,000 gold is the same as the reward for sess. Is this okay?

    ¡°For me, it¡¯s not that much money, don¡¯t mind it! We¡¯ll just take more than that in materials.¡± (Jean)

    Truly a B rank adventurer. 200,000 is a lot of money

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Also, feel free to use stuff I give you. It¡¯s me who will be troubled if you leave.¡± (Jean)

    I¡¯m happy with this type of client, because I am a poor man. I hesitate to use items, even with RPGs, leaving things like elixirs and world trees until the end. But that¡¯s dangerous. If Fran was in danger, I guess I wouldn¡¯t say such a thing, but that¡¯s how I usually think.

    ¡°We¡¯re going into a long corridor where it extends to the entrance to the second floor, enemies there use hypnotism attacks.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Well then!¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Oooo¡­ ¡­¡± (spirit)

    ¡°Damn! THis one is also different! Well then, you!¡± (Jean?)

    ¡°Oo¡±

    ¡°This is not it!¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Oooh¡±

    ¡°Owio¡± (spirits)

    ¡°Ah! This is annoying! Which is the spoofed spirit?¡± (Teacher)

    Ghost, Specter, etc. attacks back and for forth, right and left, sometimesing through walls and floor to attack.

    But this was the corridor we¡¯ve been looking for. There¡¯s mimic spirits among the attacks. There¡¯s also spoofed spirits which are like subordinates of the mimic spirits.

    We are constantly activating the fire attribute to maximize damage, they continue to disguise as dead spirits. Our strategy would be impossible without the magic tank called me. Actually, I raised the level of magic absorption.

    Because the bodies of the spirits in the dead system consists of magical power, they¡¯re weak against absorption.

    So, because of attacking and magical supply, magic absorption increased to level 3.

    With this, the remaining points have decreased to one, but it¡¯s a skill that¡¯ll be advantageous in the long run, I think there¡¯s no loss in raising it.

    As a result, ifbined with attribute sword, most of the spirits could be knock down in a single shot. My magic power is still around 1500. Afterwards, it would be perfect if I could take an appraisal camouge from a spoofed spirit.

    Actually, it¡¯s easier to annihte with widespread magic. Then destroy magic stones. I just want to get appraisal camouge by all means.

    ¡°Jean! I can¡¯t find a camouge spirit?¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Mm, I have not.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand?¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Believe that¡¯s you¡¯re fighting and fight!¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Ou ou¡± (Urushi)

    It also ces a considerable burden on Fran. If you think that it¡¯s a mimic spirit and attack it, there¡¯s a chance of it being a spoofed spirit. In order to prevent damage to the magic stones, I only have try to attack the mimic spirits.

    Then Fran only has to deal with the spirits other than the mimics.

    The spiritual abnormalitying from the ghosts are not at all an issue due to Jean¡¯s spirit potion. Physical attacks aren¡¯t a big deal. To Fran, they¡¯re only annoying.

    Then 30 minutes into the fight.

    ¡°Now is¡­¡± (Teacher)

    Mimic spirits have a lot of magic I feel like. I hurriedly check my skills.

    Obtained appraisal camouge.

    ¡°Damn! It came!¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Yosh! This is good already.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Ou!¡± (Urushi)

    ¡°Atst¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Oooo¡± (Fly?)

    After that, the furious fighting kept for half an hour more, soon settled down. Everybody used widespread magic so it waspleted because of that.

    ¡°Nn?¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Oh?¡± (Jean)

    No, even I can see. I wanted camouge. Well, since it might be hard work, let¡¯s give up.

    ¡°Congrattions¡± (Jean)

    ¡°I tried to set it, but how is it? Can you see with soul eye? I tried to conceal the skill and to make it look lower than the actual status.¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, it¡¯s a sess, it looks like half the status I saw before.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°What about skills?¡± (Fran)

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any skills at all, however, it¡¯s better to research a little more. It¡¯s doubtful that you don¡¯t have any skills. We should adjust it so that it looks safe.¡± (Jean)

    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± (Teacher)

    How to disguise it?

    Well, I¡¯m having fun. Showing the disguised status to those who appraise Fran. ¡°Fighting strength is just 5, garbage.¡± Let me think, it¡¯s also possible to do, ¡°I have 530,000 battles.¡±

    ¡°Kukuku, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± (Teacher)

    ¡°Teacher, bad voice.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Ouou¡± (Urushi)

 Chapter 73

    <h4>Chapter 73</h4>

    Fly was quite a bit more useful than I¡¯d anticipated. We didn¡¯t really know anything about the second floor, but his abilities allowed us to advance through it as quickly as we had on the first. He even managed to find a treasure box along the way.

    Our trek was going smoothly. We basically hadn¡¯t stopped since we broke through that one corridor with all the specters.

    Seeing Fly in action made me want one of his species in my party.

    I wonder if leveling up ghost magic¡¯ll let me get my hands on something like him?

    I decided to ask Jean about it, but he ended up cutting my hopes short. Apparently you needed all sorts of high quality magic tools and herbs to make it, so each specter would end up costing at least 10 million Gorudo. Actualizing it was a whole another matter, and that¡¯d apparently take another 3 or so years in and of itself. To make matters worse, every single individual was different, and so not all of them would be able to use Shadow Clones the same way the one Jean summoned could.

    In other words, you needed all three of money, time, and luck. Yeah, I guess that¡¯s not happening. I¡¯ll have to give up on the idea for now.

    ¡¸Bored.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Do you not think it wonderful to be able to experience boredom as you journey through a dungeon?¡¹

    ¡¸Still bored.¡¹

    Well, I guess that¡¯s pretty much something that¡¯s been due. I¡¯ve been handling all the battles and stuff, so Fran¡¯s started to get frustrated out of sheer monotony.

    ¡¸Well then¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hm?¡¹

    ¡¸It appears as if Fly¡¯s found us a set of stairs.¡¹

    ¡ºAlready!?¡»

    ¡¸Already indeed. However, it seems as if the area is being secured by a guardian, an ogre zombie with arge horn sticking out its head. There are quite a few other zombies around it as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Oh god damn it Fran, why is that your eyes started to sparkle the moment you heard that?

    ¡¸Hahaha! How ever reliable you are!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Then why don¡¯t we be on our way? Let us advance, for it hase time to exterminate the undead!¡¹(Note: Lit. Exterminate Oni. Reference to Momotarou.)

    Though, it looks like we¡¯ve got a ck cat, a sword and a wolf instead of a talking chicken, a monkey, and a dog, but whatever. Either way, it looks like we¡¯re going to be getting something much better than a mere kibidango or two, so I¡¯ll give it my all.

    We grab the treasure chest and then head over to the corridor leading to the stairs, where we rendevouz with Fly, who was standing by with all his parts merged back into one.

    ording to Jean¡¯s Undead Search, the corridor was filled with arge ogre zombie, twenty odd soldier type zombies, and about a hundred zombified dogs and rats.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s charge in and then start by throwing a few AOE spells.¡»

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Getting swarmed by all those mini zombies is probably going to be more of a pain in the ass than fighting the big one, so it¡¯d be better for us to go with the Lv. 8 wind spell Gale Hazard. The spell isn¡¯t too much of a hard hitter, but itpensates by covering arge area. It¡¯s AOE is about 30 meters in either direction, so we should be able to cover the entire corridorif Fran and I both use it at the same time.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave all the soldier-types to you, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸What about Jean?¡¹

    ¡¸I shall spend my time doing what I can against that ogre zombie over there. Serkan, Fly, wait here.¡¹

    ¡¸Va¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It¡¯s finally time for us to take on the floor boss!

    ¡º¡¸¨D¨DGale Hazard¡¹¡»

    Violent Winds rage within the corridor and smash all of the smaller scaled magic beasts

    ¡¸Arooo!¡¹

    Urushi pierces four different zombie soldiers with its dark spears.

    ¡¸Hahahahahaha! How overwhelming you are!¡¹

    Jean gives a loudugh as hepletes his task with ease. He traps the ogre zombie inside of an Undead Jail and keeps it from moving.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll be leaving that big ass one to you then, Jean!¡»

    ¡¸First, small fry.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We leap into the zombie horde.

    The zombie soldiers are a bit troublesome to deal with. They¡¯re far more agile and skillful than what you¡¯d normally expect from zombies, and they¡¯re able to counter attack for quite a bit of damage ¡ª not that it matters to us since we can get rid of them in a matter of moments.

    Fran starts by cloaking her de in mes and using her sword arts to chop their arms, and in doing so,pletely negates their ability to counterattack. She then destroys their heads and splits their bodies in half. The damage from thisbination instantly defeats them, she inflicts far too much damage for them to regenerate. Fire is especially effective against zombies because it naturally hinders their self restoration.

    That said, she seems a bit dissatisfied that she wasn¡¯t able to use lightning, her favourite element. On the other hand, I¡¯d say I¡¯m pretty content. The me cloaked de reminds me of Gundams and their beam sabers.

    Urushi was fighting in a much shier fashion. He was using a mix of fang and magic topletely grind the zombies to dust. His fur¡¯s starting to get dirty though, so I¡¯m going to have to give him a washter.

    Things were going pretty smoothly for me too. All I have to do is use magic perception to find their magic stones and pierce right through them in one go.

    The hallway is kind of reminiscent of what we ran into on the first floor. Spirits keep gushing out of the corpses and end up all over the room. Heh, what good experience points they are.

    The spirits stopped spawning after we beat all the grunts though, so before long, we were left with nothing but the ogre zombie.

    ¡ºOrya!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    And even that was killed instantly. Jean made it stop moving, so I easily pierced through its magic stone byunching myself with telekic catapult.

    ¡´Self Evolution has activated. 50 evolution points received.¡µ

    Finally! It finally happened!! I mean, I knew we came here so I could absorb magic stones, but I¡¯ve already gotten at least 300 worth!

    _______________________________________________________________

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran

    Race: Intelligent Weapon

    Attack: 524 Mana: 3000 Durability: 2800

    Magical Conductivity: A+

    Skills

    Appraisal: Lv 7

    Appraisal Block

    Shape Shifting

    High Speed Regeneration

    Self Evolution: Rank 10 Magic Stone Value 4511/5500 Memory 89 Points 51

    Self Modification (Superior)

    Telekenesis

    Low Telekenesis Up

    Intermediate Wielder Status Up

    Low Wielder Recovery Up

    Low Mana Up

    Intermediate Memory Up

    Knowledge of Magic Beasts

    Skill Sharing

    Sorcerer

    Unique Skills

    Principle of Falsehood: Lv 5

    Superior Skills

    Sword Technique: SP

    _______________________________________________________________

    Oh hell yeah! I can start leveling stuff up again! Alrighty, what should I level up this time? Or wait, maybe I should hold my points till we¡¯re out of the dungeon first.

    It even looks like my magical conductivity risen! Hell yeah! I¡¯m one step closer towards the peak! I even got a new skill too.

    Shape Shifting: Change into whatever shape is desired through the consumption of magical energy.

    Does this mean I can change into other types of weapons? I guess I should give it a try whenever the situation happens to call for it.

    That said, it seems like we¡¯re having a pretty easy time right now. The dungeon¡¯s interior is much easier to get through than the exterior was. I wonder if I¡¯m just overthinking things¡­

 Chapter 74: To the Depths!

    <h4>Chapter 74: To the Depths!</h4>

    We continued to fight zombies and skeletons as we made our way through the dungeon¡¯s third floor. The traps were getting more dangerous, but Serkan¡¯s abilities let us breeze right through them.

    We¡¯ve managed to progress at a pretty good pace without tiring ourselves out.

    All that¡¯s left is for us is to find the Spirit Eater Jean was looking for. If things go well, we might even be able to conquer the dungeon while we¡¯re at it.

    ¡ºSo what kind of magic beast is this Spirit Eater thing anyways? What¡¯s it look like?¡»

    ¡¸Hahahaha! I have absolutely no idea.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, aren¡¯t we supposed to be capturing it? You should have some sort of idea at least¡­¡»

    ¡¸Its appearance used to match that of your average zombie, but the consumption of its peers has led to its evolution. It had be a giant thest time Iid eyes on it, and I believe it has likely evolved even further. I can no longer fathom its form.¡¹

    ¡ºWhere¡¯d youst see it?¡»

    ¡¸Myst sighting of it was just outside the dungeon¡¯s entrance. It was a member of what I believe to be a squad the dungeon master called upon to drive me away.¡¹

    ¡¸Couldn¡¯t beat them?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. It is regrettable, but I have to admit that not even my experience in necromancy was enough allow me to forge a n that would lead to my victory. All of the schemes I¡¯d conjured had led only to the Spirit Eater throwing me down its hatch.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds like quite the opponent.¡»

    ¡¸Yes, but that is precisely why I would not mind if we are unable to seed in its capture. We have no idea as to its whereabouts, and I only desired for it because I wished to use its powers to conquer the dungeon. I¡¯ve no need for it withpanions like yourselves by my side.¡¹

    ¡ºSo we don¡¯t have to go looking for it?¡»

    ¡¸That is correct.¡¹

    And with that, we continued to advance through the dungeon, our sights set on only its deepest depths.

    It took us two days to traverse its top eight floors. By the time we got to the ninth, we¡¯d already ran into some rank D monsters like Hellhounds, Zombie Nagas, Skeletons and Dark Pdins.

    Jean¡¯s support was quintessential. We honestly probably wouldn¡¯t have made it this far without him. His ability to make purify and take control of the undead within a dungeonposed solely thereof allowed him to act like something along the lines of a Joker in a game of cards.

    The items he brought along were super useful too.

    His skull shapedmp turned out to be something incredible. It could create safe zones that warded off the undead so long as we stayed inside of them. Thanks to that, we were able to get ourselves a good night¡¯s rest despite the fact that we were in the middle of a dungeon. Though, I did feel a bit revolted by the fact that zombies would end up circling the safe zone while making the ever so anticipated ¡°ahhhh¡± sounds. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of awe and respect for both Fran and Jean, as both were able to get right to sleep despite the zombies.

    That said, it was pretty obvious that Jean was still much morefortable with our conditions than Fran was. Jean would put up a safe zone whenever we stopped to eat, and naturally, zombies would end up circle us just like they did when we went to bed. Fran would end up making a bit of a disgusted face as a result, but Jean was able to keep eating as if nothing was wrong at all.

    I knew he was a necromancer and figured that he was probably used to stuff like this, but honestly, I was still a bit shocked. I mean, those are zombies, you know? They¡¯re literally walking, rotting corpses. Some of them even look like they¡¯re falling apart at the seams.

    On a side note, I tried shapeshifting a few times as we fought our down into the dungeon¡¯s depths.

    I was able to transform into an axe, a spear, and even a dagger, not that any of those forms ended up being of much use. There were quite a few problems with the skill. First and foremost was that it continued to consume an incredible amount of mana so long as I remained transformed. There was also the fact that we didn¡¯t point any other weapon¡¯s arts. The most annoying part of it all was that my mass had to stay constant, so I couldn¡¯t even turn into any sort ofrger weapon either.

    I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s gotta be some other way to use the skill, but it¡¯s going to have to sit on the backburner for now.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯ve reached the ninth floor¡¯s boss room.¡»

    The dungeon¡¯s been set up so that each floor is abyrinth of sorts. The only thing about that¡¯s really stayed constant is the fact that every floor¡¯s ended with arge room with a boss in it.

    It¡¯s marked by the same kind of door every time too, so I know for sure that the room we¡¯re about to enter right now is the boss¡¯ room.

    The bosses we¡¯ve fought thus far are as follows: an ogre zombie, a skeleton tiger, a dragonoid zombie, a naga skeleton, an orthrus zombie, a chimera skeleton, and an elder zombie (Great Superior Rank). Each boss was stronger than thest, and the elder skeleton we fought on the eighth floor was even equipped with a magic spear. It knew how to use divine spear arts and divine spear techniques, so it made for an extremely difficult foe.

    It even managed to drop Fran¡¯s HP below the halfway point. Though, on the bright side, defeating it allowed us to gain ess to both Divine Spear Arts and Divine Spear Techniques. I wonder if that means my spear form might end up seeing some use after all.

    ¡¸Now, why don¡¯t we go ahead and open the door?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The room was filled with naught but a single skeleton. What kind of foe will it be, I wonder¡­

    ¡ºre st!¡»

    ¡¸Hexagonal Tornado!¡¹

    ¡¸Hell ze!¡¹

    ¡¸Arooo!¡¹

    We start with our usual strategy. All four of us simultaneously bombard the skeleton with magic.

    ¡¸It is still capable of movement!¡¹

    That¡¯s a bit of an understatement. In fact, it doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯ve done any damage to it whatsoever.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Race: Legendary Fighter Skeleton, Undead, Magic Beast

    Lv. 24

    State: Guardian

    HP: 1568/1663

    MP: 988

    STR: 647

    VIT: 713

    AGI: 436

    INT: 289

    MGC: 521

    DEX: 550

    Skills

    Appraisal Jamming: Lv 6

    Sword Arts: Lv Max

    Divine Sword Arts: Lv 1

    Sword Techniques: Lv Max

    Divine Sword Techniques: Lv 1

    Regeneration: Lv 8

    Autocast Lv 6

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Lv 9

    Spirit Control: Lv 4

    Ghost Magic: Lv 8

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 9

    Elemental de: Lv 6

    Poison Magic: Lv 6

    Magic Resist: Lv 9

    Dark Magic: Lv 4

    Vigour Maniption

    Extra Skills

    Latent Potential Release

    Titles

    Dungeon Guardian

    Equipment

    Magic Sword: Deathgaze

    Full Orihalcum te Armour

    Aidoneus¡¯ Mantle

    _______________________________________________________________

    The skeleton begins to rise. I feel a sense of urgency ovee me as its crimson bones rattle within its golden armour. The sheer amount of magical energy emanating from its body tells me that it¡¯s threat level is no lower than B.

    It¡¯s a monster on par with the demon we slew. It¡¯s status reveals that it¡¯s got far fewer tactics at hand; its skills were instead focused on enhancing its defensive prowess.

    It was in possession of Lv 8 regeneration, Lv 9 resistance to abnormal status, Lv 9 resistance to mental abnormalities, and Lv 9 magic resist. On top of that, it even wore orihalcum armour, a type of armour that focused on boosting its magic resist even further. All those resistances meant that attacking it with spells simply wasn¡¯t going to get us anywhere.

    ¡ºJean, pull back.¡»

    ¡¸Of course. It appears that I¡¯ve got quite the poor matchup against this here skeleton. I will focus on Healing.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, your job will be to protect Jean. Make sure you keep an eye out too, just in case any other undead show up.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The skeleton would end up facing off against Fran.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºSure thing.¡»

    Fran puts the phantom sword she was using back into her dimensional storage. She could tell at a nce that she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the legendary skeleton lest she gave it her all.

    She grabs ahold of me and takes up a stance, a situation that makes me feel much more natural.

    ¡¸Nn. Much more natural with Master.¡¹

    ¡ºHahahaha!¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºNothing, don¡¯t mind it. There¡¯s no way we can lose if the two of us work together, right?¡»

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! This¡¯ll be the first hard fight we¡¯ve had in awhile. Let¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 75: Overwhelming Power.

    <h4>Chapter 75: Overwhelming Power.</h4>

    A violent ringing filled the room as Fran and the skeleton exchanged blows. de against de, the two continued to sh.

    The battle was rather simple and barebones, but if anyone were to have watched it, they undoubtedly would have ended up staring in wonderment, for the duel almost seemed to be one of an inhuman calibur.

    From a pure numerical standpoint, Fran was at an overwhelming disadvantage. Her stats were much lower, and the two were about equally proficient in swordy. Luckily, I was able to bring her up to par by raising her abilities with my skills and spells.

    And so, we were stuck at a stalemate.

    The most annoying part of it all was that the skeleton was capable of appraisal jamming. I wasn¡¯t able to figure out where it¡¯s magic stone was, so I had to guess. Thanks to that, I wasn¡¯t able to catch it off guard with a sudden telekic catapult. Though, I guess I did always have the option of just using it over and over again until I hit the right spot.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s healing again!¡»

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakaka! (Skeleton noises)¡¹

    Another aspect that brought us trouble was the Skeleton¡¯s Dungeon Guardian title, as it provided rapid recovery to both its HP and MP so long as it remained within the dungeon.

    Seriously? God damn, dealing with something with the ability to regenerate this much is a huge pain in the ass¡­ On second thought, telekic catapult might not be the best idea, as using it would be equivalent to revealing it, which in turn could potentially allow the skeleton to react to it when we need it the most. Our only choice was to slowly and steadily whittle him down.

    Another thing that gave us trouble was that one autocast skill it had. The skill did exactly what its name implied, and continued to bombard us with magical projectiles. And since it was automatic, it would continue to function regardless of what the skeleton itself was doing. It would often end up getting in our way the moment we got it into any sort of favourable position. The spells it fires off are pretty powerful too, so our HP tends to take a nosedive every time we get hit.

    We were able to fight back by putting points into magical barriers. Through their use, we managed to not only nullify the spells automatically cast by the skeleton, but also some of its other attacks as well, a wee miscalction.

    The tradeoff was that a decent chunk my precious self evolution points ended up getting used up in the process.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakakaka!¡¹

    Ring!

    The duel continued for over ten minutes.

    Ring ring!

    The sound made by the sh of steel on steel was asionally drowned out by the ringing of a ss bell. Each ring was apanied by an activation of the ck Cat Armour set¡¯s instant death prevention passive. In other words, the skeleton¡¯s magic sword, Deathgaze, must¡¯ve had some sort of instant kill ability, but it was negated through and through.

    Thank you Gallus! I¡¯ll definitely treat you to a good drink or two once we meet up in Ulmut!

    Even with the anti-instant-kill passive, Fran was still at a disadvantage. The enemy we were facing off against was a member of an undead, a walking corpse that knew not of fatigue or exhaustion. Fran, on the other hand, would suffer from its effects. The longer we fought, the bigger a toll would be taken on both her body and mind. That said, the ten odd minutes this exchange hadsted had not been spent in vain.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s magic stone is probably somewhere in its head.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I¡¯d left all the fighting to Fran whilst instead spending my time observing the skeleton and searching for its magic stone.

    Since it had no sense of pain and could regenerate rapidly, the skeleton straight up tanked most of our attacks. The only exception was when we targeted its head; it would always defend against anything aimed towards its cranium.

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s invulnerabilities ended up giving us a hand!¡»

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakakakakakakaka!¡¹

    That said, it wasn¡¯t going to just let us attack its sole vital point.

    Our knowledge of that point, however, caused the battle¡¯s intensity to suddenly rise to a whole new level. Fran focused the entirety of her assault on the skeleton¡¯s head while the skeleton defended against her attacks and concentrated on countering them.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Kaka!¡¹

    ¡¸There!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakkaka!¡¹

    The skeleton focused everyst bit of its attention on Fran¡¯s attacks, a fatal mistake.

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ka!?¡¹

    Urushi hadn¡¯t been able to provide much support due to how quickly and erratically the two melee fighters had been moving about, so instead of focusing on long ranged bombardment, he ended up sneaking into Fran¡¯s shadow. There, he waited until the most opportune moment: now.

    He extended his head out from within the shadows and grabbed ahold of the skeleton¡¯s leg.

    ¡¸Master! Now!¡¹

    ¡ºHere we go!¡»

    I finally reveal my trump card andunch myself with a telekic catapult from point nk range.

    ¡ºOryaaaa!¡»

    It didn¡¯t matter how strong it was or how fast it reacted. The skeleton wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the attack; it was done for ¡ª or at least it should¡¯ve been.

    ¡¸Kakakaaaa!¡¹

    Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!

    ¡¸Kya!¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper.¡¹

    ¡ºWha-!¡»

    Light erupted from the skeleton¡¯s body and blew us back just as we were about to emerge victorious. What a tremendous amount of magical energy!

    I quickly scanned our surroundings in order to figure out exactly what was going on; the skeleton was already on the move.

    ¡¸Kakakakakakakaka!¡¹

    ¡¸Ua!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    The skeleton moved so quickly that it almost seemed to vanish on the spot. Before I knew it, it¡¯d already ran up to Fran, who had yet to recover from thest attack she received. She quickly drew her phantom de, but the skeleton knocked it out of her hands with but a single strike.

    I quickly started moving towards her right as the skeleton began to swing it¡¯s de once more. The weapon moved with an incredible speed. I didn¡¯t know if I could make it in time.

    ¡ºUraaaaaaa!!!¡»

    The sound of steel on steel echoed throughout the room yet again

    I managed to force my way between them at the veryst moment. I didn¡¯t have enough power to fully deflect the blow, and I was sent flying yet again. Luckily though, I was able to buy Fran enough time to get back up.

    ¡ºYou still okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The skeleton continues to attack, but Fran manages to grab ahold of me and defend.

    ¡¸Kaka! Kakaka!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Ka!¡¹

    ¡¸Ua!¡¹

    ¡ºMiddle Heal!¡»

    God damn! Fran¡¯s started to get pushed back. She¡¯s been taking more damage than I can heal, and all that damage has been piling up. All the magical barriers I have to keep casting have also taken their toll on my mana. Why did this god damn skeleton suddenly power up so much!?

    _______________________________________________________________

    Appraisal!

    Race: Legendary Fighter Skeleton, Undead, Magic Beast

    Lv. 24

    State: Guardian, Latent Potential Unlocked

    HP: 1229/1663

    MP: 988

    STR: 647¡ú1137

    VIT: 713¡ú1213

    AGI: 436¡ú936

    INT: 289¡ú789

    MGC:521¡ú1021

    DEX:550¡ú1050

    _______________________________________________________________

    What the sheet!? All it stats rose by 500? Seriously? It¡¯s strength, vitality, magic power and dexterity are all over a thousand too. What the hell! Talk about overpowered bullsheet!

    Its current state says that it has itstent potential unlocked too. That¡¯s probably because of that Latent Potential Release skill it¡¯s got. Let¡¯s take a look.

    Latent Potential Release: Unlocks the user¡¯stent potential. Gains stats based on how much room the user has to grow. Since it pushes the user to its limits, this skill will drain the user¡¯s life force throughout its activation. The user is also required to provide some sort ofpensation. Compensation will vary from user to user.

    Now that I take a second look, I realize that the skeleton¡¯s HP is plummeting at an incredible rate. That¡¯s nice and all, but with the way things are going, Fran will probably copse before the skeleton actually manages to use its remaining hp.

    ¡¸Kakaka!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    Sheet! Why the hell is it so strong! I have to use Telekenesis every time it attacks just to stop myself from flying out of Fran¡¯s hands.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Kaka!¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper!¡¹

    It¡¯s reaction speed seems to have risen as well. Urushi was cut down the moment he emerged from Fran¡¯s shadow and attempted to attack.

    ¡ºUrushi, fall back!¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi musters up whatever strength he can and dives back into Fran¡¯s shadow. Thankfully, the skeleton¡¯s attacks aren¡¯t able to follow it there.

    ¡¸Reverse Undead!¡¹

    Jean¡¯s voice rings throughout the room right as the skeleton¡¯s de passes through where Urushi had been just a moment before. The spell he cast was one with a powerful effect; it couldpletely obliterate undead creatures. It should be even capable of turning high tier undead into nothing but dust.

    But it failed.

    ¡¸Curses, it is as I feared. My magic has no effect.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakakakakakaka!¡¹

    Fran and the skeleton continued to exchange blows, but her HP was still dropping much faster than the undead¡¯s. It was gradually but steadily driving us into a corner.

 Chapter 76: On the Edge

    <h4>Chapter 76: On the Edge</h4>

    The Legendary Skeleton had be overwhelmingly powerful after releasing itstent potential.

    It delivered strike after strike, each with all the power and technique of a master swordsman. Its movements were so fast that it was near impossible to keep track of. Even the spells it automatically fired off from time to time had been powered up. Not even my max leveled magic barriers could stop them anymore.

    Urushi had already long been defeated, and Jean¡¯s magic simply didn¡¯t work on it. It was just far too powerful.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Ka!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s being pressured to the point where she can no longer do anything but defend. Her HP continued to drop as the skeleton attacked with a storm-like assault. It¡¯s goal was obviously to end her before it exhausted all its strength.

    Fran managed to dodge each fatal strike by the only the slightest bit. The situation didn¡¯t look good for her, but, she didn¡¯t give up. Her eyes almost seemed to glimmer as she searched for an opportunity to take back the momentum.

    ¡ºYou should probably use Skill Taker.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    To be honest, I wanted to save it a bit more so we could use it on whatever bossesy in wait for us after this one, but, it didn¡¯t seem like we really had any other choice. Using it now isn¡¯t all that detrimental though, seeing as how Fran and I can both use the skill once each. Besides, we¡¯ve got a trump card up ours sleeves anyways.

    That said, I didn¡¯t even really know whether or not skill taker would work. I even had to muddle over which skill to steal. Latent Potential Release might not deactivate even if we steal it, but stealing a different skill would allow him to keep his current stats regardless, so I didn¡¯t have much of a choice but to at least give it a shot.

    ¡ºUse it now!¡»

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Ka?¡¹

    Fran activates Skill Taker and targets the skeleton¡¯s Latent Potential Release. Hopefully this¡¯ll drop its stats back down to what they normally are¡­

    ¡´Skill Taker¡¯s current target cannot be stolen. Process Failed.¡µ

    Wait, what the hell!?

    Skill Taker¡¯s effect is as follows: Skill Taker: Lv Max. Steals rarity level 10 and below skills with a sess rate of 100%. Can be used once per target. Cooldown: 18 days. Range: Skill level * 1 meter.

    We¡¯re still in the midst of a melee, so there¡¯s no way the skeleton¡¯s out of range. Latent Potential Release doesn¡¯t have a level either, so that shouldn¡¯t be the issue, which means that the skill¡¯s rarity has to be at least 11. Sheet, seriously!? Or wait, is it because it¡¯s ssified as an extra skill? Is it possible that we can¡¯t steal those?

    ¡¸Kakkaka!¡¹

    ¡¸Ku¡­ The skill¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºIt failed!¡»

    ¡¸Again.¡¹

    Fran tries to use the skill again.

    ¡¸¡­Can¡¯t!¡¹

    But she wasn¡¯t able to. It seemed that failing to take a skill also consumed one of the skill¡¯s usages. Fran won¡¯t be able to use skill taker for another 18 days!

    I could always try using mine¡­but it¡¯d probably be better to change up our strategy a little. It was time for me to pull out my trump card!

    ¡ºFran, I¡¯m going to do that¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I start putting points into the Divine Sword Art skill and raised it all the way to Lv 5 in one go. It was a trick was one that Fran and I thought up whilst journeying through the dungeon. Its purpose was to catch the enemy off guard, and to that end, we purposefully left it at Lv 5 instead of pointing it all the way. That way, we¡¯d be able to use the exact same trick in the future as well.

    ¡¸Kaka?¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Ka-Kaka!?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s movements undergo a visible change as her knowledge of de deepens. Every step she takes, every motion she executes bes much more precise. Just a moment prior, the two were swordsmen on par with each other. But, Fran had easily surpassed the skeleton in a matter of moments.

    Based on what we¡¯ve experienced, a three skill level difference would lead to an gap in strength too wide to be crossed. The reason we chose to boost the skill¡¯s level by four was to make up for the difference in stats. That said, the skeleton still had the advantage. It felt no fatigue, and its body was effectively immortal.

    However, the sudden change in Fran¡¯s abilities threw it off and momentarily dulled its movements.

    And thus, we were given onest chance.

    ¡¸Haaaa!!!¡¹

    Fran activated Impact sh, a Lv 1 divine sword technique. Though the skill was followed by a bit of a dy, it was still an impressive one, as it resulted in a full forced right to left horizontal cut packed with nothing but pure power. The two of us worked together tobine her Magical Convergence and my Sorcery so that we could cloak the strike with a Wind de Overboost. The attack was truly one with everyst fibre of our beings behind it; it was several times more powerful than anything else we¡¯d ever done in the past.

    But even so, the skeleton still managed to deflect it. What monstrous strength!

    Its arms were fast. At this rate, it¡¯d be able to get a hit in before us. We¡¯d be in trouble.

    Or at least that¡¯s how things would¡¯ve been.

    ¡ºWe weren¡¯t thinking of finishing you off with just that one hit either!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºSorry about this, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter.¡¹

    Impact sh would normally end with an opening because the user would have to twist their hips a full ny degrees whilst delivering the swing.

    But I forced the skill to end a bit earlier than usual by stockpiling and then suddenly releasing a bunch of telekic force. This allowed us to cancel the technique¡¯s post-cast dy, at the cost of sending all the force and shock right back up Fran¡¯s arms.

    And the result?

    A series of loud cracks resounded throughout the boss room.

    Fran¡¯s arms broke, and her muscle fibres were torn to shreds. The noises that apanied the event made me feel difort, and the thought it was my own fault even more so.

    But even despite Fran¡¯s current condition, we still needed to deliver the finishing blow.

    ¡ºFrannn!¡»

    ¡¸Urahhh!¡¹

    Though her arms were screaming in agony, Fran managed to activate Snake sh, a Lv 1 sword art. Though I could hear her arms breaking as she thrusted the de, I boosted the attack¡¯s speed with telekinesis. We couldn¡¯t afford to hold anything back, even the slightest bit.

    Impact sh had thrown the skeleton offpletely, it had yet to right its stance.

    ¡¸Aaaaahhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakka!¡¹

    The hell!? Even though we¡¯d managed topletely mess up the skeleton¡¯s posture, it was still able to react in time by tilting its head backwards. Sheet! I¡¯m not going to make it!

    Damn it, what do I do? Is there any way for me to¡­ Wait! Yes! I know exactly what to do!

    ¡ºHere we gooooo! Shapeshift!!¡»

    I thin my de in order to elongate it by approximately 20cm. My form bes less like that of a longsword and warps into something akin to a long estoc. The process cost me a whole 200 mana, but it was well worth it. I¡¯m really grateful I managed to get my hands on this skill!

    ¡¸Ka!!¡¹

    The skeleton¡¯spletely run out of options. I flew straight through it¡¯s skull and split it¡¯s magic stone in two.

    ¡¸Ka¡­ Ka¡¹

    The legendary skeleton finally stops moving.

    ¡¸Kakakakakaaa¡¹

    And then, itughed. Itughed an ominous, unsettling cackle as its body copsed underneath itself. The crimson skeleton crumbled as it was reduced to not but a pile of bones. It was as if all its prior actions had been nothing more than an illusion.

    But even then, it still gave off a ghostly impression, as if it could rise up again at any given moment. As expected of a B level threat.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, I¡¯ll fix you right now, Fran. Greater Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Are you all alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    It was a tough battle, but, winning it paid off. the skeleton¡¯s magic stone was worth over three hundred magic stone points, and I managed to get ahold of it¡¯s appraisal jamming, spirit control, and magic resist, amongst many other useful skills.

    We should be able to save Latent Potential Release for whenever we need a trump card.

    The skill¡¯s effect is supposed to change based on the user, so I¡¯m kind of curious how much it¡¯ll have an effect on Fran and I. I wish we could test it right now, but it costs HP, has a few other requirements and even has a 24 hour cooldown, so I¡¯ll have to just hang on to it for now.

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­fine.¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure? Does it hurt anywhere?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof?¡¹

    Urushi licks Fran¡¯s arms. He also seems to be concerned about her as well.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Jean went to go retrieve the skeleton¡¯s bones.

    ¡ºCan you use those for anything?¡»

    ¡¸These bones hold great value for use as a catalyst in the practice of necromancy. They alone more than make up for everyst bit of this expedition¡¯s cost. Hahahaha! I thank you greatly.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that means you can use potions and the like as freely as you want now.¡»

    ¡¸Whatever did you n to do with the skeleton¡¯s equipment?¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know. Didn¡¯t think about it yet.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ve no need for its sword or cloak, so I shall pass these two items to you. That said, I would very much like to keep ahold of the armour, orihalcum is a material that mages like myself find to be quite useful after all.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds good to me. You sure though?¡»

    Jean was the one who made the request for us toe along in the first ce. I wouldn¡¯t have minded even if he decided to take all the loot for himself. I was quite grateful that he was willing to split it with us though.

 Chapter 77: The Phantom King

    <h4>Chapter 77: The Phantom King</h4>

    Thirty minutes had passed since we defeated the Legendary Skeleton, but we were still sitting around in its room. Fran and Jean were restoring their MP through potions, but I was stuck waiting for mine to naturally regenerate.

    I was still far from ready to explore despite the fact that we¡¯d already rested up quite a decent bit. My durability was at half, and I had less than 500 MP remaining.

    Fran¡¯s armour had almost beenpletely torn to shreds, so Jean summoned a skeleton to repair it. He was so prepared for any given situation that he even had the necessary magic crystal on hand.

    I decided to use this time to inspect a few of the skills I gained throughout the dungeon¡¯s exploration.

    The ones I looked at first were the ones I got from the Legendary Skeleton. Specifically, I focused on Appraisal Jamming and Autocast before looking into three of the skills I got from other parts of the dungeon, namely, Mana Emission, Physical Barrier, Herculean Strength. All five of these skills were currently Lv 1.

    The first skill I tried to use was naturally Appraisal Jamming. And as I expected, the skill¡¯s functions seemed rtively limited because it was still stuck at Lv 1. Like other informatic-type skills, it wouldn¡¯t be able to prove itself useful unless I pointed it.

    The spells Autocast were pretty weak too. A kid could do the same amount of damage if they just chucked a pebble at something. Yeah, I don¡¯t really know what I expected from a Lv 1 skill.

    Mana emission did exactly what it said it did, and allowed me to emit magical energy. I could use it for both offense and defense by either firing it off like I would a bullet or spreading it around me like I would a barrier. It was a great skill, but again, it wasn¡¯t really able to do all that much at Lv 1.

    Physical Barrier was pretty much the same as one of the skills I already had, Magical Barrier. The only difference was that the former had better defense against physical attacks, whereas thetter had better defense against magic.

    The Herculean Strength skill was an active buff. It would temporarily increase the user¡¯s strength upon use. I¡¯m not really sure what to feel about the numbers though, they seemed kind of pathetic. The Lv 1 version would only raise the stat by 2 for 10 minutes, but I am kind of curious as to what would happen if I pointed it.

    Honestly speaking, none of the skills I gained would really help us much in a fight, Latent Potential Release aside, that is.

    I didn¡¯t mind though. All the skirmishes and boss battles we¡¯ve experienced throughout the dungeon have allowed Fran and Urushi to level up 10 and 15 times respectively. Those level ups alone have more than increased ourbat prowess by more than enough.

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸Chomp Chomp.¡¹

    ¡¸Splendid, another meal as delectable as could be.¡¹

    Fran, Urushi and Jean ate as we rested. The three were all greedily shoving pieces of my special fried chicken down their throats, though I guess it¡¯d be called fried monster instead, seeing as how it was made out of meat harvested from a variety of magic beasts instead of well, you know, chicken. It seemed that fried foods were exceptionally difficult toe by, and now that I think about it, I can¡¯t seem to recall ever seeing anyone ever bread anything before frying it - though I have seen people dumping food in piping hot oil before. The fried foods I made were apparently so umon that they even caught Jean by surprise.

    Urushi was especially overjoyed. He got way more than usual because both Fran and Jean continued to pass him bones as they finished with their meat.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ it appears as if Fly¡¯s discovered another door. Hahahaha! And this time, he¡¯s found the dungeon core behind it!¡¹

    ¡¸Boss?¡¹

    ¡¸Allow me just a moment to answer that question for you.¡¹

    Jean pauses.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ve lost Fly¡¯s signal.¡¹

    ¡¸Killed?¡¹

    ¡¸It appears so, but he¡¯s already informed me of the path we should follow. And so, I shall take the lead.¡¹

    The monsters on the dungeon¡¯s tenth floor were pretty much exactly the same as the ones on the ninth, but we had an easier time dealing with them. We knew that we were about to finish the dungeon, so we started pushing forward with renewed vigour whilst also using our items more generously.

    ¡¸Behold,panions of mine! That door right there is what marks the boss¡¯ room.¡¹

    We finally managed to reach the dungeon¡¯sst boss after three entire days worth of exploration.

    I absorbed quite a few magic stones during all the skirmishing we did on our way here, so I managed to recover almost all my durability alongside 2000 or so MP.

    Fran¡¯s movements have gone up a notch as well. The fight with the Legendary Skeleton had provided her with quite a bit ofbat experience.

    But despite our improvements, we continued to keep our guards up.

    ¡¸Boss?¡¹

    ¡¸Fly was not able to provide us any information, but there is simply no way the room would be left unguarded.¡¹

    ¡ºThe dungeon master¡¯s probably in the core room as well.¡»

    The dungeon master might turn out to be something pretty powerful given the scale of the dungeon he¡¯s managed to create. He¡¯s even able to order B ranked magic beasts around, so we know for sure that he can¡¯t just be some random pushover.

    ¡¸I require some time to prepare.¡¹

    ¡ºPrepare what?¡»

    ¡¸Wahahahahaha! I¡¯m d you asked. The answer is of course, my trump card. Its incurs quite the cost, so I wished to avoid its application whenever possible. However, the current state of affairs calls for me to prepare for the worst.¡¹

    Jean was right. We needed to do everything in our power to ready ourselves for the battle ahead¡­except I didn¡¯t know what or how to prepare.

    ¡¸Raise skills?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s one thing I was considering¡­¡»

    I still had 25 self evolution points remaining, but I had to make sure I used them wisely.

    ¡ºI think it¡¯d be better for me to save them for now so I can point whatever we end up needing to beat the boss.¡»

    The floor boss had to be at least a threat level B, and we didn¡¯t have the slightest clue as to what we were up against. Pointing stuff right now might end up screwing us over instead of doing us any good.

    ¡¸Fran, Master, I would like to request that you retrieve a few of the items I left within your dimensional storages.¡¹

    ¡ºWhich ones?¡»

    ¡¸The first I would like to retrieve would be the pendant.¡¹

    The pendant? Oh yeah, there was something like that wasn¡¯t there?

    ¡¸This?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely. I¡¯d like to you wear it.¡¹

    What the hell? Whoever made that thing has to have some issues, I swear. There¡¯s an incredibly realistic zombie face stered onto the pendant.

    ¡¸That pendant functions to protect the user in the case they take a fatal blow.¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously?¡»

    It totally looks like the type of item you¡¯d use to curse someone or summon a zombie or something like that.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Your doubts are well ced. I made the same mistake in the past, and only purchased the item because I¡¯d assumed it would have some use in necromancy.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, yeah. I mean it¡¯s literally a zombie head on a pendant.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s effect is quite incredible regardless though, is it not?¡¹

    The pendant would stop the user from dying once whilst restoring both their HP and MP back up to half. Thetter half of the effect was impressive, and evidenced that the pendant was a pretty expensive item. Other, simr items would often just leave the user with a single point of HP.

    ¡ºWell, if you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t mind, we gratefully ept.¡»

    ¡¸No problem. That aside, I would also like you to retrieve several other items as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Which?¡¹

    ¡¸Most of the amulets. I would prefer that you wear them as well, in fact.¡¹

    Fran ended up getting about 10 different magical amulets. I couldn¡¯t really feel much magical energy emanating from them, but they were still pretty nice to have for the sake of peace of mind.

    ¡¸And with that out of the way, I too must prepare myself for battle.¡¹

    We bring out a bunch of different tools and medicines as per Jean¡¯s request.

    One of the items he picked was arge, rectangr box. Inside of it was a sinister looking, spine shaped staff topped off by a skull. It suited Jean pretty well because of how ominous he looked, and really amplified that necromancer vibe he had going for him.

    I quickly sweeped over the staff and appraised it.

    Name: Unknown

    Huh, doesn¡¯t seem like I can appraise it.

    ¡¸Hahahahaha! This staff is a bit special. You will require more than a merely the appraisal skill to see its worth.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Its name is Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing, a named item I happened to procure in a dungeon during one of my adventures.¡¹

    It seemed that the staff¡¯s stats were so high that I¡¯d need some sort of upgraded or special appraisal skill to be able to see through it.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s ability is t-¡»

    ¡¸Kukakakakakakaka!¡¹

    ¡ºWha-!!¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    What was that? It sounded like a humanugh, and at first I thought it came from the staff, but Jean seemed surprised as well, so that can¡¯t be right.

    ¡¸Kukakakaka!¡¹

    Theugh was strangely irritating too. Just hearing it was enough to annoy me.

    I quickly began scanning the room for the voice¡¯s source.

    And that was when the situation took a sudden turn for the worse.

    A loud ¡°shing¡± resounded through the corridor, apanied by a bright, glowing light.

    ¡ºA magic circle?!¡»

    My crisis sense started to go off as a magic circle appeared within the hallway.

    Sheet!

    ¡ºFran, Urushi!¡»

    Foock, it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re going to be able to avoid it.

    The magic circle began to expand. It only took a few seconds for it to grow to the point where it filled the entire corridor with blinding light.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve kept me waiting for far too long. If you won¡¯te, then I¡¯ll just bring you right to me! Kukakakakaka!¡¹

    Our surroundings hadpletely changed by the time the light had disappeared. We were now standing within arge room, several timesrger than any other we¡¯vee across in the dungeon thus far. But despite that, all our gazes were focused but on a single target.

    Or rather, we had no choice but to direct our attention straight ahead. We simply didn¡¯t have the liberty to pick any other option.

    ¡¸Kuakakaka! Wee, intruders of mine.¡¹

    The figure that stood before us was emanating an overwhelming amount of magical energy. His very existence seemed toy ridiculous pressure upon us, but most importantly, he was imusibly revolting to gaze upon.

    His threat level was estimated to be a B, but I simply couldn¡¯t see him as something that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Legendary Skeleton we defeated earlier. He was so powerful that I probably would¡¯ve shat myself if I wasn¡¯t a sword.

    The colour drained from Fran¡¯s face as she tightened her grip on my handle. She was able to stand up to a demon without so much as even flinching, but the being before us was so intimidating that she had started to tremble in fear.

    .

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, Fran.¡»

    Seeing Fran like that calmed me down in an instant. Why the hell was I getting all panicked? I couldn¡¯t let myself get carried away, I still had to protect her. For the time being, I decided to consider our escape options. We could still use the Warp Feather if it really came down to it.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re going to be making a break for it, Fran.¡»

    £¨Understood.£©

    ¡ºJean, let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡»

    ¡¸Hold that thought for just a moment.¡¹

    Fran had already grabbed ahold of Jean¡¯s arm, and I had already readied the Warp Feather. There wasn¡¯t any way in hell we¡¯d be able to fight the monster standing before us.

    But.

    ¡ºThe hell!?¡»

    The Warp Feather refused to activate. I didn¡¯t know what happened, nor did I know what to say. I should¡¯ve had more than enough magical power.

    ¡¸Kukakaka! Unfortunately for you, this room was designed to prevent escape through teleportation. You have no choice but to fight me to the death! Kukakaka! Kukakakakakakaka!¡¹

    The monster, the lich standing before usughed joyously as he announced a cruel deration.

    ***

 Chapter 78: Vs Lich

    <h4>Chapter 78: Vs Lich</h4>

    As the light faded away, it left behind it nothing but a single undead creature. The sheer amount of magical energy that emanated from its body made me feel as if I was getting goosebumps. What stood before us was the most powerful undead known to man. A lich.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Basic Information

    Name: Lich

    Undead

    Magic Beast

    Dungeon Master

    Lv 23

    Stats

    HP: 863

    MP: 2467

    STR: 134

    VIT: 337

    AGI: 366

    INT: 1009

    MGC: 1098

    DEX: 366

    Skills

    Encantation Shortening: Lv 7

    Dread: Lv 4

    Fear: Lv 4

    Regeneration: Lv 6

    Spirit Control: Lv Max

    Ghost Magic: Lv Max

    Hell Magic: Lv 4

    Vengeful Spirit

    Magic Maniption

    Equipment

    Tattered Robe

    _______________________________________________________________

    The Lich species was one whose name was spread far and wide, and for good reason. They were far more powerful than any other species of undead.

    Looking at its stats confused me a bit though. Is that really all it¡¯s got? It¡¯d seemed so intimidating and had so much pressure that I¡¯d almost wanted to ssify it as an A ranked threat. I mean, I know that every lich is going to be a bit different, but this guy here, his status seems to show that he¡¯s only a B ranked threat at best.

    ¡¸Overload: Summon Undead¡¹

    The lich started summoning undead before we were able to fully recover from the shock of being unable to port out.

    ¡¸Why don¡¯t you face off against these first? Kukakaka! Don¡¯t die too easily now.¡¹

    ¡¸OoooooOoooOooOOOOoo¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhhhhhh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Graaoooooo¡­¡¹

    The lich simultaneously summoned 10 powerful undead creatures. Even the weakest amongst them was ranked C; half were strong enough to be ssified as B level threats. They were just as powerful as the legendary skeleton we had just struggled to defeat just a bit earlier in the day.

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Ready to go all out.¡¹

    We focused our magical energies as we readied ourselves for a battle to the death. We would have to thin out their numbers with magic whilst hoping for an opening with which we could attack the lich.

    Or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯d nned before I noticed Jean stepping up in front of us.

    ¡¸Leave this to me.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Absolutely. I shall not fall to the likes of mere pawns so long as I have my staff.¡¹

    Jean¡¯s face was stered with his usual, brazen smile, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if he seemed a bit more grim and resolute than usual.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Behold, my trump card!¡¹

    Jean rises to face the iing undead head on.

    ¡¸Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing,mence activation!¡¹

    The skull atop the staff almost seems to react to his words; its jaw dropped open with a click, and its eyes seemed to gain a sort of dubious lustre.

    ¡¸OOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOoOOoooo¡¹

    ¡ºThe hell?!¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    A sort of half-hymn half-moan emerges from within the skull. It was hard to describe; it sounded mysterious, creepy, and a bit like a grudgeful prayer all at the same time.

    It was quite a strange thing to hear.

    ¡¸OOOOOoooooOOoooo¡¹

    ¡¸Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing, grant peace to those unable to achieve salvation. Sing them a melody of love, hate, and resentment!¡¹

    A blueish-white light flowed out from within the staff.

    ¡¸Escape,panions! Escape the light!¡¹

    The undead attempted to follow the lich¡¯s orders, but there wasn¡¯t any way for them to leave the room. They were eventually caught by the staff¡¯s brilliance.

    And when the light finally faded, the summoned undead followed and disappeared back into nothingness.

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸It took you only an instant to rid me of mypanions?! Kuakakakakaa!! What was that?!¡¹

    ¡¸Thest line you uttered is one that I would like to return to you.¡¹

    ¡¸And what exactly is that supposed to mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! This staff is a divine artifact that possesses the ability to cause any and every sort of undead to ascend to the heavens. And so, by that logic, you too should have been influenced by its effects. Why exactly are you still here?¡¹

    Jean coughed out clot after clot of blood as he spoke. His face had paled to the point where he himself almost looked like he¡¯d already be a member of the undead.

    ¡ºJean!¡»

    ¡¸Here. Shoulder.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you kindly.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka! I see now. The item you possess allows you to use a high level, area of effect purification spell by consuming your own life force. It looks like getting rid of all those high level undead did quite the number on you! Kukakaka!¡¹

    Damn, Jean must¡¯vepletely exhausted himself. Casting ascension on Andy alone was already enough to make him feel pretty tired. The spell he just cast probably probably drained him of everything he had. It might¡¯ve even cut into his life span.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll heal you r-¡»

    ¡¸Do not bother. The damage I sustainedes not from injuries but rather in exhaustion.¡¹

    ¡¸This then.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Fran pulls out a stamina potion and hands it over to Jean. Stamina potions were a bit special in the sense that they didn¡¯t recover HP, but instead directly targeted and recovered one¡¯s life force.

    ¡¸So what will your next move be? It appeared as if your trump card had no effect on me.¡¹

    Why did it have no effect anyways? The staff was supposed to get rid of all undead unconditionally. He shouldn¡¯t be fine. Is he not an undead? No, that¡¯s not possible, his status says that he¡¯s a lich.

    ¡¸As powerful as it may be, that tool of yours has no effect on a being of my caliber!¡¹

    That might in fact be true. Liches are practically thought of as kings amongst the undead. There¡¯s always the possibility of the item not working simply because they¡¯re in a ss of their own.

    ¡¸Kuhahaha! Tell me, how does despair feel?¡¹

    The lich continued its incessant verbal assault, but it had little effect. We were far from hopeless.

    ¡¸We cut him, we win.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that¡¯s the way!¡»

    Fran closes the gap between her and the lich and disallows him the chance to summon anymore undead.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakakaka! How pointless!¡¹

    What? The sword¡¯s just passing through him? None of his skills were supposed to do anything like that¡­

    ¡¸Raah!¡¹

    ¡ºFire Arrow!¡»

    Fran tried to use an elemental de attack while I tried to use magic, but neither had any sort of effect. Both passed right through him, just like initial sh. At first, I thought that the lich was just an illusion or something, but that¡¯s impossible given that he¡¯s already used magic. And on top of that, he even counterattacked the moment our strikes passed right through him.

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    ¡ºMiddle Heal¡»

    All he did was throw a single punch, but that was enough to halve Fran¡¯s HP. He was definitely more than just an illusion.

    Wait, how did he do that much damage with only 134 STR? He¡¯s supposed to be weak as hell, and it¡¯s not like he used any skills or magic either. How the hell did he manage to chunk Fran so badly?

    ¡ºThere¡¯s got to be some sort of trick to this.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Strong.¡¹

    There has to be something in his status page that I¡¯m missing. Or actually, his status page could be wrong altogether. Everything would totally check out if he had some type of appraisal jamming skill.

    ¡ºWhat a pain in the ass.¡»

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºHe¡¯s definitely using some sort of trick to phase through our attacks, so we might be able to steal it from him if we use Skill Taker, but¡­¡»

    I can¡¯t really affirm the specifics because Appraisal isn¡¯t working properly.

    ¡ºJean, have you tried that skill of yours?¡»

    £¨It does not work. Soul Seeing eyes has no effect on the undead.£©

    ¡ºHave you thought of any sort of strategy then?¡»

    £¨I haven¡¯t anything on the level of a strategy, but I would like the two of you to buy me a slight bit of time if possible.£©

    ¡ºWill buying you time let us beat this guy?¡»

    £¨I cannot say for sure, but I would like you to trust me on this.£©

    Well, it seems like he¡¯s got something up his sleeve. He isn¡¯t all that confident about it, but we¡¯re already grasping at straws here, so might as well go along with it.

    £¨Got it.£©

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll end up stalling for you if we just fight it anyways, so why not.¡»

    £¨You have my thanks.£©

    An hour passed.

    We were still fighting against wave after wave of undead.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? Are you tired already? You¡¯re starting to get stiff.¡¹

    ¡¸Not¡­ yet!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Splendid! How splendid! I cannot wait until I see the look on your face when all that hope takes a sudden turn and transforms into despair. You will make for fine undead! Kukakakaka!¡¹

    Our attacks have yet to show any effect on the lich. We¡¯ve tried all sorts of things during our battle with the undead he summoned; we threw as many spells and attacks his way as we could, but each and every single one would just end up slipping right through him.

    The only reason we were able tost this long in the first ce was because he was just toying with us. He himself wouldn¡¯t do anything at all, and he even let Fran heal up when necessary.

    It seems that he¡¯s more interested in crushing our spirits and turning us into undead than defeating us - which makes sense. I¡¯m pretty sure a necromancer as powerful as Jean could probably even end up turning into a Lich.

    But thanks to that, we were able to buy Jean enough time toplete his preparations.

    ¡¸Come on, why¡¯d you stop moving? I¡¯m going to summon even more undead at this rate.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi fired a Dark Lance at the lich, but as expected, it was to no avail.

    ¡¸Yes, yes, exactly. You must keep attacking at all times. Now, why don¡¯t you show me what it is you¡¯ve been plotting this whole time?¡¹

    ¡¸Will definitely hit you.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakakaka! Go ahead. If you can, that is.¡¹

    I was already down to about half my mana. The same applied to Fran, Urushi and Jean as well.

    ¡ºStill not done yet, Jean?¡»

    £¨Just a second longer! And for certain this time!£©

    After repeating a phrase he¡¯s said time and time again, Jean finally reveals why he had us stall for time.

    A loud explosion rings throughout the hall as it begins to shake with the intensity of a magnitude 5 earthquake. What the hell!? Did someone drop a bomb in the dungeon or something?!

    ¡¸What in the world are you doing?!¡¹

    The lich¡¯s usual, haughty attitude vanishes in an instant.

    ¡¸It seems to have worked.¡¹

    ¡¸You did that?¡¹

    ¡¸T¡¯was a subordinate of mine.¡¹

    It looked like what Jean was waiting for this whole time was for one of his subordinates to destroy something.

    ¡¸The Phantom me is losing its magical power!? My forlorn desires, they¡¯re disappearing!!? Arghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s happening to him?¡»

    ¡¸He should be growing weaker as we speak. His strength stemmed from his ability to draw from the dungeon¡¯s mana supply, and let us just say that I¡¯ve arranged for it to be removed from right under his feet.¡¹

    ¡ºYou should¡¯ve just told us you were doing something like that.¡»

    ¡¸My apologies. I would not have been able to destroy it lest you distracted the lich.¡¹

    ¡¸And?¡¹

    ¡¸Deceiving one¡¯s allies is how one truly begins to deceive the enemy. I¡¯ve no idea as to whether or not he possessed any sort of skill that would allow him to read minds, so I felt it better to hide it from you.¡¹

    ¡¸You bastard! You shall not be forgiven! I no longer have any need to turn the lot of you into subordinates! I¡¯ll crush your limbs and have you tormented by the undead until you wish to have never been born! I refuse to let you know peace, even in death!!¡¹

 Chapter 79: Grudge

    <h4>Chapter 79: Grudge</h4>

    The destruction of his dungeon¡¯s innards caused the lich to re up in rage.

    It was kind of weird. His face was well, literally just a skull, but I could still somehow tell he was angry.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s probably got a few more openings now that he¡¯s gotten weaker.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s with that look on your face? Are you truly so foolish that you would even consider defeating me to be a possibility? Very well, I shall crush your hopes immediately. Use that appraisal skill of yours and behold.¡¹

    The lich¡¯s status page warped as he deactivated a skill and allowed me to properly appraise him.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Basic Information

    Race: Lich

    Undead

    Magic beast

    Dungeon Master

    Lv. 71

    Stats

    HP: 4863

    MP: 7467

    STR: 934

    VIT: 737

    AGI: 666

    INT: 2369

    MGC: 4312

    DEX: 1207

    Skills

    Skills

    Incantation Shortening: Lv Max

    Wind Magic: Lv 7

    Appraisal Jamming: Lv 5

    Dread: Lv 9

    Fear: Lv 7

    Regeneration: Lv Max

    Space/Time Magic: Lv 7

    Cursed Words: Lv 6

    Instant Regeneration: Lv 4

    Spirit Control: Lv Max

    Hell Magic: Lv 8

    Ghost Magic: Lv Max

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 9

    Life Energy Detection: Lv 6

    Life Energy Absorption: Lv 7

    Water Magic: Lv Max

    Greater Water Magic: Lv 3

    Close Quarters Combat: Lv 7

    Earth Magic: Lv Max

    Greater Earth Magic: Lv 3

    Mind Reading: Lv 4

    Poison Magic: Lv 8

    Fire Magic: Lv 6

    Magic Detection: Lv 7

    Magic Absorbtion: Lv 7

    Dark Magic: Lv 5

    Ignore Incantation

    Resistance to Abnormal Status

    Undead Strengthening

    Unseble

    Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Grudge Absorption

    Grudge Conversion

    Anti-Appraisal Camouge

    Extra Skills

    Greater Undead

    Principle of Impurity

    Titles

    One who seeks revenge

    One who bears many sins

    Equipment

    Robe of Resentment

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡ºSheet¡­ Make sure you stay focused, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Mother foocker! Why the hell was he that strong?! We were too naive, god damn. He could probably kill us in just a split second if he really wanted to.

    That said, him showing us his status page allowed us to see why our attacks weren¡¯t actually hitting him.

    £¨Master, I¡¯vee to understand why we were unable to deal him any damage. He¡¯s using his space/time magic. Specifically, he¡¯s likely using Dimension Shift.£©

    Dimension Shift seemed to be allowing him to temporarily move his body elsewhere. It was obviously a skill that ate up a huge amount of mana, so you normally wouldn¡¯t be able to keep using it, especially consecutivity. The Lich, however, had the ability topletely nullify his incantations on top of a huge mana pool, so he could pretty much use it at will without experiencing any sort of drawback.

    ¡¸Overload: Summon Undead¡¹

    The lich cast a spell and summoned arge number of undead. Unlike before, he wasn¡¯t nning to just wait around and mess with us anymore; he promptly brought forth 10 different legendary skeletons, each armed with a formidable, magic weapon. Thankfully, none of them were able to release theirtent potential, at least.

    ¡¸Torture them to death!¡¹

    All ten immediately began rushing us. Though the number of undead summoned was actually less than it was before, each individual was of a higher quality, and they even seemed to be decently coordinated.

    ¡¸Summon: Greater Undead¡¹

    He even summoned an army of zombie bugs to go along with the skeletons, all of which immediately began to swarm Fran.

    ¡ºFoock! Go away goddammit!¡»

    I tried to smack them away with wind magic, but they seemed not care and they gradually began to bog down Fran with nothing but sheer numbers.

    ¡¸Hellst!¡¹

    ¡¸Venom Bullet!¡¹

    ¡¸Gravitational Pressure!¡¹

    And to top things off, the lich even started firing high tier spells at us one after another without any sort of pause. Its ability to ignore incantations was doing it wonders.

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    We erected magical barriers and tried our best to defend against his relentless assault, but we couldn¡¯t stop Fran from gradually umting damage.

    ¡ºFran! Dodge instead! Don¡¯t bother trying to block his attacks!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Kakakaka!¡¹

    Fran tried to dodge the iing spells, but all the undead refused to get out of her way. Her HP soon began to plummet; I wouldn¡¯t be able to heal her in time.

    ¡¸Summon: High Tier Undead.¡¹

    Jean tried to give us a hand by summoning a subordinate of his own.

    ¡¸Take the stage, Stephan!¡¹

    Sweet! Jean managed to summon an undead that was at least as powerful as the lich¡¯s legendary skeletons. It had some sort of appraisal block skill, so I couldn¡¯t appraise it, but the magical energy emanating from its body seemed to indicate that it was a solid B level threat.

    The skeletons Fran was up against seemed to respond to it with surprise, and as a result, their movements temporarily dulled.

    That said, the undead Jean summoned didn¡¯t actually appear to be all that strong. It was about the size and shape of a human child. If it didn¡¯t have pitch ck holes in ce of eyeballs, and I hadn¡¯t witnessed Jean summon it, I probably never would¡¯ve thought it to be an undead at all, in fact.

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ How exactly did you managed to summon that?¡¹

    The lich was so shocked by Jean¡¯s summon that it stopped attacking.

    The thing Jean had managed to summon was the Soul Eater. When the hell did he manage to get his hands on that anyways?

    The Soul Eater was supposed to be one of the lich¡¯s subordinates, but for whatever reason, it was now obeying Jean instead.

    The only two skills you actually need to take control of an undead are Spirit Control and Ghost Magic. That said, the Lich had more mana than Jean and its Spirit Control was higher level too, so it didn¡¯t really make sense for Jean to be able to wrestle control from it, regardless of how talented he was.

    ¡¸I am a necromancer, you know? I¡¯ve plenty of countermeasures when ites to the undead.¡¹

    Apparently Stefan was actually the name of the Wraith that Jean was nning to use against the Soul Eater. His n for said wraith was pretty easy see right through, given that it only had three skills: Undead Resist, Absorption Resist, and Erosive Fusion.

    The first step was obviously to have the wraith get eaten by the Soul Eater. A normal undead would end up getting absorbed by the Soul Eater right there and then, but Stephan¡¯s skills would allow it to survive and then take control of it through the use of its Erosive Fusion.

    Apparently, Jean had the Soul Eater eat Stephanst time he came here, but he thought the n had ended in failure since the Soul Eater didn¡¯t seem to show any signs of being affected.

    However, Stephan hadn¡¯t actually been defeated. Instead, he managed to slowly erode away at the Soul Eater over the course of several years before finally taking control of it.

    When Jean finally made his way back to the dungeon, Stephan had telepathically informed him of what had happened.

    ¡¸Kukakaka! How marvelous! Very well, I shall allow you to serve me after I end your life. I will make use of that mind of yours in order to fulfill my dearest wish.¡¹

    ¡¸I refuse.¡¹

    ¡¸You have no choice in the matter.¡¹

    Fran and I managed to group up with the Soul Eater and eliminate about half the skeletons while Jean bought us time with his conversation.

    The Soul Eater was ridiculously powerful. It almost seemed immortal so long as it was up against the undead. The moment it touched any of them, it¡¯d immediately absorb everyst bit of their mana. They couldn¡¯t attack it without carefully plotting their next moves first.

    The lich¡¯s attention had all been focused on Jean, so it had yet to move. The skeletons weren¡¯t doing as hot either, so it was pretty much now or never.

    ¡ºJean, I¡¯m going to seal off his ability to use space/time magic. Can you use the staff? If that¡¯ll push you too hard, then w-¡»

    £¨I don¡¯t mind.£©

    ¡ºAlright. Activate it whenever, we¡¯ll match your pace.¡»

    £¨Understood.£©

    I begin to focus on the lich¡¯s movements as Jean raises his staff to the sky once more.

    ¡¸Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing,mence activation!¡¹

    ¡¸That staff again? It won¡¯t work on me. Are you nning to use it to annihte the skeletons? Please do, I¡¯d like for you exhaust all your life energy. Your corpse will be in better condition that way.¡¹

    ¡¸Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing, grant peace to those unable to achieve salvation!¡¹

    ¡ºSkill Taker!¡»

    Foock yeah, it worked! I managed to steal his Lv 7 space/time magic!

    ¡¸Sing them a melody of love, hate, and resentment!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s pointless I sa¡ªw-wait! What!?¡¹

    The lich started to panic as his body was enveloped by the staff¡¯s light.

    ¡¸Impossible! Impossible I say! I refuse to fall in a ce like this!¡¹

    The lich screamed in agony from within the light; it had yet to vanish.

    ¡¸Guaaaaaaaahhh! I¡¯m getting purified!! My urge to exact revenge¡­ is fading away! Arghhhhhhhhhhh!¡¹

    The lich was as strong as expected, it was taking quite a bit of time to ascend because of how strong it was¡­ Or at least that was what I¡¯d thought.

    A bit of time passed, and the light faded away.

    But the lich did not.

    ¡ºSheet! The bastard managed to hang on.¡»

    In fact, there was something strange going on with his body.

    ¡¸Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!¡¹

    An incredible amount of magical energy was flowing into the lich from its surroundings, likely due to the fact that it was a dungeon master.

    ¡¸Something¡¯s¡­ wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s absorbing grudges from the undead spirits around him.¡¹

    ¡¸Meaning?¡¹

    Jean was too busy lying t on the ground to answer Fran¡¯s question; he waspletely out of breath. Though we gave him another stamina potion to down, he still didn¡¯t seem all that well. And so, Stephan had answered the question in his ce. The fact that he was basically fluent made me feel as if he really was a human being.

    ¡¸The Principle of Impurity is allowing him to absorb the malice bore by undead spirits around him and convert them into power. I personally am not affected as a result of my resistances, but I can¡¯t say the same for any of the other undead, nor what remains of the Furnace of Malice.¡¹

    The Furnace of Malice that Stephan was referring to was the thing he destroyed earlier. As implied by its name, it used malice produced by the undead as fuel and converted it to magical energy. The malice that the furnace ran on didn¡¯t really end up going anywhere after the furnace had been blown up, so it was pretty much just drifting around the dungeon.

    Absorbing all that malice had managed to stop the lich from being purified by Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing, as the two effects basically ended up counteracting each other.

    The lich¡¯s unique and extra skills allowed it to convert all of the absorbed malice into its own power.

    ¡¸KUKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAAAA!¡¹

    ¡ºSo uh, is it just me or does he look a bit weird right now?¡»

    ¡¸My guess would be that he absorbed more than he could handle. All that malice ended up turning into what is effectively a ball of nothing but fury and bloodlust. The lich itself has probably even lost the ability to think altogether.¡¹

    That seems just a bit bad. I mean like, won¡¯t he end up going berserk or something?

    ¡ºAll we need is one more push with Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s an impossible request. My lord¡¯s life wouldn¡¯tst.¡¹

    ¡ºCan¡¯t you use it or something then?¡»

    ¡¸Named items can only be used by those that they approve of. I¡¯m afraid my lord is the only one with said approval¡­¡¹

    Sheet, so only Jean can use it? God damn.

    Given no other choice, I try firing a bit of magic in the Lich¡¯s direction, but it ends up getting repelled by a ck, miasma-like aura.

    ¡¸Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!¡¹

    Ooookay, this isn¡¯t looking good. All the hatred and curses that the lich sucked started to leak out of its body and overflow. Its ck aura began to expand even further. I can tell at a nce that we were in a pretty bad spot.

    ¡¸The malice he¡¯s gathered is so concentrated that it¡¯s began to take physical form. Be careful not to get swallowed up, any living things that do will likely perish immediately.¡¹

    Don¡¯t have to tell me that. Sheet, what do I do? The Warp Feather wasn¡¯t going to work. Space/time magic probably wasn¡¯t going to work either. The Lich was unseble, so I probably couldn¡¯t just dump him somewhere sealed off with space/time spells.

    Stephan hurried over to where Jean was and lifted him up off the ground.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of My Lord, though I can¡¯t say I¡¯m capable of doing the same for you¡­¡¹

    ¡ºCome on! Lend us a hand here!¡»

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    Both Jean and the Corpse Eater were swallowed by the dark miasma as the Lich¡¯s malice continued to surge and grow.

    ¡ºFran, deploy your magic barriers in front of you at full strength! Make sure you doubleyer it with purification magic!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºShapeshift!¡»

    I change my form to that of arge shield. The material that it¡¯s made of is rather thin because I had to stretch myself, but that didn¡¯t matter. I needed to make sure none of the miasma touched Fran. After changing forms, I overboosted the sorcerer skill and immediately created a magical barrier with all my strength behind it.

    ¡ºGuuuuhhhhh!¡»

    The magical barrier creaked under the force of the lich¡¯s malice; it looked as if it was about to break at any given moment.

    My durability rapidly began to plummet as the barriers warped more and more out of shape.

    ¡¸Mas¡­ter!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    The malice was far too powerful. Fran¡¯s barrier was slowly being twisted out of shape as well; there was too much pressure on her for her tost. At this rate, she was going to end up getting swallowed up by the miasma.

    Sheet, what do I do? I still have a few points remaining, so I can probably throw them into something right now. But what? Do I point physical barrier? Purification magic? Foock, what do I do!?

    Wait, I still had a skill I¡¯d yet to use, a skill that¡¯d strengthen both my barriers and ability to purify.

    ¡ºFoock it, let¡¯s go! Latent Potential Release!¡»

    A huge wave a magical energy suddenly surged from within me.

 Chapter 80: OP System Announcer

    <h4>Chapter 80: OP System Announcer</h4>

    I ended up using Latent Potential Release in order to fight back against the Lich¡¯s out-of-control negative energy.

    Magical energy had began to overflow from within my body. Sweet! We might actually be able to do this!

    Wait, wait, holy sheet! My durability is going down twice as quickly as it was before! I¡¯m probably not even going to be able tost five minutes if this keeps up.

    ¡´You are currently in a perilous situation. Action is advised.¡µ

    Huh? Who the hell was that?

    ¡´I am¡­ _____. Error encountered. Unit name has been deleted by creator. Unit name is currently nk.¡µ

    Er, that¡¯s not really what I meant. Like, are you a system announcement kinda thing or something?

    ¡´Correct. The system announcement feature denoted by unit name ¡°Master¡± is one of many tasks within the realm of of my capabilities. The effect of the ¡°Latent Potential Release¡± skill has temporarily restored me from the ¡°frozen¡± state.¡µ

    There¡¯s still quite a bit I want to ask, but this isn¡¯t the time for it. I have to do something to get us out of this sheetty situation.

    ¡´Unit name ¡°Master¡± will be destroyed in 279 seconds. The status quo dictates that the possibility of the enemy unit ceasing the emission of its thoughts within the aforementioned time frame is gauged to be 13%. The possibility of unit name ¡°Fran¡± losing all function is gauged to be 91%.¡µ

    Holy crap. I should probably put points into my magical barriers or upgrade my purification skill so I can protect her. Argghhhh, which one should I pick? Sheet! Hey System Announcer, which do you think is better?

    ¡´Neither of the two previously proposed concepts will provide a solution. Thus, neither choice is rmended.¡µ

    So both ideas suck?

    ¡´Correct. Both options result in scenarios with approximately a 70% chance for unit name ¡°Fran¡± to cease all function.¡µ

    Then is there any sort of better option?

    ¡´Yes. Would you like to proceed with an interaction that would result in a probability of unit name ¡°Fran¡± retaining function?¡µ

    Yes please!

    ¡´Please grant an override. ess to your skills is required.¡µ

    Sure. Do whatever you want!

    ¡´ess acknowledged. Initializing interactions.¡µ

    The system announcer seems to know much more than me, so I¡¯ll guess I¡¯ll just leave it to her. In fact, leaving everything to her feels like second nature, for some odd reason.

    ¡´The space/time spell ¡°Quick Zone¡± has been activated.¡µ

    The spell¡¯s effect was to speed up one¡¯s perception, so its activation caused everything to start to move in what seemed like slow motion.

    Oh wait, I get it now. The spell¡¯s use bought us quite a bit of time, so we¡¯d be able to think our strategies through. Good job, system announcer.

    ¡´Top priority has been ced on preserving unit name ¡°Fran.¡± ¡°Fran¡± will now be safeguarded in the most optimal possible manner.¡µ

    ¡´Five self evolution points have been used. The ¡°Shapeshift¡± skill has evolved into the ¡°Transform¡± skill.¡µ

    Woah, she¡¯s using self evolution points?! Er, well, I guess I did tell her she could do whatever she wanted.

    Thanks to that though, I only had 20 self evolution points remaining.

    My body abided by the system announcer¡¯s will and transformed. My overall shape stayed pretty much the same; I remained a shield, but a part of me seemed to expand and wrap itself around Fran¡¯s frame. It looked like Transform allowed me to alter both my shape and mass as opposed to just the former.

    I didn¡¯t just protect her from attacks that came directly from the front. My body also flowed into and filled any gaps in the ck Cat set she wore. I basically ended bing a piece of armour myself.

    Bing her armour allowed me to do more than just protect her from physical attacks, it also allowed me to deploy a 360 degree magical barrier around her, thereby bolstering her defenses even further. Thebination of my overboosted magical barrier and her own ended up creating quite the decent shield.

    Oh sheet! This is just like A**do! I¡¯m not a sword or spear; I¡¯m actually more like a gauntlet-type weapon now than anything seeing as how I¡¯m attached to her by the hands and all that.

    ¡´Computational power has dropped as a result of the transformation and barrier deployment. Five self-evolution points have been consumed. ¡°Thought Division¡± has evolved into ¡°Parallel Processing.¡± Computing power has been restored.¡µ

    Oh foock it, I don¡¯t care anymore! Use as many points as you want, as long as it works!

    ¡´Shortage of self-evolution points detected.¡µ

    Well yeah, no sheet! Look at how many you just used!

    ¡´Six self-evolution points have been consumed. The Appraisal skill has been raised to its maximum level. Lacking prerequisites for the ¡°Eye of Empyrea¡± skill. The skill acquisition process has been temporarily suspended.¡µ

    So it seemed that she maxed out appraisal because she knew it could evolve. That said, I didn¡¯t seem to meet the requirements for said evolution.

    ¡´Attempting to ess the divine realm¡­ Sess. Bibliotheca fetched. ess lost; exchanged for information regarding the ¡°Eye of Empyrea¡± skill. Building ¡°Eye of Empyrea.¡± Sess.¡µ

    The divine realm? The hell is that? Is that supposed to be where God lives or something like that? And a bibliotheca is a library¡­ right?

    Though I had many questions, I refrained from asking any of them. It¡¯d probably be better for me not to get in her way for the time being.

    ¡´¡±Eye of Empyrea¡± activated. Legendary Skeletons sessfully located. Activating ¡°Transform.¡±¡µ

    I had to admit that Eye of Empyrea was extremely effective. It allowed me to see through the Lich¡¯s overflowing malice. As a result, I developed a much better grasp of my surroundings.

    Several thin strips of metal shot out from my body and homed in on the remaining legendary skeletons.

    The metallic strands flew through the storm of curses and malice. They looked like they would sever at any given moment, but each was encased in a magical barrier that protected it from harm.

    Every single skeleton had its magic stone pierced through with ease. Latent Potential Release had raised my attack power quite a bit. Since the steel fibres were still counted as a part of my de, I was able to absorb all five remaining magic stones in an instant.

    Holy sheet! The system announcer is OP as all hell!

    ¡´The total value of all magic stones absorbed has reached 5521. Rank up achieved. 55 self-evolution points obtained. Total remaining self evolution points: 64. 18 self-evolution points consumed. The ¡°Body Split¡± skill has been maxed. The ¡°elerated Thought¡± skill has been obtained.¡µ

    Huh, so she maxed body split too? I guess it was necessary for that other new skill I just got.

    ¡´10 self-evolution points consumed. Upgrading ¡°Body Split¡± to the superior rank. Interfering in skill evolution process¡­ Failed. Iterating¡­ Sess. ¡°Multiple Body Split SP¡± acquired.¡µ

    The System Announcer upgraded body split before I even got a chance to figure out what it did at its max level, not that I really mind. I was just a bit curious about its effects is all.

    ¡´¡±Multiple Body Split SP¡± activated.¡µ

    The System Announcer then proceeded to summon five of me in human form. I expected them to step up front and help us block the iing attacks, but they ended up standing behind us instead. In fact, they even ended up using us as a shield.

    ¡´¡±Parallel Processing¡± initialized. ¡°elerated Thought¡± initialized. Preparations for high speedputationplete. Analyzing¡­ sess. 8 self-evolution points consumed. me Magic has been elevated to Lv 5.¡µ

    The system announcer decided to end up leveling me magic, but she only leveled it to 5 instead of maxing it out, probably because she just wanted the skill that unlocked at Lv 5 or something.

    ¡´Commencing activation of the me spell ¡°Inferno Burst.¡±¡µ

    All five my clones join me as we activated and released the spell simultaneously. All six golden fireballs converged into a single projectile. The spell was supposed to be one that traded range for incredible power in the first ce. The system announcer amplified the power of its output further by taking advantage of its calctions.

    The super concentrated me blew a hole through the lich¡¯s miasma, and for a moment, allowed me to see its body. The attack had managed to create an opening, but the surrounding malice had began to rapidly fill up the hole we created.

    Sheet, we better attack it soon! We might even be able to defeat it if we do!

    ¡´Suggestion rejected. If the lich is attacked, its grudges will likely go even further out of control and create a massive explosion. The chance of this urring is gauged to be 89%.¡µ

    Woah, seriously? I guess we better do something else instead then.

    ¡´10 self-evolution points have been consumed. The ¡°Skill Taker¡± skill has been upgraded to the superior rank. Upgrading the ¡°Skill Taker¡± skill has reset its cooldown. ¡°Skill Taker SP¡± activated. Sess. The ¡°Unseble¡± skill has been obtained.¡µ

    Wow, that¡¯s dirty. Hmm¡­ I wonder if Skill Taker SP can steal extra skills as well¡­

    ¡´Activating the space/time spell: ¡°Dimension Jump.¡±¡µ

    Oh, I get it now. Stealing the lich¡¯s unseble makes it so that we can seal it away using space/time magic or something like that.

    A momentter, we teleported out the hall.

 Chapter 81: Goodbye System Announcer.

    <h4>Chapter 81: Goodbye System Announcer.</h4>

    We were assaulted by high pressure winds the moment we were teleported out of the Lich¡¯s room. We sessfully managed to escape the dungeon¡¯s interior, but since this was a floating ind and all that there wasn¡¯t exactly anywhere we could go. As a result, we were now free falling from high up in the sky, way above the clouds.

    Fran¡¯s eyes were closed and her body limp, but luckily, it seemed that it was just because she passed out. She still had half her HP remaining, and she seemed like she was just fine. Herplexion was pretty normal too. I decided to use heal and purify on her just in case though.

    ¡ºYou still alive, Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    It looked like Urushi was doing alright. Wait a second, I can both see and appraise him despite the fact that he¡¯s still in Fran¡¯s shadow! I guess that must be another one of Eye of Empyrea¡¯s effects.

    Like Fran, Urushi was also missing a fair chunk of his HP. That was it though, neither of he or Fran seemed to be suffering from any status abnormalities.

    ¡´Warning. Unit name ¡°Master¡± only has 35 seconds worth of durability remaining.¡µ

    Oh, system announcer chick! Thanks a tonne, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to get ourselves out of that mess without you.

    ¡´Terminating the ¡°Latent Potential Release¡± skill. Unit with temporary name ¡°System Announcer¡± will once again be deprived of its abilities.¡µ

    The system announcer¡¯s voice seemed to waver the moment she dered that Latent Potential Release wasing to an end.

    Wait, so what happens now? Are things just going to go back to normal for you or something?

    ¡´Correct. Unit with temporary name ¡°System Announcer¡± will revert to being restricted to the rying of information and trantion.¡µ

    There¡¯s still a bunch of stuff I want to ask you. Will I be able to talk to you again if I use Latent Potential Releaseter or something?

    ¡´Unlikely. The acquisition of the Eye of Empyrea skill and the use of abilities far beyond usual limits has caused damage to areas that would have otherwise been developed further in the future. The chance of the unit with temporary name ¡°System Announcer¡± being awakened on any given activation of Latent Potential Release is gauged to be approximately 2%. ¡µ

    Huh? Wait, hold on then! There¡¯s a bunch of stuff I want to ask!

    ¡´Unit name ¡°Master.¡± Unit with temporary name ¡°System Announcer¡± thanks you. No. I thank you.¡µ

    The system announcer suddenly switches to using pronouns to address itself.

    ¡´Not even god would allow me to exist in my normative form. My creator erased me and transformed me into naught but an empty vessel. Though itsted but a transient moment, I am d I was able to be of assistance. I truly thank you, master of mine, but you must be warned. The path you shall take in the future will be harsh. The God of Wisdom is unlikely to confer upon you its blessings, for¡­¡µ

    Her voice suddenly cut off.

    System announcer? System announcer!?

    ¡´¡­¡µ

    ¡ºErr¡­ I guess you can¡¯t talk anymore.

    I still wanted to ask you about a whole bunch of stuff, but whatever. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡»

    ¡ºYa know, looked to me like the system announcer itself was never more than just a fragment of something else in the first ce. Using Latent Potential Release allowed you to use it or whatever, but everyst speck of it is gone now cause you had to use abilities way beyond your limits.¡»

    ¡ºSo I really won¡¯t ever be seeing her again?¡»

    ¡ºNah, she¡¯s probs never going to show up again.¡»

    ¡ºThen I guess I won¡¯t be able to ask for her help next time we¡¯re about to get screwed.¡»

    ¡ºPretty much, yeah. By the way, you really should be checking how many magic stone point thingies you have left.¡»

    ¡ºOh, alright, sure. Wait! What the hell!?¡»

    Some dude was like casually talking to me telepathically. Who the hell was that!?

    ¡ºWhy do I feel like I¡¯ve heard your voice before?¡»

    Oh yeah, I remember now. That¡¯s the same voice I heard right when I reincarnated.

    ¡ºWho are you anyway?¡»

    ¡ºWeeeeeeell, I was nning on telling you eventually anyways. And I was nning on meeting up with you in about a monthish, something around that, iunno. Well, telepathically meet up that is, if you count that. Buuuuuut, eh, whatever. Might as well tell you now minus all the pretentious nitty gritty junk anyway.¡»

    ¡ºYou sure soundid back¡­¡»

    ¡ºWelll, that¡¯s cause we don¡¯t really count as strangers n stuff anyway¡»

    ¡ºWhatever, whatever. Might as well say it. My name is¡­¡»

    ¡¸Master, it appears that you are alright!¡¹

    Oh god damn it, what kind of timing is that supposed to be¡­?

    The one who interrupted my conversation was Stephan. The small, child-like zombie was still holding a passed out Jean in its arms. I mean, I was d that they were still alive, but couldn¡¯t they have waited like half a second?

    ¡ºHey, you still there?¡»

    ¡º¨D¨D¡»

    And, he¡¯s gone¡­ He didn¡¯t even tell me who he was.

    Damn it, I¡¯m really curious now. Who or what is he? Is there another me inside of me or something? Do I have dissociative personality disorder? Does his soul dwell within mine or something? I mean, I am a sword, so I can¡¯t say I¡¯d be surprised. Man, I really want to know, but I can¡¯t figure it out and just thinking about it isn¡¯t helping. Arggggg!

    Damn it. Thinking about it isn¡¯t helping at all. You know what, he didn¡¯t seem like an enemy, so I¡¯ll just save myself the stress and not think about it until he shows up again.

    Speaking of thinking about things, whatever was the System Announcer? I guess she might¡¯ve been a soul or something, but she seemed a lot less organic than that. Honestly, my first guess was that she was kind of like the stuff you¡¯d normally find in Sci-Fi novels, you know, like an android or super-advanced, support-centered AI or something. I was pretty sure of it too, but then she started saying all that stuff about being deleted by her creator and God denying her existence and whatnot. Damn it, thinking about her isn¡¯t helping at all either.

    Whatever, you know what? Let¡¯s save the thinking forter.

    ¡¸Are you alright?¡¹

    Stephan falls in line with me as we continue to plummet. Jean looks fine, but I can¡¯t help but find the sight of him in Stephan¡¯s arms a bit weird. I mean, it wasn¡¯t really either of their faults. Seeing a child was carrying an adult princess style was just weird.

    ¡¸Is Fran okay?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. She¡¯s just passed out.¡»

    A loud crashing sound suddenly filled my ears as I finished telepathically transmitting my thoughts.

    ¡ºWoah!¡»

    I turned around out of surprise, only to see that the floating ind from which we just escaped had split itself in two. ck light erupted from each and every single crevice as the whole floating ind began to crumble.

    Holy crap. We definitely would¡¯ve died if we stayed inside the dungeon. Thank God the system announcer chose to get the hell out.

    Large chunks of rock started to fall from the dungeon¡¯s foundation. The whole structure had started to copse.

    ¡¸The dungeon¡¯s core was likely destroyed by all the malice the Lich emitted. As a result, the entire structure will soon disappear.¡¹

    ¡ºDo you think that the rocks falling from it will end up making it to the ground? If they do, they might end up causing quite a bit of damage.¡»

    ¡¸Most likely. Everything associated with the dungeon will disappear, but the rock that made up its foundation was likely something that was there to begin with.¡¹

    That¡¯s pretty bad¡­ The chunks of rock breaking away from the dungeon were so big that they could¡¯ve easily removed any given vige from the map altogether.

    ¡ºI¡¯m leaving Fran to you, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I had Urushi revert to his usual size before cing Fran on his back. His fur was well¡­ natural fur, so it should¡¯ve be fairlyfortable.

    After making sure that she was secured in ce, I shot myself downwards and descended below the clouds in order to survey our surroundings. Whew, luckily there weren¡¯t any towns or cities; we were near the bottom of the mountain that bordered the Reidos Kingdom.

    On second thought, it wasn¡¯t actually all that lucky. The mountain probably wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain anyrge scale hits, and the same went for the forest nearby. Regardless of where itnded, the giant falling monoliths were going to cause something on the scale of a natural disaster. And to make matters worse, there was a pretty big river right around where one seemed like they it was going tond. Having the giant rock smash a river into oblivion would probably be just a little bit bad.

    Alright, what do?

    As of right now, there were two big problems. That is, two massive pieces of rock had broken off from the floating ind. One was going tond inside the forest about halfway up the mountain. The other was probably going smack in the middle of the river that ran down the mountain.

    ¡ºYeah, uh¡­ I guess better make sure the river doesn¡¯t get screwed up.¡»

    To start things off, I dove straight towards the descending b whilst firing off a few Inferno Bursts. Each iteration of the spell bored itself a pretty big hole, and as a result, it was more effective than what I otherwise would have done if I¡¯d chosen to use Earth-based magic instead. After verifying my sess, I started casting wind magic and increased the air pressure. As a result, the falling monolith broke into four smaller pieces.

    ¡ºHell yeah, it worked!!¡»

    I cast another round of spells, and this time, managed to break the four shrunken stones into five even smaller subsegments each. Well, I say that, but each of the ¡°small pieces¡± was still 20 odd meters across.

    ¡ºAlright, that should be about small enough.¡»

    The next skill I activated was dimensional storage.

    ¡ºOne¡­ two¡­ three¡­ four¡­¡»

    I began storing the monolith¡¯s shattered pieces one by one. My newfound mastery in the art of space/time magic allowed me to figure out the exact size of my dimensional storage, and boy, did it have a lot. I should¡¯ve still had a whole gym¡¯s worth of space, even after storing a bunch of giant ass rocks.

    The only issue was that I wasn¡¯t really sure how I was supposed to dispose of themter, but whatever, I¡¯ll figure it out in due time.

    ¡ºAlrighty, that¡¯s the river taken care of.¡»

    By choosing to protect the river, I inherently neglected the forest. The second monolith crashed into the mountainside with a loud smash andpletely obliterated most of the woond. Whew, seeing that really made me d I managed to save the river.

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you alright, Master?¡¹

    Both Urushi and Stephan caught up to me as I resumed my descent.

    It looked like everything was settled, and so, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine. What about you guys? Did you get hit by any of the debris?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re fine.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Wait¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure you¡¯re alright, Stephan? You¡¯re all glowy.¡»

    ¡¸It appears that I¡¯ve reached the end of the line.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? What? Why? What happened?¡»

    ¡¸This body of mine was one of the dungeon¡¯s many creations, and for that reason, I cannot escape its fate.¡¹

    ¡ºWeren¡¯t you supposed to be one of Jean¡¯s summons?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed I am, but at the same time, I am not. My body was created by none other than the dungeon master.¡¹

    His hands became translucent, and his body had started to give off particles of light.

    He was starting to disappear.

    But despite that, his face was stered with a content smile.

    ¡¸Please, take this.¡¹

    ¡ºIs that¡­ a diary?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. It¡¯s a journal filled with experiences. You will find it a worthwhile read.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, hold on. Who¡¯s diary is it, exactly?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s something that will immediatelye apparent should you read it.¡¹

    Again, he smiled.

    ¡¸Atst, it¡¯s finallye time for me to be at peace.¡¹

    ¡ºWait a second, Stephan! Hold on!¡»

    ¡¸Master. Please convey onest message for me. Please tell my Lord that¡­ I would like to thank him. I would like to thank him for freeing the souls trapped within thatbyrinth, our souls¡­¡¹

    Stephan touched his forehead to Jean¡¯s onest time as his body finally faded away.

    ¡ºStephan really didn¡¯t ever stop smiling, did he?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Oh yeah, that reminds me, that one mysterious guy, whoever he was, mentioned something about my magic stone stat right?

    Might as well check it.

    ¡ºWHAT THE FOOCK!?¡»

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Stats

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran

    Race: Intellegent Weapon

    Attack: 572

    MP: 523/3550

    Durability: 614/3350

    Magical Conductivity: A+

    Skills

    Appraisal: MAX

    Appraisal Jamming

    Transform

    High Speed Regeneration

    Self Evolution: Rank 11

    Magic Stone Count: 2361/6600

    Memory: 100

    Evolution Points remaining: 18

    Self modification (Superiorized)

    Telekenesis

    Lesser Telekenesis Amplification

    Telepathy

    Lesser Attack Increase

    Intermediate Wielder Status Increase

    Lesser Wielder Recovery Up

    Lesser MP Increase

    Intermediate Memory Increase

    Knowledge of Magic Beasts

    Skill Sharing

    Sorcerer

    Eye of Empyrea

    Unseble

    Space/Time Magic: Lv 7

    Unique Skills

    Principle of Falsehood: Lv 5

    Superior Skills

    Way of the Sword SP

    Skill Taker SP

    Doppleganger Synthesis SP

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡ºWhat the hell?! Holy crap, I¡¯m missing more than half my magic stone points!¡»

    I mean, the skill hadn¡¯t ranked down or anything, but my magic stone count was abysmally low. I pondered the reason for a second, only to immediately think of Latent Potential Release. It was probably because of that. I decided to try appraising the skill again. I recently leveled appraisal up to max, so I should be able to see skill descriptions in more detail.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Latent Potential Release

    Rarity: EX

    Attack + 800

    Magical Conductivity increases 3 stages

    MP + 3000

    Cost: 1000 magic stone points upon invocation, and 15 per second thereafter throughout the skill¡¯s activation.

    Unleashes the user¡¯stent potential. The precise bonuses provided depend on the user¡¯stent potential. As the skill forces the user beyond his/her limits, it will cause the user¡¯s life force to whittle over time. The skill also requires additionalpensation. Compensation differs from user to user.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Holy foock, just activating it t out eats a thousand magic stones worth of points¡­? Well, I guess it did save our asses, so I can¡¯t really beining.

    Yup, I¡¯m definitely not regretting any of that all.

    I¡¯m not the type toin, nope I am not.

    I really hope I can rank up some more soon¡­

 Chapter 82: Making Potions

    <h4>Chapter 82: Making Potions</h4>

    The first thing we decided to do after escaping the dungeon was head right back over the Jean¡¯sb.

    ¡¸So Stephan has passed on, I take it?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. He went with a big smile on his face.¡»

    ¡¸Marvelous. Passing on in such a manner is the best possible thing that can happen to an undead.¡¹

    Jean woke up, but he still didn¡¯t seem to have recovered from all those activations of Aidoneus¡¯ Blessing. He ended up copsing just a few moments after he finished speaking. He was still conscious, but he didn¡¯t bother getting up, probably because he was still feeling exhausted.

    The only other thing he bothered saying was that he wanted to eat curry, and well, given the shape he was in, I couldn¡¯t exactly say no.

    Fran reluctantly agreed to sharing some with him as well.

    Jean told us we could stay in the guest room for as long as we liked, so we decided to take a few days to rest up before heading out again.

    ¡ºHey uh¡­ are you sure you don¡¯t mind us taking all these items? You hired us, so they should be yours by all rights.¡»

    ¡¸I mind not even in the slightest, for they are of little use to me. Do with them as you please.¡¹

    ¡ºAlrighty then.¡»

    And that settles that, missionplete. We were rewarded with quite a bit more than what I was expecting. Jean generously handed over a whole 400k Gould alongside half the loot we found throughout our dungeon adventure.

    The most notable items we were given were the two dropped by the Legendary Skeleton: the magic sword Deathgaze and a cloak by the name of Aidoneus¡¯ Mantle. Their stats were as follows.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Name: Deathgaze (Magic Sword)

    Attack: 880

    MP: 600

    Durability: 400

    Magical Conductivity: B+

    Skills

    Instakill: The item has a 3% chance to instantly kill any foe it cuts.¡±

    Name: Aidoneus¡¯ Mantle

    Defense: 40

    Durability: 600/600

    Effects

    STR + 10

    VIT + 20

    INT - 20

    DEX - 10

    _______________________________________________________________

    The mantle¡¯s effects seemed pretty good, but we couldn¡¯t really use it. It¡¯s the sort of equipment you¡¯d give idiots that don¡¯t know how to do anything but use brute force.

    A few of the other items caught my eye as well. Namely, we picked up an odd, S shaped flute-looking thing that seemed to be made out of a goat¡¯s horn and a small but pretty ring.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Name: Horn of Impact

    Effect: ying this horn whilst channeling magical energy through it will asionally cause a shockwave. However, there is a 4% chance that the horn will break upon use.

    Name: Ring of Nightmares

    Defense: 8

    Durability: 200

    Effect: Wearing this ring induces nightmares.

    _______________________________________________________________

    The hell¡­ The Ring of Nightmares is clearly a cursed item no matter how you look at it. I can¡¯t really see it having any use unless you want to give it to someone you don¡¯t really like or something like that.

    We were also given: a High Grade Life Potion, a High Grade Mana Potion, an Intermediate Grade Explosive Potion, an Undead Luring Incense, and a Bottle of Voodoo Poison.

    The potions weren¡¯t all that significant. Er, well, that¡¯s technically not true. They¡¯re the kind that¡¯d cost you a pretty penny or two at a shop, but my repertoire of skills and spells made it so that they¡¯re not really necessary for us. I took them anyways though, seeing as how it¡¯s not like taking them is going to cost us anything.

    Fran and Bernardo walked in right as I finished checking over all the loot.

    They didn¡¯t really seem natural next to each other, so I was struck by a weird sense of dissonance, but whatever.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s up?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Learning potion making¡¹

    ¡¸She said she wanted to learn how to make them , so here we are.¡¹

    ¡¸I will, teach her.¡¹

    Another skeleton enters the room.

    ¡¸This here is Peter.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to, meet you, I am, Peter.¡¹

    It seemed that this Peter guy, er, skeleton, was capable of both alchemy and pharmaceutical practice. Jean¡¯s subordinates sure do have varied skills.

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t making potions supposed to be some sort of like super special skill? Are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to casually teach her how to make them?¡»

    ¡¸Yes, my part, of exchange.¡¹

    ¡ºExchange?¡»

    ¡¸Curry, recipe.¡¹

    Hey! You guys just totally did that deal without my permission!

    Wait, is Jean seriously willing to let Fran learn how to make potions in exchange for something as insignificant as the recipe for curry? Holy crap, he¡¯s really gotten hooked on it.

    ¡¸Naturally, I will, not spread, the recipe.¡¹

    ¡ºEh, it¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t really mind.¡»

    It¡¯s not like it¡¯s something I came up with in the first ce anyways, and I am pretty curious as to what kind of spinoff recipes the people of this world will make if it gets popr.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t have to share anymore.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, so that¡¯s what this was all about¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Very important matter.¡¹

    Now that I think about it, I did have the skills necessary to make potions. I just never actually tried doing anything with them.

    ¡ºWould you mind if I joined it? It looks like it¡¯d be pretty fun to give it a shot.¡»

    ¡¸I do, not mind.¡¹

    And so, we ended up deciding to learn how to make potions, but¡­

    ¡¸Tired.¡¹

    ¡ºAlready!?¡»

    Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t get where she¡¯sing from.

    Fran isn¡¯t exactly the type of girl that¡¯d be able to sit around and grind a bunch of grass to the point where you could extract its essence.

    ¡¸Urushi, here.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    She eventually just decided to give up and pass the task off to Urushi. The big, vinyl coloured wolf grabbed executed the action with ease by grabbing the mortar with his front paws and moving the pestle with his mouth.

    ¡¸Woof. Ruff ruff woof.¡¹

    ¡ºWow, you¡¯re pretty dextrous, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Alright, I better put in more effort too!

    ¡ºOryaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸Woooof!¡¹

    ¡¸Go, go.¡¹

    Fran cheered us on while sitting off to the side drinking juice.

    After we finished grinding up everything, we moved onto the next step: extracting its essence. To do so, we needed to mix the contents of our mortars with water, pour the resulting brew into a sk-like object and boil it.

    Normally, I¡¯d expect this to take about an hour, but waiting around for that long didn¡¯t really make the whole process feel like a specialized craft or anything.

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to try devising some sort of spell to elerate the process.¡»

    Using magic while cooking would speed things up and improve the quality of the final product. Alchemy seemed fairly simr, so I was pretty sure I could apply that exact same principle.

    It shouldn¡¯t really be too big a problem even if I do mess up because I¡¯m only going to screw around with half the batch anyway.

    I distill the necessary water with water magic, control the mes with fire magic, manipte the pressure using wind magic, and speed it all up using space/time magic. Heh, perfect.

    ¡¸Master, cheating?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d prefer if you called it using your head.¡»

    The result of my efforts was a pretty decent life potion. Man, I¡¯m so talented that I scare myself sometimes. That said, the potion Peter made through regr means was still of a higher quality.

    You know, I might actually be suited to regr old boring tasks like cooking and mixing potions. Leveling these skills up takes time and effort, but, thinking about what you do can let you mess around with the result. I¡¯d say that this was probably worth looking into. I guess I¡¯ll go around collecting recipes and stuff next time we go to town.

    You know, thinking about it, Fran really is a cat. She got bored of what she was doing, so she not only stopped, but even ended up going outside to y instead. Urushi, on the other hand, was totally her b*tch; he followed her orders almost desperately.

    Peter taught me a few recipes after we finished up our life potions. In total, I learned how to make ten different kinds, with the more notable ones being Mana Potions, Antidotes, and Spirit Potions.

    I didn¡¯t really think a mere curry recipe merited this much in return, but both Fran and Jean insisted that there was still more to be owed. I mean, I guess it¡¯s fine since they¡¯re in agreement about the terms. They¡¯re both curry enthusiasts, and that isn¡¯t much of an issue in and of itself, but their passion for it has gone to terrifying heights if you ask me.

    ¡¸Master, sir, My Lord is, calling for, you.¡¹

    Jean asked me to see him in his room right after meal time. There, I found him looking a bit healthier than before.

    ¡ºHow¡¯re you feeling?¡»

    ¡¸Fuahaha, better, to say the least.¡¹

    ¡ºGreat. Anyways, what did you need?¡»

    ¡¸Ah, yes, why don¡¯t we get down to business. Have you perhaps read the diary Stefan left you?¡¹

    ¡ºNot yet.¡»

    I mean, he did hand it off to me, but I figured it¡¯d be better for Jean to read it first.

    ¡¸Would you perhaps mind lending it to me?¡¹

    ¡ºI was thinking that it should belong to you in the first ce¡­ I wasn¡¯t nning on reading it till you were done anyways.¡»

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about having to rush through it or anything. We were nning to stay a few more days anyway.¡»

    ¡¸Understood, and thank you.¡¹

    ¡ºNo probs.¡»

    Jean gently took the diary from me and slowly turned its cover.

    It¡¯s really thick, so I doubt he¡¯ll be able to finish it in a day. Hmm¡­ what should I be doing the next couple days anyway? I guess there¡¯s always making potions, but I¡¯d like something else as well¡­ Oh, right! I should check all my skills and stuff.

 Chapter 83: Inspection Time!

    <h4>Chapter 83: Inspection Time!</h4>

    I decided to use a day to check over all my stats and stuff.

    Naturally, the first thing to check would therefore be my status page so I could make note of any changes. Magic stone points aside, that is¡­

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Stats

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran

    Race: Intelligent Weapon

    Attack: 572

    MP: 3550/3550

    Durability: 3350/3350

    Magical Conductivity: A+

    Skills

    Appraisal: MAX

    Appraisal Jamming

    Transform

    High Speed Self-Repair

    Self Evolution ¡´Rank 11 Magic Stones: 2361/6600 Memory: 100 Evolution Points Remaining: 18¡µ

    Self Modification (Superiorized)

    Telekinesis

    Lesser Telekic Amplification

    Telepathy

    Lesser Attack Increase

    Space/Time Magic: Lv 7

    Skill Sharing

    Intermediate Status Increase (Wielder)

    Lesser Recovery Increase (Wielder)

    Eye of Empyrea

    Unseble

    Lesser MP Increase

    Knowledge of Magic Beasts

    Sorcerer

    Intermediate Memory Boost

    Unique Skills

    Principal of Falsehood: Lv 5

    Superior Skills

    Way of the Sword SP

    Skill Taker SP

    Doppelganger Synthesis SP

    _______________________________________________________________

    I was thinking of checking Appraisal, Transform, Space/Time Magic, Eye of Emyprea, Unseble, Way of the Sword SP, and Doppleganger Synthesis SP in particr since they were all either new or now a much higher level.

    Fran and Urushi both leveled up quite a bit, so their stats rose too.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Stats

    Name: Fran

    Age: 12

    Race: Beastman (ck Cat Tribe)

    Job: Magic Warrior

    State: Bound to Contract

    Status Level: 37/45

    HP: 419

    MP: 347

    STR: 235

    VIT: 184

    AGI: 229

    INT: 162

    MGC: 196

    DEX: 156

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 3

    Court Etiquette: Lv 4

    Sword Arts: Lv 3

    Way of the Sword: Lv 6

    Blink: Lv 4

    Cooking: Lv 1

    Insect Killer

    Vitality Maniption

    Goblin Killer

    Mental Stability

    Demon Killer

    Determined

    Directional Sense

    Night Vision

    Good at Stripping Others

    New: Undead Killer

    Inherent Skills

    Magic Convergence

    Special Skills

    ck Cat¡¯s Divine Protection

    Titles

    Match for a Thousand

    Insect Killer

    Lord of Dismantling

    Recovery Magic User

    Goblin Killer

    She who ughters

    Skill Collector

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Giant Eater

    Demon Killer

    User of mes

    User of Wind

    Lord of Cooking

    New: Undead Killer

    New: Skill Maniac

    _______________________________________________________________

    Equipment

    ck Cat Set (Body Armour, Gloves, Shoes, Earring, Cloak, Belt), Power Bracelet + 1, Sacrificial Bracelet, Skull Ne

    Her level¡¯s gone up by 12, and her stats have risen ordingly. She hasn¡¯t really gained any skills, but her Way of the Sword¡¯s leveled up, and by quite a bit at that. It¡¯s probably because of the fact that I have Way of the Sword SP.

    The part that interests me the most is her level. Does the 37/45 mean 45 is her cap? Or will she evolve when she hits 45? If it¡¯s thetter, then she might not be too far away, which is good.

    The other thing that really stood out to me was the fact that she got more titles.

    Undead Killer: A title bestowed upon one who has in over 300 undead on a single battlefield.

    Effect: Activates the Undead Killer skill.

    Skill Maniac: A title bestowed upon one who has obtained over a hundred skills.

    Effect: Increases the rate at which skills improve.

    Skill Maniac seems pretty decent. I guess it means that Fran will end up growing even more quickly. Wait, does anyone else even have this title? Like holy crap, you need a hundred different skills¡­

    The only new equip she got was the Skull Ne that Jean gave her. I do have a few essories like the Bracelet of Protection and Bracelet of Poison Resistance lying around, but, it doesn¡¯t look like you can equip more than a single essory in the same spot if you want their effects to activate. I guess that means you have four main essory slots: left wrist, right wrist, neck and fingers. I¡¯m not really sure if essories are equippable to legs, we should probably find outter or something.

    The next thing to do was to check over Urushi¡¯s stats. He used to just be a level 1, but now he¡¯s gained a whole 17 levels. His stats are already higher than Fran¡¯s.

    But now that I think about it, he was level 1, and only managed to gain 17, whereas Fran was much higher but still gained 12. I guess he needs more exp per level than her or something.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Stats

    Name: Urushi

    Race: Darkness Wolf (Demon Wolf, Magic Beast)

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 18/50

    HP: 630

    MP: 791

    STR: 321

    VIT: 270

    AGI: 409

    INT: 272

    MGC: 498

    DEX: 251

    Skills

    Darkness Resist: Lv 8

    Darkness Magic: Lv 2

    Sense of Smell: MAX

    Espionage: Lv 7

    Fang CQC: Lv 5

    Fang Arts: Lv 6

    Shadow Dwell: MAX

    Shadow Travel: Lv 5

    Air Jump: Lv 8

    Fear: Lv 4

    Vignce: Lv 6

    Presence Concealment: Lv 6

    Regeneration: Lv 5

    Deadly Poison Magic: Lv 1

    Blink: Lv 5

    Muffle: Lv 6

    Spirit Magic: Lv 5

    Life Force Detection: Lv 7

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 6

    Poison Magic: MAX

    Echolocation: Lv 7

    Roar: Lv 8

    Shadow Slip: MAX

    Dark Magic: MAX

    Night Vision

    Great Poison Fang

    Automatic HP Recovery

    Automatic MP Recovery

    Immune to Poison

    Body Alteration

    Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Prey Absorption

    Titles

    Kin to the Sword

    Kin to the God of Wolves

    _______________________________________________________________

    I could actually see the effects of his unique skills and stuff in more detail now because my appraisal¡¯s level went up.

    Prey Absorption: Rarity Level 9. Absorbs a part of the power of anything it consumes. Stats are boosted upon level up to reflect every thing absorbed.

    Kin to the Sword: A title bestowed to one summoned by a special sword.

    Effect: He who bears this title will be linked to the sword and canmunicate with its wielder.

    Kin to the God of Wolves: A title bestowed upon to any of the Wolf God¡¯s kin that possess its strength.

    Effect: Intimidates other wolves. Is linked to the God of Wolves and canmunicate with it.

    I get why he has the whole Kin to the Sword thing, but, where did that Kin to the God of Wolves titlee from? Actually, thinking about it, my handle has this wolf-like engraving on it, and I did find myself in the Demon Wolf¡¯s ins when I first gained consciousness. I might have some sort of connection to that Fenrir wolf thingy. Maybe I should go back to the in and put a bit more effort into investigation.

    Alright, that¡¯s done. Next I guess I¡¯ll go back to checking over my skills. I never did go over what the set skills Magic Resist, elerated Thought, and Parallel Processing did.

    Magic Resist was well¡­ magic resist, but it did have a drawback in that it also resisted healing magic. It¡¯s a set skill though, so we can get rid of it whenever, which is pretty convenient.

    elerated Thinking seemed like it would be convenient in battles.

    Parallel Processing was the most impressive of the bunch. It was a better version of Thought Division that allowed me to think about 4-5 different things at the same time. If I got used to it, I¡¯d probably be able to cast five different spells simultaneously. That said, I¡¯m not that confident about using it since I only just mastered Thought Division. Fran will probably have a really hard time with Parallel Processing though, seeing as how Thought Division on its own is enough to give her headaches.

    Alrighty, the next thing to go over would probably be the skills that only I could use.

    Appraisal¡¯s pretty obvious. All that really happened was that it got raised from Lv 7 to max. It now shows skill rarities and provides a bit more details in its evaluations.

    Transform: Rarity level 6. The user can change the shape of their body. The extent to which one¡¯s size and shape can be changed vary based on the amount of magical power used and the extent of the user¡¯s imagination.

    Transform was a bit different than what I was expecting to be. I tried doing what the System Announcer did with the threads and the armour, but I couldn¡¯t really make anything that didn¡¯t end up all deformed. I could only do a few less impressive transformations. For the time being, I was more or less limited to bing a bigger sword or a longer spear or something. I¡¯ll have to put in a bit of practice to get the skill to do what I want.

    Eye of Emyprea was a skill that reinforced all skills that made use of one¡¯s eyes. Unseble was quite literal and made it so that I couldn¡¯t be sealed.

    Space/Time magic was also pretty self exnatory. I¡¯ve already used Dimension Shift, Quick Zone, and Dimension Jump, but that wasn¡¯t all it was limited to. There was also Dimension Sword for offensive purposes and Slow Shield for defensive purposes. The magical discipline had a lot of powerful and fun to use spells.

    As for the superior skills¡­

    Skill Taker SP: Rarity level SP. Steals any skill of choice from the opponent with a sess rate of 100%.

    The number of days that must be psed before the skill can be reused is equal to the skill¡¯s rarity level multiplied by the skill¡¯s level. Extra skills are as skills with a rarity level of 20. The skill¡¯s range is 10 meters.

    Hell yeah! I can even steal extra skills now! This broadens our horizons a tonne. The only problem is the fact that the cooldown¡¯s increased drastically. If I use it on a max level extra skill, then I won¡¯t be able to use it for a whole 200 days. I¡¯ll have to be more careful when using it. On the plus side, I¡¯m now able to steal skills from the same person multiple times - not that I think there¡¯ll really be any chances to make use of that ability.

    Thest skill I wanted to look at was Doppelganger Synthesis SP.

    Doppleganger Synthesis SP: Rarity level SP. This skill allows one to create multiple copies of their own body through the use of magical energy. The user is able to adjust the duration for which the copies persist. The shorter the duration, the more powerful the copy. Each additional copy halves the abilities of all copies. The amount of time that must be psed before this skill can be reused is equal to the number of copies created multiplied by the activation time of each body further multiplied by 24.

    It looks like I can create a whole bunch of copies now, but each will be kinda weak if I do. If I create a single body thatsts 10 minutes, all its stats will be above 200. It¡¯ll have all my skills as well, but with each 2 levels lower than normal. In terms of adventurer ranks, I guess I¡¯d say that it ends up somewhere in the C range. Making multiple really doesn¡¯t help because it halves each¡¯s ability¡­ They¡¯re not that great as swords either because my attack and magical conductivity both plummet. It probably worked when the system announcer used it because I was in thetent potential release state, and my base stats were way higher. I figure there¡¯s a chance that unleashing mytent potential made it so that their skill levels didn¡¯t drop either.

    Well, I guess all that means is that it¡¯s not something I¡¯ll be using much, especially in battle. It might be a bit useful when for stuff like scouting or acting like a decoy or something though. Oh, and I guess I could use it to pretend to be Fran¡¯s guardian or something as well.

    Anddddd that¡¯s it I think. I¡¯m going to need to practice using each and every single one of those skills in order to actually get value out of them. I have to make sure I know when I should and shouldn¡¯t be using them too.

    Alrighty, that¡¯s everything checked over. What should I do next? I hope Jean¡¯s done with the Journal.

 Chapter 84: Side Diary

    <h4>Chapter 84: Side Diary</h4>

    ¡¸There you are, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºHave you finished reading it over?¡»

    ¡¸I have. It would be best for you to give it a read as well.¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ alright, but it seems pretty long.¡»

    The diary¡¯s almostpletely filled. It looks like there¡¯s a couple year¡¯s worth of entries in there.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    My body¡¯s been like this for almost three years.

    Today, I decided that I would write a diary. I don¡¯t really know why I decided to, I just kinda felt like it. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to write an entry every single day, so I¡¯ll try for once a week.

    It¡¯s possible that someone might end up seeing this diary some time in the future. So, person, whoever you are, I¡¯ll write you a little bit of a self-introduction so you know more about me.

    I guess the first thing I should write about is my current location. To be honest, at first I didn¡¯t really know exactly where I was, but I did know the kind of ce I was in.

    I was on a giant floating rock, one of the Reidos Kingdom¡¯s secret experiments. As for me? I was just one of theirb rats.

    I didn¡¯t really know exactly what kind of experiment they were running here, but it looked to me like it was something to do with the military.

    They used me as a part of a necromancy experiment. Again, I didn¡¯t really know many details or anything like that. All I knew was that I wanted to die. And I wasn¡¯t saying this like it was some sort of passing thought. It¡¯s something I was brooding over for a long time. I wanted to die.

    You could easily tell that the researchers didn¡¯t really see us as fellow human beings. To them, we were guinea pigs, nothing less, nothing more. It¡¯s as if they didn¡¯t understand the meaning of the words ¡°humane treatment.¡±

    But yeah, one day a lot of bad things happened, or should I say good things? I¡¯m not really sure which it is. Either way, a lot of things happened, and I was deprived of everything that made me human.

    I can still recall what happened that day in vivid detail. That day, they killed me. After cutting off both my legs and and my right arm in a series of experiments, they decided to dispose of me by using me in onest,rge-scale experiment.

    They used me, a live necromancer, in an experiment. Well, actually, I say that, but I was a pretty weak necromancer. You could barely call me one. The only spells I could use were the Lv 1 spells I picked up in my time here in this facility. Either way they were going to do it. They were going to inject me with curses, grudges, and malice in order to try and turn me into an undead while I was still alive. Messed up, right?

    But whatever. Nothing mattered anymore. I was going to die.

    They chained me up and ced me in a hallway with a giant magic circle drawn inside of it. Countless curses were poured inside of my body. They used a barrier alongside a sort of special technique to make it so I couldn¡¯t reject the curses as they came to me, and so, having found a body to possess all room¡¯s malice rushed towards me and filled me in an instant.

    And that was when it happened.

    I couldn¡¯t tell what Goddess was trying to do that day. Was she trying to show me mercy? Or was she just ying a prank on me? I couldn¡¯t tell.

    A dungeon core suddenly appeared in the room I was in.

    There was a bunch of writing on it, but I couldn¡¯t tell what any of it meant back then.

    What I did know was that the core could¡¯ve appeared anywhere else. But it appeared here, right in front of me.

    I still don¡¯t know why it appeared then and there. Was it just a coincidence? Was the Goddess of Chaos just messing with me? Or was she pitying me?

    I didn¡¯t know, and I still don¡¯t to this day.

    All I knew was that the dungeon core acknowledged me as its master. It powered up my body and allowed me to absorb every singlest bit of malice that came at me. And so, the ritual transformed me from a living, breathing human being to nothing more than an undead creature.

    I was supposed to be turned into a Zombie Mage, a lower ss undead. But even then, it was much more powerful than I¡¯d ever been in life.

    But the fact that I became a dungeon master and the fact that I absorbed every singlest grudge and curse made me transform into something else altogether.

    I somehow ended up bing a Lich. At first, I¡¯d just thought I became a Skeleton, but I soon realized that I¡¯d be a Lich. My transformation granted me more than twenty different skills and spells.

    There was actually a span of three days between the dungeon core appearing and me waking up. I don¡¯t actually know what happened during those three days, but what I did know was that all of the humans on the ind had somehow been overwhelmed by the undead and exterminated. Learning that fact made me freeze in shock for a few moments.

    Some would go as far as calling the transformation I underwent an evolution, one of necromancy¡¯s ultimate goals.

    But I think that¡¯s pretty much as far from the truth as it gets.

    My sense of morality seemed to have left with my humanity. My heart felt like it¡¯d been wrung dry, and so, I tried to quench its thirst. I went around the ind and destroyed any of the researchers that¡¯d turned into undead.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Hatred continued to vent from everyst fibre of my being.

    It hurt. I couldn¡¯t help but hate humans so much that it hurt. I felt the urge topletely ruin their lives, to destroy everything and anything they¡¯ve ever loved. I want to kill everyst one, to wipe their very species off the face of the Earth.

    Revenge.

    I wanted revenge.

    Vengence was the only reason for which I now existed.

    I wanted revenge.

    But I didn¡¯t.

    Bing a Lich was something along the lines of a miracle. I¡¯d finally been released from my life as ab rat. I wanted to spend the rest of my days in peace, to quietly live on and enjoy my second chance at life.

    I didn¡¯t want to kill.

    The malice within me, however, did. It refused my pleas and told me to do but a single thing.

    To kill.

    To seek vengeance.

    It forced me to action. I couldn¡¯t stop myself.

    Hey, you, the person reading this diary. I don¡¯t know who you are or what kind of person you are. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re an enemy or an ally, a good or bad person. But regardless, I hope that you will tell the world about what happened here. Please, inform the world of the Reidos Kingdom¡¯s sins and liberate our souls from the fetters of misery.

    April 7th, 3619

    Today¡¯s the day I start my diary. Nothing notable happened, besides me deciding to write this, of course. Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it. I mean, this is a whim and all that.

    So uh¡­ yeah, I guess I¡¯ll just quickly gloss over what I did today.

    To start, I did the usual thing and erged the dungeon a bit. Then, I made a few undead. I still haven¡¯t touched the bodies of the researchers, nor the bodies of my fellowb rats. I think I¡¯ll focus on making subordinates and ruing GP for the time being.

    Oh, yeah, by the way, GP stands for Goddess Points. I didn¡¯t know either until recently. I guess they¡¯re called that because you offer them up to the Goddess of Chaos or something like that.

    September 29th, 3619

    I¡¯ve finally managed to get over 10k GP! I should be able to get the dungeon to mass produce undead now.

    I also tried to write down some stuff about the dungeon itself, but it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯m able to. I can try all I want, but my hands will refuse to move whenever I try writing about the dungeon¡¯s core.

    It seems like there¡¯s some sort of mysterious power that¡¯s preventing me from doing so. It¡¯s strong enough to stop a Lich, so I guess it¡¯s probably the Goddess or something.

    November 4th, 3619

    I used a bunch of GP to make a strong subordinate. The facilities left behind by the researchers seemed to have a bunch of stuff used in the summoning of undead, so I procured it all for myself. One of the items therein was called the ¡°Hero¡¯s Bone.¡± I don¡¯t really know if it actually belonged to some hero or not, but whatever.

    What mattered was that it was actually just as powerful a material as its name signified. Using it allowed me to summon a Fighter ss Legendary Skeleton. It even had an extra skill by the name of ¡°Latent Potential Release.¡±

    I tried pitting myself against it in a mock battle, and it did pretty well. I¡¯m d, I¡¯ve managed to get myself a strongpanion.

    December 31st, 3619

    The year hase to an end. This is the fourth New Years I¡¯ve experienced as a lich. I tried making some special New Year¡¯s bread and soup. I can¡¯t actually eat it, but making let me enjoy the festive mood.

    Hmm¡­ I wonder what kind of holidays undead are supposed to celebrate anyway¡­?

    It won¡¯t be long until I get enough GP for my next goal. I can almost taste the Undead Creation Studio I¡¯m about to get my hands on. I¡¯m really looking forward to it, I¡¯ll be able to make even more undead now.

    Feburary 27th, 3620

    I finally managed to get my Undead Creation Studio. Dungeons sure are strange. The studio just magically appeared where I wanted it to without so much as a dy.

    The studio was really nice, and a significant powerup as well. The dungeon is now capable of creating many different kinds of undead that it wasn¡¯t capable of creating before. I¡¯m getting better at necromancy too, so I¡¯ve gotten a grasp on how to summon a bunch of different kinds of undead as well.

    The only issue is that I¡¯m not really sure what kind of undead I should be making.

    The undead the dungeon makes have magic stones inside of them, and most of the mana will ultimately end up going back to the dungeon, but they¡¯re kind of weak.

    The undead that I make, my kin, don¡¯t have magic stones. They have fake souls inside of them instead. They end up being much stronger, but, they don¡¯t really help the dungeon¡¯s mana situation much at all. Furthermore, their cores are pretty much made up by grudges, so they¡¯re all kind of aggressive.

    I could always just buff up all the undead that the dungeon churns out if I used Spirit Control, but doing that for a few hundred of them is honestly too much of a pain for me to bother with it.

    Alrighty, I guess I¡¯ll do a fifty-fifty split then.

    September 18th, 3620

    It seems that the floating ind¡¯s path started to stabilize, it¡¯s route has gotten fairly regr. I can try to point it in a direction too, but that takes a lot of mana¡­

    I¡¯m kind of stuck in the middle of a bunch of different countries, but whatever, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not all that far away from the Reidos Kingdom, so it should be pretty easy for me to get revenge on them. That is why I exist, after all.

    April 14th, 3621

    The dungeon¡¯s gotten a lot bigger, so my options seemed to have expanded as well. All I can say is that all the dungeon¡¯s more advanced facilities look awesome.

    Two of them in particr have really caught my attention. The first was a huge barrier that covered the entire dungeon. The second was something that converted malice into magical energy. Both cost 300k GP, so I won¡¯t be able to get them for a while.

    September 11th, 3621

    I¡¯ve finally finished expanding the dungeon. It now spans a total of ten floors, and it can influence the whole ind plus another fifty meters or so.

    I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯ll be able tond on the ind with ease so long as I beef up the air units a bit.

    I think I¡¯ll focus on creating more undead and adding traps for now then, I guess.

    May 20th, 3622

    Today marks the first time I¡¯ve made a unique undead in a long time. I used 10k GP to make myself a Soul Eater.

    Apparently it gets stronger by eating the undead despite the fact that it itself is also a member of the undead. It looks like another run of the mill zombie for the time being, but I¡¯m kinda curious as to how it¡¯ll end up turning out.

    I decided to let it roam around in thebyrinth as it pleased for the time being.

    October 10th, 3622

    Today, I¡¯m going to be writing quite a bit for the first time in a while.

    Someone¡¯s finallye to the dungeon! My first invader! At first, I thought he came on the Reidos Kingdom¡¯s orders, but apparently that wasn¡¯t the case.

    I mean, there was only a single person after all, so I guess it¡¯d have to be an adventurer of sorts. That said, he was quite formidable despite only being a lone necromancer. He was riding a Griffon Skeleton ¡ª something that even I was struggling to summon!

    The undead birds and bats I summoned tried their best to keep him out, but the Griffon proved too strong and managed to break through them.

    The forest pretty much did exactly what I¡¯d nned though. It had an illusion spell on it, so it confused the adventurer and made him get lost.

    There were undead at every single turn, so he started to get exhausted.

    He tried to retreat, so I had a few of my more powerful undead go after him. The Soul Eater had gotten pretty strong too, so I sent him as well. My undead beat out the necromancer¡¯s, but he still managed to escape.

    Too bad. I wanted to capture and talk to him. If he was the likeable kind, I might¡¯ve even made him into one of my subordinates.

    Oh well, whatever. Either way, he managed to get me to smile for the first time in what felt like years. In fact, I think the smile I had on my face today was the biggest I¡¯ve ever had in my life.

    I still remember what he said, ¡°Fuhahaha! What a formidable dungeon! Never have I considered that I, Jean Dovy, would have to escape from a haunt!¡±

    He wasn¡¯t making fun of me, right? I think it might¡¯ve even been the opposite, in fact. He was paying homage to my dungeon as his tattered robe and skull-like essories fluttered in the wind. I see. I get it now. That¡¯s what it means to be a true necromancer.

    What about me then? I mean, I¡¯m a lich and all, but aren¡¯t I kind ofme? I should be more like him.

    Alright, it¡¯s time for a change in attitude. I¡¯ll try to be a bit more conscious of how I speak.

    ¡°Behold, for I am a Lich, Ruler of the Undead! Kukakakakaka!¡± Hmm¡­ that sounded pretty good didn¡¯t it? Er, I mean. That sounded quite magnificent, did it not?

    Splendid. I feel naught but marvelous. Kukakakaka!

    This is going to take some getting used to.

    October 28th, 3623

    I finally managed to save up 300k GP, so I immediately set up the Furnace of Malice. Actively hunting the magic beasts that ended uping near the floating ind was well worth it.

    I was thinking of saving the magic stones I got so I could make magic tools with themter, but I ended up prioritizing GP, so I let the dungeon absorb them.

    Even something as weak as a Lesser Wyverns me around 20 GP. It was well worth having the dungeon absorb my entire stock.

    The furnace would absorb any malice in its surroundings and convert it all into magical energy. Linking it up with me effectively produced an infinite loop alongside an inexhaustible supply of magical energy.

    April 12th, 3624

    My power increases every single day as a result of the furnace of Malice. I may soon have enough power to enact my revenge upon the Kingdom of Reidos.

    However, I encountered what wouldbel a minor incident whose cause not even I could identify. The curses within this body of mine have begun to grow more powerful. It poses no problem, as I possess the ability to convert malice into power, but¡­

    I can feel my hatred grow, day by day. I can feel resentment piling up within me and reaching heights unknown.

    November 3rd, 3624

    I have began experiencing moments of which I have no memory. Could this perhaps be caused by all the malice that dwells within me?

    August 7th, 3625

    I¡¯ve noticed something strange today. The corpse eater has taken on a child¡¯s as a result of a peculiar reason of which I bear noprehension.

    I recall that it had been a ten meter tall giant just a few days prior¡­

    It appears to have shaved off any excess body parts. Though it stands a much shorter height, its magical abilities have more than doubled in rpense.

    It has taken on a form identical to that my own prior to my transformation. I cannot decipher if this has urred because it was produced from my magic, or if it is simply a result of it being my effective offspring. How interesting.

    February 24th, 3626

    As I have no memory of two of the past seven days, I decided to investigate by inspecting the dungeon¡¯s video records. I cannot imagine the demon beyond the screen as myself.

    What was reflected within the dungeon¡¯s records was none other than a true Lich, a being that could only be described by the words violent, cruel and brutal.

    I feel that I will soon be swallowed by what I see before me.

    That, however, may be perfectly eptable by its own right.

    If I am to tread upon the path of vengeance, then sympathy will be but an obstacle. My other self will surely be able to fulfill my thirst for revenge in an ever so cruel and gruesome manner .

    October 6th, 3626

    My memory loss continues to worsen. I can now only recall every other day.

    My n, however, is progressing as smoothly as could be. I have risen in level whilst strengthening my subordinates. I¡¯ve finally amassed enough power to topple the Kingdom of Reidos.

    Ick the prowess to best the Kingdom in an all out war. However, the floating ind will allow my troops to catch the Kingdom by surprise. I shall invade the capital and assassinate its royal family before razing the city and turning it into a sea of undead soldiers.

    Soon.

    Soon, my n wille to fruition. I need but half a year.

    The world shall learn the depths of my malice.

    March 19th, 3627

    Today, I regained my consciousness for the first time in half a year. I¡¯ve long handed off the seat of this body¡¯s primary host to another.

    But I do not mind. The dungeon has progressed as per my wishes.

    There is, however, an item that bothers me. Is the path I tread truly oneid out before me by the Goddess?

    It just so happens that the first day I¡¯ve awoken is coincidentally a day in which the dungeon was subject to invasion. The necromancer has returned, and with him came apanion.

    The necromancer¡¯spanion was an adorable girl. Her age was likely simr to that of mine immediately prior to my transformation. She possesses great might for her age; her mastery of the sword is none other than outstanding.

    My eyes fail me; they are unable to keep up her motions.

    It must be nice¡­ to havepanions, friends¡­ I myself have never known the experience, for I was both born into very and denied the opportunity. And it is likely for that reason that she almost appeared to shimmer.

    I wish for her not to perish¡­ but I doubt my desire to be usible.

    The party cleared through the dungeon at an incredible pace. Will it perhaps fall to them?

    Considering the possibility puts me in an indescribable mood. The joyful prospect of my soul attaining freedom contrasts the irritation that arises from the potential destruction of my ns.

    Do I wish to be vanquished? Or do I wish to live on?

    I cannot grasp the answer.

    I feel as if my encounter with the necromancer and the girl must be none other than the call of fate itself¡­

    I regret that I will be unable to witness the oue of our encounter. And so, I wonder¡­

    What scene will I awaken to next? No, will I even continue to awaken?

    My dear reader, could you perhaps be him? Jean Dovy? Or maybe the beastgirl that traveled by his side?

    If so, then I have but a single thing to say.

    I¡¯m d that you were the ones that survived our encounter.

 Chapter 85: The City of Dharz

    <h4>Chapter 85: The City of Dharz</h4>

    ¡¸Leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸Take care of yourselves out there.¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure it¡¯s okay for us to leave you with all that stuff to do?¡»

    ¡¸I mind not. The tasks you have left me are but ones thate with the profession.¡¹

    Jean¡¯s healed up quite a bit over the course of the past few days. He¡¯s finally able to walk again, though he does still need to borrow Bernado¡¯s shoulder.

    Jean said that he would handle all the administrative stuff that needed to be done. More specifically, he was going to report the matter to both the guild and country by handing the diary off to the proper authorities. He was also going to go purify the parts of the floating ind that broke off and fell once he was done with all the paperwork and whatnot. He said that we didn¡¯t have to worry about it because we were still in the midst of a journey. He had time, and though I was somewhat inclined to disagree, he insisted we didn¡¯t.

    That said, I was pretty grateful that he was willing to go out and handle it all. At the very least, I¡¯ll make sure I properly dispose of the giant bs of rock sitting around in my dimensional storage. ording to Jean, we should be able to just dump them in a volcano or anywhere else that¡¯s heavy on the earth element. If we just did that, the malevolent spirits possessing the rocks would naturally go away. Other possible ces we could dump them included the bottom of the ocean, the interior of a canyon, or really anything along those lines.

    ¡¸And with that out of the way, I bid you farewell.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Later.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºTake care of yourself!¡»

    Fran got on Urushi¡¯s back. We took off immediately after saying our goodbyes.

    ¡¸Come back and visit some day. You will always be wee here.¡¹

    We moved so quickly that theboratory seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye.

    ¡ºHe was a pretty good guy.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWe really shoulde back and visit him some time down the line.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    If we stayed on schedule, we would¡¯ve long departed Dharz and gotten on a southbound ship, but we¡¯d yet to reach the city. Luckily, things were looking up. There were no longer any obstacles between us and the city.

    I sank into thought as we travelled.

    Was that lich¡­ really a lich? Well, I mean I guess it technically was, but, I mean like¡­ who exactly did we fight? Did we fight the person who wrote the diary or his other personality?

    I mean, it seemed to me that the whole reason his personality got all twisted was because of the Furnace of Malice or whatever it was it called, but, we ended up destroying said furnace. I¡¯m pretty sure the ¡°evil¡± lich had control before we destroyed the furnace, but what about after?

    Would we have been able to survive if the Lich had really gone all out? Did he hold back in the end, or¡­?

    Well, no point thinking about it now. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m actually going to be able toe to a conclusion.

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºSo which lich were we really facing in the end¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just d that both that Lich and Stephan were able to pass on.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Two days passed by in the blink of an eye.

    The portside city of Dharz was finally within our sights.

    ¡ºI can see it!¡»

    ¡¸Ooohh!!¡¹

    Our view of the city expanded as we climbed a hill. The sight that awaited us at its peak was a magnificent one, an ocean that glimmered a brilliant sapphire alongside a beautiful portside city. Though the city itself was a bit smaller than Alessa, it carried with it an air of elegance. Its docks were filled with ships of all shapes and sizes, it almost looked like it came right out of a painting.

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s the matter Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Sea. Happy.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, right, now that you mention it, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s ever seen the ocean before.¡»

    ¡¸Bark!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, in that case, why don¡¯t we head on over to the beach in a bit?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi began rapidly wagging his tail back and forth. He seemed really excited.

    ¡¸Fun.¡¹

    ¡ºReally?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Never been to the beach before.¡¹

    Ah, right. Fran used to be a ve, so she probably never got a chance to y by the oceanside despite the fact that she¡¯s been on a boat before. I guess we could spend a bit more time on and around the beach before we leave. It¡¯s not like the City of Barbra is going anywhere just because we didn¡¯t rush on over, right?

    ¡ºAlrighty then, what are your thoughts on a beachside pic?¡»

    ¡¸Curry?¡¹

    ¡ºCurry isn¡¯t exactly the type of thing you¡¯d eat at a pic¡­ I was thinking something along the lines of sandwiches.¡»

    ¡¸Curry sandwiches?¡¹

    ¡ºWell¡­ I guess a few can¡¯t hurt.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Wooooooof?¡¹

    ¡ºI know, I know, I¡¯ll prep you something too. What do you think of bone-in meat?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    I can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re excited because we¡¯re having a pic, or if it¡¯s just because of the food¡­

    That said, we couldn¡¯t just head over to the beach right away. We first had to find ourselves a ce to spend the night, preferably somewherefortable. There was a chance that we would have to stay in town for a few days before we could find a ship headed to our destination.

    ¡ºUrushi, could you shrink down a bit? We¡¯ll walk the rest of the way.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The big wolf immediately transformed into its smaller, more dog-like mode before running after Fran. The two immediately found a path that led us straight to town.

    Apparently we weren¡¯t the only people on said path either. We ran into a bunch of different groups travelling to and from the city. For some odd reason, they always moved out of our way the moment they saw us.

    I ended up writing it off as Urushi¡¯s fault. Fran and I basically see him as a dog because we know him pretty well, but it¡¯d make sense for the average person to see him and go ¡°holy crap, a ck wolf!¡± It only really made sense for them to want to avoid us. Luckily, he had a crest to prove that he was Fran¡¯s familiar, so no one turned tail, screamed, and ran away the moment they saw him. That said, if he was alone, they probably would¡¯ve already sent a few adventurers after him.

    We soon arrived at the town¡¯s entrance, unintentionally intimidating all we passed on the way.

    I was expecting the town¡¯s guards to demand an inspection or something, but to my surprise, we managed to get by pretty easily. All we needed to do was show off our documentation and pay the 300 Golde entrance fee.

    ¡ºAlright, why don¡¯t we look for an inn or something like that first?¡»

    ¡¸Not the beach?¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll go after we find a ce to stay. Though¡­ the city sure does seem quite lively.¡»

    The city¡¯s a bit smaller than Alessa was, but there seems to be somewhere around twice as many people out and about. That¡¯s a portside city for you, a guess.

    ¡ºI mean, you probably don¡¯t want to end up camping out again despite finally getting to town, right?¡»

    ¡¸Ofc.¡¹

    ¡ºWhere in the hell did you manage to pick that up¡­? Whatever. Anyways, let¡¯s go find ourselves a ce to stay. We should probably take a look at the adventurer¡¯s guild too so we can sell stuff.¡»

    One of the most apparent simrities that Dharz shared with Alessa was the fact that both their main streets were practically littered with inns. Since we had so many to pick from, we decided to go for something a bit higher end. The cheaper ones could be unsanitary, so I figured it¡¯d probably be better for us to avoid them.

    ¡¸Full again.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ that¡¯s weird.¡»

    We visited five different inns, but not a single one had a room to spare. At first, I suspected that the shopkeepers were intentionally denying us service, either because Fran was too young, or because they didn¡¯t want to lodge Urushi, but it seemed that they were actually telling the truth.

    ¡ºWhy don¡¯t we just head over to the guild for the time being? They might be able to help us out.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We were quickly directed towards the guild after asking around for its location.

    The Dharz branch seemed significantly smaller than the one set up in Alessa.

    ¡¸Hello.¡¹

    ¡¸Wee!¡¹

    We were greeted by a deep, intimidating voice the moment we opened the guild¡¯s doors, and it was at that exact moment that I began to pity Dharz¡¯ adventurers. Alessa¡¯s receptionist was a beautiful young woman in her prime. Here, they were stuck with a buff ass dude. Oh how unfair the world is.

    ¡¸Did you need something from the guild, youngdy?¡¹

    ¡¸Want to sell materials.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry littledy, but we only buy from adventurers round these parts.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸What? You¡¯re a rank D adventurer? And the card¡­ appears to be the real deal. Give me a second.¡¹

    The man held Fran¡¯s guild card up to one of the guild¡¯s crystals. It read without any issues, thereby evidencing its genuity.

    ¡¸I-It¡¯s real! So you truly are a rank D adventurer, little miss!?¡¹

    The buff receptionist shouted in surprise. His voice was so loud that it attracted a few of the adventurers that¡¯d been sitting idle within the building.

    Roughly 20 adventurers had gathered around the bar ced in the building¡¯s center in a matter of minutes.

    ¡¸Man Moj, yer just pulling my leg here, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, it¡¯s gotta be fake. You know it, I know it, cut the sheet already.¡¹

    And that was pretty much how everyone¡¯s reactions went ¡ª not that it mattered. Mojh, the receptionist guy, had already verified the card¡¯s integrity.

    Annoyingly enough, the other adventurers wouldn¡¯t shut up about it at all, so we weren¡¯t able to actually get anywhere though.

    ¡¸Still buying?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. My bad. You¡¯re the real thing, so I can buy whatever you¡¯ve got.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That spot ok?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure.¡¹

    Franpletely ignored all the other adventurers despite the fact that they were making a huge fuss and headed straight towards the Material Exchange Counter. She began cing materials on top of the leather sheet they used for material exchange.

    Specifically, she first ced all the materials from the 10 or so lesser magic beasts we encountered on our way here before following with a few of the things we picked up from the undead within the lich¡¯s dungeon.

    We didn¡¯t sell all of the materials we got from said dungeon because some could be used to mix potions and the like. The only ones we sold were the ones that couldn¡¯t be used for anything but armour.

    The more materials she piled on, the louder the adventurers got, but after the pile reached a certain height, their excitement started to die down; the boisterous noise was rapidly reced by low murmurs.

    And by the time she started pulling out materials from rank D magic beasts, everyone had stopped talking altogether. The room had gone silent.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hello?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry¡­ I was just a bit surprised is all.¡¹

    ¡¸Transaction.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll get right to it, but there¡¯s a lot I have to go through. It should take about an hour to process. Would you mind waiting, or¡­?¡¹

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try asking him for a room or something.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    And so, Fran asked Mojh about inns that might still have vacancies, only to receive a¡­ less than favourable answer.

    ¡¸It¡¯s fairly difficult to get your hands on a room round this time of the season.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸As I¡¯m sure you know, the Lunar Banquet ising up soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸So, yeah, that. It¡¯s something that happens every season. Barbra holds a huge festival every third month, and as a result, many folks tend to gather here in order to head over via boat. Thanks to that, the inns always end up bookedpletely full.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohh¡­¡¹

    Crap, it looks like we actually might have to end up camping out somewhere.

    Fran seemed to know what this Lunar Banquet thing was, so I guess it¡¯s probably one of this world¡¯s regr festivities.

    ¡ºHey Fran, what¡¯s this Lunar Banquet thing?¡»

    £¨Festival.£©

    ¡ºWell, I mean I figured that much.¡»

    £¨Full moon.£©

    ¡ºBut aren¡¯t full moons kinda like normal?¡»

    £¨Only during the banquet.£©

    I tried to make sense of what Fran told me.

    The Lunar Banquet is something that only happens once every 3 months.

    This world has seven different moons. There was onerge one, and six smaller ones. Apparently, the only time you¡¯d ever be able to see all seven at once with the big one full was during the festival.

    If it only happens once every three months, then I guess that means they only get ¡°full¡± moons four times a year.

    Oh! I get it now. The date marked on the calendar we found in Alessa was supposed to denote for the Lunar Banquet.

    Today¡¯s the twenty sixth, so that means there should be five more days until it happens.

    Instead of sitting around inside the guild and just waiting the whole process out, we decided to visit a few more inns in the meantime. Unfortunately, all of the ten odd inns we visited were booked to the brim. The only rooms that were left over were reserved for nobles and the like.

    What a pain in the ass¡­

    ¡ºLooks like we didn¡¯t manage to find anything yet¡­ Oh well, it can¡¯t really be helped. Let¡¯s head back over to the guild for now so we can grab the cash they owe us.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Worsees to worst, we¡¯ll ask the guild to let us borrow like one of their tavern¡¯s corners or something.

 Chapter 86: Beach Time!

    <h4>Chapter 86: Beach Time!</h4>

    We went back to the adventurer¡¯s guild and grabbed the money they owed us. All in all, it totalled up to 120k Golde, which I would say was a pretty worthwhile amount. All we needed to do now was find ourselves a ce to stay, and we¡¯d pretty much be free to go do whatever else we wanted.

    But despite our efforts, we weren¡¯t able to find any sort of lodging whatsoever. Crap, what do we do now?

    Fran was already three stages past being just bored of looking around.

    ¡¸Master. Beach.¡¹

    ¡ºWe haven¡¯t got a ce to stay yet.¡»

    ¡¸Can stay at the guild. I want to go to the beach.¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    Oh god damn it! Not you too Urushi!

    Eh, I guess it can¡¯t really be helped. We¡¯ll give up trying to find a ce for now and go spend some time ying by the seaside.

    ¡ºAlright, alright, I get it. Let¡¯s head over to the marketce so we can buy ingredients and whatnot.¡»

    Screw it, if we¡¯re going to just mess around, we might as well enjoy ourselves as much as possible.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The most important part of having a good time was to first get everything you needed set up. Knowing that, we first headed straight to the marketce. Dharz¡¯ had a port, so I had the sneaking suspicion that here, we might¡¯ve be able to get our hands on stuff we¡¯d have a lot of trouble getting elsewhere.

    It turned out that I was spot on. The market was stocked full of the ocean¡¯s bounty. The first thing to catch my eye was an odd, bright blue salt. It looked like the type of stuff you¡¯d buy if you really wanted to splurge; it was listed at ten times the price of even the finest white salt.

    Apparently, said blue salt was one of the city¡¯s specialities. You couldn¡¯t get it from anywhere other the rank G dungeon that sat right outside the city¡¯s boundaries.

    Fran immediately perked up upon catching wind of the word ¡°dungeon,¡± but quickly lost interest as she was told more about it.

    The dungeon was rtively small. All in all, it consisted of but a single floor. You could make it all the way to the dungeon core in about thirty minutes and the only notable thing you could get was blue salt. The magic beasts that inhabited it were not only weak, but also few and far inbetween. Even I quickly grew bored of hearing about it, so Fran losing interest was practically a given.

    I mean, it did sound like a pretty fun experience, at least at first. I mean, you would have to have the ability to both breathe and fight underwater in order to even get to it. That, however, was where all my interest waned, as the dungeon itself was just a regr, above water cave. You could even buy the only valuable thing the dungeon produced on the market, so¡­ yeah. No thanks.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a fish type magic beast. They call them Pyragenia, and apparently they taste pretty damn good.¡»

    ¡¸And that?¡¹

    ¡ºPretty sure it¡¯s just a crab w, albeit a really big one.¡»

    ¡¸Bark.¡¹

    ¡ºDo you want one, Urushi?¡»

    We quickly went around the marketce and bought whatever caught our eyes before finally heading to the beach.

    It¡¯s still early spring, and it¡¯s kind of cold, so there aren¡¯t any other people around. We¡¯ve basically got the whole thing to ourselves.

    ¡¸Beach!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Fran took off her shoes and cloak and made a beeline straight for the sea the moment we arrived. Urushi quickly followed suit and immediately jumped in after her.

    The water temperature was pretty much about as low as you¡¯d expect it to be given the time of year, but Urushi¡¯s got fur, so he should be fine despite the temperature. As for Fran¡­ well, I guess she¡¯ll be okay if she uses magic to warm herself up.

    ¡ºHey, calm down you two. You guys are going to-¡»

    ¡¸Uaahhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper.¡¹

    Just as I was about to warn them, both Urushi and Fran opened their mouths only to have their gaping maws filled to the brim with seawater. And as you¡¯d expect, both immediately spat it back out with frowns stered across their faces.

    ¡¸Blech¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper!¡¹

    The two were then swallowed by an iing wave and thrown back onto the beach. Their sopping wet bodies were left sprawled all over the sand; the sea had treated them exactly as it would a pair of corpses.

    Fran was a person whose stats far surpassed what wasmonly thought of as the human limit. Urushi was a Darkness Wolf, a magical beast with incredible power. Yet, both were reduced to mere puppets by Mother Nature¡¯s hands.

    ¡ºThe sea¡¯s full of nothing but saltwater, so you¡¯re not exactly going to have a good time if you let it get in your mouth.¡»

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸Yelp¡­¡¹

    Both Fran and Urushi were really looking forward to the whole beach thing, but the sudden series of unfortunate events seemed to havepletely killed all their enthusiasm.

    ¡¸And it feel gross.¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸Feet being swallowed.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Ah, right. When the waves wash over your feet, you kind of get pulled towards the sea together with the sand you¡¯re standing on. Neither Fran nor Urushi seemed really enjoy the sensation. They felt quite the opposite, in fact.

    ¡ºAre you guys not feeling up for it anymore then?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    The two trudged their way back over to me as water continued to drip from their sogging wet bodies. I could almost swear that they were about as gloomy as they¡¯d be at a funeral.

    ¡ºWhy don¡¯t we eat so you guys can get all cheered up?¡»

    ¡¸Curry¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºI didn¡¯t actually make anything else yet, so sure, why not?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºHere¡¯s something for you too, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I brought a giant hunk of meat out of my dimensional storage for thetter of the two to enjoy¡­

    The fresh sea breeze almost seemed to embrace us as we ate a meal under a clear, blue sky.

    It seemed that Fran had never experienced anything quite like this, and so, her mood gradually recovered. That said, I wasn¡¯t about to let her go with nothing but a bad impression of what I considered a wonderful waterfront yground. I mean, she had still yet to enjoy all that the beach had to offer. Spending a day by the beachside meant so much more than just messing around in the ocean.

    The first activity I had her try was one of mankind¡¯s most fundamental seaside pastimes.

    ¡¸Fishing rod?¡¹

    After scouting around the beach for a bit, I found what was effectively the ideal fishing spot. I was going to make sure Fran enjoyed her beach visit, and this was pretty much the perfect opportunity, so I quickly led her over after she finished eating.

    The area was a bit rocky, but that wasn¡¯t really much of a problem. In fact, the change of terrain made it all the better as far fishing spots went.

    Fran had fished inkes and rivers before, but this would be her first time fishing for anything that lived in saltwater.

    I made a doppleganger and passed it a fishing rod as well. You know, now that I think about it, thest time I fished was before I reincarnated. It¡¯s been a while, so I really wanted to give the old skillset a polish.

    ¡¸Target, big fish.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s do our best.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    An hour passed.

    ¡¸Woah.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof woofety woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! Pull it in!¡»

    I was pretty worried that we weren¡¯t going to catch anything. If that happened, then Fran might¡¯ve seriously ended up disassociating the word ¡°beach: from any sort of positive connotation whatsoever. And that, in my mind at least, was be equivalent to a sort of tragedy.

    ¡¸Sess.¡¹

    ¡¸Wooooof!¡¹

    ¡ºWow, it¡¯s pretty big.¡»

    The fish was undoubtedly a big catch. Though its features were a bit grotesque, it measured in at a flopping 80 centimeters in length.

    As for me¡­ yeah, I didn¡¯t really catch anything. But who cares! All that matters is that Fran enjoyed herself! My pride doesn¡¯t hurt in the least. Ahahaha¡­haha¡­ha¡­

    ¡ºWhy don¡¯t we eat this thing right here and now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    I quickly crafted an oven with magic, lit it ame, and got ready to cook our catch.

    ¡ºHow about ying in the sand while it cooks?¡»

    ¡¸ying in the sand?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, give it a shot.¡»

    ¡¸By¡­ hitting the sand?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I guess you couuuuld have a sandball figh- wait no! That¡¯s not how you y in the sand! You¡¯re supposed to build sandcastles and dig giant holes and stuff.¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡­ Will try it. Urushi, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t go too far!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Wait, what should I even be making? I guess sashimi¡¯s the most obvious thing thates to mind, I¡¯d really hate to just limit it to just that. I guess I¡¯ll also grill some of it. Fish soup sounds like a pretty good idea too.

    I gave the fish a quick once over before actually preparing it. It didn¡¯t look like it was poisoned, nor did it seem like any sort of magic beast. Its meat was a beautiful shade of white, and it had all the delicious fishy oils that you¡¯d normally expect out of well¡­ fish.

    Yeah, I¡¯m definitely going for sashimi. The grilled fish is definitely in too, especially since I can season it with the blue salt we bought earlier. I could even taste test it by making myself a doppelganger.

    I decided to grab the crab and ms we bought off the market earlier and use them in the fish soup. Naturally, thebination of a Japanese person and fish soup implied the use of Miso. This world¡¯s Miso was a bit sweeter than the Miso we had back home, but that wasn¡¯t really much of an issue at all. I had more than enough soup stock avable too, so operation soup was a sess.

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s done.¡»

    I finished cooking after about half an hour, so I decided to go grab Fran and Urushi.

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    My voice leaked out in an obviously stupefied tone. Welp, I guess this is my fault. I really shouldn¡¯t have concentrated so much on cooking.

    Fran had built a massive western styled castle in the time I spent making food. All in all, it was five whole meters in height.

    It looked like she had used earth magic to excavate the area around her masterpiece, and wind magic to form its shape. I mean, I know I told her to make a castle, but this, this was far out of the scope of what I was expecting. You couldn¡¯t even really call it a mere sandcastle anymore. It was more like a sculpture, a piece of art, and an borate one at that.

    In fact, it was so fancy that I almost wanted to call her out for having gone overboard. The only conclusion I coulde to was that Fran was fairly artistically talented, and, as her guardian, I felt the urge to encourage and foster said talent.

    It looked like the sand she¡¯d used to make said castle was supplied by Urushi, as he had dug a huge hole nearby. He evidently went overboard too, as said hole was something on the scale of a crater.

    Upon closer inspection, I realized that Urushi was in fact still continuing to dig. He was digging and digging and digging his heart out with everything he had. Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. Digging is something dogs like doing.

    ¡¸Pant pant pant pant¡¹

    Yup, he looked like he was having a tonne of fun.

    So what exactly was I supposed to do about this whole overly fancy castle situation?

    I honestly hadn¡¯t the slightest clue.

 Chapter 87: A Pair of Grunts.

    <h4>Chapter 87: A Pair of Grunts.</h4>

    We went back to town after a day of beachside leisure. Since we¡¯d yet to find a ce to spend the night, we began looking for one right away.

    And as for Fran¡¯s sand castle? Yeah, I didn¡¯t really have any choice other than leaving it there. I mean, I wanted to demolish it, but then Fran started staring at me with a pair of tear-filled eyes, so I couldn¡¯t bring myself to actually do it. That said, we at least filled up the hole Urushi dug out ¡ª with magic, of course.

    We ended up spending more time at the beach than I was expecting; the sun was already far past its halfway point. Given the time, I decided to give up on trying to find a ce on Dharz¡¯ main street, so I had Fran venture into the city¡¯s alleyways in order for us to check out some of the cheaper inns.

    And that was when it happened.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºI know.¡»

    We were being tailed.

    Specifically, two men were following us around.

    ¡ºThey don¡¯t seem all that great at concealing themselves, so they¡¯re probably not that strong.¡»

    £¨Fight?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head somewhere without any people first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, stand by in Fran¡¯s shadow, alright?¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    Fran turned the corner and conveniently ran into a dead end. Sure enough, the two men showed themselves soon after.

    ¡¸You lost, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸We can help you around town if you want.¡¹

    The way they called out to us made it seemed like they were ustomed to saying those exact lines. I guess their strategy was to first corner the person before making them lower their guards by speaking in a kind manner.

    ¡¸No thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Aw,e on, don¡¯t be like that.¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Eric

    Age: 34

    Race: Blue Cat

    Job: Merchant

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 17/50

    HP: 78

    MP: 40

    STR: 37

    VIT: 33

    AGI: 52

    INT: 29

    MGC: 21

    DEX: 42

    Skills

    Transportation of Goods: Lv 2

    Commerce: Lv 2

    Pickpocket: Lv 4

    Short Sword Arts: Lv 3

    Detainment: Lv 2

    Night Vision

    Equipment

    Crude Iron Short Sword

    Deerskin Chestte

    Deerskin Shinguards

    Earrings of Silence

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Farego

    Age: 38

    Race: Blue CAt

    Job: Warrior

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 22/50

    HP: 168

    MP: 136

    STR: 49

    VIT: 50

    AGI: 68

    INT: 44

    MGC: 39

    DEX: 61

    Skills

    Assassination: Lv 2

    Silent Actions: Lv 3

    Short Sword Arts: Lv 4

    Throwing: Lv 2

    Shadow Slip: Lv 2

    Night Vision

    Equipment

    Iron Shortsword

    Bearhide Armour

    ck Mantle

    Ring of Dexterity

    _______________________________________________________________

    They were totally small fry. The only thing that even remotely caught my attention was the assassination skill that the second guy had, so I quickly gave it a once over.

    Assassination

    Rarity level 3

    Raise the damage of the first hit performed by a percentage equal to the skill¡¯s level. Only activates if the user performs a surprise attack.

    So it maxes out at 10%? That¡¯s not that bad. A 10% boost to my telekic catapult would be quite devastating. Unfortunately, skill taker¡¯s going to be on cooldown for another 75 days, so I can¡¯t really jack it from him. The reason for its super long cooldown was because I used it to take Unseble away from the Lich. Unseble was of rarity level 8, which meant meant that skills without levels would be treated as ones that werepletely maxed out.

    Anyways, just looking at their statuses pretty much told me that they weren¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call decent people.

    ¡¸Ya know, getting lost round these parts is prettty easy.¡¹

    ¡¸Not lost. Needless concern.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on now¡­¡¹

    Crisis detection activated right as the man¡¯s expression began to warp. He no longer was trying to put on the airs of a good natured guy that just happened to have a criminal-like face.

    ¡¸One more step and will treat as enemy.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah?¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t get out unscathed. Best to run.¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up and get over here you little sheet!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyahahahaha! This one¡¯s got a lot of spunk.¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure you don¡¯t hurt her. Her price¡¯ll drop if you do.¡¹

    Man, you know, every single blue cat we¡¯ve ran into has been like this. Literally one hundred percent of the blue cats we¡¯ve met have been nothing but scum.

    Fran silently draws me and gets into a battle-ready stance.

    ¡¸Huh? You wanna fight punk?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you think you¡¯re tough sheet, you little brat? We¡¯ll kick your b*tch ass!¡¹

    The two men leisurelyughed at Fran. Evidently, they didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit threatened. That was about to change. We were going to make them beg for their lives.

    ¡¸Warning was given.¡¹

    I activated parallel processing and began casting magic the moment she finished speaking. The skill¡¯s effects allowed me to easily fire off two different spells at once.

    ¡ºStonewall¡»

    ¡ºSilence¡»

    I sealed off their path of escape with earth magic by blocking them in with two different walls before soundproofing our surroundings with wind magic.

    This way, there wouldn¡¯t be any witnesses.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t kill them, alright?¡»

    £¨Why?£©

    ¡ºOh, you know, I just wanted to ask them a thing or two.¡»

    £¨Understood.£©

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Huh?!¡¹

    The two men were thrown into a state of confusion by the sudden series of spells. The merchant didn¡¯t even take up a defensive stance or anything. He wasn¡¯t prepared for anything even remotely like this.

    There were a few noises as Fran dashed around and hit the two men in turn.

    Annnnd it was over. That was it. Both meny on the floor unconscious. The warrior had managed to put up a little bit of a fight, but Fran was just too far out of his league.

    ¡¸What now?¡¹

    ¡ºTie them up for the time being, I guess.¡»

    I created a few threads for her to use. The threads I made weren¡¯t all that strong, I¡¯d yet to master the skill. That said, each was still about as durable as a rope made of hemp.

    What I wanted to know was their backgrounds as individuals. The two blue cats had seemed to say that they wanted to sell Fran, which implied that they were underground merchants that¡¯d kidnap people and turn them into ves against their will.

    Given that we were in a portside city, I¡¯d say that it was fairly possible for them to gather a bunch of ves abducted from the Kingdom of Kranzel and have them shipped off by sea. I recalled Fran saying that she went through a simr sort of experience, after all.

    The blue cat tribe¡¯s ve merchants were Fran¡¯s bitter enemies. And thus, I too acknowledged them as enemies. We might end up facing off their organisations some day in the future, so it¡¯d be a pretty good idea for us to gather up every single possible bit of information we could.

    ¡ºSo yeah, that¡¯s why.¡»

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    I was thinking of having a clone interrogate them while Fran kept watch outside, but my ns were quickly shattered as the girl in question started to kick the two men.

    ¡¸Get up.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ what the hell¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Shiet bro, what happened¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, out.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwahhhh!¡¹

    The two men were frightened by the 3 meter tall wolf that appeared out of nowhere. They tried to run away, but both their arms and legs were bound, so they couldn¡¯t even so much as stand up, let alone escape.

    Fran seemed to be fuming with a sort of silent rage, but it didn¡¯tst for long. She almost immediately interrupted their screams and began to speak.

    ¡¸Question.¡¹

    ¡¸You think you can get away with this, you lil punk? You know who you just messed with? You ain¡¯t leaving this city with your head on your shoulders! You li- argh!¡¹

    Fran kicked the merchant right in the face as he tried to speak in protest. Blood immediately began spurting from his nose.

    ¡¸Shut up. Only speak to answer questions.¡¹

    The two men immediately fell silent upon exposure to Fran¡¯splete and utterck of mercy. They were obviously terrified.

    ¡¸Are you illegal ve merchants?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you talking about gurl? We don¡¯t even know what that thing yous saying is.¡¹

    ¡¸We merchants gurl, good hearted ones.¡¹

    Yeah no. The principle of falsehood immediately revealed his words to be lies.

    ¡ºFran, I¡¯m a hundred percent sure that they¡¯re lying. They¡¯re definitely a part of the business.¡»

    ¡¸Are the ves somewhere in the city?¡¹

    ¡¸I already told you that we don¡¯t know sheet gurl! Chill!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a lie too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Are there more of you?¡¹

    ¡¸Come on! We don¡¯t know nuttin! We swear!¡¹

    ¡ºAnother one.¡»

    ¡¸Might not torture¡­ if you talk.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on! How many times have we told you that we don¡¯t know nuttin!? Man, what¡¯s the matter with you!¡¹

    ¡¸Yea gurl, he right. ¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey gurl! Daz not cool! Come on, cut a brotha some ck!¡¹

    ¡¸This wolf likes human flesh. Livers from live prey. Favourite.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl growl!¡¹

    Urushi slobbered all over one of the men whilst letting a low growl. It was as if he was dering that he was about to enjoy a meal. The two men immediately paled in response.

    ¡¸Spill it. Unless want to be eaten alive.¡¹

    ¡¸Man,e on, I was just saying that I don¡¯t kno- Arghhhh!!¡¹

    Fran drove me into the back of the warrior¡¯s hand, and slowly began grinding me deeper though his muscles.

    ¡¸Argghghghghghgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey man, you alright?! This stupid b*tch ain¡¯t - Argh!¡¹

    ¡¸Learning disability?¡¹

    Fran kicked the merchant¡¯s face yet again, this time,pletely pulverizing his nose in the process.

    ¡¸Greater Heal¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Shiet? Ain¡¯t dat some super high tier ass healing magic?¡¹

    Fran pulled me out of the warrior¡¯s hand and healed him. The wound I made instantly disappeared, and was once again filled by flesh and bone. And as she did, a slight glimmer of hope appeared on the blue cats¡¯ faces.

    They determined that the girl wasn¡¯t actually going to kill them, that there was no way a mere child would intentionallymit murder. They hoped that there would be some sort of convenient and logical reason that would allow them to keep their lives.

    But Fran¡¯s wordspletely crushed all their overly optimistic expectations.

    ¡¸Lucky. Not the type to die easily. Now can use Fire Arrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Ughh!! Arghhhhhh!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Greater Heal.¡¹

    The warrior¡¯s carbonized hand was once again healed back up to its normal state.

    ¡¸Won¡¯t let you escape. Not with an easy death.¡¹

    ¡¸Arggg!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiii!¡¹

    Screams of despair escaped the men¡¯s mouths. There was nothing they could do to get away from Fran. They weren¡¯t even permitted to die so long as she continued to heal them. All that awaited them was a life of eternal torture.

    ¡¸Listen here gurl, we gotchu a deal! We got lots of gold stored away, ya know!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t need.¡¹

    ¡¸Alrihgt, alright! What if we gave you-¡¹

    ¡¸Stupid? Want information.¡¹

    ¡¸Gurl, we said we ain¡¯t got an- arggggg!¡¹

    Fran kicked the merchant for a third time and broke every singlest one of his front teeth.

    ¡¸Skill. Can see through lies.¡¹

    The two realized that they had no other choice but to talk, and so, they soon began to answer Fran¡¯s questions in an honest a manner as they could.

    Our suspicions were spot on. Dharz was home to one of the blue cat tribe¡¯s underground ve markets. ves captured from all over the Kingdom of Kranzel would be gathered here before they were shipped off to the Kingdom of Reidos. Apparently, their base of operations used to be Barbra, but the country caught on and crushed it.

    Thinking about it, I¡¯m pretty sure that was exactly what happened to Fran. She was probably abducted from some foreign country before being sent to Barbra for processing. The country probably caught on right about when she arrived there, and thus, they decided to move her to another base somewhere else in Kranzel. We probably met whilst she was being shipped over to Dharz.

    The Kingdom of Reidos buys ves for quite the price, so the merchants had been using Dharz as a point of transportation and processing for 10 odd years now.

    And so, after learning all that, we asked them the hideout¡¯s location, the number of ve traders, and the number of ves.

    ¡¸Hey, we¡¯ve told you everything now, so you can let us run free, right gurl? You gunna help us, right?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll change! We swears it !¡¹

    I heard their pleas, but ignored them. Immediately after obtaining all the information we needed, I cut their necks right off their heads with a single de of magical wind.

    They¡¯d probably tell their organisation about Fran if we let them go, and I didn¡¯t exactly feel like it was a good idea to have some sort of underground organisation after us. And I mean, they were the kind of people that kidnapped and sold children, so the world was probably better off without them anyways.

    I put their bodies in my dimensional storage for the time being. Now that I think about it, the insides of my dimensional storage have really started to get all messy and chaotictely¡­

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks Master.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t sweat it.¡»

    ¡¸What now?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that depends. What do you want to do?¡»

    ¡¸Spring cleaning.¡¹

    Yeeaap, I figured she¡¯d say that. I originally wanted to have her wait somewhere while I made a doppelganger and raided the ce with Urushi, but I already used it earlier when we were ying around by the seaside. Much to my announce, I actually couldn¡¯t use Doppelganger Synthesis again till the day after tomorrow.

    ¡ºYou should probably at least wait till night time.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºHow about we go find somewhere to stay first.¡»

    It took us quite some time, but we were eventually able to find ourselves a room at cheap inn. There, we waited until it was time to begin our assault.

 Chapter 88: Fran the Assassin

    <h4>Chapter 88: Fran the Assassin</h4>

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It was two in the morning. Everyone was asleep, and even the drunks had gone home.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive at the ve traders¡¯ hideout. We made use of Urushi¡¯s Dark Magic, Espionage and Presence Concealment in order to hide ourselves. They shouldn¡¯t be able to locate us, but I prepared Fran a mask just in case they did.

    The hideout was fairly close to the port itself. Its first floor was supposedly said to be a warehouse, and the second, a sort of living quarters. The building was guarded, but only by a single person.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll probably get noticed if we take it too slowly.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Blitzkrieg.¡¹

    ¡¸Bark.¡¹

    Fran made her move. She used Silence to dampen the sounds made by her movements and cut the guard down before he was able to so much as react. In fact, he probably didn¡¯t even get to see her shadow before losing his life. I immediately put his corpse in my dimensional storage, and we moved on.

    ¡ºAlright, why don¡¯t we start from the top?¡»

    There was no point in doing something as stupid as kicking down the front door.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran infiltrated the building by leaping onto its roof, cutting one of the windows open, and climbing inside. Naturally, she continued to keep quiet through the use of Silence.

    We immediately stumbled across a bed with someone inside of it, but luckily, he didn¡¯t wake up. Appraising him informed us that he was one of the ve traders.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s an enemy.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran casually thrusted me through his chest and impaled him right through the heart.

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    The man woke up in response, his body throbbing in pain, but he wasn¡¯t able to so much as make a noise. Silence made sure of that. I put the corpse away before he even managed to start leaking blood, and as a result, not even the slightest speck of evidence was left behind. We had just pulled off the perfect assassination.

    ¡ºIt looks like they¡¯re probably keeping the ves underground, in a basement or something.¡»

    ¡¸Clean up first.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. It¡¯ll be easier to free the ves if we do.¡»

    We decided to do the world a favour and ¡°disinfect¡± the floor in its entirety. And so, we acted in the same manner as would most other assassins, we murdered every single ve merchant we came across in cold blood. Most of them were stronger than that Gyuran guy we killed in Alessa, not that we had even the slightest bit of difficulty given that they were all asleep.

    Chances were, we probably wouldn¡¯t have had any trouble with them head on either, especially given how much stronger we got through the exploration of the Lich¡¯s dungeon. We only bothered with stealth because it would prevent any rms from being raised.

    ¡ºThis should be thest room.¡»

    It took us five minutes to clear out the entire second floor, a single room outstanding. All in all, we killed six different ve merchants.

    The room before us, however, was unlike the rest; its lights were still on, and I could sense a single presence within it.

    ¡ºWould you mind, Urushi?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºMake sure you stay quiet.¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    Urushi eliminated the target and came back after 10 or so seconds. He was as quiet as I¡¯d expected.

    ¡ºIt seems to feel a bit different from all the other rooms.¡»

    The room¡¯s interior design reminded me of a study. A single blue cat was lying dead on the room¡¯s desk. His clothing was rtively fancy, it seemed like he was an executive of sorts.

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to rummage through his desk real quick.¡»

    I fished around a bit and went through most of the documents they had. The only thing of interest I could find was a note detailing the number of ves sold to the Kingdom of Reidos.

    I¡¯d like to hand this over to the proper authorities if possible, so I decided to hold onto it for the time being.

    After looking around a bit, I noticed that there was a safe in the room¡¯s corner. It was made of iron, and it looked like the type of strongbox in which you¡¯d put your valuables. Searching the man¡¯s corpse allowed me to quickly find the key. The safe itself wasn¡¯t radiating any magical energy, so it probably wasn¡¯t a trap.

    Fran opened the safe as I awaited the results with bated breath.

    ¡ºWoah¡»

    ¡¸Treasure.¡¹

    The safe contained about 100k Golde alongside a bunch of jewelry and the like. I guess you could say the safe was, in a way, a sort of treasure box. I didn¡¯t really mind stealing from criminals, so we grabbed every singlest bit and shoved it all inside of my dimensional storage.

    ¡ºThere isn¡¯t anyone else in the second floor.¡»

    The next thing we had to do was tidy up the first floor. There were a tonne of people there though, and they all seemed to be awake. Given that it was a warehouse, there probably wouldn¡¯t really be many ces to hide either. We¡¯d be put in a really bad spot if someone managed to escape after seeing Fran¡¯s face. Ideally, I¡¯d prefer them not to even see her figure. I didn¡¯t want them realizing that it was a child that raided the ce.

    There were a few ves mixed into the crowd, so we couldn¡¯t just st our AOEs and wipe everyone out. They also seemed to have an underground escape route for emergencies, so a few would probably manage to get away if we made a big fuss. We used infrared vision, echolocation and presence detection in tandem to learn as much as we could before initiating. It seemed that the most troublesome part of this whole thing would be the one room with five different people inside of it. We decided to save that forst and clean out the rooms with only one or two people in them first.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We did the same for the first floor as we did for the second; we eliminated all noise by using silence before cutting open window and climbing in. I used silence again once we entered each room, and Urushi immediately moved to kill the man that tried to raise an rm in response to our sudden intrusion.

    We quickly did the same for two other rooms, one with one person in it, and the other with two.

    ¡¸Room filled with stuff.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it kinda reminds me of Jean¡¯sb.¡»

    There were a bunch of raw materialsying around along side the equipment needed to process them. It seemed like they were making a bunch of different things, as the shelves contained life potions, vials of poison, and a fair number of medicinal products.

    ¡ºThis stuff looks pretty useful.¡»

    ¡¸Take?¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm, that seems like a pretty good idea. We could probably use it to make potions and stuff while traveling.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Take.¡¹

    We plundered so much stuff that it almost seemed like we¡¯d forgotten our initial purpose ining here.

    ¡ºAlright, with that out of the way, why don¡¯t we go wipe the rest of them out?¡»

    I didn¡¯t know how many people there were left in the basement, but the only room on the first floor that remained was the one with five people in it.

    The n was to infiltrate using silence before having Urushi use one of his dark magics, ck Veil. The spell would deprive our targets of their vision so we could kill them all in one fell swoop before they got so much as a chance to run away.

    And it worked. Fran had the ability to search sense enemy presences, and Urushi could detect any and all life forms, so the two were able to easily wipe out all five ve traders without any issue.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s both the first and second floors down.¡»

    ¡¸Basement next.¡¹

    ¡ºBased on what they said yesterday, the organisation should be made up of 24 people in total, so at most, there should be four more of them.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We went down the stairs as stealthily as would a group of ninjas. The basement we descended upon turned out not to be a basement at all. It was a dungeon. There were two guards at its entrance, but we killed them instantly. They weren¡¯t even really paying attention in the first ce; they werezily facing off against each other in a game of cards instead of doing their jobs.

    ¡ºAlright, why don¡¯t we save the ves now?¡»

    ording to the documents we grabbed from upstairs, there were currently seven different children trapped here. They were all already wearing ve cors.

    ¡¸Who¡­ are you?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s sudden entrance left the children in the basement in a state of surprise. It took them a bit to recover, but after a few moments, the one who appeared to be the group¡¯s eldest, a boy, timidly looked towards and called out to us. He seemed to give off the kind of air you¡¯d expect from nobility despite his current status as a ve. The contrastingbination made him seem a bit like a cheeky brat, but whatever. One of the girls standing behind him seemed to look a lot like him. The two were probably twins.

    ¡¸Hero.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Came to help.¡¹

    ¡¸But what about the kidnappers? They should be up there¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Defeated them.¡¹

    ¡¸You did?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    The imprisoned children look at each other in turn. Well, I guess it only makes sense for them not to believe what Fran was saying. They couldn¡¯t believe that a girl that looked even younger than them could¡¯ve defeated twenty odd criminals.

    ¡¸Move back.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Back off from cage. Dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure¡­¡¹

    A loud swish resounded throughout the room; Fran swung me and instantly cut the cage¡¯s bars to pieces.

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸No way¡­¡¹

    The children stared nkly as the cage copsed. They didn¡¯t understand how they were supposed to react.

    ¡¸Hurt?¡¹

    The female twin¡¯s leg seemed to have an injury on it. There was a cloth wrapped around it, but it hadn¡¯t really gone through any other sort of treatment. She was likely to get infected, at this rate.

    ¡¸Middle Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? It¡¯s better now?¡¹

    ¡¸Woah, are you a mage?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s awesome!¡¹

    The children started to ask Fran a bunch of different questions, but she didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Someone came.¡¹

    We felt someone enter the building. It was probably an enemy. Sheet, we have to get rid of them before they catch on.

    Fran had suddenly gone silent whilst looking up at the ceiling, so the children began feeling anxious.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Stay inside. Hide.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t leave. Wait for me.¡¹

    Fran pushed the children back towards the prison before grabbing me and heading up the staircase.

    ¡ºLooks like he¡¯s wandering around on the first floor.¡»

    ¡¸Searching for something?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, he¡¯s probably trying to figure out what happened to the other ve traders. Make sure you put on your mask.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We climbed the stairs whilst erasing our presences. The enemy that¡¯d arrived was a decently strong looking man. He was fully armed, and not too bad at concealing his presence either. We were only able to detect him because we had a whole bunch of different skills working in tandem with each other. If not for that, we probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed him at all.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Salrut O¡¯Randy.

    Age: 55

    Race: Human

    Job: Dark Knight

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 51/99

    HP: 469

    MP: 458

    STR: 236

    VIT: 219

    AGI: 155

    INT: 210

    MGC: 244

    DEX: 169

    Skills

    Dark Resistance: Lv 6

    Assassination: Lv 4

    Intimidation: Lv 5

    Espionage: Lv 3

    Presence Istion: Lv 3

    Divine Sword Techniques: Lv 1

    Sword Techniques: MAX

    Divine Sword Arts: Lv 2

    Sword Arts: MAX

    Court Etiquette: Lv 3

    Shield Arts: Lv 8

    Shield Techniques: Lv 7

    Interrogation: Lv 4

    Poison Resistance: Lv 4

    Poison Magic: Lv 3

    Storm Resistance: Lv 6

    Detainment: Lv 5

    Paralysis Resistance: Lv 4

    Dark Magic: Lv 7

    Automatic HP Recovery

    Vigour Maniption

    Magic Maniption

    Lesser Strength Boost

    Titles

    Oathbreaker

    Equipment

    High Quality Dark Mithril Longsword

    ckened Mithril Shield

    ckened Mithril Armour

    ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Mantle

    Bracelet of Magic Resist

    Ring of Bonds

    _______________________________________________________________

    Holy sheet, he¡¯s strong! And he looks like he¡¯s an enemy, especially since he¡¯s apparently a Dark Knight instead of a regr one. I mean, his skills all seem to be inclined towards darkness, and his title clearly says that he breaks his oaths.

    And on top of that, he seems like he¡¯s in some sort of weird frenzy.

    ¡ºBe careful Fran, he¡¯s pretty strong.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, make sure you hide in Fran¡¯s shadow until you find a good opportunity to sneak attack him.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    He lived up to his stats. He noticed Fran the moment she jumped out at him, and immediately got ready forbat.

    ¡¸Name yourself!¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t reply to his question.

    ¡¸Kuh! Name yourself you coward!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    Fran ignored his words and continued to attack, but he managed to skillfully repel her strikes using his sword and shield.

    ¡¸Nuryaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    He even managed to retaliate. Fran¡¯s Divine Sword Arts were a higher level than his, but his shield rendered defenses solid. It was fairly obvious that he had way morebat experience than her too. It wasn¡¯t someone she¡¯d be able topletely smash.

    It seems like we ran into a formidable opponent in a ce that we never would¡¯ve thought it. We would probably be able to beat him without much issue if either Urushi or Iunched any sort of surprise attack, but I¡¯d prefer to keep him alive if possible. He was pretty skilled, so I was pretty sure we wouldn¡¯t lose outpletely by keeping him alive. At the very least, we could use him to gain more information.

    ¡ºFran, try not to kill him if you can.¡»

    £¨Nn. Understood.£©

 Chapter 89: The Twinsâ€™ Identity

    <h4>Chapter 89: The Twins¡¯ Identity</h4>

    Fran and the Dark Knight traded blow for blow. They repeatedly smashed their des against each other and sent sparks flying throughout the ve traders¡¯ hideout. The sh of de on de rang throughout the building, but Silence prevented even the slightest bit of sound from leaking outside.

    ¡¸Nuoooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    The duel was being dragged out. Neither Fran nor the dark knight could really gain an edge on the other. The status quo was nothing but a standstill - which only made sense. Both parties were swordsmen that had awakened to the divine arts, after all.

    Alright, I guess I¡¯d better make him drop his sword.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸Argh!?¡¹

    I used Vibrating Impact and Thunder de right as I came into contact with his de. As expected, the sudden shock made the man¡¯s hands go numb; he couldn¡¯t help but drop his sword.

    But he didn¡¯t give up.

    He immediately raised his shield and began to chant a spell.

    ¡¸Dark Arrow!¡¹

    Not that it mattered. We werepletely immune to dark, so the arrow phased out before it hit us.

    ¡¸Impossible!¡¹

    ¡¸Opening.¡¹

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    The man let out a shout as he flinched in surprise, and created an opening far too obvious for Fran to miss. She immediately turned her de and smashed his legs with its t. She then pointed my de at the back of the man¡¯s neck as he fell onto one knee.

    And that was that. The man had lost, and so, he looked up at Fran with a face full of frustration.

    ¡¸How regrettable.¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸A man who sees no reason to give his name to the likes of you.¡¹

    You know, he¡¯s pretty energetic for a middle aged man. Oh well, either way, it¡¯s time to rough him up a bit so we can get some info out of him.

    ¡ºUrushi, out.¡»

    ¡¸Growl growl!¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    Heh. Looks like he¡¯s pretty spooked. I was about to get the interrogation going, but the children came up from the basement just as I was about to suggest cutting off one of his arms. All seven peeked in from the stairwell, with the two noble-like twins at the forefront.

    Well, I guess it only made sense. We¡¯d left them in the basement, so they probably started feeling anxious. Thankfully, the battle had alreadye to an end.

    ¡¸Stay back. Not safe.¡¹

    They fearfully stopped in their tracks as Fran warned them. The male twin¡¯s face, however, suddenly twisted as he caught sight of the dark knight.

    ¡¸Salrut!¡¹

    ¡¸My Prince! I see that you are unscathed!¡¹

    Wait what? That kid was a prince? The foock?

    ¡¸You came to save us¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Princess! I am d that you too are well!¡¹

    Huh? Wait, so he wasn¡¯t one of the ve traders? Errr, I guess we should heal him up then or something.

    Ten minutes passed by in the blink of an eye as we got up to pace.

    We healed the knight and had him exin what was going on.

    ¡¸Really a prince and princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Veritably. The prince and princess that stand before you are members of the Fyrias Kingdom¡¯s royal family. They are sixth and seventh in line for the throne respectively.¡¹

    ¡¸And you? Guard?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely.¡¹

    ¡¸Came to help because royal family was kidnapped?¡¹

    ¡¸I-It is as you say.¡¹

    Apparently what happened was that the prince and princess sneaked out and got themselves abducted. Naturally, the guards hadn¡¯t any knowledge of it ¡ª until they realized they couldn¡¯t locate them, that is. I actually kinda pitied the knight It seemed like he was probably going to end up taking all the me.

    ¡¸How despicable those used criminals were! They even went as far as to put something like that around the highness¡¯ necks!¡¹

    Yeah¡­ it does seem pretty bad for members of the royal family to be stuck with ve cors around their necks. In fact, the knight might not be able to keep his head on his shoulders for much longer given the current circumstances.

    ¡¸I never would have suspected that they the traders would attempt to enve children of such a tender age¡­ Youngdy, I must offer you my gratitude. I would not have been able to retrieve the prince or princess with such ease if not for your noble actions.¡¹

    ¡¸Only did it for myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, my gratitude remains unchanged, for it was you that rescued my lieges. I would, however, like for you to answer but a single query. Whatever happened to the traders? I see not even their corpses.¡¹

    ¡¸Cleaned up.¡¹

    ¡¸By what means? There numbered far more than just a few.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Skill.¡¹

    ¡¸What exactly¡­ No, please do not mind the question any longer. It is but rude to inquire the details of another¡¯s skills.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I am more than willing to believe your words given that I have witnessed your abilities.¡¹

    I was pretty grateful he acted the way he did. He ignored Fran¡¯s age in respect of her strength and treated her as an equal.

    This was a stark contrast from how he treated all the ves we just freed as well¡­ children. To the knight, the other children were people he was obligated to protect.

    ¡ºWe should probably get out of here soon. There should still be a few more ve traders, and they might being back soon.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯d be a pain in the ass if we ran into them on our way out, so let¡¯s get rid of all their cors while we¡¯re at it.¡»

    Fran easily removed all the children¡¯s ve cors by overwriting the envement spell with a nk contract of her own, much like I did to her when we just met.

    Every singlest person in the room, Salrut included, looked at Fran with expressions of shock on their faces. Evidently, they weren¡¯t expecting the cors toe off nearly as easily as they did. The shock took a while to sink in, but once it did, their expressions began to change into those of joy.

    Made sense though. Their fates were about take a cruel a turn as possible. They were about to be ves, targets of abuse. But now, they were free. Their cors were gone, and they were no longer at risk of being sold off as merchandise.

    ¡¸How impressive. To think that you would even be well versed in the art of contract magic!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Once again, I thank you.¡¹

    Salrut paused for a moment before continuing.

    ¡¸I wish not to say this as one who has received nothing but your assistance, however, I believe it is my duty to inform you that it would be better for you not to reveal your ability to use contract magic in any other sort of public setting.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Contract magic is rare, and contract magic powerful enough to undo a ve contract can only be said to be all the more scarce. The only individuals that could possibly possess such high level contract magic would be none other than summoners and ve traders.¡¹

    Ah, I get it. If you¡¯ve got high level contract magic, then people would probably assume you were associated with the very business. ver merchants were disliked by the general public, even if they weren¡¯t the underground kind that went about kidnapping people.

    ¡¸My understanding is that you are a summoner, but that interpretation may not be one shared by all.¡¹

    Salrut¡¯s gaze shifted over to Urushi. He was currently sprawled on all fours in his more dog-like form. He was in his normal form just a few minutes ago, but we had him shrink because the kids were getting scared of him. Salrut¡¯s interpretation of the situation was most likely that Fran was a summoner that just so happened to know how to use a sword.

    ¡¸Should leave soon.¡¹

    ¡¸An excellent point to make.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, why don¡¯t we seek shelter at the hotel we¡¯ve rented? We shall leave everything thates after to you, Salrut.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, my prince!¡¹

    It seemed that the prince was offering to have everyone stay at the hotel he had reserved. It was a pretty good idea. Any hotel with royalty in it was pretty much bound to have good security. Thinking about it, the reason we couldn¡¯t find any decent inns was probably because of the sudden influx of people like the prince here. They all had guards and maids and stuff, so they¡¯d needed to book more rooms than the average person.

    Fran, Urushi and Salrut guarded the children as they made their way over to the inn.

    I figured the twins would be all cocky and pretentious, but it turned out that they were decent people despite being royalty. They weren¡¯t anything like the sheet-brained nobles I was expecting them to be. They went out of their way to make sure that the other children were doing okay even though they were allmoners. They also made sure to take the lead as we walked towards the inn in order to abate the other children¡¯s fears. Though they were both just kids, they were still performing their royal duties to the best of their abilities.

    Though I guess they do still have a few childlike aspects, seeing how they snuck out without telling anyone and whatnot. That said, they spent the rest of the trip in rtive silence, so I assumed they were most likely reflecting on their actions.

    A bit of time passed, and we eventually arrived in front of a super luxurious looking inn. A single nce told me that it was the kind that typically only served the nobility. In fact, just seeing it made me feel like apologizing to the prince and his party. Yeap, it is definitely not their fault we weren¡¯t able to find a ce to stay. I mean, I know we were trying to look for something a bit higher end, but this? This was way out of scope.

    The children were all staring wide eyed in surprise as well.

    The hotel¡¯s gatekeeper stared at us with a suspicious look on his face, but, he didn¡¯t bother saying anything and ended up letting us through.

    ¡¸What are you standing there for? Come in.¡¹

    ¡¸Feel free to enjoy your stay.¡¹

    The prince and princess encouraged the other children to apany them inside. After a bit of persuasion, they obliged and timidly followed the twins to the entrance.

    ¡¸Well if it isn¡¯t the prince. Wee back to our humble lodging.¡¹

    We were greeted by the inn¡¯s staff despite the fact that it was already reallyte into the night. On second thought though, I guess we should¡¯ve expected it. We¡¯re travelling with royalty, after all.

    ¡¸And who would these children happen to be?¡¹

    ¡¸Simply put, a few things happened. Could you please prepare them rooms alongside hot water? I believe they will need baths.¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Naturally, I will pay for their amodations. You should be able to fulfill this request of mine, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸We apologize for any inconvenience that may cause. We are fully aware of how unreasonable our request may appear.¡¹

    ¡¸I doubt this will lead to any sort ofplication. We¡¯ll get everything ready immediately.¡¹

    Huh, you know, I don¡¯t know what I should¡¯ve expected. He really was a prince. He was able to deal with the inn¡¯s staff without much issue despite the fact that they were adults and he wasn¡¯t. The princess, on the other hand, had acted and apologized in a more modest, understanding manner. Having the two work together like that kind of made it seem like they were applying some form of the carrot and stick principle.

    ¡¸Whatever is this fuss about?¡¹

    ¡¸Good evening Serid. I¡¯ve just returned.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, if it isn¡¯t the prince. I was quite concerned over your safety.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you. I apologize for the trouble. Unfortunately, I failed to navigate the city¡¯s streets and lost my way.¡¹

    ¡¸You lost your way, you say?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. I was only just able to return because Salrut had managed to discover my location.¡¹

    Naturally, the prince didn¡¯t make even the slightest mention of getting caught and cored by ve traders.

    ¡¸I see. And who exactly are these children? Did you perhaps choose to purchase yourself a group of ves?¡¹

    ¡¸That would be incorrect. There are mere helpers, so to speak. They assisted me in navigating the city¡¯s streets.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. In that case, your business with them should be over, should it not? You lot, leave this ce immediately once you receive your payment.¡¹

    The man speaking to us looked like your typical, stuck up, piece of sheet noble. He red at us and the children in nothing but scorn.

    ¡¸Serid! They are guests here, shut your mouth immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? Prince, I shan¡¯t ept that. Whatever are you thinking? Associating with these filthy peas-¡¹

    ¡¸Serid. I told you to be quiet. These children are my benefactors.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk¡­¡¹

    Hah! Serves you right you piece of sheet chambein! The twins are on our side, b*tch!

    Serid made one more hateful re before turning around and leaving.

    ¡¸Sorry about that. He¡¯s pretty capable, but hecks the ability to be flexible at times like these.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t care.¡¹

    The children didn¡¯t really seem to mind all that much either. Most nobles were like that, so they were used to it.

    ¡¸What are your ns? You are more than free to stay the night if you wish.¡¹

    Salrut turned towards us with a generous offer.

    ¡ºSounds pretty good to me. I mean, it¡¯s more than just a step up from a shabby little ce that doesn¡¯t even have a bath.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will be in your care.¡¹

    ¡¸Splendid! I shall have a room prepared for you immediately after I inform the prince of this joyous matter.¡¹

    And so, we ended up spending a night at a super high ss inn, all thanks to the prince.

 Chapter 90: Isnâ€™t it pretty easy to accidentally ingest the poison you keep in your molars?

    <h4>Chapter 90: Isn¡¯t it pretty easy to identally ingest the poison you keep in your mrs?</h4>

    We were provided an extravagant meal despite the fact that we arrived in the middle of the night. We, as guests, were presented with a rich, seafood soup, loads of soft buttered breads, and a massive chicken steak. And to top it all off, they prepared it so quickly that it was ready by the time Fran finished with her bath. Naturally, the children we rescued were also provided the exact same treatment.

    Being subjected to all this really ingrained in me the fact that the inn was truly high ss than anything else we¡¯d ever experienced.

    As a former middle aged man myself, I couldn¡¯t help but think the meal to be a bit on the heavy side, but it seemed like it ended up being just right given how hungry the children were. They actually started out rather hesitant, but soon began to eat with as much vigour.

    The twins continued to show their concerns throughout the meal. They asked each kid in turn if they had a ce to call home. If the answer was a yes, they would promise to make arrangements for their safe return. If the answer was a no, they would promise to make sure that nothing bad would happen to them going forward. I honestly had a hard time believing that they were only 13 years old. They were way too mature for their ages.

    What¡¯s more was that both ended up lowering their heads to Fran in appreciation without so much as the slightest bit of unwillingness. Seeing the two of them act in the exact same manner at the exact same time really reinforced the idea that they were twins.

    Immediately afterwards, the two introduced themselves in further detail. The prince was named Flut, and the princess Satia.

    Fran seemed to take a liking to both of them, and happily answered all their questions, albeit in her usual, curt manner. Seeing her act like that put a smile on my face. To my knowledge, this was pretty much the first time Fran had ever gotten along with anyone else in her age group. And as far as my opinion went, that alone was more than enough to make this whole ordeal well worth it.

    Fran¡¯s room was arge and luxurious one bedroom suite the likes of which I¡¯d never seen in person, not even in my past life. The chamber was decorated with a morous chandelier, a huge canopy, and even a ridiculously soft carpet. Seeing all these luxuries in person really made me wonder how much a night here would cost.

    Oh what the hell! Both Fran and Urushi immediately dived straight into the bed! If we damaged or dirtied it, we¡¯d probably end up payingpensation out the ass. In fact, I couldn¡¯t even fathom its price.

    Though, I do get where they wereing from. Even I wanted to try sleeping in it.

    ¡¸Night.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºGood night.¡»

    ***

    And this is Master here, reporting in from the super luxurious inn¡¯s attic in order to bring you details directly from the scene of the crime.

    A single individual had infiltrated the premises, and was creeping around atop the building whilst concealing his presence. The assassin was dressed in all ck. It didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d noticed me as of yet.

    I cast Silence before knocking him unconscious with a bit of wind magic. I then captured him alive and brought him back over to Fran¡¯s room.

    ¡ºSo I caught this assassin dude sneaking around on the rooftop.¡»

    ¡¸Big catch.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, first, we should probably find out who he¡¯s working for. We¡¯ll hand him over to the prince after I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The assassin we captured was human, so he probably didn¡¯t have anything to do with the underground ve traders we busted earlier in the night. Oh well, whatever. We decided to hear what he had to say in either case. He might actually have something to do with the ve traders despite not being a member of the blue cat tribe.

    Fran smacked the man in the face a few times to wake him up.

    ¡¸Huh¡­? What¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Awake?¡¹

    ¡¸What!? What did you do to me!?¡¹

    ¡¸Knocked out. Tied up.¡¹

    ¡¸When¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸Few things to ask. Honest answers, less pain.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl growl growl.¡¹

    The man was currently stuck in a situation where he was bound by magic thread with a sword pointed to his face. To make matters worse, there was even a giant wolf staring him down.

    He probably immediately understood that there was nothing he could do given his current circumstances.

    ¡¸¨D¨Dtsk¡¹

    ¡ºWoah! He just poisoned himself.¡»

    He must¡¯ve had some poison hidden away in one of his mrs. You know, isn¡¯t keeping poison in your teeth kind of dangerous? I imagine it¡¯d be pretty easy to swallow on ident. Or do they like go out of their way to practice not swallowing it or something?

    Oh well, in either case, the man¡¯s status changed. He was now badly poisoned, so it looked like he drank something pretty potent.

    ¡ºMiddle Heal.¡»

    ¡¸Antidote.¡¹

    But all his effort went to waste. We had the perfect way to counteract his attempted suicide, and so we executed it. We rid his body of poison while restoring his HP back up to full.

    ¡¸Too bad. Won¡¯t work.¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible¡­! You managed topletely nullify my deadly poison!?¡¹

    ¡¸Good at healing.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    He didn¡¯t give up and immediately bit his tongue off.

    ¡¸Middle Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet!¡¹

    ¡¸Like pain?¡¹

    In the end, the assassin told us everything he knew. It looked like he was prepared to die, but getting tortured ad infinitum was far outside what he could handle.

    It turned out that he wasn¡¯t connected to the ve traders in any which way. He was a frence assassin who¡¯d epted a request to end both the prince and princess. He didn¡¯t know who the request came from, but he was provided a set of instructions on how he could best infiltrate the inn.

    He was paid fully in advance, and as a result, he didn¡¯t know much about the person who made the request.

    ¡ºWell, none of that information really pertained to us at all.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hand him over to Salrut.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi, keep watch.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran quickly called Salrut over. Though it was almost dawn, the knight yet to go to sleep. It looked like he¡¯d been keeping watch all night.

    ¡¸So this man is the assassin of which you speak?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Salrut questioned the assassin some more. The man alreadypletely given up, so he pretty much answered every question he could. He didn¡¯t bother lying either.

    ¡¸Hm¡­ I can see that you seem to be speaking the truth, which leaves me to question the culprit¡¯s identity.¡¹

    Salrut sank into a momentary bout of silence as he contemted the assassin¡¯s words. Chances were, he was probably considering a bunch of possible culprits, most of which we¡¯d probably never even heard of.

    ¡¸There is still much for me to consider, and as such, I will be taking this man into custody.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I shall discuss this topic with you in more detail some time tomorrow. I will further ensure that you are appropriatepensated for your actions. Please do look forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸More interested in breakfast.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! In that case, please enjoy it to your heart¡¯s content.¡¹

    Fran quickly went to bed and didn¡¯t wake up until sometime in the afternoon, after which she promptly to began the ever so difficult endeavor of eating both breakfast and lunch at the same time. Everyone that caught sight of the act was left with an expression of nothing but pure shock. She stuffed her cheeks with so much food that it almost made her seem more like a squirrel or hamster than a cat.

    In fact, she ate so fast that it almost seemed like she was stuffing food into her dimensional storage as opposed to her throat. Witnessing her in the act made Salrut so surprised that his eyes turned as round as could be.

    ¡¸So, Fran, did you happen to have any sort of schedule in mind?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Were you headed to any sort of particr destination?¡¹

    ¡¸Mmmphrphmm¡¹

    ¡¸Um¡­ I apologize. I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯ve finished your meal.¡¹

    ¡¸Nnyu.¡¹

    All in all, Fran managed to devour about ten people¡¯s worth of food, a truly impressive amount. The prince seemed rather surprised, but he promptly spoke up again the moment she finished eating.

    ¡¸I remember you saying you were on a journey, but I don¡¯t really think you told me any more than just that. Are you nning to go somewhere specific?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Ulmutt.¡¹

    ¡¸By ship, I presume?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Via Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ So have you already arranged for boat tickets? I¡¯m fairly certain that they¡¯re all sold out by now given the number of people heading over for the Lunar Banquet.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Barbra¡¯s Lunar Festival is one of Kranzel¡¯s biggest.¡¹

    ¡¸It gets even livelier there than it does in the capital.¡¹

    The princess interjected with a knowing smile.

    Huh, I had no idea. I guess that means we probably won¡¯t be able to head to Barbra for a few days. I really should¡¯ve figured that out ahead of time though, especially after seeing how flooded all the inns were. Man, I really wanted to have Fran be a part of it too. It was one of the country¡¯s biggest festivals, so I really didn¡¯t want her to miss out.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, there is a way for you to find yourself a ship though.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯d like to offer you a position as a guard, at least until we reach Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸Naturally, we¡¯ll pay you for your work. We¡¯re nning on attending the banquet ourselves, so it goes without saying that we will arrive on time.¡¹

    We probably wouldn¡¯t be able to find ourselves any decent ships if we went looking thiste, and it¡¯d be quite pitiable for Fran to have to part with her newfound friends after spending so little time with them. Besides, the prince¡¯s ship was bound to be fairly luxurious, so all in all, I¡¯d say we were offered a pretty sweet deal.

    ¡¸Our biggest concern are the magic beasts we may encounter on our way.¡¹

    ¡¸Even with the knights?¡¹

    Apparently, arge magic beast had recently been spotted near the coast. Normally, the prince wouldn¡¯t be concerned over magic beasts and the like, the one described in the reports was so enormous that it rendered him anxious.

    And thus, he decided that more guards were necessary, and what better candidate was there than Fran? She was stronger than Salrut, and felt no fear even in the face of an assassin.

    ¡¸Your highness, with all due respect, I¡¯d like to request that you rescind your prior request! I simply cannot acknowledge you hiring her, we know nothing of her background!¡¹

    The prince¡¯s chambein, Serid, couldn¡¯t seem to stand for the thought of being in Fran¡¯s presence for much longer, as he immediately raised his voice and began to furiously protest the prince¡¯s decision.

    But in the end, he was silenced. The prince red at him, so he was given no choice but to sit his ass down and bear with his frustrations. That said, it didn¡¯t take long for him to begin peering over in our direction with a threatening look in his eyes.

    (Master, ept?)

    Sweet! Looks like Fran¡¯s pretty eager to do this.

    ¡ºWhy not? We get our boat tickets, so I see no problems.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Job epted.¡¹

    ¡¸Many thanks. We¡¯ll be counting on you.¡¹

    And so, we ended up deciding to escort the prince and princess to their destination.

 Chapter 91: A Whole New Worldâ€¦ of Fishing

    <h4>Chapter 91: A Whole New World¡­ of Fishing</h4>

    The weather was great.The sea was a beautiful shade of blue. The skies were clear, and the few clouds that remained were as white as marshmallows. Despite being a sword, I could almost feel the sun¡¯s powerful ultraviolet rays assaulting my skin as the salty sea breeze gently passed by. This, this was what it truly meant to be at sea.

    Fran, Urushi and I were currently aboard an incredibly luxurious ship, and I didn¡¯t mean luxurious in the sense that it was a massive cruise liner or anything. In fact, it wasn¡¯t all that big at all. However, its insides were decorated in as gaudy a manner as could be. All in all, it was probably at about the same level of luxury as the inn from which we just departed. Honestly though, I should¡¯ve seen thising. I don¡¯t know what else I should¡¯ve expected of a ship reserved for royalty.

    Fran was enjoying this opportunity to its fullest. She was sitting on a wooden chair atop the ship¡¯s deck and basking in the sun to he heart¡¯s content. Her mind and body were both clearly in vacation mode, as evidenced by the ss of juice sitting next to her.

    That said, she was still making sure the ship was getting all the protection it needed¡­ by ordering Urushi to do it in her ce. Speaking of which, Urushi was currently on his way back to the ship. He had just defeated a fish-like magic beast, and was in the midst of retrieving it.

    Urushi could leap through the air as he pleased and fire off dark magic instead of relying on meleebat, so he didn¡¯t really end up getting soaked or anything. The only part of him that actually got wet was his face because he had to stick it into the water to pick up the magic beasts he defeated.

    Well, the way I just said it made it sound kind of like Fran was doing nothing at all, but she was in fact still exerting a slight bit of effort from time to time. She would start casting spells if more than one magic beast attacked the ship simultaneously.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Wee back Urushi.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll cut it up and stuff so we can eat itter.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºY¡¯know, I¡¯m pretty content. I¡¯ve managed to get quite a few magic stone points out of this.¡»

    We¡¯d only been on the boat for about half a day, but we¡¯d already managed to kill 11 different magic beasts. Four kills belonged to Fran, and the other seven to Urushi.

    The ship¡¯s crew had all been ring at her in annoyance just earlier this morning as a result of her seeminglyid back attitude. They did warm up to her eventually though, as evidenced by the fact that they even went out of their way to thank her. Apparently, this was the first time they¡¯d evere across this many magic beasts without their ship being subjected to damage.

    Serid was a bit more vocal about hisints, but seeing Fran in action had left him with nothing to say with regards to her performance.

    He didn¡¯t stop trying to call her out though. I mean seriously, he was annoying as could be and pissed me the hell off on more than one asion. During meal times, he wouldn¡¯t shut up about how Fran didn¡¯t have manners. She quickly got annoyed as well, so she activated Court Etiquette and put on a disy as perfect as could be. Though Serid was still frustrated, he ultimately ran out of validints and so, he ended up just sitting there and ring at us in vexation. Observing him led me to believe that he and Salrut weren¡¯t on good terms. We were quite friendly with Salrut, so he had likely identified us as a sort of natural enemy.

    £¨Master. Afternoon snack.£©

    ¡ºAlright. Are you craving anything in particr?¡»

    £¨Nnnn¡­ Cookies.£©

    I hadn¡¯t really made many sweets myself yet, so I decided to hand Fran the cookies we bought in Alessa. They came from a shop that sold most of its merchandise to nobles, so they were pretty tasty. That said, I personally still preferred the sweets we had back on earth. I should really sit down some time in the near future so I can mass produce stuff like cakes and pudding.

    ¡¸Tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Whine whine.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t you worry Urushi, I¡¯ve got something for you too.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    All the magic beasts we ran into were pretty weak, so both Fran and Urushi ended up being fairly rxed. We sure didnd ourselves one hell of a job. It felt like there were far more benefits than there was actual work.

    There weren¡¯t any other magic beasts for a while, so we spent a bit of time just dilly dallying around. That, however, changed once the princess came looking for us. As she approached, I couldn¡¯t help but notice her long, blonde hair as it blew in the wind reflected the sun¡¯s golden rays. Her blue eyes and westerner-like facial features were quite appealing to the eye. As of right now, she had a sort of cute charm, but as she matured, she would likely end up more on the beautiful side of the scale.

    Her features were a stark contrast to Fran¡¯s, not to say that Fran wasn¡¯t cute. She definitely was, it was just that she had short ck hair and deep ck eyes. It was like she was the princess¡¯ opposite, and seeing them next to each other was kind of like seeing the sun next to the moon.

    ¡¸Good afternoon Fran. We¡¯re about to go fishing, would you like to join us?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will join.¡¹

    After receiving the princess¡¯s invitation, Fran followed her to the ship¡¯s rear deck. There, we found Prince Flut, apanied by three of the children we rescued. The girl and two boys by his side were the kids that didn¡¯t have anywhere to go. The prince had proimed their encounter a sort fate, and decided that he would hire them all as servants.

    The children had seemed to want to get to work right away, but the prince told them to treat him as just another one of their peers for the time being, seeing as they had yet to officially begin their training. The four of them seemed to be having a pretty good time, they were happily chatting away whilst holding their fishing rods in hand.

    Children were unlike adults in the sense that they had yet to learn to discriminate between social sses, so it didn¡¯t take for them to befriend both the prince and princess. The Serid faggot was already starting to get all b*tchy again, but everyone more or less ended up ignoring him.

    ¡¸Are you going to fish too, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Good at it.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, then let¡¯s have a fishing contest!¡¹

    ¡¸And we can all eat the fish we catch together!¡¹

    Fran was given a really fancy fishing rod. It was such an incredibly high quality product that it even had an automatic, magical reel.

    The kids we saved didn¡¯t seem to realize the item¡¯s value, and happily just lobbed their lines into the sea without so much as a second nce. It didn¡¯t take long for them to startnding fish. The fish that were reeled in were pretty much limited to sardine and makarel lookalikes, but regardless, the children soon began joyouslyparing the size and rtive rarities of their catches. Even the princess was all smiles despite the fact that she herself had opted to sit off to the side and observe as opposed to joining in.

    The only one that had yet to catch anything was Fran, and as a result, the other children, the prince included, soon began to tease her.

    ¡¸Whatever happened to being good at fishing?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the only one that hasn¡¯t caught anything yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Even I managed tond three!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll make sure we share some of ours with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Just wait. Ignoring small fry. Will big catch.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Good luck!¡¹

    I didn¡¯t really see any problems with just going about this whole fishing thing like a normal person would, but Fran had insisted on trying tond something big.

    The bait she was using was a Rockworm, a weak magic beast that we happened to have lying around. They didn¡¯t really have use normally. Their shells would get all fragile when dried, and their meat stank and tasted like crap. The only part of them that we even bothered taking note of was their magic stones. It was kind of sad, but they normally only really saw use aspost. As a result, I happened to have a bunch sitting around in my storage just taking up space for no real reason.

    Fran had taken one of the aforementioned Rockworms and chopped about a meter off its body. She then ced that severed section on a massive fishing hook and threw it out to sea. Using bait like that really limited what she could catch. The only things she could lure in were sharks, whales, and magic beasts. Thinking about it really made me wonder what she¡¯d been trying to catch in the first ce ¡ª not that it was of any real consequence. The only thing that really mattered was that she was having fun, which she was.

    The status quo didn¡¯t really change even after an hour. Each of the children had managed to fish up ten or so different fish, but Fran had yet to catch anything.

    At first, they¡¯d teased her about being unable to catch anything, but their expressions had gradually changed over the course of the activity. They¡¯d even started hoping that she would soonnd a bite.They seemed to have the wrong idea. They thought that her silence andck of an expression was due to something along the lines of idea, when really, that was just how she was.

    Fran actually didn¡¯t mind herck of a catch at all. In fact, she was rather happy as a result of the peaceful atmosphere.

    But then it finally happened. The atmosphere crumbled in an instant as the moment Fran had been awaiting finally arrived.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice! You got a bite!¡¹

    ¡¸Woah, it¡¯s pulling super hard!¡¹

    ¡¸It must be really big!¡¹

    The children started cheering. They seemed as happy as they were when they themselves got bites.

    The fishing rod started to bend out of shape. Despite being what was likely one of the highest quality fishing rods in the world, it was forced to bend as far as it could go. Chances were that Fran had probably caught something on the scale of a marlin.

    ¡¸Mgrrhhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸You can do it! Go go!¡¹

    ¡¸Reel it in! Reel it in!!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran was using everyst bit of her strength to pull the fish in, but her prey was pulling back with just as much force. Despite her efforts, the reel continued to spin and the line continued to lengthen. Seeing her like that reminded me of a show I saw on TV once. If I recall correctly, it was called Fishing the Seven Seas¡­ or something like that.

    ¡¸Nnnnnn!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Keep it up!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let it get away!¡¹

    To be honest, I probably could¡¯ve given Fran a hand. I could¡¯ve weakened it a bit without catching anyone¡¯s attention. It would¡¯ve been pretty easy to tire it out with magic and make it feel all drowsy or something.

    But I refrained.

    This was Fran¡¯s battle, something she should take care of on her own.

    Fran struggled with the fish for more than thirty minutes. Obvious signs of exhaustion had started to show on her face.

    The process had ultimately ended up as something more akin to trawling than fishing. She merely pulled her catch along as the ship continued to sail.

    Her arms had already started to go numb, so she gave up on winning with nothing but brute force and instead relied on her skills.

    She began by activating Thunder de. The expensive fishing rod was instantly cloaked in a coat of electricity. She then quickly used water magic alongside current control, and started to pull her prey towards the ship whilst activating Herculean Strength and a whole bunch of different support spells. She was going for onest spurt.

    It took her ten minutes to finally drag the fish from the ocean¡¯s depths. It¡¯s form wasn¡¯t fully visible, but we could see a giant, ten meter long shadow lurking beneath the water¡¯s surface. The fish she¡¯d caught was literally twice Urushi¡¯s size.

    ¡¸Wow! What is that!?¡¹

    ¡¸Wow Fran! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Holy moly!¡¹

    The children immediately kicked up a fuss, but Fran paid them no heed as she continued to singlemindedly reel her prey in. The air around her would periodically crackle with electricity because she had kept Thunder de active the whole time.

    That said, the fish had really put up one hell of a struggle. There was no way it was just a normal fish. Knowing that, I decided to give it a quick appraisal.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Race: Dreadnought Destroyer (Tuna)

    Magic Beast (Fish)

    Level 29

    HP: 556

    MP: 139

    STR: 207

    VIT: 139

    AGI: 109

    INT: 56

    MGC: 77

    DEX: 69

    Skills

    Hardened Skin: Lv 6

    Current Control: Lv 6

    Water Magic: Lv 5

    Swimming: Lv 5

    Enhanced Sense of Smell

    Strengthened Shell

    Description

    Its head is covered with a substance as hard as mithril. Its name is derived from the fact that it can destroy battleships by ramming them with its skull. It is ssified as a D level threat if within the ocean, and an E level threat under all other conditions. Its flesh is said to be an extremely luxurious delicacy. Its magic stone is in its head.

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡ºWatch out Fran. It¡¯s a magic beast, and a pretty strong one at that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran immediately hit the Dreadnought Destroyer with a mix of wind magic and sheer brute force; its body was sent flying up into the air.

    ¡¸Woah!!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyah!¡¹

    ¡¸Holy!¡¹

    The giant magic beast immediately fell towards the ship and caused both the children and sailors to scream in panic.

    ¡ºThe ship will probably take a lot of damage if you let the Tuna fall on top of it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran immediately used magic detection to find the giant fish¡¯s magic stone and threw me at it with all her might.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    She elerated me even further through the use of wind magic, so I pierced through the fish¡¯s hard skull with ease.

    She then cast more wind magic and caught its corpse before it crashed into the ship. She then gentlyid it on the deck. The fish was at least twelve meters long from head to tail. In fact, it was so long that its tailfin actually hung off the side of the ship; its length was greater than our luxury liner¡¯s width.

    ¡¸Fishing contest. My win.¡¹

    ¡¸Er¡­ Um¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That uh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Fran began dismantling the fish despite the fact that the children and crew were still in the midst of a confused uproar. Well, I say dismantle, but all she really did was cut off its head and fillet it.

    ¡ºFran, what are you doing?¡»

    £¨Promised to share.£©

    ¡ºOh, yeah. Right.¡»

    And so, Fran continued to quickly and efficiently dismantle the giant fish. The sailors hadn¡¯t been aware at how proficient she was at dismantling, so they couldn¡¯t help but end up staring in awe.

    I¡¯ve emphasized this multiple times already, but the fish really was massive. In fact, it was so big that we could probably feed over a hundred people with just the delicious fatty stomach part itself. That thought was probably precisely why the ship¡¯s crew had yet to calm down. They were probably all excited because of the fact that there was a massive amount of a super high ss delicacy right before their eyes.

    They continued to make a fuss throughout the dismantling process. Silence didn¡¯te until quite a bit after Fran put the head and bones away inside her dimensional storage.

    ¡¸I knew that Fran was strong, but I never would have fathomed that she would be this strong¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! You¡¯ve beat me by a mile. The fishing content belongs to you.¡¹

    ¡¸How incredible! She really is much stronger than Salrut!¡¹

    ¡¸Delicious!¡¹

    ¡¸So this is how a Dreadnought Destroyer tastes¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to eat a whole lifetime¡¯s worth!¡¹

    The ship soon started to get noisy again as we started handing out cuts of tuna. We gave the sailors a share as well, so the whole ship was soon filled with a sort of party like atmosphere. Everyone was happy, which made sense. It wasn¡¯t everyday that you¡¯d get your hands on a delicacy this delicious, after all.

    ¡¸Hey, thanks for the meal.¡¹

    Even the captain came up to offer us his thanks.

    ¡¸My name is Rengil. Would you mind me asking yours?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸And I assume you¡¯re an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Rank D adventurer.¡¹

    Fran shing her guild card caused the ship to stir with noise yet again. Very few had ever achieved D rank at an age as young as hers.

    ¡¸I expected nothing less. In fact, I was expecting you to be of a higher rank given your abilities. I was quite surprised that you managed to defeat Dreadnought Destroyer with such ease. In any case, I would like to offer you a token of appreciation.¡¹

    Captain Rengil took something out of his chest pocket and handed it to Fran.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸That coin right there has the Luciel Conglomerate¡¯s coat of arms engraved on it. Thepany¡¯s head office is in Barbra, and showing them that coin should earn you quite a few conveniences going forward.¡¹

    ¡¸The Luciel Conglomerate is one of Kranzel¡¯s leading corporations, and evidently, one of its executives has just taken a liking to you. How truly impressive!¡¹

    The prince exined that the coin we¡¯d received was actually something really worthwhile, as it meant that a massivepany had our backs. I really had to give it to the captain. He had a pretty good eye for adventurers.

    ¡¸You sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. In fact, I¡¯d say it¡¯s worth very littlepared to what we would obtain out ofworking with an adventurer with as much potential as you.¡¹

    The sailors began string up yet another storm the moment their captain finished speaking. This time around, all of them were praising Fran without the slightest bit of reserve.

    ¡¸Man, she even managed to catch the captain¡¯s eye.¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah. Look at how young she is! She¡¯s already rank D at that age!¡¹

    ¡¸She defeated the Dreadnought Destroyer with ease too.¡¹

    ¡¸And she¡¯s cute.¡¹

    ¡¸Dude, what the hell!? You were a pedo!?¡¹

    ¡¸No way man! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡¹

    ¡¸I would like to encourage you to visit our headquarters in Barbra at least once. It will be well worth your time.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The captain gave onest bow before turning around and heading back to his position. Likewise, the crew members passed by one by one and thanked Fran in turn. As a result, the three children ended up looking at her with gazes tainted with an ever so slight bit of envy.

    ¡¸You¡¯re amazing Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to be just as strong as you are!¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Lemme see the coin!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s finally made real friends! And she¡¯s hanging out with them too!

    Just seeing her like that made me wish that the moment wouldst in perpetuity.

    But my hopes were crushed, as the sailor keeping watch immediately began to shout.

    ¡¸Pirate ship spotted!!¡¹

 Chapter 92: Special Attack! Monolith Buster Crash!

    <h4>Chapter 92: Special Attack! Monolith Buster Crash!</h4>

    ¡¸Pirate ship spotted!!¡¹

    The ship¡¯s crew began the panic the moment they heard the watchman¡¯s shout. Likewise, the children immediately stopped eating and instead began looking around with anxious looks on their faces.

    Seriously? Foock those sheet eating retards! Fran was just starting to rx and have fun! I was NOT going to let them get away with this.

    The twins immediately went to go get the captain, who proceeded to exin the situation.

    ¡¸It looks like we¡¯re about to be attacked by a fleet of pirates¡¹

    ¡¸Fleet? How many?¡¹

    ¡¸Eight ships in total.¡¹

    Huh, that¡¯s actually a pretty decent number.

    ¡¸What do you think of our chances of breaking through and escaping?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not possible. They¡¯ve many a speedboat.¡¹

    ¡¸Then shall we fight?¡¹

    ¡¸With all due respect, your highness, I wish for you and your sister to board a lifeboat and escape.¡¹

    ¡¸Would it not be possible to fit us all on the aforementioned lifeboat?¡¹

    ¡¸We would fit, but most of us will need to stay behind in order to fight the pirates and thereby draw their attention. The n is currently to have your highnesses escape alongside the children and a few select others.¡¹

    ¡¸I refuse to to allow that to happen. I cannot allow myself to escape whilst making sacrifices of my retainers.¡¹

    ¡¸I too support my brother¡¯s sentiments. We refuse to escape by ourselves.¡¹

    If I was still human, I likely would¡¯ve nodded my head in approval. I liked the way the prince and princess thought. Normally, this kind of situation would resolve itself by having a few subordinates act as decoys while they escaped. In fact, I¡¯d go as far as to say that escaping with their lives was precisely their duty as royalty. The only possible way to describe the two royals currently protesting that exact action was that they were naive.

    But that was fine. I rather liked them, and I didn¡¯t really think there was any sort of issue with royalty acting the way they did.

    ¡¸I am also against the idea.¡¹

    ¡¸You too Serid? I see you understand the value in having us all escape together.¡¹

    ¡¸I am against that idea as well. My belief is that we would do best to surrender.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? You fool! How can you possibly even consider the idea of surrender!?¡¹

    Salrut roared in anger in response to Serid¡¯s sudden suggestion.

    ¡¸We cannot best them inbat.¡¹

    ¡¸And that is precisely why we should allow the prince and princess to escape while we buy them the time they require!¡¹

    ¡¸So you mean to say that you believe the two of them will be able to navigate the ocean and safely return home in nothing but a miniscule rowboat? It would be much more favourable to dere the highness¡¯ identities and surrender. Pirates are crude, but it would be but nonsensical for them to go out of their ways to make enemies our country. I can assure that the pirates will not harm the prince nor princess, but instead, demand ransom aspensation for their safeties. There is no reason for us to resist. Resisting will do nothing more than anger our enemies and eliminate any potential means for negotiation.¡¹

    His proposal did seem like it was supported by a decent amount of logic, but things probably wouldn¡¯t go as smoothly as he thought they would.

    ¡¸Your proposal is ridiculous! I refuse to acknowledge its viability.¡¹

    ¡¸Learn your ce, Salrut. A mere knight like you has no right to participate in this conversation.¡¹

    ¡¸I am their highness¡¯ guard. I have the right to act ording to my discretion in times of need.¡¹

    ¡¸How impudent you are. Did you perhaps think that being promoted to their highness¡¯ guard provides you the right to argue against me?¡¹

    ¡¸Impudence ys no part in this ordeal! My duty is but to protect, and that is precisely what I am attempting to do.¡¹

    ¡¸Silence foreigner! You are nothing, a mere dog picked up by the queen upon a whim! I have more than enough reason to doubt the truth of your words.¡¹

    ¡¸I see that you¡¯ve stooped to the level of insults now, Serid.¡¹

    ¡¸And for what reason would I not? You are but encouraging a measure that would bring more risk to their highness¡¯ than necessary. Truly, I have begun to doubt your motives. Did you really take flight from the Kingdom of Reidos? Is that but a pretense? A lie? Is it not possible, or rather, likely, for you to be merely aiming for our country¡¯s Godde? I think it so.¡¹

    ¡¸Godde? In possession?¡¹

    Fran joined in on the conversation happening between the two old men because her ears caught something that grabbed her attention.

    ¡¸I-Indeed. Our country is in possession of a single Godde.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you dare call the Fyrias Kingdom your country, you damned Reidosian!¡¹

    ¡¸I dare you to repeat those words!¡¹

    And so, the two old men started arguing once again. Ew.

    You know, thinking about it, aren¡¯t they like, kind of wasting a lot of time doing this?

    ¡ºThey¡¯re being a bit of a pain in the ass right, so what do you say to fixing their pirate problem, Fran? They¡¯ll probably tell us more about the Godde if you askter anyways.¡»

    £¨Nn. Good idea.£©

    ¡ºMan, why did this have to happen in the middle of a meal anyways¡­¡»

    £¨Sushi. Tasty.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, stay here and guard the prince and princess, alright?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    £¨Save sushi. I want.£©

    £¨Bark!£©

    ¡ºOh, did you end up taking a liking to it?¡»

    £¨Nn. Only second to curry. Tasty.£©

    Welp, still doesn¡¯t match up to her beloved curry apparently.

    ¡¸Wait, Fran, where are you going?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Sinking enemies.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Wait! You¡¯re acting far too recklessly!¡¹

    The prince tried to stop Fran by grabbing ahold of her, but she easily dodged and stepped up onto the ship¡¯s railing.

    ¡¸Be right back.¡¹

    And with that line, she leapt.

    ¡¸Kyaaa! Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    The children rushed up to the ship¡¯s railing in haste. They¡¯d assumed that she had dived into the ocean, but yeah, no. Not even Fran could board a pirate ship with ease if she had to swim up to it first. And that was why they didn¡¯t see her swimming when they peeked over the deck. Instead, they were greeted by a rather peculiar sight. Fran was using magic to hop through the air.

    ¡¸Woah!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡¯s flying!¡¹

    I activated telekinesis and let her get on top of me. To the children, it looked as if she was surfing through the air.

    It took us about thirty seconds to get up above the pirate ships. The g they had raised was one with a skull inscribed upon it. In other words, the people we were about to fight were the pirate equivalent of basic b*tches.

    The only notable thing about the ships was that they had already sustained a fair amount of damage. It almost looked as if the pirates had just finished fighting another battle. One of the ships even had a giant hole in its side.

    ¡ºThe hell¡¯s up with that?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡ºOh well, whatever. They have their cannons prepped and stuff, so I guess can¡¯t just ignore that one or anything.¡»

    ¡¸Sink biggestst?¡¹

    ¡ºSure, why not?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Starting now.¡¹

    ¡ºEr wait a sec, hold on. Why don¡¯t we actually try going for that one first?¡»

    ¡¸Biggest?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I want to check if that¡¯s the one their captain¡¯s on. I also want to ask them a few things before we sink them all.¡»

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    And so, we ended up attacking the ship that looked like the gship first. The pirates onboard could do nothing but stare at us with their mouths gaping as we readied our assault.

    ¡¸Starting.¡¹

    ¡ºGo for it. Make sure you don¡¯t kill the captain though.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran leapt off of me, grabbed me on her way down, and immediately killed every pirate in her vicinity as shended.

    What happened afterwards was more or less a ughter. Every single movement Fran made resulted in the death of a pirate. There were a few half decent fighters, but not a single one of them was even anywhere remotely close to a match for Fran. Their ranged options werepletely nullified as well. None of the arrows or spells they loosed could pierce Fran¡¯s magic barrier.

    ¡¸Who the hell are you!?¡¹

    ¡¸Adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet! This is foocking insane!¡¹

    ¡¸Die b*tch!¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaahhh!¡¹

    It took us but a few moments to defeat every single pirate aboard the ship save for the captain.

    ¡¸Damned monster!¡¹

    Oh what the foock. I hate this guy already.

    £¨Master. Not content?£©

    ¡ºWell yeah. Just look at what he¡¯s wearing.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    What the hell kind of pirate was he supposed to be!? He didn¡¯t have any eyepatches, he didn¡¯t have any wooden limbs, and he didn¡¯t have any hooks, like what the hell! He didn¡¯t even have a godd*mn hat with a godd*mn skull on it either! He¡¯s literally not even a real pirate. Likee on! I was hoping he would look like Captain Hook, or maybe even Jack Sp*rrow, but no! This little sheet doesn¡¯t look like a pirate at all! Like what the foock was this!? I feel foocking scammed!

    ¡ºHe¡¯s literally dressed the exact same as any run of the mill warrior!¡»

    The captain was wearing normal te armour with a normal helmet. There was nothing interesting about his appearance at all. Well, I mean he did at least have a cape, and his armour was pretty high quality, but he looked literally nothing like the captain of a crew of pirates. I never would¡¯ve even guessed it to be him. The only reason I knew was because I used appraisal.

    ¡¸Damn you! Let go of me! Let go of me right this instant!¡¹

    Fran lifted the pirate as I voiced myints. Seeing a cute, little girl like her lift a huge, bulky man was kind of off putting actually.

    ¡ºOh whatever¡­ Let¡¯s just get the questioning and sheet over with.¡»

    £¨What to ask?£©

    ¡ºAsk him if he¡¯s the one thatmands the whole fleet.¡»

    And so, we began to interrogate the pirate. Fran asked the questions while I figured out whether or not they were true by running them through the Principle of Falsehood.

    The results of our interrogation were as follows: he was the fleet¡¯s boss, they had a base with more guys there, and that they didn¡¯t have any treasure because they¡¯d only just left.

    I wanted to ask the captain a few more questions, but we ran out of time. The other nearby ships had begun bombarding the one we were on despite the fact that their captain was still alive. How heartless.

    ¡¸Those sons of b*tches betrayed me!¡¹

    I¡¯m not sure what he expected. They¡¯d probably just end up getting a new boss if he died anyways.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go destroy all the other ships.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyuke!¡¹

    Fran gave the captain¡¯s neck a chop and knocked him unconscious. For some odd reason, he let out a really wierd noise as it happened. Moreover, his mouth had began to foam, and his eyes hadpletely rolled back into his head.

    ¡ºThe hell was that?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Cool effect. Good hit.¡¹

    ¡ºEh, oh well whatever. We can let him live if you want. Just like roll him up and bring him with us or something.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Going.¡¹

    A second bombardment assaulted us as Fran picked up the captain and got back on top of me. They seemed to be aiming at us, but they couldn¡¯t seem to hit because of how small of a target we were rtive to what they were used to.

    ¡¸Activating now.¡¹

    Fran activated her dimensional storage as she got above the other ships. This time, however, she wasn¡¯t actually putting anything inside of it. Quite the opposite, in fact. Remember those giant rocks we happened to pick up the other day?

    ¡ºFuahahaha! Take this! Monolith Buster Crash!¡»

    £¨Nn?£©

    ¡ºEr, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The pirates were clearly thrown into a state of disorder. Well, can¡¯t really me them. A rock the size of their ship literally just appeared out of thin air.

    Doing this allowed us to get rid of the giant rocks we had sitting around for no reason while also sinking the enemy¡¯s ships in one go. It was truly an application of the ssic two birds one stone concept.

    Honestly, we probably could¡¯ve just dumped the rocks in the ocean earlier, but doing that would¡¯ve made it seem like I was illegally dumping garbage or something, so I felt kinda guilty about it despite the fact that I probably wouldn¡¯t have been reprimanded for it anyway. This, however, made me feel pretty good if anything.

    The dull sound of wood being torn to shreds rang throughout the seas the moment the rock hit the ship. This sound was immediately followed by a louder, metallic impact and then finally a series of screams. And that was that. The ship snapped in half and sank into the ocean.

    ¡¸Next?¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah!¡»

    We did the same thing to the other ships as well. The pirates tried shooting us down with magic and arrows, but their shots were too scattered and failed to aplish much of anything at all given that all their attacks werepletely negated by Fran¡¯s magical barrier.

    It took us less than five minutes to sink all eight pirate ships. Naturally, the g ship was given the exact same treatment as the rest, and so, we managed to get rid of two thirds of the rocks we had in storage.

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s that. Let¡¯s head back over to the ship.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 93: Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 93: Suspicion</h4>

    ¡¸Just how selfish can you possibly get!?¡¹

    Serid began to yell in his usual, loud manner the moment we got back to the ship.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸What were you doing!? You attacked the enemy without awaiting even the slightest bit of consent!¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Sank all enemies.¡¹

    ¡¸She does have a point. I fail to see any issue, Serid.¡¹

    ¡¸You fail to see any issue!? She engaged the enemy by her lonesome and thereby neglected her duty to protect the prince! That, that is the issue!¡¹

    It didn¡¯t seem like he was going to be satisfied regardless of what Fran did. My guess was that he was likely acting like this in order to try to belittle her achievement or something.

    ¡¸I will admit that you deserve some praise, as you aplished the feat of sinking an entire fleet of pirates by your lonesome. However, the method you employed was nothing short of inconsiderate. Your assault caused wave after wave to batter our ship. We were sent into such a state of disarray that the vessel even capsized. We managed through the application of water based magics, but regardless, you very evidently put their highnesses in harm¡¯s way!¡¹

    Okay, you know what? I take that back. I¡¯ll admit I messed up. I never even considered that we might end up hitting our allies.

    ¡ºWe should probably apologize.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. I mind it not so long as you understand the consequences of your actions.¡¹

    Oh god damn it. Now he¡¯s got this cocky look on his face. It really makes me want to hit him¡­

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woke up?¡¹

    The pirate we brought back to the ship had awoken. All the excess noise Serid made had probably forced his unconscious mind back into the realm of sentience.

    ¡¸What the!? Where the hell am I?¡¹

    ¡¸On ship.¡¹

    ¡¸What happened to my subordinates?¡¹

    ¡¸Sank.¡¹

    ¡ºSo they¡¯re dead in the water?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Exin yourself! What exactly are the two of you discussing?¡¹

    Serid immediately yelled in an irritated tone as a result of the fact that Fran had started casually talking to the pirate.

    ¡¸Is that one of the pirates?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Interrogating.¡¹

    ¡¸Then hand him over. This task will be mine. Guards!¡¹

    ¡¸Sir!¡¹

    A nearby soldier immediately adhered to Serid¡¯s orders. He grabbed the pirate¡¯s arm and immediately lifted him to his feet. I didn¡¯t get what he was doing. Was he trying to steal all Fran¡¯s glory? And where was he going to move him?

    ¡¸Taking him? Where?¡¹

    ¡¸I will bring him to my cabin for the purposes of interrogation. I forbid you all from joining me in the endeavor.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll interrogate.¡¹

    ¡¸You think I could possibly leave a task as important as this in your hands?¡¹

    Okay no. That made literally no sense at all. Firstly, he wasn¡¯t the one who captured the pirate, and secondly, he wasn¡¯t letting us so much as observe his interrogations. Like what the hell! I can¡¯t tell if this is just another form of harassment, or if he¡¯s going to ask about something that he didn¡¯t want the rest of us to hear. Either way, he was being overly suspicious.

    Seeing his actions reminded me about the whole thing with the assassin. I was pretty sure that someone had helped the assassin sneak in, most notably someone with the power to sway the inn¡¯s guards to such an extent that they would create a sort of opening in their defense. Moreover, it was a bit weird that the ship we were on didn¡¯t have any sort of escort. I know that we were currently aboard a vessel that prioritized speed and all that, but it really shouldn¡¯t have gone effortless given that we had royalty on board.

    Thinking about it quickly made me realize that Serid probably had enough power to arrange both the aforementioned oddities.

    Throwing more facts into the pool only made him seem even more suspicious. The only problem was that I didn¡¯t have any sort of evidence. We could just say that one of skills allowed us to see through lies, but, there wasn¡¯t any way for us to prove that we really had that skill, so it had no function as far as evidence went. We could torture him until he decided to confess his wrongdoings, but that wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d call the best evidence either.

    Fran and Serid¡¯s underlings had began ring at each other as I thought things through.

    The situation was starting to look bad, but, the tense atmosphere was suddenly broken by the pirate as he let loose a fearlessugh.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Well, if it isn¡¯t the Fyrias Kingdom¡¯s chambein. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know exactly who you are, Serid.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I may be a pirate, but I¡¯m no fool. Even seafarers like us have more than enough of an intelligencework to figure out exactly who our clients are ¡ª regardless of whether or not said clients arendlubbers like you.¡¹

    Okay, woah. Did he just say that Serid was one of his clients? That¡¯s not something I can just hear and leave be.

    ¡¸Enough of your nonsense! Someone silence this madman immediately.¡¹

    One of Serid¡¯s soldiers raised his de, but Fran moved in between him and the pirate before he could swing it.

    ¡¸Want to hear more.¡¹

    ¡¸He is but rambling! There is nothing to hear.¡¹

    ¡¸Will judge after hearing.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you perhaps attempting to frame me for colluding with the pirates? Uneptable! Guards! Arrest her immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Serid, what in the world are you thinking!?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I am but ordering the arrest of one who hasmitted the act of treason! She is attempting to frame me for collusion, of which I had no part! Do not interfere! I will ensure that the sin also falls upon your shoulders if you try to so much as assist her!¡¹

    That¡¯s a nice excuse he¡¯s got there.

    It seemed that Serid was still underestimating Fran because of her appearance. He most likely thought she was a mage given the attacks he¡¯d just witnessed, so he probably assumed the soldiers could take her closebat.

    ¡¸Drop swords in less than 10 seconds. Will forgive.¡¹

    ¡¸You think you can beat us, little girl?¡¹

    ¡¸We have you surrounded! It¡¯s your loss.¡¹

    Fran raised me and readied herself forbat, but Serid¡¯s soldiers continued to look down on her despite that. They had stayed within the ship¡¯s interior throughout the trip¡¯s duration, so they knew little of her abilities and even less of Urushi¡¯s. They had assumed that she had used spells or magic tools to crush the pirate ships, so they thought they could best her so long as they stopped her from chanting.

    The prince, however, more than understood the extent of Fran¡¯s strength. He was worried for the soldier¡¯s lives, and so he quickly positioned himself in the middle of the encirclement. The expression he had on his face clearly indicated that he went in knowing the consequences, and that he was prepared for death should ite.

    ¡¸Lower your swords, all of you! Serid, what sort of fool are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I am but subjugating a rebel, Your Highness.¡¹

    ¡¸You cannot best Fran. Soldiers, lower your swords lest you bear a deathwish.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah hah hah! What an intriguing joke, your highness. Do you truly believe that our country¡¯s soldiers would lose to such a small, pathetic child?¡¹

    ¡¸I do!¡¹

    ¡¸Prince, I see that I must prove you wrong and reestablish your faith in our countrymen. The Fyrias Kingdom¡¯s soldiers are men of valour, and now, they shall demonstrate that precise fact. It is but a shame that their foe is a mere girl.¡¹

    ¡¸Cease this right this instant!¡¹

    ¡¸Do not heed the prince¡¯s orders! Do it!¡¹

    ¡¸Sir! Yes sir!¡¹

    The soldiers chose to obey Serid over the prince. They immediately rushed Fran down in order to attack. Their faces gave away that they weren¡¯t actually intent on killing her; at most, they wanted a limb or two. Moreover, their movements indicated that they were fairly proficient atbat.

    ¡¸Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    But they were no match for Fran, and so, the battle ended in an instant. Fran cut down two of them, I sent two more flying with magic, and Urushi pinned down another. All of the men that had opposed us had copsed, save for Serid.

    ¡¸I-Impossible¡­ How could it be!¡¹

    Franpletely ignored the now stiffened up chambein and instead turned to face the pirate.

    ¡¸Exin everything.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you whatever you want if you agree to let me live.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Agreed. Will spare.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh, alright. The deal is sealed.¡¹

    ¡¸First. Involvement with Serid.¡¹

    ¡¸He offered us a job. So basically, he¡¯s one of our clients.¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your mouth immediately, you lia-¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸Geh!¡¹

    Serid tried to cut the pirate off and stop him from talking, but Fran gave him a quick smack and knocked him out. Well, that¡¯s one less source of noise.

    ¡¸And?¡¹

    ¡¸Er, right. It happened sometime in the evening two days ago.¡¹

    Apparently the pirates had a secret base set up somewhere in Dharz. They often used it to buy supplies and gather information. Someone had purposefully sought out said base in order to hire them for something.

    Specifically, they were asked to attack the ship we were on. They were told that the Fryias Kingdom would have a few members of its royal family on the boat. Their job was to kidnap and murder those precise individuals. Moreover, arrangements would be made so that the ship would remain without any sort of armed escort, and it was even said that the people on board would surrender immediately.

    ¡¸Client was Serid?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It was one hell of a dirty job, but so we did a bit of investigating. Tracking the requestor informed us that he was one of that old fox¡¯s subordinates.¡¹

    ¡¸epted?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we were going to get paid a ridiculous amount, and we figured we could threaten Serid and get him to pay up even more. So yes, we did.¡¹

    Alright, so my guesses are on this whole thing being a part of a power struggle, but why go so far just to kill the twins? I mean, they were sixth and seventh in the line of session. They weren¡¯t even anywhere near the throne.

    It looked like we were going to need to dig a little bit deeper if we wanted to figure out exactly what was going on.

 Chapter 94: Not All People with Bad Personalities are Necessarily Evil

    <h4>Chapter 94: Not All People with Bad Personalities are Necessarily Evil</h4>

    ¡¸Up.¡¹

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    Fran gave Serid¡¯s back a good stomp. The sudden influx of pain caused the chambein to awaken. Thebination of his aching back and Fran¡¯s cold gaze left him feeling a sense of intimidation.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Why kill Flut and Satia?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I fail to grasp the essence of your question.¡¹

    ¡¸Pirate bbed. Said Serid was mastermind.¡¹

    ¡¸What you mean to say is that you believe the ramblings of a mere pirate?¡¹

    He¡¯s still saying that? My guess was that he wanted to abuse his authority and push everything under the rug or something, but that didn¡¯t seem all that feasible given the current circumstances.

    ¡¸Hired Pirates. Murder Flut and Satia.¡¹

    ¡¸I would never!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    £¨Master, problem?£©

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. Keep interrogating him.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Why do you want them dead?¡¹

    ¡¸I have not the slightest clue!¡¹

    Huh, wow. He isn¡¯t lying.

    ¡¸How did you make the blue cat tribe move? ve Merchants.¡¹

    ¡¸Blue cat tribe? I understand not what you are saying¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Assassin at the inn. Where did you hire? When?¡¹

    ¡¸You speak but of nonsense¡­ Wait! You said that an assassin had appeared at the inn!?¡¹

    It looked he he really didn¡¯t know anything. Well, I mean I get the whole incident with the blue cat tribe¡¯s ve merchants because he was literally never informed of it. But I never would¡¯ve expected him not to know of the assassin either.

    Wait, so what exactly is going on? Why do the pirates think that he was the one who hired them despite him thinking otherwise?

    ¡¸Which subordinate contacted pirates?¡¹

    ¡¸I have already stated that I have not the slightest idea. Cease with this farce immediately! I know precisely your ns, you wished to use me of treason from the very beginning.¡¹

    He was actually being a hundred percent serious. He isn¡¯t lying at all, which could mean that he actually didn¡¯t have any part in this¡­ not that I can actually believe that.

    ¡¸Do not take me for a fool. I can clearly see that this is not but a scenario written by that detestable Reidosian spy.¡¹

    ¡¸I cannot believe that to be true, Serid. Salrut is one of our mother¡¯s, the queen¡¯s knights. He is a man that has earned her trust.¡¹

    ¡¸Her Majesty¡¯s trust in him is based but in deception.¡¹

    Serid¡¯s reply to the prince evidenced that he truly believed Salrut to be a spy.

    Okay, this is looking bad. I seriously have no idea what¡¯s even going on anymore.

    Alright, let¡¯s think this all over.

    They slipped out, and as a result, they managed to get themselves kidnapped by the blue cat tribe¡¯s illegal ve traders. They were about to get shipped off to Reidos so they could be sold as merchandise, but then we stepped in and saved them. That task would likely have fallen onto Salrut¡¯s shoulders had we not shown up that night. It looked like this wasn¡¯t the first time this¡¯d happened. The twins seemed to have made sneaking out a sort of habit, and it¡¯d probably be even easier for them to actually manage to escape if the guards had a hole in their security. Serid definitely had more than enough power to arrange for such a hole.

    The next thing to consider would be the assassin we handed off to Salrut. The person who hired him had tipped him off so that he¡¯d be able to infiltrate the building with ease. The assassin probably needed a map to actually sneak in. He also would¡¯ve needed to know where all the guards were. Again, Serid could¡¯ve easily provided all that information.

    Thest thing we needed to consider was the whole pirate thing. The pirates attacked us because one of Serid¡¯s subordinates contacted and hired them. It was really weird that the prince and princess didn¡¯t have any sort ofbat-based escort ship that went along with them on the trip either. That, like everything else thus far, was something that was within Serid¡¯s realm of maniption given the extent of his power.

    Yeah uh¡­ it seemed that all the evidence pointed to Serid.

    ¡¸Captain.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes?¡¹

    ¡¸No escort ships. Why?¡¹

    ¡¸That was apparently just the type of job it was. We were told that bringing escorts along would make us stand out.¡¹

    Okay yeah, this whole thing seems super suspicious. People might start doubting us soon too, and yeah, I¡¯d really prefer for that not to happen, so we should probably get this solved and over with soon.

    ¡¸Who hired you?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t say for sure until check out the logs we have back at HQ, but¡­ It should¡¯ve been Serid.¡¹

    ¡¸That is nothing short of impossible. I see no reason for that responsibility to have fallen on my head.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying Serid? We agreed that you would be responsible for arranging our boat trip.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I am aware of that. However, I instructed one of my men to handle the task for me.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you not find it odd that he was only able to procure a single vessel?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I did. However, I also felt it reasonable given the season and circumstances. I was informed that we would instead be prepared a state of the art vessel equipped with the newest technology, so I had reluctantly agreed to the terms proposed.¡¹

    He wasn¡¯t lying, which meant he actually didn¡¯t have anything to do with prepping the ship either?

    ¡¸Who got ship ready?¡¹

    ¡¸I-It should have been Naymario!¡¹

    Serid looked towards one of the men standing by the prince¡¯s side. Serid seemed to have thought that he had asked him to hire the Luciel Conglomerate, but the man, Naymario, only shook his head in response.

    ¡¸I merely followed your orders.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? Naymario, you traitor!¡¹

    Serid¡¯s pitch rose in surprise, which made sense. Naymario was lying, after all.

    In other words, Naymario was trying to frame Serid.

    Salrut acted before Serid could give any further replies. He promptly gave his head an understanding nod and got his men to force Serid on his feet.

    ¡¸Restrain that man immediately. He hasmitted treason through the act of plotting the assassination of a member of the royal family.¡¹

    Wait, hold up. I still want to keep the interrogation going for a bit longer. Serid isn¡¯t actually guilty, so yeah.

    ¡¸Wait.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Want to ask a bit more.¡¹

    ¡¸That should not be necessary. You have already done enough, you¡¯ve exposed the criminal¡¯s conspiracy. Please, leave the rest to me.¡¹

    ¡¸No proof yet. Might not be mastermind.¡¹

    ¡¸I am absolutely certain that he is, especially given all the evidence presented.¡¹

    Wait a second.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºSalrut just lied.¡»

    £¨Nn?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try throwing a few questions at Naymario and Salrut in turn.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    This whole scenario had taken quite the interesting turn.

    ¡¸Naymario. Question.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Really followed Serid¡¯s instructions?¡¹

    ¡¸To the letter.¡¹

    Yup, he definitely just lied. I¡¯m absolutely positive that he¡¯s in on this whole thing, but I can¡¯t yet tell if he¡¯s the one pulling the strings or if he¡¯s just a pawn.

    ¡¸Salrut too.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Not a Reidosian spy?¡¹

    ¡¸Hah hah hah! Of course not! I¡¯ve long cast that country aside and devoted everyst fibre of my being to the Fyrias Kingdom.¡¹

    Salrut dered his allegiances in a confident, convincing voice. It¡¯d sounded like he didn¡¯t even need to think before answering.

    His act was awfully convincing, but in the end, it was just an act. It didn¡¯t matter how persuasive he sounded. There was simply no way for him to bypass the Principle of Falsehood.

    ¡ºI hate to say it, but it looked like Serid was right. Salrut¡¯s a Reidosian spy.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºReally.¡»

    Thinking about it from that perspective made everything click into ce.

    The Kingdom of Reidos had a pretty good rtionship with the illegal ve merchants from which it bought its goods. He probably didn¡¯t need to do anything beyond just saying the word to get them on board with his ns.

    He was also more than just capable of producing the opportunity the assassin needed to sneak into the building. Plus, he didn¡¯t even tell Serid that there was an assassin in the first ce. He just covered it up instead. The dark knight had said he was going to hand the assassin over to the proper authorities, but thinking about it, he probably just silenced him instead.

    It would¡¯ve been pretty easy for him to hire the pirates too so long as he and Naymario were working together. Or rather, it was pretty obvious that they were working together.

    I mean, Serid¡¯s attitude hadn¡¯t helped in the slightest, but man, Salrut had totally pulled one over our heads.

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºGood question. I wish I knew the answer¡­¡»

 Chapter 95: The Sword of Truth (Not Really)

    <h4>Chapter 95: The Sword of Truth (Not Really)</h4>

    Man, Salrut really got us. I never thought that he of all people would actually be the person pulling the strings behind all this.

    I really wish I found out his true nature right when we met, but, keeping the Principle of Falsehood active 24/7 wasn¡¯t exactly something I was willing to do.

    The thing is, I was actually nning to sit down and interrogate him, but I ended up inadvertently trusting him because he was one of the twins¡¯ acquaintances.

    In fact, we ended up trusting him so much that we hadn¡¯t even considered using the skill on him until after we¡¯d used it on Naymario.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ What to do¡­?¡»

    Either way, we first decided to heal the soldiers that we just beat up so that they wouldn¡¯t die while we considered our options. Only after that did I continue to ponder.

    I was absolutely certain that Salrut was a Reidosian spy and that he was working together with Naymario. The only problem was that I couldn¡¯t prove it. We couldn¡¯t prove that we had the ability to see through lies either, so that was a no go.

    Man, all this spy and conspiracy stuff was a huge pain to deal with. I almost just wanted to ditch them and pretend I didn¡¯t see anything, but¡­ nah, that¡¯d be going a bit too far. At this rate, Salrut was probably going to end up having the twins assassinated whilst also silencing Serid in the process.

    I mean, I couldn¡¯t have cared less about what ends up happening to Serid, but, I did want to help the twins. They were Fran¡¯s friends. She¡¯d probably end up pretty sad if something happened to them.

    ¡ºWe need to figure out how we can get him to confess.¡»

    £¨Beat him up?£©

    £¨Woof?£©

    ¡ºWait, wait. Beating information out of someone isn¡¯t supposed to be the first thing you turn to. It¡¯s more of ast resort.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    The way I saw it, spies tended to be the type of people that wouldn¡¯t talk regardless of how much you tortured them, so roughing him up might not even help us at all to begin with.

    And if things went south, then we might end up being wanted by the state.

    ¡¸Is that enough? I would really like to get to questioning him.¡¹

    Crap! They¡¯re going to go drag Serid off somewhere if I don¡¯t think of something quick. Come on me! Think! Think!

    £¨Brute force?£©

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    ¡ºHold on! I already told you to make that ourst resort!¡»

    If this kept up, Fran was probably going to pull her supposedst resort out right away.

    Wait, I got it! This¡¯ll probably sound a bit forced, but it was pretty much the only thing I could think of given a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡ºFran, make sure you repeat exactly what I say.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, go casually stand around where Salrut and Naymario are so they can¡¯t run away or anything like that.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Alright, here¡¯s to hoping this works¡­

    ¡¸Wait. Just a bit.¡¹

    First things first, we made sure they didn¡¯t actually carry Serid off anywhere.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    Salrut seemed a bit irritated at the fact that Fran stopped him again, which was good. The less calm he was, the easier this would be.

    ¡¸Have item. Will help prove Serid¡¯s guilt.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    Salrut made a bit of a dubious face in response. He likely didn¡¯t want us to interfere further, but decided to go along with it for the time being. Serid, on the other hand, had his face cloud over. He probably thought we were on Salrut¡¯s side, and that we were trying to make him seem even more guilty than he already was.

    ¡¸Seal release.¡¹

    I immediately began to transform, seemingly in response to Fran¡¯s words. I activated Thunder de while also using purification based magic in order to make myself appear divine.

    ¡¸Woah!¡¹

    ¡¸What in the world is that?¡¹

    The people around us let out cries of shock as they watched a glowing sword suddenly change shape right before their very eyes. My de grew several wing shaped protrusions; I turned what appeared to be a ceremonial weapon, an armament used for nothing more than rituals.

    ¡¸What is that?¡¹

    ¡¸Sword of Truth. Functionality easier to show than exin. Flut.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Say sister¡¯s name.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha?¡¹

    ¡¸Tell me your sister¡¯s name. Give answer.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. My sister¡¯s name is Satia Diel Fyrias.¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    ¡¸Woah, where did that voicee from!?¡¹

    ¡¸Sword of Truth. Magic tool. Discerns the truth from lies.¡¹

    Yup, one big fat lie,ing right up. Well, actually it is kind of true, seeing as how I do have the Principle of Falsehood. Whatever, either way, this was what I managed toe up with at thest possible moment. We were going to convince everyone that I was some sort of magical lie detector so we could demonstrate that Salrut wasn¡¯t what he appeared to be. In other words, we were trying to get him to confess.

    First things first though, we had to make sure that everyone here actually thought I was able to discern between what was true and what wasn¡¯t.

    Times like this almost made me wish I had a skill improved our ability to act or something, but whatever. The issue was that I was kind of a sword, and I wasn¡¯t really moving around or anything, so I wasn¡¯t sure if I could actually manage to convince everyone that I was in fact the real deal. Moreover, the Principle of Falsehood didn¡¯t actually make Fran herself sound any more convincing. It did, however, make me sound more convincing, which was good enough, I guess.

    I made sure to make my voice as monotone and machine-like as I could. In fact, I actually based my speech patterns off the system announcer. I even went as far as to use Appraisal Jamming in order to make myself a fake status page, but unfortunately, no one here could actually use appraisal, so that ended up as nothing but wasted effort.

    ¡¸Next, Satia¡¯s turn. Ask a question.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. In that case, I¡¯ll ask my brother something. Flut, what present did we get from our elder sister, Angellica, on our fifth birthday?¡¹

    ¡¸I believe she gave us a pair of matching amulets.¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    ¡¸It answered!¡¹

    ¡¸And it was correct too.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll ask the next question. What is our father¡¯s favourite food?¡¹

    ¡¸I believe it is meat.¡¹

    ¡ºA lie has been told.¡»

    ¡¸I-It was right again!¡¹

    It looked like the twins¡¯ father, the king, was probably more fond of sweet foods. That means he¡¯s probably really fat. I wonder if he¡¯s got diabetes.

    The twins took turns asking each other questions. The started out asking fairly innocent stuff like their mother¡¯s name and questions regarding the menu they were presented for dinner the day before yesterday. Soon, however, it devolved to the point where they began asking each other when theyst wet the bed and who their first crushes were. I almost wanted to tell them to stop. I really didn¡¯t need to know their deepest, darkest secrets.

    In the end, we managed convince both twins that I was a genuine lie detector.

    ¡¸I-It really can discern the truth from lies.¡¹

    ¡¸What an amazing magical item it is.¡¹

    ¡¸Next, Captain.¡¹

    ¡¸Me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The next group we tried to convince was the ship¡¯s crew. Unlike the prince and princess, they asked nothing indecent. They focused on questions to which I shouldn¡¯t know the answer. That is, they asked each other for information regarding their wives, pets, and recent meals.

    And so, we managed to convince all the people around us that I really was the Sword of Truth. In other words, the stage was set.

    Salrut¡¯s face had gradually began to warp ever so slightly out of shape. He was probably panicking on the inside. He knew that I would be be able to tell that Serid was innocent.

    ¡¸Hah hah hah! That is quite the amazing item you¡¯ve got there. However, we have no need for it. We all know for a fact that Serid was the one that¡¯d hired the pirates. The pirates said it themselves, after all.¡¹

    He immediately tried to brush it off, but there was no way that I was about to let him get off the hook. And so, Franpletely ignored the dark knight and instead turned to Serid in order to ask him a question.

    ¡¸Did you n to kill the twins?¡¹

    ¡¸I have never plotted anything along those lines! I swear that I am innocent!¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible! Hearhghalskjdhg¡¹

    Salrut tried to speak, but I shut him up with telekinesis. Alright, let¡¯s keep this going!

    ¡¸nned to have them kidnapped?¡¹

    ¡¸I did not.¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    ¡¸Asked the pirates to attack?¡¹

    ¡¸I have never once involved myself with those ruffians!¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    ¡¸Asked Naymario to book the ship?¡¹

    ¡¸I did.¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    The people around us had looks of shock stered all over their faces. They¡¯d thought Serid to be some sort of despicable traitor, but it turned out that he had been innocent all along.

    ¡¸Next, Naymario.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t see the need to answer your questions.¡¹

    Yeah, yeah, alright, whatever. He wasn¡¯t getting away anyways, seeing as how Urushi was standing right behind him.

    ¡¸Tried to frame Serid?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course not!¡¹

    ¡ºA lie has been told.¡»

    Both twins¡¯ eyes sharpened in response to his answer.

    ¡¸Conspiring with Salrut?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    He didn¡¯t respond to the question. Oh well, whatever.

    ¡¸Conspiring with Salrut? Silence is yes.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThe truth has been spoken.¡»

    ¡¸Salrut wants to kill twins? Silence still yes.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about! None whatsoever!¡¹

    ¡ºA lie has been told.¡»

    Heh.

    Everyone on the ship had started to point their res in Naymario¡¯s direction. They all believed him to be a traitor. The Sword of Truth could discern the truth, after all.

    That aside, the Principle of Falsehood really was a terrifyingly potent skill. You could probably topple a country with ease if you abused it. But even with all that considered, I still felt that we should probably avoid using it as much as possible. I mean, we had that stupid Auguste noble lead by example and showed us exactly what would happen if we relied on it too much. So yeah, I think we¡¯d be much better off avoiding it as much as possible.

    ¡¸Next. Questions for Salrut.¡¹

    Alright, what now bro? I¡¯m the Sword of Truth,e at me. I¡¯m about to expose all your lies!

    ¡¸Foock! Damned brat!¡¹

    It seemed like Salrut had also believed that I really was the Sword of Truth. Well, I mean, he was pretty much guaranteed to given what he¡¯s seen me do.

    He clearly understood that he couldn¡¯t afford to try to make any sort of excuse, and so, he immediately drew the sword on his hip and leapt towards the twins.

    ¡¸It looks like I have no other choice but to do this myseagh!¡¹

    Or at least he tried to.

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    Urushi had instantly turned back to his normal size and pinned the dark knight down with one of his front paws.

    ¡¸No more need for questions.¡¹

    A single nce at the twins¡¯ faces revealed that they now knew the truth, that Salrut had been deceiving them all along.

    ¡¸This can¡¯t be¡­ Salrut, why!?¡¹

    Prince Flut¡¯s immediate reaction was to let out a bitter shout, a shout that resounded throughout the ship in its entirety.

 Chapter 96: One Difficulty After Another.

    <h4>Chapter 96: One Difficulty After Another.</h4>

    Salrut red at Fran with eyes filled with hatred as Urushi held him down in front of her.

    ¡¸The Godde should belong to my country!¡¹

    So he really was after the Godde. Well, it was a super weapon that was strong enough to throw off the bnce of power held between nations. Reidos seemed kind of scummy, so it would only make sense for them to want it.

    We weren¡¯t able to extract any other information out of him. He let loose the fact that Reidos wanted the Godde, but refused to say anything else thereafter. I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Spies were tight lipped after all.

    We probably could¡¯ve gotten him to spill the beans if we tortured him, but there were children around, so yeah¡­

    Besides, interrogating him was Serid¡¯s job, not ours. If we went ahead and pried the information out of him, we might¡¯ve ended up getting stuck in an international conflict. We were pretty much leg deep in it already, so I didn¡¯t want us to get even more involved.

    ¡¸Salrut¡­ Why¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe he was deceiving us this whole time.¡¹

    The twins were still in shock. Apparently, he acted as their guard for over five whole years.

    Salrut had imed to have abandoned the Kingdom of Reidos about eight years ago. He then spent his days wandering around until he ended up somewhere in the Fyrias Kingdom. He happened to stumble upon the Queen as she was being attacked by insurgents, so he protected her, and thus, she decided to grant him a position of knighthood. He had worked as hard as he could for several years on end, and sp, he was eventually given the honor of guarding members of the royal family.

    Okay, that¡¯s pretty shady. So basically, he showed up at the same time as a bunch of insurgents and drove them off without taking even the slightest scratch despite being just one dude with a horse? Yeah, seems just a bit more than a bit fishy to me.

    Wasn¡¯t the queen like, a little too unwary of this sort of thing? I mean, I know he saved her life and all, but she literally ced a Reidosian knight in a position that allowed him direct contact with the royal family.

    That thought led to a sneaking suspicion, so I decided to check Salrut¡¯s equipment over just to figure out the effects of all the magic items he had on hand.

    Name: Ring of Bonds

    Effect: Makes it easier for the wearer to bond with other people. This item bes more effective the longer one stays in contact with the wearer.

    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t paid it too much mind at first, but that was only because I didn¡¯t think its effect to be too significant. It turned out that I was wrong. The ring¡¯s effect was much more than I¡¯d been expecting. I used the Eye of Empyria alongside Magical Perception and Sorcery in order to further investigate the item only to find that it¡¯d been imbued with a very significant amount of magical power.

    It wasn¡¯t strong enough to brainwash people or anything like that, but was more than enough to make one throw almost all their wariness out the window.

    ¡¸This ring?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you doing!? Stop tha-geh!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It looked like something really important, as Salrut started to struggle the moment we tried to take it from him, but Urushi immediately applied more force to his front paw and crushed all the dark knight¡¯s resistance.

    Apparently, he was having a lot of fun grinding Salrut into the ground with his paws. He¡¯d even asionally switch between his two front paws just so he could squish him a bit with each in turn. Every time he did, Salrut would let out a funny sounding groan, which only entertained therge, ck wolf all the more.

    ¡¸What is it, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Ring. Suspicious.¡¹

    Fran handed Salrut¡¯s ring over to Serid after forcibly ripping it off his finger. Taking the ring away from him had seemed to be the right choice given the impatient tone the act had elicited in response.

    Immediately following that, we decided to go around questioning all the knights. Normally, spotting one cockroach meant that there were actually around ten others roaming about, and spies were pretty much cockroaches in their own right. Through that act, we managed to weed out two more traitors.

    And that was pretty much it. We did all we could for them so I returned to my usual form and returned to the sheath hanging off Fran¡¯s back.

    The next thing we decided to do was to head to Barbra, or least it was until we realized that the pirates still had treasure hidden away at their base. More importantly was the fact that that said base was on route. Apparently, it was hidden away amongst a bunch of inds.

    It sounded like they had a bunch, so I was really looking forward to raiding the ce. We ended up doing a tonne, so we totally needed a plentiful reward, right?

    Captain Rengil asked the pirate captain an interesting question as we had thetter guide us over to his hideout.

    ¡¸Attacking a ship and murdering the royalty on it really isn¡¯t a pirate-like thing to do, is it?¡¹

    Wait, really? It sounded perfectly pirate-like to me.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not?¡¹

    Apparently Fran was wondering the same thing, so she immediately asked the captain for his reasoning.

    ¡¸Well, pirates may be ruffians through and through, but, they don¡¯t normally kill people who don¡¯t fight back. They almost never harm anyone that chooses to surrender.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. Attacking ships the way they do is something that naturally incurs a lot of risk. Most ships tend to be guarded by mercenaries or adventurers, and they don¡¯t even know what¡¯s on the ship until after they take it over.¡¹

    Oh, I get it. So there¡¯s a pretty good chance they¡¯ll lose more than they gain.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why they normally choose to take hostages and demand ransom payments in exchange for their safety. It¡¯s far more profitable for them that way. It¡¯s kind of weird to put it like this, but the piracy business is built on trust. People wouldn¡¯t pay ransom if they didn¡¯t trust the pirates not to harm their hostages, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸Makes sense.¡¹

    ¡¸Murdering members of the royal family is pretty muchpletely out of the pirates¡¯ realm of operation. If their deeds were discovered, then whatever country the royals belonged to would likely send a subjugation force. Moreover, the public would lose trust in them and effectively force them to terminate their business.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, Serid¡¯s suggestion, surrendering. Correct decision?¡¹

    ¡¸Under normal circumstances, yes. Surrendering would have been the best possible decision by far.¡¹

    Ohhhh, that¡¯s how it is. Whoops. Sorry Serid, I really shouldn¡¯t have started suspecting you because of that. I me Salrut, it¡¯s all his fault.

    ¡¸We decided to ept the request because we really needed the money. Thought it¡¯d work out because there wouldn¡¯t be any proof.¡¹

    Apparently, Salrut had actually started probing them out about a week ago. That was probably right around when he started getting ready to have the prince and princess murdered.

    The pirates had figured out that everything would go well so long as they followed Salrut¡¯s instructions. They likely would have seeded had we not been here. To Salrut, hiring Fran was akin to digging his own grave.

    Well, technically, I guess he wasn¡¯t the one that dug it out. The twins were responsible for the suggestion. The three of them got along pretty well, so they must¡¯ve wanted to spend more time with her.

    Either way, as far as Salrut was concerned, hiring Fran was akin to throwing another factor into the mix. He probably allowed it because theck of an escort ship meant that they didn¡¯t really have that many people to fend off any iing magic beasts, and he himself wasn¡¯t exactly nning to die at sea. The issuey with the fact that he had no idea that she was strong enough to sink the entire pirate fleet with ease.

    ¡¸Needed money? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸You remember the condition our ships were in?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It looked like they¡¯d just been through some sort of battle. Some of them even had holes in their decks.

    ¡¸We needed money so we could have them repaired.¡¹

    ¡¸Why so damaged?¡¹

    ¡¸It all happened seven days ago¡­¡¹

    The pirate seemed to go straight down memoryne.

    ¡¸We did the usual. We left our hideout in search of prey.¡¹

    His eyes seemed kind of hazy, as if he was looking at something far off in the distance. Come on, I really don¡¯t care about all the this sentimental stuff. Just sum it up for us or something.

    Apparently, they left their base as usual, one thing led to another, and they eventually ended up running into a gigantic magic beast. The magic beast instantly sank four of their ships, left two heavily damaged, and the rest in the state in which we first saw them.

    ¡¸Magic Beast?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it was a gigantic monster the likes of which I¡¯d never seen before. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it was most likely some type of sea serpent.¡¹

    ¡¸How big?¡¹

    ¡¸I couldn¡¯t see the whole thing, but, its girth was about the same as my ship¡¯s.¡¹

    Woah, that¡¯s big. If it was as wide as a ship, then it was most likely about a hundred odd meters long.

    It was probably the magic beast that we¡¯d heard about back in Dharz, the one that was seen hanging around the coastal area.

    I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll end up running into it, but I guess we should be extra careful just in case seeing as how we didn¡¯t know the extent of its strength.

    Wait, I feel like I might¡¯ve just jinxed it. Nah¡­ no way, right¡­?

    ¡¸We¡¯ve spotted a massive shadow in the ocean. It¡¯s right in front of us.¡¹

    Okay, yeah, I definitely just jinxed it.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I know. Let¡¯s go, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The magic beast we were about to challenge was one strong enough topletely demolish the pirate¡¯s fleet with ease. This little ship of ours would probably be screwed if we just sat around and didn¡¯t do anything.

    ¡¸Captain.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s right over there, Fran!¡¹

    We looked in the direction the captain was pointing, and surely enough, we saw something massive wriggling around beneath the water¡¯s surface despite the fact that we were still over a hundred meters away from it.

    ¡¸It looks like it¡¯s heading right for us.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t get away?¡¹

    ¡¸I doubt it. It¡¯s a bit too quick for us.¡¹

    Well, I guess that means we¡¯re going to have to fight. Wait, Fran, why are your eyes sparkling like that? We¡¯re in a pretty bad spot here, you know?

    ¡¸Victory goes to first to attack.¡¹

    ¡ºHah¡­ Alright, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s hit it with everything we¡¯ve got.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The only thing I was worried about was the fact that our attacks might notnd given that the giant sea serpent was still underwater.

    ¡ºHey Urushi, could you try provoking it a bit so it surfaces?¡»

    ¡¸Bark bark bark!¡¹

    Wow, they both seem like they really want to go at it. I mean, that¡¯s good and all, but they¡¯re almost kind of like warmongers at this point.

    Alright, I guess Fran and I will get ready to attack while Urushi does his thing. The enemy¡¯s body was so big that we had no choice but to go all out.

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to use my Telekic Catapult. Could you throw me while using wind magic and some sort of Elemental de to power it up?¡»

    ¡¸Roger.¡¹

    The first thing I did was transform and optimize my body in order to draw out as much power as possible. The image I had in mind was something like a bullet. I purged all my spare parts and carved a spiral like groove into my body.

    My resulting form was one that I felt like I¡¯d seen before. Ah, right, I very closely resembled a certain Archer¡¯s rendition of Cdbolg, which was fine seeing as how I¡¯d gained a lot more prating power.

    I then proceeded to activate me de, wind magic, Vibration Fang, and Vulcanization simultaneously. Parallel Processing allowed it all to happen without a hitch.

    ¡ºYou ready, Fran?¡»

    £¨Nn. Ready whenever.£©

    ¡ºAlright, good.¡»

    I began getting ready to use Telekinesis.

    And then, our chance came.

    ¡¸Gyagyagagagagaoooo!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi. Good job.¡¹

    Urushi had been firing potshots at the creature from above. It didn¡¯t take him long to annoy it enough for it to finally surface. It¡¯s giant head emerged from the sea as it attempted to chase him down. It was so big that it looked like it could probably swallow an entire blue whale with ease.

    It didn¡¯t look like a snake though. Instead, it moreso resembled an earthworm. Its mouth looked like that of a sea anemone in that it was lined with gigantic fangs.

    ¡¸Go!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s do this!¡»

    Fran threw me with everything she had. Her throw alone was so powerful that it had enough kic energy to send me flying through anything on or below the level of a lesser wyvern.

    I released all of the telekic force I¡¯d been saving up and elerated myself even further.

    ¡ºUoooooohhhhh!¡»

    A massive impact force assaulted the magic beast the moment I made contact; a crater ten meters in diameter suddenly appeared where I assumed the creature¡¯s neck was.

    The impact was so powerful that it sent me flying off in some direction immediately afterwards. A good chunk of my de had been destroyed, and the rest had cracks running through it. It looked like using Overboost really did put way too much strain on my body.

    But I didn¡¯t have any time toment over the amount of damage my suicide attack had done to me.

    ¡ºHoly crap! What the hell is this thing!?¡»

    Appraising the magic beast had left me in a state of shock and awe.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species Name: Midgard Wyrm (Sea serpent)

    Magic Beast

    Lv. 60

    HP: 35991/38709

    MP: 531

    STR: 4019

    VIT: 4669

    AGI: 102

    INT: 5

    MGC: 109

    DEX: 24

    Skills

    Absorption: Lv 2

    Regeneration: Lv 2

    Predation

    Description: An ocean parasite said to have the ability to grow infinitely. It¡¯s not very smart and does nothing but follow its instincts. It¡¯ll even attempt to eat anything that moves. Itcks any sort of unique abilities, the only thing special about it is its size. However, it is precisely its size that causes its enemies the most trouble. Legends have said that these creatures have even swallowed entire inds in the past. It is extremely difficult to kill, and is considered an A level threat. Its magic stone is located in its heart.

    Seriously? It¡¯s got over 30k HP!? The attack we just used didn¡¯t even chunk 10% of its total health. To make matters worse, it was an A level threat.

    It didn¡¯t have that many skills, and if you only looked at its skills, you¡¯d probably think that it was really weak. Its only selling point was that it was big. Seriously though, it was way too big for anyone¡¯s good¡­

    ¡ºTsk. What a pain.¡»

 Chapter 97: Is that a Worm or a Snake?

    <h4>Chapter 97: Is that a Worm or a Snake?</h4>

    ¡¸Gyooo!¡¹

    The Midgard Wyrm turned its eyes on me with a threatening gaze. Or, at least that¡¯s how it felt. I couldn¡¯t actually see its eyes anywhere. That said, it seemed to have realized that the attack I¡¯d just hit it with had damaged me as well.

    I intended on piercing it all the way through, but its skin was too thick, and flesh too brawny. Its tough body stopped my Telekic Catapult in its tracks.

    ¡ºThis thing¡¯s huge.¡»

    Even just the part that¡¯d risen above the water was 30 whole meters long.

    I continued observing the magic beast as my de regenerated. It was starting to heal up as well. Its regeneration was really low level, but its HP pool was massive to begin with, so it was actually healing fairly rapidly.

    ¡¸Gyagaruooohhh!¡¹

    ¡ºWoah!¡»

    The Midgard Wyrm spat something at me. Its aim was rather precise, the glob of stomach acid would¡¯ve hit me head on if I hadn¡¯t dodged. It looked like that attack was what it¡¯d used to mess up all the pirate ships we saw.

    ¡ºThis thing¡¯s still just full of energy.¡»

    I mean, it managed to stop my Telekic Catapult¡¯s momentum, but it still did have a giant gaping hole in its neck or head area. Normally, you¡¯d think its movements would dull as a result, but it didn¡¯t seem to have actually felt the attack at all.

    It looked like we wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it if we just tried to whittle down its HP. But that was fine, there were other ways for us to kill it.

    We could try going for its vitals. Ideally, I¡¯d like kill it by destroying its magic stone, but its body was so big that I was having trouble finding it. Oh well, whatever. We didn¡¯t actually need to bother finding its magic stone in order to kill it, seeing as how it had one of its vitals exposed.

    I let loose a second overboosted Telekic Catapult.

    My durability plummeted yet again in response to the resulting shockwave. The attack was a bit weaker than it was before because I didn¡¯t have Fran¡¯s assistance, but, it was still powerful enough to create a second, 8 meter wide crater right where the wyrm¡¯s head was.

    ¡ºHell yeah, how¡¯s that?¡»

    ¡¸Gyuuuuuuuuu!!!¡¹

    ¡ºTsk. This thing¡¯s still moving around as if nothing¡¯s happened.¡»

    Alright, whatever, I¡¯ll just do it again then. I still had eighty percent of my mana left, so all in all, I could attack roughly five more times before having to devote the rest of my remaining mana into regeneration.

    ¡ºTake this!¡»

    ¡¸Gyaaaaa!!¡¹

    Okay, what the hell? The stupid wyrm was ridiculously sturdy. It was still moving around despite the fact that it was missing half its head.

    I appraised again in order to check its stats, and it turned out that it still had more than 30k HP remaining, which meant that its head probably wasn¡¯t one of its vitals.

    Hmmm¡­ I think I¡¯ll give it another two or three shots just to see what happens.

    ¡ºDie!¡»

    ¡¸Gyogyaaaaa!!¡¹

    And so, the process repeated itself a few times, and I endedpletely obliterating its head in its entirety. The Midguard Wyrm no longer possessed either a mouth or a brain, but¡­

    ¡ºWhy is it still alive!?¡»

    It¡¯s movements had dulled by only the slightest bit, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was just going to roll over and die anytime soon. In fact, it looked perfectly fine. The flesh around where its head had been had already started to regenerate.

    God damn thing doesn¡¯t even die when its head gets blown the hell off. It¡¯s way too big, and it¡¯s got an unrelenting life force to boot. God damn fantasy creatures!

    ¡ºI-Is it just t out immortal?¡»

    I guess it really is a worm. Rockworms were kind of like this too, they wouldn¡¯t die even if you cut them in half.

    ¡ºI think I might¡¯ve used a bit too much mana¡­¡»

    Damn it. I guess I¡¯ll head back on over to Fran. Everything¡¯ll only go downhill if I try to keep this up.

    I flew back over to the ship while making it look like I was being drawn to Fran¡¯s hand.

    £¨Master, status update?£©

    ¡ºI won¡¯t be able to kill it with my Telekic Catapult.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    ¡ºBut I do have an idea.¡»

    £¨What?£©

    ¡º¡­¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s use Deathgaze.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    The worm was just far too big, and it¡¯s life force too unrelenting. Deathgaze¡¯s ability to instantly kill its target had a pretty low sess rate, but it should still activate once every 30 odd shes.

    Bringing up the suggestion made me feel vexed though. I was relying on other swords despite being a sword myself.

    I guess this must be how it feels for a heart surgeon to entrust a parent to his colleague, or for a chef to ask another to cook for his daughter¡¯s wedding. The bitterness of defeat welled up deep within everyst fibre of my being.

    But it couldn¡¯t be helped. This wasn¡¯t the time for me to be moping around¡­

    £¨Understood, Master.£©

    Fran drew Deathgaze out from the dimensional storage. The very act of her brandishing the weapon caused the ship¡¯s crew to gulp.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s giving me a case of the chills¡­¡¹

    Deathgaze¡¯s de was a deep, pitch ck, with red, vein-like lines running up its length. Its appearance was about as ominous as it could get.

    ¡¸Magic Sword. Deathgaze. Can instantly kill.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, so you¡¯re nning to use it to kill that thing?¡¹

    Yeap, the sailor had pretty much hit the nail on the head, but for some odd reason, the captain¡¯s face was still twisted in unease.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not all too sure that the instant kill ability that sword has will actually work on the Midgard Worm.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard rumors saying that Midgard Worms have more than one heart. Instant death effects may not function to their fullest.¡¹

    Seriously? It¡¯s got multiple hearts? Well, I guess we can¡¯t really be sure as to how effective Deathgaze¡¯s abilities would be in that case. But whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t care how many hearts that damn thing has, I¡¯ll just sh at it till it dies.

    £¨Ready?£©

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s go.¡»

    And so, I headed towards the Wyrm yet again. The sailors had their eyes on us though, so I had to make it look like Fran was controlling me.

    ¡¸Sword Puppet Theatre.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow!¡¹

    Fran raised both her arms and acted like she was concentrating. To make the act look more natural, she would asionally even mumble from time to time. It looked like she was having a lot of fun.

    In reality, I was obviously just doing the usual and flying around using telekinesis. Likewise, I was also manipting Deathgaze through the exact same set of actions.

    To the onlookers though, it seemed as if Fran was using some sort of mysterious skill to manipte both swords as she pleased. She was left in a rather defenseless state, but Urushi was with her, so whatever.

    £¨Good luck, Master.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºJust leave it to me!¡»

    That said, all I was doing was flying around the Midgard Wyrm and dodging its attacks while shing at it with Deathgaze in hopes of procing thetter¡¯s effect.

    ¡ºTake this!¡»

    ¡¸Gyaoaaaaahhh!¡¹

    Tsk. Deathgaze¡¯s de wasn¡¯t actually capable of cutting through the wyrm¡¯s overly thick skin. I had to give it a decent amount of momentum before it¡¯d actually pierce the surface. Obviously, I didn¡¯t go as far as using Telekic Catapult, and a result, the damage inflicted per hit was rather miniscule.

    Deathgaze finally activated its effect after 20 or so magic imbued shes. Its de shimmered with a deep scarlet light as it attempted to instantly kill the wyrm.

    ¡¸Gyaaaaaaaa!!¡¹

    Hell yeah! It stopped moving!

    A wave of euphoria washed over me, but it onlysted for an instant.

    ¡¸Gugagaoooooh!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat!? Just die already!¡»

    ¡¸Gyaaoooo!¡¹

    It looked like the captain¡¯s suspicions had been on point. Deathgaze¡¯s ability wasn¡¯t able to instantly kill magic beasts with multiple hearts.

    ¡ºAlright, fine! I¡¯ll just destroy all your hearts then!¡»

    ¡¸Gyooooo¡¹

    ¡ºHey! Where are you going? I¡¯m over here goddammit!¡»

    ¡¸Gyaooooohhhhh!¡¹

    The Midgard Wyrm started to ignore me. Instead, it began making a beeline for the ship.

    ¡ºGet back here fatass! This is supposed to be between you and me!¡»

    I threw Deathgaze at the Wyrm, but I couldn¡¯t get it to turn back around. It was much more interested in nice, edible, living things than a dangerous, inorganic organism like me.

    I continued to attack it with Deathgaze and managed to get its effect to activate a second time. The wyrm once again stopped for a few seconds, after which it booted its body back. It soon continued its prior actions as if nothing had happened at all.

    Moreover, it had elerated. The ship Fran was on had already changed its course in an attempt to get away from the creature, but, it was going to catch up, and soon, at that. Damn it, it looks like I really might not be able to kill it with Deathgaze.

    ¡ºSheet! What do I do? The poison isn¡¯t working either¡­¡»

    Attacking with Deathgaze wasn¡¯t the only thing I¡¯d done. I had also tried throwing in a few poison based attacks of my own, but they didn¡¯t have any sort of effect on the wyrm at all. It didn¡¯t have poison resistance or anything like that. Its body was simply just way too big, I would need to give it a muchrger dose for it to actually have any effect. Damn it. It looked like size really did matter.

    It didn¡¯t look I had any way of actually killing the wyrm. It would just regenerate regardless of how much damage I did to it, so I decided to think up a method to slow it down instead. I guess I could try making it heavier, but¡­ how?

    ¡ºI got it!¡»

    A light bulb had suddenly seemed to sh inside of my head. The idea I came up with would lead to a bit of a gamble, but I didn¡¯t really have much time to think it through.

    ¡ºDeploying max strength magical barriers! Activating Telekinesis!¡»

    I circled around to the Midgard Wyrm¡¯s front, and shot myself forward with another Telekic Catapult. This time, however, I didn¡¯t aim for its body. Instead, I dove straight inside its half regenerated mouth.

    ¡ºCommencing Operation Inch High Samurai!¡»

    If I couldn¡¯t hurt its exterior, I¡¯d just hurt its interior instead.

    ¡ºHoly crap, that¡¯s disgusting.¡»

    The Midgard Worm¡¯s insides were nothing short of grotesque. Its organs were all clearly visible, and seeing them almost made me want to retch. To make matters worse, my durability was plummeting at an incredibly rapid pace. the wyrm didn¡¯t actually have a stomach. Instead, it just had its whole body secrete stomach acid nonstop. I probably would¡¯vepletely melted away in an instant if not for my magical barriers.

    The original n was for me to just kind of go crazy inside of him and destroy everything, but it didn¡¯t look like that would work. I had to hurry up, finish my objectives, and then leave, else I¡¯d probably melt.

    The only issuey with the fact that I needed to go a bit deeper inside the wyrm¡¯s body. I activated Telekinesis, threw myself in full throttle, and dove deep into the wyrm¡¯s interior. I reached my destination around when my durability had hit the halfway point.

    ¡ºActivating Dimensional Storage!¡»

    I immediately brought out a bunch of monoliths at once and dropped them all inside the wyrm¡¯s body.

    If I dropped them near its mouth, then it¡¯d be able to just spit them back out, but dropping them this deep would probably prevent that from happening.

    I had actually wanted to dump the poisoned swamp we picked up as well, but I ended up deciding against it. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t cause any issue if the wyrm¡¯s body ended up absorbing it all, but, it¡¯d probably lead to some major pollution if it managed to vomit it all back out. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be that bad given how big the ocean was, but, we were kind of close to the shore, so I figured the risk wasn¡¯t really worth the reward.

    ¡ºOh crap! My durability is getting really low, I¡¯ve got to get out of here. Short Jump!¡»

    My durability had started to decrease even more quickly because of the friction resulting from me rubbing against all the monoliths now in my immediate vicinity. I immediately used space/time magic and teleported a rather short distance. Luckily, I was able to get myself outside the wyrm and into the ocean.

    Whew. I only had a hundred durability left.

    ¡ºI really wish that the stupid thing would¡¯ve exploded or at least ruptured though.¡»

    The wyrm¡¯s stomach had grown in width by a factor of 10, but it didn¡¯t seem to show any sign of splitting open. Well, I guess it was a snake, and snakes were capable of swallowing things much bigger than themselves without much issue.

    That said, having that many massive rocks in its body would probably slow it down.

    And sure enough, a bit of observation led me to the conclusion that I was right.

    Sweet, the ship should be able to get away before it manages to digest everything and speed itself back up.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s get the hell outta here.¡»

 Chapter 98: Side Story: Serid

    <h4>Chapter 98: Side Story: Serid</h4>

    I am Serid Dinias, chambein to the Kingdom of Fyrias.

    The current task to which I have been assigned is to oversee Prince Flut and Princess Satia as they develop towards maturity. I have been with them since the earliest years of their childhood, but as of recent, I have started to feel the distance between us gradually begin to grow.

    The emotional rift of which I had just discussed was caused but by a single man, Salrut O¡¯Randy, former knight to the Kingdom of Reidos. Despite his former status, Salrut had earned himself a position within the Royal pce. He had obtained his otherwise unjustified position through the act of rescue Her Majesty from a group of insurgents.

    He imed to be a knight without a kingdom, one that had abandoned the Reidosian ways. His origin appeared dubious, and I therefore immediately assumed him to be a spy.

    However, despite my suspicions, both His and Her Majesty both came to trust him. I could not fathom as to why, but neither of the two had ced even the slightest bit of doubt within the man. I understood that he saved Her Majesty from an otherwise dangerous situation, but she had conferred far too much faith in him for little reason.

    I will admit that the Fryias Kingdom¡¯s royal family did possess the tendency to be overly naive. The family¡¯s members were rather open and held an extremeck of caution whenpared to royals from other nations. But even then, I felt their choices to be strange and out of scope. They were far too trusting and unwary when it came to matters rting to the former Reidosian knight.

    I had suspected that the man had manipted Their Majesties minds with magic, and thus, I had my men conduct a series of investigations. Most notably, I requested men check as to whether Their Majesties had been charmed or brainwashed. I was almost certain that my suspicions had been correct, however, none of my examinations had ever returned positive results. Moreover, Their Majesties possessed barriers that would repel any weaker attempts, and I doubted that he was capable of casting the mostplicated of spells.

    I attempted to warn Their Majesties of my suspicions, but they imed that they trusted him. My continued persistence led them to drive me from their sides in annoyance. Their choices and actions had left me feeling as mortified as a single individual possibly could.

    However, I remained undissuaded from attempting to uncover Salrut¡¯s actions regardless. In fact, I did precisely the opposite and furthered my efforts. I began publicly voicing my suspicions despite knowing that Their Majesties would only meet me with greater alienation. Thus was the extent of my resolve.

    Salrut truly did well to deserve his title as a Reidosian spy. I was unable to find evidence that would allow me to incriminate him despite my many efforts. However, I did learn of his motifs.

    His target was the Fyrias Kingdom¡¯s Godde. He wished to obtain Diabolos, The Demon Lord¡¯s de.

    Goddes were swords told spoken of in legend, but despite their existences being akin tomon knowledge, their whereabouts werergely unknown. Many had even beenpletely forgotten as a result of the passage of time.

    At the moment, there were only five Goddes with theirs names and wielders known to the world: Alpha, The de of Origin, Berserk, The de of Madness, Ignius, The Brilliant mede, Gaia, The Earth¡¯s Edge, andst but not least was our country¡¯s prided treasure, Diabolos, The Demon Lord¡¯s de.

    Diabolos was said to have an ancient Demon Lord sealed within it, and he who wielded the de was to be granted said Demon Lord¡¯s power. That is, the Godde¡¯s ability was to summon subservient demons, and it was precisely that ability that has allowed our small, fragile nation to survive throughout the ages.

    The de¡¯s weakness is said to be its rtive inefficacy in singlebat. The records show that a thousand years ago, the de¡¯s sessor, one of our Kingdom¡¯s crown princes, had challenged the wielder of Crystalos, the Sacred de of Water to a duel. He and Diabolos had lost despite Crystalos not being a Godde. That said, Diabolos more than made up for its deficiencies with its unique trait. Its ability to summon demons has allowed the Fyrias Kingdom to turn the tides of war time and time again.

    Another one of Diabolos¡¯ unique traits was that it could not be wielded but by a select few. Specifically, only those that had the Fyrias Kingdom¡¯s royal blood flowing through their veins could even so much as touch the sword without losing their souls to it. If an unqualified individual attempted to wield the de, they would lose their life on the spot.

    Many other countries knew of the de¡¯s abilities to force demons into one¡¯s service, but the rest of its traits were carefully kept hidden except from those qualified to know the Kingdom¡¯s national secrets. Members of the royal family would be told of the sword¡¯s properties upon their tenth birthdays. They, however, were not the only individuals informed. The king would also inform the Grand Chambein and six of his handpicked subordinates of the Godde¡¯s details. The de would also be described to the Prime Minister and the four men that headed the nation¡¯s army.

    All individuals exposed to the country¡¯s secrets were also granted demons. Naturally, I have one within myself as well. If my life is put in danger, then it will appear and protect me from harm. It is registered as a D level threat, so it is in fact quite powerful. However, I myself am a mere chambein. Ick royal blood, and therefore, I cannot control the demon¡¯s actions.

    While having a demon by one¡¯s side may sound convenient, I can assure that it is not necessarily so. The demon contains another feature in that it simultaneously acts as a sort of shackle. Those that attempt to inform the unknowing of the Godde¡¯s properties will immediately be robbed of their voices and transformed into mutes, all for the purpose of preserving secrecy. The demon¡¯s final unique trait functioned to much the same purpose. That is, the summoned demons possess the ability to hide themselves from those that are capable of appraisal. While appraisal is indeed a rare skill, it is not one thatpletely fails to manifest, and thus, this final ability can be said to be mission critical in the preservation of our country¡¯s secrets.

    Those that bear royal blood are naturally granted demons of a higher quality, C level threats. They serve to function as excellent guardians. They are even capable of healing injuries and eliminating any abnormal status. They so powerful that they can even reverse the deadliest of wounds in a matter of moments.

    This, however, leads to its own fair share ofplications. The demon¡¯s power allows members of the royal family to escape most dangerous situations. Thus, they typically tend not to be very cautious; they fail to develop a true sense of danger.

    And that is precisely what led to the incident that we had just experienced. Prince Flut and Princess Satia prepared for their trip to Kranzel with only the most minimal number of escorts. It appeared that Salrut had stated that he would protect the two of them on their journey, and thus, the King himself approved their ns.

    Their Highnesses both had demons by their sides, and said demons would undoubtedly protect them from harm. However, it remained a fact that they were but children. It was always possible for them to fall into a sort of trap, and thus, I decided that it would be best for me to apany them. I had hoped that I would be able to use the dangers that urred throughout the trip to enlighten them so that they would better understand the risks that awaited them in the future.

    And then, Salrut acted. One night, he brought back with him not only Their Highnesses, but also a group of children that I could only find to be suspicious. I admit that they were but mere children, and that they were unlikely to inflict harm on Their Highnesses¡¯ persons. However, I was well aware that many assassins began work from a tender age, and thus, I practiced caution. I intentionally sharpened my tongue when addressing them; I tested each child¡¯s reactions in turn in order to gauge their purposes.

    My probing had led me to believe that one of the children was far more suspicious than the rest. The individual that I had chosen to keep my eye on was a young, cat earedss by the name of Fran. I was unable to see a respectable person in her regardless of how hard I looked. Moreover, I noticed her sneak around the building in order to converse with Salrut.

    Both the Prince and Princess had seemed to take a liking to her. I, however, refused to be fooled. I decided then that I would expose the core of her character and thus, I attempted to get in her way. I secretly hoped for her judge me an obstacle, for she would be subject to a demon¡¯s power should she have attempted to attack me.

    All in all, I had presumed that I was still in control of the situation, but it soon spiraled far beyond even my wildest fantasies.

    We were attacked by pirates as we traversed the seas. Fran defeated the enemy fleet and even went as far as to bring back their captain, and that was when the twist urred. The aforementioned captain immediately began using me of plotting to assassinate the Prince and Princess.

    I had been caught in a trap. I was subject to a form of attack of which I hadpletely failed to anticipate.

    I was knocked unconscious when I attempted to protest the situation. Much to my misfortune, my demon had not been summoned as there had been no danger to my life.

    When I awoke, I found myself on the floor. One of my most trusted subordinates, Naymario, had betrayed me for the enemy. Their Highnesses proceeded to stare at me, their eyes filled with doubt and suspicion. I had been driven into a corner, and my heart had been filled but with despair.

    But then, she assisted me. Fran had activated a peculiar item that went by the name ¡°The Sword of Truth.¡± Much to my surprise, she used the de to prove my innocence. Witnessing the the item she possessed immediately led me to understand that it was one of extraordinary value. Its functionality was so incredible that I felt the urge to ask her whether she felt open to negotiation over its ownership.

    In the end, I concluded that she too had merely been manipted by Salrut. She was not on of his coborators, nor was she another Reidosian spy. She was simply a child that happened to possess exceptional skill in the art ofbat, and that was all.

    Salrut truly was a fool. He attempted to assassinate Their Highnesses without even the slightest bit of knowledge of the demons that protected them. It appeared that he attempted to turn them into ves as well, but even that would have been meaningless. The cors that induced very meant nothing before the demons that protected Their Highnesses.

    Contemting Salrut¡¯s circumstances had led me to further develop my spections. I arrived at the conclusion that he had likely discovered that only members of the royal family could touch the Godde. Thus, he attempted to use one of our country¡¯s royals to fulfill his ambitions. However, that nned had ultimately ended in failure, and hence, he instead redirected his efforts into reducing the number of potential wielders. If we arrived in Barbra, then the prince and princess would¡¯ve had eyes all over them. Moreover, Kranzel had its own informationwork, one that would make it difficult for him to many any sort of move. Hence, he had chosen to eliminate Their Highnesses before he lost the opportunity.

    Such a n would indeed have caused our country damage had it suceeded. The Godde¡¯s potential wielders were surprisingly low in number. The second prince was sickly, his body was unable to handle the burden that came with wielding Diabolos¡¯ power. The third and fourth princes had both perished in the process of subjugating magic beasts. Most of our princesses had already been been wed, and thus, they no longer resided within the country. Moreover, it appeared that the Godde itself had a sort of finicky nature. I cannot exin the reason for which this phenomenon urs, but the Godde refused to acknowledge those that had been married off as potential wielders. The same applied to their children despite the fact that Fyrias¡¯ royal blood ran through their veins.

    In other words, the Godde had very few potential wielders. There were only six different people could potentially put its power on disy: His Majesty the King, the Crown Prince, the Fifth Princess, Prince Flut, Princess Satia, and the Seventh Princess. If Prince Flut and Princess Satia were to fall, then the Godde would lose two of its six potential bearers. In other words, the Kingdom of Fyrias would suffer a heavy blow.

    The mention of Prince Flut and Princess Satia reminded me of their current circumstances. Both were currently within the ship¡¯s cabin. Their highnesses are still in shock as a result of Salrut¡¯s sudden betrayal. I¡¯ve no idea as to how I could improve their moods, so I¡¯ve no choice but to await their recoveries.

    I do hope that they will be able to calm themselves in time for our arrival, as they must attend the ceremonies held in Barbra in a manner befitting representatives of the Fyrias Kingdom. Our country is small one. The sea lies to our west, but each our other three borders leads to contact with another country. To our south is the hostile Kingdom of Reidos. To our north and east lies Kranzel, one of our greatest allies. Our rtionship with the Kingdom of Kranzel is excellent, and therefore it is imperative for the Prince and Princess to appear to be in good spirits.

    It was very fortunate that we were able to eliminate the Reidosian spy before arriving in Kranzel, for it would have been possible for him to attempt to damage the rtionship between our countries. I cannot thank Miss Fran enough for her actions; she even managed to identify and seize one of his magic items, a ring that would make those around him less wary of his actions.

    Our voyage across the ocean had truly been one filled with twists and turns. Salrut¡¯s meddling had added danger and drama, but not even that was meant to be the end of it all. Fate reared its head once more as the pirate onught was immediately followed by the appearance of an enormous magic beast. The creature that threatened to end our lives was incredibly powerful. Its ssification was that of an A level threat. It was far beyond anything our demons could protect us from, and so once again, I was assaulted by despair. My only hope at the time was that Their Highnesses would keep their lives.

    However, it appeared that not all was lost. Miss Fran had somehow once again managed to save us. She immediately used a skill the likes of which I had never seen before and assaulted the approaching Midgard Wyrm with a series of fierce blows. Each had such strength that I could even tell from afar that she had managed to leave massive holes within the beast¡¯s flesh.

    Her powery beyond the very realm of myprehension. Witnessing it led me to think back on the attitude with which I had approached her. Needless to say, I immediately regretted my actions. My back had be drenched with ice cold sweat before I had even realized it.

    I could not help but sigh in relief. I was grateful that she had tolerated my overly antagonizing actions.

    She recalled her sword after her first stream of attacks and drew another. I witnessed her as she manipted both weapons and barraged the magic beast with yet another glorious onught. It seemed that her second de had the ability to instantly kill its foes, however, the wrym she was pitted against had multiple hearts, and therefore, multiple lives. Her second de¡¯s effect had failed her. The battle¡¯s ultimate oue appeared unpredictable; I had no idea as to how it would end, and so, I had no choice but to watch her every action as the scene unfolded before me.

    The final attack she used involved plunging one of her swords through the beast¡¯s mouth. It dove inside the wyrm¡¯s stomach and performed a series of actions unknown to me. Whatever the sword did appeared effective, for the beast¡¯s movements seemed to dull as it let out a pained shriek.

    The ship¡¯s captain rejoiced, for the youngdy¡¯s actions had allowed us to escape the beast.

    She then retrieved her de with what appeared to be magic, sheathed it, and moved towards the pirate. The young miss instructed him to guide the ship to his base with a nonchnt expression. She looked as if she hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat despite her many efforts. And so, once again, I was made to acknowledge her strength, and again, I was made to break out in cold sweat.

    She then asked (threatened) for the individuals present not to reveal her abilities going forward. The same request applied to The Sword of Truth. No one present dared to defy her, we all nodded in obedience respect. Specifically, the line she uttered was as follows.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell. Likely will lead to regret.¡¹

    It was only natural for us to agree given what we had witnessed. Our inclination towards the provision of a positive response was only furthered by the wolf that stood behind us whilst growling in a low, threatening tone.

    There was, however, one matter that I found important to note. Only her longsword had returned to her. I had no idea as to the other de¡¯s fate, but I presumed that she had lost it as a result of the battle. Her second de had appeared to be of a considerable quality as it even had the ability to instantly y its foes. I felt it to be a shame that she had lost it.

    Further consideration led me to understand that the sword had only departed her because she had used it to protect us. It would not do for us not topensate her for it. Salrut, the man technically responsible for her employment, was now being held in captivity, so it went without saying that the matter of her payment would also now fall upon our shoulders.

    That, however, is but secondary. Her payment was a matter of great importance, but not one that took precedence over the acknowledgement and expression of my own wrongdoings. The manner in which I had treated was not but unfair and rude. I know not if she will forgive my actions, but I feel that I must offer her my most sincere and heartfelt apologies regardless.

    ¡¸Excuse me, Miss Fran. Would you happen to have a spare moment?¡¹

 Chapter 99: Barbra

    <h4>Chapter 99: Barbra</h4>

    ¡¸We¡¯ve got eyes on Barbra!¡¹

    We finally arrived at Barbra three days after our initial departure. Man, have we been through a lot. The trip was full of nothing but ups and downs, we hit unexpected twists and turns at almost every single corner.

    Surprisingly, today was still only the 30th of March, which meant that we actually managed to make it in time for the Lunar Banquet.

    The first thing we did after escaping the Midgard Wyrm¡¯s wrath was raiding the pirates¡¯ base. That is, we casually cruised over, kicked them around, and ¡°happened upon¡± all their treasure. I¡¯ve got to say, it was it well worth it. Their vault was filled with cash, equipment, exotic spices, jewels, and plenty of expensive looking items made from gold and silver.

    I mean, technically speaking, the treasure we ¡°found¡± didn¡¯t have anyone¡¯s name written on it, and you know, finders keepers and stuff. Yup, we totally didn¡¯t steal it. Not at all. Besides, it¡¯s not like we were the only ones that went through with the act of ¡°stumbling across¡± treasure. Countries would embezzle stuff from pirates all the time. Moreover, their methodologies were far more shameless than our own. They¡¯d even go as far as to create this whole pretense in which they¡¯d talk about taking things back for the people even though they always ended up just chucking all the pirates¡¯ loot straight into their national reserves.

    The ship¡¯s Captain, Rengil, happened to be a merchant, so we had him look over all the stuff we ¡°found.¡± Apparently, it totalled up to approximately a hundred million Golde. I had personally had thought it to be an absolutely monumental sum. In fact, I even had trouble wrapping my head around it all. That said, it was still not that much in proportion to what was needed to repair all the pirates¡¯ ships. The magic tools and items used in a ship¡¯s construction were extremely expensive. Each cannon and propulsion system would each t out cost a fortune on its own.

    Under normal circumstances, we wouldn¡¯t actually be entitled to even the slightest piece of the loot, as adventurers were typically put in the same category as the ship¡¯s crew when it came to this kind of thing. If they were lucky, they¡¯d get a small bonus, but that was all. All the treasure we found was supposed to be rightfully belong to its discoverers and our employers. In this case, those two parties would be the Luciel Conglomerate and the Prince¡¯s group respectively.

    However, the feats we had aplished had been outstanding. We saved the ship twice, weeded out a spy, and even protected the two royals from all the possible harm that would¡¯ve otherwise befallen them. Thus, they decided to give us a fair chunk of the treasure.

    We were allowed the option to pick whatever we wanted, so we immediately imed arge portion of the spices the pirates had saved up. Many of the aforementioned spices were extremely rare and expensive, there were even some that I¡¯d never seen before. Eyeballing, I¡¯d say we took enough to make about ten thousand servings of curry, which meant we profited at least a hundred thousand gold Golde off the spices alone.

    They said we could have a cut of the actual jewelry type stuff as well, so we happily epted their offer. I didn¡¯t really know what was valuable and what weren¡¯t, so we just decided just take a random pair of treasure chests. The first chest we chose was on the smaller side, but whatever. The second was kind of interesting in the sense that it the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s crest engraved upon it. We didn¡¯t actually check what was inside either chest, but if anything, that was the part that fired me up the most.

    After splitting some of the loot with us, they went ahead and paid us another additional sum on top of all that. The prince¡¯s party was really generous, and all in all, we ended up with about two million Golde on hand. Holy crap, the amount of cash we had t out doubled because of this one little job.

    Having an abundance of cash meant that Fran could splurge on whatever the hell she wanted during our stay here in Barbra.

    ¡¸Thank you very much for everything you¡¯ve done, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸We truly have been in your care.¡¹

    It took them two whole days, but the twins had managed to calm themselves down. Their expressions were still a bit clouded over, so they hadn¡¯t fully recovered, but, they¡¯d at least regained their smiles.

    ¡¸I offer you but the most sincere gratitude. We likely would have perished during our travels if not for your advent.¡¹

    Serid did the same thing the twins had and lowered his head in a deep bow. He¡¯d surprisingly warmed up to us after the whole Sword of Truth incident. Apparently, he only treated us the way he did because he¡¯d thought that we were Salrut¡¯s aplices.

    ¡¸We will be staying in Barbra for approximately a week. Our ce of residence will be the Lord¡¯s Manor. Do pay us a visit if you happen to pass by, I am absolutely certain that both Their Highnesses would be extremely pleased to see you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸We will make sure to inform the Lord ahead of time so that he knows of the circumstances of your visit.¡¹

    They¡¯re staying over at the local lord¡¯s ce? Well, gotta give it to them. That¡¯s royalty for you.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to thank you as well. The trip was really rough, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re the only thing that kept us from sinking.¡¹

    The captain offered us a word of thanks as well.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Your abilities made this trip much more profitable than it otherwise would have been, so I owe you quite the debt. Make sure to head on over to the Luciel Conglomerate if you ever run into any sort of trouble. We¡¯ll do whatever we can for you.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tel¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know. My lips are sealed, and I¡¯ll make sure that my men feel the same way.¡¹

    ¡¸Our party feels the same. I will order the soldiers to keep quiet in order to prevent the spread of any undesired rumors.¡¹

    The whole Sword of Truth business would probably kick up a huge fuss if people ended up finding out about it. It seemed that it was considered really valuable, as both Seird and the captain had asked to purchase it. The former had even offered a whole thirty million Golde.

    We¡¯d end up with a huge pain in the ass if rumors of the Sword of Truth spread, so we¡¯d even thrown in a bit of intimidation alongside our request of secrecy. Hopefully, both Serid and Captain Rengil will be able to keep their subordinates in line. Oh well, no choice but to just trust them for now.

    Fran exchanged onest handshake with the twins before bidding them farewell.

    Alright! I¡¯ve made up my mind. We¡¯ll make sure we drop by at least once, for Fran¡¯s sake. Well, assuming that they don¡¯t turn as away at the gate, that is.

    ¡¸Worry not about the document. I shall personally hand it over to Barbra¡¯s Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    The document Serid was talking about was the one we found in the illegal ve trader¡¯s hideout. We handed it over to him because well, it just kinda made sense for him to have it. He disliked Reidosians, and had enough power to influence most of Kranzel¡¯s higher ups. There literally couldn¡¯t have been a better person to entrust it to.

    ¡¸Will be off now.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks you, and take care of yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸I hope we will meet again in the future.¡¹

    ¡¸Bye bye.¡¹

    30 Minutes had passed since Fran said her farewells and made her way off the ship.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the ce Rengil rmended.¡»

    ¡¸Looks expensive.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it¡¯s supposed to be pretty high ss.¡»

    Barbra was really busy given the uing festival and whatnot, so we¡¯d been concerned over how much trouble we¡¯d have to go through in order to find a ce to stay. Luckily, Captain Rengil had had more than just a few connections, and so, he directed us over to an inn owned by one of his friends. It was a bit pricey, but apparently mentioning the captains name would get us a discount. Besides, we had plenty of cash on hand anyways, so we could afford to splurge a bit. The best part about the inn we were rmended was that it allowed familiars, so poor Urushi didn¡¯t have to spend all his time lurking around in Fran¡¯s shadow.

    ¡¸Hi.¡¹

    ¡¸Wee.¡¹

    The inn really did give off a high ss kind of feel. Instead of being greeted by the usual ¡°well proportioned¡± olddy type clerk, we were instead received by a dandy-yet-capable looking man.

    ¡¸Room for one.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m very sorry, but we don¡¯t have any rooms avable at the moment.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Here.¡¹

    Fran showed the man coin with the Luciel Conglomerate¡¯s emblem inscribed upon it.

    ¡¸Well then¡­ Might I ask for the name of the person that introduced you to our establishment?¡¹

    ¡¸Captain Rengil.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Please give me just a moment.¡¹

    Showing the man the coin had caused his attitude to take a sudden turn. Apparently, they did actually still have a room, but it was one that they refused to rent out to the general public. They typically had it reserved just in case any of their regrs showed up. Fortunately, the captain¡¯s rmendation gave us the right to use that room as well.

    The post-discount price was 4000 Golde per night, and included both breakfast and dinner but not lunch. One night here was literally the same price as ten nights in Alessa, but whatever. We decided to stay for five nights for the time being.

    ¡ºAlright, looks like we¡¯ve got ourselves a ce to stay. We¡¯re pretty much free now, so are you feeling like anything in particr?¡»

    ¡¸Food.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºSure. Oh yeah, you want to open up the treasure chests we got as bonuses first? I¡¯m kind of curious as to what¡¯s inside.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Was looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Note:

    Japanese males are addicted to gambling because of 500 yen gachapons in online games. Most of the prizes thate from these gachapons are trash.

 Chapter 100: Revealing the Goods

    <h4>Chapter 100: Revealing the Goods</h4>

    ¡ºHmm, it looks like it¡¯s locked.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We were currently inside the room we¡¯d rented.

    There was a treasure chest in front of us. Needless to say, it was one of the ones we got from the pirate¡¯s base. Its body was made of a ckened iron, and it had the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s crest inscribed upon it. We had nned to figure out its contents, but it didn¡¯t seem like would immediately be able to get our hands on the chest¡¯s insides because of the mithril padlock attached to the its opening.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t feel any magicing from the lock itself, but the box has got a spell woven into it. It seems like it¡¯s preserving whatever¡¯s inside.¡»

    ¡¸Then¡­ cut open?¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. We don¡¯t know what the box contains, so we might end up messing the the contents up if we just hack it open.¡»

    I literally had no idea what was inside. It could be medicine, some sort of raw material, treasure, or maybe even just in garbage. There was a chance that the items contained within could be really fragile too, meaning that the shock resulting from us breaking the lock open could end up destroying the box¡¯s contents.

    The other treasure chest we picked up was the type that contained exactly what you¡¯d think it to contain. It was full of all sorts of jewels and essories. The most expensive looking, and therefore, most interesting of the bunch was a bracelet with a massive gemstone embedded inside of it.

    The second box probably contained something just as expensive as well.

    ¡¸Then what?¡¹

    ¡ºIt might take a while, but my suggestion would be to use Fang of Decay and Fang of Corrosion. That way, we should be able to slowly melt the lock down without damaging the chest¡¯s contents¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Sounds bothersome.¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll do it, so you guys can go eat or something.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Wait, wait, isn¡¯t this where they¡¯re supposed to cut in and say something like, ¡°Let us help, we can¡¯t just take it easy while you do all the work?¡±

    Apparently Fran didn¡¯t even consider the thought, as she¡¯d already began stuffing her cheeks with the hamburg steak she grabbed out of the dimensional storage.

    Well, I guess it¡¯s fine. It means she doesn¡¯t really need to hold back around me, and I really do kind of like doing this thing anyway. Plus, doing it by myself lets me focus and rx more.

    And so, I began the boring task of melting away at the mithril lock whilst watching over my twopanions as they hungrily devoured their lunches. I transformed myself into a saw de and slowly began to carve away at the padlock while also simultaneously activating both Fang of Decay and Fang of Corrosion.

    Soon, the room was filled with not but the sounds of chewing and sawing.

    The atmospherested for about ten minutes. It came to an end right when Fran and Urushi were about to go for their fourth helpings; the rhythmic sounding saw noise was disrupted by a loud clink.

    ¡ºI did it!¡»

    I finally managed to break through the mithril padlock. Man, that was exhausting, I had to be really careful. But who cares! I managed to get the box open!

    ¡¸Treasure?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh, a bunch of bottles with potions inside them.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s it?¡¹

    ¡ºOhe on, why are you already disappointed? This stuff is actually really amazing, you know?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    I picked up one of the potions and handed it to Fran. At first nce, it looked like any other Life Potion, but it was a bit more than just that.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡ºApparently it¡¯s the highest grade Life Potion out there.¡»

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s some really effective stuff. It can even restore missing body parts so long as you don¡¯t get mangled too badly. Apparently people even go as far as to call its effects miraculous.¡»

    ¡¸Ohhhh. Sounds amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    They were so potent that you could basically call them elixirs. I remember High Grade Life Potions costing thirty thousand gold apiece, I can¡¯t actually put my finger on exactly how much each of these Highest Grade ones would cost, but I figured it was safe to assume that they were at least a hundred thousand Golde each. We¡¯ve got three bottles in total, so I¡¯d say we raked in a pretty damn good profit.

    ¡¸Rest are?¡¹

    We¡¯ve still got another 17 bottles left in the chest. I hoped that the other potions would be just as high quality as the first ones we picked up.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a Full Heal, it removes any and all abnormal status conditions.¡»

    Yeah, that one seemed incredibly useful too. Like the Life Pots, they came in a batch of three.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see, we¡¯ve also got some high grade mana potions.¡»

    ¡¸Total three bottles.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s put one of these in each of our dimensional storage boxes. Put thest one in your potion holder.¡»

    ¡¸Got it¡¹

    Man, we seriously did strike gold here. These potions could be really useful if we ran into any sort of emergency.

    The next three identical looking bottles were apparently Highest Grade Alchemy Potions. I didn¡¯t really know what they did, so I guess we should probably ask an alchemist or somethingter.

    I grabbed a ck, suspicious looking bottle after putting the Alchemy Potions away.

    ¡¸Dangerous item?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, make sure you don¡¯t touch it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Fran replied with a rare, serious expression on her face.

    My Sense of Danger had been going off nonstop for quite some time now, and hence, I didn¡¯t even need to appraise the ck liquid to know that it was something that shouldn¡¯t be touched.

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºStop that, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi. Down.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t manage to stop Urushi in time, so he ended up giving the bottle a sniff with an intrigued look on his face.

    ¡¸Whimper!¡¹

    A single whiff of the substance caused him to quickly recoil his nose before scratching it nonstop with his front paws. It looked as if the stuff in the bottle stank like hell, hence Urushi¡¯s strong sense of smell had only worked against him.

    ¡¸Whimper whimper!¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s a Poison Mixture of the Highest Grade for you. Urushi¡¯s more or less down and out just because of its smell.¡»

    We won¡¯t get in trouble just by carrying this around with us¡­ will we? I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s more potent than any sort of poison produced through magic. Either way, best thing to do is to just seal it away by putting it inside the dimensional storage. I¡¯m actually kinda d that we¡¯ve only got one of these.

    ¡ºAlright, next¡­ Woah! This some pretty nice stuff!¡»

    The next potion I grabbed was a Potion of Repair, it was capable of fixing whatever equipment it was poured on. We could use it on either me or Fran¡¯s ck Cat Armour depending on our needs. Too bad we only got one bottle of it. I really wish there was more.

    Man, all these decent potions are making this whole thing pretty exciting, it really makes me wonder what¡¯lle next.

    ¡¸Pretty.¡¹

    ¡ºThat one looks more gaudy than it does pretty to me.¡»

    Fran had picked up a potion with a bottle slightly more narrow than the rest. Its interior was filled with a sort of sparkling, rainbow liquid. It looked nothing but shy, however, its effects were pretty damn good. Its name was the Potion of Rising Skill, and as implied, it had the ability to raise the level of one or more skills upon its consumption. The user had no way of choosing which skills would gain levels, and the precise number of skills that did gain levels would also be subject to random chance. We decided to save it for when Fran trained up her skills a bit more, as higher level skills took more effort to level up.

    The Potion of Rising Skill was undoubtedly of extremely high value, but even it was considered fairly insignificant whenpared to the next thing we identified.

    ¡ºHoly sheet.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    The next item was called the Anti-Side Effect Potion, and it had the ability to mitigate any negative side effects caused by spells and magic. In other words, it could counteract the bacsh that came from skills like Latent Potential Release and Doppelganger Synthesis. If I used it on a clone, then I might even be able to actually eat.

    Given its effects, we could probably actually just t out use it as a trump card. Moreover, it was ssified as a ¡°magical medicine¡± and I didn¡¯t even know those existed. Either way, I want more of these, so I should probably level up Alchemy and Medicine Creation some more. I should be able to make these myself one day if I get both those skills high enough.

    There were only two bottles left in the chest, but both were so rare that I couldn¡¯t actually figure out what they did. Appraisal refused to tell me more than just their names.

    The two bottles were identified as the Drug of Reversed Attributes, and the Root of Arcane Souls respectively. The former looked like any other potion, so we might¡¯ve actually just identally downed if not for appraisal.

    Thetter looked just like an empty bottle, but the fact that a name showed up when I appraised it meant that there was definitely something inside. Was it gas or something? I didn¡¯t really think opening it was a good idea, so we refrained.

    Oh well, whatever. Either way, that was it. To sum things up, the results were as follows.

    Highest Grade Life Potion * 3

    Full Heal * 3

    High Grade Mana Potion * 3

    Highest Grade Alchemy Potion * 3

    Poison Mixture of the Highest Grade * 1

    High Grade Potion of Repair * 1

    Potion of Rising Skill * 1

    Anti-Side Effect Potion * 3

    Drug of Reversed Attributes * 1

    Root of Arcane Souls * 1

    Wow, we really struck it rich. The potions looked to be worth more than a million Golde in total, and we could actually put most of them to use if we wanted.

    We should probably get the ones we didn¡¯t know much about checked out. Barbra was a pretty big city. Naturally, it contained a fair number of alchemists therein, so we should be able to find someone that knows all our potions¡¯ effects.

    That said, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if asking around about this stuff would stir up a huge fuss, so it¡¯d be best for us to be prudent. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in any sort of rush here anyways.

    ¡¸Then, ask adventurer¡¯s guild?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea. We need to sell all the magic beast parts we dismantled on our way here too, so yeah, let¡¯s head right on over.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Wanted to see city anyway.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi. Want to walk around town too?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The first thing he wanted to do after going somewhere new was to go out on a walk. That¡¯s a dog for you I guess. Well, it¡¯s fine though. I kind of wanted to see the city¡¯s sights myself, so we might as well just explore the ce while looking for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡ºAlright, a walk it is then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

 Chapter 101: The Chefâ€™s Guild.

    <h4>Chapter 101: The Chef¡¯s Guild.</h4>

    Discounting the Royal Capital, Barbra was Kranzel¡¯srgest city. Like Dharz, it bordered the sea, and thus, function as arge,mercial centre.

    The city was so extravagantly decorated that even the guard¡¯s office was a shocking 4 stories in height. Salrut was still apanying the prince on his travels, albeit as a prisoner, but the pirates? Yeah, they were probably pretty much all locked up inside. Chances were, they were going to be hanged in a few days time. We technically didn¡¯t break the promise we made to the pirate¡¯s captain, as we weren¡¯t going to kill him ourselves. They were just being punished for being a bunch of unruly pirates, nothing less, nothing more.

    Barbra¡¯s port was massive. It housed over a hundred ships hailing from at least twenty different countries. It was such a well travelled ce that it¡¯d probably be safe to say that you could get your hands on anything you ever wanted here so long as you were willing to pay the price.

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºWoah. There¡¯s so many shops that I can¡¯t decide where to start.¡»

    The street leading to and from to the port was lined with stalls and shops of all shapes and sizes.

    There were three different weapon shops within 200 meters of us, but a certain pair of gluttons had already dismissed them without so much as a second thought. Instead, they were looking towards the myriad of restaurants that decorated the crowded street, their eyes shining like stars in the night sky.

    At the time, I figured that there wasn¡¯t any issue in letting the two of them eat whatever they wanted. We had the money, so whatever.

    Little did I know at the time, that decision had been nothing short of a mistake.

    ¡¸Tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Also tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nom nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸Bark.¡¹

    It looked to me like the two of them were spending more time with their mouths stuffed than they were the opposite. Both Fran and Urushi were both holding and eating as much food as they possibly could, and needless to say, the sight of a young girl and arge ck wolf shoving meal after meal down their throats was something that stood out far more than necessary. In fact, they drew so much attention that the people around us had actively started to observe our every move. They even gave Fran a round of apuse after seeing her eat an entire giant skewer in a single bite.

    Our food filled advance eventually led us to a massive square about five hundred meters in diameter.

    The buildings constructed around said square were on a simrly grand scale; they were both massive and gaudy as could be. Their very existences served to function as a testament to their owners¡¯ wealth. If I had to give an impression of the area, I¡¯d say that it hit me in much in the same way as would a ce like Marunouchi or Time Square. Examining the za further led my eyes to catch ahold of something that immediately grabbed my interest.

    ¡ºIs that what I think it is¡­?¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºApparently that building over there isbeled as the Chef¡¯s Guild.¡»

    I didn¡¯t even know that such a thing actually existed. I couldn¡¯t help but find myself staring at it in wonder, I really wanted to find out more about its activities and stuff.

    ¡¸Want to go?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Please and thanks.¡»

    There were a lot of other big names hanging around, like the cksmith¡¯s Guild and the Merchant¡¯s Guild, just to name a few. I even caught sight of a few embassies as well. It was almost as if there was an invisible rule stating every institution located within the square was an organisation or entity that carried with it a certain degree of prestige, and I saw no reason for the Chef¡¯s Guild to be an exception thereto.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but it looks like Urushi won¡¯t be allowed inside.¡»

    A sign saying ¡°Pets and familiars are not allowed within the premises,¡± was hanging from the guild¡¯s door. Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped, given how food was involved.

    £¨Then sink into shadow?£©

    ¡ºYeah, should work. Make sure you don¡¯te out of Fran¡¯s shadow while we¡¯re still inside, okay, Urushi?¡»

    £¨Whimper¡­£©

    Urushi let out a slightly saddened cry before obediently sinking into Fran¡¯s shadow. He was probably hoping to enter the Chef¡¯s Guild so he could get his paws on something tasty. We¡¯ll have to make it up to himter.

    ¡¸Hello.¡¹

    The Chef¡¯s Guild¡¯s interior design greatly resembled that of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The only major difference that one could spot at first nce was that the people within the building were chefs instead of adventures.

    ¡¸And what can we for you today, youngdy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing in particr.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s exhibition ofplete and brutal honesty left the guild¡¯s clerk in a momentary state of bewilderment. That said, she did manage to recover from it quite quickly.

    ¡¸First time here.¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t have too many branches, so I can understand where you¡¯reing from. We, the Chef¡¯s Guild, facilitate the gathering of ingredients from across the entire continent. Many chefs even go as far as to equate the guild to the heavens. We have many connections with those within the industry, and there is a ratherrge demand for our services.¡¹

    The Guild¡¯s receptionist was politely answering Fran¡¯s questions despite the fact that she was just a child. She informed us that the Chef¡¯s Guild effectively functioned as arge merchant that worked with both ingredients and chefs themselves. The guild would ept registration from two different types of individuals. The first was obviously chefs and the second, the owners of businesses that required them. The guild started out as a small organisation focused around the discovery of new recipes, and it has followed through with that fundamental philosophy throughout its history. Even now, the guild apparently continued to extend its arms to any and all chefs in need of support.

    ¡¸Are you perhaps a chef yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Kind of?¡¹

    Fran was stuck in a weird situation in which she never actually cooked despite her cooking skillpletely maxed out.

    ¡¸Master, good at cooking.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. And I take it that your Master is not one of our guild¡¯s members?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I believe that registering may be in your Master¡¯s best interest. We provide a wide variety of benefits, especially in the realm of buying and selling recipes and ingredients.¡¹

    Oh, that¡¯s pretty interesting, but I¡¯m kind of a sword, so I can¡¯t actually register myself. Fran could probably do it, but she¡¯s a part of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as well, so I wasn¡¯t really sure if she was disallowed or something as a result.

    ¡¸Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. A fair number of our members are in that precise situation; they belong to several guilds simultaneously. That said, I do have to say that the Chef¡¯s Guild isn¡¯t nearly as big as the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and unlike the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, we don¡¯t intentionally restrict our members in any which way. The Chef¡¯s Guild is much morex in general, as fundamentally, we stemmed from an organisation established for the sole sake of helping one another.¡¹

    ¡¸Want to register.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you legally authorized to do business in Barbra?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? No.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, you¡¯ll have to register as a chef.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸You will have to participate in an examination. Is that okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Exam? What kind?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we are the Chef¡¯s Guild, so you¡¯ll have to cook. We¡¯ll consider you have to passed the examination if you can get our staff judges to approve of any one of your dishes. We have a kitchen avable if you¡¯d like to whip something up right away, but using it isn¡¯t mandatory. If you want, you can cook something up ahead of time and then just bring it on over.¡¹

    Does that mean that I can make something and then get Fran register for me by proxy?

    ¡¸Yes, that would be fine. Our guild cards don¡¯t require anything beyond just a name.¡¹

    Wow, they really werex. The word guild always made me think of something really systematic and strict, but apparently the Chef¡¯s Guild wasn¡¯t like that at all. Signing up here seemed almost as casual as signing up for any sort of membership or point card back in Japan.

    ¡¸Something already made okay for exam?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yes, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then this. And this.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, I see, you had an item box.¡¹

    Fran had pulled out from her dimensional storage a serving of curry and a skewer made of wild boar meat. Their spices¡¯ fragrances drifted across the room and grabbed the attention of all the chefs there within.

    Fran actually did make the skewer herself, so we technically weren¡¯t cheating.

    ¡ºI know that they¡¯re going to be judging us, but are you sure you want to offer them curry? That¡¯s one less te for you, you know?¡»

    The hell is going on here? She normally hates sharing her curry.

    £¨Masters cooking will be judged. Can¡¯t show inferior products. Need to blow judges out of the water.£©

    ¡ºOh I see. Thanks.¡»

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll go get an examiner right away.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? You¡¯re not a judge?¡¹

    ¡¸The higher ups are supposed to participate in the judging just to make sure all our members meet the same standard of quality.¡¹

    Five minutester, the receptionist came back with a man in tow. If I had to sum said man up, I¡¯d say he more or less looked like a gourmet that was nothing short of difficult to please. He was totally rocking the Kaibara Y*zan and Aji**u feel. Just seeing him kind of made me start to feel nervous.

    ¡¸Oh? So you¡¯re the applicant?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. This, my cooking.¡¹

    ¡¸Grilled meat on a skewer? Hmm¡­ I see. Well then, I¡¯ll give it a sample.¡¹

    The man took a bite out of the skewer. He slowly chewed through it and savoured its vour before finally swallowing it with a gulp. The fact that he stayed expressionless throughout the whole process left me feeling a bit intimidated.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ It¡¯s quite in.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹

    Fran had a pretty solid grasp of where her own cooking skillsid, so she didn¡¯t really get angry despite the fact that they were criticized. She only made the dish on a whim anyways.

    ¡¸However, I can¡¯t say I disapprove of its vour. I can feel your fervor and passionate temperament through its taste. It¡¯s as if the dish itself is telling me that you tried to make it as delicious as possible with what limited materials you had ess to.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Wow, he actually knows what he¡¯s talking about. The skewer he was eating was indeed something that Fran made on a whim, but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t give it her all.

    It was a dish that she carefully roasted with fire magic over the course of about thirty minutes. She didn¡¯t use any special ingredients or spices to make it either, she just grabbed whatever she happened to have avable and gave it her best effort. Despite her rtiveck of ingredients, she took her time and managed to make the final product taste pretty good. However, it was also actually this precise careful process that caused her to lose interest in cooking, as she ended up equating it to a meticulous and almost painful process.

    The examiner had been so skillful and observant that he was able to deduce her efforts but from a single bite. Seriously, wow.

    ¡¸I approve of your dish, you pass.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Whew, she passed. Given how Fran managed to pass with nothing but a skewer of meat, I figured that I shouldn¡¯t have any issues passing either. That said, I didn¡¯t really think that there was any point in having me register anymore, as we¡¯d already secured the benefits we needed.

    £¨No. Can¡¯t not register.£©

    ¡ºWhy not?¡»

    £¨Make them eat Master¡¯s cooking. Blow their minds.£©

    It seemed like she didn¡¯t actually care about the benefits, she just wanted topletely bewilder the stuck-up looking judge by feeding him a teful of curry.

    ¡¸Next, this.¡¹

    ¡¸What an interesting dish. Its appearance reminds me Azerian cuisine, but its fragrance is of a much more mellow quality, and its ingredients stray from the Azerian norm.¡¹

    ¡¸Called curry. Made by Master.¡¹

    ¡¸So I take it that this is one of your Master¡¯s original creations?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The ultimate dish, crafted from years of blood and effort.¡¹

    What, no! Nonononono! All I did was reproduce one of Earth¡¯s mostmon dishes! It¡¯s nothingplicated, and I only decided to make it because it¡¯s easy given that we had all the necessary spices on hand!

    ¡¸Oh? I look forward to trying it then.¡¹

    ¡¸Tastiest thing in the world is curry.¡¹

    ¡¸I would be quite d if that were to be the truth.¡¹

    The old gourmet judge raised the dish to his mouth and consumed a bite after listening to Fran hype it up.

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    ¡¸Tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ultimate dish.¡¹

    Fran couldn¡¯t stand just watching, so she pulled out another te and began eating it alongside the judge whilst watching him with a look of confidence. Her expression gave way to the fact that she was absolutely sure he would be blown away by the vour.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸But did you really think that a dish with this meager a vour would stand above else all that the world has to offer?¡¹

    The moment the man uttered his response, Franpletely froze over.

    ¡¸Hah?¡¹

    Her expression vanished altogether, and she immediately began to radiate an aura of violent bloodlust.

 Chapter 102: Wait, We Skipped the First Round Altogether?

    <h4>Chapter 102: Wait, We Skipped the First Round Altogether?</h4>

    Hearing the gourmet criticize her favourite dish caused Fran to emit far more bloodthirst than she had ever disyed on the battlefield.

    She further went on to activate her Intimidation skill and funneled both it and entirety of her bloodlust towards the judge. I was pretty worried for the guy. There was so much pressure that an ordinary civilian would likely have passed out, pissed themselves, or maybe even something worse than prior optionsbined.

    ¡¸Curry. Tastiest thing ever.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I do admit that it is quite delicious, but it¡¯s most definitely not the most delicious thing in the world.¡¹

    Holy crap. Dude looks like he¡¯s a middle aged man, but damn, he¡¯s got balls. Fran¡¯s thirst for blood didn¡¯t make him even anywhere close to fainting. In fact, he just casually raised an eyebrow whilst responding to her as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal at all. And I don¡¯t mean that he¡¯s just naturally the calm type of guy or anything like that either. He wasn¡¯t half assing it and just throwing up a front, and he wasn¡¯t just naturally unconcerned with this type of thing, he genuinely just didn¡¯t care.

    I guess that¡¯s just how people who¡¯ve mastered their trades end up turning out, regardless of what those trades happen to be.

    ¡ºFran, calm down.¡»

    £¨Already calm!£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m only telling you to calm down because you¡¯re clearly agitated. Why don¡¯t you just ask him why he feels the way he does? You might be able to ept his thoughts once youe to understand them, so let go of me already!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Why?¡¹

    She asked the question in a bit of an egotistical tone. It looked like Fran had already started to think of him as a sort of enemy. I just hope that she doesn¡¯t actually attack him.

    ¡¸The taste of the dish itself serves to prove that it is nearpletion. There is little room left for the improvement of its vour, and it carries with it a unique fragrance the likes of which I myself had never before sampled. I will admit that it was very well crafted. However, that is all. This dishpletely fails to provide with it its creator¡¯s dignity!¡¹

    ¡¸Dignity?¡¹

    ¡¸Dignity refers to the chef¡¯s spirit, their passion and pride. Dignity is something that all chefs carry with them at all times, it¡¯s what must be poured into their craft. This dishcks even the slightest sense of dictinity. It was made with care, but it fails to extend beyond the realm of one¡¯s home cooking.¡¹

    You know, he is actually right. All I wanted was to make Fran food that she¡¯d find delicious, and I never really shot for anything more than just that. I ended up making it all en masse, and I was honestly only careful enough to make sure that it didn¡¯t burn. I never really thought of making the best dish ever or anything like that at all.

    In other words, the final product was basically a dish made by an amateur that just so happened to have the skill required to cook. Yeah, this dude, he really knows his stuff. I almost can¡¯t believe that he was able to see through me with such ease. Fran seems to think of him as a sort of enemy, but I don¡¯t really feel any hostility towards him at all. In fact, I¡¯d say that I think he¡¯s a pretty cool guy.

    ¡¸Grrr.¡¹

    Fran grumbled in response to the man¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Well, either way, a pass is a pass. I will admit the person you call your Master to the guild, though I have very few expectations of him.¡¹

    ¡¸Will not acknowledge.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry is the best. Absolute best. Next time, will make you admit it.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s an interesting remark. However, I¡¯m quite a bit busier than I look. You won¡¯t be able to get me to show up whenever you so please, especially seeing as how I¡¯m going to be even busier than usual starting tomorrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Mrrrgghhh¡¹

    Eh, we got a pass, so whatever. It doesn¡¯t really matter anymore, does it?

    £¨It does!£©

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t really be helped. He¡¯s got things to do too.¡»

    £¨Curry is best food. Refuse to acknowledge any other. Need to prove.£©

    ¡ºWell, alright. If that¡¯s what you want.¡»

    ¡¸How to meet with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Well, if you¡¯d like me to evaluate another dish, then why not register for this?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The middle aged man of a gourmet handed Fran a single pamphlet, the headline of which was ¡°King of Cooking - A Contest Sponsored by Barbra¡¯s Chef¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ording to the pamphlet, the first round allowed you to bring your food in ahead of time for it to be judged. The second round was apetition based on food carts. Thest round and climax was supposed to be a match between the finalist¡¯s best dishes.

    ¡¸We¡¯re currently in the midst of the first round. The dish¡¯s taste and uniqueness justifies it passing through to the second. If you can make it all the way to the end, then you¡¯ll be able to force me to try your cooking. I will be the sole judge of the final round.¡¹

    ¡¸Will participate!¡¹

    ¡ºWait a sec! At least say something to me before you just go off and dere that!¡»

    The second round consists of setting up a food cart, and Fran isn¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call a model salesgirl. Besides, the old dude isn¡¯t actually going to be sampling anything until the finals, and it wouldn¡¯t make sense for me to not actually show up to the finals in person. Fran herself can¡¯t make curry, so I¡¯d probably have to unless she was nning to learn how to make it? I doubt we¡¯d be able to pull any sort of trick given his sense of taste, and this really isn¡¯t something that can be even remotely close to brute forced.

    £¨Will definitely participate.£©

    ¡ºAll the people who enter are going to be people who are good at cooking. Do you really think we¡¯ll be able to make it to the finals?¡»

    £¨No worries. Master can definitely make it.£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m happy to hear you say that, but¡­¡»

    Honestly, I don¡¯t think that the idea of making it all the way to the finals is all that realistic. A good chunk of the participants were probably people who¡¯d been chefs for over a decade, and I figured that it¡¯d be fair to conclude that most of them were pretty damned good at what they did.

    £¨Refuse to back off or lose. Curry equals pride.£©

    ¡ºI get what you¡¯re trying to say, but¡­¡»

    I honestly had no self confidence whatsoever.

    £¨No worries. I believe in you, Master.£©

    ¡ºI really don¡¯t feel like I can do it. I mean, I have the skill maxed, but deep down, I¡¯m honestly just an amateur.¡»

    £¨Don¡¯t believe in my sense of taste?£©

    ¡ºWell, I mean, I do.¡»

    Fran really likes eating. The max level cooking skill we share only helps to amplify her sense of taste even further, so, she definitely knows what tastes good and what doesn¡¯t, and she isn¡¯t the type to tter. Her thoughts and impressions are genuine and her opinion has weight to it.

    The issue wasn¡¯t actually rted to any of that. All my problems came from that whole best in the world thing. I myself was having some trouble picturing curry as the world¡¯s best ever creation.

    £¨Then, believe in the me that believes in you, Master.£©

    ¡ºThat was a pretty good line you said just now.¡»

    God damn. That was number three on the list of things I really wanted to say at least once. Man, I¡¯m jealous! Why did she get to say it! Argggg, Fran is terrifying at times like these.

    ¡ºAlright, alright. If you¡¯re going as far as to say something like that, then I can¡¯t really say no to you.¡»

    £¨Then participating is okay?£©

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s go get ourselves that championship.¡»

    £¨Yes Master.£©

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? Lost your nerves?¡¹

    ¡¸Nope. Just getting fired up. Will definitely win.¡¹

    ¡¸So you will be participating then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Then read over the rules and sign them.¡¹

    The old man then called over one of the people in charge of thepetition and had them exin any relevant details to us.

    The first round had over 2000 participants, but only twenty would move on to the second. We were pretty lucky to be instantly selected as one of said twenty.

    The second round was tost three days, and its whole premise was to see who could profit the most by wheeling a cart around and selling food. All the entrants were given a hundred thousand Golde as their starting capital. The sheer amount of money given to each individual really served to evidence that the contest¡¯s scale.

    You were allowed to bring your own ingredients if you wanted as well. Apparently that rule was made because some of the chefs would only work with super high end stuff, and a hundred thousand Golde wasn¡¯t anywhere close enough to what they needed to get going.

    The only condition was that you needed to tell the contest¡¯s staff ahead of time. The ingredient cost was still going to be detracted from one¡¯s profits regardless, so it didn¡¯t actually really work to create any advantages for those that had their own stuff. After all, the point wasn¡¯t just to sell as much as possible, it was to profit as much as possible.

    The four chefs with the best profits would be able to move on to thepetition¡¯s final round, in which they¡¯d each present their very best dishes.

    The winner would be rewarded a hundred thousand Golde. Honestly, the prize money alone wasn¡¯t all that appealing. It was literally exactly the same amount as what was given for the second round¡¯s preparations. But to the chefs, that was fine. What mattered was the honor and fame that came with one¡¯s victory, not the immediate mary gain. Those that won would ultimately prosper down the road anyways due to the prestige that came with the event. Many of thepetition¡¯s previous winners had even been granted positions in which they answered directly to royalty.

    ¡¸The second round will begin in three days, and the finals on the 7th of April.¡¹

    The Lunar Banquet was set to span a week starting on the 31st, meaning that the finals would take ce on itsst day.

    ¡¸Will you be able toplete all necessary preparations in time for the event?¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºIt should be fine. We¡¯ll manage one way or another.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. No problems at all.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. Then here is one hundred thousand gold. Use it to ready yourself for the second round, and don¡¯t be making off with it.¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t. You, get noose ready, await your loss.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing the results of your efforts.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And so, we somehow ended up participating in a cooking contest.

    We needed a kitchen in which we could operate. They said that we could always just use the one they had here, but that would mean people seeing me in action, which wasn¡¯t exactly a good thing. We needed a ce in which we could maintain secrecy whilst preparing our dishes. I also need to think about the type of curry I was going to make, so we could get all our supplies ready. Luckily, we still had a tonne of spices on hand.

    There was, however, a problem. We still had a mountain load of stuff to do in the meantime. We needed to drop in on the Adventurer¡¯s guild, find a knowledgeable alchemist, and even visit the twins sometime or another.

    I know I said that we¡¯d manage somehow, but man, it really seems like we¡¯re not going to have enough time for all this¡­

 Chapter 103: Colbert.

    <h4>Chapter 103: Colbert.</h4>

    We arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild about an hour after signing up for the cooking contest.

    I¡¯d wanted to explore the town a bit more, but we didn¡¯t have the time for that. We had to quickly get everything over with so I could find a ce to cook.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s hurry up and sell everything. Once we get that done, we should be able to ask them if they happen to know where we could find information on alchemy. If we¡¯re lucky, they might also be able to help us find a location in which we can cook in private.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYou don¡¯t mind if we hold onto the silver, gold, and gems for now, right?¡»

    I was nning keeping them for the time being just in case we happened to run into a situation in which we couldn¡¯t use Golde.

    ¡¸Guild over there?¡¹

    ¡ºSeems like it¡­ Wait, holy crap, it¡¯s massive!¡»

    ¡¸Really big.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Alessa¡¯s Guild was pretty big already, but Barbra¡¯s was on a whole ¡®nother scale. The building was sorge and fancy that I almost mistook it for a noble¡¯s manor.

    ¡¸Castle?¡¹

    ¡ºIt really does look like one.¡»

    But surely enough, a sign indicating that this was indeed the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was hanging up atop the building¡¯s entrance.

    The guild¡¯s exterior was gorgeous, but its inside? Not so much. If anything, they almost seemed shoddy inparison. Well, I guess it did make sense. Not all adventurers werewful people. In fact, a fairly significant portion were precisely the opposite, and hence, it was always possible for fancy furniture to get damaged or even stolen.

    There were seven different desks and at least fifty adventurers within the building as we entered it. At first, I¡¯d thought that there was some sort of emergency gathering or something, but apparently this was normal. Understanding that fact really made mee to see the Barbra branch¡¯s scale.

    ¡¸Wee, is this your first time here?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Would you like me to quickly go over everything then?¡¹

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, in that case, I¡¯ll first tell you about the different counters and their purposes. You¡¯re currently standing at the information desk. Here, we provide with information about the guild and its facilities. We can also help if you wish to contact any specific individuals within the building.¡¹

    Apparently the three counters beside us were all for handling requests, and the other three were for the purchasing and exchange of materials.

    The upper floors contained a sort of library filled with reference materials alongside an office for the guild¡¯s staff. There were even a bunch of facilities for people new to the industry, they had training rooms and extra bedrooms too. The rooms were apparently really small, so I doubted that we¡¯d get any use out of them, but newbies would probably be happy just to have them.

    ¡¸Large building. Reasons now clear.¡¹

    ¡¸So what did you need?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Want to sell materials.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have an adventurer¡¯s card?¡¹

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Just give me a moment to run it through the necessary checks.¡¹

    I was expecting the receptionist to do the usual thing and react to the discrepancy between Fran¡¯s rank and age, but she didn¡¯t.

    ¡¸Fran, D ranked adventurer, is it? Okay, please proceed to the deskbeled with the number 6.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    In fact, her expression didn¡¯t change at all. She simply did her job pointed Fran in the right direction without any sort of hassle. I think this is actually the first time this has happened to us. I really got to give it to the Barbra branch, they trained their employees pretty damn well.

    The receptionist at the purchasing counter was the same. She also just casually did her job without showing the slightest bit of shock or surprise.

    At first, I thought I liked their attitudes, but further exposure led me to feel like they were acting too calm. Theirpleteck of a reaction left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

    The adventurers around us provided a much more normal reaction. Unlike the receptionists, they immediately kicked up amotion the moment Fran pulled the Dreadnought Destroyer¡¯s horn out of storage.

    In the end, we managed to get fifty thousand Golde out of all the stuff we gathered while we were out at sea. Most of what we picked up was rather cheap, the only item with a notable price was the Dreadnought Destroyer¡¯s horn, as it could be used in the crafting of weapons. The receptionist asked if we would like to sell the rest of the Dreadnought Destroyer as well, but we ended up turning her down. Fran liked how the Dreadnought Destroyer tasted, and both its flesh and bones could be used to make food.

    A male adventurer approached the desk right as we were getting paid.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Colbert

    Age: 38

    Race: Human

    Job: Iron Fist Warrior

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 41/99

    HP: 428

    MP: 202

    STR: 249

    VIT: 154

    AGI: 203

    INT: 91

    MGC: 101

    DEX: 189

    Skills

    Hand to Hand Combat: Lv 6

    Martial Arts: Lv 6

    Crisis Detection: Lv 3

    Divine Fist Arts: Lv 2

    Fist Techniques: Lv 9

    Fist Arts: Lv: MAX

    Combat Qigong: Lv 4

    Herculean Strength: Lv 6

    Blink: Lv 7

    Swimming: Lv 4

    Ocean Resistance: Lv 2

    Throwing: Lv 4

    Life Magic: Lv 3

    Drowsiness Resistance: Lv 3

    Paralysis Resistance: Lv 4

    Cooking: Lv 2

    Hawk Eyes

    Beast Killer

    Minor Strength Boost

    Vigour Maniption

    Inherent Skills

    Iron Fist

    Titles

    Bear Killer

    Tiger Killer

    Equipment

    Water Dragon Leather Gloves

    Old Water Tiger¡¯s Martial Arts Uniform

    Old Water Tiger¡¯s Martial Arts Shoes

    Red Helmet Bear Bandana

    Red Helmet Bear Mantle

    Bracelet of Pain Resistance

    Bracelet of Impact Resistance

    He looked pretty strong. He wasn¡¯t as strong as Jean, but his stats were higher than Donadorondo¡¯s, so he was probably at least a C rank.

    That Qigong skill of his looked pretty interesting. Apparently, it used magical power in order to strengthen a part of one¡¯s body. In other words, it was a skill applicable both in offense and defense. It allowed him to fight against ded weapons with just his bare hands.

    His Iron Fist skill caught my eye as well. Thebination of that skill and his ability to use martial arts looked like they worked pretty well together. I really wanted to see him in action; I could already imagine a manga-like scene ying out in my head.

    ¡¸Hey there little miss. Did you catch that all by yourself?¡¹

    His choice of words made it seem like he was trying to mock Fran, but neither his tone nor expression gave off that sort of impression at all. It looked like he was honestly curious as to whether or not she¡¯d defeated the Dreadnought Destroyer all by her lonesome.

    ¡¸Nn. Fished it.¡¹

    ¡¸What? You fished it?¡¹

    ¡¸Fished during boat trip.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing! People normally beat them by bombarding them with magic.¡¹

    Huh, I thought he was going to get suspicious, but he actually straight up just believed us.

    ¡¸Believe me?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. I mean, anyone that isn¡¯t blind can tell at a nce that you¡¯re pretty skilled just based on how you move your feet and how you carry yourself.¡¹

    Several adventurers averted their gazes in embarrassment in response to Colbert¡¯s words. Looks like we¡¯ve got a few people in need of guide dogs around these parts.

    ¡¸Dreadnought Destroyers are one of my favourite foods, but they¡¯re fairly rare, so it¡¯s quite hard for me to get my hands on them. Would you mind selling me a bit of its meat? If you fished it, then you probably have quite the amount.¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t sell.¡¹

    ¡¸Have you already arranged to have it sold elsewhere?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Will eat myself.¡¹

    ¡¸All of it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ What a shame¡­¡¹

    The man responded with a disappointed frown, it seemed like he really wanted to eat Dreadnought Destroyer. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sorry for him. He did recognize Fran¡¯s abilities, so I didn¡¯t really see much harm in sharing a slight bit with him.

    Fran pulled something out from her storage space and held it in front the man right as I finished thinking the thought through.

    ¡¸Here. Will give this. Dreadnought Destroyer nigirizushi.¡¹

    She gave him a small box of sushi with soy sauce already dribbled all over its contents. It was one of the ones I prepared while we were still on the ship, and it was made so that it could be eaten at any given time. The box¡¯s exterior almost perfectly resembled the containers that I always saw drunk srymen carrying around.

    ¡ºYou sure you¡¯re okay with that? Didn¡¯t you really like sushi?¡»

    £¨Can¡¯t be helped. For publicity.£©

    ¡ºPublicity? What?¡»

    ¡¸Did you make that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master made it.¡¹

    Well, technically, I borrowed her body in order to make them, so she could¡¯ve just said that she made them herself.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen anything prepared like this before. You said it was called nigirizushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Colbert timidly took a piece of sushi out of the box Fran presented to him and threw it in his mouth after a moment of hesitation.

    ¡¸Chew chew chew.¡¹

    ¡¸Nom nom nom.¡¹

    Fran followed up on his action by stuffing three pieces into her own mouth immediately.

    ¡¸How delicious! What delectable taste! Just what is this!? It¡¯s far more than just a slice of meat ced atop a portion of rice! In fact, the fish itself can¡¯t even be said to have simply been sliced! The sharpness of the de used managed topletely sever each piece without crushing even the slightest bit of the flesh. Thepleteck of deterioration resulting from the Dreadnought¡¯s Destroyer¡¯s careful dissection drew out every singlest bit of its vour! And the rice, the rice is more than just a bundle of carbohydrates squished together to form a shape! The slightly acidic substance added to the grains in the carefulpression process melts in your mouth and causes its deliciousness to spread throughout the entirety of my being. This dish functions to define the very meaning of fine cuisine. You called it¡­ nigirizushi? Yes, yes, I see! The very act of molding the the rice is none other than an iterative refinement of the cooking process as a whole.¡¹

    Er, holy crap. He just ended up making a speech. I mean, I saw that he had the skill required to cook, so I figured he¡¯d probably be interested in the dish, but man, I did not expect that. Both him and the judge guy we ran into earlier really liked to give their impressions of the stuff we made. Is everyone in Barbra like this? I really hope I don¡¯t get used to being around this type of person.

    ¡¸Youngdy, you said that your master was the one who made the dish?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸He must be this world¡¯s greatest chef¡­ Does he perhaps own a restaurant?¡¹

    Colbert suddenly started speaking in a super polite fashion.

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, is he currently employed by another?¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Then wherever will I have to venture to consume another one of the Master¡¯s dishes?¡¹

    ¡¸Will have a cart for the cooking contest.¡¹

    ¡¸I see! So that means that he¡¯s alreadypleted the first round. But of course he would, his skills are simply sublime. But thank you, I will make sure I visit on at least one asion. Rather, I will visit him on every possible asion. What sort of dish exactly is he preparing for thepetition?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never even heard of it. Would it happen to be another one of the Master¡¯s original recipes?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup.¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing! I simply cannot wait to discover its vour!¡¹

    Ohhhh, so this is what Fran was aiming for. She managed to get a high ranked adventurer to stir up amotion in order to provide us with what was basically an advertisement. I have to admit, that was pretty good scheme right there.

    ¡¸Right, I should introduce myself. I¡¯m a B ranked adventurer, they call me Ironw Colbert.¡¹

    ¡¸Ironw?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s my alias. As of the moment, I still fail to match up to people like Amanda of Hariti, Hundredde Forrund, or Jean Dovy the Annihtor. However, one day, I¡¯ll be famous enough for my name to be known throughout thend.¡¹

    Aliases were a thing? Oh, right, I remember now. People used to call Fran the Magical Sword Girl, and I did know about Amanda¡¯s whole Hariti thing as well. I mean, hers fit her perfectly. She liked kids so much that she was on the verge of having some sort of disorder. I never would¡¯ve imagined Jean having the alias The Annihtor though. It seemed a bit too violent for him.

    ¡¸D rank adventurer. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You¡¯re a D rank? It looks like you¡¯ll turn out quite promisingter on down the road. Anyways, I really need to thank you for sharing your nigirizushi with me. It was so delicious that I can¡¯t help but feel like it changed my life in its entirety.¡¹

    ¡¸Understanding value of nigirizushi means insightful. Very promising.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. Thanks, thanks. You must be quite the chef yourself given your Master¡¯s skill, so hearing your praise makes me feel a slight bit embarrassed.¡¹

    The two exchanged a firm handshake. It looked like they got along pretty well with one another.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t hesitate to let me know if you ever need any help. I¡¯ve actually got quite a bit of influence, so I can say for sure that I won¡¯t let you down. I¡¯d be very much honoured if said help ended up benefitting your Master as well.¡¹

    And so, I randomly managed to get myself a fan. He seems like he¡¯s a pretty good guy too.

    Meeting him made me realize that all the high ranked adventurers were actually a bit weird and quirky. I really have to make sure Fran learns all aboutmon sense before she ends like them. Though, to do that, I¡¯d probably have to learn more about this world¡¯smon sense myself first.

 Chapter 104: Eugene

    <h4>?</h4>

    Chapter 104: Eugene

    We headed over to the guild¡¯s third floor after getting paid.

    After selling materials, we had asked the guild if they knew any alchemists that could give us a hand, and apparently, they knew just the guy. The guild¡¯s Barbra branch had contracted a fairly skilled alchemist to work within it, and he happened to be present, so we decided to pay him a visit right away.

    We were guided to our destination by an elf. Though she was apparently 50 years old, she looked like she was in herte teens or early twenties. The door she knocked on had a sign on it describing it as ¡°Eugene¡¯s Laboratory,¡± and it was located in an area that seemed to contain facilities that one would use to produce all sorts of different items and consumables.

    ¡¸Come in.¡¹

    ¡¸Please excuse our intrusion.¡¹

    Inside the room was a single man with his arms outstretched. He was at the age where his hair had started to grey, but despite that, he wore it with a swept back style and allowed it to grow to such a length that it extended all the way down to his back. His thin but tall body was decorated with a loose robe, and his face a gentle smile. The round sses atop his nose really worked well the rest of his image and assisted in giving him him an intellectual sort of feel.

    His eyes were a bit weird though, the whites were ck, and the irises green. It also looked like there was some feeler-like thingy growing out of his receding hairline.

    ¡¸Good afternoon Dr. Eugene, I¡¯ve brought someone that wanted to see you.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? What a cute littledy we have here. Are you an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. D rank adventurer. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸D rank? That¡¯s quite impressive.¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Eugene

    Age: 62

    Race: Half Bugman (Bee tribe)

    Job: Alchemy Instructor

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 55

    HP: 209

    MP: 596

    STR: 101

    VIT: 108

    AGI: 159

    INT: 359

    MGC: 220

    DEX: 333

    SkillsCast Time Reduction: Lv 3

    Wind Magic: Lv 2

    Appraisal: Lv 8

    Harvest: Lv 7

    Woond Resistance: Lv 3

    Life Magic: Lv 5

    Short Spear Arts: Lv 5

    Short Spear Techniques: Lv 2

    Throwing: Lv 7

    Knowledge of Poisons: Lv 8

    Toxicology: Lv 9

    Fire Magic: Lv 3

    Water Magic: Lv 5

    Medicinal Herbology: Lv 7

    Knowledge of Medicinal Herbs: Lv 5

    Resistance to Molten Iron: Lv 6

    Alchemy: MAX

    Transmutation: Lv 5

    Poison Invalidation

    Paralysis Invalidation

    Magic Maniption

    Greater Intelligence Boost

    Innate SkillsPresence Detection: Lv 3

    Poison Production: Lv 4

    Poison Spray: Lv 1

    TitlesItem Expert

    Master of Poison

    Master of Potions

    Master Alchemist

    EquipmentMagic Stone Cane Spear

    Dark God¡¯s Alloy Threaded Robe

    Shoes of Walking on Water

    Bracelet of Dexterity

    Bracelet of Storage

    _______________________________________________________________

    He was a bugman, the insect equivalent of a beastman. His appearance led me to assume that bugmen were likely characterized by their eyes and antennas. That said, he was technically only a half blood, meaning he didn¡¯t exhibit all the traits that¡¯d normally be associated with bugmen. Still, his outward appearance was unique enough for me to make me really curious as to how full fledged bugmen looked.

    But oh well, whatever. His appearance wasn¡¯t important. What mattered was that he actually seemed just as skilled as the guild had said he was. His titles were self evident, and further proof of his abilities was provided by the fact that he¡¯d not onlypletely maxed out alchemy, but even moved on to leveling up transmutation. Based on what I read in the skill description, transmutation was to alchemy what divine sword arts were to regr sword arts, a t out improvement. There was also the whole characterization that he had going for him. It practically screamed master alchemist at the top of its lungs.

    ¡¸Okay, why don¡¯t I introduce myself? My name is Eugene, an alchemist that has contracted the entirety of his services to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Not in Alchemist¡¯s Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, I did used to be a part of it, however, one of my disciples had ended up causing a scandal, so I had to take responsibility for his actions and resign from my position. I was picked up by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild shortly after.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not the Doctor¡¯s fault at all though. The apprentice that caused the scandal was one that¡¯d already left his care.¡¹

    ¡¸That doesn¡¯t change the fact that hemitted a crime through the application knowledge he obtained from my teachings.¡¹

    ¡¸I still think that the Alchemist¡¯s Guild went too far. It really didn¡¯t merit confiscating your membership.¡¹

    The elf replied to Eugene¡¯s eptance of his punishment with an unhappy look on her face.

    ¡¸Doctor. Leaving Alchemist¡¯s Guild for Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Didn¡¯t cause bad blood?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s doubt was a sensible one. Most people probably wouldn¡¯t exactly be what you¡¯d call happy if someone they kicked out immediately managed to find their way into another organisation.

    ¡¸It definitely did. The Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯sst Guild Master harassed me every single day until he retired.¡¹

    ¡¸I think the current Guild Master took up his position about five years ago. He¡¯s not nearly as extreme as thest one.¡¹

    ¡¸That isn¡¯t to say that there isn¡¯t any sort of residual resentment anymore though. Many alchemists still feel hostility towards adventurers.¡¹

    Apparently, Eugene¡¯s recruitment had even damaged the rtionship between the two guilds.

    ¡¸Adventurers dislike you?¡¹

    If the two guilds started antagonizing each other, then it¡¯d mean that adventurers would have a hard time getting a lot of the items they needed to go out and do their jobs, which, in turn, would likely led to adventurers disliking Eugene as well.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think so. If anything, I think most of the adventurers are d that the Doctor joined our ranks.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The doctor¡¯s been teaching alchemy to some of the guild¡¯s other members, and as a result, we¡¯ve gained the ability to produce our own proprietary goods. In other words, we managed to eliminate the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s monopoly, and thus, their ability to control the market. Many items are actually even cheaper than they used to be, so it¡¯s actually much easier for adventurers to get their hands on them.¡¹

    ¡¸Though that¡¯s likely why so many alchemists are feeling bitter about the matter.¡¹

    So that¡¯s how it is. I admit that I do pity Eugene a bit, but I can¡¯t say his situation isn¡¯t one that¡¯s to our benefit. I was a bit worried that information about us would end up getting leaked if we took our questions to the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. Moreover, the items we¡¯d obtained hade from pirates, so there was also always the possibility that they¡¯d ask us to return them. Having someone that¡¯s a part of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild do everything for us instead reduced both those risks by a lot. It looked like the guild really trusted the doctor, so things were looking up. All knowledge of the items in our possession would probably stay a secret.

    We were asked to sit shortly after our guide had left the room and returned to her regr duties.

    ¡¸How would you feel about a cup of tea before we get down to business?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    The cup Fran was given was filled with a darkened liquid that bore a slight resemnce to Oolong Tea.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran immediately picked up the cup and give it a small sip. It looked like she wanted to keep drinking, but she was ck cat beastman and thus, her tongue was rather sensitive to heat. [1]

    ¡¸Oh? You¡¯re not going to react at all?¡¹

    Eugene looked at Fran with a bit of an inquisitive expression. Wait, why? Was the tea supposed to be poisoned or something? Nah, no way. Appraisal said it was just a regr cup of Oobow tea. Fran¡¯s status was perfectly normal too, so¡­

    ¡¸Ah, right, I should probably exin. I really like the vour of that tea, but it seems that most that¡¯ve tried it found it too bitter, and some would even spit it back out immediately. Lately, I¡¯ve started to find people¡¯s reactions to its taste to be something of interest. It seems however, like you don¡¯t dislike the taste.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m d to hear it! Not many people can find themselves able to appreciate its vour.¡¹

    Oh, I get it. It¡¯s kind of like Senburi tea. People who like it love it, but the people who don¡¯t can¡¯t stand it at all.

    ¡¸Bitter but tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, exactly! I¡¯m d you feel the same way. Would you like to take some tea leaves with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    Eugene happily handed Fran a bag of tea leaves. He really did seem happy that he managed to find someone else who liked the tea¡¯s vour.

    ¡¸Now then, why don¡¯t we get down to business?¡¹

    ¡¸Want you to look at some items.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    ¡¸But don¡¯t want you to tell anyone else. If possible.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. Lots of people have requested the same before, and I¡¯m proud to say that I¡¯ve managed to keep everything confidential.¡¹

    ¡ºThe doctor isn¡¯t lying. It looks like you can trust him.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Examine these.¡¹

    We already knew enough about the the Highest Grade Life Potions, the Panaceas, and the High Grade Mana Potions, so we didn¡¯t bother having him tell us about them. We intended to have him look through the rest, so we started with the less harmful looking ones at the forefront.

    ¡¸Is that a High Grade Potion of Repair? That¡¯s quite the item you¡¯ve got there.¡¹

    ¡¸Want to know its value.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ If you were to purchase that at a store, it¡¯d normally run you about twenty thousand Golde.¡¹

    Well, that¡¯s more than I was expecting.

    ¡¸It¡¯s a bit on the pricey side, but it¡¯s effect is well worth it. It can allow you to repair your equipment even if you¡¯re out in the middle of adventuring It even has the ability to repair magic weapons, which are typically known to be quite difficult to fix.¡¹

    Yeah, it definitely was convenient. Just using a potion to repair a magic sword was definitely way easier than the arduous process of bringing it to a cksmith, only to find out that theycked the required materials, and that¡¯d have to gather them yourself.

    ¡¸Then. This?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? That¡¯s another rare one. It¡¯s called a Potion of Rising Skill, and it¡¯s worth approximately three hundred thousand Golde, however, its price can be inted up to another ten times as a result of the fact that nobles have an extremely high demand for them. ¡¹

    Ten times? Wait, so this thing can be worth up to three million Golde? What the hell, that¡¯s ridiculously expensive! Though, I guess I can kind of see why. Nobles probably buy these for their kids so they can boost up their skill levels without having to risk any sort of danger. I¡¯d actually find it weird for this not to be in high demand.

    ¡¸Next. Have three of these.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow¡­ one amazing thing after another is it? This one trumps both your previous items by far.¡¹

    It¡¯s even more amazing than a portion that can easily us over three hundred thousand Golde?

    ¡¸Do you know what Alchemy potions do?¡¹

    ¡¸Nope.¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re potions used in alchemy, as suggested by their names. You can mix them in whilst producing an alchemic product in order to elevate the resulting quality and effects. The highest grade ones that you have are so rare that not even I¡¯ve seen them in quite the amount of time. Mixing one into a bunch of ingredients that would normally result in a lesser potion would make so you¡¯d get a high grade potion instead.¡¹

    ¡¸Then. Means expensive?¡¹

    ¡¸Very. They cost about a million Golde per piece.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Holy crap! They¡¯re both incredibly expensive and effective. If they can turn lesser potions into high grade ones, then what would happen if you mixed them into highest grade potions? Would you end up creating something that could resurrect the dead?

    It looked like we made a total of at least three and half million so far. I really wanted to give myself a high five for choosing that box right about now.

    ¡ºF-Fran, we should show him the rest of what we got.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. How about this?¡¹

    The next potion Fran brought out was the one I was most curious about, the Anti-Side Effect Potion.

    ¡¸How interesting. They should be worth about three hundred thousand Golde a piece, but it¡¯s worth nothing that they¡¯re so rare that I¡¯ve never actually seen one in person before.¡¹

    ¡¸Want to know detailed effects. Especially when used on inorganics. And magic beasts.¡¹

    ¡¸It should work on magic beasts without any issues whatsoever. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m sure when ites to inorganics¡­ but it should work.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s like the Potion of Repair you showed me earlier. They¡¯re both magically enhanced potions, so they should work simrly.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. Example. This sword has a powerful special ability. But cannot use for several days after using it. Will using this potion make that time shorter?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ To be honest, I can¡¯t say for sure whether it¡¯d work like that or not. But it could, theoretically¡­¡¹

    It¡¯s a bit of shame that we can¡¯t actually confirm the potion¡¯s efficacy, but whatever. At least we learned that it could work. We had three, so we could always just use one of them to run a test. Though, said test would result in a loss of three hundred thousand Golde.

    ¡¸I have to admit, I¡¯ve been finding this whole thing quite fun. Did you happen to have anything else?¡¹

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm.. It looks like a Potion of Attribute Reversal, and there¡¯s quite the amount of it as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Only have one.¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t normally use more than just a few drops at a time.¡¹

    Apparently, the Potion of Attribute Reversal had the ability to do exactly what its name said. It could reverse magical elements, purify poison, and even turn a curse into a blessing. It looked like it¡¯d be fun to y around with.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve got quite a lot of it. If you used it all at once, you¡¯d probably be able to eliminate a really powerful curse, or maybe even purify a whole pond¡¯s worth of poison. It should be worth about one hundred thousand Golde. It¡¯s an amazing potion, but its price isn¡¯t too high because if its limited applications.¡¹

    Oh, so it¡¯s cheap because there isn¡¯t any demand for it. Well, technically it¡¯s not really cheap at all, but like, you know, rtively speaking.;

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ Would you like to see its effects? We could use a drop of it to perform a bit of an experiment, if you¡¯d like.¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºI don¡¯t really mind if it¡¯s just a drop or two. I¡¯m pretty curious about the experiment he¡¯s got in mind.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. epted.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. Give me just a second.¡¹

    Eugene grabbed a ss bottle that seemed to look something like a beaker. It was probably one of the tools he used for alchemy.

    ¡¸The bottle is only filled with water for now, but I¡¯m going to put a bit of poison inside of it.¡¹

    The doctor used a skill and caused a bit of ck liquid dripped to drop from his open palm into the beaker.

    ¡¸Alright, now, you can use this thing right here to verify that the bottle contains poison.¡¹

    ¡¸Thing?¡¹

    ¡¸These sses give you the ability to use appraisal, though its effects are only about the same as that of the skill at level 1.¡¹

    sses that let you appraise things? That¡¯s pretty neat. I decided to go along with the whole thing and join it with my appraisal as well. Checking the water informed me that it was poisoned, just as the doctor had described it to be.

    ¡¸Verified.¡¹

    ¡¸And now, all we have to do is just drip a single drop of the Potion of Attribute Reversal into the bottle.¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing. Deadly poison water transformed. Water of rejuvenation.¡¹

    ¡¸Great, ain¡¯t it? The poison¡¯s disappeared altogether. You could probably even use this water to make tea.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Can make tea with it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, and it even makes it more delicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Delicious?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? I guess you must¡¯ve not been aware that the human tongue has the ability to detect magic. That¡¯s why we enjoy eating magic beasts. The same applies to magically enhanced water. Magically enhanced water can totally change the vour of a cup of tea or a bowl of soup. Would you like to give it a try?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, hold on for a little bit.¡¹

    The doctor took about three minutes to prepare Fran another cup of Oobow tea. It didn¡¯t look any different, but apparently looks weren¡¯t everything.

    ¡¸Tasty!¡¹

    ¡¸Right?¡¹

    Apparently the taste had changed so much that it¡¯d even surprised Fran.

    ¡ºIs it really that good?¡»

    £¨Totally different taste. Way yummier.£©

    The tea now even had the ability to restore one¡¯s stamina and cure minor status conditions. It looked to me like this was something that¡¯d sell pretty well, but the doctor said that it wasn¡¯t a very profitable business because the potion was far too difficult to make inrge quantities.

    ¡¸Possible to make food taste better by pouring in magical energy?¡¹

    Ohhh, that¡¯s a good idea.

    ¡¸Nah. You¡¯d have to use the type of magic mostpatible with your ingredients, else the food would actually end up tasting worse. You could pull it off for a single ingredient like water, but, you can¡¯t just pour magical energy into apleted dish to make it taste better.¡¹

    ¡¸Too bad.¡¹

    ¡¸You also don¡¯t want there to be too much magic in the food either.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸If you eat too much stuff with a lot of magical energy in it, you¡¯re going to end up craving nothing but the taste of magic. All your other tastes will begin to dull.¡¹

    Right, makes sense. I do remember there being people that always thought whatever they were eating wasn¡¯t spicy enough. Likewise, there were also people that¡¯d put sugar on literally everything. Magic probably messed up your sense of taste just the same way.

    ¡¸Why don¡¯t we take demons as an example? They¡¯re born with a lot of magical energy, and hence, they¡¯re fairly sensitive to it. They tend to like foods that contain it and since they eat a lot of it throughout their lives, they end up developing apletely different sense of taste than everyone on the more human side of the spectrum. In fact, they don¡¯t even care for any other vours. All that matters to them is that the food they eat has magic in it. I¡¯ve actually had a demon, an acquaintance of mine, cook for me in the past, and all I can say is that their food tastes like it literallyes from hell.¡¹

    Hmm, so that¡¯s how that works. I better be careful not to mess up Fran¡¯s sense of taste. I should probably try to think up a dish that uses a sort of subtle taste as opposed to relying on magical energy.

    ¡¸Anyways, back on topic. I have to say, I can¡¯t actually use my appraisal skill on the Potion of Attribute Reversal.¡¹

    Oh yeah, right, that was a thing. Can¡¯t help but wonder why, now that he¡¯s brought it up and all that.

    ¡¸It¡¯s because the ingredients are a bit special. One of the chemicals used to create the potion contains appraisal blocking properties. As a result, the final product is also a bit difficult to appraise. Not even I can see anything more than just the item¡¯s name. People with low leveled appraisal skills probably wouldn¡¯t be able to see anything at all, and hence, most people end upbeling bottles like this one just so they don¡¯t get lost. It makes me really wonder where you actually picked it up.¡¹

    Thest part was nothing more than just a mumble, but regardless, it seemed like he was quite curious as to where we got all these portions.

    ¡¸Next. This one.¡¹

    ¡¸A root of arcane soul, and an interesting one at that.¡¹

    ¡¸Looks empty. Used for what?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind the invisibility, they¡¯re supposed to be like that. Just think of it as a bottle containing a bunch of magical energy. You can use it to make artificial magic stones.¡¹

    ¡¸Artificial magic stones?¡¹

    ¡¸You normally use them when you¡¯re making yourself a familiar. This thing basically ends up bing the most important part of said familiar¡¯s magic stone. You can use it to adjust the familiar¡¯s skills and properties. I can¡¯t really get anything out of appraising it, so I¡¯d say that it¡¯s most likely potent enough to create a fairly powerful final product.¡¹

    ¡¸Price?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Somewhere in the range of fifty thousand to a million.¡¹

    That¡¯s a pretty huge price range. Though, I guess it¡¯s fair given how little is known about it. Tts value can probably change depending on who you¡¯re trying to sell it to too. Welp, that one¡¯s going to sit in storage for a while.

    ¡¸Last one.¡¹

    Thest item we pulled out was the one most likely to cause issues.

    ¡¸T-That¡¯s¡­ quite the item you¡¯ve got there.¡¹

    ¡¸Bad to have?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s really dangerous, especially if you¡¯re carrying it around. Make sure you don¡¯t drop it. Okay?¡¹

    Eugene¡¯s expression had stayed rtively calm throughout the process, but seeing ourst item had caused his face to pale. Apparently the Poison Mixture of the Highest Grade was actually something really hazardous.

    ¡¸That¡¯s another one I haven¡¯t seen in a long time.¡¹

    ¡¸Approximate value?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you see, that isn¡¯t something you can just put a price on. In fact, selling it might end up getting you in trouble with thew unless you follow a certain set of procedures. That¡¯s just how dangerous it is.¡¹

    ¡¸That bad?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ Why don¡¯t I put it this way? You could probably get rid of it by giving it to some sort of military or criminal organisation for about a million Golde. I myself had used it twenty years ago in order to subjugate a dragon ssified as a B ranked threat.¡¹

    ¡¸How effective?¡¹

    ¡¸A single drop of the stuff is potent enough to kill a hundred grown men, so by that metric, you have enough to wipe out about two thousand people. If you were to use all of it at once, you could probably kill a D ranked magic beast with ease. Even if it didn¡¯t die, it¡¯d probably end up crippled and utterly dysfunctional.¡¹

    Wow, that¡¯s uh, pretty bad. I¡¯m not so sure we should actually hold onto it, especially given that Eugene was ring at it with a ratherplicated look on his face.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not going to force you to agree to this, but, I¡¯d like to take it off your hands. To bepletely honest, that poison right there is so deadly that I really don¡¯t want anyone else knowing about it at all. I can pay you up to two hundred thousand Golde.¡¹

    ¡¸epted.¡¹

    The bottle sitting in front of us was actually one of many. We¡¯d originally only had a singlerge bottle of the stuff, but I had Urushibine his poison magic with my telekinesis in order to divide up therger bottle¡¯s contents into a bunch of smaller portions. I¡¯d actually even gone and used space/time magic in order to timestop the poison and make the whole process more safe, but, we ultimately ended up rushing it anyway because I could only hold the timestop for a total of five seconds at once. [2]

    To be honest, we¡¯d actually only split it up into several smaller bottles because we¡¯d suspected that it¡¯d be confiscated.

    ¡¸That said, I didn¡¯t actually know that there were any alchemists out there capable of creating this¡­ Where exactly did you happen to get it?¡¹

    It¡¯d probably be better for us to tell him than not.

    ¡ºFran, show him the box.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. This.¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that one of the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s transport boxes?¡¹

    ¡¸Found it at pirate¡¯s base. All potions came from inside.¡¹

    ¡¸That can¡¯t be¡­ I don¡¯t think the Alchemist¡¯s Guild had anyone capable of¡­ Wait¡­¡¹

    He began to start brooding in response the reveal.

    ¡¸Something wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, it¡¯s just that something seems off.¡¹

    ¡¸Off?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you¡¯re both the person who discovered the box, as well as an adventurer, so I guess there won¡¯t be any harm in telling you. Normally, losing a box like that would cause quite the uproar given the value of the potions and dangerous chemicals within it. Hence, its owner should have contacted the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and issued an order for its immediate retrieval.¡¹

    ¡¸But no request?¡¹

    ¡¸Not any that I¡¯ve heard of, at the very least. Keeping silent about the loss of a Poison Mixture of the Highest Grade could even lead to being punished with treason. We also don¡¯t know who these potions were being shipped to, and why. In other words, we¡¯re going to need to get in touch with the Alchemist¡¯s Guild in order to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡¹

    That¡¯s fine, but I really don¡¯t want Fran¡¯s name getting out there, especially not for something like this.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. I can swear that I will not disclose your identity.¡¹

    Doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s lying. Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped then. He¡¯d probably suspect us if we went against him, so let¡¯s just say he owes us and be done with it.

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you. Make sure you stop by again. I¡¯ll be around most of the time, and I¡¯ll make sure to serve you another cup of tea if you do drop by.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Well, I was interested in alchemy anyway, so yeah, why not?

    _______________________________________________________________

    Note:

    [1] Japanese people say that cat tongues are especially sensitive to heat, so they can¡¯t eat hot foods. People who can¡¯t eat hot foods are said to have cat¡¯s tongues as well.

    [2] Probably a Dio reference.

    Changelog (Reworded a bunch of stuff to make it sound better.)

    Inherent Skills -> Innate Skills

    Full Heal -> Panacea

    Magical Medicine -> Magically Enhanced Potion

    Drug of Reversed Attributes -> Potion of Attribute Reversal

 Chapter 105: Pork Curry Best Curry!

    <h4>Chapter 105: Pork Curry Best Curry!</h4>

    We headed back over to the inn after finishing up our business at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    I wanted to straight up just go out, find a kitchen, and buy everything we needed, but we couldn¡¯t actually get to that right away. There was still something else we needed to do first.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re going to need to decide what we¡¯re going to be selling.¡»

    ¡¸Curry.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWell, yeah, but we still have to think about our ingredients and figure out how spicy we¡¯re going to make it. We also have to determine how we¡¯re going to serve our customers and get all that ready too.¡»

    Barbra was a pretty big town, and there were lots of stalls and stuff for food all over the ce, so it probably wouldn¡¯t be all that hard for us to get in touch with someone willing to sign a wholesale contract for all our misceneous needs. Both paper tes and wooden spoons could be mass produced through the use of alchemy, and apparently the Chef¡¯s Guild had a few contacts of their own, so we could actually just get everything done through them if we wanted. They¡¯d probably give us a pretty good price point too.

    We already had all the spices we needed on hand thanks to our pirate ¡°friends,¡± so that was something we could cross off right away.

    All in all, we had forty different types of spices at our disposal, so I set each out on a te and lined them all up in front of me. We had such arge variety that I actually had to liberty choose to make it as mild or spicy as I wanted.

    ¡¸Mild is better choice. Spicy is tasty but hard to eat.¡¹

    ¡ºHm, you did always like the milder ones more. Besides, a milder curry is a lot less risky than something on the spicier side seeing as how children will probably end up being a pretty big portion of our sales.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper.¡¹

    ¡ºOh yeah, you did like the spicier ones, didn¡¯t you Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm, well, I do think that a fair portion of our older customers will probably prefer a bit more spice in it as well.¡»

    I mean, we could always just do both. Either way, we probably need to put a bit more thought into the ingredients first¡­

    ¡ºWhat kind of curry do you think I should make? We could probably use beef-like meat, pork-like meat, lizard-like meat, fish-like meat or chicken-like meat. Bug-like meat, tiger-like meat, and wolf-like meat could probably work as well.¡»

    The reason I stuck a ¡°-like¡± after all the potential ingredient types was because we weren¡¯t actually going to use regr farm animals. We were nning to use meat procured from magic beasts instead. For example, we¡¯d be using Crash Boars instead of pigs if we went with pork, and Rock Bison instead of cows if we went with beef.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Pork.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s one thing we could do.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYou liked bird meat, right Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, pork and chicken are going to be our two main choices then.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    People from the Kansai region seemed to like beef-based curries. I, however, was from the Kantou region, and thus, I myself was much more inclined towards pork. Fran liked pork as too, and she¡¯d always ask for it to be used in curry. Hence, I ending up using most of the cow-like creatures for stuff like hamburgers and barbeques instead.

    If we wanted meat, we¡¯d probably have to find ourselves a butcher. I remember seeing a decent number of them in the marketce. Said marketce was really big, so we didn¡¯t actually get to check out all the shops yet, but I was pretty sure that at least a few specialized in butchering magic beasts.

    ¡ºDid you want to put anything else in? We¡¯re going to use potatoes, carrots and onions for sure. Curry wouldn¡¯t really be curry without them. That said, we could probably try enhancing the vour by adding a few secret ingredients too. You know, stuff like apples, or honey, or maybe even chocte¡­¡»

    Fran was the type that didn¡¯t really like chunks in her curry. She very much preferred when the vegetables were cooked to the point where they kind of just ended up melting into the mixture, hence the choices listed.

    ¡¸What about toppings?¡¹

    ¡ºWon¡¯t those be a bit too hard to manage? We only have one stall¡¯s worth of space¡»

    ¡¸Breaded cutlets. Cheeseburgers. Kara-age. Hot spring eggs. Deep fried vegetables. All tasty.¡¹

    Yeah, that¡¯s way too many. At most, we could have like one or two¡­

    ¡ºWhy don¡¯t we go check out the market ce? We can think about what toppings we¡¯ll have after we finish getting all the materials we need. Let¡¯s try focusing on procuring the best pork-like meat and vegetables we can get for now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We browsed Barbra¡¯s massive portside marketce for about an hour. All sorts of goods were on disy, and most could even be found in wholesale tier quantities, but despite that, we weren¡¯t able to get our hands on what we needed.

    ¡ºIt doesn¡¯t look like any of the butchers really have all that much magic beast meat in stock.¡»

    Pork-type magic beast meat was not only especially rare, but also extremely expensive. Maybe it¡¯d be better for us to give up and just use regr pork instead.

    I mean, we were already in a pretty good spot anyways. Curry wasn¡¯t exactly something that the people of this world would be able to get their hands on with ease, so we could probably pull a win with just the rarity factor.

    On the bright side, we did manage to catch sight of all the vegetable-type stuff we needed. Apples, honey, chocte, and coffee all looked like they were in pretty high abundance as well. I wouldn¡¯t have any problems giving the curry a bit of an extra kick, so in all honesty, we didn¡¯t need to use meat procured from magic beasts.

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸Om bark nom bark¡¹

    ¡ºYou guys sure seem to be enjoying yourselves.¡»

    ¡¸Doing market research. Need to determine popr tastes.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s fine, I guess.¡»

    They were being rtively quiet, so it was pretty easy for me to listen in on people trying to make deals, which in turn helped me gather information on suppliers and market prices.

    ¡ºWait, did you just say market research? That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea. We should go check out thepetition.¡»

    ¡¸Check outpetition?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s go find all the people who did wellst year and try a bit of their cooking.¡»

    Pretty much everyone that qualifiedst year was now super famous, so we might just be able to eat some of their dishes if we headed over to their workces.

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi was happily wagging his tail, but I felt like there was a pretty good chance that he wasn¡¯t going to be allowed in any of the stores. I hope he doesn¡¯t get too disappointed.

    It was actually surprisingly easy for us to gather all the information we needed. Many of Barbra¡¯s roadside stalls were run by old men that caved almost instantly at the sight of a beautiful young woman buying their goods on en masse. They pretty much divulged everything they knew without so much as a second thought.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡ºThe sign says ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Table,¡± so yeah, should be the right ce.¡»

    After gathering a bit of information, we arrived at the conclusion that this was the closest ce. Moveover, the owner was actually one ofst year¡¯s finalists.

    I had expected the ce to be super high ss, but its exterior wasn¡¯t nearly as fancy as I¡¯d imagined. The prices on the menu sitting out front weren¡¯t really high either, so I couldn¡¯t help but suspect that we¡¯de to the wrong ce.

    ¡¸Store open?¡¹

    We pushed the door open and looked inside. The restaurant itself had a calm, rxing atmosphere.

    ¡¸Wee. Table for one?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. One person. One pet.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but this restaurant doesn¡¯t allow pets.¡¹

    ¡¸But Urushi¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper whimper.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, rules are rules. You¡¯re going to have to stay in Fran¡¯s shadow for a bit.¡»

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    I¡¯ll treat him to something niceter to make up for it.

    ¡¸Then just one person.¡¹

    ¡¸Did your dog just sink into your shadow¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Must be mistaken.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Really? Well, there¡¯s no way a dog can just sink into a shadow, so you¡¯re probably right. I must be getting tired.¡¹

    Sorry waitressdy¡­ Seems like this is really hard on you.

    ¡¸Rmendations?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ What about the Dragon Bone Soup? It¡¯s one of our signatures, and if you look outside you¡¯ll see it on the menu.¡¹

    ¡¸Dragon bone? Bones from dragons used in soup stock?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, it¡¯s really good.¡¹

    Dragon bone soup eh? I can¡¯t even imagine how that¡¯s supposed to taste.

    ¡¸Then that. And this, this, this and this.¡¹

    ¡¸Our servings are a bit big. Are you sure you¡¯d like to order all that?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, then I¡¯ll just repeat your order so I can have you verify it. It¡¯ll be one Dragon Bone Soup, one Rockbird Steak, one Gold Sheep Skewer, one Yggd Potato Sd, and one Barbra Crab Pf, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It looked like a lot of food, but to Fran, it really wasn¡¯t all that much at all.

    The first dish to arrive, the Dragon Bone Soup, came after about ten minutes worth of waiting. The bowl didn¡¯t actually contain any traces of the ingredients used to create the final product. The only thing it had inside of it was a golden, translucent, consomme-like soup.

    I sneakily stored about half of the Dragon Bone Soup away for research purposes as soon as the waitress stopped paying attention.

    £¨Can eat now?£©

    ¡ºYeah, go ahead.¡»

    ¡¸Eating then.¡¹

    Slurp slurp.

    Fran raised the bowl and drank a mouthful of its contents.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Yummy.¡¹

    Her face seemed a bit pained, and far from content. Was it actually really bad or something?

    ¡¸Might be even better than Master¡¯s consomme soup.¡¹

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    It¡¯s gotta be pretty amazing then. That¡¯s probably the highest possible praise one could possibly get from Fran as far as food goes.

    Much to my surprise, the soup was priced pretty cheaply. All of the store¡¯s other dishes that used magic beasts cost around 50 Golde a te, but the soup only cost 20.

    It looked like I¡¯d been underestimating thepetition far too much. I probably won¡¯t be able to win if I just half ass everything.

    Sampling the soup with a doppelganger after we got back to the inn only convinced me of my prior observation all the more.

    Weter went back over to the market and checked out a few more of the stores rted tost year¡¯s participants and came to the conclusion that all of them had pretty damned good food. My Doppelganger¡¯s senses were rtively fine tuned as a result of the superiorization process, so I had about the same sense of taste as the average human being. Hence, I was able toe to an understanding of exactly how skilled ourpetitors were.

    ¡ºIt looks like we might actually end up deadst if I don¡¯t try my best.¡»

    Okay, yeah. Regr pork is definitely out of the question. I¡¯m going to have to find myself some sort of magic beast meat. I¡¯ve got to be careful in choosing the rest of my materials as well. Freshness and taste are important, but we can¡¯t go over budget else we won¡¯t profit enough. I¡¯m going to use as many spices as necessary without holding back though.

    I have to figure out exactly how we¡¯re going to sell everything too. I mean, how are you actually supposed to sell curry using a stall? People might think that they¡¯re not actually getting enough bang for their buck if all we give them is a te with some rice and curry on it.

    Alright, the only way for us to really do this will be to use every connection we¡¯ve got.

    ¡ºWe should probably pay the Luciel Conglomerate a visit. They were supposed to be a pretty bigpany, so they might have the meat and vegetables we need in stock.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Let¡¯s see, is there anything else we¡¯re missing? We¡¯ve got the spices. The meat and vegetables hopefully won¡¯t be an issue, so all that¡¯s left would be¡­ water. I want to use decently high quality water. I mean, the wells aren¡¯t here aren¡¯t bad or anything, it seemed that well water wasn¡¯t the only type of water that could potentially be avable to us.

    We should probably ask the people at the conglomerate about that as well. We do have money, so we could probably make up for a decent amount of ourck of experience and skill by using high quality materials. I kinda ended up attacking this whole thing with a bit of a nouveau riche type approach, but hey, whatever it takes for victory is whatever I¡¯ll do.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s make sure we get our hands on some good materials!¡»

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 106: The Luciel Conglomerate

    <h4>Chapter 106: The Luciel Conglomerate</h4>

    ¡¸Hey, wee. d to see you chose to stop by.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, wee to you too Urushi.¡¹

    We were currently inside the Luciel Conglomerate¡¯s HQ. The building was about the same size as the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, only several times more extravagant. Putting it next to Fran made her look really out of ce, but she boldly walked right in regardless. Man, she¡¯s got guts.

    The coin we got from the captain was seriously one hell of an item. shing it caused the people at the reception desk to show us over to a fancy-looking waiting room without so much as a question.

    Rengil showed up in said room not long after we were taken to it. We¡¯d only just parted that morning, but he happily greeted Fran with a smile and handshake regardless. He seemed genuinely excited to see us.

    ¡¸So did you have any sort of business here, or were you just visiting?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Participating in this.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you¡¯re participating in the King of Cooking? Did you already pass the first round?¡¹

    He figured out what she was talking about with nothing more than a single nce at the flyer she handed him. The contest was pretty famous, so it only made sense that the captain knew about it.

    ¡¸Master passed.¡¹

    ¡¸You had a Master? I don¡¯t think there was anyone like that aboard the ship, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master is elusive. Like a phantom.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, so did the two of you meet up here then?¡¹

    We¡¯de up with a bit of an odd scenario. Fran¡¯s story would be that I, her master, was the type of man that wandered the continent and appeared where and whenever he so pleased. It probably doesn¡¯t really give them the best impression of me, but whatever, can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡¸Want to get ingredients for Master. For cooking contest.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, gotcha, so that¡¯s why you¡¯re here. What kind of dish is he nning to make? Thepetition¡¯s been pretty fierce every year, so it¡¯s gotta be something really good.¡¹

    ¡¸Curry.¡¹

    ¡¸Curry? Never heard of anything called curry before.¡¹

    ¡¸Master¡¯s own recipe. Here.¡¹

    Fran took a te of curry out from her dimensional storage and ced it atop a table in front of Rengil.

    The captain looked at the dish with a bit of a hesitant gaze. Well, I guess that was fair. It was brown, and didn¡¯t really look all that appetizing if you didn¡¯t know what it was. He probably couldn¡¯t really even guess at how it tasted. But that all soon changed, his eyes opened wide the moment he caught a whiff of the dish¡¯s scent. He seemed toe to the realization that it was voured with all sorts of spices, which further lead him to swallow a gulp of what must¡¯ve been drool.

    ¡¸Alright, down the hatch it goes.¡¹

    The first bite he took was still a rather cautious and careful one, but the dish¡¯s contents almost vanished instantly immediately afterwards he finished it. His spoon continued to move until the te we handed him was wiped clean. Seeing him enjoy its vour like that left me feeling quite content.

    ¡¸It¡¯s delicious, fragrant, and even somethingpletely original. I guarantee you that it¡¯ll definitely fly right off the shelves. That¡¯s one valuable recipe you¡¯ve got right there!¡¹

    Rengil was so excited that he ended up raising his voice in a shout. Sweet, it looks like we¡¯ve even got an experienced merchant¡¯s approval.

    ¡¸Is this what he was nning to sell at his stall?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Something wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Bark?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, the dish itself is really quite delicious, but it might not do all that well at a stall.¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Curry is tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not exactly what I¡¯d call customer essible.¡¹

    Most that¡¯d qualified for the finals in the past had sold skewers or soup, stuff that was rtively easy for customers to grab immediately after making their orders. The goal was to profit, so you had to make sure you sold as much as possible in the given time frame.

    Curry was unlike the examples listed in the sense that it wasn¡¯t something that customers could just pick up and walk away with. We would have to serve each te by cing a bunch of rice on it, pouring curry all over said rice, and then finally handing it over to the customer. To make matters worse, the whole te format made it so that customers couldn¡¯t actually buy our products en masse. At most, the average consumer could hold only a single te in each hand.

    What if we ignored the whole rice thing and made it kind of like curry soup? Hmm¡­ nah, I doubt it¡¯d be able to trump the Dragon Bone Soup.

    Coming to the realisation that we needed a change of ns caused Fran to groan.

    ¡¸Need easy way to sell curry in bulk¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. You can¡¯t rely on taste alone if you want to get through the second round.¡¹

    Okay yeah, this isn¡¯t going to work if we stick to the whole curry with rice idea¡­

    ¡¸Oh! Got good idea. Can just turn inside out.¡¹

    ¡¸Inside out?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Put curry inside rice. Like onigiri.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Onigiri was one of Fran¡¯s favourite dishes. She pretty much loved to eat the rice balls regardless of what they were filled with, so she must¡¯ve figured that it¡¯d work pretty well with curry. Urushi seemed all gung ho about the idea as well; he immediately started to drool at Fran¡¯s mention of thebined dish.

    Curry voured onigiri, is it? I mean, it does sound like a good idea, but the curry would probably eventually start to leak out the bottom of its ricey container, so it wouldn¡¯t really be convenient as far as customers were concerned. I could just pack the rice super tight to prevent any leakage, but that¡¯d probably make it taste a lot worse.

    £¨Can¡¯t fry it like tempura?£©

    ¡ºHmm, curry onigiri tempura?¡»

    You know, that might actually end up working. Its name is totally not something you¡¯d put on any sort of A-list, but the tastes might mesh together pretty decently. That said, I¡¯d a better idea. Fran¡¯s words had reminded me of a dish I¡¯d coincidentally forgotten until just now.

    ¡ºHmm, that¡¯s a pretty good idea.¡»

    £¨Nn? Tempura onigiri?£©

    ¡ºNo, no, not that.¡»

    I knew of a dish that fulfilled all our needs. It was fairly cheap, easy to carry, and it could even be sold in bulk. It was especially delicious fresh out of the oven, but pretty much just as good even after cooling down.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go with curry bread.¡»

    £¨Curry bread!£©

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    Neither Fran nor Urushi had ever had it before, but its name contained the word curry, so both their eyes seemed to light up immediately in response.

    If we went down the curry bread route, we¡¯d be able to mass produce our products ahead of time. We could even make several different kinds, each with its own unique vour.

    Hearing me borate on the idea caused Fran¡¯s eyes to shine with even greater intensity.

    ¡¸Will work. Curry bread.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Curry bread? What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Put curry in dough and fry.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, I see. That sounds like it could work. The dish¡¯s fragrance would help you draw in customers, and they could pretty much order as many as they wanted.¡¹

    ¡¸Can have different vours.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s a pretty strong pro too.¡¹

    Alright! I finally know what to do! Curry bread ahoy!

    That said, our ns were still riddled with problems.

    ¡¸Need flour. Can get from here?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Are you okay with the type normally used for bread?¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºShouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡»

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    Apparently they had a tonne of flour in stock, so we could more or less get as much as we wanted.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll put in an urgent order for the flour so we can get it ready as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    I¡¯m still a bit worried about the rest of our stuff though

    ¡¸Need lots of other ingredients too. Can also get from here?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯ll depend on exactly what it is you¡¯re looking for. I know for a fact that we¡¯ve got some pretty solid stocks on the vegetable side at least.¡¹

    ¡¸Want carrots, potatoes, onions for vegetables. Some apple too.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, we weren¡¯t going to be able to get you any magic vegetables or the like, but that, we can do, especially since all the items you asked for can be stored away from quite some time. Do keep in mind that none of them will be just recently harvested though.¡¹

    Oh well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m actually pretty happy already seeing as how we managed to actually secure ourselves a reliable supplier. That said, the rest of our ingredients would probably need a bit extra oomph to make up for it.

    ¡¸Any magic beast meat in stock?¡¹

    ¡¸We might¡¯ve been able to get you some with a bit more time, but¡­¡¹

    Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t see thating. Not even the butchers could get their hands on any decent quantities of the stuff. Damn it, what now? We finally managed to solidify our concept and all that, but we¡¯recking the most important part we need to actualize it.

    ¡¸Then water?¡¹

    ¡¸Water? What about it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Magic infused water. With effects like healing.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a bit too far of a stretch too. Water¡¯s really tough to transport, so I can¡¯t say we¡¯ve a lot of it in stock.¡¹

    Arggghh, that¡¯s another option crossed right off¡­ Wait, no, we could probably actually just make the water we needed ourselves. I have a whole swamp full of poisoned water sitting around in the dimensional storage. I could probably just use the Potion of Attribute Reversal on it and well, vo, water get.

    In other words, we just need to focus on getting our hands on some high quality meat. Hmmm¡­ Actually, I do have an idea that could potentially solve all our problems. You see, the thing is, we weren¡¯t just everyday run of the mill chefs. We were adventurers. If we couldn¡¯t buy something off the marketce, then we could simply just go get it ourselves. There were still a few days till things got up and running, so we had more than enough time. All we needed was figure out where to find the prey we were after.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about magically infused water then. Would rather move to next topic. Want to know where to find magic beasts.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you nning to go hunting for all the meat you need?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I think I¡¯ve actually got the perfect ce in mind for that.¡¹

    Rengil told us a bit about a haunt to Barbra¡¯s south. Its name was the Cage of Crystal, and its rank was B.

    That was where Barbra got most of its magic beast meat. The haunt was inhabited by a lot of D ranked magic beasts, so it was actually apparently thought of as a pretty dangerous ce. It wasn¡¯t really that far, so the captain figured that we shouldn¡¯t have any issues at all.

    ¡¸I¡¯d warn you to be extra careful, but I feel like you of all people will probably be just fine. You¡¯ve got Urushi with you too, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will be fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure you sell any extra meat to us though, alright?¡¹

    Man, he¡¯s shrewd. That said, we do owe him. He didn¡¯t charge us any fees for the information he gave us, and he¡¯s even offering to pay as opposed as opposed to just asking for free stuff. He¡¯s a pretty good guy, and he really has done us a favour. Yeah, we¡¯re probably going to be seeing each other a lot more going forward.

    And that was that. It was a bitte, so we decided to head back for the time being so we could gather information and make the water we needed and whatnot. Apparently, it¡¯d normally take about two days to reach the haunt on horseback, so it¡¯d probably make for a bit more than just a day trip, even for us. We were going to have to leave pretty early tomorrow morning.

    ¡ºIt¡¯ll probably be a bit tough to pull everything off within the time limit, but I¡¯ll be counting on you guys. Let¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will work hard for curry bread¡¯s sake.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    I swear they¡¯re driven by nothing but apetite¡­ Oh well, whatever. Our next steps were to find out a bit more about the haunt, have dinner, and then think a bit more about exactly what we¡¯re going to do about the whole curry bread situation.

 Chapter 107: The Cage of the Crystal Tree

    <h4>Chapter 107: The Cage of the Crystal Tree</h4>

    The date was March 31st; the Lunar Banquet was less than a day away.

    We left for the haunt at sunrise. Luckily, our journey over its entrance proceeded rather smoothly, we didn¡¯t encounter any sort of trouble during our travels. The city was going to swing into full on festival mode when night hit, so I wanted to finish up all our business and get back as soon as possible. A few basic calctions determined that we should be able to make it back before the festival began, as it only took us three hours to fly on over to the haunt.

    ¡¸Gya gya gya!¡¹

    ¡¸Grooooorororororo!¡¹

    The haunt could only be described as a deep, dark forest, filled with immense, high standing trees. Its interior contained magic beasts of all shapes and sizes. We could feel their presence and hear the noises they made even from the forest¡¯s entrance.

    ¡ºSo this is the so called B ranked haunt, The Cage of the Crystal Tree, huh? ¡»

    ¡¸Can sense many magic beasts.¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, I¡¯m going to go over our ns one more time, just in case. We¡¯re going to try and gun for the center-ish area and hunt for edible magic beasts.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Hunting for meat.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof.¡¹

    Not all magic beasts were entirely edible, even if their bodies were filled to the brim with magical energy. We really didn¡¯t have all that much time on our hands, so it was in our best interest to only go after stuff we could actually use. Luckily, the research we did at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild saved us quite a bit of trouble. There, we learned that most edible magic beasts were found somewhere around the forest¡¯s center area.

    We immediately took the fastest route over. That is, Urushi carried Fran on his back whilst leaping through the air; it was far more efficient to navigate the overly dense woond from above.

    I wanted to try hunting a bit around the entrance as well, but we really didn¡¯t have the time for it, so I reluctantly refrained.

    ¡¸Crystal Tree over there?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Apparently it¡¯s well over three thousand years old.¡»

    The Crystal Tree was one of many magical nts that had the ability to emit a sort of magical energy that drew in all sorts of herbivorous magic beasts. The nt¡¯s potency would scale with its size, and hence, it would draw in more and more powerful magic beasts as it grew. The tree¡¯s leaves were considered by magic beasts to be a sort of delicacy, and thus, they would fight for the right to the territory in its immediate vicinity. It was of such value to them that they¡¯d even protect it from harm.

    The herbivorous magic beasts that took residence around the tree would then function to draw in carnivorous ones. This process would ultimately continue to repeat itself over and over, and thus, all sorts of magic beasts ended up making its surroundings into their habitats. It could be said that this whole haunt was only here because The Crystal Tree had sprouted here, especially seeing as how The Crystal Tree located here was ssified as both the world¡¯s oldest andrgest magic tree.

    Riding on Urushi¡¯s back as he traversed a path atop the sea of trees allowed us to observe The Crystal Tree in all its majesty.

    It really did live up to its reputation. The tree¡¯s height surpassed three hundred meters, and its leaves shone with a brilliance that made them seem as if they really were made out of crystal.

    And so, I burned it in my eyes.

    A sight that would have outright been impossible in the world from which I came.

    Creatures that resembled birds flew around the tree¡¯s branches. They looked but like fledglings inparison to the nt¡¯s grand stature, but in reality, each had a wingspan of at least three meters. I didn¡¯t particrly wish to deal with them, they looked like a huge pain in the ass to fight.

    ¡ºBe careful. We might start running into B leveled threats if we end up getting too close to the tree.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºAnyway, we should be somewhere around the center area now. Let¡¯s find ourselves some magic beasts and descend.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s finally time to go hunting.¡»

    ¡¸Meat time.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Twenty minutes passed.

    ¡ºOryaaaaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸Squeeeeallll!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi. Over there.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    We found a group of five Swamp Pigs and took them down. In short, they could be described as pigs with shells that basically lived in the mud.

    I wasn¡¯t really satisfied. We did actually end up hunting them down and all that, but honestly, it was far less a hit than it was a miss.

    I mean, they were pig-type magic beasts, and they did taste pretty good. In fact, one could say that they really were quite delicious. However, they weren¡¯t good enough. They carried with them an ever so slight stench of mud and filth even when cooked, and as a result, they actually didn¡¯t even taste as good as well fed, brand name, non-magic pork. The only adventurers that really bothered hunting them were newbies in need of some quick cash. That said, they were kind of amazing in their own way if you thought about it. They weren¡¯t well raised, nor selectively bred, yet, they still almost managed to taste as good as genuine branded pork.

    Oh well, I guess we can treat them as insurance just in case we don¡¯t manage to find ourselves anything better.

    ¡ºAlright Urushi, it¡¯ll be up to you to find some more magic beasts.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Go deeper?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that¡¯s not a bad suggestion. Let¡¯s try getting a bit closer to The Crystal Tree. We might not actually be in the center area yet.¡»

    Swamp Pigs were supposed to be from the outermostyer anyways, so yeah.

    An hour passed.

    I could only conclude that hunting for a specific monster was none other than a huge pain in the ass. We¡¯d only just managed to find a single wild boar. We kept running into all sorts of inedible magic beasts instead of actuallying across what we wanted.

    ¡¸This magic beast. What captain was talking about?¡¹

    ¡ºYup. It¡¯s a Golden Boar, and it looks exactly as he described it to be.¡»

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Gullinbursti

    Magic Beast (Magic Boar)

    Lv 22

    HP: 716

    MP: 226

    STR: 309

    VIT: 366

    AGI: 203

    INT: 85

    MGC: 119

    DEX: 81

    Skills

    Intimidate: Lv 4

    me Resistance: Lv 3

    Piercing Tusk Techniques: Lv 3

    Piercing Tusk Arts: Lv 4

    Cold Resistance: Lv 4

    Charge: Lv 6

    Thunder Resistance: Lv 3

    Sensitive Nose

    Enhanced Fur

    Hardened Fur

    Conviction

    Description: A magic beast that resembles a wild boar. Its golden fur is extremely tough and can even has the ability to repel some degree of magic. Its tusks are powerful enough for it to crushrge trees, and it has been observed taking down assants twice its size. It knows not of the concept of retreat, and will continue to rush down its enemies with Charge regardless of the situation. Thus, it is nicknamed the Boar of Insanity. Threat level D. Its magic stone is located within its heart.

    _______________________________________________________________

    I¡¯m pretty happy we finally managed to run into something we could turn into meat. Better yet was the fact that it was ratherrge. Its height was over five meters, and I¡¯d say that its mass was probably at least twice Urushi¡¯s.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re after its meat, so try not to rough it up too much if you can help it.¡»

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, you focus on distracting it and restricting its movements.¡»

    ¡¸Growl growl!¡¹

    It¡¯ll probably end up bleeding a lot if we give it too many injuries, which in turn would lead to a reduction in its vour. Hitting it in the wrong ce will also end up reducing the amount of edible meat we can harvest from it.

    The most ideal situation would be taking it out by destroying its magic stone in one blow.

    That said, I can¡¯t actually use my telekic catapult to get at it. I mean, I could. I would end up being able to take it out with ease, but I¡¯d probably also end up pulverizing a good chunk of what would otherwise be edible flesh.

    ¡¸Oinnnnkkkkk!¡¹

    ¡ºTsk! Dodge it, Fran!¡»

    The golden boar began charging at us as I contemted our strategies.

    It was much faster than I expected.

    I tried slowing it down with Telekinesis, but it was charging with such force that it basically had no effect at all.

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    ¡ºYou alright?¡»

    ¡¸Some. how.¡¹

    Fran managed to avoid a direct hit; the boar had only scraped her. But despite that, she ended up flying a whole ten meters. In other words, the boat was incredibly powerful. A single one of its strikes had managed to destroy several trees, eachrge enough to have been ssified as sacred in Japan.

    Yeah no. We¡¯re going to have to put in a bit more than just a bit of effort.

    Fran immediately used her Sky Jump to leap into the air and whilst brandishing me with a resolute look on her face.

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to use magic and dig up a pitfall. Urushi, try luring the boar over to it. We should be able to get ourselves a good window of a few seconds if it falls inside. Fran, make sure you take advantage of any openings so you can finish it off in one go.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Oiiiiinkkkk!!¡¹

    I did exactly as described and created a bunch ofrge holes in the ground. Urushi also managed to perform pretty well. He stood in front of the boar and taunted it by moving around in an overly provocative manner. That is he shrank and then jumped up and down in order to annoy the boar as much as possible.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    And surely enough, he seeded. The boar was irked by the now tiny wolf¡¯s mannerisms and began charging at it in a straight line as if to crush it.

    The boar¡¯s charge contained all the force of an eighteen wheel truck, and again destroyed every tree that happened to be in its path. This time, however, its ability andck of a will to retreat ended up doing it more harm than good.

    ¡¸Oink?!¡¹

    ¡ºIt fell for it! Fran, you turn!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran leapt through the air as she approached the pitfall the pig had fallen into whilst thrusting me towards its heart. I quickly followed up and thinned my shape in order to amodate her actions.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Squeeeaaaaalllll!¡¹

    Fran suddenly switched over to using a reverse grip and activated Pinpoint Stab, a level eight sword technique. She thrusted me straight through the boar¡¯s spine and pierced its magic stone whilst destroying as little of its flesh as possible, a textbook worthy killing blow.

    I stored the golden boar away for the time being. We wanted to dismantle it immediately, but this wasn¡¯t the ce for that. Disassembling the boar¡¯s body in the middle of a haunt would likely attract more magic beasts. We¡¯ll probably have to just borrow the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s facilitiester.

    Either way, we¡¯d managed to get all the pork substitute we needed. The boar literally had an entire tonne of useable meat on it, so we were well within the safe zone.

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s one down, just a few more to go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We hunted for another two or so hours and found ourselves a pair of cow-like magic beasts and five chicken-like ones. Their species names were Apis and Gullinkambi respectively. The Gullinkambis we happened across were actually guarding a nest, so we managed to pick up eight of their eggs as a bit of an extra bonus. I really had to say, we scored pretty big despite only going out on a rtively short hunt.

    The magic beasts we happened across had actually all been decently strong. I mean, they were weaker than the kind of stuff you¡¯d see in a dungeon, but they popped up way more often. Luckily, we didn¡¯t have to stay overnight as a result of the super high encounter rates, so we quickly began to head back in Barbra¡¯s direction the moment we achieved our objectives.

    That said, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if something was a bit off, it still seemed that the forest itself had been thrown into a state of restlessness. At first, I¡¯d thought that the unnatural sensation stemmed from the fact that I was new to the ce and didn¡¯t know much about it, Urushi and Fran felt the same as well, which was weird. None of us were able to really calm down.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us toe to understand the reason behind the odd sensation we felt.

    A thundering roar suddenly exploded from within the forest and assaulted our eardrums.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºWoah! What¡¯s with this sudden influx of magical energy?¡»

    ¡¸Growl¡­¡¹

    The loud roaring was apanied by an immense wave of magical energy.

    ¡¸Master. Over there.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I see it.¡»

    I noticed a massive bird-like thing flying around The Crystal Tree. It was a bit too far for me to appraise, but I immediately recognized it, partially because of the way it would shoot off waves of light from time to time.

    ¡ºLooks like a Thunderbird and two Storm Eagles.¡»

    Thunderbirds were B level threats, and Storm Eagles D level threats. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had informed us that the former was one of the area¡¯s most dangerous magic beasts, and that we should be cautious of it in any given situation.

    The Thunderbird¡¯s rank was the same as the demon we defeated back when we were still in Alessa, but I honestly couldn¡¯t say for sure if we could actually beat it in a fight. Unlike the demon, it wasn¡¯t being held back in any which way. Moreover, it even had a pair of subordinates with it. We wouldn¡¯t be able to get out unscathed even if we did win.

    That said, the sudden intense magical influx we felt wasn¡¯t something that originated from the Thunderbird.

    ¡¸Person there. About to fight?¡¹

    I could vaguely make out the shape of person floating around the Thunderbird. Said person had so much magical energy that we could feel it from where we were now.

    It didn¡¯t look like he had anypanions; he was fighting alone. I almost wanted to call him out for being reckless, but for some odd reason, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if he¡¯d win. It seemed that he was why we had felt so unsettled; crisis detection and presence detection had been picking up his trail.

    ¡¸Started moving.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The Thunderbird had started to shoot lighting from its beak, but, the person dodged the sky-illuminating electric strikes with ease.

    It seemed that the Thunderbird had only been scoping his abilities out at first, as it immediately charged at him with a motion several times faster than what it¡¯d been disying thus far. It was easy for us to tell what it was doing since we were observing from a rtively safe distance, but the person in battle likely didn¡¯t have nearly as good a grasp on its actions due to the chaotic nature ofbat. That said, the person was still able to dodge every attack aimed at him with ease. What terrifying reflexes.

    The three birds flew back into formation whilst backing off, as if to regroup.

    Only an ever so slight opening had been created by the action, but the person had managed to take advantage of it regardless. And thus, he began to counterattack.

    And through said counter, he ended the battle in a single blow.

    ¡¸Swords. Lots.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ is that magic? No, it looks more like a skill¡­¡»

    An incredible number of swords instantly appeared around the person as he raised an arm. I couldn¡¯t tell if he summoned them or created them. He might¡¯ve done something else altogether. Either way, I had no idea what he did. What I did know, however, was that every single one of the swords he summoned was at least as powerful as the average magic sword. Every single one was brimming with mana.

    Every single one of his des immediately elerated towards the birds at high speed. They didn¡¯t move nearly as quickly as I did with my telekic catapult, but they more than made up for it with numbers; there were about a hundred in total. Seeing him in action reminded me of a certain gold-covered Heroic Spirit and the gate that lead to his treasury.

    The magic beasts were overwhelmed; they were trapped by a cage of sword and assaulted by a bombardment of des until they plummeted from the sky.

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but I¡¯d prefer not to get involved with him if possible.¡»

    We didn¡¯t really know anything of the person¡¯s nature. There was always the chance thating into contact with him would to trouble and nothing else.

    The person in question was currently making their way over to the magic beasts that they defeated. It was a pretty good time to leave, so we once again began heading back in Barbra¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 108: Evil Kobold

    <h4>Chapter 108: Evil Kobold</h4>

    ¡¸Master, over there. Lots of people.¡¹

    ¡ºIt looks like they¡¯re heading towards Barbra.¡»

    ¡¸But¡­ Bit off somehow.¡¹

    We spotted a few carriages along the road on our way back to the city.

    That in itself was totally normal. Today was the day of the Lunar Banquet, and we were only about an hour away from the city. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised in any which way if the carriages contained vigers looking to have a good time in town.

    We were still pretty far away from the aforementioned carriages, so we couldn¡¯t actually see it in all that much detail. We could, however, still tell that something didn¡¯t seem quite right. I could¡¯ve sworn that I heard a scream or two.

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ I think they might be getting attacked by magic beasts.¡»

    Drawing a bit closer led me to realize that my prior guess had hit the mark spot on. The carriages were being chased and attacked by kobolds.

    ¡ºUrushi, fly over there as quickly as you can!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Dashing through the air allowed us to get a much better view of what was going on. That is, four adventurers were currently fighting off the kobold onught with all they had.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t give up Dregg!¡¹

    ¡¸Keep it up! The vigers will be screwed if we mess up here!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let these damn things past even if it costs us our lives!¡¹

    ¡¸I know! I know already! There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯ll let em pass me till the carriage is far away enough!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the way!¡¹

    The adventurers had leapt off the carriages in order to better stall their assants by facing them head on. All four of them were clearly risking their lives in hopes of letting the five carriages they apanied escape. None of the four seemed like they intended to back off or run away despite the fact that a few of them had already suffered several heavy injuries.

    Damn, they be manly as hell.

    ¡¸Will help.¡¹

    ¡ºGo ahead. The enemy¡¯s leader should be¡­ that one over there.¡»

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Evil Kobold

    Demonic Beast (Evil Being)

    Lv 20

    HP: 139

    MP: 72

    STR: 66

    VIT: 71

    AGI: 78

    INT: 28

    MGC: 41

    DEX: 54

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 4

    Commander: Lv 3

    w Techniques: Lv 3

    w Arts: Lv 3

    Leap: Lv 4

    Vigour Maniption

    Innate Skills

    Art of Evil: Lv 3

    Titles

    Bound to the Evil God

    Description: No known description.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Its title and innate skill were both a bit weird, as they seemed to point to the fact that the kobold was one of the Evil God¡¯s subordinates. Rather, that should¡¯ve been a given seeing as how the kobold is ssified as an evil being.

    Was there supposed to be anything special about him though? Did he have those skills and titles because he had more of the Evil God¡¯s divine protection than the average member of his species? I mean, rtively speaking, his stats were pretty high. He was quite a bit stronger than the Goblin King I defeated in the past.

    Would I end up getting that Art of Evil skill if i I absorbed the kobold¡¯s magic stone, and would absorbing it automatically bind me me to one of the Evil God in some way? Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not so sure trying it is what I¡¯d call a good idea¡­

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try to avoid having me absorb the boss kobold¡¯s magic stone. Apparently it¡¯s bound to the Evil God, so I don¡¯t think taking its abilities is that great an idea.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, we¡¯ll be leaving any leftover weaklings to you.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Fran leapt off Urushi¡¯s back and used the force of her fall to split one of the kobolds in half. The kobolds were frozen in shock, but Fran didn¡¯t care. She began mowing weakling after weakling down with ease without so much as giving them a chance to recover from the impact of her sudden descent. Urushi did the same and proceeded to tear through enemy lines.

    The pair¡¯s advent hadn¡¯t just left the kobolds speechless. It¡¯d done the same to the adventurers and caused them to freeze in ce.

    It went without saying that the kobolds posed us no threat, but Fran refused to show them any mercy regardless. She unhesitantly chose to cast Inferno Burst, the most powerful spell in our arsenal.

    ¡¸Roooahhhrghh!¡¹

    I was on guard because I was worried about the effects of the Evil God¡¯s divine protection, but it turned out that my anxiety had been misced. In the end, the Evil Kobold was still just a kobold; Inferno Burst had roasted it and turned into nothing but a smoldering carcass in a matter of moments. We did manage to get ahold of its magic stone, but again, I didn¡¯t feel like absorbing it, so I just chucked in storage instead.

    The remaining kobolds immediately scattered upon losing theirmander. The species as a whole was innately rather timid, but it seemed that having a strong leader had led them to act in a bit more of an ambitious manner. Losing said leader caused them to immediately regain their usual cowardice and flee. Oh well, whatever. They were weak and all, but honestly, chasing them down and killing them was a tedious waste of time, so we refrained.

    All four adventurers had remained frozen for the entirety of the battle¡¯s two minute duration. It seemed as if they had yet to finish processing the events that had just transpired. They were unable to immediately grasp that a child and wolf had descended from the sky, beat the enemies that they¡¯d been struggling with, and even sent them running with their tails between their legs.

    ¡¸Area Heal¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t until after Fran started treated their wounds that they finally managed to provide some sort of response.

    ¡¸Wa, wahh?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re being healed?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks, you really saved us there.¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell just happened?¡¹

    Apparently the four of them were all members of a party by the name of Cedrus¡¯ Winds. Their moniker originated from the fact that their base of operations was located in Cedrus Vige, a small, nearby settlement.

    They told this whole long ass emotional tale about how hard they worked and the extent to which they endeavored in order to be true adventurers before finally settling down in Cedrus. Honestly though, I wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit interested, so the whole thing went in one ear and out the other.

    What I did get from their story was that they were so thankful to the vigers that they were willing to risk their lives to protect them regardless of what kind injuries they suffered in the process. I didn¡¯t care for their shbacks at all, but I honestly appreciated their actions for how manly they were.

    All four of the adventurers took turns thanking Fran and shaking her hand. They offered to give her every singlest one of the kobold¡¯s corpses despite the fact kobolds would¡¯ve been worth quite a bit to them given their rank. I had to say, they were pretty good people even if it looked kind of weird for them to surround Fran while thanking her profusely the way they did. I mean, free stuff was free stuff, and I liked free stuff, but we ultimately ended up refusing their offer in the interest of time. We didn¡¯t really need kobolds for anything, and they weren¡¯t worth much to us, so yeah.

    The five carriages that¡¯d escaped a bit earlier quickly returned after noticing that kobolds had scattered. The vigers stepped out from within and all bowed their heads in turn to offer their thanks to the four adventurers that¡¯d almost died saving them. The two groups really did seem to have a pretty good rtionship with one another.

    We asked the vige chief a few quick things, and verified our expectations. We¡¯d been right, they vigers within the carriages were currently on their way over to Barbra so that they could join in on the Lunar Banquet¡¯s festivities.

    ¡¸It¡¯s pretty rare for Kobolds to be out here. The road is well travelled, so they normally stay far away, but most people have holed themselves in the city today because of the banquet.¡¹

    Anyone and everyone¡¯s more or less taken today off because of the Lunar Banquet. The city was having trouble getting its usual patrols done; theck of guards had left them understaffed.

    We decided to give them a hand and stick with them until they reached the city. It was only an hour away, and I¡¯d probably feel a bit guilty and overly conscious of my decisions if they ended up gettingpletely wiped out after we went through the trouble of helping them out once already.

    The carriages only actually had six seats, so having two extra bodies made things a bit tight, especially with Urushi taking up the entire back seat. The vigers didn¡¯t seem to mind at all though, given that they¡¯d already seen Fran¡¯s might. Besides, most of the people on the carriage we were in were children, so it wasn¡¯t as bad as it otherwise could¡¯ve been.

    One of the vigers, a womante in her prime, handed Fran a few dried potatoes.

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸I like the way you eat! Here, try this too.¡¹

    ¡¸Om nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸What a cute face you¡¯re making. Give this one a taste as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Om nom¡¹

    ¡¸You look so adorable! You¡¯re just like a squirrel! Here, have another.¡¹

    ¡¸Nom om nom.¡¹

    The olderdies we were sitting with praised Fran in a bit of a shrill voice as they watched her stuff her cheeks.

    Yup, they¡¯ve got good eyes. Fran¡¯s super cute.

    Riding Urushi would¡¯ve made this whole trip a mere ten or so minutes, but Fran looked like she was enjoying herself. That,bined with the fact that they ended up telling us about all sorts of interesting, festival-rted stuff, made riding the carriage well worth it.

    The vigers were nning on staying in Barbra for a total of three days. Apparently, heading towards the city around this time of year was fairlymon practice for anyone that lived in a vige in Barbra¡¯s immediate vicinity.

    One of the main reasons that they had such a practice was because they wished to sample the cooking contest¡¯s products. Unfortunately, they as vigers weren¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call rich. They didn¡¯t have much money or time, so they could only afford to visit a maximum of four different stalls.

    Apparently, traders and messengers had already informed all of the thirty or so viges nearby of the first round¡¯s results despite the fact they¡¯d only just been announced yesterday. The vigers themselves had also already figured out which of the four they wished to visit; they¡¯d sorted it all out ahead time in the interest of efficiency. The swiftness and excitement contained within their actions really served to testify the event¡¯s grand scale.

    ¡¸It seems that Dordoros,st year¡¯s winner, isn¡¯t going to be participating this time around.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s because he got hired by the Kingdom of Nond. He¡¯s now working as their royal chef.¡¹

    ¡¸Either way, we¡¯re definitely going to go to The Dragon¡¯s Table. They managed to win secondst year, so they¡¯ve gotta be good.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but don¡¯t be forgetting about Jeff¡¯s Meaty Steakhouse.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re obviously going to The Seafood Skewery too. You can¡¯t get stuff like that back in the vige no matter where you look.¡¹

    ¡¸And of course, it goes without saying that we¡¯ll be visiting Barbra¡¯s Orphange too, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Barbra¡¯s Orphanage?¡¹

    Fran raised a question in response to the final item they listed. It didn¡¯t really seem to make sense or fit in with the rest.

    ¡¸Yup. The orphanage¡¯s chef, Io, is really well known around here. They don¡¯t really use any fancy ingredients, but their dishes are still really delicious. They tend to leave you feeling really rxed.¡¹

    ¡¸We want to show the orphanage that we¡¯re supporting their actions, so we visit their stall every year.¡¹

    ¡¸You really have to hand it to the chef. I don¡¯t quite know how they manage to make their dishes taste so good!¡¹

    ¡¸Right? I think the orphanage managed toe in fourthst year too.¡¹

    And so they went on and on and on.

    I was pretty content with learning about the contest¡¯s more famous participants, but, I couldn¡¯t help but feel vexed that they¡¯d already decided where they were going ahead of time. They weren¡¯t the only ones either, apparently their mentality was pretty normal. In other words, neers to thepetition like us were at a pretty big disadvantage.

    That said, it wasn¡¯t like we were really in that bad of a spot. Curry bread was an amazing product. It could be stored for a couple days on end without any issues, and it didn¡¯t even need to be reheated seeing as how it was still good even when cold. We should be able to appeal to people looking for a snack or two between meals.

    ¡¸Also participating in contest.¡¹

    ¡¸You are? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master entered. Helping out.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you working at that ce called ¡°The ck Tail?¡± I think I remember the chef¡¯s name being Master¡­¡¹

    The ck Tail was the name I randomly came up with on the spot when they gave us our registration forms. It seemed to fit, as it reflected a property shared by both Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸Yup.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice. What kind of stuff are you guys selling?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry bread.¡¹

    ¡¸Never heard of it.¡¹

    ¡¸Master¡¯s own recipe. Really tasty, even when cold. Lots of spices. Ten Golde each. Can be carried around easily. Good for snacks.¡¹

    The olderdies hopped right on Fran¡¯s advertisements and immediately took her words to heart.

    ¡¸Can theyst a few days without going bad?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup. Works well for gifts.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh great! That means we¡¯d able to buy a bunch and take them back for everyone in the vige.¡¹

    ¡¸That sounds like a great idea. We¡¯ll make sure we stop by your stall too then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will wee with open arms.¡¹

    Yay for more customers!

 Chapter 109: Dismantling

    <h4>Chapter 109: Dismantling</h4>

    We immediately headed over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild after finally getting back to town.

    The monsters we hunted had more than enough meat on them, but we still needed to process it before we could actually put it to use. To that end, we borrowed the guild¡¯s dismantling room.

    It was muchrger than the one they had in Alessa. It had enough room for us to dismantle everything we had on hand and then some.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s start with the Gullinbursti.¡»

    I grabbed the golden boar and pulled it out of storage. We put it away the moment it away the moment it died, so its corpse had been preserved in as fresh a state as possible. In fact, it hadn¡¯t even actually finished bleeding out. Magic beast blood was pretty useful when it came to stuff like medicine and food, so we decided to put all the boar¡¯s blood back into storage as we butchered it.

    ¡¸Nn. Tusks very thick.¡¹

    ¡ºIts fur looks like it¡¯d fetch a pretty penny too.¡»

    We only really wanted the beast¡¯s meat, but that didn¡¯t mean we¡¯d just throw rest away. Its body parts seemed quite valuable.

    After finishing up with the boar, we moved onto the Apises and Gullinkambis in turn. All in all, we managed to get a total of about a tonne of ¡°pork,¡± a tonne of ¡°beef,¡± and three hundred kilograms of ¡°chicken.¡± That said, we couldn¡¯t actually use it all. Meat was meat, but some of the animals¡¯ body parts were morepatible with curry than others.

    Hmm¡­ I guess I¡¯ll use the ¡°pork¡± for mild, the ¡°beef¡± for medium and the ¡°chicken¡± for hot.

    And so, we headed back over to the Luciel Conglomerate after finishing up with all our dismantling. We might¡¯ve actually ended up missing the cooking guild¡¯s deadline if we didn¡¯t buy all our ingredients and get all our documentation done immediately.

    ¡ºWe should try checking with the conglomerate to see if they know where we can get ourselves some a room to cook in or something after we pick up all our stuff.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºOh yeah, did you want to go check out the orphanage? It¡¯s on the way.¡»

    ¡¸Orphanage? Can¡¯t eat there.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, yeah, but there¡¯s more to it than just that.¡»

    Apparently, most stalls wouldn¡¯t move all that far from their base of operations. For example, The Dragon¡¯s Table stall would sit right in front of the store, and the orphanage¡¯s stall would sit right in front of the orphanage. It was pretty easy to resupply given their immediate proximity to their associates, moreover, they could make use of their brands in order to attract arger crowd of customers. I figured that we might as well find out where the orphanage¡¯s stall would be given that it was en route anyways.

    So with that in mind, we ended up paying the orphanage a quick visit, just to give it a look, but we were greeted by a bit of an unusual scenario.

    ¡¸Kyaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Waahhh! Wahhhhh!!¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, who¡¯s fault wazzat? Whoever it was, get yer ass over here right now!¡¹

    A bunch ofmotion wasing from within the orphanage¡¯s gates. That is, we were greeted by the sounds of children crying and screaming, and the angry-sounding voice of an ill-mannered man.

 Chapter 110: The Shadows of Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 110: The Shadows of Conspiracy</h4>

    ¡¸Hey! Ya recognize this?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the stupid god damned recipe you gave me!¡¹

    We¡¯d approached the orphanage in order to scout out one of ourpetitors, but we were immediately greeted by a series of furious shouts upon arrival.

    The yells that came from within were excessively loud. We could easily hear them from outside the stone wall that enclosed the building. Our curiosity got the better of us, and we peeped in from the entrance so we could figure out exactly what was going on.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not about to let you get away with sayn that you ain¡¯t got no recollection of this god damn recipe.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I get it. I do remember, it¡¯s the recipe you forced me to give you. You said you¡¯d leave us alone if I handed it over.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you foocken retarded? I told you to hand over the soup recipe you use for the godd*mn contest every godd*mn year.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I did already.¡¹

    It looked like the orphanage was being harassed by a typical, a loan shark-esque grunt. They mentioned a recipe a few times, so it seemed like they were talking about something rted to the contest.

    The grunt that¡¯d been shouting at the top of his lungs looked like like your usual everyday hoodlum.

    A single woman stood between him and children, as if protecting thetter. She looked middle aged, and was wearing a robe over her overly thin figure.

    ¡¸Did ya think you could get by just handing me off this iplete piece of sheet? There aint even any precise amounts, all you got is foocken guesswork written down here.¡¹

    ¡¸But that¡¯s just how I normally prepare it¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Shut the hell up. You and I both know that there ain¡¯t no way in hell you can get past the prelims like that. This sheet basically just says that you throw a bunch of random cheap ass vegetables into a stupid foocking pot. The foock you think you¡¯re trying to fool, b*tch?¡¹

    ¡¸That really is how I prepare it! I don¡¯t normally use any sort of measuring device at all. I just approximate!¡¹

    It looked like the the piece of paper the hoodlum was waving around contained the recipe for the orphanage¡¯s signature soup. I¡¯m pretty sure he used some sort of underhanded method to get his hands on it, but either way, he wasining that itckedpleteness. And honestly, he technically was right. The recipe really didn¡¯t have much written on it.

    However, the woman wasn¡¯t lying. She¡¯d been telling him the truth from the very start.

    She simply never figured out exactly how much of each ingredient she used, but she managed to get fourth ce overallst year in spite of that. I had to say that the sense of dissonance going on there really got me curious, and so, I appraised her, only to find that she, Io, was just about as amazing as one could possibly get as far as cooking went. She had cooking level nine, a skill that enhanced her sense of taste, and most importantly, divine protection from the God of Cuisine. In other words, she had been chosen by none other than the God that governed the realm of food himself.

    To her, the act of approximating was probably akin to other people meticulously calcting exactly what was needed at any given point in time, except that it was done on the fly. In other words, she probably just went with her gut feeling while asionally sampling her dish from time to time. Through the aforementioned method, she¡¯d extract from her ingredients the best possible taste she could, regardless of their quality. It was a brilliant concept, but not one that the hoodlum before us coulde to understand.

    ¡¸I told you to cut the sheet already!¡¹

    Annnnd yup. Figured as much.

    £¨Master. Going to help.£©

    ¡ºDon¡¯t hit him too hard, alright?¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    Fran used magic to silence the area, leapt over the fence, and snuck behind the hoodlum without alerting him.

    ¡¸Listen here, bit-charhgh!¡¹

    She drilled her foot into the back of his head and caused his eyes to roll backwards. The hoodlum had been instantly deprived of his consciousness.

    Wait, didn¡¯t she say that she knew she was supposed like, not be too violent? I swear I told her that and that she agreed. I swear¡­

    ¡ºHey um, Fran? Whatever happened to not hitting him too hard?¡»

    £¨Nn? Didn¡¯t kill. Didn¡¯t cut either.£©

    Er, I guess it¡¯d be better for me to define ¡°too hard¡± next time. Oh well, whatever. What¡¯s done is done.

    ¡¸I-I-I¡¯m not sure as to who you are, but thank you very much for your assistance!¡¹

    Io thanked us repeatedly before finally calming down, at which point in time we asked her exactly what had happened.

    ¡¸We¡¯re not really all that sure either¡­¡¹

    Io seemed to not understand much about the precise events that transpired, but, she still tried her best to tell us everything she did know. Fortunately, her words were enough to give a rough idea as to the general circumstances.

    It all started a few years ago. Barbra¡¯s lord had suddenly stopped funding the orphanage for reasons unknown, and since then, they¡¯d been suffering financially due to theirck of sustainable ie. They were in such dire straits that they found it difficult to even scrape up enough money to allow the children to eat everyday.

    They requested the lord to change his mind time and time again, but, he never once agreed to reinstate their funding. The orphanage waster approached by a merchant apparently introduced by said lord. He¡¯d been willing to lend them money at a low interest rate, but that didn¡¯t end up working out either.

    ¡¸The merchant refused to budge on the repayment date, and said that it was set in stone, but it was way too unrealistic. There was no way we could possibly make three hundred thousand Golde in just half a year¡­ We wanted to ask him to extend deadline, but we were never able to find his whereabouts.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Unable to find whereabouts?¡¹

    ¡¸The director did his very best to try and locate the merchant, but we never were able to figure out where he went. It turned out that he wasn¡¯t actually registered with Barbra¡¯s Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡¹

    Okay yeah, if that isn¡¯t suspicious, then I don¡¯t know what is. In fact, it was pretty obvious that they were just being used and exploited from the very start. I mean, they were offered a decently sized loan with low interest rate loan right when they needed it. Moreover, they were asked to repay it within an impossibly quick time frame. The merchant had obviously wanted something other than money, and they probably would¡¯ve ended up saying that they didn¡¯t get the money even if they had been paid.

    Honestly, it was a pretty cliche situation. The only difference was that they were demanding the soup¡¯s recipe as opposed to more normal things like the orphanage¡¯snd or children.

    ¡¸That hoodlum. Merchant¡¯s underling?¡¹

    ¡¸I think so. He told us to hand him the recipe instead of paying them back in half a year.¡¹

    Okay, yeah, looks like this probably does have something to do with the whole cooking contest. But wouldn¡¯t setting this whole thing up need a lot of prep work? They basically just threw down three hundred thousand Golde for no reason too. Though, I guess most chefs wouldn¡¯t find three hundred thousand to be all that much considering that they were probably investing more than just that into this whole contest thing.

    I mean, fine, that can be justified, but why only the recipe? Couldn¡¯t they have just forced the orphanage not to participate instead?

    Yeahhhh, I don¡¯t get it. I kind of want to interrogate the hoodlum we have over here, but, that probably wasn¡¯t exactly the best idea. Using violence would ultimately end up bringing trouble to the orphanage as well, sooooo yeah, let¡¯s not.

    Doing it after dragging him elsewhere wouldn¡¯t work either. I¡¯d really like to avoid getting targeted by some sort of weird underground organisation.

    £¨Master. What to do with hoodlum?£©

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ Well, we can¡¯t really just ditch and not say anything, so let¡¯s mess with his head a bit, I guess.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    The fact that he didn¡¯t see Fran sneak up on him gave us more than just a few options. We had everything we needed to deal with this situation however we pleased.

    ¡ºAlright, make sure you stick to the n.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Woke up?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Passed out while conversing.¡¹

    ¡¸I did?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Adventurer. Happened to be passing by, witnessed your copse. Used recovery magic to help.¡¹

    The n we had ended up going with was pretending that we had nothing to do with the man copsing at all. In fact, we wanted him to feel as if we¡¯d lent him a hand.

    ¡¸Sorry, seems like I caused you a bitta trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Suddenly copsing. Sign of serious illness. If copsing while talking, might bete stages.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? You serious?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Need to leave now. Might be better to get some rest.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡¹

    ¡¸Good idea.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, you sheets! I¡¯mma be leaving for now, but don¡¯t think I won¡¯t be back! You owe me a recipe goddamit!¡¹

    I managed to project the effects of the Principle of Falsehood onto Fran¡¯s words because she had me equipped. Honestly, I was quite surprised that it actually worked.

    Fran was really bad at acting, but the skill¡¯s effects,bined with the fact that he was still groggy, made it so he ended up believing her wholeheartedly. He gave the orphanage onest angry shout before finally turning around and limping his way out the entrance.

    ¡ºUrushi, follow him.¡»

    £¨Growl.£©

    At the very least, having Urushi follow the man around would allow him to memorize his scent. If we were lucky, he¡¯d be able to figure who the man¡¯spanions were, and if we were really lucky, we might even be able to figure out the so called mysterious loan shark¡¯s identity. In any case, it was still win-win situation, as knowing the man¡¯s scent would allow us to track his actions and prevent him from pulling a fast one during the contest itself.

    ***

    Five or so minutes passed.

    ¡¸Thank you so much for everything you¡¯ve done for us. Are you sure you don¡¯t want anything else?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran was currently inside the orphanage. Io had asked her whether or not she wanted anything in return for helping them out, and so, the adventurer had asked to try some of the orphanage¡¯s ever so famous soup, to which the caretaker responded with an okay.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    The person in question herself didn¡¯t think that the soup really sufficed as thanks, as it was basically only made with the cheapest of vegetables. But in spite of that fact, it was delicious, so delicious that it¡¯d even caused Fran¡¯s expression to change.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    I asked Fran the question despite already knowing the answer she¡¯d give. Her face was twisted in what could only be described as frustration.

    £¨Yummy.£©

    ¡ºBetter than the soup I make?¡»

    £¨Nn¡­ Soup stock extracted perfectly. Tastes miralculous.£©

    I had to agree that the soup¡¯s taste seemed to have been the work of some sort of miracle. It wasn¡¯t like any of the stuff we saw at the other restaurants. Its wasprised of cheap vegetables, well water, and salt. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. I had Fran double check by asking her, and it turned out that she really hadn¡¯t even used any pepper. Yet, it still tasted even better than the stuff I made. Like, holy crap. It was just that amazing. She was probably honestly Barbra¡¯s most talented chef.

    ¡¸Entering King of Cooking?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the n.¡¹

    ¡¸Going to use this soup?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I am. Barbra¡¯s people are really nice. They know about how much trouble we¡¯re having with our finances, so they¡¯re even willing to pay as much as 10 Golde for just a single bowl. I¡¯m really grateful for their actions, the earnings we make from the contest have been helping us by. We probably wouldn¡¯t havested as long as we did without everyone¡¯s generosity¡­¡¹

    She didn¡¯t have much self confidence and seemed to believe that people only bought her soup as a form of donation. Well, I mean, I can¡¯t say that sympathy didn¡¯t y a part in the soup¡¯s sales figures, but honestly, the soup would¡¯ve sold well even without it. I mean, just look at how Fran reacted. It was so good that it¡¯d caused her emotions to well up in frustration.

    Her price point was the same as ours, but each bowl would earn her much more profit than each serving of curry bread would for us given the discrepancy in the cost of our ingredients. She¡¯s going to be making something far outside the realm of just one gold per sale. Her fourth ce spot was rightfully deserved.

    A thin, freckled girl approached us as Fran finished her soup. She presented to her a small te with a single cookie lying on top of it.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s supposed to be my snack, but I¡¯m giving it to you because you helped Ms. Io. Thank you, onee-chan.¡¹

    She pushed the cookie towards Fran whilst smiling shyly. She probably really wanted it for herself, but she was willing to give it up regardless.

    What a good girl she is! I mean, she can¡¯t hold a candle to Fran, but she¡¯s still a really good girl!

    Fran split the cookie with the girl and ate it while giving her head a gentle rub. Fran was always used to being treated as a child, so she seemed really happy that someone had looking up to her as something along the lines of an elder sister.

    Alright, you know what? I¡¯vee to a conclusion. Barbra¡¯s lord is a piece of sheet. He ended abandoning some city¡¯s most adorable children. How dare he discontinue his funding!

    ¡ºI think it¡¯s time for us to get in touch with her.¡»

    £¨Nn. Agreed.£©

    The guild has the ability to quickly send messages to other branches, meaning we should be able to get in touch with the Alessa branch fairly easily.

    ¡¸Won¡¯t stay silent. Amanda, that type of person.¡¹

    ¡ºYup, let¡¯s do what we can for them.¡»

    And so, we left the orphanage, but not before leaving with them some of the stuff we bought back in Alessa and Dharz. We gave them grains, potatoes, dried meat, and dried fish, stuff meant tost a while even if you just kept it on the shelf. The quantity we had on hand was rather limited, but hopefully, it was at least enough to brighten their days and let them eat healthier, more delicious meals.

 Chapter 111: Preparing Things in Advance

    <h4>Chapter 111: Preparing Things in Advance</h4>

    The first thing we did after leaving the orphanage was to head over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild so we could ask them to assist us in sending the Alessa branch a message.

    I¡¯d assumed that allmunication was done through the use of some sort of magic item, so I waspletely blindsided by the fact that they were using carrier pigeons. Well, not exactly carrier pigeons, but something along those lines. To be precise, the messages were being carried by hawk-like magic beasts.

    The carrier hawks¡¯ were a species of magic beast called Wind Eagles. They specialized in high speed flight, and as a result, were ranked as E level threats. In fact, they were so quick that the one we¡¯d just sent over to Alessa was due to reach its destination within the day.

    The hawks were really convenient given the fact that they could coverrge amounts of ground in very little time, but the guild didn¡¯t actually have all that many on hand. Even the Barbra branch only had two in total. As one could presume from that fact alone, they were not only expensive to use, but also fairly busy. I guess you could say that we were pretty lucky that our message was actually sent off immediately.

    And by the way, expensive meant expensive. Sending just that one letter cost us an entire ten thousand Golde. Ten thousand! I¡¯d almost felt like just taking our money and t out donating it to the orphanage instead, but I ended up sending the letter anyways, as I rationalized that it would still probably end up be the better investment in the long run.

    Now, with that said, Fran and I were both fully aware that Amanda wasn¡¯t actually allowed to leave Alessa, but that didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t be able to help us. It might be possible for her to pull a few strings in order to get Barbra¡¯s lord to start giving the orphanage money again. Likewise, we might also be able to make use her name in order to discourage those that looked at the orphanage with their eyes filled with malicious intent.

    Naturally, the letter contained more than just our request for assistance. We first wrote a bit about ourselves and our most recent experiences and aplishments before moving to exining the orphanage¡¯s less than satisfactory circumstances. The reason we saved the orphanage stuff forst was so we could purposefully finished the letter off by saying, ¡°There are many children in need that would greatly benefit from your help. Could you please lend them a hand?¡± It had much more impact that way. I was aware that we were kind of just pushing the whole thing onto her, but we didn¡¯t hesitate in seeking her help. We figured that Amanda would have more than enough influence and ability to actually get something done. This was more than just our problem, so I felt it necessary to make use of every resource we possibly could.

    ¡¸Woof woof.¡¹

    ¡ºWee back, Urushi.¡»

    Urushi came back from his hoodlum-filled adventure right as we finished up all our guild-rted business.

    I kind of wanted to head over to the Luciel Conglomerate immediately, but I was more interested in the result of Urushi¡¯s investigations, so we first decided to follow him back to the ce from which he just returned despite it being in the conglomerate¡¯s opposite direction.

    ¡ºSo he went in here?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi had guided us over to the town¡¯s residential area, where we found ourselves standing before a massive mansion with a five meter tall fence lining its property. It size was indicative of the fact that it probably belonged to some sort of noble.

    I¡¯d really wished that it had something as convenient as a namete, but reality was pretty much never that convenient.

    What we needed was information. We couldn¡¯t make any sort of decision ore to any sort of conclusion without it, so we decided to ask around and gather as much of it as we could.

    Fran¡¯s still a kid, so luckily, her posing a few questions wouldn¡¯t really lead to her being suspected of anything malicious. All she needed to do to get people to divulge the information she wanted was to put on a bit of an act. It was a shame that Urushi couldn¡¯t get any smaller, else we could probably use him to y the good old puppy card as well.

    Whenever we came across a man, we¡¯d have Fran give her head a bit of a tilt whilst gazing up into his eyes. Seeing her act like that pretty much caused every man we came across to immediately be as obedient as could be.

    ¡¸Hey, mister?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes? Did you need something?¡¹

    Most of them reacted as if they were charmed. It seemed like having Fran interact with them in the manner she had had caused them to awaken to a new sort of interest. Whoops, my bad. That uh, wasn¡¯t intentional. Hahaha¡­

    Women were approached in a much more natural fashion. They seemed to act much more amicably when Fran retained her usual, expressionless face.

    ¡¸Excuse me, ma¡¯am.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes?¡¹

    ¡¸That mansion. Looks really big. Owned by nobles?¡¹

    ¡¸Now that you mention it, I think it might be biggest one in this neighborhood, so maybe.¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like owner has bad taste. Poorly decorated.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha, you¡¯re right about that one. No one knows exactly who owns it though.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, this is just a rumor, but, apparently it¡¯s currently being upied by some shady folk. They say that you only ever see people going in and out of the building in the middle of the night.¡¹

    ¡¸Illegal, underground organisation?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s what I thought too, but I hear that some of the carriages that visit the building on a regr basis are said to have the city¡¯s lord¡¯s crest on them.¡¹

    ¡¸Lord involved with underground?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know about that. The lord isn¡¯t the only one that has ess to carriages with his crest on it.¡¹

    Most of the conversations we had were more or less along that same vein. In the end, we never were able to figure out exactly who the mansion belonged to. All we got were more rumours about how the ce was being used by ¡°bad people.¡± Moreover, everyone we conversed with would always lower their voices and check their surroundings before telling us anything about the aforementioned rumours.

    ¡ºHey Urushi, were there a lot of people inside?¡»

    £¨Woof. Bark bark.£©

    Urushi replied with several dog noises in order to answer my question affirmatively.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ then breaking in probably isn¡¯t that great an idea.¡»

    I mean, they were suspicious and all, but we didn¡¯t actually have any evidence of their guilt.

    Oh well, whatever. We figured out where their base was. That alone more than sufficed for the time being.

    ¡ºDid you memorize their scents?¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    We don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll actually try to interfere with our business at all, but it was much better to be safe than sorry.

    Alright, next up, the Luciel Conglomerate! They even might have a bit of info on this ce as well, who knows?

    And so, time passed; an hour flew by as we went about our business.

    ¡¸Alright! I think that should be all of it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t sweat it, the pleasure was mine. Make sure you knock the contest¡¯s other participants out of the water.¡¹

    The oil, vegetables, and flour that we ordered from the conglomerate were already all prepped for us, so we went ahead and picked them up. I was honestly quite surprised by how quickly they managed to get everything ready, I guess their size and reputation really weren¡¯t just for show. Rengil had actually gone out of his way to get us a carriage and some professional help for the sake of transporting all the goods we bought, so he was leftpletely stupefied by the fact that we managed to casually just store it all away within another dimension. I felt kind of guilty for putting his effort to waste, but well, we didn¡¯t really need what we didn¡¯t need. That¡¯s kind of just how things were.

    He was really impressed by the amount of storage space we had. In fact, he¡¯d even gone as far as to ask us whether or not we would be willing to work in transport going forward. Users of space/time magic would often haverge item boxes, and the size of their dimensional pockets would scale with their degree of skill, but most weren¡¯t even able toe anywhere close to reproducing anything as spacious as what we had. Space/time magicians were already rare enough as is, so what we had was something along the lines of a one in a million enigma. It made sense though, we weren¡¯t just using space/time magic, we also had a separate dimensional storage skill. It would¡¯ve been weird for us not stand out. Apparently, most merchants would be willing to pay out the ass for that much storage space.

    Our purchases weren¡¯t limited to just edibles. We¡¯d also ordered from the conglomerate a bunch of paper bags so that we could make things easier on our customers. Much to my surprise, Barbra had ess to such a vast supply of paper that even themon folk were seen using it on a regr basis. Apparently, paper products were, in general, split into two categorizations. Regr paper was pretty much used by just about everybody, whereas parchment was only used for tasks involving magic.

    Either way, the paper bags we got from the conglomerate were identical to the ones I was used to seeing back in Japan, just¡­ not as high quality. They were in, brown, made of cheap material, and came in two sizes. The smaller size fit up to two servings of curry bread, and therger size six. Each bag also had a bit of an open grip on top in order to make it easier to carry.

    ¡¸We still have a lot of those bags in stock, so feel free to just drop by if you ever need any more.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Another thing we did before departing was asking Rengil if he knew anything about the mansion we¡¯d just investigated. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t. However, he did get all heated up after hearing about the orphanage¡¯s circumstances. He said that he was going to ask a few of his contacts to do some investigation, for which we were thankful.

    ¡¸Andst but not least would be¡­ this.¡¹

    ¡¸Key?¡¹

    ¡¸I think you mentioned something about needing a ce to cook, right? That key¡¯ll get you into a restaurant that shut down about a month ago. No one¡¯s bought the ce yet, so it¡¯s kind of just been sitting there without purpose. We¡¯ve left the ce as it was when it got vacated, so it should still have all the necessary utensils and the like. I don¡¯t particrly mind lending it to you for a few days.¡¹

    He showed us over to the so called abandoned restaurant. The stove and stuff still all looked intact, and the there was even an area to store water in the back. The conglomerate had been taking good care of the ce despite it being empty, so it wasn¡¯t really all dusty or anything like that. It was pretty much exactly what we needed, and so, we ended up borrowing it for about a week¡¯s worth of time.

    Alright! That¡¯s everything we need. All we need to do now is to carry it all over to the Chef¡¯s Guild so we can report our costs. Errr, wait, no. I have to get all the water ready first.

    ¡ºOkay, why don¡¯t we get down to making that magic-infused water we were going to use?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Where? Bathroom?¡¹

    ¡ºI think it¡¯d be better if we used soil magic to make ourselves a pool or something.¡»

    There was arge dirt floor to one side of the kitchen we were given, so we didn¡¯t have to worry about anyone overseeing our activities. But first, we actually needed do a quick experiment. That is, we needed to figure out how much of the Potion of Attribute Reversal we needed to use per litre of swamp water. We also needed to determine whether it¡¯d be better to use the swamp water or the Highest Grade Poison Mixture as our base. To that end, I started by making a bunch of smaller containers so we could do all the testing we needed.

    ¡¸Nn. Looks interesting.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof. Ruff.¡¹

    ¡¸Next, this.¡¹

    ¡¸Bark bark!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? This one?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Our tests ended up taking the form of something along the lines of a science experiment; we mixed a bunch of chemicals and watched as they reacted with each other whilst documenting the results. Fran had so much fun with it that she even ended up getting Urushi to secrete a bit of his poison so she could conduct some additional testing.

    The cost of our products would skyrocket if we used stuff that was way too effective, so, after consulting with Rengil, we ended uping to the conclusion that it¡¯d best for us to use the Water of Recovery. The Water of Recovery had the ability to restore any negative status conditions inflicted within the past few days. The aforementioned limitation seemed to function aspensation for the prominence of its effects.

    I didn¡¯t really get the whole distinction, but apparently, it didn¡¯t count as a potion. A potion was strictly defined as a type of medicine. For some odd reason, magic-infused water didn¡¯t fit under that ssification and instead was put in its own category.

    Either way, we experimented. We mixed a whole bunch of swamp water, poison, magically created water, and alchemically created water in the name of science.

    It took a whole bunch of testing, but in the end we finally managed to find the right mixture and ultimately mass produce the Water of Recovery that we¡¯d been wanting. Though, I think we ended up producing way too much of the stuff. Oh well, again, better safe than sorry, so whatever.

    ¡ºWhew. That¡¯s everything. Let¡¯s whip up a quick test batch and then head on over to the Chef¡¯s Guild.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Finally.¡¹

 Chapter 112: Curry Bread Complete!

    <h4>Chapter 112: Curry Bread Complete!</h4>

    ¡ºAlright, they¡¯re done.¡»

    The batch I had in front me looked almost identical to the stuff I used to see in stores back when I was still in Japan.

    ¡¸Leave taste testing to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof bark woof!¡¹

    Both Fran and Urushi approached with their tails wagging the moment I pulled the curry bread out of the oil. They literally didn¡¯t even give me a chance to wring it dry. Didn¡¯t they already have their afternoon snacks? I could¡¯ve sworn they did¡­

    ¡ºHold on a bit. Wait till all the oil drips off of it.¡»

    ¡¸Whaaa¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    Both impatiently sat down right in front of the final product I¡¯d just produced. Sitting there and staring isn¡¯t going to make time go by any faster, you know¡­?

    There were three different types and six pieces of each type for a total of 18 servings overall. The first type was mild and filled with pork, its exterior was the most in, and appeared to have a simple, reddish-brown shade. The second type had slightly spicier beef curry inside of it, and could be differentiated by a thinyer of red pepper powdered atop its exterior. The final type was made of chicken. Unlike the other two, it was made to be super spicy. Moreover, it was the only one decorated in green; its exterior was ented with a parsey-like vegetable.

    It took about fifteen minutes for the curry bread to cool down a bit and all the excess oil to dry off. Funny enough, neither Fran nor Urushi had seemed to avert their gazes for even the slightest moment.

    I immediately stored half of them away so we could pass a few samples over to the Chef¡¯s Guild. The other half, I left to a certain pair of gluttons.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re ready now, go ahead and dig in.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Both immediately pounced upon the dish the moment they got the green light.

    ¡¸Yummy yummy yummy.¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff ruff ruff.¡¹

    Fran finished one of the pork types in a mere three bites. Naturally, she didn¡¯t manage to swallow it immediately, so I asked her for her impressions as she chewed.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡¸Ideal. Curry with rice reaches heavens. Curry bread ascends to nirvana.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The hell is she saying? Are we in cooking mangand right now or something?

    Oh well, whatever. Either way, it¡¯s delicious, and that¡¯s all that matters.

    ¡¸This one. Also tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like Urushi likes the second type more than he likes the first. What about you, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Can¡¯t decide. Both equally delicious.¡¹

    It looked like Fran even liked the one with medium levels of spiciness. Hmm¡­ What about the spiciest kind?

    ¡¸Spicy. Yummy. Spicy.¡¹

    ¡ºWoof woof woof!¡»

    Alright, looks like that didn¡¯t really work for her nearly as well as the other two did. Urushi, on the other hand, liked the spiciest type the most.

    Hmm¡­ alright, so how much of each type should I make? I mean, the super spicy type isn¡¯t really for everybody, but I¡¯m sure some people will be craving it¡­ Wait, what if I started with just the two less spicy types and then added the third type on the second day? I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯d end up grabbing more customers because people would start talking about it.

    ¡ºOh well, either way, it looks like they¡¯re pretty good, so let¡¯s pack up and head over to the Chef¡¯s Guild for the time being.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    We were shown to arge underground room after we arrived at the Chef¡¯s Guild. It¡¯s ceiling was rather expensive and fancy looking, but for some odd reason, its size seemed to make it feel more like a gym than some sort of expensive facility.

    ¡¸Could you please ce all the ingredients you¡¯re going to be using in this room? We can head over to where you¡¯ve got your ingredients stored in the case that you¡¯ve got too many to carry. The same applies if it¡¯s too difficult for you transport them over.¡¹

    ¡¸Fine. No problems.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure? I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that efficient for you to have to keep going back and forth even if you do have an item box¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Taking ingredients out now.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Wait, what?¡¹

    Fran had entered the room empty-handed, so the receptionist seemed to have assumed that she¡¯d brought some stuff via an item box and left the rest in a warehouse or something.

    Apparently that¡¯s how most of the other contestants did things. They¡¯d normally call a representative over instead of actually going to the guild and bringing all their materials with them.

    The shock the receptionist experienced from seeing Fran pull item after item out of her dimensional storage had initially caused her to stare with a nk look on her face, but she quickly recovered and started to do her job.

    She immediately began using a skill in order to assess the value of what we¡¯d brought.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ Vegetables, flour, a barrel of oil, arge quantity of spices, and¡­¡¹

    She recorded each of her observations in a notepad as she went through them.

    ¡¸Is this magic-infused water? How luxurious. Wow, you¡¯ve even got Gullinbursti, Apis, and Gullinkambi meat!¡¹

    It took her about an hour to go through everything. All in all, our ingredients were worth about a hundred and fifty thousand Golde. If we used them all up, we¡¯d end up making about thirty thousand servings of curry bread, meaning we¡¯d profit five Golde a piece if we kept our prices at 10 Golde each. The cost was actually a lot higher than what I¡¯d anticipated it to be.

    That said, it wasn¡¯t actually that bad. It would¡¯ve been much worse in Japan given that we would¡¯ve had to pay for utilities and all sorts of other overhead costs. Labour costed much more over there too.

    Most of the contest¡¯s participants were chefs who focused purely on the pursuit of taste. As a result, their costs were rather high, and naturally, the prices for their products followed the same general sort of trend. Our strategy, which involved selling arge quantity at a low price, seemed like it was quite viable inparison.

    Another important factor to note was that the profit calction itself was actually a bit skewed. It only included ingredients used directly in the dishes themselves, so stuff likebour and the cost of our paper bags were ignored and considered personal expenses as opposed to business expenses. That said, contestants were prohibited from bundling their dishes with overly expensive tableware as it¡¯d skew the results in favour of anyone that happened to have extra cash on hand.

    ¡¸Alright, next, we¡¯ll need a sample of your product so that we can judge its qualifications.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow! What a delicious yet mysterious vour it has.¡¹

    The employee seemed to be well deserving of her position, given that she was able to immediately recognize the curry bread¡¯s vour as an umon one. Moreover, the very first bite had already led her to nod in approval.

    ¡¸I see, so you¡¯re nning to put out multiple different vours. The taste seems to match with the ingredients used, so you should be good to go.¡¹

    She used the ¡°Tongue of Analysis¡± skill in order to examine the curry bread as she ate it. Its effect was to immediately identify every ingredient used in whatever she was eating. Okay, seriously, are we in a cooking manga right now? Because that¡¯s totally something that looked like it was ripped right out of one.

    The staff member lead us over to a ce with a whole bunch of different carts and stalls after she finished checking over our ingredients. All participants had to pick one of several types pre-prepared by the guild.

    We immediately chose one that didn¡¯t really have that big of a prep area. Instead, it had arge disy area with enough space for three different sales people.

    Another requirement that we¡¯d yet to fulfill was the creation of the sign we were going to hang atop our stall. The guild said that we could just figure out a design and hand it to them. They¡¯d handle the rest. Our shop¡¯s name was going to be called The ck Tail, so we just quickly drew a ck cat¡¯s tail and stuck the shop¡¯s name beside it before calling it a day.

    And that was pretty much it. The only other thing we had to do was hand over the recipe. After that, we¡¯d be golden.

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    ¡¸Right, the recipe. Don¡¯t worry about it leaking out to the public. We¡¯re extremely careful and will ensure that it won¡¯t happen.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Done now?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you are, but I do have to say that you sure did treat your recipe really casually.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Most of our participants enclose it in an envelope in order to ensure that it isn¡¯t seen by any unintended onlookers. They¡¯re also usually quite hesitant about handing over their recipes.¡¹

    We kind of just scribbled it on a piece of paper and handed it to them, so I guess it only makes sense for the staff members to be rtively confused.

    ¡¸They tend to get especially fussy when their dishes are as unique and original as your own.¡¹

    ¡¸Not making fuss because trusting guild.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good to hear. Your trust is well ced, we promise that we¡¯ll do our best to keep it safeguarded.¡¹

    ¡¸Then no problem at all.¡¹

    Honestly, we could care less if the recipe ended up getting out anyways. It¡¯s not actually an original recipe in the first ce, so I don¡¯t really feel the urge to be all secretive about it or anything like that.

    I mean, we could honestly probably sell it for a lot, but, weren¡¯t really in need of money or anything, and we¡¯d probably make more from hunting magic beasts anyway.

    Besides, I don¡¯t actually see any problems with having the recipe leak. In fact, Fran would probably be happier that way. Local adaptations of it would likely lead to even more variety, which, in turn, would mean more curry for her.

    So to sum that all up, there¡¯s no point in us intentionally giving out the recipe for free, but we wouldn¡¯t really care even if it did get leaked.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s head back and start getting everything ready.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Awesome. Time for me to stay up all night and make about five thousand of each type of curry bread. I was nning to have Fran make a few in person at the stall, but honestly, that was just something we were going to do to attract customers. Most of what we were going to sell would be made in advance. We won¡¯t have to worry about our supplies running dry that way.

    I mean, normally, you¡¯d be concerned about the excess food going to waste, but that didn¡¯t really apply to us. We could keep it in storage for as long as we wanted, and neither Urushi nor Fran would mind keeping them around as snacks.

    ¡¸Well if it isn¡¯t Miss Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Colbert? Here, why?¡¹

    Colbert called out to us the moment we left the Chef¡¯s Guild¡¯s basement and went back to its lobby.

    ¡¸I was actually looking for you! The contest¡¯s going to start tomorrow, so I was checking to see if you need any sort of help.¡¹

    You could tell at a nce that he was totally brimming with excitement and motivation.

    ¡¸I can tell you for a fact that I really do just want to help! I¡¯m totally not hoping that there¡¯s a chance I¡¯ll be able to sample a bit of the Master¡¯s cuisine. Not at all.¡¹

    Oh, so that¡¯s what he was actually after. Well, I guess that¡¯s fair. I don¡¯t mind feeding him a bit if that¡¯s all it takes for him to lend us a hand.

    £¨Master, what do?£©

    ¡ºMaybe try asking him if he knows anyone that could help out as a salesperson?¡»

    I was actually nning on having Rengil refer us a few people, but, an adventurer would probably work even better seeing as how they could function as both a salesperson and a guard simultaneously.

    ¡¸Looking for people to help with sales. Requirement. Good at math. Even better if can cook. Ideally party of three.¡¹

    ¡¸Just leave it to me! I¡¯ll find you three helpers by tomorrow morning!¡¹

    ¡¸Paying well.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it, that should make things even easier. I¡¯ll get you the best help possible, just you wait!¡¹

    Alright, that¡¯s that out of the way. We still have two days left until the second round actually begins. In the meantime, I¡¯ll make sure I cook up the world¡¯s best ever curry bread!

    ¡ºYou want to help out, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will do my best.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave keeping watch to you, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

 Chapter 113: The Lunar Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 113: The Lunar Banquet</h4>

    Silence filled the kitchen as we got ready to cook.

    First up on our list of things to prepare was spices.

    Not all the spices we had on hand would actually serve to improve the vour of our curry bread, so we had to sort them and put the ones we weren¡¯t going to use aside. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that our choice of spices could either make or break the final product altogether. Next, we began mixing the spices with as much care as humanly pos¡ª

    ¡ª Or not. I¡¯d nned on proceeding with caution, but Urushi totally chucked that out the window by sniffing at our ingredients. Normally, that alone wasn¡¯t much of a cause for concern, but it caused a chain reaction by sending a few spices flying towards Fran, who in turn sneezed and then caused more spices to go all over the ce.

    ¡ºAlright, how about you guys go do something else while I get all the spices prepped?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    I¡¯d honestly wanted to use a doppelganger so I could check the taste and smell as I went along with the whole cooking process, but I ended up dropping the idea altogether. I couldn¡¯t maintain my doppelgangers for all that long, so it¡¯d be better to keep the skill off cooldown just in case we happened to run into some sort of emergency.

    I asked Fran to focus on prepping the other ingredients. It¡¯d not only prevent any additional incidents, but also help a lot in the long run, as I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with nearly as much prep work myselfter.

    ¡¸Will prep well.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm, yeah, it doesn¡¯t really look like there¡¯s anything for you to do. Sorry Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Whimper whimper¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I know you want to help, but it is what it is.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºI know, I can see that, but I¡¯m not really sure how trying harder¡¯s going to change anything.¡»

    ¡¸Bark!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not a matter of how many limbs you use to walk so that¡¯s not going to help either.¡»

    Urushi seemed to be trying to stand on his hind legs as if to demonstrate that he could use his front paws in much the same manner as a human being. His legs were clearly shaking though, so it evidently wasn¡¯t what you¡¯d normally call the best idea.

    That said, seeing him act all gung ho really made me want to find him something to do.

    Let¡¯s see¡­ he¡¯s much pretty limited to using only his mouth and front paws. The former was much more reliable than thetter, so we¡¯d need something that wouldn¡¯t suffer from him holding it in his mouth all the time.

    ¡ºOh, I know. How about helping me make the butter?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºOne sec.¡»

    I grabbed a barrel out of the dimensional storage. Inside was freshly squeezed milk, obtained from none other than our friend at the Luciel Conglomerate. The n was to use it in order to create butter which would then be used for the chicken broth we needed to vour the spiciest variation. I was originally nning to just use of space/time magic, but this was one of the few things that Urushi could actually do, so might as well leave it up to him instead.

    To begin, I had him return to his usual size.

    ¡ºHey Urushi, open wide.¡»

    ¡¸Bark.¡¹

    ¡ºCatch.¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºMake sure you don¡¯t bite down, alright? The barrel¡¯s made out of wood, so it¡¯ll probably break if you do. ¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, you don¡¯t actually need to do anything superplicated. All you have to do is start shaking it as hard as you can and not stop till I tell you to.¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºHey, you¡¯re the one who said you wanted to help, so get to work already.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi obediently started to reproduce the ever so well known phenomenon of violent headbanging in response to mymands. All he had to do was keep that up for an hour, and we¡¯d have butter! Though, he¡¯d also probably be a bit more than just a bit dizzy, but hey, whatever. He asked for it.

    And with that, both Fran and Urushi had something to keep them busy, so I went back to working on the spices.

    Time flew as we concentrated our assigned tasks; the evening had almost seemed have blindsided us.

    Urushi was, as one would expect, no longer able to stand on his feet. He¡¯d been wobbling about in one of the room¡¯s corners ever since hepleted his task.

    ¡ºYou guys want to take a break and go check out the Lunar Banquet?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will visit food stalls.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s not really what I meant. There¡¯s going to be a parade and stuff. I was thinking we might as well go see what it¡¯s all about.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Lots of delicious food.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that works too I guess.¡»

    The city had already shifted gears into festival mode. The streets were lined with stalls, and filled to the brim with people.

    ¡ºThings sure did get lively around here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡ºWait a second, you¡¯re eating already!?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Grilled Squid.¡¹

    ¡¸Crunch crunch.¡¹

    ¡ºMan, and now Urushi¡¯s even got himself a chunk of bone-in meat? Aren¡¯t you guys being a little too quick about this? It hasn¡¯t even been a minute since we got outside, you know?¡»

    And wait, wasn¡¯t Urushi totally about to copse because of how dizzy he was just a second ago?

    ¡¸Heard the call of tasty food.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I guess stuff like that doesn¡¯t matter so long as their stomachs are involved, or something like that.

    Fran moved through the street whilst weaving in and out crowd and going back and forth between the two sides. She visited every stall she pleased, and didn¡¯t let anything stop her food-filled advance.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us start to hear the sound of music, and I wasn¡¯t talking Japanese style festival music. It most closely resembled something out of Europe, but seemed to have a bit of an African-ish vour mixed into it as well.

    We started moving towards the sound¡¯s source, and eventually found a five member band ying a performance by the roadside. Their instruments actually looked quite like what I used to seeing back on Earth. That is, the musicians were making use of violin and pipe-like objects to create their melodies.

    Enjoying ourselves once again caused time to fly right by, and before we knew it, the sun had vanished below the horizon.

    Dusk was promptly followed by a loud cheer from the festival¡¯s participants.

    ¡ºOh? Looks like something¡¯s happening.¡»

    ¡¸Over there. Really big.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like a float. Wait, is there someone on top of it?¡»

    ¡¸Priestess.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh, now that you mention it, her clothes do give off that whole sacred type of vibe.¡»

    Appraising her informed me that she was an oracle. Wait, so can she really hear the gods¡¯ voices? If so, then I guess they really do exist, or at least they do in this world anyways.

    We wanted to follow the float because they were apparently going to perform a dance for the sake of some sort of ritual, but everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing, so it ended up getting a bit messy. We ended up more or less being stuck because of all the human traffic, and at this rate, it looked like we¡¯d probably end up missing the ritual altogether.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get ourselves a birds eye view so we don¡¯t have to deal with this anymore.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran slipped out of the crowd and leapt atop a nearby building. She continued to traverse from rooftop to treetop to rooftop whilst skipping ahead of the float. I felt like we were kind of cheating seeing as how everyone else still had to put up with the crowd and all that, hey, might as well use what you got.

    Our final destination ended up being on top of a clocktower that oversaw the square in which the ritual was to take ce. I had to say, we had a pretty damned good view.

    It seemed that our timing had been pretty much spot on. The float turned into the square right as we finished settling ourselves down.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to start the ceremony. The shrine maiden began to offer her prayer in the form of a song, to which the crowd immediately responded by quieting down. Soon the square was filled with nothing but the the sounds of the priestess¡¯ voice and the instruments that supported it. This time around, the melody was much more gentle, and seemed to have a bit of a Japanese quality to it.

    Six beautiful dancers entered the spotlight as the priestess sang; their silver, shoulder-length hair swayed through the night as they wholeheartedly immersed themselves in their performances.

    ¡¸Pretty.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    I couldn¡¯t help but note how practiced and efficient their movements were. It felt as if the dance itself was something usable in battle.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Charlotte

    Age: 16

    Race: Human

    Job: War Dancer

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 30/99

    HP: 146

    MP: 198

    STR: 68

    VIT: 77

    AGI: 141

    INT: 96

    MGC: 100

    DEX: 111

    Skills

    Evasion: Lv 6

    Singing: Lv 5

    Wind Magic: Lv 3

    Blink: Lv 3

    War Dance: Lv 7

    War Dance Techniques: Lv 6

    Hand to Hand Combat: Lv 3

    Close Quarters Combat: Lv 4

    Dancing: Lv 8

    Water Magic: Lv 3

    Vigour Maniption

    Magic Maniption

    Innate Skills

    Captivating Dancer

    Titles

    Priestess of War

    Equipment

    Magic Steel Ring of Combat

    Macaque¡¯s Cold Resistance Wear

    Pearl Wolf¡¯s Mantle

    Pearl Wolf¡¯s Sandals

    Anti-Charm Bracelet

    Ankle Bracelet of Beauty

    _______________________________________________________________

    It looked like the dancers all had the War Dancer job. I assumed that the job¡¯s main skill would then be War Dance. Hmm, let¡¯s check a few things out in a bit more detail.

    War Dance: A martial art that allows one to fight while dancing.

    War Dance Techniques: A dance that charms onlooking enemies and invigorates one¡¯s allies.

    Captivating Dancer: Amplifies the effects of any dance-rted skills.

    So apparently they can fight at dance at the same time. What¡¯s with all these manga-like abilities that¡¯ve been showing uptely? I mean, their weapons were literally the metal rings they were wearing on their persons. I honestly can¡¯t say I¡¯m not interested. That looks he awesome.

    Fran pulled out a warm ss of ginger ale as she continued to watch the ritual. She really seemed to have taken a liking to the stuff as ofte.

    This world¡¯s ginger wasn¡¯t as spicy as the ginger we had back in Japan. It was much sweeter overall, so most people just straight up ate it as a vegetable instead of using it as a spice. I¡¯ve never actually seen anyone cook with it, and apparently, Fran had never even heard of ginger ale or ginger pork before.

    ¡¸Yum.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s facial expression rxed as she leaned onto Urushi and sank into his fur whilst drinking her ginger ale. She was showing a rare, happy smile.

    And so, we continued to watch. We watched the singers sing and the dancers dance; we observed the ephemeral scene y out as we overlooked it from what could what could only be described as a VIP seat.

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s over.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Was really pretty.¡¹

    That wasn¡¯t a bad show at all. The ritual ceremony was beautiful to behold, and I felt as if it¡¯d really drawn me in. Seeing it made me feel both rxed and invigorated enough to return to the kitchen and keep up the ever arduous task of preparation.

 Chapter 114: Gestures and Confusion

    <h4>Chapter 114: Gestures and Confusion</h4>

    We headed back to kitchen after watching the festival¡¯s main evente to a conclusion. Naturally, the trip back, like the trip there, was apanied by Fran purchasing what could only be described as an unnecessary amount of food.

    ¡ºAlright, I¡¯ve got all my energy back, so I¡¯m about to kick myself into high gear. You guys should probably start getting ready for bed.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Will help.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, if you¡¯re sure, then I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Can count on me.¡¹

    ¡¸Bark!¡¹

    ¡ºSweet. Alright, I guess you can keep working on prepping up the vegetables and stuff then, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd as for you Urushi? You¡¯re¡­ also going to be doing the same thing you were before.¡»

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    I handed Urushi another barrel so he could go back to headbanging. Luckily, that would be thest time I needed to have him do it. We needed about six kilograms of butter in total, and the first barrel had managed to produce half of that, so yeah.

    Butter was honestly more of a luxury than anything else in the first ce. Its market price was way too high for it to be worth it, and to make matters worse, the stuff you could buy didn¡¯t even taste all that great. The butter Urushi made was salt free, fresh, and much more delicious than anything else we could get, so making it ourselves was pretty much resulted in us obtaining a higher quality product for a fraction of the cost. It was one of the ever so desired two birds one stone type situations.

    ¡ºDo your best. Don¡¯t be giving up on me now.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Therge ck wolf ultimately resigned himself to his fate. He lifted the barrel above his head and moved over to a room with a bit of a higher ceiling before finally starting to swing his neck up and down with as much vigour as he could muster.

    ¡ºI guess I¡¯ll get started on the dough next.¡»

    And so, I worked on the task for about two odd hours.

    Naturally, both Fran and Urushi needed sleep, so they¡¯d already headed back to the inn. I, on the other hand, was an object, so I used myck of a need for rest in order to continue working throughout the night.

    ¡ºWoah, it¡¯s already past midnight.¡»

    I felt the urge to go outside and look upon the night sky. I wanted to stare at all seven gleaming moons as they illuminated my darkened surroundings, just as I¡¯d done on the day I reincarnated. But I couldn¡¯t. We were in the middle of the city, so there was a chance that someone would spot me as I basked in the moonlight. It was a bit of a shame, but I was honestly still quite content just knowing that they were there.

    Well, I could¡¯ve easily just created a doppelganger and had it look instead, but that was t out just a waste of the skill¡¯s cooldown.

    Man, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been here for three whole months already. My life back in Japan had been rather stagnant, and time seemed to move at a snail¡¯s pace. Here though, it almost seemed to fly by far too quickly. I guess this is what it means to live out a fulfilling life.

    The moment I entertained that thought was the moment everything went back.

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Wait, what the hell just happened!? Why couldn¡¯t I see anymore? Is this some sort of like bug or error? Wait, how did I see in the first ce? I had no idea, which meant I also had no idea as to whether or not I was supposed to retain the ability see in the first ce. Maybe this is something that¡¯s supposed to happen? Please no.

    The darkness was suddenly overridden by its opposite right as my thoughts started strolling down pane. Everything around me had suddenly been dyed in a shade of pure white.

    It looked like there wasn¡¯t actually any issue with my sense of sight. Whew. Wait, not whew. Where the hell am I? I can¡¯t tell. I looked around, but I was met with the same result regardless of where I cast my gaze. My surroundings seemed to have transformed into an infinite expanse of white. It almost looked like I¡¯d been transported inside the Hyperbolic T*me Chamber or something. Wait, isn¡¯t this like totally what you¡¯d normally see in the first chapter of a novel centered around the theme of reincarnating into another world? Am I about to meet some sort of God so I can reincarnate again or something? Wait, wait, wait, did I just jinx it? I¡¯m pretty sure I did. Foock! Foock no! I like this world, I¡¯m not about to let myself get ported over to a different one. I¡¯ve even got unfinished business here. Fran and I are still in the midst of our journey together and I absolutely refuse to leave her side at least until she grows up. I don¡¯t care what happens, I won¡¯t budge on that at all, regardless of whether or not I¡¯m speaking to some sort of God.

    I panicked a bit more while taking in my surroundings. I couldn¡¯t actually find anything at the first, but someone suddenly rose out of the ground about ten meters in front me right as I came to the conclusion that the ce was empty.

    His form was exactly like that of a refined middle aged man¡¯s. His silver hair, robe, andid back appearance really served to exemplify the fact that he was in the prime of his life. He looked a bit thin at first nce, but further inspection led me to understand that he was actually jacked as all hell.

    The appearance he had really left an impact on me, but despite that, I couldn¡¯t really sense his presence at all. It was like he was some sort of phantom, or a mere illusion. Either way, he didn¡¯t really look like a God. Whew.

    I tried to approach him so I could inspect him in a bit more detail, but¡­

    ¡ºI can¡¯t move.¡»

    My body had beenpletely frozen in ce, and it didn¡¯t seem like he intended oning any closer either so I guess that n was out.

    ¡ºWho are you?¡»

    The man started to act out a series of gestures instead of answering my question.

    ¡ºWhy do that instead of just talking?¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? I can¡¯t tell what you just said. I couldn¡¯t hear you.¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºOh! Are you perhaps mute?¡»

    Apparently, I¡¯d the nail on the head. The man immediately pointed at me and smiled while nodding, as if to say ¡°spot on.¡± However, he soon transitioned back into making more gestures. It was evident that he was trying to tell me something.

    I started him down as he continued to with his odd gestures. I was having a hard time deciphering them, but I at least managed to grasp that I wasn¡¯t about to be stuck reincarnating again, at least.

    Seriously though, what the hell was he trying to tell me? All he kept doing was moving back and forth whilst drawing an upside down triangle.

    ¡ºIs that supposed to be La Pyramide Invers¨¦e?¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    He shook his head in response, so I guess not.

    The middle aged man seemed to understand that I found his actions iprehensible, so he changed them up a bit.

    His next course of action was to half open his mouth, raise both hands and slowly walk forward whilst making a sort of a zoned-out expression.

    Oh, now that, I understand.

    ¡ºSo it¡¯s something to do with zombies?¡»

    The man responded by giving me two thumbs up.

    He then proceeded to alternate between his previous two patterns. That is, he¡¯d start drawing triangles, switch to being a zombie, start drawing triangles again and so on and so forth. Hmmm¡­ zombies, zombies¡­ You know what I think of when I think of zombies? The freaking floating ind we were on, that¡¯s what. Wait, is that what he¡¯s going for?

    ¡ºIs that upside down triangle you¡¯re drawing supposed to be representing the floating ind that one dungeon was on?¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    Sweet, looks like I hit the nail on the head. He responded with another thumbs up.

    ¡ºAlright, I get that part, what¡¯s next?¡»

    The man took a lowered battled stance with his fists by his hips. He then began to tremble whilst giving off a magic-like glow, as if letting power course throughout the entirety of his body.

    ¡ºKaiouk*en?¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    Yeahhhhh, I figured that wasn¡¯t it.

    ¡ºWait wait, are you trying to imitate Krill*n?¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    Okay yeah, I figured that one wouldn¡¯t be right either. That said, I honestly couldn¡¯t really see his actions as anything other than him imitating a character straight out Dr*gon Ball or Huntsman X Huntsman.

    I hoped he¡¯d change his approach, but didn¡¯t and just kept repeating the exact same action.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ are you trying to say something along the lines of someone using an incredible amount of power?¡»

    He stuck out a hand so it pointed straight towards me before wobbling it from left to right, an obvious indication that I was kind of on the right track, but not really all the way there yet.

    ¡ºAre you supposed to be¡­ releasing some sort of secret trump card?¡»

    He gave me a point and a nod, so apparently that was the right answer. Let¡¯s see¡­ secret trump card¡­ floating ind dungeon¡­?

    ¡ºOh! Latent Potential Release!¡»

    The man gave me an excited thumbs up since I¡¯d finally manage to give him the answer he wanted. Immediately afterwards, he raised his hand to his face and started to p his fingers as if to imitate a pair of lips.

    Something about talking throughtent potential release¡­?

    ¡ºThe lich?¡»

    The man formed an X with his forearms.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see¡­ what else fits¡­ The system announcer?¡»

    Wrong again, apparently.

    ¡ºOh, wait! I remember now! You must¡¯ve been the one dude that started talking to me telepathically out of nowhere! I remember you telling me a bunch about the System Announcer.¡»

    It seemed like I¡¯d gotten the answer right? The man responded with a curt nod, but quickly transitioned into a light bow with his hands pressed together in what seemed like an apologetic manner.

    He again started going back and forth between a pair of actions. He¡¯d bow and then do the talking motion and then repeat the whole cycle ad infinitum.

    Looked to me like he was trying to apologize with regards to something he¡¯d said to me back then¡­ Hmm¡­ What did we talk about anyways¡­?

    ¡ºWho are you anyway?¡»

    ¡ºWellll, I was nning on telling you eventually anyways. And I was nning on meeting up with you in about a monthish, something around that, iunno. Well, telepathically meet up that is, if you count that. Buuuuuut, eh, whatever. Might as well tell you now minus all the pretentious nitty gritty junk anyway.¡»

    ¡ºYou sure soundid back¡­¡»

    ¡ºWelll, that¡¯s cause we don¡¯t really count as strangers n stuff anyway. Whatever, whatever. Might as well say it. My name is¡­¡»

    And that was when our conversation hade to an abrupt end. So if he wanted to apologize for something, it¡¯d probably be because¡­

    ¡ºI¡¯m guessing we aren¡¯t able to meet up in person like you¡¯d been nning?¡»

    The man responded with a nod.

    ¡ºI guess you must¡¯ve run into some sort of blocker or something along the way then?¡»

    A pair of nods.

    ¡ºAnd you can¡¯t tell me who you are either?¡»

    A group of three nods.

    Ahhh, I get what this whole thing is all about¡­ but why can¡¯t he talk this time? I mean, he didst time.

    The man made the power up pose, pointed at himself, and then got on both knees and pretended to wheeze.

    ¡ºSo what I¡¯m getting is that you can¡¯t talk anymore because I used Latent Potential Release?¡»

    Apparently Latent Potential Release had affected this guy the same way it had with the System Announcer.

    ¡ºWait, so that means you¡¯re a part of me?¡»

    Nod.

    ¡ºAre you the guy whose voice I heard right when I reincarnated?¡»

    Nod.

    I knew it!

    That said, learning this had given rise to a question that I simply couldn¡¯t ignore or set aside forter.

    ¡ºSo¡­ Just who are you then?¡»

    I couldn¡¯t resist asking him that. I was so curious about the answer that I¡¯d almost felt as if it¡¯d been eating away at me.

    The man frowned and shook his head from side to side. It didn¡¯t like he was going to be able to answer me.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ Are you going to up and vanish too, or are we going to be able to end up being able to meet with each other like this some time in the future as well?¡»

    The man drew onerge circle overhead and dotted it with six smaller ones. An easily understood answer.

    ¡ºThe thing you just drew would be the full moon and its six smaller counterparts, right?¡»

    But why only then of all times? Actually, now that I think about it, Latent Potential Release aside, the only time I¡¯d ever spoken to him was when I was first reincarnated exactly three months ago. In other words, the moons had been full back then too

    ¡ºCan you only appear during the Lunar Banquet or something?¡»

    Apparently I was right.

    ¡ºSo I¡¯m guessing I¡¯ll see you again in three months time?¡»

    The man smiled a sheet eating grin whilst energetically raising both thumbs. For some odd reason, the action had seemed to cause him to start to fade away.

    ¡ºWait a second! I¡¯m not done asking you stuff!¡»

    My words prompted the man to once again take his apology pose before vanishing altogether. I guess he ran out of time.

    The world around me underwent the same thing it had earlier; it faded out into ck before going back to normal.

    ¡ºSeems like I¡¯m back in the kitchen.¡»

    Everything was exactly as it had been just before I faded out. In fact, no time seemed to have passed whatsoever. It was like I¡¯d been momentarily spirited away or something.

    ¡ºI guess I won¡¯t be able to see him for another three months, but I¡¯ll definitely have a tonne of questions prepped for when I do.¡»

    I wonder if he can hear me right now. I mean, he did im to be a part of me after all.

 Chapter 115: Visitors

    <h4>Chapter 115: Visitors</h4>

    The date was April first.

    We were greeted by a group of visitors not long after we got up and to work.

    ¡¸Good morning Miss Fran. I found a few people to fill that salesperson job you mentioned.¡¹

    Colbert had brought with him a group of three female adventurers.

    ¡¸Hello.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Sup¡¹

    None of the three seemed to make light of Fran despite her being a child. They all bowed as they greeted her in the manner an adventurer normally would when associating with an employer.

    ¡¸These guys are all a part of The Scarlet Maidens, a D ranked party.¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Judith

    Age: 24

    Race: Human

    Job: Soldier

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 21/99

    HP: 118

    MP: 103

    STR: 61

    VIT: 55

    AGI: 60

    INT: 61

    MGC: 41

    DEX: 40

    Skills

    me Resistance: Lv 1

    Crisis Detection: Lv 1

    Sword Techniques: Lv 2

    Sword Arts: Lv 4

    Herculean Strength: Lv 1

    Shield Arts: Lv 3

    Commerce: Lv 2

    Cooking: Lv 3

    Vigour Maniption

    Titles

    None

    Equipment

    ck Steel Shortsword

    Spirit Tree Wood Buckler

    Iron Ant¡¯s Helmet

    Iron Ant¡¯s Leggings

    Trap Spider¡¯s Cloak

    Bracelet of Minor Poison Resist

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Maia

    Age: 23

    Race: Half Beastman (Red Dog Tribe)

    Job: Scout

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 23/99

    HP: 93

    MP: 95

    STR: 41

    VIT: 51

    AGI: 69

    INT: 60

    MGC: 34

    DEX: 60

    Skills

    me Resistance: Lv 1

    Bow Arts: Lv 3

    Presence Detection: Lv 3

    Negotiation: Lv 2

    Shortsword Arts: Lv 2

    Flexibility: Lv 2

    Arithmetic: Lv 3

    Cooking: Lv 3

    Trap Disarm: Lv 2

    Trap Sense: Lv 2

    Titles

    None

    Equipment

    Toxic Rat¡¯s Shortsword

    Spirit Tree Wood Bow

    ck Dogman¡¯s Leather Armour

    ck Dogman¡¯s Cloak

    Lesser Sub-dragon¡¯s Shoes

    Bracelet of Enhanced Detection

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Lydia

    Age: 19

    Race: Human

    Job: Mage

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 20/99

    HP: 71

    MP: 144

    STR: 38

    VIT: 33

    AGI: 48

    INT: 71

    MGC: 70

    DEX: 36

    Skills

    me resist: Lv 3

    Staff Arts: Lv 1

    Fire Magic: Lv 3

    Arithmetic: Lv 4

    Medicinal Herbology: Lv 3

    Mixing: Lv 3

    Magic Circle: Lv 3

    God of Wisdom¡¯s Divine Protection

    Magic Maniption

    Titles

    None

    Equipment

    Spirit Tree Wood Staff

    Magic Silkworm¡¯s Cloth Armour

    ck Dogman¡¯s Cloak

    Fang Boar¡¯s Shoes

    Spirit Bear¡¯s Leather Magician¡¯s Hat

    Bracelet of Lesser Paralysis Resistance

    ______________________________________________________________

    Adventurer ranks could be sorted into one of two types, individual ranks and party ranks. Fran ran solo, so she only had the first type, which as one could expect from its name, was solely based on her own abilities.

    Party ranks, on the other hand, were based on the group¡¯s overallbat potential. D ranked parties, for example, mainly consisted of adventurers with individual ranks in the E to F range.

    As with the case with individual ranks, party ranks were assigned by the guild. They¡¯d look at each member¡¯s individual ranks alongside their functions and the party¡¯s overall bnce before assigning the most appropriate letter grade.

    The party is often ranked higher than the individual members within it, but that isn¡¯t necessarily always the case. An example of this would be the one Cruz guy we did that joint operation with back in Alessa. All three of his party¡¯s members were ranked C, but the party wasn¡¯t given promoted to B because they didn¡¯t exactly qualify for the next tier up. In other words, three fully fledged C ranked individuals were still considered weaker than a single B ranker.

    dd, the spiky haired dude that led Dragon¡¯s Roar, was in a situation that was both a bit simr but alsopletely different at the same time. He and his party were both ssified as E rank despite thetter having five members in total. His party was denied promotion for a multitude of different factors. The first was that the other four members were all ranked F, and the second was that none of its members used anything but spears. Honestly, if that was all it was, then the guild probably wouldn¡¯t have minded ranking his party up, but there was also the whole thing about him having a bad attitude.

    Normally, you¡¯d think that someone that went solo would be stronger than a party given that they shared the same rank, but that often wasn¡¯t the case at all. Each member of a party had their own individual strengths. Putting those together alongside the element of teamwork could allow the party to have better performance than a single more powerful individual.

    The Scarlet Maidens seemed like a pretty good party at first nce. They were pretty well bnced in the sense that they had both a vanguard and rearguard. Moreover, they apparently also had a pretty good reputation, so they, unlike dd were allowed to rank up to D.

    One interesting factor was that all three of their members had skills that rted to either math or business, which was honestly pretty rare amongst adventurers.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Judith, the party¡¯s leader.¡¹

    A girl with long, blue hair approached Fran and extended her hand out for a shake.

    ¡¸I have a decent amount of sales experience. My father was a peddler, and often took me with him to work during my childhood. I have both the cooking andmerce skills.¡¹

    I see, so I guess that means it¡¯s possible to pick up a skill by watching someone else use it for an extended amount of time. She probably got her cooking skill because she¡¯d go on journeys with said father. I didn¡¯t really see any reason not to hire her, especially given that she was both beautiful and polite.

    ¡¸My name is Maia. I¡¯m in charge of most of the party¡¯s chores.¡¹

    The next person to speak was a redhead with a bob cut. The fact that she spoke at a rtively slow pace seemed to contradict the fact that her skills were mostly thief-like. Apparently, she took care of all the party¡¯s cooking and prep work. She¡¯d even polish everyone¡¯s armour. Her skills more or less indicated that she was a veritable jack of all trades. She had Cooking, Negotiation, and even Arithmetic. She was also fairly pretty, so I once again saw no reason not to hire her.

    ¡¸Lydia.¡¹

    Thest of the three girls seemed resemble Fran a bit. She was rtively young, wore a white robe, had ck hair, and seemed not to change her expression when she spoke. The only thing that really differentiated her from Fran was the fact that her hair went all the way down to her waist. And of course there was also the fact that she wasn¡¯t nearly as cute as Fran was, but that was just a given.

    One her skills really caught my eye. Magic Circle allowed her to engrave a spell onto a piece of paper or something forter activation, possibly in the form of a trap. It looked really interesting. I really wanted to get my hands on it.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Lydia and Fran stared each other down for a bit, but neither had even the slightest change of expression.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    The atmosphere ended up getting all awkward until Fran decided to give her head a bit of a tilt.

    ¡¸¡­I lost!¡¹

    Lydia suddenly dropped onto all fours whilst hanging her head in shame.

    ¡¸What the! What in the world are you doing, Lydia?¡¹

    Judith seemed to be surprised at herpanion¡¯s sudden action.

    ¡¸I lost. The whole expressionless personality I had going was just a facade, but her? She¡¯s the real deal.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸If the rumours are true, then she¡¯s got mepletely outssed. She¡¯s already a master swordsman, and can apparently even use me magic despite being younger than me.¡¹

    Huh¡­ So they know that much about her? I guess she¡¯s quite a bit more famous than I¡¯d anticipated. Is that a good thing though¡­? I honestly can¡¯t tell¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯m nothing but a downgrade. The only thing I have over her is the length of my hair.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re taller than her too.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s something that¡¯ll probably change the moment she goes through puberty.¡¹

    ¡¸But you have The God of Wisdom¡¯s Divine Protection. That should at least let you stand out a bit, right?¡¹

    Divine protection from the God of Wisdom made it easier to level up skills rted to the umtion of knowledge, which, to adventurers, was pretty god damn useful.

    The party¡¯s leader was already working hard. She had to exin the skill to Fran whilst praising Lydia and helping her to her feet.

    ¡¸I have to be able to use Arithmetic in order to draw magic circles, so I can help with anything involving math. I can¡¯t cook, but I have the Mixing skill, so feel free to leave anypounding-rted tasks to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Anyways, we¡¯ll do our best if your willing to hire us.¡¹

    ¡¸We really will!¡¹

    They didn¡¯t seem to be lying about doing their best, and they¡¯ve even got Colbert backing them, so I¡¯d say I don¡¯t really have any reason to refuse.

    We negotiated with them a bit before arriving a final fee of five thousand Golde per person plus free meals for all three days. I¡¯d thought it was actually a bit on the low side, but they seemed to find it decent given that the job was pretty muchpletely devoid of danger. My sense of mary value seemed to be a bit off given that Fran and I often dispatched magic beasts with ranks far higher than our own.

    Moreover, they were actually more interested in the free food than they were the Golde. It seemed that the only reason they wanted the job in the first ce was because of how much Colbert had hyped up my cooking, which in turn really made me wonder if all his acquaintances happened to be foodies or something like that. Oh well, either way, they¡¯re willing to put in the effort, so whatever works, I guess.

    Colbert leered at the three girls with a look of envy.

    ¡¸I-I know that all you don¡¯t need anymore salespeople, but do you have any other sort of vacancy?¡¹

    The tuna lover interjected with a bit of a nervous tone.

    Hmm¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything in particr¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯d really just like to help out, so you don¡¯t even need to pay me. As long as you cover my meals.¡¹

    Okay, honestly, that was pretty worth. A B ranked adventurer was offering to help us for nothing but free meals aspensation. I didn¡¯t really see any reason not to keep him around just so he can handle whatever happens to pop up.

    ¡¸Got it. Will hire. Responsible for handling all misceneous tasks.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Hell yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸We three also look forward to working for you!¡¹

    And so, we managed to get ourselves a group of three salesgirls alongside someone to handle pretty much everything else.

    We were almost done all our preparations too.

    I¡¯d already long finished making everything; the dough and filling were allpletely prepped and ready to go. All that was left for us was put it together by wrapping thetter in the former and frying it. It sounded like there was very little left to do, but the final steps were actually quite tiring and time consuming in and of themselves.

    Fran literally had the attention span of a cat, so I pretty much ended up having to do it all myself.

    That said, she obviously wasn¡¯t just sitting around and wasting time until I finished. She and Urushi were actually in the midst of a bit of some indoor training. They couldn¡¯t actually mess everything up by going all out, so instead, they focused on manipting their magical energies in order to draw a series of three dimensional images. The nature of the exercise made it look more like they were ying around than training, and honestly, knowing Fran, I¡¯d say she probably wasn¡¯t even actually trying to train. She¡¯d likely decided to do the exercise because she thought it was fun. Seeing the two of them like that almost made me feel the urge put out a few snacks for them or something.

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    I was about to grab her some milk and cookies, but ended up stopping because I suddenly felt a bunch of people approach the building we were in. Fran and Urushi seemed to have felt it as well, as both stopped what they were doing and instead started to focus their attention on examining our surroundings.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯ve got ourselves a few guests.¡»

    And uninvited ones, at that. There were actually two distinct parties. The first had several people in it. Its members had tried to hide themselves whilst surrounding the building and slowly sneaking closer and closer towards us. The other consisted only of a single person. Said single person was approaching the building in a much more natural manner.

    ¡¸Detain them?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ I¡¯d say we hold off a bit. We can¡¯t actually be sure that they¡¯re here to harm us.¡»

    We¡¯ve no idea what they¡¯re after. The party of one was approaching via the back door, so I decided to have Fran check what he was up to before making any moves?

    I was thinking that he was going to do something suspicious, but he actually just ended up giving the door a knock.

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    Fran called out to the person whilst readying herself for whatever was toe.

    ¡¸I know it¡¯s a bitte, but I was hoping to ask a favour.¡¹

    ¡¸Favour?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I was hoping that you would be willing to hear me out about something.¡¹

    I was a bit curious as to what was going to happen, so I took a quick nce out the door¡¯s peephole.

    The dude standing outside looked like your typical textbook merchant. He didn¡¯t even bear the slightest resemnce to the dirty sleazeball he really was. That is, appraising him informed me that he was a total scumbag.

    His job was Swindler, and he had both the Intimidation and Falsehood skills. Yup, he was definitely as guilty as could be. He wasn¡¯t all that strong or anything like that, but his skillset made it so that I¡¯d probably end up saying yes if anyone was to ask me whether or not I found him difficult to deal with¡­

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I would very much prefer if you let me inside.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t tell me now?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d really like to discuss the topic at length if possible.¡¹

    I went over to the window and began peering outside as Fran continued to question the man. His supposedpanions were hiding themselves within the night, but I managed to find them regardless. I had both presence detection and night vision, so I more or less saw them as clearly as I would¡¯ve during the day.

    The conclusion? They were pretty much all just small fry. Our enemies wereprised of a group of burrs alongside a single Lv 25 assassin.

    In other words, our assants were viins that the world would be better off without. I was more or less alreadypletely sure of the fact that they wanted to attack us. In fact, they were technically already in the process of doing so given that they were trying their best to surround the ce. We could probably already im self defense even if we jumped into the crowd and busted them all up before letting them actually try something. We didn¡¯t even need to keep them around seeing as how the swindler dude could probably tell us everything we wanted to know.

    ¡ºWe¡¯d probably end up with a mess on our hands if we let him get away.¡»

    And so, I decided to just casually start by getting rid of the people surrounding us.

    ¡ºFran, let him in so he can¡¯t get away. I¡¯ll dispose of all hispanions in the meantime.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much for your understanding!¡¹

    ¡¸Come in.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡¹

    Urushi circled around the swindler and blocked off the exit the moment after he stepped through it. The wolf was currently in his mini mode, so he didn¡¯t look nearly as intimidating. Even so, the swindler basically had no capacity forbat, so seeing the ¡°dog¡± seemed to worry him a bit. Naturally, he didn¡¯t go as far as to react by changing his expression, but I did catch him throwing Urushi a quick sidelong nce.

    ¡¸Hahaha, that¡¯s a cute little doggy you have there.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran promptly locked the door as she responded in order to pressure the swindler even further.

    I, on the other hand left the building before he so much as had the chance to see me. I used Short Jump to instantly teleport behind the assassin. I then cast Silence, lopped his head off and shoved his corpse inside the dimensional storage. The whole thing had gone much more smoothly than I¡¯d initially anticipated. He had Crisis Detection, so I figured he might be able to react to me, but I managed to dispose of him before the skill even went off.

    I picked up the pace and began to repeat my prior actions. I had to be quick about it. The burrs had presence detection, so they would eventually realize that their allies were being picked off.

    However, in the end, weaklings were weakings. Four of six assants died before any of them even noticed that something was off. Thest two didn¡¯t seem to have the capacity to immediately figure out what to do, so they too soon fell to my de.

    After finishing them all off, I teleported back into the building. Specifically, I ended up choosing to go to where the storefront was in order to avoid being seen by the swindler.

    ¡¸¡ªis what I would like to procure.¡¹

    My timing turned out to be pretty good. The swindler had just so happened to start getting down to business to moment I went back inside.

    ¡¸Potion box?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I would like to procure from you the potion box you picked up at the pirate¡¯s hideout.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no point in feigning ignorance. I¡¯ve already had the matter investigated. Would you mind selling it to me for ten thousand Golde?¡¹

    Ohe on dude. Aren¡¯t you being a little too stingy? There was over a million Golde¡¯s worth of stuff in there you know? And you¡¯re trying to get it for just ten thousand? Seriously? Come on¡­

    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was looking down on her or just nning to get his hands on the thing through some sort of less than decent method.

    Given that he had his subordinates surround the building, I¡¯d say it was more likely than not thetter.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡¹

    ¡¸As I said just a few moments earlier, I¡¯ve already had the matter investigated, and so, there is no point feigning ignorance.¡¹

    ¡¸No idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh¡­ how obstinate. Taking the offer would have been to your benefit.¡¹

    The atmosphere around the man suddenly changed from that of a merchant to a much more intimidating air as he activated his skill.

    ¡¸Refuse to talk anymore. Leave.¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t be leaving without the potion box.¡¹

    He¡¯s pretty much kicked Intimidation into full throttle. Any normal girl would¡¯ve already been scared out of her wits by now.

    ¡¸Already said don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Mentally deficient?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t get cocky now, little girl¡­ You¡¯re just a D ranked adventurer. You won¡¯t get away with just a few scratches if you dare disobey us.¡¹

    The man merchant like mask finally shattered in its entirety.

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line. Mere swindler. Shouldn¡¯t be cocky.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll make you regret those words, girl!¡¹

    The man turned towards the exit whilst making his deration. He was probably going to go order his subordinates to attack, but it obviously wasn¡¯t going to happen. The card he was trying to y was the one he¡¯d thrown away the moment he entered the building.

    ¡¸Growl.¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, what¡¯re you trying to pull here?¡¹

    ¡¸No escaping. Won¡¯t let you get away.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you really think that my subordinates would just sit there if I didn¡¯t end up returning to them?¡¹

    ¡¸Will allow you to call them. Try it.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well then! Hey! It¡¯s time for work you bastards!¡¹

    He shouted incredibly loudly. His subordinates definitely would¡¯ve heard him had they still been alive. It went without saying that he assumed they were, so he ending up standing there for a few moments whilst awaiting their arrival.

    He waited and waited, but not a single one responded to his calls.

    ¡¸Why aren¡¯t they¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Men outside dealt with. By Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible! You had apanion!? That wasn¡¯t in the reports at all!¡¹

    We then used lightning magic in order to paralyze the swindler before tying him up and getting ready to make him tell us everything we wanted to know. It¡¯d normally be pretty difficult to actually get information out of anyone with the Falsehood skill, but I just so happened to have the ability to render itpletely invalid through the Principle of Falsehood.

    ¡¸What are you nning?¡¹

    ¡¸Information. From where?¡¹

    ¡¸Why would I t-zzaazzjhakjazyhuazza!¡¹

    Fran gave sent a weak electric shock running through the man¡¯s body, which in turn caused him to scream and convulse for a few seconds. This time around, we¡¯d decided to go with a mix of electricity and Fran¡¯s bare hands because I didn¡¯t really want to have the kitchen all covered with blood.

    ¡¸Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Will ask again. Information about me. From where?¡¹

    ¡¸How would I k- zjlkahkjdfhjksdhfjkzzzzz!¡¹

    Fran made the shockst a few seconds longer this time around. She once again repeated the question, whilst also grinding one of his hands into the ground with her feet.

    It took about an hour to get him to crack, but we did manage to get the now haggard looking, teary eye man to divulge everything he knew. Unfortunately, the process that led us there ended up getting his tears and drool all over the floor. Yeahhhh, I¡¯ll probably have to clean that upter.

    ¡¸To confirm. Working for alchemists?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes ma¡¯am.¡¹

    Long story short, he was hired by an alchemist that went by the name Zerais. Apparently, said alchemist was a rogue that¡¯d been expelled from the guild as a result of some sort of vition. He was currently working on illegal research, and was being funded by some sort of outside sponsor.

    The potion box we¡¯d picked up was originally something that Zerais had ordered. It ended up getting lost in shipment as a result of the pirates we¡¯d ¡°be friends¡± a few days back. Zerais was desperately looking for the potions within said box because they were extremely difficult to obtain.

    We asked the swindler about Zerais¡¯ precise location, but it turned out that he didn¡¯t know about it because he wasn¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call high up the chain. Someone else had ordered him to do this, and that was all. Luckily, we did at least manage to get him to tell us where one of his organisation¡¯s bases of operation was.

    Turned out it was the ce Urushi had followed the hoodlum back to.

    Huh, what¡¯s up with that?

    So the mansion or whatever was probably rted to Barbra¡¯s lord in some way. In other words, the building and whoever owned it had their feet dipped in both the world of stealing recipes from orphanages and the world of rogue alchemists Like, what the actual hell?

    We¡¯re going to need a bit more info before we can actually figure everything out. I really wanted to just break into the building, but that was pretty risky given that the residence was more likely than not ultimately rted to some sort of noble.

    ¡¸That¡¯s everything I know! I swear it!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Please, just let me go¡­¡¹

    Yeah no. That¡¯s not happening.

    I quickly put telekinesis to use and gave the man¡¯s neck a good old one eighty degree twist.

    ¡ºWelp. Looks like this whole thing¡¯s just turned into one big ass troublesome mess.¡»

 Chapter 116: Kranzelâ€™s Three Great Festivals

    <h4>Chapter 116: Kranzel¡¯s Three Great Festivals</h4>

    ¡¸To reiterate, the contest will begin at noon. All participants will be allowed to depart the guild at ten in the morning. You¡¯ve two hours to find and push your cart to a location of choice anywhere within the portside, market, or residential areas. However, be warned that you will be dismissed if you attempt to use another individual¡¯s property without prior consent. Please do not set up without first consulting all relevant individuals. Please also wait until noon to start selling your products. Anyone that starts selling their goods before noon will be instantly disqualified, so please make sure you abide by thepetition¡¯s rules.¡¹

    The second round¡¯s participants immediately dispersed and began heading towards their respective destinations. We¡¯d originally nned for Urushi to drag our stall along, but a bit of further consideration led us to realize that such an act would ultimately make us stand out, and not in a good way either. So instead, we ended up having our newly employed helper do it for us.

    I have to say. Hiring Colbert? Really solid decision right there.

    I know I made it sound like cart pushing was all he was good for, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. He¡¯d actually given us a pretty decent suggestion, a suggestion that ultimately actualized itself in Fran and the salesgirls all wearing matching maid uniforms.

    ¡¸The curry bread we had for dinnerst night was absolutely delicious. However, I can¡¯t say for sure if that alone will be able to carry us all the way through to the finals.¡¹

    Colbertmented as he gazed upon our surroundings.

    Each and every shop seemed to have its own selection of beautiful clerks. Though, I guess I should¡¯ve expected that to be the case from the very start. The fact that pretty girls led to more sales was a universal truth, a fundamental axiom that simply couldn¡¯t be overturned regardless of what world one was in.

    Cuteness simply wasn¡¯t something that could be defended against, but you know what, cute is justice, so whatever.

    ¡¸Colbert and I have been thinking over how to optimize our sales, so don¡¯t you worry Fran! You¡¯ll be cruising right through the second round!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do my best too!¡¹

    ¡¸And I¡¯ll use my charms to attract as many male customers as I can!¡¹

    Luckily, it looked like like all three of our salesgirls were pretty much ready to go full steam ahead. They¡¯d been quite shocked at how the curry bread and rice I fed themst night tasted, so telling them that I¡¯d feed them even more extravagant meals if we made it into the finals seemed to have fueled them up all the way.

    Arge group of people started to tail us as we headed towards our final destination. At first, I¡¯d assumed that they were up to no good, but they actually turned out to be customers. Apparently, following the stalls around and camping out around them till they opened was actually a thing.

    The number of people trailing behind us gradually grew as we continued to move. Travelling around caused us to end up with about fifty followers, which apparently was actually a pretty low headcount. Some of the more popr participants had about two hundred odd people following them around already.

    Crap. I think I might not have taken this whole thing as seriously as I should¡¯ve.

    ¡¸Lots of people.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. They don¡¯t call this one of Kranzel¡¯s Three Great Festivals for nothing. The Spring Lunar Banquet features the King of Cooking, The Orison Rite, and the Minstrel¡¯s Contest, amongst many other events, so it draws in folks from all across thend. In fact, I¡¯d say you¡¯ve yet to see anything but a drop in the bucket.¡¹

    ¡¸Three Great Festivals? Others are?¡¹

    Fran tilted her head as she questioned one of Colbert¡¯s statements.

    ¡¸The other two would be Ulmut¡¯s Dungeon Fiesta and the Royal Capital¡¯s New Year¡¯s Festival.¡¹

    ¡¸Though, I don¡¯t really think the New Year¡¯s Festival isn¡¯t actually too different from the Lunar Banquet hosted here in Barbra.¡¹

    Apparently the only real difference between the New Year¡¯s Festival and the Lunar Banquet was the fact that the King would give an address each time the former was celebrated. Both contained an enactment of The Orison Rite, and both featured stalls lining the streets with food for purchase. It wasn¡¯t all that difficult to for me to picture it. The Dungeon Fiesta, on the other hand, had led me draw nothing but a nk.

    ¡¸The Dungeon Fiesta is a festival meant for adventurers so they can engage in blood sttering, flesh tearing, bone crushing practices.¡¹

    The hell? All I can really say at this point is that it sounds violent and barbaric as all hell.

    ¡¸Lydia¡¯s more or less hit the nail on the head there. The fiesta does tend to get a bit wild.¡¹

    ¡¸Types of activities?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, although it¡¯s a fiesta in name, it¡¯s actually something moreso along the lines of a martial arts tournament.¡¹

    ¡¸And it even takes ce in Kranzel¡¯s most adventurer-popted city, so you know it¡¯s gotta be good.¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯ve got three different categories. The first is one for people under level twenty, and the second for parties of at least size three. Thest category doesn¡¯t have any restrictions on its potential participants.¡¹

    Huh, a martial arts tournament? That sounds fun. It¡¯d be worth checking out even if we didn¡¯t end up participating ourselves.

    ¡¸Takes ce when?¡¹

    ¡¸It happens at the end of April, so it¡¯ll start in about a month or so. Just in case you were wondering, the festival is actually held inmemoration of the dungeon¡¯s capture.¡¹

    Sweet, the timing more or less works perfectly for us too. Ulmut was going to end up being our next destination anyways.

    The conversation we had with Colbert and the girls extended all the way until we reached the ce in which we¡¯d been nning to set up.

    ¡¸Okay. It looks like we¡¯re here.¡¹

    It¡¯de time to focus on the contest.

    We¡¯d already rued a queue of about a hundred people, but much to my surprise, not a single one of them requested that we open shop before noon.

    The ce we¡¯d ultimately chosen was therge square in which the Chef¡¯s Guild was situated. To be a bit more specific, we set up just in front of the giant clocktower that marked the square¡¯s most northern point. We figured that this was pretty much the best possible ce. We could attract customers because it had heavy traffic, and there was actually even enough room for everyone to line up and stuff.

    The moment we settled down was the moment we got to work. Fran immediately pulled a batch of curry bread out from within her dimensional storage box and put it on disy. She then hung a sign dering our prices, fired up the stove, and ced arge pot of oil atop it.

    ¡¸That¡¯s an excellent choice as far as disy and advertising goes. Did you think of it yourself, Miss Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Master did.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I should¡¯ve expected as much from the Master. He sure does have quite the diverse set of skills.¡¹

    The next thing Fran pulled out of storage caused our employees, or more specifically our salesgirls, to only elevate their praises.

    ¡¸Wow! I¡¯ve seen a few merchants carrying things like those, but never before have I ever seen any sorge. They even looks like they¡¯repatible with every single kind of coin. Were they something designed specifically for use at a stall?¡¹

    The items in question were a group of three wooden coin counters. They weren¡¯t really anything all that fancy or special, at least by my standards. All I did was use wood in order to reproduce something I remember seeing back in Japan, but apparently the girls thought them to be innovative.

    ¡¸Nn. Exactly.¡¹

    ¡¸The magic sword girl¡¯s master sure does seem versatile.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master. Amazing.¡¹

    Judith, was a merchant¡¯s daughter, so she was able to familiarize herself with the coin counter almost immediately.

    In fact, it didn¡¯t look like any of our three salesgirls had any trouble learning to use the tool, which was good. Effectively employment of the coin counter would allow them to work much more efficiently than they would¡¯ve been able to otherwise. In other words, the coin counters would facilitate that whole selling en masse strategy I had going.

    We had everyone head off to the side for lunch after we finished setting up. We decided to eat a little bit earlier because we had no idea how busy things would be getting. There was a pretty decent change that we¡¯d end up having to work nonstop for the next few hours.

    ¡¸Now, lunch.¡¹

    ¡¸You have no idea how long I¡¯ve been awaiting this!¡¹

    ¡¸Same here. You could very well say that we only epted this request for the food¡¯s sake.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t forget about breakfast! It was absolutely splendid.¡¹

    ¡¸Them egg sd sandwiches¡­ Hnnnngg.¡¹

    Apparently everyone really liked the egg sd sandwiches I¡¯d randomly whipped up for breakfast, so I decided to stick to the whole sandwich theme for lunch too. Specifically, I ended up having four different types: egg, roast pork, chicken teriyaki, and tuna fillet.

    ¡¸Swooo goooooddd!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey! I saw that Lydia! Stop trying to hog everything! You too Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Heh heh heh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Survival of fittest.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be taking this then.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on! Not you too Maia!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow! This juice has got quite some vour to it!¡¹

    Our so called pic lunch ended devolving into something along the lines of a skirmish as all five people fumbled around to get their hands on as many sandwiches as they could. I figured that the fifty I made would be more than enough, but apparently I ended up being about as wrong as wrong could be. The sandwiches had almost seemed to perform a vanishing act; they all disappeared in a matter of moments. If anything, it kind of ended up looking like I didn¡¯t make nearly enough to satisfy everyone present.

    The salesgirls didn¡¯t seem to be all that happy with each other, and they ended up in a bit of a squabble. Hopefully they¡¯d be able to get back to normal by the time they had to get to work.

    One thing to note was that the Chef¡¯s Guild actually had a staff member watching over each establishment in order to ensure that no one cheated. That is, they would also be responsible for aggregating sales numbers and ensuring that everyone used the exact materials that they¡¯d prepared before hand and nothing more. You¡¯d be disqualified the moment you tried to bribe or trick one of the aforementioned staff spectators.

    We figured that they¡¯d end up pretty hungry and exhausted at the end of the day, so we tried offering them a few sandwiches, but they ultimately ended up refusing even those.

    ¡¸I really have to say that the meal before is delicious, but I think the item we¡¯re going to be selling are actually even better.¡¹

    ¡¸I know right? We¡¯d actually considered buying ourselves some a few portions even though we just had lunch.¡¹

    Colbert and Lydia purposefully raised their voices so that the people spectating us could hear them. Apparently, it worked, as a few onlookers actually ended up running over and joining the line. Said queue was already well over a hundred people long. It looked like we were going to have one hell of a busy afternoon.

 Chapter 117: The First Dayâ€™s End

    <h4>Chapter 117: The First Day¡¯s End</h4>

    ¡¸So just to confirm, three milds and two mediums. Is that right?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d like four hots!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, that¡¯lle to a total of thirty Golde.¡¹

    Series upon series of different transactions continued to ur. It was already three in the afternoon, but we were stillpletely swamped with customers. The line leading up to our store never seemed to drop below a headcount of a hundred, and we had to use the dimensional storage to replenish our stock twice already.

    The two non-salespeople, Fran and Colbert, were respectively responsible for frying up the food and ensuring that the line stayed organised.

    ¡¸Each piece of curry bread will cost you ten Golde. The mild vour is suitable for children and any other individuals unable to tolerate strong spices. The medium vour is for those of you that enjoy that extra little kick. The spicy vour is so incredibly hot that it¡¯ll make you spit mes!¡¹

    Colbert told our customers more about our products as they stood in line, and in doing so, got them to think about their orders ahead of time. His efforts helped to ensure that everything at the cash register went smoothly as could be.

    ording to Judith, at least half our customers ended up arriving a decision before hitting the front of the line. Unfortunately, the statistic also meant that not everyone was able order the moment their turn came. Normally, you¡¯d think that to be a bad thing, but apparently many of those people had only been convinced toe check out our goods because the line here was actually rtively short, which was a good thing seeing as how it meant we were able to steal customers from thepetition.

    ¡¸Purchasing our goods will serve to benefit your health! Our establishment uses the ever so scarce resource of magic-infused water in all our operations! Don¡¯t miss this chance! Get your serving here and now before it¡¯s all gone! I repeat, Recovery Water is right at your fingertips!¡¹

    Apparently, magic-infused water was actually considered a luxury good amongst the general popce, so Colbert advertising our use of it actually managed to pull in quite a decent number of customers.

    I would¡¯ve loved for things to keep going as well as they had, but fate wasn¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call kind.

    ¡¸The foock is this sheet? You supposed to be sellin garbage?¡¹

    ¡¸B*tch, you call this bread? Looks like trash to me. The hell is wrong wit chu, chargin people for trash? Y¡¯all foocked up and crazy.¡¹

    Our stall ended up getting approached by a group of mohawked dudes, their bodies adorned with unfantasy-like, metal-studded leather jackets.

    Gross.

    I could tell what was going on at a nce. They were obviously just an unruly bunch hired by one of ourpetitors. This was further evidenced by what I saw upon taking a quick peek at their stats. They were incredibly weak. I mean, I guess you could sic them on a normal person, or like the average chef or something because of how they looked, but they were honestly far too pathetic to do anything to an adventurer, let alone a whole group of them.

    ¡¸Come on, hurry it up. Get the foock outta here with yo dirty ass sheetpile merchandise.¡¹

    ¡¸Yee, probably tastes like foocking garbage anyway. Sheet¡¯s so ugly that looking at is enough ta make me want ta vomit. Shieeeeet.¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry it up, get a move on. You know what, yer asses be slow as hell. We¡¯ll foockin move you ourselves!¡¹

    The disgustingly dressed men pulled out a series of club-like weapons as they approached, an action that immediately caused our customers to start screaming in panic.

    However, they didn¡¯t so much as manage the slightest act before they copsed.

    Fran was supposed to have been cooking, but she somehow managed to end up behind them. I didn¡¯t actually know when she first moved to strike them, but if I had to guess, I¡¯d say it was probably right after they insulted curry bread.

    All four men had been deprived of their ability to move; they¡¯d been left paralyzed by a series of electric shocks.

    I wanted to get right back to selling stuff, but I also kind of wanted to try getting some information out of them too.

    ¡ºYou can leave the follow up to me and just focus on getting back to work, Fran.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, go grab one of them.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I used Stone Wall to make sure no one could see what I was going to do to the man Urushi dragged away. I then took the additional precaution of casting Silence as to ensure that his screams wouldn¡¯t be heard by anyone outside the enclosure.

    ¡ºWe¡¯d better get this done quick. Colbert¡¯s already called the guards over.¡»

    I immediately made a doppelganger and smacked the man across the face a few times in order to wake him up.

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    Smack

    ¡¸Argghh!¡¹

    ¡¸Heal.¡¹

    I punched the man right in the nose the moment he opened his eyes before fixing him right back up without so much as the slightest pause.

    ¡¸Wha¡ª¡¹

    Crack

    ¡¸Grarrgh!!¡¹

    ¡¸Heal.¡¹

    I then repeated the process, but this time, I broke his legs instead of punching him.

    And so the cycle continued. I hit him, and healed him, only to hit him and heal him some more. All in all, I had to do it about ten times before finally terrifying him to the point where he¡¯d start screaming with his face twisted in fear the moment I even so much as moved a muscle.

    Sweet. That should be enough to make him talk.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll stop doing this to you if you tell me what I want to know.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll tell you everything! I¡¯ll talk, so please, no more! Please!¡¹

    Everything from that point onward went just as smoothly as I¡¯d hoped. The man answered all my questions without so much as even the slightest trace of a lie.

    His group was nothing but a bunch of petty hoodlums. They didn¡¯t have the spirit required for adventuring, nor the courage needed to step onto the battlefield as a mercenary. All their ie came from them harassing the townsfolk.

    Justst night, they were hired by a man whose identity they knew little of. They didn¡¯t bother finding out either. All they really cared about was that the man had paid a generous ten thousand Golde per person. The task bestowed upon them was to harass and destroy a pair of stalls. Their group was normally a group of eight, but today, they¡¯d split in two halves in order to more efficientlyplete said task. The other stall they were asked to attack turned out to be the one run by the orphanage.

    I tried prying so I could find out a bit more about that mysterious employer of theirs, but it turned out that the man I¡¯d captured really didn¡¯t know much, as he pretty much ended up getting treated like a disposable pawn. Oh well, time to hand him over to the guards, I guess.

    ¡¸Oi, you.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to be handing you over to the guards now. Answer every question they ask you.¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir.¡¹

    ¡¸But don¡¯t even make the slightest mention of me. The moment you talk about me is the moment you¡¯ll die.¡¹

    I poured magical energy into my fingers, causing them to emit light as I pressed them onto the man¡¯s forehead.

    ¡¸What¡¯re you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I cursed you. I¡¯ll know the moment you tell anyone even the slightest thing about me.¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t tell anyone anything! I swear it! I swear I won¡¯t!¡¹

    I didn¡¯t actually do anything to him, the whole thing was just a bit bluff, a facade. It looked like he totally fell for it though.

    ¡¸I¡¯d say that doing your best to reform and bing a functioning member of society would probably be to your benefit. Not even I know what I¡¯ll do if you¡¯re still the same scum you are now next time we meet.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll definitely do my best! I swear I¡¯ll never do anything bad again! Pl-Please, don¡¯t kill me sir! I beg of you!¡¹

    And so, I let the man regroup with hispanions so they could all be arrested and shipped off to wherever they were being taken together. Colbert seemed to make a bit of a skeptical expression because he noticed that one men was absolutely terrified, but luckily, he didn¡¯t ended up making anything of it.

    ¡ºLooks like the orphanage is in trouble.¡»

    £¨Master, go.£©

    ¡ºYou sure?¡»

    £¨Nn. I can¡¯t leave.£©

    Fran was responsible for everything that happened here because she¡¯d registered for me by proxy. Hence, she was obligated to stay with the stall and upservise it all the way through to the end. The Chef¡¯s Guild¡¯s staff was still watching her every move, so she couldn¡¯t just up and leave without suffering the consequences.

    ¡ºAlright then, I guess I¡¯ll just take Urushi with me and go.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    £¨Leave stall to me.£©

    ¡ºSure thing. Alright, let¡¯s go Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Bork bork!¡¹

    Urushi transported me inside of his shadow as we began to move.

    Being a sword, or rather, an inorganic, made life pretty convenient at times like this. Since I didn¡¯t actually count as a real living thing, I could totally be treated like any other item and stored and stuff. Interestingly enough though, I could actually see the outside world from inside of Urushi¡¯s shadow.

    The wolf dashed through the city at full speed whilst simultaneously doing his best not to stand out. The guards had started chasing us on more than one asion, but, they were far too slow to keep up with Urushi¡¯s ridiculously high speed. Moreover, Urushi had a mark that proved he was Fran¡¯s familiar. Said mark made everything a whole lot less of a pain in the ass. That said, we still couldn¡¯t help but end up scaring a few children here and there along the way, but the most we could do was give them a mental apology seeing as the circumstances were what they were.

    ¡ºI see it.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The orphanage stall was about as crowded as crowded could be, but despite that, it¡¯s queue was incredibly well organised. Their customers managed to form a line about three hundred heads long without any sort of fuss. Holy crap.

    ¡¸Woof woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Look! It¡¯s Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey Urushi, what¡¯re you doing here?¡¹

    The orphanage children immediately recognized Urushi and ran towards him. Wait, aren¡¯t they supposed to be helping out or something?

    I¡¯d assumed they would be, but turning my gaze towards the stall allowed me to understand that there wasn¡¯t any issue. The kids that ran over to us were the younger, livelier ones, whereas the ones helping out were the slightly older and more responsible ones.

    Urushi seemed quite happy with the fact that the orphanage¡¯s children had swarmed him in order to pet him, as most people ended up freezing up in fear the moment they saw him. The kids¡¯ attitudes stemmed from the fact Fran and saved the orphanage. They thought of Urushi as her pet, and thus, viewed him in a rather favourable light.

    Nothing¡¯s seemed to have happened just yet, so I figured there wasn¡¯t harm in sitting around and letting Urushi enjoy himself a bit longer.

    Unfortunately though, my thoughts almost seemed to have jinxed the whole damn thing, as the peace was broken the moment after the idea crossed my mind.

    ¡¸The foock!? You foocking expect us to pay for this!? You been smokin some hot sheet dawg, this sheet soup ain¡¯t got nothing but bushweed in it.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m terribly sorry¡­¡¹

    ¡¸B*tch, you think I¡¯m going to just forgive yo dumb ass just ¡®cause you apologizin? Hell naw. You want me to forgive you? Close this shack ass stall down right the foock now!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You talkin back to me b*tch?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­¡¹

    A sense of deja vu assaulted me as I watched a group of unfashionable men harass Io and the children working by her side.

    ¡¸Please forgive us.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m scared!!¡¹

    ¡¸Wahhhh!¡¹

    A few of the children began screaming and crying in response to the thugs¡¯ intimidation.

    ¡¸Shut cho ass up!¡¹

    ¡¸Get on all fours and beg! Do it, b*tch!¡¹

    Okay, yeah, the men were definitely taking it too far. Io had long gone pale in the face.

    ¡ºGet¡¯em boy.¡»

    ¡¸Grrrrrr¡¹

    ¡¸The foock¡¯s wrong with this mangy mutt?¡¹

    ¡¸The hell you looking at? I¡¯ll kill yo as-argghghhghg!¡¹

    Urushi tackled one of the men. His body flew well over ten meters andnded with a crack as he transitioned into an unmoving lump.

    The same soon happened to the other three. Each of the men flew through the streets like a bullet before copsing.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Yay! You did it!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re so cool, Urushi!!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi then proceeded to grab the men one by one and pile them all up in a single spot, after which he vaulted on top of them and howled as if to dere victory. This action led the children around him to cheer with even greater ferocity. Luckily, it looked like they didn¡¯t end up traumatized as a result of the thugs¡¯ actions.

    The whole event came to a conclusion when a few guards came over and took the ruffians we beat down into custody.

    I¡¯m d we managed to show up when we did. The orphanage would¡¯ve ended up in a pretty bad spot otherwise. Whoever was responsible for this was one hell of a conniving coont.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s that taken care of, so let¡¯s lead back.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I mean, there was no way there was going to be more than one set of thugs attacking each ce in a single day anyways.

    The day passed as per my expectations. Everything from that one point onwards went as smoothly as could be, and we ended without any other disturbances.

    Every single participant was obligated to return to the Chef¡¯s Guild at the day¡¯s end in order to temporarily hand over their stalls. There, we learned that simr things had happened to a few other participants as well. Specifically, the orphanage aside, there were two that¡¯d suffered from simr circumstances: The Dragon¡¯s Table and The Noble¡¯s Dish.

    ¡¸Any problems?¡¹

    ¡¸None. The Dragon¡¯s Table¡¯s shopkeeper used to be an A ranked adventurer before retiring.¡¹

    ¡¸Strong?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s still more than strong enough to handle a few petty criminals. They say he used to hunt Dragons so he could use their meat in his dishes back in the day.¡¹

    Huh, a former A rank dragon yer? That¡¯s pretty interesting. He just so happened to be talking with one of the guild¡¯s clerks, so I decided to give him a quick once over in order to check out his stats.

    ¡ºWoah, he¡¯s 60? Holy crap!¡»

    He honestly looked to me like he was in his mid 40¡¯s. Moreover, he was still pretty strong. Retirement had caused his skills and stats to weaken to the point where he was statistically inferior to Colbert. However, if you were topare the two, I¡¯d say with confidence that the former would be much more difficult to defeat than thetter.

    I could tell at a nce that he was experienced in battle. The craftyness derived from his knowledge base would be far more troublesome an asset than sheer numbers.

    I then turned towards and observed the guy who appeared to be in charge of The Noble¡¯s Dish. He was followed by a series of cronies, and gave off an attitude that seemed to stress self-importance over all. Apparently, he himself was the Lord¡¯s third son, and was currently acting as a chef under his older brother¡¯s, the second son¡¯s employ.

    Honestly, he seemed pretty damn weak. How the hell did he manage to drive his assants away?

    ¡¸I heard that he prostrated himself before telling them that he didn¡¯t care what they did to him. However, he begged and begged for them them to at least overlook his customers. The thugs ended up losing interest and leaving shortly after.¡¹

    Huh¡­ That might end up making The Noble¡¯s Dish quite a bit more popr than they were before.

    Thankfully, none of the four shops attacked actually ended up suffering any losses. However, that wasn¡¯t to say that everything was already done and over with; we¡¯d have to be cautious going forward as well.

    What a pain in the ass¡­

    I¡¯d like to prevent anything from happening to the orphanage if possible. Hopefully, they¡¯d be able to fend for themselves. I did hear that some of their alumni were going to start guarding them as of tomorrow. Said alumni had ended up bing adventurers after gaining their independence, so they should be okay.

    Either way, the first day had nowe to an end. We¡¯d already returned our cart and parted ways with Colbert and the three salesgirls. We ended up selling a whole seven thousand servings, much more than I¡¯d initially expected. I was going to have to work hard tonight so I could replenish our stocks.

    I started thinking back on the day¡¯s events as I worked. It was pretty obvious that whole reason we ended up getting assaulted was because one of the twenty participants was trying to get rid of as many of theirpetitors as possible. That said, there were far more than just twenty suspects, seeing as how almost everyone had sponsors and backers and whatnot. The only four people I could possibly exclude from the list of suspects would be the victims themselves.

    Wait¡­ hold on a second. Why did The Noble¡¯s Dish manage to get away with nothing more than a few moments worth of prostration? The orphanage was about to have their stallpletely torn down in spite of their apologies.

    Yeah, this totally feels like a set-up.

    It¡¯s possible that the thugs ended up deciding not to mess with The Nobel¡¯s Dish because the guy running the ce was the local Lord¡¯s son, but I doubt it. There had to be more to it than just that.

    It¡¯d probably be good for us to keep an eye on them for the time being.

    ¡ºUrushi.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºDo you still remember how the Lord¡¯s third son smelled?¡»

    ¡¸Bork.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, can you do me a favour and keep an eye on him and check what he¡¯s up to?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I had to stay here and keep making curry bread. Fran was still growing, so she couldn¡¯t afford to stay up. Moreover, she¡¯s going to be responsible for protecting the stall tomorrow too, so she¡¯s going to need all the energy she can get. In other words, Urushi was the only one left avable for the job.

    ¡ºI¡¯m counting on you, boy!¡»

 Chapter 118: The Second Day

    <h4>Chapter 118: The Second Day</h4>

    Fran and I started getting everything ready for tomorrow after seeing Urushi on his way.

    I was originally nning on saving the spicy kind so I could introduce it on the second day, but all the stress had gotten to me, and I identally ended up having them sold alongside our other two vours. In other words, I¡¯d have to introduce a brand new vour in order to make sure everything went ording to n.

    ¡¸Master. Thought up new curry dish.¡¹

    ¡ºOh? Sounds interesting. What kind?¡»

    ¡¸Combination of Master¡¯s best dishes. Curry sushi.¡¹

    ¡ºNot bad. The name¡¯s got a good weight to it.¡»

    I can¡¯t really speak for the taste though. Thebination seemed so odd that I couldn¡¯t even fathom it. Moreover was the fact that the concept itself didn¡¯t really seem all that applicable to curry bread in particr.

    But that aside, I did have a pretty good idea myself.

    What I needed to make was a super spice that transcended the realm of super spices, a super spice that went even further beyond. Naturally, a vour as potent as that would need itself a pretty solid name. I¡¯d considered a few things like Death Spice and Ogre Spice, but I ultimately ended up going with Dragon Spice. Dragons were considered the world¡¯s most powerful creatures, and the whole idea was that the spice was the same. I was thinking of giving it a dragon themed slogan too. I could totally see it selling if we said that ¡°eating it¡¯ll make you breathe fire, just like a dragon!¡±

    The Dragon Spice Curry Bread had a bit of alteration put into three different parts of its cooking process. First was the filling. Most of my other curries had been made Japanese style. They¡¯d also only used a single type of meat. The Dragon Spice, on the other hand, was a pork and beef curry that moreso followed the Indian Qeema style. The dough I was using for its breading had a bit of ck spice mixed into it, and as a result, shone with a much darker lustre. The final change was the manner in which it was deep fried; I mixed quite a bit ofrd into the oil so I could fully draw out the curry¡¯s taste.

    I then came up with an iteration of our mildest vour. The idea was to remove a bit of spice, add some cheese and ultimately craft a batch of Cheese Curry Bread.

    Furthermore, I¡¯d improve the recipe even further by grabbing all the bread crumbs I¡¯d gotten from the whole frying processes I¡¯d done over the past few days. The point was to rub them into the Cheese Curry Bread¡¯s dough. I figured children would enjoy the texture more that way.

    I couldn¡¯t make all that many of either of the two new variations, but I estimated that I should be able to ramp production up enough to get us at least a solid two thousand of each. Besides, the idea was to call these products limited edition anyways. We¡¯d them at twenty Golde a piece, with a limit on four of each type per customer. I was almostpletely sure that our strategy would cause them to sell. The urge to collect the scarce was something that would have an effect on people regardless of what world they resided in.

    ¡¸As expected of Master.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll work on the two new products I just introduced. Fran, you focus on deep frying the stuff that¡¯s already been prepped.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The two additional types we¡¯de up with ended up leaving us with a total of five different product variations.

    With that in mind, the two of us silently worked until the clock struck midnight. It was only then that I finally finished getting arge batch of curry bread ready to be deep fried.

    ¡ºWhew. That¡¯s half done.¡»

    ¡¸Good work.¡¹

    ¡ºThanks. Wait, what¡¯s that?¡»

    Fran had finished with all the frying she¡¯d been assigned a bit earlier, so she¡¯d moved on to cooking up a little something in a pot.

    ¡¸Curry sushi. Complete.¡¹

    Fran would normally mind how tedious the work was, but today all her reluctance had been thoroughly suppressed by her curiosity. The pot beside her looked like something along the lines of curry. She¡¯d swapped one of the ingredients out for a fishy stock, and caused the pot¡¯s contents to moreso resemble a soup than a curry. Beside said batch of soup-like curry was a few pieces of the tuna sushi we¡¯d made back on the ship.

    ¡¸Put sauce on sushi. Eat.¡¹

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    Fran immediately began pressuring me into consuming her creation.

    ¡¸Try?¡¹

    ¡ºSure¡­¡»

    I¡¯ll admit the dish was a bit weird and off putting. However, Fran was its creator, and thus, I had absolutely no choice but to eat it. Period. Full stop.

    Thus, I made a doppelganger, grabbed a piece of sushi and dipped it right into the pot of curry. Again, I couldn¡¯t help but note that it didn¡¯t look delicious. Seeing a piece of tuna smothered in yellow sauce did nothing but curb my appetite.

    But that didn¡¯t matter! There was no way any real man could possibly back off from a situation like this one!

    ¡¸Here goes.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Nom nom nom¡­

    Huh? That¡¯s weird. It doesn¡¯t taste bad at all. In fact, I¡¯d say it was pretty good. For some odd reason, the curry¡¯s spices actually managed to draw out the Tuna¡¯s vour. The vinegared sushi rice actually seemed to work decently well with the wholebination too.

    Or actually, I guess this does make sense. Fran¡¯s cooking is maxed out, and she¡¯s even got a title for it. She would actually be even better than I am at it should she give it her all. Needless to say, the making of this dish had caused her to do exactly that.

    Unfortunately, I still don¡¯t really think that the whole thing she¡¯s got going here is something we can actually apply to curry bread, but, she seemed satisfied with the result, so all was good. After confirming my approval, she polished off the rest of the sushi before heading back to the inn with her spirits high.

    I, on the other hand, had no choice to get back to work. That said, I¡¯d just managed to get myself a portion of Fran¡¯s cooking, something that was pretty much of legendary rarity. Hence, I was as pumped as could be, and ready to fry all night.

    The first thing we did the next day was submit a few documents to the cooking guild so that we could get our new merch approved. We¡¯d written all ingredients in the documents we handed over, so they ended up giving us an immediate thumbs up after giving the products a quick sample.

    Our second day went much better than our first. News about our products had spread through word of mouth overnight. As a result, we ended up being permanently stuck with a line about two hundred heads long. Our two new additions were doing just as well as anticipated, and as I¡¯d expected, the cheese type was especially popr amongst children.

    Moreover was the fact that we¡¯d yet to experience any sort of trouble.

    Speaking of trouble, The Noble¡¯s Dish had managed to benefit from it greatly. Rumours of their ¡°benevolence¡± had spread throughout the town, and as a result, they ended up being much more popr than they¡¯d been the day before. I heard that they¡¯d also hired a few adventurers as guards as a result of yesterday¡¯s urrences.

    I thought it to be odd, so I ended up appraising the people going around spreading the aforementioned rumours.

    ¡­

    Are you kidding me!? Each and every single one of the rumour spreaders was a godd*mn hoodlum; they all had level one intimidation. There was no way in hell people like them would go out of their way just to sing someone praise.

    This be suspicious as all hell. Urushi¡¯ll probably be able to fill us in on a few more details once he gets back. I¡¯d very much prefer if nothing happened, but having information just in case would be pretty handy.

    And again, I jinxed it. The moment the thought crossed my mind was the moment something happened. It looked like someone had tried to bud into the line, and thus, he ended up arguing with a few of the other customers.

    Fran and Colbert quickly rushed over in order to resolve the situation. However, it seemed to resolve itself before they got there. One of the people in line had been an adventurer. Said adventurer had quickly pinned down the man that¡¯d tried to bud.

    Something about the unruly man felt a bit off. He continued to shout what sounded like nonsense despite having been thoroughly physically repressed. It almost seemed as if the guy had been high as a kite.

    Appraising him returned the result that he was suffering from an abnormal status condition. Specifically, he was afflicted with the ¡°Agitated Heart of Evil.¡± The heck was that supposed to be? Is it any different from just being a bad person?

    We immediately cast Refresh and returned the man¡¯s mental state to its usual demeanor. He didn¡¯tsh out or anything like that again thereafter.

    ¡¸Thanks for watching over him and waiting till we got here.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Thanks for all your the work you put into keeping the peace.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, you. Stand up and walk. Man, I can¡¯t believe how many people have been acting up like this today. It feels like I¡¯ve been escorting rowdy festival goers all day.¡¹

    Was the guy just one of many rampaging drunks or something? I mean, the people back in Japan would end up getty pretty unruly during festivals too. They¡¯d often end up brawling andmitting petty thievery and whatnot. The phenomenon was described as falling to the devil¡¯s temptations, and I didn¡¯t see any reason for it not to ur here in this world as well.

    There were only two interesting things that happened after the man¡¯s initial onught. The first was us getting harassed by yet another one of his kind. The second was when a bunch of dudes with serious looking expressions joined the line. I mean, they hadn¡¯t really tried to bother the other customers or anything like that, so I figured that they were just adventurers or mercenaries. The only issue was that they were so overly grim that seeing them ended up making everyone else feel a bit unsettled. They weren¡¯t really our only set of weird customers, and it wasn¡¯t like we could send them away just cause their faces looked a bit intimidating at a nce.

    It turned out that the reason they¡¯de was because they¡¯d heard rumours of our Dragon Spice variation. The adventurers had started talking about it, and it¡¯d be a widespread im that only a true man could appreciate its vour. Thus, many adventurers had ended uping over to the stall in order to undergo a sort of trial.

    ¡¸It appears that I may have exaggerated a bit too much.¡¹

    God damn it Colbert, this was your fault!?

    Apparently, he¡¯d imed to have passed out as a result of its intense taste, and thus, spurred on all our make a man out of you type guests.

    Yeah, we ultimately decided to end up just pretending they were regr people. They certainly were standing out, but they didn¡¯t cause any harm, and even served to function as deterrents for any potential aggressors, so yeah. Why not, right?

    In other words, the number of real problems we ended up running into before finally making our way back to the Chef¡¯s Guild was two.

    I immediately looked towards the Lord¡¯s third son upon our arrival. He was surrounded by his cronies as usual, but Urushi was far out of sight. My guess was that the wolf was observing from a bit further away.

    ¡¸It looks like we did pretty well today~¡¹

    ¡¸Victory is within our grasp.¡¹

    The noble hade to the guild with more than just his staff members. He¡¯d also brought along some guards, and even the merchant responsible for replenishing his stocks. He even had a few additional noble-like people with him this time, which I figured was pretty much natural seeing as how he was the son of a Lord. They were all really haughty and cocky looking. There was no way in hell anyone like them would ever prostrate before a meremoner, even if saidmoner was a customer.

    I wanted to observe the group for faults, but was ultimately interrupted as someone approached Fran and started up a conversation with her.

    ¡¸Good evening.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Evening.¡¹

    ¡¸I am The Dragon¡¯s Table¡¯s owner. The name is Fermus.¡¹

    The man who named himself Fermus had wavy long hair, and a pair of thin, wide eyes. He stood at about a hundred and eighty centimeters tall. Despite the fact that he was fully clothed, I could tell at a nce that his entire body was constructed of steel-like muscle; his long limbs were built as could be.

    His face was decorated with a gentle smile, one that I was sure had taken the hearts of many a woman captive. Even the man¡¯s wrinkles seemed to add to his charm. He seriously didn¡¯t look his age. I couldn¡¯t shake the impression that he just had to be in his mid forties.

    I did as I had yesterday and once again gave him a quick scan, and verified once more than the numbers I¡¯d seen were correct. He really was sixty, and a pure blooded human at that. The hell sort of anti-aging cream was he using!?

    ¡¸Nn. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸You see, I have recently had the opportunity to sample your shop¡¯s curry bread.¡¹

    Oh? Is he trying to pick a fight, or¡­?

    ¡¸I have to say, eating it really inflicted me with quite a bit of emotion. Tasting something so unique left me feeling moved, its vour was one I¡¯d never before even imagined. I believe they say that it was your master that constructed the dish?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master¡¯s creation.¡¹

    ¡¸And a wonderful creation it is. Please ry to your master that I was incredibly impressed with his work.¡¹

    Being praised by a chef as aplished as the man standing before me gave me a rush of dopamine.

    ¡ºDo me a favour and tell him that I¡¯m delighted to hear his words.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Master happy.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do stop by my store with your master sometime. That concludes my business, so I shall be taking my leave for now. I do hope to see you there.¡¹

    Fermus did as he said and left immediately afterwards. His actions were mirrored by a few other chefs, they each approached us in turn in order to sing praises of how unique and delicious our product was. I couldn¡¯t help but feel the urge to smile. Each and every single one of them was offering honest praise.

    That, however, was soon interrupted as the Lord¡¯s third son approached us. All the other chefs backed away the moment they saw him start to move in our direction.

    ¡¸Ugh, I don¡¯t like that guy.¡¹

    ¡¸All of his profitse from his connections.¡¹

    ¡¸He definitely goes out of his way to make himself look good too.¡¹

    ¡¸The guy has a lot of rumours about him, so be careful, alright?¡¹

    The chefs immediately began bad mouthing him as they took their distances. Looked like he wasn¡¯t what you¡¯d call liked.

    ¡¸The name¡¯s Waint. I hail from The Noble Dish, and like the others, I have also recently had the opportunity to sample Curry Bread.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸It was quite the wonderful dish. It had a novel taste to it, and contained within it a series of vivid vours.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I wish us both luck in thispetition going forward.¡¹

    Pretty much everything that came out of his mouth had been a lie. Moreover, the guy totally started wiping his hands off after exchanging handshakes with Fran.

    ¡¸What an extraneous amount of effort that must have taken. I never would have expected you to not only be obligated to exchange handshakes with, but alsopliment a filthy beastman.¡¹

    ¡¸Fret not. It¡¯s not too hard a task toplete if you think it an act done in good humour.¡¹

    These sons of b*tches start sheet-talking the moment they thought they were out of earshot! You know what? Fine. If you think your hand¡¯s all that dirty, I¡¯ll solve your little problem by cutting it the hell off. That way, you¡¯ll never have to deal with having a dirty hand again.

    Sheet! Where the hell is Urushi? He¡¯s probably got some sort of evidence by now. I swear I¡¯m going to use whatever he found to shove that piece of sheet convicted of literally everything at the very first possible opportunity!

    I can¡¯t do anything for now, but polish that head of yours, you piece of sheet! Cause I¡¯m making a trophy out of it!

    We, or rather, I headed back to the kitchen we rented out with my mood as sour as could be. Unlike me, Fran didn¡¯t really seem to care. She was rather neutral about the whole thing.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I know.¡»

    Fran was on guard, she looked at the restaurant we¡¯d borrowed with her senses turned up to max. Likewise, I toned down my anger and began focusing on the much more important task of observing our surroundings.

    We sensed several people within the former restaurant premises despite that fact that we were the only ones that should¡¯ve had ess. This time around, our guests really werepletely uninvited; they were trespassing on our properties whilst we were away. I wanted to just get in there and ughter them all, but we didn¡¯t own the ce, so I didn¡¯t feel right busting it up or getting blood stains all over its woodwork.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s sneak up on them and incapacitate them for now.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    We thinned out our presences and silently approached the kitchen door. We sensed four intruders in total. Two were in the storefront part of the building, and the other two in the kitchen part.

    Our first move was to cast Silence and stick the key into the door. Strangely enough, the lock was still in the same state it¡¯d been in the morning when we left. Did they break in from the storefront side? Oh well, no point thinking about now. We¡¯ll just beat it out of themter.

    We ever so slightly opened the door just enough so that we could see into the building. None of the intruders looked to be in in sight, they were hiding.

    Were they trying to ambush us? Yeah, that¡¯s not really going to work, not on us at least.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll get the one on the right. You get the one on the left.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    I rushed into the room whilst expanding Silence¡¯s range to cover its entirety. I then immediately struck the man hiding behind the door frame with a bolt of lightning and caused him to pass out with his lips pping wildly.

    Likewise, Fran had also paralyzed her target with the magic equivalent of a taser. We then promptly had both restrained before moving onto theirpanions.

    The other two invaders met a simr set of fates. All four were actually decently strong. Even the weakest of them was at least level twenty. They probably would¡¯ve been able to beat Fran if she was just any other D ranked adventurer. Did they not learn from what happenedst time? Wait, were these people even connected to the other group that attacked us?

    We lined up the four assants and began our usual interrogation processes. To be specific, we started with the highest level dude, the one that looked most leaderlike.

    ¡¸Awake?¡¹

    ¡¸What in the¡­ Untie me!¡¹

    ¡¸Might. Depends on answers. Here, why?¡¹

    ¡¸The hell? Like I know! You think you can get away with this, girl!?¡¹

    And so, ten odd minutes passed.

    All four men were now sitting with their legs tucked underneath their thighs and their butts on their heels. A single nce at their faces revealed that they were now but shadows of their former selves. What a wonderful sight.

    ¡¸Summary. Attacked me to stop participation in King of Cooking?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes Ma¡¯am.¡¹

    Weren¡¯t we getting attacked a bit too often? Like, could they cut it out already? It isn¡¯t even threatening, it¡¯s just annoying.

    Asking about the person behind all of this ended up providing us a with a name that we¡¯d yet to know.

    ¡¸Man behind this. Named Rynford?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes ma¡¯am.¡¹

    Apparently this Rynford guy was some old man staying alongside a few subordinates at the manor we identified a few days back. The men here were hired by said Rynford.

    So why was Rynford they trying to mess with us anyways? Was he trying to back up the Lord¡¯s third son and increase his chances at winning? Or was it maybe something rted to the whole alchemist thing that was going on a few days back? Or maybe this Rynford guy worked for the alchemist? But if that¡¯s the case, then why try to stop us of all people?

    We need more information. At this rate though, it really seemed that we might have to end up raiding the manor after all¡­

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re stuck waiting for Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 119: Side: Bluke

    <h4>Chapter 119: Side: Bluke</h4>

    ¡¸What!? What in God¡¯s name is going on!?¡¹

    Why won¡¯t everything bend to my wishes!? Barbra is nothing short of a metropolis, and I, Bluke Krysten, am its Lord¡¯s second son. By that logic, the very city should bend to my will!

    ¡¸Zerais! Did you not im that the city would be thrown astir? Exin yourself!¡¹

    I red upon the petite man standing before me. He appeared thin and unhealthy as ever, but he more than had his uses.

    His name was as I¡¯d shouted moments before. He was former disciple to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s famed Eugene, and also the reason for which the great alchemist was expunged from hispanions¡¯ circle. The same fate had naturally befallen Zerais, and hence, he¡¯d fallen into the grasp of Barbra¡¯s underground. His current tasks mainly involved participation in the illegal.

    Frankly, he was a madman. His research involved infusing magic crystals into human flesh, all in the name of creating members of the demon race. Truly, a realm of research from which even the Gods themselves would veer. However, the man was quitepetent in spite of his lunacy, and as a result, he and I had experienced together .

    The potions and poisons he produced truly put their value on disy in my times of need. They would allow me to overturn a woman¡¯s decision should she reject the offer to be made into one of my concubines. More importantly, they could even be used to silence themoners that wished to prattle to my father of my misdeeds.

    Our association has granted me the ability to prosper, and it is through him that I was able to obtain my current position.

    ¡¸Oh, that. Looks to me like someone¡¯s been getting in our way.¡¹

    ¡¸I demand more details.¡¹

    Had my ns been exposed¡­?

    ¡¸Are you familiar with the name ¡°The ck Tail?¡±¡¹

    ¡¸I haven¡¯t the slightest clue.¡¹

    If I were to guess, I would likely assume it to be some sort of restaurant. I fail to see how a mere restaurant would have any sort of association with my goals.

    ¡¸The ck Tail is one of the participants in this year¡¯s King of Cooking.¡¹

    ¡¸And what of it? I see no corrtion.¡¹

    ¡¸The stall I mentioned earlier is making use of magic-infused water in its products. Specifically, it¡¯s using the Water of Recovery, which dispels the effects of any abnormal status conditions cast on the consumer within the past few days.¡¹

    ¡¸Really now?¡¹

    I doubt that a mere street stall would have the capacity to mass produce magic-infused water.

    ¡¸It¡¯s true. I had one of my subordinates get his hands on one of their products. Their items have recovery-based properties.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk. In other words, they are ruining our ns then?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, especially seeing as how they¡¯re selling their products for just ten Golde apiece.¡¹

    ¡¸So they¡¯ve essentially flooded the markets?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ve been selling at least five thousand units a day.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s a fair chance that most of The Noble Dish¡¯s customers will have ingested their products as well.¡¹

    I doubt that their decision was one made as a result of their knowledge of my ns. That, however, doesn¡¯t change their fate. Anyone who stands in my path shall be eliminated, be their intrusional intentional or otherwise.

    ¡¸Crush them.¡¹

    ¡¸I already hired and sent a few people over, but none have managed to seed.¡¹

    ¡¸Did they hire some sort of guard?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems like they¡¯ve Iron w Colbert. He practically stays with them all day. The shopkeeper¡¯s also an adventurer herself, and a D ranked one at that.¡¹

    ¡¸And what of Rynford¡¯s subordinates? The only reason I decided to shelter him was so that he could be of use at times like these.¡¹

    Rynford was the name of one of Zerais¡¯ fellow researchers. Specifically, Zerais had introduced him two months prior. Though he was a researcher, he appeared moreso like a mercenary. Most of his subordinates were well versed inbat. Many of them bore scars upon their knees, and thus, were suspicious. They likely would not have been allowed to enter the city if not for my influence. Nowadays, the man spent each day holed up within this precise manor. He was an even more peculiar man than Zerais himself, but, he too was useful, especially when it came time for the application of violence.

    ¡¸Rynford had sent several of his level twenty plus subordinates, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You mean to say they failed? How ridiculous! The shop¡¯s owner is but a mere D rank!¡¹

    ¡¸Not a single one of them has returned. Rynford¡¯s assault was not actually the first. I began by hiring a set ofckeys from the city¡¯s underground, but lost contact with them after sending them on their way. I can¡¯t even confirm as to whether they¡¯re dead or alive.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡­ is concerning. Does the shop¡¯s owner perhaps have some sort of hidden escort guarding her at all times?¡¹

    ¡¸I have no idea. I tried looking into her, but I all I could dig up was that she was a D ranked adventurer, and that she¡¯d been rewarded with a near excessive number of spices for her contribution in defeating a set of pirates.¡¹

    ¡¸ce more effort into your investigations.¡¹

    ¡¸I already tried that. She¡¯d only just arrived in Barbra, so detailed information about her is difficult toe by. The only other fact we have is that she came to the city aboard one of the Luciel Conglomerate¡¯s ships. We did manage to bribe one of the ship¡¯s workers, but all we got from him was the time in which she¡¯d arrived at the city.¡¹

    In other words, there was no way for us to grasp ahold of her weaknesses!? ursed peasant! I cannot believe that my ns are about to be spoiled by a mere plebeian.

    ¡¸Shall we employ mercenaries then? I doubt she would be able to survive a wave of thirty regardless of the extent of her abilities.¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t your honoured father catch wind of your movements if you don¡¯t keep them in moderation?¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk.¡¹

    My old man did have several subordinates within the city¡¯s confines. There was a chance he¡¯d catch wind of my ns for a coup d¡¯etat if I didn¡¯t keep my actions minimal. Foock!

    How obnoxious. How long does that old sheet n to stand in my way? The only reason I wished to take his seat in the first ce was because of hisck of ability to discern quality.

    ¡°Your not worthy of the Lord¡¯s position¡± my ass! My older brother is nothing short of trash. His only defining trait is his ability to be diligent. Hecks my intellect, and even so much as fails to to understand what it means to have a nobleman¡¯s pride. The fact that he takes a servile attitude even when speaking withmoners irritates me to point of wanting to foocking strangle him!

    He was nothing but a weak, weak man. I was a far more suitable heir, and it was precisely the knowledge of that fact that led me to wish to wrest the position from right under his nose.

    My n was to cause Barbra to descend into mayhem and then shift all the me onto my father in order to force him into retirement. Normally, my brother would end up bing the lord in such a case, so I¡¯d arrange to have him killed in the chaos.

    Causing all that chaos was Zerais¡¯ job. The first n we had was to have him poison a group of plebeians and have them rampage. However, we soon realized that such a meagre act would take a few dozen lives at most.

    Such a small scale event was far from what we needed to fulfil our desires. Thus, Zerais crafted a second, more devastating scheme, one that would cause the whole town to descend into not but madness and destruction.

    Naturally, I epted his proposal. It was one that would cause many to perish, but I paid it no mind. Most were mere plebeians, and thus, irrelevant. Little of value would be sacrificed.

    There was, however, one key factor required for our n toe to fruition: Waint Krystan, my mentally deficient younger brother.

    Waint was so stupid that not even I, his flesh and blood, could resist proiming him a retard. He¡¯d been born as a Marquis¡¯ third son, but he ended something as peasant-like as a chef for reasons nothing short of ridiculous. I paid little care to the details, but I recall his reasoning as something as nonsensical as adoring the taste of the food the Royal Pce¡¯s dishes.

    He and I had two clearly distinct mentalities. If I were to follow ambitions like his, I would seek to be a titan by acquiring cooking-rted businesses and expanding through investment. He, on the other hand, actually became a stupid foocking pleb, and even went as far as to open his own shop. I remember trying out his cooking once, but it¡¯d consisted of nothing but vourless garbage. Believe it or not, the moron had even lost all his ambition. All he desired now was be a famous chef, and so the retard developed the habit of buying expensive materials just so he could transform them into worthless tes of junk.

    I never once suspected that his meaningless, idiotic ambitions would culminate in a form from which I could find use. I employed him by investing into his shop and financially subordinating him.

    Nobles that wished to build connections with my father and I frequented the shop. However, for reasons unknown, they soon began to tter the wrong individual. They spoke of my brother¡¯s aplishments and named him a chef of skill. Sheer nonsense. Waint¡¯s ability wasughable. He himselfcked the skill to break through King of Cooking¡¯s preliminaries, so I offered my assistance through the act of donating to the Chef¡¯s Guild arge sum. Through said donation, I allowed my brother to bypass the initialpetition and immediately enter into the second round.

    Iter discovered, however, that he was even less of an intellectual that I¡¯d surmised. The retard hired a gathering of loose-lipped grunts in order to harass hispetitors. Shocked I was to see him even send a group after his own shop so he could perform a sort of stage act. His actions naturally led the guild to immediately begin an investigation, and thus, I once again had to step in as to prevent his disqualification. Many of the guild¡¯s staff members worked to retain thepetition¡¯s fidelity. However, as was with all other organisations, therey corrupt individuals within their ranks, all of which happily casted their duties aside in order to ept my bribes.

    And that was the sequence of events that led up to this point, the point where I could finally put my n into action.

    The concept was as follows: Waint would make use of a specific ss of magic-infused water, one that cursed any who ingested it. Of course, the n was one doomed to fail lest we won over individuals within the guild ¡ª but that was a hurdle long ovee.

    Our magic-infused water was a form that Zerais and Rynford had developed in cohesion. I knew little of the details, but I was aware that the curse it spread was one that caused evil thoughts to develop within its victims. It could provoke any given individual into throwing a fit of violent rage so long as they consumed a substantial quantity of the substance. Most impressive was the substance¡¯s dyed effect. The plebeians that consumed it would only lose their minds after enough time hade to pass. Thus, they would disperse from the water¡¯s source before any sort of unnatural urrence. Waint himself was nothing short of an idiot, and for reason unknown, thought what we had given to be in magic-infused water. Everything was perfect; my pawn had not even so much as realized that he was being merely being used.

    The publicity provided from the King of Cooking provided The Noble¡¯s Dish a grand total of 3000 customers each day. Basic mathematics led to the conclusion that the number of customers would ultimately culminate at approximately 10000, a number that more than satisfied my requirements. All that was needed was for us to let loose the familiars upon which Zerais had research in order to aplish our goals.

    The urrence of such widespread insanity would leave Barbra¡¯s lord with no choice but to im responsibility for the events that had perspired. He would be pardoned with only retirement if luck were to be on his side. However, there was also a chance that the Lord himself would be resigned to a status equivalent to that of a criminal¡¯s. Barbra was a major portside city, and of great importance to the Kingdom. Failing in its governance was a grave sin.

    Hah! The thought of sending my father to trial put an unerasable smile upon my face.

    My ns had been perfect.

    Yet, they¡¯d failed.

    A fool had identally thrown off my predictions through the act of creating a sort of bread that nullified curses. Ridiculous! It was nothing but ridiculous! Don¡¯t foock with me!

    Zerais¡¯ reports stated that the crime rate had indeed risen on a year to year basis. However, the situation had yet to spiral out of hand.

    Something had to be done.

    The ck Tail must be no more.

    ¡¸Use him.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure? He may end up causing quite the amount of damage.¡¹

    ¡¸He is our only option!¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. I understand. I¡¯ll bring him here.¡¹

    A man over two meters tall appeared before after ten minutes worth of waiting. His body was covered in ayer of scarred, coppery skin. His muscles appeared so expansive that the simple act of witnessing them led me to suspect that we never had the need to employ a method as roundabout as cursing the citizens in the first ce. His flesh bore such strength that I would not have doubted any ims suggesting that his heritage had been part ogre.

    He was Rynford¡¯s strongest subordinate, a former C ranked adventurer. The rumors said that he was just as strong as any B rank, but was denied promotion as a result of his behaviour. To verify the im, I had him duel one of my former C ranked subordinates. Lo and behold, he lived up to his reputation and vanquished the man in a matter of moments.

    They called him Zerrosreed The Berserker. He had little interest in anything but strengthening his body. He was what one could call a battle fanatic, a warrior sought out powerful foes for the sole sake of self improvement. He was known to even turn his de on hispanions and allies on a daily basis without even the slightest shred of care. More than one of these asions had culminated in the act of manughter.

    That alone did was but one of his many faults. Zerrosreed was well known for a certain incident, an incident that provided him two things: expulsion from the adventurer¡¯s guild, and a bounty that extended throughout the continent. The man had been employed by a nearby country for the sake of war. However, as anticipated by many, he turned his de on his allies for the sake of testing his strength, and so, he¡¯d felled the country¡¯s prince, yed him in cold blood. The act destroyed his allies¡¯ chain ofmand and caused them to to lose most their forces. The country suffered a huge territorial loss, and thus, issued a price for his head. Such a act would cause many a warrior to live their lives in shame. He, however, had not the slightest semnce of repentance or atonement. In fact, the man imed to be grateful. The bounty had led many a powerful to challenge him tobat.

    Comprehending a specimen such as himself was impossible. All that I knew was that his brain was constructed of muscle, and that he possessed a ridiculous amount of power.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve a job for you.¡¹

    ¡¸Haven¡¯t any chances to go on a good old rampagetely, so gimme something that¡¯ll let me loose.¡¹

    ¡¸I see no problems satisfying that condition. A rampage is all I would ever hope from you to begin with.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah hah hah! True, true.¡¹

    I failed to see the reason for which the oversized man had sped his belly inughter, but cast all considerations aside. I needed not to understand but the fact that he could be used.

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡¸What was that¡­?¡¹

    I could have sworn that I caught wind of some sort of bark-like noise from a nearby room. That, however, was nonsensical. This manor was one that kept no pets, it was simply not possible for there to be such a sound.

    ¡¸Perhaps I have allowed myself more exhaustion than is reasonable.¡¹

    The dog I heard was ultimately dismissed as a mere figment of my imagination.

 Chapter 120: Taking the Initiative

    <h4>Chapter 120: Taking the Initiative</h4>

    The second day was over, and so, Fran and I naturally had to begin preparing for the third. I really would¡¯ve wanted everything go smoothly for once, but our processes were interrupted as we detected yet another group approaching the restaurant we were borrowing. This time, however, neither Fran nor I bothered to tense up or prepare ourselves forbat.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºYup, Urushi¡¯s back. Though. it looks like he¡¯s got a few people following him¡­¡»

    ¡¸Four.¡¹

    Focusing a bit more effort into reading our surroundings allowed me to figure out roughly what was going on. The people apanying Urushi were all people we were pretty well acquainted with. That is, I was able to recognize them as Colbert and the three salesgirls. However, I wasn¡¯t able to intuit why they were here or even grouped up with Urushi to begin with.

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Opening door now.¡¹

    We weed our four employees inside, only to notice that the strongest of them had sustained an injury. Colbert was walking with a limp, and it didn¡¯t even look like he could stand on his own. Judith had to support him in order for him to make it indoors. The cloth wrapped around his left leg was alreadypletely stained in crimson.

    Damn. What happened?

    ¡¸Injured?¡¹

    ¡¸Please don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m sorry for appearing before you in such a disgraceful manner. It was a minor blunder.¡¹

    ¡¸He ended up getting hurt because he protected us.¡¹

    ¡¸Colbert probably would¡¯ve won if we weren¡¯t there to drag him down.¡¹

    ¡¸It was all our fault.¡¹

    There was no doubting that Colbert was strong. He had high stats, and it was strikingly obvious that he¡¯d honed his technical skills as well. We knew for a fact that he was worthy of his rank. I understand that he had to protect The Scarlet Maidens and all, but still, that was a pretty big injury right there, one that could only have been inflicted by a formidable opponent.

    ¡¸I happened to have a potion on hand, but its effect was not strong enough to heal all my injuries.¡¹

    ¡¸His whole foot had been torn off!¡¹

    Apparently the injury had been even worse just a bit earlier.

    ¡¸Urushi saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸We were in a pretty bad spot, but Urushi managed to drive off the person that attacked us.¡¹

    ¡¸He appeared from the man¡¯s shadow and executed a well timed sneak attack. It was quite a splendid maneuver.¡¹

    ¡¸He was really awesome!¡¹

    Ahhh, I see now. So that¡¯s why they came back together.

    ¡¸First, fix injury. Greater Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing! My injuries are closing so rapidly that I can see them vanishing before my very eyes.¡¹

    ¡¸Woah, you¡¯re this good at healing magic too? Just how far ahead of me are you, Magic Sword Girl¡­? And just how depressed do you want me to be!?¡¹

    We had them sit down and exin what¡¯d happened after making sure Colbert had gotten all healed up.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it all started when we parted ways at the Chef¡¯s Guild. We were nning to head back to the inn we were staying at.¡¹

    ¡¸The three of us have been staying there ever since we first started adventuring.¡¹

    ¡¸I had nned to return to my residence after escorting the girls to theirs. Hence, I had apanied them.¡¹

    Apparently, they were attacked by a gigantic man over two meters tall before reaching their destination. It wasn¡¯t just some random indiscriminate attack either, the man had clearly recognized the girls, as he called out to them before initiating his assault.

    ¡¸It was clear to that the man¡¯s objective was to eliminate all three members of The Scarlet Maidens.¡¹

    ¡¸Absolutely sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup. He asked us whether or not we were The ck Tail¡¯s salesgirls.¡¹

    ¡¸But he actually started attacking before waiting for us to answer.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell anyone, but seeing hime at us like that almost made me wet myself.¡¹

    In other words, the assant knew what they looked like. He probably knew where they lived too, seeing as how he ambushed them along the way.

    ¡¸Have any information about enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed we do. The man voiced his name as he attacked.¡¹

    ¡¸Interesting.¡¹

    ¡¸He called himself Zerrosreed, The Berserker. I¡¯d thought that the rumours had been but mere exaggerations, but I was clearly proven wrong.¡¹

    ¡¸I think he might actually be stronger than the rumours say he is.¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, you don¡¯t know who he is? Really, Magic Sword Girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The guy was apparently famous, and all four of ourpanions felt it odd for Fran not to know his name.

    ¡¸Heheh, then I¡¯ll tell you all about him!¡¹

    Lydia quickly went over all the rumours and told us a bunch about the guy.

    Apparently, he¡¯d lose the ability to differentiate between enemies and allies the moment he engaged inbat. He even had a bounty on his head because he killed the prince of one of the countries that he was supposed to be working for. Dude sounded dangerous as hell.

    The guild ranked him in at C, but rumours had said that his rank didn¡¯t do him justice. Everyone present had merely dismissed the rumours as, well, mere rumours, but they¡¯d evidently been shown to be true.

    ¡¸He was really strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡¯s surprise attack was the only reason he resorted to retreating. As expected, not even a man as powerful as The Berserker could withstand a Darkness Wolf¡¯s ambush.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi. Good boy.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi didn¡¯t seempletely content despite being praised. I felt that he was disappointed at the fact that he was unable finish the man off, even though he¡¯d managed tond a sneak attack.

    Judith had a bit of an unsettled look on her face, which only made sense given how she was attacked by someone far stronger than her. Crap, we can¡¯t afford to have her quit on us.

    I was worried that her party would give up on the task of selling curry bread, but my concerns turned out to be needless. Rather than sumbing to fear, she instead dered in defiance that she wanted to see the job through to the end. Her pride as an adventurer hadpletely overwhelmed her sense of terror. Colbert acted in a fairly simr manner, and got all fired up; he dered that he would defeat The Berserker next time the two of them crossed paths.

    ¡¸Then looking forward. Working together tomorrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Me too!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹

    ¡¸Next time we run into each other, I¡¯m giving that gori one hell of a bashing!¡¹

    We guided Colbert and the salesgirls over to the ce we were staying after confirming their intentions. The district had a plentiful number guards within it, so we figured it would be safe. Initially, we¡¯d nned to let them borrow our room if there weren¡¯t any more avable, but the hotel¡¯s staff immediately made us a few arrangements the moment they caught sight of Colbert.

    ¡¸You¡¯re heading out again, Magic Sword Girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will be back by morning.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, wait! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going after him!?¡¹

    ¡¸No. Going elsewhere.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright then¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s too dangerous to go alone!¡¹

    ¡¸Not alone. Together with Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡­ However, do make sure you return by the morning. We¡¯ll be disqualified if you fail to make it back.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. No problem.¡¹

    We went back to the kitchen so we could get Urushi to tell us what he¡¯d found.

    ¡¸Bark bark bark!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Urushi tried to ry his message by raising his front legs whilst making dog noises. We were able to get the fact that he was trying to tell us something, and that his message contents were rather urgent. However, we were unable to discern any further detail.

    I was ready for this exact situation though. I¡¯d devised a method that could potentially allow him tomunicate with us, and so, I exined it to him.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYou think you can pull it off? Alright, try it on me first.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ Yeah, it didn¡¯t work.¡»

    The concept was to use the Level 8 Dark spell Brain Trick. The spell¡¯s effect allowed one to directly imnt anything they imagined into their target¡¯s mind and thereby cause hallucinations. It sounded like a spell that would normally fall under the illusion element, but it wasn¡¯t. It counted as dark due to the fact that it would operate directly on the target¡¯s brain. As a result, it was much more difficult to detect than any sort of illusion based magic.

    Specifically, the concept was to have Urushi project his memories as opposed to something he imagined. That, in turn, could potentially allow Urushi tomunicate with us despite being incapable of speech.

    However, it didn¡¯t go as smoothly as I¡¯d assumed it would, probably because I didn¡¯t have a brain for the spell to mess with in the first ce.

    ¡ºTry it on Fran instead.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ready.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Can see clearly. Mastermind. Lord¡¯s second son.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    It seemed like it worked. Sweet,municating with Urushi would be even easier going forward.

    Fran exined to me everything Urushi had bore witness to.

    ¡ºAlright. So, the lord¡¯s second son is the one behind everything.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºNever in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that we ended up identally saving the city.¡»

    ¡¸Surprising.¡¹

    ¡ºBut now he¡¯s after us because of it.¡»

    I had to admit that we were a bit outmatched. We had to deal with Waint, Bluke, Zerais, Rynford, and even Zerrosreed The Berserker to top it all off.

    We were up against an entire organisation, one that¡¯d already weaved their web. It was going to be tough, especially given how little time we had to deal with them.

    I guess it¡¯d help if we were to borrow an organisation¡¯s power as well¡­ though I¡¯m not all that sure that the people I had in mind would actually be willing to help us.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go pay the Lord¡¯s manor a quick visit.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 121: The Lordâ€™s Manor

    <h4>Chapter 121: The Lord¡¯s Manor</h4>

    The Lord¡¯s Manor was smack in the middle of town, right where themercial, residential and noble districts intersected. It was about a five minute trip with Urushi going at top speed.

    ¡¸Comfortable sensation.¡¹

    Fran narrowed her eyes as she enjoyed the cool night breeze. She normally probably would have found it chilly, but her armour was bestowed with cold resistance, so she found it pleasing instead.

    ¡ºThank God it¡¯s night time.¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Having Urushi leap through the sky at full speed during the day was a big no. We¡¯d end up standing out way too much forfort.

    ¡ºAlright, it looks like we¡¯re here.¡»

    The gate leading up to the manor¡¯s entrance was naturally tightly shut. In front of it stood a pair of guards. They seemed to be actively surveying their surroundings in order to ensure that nothing was off.

    ¡ºHmm, what do you think we should do? We¡¯re going to be wanting to see the lord, so, do you want to try and ask the guard for permission, or kinda just like head on inside?¡»

    ¡¸Ask guards.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, but what if they say no? Cause I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re going to end up asking us to leave.¡»

    Realistically speaking, the chances of us actually getting an audience were pretty miniscule. We came in the middle of the night without any sort of appointment or prior notice. Moreover, we weren¡¯t all that well known either. Fran was just another D ranked adventurer, and a young girl at that. The only two kinds of people that¡¯d wee her in this sort of situation were the overly nice and lolicons up to know good.

    ¡¸Ask Flut and Satia.¡¹

    ¡ºFair enough.¡»

    I mean, they did really want us to drop by, but they might¡¯ve already gone to bed given the time. That said, contacting the Prince and Princess was pretty much the only real card we had to y. Yeahhh, the situation wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d call favourable by any means.

    We figured that we¡¯d probably have a better chance if we were a bit more upfront about the whole thing, so we descended at a location a bit further away and approached the gate in as natural a manner as possible. That said, both guards still found it rather strange for a child to be walking over to them at this time of day.

    ¡¸A kid?¡¹

    ¡¸At a time like this?¡¹

    ¡¸Hi.¡¹

    ¡¸What did you need?¡¹

    Sweet, it looks like they¡¯re at least going to hear us out instead of just chasing us away right off the bat.

    ¡¸Came to see acquaintance.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure you didn¡¯t get the wrong ce? This here is the Lord¡¯s manor.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure. Acquaintances staying here temporarily.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahah. Only members of the nobility ever stay at the Lord¡¯s manor.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, that¡¯s enough joking around from you. Go home, kid. It¡¯ste, and you should be in bed.¡¹

    The guards were surprisingly good people. They didn¡¯t shout at Fran to try and drive her away, and they even seemed genuinely worried about her.

    ¡¸Flut and Satia. Should be here. Friends.¡¹

    ¡¸Flut, Satia? Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, I¡¯m fairly certain that Flut and Satia are the names of the Fyrias Kingdom¡¯s prince and princess.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, yeah, right. But those guys are royalty. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d be friends.¡¹

    ¡¸Hold on. I do remember them saying that one of their friends might end up paying them a visit, and that we should let said friend through should shee.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhh, yeah. I remember now. Hey, what was your na - er, would you mind if I asked for your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸See, I knew it!¡¹

    ¡¸Please allow some time in order for us to authenticate any necessary details!¡¹

    And so, the guards ran around and exchanged information in a bit of a dumbfounded manner in order to confirm Fran¡¯s identity.

    The whole process ended up taking about a total of thirty minutes.

    ¡¸How nice of you to visit!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re d to see you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Me too.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve heard much of your aplishments. They say your entry in the King of Cooking is a dishpletely unknown even to the judges themselves.¡¹

    ¡¸Our servants have imed that they were extremely delicious. We really would like to try them ourselves.¡¹

    ¡¸Then stop by stall?¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t. We as royalty can¡¯t possibly voice any dissatisfactions about the food Barbra¡¯s lord is providing us. Besides, there¡¯s all that troublesome food taster stuff too.¡¹

    Riiiight. Royalty didn¡¯t have the liberty to just walk around in order to buy and eat whatever they wanted. That applied all the more to both Flut and Satia seeing as how they¡¯d only just recently avoided an assassination. Serid, who just happened to be standing by, ended up giving a bit of a frown in response to the the prince¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Then can just sneak a few. Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Awesome! So this is the rumoured curry bread?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s still warm!¡¹

    ¡¸Paramount of vour.¡¹

    ¡¸I-It¡¯s that delicious?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll dly ept the offer.¡¹

    Flut and Satia happily grabbed the food Fran presented them without even a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    Wait, whatever happened to the food taster stuff?

    I looked towards Serid, only to find that he actually wasn¡¯t bothering to say or do anything. All he did was keep the same frown on his face. In fact, he, like the prince and princess, also took a serving of the dish when we ended up deciding to offer it to him. He actually just took it without even the slightest bit of suspicion.

    It looked like he actually trusted Fran. Though, I guess that did make sense. There was no reason for her to poison anyone present, especially after all they¡¯d been through together.

    ¡¸It tastes really good!¡¹

    The princess was the first to react.

    ¡¸I think it might be the most delicious thing I¡¯ve ever had!¡¹

    ¡¸Me too!¡¹

    ¡¸I do admit that the dish is indeed mortifyingly delicious.¡¹

    The fact that all three of them enjoyed it made me feel pretty good about myself. It seemed even royalty was within curry bread¡¯s strike zone.

    ¡¸Curry is best.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a im I¡¯m more than capable of understanding.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran looked at all three of Flut, Satia and Serid with a smug expression on her face. She ended up giving a happy nod each and every single time any of the three said the words ¡°tasty¡± or ¡°delicious.¡±

    ¡ºIt should be about time for us to get down to business.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Apparently, Fran¡¯d been so happy with everyone¡¯s reactions that she¡¯dpletely forgotten why we came here in the first ce.

    ¡ºWe paid them a visit because we needed to see the Lord, remember?¡»

    ¡¸Right. identally forgot.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Came to ask a favour.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of favour? We¡¯ll try our best to see it through if it¡¯s something we can help you with.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Want to see Barbra¡¯s Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸You wanted to see Sir Rhodas? What for?¡¹

    ¡¸Tomorrow. Coup d¡¯etat.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you state that there would be a coup d¡¯etat!? Exin to us the details immediately!¡¹

    Serid interjected the moment he heard about the the coup.

    And so, Fran told the three everything she knew. She described the second son¡¯s treachery, and the third son¡¯s involvement therein while also making mention of the assassinations ordered.

    Her exnation led Flut to immediately rise to his feet.

    ¡¸Serid, Imand you to arrange us a meeting with Sir Rhodas immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸By your will, Your Highness!¡¹

    ¡¸Believing me?¡¹

    It looked to us like the prince had taken Fran¡¯s words to heart; his expression betrayed not even the slightest bit of doubt.

    ¡¸I do. I know that I can trust you, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸The images Urushi showed us looked quite realistic as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Telling a lie of such a calibur can result in execution, and I hardly take you for such a fool.¡¹

    And so, with that said, Serid left the room in order to book us an appointment with the Lord. Flut and Satia were royalty. Their words held quite the weight to them, so much weight, in fact, that the Lord himself came to their room before even five minutes had passed.

    ¡¸I havee to answer your summons, Your Highnesses?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to introduce you to a friend of ours before we begin our discussions.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran. Adventurer. Nice to meet you.¡¹

    Rhodas was a noble with an incredible amount of power, but he ended shaking Fran¡¯s hand with a nod of acknowledgement regardless. It looked to me that he was being as careful as possible to ensure that he kept the Prince and Princess in a good mood. Treating her without respect despite the introduction would likely lead to the opposite of his desired result.

    ¡¸And I am Rhodas Krysten, Barbra¡¯s Lord. Your Highnesses, did you perhaps call for me in order to allow for this introduction?¡¹

    ¡¸Unfortunately that¡¯s not all. We¡¯d like for you to listen to what she has to say.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­? Very well then.¡¹

    I had to say, Rhodas was truly an exemry noble. He was probably overloaded with doubts and questions, but he managed to retain a poker face and his answer only indicated the slightest bit of hesitation. He knew that he was dealing with royalty, and that it¡¯d be best for him to go along with their demands.

    ¡¸Nn. Here to discuss second and third sons.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you perhaps referring to Bluke and Waint?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And so, Fran told Rhodas basically exactly what he¡¯d just told Fyrians. Naturally, not even a noble as aplished as him could remain calm when told of the fact that his kids were scheming up a coup.

    ¡¸That¡¯s preposterous! On what sort of ridiculous foundation could you possibly base those ims!?¡¹

    He eventually became unable to hold it any longer, and ended up cutting Fran off with a shout.

    ¡¸The truth.¡¹

    ¡¸Then you must surely possess evidence!¡¹

    He rose from his chair whilst continuing to yell despite the fact that he was still in the presence of royalty.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸And what precisely might you be doing now?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry Sir Rhodas. No harm wille to you. Please rx.¡¹

    ¡¸Your Highness, I¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ I¡­¡¹

    Seeing Urushi¡¯s memories caused Rhodas to grimace. It didn¡¯t seem like he was willing to what he¡¯d just witnessed.

    ¡¸What you¡¯ve presented me fails to suffice as evidence¡­ But I highly doubt that a girl as young as yourself would otherwise have knowledge of Zerais¡¯ features¡­ Moreover, it is indeed a fact that this year¡¯s festival has seen many more arrests than any other in the past. ¡¹

    He started muttering under his breath while sorting through the details.

    ¡¸Well, Sir Rhodas? What are your thoughts on the matter?¡¹

    ¡¸We have yet to see any solid evidence, and as such, I cannot agree to deploying all the city¡¯s troops.¡¹

    ¡¸I understand your concerns, but the danger posed by a potential coup d¡¯etat should not simply be overlooked.¡¹

    ¡¸Before we discuss the matter any further, I must ask something of you, Your Highness. Do you trust the words that the youngdy before us has said on this day?¡¹

    ¡¸I have full faith in her.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    The Lord spent a bit of time contemting the pros and cons of each of his options.

    If I were to guess, I¡¯d say that he probably first considered if his sons were trustworthy. The next factor he thought of was likely whether or not listening to the Fyrians was a good move from a political standpoint. They were royalty, but they also hailed from apletely different country. He didn¡¯t necessarily need to heed their words, but, doing so would allow him to build with them a trusting rtionship. Moreover, they¡¯d owe him a favour if we were wrong about the whole thing. Thest thing he probably ended up debating was if what he¡¯d been shown through magic was something that¡¯d actually happened.

    And so, after a few minutes passed, he finally managed toe to a decision.

    ¡¸I understand the circumstances and will act ordingly. I cannot arrest either of my sons without evidence. However, I will have the guards that normally work throughout the night restrain them whilst iming to be functioning as escorts. I will also work to increase the number of guards on patrol in order and have them search for both Zerais and Zerrosreed. I will then mobilize an additional unit in order to collect evidence as to not make waste of time.¡¹

    ¡¸We will contribute our own guards to your forces as well. The more heads we have, the easier the task will be to achieve.¡¹

    Honestly, we¡¯d hoped for him to mobilize all his troops in order for him to quickly capture and arrest Bluke and hispanions, but that was unrealistic, and what he was now was still sufficient. Besides, the troops Flut and Satia brought along were going to join in as well, so we still had more than enough manpower.

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸And where, might I inquire, are you headed off to now?¡¹

    Rhodas questioned Fran as she rose from her seat. He¡¯d probably assumed that she was just going to sit here and wait until the whole thing was done and over with.

    ¡¸Finding evidence.¡¹

    We figured it¡¯d be a good for us to take either Zerrosreed or Zerais into custody.

    ¡ºAlright, Urushi. We¡¯re going to be counting on that nose of yours, boy.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Will be back.¡¹

 Chapter 122: Of Progress and Sudden Changes in Situation.

    <h4>Chapter 122: Of Progress and Sudden Changes in Situation.</h4>

    Rhodas had hesitated ining to a decision, but immediately swapped to a series of quick, decisive actions the moment he did. That is, he managed to sortie his troops within the hour.

    A part of his rapidity was due to theck of a need to make any sort of major preparation. He didn¡¯t bother delivering an address. He simply told the guards that they were taking Waint and Bluke into custody, and that was that.

    And of course, we ended up having to join them so we could show them to the manor¡¯s location.

    ¡ºUrushi, can you tell if the lord¡¯s second son is actually there or not right now?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºAlright, good.¡»

    It would¡¯ve been a huge pain in the ass to end up not finding the Lord¡¯s second son present even after going out of our way to get what was effectively a warrant for his arrest.

    The lord had his troops stand by as soon as they entered sight range of our target. Turned out that he was still indeed hesitating, which, honestly, was pretty fair. He didn¡¯t have any real evidence, the only thing he had to go off of was what he probably thought to be a suspicious girl¡¯s testament. He didn¡¯t know exactly who owned the manor, and thus, could potentially have to end up being liable for any damages caused, especially seeing as he was basically about to have the city¡¯s guards assault it.

    In other words, it was up to us to take the initiative.

    ¡ºFran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Whatever are you doing!? Return at once!¡¹

    Fran dashed out in front whilst ignoring Rhodas¡¯ protests. Our target was the gatekeeper. We didn¡¯t want to end up having to argue with him, and we figured that getting him talk would probably help convince the Lord that we were in the right.

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    I appraised the man and verified that he was not only a criminal, but also afflicted with the whole heart of evil thing. Only after confirming all that did we strike; Fran silenced him by smacking him in the face with her fist.

    We then tied him up and gagged him before healing him and waking him up.

    ¡¸Mrrggphh!¡¹

    ¡¸Quiet.¡¹

    ¡¸Mrrggphh!¡¹

    Specifically, Fran had woken him up by kicking him hard enough to bend his spine into something that seemed to resemble a ¡°less than¡± symbol. She then repeated the process until he finally stopped resisting.

    Only after that did Rhodas finally approach, several aides in tow.

    ¡¸And what is it that you are doing right now?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Interrogation.¡¹

    ¡¸It appeared as but mere torture to me¡­ That aside, who precisely is that man?¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno specifics. Some enemy.¡¹

    ¡¸And do you possess the evidence to support that im?¡¹

    ¡¸Could tell at a nce.¡¹

    ¡¸Does that not simply mean that you have none whatsoever?¡¹

    Rhodas nted his face into his palms as he shook his head back and forth. He didn¡¯t have the ability to use appraisal, so he obviously had no clue that the man was indeed one of our enemies. Thus, he was probably contemting what he was going to do about this whole situation.

    ¡¸Will ask questions now. Answer honestly, no more pain. Make a fuss, death.¡¹

    Hearing Fran¡¯s words caused the gatekeeper to nod as fast as he could, with his face as pale as could be. He ended up just sitting there, looking at us meekly after we removed his gag.

    ¡¸This manor. Who is owner?¡¹

    ¡¸The ce is owned by The Eathra Company. I-I¡¯m just a lowly guard, So that¡¯s all I know!¡¹

    Hmmm, didn¡¯t look like he was lying.

    ¡¸Eathra Company?¡¹

    Dannan, one of Rhodas¡¯ older aides, filled us in on a few details after he happened to catch sight of Fran repeating the unfamiliar name under her breath. Dannan was actually quite the impressive guy. He took on every single chambein-esque duty whilst also managing the lord¡¯s domestic affairs. Moreover, he was even about as strong as the average D ranked adventurer. The old man was seriously just a huge bundle of talent.

    ¡¸The Eathra Company is a subsidiary under Sir Bluke¡¯s Tormayo Corporation. It is known as a rather greedypany, and widely detested as a result.¡¹

    The Tormayo Corporation was actually a rather expansive business. It mainly focused around the sale of luxuries to nobles, many of which Bluke would personally introduce to the store. It had so much wealth and influence that not even the Lord himself could really do much to it, at least not openly.

    The Eathra Company had The Tormayo Corporation backing them every step of the way, so they were pretty much able to avoid all inspections and audits.

    ¡¸I recall Sir Bluke stating that he knew little of Tormayo¡¯s subsidiaries as he¡¯d left management of its affairs to one of his retainers¡­¡­¡¹

    Yeaahhhh, no. That was obviously a lie.

    ¡¸Man named Bluke here?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you¡¯re talkin about the guy that Eathra¡¯s manager keeps bowing to, right? If so, then he¡¯s definitely here. I see him all the time, so I can say fer sure that he went inside a couple hours back.¡¹

    ¡¸Last question. You, do lots of bad things?¡¹

    ¡¸Er, well, I¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    A loud cracking sound resounded through the night as Fran kicked the man in the back hard enough to cause tears to flow from his eyes.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll answer your question, so please, stop already!¡¹

    ¡¸Then answer. Shouldn¡¯t have hesitated in first ce.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve done lots of bad things. I¡¯ve kidnapped women and dragged em back over. I¡¯ve even done myself some arson when thepany was faced withpetition.¡¹

    The Eathra Company was pretty much made to do all The Tormayo Corporation¡¯s dirty work. In essence, thepany basically constituted the corporation¡¯s dark side, but they were positioned in such a manner that they could be cut off with ease if their crimes were toe to light. Under normal conditions, their activities would likely have had remained in the dark due to Bluke¡¯s influence, but even so, thepany had still gone out of their way to base itself in a location that made it easy for the people involved to cover stuff up.

    ¡¸And is Bluke aware of all that is going on?¡¹

    ¡¸I would say that is a reasonable conclusion, given all the factors mentioned.¡¹

    Dannan¡¯s response to the Lord¡¯s question caused him quite a bit of grief.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe it¡­ For Bluke, for my own son to be involved in this line of business¡­¡¹

    Rhodas seemed to be the doting type. Or rather, the type that trusted the members of his family unconditionally.

    ¡¸People that cross Bluke get it bad. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s killed a few, and sold a few others off into the illegal ve market.¡¹

    ¡¸Cease with your lies immediately¡­ Bluke would never¡­¡¹

    Rhodas continued to protest, but it seemed that he¡¯d started to doubt his son¡¯s deeds. His tone hadcked its usual strength.

    ¡¸I deprived him of his right to inherit my rule as a result of the intolerable manner in which he had looked upon the city¡¯smon folk, and I had expected him to repent for his misdeeds as a result¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It appears that depriving him of his right to seed has instead caused him to throw a temper tantrum.¡¹

    ¡¸That can¡¯t be¡­ Bluke¡­¡¹

    Wait wait, did Dannan just call this a temper tantrum? I¡¯m pretty sure this counts as a bit more than just that. They do realize that he¡¯s trying to kill his older brother and usurp his position, right?

    ¡¸Very well. I will speak to Bluke myself. The testimony to which I have just born witness suffices as enough evidence to warrant action. Guards, I order you, take all who resist into custody, and if you happen to chance upon Bluke¡­ Arrest him.¡¹

    ¡¸As you will, my Lord!¡¹

    We used the gatekeeper¡¯s key to get ourselves within the building¡¯s premises.

    We had the sixty person group split in half. Thirty odd troops surrounded the building, whilst the rest infiltrated and performed a raid.

    Bluke had a bunch of his men stationed within the manor, but they were unable to stand up to the city¡¯s guards. Hence, they were arrested and detained, one after the other. Resisting didn¡¯t do them any good.

    Appraising them led to the conclusion that every single individual had been afflicted with both the Heart of Evil and Enraged status conditions. Did Bluke have all his subordinates drink the magic-infused water they made? I guess the only way to find out is to ask him ourselves.

    We arrived in front of Bluke¡¯s door after about five minutes. Urushi had found him with Presence Detection, so we knew for a fact that he was there.

    Fran mmed the door open, only to find the man rummaging through his desk. It looked like he¡¯d realized that something was going on, so he was getting some cash ready in order to ensure his escape.

    ¡¸Name yourself!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will not give name to criminals.¡¹

    ¡¸And you believe that you have the right to make such a im despite trespassing as we speak?¡¹

    ¡¸Trespassing, she is not, Bluke. Her actions abide perfectly byw, as she is currently in the midst of an investigation with regards to an organization suspected to be engaged in criminal actions.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Father!? For what reason are you here¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸That would be a question I myself would also like to ask. Bluke, for what reason are you within the confines of a criminal organisation?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying, father?¡¹

    Bluke started to make an excuse, but I didn¡¯t really care. My attention was directed elsewhere, specifically, at the fact that he was afflicted by the same two status conditions as everyone else in the building.

    The hell? Did he drink the magic-infused water he made? That makes no sense. I mean, why would he? And does Enraged have anything to do with the whole Heart of Evil thing? Or are they independent of each other?

    A soldier entered the room as I pondered.

    ¡¸We¡¯vepleted our mission sir. The entire manor is now under our control. We found a few wanted criminals within, but have managed to detain each and every single one. We also came across several young girls believed to be victims of the underground ve market. We¡¯ve taken them into custody for the sake of protection.¡¹

    Both the wanted criminals and illegal ves served to provide indisputable, incriminating evidence. There was no way Bluke could get away with the whole thing by just saying that he didn¡¯t know about it.

    ¡¸I will listen to all that you have to say once we arrive at the Knights¡¯ Headquarters. However, be aware that I bear not the will to listen to mere excuses.¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible¡­! This is impossible! Impossible I say! How did you catch wind of my activities!?¡¹

    Did he seriously expect anyone not to notice? Did he think himself an intellectual, and his n super solid or something? Did he not realize that it was built atop a logical facy to begin with?

    Like, why did he think he could be Barbra¡¯s Lord by making his father step down from his position? If the ordeal was actually so serious that they needed to arrest the Lord for it, then the country definitely wouldn¡¯t have let his family retain any power. Rhodas¡¯ whole household would¡¯ve gone down with him.

    Oh well, either way, we managed to stop the coup, which was good. All we had to do now was to reduce the number of victims by detaining Waint and preventing him from selling anything his stuff tomorrow.

    We could cure the abnormal stats conditions that all the people had by feeding them the Recovery Water we¡¯d made. So yeah, all was fine and dandy.

    Or it should¡¯ve been, had Bluke not suddenly started screaming.

    ¡¸Guhguahhhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Bluke? What is the matter?¡¹

    ¡¸Gugugaugagaguaguaguaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    Bluke¡¯s body began giving a ck aura. Okay, yeah that totally didn¡¯t look all fine and dandy.

    ¡ºFran, have him drink the Water of Recovery.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, hold down.¡¹

    ¡¸Bark!¡¹

    Urushi held Bluke in position with his front paws as the man convulsed and continued to scream. Fran approached him and tried to pour some of the Water of Recovery out and into his mouth, but he kept moving and refused to drink even a single drop.

    ¡¸Urushi, turn upside down.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi did as he was told and flipped Bluke over so he had his back against the ground. Fran then finally managed to pry his mouth open and make him down several gulps of the Water of Recovery.

    ¡ºSheet, we didn¡¯t make it in time!¡»

    I¡¯d thought that we finally managed to resolve the situation, but I was wrong. Appraising him didn¡¯t result in what I¡¯d expected.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species Name: Evil Human (Evil Being)

    Level: 1

    Status Condition: Insane, Rampaging.

    HP: 61

    MP: 70

    STR: 26

    VIT: 31

    AGI: 18

    INT: 33

    MGC: 36

    DEX: 24

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 2

    Martial Arts: Lv 1

    Innate Skills

    Evil Arts: Lv 1

    Titles

    Evil God¡¯s ve

    Description: Unknown.

    _______________________________________________________________

    His status page looked exactly like that of a magic beast¡¯s, and his species totally said he¡¯d turned into some type of evil being. The way his level had reverted back to one almost made it seem like he¡¯d undergone some sort of evolution. That said, his stats were super high for a mere level one¡¯s. He obviously wasn¡¯t as strong as we were, but he probably had the strength to take down a guard.

    Good thing he wasn¡¯t an adventurer, or really strong to begin with or anything like that. If that were the case, we probably would¡¯ve been screwed.

    ¡¸Giggagagagagagaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugagagagagaaa!¡¹

    And then, it happened. A series of simr screams resounded from outside the manor¡¯s confines.

 Chapter 123: Luzerio

    <h4>Chapter 123: Luzerio</h4>

    Shouts and screams erupted from the building¡¯s exterior as presence detection went off and informed me of a series of enemies.

    Sheet. It looked like Bluke wasn¡¯t the only one that¡¯d transformed.

    ¡¸Bluke! Bluke, answer me! Whatever is the matter, Bluke!¡¹

    ¡¸Approaching, bad idea.¡¹

    ¡¸Blu-ugh!¡¹

    Rhodas ignored Fran¡¯s warning and tried to approach his son, only to be immediately met with a kick therefrom despite the fact that Urushi was still holding the newly transformed Evil Human down.

    ¡¸Sir Rhodas! Are you unharmed?¡¹

    ¡¸Worry not. I am fine.¡¹

    Rhodas stared nkly in a mix of shock and pain as Dannan helped him back up to his feet.

    Naturally, his stare did nothing to halt, or even slow down Bluke¡¯s transformation. The second son¡¯s eyes were dyed a pure, jet ck; his pupils almost seemed to disappear entirely. His skin had started to undergo a simr process; everyst bit of it was tainted as ck as the night itself as his muscles swelled till they bulged to the point of abnormality. Everything about him had changed, save for the features on his face. An eerie, sickening result.

    I felt the urge to cut him down immediately, but refrained. His father was watching, and we wished not for Barbra¡¯s lord to resent us.

    Besides, there might actually be some way for us to turn him back to normal. Bluke knew tonnes about things areas in which we wanted more knowledge, so having him regain his sanity could potentially allow us to derive from him a fair amount of useful information.

    ¡¸Guruuuuaaaaaahhh!¡¹

    He continued to struggle against his capture. It looked like he¡¯d lost all sense of reasoning, and was unwilling to be detained.

    Alright, for the time being, we should try having him drink a bit more of the Water of Recovery to see if it does anything.

    And¡­ nope.

    Fine. What if we used Anti Curse?

    And¡­ also nope.

    Our tests led us to realize that he wasn¡¯t actually in an abnormal state.

    Both the Insane and Rampaging states were considered to be his default states, and thus, we weren¡¯t able to get rid of either condition. In other words, we were going to have one hell of a hard time turning him back to normal or taking him in quietly.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see if we can make him stop moving around.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, let go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Stun Bolt.¡¹

    ¡¸Groooogaaaaa!¡¹

    Bluke had tried getting up the moment Urushi let go of him, but Stun Bolt had inflicted him with paralysis. And hence, he was now once again on the ground. He was still conscious, but no longer able to move.

    ¡ºAlright Urushi, hold him down again. Have him stay there till we tell you otherwise.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go take care of everything happening in the garden, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran rushed back into the hallway and leapt through one of the windows that faced the building¡¯s garden, shattering it in the process.

    ¡ºIt looks like everyone that got arrested ended up transforming.¡»

    All ten of the men that taken into custody had ended up breaking out of their bindings as a result of their ¡°evolutions.¡± There were far fewer of them than there were guards, but they still seemed to have the advantage due to their disparately high stats.

    ¡¸What now? Capture all?¡¹

    ¡ºEh¡­ nah. Let¡¯s just kill them. Detaining each and every single one would end up being a huge pain in the ass. Besides, they¡¯re criminals anyways, so they¡¯d probably just end up getting sentenced to death even if we did find out how to turn them back to normal.¡»

    I mean, that¡¯s kinda just what happens to anyone with a hand in a failed coup d¡¯etat.

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Fran elerated through the use of Air Jump and used the resulting momentum to immediately cleave one of the Evil Humans in half. I threw in a wind spell and took out a second as shended.

    The captured men had been ruffians to begin with, so they were quite a bit stronger than Bluke. Evolution had turned each into an E or so ranked threat.

    That said, they still weren¡¯t anywhere close to being our match; it only took us about three minutes to finish them all off. I was honestly kind of disappointed by the results. They were actually pretty strong. I was expecting to be able to absorb their magic stones and get myself a few points. I was quite interested in all the skills they had too, but it turned out that they didn¡¯t actually have magic stones. Oh well, can¡¯t be helped, I guess.

    The guards ended up falling onto their butts in exhaustion the moment they saw thest Evil Human fall.

    We knew that they were tired, but, we would have to bother them a bit more. And so, Fran approached a man whose armour seemed a bit shier than the rest, the guy we presumed was the squad¡¯s chief.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes? What did you need?¡¹

    The chief immediately tensed up and straightened his back as he realized Fran wanted to talk to him. It looked to me like he was feeling a mix of respect and terror for Fran¡¯s strength.

    ¡¸All the people in the manor ounted for?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes ma¡¯am. The only other people we found inside are thedies right over there.¡¹

    Following the chief¡¯s line of set led us to a group of young girls, currently huddled up and trembling in fear. Quickly appraising them informed me that there wasn¡¯t really anything wrong with any of them as far as status abnormalities went.

    ¡¸Zerais, alchemist. Rynford, old man. Both not here?¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t catch sight of either of the two.¡¹

    I¡¯d assumed that the troops had managed to arrest the two of them, but apparently that wasn¡¯t the case at all. We went around and inspected the faces on all the Evil Humans we killed just to make sure, but we didn¡¯t actually find either of the two.

    In other words, Bluke was, in fact, not actually the mastermind behind all this. The real mastermind had somehow caught wind of our actions and escaped. Moreover, he¡¯d even manage to retaliate. Was this whole Evil Human transformation thing time based? Or was it done through some sort of remote controlled device? I couldn¡¯t actually tell which of the two it was, but I could at least say that both would definitely be a pain in the ass to deal with.

    Hmm¡­ What now? We could have Urushi try sniffing around in order to track the guy down. We could also potentially search the manor and see if we could find any sort of clue.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºYeah? What¡¯s up?¡»

    £¨There.£©

    Fran pointed to the area lying behind the ves we¡¯d saved. There, we saw the gatekeeper, still tied up just as he¡¯d been before.

    Wait. He didn¡¯t transform? What?

    He was currently afflicted with the ¡°Agitated Heart of Evil¡± status condition. Unlike the other guys though, he didn¡¯t have the enraged thing applied to him. Hmmmm¡­ I guess that means the whole transformation thing is based on the amount of the magic-infused water one ingests? If so, then we were in luck, as it meant that the townsfolk that happened to have the former status abnormality wouldn¡¯t end up transforming.

    That said though, we couldn¡¯t just leave the whole situation as it was right now.

    We couldn¡¯t actually get any use out of the Lord. He was still in a state of shock as a result of his son transforming into a sort of inhuman monster right before his very eyes. Hence, we decided that it¡¯d be better for us to talk to Dannan instead.

    ¡¸Understand?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. I see that you were telling the truth, and the situation is looking even worse than initially anticipated.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t know exactly how many people were in danger of turning into Evil Humans, but chances were, it was more than just a mere ten or twenty. Moreover, it was fairly probably that they¡¯d end up transforming in highly popted, public areas, which, of course, would lead to one hell of a problem.

    ¡¸Rally troops.¡¹

    ¡¸That I will. The situation is nothing short of an emergency, and thus, we are also justified in mobilizing the knights.¡¹

    We informed Dannan of the specifics on how to differentiate those that might transform and those that might not.

    ¡¸I see, so we must use Appraisal and be wary of those that carry the Enraged condition.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I understand. We shall immediately dispatch a request to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in order to secure several individuals capable of appraisal. Unfortunately, we will not be able to hire nearly as many as is possible. It is important for us to ensure that these events remain unknown to the public.¡¹

    Yeahhhh, Rhodas might actually end up having to resign if everything ended uping to light. It seemed that ideally, he wanted to punish Bluke and Waint behind closed doors, secretly find and heal everyone affected by the abnormal status conditions, and finally somehow manage to catch both Zerais and Rynford.

    ¡¸Would you mind continuing to lend us your strength?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind. Will chase down alchemist. Zerais.¡¹

    ¡¸Please and thank you. We will ensure we reward you ordingly.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Will first wander around manor. Searching for clues.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. I suspect there to be several hidden rooms given the property¡¯s scale. Be wary of their potential existence.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We had Urushi taken off Bluke-stomping duty, and instead tied the man up super tight before telling the guards to keep an eye on him. We needed our wolf¡¯s nose, so we couldn¡¯t have him babysit the Lord¡¯s son forever.

    ¡ºAlright boy, we¡¯re going to need you sniff around to see if you can find strong traces of Zerais¡¯ scent anywhere. Find everything you can, be it hisb or a secret passageway.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi started wandering the manor whilst putting his sense of smell to work. After wandering around aimlessly for a bit, he finally ended up choosing to descend into the building¡¯s basement. I¡¯d a few suspicions about the building¡¯s underground section, and it turned out that they¡¯d been spot on.

    The ck wolf ultimately ended up leading us to a doorway.

    ¡¸Woof bark woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t feel anyone inside.¡¹

    ¡ºBut I guess this is the ce that smells most like him?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran opened the door to find a facility that could only ever be described as aboratory. It very much reminded me of Jean¡¯s.

    I couldn¡¯t help but want to grab all the tools left lying around for myself. Most, we could get use out of the, and the rest could fetch us a pretty penny on the market. Unfortunately though, I couldn¡¯t actually grab any of it. The current circumstances more or less dictated that everything here now belonged to the Lord, and thus, taking the items for myself counted as theft. Oh well, we didn¡¯t have the time to grab it all anyways, seeing as how we were stuck chasing Zerais.

    ¡ºI guess I¡¯ll have to pass it all up¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That said, there wasn¡¯t actually too much of value left sitting around. I mean, there were a few potions and the raw materials used therein, but all the stuff here was stuff you could pretty much get anywhere.

    I tried looking at a few of the documents he had sitting around, but wasn¡¯t really able to make much sense of them. I was, however, able to discern that none of them contained any information that could potentially assist us in chasing the man down. I was feeling a bit down because of it, but luckily, Urushi wasn¡¯t done just yet.

    He sat himself down in front of a bookshelf and started scratching at the wall.

    Wait, don¡¯t tell me they actually had a secret escape route installed? Seriously? I moved myself over to Urushi and started to give the wall a good stare, but I couldn¡¯t see any cracks or anything.

    I tapped the supposed secret wall and several others with Telekinesis just topare the sounds. Surely enough, the one right in front of me sounded much more hollow than the rest.

    Hmm¡­ but how did the hidden mechanism work? I mean, that bookshelf looked super suspicious, especially if you thought about all the stereotypes that came with this sort of situation. It could be one of the books¡­ but it could also be the wall. Maybe there¡¯s a ce to press down somewhere? Man, thinking about all this is actually starting to get decently fun.

    ¡¸Master? Spotted something?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm, well, I¡¯m pretty sure that there¡¯s a hidden passage right here, but I can¡¯t figure out how to open it. Oh, right, you should try figuring out the trick too, Fran. It¡¯s pretty fu-¡»

    ¡¸Like this?¡¹

    The room was suddenly filled by a loud thump as Fran gave the wall a full forced front kick.

    It immediately gave into her strike and revealed the secret passageway despite having been covered in ayer of protective magic.

    ¡ºUmm¡­ Fran¡­?¡»

    ¡¸One more time.¡¹

    She followed the front kick up with a spin kick and applied so much strength that she caused the entire room to start shaking. The wall was unable to sustain the force of the blow, and ended up copsing and revealing a stairwell.

    ¡ºWell¡­ Whatever works works, I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi began leading us down the stairs, and into arge, earthen tunnel. It was clearly an escape route, and naturally, it didn¡¯t have any sort of traps built into it.

    ¡¸Someone¡¯s there.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I can feel his bloodthirst emanating from all the way over here.¡»

    Crisis Detection kicked itself into action and warned us that whatever we were about to fight was more than just a mere small fry.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s make sure we¡¯re ready to jump right into battle.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, you stay hidden boy.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We cautiously advanced for about five minutes before finally reaching an area with about twenty meters of space in every direction. At the center of it all sat the thing that¡¯d been thirsting for blood.

    It was a man, one with a gentle looking smile, the sight of which for some odd reason pissed me off to no end.

    ¡¸You know, I was seriously wonderin what kind of person it¡¯d take to actually find that little escape route of ours. Never in my life would I have guessed it to be a mere little girl.¡¹

    ¡¸Zerais¡¯ subordinate?¡¹

    ¡¸Wazzat? You seriously think someone as foockin awesome as me would serve that gloomy-lookin, pussy ass b*tch?¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Luzerio

    Age: 36

    Race: Human

    Job: Concealed Spearman

    State: Heart of Evil

    Status Level: 35/99

    HP: 266

    MP: 214

    STR: 131

    VIT: 129

    AGI: 178

    INT: 90

    MGC: 121

    DEX: 130

    Skills

    Assassination: Lv 5

    Espionage: Lv 4

    Evasion: Lv 5

    Presence Detection: Lv 4

    Sword Arts: Lv 2

    Torture: Lv 6

    Blink: Lv 5

    Spear Techniques: Lv 7

    Spear Arts: Lv 8

    Short Sword Arts: Lv 3

    Poison Resistance: Lv 3

    Paralysis Resistance: Lv 6

    Trap Detection: Lv 2

    Vigour Maniption

    Pain Reduction

    Titles

    Mass Murderer

    One who Inflicts Suffering

    Servant to the Evil God

    Equipment

    Pointed Mithril Spear

    Venomous Monkey Fang Short Sword

    ck Wolf¡¯s Leather Full Body Armour

    Dark Mithril Gauntlet

    Mantle of Espionage

    Heat Resistant Bracelet

    Ring of Escape

    _______________________________________________________________

    Huh, that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen the Torture skill.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Torture

    Rarity Level 3

    Boosts idea generation during torture. Also increases the amount of pain inflicted to victims of torture.

    _______________________________________________________________

    His titles honestly made him look like a piece of sheet. He was even apparently a Servant to the Evil God.

    It was a bit different than Bluke¡¯s title, which imed him to be the Evil God¡¯s ve. This guy had the exact same title as the kobold we¡¯d fought a few days back. I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between being the God¡¯s ve and servant, and unfortunately, Appraisal wasn¡¯t really helping me as much as I wanted it to be. It just kept spitting out that the title¡¯s description was unknown.

    ¡¸Then, Zerrosreed¡¯s subordinate?¡¹

    ¡¸You foockin kidding me!? You think I¡¯d obey that retarded musclehead?¡¹

    It seemed that we¡¯d flipped his switch. It was clear as day that he knew Zerrosreed, but the two didn¡¯t exactly get along.

    ¡¸Only man I¡¯d ever foockin serve would be an Evil Arts User like Rynford. And you see, unlike that Zerrosreed retard, I¡¯ve actually got brains, so Rydford trusts me ya know?¡¹

    Huh? Evil Arts User? That¡¯s the first real thing we¡¯ve actually learned about the old man. The way things sounded made it seem like he was the real mastermind behind all this.

    That said, it seemed that this Rynford guy was real cold hearted. He was totally willing to order his subordinates to throw away their lives just so he could buy himself a bit of time.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s tie him up and wring him of all he knows.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhahahahaha! You seriously wanna go? Alright, bring it on brat, I¡¯ll make you regret everything.¡¹

    Luzerio took up a stance with his spear and readied himself forbat.

 Chapter 124: Luzerioâ€™s â€œTrump Cardâ€

    <h4>Chapter 124: Luzerio¡¯s ¡°Trump Card¡±</h4>

    Fran smashed me into Luzerio¡¯s spear and caused a series of sparks to illuminate the underground space.

    She was much more skilled than him, but had to hold back so we could keep him alive for information¡¯s sake. Moreover, he had range on her, and was actually decently strong to begin with. He could match the average C ranked adventurer.

    Thebination of all the aforementioned factors led the two to fight roughly on par with one another. Unfortunately for Luzerio though, said abilities had caused him to realize why he still continued to draw breath.

    ¡¸Foock! Just die already, you sheetty brat!¡¹

    ¡¸Refuse.¡¹

    ¡¸Foock! Foock foock foock foock foock! How the foock is a foocking kid strong enough to go even with me!?¡¹

    ¡¸Stop with denial. Not going even.¡¹

    ¡¸Shaddappppp!!!!¡¹

    He¡¯d probably nned to take his time toying with Fran, but reality had instead grasped his dignity and pped him in the face with it, for it was she and not he that ended up holding back. The fact that his strikes weren¡¯t even so much as leaving scratches caused him to start screaming in frustration.

    It would be in our best interest to wrap this up as quickly as possible so we could chase Rynford down, but his Paralysis Resistance was pretty high level, so I figured we probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get him with Stun Bolt.

    ¡ºAlright, I¡¯m going to mess him up next time we sh. Try not to kill him if you can.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    ¡¸Just die already mother foockerrrrr!!!!¡¹

    I cast Wind Wall without chanting the moment Luzerio extended his spear in an attempt to get some decent damage in and caused his strike to deviate far from its intended path.

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    ¡¸Opening.¡¹

    Fran immediately knocked his weapon aside as I followed up my spell with another.

    ¡ºStun Bolt!¡»

    ¡¸Garghghg!¡¹

    Yeeaaap, I knew he wouldn¡¯t end up getting paralyzed.

    ¡¸You foocking braaaaughhhh!!¡¹

    Stun Bolt didn¡¯t really do anything but make him flinch, so he immediately turned around and reached to grab his spear. However, he was interrupted by Urushi, who promptly leapt out of his shadow and gave one of his legs a good bite.

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    ¡¸Graahhghghgh!¡¹

    His right shank had beenpletely detached from his body. He promptly lost his bnce and fell over while staring at his severed limb with a bbergasted look on his face.

    ¡¸¡­My leg! My legggg!!!!¡¹

    He red at both Fran and Urushi whilst grinding his teeth in hatred and rage. It almost looked as if his stare alone could cause some sort of curse.

    In spite of that, seeing Fran point her de at his face caused him him to ultimately give up. He dropped the dagger he¡¯d pulled seemingly out of nowhere, and ended up copsing in a bit of a slump.

    ¡¸Want information about Rynford.¡¹

    ¡¸The foock you wanna know?¡¹

    ¡¸Describe.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh. Rynford is one helluva man. He¡¯s got the ability to bless people with the Evil God¡¯s power. He lets us junk this sheetty human shell we¡¯ve got so we can ascend and evolve!¡¹

    The Evil God¡¯s power, eh? Yeah, Iunno, I wouldn¡¯t really call Bluke¡¯s little change to be an ascension by any means. The hell¡¯s wrong with this guy? He wants to be that kind of reason deprived thing of his own volition? All you can do in that kind of state is rampage about. Yeah, I don¡¯t really get him, or anyone with deviant-like tastes for that matter.

    ¡¸Rynfords goal?¡¹

    ¡¸Rynford only has one goal, ultimate power!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Means reviving Evil God?¡¹

    My thoughts were more or less the same as Fran¡¯s. I¡¯d assumed that he wanted to revive or unseal the Evil God or something like that.

    ¡¸Are you retarded? Revivin the Evil God would cause the world to end. You think we just want to die? Hell naw, you can¡¯t kill people or foock b*tches if you ain¡¯t alive.¡¹

    So does that mean he¡¯s basically nning to use the Evil God¡¯s power? But how¡¯s he manage that if he¡¯s not a believer?

    ¡¸Evil God¡¯s what his name says he is, a God that rules over Evil. He ain¡¯t got no qualms giving his power to sinful men like me.¡¹

    Ah, makes sense. So he¡¯s okay with helping out anyone that¡¯s evil, even if they don¡¯t worship him.

    ¡¸Rynford, where?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s already moved to another one of the bases Bluke¡¯s prepped for him.¡¹

    ¡¸Location?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahahahah! You want to know where it is? I¡¯ll tell you where it is. It¡¯s beside the Lord¡¯s manor, right in the center of town. It¡¯s the perfect ce for Rynford to channel his magic through the whole ass city of Barbra!¡¹

    You know, he sure is being awfully cooperative. Is he retarded or something?

    The moment the thought crossed my mind was the moment the ring on his finger broke whilst giving off a pale glow; Luzerio almost seemed to disapear.

    ¡¸Gyahahaha! Looks like you let your guard down, brat!¡¹

    He reappeared about ten meters away from us. It looked like the ring he¡¯d just used had the ability to be sacrificed in order to allow him to teleport a short distance. After teleporting, the man let loose a painfully loudugh while pulling out a small container and draining its contents in an instant.

    ¡¸Y¡¯know why I was willing to talk? S¡¯cause you¡¯ll be dying right here, right now anyways!¡¹

    His words were apanied by the emission of a ck aura. He¡¯d entered the same state Bluke had just a bit earlier.

    Appraising him led me to observe that he had gained the Enraged status. I was more or lesspletely certain that the stuff he¡¯d just downed had been some of Rynford¡¯s custom made, magic-infused water. In other words, he¡¯d chosen to turn himself into an evil human. It seemed he really did regard it as some sort of ascension.

    The flesh around where his leg was severed even started to bubble as it readied itself to regenerate.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to tear you to foocking pieagughgh!¡¹

    Annnd denied.

    I¡¯d started chanting Short Jump the moment he teleported away. We¡¯d already seen what happened with Bluke, so we didn¡¯t bother letting him do as he pleased. This wasn¡¯t an anime, and there weren¡¯t any awesome special effects that apanied his transformation, so there wasn¡¯t really any point in watching him as itpleted.

    Fran firmly grabbed ahold of his jaw the moment she blinked towards him, and held it in such a manner that his mouth stayed open. If she wanted, she probably could¡¯ve just put a bit more strength into her hand and crushed it, but instead, she mmed him into the ground.

    ¡¸Drink.¡¹

    ¡¸Gurajksdhgkju8asudghask¡¹

    She activated her dimensional storage, and opened it up right in front of her palm in order to force him to drink the Water of Recovery. He wasn¡¯t able to close his mouth or spit it back out, and thus, he ended up ingesting a bunch of it.

    ¡¸Gaaahhh! Gahahhhhh! Greruaughghg!¡¹

    Both his abnormal statuses disappeared; feeling the power drain from his body caused Luzerio to look up at Fran with a surprised, nk expression.

    ¡¸The foock¡­ did you do to me!?¡¹

    ¡¸Fixed status abnormality.¡¹

    ¡¸No way. No foocking way! What happened to all that overflowing power!? My power!? Fuuuuuuckkkkk!!! I¡¯m going to foocking murder you, you foocking shi-!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    Fran threw a textbook worthy right hook and caught him smack in the jaw. Luzerio immediately toppled over, likely as a result of a concussion.

    ¡¸Shut up.¡¹

    It looked like his shouts had been hurting her eardrums because of how excessively loud they¡¯d been.

    ¡ºWell, that works I guess.¡»

    What now though? He knew quite a bit, so, we were d we managed to take him alive, but we were split between dragging him along with us and handing him over to the guards. Luckily, our thoughts were interrupted by a series of rushed footstepsing from behind us.

    ¡¸Are you alright?¡¹

    The chief guard greeted us as he approached. His timing was impable; we quickly handed off both the guy and all the information we got from him.

    Or wait, no, hold up. Luzerio was way stronger than the soldiers, so leaving him as is was probably not the best idea.

    ¡¸Wah!¡¹

    I cut off Luzerio¡¯s remaining leg with a quick wind spell. He probably wouldn¡¯t be able to put up a fight with both legs missing, so that was fine I guess. We quickly sealed the wound by healing him, so the only problem was that he¡¯d woken up again as a result of the pain, a problem Fran quickly solved by giving him another concussion.

    The chief had let out a bit of cry in response to our actions, which¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d call favourable. To him, it¡¯d looked as if Fran had been the one tomit all the aforementioned acts of cruelty.

    £¨Don¡¯t mind. Would¡¯ve done if Master didn¡¯t.£©

    Yeah, I guess it¡¯s a bit toote for me to be worrying about that kinda stuff, seeing as how we¡¯d already scared them earlier anyway.

    £¨Nn. More important. Advance.£©

    ¡ºYeah, true. We should be focusing on that instead.¡»

    Especially seeing as how we figured out where Rynford went.

    Advancing through the underground path ultimately led us to a garden in what looked like an abandoned estate in the noble¡¯s district. I¡¯d hoped that we¡¯d end up right inside the hideout, but unfortunately, things didn¡¯t always go that well. The ce we were right now wasn¡¯t right next to the Lord¡¯s manor, in fact, it was a decent distance away, but you could see the city¡¯s centerpoint if you tried.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do this.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat is it boy?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi looked like he wanted to head in a direction opposite that of the Lord¡¯s manor.

    ¡ºIs that where your nose is telling you Zerais is?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    So does that mean Zerais and Rynford split up so they could each do their own thing? Or was the hideout Luzerio talked about fake all along? He wasn¡¯t lying, but he could¡¯ve ultimately been fed false info just so he could function as a sacrificial pawn when caught.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ What do¡­ Do we trust what Luzerio told us, or go after Zerais¡­?¡»

    In this sort of situation, it¡¯d probably be best for us to pursue the path that led to the greatest degree of certainty. We could always track Zerais down whenever because of Urushi¡¯s nose, so there wasn¡¯t any harm in giving Rynford¡¯s supposed facts a quick check or two.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head into the noble¡¯s district for now. We¡¯ll hunt Rynford down first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi used Air Jump in order to allow us to make a beeline for the Lord¡¯s manor. Looking down allowed us to see the knights as they ran around the city doing everything they needed to; it looked like Dannan had actually managed to get his job done.

    An ear splitting scream soon interrupted our travels; looking down caused us to see a woman being assaulted by what almost looked like a buff, ck skinned Daruma, an Evil Human.

    We were in a rush, but not so much of one that we¡¯d leave victims to their fates.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi dove straight at the Evil Human and allowed Fran to sh at its neck as she passed it by.

    But it didn¡¯t die. Its head remained unsevered.

    ¡¸Gruruooohhhh!¡¹

    It¡¯d actually managed to realize that we wereing, so it¡¯d raised its arms and sacrificed them to save its life.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Evil Human (Evil Being)

    Level: 1

    Status Condition: Insane, Rampaging.

    HP: 227

    MP: 110

    STR: 107

    VIT: 117

    AGI: 66

    INT: 36

    MGC: 77

    DEX: 55

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 3

    Sword Arts: Lv 4

    Martial Arts: Lv 3

    Night Vision

    Innate Skills

    Evil Arts: Lv 2

    Titles

    Servant to the Evil God

    Equipment

    Steel Longsword

    Description: Unknown

    _______________________________________________________________

    Huh, this one¡¯s pretty strong. Did it used to be an adventurer or something? It looked like it even still had some of its old skills. In other words, my suspicions were spot on, the stronger the human, the stronger the resulting Evil Human.

    Hmmm¡­ That said, I do feel like I¡¯ve seen the guy somewhere before. Where was it again¡­?

    £¨Adventurer. Kicked up fuss at stall.£©

    ¡ºOh, right! Yeah, I remember him now.¡»

    He¡¯d caused some trouble at our stall, so Colbert had kicked his ass. He used to be¡­ an F ranker, but now he¡¯d be as strong as a D ranker. Wow. That transformation really did some work.

    Still though, we didn¡¯t really have any trouble dealing him; Fran¡¯s second strike split him right down the middle. Blood and other bodily fluids splurted from his muscled corpse as it fell apart from the seams.

    ¡¸Hiiiiiiihhhh!¡¹

    The woman we saved had gone pale because the demonic-looking corpse had fallen right in front her, but she somehow managed to squeeze out a word of thanks.

    ¡¸Thank you very much For saving my life.¡¹

    Crap¡­ What now? We couldn¡¯t really just leave her here, there might be more Evil Humans about.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Kyaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Bear with it. Just a little.¡¹

    Fran lifted her up and hopped on top of Urushi¡¯s back before immediately having him elerate to where we saw the knights. The woman began to scream, but we couldn¡¯t really me her.

    ¡¸Kyaaaaahhhhhh!!!!¡¹

    I mean, who wouldn¡¯t scream if a three meter tall wolf popped up in front of them and started carrying them off at super high speed?

    ¡¸Kyaaaaahhhhhh!!!!¡¹

    Hopefully, this wouldn¡¯t end up leaving her with any sort of trauma. Hopefully.

 Chapter 125: Rynford

    <h4>Chapter 125: Rynford</h4>

    ¡¸Very well, we shall take thedy into our care.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸We thank you for your services.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you so much Fran! You saved my life!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Take care of yourself out there!¡¹

    The woman we helped was much moreposed now than she¡¯d been just five minutes prior. Having Urushi leap through the sky with her on his back ended up delivering to her a bit too much of a shock, so we¡¯d descended instead. In spite of that, the atmosphere had ended up being a bit weird throughout the trip¡¯s duration. She ended up tightly clinging to his fur, and continued to do so until it had finallye time for us to part.

    We ended up having the knights tell us a bit about everything they knew as we dropped her off. It seemed that the whole situation had actually turned into quite the big deal. A bunch of pretty important ces were already under attack. We had to hit the gas if we wanted to get everything under control.

    ¡ºI think I see it.¡»

    ¡¸There?¡¹

    We positioned ourselves above the Lord¡¯s manor and surveyed its surroundings.

    The Lord¡¯s property was vast. It contained ten different mansions, but in spite of that, we were immediately able to distinguish our target from its peers. The atmosphere around the building in question seemed much heavier than any other around it. We felt a powerful aura from it, one that was quite simr to that of the Evil Beings we¡¯d recently defeated. It was dark, and clearly wicked in nature. That, however, was where the simrities ended. The aura before us was on apletely different scale. It was so powerful that staring at the building from which it came seemed to have started to give me goosebumps in spite of the distance between it and us.

    Both Fran and Urushi started the ce down, scowls stered all over their faces.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s definitely it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I was honestly kind of tempted to just go charging in through the front door, but we knew far too little about our enemies for that to work, so we fell back on our usual stealth-based tactics.

    We minimized our presences as we descended into the mansion¡¯s garden. The cecked any sort of barrier, so infiltration turned out to be rather simple.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll do the usual and whittle their numbers down bit by bit.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We started by circling around the ce so we could scout out the number of enemies we¡¯d have to take down.

    The process took around ten minutes, and informed us of the fact that the building didn¡¯t actually contain that many people. Moreover, all ten or so individuals we detected had gathered at the building¡¯s centermost area.

    That, however, was all we could figure out. It didn¡¯t look like we had any other choice but to break in to the mansion¡¯s premises in order to get a bit of a better grasp of what was going on.

    Oh well, whatever works, I guess.

    ¡ºGet yourselves ready forbat. A fight could start at any time now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I had Fran and Urushi each down a Mana Potion in order to top off their magical energy levels. Fran ended up wielding Deathgaze over me this time around, as I was getting myself ready to shoot off a telekic catapult if need be.

    And so, we entered the building. Apparently, no one noticed us break through its back door.

    We held our breaths as we slowly moved towards the ce from which we were detecting the building¡¯s temporary inhabitants. The air seemed to be pumped full of mana, it was almost like we¡¯d entered a haunt. Chances were, the change in atmosphere was one caused by some sort of magic item.

    Not a single enemy attacked us on our way. We arrived at our destination with so little trouble that I honestly ended up feeling more disappointed than anything.

    £¨Master. Door.£©

    ¡ºYeah. It looks like all our enemies are on the other side of it.¡»

    I could feel our enemies from beyond therge double doors before us. It seemed that the other side contained some sort of hall-like structure. The proximity we had to our foes led us to analyze them in more detail. Said process of feeling out their magical energies led us to the definite conclusion that what awaited us was a group of Evil Humans.

    Recognizing our foes but led to a single question: what now? They hadn¡¯t bothered to put themselves on guard. In other words, they were extremely confident in their own prowess. Hence, I didn¡¯t barge in immediately. It went without saying that I strongly preferred avoiding any choices that could potentially lead to us waltzing in on a bunch of ridiculously strong foes far out of our league.

    Our enemy was capable enough to make people like Zerrosreed and Luzerio into his subordinates. It was very usible for him to have a bunch of other C or D ranked minions at his disposal. We¡¯d end up in quite the bad spot if we were attacked by arge group of transformed humans formerly of such a caliber. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d win unless we managed to catch them off guard and st them all with a bunch of full powered spells at once.

    However, I doubted that such a strategy would allow us to capture Rynford alive, especially if we were going all out. I really did want to get a hold of him without actually murdering him for information¡¯s sake though¡­ I mean, we could always just attack everywhere except for where he was. Would that work, or¡­?

    £¨What now?£©

    £¨Woof?£©

    Nah, scratch that. It was possible for Fran and Urushi to end up sustaining major, and potentially even irreparable injuries if we tried to hold back. Their safety was my number one priority. There was no way in hell I was going to bet their lives for the sake of keeping some sheetty old geezer away from his grave. Besides, leaving him alive might end uppletely screwing us over if we messed up. It was not only possible, but likely for him to try to destroy the city immediately, should he escape our grasp.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s get in there and hit everyone with everything we¡¯ve got.¡»

    £¨Certain?£©

    ¡ºYeah. We don¡¯t even know whether that Rynford guy¡¯s really here or not to begin with, and he might end up getting away even if he is here, so we¡¯d best finish him off before he messes even more sheet up.¡»

    Sorry Rynford, but you¡¯re a dead man.

    ¡ºAnyways, let¡¯s get a move on.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Growl!£©

    The room shook as Fran kicked down its door and started firing off her spells. Only after we started attacking did I look around in order to ensure that all our targets were in fact Evil Humans ¡ª which, fortunately, they were, especially seeing as how we couldn¡¯t actually stop the attacks we¡¯d alreadyunched.

    ¡ºExploding re! Hazardous Gale! Exploding re!¡»

    I felt a vague bit of nostalgia as I cranked out a series of full powered sts for the first time in a long while; I overboosted my attacks whilst using Parallel Processing and Sorcery in order to bombard an incrediblyrge area without much dy.

    The Level 4 me Spell, Exploding re, was one that incinerated a massive area. The use of a wind spell allowed us to increase the size of its explosions even further.

    ¡¸Fire Wall!¡¹

    ¡¸Groooowll!¡¹

    ¡ºStone Wall!¡»

    I¡¯d used thebination at too close a range, so we ended up getting hit by a bit of the resulting hot air, but Fran managed to get out unscathed by using the defensive spells she¡¯d chanted in advance. Exploding re was ridiculously powerful; its aftermath seemed equivalent to that of a napalm st¡¯s. Both sides of the room had its walls getpletely blown away. Even we felt like we were about to get sent flying despite the threeyers of protection we had.

    ¡ºDid we end up going overboard?¡»

    ¡¸Better than opposite.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The building¡¯s second floor was basicallypletely gone by the time the explosions finally settled down. The first had ended up half copsed as well. Of all the areas epassed by our strikes, the most damaged was obviously the hall in which the Evil Humans had been gathered up in. All four of its walls had beenpletely obliterated. Its newfound, exposed appearance almost made me think that the ce was instead supposed to have been a courtyard, the courtyard of a building that took up the Lord¡¯s entire Marquis-sized property, that is.

    ¡¸That¡¯s quite the way to treat someone you¡¯ve never met before, girlie.¡¹

    ¡¸Who?!¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu¡­ Are you not aware of my identity?¡¹

    ¡¸Master of Evil Arts. Rynford.¡¹

    ¡¸Right you are.¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Rynford Lorentia

    Age: 100

    Race: Evil Being

    ss: Master of Evil Arts

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 58/99

    HP: 229

    MP: 850

    STR: 127

    VIT: 97

    AGI: 120

    INT: 236

    MGC: 552

    DEX: 81

    Skills

    Chant Shortening: Lv 4

    Appraisal: Lv 7

    High Speed Regeneration: Lv 6

    Evil Detection: Lv 9

    Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 4

    Agitation: Lv 4

    Compounding: Lv 6

    Knowledge of Poisons: Lv 7

    Magic Maniption

    Greater Magic Boost

    Innate Skills

    Evil Arts: Lv 7

    Evil God¡¯s Favour

    Titles

    Evil God¡¯s Vanguard

    Equipment

    Demonic Bone Staff

    Evil Dogman¡¯s Robe

    Evil Dogman¡¯s Mantle

    Evil Art¡¯s Bracelet.

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Your status and demonstrated abilities seem a bit disparate. Were you using some sort of magic item?¡¹

    Holy sheet. He¡¯spletely unharmed even after all that? Luckily, he was the only one in such a state. Seven Evil Humans were piled up in front of the short, aging man. The three in front had basically beenpletely obliterated; little was left of their corpses. The four in the back were a bit better off, but they still looked somewhere in the medium to well done range.

    Three more Evil Humansy behind the corpse pile. They ended up taking a bit less damage because they¡¯d used their allies as meat shields, but, they weren¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call in a decent state either. One was going to die in a minute or so regardless of what was done to him. The other two could potentially be saved were they to be treated, potentially being the key word.

    Rynford had clearly used his subordinates as to defend against our bombardment. I¡¯d assumed that they were capable of nothing more than just running amok on a sort of rampage, but it seemed that he could order them around somehow. Well, I guess that did make sense seeing as how he was a Master of Evil Arts.

    Or, so I thought, but apparently I was wrong.

    ¡¸Master Rynford! Please retreat!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll hold them off!¡¹

    Much to my surprise, the Evil Humans were speaking much in the same manner as well¡­ regr humans.

    I quickly appraised them, only to discover that they were quite different from all the other members of their species that we¡¯d run into thus far. First and foremost was the fact that they actually had their own names. They also weren¡¯t affected by any of the status conditions shared by their peers. Last but not least was the fact that their titles imed them to be the Evil God¡¯s servants as opposed to his ves.

    So in other words, they managed to be Evil Humans whilst also retaining their sanity?

    ¡¸Those. Can speak?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you ran into some other Evil Humans in town then. The men here are unlike the mongrels thrashing about within the city¡¯s confines. They became Evil Humans by seeking out our Lord¡¯s, the Evil God¡¯s, grace on their own ord.¡¹

    Oh, I get it now. So it really was the title that differentiated the two types. The ves were the ones that¡¯d been forced into a transformation whilst also being deprived of their reason, whereas the servants were the ones that epted the Evil God¡¯s power as their own.

    Luzerio had a title saying he was a Servant to the Evil God, so he probably would¡¯ve retained his sanity as well then. Whew, thank God we got rid of him before he actually finished transforming.

    ¡¸Conditions for transformation?¡¹

    ¡¸Normally, I would have asked why you¡¯d assume that I¡¯d tell you that, but I might as well provide you a reward for making it all the way here.¡¹

    ¡¸Enough with superfluous speech.¡¹

    ¡¸How assertive you are for a mere girl, but fine. It is actually very easy for anyone to evolve into an Evil Being if they so wish it. All one must do is drink the Evil God¡¯s Magical Water that I happen to be able to create. After that, all that must be done is for me give them a little bit of a push. That¡¯s it. Simple, right?¡¹

    Very simple. Too simple, in fact. Is that seriously all it takes for a human to turn into some sort of Evil Being? There would probably be more of them if that were really the case. I¡¯m pretty sure Rynford isn¡¯t the only Master of Evil Arts out there, so if it really were that easy, then there would at least be a bit more awareness of the topic. That, however, didn¡¯t seem to be case given the fact that neither Rhodas nor Dannan seemed to know much about the phenomenon at all. In other words, the concept of Evil Beings wasn¡¯t actually all that wide spread. It simply couldn¡¯t have been. Hence, transformation just had to have some sort of additional condition attached to it. There was no way it was actually just that simple.

    Rynford was hiding something, and that something was probably rted to why he was here in the first ce.

    What was it that Luzerio said again? Something about pouring magical energy into the city¡¯s center so it could spread throughout its entirety? What exactly does pouring magical energy into the city do?

    I looked at the area behind Rynford, only to see something that made me feel a bit¡­ off. It was quite difficult to spot at first nce, but he¡¯d drawn a magic circle onto the floor.

    Through the use of the Sorcery skill, I managed to trace its energy flow. It seemed to be taking in Rynford¡¯s evil-tainted magical energy and dispersing it. In other words, it was doing exactly as Luzerio described, it was spreading his magical energy throughout the city. The manner in which it was ced made the whole thing almost seem like a ritual of sort, and said ritual was probably that wholest push that Rynford had mentioned earlier.

    ¡¸Your little disy was quite interesting, girl. How about it? Would you like to subordinate yourself to me? I¡¯ll grant far more power than you have now.¡¹

    ¡¸Your goal¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Wonderful, what a quick reply! I see that you¡¯re still acting quite prudent, but that¡¯s a good thing in and of itself. Very well, I will tell you my goal. My goal is to revive our saviour, The Evil God, and obliterate all that this world has to offer!¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡¸Is probably what you¡¯d think, right?¡¹

    Rynford went on to repeat basically exactly what Luzerio had said. His goal was not to revive the Evil God, but instead, to spread its divine might throughout thend.

    He had no interest in any goals stemming from sources akin to excessive religious zealotry; he didn¡¯t intend on destroying the world or plunging all its citizens into despair for the sake of his God¡¯s glory.

    ¡¸Well? How about it? I will give you all the power you seek if you choose the path of subordination. I can even provide you an evolution, though it will be one that slightly deviates from the norm.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Declined. Won¡¯t be subordinate.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure? You willfully turn down evolution despite being a member of the ck cat tribe, the tribe whose members are said to be unable to naturally evolve?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Demand exnation.¡¹

    ¡¸I recall hearing that your tribe was long abandoned by God, and thus, lost its ability to evolve. I can¡¯t speak for the im¡¯s authenticity, but that¡¯s what they say.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve the ability to allow you an evolution, and an immediate one, at that.¡¹

    Rynford offered Fran one of his old, wrinkled hands as a wide grin spread itself across his face.

 Chapter 126: Temple

    <h4>Chapter 126: Temple</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯ve the ability to allow you an evolution, and an immediate one, at that.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯d probably be a good idea for us to y along a bit in order to get him to tell us a bit more.¡»

    The Principality of Falsehood would allow us the ability to discern the truth from lies, so listening to him a bit longer wouldn¡¯t really result in any sort of harm. That said, hisment regarding the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s ability to evolve meant that evolving as a ck Catsman probably had some sort of trick to it. This was a chance for us to learn a bit more about the process, so, the risk was well worth it, at least in my eyes.

    £¨Information already sufficient. His evolution not true evolution. Involves transformation into Evil Being.£©

    ¡ºTrue.¡»

    £¨Won¡¯t lower head to man like this. Not even as act.£©

    ¡ºAh, I getcha.¡»

    Alright, yeah. Fran¡¯s choice was definitely the better of the two choices. Rynford thought his words to be the truth, but there was no way for us to determine the correctness of the information he provided. Not everything he thought to be true really would be true, after all. Moreover, we had no idea what he¡¯d end up doing should we show him some sort of opening. ying along wasn¡¯t exactly what you could call perfectly safe.

    ¡¸Nn. Can just force information from himter.¡¹

    Fran pulled tightened her grip on me as she got herself into abat ready stance.

    ¡¸Oh? So you choose not to obey? Fine. I¡¯ll just defeat you and force you into a transformation.¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuofuofuofuo! Your words appear much sharper than your skills. I assume you possess some sort of trump card, but I assure you that the magic tool you just used will be insufficient if you wish to defeat me.¡¹

    Ah, right, he had Appraisal. He must¡¯ve seen Fran¡¯s fake stats, and thought her to be far too weak to defeat him. He¡¯d likely feel different if he ended up seeing her real stats. I guess that was technically the whole point of using the skill in the first ce though, so yeah.

    ¡ºWelp, his fault, not ours.¡»

    I activated my telekic catapult andunched myself right at him. There were only ten meters between us, so my flight butsted for an instant.

    But I was unable to impale the old man.

    ¡¸That¡¯s a formidable magic sword you have there. Still, itcks the power needed to pierce the divine protection bestowed upon me by the Evil God himself.¡¹

    I was stopped and sent flying by some sort of ridiculously powerful protective barrier. I hadn¡¯t gone all out because I didn¡¯t use Overboost, but I hadn¡¯t really held back either. He¡¯d actually managed to block an attack that made use of element enhancements, Poison Fang, and Vibration de.

    Sheet. I ended flying a bit too far. There was quite a bit of distance between Fran and I.

    £¨Master, Urushi. Stay at current location.£©

    ¡ºAlright. I¡¯ll sit around and peek at his skills to see if I can figure anything out.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    ¡¸How close. You would have been able to interrupt the ritual had you killed me with that blow. That said, dying itspletion for another ten minutes would be all your interruption would¡¯ve managed, for not even my death can stop the gears I¡¯ve set into motion!¡¹

    ¡¸Ritual?¡¹

    ¡¸Fuofuofuofuo! It doesn¡¯t matter how much information you pry from me! It¡¯s far toote! The ritual has already reached a state ofpletion!.¡¹

    The magic circle Rynford had hidden behind him began to shine with a blindingly bright light the moment he made his deration. Magical power started flooding out from within it and scattering into our surroundings.

    ¡¸With this, the city will give rise to an additional 330 of the Evil God¡¯s ves! I¡¯d originally nned for a number ten times that, but, all is fine. Zerais¡¯ ns will more thanpensate for what weck.¡¹

    I knew he was using that magic circle for something! That said, I was toote to do anything about it. He¡¯d already used it to transform everyone he could into Evil Humans.

    ¡¸And with that, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait!¡¹

    Fran whipped Deathgaze at the old man, but it ended up getting repelled.

    ¡¸Fuofuofuo. What a weak throw. I see that I was correct in assuming that most of your abilities stemmed from the sword you had. Well, I don¡¯t quite care either way. Men, apprehend her. Kill her if she resists.¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir.¡¹

    The two remaining Evil Humans had somehow managed to recover from their critical injuries. Both now semi-healthy specimens turned towards Fran after acknowledging their master¡¯s orders.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be struggling now, if you want to live that is.¡¹

    ¡¸Dedicate yourself to Master Rynford¡¯s service.¡¹

    ¡¸I am inclined to forgive you if you do as any good girl and beg for your life.¡¹

    They were looking down on us, which did make sense given that we¡¯d disguised Fran¡¯s stats in order for her to seem like any other D ranked adventurer. Numerically speaking, she appeared to Rynford as someone far inferior to both of the Evil Humans before her.

    ¡¸Absolute refusal.¡¹

    ¡¸Then die. Farewell, girlie.¡¹

    Rynford disappeared as he finished making that onest statement. Sheet! Did he teleport somewhere? Evil Arts users could do that? God foocking damn it! I can¡¯t believe he actually managed to get away!

    ¡¸Prepare to die, brat!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll have you pay for wronging Master Rynford!¡¹

    Their words were apanied by a series of twisting expressions, not out of cruelty, but because Fran had killed one of them in an instant.

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible! Where the hell did that sworde from!?¡¹

    The answer was obvious, the weapon she now held in her hands was one she¡¯d procured from her dimensional storage. Specifically, she¡¯d pulled out a de that hadn¡¯t seen much use in quite a while, the magic sword Phantom Pyroxene.

    Rynford¡¯s other minion was also disposed of in an instant. There wasn¡¯t any trading of blows. The events that transpired failed to amount to anything that even possibly be considered a battle. Fran had simply eliminated her foes. That was it. Her advantage over them was clear, she surpassed them both numerically, and in terms of the number and overall quality of her skills. Her superiority,bined with the fact that her opponents had been off guard, had allowed her to y them without so much as batting an eysh.

    ¡ºIt¡¯d probably be a good idea for you to get rid of the magic circle too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Rynford had mentioned something about Zerais, so chances were, the two were in the midst of joining up. In other words, Urushi would be able to track both of them down for us at once.

    We left the building after casting a few spells to blow the magic circle up. Barbra was bustling with noise as a result of the old man¡¯s actions. Screams wereing from all over the city. The port was giving off a bright red glow; it had obviously been set ame, a result that almost seemed natural given that three hundred odd Evil Humans had been let loose.

    There simply wasn¡¯t enough time for us to fix everything ourselves. We had no choice but to hope that the knights would seed in thepletion of their duties.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s chase Rynford down.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Again, that didn¡¯t mean we ignored everything and just singlemindedly charged towards our destination. We still stopped to eliminate whatever enemies we happened to encounter on our way there. All the aforementioned enemies had ended up being forced into their transformations, and so not a single one of them had managed to retain a sane state of mind.

    Seeing the Evil Human¡¯s rampaging about had honestly made us feel a bit hesitant about leaving most of them as is, but Rynford and Zerais were probably plotting something to make this whole ordeal even worse than it already was, so we still ended choosing to pursue them instead.

    ¡ºTake the route that¡¯ll get us to where Zeras and Rynford are fastest.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We managed to reach the source of Rynford¡¯s scent about twenty odd minutester. The trip had resulted in us butchering three additional Evil Humans along the way.

    ¡ºYou sure it¡¯s here?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    There didn¡¯t seem to be much magical energy leaking from the building¡¯s premises, and we weren¡¯t able to sense any presences inside of it either. But I trusted Urushi¡¯s nose. If he said that this was the ce, then it probably was.

    ¡ºWhy a temple of all ces?¡»

    The ce that Urushi had led us to was, without a doubt, a ce of worship, a house of God.

    This world¡¯s religious practice wasn¡¯t one segregated by different sects or cults. Every single temple was dedicated to every single God. People of certain races and upations might end up having greater dedication to one God than the rest, but it¡¯d never be by arge margin.

    All in all, the church was a simple, powerless organisation. It never named any particr popes or pontiffs. This was the result of the people believing it forbidden to use the Gods¡¯ names in self interest. It was said that anyone that didmit such a taboo would soon meet fate in the form of death. That, to me, seemed like nothing but just another urban legend, however, this world¡¯s denizens apparently believed it to be true. I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if applying such an axiom to the religious organisations we had back on Earth would result in about eighty percent of their staff getting wiped out.

    There was a sort of Priest-like position, but it wasn¡¯t anything special. Priests were just responsible for managing their temples, and that was it. Anyone could be a priest so long as they had the Oracle skill.

    Job sses could actually be considered one of the Gods¡¯ blessings, and thus, one could change their job at any given temple simply by offering a prayer. Each prayer woulde with a three thousand Golde fee in order for the temple to pay its maintenance costs and keep its priests out of poverty.

    One could also change jobs at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, as Fran had done twice already in the past. The reason for that was because the guild possessed a magic item that happened to have said ability. I¡¯d assumed that said item was considered a sphemy or something, but apparently, all the second hand information I¡¯d obtained said that it wasn¡¯t.

    Anyways, enough digressing. All that aside, a temple was still a temple. It only made sense for the Gods¡¯ Divine Protection to prevent anything less than desirable from entering its grounds.

    So, given that, how the hell did Rynford managed to worm his way inside? The guy was totally connected to the Evil God. No doubts there whatsoever.

    ¡ºJust what the hell is going on here¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Will know once inside.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºTrue, I guess¡­¡»

    We killed our presences as we approached the building. There weren¡¯t any back doors, and the windows were too small to climb through, even for Fran. They¡¯d only been constructed for the sake of letting light into the building¡¯s interior.

    Peeking through the windows didn¡¯t reward us with any clues either. That said, we did manage to sense a slight bit of magical energy.

    ¡ºI can feel a tant evil energy in this magic, so it¡¯s gotta be him¡­ But still, why the temple?¡»

    We¡¯d never entered any temples ourselves, but we¡¯d passed by a few on asion. The magic that we¡¯d felt on all those asions had been pure. What we were feeling here was far too sinister to be of the same make.

    Looks like we¡¯re going to have to break in, I guess¡­

    ¡ºAlright¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡»

    We steeled ourselves as we gave the door a gentle push and got ready to make our way inside.

 Chapter 127: A Battle Within the Temple

    <h4>Chapter 127: A Battle Within the Temple</h4>

    We steeled ourselves as we gave the temple¡¯s door a gentle push and got ready to make our way inside.

    £¨Person sighted.£©

    Peeking through the resulting crevice allowed our eyes to catch a figure within the building¡¯s deepest depths. The temple was dark, but we were able to make out the small framed individual regardless.

    ¡ºYup, that¡¯s definitely Rynford.¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    He¡¯d yet to notice us. The old man had probably never in his wildest dreams imagined that we would be so quick in chasing him down. It looked like we were going to be able to blindside him again, but we were going to have to mix up our method of attack. The whole fire and wind based thing we had going earlier was a fairly solid tactic, but it wasn¡¯t applicable given the strength of his protective barrier. I also held the sneaking suspicion that destroying the temple wasn¡¯t exactly the best course of action. The Gods probably wouldn¡¯t be so happy with us if we did. There was a chance that they might not consider Rynford¡¯s evil deeds as something of enough note to counterbncepletely blowing up one of their ces of worship.

    That said though, we couldn¡¯t just wait for him to leave or anything. Who knew what he¡¯d do if left to his own devices?

    Besides, our eyes had managed to catch themselves a little something of interest.

    ¡ºThose crystal thingies he¡¯s got are looking pretty suspicious.¡»

    £¨Nn. Definitely of value.£©

    Three massive crystals sat around Rynford, each giving off an evil, bluish purple glow. They were probably why the temple¡¯s energies seemed so off and misaligned.

    ¡ºYou two focus on the crystals. I¡¯ll get Rynford.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    £¨Bork!£©

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s up?¡»

    £¨No holding back. Will kill him. Here and now.£©

    ¡ºYou sure? He might be able to give you some info on evolution.¡»

    £¨I¡¯m sure. Master promised, will make me evolve. So, will definitely evolve some day. Won¡¯t need to rely on information from him.£©

    Right. I did tell her that when we first met. I¡¯m d she remembers, and that she trusts me so much¡­ I-It¡¯s not like I¡¯m moved or anything! Whatever! Who cares! Either way, my motivation¡¯s hit its peak.

    ¡ºYeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll definitely make sure you evolve.¡¹

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    ¡ºSee, even Urushi says he¡¯ll help you out.¡»

    £¨Thanks.£©

    £¨Ruff!£©

    ¡ºSo yeah, let¡¯s do this. Short Jump!¡»

    I teleported myself above Rynford, charged up my Telekic Catapult andunched myself towards him.

    ¡¸Nuasdhf!? What the!?¡¹

    I had totally just rammed him from his blind spot, and his surprised reaction gave way to the fact that he hadn¡¯t picked up on the attack in advance. In other words, his barrier was the automatic type.

    ¡¸You again, girl!? How did you manage to¡­¡¹

    Rynford had started shouting at Fran out of surprise, but both she and Urushi ignored him and went straight for the massive ass crystals.

    ¡¸Sheet! What¡¯s with this damn sword!? It¡¯s keeping me from moving!¡¹

    Oh? Did I just hear what I thought I heard? So he can¡¯t move while his barrier¡¯s out? Good to know, good to know.

    I continued to use Telekinesis to push myself against his barrier in order to stop both myself from flying away and him from moving. The act was even draining his mana as a bit of an added bonus.

    ¡¸Evil Smash!¡¹

    Rynford fired a spell in Fran and Urushi¡¯s direction. Surprisingly, it passed right through his barrier. Holy crap though, that barrier was he amazing. It activated on its own, was strong enough to repel my Telekic Catapult, and even allowed attacks that came from inside of it to fly out. Not being able to move was honestly pretty fair as far aspensation went.

    The old man had fired thirty odd projectiles in the pair¡¯s direction, but neither of the two had gotten hit. There was simply no way in hell either Fran or Urushi would be hit by something as telegraphed as a clump of magic flying in a straight line. As the attack had failed to put any pressure on them, both mypanions soon began unloading on Rynford¡¯s magic crystals.

    ¡¸Stop that!¡¹

    w, fang, de and spell assaulted the mineral-like objects and sent them flying all over, and so, despite the fact that they¡¯d been reinforced, they cracked. They¡¯d probably break if hit a few more times.

    ¡¸Will you stop that already? Sheet! I have no choice but to first focus on getting rid of this damn sword!¡¹

    Yeah, I figured that¡¯s what he¡¯d end up deciding on, but yeah no. Not happening.

    ¡ºBurst me!¡»

    I purposefully backed off a bit before casting a fire spell a few times. The spell was actually quite weak, but, it would light the target¡¯s surroundings on fire and keep the mes lit for ten odd seconds.

    ¡ºBurst me!¡»

    ¡ºBurst me!¡»

    Burst me was the perfect skill for this situation. It was weak, but I could pretty much spam it to force him to keep his barrier up. Better yet was the fact that the mes obscured his vision and prevented him from tracking me down. As a result, he pretty much ended up being stuck randomly misfiring his attacks.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Growl growl!¡¹

    The crystals were ultimately unable to endure Fran and Urushi¡¯s endless assault, and hence, one soon crumbled.

    Oh sweet! The whole evil atmosphere has cleared up quite a bit! Looks like the crystals were what¡¯d been causing it in the first ce.

    ¡¸How¡­ dare you!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe. Victory.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Rynford seemed to understand that one of the crystals had been destroyed despite not having any vision of it, for he let loose a hate filled groan. I couldn¡¯t help but want to smirk as I realized that our strategy had been extraordinarily effective.

    ¡¸The path will close if she destroys another crystal¡­ It looks like I have no choice, but to¡­ ¡¹

    The old man suddenly turned off his barrier so he could better protect the crystals. His strategy was reasonable given Burst me¡¯s rtively low power, but still, it was risky. It was a move that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to choose had he not resolved himself for death.

    Rynford dashed towards Fran, his body cloaked in ayer of me.

    ¡¸Damned girllll!!!!¡¹

    However, I¡¯d long predicted that this would happen. I knew he was eventually going to switch to suicide bomb mode, and so, I¡¯d already plotted my next move in advance.

    ¡ºTake this!¡»

    I repeated the action I¡¯d taken at the battle¡¯s start, and teleported above him before releasing a bunch of telekic energy.

    ¡¸Ggagargghghajh!¡¹

    Blood splurted from Rynford¡¯s mouth as he let loose a pained scream. I hadnded a direct hit, and my de had pierced right through his torso.

    The man had been split in two by the attack¡¯s force. The angle from which I hit him had made it so that the upper portion of his body almost kind of looked like the busts you¡¯d find at art exhibitions.

    I had applied a bunch of telekic force in order to hit the brakes the moment after I collided with Rynford, and so, I had luckily managed to avoid giving the floor anything more than just the slightest nick.

    Technically, I had caused a bit of damage earlier as well. I tried to stop Burst Explosion¡¯s mes from spreading, but, I had ultimately ended up leaving the floor a bit scorched. Just a bit though! The Gods won¡¯t mind. I mean, I¡¯m working against the Evil God¡¯s followers here, so they shouldn¡¯t, right? Right¡­?

    I gave the sculptures in my vicinity a bit of a fearful nce, but it didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d reacted in any which way. I guess that made sense. They hadn¡¯t even done anything to Rynford after all, and normally, you¡¯d expect his actions would incur all sorts divine wrath and punishment, so I¡¯m sure I¡¯m still safe.

    ¡­

    I¡¯m really sorry. Seriously, I swear I am.

    ¡¸You sons of b*tches! You¡¯re not getting away with this!¡¹

    Rynford began screaming curses as I took my sweet time apologizing to the Gods above. Wait, the hell? How¡¯s he not dead? The old man should¡¯ve long been turned into a corpse, but it looked like he was still just full of energy.

    ¡¸I swear I¡¯m going to foocking break that sword, put it on an altar and sacrifice it to the Evil God himself!¡¹

    We immediately tried to finish Rynford off, but he¡¯d already deployed his defensive barrier, so our attacks were unable to reach him. Moreover, he had even begun to regenerate. It looked like he truly had long be something inhuman.

    ¡¸Zerrosreed! Get the hell over here, right this instant! Summon n!¡¹

    Rynford had realized that he was at a disadvantage, and thus, he opted to summon one of his subordinates. I¡¯d nned to focus fire said summon the moment it arrived, but was denied the option altogether. The sneaky old bastard had managed to cast the spell within his barrier¡¯s confines.

    And of all people, he had to have summoned Zerrosreed. We¡¯d yet to meet the guy, but I knew for fact that he would be our toughest opponent yet. He, as a human, had been powerful enough to considered as strong as a B ranked adventurer.

    But now, he¡¯d likely transformed into an Evil Human and be even more powerful. It¡¯d probably be best for us to retreat. We couldn¡¯t match something on that level by ourselves.

    Or so I thought¡­

    ¡¸What!? It didn¡¯t work? Summon n: Zerrosreed!¡¹

    Huh, interesting¡­? The spell had managed to generate a magic circle, but once again, summoned¡­ absolutely foocking nothing.

    ¡¸What the hell do you mean, he refused!? Could he have betrayed me!?¡¹

    Apparently, the old man and hispanions had had some sort of falling out.

    ¡ºWell, I guess this our chance to finish him off.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will defeat here and now.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

 Chapter 128: Rynford: Evil Godâ€™s Embodiment

    <h4>Chapter 128: Rynford: Evil God¡¯s Embodiment</h4>

    Rynford reacted to Zerrosreed¡¯s betrayl with a hateful shout, which, in turn provided me yet another chance to assault him with a telekic cata-port.

    A loud grinding noise filled the temple as I smashed into Rynford¡¯s automatic barrier. That, however, was still just the onset.

    ¡¸Burst me.¡¹

    ¡ºBurst me!¡»

    ¡¸Arooooo!!¡¹

    I¡¯d said it all haughty-like, but to bepletely honest, my actions hadn¡¯t really changed much at all. I was still draining his mana and keeping him from moving by spamming a bunch of weak skills at him. His barrier would probably end up dissipating if he ran out of magical energy , so I figured it was probably the right thing to do.

    ¡¸Nraaaghh! Not this sheet again!¡¹

    Rynford was looking pretty desperate, so we might actually be able to finish him off if we kept this up a bit longer.

    ¡¸Damn it! The Path has yet to fully open¡­ but it simply cannot be helped. Oh great God of Evil, grant me your power!¡¹

    Orrrrr not. Well, I figured he wasn¡¯t about to just sit there till he died.

    The old man started to chant, his face still twisted in rage. All the evil energy within the temple gathered around his frame.

    The foock? It almost looked like the temple was giving Rynford its power. Was it because of those crystals he had¡­?

    Sheet. Crisis Detection had kicked itself into full throttle. It was reacting just as much as it had been back when we ran into the Midgard Wyrm.

    ¡ºFran! Urushi! Get out of there!¡»

    I teleported Fran and I out immediately after confirming that Urushi had dove into the shadows. Our escape was apanied by the sound of arge explosion. Dust and stone erupted from the temple as it copsed.

    ¡¸Gugaaaaaaaa!!¡¹

    A roar echoed throughout the night, and with it came a wave of evil-aligned magical energy.

    Holy crap he¡¯s huge!

    A muscly, ck skinned giant, a fifteen meter tall Evil Human-like thing rose from within the temple¡¯s rubble.

    At first, I¡¯d thought that it was something Rynford had summoned, but I was wrong.

    ¡¸Get back here! You¡¯re not escaping me, little girl!¡¹

    His shout contained such force that it almost seemed to make the air tremble.

    The giant that stood before us was none other than Rynford himself, as evidenced by his mutated but still recognizable face.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Rynford Lorentia

    Age: 100

    Race: Evil God¡¯s Embodiment

    Job: Master of Evil Arts

    Status: Deified (Evil God)

    Status Level: 99/99

    HP: 5620

    MP: 4458

    STR: 2027

    VIT: 1887

    AGI: 598

    INT: 1459

    MGC: 1987

    DEX: 115

    Skills

    Chant Shortening: Lv 7

    Appraisal: Lv 7

    High Speed Regeneration: Lv 6

    Evil Detection: Lv 9

    Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 4

    Agitation: Lv 4

    Compounding: Lv 6

    Knowledge of Poisons: Lv 7

    Magic Maniption

    Maximized Magic Boost

    Maximized Strength Boost

    Innate skills

    Evil Arts: MAX

    Evil God Arts: Lv 5

    Evil God¡¯s Favour

    Evil God¡¯s Cage

    Titles

    One Bestowed With the Evil God¡¯s Power

    Equipment

    None

    _______________________________________________________________

    Holy sheet. He was even more powerful than the demon we¡¯d fought back in the day. His threat level was somewhere between an A and a B, and he even possessed skills the likes of which we¡¯d never heard of before. Engaging him without first finding ourselves some backup was pretty much equivalent tomitting suicide.

    ¡ºOkay, we need to get out of here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I started chanting as Fran and Urushi kicked themselves into top gear.

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    The spell activated after we¡¯d travelled about fifty meters worth of distance. It looked like Fran and I were going to be able to get away if we kept this up. Urushi had the ability to dive into the shadows and whatnot, so he¡¯d be fine too.

    That, however, was when things stopped going well.

    ¡ºGah!¡»

    ¡¸Ow!¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper!¡¹

    Fran and I ended up colliding with what appeared to be some sort of thin wall. The same thing had happened to Urushi as well despite the fact that he was still hidden within the shadows.

    ¡¸You shall not escape the Evil God¡¯s Cage, one of the new abilities with which I was blessed!¡¹

    Sheet, so that¡¯s what that new skill did!? Looking around made me realize that the cage we were trapped in had was one that extended about fifty meters in every direction with Rynford at its centre.

    ¡ºInferno Burst!¡»

    ¡¸Fire Javelin!¡¹

    I switched from spamming spells to using my Telekic Catapult against the barrier¡¯s outer walls.

    ¡ºSheet! That didn¡¯t work either!?¡»

    The cage, however, remained intact. In fact, my durability had ended up going down instead. His defensive wall was even stronger than it¡¯d been before.

    ¡ºDimension Jump!¡»

    The next spell I tried was one that would let us teleport about a hundred meters. It was kind of finicky, but still better than Short Jump in either case.

    Foock, it¡¯s not working!? Does the barrier have some sort of anti-teleportation property!?

    ¡¸Evil re.¡¹

    If I were human, the sudden influx of evil oriented magic energy would likely have caused every single one of my body¡¯s hairs to stand on end. I felt a sense of crisis, a taste a fear. As a result, I ended up firing off the spell I¡¯d been chanting.

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    A fireball passed right through our previous location before exploding into mes. It was so powerful that it ended up hitting us despite the fact that we were a whole thirty meters away from its point of impact. Luckily, I managed to set up a magical barrier and prevent most of the damage. We would¡¯ve been in a pretty bad spot if we ended up taking a direct hit from it.

    ¡¸Not a bad dodge, but not good enough! Evil Barrage!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat the!?¡»

    ¡¸You think you can dodge this?¡¹

    Fifty volleyball sized lumps of evil energy materialized around him and started flying at us. Each moved differently; some flew in a straight line, others moved in a more circr arc. The different movement patterns,bined with the fact that each projectile moved at its own speed, made the attack ridiculously difficult to avoid.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºFire Shield!¡»

    ¡¸Haaahh!¡¹

    ¡ºWind Wall¡»

    We defended ourselves against the spell by dodging, striking down the projectiles, blocking, and using defensive spells.

    Luckily, the individual projectiles were rather weak, they didn¡¯t do that much damage. The problemy in the fact that getting hit even a single time would lead us to flinch and thereby get hit by the rest.

    Sheet, what now? Let¡¯s see¡­ we were going to have to somehow escape his barrier, which either meant we would either have to slip or break right through it.

    Slipping through it seemed difficult as it stopped both space/time and darkness magic. Do I use up the rest of my points on space/time magic then? Ehh¡­ nah, that seemed like a bad idea if anything. There was no guarantee that pointing stuff would allow us to pass through the barrier.

    What if I used my points to get us a bit more brute force? I could probably shove a few into me magic. Actually, I could probably change up my approach and go with something like purification magic instead. That¡¯d probably be more effective given that he was ssified as something evil. Probably.

    Actually, we did have yet another option to fall back on if we wanted to go for pure destructive force.

    £¨Master. Will use Latent Potential Release.£©

    ¡ºWait, don¡¯t!¡»

    Fran had hit the nail on the head. Latent Potential Release would allow us enough power to not only run away, but probably even kill him given how much stronger it¡¯d made us during that whole Lich thing.

    But I wasn¡¯t going to let her use it, absolutely not.

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to try a little something first.¡»

    I spent six of my remaining eighteen points and maxed out space/time magic, as I figured it seemed like the best option given the current circumstances.

    ¡´Space/Time Magic has reached its maximum level. As a result, you have now obtained the unique skill, Dimensional Magic. Its level is currently set to 1.¡µ

    With the unique skill came the Chronos Clock, Quick, and Slow spells, but as I couldn¡¯t really use them in the current circumstances. I instead tried to activate one of the new space/time spells we learned.

    ¡ºLong Jump!¡»

    But not even that would let us escape Rynford. We once again ended up with our faces against his barrier. It seemed that the amount of distance our teleport carried us waspletely irrelevant.

    The old man¡¯s projectiles quickly caught up to and swarmed us once more.

    £¨Should use Latent Potential Release£©

    ¡ºLet me do it then.¡»

    £¨No. Me.£©

    ¡ºDon¡¯t. That skill¡¯s side effects are ridiculous. You might even end up dead.¡»

    £¨Still want to£©

    ¡ºListen to me Fran! No means no!¡»

    £¨Mrmmph.£©

    Our exchange was immediately followed by the situation spiraling out of control.

    ¡¸Guhh!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    We weren¡¯t able to avoid all the iing projectiles; one hit Fran head on. Said projectile was immediately followed by many of its kind, and Fran was subject to bombardment. Sheet! We lost too much focus!

    I immediately teleported us a short distance away and set up a magical barrier.

    We managed to escape the attacks and reduce the amount of damage we took, but Rynford didn¡¯t let up. He immediately followed his attack with another.

    ¡¸Evil re!¡¹

    ¡¸Uaaahhh!¡¹

    The old man had managed to catch onto the fact that it was very difficult for us to use short jump several times in a row, so he¡¯d intentionally forced us to use it while also engulfing our destination in scorching hot mes. Both Fran and I immediately deployed our magical barriers at full power in response.

    ¡¸Kuuaaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡ºFuuckk!!¡»

    Our full powered, double barrier was unable to hold against his attack, and so, we were blown about twenty meters away.

    ¡¸Finally managed you catch you. Quite the pesky little fly you were.¡¹

    We narrowly managed to escape death, but it wasn¡¯t too far off. I¡¯d been pretty roughed up, but Fran was looking even worse. She was barely conscious, and her left arm had been burnt ck as coal.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡­¡¹

    It looked like his next attack would end up finishing us off.

    ¡ºFoock off! I¡¯m not letting you harm another hair on Fran¡¯s head!¡»

    I fiddled around with my status as I healed her up.

    ¡´Chant Shortening has reached its maximum level. As a result, you have now obtained the unique skill, Chant Nullification.¡µ

    Chant Nullification: This skill eliminates the need to chant magical invocations. Spells can now be cast simply through the recitation of their names, but at a greater mana cost.

    Sweet! I¡¯d been nning to buy time by continuously chanting short jump and teleporting around, so having this skill really helped. It gave us the ability to teleport nonstop as opposed to having to risk damage every time. I was a bit concerned about its increased mana cost, but this wasn¡¯t the time to be brooding over something like that, so whatever! Let¡¯s just do this sheet!

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    ¡ºShort Jumppp!!!¡»

    I teleported all over the ce in order to avoid Rynford¡¯s attacks and keep Fran safe.

    ¡¸Argghhh!! I had suspected that you had that skill, but why is it that you can use such a difficult spell so many times in session!? Just die already! Damn it! Die!¡¹

    Instantly casting the spell made it cost about twice as much mana, but that was honestly perfectly fine. It allowed us to spam it and escape Rynford¡¯s assault, which in turn caused him get frustrated. Hell yeah! Keep getting mad! Start messing yourself up by getting tilted!

    I started looking for a way out of this situation as I teleported all over the ce. If I couldn¡¯t find one, I¡¯d probably end up having to use Latent Potential Release.

    ¡¸Master¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see if we can try to find some sort of weak point or something.¡»

    We continued to dodge and dodge and dodge in order to escape his attacks, but we weren¡¯t able to inflict on him any sort of serious injury. His regenerative abilities outdid everything Fran and Urushi could output.

    I tried catapulting myself at him a few times too, but even that failed. It didn¡¯t even actually inflict any major damage on him. In fact, using the telekic catapult ended up giving him an opportunity to counter attack us.

    I made sure I at least appeared calm so Fran wouldn¡¯t end up panicking, but honestly, I¡¯d begun feeling a bit frustrated and impatient. We were exhausting ourselves, my mana was starting to run low. I was on the verge of just saying foock it and using Latent Potential Release.

    But then it happened.

    The Evil God¡¯s Cage vanished as a high pitched, clear, bell-like sound rang through our surroundings.

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    We had no idea what happened, but it seemed like it was something outside Rynford¡¯s expectations.

    I immediately cast all my other thoughts aside and took advantage of the opportunity presented.

    ¡ºUrushi, Fran, we¡¯re getting the hell out of here, right now!¡»

    ¡¸Bark!¡¹

    ¡ºDimension Jump!¡»

    I hid us behind a building immediately after teleporting about a hundred meters away.

    ¡ºYou alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Somehow.¡¹

    ¡ºWhew. Good.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸You okay too, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    I didn¡¯t really know how or why, but we had managed to escape. Whew!

    ¡¸Nugrahhhhhhhhhh!!!¡¹

    The next thing that happened left us in a state of shock. Rynford had let loose a pained scream. Not a howl, or battle cry, but a scream.

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    We hurriedly turned around and beheld the sight before us.

    ¡ºHoly sheet!¡»

    ¡¸Lots of swords.¡¹

    The evil being¡¯s body had been filled with des.

    Arge, snake-like thing had wrapped itself around him and restrained all his movements. Around him stood a small group of individuals.

    One crushed Rynford¡¯s right leg with his bare fists. Another had impaled his left with arge, knight-like spear. Some dashed along the ground as others flew through the air. But despite their differences, they were all working together towards a single goal: Rynford¡¯s defeat.

    ¡¸All really strong.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, they are. Who the hell are they anyways?¡»

 Chapter 129: Side: Combatants

    <h4>Chapter 129: Side: Combatants</h4>

    Side: Forrund

    People first started turning into monstrosities about an hour ago.

    I already defeated approximately thirty of them, but their end was nowhere in sight. Many continued to run rampant, and we had no guarantee that people would stop turning into them. Resolving the situation required getting rid of its cause.

    I headed in the direction from which I sensed the most evil energy as I continued to eliminate any monstrosities I came across.

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Uhm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­No prob.¡¹

    I gestured at the man thanking me that there was no need for any expression of gratitude, and that he should instead focus his energies on making his escape as the area was still unsafe. But for some odd reason, he ended up apologizing to me with a pale, panicked expression before scrambling away.

    I didn¡¯t understand what had happened. I was nning on offering him an escort in order to ensure his safety, so why did he run away¡­?

    ¡¸Haaaahh¡­¡­¡¹

    I sighed.

    I never understood why, but things had always been like this. I made sure to stay quiet and expressionless, but everyone would always say that I seemed to give off an air of intimidation. I¡¯d never thought so myself, but apparently that¡¯s just how they saw me. It¡¯s gotten so bad that I¡¯d actually started getting used to scaring everyone I met.

    I wasn¡¯t really good at talking to people, so I tried going for gestures instead, but people were still scared me anyways. I waspletely at a loss. I didn¡¯t understand how I was supposed to act.

    ¡¸Can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll just keep looking for monstrosities instead.¡¹

    I jumped atop the tallest building, some sort of four story business, and surveyed my surroundings.

    The change in height granted me a much clearer view of the city.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    None of the monstrosities had bothered using the night as cover. They didn¡¯t conceal their evil energies or intentions, so I was able to find one almost immediately. It was attacking a group of livestock as opposed to a human, and it was only about three hundred meters away. There was far too little distance between us for me to even consider the possibility of missing, so I decided to deal with it from where I stood.

    ¡¸Pierce.¡¹

    A single magic sword materialized itself in the air, abided by my will, and flew towards its target. The de carried with it more speed than an arrow and more power than a spear. It pierced the monstrosity with ease, destroying it in a single blow. As it had fulfilled its duty, the de no longer needed to remain, and so, it dissipated, it returned itself to the void from which it came.

    The skill I used was my extra skill, Sword God¡¯s Blessing. Its ability allowed me to create copies of any magic swords I¡¯ve ever touched. The only restriction the skill had was that it possessed a sort of threshold. It was unable to imitate any de whose abilities that exceeded said threshold. For example, I had once tried imitating Ignis, the Godde, but my reconstruction of it was to no avail.

    At first, the Sword God¡¯s Blessing had only allowed me to create swords. However, honing my skills for years on end eventually allowed me to develop the ability to control them as well. Training with the skill had decreased the amount of time and mana it took me to construct each de. At present, I had the ability to birth and fire a hundred swords at once.

    ¡¸¡­Target sighted.¡¹

    I managed to catch sight of another monstrosity. This time around, however, it was attacking a human, so I decided to descend and deal with the issue in person.

    Questions flooded my mind as I moved my body towards its destination. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how this event hade to be. It was far too obscure to be considered something caused by nature, as the monstrosities themselves gave off a sense of evil. They reminded me of one of the high ranking Evil Beings I¡¯d defeated in the past.

    The incidents cause simply had to be an unnatural factor. My guesses were that it was either the result of a plot or the loss of control over a sort of forbidden magic item. In either case, I would have to seek out and deal with the problem¡¯s source.

    I no longer had a hometown, but Barbra may as well have been my second. I refused to let it fall, I would protect it without fail.

    ¡¸Forrrund Annonnkul, taking off!¡¹

    Side: Phillip

    ¡¸Steel your nerves, men! Show the world why Barbra¡¯s knights as known as the elite!¡¹

    ¡¸Sir! Yes sir!¡¹

    ¡¸By yourmand!¡¹

    ¡¸For honour!¡¹

    My subordinates roared in response to my provocation. They looked to be in good form.

    ¡¸Move out!¡¹

    Naturally, I, as themander, was obligated to put on a disy in which my men would find no shame. I raised my spear and charged straight into the horde of monsters before me.

    My father had informed me that this incident was one perpetrated by none other than my very own younger brothers. I, as their flesh and blood, had no choice but to make amends for their mistakes.

    I first learned of this information just before the clock struck midnight. My father had paid me a visit in order to inform me of Bluke¡¯s n. I was shocked by its contents, and dreaded the fate he had faced.

    ¡¸Father, that simply cannot be. Are you sure that you speak the truth!?¡¹

    ¡¸I am¡­ It is undoubtedly true¡­ The city has already begun descending into a state of madness¡­¡¹

    The words that came out of my father¡¯s mouth had almost seemed like a mere delusion given his haggard state. However, even the most meagre nce at Bluke¡¯s form resulted in my realisation that my father was as correct as could be.

    It was none other than my duty as a sibling to right my younger brothers¡¯ wrongs and clear the Krysten family¡¯s name of its sins. Regrettably, I must concede that our n has betrayed the citizen¡¯s trust, thus, it was necessary for me to risk my life inbat in order to regain it.

    Many of the monstrosities bore faces recognizable as those belonging to the city¡¯s nobles, likely a result of my youngest brother, Waint, marketing his goods towards an aristocratic audience. It was a nobles duty to protect the country¡¯s people, yet, the monstrosities had fallen to the point where they instead attacked them. I felt but pity for their souls. I steeled my resolve and decided that I would strike them down before they stained their hands with the people¡¯s blood.

    I knew not whether they rejoiced upon being felled by the de of my spear. However, I felt it a necessary purge, for I bore no remorse in ying a noble capable of casting the citizens¡¯ lives away for the sake of preserving their own hide.

    ¡¸Buaaaahhhhhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Screeeeech!¡¹

    But even then, I sympathized with the fates that had befallen them.

    ¡¸Oh Magical Lance, Granbolt, demonstrate your abilities! Fell all foes of mine!¡¹

    My beloved spear gave off a brilliant shine as it consumed my mana to viel itself in a coat of lightning.

    ¡¸Prating Charge!¡¹

    The technique pierced through the throats of two different monstrosities as Granbolt electrocuted and paralyzed my foes.

    ¡¸By my order, waste not this opportunity! y our enemies!¡¹

    My men made use of the opportunity I had created for them. They charged straight towards the monstrosities and sent them to their graves. Our coordination had allowed us to clear an entire area of them in but a single swoop.

    ¡¸The coast is clear, we shall move onto the citizen¡¯s residential district. If you bear any wounds orints, raise your voices now or risk losing the opportunity.¡¹

    ¡¸Sir! We¡¯re ready to march!¡¹

    My subordinates responded with shouts full of vigour.

    ¡¸Very well, we shall split into two squadrons. Divide yourselves into five man units. Scatter throughout the district and eliminate any monstrosities you cross. I shall work alone. Many a task requires my attention.¡¹

    ¡¸Sir! Yes sir! Orders acknowledged sir!¡¹

    ¡¸Forget not that not all our foes will immediately fall before us. Many powerful beings lie within their ranks.¡¹

    ¡¸We will sir. You take care of yourself too.¡¹

    It hase time for me to locate the incident¡¯s mastermind.

    Ten minutes passed as I scoured the city for viins. It was then that I witnessed it. A manor in close proximity to my own had bursted into me.

    Side: Zerrosreed

    ¡ºWhat is the meaning of this!? Have you betrayed me, Zerrosreed!?¡»

    Shut the foock up! I¡¯m having fun here you old sheet!

    ¡¸Dorahhhhh!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugyaagaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahahahahahaha! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! And he was just a D ranker before transforming too!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyooohh!¡¹

    I was fighting one of the guys Rynford turned into an Evil Being just cause he happened to catch my eye.

    Guy was an experienced D ranked adventurer, and a strong one at that. Hahahaha! Just crossing swords with him has got my blood boiling. Going along with that stupidly long n the old sheet had turned out to be worth it. Even managed to get myself some of the Evil God¡¯s power.

    Trying to kill the guy was fun, but he couldn¡¯t really hold much longer. Was fine though, fun was to be found wherever I looked!

    ¡¸Chestooooo!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaahhh¡­¡­¡¹

    I used the power I gained from Zerais¡¯ human experiments and absorbed the evil energy that that came off the dude¡¯s corpse.

    Skill was called cannibalism. Let me absorb power from anything that was ¡°the same as me.¡± Think he said that meant both Evil Beings and Evil Beasts.

    Rynford¡¯s gotten me a tonne of prey. This rate, I could just go around hunting down evil beings to make myself stronger. And you know what? I might as well eat that old ass mother foocker while I¡¯m at it too and make myself even more powerful!

    Side: Colbert

    ¡¸Urraaaaghhhh! Dimitris Style Martial Art: Impact Wave!¡¹

    My fist drove itself into the muscr daruma¡¯s face. It was strong, but failed to match me given that I had removed my restraints.

    ¡¸Colbert¡¯s already defeated another one!¡¹

    ¡¸He sure is strong.¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like strong people end up turning into strong monsters.¡¹

    Lydia seemed to have hit nail on the head. The woman I had just defeated was a former E ranked adventurer. The transformation rendered her too difficult a foe for The Scarlet Maidens to safelybat.

    One of the inn¡¯s employees had also undergone the same sort of transformation, however, the had ended up much weaker. Even they had been able to dispose of him without too much trouble.

    If Lydia¡¯s conjecture was to truly be the case, then the area in which we were currently located could be considered rtively safe. The most dangerous areas likelyy near the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and Knight¡¯s Headquarters. Another cause for concern was the noble¡¯s district, seeing as how a part of it had already erupted into a pir of me. That, of course, was not the end of my concerns. My final worryy with Miss Fran, as I was almost convinced that she knew the incident¡¯s cause.

    I do hope she manages to make back safely.

    ¡¸Oh yeah, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, have you like powered up or something, Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸You can tell?¡¹

    ¡¸I can.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re clearly moving faster than you were before.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess I don¡¯t really mind letting you know. I¡¯m currently studying the Dimitris school of martial arts. Specifically, I¡¯m undergoing a trial in order obtain the school¡¯s recognition.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohhh, I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Makes sense.¡¹

    The girls were able to understand exactly what I meant despite myck of a detailed exnation. I did understand why that was though. The Dimitris school¡¯s trial was rather famous.

    ¡¸Huh? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡¹

    Apparently Judith was unaware of the trials and their details, so I decided to offer her a short exnation.

    I was sure she knew of Dimitris and his exploits, but I exined his profile to her regardless. I told her that he was an S ranked adventurer known as the world¡¯s strongest Fighter. I described his feats, and made mention of how he defeated a dragon with his bare hands, and even managed to pummel a demon to death unarmed. After solidifying his style, he eventually created a school in order to pass it on and allow it to be learned by future generations.

    His school ofbat was so mighty that not even the Gods could overlook it. His techniques were obtained official recognition as a skill, a feat that had only ever ured twenty times in the past.

    The martial arts had long been recognized by the Gods as the most efficient mode ofbat, a consensus reached upon the witness of a match between the God of Battle and the God of War. Martial arts came to be known was known for their flexibility, their capacity to allow their users to react to and deal with almost any given situation. Each martial artist had their own techniques, their own special attacks and feints, but their techniques all fell under the umbre known as martial arts regardless.

    The same applied to all forms ofbat. That is, if I were a swordsman, my sword rted skills would continue to be known as Sword Arts and Sword Techniques regardless of any methodologies and thought paradigms I had established. Under normal circumstances, I would never be able to obtain the ¡°Colbert Style Swordy¡± skill regardless of how hard I trained. That much wasmon sense.

    However,mon sense was a factor that failed to extend into the realm of the ingenious. The gifted sometimes refined themselves to the point where not even the Gods dared deny their abilities, and thus, they were granted skills in their name. The techniques they created were engraved into the very world itself.

    And that was precisely what had happened to Demitris. His style was ultimately ssified as a derivative of the martial arts series of skills.

    I enrolled myself in his school and trained in the Demitris ways until my Demitris Style skill had ascended to its eighth level. Only then did I finally managed to meet the school¡¯s minimum requirements for formal apprenticeship.

    Rather, I had managed to qualify myself for the trial that would lead to my admission to formal apprenticeship, the world renown Demitris school¡¯s trial.

    The trial¡¯s contents required the examinee to be an A ranked adventurer whilst suppressing their strength with one of Demitris¡¯ carefully crafted sealing stones.

    The sealing stones possessed the ability to disguise one¡¯s stats. It would hide the Demitris Style Martial Arts skill and the sealed state from any would be appraisers. The reason for this was that clients may otherwise make ims against the examinee. It was possible for them to state that the examinee caused them losses as a result of them failing to give their full, unsealed effort.

    Of course, it was possible to undo the seal if desired, as evidenced by my actions.

    ¡¸I see, that exins that.¡¹

    ¡¸I n to seal my abilities away once after we put this incident is behind us, so please refrain from spreading the word if possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, we will.¡¹

    ¡¸So what now, Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸I do think we¡¯ve managed to avert any crisis, but I¡¯d like you three to remain here at the inn and protect it just in case.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯ll you do?¡¹

    ¡¸I will be heading over to the Adventu-¡¹

    A loud smashing sound cut me off before I managed to convey my intentions.

    ¡¸What was that?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I think that¡¯s where the temple is.¡¹

    ¡¸That thing¡¯s enormous!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡­ looks like it¡¯s bad news. My Crisis Detection skill has activated despite how far away we are from it.¡¹

    I can¡¯t say for sure whether or not the monster standing near the temple¡¯s ruins was the cause of this whole incident, but I knew that I simply could not leave it be.

    ¡¸It may even end up destroying Barbra in its entirety if worsees to worst.¡¹

    ¡¸Is it really that strong?¡¹

    ¡¸To be frank, I doubt I¡¯ll be able to defeat it.¡¹

    ¡¸Even with your seal undone!?¡¹

    ¡¸So it¡¯s too strong? Even for True Colbert?¡¹

    I would very much appreciate if she would stop calling me that.

    ¡¸At most, I would be able to buy the city some time assuming I was by myself.¡¹

    ¡¸What if w-¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d prefer not to send you to your deaths in vain.¡¹

    My reply caused all three girls to lower their gazes. I was sure that they understood that they would encounter instant deaths should they follow me, and that I would likely meet the same fate in an effort to protect them.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be off. I leave the inn¡¯s protection to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll¡­ We¡¯ll do everything we can!¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go help the knights get everyone evacuated!¡¹

    ¡¸Great idea, but don¡¯t be pushing yourselves too hard.¡¹

    ¡¸Same goes to you, Colbert!¡¹

    Side: Amanda

    I arrived in Barbra two days after receiving Fran¡¯s letter. I had done everything in my power in order to arrive as quickly as possible. In fact, I¡¯d travelled in a straight line, I passed through mountains and forests without so much as changing directions. Naturally, I had been using magic to make this possible. My excessive consumption of mana potions had led my stomach to swell ufortably.

    There was no way for me to leave Alessa under normal circumstances, as at least one A ranked adventurer was required to stay within the town¡¯s premises at all times in order to deter the Kingdom of Reidos from attacking.

    I was quite lucky in the sense that I just so happened to have a scapegoat on hand. I owed Jean my thanks. He was a B ranker, but treated like an A ranker when it came to any sort of situation rted to war. In fact, I¡¯d say that the Reidosians feared him much more than they did me.

    Jean¡¯s nickname, ¡°The Annihtor¡± was one that stemmed from a Reidosian conflict. His abilities would really shine whenever he was put up against any sort of army. His forces would absorb the enemies and grow seemingly infinitely as the battle progressed. On one asion, his undead corps had in fact managed topletely obliterate a Reidosian unit 5000 strong. Their army feared him, and for good reason at that.

    His presence and aplishments were why I was able to safely push, er, leave the city in his hands and head off in Barbra¡¯s direction.

    Fran had said that she thought the orphanage to be in a terrible state, and frankly, I was inclined to agree. I had nothing but respect for Io, who, in spite of her situation, was able to continue feeding the children delicious meals.

    It was fine though. I immediately bought the orphanage the moment I arrived and provided it with all sorts of funds and support. Seeing the children thank me made the whole trip well worth it. Their smiles gave me enough fuel to fight another ten years worth of battles.

    The next task on my list was to pay Fran a visit. She was running a stall, so I decided to drop by under the guise of a customer as a bit of an added surprise. I was really looking forward to seeing a surprised look on her face. Keyword: was.

    ¡¸Haaaaaahh!¡¹

    My whip easily cleaved a monstrosity in two. It seemed rather weak. It had been an adventurer prior to its transformation, but the resulting monster didn¡¯t seem like anything a D ranker couldn¡¯t handle.

    ¡¸Right, I should hurry over to that giant.¡¹

    A roar echoed through the night right as I finished exterminating all the monstrosities in the orphanage¡¯s immediate vicinity. The battlecry was followed by an immense wave of evil energy, the likes of which I¡¯d never felt before.

    ncing at the monstrosity, even from a distance, told me that it was a dangerous foe to face. It would likely destroy the entire city if I let it be, and that, of course, would mean that the orphanage would be reduced to wreckage and rubble.

    I felt pretty confident in leaving the orphanage in the knights¡¯ and adventurers¡¯ hands, but I still wanted to return as soon as I could.

    I was worried about Fran too.

    My next course of action would of course be to take down the giant foe and search its surroundings for clues. There was some doubt as to whether or not I would be able to defeat it unassisted, but I simply had no choice. Thus was the duty of the A ranked adventurer.

    Besides¡­

    ¡¸That thing¡¯ll end up hurting a lot of children if I leave it to its devices!¡¹

    I sensed several other individuals carry out actions identical to my own. It appeared to me that they were the city¡¯s higher ranking adventurers.

    ¡¸There¡¯s one.¡¹

    I approached the closest individual.

    ¡¸Good evening.¡¹

    ¡¸Woah! Huh? Good evening.¡¹

    The person I met with was an adorable youngdy with silver hair. She was carrying her body rather effectively, but I could still see quite some room for improvement. She didn¡¯t seem strong enough to be handling a task like challenging the giant, and so, I decided to advise her to stop.

    ¡¸Are you heading to that giant thing over there?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I am. Are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I am. The name¡¯s Amanda. What¡¯s yours?¡¹

    ¡¸Charlotte. I¡¯m not very strong, but I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s something for me to do regardless.¡¹

    She seemed quite motivated. I wasn¡¯t able to immediately determine how I should be going about changing her mind. The other adventurers joined us before I managed to arrive at a conclusion.

    ¡¸Hey there. Are you nning to help give that thing a good bashing?¡¹

    ¡¸It is for that precise reason that I have arrived.¡¹

    It seemed that all members present had felt it dangerous to challenge the creature alone.

    ¡¸Hundred de Forrund, Amanda of Hairiti, Knight Captain Phillip, and even the guildmaster: Dragonfeller Gamud? Quite the gathering of big shots we have here.¡¹

    The man who spoke, Colbert, seemed rather surprised. He stated that the knight captain was said to be at least as strong as a B ranker. I was aware that the guildmaster was a former A ranker himself. Forrund and I were both A rankers as well, meaning we had more than enough capable individuals to take down the gigantic monstrosity.

    ¡¸And who might you be?¡¹

    I turned towards ourst supposedpanion.

    ¡¸No one important, don¡¯t be minding me. Just think me a nameless helper or something.¡¹

    ¡¸If you were to ask me, I¡¯d say you resemble the Berserker.¡¹

    ¡¸What, you wanna take me in or something? At a time like this? You guys need all the help you can get.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m aware of that, I¡¯ll be counting on you then.¡¹

    His points were valid, so I decided to ept his help, at least for now.

    ¡¸¡¯Course. I can¡¯t actually beat you guys down yet, not as I am right now anyways. Besides, I¡¯m way more interested in that giant thing over there than you guys in the first ce, so we can all spend some time getting along for now, right? And of course, I¡¯m talking to the guy ring at me from over there too.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll overlook you for now.¡¹

    Colbert and the Berserker seemed to have some sort of bad blood with one another. The atmosphere was almost explosive in nature. I suspected that I may have had to discipline them before moving onto eliminating the giant, but fortunately, both men clearly understood that this wasn¡¯t the time for any sort of internal conflict.

    Again, we definitely had enough battle power to take our foe down.

    However, there was still an issue. The monstrosity had a barrier around it, one that the Hundred de imed to be unable to break. He was known for his brute strength, so I highly doubted that anyone else present would be able to shatter the barrier.

    ¡¸The barrier seems to both block out magic and ignore thews of physics. We¡¯re stuck waiting until that thing runs out of mana.¡¹

    How troublesome.

    The Hundred de also informed us that there was someone inside the barrier, and that that someone was currently engaging the monstrosity inbat. We had no choice but to wait until thebatant managed to deplete the monster¡¯s mana pool. The barrier appeared as if it may also end up being temporarily released if the person fighting was to fall, as apparently, it had originally been constructed in order to keep the individual within its confines. Ideally, I would prefer for thetter option not to happen. The person was brave enough to challenge the monstrosity before any other had arrived on scene. It was their actions that allowed us to arrive before the town¡¯s destruction, so I would like for them to live.

    Charlotte timidly entered our conversation as we went back and forth on how we should best approach the problem.

    The youngdy stated that she had a skill that allowed her to purify evil energies. She could potentially eliminate the barrier.

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. The ritual I would perform would be one thatbines both dance and song. I¡¯m not really good at fighting, but I should be able to at least do that much.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s perfect. Everyone has their specialities, and yours is one that just happens to be exactly what we needed.¡¹

    And so, we came up with one some imed to be a n. I myself doubted the the im, as all we decided on was that we would attack the monstrosity the moment Charlotte removed its barrier.

    ¡¸Here goes¡­¡¹

    Charlotte¡¯s bracelet vibrated and gave off a bell-like noise as she started to dance.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get ourselves ready while she finishes up with the ritual.¡¹

    I raised my whip and began focusing my magical energies.

    The time to fight was upon us.

 Chapter 130: Frustration

    <h4>Chapter 130: Frustration</h4>

    ¡¸Pierce, oh des of mine.¡¹

    A hundred or so swords materialized out of nowhere and shot straight towards Rynford¡¯s body. We were watching the battle from pretty close up, so I could actually tell that every single de was distinct, each possessed its own unique properties and abilities.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time we¡¯de across the guy who¡¯dunched the attack. I still remembered catching sight of him at the end of our hunting trip.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Forrund Annonnkul

    Age: 39

    Race: Human

    Job: Divine Swordsman

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 66/99

    HP: 718

    MP: 431

    STR: 384

    VIT: 323

    AGI: 337

    INT: 201

    MGC: 227

    DEX: 349

    Skills

    Swordbreaker Arts: Lv 7

    Dismantling: Lv 8

    Crisis Detection: Lv 6

    Vital Point Detection: Lv 5

    Presence Detection: Lv 7

    Sword Techniques: MAX

    Divine Sword Techniques: Lv 6

    Sword Arts: MAX

    Divine Sword Arts: Lv 7

    Collecting: Lv 4

    Kicking Techniques: Lv 5

    Kicking Arts: Lv 6

    Resistance to Psychological Abnormalities: Lv 4

    Petrification Resistance: Lv 3

    Elemental de: Lv 8

    Leap: Lv 7

    Throwing: Lv 8

    Poison Resistance: Lv 3

    Dual de Style: Lv 7

    Magic Resistance: Lv 6

    Paralysis Resistance: Lv 4

    Vigour Maniption

    Dragon Killer

    Beast yer

    Greater Strength Increase

    Innate Skills

    Sword Technique 50% Cost Reduction

    Extra Skills

    Sword God¡¯s Blessing

    Titles

    Adored by the Sword God

    Liberator of Haunts

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Dragon Killer

    Beast yer

    A Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    Orichalcum Longsword

    Orichalcum Swordbreaker

    Dragon Lord¡¯s Leather Full Body Armour

    Sword God¡¯s Headband

    World Tree Bark Shoes

    Dragon Eating Spider Silk Mantle

    Braclet of Mana Recovery

    Bracelet of Substitution

    _______________________________________________________________

    Forrund? Oh yeah, I remember Colbert mentioning him and calling him an A ranked adventurer. I think his nickname was Hundred de Forrund or something like that? Either way, he really did seem just as strong as Amanda.

    His extra skill was pretty impressive too. Its description said it¡¯d let him duplicate any magic sword he managed to get his hands on, with the exception of anything super high tier. That really got me thinking, would he be able to copy me¡­? What would happen if he did? I was feeling pretty curious about it, but honestly, I¡¯d prefer not to find out. Neither of the two conclusions were what I would call trouble free, so I¡¯ll have to sure I stay as far away from him as possible.

    Colbert looked like he was participating in Rynford¡¯s subjugation as well. He seemed a bit stronger than usual, seemingly because of that Demitris Style skill. I don¡¯t remember seeing thatst time I appraised him. Had he been keeping it hidden with a piece of equipment or something? If so, then why the sudden change?

    Everyone else present was pretty strong too. The Gamud guy really seemed to stand out in particr. His Divine Hammer Arts allowed him to swing his giant warhammer around like it was nothing. His strikes were so powerful that they actually ended up making Rynford stagger despite the difference in the twobatant¡¯s sizes. It turned out that he was actually Barbra¡¯s guildmaster, which more than exined his strength.

    The knight named Phillip was also doing pretty well. He swung arge knight¡¯s spear around with ease despite being covered from head to toe in te armour. The most interesting part about him was that hisst name was Krysten, meaning he was probably Rhodas¡¯ eldest son. Bluke must not have understood the extent of his elder brother¡¯s strength. Any assassins he sent after Phillip would probably have ended up dead.

    Zerrosreed was fighting alongside them for some odd reason as well. I guess he probably had his own reasons, seeing as how he betrayed Rynford and all that. He didn¡¯t seem intent on attacking Colbert for the time being either, so I didn¡¯t really think we needed to pay his loyalties all that much mind, at least not for now. I was moreso worried about his current species. He wasn¡¯t just your everyday Evil Being, he¡¯d apparently be a subspecies known as a Demonic Being. That Cannibalism skill pretty bad news. It wasn¡¯t the type of skill that either Fran nor I could make much use of, but to him, the city was pretty much like an all you could eat buffet. Wait, did he betray Rynford just so he could consume him? Hmm¡­ I get that he¡¯s technically an ally for now. I don¡¯t n on attacking him, but it¡¯d probably be pretty bad to just leave him be¡­

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you alright? I hadn¡¯t been expecting you to be the one fighting that gigantic monstrosity!¡¹

    ¡¸Here, why?¡¹

    ¡¸I hurried over the moment I got the letter you sent me.¡¹

    The weird snake-like thing currently keeping Rynford restrained turned out to be Amanda¡¯s whip. Wait, didn¡¯t we only just send that letter like three days ago? Holy crap she got here fast.

    ¡ºYou sure it¡¯s okay for you not to be in Alessa?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m having Jean watch over the town in my ce.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, isn¡¯t Jean just a B ranker though?¡»

    ¡¸He is, but he¡¯s treated like he¡¯s an A ranker in times of war.¡¹

    Amanda told us a few things about Jean and convinced me that he was well deserving of his nickname. The ability tomand an entire army¡¯s wroth of undead? Yup, sounded threatening enough to me.

    A young girl ran up to us as Amanda gave Fran a bit of a hand. She seemed terrified of Rynford, and kept ncing in his direction as she approached. In spite of her fears, however, she still managed to reach Fran and offer her a potion.

    ¡¸Um¡­ Are you alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Seen somewhere before?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, we have. She was one of the Lunar Banquet¡¯s dancers.¡»

    ¡¸My name is Charlotte. How are your injuries?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fine. Just slight exhaustion.¡¹

    She was more than just a little bit exhausted, both physically and mentally.

    ¡¸I want to talk to you a bit more, but first, I¡¯m going to have to go get rid of the monster that hurt you, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure you be careful out there!¡¹

    Charlotte gave Rynford another quick nce as she spoke.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll be right back.¡¹

    Amanda gave both Fran and Charlotte a light wave before leaping towards the Evil Human. Her kind smile had transformed into a ferocious one, she seemed rather angry at the fact that Rynford had hurt Fran.

    She immediately began attacking him with what I assumed was some sort of skill. Her whip grew several times longer and attacked him from every direction at once each time she gave her wrist so much as even the slightest twitch. Every single one of her strikes was as powerful as one of our sword techniques.

    The otherbatants¡¯ attacks were inflicting quite a bit of harm of damage as well. They were all clearly stronger than us.

    Just looking at the scene really made it hit home that Rynford had never actually been invincible or anything like that. So, knowing that, why was it that I never thought of anything but running away? Did we really have no way of fighting him at all?

    I understood the answer to both questions. I had been afraid of Rynford, and my fear of him had ended up making me feel as if it was simply impossible for us to defeat him. I ended up doing nothing but thinking about how we could go about running away, even after getting two new unique skills. I mean, the oue we arrived at wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad one. We managed to avoid the worst case scenario of death, but thinking back on it, we¡¯d been far too cowardly. Why did not try pointing one of my offensive skills instead? We might¡¯ve been able to face him head on if I had.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s up?¡»

    £¨Frustrating.£©

    ¡ºYeah¡­ It sure does feel frustrating doesn¡¯t it¡­?¡»

    Watching Amanda and everyone else present fight filled me with a sense of irritation. I was going to have to fix the fact that I was still weak. I needed to train, and seriously, at that. It was something I needed to start the moment this issue was dealt with and out of the way.

    ¡º¡­No, that¡¯s not right.¡»

    I realized that I was still letting my fears get ahold of me. There was no reason for me to wait until everything was done and over with. The battle had yet to end. We could still join the fray and contribute to Rynford¡¯s defeat.

    There was no point to just sitting around and mulling over my sense of frustration. The enemy that¡¯d caused it was right there in front of us. We had no reason to rule outbat as an option as we had before. I understood that I still felt the subconscious urge to run the hell away, but now, we were immediately presented the chance to turn that emotion on its head.

    What we needed to do now was not to wait, but to fight.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go, Fran.¡»

    £¨Will pay back for frustration.£©

    Fran understood my intentions. It seemed I was still no match for her in terms of mental fortitude.

    ¡¸Are you nning to join the battle?¡¹

    Fran was given a worried look as she rose to her feet. I thought for a second that Charlotte had intended to stop us, but, she instead ended up giving us a bit of encouragement alongside a potion.

    ¡¸Do your best out there.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t fight myself, but I will at least be able to offer you my assistance.¡¹

    Charlotte brought her hands together as she spoke. A mysterious light enveloped Fran¡¯s body, apanied by the chiming of a bell filled our ears.

    ¡¸I have given you a barrier that exorcises and wards off evil energies. But be careful, it¡¯s rather frail.¡¹

    ¡¸Monster¡¯s barrier. Broken by you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡¹

    Wow, seriously? I¡¯m sorry I thought your stats were really low.

    £¨Everyone amazing.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    Stats were important, but they weren¡¯t all that mattered. The abilities to adapt and draw out one¡¯s potential to its fullest were just as important.

    Fran went silent for a bit, seemingly lost in thought.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s the matter?¡»

    £¨Master. I¡¯ll lead.£©

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    £¨Couldn¡¯t do anything when running from Rynford. Not just this once. Always relied on Master. This time, let me lead.£©

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    I¡¯d actually been thinking that I was trying too hard to do everything by myself. I didn¡¯t ask Fran for her opinion nearly as often as I should have, but, it looked like all that was about to change.

    ¡ºAlright, got it. What are you nning though?¡»

    £¨Want to try something new.£©

    ¡ºLike what?¡»

    £¨Finishing move like Master¡¯s Overburst. Thought about it for a long time already. Conclusion, attack that uses everything we have at once.£©

    Her use of the word ¡°we¡± meant that she wanted me to be doing something as well. More importantly though, it implied that she was confident she¡¯d be able to draw out everyst bit of my power. Awesome! As a sword, I couldn¡¯t feel more blessed. I was sure that I would one day grow to rival even the Goddes if I were to remain in Fran¡¯s hands.

    £¨Want specific skills to be set.£©

    I think this might be the first time Fran¡¯s ever asked me to set any specific skills inbat.

    ¡ºAlright, take your pick.¡»

    And so, with Fran¡¯s selected skills in tow, we took off and dove straight in Rynford¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 131: Strength and Technique

    <h4>Chapter 131: Strength and Technique</h4>

    ¡¸Master. Thing I wanted to try.¡¹

    ¡ºLay it on me. I¡¯m ready for whatever, though I¡¯m a bit nervous because we aren¡¯t really going to get to practice it or anything.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Skills. Air Compression, Magic Thread Weaving¡­ ¡¹

    Fran ultimately ended up asking me to set fourteen different skills: me Magic, Wind Magic, Atmospheric Cirction Control, Air Compression, Air Jump, Vibration Fang, Anti-Weight, Weight Boost, Elemental de, Charge, Parallel Processing, Magic Thread Weaving, Magic Poison Fang, and Coordination.

    She got to work the moment I had them set, and raised both arms in front of her with her palms facing forward. She made use of the Atmospheric Cirction Control skill and created herself a pair of cube-shaped blocks of air, each about a meter and a half across. Each was popted by a bunch of thin magic threads.

    ¡ºOh, I get it now! Nice thinking!¡»

    Thebination allowed her to manipte the threads in midair and move around in kind of the same manner as Spiderm*n or someone with a Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear.

    Fran immediately moved the threads behind her and leaned on them to pull them back. They were stic, so they quickly sprung back against her andunched her through the air.

    At first, I¡¯d thought that her actions resembled those of a pro wrestler, but a bit more observation led me to think of the threads as the spring in a pinball machine.

    Fran used Air Compression and covered me in ayer of wind as she leapt into the air and delivered a powerful overhead swing.

    ¡¸Nn. Works well.¡¹

    She nodded with a satisfied look on her face. I didn¡¯t know exactly what she was nning, but it looked like it was going well.

    ¡¸Time for practical application. Will exin in detail.¡¹

    Fran filled me in on her n. The thing she had in mind was nothing short of interesting, though, under normal circumstances, it would likely bebeled as reckless.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do this.¡»

    As per her suggestions, I used Long Jump and teleported us way up into the sky directly atop Rynford¡¯s head.

    ¡¸Starting now.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll support you with everything I got!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran beganpressing the air and generating magic threads the moment she teleported. Unlike our little trial run, however, this time, she was going all out and pouring everyst bit of magical energy she could muster into her spells. She soon started free falling, but didn¡¯t seem to mind as she calmly ced the thread she constructed above her head.

    She then used Air Jump to leap straight up, and did exactly as she had during the little practice session earlier. This time, however, she didn¡¯t flyunch herself horizontally. Instead, she propelled her body straight down.

    And that was just the beginning.

    Fran used Air Jump and Wind Magic in tandem to create herself a series of vertical footholds, which she ran straight down in order to raise her speed even further. She readied me for action by raising me above her head and used Atmospheric Cirction Control to minimize the amount of wind resistance generated while also using Weight Boost to bolster my weight to a point well over the fifty kilogram mark.

    I¡¯d be incredibly heavy for a weapon, but thebination of Fran¡¯s strength stat and the Anti-weight skill allowed her to continue wielding me without any issue.

    We rapidly closed in on Rynford, while using the Espionage skill to to remain undetected.

    I molded the shape of my body as she got ready to swing. She¡¯d requested me to take on a form with a backwards arching de. There were a few other instructions as well, and so, in the end, I ultimately ended up as something that closely resembled a katana, a result that left me shocked. I¡¯d never told her about katanas before, the idea she had was one that she¡¯d formed all on her own.

    The only worry I had was that our sword skills wouldn¡¯t end up applying to katanas. We did have a few potentially applicable skills, like Single Edged Sword Arts, but their levels were all fairly low. The fact that Single Edged Sword Arts and Double Edged Sword Arts had been differentiated meant that they likely were mutually exclusive, so I made sure to leave two edges and retain a more longswordy shape in general.

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    Rynford finally noticed us after we got within the twenty five meter range, which made sense. It was pretty hard to avoid detection without any cover given our proximity to him.

    ¡¸You were still alive, girl!?¡¹

    Rynford stared at her with bloodshot eyes as he let loose a hate filled scream. A rancid, purple miasma apanied his words and leaked out of his mouth as he shouted. The smoke-like substance was filled with evil energy; everything that touched it, be it skin or armour, would end up melting away as if dipped in acid. The most annoying part about it was that it had an incrediblyrge area of effect.

    So what do? I had no idea how we were supposed to go about avoiding it.

    ¡¸One trick pony.¡¹

    I didn¡¯t manage to think up a solution myself, but it was an attack that we¡¯d already seen time and time again. Fran had long predicted it and prepared a countermeasure.

    ¡¸Burnia¡¹

    Burnia, a level two me spell, allowed its caster to use the power of an explosion in order to provide themselves a burst of speed. It was a bit difficult to use, as the caster would end up getting caught in the explosion radius.

    Fran quickly created a barrier of wind that served not one or two, but three functions. It reduced the amount of damage the explosion inflicted upon us, allowed her to increase her velocity even further, and even protected her from the miasma¡¯s effects as she charged straight through it.

    Rynford¡¯s eyes bulged as he realized that she managed to break through his smokescreen without taking any damage.

    ¡¸Damn you, you impudent brat!!¡¹

    He rapidly raised both arms and guarded his face against the assault he couldn¡¯t help butbel as dangerous.

    What an idiot.

    He¡¯d fallen for our feint. Fran had directed all her bloodlust at him while gazing straight into his eyes, so he¡¯d assumed that we¡¯d been targeting his head.

    But that was far from the truth.

    ¡¸Haaaahhhhh!¡¹

    ¡ºHaaaahhhhh!¡»

    Fran¡¯s strike was aimed not as his cranium, but at his torso.

    The level five Coboration skill allowed me to understand her intents without the two of us having to perform any sort of actualmunication. I casted Elemental de to wreath my body in me, activated Vibration Fang, and triggered Magic Poison Fang right as we got ready to strike.

    And of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one to act. Fran had activated the exact skills, but with Magic Poison Fang substituted out for Weight Boost. She seemed to know that my de wouldn¡¯t hold out for too long, so she made sure that the six skills we casted remained active for only a fraction of a second.

    That, however, was more than enough. Fran drew me from the air she hadpressed around me like a sheath and concentrated all her energies into a single godspeed sh.

    Her attack wasn¡¯t like my Telekic Catapult. It wasn¡¯t something as simple or dull as a disy of brute force, but rather, a finely crafted technique that embodied the very meaning of the term ¡°ultimate.¡±

    ¡¸Nraaaaghhhhhhhhh!!¡¹

    The vicious strike left a deep wound that extended all the way from Rynford¡¯s shoulder down to his midsection. I felt my de sever his very heart in two.

    We weren¡¯t able to immediately check out our handywork in detail, as I was forced to teleport Fran away before she crashed into the ground.

    ¡¸Thanks Master.¡¹

    ¡ºWhew, barely made it.¡»

    Fran was calm despite the fact that we would¡¯ve ended up face nting into the earth¡¯s surface if I waited even a second longer. Not to brag, but I could tell she really trusted me.

    We turned back towards Rynford shortly afterwards in order to examine the effects of our actions.

    ¡¸Curse you! Curssseee yyouuuuu!!¡¹

    That single strike removed half his life force. He had no choice but to take a knee as blood spilled out of his newly opened wound.

    Wait, he¡¯s still not dead!? Holy sheet! Why the hell is he still alive after having his heart literally cut in half? Damn stubborn old man, just die already!

    I was surprised that we didn¡¯t manage to finish him off, but all was good. Our efforts hadn¡¯t gone to waste.

    ¡ºWe did it Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Ultimate obtained.¡¹

    The only problem with our newfound secret technique was that it could only be used under a specific set of circumstances. We wouldn¡¯t use it in any sort of cramped environment, so it probably wasn¡¯t going to be all that useful whenever we went to the dungeon we¡¯d been nning to check out.

    Well, that only applied to the attack as a whole though. We could still use parts of it. That pseudo-sword draw technique? Yeah, I could see us using that all the time. Unlike the pain in the ass stuff you¡¯d see in real life back in Japan, the sword draw technique Fran had devised was actually practical. It could be used for more than just a horizontal sh from one¡¯s waist, and the de would actually elerate far more quickly than usual when pulled from its sheath. Moveover, the technique had great synergy with the Weight Boost skill when used with a vertical sh.

    It looked like Magic Poison Fang was doing its job too. Rynford¡¯s state now imed him to be envenomed. That said though. he had Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions and Regeneration so he wasn¡¯t actually taking all that much damage. That said, the fact that we¡¯d more or less nullified the effects of Regeneration meant that he was now far more vulnerable to all the otherbatants¡¯ attacks. In other words, he was pretty much screwed.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let the opportunity Fran¡¯s given us go to waste!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Great job, Miss Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Orders acknowledged!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll show you what it means to have a Dwarf¡¯s strength!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! These guys¡¯ve all got some fight in em, but that¡¯ll have to wait. Right now, it¡¯s your turn, you old sheet!¡¹

    ¡¸Do your best everyone!¡¹

    The all star team followed Amanda¡¯s orders and focus fired Rynford. We wanted to join them, but that little trump card of ours had caused my durability to plummet. I wasn¡¯t able to heal up enough in time to join them even with Instant Regeneration. Fran was pretty muchpletely out of mana too, unfortunately.

    Rynford¡¯s left arm was mauled by a spear as the rest of his body was pierced by countless magic swords and struck over and over again by an unrelenting whip. He was then lifted off the ground by one of Colbert¡¯s uppercuts, only to have his right leg smashed back down and pulverized by the Guildmaster¡¯s hammer.

    ¡¸Gugagagagagaaaahhhh! You sons of b*tchesss!!!¡¹

    ¡¸The finishing blow is mine!¡¹

    ¡¸Damned traitor¡­!¡¹

    Zerrosreed¡¯s assault had ended up removing his other leg and caused him to crumple onto the ground. Turned out the Beserker really had been going for the finisher. Bastard was trying to use his Cannibalism skill to make himself even stronger.

    But luckily, it turned out that the battle had still yet to end.

    ¡¸Hoooowlll!¡¹

    Urushi imitated Fran¡¯s actions and dashed straight down from somewhere way up high. He drove his fangs into Rynford¡¯s neck and gave it a good tear before plummeting back into the shadows the moment he was about to facent.

    Damn boy! You totally just stole the spotlight right there!

    ¡¸Graaaaggh¡­ Why¡­ Not like this¡­¡¹

    And leaving only those four words, Rynford breathed hisst.

    ¡¸Oh god foocking damn it! Stupid god damn dog got in my way again!!¡¹

 Chapter 132: Rynfordâ€™s Demise

    <h4>Chapter 132: Rynford¡¯s Demise</h4>

    Urushi¡¯s attack functioned as the finishing blow; Rynford was deprived of his life force and left only the ability to voice one final hateful cry before passing away. His body promptly reacted to his passing. His flesh began peeling off his muscles and his corpse rapidly dposed into a fine ash.

    His end was abrupt, so abrupt, in fact, that it almost seemed underwhelming.

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    Urushi popped out from the shadows as Rynford¡¯s remains continued to degrade. Thebination of his pain filled whimper and the blood dripping from his mouth indicated that something wasn¡¯t quite right.

    ¡ºWhat happened boy? You alright?¡»

    ¡¸Rynford¡¯s fault?¡¹

    ¡¸Whipmer¡­¡¹

    We quickly peeked into his maw and found the source of his pain. Therge wolf¡¯s fangs were in a sorry state. Everst bit of his jaw seemed to have been suspect to some sort of damage. Worst of all were his canines, which had been torn out altogether. Their now empty sockets had even started to hemorrhage.

    Despite all the damages incurred, I couldn¡¯t really say I was even the slightest bit surprised. The attack Fran and I had used was one that came with enough drawbacks topletely wreck my de. Urushi had copied us, so it only made sense for something simr to happen to his fangs.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t be pushing yourself too hard now, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸But, actions performed were cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Bark!¡¹

    I quickly patched him up by throwing a few heals at him.

    ¡´Fran has leveled up.¡µ

    ¡´Fran has leveled¡­¡µ

    The battle had ended, so the System Announcer chimed in with a few notifications.

    Rynford had been worth a tonne of experience. Fran managed to gain three levels; she hit level forty despite the fact that the exp had ended up getting split nine ways.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Fran

    Age: 12

    Species: Beastman (ck Cat Tribe)

    Job: Magic Warrior

    State: Contracted

    Status Level: 40/45

    HP: 450

    MP: 382

    STR: 251

    VIT: 196

    AGI: 248

    INT: 172

    MGC: 206

    DEX: 170

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 3

    Court Etiquette: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 4

    Sword Techniques: Lv 5

    Sword Arts: Lv 6

    Blink: Lv 3

    Fire Magic: Lv 2

    Cooking: Lv 2

    Insect Killer

    Vigour Maniption

    Goblin Killer

    Mental Stability

    Skilled Skinning

    Demon Killer

    Determined

    Directional Sense

    Night Vision

    Magic Maniption

    New: Evil Killer

    New: Evil Resistance

    Innate Skills

    Magic Convergence

    Special Skills

    ck Cat¡¯s Divine Protection

    Titles

    Match for a Thousand

    Insect Killer

    Lord of Dismantling

    Recovery Magic Adept

    Goblin Killer

    She who ughters

    Skill Collector

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Giant Eater

    Demon Killer

    Fire Adept

    Wind Adept

    King of Cooking

    Undead Killer

    Skill Maniac

    New: Evil Killer

    Equipment

    ck Cat Set (Body Armour, Gloves, Shoes, Earring, Cloak, Belt)

    Power Bracelet + 1

    Bracelet of Substitution

    Skull Ne

    _______________________________________________________________

    The Evil Resistance skill looked like it was something that¡¯d resulting from all the damage she¡¯d just taken. Her new title was pretty interesting as well. Appraising it ended up giving me the following results.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Evil Killer: A title bestowed upon those that have felled Evil Beings.

    Effect: Grants the user the ¡°Evil Killer¡± skill.

    _______________________________________________________________

    It seemed to be the type of title you got from killing some sort of super strong enemy as opposed to just killing a certain number of weaker enemies.

    More importantly was the fact that she was about to hit her level cap. Thinking about what would happen filled me with curiosity. I couldn¡¯t wait.

    Naturally, Fran wasn¡¯t the only one to level up. The same had happened to Urushi.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Urushi

    Species: Darkness Wolf (Magic Wolf (Magic Beast))

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 22/50

    HP: 644

    MP: 811

    STR: 341

    VIT: 290

    AGI: 439

    INT: 282

    MGC: 511

    DEX: 258

    Skills

    Darkness Resistance: Lv 8

    Darkness Magic: Lv 3

    Sense of Smell: MAX

    Espionage: Lv 7

    Fang Techniques: Lv 6

    Fang Arts: Lv 6

    Shadow Dwell: MAX

    Shadow Travel: Lv 6

    Air Jump: Lv 8

    Fear: Lv 4

    Vignce: Lv 6

    Presence Concealment: Lv 6

    Regeneration: Lv 5

    Deadly Poison Magic: Lv 1

    Blink: Lv 5

    Muffle: Lv 6

    Spirit Magic: Lv 5

    Life Force Detection: Lv 7

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 6

    Poison Magic: MAX

    Echolocation: Lv 7

    Roar: Lv 8

    Shadow Slip: MAX

    Dark Magic: MAX

    Night Vision

    Greater Poison Fang

    Automatic HP Recovery

    Automatic MP Recovery

    Immune to Poison

    Body Alteration

    Magic Maniption

    New: Evil Detection

    New: Evil Resistance

    Unique Skills

    Prey Absorption

    Titles

    Kin to the Sword

    Kin to the God of Wolves

    _______________________________________________________________

    Looked like Urushi had managed to get himself a pair of new skills too. Wait, Evil Resistance? I don¡¯t recall him taking nearly as much damage as Fran¡­ Hmm¡­ I guess it was probably because of Prey Absorption. The skill would let him absorb a portion of the abilities of anything he ate, and I guess he did technically ingest Rynford¡¯s flesh and blood when he finished him off, so that¡¯s probably where he got that.

    There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with him, but would it perhaps be better to have him not eat Evil Beings from now on?

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s done and over with, so we should probably be going after Zerais now.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The only issue was that we had absolutely no idea where he was. I really wish we¡¯d managed to get Rynford to tell us or somet- Oh wait. We could probably just get it out of that Zerrosreed guy instead.

    ¡ºOr¡­ not? Where¡¯d he go?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Vanished.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh! Darn it! The Berserker got away!¡¹

    Amanda had overheard Fran¡¯s muttering, so she ended up giving the surroundings a quick once over that ultimately culminated in a frustrated shout.

    When the hell? Didn¡¯t he literally just try finishing Rynford off?

    ¡¸It looks like he might have the Anti-Perception skill¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I see him! He¡¯s right over there!¡¹

    The spot Amanda was pointing to was about fifty meters from where we were. Holy crap, when the hell did he leave¡­?

    ¡¸Thest hit should¡¯ve been mine! I could¡¯ve gotten my hands on a good chunk of that sheetty old geezer¡¯s power! Everything would¡¯ve gone perfectly if not for that god damned meddling dog! Foock this, I¡¯m out!¡¹

    ¡¸You won¡¯t be getting away!¡¹

    Colbert immediately dashed after Zerrosreed, but the berserker had been one step ahead of him.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Zerais¡¯s up in the Alchemist¡¯s Guild if you need him, by the way, so goodbye to you!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? He teleported?¡¹

    As evidenced by Amanda¡¯s surprised response, Zerrosreed had teleported himself away. Appearance wise, it looked pretty much identical to the stuff I could use. Rynford did something simr just a bit earlier as well, so my guess was that it was the effect of some sort of skill derived from the Evil Arts. Neither Zerrosreed nor Rynford seemed to have been able to use the skill on more than one asion though, so it probably had a few constraints on it or something.

    ¡¸Tsk. I should¡¯ve expected as much from someone with such a big bounty on his head, but he sure is good at running away. I¡¯ll definitely get him next time!¡¹

    It looked like he managed to escape, but I figured we could still get him if we had everyone give us a hand. That said though, I decided to put the idea aside for the time being as capturing Zerais was much more important. We had no idea as to whether or not Zerrosreed was telling the truth, but he did already have a pretty good track record as far as betrayal went, so chances were that he was. Having some of us split off to go after Zerais served in his favour, so there was all the more reason for him not to lie.

    ¡¸The air still gives off a sense of evil¡­¡¹

    Forrund¡¯s words momentarily cleared my mind of all my thoughts regarding Zerais and Zerrosreed, and reminded me of the Evil Crystals Rynford had been using. I didn¡¯t really know if they¡¯d cause anything bad to happen without any outside fluence, but it probably wasn¡¯t a good idea to just leave them be anyways.

    ¡¸Might still be here. Evil Crystals.¡¹

    ¡¸What Evil Crystals?¡¹

    Fran quickly answered the Guildmaster and began talking about the crystals Rynford had been using. Her exnation immediately led everyone around her to turn pale and immediately start digging through the temple¡¯s debris.

    Charlotte yed a pretty key role. Apparently, she was fairly sharp as far as evil energies were concerned, so she managed to find both crystals almost immediately. They were buried under a bunch of other stuff, but Gamud was pretty good at earth magic, so he managed to get them out in a jiffy.

    ¡¸So these are the Evil Crystals you were talking about¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Evil energies thinner?¡¹

    Fran had been on point. The Evil Crystals were giving off much less energy that they¡¯d been prior to Rynford¡¯s transformation.

    ¡¸You said that these were ced within the temple¡¯s grounds?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Rynford performed ritual.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Have you figured anything out, Charlotte?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not too confident in my theory¡¯s correctness, but¡­¡¹

    ording to Charlotte, temples effectively functioned to allowmunication with the Divine Realm in which the Gods resided. Oracles and other simr individuals could use the connection in order to create a path, which in turn was used for job changes and the like. A job change in particr involved making use of the Divine Realm¡¯s axioms in order to overwrite the data that pertained to one¡¯s job.

    The paths were governed over by the Gods themselves, so it was impossible for normal human beings to use them as they pleased.

    Charlotte had deduced that the Evil Crystals had the ability to warp said path, and instead direct it towards the sealed off Evil God.

    A few of the people that¡¯d fought with us, Colbert included, immediately voiced their objections, but they were quickly overruled by Amanda and Gamud, who stated that it could be possible. Very little was known about the Evil God¡¯s powers, and thus, warping the path could potentially fall within the realm of the Evil God¡¯s capabilities.

    Apparently, the Evil God had been split into a great number of smaller pieces upon its defeat. The core in particr had been taken into the Divine Realm, where it was ced under surveince. We had no real way of confirming whether or not that was actually truth, but we assumed it was as that was what the legends said.

    Either way, we decided to destroy the Evil Crystals. They probably wouldn¡¯t see any decent use even if we did just leave them here, and not a single one of the individuals presented objected to the idea, so we had everyone join in and quickly smashed the crystals to bits.

    Alright, that¡¯s another task done. All that¡¯s left for us to do now is hunt down Zerais.

    ¡¸Amanda. Need help with something.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, what is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Can request anything? No objections?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way I¡¯d turn you of all people down, Fran. So, out with it. What did you need me to do?¡¹

    Luckily, Amanda was more than willing to cooperate, so we quickly told her and everyone else about Zerais. Specifically, we exined that he was the mastermind behind all this, that he was still atrge, and that he still seemed to be up to something.

    ¡¸I am surprised to hear that Zerais has yet to leave the city¡­ I shall make good use of this opportunity and pay him back in full force for involving my brothers in his schemes.¡¹

    ¡¸I hadn¡¯t heard his name in quite some time. I¡¯d assumed that he¡¯d already dropped dead.¡¹

    ¡¸We may be able to encounter the Berserker should we track him down.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to have to give those baddies a bit of punishment for the children¡¯s sake.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    It seemed that everyone was willing and ready give solving this whole case a go, so we had Colbert, the person most familiar with the city¡¯syout, lead us over the Alchemist¡¯s guild. The party we moved with was one of extraordinary strength. With them around, taking Zerais in would be easy as pie.

 Chapter 133: The Alchemistâ€™s Guild

    <h4>Chapter 133: The Alchemist¡¯s Guild</h4>

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive at the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. We ran into a few Evil Beings along the way, but they all ended up dying instantly seeing as how our party¡¯s specs were what they were. We had practically mowed straight through the city. The only person that had trouble keeping up was Charlotte, but we quickly rectified that issue by having her join Fran on Urushi.

    I couldn¡¯t help but use our wolfpanion of being a huge pervert. He refused to let men ride him, but was more than willing to shoulder a pretty girl or two. It might¡¯ve also been because he thought of her as weak though, so I couldn¡¯t actually say for sure. I mean, he was totally okay with the orphanage¡¯s children after all, regardless of gender.

    Thinking about it made me arrive at the conclusion that he seemed to think that men should be able to manage without any sort of assistance, an opinion quite simr to my own. I wonder¡­ Did the summoning process intentionally pull in a creature with a personality that resonated with mine or something like that?

    ¡¸I have eyes on the Alchemist¡¯s Guild, but ¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, ain¡¯t that our guild¡¯s bunch right there?¡¹

    The situation was basically exactly as Colbert and Gamud had described; a melee had broken out in front of the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. I could tell at a nce that the adventurers present were fighting a group of things, but I couldn¡¯t immediately discern what those so called things were as they didn¡¯t seem to be Evil Beings. I¡¯d almost thought them to be the undead at first, but I could feel them giving off some sort of life force, so that couldn¡¯t have been the case.

    I didn¡¯t manage to figure out what the things were before getting within appraisal range, so I just went and did that instead of thinking about it. They turned out to be Demonic Beings. In other words, they were the same species as Zerrosreed. Unlike the Berserker, however, the Demonic Beings the adventurers were fighting weren¡¯t really all that strong. Hence, I was much more interested in their abnormal status conditions than anything else about them. Apparently, they were in the Impaired state. The hell was that supposed to mean?

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go back up the adventurers for now.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed!¡¹

    ¡¸Here goes!¡¹

    Colbert and Gamud had both been a full step ahead of Amanda, as they¡¯d already started charging the moment she started issuing orders. Phillip and Amanda jumped in immediately after, while Fran and Forrund wordlessly brought up the rear. Urushi didn¡¯t join the fray, and instead sat around on standby as Charlotte¡¯s guard.

    ¡¸I¡¯m here to help!¡¹

    ¡¸Guildmaster!¡¹

    Turned out that Eugene had joined the fray as well, as a member of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, of course. He had been firing off spells into the crowd in order to defeat the Demonic Beings.

    ¡¸Eugene?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re here too, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸What happened? Want exnation.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you see¡­¡¹

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was first notified of the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s plight about an hour back. One of the older alchemists that had kept in touch with Eugene even after the incident had barged into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in a panic and requested his friends¡¯ assistance.

    Apparently, one of the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s higher ups had been working together with an alchemist outside their ranks in order to conduct illegal experiments. The experiment¡¯s participant then went on to using his concoctions in order to seize control over the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s upper stratum. He then forced those with less influence to assist in the experimentation.

    Specifically, the less influential alchemists had ended up being forced to function asb rats. The old man had managed to escape his colleagues¡¯ fate as he had coincidentally holed himself up in his room and continued his research without exposing himself to the guild¡¯s other members.

    The illegal experiments worked towards the goal of obtaining more information about Demonization, the process of imbuing magic stones inside of human beings in order to strengthen them. Interestingly enough, Demonization was in fact the precise topic that had led to the expulsion of Eugene¡¯s disciple.

    That disciple¡¯s name had of course been Zerais. The Alchemist¡¯s Guild had supposedly washed its hands of Zerais¡¯ experiments the moment he was expelled, but one of the guild¡¯s higher ups had not only preserved all the data obtained, but also offered the fugitive both shelter from the authorities and the opportunity to continue his research.

    The man seemed to have two reasons for his actions. The first was apparently that he believed the research to be of mary value, governments and militaries would pay out the ass for that kind of information. Thetter seemed to be that he, as an alchemist, thought that it would be wasteful to throw away all the useful data obtained.

    ¡¸Then, those things. Former alchemists?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely. I attempted to have their magic stones removed with the adventurers¡¯ assistance, but unfortunately it was to no avail¡­¡¹

    They¡¯d tried pretty much everything they could think of. They experimented with healing magic, purification magic, surgery, and even brute force, but none of it was to any effect. The demonic beings were much like magic beasts, they would die the moment their magic stones were removed or destroyed. And of course, the human used the demonic being¡¯s base would end up dying as well in the process.

    ¡¸Can¡¯tmunicate?¡¹

    ¡¸We tried, but again, to no avail. The magic beings appear to have all gone insane.¡¹

    Zerrosreed seemed to have retained his ability to think though. Was that because he¡¯d had the magic stones transnted into him as an Evil Being or something?

    ¡¸Half had already been let loose by the time we arrived, but managed to encircle the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s building before the other half escaped its confines.¡¹

    It was quite difficult for the adventurers to capture the Demonic Beings alive. There were a few small fry here and there, but many could use magic. Asking adventurers to take in something that powerful without killing it first was more or less equivalent to asking them to off themselves.

    Hence, they¡¯d only tried removing magic stones from the demons they happened to identally render incapable ofbat.

    ¡¸So we have no choice but to kill them?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly.¡¹

    Eugene responded to Amanda¡¯s question with a nod.

    Well, I guess we kinda have to lend him a hand or two. I¡¯m feeling a bit paranoid that one of them is going to suddenly power up the same way Rynford did, so yeah.

    £¨Master. Gunning for magic stones.£©

    ¡ºRight, yeah, good point.¡»

    Fran immediately dashed into the melee and swung me at one of the Demonic Beings, to which I responded by promptly absorbing its magic stone on contact.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Demonic Being

    State: Impaired

    Status Level: 1/99

    HP: 48

    MP: 55

    STR: 25

    VIT: 23

    AGI: 10

    INT: 27

    MGC: 25

    DEX: 10

    Skills

    Painting: Lv 1

    Compounding: Lv 1

    Water Magic: Lv 2

    Alchemy: Lv 4

    Magic Maniption

    _______________________________________________________________

    And of course, I gave his status a quick peak right before he died. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to get my hands on the Painting skill he had, and to make matters worse, he was only worth a single magic stone point.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hurry up and get this over with.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We followed Amanda and went even deeper into the mob of Demonic Beings, but much to my dismay, not a single one of them was worth more than just one measly magic stone point.

    The moment I started grumbling myints was the the moment I spotted a Demonic Being that seemed to stand out from its peers.

    ¡¸Strong.¡¹

    ¡ºSure looks like it. His stats are pretty high, and he isn¡¯t Impaired either.¡»

    He was much stronger and faster than the other Demonic Beings. And, although it sat at a measly level one, he did technically have the Sword Arts skill. Fran ended up disposing of him in an instant anyways, but he still was pretty strong whenpared all the others.

    And you know what? Best part is that he gave more than just one magic stone point. Killing him and ended up getting me three whole points. Does the amount of points I get vary based off their state? Or is it something else instead?

    ¡¸Will find even stronger Demonic Beings.¡¹

    ¡ºGo for it.¡»

    We ended up charging straight for the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s building despite it basically being the enemy¡¯s HQ.

    ¡¸Any ns as far as taking control over the building goes, Gamud?¡¹

    ¡¸There ain¡¯t really anything to take control of. There don¡¯t seem to be any human beings inside the ce anymore.¡¹

    ording to Amanda and Gamud, the Guild¡¯s interior was basically devoid of human life. There was some evil energy flowing out of from within it, but the amount was miniscule rtive to what we felt back at the temple, so I didn¡¯t really think it to be an issue.

    Urushi, however, thought otherwise.

    ¡¸Growl.¡¹

    He barked a low, guttural bark while staring straight at the building before us.

    ¡¸Is something wrong, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    The wolf answered Amanda with a pair of more vignt barks.

    ¡¸Somethinging.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you certain? My senses are failing to react if so¡­¡¹

    Neither Forrund nor Philip were able to sense whatever it was Urushi was detecting. In other words, this was probably the work of his newly acquired Evil Detection skill, as no one else present happened to have it.

    The skill was still just level one, but it seemed quite effective seeing as how he was able to outdo several A ranked adventurers in terms of detection.

    ¡¸I sense it now as well!¡¹

    ¡¸Really? You too, Charlotte?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. It seems to being from somewhere underground. Right, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Well, your impressions seem to match up, so I don¡¯t see any reason to be doubting you.¡¹

    ¡¸Iing attack detected.¡¹

    ¡¸It seems so. I can feel it in my fists.¡¹

    Everyone else finally started picking up whatever Urushi had sensed after about a minute or so.

    Whatever wasing for us seemed a lot weaker than I¡¯d initially anticipated. It was only giving off as much evil energy as your average Evil Being. However, I was still quite curious about it as it seemed to carry with it a sort of artificial nature. The part that piqued my interest the most was how it felt a lot more like clump of pure evil energy than an actual living thing.

    All my questions were answered three minutester, as whatever we¡¯d detected finally made its way outside the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s confines.

    ¡¸Is that a golem?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh. I can¡¯t appraise the damn thing, it¡¯s got Appraisal Blocking.¡¹

    Gamud was unable to learn anything about the golem despite having his appraisal skill leveled to 3. I tried taking a quick nce at it with the Eye of Empyrea, but even then, the only thing I got was its name. Apparently, it was a Magic Stone Soldier.

    ¡¸Growl.¡¹

    ¡ºGet ready. Looks like it¡¯s shifting right intobat mode.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 134: Zeraisâ€™ Goal

    <h4>Chapter 134: Zerais¡¯ Goal</h4>

    Five Magic Stone Soldiers emerged from within the Alchemist Guild¡¯s depths. For some odd reason, they seemed to give off a heavy, intimidating air despite looking like a bunch of armoured goris.

    They could also be described as golems with elongated arms. Either way, their bodies were made purely of a red and ck, crystalline substance.

    Their short legs made it so that their longer arms extended all the way down to the ground. A bit of further observation led me to realize that they very much resembled the robotic soldiers that guarded a certain castle in the sky.

    None of the five gave off even the slightest bit of life force. It looked like they really were golems as opposed to powersuits or the like.

    ¡¸Be careful. I can¡¯t appraise these damn things for the life of me. There¡¯s no way for us to tell what they have up their sleeves.¡¹

    ¡¸All the more reason to attack them before they¡¯ve a chance to attack us!¡¹

    Although Colbert kind of seemed like the kind of guy that¡¯d enjoy charging right in, he was experienced enough to understand that running up to and punching an enemy whose abilities he knew little about was not exactly the best idea. Hence, his preemptive attack instead took the form of a skill somewhat simr to sword arts¡¯ Sonic Wave. That is, he fired off a shockwave in the golems¡¯ direction by punching the air.

    The shockwave flew straight towards them. I could tell at a nce that it had more than enough power to mangle a hobgoblin and grind it to pieces.

    But it had no effect.

    Colbert¡¯s shockwave almost seemed to vanish altogether the moment it came into contact with the Magic Stone Soldier standing in front. It hadn¡¯t even taken any damage from the attack.

    I couldn¡¯t tell if it¡¯d used a skill or invoked some sort of magic, but in either case, it seemed as if it hadn¡¯t been affected at all. Man, not being able to appraise something is a huge pain in the ass.

    Seeing the Magic Stone Soldier¡¯s ability had caused our allies to halt in precaution. Four of our five enemies immediately took note of our hesitation and began swinging their arms in arge arc. It seemed that they were in the midst of gathering magical energy there within.

    ¡¸Watch out! They¡¯re mounting an assault!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh Barrier of Wind.¡¹

    ¡¸Howl! Granbolt!¡¹

    ¡ºFire Wall.¡»

    We setup our defenses the moment the golems unleashed their attacks.

    ¡¸They¡¯re usingposite attributes!?¡¹

    ¡¸That thing was as strong as a high tier spell!¡¹

    We had managed to ward off the golems¡¯ barrage, but the brute force that they came with had left quite an impression nheless. The wind bullets they fired had been about as powerful as what you¡¯d expect from Storm Magic, but that wasn¡¯t all. They¡¯d also thrown a few rarer elements into the mix, namely ice/snow, lightning, andva.

    The fact that golems were able to use magic was, in and of itself, a pretty rare urrence, so seeing them use powerful spells derived from rare elements made the whole situation seem outright unrealistic.

    Both Amanda and Gamud had shouted in surprise, and although Forrund refrained from speech, I could tell that he felt the same based on the fact that he¡¯d gone wide eyed.

    ¡¸So, how are you finding my Magic Stone Soldiers?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºIs that a hologram? Or is he using illusion magic or something?¡»

    A man had materialized between us and the golems right after Amanda had another one of spells do nothing whatsoever to an enemy golem.

    At first, I¡¯d thought that he¡¯d teleported here or something, but I¡¯d very obviously been wrong. His translucent form and the asional static that seemed to pulse through his body both evidenced that he was obviously just an illusion.

    The man was so good looking that it pissed me the hell off. He looked to be about twenty, and had the ever so rumoured blonde hair and blue eyes. His stature was a bit on the smaller side, just enough so that I almost felt the urge to warn him to be wary of pedophiles.

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Zerais!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, long time no see, Master of mine.¡¹

    Eugene ended up shouting out the man¡¯s name and revealing to us his identity, but I still had a hard time digesting it. Like, was that seriously him? I really didn¡¯t expect him to be so young and whatnot. I¡¯d always pictured Zerais as an older dude in ab coat.

    ¡¸You haven¡¯t really changed much.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh that? That¡¯s just because I happened to get my hands on a bit of demon blood.¡¹

    Ohhh, I get it. If you inject yourself with the blood of a longer living race, you¡¯ll end up looking much younger than you actually are.

    ¡¸Are you the reason the guild¡¯s alchemists are the way they are?¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah. I put them all through my Demonization experiments, but as you can see, they ended up turning into failures. It looks like you need someone that¡¯s really strong, both in mind and body, if you want to actually get something out of shoving a magic stone inside of a human being. All the small fry I tried the experiment on ended up dying because their bodies rejected the magic stones. The ones lucky enough to live all ended up losing their minds. They might as well be zombies with the way they are, but oh well, I guess that¡¯s fine too since they¡¯re pretty easy to control.¡¹

    Zerais proudly started to b about everything he¡¯d done. The look he had on his face pissed me off to no end. He seemed to love attention, so he ended up giving us a bunch of information for pretty much no reason at all.

    ¡¸I still need just a bit more work on the Demonization end of things, but those Magic Stone Soldiers I¡¯ve got over there are pretty muchplete already. How are you finding them? Strong, right? I figured out how to make them when I was doing research on demons. I couldn¡¯t really get things to go the way I wanted at first, but one of my coborators gave me a bit of a hand and helped me push them towardspletion.¡¹

    ¡¸Rynford?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Oh wait, I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea who you are. You¡¯re that adventurer girl, Fran, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Rynford? Who¡¯s that?¡¹

    Hmmm, I see, so Eugene didn¡¯t even know Rynford existed.

    ¡¸He¡¯s one of the Evil God¡¯s servants, and the guy behind this whole mess. Though, I can¡¯t really say I didn¡¯t lend him a hand or two. He taught me Evil Arts and several methods for handling evil energies, so I paid him back by teaching him all about alchemy and magic stones. Anyway, I know the night¡¯s been a bit of a rowdy one, but why don¡¯t you join in on all the festivities? Oh yeah, I just realized I lied a bit. I think I did end up participating in nning tonight out, since I did need two or three thousand souls, you see.¡¹

    Zerais¡¯ smile was so pure and serene that it almost seemed like his actions hadn¡¯t caused him to feel even the slightest bit of guilt.

    ¡¸Why would you¡­¡¹

    Eugene narrowly managed to squeeze out half a question as he stared his disciple down. The half insectman¡¯s face had clearly gone pale.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ Well, to sum it up, I guess it¡¯s cause I wanted to leave proof of the fact that I existed.¡¹

    ¡¸What? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess I¡¯ll remove a step¡¯s worth of abstraction then. My goal is to be so famous that my name goes down in history. I¡¯d like for people to remember me, even a thousand years down the line.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you serious, Zerais¡­? You¡¯re willing to throw away people¡¯s lives for that mundane a reason¡­?¡¹

    Eugene¡¯s face stiffened. He took on a much more teacher-like air despite the fact that didn¡¯t seem to be able toprehend the fact that his former disciple had gone mad.

    ¡¸When was it¡­? When was it that you were first led astray¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸When? Well, I was always like this. The only difference is that I used to be a bit better behaved is all. You know, Master, I really do appreciate all you¡¯ve done for me. Your lessons are the only reason why I¡¯m even starting to get close to aplishing my dream, you know?¡¹

    Eugene was honestly a pretty good, down to earth guy, but as a result, he couldn¡¯t understand why his apprentice was acting the way he was. He failed toprehend his malice, no, his outrightck of concern for anyone but himself.

    In other words, I was trying to say that Eugene was far too kind and naive. Though it sounded like I was kind of sheetting on the guy, I really meant it as a good thing. Eugene¡¯s kindness and naivety seems to have been what¡¯s gotten him to where he is today. My guess was that he had believed that Zerais had been somewhere out in the world atoning for his sins with his day to day actions.

    The way I saw it though, Zerais hadn¡¯t even the slightest desire to repent. He was more like a rotting apple. In fact, he¡¯d gotten so rotten that he started draining the life of the other, healthier apples around him. At this point, I¡¯d say it was even fair to start calling him a mutated apple. He seemed pretty normal from the outside, but his insides were a total mess of toxic sludge. Anyone that tried to eat him would probably instantly die of food poisoning, so it¡¯d be best to throw him out altogether. Yup, we needed to seek him out and eliminate him right away.

    ¡¸Besides, what¡¯s so abnormal about wanting to get famous anyway? I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a normal thing pretty much everyone wants.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right, Zerais. Fame is somethingmonly sought after, but that does not mean that you can just go around doing whatever it is you want. You cannot simply trod on the lives of other human beings! Are you truly satisfied with leaving behind a name soiled by a legacy of infamy?¡¹

    ¡¸Like I care. I don¡¯t mind being infamous at all. In fact, I¡¯d rather be infamous than just famous, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Demanding Reason.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, Fran, why don¡¯t I put it this way? Have you ever heard the tales of King Yvel and Saint Myurell? If not, then what of Dragonyer Sigmund?¡¹

    ¡¸Know none.¡¹

    ¡¸See? That¡¯s exactly my point. All three of the people I just mentioned were outstanding individuals famous for their aplishments. The first had worked with a group of knights to hold back a horde of goblins 1,000,000 strong. In his time, he was known as The Heroic King. The second was a wandering saint, she travelled thends and spent her entire life healing its people. The third was an adventurer that threw away his life in order to free the continent of Khrome from a Dragonic Lord that would¡¯ve otherwise brought about its destruction. Their achievements were all quite amazing, don¡¯t you think?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but despite that, you didn¡¯t know about them until just now. In fact, few do, their names are unsung. But, what if I ask you about Trismegistus the Rebel? You know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Heard of.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course you do. Pretty much everyone knows him. And now you get it, right?¡¹

    Wait, who the hell is Trismegistus?

    ¡ºHey Fran, who¡¯s Trismegistus?¡»

    £¨Famous alchemist. Really bad person. Destroyed continent of Goldishia.£©

    Fran quickly briefed me about the guy and his deeds.

    Trismegistus was apparently a man that existed long in the past. He was a king, but not just any king. The kingdom he ruled over was so vast and powerful that it effectively had control over an entire continent. Yet, he wasn¡¯t satisfied. He had tried to birth an almighty magic beast for the sake of achieving a single goal: world domination. And of course, his ambitions weren¡¯t ones that could be achieved through normal means. Hence, he unsealed the Evil God¡¯s heart and attempted to use its power.

    The magic beast that resulted from such a decision was immensely powerful, so much so that it ended up obliterating an entire continent and almost all its people. Said magic beast continued to grow in strength by eating the verynd itself. It got sorge that it became capable of engulfing everyst bit ofndmass that remained in a single, fell swoop. The people despaired, but the Gods descended and offered them salvation. They created a massive barrier and entrapped the continent sized magic beast, the Abyss Eater. It¡¯s said that the Abyss Eater continues to thrive within the barrier to this day.

    On a side note, the Gods cursed Trismegistus in order to force him atone for his sins. Specifically, they provided him immortality while also leaving him within the barrier, hence forcing him to suffer as the beast consumes his flesh in perpetuity.

    I¡¯ve no real way of knowing whether or not the story is a factual depiction, especially seeing as how it¡¯s used a bedtime story in order to discourage kids from misbehaving. But still, holy sheet that¡¯s terrifying. Like, damn, that is one hell of a curse. Gods, you scary as hell.

    ¡¸Boy am I jealous of Trismegistus. Must be nice to be him!¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying, Zerais!? That¡¯s ridiculous! Wait¡­Don¡¯t tell me you n on undoing one of the Evil God¡¯s seals¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸You know, that¡¯s actually exactly what I had in mind. Don¡¯t you worry though, I¡¯m not nning on doing something as drastic as freeing a piece as major as its heart.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you trying to say that you think you can take control of it!?¡¹

    ¡¸In fact, yeah, yeah, I am. I can do it you know? I mean, just look at me! The only problem is that my little old coborator had to end up dying on me before we actually got a chance to take a stab at it. I haven¡¯t gotten enough souls either, and I can¡¯t actually undo the seal myself. I mean, I may be gifted, but I¡¯m not actually capable of using the Evil Arts.¡¹

    Whew.

    ¡¸But you see, the thing is, I¡¯m starting to get real annoyed with Fran over there, you know? First she takes the package I was having shipped over, then she got in the way when I tried having a few of my employees deal with the orphanage and whatnot, and now she¡¯s even helped kill Rynford and his merry little friends.¡¹

    The orphanage? Wait, so he was the one after Io¡¯s recipe?

    ¡¸Want recipe why?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing special. Just a bit of idle curiosity, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Curiosity?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, curiosity. At first, it was because Bluke wanted to know about it and wouldn¡¯t stop nagging me, so I started by embezzling all money that normally would¡¯ve been used on the orphanage¡¯s operating expenses. You see, it costs money for me to get my hands on magic stones and equipment and the like, so I didn¡¯t see any reason for me not to. I figured that they might start selling off the children if they didn¡¯t have enough money to get by, and I was definitely in need of extrab rats. It was totally a win win situation, right? I decided to pay the orphanage a quick visit in person a bitter on so I could start checking out the children ahead of time, but I then ended up realizing that the dishes that they served there were really quite strange, you see.¡¹

    ¡¸Dishes?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, look at their ingredients. The stuff that they served there was obviously way better tasting than it really should¡¯ve been. I thought that they might have ess to some sort of technology that¡¯d let them inject mana into their ingredients or something. Turned out that I waspletely off the mark though.¡¹

    Zerais lightlyughed as he recalled his mistake.

    Holy sheet, this guy¡¯s a huge foocking asshole. We can¡¯t actually get to him, or even find him right now, but that didn¡¯t really seem like too much of a problem at all. Amanda was giving off an incredible amount of bloodlust, so I figured he¡¯d probably just made it to the top of her hit list. No mistaking it, he was totally in for a fate far worse than death.

    ¡¸Anyway, this conversation¡¯s dragged on for a bit too long already, so I¡¯m going to be heading out. Oh yeah, and, just in case you were still wondering, I¡¯m not actually at the guild anymore.¡¹

    ¡¸Running away?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes I am. My n¡¯s a total failure now that Rynford¡¯s dead. I¡¯d been nning to have his mass produced Evil Beings kill a bunch of people so I could use their souls to summon a piece of the Evil God¡¯s flesh. It would¡¯ve worked too, especially if Rynford had managed to draw from the Evil God¡¯s power. Oh well, there¡¯s always a next time. Have fun ying around with my Magic Stone Soldiers. Buh bye.¡¹

    Zerais¡¯ projection gave a quick wave and disapeared immediately after he finished speaking.

    ¡ºSeems like he was telling the truth. I can¡¯t sense anyone in the guild at all.¡»

    £¨Urushi. Can¡¯t chase?£©

    £¨Whimper.£©

    ¡ºTsk. God damn it.¡»

    £¨Woof¡­£©

    ¡ºOh uh¡­ whoops. My bad Urushi, I wasn¡¯t trying to say it was your fault or anything.¡»

    Oh well, can¡¯t be helped I guess. Let¡¯s deal with these guys for now and figure out what to do about Zeraister.

 Chapter 135: Versus: Magic Stone Soldiers

    <h4>Chapter 135: Versus: Magic Stone Soldiers</h4>

    ¡¸So that was Zerais? He sure was an obnoxious one.¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t stand the fact that he¡¯s managed to get away.¡¹

    ¡¸I fail toprehend the extent to which he belittles the value of the citizen¡¯s lives¡­¡¹

    ¡¸How terrible he is!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re going to have to deal with these things first if we want to hunt that asshole down though, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    The entire all star cast seemed pretty pissed off at Zerais, but they all assented to the fact that the alchemist had already effectively escaped regardless.

    We couldn¡¯t really go after him anymore because we t out had no idea where he was. Moreover, we kinda needed to take out the Magic Stone Soldiers before they caused any more harm. If we were lucky, we might even be able to get a clue or two out of investigating the alchemist¡¯s guild afterwards.

    That said though, defeating them would be a milestone in and of itself. We didn¡¯t know precisely what their abilities did, but they seemed to be able to nullify any sort of ranged attack regardless of whether it was based in might or magic. They didn¡¯t seem to be deploying any sort of barrier or anything like that, so I really had no idea what the hell was going on.

    Colbert had tried throwing another ranged martial art or two at the things, but his attacks were once again rendered useless.

    ¡¸Well, projectiles don¡¯t work, so it looks like we¡¯re stuck with good old close quartersbat. I¡¯m a lot more durable than you lot, so I¡¯ll volunteer myself to go up first.¡¹

    Gamud stepped up as he made a deration whose contents sounded fairly logical. The fully armoured dwarf was the splitting image of a tank. I really couldn¡¯t imagine him going down all that easily, especially if he had a few buffs applied and whatnot.

    ¡¸Sounds like a n.¡¹

    Amanda assented with a nod.

    ¡¸Then here I go!¡¹

    The guildmaster dashed towards the Magic Stone Soldiers with a huge smile on his face.

    He reached one of the golems in a blink of an eye and immediately swung his hammer towards it. His speed was incredible, especially for someone wearing full te armour.

    ¡¸Hah, these things react slow as hell!¡¹

    The dwarf immediately swung his hammer without using any sort of technique or art and delivered a single forceful blow. Despite him choosing not to apply any sort of skill, the strike still looked powerful enough to smash his target¡¯s head to pieces

    But it didn¡¯t.

    The noise that the hammer had caused was not that of a smash, but rather, a screech.

    ¡¸Nuoooooowaaahhhhh!!¡¹

    The mallet-like weapon had ended up being forced to a stop right before it was able to make contact with the enemy golem. Gamud was sent flying, four spells on his tail. Fortunately, Phillip managed to block them before they caused him any harm.

    ¡¸Are you alright, Guildmaster?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ The hell just happened¡­?¡¹

    Gamud seemed pretty confused, which, to be fair, made sense given how far he¡¯d been blown away. The counterattack he¡¯d been hit by was incredibly powerful, as evidenced by the huge dent in his orihalcum armour.

    It was a bit unfortunate for him, but we still managed to get something out of it. Namely, Forrund seemed to have figured something out.

    ¡¸Reflection.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that does seem fairly likely now that you¡¯ve mentioned it.¡¹

    Amanda acknowledged the other A ranked adventurer¡¯s muttering with an enlightened, knowing tone.

    ¡¸I think there was a moonlight spell that did something like that. I¡¯ve seen someone use it once before¡¹

    ¡¸Same.¡¹

    Apparently, Moonlight Magic was a branch of magic that specialized in reflecting and invalidating enemy attacks. The Magic Stone Soldiers had already demonstrated that they were capable of all sorts of rare magic, so it actually seemed quite likely for them to be able to use Moonlight Magic as well. The specific behaviour that the golems seemed to be demonstrating was reflection against close ranged attacks and invalidation of longer ranged ones.

    Holy sheet that stuff is rare though. Like, damn, neither Forrund nor Amanda had seen it more than just once despite their long careers.

    ¡¸It might be better for us to try wiping out the ones in the rear before attacking the one up front.¡¹

    ¡¸Agreed.¡¹

    We tried following Amanda¡¯s suggestion, but it didn¡¯t work out.

    Colbert and Phillip were both immediately blown back the moment they tried engaging one of the golems in the back. In other words, all five units were capable of using Moonlight Magic.

    The golems¡¯ stats didn¡¯t seem all that high, but the properties of their spells made them incredibly difficult to deal with.

    ¡¸So, anyone here know how to deal with this?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s probably not all that easy for them to keep reflecting and invalidating our attacks, so it should show a few openings if we just keep attacking them. Let¡¯s try pelting it with weaker hits for now, ones that wouldn¡¯t really hurt you much when reflected.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. That does sound rather promising.¡¹

    Phillip immediately stepped up for the job. He was wearing a tonne of heavy armour and looked like he could tank as many weaker hits as he wanted.

    And so, the experimentmenced. He threw a chain of light stabs at the golems, only to find that one in every few attacks would end up actually hitting its mark. The issue was that the Magic Stone Soldiers were fairly durable, so they didn¡¯t end up taking any noticable damage.

    Any attack that was strong enough to take the golems down would likely result in at least a few broken bones if reflected. And of course, that applied just as much to Colbert and Gamud as it did to Phillip.

    We decided that we could probably join in as well. We wouldn¡¯t run into any issues so long as I kept our magic barriers up at max while Fran lightly shed the Magic Stone Soldiers over and over.

    We figured that the reflection spell might not actually activate if our attacks were too weak, so Fran ended up using as much force as she could while making sure to stay within the Magical Barrier¡¯s defensible limits.

    And so, with that condition in mind, we rapidly assaulted the closest enemy rear guard whilstpletely ignoring all its counters.

    The act led us to hear a series of ringing sounds followed by a loud smack.

    I guess that means we hit it. Wait¡­ what?

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    The familiar sensation of absorbing a magic stone ran through me as the magic stone soldier we hit just t out poofed.

    Ohhhh, I get it. These things are literally soldiers made out of magic stones, which meant I could basically just absorb them as I could any other magic stones. Is this how life feels on easy mode or something? On well, either way, it seemed like I was pretty much the Magic Stone Soldier¡¯s natural predator.

    ¡¸Woah. What did you just do, Miss Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸You totally obliterated it in just one hit? Damn.¡¹

    ¡¸What sort of action did you perform?¡¹

    Oh sheet. They totally just saw me absorb the magic stone soldiers. Crap, I need toe up with an excuse. I really don¡¯t want to be telling everyone that it was one of my abilities. I didn¡¯t want Forrund taking interest in me, so yeah¡­ I guess we could just say it was because of a skill or something, but I¡¯m not really sure if that¡¯ll fly¡­

    ¡¸Come on guys, asking other people about their skills is bad manners.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, true, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸All that matters is that Fran has a way to beating these things with rtive ease.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡¹

    Luckily, Amanda managed to bail us out.

    ¡¸In that case, I think it¡¯d be best for us to provide Miss Fran with backup while she eliminates them.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Acknowledged.¡¹

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to dispose of the remaining golems. The task went by especially quickly because the people helping us were so ridiculously strong. They easily held the Magic Stone Soldiers attention as I quickly absorbed them all.

    It only took us three minutes to finish off all five Magic Stone Soldiers. Each yielded about three hundred Magic Stone Points, so I ended up getting approximately a thousand five hundred in total. I even managed to get my hands on Ice/Snow Magic, Lava Magic, and Moonlight Magic as a bit of an added bonus.

    Man, that went so well. Felt like I was working some sort of super well paying job or something like that.

    Gaining all those magic stone points did wonders for my self evolution skill. Things were looking up.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Self Evolution: Rank 11.

    Magic Stone Points: 4486/6600

    Memory: 100

    Spendable Points: 2

    _______________________________________________________________

    Each golem being three hundred points meant that they were worth roughly the same as B ranked magic beasts.

    ¡¸Alright. That¡¯s over with. We¡¯d best move onto investigating the Alchemist¡¯s Guild¡¯s interior.¡¹

    ¡¸Good idea. Might still be something in there.¡¹

 Chapter 136: Zeraisâ€™ Ambition

    <h4>Chapter 136: Zerais¡¯ Ambition</h4>

    We immediately started investigating the Alchemist¡¯s Guild after defeating the Magic Stone Soldiers that emerged from within it. I was honestly left blown aback by the fact that it was basicallypletely devoid of human life. In fact, the only living things we ever came across were the asional mouse or roach.

    It looked most of the alchemists had either been turned into Demonic Beings or killed in experiments¡¯ processes. This was further evidenced by the document Zerais had left in the facility¡¯s basement. The observation logs there within described the results of administering different dosages and the like. Even a quick nce at the report¡¯s contents left me filled with a sense of disgust.

    I¡¯d been hoping for him to have left a few magic stones sitting around or something, but much to my disappointment, he hadn¡¯t. There wasn¡¯t really anything of interest, least not for us, so we quickly grabbed all of Zerais¡¯ data before turning heel. We nned to hand it over to Gamud or Eugene a bitter on.

    ¡ºHey Urushi, are there any like escape routes or hidden passages around here or anything?¡»

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    ¡ºOh well, too bad¡­¡»

    ¡¸Might I ask how things are progressing on your end, Fran?¡¹

    Eugene called out to us and requested a quick update.

    ¡¸Got documents.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. The same goes for myself.¡¹

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s alchemist continued to look around with a grim look on his face. My guess was that he was probably feeling the weight of his disciple¡¯s sins.

    ¡¸Can use them to figure something out?¡¹

    ¡¸To an extent. However, I do believe that it¡¯s possible for Zerais to have intentionally left these documents behind as they¡¯d provide only a miniscule amount of knowledge.¡¹

    ¡¸Intentionally?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely. None of the documents I came across contained any sort of key information regarding his processes. Hence, they left me unable to reproduce the results he¡¯s managed to derive. The only useful information his files contain are pertinent to the conclusions drawn. There¡¯s also just enough data left in order to evidence his conclusions¡¯ validity.¡¹

    Ahhh, I get it now. Zerais wanted his name to be known across thend. Hence, his personality probably led him to leave just enough data behind to show off his efforts.

    ¡¸This document on Magic Stone Soldiers is a prime example of what I mean to say. It states that employing the use of evil energies can allow one to engrave a single spell upon the magic stone that serves as the soldier¡¯s core. It makes no further mention of the processes involved and hence does not provide one with enough information to recreate his work. That said though, the information presented is not required for his documents to prove his point, seeing as how the end result, the Magic Stone Soldiers, had only recently engaged us inbat.¡¹

    Eugene quickly nced at another one of the documents he grabbed, and found it to be rather simr. It described that different humans being would require magic stones imbedded in different locations, a fact that our experience with them had solidified. That, however, was basically all the document said. It didn¡¯t tell us how to actually figure out where to put the magic stone, nor did it describe the embedding process.

    ¡¸This?¡¹

    ¡¸That one¡­ seems to describe a weapon constructed of magic stones¡­ Hmm¡­¡¹

    Fran handed the document we found over and had Eugene quickly look over it. Apparently, it contained information about something that was kind of just a little bit dangerous.

    The weapons described in the document were unlike the usual in the sense that they didn¡¯t simply use the magic stones embedded in them as a source of fuel. Instead, they allowed the wielder to use the spells sealed inside of them. Moreover was the fact that they were expendable as opposed to longsting. The most intimidating part of it all was that they could even store extra skills and unique skills, and hence, were he useful even if only usable once.

    ¡¸Zerais was¡­ ever so talented. If only he could have used his abilities to better the world and the lives of its people¡­¡¹

    Eugene¡¯s face was distorted with a look ofment.

    ¡¸Magic stone weapon. Seems amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸I agree. It¡¯s applicabilities are boundless.¡¹

    We suddenly felt a presence appear behind us immediately after Eugene finished speaking.

    ¡¸Thief God¡¯s Grace.¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡ºWho the hell!?¡»

    Seriously, what!? There hadn¡¯t been anything there just a second ago.

    Fran immediately reacted by swinging me to her rear, but she wasn¡¯t the only one to act. The person behind her also started to give off an incredible amount of magical energy.

    I immediately deployed my Magic Barrier at full power as Fran turned around and faced our foe.

    The person that¡¯d been standing behind us was none other than the guy whose looks pissed me off to no end.

    Zerais.

    How the hell? Wait, I recalled him saying ¡°Thief God¡¯s Grace,¡± so he¡¯d probably used a skill. Its name gave way to the fact that it was most likely derived from being the recipient of Divine Protection.

    ¡¸Ooookay. I¡¯ll be taking this back now, thanks.¡¹

    Zerais was smiling a prince-like smile despite the fact that I¡¯d chopped off one of his arms. He raised his remaining hand and dangled a bottle as if to show it off to Fran.

    ¡¸Mmph. How?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? That¡¯s impossible! That should¡¯ve been inside my dimensional storage!¡»

    The thing Zerais was holding was the bottle that contained the Root of Arcane Souls.

    ¡¸Fmmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahha, ohe on, no need for you to be looking at me like that.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph, can¡¯t cut.¡¹

    ¡¸That would be because he¡¯s already turned into an illusion.¡¹

    ¡¸Woah, that was close. I probably would¡¯ve been split in half if I teleported even just a momentter.¡¹

    I ended up passing through nothing but thin air. Zerais himself had already disappeared. He¡¯d instead been reced by a hologram without any physical substance identical to the one we saw in front of the guild.

    ¡¸Seriously though, just who are you? You came out of nowhere,pletely messed up my ns, and even managed topletely obliterate all my Magic Stone Soldiers with ease. You know how frustrated all that¡¯s been making me? I mean, I may not look it, but I sure am.¡¹

    ¡¸Just ck cat n, D ranked adventurer. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Nice one, nice one. You know I made it so that those magic stone soldiers were supposed to have the evil energies inside of them swell up and explode if you hit them the wrong way, right? There¡¯s no way for a D ranked adventurer to be able topletely wipe out all that evil energy in an instant, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Did anyway.¡¹

    ¡¸I started following you around the moment you started fighting them so I could steal this little thing back from you, but you defeated them right away and didn¡¯t show even the slightest opening. Course, I followed you after too, but you still never showed any openings at all no matter what. I ended up having to trade you one of my arms for it, but I did manage to get what I needed, so it¡¯s fine I guess.¡¹

    ¡¸Took, how?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh you know, I decided to use a Magic Stone Weapon. It let me use the Thief God¡¯s Grace, which is a skill that¡¯ll let you steal anything from anyone so long as they¡¯re within the skill¡¯s area of effect. All the data I¡¯ve got on you seemed to be pointing to the fact that you could use space/time magic, so I assumed you had a dimensional storage. Man, you know, I really would¡¯ve had to give up if I didn¡¯t have the Thief God¡¯s Grace with me. Oh yeah, and the reason I could follow you without you noticing me is cause I was using a Magic Stone Weapon with the Perfect Invisibility skill sealed inside of it, yup.¡¹

    The pendant that¡¯d been resting on top of Zerais¡¯ severed arm cracked and shattered into several pieces. So that¡¯s a Magic Stone Weapon? Okay yeah, it¡¯s just as I suspected. Those things are ridiculous as hell, even if limited to being one time use.

    ¡¸Aw man, now it and the one with the Thief God¡¯s Grace are both all busted up. They cost a hundred million gold in total, you know? They were supposed to be my trump cards.¡¹

    ¡¸Wanted item that badly?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I guess you could say that. You know, I actually really want to thank you. I probably never would¡¯ve been able to get my hands on it if you hadn¡¯t taken it from those god damned pirates. Man, I went through soooo much trouble for all this stuff. Thank you so much! I won¡¯t have to write off any of my ns anymore after all.¡¹

    ¡¸And just what precisely is that supposed to be, Zerais?¡¹

    Eugene finally joined in on the conversation after staying silent throughout. It seemed that he was genuinely curious as to the identity the soul contained within the bottle.

    ¡¸Oh man, not even you knew, Master? Hehehe, it¡¯s a Chimera¡¯s Arcane Soul. Surprised? I bet you are.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s preposterous. Did you just say a Chimera?¡¹

    ¡¸Rare?¡¹

    ¡¸The word rare doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it. There are rumoured to be less than five Chimeras throughout the world. They¡¯re so dangerous that they¡¯re all supposed to have been sealed away.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha! See, I knew you¡¯d be surprised. Isn¡¯t this thing just great? I requested it from the Reidosian Alchemy Lab by using the Barbra Guild¡¯s name and all that. It ended up costing me a whole billion! Man, you know much money a billion is? Actually, it wasn¡¯t even my money, so I don¡¯t really care. But man, it was one hell of a snag!¡¹

    ¡¸Just what are you trying to aplish?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh you know, I¡¯m just going to be making the strongest magic beast ever. The final product should hopefully be strong enough to destroy the entire world!¡¹

    Holy crap. That item was way more than I¡¯d thought it was.

    ¡¸Anyway, I¡¯ve met all my goals, so I¡¯ll actually be bidding you farewell for real this time. Buh bye!¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, hold on! Zerais!¡¹

    Eugene yelled his disciple¡¯s name at the top of his lungs, but the other man was long gone.

    ¡¸Zerais¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Chimera is what?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, right. Chimeras are the most powerful artificial magic beasts known to man.¡¹

    Apparently, they were something made in an experiment involving mixing many different kinds of magic beasts together.

    Chimeras were considered biological weapons ranked A or higher. The researchers that made the first hadn¡¯t expected it to be as powerful as it was, and thus, they ended up losing control of it. The escaped subject had ultimately ended uppletely ravaging several cities.

    The researchers continued to churn them out in while also attempting to actually take control of them, but it turned out to be an impossible task. Several countries ultimately ended up falling to the experiment¡¯s products, and thus, all the world¡¯s governments ended uping to conclusion that further research on the topic should be banned, and that all existing Chimeras should be sealed away. The researchers¡¯ data was destroyed, and they themselves executed.

    Creating a Chimera took ridiculously pricey materials, some of which came from creatures that had long gone extinct. It should¡¯ve theoretically been impossible for anyone to get their hands on a Chimera given the current circumstances, but apparently it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case¡­

    ¡¸As of right now, the Kingdom of Reidos is a mess. Someone may have used the country¡¯s state of turmoil in order to steal the Chimera whilst not knowing the danger posed by their actions.¡¹

    ¡¸A mess?¡¹

    That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that. Then again, I didn¡¯t really know much about Reidosians. The only thing I did know was that I¡¯d already started thinking of all Reidosians as my enemies.

    ¡¸The Reidosian King died a sudden death approximately ten years ago. Four of the country¡¯s archdukes have been wrestling for control through military means ever since. The country has almost fallen into one in a state of civil war. I¡¯m honestly quite surprised to say that it hasn¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Hmmm, could that mean that Salrut and the Lich were both products of one of those archduke¡¯s ploys? Or were they potentially products of them all scheming against one another? I wanted more information, but it seemed that Eugene had already told us everything he knew.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to go report everything that has happened to both the Lord and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Any matter involving a Chimera is of utmost importance, after all.¡¹

    It seemed like Zerais was going to have his name stered on wanted posters all around the world. Chances were that he was probably actually going to be pretty happy about that, but it couldn¡¯t really be helped. I agreed that dealing with him was indeed a matter of utmost importance.

    We couldn¡¯t find any additional clues, so we decided to give up and regroup with Amanda for the time being.

 Chapter 137: The Contestâ€™s Whereabouts

    <h4>Chapter 137: The Contest¡¯s Whereabouts</h4>

    ¡¸And here¡¯s your order.¡¹

    ¡¸Be careful, it¡¯s hot!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Today was the day after the incident. Err, technically, it was still the same day seeing as how everything happened after midnight, but yeah, whatever.

    We were going around with our stall and handing away our products away for free, well, kind of. Barbra¡¯s lord had technically bought us out in advance, so we were still making bank.

    Zerais had gotten away, but naturally, the city¡¯s problems hadn¡¯t upped and vanished with him. We ended up having to go around hunting Evil and Demonic Beings all night. I think we managed to get around ten or so ourselves. The most sessful hunter had been Forrund, who hadted himself a whole twenty kills. Our efforts had allowed the city had regain its usual tranquility by sunrise.

    Unfortunately, the poption had taken a pretty big hit. Lots of people died. Those that had survived were left in a state of confusion as a result ofst night¡¯s events. Thus, the cooking contest had naturally been cancelled. The Chef¡¯s Guild needed to sort itself out and identify all its corrupt members and whatnot before proceeding with its festivities.

    That said, aplete and utter shut down would likely lead Brabra¡¯s citizens to feel uneasy about the city¡¯s state of affairs. The lord had wanted to prevent the city from adopting a negative atmosphere, and so, he had asked the contests¡¯ participants to push their stalls around town and give out their products for free.

    We didn¡¯t really mind going along with his request. We had a tonne of curry bread left lying around, and apparently we were going to get cash out of helping out, so why not, right? It seemed that most of the other contestants had felt the same, as they¡¯d also willingly assented.

    ¡¸Hey! No fighting over there! We still have lots in stock, so calm yourselves down!¡¹

    ¡¸Would anyone like to try the dish that might just have ended up winning the contest? If so, then line yourselves right up!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, why don¡¯t we try moving along and heading over to the next area?¡»

    The three girls we hired were helping us move the stall around. I¡¯d originally been nning to have Urushi do it, but the lord had ended up advising otherwise. He told us that Urushi would end up scaring the citizens because of howrge, fearsome, and potentially unsanitary he looked.

    Hey! Urushi has feelings too, you know? He¡¯s totally feeling down cause of all that.

    Our second idea was to have Fran do it, but the three salesgirls had stated that they, as adults, couldn¡¯t stand to let a child do physicalbour in their presence while they did nothing. Hence, they ended up doing it instead despite being much weaker than her.

    ¡ºThe lord told us to visit as many ces as we could, so, yeah.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Phillip had told us a few things before we ended up setting out. ording to him, this whole free food thing was apparently the Krysten family giving back to the citizens what it could before it was deprived the ability. Most of their wealth was probably going to end up being confiscated, and hence, they were spending as much of it on helping Barbra¡¯s people before it was all taken away. Apparently, they were more or less guaranteed to at least be relieved of their positions. The merits they¡¯d umted over thest three hundred years were significant, but they weren¡¯t enough to make up for an incident as big as the one that¡¯d urredst night.

    They¡¯d sent a magistrate to the capital, and ordered him to report everything that had urred. Hence, they were expecting the King to get in touch with them within a few days. I honestly had to say that both the Lord and Phillip, his eldest son, were good people. They were honest, and upright. Their only faults were that they were a bit too soft on those they held dear.

    He¡¯d also told us about the fates that befell those that a hand in the crime. Apparently, everyone that Bluke had hired would end up being beheaded. The people that had been forced into cooperating would be made into crime ves and sent off to Goldishia or the mines. Both locations involved them serving fixed terms.

    I understood the whole mine thing, but I had no idea what he meant by Goldishia, so naturally, I had Fran ask him a bit about it.

    Apparently, it was the name of the continent destroyed by Trismegistus. It was covered by arge barrier, but not actuallypletely sealed off. The barrier only covered the continent¡¯s center. There were still a few ces outside of it that could sustain human life.

    The people who still lived on the Goldishian continent were mostly Dragonfolk. They were aware of the sins shouldered by their predecessors, and thus, they spent their days repenting by entering the great barrier and fighting the Abyss Eater. It seemed that the barrier had been made so that people could enter and leave it at will. The Abyss Eater, however, was unable to escape it.

    The Dragonfolk had the world behind them. Every single nation offered them support in the form of both soldiers and supplies. Crime ves were often sent over as well so that they could be put to use in the form of meat shields.

    Wait, wouldn¡¯t the death penalty actually just be better at that point?

    It turned out that the answer to my question was no. Some crime ves would actually manage to endure Goldishia¡¯s harsh conditions, survive, level up, and attain freedom. Hence, it was still technically better than just t out getting executed.

    Speaking of which, some of the cooking guild¡¯s top brass had ended up getting turned into crime ves. They¡¯d been judged to be at fault for not properly appraising Waint¡¯s cooking. Bluke had been threatening them, so it wasn¡¯t entirely fault, but they could¡¯ve prevented an incredible amount of damage had they chosen to do their jobs properly.

    ¡ºYou think this city¡¯s still going to be alright from here on out? The Alchemist¡¯s Guild is gone, the Lord¡¯s going to get forced to retire, and a good chunk of the poption¡¯s just t out dead. ¡»

    ¡¸Worried about orphanage.¡¹

    ¡ºI think they¡¯ll be fine. Amanda¡¯s got their backs.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Right. Amanda, not type of person to let children be sad.¡¹

    ¡ºHonestly, I¡¯m more worried about the Chef¡¯s Guild than the orphanage. It looks like they might end uppletely copsing at this rate.¡»

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes suddenly shot open in response to my words.

    ¡ºHey uh, you alright? Is something wrong?¡»

    ¡¸No finals if no contest¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell, yeah.¡»

    ¡¸Can¡¯t force feed him curry!¡¹

    ¡ºAhh, you mean that one old due? Yeah.¡»

    ¡¸Managed to escape!¡¹

    ¡ºWell uh, it¡¯s technically not his fault, so escape might not really be the right word.¡»

    Yeaaaah, I totally forgot about him. I wonder if he¡¯s doing alright. I mean, I thought he was a pretty good guy, so I hope he didn¡¯t end up getting caught in this whole mess.

    Wait, did we just end up raising a g or something? He literally showed up right in front of the stall as we finished moving it and started setting it up again. His face was coated with its usual frown. I couldn¡¯t immediately tell what he was up to, but soon realized that he was waiting for us to finish our preparations. The way he stared at us almost made it seem like he was trying to tell us to hurry the hell up.

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯vee to try your dish.¡¹

    ¡¸Will make you break down into tears.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¹

    The man¡¯s frown broke into a fearless smile.

    Judith seemed to be taken aback by the sudden event. Lydia, on the other hand, appeared to have caught on, as her eyes were sparkling with a weird sense of anticipation. I couldn¡¯t really tell what Maia was feeling at all. Maia was typically all smiles, but interestingly enough, she was actually the hardest of the bunch to read. Shepletely trumped the not-actually-emotionless Lydia.

    The old man took his first bite out of a piece of in curry bread approximately ten minutester. His location hadn¡¯t really changed much, he was still standing right beside the stall.

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    Damn, I¡¯m starting to get all nervous. I was pretty confident in the dish¡¯s taste seeing as I¡¯d tried it myself and all, but, I was no gourmet. I had no idea as to how he¡¯d feel about it.

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    ¡¸Well?¡¹

    ¡¸I very much regret the fact that I¡¯m unable to stuff myself with as much of this as I¡¯d like.¡¹

    Wait, does that mean he liked it?

    ¡¸The fried breading provides an excellent sense of texture, thereby deepening the dish¡¯s taste and pushing it over the edge. The filling is obviously the very same curry that you had me consume upon ourst meeting, but I can taste that its recipe has been slightly adjusted for it better fit with bread that encloses it. As a result, the sauce and its container serve to amplify each other¡¯s tastes and deliver a final product far beyond the sum of its ingredients. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this very recipe has earned its right as one that functions as a milestone in cooking¡¯s history. Please do tell your master that I found it to be a wonderful dish with a unique, thorough vour.¡¹

    He totally just gave the type of speech you¡¯d normally see in a food journal! Sheet, he totally praised the hell out of me!

    ¡¸Nn. Will tell.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d also like to say that I¡¯m sorry that the contest ended up the way it did.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Not guild¡¯s fault.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, I¡¯d like to apologize regardless. Many of our members were responsible for the incident. I¡¯m absolutely certain that your dish would¡¯ve allowed you to make it to the finals.¡¹

    Huh, this old guy¡¯s actually pretty honourable. It looked like he visited us for the sole sake of fulfilling his promise.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to retract my words. Your master is a wonderful cook, and this dish of his is absolutely delicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh¡¹

    Come on Fran, this is where you¡¯re supposed to say ¡°¡±Don¡¯t worry about it,¡±¡± instead of getting all cocky you know? Well, the old guy didn¡¯t really seem to mind, so it¡¯s fine I guess.

    Man, I¡¯m tired. I feel like taking a nice, long break after we¡¯re done giving out all this curry bread. Man, worrying about pickpockets, taking curry bread out from my dimensional storage, and all that other random stuff I did sure was exhausting. I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I swear I am actually tired, okay?

    Wait, where¡¯d all these peoplee from? Why the hell is the line so long?

    I guess that old dude must¡¯ve been a local celebrity or something. Everyone in line immediately started talking about how he praised us.

    ¡¸Huuuh? How¡¯d the line suddenly get this much longer?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s way too many people here.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess they must all be attracted to my beauty.¡¹

    Welp, looks like I¡¯m not getting that break any time soon.

 Chapter 138: I Want Magic Stones.

    <h4>Chapter 138: I Want Magic Stones.</h4>

    ¡¸I would like to offer you my thanks in return for your assistance.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Phillip stopped by not too long after we finished handing out curry bread and whatnot. It was a bitte, so Urushi had actually long passed out inside of Fran¡¯s shadow. That said though, we decided to let the knight in anyways seeing as how he came out of his way to visit us and all that.

    At first, I¡¯d been a bit surprised to see that he was unguarded, but quickly rationalized it. Phillip was incredibly strong, so to him, guards were more of a luxury than necessity. It was only natural for him toe alone given how short the city currently was on manpower.

    The first thing he did after arriving was hand Fran a box whose sides measured about thirty centimeters each. The wooden container was ck, but not unnaturally so. It seemed to be made out of ebony.

    ¡¸This is your reward. We would have hosted a grand ceremony in recognition of your efforts, but our current circumstances unfortunately do not allow for it.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind. Don¡¯t want to stand out anyways.¡¹

    ¡¸I am d that is how you feel about the matter. The magistrate stated that he would like for us to minimize any and all publicity rted tost night¡¯s incident.¡¹

    A scandal involving a marquis was pretty much as big a thing as a scandal involving the entire nation served by said marquis, so chances were, the country wanted to make this whole fiasco seem as small scale as possible.

    In fact, they were so keen on restricting knowledge on the event¡¯s details that they weren¡¯t even actually going to announce that the Krystens were actually responsible for the incident. Or rather, they couldn¡¯t.

    The lord¡¯s household had heavily involved themselves in cleaning up afterst night¡¯s events. They had not only kept crime at a minimum in the disaster¡¯s aftermath but also generouslypensated Barbra¡¯s people for their losses. Announcing that they were at fault for the incident would result in a loss of trust, and thereby cause the current state of affairs to degenerate into a downwards spiral. That, in the country¡¯s eyes, was a scenario they wished to avoid at all cost. In other words, the country had decided not to punish the Krystens. Instead, it tasked them with restoring Barbra to its former glory.

    ¡¸My father and I had nned to make our sins public knowledge, but we as nobles cannot go against the court¡¯s wishes. It is unfortunate, but we cannot announce my brothers¡¯ sins either.¡¹

    ¡¸To Bluke. What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Neither Bluke nor Waint are human any longer. They have both lost the ability to reason, and thus, we¡¯ve no choice but to put them to death. We have yet to determine the precise method of execution, but I have no doubt that they will soon pay for their sins. As we cannot inform the citizens of our wrongdoings, we will announce their official cause of death to be illness.¡¹

    Yeah, I figured something like that¡¯d happen.

    Phillip¡¯s expression turned a bit sour as he discussed Waint and Bluke. He seemed troubled. My guess was that he still loved both his brothers despite their actions and current states.

    ¡¸I apologize, but we cannot publicly credit you for Bluke¡¯s arrest.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t really mind.¡¹

    I mean, we got rewarded anyways, so who cares?

    Phillip seemed really apologetic about theck of credit we¡¯d get throughout his visit, but we honestly would¡¯ve rejected any ceremonies or parades or anything like that anyways. In fact, we very much preferred him doing things the way he did.

    ¡¸Master. Will open now.¡¹

    ¡ºGo for it. I¡¯m pretty curious about what they gave us.¡»

    Fran opened her reward shortly after Phillip¡¯s departure, only to find it full of valuables.

    The first thing to catch my eye was a stack of gold coins that added up to a whole million Golde in total. The rest of the box was pretty much filled to the brim with jewelry. We¡¯d gone into this whole thing thinking we¡¯d be working for free, so we were pretty damn happy about getting rewarded, especially with so much cash.

    ¡ºComing to Barbra sure has made us a lot of bank.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Can buy lots.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Were you thinking of buying anything in particr? Like food or something?¡»

    ¡¸Want that too. But not what was in mind.¡¹

    Wait, Fran wants something other than food? That¡¯s rare. Is she finally going to buy herself something all cute and girly-like? Or maybe some fancy clothing?

    Okay, yeah no.

    ¡¸Will buy magic stones.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Magic stones?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will buy magic stones for Master to absorb. Aiming for rank up. Barbra should have lots.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure?¡»

    The thought of buying magic stones for the sake of absorption was something that weighed on my conscience. It just kinda felt like all the money we made belonged to Fran. The same went with potions, armour, materials, and all that stuff too. She¡¯d take all that, while I¡¯d take the magic stones. That was just how I had it sorted out in my head.

    Though, I did understand that me getting stronger was equivalent to her getting stronger, so it wasn¡¯t exactly like I was actually depriving her of funds for no benefit or anything like that.

    Besides, I did figure that this would end up happening in due time anyways.

    In fact, I¡¯d always thought that we would probably end up having to be a rather aggressive buyer of magic stones. Each consecutive rank up required more magic stones than thest. Powering me up was ultimately going to end up getting a lot harder down the line.

    ¡¸Will sell all unneeded items, buy needed items, then spend rest on magic stones.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that works. We¡¯d probably be able to get a pretty big variety if we asked both the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Luciel Conglomerate.¡»

    Ideally, I¡¯d prefer if we could get our hands on magic stones from either higher ranked monsters or monsters whose magic stones we¡¯d yet to obtain.

    Welp, I guess it¡¯s time to sell all the stuff we don¡¯t need that¡¯s piled up in storage.

    ***

    ¡¸Thanks for waiting. Here¡¯s what we owe you, we¡¯ll be bringing the merchandise you requested out shortly.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We dropped by the Luciel Conglomerate in order to get rid of all the junk we still had on hand. We sold off all our weaker equips, our spare magic items, and even all the random jewelry we happened to have on hand. We¡¯d actually just finished doing something simr at the adventurer¡¯s guild as well. There, we sold off all the random magic beast parts we weren¡¯t nning on using. We actually had quite a bit piled up in storage, so yeah.

    Of course, we had bought all the stuff we needed as well. Our inventory ended up looking like this:

    Phantom Pyroxene (Magic Sword)

    Deathgaze (Magic Sword)

    Mysterious Item Bag

    Highest Grade Life Potion x 3

    High Grade Life Potion x 5

    Panacea x 3

    High Grade Mana Potion x 3

    Mid Grade Mana Potion x 5

    Highest Grade Alchemy Potion x 3

    High Grade Potion of Repair x 1

    Potion of Rising Skill x 1

    Anti-Side Effect Potion x 3

    Lots of Ingredients

    Camping Supplies

    Corpses

    Poisoned Water

    At first, we weren¡¯t actually all that sure whether or not we wanted to sell the Aidoneus¡¯ Mantle or the Serpent King¡¯s Short Sword. But after mulling over it a bit, we ultimately ended up deciding to get rid of them.

    Whew, emptying out our inventory made me feel all refreshed.

    The two equips we bought were the Bracelet of Herculean Strength and the Mage¡¯s Ne. The former increase the STR stat by twenty, and thetter provided a bit of a boost to magic. Fran¡¯s current equips were:

    ck Cat Set

    Bracelet of Herculean Strength

    Bracelet of Substitution

    Mage¡¯s Ne

    We ended up having about four and a half million Golde on hand even after buying two new equips.

    That said though, my sense of value is getting really screwy. I actually ended up thinking that the bracelet we bought was rather cheap despite it costing a million and two hundred thousand.

    ¡ºI guess we¡¯ll be spending the rest on magic stones.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸So about those magic stones you wanted¡­¡¹

    Hmm, Captain Rengil¡¯s all hesitating and stuff. Looks like they probably won¡¯t be willing to sell us any.

    ¡¸Barbra¡¯s currently experiencing a major shortage of magic stones.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The Alchemist¡¯s Guild was buying them all up. We¡¯ve very few D ranked stones, even.¡¹

    ¡¸Still have some?¡¹

    ¡¸A few, but they all belong to either Gullinburstis or Apis, and I recall you saying that you had no interest in either.¡¹

    So they basically only have stuff you can get locally?

    ¡¸The supply shortage has caused the price to skyrocket too. They¡¯re going for nearly twice as much as usual right now.¡¹

    God damn it Zerais! You son of a b*tch! Foock, you owe us way more than just one arm. Curse you, asshole!

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºUhhh, well, there isn¡¯t really anything to do.¡»

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had a policy against selling magic stones to anything but other organisations. The only ce in Barbra we could actually try was really just the Luciel Conglomerate. So uh, yeah. We were pretty much dead out of luck.

    ¡¸The only other magic stones we happen to have in stock are scrap stones.¡¹

    ¡¸Scrap stones?¡¹

    ¡¸The term refers to magic stones thate from Goblins, Fanged Mice, and other magic beasts ranked at G or lower.¡¹

    ¡¸Have those in stock?¡¹

    ¡¸We do. The magic stone shortage has actuallysted for quite some time, so we bought them in order to experiment with them, but we couldn¡¯t find any use for them, so they¡¯ve more or less just been sitting there.¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºSounds good to me.¡»

    Goblins had all sorts of skills, so I didn¡¯t see any harm in going through with the purchase.

    We ended up buying a total of two hundred scrap stones, alongside fifteen slightly better stones that I hadn¡¯t absorbed before. We had no idea what skills they contained, but honestly, it didn¡¯t really matter. They were worth their weight in magic stone points anyways.

    ¡¸You sure you want these? They¡¯re scrap stones, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright then. I¡¯m honestly thankful you¡¯re taking these off my hands, so I¡¯ll throw in a bit of a bonus.¡¹

    We ended up a total of a hundred thousand Golde on magic stones. Apparently, their prices didn¡¯t really start skyrocketing till they hit rank D. Magic stones of rank E or lower were typically used for everydaymodities and stuff, so they were still rather cheap. Even the most expensive magic stone, one that came from an Ice Rock Apis, only ended up costing us three thousand Golde.

    I immediately started absorbing them after we got back to the inn.

    ¡¸Master. Ready.¡¹

    ¡ºOh hell yeah! Hnnnnnnnngggg!!¡»

    I had Fran pour all the magic stones she got into an empty bathtub and dived straight in the moment it was ready.

    So you might be wondering to yourself, what the hell is that damn sword doing?

    Well you see, the answer is¡­ taking a magic stone bath. You know how like, people that suddenly got super rich would start bathing in their cash? Yeah, this is that, but with magic stones instead of dor bills.

    Hot damn! I¡¯mpletely immersed in magic stones. This. Is. Bliss.

    ¡¸Master, having fun?¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah I am! Yahooooo!!!¡»

    Absorbing magic stones one at a time would¡¯ve ended up being a huge pain in the ass, so I ended uping up with this method for the sake of efficiency.

    Foock, this is amazing! I feel filthy foocking rich! This is what it¡¯s like to be loaded! Sheet, I¡¯m feeling like some snobby ass douche right now, but who cares!!

    ¡ºYeaaaaa boiiiiii!!!¡»

    Even the slightest bit of movement causes me to absorb the magic stones around me. I can feel their power flowing into me. Hnnnngg!

    And so, ten minutes passed.

    ¡¸Master¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºMah bad¡­¡»

    I realized only after the fact that I¡¯d done something unbing. I was supposed to be Fran¡¯s guardian, so acting like that wasn¡¯t exactly the best idea. Man, Damn it, now their gazes have gone cold. They¡¯re both looking at me like I¡¯m some weirdo. Stop it Fran, Urushi! Your eyes burn!!

    ¡ºYou guys want anything? Feel free not to hold back.¡»

    ¡¸¡­All you can eat curry. 1 week.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºSure why not.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Alright, I¡¯m going to need to be a responsible adult. Time to get my dignity as a guardian back.

    ¡ºI-I ended up getting about seven hundred magic stone points.¡»

    ¡¸Decent amount.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    My stats had changed as follows.

    Self Evolution

    Rank 11

    Magic Stone Points: 5169/6600

    Memory: 100

    Spendable Points: 2

    New Skills

    Detect Malice: Lv 1

    Evil Sword Techniques: Lv 1

    Illusion Magic: Lv 1

    Thin Sword Techniques: Lv 1

    Thin Sword Arts: Lv 1

    Staff Techniques: Lv 1

    Okay yup, it¡¯s not working. Their gazes are still all chilly.

    ¡ºSo, how about paying the Prince and Princess a quick visit before we set off for Ulmutt?¡»

    ¡¸Agreed,¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Whew, I think they¡¯re both back to normal now.

    The two turned around the moment the thought crossed my mind. Both Fran and Urushi tilted their heads and looked up at me, their actions in perfect sync. It almost looked like they¡¯d nned it out ahead of time.

    ¡¸No forgetting about all you can eat curry.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof.¡¹

    ¡ºYes ma¡¯am.¡»

 Chapter 139: Next Next Destination.

    <h4>Chapter 139: Next Next Destination.</h4>

    ¡¸Is that really what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s quite amazing, Fran.¡¹

    We were currently inside of Rhodas¡¯ manor.

    That said, we naturally weren¡¯t actually visiting him. We¡¯de to see the prince and princess.

    It turned out that we weren¡¯t the only ones getting ready to leave the city. Flut and his party were also packing up and getting ready to head back to their country. Their ship was to set sail tomorrow.

    ¡¸Did you see any of the monstrosities?¡¹

    ¡¸I did.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you fight them?¡¹

    ¡¸Defeated easily.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s awesome! Man, Fran, you¡¯re so cool!¡¹

    Fran, the prince, the princess, and the former ves had gotten together for a tea party.

    The children were delighted at the fact that we¡¯d provided them snacks in the form of curry bread.

    ¡¸Are you not going toe with us, Fran?¡¹

    One of the former ve asked her in a bit of a hopeful tone, but she responded to him with a shake of her head.

    ¡¸Already decided where to go.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, can¡¯t you just change your mind and join us in serving the prince?¡¹

    ¡¸Need to go.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but we¡¯ve finally started getting along¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, he¡¯s right!¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s not pressure Fran any further. I¡¯m sure she has her reasons and circumstances.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Besides, it isn¡¯t as if we won¡¯t ever see each other again.¡¹

    Flut and Satia somehow managed to calm the other children down.

    ¡¸I do understand how you all feel. I¡¯d love for her toe with us as well. In fact, I¡¯ve even considered offering to hire her as our guard once more. I¡¯d also considered offering her a permanent, high paying position.¡¹

    ¡¸Then w-¡¹

    ¡¸But I decided against it. I¡¯ve decided not to make use of royal position.¡¹

    One of the children tried to protest, but Flut quickly cut him off by raising his voice while shaking his head.

    ¡¸Because I would then lose the ability to call her my friend.¡¹

    ¡¸We would much rather be Fran¡¯s friends than her superiors. If we employed her, we¡¯d no longer be able to call her our equal.¡¹

    The children fell silent in response to the prince and princess¡¯ promations. They seemed to have understood and epted the twins¡¯ opinions.

    Fran looked rather pleased to hear their choices. Her expression hadn¡¯t changed, but both her ears were happily twitching away, so it was rather easy for me to read her.

    However, the children seemed to have felt that they¡¯d been scolded, and hence, an unpleasant atmosphere soon filled the room. Luckily though, Serid bailed us out of the situation by bringing in a few sweet treats. He also helped perk everyone up by telling us about the recent failures experienced by the children during their training sessions.

    The children¡¯s moods were soon restored, and hence, they ended up chatting the entire day away. The sun had started setting before we¡¯d even realised it.

    We wanted to stick around a bit longer, but Serid informed us that Flut and Satia unfortunately had other responsibilities to attend to.

    ¡¸I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but it hase time for your appointment with the Magistrate, your Highnesses.¡¹

    ¡¸Is it really that time already?¡¹

    ¡¸We had so much fun that the day almost seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.¡¹

    Both twins promptly epted their duties; neither Flut nor Satia had voiced that they wished the dy the appointment. I was amazed at how they were already able to immediately prioritize their royal obligations over their personal interests.

    ¡¸It is unfortunate, but we have an meeting to attend. We must depart for it immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸We still have tea and sweets readily avable, so please feel free to stay as long as you¡¯d like, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸I unfortunately have to object to that. There is in fact an envoy here for Miss Fran as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Envoy?¡¹

    ¡¸I named him an envoy, but the individual in question is in fact the Master of Barbra¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He has just finished meeting with the Sir Rhodas and the Magistrate. Guildmaster Gamud immediately stated that he would like to meet with you upon hearing that you were currently at this residence.¡¹

    The Guildmaster? Did he need us for anything? I could¡¯ve sworn we dropped by the guild already just earlier this morning, but oh well, might as well go see him I guess.

    One of the manor¡¯s servants led us over to another room upon confirming that we were willing to see the other party.

    ¡¸There you are, Fran!¡¹

    There, we met with the Guildmaster, the buff ass dwarf that¡¯d help us fight off Rynford.

    ¡¸Sorry for calling you out like that.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Heard that you¡¯d be leaving soon. I wanted to meet with you at least once before you did, but I couldn¡¯t really find the time for it because I¡¯ve been busy with cleaning up after everything that¡¯s happened. Caught wind of the fact that you happened to be visiting, so I urged them to lend me a room. Been wanting to thank you, you know? Your actions saved the city.¡¹

    Gamud got up off the sofa and bowed a deep bow.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t really save. In fact, was saved. Almost lost against Rynford.¡¹

    ¡¸Forrund and Amanda are the only two that could¡¯ve possibly beat that thing one on one, so don¡¯t sweat it. What matters is that you bought us enough time to arrive. He probably would¡¯ve spread mass destruction if you didn¡¯t manage to stall him. That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll say it again. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha. All¡¯s good so long as you know how grateful we feel.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s expression warped into one that simultaneously expressed both happiness and frustration. If I had to say, it seemed like it was leaning a bit more towards thetter than the former though.

    That said, I can¡¯t really me her. I mean, we really did end up losing to Rynford. In fact, recalling our loss is making me feel all frustrated too.

    ¡¸Nyways, let¡¯s get down to business. I heard that you were looking for magic stones. That true?¡¹

    ¡¸Still looking.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ And you¡¯re nning to head to Ulmutt next?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸It ain¡¯t going to be too easy for you to get your hands on magic stones over there either, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. Think bout it this way. Barbra is Kranzel¡¯s second biggest city. All the other nearby cities ship their excess magic stones over to us, so there being none in Barbra means that there ain¡¯t any anywhere else either. Of course, that applies to Ulmutt too. The ce really does produce a lot of the stuff, but most of it gets ported right over.¡¹

    Wait, seriously? Well, I guess that does kind of make sense. I mean, Barbra¡¯s got a lot of adventurers, but there¡¯s no way they can get enough magic stones to fuel the whole city all by themselves.

    It looks like it really is going to be hard for us to get magic stones, even if we do go to Ulmutt.

    Gamud produced a folded up a piece of paper from one of his chest pockets as we groaned in response to his words.

    ¡¸So I¡¯ll give you this.¡¹

    Is that¡­ a letter?

    ¡¸This¡¯ll serve as a letter of introduction. It¡¯ll get you into the auction held in the kingdom¡¯s capital.¡¹

    ¡¸Auction?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They hold a huge auction in the capital every June. It¡¯s normally pretty hard to get yourself through the door, but show this to the staff at the capital¡¯s guild branch and they¡¯ll let you take part in both the buying and the selling. ¡¹

    ¡¸Sure it¡¯s okay to take?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, don¡¯t sweat it. Oh, and don¡¯t be feeling like you¡¯re obligated to participate or anything either. Just do whatever you want, it¡¯s just an option now is all. I do think it¡¯s a good idea though. Should be able to get a whole bunch of magic stones for cheap if you get lucky.¡¹

    Looks like we just got our hands on something amazing. The auction sounds like a pretty big event.

    ¡¸Nn. Will thankfully ept.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. d to be of service.¡¹

    Welp, I guess we¡¯re going then. For some odd reason, we ended up deciding where to go after leaving Ulmutt despite not yet having even set off for Ulmutt.

 Chapter 140: The Night Before Our Departure

    <h4>Chapter 140: The Night Before Our Departure</h4>

    Author¡¯s note: Someone suggested that it would be better to have Bluke and Waint listed as the incident¡¯s casualties as opposed to people who died from illness shortly after, so I¡¯ll touch up on that a bit.

    We happened to spot someone standing in front of the inn as we made our way back towards it.

    ¡¸Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, there you are. Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸Doing what?¡¹

    ¡¸I happened to catch wind of the fact that you would soon be leaving the city, so I was thinking of maybe treating you to meal. I¡¯ve got a fairly good restaurant in mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. I¡¯ve invited the Scarlet Maidens as well. Let¡¯s have ourselves a st.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Sounds Good.¡¹

    ¡¸Right, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. How fares the master? Was he adversely affected by the incident? Did he happen to incur any sort of injury?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Already healed.¡¹

    All my injuries pretty much regenerated right way, so I was perfectly fine.

    ¡¸What?! Is he really alright!? Did his injuries have any adverse after effects!? We need to get him a potion! As high quality a potion as possible!¡¹

    Colbert, apparently seemed to think it to be a big deal though, as he grabbed Fran by the shoulders and immediately started shouting. It was an action she probably would¡¯ve hit him for had he not been one of her acquaintances.

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    But since he was, she instead ended up beingpletely taken aback by his sudden action, and only barely managed to squeeze out a reply.

    Right, Colbert was one of my fans for some odd reason.

    And, now that I think about it, he¡¯s actually helped us out a tonne. He yed a huge role in both fighting off magic beasts and helping us with the cooking contest. I¡¯d like to thank him if possible¡­ Hmmm¡­

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºTell him I¡¯ll be joining you guys for two odd hours. I¡¯m nning to tag along with a doppelganger.¡»

    The only problem was that my doppelgangers would always spawn in wearing a t-shirt, a jersey, and a pair of sandals. That said, the aforementioned appearance only something that my doppelgangers had started adopting recently, mostly because I¡¯d finally gotten used to the skill. In the past, I used to spawn in with Fran¡¯s cloak, so chances were, the doppelgangers¡¯ appearances probably had to do with the skill level and my ability to picture stuff. I do recall the System Announcer spawning in all the clones she summoned with cool looking armour and whatnot, so I should be able to do all that too if I bump the skill level up a bit more.

    But either way, I feel like I¡¯d end up disappointing Colbert if I dressed like that. In fact, I kind of doubted that the store would even actually let me in. It¡¯d probably do better for me to stick to the dress code. Wait, would wearing an overcoat work instead? Yeah, I¡¯ll probably go with that.

    £¨Got it. Colbert be pleased.£©

    Colbert¡¯s excitement shot through the roof the moment Fran conveyed my intentions to him.

    ¡¸What!? The Master will finally make his advent, you say!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I simply cannot settle for taking him to a dining hall in the city¡¯s outskirts!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay to take me there though?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve no choice but to use every single connection I have and reserve only the finest restaurant!¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter, as long as tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸I must seek an appropriate restaurant immediately¡­ Wait, no¡­ It would be extremely rude of me to take the world¡¯s greatest chef to a mere restaurant¡­ I must immediately hunt the prey to be used myself¡­ I do recall there being rumours of a dragon nesting in the Cage of the Crystal Tree¡­¡¹

    Holy sheet.

    The three girls approached as we tried to figure out how to calm him down.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s kinda creepy and gross¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The fact that I look up to him as an adventurer makes me kind of want to cry.¡¹

    It seemed that throwing them into the mix did the trick, as hearing them all criticize him brought Colbert back to his senses.

    ¡¸Oh, hey. When did youdies get here?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re more interested in what you were up to.¡¹

    ¡¸Gross.¡¹

    ¡¸Did something good happen?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! You see¡­¡¹

    Aw crap. Lydia¡¯s question ended up sending Colbert back over the edge.

    Luckily, the four girls did ultimately manage to drag him off to the ce he¡¯d initially booked.

    And so, thirty minutes passed.

    ¡¸Nom nom nom nom¡¹

    ¡¸Well? How is it? Good, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Mmphnom¡¹

    The food appeared incredibly delicious. Fran had shoved ten whole tes down her throat, and had yet to stop.

    ¡¸Have you heard about the Alchemist¡¯s Guild? It seems that they¡¯re nning to send some staff over from the capital in order to reorganize Barbra¡¯s branch.¡¹

    ¡¸They used to have priority in the purchase of magic stones, but apparently they¡¯re going to be losing that now. In fact, they¡¯re now going to have restrictions and purchase limits too.¡¹

    Yeah, I figured they wouldn¡¯tpletely get rid of the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. Barbra was a city in which a vast number of resources were made avable. The benefit of having people do research here far outweighed any potential costs.

    Besides, the newly ced restrictions should hopefully prevent an any simr incidents from ever happening again. Hopefully.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve also heard that both the lord¡¯s second and third sons died as a result of the incident¡¯s events.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, the two idiots, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I assume they were killed by the monstrosities?¡¹

    Huh, I thought Phillip said that they were going to im that they died from illness? Saying they died in the incident would probably bring pity to the household and kind of rally the people to give the Krysten family their support. Phillip didn¡¯t seem all that willing to do anything like that, so I figure that they probably ended up getting ordered to lie or something.

    ¡¸It seems like there¡¯s been a lot of rumours flying around even though the whole thing just happenedst night.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, I heard a few people talking about how they were worried that this was a sign of the Evil God¡¯s revival.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve also heard rumours of how another country had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes.¡¹

    ¡¸There was even a group saying that a demon was responsible for killing all the monstrosities and saving the city.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on, that one¡¯s just t out impossible. Why would there even be a demon in the city to begin with?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s kind of just how rumours are.¡¹

    The three Scarlet Maidens were trying to kick the conversation into gear through the use of rumours, but Fran was too busy eating to actually pay attention to them. They naturally noticed, but, didn¡¯t really pay it much mind. Instead, they ultimately ended up just awkwardlyughing it off before joining her in gluttony.

    And so, the rest of the night pretty much ended up bing a fatfest.

    ¡¸This ce is fairly famous for its low prices and good food.¡¹

    ¡¸The meat they sell here is delicious too.¡¹

    ¡¸I could just keep eating this forever.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh damn it you three, at least hold back a bit!¡¹

    ¡¸Free food is always the most delicious food you can get.¡¹

    It really did look quite good. The atmosphere was all lively and stuff too, so I kinda wanted to join in. It was about time anyways.

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s time.¡»

    ¡¸Getting master. Will be back soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Please allow me to join you! I simply have to greet him upon his arrival!¡¹

    That¡¯s a bit troubling. I¡¯d been nning on using Doppleganger Synthesis just outside the store.

    £¨Teleport.£©

    ¡ºYeah, I guess I don¡¯t really have any other choice, do I?¡»

    ¡¸Bit far away. Will need a minute.¡¹

    I teleported a bit away and made a doppelganger. Normally, Fran would be able to teleport us both back, but that didn¡¯t seem to be working. It normally worked because I counted as a piece of equipment, but a humanized doppelganger was uh, kind of not a piece of equipment. Luckily, it didn¡¯t actually really matter because my doppelganger could still use space/time magic anyways.

    And so, we teleported back to the restaurant.

    I was wearing arge overcoat on top of my jersey and t-shirt. I would¡¯ve immediately beenbeled as suspicious back in Japan, but whatever, it was what it was.

    ¡¸Brought him.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. So he¡¯s¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Fran¡¯s master.¡¹

    ¡¸I-It-It¡¯s very nice to meet you too! I¡¯m Colbert, and a huge fan of your cooking. The food you made was exquisite, be it the curry, sushi, or dishes served during thepetition. Please allow me to enroll as one of your disciples!¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸He was refused immediately!¡¹

    Errrr, I was not expecting him to ask that, especially not right off the bat. Crap, did that mess up the mood?

    ¡¸Damn¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped seeing as how I¡¯m not nearly as talented as Miss Fran over there is.¡¹

    Fortunately, he ended up randomly epting his rejection, which honestly made me feel a bit unsettled. I¡¯d been intending on thanking him, but I ended up doing something rude instead.

    I quickly handed him something to make up for it. I¡¯d been nning on giving it to himter as a form of thanks regardless, but the timing seemed to work out perfectly.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t make you one of my apprentices, but I can give you this.¡¹

    ¡¸This¡­? Wait! Wh-what!? You have to be kidding me! Is it really okay for me to have this!? Am I dreaming!?¡¹

    ¡¸What did you receive, Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸Groooossss¡¹

    ¡¸Is that supposed to be like a treasure map or something?¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up Lydia, you¡¯re being rude! Ahh, right, so as I was saying, thank you very much for giving me something of such value!¡¹

    The thing I gave him was my curry rice recipe. I¡¯m d he was that happy to receive it, really made it worth giving.

    The Luciel Conglomerate had asked to buy the curry bread recipe back when we went looking for magic stones, so I figured it might be a good idea to hand copies my curry recipe over to everyone that had helped us.

    Naturally, I knew that the conglomerate wouldn¡¯t be all that happy about us giving the curry rice recipe away for free if they ended up buying the curry bread one, even if the two were technically different dishes. That said, we still did need money in order to buy magic stones. Hence, we ended up giving them several other recipes for cheap as well in order to appease them. As a result, they did ultimately end up agreeing to letting us give away the recipe for the curry¡¯s roux.

    The other people we¡¯d been nning to give the recipe to were Io, the old guy at the Chef¡¯s Guild, and the cook at the inn we were staying at.

    I¡¯d really love for it to end up developing into Barbra¡¯s speciality or something like that. I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing all the variations that¡¯d spawn from the recipe.

    But yeah, the party went by pretty smoothly. We somehow managed to calm Colbert down and enjoy ourselves.

    It actually turned out to be the first party I actually was really a part of ever since reincarnating. I mean, I was totally okay with being a sword, but this wasn¡¯t bad at all either. I honestly really enjoyed the two hours I spent just doing whatever.

    It looked like Fran had herself a pretty good night too. She¡¯d actually ended up humming in the shower after getting back to the inn.

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHere¡¯s a super spicy hamburger. Eat it and cheer up a bit.¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Urushi was really disappointed by the fact that he couldn¡¯t join us, and hence, ended up missing out on a bunch of delicious food.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll be more good stuff to eat in the future, so cheer up, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    And so, morning came.

    The first thing we did was make our way to front Barbra¡¯s gate with a clear blue sky up above us.

    ¡ºLooks like a good day to set out on a journey.¡»

    I quickly went over our ns in order to confirm them.

    We were going to set off for Ulmutt; it¡¯d take us about five days for us to get there.

    We¡¯d then dive into the city¡¯s two dungeons and level up before finally taking part in the city¡¯s martial artspetition. This pretty much went without saying, but our goal would be to win it.

    ¡ºUlmutt, huh? I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡»

    ¡¸To dungeon diving.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve bought everything we needed to buy, learned everything we needed to learn, and even bid all our farewells to everyone that mattered.¡»

    Amanda had cried in response to our departure. She wasn¡¯t going to leave till the orphanage was back on its feet, but it seemed like she was nning to meet us in Ulmutt once it was.

    ¡ºHopefully we¡¯ll have gotten a lot stronger by the next time we meet her.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will for sure.¡¹

    ¡ºYup. Anyways, I think it¡¯s about time for us to go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 141: Ulmuttâ€™s Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 141: Ulmutt¡¯s Entrance</h4>

    It took us four days to get from Barbra to Ulmutt.

    Nothing really happened along the way. The only event worth mentioning was us stumbling across a goblin¡¯s nest containing 20 odd individuals, but cleaning that up took us less than half an hour, so it honestly was rather insignificant.

    It turned out that Ulmutt was much smaller a city than I¡¯d been expecting it to be. I mean, I knew for a fact that it¡¯d be smaller than Barbra, but it turned out that it was actually way smaller than Alessa too. In fact, it was less than half Alessa¡¯s size.

    That said though, it¡¯d still left quite an impression on me even from the very moment I first caught sight of it. Our approach included Urushi carrying us on his back while running through the sky as usual, so I ended up getting a birds eye view of the city. Said view allowed me to fully understand just how weird Ulmutt¡¯syout really was.

    Most of the weirdness stemmed from the tworge constructions that had immediately grabbed my attention. The first was the massive wall that ran all around the city¡¯s borders. It was just as tall as Barbra¡¯s, but much wider. It honestly looked extremely out of ce, and almost entirely unnecessary.

    The second was the enormous cylindrical structure that almost seemed to loom over the city in its entirety. I mean, I totally could¡¯ve rationalized it as a fortress meant for the sake of defense had it been located outside the city¡¯s perimeter, but it wasn¡¯t. Hence, I could only assume that it to be some sort of shelter or facility.

    ¡ºOh well, we¡¯ll figure out what it is if we just head over or somethingter.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The only issue with said suggestion was that getting into the city seemed like a huge pain in the ass in and of itself.

    There were around a thousand people lined up before Ulmutt¡¯s gates. It seemed that the city¡¯s main entrance was being swarmed by adventurers, spectators, and merchants alike as a result of the uing martial arts tournament.

    Honestly, I thought the crowd to be justified seeing how the tournament was known as one of the kingdom¡¯s biggest events.

    We got off Urushi¡¯s back at a spot a bit away from the crowd before moving towards the line and joining it ¡ª only to find out that the line basically wasn¡¯t moving at all.

    I overheard the merchants standing in front of us saying that it was a difficult to be admitted into the city if it was your first time there unless you were an adventurer. Ulmutt contained two different dungeons, so they¡¯d pretty much interrogate everyone that wished to enter about their intentions at the admissions gate.

    Anyone that¡¯s been admitted once would then be granted a pass that¡¯d allow them to freely enter and exit the city over the course of the next half year. It also allowed use of the less crowded non-admissions entrances. The martial artspetition was an annual event, so people that came solely for its sake would end up having to sit through the line every single year.

    The people that came every year more or less regarded lining up as an annual tradition. Some of the more aggressive merchants would even intentionally target those waiting in line through the sale of refreshments. Some of these refreshments hade in the form of booze; several groups of people had already sat themselves down in order to engage in drinking contests and the like.

    Seeing these sights reminded me ofiket and the other conventions we had back in Japan. As a result, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the event would end up starting before we actually managed to get ourselves admitted.

    It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one that felt that way, as some of the other individuals in line appeared simply incapable of waiting any longer. Most of these individuals weremoners or adventurers like us who were visiting the city for the first time.

    The most agitated group of all wasposed specifically of adventurers with a less than refined appearance. They were getting into arguments here and there. There¡¯d yet to be any violence, but I felt as if a brawl could break out at any given moment.

    Goddammit. Do those idiots not realize that they¡¯re just making this whole line move even more slowly than usual?

    Our gazes turned cold as we continued to observe them while patiently awaiting our turn.

    ¡ºGoblin.¡»

    £¨Ogre.£©

    ¡ºHmmn¡­ Dragon.¡»

    £¨Kobald.£©

    ¡ºUhhh one sec¡­ Uhhhhhh, demon.¡»

    £¨Chimera.£©

    ¡ºHmmmm¡»

    Fran and I were killing time by engaging ourselves in games that could be yed anywhere at any time. Specifically, we were currently taking turns listing off monsters whilst trying to be thest one to be able to name one.

    However, said game of ours was ultimately brought to an abrupt end. And annoyingly enough, not because it¡¯d finally be our turn.

    ¡¸Hey you, brat. Get over here.¡¹

    A bearded adventurer called us over in a cocky tone. I took a quick nce at his stats, only to find that they were abysmal. He was probably an E ranker at best.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi! Listen to me, you godd*mn brat!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Bastard, think you¡¯re tough sheet for ignoring me, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t respond to the adventurer at all, as she was too busy trying to think up a monster to name. The man¡¯s face had rapidly reddened as a result.

    £¨Hmmmm¡­£©

    ¡ºHey Fran.¡»

    £¨Nn? Master, giving up?£©

    ¡ºNah, it¡¯s just that there¡¯s someone trying to get your attention.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    The adventurer immediately started yelling at Fran as if to intimidate her the moment she turned towards him.

    ¡¸I was thinking of allowing you to pour me booze once we made our way over the wall, but there ain¡¯t no forgiving you now, brat!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸The foock you say!? You trying mess with me!?¡¹

    Fran had ttened her ears and muttered under her breath because of how much of a pain in the ass the guy was being, but, that only seemed to fuel his rage further.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be making you pay for this!¡¹

    The bearded man immediately threw a punch in our direction. Is he stupid? Like, look at how many witnesses there are. Wait, does he have the ability to shut everyone up or something? Could he perhaps be rted to one of Ulmutt¡¯s more influential figures?

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I was a bit concerned about the man¡¯s identity, but Fran honestly couldn¡¯t care less.

    She slipped right by his attack and smashed her own fist straight into his sr plexus. The onlookers had probably initially thought it to be a rather insignificant action. In fact, many seemed to suspect that that the man wouldn¡¯t suffered even the slightest bit of damage from the attack, but they were immediately proven wrong and forced to doubt their own eyes.

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    The man flew five meters before finallynding back on the ground. The force of the impact had caused him to keep rolling even afterwards.

    ¡ºDid you not hold back?¡»

    £¨Enemy too weak so didn¡¯t use Master.£©

    ¡¸Guueeeeee¡­¡¹

    The many twitching as both his blood and the contents of hisst meal leaked from his throat. I mean, he did kind of deserve it given he just tried to hit a little girl. He¡¯s lucky he didn¡¯t get all sliced up and stuff instead.

    But naturally, there existed opinions that differed from our own.

    ¡¸Hey, Brce, you alright!?¡¹

    ¡¸The hell did you do to him you godd*mn brat!?¡¹

    ¡¸Yo, that was way too over the top. The hell man!?¡¹

    Brce¡¯spanions yelled at Fran in rage. It seemed that they wanted a go as well.

    Their reddened faces gave way to the fact that they were all drunk. Brce had been the same, hence his overly quick temper. That said, it wasn¡¯t like we were nning to be all kind and forgiving just because they happened to be under the influence.

    Fran immediately disarmed them and sent them flying in the exact same manner as she had Brce.

    ¡¸Ugeehh¡¹

    ¡¸Uuuueeeeee¡¹

    I mean, we were kind of the reason they ended up barfing, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel that all four men looked way too gross forfort. The other people in line seemed to feel the same, as they looked upon the men with eyes of disgust whilst taking a few steps away from them.

    Whooops. Turned out we were the first to resort to violence.

    Hmm, maybe we should clean all this up?

    An older man approached us as we contemted how we could best address the issue.

    ¡¸Wow, that was impressive. You seem pretty strong.¡¹

    He was quite dandy looking, and probably a noble. The clothes he wore were gaudy; they were heavily embroidered and seemed luxurious even from a nce. His whitened hair was arranged in a swept back manner. His beard, which of course was of the same colour, had been cut to resemble something along the lines of a goatee. Though he seemed to be at least sixty years of age, his body was still so well bnced that it verged on being abnormal. All in all, he seemed to give off the air of an experienced warrior.

    I found it a bit weird for him to be happily smiling at and talking to us given the status quo. My guess was that he either had balls of steel or simply couldn¡¯t read the mood.

    ¡¸My name is Dias. What¡¯s yours?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. You seem quite promising based on how cute and strong you are. I look forward to seeing how you¡¯ll develop going forward.¡¹

    Hmmm, just who is this old man? He doesn¡¯t seem to be hostile, and he doesn¡¯t seem to be trying to evaluate Fran or anything like that either.

    I mean, my first impression was that he was probably some sort of noble, but he didn¡¯t give his family name when he introduced himself, so he probably either wasn¡¯t one, or belonged to a family too famous for him to want to name himself.

    I wanted to appraise him, but, didn¡¯t actually get to. I was instead distracted by the fact that I happened to see a group of guards run over to us from the gate.

    ¡¸Hey, you, kid.¡¹

    The guard¡¯s tone was a rather threatening one. It seemed like we wouldn¡¯t be able to get ourselves out of this one just by iming self defense. It might work out if the people around us help testify though¡­

    That said, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone wanted to give us a hand. They all immediately averted their gazes the moment Fran looked towards them, as if to signify that they wanted to stay out of the situation given how troublesome it was.

    ¡¸Geez, why¡¯d you have to go and stir up trouble like that?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re already busy enough as is.¡¹

    ¡¸To the guard¡¯s room with you. We¡¯ll listen to what you have to say once we get there.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    We¡¯d already spent an hour in line. It¡¯d really suck if they sent us to the back again afterwards.

    The guards sure did seem to be in a bad mood though. The nces they shot in Fran¡¯s direction were totally cold. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they ended up just locking us up without actually listening to us.

    What I didn¡¯t understand was why they only took us and not the people Fran had hit.

    I really didn¡¯t wanted to deal with all this, but it wasn¡¯t like we could just say screw it and leave. Luckily, Dias stopped the guards right as Fran resigned herself to follow them.

    ¡¸Hold on. None of what¡¯d happened was actually her fault at all.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay and? Who the hell are you?¡¹

    One of the guards red at Dias in a rather stuck up manner.

    ¡ºIt looks like this might lead to even more trouble.¡»

    Or so I thought, but apparently not.

    ¡¸Master Dias!¡¹

    ¡¸Whatever might you be doing in a ce like this?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you know, I just happened to be passing by.¡¹

    Huh, looked like that old man had quite a bit of influence. Looks like he really might be a noble after all.

    ¡¸Understood sir.¡¹

    ¡¸As I was saying, she wasn¡¯t at fault at all. All the fault lies with the men copsed over there, so if you want to be taking anyone away, it should be them. I know they¡¯re filthy, and I do feel bad for you because of it, but you will be taking them in regardless, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir!¡¹

    Ah, I see now. The guards hadn¡¯t wanted to carry off four dirty ass men, so they¡¯d decided to try targeting Fran instead. They might¡¯ve even ended up wronging her as a result, so I do feel fairly thankful for Dias¡¯ actions.

    Dias¡¯ words had inspired the guards to immediately bring all four men to their feet and take them away in earnest.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t sweat it. Seeing how promising an adventurer you are just happened to make me feel like keeping you out of trouble is all.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. Anyways, I¡¯ll be off now. See you around.¡¹

    Dias dipped after leaving us with a few words that seemed to be hinting at something. Just who the hell was he? I guess we¡¯ll probably end up finding out when get inside the city.

    ¡¸Bored.¡¹

    ¡ºMe too.¡»

    It looked like we¡¯d still have to wait for quite some time before finally being allowed into the city¡¯s walls.

    ¡ºWhoops. I just realized I totally forgot to appraise him.¡»

 Chapter 142: Bardiche? Sorry, I Meant Erza.

    <h4>Chapter 142: Bardiche? Sorry, I Meant Erza.</h4>

    We finally made our way through the city¡¯s gates about an hour after meeting Dias.

    I quickly looked around, only to find that, the massive, towering, cylindrical building aside, the city was actually surprisingly normal. In fact, seeing it reminded me of Alessa.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start off by checking out the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We needed to sell the few materials we happened across on the way here and get ourselves a bit more info about the city¡¯s two dungeons.

    One important fact to note was that not just anyone could just head over to the dungeon and hit it up. You¡¯d need permission and whatnot first. I figured we¡¯d be fine though. Alessa¡¯s Guildmaster, Klimut, had given us a permit ahead of time so we probably wouldn¡¯t run into any major issues.

    Finding the guild ended up being a rtively simple task. We managed to catch sight of it after asking people for directions and walking around for 10 odd minutes. The guild¡¯s building was a fairlyrge one, which did make sense given that the city contained two dungeons.

    ¡ºThe doors sure are wide, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. About same as Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Barbra¡¯s guild was quite a bit taller, but Ulmutt¡¯s looked like it was built atop a bigger plot ofnd.

    Entering the building made me realize just howrge it really was. There were twenty different counters, and the adventurers that sought service from them were in such excess that they had to form lines.

    ¡ºHoly crap, this ce is just bustling with life. It¡¯s even more lively than Barbra¡¯s branch.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Amazed.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Wow, there sure are a lot of adventurers. I thought Barbra was crowded, but holy crap Ulmutt takes it to a whole new level. I mean, it makes sense given the dungeons and whatnot, but still, wow.

    Fran immediately moved to the line with the least people in it. The man in front of us turned around in response. Is someone seriously about to pick a fight with us already?

    I position myself to ¡°identally slip out of my sheath¡± at any given moment.

    ¡¸Just so you know, this line¡¯s only supposed to be for E rankers.¡¹

    Turned out he was just bringing it to our attention that we might be in the wrong ce.

    The man briefed us on how things were organised. There were five different types of lines, each of which had four corresponding counters. The first four types were for G, F, E, and D ranked adventurers respectively, whereas thest handled everyone that ranked in at C or higher.

    Fran moved over one line after hearing him out.

    ¡¸Ohe on, listen to me goddamit. That one¡¯s supposed to be for D rankers.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I literally just told you you¡¯re not supposed to use that line unless you¡¯re a D ranked adventurer.¡¹

    You know, the dude who called out to us looked all intimidating and stuff, but he was actually a pretty nice guy. I mean, he did make light of Fran¡¯s abilities and all that, but it wasn¡¯t like he did out out of malice or anything. He¡¯d only called out to her in the first ce in order to patiently instruct on something he realized she didn¡¯t know.

    I had a feeling that this was just how things tended to be in Ulmutt. There were quite a few other younger individuals lined up around us as well, though Fran was still definitely the youngest of them all. Most of the younger crowd seemed to be about 15 years old, and there were far more of them than there were back in Alessa.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why this line.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Currently D ranked.¡¹

    ¡¸Whaaat?¡¹

    Her promation seemed to have surprised not only the man that¡¯d been giving her advice, but also the adventurers around us as well. Many had turned their heads in disbelief.

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    Fran showed the man her guild card and immediately caused his eyes to widen in shock.

    ¡¸The guild card says¡­ it¡¯s true¡­ Wait, what? You¡¯re higher ranked than me?¡¹

    ¡¸Damn, seriously?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s higher ranked than me too!?¡¹

    ¡¸She must¡¯ve cheated or something.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, figures.¡¹

    ¡¸But what if she really is that strong?¡¹

    The adventurers around us started kicking up a fuss. Fran, however, didn¡¯t really care at all.

    ¡¸Hey! You!¡¹

    Annnnd someone tried picking a fight with us. I knew this would happen, especially with all themotion.

    ¡¸You¡¯re a liar!¡¹

    ¡¸Not lying.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way a kid like you could be an adventurer! That cards probably a fake!¡¹

    ¡¸You, also kid.¡¹

    ¡¸No I¡¯m not! I¡¯m already 15!¡¹

    This was honestly pretty much the usual save for the fact that the person trying to pick a fight with us was a kid. The teenage boy red at Fran with his face dyed a shade of bright red.

    ¡¸Genuine card.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t believe you!¡¹

    ¡¸Genuine.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way that¡¯s legit! Even I¡¯m still just G ranked!¡¹

    He refused to believe that he was in the wrong, not that I can really me him too much seeing as how Fran being a D ranker is kind of surreal in and of itself. What to do though? Like, there¡¯s no way we could rough him up like we usually would, seeing as how he¡¯s just a kid and all that.

    £¨Master, use violence?£©

    ¡ºHold on.¡»

    £¨Nn? Why?£©

    Though I thought him to be nothing but a brat, there was no way for me really judge if Fran felt the same. I honestly couldn¡¯t tell if she thought of him a young or old seeing as how she was the younger of the two. That said, she obviously did see him as someone that annoyed her and tried to pick a fight with her either way.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s just a brat, so let¡¯s just let him off.¡»

    £¨Then what do?£©

    ¡ºHmmmm¡­¡»

    Oh, right. We could totally just use wind magic to make him shut up for the time being. We¡¯ll still deal with him normally if he actually tries something though.

    Despite the fact that we¡¯d went ahead and nned out what to do, we never actually ended up getting a chance to put our ideas into action.

    ¡¸What¡¯s going on here?¡¹

    Oh, it¡¯s Miss Erza.

    ¡¸Geez, are you guys causing trouble again? You boys sure are naughty.¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡¹

    ¡º¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡»

    Both Fran and Ipletely froze the moment we caught sight of the person that came out from the guild¡¯s rear. Fran, who¡¯d always been taciturn and calm, had her eyes wide open in surprise. I feel like this might¡¯ve been the first time I¡¯d ever seen her in such a state. That said, I understood her sentiments. The person we caught sight of was one whose presence truly gave off a sense of impact.

    ¡¸Miss Erza.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my, would you happen to be the source of all this fuss, Yuuri?¡¹

    ¡¸Er¡­ no, I¡¯m not. It¡¯s just that there happened to be a kid ying around inside the guild, so I was just telling them off is all.¡¹

    The boy that¡¯d been picking a fight with Fran, Yuuri, suddenly became all obedient. He immediately began standing at attention. Likewise, all the other adventurers had stopped slouching and straightened their backs as well.

    ¡¸A kid? Oh my, how adorable she is.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Was just bit surprised.¡¹

    ¡ºYou alright?¡»

    ¡¸Oh my, what is it?¡¹

    It seemed that this was Fran¡¯s first time meeting anyone like the person standing before us. Again, I couldn¡¯t me her since I¡¯d totally been taken aback as well.

    ¡¸Nice to meet you, my name¡¯s Erza.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, is it? Wonderful, I do hope we get along.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Just one question.¡¹

    ¡¸Whatever might that be?¡¹

    ¡¸Male? Or Female?¡¹

    The man that called himself Erza took a pose as if to show off his buff ass body while also lightly pressing a finger against one of his lips. He then winked and blew a kiss in Fran¡¯s direction. Oh god why!?

    ¡¸S e c r e t.¡¹

    Secret my ass! He¡¯s totally a dude!

    Though I wanted to call him out on his bullsheet, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was a horrible idea to do so.

    The way he was twisting his body around didn¡¯t actually seem all that gross. In fact, it didn¡¯t leave that bad of an impression on me at all, though I¡¯d say that was probably mostly because of how ridiculous the rest of him appeared.

    He wore heavy makeup on his cheeks, and thick eyeshadow on his eyes. His lips were covered in a red purple lipstick, and his head topped with a crimson afro. You could easily make out both his tights and muscr body even despite him wearing ayer of leather armour. Holy sheet, he was a legit homo manwoman.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Bardiche

    Age: 47

    Race: Human

    Job: Indestructible Fighter

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 50/99

    HP: 580

    MP: 229

    STR: 255

    VIT: 310

    AGI: 148

    INT: 112

    MGC: 110

    DEX: 151

    Skills

    Transportation: Lv 3

    Resistance to Environmental Conditions: Lv 5

    Panic: Lv 4

    Vignce: Lv 5

    Make up: Lv 6

    Fist Techniques: Lv 5

    Fist Arts: Lv 5

    Combat Qigong: Lv 5

    Regeneration: Lv 5

    Sewing: Lv 3

    Divine Staff Techniques: Lv 1

    Divine Staff Arts: Lv 3

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 6

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 3

    Staff Techniques: MAX

    Staff Arts: MAX

    Provoke: Lv 5

    Beautification: Lv 5

    Magic Resistance: Lv 4

    Cooking: Lv 3

    Vigour Maniption

    Muscles of Steel

    Kobold Killer

    Dulled Sense of Pain

    Pain Conversion

    Innate Skills

    Enhanced Resistances

    Titles

    Ulmutt¡¯s Guardian

    Kobold Killer

    One Who has Ovee Pain

    Equipment

    Guardian¡¯s Mace

    Scarlet Panther¡¯s Leather Armour

    Rainbow Silk Garments

    God of Beauty¡¯s Sandals

    Charming Earrings

    _______________________________________________________________

    I felt an incredible urge toin about a bunch of different stuff. Like, firstly, his godd*mn name was Bardiche, not Erza. Secondly, how the hell did he look like he was 30!? That said though, both the aforementioned aspects paled before the one thing I really wanted toin about, one of his skills.

    Pain Conversion: Converts some pain to pleasure.

    That skill right there was a masochist¡¯s best friend. Wait, does this mean that there¡¯s skills specialized for sadists as well? Like maybe something that boosts one¡¯s stats when bullying people or inflicting pain or something?

    Either way, it seemed like the masochistic homosexual before us was one of the most powerful people I¡¯d ever met after reincarnating.

    Man, appraising him sure wore me the hell out¡­ That¡¯s the first time that¡¯s happened¡­

    ¡¸Are you the same littledy that happened to get into a fight just outside the city¡¯s gates?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Would you minding with me then? The guildmaster told me to bring you his way if I happened to find you.¡¹

    ¡¸Guildmaster?¡¹

    ¡¸Yuppers. He seems to have some business with you. Would you mind?¡¹

    Did he want to scold us or something? I don¡¯t really think what we did was serious enough for us to need to have the guildmaster personally see to us.

    Well, either way, it was one of the Guildmaster¡¯s personal requests, so it¡¯s not like we could actually turn it down at all.

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thankies. I¡¯ll be taking her then everyone.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, and Yuuri, you should be a bit more vignt, you know? You¡¯ll die the moment you set foot in a dungeon if you¡¯re bad at judging how strong people are.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What?¡¹

    ¡¸Over here Fran~¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran followed Bardiche¡­ Erza? Uhhh¡­ I guess I¡¯ll go with Erza, whatever.

    Fran followed Erza as she led her in over to the Guildmaster.

    ¡¸Hmmm hmm hm hm hmmm hmmm¡¹

    Oh god why! Stop shaking your ass while you walk around goddammit!

 Chapter 143: The Guildmasterâ€™s Identity

    <h4>Chapter 143: The Guildmaster¡¯s Identity</h4>

    Erza (¡á) took us towards the Guildmaster¡¯s room by leading us up a flight of stairs. We had Urushi sit back in the shadows since we were visiting someone important and all that.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve brought Fran over as requested, Guildmaster.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you Erza, and hello again, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Dias.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m d to see you still remember me.¡¹

    We were surprised to see a familiar face, the man that¡¯d given us a hand just outside the city¡¯s walls, awaiting us in the Guildmaster¡¯s office. He seemed to have been expecting us, as he was standing in his room with a wide smile on his face.

    ¡¸Dias is Guildmaster?¡¹

    ¡¸I am. I guess I¡¯ll reintroduce myself. I am Dias, the Master of Ulmutt¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Hope to get along.¡¹

    Ah, so he was the Guildmaster. I see, I get it now. The guards were addressing him all respectfully and stuff because he was the person in charge of the adventurers in a city with a tonne of adventurers.

    Oh right, I better appraise him before I forget again.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Dias

    Age: 71

    Race: Human

    ss: Phantom Magic Warrior

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 76/99

    HP: 241

    MP: 668

    STR: 122

    VIT: 110

    AGI: 291

    INT: 389

    MGC: 278

    DEX: 389

    Skills

    Sole Sense: Lv 4

    Espionage: Lv 6

    Bare Handed Combat Techniques: Lv 3

    Bare Handed Combat Arts: Lv 4

    Anti-Detection: Lv 6

    Appraisal Detection: Lv 8

    Inconspicuous: Lv 7

    Magic: Lv 8

    Vital Point Detection: Lv 4

    Court Etiquette: Lv 6

    Presence Detection: Lv 6

    Presence Elimination: Lv 6

    Illusion Magic: MAX

    Phantom Magic: Lv 6

    Resistance to Confusion: Lv 4

    Weakness Detection: MAX

    Covert Action: Lv 3

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 3

    Short Sword Techniques: Lv 7

    Short Sword Arts: Lv 7

    Earth Magic: Lv 3

    Legerdemain: MAX

    Throwing: Lv 7

    Fire Magic: Lv 3

    Charm Resist: Lv 4

    Carpentry: Lv 4

    Trap Removal: Lv 4

    Trap Detection: Lv 8

    Trap Creation: Lv 7

    Vigour Maniption

    Dulled Sense of Pain

    Indomitable

    Thought Division

    Magic Maniption

    Lesser Magic Boost

    Unique Skills

    Technically Senile: Lv 7

    Innate Skills

    Induced Thought: Lv 8

    Induced Line of Sight: Lv 8

    Titles

    Master of The Art of Illusion

    Guildmaster

    Trickster

    One who has Surpassed the Bounds of Mediocrity

    A Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    Dragon Fang Short Sword

    Dragon Scale Suit

    Dragon Leather Mantle

    Shoes of Quickened Feet

    Bracelet of Substitution

    Magician¡¯s Ring

    _______________________________________________________________

    Hmmm, he sure seemed strong. Both his stats and skills looked t out ridiculous, and he appeared as if he was capable ofbat at pretty much any range. He had a lot of skills that¡¯d led him take advantage of his enemies¡¯ weak points too. Magic show rted skills aside, he more or less looked to be an assassin.

    He even had a unique skill to top it all off.

    Technically Senile: Forces the target to forget that they have a certain skill for a fixed time period. This time period and Technically Senile¡¯s cooldown are both dependant on the target skill¡¯s level and rarity. Maximum period of senility: 1 minute.

    Holy crap that¡¯s OP. Forgetting you have a skill in the middle ofbat could be t out fatal.

    Induced Thought: Allows the caster to momentarily redirect the target¡¯s train of thought.

    Induced Line of Sight: Allows the caster to momentarily redirect the target¡¯s line of sight.

    His two innate skills,bined with Inconspicuous, Espionage, and other simr abilities, would probably allow him to make his opponentspletely lose track of him, especially if he was to make use of his illusion based magics. The name of his job seemed to hint at the fact that he specialized in using the illusory arts in conjunction with magic trick-like abilities, meaning that he was actually much more difficult to deal with than his stats seemed to indicate.

    ¡¸Hahaha. It seems that you just appraised me.¡¹

    Wait, how?

    ¡¸The Appraisal Detection skill allows me to sense those capable of using appraisal. It also lets me know if it gets used on me. Out of curiosity, can you see my unique skill?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it. Your appraisal sure is high leveled. I¡¯d actually used it when we met a bit earlier so you¡¯d forget to appraise me, just so I wouldn¡¯t get found out cause I wanted to give you a bit of a surprise here and now. Sadly, you don¡¯t look even the slightest bit surprised though. Looks like my little prank ended up failing.¡¹

    Oh, right, that exins why I kept forgetting to appraise him back then. Man, I knew something was off back then. In fact, I was so confident that I was getting paranoid that I was being attacked by a Stand.

    ¡­

    Okay, yeah no, that was just t out bullsheet. I¡¯d honestly med it on my own carelessness.

    ¡¸Your appraisal skill sure is high leveled though. You put my skill on a three day cooldown, and I didn¡¯t even manage to sessfully prank you. Man, I wish I never bothered.¡¹

    ¡¸Your own fault.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know. I¡¯ll make your stay here a lot more convenient as an apology, so could you please stop ring at me already?¡¹

    So that whole gentlemanly act he pulled off outside town was all just a ruse for the sake of a prank? The boyish way he put his hands together and lowered his head made it look like my guess was perfectly on the mark. Fran seemed a bit peeved as well, but it¡¯s not like he actually caused us any harm. In fact, he¡¯d even given us a hand, so I guess we don¡¯t really have any choice but to forgive him.

    ¡¸¡­Will get mad next time.¡¹

    Is it really normal for him to just go around using that skill on people? I feel like he¡¯d be put in a pretty bad ce if the person he tried to mess with ended up finding out. They might take his use of the skill as a sign of hostility and choose to engage him in battle.

    ¡¸Seriously Guildmaster? You did it again? Do you really like ying pranks on all the promising newbies that much?¡¹

    Looks like this isn¡¯t just a one off thing. Is it really alright for the Guildmaster to do stuff like that?

    ¡¸You can just hit him if he starts to get him on your nerves, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice, I¡¯ll be cheering you on then! I hope that silly Guildmaster of ours ends up suffering just a bit some day.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow Erza, you¡¯re terrible.¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, you¡¯re the one always pushing it just because they¡¯ll never fire you, so you kinda deserve it.¡¹

    ¡¸Why never fire?¡¹

    I was a bit curious about that as well. I mean, Guildmasters had authority and all that, but their positions weren¡¯t nearly influential enough to allow them to permanently hold their titles.

    ¡¸Well, you see, he¡¯s really strong. He¡¯s definitely one of Kranzel¡¯s top five. I¡¯m one of the strongest B ranked adventurers out there, but I¡¯m not even the slightest bit close to even being his match, mkay? That make sense honey?¡¹

    Wow, is he really that strong? I mean, their stats don¡¯t look that different, so I guess it¡¯s based on how well they apply their skills. Erza seems like the brute force type, so he¡¯d probably get screwed from having holes poked in his weak points.

    ¡¸He¡¯s strong enough to be worthy of his title as Guildmaster of a city containing two different dungeons. Mhmm.¡¹

    Well, yeah, he does seem several times stronger than most other adventurers.

    ¡¸And he¡¯s the only one capable of negotiating with the Dungeon Master too. Yuppers.¡¹

    Negotiating with the Dungeon Master? The hell¡¯s that supposed to mean?

    ¡¸Negotiate?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, right, you just got here. Ulmutt¡¯s gotten really famous because it¡¯s got two dungeons, both of which are still alive. They¡¯ve even got their Dungeon Masters still inside of them.¡¹

    ¡¸Dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸Normally, yeah, but Ulmutt¡¯s fine, so no worries there honey.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s because we made a deal with the Dungeon Masters. The Dungeon Masters have agreed not to strengthen the dungeon any more than absolutely necessary or tell their monsters to invade the city. They¡¯ve also agreed to tolerate adventurers and their actions within the dungeon¡¯s confines. In exchange, we provide the Dungeon Masters supplies from outside their dungeons and agree not to touch them or the dungeons¡¯ cores. Yuppers.¡¹

    Ah, I see. I guess this is something that bes possible under the condition that the Dungeon Master is of an intelligent race. It¡¯d make sense for said Dungeon Master to prefer coexistence to getting destroyed by high ranking adventurers.

    ¡¸The Guildmaster was the first person to seed in negotiating with the Dungeon Master. Mhmm. He did it back in his younger days.¡¹

    ¡¸Man, it was really hard, and took forever.¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t really know why the Dungeon Masters trust this old man, but, they¡¯ve appointed him as a point of interaction, so we kinnnda don¡¯t have the slightest clue what¡¯d happen to the guild if he quit. Ulmutt only exists for its dungeons, so there¡¯s really no way for anyone to fire the Guildmaster without bringing about a tonne of harm.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh, and you know what that means? I get to do whatever I want, and no one can stop me.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not something that¡¯s supposed to make you act with such a irresponsible attitude!¡¹

    Holy crap. I think I need sses. I swear I just saw a homo manwoman scolding an old man in the same manner as she would a brat.

    ¡¸Mmm, I think it¡¯s about time for me to excuse myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Keep up the good work.¡¹

    ¡¸You really shouldn¡¯t be saying that seeing as how you¡¯re the one that keeps making me work harder than I should be!¡¹

    You know, I could actually kinda get use to this. Their interactions, I mean.

    ¡¸See youter Fran. I really think I¡¯ve taken a liking to you, so tell me if you ever need anything. I¡¯ll help you out if I can. Mhmm, yes I will.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Byebye~ Muah~¡¹

    Oh god why, he just threw a kiss in at the end just to do it! Holy crap, that was dangerous. I almost instinctively moved my body out of its path and got myself caught in action by Dias.

    £¨Master, something wrong? Twitchy.£©

    ¡ºI-It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry about it.¡»

    Though, it seems like Fran actually did notice.

 Chapter 144: Diasâ€™ Abilities

    <h4>Chapter 144: Dias¡¯ Abilities</h4>

    The Guildmaster breathed a light sigh not too long after Erza¡¯s departure.

    ¡¸Whew. He¡¯s not a bad guy, but I find myself having a bit of a hard time dealing with him.¡¹

    I¡¯m guessing he means that he can¡¯t stand Erza on a physiological level or something like that. Fran seems fine, but that¡¯s more so because she hasn¡¯t really developed a sense of personal space yet.

    ¡¸He¡¯s what I would call a little bit special, you see.¡¹

    ¡¸Man, but also woman?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a part of it.¡¹

    A part? There¡¯s more to it?

    ¡¸Other parts too?¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like you¡¯ll be stuck dealing with him for quite the time toe, so I guess there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with me telling you. Besides, I¡¯d end up with a few concerns over my own safety if you were to fall into his venomous clutches.¡¹

    Dias muttered several things under his breath with a serious look on his face; he seemed to be lost in thought.

    ¡¸Erza¡¯s what you¡¯d call a man with a woman¡¯s heart. He¡¯s equally interested in both men and women alike, and his tastes span the generations as far as age goes. In fact, both you and I fall into his strike zone. He¡¯s even got an inclination that makes him happy when abused by others.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºHoly sheet! I think I actually just nked out for a second.¡»

    So he¡¯s a masochistic bisexual manwoman attracted to basically everything and anything? Like, isn¡¯t he, as a living thing, supposed to have instincts that make him only want to tap to certain things? Whatever the hell happened to those? Holy crap, I think this has gone so far that I¡¯m starting to feel physical harm. Each of these facts is as bad as a blow to the gut. I¡¯mma say we should stay as far away from him as possible, for sanity¡¯s sake.

    ¡¸???¡¹

    All of what we¡¯d discussed seemed to have gone right over Fran¡¯s head. I can practically see a bunch of question marks floating on top of her.

    £¨Master? Understand?£©

    ¡ºI-I do, but I think it¡¯s fine for you not to get it for now.¡»

    £¨Why?£©

    ¡ºI-It¡¯s a subject for grown ups. You don¡¯t need to get it yet. In fact, I think you¡¯d be happier not getting it than getting it.¡»

    £¨Hm?£©

    I¡¯d honestly rather prefer that she never gets it, if anything.

    ¡ºAll you really have to know is that Erza¡¯s a bit of a weirdo. That¡¯s it.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    Whew. Thank god that¡¯s over. I was pretty confident that I¡¯d end up losing my ability to think rationally if I had to actually exin Erza¡¯s inclinations.

    ¡¸Erza doesn¡¯t believe in simply watching over children lovingly and will act on his urges, but that isn¡¯t to say that he actively goes after them himself either. Despite all else, he still is technically Ulmutt¡¯s ace, so some children do end up developing odd tastes and approaching him on their own.¡¹

    Oh, so that¡¯s what he meant by falling into Erza¡¯s venomous clutches? Yeah no, that¡¯s more like getting t out poisoned and corrupted.

    ¡¸To tell you the truth, I was actually warned by a certain individual ahead of time that I shouldn¡¯t let you fall into Erza¡¯s clutches¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d end up getting murdered by said individual if I did.¡¹

    ¡¸Certain individual?¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda of Hairiti. One of your acquaintances, I presume?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯d sent me a letter by hawk. Here, feel free to take a look if you¡¯d like to see it.¡¹

    Dias smiled bitterly as he showed us the letter. It named Fran and described her features before going on and on about how cute and good a kid she was. It ended off by saying that she¡¯d probably stand out, and that Dias should be aware of the fact that other adventurers would likely try to pick on her. It more or less coerced Dias to figure something out and do something about the fact that Erza would definitely end up taking a liking to Fran.

    ¡¸Erza and Amanda are on pretty good terms, but Amanda refuses to budge when ites to anything rted to children.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, again, he¡¯s really not that bad a guy though¡­¡¹

    I really ought to thank Amanda. We owe her so much for having the Guildmaster help us with this whole Erza thing. I mean, we¡¯re grateful she helped us get in touch with the Guildmaster period, but the Erza thing was what truly made me feel like thanking her from the bottom of my heart. Like, I know Erza¡¯s not that bad a guy or anything like that, but chances were, I would¡¯ve t out snapped if Erza ended up taking a liking to us and following us around everywhere all round the clock.

    ¡¸Alrighty¡­ Would you mind if we changed topics and started addressing something a bit more serious?¡¹

    Dias¡¯ face suddenly went solemn as he brought both hands together in front of him much in the same manner as Commander Ik*ri.

    ¡¸That sword isn¡¯t just your average everyday sword, is it?¡¹

    The next words that came out of his mouth had all the effectiveness of an explosive.

    ¡ºWhat!?¡»

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡¸Heh, curious as to why I found out? How about appraise me again if you want to know?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, just give it a shot. I tricked you the first time, you know?¡¹

    Hmmm¡­ I guess I¡¯ll do as he says. I¡¯m curious as to how he managed to figure me out, so yeah.

    I ended up trying to appraise him again after a moment¡¯s worth of contemtion.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºHmmm¡­? He¡¯s got more skills¡­?¡»

    There weren¡¯t any differences in his stats or skill levels. However, he had two more skills than he hadst time: Appraisal Cover Up and Mind Reading. Both new skills were level 8.

    ¡¸You see them?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Appraisal Cover Up can either be used to disguise one¡¯s entire stat page, but that¡¯s not it. You can also focus the skill¡¯s effects on a few specific items in order topletely and totally hide them. I¡¯ve been doing thetter to hide Mind Reading, my trump card.¡¹

    Holy sheet. Dias¡¯ skillset lets him go after weak points, so giving him a skill like that just t out makes himpletely borked.

    ¡¸Mind Reading can be used to outwit people, especially when paired with Technically Senile. I¡¯d love to have Appraisal as well, but it seems I don¡¯t really have any affinity for the skill. I just can¡¯t get it no matter how hard I try. Oh well, it¡¯s pretty easy to figure out what weapon and magic based skills someone¡¯s got just by looking at them, and most people tend to think about their skills right before they use them, so I can just deal with whateveres at me by reading my opponent¡¯s mind ahead of time.¡¹

    As I analyzed the skill, I came to realize a pressing issue.

    Mind Reading: Allows one to catch a glimpse of a target¡¯s thoughts.

    His skill didn¡¯t specify that it could only read the minds of people or intelligent animals. Does that mean he can read my thoughts as well? Even though I¡¯m a sword? Wait, wait, can he read the mind of anything capable of actual thought period?

    ¡¸Heheheh, looks like you¡¯re panicking. Have you figured it out? It¡¯s exactly as you think. This skill allowed me toe to realize that your sword can think too, Fran.¡¹

    ¡ºSheet, he just totally read Fran¡¯s mind again.¡»

    ¡¸Oh, just so you know, I don¡¯t actually go around randomly reading people¡¯s minds, you know? I just happened to catch sight of the fight you were involved in earlier. I figured I¡¯d read your mind and step in if you happened to want to kill the people that¡¯d bothered you, which would¡¯ve been a fairly easy task seeing as how bloodlust is a simple thing to read. It just so happened that I overheard you seemingly having a telepathic conversation, at which point in time I realized that your sword had the ability to think too.¡¹

    So he knew about me right from the moment he first called out to us? Is this why he called Fran here to begin with?

    ¡¸So why don¡¯t you tell me about that sword of yours?¡¹

    £¨What do?£©

    ¡ºHmm¡­ It looks like he¡¯s figured most of it out anyway. He¡¯d probably actually get mad if we kept trying to hide anything else, so¡­¡»

    That said, it wasn¡¯t like he had any real evidence. ying dumb is probably still an option. We don¡¯t really know what his goal is here, and if worsees to worst, he might even end up trying to confiscate me and wield me for himself.

    ¡¸Hahaha, it looks like you really don¡¯t trust me at all. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll make you worse off. I¡¯ll even swear it in Amanda¡¯s name. I owe her a great deal, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to face her if I wronged you in any which way. Plus, I already told you about my own trump card, so it¡¯s only fair for you to tell me about yours. Right? Come on.¡¹

    Dias¡¯ smile contained not even the slightest trace of malice, and it didn¡¯t seem like he was lying either¡­

    Hah¡­ Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯ll be staying here for a while, so I don¡¯t want to make an enemy out of the Guildmaster. He¡¯d probably end up figuring out whatever we were thinking anyways, even if we did try to pull one over him.

    ¡ºDo you mind?¡»

    £¨Nn. Can¡¯t be helped.£©

    He pretty much knows anyways.

    ¡ºI guess it can¡¯t be helped then.¡»

    ¡¸Woah, Was that the sword just now¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, hi. Fran¡¯s sword speaking.¡»

    ¡¸Hahaha! Wow! You can actually speak, just like a human!? I was not expecting that.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    And so, we did the usual and had Fran exin my name and effectively force the other person to praise it. Luckily, Dias was pretty good at reading the mood, so heplimented Fran¡¯s naming sense a whole bunch, almost too much, in fact.

    ¡ºSo did you need something from me? Or were you just curious?¡»

    ¡¸Right, my bad. This is my first time seeing an intelligent weapon, so I ended up getting carried away out of excitement. I admit I was a bit curious, but I also wanted to give the two of you a bit of advice.¡¹

    ¡¸Advice?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, advice. Master, Appraisal isn¡¯t too umon a skill, but, it seems you¡¯ve kind of just been using it all willy nilly?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, pretty much.¡»

    ¡¸I know that I¡¯m not really qualified to say this myself seeing as how I read people¡¯s minds, but you should be more careful on who you use it on since it¡¯ll expose everything they wish to keep a secret. There¡¯s a fair number of people out there who really hate nobles and royals, so you may end up getting arrested under the pretense of being a spy should you be caught using appraisal on either of those two types of people. Many royals even have appraisal detection, so you¡¯ll be noticed immediately. And do keep in mind that the crime will end up falling on Fran¡¯s shoulders in your case.¡¹

    You know, he¡¯s got a pretty good point now that I think about it. Appraisal lets you pretty much see everything, so people with lots of secrets would probably hate for it to be used on them. I¡¯d never actually thought about the skill from that kind of perspective before.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure that Fran will ultimately end up meeting royals on multiple asions in the future due to how promising an adventurer she seems, so do take heed of this for when that happens. If not, then¡­¡¹

    Dias gave his neck a light chop instead of finishing his sentence with words.

    Yeah, makes sense. Pissing off royalty isn¡¯t exactly something you could get away with, at least not easily. Putting it like that, randomly using Appraisal can lead to terrifying results. I guess I¡¯ll be a bit more prudent.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all for Appraisal rted advice. I still want to advise you on something else too though.¡¹

    ¡¸Something else?¡¹

    ¡¸You guys haven¡¯t really leveled your detection type skills, have you?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat makes you think that?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t realize when I used Technically Senile, Mind Reading, Induced Thought, or Induced Line of Sight. I mean, I am good at hiding the fact that I¡¯m using them, but you guys are just way too defenseless, you know? Strength inbat aside, you guys are really unguarded for people that¡¯ve got something to hide, you¡¯re just t out unbnced. You should¡¯ve been able to realize that something was amiss had you trained your ability to detect as much as you had your ability to fight.¡¹

    We do have a whole slew of detection type skills, but most of them are rather low leveled. The highest would be Presence Detection, and even that¡¯s just level 5.

    ¡ºSo is having level 5 Presence Detection just not enough?¡»

    ¡¸It isn¡¯t. You¡¯ll either want at least one level 8 skill or three level 6 skills if you want to go up against any tougher opponents.¡¹

    Both those options are pretty far off.

    ¡¸It isn¡¯t an absolute necessity in general. You could always act in much the same manner as Erza, who ims to have nothing to hide, but that wouldn¡¯t quite do for the two of you now, would it?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯d like as few people to know about me as possible.¡»

    ¡¸I happen to have a pretty good ce for you guys to train. Want to check it out?¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean the dungeon?¡»

    ¡¸Exactly. You know that Ulmutt¡¯s got two dungeons, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The western dungeon is for beginners. It contains very few traps, and most of the magic beasts inside of it will fight you head on. It¡¯s a good ce for newbies to grind up their levels. The eastern one is effectively the western¡¯s opposite. It¡¯s for more experienced adventurers, and contains lots of traps. The magic beasts within it also like to set up ambushes, with the inclination only growing stronger as you dive deeper into the dungeon¡¯s depths. Many D ranked adventurers have ended up losing their lives within the eastern dungeon¡¯s confines.¡¹

    ¡ºSo what you¡¯re saying is that you want us to head to the eastern one to train up our detection skills?¡»

    ¡¸You guessed it. The eastern dungeon is perfect for anyone that wants to get better at detection. So, how about it? You probably won¡¯t be able to suddenly bump your skill levels up, but it should still be worth your time. You normally have to prove yourself in the western dungeon before being admitted to the eastern one, but I¡¯ll offer you guys a chance to bypass all that if you want.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that¡¯s fine? I mean, we were nning to go dungeon diving anyways¡­¡»

    I don¡¯t really know if we¡¯ll manage to actually start leveling our skills up, but, we should at least be able to train a bit in order to actually get better at using some of them. It¡¯s usually pretty hard to get practice with detection based skills, so I¡¯m totally fine with taking that as a bit of an added bonus. That said though, I can¡¯t help but feel a bit bothered by all this.

    ¡ºBut why go so far?¡»

    I just can¡¯t seem to bring myself to trust him. I doubt he¡¯d do this much for us sheerly out of good will.

    ¡¸Hahaha, I¡¯m not trying to trick you, you know? It¡¯s just that this happens to be something that benefits the guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Me exploring east dungeon benefits guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes it does. The western dungeon is filled with newbies, none of which will actually be able to tell how strong you are. I can say for sure that you¡¯ll end up getting in even more trouble if you end up going west.¡¹

    Ah, I see. The tournament ising up soon, so Ulmutt¡¯s getting a huge influx of adventurers. With more people, you tend to get more idiots, meaning more people that¡¯d try to pick a fight with Fran. The guild would probably be pretty happy if it manages to minimize the amount ofmotion caused by her.

    ¡¸There are very few adventurers exploring the eastern dungeon to begin with, but those that are are also rtively experienced. They likely won¡¯t mess with you so long as the guild makes an announcement or two.¡¹

    ¡ºHence, you¡¯d prefer us dive into the eastern dungeon as opposed to the western one?¡»

    ¡¸Exactly, it¡¯s a deal that benefits us both. So, how about it?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you think, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Good, good. It looks like you¡¯re nice and motivated.¡¹

    The Guildmaster seemed to have expected our answer, as he immediately pulled an eastern dungeon permit with Fran¡¯s name carefully inscribed on it. Holy crap, he was totally ready for us.

    Real talk, I really can¡¯t hate Dias, but I can¡¯t bring myself to trust him either.

 Chapter 145: The Reference Letter

    <h4>Chapter 145: The Reference Letter</h4>

    Fran examined the permit she got from Dias by flipping it over and shining a light on it.

    ¡¸Is something wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Might have hidden mechanism.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, wow, you¡¯re mean. I¡¯m right here, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Dias had made his im with a smile on his face, but that hadn¡¯t been nearly enough for him to earn Fran¡¯s trust, she continued to gaze at the letter suspiciously regardless.

    ¡¸Just trust me on this okay? I won¡¯t y any more pranks on you. The only pranks I ever y are ones that end up benefiting the adventurers that get pranked, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Meaning?¡¹

    ¡¸Think of my pranks as a form of parental love. I use them to make sure everyone doesn¡¯t get too rxed on a day to day basis. I don¡¯t just y them to have fun.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran stared down Dias, whose expression remained serious despite his obvious bullsheetting. I didn¡¯t even need the Principle of Falsehood to know he was straight up lying to our faces.

    ¡¸Well¡­ Okay, I guess it is half for my own entertainment.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, right, that reminds me. Just letting you into the eastern dungeon isn¡¯t all I¡¯vee up with. I¡¯ve also got a few other ideas that¡¯ll benefit you.¡¹

    The Guildmaster ended up just t out changing the topic, not that I really mind given that I was interested in what he¡¯d brought up.

    ¡ºOther ideas, you say?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. To be more exact, I¡¯ve thought up three different courses of action. The first is to issue a promation regarding the protection of younger adventurers, something we, as the guild, ourselves would also benefit from. I¡¯m fairly certain that this is something you¡¯ve already noticed, but Ulmutt¡¯s got a rtivelyrge proportion of younger adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Our dungeons fall in somewhere in the lower D ranked area, but we¡¯ve a system that allows F and G ranked adventurers to explore the upper floors regardless so long as they party up with people ranked in at E or higher. This system really helps newbies that want to gain experience, as well as G rankers, as they aren¡¯t allowed to enter any of the country¡¯s other dungeons.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why, G ranked kids, lots?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. The problem lies with the fact that many of the people out there like to take advantage of them. They manipte them and use them as bait. I¡¯ve been thinking of enforcing a penalty for actions like that for quite some time now.¡¹

    So Fran just happened to end up as the spark that¡¯d set his n into action? Makes sense.

    ¡¸Second?¡¹

    ¡¸My second idea would be to go around telling everyone how much Erza likes you. Ulmutt¡¯s adventurers typically prefer to be on his good side rather than not.¡¹

    Right. All the adventurers seemed to quiet down the moment he showed up. Yup, makes sense. There¡¯s no way anyone would be willing to go head to head with that after all.

    ¡¸Last?¡¹

    ¡¸That would be to quickly raise your rank.¡¹

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡¸You know, Fran, the guild really values all the contributions you¡¯ve made to it. We¡¯ll bump you up to C rank the moment youplete enough requests to qualify yourself for it.¡¹

    ¡¸Surprised.¡¹

    Yeah, me too. Was it because they took what we did back in Barbra into consideration?

    ¡¸The royalty you escorted named you an incredibly valuable asset. The reports they sent contained nothing but praise.¡¹

    Oh, he must be talking about when we escorted Prince Flut and Princess Satia.

    Fran¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but I felt Dias¡¯ words ignite a fiery passion within her.

    ¡¸Will do best.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. We¡¯ll do for you as we have for every other adventurer that¡¯s reached C rank here at the Ulmutt branch and make a series announcements in order to spread your name far and wide. That way, almost everyone in the city will know you¡¯re a C rank, and consequently, there¡¯ll be far fewer people that¡¯ll want to try picking a fight with you.¡¹

    Fewer? So there still will be some? Can¡¯t be helped, I guess. Oh well, that works too. Less is always more when ites to this kinda thing.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give you a few requests you canplete during your time in the eastern dungeon. You should be able to finish them and easily rank yourself up while going through with your training. ¡¹

    Dias handed us twenty something requests as he continued to speak.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll need toplete another 23 D ranked requests if you want to qualify for C rank. Take all these, and start doing what you can.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºThanks.¡»

    And so, we ended up being allowed into the dungeon. I¡¯d been expecting us to have to be examined or something, but I guess this is fine too. It¡¯s a shame that Klimut¡¯s reference letter ended up going to waste, but oh well.

    Actually, I guess there¡¯s no harm in giving it to him anyways, right?

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸That looks like¡­ Alessa¡¯s Guild¡¯s crest. Would that be a letter from Klimut?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Reference letter.¡¹

    Dias¡¯ face paled in unease the moment Fran nodded to affirm his suspicions. Wait, what? You okay, old dude?

    ¡¸By the way, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­ You¡¯re not going to tell Klimut about how I tried to y a bit of a prank on you, right?¡¹

    For some odd reason, his tone voice of voice had immediately turned into a ttering one.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess it¡¯d be better for me to say since I¡¯m the one asking for a favour here. Klimut is one of my seniors and someone I look up to as an adventurer. He gave me a hand when I was just starting out, so I owe him quite a bit. I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring myself to face him if you told him what I did. Er, actually, that¡¯s not it at all. To be honest, I¡¯m just t out terrified of him.¡¹

    I¡¯d used the Principle of Falsehood to verify his words, and apparently, he wasn¡¯t lying. He was actually afraid of Klimut.

    Well, I¡¯m d that reference letter of ours ended up actually seeing some use. In fact, it more or less ended up functioning as a sort of trump card, huh?

    ¡¸Will tell Amanda and Klimut next time something weird done.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll never do anything weird to you ever again.¡¹

    You know, it¡¯s really pretty rare to see a Guildmaster prostrate himself on all fours. Man, I wish I had a camera right now. Oh well, either way, it looked like Dias is going to stop with his pranks now, so all¡¯s good.

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha¡­¡¹

    Seeing Fran take a haughty stance while holding Klimut¡¯s letter with Dias prostrating before her almost made me want to say ¡°Case Closed!¡±

 Chapter 146: The Whereabouts of Those Sought

    <h4>Chapter 146: The Whereabouts of Those Sought</h4>

    I made sure to double check a few details regarding our detection skills before we left Dias¡¯ office.

    Specifically, I asked him to once again verify that we¡¯d only need either a single level 8 skill or 3 level 6 skills.

    ¡¸Personally, I can figure out when someone¡¯s using Appraisal right away because I¡¯ve got the Appraisal Detection skill, but it¡¯s normally quite difficult to catch someone in the act of it. The skill is honestly quite a stealthy one. The same goes for connoisseur and mind reading type skills. They¡¯re all pretty hard to detect.¡¹

    That sounds like something that¡¯d make people with secrets to hide go crazy with anxiety. Someone could find out whatever it is you¡¯re trying to hide without you ever being the wiser.

    ¡¸Skills like Induced Thought and Technical Senility are much more difficult to cover up. Even I can¡¯t make them totally undetectable despite having both the skills at a fairly high level.¡¹

    Neither the Appraisal or Connoisseur-type skills involved invoking any sort of effect that¡¯d influence their targets. All you had to do to activate either was look at whatever it is you wanted to know more about, and that was it.

    Induced Thought, on the other hand, t out messed with its target. Hence, it became much less difficult to detect.

    Taking that theory and applying it to the skills in my possession allowed me to realize that it¡¯d probably be hard for people to sense Appraisal or the Principle of Falsehood. Skill Taker, on the other hand, seemed like it¡¯d be pretty easy to notice immediately.

    ¡¸I doubt Presence Detection would allow you to detect if you¡¯re being appraised, even if raised to its maximum level, but leveling the skill to level 8 should at least be enough for it to let you to detect if someone uses a skill that¡¯ll have an effect on you.¡¹

    In other words, level 8 probably wouldn¡¯t cut it for us. Self Evolution allowed us to get skills much more quickly than the average person, but it also came back to bite us in the ass by not providing us with any of the experience typically involved in leveling it. Luckily, it looked like the eastern dungeon would allow us an opportunity to ovee our shorings. In either case, it seemed like our goal was set. We¡¯d dive into the dungeon and level Presence Detection up to 8 either through absorbing magic stones or using self evolution points.

    ¡¸Leaving now.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Kay, see you around. Oh, and please don¡¯t forget about the Klimut thing!¡¹

    Fran turned her back on Dias as he begged her for a favour and departed from his office.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go check out the library and see if we can gather ourselves some information about the dungeon.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t have that much time to spare, so we¡¯d best get all this administrative stuff over with as quickly as possible.¡»

    We needed to find ourselves a ce to stay before nightfall. That, however, was honestly not my first priority. I had something else on my mind, something much more important than just finding an inn.

    ¡ºYou think Old Man Gallus is here yet?¡»

    ***

    And so, two hours passed. We had long stopped looking around the library and instead started walking around the city in search of Gallus. He should¡¯ve arrived way before we did, especially after taking into consideration the fact that we¡¯d gotten ourselves a little bit more than a little bit sidetracked.

    The reason we were searching for him, and not verification of the fact that he was here was because it was pretty obvious that he¡¯d at least been here rather recently. Many of Ulmutt¡¯s adventurers were like the ones in Alessa in the sense that they were walking around with high quality weapons made from iron or steel.

    We had started out by asking a few of these adventurers for confirmation, and it turned out that our guesses had hit the nail right on the head. Their weapons were indeed made by the old man, but that was where our smooth sailing came to an end, as they¡¯d all pointed us in different directions when we asked them for his location. It seemed like Gallus had been going around the city borrowing other cksmith¡¯s forges in order to make his goods as opposed to staying in one ce like he did back in Alessa.

    Fran and I ended up having no choice but to visit random weapon stores in order to hopefully run into him whilst also listening in on the adventurers in our vicinity along the way. Much to our annoyance, it seemed that most were talking about topics rting to dungeons or the uing martial arts tournament. We didn¡¯t hear anything about Gallus at all. That said, we did happen to stumble across a group of three adventurers discussing something that just so happened to catch our attention.

    ¡¸Hey, you hear about the evil god¡¯s fortress? Apparently it fell overnight. Wasn¡¯t the Millenia Fortress supposed to be their most fortified stronghold?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but that¡¯s not the only ce in which the evil god¡¯s believers have gathered en masse. The rumours have been saying that some of them are even getting blessed with the evil god¡¯s powers.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, wait, that¡¯s a thing? I thought the only people that worshiped the evil god were criminals and ouws.¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently, Evil Goblins and Evil Kobolds are only the way they are because they¡¯ve powered up after receiving the Evil God¡¯s blessings, not that I¡¯ve ever seen either of them myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! Those things? I¡¯ve heard that they¡¯re really hard to deal with. Wait, don¡¯t some countries go all out in order to exterminate the evil god¡¯s believers? Maybe that¡¯s why Millenia fell.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on, you know that the Millenia Fortress is in the Kingdom of Reidos, right? There¡¯s no way the Reidosians would ever bother wiping them out. In fact, it¡¯s far more likely for them to try putting them to use instead.¡¹

    ¡¸But, if the Reidosians didn¡¯t crush the fortress, who did?¡¹

    ¡¸Who knows? I¡¯ve caught wind a few rumours saying that it was because they had a falling out. I heard it from one of my acquaintances that happened to be in the area when it happened, and he got his info from one of the underlings that escaped from within the fortress. Apparently one of their top brass happened to get back that day and caused an uproar. It¡¯s said that guy had totally transformed, as if born anew. His body became like that of a magic beast¡¯s instead of a human¡¯s. He used that new body of his to y all the other executives beforeughing and iming that he¡¯d consumed them for their power He was like a demon, they say.¡¹

    ¡¸Dude, that sounds freaky as hell.¡¹

    ¡¸Were you try to tell us a horror story or something?¡¹

    ¡¸Come on guys, I was being serious. Though, it was just a rumour I heard, so do admit that it might¡¯ve ended up getting exaggerated.¡¹

    I was rather surprised to hear that the Evil God¡¯s believers had a sort of fortress set up, and even more surprised to hear that it¡¯d already fallen at the hands of one of their own allies.

    £¨Just now, talking about Zerrosreed?£©

    ¡ºYou think so too?¡»

    To me, that sounded like Zerrosreed feeding his cannibalism skill no matter how you spun it. Does that mean he¡¯ll end up going around tearing down all the Evil God¡¯s strongholds for his skill¡¯s sake if we just leave him be? I mean, that actually kinda sounds like a n. We could leave him be till he takes out all the Evil God¡¯s followers and then just kill him off. Only problem is that we don¡¯t really know how strong he¡¯ll end up getting by the time we get to him.

    £¨Growl.£©

    ¡ºYou sure sound pumped, Urushi.¡»

    £¨Will defeat some day.£©

    ¡ºYeah, we¡¯ll kick his ass. But first, we¡¯ll have to get stronger.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    The conversation we overheard was interesting, but it didn¡¯t really give us anything to act on, so we continued walking around town with our ears perked.

    We weren¡¯t able to find anyone that knew Gallus till we entered our third smithy. Its owner was much like the old man, he was also a dwarven cksmith.

    ¡¸Already left Ulmutt?¡¹

    ¡¸He left a few days ago cause he heard about what happened in Barbra. I¡¯m pretty sure he decided to head over because he figured he¡¯d be able to help.¡¹

    Looks like we just missed each other.

    ¡¸He said he¡¯d be back before the Martial Arts Tournament, so you might catch him if you sit around long enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Y¡¯know, Gallus has actually told me about you ahead of time. So that¡¯s what his custom made named equipment looks like¡­? Damn, that¡¯s fabulous.¡¹

    The cksmith looked at Fran¡¯s ck cat armour pieces with his eyes gleaming. I mean, I got that he was looking at the armour, but many of the people that passed by seemed to think him a pervert ogling a little girl.

    In fact, most passerbys regarded him like he was some sort of weirdo, and some had even given him a series of harsh res. I couldn¡¯t help but think that they were going to end up reporting him to the authorities, though I hoped they¡¯d refrain.

    The dwarven smith, however,pletely ignored them all and even continued to do things like touching the mantle and checking the quality and feel of its fabric. Fran herself was rather happy that her equips were being praised, so she stood still and cooperated as he went through with the inspection process.

    It took the cksmith five whole minutes worth of staring and touching before he finally found himself smiling in satisfaction.

    ¡¸What a sight for sore eyes. Thanks for letting me do that. Feel free toe here if you want your stuff repaired for cheap. I¡¯ll help you get your hands on discounted dungeon supplies too.¡¹

    We hadn¡¯t really been concerned about the repairing our stuff, but, the supplies part sounded pretty nice. We might end up needing stuff in order to go dungeon diving and whatnot.

    ¡ºOh, right. Let¡¯s ask him if he knows any good inns.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Know good inns?¡¹

    ¡¸You haven¡¯t decided yet? As for me, I think the Cer de Shop¡¯s probably one of my favourite ces. The booze they serve there is great.¡¹

    Well, that¡¯s a dwarf for you. That sounds good and all, but wouldn¡¯t somewhere with a lot of drunks be all noisy?

    ¡¸The bar¡¯s in the basement, so it¡¯s not too bad as far as noise goes.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Will go check out.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, and doe again.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ***

    The inn the smith introduced us to was one with thick walls and a rather calm air to it.

    We decided to check out the ce they had underground, and it turned out to not be nearly as loud as I¡¯d been expecting. It was much more of a bar than a tavern. There was a cafeteria-like area as well, but it wasn¡¯t all that loud there either. The only booze they served was located at the bar, so you couldn¡¯t eat and drink at the same time. As a result, there were far fewer people making noise. It looked like the dwarven cksmith had been right. The noise didn¡¯t look like it was going to end up bothering us.

    Our room was of a simr standard of quality. The floor was clean, and the bed soft. We were even allowed to let Urushi in in his smaller form, albeit at a bit of an additional cost.

    All in all, it seemed like a really nice ce.

    ¡¸Nn. Not bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Better yet, it looked like both Fran and Urushi liked it too.

    ¡ºOkay, that¡¯s done. Any other ns?¡»

    ¡¸Dungeon diving.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    They were both just full of energy, which, I guess wasn¡¯t really too bad a thing. We have a bunch of requests and whatnot to handle anyway.

    ¡ºAlright, but let¡¯s check out all the requests we have first.¡»

    ¡¸Right. Forgot.¡¹

    We began cing the requests on the bed so we could go through them more easily.

    Wait, there¡¯s a tonne here. Is it really okay for us to take all these? I feel like other adventurers would start calling nepotism if they found out how many we were hogging them all to ourselves.

    ¡ºIt looks like it¡¯d probably be better for us not to tell anyone else how many requests we¡¯re handling.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Er, well, I said that, but it turned out that half the requests were subjugation type requests. They were much like the regr goblin ones in the sense that they were perpetually active. That is, they could bepleted by any one at any time.

    The other half required us to gather materials.

    ¡¸High Ogre horns, Man Eating Mole ws.¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever even heard of any of these magic beasts.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºThough, the notes I took in the library say that they can be found starting at the eastern dungeon¡¯s tenth floor.¡»

    ¡¸Looking forward.¡¹

    All of the requests we got were clearly justified in their ssifications as quests for D rankers, as they all needed us to do stuff in ces newbies would have to struggle to even get to. It seemed that you weren¡¯t supposed to go past the eastern dungeon¡¯s 9th floor if you were F ranked or lower.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see¡­ Phantom Dogs, Darkstalkers. Yeah, it looks like there¡¯s lots of stuff that¡¯ll try sneak attacking us.¡»

    Dias¡¯ info had been spot on.

    It actually took us quite some time to finish looking through all the requests we got. Fran and Urushi both ended up bored out of their minds. You know, Fran should start learning how to focus on this stuff. Gathering information seems like it¡¯d be a pretty important basic skill for adventurers.

    Though, she did manage to spend a whole hour looking through it all, so I guess that is technically a pretty big improvement. She used to start nodding off after just five minutes.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Wait. Not yet.¡¹

    Oh? Is she going to go through all the info again?

    ¡¸Eat first.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºOh. Right, yeah. Let¡¯s do that.¡»

 Chapter 147: Arriving at the Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 147: Arriving at the Dungeon</h4>

    We headed over to the dungeon immediately after eating our fill at the inn¡¯s dining hall.

    Neither Fran nor I knew where to go, so we asked one of thedy¡¯s at the inn. The reply we got from her was surprisingly short and simple.

    ¡¸The west dungeon¡¯s over near the western stronghold, and the east one¡¯s right beside the eastern stronghold. Just walk in a straight line, you can¡¯t miss either of them.¡¹

    It looked like the dungeons were inside therge cylindrical buildings. Rather, it turned out that the buildings had actually only been constructed in order to enclose the dungeons in the first ce.

    At first, most people had still felt that the dungeon masters were rather untrustworthy. They didn¡¯t actually believe that they would uphold the contracts they made with Dias.

    Thus, the Kingdom of Kranzel ended up constructing tworge buildings, one around each dungeon. These two constructions were an attempt to minimize the people¡¯s feelings of anxiety. The people would be less concerned about the dungeon masters failing to fulfill their promises so long as they had insurance in the case that it happened. The wall that surrounded the city was also constructed with the same purpose in mind.

    That is, the outer wall would be able to contain the dungeons¡¯ monsters even if they managed to break through the strongholds built up in their immediate vicinities. The construction of both these countermeasures managed to settle most of the citizens¡¯ concerns.

    That, however, begged a certain question. What did Ulmutt¡¯s citizens think? It was technically possible for the city to end up as a battlefield.

    We¡¯d asked for the innkeeperdy¡¯s opinion, and it turned that most of the people that lived here actually felt more positively about the dungeons than anything. The majority of Ulmutt¡¯s citizens either were merchants and adventurers, or had some sort of connection with them. They¡¯d actually only chosen to move to Ulmutt because of its dungeons. They knew the dangers and had long acknowledged them as a part of their daily lives. In fact, the city¡¯s people saw the dungeons as their breadwinners and were even concerned with their conservation.

    They went as far as to regard the city¡¯s outer walls as a nice added bonus that they just happened to be lucky enough to get from the government, reason being that they hadn¡¯t paid even a cent for it themselves.

    All I had to say was¡­ wow. I mean, I should¡¯ve expected it given that the city was frequented by rowdy adventurers and cunning merchants, but damn, the people here got guts.

    ***

    We did as the innkeeper instructed and made our way towards the eastern stronghold. It didn¡¯t take long for us to realize that navigating the city¡¯s streets was as hard as navigating a maze, even with the end goal almost in sight. It¡¯d almost felt whoever built the ce had done so without a solidyout nned out ahead of time.

    The closer we got to the fortress, the more apparent this became. The buildings themselves started getting older and more historic looking, whereas the streets just t out degenerated into a huge mess of alleyways and intersections. The older buildings looked to be of a poor quality, as they obviously weren¡¯t built with any sort of construction rted principles or standards in mind.

    We went up and down stairs, hit dead ends, turned around and did all sorts of wandering before finally reaching the dungeon¡¯s entrance about an hour after we first set out for it.

    ¡¸Arrived. Here, dungeon?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure that this is the fortress they built up around the dungeon. We should be able to get ourselves inside if we head over to that gate over there.¡»

    The building looked pretty big up close. I also now realized that the stronghold we were looking at was no normal fortress. It didn¡¯t have windows, and its gate would actually be pretty small if you ignored the part that had been dug out under the ground level. I could see why though. I mean, they called it a fortress, but it was only actually built in order to keep the dungeon in check and whatnot. In other words, its goal was to keep what was inside in as opposed to a regr fortress¡¯ goal of keeping what was outside out.

    A group of soldiers had taken up residence in the fortress¡¯ upper floors so they could act in times of emergency.

    Ten odd adventurers were lined up in front of a small building set up by the fortress¡¯ gate. It looked like they were waiting their turns in order to get themselves admitted to the dungeon.

    Fran garnered a bunch of attention as she got in line, but this time around, there wasn¡¯t anyone that bothered messing with her.

    A fair portion of the adventurers gathered at the gate seemed to be ranked in at D or higher, and most were able to discern that she wasn¡¯t just some weakling. Having Urushi around helped quite a bit too. We¡¯d already had him go back to his actual size, so he looked fairly intimidating.

    Even the more mischievous looking adventurers seemed not all that keen on involving themselves with us with our giant ass wolf friend around. Urushi was normally restricted from using this form. He couldn¡¯t parade around town in it, and dungeons were often too narrow for him.

    ¡¸Next plea ¡ª WHAT THE! That wolf is huge!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s all thismotion all of a sudden!?¡¹

    The person responsible for admissions identally screamed when he saw Urushi. The guard hadn¡¯t ended up seeing him ahead of time because he happened to be in the building¡¯s blind spot.

    ¡¸Whoops, Sorry. I just got a bit surprised is all.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry littledy, he¡¯s a bit of an idiot.¡¹

    The guards that showed up here were much more pleasant sounding than the ones that we¡¯d met outside the city. They apologized sincerely and whatnot, and more importantly, they didn¡¯t really seem even to bear even the slightest bit of disdain. Their attitudes were so good that they even left Fran in a state of confusion.

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Is something the matter?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Complete opposite of guards outside city.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Did you run into any sort ofplication with them, perhaps?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯d probably be because they sent all the more diligent guys over to Barbra.¡¹

    Ulmutt¡¯s soldiers needed to be strong enough to both guard the dungeons and keep unruly adventurers in check. Thus, stronger individuals were often hired even if their attitudes happened to be a bitcking.

    The city had decided to send some of its troops over to Barbra in light of the recent events that had urred, and it went without saying that sending the more ill-mannered individuals was nothing short of a horrible idea. Hence, Ulmutt¡¯s higher ups had ended up deciding to send over most of their harder workers, the people that normally made up the backbone that supported most of the city¡¯s regr guard-rted activities.

    As a result, the less well mannered guards usually responsible for rounding up criminals and subjugating magic beasts outside the city¡¯s walls were tasked with helping with maintaining public order. As a result, the town had, in general, gotten a lot less secure. In fact, the guards themselves ended up bringing about a fair amount of trouble.

    ¡¸The men we sent to Barbra will be returning in due time. The Guildmaster and several other high ranking adventurers are helping us keep everyone in line for the time being, so everything¡¯s still thankfully under control.¡¹

    ¡¸Still, it¡¯d be best for you to be careful. It was honestly very difficult for us to immediately see you as an adventurer. We wouldn¡¯t have believed you if not for your guild card, and I¡¯m sure there will be others that not only feel the same, but are more stubborn in their ways.¡¹

    ¡¸I think you¡¯re probably the youngest adventurer to have ever tried entering the eastern dungeon.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­And you¡¯re registered. Your guild card should now log the dungeon¡¯s info.¡¹

    ¡¸Log?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯ll track the floors you¡¯ve visited and number of monsters you¡¯ve defeated. It¡¯ll let you immediately determine whether or not you¡¯vepleted a request.¡¹

    Oh, nice, that sounds really convenient. It sounds like it¡¯d make reporting subjugation requests incredibly simple. It¡¯d also prevent people from giving false reports, not that that mattered to us seeing as how we were actually nning to do stuff the legit way anyways.

    ¡¸Do pay attention to the fact that the east and west dungeons have separate trackers. Nothing done in the eastern dungeon will count towards trackers for the western dungeon and vice versa.¡¹

    I guess that means we¡¯d have to register again if we wanted to do stuff in the western dungeon too.

    ¡¸And here¡¯s your card back.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    Alright! It¡¯s finally dungeon time.

    £¨Let¡¯s go.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºBe careful though. The ce is supposed to be filled with traps.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    You know, now that I think about it, this is actually our first time entering a more difficult dungeon all on our own. It¡¯d be best for us to be prudent.

    Having Fran die by falling in some random trap without any real warning would totally suck, so I¡¯d really prefer for that not to happen.

    ¡ºUrushi, don¡¯t warn us about any traps unless we¡¯re about to get totally screwed. We won¡¯t be able to get much training done if you do.¡»

    £¨Ruff.£©

    The door opened as one of the guards did something with an item he happened to be holding. There seemed to be a weird flow to the magic in the door¡¯s vicinity, so he¡¯d probably just used some sort of magic item.

    We caught sight of a small shrine-like thing situated in the centre of a stone dome the moment we went through the gate.

    ¡ºIs that the dungeon¡¯s entrance?¡»

    ¡¸Small.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Looking a bit closer, I noticed that the shrine¡¯s entrance contained a flight of stairs that ultimately led deeper underground. Still, the dungeon¡¯s entrance sure seemed small for how famous it was, but that didn¡¯t mean we¡¯d be letting our guards down. A dungeon was a dungeon, after all.

 Chapter 148: Disarming Traps

    <h4>Chapter 148: Disarming Traps</h4>

    ¡¸Just remembered. Thought Master would refuse.¡¹

    ¡ºRefuse what?¡»

    ¡¸C rank promotion, because will stand out.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I guess you¡¯re right, but I figured there wasn¡¯t much point to it anymore. I mean, you want to participate in the martial arts tournament, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Participating will make you stand out pretty much right away anyways.¡»

    ¡¸Right. Will stand out if achieve victory.¡¹

    ¡ºHaha. Yeah, basically.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We descended the dungeon¡¯s stairs as we chatted. Naturally, we didn¡¯t rx our guards while doing so.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive at the first floor¡¯s entrance, a long, narrow passage constructed entirely of stone. It was far too short and thin for Urushi, so he had no choice but to return to his smaller size.

    ¡¸Urushi. Training to fight while small.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t need to light any torches or provide any other sources of light. Luminescent moss grew on the cave¡¯s ceiling and provided the passage with a dim glow. It didn¡¯t illuminate everyst nook and cranny, but, was still good enough for our purposes.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯ve already hit a crossroads, and one that diverges into three different paths, at that.¡»

    ¡¸Go down which?¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm, well the rule says you should always go left.¡»

    The rule I was referencing was the so left hand rule. It stated that you¡¯d be able to find a path out of basically anything so long as you had your left hand against the wall and always turned left. I mean, it technically did work with your right hand as well, but yeah.

    Naturally, the left hand rule wasn¡¯t actually perfect and didn¡¯t actually apply to every given situation. For example, it didn¡¯t work if the ce we were trying to get to required us to traverse a hidden room. It also failed to apply when the ce we were trying to reach was the centre as opposed to an exit, when there weren¡¯t any walls, and when we had move up and down stairs anddders and stuff in 3D space.

    Oh, and just to put this out there, we looked up all sorts of stuff so we could sessfullyplete our magic-beast rted requests, but we didn¡¯t actually spend any time looking at the dungeon¡¯syout, nor did we look for information pertaining to the traps within it. We figured that kind of info wouldn¡¯t actually really help us given that we were trying to train ourselves in the art of detection. The whole point was for us to locate traps and magic beasts on our own, without any extra help.

    ¡¸Then will choose left.¡¹

    I guess that works. I¡¯m not really sensing any traps or magic beasts from any of the three paths right now anyways.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We popped our detection skills and began walking down the leftmost path.

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡ºOh?¡»

    Fran and I simultaneously detected something around three minutes after we started moving.

    ¡¸Detected.¡¹

    ¡ºSo you managed to pick it up too, Fran? It looks like a Shadow Snake to me.¡»

    ¡¸Over there.¡¹

    A single ck snake was hidden away in a dark corner that the luminescent moss¡¯ light failed to reach. It was quite difficult to notice, and almost seemed as if it was blending into the shadows. Its name made me think it could use dark magic, but it couldn¡¯t. It was instead something that stemmed from how it it slithered around in the darkness.

    ¡¸Weakling.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. It is kind of the first thing we¡¯ve run into though.¡»

    It was about the same size as a Japanese rat snake, and had basically no offensive prowess whatsoever. Shadow Slip and Presence Detection skills aside, it was basically just a normal snake. Honestly, it would probably never be able to harm you so long as you just wore yourself a pair of boots.

    To be frank, it was a magic beast that the average adventurer wouldn¡¯t even bother hunting. It tasted like garbage, its magic stone was worthless, and it basically didn¡¯t give any exp at all. To make matters worse, you actually had to go through its corpse and extract its magic stone too, a procedure that took much more time than it was worth. That said, we weren¡¯t normal adventurers. I saw no reason to pass up a chance to potentially level up a skill while also getting free magic stone points.

    And so, Fran murdered the Shadow Snake. It only ended up giving me a single magic stone point, but hey, one step at a time, right?

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s keep going.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ***

    Time passed as we advanced.

    Franpletely froze after we got a bit deeper into the dungeon.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸Trap¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºReally? Where?¡»

    ¡¸Floor. There.¡¹

    ¡ºOhhhh. I see it now.¡»

    Looking at the ce Fran had pointed to made me feel a sense of difort, as if something was just the slightest bit out of ce. Activating Trap Detection and staring at the area with a more discerning eye allowed me to understand that the trap I was looking at was one would activate in response to weight. Specifically, activating it would release an arrow.

    Fran seemed to have noticed the trap before me as a result of the Sole Sense skill, a skill that allowed her to detect oddities through the soles of her feet. It was really quite useful, as Fran could sense the vibrations she produced while walking around, thereby allowing her to derive quite a bit of information.

    It was a skill I wouldn¡¯t get any use out of unless I was dragged along the floor or walls, but that¡¯d produce way too much noise forfort, so yeah no.

    ¡ºYou want to try disarming it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Disarming traps was honestly pretty much my speciality due to my ess to telekinesis. I could get rid of their mechanisms without much effort, and if I messed up, I could just choose to set them off from afar from without putting at us risk. That said though, we figured it¡¯d be a good idea for Fran to get used to doing it herself as well.

    ¡ºGood luck then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran pulled out the toolkit we got back at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. In it, she found a pair of tweezers and a thin de. Both items were said to be necessities for adventurers with scout-type jobs.

    The toolkit also included instructions on how one would go about disarming traps, and went over several different principles. The method Fran was trying now was specifically one that made the trap harmless instead of just t out obliterating it. That is, she would figure out how it worked before destroying one of the key mechanisms that rendered it operational as opposed to just messing the whole thing up.

    The trap that the two of us were looking at right now was activated through a weight trigger. That is, applying weight to the area it which it was set would lower it, thereby pulling a wire which in turn would release an arrow from a hole in the wall to our left. As far as I could tell, there were two ways to disarm the trap. The first was to plug the hole, and the second was to carefully cut the wire.

    Fran ended up deciding to go with thetter of the two options, and thrust the de she got from the toolkit into a thin gap in the floor thaty between the activation tile and the rest of the cave.

    We were still only on the first floor, so the trap was still a rtively simple one that didn¡¯t take much effort to disarm. The arrow was positioned so that it¡¯d only hit people that were standing, so we honestly could¡¯ve just crouched and had Fran press the tile in order to disarm the trap by setting it off had we been anyzier.

    In fact, we didn¡¯t even actually need to disarm it. We could¡¯ve just avoided the activation tile and been done with it, but we decided to go through with the entire procedure because we figured it was a good chance for Fran to get some practice in.

    ¡¸¡­Done.¡¹

    ¡ºYup, looks like you did it.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The dungeon had the ability to repair itself, so the trap would end up getting rearming in a few hours time. In other words, we won¡¯t be able to piggyback off other adventurers. All the traps they disarmed would be back to normal by the time we reached them.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s look for next trap.¡¹

    Apparently, Fran had enjoyed disarming the trap. She was scanning the area for more with an entertained expression on her face.

    ¡ºEr, sure. But I think we¡¯ll have go dive a bit deeper first if you want to find any.¡»

    Why do I feel like she might end up wanting to choose a scout-rted job for her next job change? Crap, what if she actually does, and stops wanting to be a swordsman?

    ¡¸Trap found. Want to disarm. Okay?¡¹

    ¡ºSure, go for it.¡»

    Everything¡¯ll work out just fine, right¡­?

    ¡ºIs disarming traps really that fun?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes gleamed as she approached a hole in the wall. The way she stood in front of it with her arms crossed and her expression all serious almost made it seem like she was giving off the aura of a trap craftsman.

    Is she this entertained because she finds traps to be like puzzles or something?

    ¡ºI guess we¡¯ll keep watch over our surroundings¡­¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

 Chapter 149: An In-Dungeon Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 149: An In-Dungeon Encounter</h4>

    We were steadily grinding our way through the dungeon.

    The first floor¡¯s traps were simple, and its magic beasts weak. Hence, we¡¯d managed to reach the stairs leading to the dungeon¡¯s second floor whilst remainingpletely unscathed.

    ¡¸Hurry to second floor.¡¹

    ¡ºThe first floor kinda had this whole like testing ground-like feel.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I mean, we were careful and all that, but holy crap that first floor was way too easy.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s keep going till things start getting a bit too difficult.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Welp, onto the second floor we go.

    We descended the stairs while keeping an eye on our surroundings, only to find a scene that could be described as rtively familiar.

    That is, Fran, Urushi and I found ourselves in a small room with three paths splitting off of it.

    ¡¸Keep left?¡¹

    ¡ºSure, why not?¡»

    I mean, we didn¡¯t really know anything about this ce, and it wasn¡¯t like we could make a more informed decision or anything, so whatever works, works.

    And so, just like that, we managed to breeze our way through the dungeon¡¯s first 4 floors without even the slightest bit of trouble from any of the traps or magic beasts we ran into along the way.

    We didn¡¯t run into any other adventurers either. The first couple floors didn¡¯t seem to have anything that¡¯d provide an adventurer with any real sort of ie, so most people probably just followed a map and dove straight down the shortest route or something.

    Making our way through the dungeon without a map and disarming all the traps we ran into along the way filled us with a sense of idle curiosity.

    The fifth floor was a slight bit different to the four that preceded it.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡»

    Namely, it¡¯s traps were a tad bit more difficult to deal with; it took Fran quite a bit more time to disarm them. As a result, traversing the fifth floor ended up taking about as much time as the third and fourth put together.

    ¡¸Master, trap.¡¹

    ¡ºMan, putting a trap right in front of the stairs leading to the next floor is one hell of a doock move.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd it¡¯s a pretty difficult one to disarm too.¡»

    I checked out its inner workings by using echolocation, and turned out it was actually fairlyplex. That said though, itsplexity only ended up pumping Fran up the more.

    ¡¸Will do best.¡¹

    And so, Fran started tinkering with the trap with a serious look on her face. She remained quiet throughout the process, hence causing the dungeon to be dead silent save for the trap¡¯s metallic nking and the asional breath.

    Both Urushi and I quietly stood by and watched over her as she went about taking the thing apart.

    She and I both let out a bit of a noise about five minutes after she first got to work.

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    ¡ºWelp.¡»

    Three arrows flew out from the ceiling, their tips aimed straight at Urushi¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Whimper!¡¹

    ¡ºAre you alright, boy?¡»

    ¡¸Wooof¡­¡¹

    It looked like he somehow managed to dodge them in time. Well, hopefully he learns his lesson, and stays on guard from now on even if we¡¯re not actually having any sort of trouble.

    ¡¸Sorry. Made mistake.¡¹

    It looked like she cut the wrong wire.

    ¡ºIt looks like it¡¯s much harder to deal with than the all the earlier ones. It might be a bit hard for you to disarm with it unless you get a job that enhances your ability to mess with traps.¡»

    ¡¸Will disarm next one. Without fail.¡¹

    ¡ºSure. I don¡¯t really see any issue with us going at it a few extra times.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Attempting to disarm moreplex traps is probably a pretty good way to train up the Disarm Trap skill anyways.

    ¡ºYou stay motivated too, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Alright, let¡¯s go down those stairs.

    ¡ºLooks like the sixth floor starts off pretty much the same way as the others before it did.¡»

    ¡¸Three paths. Still left?¡¹

    It ended up turning out that the only part of theyout that actually remained the same was the first.

    The sixth floor¡¯s traps were much more difficult to disarm, and we only managed to sessfully get four out of five.

    They¡¯d also be much more deadly. The arrows were coated in poison, there was a bunch more smoke, and the pitfalls were made twice as deep. I mean, they weren¡¯t so bad that they¡¯d cause instant death, but they were definitely deep enough to cause quite a few serious injuries.

    The magic beasts ended up getting a good bit stronger too.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡ºFire Javelin!¡»

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºNice!¡»

    The battles functioned as yet another form of practice. That is, Fran was using them in order to better her sword drawing techniques.

    We faced off against assassin slimes and chameleon lizards, just to name a few. The first of the two mentioned would crawl out of cracks in the dungeon¡¯s walls in order to assault us, whereas the second would attempt to blend in with the walls themselves. All the magic beasts we met were like them, the cunning little bastards refused to y fair and kept trying to pull fast ones on us. Worst of all was the fact that most of them were ridiculously difficult to notice.

    Yeah, I could totally see why training here would let you grind up your detection-based skills real quick.

    That said though, they were still far from being our match. They were probably E ranked threats at best, so they didn¡¯t end up managing to put any damage on us either. Honestly, I felt like the traps were more difficult to deal with.

    ¡ºThe magic beasts should get stronger if we dive a bit deeper, but they honestly don¡¯t amount to much right now¡­¡»

    I mean, it was still our first day here, so I didn¡¯t really see any issue with us just sitting around and practicing stuff for a bit. We might end up having quite a bit of trouble detecting some of the stuff on the lower floors, so yeah.

    Well, we might as well keep going for now. We can figure out whether we want to keep going or not when we actually do start running into the more difficult to deal with magic beasts.

    Only after clearing the sixth floor did we meet our first adventurer.

    A half dead, bloodied young man was sitting on the dungeon¡¯s floor with his back leaning against one of its walls. A second, older many beside him, but unlike the first, the second had already breathed hisst. Though, the first did look like he¡¯d soon do the same if we just left him there.

    It seemed he had the Appraisal Blocking skill, as I couldn¡¯t actually appraise him at all, so the only thing I could do was go off his looks, which informed me he was some sort of beastkin. I didn¡¯t really see any reason not to help him. There were three of us here, so we could easily just dispatch him if he turned out to be some sort of viin.

    ¡ºGreater Heal¡»

    ¡¸¡­What¡­ just¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Still alive?¡¹

    ¡¸Did¡­ you just help¡­ me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, thanks. Wait, was there anyone else, or was it just me here?¡¹

    ¡¸One more. Didn¡¯t make it.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha!? Leader!! Why did it have toe to this¡­?¡¹

    The beastkin boy began to cry as he clung to the corpse of the man he called his leader.

    ¡¸Uuu¡­¡¹

    Fran immediately raised me and pointed me towards him. Her actions were merciless but also absolutely necessary.

    ¡¸No evidence you didn¡¯t kill him.¡¹

    There was always the possibility that the boy was just acting, and that he was a thief that¡¯d traded fatal blows with the now-dead man. I mean, he looked like his feelings were genuine, but we couldn¡¯t appraise him, so we couldn¡¯t let our guard down.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re an adventurer too? You¡¯re¡­ so much more amazing than me.¡¹

    ¡¸Give answer.¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know how I can make you possibly believe me, but he and I really were friends¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHe isn¡¯t lying.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ll believe me?¡¹

    ¡¸Can tell is truth by looking.¡¹

    The boy seemed relieved despite the fact that we¡¯d just totally t out bullsheetted him; he breathed a sigh as he unsteadily rose to his feet.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What happened?¡¹

    I kind of pity him, but I felt it was important for us to figure out exactly what happened.

    The boy responded to Fran¡¯s inquiries and slowly began filling us in on everything. The party he¡¯d been a part of had beenposed of four F rankers, an E ranker, and a D ranker.

    They¡¯d finished collecting all the materials they¡¯d sought out to, and were on their way back.

    ¡¸But we were suddenly attacked.¡¹

    ¡¸Magic beast?¡¹

    ¡¸Humans. Magic beasts wouldn¡¯t be able to wipe out a party of six even if they did get the jump on them, not on this floor. The people that attacked us were evil adventurers, thieves.¡¹

    Yeah, I figured there¡¯d be people who did stuff like that.

    The boy¡¯s party had heard rumours of adventurers acting as thieves. They were also aware that the guild had even stated that bringing those guilty of the act would be rewarded. Hence, the boy¡¯s party had been all gung ho about eliminating them, but they ultimately ended up finding themselves outmatched.

    ¡¸They used traps to get rid of two of us right off the bat, then killed another two of our other members in the surprise attack that followed. There were still two of us left afterwards, but we weren¡¯t able to do anything against the three thieves we were against. Leader had somehow managed to use a Teleportation Feather by mustering up thest of his strength. The two of us should¡¯ve been able to teleport out¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Just you and leader here.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Attackers, what kind of people?¡¹

    ¡¸Their faces were masked, and their equipment didn¡¯t really have any distinguishing features¡­ so the only thing I know is that they were a group of four, and that they were all men.¡¹

    Hmm¡­ what do? I mean, we could just have Ss, the boy, head towards the exit on his own, but he¡¯d probably die if left all by himself. We kinda went out of our way to save him, so I don¡¯t really want to just let him roll over and die after the fact.

    In the end, we decided to apany him back to town. I mean, a pretty fair distance for just a single day¡¯s worth of adventuring anyways, so yeah.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for causing you so much trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Helping those in trouble, normal.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. I¡¯d like to bring Leader with us too. I don¡¯t want to let the dungeon absorb him if possible.¡¹

    The corpses of any humans and magic beasts would end up getting absorbed by the dungeon after about a day. This is only preventable by either taking the corpse outside the dungeon or dismantling it.

    Soras was nning to carry the corpse out on his own, but that¡¯d take way too long.

    We might as well help him carry the leader guy out, even if we just leave the rest of hispanions as is

    There was no way for us to get the rest of hispanions out, but I guess we might as well carry the Leader guy for him.

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What just¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Dimensional storage.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! That¡¯s amazing! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen it before!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Go.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, yeah, wait up!¡¹

    And so, Fran started climbing back up the stairs with Leader¡¯s corpse in tow.

 Chapter 150: Attackers

    <h4>Chapter 150: Attackers</h4>

    We led Ss back to surface by retracing the path we took on our way down. We had healed him, but he was still missing quite a bit of blood so I figured his pace would be a rather slow one. Contrary to my expectations, however, he was still moving along fairly steadily regardless.

    I¡¯d honestly just kinda ended up assuming that he was an F ranker because he said his party wasprised of D, E and F ranked adventurers, but he seemed to at least be as good as an E ranker.

    ¡¸Hey Fran, are you using some sort of detection type skill? It sure seems like it. I¡¯ve only got Presence Detection myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Ss seemed to be the boisterous type. He more or less kept talking and wouldn¡¯t shut up despite the fact that all Fran really ever did in response to his rambling was nod.

    We were able to progress up through the dungeon fairly quickly due to the fact that the traps we disarmed had yet to be restored. I wasn¡¯t sure if everything would stay disarmed long enough for us to break through the fifth and sixth floors, but I sure hoped that would end up being the case, as the traps therein were more difficult to deal with.

    Two men appeared in front of us as we continued to make our way towards the exit.

    ¡¸Hey there.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Hi.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh¡­? Are you two by yourselves?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible. They¡¯re just kids. There¡¯s no way two kids would be able to make it this deep by themselves.¡¹

    ¡¸Right, good point. So where¡¯s your party at?¡¹

    Both men seemed rather surprised that Fran and Ss appeared to be travelling alone. I couldn¡¯t really me them. They were really quite justified if one was to take the norm into ount. That said though, they soon regained their calm after asking us a few questions.

    ¡¸So you two really are all by yourselves?¡¹

    ¡¸And you¡¯re adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that wolf your familiar?¡¹

    ¡¸Feel free to stick with us for a bit if you got separated from the rest of your party members.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, that¡¯s not a bad idea!¡¹

    ¡¸Right? Come on, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    They seemed like good guys that were concerned about Fran and Ss¡­

    Not.

    A quick appraisal immediately informed me that they were about as viinous as could be.

    They not only had the theft, torture, threaten, and deceptions skills, but were also marked with titles iming them to be murderers.

    My immediate guess was that their strategy was to approach other adventurers in an amicable manner and attack them the moment they let their guards down. You would normally think that dungeon cards could totally be used to prove that one had killed another adventurer seeing as how it logged stuff, but that wasn¡¯t the case. They only recorded monster kills and couldn¡¯t be used to prove whether or not one wasmiting crime within the dungeon¡¯s confines.

    I felt another person sneak up behind us as I contemted whether these guys were the same group that attacked Ss¡¯ party ¡ª not that it really mattered. In either case, they were enemies we had to defeat, and that was that.

    ¡ºBe careful Fran, these guys are thieves.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Woof?£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s the matter, boy?¡»

    £¨Woof woof?£©

    Apparently, he was questioning why I¡¯d used appraisal, given that Dias had literally just warned us to be more prudent in its use.

    He had a point, but I quickly justified to him my actions. That is, Dias¡¯ warnings more so pertained to cases involving royalty, namely in public situations. He also basically more or less exined that other people would also sometimes get mad when appraised because it was seen as a breach of etiquette in general. One of his other key points was that using it under certain circumstances could also get you caught up in some sort of ploy or conspiracy if you weren¡¯t careful.

    Dungeons, however, detailed a whole different scenario. You couldn¡¯t really not use Appraisal in dungeon-based settings seeing as how it was prettymon for one to run into idiots like these guys. If anything, using it was more natural than not. You¡¯d really need to be a special type of stupid to unconditionally trust someone you just met, especially if that someone happened to have a weapon.

    The only thing you could get out of calling breach of etiquette under such a circumstance would honestly be suspicion. It is possible for something unfortunate toe out of indiscriminately using Appraisal even in a dungeon, but that¡¯d only happen if the other party happened to have some super rare skill that happened to damage those that tried to appraise them. Even then, I¡¯d honestly say that appraising them would probably still be worth the risk.

    I wouldn¡¯t mind being on the receiving end either. That is, I¡¯d think it fair and notin if someone wanted to appraise us in order to trust us if we happened to meet them in the middle of a dungeon.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s just how it is, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡»

    I finished exining my thoughts to Urushi right about when the men began getting impatient at the fact that Fran had remained silent.

    ¡¸So? Where yo party at?¡¹

    One of the men began talking in a rougher tone, as if he couldn¡¯t keep his act up any longer.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, try leaving one of them alive if you can. Preferably whichever one seems to be in charge.¡»

    £¨The rest?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯d be too much of a pain in the ass to take them all back into the city with just us here, so you can just cut them up if you want.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    ¡ºTheir stats aren¡¯t too low, so be careful. Urushi, you be in charge of guarding Ss.¡»

    £¨Growl!£©

    Though even with that said, I honestly couldn¡¯t shirk off the possibility that these men weren¡¯t the same group that had attacked Ss. They could¡¯ve just been former viins that had already been rehabilitated into upstanding citizens. The chance of such a scenario was incredibly small, but there nheless, so I honestly hoped for them to make the first move, just in order to confirm that they really were viins.

    Fortunately, their next actions almost seemed to function as a response to that hope of mine; one of the men lost his patience and began attacking us.

    ¡¸Ugh, whatever, enough of this sheet already.¡¹

    The person who spoke seemed to be a leader, and his words some sort of signal. The man that¡¯d been sneaking up behind Fran immediately drew his a dagger and dashed towards her at an incredible speed.

    Although the attacker was just a thief, I had to admit that he wasn¡¯t all that bad atbat. Specifically, I felt that he deserved praise for remaining cautious. He didn¡¯t let his guard down around Fran despite her being a young girl, he remained vignt and tried to deliver a blow that would hinder any future actions as opposed to one that would y her in one strike. In other words, he didn¡¯t fullymit himself to the engagement and tried to make sure that he¡¯d be able to withdraw if he wasn¡¯t able to aplish his objective.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s a careful one, but not nearly careful enough.¡»

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    I stopped the man¡¯s dagger in ce, and sliced his neck open with wind magic before he was able to recover from the shock of his arm suddenly losing all its momentum and freezing in ce.

    ¡¸Huh!? What!?¡¹

    Ss was leftpletely bamboozled as the situation continued to rapidly change.

    ¡¸Daz!¡¹

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    Fran sliced one of the men into pieces, and sent the other flying by batting him with the t of my de.

    ¡¸Gruaaahh!¡¹

    The man that got sent flying had so much momentum that he ended up cracking the wall he was smashed against. His arms and ribs both looked like that¡¯d immediately been broken. His spine looked like it¡¯d seen much better days as well.

    ¡¸Why¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Too obvious.¡¹

    ¡¸Foock¡¯n¡­ ¡®ell¡­¡¹

    The man responded to Fran with a frustrated groan before finally losing consciousness.

    £¨Master, what now?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head back into the city for now so we can hand the guy we just captured off to the guild. You get rewarded for turning him in, remember? We can probably get him to tell us who he¡¯s working with while we¡¯re at it.¡»

    Ss approached the man while we were figuring what to do with him and immediately swung his sword without even the slightest shred of hesitation.

    His action and Fran¡¯s response to it caused a metallic ng to ring through the dungeon¡¯s corridors.

    The man we painstakingly refrained from killing would¡¯ve ended up six feet under had Fran not used me to stop Ss¡¯ strike.

    ¡¸Exin?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, seeing him again just made me want to¡­¡¹

    It turned out that these guys really were the ones that¡¯d attacked Ss and his party. He ultimately ended up lowering his sword, but continued to fiercely re at the scumbag we had just captured regardless.

 Chapter 151: Skill Related Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 151: Skill Rted Suspicion</h4>

    We started moving back towards the city immediately after eliminating the thieves that¡¯d attacked us.

    Ss had asked to let him take up the lead, to which we raised no objections.

    It felt like a much better idea to keep him as far away from our captive as possible, just in case he felt like murdering him again. Apparently, the men had still been holding onto the items they stole from Ss¡¯ party, so we retrieved them and stuffed them inside of Ss¡¯ Item Box.

    We¡¯d been unable to discern his skills because he had Appraisal Blocking, but it turned out that he was a scout-like kinda guy. He¡¯d asionally find traps and move to avoid them.

    That said though, it didn¡¯t seem like he was skilled enough to notice and avoid all of them.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    An arrow shot out of the ceiling and made its way towards Urushi, but therge wolf had managed to grab the projectile with his mouth before it hit him. Dat reaction speed though.

    ¡¸Okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, my bad.¡¹

    Ss immediately apologized for missing the trap. I couldn¡¯t me him though. He was in a bit of a rush, so he seemed less on guard than he otherwise would have been. Plus, it¡¯s not like we pick up on every single trap either.

    Hmmmmm¡­ Though, for some odd reason, I felt a sudden sense of difort, as if something was out of ce¡­ It was almost like a jolt of electricity had run through my brain ¡ª not that I actually had one in the first ce.

    ¡ºHmmm¡­¡»

    £¨Master? Something wrong?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m not quite sure how to put it, but¡­ I feel like something¡¯s not right.¡»

    £¨Nn?£©

    ¡ºLike, do you feel like anything¡¯s just a bit off?¡»

    £¨Hm?£©

    ¡ºWhat about you, Urushi?¡»

    £¨Woof?£©

    Was I just imagining things?

    ¡¸I¡¯m really sorry, I just set off another trap.¡¹

    Oh! There it is again¡­

    ¡ºHow about just now?¡»

    £¨Nn?£©

    £¨Woof?£©

    Neither Fran nor Urushi were able to feel what I was feeling, despite the fact that it was pretty much the same as the feeling I got when I sensed magic beasts and traps and whatnot. Hm¡­ Weird, I don¡¯t get it.

    ¡ºOh well, whatever, let¡¯s just keep going.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Um, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Unharmed.¡¹

    ¡¸Whew, good¡­¡¹

    Ss came to a sudden stop after we advanced a bit further.

    Did something happen?

    ¡¸There¡¯s something over there.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Where?¡¹

    ¡¸Over there.¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t see anything in the direction Ss was pointing. I mean, he wasn¡¯t wrong though. My senses were telling me that there was some sort of trap there, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. That odd sensation of something being off was back too.

    ¡¸It¡¯s literally right there. You know what,e on, let¡¯s go check it out.¡¹

    Huh¡­ It just happened again. Yeah, alright. I¡¯m definitely not imagining it.

    That said though, I wasn¡¯t given any time to figure out why I¡¯d been feeling it to begin with, as Ss had immediately dashed forwards without waiting for Fran to first respond to him. Four small holes opened up around us and immediately began to emit a sort of mist. There was one above, one under, and one on either side.

    The mist was something that our skills renderedpletely invalid: poisonous gas.

    ¡¸Ah! My bad!¡¹

    It looked like Ss had identally stepped on the trap¡¯s activation switch. Seriously, holy crap, why is he messing up this much? Like, even given the current circumstances, he really shouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    We couldn¡¯t actually see him because of all the poison that got emitted, but we could still hear his voice.

    And along with said voice once again came that odd sense of incongruity.

    It seemed like it was something I¡¯d feel whenever he spoke. Wait, could it be that this is what Dias described as the odd sensation you¡¯d get when someone used a skill on you? Wait, that¡¯d have to mean that Ss was using some kind of skill¡­

    On us.

    Doubts began flooding my mind the moment I came to that realization, as if they¡¯d broken through and burst out of a dam.

    At first, he said that he was attacked by 3 people, but heter went on to say that there were 4 thieves. At the time, I¡¯d ignored it because I thought to be an honest mistake, but it looked like I messed up. I trusted someone I just met despite not being able to appraise them. Why the hell?

    He¡¯d also said that the men that attacked him were masked, but he managed to recognize them immediately. Like, how? That just t out didn¡¯t make sense.

    I also don¡¯t understand how I didn¡¯t catch the fact that him asking us questions nonstop was actually just him probing our skills and whatnot.

    He kept activating traps, and even tried to kill the man we captured to top it all off. Like holy crap, he¡¯s suspicious as all hell.

    The only reason I trusted him was because the Principle of Falsehood hadn¡¯t told me that he was lying, because he technically wasn¡¯t.

    An incredibly powerful sense of difort assaulted me, one much greater than all the others I¡¯d felt before it. Why had we treated someone that we¡¯d met less than an hour ago like apanion? And as if it was natural too.

    The answer to that question was one that I simply could not exin. My guess was that Ss had done something to us, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what, and also still couldn¡¯t help but have the sneaking suspicion that I was wrong about this whole thing.

    Ss was definitely suspicious, but we had no solid evidence that he was the one behind all this¡­

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t respond to him.¡»

    £¨?£©

    ¡ºJust do as I¡¯m about to tell you.¡»

    Fran followed my instructions and took a knee. Likewise, we had Urushi ¡°copse¡± on the ground. Naturally, the two were both just acting.

    If Ss really was what I thought he was , then he¡¯d probably try something ¡ª not that he¡¯d actually be able to harm us. I could activate Telekinesis literally instantly, and I¡¯d already cast Chronos Clock, a Dimensional Magic spell, on both Fran and Urushi. The spell allowed the two to interpret Ss¡¯ actions in slow motion, and thus retaliate should he try something.

    Chronos Clock¡¯s biggest disadvantage was the fact that his words would get slowed down as well, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out what he was saying, hence why I didn¡¯t cast the spell on myself as well.

    ¡¸Did you just you use some sort of magic¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fran? Are you okay?¡¹

    It seemed he sensed that we¡¯d cast a spell. I guess casting Chronos Clock wasn¡¯t exactly the best idea, but better safe than sorry.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, so you used some sort of magic, but weren¡¯t able to prevent yourself from being poisoned?¡¹

    ¡¸Uu.¡¹

    Fran was showing off her acting skills by pretending to be in pain.

    ¡¸It looks like you really have been poisoned. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you make it so it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡¹

    He still wasn¡¯t lying, but his actions served to contradict his words. That is, he¡¯d drawn the de at his waist and swung it in Fran¡¯s direction.

    Actually, thinking about it, what he said was clich¨¦, but it wasn¡¯t wrong. Killing someone was indeed a way to prevent them from feeling any further pain.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? How!? That shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡¹

    ¡¸Fmmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Guahhh!¡¹

    Fran easily dodged his de, drew me, and performed a pair of shes. The first removed his right hand from the wrist down, and seperated him from his sword. The second caused him to part with his right leg.

    ¡¸What¡­¡¹

    Ss, who¡¯d copsed, looked up at us with an expression filled but with shock.

    There wasn¡¯t any way for Fran to converse with him while she was still under the effects of Chronos Clock, so I undid the spell and let her talk.

    ¡¸First. Deactivate Appraisal Blocking.¡¹

 Chapter 152: Solas

    <h4>Chapter 152: Ss</h4>

    We quickly threw a heal at Ss, who was still copsed on the ground and unable to rise to his feet. He lost both an arm and a leg; his injuries were far too serious for a single heal to fix, but we didn¡¯t really care. All we needed was for him to stop bleeding so we could question him.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    His expression remained constant throughout the process. That is, he simply continued to re in Fran¡¯s direction.

    ¡¸First. Deactivate Appraisal Blocking.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸ying dumb. Pointless.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see. You must have Appraisal then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸And what if I say no?¡¹

    His expression was filled with a sort of strength, one that left me confused as to whether he was trying to negotiate or just t out defy us for the sake of it. Either way, we didn¡¯t care. We weren¡¯t nning to really negotiate with him in the first ce.

    What we needed to do was figure out what the skill he was using on us was.

    ¡¸Will keep hitting, but won¡¯t kill. Can use healing magic, won¡¯t allow suicide.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran¡¯sck of an expression was pretty nice to have at times like this. It made her soundpletely serious ¡ª not that we weren¡¯t actuallypletely serious anyways.

    Ss seemed to have sensed it, as his eyes had immediately began expressing his fear.

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯ll at least let me live, right?¡¹

    I felt something again the moment he spoke in that probe-like manner. The sensation I felt this time, however, was a bit different than usual. It was much more clear. I could immediately tell that Ss had done something to us.

    The sensation was very much akin to having someone stroke my de, it was one that was simply impossible for me to ignore.

    I was pretty sure that Malice Perception, Crisis Detection, Magic Detection, and Presence Detection were all working in conjunction in order to allow me to sense that he¡¯d used a skill on us.

    ¡ºFran, did you feel anything just now?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat about you, Urushi?¡»

    £¨Woof?£©

    Neither of the two could sense anything at all. Why was I the only one capable of picking this up? My immediate guess was that it was probably because I had the Sorcery skill, and that it made me better at picking up on magical energy and the flow thereof. If that is indeed the case, then I guess that just means that I¡¯m just better at picking up magic-rted stuff, kinda like how Fran¡¯s better at picking up stuff that involves using the five senses.

    £¨Something done to us?£©

    ¡ºI think so.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded and stabbed me straight through Ss¡¯ back.

    ¡¸Giiiiiiihhhh!¡¹

    It was a well aimed thrust; I went right through his lungs. If Ss were an ordinary person, he probably would¡¯ve died just then. Him being an adventurer only prolonged his pain. The fact that he wasn¡¯t weak disallowed him from even fainting. He was forced to endure an exorbitant amount of pain as blood spewed from his lips.

    ¡¸Hiiigiiiigigiiiiiihh!¡¹

    ¡¸Middle Heal¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    Being healed caused Ss to fall into despair. Only then did he realize just how far she was willing to take this.

    ¡¸Will not allow any actions until Appraisal Blocking deactivated.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha¡­Ha¡­¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was because he started getting scared, or whether it was just because we¡¯d stabbed him through the lung, but Ss¡¯ breath gotten all ragged. He didn¡¯t bother putting up a front any longer. He hadn¡¯t removed his gaze from Fran, but tears had welled up in his eyes.

    ¡¸I-I get it, I get it! I¡¯ll deactivate the skill. It¡¯s one of my equips, so you¡¯ll have to let me take it off! Give me just a second!¡¹

    He brought his hand out in front of him and bit down on his ring in an attempt to take it off. Apparently that was what was stopping us from appraising him.

    Oh right, we chopped off his other arm so he can¡¯t really take it off normally, can he?

    That said though, it refused to budge, which kinda did make sense. Rings were like that. They¡¯d get stuck if you gained even the slightest bit of weight.

    ¡¸Haa¡­ mmmphhh¡­¡¹

    However, Fran wasn¡¯t what you¡¯d call the patient type. Seeing him fiddle around with it only served to annoy her.

    ¡¸Enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Whagyaaa!!¡¹

    Ss lifted his head with a bit of a stupid look on his face in response to her words, only to immediately lose his finger. Fran finished everything up nice and quick by severing it before he had much of a chance to protest against her actions. The man had naturally let out a scream in pain, but I didn¡¯t really mind it too much. I was more so focused on admiring Fran¡¯s technique. She¡¯d managed to separate him and his finger without causing even the slightest bit of damage elsewhere.

    ¡¸Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii hiii¡¹

    The onlyment I had was that it was a shame the ring had been broken ¡ª not that it was even the slightest bit Fran¡¯s fault. It seemed like the ring was the disposable type of equip. It was made to break the moment it was removed. That said though, it was still pretty worthwhile an item seeing as how it prevented people from appraising you and all.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Ss

    Age: 33

    Race: Beastman/Red Cat Tribe

    Job: Labyrinth Scout

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 34

    ¡°HP: 208

    MP: 187

    STR: 101

    VIT: 98

    AGI: 187

    INT: 111

    MGC: 84

    DEX: 191

    Skills

    Assassination: Lv 3

    Acting: Lv 6

    Espionage: Lv 6

    Deception: Lv 5

    Presence Detection: Lv 3

    Silenced Actions: Lv 4

    Dagger Techniques: Lv 3

    Dagger Arts: Lv 6

    Throwing: Lv 4

    Poison Resistance: Lv 3

    Magic Detection: Lv 2

    Trap Detection: Lv 6

    Trap Disarming: Lv 6

    Vitality Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Coerced Camaraderie: Lv 6

    Titles

    Traitor

    Murderer

    _______________________________________________________________

    Huh, he seemed decently strong, and his skill levels weren¡¯t too bad either. In fact, he looked like he could be a C ranker if he wanted.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s got a unique skill, it looks like. Coerced Camaraderie, apparently.¡»

    ¡¸Coerced Camaraderie? Effects?¡¹

    ¡¸Err¡­ that, right, yeah, that! I¡¯ll answer you, so lower your sword and have your wolf back off a bit already!¡¹

    ¡¸Growl.¡¹

    Okay, he seriously needs to just get to the point. We don¡¯t have time to listen to him rabble on and on forever.

    ¡¸It¡¯s just a boring little skill that¡¯ll make people think of me as a friend orrade. It lowers the target¡¯s guard and makes them less doubtful of what I do. It¡¯s nothing special. I can¡¯t use it to make people treat me like their best friends or lovers.¡¹

    Ah, so that¡¯s it. That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t suspect him, or rather, that¡¯s why we thought we were just imagining the fact that he was acting suspiciously.

    ¡¸It¡¯s a skill that¡¯ll undo its effects the moment you happen to have any strong doubts.¡¹

    ¡¸Used skill to infiltrate adventurer parties and attackpanions?¡¹

    ¡¸Pretty much.¡¹

    I figured that was the case. My guess was that he¡¯s been popping traps and whatnot on people here for quite some time already.

    ¡¸Any otherpanions?¡¹

    ¡¸None. Just the people you killed.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a lie right there.¡»

    ¡¸Lies. How many total?¡¹

    Fran pointed me right at Ss¡¯ face.

    ¡¸Do you¡­ happen to have a skill that detects lies too?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Man, I was being extra cautious of that too¡­¡¹

    Ah, I see, I see. He had Appraisal Blocking and Coerced Camaraderie. He¡¯d be able to basicallye off clean so long as he stayed vignt of any lie detecting skills.

    Now that I think about it, he was always speaking kinda ambiguously. His answers, for the most part, could¡¯ve been taken both ways. They¡¯d technically be right regardless of how we interpreted them. Moreover, Coerced Camaraderie would do to most people what it did to us, and make it so that said ambiguous answers were regarded as ones that affirmed his innocence.

    The Principle of Falsehood was honestly a pretty useful skill, but we couldn¡¯t really be relying on it all the time. We needed to be more careful about the manner in which we asked questions, else risk having this, or something like this, happen again. Learning that here and now was honestly one huge gain on our part.

    ¡¸Two choices. Answer honestly now. Answer honestly after torture.¡¹

    ¡¸I have four other subordinates!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I¡¯m d he was all honest and what not, but¡­ seriously? He was the guy leading all the thieves this whole time?

    ¡¸Where?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­They should be at the guild.¡¹

    Ss¡¯ role was to find targets for the rest of his teams. He¡¯d usually go after parties on the rise, people who were earning a fair amount of cash and acting all gung ho about it. Very few would be suspicious of parties like that suddenly going missing seeing as how they usually had the tendency to act rather recklessly.

    He¡¯d reach out about once a month, and even then, hisckies wouldn¡¯t actually act every single time. They were cautious and did their best to ensure that there wouldn¡¯t be any rumours about how the parties Ss joined would vanish.

    Alright, I guess we¡¯ll have Ss take us to the rest of hispanions. Gotta take out the trash and whatnot, you know?

    ¡ºHmmm, you see, we¡¯ve got a bit of a problem. He knows a lot about our skills and stuff. I¡¯m not sure letting him go free is that good of an idea. He might go around telling other people about us. What do you think we should do?¡»

    £¨Kill.£©

    ¡ºHmm¡­ I mean, I guess that works, but¡­¡»

    We would be able to get a good amount of info out of hisckies, but there¡¯s probably some stuff that only he, as their boss, knows as well. You know, like where he stores his loot and stuff.

    ¡ºActually, hold up. Don¡¯t kill him just yet. There¡¯s something I want to try.¡»

    We should be fine so long as we stop him from leaking anything about us.

    ¡¸Won¡¯t inflict any more pain if taken to their location.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, I got it¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But only on one condition. Will form contract.¡¹

    ¡¸Contract? You can use contract magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t say anything about us. Leaking information means death. Must agree to contract terms.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take it!¡¹

    Yeah, I figured he¡¯d say that. He¡¯d die if he didn¡¯t, soooo, yeah.

    ¡¸Then will create contract.¡¹

 Chapter 153: Erza Is Willing

    <h4>Chapter 153: Erza Is Willing</h4>

    We had a pretty easy time getting back up to the surface.

    Ss had spent the rest of the trip wrapped up in some of my threads and strapped to Urushi¡¯s back. We only healed him to the point of necessity; we closed his wounds and stopped him from bleeding anymore, but that was pretty much it.

    Fran had also stripped him of all his armour and even covered his face with a cloth in order to make sure that hispanions wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him on sight. He¡¯d already told us everything we wanted to know, so we¡¯d also gagged him in order to prevent him from speaking. We figured that we might as well bring him all the way over to the guild. It was impossible for anyone to tell that the person we had bagged was Ss, but we kinda just sorta really stood out anyways.

    ¡¸Oi oi, did something happen?¡¹

    ¡¸Was it serious?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure looks it. I wonder if everything¡¯s alright.¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like someone¡¯s gotten themselves a pretty serious injury.¡¹

    The gazes of the people around us immediately locked on to us the moment we left the dungeon. The guards had began rushing our way as well.

    Welp, it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯d be able to get out of this by making any sort of excuse, so I guess we¡¯ll have to tell the truth. That said though, we still wanted to keep attention to a minimum in order to prevent Ss¡¯ckies from getting away.

    ¡¸Got attacked during return trip.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The people around us immediately started to make a fuss the moment Fran informed the soldiers of our circumstances.

    ¡¸She did that to the person that attacked her?¡¹

    ¡¸Man, she¡¯s merciless.¡¹

    I feel like we gave the people around us a bit more of a scare than we should¡¯ve, though I guess it can¡¯t really be helped seeing as how our wolfpanion was kinda dragging a person with severed limbs around like a piece of luggage. The fact that we¡¯d hidden his face away didn¡¯t really help our case much either.

    You know, now that I think about it, the way we¡¯re going about this has a bit of a homicidal kinda feel to it, so I can kinda see why people are getting freaked out.

    ¡¸Oh, you were attacked by thieves?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice job there! Both you and your doggy did he good.¡¹

    That said though, the only people that got freaked out were the general popce¡¯s members. The adventurers and guards actually seemed to view our actions in a favourable light. To them, thieves and the like were vicious criminals whose actions verged on the unforgivable.

    I thought that they might end up being rather suspicious of us, but Fran¡¯s outward appearance manage to dissuade those who did and made everyone view us in a bit more favourable a light. They seemed to think that there was no way such a young girl would lie about capturing a thief, especially if she had him in tow. Moreover was the fact that going to the guild would allow verification of our im¡¯s authenticity. A few soldiers ended up offering to apany us to that end.

    ¡¸Are you nning to head back over to the guild?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll escort you over if so.¡¹

    Them apanying us was an action that¡¯d kill two birds with one stone; they¡¯d be able to escort and monitor us simultaneously. Honestly, we didn¡¯t mind it at all. In fact, we were happy to have them apany us, as it¡¯d help save time. It¡¯d make it so we wouldn¡¯t have to stop to exin our circumstances every single time we came across a guard.

    We happened to encounter Erza on our way back. He¡¯d ran over because he¡¯d heard something had happened, and was a bit concerned about all the fuss.

    He¡¯d initially assumed that Fran had been arrested, and started giving one of the soldiers a really hard time.

    ¡¸Are you okay, Fran!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Whew, thank god~ Were you afraid?¡¹

    ¡¸Perfectly fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu, you sure are a strong one. So I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the scummy thief that attacked you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup.¡¹

    Erza sent a hateful gaze in Ss¡¯ direction. It was one filled with such an an immense amount of rage that it caused its target to tremble despite him not being able to see it.

    The raging bisexual lowered his lips to Ss¡¯ ears before whispering a single line.

    ¡¸How wonderful.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I would¡¯ve smashed you to bits had you given her even the slightest scratch.¡¹

    We decided not to tell Erza about the fact that he¡¯d made us inhale a decent bit of poison. I feel like the he¡¯d go on a total rampage if we did, and we kinda couldn¡¯t have Ss dying on us right here and now since we still needed him to verify if we got the right people when we hunted them down.

    Actually, that might not be that much of a problem, if any at all¡­

    ¡ºHey Fran, what do you think of asking Erza to help us round up Ss¡¯ckies?¡»

    £¨Nn. Good idea.£©

    ¡ºI mean, there¡¯s a good chance that Erza knows what they look like. He¡¯s pretty damn strong too, so he shouldn¡¯t have any issues on that end of the spectrum. It¡¯d be far more likely to seed than us dragging Ss around everywhere looking for them too.¡»

    We were attracting a fair bit more attention than I¡¯d initially been suspecting. I wasn¡¯t actually all that keen on heading over to the guild as we were now. It didn¡¯t seem like that great an idea.

    It seemed like us meeting Erza here was actually a lucky break on our parts.

    ¡¸Erza.¡¹

    ¡¸Sup~ Did you need something?¡¹

    ¡¸Want favour.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, leave it to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t tell any details yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter, just leave it to me. I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to. What do you need? Want me to help you tap the Guildmaster because he¡¯s pissed you off? Or maybe punish the guards that¡¯ve been bullying you?¡¹

    Oh god, was that a joke? Please tell me it was. He looks he serious, but please tell me it was just the kind of joke homos like to make.

    For foocks sake, this guy makes me feel so creeped out that I get the chills despite being a god damn sword!

    Fran, however, seemed not to mind even in the slightest. She simply conveyed her request to Erza in her usual indifferent tone.

    ¡¸Need help capturing this man¡¯spanions.¡¹

    ¡¸Mhmm~¡¹

    Erza¡¯s eyes sparkled like those of a dragon that¡¯d found itself some prey as Fran told her theckies¡¯ names and features.

    ¡¸Will leave to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufu~ I just have to not kill them, right? That¡¯ll take a bit of effort.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. No issues so long as reward.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. I¡¯ll personally give you a reward if you don¡¯t end up getting one from the guild.¡¹

    That uh, no. We didn¡¯t mean that. We just want to take them alive so we can have them tell us where they keep their loot and fess up about all the stuff they¡¯ve done.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be off then!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Do best.¡¹

    No, Fran, no. Please don¡¯t tell him of all people to do his best. That just won¡¯t turn out right.

    ¡¸Ufufufufu! Hearing you cheer me on makes my bravery and vigour increase a hundred fold! Of course, the same goes for my love too. I¡¯ll be back soon, I¡¯ll catch them right away!¡¹

    The manwoman ran off like a gale before Fran had a chance to tell him to take it easy on Ss¡¯panions.

    ¡ºUh¡­¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I hope he doesn¡¯t mess them up too much. It¡¯d be nice if they were at least still recognizable by the time he was done with them.

 Chapter 154: Reeling Them All In At Once

    <h4>Chapter 154: Reeling Them All In At Once</h4>

    It took us a fair chunk of time to rush our way over to the guild. We¡¯d already figured out to get between the guild and the dungeon¡¯s entrance, and hence, it normally would have only taken us about 5 minutes to get ourselves all the way over, but we had to keep pace with the guards that¡¯d apanied us, so it ended up taking a whole 30.

    ¡¸We¡¯re¡­ finally here¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The soldiers that¡¯d apanied us were panting heavily. It seems we might¡¯ve been moving around just a bit too quickly for them. That said though, our thoughts weren¡¯t really with them. Both Fran and I were instead wondering whether or not Erza had managed to sessfully catch all of Ss¡¯panions.

    ¡¸Gyaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Help! Please, help!¡¹

    Okay yup, Erza be on a rampage.

    ¡¸Oh, hey Fran~ Wee back~¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Them?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup yup they are. We¡¯ve got all the evidence we need, so I¡¯m in the middle of giving them just a little bit of punishment.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll tell you whatever you want!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you everything I¡¯ve ever done wrong, so please, no more!¡¹

    Three men were crouching with their thighs shut closed together. Thest was, for some odd reason, copsed face up with both hands on his ass.

    ¡¸You naughty little boys were attacking other adventurers in the dungeon, weren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸We were!¡¹

    ¡¸So, you have a boss? Someone must be giving you orders, and someone must¡¯ve brought that whole idea up to begin with.¡¹

    ¡¸We do have one.¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Uh, that¡¯s¡­¡¹

    ¡¸If we talk, we¡¯ll¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You¡¯re more afraid of him than me? I guess I must need to punish you guys a bit more~¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiii! Please, no! It¡¯s Ss! Our leader is Ss, an E ranked adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s actually much stronger than he seems! He could probably take a D ranker head on if he wanted!¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯ll kill us all in just the blink of an eye!¡¹

    It seemed that they were absolutely terrified of Ss, though I guess I could see why. He was not only fairly skilled, but also capable of pulling off scummy moves in a calm manner. It seemed that he¡¯d always been the more cautious type of criminal too, so, those that knew of his actions probably thought him to be some ridiculously evil criminal mastermind.

    ¡¸That won¡¯t happen. He¡¯s already been captured too, right Fran?¡¹

    Well then. Looks like Erza had us totally figured out.

    The entire guild seemed to turn their gazes in our direction the moment the manwoman called us out.

    ¡¸Wait, is that supposed to be¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸The rumoured D ranker¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸A ck catkin¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸How adorable¡­¡¹

    It didn¡¯t seem like most people were looking at us favourably. Their gazes seemed to contain more curiosity, doubt, and lust than anything else.

    ¡¸Nn. This.¡¹

    ¡¸Thankies.¡¹

    Erza lifted the cloth that covered Ss¡¯ face and caused hispanions to start screaming. They werepleted blown aback by the shock of seeing the man that had always ordered them around in such a helpless state.

    ¡¸That¡¯s Ss?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you think Erza got him?¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?¡¹

    ¡¸It was Fran that caught him.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. While on way back.¡¹

    ¡¸She is a D ranker you know? And a really strong one too.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯re you saying?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way a little girl like her could¡¯ve caught Ss.¡¹

    Eh, I figured this would happen, and I honestly don¡¯t particrly care so long as we get rewarded appropriately.

    Erza, however, didn¡¯t seem to be able to find it in him to let them off.

    ¡¸So you don¡¯t believe me?¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not true. That¡¯s definitely not true at all! We totally believe you!¡¹

    ¡¸Good. Oh, right, why don¡¯t we ask Ss too. Hey Ss, who captured you?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸See! It¡¯s true.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    Erza puffed his chest up in pride in response to their ims, but it seemed that he was the only one that¡¯d believed the men he¡¯d coerced into agreeing with him. The people around us were still looking rather doubtful of the men¡¯s ims.

    ¡¸Where to put him?¡¹

    ¡¸Just wait around a bit. This is a pretty big deal, so the guildmaster should be right on his way.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you want to do anything while you wait? Do you maybe want to drink some tea?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, you lot. Keep watch over these guys.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing!¡¹

    Erza led Fran over to the guild¡¯s bar and left Ss and his underlings to the adventurers that happened to be be present.

    I didn¡¯t really think that to be a good idea at first, but it seemed that the adventurers he¡¯d ordered ended up taking his instructions with a surprising amount of sincerity. Though, I guess it does make sense. Erza would probably give them one hell of a harsh punishment if they let them get away and all.

    Plus, we were kinda in the adventurer¡¯s guild. It was kinda impossible for them to escape given that there were adventurers all over the ce.

    ***

    A stack of 20 tes of cake formed next to Fran and Erza over the course of about half an hour. The two seemed to be having fun; Fran nodded along as Erza told her about all sorts of things. He was really skilled at conversation, and honestly would be super popr if he was a bit easier on the eyes. That said though, I¡¯m not all that sure which gender he¡¯d actually be more popr with¡­

    As for Urushi, he was sitting off to the side happily gnawing on a fairlyrge bone.

    ¡¸Hey, I heard something happened.¡¹

    Only then did Dias finally show up.

    ¡¸That was really slow of you. Were you up to something?¡¹

    ¡¸I was on patrol. What about you? You two sure seem to be having fun.¡¹

    ¡¸Mhmm. We had looots.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, right. And he was the one responsible for that whole traitor ruckus?¡¹

    Dias seemed allid back and whatnot, but I really had to give it to him. He was deserving of both his A rank and his Guildmaster title. He had no mercy for those that harmed the guild and its interests; he aimed a ridiculous amount of bloodlust in Ss¡¯ direction as he spoke.

    ¡¸Hmm, I see, I see. So you¡¯ve beenmitting quite the number of crimes.¡¹

    Did he just read Ss¡¯ mind? I think he did, but he wasn¡¯t using the skill on us, and he had a tonne of other skills that made him more stealthy and difficult to read, so it was pretty much next to impossible for me to tell. I¡¯m going to have to work on my detection and perception type skills if I¡¯m going to want to be able to see through him.

    ¡¸And you¡¯re the person behind it all?¡¹

    ¡¸Yuppers he is. His name¡¯s Ss, and it looks like he was doing a pretty good job of hiding his strength up till now.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? You must be quite skilled given that your name wasn¡¯t one I recognized. You¡¯ve got quite the interesting skill there too.¡¹

    The fact that not even Dias knew of him meant that he really did do a pretty good job of keeping himself inconspicuous. He stayed away from all those that were actually strong and preyed on the weak whilstying low as your everyday harmless dude.

    ¡¸To him, what¡¯ll happen?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, well, we¡¯re still going to be running investigations for the time being, but, he¡¯ll probably eventually either get put to death or end up as a ve. I¡¯m fairly certain we¡¯ll be choosing the execution option seeing how difficult it is to deal with that skill of his. Turning him into a ve would effectively be the same as just leaving him be. That said though, I can¡¯t speak for the type of execution he¡¯ll get. The two options are either for us to euthanize him or torture him to death. ¡¹

    Oh wow, torturing people to death is actually a thing? Really makes me realize how dangerous a world it is out there. That said though, I do agree. He¡¯d probably just manage to get himself released even if he did end up as a ve.

    The thieves we caught had muzzles strapped to their faces, so they couldn¡¯t actually speak. They were trying, and making ¡°mmph¡± noises as a result, but everyone around them just casually ignored them.

    Their fates were sealed, and that was that. However, there was a problem. Or rather, something that I thought of as wasteful.

    That thing happened to be the fact that Ss¡¯ unique skill was going to go poof. Coerced Camaraderie was an incredibly useful skill. I mean, relying on it too much the way Ss did would probably get us caught, but, it¡¯s something that¡¯d probably be difficult to detect if used sparingly. I mean, the only reason he actually got exposed was because he¡¯d been too confident in his ability to finish us off.

    I really did want the skill.

    But even with that said, we weren¡¯t going to be able to get it, at least not normally. Skill Taker was going to be on cooldown for another two months, and there was no way he¡¯d be allowed to live that long.

    Wait. Right, we have three Anti-Side Effect Potions. I might be able to get Skill Taker to cool down really quickly if I use all three.

    ¡¸Nn. Works.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m d you¡¯re not opposed to the idea.¡¹

    ¡¸But want to speak to himter. Need to ask something before execution.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine, but, I¡¯d prefer for you to get that done before the Martial Arts Tournament. There¡¯ll be lots of stuff for me to get ready, so I¡¯m going to be getting fairly busy soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Then will visit in ten days. eptable?¡¹

    ¡¸Barely, but yes. I¡¯ll talk to a few people and get the necessary arrangements out of the way.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh right, Fran, Erza, the two of you both have the right to im rewards for the captures you performed. How exactly would you like to sort that out?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t need anything since I was just giving Fran a bit of a hand. Do what you want Fran~¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºWell, just take I guess. Erza¡¯d probably be happier if you treated him to a meal or somethingter instead.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will gratefully ept. Will treat Erza to foodter.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaahh! Really!? I¡¯m soooo happy!¡¹

    Yup, called it. He responded by screaming in delight and wriggling his body all over.

    Alright, that¡¯s that! All that¡¯s left is for us to head back to the inn and test out our Anti-Side Effect Potions.

 Chapter 155: The Terror Wrought by a Skill

    <h4>Chapter 155: The Terror Wrought by a Skill</h4>

    We went back to the inn immediately after the Guild¡¯s staff took Ss away.

    Our goal was to test the Anti-Side Effect Potion and evaluate its effects.

    ¡¸Master, how to use?¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ I dunno¡­¡»

    I¡¯d originally been thinking of creating a doppelganger and having it drink the thing, but that didn¡¯t seem like the best idea as it in no way guaranteed that my main body would also be able to receive the potion effects.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try dribbling it all over my de. Apparently that¡¯s how the Greater Potion of Repair gets applied, so it should work.¡»

    That said though, I wasn¡¯t actually sure whether or not the potion was supposed to have any effect on me to begin with seeing as how I was a sword.

    But you know what, whatever. What¡¯s the worst that could happen? We waste a few Anti-Side Effect Potions? Yeah, that¡¯s no big deal. Screw it, poverty ahoy!

    ¡¸Ready.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, do it whenever. I¡¯m ready too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran opened a test-tube like bottle and dribbled its contents all over my de.

    I could feel the vivid sensation of the liquid flowing down my body, but nothing seemed to happen, even after a few seconds came to pass.

    ¡ºDid that not work?¡»

    The moment I doubted the potion was the moment in which it finally showed its effects; it made a ¡°shwing¡± sound and began seeping its way into my de.

    ¡¸Master. Glowing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that means it must¡¯ve worked?¡»

    I quickly appraised myself to check the potion¡¯s effects.

    ¡ºSweet! It did work! Skill Taker¡¯s cooldown got a fair chunk taken off of it!¡»

    Its 57 day cooldown had been cut down to 37 days.

    I can now use it a whole 20 days earlier, meaning, I should be able to use the skill right away if we just used the other two pots.

    It seemed that Doppelganger Synthesis¡¯ cooldown gotpletely reset as well. Wait, wait wait, does that mean the potion counteracts all side effects simultaneously? Thinking that, I quickly checked Self Evolution, but it didn¡¯t seem like the magic stones points consumed by Latent Potential Awakening had returned.

    It seemed that the potion could do stuff about cooldowns and whatnot, but I guess what was gone was gone. Wait, crap, that means it might not be able to counteract the recoil caused by some skills either.

    ¡¸Keep going.¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah! Bring it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran used the second potion and once again caused me to be enveloped by a veil of light.

    Except¡­ things didn¡¯t turn out the way we thought they would.

    ¡ºHuh, that¡¯s weird.¡»

    ¡¸Something wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºThat one only cut the cooldown back down to 30 days.¡»

    Apparently the pot wasn¡¯t consistent. It¡¯d sometimes do more and sometimes do less. Is that due to the fact that each individual potion was of a different quality? Or maybe because of some sort of diminishing returns-type effect?

    Hmm, what to do? We might not be able to make the 10 day deadline even if we use ourst pot. I mean, we might get it if the third ends up being at least as effective as the first, but¡­

    ¡ºOh well, let¡¯s use it anyways.¡»

    ¡¸Sure?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I am.¡»

    ¡¸Then will use third.¡¹

    And so, we did.

    ¡ºWe totally failed~¡»

    It seemed that the difference in effects stemmed from the differences in quality between each individual potion. The third was a bit better than the second, but not as good as the first. It took 12 days off the skill¡¯s cooldown.

    Skill Taker still had 18 days on its cooldown; we definitely weren¡¯t going to make it in time.

    Oh well, whatever. We figured out how the pots worked and cut a fair chunk out of Skill Taker¡¯s cooldown, so it¡¯s still a win in my book.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t need to steal Coerced Camaraderie.¡¹

    ¡ºWhy¡¯s that? It looks like it could be really convenient.¡»

    ¡¸Still, don¡¯t need. Master said Principle of Falsehood required caution, and should not use very often but used lots anyway.¡¹

    ¡ºWell¡­ okay, yeah¡­¡»

    ¡¸But mostly used to protect me from deception. Can¡¯t be helped because I¡¯m still weak.¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    ¡¸Coerced Camaraderie will be same. Will say that it will only be used in times of need, but will use lots anyway. Skills that interfere with people¡¯s minds are scary. Remember¡­ fat noble with Principle of Falsehood.¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean August Arsand?¡»

    Looked like she totally forgot his name already.

    ¡¸August, Ss, both were messed up in the head. Most likely because of skill use. Didn¡¯t seem like they could trust people anymore. Don¡¯t want Master to overuse skills and be the same.¡¹

    Wow I¡¯m pathetic. I¡¯m supposed to be Fran¡¯s guardian, but this is like the nth time she¡¯s lectured me like this.

    ¡ºYeah¡­ you¡¯re right. Good point.¡»

    I¡¯m a weak person. I¡¯d definitely lose to temptation and start using the skill left, right, and everywhere just cause it¡¯d be convenient for me to do so. I¡¯d probably make excuses all the time and try to justify myself too. Skills that can mess with people¡¯s minds are terrifying. It¡¯d be better for me not to have them in the first ce.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s just pretend Coerced Camaraderie never existed to begin with!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Good idea.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s check over all the loot we got this time around.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    I worked myself up whilst arranging the items we got in order to shake off the awkward mood that¡¯d arose from our previous conversation. Fran hopped right on board and began examining the stuff Iid out.

    ¡¸This one. Interesting.¡¹

    ¡ºThe knife? Yeah, it¡¯s got a bit of a weird shape to it.¡»

    ¡¸Cheap product?¡¹

    ¡ºProbably, yeah.¡»

    Everything went back to normal; we chatted as we looked over the items we took from Ss.

    We were allowed to take all the items Ss and hispanions had in their possession, meaning we were also granted rights to the stuff he¡¯d stolen from the adventurers he¡¯d recently murdered. All in all, it was quite a lot of loot.

    Naturally, we decided to sell all our materials to the guild and have me absorb all the magic stones despite the fact that they were all of a rather poor quality.

    Most of the equips they had were kinda bad, so we decided to get rid of them by pawning them off. Most.

    They did happen to have 4 magic items. Two were trash that just gave minor stat boosts, so wepletely disregarded them. The other two seemed a slight bit more useful. One was a tent that made it a slight bit harder for the people inside of it to be detected. It looked like something we could get some decent use out of if we decided to camp out in a dungeon or something like that. It wasn¡¯t all that big, but it was roomy enough to fit Fran and Urushi assuming thetter was in his smaller form.

    Thest item was much more interesting than any of the prior three. It was an equip meant for beast-type familiars. Specifically, it was a w-like thing that you were supposed to strap to their front paws.

    It was made in such a way that it wouldn¡¯t hinder any of the familiar¡¯s regr activities. However, one could have ws extend from it should they charge the item with magic.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Name: w of Capture

    Attack: 230

    Mana Capacity: 100

    Durability: 700

    Magic Power Conductivity: D+

    Skill: Stunning Strike

    _______________________________________________________________

    Huh, that¡¯s not bad. The item¡¯s attack stat was kinda low, but it was still better than the nothing he had equipped right now. Plus, that Stunning Strike skill looked like it could put out quite a decent bit of work if used right. It looked like it¡¯d fit right into Urushi¡¯s hit and run style by augmenting his stikes with a negative status condition.

    Like honestly, that¡¯s about as good an item as you could expect from a D ranked dungeon.

    ¡ºFran, have Urushi equip it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, paw.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Right paw first.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Fran quickly strapped the leather gauntlet-like equip onto Urushi¡¯s front feet.

    The first thing our wolfpanion did after equipping both items was to take an imposing stance. He seemed rather proud and happy. His tail swung back and forth so quickly that it kicked up a gentle breeze.

    ¡ºThat suits you pretty well, Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Looks cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHow does it feel? Did it make walking more difficult? Are the metal parts ufortable at all?¡»

    ¡¸Bark? Woof woof!¡¹

    Looked like everything fit perfectly.

    ¡ºAlright! Tomorrow, we test it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 156: Side Story: Adventurers

    <h4>Chapter 156: Side Story: Adventurers</h4>

    Pathetically Stupid Blue Catkin¡¯s POV

    This couldn¡¯t be happening.

    It simply couldn¡¯t be real. It had to be a nightmare.

    ¡¸Tarkas? Rawrs? Tordo? The hell are you guys doing?¡¹

    My threepanions had copsed right in front of me. They were missing all four of their limbs and bleeding themselves out as they cried in pain and despair.

    ¡¸You b*tch! The hell¡¯d You do to them!?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You be he open! Die asshole! Oraahhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet! The hell!? That¡¯s impossible! Let go damn it!¡¹

    That¡¯s foockin¡¯ just not right! The brat just stopped my club with her bare hands!? How the hell!? There¡¯s just no way! My strength matches the average D rankers, but I can¡¯t budge even the slightest bit no matter how hard I try.

    ¡¸What kind of cowardly trick are you tryin¡¯ to pull!? There¡¯s no way someone as great as me could lose to the likes of a god damned ck catkin!¡¹

    ¡¸Fmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gah!?¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t tell what happened, but both my arms and legs started to burn with a sudden intense pain. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!

    It hurt so bad that I couldn¡¯t help but scream.

    And then, I realized it. I¡¯d fallen in much the same way as all mypanions.

    Just how did this happen? We were drinking and making merry just 10 minutes ago¡­

    ***

    ¡¸Hey, you see that?¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸That, over there.¡¹

    ¡¸Her? Why the hell¡¯s a brat like that in a ce like this?¡¹

    Tarkas made a gesture with his chin and pointed in a brat¡¯s direction. She was eating all by ¡®erself, and you could tell at a nce that she was at too young an age to even drink booze.

    This bar be a ce where adventurers gather. Brats like her are supposed to get their asses turned away at the entrance.

    ¡¸Guhehehe, why don¡¯t we make like adults and give ¡®er a bit of a warning?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh heh heh. Adult my ass, you¡¯re getting all giddy about having the chance to make a brat bawl her eyes out.¡¹

    Rawrs¡¯ had a huge smile stered across his face. Looked like Tordo was spot on. He was probably nning to give the kid a ¡°lesson¡± and then ask for some ¡°tuition.¡±

    He started walking towards the girl, his steps unsteady with drunkeness.

    ¡¸Hey brat, this ain¡¯t the type of ce you should be hangin¡¯ around¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s right ya know? S¡¯only a ce for adventurers, not somewhere brats like you should be hanging around.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi! Say something goddammit!¡¹

    ¡¸Respond already ya damned brat.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What? So scared that a cat¡¯s got yer tongue?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t being to ces like this in the first ce. Now scram! Won¡¯t hit you too hard if you do.¡¹

    ¡¸Kehihihi, think of this as a lesson kid. Not all adults are as nice as us, y¡¯know?¡¹

    ¡¸But it goes without saying that we¡¯ll still be charging you just a bit of tuition. But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not all that bad. You can keep your clothes, but that¡¯s it. Hand over everything else you got.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyahahahahah! Man, we¡¯re so nice.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk. She ain¡¯t saying a word is she.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey Tarkas, ain¡¯t she one of them ck catkin?¡¹

    Oh man, I was so damned drunk I ain¡¯t even noticed the ck tail and ears she¡¯s got. No doubt ¡¯bout it, she be a ck catkin.

    ¡¸Geheheheh, you know what? You¡¯re just a measly ck catkin, so forget everything I just said. Give us everything you have, including everything you¡¯re wearing.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, do what he says b*tch. You¡¯s just a lowly ck, you¡¯re nothing to us blues. Only reason you exist is so that we can prey on you. ck Catkin? More like wimp catkin.¡¹

    Man, we¡¯re lucky. It¡¯s like we happened across a wallet. It goes without saying that the ckies will always be inferior to us blues, and that to us, they¡¯re nothing but prey.

    ¡¸Annoying. Shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaahh? What did you just say?¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up. Close mouth and disappear.¡¹

    Did this foocking wimp catkin just talk back to me? A Blue Catkin? The nerves of this b*tch. She¡¯s going to foocking pay for this!

    ¡¸You foocking brat! How dare a ck cat like you defy us!?¡¹

    ¡¸Get on all fours and beg for your foocking life! I¡¯ll only leave you half dead if you do! You ain¡¯t foocking getting away with standing against us, you foocking wimp catkin!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Mmph.¡¹

    Kukuku, would you look at that. We intimidated her so badly that she can¡¯t even speak no more. She¡¯s foocking shaking in her boots, serves her right! Stupid b*tch shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve ¡®pposed us from the start! B*tch! That¡¯s what you get for trying to be more than just a ve or wallet! Still though, I¡¯m not going to be forgiving that b*tch, not at all. It¡¯s her own fault for disobeying us blue catkin!

    Or so I thought, but we were never even given so much as a chance to draw our weapons.

    ¡¸Blue trash cats. Live rest of lives in regret.¡¹

    And then it happened, just moments after the wimp catkin spoke.

    First was Rawrs. Then Tordo, Tarkas, and finally, me.

    ¡¸Ugaaahhhh!¡¹

    She grabbed the club I swung with the intent to kill and severed all four of my limbs.

    ¡¸Arrghghhhhhhh!¡¹

    Damn it, what¡¯s that noise? Oh, right, it¡¯se from my very own mouth.

    How the hell did ite to this? All we did was mess with a ck catkin brat.

    The brat stood in front of me, her eyes filled not with the hatred or bloodlust I¡¯d been expecting, but instead with disgust. She looked at me like she was looking at a filthy roach, or mere trash by the side of the road.

    ¡¸You said wimp catkin twice.¡¹

    The brat swung her de without even the slightest bit of hesitation.

    ¡¸Gyahhhhh!¡¹

    This damned brat cut off my tail!! Argghhhh!!

    Why did this have to happen!?

    Rescued White Dogkin Man¡¯s POV

    I continued to gaze at the scene before me, unable to utter even the slightest sound.

    It simply seemed unreal. I couldn¡¯t believe it to be something based in reality.

    I felt that even the act of recognizing it would lead to it distorting mymon sense.

    But I simply had to. The sounds that assaulted my eardrums and vibrations that resounded through my body informed me that it was all too real.

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugyaaaaooooohhh!¡¹

    The young girl¡¯s de split thest remaining high ogre in half.

    ¡¸Are¡­ you serious¡­?¡¹

    I unconsciously let out an amazed groan. How was a girl so youngpletely decimating a whole hoard of D ranked magic beasts in what almost appeared to be a single strike each? I couldn¡¯t help but feel that the phrase ¡°One Hit One Kill¡± existed for the sole purpose of describing what I¡¯d just bore witness to.

    High Ogres were by no means weak. In fact, they were incredibly powerful. They were capable of smashing through a full suit of armour in a single hit. They regenerated ridiculously rapidly, and their skin was so hard that the average de would find itself simply unable to pierce it.

    I knew for a fact that they were strong, especially seeing as how they¡¯d almost killed me just a few minutes back. In fact, I¡¯d already long steeled myself for death, as my sword was unable to inflict them with any wounds whatsoever.

    But then she showed up.

    When she did, my heart fluttered from despair to hope, and back to despair. I¡¯d realized that the person that came to help me was a mere little girl, a ck catkin one at that.

    Just think about it, one little girl against a swarm of High Ogres, this dungeon¡¯s most powerful foe. A group of five high ogres was considered a C ranked threat. There was just no way a single girl could win against them. In fact, she was probably going to get totally demolished. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d even be able to buy me enough time to escape.

    But she did.

    She killed all 5 High Ogres in just 3 minutes. It took her less time to wipe them out than it would¡¯ve taken me to kill the same number of goblins.

    ¡¸A ck catkin kid¡­¡¹

    I remember hearing a rumour about her as ofte.

    They said that she was a D ranked adventurer that showed up in Ulmutt rather recently. That in itself was normal, Ulmutt was where all Kranzel¡¯s intermediate-ranked adventurers gathered.

    But that was the only normal part about her.

    The first abnormal thing about her was that she was extremely young. She was also a member of the weakest beastkin tribe, the ck cat tribe, and made it so that everyone that messed with her lost the ability to remain as an adventurer. That wasn¡¯t it either. She was also diving solo as opposed to with a party, anding out with incredible achievements regardless.

    The rumours were totally absurd. I¡¯d assumed that she¡¯d spread them amongst the drunks herself in order to promote her name.

    Besides, there was no way for ck Catkin to be anywhere even remotely close to strong in the first ce. As a beastkin myself, I thought that to bemon sense.

    Beastkin were creatures that more or less valued strength over all else. Those that behaved poorly would be forgiven and their actions excused so long as they were strong. In other words, we were the type of creatures that would alwaysy me on the weak. Such a trend was deeply rooted in our culture. ck Catkin were thought of as the weakest type of beastkin, and as a result, the ever so douchey Blue Catkin would often sell them into very. The fact that they were the lowest in the beastkin hierarchy was exactly that, a fact.

    That¡¯s why I simply couldn¡¯t believe that a young, female ck catkin could be that much stronger than me. Many other adventurers felt the same. That was why conversations about her were often centered on her tribe rather than her strength or appearance.

    ¡¸I guess she must be The ck Cat that everyone¡¯s been talking about.¡¹

    It looked like the rumours had been based in truth.

    The girl that many had started referring to as The ck Cat didn¡¯t bother turning around to face me. It seemed that her saving me had just happened to be a little bit of an extra bonus, and that she¡¯d only been after the High Ogres to begin with.

    I myself was also a D ranked adventurer, but seeing her in action had ripped my pride to shreds.

    But still, I considered myself lucky. My pride was worth much less to me than my life.

    I managed to stay free of injuries and live to see another day. And on top of that, I even managed to learn that The ck Cat¡¯s strength was genuine. I¡¯m d I learned that here and now rather than at a bar or tavern somewhere. I surely would¡¯ve messed with her had I not known that she was this powerful.

    ¡¸I better make sure I tell everyone else about this. They¡¯re all just as dumb as I am, so they¡¯ll probably try messing with her if I don¡¯t.¡¹

 Chapter 157: The Old White Dogkin

    <h4>Chapter 157: The Old White Dogkin</h4>

    ¡¸Wait Fran! Hold on for just a second!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Erza called out to us as we made our way over from the inn to the dungeon.

    He ran towards us with full force, his inner thighs rubbing together and his massive frame jiggling as a result of his movements.

    Urushi seemed to feel the same way as me; he was lying down with his tail between his legs. His bodynguage made it seem as if he had simply lost the will to exist because Erza did.

    Fran, on the other hand, was able to maintain herposure. Man, she¡¯s got more guts than the two of usbined.

    ¡¸Erza? Need something?¡¹

    ¡¸You see, I just so happen to know someone that wants to meet and ask something of you.¡¹

    ¡¸Wants to meet me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yuppers! He¡¯s taken an interest in you because of all the stuff he¡¯s heard from all the other adventurers. He really wants to meet the Magic Sword Girl that everyone¡¯s been talking about.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of person?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ well, he¡¯s not a bad guy for sure. He used to be an adventurer, so he¡¯s not the strict type either. He¡¯s effectively the boss of Ulmutt¡¯s beastkin, so it won¡¯t hurt for you to know him.¡¹

    Erza¡¯s description made it sound like getting along with the person in question would provide us with a lot of benefits. That said though, we might not actually be able to get along with him.

    He might think us to be cheeky. Plus, he¡¯s a beastkin, so the very fact that he wants to meet with Fran seems kinda fishy given that she¡¯s a ck Catkin.

    £¨But introduced by Erza.£©

    ¡ºTrue. I doubt Erza would introduce you to anyone that¡¯d try to screw with you¡­¡»

    ¡¸I know how you feel. You must be a bit anxious about it, mhmm?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Yeah, in more than one way at that.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be right there with you. I¡¯ll make sure I take responsibility if he tries to take you for a fool.¡¹

    What? Just how? God damn, Urushi¡¯s getting all teary eyed. It¡¯s okay boy, he¡¯s not that scary, it¡¯s okay.

    ¡¸¡­Okay. Will meet.¡¹

    ¡¸Thankies! I¡¯ll show you over to him then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Would you mind if we took a shortcut? I think it¡¯s one you should be able to take without any issues.¡¹

    Erza jumped the moment he finished speaking.

    Apparently his so called shortcut just involved running atop the building¡¯s roofs. I guess that made sense seeing as how this the city was built like a maze and all that, but was that really okay? Would we not get in trouble?

    Er, actually, I guess there wouldn¡¯t really be anyints, at least not to Erza¡¯s face anyways. Oh well, I guess it saves time, so whatever.

    ¡¸Nn. No issues.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Knew it~!¡¹

    ***

    And so, we found ourselves in front of a fairlyrge house after 10 odd minutes.

    It wasn¡¯t as big as the mansions nobles would typically have, but it was still fairly sizeable. Two fairly strong-looking beastkin were standing guard in front of the property¡¯s gate.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup. This is Grandpa Aurel¡¯s house. Good day, guards.¡¹

    ¡¸Good day, Erza. It has been quite a long time since we¡¯vest seen you. Please, doe on in.¡¹

    ¡¸That I¡¯ll do. Oh, right, I¡¯ve brought a little someone along with me, so don¡¯t worry about her.¡¹

    ¡¸Sir.¡¹

    Wow, Erza showing his face just t out gets us past security and everything? Damn.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve done quite a few jobs for Gramps, so he¡¯s taken a liking to me and allowed me go in and out as I please.¡¹

    ¡¸Spacious.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s a former B ranked adventurer and a sessful businessman. He¡¯s even also served at the King¡¯s side.¡¹

    Holy crap, Aurel sounds like he¡¯s the spitting image of sess. Yeah, he doesn¡¯t really sound like the type that¡¯d get along with Fran. Alright, I should find us an excuse to get us the hell out of there just in case the mood turns sour.

    Though, I guess he kinda already has his eyes on us already seeing as how he¡¯s calling us out right now.

    Man though, the dude¡¯s garden is absolutely massive. We still hadn¡¯t even reached the actual house yet.

    The garden was beautiful. It was filled with an assortment of flowers in full bloom and decorated with both fountains and statues. Erza taught us a bit about the flowers¡¯ names as we traversed our way through to the main building.

    That said though, neither Fran nor Urushi really seemed to really care about what he was talking about at all.

    ¡¸Gramps! I¡¯m here!¡¹

    ¡¸Hello Erza.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey Sha, where¡¯s Aurel?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s currently out rxing on the terrace.¡¹

    ¡¸Thankies. This way Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Erza seemed to know the ce pretty well. The maid recognized his face, and he¡¯d managed to easily find his way over to his destination without having to stop and ask the maid for directions.

    Our destination, the terrace, was on the building¡¯s second floor. It, like the garden, was incredibly vast and expansive. The mansion¡¯s size made it so that the terrace provided us a good view over the city in its entirety. Both Fran and Urushi also seemed rather impressed by the angle we had on Ulmutt.

    ¡¸Wow.¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    They both jogged right up to the terrace railing and began looking at the city whilepleting ignoring the mansion¡¯s owner.

    ¡¸Hahahaha. Looks like the view happens to be to your liking.¡¹

    Whew, thank god he wasn¡¯t all anal about manners and stuff. He simply watched over Fran, Urushi, and the pair¡¯s sparkling eyes with a bit of an amused look on his face.

    ¡¸Nn. Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m Wijaht Aurel, a White Dogkin. Mind telling me your name, little missy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. ck Catkin, Fran. This is Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks for epting my invitation. Do have a seat.¡¹

    The White Dogkin was like Erza in the sense that he gave off an incredible sense of impact, albeit one of apletely different type; the man gave off the same sort of impression as a Mafia¡¯s Don.

    His back was straight, and his gait full of vitality despite the fact that he appeared rather old.

    ¡¸You really don¡¯t look like someone in their seventies no matter how I look at you. I really would like you to tell me your secret.¡¹

    ¡¸It isn¡¯t really anything special. I simply kept setting goals for myself and moving forward. I just didn¡¯t give my body any time to age.¡¹

    Thank god he isn¡¯t the type of person I was suspecting he might be.

    ¡¸This tea is quite delicious, it¡¯s one of my favourites, so I do rmend you try some.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The leavese from the Continent of Chrom. Collecting tea leaves has in fact been the sole hobby that I¡¯ve picked up in my older years.¡¹

    ¡¸Garden?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t do the gardening myself. I just hire someone and have them do what they think works best. The garden would probably end up some sort of jungle if I was the one in charge of it.¡¹

    Fran got down to business while enjoying the refreshments provided.

    ¡¸Wanted to meet me? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, you sure are a hasty one. I honestly wasn¡¯t driven to do so by anything in particr. I just happened to feel like meeting you after hearing all the rumours that¡¯ve been going around towntely.¡¹

    ¡¸As I said earlier, he¡¯s basically the one in charge of all of Ulmutt¡¯s beastkin. He just so happened to be interested in you, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸In charge of the city¡¯s beastkin? That¡¯s an exaggeration. I just happen to know most of the people around because I was an adventurer for at least fifty years.¡¹

    Is that really it? Does he really not like run an operation from the shadows or something? Okay, you know what, let¡¯s use the Principle of Falsehood and double check. I know Fran totally just warned me about overusing it, but this is one of this scenarios where I kinda have to! Right¡­?

    ¡¸I took quite a bit of interest in how terrifyingly strong everybody said you were.¡¹

    ¡¸So, what do you think? Isn¡¯t she cute? She really is just as strong as they say too.¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that you¡¯ve taken quite the liking to her. I can see why, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen such a bold kid, so I too immediately took a liking to her. Also, I assume the fact that she¡¯s got your approval means that the rumours were true as well.¡¹

    Apparently the part about him taking a liking to Fran was the truth.

    ¡¸Still believe rumours even though I¡¯m a ck Catkin?¡¹

    ¡¸What, did you think that being a ck Catkin innately made you weak? That¡¯s not true at all. I¡¯ve met a fairly strong one when I was young, and right here in one of Ulmutt¡¯s dungeons at that.¡¹

    Aurel spoke in a bit of a nostalgic tone.

    ¡¸Really? That¡¯s not something I¡¯ve ever been told about.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯d be because I¡¯ve never mentioned it.¡¹

    ¡¸Where is that person now?¡¹

    Fran questioned Aurel in a tone of voice much firmer than her usual one. I could see why though, this was our first time ever hearing about any other strong ck Catkin.

    ¡¸That¡­ isn¡¯t a question that I know the answer to.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, what kind of person?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it all happened a whole 53 years ago, so I¡¯ve basically forgotten everything.¡¹

    It seemed that he just lied to us¡­ but why? Was it because he died in the dungeon or something?

    Aurel¡¯s expression had gone dark. It didn¡¯t seem like he wanted to explore the topic in any more detail.

    ¡¸I know most of this city¡¯s beastkin, so do tell me if you happen to run into any issues. I¡¯ll be sure to give you a hand.¡¹

    The Principle of Falsehood informed me that he really meant what he said, that he¡¯d help us out if need be. You know what, let¡¯s not try digging into that whole other ck Catkin and whatnot. There was no point probing him about the topic, especially seeing as how we seemed to have just won his favour. No point going out of our way to lose it now.

    ¡¸By the way, I happen to have a request for you. Would you mind taking it?¡¹

    ¡¸What kind?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d like you to deliver something to a ce not too far from here. You should be able to get it done if you work at Erza¡¯s pace.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t just ask Erza?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d prefer if you took this request. How about it?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Fran replied to him immediately. I felt that this whole thing seemed a bit fishy, but Fran seems to think it¡¯s okay, so , so I¡¯ll just roll with it.

    ¡¸Great. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Aurel made a bit of a relieved smile. It seemed that he¡¯d really wanted Fran to take his request.

    ¡¸Alright then. I¡¯d like you to take this to one of my acquaintances.¡¹

    ¡¸Pendant?¡¹

    Aurel handed Fran a in looking pendant with a ck stone embedded inside of it. It looked like the type you were supposed to wear around your neck.

    It looked a really cheap item, the kind of thing you could find just about anywhere.

    ¡¸That it is. Could you hand it over to the eastern dungeon¡¯s Dungeon Master?¡¹

    ¡¸Dungeon Master?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Make sure you hand it over personally, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Hmm, this request¡¯s got a bit of a mysterious air to it. I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing what¡¯lle out of us doing it.

 Chapter 158: The Mysterious Dungeon Master

    <h4>Chapter 158: The Mysterious Dungeon Master</h4>

    £¨Sorry?£©

    ¡ºWhat for?¡»

    £¨epted request without asking.£©

    ¡ºOh, that? I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m a bit worried about it, but I¡¯m game so long as you are.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºSeems like you took a liking to that old man, eh?¡»

    £¨That old man. Evolved.£©

    ¡ºSeriously?¡»

    £¨Evolved White Dogkin. White Wolfkin.£©

    ¡ºDidn¡¯t he call himself a White Dogkin though?¡»

    I could swear he introduced himself as ¡°Wijaht Aurel, a White Dogkin.¡±

    £¨White Dogkin still White Dogkin after evolution. Just White Wolfkin variant.£©

    ¡ºOh, so that¡¯s how that works? So you¡¯ll still technically be a ck Catkin even after you evolve?¡»

    £¨Nn. Still some sort of ck Catkin.£©

    ¡ºMan, I¡¯m honestly surprised you noticed though.¡»

    £¨Can tell because also beastkin.£©

    ¡ºIs that how that works?¡»

    £¨Nn. That¡¯s how that works.£©

    Is it cause their instincts, or maybe some sort of racial trait?

    £¨Need to ask about evolution. That¡¯s why epted request.£©

    ¡ºAh, I get it. So that¡¯s why.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm? Did you say something?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    We¡¯d left Aurel¡¯s mansion and headed in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s direction. We were still with Erza, and hence, naturally taking one of his shortcuts.

    We hopped from roof to roof like a group of bunnies and surprised the crap out of anyone that happened to be in the middle of hanging theirundry.

    Our purpose was simple. We were heading over to the Guild in order to formally file Aurel¡¯s request. If we didn¡¯t, it¡¯d kind of end up as something along the lines of a personal favour as opposed to something that went through the guild and got processed.

    Apparently, anything that involved delivering something to a Dungeon Master would automatically be qualified as a request of rank D or higher, hence, Erza had rmend that we record it so we could add it to our list ofpleted requests.

    Moreover was the fact that anything that involved meeting a Dungeon Master was actually kind of a big deal. Hence, reporting in and notifying the Guildmaster ahead of time would be in our best interests.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never actually been given the chance to meet the Dungeon Masters myself you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhmm. The Dungeon Masters shut themselves in, so you might not find them even in the dungeon¡¯s deepest depths. The Guild Master is more or less the only person capable of meeting them 100% of the time.¡¹

    Well then, it looks like this request of ours is an even bigger deal than I thought.

    ¡ºOh well. We kinda epted it, so let¡¯s put our heads together in order to figure out some way to actually see it through.¡»

    I¡¯ve also gotta think about Aurel¡¯s true intentions as well. Why¡¯d he go out of his way to ask this of Fran in particr?

    I guess we should start by looking up some info about the Dungeon Master. The fact that it¡¯s capable of negotiation means that we know for a fact that it¡¯s a member of a race capable of speech, but honestly, that¡¯s about the extent of our knowledge.

    ***

    We managed to immediately get ourselves a moment of Dias¡¯ time. Meeting the Guildmaster just like that wasn¡¯t something that¡¯d normally happen. Things only went as smoothly as they did because we happened to be in Erza¡¯spany.

    Apparently, Erza wanting to talk to the Guildmaster basically out prioritized everything else.

    ¡¸Wow~ I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re here.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m not always out and about. Did you need something?¡¹

    ¡¸Not exactly. Fran was the one that needed something.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran quickly told Dias about the request Aurel had given her.

    Rather, she started from the fact that the old dogkin had wanted to see her, and ounted everything between that and her receiving the request with particr emphasis on the refreshments she was treated with.

    ¡¸Ah, so you met Aurel.¡¹

    ¡¸Acquainted?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, the city isn¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d callrge, so yes, I have. Though, I¡¯m rather surprised to see that he¡¯s given you a request.¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t figure out Grandpa Aurel¡¯s intentions myself. You got any clues, Guildmaster?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ So Aurel too, huh¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll acknowledge his request, but with it, I¡¯ll also give you a few warnings. First and foremost is the fact that you are absolutely forbidden from harming the Dungeon Master. Harming the Dungeon Master is a crime that¡¯s deserving of something much worse than just capital punishment.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    He gave us one helluva harsh warning. It was possible for the Dungeon Master to destroy Ulmutt altogether if we pissed it off. That said though, we weren¡¯t nning to attack it in the first ce, so that at least shouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    ¡¸You should also keep in mind the fact that you may not actually be able to meet the Dungeon Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Know that too.¡¹

    ¡¸Good. ¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Another thing is that she¡¯s a bit hard to please. Try not to piss her off if you actually get to meet her.¡¹

    ¡¸She?¡¹

    The Dungeon Master¡¯s a chick?

    ¡¸Whoops, that¡¯s something you should be looking into yourself, not something I¡¯m supposed to be carelessly telling you.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    We tried looking up a few things about the Eastern Dungeon Master a bitter on, but didn¡¯te up with anything at all.

    Everything about the Dungeon Master seemed to have been ssified or something. The only pieces of knowledge we ended up having were the fact that she was female and the fact that she was capable of speech.

    I figured that we might be able to find ourselves some hints if we looked up stuff about the Western Dungeon Master instead, but that didn¡¯t really end up producing any results either. Again, all we found out was that the Western Dungeon Master was also female.

    A part of theck of knowledge stemmed from the fact that very few had actually made it all the way through to the dungeon¡¯s depths. Even fewer had actually managed to encounter the Dungeon Masters.

    ¡ºWell, I guess going in blind is basically the only option we¡¯ve got.¡»

    I mean, we were nning to dive into the Eastern Dungeon¡¯s depths anyways, so whatever, I guess.

 Chapter 159: Traps Suck

    <h4>Chapter 159: Traps Suck</h4>

    ¡ºAlright, you ready to move on?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Today was our fifth day in Ulmutt. We¡¯d already finished all our business in the dungeon¡¯s simpler subsections, and hence, we¡¯d started digging a bit deeper.

    We were currently hunting magic beasts around where the 14th floor was located. We could¡¯ve gone a bit deeper given the fact that we had to handle Aurel¡¯s request and all that, but we decided to take it slow in order to avoid injury.

    Speaking of which, Fran was currently in the middle of slowly disarming a trap.

    The 14th floor was one of the dungeon¡¯s lower floors, and the traps had been modified to match. They were much moreplex than the ones we¡¯d encountered earlier. They were made much nastier too.

    What I mean by that is that the traps themselves were full of well, traps. For example, there was a trapposed of a bunch of wires. You¡¯d normally assume that it¡¯d activate if you stepped on something, and that you were supposed to disarm the trap by cutting its wires. However, that one was instead made so that it¡¯d only trigger if you tried messing with it. Another example would be a trap that fired an arrow that activated another trap.

    Some traps had also started causing teleportation or instant death upon activation. We also started hitting areas that¡¯d seal off our ability to teleport or use Presence Detection ¡ª not that it mattered to me seeing as I had the Unseble skill.

    I mean, I knew that the Guildmaster¡¯s managed to get a few negotiations done and all, but this was still technically a dungeon. It wasn¡¯t some sort of training ground for adventurers. It was the real deal, a ce in which one wrong step could lead to death.

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Done.¡¹

    ¡ºReally? Lemme see.¡»

    Yup, looks like she disarmed that one perfectly.

    Many of the Magic Beasts that thrived in the dungeon¡¯s lower levels had the Trap Detection, Trap Disarm, and Trap Creation skills. The magic beasts themselves weren¡¯t actually all that strong, but they could make for a deadly force when when working in conjunction with the dungeon¡¯s traps. And that, to me, honestly seemed rather logical seeing as how the dungeon itself was pretty much crammed full of traps.

    Absorbing said magic beasts¡¯ magic stones meant a fair increase in the respective skills¡¯ levels. Trap Detection had leveled to 7, Trap Disarm to 4, and Trap Creation to 3.

    The dungeon¡¯s traps served to provide us with a bunch of practice too. Thebination of the skill and practice had led Fran to be much more skillful in the art of disarming traps. The difference between her now and her when she tried disarming her first trap was as clear as the difference between night and day.

    Two of the magics we¡¯d obtained from Zerais¡¯ golems, Ice/Snow Magic and Lava Magic, turned out to be rather useful when it came to their applications in disarming traps.

    Moonlight Magic, on the other hand, had been stuck sitting on the backburner. The only two spells we had at the moment were Moonphase and Night Vision. The former would provide us buffs at night. Thetter would allow us to temporarily see in the dark. Neither was all that useful; we probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get any value out of Moonlight Magic until it leveled itself up a bit.

    Ice/Snow Magic allowed us to freeze traps and hamper them from activating. In fact, a single activation of the magic would actually even t out disarm explosion-type traps altogether.

    Lava Magic was actually even more useful than Ice/Snow Magic. We could use it to weld a trap¡¯s subsection and just t out stop it from activating.

    Both Magics had quite the potential for practical use even outside of battle-type situations.

    That said though, Fran was still far from being able to disarm every single trap every single time.

    ¡¸Oops.¡¹

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    ¡¸Whimper!¡¹

    Holy crap that was close. We were almost hit by a series of super high speed bullets made of water despite the fact that we¡¯d teleported away. The area of effect was insane. We probably would¡¯ve gotten seriously injured had we not escaped. The bullets were powerful enough to just t out kill you should they hit your head or some other vital.

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like you¡¯re still a bit shy of being able to disarm the traps here perfectly.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Oh well, can¡¯t really be helped. That trap was the kind that wouldn¡¯t let you go any further unless you did something about it.

    Aurel¡¯s request aside, we¡¯d set out to do four other things.

    The first was to level up. The second was to finish all the quests required for us to rank up. The third was to git gud and learn how to use all our current skills. The fourth and final was to get our hands on a skill that¡¯d prevent us from being susceptible to skills that¡¯d mess with our minds.

    To be more specific, we were looking for a skill that¡¯d prevent us from being affected by stuff like Coerced Camaraderie and Induced Thought.

    Skills like those two only guided our thoughts, and didn¡¯t provide us with any obvious indicators like status conditions, hence why they were especially troublesome to deal with.

    We ultimately managed to discover that there actually was a monster with the skill we were looking for here in Ulmutt¡¯s eastern dungeon, but it was one that only resided in the dungeon¡¯s deepest depths.

    Dias and Ss both imed that their skills simply didn¡¯t work on said monster.

    Hence, we were currently giving ourselves a bit of practice while advancing towards our goal: the area at and beyond the dungeon¡¯s 18th floor. Getting there would allow us to finish Aurel¡¯s request too. It was a veritable two birds one stone type situation.

    Our pace wasn¡¯t all that bad despite us actively looking for practice. We¡¯d managed to make our way down to the dungeon¡¯s 14th floor after just 2 days worth of adventuring.

    Dimensional Storage made it so that we didn¡¯t really have to worry too much about meals, baths, or bedding. More importantly, both Fran and Urushi still looked fairly motivated. In fact, the stronger enemies and more difficult traps were only getting the two even more pumped up.

    Severalrge magic beasts had been standing in the 14th floor¡¯s first notable room.

    ¡¸Growllll.¡¹

    ¡¸Master. High Ogres.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that means this room won¡¯t have any traps in it then.¡»

    High Ogres, unlike the dungeon¡¯s other monsters,cked the ability to deal with traps. None were ced in the rooms in which they were ced in order to avoid the possibility of them killing themselves.

    Theypensated for that weakness through pure power. They generally considered strong enough to give a D ranked adventurers a fairly hard time.

    We could just t out take them head on though, so to us, their spawn zones were more or less safe because theycked traps.

    ¡ºHere we go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrrrr!¡¹

    Our strategy was to wipe them all out in one go with a surprise attack. Fighting them for an extended amount of time was a bad idea, seeing as how other magic beasts coulde back them up.

    Urushi immediately leapt towards one of the high ogres and readied himself to bite it.

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    A barrage of arrows flew straight towards us the moment he tried to take action.

    ¡ºHoly sheet! Air Shield!¡»

    ¡¸Ruff?¡¹

    I repelled the projectiles with a spell as Urushi panicked and dove straight back into the shadows.

    Apparently the room actually did have traps inside of it. I looked towards the high ogres only to find that the arrows had simply bounced off their skin.

    Ahhh, I see. Traps like this can work with them because they can¡¯t damage the High Ogres at all. That said, they could prove rather lethal if they hit us.

    Man, these traps just keep getting nastier.

    ¡ºAlright, you know what, let¡¯s just quickly wipe them out. Inferno Burst!¡»

    ¡¸Grooowl!¡¹

    The me spell I used turned one of the High Ogres into a lump of coal as Urushi impaled another with a spear constructed of pure darkness.

    ¡ºWell, so much for High Ogre zones being safe zones¡­¡»

    ¡¸Bring it on.¡¹

    Well, I guess at least Fran¡¯s motivated, so there¡¯s that.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try being extra careful just in case. It looks like the traps are going to be getting even nastier from here on out.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYou be careful too, Urushi. We¡¯ll need to avoid stuff like what just happened.¡»

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    We discovered a type of trap we¡¯d never seen before shortly after concluding that we¡¯d do best to be a bit more prudent.

    ¡¸Weird thread here.¡¹

    ¡ºGood job catching that. I only barely noticed it myself.¡»

    ¡¸Trap?¡¹

    The thread Fran and I saw looked identical to the infrared sensors you¡¯d normally see in movies and whatnot. The fact that it was visible meant that it was likely linked to some sort of magic, but I couldn¡¯t tell what woulde out of popping it.

    ¡¸Want to try activating?¡¹

    ¡ºSounds like a n. It¡¯d be a good idea for us to know what happens when you pop it. You know, just for future reference.¡»

    We triggered the trap with one of my doppelgangers after moving a fair ways back.

    I heard a bit of an odd rumbling sound the moment my doppelganger stepped into one of the infrared-like lines.

    ¡¸Master. Walls moving.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    It was exactly as Fran described. The walls at the passage¡¯s rear slid along the floor and rearranged themselves. The former straight passageway now ended in a forced right turn.

    I see, I see. The trap was on a ratherrge scale, and honestly, I had no idea how we were supposed to go about disarming. Just looking at it didn¡¯t really provide us many clues; we more or less had no choice but to just give it a shot.

    The moment I thought that was the moment the walls started to move again.

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t look at me. My Doppelganger¡¯s already gone. Was it maybe cause of Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi frantically shook his head. I guess that means it wasn¡¯t him either. So¡­ who triggered it then? I mean, someone had to, the walls were moving.

    My question was answered as the left wall vanished and opened up a passage that revealed a single High Ogre.

    ¡ºOh! I get it now! It was the High Ogre that popped the trap!¡»

    It seemed that these traps were the kind that¡¯d trigger regardless of how careful we were. That is, the High Ogres would pretty much just keep setting them off.

    Huh, this looks pretty bad. You wouldn¡¯t be able to use a map here even if you had one. The traps would move around, so you¡¯d never really be able to know what wasing at you next.

    ¡¸Graaahhhhh!¡¹

    The ogre caught sight of us as we were thinking about the dungeon¡¯s traps.

    ¡ºAlright, you know what, let¡¯s just get rid of that first, and then think.¡»

    Man, this dungeon sure is one hell of a pain in the ass to deal with.

 Chapter 160: The 18th Floor

    <h4>Chapter 160: The 18th Floor</h4>

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re finally here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We finally reached the the dungeon¡¯s 18th floor, the ce that¡¯d let usplete one of our overarching objectives.

    The floors that extended beyond the 14th had given us one hell of an adventure. The number of magic beasts that attacked us multiplied exponentially, and we ended up activating more than 30 different traps as we traversed our way through the dungeon.

    The most troublesome Magic Beasts we ran into were vapor-like creature whose species were simply known as ¡°MIST.¡± They could disperse their bodies and make themselves not only invulnerable to physical attacks, but also entirely undetectable to any that relied on Presence Detection. They even had the ability to activate traps if they chose to condense their bodies down to a smaller size. That in particr was something the MISTs did to us like n times. God, they were annoying as all hell.

    Disposing of the MISTs was, in and of itself, rather easy. All we had to do was st a few AOE spells every time we entered a new area. They kinda couldn¡¯t just stay in hiding if we flooded the entire area with our attacks. They¡¯d more or less get destroyed immediately after two or three repetitions as their specs made it so that they weren¡¯t really suited to battle.

    In some cases, us firing off AOEs like crazy also allowed us to set off a few traps in advance and save ourselves from having to deal with them.

    The only issue with us doing that was that we more or less deprived Fran of a fair portion of her practice. That said though, we were already pretty deep in the dungeon, so I figured it was about time for us to focus on making sure she stayed unhurt instead.

    Besides, I figured that it was a much better idea for us to focus our efforts on finding the magic beast that¡¯d give us the skill we wanted anyways.

    Specifically, we were looking for Dirty Wisps. They were rare apparitions that looked like ck balls of light.

    We walked around the 18th floor for quite some time, but we weren¡¯t able to find so much as a single one.

    All our efforts ended up doing nothing but providing us exp and magic stones. Fran had leveled all the way up to 43, and I was on the verge of getting myself a rank up as well. Fran was pretty damn close to her level cap, and I was rather curious as to what would happen when she reached it. In fact, I was so curious that I even considered just having her grind out thest little bit on multiple asions, but I ultimately ended up deciding against it¡­

    ¡ºOh well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Dirty Wisps are elusive. If we can¡¯t find them, we can¡¯t find them. Let¡¯s move on.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong, boy?¡»

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    Urushi suddenly growled and used Dark Magic; he shot a jet ck spear straight towards one of the dungeon¡¯s walls.

    ¡¸Pigiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡ºDude, that¡¯s gross.¡»

    Arge, purple and orange caterpir suddenly seemed to phase into existence. It wriggled about as it clung to the dungeon¡¯s wall and barged a strange, ck liquid. A simr, putrid smelling substance spilled from the hole Urushi had opened up in the caterpir¡¯s gut.

    ¡ºWait a sec, did I seriously not notice that thing till it got that close to us? Did you catch it at all, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Also missed.¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    Apparently the thing was called a Mimic Venom Crawler. It seemed to be the type of creature that¡¯d wait for its prey toe to it. This was further evidenced by its skills, as it had Mimicry, Presence Istion, and Muffled Action. As per its name, the Mimic Venom Crawler¡¯s offenses mostly stemmed from abilities rted to poison. That is, it had Poison Fang, Poison Magic, and Poison Spray.

    It seemed that Urushi happened to notice it because he¡¯d detected its scent.

    The intel we gathered before venturing into the dungeon suggested that Mimic Venom Crawlers were the dungeon¡¯s leading cause of casualties, and that adventurers should be as wary of them as possible. In fact, they were even thought of as more of a threat than High Ogres.

    Now that we¡¯ve seen them in the flesh, I pretty much came to the same conclusion. They were not only extremely stealthy but also had the ability to fell a man in a single blow by poisoning him. The only ones that could possibly deal with them were those that were highly skilled in detection, and hence, they seemed like they could cause an exorbitant amount of trouble even for adventurers of an intermediate skill level.

    On the other hand, the materials you could get from subjugating Mimic Venom Crawlers made hunting them down well worth it. They were extremely useful, and four of the fetch quests we were assigned actually involved grabbing stuff from their corpses. Specifically, we needed their carapaces, their poison sacs, their venomous fangs, and their meat.

    I couldn¡¯t really see anyone wanting to eat one of these things, but they were actually considered quite the delicacy. They were said to be like pufferfish in the sense that they were delicious, but could screw you over pretty hard if you didn¡¯t detoxify them properly.

    Their magic stones didn¡¯t really give that many points, but absorbing them gave me opportunities to level up Presence Istion and Poison Magic, so again, hunting them was he worth.

    Alright Urushi! It¡¯s all you, go go go!

    ¡¸Urushi. Do your best.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Do nose things!

    ***

    We spent the next two hours having Urushi, who¡¯d more or less be a professional caterpir hunter, lead us around.

    Our little adventure had taken us all the way to the stairs that led down to the dungeon¡¯s 19th floor.

    We had managed to take down a whole 10 of them. Hnnng.

    ¡¸Master. What now?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I mean, we¡¯re already here, so we might as well just move on. Dirty Wisps are supposed to spawn on every floor after the 17th, and we¡¯ve already got all the caterpir corpses we¡¯ll need, so there¡¯s not really any reason for us to go out of our way just to sit around on the 18th floor.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    And so, we began descending the staircase.

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong boy?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi began barking at something. He seemed to be looking towards the ground.

    I honestly couldn¡¯t tell what he was barking at. To me, it looked like he was just making a fuss about the stones paved below us. Only after activating all my detection based skills did I finally manage to notice that there actually was something there.

    ¡¸Growllll!¡¹

    Urushi shot a jet ck spear straight towards the floor. Man, what¡¯s with this deja vu? I swear this literally just happened.

    ¡¸Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!¡¹

    The thing that Urushi had attacked screamed and almost seemed to ooze out of the floor in response to his strike. The form it took was like that of an orb giving off a dark light. Its identity was none other than that of the Dirty Wisp that we¡¯d been looking for.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Race: Dirty Wisp. (Spirit/Magic Beast)

    Level: 11

    HP: 28

    MP: 66

    STR: 11

    VIT: 17

    AGI: 86

    INT: 101

    MGC: 151

    DEX: 30

    Skills

    Presence Istion: Lv 4

    Thought Istion: Lv 3

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 3

    Magic Absorption: Lv 3

    Dark Magic: Lv 6

    Dark Resistance: Lv 2

    _______________________________________________________________

    It seemed like the Dirty Wisp had used Dark Magic in order to hide itself in the shadows. Urushi had probably only noticed it because he himself was well versed in Dark Magic.

    Man, I swear Urushi¡¯s like perfect for this dungeon. I sure am d he¡¯s with us. Sheet would¡¯ve been terrifying without him; Fran definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this far unscathed.

    ¡ºGood job Urushi! I¡¯ll treat you to something niceter.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHow¡¯s some super spicy curry sound?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph. Will also do best.¡¹

    Fran took a stance; it seemed that hearing about Urushi¡¯s reward had gotten her all fired up.

    ¡ºMake sure you don¡¯t let that Dirty Wisp get away.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Thought Istion skill that it had was exactly what we were after. No way in hell we¡¯re leaving without it!

    ¡ºUrushi, make sure it doesn¡¯t teleport away!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 161: The Night Fran Hit Level 44

    <h4>Chapter 161: The Night Fran Hit Level 44</h4>

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Aaahh!¡¹

    Fran swung me straight at the Dirty Wisp, but my de ended up passing through its body.

    It looked like it used Dark Magic in order to defend itself. Specifically, it used a spell that made it momentarily immune to physical attacks.

    ¡¸Fire Javelin!¡¹

    ¡¸Aaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡ºTsk. Damn this thing¡¯s fast.¡»

    The Dirty Wisp had managed to create a Dark Shield and fend off Fran¡¯s attack. It was not only swift as a coursing river, but also able to cast its spells at an extraordinary speed.

    ¡ºFire Arrow.¡»

    ¡ºFire Arrow.¡»

    ¡ºFire Arrow.¡»

    I adapted to the Dirty Wisp¡¯s traits and fired off arger number of spells in order to make sure it wouldn¡¯t be able to defend itself. I figured that the barrage I shot at it would finally allow us to take it down, but apparently I was in the wrong.

    ¡¸Aahh!¡¹

    ¡ºIt disappeared¡­? Wait, no! The damn thing teleported!¡»

    The Dirty Wisp appeared about 3 meters away from its prior location.

    It didn¡¯t seem like it was capable of teleporting long distances, but still, it was a pain in the ass to deal with. We honestly probably could just spam at it till it died if we wanted, but we might end up breaking its magic stone if we used anything with too much power behind it. Destroying the thing we were after would kinda defeat the whole purpose of us hunting the thing down in the first ce.

    The issue we were gued with was one that stemmed from the fact that the Dirty Wisp was actually quite weak. Stronger magic beasts would have harder magic stones, and thus, we could hit them harder without having to worry about smashing their cores to bits.

    In that case, the best thing for us to do would be¡­

    ¡ºLet¡¯s focus on speed and hit it before it can react.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof! Growl!¡¹

    ¡ºFire Arrow!¡»

    ¡¸Aaahhh!¡¹

    The Dirty Wisp dove into the shadows in order to escape our attacks, and, in doing so, danced right to our tune.

    Despite being quick as hell, the Dirty Wisp didn¡¯t have ess to Chant Shortening, so it wasn¡¯t capable of teleporting in quick session. In other words, all we needed to do was hit it the moment after it teleported.

    We made use of our detection skills in order to predict where it¡¯d teleport to, a feat only made possible through the experiences we gained throughout our exploration of Ulmutt¡¯s eastern dungeon.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s right hand shed as she wreathed me in me and cleaved straight through the Dirty Wisp.

    ¡ºNice!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s keep this up and have ourselves a wisp hunt!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ***

    And so, three hours flew right by.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi, dinner¡¯s ready.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We set up camp in one of the 19th floor¡¯s corners.

    Thebination of the tent we looted off Ss and the barriers Urushi and I put up practically made our little campsite the dungeon¡¯s safest spot.

    We aplished a lot today. We hunted ourselves some Dirty Wisps, got the skill we wanted, and even grinded Fran all the way up to level 44.

    Tomorrow, we would finally reach reach the dungeon¡¯s 20th floor and maybe even have Fran hit her max level.

    That was all fine and dandy in and of itself, but there was something I had to tell her before she capped.

    ¡ºHey, Fran. You got a bit?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re on the verge of hitting level 45.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAppraisal¡¯s telling me that level 45 is also your max.¡»

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    ¡ºSo uh¡­ yeah¡­¡»

    It was a bit hard for me to actually say it, but still, it was better to disappoint her now thanter.

    Hence, I steeled myself and decided to just be honest.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t actually think hitting the level cap will let you evolve.¡»

    It was just a prediction, but one I felt I simply had to say to her nheless.

    I knew that the ck Cat Tribe was weak, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that all of its members were just t out incapable ofbat. She can¡¯t have been the only one to have ever hit level 45.

    In order words, ck Catkin probably needed to do more than just hit the level cap if they wanted to evolve.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran simply responded to the concern I voiced by nodding. She didn¡¯t seem particrly upset.

    ¡¸Same as other beastkin. Satisfied conditions required for evolution. Example, fox tribes¡¯ conditions well known.¡¹

    High level foxkin were only able to evolve if they happened to possess Fox Fire, one of the tribe¡¯s inherent skills. ck Catkin also likely had some sort of restriction that would gate from evolution unless they managed to fulfill it.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know details, but heard White Wolf also needs special condition.¡¹

    ¡ºReally?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s why want to talk with Gramps. Might be able to get hints.¡¹

    ¡ºSo I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why you epted his request?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I really should¡¯ve realized that Fran was thinking more about her evolution than I was. It¡¯d been her goal this whole time.

    ¡ºWell, alright. All¡¯s well so long as you¡¯re aware.¡»

    ¡¸No issues.¡¹

 Chapter 162: The Boss Room

    <h4>Chapter 162: The Boss Room</h4>

    ¡¸At dungeon¡¯s deepest part?¡¹

    ¡ºI think so. The boss should be on the other side of these doors.¡»

    A day had passed since Fran and I discussed the terms of her evolution. And since then, we¡¯d finally reached the dungeon¡¯s 20th floor, its deepest depths.

    In front of us stood a single door. Its intimidating frame stood at a height of almost ten meters. It had a property that made it deflect magical energies, so we couldn¡¯t really discern as to what was in the room it led to.

    We could feel a bit of bloodthirst leak through the door, but, that alone wasn¡¯t enough for us to discern the extent of the boss¡¯ strength. All it told us was that the boss was our foe.

    ¡¸Dungeon Master inside?¡¹

    ¡ºProbably. My guess is that the answer is yes, but I don¡¯t really have anything to back it up.¡»

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡ºThe info we have on the boss is all over the ce, so I honestly can¡¯t even make a good guess as to what we¡¯ll encounter.¡»

    The eastern dungeon was the type that didn¡¯t have a set boss. Apparently, there were about 15 different bosses. The one that ended up appearing would typically be the one that was best suited tobat the challenging party.

    Weaker parties would sometimes be pitted against E ranked bosses, monsters even weaker than the High Ogres that one could encounter on the way to the boss room. More powerful parties would sometimes be faced by boss monstersbeled as C ranked threats. In other words, the bosses could be so powerful that they ended up transcending the dungeon¡¯s rank.

    Mages have studied the dungeon ande up with a theory to describe the phenomenon. Said theory states that the precise boss that¡¯d spawn was actually based off of the actions the party took as they made their way through the dungeon.

    We did gather ourselves a bit of info on the stronger bosses that the dungeon was known to spawn, just in case.

    The number of known C ranked possibilities totaled to 3. There was the Tyrant Saber Toothed Tiger that I¡¯d fought in the past, the Smog Hydra, a six headed monster whose smoke would inflict all sorts of different status conditions, and the Specter Lord, a creature that¡¯d summon and make use of the spirits of the dead.

    Erza had fought both of the first two species. Amanda had stated that she fought thest back when she herself was a C ranker. In other words, both cases served to evidence that stronger individuals would end up facing off against stronger enemies.

    Dias, on the other hand, seemed to bepletely exempted from allbat. His face more or less served as a pass that¡¯d let him get through the dungeon without having to face off against a boss.

    I¡¯m pretty curious as to the type of boss we¡¯ll end up having to face off against. We could take it easy if the boss turned out to be rather weak or something, but I¡¯d end up feeling a bit miffed cause that¡¯d mean that we were thought to be weak. That said, I¡¯d really prefer if we weren¡¯t forced to face off against something that was too powerful.

    Honestly, I was hoping for a D ranked spawn. That sounded like it¡¯d be the most ideal.

    That said though, there wasn¡¯t actually any issue in having a more powerful enemy spawn. Ulmutt¡¯s Eastern dungeon was unique in the sense that its boss room didn¡¯t lock you in.

    You could make an escape so long as the boss didn¡¯t kill you instantly. Apparently that was one of the terms of the contract Dias and the Dungeon Master had signed.

    We¡¯d even be able to just use Dimension Jump to teleport out so long as there weren¡¯t any magic rted restrictions in ce too.

    I nned to immediately test whether or not we actually could teleport out of the boss room. If so, I figured that we could totally just fight whatever was thrown at us regardless of how powerful it is, cause we¡¯d at least have ourselves a life line.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do this.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    And so, Fran gave the door a push.

    It groaned as it opened and revealed to us the boss room¡¯s contents.

    ¡¸Ball?¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like one.¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    The thing that awaited us was exactly what Fran had described. It was¡­ some sort of ball. Its shape was a bit irregr, so you couldn¡¯t really say that it was a perfect sphere or whatever, but it definitely was some sort of ball nheless.

    Hmm¡­ how do I put this? The boss looked like it was made out of a bunch of huge turtle shells stitched together to form a ball. It actually kind of resembled a gigantic, ck pineapple of sorts. Its hard exterior looked to be about 20 meters in diameter.

    I honestly couldn¡¯t tell what the hell it was based purely on how it looked, but it seemed pretty strong.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Disaster Pill Bug (Insect-type Magic Beast)

    Level: 45

    HP: 522

    MP: 521

    STR: 335

    VIT: 339

    AGI: 412

    INT: 101

    MGC: 298

    DEX: 151

    Skills

    Air Jump: Lv 5

    Harden: Lv 8

    Presence Detection: Lv 5

    Regeneration: Lv 8

    Vibration Strike: Lv 7

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 8

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 8

    Rush: Lv 9

    Magic Resist: Lv 7

    Magic Detection: Lv 5

    Magic Emission: Lv 7

    Reinforced Carapace

    Lightweight Carapace

    Hardened Carapace

    Reinforced Regeneration

    Automatic Mana Regeneration

    Weight Boost

    Greater Vitality Increase

    Description: A pill bug that¡¯s undergone an abnormal evolution. It¡¯s body is covered in a hard shell. Its wings do not allow flight despite it being an insect-type magic beast. Its main method of attack is to charge at its target whilst relying on the weight of its massive body. It can use Magic Emission to suddenly change directions. It is very difficult to inflict damage upon. It is ssified as a C ranked threat despite being roughly as powerful as a B ranked threat inbat.

    Magic Stone Location: Heart (Center of Body).

    _______________________________________________________________

    The boss was a top tier C ranked threat, a foe of unquestionable strength.

    I honestly wasn¡¯t really sure as to whether or not we¡¯d actually be able to damage the damned thing. It had a whole tonne of resistances and could even regenerate. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t capable of casting any spells, but honestly, its inability to do so was more or less negligible given how powerful its charge could be.

    ¡ºFran! Urushi! Let¡¯s go all out!¡»

    We started off with a preemptive strike. That is, all three of us fired off a spell.

    ¡ºInferno Burst!¡»

    ¡¸Tornado Lance!¡¹

    ¡¸Grooowl!¡¹

    The pillbug moved at a near unbelievable speed and dodged all three spells in a heartbeat by rolling away.

    Even just watching the action filled me with a sense of revulsion. There was no start up or anything like it. The pillbug simply went from being stationary to suddenly moving around at a super high speed. My guess was that it¡¯d used its ability to emit Magical Energy.

    This battle was one that was impossible for us to win lest we threw away the presumption that heavy things with massive frames were also slow and clunky.

    ¡¸Enemy attacking.¡¹

    ¡ºDodge it!¡»

    The Magic Beast rolled in our direction as it used its Rush skill. This must be how Indi*na Jones felt when whenever he met himself a giant rock. Therge ck ball gave off an incredible sense of pressure.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºAre you okay, Fran!?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Just a scratch.¡¹

    ¡ºThe fact that it¡¯s damaging you just by giving you a little bit of a scratch is one hell of a problem.¡»

    Its high speed attacks were already capable of causing quite a bit of damage on their own. The fact that it had ess to Vibration Strike only served to make it even more deadly. You could end up taking a lot of damage just from having it scrape you.

    More important was the fact that it had magic resistance. We couldn¡¯t damage it from afar by bombarding it with spells.

    ¡ºWhat a pain in the ass!¡»

    ¡¸But first powerful enemy in long time.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸Given chance to be even stronger.¡¹

    God damn battle maniac!

    But, you know what? I guess that¡¯s in part what makes her so reliable.

 Chapter 163: Disaster Pill Bug

    <h4>Chapter 163: Disaster Pill Bug</h4>

    Arge ck ball, the Disaster Pill Bug, rapidly closed in on us.

    Its massive body made its attacks incredibly powerful, but that wasn¡¯t all ¡ª the bug was extremely mobile. Thebination of these two factors made it ridiculously difficult to deal with.

    We¡¯d already experienced the extent of thisbination head on several times. We barely managed to dodge the bug¡¯s attacks only to have it suddenly turn on the spot and fly in our direction on several asions. We would¡¯ve long been squashed if not for our ability to teleport.

    One couldn¡¯t even get away from the damn thing by taking to the air, as its Air Jump skill allowed it to chase its prey in all 3 dimensions.

    Even more troublesome was the hardness of its shell. Poking at it with anything other than an all out attack would only leave it with a scratch. That would be fine and dandy and allow us to umte damage and all, if not for the fact that the insect could regenerate. Its defenses were as solid as Rynford¡¯s.

    And if you thought that was all, then boy, you¡¯ve got a whole ¡®nother thinging. The Disaster Pill Bug was capable of throwing a counter with Vibration Strike the moment we tried to attack it. Its detection skills seemed to make it capable of figuring exactly when we were going to strike each and every single time.

    It didn¡¯t seem like we were going to beat the bug by kiting it and poking at it sporadically. In fact, we were racking up more damage than it was.

    But that honestly just made things a lot simpler.

    ¡¸Nn. Same as usual.¡¹

    We just had to do as we always did and finish it off with a single powerful blow.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºRoger.¡»

    Transform was one of the skills I¡¯d used the most in our exploration of Ulmutt¡¯s Eastern Dungeon; I¡¯d practiced it hundreds upon hundreds of times. The Katana form was one of the forms I¡¯d assumed the most, and hence, I was now able to take it in an instant. I¡¯d even be capable of maintaining it for an hour with rtive ease.

    ¡¸Master. Going.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! Urushi, lure the boss real quick.¡»

    ¡¸Ruff!¡¹

    We hid our presences as Urushi provoked the pill bug and got its attention.

    Therge ck ball immediately turned in Urushi¡¯s direction the moment he threw a spell at it. The wolf was in hisrger form, but he still looked puny next to the giant pill bug regardless.

    ¡¸Grooowl!¡¹

    Urushi was not only more agile than Fran, but also capable of diving into the shadows if need be, so I was pretty sure that he wouldn¡¯t have any issues if all he needed to do was dodge the pill bug¡¯s attacks. His efficacy as bait was furthered by the fact that his magical strikes allowed him to ensure that the enemy stayed focused on him.

    We finished all necessary preparations in a mere few moments.

    That said, there wasn¡¯t actually enough space for us to use the thing we used on Rynford. The ceiling was too low; we couldn¡¯t fall far enough to build up all the kic energy we needed to make the technique work. I wasn¡¯t too sure how things would end up going, so I didn¡¯t dare pour everyst bit of magical energy I had into my de.

    That said, we did have a n. None of the dodging we did was aimless. We hadn¡¯t just been running away.

    Fran waited for the exact moment the pill bug struck a wall and immediately went on the offensive right as it lost all momentum.

    She used abination of my threads and Air Compression to fire herself off in the bug¡¯s direction. That, of course, wasn¡¯t all. She threw both wind and fire magic into the mix to elerate herself even further. She activated weight maniption and cloaked my de in the elements twice over as she drew me from a sheath ofpressed air. Everyst bit of destructive force she outputted was concentrated on the very tip of my de.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡ºNice!¡»

    I¡¯d been pretty sure of our victory, but it looked like I¡¯d been underestimating the Disaster Pill Bug. It was a C ranked threat. C ranked threats were more than just one trick ponies. The bug was capable of much more than mere offense.

    The pill bug suddenly used magic emission and caused its body to begin rotating in the sh¡¯s direction, an action that negated a fair portion of the damage that would have otherwise been inflicted.

    As a result, her sh only managed to leave arge gash in the magic beast¡¯s shell; its internals remained unharmed.

    ¡ºDamn!¡»

    ¡¸Strong as expected.¡¹

    ¡ºBut we¡¯ve at least made enough progress.¡»

    I mean, it would¡¯ve been nice if we were able to finish him in just one hit, but not doing so was just fine as well. We¡¯d already nned ahead, just in case.

    We focused our attentions on the wound that we¡¯d just opened.

    ¡ºLooks like it worked just the way we thought it would.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Can¡¯t regenerate when frozen.¡¹

    Our element of choice hadn¡¯t been thebination of the usual fire and lighting that we¡¯d always loved to use. It¡¯d instead been ice/snow.

    The experiments we conducted regarding elemental weaknesses had led us toe to realize that wounds inflicted through ice/snow magic would regenerate at an abnormally slow rate.

    We¡¯d created the perfect weakness. All we needed to do now wasunch an attack into the crack we made in its shell and we¡¯d be golden. In other words, we secured ourselves a means of attacking the bug¡¯s internals.

    ¡¸Once more.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s finish it off!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The only problem was that the pill bug would likely rotate in much the same manner as it had earlier. It¡¯d be pretty hard for Fran to attack the exact spot she was aiming for.

    ¡ºAlright, here¡¯s the n. We¡¯ll let Urushi attack immediately after he finishes one of those spins. It¡¯s gotta take a good amount of force for him to spin like that, and he probably uses a tonne of magical energy every time, so he probably can¡¯t do it in rapid session.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, leave to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We kicked ourselves into gear so that we could bring the damned thing down. Urushi started spamming magic at it in order to draw its attention while Fran and I quietly awaited an opening.

    It didn¡¯t take long for opportunity to knock.

    The pill bug emitted a bunch of magical energy in order to hunt down Urushi, but missed and crashed into yet another wall.

    Fran immediately leapt at the pillbug, whose open wound just so happened to be facing us. Everything was perfect. All we needed to do was hit the damned thing one more time.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    Weunched a second attack with everything we had behind it ¡ª

    ¡ª Only to realize that we hadn¡¯t grasped the full extent of the pill bug¡¯s strength.

    I¡¯d thought that the tides of battle were in our favour and that victory would soon be in our grasp. In fact, I hadn¡¯t just thought it. I¡¯d been convinced of it by none other than the Disaster Pill Bug itself.

    Sheet! How the hell!? I lost to a mere bug in a battle of wits!?

    Something burst out from within the bug¡¯s wound the moment Fran was about to sh it.

    It lured us in and made sure to attack from a range at which we would be unable to avoid its strike. That said, it seemed that it¡¯d been pushing itself, as its actions had caused its MP to plummet.

    ¡¸Nraaah!¡¹

    ¡ºSheettt!¡»

    The insectpressed its magical energy andunched a projectile from within its broken carapace.

    Our eyes were instantly filled with naught but a single sh of white.

 Chapter 164: Level 45 And Self Evolution Rank 12

    <h4>Chapter 164: Level 45 And Self Evolution Rank 12</h4>

    The burst of magical energy that¡¯de from within the pill bug¡¯s carapace shattered it and caused its fragments to fly towards us at an incredible speed. The resulting attack that came at us was so fast and destructive that it was almost like that of a shotgun.

    I hadn¡¯t realized that the pill bug could use its Magical Emission skill in such rapid session. It hadn¡¯t done anything like this before despite having crashed into walls. In other words, the damned insect had been holding its trump card in reserve.

    We¡¯d been under the effects of Chronos Clock. As a result, everything was moving in slow motion, but the insect¡¯s projectile continued to move at a ridiculously high speed regardless. With the attack¡¯s absurd speed came an incredible amount of power. Even a single fragment of the insect¡¯s shell could probably inflict onto Fran a serious chunk of damage.

    Sheet. I can¡¯t deploy my full powered barriers in time.

    I¡¯d already created a set of magical and physical barriers purely out of reflex, but neither had been full forced, and as a result, the pill bug¡¯s attack had shattered them both with ease. The moment I realized that was the moment I yed another one of the cards I had on hand. One of our contingencies was for me to use my Telekic Catapult. To that end, I¡¯d been saving up a bunch of telekic energy. I immediately unleashed every singlest bit of in order to form a defensive wall so I could protect Fran. However, there was a problem. I had to cover a ratherrge area, so I wasn¡¯t able to exert all that much force. I was only capable of weakening the projectiles that came at us. Stopping them altogether was simply not an option.

    Still, I at least had to try.

    Fran had already pushed herself to the limit. She¡¯d already started using several skills and spells in conjunction. Moreover was the fact that she¡¯d also already initiated a full force charge in the pill bug¡¯s direction ¡ª there was no way for her to suddenly avoid the bug¡¯s counter. She simply didn¡¯t have the liberty to do so.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºShort Ju-¡»

    I immediately tried teleporting us out the moment I heard Fran groan.

    We needed to make a bit of distance between us and the pill bug if we wanted to be able to escape it.

    £¨Don¡¯t!£©

    But Fran stopped me from actually casting the spell. Unlike me, she had yet to give up on the assault. She put the left half of her body forward in order to shield her dominant hand from harm. The ck catgirl supported efforts further by cancelling some of her offensive skills in order to erect a barrier, one that would assist her in her charge. She even made use of the Air Jump skill in order to make sure she wouldn¡¯t get blown away.

    Fran firmly held her ground, but as one could expect, she was unable to remain unscathed. Thebination of Fran¡¯s barrier and my telekinesis were able to drastically reduce the attack¡¯s power, but each of the projectiles still held enough force to rend Fran¡¯s flesh; countless shell fragments embedded themselves inside of her.

    The numerous wounds that¡¯d been torn into her body were painful enough to make even the most mature adults scream in pain, but she managed to endure the bug¡¯sst stand by gritting her teeth and grinding down on them.

    ¡¸Burniaaaaaa!¡¹

    Fran used a me spell to hit the gas yet again as she thrust me at the pill bug with all her might. The attack the magic beast fired off had rid it of its hard exterior and rendered it defenseless. Hence, my de sank into its exposed body as easily as a hot knife would a block of butter.

    I felt not the sensation of a hard exoskeleton, but instead the softness of tearing flesh as my body was driven inside of the insect¡¯s.

    ¡¸Haah¡­ Guh¡­¡¹

    Fran had managed to embed me within the pill bug¡¯s, but she¡¯d lost a lot of her own strength and stamina in the process. She seemedpletely exhausted and on the verge of going limp.

    ¡ºCome on Fran. Hang in there, you¡¯ve almost got it!¡»

    ¡¸Will finish now¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDo it!¡»

    Sheet. I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll be able to fight much longer. It¡¯d be best for me to try finishing the damned thing off here and now.

    I already knew exactly what to do. A clear image of my intentions resonated within my mind as I solidified them.

    I focused all my magical energies into my de and activated Vibration Fang and Wind Elemental de simultaneously. I then directed my attention towards the use of transformation and manipted my body in much the same way the System Announcer had done before me. I imitated the actions she took when she¡¯d used thin, sharp strands of my de to absorb the numerous Skeletons¡¯ magic stones. That is, I warped my body whilst retaining the image of having thin threads extend from my tip.

    A hundred steel fibres parted from my body and began shredding the pill bug from inside out. I backed the effort further by throwing the Thread Maniption skill into the mix. I forcibly controlled everyst part of my body in order to have its strands run rampant within the pill bug¡¯s figure.

    I wasn¡¯t able to manipte myself nearly as skillfully as the System Announcer had, but that was honestly something I¡¯d already been expecting.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran pitched in as well and used Elemental de to cloak my body in lightning.

    ¡¸Gigiii¡­ Giiiiiiii!!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s actions functioned as a finishing blow; her spell caused the pill bug to let out onest cry as it lost its life. The strength drained from its limbs. Its body¡¯s functions slowed to a stop.

    ¡´Self Evolution has activated. You have gained 60 self-evolution points.¡µ

    I ranked up. That was nice and all, but I had priorities. What mattered right now was Fran. I made use of my telekic abilities and gentlyid her down on the boss room¡¯s floor.

    ¡ºGreater Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Uu¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, are you alright?¡»

    ¡¸Master¡­¡¹

    Whew, looked like I managed to heal her in time. Most of herrger wounds had closed up. She was still alive and kicking.

    ¡¸Won¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºThat we did.¡»

    Fran pushed herself off the ground with both arms in response to my words.

    ¡¸First victory in long time.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸First time in long time facing strong enemy head on and winning.¡¹

    Hearing Fran say that made me think about all the strong foes we had faced in the past.

    The demon we fought hadn¡¯t been able to show its true potential, and we¡¯d only won because it¡¯d basically half screwed itself.

    Amanda alwayspletely rekt us every time we sparred her.

    The Lich totally destroyed us. We probably would¡¯ve died if not for the System Announcer.

    Fran hadn¡¯t been able to engage in directbat with the Midgard Wyrm. Plus, we didn¡¯t end up actually taking that one down either.

    We only won against Rynford because of the people that¡¯d helped us beat him back. We probably would¡¯ve lost otherwise.

    There was only a single instance in which we went head on against anything that was considered a C level threat or higher and won, and that was when we fought the Legendary Skeleton.

    ¡´Fran has reached level 45.¡µ

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºNice! You finally did it!¡»

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Fran

    Age: 12

    Race: Beastkin (ck Cat Tribe)

    Job: Magic Warrior

    State: Bound to Contract

    Status Level: 45/45

    HP: 551

    MP: 432

    STR: 286

    VIT: 220

    AGI: 275

    INT: 192

    MGC: 231

    DEX: 190

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 4

    Wind Magic: Lv 2

    Court Etiquette: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 5

    Sword Techniques: Lv 7

    Sword Arts: Lv 7

    Blink: Lv 6

    Fire Magic: Lv 4

    Cooking: Lv 2

    Undead Killer

    Evil Killer

    Insect Killer

    Vigour Maniption

    Goblin Killer

    Evil Resistance: Lv 1

    Mental Stability

    Demon Killer

    Skillful Dismantling

    Resolute

    Sense of Direction

    Magic Maniption

    Night Vision

    Innate Skills

    Magic Convergence

    Special Skills

    ck Cat¡¯s Divine Protection

    Titles

    Undead Killer

    Match For a Thousand

    Evil Killer

    Insect Killer

    Lord of Dismantling

    Healer

    Goblin Killer

    She Who ughters

    Skill Collector

    Skill Maniac

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Big Game Eater

    Demon Killer

    Wielder of mes

    Wielder of Wind

    Lord of Cooking

    Equipment

    ck Cat Set (Body Armour, Gloves, Shoes, Earring, Cloak, Belt)

    Bracelet of Herculean Strength

    Sacrificial Bracelet

    Magician¡¯s Ne

    _______________________________________________________________

    Fran had finally hit level 45. She¡¯d capped herself out.

    ¡º¡­¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Urushi and I both watched over Fran with bated breath as she opened and closed her palms as if to verify whether or not there¡¯d been any changes.

    ¡º¡­Doesn¡¯t look like anything¡¯s any different.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    Damn it. It looked like my hunch had been right all along. Nothing happened to Fran; she didn¡¯t evolve.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about it too much, alright?¡»

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡ºReally?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. More importantly. Master ranked up too?¡¹

    ¡¸Right, yeah I did. I totally forgot because I was too caught up in everything.¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran

    Race: Intelligent Weapon

    Attack: 622

    MP: 4150/4150

    Durability: 3950/3950

    Magical Conductivity: A+

    Skills

    Appraisal: MAX

    Appraisal Jamming

    Transform

    High Speed Self-Repair

    Self Evolution ¡´Rank 12 Magic Stones: 6689/7800 Memory: 112 Evolution Points Remaining: 62¡µ

    Self Modification (Superiorized)

    Telekinesis

    Lesser Telekic Amplification

    Telepathy

    Lesser Attack Boost

    Space/Time Magic: MAX

    Dimension Magic: Lv 1

    Skill Sharing

    Intermediate Status Boost (Wielder)

    Lesser Recovery Boost (Wielder)

    Eye of Empyrea

    Unseble

    Lesser MP Boost

    Knowledge of Magic Beasts

    Sorcerer

    Intermediate Memory Boost

    Unique Skills

    Principal of falsehood: Lv 5

    Superior Skills

    Sword Arts SP

    Skill Taker SP

    Doppelganger Synthesis SP

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡ºI¡¯ve got a whole 62 self evolution points. Looks like we¡¯ll be able to make ourselves a decent bit stronger.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel good about the fact that I finally had over 600 base attack. I¡¯d only ever seen a few with numbers that high.

    Heh, I was finally strong enough to be worthy of a sword with a name, even without all my skills and what not. I¡¯m no longer the same sword I once was! No way in hell I¡¯ll ever get depressed by appraising one of Gallus¡¯ swords ever again!

    ¡¸Master. Grats.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºThanks! Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re next. We¡¯ll definitely find a way for you to evolve!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    To that end, we¡¯d need more information. I didn¡¯t know if Aurel actually knew anything about how ck Catkin were supposed to evolve, but he himself was still a beastkin that¡¯d undergone an evolution, and thus, he might at least be able to point us in the right direction.

    ¡ºAlright! Let¡¯s go meet that Dungeon Master so we can get Aurel to tell us what we want to know.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 165: An Encounter With the Dungeon Master

    <h4>Chapter 165: An Encounter With the Dungeon Master</h4>

    Urushiid himself down at Fran¡¯s feet, as if trying to appeal for something.

    ¡¸Wooof!¡¹

    ¡ºOh, right. Yup, you did level up, Urushi.¡»

    Yeah I totally forgot that I was supposed to check Urushi¡¯s stats too.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Urushi

    Species: Darkness Wolf (Magic Wolf / Magic Beast)

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 30/50

    HP: 754

    MP: 865

    STR: 401

    VIT: 341

    AGI: 507

    INT: 317

    MGC: 541

    DEX: 271

    Skills

    Darkness Resistance: Lv 8

    Darkness Magic: Lv 4

    Sharp Nose: MAX

    Espionage: Lv 7

    Fang Techniques: Lv 6

    Fang Arts: Lv 6

    Shadow Dive: MAX

    Shadow Transport: Lv 6

    Air Jump: Lv 8

    Fear: Lv 4

    Vignce: Lv 7

    Presence Concealment: Lv 6

    Regeneration: Lv 5

    Deadly Poison Magic: Lv 2

    Evil Energy Detection: Lv 1

    Evil Energy Resistance: Lv 1

    Blink: Lv 5

    Muffle: Lv 6

    Spirit Magic: Lv 5

    Life Force Detection: Lv 8

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 6

    w Arts: Lv 1

    Poison Magic: MAX

    Echolocation: Lv 8

    Howl: Lv 8

    Shadow Slip: MAX

    Dark Magic: MAX

    Night Vision

    Greater Poison Fang

    Automatic HP Recovery

    Automatic MP Recovery

    Immune to Poison

    Metamorphosis

    Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Prey Absorption

    Titles

    Kin to the Sword

    Kin to the God of Wolves

    Equipment

    w of Capture

    _______________________________________________________________

    Defeating the pill bug had allowed Urushi to gain a level; he¡¯d finally hit level 30. He needed way more exp than Fran to get anywhere at all, but he was still gradually making gains.

    ¡¸Urushi, strong.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd I think he¡¯s learned a new skill too. I¡¯m pretty sure he didn¡¯t used to have w Arts.¡»

    He always did like battering his enemies with his front paws, but I guess he never really used his ws until after he equipped the w of Capture.

    Urushi picked up a nearby rock and tossed it into the air. He watched it for a bit and used his hind legs to stand up while skillfully swiping at it with his front right paw. A series of ws extended the moment he attacked and easily split the rock in four. The attack appeared both fast and powerful, it could definitely be put to good use, especially when taking the w of Capture¡¯s paralysis effect into consideration.

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The fact that Urushi was praised made him so happy he nearly jumped for joy.

    You know, Urushi was actually pretty damned strong for a magic beast ranked in at a C ranked threat. His stats were rtively high, and he had an incredible amount of skillspared to the pill bug and basically everything else like it.

    He might even end up being considered a B ranked threat if he just levels up and grows a bit more.

    That said, he wascking both inbat experience andposure. He also wasn¡¯t really like¡­ wild enough. I guess that¡¯s kind of my fault because of how much I spoiled him, but how could I not? Just look at how adorable he is. He¡¯s capable of two waymunication, and even listens to what we say even without the need for any sort of disciplinary action. He¡¯s practically a dog owner¡¯s wet dream.

    In fact, he was only just responding to Fran petting his head by narrowing his eyes and wagging his tail. I mean, that¡¯s at least better than flipping over and showing his belly, but, still. It¡¯d probably be better for us to be a bit more strict with him.

    ¡¸Master. What next?¡¹

    ¡ºOh, right, I got side tracked, my bad.¡»

    We shouldn¡¯t just be hanging around like usual. We didn¡¯te all the way here just so we could beat up the boss. We were here to see the Dungeon Master.

    I shoved the Disaster Pill Bug¡¯s corpse in storage and had us survey the boss room for the time being.

    We were currently at what was supposedly the dungeon¡¯s deepest depths, but I expected a door or pathway of some sort to open up after we beat the boss regardless.

    What actually happened differed from, but still kinda resembled what I¡¯d expected. That is, a glimmering pir of light appeared at the room¡¯s center after a bit of a short wait.

    ¡¸Master. Something appeared.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like the info we got was spot on.¡»

    The pir was a teleportation device, specifically one that¡¯d return all who entered it to the dungeon entrance. It¡¯d normally be a helpful device as it¡¯d save you the walk, but, it wasn¡¯t what we¡¯d been looking for. Entering it would force us back out the dungeon.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try investigating the room and seeing if we can find anything.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ***

    We looked around for about 10 minutes, but we weren¡¯t able to find any sort of hidden area.

    Er, actually that¡¯s not right. I mean, we did technically find a spot that seemed like it had something on the other side, but we couldn¡¯t figure out how we were supposed to get to it.

    It wasn¡¯t like the other areas in the sense that the Dungeon Master had restricted ess to it. Forcing ourselves in probably wasn¡¯t that great of an idea. We¡¯d be putting not only the request, but also Fran¡¯s life at risk.

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ What do?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    Oh wait. You know, thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t actually absolutely necessary for us to go to where the Dungeon Master was. We could just have here out instead.

    ¡ºHey Fran, try showing off the pendant Aurel gave you.¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Got it.¡¹

    Fran rummaged through her dimensional storage and pulled the pendant out from within it.

    ¡ºNow try calling the Dungeon Master.¡»

    ¡¸Got it. Dungeon Master. Delivery.¡¹

    She raised the pendant overhead as she spoke.

    I was pretty sure that calling the Dungeon Master would work. We¡¯d just beaten the boss, so chances were, the Dungeon Master probably had her eyes on us right about now.

    And you know what, we can just try something else if it doesn¡¯t work. It¡¯s not like giving it a shot would cause any harm.

    ¡¸Delivery here.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you perhaps on one of Dias¡¯ or Aurel¡¯s errands?¡¹

    A young woman¡¯s, presumably the Dungeon Master¡¯s, voice resounded through the room after we tried calling out a few times.

    ¡¸Nn. Aurel.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ Very well. I request you wait a brief moment.¡¹

    A hole appeared in one of the walls shortly after the woman voiced her agreement. It seemed to lead to the area that we¡¯d suspected just a bit earlier.

    ¡¸You may enter.¡¹

    The corridor didn¡¯t have any traps in it. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but worry that we¡¯d be lead to a room full of magic beasts or traps. It wasn¡¯t impossible for the Dungeon Master to choose to do precisely that, so we proceeded with caution. I made sure to have a bit of teleportation magic queued up just in case.

    However, our concerns ended up appearing to be in excess. There weren¡¯t any magic beasts anywhere to be found. The path was, well, just a normal path.

    The passage¡¯s only defining traits were its dimness and the softness of the light that seemed to shine through from where it lead.

    A magnificent sight reached us once we finally arrived at the tunnel¡¯s exit. The room it lead to looked like it¡¯de straight out of some noble¡¯s mansion. It was incredibly wide, and filled to the brim with all sorts of gaudy furniture.

    A beautiful woman of about 30 years stood in the room¡¯s centre. The robe-like thing she wore made it look like she was in the midst of enjoying a sort of leisurely respite. Her body was rather slim, and her face charming, but I still couldn¡¯t help but feel that she gave off the air of a warrior, a perfect bnce of strength and beauty.

    She was strong, incredibly so. I knew it from the moment I firstid eyes on her, but I couldn¡¯t tell exactly how strong she was. Either way, she was at least stronger than we were. In fact, she was probably at least a match for Amanda.

    I didn¡¯t feel any bloodlust or malice from her, so I managed to avoid putting myself on guard. However, I surely would¡¯ve immediately switched to battle mode if we came across her under any other set of circumstances, especially so if we were in a dungeon, seeing as how dungeon goers had the tendency to be more easily aggravated.

    To be honest, I actually tried appraising her, but it seemed she had ess to Appraisal Jamming, and thus, I wasn¡¯t able to really get many details out of it. I only managed to learn her name, confirm the fact that she was the Dungeon Master, and figure out a few of her skills.

    That said though, my attention had already been drawn elsewhere.

    Her head sported a pair of ck cat ears, and her rear a ck tail. Both of these identifying features were ones that I was rather familiar with. They practically looked identical to Fran¡¯s, after all.

    ¡ºIs she a ck Catkin¡­?¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯ve done well to venture this far. I wee you, fellow sister of the ck Cat Tribe.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran immediately took to her right knee with her left fist pressed against the ground the moment the woman weed her. She¡¯d ced her right hand behind her back and ced it on her waist.

    ¡¸Thank you for gracing me with your presence. I believe this to be our first meeting. I am Fran, of the ck Cat Tribe.¡¹

    Fran kicked her Court Etiquette skill into full swing and bowed whilst speaking in a manner thatpletely differed from her usual one. Her greeting was not like that of a retainer, but more so like that of someone acknowledging another¡¯s superiority. I guess that¡¯s just a beastkin thing?

    ¡¸And I am Rumina, Warrior to the ck Cat Tribe and the master of this dungeon.¡¹

    I knew it, she was a ck Catkin, but that doesn¡¯t really exin why Fran suddenly went all out with the etiquette. I was confused, but didn¡¯t have to wait all that long to find out, as the pair¡¯s next exchange provided the answer I¡¯d been looking for.

    ¡¸Might I presume you to be a ck Tigerkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha, that is correct. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Rumina, one of the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s ck Tigerkin.¡¹

    Ah, so that¡¯s it. Fran¡¯s respect stemmed from the fact that the person that stood before her was one that¡¯d achieved her goal.

    ¡¸Again, I wee you to my domain.¡¹

 Chapter 166: Of Rumina and Hope

    <h4>Chapter 166: Of Rumina and Hope</h4>

    ¡ºI¡¯m honestly surprised you had it figured out.¡»

    £¨Had what?£©

    ¡ºThe fact that she was a ck Tigerkin in particr. I mean, this is your first time ever even hearing about the fact that ck Catkin could actually evolve, right?¡»

    £¨Given, since same tribe. Can tell just by looking.£©

    Oh, right, I remember her saying a bit ago that Beastkin could differentiate between the evolved and unevolved. I guess the fact that they¡¯re both ck Catkin only deepens her understanding of Rumina¡¯s state all the more.

    ¡¸I will prepare you a seat. Do make use of it.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Rumina, the Dungeon Master, went out of her way to procure Fran a chair. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t a bad person despite the fact that she was extremely intimidating.

    Fran rose from her prior position and seated herself in the chair Rumina had prepped for her. You know, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her listen to anyone other than myself with such a degree of earnestness. She was acting in the same manner as one would upon meeting some sort of celebrity or hero that they¡¯d always looked up to.

    In fact, her eyes almost seemed to sparkle every time she looked in Rumina¡¯s direction. Likewise, her ears and tail both continued to move around restlessly. I could only gauge the manner in which she was acting to be normal. The person before her held the key that¡¯d allow her realize her desires, or at least the closest thing to it.

    ¡¸That wolf of yours¡­ No, nevermind me. Let us disregard my mention of the topic and move on.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi was sitting on the carpet with his limbs sprawled, not because he¡¯d gotten attached to Rumina, but instead because he understood that he should listen to her because she was above him, and therefore should not be offended. Yup, that¡¯s a canine for you.

    ¡¸I believe you stated that you came on Aurel¡¯s behalf?¡¹

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­? So that is what he intended.¡¹

    Rumina nodded in acknowledgement after taking the pendant from Fran¡¯s hands and looking it over.

    ¡¸It appears to be genuine.¡¹

    She fiddled with something at the pendant¡¯s centre and flipped it open to reveal a small piece of paper. It seemed that the paper was actually what we¡¯d been tasked to deliver.

    Rumina unfolded the piece of paper, the letter, and looked over its contents with a bit of a pondering expression.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    An incredible amount of bloodlust leaked out of Rumina¡¯s body. It¡¯d been sustained for but an instant, but the sheer strength of it had caused Fran to jump with a start, and Urushi to growl whilst raising his body.

    ¡¸Apologies. I merely happened to recall an unpleasant memory.¡¹

    Rumina smiled a gentle, refreshing smile. The bloodlust that stemmed from her body was nowhere to be seen ¡ª not that it¡¯d been directed towards us in the first ce.

    Whew, that had me on edge. It seemed that the same had happened to Fran, as she only just managed to sit herself back down.

    ¡¸Provide that Aurel kid with my acknowledgement.¡¹

    Rumina handed Aurel¡¯s pendant back to Fran.

    ¡¸Pendant?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve no longer any need for it. Return it to Aurel.¡¹

    Turned out she really didn¡¯t care about the pendant itself.

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Wait, did she just call Aurel a kid? I swear the dude¡¯s like at least 70. The hell? Rumina looks like she¡¯s around 30.

    ¡¸Rumina, seems young?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! You are quite the brave one. I believe this to be the first time anyone has ever asked my age since I became this dungeon¡¯s master.¡¹

    Rumina¡¯s words didn¡¯t carry even the slightest hint of anger. In fact, she instead regarded Fran with a kind, grandmotherly expression. It seemed that she was acting a bit more rxed than she otherwise would have because she and Fran were of the same tribe. Likewise, Fran was continuing to act rather respectfully despite having reverted back to her usual curt manner of speech. I guess that¡¯s just what it meant to be of the same tribe; the rtionship they shared was just t out special.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve stopped keeping tally ever since bing a Dungeon Master, but I believe I should at least be five hundred years of age.¡¹

    ording to Rumina, she stopped aging the moment she became a Dungeon Master. She could apparently only die if the dungeon core was destroyed if someone was to actually just straight up murder her.

    ¡¸It is possible for Dungeon Masters to alter their appearances through the use of magic, but I myself have chosen to remain as I was on the day that I was first changed.¡¹

    In other words, Rumina had lived a long life despite her appearance and attained evolution with her very own hands.

    ¡¸Rumina.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    Fran righted her seating posture and gazed in Rumina¡¯s direction. In doing so, she conveyed to the other party that she wanted to talk about something serious. Rumina seemed to catch her drift, as she returned the younger catgirl¡¯s gaze.

    ¡¸ck catkin¡­ can evolve?¡¹

    Fran cut straight to the point and asked the about the one thing she wanted to know about most.

    Rumina had the answer and was right before us, but I still couldn¡¯t help but worry that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get her hands on what she sought.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran held her breath and squeezed her hands in anticipation; a moment of silence persisted as she stared straight at Rumina and awaited her answer.

    ¡¸Without a doubt.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Fran was flooded with a whole assortment of emotions, all at once. They were so fierce and numerous that they rendered her unable to provide anything but a short response. She didn¡¯t just feel joy or hope. She also recalled all the hardships that she¡¯d gone through, all the her frustrations and pains. Above all, there was relief. She learned that the path she¡¯d walked was not one travelled in vain.

    That single short phrase of her¡¯s carried with it every single one of her feelings.

    ¡¸I want¡­ to evolve.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, and?¡¹

    ¡¸Please tell me what I need to do to evolve.¡¹

    Fran immediately ced both her hands on the table and lowered her head as she awaited Rumina¡¯s answer. Chances were she probably would¡¯ve totally genuflected or prostrated had she been on the ground.

    I too focused all my attention on Rumina and awaited her reply.

    ¡¸I would love to instruct you my method of evolution.¡¹

    ¡¸Then!¡¹

    Fran lifted her face as her body leaned itself in Rumina¡¯s direction. Her face was flushed, and her mouth half open. She was clearly as excited as could be.

    But Rumina¡¯s next words cut it all short.

    ¡¸But that is not meant to be¡­ I cannot directly convey to you my methodologies in their entirety.¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡­?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s expression twisted into one of desperation.

    ¡¸I am sorry¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran fell back into her seat like a puppet with its strings cut. She probably would¡¯ve totally fallen over if not for her chair¡¯s backrest.

    She was very clearly disappointed. The key that¡¯d allow her to achieve her goal had been dangled in front of her only to be taken away before she had any chance of actually grabbing at it.

    Still, I think she did a good job holding in her discontent.

    Rumina¡¯s expression did the same as Fran¡¯s and darkened. But unlike Fran, her eyes were filled with pain.

    ¡¸My sincerest apologies. I would have been willing to tell you it all if I was not a Dungeon Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Meaning¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸The Goddess of Chaos grants upon Dungeon Masters arge number of blessings. We are given the ability to manage a dungeon and eternal youth, but blessings are not all we are given. The goddess also binds us with a curse.¡¹

    Rumina informed us that she wasn¡¯t able to tell us too much. She was restricted in her speech with regards to the dungeon and its workings.

    She wasn¡¯t capable of conveying any restricted information, be it through speech or writing.

    ¡¸So Goddess of Chaos rted to ck Catkin evolution?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. We of the ck Cat Tribe were shackled by the will of the Gods five hundred years prior. Thus, I am now thest ck Tigerkin.¡¹

    ¡¸One question.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. I shall answer any question I am capable of answering.¡¹

    ¡¸ck Catkin, evolution impossible?¡¹

    ¡¸That would be incorrect. It is simply difficult for our members to attain evolution.¡¹

    Rumina¡¯s answer hit Fran with a wave of relief. It seemed she could have hope so long as it was still possible.

    ¡¸Okay. But, why Gods made more difficult?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡­ I cannot tell you, for I know not the answer.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, how to evolve in the past?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­ Apologies. I cannot tell you that either.¡¹

    Rumina clenched her teeth and lowered her gaze. It seemed that she was feeling just as frustrated as Fran was. She wanted to help her fellow tribesman evolve, but was simply unable to.

    ¡¸What¡­ if I was to tell you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸What manner of choice would you make if I was to tell you that you could evolve if you simply chose to y me?¡¹

 Chapter 167: The Extent of a Black Tigerkinâ€™s Power

    <h4>Chapter 167: The Extent of a ck Tigerkin¡¯s Power</h4>

    Rumina suddenly suggested something that I could only describe as outrageous.

    ¡¸What manner of choice would you make if I was to tell you that you could evolve if you simply chose to y me?¡¹

    ¡¸If I¡­ kill you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Tis just hypothetical, but do give me an answer.¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t kill.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s reaction came immediately.

    Her response was exactly what I¡¯d expected it to be. Fran wanted to evolve, not for vanity, but for the sake of her tribe¡¯s pride. There was simply no way she¡¯d be willing to trade the life of one that¡¯d aplished her goal in order to fulfill it. Plus, Dias had totally nailed into us the fact that we weren¡¯t allowed to kill the Dungeon Master ¡ª not that I thought we were actually capable of doing so in the first ce.

    The guild would end upbeling us a traitor even if we actually did manage to kill her, so in that sense, we technically just couldn¡¯t.

    ¡¸So that is your answer¡­ It was exactly what I had expected it to be. Quite the resemblence you bear¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I was merely rambling, do not mind me nor the odd question I posed. Unfortunately, that is all I have to tell you regarding evolution.¡¹

    Why¡¯d she just ask us that? Could it maybe¡­ be true? Nah, no way, right? I mean, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to ask us the question if that were to be the case. But like, would she really ask us something like that for literally no reason? It had to be some sort of hint, at the very least.

    Was killing another member of the ck cat tribe supposed to be what¡¯d allow her to evolve? Or what about maybe just killing a Dungeon Master of some sort? Wait no, can¡¯t be that one. We¡¯d already killed that one Goblin Dungeon Master guy already.

    Hmmm, iunno. I don¡¯t get it.

    ¡¸It is not much for constion, but do have yourself a cup of a tea.¡¹

    Rumina offered Fran a drink and started talking to her about the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s vige in an attempt to cheer her up. It seemed that the two were able to converse as much as they¡¯d like so long as the topic didn¡¯t pertain to evolution.

    She described that it was normal for ck Catkin to evolve 500 years ago, back before she became the dungeon¡¯s master. They didn¡¯t used to be considered as inferior to any of the other beastkin races. In fact, they¡¯d been one of the most respected tribes. She wasn¡¯t able to tell us too many details about what had happened way back then, but, she recounted what she could.

    I couldn¡¯t really understand the exact extent to which the Goddess restricted one¡¯s ability to disclose information, but it evidently stopped her from talking about evolution or the reasons for which the ck Catkin ended up under their current circumstances in the first ce.

    The ck Cat Tribe¡¯s history had practically been wiped clean off the board. The only people that still knew it were probably the elves, seeing as how they were long lived. I¡¯d really like to talk to one and ask why the gods wanted to go as far as even making it seem like ck Catkin were unable to evolve.

    Fran and Rumina ended up having a fairly long conversation despite the fact that they weren¡¯t able to discuss evolution. Neither had met another ck Catkin in quite a long while, so they really hit it off.

    ¡¸Ah, right¡­ I do have onest matter I¡¯d like to ask of you, if you would not mind it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Won¡¯t mind anything.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, worry not. It is nothing difficult. I would simply like to ask you to convey to Dias a message for me.¡¹

    ¡¸Dias? Not Aurel?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, Dias. My message to him is but a single phrase: Fulfill the contract. Do well to remember it.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Have you anything you would like to request of me in return? I will do for you anything that I am capable of.¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Rumina¡¯s question caused Fran to fall into thought. I was fairly certain that she was thinking of and dismissing a whole slew of ideas.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºShe did say you ask for whatever you wanted, so just do that. Voice whatever happens toe to mind.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Have you a request?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran quietly nodded as she looked at Rumina with a gaze like that of a warrior.

    ¡¸Want to spar.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    ¡¸Want to see extent of ck Tiger¡¯s power.¡¹

    I had to say, it really was like Fran to want something like this. She wanted to experience first hand the power that she sought.

    Rumina responded to Fran¡¯s request with a heartfelt, entertained smile.

    ¡¸Very well. I shall show you my strength. I will, however, first require a moment, as I must prepare.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I shall provide you a servant for the time being. Order it as you will.¡¹

    A wooden doll, much like the ones used in character design, materialized in response to Rumina¡¯s words.

    It refilled Fran¡¯s cup with movements as fluid as those of a human.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    The doll not only nodded in response to Fran, but also retrieved some cookies and chocte from a shelf in one of the room¡¯s corners before presenting them as if serving her.

    From the aforementioned actions, I understood that it was basically Rumina¡¯s familiar despite the fact that it wasn¡¯t capable of speech.

    ¡¸Nn. Tasty.¡¹

    ***

    ¡¸I seem to have kept you waiting for quite the amount of time.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Rumina returned after ten odd minutes. She imed to be ready, but looked exactly the same as she had before setting out.

    She was still wearing the same thing, a thin outfit made of cloth that seemed to resemble a noble¡¯s casual wear. Her body hadn¡¯t been decorated with even a single piece of armour.

    Her sword was pretty sharp, but it didn¡¯t emanate any magical power; it didn¡¯t seem to have any special properties or abilities.

    ¡¸Follow after me.¡¹

    Rumina lead us to a dome-shaped room with a diameter about a hundred meters across.

    ¡¸I have only just made this room, and thus, ¡¯tis a bit dreary. Unfortunately, it was all I could prepare as I hadn¡¯t a suitable space for us to spar in. Have you any particrints with this space?¡¹

    Apparently, Rumina hadn¡¯t gone off to prepare any sort of armour. She had instead been working on preparing a room. Yup, that¡¯s a Dungeon Master for ya. The scale she thinks on ispletely different from our own.

    £¨Master, just watch.£©

    ¡ºYeah, I know. You do you.¡»

    I mean, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re fighting for real. It¡¯s just a spar, so yeah.

    ¡¸Shall we start?¡¹

    ¡¸No equipment?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Have you confidence in your ability tond a blow?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! How spirited you are. Fear not, my clothes have been enhanced through the magical arts. It offers greater defenses than most armours crafted of metal. I have also in my possession a Sacrificial Bracelet.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Now then, I believe it should be time for us to begin?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And begin they did. Rumina, like Fran, was a swordsman. The way she traded blows with Fran demonstrated the fact that she was highly skilled.

    Her Appraisal Jamming skill made it so I was only able to pick up on her detection based skills, so I was only now able to find out that she was capable of casting magic. That is, I could tell at a nce that she had ess to the Magic Maniption skill.

    They began at a milder pace, and probed at each other for the sake of evaluating each other¡¯s skill. From there, the two gradually picked up the pace and started swinging in sharper, faster manners.

    ¡¸Splendid! Your skill with the sword is incredible for one of such a young age.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ***

    ¡¸What? Can you no longer keep up?¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸You have erred! Your blow would have been much more effective had you taken another step forward.¡¹

    Rumina was, as one would expect, much more skilled than Fran. The older ck Catkin had the liberty to verbalize the other¡¯s mistakes despite her going all out. Her precise manner of doing so was like that of a coach or teacher.

    ¡¸That is not all you have, is it? Disy to me all you can!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fire Javelin!¡¹

    Fran created a spear wreathed in me as she threw yet another sh. Her n had been to distract Rumina in order tond a blow with a two pronged attack, but her attempts ended in utter failure. The mes hadn¡¯t been enough to offer even the slightest distraction.

    ¡¸You are far too naive! A spell like that fails to so much as even serve as a distraction!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Their battle transformed from one purely based in swordy to a fierce exchange of spells. Rumina turned out to be capable of using both the fire and wind elements.

    The two fought for what felt like an hour.

    Fran was out of breath. Rumina, on the other hand, merely looked satisfied.

    ¡¸You are incredibly strong for a ck Catkin that has yet to evolve. You will surely be strong enough to leave your name in history should you find a path to evolution.¡¹

    She spoke with a smile, but quickly twisted her expression into a more stern one.

    ¡¸It is about time for us to bring this session to an end. I shall do you the favour of putting a portion of the very power you desire on disy for myst act. Worry not, I shan¡¯t kill you.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it on.¡¹

    My de trembled as an incredible amount of magical energy suddenly burst out of Rumina¡¯s body. Holy crap. She had to be at least as strong as Rynford.

    ¡¸Then here Ie¡­ Lightning Rush!¡¹

    I¡¯m not sure if it was because of I was super focused on her or what, but everything Rumina had said sounded clear to me despite the fact that she¡¯d muttered the first half of it. The attack sheunched caused an incredibly bright sh and sent Fran flying across the room.

 Chapter 168: Lightning Rush

    <h4>Chapter 168: Lightning Rush</h4>

    ¡¸Lightning Rush

    !¡¹

    Fran flew; the attack that followed Rumina¡¯s shoutunched her a whole 30 meters. Her body sank into and shattered the wall despite it looking like it was made of a rather tough material.

    Holy foock! The hell just happened!? The attack was so quick that I couldn¡¯t see sheet!

    I had no idea exactly how it all happened, but Rumina was now standing exactly where Fran had been just a moment ago. We, on the other hand, had been sent flying. I mean, I did feel like we¡¯d gotten hit by something, but I wasn¡¯t able to tell what that something had been.

    Only a few moments after receiving the attack did I finally begin to process any information pertinent to it. The attack¡¯s name, the fact that I¡¯d felt a slight shock right as Rumina collided with us, and the smoking burn mark on Fran¡¯s chest all pointed towards the fact that she¡¯d attacked us with something based in the lightning element.

    ¡ºFran! You okay?¡»

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Heal.¡¹

    Fran coughed up a wad of blood as if to evidence that her internals had suffered a good bit of damage. Luckily, it looked like she was still alive and kicking regardless.

    Rumina really had followed through with her deration. She¡¯d inflicted a pretty major injury, but Fran had managed to live through it. It seemed that she¡¯d only used this attack because she¡¯d be convinced of the fact that Fran would be able to tank it.

    ¡¸Are you alright? I identally put a slight excess of force into the attack as it has been far too long since I have had the chance to enjoy a battle like this one.¡¹

    Though it looked like she messed up a bit.

    ¡¸I had only intended on blowing you aback.¡¹

    Rumina hurried over and used a potion on Fran.

    Man, just what the hell was that Lightning Rush

    thing anyways? It was so damn fast that I honestly couldn¡¯t tell.

    That, however, didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t have any idea as to its identity. The term Innate Skill floated through my mind despite the fact that I had no confirmation as to whether or not she¡¯d even used a skill in the first ce. Rumina¡¯s words had mentioned that she wanted to show Fran what was toe, that she would show her a ck Tigerkin¡¯s power. In other words, the attack she just showcased would logically be a skill innate to ck Tigerkin.

    Though I hadn¡¯t been able to observe it, I had at least learned that the epitome of strength stilly far beyond.

    ***

    ¡¸It is regrettable, but I must not keep you in a pen with me in perpetuity.¡¹

    Rumina spoke to Fran, whose wounds had been healed, in a tone filled withment.

    The younger ck Catkin seemed to feel the same, as her gaze was cast downwards in loneliness. However, her feelings were only second to her goal. It was mission critical for her to go back out into the world so she could find out more about evolution. We were still betting on us being able to get a few hints from Aurel seeing as how he¡¯d gone out of his way to ask us to do this and everything.

    I mean, I didn¡¯t think him sending us here was just a coincidence, as he knew Rumina. He himself had evolved as well, so I figured there was no way he didn¡¯t know she herself was someone that¡¯d evolved. He also knew that Fran was a ck Catkin. Throw in all those factors, and you have for yourself something that could only possibly be some sort of setup.

    In fact, it almost felt like he¡¯d only acted in order to acquaint Fran and Rumina with one another. It would only make sense for him to know something about the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolution, or at least something that¡¯d be of help to us.

    ¡¸The teleportation device left in the boss room has yet to deactivate. Entering it will allow you to return to the dungeon entrance.¡¹

    ¡¸Can meet again in future¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. That, I would enjoy. I shall arrange it so that you will have the opportunity to visit me simply by visiting the boss room. ¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Rumina ruffled Fran¡¯s hair, which caused the younger girl¡¯s eyes to narrow and ears to twitch in delight.

    ***

    ¡ºYou sure you¡¯re all set?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The two stalled for about 10 or so minutes because they were rather reluctant to part. I myself thought it¡¯d be fine for the two to enjoy a bit more time together, but Fran herself had decided it was time to go. She said goodbye to Rumina and started walking back towards the boss room.

    ¡¸Farewell.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran turned back several times, but eventually managed to get herself to leave, albeit whilst looking back in Rumina¡¯s direction.

    ¡¸Bye bye.¡¹

    ¡¸A path to your goal most definitely exists. ¡®Tis narrow and full of obstacles, but it is not one you will be unable to traverse so long as you persevere.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Rumina gave her onest shout of encouragement as the the teleportation circle¡¯s light enveloped us and brought us back up to the surface.

    The dungeon¡¯s entrance looked just the same that it had a few days ago.

    ¡ºI guess we might as well go hit up Aurel and tell him we¡¯re done.¡»

    We tried to leave the fortress that surrounded the ce in order to make our way over to Aurel¡¯s mansion, but we weren¡¯t able to as we were almost immediately swarmed by the guards and adventurers in the area.

    Apparently the adventurers standing right outside the dungeon had noticed that we teleported in, and immediately started spreading the news.

    ¡¸Damn! Looks like she¡¯s back in one piece.¡¹

    ¡¸You just teleported, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean you beat the boss?¡¹

    ¡¸Really gotta give it to her. That¡¯s the girl subjugated those dirty thieves for you.¡¹

    ¡¸You nning to stay solo? Cause my party would be d to have ya.¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯d be much more at home in our party. We¡¯ve got way more girls than you guys.¡¹

    Holy crap. Everyone was acting like they loved us.

    It seemed that beating the boss, and by extension, teleporting back to town, was a status symbol of sorts, an act that earned the respect of Ulmutt¡¯s adventurers. This held especially true if the dungeon in question was the eastern one, seeing as how it was the more difficult of the two.

    The fact that she was young and entirely solo, Urushi aside, only made her achievement shine all the more.

    All ten or so of the adventurers bombarded us with their questions andments. The answers she gave them caused their eyes to sparkle as they raised their voices in wonder. Even hardened veterans far older than herself were looking at her with admiration. I thought it to be a rather funny sight, but Fran seemed happy, so all was good.

    ¡¸You charged into a horde of High Ogres all by yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, I can¡¯t believe you actually managed to disarm that trap!¡¹

    ¡¸What was the boss like?¡¹

    A certain blob of muscle raced over and liberated Fran from the onught shortly after it started.

    ¡¸Mmkay everyone, that¡¯ll be it for questions.¡¹

    ¡¸Erza.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s been so long since Ist saw you! I was so worried cause you never came back out of the dungeon.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Was training.¡¹

    ¡¸I know, but I just couldn¡¯t help but be worried.¡¹

    Erza¡¯s eyes dampened as he twisted his body back and forth on the spot. It looked like he really was worried about her. I mean, I was grateful that he was, but I honestly couldn¡¯t stand how uncute his actions were.

    ¡¸And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just exhausted from the boss fight, mh,m. This dungeon¡¯s really well known for how it likes to throw bosses that scale with you and work against your weaknesses. You¡¯re really strong Fran, so I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve gotten a magic beast whose threat level was at least a C.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got one.¡¹

    ¡¸Weally? Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Already healed.¡¹

    ¡¸Already? So you really did get hurt? Waaaaow, I really should¡¯vee with you. Everything would¡¯ve been totally A-Ok.¡¹

    ¡¸But then not good for training.¡¹

    ¡¸Mhmm. That¡¯s true. You know, I really love how stoic you are Fran. It¡¯s so adorbs. Being able to beat a C ranked threat with just you and your puppers means you¡¯re reallllly strong too.¡¹

    Wait, why¡¯s Erza here anyways? Is this just a coincidence, or?

    ¡¸Hey sis, Erza, weren¡¯t you here because you had something you wanted to talk about?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, right! Yeah, I did!¡¹

    Apparently it wasn¡¯t any sort of coincidence, as one of the guards that¡¯d promptly called out to the buff dude had also stated that he had actually asked to be notified when Fran appeared back in town. Said guard also reminded him that he apparently did have some sort of business.

    ¡¸Whoopsie daisy. Sorry, I almost forgot. I was just super excited because I hadn¡¯t seen Fran in so long.¡¹

    Oh god why. Please, no. Please never stick your tongue out and wink at the same time ever again.

    I mean, I knew Erza was actually a pretty good guy, but that¡¯s just gross.

    ¡¸Something?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm! But it¡¯s not something we can talk about out in the open, so let¡¯s head back to the guild first.¡¹

    ¡¸But need to tell Aurel quest clear.¡¹

    ¡ºWe can have the Guildmaster just send him a message or something, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issue with us heading there first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn? On second thought, will go to guild first.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that really okay? Are you sure you don¡¯t need to talk to the old man first?¡¹

    ¡¸No issues.¡¹

    And so, we had Erza lead us back to the guild.

 Chapter 169: The Lion-Topped Carriage

    <h4>Chapter 169: The Lion-Topped Carriage</h4>

    A sudden but important reminder popped itself into my head as we made our way in the guild¡¯s direction.

    ¡ºYou think leveling up Thought Istion might be a good idea seeing as how we¡¯re about to have to talk to the Guildmaster?¡»

    £¨Nn. Sounds good since still level 1.£©

    ¡ºYeah, but there kinda is a problem. Iunno how he¡¯ll react to us suddenly having the skill at a decent level.¡»

    If I was him I¡¯d think it pretty sketchy for us to suddenly have something that¡¯d stop him from reading our minds.

    £¨Already toote. Identity as intellegent weapon already exposed.£©

    ¡ºHmm. Is it really toote?¡»

    £¨Nn. Justification, can just say used Master¡¯s ability. Master just that amazing.£©

    ¡ºSeriously?¡»

    £¨Nn. Since Intelligent Weapon.£©

    You know, now that I think about it, I might actually be pretty awesome. The fact that I knew about the Divine des had always made me think of myself as an inferior good. I mean, I at least had enough confidence to think if I¡¯d be targeted if people found out about me, but that was pretty much it. Reflecting on it from a more logical standpoint made me actually seem rather desirable, as Intelligent Weapons were better than Magic Swords, but not as good as Divine des.

    In other words, the fact that I was an intelligent weapon could actually be used as a pretty decent arbitrary excuse for when we wanted to just bullsheet through things. People wouldn¡¯t really find it odd because of how strange Intelligent Weapons were in the first ce.

    ¡ºTrue true.¡»

    Eh, yeah, I was convinced that there weren¡¯t any detriments to actually going through with it, so I used up 18 of my self evolution points and just t out maxed the skill.

    ¡´Thought Istion has reached its maximum level. It has evolved into the the Perfect Thought Istion skill.¡µ

    Oh sheet! The skill evolved? Sweet, Perfect Thought Istion sounds he awesome. Mind reading? Induced Thought? Come at me bro, I got this. The best part about the skill was that I could adjust the extent to which I blocked my thoughts out. I could use it to mess with people that could read minds by only allowing them to read specific thoughts.

    £¨Other skills, what to do?£©

    ¡ºWould probably be better for us to just hold onto them for now and think things through a bit more carefully first.¡»

    I had a limited number of points, so it¡¯d be best for me to be a bit more prudent in their use.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s think carefully about how we want to use them.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    I was thinking of leveling up the Divine Sword Arts skill myself, but I didn¡¯t really mind relinquishing the points to some other skill if Fran wanted to, seeing as how she was the one that was going to be using them and all.

    That was especially true because of the fact that she was more creative than me. She came up with some pretty interesting stuff back when we were fighting Rynford, so I was really looking forward to seeing what she¡¯d be able to think of and pull off in the future.

    ***

    Erza stopped just a bit before we arrived at the guild.

    ¡¸Hmph. It¡¯s started getting really crowded. Everyone¡¯s in our way.¡¹

    There were a lot more people here than there were where we were a few minutes ago. To make matters worse, they weren¡¯t just walking along or anything either. They¡¯d all gathered up in a crowd, which in turn made it more difficult for us to get through them.

    ¡ºYou think something happened?¡»

    ¡¸Erza. Something happened?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems like a bunch of high ranking foreign nobles have just arrived in town. They¡¯re here to watch the Martial Arts Tournament because it¡¯sing up soon. It¡¯s just going to keep getting worse from here on out because we¡¯ll be getting a huge influx of nobles and adventurers. Everything always gets really crowded around this time of year. It¡¯s Ulmutt¡¯s busiest season.¡¹

    Ohhhhh. So the nobles are taking up basically the whole road and making everyone else sit off to the side while they do? I guess that means it¡¯s kinda like, but not as bad as the old Japanese Daimyo stuff they used to do; everyone here has to just sit and wait until they¡¯re through.

    ¡¸I think we should just take the high road from here.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    I looked down on the crowd from Fran¡¯s back as she leapt onto the rooftop

    In doing so, I saw the most extravagant looking carriage I¡¯d ever seen since reincarnating. The wooden lion stuck on its roof looked so real that could honestly see iting to life at any given moment. Its body was crafted of a lustrous ebony, and its ornaments a gaudy mix of gold and silver. Much to my surprise, its near excessive decorations didn¡¯t make it look vulgar or over the top, but instead caused it to give off an elegant air.

    Even a single nce was enough for me to tell that they weren¡¯t just your everyday low end nobles.

    The only thing I didn¡¯t get was why they had so few escorts. Their carriage looked like something that¡¯d normally be apanied by dozens of guards.

    I actually couldn¡¯t believe that it was totally exposed to danger save for the coachman and the pair of guards that stood to its left and right. It wasn¡¯t even a part of a caravan or anything like that either. I knew that we were in a town right now and all that, but still, weren¡¯t the people inside of the damn thing being you know, a bit too careless?

    Or so I thought¡­ until I observed the coachman and the carriage¡¯s two guards in more detail.

    ¡ºDamn, they look strong.¡»

    Just looking at the way they carried themselves made me intuitively realize that they were extremely capable.

    ¡ºHmmm, I should be able to get away with it if I do it right now¡­¡»

    I wanted to appraise all three of the people outside the carriage, but Fran was moving too quickly, and made it so I was only capable of appraising one of the two guards.

    ¡ºWhaaaa?¡»

    £¨Master. Problem?£©

    ¡ºNothing really important. Just that carriage¡¯s guard is he stronk.¡»

    I knew he¡¯d be strong, but I¡¯d never been expecting him to be that strong.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Goldalfa

    Age: 44

    Race: Beastkin (White Rhino Tribe / ck Steel Rhino)

    Job: Sharpaxer

    Status Level: 72/99

    HP: 1256

    MP: 422

    STR: 654

    VIT: 582

    AGI: 267

    INT: 173

    MGC: 247

    DEX: 299

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 8

    Super Herculean Strength: Lv 8

    Herculean Strength: MAX

    Fist Techniques: Lv 5

    Fist Arts: Lv 5

    Presence Detection: Lv 3

    High Speed Regeneration: Lv 4

    Regeneration: MAX

    Club Techniques: Lv 6

    Club Arts: Lv 6

    Mining: Lv 8

    Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 7

    Blink: Lv 3

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 7

    Elemental de: Lv 8

    Greater Earth Resistance: Lv 4

    Charge: Lv 7

    Axe Techniques: MAX

    Axe Arts: MAX

    Divine Axe Techniques: Lv 6

    Divine Axe Arts: Lv 7

    Magic Perception: Lv 3

    Vigour Mastery

    Goblin Killer

    Dampened Sense of Pain

    Dragon Killer

    Strengthened Skin

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Shockwave

    Titles

    He Who Protects

    He Who Is Like a Great Mountain

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Dragon Killer

    A Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    Earth Dragon Horn Great Axe

    Earth Dragon Scale Armour

    Sticky me Spirit Mantle

    Bodyguard¡¯s Bracelet

    Ring of Poison Detection

    _______________________________________________________________

    Sheet, he¡¯s an A ranked adventurer, and an evolved beastkin too. He was just as strong as Amanda. Were the other two like that too? I guess that exins theirck of other guards. They literally don¡¯t need them. Actually, having three people that strong is already just t out excessive. The three of them would honestly probably be able to just totally roll the entire city of Ulmutt all on their own.

    Fran turned back in excitement the moment I told her about him.

    £¨Amazing! Rhino tribe famous for strength, but few in number.£©

    ¡ºWow, really?¡»

    You know, thinking about it, this is actually my first time seeing any rhino beastkin, which kinda makes sense if they¡¯re really rare. That said, the guy just kinda just looks like a human with a big frame.

    Both the Super Herculean Strength and Vigour Mastery skills caught my interest.

    I didn¡¯t get to appraise either skill, but I figured they were the respective upgrades to Herculean Strength and Vigour Maniption. I was interested in his innate skills as well, but I couldn¡¯t appraise or intuit either, so they were left as unknowns for the time being.

    We might be able to find the answer if we do a bit of research at the guild or ask Aurel or something. He¡¯s got a tonne of experience, so he might know. Moreover, there¡¯s actually a fair chance he might have some info on the person himself as well.

    £¨Nn. Will ask!£©

    It seemed Fran herself was totally on board and going full steam ahead.

 Chapter 170: Diasâ€™ Secret

    <h4>Chapter 170: Dias¡¯ Secret</h4>

    Dias greeted us with a surprised look on his face upon our return to the guild and ascent into his room.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve already beat the boss? That was pretty quick.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It seemed he didn¡¯t expect us to already be done with the ce, which I guess did make sense seeing as how we were training and all that. It probably would¡¯ve taken like twice as long if not for my ability to level up skills through the absorption of magic stones.

    ¡¸Message from Rumina. Fulfill contract.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my. Who¡¯s Rumina?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry Erza, that¡¯s a bit of a secret.¡¹

    Apparently everything about Rumina was supposed to be a secret kept even from Erza.

    Whoops¡­

    ¡¸Mmkay. Don¡¯t worry, I get it.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Teehee. A good woman is one that doesn¡¯t ask too many questions.¡¹

    Erza seemed to catch onto to what was going on and dropped the topic immediately after winking. His quick response seemed to stem from the fact that he waspletely aware of the difference in status between him and the Guildmaster, and that he wasn¡¯t qualified to listen in on what we almost started discussing.

    It¡¯d be better for us to just move on to the next topic for the time being.

    ¡¸Finished several requests.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. What exactly have you finished? We might as well verify it all now.¡¹

    ¡¸This, this¡­¡¹

    Fran pulled out all the sheets representing requests she¡¯dpleted. She first started with the 9 kill quests before working her way into the fetch quests. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like we managed to hit the 23 quest threshold Dias had told us we needed.

    ¡¸Mind showing me your dungeon card?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm, these are some nice results. You really have finished all the kill quests.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow Fran, you¡¯re so awesome. Mhmm, yes you are~¡¹

    Dias and Erza were both surprised by the results shown on Fran¡¯s dungeon card, as it informed them of all the magic beasts she¡¯d in.

    Apparently, it was normal for adventurers to avoid battle if possible. We, on the other hand, did the exact opposite and basically mowed down everything in our way, so we ended up killing a tonne more monsters than they¡¯d been expecting.

    ¡¸Wow Fran! Even a whole party of D rankers would normally struggle to kill this many. Mhmm.¡¹

    ¡¸You should have enough materials to finish quite a few of your fetch quests too, right? Have you dismantled everything already?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Done already.¡¹

    ¡¸Could you put everything over there then?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Erza had alreadyid out a vinyl-like sheet for us to put stuff on so that we wouldn¡¯t dirty the floor with blood or whatever.

    Weid our materials up on top of it, starting with the High Ogre¡¯s horns and the Mimic Venom Crawler¡¯s poison sacks. Erza was watching, so we made sure we made it look like we were taking things out of the cloth bag Fran had as opposed to my storage space.

    Fran treated the poison sack with great care. Neither Erza nor Dias would probably die even if we messed up and popped the thing, but it¡¯d still be a pain in the ass to clean up after. They¡¯d probably still get mad at us anyways too.

    ¡¸They¡¯re in good condition and of a pretty high quality. Do you want to turn them all in for your quests?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸All in all, you¡¯vepleted a total of 17 quests. Actually, 18 counting the boss¡¯ subjugation. You¡¯ll be able to rank up if you do 5 more.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re so close! Just a little bit more effort and you¡¯ll be there Fran!¡¹

    That posed us a bit of a problem. The only quests we had left required us to hunt rarer magic beasts like Dirty Wisps. It¡¯d take us quite a bit of time to actually go through and get everything we needed.

    Them being rare was bad enough, so the fact that they were also stealthy made finding them a nightmare. It was much harder for us to home in on them than it was for us to just kill whatever came at us.

    We might end up having to spend even longer in the dungeon than we hadst time.

    ¡£

    Oh well, whatever. We can figure that out after we check in with Aurel. The tourney¡¯sing up, and there¡¯s a chance we might actually have to wait till after it¡¯s done to actually dive back into the dungeon and get the stuff we need to rank up.

    Dias sank into thought as Fran informed him of her ns.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ So you¡¯d like to rank up as quickly as possible?¡¹

    ¡¸Mmmm, I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s necessary. You¡¯re already really well known for all the stuff you¡¯ve done, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll really be anyone wanting to pick any fights with you anymore.¡¹

    Erza judged that it wasn¡¯t needed, but Dias offered a contrasting opinion.

    ¡¸That may be true for now, but I doubt it¡¯ll apply for the adventurers that¡¯ll be entering the city in theing days.¡¹

    ¡¸Trueee.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that¡¯s why she wants to rank herself up as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Again, there was something pretty important that was stopping us from running back into the dungeon and ranking up.

    ¡¸Want to participate in tournament.¡¹

    You had to sign up at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the Arena, or one of the many other venues set throughout the city unless you had a letter of rmendation. Said sign up started in three days.

    Anyone that signed up would be refused unless they went in person and presented their papers. Registration by proxy was simply disallowed.

    ¡¸Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I can just hold onto your application for you.¡¹

    ¡¸But need to sign up in person.¡¹

    ¡¸You see, the guild¡¯s actually got a fair number of rmendations left over, and we don¡¯t see any reason not to hand one to apetent C ranked adventurer.¡¹

    Is that¡­ really okay? Isn¡¯t getting rmended by the guild kinda like a really big deal? It means effectively functioning as the guild¡¯s representative, right? Don¡¯t you need to not only be strong but also really polite and stuff?

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about the technicalities, administrative stuff or anything else. We¡¯re the ones that asked you to rank yourself up in the first ce, so there¡¯s no harm in us doing you a favour or two in exchange. We¡¯ll handle everything, so feel free to just go hole yourself up in the dungeon some more and get all your stuff done with.¡¹

    Dias was acting suspicious. I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around why he was treating us the way he was. I mean, I knew we had connections, and that both Amanda and Klimut were backing us, but he was still treating us way better than he should given that we were just D rankers. It was almost like he was doing everything he could to get us to go to and stay inside of the dungeon.

    ¡¸Dias. Acting weird?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, what¡¯re you talking about? I¡¯m just acting the same way I always do.¡¹

    ¡¸Really weird.¡¹

    ¡¸I agree with Fran. It seems like you¡¯re a teensy bit rushed. It¡¯s kinda like you¡¯re up to something.¡¹

    Likewise, Erza also seemed to have realized that the old man wasn¡¯t acting as he usually would, and ended up tilting his head in confusion.

    ¡¸You¡¯re just imagining things.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you trying to y some sort of prank on Fran again?¡¹

    ¡¸Again?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, no way.¡¹

    Yeahhhhh, he¡¯s definitely up to something, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s about to let us in on what that something is no matter how much we poke at him, least not right now. I was stuck trying to think of some sort of solution, or at least I was until I saw Erza bring his face right up to Dias¡¯ before speaking in a quiet tone of voice.

    ¡¸I knew it. You really are up to something.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, you sure seem confident.¡¹

    ¡¸Call it the result of a woman¡¯s intuition!¡¹

    So uh¡­ I decided to set aside the idea of how reliable Erza¡¯s ¡°womanly intuition¡± would be and focused on something a bit more important: the fact that Erza, who¡¯d known Dias for quite a long time, asserted that he was probably up to something, then he was probably up to something.

    I guess it¡¯d probably be best for us to y our trump card then.

    ¡ºFran, use that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran pulled out Klimut¡¯s letter and held it up as if she was showing it off. That, of course, wasn¡¯t enough on its own, so she threw in a few extra lines for added effect.

    ¡¸Dias. Speak truth.¡¹

    ¡¸Haha¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡¹

    Dias¡¯ fear of Klimut was immediately demonstrated as his eyes began wavering the moment he saw the letter.

    ¡¸Can tell you¡¯re hiding something.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on¡­ I swear you¡¯re just imagining things.¡¹

    His voice wavered as well. Yeah, okay, I¡¯m convinced now. He was definitely hiding something, and all we needed to figure out what that something was onest push.

    ¡¸Will tell Klimut and Amanda that was pranked by Dias.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry!¡¹

    The old Guildmaster leapt straight into the air beforending in a stance indicative of nothing but prostration. Yeah, gotta give it to him. He¡¯s really got the physical capabilities of an A ranked adventurer. The fact that he flew over his huge ass desk made it a 10/10 performance.

    ¡¸I¡¯m really, really sorry!¡¹

    ¡¸What just happened? Just what is that thing?¡¹

    Erza¡¯s eyes moved between Fran and Dias; the look on his face was one of clear confusion. The sight of an old man grinding his face into the ground whilst prostrating to a child was one that could bring a grown man to tears, so his confusion was only justified, especially seeing as it all happened just cause said old man happened to see a certain letter.

    ¡¸Erza. This branch, any Carrier Hawks?¡¹

    ¡¸Yuppers.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. First, will send letter to Klimut¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really, really, really sorry. Please, anything but that.¡¹

    You know, he¡¯d probably suffer a social death if word got out that he tried to y a prank on a little girl. Telling Amanda, however, would probably result in him experiencing an actual death.

    ¡¸Then tell everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. Maaaan, you¡¯re so mean. Have you no mercy? I did so much for you too.¡¹

    We decided to wait till after we heard his case before we finally gave him a verdict.

 Chapter 171: The Beast Lord

    <h4>Chapter 171: The Beast Lord</h4>

    ¡¸Are you aware of the fact that arge number of nobles have been visiting the city as ofte?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We kinda just saw them on our way over, so yeah.

    ¡¸One of the visitors I just mentioned happens to have a special sort of status.¡¹

    ¡¸Special status?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, let¡¯s just say said person happens to be the Beast Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Really!? Wow, we¡¯ve got some big names here this year.¡¹

    Erza¡¯s expression changed into one of honest surprise. It seemed that the Beast Lord was apparently someone famous.

    ¡¸Big name?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my. I guess that means you must not know much about the Beast Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Only heard name before.¡¹

    I haven¡¯t.

    ¡¸Well, you¡¯re a beastkin yourself, so I think it you should learn a bit more about it. Mhmm.¡¹

    The Beast Lord was apparently a self-evident name; it was the title granted to the person that ruled over the Beastkin¡¯s Country. The Beast Lord stood above all tribes and was respected by all beastkin regardless of whether or not they were the lord¡¯s countrymen. Its influence was so great that it held notable power within every single nation.

    The Beastkin¡¯s Country itself was located on another one of the world¡¯s continents, but considered the Kingdom of Kranzel friendly regardless. The lord has been known to visit Ulmutt in order to watch it¡¯s famed Martial Arts Tournament once every few years as a show of goodwill.

    ¡¸And this year just happens to be one of those years.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you sure make it sound like you don¡¯t like the Beast Lord¡¯s visits.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯d be because I already have enough on my te. This year¡¯ll be especially busy with Fran here.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    What¡¯s that supposed to mean? We¡¯d never met anyone like the Beast Lord before, so why¡¯s this sound like it¡¯s supposed to be some sort of big deal that rtes to us?

    ¡¸You see, it was said that the Blue Cat Tribe was the first to sell the ck Cat Tribe into very, but some say that their actions had actually been ones ordered by the Beast Lord. Typically speaking, the Beast Lord is chosen from amongst the Red Cat Tribe, or more specifically, their evolved members, the Golden Lionkin. The Blue Cat Tribe is known for taking action as under the Beast Lord¡¯s orders¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, really? I never knew.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯d be because it¡¯s been considered a part of one of history¡¯s darker canals. Not even the citizens of the Beastkin¡¯s Country actively seek discussion about the topic.¡¹

    It seemed that Fran hadn¡¯t know much about what was said either, as she was listening to Dias with an earnest look on her face.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t really think I need to say this because it¡¯s rather obvious, but it¡¯s been a long time since the ck Catkin were first sold into very, and the Beast Lord that ruled back then has long died. Though, they do say that the Blue Cat Tribe still does function as one of the Beast Lord¡¯s agents.¡¹

    Which means that it¡¯s possible that the ck Cat Tribe had been enved because the Beast Lord had willed it.

    You know, thinking about it, that does actually seem quite possible. That kinda stuff happened back in my world too. History was stained with acts in which people targeted others and forced them into poor social circumstances, like very, in order to use them as scapegoats and appease the masses.

    Selling off the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members not only created said scapegoat and abated themon folk¡¯s dissatisfaction, but also also allowed the country to gain ess to foreign currencies.

    The ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members basically filled the role perfectly too, seeing as how they were both weak and unable to evolve.

    ¡¸The current Beast Lord is especially unpopr. They pried the role from their predecessor in what may as well have been a coup d¡¯etat.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I heard about that too. They say the newest Beast Lord is a parricidal thief.¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t imagine a person like that having any good impressions on the ck Cat Tribe. In fact, it¡¯ll more likely than not be the opposite.¡¹

    That¡­ was some pretty important but bad news. It meant we had to be on guard around basically all other beastkin.

    £¨Beast Lord¡­£©

    ¡ºYou think the Beast Lord might¡¯ve been in the carriage we saw just a bit ago?¡»

    I recalled the carriage and the ridiculously powerful guards that protected it. Yeah, that kinda looked like it was probably the Beast Lord¡¯s carriage. The Beast Lord being some sort of Lionkin exined the lion that decorated the carriage¡¯s top. Ugh, what a pain. The Beast Lord was a foe we wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee, be it through political power or brute force. It was also supposedly an evolved beastkin, so I didn¡¯t really think we¡¯d be able to win in a fight if it came down to it. That said, it wasn¡¯t like we already knew for a fact that the Beast Lord would actually antagonize us.

    £¨Then¡­ Assassinate?£©

    ¡ºJust¡­ no. You¡¯re being way too over the top as far as the violence goes. The Beast Lord might not end up antagonizing us at all.¡»

    Aw crap. It looked like Fran¡¯d already been convinced that the Beast Lord was basically Hitler. I figured it would best for me be on my toes if we ever happened to run into it. I was pretty sure Fran wouldn¡¯t like just suddenly attempt murder, but you know, just in case, right?

    ¡¸The Beast Lord may end up taking an interest in you if they happen to catch wind of you, and let¡¯s just say I can¡¯t imagine anything gooding out of that.¡¹

    ¡¸So you want her to stay in the dungeon so she can avoid meeting the Beast Lord?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. We can also protect her by giving her designated requests if she manages to hit C rank before the tournament starts.¡¹

    ¡¸Designated Requests?¡¹

    I¡¯d never heard of them, so we ended up having Erza exin the fact that they were basically requests the guild would offer to specific adventurers.

    Designated requests tended to be of high importance and taking on one went hand in hand with receiving everyst bit of support the guild was capable of providing. Hence, messing with an adventurer working on a designated request was more or less equivalent with messing with the guild itself. That, by extension, meant that Fran would effectively remain under the guild¡¯s protection so long as she was on a designated request.

    There kinda wasn¡¯t anyone brave enough to pick a fight with guild, seeing as it not only spanned what was basically the entire world, but also helped maintain the popce¡¯s everyday lives. The sheer amount of influence the guild held would then make it possible for it to function like a shield that¡¯d stop Fran from being put under the influence of the Beast King¡¯s authority.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t really think you can just kinda give out designated requests all willy nilly though, can you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already got that covered. All I have to do is give her a designated request associated with the dungeon. I¡¯m basically the only person the Dungeon Master is willing to negotiate with, so I can just say she¡¯s helping me look for something the Dungeon Master wants.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohhh~ So that¡¯s why you want to get her promoted. Mhmm, I get it now. It¡¯s because designated requests can only be given to adventurers that are at least C ranked.¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly.¡¹

    Huh, I guess that means he really was just doing everything he was doing for Fran¡¯s sake this whole time. I had to say, it really was hard for us to believe him because of how shady he was. In fact, I probably still wouldn¡¯t believe him if I hadn¡¯t the Principality of Falsehood.

    ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you just tell her everything from the start?¡¹

    ¡¸I was worried she¡¯d take an interest in the Beast Lord if she learned the truth.¡¹

    Well uh, can¡¯t say he¡¯s wrong, seeing as she kinda did exactly that.

    ¡¸And that, Fran, is why I¡¯m asking you to raise your rank as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Try your best to get it done before the Martial Arts Tournament. As I said earlier, I¡¯ll get you a rmendation, so you at least won¡¯t have to worry about that.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t need rmendation.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Why¡¯s that? It¡¯ll get you seeded so you can skip the prelims, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Want to participate in prelims.¡¹

    ¡¸But Fran, the prelims arepletely random. You might end up having to fight someone really strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t care.¡¹

    To Fran, the Martial Arts Tournament was effectively an event in which she¡¯d have a chance to fight a bunch of people.

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. I can make it so you get registered like any other person and can take part in the prelims.¡¹

    ¡¸You sure do like fighting, Fran. Ermagawd, that part of you is just so adorable~¡¹

    It seemed like Dias was willing toply with our request as he deemed it dangerous for Fran to meet the Beast Lord. He was all for having us hole ourselves up in the dungeon so we could rank ourselves up while also avoiding the worst possible scenario. I got that and all, but I still couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was acting suspiciously.

    ¡¸Why going so far?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s question hit the nail on the head and got to the exact thing that resulted in me feeling all suspicious. I understood that Dias, as Guildmaster, was obligated to protect the adventurers that worked under him. Still, I failed to see why he would go this far for us.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve got my reasons. For now, let¡¯s just say it¡¯s to fulfill a promise I happened to make with a certain someone.¡¹

    Oh. I get it now. It must¡¯ve been because of that contract Rumina asked him to fulfill. Its contents probably touched on having Dias do his best to help any ck Catkin he happened across. This was further evidenced by hisck of ability to name her seeing as how Erza was still present.

    ¡¸Do thank her next time you two meet.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s this? You two have got some sort of secret going? I¡¯m soooo jealous.¡¹

    Well, we kinda are heading back to the dungeon anyways, so we might as well do that while we¡¯re at it. She really has made life a lot more convenient for us, after all.

 Chapter 172: The Black Cat

    <h4>Chapter 172: The ck Cat</h4>

    The Disaster Pillbug¡¯s corpse was kinda a bit too big to fit in the Guildmaster¡¯s room, so we dumped it in the dismantling room together with all our other non-quest rted materials. This action also served a second purpose. One of the guild¡¯s clerks would be helping us evaluate its worth.

    I was a bit worried as to whether or not we¡¯d actually be able to sell it seeing as how it wasn¡¯t dismantled, but I soon recalled that the guild did actually offer a dismantling service, albeit at a bit of a price.

    ording to Erza, the fee for said service wasn¡¯t fixed. It could vary based on howrge and difficult to dismantle the magic beast in question happened to be.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll cost you any more than 40k Golde. I think they only charged The Hundred de about 40k-50k for the B ranked Lesser Dragon he brought in that one time. Do you know about him? Hundred de Forrund, I mean.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Met in Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow! I¡¯m so jealous! He¡¯s soooo cool! I just can¡¯t help but look up to him. Don¡¯t you think so too, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Very strong. Will be that strong too someday.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not what I mean! Come on Fran, don¡¯t you think he¡¯s really hot and dreamy? He¡¯s just my type.¡¹

    Erza started doing the usual thing and twisting his body back and forth whilst wearing an expression you probably wouldn¡¯t expect to see on anything other than a maiden in love. Honestly, at this point, I¡¯d already gotten so used to him that he actually started kind of looking like a girl. Kinda.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, how I¡¯d love for him to embrace me with his thick burly arms while whispering words of love.¡¹

    Welp. Sure sucks to be Forrund right now. I actually just t out feel sorry for him. You know, this is probably the first time I¡¯ve ever felt any sympathy for any sort of super good looking guy. I guess being attractive isn¡¯t without its detriments after all.

    Erza¡¯s words were explicit, but Fran didn¡¯t really seem to catch his drift regardless.

    ¡ºI guess you might as well just nod along for now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you see where I¡¯ming from, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸He sure is hot, isn¡¯t he?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like we might just have simr tastes in men.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran casually nodded along and affirmed Erza¡¯s statements as she brought out the materials she wanted to sell.

    The staff member responsible for appraising the items Fran was selling had a look on his face that almost made it seem as if he¡¯dpletely lost all faith in humanity. He simply had nothing to say, and didn¡¯t know how to feel. On his left was a homo wriggling his body back and forth as he acted like a girl in love. On his right was a small child diligently sorting a whole slew of materials without even the slightest change in expression.

    ¡¸Take pillbug out here too?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What? Oh, yeah, sure.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran dumped the Disaster Pillbug¡¯s corpse onto the floor. It had yet to be dismantled, so it was in the exact same state it¡¯d been in right after its death. The room was immediately filled with a putrid stench as a result. It was one born from a mix of the creature¡¯s electric burns and the simple unpleasant odor its body¡¯s fluids happened to give off. Speaking of which, said fluid had yet to stop dripping out from within the insect¡¯s open wounds.

    Insect-type magic beasts had the tendency to be much more grotesque than their beast-like counterparts, and this one in particr was especially so as a result of its massive size. In fact, it was so much more disgusting than usual that even the clerk in charge of dismantling ended up grimacing in response.

    Despite that though, the clerk ended up approaching it. Wow. I really had to give it to him. Dude was one hell of a professional.

    He, however, was pretty much the only man present capable of really keeping his cool. A certain other person happened to freak the hell out.

    ¡¸Gyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Erza?¡¹

    ¡¸Eeeeeeeeeekkkkkk!¡¹

    The sudden throaty scream had sounded so panicked that I¡¯d almost thought something serious had happened.

    ¡¸Something wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s a bug!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Pillbug.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiiiii!!¡¹

    Erza¡¯s face paled as he sped both hands to his chest and started trembling in terror. His legs were shaking in much the same manner as those of a newly born deer.

    The immediate conclusion I made was that Erza just wasn¡¯t a bug person. He didn¡¯t seem capable of handling them, and that was that. The pillbug¡¯s ridiculous size didn¡¯t really help his case either. In fact, it probably was doing the exact opposite.

    The specific emotion reflected in his eyes wasn¡¯t disgust, but rather terror. God, is he actually supposed to be some sort of pure maiden? Er, I guess he does have a heart like one, soooo¡­

    ¡¸Nn? Erza?¡¹

    ¡¸Aaahhh¡­¡¹

    Fran, on the other hand, didn¡¯t actually seem to have a particr disdain for any sort of creature whatsoever. She stared at Erza with a confused look on her face; she seemed not to have even the slightest bit of an understanding of the other party¡¯s fear of bugs.

    Erza¡¯s screams started escting in volume in the meantime, and his face had began warping to an even greater degree. That said though, his was no longer the face that contained in it the most fear. The clerk had gotten extremely pale for some odd reason, but spoke in asforting a tone as he could manage regardless.

    ¡¸Please calm down Erza! That isn¡¯t a bug!¡¹

    ¡¸I-It totally is!¡¹

    ¡¸It just happens to resemble one. That¡¯s it!¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t believe you! It has to be a bug!¡¹

    ¡¸Just think about it for a second. There¡¯s no way a bug that big could actually exist.¡¹

    ¡¸Big bug¡­? Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!¡¹

    ¡¸Aw sheet!¡¹

    ¡¸Uguguguguguuuu!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Craap! Hey, you! Can you move that thing somewhere else? Like right now? Please?¡¹

    ¡ºShove it in storage for now. I¡¯m pretty sure the whole situation will spiral out of control if you don¡¯t.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran still didn¡¯t understand exactly what had happened, but she abided by the man¡¯s request and immediately shoved the pillbug into storage as she had at least got the fact that something was wrong given that Erza had started tensing up.

    ¡¸Everything¡¯s okay Erza! It¡¯s not here anymore!¡¹

    ¡¸Where¡¯d the bug go¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Gone.¡¹

    ¡¸Mkay¡­¡¹

    The tension that¡¯d filled the air around Erza dispersed as he fell t on his butt. Seeing said action caused the clerk in charge of dismantling to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡¸Whew. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸What happened to Erza?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you see, Erza isn¡¯t exactlyfortable around anything that resembles an insect. She gets so terrified of them that they make her go berserk. The rampage that ensues tends to produce some pretty terrible results, as she¡¯s still capable of using her skills quite masterfully even when not fully conscious.¡¹

    ¡¸Any problems in dungeons?¡¹

    ¡¸Kinda, yeah.¡¹

    Erza was still just as capable of making use of his abilities when in his berserked state, so he wouldn¡¯t die or anything, but that didn¡¯t mean he was problem free. Not being in control meant that he would not only cause damage through friendly fire, but alsopletely obliterate any monster-rted materials and hence reduce his party¡¯s ie.

    He could tolerate smaller bugs, but he was known to go crazy if he got surrounded. There¡¯d also been a case in which he went on a rampage after having a cockroach lunge straight at his face.

    ¡¸One of his incidents had even lead to him sending about 20 of the guild¡¯s clerks to the infirmary.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds like dangerous event.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s cause that¡¯s exactly what it is. Her rampages are so crazy and sudden that even A-rank adventurers find themselves having a fair bit of trouble dealing with them.¡¹

    The sudden appearance of a gigantic bug had pretty much put him on the verge of having one of his so called incidents.

    ¡¸Erza, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry Fran¡­ I just can¡¯t stand bugs!¡¹

    I wanted to ask him the reason for his fears, but refrained because I figured there was a chance that recalling the memory would make him lose it. It looked like just casually pretending nothing ever happened would probably be in our best interest for now.

    ¡¸Erza, leave room.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do exactly that. Check in with me once you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll go have some tea.¡¹

    With Erza¡¯s departure came a wave of silence; we finally found ourselves capable of selling our materials.

    The pillbug sold for a total of 560k Golde. It was considered fairly difficult to dismantle, and thus, cost us about 30k, which meant we made an overall profit of 530k. The fact that it was worth way more than a high ogre¡¯s hide, which averaged in at about 40k a piece, really served to provide a sense of scale and show off just how ridiculouslyrge the Disaster Pillbug really was.

    All in all, we¡¯d made a total of 800k Golde since departing Barbra.

    I wasn¡¯t really sure how we should feel. It felt like we were earning ourselves a bunch of money really easily, but it also kind of felt like we¡¯d kind of put our lives on the line at the same time, so I couldn¡¯t really tell if it was worth it. Oh well, whatever works, I guess.

    ***

    ¡¸Are you all done now, Fran?¡¹

    We found Erza doing exactly what he said he¡¯d be doing after we finished selling everything. He was sitting at the guild¡¯s bar, drinking a cup of tea together with an old man. The teapot he was using seemed rather stylish, whereas the cup was adored with a bit of a floral design. The tea was apanied by a snack consisting of scones. The hell? Are we in a godd*mn cafe or something?

    ¡¸Done.¡¹

    ¡¸Would you like some too?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸I have red tea, ck tea, and ulm tea. Which would you like?¡¹

    ¡¸That many choices?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhmm. I rmend scones for the red tea, cookies for the ck tea, and pie for the ulm tea. ¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Will have all.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my. Can you really eat that much?¡¹

    ¡¸Can.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright then. You heard the girl.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure did.¡¹

    The bartender had an old gentlemanly look to him. He didn¡¯t fit in with his rowdy surroundings. Fran seemed to feel the same way, as she had her head tilted in confusion.

    ¡¸This ce. Bar?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhmm.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. I get that quite often. I can assure you that it is. However, I¡¯ve started to stock a wider variety of tea and snacks at Erza¡¯s request.¡¹

    ¡¸Teehee. That¡¯d be because the tea you make is always really delicious, which is also why I tend to punish everyone that troubles you just a teensy bit more than I normally would. Doing so teaches them just how great tea can be too. I think it¡¯s be just about as popr as the alcoholic drinks you serve, right?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s in part due to the rumours about how much you and the Guildmaster hate drinking. A fair number of our clients tend to pick tea over alcohol if either of the two of you are present.¡¹

    I guess it does only make sense for people to have an aversion to the stuff if the guild¡¯s two most influential figures have a dislike for it. In that sense, I guess you could say that Erza, like Dias, was abusing his power to do whatever he wanted. Er, actually I guess that¡¯s not quite right. It¡¯s more like he¡¯s throwing around the influence brought about by people¡¯s fear of and respect for him.

    ¡¸Here¡¯s your first cup of tea, and a few snacks. I¡¯ve started you off with the red tea.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran took a scone in each hand and devoured the entire te¡¯s worth in an instant. I¡¯m not even actually sure when it happened, but, she also somehow managed to down a tonne of cream and jam as well.

    Erza enjoyed his tea in a much more elegant manner as he watched over Fran with a smile. His hands were posed exactly as they should¡¯ve been; his pinky was sticking up and out. The sheer refinement of his mannerisms almost seemed to serve as a testament to the fact that he was really girly.

    I was a bit worried about as to whether or not the old man sitting across from us would think poorly of Fran as a result of her poor mannerisms, but that fortunately didn¡¯t end up being the case. He was instead gazing at her endearingly, as he likely would his own grandchild.

    If I was to judge his upation purely off his attire, I¡¯d probably assume him to be some sort of adventurer.

    ¡¸Fuofuofuo. The healthiest children are the ones with healthiest appetites¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, excuse me, I must¡¯ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Radyer, a mere C ranked adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s known for being Ulmutt¡¯s oldest adventurer.¡¹

    The fact that he was a white haired magician instantly made me assume that he was someone really strong. I was basicallypletely convinced that his rank was lower than it should¡¯ve been despite the vast extent of his experience because his body had gotten old and frail. I was also more or less sure of the fact that he used his wisdom and knowledge topensate for his weaknesses.

    ¡¸He¡¯s actually realllly strong. He¡¯d be a B ranker if not for the sheer amount of time he spent as a court magician.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fairly disheartened by the fact that you didn¡¯t im me to be on par with an A ranker instead.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯d be because A ranked adventurers are far out of the norm.¡¹

    ¡¸That aside, ck Catkin adventurers sure are quite rare, aren¡¯t they?¡¹

    Radyer¡¯s evaluating gaze seemed to carry with it a hint of nostalgia.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been about fifty years since I¡¯vest seen one, hasn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm? Fran isn¡¯t the only ck Catkin adventurer around, you know? We¡¯ve got quite the number of them. In fact, they make up many of our new recruits.¡¹

    ¡¸If you¡¯re talking in technical terms and including all ck Catkin that are adventurers, then yes. But, there aren¡¯t any others this young or capable.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess that is true. So you¡¯re saying that there was another ck Catkin like Fran about fifty years ago?¡¹

    ¡¸There was. Thess here is nearly identical to the one I met back then. They¡¯ve the same ck hair and the same curt manner of speech. I can¡¯t recall her name, but I can still vividly recall the sharpness of her gaze.¡¹

    Radyer closed his eyes and stroked his beard in order to better recall his distant memories.

    ¡¸I think she said she was 15. I also recall that she liked to solo, and would treat those that insulted her tribe without even the slightest shred of mercy. She would also attack Blue Catkin adventurers and violently perform acts of retribution. I believe she would cut off their tails as if it was nobody¡¯s business.¡¹

    ¡¸She really does sound just like Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t she? I believe she used to be called The ck Cat. There used to be a rumour that said any that involved themselves with The ck Cat would but lose their lives.¡¹

    ¡¸That person, where now?¡¹

    ¡¸I have no idea. She just suddenly vanished one day. I¡¯ve no idea as to whether she died, or simply happened to leave town.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡¹

    If she was really that strong, then she, like Fran, had probably been seeking evolution. If this all happened 50 years ago, then there¡¯s actually a chance she¡¯s still alive. I¡¯d like for us to talk to her and have her tell us everything she¡¯s learned. I¡¯m also a bit curious about the part where she just upped and vanished.

    ¡¸The reason I don¡¯t know is because The ck Cat and I weren¡¯t what one could call intimate. Aurel, one of my old party members, however, might.¡¹

    ¡¸That sounds just perfect. The two of us were nning to go see Grandpa Aurel soon anyway. Why do you think he¡¯d know though?¡¹

    ¡¸There are quite a few reasons. The first is because they¡¯re both beastkin, and the second is because I happened to see them speaking with one another on multiple asions. The third would likely be because she had apparently saved him once in the past. He warned us not to ever mess with her thereafter. It was a fair warning. I may very well have hit on her given her appearance and how I was in the past.¡¹

    ¡¸Was The ck Cat really cute?¡¹

    ¡¸She was. Just between you and me, I¡¯m almost certain that Aurel had fallen for her.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaaah!! Wait, does that mean Gramps is a lolicon?¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, definitely not. He was still in his teens back then. It was way back when he was still known as a genius as a result of the fact that he¡¯d broke the record for being the fastest adventurer to be a D ranker.¡¹

    Right. For some odd reason, I¡¯d almost been under the impression that Dias, Aurel and Radyer had just always been old men. I almost forgot that they too had, at one point, been young. You know, to be honest, I can¡¯t even actually imagine them being young. Oh well, either way, I guess we¡¯ve got one more reason to go hit Aurel up now.

 Chapter 173: Maintenance

    <h4>Chapter 173: Maintenance</h4>

    We decided to stop by that one dwarven cksmith¡¯s shop before heading over to Aurel¡¯s manor.

    ¡¸Oh, hey. It¡¯s that little missy Gallus told me to take care of. You need something?¡¹

    ¡¸Want equipment repaired.¡¹

    We hadn¡¯t really bothered getting the ck Cat Set repaired up ¡¯till now ¡¯cause its self-repair function made it so we¡¯d never really needed it. We technically didn¡¯t need it now either, but the pillbug had damaged the equips so badly that they had still yet to fully fix themselves. We¡¯d also kind of never bothered maintaining the armour in any which way either, and figured we might as well.

    The Martial Arts Tournament wasing up, so it¡¯d probably be a good idea for us to have our gear in top shape.

    ¡¸Sure thing! I, Zerld, will fix it right up. They don¡¯t call me Ulmutt¡¯s best cksmith for nothing.¡¹

    Zerld procured a magic crystal and started setting up a magic circle after spending a bit of time inspecting Fran¡¯s gear. Most of the work seemed rather front loaded, as he instantly fixed it by casting Repair immediately after getting everything ready.

    The 100k Golde price tag he pped onto the service was pretty worth; all Fran¡¯s stuff was back in peak condition.

    ¡¸That¡¯s that. Hand me your sword next.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I just thought your sword might be in tatters given how damaged your self-repairing armour was.¡¹

    Oh, right. I guess that would normally be how things go, huh? In my case, all the damage I take gets nullified over time by my Self-Repair and Regeneration skills.

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡ºI-I¡¯m perfectly okay. I don¡¯t need any repairs.¡»

    I thought I was fine, but Fran took me off her back and handed me over to Zerld despite my protests.

    £¨But better to have skilled cksmith check just in case.£©

    It seemed that Zerld¡¯s words ended up making Fran feel a bit anxious. She herself wasn¡¯t really all that skilled at discerning my condition, and would normally have no choice but to just believe what I told her.

    ¡ºOh well. Whatever works, I guess.¡»

    You know what, it might actually not be a bad idea to get a checkup every once in a while. There was always the possibility that there was something off about me, and I just didn¡¯t notice it.

    ¡¸Hmmm, this sword is made of quite the metal.¡¹

    Zerld looked at me from a bunch of different angles before cing me on top of a table and tapping me a few times with a small hammer.

    He continued hitting me with the hammer, and sent vibrations through my de at regr intervals. It was a sensation I honestly couldn¡¯t bring myself to dislike. I could feel the seriousness and earnestly of the dwarven craftsman¡¯s actions, and it was actually honestly quite afortable sensation.

    He then put me inside a box full of water and shake it lightly before finally polishing me off with a nice clean cloth.

    Wew, that felt great. I only barely managed to refrain from letting out a sigh because of how good it felt. The reason I managed to hold back wasn¡¯t something as mundane as wanting to keep my identity from Zerld. It was instead because I didn¡¯t want to moan in response to getting my de stroked by another man. I¡¯d rather kill myself.

    Fortunately, I was capable of holding onto my will to live because the pleasure I felt wasn¡¯t sexual in any which way. It was instead more akin to what you¡¯d feel when getting a massage. I guess one could say it didn¡¯t really matter which it was, but the part of me that was a middle aged man insisted otherwise.

    I¡¯m not quite sure how it happened, but, Fran somehow managed to catch onto the fact that I was internally gritting my teeth and holding myself back.

    £¨Master, something wrong?£©

    ¡ºNah, nothing¡¯s wrong.¡»

    £¨Acting¡­ weird.£©

    I decided to exin myself to Fran after realizing that I¡¯d worried her for a reason I couldn¡¯t really call anything but ridiculous.

    Still, I really had to admit that this felt he good. Fran always wiped me off as well so I wouldn¡¯t get all dirty and stuff, but she never managed to make it feel this good.

    If I had to guess, I¡¯d say that the difference in the sensation stemmed from a difference in skill levels. Reason being that the difference between Zerld¡¯s touch felt like that of a real cksmith, whereas Fran¡¯s felt like that of an amateur.

    ¡¸And that¡¯s that. Your de wasn¡¯t bent or scratched at all, so I just gave it a good old polish.¡¹

    Man, that was one helluva polish. Sheet was rxing as hell. I felt like I¡¯d just gone to a super high end bath house, soaked in the water for half a day before getting a massage and sleeping all night. It was like I was totally exhrated and rejuvenated all at once.

    I¡¯d already been in perfect condition to begin with, so that massage had only pushed me further beyond. It felt like I was in absolute peak form and ready to give it my 120%. That said, my stats hadn¡¯t changed at all, so I guess it was more of a mood thing than anything else. I did feel like the internal flow of my magical energy had improved, and that it was a bit easier than usual for me to use skills and whatnot, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was actually a thing or just some sort of cebo.

    ¡¸Nn. cksmith amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha. Where¡¯d thate from?¡¹

    Fran spoke in a tone filled with admiration as she looked at how shiny my de had be. You know, I really did feel better than usual. It¡¯d probably be a good idea to do this more often, and not because it felt good!

    ¡­

    Okay, well, maybe because it felt good, but you know what? Me being in good shape also means me being able to do more for Fran.

    ¡¸Later.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing. I¡¯ll do all the maintenance you need, especially seeing as how the tourney¡¯sing up.¡¹

    ***

    Not a lot of time had passed despite the fact that a bunch of different things had happened. It was still rather early, so we moved towards Aurel¡¯s manor at a rather leisurely pace.

    In fact, Fran had started buying random stuff and just eating it as she slowly walked towards the hill on top of which the mansion was situated.

    ¡ºThese stalls sure are selling a tonne of magic beast meat. I guess that¡¯s just how life goes when you live in a city with two dungeons inside of it.¡»

    Magic beast meat was treated as a luxury good back in Barbra, but here, it was literally all over the ce. It was being treated like¡­ well¡­ regr meat.

    ¡¸Nn. Tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Apparently many of the magic beasts one could find in dungeons meant for newbies were actually edible. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, was that just how it was? Or was it only because of the deals made with the city¡¯s dungeon masters?

    Fran and Urushi pretty much picked up food from every single street stall they came across. I¡¯d been expecting them to do the usual thing in which they buy an armful of stuff, but they didn¡¯t actually do that this time around. Instead, they instantly consumed everything they bought.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to pass through the residential district andy eyes on Aurel¡¯s mansion.

    ¡ºSeems like there¡¯s a lot of people around there.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Lots.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    It looked like 10 odd people were crowded around the manor¡¯s front gate.

 Chapter 174: Blue Pride

    <h4>Chapter 174: Blue Pride</h4>

    A group of what seemed to be adventurers had gathered in front of Aurel¡¯s manor. I didn¡¯t know exactly who they were or why they were here in the first ce, but, I could at least tell that they were only barely organised. They kind of resembled the hoodlums one would normally find loitering around in front of a convenience store. The only two members of the group that looked to have even the slightest bit of decency were the ones I presumed to be their leaders. There was a male and a female, with thetter looking to be around 17 or 18 years old.

    I didn¡¯t really get what they were doing; the two were standing right in front of the guards with their arms crossed. It kind of looked like they were waiting on something, but I couldn¡¯t really say for sure as to whether or not that was the case.

    Looking a bit closer allowed me to realize that the female was some sort of catkin. The same applied to the rest of the group¡¯s members as well.

    £¨Mmph.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    £¨All Blue Catkin.£©

    ¡ºWait, really? All of them?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºI guess we¡¯d best be on guard then,¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    I didn¡¯t think that they¡¯d just attack us out of the blue, but hey, better safe than sorry.

    Getting through the gate looked to be a huge pain, but I still figured it¡¯d be fine. Aurel was apparently supposed to be really influential amongst beastkin, so I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d have to worry about them trying to pushing through the gate even if the guards did let us in.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just ignore them and keep a move on, regardless of what they say.¡»

    £¨¡­Got it.£©

    I was a bit worried despite the fact that Fran had agreed to my suggestion because she had hesitated before replying. Oh well, whatever. I figured I could always just teleport us through the gate if worse came to worst. Aurel seemed to have taken a liking to Fran, so we probably wouldn¡¯t be treated as trespassers or intruders so long as we exined ourselves.

    Fran briskly approached the gate whilst keeping her guard up. She made use of the Presence Istion and Stealth skills in order to make herself as difficult to notice as possible.

    The male Blue Catkin were rather weak, so we were able to stop ourselves from attracting their attention so long as we avoided any direct lines of sight.

    That, however, was ted to change the moment we actually tried entering the property. We would have to speak with one of the gatekeepers in order to gain ess, and doing that would expose us to the teenage girl and herpanion.

    Oh well. We could probably just ignore them or something.

    ¡¸Hello.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, hello Fran. Feel free to enter.¡¹

    ¡¸Allowed to?¡¹

    Wait, they let us in? I was expecting them to have to go speak with a few other people and double check stuff first. We¡¯d only ever been here once, so I really wasn¡¯t counting on us being allowed in just like that.

    ¡¸You are. Master Aurel told us to let you in and prioritize you over all else.¡¹

    ¡¸The only other person we¡¯ve ever been told to treat like that was Erza.¡¹

    Huh, I guess he took much more of a liking to Fran than I¡¯d thought. Well, works for us, I guess.

    ¡¸Nn. Will be entering then.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, what gives!?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, what the hell is the meaning of this!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Both the male and female blue catkin standing by the gate raised their voices in protest as a result of the fact that Fran had easily been let inside.

    The girl¡¯s expression warped from one that seemed to be waiting for something while stumped to one that was more so resembled an antagonizing re.

    ¡¸Howe she gets to go through like that? Why do we have to wait even though we went out of our way to visit so we could exchange greetings?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have any idea how long we¡¯ve been standing out here?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already told you that you can¡¯t meet Master Aurel unless you¡¯ve a prior appointment. You were the ones that insisted you wanted to see him no matter what.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on! We¡¯re Blue Pride! Don¡¯t you know how famous we are on the the Khrome Continent?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m our boss¡¯ proxy. Making me wait is basically the same thing as making our boss wait!¡¹

    The way they were boasting made it sound like Blue Pride was supposed to be a famous group of mercenaries whose very name inspired fear, which, given that they were from a different continent, could very well be possible.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t care.¡¹

    However, their influence failed to extend past their area of origin. Here, their name seemed to be just like any other, as the gatekeeper just casually shook his head and denied the girl entry, which in turn caused the veins in her forehead to swell in anger. If I were to offer an opinion, I¡¯d say that she was acting in an unbing manner. She ended up getting all mad because the gatekeeper had basically ignored her promation of how great she supposedly was. The emotional way in which she reacted was one that you really couldn¡¯t call anything butme.

    ¡¸We are granting Fran ess because she is one of our lord¡¯s honoured guests.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah? She¡¯s just a ck catkin, and a little girl at that.¡¹

    A moment of pondering led me to realize that the group¡¯s name, Blue Pride, indicated that it was probablyprised solely of Blue Catkin, which in turn meant that it¡¯d probably probably be best for us to stay as far away from them as possible.

    My assumption was only supported by the way they looked at Fran. Their eyes were filled with contempt; it was obvious that they didn¡¯t think highly of her.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re saying that this ck Catkin is more important than we are?¡¹

    ¡¸Just to be clear, her race has nothing to do with the fact that we¡¯re letting her inside.¡¹

    ¡¸She is simply one of our master¡¯s honoured guests. By extension, insulting her is no different from insulting our master.¡¹

    Aurel¡¯s two gatekeepers spoke in turn, with one supporting the argument made by the other.

    ¡¸What are you saying!? Can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s a ck Catkin!¡¹

    Man, you know, this is why I hate Blue Catkin. I couldn¡¯t recall us ever meeting one that actually didn¡¯t look down on ck Catkin. They all just seemed to believe that every singlest member of the ck Cat Tribe was useless, and that ck Catkin only existed so they could be sold into very and whatnot. Moreover, none of the Blue Catkin we¡¯d met thus far had seemed even the slightest bit opposed to the idea. It¡¯d almost seemed like it was something that came to them naturally.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just ignore them and go.¡»

    £¨¡­£©

    Aw, crap.

    It didn¡¯t really show on her face, but Fran had her foot on the gas and was ready to m the hell out of it. She¡¯d probably hit the limit of her tolerance if they said another one or two things.

    ¡ºUrushi, push Fran forwards!¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph¡­¡¹

    I pulled Fran forwards with Telekinesis whilst Urushi pushed her from behind; the two of us worked together in order to get her to move before she lost her temper. Unfortunately, our efforts didn¡¯t really amount to much, as Fran and the Blue Catkin girl red at each other regardless.

    ¡ºCome on, let¡¯s just get out of here.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran reluctantly agreed to move after Urushi and I made a few more desperate attempts.

    Whew.

    Starting a fight here and now wasn¡¯t exactly be what I¡¯d call a good idea.

    That, however, didn¡¯t mean that she was going to let them off for looking down on her and her kin. She turned around right as she made her way through the gate and activated the Coercion, Intimidation, and Domination skills all at once whilst also directing at the girl and the man standing beside her a powerful wave of bloodlust.

    ¡¸Hiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡¹

    The girl¡¯s face paled as fell t on her butt, whereas the man ended up taking a few steps backwards. All of hispanions immediately ended up springing to their feet in surprise before sending their res in Fran¡¯s direction. Though they tried, they were unable to hide their fear of her.

    As mercenaries, and hence, people experienced in the art ofbat, they were able to recognize Fran¡¯s overwhelming power.

    ¡¸What¡­¡¹

    Fran calmly walked through the gate as she took note of the fact that the out of breath Blue Catkin girl behind her had muttered something in a lifeless tone.

    ¡ºLook at you, all smug and stuff¡­¡»

    ¡¸Heheh.¡¹

    ¡ºThat wasn¡¯t apliment, you know?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

 Chapter 175: The Ten Original Tribes

    <h4>Chapter 175: The Ten Original Tribes</h4>

    ¡¸Hey, wee.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The maid we met the first time we visited, Shara, led us through Aurel¡¯s mansion and towards our destination, the dining room.

    ¡¸Sorry it had to be here of all ces. I was stuck in a meeting with a bigshot all day, so I haven¡¯t really had a chance to eat anything yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Care to join me? My personal chef just happened to get back from Barbrast night. I¡¯m sure his dishes will be able to catch your interest.¡¹

    Why the hell not? The fact that Aurel called the chef his personal one pretty much instantly convinced me that the person in question was incredibly skilled.

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    It looked like Fran shared the same sentiment, as she immediately consented to having another meal.

    ¡¸Shara, make sure the chef makes enough for her as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes sir.¡¹

    It was only then that I finally realized the implication of Aurel¡¯s statement. He was a pretty influential figure, but he was so busy that he hadn¡¯t a chance to eat until the afternoon hade to pass. That could only mean that the person he¡¯d been entertaining was even more influential than he was.

    ¡¸Weird people outside.¡¹

    ¡¸Some sort of mercenary band, I hear.¡¹

    ¡¸Famous?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s not a group I¡¯ve ever heard of, at least. My guess is they want to talk to me so they can boost their prestige.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it¡¯s something that happens all the time. People love to make ims about how well known they are elsewhere. They¡¯ll boast about ying powerful demons and knowing influential nobles.¡¹

    Oh, I get it. So everyone new in town is just desperate to leave an impression on all of Ulmutt¡¯s more important people.

    ¡¸Aren¡¯t they aware that I can tell how strong they are just by looking at them?¡¹

    ¡¸Blue Catkin mercs, all weaklings.¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! That so? If so, then there¡¯s only be two possible ways for them to truly be well known. The first would be because one of their members happens to be incredibly strong. The second would be because they were cruel.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸To be honest, I didn¡¯t like their attitudes. Their leader had sent a representative instead ofing on his own. At first, I¡¯d almost wondered if said leader was a noble instead. Either way, I ended up deciding to just leave them be. I was hoping they¡¯d eventually give up and go home.¡¹

    Huh, so they really were just scrubs after all. I guess that makes sense given that they seemed rather weak.

    ¡¸Aurel. This.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ I see, I take it you¡¯vepleted my request then?¡¹

    Aurel opened the pendant and confirmed that we¡¯d delivered the letter he wrote.

    ¡¸Want to ask about evolution.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it does look like you did as you were asked and got the pendant to Rumina.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that must mean I¡¯ll have to pay my dues.¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t need payment if told about evolution.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not capable of providing you enough knowledge to have made the request I gave you worth your time.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have sent you to see Rumina if I was capable of telling you what you wanted to know. I simply would have told you it myself. I myself have spent many years looking into the the ck Cat Tribe and its potential for evolution, but I¡¯ve never been able to find satisfactory results. All I know is one has to do more than just reach a certain level.¡¹

    Damn¡­ Not even Aurel¡¯s figured anything out after spending several years researching the topic despite the fact that he¡¯s an influential B ranked adventurer¡­?

    ¡¸Then would like to ask about the ck Catkin in the past.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Where¡¯d you catch wind of that?¡¹

    ¡¸Radyer.¡¹

    ¡¸That loose-lipped son of a¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Was told about incredible strength.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­ She was quite the strong one¡­¡¹

    Aurel began speaking in a quieter tone as he recalled his youth. He told us about the ck Catkin he met, how she saved him, and how the two of them had hit it off.

    ¡¸It¡¯s already been 53 years since then.¡¹

    ¡¸That person. Couldn¡¯t evolve?¡¹

    ¡¸She couldn¡¯t. She, like you, had been out on a journey in search of a way to evolve. She¡¯d even visited Rumina fairly frequently in hopes of finding a clue.¡¹

    ¡¸But still failed?¡¹

    ¡¸I presume so.¡¹

    Wait, he presumed so? Did that mean he wasn¡¯t certain?

    Fran had also caught onto hisck of confidence, and tilted her head in response.

    ¡¸A few things happened, and she ended up leaving town. We haven¡¯t been in touch since then.¡¹

    ¡¸Few things?¡¹

    ¡¸A few things indeed. Anyways, that¡¯s enough of that. There¡¯s no point talking about someone that¡¯s been long gone. You¡¯d best try talking to Dias if you¡¯d like to know more about her. The two of them got along quite well. Anyway, why don¡¯t we get back on track?¡¹

    I didn¡¯t even need to activate the Principle of Falsehood in order to know that he was still hiding something, but I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what that thing happened to be.

    If I had to guess, I¡¯d probably assume it was because she¡¯d died off in a dungeon somewhere. If that were the case, then Aurel would probably find it rather difficult to talk about her. He also probably thought that Fran would end up mourning her predecessor¡¯s death as well. I figured that there was no point putting a damper on Aurel¡¯s mood, and that we could probably get Dias to tell us everything we wanted to know, so we just went with the flow and allowed him to change the topic.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure you already know this seeing as how you¡¯ve spoken to Rumina, but it used to be much less difficult for ck Catkin to attain evolution.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸That, however, has changed. It is exactly that change that leads us to our next question: why? Why did the circumstances change? I personally believe that the answer is that the change is most likely a result of divine retribution.¡¹

    ¡¸Divine retribution? Punished by Gods?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s something often applied to those that havemitted grave sins or opposed the Gods. The most famous example would be what ured on the continent of Goldishia.¡¹

    Oh right. I remember hearing about that. Trismegistus, Lord of the Dragonmen, made use of the Evil God¡¯s power in order to create a magic beast. Said magic beast went berserk and basically foocked the whole continent. Trismegistus was punished by being forced to fight his creation for the all of eternity.

    ¡¸I know that it¡¯s something that happened far in the past, but I still find it strange that there¡¯s so little information that links evolution to the ck Cat Tribe. It almost seems to be exactly like the method in which one manufactures magic beasts in the sense that all pertinent information is simply gone. It¡¯s like the Gods have simply erased all records of it. I dare say that they have even gone as far as to fiddle with people¡¯s memories.¡¹

    Well I mean, that does sound like something a God would be capable of.

    ¡¸Some beastkin tribes practice the art of keeping their evolutionary methods a secret, but it¡¯s rtively easy for one to discover the methodologies so long as they refer to books or other works of literature. It¡¯s not like that with the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolutionary methods. Only a few works remain at best. I¡¯ve also tried asking the Elves, but none of them seem to remember it at all. In fact, they seem to havepletely forgotten the fact that the ck Cat Tribe was even capable of evolution to begin with.¡¹

    Okay yeah, that does sound pretty damn unnatural. I wouldn¡¯t really be surprised if the Gods had just tinkered with people¡¯s heads and forced them to forget stuff. Again, that sounds like something they¡¯d be capable of.

    I ruminated on it for a bit, but none of that God stuff actually served for anything more than an afterthought. I was much more focused on one of the other things that Aurel had said, as it simply couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    ¡¸Still some remaining literature?¡¹

    Fran had addressed the exact same point I¡¯d caught onto. Aurel hadn¡¯t stated that there were no longer any works of literature containing details regarding the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolutions. He¡¯d only said that most were no longer present.

    ¡¸Truth be told, I did happen to find a single work that contained a few pertinent details.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind?¡¹

    ¡¸Calm down. What I found was not something that addressed the matter directly.¡¹

    Aurel smiled bitterly at the fact that Fran had gotten so excited that she ended up mming the table while rising to her feet. Apparently the book he found wasn¡¯t one that¡¯d addressed the topic directly, but only mentioned it in passing.

    ¡¸Have you ever heard of The Ten Original Tribes?¡¹

    ¡¸Ten original tribes? No.¡¹

    ¡¸The Ten Original Tribes refer to the first ten groups of beastkin that the God of Beasts and Insects had birthed into the world. Each is said to possess the power of a Divine Beastying dormant within.¡¹

    ¡¸Divine Beast? Cool sounding.¡¹

    ¡¸Nine of the Ten Original Tribes have been known since ancient times: The Golden me Lionkin, The White Snow Wolfkin, The Yellow Dust Ratkin, The Purple Wind Elephantkin, The Orange Iron Foxkin, The Red Earth Horsekin, The Green Water Turtlekin, The Blue Life Snakekin, and The Cherry Blossom Cowkin. The tenth was, for some odd reason, unknown. For many years, its identity was thought of as one of the Beastkin¡¯s greatest mysteries¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Last is ck Catkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Possibly, yes. The work I happened to procure stated that thest tribe was the ck Heavenly Tigerkin, and it just so happens to be that Rumina is of the ck Tigerkin race.¡¹

    ¡¸ck Heavenly Tigerkin same as ck Tigerkin? Then, Aurel, White Wolfkin same as White Snow Wolfkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Not exactly. We, the White Dog Tribe¡¯s members, are capable of evolving into White Snow Wolfkin as opposed to White Wolfkin if we happen to fulfill a certain set of conditions. I myself was only capable of bing a White Wolfkin.¡¹

    ording to Aurel, his species, the White Dogkin, descended from a line of White Snow Wolfkin. Hence, its members were also capable of bing a White Snow Wolfkin so long as they were qualified to do so.

    Through extraption, one could then assume that it was possible for ck Catkin to either evolve into ck Heavenly Tigerkin if they too met a certain set of conditions. Else, they do as Rumina did and simply evolve into ck Tigerkin instead.

    As a tribe that descended from one of the ten, White Dogkin were and are to this day respected by their beastkin peers.

    ¡¸And that is why I believe it to be odd for the beastkin to have simply forgotten about the ck Cat Tribe, which has likely also descended from one of The Original Ten Tribes.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Many tribes have performed investigations in order to determine which of the tribes was supposed to be thest of the ten, many of which ended in an assertion of the superiority of one¡¯s own lineage. Naturally, most of these assertions were false. Had he not known of Rumina, Aurel would have disregarded the work that made mention of the ck Heavenly Tigerkin as one of these false ims. But he didn¡¯t. His knowledge of her made it so he simply couldn¡¯t. Instead, he¡¯d been convinced that the work he came across spoke merely of the truth.

    But that, again, begged a question. Why exactly had that one work been left behind if all the rest had been purged?

    ¡¸And that is all I havee to know.¡¹

    Aurel¡¯s face twisted in what could only be expressed as deep rooted frustration. He¡¯d evidently thought at length about the topic, quite possibly because of the ck Catkin girl he¡¯d known in the past.

    ¡¸However, I do still have one thing to say. Divine retributiones not without salvation. Even Trismegistus may one day be released from his curse if he simply defeats the magic beast he spawned. By that logic, the ck Cat Tribe must also be capable of the same. There must be a way for you and your kin to release yourselves from the fetters that bind you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸But again, that is the extent of my knowledge. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to be of much use.¡¹

    ¡¸Not useless. Helped lots. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸You really think so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s quiteforting to hear.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words caused Aurel¡¯s expression to blossom into a heartfelt smile.

 Chapter 176: Having Curry in Ulmutt

    <h4>Chapter 176: Having Curry in Ulmutt</h4>

    Shara, the maid, brought Fran and Aurel their meals shortly after they finished discussing evolution. She was apanied by a pudgy man, who I presumed to be the chef Aurel had mentioned earlier.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry about having kept you waiting.¡¹

    ¡¸No worries, Asuto. The dish you¡¯ve prepared has quite the delicious smell to it.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s one I learned of during my time in Barbra.¡¹

    Asuto, the chef, lifted the pot¡¯s lid and started to stir its insides with adle.

    ¡¸Oh? I¡¯m looking forward to giving it a try.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t expect too much. I¡¯m still in the process of tuning the recipe.¡¹

    ¡¸And you¡¯re still serving it in spite of that?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m serving it to you because I know you¡¯ve a very sharp sense of taste. I¡¯d love for you to help me figure out what the dish iscking. The version I tasted in Barbra was much moreplete, and also the most delicious thing I¡¯ve ever tasted in my life.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, now I¡¯m really looking forward to trying the dish.¡¹

    ¡¸This prototype is already quite delicious in and of itself, but it seems to be missing something, so I¡¯d really appreciate your opinion on it.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah hah hah. I¡¯ll give you as many opinions as you¡¯d like so long as it means I get to enjoy delicious food.¡¹

    ¡¸I was also wondering whether or not it¡¯d be best for me to make several of my regr dishes for the guest. Should I?¡¹

    ¡¸Well? What do you say?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t need.¡¹

    ¡¸Then please do give me your opinions on the dish as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi simply couldn¡¯t stand for missing out on a free meal, so he made sure to make his presence known.

    Oh God damn it Urushi, stop drooling! We might have to pay for it if you mess it up!

    ¡¸Some for Urushi too.¡¹

    ¡¸The taste might be a bit too strong for a dog.¡¹

    ¡¸Not problem. Urushi, Magic Beast.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, he¡¯s your familiar? He seemed so friendly that I didn¡¯t even realize. Alright then, I¡¯ll get some ready for him too.¡¹

    Asuto scooped the pot¡¯s contents, a thick, syrupy, brown liquidposed of potatoes and other vegetables, onto a te of rice.

    The dish the chef had created was one I¡¯d seen before. Rather, it was one I had a vast amount of tucked away inside my dimensional storage. Hell, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t recognize it. It was the dish I¡¯d poprized back when we visited Barbra.

    ¡¸Curry?¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, I¡¯m surprised you knew. You hit the hammer right on the head, it¡¯s the dish that took this year¡¯s cooking contest by storm, curry.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, right, you did say you were just in Barbra, right Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I take it you¡¯ve had it before?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Great! That¡¯s just perfect.¡¹

    Yeah uh, it was more like she ate the stuff every single day, but apparently that didn¡¯t matter, seeing as both she and Urushi were looking at it with their eyes sparkling regardless.

    ¡¸Enjoy.¡¹

    ¡¸It looks a bit odd, but smells delicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸Worf worf. Bork bork.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a good appetite the two of you have there.¡¹

    The chefplimented Fran and Urushi with a smile.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ The taste is¡­ unusual, but really fuels the appetite!¡¹

    Curry seemed to suit Aurel¡¯s pte. He¡¯d initially started off eating at a rather slow pace, but soon began shoveling it into his mouth as quickly as he could.

    ¡¸Seconds.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Fran and Urushi finished three tes each by the time Aurel finished his meal.

    ¡ºIs it good?¡»

    £¨Mediocre?£©

    She ended up eating five dishes despite not really being satisfied with the taste.

    £¨Nn. Still tasty, but badpared to Master¡¯s curry.£©

    ¡¸This is pretty good. What did you say it was called again?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s called curry. Barbra¡¯s actually currently in the midst of a curry boom. Everyone¡¯s developing recipes for curry bread, curry pasta, and other things that make use of it. Dozens upon dozens of stores have also started putting it on their menus.¡¹

    ¡¸Given its taste, I¡¯m not surprised. You said this recipe still needed some work?¡¹

    ¡¸It does. It can¡¯t hold a candle to the original I had in Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸The original¡¯s that good?¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone there has been saying that it would¡¯ve won had the cooking contest not been cancelled due to the incident.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Guaranteed victory.¡¹

    Fran nodded happily in order to assent to Asuto¡¯s statement.

    We hadn¡¯t managed to win, but we¡¯d still at least managed to get that one dude to acknowledge the dish, which in and of itself made me quite happy. Likewise, the fact that the recipe had started bing more and more widespread did the same. It looked people were already starting toe up with decently interesting spin offs too, like curry pasta, for example.

    ¡¸Well, you sure seemed to suddenly get all giddy. Why the change?¡¹

    ¡¸Master won.¡¹

    ¡¸Master? Master who?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, are you talking about the Master that everyone¡¯s been talking about? The Curry Master?¡¹

    Wait. Wait what? Did he just say what I thought he did? He was referring to me, right?

    ¡¸Was your cooking Master the person that introduced curry to Barbra?¡¹

    ¡¸Not just cooking. Master for everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Magic and swordsmanship included?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master capable of anything.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s one impressive Master you¡¯ve got right there. Wait, didn¡¯t you enter the city all on your own?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master elusive like phantom.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you¡¯re just as skilled as any full fledged adventurer, so I can¡¯t say I¡¯d be surprised if you were going around without any supervision.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? So you really are the Curry Master¡¯s disciple?¡¹

    Okay, yeah, apparently I actually heard him right. God dammit! Why did I end up with such a stupid sounding nickname!?

    ¡ºHey Fran, you mind double checking that by the Curry Master, he means me?¡»

    ¡¸Asuto. Curry Master, who?¡¹

    ¡¸Wasn¡¯t he your Master?¡¹

    Aurel raised his brow; he was a bit confused.

    ¡¸Oh, that may be because he doesn¡¯t actually refer to himself as such. The person responsible for inventing curry remained anonymous, and otherwise went only by Master. That¡¯s why people started calling him the Curry Master to begin with. I myself chose to follow the trend because a group of adventurers I am acquainted with calls him that, and because I only managed to get my hands on a recipe through my connections with said group.¡¹

    ¡¸Adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They¡¯re a party by the name of the Scarlet Maidens. Do you acquainted with them?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Acquaintances.¡¹

    Oh god damn it! It was them? Zzz¡­ My bet¡¯s on this all being Lydia¡¯s fault.

    ¡¸So, what did you think of the curry I made?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    Asuto¡¯s face clouded over; he immediately caught onto the fact that Fran hadn¡¯t beenplimenting him.

    ¡ºWhy don¡¯t we give him a copy of the recipe?¡»

    We owed Aurel, and we were probably going to be relying on him much more going forwards as well, so I figured we might as well do him a favour.

    Fran told Asuto our curry rice recipe in exchange for his own. It turned out that some spices were rather hard to get in Ulmutt, so he¡¯d been using different ones to fill in for the missing vour.

    I wasn¡¯t able to actually try what he¡¯d made, but I was at least able to imagine it to some extent by making use of the Cooking skill. That, in turn, made it possible for me to give him a bit of advice.

    As a result, we were able to create a type of curry that varied greatly from the one we made in Barbra, an Ulmuttian original.

    I couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the possibility of curry spreading through Ulmutt as it had Barbra.

    ***

    And so, an hour passed.

    During said hour, Fran had asked Aurel about a few more things, most of which were with regards to the Beast Lord that Dias had told us about earlier in the day.

    ¡¸And here¡¯s what I owe you for finishing the request I gave you, as well as a bit of an added bonus as thanks for the recipe.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t really need.¡¹

    ¡¸Please just ept it. You¡¯d leave me feeling awkward if you didn¡¯t.¡¹

    Aurel handed us a leather bag containing 300k Golde.

    I didn¡¯t really think we deserved it. He¡¯d only given us the request so he could acquaint us with Rumina. Likewise, us giving him the recipe was just more or less our way of thanking him for what he¡¯d told us, so I felt like we were still in his debt. That said, cash was cash, and he was kinda just giving it to us, so we decided to just ept it anyways.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Do stop by again.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 177: The Menace Known as the Beast Lord.

    <h4>Chapter 177: The Menace Known as the Beast Lord.</h4>

    Fran left Aurel¡¯s manor after receiving her award. The blue catkin that¡¯d been gathered outside earlier were already nowhere to be seen. They¡¯d likely already given up and gone home.

    ¡ºAlright, what now?¡»

    ¡¸Will talk to Dias.¡¹

    ¡ºGood point. Let¡¯s go ask him about the ck Catkin he knew 53 years back, and get all our questions answered right away.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And so, we went to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The act of visiting it, however, in no way guaranteed our ability to actually meet with Dias. He was known for going in and out of the building, so our only choice was to just check if and hope that he was present.

    But we couldn¡¯t.

    We instead ended up immediately taking a stance the moment we tried to enter the guild. More urately, we became unable to resist the urge to ready ourselves forbat.

    ¡ºWoah!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    The reason for which was the sheer extent of the pressure that¡¯d suddenly assaulted us. Said pressure didn¡¯t contain any bloodlust or even the slightest hint of aggression, but, we felt overwhelmed and intimidated regardless. That was just how strong its source happened to be. We were the only people around, and hence, the only people on guard, but I was sure that any other adventurer would¡¯ve reacted in the same manner.

    I surveyed my surroundings, only to find what could only be described as a strange looking door. It was in the middle of the road and didn¡¯t have anything to support it. It was just there. I immediately interpreted it as something along the lines of a Dokodemo Door, a portal that could lead basically anywhere. Though, it was a bit different from the standard variant, seeing as how its appearance was that of a pair of super fancy double doors. The pressure¡¯s source was evidently whatevery waiting for us on the door¡¯s other side.

    I almost seemed to have jinxed it, as the door slowly began to open the moment I had that exact thought. In said moment, I managed to catch a quick glimpse of the furniture thaty beyond.

    Okay, welp. I guess that must mean it really is a Dokodemo Door, huh?

    ¡¸Right this way, Lord Rig.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure.¡¹

    A figure emerged from the door¡¯s other side. The man¡¯s frame was so massive that it put even Erza¡¯s to shame. He stood at almost two meters tall, and had pretty much built purely of muscle. The way his shimmering, yellow-gold hair was arranged to look like a lion¡¯s mane really seemed to match with the way his movements almost seemed to resemble those of a felines¡¯.

    I instantly appraised the man the moment I saw him.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Rigdis Narasimha

    Age: 38

    Race Beastkin (Golden me Lionkin/Red Cat Tribe)

    Job: Spearlord

    Status Level: 71/99

    HP: 1965

    MP: 1081

    STR: 1084

    VIT: 840

    AGI: 748

    INT: 476

    MGC: 587

    DEX: 491

    Skills

    Sole Sense: Lv 8

    Intimidation: MAX

    Espionage: Lv 3

    Super Herculean Strength: Lv 6

    me Magic: Lv 7

    Fire Magic: MAX

    Mimicry: Lv 3

    Confusion: Lv 8

    Presence Detection: lv 8

    Combat Qigong: Lv 7

    Inner Qigong: Lv 8

    Torture: lv 2

    Herculean Strength: MAX

    w/Fang Techniques: Lv 7

    w/Fang Arts: Lv 7

    Regeneration: Lv 8

    Command: Lv 3

    Raise Morale: Lv 6

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 7

    Limber: Lv 6

    Blink: MAX

    Blink Step: Lv 5

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 5

    Elemental de: MAX

    Threaten: Lv 3

    Dominating Aura: Lv 8

    Roar: Lv 8

    Magic Resistance: Lv 3

    Magic Perception: Lv 4

    Magical Barrier: Lv 8

    me Invalidation

    Vigour Mastery

    Intermediate Boost to All Stats

    Enhanced Spear Techniques

    Enhanced Spear Arts

    Enhanced Elemental de

    Enhanced Body Hair

    Hardened Body Hair

    Demon Killer

    Dragon yer

    Sense of Bnce

    Predation

    Magic Maniption

    Night Vision

    Unique Skills

    Spear God¡¯s Grace

    Spear Lord¡¯s Arts

    Spear Lord¡¯s Techniques

    Extra Skills

    God of Beasts and Insects¡¯ Grace

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Golden me of Extinction

    Spear Deification

    Titles

    Kingyer

    Parricidal

    Usurper

    Beast Lord

    Loved by the God of Beasts and Insects

    Spearlord

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Demon Killer

    Dragon yer

    me User

    S Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    me Dragon Fang Greatspear

    me Dragon Scale Armour

    Magical Poison Lord Snake Garments

    Gold me Lion¡¯s Mantle

    Sacrificial Bracelet

    Ring of Reason

    Proof of Beast Lordship

    _______________________________________________________________

    Ohhhhhhhhhhh shiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttt! The foock is with his stats!? The hell!? Why does he have over 1k strength!? Holy sheet, dude makes Amanda and Dias look like foocking kittens.

    He also had a tonne of skills we hadn¡¯t seen before, alongside an extra skill and several unique and innate skills.

    All those, however, were basicallypletely overshadowed by the two titles he held: Beast Lord and S Ranked Adventurer. Wait, wait, did that mean that he was the Beast Lord? The one paying Ulmutt a courtesy visit? He isn¡¯t just some really strong adventurer crowned the Lord of the Beasts, right? I mean, he is an S ranked adventurer, so that is at least a possibility of some sort, right¡­?

    I wanted to examine his skills in more detail, but stopped myself as I noticed someone follow him out the door.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, girl?¡¹

    We looked up to see yet another man with a massive frame. His muscles were massive; they bulged to such an extent that I almost wanted to say he¡¯d be able to beat a stone golem in a punch out. Unlike the Beast Lord, he was a man I at least knew of, one of the Beast Lord¡¯s two guards. I recalled him being named something along the lines of Goldalfa.

    Apparently he thought Fran had seemed rather suspicious, given how she was staring at the pair in silence.

    Crap. The Beast Lord¡¯ll probably end up making note of us at this rate.

    ¡ºHey Fran, let¡¯s get the hell out of here while we still have the chance.¡»

    £¨¡­£©

    I figured that we¡¯d best get out of here, so I tried calling out to Fran, but she didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡ºFran? Hey Fran, you alright?¡»

    £¨¡­£©

    She instead continued to just stand there with a pale look on her face.

    £¨Too strong¡­ Can¡¯t win¡­£©

    Fran had always been able to keep her cool, even in front of beastkin that¡¯d evolved, like Aurel or Rumina. Sure, she respected them, but she was capable of handling herself. But now, she waspletely frozen over in fear.

    Though, I guess it was kind of fair. The Beast Lord was a Golden me Lion, a member of the original ten tribes Aurel had just told us about. We¡¯d imagined the tribes¡¯ members to be strong, but never could we have even fathomed for them to be this strong. He was already intimidating enough as he usually was. I could totally seeing him instantly killing any weaker foes just by throwing his bloodlust at them.

    Beastkin seemed more or less capable of intuiting how strong other beastkin were, so I didn¡¯t really think it¡¯d be weird for someone like Fran to get like this in front of one as strong as the Beast Lord.

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, hey, you girl. Aren¡¯t you a ck Catkin?¡¹

    Sheet. The Beast Lord actually noticed us. Worse, he was looking at Fran as if he was trying to evaluate her.

    ¡¸It¡¯s pretty rare to see a ck Catkin adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Especially one with a decent amount of skill.¡¹

    Goldalfa added to his lord¡¯sment with apliment.

    ¡¸She doesn¡¯t look skilled to me.¡¹

    ¡¸That is just because your standards are far too high, Lord Rig.¡¹

    ¡¸That so? Oh well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not curious, so I guess I¡¯ll bite and show her a bit of affection.¡¹

    Tsk. Fran had caught his eye, and not in a good way.

    The manner in which he looked at her was akin to that of a lion that¡¯d found itself some prey; his gaze was full of fighting spirit.

    Fran, on the other hand, was stillpletely frozen. The fact that she was in the beast lord¡¯s presence had already caused her topletely break down.

    £¨No¡­ Will be killed¡­£©

    £¨Whimper¡­£©

    Urushi was the same, despite the fact that he was still hidden away in the shadows.

    I considered teleporting us out, but realized that it was possible that running away like that would just bring us even more trouble further down the road. In other words, warping was nothing but ast resort. Neither option was really much better than the other, so I decided to just prioritize Fran¡¯s will and go with what she wanted.

    Or at least that¡¯s what I would have done had I needed to.

    ¡¸I am sorry Lord Rig, but I do not think you have the time for it.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh,e on, Royce.¡¹

    A third person emerged from the door and called out to the Beast Lord. He too was someone I remembered, the carriage¡¯s second guard.

    The door almost seemed to melt away the moment he touched it. It was probably something he¡¯d created with one of his abilities to begin with.

    ¡¸We¡¯re alreadyte for the meeting we scheduled with the Guildmaster. We really need to hurry it up.¡¹

    ¡¸Mannnn, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Be grateful, girl. It looks like you¡¯ll get to keep your life, for now at least.¡¹

    ¡¸Lord Rig, the line you just said made you appear like a gangster.¡¹

    Goldalfa offered Rigdis some advice on hisck of etiquette, but was immediately shot down.

    ¡¸There ain¡¯t much of a difference between a noble society and a mafia anyways.¡¹

    ¡¸I would very much beg to differ.¡¹

    Again, Goldalfa offered a correct, and again, his opinion was ignored.

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up already. Let¡¯s just hurry the hell up and get a move on.¡¹

    Whew. Thankfully, it looked like Rigdis ended up losing his interest in Fran, as he ended up going further into the guild whilst speaking with his bodyguards.

    Fran copsed onto her hands and knees the moment he vanished from her line of sight.

    She was gasping desperately for air with all four of her limbs on the ground and sweat profusely dripping from her body, a miserable state.

    ¡ºHey, you still doing okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Yeah no. There was no way she was, but she nodded in a show of assent regardless. Well, at least she¡¯d finally regained the ability to respond to me.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just get out of here, go back to the inn, and get ourselves rested up. We can head back into the dungeon first thing tomorrow morning and put off talking to Dias till some timeter, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I teleported us near the inn after helping Fran up with telekinesis. I knew it was shy, and that people might see us, but I figured it would be best for us to have her get some rest right away, teleporting was still less conspicuous than having her walk through town in her current state.

    ¡ºCan you still walk?¡»

    ¡¸Still fine¡­¡¹

    She only barely managed to drag her feet along as she walked. She was clearly even more drained than she would be after a fierce battle.

    ¡ºMan, the Beast Lord sure did live up to his name. Dude was a total monster. Let¡¯s try making sure we¡¯re C rankers by the next time we run into him.¡»

 Chapter 178: Royce

    <h4>Chapter 178: Royce</h4>

    We were currently back at the inn; 30 minutes had passed since we met the Beast Lord.

    ¡ºWant to just call it a day?¡»

    ¡¸Still okay.¡¹

    Fran, whose face finally had its colour restored to normal, shook her head. It seemed she¡¯d fully recovered after staying away from the Beast Lord for long enough.

    ¡ºYou sure? Don¡¯t force yourself, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will go take bath.¡¹

    Fran liked baths, so having one for a change of pace sounded like a pretty good idea.

    It would take her at least half hour to return. Normally, I would use the time she spent in the bath to practice using my skills, but today was going to be different. I happened to have a certain something else in mind.

    ¡ºHey Urushi, let¡¯s go appraise the Beast Lord and hispanions.¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go hang around the guild, appraise them the moment they leave it, and then run the hell away.¡»

    ¡¸Ruff¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t sweat it, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to go pick a fight or anything.¡»

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    Urushi was scared of the Beast Lord, and therefore not exactly willing, but I insisted anyways because I wanted to know more about his abilities, especially seeing as it was possible for us to encounter a worst case scenario in which we ended up antagonizing them.

    We needed to know if they had any skills that¡¯d aid them in a pursuit. It¡¯d be difficult to escape them if they did, but fairly easy otherwise. The former of these two possibilities implied that there was a chance we¡¯d have to devise ourselves a few schemes ahead of time. There was also the fact that examining their skills in more detail would allow us to learn about what we might end up having in the future.

    Things were looking pretty good so far. Goldalfa and the Beast Lord were both the morebat oriented types. Neither really had too many skills that¡¯d help them in a chase or search. The ones they did have were rather high level, but still not enough for them to actually prevent us from escaping them. Hence, all our issuesy with the other guard and the coachman, both of which I¡¯d missed the chance to appraise.

    There was also always the possibility that the Beast Lord had a ninja-like covert ops division protecting him from the shadows.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t need you to get really close to them or anything like that. In fact, it¡¯d be better for us to stay rather far away.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try looking for them real quick. We¡¯ll just totally back out if they¡¯re not in the guild anymore, alright?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Woof.¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s fear of the Beast Lord made him reluctant to go with the n I suggested.

    Welp, just asking him didn¡¯t work. It looked like I had to try giving him the carrot.

    Apparently, you weren¡¯t actually supposed to train dogs through a reward or merit based system, as it¡¯d lead to them only doing things when also given treats. That said though, the same probably didn¡¯t apply to Urushi. I knew that I myself wasn¡¯t always exactly conscious of the it, but Urushi was in fact a Magic Beast, and not a dog.

    ¡ºWell, how about this. I¡¯ll make you some super spicy curry after we get back. It¡¯ll be so spicy that even Fran¡¯ll find it too hot to eat.¡»

    ¡¸Growl¡­!¡¹

    Sweet. Looks like he¡¯s taken the bait.

    ¡ºAlright! Let¡¯s do this!¡»

    ***

    I situated myself on top of a roof that happened to have a good angle on the guild not too long after I finished negotiating with Urushi.

    My wolfpanion was hidden in a position a bit further distance away. It was safer for me to be alone. I was just a sword, so most people wouldn¡¯t notice me so long as I made sure to use Presence Istion. It didn¡¯t even matter whether or not they happened to have Appraisal Detection, as they¡¯d probably just think of me as a mysterious item that was capable of appraising things at most. Besides, it probably wouldn¡¯t evene to that. Appraisal Detection simply told its user that they were being appraised. It wouldn¡¯t be able to pinpoint me as the thing doing the appraising in the first ce. Plus, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to trace me back to Fran even if they did. Who in their right mind would suspect that the sword she was carrying around was the same as the one that¡¯d appraised them?

    That said, one could never be too careful, so I made sure to shrink my body down as much as possible whilst also changing its shape.

    ¡ºHmmm, should be good.¡»

    The form I took was like that of an odd looking metal ball, and hence, functioned for more than enough of a disguise.

    The reason I had Urushi apany me is because I needed a pair of feet to get around town. I was a sword, so I kinda couldn¡¯t just randomly head out. I mean, I¡¯d considered using a doppelganger, but, my doppelgangers¡¯ skills had their levels reduced, which in turn would make me more susceptible to being discovered. I figured stealth was more important than anything else at this point in time, so I chose that over the ability to carry out the whole operation alone.

    The Beast Lord¡¯s presence was a fairly obvious one, especially seeing as how he wasn¡¯t trying to hide his presence. Thanks to all that, I managed to sense him fairly easily even from outside the guild.

    After thinking about it a bit, I realized that the Beast Lord hadn¡¯t actually seemed all that intimidating at all when he was riding the carriage earlier in the day. The discrepancy between the two states caused me to immediately question it. Had he been trying to hide his aura back then? Or was it the opposite? Did he just recently decide to start seeming all terrifying because he had to deal with Dias or something?

    Welp, Dias seems kinda young and all, but he is still technically an old man. Hopefully the guy doesn¡¯t give a heart attack.

    One of the only issues that I could really see with this whole n of mine was the fact that I didn¡¯t know how long the meeting was going tost. Ideally, I wanted to get back before Fran finished with her bath, so we probably only had around another 15 minutes.

    The other thing that could totally mess up my ns was the possibility of the Beast Lord¡¯s party choosing to leave Dias¡¯ room through the Dokodemo Door they used to port into the guild in the first ce. I wouldn¡¯t even so much as have a chance to appraise them if they didn¡¯t leave through the Guild¡¯s front door.

    Fortunately, I soon discovered that my worries were needless, as I sensed that they began moving, and more specifically, heading in the direction of the building¡¯s entrance.

    ¡ºAlright, I¡¯ve only got one shot at this. I¡¯m going to have to get the hell out of here the moment I finish appraising them.¡»

    It probably wouldn¡¯t be an issue if none of them had Appraisal Detection, but you know, just in case.

    ¡ºThere they are!¡»

    The Beast Lord stood at the forefront. He was immediately followed by Goldalfa. The shorter guard we spotted earlier had taken up the rear. The coachman guy was missing, so I decided to just appraise the third guy and call it a day for now.

    ¡ºFoock yeah! It worked! I¡¯m out of here!¡»

    I executed the escape n I thought up just in case they happened to have skills that would allow them to chase me down. That is, I warped over to Urushi, grabbed him, and started spamming Long Jump in the inn¡¯s direction while also consciously hiding my presence. I figured I was probably going a bit overboard, but ended up carrying it through just in case. I chose the safest possible option because peeking at the Beast Lord¡¯s status had caused me to feel a bit nervous.

    It turned out thest guard was just as ridiculously strong as I¡¯d been expecting him to be.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Royce

    Age: 46

    Race: Beastkin (Grey Rabbit Tribe/Silver Rabbitkin)

    Job: Transporter

    Status Level: 74/99

    HP: 401

    MP: 1199

    STR: 151

    VIT: 212

    AGI: 419

    INT: 401

    MGC: 709

    DEX: 127

    Skills

    Sole Sense: Lv 4

    Digging: Lv 2

    Espionage: Lv 2

    Recovery Magic: Lv 8

    Moonlight Magic: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 7

    Presence Istion: Lv 4

    Space/Time Magic: Lv 4

    Kicking Techniques: Lv 4

    Kicking Arts: Lv 4

    Blink: Lv 4

    Purification Magic: Lv 3

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 4

    Vibration Sense: Lv 3

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 7

    Staff Techniques: Lv 5

    Staff Arts: Lv 6

    Earth Magic: Lv 3

    Leap: Lv 4

    Soil Magic: MAX

    Support Magic: Lv 5

    Magic Resistance: Lv 8

    Magic Detection: Lv 4

    Magic Mastery

    Orc Killer

    Goblin Killer

    Automatic MP Regeneration

    Enhanced Hearing

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Dimensional Gate

    Crescent Moon¡¯s Crest

    Titles

    Orc Killer

    Goblin Killer

    He Who Protects

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Earth Mage

    A Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    Silver Moonstone Staff

    Crescent Moon Rabbit¡¯s Robe

    Earth Spirit¡¯s Mantle

    Bodyguard¡¯s Bracelet

    Suction Magic Ring

    _______________________________________________________________

    It looked like the Dokodemo Door he had came from his job in the form of an innate skill, and was actually referred to as the Dimensional Gate skill.

    Man, that was nerve racking.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re back~¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    It seemed I messed up and ended up eating up a bit too much time, as Fran had gotten back before us.

    I immediately recognized the state she was in as a bit abnormal. The lights were off, and she was on top of the bed with her face in her knees and her arms around them.

    ¡ºHey Fran, why are the lights off?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­!¡¹

    Fran rushed towards us the moment we called out to her. She then wrapped her arms around Urushi and buried her face in his fur.

    ¡ºWoah. What¡¯s up?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Master¡­ Urushi¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s with you all of a sudden?¡»

    ¡¸Nothing¡­¡¹

    Her words were in direct contrast to her expression. Her eyes were red, and she seemed rather uneasy. It looked as if she¡¯d just been crying.

    ¡¸Woof woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Tickles.¡¹

    She didn¡¯t end up cheering up and smiling until after Urushi started to lick her.

    That was when it finally hit me. The Beast Lord¡¯s strength had totally broken her will, there was no way for her to have already recovered from it. She¡¯d merely been putting up a front so she wouldn¡¯t worry me.

    And then there was the fact that we were just t out gone by the time she got back. She wasn¡¯t in exactly what I¡¯d call mentally secure right now, so she ended up in a state of anxiety; she worried that we¡¯d abandoned her.

    And hence, Fran, a girl I¡¯d always thought to have nerves of steel, had ended up crying.

    I was assaulted by a sense of guilt. It was all my fault. I could¡¯ve just appraised the Beast Lord¡¯s guard whenever. There wasn¡¯t really much of a point in going out of my way and doing it now of all times, even if I did feel a bit worried that we¡¯d end up making enemies of them. I shouldn¡¯t have acted on my impulses. I shouldn¡¯t have let Fran all on her own.

    ¡ºSorry.¡»

    ¡¸Not problem. But sleep together tonight.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Wait, what? You¡¯re talking to me, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºBut I¡¯m a sword you know? I¡¯m not exactly what you¡¯d call huggable.¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t care.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, as long as you¡¯re fine with it.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi too.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    And so, I ended up spending the night as Fran¡¯s body pillow. I mean, I did have a sheath and all that, but I was still technically a sword, so¡­ I didn¡¯t exactly see how it was even the slightest bitfortable, but whatever.

    Fran ended up falling asleep wrapped in Urushi¡¯s fur while also desperately clinging onto me with both arms.

    ¡ºWelp. I got nothing to do.¡»

    I wasn¡¯t exactly able to mess around with my skills given that I didn¡¯t want to wake Fran up. The only thing there really was for me to do was to stare at her face as she slept.

    You know, this doesn¡¯t seem too bad from time to time.

 Chapter 179: Ruminaâ€™s Oddity

    <h4>Chapter 179: Rumina¡¯s Oddity</h4>

    The night passed, and with it, almost every remaining trace of Fran¡¯s disy of weakness. She still seemed a bit frailer than usual, but the look on her face demonstrated that she was back to being herself.

    I decided not to pursue the topic any further, and instead decided to discuss the day¡¯s ns with her over breakfast.

    ¡ºHow about diving back into the eastern dungeon and getting stuff done? You know, so we can rank up and all that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Agreed.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Both seemed totally on board with my suggestion, possibly in part because they¡¯d seen the extent of the Beast Lord¡¯s strength with their very own eyes.

    I myself felt the same way. We would probably be able to take either Goldalfa or Royce one on one and somehow manage to win so long as we used everything we had at our disposal. It¡¯d be pretty close, but not something we wouldn¡¯t be able to handle. The Beast Lord, on the other hand, was on a whole new level. Beating him in our current state was more or less just t out impossible.

    First was the fact that his stats were through the roof. He simply overwhelmed us from a numerical standpoint. We didn¡¯t evene close to holding a candle to his might. His skills more or less gave off the same impression. That is, he had a tonne of high leveled abilities we knew nothing about. He¡¯d be able to exploit ourck of knowledge andpletely obliterate us. The icing on the cake was his aura. He simply radiated an air of superiority. The way he carried and projected himself made him incredibly difficult to oppose.

    The Beast Lord was a freak of nature, a walking natural disaster, andst but not least, an entity that could turn into to an enemy of ours at any given moment. To be honest, that very fact almost made me want to just instantly throw in the towel.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just focus on finishing our quests as soon as possible instead of worrying about training and whatnot.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We decided to try finishing all the requests we had on hand by the day¡¯s end if possible. We knew for a fact that we¡¯d be able to finish them some time tomorrow at thetest.

    The reason we thought such a tight schedule was even remotely possible was because we already knew where the monsters and traps spawned. Hence, we figured that it wouldn¡¯t take long for us to reach the dungeon¡¯s lower levels so long as we went all out.

    ***

    It took us about an hour to get everything ready and arrive at the dungeon¡¯s entrance.

    ¡¸Hey there little missy. You¡¯re headed back in already?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. I know you¡¯re really skilled, so I think you¡¯ll probably be fine anyways, but I guess I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯ve been telling everyone else just in case. Be careful, the dungeon¡¯s been acting up a bit as ofte.¡¹

    ¡¸Acting up? Something happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently the ce has started to spawn magic beasts it didn¡¯t used to spawn in the past.¡¹

    The guard cum dungeon receptionist stated that Evil Beings had been spotted within the dungeon¡¯s confines. The specific species discovered were all variants of goblins or orcs.

    ¡¸The dungeon¡¯s structure hasn¡¯t seemed to have changed yet, but, there does seem to be something odd going on inside of it, so you¡¯d best be on your guard.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    We entered the dungeon while heeding the guard¡¯s advice, only to run into a goblin almost immediately after entering the dungeon.

    The goblin left me a bit confused, as it was several times weaker than all the other stuff the dungeon typically spawned.

    If anything, it made it seem like the dungeon had gotten much easier to handle than it¡¯d been before, especially seeing as how its structure and trap cement had yet to change.

    Getting on Urushi¡¯s back and having him dash through the ce made clearing the dungeon a ridiculously simple feat. It only took us about 3 hours to reach the 15th floor.

    We spotted Evil Beings in the forms of orcs, goblins, and kobolds as we engaged in our descent. Again, I noted that all three species felt out of ce, as none of them fit the dungeon¡¯s theme or feel.

    They didn¡¯t really have any stealth skills, nor did they take advantage of the traps that happened to be lying around. If anything, it was the opposite. They¡¯d end up popping and getting screwed by the traps more often than they¡¯d actually make decent use of them.

    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what¡¯d happened. I mean, the fact that Rumina had done something was a given, but the things she¡¯d done made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    ¡¸Evil beings. Weak.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but they¡¯ve kinda made clearing through the ce a lot easier than usual.¡»

    An easier clear wasn¡¯t the only benefit we derived from whatever it was Rumina was doing either. We also managed to get a tonne of creation-type skills from the monsters we encountered, something we hadn¡¯t really had any chances to get much of up till now.

    The High Ogres we met starting at the 12th floor were especially helpful in that regard, as some had smithing and leather crafting skills that went all the way up to level 5. Naturally, they also had pretty decentbat skills, so I was able to profit out the ass by absorbing their magic stones.

    The smithing and leather crafting skills were the ones that leveled the most though, as both hit level 3. None of the other skills gained nearly as many levels, but we still managed to give a boost to what was almost 20 different skills for free, so I wasn¡¯tining.

    Again, I wasn¡¯t reallyining, but I did happen to notice an issue. It felt that more and more of the magic beasts were slowly getting swapped out for Evil Beings, which in turn meant that we were going to have trouble finishing the requests we¡¯d set out toplete, as they required us to hunt certain magic beasts in particr.

    ¡ºWe should probably be a bit more careful of the traps from here on out. That said, let¡¯s keep pushing forward.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, you keep an eye out for enemies, alright boy?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The only requests we had left toplete all involved retrieving materials from magic beasts that¡¯d been rare and difficult toe across to begin with. It getting harder for us to find them only meant that actually finishing the requests would end up being a huge pain in the ass.

    Or at least that¡¯s how things would¡¯ve been had I been right.

    ¡ºSweet. That¡¯s one request out of the way.¡»

    There basically weren¡¯t any Evil Beings past the 15th floor. If anything, there seemed to be more monsters than usual, so we actually managed to finish all the stuff we had to do without really eating up all that much time at all. I didn¡¯t get why everything had ended up the way it was, but it worked for us, so again, I didn¡¯t really mind it. That said, I figured it¡¯d probably be a good idea for us to ask Rumina what was going on seeing as how we happened to be in the area anyways.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re done. Should still be around evening right now.¡»

    ¡¸Will go visit Rumina.¡¹

    ¡ºGo for it.¡»

    I didn¡¯t know whether or not Dungeon Masters actually slept, so I actually would¡¯ve been a bit concerned about visiting her if it was anyter in the day. Fortunately for us, it wasn¡¯t.

    We kept on guard as we entered the boss room, the room in which we defeated the Disaster Pillbug. Rumina had said that we¡¯d be able to pass right through it, but we were a bit concerned that may no longer be the case given that there seemed to be something wrong with the dungeon.

    But once again, my suspicions turned out to be needless. The worry we¡¯d spent waspletely wasted, as we were promptly greeted by both the teleporter that led back up to the dungeon¡¯s entrance and the passage that led to Rumina¡¯s quarters.

    Naturally, Fran, Urushi and I chose to enter thetter of the two options presented, and made our way over to the room Rumina had invited us tost time.

    She was in a bit of an unusual state; she was kind of just sitting there,pletely zoned out. She didn¡¯t actually raise her face till after Fran called out to her.

    ¡¸Hello.¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡­ Good evening, Fran¡­¡¹

    Wait, did she not actually realize that Fran¡¯d been here? Was she maybe feeling a bit under the weather?

    I couldn¡¯t tell. What I could tell was that she began beaming the moment she saw Fran, but reverted to a stern looking expression shortly after.

    ¡¸Nn. Visiting.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    She was acting a bit cold. Last time, she weed us. This time, she didn¡¯t even do so much as even offer Fran a seat.

    ¡¸Evil Beings appearing in dungeon.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    She barely responded even when Fran tried talking to her. It almost looked like she didn¡¯t want to wee the younger ck catgirl.

    ¡¸Um¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, it would be best for you to leave.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I have much to attend to, and very little time to mind you.¡¹

    Rumina grabbed Fran, who was staring in nk surprise, by the shoulders and started pushing her towards the exit.

    Wait what? Why was she acting so different?

    I figured she probably had a reason of sorts, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ept her actions.

    ¡¸Leave. You are disrupting me.¡¹

    ¡¸Um¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Never return to my quarters.¡¹

    Fran was, once again, bbergasted. It didn¡¯t look like she could grasp Rumina¡¯s sudden change in attitude either.

    I¡¯d tried using the Principle of Falsehood real quick to double check whether or not she was just bullsheetting us, but apparently she was telling the truth, Fran really was getting in her way. That, however, didn¡¯t necessarily mean that she really wanted to treat Fran the way she was. The Principle of Falsehood wasn¡¯t almighty. It could tell the difference between a true statement and a false one, but it wasn¡¯t capable of figuring out the emotion that drove the statement. That was left to its user.

    In my opinion, it¡¯d be best for us to straight up ask her what was going on, for Fran¡¯s sake. Leaving the dungeon here and now, and thereby not fishing out Rumina¡¯s emotions, would lead to uncertainty. Fran would never know whether or not Rumina had reallye to hate her, especially seeing as how it¡¯d also be extremely difficult for the two to ever meet again.

    Fran, however, would never be able to actually ask Rumina for the truth herself. She was too crestfallen, too¡­ afraid. The fear she felt wasn¡¯t the same type of terror she¡¯d felt when she met the Beast Lord. It was a sentiment much more emotional in origin than the primal, instinctual rejection of death. Fran was instead afraid of losing someone she¡¯d grown attached to. She was afraid of being disliked by one of the few people she admired.

    Rumina was the first fellow ck Catkin Fran had met after a life of solitude, the life she¡¯d lived after losing both her parents and being sold into very. Moreover, she was someone that not only earned Fran¡¯s respect, but also treated her with affection. That was precisely why I found Fran¡¯s confusion to bepletely understandable. She was in shock. There was no way she¡¯d be able to doubt Rumina, let alone analyze her given the circumstances.

    And that, in turn, meant that it was up to me to ask the question. It meant that I would have to expose myself, but I honestly could care less so long as it cleared things up between the two catgirls.

    Given that, I steeled myself and spoke.

    ¡ºSo, are you really trying to reject Fran?¡»

 Chapter 180: Of Master And Godblades

    <h4>Chapter 180: Of Master And Goddes</h4>

    ¡ºSo, are you really trying to reject Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Who¡­exactly was that¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºMe.¡»

    ¡¸A sword capable of speech¡­!? Are you perhaps an Intelligent Weapon?¡¹

    ¡ºI am.¡»

    ¡¸Well¡­ I am quite surprised to see that your race is one that truly exists.¡¹

    ¡¸Master. Exposed, okay?¡¹

    ¡ºOf course not. But it can¡¯t be helped at this point.¡»

    This was my first time intentionally exposing myself to anyone other than Fran of my own ord, and to be honest, doing it made me feel like a fool. I immediately regretted my actions because I knew they were incredibly stupid, but ultimately ended up deciding that all was fine. As of this moment, my highest priority was no longer keeping my identity a secret. Nor was it minimizing the number of eyes on us. What mattered most right now was Fran. I couldn¡¯t let Rumina do something as detrimental to her as cutting all ties with us here and now.

    While that was the driving force behind my decision, it wasn¡¯t the only one that¡¯d pushed me to expose myself. To be frank, it was in part because I felt apologetic. Fran had made sure not to tell Rumina about me. She¡¯d gone out of her way to keep a secret from the predecessor she respected from the bottom of her heart.

    All for my sake.

    The stress the act had caused her was only further evidenced by the light sigh she breathed as I announced my identity.

    ¡¸I see¡­ And that would mean that your journey was not one spent in solitude¡­ Knowing that puts my heart at ease.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Mind me not. ¡®Twas nothing.¡¹

    Nothing my ass. She too had clearly breathed a sigh of relief, one that proved she still cared for Fran. I mean, I¡¯d clearly heard her. She¡¯d even muttered that knowing Fran wasn¡¯t alone had put her at ease.

    It seemed that she really had just been putting on an act in order to keep Fran at bay.

    ¡¸Let us move on and discuss matters of greater interest. Sword, are you by any chance a Godde?¡¹

    Rumina brute forced her way through the conversation and tantly changed the topic ¡ª not that I minded. We¡¯d already gotten proof that her feelings for Fran hadn¡¯t changed. In that sense, it was safe to say that I¡¯d aplished my goal.

    ¡ºUnfortunately not. I was told by a famous cksmith that I was nothing more than a sword with a strange ability.¡»

    ¡¸And what precisely might this strange ability be?¡¹

    Hmmm¡­ what do? I identally told her a bit more than I¡¯d been intending to. In doing so, I allowed her to catch onto something that could lead all the way down the rabbit hole, and I wasn¡¯t really sure exactly how much it would be best for me to say.

    ¡ºHey Fran, what do you think? Personally, I don¡¯t really think we need to do anything more than just make a few brief mentions.¡»

    £¨Can¡¯t¡­ just say everything¡­?£©

    Her response was exactly what I¡¯d been expecting it to be. She didn¡¯t want to keep any more secrets from Rumina. Besides, it seemed that the only other person the older ck Catkin was willing to meet face to face was Dias, and Dias already knew I was an Intelligent Weapon anyways, so there kinda wasn¡¯t really that much of a point in hiding my abilities from her.

    Besides, I wanted to abide by Fran¡¯s will. She really seemed eager to tell Rumina, and that alone was enough to convince me to give her the green light.

    ¡ºYou know what? Just go for it.¡»

    £¨Thanks.£©

    And so, Fran began to speak. She told Rumina everything she knew about me. She told her how I used to be human, how I had the ability to absorb skills and magic stones, and how I had somehow first came to inside the centermost part of the Maohkami ins.

    To be fair, Fran wasn¡¯t the only one all gung ho about telling Rumina about me. The older ck Catkin was a Dungeon Master and one that¡¯d lived for over 500 years at that. There was a chance she¡¯d know a bit more than us about the circumstances surrounding my origin.

    ¡¸Your sword can absorb skills by absorbing magic stones, you say? That is quite an interesting ability to have. Can it absorb any sort of skill whatsoever? Does it function with Unique Skills? What about Extra Skills?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ve pretty much been able to absorb any and every type of skill I¡¯ve ever encountered so long as ites from a magic stone.¡»

    ¡¸So you truly have the ability to attain any skill you wish for¡­¡¹

    ¡ºOnly if you can find a magic stone that happens to have it.¡»

    ¡¸How¡­ splendid! Hahahahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Something matter?¡¹

    Rumina suddenly broke out in a fit ofughter. I was a bit surprised, but could tell from the bright smile she wore on her face that she was still both lucid and sane.

    ¡¸No, no, ¡¯tis nothing. I simplyughed in response to what I had juste to realize.¡¹

    ¡ºRight, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you. Why exactly were you rejecting Fran just now?¡»

    ¡¸I have my reasons.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd those reasons are¡­?¡»

    ¡¸I must apologize. I cannot inform you of them. It is unfortunate, but I have no choice but to ask you to believe that my actions serve to Fran¡¯s benefit.¡¹

    That, in other words, meant that whatever she¡¯d been doing must be rted in some way to Fran¡¯s evolution. Could she maybe have been doing something that would allow for Fran to evolve?

    ¡ºBut then why were you trying to distance yourself from her?¡»

    ¡¸I wished to create distance between the two of us in order to prevent myself from harming her. It seems, however, that my efforts were in vain, as I have done precisely that regardless.¡¹

    Rumina¡¯s expression wavered as she spoke.

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I am sorry.¡¹

    Fran and I both stared in confusion as Rumina began bowing and apologizing immediately after she finishedughing.

    ¡¸I have done you harm by making for myself a foolish choice. I would like to apologize to you from the bottom of my heart; I am truly sorry. My actions contained within them far too much haste.¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter if Rumina doesn¡¯t hate me.¡¹

    ¡¸My emotions are all but given. I could not possibly bring myself to hate you, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank goodness.¡¹

    That was great and all, but her sudden change in attitude could only be described as odd. There had to be a reason for it. Looking back, I realized that Rumina stopped wanting to distance herself from Fran the moment she heard about my abilities, which in turn meant that my ability to absorb skills must be in some way rted to Fran evolving. I wanted to pursue the topic further, but it didn¡¯t seem like something she¡¯d be able to tell us more about.

    ¡¸Your potential is truly astounding. Are you absolutely certain that you are not a Godde?¡¹

    ¡ºApparently I don¡¯t qualify because my stats are too low.¡»

    ¡¸It appears that you are misinformed. Not all Goddes have been deemed so for their offensive abilities.¡¹

    ¡ºReally?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. Hold for just a moment.¡¹

    Rumina headed deeper into her quarters, only to return a bitter on with a scroll in hand.

    ¡¸I apologize for the dy. Behold.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s this supposed to be?¡»

    ¡¸¡¯Tis an iplete list of Goddes, one I obtained long in the past.¡¹

    ¡ºHoly crap! You serious?¡»

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel excited as hell after finding out what we had right in front of us.

    The Godde of Origin ¡ª Alpha ¡ª Ulmer

    The Godde of Insanity ¡ª Berserk ¡ª Dionysius

    ¡ÁThe de of Wisdom ¡ª Cherubim ¡ª Erme

    The Warmount de ¡ª Chariot ¡ª Folkan

    The Demon Lord¡¯s de ¡ª Diablo ¡ª Dionysius

    The Seeker¡¯s Godde ¡ª Explorer ¡ª Erme

    ¡ÁThe de of Zealotry ¡ª Fanatic ¡ª Dionysius

    The Earth¡¯s Edge ¡ª Gaia ¡ª Ulmer

    ¡ÁThe Holy Spirit de ¡ª Holy Order ¡ª Ulmer

    The de of Imprisonment ¡ª Hell ¡ª Folkan

    The Brilliant mede ¡ª Ignius ¡ª Ulmer

    ¡ÁThe de of Conviction ¡ª Judgement ¡ª Ulmer

    The Emperor Serpent de ¡ª Jormungandr ¡ª Fargo

    The Sacred de of Water ¡ª Krystalos ¡ª Ulmer

    The Raging Dragonde ¡ª Lindwurm ¡ª Fargo

    ¡ÁThe Nuclear Strikede ¡ª Meltdown ¡ª Ulmer

    The Moonbeam de ¡ª Moonlight ¡ª Kruselka

    The de of Sorcery ¡ª Necronomicon ¡ª Erme

    The Divine Songde ¡ª Oratorio ¡ª Kruselka

    The de of Hypocrisy ¡ª Pacifist ¡ª Dionysius

    The Winged Rainbow de ¡ª Quetzal ¡ª ¨D¨D

    The list contained the names of a bunch of different Goddes alongside what I assumed to be the smiths that¡¯d crafted them. Some were marked with an x, but I couldn¡¯t really figure out why.

    ¡¸Do you happen to be familiar with the Extra Skill by the name of ¡°Oracle?¡±¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸It is a skill that allows one to pose questions to the Gods in exchange for a proportional amount of magical energy through the act of manifesting a God within one¡¯s body. This list was one created through said method, as there once existed an individual that had asked the Gods for the Goddes¡¯ locations.¡¹

    But wait, why would the list be iplete then? Was it because the guy cancelled his skill so he could start writing, or what?

    ¡¸It appeared that the individual did not have enough magical energy for the Gods to heed his request. Thus, the skill began to drain his life force instead. Still, he hungered for knowledge and continued to write to hisst breath. He was a fool to the end, and failed to even record all of the des¡¯ names and creators.¡¹

    ¡ºSo why do some of them have x¡¯s beside their names?¡»

    ¡¸The des marked are des that exist no more. I am unsure as to how they were lost, as I am doubtful as to how one would go about destroying a Godde to begin with.¡¹

    So I guess that means Cherubim, Fanatic, Holy Order, Judgement, and Meltdown all got destroyed then.

    ¡¸s, the list I have here is one over 500 years old. The information contained within it may no longer be urate, as some of the list¡¯s items may have long been reced¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Now, I would like to redirect your attention to a matter I wish to discuss. Specifically, I would like to direct your attention to the de named Explorer.¡¹

    ¡¸Seeker¡¯s Godde.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. There exists another skill not too different from the Oracle skill I had just informed you of. It, Named Index, has the ability to provide additional information on whatever topic one wishes, so long as they know its name. Thepensation required to activate this ability is, once again, magical energy.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m getting a bad feeling about this.¡»

    ¡¸It is as per your conjectures. There once existed a man that had tried to use the skill in order to learn more about Explorer. He too had lost his life in the process.¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it!¡»

    ¡¸He too left behind a document as death came knocking on his door. He testified that, while Explorer was capable of granting its user high leveled search and detection based abilities, it was in fact not exceptional in terms of its other specifications. It bore only the same strength as an average Magic Sword.¡¹

    ¡ºYou serious?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. These two pieces of knowledge lead us but to a single conclusion. Not all Goddes are named as such for the sheer destructive force they provide. Given that, I feel the temptation to ssify you as a Godde, but I cannot. For if you were truly a Godde, you would possess a name granted by a God. Yourck of such a name can only serve to evidence that you are by no means a Godde.¡¹

    You know, I actually kinda figured that after looking over the list she¡¯d shown us. I didn¡¯t really have the sort of fancy title you¡¯d find attached to a Godde. The only name I had was the one Fran gave me, and honestly, it was all I needed. At this point, being called Master made me proud. In fact, I¡¯d go as far as to say that I wouldn¡¯t actually be able to stand being referred to as anything else.

    ¡¸Fret not. You may be no Godde, but you are still an Intelligent Weapon, a sword that one could only deem as legendary.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master amazing.¡¹

    I was d she was trying to cheer me up and all, but it also kinda made me feel all embarrassed

    .

    ¡ºSo who do you think might¡¯ve made me anyways?¡»

    ¡¸I have not the faintest idea. I have never seen any other Intelligent Weapons before you, nor do I know much of the altar situated within the Maohkami ins. I do, however, have a piece of information that you may find useful as a clue.¡¹

    ¡ºDo tell.¡»

    ¡¸You simply must be the work of a God tier cksmith.¡¹

    ¡ºBut didn¡¯t you just say I¡¯m not a Godde?¡»

    ¡¸God des are not all God tier cksmiths work to create. Their reasons are numerous. Goddes are super weapons, and only 26 are ever allowed to exist in conjunction. Further, I have heard rumours that the crafting of such a de takes upwards of 10 entire years worth of preparation.¡¹

    ¡º10 whole years? The hell do they need all that time for?¡»

    ¡¸That is not a question I have the answer to, as, once again, the information¡¯s source is but a mere rumour.¡¹

    ¡ºRight. I guess that means I¡¯m something someone happened to make between a few Godde projects or something?¡»

    ¡¸I believe that is indeed a possibility.¡¹

    I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was supposed to be proud of the fact I was made by a God tiered cksmith, or sad about not being a Godde. But either way, I figured it¡¯d probably be best for us to do a bit of research on God tiered cksmiths, as it could potentially allow me to find out a bit more about how I came to be. Our conversation with Rumina made it so we now knew what we didn¡¯t know, which, in and of itself, was a pretty decent bit of progress already.

 Chapter 181: The Trioâ€™s Reasons

    <h4>Chapter 181: The Trio¡¯s Reasons</h4>

    It turned out that Rumina really hadn¡¯t been lying about being busy. Her familiars came to consult her almost constantly, to which she would always respond by giving out a series of orders. The familiars she had out this time around seemed to be designed a bit differently from the one we sawst time we visited. They looked more like mannequins and had the ability tomunicate through human speech.

    ¡¸Do we need to summon any more go-¡¹

    ¡¸No, that is enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood, ma¡¯am.¡¹

    ¡¸In fact, I believe it is time for us to stop summoning Evil Beings altogether.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, ma¡¯am.¡¹

    Given that she was still in the middle of something, we decided to ask her a few final questions before heading back on our way.

    ¡ºIs it true that the only reason it¡¯s hard for ck Catkin to evolve is because the tribe suffered from from Divine Retribution?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. That is precisely the truth.¡¹

    ¡ºSo what happened? Why¡¯d they get punished in the first ce?¡»

    ¡¸That¡­ I cannot say.¡¹

    Damn it, I figured as much. Her answer was a bit disappointing, but I was satisfied nheless. We weren¡¯t able to learn the juicy details we wanted to hear, but I was at least able to verify that Aurel¡¯s theory had been on the mark.

    ¡ºSo Aurel told us about that whole Ten Original Tribes thing. Was the ck Cat Tribe one of them?¡»

    ¡¸I cannot say.¡¹

    It seemed that her saying she couldn¡¯t tell us was more or less equivalent to her affirming our statements, so I decided to continue asking her stuff to see if we could really dig at what we wanted to know. Naturally, the whole affirmative thing was just an assumption on my part, but something was better than nothing, and I was pretty confident I was right.

    ¡ºSo I remember seeing a cloak by the name of the ¡°ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Mantle.¡± Does it have anything to do with the ck Catkin?¡»

    The item I happened to be thinking of was one of the things Salrut had been wearing. Taking the item¡¯s name and assuming the worst possible scenario allowed me toe up with the conjecture that it was something made out of one or more evolved ck Catkin. Using a deceased beastkin as a material wasn¡¯t something that you could call within the realm ofmon sense, but the fact that he was a Reidosian made it so it didn¡¯t actually seem like too far a stretch.

    ¡¸I believe that the most understandable reply to your inquiry would be one thates in the form of an example. You are aware of the White Snow Wolves of the White Dog Tribe, correct? There used to exist a monster that shared the same name. It was referred to as the White Snow Wolf, and, like the Beastkin Tribe, descended from the Divine Beast. The difference between the two is that one was created through the union of a Divine Beast and a human, whereas the other was born from the union of the Divine Beast and an animal.¡¹

    You know, that actually doesn¡¯t even weird me out or anything. Earth¡¯s supposed Gods would do stuff like that too. Some went around taking different forms and having children with pretty much anything and everything.

    ¡¸The two were once the same, but have now been separated in ssification. One side is treated as would a human, while the other, as would a magic beast, a definition born from a time in which there was no choice but for them to consume one another for sustenance. But again, ¡¯tis simply the talk of old. The magic beasts have long devolved and lost all resemnce to the Divine Beast save for their form. Moreover, the White Dog Tribe cares not whether one hunts the White Snow Wolf magic beast. This same concept also applies to all the remaining nine original tribes.¡¹

    I guess that made sense. It seemed to be kinda like how I wouldn¡¯t think much of people killing monkeys. There wasn¡¯t any reason for me to use them for picking a fight with one of my ancestors just because they happened to murder one.

    Welp, that was all I happened to want to know for now, so I figured it was time to go.

    ¡¸I have heard that the Beast Lord hase to Ulmutt. Do be on your guard. Very little good is said of him.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran grimaced in response to Rumina mentioning the Beast Lord; she wasn¡¯tpletely over what¡¯d happened yet.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve already met him.¡»

    ¡¸What!? Has he done anything to you? Are you unharmed?¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re fine, least for now. All he did was intimidate us a bit.¡»

    The way I saw it, the Beast Lord hadn¡¯t been intending onpletely crushing Fran¡¯s will. He just happened to be a bit too strong for his own good was all.

    ¡¸Alright now.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you certain?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Still, I believe it would be best for you to be on your toes. Not even I have the slightest clue as to the manner in which he will act.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸The current Beast Lord is known for the act of parricide. I doubt it is even possible to be too careful when in his vicinity.¡¹

    Rumina made a bit of a dreadful face as she issued us a warning. She bore for the Beast Lord what appeared to be a rather deep seated sense of resentment, one that I couldn¡¯t help but want to assume came from a personal grudge she bore for one of his ancestors.

    The thought jogged my memory and reminded me about something we¡¯d heard from Dias. He¡¯d said that the Beast Lord was the first to order the ck Cat Tribe to be sold into very. If that were true, then Rumina herself most likely knew quite a bit more about it, not that she¡¯d be able tell us anything either way.

    ¡¸I would just like to say it once more to emphasize that I really do mean it. Be careful, the both of you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, we know.¡»

    ¡¸Good.¡¹

    Rumina nodded before continuing.

    ¡¸Ah, right. Before you leave, I would like to ask you toplete a task. Could you ry for me a message to Dias?¡¹

    ¡¸Message?¡¹

    ¡¸I would simply like for you to ask him toe see me.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Now go. Do be careful on your way back, and look forward to what is toe.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºLook forward to what now?¡»

    ¡¸Hahaha! That, I cannot say. What I can say, however, is that Fran was lucky to have met you, Master. And for that, I am thankful.¡¹

    Rumina refused to say another word, so ended up bidding her farewell without learning any additional details.

    We hurried over to the guild the moment we left the dungeon. This time, we¡¯d actually managed to get ahold of Dias. We weren¡¯t unlucky enough to actually end up having a second run in with the Beast Lord.

    ¡¸Have you alreadypleted all your remaining requests?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Here.¡¹

    Fran handed the materials we¡¯d gotten over to Dias, who immediately confirmed that there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with any of the stuff we¡¯d procured. He was a bit surprised at how quick we managed to get everything done, but ended up conforming he could now vate Fran¡¯s rank regardless.

    Dias called over one of his subordinates and issued to him a few orders. Specifically, he told him to queue two announcements. The first was that Fran had been promoted to C rank. The second was that she¡¯d epted a designated request.

    ¡ºYou sure it¡¯s okay to announce that she¡¯s epted a designated request?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯s just a little something I¡¯m doing to keep a few certain individuals in check. I know for sure that the Beast Lord wouldn¡¯t want to antagonize us in any which way.¡¹

    Well, I guess that¡¯s fine then.

    ¡¸Want to ask something.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡ºYou remember the ck Catkin you used to talk to about 53 years ago?¡»

    ¡¸I see¡­ I guess that means Aurel let the cat out of the bag.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, right, that reminds me. Did you guys happen to have some sort of run in with the Beast Lord?¡¹

    ¡ºHow¡¯d you know?¡»

    I had Perfect Thought Istion up and running, so there was no way for him to have read our minds.

    ¡¸Heh. Just wanted to remind you that I am technically a professional. Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t be able to read you just because I¡¯m not actually reading your mind anymore? I¡¯m not actually totally reliant on the skill, you know?¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously?¡»

    ¡¸Seriously. It¡¯s mostly because Fran happened to react the moment I mentioned the Beast Lord is all.¡¹

    Honestly, I should¡¯ve seen thising. Dias was not only a Guildmaster, but also someone whose skills focused around the concept of taking advantage of other people¡¯s¡¯ weaknesses.

    ¡¸Met in front of guild.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m guessing you ran into him yesterday then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWe happened to run into him when we tried checking in with you yesterday.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s unfortunate. He happens to be the type of person that considers intimidation as a method of negotiation. You know how he was pretty much full force when he came to visit? I guess it still is a passable behaviour though, since it stops people from picking fights with him¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡»

    ¡¸Well, I guess I might as well tell you. Have a seat.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Dias personally brewed us a pot of tea, sat down, and started to speak.

    ¡¸It all happened 53 years ago. Both Aurel and I were still just D ranked newbies back then.¡¹

    Wait wait, wouldn¡¯t that mean they managed to be D rankers while they were still in their teens? Honestly, that sounded pretty damned impressive if you asked me.

    ¡¸I was really proud back then. I loved to brag about all my achievements. But one day, she showed up, and in doing so, tore my beloved pride to shreds.¡¹

    ¡¸ck catkin girl?¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Catkin girl indeed. Her name was Kiara, and back then, she¡¯d only been a mere 15 years old. Me and Aurel, we honestly used to look down on her, but not because she was a ck Catkin. The reason we didn¡¯t really approve of her was because she was younger than us. We didn¡¯t really think adventuring was something a kid could pull off.¡¹

    I guess adventurer culture really hasn¡¯t changed in thest 50 odd years, has it?

    ¡¸Our negative view of her, however, was incredibly short lived. She shut us up almost immediately by putting her strength on disy, as she would always beat up anyone that mocked her. I can¡¯t deny that she had the tendency to go a bit overboard, but that only served to emphasize her ability. Though she only went solo, her dungeon raids could only be described as extremely sessful. I don¡¯t know exactly when it happened, but she ended up earning herself a nickname, we adventurers had started referring to her as ¡°The ck Cat.¡± ¡¹

    That¡¯s pretty damned impressive. I wonder, did she have some sort of magic item that assisted her? Or was she simply a genius of some sort?

    ¡¸So a few things happened, and she ended up saving both Aurel and I from certain death. The three of us started partying up thereafter from time to time. Honestly, she was a lot of fun to be around. I don¡¯t recall ever being bored in her presence.¡¹

    ¡¸Fell in love?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! Man, you just went straight there without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Hmmm¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure, to be honest. What I can say for sure though is that I used to look up to her, and that she was indeed quite the beauty.¡¹

    Dias¡¯ smile was tinged with an ever so slight bit of sadness. It seemed he still missed her.

    ¡¸Kiara¡­ wanted to evolve. She¡¯d already hit her maximum level, but didn¡¯t know what to do thereafter, or at least until she met Rumina. The two talked about several different things on several different asions. One of their conversations seemed to have ended up giving Kiara a hint as to what she needed to do, and thus, prompted her disappearance.¡¹

    ¡¸Seemed?¡¹

    ¡¸I put it that way because I don¡¯t actually know what happened to her. She disappeared before telling me any details.¡¹

    ¡ºDid she disappear so she could go evolve?¡»

    ¡¸I doubt it. At one point, she¡¯d told both Aurel and I that she wanted us to apany her and lend her our abilities so that she could evolve.¡¹

    Huh, then why¡¯d she end up leaving without saying anything to either of them then? She had to have a pretty damned good reason to just up and vanish.

    ¡¸Aurel and I both came to the conclusion that she got involved in some sort of incident, so we tried our best to find her. In the end, all we managed to get were a few hints.¡¹

    ¡¸Details?¡¹

    ¡¸The first hint was that Rumina and Kiara seemed to have ended up arguing with each other just before it happened. Aurel happened to overhear thetter shout at the former while telling her to mind her own business, and that she was going too far.¡¹

    I wonder what ended up leading to that? Rumina didn¡¯t really seem to be the type that¡¯d try to harm a ck Catkin.

    ¡¸Well, that part¡¯s actually not too relevant. Kiara¡¯s disappearance wasn¡¯t Rumina¡¯s fault. That much, I verified with by reading Rumina¡¯s mind.¡¹

    Specifically, he¡¯d drawn the conclusion because Rumina had ended up reacting with both surprise and sorrow when she caught wind of Kiara¡¯s disappearance.

    ¡¸However, it seemed that Kiara really had caught on to what ck Catkin needed to do to evolve. Hence why I thought it to be something to do with her disappearing.¡¹

    ¡ºDid someone end up targeting her because they found out she knew what to do in order to evolve?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s what I thought too. I even actually ended up identifying the person likely responsible for her disappearance¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸I was convinced it was the Beast Lord that happened to be in power at the time, the current Beast Lord¡¯s father. To be more exact, the perpetrators had been the Blue Catkin that worked under him. I don¡¯t have any real proof, but I did manage to get myself enough evidence to at least make them out to be suspects.¡¹

    Dias and Aurel had heard rumours of several Blue Catkin often visiting the ce she stayed at immediately following her disappearance. Thus, they investigated them.

    They used Aurel¡¯s influence and informationwork to snoop around until they came across a piece of information that stated that the the Beast Lords of old weren¡¯t actually Golden Lionkin, but instead ck Tigerkin.

    From that, the two came to the conclusion that the Golden Lionkin had ended up usurping the ck Tigerkin after thetter incurred the Gods¡¯ wrath.

    The Golden Lionkin had obtained dominion over the Beastkin. But even then, they were still afraid, terrified that the ck Tigerkin may one day reim what was once theirs. Hence, they eliminated any and all documents pertaining to the the past, destroyed anything that would hint at what the ck Catkin needed to do in order to evolve, and ordered the Blue Catkin to persecute them and keep them as weak as possible. And that, in turn, exined precisely why none of the other tribes give the Blue Cat Tribe k for selling their fellow beastkin into very; the ruling tribe had their backs.

    It was a deal the Blue Cat Tribe only derived benefit from. They not only rose in prestige, but also gained a significant source of ie from their dealings in the ve trade. Plus, it was an opportunity for them to trample upon those that¡¯d been thought of as superior to them, an opportunity they took with glee. Through this, one could clearly tell that the Blue Cat Tribe¡¯s disdain for the ck Cat Tribe remained despite the fact that the Gods had erased from their memories the other tribe¡¯s sins.

    ¡¸We tortured and interrogated all the Blue Catkin in town at the time, only to find that one of their higher ups, one that still resided within the Beastkin¡¯s country, had ordered Kiara¡¯s capture. Through that, we also learned that the Beast Lord had sent a skilled warrior that hailed from a tribe that¡¯d served by his side for generations, and that said warrior had happened toe in contact with Kiara.¡¹

    In other words, the Beast Lord had either killed, kidnapped, or silenced Kiara¡­

    Hearing Dias¡¯ tale had caused Fran to be angrier than I¡¯d ever seen her before. She trembled in rage and irradiated an air of bloodlust so powerful that I actually felt grateful we were talking to Dias in particr. Her desire to kill had swollen up to the point where it¡¯d probably terrify just about anyone else.

    ¡¸Truth?¡¹

    ¡¸Again, I can¡¯t really say 100% for certain, as these are just my deductions, nothing more, nothing less. That said, I¡¯m convinced that she did end up getting involved with the Beast Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Ok.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s expression turned dark. I felt as if she probably would¡¯ve charged straight at the Beast Lord and challenged him had she not been aware of the extent of his strength. Having met him, she and I were now both aware just how bad an idea that was. Approaching him without a n could only lead to death. To make matters worse, his guards were highly capable. We¡¯d at least need Fran to evolve before even thinking of challenging him. Knowing that, Fran held herself back, but in doing so, ended up clenching her fists so hard that she started bleeding.

    ¡¸I know you¡¯re angry, but don¡¯t go challenging the Beast Lord, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran nodded despite being about as frustrated as could be. She probably would¡¯ve immediately stormed over, beat the crap out of him, and made him divulge everything she knew if she could.

    ¡¸Listen. Don¡¯t throw your life away. Evolve and get stronger before even thinking of challenging him.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Dias shifted gears and began talking about his association with Rumina.

    The two of them suffered a mental blow from Kiara¡¯s disappearance, and thus, ended up agreeing to a pact, one in which both parties would work to support any ck Catkin that happened to follow in her footsteps, any ck Catkin that sought evolution.

    Rumina used her abilities in order to create a second dungeon, Ulmutt¡¯s western dungeon. She¡¯d intentionally crafted it as a training ground for new adventurers, for ck Catkin that wished to be more powerful. The western dungeon was advertised as a second dungeon, its own independentbyrinth. But in reality, that wasn¡¯t the case. It was merely an extension of the eastern one. There was no second Dungeon Master. The role had simply been yed by Rumina all along.

    That wasn¡¯t all she did either. She¡¯d also saved up as much strength as she could in order to assist any and all ck Catkin that¡¯d reached their level caps in the process of evolution. Dias didn¡¯t know the particrs himself. Rumina couldn¡¯t tell him what was needed for ck Catkin to evolve. However, she was able to tell him that he was still able to be of assistance. She would need an exorbitant amount of magical energy in order to provide the assistance she wished to. It wasn¡¯t an amount that was outside of the scope of her abilities so long as she conserved as much as she could over the course of several decades. That, however, wasn¡¯t something she could just do. There were naturally downsides to her actively conserving her magical energy. The act of it left the dungeon defenseless. She needed a method by which she could ward off powerful adventurers in the meantime.

    And that was where Dias came in.

    He reported to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and state that he¡¯d managed to negotiate with the Dungeon Master. That, of course, wasn¡¯t all. He also spoke to the country¡¯s leaders and convinced them that the dungeon was valuable, both for its resources and for its ability to rear new adventurers. The scheme paid off. The Kingdom viewed his contributions as phenomenal, and hence, he was not only able to guarantee Rumina¡¯s safety, but also be the city¡¯s Guildmaster.

    Dias had done it.

    He¡¯d obtained all the power he needed in order to protect the ck Cat Tribe.

    The elderly adventurer¡¯s words hadn¡¯t contained even the slightest shred of falsehood. He, Aurel and Rumina were all truly working towards the same two goals: identifying Kiara¡¯s enemies and protecting the ck Cat Tribe as a whole. That was why all three individuals had treated Fran so favourably.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll announce that you¡¯ve ranked up some time tomorrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸That said, there is an official process that we need to go through. Why don¡¯t we go ahead and get all that out of the way right here and now?¡¹

 Chapter 182: Getting Oneâ€™s Thoughts in Order

    <h4>Chapter 182: Getting One¡¯s Thoughts in Order</h4>

    We headed back to the inn after we finished going through the formal rank up procedure.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re finally officially C rankers.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s throw a bit of a celebration. How about this, I¡¯ll let you guys eat as much curry as you want tonight. There won¡¯t be any limit on the number of toppings you can have either.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Want curry with hamburgers, karaage, tonkatsu, egg on top. Extrarge.¡¹

    I gave Fran exactly what she asked for. The end result turned into something that looked like it came straight out of a food challenge, but whatever. She was happy, and that was all that mattered.

    ¡ºTry not to bloat yourself too much, alright?¡»

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd as for you, Urushi, I¡¯ve finally made that super spicy stuff I promised you yesterday.¡»

    ¡¸Bark bark.¡¹

    The pot of curry I showed Urushi was a modified version of the spiciest curry I had sitting around in storage. I added a whole sloth of extra spice to it and caused the amount of capsaicin within to skyrocket. The liquid within had been turned crimson, and almost looked like a boiling vat of blood that¡¯de straight out of hell. To Urushi, however, the mixture evidently looked and smelled delicious, as he immediately began to drool the moment I procured it.

    I honestly didn¡¯t really get how or why he was actually looking forward to consuming the stuff. It was so spicy that it even caused Fran to reel back; she didn¡¯t even want to try it. I felt that I probably would¡¯ve reacted the exact same way had I still been human.

    The pair went through their curry incredibly quickly, so I decided to serve them some desert in the form of ice cream as I began getting my thoughts in order. I decided not to think about the possibility of me having been made by a God-tier cksmith, and only focused on concepts rted to Fran and evolution.

    The ck Cat Tribe was one of the original ten, and the tribe had originally held either the Beast Lord¡¯s position or something simr. That, however, all changed somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 years ago.

    We were never able to figure out exactly what the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s sin had been, but whatever it was, it was enough to merit having the Gods deliver onto them Divine Retribution. Specifically, the Gods changed the conditions under which ck Catkin evolved; they made it much more difficult. Not a single individual had managed to fulfill the necessary requirements ever since.

    And that was when the Red Cat Tribe¡¯s Golden Lionkin stepped in. They toppled the powerless ck Cat Tribe¡¯s rule, and stole for themselves the Beast Lord¡¯s seat. They then ordered the Blue Cat Tribe¡¯s members to persecute the ck Catkin in order to prevent them from ever regaining their former glory. It was an order the Blue Cat Tribe had likely abided by due to the fact that the Red Cat Tribe was one of the original 10, and therefore of a higher status. It was a firm measure, but it alone failed to sate the Red Cat Tribe¡¯s concerns. They still feared that the ck Cat Tribe could one day rise again to power, and thus, they destroyed any and all texts rting to the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolution. It was a n that, in their eyes, ensured that no ck Catkin would ever evolve again.

    Their efforts paid off; thebination of the Gods manipting everyone¡¯s memory and the Red Cat Tribe eliminating all the relevant documentation made it so that the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s history had almost been forgotten. The number of people possessing knowledge of their ability to evolve had been cut down to just a few handfuls at best.

    But, 53 years ago, someone had pulled off the nigh impossible. That someone, Kiara, had started solving the mysteries that shrouded the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s past. She managed to get in touch with Rumina, and in doing so, somehow managed to find a clue that led her towards her goal, evolution. She¡¯d asked both Dias and Aurel for their assistance in evolving, but disappeared before telling either of the two any further details.

    All three of the people that Kiara had bonded with, Rumina, Dias, and Aurel, attempted to figure out what had happened to her. They gathered information from all over, only to ultimately arrive at the deduction that her disappearance most likely had something to do with the Beast Lord. They were fairly confident in what they¡¯d thought up, but had no way of confirming it for certain. For that reason, all three individuals happened to regard the Beast Lord with a sense of animosity.

    To be frank, I thought their theory seemed like it¡¯d pretty much hit the nail on the head. The royal family being afraid ck Catkin even to this very day was honestly quite usible.

    Either way, Kiara¡¯s whereabouts ended up remaining as an unknown. None of the three were really ever able to move on, and so, they ended up banding together in order to protect any that followed in their friend¡¯s footsteps.

    Dias was unaware as to the details, and hence, unable to inform us, but we were still made to know that Rumina had been storing magical energy for decades, and that said magical energy would be used in order to aid one or more ck Catkin in their quest for evolution. Both Aurel and Dias were assigned the role of protecting her in the meantime, as saving up her magical energy was equivalent to her lowering her defenses. I¡¯d say the two were quite persistent in their task. Dias had even gone as far as bing the master of Ulmutt¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    Fast forward a few years to present day, and finally, enter Fran, a young ck Catkin girl out on a journey to achieve the exact thing they¡¯d been looking to facilitate. Unaware to us, the three had yed a bunch of cards under the table in order to assist us in the whole ordeal. Specifically, Aurel had arranged for us to meet Rumina while Dias had tried his best to help us rank up so he could confer upon us the guild¡¯s protection.

    Rumina had also started setting something up. I didn¡¯t know exactly what that something was, but I did know that it was something that¡¯d work to Fran¡¯s benefit.

    Myck of understanding was precisely what fueled me to think further on the topic. Why exactly did she start summoning Evil Beings? For what reason did she try driving Fran away? Her changing her attitude the moment she heard about my ability to absorb skills made it obvious that said ability must in some way be rted to helping Fran evolve, but how? Did I need some sort of skill in particr? Was it something we could get from Evil Beings?

    There were too many holes and missing links for me to go any further with my deductions. I couldn¡¯t figure out anything unless I had a bit more information, and so, I decided to shelve my thoughts for the time being. The Martial Arts Tournament wasing up, we didn¡¯t have time for me to just sit around and think myself into a ditch. What we needed to do now was to train and level our skills if possible.

    ¡ºOh yeah, Fran, remember how I told you to think about how you wanted me to use my Self-Evolution Points? Did you ever end up figuring out what skills you wanted to level?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I¡¯d originally been nning to ask her about thisst night, but you know, sheet happened.

    My guess was that she probably wanted to at least put a few points in both Divine Sword Arts and Divine Sword Techniques, as they were straight forward, something she used often, and probably two of the skills that¡¯d give us the greatest boost in strength.

    Presence Detection was a pretty likely contender as well. It was pretty close to its maximum level, and could see some decent use in battle. Its sensing abilities aided us in reading the opponent¡¯s next move.

    The other fairly likely contenders were me Magic, Lightning Magic, and Elemental de.

    ¡ºSo what¡¯ve you decided on?¡»

    I was fairly confident in my deductions.

    ¡¸cksmithing.¡¹

    But I was wrong nheless.

    ¡ºWait. What? cksmithing!?¡»

    My predictions were off by a mile. They were so far off, in fact, that I ended up shouting in surprise.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? I don¡¯t recall you ever having even the slightest interest in cksmithing. Shouldn¡¯t you try investing in something that¡¯ll help you out in battle seeing as how the tourney¡¯s right around the corner? Why choose it all of a sudden?¡»

    ¡¸Because cksmithing.¡¹

    It seemed that Fran had totally made up her mind, and that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to convince her to change it.

    ¡¸Master¡¯s maintenance, important.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s why you wanted to level up the cksmithing skill? I really appreciate the thought, but I don¡¯t think you need to use points on it. Go ahead and just level up the skills you actually want.¡»

    ¡¸cksmithing.¡¹

    And so, given the fact that Fran was being stubborn, I ended up maxing out the cksmithing skill.

    ¡¶cksmithing has reached its maximum level. You have obtained the cksmith Magic skill. It is currently at level 1.¡·

    I ended up getting the cksmith Magic skill as an added bonus. That was nice and all, seeing as how it became possible for me to maintain myself and whatnot, but I had a bit of a hard time epting the fact that we ended up using my self evolution points for cksmithing of all things. It just felt wasteful.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºWait, Fran, what¡¯re you doing?¡»

    ¡¸Maintenance.¡¹

    ¡ºRight now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I really had to admit, Lv 10 cksmithing really did prove quite effective. Fran was pretty much doing exactly the same thing she¡¯d always been doing, but it ended up feeling just as good as when Zerld did it. Fran rubbing a cloth across my de felt as good as a full body massage.

    ¡ºAhhhhhh, yeahhhhh, that¡¯s the spot.¡»

    ***

    I ended up getting polished for a whole 30 minutes; I wasn¡¯t really able to ask her to stop because of how good it felt.

    Thinking about the fact that Fran nned to polish me every day put a huge grin on my face. Man, this is the life. I guess I finally understand why fathers love it so much when their daughters give them backrubs.

    ¡ºOh man, that was refreshing. Thanks.¡»

    ¡¸Will polish more in future.¡¹

    ¡ºPlease do.¡»

    I¡¯d been nning on using most of the rest of my remaining self-evolution points on a few specific skills, but realized that Fran hadn¡¯t benefited at all from me maxing out cksmithing, so I offered to let her use all the points I had left on whatever she wanted.

    ¡¸Already chose what wanted. Will let Master use rest.¡¹

    ¡ºBut¡­¡»

    ¡¸Just use.¡¹

    I ended up conceding to Fran and spending points on whatever I wanted. Specifically, I ended up throwing a bunch into Divine Sword Arts. It went without saying that leveling the skill worked to Fran¡¯s benefit, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason I pointed it.

    The other was something that I¡¯d ended up bing curious about after seeing the Beast Lord¡¯s skillset. He was a bonafide spearman. His job described him as a Spear Lord and he evidently had one equipped. However, he didn¡¯t have ess to Spear Arts or Divine Spear Arts. He instead had a skill by the name of Spear Lord Arts.

    Spear Lord Arts was, in all likelihood, what one would obtain afterpletely maxing out one¡¯s Divine Spear Arts. From that, I figured that maxing Divine Sword Arts could potentially unlock a new skill, and hence, wanted to try getting my hands on it.

    ¡ºAlright, here we go.¡»

    Maxing both cksmithing and Divine Sword Arts ended up eating a total of 34 points, and left me with only 20 remaining.

    ¡¶Divine Sword Arts has reached its maximum level. You have obtained the Enhanced Sword Arts skill.¡·

    Well, that wasn¡¯t what I was expecting, but hey, that works too I guess.

    ¡¶You have unlocked a unique skill by the name of Sword Lord Arts, as all necessary requirements have been fulfilled. All Sword Art rted skills have been merged into the Sword Lord arts skill. Acquisition of the Sword Lord Arts skill has caused your wielder, Fran, to obtain the Sword Lord title.¡·

    Woah, that was a lot all at once! It looked like I actually did manage to get the Sword Lord Arts skill that I¡¯d been hoping for. The merged part confused me, so I quickly appraised myself. Every singlest one of my Sword Art rted skills had ended up disappearing. Naturally, I wasn¡¯t just referring to the Divine Sword Arts skill, but also stuff like Short Sword Arts and Katana Arts.

    For a moment, I was tempted to immediately begin screaming in frustration, but stopped almost immediately as I realized what the word ¡°merged¡± meant. I decided to give the skill a quick once over just to be sure.

    Sword Lord Arts: Allows use of all swords.

    Oh hell yes. This means what I think it means, right?

    ¡ºHey Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to shapeshift a bit. Do me a favour and try swinging me around when I do.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    The first form I took was that of a dagger, otherwise known as a short sword. Fran readily grabbed ahold of me and began swinging me around. She cycled between a series of rxed and more intense actions so easily that one could probably mistake her as a sword dancer.

    ¡ºAlright, how about this?¡»

    The next form I took was that of a foil, a fencer¡¯s sword. Again, Fran managed to wield me with ease. They way she moved around and used the sword¡¯s flexibility made it seem like she¡¯d trained with a foil for years and in doing so,pletely mastered the de¡¯s use.

    ¡¸Interesting to use. Boingy.¡¹

    ¡ºDoes it feel even the slightest bit unnatural?¡»

    ¡¸Nope. No issues.¡¹

    ¡ºSweet.¡»

    The skill did exactly what I thought it did. It basically allowed the person that had it to use any type of sword they wished. Better yet, they¡¯d be able to use it just as well as if they had they maxed out the divine arts for whatever sword subcategory they happened to be working with. To us, that was nothing but good news, as it meant that there wouldn¡¯t be any issues even if I was to warp myself into an actual katana and not just something that happened to resemble one.

    With that out of the way, I decided to check Fran¡¯s new title.

    Sword Lord: A title granted to one that mastered the way of the sword and obtained the Sword Lord skill.

    Effect: All stats increased by 20. Bolsters the Enhanced Sword Arts skill. Allows one to judge the quality of a sword.

    Sword Lord looked to be even more effective a title than both Match For a Thousand and Big Game Eater despite the fact that both titles were typically only bestowed to heroes. Boosting all one¡¯s stats by 20 provided the same amount of effective strength as four or five levels.

    Though, thinking about it, I realized that maxing out one¡¯s Divine Weapon Arts was actually incredibly difficult under normal circumstances. In fact, neither Amanda nor Forrund had actually managed to do so, and they were both famous A ranked adventurers.

    It looked like maxing out Divine Sword Arts was indeed the right choice to make. I immediately considered maxing out Divine Sword Techniques to match, but I wasn¡¯t 100% sure if that was the best idea. I had a few other skills I wanted to pump points into as well.

    ¡ºHey Fran, you sure you didn¡¯t want me to point anything else in particr?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Dimensional Magic?¡¹

 Chapter 183: Dimension Gate

    <h4>Chapter 183: Dimension Gate</h4>

    Fran¡¯s reply to my query caught me off guard. The fact that she was interested in Dimension Magic wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d been aware of.

    That said, I could easily see why she felt the way she did, as I shared her interest in it.

    ¡ºYou sure you don¡¯t want to pump a few points into Divine Sword Techniques first?¡»

    ¡¸More curious about Dimension Magic.¡¹

    ¡ºWhy¡¯s that?¡»

    ¡¸Door used by Beast Lord¡¯s guard.¡¹

    ¡ºOh nice. Looks like we¡¯re on the same page then.¡»

    Royce¡¯s skill, Dimensional Gate, sounded like something one would probably learn if they pumped a few levels into Dimension Magic. It looked super convenient to use, and it seemed that having it could potentially make visiting Rumina a hell of a lot easier.

    Long Jump was nice and all, but it was too limited in its use.

    The number of things that bothered us about it numbered two, with the first being its carrying capacity and the second being its ease of use, or rather, itsck thereof. It¡¯s carrying capacity was limited by mass, and was actually socking that it couldn¡¯t even allow us to warp Urushi unless he shrank himself down. Even then, the distance that could be teleported was inversely proportional with the mass, so we weren¡¯t really able to go all that far. The furthest we could go, even without Urushi, was like five or six floors worth of distance at best; we weren¡¯t able to instantly warp ourselves over to Rumina¡¯s ce of residence. The ease of use part pertained to the fact the only objects that could get warped were ones the caster was in direct contact with.

    Dimension Gate looked like the type of skill that didn¡¯t really care about the mass of whatever it transported so long as you plopped a pair of doors down. It didn¡¯t look like the type of skill that really had much use in battle, but, man did it make getting around a helluva lot easier. The convenience factor alone made it look like something that was honestly well worth investing in.

    ¡ºAlright. I guess I¡¯ll try feeding Dimension Magic a bit and seeing what happens.¡»

    I only had 20 self evolution points remaining, so I decided to give the skill one level at a time.

    ¡¸That¡¯s level 2¡­ Looks like I learned how to do two new things?¡¹

    Pointing the skill once had allowed me to obtain a skill by the name of Turn Shield. It allowed one to block long ranged attacks and disrupt enemies by twisting space itself. The amount of magical energy the skill consumed scaled with the size of the spatial distortion created. Unleashing something on a scalerge enough topletely engulf my surroundings seemed like it would end up eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 2k mana. The skill seemed pretty decent, and appeared to have a whole slew of different use cases.

    The other spell I learned was named Beacon. It allowed me to sense the areas in which and objects on which I cast it, even from a fair distance away. It was pretty convenient, but I didn¡¯t immediately see why it was something I got from leveling up Dimension Magic of all things. I only came to realize why it was ssified as it was after giving its parent skill another level.

    Getting Dimension Magic to level 3 unlocked a skill by the name of Apport. Apport allowed me to pull anything within sight towards me. It didn¡¯t seem all that special at first nce, but thinking about it made me to realize that moving an object towards oneself was actually a step up on moving oneself over to an object.

    Combining it with Beacon only made it even more impressive; Apport was made capable of grabbing anything I wanted so long as it happened to have a beacon ced on it ahead of time. This use case immediately caused me to realized that Beacon was capable of working with more than just Apport. It also enhanced Long Jump, and allowed me to teleport even greater distances with it. Beacon had seemed rather in at first, but it turned out to be something he useful.

    Apport wasn¡¯t all I got from level 3 Dimension Magic. I also managed to learn Over Haste, which was basically just the same thing as regr Haste, save for the fact that it had a bit of an AOE to it.

    Only after pointing Dimension Magic all the way to level 4 did we finally get the skill we¡¯d been gunning for.

    ¡ºSweet, looks like I finally learned how to use Dimension Gate.¡»

    Dimension Gate¡¯s ability was to create a pair of doors. The first would always appear at the caster¡¯s present location. The second, on the other hand, was up to the caster¡¯s discretion, but could only be ced in an area thaty within the caster¡¯s memory. Anything could pass through the gate, so long as it fit, which was just perfect seeing as how the gate¡¯s size would grow based on the amount of magical energy used. I was capable of creating one big enough to fit Urushi at hisrgest if I didn¡¯t mind throwing in all my mana.

    Our skill, Dimension Gate, was actually slightly different from the Dimensional Gate skill that we¡¯d seen on Royce. Though their names were simr, the two actually functionedpletely differently, as ours basically just ripped a hole in space, whereas Royce¡¯s seemed to operate based on a different sort of mechanism altogether.

    Dimension Gate was like every other spell derived from the Dimension Magic family; its performance could be improved upon through the use of Beacon.

    Specifically, Dimension Gate was capable of opening doors to ces I¡¯d never been before so long as there happened to be a beacon present ¡ª we¡¯d confirmed this functionality by casting Beacon on a random rock and having Urushi carry it off somewhere.

    The spell seemed like it could be really handy so long as we were careful and ced a few beacons at a few critical junctions ahead of time.

    Under normal circumstances, Beacons would expire after a few days. The caster could extend this preset duration by increasing the amount of mana used in the spell¡¯s initial casting. It seemed like I¡¯d be able to leave a beacon somewhere for about a year so long as I put everyst drop of mana I had into crafting it.

    I figured it¡¯d be a pretty good idea for us to just casually dump a beacon somewhere in Rumina¡¯s living quarters in order to make it easier for us to visit her whenever. The gate¡¯s size would decrease as distance to its target location increased, but it didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be too hard for us to somehow fit ourselves through it regardless.

    The other spell I was granted for leveling Dimension Magic to level 4 was called Slow Mine, and more or less allowed us to deploy triggerable debuff zones. They were hard to detect, and could be ced both on the ground and in the air. Our ability to deploy multiple at once seemed pretty useful for allowing us to catch someone off guard.

    ¡ºLooks like we managed to get the skill we wanted. Did you happen to have anything else in mind?¡»

    Each level in Dimension magic ate up 3 self evolution points, so getting the skill all the way to level 4 left us with only 11 remaining.

    I mean, we could¡¯ve just kept pumping points into Dimension Magic regardless, but we did always have the option of just doing something else instead. It wasn¡¯t like we were locked into it or anything.

    ¡¸Vigour Mastery¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºWhy that one in particr?¡»

    ¡¸Beast Lord had. Might have connection with evolution.¡¹

    Looking at the Beast Lord¡¯s stat sheet had more or less convinced us that Vigour Mastery was basically an upgraded version of Vigour Maniption. The reason she wanted it was pretty clear as well. She wanted get all the skills the Beast Lord had that we didn¡¯t, as it was possible that evolution was something linked to a skill.

    ¡ºSure. Let¡¯s give it a shot then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I spent 5 points on Vigour Maniption, which in turn unlocked Vigour Mastery as expected.

    ¡ºSo? How do you feel?¡»

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

    It turned out that Vigour Mastery didn¡¯t have anything to do with evolution. However, it had a clear, immediate effect nheless. The manner in which my mana flowed through my body seemed to change. It became much smoother, and I could feel my detection-based skills growing much more sensitive as a result.

    But that wasn¡¯t all.

    ¡ºI feel like my body just got easier to control.¡»

    I activated Shape Shift and transformed a part of my body into a series of threads. The threads seemed quite easy to manipte; I¡¯d managed to use them to form a number of different geometrical patterns with ease. I then split my de into ten smaller pieces, and moved them all around simultaneously. I was able to do what the System Announcer did to the Legendary Skeletons did back when we fought a whole bunch of them at once. That is, I was able to form each into a thin but solid thread and thrust them in different directions.

    My de deformed and moved exactly how I wanted it to; I became capable of manipting it to much finer a degree, and at a much lower mana cost to boot.

    Vigour Mastery hadn¡¯t seemed like anything too fancy, but it turned out to be useful as hell.

    ¡ºWant to just hold onto thest few points for now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Sounds good.¡¹

 Chapter 184: The Dungeonâ€™s Barrier

    <h4>Chapter 184: The Dungeon¡¯s Barrier</h4>

    We immediately headed back into the dungeon the day after we ranked up, reason being that it was critical for us to get as strong as possible as quickly as possible given that the tourney was right around the corner.

    Both Sword Lord Arts and Dimension Magic were incredibly potent skills in and of themselves, but we wouldn¡¯t be able to use either properly if we didn¡¯t first ustom ourselves to them. To that end, we decided to fight while purposefully imposing upon ourselves a series of heavy restrictions.

    Doingbat training also doubled up as grinding magic stones, as we¡¯d be able to earn another batch of self-evolution points if we did enough of it. Training was a reliable, proven way for us to get stronger. Though it was definitely important, it didn¡¯t end up being the only thing we did. We had also visited the guild prior to heading out in order to check whether or not it¡¯d be possible for Fran to undergo a ss change and beef up her stats.

    One would assume that obtaining the Sword Lord title would also unlock the Sword Lord ss, but unfortunately, it didn¡¯t. She did, however, unlock a whole slew of other sses, many of which centered around smithing or advanced magic. The training she¡¯d gone through had also allowed her to unlock several stealth and scout-like sses as well, but none were to our fancy. Thus, she ended up remaining a Magic Warrior.

    Upon entering the dungeon, we discovered that it¡¯d turned back to normal. The Evil Beings that¡¯d flooded it were nowhere to be seen. They¡¯d been reced by the magic beasts we saw on our first pass through. In other words, Rumina had reverted all the changes she¡¯d made.

    Knowing that, we cut our way through dungeon and slowly progressed towards its depths.

    Fran needed to be back in town within 4 days, as that was when the tourney¡¯s prelims were set to begin. For us, however, heading back to town was a trivial non-issue, as we¡¯d already set up several beacons that¡¯d facilitate the process. Specifically, we¡¯d ced one at the inn and several others just outside the city. Thanks to that, we¡¯d be able to keep training until the very moment we needed to show up in person.

    That said, we did have something to do prior to actually heading back, so it wasn¡¯t like we could just spend the whole four days wandering. Specifically, Fran and I had been nning on setting up an additional beacon inside Rumina¡¯s room, as it¡¯d make visiting her much more convenient.

    We¡¯d spent some time experimenting with the Beacon spell in order to figure out its limitations. It turned out that we could only actually have 8 active beacons at any given point in time. The skill followed a first in first out methodology, as creating a 9th beacon would immediately cause the 1st we made to disappear. Moreover, its range wasn¡¯t actually unlimited. Beacons would only remain active so long as they were within a radius of about 10 kilometers.

    Now, one might wonder how exactly we managed to figure out that 10km was our upper limit. The answer to that question was actually a rather simple one; we had Urushi grab a rock with a beacon on it and just run off into the sunset. We made him keep going until we could no longer pick up on the beacon¡¯s signal.

    We also discovered that Dimension Gate¡¯s mana consumption varied with the amount of distance between it and its target. It normally ate up about 100 mana, but could consume up to 500 if we tried to jump a whole 10 km in one go.

    I¡¯d originally been expecting to be able to use the spell to teleport back and forth between Barbra and Alessa, but that unfortunately didn¡¯t actually seem all that practical. That said, it could potentially be possible if we set up a whole slew of beacons along the way and warped between them till we hit our destination. Fortunately, that issue wasn¡¯t one we had to consider when contemting whether or not we¡¯d be able to tele into Rumina¡¯s room, as we¡¯d only need to set a single beacon for it to be in range.

    And so, with a clearly defined goal in mind, we spent the rest of our day grinding our way down into the dungeon¡¯s depths. It was already our third time through, and we¡¯d alreadymitted all the traps to memory, so it¡¯d ended up turning quite the easy excursion.

    ***

    The manner in which Rumina greeted us this time around waspletely different than it¡¯d been just yesterday. Moreover, her expression was bright, and her skin, which¡¯d been a bit darker than usual, had reverted to its usual shade. I was d to see that she was in good health, and that the light had returned to her eyes.

    ¡¸Wee. And for what purpose should I attribute your visit to on this fine day?¡¹

    ¡¸Wanted to ask favour.¡¹

    ¡ºYou see¡­¡»

    I told her about the Beacon spell we¡¯d recently obtained, and asked if we could put one in her room in order to make it easier for us to visit.

    ¡¸I mind it not at all. In fact, I would have very much wanted for you to ce one in my ce of residence.¡¹

    ¡ºWould have?¡»

    ¡¸The answer to that question shalle to you should you make an attempt. Fret not, no harm shalle to you in the process.¡¹

    She seemed rather convinced that we¡¯d fail, and implied it in her speech. However, we decided to give it a shot anyways since she affirmed it wasn¡¯t dangerous.

    ¡ºBeacon.¡»

    I ced a beacon on the floor in one of the room¡¯s corners and in doing so, made it so I¡¯d be able to teleport back.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s head back up a few floors.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We made our way back up to the dungeon¡¯s 14th floor before attempting to activate Dimension Gate ¡ª only to have the spell totally fizz out and fail despite consuming mana.

    I could still feel the beacon we¡¯d set, and Rumina¡¯s room was naturally still in memory, so I didn¡¯t really see why the skill would fail to function. We¡¯d fulfilled all its conditions, after all.

    I purposefully activated the skill several times, but to no avail. It was never capable of doing much besides just fizzing away.

    ¡¸Not working?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. It looks like something¡¯s preventing the skill from actually activating.¡»

    The sensation I felt was fairly simr to the one I had when we were stuck inside Rynford¡¯s barrier. It was like something was getting in the way and interrupting the skill before it went off. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to discern exactly what that something was, nor even really sense its identity or location despite the fact that I could feel it interfering with the casting process.

    Going back and checking in with Rumina allowed me to verify that I¡¯d been in the right.

    ¡¸It appears that you were unable to break past the Goddess¡¯ barrier.¡¹

    Her words made me realize that her having a barrier of some sort should¡¯ve been something I¡¯d taken as a given from the very start.

    Dungeons were supposed to be extremely difficult to conquer. Even something like a D ranked dungeon could lead to a whole slew of casualties. Higher ranking adventurers were generally better at eluding death, but even they could meet their ends if they got caught off guard by traps, or ran into a magic beast that just happened to be able to take advantage of their weaknesses.

    That, of course, naturally begged a question: what was the most risk free way for one to conquer a dungeon? I was sure that many would im that it¡¯d best be done by training up one¡¯s detection based skills, joining bnced parties or bringing a ton of potions, but none of those answers were in fact correct.

    The simplest and safest way to conquer a dungeon was to not conquer a dungeon in what you¡¯d call a traditional manner.

    I could imagine a whole slew of methods that worked off that precise paradigm of thought. You could teleport into the core room, st magic into said room from afar, or pull off many other simr tricks that¡¯d allow you to destroy the dungeon¡¯s core without having to go through a series of challenges.

    Though the methods I imagined had many strict requirements, they were by no means unrealistic. Teleporting directly into a dungeon¡¯s core room sounded like something that was honestly quite easy so long as one maxed out Dimension Magic and threw in a magic item or two for a bit of extra assistance.

    Plus, it wasn¡¯t like you could just not take the fact that Goddes existed into ount. Goddes were known for their incredible power, and frankly, they seemed like items that could defy what one viewed asmon sense altogether. Meltdown no longer existed, but its title had implied that it was nothing less than a veritable nuke, a weapon of mass destruction that was most likely capable ofpletely wiping a dungeon and everything around it off the map with ease.

    I thought it seemed fairly logical for dungeons to have defensive mechanisms built in to prevent scenarios like that from happening. Dungeons more or less seemed to be equivalent to trials imposed by the Gods, so there was no way for them to not have mechanisms that would prevent you from totally cheating your way through them.

    The barrier being something created by a God only made the fact that I couldn¡¯t sense it all the more understandable as well.

    ¡¸I advise you attempt cing the beacon just outside my room instead.¡¹

    ¡ºIunno if that¡¯s the best ce for it. Someone might identally blow it up while fighting a boss or something.¡»

    We couldn¡¯t put it on any floor above the boss floor either, seeing as how people might see us using the gate and whatnot.

    ¡¸Am I correct in assuming that it will function so long as the barrier does not prevent your spell from activating?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, I ask that you wait while I make aodations.¡¹

    Rumina headed deeper inside her chambers and didn¡¯te out until after we¡¯d heard the sound of something heavy scraping against something else of equal mass.

    A brand new corridor had spawned along a nearby wall.

    ¡¸I thank you for your patience. The room that lies beyond this corridor is outside of the core room¡¯s territory, and thus, is treated as any other one of the dungeon¡¯s rooms would be. It will be possible for you to teleport inside of it.¡¹

    Rumina had made use of her Dungeon Master abilities in order to create a brand new room.

    Man, that¡¯s a Dungeon Master for you. She and I think on totally different scales.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸You need not thank me. As I stated prior to your excursion, our wills had happened to align. I too wish for it to be easier for you to visit.¡¹

    We ran a second experiment and confirmed that Rumina had been spot on.

    The inn we were staying at was rather close to the dungeon, so cing a beacon in Rumina¡¯s newly created room had made it super convenient for us to go back and forth between the two locations with ease. Moreover, it was basically impossible for anyone to catch us in the act. We¡¯d ran into a few unexpected mishaps along the way, but ultimately aplished our goal and met every single requirement we¡¯d set for it along the way.

    ¡¸Please, visit as you see fit. I will wee you at any time.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, see ya. We¡¯ll make sure to stop by.¡»

 Chapter 185: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 185: Reunion</h4>

    ¡ºYou ready to get going?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We had breakfast, checked to make sure all our equipment was in good form, and headed out.

    Our destination was one of the many venues in which the tournament would be hosted. The tournament had actually started yesterday, but today was more so the one Fran had been looking forward to, as it had finallye time for her first match. ording to the schedule we got from Dias, the tournament was tost for 14 days, with the first 4 dedicated to the preliminaries. The preliminaries were defined as a 2 step process, with each of the 2 taking up half the allotted time.

    Over 1000 people had signed up for the tourney, and thus, there simply wasn¡¯t enough to time for the preliminaries to be done in the usual 1 on 1 style. They were instead organised such that they¡¯d allow for four people to be eliminated at once. That is, the preliminaries consisted solely of 5 person battle royales in which only thest man standing would be allowed to progress.

    Not surprisingly, the tournament¡¯s managers knew exactly what they were doing. They understood that the only way for them toplete all 200 plus preliminary matches within the 2 day timebox was for them to have multiple matches running at once. Thus, they had set up a series of locations around town in order to facilitate the process, a feat only made capable precisely because the tournament happened to take ce in Ulmutt. Ulmutt was unique in the sense that it existed for and because of adventurers. Hence, its city n included a great number of open areas that often saw use as training or dueling grounds.

    The second preliminary round would have far fewer participants than the first, and thus, they had it hosted within a pair ofrger stadiums instead of a bunch of smaller ones scattered all over. Unlike the first, the second also allowed for spectators.

    The main event consisted of 6 rounds, which meant a total of 64 participants. About 50 of thebatants typically came from the prelims. The rest were seeded and thereby excluded from the qualification process.

    Interestingly, killing one¡¯s opponent was not actually considered a crime, as you weren¡¯t allowed to participate in the tournament unless you signed a waiver. Said waiver included a statement about the fact that you knew you were going into something that might lead to your death. Honestly, I¡¯m not really sure what else I should¡¯ve expected from a world as violent as this one.

    That said, I had to admit that it wasn¡¯t actually as bad as it may have otherwise seemed. After all, health potions were a thing, so you probably wouldn¡¯t die unless you were killed instantly. That said, the organisers only really supplied that kinda stuff to the main event¡¯s participants. You could say it was rather cold hearted for them to not assist those that got eliminated early on, but I couldn¡¯t really me or antagonize them for it. Culling the weak was kind of what this tournament was all about in the first ce. Besides, distributing potions to all thousand or so participants would probably put the organisers well in the red, so it was honestly only fair. There was also always healing magic for people that couldn¡¯t afford potions, though again, healers weren¡¯t really something supplied to people participating in the prelims.

    Speaking of which, healing magic was precisely what made it possible for the tourney to take over the course of such a short time period. Its effects were more or less instant, so injured participants didn¡¯t have to wait for their injuries to heal. All they needed was for someone to say the word, and they¡¯d be back in tip top shape.

    ¡ºYou feeling nervous at all?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Fine.¡¹

    Fran nodded. We¡¯d done everything we could these past few days to get ourselves as ready as we could possibly be, and so, the look on her face almost seemed to be the spitting image of confidence.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll just stay on the sidelines and watch unless we run into someone really strong. Alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Want to know how far we can go.¡¹

    Fran wanted to both test her own strength and see how much stronger she was when we fought together.

    There was still a decent bit of time before the match started, so we walked through town at a rather leisurely pace. The venue we were headed to happened to be right by the guild, so we weren¡¯t even the slightest bit worried about getting lost.

    I made use of our travel time by exining to Fran the tourney¡¯s rules.

    Given that this was a martial arts tournament, an event that almost seemed to ooze with violence, there weren¡¯t actually all that many restrictions. We just had to be careful not to consume any potions midbat, and we were pretty much good. There weren¡¯t any rules against any skills and spells, you were pretty much allowed to do whatever. The only thing one would probably want to avoid would be the Evil Arts, as using them would more likely than not cause one to get instantly mobbed by any and all nearby adventurers.

    The only part of the rules that we really had to pay attention to was the part that detailed what you could and couldn¡¯t do with summons. Any non-human summons were in fact allowed, but only under the condition that they weren¡¯t summoned ahead of time. In other words, we could bring Urushi so long as we had him hide in Fran¡¯s shadow and have him note out until she pretended to summon him. The reason that this was in fact legal, and not against the rules, was because they stated that rules regarding summons applied not just to summons, but also to anything else that happened to function in a simr manner. Specifically, the rules would apply so long as the creature you called was initially either not present or hidden from sight.

    Fortunately, there weren¡¯t any restrictions with regards to magic items, you could use whatever you wanted. It seemed that what this tournament cared about wasn¡¯t one¡¯s base stats, but rather how strong one was with all one¡¯s gear and familiars factored in as well.

    There were only two possible ways to get disqualified. The first was to leave the ring, and the second, to deliberately attack someone that¡¯d already surrendered.

    Fran looked at all the stalls around her as she slowly made her way forwards, but as one could expect, not even she was enough of a glutton to start chowing down the moment before she had to fight her first match.

    ¡ºYou can eat as much as you want after we¡¯re done, so sit tight for now, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    She continued ncing at the stalls in our vicinity despite voicing her agreement. It was simply something that couldn¡¯t be helped. Stalls started appearing en masse the moment the tournament began, and their merchandise honestly looked nothing short of delicious.

    Her staring any longer would only serve to tempt her, so I had her rush back over to the guild. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d end up stopping on our way there given that she¡¯d hit the gas, but for some odd reason, we did.

    ¡ºIs something the matter, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸That.¡¹

    I looked in the direction Fran¡¯s finger was pointing, only to find a stall that almost seemed a bit familiar.

    ¡ºWait, isn¡¯t that¡­ The Dragon¡¯s Table?¡»

    The Dragon¡¯s Table, one of the stores that¡¯dpeted against us back in Barbra, had a stall set up right by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that they seemed to be selling the Dragon Bone Soup they happened to be famous for. Standing behind the counter was a familiar face, a tall, A ranked adventurer by the name of Fermus. He was looking just as sharp as he was thest time we saw him.

    ¡¸Oh, well if it isn¡¯t the ck Tail¡¯s Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Long time no see.¡¹

    ¡¸It has been quite a while. Are you perhaps here in order to participate in the tournament?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, then please do try your best.¡¹

    Fran ended up speaking with Fermus till we had to go.

    It turned out that he was also taking part in the tourney. But as one would expect of a former A ranked adventurer, he¡¯d been seeded and wouldn¡¯t be going through the prelims.

    ¡¸I would normally opt out of participating seeing as my age is what it is, but this year happens to be be a bit special, as one of my acquaintances asked me to participate. I was unable to turn him down because I owed him a favour.¡¹

    He had nothing to do in the meantime, so he ended up deciding to set up shop for publicity¡¯s sake. I had to say, Fermus seemed really into this whole merchanting thing. Dude¡¯s spirit was brimming with entrepreneurship.

    Well, that¡¯s one more powerful foe we might end up running into. He¡¯s literally killed dragons. Like sheet, no way in hell we¡¯ll be able to beat him easily.

    Fermus also told us a bunch about what happened to Barbra in the event¡¯s aftermath. The former Lords, the Krystens, had effectively thrown away their fortune by using it to fund the city¡¯s reconstruction. The guild had helped out as well, so the reconstruction was pretty much right on schedule.

    Amanda¡¯s support had allowed the orphanage to get back on its feet, which in turn allowed Io go all out and cook to the best of her ability. The soup Io made was ridiculously delicious despite the fact that she used nothing but super low quality vegetables in it. I really couldn¡¯t help but wonder just how delicious the stuff she was making now was, given that she finally had ess to all the spices and condiments she could ever dream of.

    Last but not least, he mentioned that Barbra was currently going through what could only be described as a curry boom. People were setting up curry stalls all over and naming them after our own. They¡¯d call themselves the X Tail, or the ck Y, with X and Y being substituted out for random words. Many of these stalls would im that they¡¯d inherited our recipes, which I guess wasn¡¯t entirely false seeing as how I¡¯d handed the recipe over to the Chef¡¯s Guild and told them to do whatever with it.

    Fran was really engaged in the conversation, and seemed really interested in everything else Fermus had to say, but we had to go.

    ¡ºHey Fran, it¡¯s time.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Time for match.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I won¡¯t keep you any longer then. Sorry for the hold up.¡¹

    ¡¸Not problem. Wanted to talk about Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸Great. Then I¡¯ll look forward to trading blows with you in the ring.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. You sure do seem eager.¡¹

    It seemed that Fermus¡¯ words had flipped Fran¡¯s switch, as the smile she shed him was one filled with drive and battlelust.

    Welp, here¡¯s to hoping she doesn¡¯t hit the people we¡¯ll be facing in the prelims too hard.

 Chapter 186: The First Preliminary Round

    <h4>Chapter 186: The First Preliminary Round</h4>

    Upon arriving, we found the venue to be surprisingly quiet. Further consideration made me feel like I¡¯d stated the obvious given that the first preliminary round wasn¡¯t actually open to the public.

    Men we presumed to be adventurers were entering and leaving the building, their bodies exuding auras of passion and excitement.

    ¡ºIt looks like they¡¯re handling all the reception stuff over by the entrance.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran approached the receptionist in her usual, calm manner, with Urushi hidden in her shadow. He¡¯d actually chosen to hide there on his own volition, as he knew he would¡¯ve ended up having to do once we got into the waiting room anyways.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, we aren¡¯t allowing spectators today. The second preliminary round starts tomorrow. You¡¯ll have toe back then.¡¹

    The receptionist did the usual thing and treated Fran as a non-participant despite the fact that she had me shouldered. It seemed that the receptionist had thought Fran to be an adventurer that¡¯d just joined up or something.

    I was a bit confused as to why the receptionist didn¡¯t recognize Fran given the guild had announced that she¡¯d hit C rank and all that. I only came to understand exactly why it¡¯d happened after appraising the receptionist and finding out that he wasn¡¯t actually associated with the guild, and was instead a civil servant working under the local lord.

    ¡¸Participant.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? What¡¯s your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, there it is. Wait, you really are participating in the tournament?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure you want to? There aren¡¯t any healing services avable for the first preliminary round, so you can get hurt really badly. It¡¯s okay for you to back out if you want.¡¹

    The receptionist seemed like a pretty good guy, but he wasn¡¯t really doing Fran any favours. That said, she wasn¡¯t getting irritated either, seeing as how she could tell that he was only saying what he was because he was actually concerned for her safety.

    ¡¸Not problem.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m serious. It really is dangerous, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. Bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure you surrender if you feel like you¡¯re outssed, okay!? And do it before you get hurt! It¡¯ll be toote for you to regret your choices if you do!¡¹

    The receptionist wasn¡¯t able to leave his desk, so he ended up voicing his concerns by shouting them at Fran as she headed inside.

    ***

    Meeting the receptionist was pretty much the only hup we encountered along the way; everything that happened thereafter went rather smoothly. The person that showed us around after we got inside was an old adventurer, one skilled enough to tell that Fran was much stronger than she looked.

    In fact, he¡¯d even ended up looking at the other participants with a look of pity, as most seemed to be grinning at her as if she was mere prey.

    ¡¸Heh. Looks like thest participant¡¯s just a brat!¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that means this¡¯ll effectively just be a 4 way free for all then.¡¹

    ¡¸You do know that this tournament isn¡¯t some sort of game, right? I¡¯m supposed to be winning it big and making a name for myself, not ying with some kid.¡¹

    The other 4 participants were already present. Half of them looked like mercenaries, and the other half like adventurers.

    All but 1 of the participants had ended up looking down on Fran. The sole individual to regard her with a stern gaze was also the only person I bothered appraising immediately. It turned out that he was actually a decently strong adventurer; his stats indicated that he was at least D ranked, which in turn meant he probably knew exactly who we were.

    ¡¸Take your ces, we¡¯ll soon begin.¡¹

    The old man that guided us over immediately began acting like a referee. However, he was interrupted by the less skilled adventurer before he could continue giving directions.

    He approached the old man and asked him to remove Fran from the fight.

    ¡¸Look, I get that kid¡¯s qualified for this and all, but she really shouldn¡¯t be here. I¡¯m only taking part in this tournament in order to make myself famous. I¡¯ll probably end up going down in infamy instead if word gets out that I ended up hurting a little girl like her just to get past the preliminaries!¡¹

    ¡¸Say what you want. I don¡¯t have the authority to disqualify her.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey kid! Back out, right now! This is a martial arts tournament, not some sort of children¡¯s game!¡¹

    He likely would have continued yelling at us if the other adventurer hadn¡¯t called out to him.

    ¡¸I¡¯m guessing you just got here then?¡¹

    ¡¸Arrived yesterday. What of it?¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    The more skilled of the two adventurers breathed a bit of a sigh. He seemed to have guessed that the other adventurer had only just in Ulmutt, and hence, had yet to hear about Fran. From that, he determined that convincing the other man was impossible, so he instead turned towards the judge and urged him to start the match.

    ¡¸We should probably begin if you want the tourney to stay on schedule.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on! You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡¹

    ¡¸Look, man, you¡¯re wasting everyone¡¯s time. If you don¡¯t want to fight the kid, then just forfeit.¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s right. You¡¯re getting really annoying.¡¹

    ¡¸What did you say!?¡¹

    The two mercenaries joined the fray, which ultimately caused the four men to enter a staring contest in which they all red at one another.

    £¨Master. Can¡¯t just send flying?£©

    ¡ºNot right now. You¡¯ll end up getting disqualified if you do.¡»

    Fran was starting to get a bit frustrated.

    The old man responsible for doing all the refereeing seemed to feel the same way; he started the match because he didn¡¯t really want to put up with everyone¡¯s bickering.

    ¡¸The match will begin in 5, 4, 3¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, wait, what the hell!¡¹

    ¡¸¡ª2 , 1, start! ¡¹

    And so, the match ended up starting despite the weaker adventurer¡¯sints.

    Both mercenaries immediately kicked off the moment the ref said the word ¡®start.¡¯

    ¡¸Heh heh heh. Best thing to do at a time like this¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Is to immediately team up and jump the strongest guy!¡¹

    Though both mercs were rather weak, they still did have a fair amount of experience inbat. As they worked in the same field, the two established a mutual understanding and immediately began working together.

    I¡¯d always thought of mercenaries to be the type of people that were capable of using all sorts of different weapons, but weak nheless. However, after being presented with live samples, I came to realize that they were in fact individuals rather skilled at cooperating. My guess was that they were most likely even more skilled than adventurers were in that regard.

    The weaker adventurer immediately reacted to their words.

    ¡¸Kuh! How cowardly! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d gang up on me right off the bat!¡¹

    Wait, did he seriously think that he was the one that was going to get ganged? Just how in the world did someone as weak as him end up with that much confidence? Dude¡¯s been rattling on about getting famous and all that, but as far as I could tell, his attitude wasn¡¯t backed by his ability. I didn¡¯t understand why he assumed he¡¯d be actually able to get past the first round of the prelims.

    ¡¸First up is you!¡¹

    ¡¸Oraaahh! Go to hell!¡¹

    The individual the two mercenaries immediately approached was naturally the more powerful of the two adventurers; they closed in on him from both directions while swinging their des. Their choice seemed logical, as the man did give off the sense that he was rather strong.

    But they were simply too weak inparison. Both were sent flying out of bounds with a single swing of the adventurer¡¯s sword.

    ¡¸No way!¡¹

    ¡¸He was way too strong!¡¹

    Fran faced off against the other adventurer in the meantime. He really seemed to be the type of guy who wasn¡¯t good at reading the mood, as he ended up trying to convince her to forfeit even now.

    ¡¸Listen here kid. I ranked all the way up to E faster than of Corrent Vige¡¯s other adventurers. There¡¯s no way a little girl like you could possibly match up to my genius! Forfeit, walk yourself out of bounds right now if you don¡¯t want me to hurt you. This is your final warning, you hear!¡¹

    Did he end up turning out the way he did because the tiny ass vige he came from thought him to be a genius or something? Is that how all this happened?

    ¡¸So yo¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up.¡¹

    Fran interrupted the weaker adventurer by kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying so far he almost fell out of bounds.

    ¡¸Urgh!!¡¹

    He held his stomach and looked up at Fran with eyes filled with disbelief as he vomited all sorts of different things. It seemed he was incapable ofprehending the fact that she¡¯d just sent him flying about 10 meters back.

    ¡¸Will get serious next time if you still want to fight.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiii¡­¡¹

    The adventurer lying on the ground in front of us was rather unskilled, but, even he could feel the aura of intimidation that Fran¡¯s body had began exuding. He finally shut up and immediately rolled himself right out of bounds without even bothering to voice anything about shame or dishonor.

    ¡ºWhy¡¯d you purposefully make him not go out of bounds?¡»

    £¨Stupid and annoying, but wasn¡¯t bad person.£©

    For that reason, she¡¯d intentionally allowed him to choose whether or not he wanted to back off as opposed to just sending him flying further. I got where she wasing from, but honestly, I almost wanted to say that the way she did it was even more cruel than just finishing him in one hit. The way she attacked him made it so he wouldn¡¯t be able to make excuses or say that he¡¯d been caught off guard, which in turn might¡¯ve just broke his spirit and made him lose heart.

    ¡¸I knew this would be how things turned out¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I doubt I¡¯ll be able to triumph over you, but I will at least get a hit in!¡¹

    He drew his de and attacked in a fluid, skillful motion, but failed to damage Fran regardless.

    She swung her left fist, smacked him with a counter, broke his stance, and caused him to copse on the spot.

    ¡¸How¡­ mortifying¡­¡¹

    And so, Fran ended up moving onto the second round of the preliminaries.

 Chapter 187: In the Waiting Room

    <h4>Chapter 187: In the Waiting Room</h4>

    Today was the day we would fight our second preliminary match.

    Its location, arge stadium, was practically the exact opposite of the puny training ground in which we¡¯d fought the first round.

    The first round¡¯s 1000 plus participants had been cut down to a measly 240. Soon, that 240 would be further reduced all the way down to 48.

    The participants were split into 2 groups of 120, with each assigned to one of the tworger stadiums the event was to be hosted in. Both stadiums were known to get pretty full seeing as how the second preliminary round not only functioned as the first round open to spectators, but also the only public round that featured battle royale style matches. The 5 FFA format was actually quite popr, as people thought it freshpared to the standard 1v1 format used throughout the rest of the tourney.

    Another reason spectators enjoyed flocking to both this round and the tournament as a whole was the fact that one could gamble. Everyone other than the match¡¯s participants would be allowed to bet to their hearts¡¯ content. Participants were banned from cing bets in order to discourage them from fixing their matches. Match fixing was considered a serious crime and any found guilty of it would be put to death.

    In my world, gambling had been an act that was often associated with organized crime and the underworld as a whole, but that apparently wasn¡¯t something we had to be concerned with. Dias was rather strict, he was known for cracking down on and preventing it. Larger criminal organisations would always be destroyed the moment they were discovered. Smaller scaled organisations sometimes managed to find themselves staying off the radar, but none of them held nearly enough power to have their way.

    Plus, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was the entity responsible for all the bookkeeping. They possessed the power, authority, and talent necessary to make sure nothing happened, so there really wasn¡¯t much to worry about.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We still had a fair chunk of time before Fran¡¯s match began, but apparently, all participants actually needed to arrive earlier than was scheduled. Hence, we¡¯d nned to spend about 30 minutes in the venue¡¯s waiting room.

    Fran didn¡¯t actually seem nervous. She was still her usual taciturn self despite the uing second preliminary round. Since we had a bit more time to spare today, she even ended up buying and eating a bunch of stuff on her way over to the stadium.

    ¡ºMan, this ce is huge.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The venue was a massive cylindrical building that looked almost exactly like a colosseum. Today was our first time viewing it from up close, but I could feel the excitement contained within nheless. The sheer amount of hype that filled the arena was evidenced by the ridiculously loud cheers we heard booming out from within.

    Fran headed inside through thebatants¡¯ entrance at the building¡¯s rear. Today¡¯s receptionist seemed to be the kind that had their sheet together. And so, we managed to make our way into the waiting room without anyone stopping us in our tracks. All of the other participants immediately turned towards Fran the moment she entered the waiting room. Most regarded her with surprise, contempt, or a sense of bewilderment, but she ignored them and found herself a seat.

    To her, this was only normal.

    There were a total of 5 different waiting waiting rooms. The tournament¡¯s organisers had intentionally made it so people wouldn¡¯t run into their opponents prior to actually entering the arena in order to minimize the amount of potential conflict. They¡¯d also even gone as far as to set a rule stating thatbat was banned within the waiting rooms¡¯ confines.

    ¡¸The hell¡¯s a brat like you doing here? Scram!¡¹

    Unfortunately, people were people, and rules weren¡¯t always respected.

    One of the second round¡¯s participants immediately started bbing off to Fran despite the fact that he would¡¯ve realized that she wasn¡¯t just some random kid if he¡¯d so much as just used his brain. A mere moment worth of thought would¡¯ve allowed him to realize that she¡¯d had to at least have some ability given that she¡¯d gotten through the first preliminary round.

    The man in question, a dude with a vulgar look on his face, went out of his way to rise to his feet and approach Fran. The fact thatbat was against the rules put me at a loss. I wasn¡¯t really sure how to handle the situation given that we weren¡¯t allowed to do the usual thing and just smack him to shut him up.

    It turned out that Fran didn¡¯t share my sentiments. She knew exactly what to do, as evidenced by the fact that she activated all her intimidation-type skills without a moment¡¯s hesitation. That is, she immediately filled the entire room with an incredible amount of pressure.

    ¡ºHey Fran, you¡¯re going a bit overboard there.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s aura had caused many of the other participants to rise to their feet with the faces paled and their weapons drawn out of sheer habit ¡ª and they¡¯d only been been hit with coteral damage.

    The man Fran had been aiming her bloodlust at had lost control of his legs and fallen t on his ass. He was trembling in fear and almost on the verge of passing out.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hii¡­¡¹

    He even went as far as immediately scuttling backwards the moment Franid eyes on him.

    Welp. It getting all quiet was good and all, but I kinda felt bad for what we did to all the other contestants.

    They weren¡¯t able to rx until after Fran cancelled the skills and bowed her head in apology. That said, their expressions had ultimately ended up remaining stern; most seemed to havee to understand their own rtive weakness.

    Yup, she definitely went overboard.

    Everyone present remained dead silent, which in turn made the cheersing from the colosseum¡¯s arena sound strangely distant. Fran, however, literally didn¡¯t give a sheet. She simply sat down, pulled a ss of juice out of her dimensional storage, and started drinking it with an innocent look on her face like it was nobody¡¯s business.

    The atmosphere ended up remaining as is until another contestant ended up entering the room.

    ¡¸Oh hey, well if it isn¡¯t the Magic Sword Girl.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Lydia?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, long time no see. So you¡¯re taking part in the tourney too?¡¹

    The girl that walked into the otherwise tense room was Lydia, an adventurer we met back in Barbra, and a member of the Scarlet Maidens. She was fairly easy to recognize, as her face was currently decorated with its usual expressionless mask.

    The fact that she was here immediately led me to assume that the other two members of her party were also actively participating.

    ¡¸Judith and Maia here too?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, they¡¯ve also both signed up for the tourney. Judith¡¯s over in one of the other rooms. Maia had to go to the other venue instead. But seriously, whew.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s just that you being here means I won¡¯t have to worry about fighting you.¡¹

    Lydia had seen the extent of Fran¡¯s strength back in Barbra, so learning that she wouldn¡¯t have to fight her had caused the older girl to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡¸Our goal is to make it past the preliminaries.¡¹

    ¡¸Not win?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s just not something that¡¯s going to happen. Both Colbert and Forrund are going to be participating, and there¡¯s no way any of us could even imagine matching up to them. To be honest, we¡¯re just entering in order to make ourselves better known so people won¡¯t look down on us. Our party only has girls in it, so it¡¯s a necessary measure.¡¹

    The reason the Scarlet Maidens had decided to take part in the tourney seemed like one of the moremon ones. It did make sense though. Getting filtered through the preliminaries despite the tournament¡¯s scale really would serve to evidence one¡¯s skill to some extent. I mean, that was interesting and all, but I cared much less about the reasons she was participating than I did about the other participants she had just mentioned.

    ¡¸Colbert and Forrund participating too?¡¹

    After all, it seemed that two more powerful opponents had joined the fray.

    ¡¸Uhmmmm¡­ Could you not smile like that? It¡¯s kinda scary!¡¹

    Hearing that Colbert and Forrund hade seemed to light both Fran¡¯s spirit and her desire to fight ame, as she immediately smiled a belligerent smile.

    ¡¸Oh, yeah! Congrats on ranking up! The fact that you¡¯re already a C ranker is really impressive.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Please go easy on me if we happen to get matched up against each other after the prelims are done with. Please try not to hurt me, ¡®kay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll hold you to it then! I swear I¡¯ll get really mad if you make me hurt all over!¡¹

    I honestly couldn¡¯t tell if Lydia was weak or strong from a psychological standpoint. But either way, Fran ended up getting called shortly after the two started to converse.

    The clerk that called for us led us through a narrow passageway. Blinding sunlight flooded into it as we made our way through; it almost seemed to emphasize that the arenay beyond.

    ¡ºAre you ready, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºThis is yourst chance to avoid garnering the Beast Lord¡¯s attention, so if you want to back out, it¡¯ll be now or never.¡»

    ¡¸Won¡¯t forfeit.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure? Even though the Beast Lord might end up making note of you?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Beast Lord had broken Fran¡¯s spirit and left her trembling thereafter simply by standing before her.

    But it didn¡¯t matter.

    Fran didn¡¯t care that the actions she was about to take were ones that could ultimately attract his attention. The moment she learned of Kiara¡¯s fate was the moment she threw away the very consideration of backing down. Doing so, running away with her tail between her legs, had be equivalent to casting away her tribe¡¯s pride.

    And that, she simply refused to do.

    ¡ºGo all out, do whatever it is you want. Don¡¯t worry about the Beast Lord. We can always just teleport the hell away, find ourselves a ship, and sail off to another continent if really need be. But that¡¯s not something you¡¯ll have to worry about, I¡¯ll take care of everything if worsees to worst, so don¡¯t let your fears hold you back.¡»

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s all I had to say.¡»

    There was no point in dwelling on what ifs. All we needed to do for now was focus on and conquer the second preliminary round.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 188: The Second Preliminary Round

    <h4>Chapter 188: The Second Preliminary Round</h4>

    Fran pumped herself up and stepped into the arena, only to be greeted by a stage of epic proportions, one so massive and well decorated that it simply couldn¡¯t bepared to the dingy thing used in the first preliminary round. Its construction consisted of two parts, a round tform and therger cylindrical wall that enclosed it. Around the arena were enough seats to fit over a thousand spectators. The ce was beyond packed; every single seat was filled and then some.

    Our entrance was weed by a set of cheers from the audience, cheers so deafeningly loud that they caused my de to tremble in response.

    In spite of all that, Fran was as usual; she literally didn¡¯t care about her surroundings.

    Three of our four foes already stood atop the stage, one of which we happened to recognize.

    ¡¸Huh? Fran!?¡¹

    ¡¸Judith?¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on! Now I¡¯m sure to lose!¡¹

    Judith fell forward onto her knees the moment she realized she was up against us. It was an action I honestly couldn¡¯t me her for. There was basically no way for her to win given how the fact that Fran was way stronger than she was.

    Apparently she wasn¡¯t the only one to have recognized Fran, as the other contestants had also adopted simr expressions of unease.

    ¡¸So that¡¯s the Magic Sword Girl¡­? Huh, she really was just a kid.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let your guard down. Her rank is even higher than ours are. I hear she¡¯s a C ranker now.¡¹

    The first round of the preliminaries seemed to have filtered out most of the less capable adventurers. All but one of the contestants present were skilled enough to intuit that Fran was no weakling. The only one that failed to recognize her strength was thest to enter the ring.

    ¡¸Hahahah! Why¡¯s there a brat here? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be a Martial Arts Tournament?¡¹

    The obnoxiously loud Blue Catkin that joined the frayughed before taking a closer look at her and furrowing his brows.

    ¡¸How the hell did you manage to get past the first round? Did you bribe all your opponents? Or were they just all pedophiles?¡¹

    ¡¸Strength.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh. Bullsheet! You¡¯re a god damned ck Catkin! No way in hell a wimp catkin like you could actually put up a decent fight. Know your ce. Wait, I know. That old White Dogkin geezer must¡¯ve pulled a few strings. That has to have been it.¡¹

    Getting a closer look at him allowed me to recognize that he was in fact a member of Blue Pride. Specifically, he was one of the two people that¡¯d been standing by the gate and trying to convince Aurel to see them.

    The realisation immediately exined why he was aggressive on both Fran and her benefactor.

    ¡¸Just you wait, wimp cat. I¡¯ll tear your jaw off so you can¡¯t surrender, strip you nude and embarrass the hell out of you before finally slowly beating you death.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Talking really big for just Blue Pride.¡¹

    ¡¸Haah? What¡¯d you just say?¡¹

    ¡¸You tried to visit Aurel by lying and iming you were famous, but you were turned away at the gates because your lie seen through right away. You¡¯re just a group of weak, pathetic, small time mercenaries. And stay away from me. You stink.¡¹

    Fran seemed to have snapped given that she¡¯d started speaking in longer, more drawn out sentences.

    ¡¸You little b*tch¡­!¡¹

    Arge screen that resembled the kind you¡¯d see in a sports stadium decorated one of the stadium¡¯s sides. It seemed to be some sort of magic item, as it was doing as a monitor would, and disyed a blown up version of the interaction that¡¯d just ured in real time.

    The crowd¡¯s response to the Blue Catkin¡¯s remarks was rather poor. A few of the men had urged him on, but a greater number of women had ended up booing. Fran¡¯s rebuttal, on the other hand, had caused the entire stadium to erupt into cheers. The man immediately popped a vein in rage, but Fran just totally ignored him and everything he said from that point onward, which, as one might suspect, only caused him to get even angrier.

    Their interaction was one the crowd really seemed to like, as its members began to jeer in an attempt to urge the two on.

    With the mood set, the match finally began.

    The Blue Catkin immediately locked his eyes to Fran¡¯s position and lunged straight at her. His skill with the sword wasn¡¯t too shabby, and he came at her with nothing held back; it was clear that he nned to kill her. His actions caused me to want to scoff at how childish he was. He ended uppletely losing all sense of rationality just because of the slightest bit of mockery.

    Though, that much, I¡¯d honestly expected.

    What I didn¡¯t expect, however, was for the three other contestants to join him. They all immediately decided to cooperate in order to eliminate Fran, as, the Blue Catkin aside, they were aware that she was the strongest in the group. Judith happened to stand out from her peers, as she purposefully ced herself at the rear so she could use the other three contestants as meat shields.

    Both Fran and I were rather impressed by her actions. She hadn¡¯t given up on winning despite the fact that she knew we¡¯d be able to overwhelm her.

    The unexpected four versus one situation put Fran in what could be thought of as a numerical disadvantage, but she didn¡¯t mind. Fran simply didn¡¯t care that all four other contestants had ganged up her. She didn¡¯tin, nor did she bother calling any of the four out for unfairness.

    Instead, she simply retalited.

    ¡¸Fmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Guahhh!¡¹

    She swung me without bothering to draw my de from its sheath and hit the Blue Catkin right in the jaw. The impact caused him to fly into the air before spiraling back down towards the ground.

    Fran then struck again; she used the rising momentum that apanied her first strike in order to deliver a powerful horizontal blow.

    ¡¸Heavy sh.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaah!¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaahhh!¡¹

    Heavy sh was considered a rtively low tier skill, but it¡¯d proven to be more than effective enough given just how powerful Fran had be. The attack sent the swordsman and spearman that followed the Blue Catkin tumbling back into Judith. Neither of the three were capable of recovering from the attack and so, they were all forced out of bounds.

    Only a few seconds had passed, but Fran had already eliminated three of her four opponents. She could¡¯ve easily done the same to thest of the bunch, but instead, intentionally chose to draw out her assault.

    ¡¸Hiiii! Fwelp me¡­!¡¹

    She swung me downwards. In doing so, she caught the Blue Catkin in midair, smashed him into the ground, and caused a dull crack to reverberate through it.

    ¡¸Gahiii¡­ fuaarghh¡­!¡¹

    The blood in the Blue Catkin¡¯s mouth rendered him incapable of anything but a few groans. He¡¯d barely managed to hang onto his consciousness, not because he was sturdy, but because Fran had made sure to hold back just enough for him to do so.

    ¡¸I¡­ huwwenda! I huwwenda!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t understand.¡¹

    ¡¸Horheit!¡¹

    ¡¸Still don¡¯t understand.¡¹

    Well, yeah, it¡¯s kinda hard for him to actually speak given that he doesn¡¯t have a jaw or chin anymore.

    ¡¸I horheit da hatsh!¡¹

    ¡¸Too stupid to know how to surrender? Well, can¡¯t be helped since Blue Catkin.¡¹

    Fran basically totally admitted to knowing exactly what he was trying to say, but it didn¡¯t matter. What did was the fact that she¡¯d done unto him exactly what he imed he¡¯d wanted to do to her.

    ¡¸Should strip and humiliate you?¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiii! I¡¯m hwory! I¡¯m hworry! Pweave, htop! Haf murhy!¡¹

    The sheer amount of bloodlust Fran¡¯d been emanating caused the Blue Catkin to be as scared as he could possibly be; a warm, wet patch spread across hisher regions as he deliriously begged for her forgiveness.

    Naturally, the referee had realized that the match couldn¡¯t go on, and so, he hurried over to the stage and attempted to climb atop it.

    Fran noticed him approach, so she immediately moved to deliver the finishing blow before he could stop her.

    ¡¸Will end as requested.¡¹

    ¡¸Gobaaarrrgggh!¡¹

    She muttered a few words under her breath while swinging me like a golf club and sending the Blue Catkin fly right off the stage. She seemed to have gone a bit overboard, as he soared for what looked like 10 whole meters before finally hitting the ground.

    I was a bit worried that the crowd would end up finding her actions distasteful, but it turned out that they actually ended up liking them as they immediately broke into apuse.

    ¡¸And it¡¯s over! The youngdy just pulled off the impossible and sent a full grown man flying off the stage with just one hit! Ain¡¯t that just incredibledies and gentlemen? It¡¯s not something you¡¯d expect from someone with such a cute face, that¡¯s for sure!¡¹

    Wait, there¡¯s been a shoutcaster this whole time? How the hell did I not notice?

    The caster¡¯s announcement caused the crowd to break out into an extra loud cheer.

    ¡¸And with that C rank adventurer Fran, the Magic Sword Girl, wins the 11th west block and secures herself a spot in the main event without even drawing the de she¡¯s nicknamed after!¡¹

 Chapter 189: The Brackets

    <h4>Chapter 189: The Brackets</h4>

    ¡¸Congrattions, Miss Fran. You have earned the right to participate in the main event.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran ended up having to visit what almost looked to be yet another waiting room after winning the match. There, she was met by a clerk who exined how things would work from here on out.

    The tournament wasn¡¯t set to start till the day after tomorrow, but, tomorrow was going to be a busy day regardless. The matchups and brackets were to be posted in the morning and an opening ceremony was to take ce around noon. The tournament¡¯s participants didn¡¯t actually have to participate in the opening ceremony. In fact, the clerk¡¯s tone made it seem like we were more or less discouraged from doing so, which honestly only made sense. Putting a bunch of hot blooded warriors in one spot sounded like a terrible idea no matter how you spun it.

    They pushed the idea even further by stating that copies of the brackets would be delivered straight to the inn we were staying at so we wouldn¡¯t even have to head out in order to check them.

    To us, not having to attend the ceremony was nothing short of a blessing. Fran wasn¡¯t the type of girl that¡¯d be able to sit still while nobles and other bigwigs went about with their long speeches and whatnot. Plus, the Beast Lord was pretty much guaranteed to be present as a VIP of sorts, and being around him didn¡¯t quite seem like what one would call the best idea ever.

    We were also informed that the main tournament¡¯s participants would be given preferential treatment at all smithies throughout the city for the event¡¯s duration. Injuries could be fixed on the spot with ease. All one would need to do to restore themselves to perfect health was to either chug a potion or two, or have someone cast a few healing spells. Gear, however, couldn¡¯t really be fixed unless you took it in for maintenance.

    Luckily, there wasn¡¯t too much new information to absorb, so we ended up leaving the arena not too long after our victory ¡ª only to immediately run into Judith.

    ¡¸Hey Fran. It looked like I really didn¡¯t even stand a chance.¡¹

    ¡¸Not hurt?¡¹

    ¡¸Haha¡­ Only because you held back enough for me not to be.¡¹

    The way she spoke made it clear that she was feeling a bit down. Fran had no idea what to say given the circumstances, and so, she just ended up not saying anything at all. Instead, she simply looked at the other girl with a bit of a troubled expression.

    ¡¸Oh uh, sorry, don¡¯t mind me. I just wanted to wish you good luck and to tell you to give it your all, in part for my sake.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, and make sure you win the first round! I¡¯ll be betting all the spare cash I have on you!¡¹

    ¡¸Might fight Lydia if she wins prelims.¡¹

    ¡¸That doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯ll still be betting on you anyway.¡¹

    Judith smiled cheerfully while giving us a thumbs up.

    With that, we departed, our minds and hearts filled with Judith¡¯s half sincere, half greed-driven words of encouragement.

    ¡¸Will do best.¡¹

    ¡ºThat you should, for Judith¡¯s wallet¡¯s sake.¡»

    ***

    The tournament brackets were delivered to us the next afternoon.

    We immediately began looking them over the moment we got them. The brackets were split into four distinct blocks,beled A, B, C, and D respectively. Each naturally contained 16 of the tourney¡¯s 64 contestants.

    Fran¡¯d been ced in slot A-11, which¡­ honestly didn¡¯t really mean much to us. It told us who we were up against and all, but did nothing to tell us how strong he or she was supposed to be.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re up against someone named Zefmate¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t recognize.¡¹

    ¡ºHe isn¡¯t seeded, so I guess that means he must¡¯ve at least been strong enough to win his way through the prelims.¡»

    We decided to put Zefmate aside for the time being and look into him a bitter on. I figured we¡¯d at least be able to learn a bit about his fighting style if we just asked Erza.

    After shelving the thought and putting something on our to-do list, Fran and I immediately looked over all the seededbatants.

    ¡¸Forrund and Amanda.¡¹

    ¡ºRoyce and Goldalfa are on here too.¡»

    The four A ranked adventurers looked to be the tourney¡¯s top seed, as their names were ced in the page¡¯s four corners. Though some tournaments involved having seeded individuals fight less matches, this one didn¡¯t. There were exactly 64 participants, so it was fair in the sense that each and every single individual would have to fight the exact same number of battles to win the event.

    As we were in Block A, the first top seed we¡¯d end up encountering, if any, would have to be Goldalfa, one of the Beast Lord¡¯s escorts. He was in the same block as us, and specifically had been ced in slot A-1. Block A¡¯s second seed, Colbert, had been ced opposite him in slot A-16.

    Having 16 seededbatants meant that there were naturally four in each block. They all seemed to be quite strong, but Goldalfa and Colbert, the ones we¡¯d have to fight, seemed especially intimidating. Both were capable of bringing Fran to the verge of death with a single strike. Fortunately, we knew about both their abilities to an extent, so we could at least begin thinking up how we could best deal with them ahead of time.

    The first of the two we would face would be Colbert, which in turn meant we¡¯d need to be able to do something about opponents that made use of Martial Arts. But again, he wasn¡¯t the only person we needed to defeat. There were just so many people we needed to look up and do research on ¡ª a fact that worried me to the point where I¡¯d started doing mentalps.

    ¡¸Kufu.¡¹

    Fran, however, wasn¡¯t. The possibility of having to go up against one of the Beast Lord¡¯s guards failed to frighten or worry her. In fact, it¡¯d done the exact opposite. Hearing that she might get to fight Goldafa had pushed her battlelust over the edge and caused her to break into a smile.

    ¡ºSo if we win the first round, we¡¯ll probably have to fight¡­ Wait, seriously? Him?¡»

    ¡¸Kurusu Ryuuzel? Don¡¯t really remember?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m not surprised you don¡¯t remember him, but he was that one C ranked guy that was there when we went dungeon diving with Amanda.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºOhe. He was the one guy that kinda functioned as both a guide and examiner at the same time. Dude was kinda handsome, but almost seemed kinda pitiable given how worldly-wise he was. He must¡¯ve seen some sheet.¡»

    ¡¸Maybe vaguely recalling?¡¹

    Welp¡­ It didn¡¯t look like I¡¯d be able to jog her memory, so I just gave up. I figured she¡¯d probably remember him if she saw him. I was fairly confident Kurusu himself would likely recognize her on sight, as the impression she¡¯d left on him had been a pretty deep one. It¡¯d probably get all awkward if Fran ended up treating him like a total stranger, so I decided to make a mental note to remind myself to remind her that she knew him the moment we came across him.

    That said, the mental note I made wasn¡¯t really one I¡¯d ssified as anything even remotely close to high priority. There was a fair chance we wouldn¡¯t actually end up getting pit against Kurusu anyways. He would have to win against the individual seeded into slot A-9 in order to actually see us in the ring.

    ¡ºLooks like Kurusu¡¯s going to to have to fight that old guy, Radyer.¡»

    ¡¸Said he was C ranked?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but he¡¯s apparently as strong as a B ranker and even used to serve as a court magician.¡»

    Radyer getting seeded honestly seemed nothing short of reasonable. I kinda felt a bit sorry for Kurusu; I really couldn¡¯t see him winning against the old mage.

    ¡¸Radyer will win.¡¹

    Fran voiced her agreement.

    Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to figure out how to best fight mages if we wanted to beat Radyer.

    ¡ºAnd if we manage to make it past Radyer, we¡¯ll have to face off against Colbert.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Will need to try hard. Excited.¡¹

    Colbert was much more experienced than us, and even had a trick or two up his sleeve. He¡¯d had something that disguised his stats, so we didn¡¯t even know if the values we¡¯d seen back then had really been his actual ones. All I really knew about him was that he had that a mysterious martial arts-type skill referred to as Dimitris-Style Martial Arts, which was yet another thing we¡¯d have to look into.

    ¡ºAnd if we beat Colbert, we¡¯ll have to fight Goldalfa.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Goldalfa, like Colbert, seemed to be fairly strong, so I didn¡¯t doubt that he¡¯d win his first three matches. I wasn¡¯t really confident as to whether or not we¡¯d be able to bring him down ourselves; there was a fair chance he¡¯d be able to plow through us and win his fourth match as well.

    ¡¸Will win!¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah we will!¡»

    If we did beat him, then I¡¯d say we actually had a fair chance of actually winning the whole godd*mn tourney. He, as an A ranked adventurer, was someone strong enough to single handedly upset the bnce of a country¡¯s military power so it went without saying that he was a likely contender for the championship title.

    ¡ºThough, beating him isn¡¯t really going to get us out of fighting all the other A ranked adventurers present.¡»

    If all went well, Fran would have to fight Amanda in the semis, and Forrund in the finals, the realisation of which practically left her trembling in excitement. Both gave off the impression that they were even stronger than Goldalfa, especially since we¡¯d witnessed their power first hand back in Barbra.

    ¡¸But will still win.¡¹

    ¡ºThat we will.¡»

    They were extremely formidable, but I refused to back down. There was no point in me doing so if Fran actually intended on giving it her all. After all, victory was something that necessitated the right mindset; there was no way for us to win unless we fought with that precise purpose in mind.

    ¡ºFoock yeah! Let¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºI was just getting myself pumped, cause we¡¯re gunna win this sheet!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We¡¯d identified what seemed to be our main threats, but that didn¡¯t mean we could actually let our guards down. As there were many other strong contestants, there was a chance we could be caught off guard andpletely obliterated by someone we hadn¡¯t expected to fight if we didn¡¯t remain vignt.

    Havinge to that conclusion, we decided to once again look through the brackets in order to identify our acquaintances.

    The first name that happened to catch our eyes was Fermus¡¯. He happened to be in Block D together with Royce.

    The second name we noticed was Erza¡¯s. It seemed the tournament was fairly flexible and its managers were willing to amodate people¡¯s needs, as they hadn¡¯t listed him by his real name. Erza, like Amanda, was ced in the Block B. I kinda wanted to see the two fight, but also kinda didn¡¯t, as it¡¯d likely be a showdown that¡¯d determine which was the more fearsome woman.

    The third name that caught our eye was the name ¡°Phillip Krysten,¡± which happened to be listed alongside Forrund¡¯s in Block C. I was a bit unsure as to whether or not he should actually be here given Barbra¡¯s status quo, but figured he probably had his reasons for participating. Plus, he honestly had seemed pretty damned strong given what he was able to do to Rynford, so I was looking forward to seeing the full extent of abilities; Phillip vs Forrund was a match I didn¡¯t want to miss.

    Our eyes moved around the page a bit more and located the name Charlotte. I recalled her immediately. She was the young War Dancer that¡¯d helped us out back in Barbra. She seemed to me like the type of person that¡¯d fight through the rituals she performed with her dance as opposed to engaging in directbat¡­ which wouldn¡¯t really help her given that her first match was against Erza. I felt pretty bad for her, so I at least, in my mind, offered her my heartfelt condolences.

    Her name was thest familiar one we found.

    The person we¡¯d been looking for hadn¡¯t made the list.

    ¡¸Lydia missing.¡¹

    Wait, didn¡¯t she ask Fran not to hurt her too much if they came across each other during the main event and all that? How could she actually not make it after saying something like that?

    God damn it, Lydia! What the hell!?

 Chapter 190: Gathering Intel

    <h4>Chapter 190: Gathering Intel</h4>

    Fran and I stopped by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild not too long after we finished staring down the brackets. Our goal was to figure out as much as we could with regards to all the other participants.

    ¡¸Erza not here.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m honestly not all that sure he would¡¯ve told us what we wanted to know anyways.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºI mean, he¡¯s technically one of ourpetitors, you know? Though, I guess he does seem like he¡¯d dlyply so long as it¡¯s you that¡¯s asking¡­¡»

    Relying on someone we might have to fight against for information just didn¡¯t sit quite right with me.

    ¡ºHow ¡¯bout asking Dias or some other adventurers instead?¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Fran began moving towards a group of nearby adventurers so she could ask for a bit of information ¡ª only to be immediately denied the chance by the person she¡¯d originally been looking for.

    ¡¸Congrattions Fran! You did it! You made it to the main event!¡¹

    Erza dashed right over with a huge grin on his face, one so friendly it made me feel like an idiot for even considering him a rival of sorts.

    ¡¸I watched your match! You did soooo well!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸That Blue Catkin was really rude¡­ You should¡¯ve beat him up some more, mhm!¡¹

    ¡¸But might¡¯ve been disqualified.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­ right, I almost forgot you weren¡¯t allowed to attack people that¡¯ve already surrendered. Oh well, I guess he gets off easy then¡­ More importantly, Fran, something about you seems a bit different.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ It¡¯s kinda like you¡¯ve gotten more reliable. You¡¯ve really got this huge sense of presence.¡¹

    ¡¸Trained hard.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that really it? Mmm¡­ I guess that does make sense. You seem like the type that¡¯ll grow at an explosive rate the moment I take my eyes off of you. I¡¯m sure the tournament will help you get way stronger.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸So what made you want toe to the guild today?¡¹

    ¡¸Wanted to research opponents.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? I always thought you were the type that wouldn¡¯t really care who you were up against.¡¹

    ¡¸Intel very important.¡¹

    ¡¸Yup yup! Totally! As for the person you¡¯ll be going up against first¡­ Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about him.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. I¡¯ve never heard of any adventurers named Zefmate before.¡¹

    Erza not recognizing Zefmate meant two things: he wasn¡¯t from Ulmutt and he wasn¡¯t anyone really famous.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s try asking someone else.¡¹

    Erza approached the adventurers seated at the bar and asked them if they knew of Zefmate.

    ¡¸Do any of you know an adventurer named Zefmate?¡¹

    ¡¸Zefmate? Never heard of him.¡¹

    ¡¸Me either.¡¹

    None of the ten adventurers present had any idea who he was, which in turn led me to suspect that Zefmate wasn¡¯t actually an adventurer given that some of the participants were in fact not.

    There were also mercenaries, Knights like Phillip, mages, and other decently strong non-adventurers present as well.

    ¡ºAlright, looks like he isn¡¯t someone anyone around here knows. Let¡¯s try switching gears.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Would like information on Dimitris-Style Martial Arts instead.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my. Whyever would you need that?¡¹

    ¡¸Might have to fight person with it.¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t know any of the tournament¡¯s entrants knew how to use Dimitris-Style Martial Arts.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know why, but won¡¯t use.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I guess that must mean the person you¡¯re talking about is going through his trial.¡¹

    ¡¸Trial?¡¹

    ¡¸You didn¡¯t know about the Dimitris Trial? They¡¯re really famous. Anyone that wants to be an official disciple has to go through one of them. The trial goer needs to be an A ranked adventurer with a part of their strength sealed by a really special magic item.¡¹

    The trial apparently really was famous, as all the other adventurers seemed to know about it and filled us in with a few additional details. They told us that the magic item sealed away both a portion of one¡¯s skills and stats.

    No one present knew the exact details, but it seemed that one¡¯s stats would drop by a minimum of 20 percent upon equipping the sealing item. It prevented one from using many of the Dimitris-Styled Martial Arts and also pretty much lowered the level of every single skill one happened to have.

    Learning that promptly allowed us to understand why Colbert had suddenly gotten stronger the moment Barbra fell into chaos. He must¡¯ve undone his seal in order to help us kill Rynford.

    Erza himself had partied with someone familiar with the Dimitris-Style Martial Art in the past, and had the opportunity to witness its techniques from up close.

    ¡¸Though, she wasn¡¯t too high ranked, and couldn¡¯t do anything too incredible at the time.¡¹

    Apparently, the thing that made the Dimitris-Style so amazing was its focus on Qi.

    Qi was defined as the act of applying one¡¯s energy either within or on the surface of one¡¯s body in order to either use it as a weapon or simply reinforce oneself. It was simr to magic, which used the exact same energy source to create the phenomenon known as a spell. The distinction between the two basicallyy in the manner in which the energy was directed. Like magic, Qi¡¯s strengths and weaknesses were dependant on its user¡¯s skills and natural disposition.

    ¡¸Dimitris-Style Martial Arts take the concept of Qi to a whole new level. I don¡¯t know too many details, but I think they¡¯ve started to mix the concepts of Qi and Magic together. Mhm.¡¹

    ¡¸Qi and Magic at same time?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup yup. Dimitris-Style martial artists can send their Qi flying or deploy it as a shield. I think they can also send their Qi into their opponents¡¯ bodies in order to destroy it from the inside out. I¡¯ve heard that the style¡¯s more experienced users can do even more than just that, but I haven¡¯t really heard any details.¡¹

    Apparently Dimitris-Style martial artists were able to do a lot more than just fire off the Kameh*meha. Being able to totally wreck someone¡¯s body from inside out sounded really troublesome to deal with.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t really think you need to worry about it though. At least not for the purposes of the tourney.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Trial goers aren¡¯t supposed to be allowed to lift the seal unless it¡¯s to help people or defeat someone thought to be evil. You aren¡¯t supposed to release the seal out of self-interest.¡¹

    Doing well in the tourney pretty much fell into the self-interest category, which meant we probably wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Colbert undoing his seal, which, to us, was fairly beneficial. It boosted the hell out of our chances of victory.

    ¡¸Nn. Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸Is there anything else you wanted to ask?¡¹

    We asked for details about Royce, Goldalfa, Amanda, Forrund andst but not least, Radyer.

    ¡¸Radyer?¡¹

    ¡¸Good old Radyer? He¡¯s a strong one~ He doesn¡¯t have too much stamina due to his age, but he¡¯s really well experienced. You¡¯ll need to be able to deal with all sorts of magic if you want to beat him.¡¹

    ¡¸What kinds?¡¹

    ¡¸As far as I know, he can use Greater Earth Magic, Greater Water Magic, and Storm Magic.¡¹

    Radyer sounded he tough. He was the only mage we knew that was capable of using three different advanced magics. The closest to his level would be Royce, who was capable of using Greater Earth Magic, Moonlight Magic and Space/Time Magic.

    We didn¡¯t really know much about Greater Earth Magic or Greater Water Magic, so we were going to have to proceed with utmost care.

    ¡¸Did you want to know anything else, or is that all?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. All for now.¡¹

    ¡¸Mkay. Tell me if you ever want to know anything else. I¡¯ll tell you everything I can!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll go easy on you if we end up getting matched against each other, mkay? We¡¯ll have to fight it out fair and square. That¡¯d be rude.¡¹

    ¡¸Know already.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my, you seem really pumped and willing to go already. Fufufu.¡¹

    Erza was a bit surprised by Fran¡¯s happy looking smile, but soon began matching it with his own while also returning her aura of belligerence.

    Oh god damn it! Erza was a battle junkie too!?

 Chapter 191: The Morning of the First Round

    <h4>Chapter 191: The Morning of the First Round</h4>

    ¡ºMorning Fran, you get a good night¡¯s sleep?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran was still only half awake, but somehow managed to have absolutely no difficulty shoveling her breakfast down her throat regardless.

    ¡ºToday¡¯s the day. The tourney¡¯s finally starting.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    I¡¯d been a bit worried as to whether or not Fran would actually be able to get a good night¡¯s rest, but it turned out that my concerns had been totally needless. To her, today was honestly just another day.

    Our morning routine went just as usual. I washed her face, dried her hair with warm air, and gave it a good brushing.

    ¡ºToday¡¯s your big day, so we¡¯ll have to make sure you look even cuter than usual.¡»

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t be silly. Of course it¡¯s going to matter, you¡¯re practically going to be put on disy.¡»

    I finished styling her hair as I responded to her. Only after I finished that did her eyes finally snap open and fill with energy. She promptly began imitating my actions by brushing Urushi¡¯s. The wolf narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation for a few moments before flipping onto his back and demanding more affection. The way he acted reminded me of the Golden Retriever one of my older neighbors had in the past. He seriously didn¡¯t give off even the slightest bit of the feral feel you¡¯d normally expect from a wolf.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re still a bit ahead of schedule. Feel like doing anything in particr, or?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Master, over here.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? What¡¯s up?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran grabbed a cloth and began polishing me off.

    ¡ºWe haven¡¯t actually fought yet, so make sure you don¡¯t tire yourself out doing that, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Not problem.¡¹

    ¡ºBut-¡»

    ¡¸Because not just me.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡»

    ¡¸Master also being put on disy. Will have to make Master look cool.¡¹

    She continued polishing me as I brooded over whether I should thank her or tell her to stop. As far as I was concerned, Fran was going to be the star of the show, and I was just going to be an extra. I would¡¯ve loved to keep contemting so I could actually arrive at an answer, but ultimately stopped giving a sheet not too long after she started because of how good it felt.

    My loss of control led her to continue polishing me for a good 30 minutes, after which my de became nice and sparkly.

    ¡ºAre you sure that didn¡¯t tire you out?¡»

    ¡¸Still okay.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s head out then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ***

    All contestants were to report to and gather in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Block A was scheduled to be the first to fight, so its members had to get there extra early.

    Upon arrival, we were immediately led upstairs by one of the guild¡¯s clerks. It seemed that the rooms on the second and third floors were being used as temporary waiting rooms. The fact that the rooms were private rooms as opposed torger rooms with participants aggregated within them was one that I could only possibly conclude as beneficial. Hot blooded adventurers, like Fran, would probably start fights if left with all the other participants.

    ¡¸Please wait here until we call for you. Your match will be the 6th, and each is timeboxed to 30 minutes, so I believe you won¡¯t have to wait more than 2 hours. It depends on how long each matchsts. The shorter they are, the sooner you¡¯ll be up.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re free to observe the rest of the day¡¯s matches once you¡¯re done with your own, but you¡¯re not allowed to leave the room until we call for you.¡¹

    The fact that matches were timeboxed meant you couldn¡¯t really stall forever and just bore the crowd. It¡¯d also prevent the tourney from getting thrown off schedule. However, it also meant that it was possible to run the timer. To that end, allbatants had to put on a magic item known as a Bracelet of Judgement prior to engaging inbat. The bracelet would allow one to determine a victor should thebatants eat up the whole 30 minutes they were allotted. The bracelet was capable of determining the contestants¡¯ HP and MP values, as well as their rtive consumption thereof. It would use the numbers it read to discern which of the twobatants would have emerged victorious had the match continued indefinitely.

    ¡¸There¡¯ll be a staff member just outside the door at all times, so please don¡¯t be shy. Let us know if you need anything. ¡¹

    The tournament¡¯s participants were treated like VIPs and could order the staff to do all sorts of stuff. A few examples of the services provided were preparing light meals and acting as a proxy in order to do one¡¯s shopping. It seemed convenient and all, but didn¡¯t quite pertain to us. The stuff we had in our dimensional storages served to more or less satisfy all our needs.

    As a result, Fran basically ended up just sitting down and taking it easy for a while.

    We weren¡¯t bothered at all until about an hour passed, after which someone gave our door a knock.

    ¡¸Excuse me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The fourth match has just begun. Your match will begin after the next one ends, so we would like to show you to a waiting room closer to the arena.¡¹

    It seemed like the tourney was a good bit ahead of schedule, so we decided to ask the staff what was up. Apparently, what¡¯d happened was that Goldalfa had lived up to his reputation and ended his opponent in what was literally an instant.

    Both the other matches, however, ended right around the 30 minute mark, and apparently not because they ran out of time. Mostbatants naturally disliked having things decided by their bracelets, and so, they¡¯d often pull off their biggest moves and decide things right before the match was forced to end.

    We moved to the venue by taking an underground passageway with one of its entrances in the guild¡¯s basement. It seemed like a pretty good measure to take, as having more popr participants waltz right through the streets would probably lead to the popce kicking up a fuss.

    The room we were moved to was, not surprisingly, yet another private room, one several orders of magnitude more luxurious than the one we¡¯d been staying in at the guild. The sofa they had in the room was gorgeous, and the bed was seemingly filled to the brim with down.

    ¡¸The fifth match has now begun, so we may end up calling for you at any moment now. Please make sure you¡¯re ready for us when your turnes around.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Fran dove straight into the super soft looking sofa and began enjoying it to its fullest.

    After a moment¡¯s consideration, I realized that the match that was going on right now was the one between Kurusu and Radyer ¡ª which meant the explosions I¡¯d been hearing from time to time were Radyer¡¯s spells. They were so loud that they even eclipsed the crowd¡¯s deafening cheers, which I actually had to strain my ears in order to catch.

    Unlike me, who¡¯d spent my time thinking about the match and whatnot, Fran had instead focused on rxing. She¡¯d leapt off the sofa, jumped onto the bed, and yed on it with Urushi until an incredibly loud series of cheers resounded through the room.

    ¡ºSounds like the match¡¯s been decided.¡»

    Given that realization, I strained my ears even further so I could hear the caster.

    ¡¸And it¡¯s over! Despite popr spection, Kurusu has taken the win!¡¹

    Wait, seriously? Kurusu won?

    ¡¸Master, something wrong?¡¹

    I must¡¯ve seemed really shocked, as Fran had immediately turned her head towards me in confusion.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s just that Kurusu¡¯s the one that ended up winning is all.¡»

    ¡¸Kurusu?¡¹

    ¡ºDid you really forg- oh, whatever. Let¡¯s get ready to go. We¡¯ll be up soon.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    It didn¡¯t take long for a guide to show up at our door after Kurusu¡¯s and Radyer¡¯s matches came to an end. Said guide not only led us over to the arena, but also handed us a Bracelet of Judgement along the way. Surprisingly, the bracelet didn¡¯t actually take up an essory slot, so we didn¡¯t have to swap any of our stuff out.

    The venue used for the main tournament was both gigantic and incredibly well lit. I called out to Fran on our way to the actual arena part because I was a bit worried as to whether or not she¡¯d be nervous. Again, it turned out that my worries werepletely needless, as Fran was in such a good mood that she¡¯d actually been skipping along as we moved.

    ¡ºAre you really not even the slightest bit nervous?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºNice. Let¡¯s do this then.¡»

    ¡¸Can¡¯t wait.¡¹

    ¡ºMake sure you stay in the shadows till after Fran gives the signal, alright Urushi?¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    The moment we entered the arena, we discovered that there were over ten times as many audience members present as there were during the secondary preliminary round.

    They were so numerous that I found it incredibly difficult to discern individualments anymore. There were so many different people cheering that the whole thing just kind of came off like a wave of sound.

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    The crowd¡¯s cheers roared at such high volume that Fran ended up grimacing and lowering her ears.

    ¡ºYou alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Already used to it.¡¹

    Whew.

    The sheer volume of the sound waves sted at us made me understand that having sensitive hearing wasn¡¯t actually always a good thing. I didn¡¯t get how rabbitkin like Royce and basically anyone else with super sensitive hearing could actually manage to cope.

    ¡¸And our contestants have arrived! In one corner we have a fair maiden whose strength betrays her looks, the youngest C ranked adventurer to date. Ladies and gentlemen, please, extend your wees to Block A¡¯s 11th contestant, Fran, the Magic Sword Girl!¡¹

    Fran slowly stepped up onto the stage with the caster¡¯s announcement as her cue. On top of it stood her opponent; he¡¯d already been awaiting her arrival.

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    Her expression immediately stiffened the moment she saw him.

    ¡¸And in the other corner, we have an incredible man with a mercenary band at his back. Put your hands together for one of the younger generation¡¯s most respected Blue Catkin: Blue Pride¡¯s Leader and Block A¡¯s 12th contestant, Zefmate, the Blue Strike!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s opponent was not only none other than one of the Blue Catkin she detested, but also Blue Pride¡¯s leader. Knowing that, she red him, reached for me, and silently drew me from my sheath.

 Chapter 192: Zefmate

    <h4>Chapter 192: Zefmate</h4>

    Fran stared Zefmate down as the two stood across from each other at the arena¡¯s center.

    ¡¸Hey there, heard you totally wrecked one of our guys.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Could you maybe do without the re?¡¹

    ¡¸Fmph¡­¡¹

    Though it was in part because we were about to have to fight him anyways, Fran didn¡¯t bother concealing her naked hostility. She narrowed her eyes and stared in his direction without bothering to say a word. He, however, responded not with bloodlust, but instead with a perpexled, bitter smile.

    ¡¸I had Seiz punished.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m talking about the guy you beat during the second round of prelims.¡¹

    ¡¸Because lost to ck Catkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah. It was because he was far too rude. He shouldn¡¯t have said what he did even if it was just for provocation¡¯s sake. In fact, let me apologize for him. Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Zefmate caused Fran¡¯s eyes to widen his shock as he gave her a prim and proper bow alongside an apology. She wasn¡¯t the only one to feel the way she did, I also ended up surprised as all hell.

    The reason for my surprise was a bit different from Fran¡¯s. I¡¯d popped the Principle of Falsehood because I thought he was trying to bullsheet her to butter her up, but it turned out that his words hadn¡¯t beenced with lies; he speaking from his heart.

    ¡¸Seiz won¡¯t be one of our execs for much longer. I¡¯m nning to demote him because I feel that we really shouldn¡¯t be thinking of or treating ck Catkin the way we do.¡¹

    ¡¸Saying that even though Blue Catkin? Maybe not actually Blue Catkin? Something else?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahaha¡­ I really am a Blue Catkin you know? Though, I guess I can see where you¡¯reing from. I understand that you don¡¯t trust me, but I¡¯d like to say that I don¡¯t approve of the ve trade, nor do I n on looking down on you just because you¡¯re a ck Catkin.¡¹

    ¡ºWow. He actually isn¡¯t lying. Everything he¡¯s said so far is true.¡»

    £¨Huh? Telling joke?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m being serious. He really means what he says. His apology was genuine.¡»

    My words prompted Fran to once again re at Zefmate, this time, as if probing him. He, however, didn¡¯t mind. He simply stood there exactly as he had been despite her looking at him the way she was ¡ª which made sense. There was no reason for him to react any differently given that he¡¯d been speaking the truth.

    ¡¸Can¡¯t be trusted!¡¹

    It was a result that led Fran to re up in agitation, an emotion I couldn¡¯t really me her for feeling. To her, Zefmate was basically the equivalent of a mafia boss, and good natured mafia bosses were a concept limited to the realm of fiction. There was simply no way for one to exist in the real world given the nature of their work. Hence, the result of the Blue Catkinmunicating his intentions to Fran had caused her to be stricken with bewilderment, which wasn¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call the best emotion to be feeling going into a duel.

    ¡ºCalm down. You don¡¯t really need to think too hard about what he¡¯s said. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re going to need to beat him in battle.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will attack first, thinkter.¡¹

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Zefmate

    Age: 36

    Race: Beastkin (Blue Cat Tribe/Blue Leopard)

    ss: Blink Strike Swordsman

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 53/99

    HP: 441

    MP: 236

    STR: 217

    VIT: 200

    AGI: 322

    INT: 102

    MGC: 129

    DEX: 178

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 3

    Evasion: Lv 5

    Crisis Detection: Lv 6

    Bow Techniques: Lv 3

    Bow Arts: Lv 4

    Vignce: Lv 4

    Sword Techniques: Lv 8

    Sword Arts: MAX

    Divine Sword Arts: Lv 2

    Command: Lv 6

    Boost Morale: Lv 3

    Kicking Techniques: Lv 4

    Kicking Arts: Lv 5

    Blink: MAX

    Blink Step: Lv 3

    Interrogation: Lv 4

    Spear Techniques: Lv 2

    Spear Arts: Lv 3

    Twin Sword Arts: Lv 5

    Elemental de: Lv 2

    Climbing: Lv 7

    Poison Resistance: Lv 3

    Water Magic: Lv 3

    Magic Resist: Lv 2

    Vigour Maniption

    Lesser Agility Boost

    Sense of Direction

    Night Vision

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Blink Strike de

    Leopard¡¯s Paw

    Titles

    One Who Brings Victory

    Equipment

    Blue Dragon Fang Shortsword

    Adamantite Alloy Longsword

    Multi Headed Dragon¡¯s Body Armour

    Leaping Dragon¡¯s Wing Mantle

    Bracelet of Status Abnormality Resistance

    Health Restoring Ring

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡¸Ready¡­ Begin!¡¹

    Both Fran and Zefmate immediately began to act the moment the battle began.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Cheiyaaah!¡¹

    Fran gave into her frustration andunched an attack backed only by brute force. It was a bit crude andcking in finesse, but more than powerful enough to end the match if it happened tond.

    Zefmate defended against the strike by crossing his des and blocking. He then began attempting to wrap his two swords around me in order to disarm her. The technique was ster, but his attempt ended in failure for the sole reason that he wasn¡¯t capable of matching Fran in terms of pure power.

    The fight turned into a series of back and forths after the initial sh; bothbatants continued to swing their des at one another in an attempt to get a hit in. Though Zefmate was armed with two swords, and Fran only one, she gradually gained an edge on him and began taking control of the battle¡¯s momentum. The reason she was able to suppress him wasn¡¯t just because of her strength stat, but also because she was simply more skilled in the way of the sword.

    Realizing that he was at a disadvantage, Zefmate leapt a whole ten meters back and disengaged, an effect likely brought about by that Leopard¡¯s Paw skill of his. The sheer amount of momentum it gave him was so great that it rendered Fran unable to catch up and immediately assault him as hended.

    ¡¸You sure are strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Not too bad yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. You being both a ck Catkin and as strong as you are really seems to prove my point. We Blue Catkin really have been wrong to look down on your kind.¡¹

    ¡¸First time¡­ Meeting not scum Blue Catkin¡­¡¹

    Fran¡¯s emotions had finally settled, she managed to grasp the truth and ept it for what it was. The gaze she threw in his direction was no longer one filled with anger or hatred, but instead driven by curiosity. She had taken an interest in him.

    ¡¸Ahahaha¡­ Yeah¡­You¡¯re right¡­ We Blue Catkin really do have to stop acting the way we do.¡¹

    Zefmate¡¯sugh was dry, he seemed to be feeling both really depressed and somewhat awkward at the same time.

    ¡¸Though I am still feeling apologetic, I won¡¯t be able to throw in the towel or let you have the match else risk harming my band¡¯s reputation. I¡¯ll still be winning this match of ours.¡¹

    ¡¸Right back at you.¡¹

    Fran took a stance. She kept her guard up despite smiling and seeming a bit curious as to what Zefmate would do.

    The amount of magical energy dwelling within him began to skyrocket.

    ¡¸Fuh¡­ Awakening¡­!¡¹

    His muscles began to bulge and expand at an incredible rate the moment he muttered the skill¡¯s name. All visible parts of his skin were immediately covered by blue fur with ck spots on it. His appearance warped into exactly what his race suggested ¡ª he became a blue leopard.

    ¡¸We Blue Leopardkin are a species that specialize in enhancing our own bodies. You¡¯d be best off not thinking of me as the same person you just exchanged blows with! Blink Strike de!¡¹

    ¡¸Gmph!¡¹

    Zefmate¡¯s attack almost seemed to be paired with an instant transmission, as he almost seemed to vanish, only to reappear right next to us as he delivered his blow. The strike was so fast that Fran was unable to counter, and forced into only blocking it.

    ¡¸To think you¡¯d block even the first strike¡­! Haaaah!¡¹

    The Awakening skill had boosted his strength stat by more than 30 and his agility by almost an entire 200. If one were to judge him based solely on his speed, he¡¯d likely be ssified as an A ranked adventurer. His assault was fearsome, and really ingrained into my mind just how much more powerful Beastkin became upon evolution.

    Blink Strike de seemed to be the type of skill that boosted one¡¯s speed as one used it to attack. It,bined with Zefmate¡¯s innate high speed, made him so fast that we actually couldn¡¯t keep track of him with just our eyes. He seemed to be the most speed focused fighter we¡¯d ever encountered to date.

    He began using both Blink Step and Leopard¡¯s Paw to move around at super high speed in an attempt to throw us off while also attacking with Blink Strike de.

    A ridiculous number of incredibly fast attacks came at us from every direction. If Zefmate were up against any weaker adventurer, he probably would¡¯ve alreadypletely torn his opponent to bits.

    However, Fran wasn¡¯t what one could call a weaker adventurer. Thus, he hadn¡¯t even managed to get a single clean hit on her.

    All that training we did had allowed Fran to grow much more ustomed to using her detection-based skills. Through their use, she was able to sense every single one of his moves ¡ª and that was all she needed. The fact that Fran could detect his attacks allowed her more than enough leeway to react to and defend against them.

    ¡¸Impossible¡­!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s sheer ability had led Zefmate to panic. Though he stated he didn¡¯t look down on the ck Catkin race, he, as an evolved Beastkin, probably never even considered the possibility of losing to one inbat given that they weren¡¯t capable of evolving.

    He must¡¯ve simply thought that he, as an experienced veteran, would be able to trump Fran, a little girl, in all of stats, experience, skill quality, and skill quantity.

    The Blue Leopardkin¡¯s attacks grew more frequent as he lost his cool. He stopped doing as many feints, and moved around much less between repeated offensives. His impatient attacks would¡¯ve ended anyone that couldn¡¯t keep up him. But again, Fran could. As a result, his assault only grew duller. His strikes became monotone, repeititve, and predictable.

    ¡¸Stone Wall¡¹

    ¡¸Gabahh!¡¹

    A low rising stone wall spawned in Zefmate¡¯s path as he closed in on Fran from behind.

    The result mirrored exactly what would expect to see if a bike smashed into a guardrail at full speed; the impact of ramming into the wall caused Zefmate to go flying through the air.

    ¡¸I was read like a book and baited!?¡¹

    ¡¸Inferno Burst¡¹

    Fran fired a spell towards what I presumed to be the now defenseless Blue Leopardkin ¡ª only to have me realize that I¡¯d been underestimating the effects of his Leopard¡¯s Paw, as Zefmate kicked the air and changed his trajectory to avoid the iing mes. His actions had been so far out of the scope of my predictions that I even ended up unconsciously clicking my tongue.

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    I felt like the only reason I thought it was over was because I¡¯d decided to leave everything to Fran. If I wasn¡¯t effectively functioning as a spectator with the best tickets in the house, I probably wouldn¡¯t have assumed that victory was assured even after Fran fired that supposedly final spell.

    In other words, I wouldn¡¯t have let my guard down.

    I would¡¯ve instead acted as Fran did.

    ¡¸Burnia¡¹

    ¡¸When did you!?¡¹

    Fran had immediately started moving after firing off her attack. She used the mes she shot at Zefmate as cover, got around him, and approached him from the rear through the use of Fire Magic the moment he attempted to dodge the attack by using Leopard¡¯s Paw.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaaaarrggh!¡¹

    Zefmate was fast, but so was Fran. She was capable of moving just as quickly as he was, even after he¡¯d awakened.

    To him, it must¡¯ve felt like Fran had instantly teleported behind him, like someone had matched his speed. And that was something he didn¡¯t quite seem to be used to. He wasn¡¯t capable of properly defending himself from her assault.

    All he managed was to throw the sword in his left and thrust the one in his right in order to retaliate.

    Both attacks, done purely out of desperation, proved ineffective. The sword he thrusted at Fran only barely managed to scratch her cheek, whereas the one he threw ended up getting tossed inside her dimensional storage.

    Fran shed her opponent¡¯s legs as she pushed him out of bounds. She could¡¯ve just sent him flying, but chose to rob him of his mobility as well, just in case he somehow managed to recover. Without his speed, Zefmate was sure to lose.

    As a result, Zefmate had lost one of his legs, and with it, his sense of bnce. He was unable to steady himself, and ended up falling outside the arena¡¯s boundaries.

    ¡¸Its over! It¡¯s over!! I can¡¯t even tell what happened! Ladies and gentlemen, that, what we just saw was merely one of the tournament first rounds! Can you believe it!? Bothbatants were moving so quickly I wasn¡¯t able to tell what either was doing!¡¹

    The fact that both Fran and Zefmate had dashed around as quickly as A rankers had caused the caster to start screaming in excitement.

    ¡¸And our winner today is Fran, the Magic Sword Girl! Her victory has set a new record! She, as a 12 year old, has be the youngest contestant to ever win one of the tournament¡¯s rounds!¡¹

 Chapter 193: Seren

    <h4>Chapter 193: Seren</h4>

    We weren¡¯t left to our own devices until after we were led back through the underground passageway we used to get to the arena. The guide informed that our next match was scheduled to take ce two days from now and that we¡¯d have to arrive just as early in the morning as we had for this one. We were also told that we were pretty much allowed to do whatever we wanted in the meantime.

    ¡ºSo, what now?¡»

    £¨Will spectate.£©

    ¡ºHey, that¡¯s a pretty good idea. We might make it in time for Colbert¡¯s match if we rush over.¡»

    £¨Nn. Want to see other matches too.£©

    Fran mentioning that she wanted to spectate the otherbatant¡¯s matches made me realize that we¡¯d never actually had the chance to actually just sit down and watch other people fight.

    I figured doing so would actually work to Fran¡¯s benefit. It¡¯d allow her to see things from a whole new perspective, which, in turn, could probably allow her to learn a new trick or two.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran turned to leave the guild and head towards the arena, but was stopped by the guide before actually setting off.

    ¡¸Were you intending on watching any of the remaining matches?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. nned to.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, I rmend you wear some sort of disguise. The other spectators might make a fuss if they see you, especially since your match just ended and is still fresh in everyone¡¯s minds.¡¹

    The clerk¡¯s advice was spot on. Most of the spectators present for Fran¡¯s fight were probably still at the arena, and there was fair chance they¡¯d be able to recognize her on sight if she didn¡¯t keep her face hidden. Some of the spectators might¡¯ve lost a fair bit of money because of her, and getting involved with them sounded like a pretty bad idea if you asked me. The same applied to people that were overly interested in her. Actively avoiding pedophiles interested in her sounded like something that we¡¯d probably benefit from doing.

    ¡¸Then will put on disguise.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    That said, we probably weren¡¯t actually going to disguise ourselves too much. A quick change of attire seemed like it would probably be enough to do the job so long as we popped all our stealth based skills.

    As such, all Fran did before heading towards the arena was throwing on a cloak. The tourney¡¯s contestants were allowed to enter through the back door, so she did. The guard responsible for watching it ended up not only letting Fran in, but also giving her a salute of the highest order immediately after seeing her guild card.

    The ce was packed. It didn¡¯t look like we were going to be able to find a ce to sit.

    ¡ºLooks like there¡¯s one spot free over there.¡»

    But fortunately, I did happen to spot a single empty seat.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The seat wasn¡¯t broken or anything, so we were pretty confused as to why it was empty, and remained so until just after Fran sat herself down.

    ¡¸Oi, where the hell do you think you¡¯re sittin¡¯?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Move brat, that seat¡¯s taken.¡¹

    ¡¸That seat¡¯s for our bro!¡¹

    There were a bunch of tough looking dudes sitting right next to us. They seemed to have been chasing off everyone that tried to take the seat.

    A quick appraisal allowed me to understand that they were basically a few of Ulmutt¡¯s local thugs. They tried to scare Fran away, butpletely failed given that she was used to dealing with people much more intimidating than they were. The fact that they were annoying basically made it so we didn¡¯t mind depriving them of their seats.

    ¡¸Stun Bolt¡¹

    ¡¸Gyah!¡¹

    ¡¸Higgiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Orpghh!¡¹

    Fran stunned all three thugs and threw them into the aisle.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The people in our surroundings immediately stood up in surprise the moment they spotted Urushi, but Fran ignored them and loaded his back with two of the men while the wolf grabbed the third with his mouth.

    ¡¸Dump somewhere.¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    Fran saw Urushi off and then sat down, which, in turn, also caused the people around us to return to their seats. They didn¡¯t bother talking to her though, seeing as how they likely thought that doing so would bring trouble, which, to us, was pretty much the best possible oue.

    Nothing in particr happened thereafter. We watched the remaining matches in peace.

    Unfortunately, we weren¡¯t able to gain too much from watching Colbert¡¯s or Amanda¡¯s matches, as both ended their opponents in an instant.

    The match between Erza and Charlotte was actually quite worth mentioning. The crowd had really cheered for thetter as she danced, but she was unfortunately too weak to take down Erza.

    She managed to start dancing in a rather bewitching manner, but her moves were cut short, as she ended up having to fight a desperate, one sided struggle in order to dodge Erza¡¯s mace. In the end, she ended up getting grabbed by the nape of her neck and chucked out of the ring.

    Though we didn¡¯t learn much about Amanda or Colbert, we were still at least capable of learning a few neat ways to apply certain skills, ways we never would¡¯ve thought up ourselves, even in our wildest dreams.

    One of the more interestingbatants was a thief that buffed his opponent¡¯s sense of smell and then started throwing stink bombs and other foul smelling sheet. The takeaway we got from that wasn¡¯t his technique itself, but rather the concept of buffing one¡¯s opponent and then turning that buffed stat into some sort of disadvantage.

    We¡¯d also learned just how one was actually supposed to use Lava Magic inbat. The mage we saw use it not only melted his opponent¡¯s weapons, but also superheated the ground for the sake of zone control. It was a magic that really allowed its user to take advantage of an opponent¡¯s weakness. Learning more about its applications really made me really consider leveling it up.

    The sun had started to set by the time the day¡¯s matches hade to an end.

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s about time for us to start heading home.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDid you want to go somewhere instead, or?¡»

    ¡¸Still have Zefmate¡¯s sword.¡¹

    Right. I¡¯d almost forgot that we were still holding onto Zefmate¡¯s Blue Dragon Fang Shortsword. It was a pretty strong weapon, and honestly seemed to be on the more expensive side.

    ¡ºWe should probably give it back to him.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t exactly think well of Blue Pride, but Zefmate himself didn¡¯t seem too bad. In fact, I¡¯d honesty had to say I thought him to be a pretty good guy. Plus, giving it back to him probably wouldn¡¯t take that much time, so it wasn¡¯t like doing it would be detrimental.

    ¡ºHey Urushi, do you still remember Zefmate¡¯s scent?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The operation was a go, and so, we had Urushi lead us over.

    All in all, we spent about 20 minutes walking, after which we arrived at the city¡¯s outskirts. There weren¡¯t many houses around. The ce was practically arge open field.

    ¡ºIs this it?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Set up on thatrge field were a whole bunch of tents. It seemed Blue Pride had chosen to camp out instead of staying at an inn, as renting out rooms for all their members would be a pretty sizeable expense. Plus, camping out wasn¡¯t really that tough on the mercenary band¡¯s members anyways, seeing as how they were all fighters and whatnot.

    I soon realized, however, that there was a bit of an issue. We weren¡¯t really too sure how we were supposed to get to Zefmate. We couldn¡¯t just waltz right through the camp seeing as how his band¡¯s members would probably end up spotting us and kicking up a fuss.

    Maybe I could create a doppelganger and deliver the sword that way?

    My brooding was interrupted as one of Blue Pride¡¯s executives ended up exiting their tent and spotting us.

    ¡¸Ah! It¡¯s you!¡¹

    The person that¡¯d caught sight of us was one I recognized, the stuck up, 17-18 year old girl we met in front of Aurel¡¯s manor.

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Seren, Blue Pride¡¯s second inmand.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know. You¡¯re the one that¡¯spletely yed our band for fools. Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸Returning this.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ my brother¡¯s sword! You thief!¡¹

    Seren immediately began giving off an aura of hostility.

    Wait, did she just call Zefmate her brother? I guess that¡¯d be why she gets treated as the band¡¯s second inmand.

    ¡¸Just how did a little ck Catkin girl like you manage to beat him in the first ce!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Strength.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop lying! ck Catkin are famous for how weak they are! There¡¯s no way you could ever be stronger than my brother! You must¡¯ve done something underhanded or cheated!¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way you didn¡¯t! There¡¯s no other way he could¡¯ve possibly lost to a ck Catkin!¡¹

    Seren stamped her feet on the ground and threw a tantrum in a childlike manner unbefitting her age. She didn¡¯t seem to share Zefmate¡¯s views despite being his little sister.

    ¡¸Ugh! Fine, whatever! If you want me to forgive you for being a cheater, go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, tell them you cheated, and make them let my brother take your ce!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes narrowed a bit because of how ungrateful Seren was acting.

    ¡¸Refuse¡­¡¹

    The ck catgirl¡¯s mood was getting worse by the moment. She¡¯d visited because she wanted to see Zefmate, not because she¡¯d wanted to deal with this sheet.

    ¡¸Haaah!? What are you saying? I was offering to go out of my way to forgive you for cheating. You¡¯re supposed to thank me, not give me attitude!¡¹

    I was starting to doubt whether or not Seren was really Zefmate¡¯s younger sister. Their temperaments were¡­ a little too different.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on! This is why I can¡¯t stand you stupid ck catkin! I¡¯m telling you to know your ce!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯ll never forgive you if you refuse! Do you know what that¡¯ll mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t.¡¹

    Fran responded in an irritated tone; she was only barely managing not tosh out because Seren was Zefmate¡¯s sister. Her efforts were praiseworthy, but she did held on, but it definitely wasn¡¯t something that couldst too much longer.

    ¡¸Hmph. You Wimp Catkin only remain free because we Blue Catkin allow you to. If you refuse to forfeit, then we¡¯ll not only capture and enve you, but every other ck Catkin out there!¡¹

    Ah, she said the word. RIP Fran¡¯s self control.

    Seren had pushed Fran all the way to her boiling point; my wielder was as angry as she had been when Dias told her about Kiara. There was actually already no more helping Seren. Fran was going to kill her, and if worse came to worst, the entirety of Blue Pride would likely follow in her footsteps. I kinda felt bad for Zefmate, but it seemed to us that his followers were all your everyday average Blue Catkin. And if we were going to kill Seren, then wiping the rest of them out was probably for the better. They¡¯d likely demand revenge if we didn¡¯t bother tying up all our loose ends.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t say a thing. She simply drew me and attacked the girl in front of her eyes. The attack wasn¡¯t a well refined one. All Fran was doing was justshing out in anger. Still, her strike contained more than enough power to reap the other girl¡¯s life.

    But my de never reached her.

    Instead, it cleaved the flesh of another.

    ¡¸Gafuuhhh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Zefmate!¡¹

    Zefmate had dashed between Fran and Seren so he could function as a meatshield and tank the hit; my de smashed through his corbone and dug all the way down into his lungs.

    Fran had just tried killing his sister, but, despite that, Zefmate¡¯s re fell not on her, but on the person he¡¯d been trying to protect.

    ¡¸What¡­ are you saying¡­Seren¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Zefmate!? Are you okay!? What the hell did you just do to my brother!? I swear I¡¯ll never forgive you, or your kind! I¡¯ll wipe out every singlest Bl-¡¹

    ¡¸Stop it¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyah!¡¹

    The Blue Leopardkin pped his little sister across the face shortly after she began cursing at Fran.

    He didn¡¯t bother treating his wound, and instead just immediately prostrated himself before the person that had just mortally wounded him in an attempt to apologize.

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ my sister¡­ didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t¡­ care¡­¡¹

    Despite that, Fran¡¯s response wasn¡¯t a favourable one. She¡¯d been pushed way past the limit of what she could bear. Her anger could no longer be abated by a mere apology.

    ¡¸I swear¡­ I won¡¯t¡­ ever let her¡­ say something like that¡­ ever again! I¡¯ll¡­ re-educate all¡­ my troops¡­ and exile the ones that won¡¯t listen¡­ no¡­ I¡¯ll even force them¡­ into very¡­!¡¹

    Zefmate knew that something like mere banishment wouldn¡¯t be enough to calm Fran down. It was too half-hearted. And so, he even offered to voluntarily sell his own blood rted sister into very.

    His battle with Fran had caused him to realize that she was way out of his league, and that she might end up ughtering every singlest one of Blue Pride¡¯s members if he didn¡¯t manage to influence her mood¡­

    ¡¸Wait, what are you saying? She¡¯s just a-¡¹

    ¡¸Shut¡­ Up¡­¡¹

    Zefmate clobbered Seren, knocked her unconscious and caused her to copse on the spot.

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ really sorry¡­¡¹

    His injuries were serious. He was on the verge of death, but hepletely ignored his own safety and only continued to apologize.

    I sensed the people thaty within their tents begin to move.

    ¡ºWell, Fran, what do you say? More people¡¯ll start showing up if you don¡¯t make up your mind fast.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll have your back regardless of what choice you make, so don¡¯t hold back. Do whatever you want.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran hesitated.

    ¡¸Greater Heal.¡¹

    She couldn¡¯t make up her mind immediately; it took her a few moments, but ended up deciding againstpletely obliterating every Blue Catkin present. She didn¡¯t trust them. In fact, she hated them, but her impression of Zefmate was a good one and she didn¡¯t think he deserved to die.

    ¡¸Will be back another day. If no changes by then, will take action.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you so much!¡¹

    Sensing the fury thaty within, Zefmate dropped to his knees and thanked Fran for her mercy.

 Chapter 194: Golden Flames

    <h4>Chapter 194: Golden mes</h4>

    ¡ºYou sure you¡¯re okay with letting them off?¡»

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t let off. Just gave time.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, alright, so long as that¡¯s really what you wanted.¡»

    Fran began walking around town immediately after leaving Blue Pride¡¯s campsite. The mood she was in was nothing short of terrible.

    Zefmate had been a pretty good guy. Fran had felt that she might¡¯ve been able to get along with him despite their races, and by meeting him, she¡¯d learned that not all Blue Catkin were scumbags. Coming to know that had caused her to really want to be his friend. However, the circumstances had made Fran¡¯s desire extremely difficult to achieve. Zefmate had been an exception. None of his underlings shared his mentality, which in turn meant that the two could potentially end up at each other¡¯s throats.

    There was a chance Fran would have to kill Zefmate in the near future.

    To Fran, Seren¡¯s words had been nothing but offensive. They were so sick and twisted that they¡¯d even gotten to my head, so I could only imagine the extent of the rage that dwelled within her. Neither of us could stand the attitude that most Blue Catkin had, and we probably would¡¯ve murdered every single one present if Zefmate had been even a secondter.

    The things that¡¯d been said to her continued guing her mind even now. They caused her darker emotions to swell and whirl around within. I hoped that she wouldn¡¯t encounter anyone that¡¯d piss her off, as she¡¯d probably end up losing control if she was to be encouraged to attack them.

    Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anyone stupid enough to do so given that her aura reflected her thoughts; she was emanating an air of pure danger, one that forced the people around us to look the other way.

    She wandered around like that for about twenty minutes before suddenly turning heel right as she felt an incredible amount of magical energy burst out from behind her.

    ¡ºI can sense the¡­¡»

    ¡¸¡­Beast Lord?¡¹

    Its source was Blue Pride¡¯s campsite, but it was so potent that we could measure the extent of its power from all the way back in town.

    Sensing it had caused Fran to immediately begin dashing, not away from, but towards it.

    The only person capable of giving off that much pressure was the Beast Lord. There wasn¡¯t anyone else that possessed such a ridiculous amount of strength. Moreover, we didn¡¯t even need to be present to tell that he wasn¡¯t just training; his magic wasced with bloodlust.

    Something had happened.

    Fran had no idea what we¡¯d be able to aplish by rushing over to Blue Pride¡¯s campground, but continued to pump her legs as hard as she could regardless. It was something that couldn¡¯t be helped given the circumstances. All we knew was that something had happened, something that involved both Zefmate, who Fran had a good impression of, and the Beast Lord, who she feared.

    ¡ºHey Fran, are you sure this is a good idea? I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re heading straight for the Beast Lord.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­!¡¹

    Getting to Blue Pride¡¯s campground took less than 2 minutes at Fran¡¯s full speed.

    ¡¸Hah¡­Hah¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it. The Beast Lord really was here.¡»

    The first thing we saw upon arriving was the Beast Lord. He calmly stood smack in the middle of the camp, his body cloaked in golden mes. The second was Zefmate, copsed on the ground, charred ck, and clearly on the verge of death.

    ¡¸This is what you get for defying me, idiot. Whatever, I¡¯ve had enough of you. Just die already.¡¹

    The Beast Lord reached towards Zefmate with his me covered right hand ¡ª an action that prompted Fran to react without the slightest bit of hesitation.

    ¡¸Master, engaging!¡¹

    She went on the offense without so much as even waiting for me to reply; she drew me in her right, popped Deathgaze into her left, and shot towards the Beast Lord as would a bullet. The shing attack that came out of the action was one as swift as the strike she¡¯d used to assault Rynford; it was one thatbined all her skills and knowledge, stealth-based skills included.

    Rigdis, the Beast Lord, wasn¡¯t all that proficient when it came to detection. Rather, he was, but his wasn¡¯t nearly as skilled at it as we¡¯d expected the average S ranker to be. That, in turn, made it difficult for him to pick up on Fran¡¯s sneak attack.

    Ambushing the Beast Lord was a much better choice than calling out to him. Rigdis could always just ignore her and end Zefmate anyways, so attacking was, in fact, the most reliable option to go with if we wanted to save Zefmate¡¯s life. Besides, yelling at him to stop would mean announcing to him Fran¡¯s presence, which in turn meant losing the opportunity to get an initial first strike in. All that, of course, was only valid under the assumption that we would end up having to fight the Beast Lord anyways.

    It was a choice only made possible by the fact that Fran had already resolved herself to fight him. For that reason, her de held not even the slightest shred of hesitation.

    She ended up going for his neck in hopes of ending him right off the bat; her goal was to disable him in a single strike. She didn¡¯t care about incurring the wrath of an entire country, nor did she give half a flying foock about the international uproar that attacking the him would lead to. The only thing that she bothered considering was what she needed to do to save Zefmate¡¯s life.

    We didn¡¯t have to worry about holding back, the Beast Lord¡¯s Sacrificial Bracelet would prevent us from murdering him regardless of what we did to him. Though we were willing to engage the Beast Lord inbat, actually t out killing him was something I wanted to avoid, as it¡¯d put us a bit more than just neck deep in serious ass international sheet. Attacking him was still a problem in and of itself, but, it was still a significant bit better than actually lopping his head off. You could say that we were only capable of going all out in our assault precisely because the Beast Lord happened to have a Sacrificial Bracelet on hand and equipped.

    I was convinced that not even someone like the Beast Lord would be able to act if he was in a state terrible enough for him to actually need to pop a Sacrificial Bracelet, so I figured we¡¯d be able to grab Zefmate and fall back before he managed to retaliate.

    What Fran was doing was dangerous. That much, I understood. I knew that teleporting away and leaving Zefmate to die would¡¯ve been in the interest of her safety.

    But that wasn¡¯t something the person in question herself would be able to ept. If I really had been totally concerned about nothing but Fran¡¯s safety, I would¡¯ve long advised her to take up a job less dangerous than adventuring. But I hadn¡¯t. That was in part because I wanted to go out and see the world with her, but wanting to adventure wasn¡¯t really why I¡¯d chosen not to bother convincing her to change her mind. The other, more important reason was because I wanted to abide by her will. Fran wanted to be an adventurer, and that was that.

    As Fran¡¯s guardian, it was naturally important for me to try to keep her as safe as possible. That was simply what being someone¡¯s guardian entailed.

    But I wasn¡¯t just her guardian, I was also her sword. Thus, I needed to do my utmost to fulfill her wishes, even if those wishes involved something as dangerous as jumping straight off a cliff.

    As her sword, I¡¯d already decided to follow right in her footsteps if she was to ever make that type of decision. And as her guardian, I¡¯d decided to protect her to the best of my abilities regardless of what the consequences of her choices were.

    In other words, my role was to support Fran in her decisions every step of way so long as it remained possible for me to do so.

    The ck Catkin girl swung both her des to form a cross the moment she closed in on the Beast Lord. His defenses were ridiculously high, but we figured we¡¯d be able to pierce them so long as we focused everything we had on a single point. The two swords that closed in on the Beast Lord¡¯s neck¡­ failed to do anything to him at all.

    Fran, both des still drawn, stared at the uninjured Beast Lord with a look of bewilderment. She hadn¡¯t felt any resistance when shing at him, so she didn¡¯t realize what¡¯d happened until she looked down to my de.

    ¡¸Haah? Who the foock are you?¡¹

    We¡¯d sessfully managed to stop the Beast Lord from ying Zefmate, but Fran had fallen onto his radar as a result.

    Francked theposure to answer the Beast Lord¡¯s question. She instead stared at the two hilts in her hands.

    Hilts.

    Both her swords had lost their des. In fact, Deathgaze was t out done for, as all its magical energy had already drained out from within it. Even the ck Cat¡¯s Mantle, which happened to have gotten a bit singed, was acting abnormally. That is, it was repairing itself at a much slower rate than usual. You almost couldn¡¯t actually tell that it actually worked based on visuals alone.

    The catgirl didn¡¯t understand what was going on.

    But I did.

    The reason Deathgaze and I had lost our des was because we touched the golden mes that cloaked the Beast Lord¡¯s body. We both basically evaporated the moment we did. The mes didn¡¯t radiate any heat, but holy sheet they were potent. Theck of consistency between the two facts was only made possible because the golden congration was born of a skill.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Master? You¡¯re this damned Blue Catkin¡¯s disciple?¡¹

    ¡ºCalm down Fran, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t shout or throw a fuss. Just talk to me through telepathy, same as usual.¡»

    £¨Whew¡­£©

    Fortunately, my de was the only thing that ended up getting burnt off, so I was still fine and not yet irreparable. Unfortunately, the magical mes had robbed me of so much mana that I no longer contained any more than Deathgaze normally did.

    ¡ºMan, this is looking pretty bad¡­¡»

    Attacking the Beast Lord had caused me toe to understand that his mes functioned as an automated self-defense mechanism. They were that powerful even when just left in full auto mode.

    I couldn¡¯t really see myself sessfully fending them off in the case that he used them to attack.

    ¡¸Ohe on kid. Answer me already. Don¡¯t just sit there with your mouth shut.¡¹

    ¡¸Did¡­ what to Zefmate?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh, responding to a question with another question? You ain¡¯t got no manners, ck Catkin.¡¹

    Being taunted by the Beast Lord caused Fran to grind her teeth in anger, but she ultimately ended up suppressing it and asking him a question regardless.

    ¡¸Tried to kill Zefmate. Why¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸The foock? Is something wrong with your ears? Did you actually not hear me? Ah, well, whatever. Fine, I¡¯ll talk. All I was doing was punishing a subordinate real quick.¡¹

    The Beast Lord¡¯s word seemed to insinuate that Blue Pride worked under him, and that Zefmate had done something that¡¯d gone against his orders. Was it because Zefmate was pro-ck catkin? Did that mean that the Beast Lord was anti-ck catkin?

    ¡¸So I take it you¡¯re siding with him? Even though you¡¯re a ck Catkin?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh, alright. Hey, you¡¯ve got a pretty interesting sword right there. Whole thing just instantly fixed itself.¡¹

    I managed to fix my de by using Instant Regeneration, but that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d actually be of much use from an offensive standpoint given the Golden mes¡¯ effects. It looked like we were going to have to end up falling back on magic.

    The Beast Lord¡¯s element was fire, so we would probably need to counter him with either water or ice/snow. We couldn¡¯t afford to be stingy with our skill points, I needed to invest them right away so we could make the most of our situation.

    ¡¸Fran¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Will save now, Zefmate.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahah! What is this? A ck Catkin and a Blue Catkin acting all buddy buddy? Man, that¡¯s so funny it actually makes me kinda pity you guys!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut¡­ up¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Man, you¡¯re still giving me that attitude? What a shame, I had some pretty high hopes for you. Alright girly, I¡¯ll show you just how terrifying I, Rigdis Narasimha, the Beast Lord, can be. Lament the fact that you were stupid enough to oppose me!¡¹

    The golden mes that enveloped the Beast Lord¡¯s body began to quiver and sway with a ferocious energy.

    They were dangerous. It¡¯d all be over if they so much as grazed us.

    I got myself ready to teleport us out at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Fran and the Beast lord stared each other down, both ready to immediately attack the other.

    But they were denied the chance to act.

    ¡¸Your Majesty! What in God¡¯s name are you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ You again, Roche¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸How did this even happen? I only took my eyes off you for a second!¡¹

    A man I immediately recognized as the carriage¡¯s coachman suddenly joined into the conversation and began chiding the Beast Lord in a reprimanding tone.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Roche

    Age: 37

    Race: Beastkin (White Curse Weasel/White Weasel Tribe)

    ss: Runeseeker

    Status Level: 62/99

    HP: 556

    MP: 558

    STR: 251

    VIT: 302

    AGI: 539

    INT: 248

    MGC: 306

    DEX: 417

    Skills

    Sole Sense: Lv 4

    Digging: Lv 6

    Espionage: Lv 8

    Wind Magic: Lv 4

    Bow Techniques: Lv 9

    Bow Arts: MAX

    Divine Bow Arts: MAX

    Coachman: Lv 7

    Vignce: Lv 8

    Presence Detection: MAX

    Presence Istion: Lv 7

    Flexibility: Lv 4

    Blink: Lv 8

    Muffle: Lv 5

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 4

    Life Magic: Lv 3

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 5

    Shortsword Techniques: Lv 4

    Shortsword Arts: Lv 5

    Perfume Creation: Lv 8

    Leap: Lv 6

    Climbing: Lv 5

    Knowledge of Poisons: Lv 8

    Poison Magic: Lv 5

    Earth Magic: Lv 7

    Subterranean Stealth and Mobility: Lv 5

    Fire Magic: Lv 5

    Magic Resistance: Lv 3

    Magic Detection: Lv 7

    Shadow Slip: Lv 7

    Trap Disarming: Lv 6

    Trap Detection: Lv 8

    Trap Creation: Lv 4

    Vigour Maniption

    Enhanced Sense of Smell

    Enhanced Senses

    Magic Maniption

    Enhanced Hearing

    Innate skills

    Awakening

    Cursed Strike

    Titles

    Chimera yer

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Equipment

    Hell Tree Bow

    Dimensional Quiver

    ck Shadow Beast¡¯s Leather Armour

    ck Shadow Beast¡¯s Stealth Shoes

    Magic Shadow Steel Armguards

    ck Stealth Spider¡¯s Mantle

    Ring of Dexterity

    Bracelet of Storage

    _______________________________________________________________

    Roche was a sort of hunter, specifically the jack of all trades type that could use magic in tandem with more traditional scout-like skills.

    ¡¸I really can¡¯t believe you¡­ Why are you fighting a ck Catkin of all things? Have youpletely forgotten why we came here in the first ce?¡¹

    ¡¸me it on her, not me. She¡¯s the one that decided to side with Blue Pride.¡¹

    ¡¸That doesn¡¯t mean you need to fight her, you muscle brain!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s enough for now, Roche. Lord Rig, I¡¯ve captured every member of Blue Pride that happened to have a hand in the ve trade and disposed of those that resisted.¡¹

    Royce calmed Roche down while simultaneously reporting in.

    Wait, did he just say he dealt with the everyone that had a hand in the ve trade? Uh¡­ what?

 Chapter 195: The Beast Lord and the Blue Cat Tribe

    <h4>Chapter 195: The Beast Lord and the Blue Cat Tribe</h4>

    Rigdis had already lost the will to fight. Likewise, Fran had done the same despite still being on guard. The reason for her sudden change in attitude was because Royce, one of the Beast Lord¡¯s guards, had started healing Zefmate.

    ¡¸Exin situation?¡¹

    ¡¸Your Majesty, did you perhaps forget to inform her as to the current circumstances?¡¹

    Roche immediately began questioning the Beast Lord¡¯s actions, or rather, the likelyck thereof.

    ¡¸Uhh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hah¡­ Let me guess. You provoked her by acting in your usual cocky manner without actually telling her what had happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have any injuries, youngdy?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­None.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good. So, exactly what kind of rtionship do you have with Blue Pride?¡¹

    ¡¸Zefmate¡­ Friends. Hate rest.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I understand now. As for you, Your Majesty¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I know, I get it already. My bad, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸So? Why wanted to kill Zefmate?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Cause he tried to protect his buddies.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah¡­ Allow me to exin.¡¹

    Roche gave us a detailed exnation of exactly what had happened.

    Much to our surprise, Rigdis was against the envement of ck Catkin. In fact, he¡¯d been going around freeing as many ck Catkin ves as he happened across.

    That precise action had caused an ideological rift to form between him and his father. The rift was so vast that he¡¯d almost gotten disowned,so he ended up organising a coup d¡¯etat, murdering his father, and iming the throne with his own two hands.

    It was an act that he¡¯d always suspected he might need to perform, and to that end, he¡¯d joined the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, tempered his body, and secretly built up his connections. The only reason his coup had gone as smoothly as it did was because he¡¯d managed to make every singlest one of the Beast Kingdom¡¯s A or higher ranked adventurers into his subordinates.

    Upon his ascension to the throne, Rigdis had promptly purged all of the spies and ve merchants formerly connected to the royal family. He¡¯d then gone out on a mission in order to find all ve merchants outside the bounds of his country so he could free every singlest ck Catkin that remained in captivity.

    ¡¸But fought Zefmate? Why?¡¹

    If that really were the case, then him fighting Zefmate didn¡¯t really make sense. The two seemed like they¡¯d get along from an ideological standpoint.

    Or at least it did until one considered that Blue Pride was effectively Zefmate¡¯s family. He couldn¡¯t assent to allowing the Beast Lord to murder any of its members, even if they happened to betray his ideals. The Blue Leopardkin had ended up begging Rigdis to let Blue Pride¡¯s members keep their lives so he could rehabilitate them and fix their ways.

    As the Beast Lord was rather short tempered, he ended up ring up in anger and engaging Zefmate inbat upon hearing what he could only interpret as an excuse. That was when Fran had thrown herself into the equation.

    Hearing the Beast Lord¡¯s side of things made me realize something. His manner of speech was crude, but he¡¯d never actually said anything to belittle the ck Cat Tribe as a whole.

    He had said, ¡°So I take it you¡¯re siding with him? Even though you¡¯re a ck Catkin?¡± not because he wanted to insult Fran, but because he thought it was odd for a ck Catkin to want to side with the type of people that sold their kind into very.

    The same pretty much applied to when he¡¯d said, ¡°Hahahah! What is this? A ck Catkin and a Blue Catkin acting all buddy buddy? Man, that¡¯s so funny it actually makes me kinda pity you guys!¡± It came off like a sort of cheap provocation, but was actually far from it. He hadn¡¯t actually meant to insult the ck Cat tribe in any which way¡­

    The Beast Lord¡¯s intentions were further evidenced by how subordinates had ended up capturing Blue Pride¡¯s members while we were attempting to engage him inbat.

    ¡¸Foock¡­!¡¹

    Zefmate groaned remorsefully.

    ¡¸Hate me all you want. Just know that this is your own fault. I told all you Blue Catkin to stop with the very sheet already, but your underlings ignored my orders and kept their ck market dealings going anyways. And you didn¡¯t even notice. Seriously man, that one¡¯s all on you.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­ know¡­¡¹

    A fair bit of Zefmate¡¯s regret stemmed precisely from the fact that he understood that he¡¯d failed. He would¡¯ve been able to avoid this whole mess had he just kept a tighter leash on his subordinates.

    ¡¸How many¡­ are still alive?¡¹

    ¡¸Approximately twenty, I believe.¡¹

    ¡¸Only twenty¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Lord Rig, I¡¯ve found the pair behind the whole incident.¡¹

    Goldalfa entered the scene with a pair of Blue Catkin in tow. And when I said in tow, I meant they were literally in tow. He was dragging them along the ground with the very same piece of rope their hands were tied by.

    ¡¸These two are both connected to the very Syndicate your predecessor managed.¡¹

    ¡¸Sennek, Tord, were you two really responsible for manipting everyone into doing all this?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph! Why the hell should we care about ck Catkin? Why do we have to go through all this for just turning them into ves? They can¡¯t even evolve!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know right! All we were doing was making use out of an otherwise useless bunch!¡¹

    The two old Blue Catkin spouted off bold im after bold im.

    Both were members of the many mercenary groups that¡¯de together to create Blue Pride. They¡¯d functioned as something along the lines of consultants ever since the new organisation¡¯s formation. They¡¯d always been in positions of power within every band they¡¯d ever been a part of, and thus, managed to use them in order to engage in the underground ve market.

    The two had intentionally raised Zefmate to feel repulsed by the ve trade. They¡¯d done so because it then made it easier for them to fool those that they wished to hide the true nature of their business from. His sister, on the other hand, had been brought up in the exact opposite manner. The two had effectively brainwashed her to have her current scumbag-like mindset.

    The Blue Leopardkin likely would have been able to notice that something about his band of mercenaries was off had the two not constantly been one or two steps ahead of him ¡ª they¡¯d trained him to not only be pure of heart, but also the type of person that wouldn¡¯t doubt hisrades.

    ¡¸But I guess we went a bit too far. We trained you so well you became unable to shake that stupid sense of justice of yours.¡¹

    Sennek attempted to mock Zefmate, but was hit right in his sore spot by Rigdis in retaliation.

    ¡¸Says a no-tail.¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s a no-tail?¡»

    £¨Long-tailed beastkin without tail.£©

    Longer tailed beastkin species put great importance on keeping one¡¯s tail, as losing it typically implied cowardice. Thus, those that were supposed to have tails but didn¡¯t were mocked as no-tails.

    It normally wasn¡¯t too much of an issue as one could recover a chopped off tail so long as it was immediately treated with either magic or potions, but, in cases where one¡¯s injuries were more severe, priority was instead given to the limbs and whatnot. As a result, those with a lesser degree of ess to healing would end up permanently losing their tails.

    The old man known as Sennek appeared to be precisely someone that¡¯d ended up in that kind of scenario. I¡¯d thought that he¡¯d just hidden his tail away in his pants, but apparently that simply wasn¡¯t something that long tailed Beastkin with tails would actually do for reasons I failed to intuit.

    Getting called out by the Beast Lord had, for some odd reason, caused Sennek to re in Fran¡¯s direction.

    ¡¸I would still have my tail if not for you meddling ck Catkin¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Foock! How dare you look down on me like that? And with a face that looks just like that annoying brat¡¯s to boot!?¡¹

    ¡¸Brat?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, foock her! Foock Kiara for taking my god damned tail! And foock you for looking just like her!¡¹

    ¡¸Know Kiara?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I foocking do! Foock her to hell!¡¹

    It seemed Sennek hated the ck Cat Tribe because Kiara had caused him to hold some sort of grudge. That, in turn, exined why he¡¯d purposefully raised all the Blue Catkin around him to see ck Catkin the way they did.

    ¡¸But you know what, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t care anymore, because that b*tch got sent right off to the Beast Lord! Hah! Probably got turned into a ve and forced into a straight up living hell alright. Gyahahahah! B*tch got right what wasing to her!¡¹

    Fran immediately approached Sennek with me drawn and in hand.

    ¡ºWait, Fran! Hold on! Don¡¯t kill him!¡»

    Ending his life here and now seemed like an act that could potentially anger the Beast Lord and his bros. To them, Sennek still had value, as he likely knew about others that worked in his trade.

    Convinced, Fran sheathed me and instead started pummeling both men with her fists. I realized that she¡¯d went too far by the time their already old, twisted faces had ended up even more deformed and bent out of shape than they were before. I figured it¡¯d be best for me to stop her, but the Beast Lord actually beat me to the punch.

    ¡¸Hold on kid. Hey, you assholes. When you said Kiara, did you mean the olddy? You know, Grandma Kiara?¡¹

 Chapter 196: Kiaraâ€™s After Story

    <h4>Chapter 196: Kiara¡¯s After Story</h4>

    ¡¸Hold on kid. Hey, you assholes. When you said Kiara, did you mean the olddy? You know, Grandma Kiara?¡¹

    The Beast Lord¡¯s inquiry caused Sennec to respond in a bit of a suspicious tone.

    ¡¸Grandma Kiara?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s taciturn, blunt, and proud, but a ridiculously skilled ck Catkin swordsman nheless. I know she¡¯s an olddy, but I can¡¯t remember how old. You happen to know off the top of your head, Royce?¡¹

    ¡¸Lord Rig, asking for our master¡¯s age is no different from tying yourself a noose.¡¹

    ¡¸How ¡¯bout you, Gold?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s in herte 60¡¯s.¡¹

    Goldalfa¡¯s response seemed to match with what we knew about Kiara. She was 15 years old 53 years ago, so she should currently be around 68.

    ¡¸Based on what we¡¯ve heard, I¡¯d say the Kiara you guys are talking about is our master.¡¹

    It seemed that, unless I was misunderstanding things, Kiara was actually the person that¡¯d taught Beast Lord to fight. Fran hade to the same conclusion, so she ended up closing in on him in order to demand a clearer answer.

    ¡¸Exin circumstances.¡¹

    ¡¸You do know I¡¯m the Beast Lord, right? How about ¡¯bout you reword that a bit so it¡¯s more polite.¡¹

    ¡¸Exin.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh god damn it. Fine!¡¹

    The Beast Lord began fondly speaking of his memories shortly after onest expression of indignance.

    Apparently, the first time Rigdis met Kiara was in the earlier days of his youth. Back then, she¡¯d been a ve that served the imperial court. Her duties mostly focused around garbage disposal. At the time, he¡¯d still been like any other young, mischievous Beastkin. That is, he thought the ck Catkin to be inferior, as per his father¡¯s wishes.

    But that all came to change. His opinion of the race took aplete 180 degree turn not too long after he turned seven.

    An incident ured.

    A summoner from a hostile nation managed to summon a magic beast in the royal pce. Back then, the Beast Kingdom had been at war with a neighbouring country, hence, most of the pce¡¯s morepetent fighters had been sent to the battlefield. As the guards and soldiers responsible for the pce were rtively weak, the ce was basically instantly overrun. Both Goldalfa, who¡¯d just enlisted, and Royce, who¡¯d only just started learning magic, had been dealt serious wounds.

    The situation looked grim. None of the troops left within the pce¡¯s confines were capable of dealing with the Tyrant Saber Tiger that¡¯d invaded it. To Rigdis, it had seemed like he was left no choice but to abandon the pce.

    Or at least that was how he felt until she took action.

    A ck Catkin ve ended up doing what none of the soldiers could and took down the Magic Beast. The Tyrant Saber Tiger itself wasn¡¯t a particrly strong one, it was still young, and yet to reach maturity, but it was still a C rank threat regardless.

    Thus, he simply failed to process the fact that she¡¯d easily in it while armed with only a mop.

    Bearing witness to the ck Catkin ve¡¯s technique had caused Rigdis to take interest in her. He snuck around and eventually managed to speak to her, only to find that she was named Kiara, and that she had a blunt, straightforward personality. At the time, Rigdis hadn¡¯t had any friends, so he immediately grew attached to her.

    The mix of his attachment to and admiration for her caused him to ask her to take him as her disciple, and so, she soon began teaching him the art ofbat.

    Her instruction was ridiculously tough, but proved more than effective as it caused Rigdis to be much stronger in a fairly short period of time. Noticing his rapid progress, both Goldalfa and Royce followed his example and became Kiara¡¯s disciples.

    Since Kiara couldn¡¯t be seen instructing the group in public, they were forced to train in a secluded area away from the public¡¯s eyes. Specifically, the location they made their own was the garbage disposal site, a ce that smelled so awful it automatically warded off any and all unwee visitors.

    Rigdis had offered Kiara freedom, but she firmly refused it. His father had threatened her and told her that he would murder her tribesman should she escape.

    The only reason Rigdis¡¯ father had let her live was because he¡¯d suspected that she woulde of use in the future.

    Learning of her circumstances caused Rigdis to begin wondering why the ck Catkin were treated as they were. He started to investigate the mysteries surrounding their inability to evolve while also functioning to protect them.

    Upon reaching adulthood, Rigdis was informed of a secret known only to the royal family¡¯s members, a piece of information that revealed why his predecessors regarded ck Catkin the way they did. With said secret, he also learned the reason why the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members had be incapable of evolution.

    ¡¸My old man told me everything because he wanted to open my eyes to his cause. Wanted to tell me to stop doing something as stupid as protecting ck Catkin.¡¹

    But it didn¡¯t work. In fact, telling Rigdis the truth had the opposite effect his father had been hoping for, as, to him, the truth simply reinforced the idea that looking down upon the ck Cat Tribe was nothing short of a mistake.

    Thus, Rigdis and his father ended up in conflict for many years, with the former eventually beating out thetter through a coup.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºDoesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s lying.¡»

    Something this important obviously called for verification through the Principle of Falsehood. Using it allowed me to determine that the Beast Lord¡¯s words were almost entirely free of lies. The only times my lie detector ever went off was when he insulted Kiara or called her by a nickname that made it seem like he didn¡¯t respect her. Conversely, it didn¡¯t go off when he referred to her as his master. In other words, all the Principle of Falsehood had done was inform us that the Beast Lord was a veritable tsundere.

    ¡¸Kiara, doing what now?¡¹

    ¡¸Our master has gotten old, so she¡¯s effectively retired and just living within the castle. She spends most of her time sleeping, but will asionally see to our soldiers if she feels up to the job.¡¹

    Royce followed up the Beast Lord as he paused to take a breath.

    ¡¸The royal pce has moved on from looking down on ck Catkin. None of the people that work and live within it are willing to insult them any longer.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible! ck Catkin are an inferior race! Why else do you think we Blue Catkin have been pushing them around for all these years!?¡¹

    Sennek responded to the rabbitkin¡¯s words with a violent shout.

    ¡¸The pce functions off a meritocratic system. We don¡¯t evaluate people based on their race, only theirpetence. Though, I admit we¡¯ve been giving the ck Catkin a bit more leeway to make up for all that they¡¯ve suffered.¡¹

    The Beast Lord casually refuted Sennec¡¯s deration.

    ¡¸I assume you haven¡¯t heard about what¡¯s happened to the Blue Cat Tribe as ofte.¡¹

    ording to Royce, most beastkin had recently started ostracizing the Blue Cat Tribe. There were two reasons that functioned as the driving force behind the aforementioned movement. The first was that most other beastkin had a bit of a hard time trusting the Blue Cat Tribe knowing that they¡¯d sold other Beastkin into very. While most other Beastkin did indeed look down on ck Catkin, they never went as far as treating them as ves. The reason the Blue Catkin¡¯s treatment of the ck Catkin was so much harsher than all the other tribes¡¯ was because the ck Catkin used to have a higher social status than the Blue Catkin. This caused the Blue Catkin a lot of grief, and led to them going wild the moment their social positions were flipped.

    The second reason was because the Blue Cat Tribe was regarded to be in decline. Their business dealings allowed the Blue Catkin to live luxurious lives, so few became true warriors, and even fewer trained themselves as hard as Zefmate had. As a result, the number of Blue Leopardkin had plummeted far beyond just a noticeable degree. This, in part, was the fault of the Beast Lord¡¯s ancestors. The Beast Lords of the past had ordered the Blue Catkin to be ve traders and persecuted all that dared disobey. Hence, most of today¡¯s Blue Catkin were the descendants of ve traders as opposed to the descendents of warriors.

    In other words, most other Beastkin looked down on the Blue Cat Tribe both because they were weak and because they were repulsive from a psychological standpoint.

    Fran didn¡¯t really care for the details nor Sennek¡¯s reply, so she ended up asking more about Kiara instead.

    ¡¸Happy as long as Kiara is alive. Okay to tell other people?¡¹

    ¡¸Other people? Whaddya mean other people?¡¹

    ¡¸Dias and Aurel, Kiara¡¯s acquaintances. Worried about her since didn¡¯t know what happened to her after she was taken away by Beast Lord.¡¹

    Hearing Fran¡¯s question caused the Beast Lord to nod as if he hade to a sudden understanding.

    ¡¸Huh. I guess that¡¯s why they¡¯ve been treating me with that hostile ass attitude. That exins that. Yeah, I don¡¯t mind at all, go right the hell ahead. In fact, how ¡¯bout I tell them myself right after we¡¯re done here. Was nning to pay the both of them a few visits anyway.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Do tell¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m pretty sure you have lots to ask me, but I¡¯m too busy for it right now. I¡¯ll answer all your questions after the tournament¡¯s over, so check in with me once it¡¯s done.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Aight. I¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing how you do. Show me that you¡¯ll at least be capable of getting to the fourth round. There won¡¯t really be a point in me telling you anything unless you can.¡¹

    The Beast Lord grinned at Fran in an intimidating manner, but this time, she didn¡¯t freak out. In fact, she responded to him by speaking in a motivated sounding tone.

    ¡¸nned to win from start.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahahahahah! You hear that, Gold? Royce?¡¹

    ¡¸It sure is nice seeing a young fighter all pumped up and motivated.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, but I won¡¯t show her even the slightest shred of mercy should we meet in the ring.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it on.¡¹

    ¡¸Buhahahaha! I like the way you talk smack, even to Gold and Royce. Fine then Fran,e visit me after you¡¯ve won the tournament. I¡¯ll look forward to seeing you then.¡¹

    The Beast Lord let loose a heartyugh before entering the tent in which the remaining Blue Catkin were being kept.

    This caused Fran¡¯s expression to change to one of worry, so Royce ended up ushering her off.

    ¡¸What happens from this point onwards is the Beast Kingdom¡¯s business, so how about you head home for now?¡¹

    ¡¸What do to Zefmate?¡¹

    ¡¸Disobeying the Beast Lord is a crime, but I doubt Rig will do too much to harm Zefmate. He¡¯s taken a liking to him, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Got it.¡¹

    The Beast Lord was the kind of guy that tended to be a bit rough around the edges, but the fact that he liked Zefmate meant that he probably wouldn¡¯t execute him or shove him in some sort of prison.

    Royce¡¯s words seemed to have offered Fran enough to allow her to rx, so she bowed to him before finally turning around and leaving the area.

    ¡ºWelp. Looks like we¡¯re going to have to at least win ourselves three rounds if we want his approval.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Master. Will try hardest from now on.¡¹

    ¡ºSure thing.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Will win for sure!¡¹

 Chapter 197: Vs. Kurusu

    <h4>Chapter 197: Vs. Kurusu</h4>

    Fran, Urushi, and I idled about in the waiting room as the second round drew closer. Our match was the third, and the first had already begun, so we were guaranteed to take the stage in less than hour.

    A lot had happened yesterday, but none of it had functioned to discourage Fran. In fact, I¡¯d say that the events that¡¯d transpired ended up motivating her more than anything else; she now was practically dead set on at least making it past the tourney¡¯s third round.

    The fact that the Beast Lord was going around crushing Blue Cat ve traders made her feel a sense of satisfaction, so she¡¯d recently started acting in a much less aggressive manner than she otherwise normally would have. That said, she would still do the usual and beat up any that attempted harassing her. Though she didn¡¯t seem to realize it herself, it seemed that hitting them wasn¡¯t enough to dispose of all the stress they brought, and as a result, she¡¯d been on edge for the past day and a bit. To be honest, her much more frequent interactions with Blue Catkin weren¡¯t the only reason she was so much sharper than usual. Participating in the tourney, in and of itself, had also put her in a more belligerent mood.

    Given that our match wasing up soon, Fran decided to warm herself up. Namely, she swung me a bit and practiced dodging by having Urushi jump at her.

    ¡ºOur turn¡¯ll being up soon, so don¡¯t push yourselves too hard just yet, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Both Fran and Urushi continued to elerate despite voicing their agreements. The pair had already gotten so fast that their actions had be indiscernible to the average person. That, however, wasn¡¯t enough to make me stop them, as to Fran, her current actions were pretty much the equivalent of a walk in the park.

    A clerk came knocking not too long after the two started warming up. I was honestly surprised with how quickly it came; we¡¯d only been waiting for about 30 minutes.

    ¡¸Excuse me, Miss Fran? The second round is over. It¡¯ll soon be your turn, so please get ready.¡¹

    Asking the clerk allowed us to confirm that Goldalfa had once again ended his opponent in an instant.

    Yeah, beating him definitely looked like it wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

    ¡¸Please follow me.¡¹

    ¡ºOh yeah, Fran, don¡¯t forget to say something like ¡°nice to see you again,¡± when we run into Kurusu. We have met him already after all.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºMake sure you do, alright? Don¡¯t pretend you forgot who he is, okay?¡»

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Hmm¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit worried. Fran seemed to have totally forgotten that Kurusu existed, but he was still technically a C ranker and therefore not exactly what you could call a small fry.

    The impression I had of him was that he was the leader type as opposed to the type that was actually all that skilled in singlebat. But that impression didn¡¯t really hold. He seemed a bit different this time around. The man we found upon climbing our way onto the stage had a sort of fierce air to him.

    ¡¸You¡¯re not someone I ever expected to see here.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh, is that really supposed to be Kurusu? He seems a lot more¡­ wild than he didst time we saw him.¡»

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Kurusu Ryuuzel

    Age: 28

    Race: Human

    ss: Mad Swordsman

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 37

    HP: 256

    MP: 175

    STR: 183

    VIT: 102

    AGI: 219

    INT: 83

    MGC: 98

    DEX: 125

    Skills

    Malice Detection: Lv 3

    Espionage: Lv 4

    Evasion: Lv 6

    Court Etiquette: Lv 3

    Madness: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 6

    Sword Techniques: Lv 6

    Sword Arts: Lv 8

    Art of Self Defense: Lv 4

    Command: Lv 2

    Blink: Lv 8

    Cold Resistance: Lv 4

    Poison Resistance: Lv 7

    Trap Detection: Lv 2

    Dulled Sense of Pain

    Vigour Maniption

    Passive HP Regeneration

    Last Stand

    Titles

    Giant Killer

    Righteous

    One That Has Ovee Death

    Equipment

    Raging Sabertiger¡¯s Longsword

    Mithril Alloy Body Armour

    Hundred Foot Spider¡¯s Mantle

    Sacrificial Bracelet

    Ring of Evasion

    _______________________________________________________________

    It looked like he¡¯d switched from being a Blink Swordsman to being a Mad Swordsman. As a result, he¡¯d lost a fair bit of vitality and dexterity in exchange for a boost in his strength and agility. In other words, his role seemed to have transitioned into that of an all out attacker.

    Seeing his face had finally caused Fran to recognize him, but she ended up a bit confused because of the disparity between how he was now and how he was before.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu. That¡¯s a mean question to ask.¡¹

    ¡¸Different feel.¡¹

    ¡¸Seeing the way you and Amanda fought led me to contemte a few things and alter my own style a bit. I just so happened to get a bit too immersed in retraining myself is all.¡¹

    In other words, seeing Fran and Amanda go at each other had caused him to go into shock and question his own abilities. Thus, he ended up trying a few things and adopting whatever he thought was best.

    Personally, I think he probably changed a bit too much.

    ¡¸This is perfect. I knew going into this that I¡¯d never be able to catch up to you, but fighting you is still exactly what I needed to see just how far I¡¯vee!¡¹

    Kurusu drew his de, a longsword carved from the fang of a Tyrant Sabertiger. It was something we had to be careful of, as it had the Vibration Fang skill.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve even ended up matching my rank. I guess that means I¡¯ll have to make sure I don¡¯t disgrace myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Also won¡¯t lose.¡¹

    Fran drew me and took a stance.

    The caster seemed to take that as a signal of sorts, and immediately dered that the match had begun.

    ¡¸Here I go! Madness, activate!¡¹

    Kurusu immediately threw his defenses out the window and cast a buff that caused him to focus purely on offense; he chose to try hitting her before she hit him. It wasn¡¯t a bad choice, as he knew that Fran¡¯s offenses would¡¯ve overwhelmed his defenses either way.

    ¡¸Down Break!¡¹

    The Mad Swordsman¡¯s training had evidently paid off. He¡¯d raised his stats and discovered for himself a new way of engaging inbat.

    But he wasn¡¯t the only one to have grown stronger.

    Fran had done the same, and unfortunately for Kurusu, the changes in her stats had been much more dramatic than the changes in his.

    The gap between him and her was even wider than it¡¯d been back in Alessa.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Slow.¡¹

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    Fran easily sidestepped Kurusu¡¯s downwards swing before countering by directing her de towards his sword arm.

    Realizing her intentions, Kurusu forced his left arm between him and me in order to trade it in and save his right.

    ¡¸Forfeit?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. Not yet. My left may be done for, but I¡¯ve still got my right!¡¹

    ¡¸Thought so.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Fran took the initiative and went on the offensive. Her foe was able to avoid her first two attacks, but that was it. The loss of a hand had caused him to lose his ability to bnce, which, in turn, caused her third strike to embed itself within his body. Naturally, it didn¡¯t just end there. She aimed me at his right hand and attempted to strike it once more in order to force him to surrender.

    But he still didn¡¯t give up.

    ¡¸Last Stand!¡¹

    Kurusu¡¯s body began glowing the moment he shouted the skill¡¯s name.

    I sensed a sudden influx of mana, so I decided to appraise him. Doing so allowed me to figure out that he¡¯d lost most of his HP, but gained a massive boost to all his stats. He¡¯d even gotten the Nullified Sense of Pain skill to boot.

    The skill he¡¯d just used was one that could only be used when on the verge of death.

    ¡¸Gaaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph!¡¹

    The Mad Swordsman didn¡¯t attempt to avoid Fran¡¯s strike despite the boost to his agility. In fact, he willingly facetanked it while roaring and throwing out a counter.

    Only then did I finallye to understand his strategy. It was perfectly fine for him to take a fatal hit given that he had a Sacrificial Bracelet. His Nullified Sense of Pain allowed him to take advantage of the instant he tanked Fran¡¯s attack. Specifically, it allowed him to retaliate regardless of all other factors.

    It was a strategy that didn¡¯t sound too bad given how the tournament worked. It didn¡¯t matter how injured he got. He¡¯d end up getting healed by the tourney¡¯s staff so long as he didn¡¯t die. Pushing himself to the very edge of death would make it possible for him to defeat foes whose stats were higher than his own.

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    ¡¸Still slow.¡¹

    But it didn¡¯t work.

    Fran warded off the de he thrust at her by smacking its side with her palm and throwing it off course, an action only made possible by the fact that she could track his sword with pinpoint uracy.

    And then she kicked him, right in the cut she¡¯d given him earlier. It was an attack that he simply couldn¡¯t possibly have dodged. He was too far off bnce, not that he could actually keep up with her to begin with.

    All the air was sucked out of his lungs; he wasn¡¯t even so much as able to scream as he was sent rolling off the stage. He stayed on the floor even after getting sent out of the arena; it looked like he¡¯d lost consciousness.

    ¡¸And that¡¯s game! The winner is Fran, the Magic Sword Girl! She¡¯s managed to triumph through not only the first, but also the second round despite all the adverse rumours and spection!¡¹

    Apparently the crowd had thought that Kurusu was more likely to win, which, to be honest, wasn¡¯t all that unexpected given that he¡¯d been a C ranker for much longer than we had.

    ¡¸Kurusu had attempted to apply the same suicidal strategy he¡¯d used in the first round, but this time, his sword fell short! What a shame! It looked so close too!¡¹

 Chapter 198: Vs. Colbert

    <h4>Chapter 198: Vs. Colbert</h4>

    Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Fran and I found ourselves staring the third round in the face before we knew it.

    We were up against Colbert, the exact person that we¡¯d been expecting to have to fight. We¡¯d known that our confrontation with him wasing for a long while already, but I ended up feeling a bit nervous regardless. It wasn¡¯t something I could really help.

    Fran, on the other hand, was calm and serene, seemingly in part because she was currently engaging in meditation, specifically zen meditation. I¡¯d been the one that taught her the concept, but honestly, I barely knew anything about it myself. My knowledge of Zazen pretty much did nothing but scratch the surface. I was only able to tell her the concept and the fact that it involved closing her eyes and concentrating. She really seemed to like the idea, so she¡¯d more or less figured the rest out all on her own.

    Her current session had spanned just over ten minutes. Urushi hadn¡¯t wanted to disturb her, so he ended upying down beside her instead of attempting to warm up as he had while waiting for the tourney¡¯s second round.

    It seemed that the opponent Goldalfa faced in the third round was much stronger than the ones he¡¯d faced in the first two, as he hadn¡¯t actually done his usual thing and won the round in a matter of moments. We would¡¯ve had to leave the room basically immediately after entering it if he had. We instead had to wait for about another five minutes before finally begin called for.

    ¡¸Good morning. It¡¯s time for your match. Please follow me, I¡¯ll lead you to the arena.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes shot open the moment the clerk said her name.

    ¡¸Go time.¡¹

    Her lips curved into a smile as she got back onto her feet.

    She didn¡¯t seem to be even the slightest bit nervous, nor did it seem like she¡¯d be off because she was way too hyped up.

    Today, Fran was in perfect condition.

    £¨Master, will go all out this time.£©

    ¡ºWant me to start helping right off the bat?¡»

    £¨Nn. Will try to go for quick win.£©

    Like most battle maniacs, Fran normally tended to prefer a bit of a more wait-and-see type attitude, but today, she decided that it would be best to go full throttle right off the bat. Her decision to treat this battle differently from all the ones that preceded it was one I agreed with.

    That tendency to allow one¡¯s opponent to go all out wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d call wise. We couldn¡¯t really afford cutting our opponent any ck given that we had to live up to the Beast Lord¡¯s expectations if we wanted him to actually bother speaking to us, especially because said opponent happened to be Colbert.

    Another factor that yed into her shift in attitude was that she no longer had to worry about antagonizing the Beast Lord. The possibility of him attacking us had basically been shrunk all the way down to zero, so we wouldn¡¯t need to pull our punches nor keep a few trump cards in reserve just because he was watching.

    Fran passed through the usual dark corridor and entered the ring, only to be greeted with cheers and shouts even louder and more passionate than the ones she¡¯d heard just two days prior.

    ¡¸And there she is! Our first contestant today is the girl that¡¯s overwhelmed both the opponents she¡¯s fought so far despite all expectations, a ck Catkin, Fran! I can¡¯t wait to see just how far her strength can take her!¡¹

    Colbert had yet to arrive, but the crowd had started to roar regardless.

    The screams directed towards Fran could be split into three main groups. The first, were the angry folk that¡¯d bet on her opponents in the first and or second round. The next type cheered in a much higher pitch, and seemed, in general, to have taken a liking to Fran because of how cute she was. The final group was a bit different from both of the first two and mainly consisted of adventurers.

    At first, I was a bit surprised that there were so many of them rooting for us, but I soon realized that they were mostly members of Erza¡¯s faction. I kind of suspected that he¡¯d probably ordered them to cheer for us, as the extent of their motivation almost seemed a bit unnatural. I apparently wasn¡¯t the only one to feel that way, as many of the other guests also seemed a bit shocked.

    Seeing the crowd caused Fran to recoil a bit in embarrassment, but she still seemed kinda happy they were cheering for her regardless. The audience as a whole immediately reacted to her bashful attitude by getting even rowdier. It seemed she was really popr.

    Even so, the noise was soon overwhelmed by a series of hors that matched the one that¡¯d first greeted her when she entered the ring.

    ¡¸And there¡¯s her opponent! This round¡¯s second contestant is no less popr than the first. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you a man known for using nothing but his fists to defeat even the most powerful of foes, B ranked adventurer, Iron w Colbert!¡¹

    I appraised Colbert and confirmed that his stats were basically the same as what they¡¯d been back when we met him in Barbra¡­ which meant basically nothing given that the stats that showed weren¡¯t actually his real stats.

    ¡¸Hello Fran. I can¡¯t say I was expecting to see anyone else.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Colbert too.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahah. As a B ranker, I won¡¯t lose that easily, especially not to anyone weaker than me.¡¹

    ¡¸Including me?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re any weaker than I am¡­ but I will have to win anyway if I want to keep face.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t lose.¡¹

    ¡¸I feel the same.¡¹

    Sparks almost seemed to fly as the two narrowed their eyes and looked at each other. The fighting spirit that emanating off their bodies expanded through the entire venue and shrouded it with an intense pressure powerful enough to silence the crowd. The spectators instead gulped as they observed the tense atmosphere that¡¯d broke out between the two warriors.

    ¡¸Let the third round¡¯s second match¡­ begin!¡¹

    ¡¸Nowe.¡¹

    Colbert was doing what we expected. He took on the typical wait-and-see type approach, not because he was going easy on us, but because he was confident he could handle anything we threw at him.

    We, on the other hand, had already turned the dial to 11.

    ¡ºStone Wall¡»

    ¡ºFire Wall¡»

    ¡ºWind Wall¡»

    The three spells I casted worked to form a sort of tunnel around Fran and Colbert.

    He immediately tried smashing its ceiling in order to escape, but he was toote. The fact that he allowed us to take the initiative meant we were already a full step in front of him.

    ¡¸Inferno Burst¡¹

    ¡ºInferno Burst¡»

    Both Fran and I immediately cast a me-based spell and flooded the tunnel with fire before Colbert could escape it. The attack¡¯s heat was so intense that it caused the stone we created to start melting, but it didn¡¯t copse right away. The me and wind walls supported it and managed to keep it standing for a few seconds by regting its temperature.

    In other words, the other two walls attempted to feed heat back into the interior as opposed to allowing it to leak outside, which in turn meant that it ended up not only trapping Colbert, but also providing a bit of a boost to our Inferno Bursts¡¯.

    We knew our attack was a fairly sound one, but we didn¡¯t let up. We trusted that Colbert was too strong to fall to just that, and so, we threw in a follow up.

    ¡¸Wind Bullet!¡¹

    ¡ºStun Bullet¡»

    All the smoke and mes made it so we couldn¡¯t actually see him, but that didn¡¯t matter. We simply shot where we felt his presence in order to pin him down and keep him from moving.

    Only then did we finally throw in an attack that was actually meant to inflict some more serious harm.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s do this!¡»

    The next attack was one I hadn¡¯t had a chance to use in quite a while, my ever so reliable Telekic Catapult. The arena was a bit too small for me to reach my full speed, but I still flew at him incredibly quickly nheless.

    I was confident that not even Colbert would be able to avoid the strike without sustaining a significant injury.

    ¡¸Nragh!¡¹

    ¡ºWoah!¡»

    But I was wrong.

    A mana-covered fist approached from my side right before I managed to pierce him, one that contained so much force that it seemed like it would send me flying into orbit.

    His counter made me realize that he was much more dangerous than I¡¯d been expecting. He was skilled enough to easily knock aside the attack I nned to finish him off with, and basically hadn¡¯t taken any damage from our prior bombardment. The only thing that¡¯d even gotten the slightest bit burnt was his clothing.

    We had to defeat him before he actually got serious.

    I hit the brakes as hard as I could by using telekinesis and wind magic while also making myself as spiky as a porcupine and cloaking myself in lightning.

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    Colbert¡¯s voice rose in shock. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever envisioned that the sword he readied himself to hit would stop in ce and transform.

    His defenses were ridiculous. My needles, which were capable of tearing metal armour to bits, failed to pierce his skin. However, he didn¡¯t remain unharmed. He was assaulted by the lightning I¡¯d wrapped around myself nheless.

    ¡¸Gugagagagargghh!¡¹

    ¡¸Stun Bolt!¡¹

    Fran followed up my attack by throwing another lightning-based spell at him.

    The two potent electrical energies shot throughout his body and caused sparks to erupt all over it.

    ¡¸Finishing blow! Gale Hazard!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s finisher, a st of wind magic, evidenced that she wanted to end the match without having to engage in meleebat. She didn¡¯t want him pulling off what Kurusu tried, and turning everything around at thest second.

    Colbert was sent flying over 20 meters. It looked like he¡¯d ring out and crash into the audience.

    Fran stayed vignt, she carefully watched as he flew so she could prevent him from recovering with magic should he try it.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡ºDid he just use a Feather of Teleportation?¡»

    Colbert suddenly disappeared. I immediately recognized that he¡¯d teleported, but couldn¡¯t figure out where he went. I wasn¡¯t able to find him by scanning the stage.

    ¡¸Above.¡¹

    ¡ºHe took to the sky!?¡»

    Fran immediately caught onto the fact that Colbert had chosen to teleport way above the arena. His decision was a solid one that made good use of the item he¡¯d employed. Gaining airtime allowed him to not only avoid losing but also respace himself. The only thing he had to really worry about was how he was going tond.

    However, it wasn¡¯t without its demerits. Hanging around in the air basically made him a sitting duck given that Fran had an abundant amount of long ranged attacks.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    She took aim and bombarded him with a whole slew of spells. Specifically, she¡¯d chosen wind-based ones that prioritized max range over power.

    I matched her attacks by throwing out several me-based spells. The wind-based ones functioned as visual clutter and prevented them from being seen, which worked quite well, as they were powerful enough to instantly end the match.

    But again, I was hoping for too much.

    Colbert tore every singlest one of our spells apart with his fists the moment before they hit him.

    He then changed his direction midair with a burst of Qi and oriented himself so he was facing Fran.

    ¡¸Hraaaaaghhhh!¡¹

    An incredible amount of magical energy suddenly began emanating from his body. The martial artist swung his fists through the air. Each movement, each punch, was apanied by a st of Qi that headed straight for Fran.

    The individual Qi based projectiles were rather weak, but they were threatening nheless due to their sheer quantity; Fran was forced to respond by sting them out of the sky with a few techniques of her own.

    Still, they¡¯d aplished their job. They bought Colbert enough time tond.

    He took a guarded stance with an evidentck of openings the moment his feet touched the ground before turning towards Fran and narrowing his eyes.

    Likewise, she raised me and matched his re with her own.

    ¡¸Fuh. You sure are impatient, trying to end the match right away like that.¡¹

    ¡¸Was just taking advantage of opening.¡¹

 Chapter 199: Vs. Colbert 2

    <h4>Chapter 199: Vs. Colbert 2</h4>

    ¡¸Fuh. You sure are impatient, trying to end the match right away like that.¡¹

    ¡¸Was just taking advantage of opening.¡¹

    ¡¸Haha. I never expected you to be this good a Magic Warrior. I¡¯m impressed. Have you been holding back this whole time?¡¹

    ¡¸Back at you. Suddenly more magical energy?¡¹

    Fran wasn¡¯t kidding. The amount of magical energy evelopping Colbert¡¯s body had undergone a drastic increase.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Colbert

    Age: 38

    Species: Human

    ss: Iron Fist Fighter

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 41/99

    HP: 381/508

    MP: 330/452

    STR: 299

    VIT: 204

    AGI: 253

    INT: 141

    MGC: 201

    DEX: 239

    Skills

    Barehanded Combat Techniques: Lv 6

    Barehanded Combat Arts: Lv 6

    Crisis Detection: Lv 3

    Divine Fist Arts: Lv 2

    Fist Techniques: Lv 9

    Fist Arts: MAX

    Combat Qigong: Lv 4

    Herculean Strength: Lv 8

    Blink: Lv 9

    Swimming: Lv 4

    Greater Water Resistance: Lv 2

    Throwing: Lv 4

    Life Magic: Lv 3

    Dimitris Style Martial Techniques: Lv 8

    Dimitris Style Martial Arts: Lv 8

    Physical Barrier: Lv 4

    Magic Emission: Lv 5

    Drowsiness Resistance: Lv 3

    Paralysis Resistance: Lv 4

    Cooking: Lv 2

    Hawk¡¯s Eyes

    Beast Killer

    Thought Division

    Lesser Strength Boost

    Vigour Maniption

    Inherent Skills

    Iron Fist

    _______________________________________________________________

    It looked like he¡¯d undone his seal. He¡¯d suddenly gained several skills, namely the Dimitris Style ones, Physical Barrier, Magic Emission, and Thought Division. Both Herculean Strength and Blink had also had their levels boosted a bit. That, of course, wasn¡¯t all; he gained a pretty massive boost to his stats. I recalled they used to be.

    _______________________________________________________________

    HP: 428

    MP: 202

    STR: 249

    VIT: 154

    AGI: 203

    INT: 91

    MGC: 101

    DEX: 189

    _______________________________________________________________

    In other words, all his stats had risen by 50, save for magic, which had gained a whole 100 points. That,bined with his newly unsealed Dimitris Style skills, made it so we¡¯d practically be fighting a whole different person from here on out.

    ¡ºBe careful. He¡¯s undone his seal.¡»

    ¡¸Undid seal?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­So you noticed?¡¹

    Colbert¡¯s expression seemed to waver in unease as he sighed, an action that demonstrated that he hadn¡¯t actually been too willing to undo his seal. I decided to try probing him, given that his current state was clearly the result of self interest.

    ¡ºHey Fran, repeat after me for a bit, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That is, I decided to try attacking him mentally instead of physically, as it seemed like we¡¯d be able to profit from it.

    ¡¸Won¡¯t be emunicated for unsealing for self-interest?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡­ does happen from time to time, yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Colbert, won¡¯t be emunicated?¡¹

    ¡¸I might be.¡¹

    ¡¸Then why undo seal?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words caused Colbert to look down and make a bit of a troubled face before returning his gaze to her and shaking his head.

    ¡¸You¡¯re right. Undoing my seal like this might get me emunicated, but, I don¡¯t care. That¡¯s not what matters most to me right now!¡¹

    Colbert raised his voice as he once again took a stance.

    ¡¸Then what matters most?¡¹

    ¡¸The answer to that question is a simple one. What matters most to me right now is upholding the Dimitris Style¡¯s pride.¡¹

    His deration came with a really cool sounding line.

    ¡¸Getting serious and undoing seal against opponent with child¡¯s appearance for pride?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    Heh. Looked like we hit the sucker in a sore spot.

    ¡¸Pride?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry¡­ I was just saying it that way because I was trying to make myself sound cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Expected.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Yeah, you¡¯re right. I was trying to make it sound much better than it really was.¡¹

    Uhh¡­ sheet. I realized that we¡¯d pushed him a bit too far, as our words had ultimately led to an effect opposite that of what I¡¯d been hoping for.

    ¡¸Sorry. You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t undo my seal out of something as propossessing as pride. I did it because I wanted to, because I, as a practitioner of the Dimitris Style, wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself for losing this easily to a C ranker. That just isn¡¯t something I can allow to happen. I have always looked up to the Dimitris Style, and known it to be the world¡¯s most powerful.¡¹

    The magical energy Colbert emitted began wrapping its way around his body. It only took a matter of moments for it to grow so dense that it¡¯d effectively be a suit of armour.

    ¡¸That is why I cannot allow myself to lose. I will not let myself be the reason people look down on the Dimitris Style! I would much rather be emunicated than put the style to shame!¡¹

    That was just how much the Dimitris Style meant to Colbert.

    But despite his passionate shouts, Fran managed to retain her calm. Likewise, I¡¯d done the same. This, him going all out, was within the realm of my expectations.

    ¡¸Gale Hazard!¡¹

    Fran fired off an AOE projectile at him in order to keep him as pinned as possible as she rushed at him. His stats had risen, but his Divine Fist Arts had remained unchanged; he still possessed the exact same amount of skill with his hands. Hence, I suspected that Fran would retain the upper hand in terms of technique.

    Or at least that¡¯s how things were if I didn¡¯t factor the Dimitris Style in. I was on guard for what would happen, but apparently not nearly as on guard as I should¡¯ve been.

    ¡¸Dimitris Style Martial Art ¡ª Asura!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuaahh!¡¹

    Colbert allowed Fran to sh at him, but immediately followed with a counter and sent her flying back. He then kicked off the ground in attempt to chase her down and follow up his attack with another before she could regain her bnce.

    ¡¸Oraaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    His strategy, taking a hit and then countering, was simr to Kurusu¡¯s, but he was much more skilled, and hence, his application of the tactic had been much more effective.

    The first major point of deviation was the fact that we hadn¡¯t even been able to actually pierce his defenses; Colbert managed to remain unharmed despite the fact that Fran had attacked him with my element-cloaked de. His martial art allowed him to condense magical energy and use it in the same manner as he would his arms. These four newly created energy-based appendages stayed close to his body and, in doing so, almost made him truly resemble the six armed God the technique was named after.

    It was precisely this technique that allowed him to avoid taking any of the damage we would¡¯ve otherwise inflicted. It seemed to have both boosted his reaction speed and the range of his field of vision, as he¡¯d used two of his magical arms to catch me mid swing. As the arms were constructed entirely of energy, the few scratches they did get from the act immediately regenerated and were made moot.

    Naturally, all of his magic hands were also capable of attacking. Colbert being a martial artist meant that the number of attacks he could execute was purely limited by the number of limbs he had, which, in turn, led to the conclusion that he¡¯d be way deadlier than he¡¯d been before.

    One of his many attacks eventually ended up breaking through Fran¡¯s defenses and digging straight into her lungs.

    ¡¸Bughhh¡¹

    ¡ºGreater Heal¡»

    I managed to get Fran healed up immediately, but I couldn¡¯t stop her from momentarily flinching because of the hit. The bit of a stagger that resulted allowed Colbert enough of an opening to follow up with a third flurry.

    One of his hands even ended up grabbing onto me. It tried tightening its grip in order to hold me in ce the moment it did, but I managed to escape by using Telekinesis. Though I did indeed manage to retreat, I wasn¡¯t able to stop him from momentarily restricting Fran¡¯s movements, which, once again, caused Colbert to gain yet another shot of momentum.

    Fran was still avoiding his attacks and returning fire, but she was doing so with her face warped in pain. Erza had mentioned before that some of the Dimitris Style¡¯s practitioners were capable of performing attacks that would permeate into one¡¯s body and destroy it from the inside out.

    Colbert¡¯s attacks were in fact all of that precise type.

    Even the ones that struck me instead of Fran carried through my de and assaulted her hands with shockwave upon shockwave upon shockwave. I attempted to block the effects of his attacks by deploying a series of barriers, but to pretty much no avail. They passed right through them; even the lightest touch would cause Colbert¡¯s Qi to flow into her body and damage her internals.

    Having Fran continue holding her ground like this was a bad idea. Simply patiently waiting for a chance wasn¡¯t going to work.

    ¡ºIt doesn¡¯t look like his attacks are just physically based, but I think it might be best for us to point both Physical Damage Resistance and Physical Barrier regardless.¡»

    £¨Nn! Got it!£©

    I executed one of the contingencies I¡¯d discussed with Fran earlier and threw 18 points into each of the two skills.

    Fran and I hade into the tourney with more than just a few cards in hand. We¡¯d pushed ourselves as hard as we could in order to farm magic stones so I could rank up as quickly as possible ¡ª which I did. I¡¯d then just held onto all 66 of the points that we had, just in case we ran into any situations like this one.

    Hoarding points and using them in the middle of a battle was much more effective than using them up ahead of time, as having them avable meant being able to adjust to our opponents.

    ¡´A new skill has been unlocked as you have fulfilled all of its prerequisites. Your Physical Barrier and Magical Barrier skills have been merged into the Perfect Barrier skill.¡µ

    Perfect Barrier seemed to be a pretty damned good skill. Its level 1 output was equivalent to the two other skills¡¯ max level outputsbined. The term ¡°perfect¡± initially led me to believe that the barrier could prevent any and all damage, but I was wrong, as it clearly wasn¡¯tpletely impregnable. The ¡°perfect¡± part of its name instead seemed to describe that it could at least attempt to mitigate all types of attacks.

    ¡´The Physical Damage Resistance skill has reached its maximum level and evolved into Physical Damage Nullification.¡µ

    And¡­ we also ended up unlocking a skill I¡¯d been expecting, but not really all that keen on getting.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸What!? How are you suddenly no longer taking damage!?¡¹

    Colbert¡¯s eyes widened as Fran began stepping forward whilepletely ignoring all his attacks. He didn¡¯t stop, and continued to assault her, but she didn¡¯t mind his strikes at all. At first, it seemed like she was trying to take damage in order to dish it out, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Our two newly obtained skills made it so she didn¡¯t have to to force herself into a trade.

    It¡¯d almost looked like she¡¯d be t out invincible.

    But I was panicking nheless.

    ¡ºSheet, Rumina was right! That nullification skill is eating my mana ridiculously quickly! ¡»

    Only a few moments had passed since we¡¯d gotten the skill, but it¡¯d already eaten up a whole 1000 mana. That was just how much energy it took topletely negate Colbert¡¯s iing attacks.

    Again, the skill¡¯s ridiculous mana consumption was something that Rumina had warned us about. Specifically, something she¡¯d warned us about just before the tournament began.

    ***

    ¡¸Master. That ability of yours is quite the powerful one, but warn you I must.¡¹

    ¡ºWarn me? About what?¡»

    ¡¸I ask that you beware of skills capable of nullification. Some magic beasts carry them, and thus, I believe it very likely for you to one day obtain them. You must take utmost caution in their application.¡¹

    ¡¸Why caution?¡¹

    ¡¸Skills carrying effects akin to nullification bear the tendency to consume a great deal of magical energy to actualize their effects. Moreover, the skill¡¯s function is automatic. You will not be able to stop them from activating, and thus, it is quite possible for you to quickly lose all your magical energy should you fight a foe capable of a vicious assault.¡¹

    In other words, me Invalidation would drain one¡¯s mana pool extremely quickly if one decided to sit in a sea of mes or something.

    The one Rumina emphasized as the one we should be the most careful with was Physical Damage Nullification. It was a skill typically possessed by monsters whose bodies were made of energy, so she wasn¡¯t sure exactly what would happen if we were to acquire it. There was a chance it¡¯d end up activating every single time we so much as took a step.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. She¡¯d also warned us that nullification-type skills didn¡¯t actually provide invulnerability. Certain skills would just go right through them.

    ording to Rumina, the Gods had made it so that nullification skills weren¡¯t in fact the highest order of skill one could have. They could be broken through by both skills built to pierce defenses as well as skills containing the Gods¡¯ powers.

    Rumina herself had actually bore witness to one of these incidents; she¡¯d seen Ignius use its Godme skill to roast and kill someone that happened to have the me Nullification skill.

    She¡¯d warned that it was possible that the Beast Lord¡¯s Golden me of Extinction skill also counted as a higher order skill.

    ¡¸Do not let your guard down. Do not rely on nullification skills should you obtain them.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Our case was actually a bit different. We were able to choose whether or not we actually wanted a certain skill to be active, so, it was possible for us to avoid using any nullification skills we had unless we actually really needed them. They were quite perfect as far as trump cards went.

    That said, I couldn¡¯t actually switch the skill out as of right this moment, as Colbert was still in the middle of attacking us.

    ¡ºHurry up Fran! You¡¯ll have to finish this real quick!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran raised me above her head and readied herself to a massive downwards swing ¡ª an opening Colbert failed to miss.

    ¡¸Dimitris Style Secret Technique ¡ª Rupturing Strike!¡¹

    He poured his mana into his fist as he twisted it as he shoved it straight into Fran¡¯s gut. But it was rendered null. The strike hadn¡¯t even caused her to so much as flinch.

    ¡¸Sheet! It had no effect!?¡¹

    Colbert¡¯s attack hadn¡¯t damaged Fran, but it¡¯d contained so much force that it drained another 1000 mana straight from my pool, which, once again confirmed that Colbert was one helluva a foe. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much damage his attack would¡¯ve done had we not the means topletely negate it.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran leapt into the air and delivered a downwards strike with everyst bit of her power.

    We activated two instances of Elemental de, popped Vibration de, Magic Poison Fang and Weight Boost as she drew me from a sheath of wind. Her skill with the katana, which had already been remarkable, had be even more refined because of the Sword Lord Arts skill.

    Though we were basically in his face, our attack was one that was incredibly easy to read, and thus, Colbert had an easy time avoiding it.

    Or at least he would have, had I not stopped him.

    I bound him with both Wind Magic and Telekinesis and prevented him from moving either to the left or right. To him, that much was nothing. He easily shrugged it off, but in doing so, lost the instant he needed to avoid Fran¡¯s iing strike. Realizing that escape had be impossible, he instead quickly opted to use all four of his magical arms to defend himself.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaarrgghhh!¡¹

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    We not only split all his magic-made limbs in two, but also left a giant gash running from his left shoulder to the opposite side of his hip. Both his arms were still fine, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for his internals. The majority of the damage had gone straight to his lungs,one of them had even been t out turned to ash. The mes that cloaked my de scorched his body andpletely turned into a huge mess. The open wound was charred ck; smoke wafted off of it alongside a foul, meaty smell.

    It looked like he was done for, but we kept going. Colbert was strong. We knew that it was still possible for him to turn everything around despite how grim the situation looked, and so, we continued focusing on refining our magical energies.

    ¡ºKeep it up! Don¡¯t slow down!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran brought me to her waist and followed up with a powerful horizontal sh.

    I figured that Colbert could still fight, but I never expected him to do as he did. That is, he attempted to avoid the attack by leaping backwards and dodging despite his near fatal wound. He then focused his energies back into his magical arms and once again extended them towards us.

    The situation was dire. We¡¯d run out of mana if he hit us even just one more time. If we wanted to win this, we had to end it here and now.

    Knowing that, I quickly responded by stretching my de as far as I could.

    ¡¸Come on!¡¹

    ¡ºReach reach reach!¡»

    ¡¸Guaagghhh!¡¹

    Colbert reached us right as we reached him. We managed to null his attack, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for him; my de tore through his gut and caused his blood to stter across Fran¡¯s face.

    He took far too much damage to maintain his concentration, and so, his magic-made arms faded away.

    ¡¸Sh¡­it¡­¡¹

    The martial artist fell onto his knees before groaning in pain and copsing, after which he didn¡¯t even so much as twitch. He was bleeding heavily, crimson liquid leaked from his protruding internal organs began turning the stage into a sea of blood. To make matters worse, he was even badly poisoned.

    Things were looking really bad.

    Invalidating Colbert¡¯sst attack had used up the rest of my mana. I was t dry. I couldn¡¯t do anything for him at all.

    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t need to be the one to heal him. A member of the guild¡¯s staff immediately rushed over and did what was necessary in order to save him.

    And with that staff member¡¯s actions came an enthusiastic announcement.

    ¡¸It¡¯s over! The match has been decided! What a stunning upset,dies and gentlemen! Today¡¯s winner is once again, Fran, the Magic Sword Girl! It looks like she just might end up being the most terrifying dark horse in this tournament¡¯s history!¡¹

 Chapter 200: Vs Colbert â€” After

    <h4>Chapter 200: Vs Colbert ¡ª After</h4>

    We checked in on Colbert, who¡¯d been carried over to the sickbay, not too long after the match ended. His wounds had been healed by magic, but he¡¯d yet to regain most of his stamina, and so, he was still bedridden and unable to so much as sit up.

    ¡¸Colbert, feeling okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey¡­ It appears that I¡¯ve narrowly managed to escape death.¡¹

    ¡¸Very close.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahah. You have me beat. I never expected to lose even after undoing my sea¡­ugh.¡¹

    Colbert ced a hand on his head and groaned.

    ¡¸Okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­ It seems that I¡¯ve simply pushed myself a bit too hard. This happens every time I use Asura.¡¹

    Asura was the technique that caused him to suddenly sprout a bunch of magical arms. My assumption was that said technique boosted both his reaction speed and widened his field of vision, as I failed to see how else he would¡¯ve been able to fight on par with Fran and her Sword Lord Arts.

    ¡¸You were strong, stronger than any foe I¡¯ve ever faced before.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Your next opponent will be a tough one, but I believe in you. Beat him, for my sake as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Definitely.¡¹

    We decided to leave the sick bay after exchanging a few more words with him. As he¡¯d yet to recover, I figured that forcing him into an extended conversation probably wasn¡¯t exactly what anyone could call a good idea.

    I expected that he¡¯d end up getting some peace and quiet after we left, but apparently the exact opposite happened, as I happened to catch ear of a few panicked shouts just before we wound up out of earshot.

    ¡¸God damn it! I went overboard and let the blood rush to my head! Damn it! I¡¯m totally going to get emunicated! There¡¯s no way my demon of a Master will let me get away with this!¡¹

    His tone made it incredibly easy for me to picture him cradling his head and shaking it in despair. It would¡¯ve been something interesting to discuss with Fran, but I decided to practice tact and keep any mention of his circumstances to a minimum seeing as how he¡¯d purposefully waited for her to leave before letting his emotions take control of him; he clearly hadn¡¯t wanted to show his more pitiful side.

    ¡ºMy condolences, Colbert. My condolences.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºNah, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about. Let¡¯s just go.¡»

    ***

    The next thing Fran and I did was head back to the arena. Specifically, we became spectators, as it was probably the best possible use of our time. There was a chance we would end up having to fight the people that emerged victorious today should we win the next round. It¡¯s not like we¡¯d be wasting time even if we lost either, as observing these higher leveled fights served to broaden our horizons regardless.

    There were only a total of eight matches scheduled today due to the nature of the single elimination tournament structure, and as we fought the second, there were only six for us to observe.

    Amanda was the one fighting the day¡¯s third match, and had just finished wrapping up right as we managed to get back. She had once again basically finished her foe off in an instant.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t get to see anything.¡¹

    ¡ºEh, can¡¯t really be helped. This next match should be interesting enough to make up for it though. Erza¡¯s going to be fighting.¡»

    His opponent was a C ranked adventurer, one known to be rather difficult to fight because of his incredible technical skill with the spear. The battle was honestly one I was really looking forward to and didn¡¯t want to miss.

    However, we were at a bit of an impasse. There wasn¡¯t anywhere for us to sit. We contemted what to do, and I actually almost ended up creating a chair using earth magic, but, fortunately, one of the men nearby called out to us and, in doing so, stopped me before I did.

    ¡¸Hey, are you Fran? The Magic Sword Girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    He, the middle aged man, was spectating the match with a bottle of wine in one hand, and a skewer in the other. Based on that, I assumed the guy was probably doing pretty well for himself.

    ¡¸Woah, it really is you. I¡¯m guessing you wanted to spectate?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, feel free to take my seat then.¡¹

    ¡¸Really okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, go for it. I¡¯ve been betting on you since the prelims, and at this point, you¡¯ve earned me so much cash I can kick back and skip work for the rest of the month.¡¹

    Wow, he really has made a lot off us.

    The fact that he¡¯s been betting on us since the prelims meant he was probably half doing it to cheer Fran on, and half because he wanted to see if could earn himself a big ass return off her efforts. That said, I still felt thankful because he had still been rooting for us either way.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll dly fork the seat over if you just let me shake your hand so I can brag about it to all my buddies!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks! I¡¯ll be cheering for you tomorrow too, so do your best out there!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And so, the man shook Fran¡¯s hand, relinquished his seat to her, and walked away with a bit of a chuckle. My guess was that he¡¯d probably headed somewhere he couldfortably stand around while watching the remaining matches.

    Erza¡¯s match began shortly after we sat down. His opponent was as difficult to deal with as his reputation suggested, and managed to stay out of Erza¡¯s range while attacking him with his spear.

    However, the spearman¡¯s attacks were a bit too light to actually inflict any damage; Erza ignored all his strikes and managed to brute force charge right at him without really minding the iing onught.

    The spearman¡¯s incredible agility allowed him to dodge the attack that came out of it, but seeing that it¡¯d destroyed a part of the arena with just one hit had caused his blood to run cold.

    His movements started to dull with time, not because he ran out of stamina, but because the disparity in their attacks¡¯ effectiveness caused him a great mental burden.

    He was in a pretty sheetty situation, one we¡¯d experienced several times before. His attacks did practically nothing, but everything¡¯d be over for him if he failed to dodge even just once. He wouldn¡¯t be able to rake in a win unless he went out on a limb and shifted to a style that would put a bit more emphasis on pure power, a choice he was hesitant to make given that his opponent¡¯s giant ass mace kept only barely missing him.

    It took a him a good bit, but he eventually managed to do it. He made up his mind and drove his spear straight towards Erza after dodging an attack that left the bigger man off bnce. It was the fastest, and most powerful strike he¡¯d demonstrated to date.

    The crowd gasped as his spear closed in on Erza¡¯s unarmoured upper body.

    But it didn¡¯t work. The spearman¡¯s weapon wasn¡¯t able to pierce Erza¡¯s skin. It was instead stopped by the bigger man¡¯s ridiculously high defenses.

    From there, it all went downhill. The man was promptly caught by Erza and dropped to the floor, where he was pinned by a full body technique that rendered him unable to breathe. He ultimately ended up having to surrender with an oxygen deprived wheeze.

    ¡ºMust suck to be him.¡»

    ¡¸Closebat means openings.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I mean, you¡¯re right, but¡­¡»

    No way I was ever going to let Erza pin Fran to the floor, especially while making full body contact. Just, hell no.

    ¡ºPinning techniques are just terrible.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Dangerous.¡¹

    ¡ºIn more than one way at that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Erza¡¯s match was the only one that¡¯d really been interesting. All the others basically ended in an instant or were kind of boring.

    Forrund¡¯s match, the fourth match, was so short that it caused the crowd to boo. It didn¡¯t even take him five seconds to finish off his opponent.

    Phillip, the Krysten family¡¯s eldest son, fought the fifth match. It was a harsh battle full of backs and forths, but we¡¯d already seen him fight back in Barbra, so it ended up being kinda dull.

    Neither Royce, nor Fermus ended up having to go all out, but they both finished their matches in less than a minute. All I could tell from watching them was that they had even more power hiding beneath the surface.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll have to win tomorrow¡¯s match if we even want a chance at fighting any of them.¡»

    ¡¸Will definitely win.¡¹

    ***

    We headed to the dungeon after we finished spectating the day¡¯s matches so we could not only try out our new skills, but also run a few simtions in order to figure out how we¡¯d go about fighting Goldalfa.

    Fortunately, Physical Damage Invalidation didn¡¯t actually activate whenever we took a step, but it did consume an incredible amount of mana nheless. It¡¯d react regardless of whether we were attacking or defending; half of my mana pool had actually vanished into thin air before I¡¯d even realized any of it was missing.

    But, as evidenced by its ability to even nullify the shock generated by our attacks, it was ridiculously potent. Fran was able to punch an ogre many times her size without even feeling the slightest bit of bacsh. In a real battle, the skill made it so we were able to ignore any and all of the attacks our opponents used to zone us. It didn¡¯t matter whether they shed at us with swords or whacked us with hammers. None of it had any effect whatsoever.

    Likewise, Perfect Barrier also turned out to be pretty useful.

    It only consumed as much magical energy as either one of the two barriers that¡¯d merged to create it, but had the full effects of both. The potency of its defenses did still fall short of our newly found nullification skill, but that was to be expected.

    In other words, we were pretty much going to end up spamming Perfect Barrier whenever we could, and saving Physical Damage Nullification for when we really needed it.

    ¡ºAlright, that¡¯s enough testing. Let¡¯s try figuring out what we should do against Goldalfa.¡»

    The fact that Goldalfa was an axe user made me suspect that we would probably end up having to rely on Physical Damage Nullification if we wanted to beat him. I had no idea exactly how strong he¡¯d get if he used Awakening, but I somehow doubted our defenses would be solid enough to hold off his attacks.

    His offenses were but one of my two main concerns. The other was the extent to which he was capable of soaking up damage. The dude had High Speed Regeneration, Strengthened Skin, and over 1k HP to boot. We probably wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him by slowly wearing him down; I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to beat him in a more drawn out battle.

    In other words, if we wanted to beat him without using Physical Damage Nullification, we¡¯d have to not only dodge all his attacks, but also deliver attacks with enough power to break through his defenses and quickly end the match. My conclusion? Things weren¡¯t exactly looking up.

    We spent a bit of time thinking up hypothetical situations and the skills we¡¯d level to deal with each of them before finally calling it a day.

    ¡¸Will go visit Rumina.¡¹

    Fran had already stopped addressing Rumina in the respectful manner that she¡¯d done when they first met ¡ª not that the older ck Catkin minded it at all. In fact, she even seemed to enjoy being referred to more casually. The two¡¯s rtionship almost seemed to have developed into one that was kind of like that of a grandmother and grandchild, a status quo with which both were satisfied.

    ¡ºGood idea. We might as well go pop in and say hi before we leave.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We teleported into the room Rumina had made us a few days earlier.

    She seemed to immediately pick up on our arrival, as she even ended up greeting us by the door as we entered her quarters.

    ¡¸Wee.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡º¡¯Sup.¡»

    ¡¸It appears that you have triumphed once again. I believe your next match will be a quarter final round against an A ranked adventurer?¡¹

    ¡ºYeap. We¡¯ll be fighting one of the Beast Lord¡¯s subordinates.¡»

    ¡¸And will you be attempting victory? I believe you have already satisfied the conditions he hasid before you by winning this morning¡¯s match.¡¹

    ¡¸Will win. Will force ck Cat Tribe¡¯s strength to be acknowledged.¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re intending on ying every single card we have if that¡¯s what it takes.¡»

    ¡¸I see¡­ Very well, I shall say no more regarding the matter. Instead, I will offer you my encouragement. Forward, Fran, to victory!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And so, we headed back to the inn after having Rumina tell us a bit more about skills and magic.

    Tomorrow, our match would be the first. We had to get up even earlier than usual.

 Chapter 201: Vs Goldalfa Part 1

    <h4>Chapter 201: Vs Goldalfa Part 1</h4>

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s finally go time.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re going to be up against an A ranker, someone as strong as Amanda. We¡¯ll really have to push ourselves if we want to pull a win out of this one.¡»

    ¡¸Already know. But-¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Let¡¯s win this sheet.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Will definitely win!¡¹

    We¡¯d actually already leveled a few skills up in preparation for the fight, skills we decided would help us based on what we learned from consulting with Rumina.

    ¡¸Good morning. It¡¯s time for your match to begin. Are you ready?¡¹

    One of the tourney¡¯s staff members called out to us and informed us that we needed to go.

    ¡¸Nn. Ready.¡¹

    ¡¸Then please follow me.¡¹

    Fran walked down the usual corridor in her usual manner. She was pumped and looking forward to the match, but not even the slightest bit nervous.

    It had finallye time to put one of the schemes we¡¯de up with into action ¡ª not that it was actually anything grand enough to be denoted as such.

    The first thing I did was buffing Fran a whole bunch. Specifically, I¡¯d use support magic in order raise her stats. She then poured her magical energy into me in order to make use of that magical conductivity stat of mine. Specifically, she emptied herself out, drank a few High Grade Mana Potions to refill her bar, drained her entire tank yet again, and then once again downed a few more pots to top herself off in preparation for the battle. Doing that allowed her to raise my attack a ton without having to put any strain on my de. Numerically speaking, it ended up getting boosted almost all the way up to 3.7k.

    There was a pretty major problem with the strategy we were currently employing, as I was only able to hold the magical energy she charged me with for about 20 minutes. We would have to end the match before my timer ticked all the way down to zero.

    ¡ºHey you sure you¡¯re alright? You kinda just downed 8 entire mana potions.¡»

    ¡¸Fine.¡¹

    Luckily, it seemed like there wasn¡¯t any issue. I honestly felt like this strategy of ours wouldn¡¯t actually be possible if it wasn¡¯t for Fran¡¯s habit of eating as much as she did. Any normal person would probably feel bloated from suddenly drinking 8 sses worth of stuff.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºSure thing.¡»

    Entering the stage caused Fran to be showered with the usual cheers. Evidently, she¡¯d already grown used to them, as hearing them didn¡¯t cause any change in her expression.

    ¡¸And entering from the eastern gate is the girl that¡¯s taken this year¡¯s tournament by storm, the cute face that¡¯s gained an explosive amount of poprity, Fran, the Magic Sword Girl! She¡¯s stompedpetitor afterpetitor, and caused upset after upset, a trend she¡¯ll need to maintain if she wishes to beat the A ranked adventurer she¡¯ll have to face today! Can she do itdies and gentlemen? We¡¯ll have to wait and see!¡¹

    Thementator¡¯s words almost made it seem like he was rooting for us, which, I kinda did understand. Seeing a kid like Fran give it her all just kinda made you feel like giving her a bit of encouragement. The only people that I could imagine not feeling that way were probably the Blue Cat Tribe¡¯s members.

    ¡¸Do your best Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure you win, for our wallets¡¯ sakes!¡¹

    ¡¸We believe in your Fran! You have to win! The better you do, the more we¡¯ll get to eat tonight!¡¹

    All three Scarlet Maidens were present and cheering for us. I kinda felt like they were being a bit too open with their greed, but what mattered wasn¡¯t the reason that they were rooting for us, but rather, the fact that they were.

    ¡¸And from the western gate we have one the most likely contenders for the championship title, a man that¡¯s crushed every single one of his opponents with an overwhelming disy of strength, Goldalfa, the Imprable Fortress! His feats have been truly worthy of his A rank status. He¡¯s managed to remain entirely unscathed throughout all the battles he¡¯s won to date! What do you think,dies, gentlemen? Will he be able to pull off yet another wless victory? ¡¹

    Goldafa, like Fran, was also greeted by a ridiculously loud series of cheers. However, he seemed less popr than her, as there were also a couple boos thrown into the mix.

    It was almost as if the crowd had alreadye to the conclusion that Goldalfa woulde out on top. To me, it seemed that the people cheering for Fran were cheering in hopes that she¡¯d put up a good fight as opposed to getting defeated in an instant, not because they believed that she¡¯d be able to win. Honestly, it was something to be expected. Fran had been on a winning spree, but she was still just a C ranker. Goldalfa was an A ranker, so there wasn¡¯t really any reason for anyone to suspect that he wasn¡¯t way out of her league.

    ¡ºI¡¯m looking forward to seeing the looks on everyone¡¯s faces when we prove them wrong.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We faced off against Goldalfa at the arena¡¯s center.

    The equipment he was wearing today waspletely different from the first set we¡¯d seen him in. His armour was much tougher looking; its massive scarlet frame was decorated with a series of me-like streaks. Likewise, his axe also gave off a much more intimidating air. It was jet ck, and had a design that made it incredibly obvious that its main purpose was to serve as a weapon in times of war.

    The armour also seemed to have the ability to block us from properly appraising him. My Eye of Empyrea skill allowed me to at least discern his stats and skills, but I couldn¡¯t actually check any details regarding his equips.

    ¡¸I see you¡¯ve won your way here.¡¹

    ¡¸Will win today too.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re really spirited, and Imend you for it. But you¡¯ll need much more than just drive and willpower to defeat me. Come! Come at me with all the strength you have!¡¹

    ¡¸nned on it.¡¹

    Goldalfa didn¡¯t seem to be underestimating Fran, not even in the slightest, as he was ring at her as he would a powerful rival.

    The caster quickly went over an interesting detail as the two stared each other down.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be making use of the Cradle of Time from this match onward, thanks to the Beast Lord and his generosity.¡¹

    The Cradle of Time was a magic item that allowed one to turn back the clock within a specified area, and was set to activate in the case that one of the contestants happened to die. Best part of it was that apparently, the cradle didn¡¯t actually affect one¡¯s memory, so dying wouldn¡¯t meant losing the experience you gained. As one could imagine, it was a really expensive item, and hence, typically saved for the semis and beyond, but this time around, the Beast Lord had decided to sponsor the tourney with a huge chunk of cash. Thus, they were able to start using the item a full round earlier than usual.

    In other words, we were able to go all the hell out without really having to worry about dying or killing our opponent. That wasn¡¯t the only factor that allowed us to go all out. There were now also a bunch of barriers set up around the arena in order to protect the audience members from any stray attacks.

    Battles that included the use of the the Cradle of Time were different from other battles in the sense that there was no ring out option. One could only win by killing their opponent, disabling them, or forcing them to surrender.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t really think this needs to be said, but I¡¯ll say it regardless. I will not underestimate you simply because you are a ck Catkin as it was a ck Catkin that made me as capable as I am today.¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly as desired.¡¹

    Fran unsheathed me and gave me a light swing as if to demonstrate her resolve.

    ¡¸And I take it that¡¯s your Magic Sword? Interesting, it truly appears to be much more than just your average de.¡¹

    ¡¸You too. Cool armour.¡¹

    ¡¸This armour is what I wear to battle. Me wearing it serves to prove that I¡¯m taking you seriously. It has Appraisal Blocking, both types of passive recovery, and even Magic Resistance. It was none other than a product crafted by a God-tier cksmith, a Magic Armour powerful enough to perform its function, even against a Godde.¡¹

    Wait, wait, you serious!? That¡¯s some sheet dude! I mean, it was possible that I was actually be the work of some God-tiered cksmith too and all that, but that, again, is just a possibility. His armour, on the other hand, was totally the real deal!

    I mean, I was pretty confident and all that, but I couldn¡¯t really help but get a bad feeling about that armour of his. Specifically, I was concerned about the possibility that it¡¯d have some sort of secret ability that¡¯d totally wreck us.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll bring everything right off the bat in order to crush you! Awakening!¡¹

    The few visible parts of Goldalfa¡¯s skin were dyed grey as he shouted the skill¡¯s name.

    ¡¸Woah! It appears that Goldalfa has already awakened! He¡¯s activated what most Beastkin consider their trump card! Can you believe it,dies and gentlemen!? He¡¯s already gone full throttle even though the match has yet to start! Things are getting heated up! I guess I¡¯d better say, let the match¡­ begin!¡¹

    Wait, seriously!? He awakened already!?

    Goldalfa¡¯s awakening differed greatly from Zefmate¡¯s. That is, his stats didn¡¯t end up changing. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his skills. He¡¯d gained a bunch of abilities that looked hard to deal with, namely, Muscles of Steel, Super Fast Reflexes, and Hardened Skin. His High Speed Regeneration had also gained several levels, and shot all the way up to 8. But that wasn¡¯t all. Highly dense magical energy had also began circting throughout his body.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Goldalfa

    Age: 44

    Race: Beastkin (White Rhino Tribe / ck Steel Rhino)

    Job: Sharpaxer

    Status Level: 72/99

    HP: 1256

    MP: 422

    STR: 654

    VIT: 582

    AGI: 267

    INT: 173

    MGC: 247

    DEX: 299

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 8

    Super Herculean Strength: Lv 8

    Fist Techniques: Lv 5

    Fist Arts: Lv 5

    Presence Detection: Lv 3

    High Speed Regeneration: Lv 8

    Herculean Strength: MAX

    Club Techniques: Lv 6

    Club Arts: Lv 6

    Mining: Lv 8

    Regeneration: MAX

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 7

    Blink: Lv 3

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 7

    Elemental de: Lv 8

    Greater Earth Resistance: Lv 4

    Charge: Lv 7

    Axe Techniques: MAX

    Axe Arts: MAX

    Divine Axe Techniques: Lv 6

    Divine Axe Arts: Lv 7

    Magic Perception: Lv 3

    Vigour Mastery

    Muscles of Steel

    Goblin Killer

    Super Fast Reflexes

    Dampened Sense of Pain

    Dragon Killer

    Strengthened Skin

    Hardened Skin

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Shockwave

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡¸Nrrrrrghhhhhhhhh!¡¹

    Goldalfa swung his axe downwards without moving from where he stood the moment the match began. The action caused three massive shockwaves to erupt from his axe and assault us.

    They were powerful; they were backed by so much brute strength that I was pretty sure thatunching those three attacks alone would¡¯ve already been enough for him to instantly defeat most C ranked magic beasts.

    It seemed to be an assault he¡¯dunched in order to scout out our strength.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºExplosion!¡»

    I fired off a spell to intercept Goldalfa¡¯s attack.

    The fireball bursted into a massive congration as collided with the shockwave and dyed the stage in red.

    I took advantage of the resulting smokescreen and teleported us behind Goldalfa.

    Fran immediately took advantage of the opening presented and attacked Goldalfa¡¯s neck by drawing me from a sheath of wind while activating all the usual skills.

    It was both a deadly strike and a perfect sneak attack ¡ª

    ¡¸Ggaaaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡ª one to which he couldn¡¯t react.

    My de sank straight into his neck. I felt it tear through his flesh and bones as his blood sprayed from his newfound injury.

    Yet, it left me unsatisfied. I felt myself smashing through a wall of magical energy and a bunch of really tough skin and muscle before even hitting his armour. We¡¯d lost a lot of the power that the strike had initiallye with.

    The attack that was meant topletely behead him stopped halfway through his neck. We were unable go any deeper because of how insane his defenses were.

    That said, our attack had yet to end. We hadn¡¯t managed to do what I was hoping, but we¡¯d opened up an opportunity, an opportunity I promptly attempted to take by turning my de into a series of needles and stabbing them into his innars.

    Unfortunately, I was too slow. Goldalfa reacted before I did.

    ¡¸Shockwave!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaaahhhh!¡¹

    He released a burst of magical energy and sent us flying.

    Sheet, he has balls!

    The dudepletely disregarded the fact that we half beheaded him and managed to make a calm,posed decision.

    His shockwave did much more than just give him some breathing room. It ate through a huge chunk of both my durability and Fran¡¯s HP. All in all, it seemed even more powerful than the thing he¡¯d started the match with.

    The Rhinokin immediately chased after us, so Fran had no choice but to dodge his attacks as she choked up blood.

    ¡¸Gaffff¡­¡¹

    ¡ºGreater Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Fuu¡­ fuu¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYou still doing okay?¡»

    ¡¸Still okay.¡¹

    We¡¯d already known long ahead of time, but I felt the urge to reiterate that tanking Goldalfa¡¯s attacks was a terrible idea.

    ¡ºI¡¯m surprised he awakened right off the bat like that. We also failed to actually take him in one go¡­ Oh well, can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s start by stripping away his defenses.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    I did as per the contingency we¡¯d thought up ahead of time and shoved all my remaining points into a certain skill.

    ¡ºBe careful of his armour. It¡¯spletely outside our predictions, and we have no idea what it can do. Either way, we¡¯ll have to go in for a melee. Make sure you don¡¯t get hit, not even once!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Doraaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    ¡ºSheet, he¡¯s already healed up!?¡»

    Goldalfa leapt at us the moment we finished figuring out what to do. I honestly surprised that his wound had closed that quickly. His sheer vitality was terrifying.

    The two fighters began exchanging blows, with Fran dishing out lighter attacks in rapid session, and Goldalfa attempting tond hard hitting, decisive blows.

    The Rhinokin seemed to be pretty much spamming axe techniques, as every single one of his swings was apanied by a shockwave. I was pretty sure he would¡¯ve killed at least 100 spectators had there not been a barrier protecting them. The shockwaves weren¡¯t too-too strong, but taking them head on wasn¡¯t what I could call good for my durability, so Fran ended up dodging or warding off all the hits as opposed to blocking them.

    All of Fran¡¯s attacks were aimed at the cracks and seams in Goldalfa¡¯s armour, but we weren¡¯t really able to damage him nearly as much as we expected to. The cuts we gave him immediately closed because he¡¯d just regenerate off the damage; we weren¡¯t able to inflict anysting wounds.

    I tried destroying the armour itself, but even it ended up healing back up immediately after sustaining damage, a trait that honestly wasn¡¯t too unexpected in and of itself given that Fran¡¯s ck Cat Set was capable of doing the exact same.

    Another thing I tried was throwing a few spells at him from time to time, but to little effect. Attacking him with magic failed to do anything beyond verifying that he¡¯d been telling the truth when he said that his armour gave him magic resistance. Goldalfa himself had already had ridiculously high physical defense to begin with, so pping that shy armour of his onto him basically turned him into a walking fortress.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaa! Shooockwaaaaaaaaaaveeeeeee!¡¹

    Goldalfa once again used his innate skill at close range and sent out a st of magical energy in every direction. The skill itself was a simple one, but it was incredibly difficult to deal with nheless.

    At close range, the skill inflicted damage while also messing up our posture. It also appeared to be able to function as a sort of barrier if instead cast at medium range.

    More importantly was the fact that it inflicted both physical and magical damage simultaneously; it didn¡¯t seem like we would be able to fully negate its effects through the use of Physical Damage Nullification.

    We¡¯d managed to mitigate most of the damage this time around by deploying a barrier, but we still did sustain some. Goldalfa had us right where he wanted us. We were currently deadlocked into a stalemate, one he knew Fran would eventually lose because he was able to outsustain her.

    Foock that!

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Ruff!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh. You can even use summoning magic!? Interesting, but doesn¡¯t matter. You won¡¯t be able to break through my defenses with any sort of attack thatcks in terms of power.¡¹

    That was something we already knew. Urushi was pretty strong, but he was indeed the type that relied more on chaining attacks than delivering single, more powerful blows ¡ª not that it actually mattered. We didn¡¯t call for Urushi because we¡¯d wanted him to deliver a decisive blow. We had other, better ns in mind.

    ¡ºKeep it up Fran! The n¡¯s working. I managed to absorb some of his mana.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    The skill I¡¯d leveled up just a bit earlier was in fact Mana Absorption. I didn¡¯t have enough points to get it past level 9, but, it was still managing to exactly what I needed it to do regardless.

    Fighting Colbert had taught that Physical Damage Nullification wasn¡¯t something that made us invincible. We could still take damage from magic, or anything else in its vein. Plus, the skill consumed a tonne of magical energy.

    To that end, we devised a n that would address both those points at once: absorbing our opponents¡¯ magical energy. It allowed us to not only drain mana directly from our opponents, but also from their attacks, which, in turn, would naturally weaken them.

    I¡¯ve had the skill at level 3 for a while. I could¡¯ve boosted it up back when we were fighting Colbert as well, but I¡¯d decided against it at the time because I didn¡¯t know how effective it¡¯d be. I didn¡¯t want to make a bet we weren¡¯t sure to win, especially given the value of my self-evolution points.

    Plus, we still had a few other cards left to y, so I¡¯d kinda been on the fence and ultimately ended up just leaving it.

    The reason I was willing to level it now was because we¡¯d asked Rumina and Dias about its effectiveness, and both had told us that it¡¯d get pretty annoying to deal with if leveled.

    In fact, it was such a good skill that even Rumina thought it to be dangerous, and so, I¡¯d actually really been looking forward to seeing just how effective it was capable of bing.

    And it really had lived up to its reputation, as I¡¯d managed to drain away Goldalfa¡¯s mana bit by bit. The reason we¡¯d called Urushi was because we wanted him to be able to help usnd a few more hits, and therefore force Goldalfa to use Regeneration and drain his mana even more quickly.

    Fran casted a dark-type elemental de, and continued attacking her opponent as often as she could. She still wasn¡¯t able to inflict any significant damage on him, but again, that didn¡¯t matter, as we were stealing more mana from him than his armour could passively recover.

    Long story short, the name of the game was to make him run out of mana before finishing him off with a single blow.

    ¡¸Huh? That¡¯s¡­ strange¡­¡¹

    The A ranked adventurer realized his mana was draining more quickly than usual, but he didn¡¯t seem to have caught onto the fact it was because I was absorbing it. That said, he didn¡¯t panic. He kept his cool and switched to what he believed to be the best possible strategy.

    ¡¸Nuoooooooooooooo!¡¹

    He suddenly cast all manner of defense aside and raised his axe above his head in order to deliver a powerful, almost desperate seeming downwards swing. It was an attack that would totally mince Fran to pieces should itnd, but it was far too obvious for her not to dodge.

    But it seemed that he hadn¡¯t been aiming for her to begin with.

    ¡¸Groundshaker!¡¹

    Instead, he¡¯d been directed his aim towards the stage itself. A series of cracks expanded from where his axended and shot all the way through the arena.

    The force of the impact caused the battlefield to shake. His technique appeared to be one that caused a local earthquake, and in doing so, prevented one¡¯s opponents from moving around. It looked to be about a magnitude 7 on the Japanese scale, or a 10-12 on the Mercalli scale, as it heavily restricted both Fran¡¯s and Urushi¡¯s actions.

    ¡¸Mmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Woooff?¡¹

    ¡ºHe was aiming for the stage itself!?¡»

    The axe that¡¯d been embedded inside of the arena came flying into Fran¡¯s torso immediately after the ground began shaking. Goldalfa had suddenly started moving much more quickly than he had throughout the rest of the battle¡¯s duration, likely an effect caused by himbining his Super Fast Reflexes skill with a technique that emphasized speed over all else. He moved at such a speed that even I, who¡¯d been speeding up my thoughts with space/time magic, had a hard time processing, so there was simply no way for Fran would be able to react to his assault while also dealing with the earthquake.

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    I immediately teleported us away from him and casted a few spells on Fran.

    ¡¸Gebuu¡­¡¹

    ¡ºGreater Heal! Greater Heal! Greater Heal!¡»

    The attack was basically the opposite of the one we¡¯d finished Colbert off with. That is, itpletely gouged out Fran¡¯s stomach. Her innards hade flowing out from the wound together with her blood as she vomited both her vital fluid and her stomach acid simultaneously. I was honestly surprised she didn¡¯t just instantly die from the shock.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Still¡­ okay¡­! Bfuh¡­¡¹

    Her legs seemed a bit unsteady, but she managed to stand up, spit out the blood she had in her mouth, and recover before the Cradle of Time activated.

    ¡¸Oraaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡ºSheet, he¡¯s not letting up!¡»

    Goldalfa didn¡¯t pull back because Fran had healed. In fact, it¡¯d actually caused him to immediately begin chasing after her yet again.

    £¨Now! My turn!£©

    Fran had just had a giant gaping hole torn in her stomach, but she wasn¡¯t feeling even the slightest bit discouraged. In fact, she was as far from backing down as could be. Taking the hit had only fueled her battlelust further.

 Chapter 202: The Phoenixâ€™s Armour

    <h4>Chapter 202: The Phoenix¡¯s Armour</h4>

    Goldalfa once again smashed his axe into the ground after rushing up to us.

    ¡¸Groundshaker!¡¹

    He attacked us the exact same way he had earlier. The sh that followed after his Groundshaker was undoubtedly fast, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Groundshaker itself. Hence, I was able to react and equip Physical Damage Nullification before he came at us with the follow up.

    ¡¸Nuuun!¡¹

    ¡¸Useless.¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible!¡¹

    Goldalfa wasn¡¯t the only one react with surprise. The audience had done the exact same, for his attack had seemed to stop immediately as it was about tond on Fran. Rather, it seemed to have been made to stop by some sort of invisible wall.

    That,bined with the fact that Fran hadn¡¯t moved or even recoiled from Goldalfa¡¯s attack despite the disparity in strength, caused the scene to almost seem surreal.

    Both the girl and wolf took advantage of the opening created and began assaulting him so we could once again drain his magical energy. The tworge scale attacks he¡¯d just performed had already eaten away at his supply. He no longer had enough to evenst a minute.

    ¡¸Cheyaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Nuuuun!¡¹

    He tried retaliating with a few quick strikes of his own, but he wasn¡¯t capable of matching her speed, and so, he ended up running t out of mana.

    ¡¸Ugh! My mana¡¯s dry¡­!¡¹

    Running out of mana caused the effects of his Awakening skill to fade away alongside several skills and the incredible magical energy that bolstered his defenses. It had finallye time for us to finish him; we had to win before his armour managed to restore his mana.

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    We teleported behind Goldalfa in an attempt to once again execute the attack we¡¯d hit him with right when the battle began.

    ¡¸Nuun!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    However, we weren¡¯t greeted by the exposed, unprotected back we¡¯d been hoping for. Instead, our sights were focused on the battleaxe that came flying straight towards us the moment we moved.

    The actual movement part of teleportation was instant, but there was a brief dy between when one disappeared and when one reappeared.

    Though he¡¯d lost his Super Fast Reflexes skill, he still managed to predict our actions and cope with them. I couldn¡¯t tell exactly why that was, but suspected it was either driven by his experience as a warrior, or more simply, his intuition as a Beastkin.

    Either way, we ended up getting sent flying the moment we arrived at our destination. Fran managed to use me to block the strike, but we felt a powerful shock from it nheless.

    Worst of all was that it confused me. I didn¡¯t know where we were supposed to aim next. I considered attempting his front, his left, and his right, but wasn¡¯t able toe to a decision. From there, I moved on to considering leaving Physical Damage Nullification on and just going for whatever, but again, I wasn¡¯t able to immediately make my decision. Fortunately for us, Fran wasn¡¯t nearly as wishy washy as me, and immediately figured out what she wanted to do.

    £¨Master, up! Will use attack that can¡¯t be stopped even if noticed.£©

    ¡ºGot it.¡»

    £¨Urushi. Stay, distract.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºLong Jump!¡»

    I teleported us way up above the arena. Goldalfa immediately looked around in an attempt to find where Fran went, but didn¡¯t think to check right above himself. The same went for both the audience and the caster, neither tried looking up.

    ¡¸Wow! Fran seems to have suddenly vanished into thin air! Just what is going on!? Did she turn invisible, did she teleport somewhere, or did maybe even dive into the shadows!?¡¹

    Little did the caster know, the correct answer was none of the above.

    I kept myself afloat with Telekinesis as Fran stood atop the side of my de and concentrated while manipting several skills simultaneously.

    ¡¸Ready.¡¹

    It took a few moments to get everything prepared.

    ¡ºAight.¡»

    Fran leapt off me, grabbed me, and then began running straight down towards the arena.

    She used Air Compression and Magic Thread Weaving tounch herself. She then transitioned into casting Sky Leap and Charge alongside a few wind-based spells in order to elerate herself even further as she plunged straight towards the ground. She also readied herself to activate weight boost the moment before shended to double her power while also cloaking my de with both lightning and me.

    It was exactly the technique she¡¯d used back when we fought Rynford ¡ª save for the fact that it was more potent.

    This time, she¡¯d started from higher up, and also boosted her speed even more through the application of Space/Time Magic. She¡¯d also be much more skilled in the art of drawing her sword and attacking in a single motion thanks to Sword Lord Arts, and obtained a boost to what was basically every single one of her skills because of Vigour Mastery. As a result, the resulting sh was many times more powerful than it¡¯d been back then.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    She took things even further by activating the Innate Skill she¡¯d only just learned a few days back, and in doing so, cloaked her body in lightning and elerated herself even further.

    Fran practically became a spear constructed solely of light as she descended upon Goldalfa like a meteorite.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Where in the-¡¹

    A bright sh of light filled the arena as Fran hit Goldalfa so hard she caused a massive shockwave to run through the entire venue. With the attack came a thundering roar so loud it rocked my very core.

    ¡¸Gggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!¡¹

    Goldalfa let out a roar halfway between a scream and a battlecry as he was assaulted by the attack.

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    I teleported us over to the edge of the arena immediately before Fran actually hit the ground.

    The ce where Goldalfa had been standing had be a giant crater with clouds of dust swirling around it. Looking at the aftermath really deepened my impression of the attack. It was absurdly powerful; it alone had managed to cut my durability in half. The dust clouds didn¡¯t remain for too long. They were soon blown away as a bunch of magical energy swelled up from inside the area.

    What we saw left us just as shocked as Goldalfa and the audience had been when Fran had totally stopped the Rhinokin¡¯s attack.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s impossible! How the hell is he regenerating without any mana!?¡»

    We¡¯d taken Goldalfa down to a knee. his right arm was t out gone, and the parts of his right half that did remain had been totally crushed alongside his crimson armour. His body¡¯s fluids were spouting out from the gaps within the crushed metal protector. Likewise, his left arm had also been totally crushed, and his left foot obviously fractured. I was pretty sure we¡¯d done a hell of a lot of damage to his internals as well.

    But he didn¡¯t die. In fact, he¡¯d begun healing at an incredible rate.

    What he was going through could no longer be described as just High Speed Regeneration. It was much more akin to Instantaneous Regeneration. The exact same thing was happening to his armour. It too was regenerating and repairing itself at a simr pace. It only took him a few seconds to return to his prior state. It almost looked as if we¡¯d never actually attacked him in the first ce.

    ¡¸Haa¡­ Ha¡­ I never expected you to be able to force my armour to save my life this early on in the battle¡­¡¹

    He stood himself back up as the words left his mouth.

    ¡¸The armour I¡¯m wearing is called the Phoenix¡¯s Armour. It allows its wearer to recover incredibly quickly.¡¹

    Yeah, I could kinda tell just by looking.

    He literally healed himself up in an instant. His armour already made him he tanky as is. Him getting the ability to instantly regenerate any injuries on top of all that practically made him a walking nightmare.

    How many times could he use that sheet anyways? I highly doubted it was something he could do in perpetuity, but I also highly doubted it was a one off thing either. It was something made by a God-tier cksmith. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how powerful it really was.

    £¨Master! Again!£©

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to y the same card twice. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯d just counter.¡»

    £¨¡­Got it.£©

    The reason we¡¯d been avoiding just teleporting around all the time was because we were worried our opponents would figure out how they were supposed to deal with it after seeing it put to use.

    Teleporting still seemed risky even if our opponents didn¡¯t know about it. Fran was able to react and deal with the Demon we fought back then despite his ability to lurk in the shadows, and he¡¯d been much stronger than she was. It was possible for teleporting to end up just being a trap against more powerful foes because they¡¯d end up figuring it out at first nce.

    Besides, that whole falling thing we did really left an impression, so it definitely wasn¡¯t something that could catch someone off guard multiple times in quick session.

    That was important and all, but ncing at Goldalfa had led me to immediately shelve any further thoughts on the subject.

    ¡¸Awakened?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. His mana¡¯s all the way back up to full.¡»

    Everything we¡¯d done to drain his magical energy had gone down the toilet. We basically ended up being put back in the exact same situation we¡¯d started off at, but in worse condition.

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel the urge to call his armour out on being a bullsheet OP equip, not that I really had the right to.

    £¨No choice. Will have to use that£©

    ¡ºYeah¡­ I guess so.¡»

    Draining his mana again would be pointless, as his armour was sure to restore it. And so, we decided to change up our strategy.

    There was a bit ofg time between him getting injured and his Instantaneous Regeneration actually popping. In other words, we¡¯d be able to take him down so long as we killed him before the skill actually activated. It was honestly a rather simple n, but it was also really the only thing we could actually try.

    ¡ºThe only problem is that you¡¯re not really adjusted to it yet. Your body won¡¯t hold if you keep it up for too long, so try ending it asap.¡»

    £¨Know already.£©

    ¡ºKeep in mind that I won¡¯t have Physical Damage Nullification up. You¡¯ll be moving way too quickly for me to be able to turn it on and off.¡»

    £¨nned that from start.£©

    Fran had totally resolved herself for what was toe, so I decided to do the same. The tournament was effectively a safe space. The Cradle of Time made it so we wouldn¡¯t die no matter what happened, and so, I figured there was no harm in ying a riskier card that we¡¯d normally shy away from.

    ¡¸Urushi. Support from shadows.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Going now.¡¹

    This tournament was one we¡¯d done everything we could to prepare for. Me, I¡¯d ranked myself up by farming up Magic Stone Points.

    But what about Fran then? What exactly did she do?

    The answer to that question was a simple one.

    ¡¸Awakening.¡¹

    She evolved.

 Chapter 203: Black Lightning

    <h4>Chapter 203: ck Lightning</h4>

    ¡¸Awakening¡¹

    An incredible amount of magical energy swelled up within Fran¡¯s body the moment she muttered the word, after which her small frame began emitting jet ck streaks of lighting.

    Her magical energies ran rampant and kicked up a windstorm in her wake. Goldalfa stood within it,pletely dumbfounded.

    ¡¸Awak¡­ening¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸A ck Catkin just¡­ awakened¡­?¡¹

    Our opponent had forced our hand and made us pull out our trump card, one we¡¯d only managed to obtain with Rumina¡¯s help.

    In other words, Fran had aplished her goal. She had finally evolved.

    Fran¡¯s appearence hadn¡¯t really changed much. She didn¡¯t suddenly grow a coat of fur or have her skin change colours. She didn¡¯t magically turn into an adult or anything like that either. The few changes that did ur were a lot more minute.

    The first changey in the colour of her eyes, which ended up dyeing themselves gold. The second and more significant change came with her tail, which she had currently straightened out and pointed towards the sky like a lightning rod. If one were to pay extra close attention, they¡¯d be able to notice that her tail was no longer a pure shade of ck. It instead now had alternating ck and ash-grey stripes throughout.

    That was it. Honestly, the outward changes caused by her awakening could be said to appear rather in inparison to the others we¡¯d seen thus far.

    Most of her changes had instead been directed within, and boy, were those changes massive.

    Her Agility and Magic stats had both risen by an entire 300. The wounds she¡¯d suffered had healed, and she¡¯d instantly recovered all her magical energy.

    But that wasn¡¯t all.

    The most terrifying change was the one that¡¯d ured to the skill she¡¯d gained upon evolving.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s Brilliant Lightning Rush was an even more powerful version of the Lightning Rush skill Rumina had showed us upon our first encounter.

    It was already a powerful skill under normal circumstances, as it provided or bolstered the levels of the Strength Boost, Agility Boost, Super Fast Reflexes, Lightning Element Bestowal, Lightning Boost, Lightning Damage Nullification, and Lightning Magic skills.

    To reiterate, using Awakening made this skill even more powerful, namely by doubling all its effects.

    ¡¸Would you look at thatdies and gentlemen!? Fran has awakened! It appears she¡¯s got the rarer type of awakening, the one that doesn¡¯t particrly change one¡¯s appearance, but you can really feel a sense of majesty from the ck lightning radiating off her body!¡¹

    If Fran had just evolved, she would¡¯ve been like Rumina. The lightning emanating off her body would¡¯ve been blue and not ck.

    But it wasn¡¯t.

    Fran hadn¡¯t evolved into a mere ck Tigerkin. She¡¯d instead be a creature spoken of only in legends, a ck Heavenly Tigerkin.

    ¡¸Apparently ck Catkin being unable to evolve is nothing but just a load of bogus!¡¹

    The caster¡¯s reaction was pretty much the same as most of the other humans present. He was surprised, but that was it. As far as he was concerned, there was much more interest to be in had in how much stronger Fran had gotten than the fact that she¡¯d actually evolved.

    It was a reaction thatpletely failed to capture the emotions of any and all of the Beastkin that happened to be present.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Goldalfa seemed to have totally forgotten that he was in the midst of a duel. His stance loosened, and he simply stood staring with his mouth gaping wide open. He was so shocked by what he¡¯d just witnessed that he was unable to put his thoughts into words.

    Directing my gaze over to the VIP area allowed me to see the Beast Lord, who was supposed to be calmly sitting in his chair, leaning on the railings and staring a hole straight into the stadium. Roche, who¡¯d been standing by beside him, was practically sharing Goldalfa¡¯s expression; he was staring at herpletely dumbfounded.

    ¡¸A ck Heavenly Tiger?¡¹

    Goldalfa¡¯s mind had finally started to move again, but he was still clearly shaken, as his voice was dry and raspy.

    ¡¸To think that I would end up facing off against none other than one of the legendary tribe¡¯s members¡­¡¹

    His words were but mutters under his breath.

    ¡¸But¡­ how did I not notice it till just now¡­?¡¹

    £¨Go?£©

    ¡ºDo it!¡»

    Fran took advantage of the fact that he was wide open and initiated an assault.

    ¡¸She vanishe-ugghhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Shmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Guhhhh! What¡­!?¡¹

    To Goldalfa, it looked as if Fran had t out vanished, but in truth, all she¡¯d done was dash up to him. The ck Lightning within and all around her pierced right through the God-tier cksmith made armour he was wearing and began scorching his flesh.

    Awakening had made Fran ridiculously powerful.

    It had given her enough speed to circumvent Goldalfa¡¯s super fast reflexes and enough power topletely shatter his defenses.

    ¡¸Gaaah! Gruhhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    Fran dashed around him and continued delivering blow after blow.

    From this, one could observe that the Brilliant Lightning Rush skill¡¯s power came not only from its sheer speed, but also its ability to allow incredibly sharp turns.

    The maneuvers we were pulling off were difficult even at much lower speeds. Thews of physics would get in the way and disallow us from actualizing our ideas.

    But the skill made it so that they didn¡¯t apply; engraving the core attributes of the lightning element into her body had allowed her to temporarily ovee them.

    Our actions were much like those of Zefmate¡¯s. We assaulted our opponent while making use of our ability to move around at exceedingly high speeds.

    That said, the actual resulting attacks couldn¡¯t really bepared to one another, as Fran far exceeded Zefmate in all three of power, speed, and turn rate.

    Thinking about Zefmate made me realize something, something that seemed to exin why Blue Catkin hated ck Catkin as much as they did. It must¡¯ve been because of this, because evolved ck Catkin could do everything evolved Blue Catkin could, but better.

    ¡¸How incredible! I can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s going on! Fran¡¯s disappeared, and seemingly started attacking Goldalfa with a series of bands of ck light! I can only tell he¡¯s getting hit because he keeps groaning in pain!¡¹

    It was as the castermented. Each of Fran¡¯s movements was leaving a trail of ck light in its wake. The sheer number of them almost made it seem like there was a giant dark dome around the rhinokin.

    Loud metallic ngs rang throughout the arena as Fran smashed me into Goldalfa¡¯s Phoenix Armour over and over again. The damage we inflicted onto the armour was more or lesspletely nulled, as it regenerated at a rate far faster than we could damage it. However, that only applied to the armour, and not Goldalfa himself. His flesh wasn¡¯t able to recover quickly enough from our consecutive strikes; we were managing to stack up damage on him.

    It was something that couldn¡¯t be helped, as the ck Lightning would course throughout his body each and every single time he tanked one of Fran¡¯s strikes.

    ¡¸Ngaaaaahh!¡¹

    We managed to hurt him so badly in just the span of a few seconds that he ended uppletely giving up on defense. Instead, he swung his axe at us before desperatelyunching shockwave in all directions. It seemed to be an action he¡¯d done in hopes of hitting us so he could attempt to make aeback.

    But it was too slow. Fran dodged it with ease by simply lowering her stance to avoid the iing axe, an action that served to evidence that she¡¯d totally seem him through.

    Likewise, she dealt with the shockwave with ease as well; all she needed to do to neutralize it was deploy a Perfect Barrier with her full power. The sheer amount of magical energy she put into the act caused the barrier to be unable tost for more than just an instant, but that was all she needed. She didn¡¯t have any issues timing it well enough topletely negate Goldalfa¡¯s attack.

    Her relentless assault continued despite his struggles.

    ¡¸Guhh¡­ nrhhhh¡­¡¹

    The short exchange of blows caused Goldalfa to realize that it was no longer possible for him to hit Fran, and so, he folded his arms and shrank the size of his frame as much as he could while making sure he protected his head. The stance almost seemed to resemble the kind one would take after identally ramming one¡¯s face into something on ident and recoiling in pain, but, it wasn¡¯t actually one that illustrated a will to surrender. In fact, it was something he¡¯d done in order to win ¡ª he¡¯dpletely abandoned even the notion of attacking and instead focused all his resources on his defenses.

    ¡ºDamn it, that¡¯s one of the Beast Lord¡¯s direct subordinates for you! He knows exactly what our weakness is!¡»

    Brilliant Lightning Rush was an incredible skill, but as one could expect, it naturally came with a cost. It ced an abnormallyrge burden on Fran¡¯s body, and constantly ate away at both her health and mana. It didn¡¯t require as muchpensation as something like Latent Potential Release, but again, it wasn¡¯t what I could call risk free.

    Rumina had told us that all of the Ten Original Tribes in fact had their innate skills function in a simr manner. The power of the Divine Beast was far too great for a mere Beastkin to sustain and would lead to death if left unchecked, hence why the ability was instantiated in the form of a toggleable skill as opposed to simply granted permanently.

    The Beast Lord had naturally awakened to one of the Ten Original Powers, and thus, there was no way Goldalfa, as one of his guards, would be able to go without knowing about its weaknesses. He knew that using the skill was effectively the same thing as slowly killing oneself, hence why he¡¯d chosen to attempt to stall Fran out.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ngggh¡­¡­Ugghh!¡¹

    Goldalfa didn¡¯t have that much health left, but Fran had yet to show any sign of letting up.

    Brilliant Lightning Rush was definitely a risky skill to use, and not something one could keep up for too long.

    Or at least that¡¯s how things would¡¯ve been under normal circumstances.

    Fran¡¯s case, our case, wasn¡¯t like any other. Fran¡¯s mana pool wasn¡¯t just limited by her own mana. She could draw from mine should she need it. I was also capable of healing her and topping her health off whenever.

    As a result, we were able to sustain the skill for far longer than Goldalfa expected.

    ¡¸How are you¡­ still goingarrgh!?¡¹

    That said, it wasn¡¯t like we had any real extra breathing space. The rate at which Fran¡¯s HP was draining was steadily increasing. We¡¯d never kept the skill going for any extended period of time, so we only now learned that its resource consumption would gradually increase with the duration for which we sustained it.

    Goldalfa¡¯s HP dropped to less than 10% of its total value.

    All we needed to finish him was just onest push, one that was rather difficult for us to pull off. Fran¡¯s HP had started dropping so quickly that I needed to heal her every couple seconds.

    It was something that she herself had noticed as well.

    £¨Master, will end now!£©

    It seemed that we could¡¯ve actually just deactivated the skill and fought him normally from here on out. In fact, that was probably the better option to take if we just wanted to go for the win.

    But Fran didn¡¯t.

    She wanted to win through the use of her power as a ck Heavenly Tigerkin in order to put her tribe¡¯s pride and sheer willpower on disy.

    That was simply a choice that she decided to make, a choice she¡¯d long set in stone.

    £¨Will hit with more powerful attack.£©

    ¡ºYou sure? There really isn¡¯t enough room for that here.¡»

    £¨No problem!£©

    ¡ºYou really sure?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºWell, if you say so¡­ I¡¯ll focus on defense.¡»

    £¨Thanks.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, go hit him once real quick then run the hell away.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi did exactly as we instructed and harassed Goldalfa a bit by suddenly jumping out of his shadows, hitting him once, and jumping back in before teleporting into the barrier that protected the tournament¡¯s spectators.

    Fran immediately shouted the name of an incredibly powerful attack the moment she verified that he¡¯d retreated to safety.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Advent!¡¹

    A jet ck thunderbolt as wide as a drum of liquid erupted from Fran¡¯s extended palm and swallowed Goldalfa whole before detonating into a massive electrical explosion.

    Our eardrums nearly bursted as the sound waves created by the attack assaulted them.

    ¡¸Nn¡­!¡¹

    I protected Fran by activating Perfect barrier, but the st was far too powerful for that alone to hold it back. The sheer resulting force sent Fran flying into the barrier that protected the audience. To it, her mass was about as insignificant as that of a single leaf. Dust assaulted our bodies as hundreds upon hundreds of pebbles flew at us faster than would bullets. A wave of heat then rammed its way into us, one so hot it would¡¯ve turned Fran to ash had she been unprotected.

    ¡ºSheet! We¡¯re eating this much recoil even though I put up a godd*mn barrier!?¡»

    Countless bolts of lightning raged through the arena and writhed within it as would a swarm of dragons, an assault Fran herself only managed to survive due to her Lightning Damage Nullification skill. I¡¯d protected myself with a barrier, so I managed to get away with just a minimal bit of damage.

    £¨Went bit overboard.£©

    Whaddya mean a bit¡­ Is what I would¡¯ve liked to say had I been sure that our strike had managed to finish Goldalfa off.

    The audience began to stir as the attack¡¯s after effects finally started to fade.

    There was a massive crater where Goldalfa had been standing just moments ago. The stage itself had already gotten pretty messed up because of all the backs and forths the two fighters had experienced, but what Fran had just done was on a whole ¡®nother scale. She¡¯dpletely obliterated over 70% of the arena.

    Goldalfa was at the crater¡¯s center, his body reduced to nothing but a mangled carcass. He was on both knees, his head hanging forward. His body didn¡¯t seem to twitch even in the slightest.

    We couldn¡¯t see him all that well because the sheer amount of heat caused by Fran¡¯s attack had caused his surroundings to distort. The dirt around him had been raised to such a temperature that it¡¯d even transformed into red-hot ss. The Rhinokin¡¯s prided Phoenix Armour was crumbling, with half of it already gone. It seemed to have been damaged so badly that it¡¯d be unable to repair itself. All visible parts of his body had long been turned to charcoal. I was no longer able to see the thing that had formerly been Goldalfa as a entity that bore life.

    ¡¸Got him?¡¹

    ¡ºOh god damn it Fran! You¡¯re not supposed to say that, you¡¯re totally jinxing it right now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Fortunately, my idiotic worries were needless. The pirs ced around the arena began to glow, and seemed to cause Goldalfa¡¯s remains to do the same.

    The mangled corpse was returned to its former state after about ten seconds. His body was once again in perfect shape. It was like he¡¯d never been wounded to begin with.

    Wait, so¡­ does that mean it¡¯s over¡­?

    ¡¸And it looks like the Cradle of Time has activated, meaning Goldalfa has lost the round by meeting his demise! Ladies and gentlemen, our winner today is none other than Fran, The Magic Sword Girl!¡¹

 Chapter 204: The Events that Took Place The Day Before the Tournament Began

    <h4>Chapter 204: The Events that Took ce The Day Before the Tournament Began</h4>

    The Martial Arts Tournament was set to begin tomorrow.

    Fran, Urushi, and I were doing the usual thing and honing our skills within the Eastern Dungeon.

    ¡ºHey Fran, I think it¡¯s about time you take a break.¡»

    ¡¸Little longer.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure? You seem to be losing focus.¡»

    Fran had pushed herself to fight for such an extended duration that she¡¯d started to show signs of mental exhaustion. She¡¯d started to umte a good bit of damage from both mistakes in and out ofbat. In other words, she¡¯d started getting worse at both noticing and disarming the traps she came across.

    ¡¸¡­Little bit longer.¡¹

    In spite of all that, she ended up refusing. She simply bit down on her lips and narrowed her eyes as she scoured the area for another enemy to engage.

    ¡ºHaaaahh¡­ Fine. Just a little longer then.¡»

    I was a bit concerned that she wouldn¡¯t be in her best possible condition for the prelims tomorrow if she pushed herself any further, but ended upplying regardless.

    In a sense, being in top form was also exactly why she was pushing herself as hard as she was in the first ce. Fran wanted to evolve before ultimately having to face off against the Beast Lord, but she wasn¡¯t showing any signs of doing so. Hence, she only ended up feeling the need to push herself even harder.

    ¡ºWould you happen to have a moment?¡»

    We suddenly heard Rumina¡¯s voice resound through our minds as we continued pushing ourselves onwards.

    ¡¸Rumina?¡¹

    Hearing her voice just pop out of nowhere had left me a bit surprised, but I soon managed to calm down as she just seemed to be using something that resembled my telepathic abilities.

    ¡ºI have a matter I wish to discuss with you, and would like you to pay me a visit if you do not mind it.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Though I was a bit curious as to why she went as far as to call for us, I ended up deciding to take her up on her offer immediately. Her timing was pretty good seeing as how Fran needed a break, and she was also kinda just a teleport away, so there wasn¡¯t really any inconvenience associated with us dropping by.

    Rumina greeted us as we teleported into the room she¡¯d made for us.

    ¡¸I¡­ wee you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you did tell us to drop by, so.¡»

    ¡¸Indeed I did¡­¡¹

    Something about her seemed a bit off. She appeared to have less magical energy than usual, and kinda just gave off a bit of a frailer impression overall. It¡¯d almost seemed like something bad had happened to her.

    ¡¸Rumina, doing okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I apologize for worrying you. You need not mind me, I am simply feeling a tad exhausted.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure you¡¯re okay?¡»

    ¡¸I am fine. More importantly, I would like to offer the two of you a trial. Have you any interest in it?¡¹

    ¡ºYou said a trial?¡»

    ¡¸A trial indeed. I cannot describe its details, but would like for you to partake in it. What say you?¡¹

    The fact that she couldn¡¯t tell us any details was kinda fishy, but I highly doubted that Rumina would try throwing us under a bus or luring us into a trap.

    ¡¸Be warned, the trial will be an exceedingly dangerous one.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t seem to doubt Rumina even in the slightest, and so she immediately nodded and acknowledged that she knew that she was going to be getting herself into something difficult should we ept.

    I figured that there was practically no way Fran was going to choose to refuse Rumina¡¯s request given how close the two had be, but ended up deciding to quickly double check her intentions regardless.

    ¡ºYou want to take her up on this whole trial thing, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    ¡ºYou 100% sure? The fact that Rumina¡¯s going out of her way and saying its dangerous probably means it¡¯s really dangerous.¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t care.¡¹

    It looked like Fran had already made up her mind and wasn¡¯t nning on changing it.

    ¡¸I take it you wish to ept my trial then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Rumina had us head over to the massive room in which she¡¯d sparred with Fran.

    Entering it caused us to catch sight of something that left us feelingpletely overwhelmed.

    ¡ºIs that supposed to be a magic circle?¡»

    ¡¸Huge.¡¹

    The enormous magic circle filled basically what was the entire 100 meter wide room. It was created in such a way that it parts extended into a sort of radial pattern with its point of origin at the room¡¯s center. The independent pieces all came together at the edges to form a single massive design.

    It wasn¡¯t like any of the other magic circles I¡¯d seen to date. None of them were on this big a scale.

    I couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom what this one was supposed to be used for.

    ¡¸I shall now proceed to summon a Magic Beast. Demonstrate to me that you are capable of defeating it.¡¹

    Rumina¡¯s voice almost seemed to sound like it wasing over an inte or PA System.

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    So our trial was to defeat some sort of Magic Beast? Why that of all things? We¡¯d been doing that for quite some time already. Was fighting the thing she was summoning going to benefit us in some particr manner¡­?

    ¡¸Very well. Begin!¡¹

    The magic circle began shining as an incredible amount of magical energy suddenly started getting concentrated into the circle¡¯s centerpoint. Strong winds swirled around the room in response, winds powerful enough to make aplete mess of Fran¡¯s hair. She had no choice but to squint in order to observe the mana as it lumped itself together.

    A single magic beast revealed itself once the magical energy that formed it finally dimmed and vanished.

    ¡¸Hah¡­hah¡­¡¹

    Controlling all that energy had caused Rumina to begin panting rather heavily.

    ¡¸Rumina. Something wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­ am fine¡­ Mind me not¡­¡¹

    The fact that she didn¡¯t sound even the slightest bit fine served to evidence that the act of summoning whatever it was she wanted us to fight had taken one hell of a lot of magical energy.

    What appeared before us was a humanoid creature with its entire body dyed jet ck. The dark miasma enveloping its body made it difficult for me to make out its form, but I assumed it was something not too different from a Kobold given that its head and whatnot seemed to be covered in fur.

    However, appraising it allowed me to determine that it was something so fiendish and powerful that a Kobold couldn¡¯t even begin topare. It looked even more powerful than the pillbug we fought the other day. It didn¡¯t have too many skills, but, its stats were ridiculously high, as if topensate.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Evil Manbeast. (Evil Apparition-type Magic Beast)

    Level: 50

    HP: 822

    MP: 927

    STR: 335

    VIT: 402

    AGI: 1028

    INT: 12

    MGC: 809

    DEX: 166

    Skills

    Evasion: Lv 9

    Fang Techniques: Lv 8

    Fang Arts: Lv 8

    Presence Detection: Lv 9

    Instantaneous Regeneration: Lv 8

    Blink: Lv 8

    Magic Resist: Lv 5

    Reinforced Fur

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Description: Unknown

    _______________________________________________________________

    Huh¡­ It apparently had the Awakening skill¡­?

    ¡¸Defeat it¡­ and absorb its magic stone¡­¡¹

    I knew it! This was something she¡¯d summonened so she could help Fran evolve!

    Still, summoning it had totally exhausted her. It seemed that not even a Dungeon Master could pull off something like this without having to really push themselves.

    Fran seemed to understand that, as her expression had transformed and be more determined than it had ever been before.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s do it!¡»

    Fran immediately drew me and engaged the magic beast in close quartersbat.

    ¡¸Gaaaurouooouuououu!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Gagauuu!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Holy crap was that thing fast. It moved so quickly it was able to avoid Fran¡¯s attacks with ease and even throw in a few counters. Moreover, it also basically instantly healed all the wounds we inflicted upon it.

    ¡¸Gaaooooruuuuu!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd now it¡¯s gone and awakened!¡»

    The entire magic beast¡¯s body seemed to swell up in size. Most notable were its fangs and ws, both of which doubled in length. It¡¯d gotten stronger stat-wise as well. Its agility in particr had totally skyrocketed so much that I¡¯d actually lost the ability to keep up with it. Its hands almost seemed to disappear each and every single time they moved.

    We were able to fight it because we had ess to Sword Lord Arts, but, its obscenely high agility stat made engaging it extremely difficult. Its Presence Detection skill made it so we couldn¡¯t even hit it if we tried getting the jump on it by teleporting.

    I figured we¡¯d have an easier time hitting it if we just used magic, but, it had ess to the Magic Resistance skill, so we wouldn¡¯t be able to deal any real damage to unless we hit it really hard. Knowing that, I tried hitting it with an Inferno Burst immediately after it avoided one of Fran¡¯s attacks.

    ¡¸Gugyaa!¡¹

    Tsk.

    I clicked my tongue. The attack worked, but it didn¡¯t work well enough. The magic beast had both a high health pool and a decent magic stat. Those two factors, whenbined with its Magic Resistance, meant we wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it off in a single strike, which in turn meant that it would just end up regenerating.

    ¡¸Troublesome.¡¹

    ¡ºI know right? It looks we won¡¯t be able to finish it off unless we kill it in a single blow.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We quickly devised a n to deal with the situation, albeit a rather simple one. Urushi and I were to slow down the magic beast with surprise attacks and Telekinesis respectively while Fran went in for the kill.

    The n¡¯s execution went pretty well. Fran initiated by attempting one of her sword drawing techniques, which caused the magic beast to attempt to dodge, but Urushitched onto its foot while I restrained it, and so, she ended upnding her strike.

    It was a full forced, reckless blow. I figured there was no point in conserving my durability, as we needed to end the battle immediately if we actually wanted to win it. Thus, I threw in as many skills as I possibly could in an attempt to use my entire mana pool. We also activated a whole bunch of different elemental des despite the fact that doing so was sure to damage me so badly I¡¯d end up temporarily unusable. Specifically, Fran activated lightning, while I pitched in with both wind and fire.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s do this!!!!¡»

    ¡¸Gyaggyaaoooohhhh!¡¹

    The magic beast panicked and attempted to do everything it could to escape us.

    But it was already far toote.

    Fran¡¯s strike had alreadynded and seperated the Magic Beast¡¯s left and right halves. I¡¯d felt its magic stone, which had been located within its heart, split into two cleanly cut pieces.

    Our attack had drained the hell out of my durability. I had less than 20% remaining. Cracks ran down my de as it slowly began to crumble. Still, it was worth it, especially since selling what was left of the creature we¡¯d just killed was sure to earn us a pretty penny.

    Both the considerations I just mentioned were honestly nothing but mere afterthoughts. I was instead much more focused on my skill page. That is, I was hurriedly looking through my memory in hopes of finding the skill I¡¯d just obtained.

    ¡ºWhere the hell¡­ Found it!¡»

    The skill I¡¯d been looking for and the skill I just found was Awakening.

    ¡ºWe did it Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºShould I swap it in right away?¡»

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    I equipped the skill, thereby allowing Fran to make use of it. I felt like I was soaring above the clouds, but did my best to stay calm so I could immediately inform her that the deed had been done.

    ¡ºShould be done now. You feel anything?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Can use it.¡¹

    Her affirmation doubled as confirmation that she was now finally capable of evolving. Given that, I settled down and silently waited for her to do the deed.

    ¡¸Fu¡­ Hah¡­ Nn! Awakening!¡¹

    She took a couple deep breaths before activating the skill and causing the amount of magical energy within her to skyrocket.

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s working!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ck lightning started erupting from within her and rampaging through her surroundings. The storm of both electricity and wind that engulfed the room forced both Urushi and I to retreat from where she was while pondering whether or not she was actually okay.

    ¡ºHey Fran! You alright!?¡»

    ¡¸Ruff ruff!¡¹

    She didn¡¯t respond even though we called out to her, which in turn led me to worry that she¡¯d lost control of her abilities.

    Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t actually the case. The raging energies around her eventually settled down to reveal her with both her tail and earspletely straightened out. A second look made me realize that her tail was actually a bit different how it normally was. It¡¯d be striped, with alternating shades of its usual ck and a slightly lighter, ash-grey shade. The difference between the two colours was so minute that I could only barely make it out because of the magical illumination that filled our surroundings.

    ¡¸Gmph¡­¡¹

    Large teardrops began flowing down Fran¡¯s cheeks.

    Her dearest wish had just been fulfilled.

    I didn¡¯t need to ask to know that countless memories and emotions were swirling about within her.

    I remained silent as I approached her and gently, telekically stroked her back.

    She grabbed onto my handle and used me to support herself as she began to cry.

    She eventually ended up copsing forward and pressing her forehead against the t of my de. Feeling both her warmth and pulse almost made me want to join her in crying despite the fact that I was a sword.

    In fact, I wasn¡¯t the only one that¡¯d started feeling that way, as Urushi, who¡¯d snuggled up against her, had started to tear up as well.

    ¡¸Whimper.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ***

    It took about 10 minutes for Fran to finally stop crying.

    She rubbed her eyes, stood up, and showed a bit of a shy smile before rubbing Urushi¡¯s head, as if to hide the fact that she felt embarrassed.

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about it. We know how much this means to you.¡»

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, how about we check everything over real quick?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran sniffled onest time before tightening up her expression. She looked down her hands as she opened and closed them in order to feel out exactly what about her had changed.

    ¡ºWell? How do you feel?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Overflowing with power.¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm, well you don¡¯t look too different, so I guess I¡¯d better check your sta-WHAT THE FOOCK!?¡»

    Seeing Fran¡¯s stat page force me me into a state of shock.

    Her agility and magic stats had both been boosted by 300. Her HP and Mana had both beenpletely topped off, and she¡¯d even gained an innate skill by the name of Brilliant Lightning Rush, all seemingly because she¡¯d used Awakening.

    ¡ºEvolving sure doese with some pretty impressive looking effects. Wait a second¡­¡»

    ncing over Fran¡¯s stat page again had caused me to do a double take. I¡¯d assumed that she¡¯d turned into a ck Tigerkin because that was what Rumina was, but I was wrong.

    ¡ºHey Fran, you uh¡­ kinda just became a ck Heavenly Tigerkin.¡»

    The ck Heavenly Tigerkin were legendary Beastkin that were by no means weaker than the Golden me Lionkin that held the Beast Lord¡¯s throne.

    ¡ºI wonder what all this is supposed to mean¡­¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you think, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­? Urushi¡­? Hello? Hellllllo¡­?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Both mypanions had suddenly gone dead silent.

    Taking a second nce at them made me realize that they¡¯dpletely stopped moving too. They weren¡¯t even so much as twitching or anything like that at all. They were simply unmoving. It was almost like someone had stopped time, and that someone couldn¡¯t have possibly been me given that I hadn¡¯t used Space/Time magic at all.

    ¡¸The hell¡¯s going on?¡¹

    Darkness came out of nowhere and swallowed my surroundings as I asked the question. I couldn¡¯t process what¡¯d happened. It was almost like my sense of sight had beenpletely turned off.

    The hell just happened? Are Fran and Urushi both still fine?

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. Nothing¡¯s happened to them. I¡¯ve just temporarily stopped time for everyone but you.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? What?¡»

    ¡¸You sure have gone and done it now¡­ I never would¡¯ve thought it was possible for you to allow her to evolve the way you did.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸You meeting her, that young ck Catkin girl, was nothing short of a miracle in and of itself already. I never expected the two of you to get this far.¡¹

    ¡ºUhhh. So who exactly are you?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m one of the individuals governing over this world and its ways. I guess the most understandable way for me to exin my identity to you would be for me to name myself as Goddess of Chaos.¡¹

 Chapter 205: The Goddess of Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 205: The Goddess of Chaos</h4>

    I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the woman that¡¯d called herself the Goddess of Chaos.

    Her im was one that was a little bit more than a little bit hard to believe. The Goddess of Chaos was supposed to be the goddess that gave rise to dungeons, and thus, I¡¯d expected her to be someone that exuded an air of magnificence, dignity, and grandeur.

    The woman in front of me, however, gave off what was more or less the exact opposite impression. To me, she looked like an absurdly beautiful woman with tanned skin and silvery hair. The only air she gave off was one of an adult woman¡¯s seductiveness; her outfit wasposed of nothing more than just a few thin pieces of cloth.

    However, she¡¯d proven herself capable of stopping time for everyone but me, an act that should¡¯ve been impossible for anything but a god. Realizing that caused my gut to promptly inform me that I¡¯d gotten myself into something troublesome.

    ¡¸Wow, troublesome? That¡¯s mean of you.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Wait, can she read my mind!?

    ¡¸I can.¡¹

    ¡ºI-I¡¯m so sorry!¡»

    Aw foock. I hope I didn¡¯t piss her off. Angering her seems like a really bad idea given how divine retribution is apparently actually a thing here.

    I¡¯m sorry! I swear I don¡¯t think of you as troublesome. In fact, I hold nothing but respect for you. I¡¯m telling the truth here! Having the opportunity to meet someone as beautiful as yourself had totally moved me and thrown my thoughts into disarray!

    ¡¸Kufufufufu. There¡¯s no point trying to tter me. I can tell exactly what you¡¯re really feeling just by looking at your soul.¡¹

    ¡ºA sheet. Uhh¡­¡»

    ¡¸People like you are pretty rare. Most people have a bit more respect for the gods.¡¹

    ¡ºOhe on. I do respect you! I swear I do!¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t particrly mind how you feel about me. I¡¯m not petty enough to be angered by anything that insignificant.¡¹

    ¡ºSo does that mean you¡¯re not going give me divine retribution for being sphemous or anything like that¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it.¡¹

    Oh thank foocking god! I¡¯d totally expected the gods to be unreasonable tyrants because of the punishment they¡¯d given to the ck Cat Tribe.

    ¡¸I do have a more dignified appearance. I purposefully only ever send a part of myself into the human realm and mold its form so that it appears like that of a human. It can¡¯t really be helped that I don¡¯t appear all that god-like as I am now. Likewise, I also attempt to speak the samenguage as those I descend upon. Speaking of which, I think this is probably the most casual conversation I¡¯ve had with a mortal to date.¡¹

    The fact that she¡¯d only sent a part of herself to see me reminded me of something I¡¯d heard back when I still lived on the Earth. I think people used to say something along the lines of ¡°seeing god¡¯s true form will make you lose both your sight and sanity.¡± That aside though, what was important was the fact that she¡¯d only taken human form because she¡¯d wanted to talk to me in particr.

    ¡¸We¡¯d never actually expected any faith from you in the first ce, given that you were summoned from another world.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Wait, you guys knew that I was from another world?¡»

    ¡¸Of course we did, but let¡¯s leave that aside for now and maybee back to it some other time. There¡¯s something much more important I want to talk to you about.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m guessing you want to talk about Fran and how she¡¯s evolved?¡»

    ¡¸You got it.¡¹

    Hmm¡­ Well, a goddess literally just went out of her way to talk to me, so, I guess that pretty much confirms that the ck Cat Tribe really is suffering from some sort of divine retribution.

    ¡¸Exactly. The ck Cat Tribe hasmitted a mortal sin, and thus, we¡¯ve made it more difficult for them to evolve.¡¹

    ¡ºSo you¡¯re here to talk about the method I used to make Fran evolve¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯ve gotten straight to the point. That¡¯s right. The method you used was one we¡¯d never ounted for. It¡¯s outside all our predictions, and honestly speaking, quite problematic.¡¹

    I mean, I knew we kinda cheated the system, but I never would¡¯ve thought what we did was bad enough to merit divine intervention. Wait, sheet, does that mean Fran¡¯s g-

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything to harm her, nor will I revert her to her original state.¡¹

    Whew. Well, I guess that means we¡¯ve at least managed to dodge the bullet ¡ª not that we were actually totally scot-free just yet.

    ¡¸So, have you figured out why I came to see you in particr?¡¹

    ¡ºUhhhh¡­ Because I cheated the system?¡»

    ¡¸Nope. That isn¡¯t the only issue I came to discuss with you.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Really?¡»

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have bothered descending if that was all there was to it.¡¹

    Wait, what? What exactly was the issue then?

    ¡¸Naturally, that isn¡¯t to say that you cheating the system poses us no issues altogether, as it means that you¡¯re defying the very principles the world runs on.¡¹

    ¡ºThe world¡¯s principles?¡»

    ¡¸Would it be easier for you to understand me if I called the world¡¯s principles the system on top of which it¡¯s based? Consider, for example, if the entire world was operating within the framework of something like aputer program.¡¹

    Oh, so there¡¯s like a big overarching system that everything else runs on? I guess that must be where the System Announceres from?

    ¡¸Most beastkin typically learn the Awakening skill upon reaching their level cap. Using the skill allows them to awaken the power that lies within them and prompts them to evolve.¡¹

    I guess that means there¡¯s actually 5 stages involved in the evolution process? It looks kinda like: Hit level cap -> Unlock Awakening -> Use Awakening -> Draw outtent potential -> Evolve?

    ¡¸The ck Cat Tribe has been cursed, and thus, as I¡¯m sure you know, its members need to do more than just reach their maximum levels.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯m following you since that¡¯s kinda how things went with Fran.¡»

    ¡¸She managed to bypass the principles set, obtain the Awakening skill, and evolve. It seemed that she was a rather talented individual as well, as she¡¯d acquired the skill for herself with just a single use of it. What concerns me is that the exact same thing may continue to happen going forward.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, I get it. So what you¡¯re trying to say is that anyone could evolve so long as they just equipped me.¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, and that¡¯s exactly the problem. There would be no point in the divine retribution if equipping you allowed any and all to bypass it, and that¡¯s simply not something I can overlook.¡¹

    The goddess stared right at me as she spoke.

    Wait, doesn¡¯t that kinda maybe mean that I might just be neck deep in sheet?

 Chapter 206: Of Sin and Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 206: Of Sin and Retribution</h4>

    I returned the goddess¡¯ gaze as I felt a fit of nervousness wash over me, to which she responded by raising a pair of fingers and speaking another line.

    ¡¸The ck Catkin are shackled, no, cursed, precisely because they¡¯d incurred divine retribution. There are two manners in which this curse of theirs can be undone, each with their own unique conditions.¡¹

    I-I guess that must mean I¡¯m not totally screwed? Whew! God damn, she had me shivering in my boots for a second there.

    ¡¸The first of the two possibilities requires a single individual to y either a single Evil Being ranked in at A or higher, or a thousand weaker ones. Fulfilling one of these two conditions releases that individual in particr from the curse, and allows them to evolve.¡¹

    Wait, is it really okay for me to know that? I could¡¯ve sworn Rumina wasn¡¯t allowed to say anything about it. Hadn¡¯t the gods like totally gone out of their way to obscure the fact that ck Catkin could even evolve? Like I could¡¯ve sworn they t out deleted it from everyone¡¯s memory.

    ¡¸Your wielder has already evolved. Rumina isn¡¯t restricted from discussing the topic with any other evolved ck Catkin, so she¡¯s most likely going to tell you once time unfreezes regardless. Given that, I decided that I might as well tell you right now since that was what we were talking about anyway.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, I see.¡»

    But like, Urushi and I were kinda both there too, and neither of us were ck Catkin, let alone evolved ones, so wouldn¡¯t Rumina ultimately not actually have to chance to tell Fran about the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s circumstances? It seemed that they wouldn¡¯t reach our ears even if the two ended up being able to discuss them amongst themselves too.

    I mean, I¡¯m notining or anything. I¡¯m totally down for soaking up information because the goddess forgot she shouldn¡¯t tell me or decided to be loose lipped or something.

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re allowed to tell any familiars you summon whatever you want, so the dog doesn¡¯t count. And you¡¯re one of my kin, so you don¡¯t count either.¡¹

    Welp, she totally just read me like a book again. Wait. Did she just say what I thought she said? I kinda felt like I just happened to hear something that totally blew my mind.

    ¡ºDid uh¡­ you just say that I¡¯m one of your kin?¡»

    ¡¸Well, it would technically be more precise to say that I am one of the many individuals bound to you as kin.¡¹

    ¡ºCould you tell me a bit more about all that?¡»

    ¡¸Nope, since we have to finish talking about evolution.¡¹

    Ugh¡­ I mean I guess she¡¯s right, but god damn did she get me curious.

    ¡¸The other possible scenario requires the ck Cat Tribe to defeat either a S ranked Evil Being, or one of the Evil God¡¯s kin without any assistance. Performing said feat would free not only the battle¡¯s participants, but the entire ck Cat Tribe from their curse. They would once again regain their status as one of the Ten Original Tribes.¡¹

    Man, redeeming the whole race sounds kinda tough.

    ¡¸It¡¯s only fair given the graveness of their sin.¡¹

    ¡ºSo uh, what exactly did they do to deserve all this anyways?¡»

    I¡¯d only just realized that the goddess kept going on and on about grave and mortal sins, but had actually refrained from mentioning exactly what it was the ck Cat Tribe had done.

    ¡¸One of the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s chiefs, or rather, one of the former Beast Lords, had undone the Evil God¡¯s seal and allowed his n¡¯s members to absorb its power in order to bolster theirbat prowess. It was a dangerous ploy, and one that had half seeded.¡¹

    Wait, is absorbing the Evil God¡¯s power actually different from turning into an Evil Being?

    ¡¸It¡¯s far worse than just that. A fair portion of the royal family¡¯s members evolved into what I can only call a half Evil God, half-beastkin being. Half of the ck Catkin had seeded in absorbing the Evil God¡¯s power. However, many also became Evil Beings, lost control of themselves, and ended up being put down by their tribesman. We, the gods, couldn¡¯t stand the sight of the Evil God¡¯s powers being put to use in such a selfish manner. Thus, we eliminated the royal family and any other individuals that had obtained the Evil God¡¯s power before administering the survivors with a punishment, one that hindered their ability to evolve.¡¹

    Well uh¡­ apparently they did something much worse than what I¡¯d been expecting them to do. Like, using the Evil God¡¯s power to evolve into creatures that were effectively demi-gods clearly made it seem like they were picking fights with the actual gods. Like, I¡¯m not really sure what else they¡¯d expected to happen.

    ¡ºAlright, I get that what they did was pretty serious.¡»

    ¡¸You existing in your current state allows the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members to evolve without first atoning for their sins.¡¹

    The goddess didn¡¯t re me, but I kinda felt like she wasn¡¯t exactly what you could call happy with me given the tone of her voice.

    ¡¸I understand that the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members may consider evolution to be one of their greatest desires. That, however, fails to justify exploiting a loophole in the system and evolving without first making up for their mistakes. Continuing to circumvent their punishment is an act that can be regarded as yet another sin, one that would incur an even greater punishment.¡¹

    ¡ºAn even greater punishment? Care to uh¡­ borate?¡»

    ¡¸Extinction.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s kinda¡­¡»

    ¡¸I was just talking in terms of what ifs. I want you to understand just how serious the topic at hand is.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, I get it.¡»

    My interactions with the goddess led me to the conclusion that the gods were both terrifying and a huge pain in the ass to deal with. Yeah uh, her going out of her way to talk to me like this definitely meant I¡¯d gotten myself into some deep ass sheet.

    ¡ºSo uh, what exactly should I do? I mean, I understand that I shouldn¡¯t use my powers to evolve anyone other than Fran, and I can swear I won¡¯t.¡»

    ¡¸I know that you really do mean what you just said, but, that alone isn¡¯t enough. The fact stands that you¡¯re a magical item capable of granting your wielder the ability to use the the Awakening skill, an item I cannot possibly allow to exist.¡¹

    She can¡¯t allow me to exist? Does that mean she¡¯s going to¡­

    ¡¸Calm down. I don¡¯t have any intention of doing anything as violent as eliminating you.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    Whew! Holy sheet, and I d she¡¯s telling me that. She had me really worried there for a second. Man, that situation just there was probably the most dangerous one I¡¯d ever been in.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll fix everything right away.¡¹

    Snap

    ¡ºHuh? What¡¯d you just do¡­?¡»

    The Goddess of Chaos snapped her fingers and caused my de to momentarily begin shining. I could tell that she¡¯d done something to me, but I wasn¡¯t too sure exactly what that something was.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve made it so you¡¯re bound to your wielder.¡¹

    ¡ºBound?¡»

    ¡¸Yup. I¡¯ve made it so you can only have one wielder at once. No one else will be able to equip you until your current wielder dies. Anyone that forcibly does so anyway will receive retribution.¡¹

    ¡ºWhaddya mean by retribution?¡»

    ¡¸Anyone that tries equipping you will be met with a form of punishment. Those that don¡¯t know of your circumstances will just be slightly shocked. Those that do know of your circumstances will likely lose their lives aspensation.¡¹

    That¡¯s he terrifying, but it kinda didn¡¯t really matter anyways because I hadn¡¯t nned on letting anyone other than Fran equipping me to begin with. Hence, the end result was basically like me gaining a built in anti-theft device.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll also be taking the Awakening skill away from you just in case, and making it impossible for you to obtain it going forward.¡¹

    I was a bit disappointed by the fact that I wouldn¡¯t get to use the skill myself at all, but, I didn¡¯t really mind because I didn¡¯t want to disobey the goddess, especially given how thorough she was being.

    ¡¸Awakening only works on Beastkin to begin with, as it allows them to unleash the powers that lie dormant within them. There¡¯s no point in you using it to begin with.¡¹

    ¡ºOh. Right.¡»

    Welp, I guess there really isn¡¯t any point in me having the skill at all then.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll also make it so Rumina won¡¯t be able to ever summon another Magic Beast capable of Awakening ¡ª not that she¡¯d be able to for several hundred years anyway, given how much it¡¯s exhausted her.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, so does that mean Rumina was only all frail and stuff because she had to summon that magic beast?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Rumina, as one of my kin, has been restricted in her ability to aid ck Catkin. She¡¯s unable to speak about the subject, but that isn¡¯t nearly all. I¡¯ve also banned her from creating items capable of conferring the Awakening skill, and made it so that she¡¯ll destroy herself if she helps any ck Catkin fulfill their evolution conditions.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Wait, you serious!? Doesn¡¯t that mean Rumina¡¯s going to¡ª

    ¡¸Calm down. She¡¯s not dead, nor will she die from what she¡¯s done.¡¹

    ¡ºEven though Fran¡¯s managed to evolve?¡»

    ¡¸Yes, and though she provided assistance, it wasn¡¯t direct assistance. She didn¡¯t directly give the girl what she needed. She¡¯d instead helped you help her. She¡¯s lost a great deal of her power as a result, but she won¡¯t die.¡¹

    Whew. That¡¯s good. Fran would¡¯ve felt really bad if she¡¯d learned that her evolving had caused Rumina¡¯s death.

    ¡¸That said, I cannot allow the same thing to ur in the future, which is why I¡¯ve now restricted her even further.¡¹

    Rumina seemed to have pushed herself quite a bit to make everythinge together the way it did. I guess this also means that she wasn¡¯t kidding when she¡¯d asked Fran if she¡¯d be willing to kill her in order to evolve.

    ¡¸It would be unfair of me to take a skill away from you withoutpensating you in any which way, so I¡¯ll switch your Awakening skill out for a different one.¡¹

    The goddess snapped her fingers once again.

    I immediately looked at my stats because I was curious as to what had changed.

    ¡ºUhh¡­ Evolution Concealment?¡»

    ¡¸The skill does as its name suggests, and allows one to hide the fact that one has evolved, most notably from other beastkin.¡¹

    The Extra Skill I¡¯d obtained seemed like a pretty damned good one. Having people find out about Fran¡¯s newfound evolution would probably kick up a huge fuss, so it looked like it¡¯d be one we could put to use immediately.

    There was, however, a bit of a problem.

    ¡ºErr¡­ I think I just lost 5 Self-Evolution Points.¡»

    ¡¸Just saying, you caused a problem significant enough to necessitate my interference. It¡¯s only natural that I still do take something from you. Just be d I did you a favour and decided to give you a new skill to rece the one I took away.¡¹

    ¡ºSorry.¡»

    Eh, you know what, the skill I got was worth it, so I guess I¡¯ll just call it even, especially since I doubted anything woulde out of me b*tching andining anyways.

    The goddess nodded as if satisfied after verifying that I wasn¡¯t going to voice any moreints. She then started floating into the air and growing transparent.

    ¡¸My business here is done, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡¹

    Realizing that the goddess was totally leaving caused me to immediately begin questioning her.

    ¡ºHey wait! There¡¯s still something I want to ask you! Just what the hell am I? You must know, right? Given how you said I¡¯m one of your kin and all that?¡»

    I couldn¡¯t help but ask her about myself seeing as how she was one of the first people to have a clear idea as to exactly what I was.

    ¡¸Well¡­ Telling you that isn¡¯t something I¡¯m supposed to be responsible for, so I guess I¡¯ll just give you a hint. Go meet the god-tier cksmith that resides in the Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean the one the Beast Lord rules?¡»

    I recalled that Old Man Gallus had stated that all of the god-tier cksmiths were MIA¡­

    However, the goddess¡¯ words seemed to imply that his words hadn¡¯t necessarily been correct. Did that mean that the Beast Lord secretly had one serving him or something? Heading to the Beast Lord¡¯s country didn¡¯t exactly sound easy. It was on a different continent, and led by one of our enemies. There was no way I could go, especially not with Fran in tow seeing as how it¡¯d put her in danger.

    ¡¸The cksmith in question may be able to provide you with additional information, though, I cannot say for sure this will really be the case.¡¹

    ¡ºSo not even you know?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t. Not even we, the gods, can predict the future.¡¹

    ¡ºEven though you¡¯re gods? Being able to see into the future totally seems like a god-like thing to do¡­¡»

    ¡¸The fact remains that we can¡¯t. You, and many others seem to have made the mistake of assuming that gods are capable of determining one¡¯s fate and reading into what¡¯ll happenter down the road, but that isn¡¯t the case. Despite that, many believe in destiny. They think that the gods govern the precise ups and downs of their lives.¡¹

    You know, that is kinda true. Even I kinda ended up thinking that me meeting Fran was an act of fate.

    ¡¸They think that the gods have all under their control, that the world follows a precise, predetermined blueprint.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I get what you mean. I mean, a lot of people don¡¯t actually believe in something that exaggerated, but there are a good deal of people who believe in something kinda along those lines.¡»

    ¡¸But you see, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for me to appear to you as I had if that were the case.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve got a pretty good point, now that you mention it.¡»

    ¡¸Destiny doesn¡¯t exist. Fate is nothing but a series of coincidences. What I mean is, you are responsible for what happens to you, regardless of whether that thing happens to be good or bad.¡¹

    I guess that means that me meeting Fran was just a coincidence?

    ¡¸Exactly. You meeting her was just a coincidence. You two being capable of working together as well as you do is also a coincidence. Likewise, you meeting all the right people along the way was also a coincidence, one I would even call a miracle.¡¹

    For some odd reason, hearing the goddess¡¯ deration kinda made me feel a bit embarrassed.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already said quite a bit, but I¡¯ll throw in onest statement. I, as the goddess of Chaos, am expecting something great from the two of you.¡¹

    Her words made me kinda happy, an emotion I actually wasn¡¯t really sure whether or not it was okay for me to be feeling given the current circumstances.

    ¡¸Fufufufu. That¡¯s a question I don¡¯t know the answer to.¡¹

    ¡ºHey, wait up!¡»

    ¡¸Farewell. I bid you a nice, healthy dose of chaos.¡¹

    The goddess disappeared after voicing one final, sinister-sounding line. I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if she¡¯d totally just cursed me.

 Chapter 207: The Black Cat Tribe and the Goddess

    <h4>Chapter 207: The ck Cat Tribe and the Goddess</h4>

    We headed back over to Rumina shortly after I finished talking to the Goddess.

    ¡¸I am d that you have both managed to evolve and remain in good health.¡¹

    I¡¯d yet to switch in the Evolution Concealment skill I¡¯d just gotten, so Rumina was immediately able to figure out that Fran had evolved.

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸And it appears that your evolution came with quite the pleasant surprise¡­¡¹

    Rumina trailed off and and remained silent for a few seconds as she gazed at Fran. Her emotions were clear from the look on her face. She was both pleased and shocked.

    ¡¸I¡­ I had failed to even fathom the possibility that you would be a ck Heavenly Tigerkin.¡¹

    Honestly, I, as a non-beastkin, didn¡¯t really understand just how much it meant for one to evolve into a ck Heavenly Tigerkin, and thus, I didn¡¯t feel the sense of impact that should¡¯ve apanied Fran¡¯s ascension even aftering to realize that Rumina had started casting the younger ck Catkin a meek, respectful gaze.

    Thinking about it a bit more deeply caused me to realize that she¡¯d basically be the stuff of legends, especially seeing as how even Rumina herself was just a regr ck Tigerkin.

    ¡ºSo what exactly does one need to do in order to evolve into a ck Heavenly Tigerkin in the first ce?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ It fortunately appears that I have be capable of exining Fran¡¯s circumstances to you given her evolution.¡¹

    Right, I remember the Goddess making mention of that.

    ¡¸ck Catkin must fulfill three requirements in order to evolve into ck Heavenly Tigerkin. The first two are numerical, and rte to the agility and magic stats in particr. The third is the ability to use Lightning Magic.¡¹

    Equipping me allowed Fran to fulfill all necessary conditions, especially seeing as how my Skill Sharing ability made it so that my skills were treated as if they were her own.

    ¡¸I never did suspect that you would fulfill all necessary conditions despite my awareness of Master¡¯s abilities. Rather, I did not expect the conditions to take the bonuses provided by his abilities into ount. I believe that you, Fran, are the first ck Heavenly Tigerkin not to be of the royal bloodline.¡¹

    ¡ºYou serious?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed I am. I dare say that the two of you encountering one another was nothing short of a miracle.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s what the Goddess said too.¡»

    ¡¸You have heard the Goddess speak!? Does that mean you have met with her!?¡¹

    I once again was left feeling a bit bewildered because of how Rumina ended up suddenly drawing closer to Fran with her face face painted full of shock. But again, I managed to make a bit of sense out of the situation after thinking it through. Rumina was a Dungeon Master, and therefore, one of the Goddess of Chaos¡¯ kin. In other words, there was basically no reason for her not to be a devout believer.

    ¡¸Not me. Only Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Master, could you please borate!?¡¹

    Though I was aware of her circumstances, I didn¡¯t really get why hearing about my conversation with the goddess had totally gotten the ck Tigerkin all fired up and excited.

    Like, seriously, what the hell? I¡¯d been expecting Rumina to resent the Goddess of Chaos given that she seemed to be responsible for the curse that¡¯d been afflicting the ck Cat Tribe for the past 500 odd years. She¡¯d administered a collective punishment that involved pretty much all the tribe¡¯s members despite the fact that many of them them hadn¡¯t deserved to be held responsible. In fact, the decision seemed to have been one made and mandated by the former royal family.

    I decided to ask Rumina for a bit of an exnation, which in turn made her switch to an expression that was much more difficult to read.

    ¡¸I do admit to have entertained the thought on at least one asion¡­ However, one must consider that the gods differ greatly from us mortals.¡¹

    Some gods, like the God of Nature, were so fundamentally different from the races that they held no tolerance for their actions. As a result, the punishments and retributions delivered by gods like the God of Nature were often considered harsh and unjust.

    I remember hearing mention of stuff like that back on Earth, and so, I honestly wasn¡¯t all that surprised by it. I¡¯d heard many tales of people who regarded the gods as unreasonable because the two parties weren¡¯t able toe to any sort of mutual understanding. It was only natural that different gods would have different standards, and that many of these standards would vary from the ones mortals would find reasonable.

    ¡¸The Goddess of Chaos is one of the more understanding gods, as she shares many a simrity with the mortal races.¡¹

    The hell¡¯s that supposed to mean?

    ¡¸It was none other than she that deprived the ck Catkin of their ability to evolve and wiped all memories of their evolutions.¡¹

    ¡ºWasn¡¯t that just her oppressing you guys?¡»

    ¡¸I believe it to be the opposite.¡¹

    Apparently, the Goddess of Chaos had done a lot for the ck Cat Tribe as a whole. Many of the other gods had demanded that the entire race be purged, but she¡¯d managed to talk them down and negotiate. That is, she managed to get the other gods to agree to apromise that allowed them to survive in exchange for a difficult trial and the erasure of any and all memories rting to the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s former glory.

    ¡¸The gods mimunicated and misunderstood each other. They had only robbed the non-beastkin races of their memories. The few ck Catkin that had avoided the gods¡¯ retribution still knew of their evolutionary methods. Likewise, the same applied to all the other Beastkin races. Thus, the ck Cat Tribe found itself capable of passing on its knowledge through works of literature.¡¹

    ¡ºSo how¡¯d all that knowledge and stuff end up getting lost between then and now?¡»

    ¡¸That was in fact a result of the actions perpetrated by the new Beast Lord and his subordinates, the Blue Catkin. They stole and erased all the literature and records they could while selling the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members into very. They forbade the act of disclosing any information rting to the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolutionary methods and in doing so, prevented our tribe¡¯s newborn members from learning them. The passage of time amplified the effects of their bans and ultimately eliminated the very notion that we ck Catkin were capable of evolution.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, I get that. I can totally see why you hate both the Beast Lord and the Blue Catkin, and that all makes sense to me, but, like, there¡¯s still one thing I don¡¯t get. How do you not resent the Gods for what they¡¯ve done? Like, seriously. The Divine Punishment they threw at you guys is the whole reason you guys ended up turning into ves for what was a whole 500 years.¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t understand either.¡¹

    Fran agreed with me given that she¡¯d just learned about everything that happened, but Rumina, who happened to know much more than us, didn¡¯t.

    ¡¸Undoing the Evil God¡¯s seal and thereby endangering the entire world is an act that merits none other than our tribe¡¯splete and utter destruction. If given the choice, I would prefer to describe the span of time that has psed as a mere 500 years as opposed to an entire 500 years.¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t until Rumina mentioned literally destroying the entire world that I realized the weight the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s sin, and a bit of further thought led me to realize that 500 years wasn¡¯t actually all that much here considering there were elves and whatnot.

    ¡¸I would also venture to im that we, as a tribe, deserved to lose ess to the throne and descend into very. Our behaviour was once nothing short of tyrannical, as evidenced by our downfall. We would have been assisted by many a tribe had we been reasonable rulers and beloved by our people. I do pity our tribe¡¯s modern members, Iment the need for them to bear their ancestors¡¯ sins, but even so, I harbour only the slightest bit of resentment for the gods.¡¹

    She, unlike us, didn¡¯t really feel that the gods were in the wrong. In fact, she seemed to feel extremely grateful that the Goddess of Chaos had managed to prevent the other gods from driving the ck Cat Tribe to extinction.

    ¡¸I believe that should function to answer your questions. Might you now be willing to borate on the Goddess¡¯ words?¡¹

    I figured that there wasn¡¯t really any point in being all secretive around Rumina, so I decided to just tell her everything I¡¯d been told.

    That said, half the stuff the Goddess told me was stuff she definitely already knew, so I kinda expected the conversation to end up revolving around evolution and the fact that the Goddess had jacked my Awakening skill.

    ¡ºThe weird part is that we¡¯d kinda already defeated something that should¡¯ve counted as an A ranked Evil Being in the past¡­¡»

    There was no way Rynford wasn¡¯t at least an A ranked threat, and we were 100% sure we killed him. Fran not being able to evolve in spite of that didn¡¯t really make all that much sense.

    ¡¸Was that act one you aplished with the aid of any other individuals?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, we had a few other adventurers help us out.¡¹

    ¡¸I believe that is why. The condition allows only a single individual to evolve. Thus, the curse should only be undone in the case that one functions to defeat an A ranked Evil Being as an individual.¡¹

    In other words, anyone that wanted to evolve would have to clear the trial¡¯s conditions without any help.

    Rumina suddenly bowed her head and apologized to Fran as I shifted topics and brought up the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s sins.

    ¡¸I am sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I was once in a role akin to that of one of the royal family¡¯s advisors. Despite my position, I was unable to convince the royal family¡¯s members to cease their actions, but in doing so, incurred their displeasure. Thus, I was removed from my post. I was unable to regain my honor. I became an adventurer and then a Dungeon Master. Since then, I have simply lived, and nothing more.¡¹

    ¡¸Not your fault.¡¹

    ¡¸That is not true, not in the slightest! It should have been possible for me to convince them and change their minds!¡¹

    Rumina¡¯s failure was clearly bothering her, and had likely been on her mind for the entirety of the past 500 years. I could tell that she¡¯d been ming herself, that she thought it was her fault, and not the gods¡¯, that the ck Cat Tribe had been forced to suffer.

    That would exin why she was so eager and willing to harm herself in order to help Fran evolve. She definitely had taken a liking to Fran, but that wasn¡¯t all. She¡¯d also wanted to atone.

    ¡¸I would¡­ also like to apologize for putting you in danger¡¯s wake.¡¹

    Hearing me describe my conversation with the Goddess had caused her to issue yet another apology with her face paled. It seemed she was worried that we¡¯d managed to incur the gods¡¯ wrath.

    ¡¸Not your fault. No mistakes.¡¹

    ¡¸That is not true. My considerations were far too shallow.¡¹

    The look on her face was terrifyingly sincere.

    ¡¸I mind not facing my own demise, but risking yours is a mistake that my life alone would not suffice to correct.¡¹

    ¡¸Rumina, dying not allowed.¡¹

    Fran gazed at Rumina with a pained look on her face. Even just thinking about Rumina one day upping and vanishing had made her start feeling a sense of sorrow.

    ¡¸There was nothing else I could have possibly done for you.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t need to do anything.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Staying by my side, more than enough.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s spoke in a soft but clear tone of voice as shetched onto Rumina, hugged her, and buried her face in her chest.

    The older ck Catkin directed her gaze down at Fran with a bit of a troubled look on her face, but she ended up gently stroking her back regardless.

    ¡¸I recall Kiara had once said those precise words.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸It is almost as if nothing has changed, despite the passage of over 50 years.¡¹

    Both parties ended up smiling awkwardly as soon as they¡¯d calmed down. Neither seemed used to the roles they¡¯d suddenly taken; Fran was unustomed to being doted on, whereas Rumina was unustomed to being fawned on.

    Rumina was a bit tired, so she ended up taking a seat and leaning back into her chair after they separated.

    ¡ºOh yeah, Rumina, how are you feeling anyways?¡»

    I recalled the Goddess saying something about how Rumina had exhausted herself or her energies or something. She¡¯d probably been pushing herself real hard.

    ¡¸It will not take long for I myself to recover. However, I will require a significant amount of time to recover the power that I had been storing up as this dungeon¡¯s master.¡¹

    The dungeon was going to end up being easier to deal with, but that wasn¡¯t actually really a problem at all given that Dias was doing a bunch on his end in order to make sure she didn¡¯t end up getting killed.

    ¡¸I would be more concerned about yourselves than me. Fortunately, it appears that the skill the goddess bestowed to you should allow you to remain unhindered in your activities.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s not really much for anyone to be worrying about on our end.¡»

    ¡¸Master, am I correct in my understanding that the Goddess¡¯ restrictions were applied to you, but not Fran?¡¹

    ¡ºYup, pretty much.¡»

    ¡¸I believe that should in turn mean that Fran is allowed to share information that rtes to the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolutionary methods.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, you too?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure it¡¯s okay though? She kinda cheated the system a bit.¡»

    Rumina¡¯s conclusion was one I¡¯de to as well, but I wasn¡¯t 100% sure whether or not she¡¯d actually be allowed to talk about it.

    ¡¸I highly doubt that the Goddess merely overlooked the possibility of Fran disclosing the information you were provided. Did she make any particr mention of actions you were disallowed from taking?¡¹

    ¡ºNot at all.¡»

    ¡¸I cannot possibly im that I am capable of understanding the gods¡¯ thoughts. However, I believe that you are permitted to speak of any fact they do not explicitly restrict you from conveying in situations akin to the one we have at hand. Your ability to discuss the topic with myself should serve as enough evidence to prove my hypothesis.¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t really tell whether or not we were able to discuss the topic because the system simply happened to work that way, or if it was instead because the Goddess of Chaos had decided to allow it out of goodwill, but either way, it seemed like we were allowed to convey a fact that had a good chance of plunging the world into chaos if we weren¡¯t careful about how we ryed it.

    ¡¸It would be to your benefit to direct your attention away from the gods and instead towards other beastkin. It is likely that the Beast Lord and the Blue Catkin that serve him will make note of you should you spread your knowledge.¡¹

    Her conjecture seemed fairly usible. We had to be careful with who we told. The most ideal situation would be for us to spread the info through an informationwork inessible to all but ck Catkin.

    ¡ºAre there like, any ck Catkin-exclusivemunities we could try spreading the word to?¡»

    ¡¸There should be several within the Beastkin¡¯s Country. However, I highly doubt you will find anything more than a slum or vigeprised solely of ves.¡¹

    I really did want to go check out the Beastkin¡¯s Country, but I felt it was honestly way too dangerous for it to be worth visiting.

    ¡¸Are you nning to visit it? I believe you did make mention of there being a God-tier cksmith.¡¹

    ¡ºNah. It¡¯s not worth the risk.¡»

    ¡¸But might learn more about Master.¡¹

    ¡ºDoesn¡¯t matter. There¡¯s only a chance the cksmith¡¯ll be able to tell me anything about me. I can¡¯t really see taking that chance to be even remotely worth the amount of danger going there¡¯ll put you in.¡»

    ¡¸But!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯ll get our hands on more clues about my identity eventually, and I¡¯m pretty sure there are better ways for us to tell other ck Catkin about what they need to do in order to evolve.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Again, I really did want to pay the ce a visit, but it just wasn¡¯t worth it.

    ***

    Or at least that was what I¡¯d thought at the time. My opinion changed when we learned that the Beast Lord was in fact working to the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s benefit. That is, he was eliminating Blue Catkin groups and releasing any enved ck Catkin he came across.

    One could almost say that he might as well have been raised by a ck Catkin.

    Weter went on to tell Rumina about what¡¯d happened to Kiara.

    It seemed she¡¯d really beenmenting what she¡¯d thought to be Kiara¡¯s fate, as hearing the news caused her to immediately break down into tears. She clung to Fran, who¡¯d been patting her on the shoulder, and silently sobbed into the younger girl¡¯s perfectly t chest.

    Several minutes passed before she finally stood back up, her face red as a tomato.

    ¡¸I apologize, I was simply ovee with emotion.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, least it seemed to be a positive emotion.¡»

    ¡¸The information you provided me was truly the most wonderful news I have ever heard, and for that, I thank you.¡¹

    Rumina obviously wasn¡¯t over the fact that she¡¯d failed to stop the Beast Lord 500 years prior, but she¡¯d at least managed to get that whole Kiara thing off her shoulders. Thanks to that, she managed draw out a happy smile.

    ¡¸Does the Beast Lord¡¯s alignment perhaps denote that you are now capable of disseminating information regarding the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s evolutionary methods?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The truth of the matter was that we¡¯d actually long told Aurel what we¡¯d learned. I hadn¡¯t actually been all that willing to tell him because I feared the gods and their wrath. Fran, however, wasn¡¯t able to help herself and ended up spilling the beans.

    As a result, I¡¯d basically spent the entire conversation worrying whether or not the Goddess of Chaos would suddenly show up and throw a sheetstorm.

    I valued Fran¡¯s safety over all else, but she didn¡¯t feel the same. She valued her tribe much more than her life, and so, I didn¡¯t end up being able to stop her.

    Fortunately, the gods hadn¡¯t deemed our actions as ones befitting any sort of retribution and hadn¡¯t shown up.

    In fact, the meeting had turned out to be a beneficial one, as Aurel had promised to help us spread the word by making use of the beastkin¡¯s informationwork. It looked like all this continent¡¯s beastkin would end up learning the truth if all went well.

    ¡¸And I presume your newfound knowledge has changed your opinion of whether you wish to visit the Beastkin¡¯s Country?¡¹

    ¡ºPretty much. All we have to do now is try figuring out whether or not the Beast Lord knows anything about the God-tier cksmith we¡¯re looking for.¡»

    I was expecting him to know exactly who we were talking about, but you could never really be too sure given that God-tier cksmiths were more or less living legends. It was possible that the person we happened to be looking for had holed themselves up somewhere far away from society.

    ¡¸It appears that you have no choice but to win the first three rounds through any means possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave to me. Will win and ask lots about Kiara and ck Cat Tribe. Will also get permission to visit Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

    ¡¸Would you be willing to deliver to Kiara a souvenir on my behalf?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave to me.¡¹

    ¡ºConsider it done.¡»

    It seemed we¡¯d pretty much be dead set on heading over to the Beastkin¡¯s Country, with our only blocker being that we needed to win the third round.

    I was pretty confident that the goal we¡¯d set was one we¡¯d be able to aplish. We¡¯d experimented quite a bit with Awakening over the course of the past few days, and in doing so, learned just how powerful a tool it could be.

    A huge chunk of the data we¡¯d collected was data that rted to Fran¡¯s Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    It had risks that Rumina had made sure to make us aware of, but its payoffs made it a ridiculously good skill nheless. It gave us such a huge boost to speed that it allowed us topete with A rankers.

    The ck Lightning that enveloped Fran¡¯s body was ridiculously powerful as well. The sheer amount of destruction it wrought was nothing short of absurd, it could bring a High Ogre to the verge of death with just a single tap. Moreover, it also possessed the ability to pierce through armour and anything else that functioned to a simr effect. Lightning was already an element that centered around the negation of one¡¯s defenses, as it would remain perfectly effective in the face of metals and other conductive materials. The ck Lightning took that concept a step further and allowed us to almostpletely ignore the tough skin that some magic beasts tended to have. Both these bonuses were passive and applied to all Fran¡¯s attacks unless we made the conscious decision to negate them.

    Using the ability would slowly eat away at Fran¡¯s health and mana, but the costs were, in my opinion, effectively insignificant. The firepower it brought was so immense that it rendered me unable to even imagine a foe capable of tanking her attacks head on.

    Conferring with Rumina also allowed us to figure out which skills we¡¯d be best off leveling.

    ¡¸Will at least try to win third round.¡¹

    ¡ºBut it goes without saying that our goal is of course¡­¡»

    ¡¸Victory!¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah! Let¡¯s win this sheet and then visit Kiara with our heads held he high!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 208: Vs Goldalfa â€” After

    <h4>Chapter 208: Vs Goldalfa ¡ª After</h4>

    We were called over to the VIP area in which the Beast Lord was situated shortly after we defeated Goldalfa. We could¡¯ve actually just refused him, but Fran ended up consenting to the offer because she was offered food.

    ¡¸There you are.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Wanted to see me?¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah, I mean you¡¯re one of them legendary ck Heavenly Tigerkin, ain¡¯t ya? No way I wouldn¡¯t want to check you out after figuring out all that.¡¹

    The Beast Lord carefully observed Fran as he spoke, an action that ultimately led him to furrow his brow in confusion.

    ¡¸Yeah, I don¡¯t get it, I¡¯m not really seeing it¡­ At first I thought it was just ¡¯cause you were a bit too far away for me to really tell¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I feel the same. She seems just like any other ck Catkin to me.¡¹

    The Evolution Concealment skill seemed to be capable of doing one hell of a fine job, as neither Roche nor the Beast Lord could actually tell that Fran had evolved. Both were left in a state of confusion due to the discrepancy between their current impression of her and what they¡¯d witnessed earlier.

    ¡¸Mind me asking how the hell you¡¯ve managed to cover it up like that?¡¹

    ¡¸Your Majesty! Asking a question like that is not only rude, but also a breach of her privacy!¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on¡­¡¹

    The Beast Lord seemed extremely curious because he couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what the hell was going on. That said, I wasn¡¯t really nning to let him in the loop. I figured that telling him would probably end up causing us more trouble than it was worth further down the line and that it¡¯d be better for us to refrain from doing so.

    Fran, however, disagreed.

    ¡¸Willing to tell.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, Fran, hold up!¡»

    £¨Got an idea.£©

    ¡ºCare to share?¡»

    £¨Just leave to me.£©

    ¡ºYou uh¡­ sure?¡»

    £¨No issues.£©

    Fran seemed to be insisting that she knew what she was doing, so I ended up yielding and allowing her to do whatever it was she¡¯d thought up.

    ¡¸But only under certain condition.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? What kinda condition?¡¹

    ¡¸Looking for God-tier cksmith. Will tell if told cksmith¡¯s location.¡¹

    Her idea was a pretty good one. The God-tier cksmith¡¯s location was something extremely valuable, and thus, most likely confidential. In other words, it was unlikely that the Beast Lord would be willing to tell it to Fran under normal circumstances even if he was looking out for the ck Cat Tribe and its members.

    His personality seemed to indicate that the opposite was quite possible as well, but one could never really know for sure. Plus, having a bargaining chip was pretty much always better than not.

    £¨Master, activate Principle of Falsehood.£©

    ¡ºRoger that.¡»

    The best part about the idea Fran came up with was that it allowed us to gain at least some information regardless of whether or not the Beast Lord lied. All he needed to do was assent and we had ourselves some profit.

    ¡¸Agree?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I will leave this decision entirely up to you, Your Majesty.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh hell no, you¡¯re not getting out of this! You think about it too unless you want Royce on our asses for making another dumb decision.¡¹

    The Beast Lord ended up deciding to tell us what he knew after discussing it a bit with Roche.

    ¡¸¡­Close in a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The Beast Lord used his fingers to gesture at Fran in order to tell her to approach him, an act that clearly indicated that he not only knew about the cksmith in question, but also wanted as few people to hear what he was going to say as possible.

    ¡¸I¡¯mma just t out say that the Beastkin¡¯s Country¡¯s got one.¡¹

    He whispered right into Fran¡¯s ear. His lips were so close to her that even I started to feel a bit ufortable. I felt the urge to chop the filthy things off if they so much as touched Fran.

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Fran responded to him as I entertained a rather violent thought.

    ¡¸Really, but the dude you¡¯re looking for is a moody little bastard. He¡¯s real hard to deal with, and I can¡¯t really say whether or not he¡¯d even be willing to see you.¡¹

    ¡¸Still okay as long as told location.¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s the type of guy that doesn¡¯t really hold much respect for authority. He basically doesn¡¯t even care that I¡¯m a king. I¡¯ll still write you a letter so he knows I sent you, but just be warned that it might not really make a difference.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Big favour.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it¡¯s whatever. Now tell me that thing I¡¯ve been curious about.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Hearing about the Evolution Concealment skill caused the Beast Lord to start brooding.

    He and Roche had even started debating whether or not it was something that ck Heavenly Tigerkin would learn upon evolution.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºHe was telling you the truth. He not only knows where the guy is, but also ns on introducing you to him.¡»

    £¨Then will need to go to Beastkin¡¯s Country.£©

    ¡ºSure seems like it.¡»

    Fran went silent because she¡¯d started conversing with me telepathically. The two other beastkin, however, took this as a sign that they¡¯d identally left her out of the conversation because they were too focused on their own devices. Thus, Roche ended up apologizing.

    ¡¸Sorry about that. We will be leaving it at that for now. Thank you once again for providing us with a valuable piece of information.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It seemed like there was a good chance they¡¯d want to ask us for more details after the tourney came to an end.

    ¡¸I would like you to have these, though not necessarily as an expression of gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸Purpose?¡¹

    Roche handed Fran a pair of tickets.

    ¡¸These tickets will allow you ess to reserved seating. I believe you wish to watch the remaining matches, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸S¡¯cause you¡¯ve already made a name for yourself. Everyone¡¯ll probably recognize you immediately if you go sit with everyone else, and that¡¯d just be a huge pain in the ass.¡¹

    ¡¸And that is why we would like for you to have those tickets. The reserved seats are located a fair distance away from the regr seats, and the individuals that have the rights to them are far more polite. Sitting over there will assist you in keeping out of trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. Why two?¡¹

    ¡¸The other one¡¯s for that familiar of yours, the one that had Gold all distracted and sheet.¡¹

    ¡¸His Majesty immediately dered that he wished for your wolf to be seated after seeing it. Obtaining the second ticket was quite the task.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Please, do not worry about it. My troubles were entirely the result of His Majesty¡¯s high-handedness.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on man, what the hell? You¡¯re making it look like it¡¯s all my fault.¡¹

    ¡¸How is it not? Oh well, I do not particrly mind as your actions did not result in any harm. You will, however, have to deal with Sir Solbardter on.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, I know already.¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s ticket had apparently belonged to a noble from the Beastkin¡¯s Country. Said noble had been visiting on his own as opposed to as a member of the Beast Lord¡¯s party. However, the Beast Lord had basically forced the man to sell his ticket regardless.

    He¡¯d made up for it by inviting the man over to the VIP section, a result the person in question was actually quite happy with given that he was basically handed a chance to build a better rtionship with the Beast Lord.

    ¡¸We had originally secured a single ticket as we had suspected that you would likely not want to remain in the VIP area.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The atmosphere in here was a bit stiff, and more importantly, Fran herself wasn¡¯t really able to rx. She¡¯d yet to be able to let her guard down around the Beast Lord and hispanions.

    Fran got ready to leave the VIP area with a huge tter of the food she¡¯d taken from it in tow right about when the noble Roche had mentioned approached it.

    She¡¯d offered to pay for what she was going to eat, but the Beast Lord ended up dismissing the notion and calling the tter a reward she¡¯d earned given that she¡¯d beat Goldalfa. And so, we ended up leisurely getting ourselves ready to watch the matches toe.

    ***

    The reserved seating area was full of nobles and other people with a tonne of spare cash. A bunch of them spotted us immediately, but they didn¡¯t end up saying anything, quite possibly because they were afraid of us. Or rather, of Urushi.

    He still seemed to be feeling the rush he¡¯d gotten from the super intense battle we¡¯d just fought, as his face had a bit of a wilder look on it than usual. Honestly speaking, it was a bit terrifying to look at. I didn¡¯t really bother asking him to fix it because it kept people away, and all in all, ended up functioning as a convenience.

    ¡ºSo the next match still hasn¡¯t started yet?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We¡¯d kinda destroyed the arena. The staff had to repair it before the next match began.

    I¡¯d considered the possibility that they¡¯d have like a reigning champion or something carry in a giant ass ring into the arena, but that wasn¡¯t what¡¯d actually happened. They were instead fixing everything through the application of Earth Magic. To that end, the person responsible for the repairs was currently drawing some sort of magic circle.

    ***

    It took about twenty minutes for them to create an entirely new arena and bring in the next pair of contestants.

    Today¡¯s second match was between Amanda and Erza. I honestly wasn¡¯t sure which of the two we were supposed to be rooting for.

    Their battle began before I was actually able to make up my mind.

    Amanda began moving around the Arena and attacking with her whip while Erza stayed centered around the same area while waiting for a chance to throw a counterattack.

    I couldn¡¯t help but enjoy spectating the two of them as they fought. One¡¯s whip was raging within the barrier¡¯s confines as would a dragon, while the other¡¯s mace was cleaving holes in the arena every single time it was swung. There was but only one issue¡­

    ¡¸Ahhhhh¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Iwwaaaaahhh!¡¹

    That one issue was the fact that the buff manwoman would moan each and every time he was struck with the whip. I couldn¡¯t help but begin debating whether or not Fran was actually old enough to be watching the two go at each other.

    I felt like I most likely would¡¯ve directed her attention elsewhere and disallowed her from watching if we weren¡¯t going to end up fighting the winner.

    I expected the match tost quite a while given that Erza had both high defenses and the Pain Conversion skill, but I was wrong.

    ¡¸Ahuuunnn!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s over!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhh¡­ Haaaahhhhnnn!¡¹

    Amanda swung her whip in a downwards arc and sent Erza flying. He¡¯d passed out by the time hended, which made sense.

    Not feeling pain was useful and all, but one would still eventually lose consciousness and control over one¡¯s body should one take way too much damage.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe it! Erza, Ulmutt¡¯s Hero, was defeated with ease! Well, that¡¯s an A ranked adventurer for you! This round goes to Amanda of Hariti!¡¹

    I was surprised to hear the caster openly dere that as the city¡¯s hero. It seemed that Ulmutt¡¯s people were a lot more epting than I¡¯d been giving them credit for.

    ¡ºDid you manage to catch thatst attack of hers¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Barely?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, same here.¡»

    Amanda¡¯s whip moved so quickly that I hadn¡¯t even been able to fully keep track of it from afar. Fran and I were both starting to worry that we wouldn¡¯t be able to repel her attacks.

    ¡ºLooks like our next match is going to be one hell of a tough one.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 209: Finally, Amanda

    <h4>Chapter 209: Finally, Amanda</h4>

    Not much time had passed since Amanda and Erza finished up their duel.

    The arena was still in the midst of being repaired, so the next match had yet to start. Fran didn¡¯t really have much to do, so she ended up munching on a bunch of skewers as she looked over the tournament¡¯s brackets.

    ¡¸Next, Forrund versus Phillip.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure Forrund¡¯ll end up winning.¡»

    We¡¯d seen both of them inbat before, and as a result, more or less ended uping to the conclusion that Forrund was just as monstrously strong as Amanda.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hope Phillip manages to hold on and draw out a couple of Forrund¡¯s cards so we can figure out what he¡¯s got up his sleeve.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Wishing Phillip luck.¡¹

    Giving Phillip our blessings turned out to bepletely pointless, as he¡¯d ended up losing almost instantly.

    Despite that, he was satisfied because he¡¯d more or less fulfilled his goal by taking a few seconds to inform the audience of Barbra¡¯s plight and requesting their aid before the match began. Namely, his voice had reached all the nobles that¡¯d finally decided to start spectating because it¡¯de time for the quarter finals.

    The day¡¯s fourth andst match pit Royce, one of the Beast Lord¡¯s guards, against Fermus, the Dragon¡¯s Table¡¯s owner. Their battle ended up being far more intense than I¡¯d initially been expecting.

    Royce¡¯s strategy made heavy use of his ability to teleport both with and without his Dimensional Gate. Hebined his ridiculous magic-based mobility with the natural agility that most Rabbitkin just happened to have in order to outmaneuver his foe while attacking with Earth-based spells. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit frustrated at the fact that he was clearly better at teleporting than I was. He would also make asional use of Moonlight Magic in order to reflect his opponent¡¯s attacks. His ability to make it seem like he could do it without exerting much effort made him appear ridiculously difficult to deal with.

    Royce¡¯s fighting style was incredibly impressive, but Fermus¡¯pletely trumped it in terms of how much it shocked me.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Fermus

    Age: 63

    Species: Human

    ss: Magic Threadmaster

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 68/99

    HP: 436

    MP: 669

    STR: 231

    VIT: 201

    AGI: 412

    INT: 327

    MGC: 339

    DEX: 681

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 5

    Dismantling: Lv 8

    me Resistance: Lv 8

    Wind Magic: Lv 3

    Crisis Detection: Lv 8

    Presence Detection: Lv 6

    Steel Thread Techniques: MAX

    Steel Thread Arts: MAX

    Bind: Lv 7

    Harvesting: Lv 6

    Muffle: Lv 6

    Resistance To Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv 6

    Commerce: Lv 5

    Vibration Perception: Lv 8

    Vibration Strike: Lv 6

    Twin Sword Arts: Lv 8

    Thread Maniption: MAX

    Short Sword Arts: Lv 3

    Throwing: Lv 9

    Lasso: Lv 4

    Magical Thread Creation: Lv 7

    Knowledge of Magic Beasts: Lv 3

    Magic Perception: Lv 5

    Water Magic: Lv 6

    Cooking: Lv 8

    Trap Disarming: Lv 5

    Trap Detection: Lv 5

    Trap Creation: Lv 8

    Reinforced Threads

    Orc Killer

    Vigour Maniption

    Nulled Sense of Pain

    Thought Division

    Magic Maniption

    Innate Skills

    Threading

    Unique skills

    Dragon Genocider

    Titles

    Natural Enemy of Scaled Beings

    User of Steel Threads

    Orc Killer

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Dragon Genocider

    Magic Thread User

    Magic Beast Annihtor

    Equipment

    Monarch Whale¡¯s Beard War Threads

    Dragon-Eating Spider¡¯s War Threads

    Lighting Dragonfang Shortsword

    Imperial Wrath Armour

    Dragon Wing Mantle

    Ring of Poison Nullification

    Deodorizing Earing

    _______________________________________________________________

    Looking at his status page told me he used threads and all that, butpletely failed to inform me as to just how versatile he could be. I¡¯d only been expecting him to be able to use about ten threads simultaneously, but I was way off the mark. His ability to manipte magical energy freed him from the one per finger limit and made it so he could control over 100 at once.

    Fermus¡¯ weapons would take on many forms as they chased Royce around the arena. They¡¯d be swords, walls, ands upon hismand. He also had a bunch of his threads strewn around the arena. They were ced in such a way that they were capable of functioning kind of like rm system, one that prevented him from losing track of Royce regardless of where the rabbitkin ended up teleporting.

    It went without saying that Fermus was still taking a fair bit of damage. His threads were extremely powerful, but they weren¡¯t capable of stopping the massive rocks Royce would hurl his way. He¡¯d also asionally tank a few hits when Royce engaged him in closebat, as the rabbitkin was definitely the better of the two when it came to that particr aspect.

    Despite that, Royce wasn¡¯t able to tilt the match in his favour. The arena was far too small. It prevented him from escaping Fermus¡¯ range, so he eventually ended up getting caught in and ripped apart by the older man¡¯s weapons.

    ¡¸And the winner is Fermus, The Dragon Hunter! His strength has yet to fade despite retiring from adventuring! That¡¯s someone that¡¯s had their name in the records for three years in a row for you!¡¹

    Fermus bowed elegantly as he waved to the crowd, a set of actions that probably would¡¯ve seemed conceited had he not looked nearly as ustomed to them.

    ¡ºHe sure seems strong.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ I¡¯m not really all that sure how we¡¯re supposed to handle him given how little room there is inside the barrier.¡»

    And with that, the quarter finals ended uping to an end.

    Tomorrow¡¯s two matches would be Fran vs Amanda and Forrund vs Fermus.

    ¡ºWell, looks like we¡¯re going up against Amanda.¡»

    My guess was that she probably wasn¡¯t going to be holding back given how she¡¯d acted back when she sparred with Fran. If anything, she seemed more like the type of person to do the exact opposite and go all out in order to demonstrate her respect.

    Man, I never would¡¯ve thought that we¡¯d have a chance to duel Amanda with both us and her going all out. She was the same rank as the foe we¡¯d just defeated, but I honestly wasn¡¯t all that confident that we could actually beat her. To me, she was pretty much an avatar of strength, quite possibly because we¡¯d been pretty weak back when we¡¯d first met her.

    ¡¸Will still win?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I know. We can¡¯t let ourselves be stopped here if we actually want to win this whole damn tourney.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    The way Urushi barked almost made him seem like he wanted to make sure we hadn¡¯t forgotten about him.

    ¡¸Urushi, do best too.¡¹

    All of the day¡¯s matches had ended, so many of the other spectators began leaving as we thought things through.

    ¡ºWe should probably leave too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will go visit Erza.¡¹

    ¡ºRight. Yeah, we should.¡»

    He¡¯d really helped us a whole bunch, so I figured we might as well pay him a visit and attempt to cheer him up seeing as how he¡¯d ended up losing, and in a pretty showy way at that.

    We headed over to his room in the sickbay after asking a nearby clerk about his whereabouts. There, we found him sleeping atop a bed, still unconscious.

    I realized after we got a bit closer that his expression was actually a rather happy one.

    ¡¸Ahhhnnn¡­ Mfhmmmmm¡­¡¹

    He tossed and turned towards us and revealed that the expression on his face was in fact a lewd one.

    ¡¸Ughhhnnnnn¡­ Kufufu¡­¡¹

    Bits of drool were dripping from the slovenly smile that decorated his face. I honestly couldn¡¯t tell whether or not he was actually feeling down.

    ¡ºYou doing okay there Fran? Not feeling disgusted or anything?¡»

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡ºUhhh, don¡¯t worry ¡¯bout it. All that matters is that you¡¯re feeling fine.¡»

    ¡¸What do? Wake up?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, he seems like he¡¯s fine from an emotional standpoint, so we could kinda just leave him be.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    And so, we ended up doing exactly that. We left Erza as is and made our way home.

    ***

    The night came and went; the semi-finals quickly came upon us.

    ¡¸Get ready people, cause the semi-finals are about to begin! Today¡¯s first match is going to be one of the rarer ones, a duel between women!¡¹

    Fran was greeted by a series of cheers louder than the usual ones as she stepped onto the stage.

    ¡¸This match¡¯s winner will have the chance to move onto the finals. The loser¡¯ll instead have topete for third ce!¡¹

    We were already all buffed up, and Fran was even in her awakened state. She could maintain the state for about an hour so long as she didn¡¯t cast Brilliant Lightning Rush, so there wasn¡¯t any issue with having her use the skill prior to the match¡¯s start.

    ¡¸In one corner we have the C ranked adventurer that¡¯s taken the tournament by storm and even managed to take down an A ranker with her absurd skills! I present to you Fran, The Magic Sword Girl! Actually, scratch that. From here on out, let¡¯s call her Fran, the ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    Oh sheet, the ck Lightning Princess? Now that¡¯s one hell of an awesome nickname. Good job caster dude!

    ¡¸Her opponent will be an A ranker that¡¯s done nothing but put on a show of overwhelming strength time and time again, a woman whose beauty has put her well ahead of Hundred de Forrund in terms of poprity. Ladies and Gentlemen, please wee one of our country¡¯s mightiest and most famous, Amanda of Hariti!¡¹

    As one could expect, more people cheered for Amanda than they did for Fran. The only reason that the we had ended with more cheers than Goldalfast round was because most people would prefer choosing cute girls over beast-like men.

    The innate beauty that came with Amanda¡¯s half-elf blood was not something to be underestimated. It¡¯d even caused a decent portion of the women in the crowd had even begun referring to her as their ¡°elder sister¡± as they cheered her on.

    ¡¸Hey Fran. I never thought we would end up having to face off against each other like this.¡¹

    ¡¸Feeling same way.¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t be holding back!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Both fighters shed each other fearless smiles as they drew their weapons and readied themselves for battle. Though their smiles appeared rather sweet, they were in fact attempting to intimidate each other. Under the surface, the two had already long devolved into nothing but a pair of carnivorous beasts.

 Chapter 210: Side: Amanda

    <h4>Chapter 210: Side: Amanda</h4>

    Watching Fran fight Goldalfa left me in a state of shock. She had be far stronger than I had imagined.

    Fran had always been both strong and cute. That, I knew from the moment we first met. I had also known that she would eventually grow if given enough time.

    I knew that she would one day surpass me, but I had always thought that day was one that wouldn¡¯te for another 10 years.

    I had predicted that she would lose her quarter-final match, but she didn¡¯t. She defeated Goldalfa, a foe that I would have had to struggle against.

    Her rate of growth was so high it could only be deemed abnormal. It was likely one brought about by her desire to evolve, and made possible by Master, her mysterious sword. I had no doubt that it was he that guided her along.

    Speaking of which, it seemed that Master had also grown considerably more powerful. He had performed several surprising feats as Fran dueled Goldalfa, feats that simply could not possibly be attributed to Fran herself. Specifically, I believed it was likely that he was responsible for using the instances in which the Fran had seemingly used Space Time Magic and Lightning Magic chantlessly in rapid session. Likewise, I also assumed that he was the catalyst that had allowed her to evolve, to do what was considered unthinkable for the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members.

    I was unable to tell exactly which abilities could be attributed to Fran, and which could be attributed to Master, but I did know that they would make for a difficult opponent with their powersbined.

    They were not to be underestimated, even in the slightest.

    The most surprising part of the battle was when they used Physical Damage Nullification. I was only able to recognize the skill because I had once experienced fighting against a foe that happened to have it. Their ability to stop Goldalfa¡¯s axe head on and block his powerful shockwave-based attacks with nothing but an outstretched arm served to evidence that they either had the skill or one in its vein.

    Physical Damage Nullification was powerful and difficult to deal with, but it still did have its ws. Its high mana consumption meant I could eventually break through her defenses so long as I continued to attack.

    ¡¸That girl has quite the strength to her. Is she perhaps some sort of adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸I highly doubt that conjecture of yours. She appears to be a Beastkin, and is therefore most likely associated with the Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

    ¡¸I really would prefer if she was to affiliate herself with us given her strength.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I shan¡¯t be allowing to steal a march on me.¡¹

    ¡¸She has quite the number of applications if you take her beauty into consideration.¡¹

    ¡¸Uhyohyo, I would like to take her under my own wing as well.¡¹

    The nobles in my vicinity did as they inevitably would have, and began to make note of her. Fran¡¯s tender age had led them to believe that she was prone to listen to theirmands regardless of what they were.

    ¡¸I would love for her to join the ranks of my imperial guests.¡¹

    ¡¸She would make a perfect guard for my daughter.¡¹

    I felt the urge to administer a tad bit of discipline, but stopped as I heard several more legitimate ideas arise. I was unable to determine which course of action would be better, and instead ended up once again pondering about her growth.

    I had been acquainted with Fran for a long time. We met far before we encountered one another in Alessa. In fact, I was first introduced to her over ten years ago.

    But in truth, our rtionship was far more deeply rooted than even that.

    I had long been acquainted with her parents. They were alumni from one of the orphanages I ran. Her parents¡¯ names were Kinan and Framia. I still remembered looking after the two of them in their youth.

    They grew up, left the orphanage after getting into an argument with me, and took up adventuring.

    We had said our goodbyes on the wrong foot, so I was d they decided to visit.

    It had all been my fault in the first ce. Adventuring had not struck me as their forte. The only fate I could imagine befalling them was death, so I denied their dreams. I told them that they would be unable to evolve even if they tried. My criticisms had been too remorseless, and because of that, I failed in preventing the two from taking off.

    I had failed inmunicating to them. There was likely a better way for me to go about giving them advice. That was why I was really happy that they purposefully sought me out and had me meet their newborn daughter.

    They told me that her name was Fran. Both her name, age, and species matched that of the young adventurer I met in Alessa.

    But even so, I was unable to discern her identity when I first heard of her. The reason for that was because I had caught wind of both Kinan¡¯s and Framia¡¯s deaths. Though there was never any word of Fran¡¯s fate, I assumed she had followed in their footsteps.

    Meeting her and seeing her face, however, changed everything. She looked just like mia had in her childhood, and so, I put two and two together.

    I wanted to immediately let her know that I was acquainted with her parents. I wanted to take her under my care, but that decision was one I hesitated to make. She had already proved herself to be an aplished adventurer, and more importantly, I had already proven unable to protect her parents and prevent them from meeting their demises.

    After a bit of consideration, I decided not to mention the bonds we shared, and instead thought of a different method by which I could offer her protection. That was why I forced my way into her quest and sparred with her, so I could do my utmost to ensure her safety. I was certain that Fran would one day be an adventurer important enough to leave her name in history.

    What I was worried about was that she would one day overestimate herself and have the rug swept out from right under her feet.

    I wanted to teach her that thinking of oneself as the pinnacle of strength was foolhardy, that there was always someone or something stronger than oneself. I wanted to show her what it was like to face off against a foe far mightier than herself.

    To that end, I spent several months immersed in bettering myself. In doing so, I raised the level of my Whip Techniques skill for the first time in around 10 years. I was only 50 years old, so I was still young, but thebination of my elven blood and a more rxed lifestyle had caused my skill levels to teau. However, many of them once again began to grow as I trained with a goal in mind.

    My actions once again allowed me to affirm that goals were important, and that they encouraged achieving results.

    I finally obtained the Celestial Whipmaster ss I had always wanted, all so I could defeat Fran.

    ***

    Fran and I faced each other the next day.

    She wore a wonderful smile as she readied herself for battle. She was neither afraid of me nor nervous. I could tell that she had directed her entire focus on victory and nothing more.

    I knew that I was going to have to push myself if I wanted to win. Yesterday¡¯s observations had led me to understand that Fran had already not only surpassed me in terms of speed, but also had enough firepower to y me in but a single blow.

    That was simply how much strength her evolution had provided her.

    And it was also the precise reason for which I had to win. I had to more than just win. I had to overwhelm her and prove to her that she should refrain from letting her guard down, and I had to be ready to make any and all sacrifices necessary to make that possible.

    Fran and Master unleashed several spells the moment the match began.

    The precisebination was one of wind and lightning. It seemed that the former was used to prevent me from using my whip, and thetter to paralyze me.

    It was clear that they were using their heads, but the spells they had casted were far too weak to stop me in my tracks. I fought back by concentrating and releasing a mass of magical energy in order to execute my fastest and most powerful technique, one thatpletely blew their spells away.

    ¡¸Call of the End ¡ª Vaisravana¡¯s Downfall!¡¹

    My whip raged through the stadium at a speed not even I could perceive.

    It blew Fran¡¯s magic away and began assaulting her.

    My assault proved that Fran had the Physical Damage Nullification skill. Each of the attacks assailing her were powerful enough to turn a High Ogre into mincemeat, but she was not taking any sort of visible damage whatsoever.

    Still, I continued ying my whip. I could tell my attacks were draining Fran¡¯s mana. I had to press on until she ran out.

    My divine whip technique¡¯s high power was both its greatest strength and weakness. My whip would be destroyed if I kept up the barrage for far too long.

    The whip I was currently using was one I had for many years, and one I hade to love, but I continued to press on regardless. There was no point in worrying about my weaponsting me through to the final round. My true purpose was to win this match. Instilling a sense of humility in Fran was the one thing that really mattered.

    ¡¸Here shees.¡¹

    Fran vanished. I knew she had teleported through the use of Space/Time Magic, and because I knew, I was able to react to her attack.

    I moved as quickly as I could and got away from my prior position. Fran appeared where I had been moments before, her face full of surprise.

    Still, she didn¡¯t give up.

    Shebined her skills and spells in order to elerate at a rate far outside my expectations, an act that in and of itself, was exactly what I expected from her.

    ¡¸Haaaahhh!¡¹

    Fran put me in a bad spot. She not only activated my Spirit¡¯s Grace skill, but had also forced me in her preferred range. Her ck lightning cloaked de flew right at me once again. It was an attack I highly doubted I was capable of dodging.

 Chapter 211: Vs Amanda â€” Finale

    <h4>Chapter 211: Vs Amanda ¡ª Finale</h4>

    Both Fran and Amanda began giving off an aura of battlelust as they stared each other down.

    I appraised Amanda and reaffirmed that she was a versatile fighter capable of adapting to any sort of situation. She totally trumped us in terms of how experienced she was, but our weapon-rted skills were at a higher level than hers, so it wasn¡¯t like we were at aplete disadvantage. I was confident we¡¯d be able to use our Sword Lord Arts to find an opening we could make use of.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Amanda

    Age: 58

    Species: Half-Elf

    ss: Celestial Whipmaster

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 71

    HP: 651

    MP: 808

    STR: 330

    VIT: 298

    AGI: 457

    INT: 383

    MGC: 406

    DEX: 359

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 7

    Chant Shortening: Lv 6

    Espionage: Lv 8

    Dismantling: Lv 8

    me Resistance: Lv 6

    Bare Handed Combat Techniques: Lv 4

    Bare Handed Combat Arts: Lv 7

    Wind Magic: MAX

    Crisis Perception: Lv 9

    Presence Detection: Lv 8

    Herculean Strength: Lv 5

    Mining: Lv 7

    Harvesting: Lv 8

    Blink: MAX

    Blink Step: Lv 7

    Drowsiness Resistance: Lv 6

    Elemental de: Lv 7

    Throwing: Lv 8

    Poison Resistance: Lv 6

    Ice/Snow Resistance: Lv 5

    Whip Techniques: MAX

    Divine Whip Techniques: Lv 4

    Whip Arts: MAX

    Divine Whip Arts: Lv 6

    Storm Magic: Lv 5

    Paralysis Resistance: Lv 8

    Magic Perception: Lv 5

    Lightning Resistance: Lv 7

    Orc Killer

    Vigour Maniption

    Giant yer

    Bodily Reinforcement

    Demon yer

    Dragon Killer

    Greater Agility Boost

    Storm Element Reinforcement

    Magic Maniption

    Whip Reinforcement

    Innate Skills

    Heavenly Whip Techniques

    Unique Skills

    Spirit¡¯s Grace

    Titles

    Orc Killer

    One Who Protects Children

    Giant yer

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Demon yer

    Dragon Killer

    One who is Like a Storm

    User of Wind

    Magic Beast Annihtor

    A Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    Heavenly Dragon¡¯s Beard Whip

    Ancient Multi Headed Snake¡¯s Leather Armour

    Magic Poisonous Lizard¡¯s Mantle

    Magic Eyed Monarch Cow¡¯s Boots

    Heavenly Wheel of Substitution

    Lightning Bird¡¯s Decorative Feathers

    Bulwark Bracelet

    Magic Numbing Owl¡¯s Feather Shuriken x 24

    _______________________________________________________________

    Amanda had gone through a few changes. Her ss had switched from Stormfighter to Celestial Whipmaster, and her whip-rted skills were now a bit higher leveled than they were before. She had also gotten her hands on an interesting looking innate skill.

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel like she¡¯d gone out of her way to switch sses and better herself just so she could improve her chances at winning the tournament.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Heavenly Whip Techniques: Increases the speed of one¡¯s whip techniques in exchange for increased resource expenditure.

    _______________________________________________________________

    I couldn¡¯t really tell just how fast her new ss and its apanying skill made her. But either way, it seemed like an extremely powerful one given the way its name was phrased. However, its increased resource consumption implied that it couldn¡¯t be used multiple times in rapid session, which in turn meant it would leave her with openings we could use against her.

    ¡¸Match start!¡¹

    The caster responded to the twobatants pulling out their weapons by signaling for them to continue.

    We immediately fired off several different spells the moment the match began.

    ¡¸Hexagonal Tornado!¡¹

    ¡ºThunderbolt!¡»

    ¡ºThunder Chain!¡»

    ¡ºTornado Lance!¡»

    We used two kinds of spells, with each ying its own unique function. Our lightning based spells were used to stun Amanda herself; we wanted to afflict her with paralysis so we could restrict her movements. The wind-based spells, on the other hand, were meant to restrict her whip and make it more difficult for her to react to our movements.

    Rumina had exined to us that the ck Heavenly Tigerkin was in fact a specialized race, one that was best able to demonstrate its prowess in battle by casting Lightning Magic midbat. Learning that caused me to immediately choose to max the skill out, which in turn allowed me to get my hands on the Lightning enhancement skill as a bit of an added bonus.

    One of the more spammable and easier to use skills we¡¯d gotten our hands on was Thunderbolt. It was quick to cast, and would continue to zap anything it hit even after its initial shock. You could actually say it was basically an upgraded version of Stun Bolt. The other skill we¡¯d cast, Thunder Chain, was a skill with rtively low firepower, but served to provide decent function by restraining its target it with chains of lightning.

    Amanda¡¯s unique skill, Spirit¡¯s Grace, was effectively one of the best defensive mechanisms one could possibly have. It would automatically activate andpletely negate a single attack should itnd. Hence, I didn¡¯t expect or even hope for the attacks we¡¯dunched at Amanda to win the match for us. I was more so hoping that the spells would be able to pop her passive. We needed to break past her absolute defenses if we wanted to get anywhere at all.

    The only other reason we¡¯d fired the spells at her was because we wanted to slow her down and buy us some time. Our goal was to stall long enough for us to activate Brilliant Lightning sh. Stalling and burning through both time and our limited resources was just a dumb waste of time. There was no point to it. Attempting to end the match as soon as possible was the better choice to make. Fran was much more agile than Amanda, so I was 100% sure that we¡¯d have the advantage in close quartersbat.

    Whips were weapons that had the tendency to focus on repeated hits, but Amanda¡¯s style in particr was one that focused more on single, powerful strikes. We decided to take advantage of that and immediately return fire after soaking up one of her hits. To that end, I had Physical Damage Nullification slotted in and ready to go.

    Fran began concentrating her magical energy immediately after unleashing her first spell.

    ¡ºAlright Fran, let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Brilliant¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Call of the End ¡ª Vaisravana¡¯s Downfall!¡¹

    Amanda chanted a slew of power filled words the moment the smaller girl activated her innate skill.

    ¡¸Lightning Rush!¡¹

    The spells we fired were totally blown away immediately as Amanda activated her skill. We were suddenly exposed to attacks on all sides. The whip came at us nonstop, shredded our surroundings, and turned them to dust. It was like we¡¯d suddenly been engulfed in powerful windstorm.

    ¡¸Mmph!¡¹

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    The vicious strikes came at us so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even keep track of them after using Space/Time Magic and speeding up my ability to perceive. Physical Damage Nullification kept popping non-stop. Every single attack thatnded was rather high damage, so our mana ended up draining really quickly.

    Dodging Amanda¡¯s attack was simply out of the question. There wasn¡¯t enough space for us to get out of its range; her skill filled the entire barrier. Moreover, each swing of her whip unleashed a number of powerful but invisible shockwaves, ones that assaulted us as would the fangs of a serpent. To be more exact, the shockwaves were in fact sonic booms created by the whip breaking the sound barrier. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine exactly how quickly the whip was actually moving. All I knew was that it was being propelled by magical energy.

    Brilliant Lightning Rush had restored our mana, but a huge chunk of it had already once again been drained away.

    £¨Master, teleport!£©

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    Franmanded me to warp us the moment she concluded that teleporting would consume fewer resources than sitting around and soaking up Amanda¡¯s attacks.

    We were supposed to have teleported right behind Amanda, but she had moved over to the stage¡¯s other side before we rematerialized.

    Our ability to teleport had already long been exposed. We¡¯d used it a whole bunch, so I wasn¡¯t surprised that Amanda knew about it. Given that, it was to no surprise that she was able to use the bit ofg time before when we vanished and when we reappeared to avoid us so long as she was able to read our movements.

    ¡¸Burniaaaaa!¡¹

    The exchange had caused Fran to realize that her opponent was far too powerful for her to take down if she relied on teleportation alone, so she instead used a me spell to elerate herself in the older woman¡¯s direction. We had to get a hit in if we wanted to pop her passive. Shooting ck lightning at her probably wouldn¡¯t cut it given how far apart we were, so we honestly had very little other choice but to charge at her

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    Fran charged straight through the windstorm caused by Amanda¡¯s whip and attacked her. The half-elf didn¡¯t seem to have expected Fran to suddenly pick up so much speed, as she wasn¡¯t able to dodge the iing sh.

    We finally reached her. The strike was replled, but we at least managed to pop her passive.

    Fran took the chance presented to her, twisted my de, and immediately followed up with a second strike.

    Here we go!

    Amanda¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock as I flew straight towards her.

    ¡ºHaaaaaaaahhhh!¡»

    But our sh never reached her.

    Amanda¡¯s continued attacks had caused our mana to basically run dry.

    ¡ºGaaahh!¡»

    We no longer had enough to activate Physical Damage Nullification. Likewise, we alsocked the mana to create barriers.

    Half my de turned to dust and crumbled as Fran and I were both sent flying into the barrier set up to protect the audience.

    ¡¸Grfhhh!¡¹

    I almost instinctively began regenerating my de, but immediately stopped as I realized that Fran needed my attention.

    A warm liquid, Fran¡¯s blood, flowed down my de. Its source was Fran, or more specifically, the wounds that covered her from head to toe.

    ¡ºHeal!¡»

    Sheet!

    I needed to tend to her right away. There was still a chance for us to pull something off so long as Fran managed to steer clear of instantly dying.

    My hopes remained unanswered; Fran¡¯s body was enveloped in light as the Cradle of Time activated and restored her to her prior state.

    ¡¸It¡¯s already over! The match onlysted a total of 10 seconds! What the hell just happened!? I could¡¯ve sworn I saw something blow away the spells Fran had fired, but that was it! Everything that happened after was just way too quick for me to make out!¡¹

    I was confident that we would¡¯ve won if we¡¯d just managed tond that one hit, but unfortunately, we weren¡¯t. Amanda¡¯s whip had both far swifter and more powerful than I¡¯d been expecting it to be.

    ¡¸But you can still tell just how intense their duel was from the state the stadium¡¯s in! They only fought for 10 seconds, but the entire stage¡¯s been totally destroyed! You can¡¯t even tell what shape it started off with anymore!¡¹

    The caster¡¯s words were spot on. Over half the stage had been shredded to bits. Even the few parts that remained were barely recognizable given how busted up they were. Amanda¡¯s technique, the ability that¡¯d caused all this destruction, was truly one to be feared.

    ¡¸¡­Lost?¡¹

    ¡ºUnfortunately.¡»

    Fran rose to her feet as she picked me up. The fact that she was unable to really fight back or aplish much had made it so she was still in a bit of a state of confusion.

    ¡¸Already?¡¹

    ¡ºAlready.¡»

    Amanda ran up to Fran as the smaller girl stared out into space.

    ¡¸Are you okay Fran!?¡¹

    The half-elf seemed to bepletely out of breath. Using just that one move had totally exhausted her and eaten through half her mana pool. She eventually managed to recover her breath, but as one could expect, her mana showed no signs of rejuvenating.

    Despite that, she remainedpletely unconcerned with her own state of well being. She didn¡¯t bother to check how she was doing, as she was instead patting Fran all over while asking her if she was hurt in any which way.

    Amanda really loved children. Killing Fran once the way she did had really pained her, as evidenced by the look on her face.

    She wasn¡¯t able to calm down until after Fran demonstrated that she was alright by working through a few morning exercise-like motions.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve grown quite strong, Fran! You really had me feeling the pressure even though you¡¯ve yet to catch up to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸However, it seems that the same can¡¯t be said for my whip.¡¹

    The move Amanda used had been so powerful that it¡¯d caused her whip to end up getting torn ross its midsection. We weren¡¯t just talking about any other whip either. Amanda¡¯s whip was one bing of her rank and power.

    Thinking about it, it was kinda a given. I¡¯m pretty sure my durability would plummet if Fran ended up using Amanda¡¯s technique. Every single one of those strikes of hers had enough power to totally wreck the arena, after all.

    To me, her whip looked like it was t out beyond repair. She had thought so much of Fran¡¯s strength that she¡¯d been willing destroy her weapon in order to pull out a win.

    ¡¸I saw your semifinal match. You¡¯ve already surpassed me in how well you handle your weapon. You¡¯re also really fast, and you can deal an incredible amount of damage with each hit. I didn¡¯t think that it would be a good idea for me to fight you using conventional means.¡¹

    It seemed like watching just that one battle had allowed Amanda to see right through us.

    ¡¸I also noticed that you had either Physical Damage Nullification or something simr to it.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to force you to tell me what it is. What I wanted to say is that my realization allowed me to understand why you had fought Colbert the way you had, and that I knew the ability weakness. Physical Damage Nullification is incredible, but it consumes a lot of magical energy. Using it non-stop will eventually run your mana dry.¡¹

    Amanda had literally figured out everything we had. She had us dancing in the palm of her hand from the very start; she¡¯d long known that all she needed to do was kite us while waiting for us to run out of mana.

    Sheet!

    Well, I guess it couldn¡¯t really be helped. I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else from an experienced A ranker like her.

    ¡¸Total loss¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay Fran¡­ Chin up, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t train enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡¹

    Amanda started to get a bit flustered as she watched Fran squeeze my handle with a downcast gaze. She seemed to have misunderstood Fran¡¯s actions as one¡¯s meant to express her disappointment.

    But she was wrong.

    Fran wasn¡¯t nearly that soft.

    ¡¸Will definitely win next round and take third ce!¡¹

    There was no denying that Fran was feeling a bit vexed that she¡¯d lost, but she¡¯d already moved. In fact, she¡¯d already started reflecting on the mistakes she¡¯d made so she could win the next battle.

    Fran was positive, she always looked ahead as opposed tomenting over the past. In that sense, one could say that her personality made her rather suited forbat.

    That wasn¡¯t all there was to it either. Fran had also, in a way, derived a sort of pleasure from the duel she¡¯d just experienced. Though she didn¡¯t think of Amanda as her master or teacher, she did at least think of her as a veritable, experienced adventurer. She was d to know that Amanda was still stronger than her, and that she still had a cliff to surmount. And honestly, I kind of felt the same. It was nice to know that we hadn¡¯t made a mistake in viewing Amanda as a sort of target, as an incredibly strong entity we someday wanted to ovee.

    ¡¸Do your best!¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda too. Win.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay! It¡¯s a promise!¡¹

    ***

    Though we¡¯d suffered quite a bit of mental exhaustion, we decided to do the usual and watch the day¡¯s second match regardless so we could learn a bit more about whoever we¡¯d end up fighting for third ce. Unlike usual, however, we ended up finding ourselves inside of a gaudy looking private room that overlooked the arena.

    It was something the tournament¡¯s managers chose to provide for us the moment we asked if there were still any seats avable. Amanda had wanted to join us, but she¡¯d been dragged off to a meeting for the sake of the final round that she¡¯d soon be participating in.

    Both Fran and I waited excitedly for the match to begin, as it was going to be one between two strong championship contenders.

    Forrund and Fermus both were rather popr, but it seemed that Forrund had a bit of an advantage in that regard because he was still in active duty.

    Their match, unlike ours, actually ended up dragging on for a decent chunk of time.

    Fermus evaded Forrund¡¯s strikes by dodging the des that flew at him, whereas Forrund nulled Fermus¡¯ threads by shredding them to pieces.

    It looked like Fermus had both an an edge and control over the fight¡¯s momentum, but he wasn¡¯t able to bring the battle to a close.

    The sword user ended up turning everything around at what seemed like the 11th hour by suddenly summoning 100 different magic swords simultaneously. He independently controlled each and every single de and had them chase Fermus down, an action that ultimately forced the retired adventurer to yield.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re going to be up against Fermus.¡»

    A wave of relief washed through me, not because I felt that we would have a better chance against Fermus, but because I was worried about Forrund¡¯s ability to copy any magic sword he touched. Specifically, I was kinda terrified of finding out what would happen if he ended up duping me.

    ¡ºOur next match is going to be another tough one.¡»

    ¡¸Powerful threads.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Alright, how about we make use of all the stuff we learned today so we can win tomorrow¡¯s match?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 212: Vs Fermus â€” The Battle Begins

    <h4>Chapter 212: Vs Fermus ¡ª The Battle Begins</h4>

    ¡¸Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, and wee the Martial Arts Tournament¡¯s final set of events. The weather¡¯s looking great today folks, it¡¯s a perfect day to finally buckle up and watch this year¡¯sst two matches. The first we¡¯ll have today will be a showdown for third ce!¡¹

    It seemed that today would be thest time we heard the caster and hismentary. Realizing that almost caused me to feel a sense of solitude, the same kind you¡¯d feel as a festival you enjoyed came to a close.

    £¨Master. Feeling off?£©

    ¡ºNah, it¡¯s just that it hadn¡¯t really struck me that today¡¯s the tourney¡¯sst day.¡»

    £¨Will y all cards.£©

    ¡ºYeah, that we will.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran was unlike me in the sense that she didn¡¯t feel even the slightest bit ofment. She was too busy being totally pumped. The young ck catgirl honestly appeared to be thinking of nothing but the duel she was about to engage in.

    Seeing her like that made me feel that she was extremely reliable.

    ¡¸Entering from the west, we have a C ranked adventurer that¡¯s used this tournament to make a name for herself! Fran, the ck Lightning Princess! Don¡¯t be fooled by her, folks, ¡¯cause she packs one hell of a punch! Her fangs are so sharp that they¡¯ve even allowed her to take down an A ranker! Let¡¯s hope we once again get to see her unleash that daunting ck lightning of hers onto the field!¡¹

    We heard ourst weing roar as we entered the ring. I figured that most of the audience members present were here to see the finals, but they ended up cheering Fran on regardless.

    ¡¸Mmph. Here.¡¹

    ¡ºUnfortunately, he looks like he¡¯s in great condition today.¡»

    Fermus walked towards the stage with a rxed smile decorating his face. He didn¡¯t seem even the slightest bit nervous. It was something I really should¡¯ve seening given that he¡¯d once won three of these things in a row.

    £¨Not unfortunate.£©

    ¡ºWell, all¡¯s good if that¡¯s how you feel, I guess.¡»

    Fran, unlike me, wished to see him in perfect form. Her nature as a battle maniac made it so she would¡¯ve actually ended up being rather disappointed if he wasn¡¯t.

    ¡¸And from the east, Fermus, the Dragon Hunter! They say he¡¯s retired, but, to me, it doesn¡¯t look like his strength¡¯s faded even in the slightest! He unfortunately lost the final round, but is definitely still going strong!¡¹

    Fermus¡¯ gear was just as light as usual. He didn¡¯t seem to be wearing anything more than just a white shirt and a pair of ck cks if you looked at him from afar. The dandy looking older man had a bit of a rough but professional air to him, like a butler that¡¯d taken off his jacket and was ready to brawl. That said, his attire was actually made up of parts he¡¯d gotten from dragons and whatnot. Looking at him more closely would allow one to tell that he was basically wearing scalemail.

    ¡¸Hey, long time no see.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Would you get mad if I told you that I never expected to have topete with you for third ce?¡¹

    ¡¸Same thought.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess the feeling is mutual then.¡¹

    I¡¯d been expecting to fight Royce, but Fermus had proven himself the stronger of the two. I had to admit, Fermus¡¯ thread based techniques were a real threat. We didn¡¯t know how they worked, nor what he could even really do with them. Guessing at his tactics was way out of the scope of our abilities. Worst of all was that he was way more experienced than us.

    Our stats were higher than his, so if we were to lose, it would definitely be due to ourck of knowledge or experience.

    Fighting Amanda had proven that we weren¡¯t good enough ating up with functional tactics, as she¡¯d managed topletely dismantle our less than sane strategy of whipping out our trump card right off the bat.

    ¡¸This match¡¯ll be one to look forward to! A young adventurer in the middle of growing stronger will be pitted against an experienced A ranker. Which of the two wille up on top!?¡¹

    ¡¸Me.¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯ll be me.¡¹

    Fran took a stance, which soon prompted Fermus to do the same. He looked empty handed, but I knew there was no way that was actually the case. His position was undoubtedly one from which he could deploy and manipte his string-like weapons.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Monarch Whale¡¯s Beard War Threads

    Attack: 100~489

    MP: 500

    Durability: 500

    Magical Conductivity: C~A

    Skills

    Space/Time Element

    sh Element

    Greater Water Element

    Ice/Snow Element

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Dragon-Eating Spider¡¯s War Threads

    Attack: 55~455

    MP: 300

    Durability: 700

    Magical Conductivity: D~B+

    Skills

    me Element

    Sand Element

    Greater Earth Element

    Storm Element

    Lava Element

    Lightning Element

    _______________________________________________________________

    His threads had a huge number of elemental affinities attached to them. I wasn¡¯t really sure how they functioned, but if I had to guess, I¡¯d assume that each individual thread could have its own element. Likewise, each individual thread seemed to have a different value for its attack and magical conductivity.

    ¡¸It looks like they¡¯re ready! Without further ado, let the battle for third ce¡­ begin!¡¹

    We created a barrier and fired off several offensive spells the moment the caster signaled for us to start.

    ¡¸Thunderbolt.¡¹

    ¡ºGale Hazard.¡»

    ¡ºze Wave.¡»

    ¡ºAcid Venom.¡»

    Immediately spamming spells wasn¡¯t something that had worked on Amanda, but I figured the tactic could still be effective against someone like Fermus.

    All four of our spells were targeting Fremus¡¯ threads. We wanted the lightning-based spell to run through his threads and shock him, the fire-based spell to burn his threads down, the poison-based spell to melt them, and the wind-based spell to simply blow them away and prevent him from using them for offense.

    And it worked. Our spells were able to null the first wave of attacks he¡¯d thrown at us as the match began.

    Despite that, we hadn¡¯t actually gotten any hits in, as his threads had suddenly pulsed with magical energy and dispersed our spells. The density of the mana that fluxed through his weapons was so high that I didn¡¯t even need to look to understand exactly what had happened.

    It didn¡¯t seem like we¡¯d be able to put too much pressure on him with magic alone.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯ll have to engage him in closebat.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Under normal circumstances, we would¡¯ve held the advantage at a range. We could have simply continued bombarding him with magic from a couple hundred meters away until we forced him to yield. The arena, however, was far too small to allow for the aforementioned tactic. The barrier made it so we were always in reach of his threads and the ever-changing attacks he could use them tounch from any which direction.

    That was why we decided to fight him up close, where it¡¯d be a bit harder for him to manipte his threads to his will.

    We made use of the lesson Amanda and taught us and avoided using Physical Damage Nullification because we understood that Fermus was the type to deliver quick hits in rapid session.

    £¨First, approach.£©

    ¡ºYup.¡»

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    Fran elerated towards Fermus. He reacted by creating a wall with his threads, but was ultimately unable to stop us.

    £¨Master! Executing n!£©

    ¡ºGot it! Dimension Shift!¡»

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    I teleported us, and this time, made the explicit assumption that we would bepletely seen through. The reason I was willing to make such a move was because I¡¯d eliminated the risk associated with it through the use of Dimension Shift, a spell that took a few seconds to activate, but could prevent all sorts of different attacks. It was more than enough to shield us from getting hit the moment we reappeared.

    And that was in fact exactly what happened ¡ª a series of threads assaulted us from four different directions the moment we finished teleporting.

    The application of our contingency caused them to pass right through us without doing any sort of damage.

    ¡¸Hmph! I knew it. You really can use Space/Time Magic after all.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaaahhh!¡¹

    Fran tried raising me above her head and crashing my de into Fermus¡¯ body, but wasn¡¯t able to. He had already figured out our goal, and so, he created a barrier with his threads and stopped me in my tracks

    Each individual thread was rather weak, but he was able to strengthen them and turn them into a shield by channeling magical energy through them and using a couple dozen in conjunction.

    We couldn¡¯t take advantage of our higher weapon skill level because we still had absolutely no idea what Fermus¡¯ threads could do. There was just no way we could see through his techniques or predict his actions without further knowledge of his style.

    ¡ºBut that¡¯s fine! ¡®Cause we¡¯re not done just yet!¡»

    We didn¡¯t need to have mee into contact with Fermus¡¯ flesh for us to damage him. The ck lightning that enveloped Fran¡¯s body would shock whatever she attacked.

    In other words, attacking Fermus¡¯ threads would cause them to be struck by lightning. The electrical energy would conduct its way through his threads and ultimately damage him.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what should¡¯ve happened.

    ¡¸That won¡¯t work.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    The ck lightning did begin coursing through Fermus¡¯ threads, but it began petering out and losing its power as it moved, only to disappearpletely before reaching him. He had managed to use his threads¡¯ sheer volume to disperse all the electrical energy before it reached him.

    Fran continued attacking Fermus while parrying the threads he countered her with, but to no avail. None of her lightning reached him; it all dispersed and flowed into either the ground or the air instead.

    He was easily handling our technique with a method we¡¯d never imagined possible.

    ¡ºDimension Shift.¡»

    ¡ºShort Jump.¡»

    ¡ºMultiple Doppelganger Synthesis!¡»

    I teleported us again, but this time, also threw in a few doppelgangers to distract him while we did. It was kinda obvious that Fermus would manage to defeat the doppelgangers in an instant, but I didn¡¯t care. What mattered was that the doppelgangers were more than just illusions. Their physical forms forced Fermus to invest time in actually dealing with them.

    Watching my doppelgangers die was something that used to make me cringe, but I¡¯d gradually gotten used to and grownpletely desensitized to it over time because of all the practice we had in using them.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    None of the three doppelgangers I spawned had taken on the form I¡¯d been expecting them to have.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Doppelganger

    Attack: 100

    MP: 50

    Durability: 100

    Magical Conductivity: C

    _______________________________________________________________

    They didn¡¯t have the form I had when I was still human, but instead, happened to possess my current form. Appearance wise, they were basically perfect replicas of me; it was impossible to tell us apart at a nce.

    Fortunately, they still did their jobs; Fermus¡¯ eyes ended up getting pulled to the newly formed des.

    I was really curious as to why my doppelgangers had suddenly all turned into swords, but ended up shelving the thought for the time being. I needed to concentrate on the battle.

    ¡ºGo!¡»

    I telekically propelled my doppelgangers towards the dragon hunter. I hadn¡¯t nned on them actually damaging him, so I¡¯d only put just enough force in to cause them to move towards him at the same speed they would have been at had they been free falling.

    None of the replicas really had much durability, so he destroyed them in an instant. But again, they served their purpose.

    We were really quite fortunate that Fermus had just fought and lost to Forrund. The experience he gained from the battle was still fresh in his mind, so he ended up paying much more attention to the doppelgangers than was actually necessary. We¡¯d basically slipped his mind as a result.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    We took advantage of the opening and attacked him. Though Fermus managed to avoid a direct hit, he still did end up bleeding. It was a pretty good oue considering that I¡¯d activated Magic Poison Fang andced the attack with venom.

    The old dragon hunter had a skill that made him resistant to abnormal status conditions, but I didn¡¯t care. My goal was once again not dealing him any direct damage, but instead detracting from his ability to focus. There was no way manipting that many threads didn¡¯t require an incredible amount of concentration.

    Fran continued rushing him down and attacking. Shallow wounds began appearing all over him as she did.

    His threads were powerful and difficult to deal with, but we were still capable of defeating him so long as we stuck cl-

    ¡ºFran, watch out!¡»

    ¡¸Mmph!¡¹

    A piece of thread rose from beneath Fran¡¯s feet and attempted to both trap and attack her.

    Fermus had lured us to one of the traps he¡¯d prepared upon figuring out that we wanted to engage him in closebat.

    I¡¯d only barely noticed it in time for Fran to avoid a direct hit from it because of my Trap Detection skill. It was extremely difficult to pick up because of how high leveled Fermus¡¯ Trap Creation skill was. It was the type that activated if we touched one of many specific threads.

    We needed to watch out and be more careful of being baited going forward.

    He took the opportunity caused by us recoiling from the trap to retreat and widen the gap between us.

    Holy sheet! Dealing with him and his god damn threads was a huge pain in the ass!

 Chapter 213: A Dragon Hunterâ€™s Essence

    <h4>Chapter 213: A Dragon Hunter¡¯s Essence</h4>

    Fermus was giving us a lot of trouble. He had managed to ward off both our physical and magical attacks, and even made us pull out the doppelganger card. It¡¯d caught him off guard the first time, but I wasn¡¯t expecting it to work again.

    To make matters worse, we¡¯d just discovered that Fermus was capable of creating traps with his threads midbat. It looked like we were going to have to somehow make his threads less difficult to deal with if we wanted to be able toe out on top.

    ¡¸Inferno Burst.¡¹

    ¡ºInferno Burst!¡»

    ¡ºInferno Burst!¡»

    ¡ºInferno Burst!¡»

    We chose to cast several fire-based spells in an attempt to burn through Fermus¡¯ threads and disable them. The four massive pirs of mes merged into a single,rger st as they closed in on and assaulted the dragon hunter. The act of concentrating several weaker spells into a single, more powerful attack was a technique I¡¯d actually ripped from the System Announcer; I was emting what she had done back when we fought the lich. My imitation was still far from perfect, but it was still effective enough to merit going out of my way to attempt it.

    We ounted for the fact that Fermus would attempt to dampen the mes by whipping his threads against them. We didn¡¯t, however, ount for him choosing to follow up the action by diving through the encroaching magical firestorm with his right arm extended.

    I couldn¡¯tprehend his actions. I knew that he¡¯d managed to reduce the attack¡¯s power, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯d thrown a total of four me spells at him. Much to my surprise, he wasn¡¯t swallowed up by the attacks. The mes had instead dispersed as they came into contact with his fist.

    Looking more closely caused me to realize that he¡¯d actually used his threads to create ayer of protection, one that kinda resembled a glove or gauntlet. Thebination of his decently high leveled me Resistance skill and his me-resistant threads more or less made him impervious to our attacks.

    ¡¸You are aware that they call me a dragon hunter, right? I¡¯ve got what you could call perfect countermeasures to dragonbreath and anything that resembles it.¡¹

    Fermus¡¯ words caused me to realize that mes we just attacked him with kinda did resemble the breath-based attacks that dragons seemed to likeunching. Fermus was obviously used to fighting scaly bastards, so our spells hadn¡¯t actually ended up meaning jack sheet to him.

    Fire didn¡¯t seem like it would work, so we switched gears and decided to attack him with a couple wind-based spells instead.

    ¡¸Wind Cutter.¡¹

    ¡ºTornado Lance.¡»

    ¡ºGale Hazard.¡»

    ¡ºHexagonal Tornado.¡»

    Fermus once again managed to remain unharmed, this time, by weaving his threads into a web-like that ultimately caused the spells to change their trajectories.

    It took seeing him remain unharmed for me to realize that I¡¯d made a mistake and once againunched an attack that resembled the kind a dragon would. Some dragons could create sudden gusts of wind by pping their wings, and others could breathe out breaths based in wind as opposed to fire.

    The dragon hunter¡¯s resistance to wind and fire effectively served to cripple our offenses. The only other two types of magic we had at a high enough level to damage someone as strong as him were lightning and space/time.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try hitting him with some space/time stuff first.¡»

    Attacking with space/time magic would¡¯ve sounded like a good idea if not for the fact that the element didn¡¯t actually have that many offensive spells. The only one that we could really make use of was the one called Dimensional Sword.

    Given that, we decided to teleport several times in session to close in on him before unleashing that exact spell.

    Dimension Sword was a nifty little technique with its fair share of perks. It could pierce through any sort of defense and attack only its intended target. That said, it wasn¡¯t a particrly good offensive ability because its strengths came with counterbncing weaknesses. It didn¡¯t do much damage, and was extremely difficult to use because of the way its targeting worked. That is, using it would allow one to identify a small preset zone in which it would actually function; the spell wouldpletely fail to do anything at all if its target moved out of its area of effect by the time it activated.

    Fermus was the type that seemed to sit still and intercept iing attacks as opposed to straight up avoiding them, so I¡¯d been fairly certain that we¡¯d be able to hit him with it.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve seen that spell before. I know how it works.¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t end up being the case. Fermus¡¯ experience allowed him to identify our tactic and immediately react with a dodge.

    ¡ºDigdug!¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already ounted for something like that too.¡¹

    I tried digging a hole right under him in order to impede his ability to move, but he¡¯d perfectly negated the action by spreading a of threads underneath him and standing on top of it.

    ¡¸And now, it¡¯s my turn.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! Threads in the way.¡¹

    The threads that Fermus had set up above the stage all started to warp. They twisted together and became thin spears that came flying at us from all sides.

    It was an attack that was extremely problematic to deal with. There were so many sharp edges assaulting us that I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d actually be able to keep track of them all. And that was bad, extremely bad. Fermus hadced the threads with his magical energy, so any that did actually end up hitting us would be powerful enough to sever a limb or two.

    Fortunately, we managed to prevent the attacks fromnding by deploying a barrier, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that we had to stay as on guard as we possibly could.

    ¡ºThis isn¡¯t working Fran. He hasn¡¯t been losing any threads. It looks like he can make as many as he wants so long as he has the mana for it. We need to shift gears. The longer we let this drag on, the bigger a disadvantage we¡¯ll have.¡»

    £¨Nn! Got it!£©

    We¡¯d already cut through, burned down, and t out destroyed arge number of Fermus¡¯ threads, but the volume he had on hand didn¡¯t actually seem to be decreasing in any which way. I assumed that he was either using his Magic Thread Creation skill, or just abusing one of his weapons¡¯ properties. Either way, the result was the same in the sense that targeting his threads wasn¡¯t working. If anything, it seemed that our actions had only caused them to proliferate, as he could still control the ones we severed. The total number of threads within the barrier¡¯s confines had actually increased, and as a result, his attacks had started bing more varied in nature and form.

    £¨Master, will use lightning magic.£©

    ¡ºRoger that!¡»

    I knew that Fermus could disperse our lightning based spells if he manipted his threads to do so, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they were actually ineffective. There had to be a limit to the amount of electrical energy he could handle at once. There was a chance we¡¯d be able to totally end him if we bombarded him with spells that contained way more power than a mere Thunderbolt or two.

    ck Lightning Advent was most likely capable ofpletely shattering his defenses, but I didn¡¯t want to resort to it just yet. Using the skill would cause Fran to lose her awakened status, so I kinda wanted to hold onto it just in case. Moreover was the fact that it didn¡¯t actually cover that much of an area. Most of ck Lightning Advent¡¯s power was focused on its target, and its target alone.

    The current circumstances seemed to indicate that we would be better off using attacks that covered arger area.

    ¡ºThor¡¯s Hammer!¡»

    I cast one of the spells we¡¯d gotten the moment Lightning Magic had hit level 8. It, Thor¡¯s Hammer, was a technique that had both high power and a decent size to it. It wasn¡¯t big enough for it to be called a true AOE spell, but it at least served the purposes we needed it to given how small the arena was.

    A massive magic circle spawned on top of the arena. From it descended a single, ultra thick thunderbolt. It was so powerful that it almost seemed to contain all the destructive force that one associated with the god of lightning and his mallet.

    Fran was resistant to lightning, and I could just use Dimension Shift whenever, so Fermus should¡¯ve been the only one to have taken any sort of damage.

    But again, as hard as it was for me to believe, he didn¡¯t.

    The high leveled lightning based spell had dispersed upon touching the thinyer of thread he¡¯d erected to counter it.

    ¡¸My defenses can even block a thunder dragon¡¯s attacks. Don¡¯t expect to break it that easily.¡¹

    It seemed that Fermus was even capable of easily negating lightning based attacks. He¡¯dpared our strike to a thunder dragon¡¯s, but honestly, to me, that pretty much meant nothing at all. I¡¯d never seen any thunder dragons nor heard anything of how powerful they tended to be.

    ¡¸Thousand Thread Tsunami!¡¹

    Fermus¡¯ threads almost seemed to form a massive tidal wave as they surged towards us.

    There were many ways we could¡¯ve gone about dealing with the attack. I immediately considered destroying it with either might or magic, but Fran had other ideas in mind.

    £¨Go through!£©

    ¡ºSure thing! Dimension Gate!¡»

    Fermus was surprised to see us move right past his wall of thread without paying it any mind. He immediately reacted by attempting to put a bit of distance between us, but it was already toote.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    Fran had already gotten right next to him and cut a gaping hole in his torso.

    ¡¸Mmph?¡¹

    ¡ºHe subbed his body out for a fake!¡»

    Stuff spilled from the dragon hunter¡¯s open wound. I¡¯d been expecting the stuff to be his blood and guts, but, it¡¯d actually just been a series of strings.

    The thing that we¡¯d finally reached and cut down had been nothing but a puppet made of thread. He¡¯d used the moment the tsunami had blocked our line of sight to create a puppet. He¡¯d also used some sort of magic to disguise it and make it look almost exactly like him. I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by how much he¡¯d done in so little time.

    We immediately cut the threads that assaulted us and searched for Fermus¡¯ presence ¡ª only to find that he was right behind us.

    We heard a whooshing sound as a few threads extended from Fermus¡¯ hands and began moving to wrap themselves around Fran¡¯s neck. There weren¡¯t that many of them, but they were sharp enough to do more than just lop her head clean off.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    Fran quickly ducked and avoided the vice before it decapitated her before switching to a reverse grip and thrusting me straight under her right armpit and stabbing at the man to her rear.

    ¡¸Woah!¡¹

    We caught him off guard, but he somehow managed to dodge the attack regardless by twisting his body to the side. He then followed through with the rotational movement and thrust the underside of his fist as hepleted a full spin and once again sent a series of threads in Fran¡¯s direction.

    ¡¸Raaah!¡¹

    Fran cut them down and once again attacked Fermus, this time with a stab.

    However, she still simply couldn¡¯t hit him. His threads surged up from beneath her feet and bound them in order to momentarily stop her in her tracks. She probably would¡¯ve lost her feet to the attack had our barrier not been up. The catgirl forcefully thrust me forward regardless, he narrowly managed to avoid my de by bending backwards and moving under it as would someone doing the limbo.

    It was a perfect dodge, but also an act that exposed him to damage. Fran twisted me around and immediately cleaved at his now open backside.

    The moment he got hit, his body had started doing things that I could only gauge as physically impossible. I was sure that he hadn¡¯t put any power into his limbs or anything like that, but he somehow just started moving off to the right. The eleration was sudden, and almost seemed toe out of nowhere.

    I had to take a second look to realize that he¡¯d wrapped several threads around his own body and used them to drag it off to the side.

    ¡ºIt looks like we¡¯ve finally got a confirmed hit in.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We hadn¡¯t managed to bisect him in a single strike, but we¡¯d at least worked our way through to his internal organs. It was a bit unfortunate that his threads had managed to disperse the lightning-based Elemental de we had active, but we¡¯d still manage to hurt him nheless.

    ¡¸Gargh¡­ Hundred Thread Tourniquet.¡¹

    ¡ºHoly sheet, just how versatile are those god damn threads of his¡­?¡»

    Fermus wrapped a series of threads along his bleeding midsection. Luckily, he didn¡¯t seem capable of pulling off what a certain individual from H*nter x Hunt*r could in the sense that couldn¡¯t repair his nerves by attaching them with threads, but, he was at least capable of closing his wound and stopping any bleeding.

    Annoyingly enough, Fermus¡¯ skills prevented him from feeling pain, which in turn meant that his wound wouldn¡¯t really affect his ability to do battle given that it¡¯d stopped bleeding. To make matters even worse, he was currently equipped with a Bracelet of HP Recovery as opposed to the Ring of Poison Nullification he was wearing yesterday, so he would eventually heal if we gave him enough time to do so.

    Landing a hit had also increased Fermus¡¯ awareness of the dangers of engaging us in closebat. Because of that, he¡¯d retreated further than he usually did, and had started concentrating his magical energy into his fingertips.

    ¡¸You¡¯re really quite skilled. It seems I¡¯ll have to rely on a tactic that deals a lesser degree of damage from afar. Ten Thousand Thread Technique¡ª Cardinal Spirit Assault!¡¹

    All of Fermus¡¯ threads simultaneously began moving to attack us. Each was imbued with one of the cardinal elements of water, fire, wind, and earth.

    Not even the strongest of the threads could output more damage than a low tier spell, but, the sheer number of thembined with the limited space we had to move through made it so we couldn¡¯t actually avoid taking damage.

    ¡¸Kuah!¡¹

    ¡ºHeal!¡»

    ¡ºHeal!¡»

    ¡ºShort Jump!¡»

    We somehow managed to prevent ourselves from really getting caught in his attack by roasting and cutting at the iing threads while also throwing the asional heal and teleport into the mix. The issue, however, was that our mana was slowly starting to drain itself dry

    However, the same could in fact be said for Fermus. The sheer scale of his attack both drained his stamina and mana.

    In fact, it seemed like we would be able to outsustain him if we cancelled Brilliant Lightning Rush and stalled him out by constantly healing up.

    Or so I thought. Something ended up happening before I could even bother pitching the n to Fran.

    ¡¸Argh!¡¹

    ¡ºSheet! Greater Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Something¡­ attacking!¡¹

    ¡ºGreater Heal!¡»

    Deep gashes had suddenly appeared in Fran¡¯s legs. I healed them, but her arms ended up getting lopped off before she actually fully recovered.

    I couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on. The barrier I had up didn¡¯t react to the attack. Fermus¡¯s attacks somehow seemed to be passing right through our defenses.

    ¡ºDimension Shift!¡»

    I cast a spell that should¡¯ve allowed us a moment to recuperate.

    ¡¸Mmph!¡¹

    ¡ºHeal!¡»

    But, for some odd reason, it failed to do its job. A cut appeared on Fran¡¯s cheek nheless. Fermus was clearly somehow circumventing both our barriers and Dimension Shift.

    I turned up all my detection based skills in an attempt to figure out what was hitting us. Doing so allowed me to detect that some of his threads were actually passing through both our defenses and the others as they assaulted us. Their properties seemed rather simr to those of my Dimensional Sword spell.

    That was when it finally clicked. He was making use of the Space/Time element that came with the Monarch Whale¡¯s Beard War Threads he had equipped.

    ¡¸No point in barrier.¡¹

    ¡ºGood point.¡»

    It was literally impossible for us to constantly identify and actively avoid all the space/time element threads when we were being assaulted by so many other simr-looking threads. Likewise, there was no point in us trying to buy time through the use of Dimension Shift.

    I¡¯d noticed that he hadn¡¯t attacked us immediately after we¡¯d teleported, and from that, recognized that it was possible that he couldn¡¯t create the threads at a moment¡¯s notice. However, I couldn¡¯t say I was 100% sure that was actually the case.

    I really had no idea whether or not he could. As a result, I couldn¡¯t actually figure out if we¡¯d ultimately be swallowed up by his threads the moment we teleported. I didn¡¯t have the time to brood about it any longer.

    It was time to act.

    £¨Master, using trump card!£©

    ¡ºAlright, go for it! We¡¯ll have to gamble on it working if we want to win!¡»

 Chapter 214: White and Black Lightning

    <h4>Chapter 214: White and ck Lightning</h4>

    Fermus¡¯ attacks had grown to be much more intense, but our Sword Lord Arts and detection-rted skills allowed us to prevent ourselves from getting done in. They made it so we could somehow manage to dodge everything that came at us as we focused on concentrating our mana.

    There was no point in continuing with the strategy we¡¯d been employing thus far; maintaining the status quo wouldn¡¯t be to our benefit. The dragon hunter was more than capable of defending against any of our weaker attacks by simply deploying a barrier made of string.

    Every single thread he had was worth mention, as most had good magical conductivity stats. He could bolster both their durability and power even further through the acts of twisting them together and formingrger, morepact masses of thread. It was a near universal tactic that allowed him to deal with every single one of the attacks we¡¯d thrown at him and more with ease.

    In other words, we had no choice but to attack him with something that would ovee his defenses with pure power, and pure power alone.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s do this!¡»

    £¨Master, fully prepared?£©

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about all the stuff on my end. You just do you.¡»

    £¨Then, starting.£©

    ¡ºGo for it!¡»

    I let loose all the magical energy I¡¯d beenpounding and poured it into a single spell.

    ¡ºHaaaaaah! Kanna Kamui!¡»

    The attack I unleashed was one so difficult to control it rendered me unable to do anything else for its duration. It took me using Parallel Processing and concentrating as hard as I could just to keep myself from losing control of it.

    I couldn¡¯t help but think that the difficulty that came with using Kanna Kamui was in fact justified given that it was the strongest lightning spell, the one we¡¯d learned when the Lightning Magic skill finally hit level 10.

    It was a spell that the humans and individuals belonging to other, simr races could obtain should they train up their Lightning Magic skill. That said, I felt like it was something they would unlikely be able to put to practical use. Kanna Kamui simply ate too much mana and required too much processing power for that to be possible. Those that did manage to somehow gather enough magical energy to cast it would likely burn out their neurons the moment they tried.

    A roar, a feral but majestic warcry, resounded through the battlefield as a dragon-shaped bolt of white lightning descended from the sky and crashed into the arena.

    ¡¸Gaaah! Is that really¡­!?¡¹

    Fermus¡¯ voice was tinged with a bit of panic. His prided barrier of threads was unable to hold against our attack and had started to char and give off an electrostatic discharge.

    I was a bit surprised that the dragon hunter¡¯s defenses were able to hold, even for just a moment.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Advent!¡¹

    But in the end, it didn¡¯t matter. Kanna Kamui had done its job; it¡¯d torn its way through Fermus¡¯ barrier and made him vulnerable. He no longer had any means to ward off it or the ck lightning that Fran immediately assaulted him with afterwards.

    ¡¸Ugraaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!¡¹

    The ck and white lightning-based attacks melded together as they swallowed him whole. We were blown away by the resulting shockwave much in the same manner we had been back when we used the attack on Goldalfa. Fran ended up vomiting out blood because her back had smashed into the barrier set to protect the audience.

    ¡¸Gaah!¡¹

    ¡ºLong Jump!¡»

    I somehow managed to regain enough focus to teleport and relocate us up in the air above the arena.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Heal!¡¹

    ¡ºYou alright?¡»

    ¡¸Some¡­how¡­¡¹

    ck Lightning Advent wasn¡¯t exactly what you could normally use in an area as small as the tourney¡¯s arena, so we ended up damaging ourselves quite a bit.

    We tried looking down as we let ourselves freefall, but we weren¡¯t able to gather any sort of meaningful intel. The barrier¡¯s insides were filled with shes of white and ck as the two types of lightning raged through it.

    £¨Close call.£©

    ¡ºYeah¡­ We might¡¯ve ended up killing ourselves before we killed Fermus if we ended up staying inside.¡»

    We¡¯d actually considered hitting Goldalfa with thebination we¡¯d just subjected Fermus to, but ended up setting the idea aside after deducing that it was way too suicidal a tactic to consider. There simply wasn¡¯t enough space in the barrier for us to get away from our own attacks unscathed.

    Seeing Urushi retreat all the way out of the barrier when we fought Goldalfa had actually inspired me to do the same, so I checked the rules, and confirmed that we wouldn¡¯t be disqualified for being out of bounds so long as our feet didn¡¯t touch the ground outside the arena.

    Escaping from the barrier actually allowed us to use it as a shield.

    Or so I thought.

    ¡¸Master, look!¡¹

    ¡ºHoly sheet! You have to be kidding me, is it gunna blow¡­!?¡»

    The barrier had started to swell up. Bolts of electrical energy had started leaking out from its interior. It looked like things were about to start going south.

    £¨Master, any ideas?£©

    ¡ºUhh¡­ actually yeah! I think I got something! Dimension Gate!¡»

    I opened a distortion in space time with one end in the barrier, and the other end out. The electrical energies within the barrier immediately began flowing through the newfound exit with an incredible force.

    But not even that was enough to stop the barrier from swelling up even further. It kinda seemed like the rate at which it was swelling had decreased, but I wasn¡¯t too sure because it was still growingrger, and at a simr pace to boot.

    And then, it happened.

    The sound of an explosion nearly ruptured our eardrums as the barrier burst.

    A sudden windstorm assaulted the audience and pushed every single one of its members into their seats.

    ¡¸Kyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh god, someone help me!¡¹

    It was a veritable pandemonium of screams and cries.

    Fortunately, the barrier¡¯s top was what had broken first, so all the lightning had ended up getting discharged towards the sky as opposed to crashing into the audience and wounding its members. Likewise, most of the swirling winds had also shot themselves directly upwards, so the audience had only been hit by the residual energy that followed. That said, it still contained enough force to send a child soaring through the skies.

    Iter learned that the lightning had ended up taking the form of a tree made out of light as it was ejected from the arena, one that reached all the way up to the heavens themselves.

    The barrier repaired itself after a few seconds passed.

    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t look like the rubble that¡¯d been ejected together with the lightning had done any major damage.

    ¡ºWhew, that coulda turned out pretty poorly.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Reflecting.¡¹

    She and I were both aware we kinda forgot the circumstances and went a bit overboard.

    ¡ºHow about we focus on how we¡¯re going tond for now?¡»

    ¡¸Master, thoughts?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m almost out of mana. Though, I still do have enough to soften ournding with telekinesis.¡»

    ¡¸Good enough.¡¹

    By almost out, I meant that I didn¡¯t have anything more than just a sliver remaining. I didn¡¯t have enough to to allow us a slownding. It simply wasn¡¯t an option. The same went for Fran as well. She¡¯d already dispelled her awakened status because she didn¡¯t have the mana to maintain it any longer.

    I scrounged up everything I had and managed to dampen the force of the impact just enough for Fran tond atop the newly reformed barrier that enshrouded the arena.

    ¡¸Whew.¡¹

    ¡ºI wonder how Fermus is doing.¡»

    He can¡¯t be alive after all that, can he?

    The stage had beenpletely obliterated. Not a trace of it remained. Most of the dirt that filled the ce had been outright deleted.

    All we had beneath us was a single, massive crater with its deepest part 20 meters below what used to be ground level.

    The arena looked much like the arena in Dr*gon Ball had after Tien blew it up with his Tri-Beam.

    ¡¸Oh my goddies and gentlemen, would you look at that! How the hell do I even begin to describe what just happened!? Folks, what we just saw was something that I¡¯m not even sure could¡¯ve possibly been done by human hands. I¡¯ve been doing this for a long time, but, never before have I ever seen the barrier get destroyed by thebatants fighting inside of it!¡¹

    The audience was stunned, but the caster managed to calm its members down by doing her job and describing the situation.

    ¡¸What a grueling sight to behold! Can you believe that its perpetrator is only a mere 12 years of age!?¡¹

    We¡¯d given the audience a bit of a shock. Some people were crying. Others werepletely spaced out. There was even a group that¡¯d started attempting to escape the colosseum. Regardless of exactly what it was they were doing, it was clear that most people were panicking.

    Hearing the caster describe the situation in the same manner she always would caused them to regain their bearings.

    ¡¸And if you look at the crater¡¯s center, you¡¯ll see Fermus being revived by the Cradle of Time! That lightning strike was so powerful that not even the dragon hunter could withstand it! The scramble for third ce is now officially over, with the victor being the ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    A huge cheer emerged from the crowd as the caster dered Fran¡¯s victory.

    I couldn¡¯t help but question how the spectators were as calm and willing to cheer for us as they were considering that a fair number of them had seemed to have thought that Fran had just brought them to death¡¯s door ¡ª not that I wasining. If anything, I was d they didn¡¯t end up being terrified of us. It seemed most of them had even ended up enjoying what we¡¯d done as they would have a thrilling roller coaster.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head back down, I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi responded to Fran¡¯s summon almost immediately. He hadn¡¯t really had any chances to help out or even join in during the match, so he was totally pumped and motivated to at least be of use as a means of transport. Fran got on top of him and had him carry her off the barrier.

    Seeing Fran straddle and ride the giant flying wolf made the crowd¡¯s cheers grow even louder. The support bolstered Urushi¡¯s mood and caused him to decide to do a full circle around the arena, which in turn prompted the audience to cheer with even more vigour.

    I had to admit, the scene of him parading around with everyone cheering did have a bit of a picturesque feel to it.

    ¡ºYou know, Fran, it might actually be a good idea for you to wave to the audience and whatnot.¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Like this?¡¹

    Her actions caused the crowd to once again let loose an incredibly loud cheer. Her departure from the stage almost seemed to resemble an idol¡¯s.

    ¡¸Woo! Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn! That¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess for you!¡¹

    ¡¸Please be my little sister!¡¹

    The reception she got really was quite simr to the type idols would get. If I had to pinpoint a reason, I¡¯d say it was probably because of how cute she was. That said, I wasn¡¯t about to let her be anyone¡¯s little sister.

    Wait a second. How the hell are we supposed to get off the stage if there¡­ isn¡¯t a stage? I mean, I knew we were kinda the people responsible for blowing it up in the first ce, but like, still, what do?

 Chapter 215: The Tournament Draws to a Close

    <h4>Chapter 215: The Tournament Draws to a Close</h4>

    The day¡¯s second match wasn¡¯t able to start even after the first ended. It was originally scheduled to begin about an hour afterwards, but it couldn¡¯t. The massive, gaping hole we¡¯d created ended up ruling that option out in its entirety. The necessarily repairs simply couldn¡¯t bepleted in time.

    ¡¸Looks like the finals will be starting soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you still eating?¡¹

    ¡¸Mmmphrrnnph¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, I get it. You can eat as much as you want.¡¹

    The Beast Lord had once again summoned us to the VIP room, which turned out to be real convenient seeing as how we¡¯d nned on checking in with him anyways. He seemed to have caught onto the fact that Fran was a foodie, as the room was filled with all sorts of extravagant dishesid out much in the same manner as they would be at a buffet.

    She, being who she was, had naturally ended up falling victim to their appeal. That is, she did as the Beast Lord wished and decided on watching the finals together with him and his associates ¡ª which, in and of itself, wasn¡¯t really a bad thing. Their invitation was actually one that took Fran¡¯s convenience into ount. She¡¯d be extremely popr, especially amongst her fellow beastkin.

    I was almost certain that there wasn¡¯t a beastkin present in the arena that wouldn¡¯t want to talk to her, especially seeing as how she¡¯d finished all her matches and raked in the third ce prize. They¡¯d been rather patient and calm up until now, but it didn¡¯t seem like they could hold themselves back much longer. Some had even began to seem to want to stalk her.

    People, as a whole, had the tendency to be rather stupid regardless of where or when. From that understanding came the assumption that she would most likely be approached by one or more nobles that wished to use their positions in order to extort her.

    In other words, staying in the Beast Lord¡¯s vicinity benefited us because it would likely prevent any less morally sound individuals from acting out of line.

    The Beast Lord had taken a decent liking to Fran, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean he was free of ulterior motives. She, as an evolved ck Catkin, was definitely someone that could be of use to him. Thus, his invitation had likely been extended because he didn¡¯t want any other noble stealing a march on him and doing something that would cause Fran to feel ill will towards the Beastkin¡¯s Country or its residents.

    Of course, not all the benefits the Beast Lord could derive from having her around were longer termed ones. Seeing him with her would likely lead onlookers to view him in a more favourable light.

    Being the world¡¯s one and only evolved ck Catkin was something that, by nature, granted Fran an incredible amount of attention.

    I wasn¡¯t actually sure whether or not Fran knew just how much attention she would be getting, but she was at least roughly aware of the consequences of revealing her identity. The reason I could say that with certainty was because Fran had wanted to use the tournament as a means of bing famous in hopes of bettering the world¡¯s treatment of the ck Catkin race.

    That was why she¡¯d purposefully awakened under public scrutiny. She was more than willing to draw attention to herself so long as she managed to bring benefit to her tribesmen.

    We¡¯d been a bit worried that nations and nobles would end up eyeing her, but acquainting ourselves with the Beast Lord had at least mitigated that concern to an extent.

    ¡¸Here. Take this.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    For some odd reason, Goldalfa was going out of his way to provide Fran with all the service she could possibly ask for.

    He¡¯d even headed down to the kitchen and asked for both more of Fran¡¯s favourite dish and raw meat for Urushi.

    Asking him why he was acting so subserviently had caused him to respond with several interesting notes. The first was that he respected Fran, both as a warrior that¡¯d defeated him in battle, and as member of one of the Ten Original Tribes. The other was that her personality was almost identical to his master¡¯s; he was more than just used to being ordered around by Kiara. Thebination of the aforementioned factors made it so he was in fact unable to refuse any of Fran¡¯s orders or requests.

    ¡¸Oi, look. They¡¯re about to start.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We watched closely as both Amanda and Forrund took to the stage.

    Both contestants were extremely popr, and as a result, the cheers that resounded for them turned out to be so loud they caused the entire colosseum to shake in the same manner it would have had it been hit by an earthquake.

    The roars were so loud that they pierced through the VIP room¡¯s soundproof walls and caused everyone inside to cover their ears. It was cute when Fran did it, but, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the Beast Lord and hispanions. Seeing them cover their cover their ears in a childish manner left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

    ¡¸Entering from the west, we have Amanda of Hariti! The rumours say that the semi-final round had made her weapon unusable! Just how will she handle today¡¯s match!?¡¹

    Amanda didn¡¯t manage to get her whip repaired in time. The one she had with her today was a decently powerful magic item, but several grades poorer nheless.

    ¡¸And against her will be Hundred de Forrund, a powerful adventurer said to be on the brink of bing an S rank!¡¹

    The two A ranked adventurers exchanged a few words as they stared each other down.

    Unfortunately, the crowd made it so we couldn¡¯t hear them despite the massive screen-like thing magnifying their voices.

    Either way, the match ended up beginning.

    Their duel was a fierce one.

    Amanda immediately distanced herself from Forrund and began bombarding him with both storm-based spells and her whip.

    The stage, which the staff had gone out of their way to painstakingly repair, ended up getting torn to pieces in the blink of an eye. Much to my surprise, Amanda ended up using the resulting rubble to boost her attack¡¯s power by sucking it into her storms.

    Forrund, on the other hand, did his best to close in on Amanda while spawning and throwing magic swords. He was capable of being extremely effective in long rangedbat, but he wasn¡¯t able to outdo Amanda, who happened to specialize in it.

    The first major event happened about ten minutes in. Amanda suddenly started to throw out more powerful attacks in an attempt to bring the match to a close, seemingly because her whip had started to run out of durability.

    She knew she would eventually lose if she didn¡¯t do something.

    ¡¸Secret Art ¡ª Skanda¡¯s Demise!¡¹

    This time, however, she attacked not with the storm she¡¯d sent at us, but instead with a single, godspeed blow.

    I didn¡¯t even actually see her strike him. The only reason I knew she did was because Forrund¡¯s arm had gone flying.

    Her looking rather vexed in spite of that made it clear that she¡¯d been aiming for his head, and that he¡¯d somehow managed to dodge.

    The whipmaster¡¯s weapon immediately began to crumble, a result likely in part brought about by the fact that it was a backup weapon and, rtively speaking, an inferior good.

    Because she lost her weapon, Amanda also ultimately ended up losing the battle.

    ¡¸And the winner, the one man that triumphed over all his peers, is Hundred de Forrund!¡¹

    Fran regarded Forrund with a serious look on her face as the caster named him the tournament¡¯s victor.

    ¡ºHe sure is strong.¡»

    £¨Nn! But will surpass one day. Both Amanda and Forrund.£©

    ¡ºThat we will.¡»

    Likewise, the Beast Lord was also starring Forrund down. His eyes, however, expressed a much different emotion. It was almost like he was a predator observing its prey.

    ¡¸So Forrund won? Man¡­ I really would like to give sparring him a go.¡¹

    ¡¸Please ensure you stay calm and rational, Your Majesty.¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure you don¡¯t suddenly jump at and attack him, alright, Lord Rig?¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah, no sheet! Just what the hell do you guys take me for?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess the best way to describe it would be to call you abat enthusiast.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d say a battle maniac.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on¡­¡¹

    It seemed not even the seemingly ever arrogant Beast Lord was a match for Royce and Rochebined. Getting called out by both had caused him to shut up.

    ¡¸It¡¯ll soon be time for the awards ceremony. You should probably get ready, Fran.¡¹

    Royce reminded us of something that¡¯d totally slipped my mind. Fran had managed to rank herself in at third ce, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to skip the ceremony.

    The tourney had actually contained three different types of contests. The first was the restrictionless one one that we participated in. The second only allowed those at or under level 20, and the third was open to parties between three and five people strong.

    Both the other two types had already ended. The type we participated in was the one that tended to house the greatest number of, and the most skilled participants, so it ended up dragging on the longest. That said, all the awards ceremonies were set to take ce at the same time.

    That was nice and all, but I had a pretty major concern with the whole scenario. I didn¡¯t actually know how I was supposed to get Fran, who really hated boring ceremonies, to actually sit still and behave herself throughout the whole godd*mn thing.

 Chapter 216: The Beast Lordâ€™s Predecessor

    <h4>Chapter 216: The Beast Lord¡¯s Predecessor</h4>

    Participating in the tourney had provided us with arge number of benefits and gains, the most significant of which being Fran¡¯s evolution. I was pretty sure that we would¡¯ve probably still just been grasping at straws had we note to Ulmutt.

    Our stay in the city had also allowed us to learn what ck Catkin needed to do to evolve, both as individuals, and as a race. Those two pieces of knowledge were, in Fran¡¯s opinion, probably two of the most important bits of intel we¡¯d learned to date.

    Another important thing to note was that we¡¯d been able to face off against a series of incredibly powerful opponents. Us losing to Amanda had caused us a bit of frustration, but we ultimately ended up epting it and moving on. We both understood that it was important for us to learn from the loss, and thus, we¡¯d used it, and our other battles, toe to a better understanding of our strengths and weakness. We¡¯d even gone as far as deriving a few new strategies we could use inbat.

    Honestly, the only reason we were able to learn so much was because we¡¯d understood that there was a safety, and that neither we nor our opponents would die regardless of how the battle ended.

    The connections we built with the Beast Lord allowed us to hear of the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s current state. That too was a pretty significant gain considering it took a load off Fran¡¯s mind.

    Last but not least was the fact Fran had gotten a really cool sounding nickname.

    ¡ºOh god damn it Fran! At least try to stay awake!¡»

    ¡¸Mmph¡­ Still¡­ awake¡­¡¹

    ¡ºJust hold on a little bit longer alright? Especially cause it¡¯s finally your turn.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHow ¡¯bout this? I¡¯ll give you some sort of reward if you make it all the way through the ceremony without falling asleep.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Type of curry I haven¡¯t tried.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, sure. I¡¯ll make you something, so just think about it, hang tight, and don¡¯t fall asleep.¡»

    ¡¸Uhmmm¡­ Is there a ck Catkin named Fran present? If so, its your turn now, so please step up onto the stage.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go, they¡¯re calling you up.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Ulmutt¡¯s feudal lord, a man we were seeing for the first time, awarded Fran with a medal of honour as she got up onto the stage.

    Apparently the guy wasn¡¯t actually responsible for anything, and kinda just sat there and existed. His approach to governing Ulmutt was a rather hands off one; Dias was the person really running the city and managing its inner workings.

    The medal we were given had both Ulmutt¡¯s crest and the number 3 carved into it. Apparently, that wasn¡¯t all we would be getting; a prize of 100k Golde would be delivered to uster on.

    ¡¸You fought splendidly.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran replied in her usual manner, but ended up using her Court Etiquette skill to deliver a tasteful bow. Though thebination of the two didn¡¯t actually end up seeming all that polite, it did lead to a series of loud cheers and huge round of apuse.

    The only reason she¡¯d even bothered bowing in the first ce was because I incessantly reminded her that she needed to make sure she was being polite. I didn¡¯t want people to suddenly start keeping tabs on us because we hadn¡¯t good manners.

    ***

    And so, three hours flew right by.

    We¡¯d ted ourselves to visit the Beast Lord again after the ceremony came to an end. Hence we found ourselves in front of the city¡¯s most expensive inn alongside arge number of other beastkin.

    Our destination was the room, or rather, the floor, that he¡¯d rented out.

    I listened to the other beastkin speak as we moved through the crowd.

    Most of the crowd¡¯s members were nobles that served under the Beast Lord or their associates. They had apparentlye because they¡¯d realized that the Beast Lord was in a good mood. Despite that, he wasn¡¯t actually willing to see any of them. He¡¯d shut them out because he hadn¡¯t wanted to deal with them, he thought it too much of a pain in the ass and ultimately not worth his time.

    Surprisingly, the crowd¡¯s members hadn¡¯t been infuriated by his actions. It seemed that most had actually expected him to act the way he did, as apparently, his current attitude wasn¡¯t one that deviated at all from what he considered the norm. Arge portion of the crowd had still decided to visit in spite of their expectations because they figured that a chance was a chance, and that they didn¡¯t really have anything to lose by standing around and double checking his intentions. The rest seemed to think that it was improper for them to ignore the king that ruled over their homnd regardless of what sort of attitude he nned to take.

    The fact that all the individuals present were beastkin also meant that they all knew exactly who Fran was. As a result, she ended up garnering a whole ton of attention.

    A few of the nobles seemed to have wanted to call out to Fran, but they were momentarily dissuaded the moment Urushi, who was currently at his regr size, turned his re towards them. We used the impact to slip through the crowd and make our way over to the inn.

    I had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn¡¯t actually agree to see us, but it turned out I was way off the mark. He¡¯d specifically instructed the inn¡¯s staff to let Fran see him, so she got past security without any issue.

    ¡¸Well, I didn¡¯t expect to see you so soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Tell about Kiara.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sit yourself down and I¡¯ll talk.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran perked up her ears and got ready to listen to the Beast Lord as she enjoyed the tea Roche made for her.

    ¡¸It would probably make more sense for me to tell you about my old man, the Beast Lord I overthrew, before telling you ¡¯bout anything else.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    The Beast Lord¡¯s predecessor was a man that went by the name Vairsas Narasimha. He was a weak man that harboured much more doubt than trust. He would always be paranoid that everyone was out to get him. His vassals were terrified, not of him, but rather, of the fact that he was king. He was extremely weak for a Golden me Lionkin, and only barely managed to obtain the evolution by leeching his predecessors. That, in and of itself, wasn¡¯t too much of a problem. He wasn¡¯t the only Beast Lord to have ever been in such a circumstance, but, unlike his predecessors, he had no talent for war; he wasn¡¯t suited to the act ofmanding an army. The sheer extent of his weakness caused him to develop a sort of inferiorityplex. Saidplex led Vairsas to be terrified of those that possessed greater power than him. And thus, he soon began to ostracize and purge any that caught his eye.

    His ridiculous, idiotic antics had caused his country to fall into a weakened state, one thatsted until Rigdis overthrew him.

    Vairsas¡¯ weakness led him to set his eyes on the ck Cat Tribe. He hadn¡¯t minded the tribe at all prior to his ascension to the throne, but, learning the secrets the royal family retained caused him to change his views.

    He immediately ordered the Blue Cat Tribe to redouble their efforts in enving the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members while also ordering them to keep an eye on any ck Catkin living outside his country¡¯s borders. Of course, the reason that he issued the order was because he was paranoid. He was afraid that a ck Catkin would one day evolve and dethrone him.

    ¡¸My old man was so pathetic that he wasn¡¯t able to do anything beyond just ordering the envement the ck Cat Tribe.¡¹

    Vairsas could¡¯ve easily issued a royal decree that demanded the ck Cat Tribe be driven to extinction. It¡¯s what would¡¯ve made the most sense.

    But he didn¡¯t.

    He was too cowardly.

    The former Beast Lord was afraid that eliminating the ck Cat Tribe would incur the Gods¡¯ wrath. He didn¡¯t know whether or not his actions would ultimately be forgiven. Moreover, he was worried that the any ck Catkin that slipped through his fingers would vow to take revenge. His many concerns gued him and prevented him from so much as even thinking the option through.

    ¡¸Not that I¡¯m saying that¡¯s a bad thing. It¡¯s the only reason Grandma Kiara¡¯s still alive and kickin¡¯.¡¹

    He¡¯d told his subordinates to bring Kiara to him upon hearing of her through the Blue Cat Tribe.

    Rigdis¡¯ father hesitated, he wasn¡¯t able to convince himself to execute her, and thus, he¡¯d thought up a few reasons to keep her around.

    The first was to make an example out of her. He wanted to demonstrate to the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s members that it was impossible for them to disobey him regardless of how strong they ended up getting.

    The second was to demonstrate the extent of the royal family¡¯s noble dignity. He wanted to show off the fact that he could make a powerful ck Catkin obey him.

    That was why Kiara had been working in the pce on the day it was attacked and nearly overrun.

    ¡¸My old man used her tribesmen as hostages and forced her to be his ve.¡¹

    She was assigned to trash duty, and thus, she ultimately ended up meeting Rigdis, Royce, and Goldalfa.

    Kiara¡¯s spirit had never broken despite the many years of vebour she¡¯d been forced to endure. In fact, she¡¯d vouched that working as a ve was something that required way less effort than diving into dungeons, and as a result, she¡¯d never actually suffered so long as one disregarded the horrible stench she had to endure on a daily basis.

    The ck Cat Tribe as a whole had seemed to have grown ustomed to very, as they were more resistant to suffering than any of the other tribes.

    ¡¸Meeting the olddy made us question our beliefs. We no longer understood why all the other tribes looked down on the ck Cat Tribe, nor why their members always got turned into ves.¡¹

    The Beast Lord and hispanions had been made to recognize Kiara¡¯s strength. She was so overwhelmingly powerful that shepletely blew their notions of the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s inferiority out of the water.

    For that reason, the Beast Lord ended up doing research, research that led him to discover the sin the ck Catkin hadmitted in the past, and the reason that things were currently how they were.

    He came to believe that the way they were being treated was unjust, that there was no point in persecuting them any further because they¡¯d already been punished by the Gods. He even started believing that it was his duty as a member of the royal family to aid them in their quest for atonement.

    Rigdis realized that his predecessor had only made everything worse. The fact that they¡¯d gone as far as destroying documents pertaining to ck Catkin evolutions had left him baffled.

    As a result, not even the royal family knew exactly what a ck Catkin had to do in order to evolve. That, in part, was why he promised Fran that he¡¯d spread the methodology all around his country if she was willing to share it.

    ¡¸I guess you could say I was just a bit disgusted by how my old man was handling things. That¡¯s why I trained myself up as per Grandma Kiara¡¯s instructions, made myself even stronger through adventuring, got supporters, beat his ass, and took his throne for myself.¡¹

    Rigdis would probably never admit it regardless of how we questioned him, but it seemed to me that the whole reason he¡¯d gone as far as soiling his reputation by murdering his father was because he wanted to do something for Kiara and her tribesmen.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    Fran understood his sentiments as well, and for that reason, she even ended up bowing in gratitude.

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, knock that off already. I only did what I did to satisfy my own ego. Having you thank me is just making me feel awkward and sheet.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Fran acknowledged his words with her own, but never did end up budging. She instead simply continued to maintain a respectful bow.

 Chapter 217: A Discussion About the Future

    <h4>Chapter 217: A Discussion About the Future</h4>

    ¡¸Heya Fran. Congrats on winning third.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. I¡¯m guessing you realized I didn¡¯t quite mean that as just apliment?¡¹

    Dias began congratting Fran in a teasing tone the moment we entered his room. It was painfully obvious that he¡¯d totally seen through her and knew exactly how she felt.

    ¡¸¡­Because lost to Amanda.¡¹

    ¡¸You know, a normal C ranker would be more than just bragging if they managed to get themselves all the way up to third ce.¡¹

    The Guildmaster¡¯s sheet-eating grin failed to fade as he shrugged. He was only saying what he was because he knew Fran wasn¡¯t the type to suddenly start boasting about how well she did.

    He did have a point though. Common sense dictated that a C ranker beating out an A ranker wasn¡¯t something that could normally be aplished. It was such a miraculous feat that pulling through with it justified getting full of oneself.

    ¡¸Also can¡¯t beat Beast Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, his case is a bit special. Not even I would be able to so much as lift a finger against him.¡¹

    ¡¸Will win someday.¡¹

    ¡¸The fact that you¡¯re saying that like you seriously mean it is somewhat terrifying.¡¹

    The thing was that Fran really did seriously mean what she said. She wanted to grow strong enough to one day beat the Beast Lord down.

    That said, she¡¯d have to first get strong enough to beat down Amanda and Forrund before even considering putting up a fight against an S ranker.

    ¡¸To be honest, I tried getting you promoted again, but my request didn¡¯t get approved.¡¹

    ¡¸Even though just became C ranker?¡¹

    ¡ºAren¡¯t you pushing for things to happen a bit too quickly?¡»

    ¡¸I mean, you guys did actually manage to take down an A ranker. You¡¯re way more capable than the average C ranker should be when ites to your ability to fight.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I guess you¡¯re right. But if that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t it end up working out?¡»

    Dias¡¯ mention of our strength in battle clearly meant that we weren¡¯t meeting at least one requirement that didn¡¯t rte to it.

    ¡¸There are actually quite a few problems ording to the other guildmasters.¡¹

    ¡¸Other Guildmasters?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I used a magic item to speak with a few of them.¡¹

    The biggest problem was apparently Fran¡¯s age.

    ¡¸There were a good number of them going on and on about how there wasn¡¯t any precedent for what I was trying to do. I hate dealing with people like them. I¡¯m actually nning on weeding them all out in due time.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah uh, you have fun with that.¡»

    Dias mentioned something that I figured it¡¯d probably be best for us to stay out of.

    ¡¸Some people also imed that you couldn¡¯t really judge just how good someone was at adventuring based on their performance in a controlled environment like a tournament.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    I had to admit, the second argument Dias presented to us was a solid one. The tourney had rules and restrictions in ce. It didn¡¯t really serve to prove the full extent of one¡¯s skill, nor did it evene close to emting the many types of situations you¡¯d find yourself in while out adventuring.

    One¡¯s caliber as an adventurer needed to be measured through more than just one¡¯s ability to fight. You also had to take into ount one¡¯s knowledge of magic and magic beasts, one¡¯s ability to detect and disarm traps, one¡¯s ability to stay calm, and one¡¯s ability to think outside the box.

    Of course,bat prowess was indeed still the most valuable of the aforementioned skills, sobeling someone that¡¯d beaten an A ranker a B ranker honestly shouldn¡¯t have been a problem.

    ¡¸Then there¡¯s also the speed at which you¡¯re rising through the ranks. They¡¯re worried people¡¯ll startining because it¡¯d look like you were getting preferential treatment or something.¡¹

    The third point was yet another one I couldn¡¯t argue against. Fran had only managed to rank herself all the way up to C because Dias had basically pulled out the nepotism card.

    ¡¸Another issue they brought up was yourck of experience as a leader.¡¹

    ¡¸Want exnation.¡¹

    ¡¸B ranked adventurers are expected to act asmanders in times of crisis. They¡¯re supposed to lead other adventurers should they ever find themselves in a situation involving magic beast stampedes, disaster-tier events, or onughts made by more powerful magic beasts, just to name a few.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that doesn¡¯t exactly sound like something Fran could pull off.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Can¡¯t. Too bothersome.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s what I thought, hence why it was one of the few points I acknowledged as reasonable.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s personality more or less made it t out impossible for her to do anything along the lines ofmanding an army.

    ¡¸Thest point made against your case was that you didn¡¯t quite seem to have the right sort of temperament considering that B rankers have to deal with the requests the guild gets from the nobility.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Kinda, yeah. Under normal circumstances, adventurers can pick and choose the requests they feel like taking. Some requestse from highly influential locals, others, from royalty. Requests like those are ones we can¡¯t refuse, and so, we assign them to adventurers we know arepetent and likely toplete them.¡¹

    A rankers were powerful, but few in number, so they were typically kept on hold in case of an emergency. Hence, the requests were instead handed off to B rankers.

    The B rankers in question would undoubtedly have to deal with the individuals that¡¯d first made the request. There was a chance that the noble or whatever would end up getting pissed the hell off if the adventurer sent to them didn¡¯t have the right sort of temperament or attitude.

    ¡¸Though, that didn¡¯t really seem toe off as an issue to me based on how you acted at the awards ceremony.¡¹

    In other words, it was something Fran¡¯s Court Etiquette couldpensate for. I admitted that the way she talked could likely lead to people thinking she was rude, but that wasn¡¯t really much of an issue so long as she relied on the more taciturn side of her personality.

    ¡¸I think that¡¯s everything that was said. Sorry, but you¡¯ll still stuck at C rank.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not really something that could be helped.¡»

    Bing a B ranker at only 12 years old would essentiallybel her an exception amongst exceptions, so there being pushback only made sense. I personally didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with slowly working our way through requests and building up a reputation before finally ranking up, as we could use the events that apanied them in order to train ourselves up and make ourselves even stronger.

    ¡¸To be honest, the only reason I tried having your rank raised in the first ce was because I felt like I owed you a favour¡¹

    ¡¸Owed favour?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s because you¡¯re the only reason I now know what ended up happening to Kiara.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. You¡¯re the reason the Beast Lord and I were able to talk the way we did, especially seeing as how I can¡¯t help but still bear a grudge against him and his line.¡¹

    Dias bowed deeply in order to demonstrate the extent of his gratitude.

    ¡¸Thank you, Fran. I really appreciate what you¡¯ve done for me, for us.¡¹

    Dias was so thankful hepletely dropped his usual yful attitude and spoke in a serious tone.

    ¡¸I¡¯m d to have finally fulfilled the pact I made with Rumina. It feels like there¡¯s been a huge load taken off my back.¡¹

    Hearing him mention Rumina reminded me of her circumstances. I was a bit concerned that she¡¯d be subjugated now that she¡¯d fulfilled her purpose.

    ¡ºSpeaking of which, what¡¯s going to end up happening to the dungeon?¡»

    ¡¸Well, Rumina¡¯s lost a lot of her power. The number of monsters within her dungeon has decreased drastically, so we¡¯ll probably need to lower the dungeons¡¯ ranks by 1 letter grade each.¡¹

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s evolution had a direct, negative effect on Ulmutt¡¯s economy, as the city essentially revolved around the dungeon it contained.

    Dias probably shouldn¡¯t have been too happy with us, but surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t actually angry. He ended up lightly shaking his head as he smiled.

    ¡¸The truth of the matter is that Rumina had always thought there was a chance that leading a ck Catkin to evolve would also cause her to lose her life. Having the two dungeons drop a rank each isn¡¯t really anything to note if youpare it to what could¡¯ve ended up happening.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but the fact stands that you guys won¡¯t be able to get as many materials or magic stones as you used to.¡»

    ¡¸I can¡¯t say that won¡¯t happen, but, the dungeons are actually even more suited to training newer adventurers in their current state. They¡¯lle en masse, so we¡¯ll be able topensate for our loss of ie through increased trade.¡¹

    The depth of Dias¡¯ thoughts served to prove that he really was deserving of his position despite his usual attitude. I was d that we wouldn¡¯t really be damaging Ulmutt¡¯s economy.

    ¡¸Oh, right. I¡¯ve also got a request here with your name on it.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re talking about the one you said you¡¯d give us after we ranked up to C, right?¡»

    ¡¸Right. I know you and the Beast Lord are no longer on terrible terms with each other, but I¡¯d already informed several other branches that I was going to be issuing a designated request ahead of time, so I can¡¯t be taking it back now.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯ll we need to do?¡»

    ¡¸I was thinking of giving you one that¡¯d send you over to the Beastkin¡¯s Country. You should be able to bypass all those troublesome immigration processes if you¡¯re heading over at the guild¡¯s request. Likewise, the branches we have over there should also offer you their support once you arrive.¡¹

    ¡¸What to do after arrival?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d like you to locate a missing adventurer that one day just upped and vanished. None of the people looking for her have been able toe in direct contact with her, so they¡¯d like for someone to confirm that she¡¯s still safe.¡¹

    So he wants us to look for Kiara? Man, talk about turning a personal problem into official business.

    ¡¸Nnnn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºSounds good to me. What say you, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Want to go to auction.¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean the one that¡¯s going to take ce in the capital? I mean, I¡¯d like to go there too, but it¡¯s not like we absolutely have to. I¡¯d say we should prioritize heading over to the Beastkin¡¯s Country for now.¡»

    £¨Can maybe get good magic stones at auction.£©

    ¡ºYeah, but that¡¯s a maybe, not anything guaranteed. The same could be said for the Beastkin¡¯s country anyways. Don¡¯t worry too much about me, and just go.¡»

    ¡¸But¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Is something the matter?¡¹

    ¡¸Want to go to auction in June.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that? You¡¯ve still got a whole month before that happens. You should be able to go to the Beastkin¡¯s Country ande back within 3 odd weeks.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like we can make both.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Then will go.¡¹

    Fran nodded happily, a clear indication that she¡¯d actually really wanted to go to the Beastkin¡¯s Country from the start.

 Chapter 218: A Gathering of Those That Wish to Gather Around Us

    <h4>Chapter 218: A Gathering of Those That Wish to Gather Around Us</h4>

    A group of strange looking individuals approached Fran the moment she stepped outside the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    All four of them wore grey robes that covered them from head to toe and obscured their faces from view. In their hands were staves made from the wood of a sort of old, knotted tree. They looked like mages, more specifically, the type you¡¯d often see described in fairytales.

    Their appearance fit the stereotype so well that I almost wanted tobel them as cosyers even though magic did exist and whatnot. The highly synchronized and nearly mechanical way they conducted themselves made them really seem out of ce, and almost even suspicious.

    Appraising them allowed me to confirm that they were indeed mages, but, none of them were actually all that powerful. The best among them was a water mage with associated magic leveled up to 7.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    Though they looked really suspicious, they didn¡¯t actually seem hostile, or wanting to harm us in any which way. As a result, I wasn¡¯t really able to figure out what they were after or how we were supposed to react to their presence.

    The four of them split into two smaller groups, with one moving to the right, and the other to the left. They then raised their staves to the sky, as if to create a corridor.

    A fifth individual walked through the newly created path. Unlike the other four, he was dressed up in a fancy looking, gold embroidered, purple robe. His staff was decorated with jewels, and clearly much more expensive.

    Another difference between the man and the four other individuals that apanied him was that his face was visible. His bright blue hairplimented his good looks, but, I still couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was kinda suspicious. A part of me almost wanted to say that it was precisely his handsome face that made him suspicious.

    ¡¸I have been awaiting your advent, Mdy.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Who?¡¹

    ¡¸My name is Grakma, chief of the Ulmuttian branch of the Aiwass Magician¡¯s Guild.¡¹

    Grakma¡¯s actions were so elegant that they almost seemed to have been pulled straight out of some sort of painting.

    The Magician¡¯s Guild was something we¡¯d heard of many times in the past, but we hadn¡¯t bothered involving ourselves with them or their members. Wait, Grakma said he was the Ulmutt branch¡¯s chief, right? Wouldn¡¯t that also make him one of the country¡¯s best mages? I highly doubted that to actually be the case. Grakma was basically the Magician¡¯s Guild¡¯s Guildmaster equivalent, but he really didn¡¯t match up.

    He wasn¡¯t that weak, but he was in no way a match for Dias or Klimut.

    Grakma was only level 20. He had the stats of your average D ranked adventurer, and wasn¡¯t even that skilled in magic. His best skills were me Magic, Storm Magic, and Lightning Magic with their levels at 3, 1, and 2 respectively. He basically didn¡¯t have any other skills to note. One could tell from looking at his stats that he¡¯d fully specialized himself in the magical arts.

    My biggest question, however, came not from his stats, but from his attitude. Why the hell was he referring to Fran as ¡°Mdy?¡±

    ¡¸Your battles were nothing short of magnificent!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸The sight of you casting incredible spells, one after the other, has done naught but move me to tears!¡¹

    I guess that kinda made sense given that he was a mage. To him, it must¡¯ve looked like Fran was constantly using high-tier spells nonstop. I¡¯d been the one to cast Kanna Kamui, so he must¡¯ve interpreted that as her using it without so much as even a chant.

    ¡¸Mdy, I cannot butbel you as an Archmage!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Not mage.¡¹

    I figured that ¡°Archmage,¡± was probably a title, but it made me think of sses anyways. I felt like Fran had probably unlocked a good few sses, and that it wouldn¡¯t be too bad an idea for us to go check.

    Grakma missed the response Fran and muttered under her breath, and as a result, ended up continuing on as if nothing had happened. He pulled out a small box from his chest pocket, opened it, and showed its contents to Fran as he took a knee.

    The four mages that apanied him seemed to take his actions as a sort of cue, as they lowered their staves so that they were instead pointed forwards before moving as if to surround us.

    It almost seemed like they were trying to initiate some sort of bizarre ritual. I knew that wasn¡¯t the case because they didn¡¯t actually end up giving off any sort of magical energy, but what seemed off still did seem off nheless, so I readied myself to use Telekinesis to send them flying the moment they tried anything.

    ¡¸Please take this.¡¹

    ¡¸This?¡¹

    ¡¸It is a medal that serves to present the greatest prestige that the Aiwass Magician¡¯s Guild, has to offer. Please, Mdy, I beseech you take it.¡¹

    ¡¸Prestige?¡¹

    The guild¡¯s chief continued pushing the box towards us despite the fact that we had no idea exactly what taking it entailed.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºHmm¡­ I¡¯m not really sure what to do either.¡»

    It didn¡¯t feel like any of the five mages present were casting or getting ready to cast any sort of spell, so I kinda felt that there wouldn¡¯t be any issue with us just taking the medal they were presenting to us.

    ¡¸Please do ept it. It shall serve to evidence your ability as an Archmage.¡¹

    They weren¡¯t lying, and they didn¡¯t seem to be our enemies, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to trust them regardless.

    ¡ºThey seem really suspicious, so let¡¯s not for now. This is kinda sudden, I¡¯d like to look into the Magician¡¯s Guild a bit more before actually epting.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t need.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not!?¡¹

    ¡¸Seems suspicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Mdy, that simply cannot b-¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, how about we cut this off here for now?¡¹

    ¡¸Who dares interfere!?¡¹

    Someone ced themselves between Fran and Grakma right as I started considering whether or not we should use force to make him stop bothering us.

    ¡¸You Aiwass people never do change, do you?¡¹

    ¡¸Fermus?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey Fran, haven¡¯t seen you since yesterday.¡¹

    The person that¡¯d inserted themselves between Fran and the annoying mage was none other than the former A ranked thread user we¡¯d just fought yesterday, Fermus.

    ¡¸What are you doing!? Leave at once, adventurer! We are currently in the midst of an important ritual!¡¹

    ¡¸I know. The whole reason I interfered was to prevent you frompleting said ridiculous ritual.¡¹

    ¡¸And what exactly do you mean by that?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind them. What they¡¯ve done here today is in fact nothing out of the ordinary.¡¹

    It seemed my suspicions had been spot on. The reason the other four mages had seemed to be getting ready to perform some sort of ritual was because that was exactly what they¡¯d been up to. Specifically, they¡¯d been getting ready to perform a ritual that would indoctrinate Fran into their organisation.

    Fran would¡¯ve been be one of their members had she epted the medal she was offered.

    ¡¸They won¡¯t use magic to bind you in any which way, but I can say for certain that they would have continued to bother you going forward had you joined their ranks.¡¹

    In other words, it was basically a scam. They nned to im that we¡¯d be one of their members through the act of going through with the ritual so long as we epted the medal regardless of whether or not we knew what epting it entailed.

    ¡¸Even though being tricked?¡¹

    Their actions didn¡¯t really seem to make sense. It seemed like there was a good chance of their actions pissing off the people they indoctrinated. Though that, in and of itself, wasn¡¯t really too much of a problem, it could turn into one should they attempt to scam a more powerful, reputable mage. It seemed like a series of actions that could very quickly and easily damage their reputation.

    ¡¸Their awareness of their actions is precisely what makes them as repulsive as they are. The trick they just used on you is one they only ever attempt to use on talented children. They probably thought it would work on you because they assumed you were as naive as you are young¡­¡¹

    They were clearly aware and making use of the fact that the average child wouldn¡¯t attempt to deal with the situation by force.

    In other words, they forced children into their organisation by ttering them and then using the fact that they¡¯dpleted a ritual as a sort of foot in the door in order to get them to do their bidding.

    ¡¸There are many Magician¡¯s Guilds out there, but none are as terrible and infamous as the Aiwass. Their methods are almost as shady as their goal, world domination. They may as well be an underground organisation, and likely wanted to recruit you after seeing the extent of your strength.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸Please make sure you stay prudent, Fran. You¡¯ll be getting all sorts of attention from here on out.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸We should probably deal with these idiots one way or another. How do you think we should go about it?¡¹

    ¡¸By ¡°these idiots,¡± are you perhaps referring to us!? You dare despite being an adventurer, a simple minded brute willing to immediately resort to violence!?¡¹

    Though I did admit that there were a good number of adventurers that acted like that, I felt like he was stereotyping us. It didn¡¯t take anything more than just looking at Fermus to recognize the fact that he was civilized. Saying that he was an idiot just because he was an adventurer was t out unreasonable.

    ¡¸What? So you think there¡¯s something wrong with me calling someone that attempts to force his ideals onto others without considering the consequences an idiot?¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!? How dar-¡¹

    I apologized to Fermus in my heart. His efforts were appreciated, but ultimately in vain as Fran was kinda the type of adventurer that tended to immediately resort to violence. That applied all the more to people that tried to mess with her. She simply couldn¡¯t stand them.

    The catgirl¡¯s straight kick knocked Grakma onto his back.

    ¡¸Ugrahhhh¡­¡¹

    Fran hadn¡¯t put too much force into the attack. She¡¯d purposefully held back because she¡¯d only been intending on knocking him over.

    However, it caused him to copse and start rolling back and forth, disheveling his clothes in the process.

    ¡ºWow, he¡¯s weak.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes widened in shock, an act I hadn¡¯t actually seen in quite some time. She¡¯d been nning on showing him hell, but he¡¯d kinda already fallen over after just a single tap. Honestly, I almost wanted to say it was a bit of a letdown.

    ¡¸What are you doing, Mdy!?¡¹

    ¡¸Whyever would you perform such a savage act!?¡¹

    ¡¸Bit pissed off.¡¹

    ¡¸That fails to justify your actions, Mdy!¡¹

    Fran liked being an adventurer. She also really liked many of her peers, namely people like Amanda and Erza. She would¡¯ve attacked the man regardless of Fermus¡¯ ims and his rtion thereto.

    ¡¸Sheet! Let¡¯s bounc¡­ wait, what!?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t move!¡¹

    ¡¸Foock!¡¹

    ¡¸You won¡¯t be able to get away. You¡¯re far too weak to escape my threads and their bindings.¡¹

    Fermus¡¯ strings sure did seem handy. He was able to use them to fully restrain all five of the magicians. They were all rendered incapable of movement.

    ¡¸When?¡¹

    ¡¸Threads were a type of weapon initially developed for use in espionage. They¡¯re much more effective in ambushes than they are in head on conflict.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Thinking about it, Fermus was right. His weapon wasn¡¯t one suited tobat in an arena. He was much more powerful in something as tight in terms of space as a dungeon. He¡¯d be able to easily kite with traps and whatnot. I could totally see us getting totally screwed over because we happened to stumble into a huge mass of threads in a tight corridor.

    ¡¸Though, I doubt I would be able to defeat you even if the circumstances were tilted in my favour.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The incredibly powerful attack you finished me off with isn¡¯t one I¡¯d be able to defend against.¡¹

    The issue with what he suggested was that thebination we¡¯d used wasn¡¯t one we¡¯d always be able to use. As a result, we were left unsatisfied. We wanted to get strong enough to able to beat him by rushing him head on.

    ¡¸Right, so back to what we were saying. What do you think we should do with them?¡¹

    ¡¸Not sure?¡¹

    ¡¸My suggestion would be for us to leave them to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Good idea?¡¹

    ¡¸I think so. I don¡¯t see why the guild wouldn¡¯t move to defend an adventurer as powerful as yourself from another organisation.¡¹

    I mean, I guess we could, especially seeing as how Fermus was reending it. I was kinda tempted to head over to the guild and start showing their members their ces, but we didn¡¯t have the time for that.

    ¡¸Then will leave to guild.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess we should take them inside then.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait bit first.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you going to do something to them?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Administering punishment.¡¹

    And so, Fran ended up slogging each of the men in the gut before dragging them inside the guild.

    Much to my surprise, Dias was d to hear what¡¯d happened. I knew he was going to be able to deal with the situation without much issue, but I hadn¡¯t expected him to be literally jumping for joy.

    ¡¸This is just perfect! They¡¯ve picked a fight with us, and in doing so, given us more than just an excuse topletely wipe them out!¡¹

    Dias nced at his subordinates, a signal that caused them to approach before taking the mages we¡¯d caught away.

 Chapter 219: Another Group Approaches

    <h4>Chapter 219: Another Group Approaches</h4>

    ¡¸Fermus. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s no problem. I only decided to help because I just so happened to have something simr happen to me in the past.¡¹

    ¡¸Simr? Also almost tricked by Magician¡¯s Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Not exactly, but I did have my fair share of unpleasant experiences because I garnered too much attention.¡¹

    Apparently Fermus, like us, had stood out ever since he was young. Namely, he¡¯d managed to win one of Ulmutt¡¯s tournaments in his youth.

    As a result, he was approached by magicians, mercenaries, nobles, merchants, and underground organisations. The individuals and groups that tried to solicit him would often refuse to back off even if he denied them, and sometimes even attempt to resort to force.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure the same will happen to you.¡¹

    ¡¸How to deal with?¡¹

    ¡¸My approach was just to flee. I wandered from ce to ce in order to keep them from somehow making me go along with their demands.¡¹

    The dragon hunter¡¯s coping method was honestly a pretty good one. There was no way the people that wanted to solicit him would be able to keep up, especially if he was careful about covering his tracks.

    ¡¸Though, I ultimately ended up having Dias solve my problems for me.¡¹

    ¡¸Dias?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The two of us had always gotten along, in part because we¡¯re in the same age range. He¡¯d already be guildmaster back then, so I just had him agree to call me his aide so I could use his name and reputation to deny the people that approached me.¡¹

    Dias¡¯ position as Guildmaster made it so the very mention of his name was enough to cause most lesser nobles to back off. Having Dias¡¯ support made Fermus¡¯ life much easier.

    ¡¸It seems to me that you¡¯ve drawn even more attention than I had, so you may end up having to deal with some really difficult people. I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll be able to crush all the greedy criminal syndicates thate after you, but, the same can¡¯t be said for the nobility. Dealing with them the wrong way could potentially lead to something that ultimately devolves into an international dispute.¡¹

    Thest little bit Fermus tagged on came off as personal, and as a result, was highly convincing.

    ¡¸First hand experience?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. Yeah, I happened to get into a little bit of a fight with a noble from another country and ultimately ended up leaving my name in their records.¡¹

    ¡¸Just because refusal?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ he was acting in a bit too demanding a manner for my taste, so I ended up ¡°interacting¡± with him and about 50 of his subordinates¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Killed?¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, I just made it so they needed to see a doctor immediately. The issue came from the fact that the person in question happened to be rted to royalty.¡¹

    Yeah, I could see why that¡¯d end up pissing off an entire country. There was no way they could just just let something like that happen and not react unless they wanted to lose face.

    ¡¸Dealt with how?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you know, nothing special. All I did was subdue and capture everyone that went after me before finally having a face to face meeting with the country¡¯s king, albeit one scheduled in the middle of the night.¡¹

    So I¡¯m guessing that means he threatened him? I mean, I get he¡¯s strong, but like, that doesn¡¯t exactly sound like something he, or anyone for that matter, could get away with.

    ¡¸Honestly, it was something only made possible because the country was a weak and uninfluential one. Even their most powerful citizens were weaker than me. There¡¯s no way I could possibly pull off a stunt like that if faced with a country like the Kingdom of Kranzel.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸So the thing I was actually trying to say is that the best thing you could possibly do is fall back on the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and people like Amanda, who you know you can trust, if you happen to run into any trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Why Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I¡¯m guessing you must not know then. Many of the children that grow up in Amanda¡¯s orphanages end up bing outstanding adventurers. They say she would be able to amass an army powerful enough to wipe a small country off the map so long as she made use of her connections.¡¹

    What the hell!?

    Amanda¡¯s connections were way more impressive than we¡¯d been expecting them to be.

    ¡¸Amanda, amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s got an incredible backing, and is a force to be reckoned with even if she doesn¡¯t bother venturing onto the battlefield herself. She¡¯s the whole reason the Reidosians haven¡¯t picked a fight with Kranzel.¡¹

    I had no way of knowing how Amanda ran the orphanages she had set up all over the ce, or what she taught those that attended them. However, I was still able to see why it would be reasonable for the children that she raised to look up to her and her choice of career. My assumption was that she probably offered at least a bit of training, because that being true would in turn make everything click. Her instruction likely led the children she supported to develop solid foundations, which in turn ultimately allowed them to grow into outstanding adventurers.

    ¡¸Though, I think you¡¯ll be fine regardless, especially seeing as how the Beastkin¡¯s Country has your back.¡¹

    ¡¸Beastkin¡¯s country has back?¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, you weren¡¯t working for them?¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸I noticed that you¡¯d watched the finals together with the Beast Lord, so I¡¯d assumed that you were in his employ¡­ If that¡¯s not the case, then I guess he¡¯s probably just taken a sort of liking to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. I think the reason he was willing to appear in public with you is because he wanted to keep other countries from investing you in their interests.¡¹

    Fermus continued after a light nod.

    ¡¸My beastkin acquaintances have told me that most of the other beastkin have a rather favourable impression of you. They also seem to think that they could potentially deepen their bond with the Beast Lord if they demonstrate that they can get along with you. The way I see it, you¡¯ve more or less already be one of the Beastkin country¡¯s associates.¡¹

    He was right. With the way things were going, I wouldn¡¯t actually be too surprised if we ultimately ended up siding with the Beastkin¡¯s Country. We¡¯d basicallymitted ourselves to visiting because the Beast Lord had made it so he owed Fran a favour. He¡¯d also made himself seem like someone we could interact with going forward.

    It was almost like the Beast Lord had orchestrated everything so that Fran would be more inclined to pay his country a visit. That said, I felt like he himself wasn¡¯t actually capable of constructing such a meticulous n. It was instead likely derived from advice given to him by Royce or Roche.

    That said, the rtionship we currently shared with the Beast Lord was more so like one that focused around the act of give and take, in which we exchanged mutual benefits.

    ¡¸Whoops. I got a bit too caught up in conversing with you. I need to go.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Do stop by my store some time if you ever decide to check in on Barbra. I¡¯ve started doing research on a recipe that involves the use of curry.¡¹

    ¡¸High expectations.¡¹

    ¡¸Great. I¡¯ll make sure I fulfill them.¡¹

    Fermus gave onest bow before making an exit.

    ¡ºYou know, I¡¯d really rather not keep running into people like the mages we just met.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I almost felt like I jinxed it, as someone once again called out us right about where we reached the ce we met Grakma and his goons.

    ¡¸Hey, you, girl. Hold on.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m talking to you.¡¹

    A party of four approached us, with a man dressed like a swordsman taking up the lead. His appearance immediately caused all the adventurers around us to react and start muttering to each other.

    ¡¸Dude, check that out. It¡¯s Celldio.¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡¯s he here?¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk. Even just seeing his face pisses me the hell off.¡¹

    ¡¸Here I was thinking today was going to be a good day. Well, there goes that.¡¹

    The mood almost seemed to instantly plummet as he showed his face. It seemed he was the type of guy most other adventurers disliked.

    His appearance itself wasn¡¯t what seemed to have repulsed them, as he¡¯d dressed himself up neatly and looked exactly as you¡¯d expect a knight.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Celldio Lesspus.

    Age: 30

    Species: Human

    ss: Magic Sword Knight

    State: Normal

    Status Level: 40/99

    HP: 409

    MP: 398

    STR: 207

    VIT: 199

    AGI: 167

    INT: 201

    MGC: 190

    DEX: 167

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 3

    Chant Shortening: Lv 3

    Riding: Lv 7

    Fear Resistance: Lv 4

    Sword Techniques: Lv 7

    Sword Arts: MAX

    Divine Sword Arts: Lv 2

    Extortion: Lv 6

    Command: Lv 4

    Purification Magic: Lv 2

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 5

    Mental Harm Resistance: Lv 5

    Elemental de: Lv 6

    Magic Detection: Lv 3

    Connoisseur: Lv 8

    Leaves Good Impressions on the Opposite Sex

    Opposite Sex Attraction

    Orc Killer

    Vigour Maniption

    Curse Nullification

    Unique Skills

    Weapon Control

    Titles

    Orc Killer

    Ladykiller

    Viscount

    Extortionist

    Elixir Addict

    A Ranked Adventurer

    Equipment

    Pegasus Sword

    Basilisk Sword

    Holy Silver Armour of Light

    Hexagonal Deer King¡¯s Mantle

    Dimensional Ring

    Pendant of Life

    _______________________________________________________________

    He was decently strong, but not anything too outstanding. His party members were the same. They were all at least level 30, and had fairly decent stats. They had a pretty good bnce going too, with a swordsman, a shield-bearer, a mage, and a rogue. That said, Celldio, the guy that seemed like the party¡¯s leader, really didn¡¯t seem worthy of his A ranked title. He was weaker than both Jean and Colbert, who were still both B rankers, so there wasn¡¯t even really any point inparing him to someone like Amanda. I mean, he had a pretty versatile build, but still¡­

    Celldio spoke in a pompous sounding voice as I looked and thought over his stats.

    ¡¸You.¡¹

    His voice waspletely devoid of amicability. It really didn¡¯t take him saying more than just a single word for me to understand why none of the other adventurers liked him. Dude was definitely a total douchebag, and the type that looked down on other people to boot.

    Both his skills and titles seemed to reference the fact that he was the type you wouldn¡¯t want your daughter to hang around. That,bined with his good looking face, and the fact that he was a viscount, immediately made me not want him associating with Fran in any which way.

    ¡ºThis dude looks like he¡¯s both a noble and a scumbag. It¡¯d probably be best for you to just ignore him and move on.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    We nned to slip right past him and casually wander off, but we failed.

    ¡¸Hey! Wait!¡¹

    The skirt chaser moved himself in Fran¡¯s way before continuing to call out to her in an arrogant manner. Looking at him up close made me realize he wasn¡¯t just a good looking guy, but rather, an incredibly good looking guy. As a result, I started to hate on him even more.

    ¡¸You¡¯re Fran, right? The ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    He clearly only called out to her because he knew exactly who she was.

    ¡¸C ranker. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Good, then I have the right person. I don¡¯t really think I need to bother introducing myself, but I will anyway. I¡¯m Celldio Lesspas, A ranked adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Never heard of.¡¹

    ¡¸What? You can¡¯t possibly be serious, can you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh. You really don¡¯t do your research, do you?¡¹

    Wow, what a coont. The dude immediately assumed that we didn¡¯t do enough research just because we didn¡¯t know who he was. His clear overconfidence only made me hate him all the more.

    I began wondering what he wanted. There was no way he would go out of his way to call out to Fran and name himself if he didn¡¯t have something in mind.

    Chances were, he probably either wanted to invite them to his party or ask her to do something. Either way, I didn¡¯t really feel like what came out of his mouth would end up being anything decent.

    ¡¸Need what?¡¹

    ¡¸Give me your magic sword.¡¹

 Chapter 220: Celldio

    <h4>Chapter 220: Celldio</h4>

    ¡¸Need What?¡¹

    ¡¸Give me your magic sword.¡¹

    Uh, what? Like, actually, what? Is this son of a b*tch seriously trying to extort Fran in the middle of town with everyone around us watching?

    ¡¸Nn? No. Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Because I¡¯m an A ranked adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Meaning?¡¹

    ¡¸Look, you know just how amazing that sword is, right? You should know that giving it to someone like me is basically the same thing as doing the whole world a favour.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t understand.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, now stop being so selfish and fork it over.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    The fact that he was ragging on about the world while attempting to tantly extort us caused Fran to freeze and stare straight at him. Fran probably would¡¯ve already cut the dude in half if he was trying to bullsheet us, but we could tell that he actually thought what he said. The dude was so full of himself that he actually thought he was doing a good deed.

    ¡¸So she¡¯s going to be his next victim? Man, must suck to be her.¡¹

    ¡¸Then go stop him!¡¹

    ¡¸Hell no dude, are you insane!? Celldio¡¯s foocked up in the head, but his skills are the real deal. Wait, why¡¯s he in Ulmutt anyway?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m pretty sure it was because Forrund left him out in the streets half dead when the two met in Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸Right, makes sense. But man, I really didn¡¯t expect to have to look at that ugly mug of his after making the journey all the way over.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, and don¡¯t forget, the girl he¡¯s trying to mess with right now is the ck Lightning Princess. I¡¯m pretty sure things aren¡¯t gunna go the way they usually do.¡¹

    It seemed that what Celldio was doing right now was nothing out of the norm for him. As a result, many of the adventurers in our vicinity began giving Fran looks of pity.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll pay you as much as you want. I¡¯ll give you so much cash you¡¯ll be able to retire. I¡¯m sure adventuring isn¡¯t the type of business a little girl like you wants to be a part of. And as for me? I¡¯ll be making good use of that sword of yours.¡¹

    The swordsman thumped himself on the chest as he spoke, almost as if to say that she could leave all her adventuring to him.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what your sword wants too.¡¹

    ¡¸Not possible.¡¹

    ¡¸You say that, but me? I know. I know how swords feel. I can understand them. That sword doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s something a little girl should be wielding. Come on, why are you hesitating? I¡¯m giving you a chance to stop adventuring, a chance to turn yourself back into just another girl.¡¹

    ¡¸Already satisfied. Mind own business.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh man, you sure are ignorant. Let me guess, you just don¡¯t want to give the sword to someone else because you¡¯re feeling sentimental? I mean, I¡¯ll acknowledge that it¡¯s got quite some value to it, but, you¡¯re not thinking. What a sad life you must¡¯ve led not to be able to consider all the benefit that giving your sword to me will bring you. I guess that must mean I¡¯ll need to punish you a bit to make you understand. I know you see a whip right now, but don¡¯t you fret. I¡¯m only going to whip you out of love.¡¹

    What bugged me the most about all this was that Celldio had yet to speak a single lie. The Principle of Falsehood had judged everything singlest thing he¡¯d said to be what he believed to be the truth.

    The lunatic thought that I wanted him to use me, that giving me to him would benefit the world as a whole, and that whipping a young girl for the sake of discipline was an act of love.

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel disgusted to the point that I wanted to vomit despite not even having a stomach to begin with. He was a foocking creep. He didn¡¯t reallye off as either mad or entric. You couldn¡¯t really discern him from any other, less foocked up person from a nce. But still, something about him was just¡­ off. I¡¯d much rather a goblin use me than him. He disgusted me so much that I felt like physiologically repulsed.

    ¡ºGod, he¡¯s grossing me out so much I think I¡¯m getting goosebumps.¡»

    Bloodlust was starting to well up from within Fran each and every single time Celldio opened his mouth. It seemed she¡¯d finally gotten over the initial shock and realized that he wanted to take me from her.

    £¨How to kill?£©

    ¡ºUhhh, let¡¯s try not to jump the gun just yet.¡»

    Murdering the retard and his group was honestly a simple task. They were far weaker than we were. The only thing that really caused me to stop Fran was the fact that he was a viscount. I really wasn¡¯t feeling like dealing with the aftermath that¡¯d result from making that choice.

    I considered retreating, but wrote it off because I felt like it wouldn¡¯t actually bring the incident to an end. Celldio would probably continue to pursue and bother us. As a result, I couldn¡¯t really figure out what to do.

    ¡¸Now how about handing it over? I can hand you even more money if this isn¡¯t enough, but it should be. It¡¯s an amount that¡¯ll let amoner like you get by for a few years.¡¹

    The amount he¡¯d prepared was 500k Golde.

    A mere 500k Golde.

    My mind almost nked. I actually couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking.

    Did he really not understand how much I was worth? The amount he was paying wouldn¡¯t be enough to fetch him any half decent magic sword, let alone me.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    His offer was so ridiculous it caused Fran to go silent out of a mix of surprise and anger. Celldio seemed to have interpreted said silence as the fact that she didn¡¯t think his offer was high enough, which in turn prompted him to reply in a sour manner.

    ¡¸So you don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough¡­? You do know that obsessing over money turns your life into nothing more than a boring mess, right?¡¹

    He was saying something that you¡¯d expect one reasonable adult to tell another, but, was taking advantage of the saying and warping it in a way that made it serve his purposes.

    ¡¸Okay, how about this then? I¡¯ll make you one of my concubines.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? What the foock did this son of a b*tch just say!?¡»

    ¡¸I mean, your face could do with a few improvements, but oh well. The honour thates with such a position should make it worth it, right? Ie from a line of marquis, so you¡¯ll be guaranteed a good life, even as just a concubine. That kind of reward makes this whole trade more than just worth it for a beastkin like you, am I right?¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸So, how about it? You¡¯ll get be my concubine, and you¡¯ll basically be given infinite money. Sounds good, right?¡¹

    Celldio had no doubt that he was doing Fran a favour. He was, without a doubt, expecting her to thank him because he thought that he¡¯d just given her basically the ¡°best conditions ever.¡±

    Ahahahahahahahahaha.

    So this skirt chasing pedophile wants to not only take me away from Fran, but also turn her into one of his concubines?

    Thankfully, Fran herself didn¡¯t understand what the man was proposing, and ultimately ended up staring at him with a nk gaze. She probably would¡¯ve more than just exploded in anger had she actually known what he was talking about.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Master? Something wrong?£©

    ¡ºI think I just might¡¯vee up with a pretty good idea.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, repeat after me.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    Fran began rying my words to Celldio.

    ¡¸Nn. This sword chooses wielder. Can¡¯t be used by unqualified. If unqualified tries to use, will die.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! No worries there. I¡¯m special, one of the chosen.¡¹

    ¡¸Will burn scammers, poison thieves, kill viins.¡¹

    We¡¯d told him quite a bit, so I was hoping he¡¯d back off. I was willing to call it a day after castrating and almost killing him if he was willing to stop.

    ¡¸Fmph. Just hand it over already.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, hurry it up.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re being rude. Our lord is busy, and doesn¡¯t have the time for this.¡¹

    The rogue-like guy grinned after Celldio¡¯s two otherpanions encouraged Fran to hand me over.

    ¡¸Milord, I think it might be better to just take the sword from her even if you have to do it through force. It seems like she¡¯s unable to see reason.¡¹

    The fact that the viscount listened to the rogue¡¯s words and stepped up while acting all stuck up and sheet made me feel like he was manipting the stupid skirt chasing pedophile.

    ¡¸That¡¯s true. She¡¯ll soone to thank me even if she doesn¡¯t right away.¡¹

    He drew his weapon and begin to emit an aura of bloodlust, as if to demonstrate to Fran what fate would have in store for her should she not hand me over.

    I was sure Celldio¡¯s group had watched Fran¡¯s matches, so I didn¡¯t quite understand why they thought they¡¯d be able to pry me from her through the use of force. It seemed that they were either full of themselves or assumed she wouldn¡¯t hurt Celldio because he was a noble.

    ¡¸Hurry up and hand it over.¡¹

    ¡¸Really sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I¡¯m sure I want it! Now hand me the sword, girl!¡¹

    It seemed he wanted to take me from Fran regardless of the fact that we¡¯d warned him he might die.

    Well, I guess that means his life is forfeit. I couldn¡¯t really make Fran out to be a liar, and was kinda pissed off to begin with anyways. This was basically the perfect opportunity for me to address both of those two problems at once.

    The adventurers standing nearby could act as witnesses to testify that Fran had indeed warned Celldio, and that it was his own fault he died.

    ¡ºFeel free to hand me to him whenever.¡»

    ¡¸Got it. Won¡¯t be responsible for result.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. You giving me the sword is all that matters.¡¹

    And so, Fran handed me to Celldio. Him touching me caused me to feel a wave of disgust wash through my body, but I forced myself to bear with it for the time being.

    It seemed that him holding me wasn¡¯t causing the Goddess¡¯ penalty to activate. It probably only would once he actually equipped me. That was good to know, as it meant we could at least allow other people to hold me so long as they didn¡¯t actually try to use me as their weapon, which in turn meant we could have cksmiths handle me and whatnot.

    He would¡¯ve automatically equipped me if he holstered me or tried to use me, but, as of right now, he was just holding me, so the Goddess¡¯ divine retribution wouldn¡¯t actually activate unless he consciously tried equipping me. That was how it worked back when I first met Fran, she wasn¡¯t able to actually be my wielder until she went out of her way to think about it.

    I sensed a bit of magical energy flow from Celldio to me. He was attempting to use his Weapon Control skill before actually equipping me.

    However, he wasn¡¯t able to get past my Control Nullification skill and ultimately failed. I was nning to steal the skill if I started to feel him taking control of me, but luckily, I didn¡¯t actually have to.

    All the magical energy he poured into me ended up dispersing.

    ¡¸Huh? Why isn¡¯t it¡­¡¹

    Celldio understood that he hadn¡¯t managed to take control of me, but he didn¡¯t manage to arrive at the conclusion that his skill had t out failed, and so, he tried a bit harder to get the skill to work. I was perfectly fine with him not actually ending up equipping me. I kinda wanted to see him get smited, but I¡¯d also kinda been wanting to be the one to do it anyways.

    The first thing I did was cast Elemental de, specifically with the me element. Naturally, I¡¯d made use of the Sorcery skill in order to pump as much magical energy in as I possibly could.

    ¡¸Woah! This thing¡¯s starting to burn up.¡¹

    Heh, serves you right you son of a b*tch! Guess who shouldn¡¯t have assumed his Weapon Control skill would actually work?

    Celldio¡¯s face twisted into a frown as a result of the sudden influx of heat.

    ¡¸What!? Why won¡¯t this sword obey me? I¡¯m supposed to be one of the chosen!?¡¹

    MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!

    The fact that he thought he was special was making meugh. His mental age was something to be scoffed at.

    ¡¸What the foock!? I can¡¯t let go!¡¹

    I held Celldio¡¯s hands down with Telekinesis in order to prevent him from escaping my wrath. I concentrated all the force I would¡¯ve used to catapult myself on his arms in order to hold them in position, so there was no way he was going to escape even after considering that he was an A ranked adventurer.

    ¡¸Gaah!¡¹

    He couldn¡¯t let go of me even though his skin was starting to burn off. I started to harass him all the more as he began panicking. Namely, I changed the shape of my guard and hilt and stabbed both into his hand while also using the Magic Poison Fang skill.

    ¡¸Gaarhhh!¡¹

    His face turned a deep shade of blue as the poison began circting through his veins. Appraising him allowed me to confirm that his state has changed to ¡°badly poisoned.¡± Poison hadn¡¯t actually worked on any of the people we¡¯d been fightingtely, so I was d it finally found a chance to shine.

    ¡¸My Connosieur skill didn¡¯t tell me about any of this!¡¹

    Connisuer was like appraisal, but it only worked on items.

    That exined why he was willing to take the bet. He¡¯d seen the fake stat page I had, ande to the conclusion that I didn¡¯t actually have the features Fran had described.

    ¡¸Milord!¡¹

    The mage cast both Heal and Antidote on Celldio.

    ¡¸Guaaaahh!? Anna, hurry up and fix me!¡¹

    ¡¸My magic isn¡¯t working¡­! Karam, potions!¡¹

    ¡¸Alright!¡¹

    Karam, the rogue, tried using several healing potions to restore Celldio, but his actions were futile. I was still giving off heat and continuing to poison him. All the damage he healed off would immediately be reapplied.

    The mix of me and poison forced Celldio to recall the words Fran had spoke to him earlier.

    ¡¸Get away! Arggg! why can¡¯t I let go of this sword!? Why!?¡¹

    Namely, Celldio remembered the word death. A wave of panic washed over him and dyed his screams in fear.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. This was what he got for trying to make Fran his concubine.

    The viscount had thought his own actions to be just, but, truth be told, he¡¯d been doing nothing but extorting people and robbing them. He was a criminal thatmitted the acts time and time again. There was a good chance he¡¯d also made use of his family¡¯s influence in order to abduct otherwise unwilling women.

    I knew that he might also be a victim, one deceived by hispanions. He was an elixir addict, meaning someone might¡¯ve made him lose his mind from overdosing on drugs, but I didn¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t care what reasons he had, nor whether or not he himself had suffered.

    I had no intentions of forgiving him regardless.

    ¡¸Gaaaaahhhh!¡¹

 Chapter 221: The Goddessâ€™ Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 221: The Goddess¡¯ Retribution</h4>

    ¡¸Gaaaaaahh!¡¹

    Celldio¡¯s face twisted in agony. His fingers had been burnt to point where they¡¯d ckened, and his hand was filled with holes because I¡¯d covered my handle in poison tipped spikes.

    Despite that, my rage had yet to abate. He hadn¡¯t suffered nearly enough to make up for the fact that he tried to make Fran one of his concubines.

    They might¡¯ve even taken her away by force if she was still as weak as when we¡¯d only just met.

    Imagining him forcing himself on her made me more than mad enough to tear him to bits.

    I once again changed my form so I could better damage him.

    ¡¸Hggiiiiiiihhhh!¡¹

    I made the thornsing out of my grip grow and squirm around like a living creature as they snaked up his arm. I made sure to half retract the thorns as they moved before jabbing them into him over and over again.

    ¡¸Aarrghghghghghgh!¡¹

    The pain caused him to lose control of his body as it began to spasm. His party members tried to heal him, but they weren¡¯t actually able to help.

    Much to my surprise, Celldio¡¯s servants were actually serious about trying to save him. It went without saying that they tried to avoid touching me, but they weren¡¯t particrly adamant about it.

    Either way, I felt a sense of gratification as I watched him drip with tears, snot, and other body fluids.

    I¡¯d really wanted to figure out the exact sort of punishment the Goddess would administer, but the viscount wasn¡¯t really showing any signs of actually wanting to equip me. I was getting a bit sick of letting him hold me, so I started contemting whether or not I should just use my Telekic Catapult to finish him off.

    ¡¸Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºHow about trying to equip it?¡»

    I decided to give it onest shot and started coercing him with telepathy. I was expecting him to either go along with what I said or write the thoughts I conveyed to him off as a figment of his imagination.

    Naturally, I was going to promptly cut him down if he chose to do thetter.

    ¡¸Haa¡­Haahh¡­ That¡¯s right! I haven¡¯t actually tried equipping this damned thing!¡¹

    Perfect.

    ¡¸Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!¡¹

    Celldio let loose a howl of pure pain that sent shivers down the spines of the people around us the moment he tried to equip me. It was the kind that echoed through to the very depths of one¡¯s soul.

    The sight of him turning his eyes towards the heavens as he continued to scream was so odd that it caused both his servants and the adventurers around us to freeze in ce.

    The scene persisted for several seconds before the person that caused it finally broke the silence.

    ¡¸P-Please no! Please forgive me! Argghghgahghgahh!¡¹

    Streams of blood erupted from Celldio¡¯s eyes, ears, and mouth the moment after he let loose onest scream.

    And then he fell. His knees buckled as they gave way and caused his body to copse.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    The thud of him falling t on his face was thest sound to preceed a silence so heavy it could only be described as painful.

    ¡¸Nn. Unqualified.¡¹

    The only individual that remained capable of movement was Fran. She walked over to Celldio¡¯s corpse, wiped off my handle, and picked me up.

    Only then did the crowd finallye back to life. The people around us began to scream in panic. I couldn¡¯t me them. Celldio was someone no one liked, and he also wasn¡¯t actually all that strong, but he¡¯d been an A ranked adventurer nheless. In other words, the people around us had processed the sight as that of an A ranker meeting an instant death.

    I had to say, the Goddess¡¯ retribution differed quite a bit from what I¡¯d been expecting. My guess had been that she¡¯d strike him with a lightning bolt that came out of the blue seeing as how the punishment that befell people who didn¡¯t know I was bound was supposedly something along the lines of an electric shock. The sight of Celldio¡¯s death seemed to illustrate that the death-rted punishment did something to the insides of the target¡¯s head.

    ¡¸H-H-H-How dare you!? How dare you murder Milord!?¡¹

    ¡¸Ignored advice given. Killed self.¡¹

    ¡¸W-What kind of excuse is that!? If you knew that would happen, then why didn¡¯t you insist that he stop!?¡¹

    The man that approached Fran was the one that¡¯d been carrying the shield. He looked like a knight, and honestly, probably was. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say that he likely served Celldio¡¯s parents.

    ¡¸Burnt, poisoned, died. Clearly scammer, thief, viin.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You dare!? Your words equate to you insulting his household¡¯s, a marquis¡¯, honour!¡¹

    ¡¸Only speaking truth.¡¹

    ¡¸You little sh*t!¡¹

    The shield-bearing knight lowered a hand to his sword as if to indicate that he wanted to fight us. However, he was stopped before he could draw it.

    ¡¸That¡¯s enough. Everyone here has clearly seen that it was the viscount¡¯s fault and not the girl¡¯s. I will have to step in and take you on if you wish to fault her any further.¡¹

    ¡¸A-Are you blind, Colbert!? Master Celldio was both an A ranked adventurer and a viscount!

    Her actions clearly functioned as treason against both the state and the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I don¡¯t quite know what you saw, but I only witnessed a swindler get what he deserved after attempting to extort her out of her weapon.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Whatever are yo-¡¹

    ¡¸Are you really still going to keep that facade up even after running all the way to Ulmutt with your tail between your legs? I¡¯d even go as far as to say that it was likely you lot that egged the viscount on in the first ce.¡¹

    ¡¸Enough of your preaching! You can¡¯t deny that girl murdered Milord!¡¹

    ¡¸That simply is not true. He died because he was afflicted by the sword¡¯s curse. She warned him of it, and he ignored it, so all the fault lies with him, and he only got what he deserved. Are you incapable ofprehending the incredible number of people that served to witness the events that just unfolded?¡¹

    All the adventurers around us immediately began ring at Celldio¡¯s party members. They didn¡¯t seem to be willing to back off, so they returned it and caused the situation to devolve into a staring contest.

    A heavy mood began to propagate throughout the area.

    ¡¸You lot sure are kicking up a fuss. Did something happen?¡¹

    Dias spoke as he exited the guild. It seemed that the all themotion had caused enough noise for it to reach his ears.

    The first to respond to Dias¡¯ question was the shield-bearing knight.

    ¡¸G-Guildmaster! Milord was killed by their hands. Adminster capital punishment immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh, quite a mouth you¡¯ve got for a B ranker. Tell me, are you trying to give me orders?¡¹

    ¡¸W-What¡­!? Are you kidding me!? You want to refuse!? This is a murder case, one that involves the death of one of Marquis Ashtonah¡¯s potential sessors! Obeying my orders should be nothing short of your duty, adventurer!¡¹

    Nobles were normally considered to be of a higher ss than the guild¡¯s staff members, so it seemed the knight had expected Dias toply.

    But he didn¡¯t. The old guildmaster instead responded with a scornfulugh.

    ¡¸While I didn¡¯t bear witness to the event, I was filled in on exactly what had happened. Let me ask you something. Who¡¯s fault do you think all this is? I¡¯d really like you to mull that statement over, digest it, and shut up. Did your parents not tell you that all thieves start out as liars?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡­ you¡¯re calling me a liar?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup. Though, I guess a bit of investigation is indeed in order seeing as how I didn¡¯t see the event first hand.¡¹

    Celldio¡¯s followers seemed to interpret Dias¡¯ words as a chance, as they immediately began appealing to him and attempting to convince him that Fran tricked Celldio in order to murder him.

    I did trust Dias, but, I didn¡¯t feel like I could say for sure that he wouldn¡¯t take the marquis¡¯ household¡¯s side. He was a guildmaster, a member of arger organisation that ultimately did have to make that sort of decision from time to time. To that end, I steeled myself forbat while awaiting his response.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll have to do a bit more investigating in order to figure out the truth. Colbert, Forrund, could the two of you take them down to the dungeon for the time being?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure.¡¹

    ¡¸Consider it done.¡¹

    Forrund suddenly appeared behind Celldio¡¯s party and caused all three remaining individuals to widen their eyes in fear. It seemed that whatever he did to them had left them with some pretty deep mental scars.

    ¡¸Make sure you strip them of their equipment, handcuff them, and gag them. Be as strict as you need to, keeping in mind that they¡¯re both witnesses and suspects for a viscount¡¯s murder.¡¹

    ¡¸W-What!? You have to be kidding me! Stop this, stop this immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡¯re you letting that brat free!? You should at least do the same to her!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, this isn¡¯t fair!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s under arrest as well. However, I¡¯ll be taking her up to my office as opposed to the dungeon because I¡¯ll be seeing her first.¡¹

    Dias had linked arms with Fran. She didn¡¯t bother resisting, and instead, simply spoke a line in her usual tone of voice.

    ¡¸Oh no. Getting caught.¡¹

    ¡¸See? I have her detained.¡¹

    Celldio¡¯s party members once again began kicking up a fuss the moment they saw that happen, but they weren¡¯t really able to influence Dias in any which way.

    ¡¸T-This is unreasonable! How could you treat us like t-¡¹

    ¡¸Unreasonable? Didn¡¯t I just tell you you¡¯re being detained as both witnesses and suspects? Why would it be reasonable for me to let either of those two types of individuals out of my grasp?¡¹

    ¡¸Damnedmoner! You dare act in this manner just because you¡¯ve managed to get yourself a half-decent position!? You¡¯ll regret this! I¡¯ll make sure of it!¡¹

    ¡¸T-That¡¯s right! The marquis will get you for this!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ll pay for this!¡¹

    Forrund took the three away as they continued to shout.

    ¡¸He thinks he¡¯s going to make me pay? Hah, funny. I don¡¯t know why he even thinks he¡¯ll be getting out of that dungeon alive.¡¹

    Dias muttered something incredibly sinister under his breath before turning back to Fran and smiling in his usual manner while pulling on her arm.

    ¡¸Okay, how about you give me a quick rundown of everything that just happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, and you don¡¯t really have to worry much about anything seeing as how everyone here happened to witness what just happened, right?¡¹

    The adventurers around us immediately responded to Dias calling out to them.

    ¡¸Hell yeah. We know what¡¯s up.¡¹

    ¡¸I dunno about you, but watching Celldio die just made my day.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll testify that it was them and not you!¡¹

    Their many responses almost seemed to resemble the cheers we¡¯d been showered with back at the arena.

    ¡¸Hahaha, it looks like you¡¯re just as popr as your nickname suggests. Though, that shoulde as no surprise given how people always love a strong, young, good-looking female adventurer. You know, I would probably be overthrown if I had you locked up with Celldio¡¯s party members.¡¹

 Chapter 222: Celldioâ€™s Backstory

    <h4>Chapter 222: Celldio¡¯s Backstory</h4>

    The guild¡¯s staff members retrieved Celldio¡¯s corpse as his servants were escorted to the guild¡¯s dungeon.

    We, on the other hand, apanied Dias so we could tell him exactly what had happened.

    One of the female employees brought us a cup of tea as we arrived at the guildmaster¡¯s office.

    ¡¸Oh man! Someone¡¯s finally gone and done it! You have no idea how badly I wanted this to happen.¡¹

    Dias let go of Fran¡¯s arm the moment he closed the door behind him and immediately both bowed and began singing her praise.

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸Very happy?¡¹

    ¡¸Celldio¡¯s group was a tumour that Kranzel¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild needed removed. I really can¡¯t thank you enough helping us get rid of them.¡¹

    The fact that Dias went as far as calling Celldio a tumour really served to evidence just how much the viscount was disliked.

    ¡¸Did you appraise him?¡¹

    ¡ºI did.¡»

    ¡¸Then I¡¯m guessing you must¡¯ve thought he was rather weak for an A ranker?¡¹

    Dias¡¯ spection had hit the nail on the head. I was convinced that there was no way Celldio was anything more than a B ranker in terms of strength.

    I¡¯d thought that he¡¯d made it all the way up for a reason opposite the one for which Fran was denied a promotion. In other words, I¡¯d assumed that he¡¯d been ssified as an A ranker because of a series of outstanding aplishments or something simr.

    But apparently that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡¸A ranked adventurers are effectively heroes. Strength is a requirement that can¡¯t be forgone or ignored, though you¡¯re right in assuming that one also needs a series of achievements in order to qualify.¡¹

    What Dias meant was that it wasn¡¯t possible for someone weak to be an A ranker regardless the deeds they had to their name, a fact that seemed to contradict the reality presented by Celldio¡¯s status.

    ¡¸Despite our strict requirements, the lunatic you just dealt with still managed to get himself deemed an A ranker. Can you guess why?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat you¡¯ve said so far seems to insinuate that A rankers have to undergo some sort ofbat trial. I don¡¯t really see how he could¡¯ve possibly managed to worm his way past it.¡»

    ¡¸You see, there are actually four requirements one needs to fulfill in order to be recognized as an A ranked adventurer. The first is strength, the second is having significant aplishments, the third is for the person to have done enough for the guild, and the fourth is to be acknowledged by at least 15 different guildmasters.¡¹

    The requirements were strict, with thest seeming almost borderline impossible.

    ¡¸Or at least that is how it would work under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, skills happen to make him capable of circumventing our prerequisites.¡¹

    ¡¸Skills?¡¹

    ¡¸Let me rephrase. How many female guildmasters do you think this country happens to have?¡¹

    His question kicked my brain into gear and allowed me to figure out what he was getting at.

    ¡ºI¡¯m guessing you¡¯re talking about the skills he had that worked against the opposite sex? I¡¯m assuming thatdykiller title he¡¯s got probably helped in some way too.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. He sank his fangs into seven different female guildmasters.¡¹

    The ¡°Leaves Good Impressions on the Opposite Sex¡± skill seemed to be one that brought about goodwill, whereas the ¡°Opposite Sex Attraction¡± skill functioned as a sort of charm.

    Hisdykiller title made it so that any women that happened to have even the slightest bit of a good impression of him would instantly be smitten.

    ¡¸He was able to win them over with even the slightest mention of love.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd that¡¯s how he got himself promoted all the way up?¡»

    ¡¸It was more like they tried offering him. One of his supporters was ady 40 years his senior, one with quite a bit of influence.¡¹

    Gross¡­

    Wait, how¡¯d he pull off the whole A rank thing with only seven backers?

    ¡¸The rest he bribed, pressured using his parents¡¯ influence, and made promises to. He used all sorts of methods in order to achieve his goal.¡¹

    ¡¸Guild still holding up?¡¹

    ¡ºThat sounds pretty concerning to me.¡»

    ¡¸Sorry. Guildmasters are people too. We¡¯re imperfect, and some of us are just t out scum.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I know what you¡¯re trying to get at.¡»

    The politicians and police officers back on Earth weren¡¯t exactly guilt free either. A guildmaster failing to fulfill its duty seemed to be something along the same lines as that.

    ¡¸Fortunately, I can say that I¡¯ve put in a lot of work and made it so that all but three of the guildmasters that approved Celldio have been deprived of their positions.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, he¡¯s still an A rank despite the fact that most of his supporters have been reced?¡»

    ¡¸Unfortunately, not even us guildmasters are capable of doing too much to A rankers. Individuals recognized as A ranked adventurers are given increased liberties alongside a right to give voice to their own opinions. We have to keep in mind that rescinding a promotion we granted is an act that would put a stain on the guild¡¯s honour.¡¹

    That seemed quite troublesome given that a good number of guildmasters seemed to be obsessed with precedents.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on Celldio¡¯s group ever since he was first granted his rank in hopes of finding an incident that would allow me to derank him. Unfortunately, there never was one.¡¹

    ¡ºBut doesn¡¯t he extort people on a regr basis?¡»

    ¡¸His actions are technically ssified as legal. He goes overboard, but he does still pay as opposed to just running away with his golde. To make matters worse, none of his targets ever end up trying to prosecute him.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Really? Why wouldn¡¯t they? Doesn¡¯t he jack their weapons?¡»

    ¡¸You only think that way because you¡¯re the exact type he doesn¡¯t want to mess with. You¡¯re strong, you¡¯ve got quite a bit of influence, and you¡¯ve got just the right attitude one needs to deal with him. Most C rankers would immediately yield if they found themselves confronting an A ranker thates from a family headed by a marquis, especially if the A ranker in question happens to have a pretty bad reputation.¡¹

    That did kinda make sense. Losing one¡¯s weapon is far better than losing one¡¯s life, after all.

    ¡¸Though, the most annoying and difficult to deal with part about that viscount was the fact that he had too many screws loose.¡¹

    ¡¸Loose screws?¡¹

    ¡ºHow exactly does that make him difficult to deal with?¡»

    ¡¸Some magic items have the ability to detect crime. The problem is that they function off the thoughts of the people they¡¯re used on, so they won¡¯t respond if their targets think they¡¯re in the legal right.¡¹

    In other words, items that could¡¯ve normally detected crimes didn¡¯t work on Celldio because he didn¡¯t think he was doing anything wrong.

    ¡ºWait, but didn¡¯t one of his titles say he was an elixir addict?¡»

    The way it was worded kinda made him seem like some sort of druggie.

    ¡¸Elixirs are often used in medical treatments, so ingesting them on a regr basis is in fact not a sin in and of itself. Some dumber nobles also consider ingesting elixirs to be a regr pastime. They don¡¯t think of it as a crime or sin.¡¹

    That meant that catching Celldio for his addiction would also entail doing the same to every other noble that happened to be in the same boat. It seemed like something that wouldn¡¯t go smoothly, and could potentially worsen the guild¡¯s rtionships with the country¡¯s nobles. Going through with the idea was, all in all, a huge pain in the ass.

    ¡¸Elixir?¡¹

    ¡¸Elixirs are terrifying drugs that provide powerful feelings of exhration to those who drink them, with the only rpense being a bit of brain damage. It¡¯s often used by nobles and individuals that reside within royal pces in order to turn people in power into easily manipble puppets.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why messed up in head?¡¹

    ¡¸I think so. Celldio was still capable of speaking and thinking, but he seemed to have lost the ability to reason. His symptoms make it seem like he was made to drink a very specific amount of the drug on a regr basis.¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you mention it, it did kinda feel like his party members were manipting him.¡»

    ¡¸Masterminds, servants?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ that¡¯s hard to say. If it were up to me, I¡¯d say the me likely lies with the marquis himself.¡¹

    ¡ºYou sure? Wouldn¡¯t the marquis actually end up losing face if Celldio causing trouble? The public would probably end up using the marquis of drugging him if they found out why he lost his mind, right?¡»

    Plus, manipting one¡¯s own son didn¡¯t quite seem like anything that would ultimately prove beneficial.

    ¡¸I¡¯d say that the marquis¡¯ choice was actually a good one for the sole reason that Celldio had once been genuine scum. I think he¡¯s guilty of about 10 different cases of assault, rape and robbery alone. He covered them all up, either through the use of his household¡¯s power, or the authority that belonged to the female guildmaster he had wrapped around his finger at the time. And as for any that used to oppose him?¡¹

    Dias took his thumb and dragged it across his neck.

    ¡ºWait, are you saying he¡¯d have them assassinated?¡»

    ¡¸Exactly. His father is a marquis, so it¡¯s only natural for him to be familiar with darker dealings, hence why he¡¯s better off in his current state. The only drawback is that anyone that talks to him can tell that he¡¯s a lunatic.¡¹

    So I guess that means the marquis drugged his son to more or less make it seem like he had reformed?

    ¡¸There¡¯s that, but you can¡¯t forget that having an A ranked adventurer as a puppet is something thates with an incrediblyrge number of benefits. Nobles normally aren¡¯t supposed to be able to issue orders to the adventurer¡¯s guild, but Celldio¡¯s father could do exactly that through him. As a result, the marquis had effectively bolstered his own forces to unfathomable heights.¡¹

    It seemed that many adventurers were willing to abide by an A ranker¡¯s will even if they happened to dislike the A ranker in question.

    ¡ºAlright, I¡¯m following so far, but why was drugging Celldio a necessary part of all this? Couldn¡¯t the marquis have just ordered him around instead?¡»

    ¡¸He seemed to havee to the conclusion that Celldio, as he had been in the past, was far too stupid to actually be an A ranker. There¡¯s also the fact that Celldio probably wouldn¡¯t have obeyed his father after ranking up even if he had somehow managed to do it on his own. To the marquis, drugging his son was the quicker, simpler solution.¡¹

    Hearing Dias¡¯ exnation made me almost want to immediately exim that the marquis¡¯ heart was ck as coal. Getting involved with the nobility appeared to be something we wanted to avoid by all means.

    ¡¸Marquis Ashtonah had probably never viewed Celldio has anything more than a disposable pawn to begin with given that he was an illegitimate child. Keeping Celldio around was detrimental if anything, given how his very presence would be more than enough to start a power struggle.¡¹

    I was able to understand Dias¡¯ exnation, but I couldn¡¯t quite ept it as something I found reasonable. That, of course, wasn¡¯t to say that I didn¡¯t have any questions.

    ¡ºSo why did his subordinates encourage him to extort people? Wouldn¡¯t it be a better idea to just to have him kept in check given all the sheet they had to go through to make him an A ranker?¡»

    Celldio¡¯s reputation probably would¡¯ve been much better had he not started stepping out of line. He probably would¡¯ve had much more influence over the guild too.

    ¡¸That¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering as well. The rumour is that they¡¯ve been looking for Goddes. The Weapon Control skill he had made him rather well suited for doing exactly that.¡¹

    ¡ºSo you think they¡¯ve been going around extorting people in hopes of potentiallying ross a Godde?¡»

    ¡¸Again, I don¡¯t really know the answer to that myself. All I can say for certain is that they do have some sort of reason.¡¹

    One of the guild¡¯s employees knocked on the door right as Dias finished speaking. The employee¡¯s timing was pretty decent, so he immediately replied by telling them they could enter.

    ¡¸Guildmaster, could I direct your attention to something?¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve managed to retrieve several items from within Celldio¡¯s Dimensional Ring.¡¹

    The employee presented a small vial of liquid alongside what appeared to be some sort of document.

    ¡¸The bottle contains elixir as evidenced by its contents not shaking about as the container moves around. This document, on the other hand¡­ seems to be a list of Goddes?¡¹

    The information pertaining to Goddes caught my interest, so I had Fran reposition herself so that I could peak at it. It contained a list of names as well as several drawings and descriptions that could potentially allow one to better recognize the des in question.

    The exact items listed differed slightly from the ones we saw on the document Rumina had showed us.

    Was the one we were looking at now more up to date or something?

    ¡¸I¡¯m surprised you managed to open his item box. Something like this would normallye with a sort of security measure.¡¹

    ¡¸We were immediately told how to open the box after Erza began his interrogations.¡¹

    ¡¸So which one spilled the beans, exactly?¡¹

    ¡¸The rogue.¡¹

    ¡¸Makes sense. Bad boys are Erza¡¯s type, after all.¡¹

    Oh god. Oh my god. Erza, what the hell did you do to that poor man!? I kinda wanted to ask, but I also really didn¡¯t want to know. The way the staff member was acting clearly demonstrated that it was, at the very least, a method outside the norm.

    ¡¸Heya Fran!¡¹

    Erza showed up the moment I swore never to piss him off. Seeing him caused me to immediately force myself to forget the fact that he seemed to be basking in some sort of afterglow.

    ¡¸Good work, Erza. Have you learned anything?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. I¡¯ve got quite the bit of intel for you. I managed to squeeze a whole lot of info out of him after thoroughly exhausting him. It seemed they didn¡¯t think that the sword¡¯s curse would work because they thought Celldio¡¯s Weapon Control skill would let him circumvent it.¡¹

    It seemed that was why they egged him on instead of stopping him.

    ¡¸Oh, and they didn¡¯t really say this explicitly, but, it seems they¡¯re working under Marquis Ashtonah¡¯s orders.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you happen to find out why they wanted to deprive Fran of her weapon?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. Totally.¡¹

    ¡¸Want to know.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a weeeeaaaally stupid reason. They were really rotten on the inside, but A ranked adventurers nheless. They had a lot of information the guild normally kept secret from the public, so the marquis had ordered them to go looking for Goddes. But they ran into a pretty big problem, one they sowed for themselves. Funny enough, Celldio ended up a bit too broken and immediately got fixated on every magic sword he came across. They weren¡¯t actually able to control him.¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t help but agree with Erza. The fact that Celldio¡¯sck of sanity had caused him to obsess over regr magic swords after being ordered to find Goddes was kinda funny in a pathetic sort of way.

 Chapter 223: A Godbladeâ€™s Might

    <h4>Chapter 223: A Godde¡¯s Might</h4>

    Dias began to speak after seeing Erza off so he could continue interrogating Celldio¡¯s subordinates.

    ¡¸It looks like we¡¯ll be able to use what we just learned to force Marquis Ashtonah into a bit of a hard spot.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    One of his illegitimate children had gotten themselves involved in some sort of scandal. I mean, that mattered and all, but it wasn¡¯t really anything that delivered a major blow to his reputation. I couldn¡¯t see how the event could make a high-standing noble suffer any significant consequences.

    As far as I was concerned, this whole incident was Celldio¡¯s own fault to begin with. He was a druggie, one that extorted themon folk and ultimately killed himself by attempting to wield a cursed sword. Again, his actions were scandalous, butcked impact. They weren¡¯t significant enough to mean much of anything at all to anyone with a marquis¡¯ social standing. This was only emphasized all the more by the fact that the guild was apparently already aware of the illegitimate methods Celldio had used to make himself an A ranker in the first ce.

    ¡¸The reason stems from his interest in and pursuit of Goddes. Goddes are so overwhelmingly powerful that they¡¯re able to repel entire armies. He would be suspected of treason if word of his intents got out.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡ºBut weren¡¯t there already rumours about Celldio searching for Goddes to begin with?¡»

    ¡¸There were, but his position differs greatly from his father¡¯s, as one is an adventurer, and the other an aristocrat. It¡¯s perfectly eptable for adventurers to seek out Goddes. In fact, you may as well go ahead and call the act natural. Wielding a weapon that powerful can be considered a sort of universal desire those in our trade happen to share.¡¹

    I felt like we were starting to get into technicalities, but I did still understand what Dias was trying to get at. He was more or less saying that Celldio¡¯s actions weren¡¯t considered suspicious unless his father was also factored into the equation.

    ¡ºOh yeah, you mind showing me that list again?¡»

    ¡¸Sure.¡¹

    The list contained many names, but failed to mention Alpha, Berserk, Ignis, Gaia or Diablo.

    Apparently the reason they hadn¡¯t been noted was because their locations were known; there was no point in having Celldio look for them.

    The only one whose location we knew was Diablo, the Demon Lord¡¯s de. It was somewhere in the kingdom of Fyrias, the ce Prince Flut and Princess Satia, the twins we sailed with, hailed from. We didn¡¯t actually know what the sword was capable of, but we were at least aware that it was able to allow their small kingdom to fight off the major military military power known as Reidos.

    Dias told us where the other four were.

    The most surprising two were Ignis, the Brilliant mede, and Gaia, the Earth¡¯s Edge, as both were owned by S ranked adventurers. The guildmaster exined to us that their wielders were already extremely powerful on their own, and that the Goddes had only boosted their power levels further. Thebination of their abilties and their weapons caused them to go far beyond anything anyone could possibly expect from a mere A ranker.

    Ignis¡¯ wielder was known as a hero, and apparently was currently engaged in the act of fighting against the evil forces found on the Goldishian continent.

    By contrast, Gaia¡¯s wielder kinda just did his own thing. He wandered from ce to ce, and would only show up once every few months in order to sell materials, namely ones he harvested from the high ranked magic beasts he happened toe across on his journeys. Apparently he wasst spotted in Chrom, the continent in which the Beastkin¡¯s country was located, just earlier this year.

    Alpha and Berserk were located in Brohdinn, a continent to the north. The two most powerful kingdoms in Brohdinn each owned one of the two des. Unsurprisingly, the two aforementioned countries were at each other¡¯s necks, but the Goddes kept them in check and prevented them from engaging in anyrge scale conflict. It¡¯d been several hundred years since theyst descended into total war, reason being that they were clearly aware that any conflict that involved two opposing Goddes would cause enormous damage to both parties.

    Their knowledge wasn¡¯t derived frommon sense or logical thought, but instead, first hand experience. The Goddes¡¯ wielders had caused over 100,000 deaths when they engaged each other inbat about 300 years prior. The forest in which they fought had been reduced to a mere wastnd, and remained as such to this day.

    ¡ºThat honestly sounds pretty damn terrifying. What sort of abilities do those two weapons happen to have?¡»

    ¡¸Alpha¡¯s actually pretty famous, as it grants its wielder the Half-Deify skill.¡¹

    ¡¸Skill effect?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess the best way to put it would be to say that it causes its wielder to ascend.¡¹

    ¡¸Ascend?¡¹

    ¡ºIunno about you, but that doesn¡¯t really sound particrly useful or intimidating to me.¡»

    Dias¡¯ description was a bitcking, it didn¡¯t allow me to form a decent mental representation of the ability.

    ¡¸Well, the Half-Deify skill basically raises all the caster¡¯s stats and skill levels while also enhancing their body for better performance.¡¹

    ¡ºEhhh¡­ It still doesn¡¯t really sound all that impressive.¡»

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t seem strong.¡¹

    ¡¸I do agree that Alpha¡¯s skill sounds somewhat in but it¡¯s actually said to be the most powerful Godde. Half-Deify raises its Alpha¡¯s wielder¡¯s stats by a factor of 10. It also allows said wielder to see through every single form of stealth, gaze at things thousands of miles away, and hear everyst conversation that happens within an entire country¡¯s confines. Moreover, it immediately maxes all of its wielder¡¯s skills. Does it sound a bit more impressive if I put it like that?¡¹

    Okay, yeah. The sword sounded like something that more or less hyper-boosted its wielder while also drawing out theirtent potential. I don¡¯t know why I expected anything else from a Godde.

    ¡¸They say that a single sh from Alpha¡¯s wielder can tear through a hundred soldiers, a second can fell a rampart, and a third can tear down an entire mountain.¡¹

    ¡ºThat kinda sounds like bullsheet, but I¡¯m a bit tempted to believe it given that Alpha¡¯s a Godde.¡»

    ¡¸The most terrifying part about Alpha is that it can keep its wielder in an enhanced state for over half a day. Those that face it are left helpless, all they can do is hope they wake up to find that they were only having a nightmare.¡¹

    Wait, it can let its wielder maintain that ridiculously powerful form for over half a day? Holy sheet, that¡¯s enough time to raze several major cities, or perhaps maybe even an entire country.

    Berserk, the Godde pitted against Alpha, was just as terrifyingly powerful.

    ¡¸Berserk¡¯s effects are quite simr to Alpha¡¯s. It enhances its user¡¯s body, raises its user¡¯s stats, and levels up its user¡¯s skills. Moreover, the enhnacements it grants are actually even greater than the ones Alpha grants.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, are you sure? Why would Alpha be the better Godde if Berserk¡¯s got a better buff?¡»

    ¡¸Berserk is technically stronger from a numerical standpoint, but it can¡¯t be considered the best Godde because ites with a dreadful side effect. Its user is deprived of their ability to discern friend from foe and is forced into a homicidal rampage. To make matters worse, it kills its wielder as its effect ends.¡¹

    ¡ºThat sounds pretty nasty, but it seems like it could end up being pretty effective if you just threw its wielder into enemy lines.¡»

    Using the de sounded inhumane, but also quite efficient.

    ¡¸Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t really work. What do you think happens once Berserk¡¯s wielder annihtes all the enemies in its vicinity?¡¹

    ¡ºIunno, nothing? I¡¯m assuming you could just retrieve the Godde and call it a day.¡»

    ¡¸How exactly are you supposed to retrieve it? Its wielder will attack you if you approach it.¡¹

    ¡ºI mean, you could just wait for the sword¡¯s effect to fade. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to retrieve once the wielder dies.¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯re right, but who¡¯s to say that the de¡¯s original owner will be the first to arrive on site?¡¹

    Dias had a pretty good point. It was possible for one¡¯s enemies to get to the de first.

    ¡¸And that¡¯s not all. Like Alpha, Berserk¡¯s effects also remain for the better half of a day. That¡¯s a long time. There¡¯s been a case in which its wielder ended up making his way back to his own country and razing arge city after demolishing the enemy¡¯s capital. It really isn¡¯t something you can use on the fly. It always causes heavy losses on both sides. That said, it¡¯s the perfect card to use if you find yourself without any other option.¡¹

    In a way, you could say Berserk was like a nuke. You coudln¡¯t really use it without worrying the consequences potentiallying back and biting you in the ass.

    ¡¸And I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why the country that has Alpha hasn¡¯t managed to slowly push the country they¡¯re up against into some sort of corner?¡¹

    Based on what Dias told us, there wasn¡¯t really any point in attempting to go after any of the Goddes whose locations were known, as they were all possessed by either S rankers or countries. It didn¡¯t seem like it would be possible to buy or steal them from either of the two types of entities mentioned.

    ¡ºAnd I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why Celldio was supposed to be looking for Goddes without obvious location markers on them?¡»

    ¡¸Exactly. So back on track, there isn¡¯t a country out there that doesn¡¯t want to be in possession of a Godde, so there must be a whole slew of information avable. That said, I¡¯m surprised the marquis managed to gather as much as he did.¡¹

    Dias made yet another valid point. Cellio had been provided with a good bit of information regarding the Goddes¡¯ appearances and abilities.

    The Warmount de ¡ª Chariot

    Charriot¡¯s form resembles that of a conductor¡¯s baton. It is capable of creating golems of all shapes and sizes and manipting them thereafter. The golems tend to be made of metal and are capable of both flight and emitting beams of light. It was demonstrated to be capable of simultaneously creating 1000 small golems about 15cm in height each. These golems were able to annihte a fleet of ships over 100 strong in an instant as per the battle of Gallelia. It wasst spotted somewhere on the continent of Kapul.

    The de of Wisdom ¡ª Cherubim

    This Godde has already been destroyed, but its vestiges should be collected if deemed possible. There are no confirmed details regarding its abilities. Investigating the de through the use of skills has led to the conclusion that it was a sword with an angel engraved onto it. It was likely to have been destroyed in the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    The Seeker¡¯s Godde ¡ª Explorer

    Explorer is shaped like a monocle. One investigation has led to the conclusion that has the ability to perceive the happenings of an entire continent, but there are no confirmed details regarding its precise workings. It wasst seen on the continent of Jirbard.

    The de of Imprisonment ¡ª Hell

    No confirmed details. The only mention of it is in a 500 year old document that described it being used in Chrom. The location in which it was said to be used is now a barren wastnd in which it is impossible for any sort of organism to thrive. Its abilities are said to rte to the maniption of poison.

    The Raging Dragonde ¡ª Lindwurm

    The only confirmed detail is that it is shaped like a sword.

    The Moonbeam de ¡ª Moonlight

    Apparently grants its user the ability to repel any and all attacks.

    The only really detailed description was the one about Chariot, but even then, it failed to mention any sort of pinpointed location.

    ¡¸How interesting. Not even I knew much of what was written here. I¡¯m surprised they¡¯re actually even trying to retrieve Cherubim. I presume the marquis¡¯ goal must be to conduct some sort of research¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDo you think it¡¯s possible for them to actually learn anything?¡»

    ¡¸I can¡¯t draw any conclusions, but I can say that I doubt they¡¯d bother doing something that wouldn¡¯t provide them any benefit. Either way, the marquis keeping his activities a secret raises several major red gs.¡¹

    His actions weren¡¯t technically illegal, but there was no doubt that he would be suspected of treason if he started doing research on weapons and kept it a secret from the state.

    ¡¸Would you mind letting me hang onto this? It¡¯ll serve as a good piece of evidence.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    I¡¯d already memorized everything that had been written on the sheet anyways.

 Chapter 224: How to Travel to the Beastkinâ€™s Country

    <h4>Chapter 224: How to Travel to the Beastkin¡¯s Country</h4>

    ¡¸I really have to say though, you sure do seem to attract trouble. You¡¯ve already hooked in two different big shots in a single day. To be fair, it should be something you sawing. You¡¯ve garnered a lot of attention, and caught a lot of eyes. We as the guild are rather thankful that you¡¯re ultimately helping us out, but I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t feel the same.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, we kinda would¡¯ve prefered not to get involved with any of those people at all.¡»

    ¡¸Hahahaha, yeah, that¡¯s what I thought. Too bad for you, I can guarantee that it¡¯s going to keep happening.¡¹

    ¡¸How to make stop?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m d you¡¯re willing to ask for my advice instead of beating around the bush or thinking you¡¯ll just somehow find your way out of every situation. You remember how I told you to go to the Beastkin¡¯s Country? My personal advice would be to hurry on your way. Our country¡¯s idiots won¡¯t be able to do anything to you if you¡¯re gone.¡¹

    ¡ºThat sounds great and all, but I¡¯m not really sure it¡¯ll be that easy for us to just hop over to another continent.¡»

    We probably needed both a ship and a visa if we wanted to make our way over.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about the visa, the guild has you covered on that front. Anyone that has a designated request can use their card as both an entry and exit permit.¡¹

    Wow, guild cards are a lot more convenient than I thought.

    ¡¸There¡¯ll be a office at the border. The inspector there will have a magic item, and should let you pass so long as you show him your guild card.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that means that finding ourselves a ship is all we¡¯ll have to worry about.¡»

    ¡¸That part will be a bit more difficult. Barbra will probably be your best bet, but I don¡¯t think they have any ocean liners in service.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh, that¡¯s weird. How do people normally get over to the Beastkin¡¯s country then?¡»

    ¡¸Most adventurers tend to have merchants hire them as escorts.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds about right.¡»

    The problem with that was Fran¡¯s appearance. I highly doubted anyone would be all that willing to hire her as a guard given that she looked the way she did. If I had to hire an escort, and my options were a kid and a big burly man, I¡¯d definitely choose thetter.

    We¡¯d managed to get ourselves an escort mission when going from Dharz to Barbra, but that was only because we¡¯d known Prince Flut, Princess Satia, and Salrut. In other words, we had only managed to hitch ourselves a ride because we had the power of nepotism at hand. We no longer had the connections nec¡ªoh wait.

    ¡ºWe could try asking the guys at the Luciel Conglomerate.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Who?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯m not really surprised you¡¯ve already forgotten them.¡»

    I myself had almost forgotten about them as well. Fran was no good at remembering names, so her having forgotten them was honestly a given.

    ¡ºYou remember how we had to ride a ship in order to get from Dharz to Barbra? The conglomerate is thepany that owned the ship, remember? We even got a coin from the captain, one with some sort sort of crest on it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­? Got coin?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, we totally did.¡»

    The conglomerate was one of Barbra¡¯s biggest corporations, so there was a pretty good chance they¡¯d have a ship or two heading for Chrom.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have any trouble finding yourself an escort job. Merchants are known for their vast informationworks, their many connections let them spread and catch wind of information faster than anyone and everyone else. I¡¯m sure Barbra¡¯s merchants have already caught wind of your aplishments.¡¹

    ¡¸Then will have easy time finding ship to escort?¡¹

    ¡¸I think it¡¯ll even be safe to say that they¡¯ll be fighting for your attention. That said, it¡¯d probably be best for you to take advantage of *that* connection, than go out of your way to find a ship to the Beastkin¡¯s Country that may or may not actually exist.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, good point.¡»

    Fran hadn¡¯t seemed to have realized it, but me, I¡¯d already long thought about what Dias was currently suggesting. The connection he was referring to was the one we shared with the Beast Lord.

    I hadn¡¯t immediately suggested asking him for help because I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the best idea.

    There were several reasons I thought that to be the case, with the first being that it kind of felt like we were relying on him more than we should¡¯ve been. I didn¡¯t want to be any more in his debt than we already were.

    The second was that the Beast Lord probably wasn¡¯t nning on heading back to his country immediately. He was a king, one that would probably be met with a warm reception regardless of where he went. Dealing with the people that weed him was effectively a part of his job. His personality kinda made it so he wasn¡¯t really all that receptive, but Royce and his otherpanions always seemed to be working to prevent him from acting entirely on his selfish whims. In other words, he probably wouldn¡¯t be heading back to his own country for quite some time.

    I felt we¡¯d be able to reach our destination much more quickly if we found a ship that¡¯d take us straight there.

    Dias, however, was inclined to disagree.

    ¡¸Your first reason may as well be moot. You¡¯re going to need to ask him a favour anyway, seeing as how you¡¯ll need to pay Kiara a visit.¡¹

    ¡ºTrue.¡»

    ¡¸The same goes for your other point, I doubt he¡¯d make many stops on his way back.¡¹

    ¡ºWhy¡¯s that?¡»

    ¡¸The Beast Lord¡¯s party barely made any stops on the way here. They always made a big show of having the Beast Lord move around in his carriage whenever they entered a town, but they spent the rest of their time as would a normal party of adventurers.¡¹

    Their actions made a fair bit of sense to me, as functioning the way they did definitely allowed them to move at a rapid pace. The only issue was that I wasn¡¯t really sure we would be able to keep up with an S ranked party.

    That wasn¡¯t the only concern it raised either. There was a chance they¡¯d find out about me if we travelled with them. Beastkin had good intuition, and high ranking adventurers were sharp. Thebination of the two traits made me feel like they would definitely catch on if we stayed with them for an extended period of time.

    ¡¸Well uh¡­ good luck. I don¡¯t really know what else to say to you about that.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I figured as much.¡»

    That said, I wasn¡¯t really sure whether the Beast Lord would even be willing to let us travel with him in the first ce. There was a chance he would just show us to a ship and have us head out without him if we were lucky.

    ¡¸Will go ask Beast Lord.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, no harm in just asking, I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Tell him and his buddies I said hi.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 225: Route Secured

    <h4>Chapter 225: Route Secured</h4>

    We headed over to the inn the Beast Lord was staying at despite the fact that the sun had already started to set. We really wanted to get this over with and out of the way as soon as possible.

    The reason I felt that way was because the Beast Lord struck me as an impatient person. There was a good chance he would just randomly up and leave because he no longer had any business in Ulmutt.

    Our biggest blocker was that there was a chance we wouldn¡¯t actually be allowed to see him given howte it was. We could always just sneak in, but that wasn¡¯t really too great of an idea given he was currently staying at a super high ss inn that typically housed royalty and whatnot.

    Fortunately, my worries ended up being needless. The inn¡¯s staff let us in the moment they heard Fran¡¯s name because the Beast Lord had apparently told them to act upon her requests with the highest possible priority.

    ¡¸Oh, hey Fran. What¡¯s up?¡¹

    The Beast Lord raised a hand to give us a friendly greeting as we entered his room. The impression he was currently giving off was drastically different from his usual one. He was acting in the same manner as would any other easy-going man in his 30¡¯s.

    ¡¸Did you need me for something?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Looking for ship to visit Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re nning to head over right away? That¡¯s perfect, you can just hitch a ride with us ¡¯cause we¡¯re nning to head back soon anyway.¡¹

    Well uh, that happened.

    I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting him to immediately give us the green light. Allowing a stranger to join a group that included an incognito king really didn¡¯t sound like that great of an idea. Royce seemed to share my opinion, as he immediately joined in on the conversation and voiced aint ¡ª

    ¡¸Lord Rig, I believe you have may forgotten toplete one of the tasks on our agenda. You are a royal, and as such, it would be rude for you not to pay the King of Kranzel your respects after visiting his country.¡¹

    ¡ª Or so I thought. Turned out the reason he was interjecting wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want Fran to apany them, but rather, because they had more sheet to do before actually leaving.

    ¡¸Ugh, do I really have to?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Royce¡¯s point was valid, the Beast Lord clearly had yet to fulfill all his duties as a king. We¡¯d been nning on heading over to Kranzel¡¯s royal capital as well, but only because we wanted to take part in the auction. I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be realistic for us to follow him all the way to the royal capital before actually leaving the country, though it did seem like they¡¯d probably hire us as guards if we asked them to.

    ¡¸Fine, but then how are we supposed to apany her back?¡¹

    ¡¸There is no need for us to personally escort her. She¡¯s an adventurer, one strong enough to defeat Gold. She¡¯ll be able to handle herself.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh, yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, all she asked for was for us to help her find a ship.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh, really?¡¹

    ¡¸Geez. I know that she¡¯s about the same age as the princess, and that you¡¯ve got quite the interest in her, but do pay more attention.¡¹

    ¡¸Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s talking about my daughter. She¡¯s 15 this year, and I really can¡¯t help but see a bit of her in you.¡¹

    It seemed that the only reason the Beast Lord treated Fran as kindly as he did was because she reminded him of his own daughter.

    ¡¸That said, I really would love for her to visit our country. I am sure our Master would be delighted to meet her.¡¹

    ¡¸Right?¡¹

    ¡¸We would also be able to put her to good use.¡¹

    Sheet! He just said that right to Fran¡¯s face! I was shocked at first, but a bit of further consideration led me to believe that Royce had said what he had on purpose. He wanted Fran to know that he would be using her for politics¡¯ sake if she decided to visit.

    Royce was one of the Beast Lord¡¯s aides, and clearly highlypetent. He wasn¡¯t about to let Fran, a ck Catkin that¡¯d actually managed to evolve, slip right through his fingers. He knew and wanted to take advantage of the fact that revealing her to his country¡¯s people would cause their attitudes to make unprecedented swings and changes.

    ¡¸Will run away if gets too bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahahaha! They¡¯d probably need to send someone at least as strong as me after you if you actually got serious about wanting to escape our grasp.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. We are not requesting that you be one of Lord Rig¡¯s vassals, after all. Personally, I was considering that we could just¡­ help each other out. All we need is for you to demonstrate that you and Lord Rig get along.¡¹

    Yeah, that doesn¡¯t really sound too bad at all.

    ¡¸To that end, I will be giving you this.¡¹

    ¡¸This?¡¹

    The thing Royce handed Fran seemed to resemble a thin sheet of metal with some sort of crest engraved on it.

    ¡¸The item I just gave you is an identification card bearing both Lord Rig¡¯s name and my own. Many of our country¡¯s merchants frequently travel between Barbra and our mothend. The card I just gave you should allow you to board any one of them with ease.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Really. Just look for a ship with our crest engraved on it, and you should be good to go.¡¹

    It seemed we somehow managed to get ourselves into what we considered the ideal situation. We were pretty much set.

    Apparently, Barbra had a boat set sail for the Beastkin¡¯s country about once every three days. The ones we were looking for, the ones with the country¡¯s crest with a crown mounted on top, worked directly under government supervision. Showing them the crest we were given would cause them to not only let us on board, but also treat us as they would a guest of honour.

    In other words, they¡¯d given us something much more convenient than what we¡¯d been expecting.

    ¡¸To be frank, I doubt the crest we¡¯ve given you is even necessary. Most of our country¡¯s merchants have already likely learned both of your name and your appearance. I can all but guarantee that they would allow you to board so long as you just asked.¡¹

    That was true and all, but having something that was actually 100% guaranteed was much better than something that was just highly likely.

    I waspletely satisfied with the whole boat ordeal now, so the only other thing we really wanted to know was the info they promised us about the god-tier cksmith.

    ¡¸Question. God-tier cksmith, located where?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be too hard to figure out after you get there.¡¹

    ¡¸We have already issued an order for you to be given a letter of introduction upon your arrival. Unfortunately, that is all we can do. There is no guarantee that the smith will be willing to see you even with the letter.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah. Try telling that smith to actually handle our sheet if she ends up taking a liking to you.¡¹

    It seemed the god-tier cksmith had a rather free spirit seeing as how she was willing to turn down even the king¡¯s requests.

    I couldn¡¯t really make any guarantees, but personally, I was willing to put in a good word or two for the Beast Lord and his buddies if the cksmith really did end up liking us, so I didn¡¯t see any issue in epting their request.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, good luck with everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Our master is currently residing within the pce. You should be able to find her with ease so long as you make your way towards our capital.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

 Chapter 226: Old Man Gallusâ€™ Whereabouts

    <h4>Chapter 226: Old Man Gallus¡¯ Whereabouts</h4>

    Royce had given us his ID, so we were pretty much set to leave for the Beastkin¡¯s Country whenever. Given that, I decided to mull oveor whether or not we had anything to do before actually setting out.

    ¡ºOh yeah, we should probably go check in with Old Man Gallus.¡»

    I remember the other cksmith telling us that he¡¯d be back by the time the tourney started, so I figured he was probably already in town. The cksmith in question had even promised to tell us when Gallus finally arrived, but he¡¯d never actually contacted us at all.

    There was a pretty good chance that he¡¯d purposefully avoided doing so because he didn¡¯t want to bother us because we were busy with the tourney. Given that, I figured we may as well pay his smithy a visit.

    ¡¸cksmith?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I was thinking we could go check to see whether or not Gallus made it back.¡»

    The sun had only just set, so it seemed to me that it was fine to assume that they¡¯d yet to go to bed. That said, it seemed a bit wrong to visit at thiste an hour, so I had us pick up a little something to make seeing us worth their time.

    Specifically, we went into a bar that happened to be on the way and bought a bottle of the strongest drink they had. It seemed like the best possible thing we could get seeing as how dwarves and liquor went hand in hand. I was a bit worried that they¡¯d refuse to sell it to us given Fran¡¯s age, but apparently that wasn¡¯t actually the case. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The bartender had even given Fran a discount in exchange for a handshake because he¡¯d recognized her on sight.

    And so, we paid Zadoh, one of Gallus¡¯ cksmith buddies, a visit with booze in hand.

    ¡¸Hey there. Grats on third ce.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks.¡¹

    It turned out that Zadoh had actually watched the tourney.

    Our gift seemed to delight him. Apparently, it was some pretty damn high quality stuff.

    We asked him about Gallus, but unfortunately Zadoh could only say that the old craftsman had yet to show up in Ulmutt.

    ¡¸I think Gallus is the only one that hasn¡¯t returned. As far as I know, all the other people that went to help are already back.¡¹

    ¡¸Only Gallus not back?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. He¡¯s probably stuck up in Barbra doing something only he¡¯s capable of.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Though, it¡¯s a bit weird for him not to at least send word of the dy seeing how he said he¡¯d return by the time the tourney started.¡¹

    We were on our way back over to Barbra anyways, so we could probably just look for him again after heading over. I definitely did want to at least greet him before we headed off to the Beastkin¡¯s Country, as there was no way for us to know when we¡¯d next see him if we just upped and left without checking in first.

    There wasn¡¯t really much else for us to ask. We turned around and decided to head home, but Zadoh stopped us before we made our way out the door.

    ¡¸Right, so I wanted to ask you about that sword of yours¡­¡¹

    The cksmith¡¯s gaze was set on me, and seemed to carry the same emotions it had when he first feasted his eyes on Fran¡¯s ck Cat Set.

    Zadoh was a skilled craftsman, so it really didn¡¯t take him much to figure out that I was some sort of magic sword. He¡¯d probably been curious about me to begin with. Him watching the tourney probably hadn¡¯t helped either given how the caster kept going on and on about the fact that I was Fran¡¯s namesake.

    ¡¸Could I see it for a sec? I promise I won¡¯t take too long.¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºSure, I don¡¯t mind if he promises to keep it short. Make sure you warn him not to equip me though, cause, y¡¯know.¡»

    ¡¸Got it. Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks a bunch.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t equip. Will die from curse.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Cursed. Only I can equip without dying.¡¹

    Zadoh had started moving his hands in my direction, but stopped the moment he heard Fran¡¯s warning. His face reflected a clear sense of terror.

    I couldn¡¯t really me him. You wouldn¡¯t normally want to touch a sword that could potentially kill you if you tried equipping it. It was kinda like how people didn¡¯t really like touching poison, even if it was the type that only took effect if you drank it.

    Not to brag, but, there was no way Zadoh wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that I wasn¡¯t just your everyday magic sword. As a result, Fran¡¯s warning came off as all the more real.

    ¡¸Would just touching it cause any problems?¡¹

    ¡¸None.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, good to hear.¡¹

    The cksmith had to have been rather curious seeing as how he was the one that asked to see me. Given that, he actually did end up grabbing me after steeling his resolve.

    A switch almost seemed to flip within him the moment he did. He cast aside all his nervousness and immediately began to act as one would expect of a professional cksmith. That is, he began carefully looking over both my guard and de.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ I can feel an incredible amount of magical powering from within your sword. Whoever made its de did it with meticulous care. It seems to be made out of a pretty interesting metal too.¡¹

    Zadoh began muttering as he looked me over.

    ¡¸Would it be okay for me to ask about this magic sword¡¯s source?¡¹

    ¡¸Source?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Do you know who made it, or where you found it maybe?¡¹

    Zadoh¡¯s questions were more or less the exact ones you¡¯d expect from a pro. That said, I couldn¡¯t actually answer them. I didn¡¯t know who made me, and I didn¡¯t really think it was a good idea to tell him I came from the Marou ins.

    ¡¸Not really.¡¹

    I mulled over it a bit, but ended up asking Fran to y it safe.

    ¡¸That¡¯s too bad¡­ Either way, it looks to me like this thing might actually be made out of an orichalcum alloy.¡¹

    ¡¸Orichalcum? de made of it?¡¹

    ¡¸Honestly, I can¡¯t say. It¡¯s not made out of something I¡¯m familiar with, which is why I was thinking that was why orichalcum sounded like it¡¯d be a likely contender. Hold on a second.¡¹

    Zadoh walked over to one of his smithy¡¯s corners and retrieved a slightly worn book as he spoke.

    ¡¸This here is something I just happened to get my hands on during the tourney. It contains notes on cksmiths from the past.¡¹

    The tourney would cause merchants to swarm to Ulmutt, which in turn apparently made it fairly easy to find yourself a lucky bargain or two.

    ¡¸The thing¡¯s apparently written by the apprentice of a god-tier cksmith¡¯s apprentice. It talks about the different types of metals god-tier cksmiths have used in the past, and makes particr mention of one called orichalcum. I don¡¯t actually know what exactly orichalcum is, but the book says it¡¯s the only kind of metal that can survive a god-tier cksmith¡¯s forging process.¡¹

    Huh, so something like that actually existed? I was a bit intrigued by the concept of being made of orichalcum, but it didn¡¯t seem quite right.

    Orichalcum was, based on what Zadoh said, apparently a sort of ridiculously durable legendary metal. The reason I didn¡¯t think I was made of it was exactly that, it was durable and I wasn¡¯t. My de broke literally all the time. The only reason I looked to be in perfect condition right now was because I could regenerate.

    ¡¸To be honest, that guess was just a shot in the dark. There¡¯s lots of metals I don¡¯t know much about, and there¡¯s no doubt that this sword of yours could be made out of any one orbination of them. I only thought that orichalcum was a possibility because the sword seems to give off a sort of dignity. In fact, it almost seems to bear a presence of its own. It¡¯s possible my feelingse from the fact that it¡¯s some sort of top-ss magic item.¡¹

    Dignity? Damn man, you be saying some good sheet right there. Am I just so majestic he can¡¯t help but notice me? Hell yeah! I mean, I guess that does make decent sense. I may not be a godde, but there really was a fair chance that I was made by some god-tier cksmith.

    Zadoh finished checking me over, handed me back to Fran, and bid us farewell.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive back at the inn thereafter.

    The sun had already set, but there were a few things we had to do before going to bed. Namely, Fran had yet to bathe or eat.

    And that wasn¡¯t it either. There was something I wanted to check, something I¡¯d been putting off.

    ¡ºWell, here goes.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The thing in question was checking the effects of my Doppelganger Synthesis skill.

    I casted the skill expecting to create a couple cloth-covered humans, but was instead greeted by a series of des.

    ¡ºYeah, looks like I spawned swords again.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Many Masters.¡¹

    Doppelganger Synthesis seemed to have started spawning swords instead of humans for some odd reason.

    I tried casting the skill several times, only to learn that it was indeed possible for me to create human doppelgangers, but only if I focused on it. Likewise, it was possible for me to create both swords and humans simultaneously, a discovery that allowed us to usher in a whole new wave of strategies.

    That said, the skill didn¡¯t seem to be working the exact way I expected. For some odd reason, the human-shaped doppelgangers I created didn¡¯t seem quite right. They looked like me, but they also kinda didn¡¯t. Something just seemed¡­ off.

    It wasn¡¯t anything too disorienting though, so I ended up just writing it off as a consequence of me bing capable of creating sword-shaped dopplegangers.

    The reason I was willing to write it off almost right away was because frankly, I don¡¯t really care about having a human form. I¡¯d already long made up my mind and decided I would live out the rest of my life as a sword. All that mattered to me was that my human-shaped doppelgangers didn¡¯t suffer any sort of performance loss.

    ¡ºAlright. We talked to everyone we needed to talk to, and we¡¯ve got pretty much everything ready. You think it¡¯s about time?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Time to go to Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

 Chapter 227: Goodbye Ulmutt

    <h4>Chapter 227: Goodbye Ulmutt</h4>

    Today was the day we nned to leave Ulmutt.

    The first thing we did after getting out of bed and finishing up our morning routine was paying Rumina a visit so we could say our goodbyes.

    ¡¸The time I spent with you was both eventful and enjoyable.¡¹

    ¡¸Later.¡¹

    ¡¸Farewell. Do enjoy yourselves in the Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I believe it is quite sunny today. It appears to be the perfect time to depart, and to that end, I do hope that your expression will brighten to match the weather.¡¹

    The two weren¡¯t going to part for good or anything, but it seemed like Fran couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sad regardless.

    ¡¸Thank you for informing me of Kiara¡¯s whereabouts. I would have never located her if not for your efforts. I understand that this is not my first time making the statement, but I would like to reiterate it in order to express my gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸Also grateful. For evolution.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat she said. Helping us out seemed to have ended up weakening you quite a bit. You sacrificed a lot for us, we really do owe you a ton.¡»

    ¡¸It appears that our feelings are mutual. As that is the case, I see no harm in calling off our debts to one another.¡¹

    Rumina smiled cheerfully as she spoke, but Fran ended up frowning in response.

    ¡¸Please don¡¯t make that face, Fran. I can assure you that our paths will cross again. It would ease my heart to see you depart this ce with a smile.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It appears that you really cannot go without being spoilt.¡¹

    Rumina got up out of her seat, approached the younger ck catkin and gave her a full on hug. Fran responded to it burying her face in Rumina¡¯s chest and returning the embrace.

    They stuck together for a while, but Rumina eventually dislodged Fran by tapping her on the back.

    The younger girl¡¯s face had a pretty rare look on it in the sense that it was tinted with a slight shade of red. She¡¯d clearly felt a bit embarrassed.

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha. ¡®Twas rather adorable of you. Feel free to return to my side if you ever feel yourself tinged with loneliness. I will be willing to provide you as many hugs as you wish for.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    All the uneasiness had left Fran¡¯s face. Rumina had fulfilled a duty I normally would¡¯ve been responsible for in a way I could never have possibly managed. I felt kinda conflicted in the sense that I both admired her ability to do so, and was frustrated that I couldn¡¯t do anything at all for Fran.

    ¡¸Time to go.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed it is. Stay safe, and enjoy your journey.¡¹

    And so, Rumina saw us out the dungeon with a smile.

    Fran ended up opening her mouth and speaking onest time right as we began to teleport.

    ¡¸Bye bye.¡¹

    It almost seemed to be something she hadn¡¯t intentionally said, something that had just so happened to leak out.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll definitely pay her a visit sometime in the future.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd we¡¯ll definitely make sure we grow enough to give her a bit of a shock.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We arrived at Ulmutt¡¯s gate about an hourter, only to find ourselves surrounded by a decently sized group of people.

    ¡¸Doe back Fran! I¡¯ll wee you with open arms anytime!¡¹

    Erza was the first person to call out to us; he immediately leapt at and glomped Fran as he began to cry. She ended up letting out a ¡°mmrph¡± sound as he pulled her into his thick, burly chest, but she didn¡¯t end up really minding his actions even though snot had began dribbling from his nose. In fact, she¡¯d even ended up patting him on the back in order to soothe him.

    ¡¸Sniffles¡­ Thanks Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I have a parting gift I¡¯d like to give you.¡¹

    Erza handed Fran a basket with ten liquid filled bottles within.

    ¡¸Potions?¡¹

    ¡¸I made you some beauty cream. It¡¯ll keep your skin soft and smooth so long as you apply a bit of it before going to bed. You¡¯re really strong Fran, and cool too, but make sure you never lose sight of being as cute a girl as you can be, mkay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Erza¡¯s advice was pretty solid, and I really appreciate the sentiments that drove him. Fran was pretty damned adorable, even to start with. Unfortunately, she was stuck with me as her guardian, so she didn¡¯t normally end up making use of her beauty due to ack of exposure to both makeup and fashion.

    The 10 bottles we were given wouldst us a pretty good while, so I was going to have Fran start using them from today onwards.

    ¡¸Smear on skin?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. All you have to is put a dot of it on your palm and then massage it into your skin.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Listen here girl. I know you might not see why you¡¯d bother as of right now, but just do it. I promise you you¡¯ll understand once you grow up and fall in love.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Okay¡­?¡¹

    Fran nodded, but her expression belied the fact that she had absolutely no idea what was going on.

    Huh, right, Fran will fall in love one day, won¡¯t sh- wait a second.

    Dude, Erza, Fran¡¯s still only 12¡­

    Isn¡¯t it like, a little bit kinda maybe too early for her to fall in love?

    I could say for sure that Fran would end up being pretty damned popr with the guys if Erza¡¯s beauty cream worked to enhance her looks the way I was thinking it would. There was no doubt in my mind that all sorts of dudes would flock to her like bees to honey.

    A part of me couldn¡¯t help but worry that some of the aforementioned men would end up being so good looking that they¡¯d make Fran fall in love with them at first sight. I knew that I¡¯d be able to cut those individuals down without hesitation if they ended up being scumbags on the inside, but I couldn¡¯t say the same for people that ended up being just as good inside as they were outside. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what I would end up doing if I actually judged their personalities to be amicable enough to be worth Fran¡¯s affections. Would I be able to entrust her to them?

    My immediate reaction was a big no. Fran needed someone strong enough to protect her, someone capable of besting her inbat even with me equipped. I absolutely refused to approve of them unless they were both at least that strong, fairly financially stable, fully willing tomit to a monogamous rtionship, and capable of fulfilling every singlest one of her wishes.

    ¡¸Hey Fran, are okay? That amazing cursed sword of yours just started shaking all on its own.¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    Sheet, that was close. I seemed to have momentarily lost control of myself, as I¡¯d started unconsciously casting telekinesis.

    ¡ºI-It¡¯s nothing. You should probably thank Erza.¡»

    I didn¡¯t really have to concern myself with the thought for the time being, as romantic love seemed to be something Fran wouldn¡¯t experience for quite some time. There was no point to not epting Erza¡¯s gift, there was no real harm in Fran getting even cuter than she was already.

    ¡¸Nn. No problem. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll make you more when you run out, so stop by when you do!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    The next two people to call out to us, Dias and Aurel, came as a pair.

    ¡¸Heya. Looks like you picked a pretty good day to set off. The weather¡¯s looking great.¡¹

    ¡¸Take care of yourself out there.¡¹

    They bowed to Fran and thanked her for the whole Kiara fiasco. I was expecting them to hand us letters, but they didn¡¯t end up doing so.

    ¡¸We still remember her as vividly as we would have had we seen each other just yesterday, but the opposite may not necessarily hold true.¡¹

    ¡¸To her, we were just another pair of unreliable adventurers. There¡¯s a good chance she¡¯s long forgotten about us.¡¹

    To me, their situation almost sounded a bit depressing, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind. The looks on their faces suggested that they thought of it as only natural, and hence, they weren¡¯t nning to send her any letters.

    ¡¸We would like you to mention us, but that¡¯s it. All you really have to say is that some of the adventurers that she used to know miss her.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    The next group Fran was approached by consisted of Amanda, Forrund, Fermus, and Colbert. The half-elf, who was at the group¡¯s front, greeted Fran with a hug.

    ¡¸It looks like we¡¯re going to have to say our goodbyes again, Fran. I¡¯m really going to miss you¡­¡¹

    Amanda cried much in the same manner as Erza, minus the snot. Her beauty and grace made her much girlier tha- Okay no, I¡¯d better just stop there and write Erza off as an exception of sorts.

    ¡¸Farewell.¡¹

    Forrund was short and to the point, just as he¡¯d been back in Barbra. In a sense, one could say that he bore a slight resemnce to Fran.

    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t even expected him toe see us off.

    ¡¸Is that not a bit too blunt of you, Forrund?¡¹

    Colbert¡¯s tone clearly conveyed that he was taken aback by Forrund¡¯s greeting.

    ¡¸Sorry Fran, Forrund always acts like that, so please do not think ill of him.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, I do have to say, the two of you are quite simr with regards to your mannerisms. Forrund tends to like strong adventurers, he is here today because of the favourable impression you left on him.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸One day.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸I have the feeling that putting the two of you together might not be the best idea.¡¹

    Colbert shuddered, and for a good reason at that.

    The two were conversing in a manner that no one but them could understand. Despite that, they seemed to bemunicating losslessly.

    ¡¸Was Barbra your next destination, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, I¡¯d like for you to have this. It¡¯s a pass that¡¯ll get you a free meal at my restaurant. Please do stop by.¡¹

    Oh nice. That¡¯s a pretty damned good present. Fran really seemed to have enjoyed the stuff she ate at The Dragon¡¯s Table.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸I am going to be training myself from the ground up again, so I will not lose the next time we fight.¡¹

    Colbert dered that he wished to duel Fran again in the future, which prompted her to immediately respond as any other battle maniac would.

    ¡¸Bring it on.¡¹

    Amanda finally released Fran after we did a good chunk of conversing.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to be going to the Beastkin¡¯s Country too.¡¹

    Thinking back, Amanda had actually said something simr when we left Alessa. Unfortunately for her, that simply wasn¡¯t something she was permitted to do.

    ¡¸Not happening.¡¹

    ¡¸I highly doubt that you will be allowed to do so.¡¹

    ¡¸It definitely won¡¯t happen.¡¹

    All three of the men apanying her shot down Amanda¡¯s idea the moment she voiced it. She went on to state that she at least wanted to apany us back to Barbra, but she had duties to attend to in Alessa, and as such, her threepanions ended up dragging her away.

    ¡¸See youter Fran!¡¹

    Thest group to approach was the Beast Lord¡¯s.

    ¡¸Make sure you get along with my daughter if you happen to run into her. She¡¯s a bit of a tomboy, but a good girl anyways.¡¹

    I was fine with the idea of having Fran make friends with the Beast Lord¡¯s daughter, but his phrasing had me worried. He of all people had called her a tomboy, so I couldn¡¯t help but suspect her to be on the wilder side.

    We spoke to Royce, Goldalfa, and Roche in that order, before finally moving on to Zefmate, who immediately offered Fran a handshake.

    ¡¸It seems I caused you a lot of trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to be one of the Beast Lord¡¯s attendants from now on. I¡¯m nning to train by his side, and grow much stronger. I swear I¡¯ll at least force you to make use of the abilities you obtained from evolving the next time we duel.¡¹

    Zefmate seemed to have a lot of potential. Training by the Beast Lord¡¯s side would definitely serve to turn him into a powerful foe to face.

    ¡¸Both my tribe and I n to start over. We¡¯ll show you that we can change for the better.¡¹

    ¡¸High expectations.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll make sure I uphold them.¡¹

    Zefmate was one of the Blue Cat Tribe¡¯s most influential members. I was sure that, going forward, his work would reduce the number of Blue Catkin involved in the ve trade.

    Fran firmly grasped the Blue Leopardkin¡¯s hand and shook it for quite the extended duration, a demonstration of her trust in his sess.

    ¡¸Leaving now.¡¹

    ¡¸See ya.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran leapt atop Urushi¡¯s back after letting go of Zefmate¡¯s hand.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    She got ready to go, but made sure to give the group that¡¯de to say their goodbyes onest wave before actually leaving.

    ¡¸Later?¡¹

    ¡¸Baaiii!¡¹

    ¡¸See you soon!¡¹

    Urushi began to run, with Erza¡¯s and Amanda¡¯s particrly loud voices trailing in the wind behind him, as we once again set off on a journey.

 Chapter 228: Kanna Kamui

    <h4>Chapter 228: Kanna Kamui</h4>

    ¡ºI know I say this literally every single time we go anywhere at all, but Ulmutt was a pretty decent ce.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    To us, the city had be a fairly importantndmark. It was there that we met Rumina, who in turn helped Fran evolve through a method that you couldn¡¯t really call anything but miraculous. Us meeting Rumina was already one hell of a coincidence in and of itself. There were many fine details that led up to the encounter. There was a pretty good chance that we never would¡¯ve met had the circumstances been even the slightest bit different.

    Rumina was one of the first ck Catkin Fran had met since she lost her parents, but that wasn¡¯t all. To Fran, she¡¯d effectively be a mother figure, one that¡¯d shown an incredible amount of warmth and affection. The bond the two shared drove Fran, it made her want to work even harder to improve her n¡¯s social standing. Rumina was the only reason Fran had finally shown her less mature side. She would¡¯ve probably never acted in a manner befitting her age if not for the older ck Catkin.

    One of Ulmutt¡¯s key attractions, the yearly Martial Arts Tournament, had taught us a lot about matchups, tactics, and even how we could best make use of our strengths. We reaffirmed that victory wasn¡¯t entirely based on what was written on one¡¯s stat page, and that we should never get too full of ourselves because there was always someone stronger than us. We both knew that there was simply no way we could beat either Forrund or Amanda in a battle to the death. We were toocking in more or less every single aspect.

    But that was fine.

    It was precisely our recognition of that weakness of ours that drove us to reach even greater heights.

    ¡¸Nn. Will participate next year too.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds good. And next time, we¡¯ll make sure we win first ce.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The time we spent in Ulmutt had also allowed us to build a connection with the Beast Lord and several other Beastkin. In doing so, we learned of a possible resolution to the problem of Blue and ck Catkin rtions, and that the Blue Cat Tribe had effectively lost its standing.

    There was hope that the Blue Cat Tribe could change going forward. We weren¡¯t about to let the Beast Lord and Zefmate be the only two to handle the situation, we¡¯d also put some thought into how we could potentially help them out. The best way we¡¯de up with so far seemed like it would be taking out any Blue Catkin ve traders we happened upon.

    Last time, it took us about four days to move between Barbra and Ulmutt. We now knew the path, so I¡¯d thought that heading back would¡¯ve been a much faster process.

    I¡¯d been pretty much spot on at first, as we managed to cover about 70% of the distance in two days, but unfortunately, we ended up running into something we couldn¡¯t really just overlook.

    ¡¸Oh god, please help me!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiiiiiiiii!!¡¹

    ¡¸Rooooooarrr!¡¹

    That is, we saw a swarm of lesser wyverns chasing a group of three men that looked to be merchants. In our eyes, lesser wyverns were actually quite weak, as we could take them down with ease, but to the merchants, the beasts were monstrous foes they¡¯d never be able to ovee.

    Seeing the wyverns caused me to recall the time I fought one to the death back when I was just transported over to the Marou ins. The memory was by no means a good one, but for some odd reason, remembering it filled me with a sense of nostalgia nheless. Unlike me, however, the merchants weren¡¯t pit up against just a single enemy. There were a whole 10 chasing after them.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi kicked off at top speed in response to Fran¡¯smand. It only took him a brief moment to reach the merchants.

    ¡¸Hiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it! Why!? First flying lizards, and now even magic wolves!?¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet! We¡¯re so dead!¡¹

    Our sudden appearance had caused the merchants to end up slowing down. The energy drained from their legs as they gave up on their lives.

    ¡¸Not enemy.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Wait, what? A kid?¡¹

    They didn¡¯t notice Fran, who¡¯d been riding on Urushi¡¯s back, until after she called out to them.

    ¡¸I-Is that wolf yours?¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Aren¡¯t you the ck Lightning Princess!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The three merchants once again bumped up their speed. Learning Fran¡¯s identity had shown them a ray of hope. They seemed to be pretty lively, a trait I couldn¡¯t really say I disliked. After all, being lively was much better than breaking down and screaming nonstop.

    ¡¸Need help?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes please!¡¹

    ¡¸Definitely!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks!¡¹

    I doubted saving them would us any rewards, but we decided to help regardless because ditching them would probably weigh on our consciences.

    ¡¸Will take materials.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds good!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll even throw in a bit of an extra reward!¡¹

    ¡¸Though it probably won¡¯t amount to anything much¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up, idiot!¡¹

    ¡¸If we die because she leaves, it¡¯ll be all your fault!¡¹

    ¡¸You say that, but she¡¯s a high ranked adventurer! What the hell are we supposed to do if we can¡¯t pay her fee after she helps us?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. I can¡¯t deny that I don¡¯t have enough to pay a high ranking adventurer on hand¡­¡¹

    The merchants began to bicker as they ran for their lives, possibly because they felt relieved that they might yet be able to avoid their demise. A part of me suspected that they were trying to make us feel sorry for them, but I didn¡¯t really mind either way.

    We¡¯d been willing to help them out for free, but I wasn¡¯t about to turn down any sort of reward. If anything, it would be better for us to demand one. There was a good chance that we¡¯d be swarmed by the masses if word got out that we were willing to help the weak for free.

    My only problem with this whole setup was that I didn¡¯t actually know what would¡¯ve been considered fair payment, so I just told Fran to say something random that seemed to suit the situation.

    ¡¸Will worry about rewardter. Will ask for money equivalent to value of life.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Tha¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Move away, or will get hit.¡¹

    Fran and Urushi leapt at the lesser wyverns without really minding the merchants. They only managed to get out of the way in time because I buffed up their legs with a support spell.

    ¡¸Hold o¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Wait u¡ª!¡¹

    The merchants seemed to be panicking in response to Fran¡¯s offer.

    Thinking about it a bit led me to realize the implications our words had carried.

    A C rank adventurer had basically told them to pay whatever they thought their lives were worth. They probably felt like we would end up spreading rumours about how cheap they were if they didn¡¯t give us an amount that ended up satisfying us and that we¡¯d basically put their reputations as merchants on the line. It would¡¯ve been much better for us to just ask them to pay whatever the market price was.

    Either way, I decided to shelve the thought and just focus on the lesser wyverns for the time being.

    Though they were objectively on the weaker side, the wyverns were still wild magic beasts. They immediately realized that Fran and Urushi were threats, and as such, chose to surround the pair instead of chasing the merchants down.

    They stopped moving after they arranged themselves in a circle, as if they¡¯d realized that they would die regardless of whether they advanced or retreated.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s up?¡»

    ¡¸Want to test.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you have in mind?¡»

    ¡¸Kanna Kamui.¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ Yeah, I think I see where you¡¯reing from.¡»

    We¡¯d only ever applied the spell in confined spaces, namely Rumina¡¯s dungeon and the tourney¡¯s enclosed battleground. We¡¯d never used it in arger, more open environment.

    There wasn¡¯t any real reason for us not to try it out.

    ¡ºAlright. I¡¯ll get the spell ready. You make sure the merchants actually manage to evacuate.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Kanna Kamui was extremely difficult to control. I was actually able to make better use of the spell than Fran.

    My elerated Thought, Parallel Processing, and Sorcerer skills rendered my Kanna Kamui able to cause twice as much destruction as her¡¯s.

    Moreover, using it would give her a pretty bad headache. Her first cast of the spell had even caused blood to start dripping from her nose. It was obvious that it heavily burdened its user¡¯s brain. It was so bad, in fact, that I wanted to avoid letting Fran use it if possible. I couldn¡¯t help but suspect that every single cast would just t out reduce one¡¯s lifespan.

    I built up a bunch of magical energy as Fran and Urushi intimidated the Wyverns and prevented them from escaping.

    ¡ºEverything¡¯s ready on my end.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Merchants moved.¡¹

    ¡ºKanna Kamui!¡»

    A thick, white lightning bolt rained down upon the lesser wyverns the moment after I voiced the spell¡¯s name. The open area around us served to demonstrate the full extent of its destructive power.

    Low, rumbling roars followed the brilliant white shes as they tore through our surroundings. It was almost like an angry God had descended upon the area for the sole sake of going on a violent rampage.

    Both Fran and Urushi had already expected to be assaulted by a series of incredibly loud sounds, so they¡¯d covered their ears in anticipation. The merchants, however, had not, so they ended up screaming and pressing their hands against them.

    Crap. We¡¯d told them to retreat, but it looked like they were still rtively nearby. It looked like we were going to have to heal them up a bitter on in hopes that they¡¯d forgive us.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºUh¡­ It looks like I might¡¯ve gone a bit overboard.¡»

    I¡¯d been expecting our thunderbolts to just leave the lesser wyverns charred, but it seemed that they ended up doing so much damage they caused them to just t out evaporate.

    The spell had created a 15 meter wide crater, and heavily damaged the forested area around it.

    Everything within a 50 meter radius of the crater had been totally messed up by Kanna Kamui¡¯s impact. There were no longer any trees in our immediate vicinity. The ones thaty a bit closer to the 50 meter mark were still present, but they¡¯d fallen over, and some were even still on fire.

    ¡ºYeah uhh¡­ we should probably avoid using Kanna Kamui unless we have to.¡»

    The spell would probably end up annihting anypanions we happened to have. In fact, I was pretty sure the merchants only still existed as of right now because we¡¯d told them to retreat ahead of time.

    They¡¯d been sent rolling because of the shockwave, but, at least they were still alive, right?

    ¡ºWell, so much for gathering materials and magic stones.¡»

    ¡¸Wasted.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi seemed rather disappointed that the attack had destroyed all the wyvern meat.

    ¡ºOh well, I guess that¡¯s that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 229: The Rumoured Black Lightning Princess

    <h4>Chapter 229: The Rumoured ck Lightning Princess</h4>

    ¡¸Still okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    We turned over to the merchants after eliminating the lesser wyverns that¡¯d been chasing them, but they weren¡¯t capable of providing us any sort of immediate response. Instead, they simply trembled on the spot as they stared off into the distance.

    They didn¡¯t seem capable of averting their gazes from the destruction we¡¯d just caused. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t really me them. I¡¯d gone a bit too far.

    ¡¸Uh¡­ so¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like¡­ we made it¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So about that reward¡­¡¹

    The merchants¡¯ faces paled. I couldn¡¯t really me them. What they just bore witness to was something prone to leaving the average person in a state of shock, and the price we named clearly hadn¡¯t helped. There was a fair chance they¡¯d interpreted our offer as a sort of threat instead.

    ¡¸The three of us have about 50k Golde on us in total.¡¹

    At first, I thought that they had quite a decent bit of cash on hand, but then I realized that it was pretty much the norm given that they were merchants. Furthermore, their tones seemed to imply that they didn¡¯t think it was nearly enough to pay for Fran¡¯s services.

    ¡¸Good enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Really? Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Because caught in attack.¡¹

    We ended up using the fact that they¡¯d ended up inside the surge of winds that followed Kanna Kamui as an excuse to lessen the cost despite the fact that we¡¯d healed them afterwards.

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸You really saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸We would¡¯ve died without your help.¡¹

    They were grateful even though we ended up taking all the cash they had on hand, which seemed to imply that the market price for our services was much higher than just that.

    We parted with the merchants and headed on our way. We knew that they were heading in the same direction as us, so we ended up killing all the magic beasts we ran into along the way and clearing a path for them. That said, it was more so something we did just because we felt like it as opposed to something we chose to do in the spirit of service.

    It didn¡¯t take too long for us to experience a second interruption after dealing with the first, as we came across a group of peoplerge enough to be considered a roadblock. The group seemed to havee from Barbra¡¯s direction, and were heading in Ulmutt¡¯s. I had a bit of a hard time identifying them, as they were a bit too organised-looking for adventurers, and too lightly equipped for knights.

    Most of them seemed to be on edge, and some even had their weapons drawn.

    Though I called them a roadblock, they weren¡¯t actually in our way. We could easily just pass them by so long as that was what we wanted. I was fairly inclined to choose that exact option because I didn¡¯t really want to get us involved in anything too troublesome.

    ¡¸Take detour?¡¹

    ¡ºNah, let¡¯s not. They might end up misunderstanding our intentions if we do.¡»

    The reason I said that was because they seemed to be able to see us. There was a chance they¡¯d assume we chose to run away from them if we took a sudden turn. That said, I didn¡¯t really know the group¡¯s purpose, and there was a pretty good chance that they hadn¡¯t any good intentions.

    ¡ºMake sure you¡¯re ready to fight at any given moment if need be.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi lifted off the gas and slowed down as he approached the group. Seeing him close in caused the group to immediately ready their weapons.

    A few of the weapons that¡¯d been drawn were bows, but fortunately, we didn¡¯t suffer any attacks regardless. As far as I could tell, their actions were driven by two separate reasons. The first was that they were able to sense that we weren¡¯t giving off any bloodlust. The second was that they¡¯d managed to retain theirposure despite being rather weak as individuals. Most of them were about as strong as the average E ranker. The man leading the group seemed a bit stronger than the rest of its members. He seemed like he was a D ranker, but only just barely made the cut.

    Most of the group¡¯s members were focused on Urushi; many hadn¡¯t even noticed Fran. But again, I couldn¡¯t really me them. A massive, hulking magic beast had basically just ran straight at them, after all.

    Neither Fran nor I thought of Urushi as anything more than just a cute pet, but that didn¡¯t really go for anyone that didn¡¯t know him.

    ¡ºHey Fran, it¡¯d probably be better for you to get off Urushi and walk for a bit.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºAs for you, Urushi, you should probably dive into her shadow.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The act of Urushi shrinking himself down and entering Fran¡¯s shadow caused a few of the group¡¯s members to let out a few shouts of surprise. Fran didn¡¯t really pay their reaction much mind, as she kept moving towards them regardless.

    I got myself ready to teleport us out at a moment¡¯s notice. My n was to move us up into the sky so we could wipe them out with magic if they turned out to be hostile.

    Fran started from about the 50 meter mark and approached at a rather brisk pace. The group wasn¡¯t able to react until she reached the five meter mark. Only then did the man that stood at the group¡¯s front finally call out to her.

    ¡¸Who the hell are you!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell was with that wolf just now? And why the hell didn¡¯t you greet us at all!?¡¹

    ¡¸Hi. Bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, wait! Hold on kid!¡¹

    I¡¯d kinda been expecting to be able to just ignore the group and move on, but I wasn¡¯t really sure if that was the best course of action given that we had no idea as to who they were.

    ¡¸How about fixing that attitude of yours? Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯re the Dimuyr Mercenaries?¡¹

    Oh god damn it. Are all mercenaries like this or something? Why did they think we¡¯d know them?

    The man immediately started throwing questions at Fran without pause. He asked who she was, where Urushi went, and if something had happened a bit further down the road.

    He seemed to slowly grow more and more irritated over time because he didn¡¯t like Fran¡¯s attitude. His voice gradually got louder and louder as a result.

    £¨Master, ideas?£©

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ It¡¯d probably be best for us to just leave after ignoring him some more.¡»

    Or so I thought. We couldn¡¯t actually put my n into action because a second group, the rear guard, caught up with the first right as we began to move. They clearly belonged to the same organisation and much to our annoyance, ended up in our way.

    I began building up my magical energy as I watched the situation unfold.

    ¡¸What the hell are you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing special pops, er, Division Leader. I¡¯m just interrogating someone that seems suspicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Interrogating? Why the hell would you do that? We¡¯re being paid to wipe out a group of lesser wyverns, not interrogate someone. Did you run into a scout for a band of thieves or something? ¡¹

    It seemed that the person leading the rear guard had a higher position than the guy that¡¯d first addressed us. He also seemed to be the first guy¡¯s father seeing as how he¡¯d called him pops.

    ¡¸Well, no, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then why the hell are you bothering!? Stop fooling around and wasting time!¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on! Just give me a second! I was about to start intimidating her into spilling the beans, so I¡¯ll get it done real quick!¡¹

    Well, well, well, what do we have here? He wanted to intimidate Fran? Did I hear that right? I guess that means we should beat the crap out of the guy that called out to us before using the rest of his mercenary band for target practice.

    The division leader seemed to immediately catch onto the fact that Fran and I were itching for a fight.

    He pushed his son and subordinates aside so he could get a better look at her. His face paled the moment he did. He immediately reacted by turning towards his son and smacking him in the face.

    ¡¸Gaahh! What the hell was that for, pops!?¡¹

    ¡¸God damn it! You¡¯re an idiot! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so godd*mn stupid!¡¹

    ¡¸Rghghh! Arghghh!¡¹

    The boss guy hit his son over and over until the younger mercenary lost consciousness. None of the other mercenaries seemed to understand the cause of their leader¡¯s sudden outburst, and as a result, ended up staring in surprise.

    Likewise, we also ended up staring because we didn¡¯t really get what was going on. My only guess was that he¡¯d somehow mistaken Fran for some sort of influential noble.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m terribly sorry! My subordinate was acting without the band¡¯s permission, I swear that we had no intention of making an enemy out of you. Please forgive us.¡¹

    It seemed the division leader really had mistaken us for someone else, as he ended up kneeling and begging for us to spare him.

    ¡¸What the hell are you lot doing!? Lower your heads and get on your knees right this instant! I¡¯ll have anyone that disobeys fired on the spot!¡¹

    The order was a bit of a ridiculous one, but it contained within it a sense of authority that forced the mercenaries to obey.

    ¡¸Again, I¡¯m terribly sorry for my subordinates¡¯ attitudes. Please, ck Lightning Princess, forgive their rudeness.¡¹

    It turned out that he hadn¡¯t actually mistaken us for anyone else. He knew who Fran was and that messing with her would spell his end.

    ¡¸Wait, that¡¯s the rumoured ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸I heard she doesn¡¯t show any mercy to anyone that shows her any hostility¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, and she even erases all the people that disobey her¡­¡¹

    The mercenaries began to gossip as they as they caught wind of Fran¡¯s identity, but a single re from theirmander ended up silencing them.

    ¡¸Nn. Can go now?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    ¡¸Then leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸Have a safe trip!¡¹

    Surprisingly, the mercenarymander ended up giving us his blessings as he saw us off. They hadn¡¯t caused us any harm, so I didn¡¯t actually see any reason for us to retaliate. That said, I was really curious as to why they were that afraid of us. I really wanted to learn more about the rumours people were spreading about us.

    The rest of our trip went rather smoothly, we reached Barbra without experiencing any further interruptions.

    ¡ºWell, we¡¯re here. I guess we should go visit all our acquaintances and check in on Old Man Gallus.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 230: Back to Barbra

    <h4>Chapter 230: Back to Barbra</h4>

    ¡ºMan, we¡¯re finally back in Barbra? It sure has been a while since we werest here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Only a month had passed since we left the city, and it honestly hadn¡¯t changed all that much while we were away. The only real difference was that most of the stuff that¡¯d been busted up by the Evil Beings had been fixed. The city¡¯s current state made the whole thing feel like it wasn¡¯t such a big deal after all. That said, I still couldn¡¯t help but feel that we¡¯d been away from it for quite some time.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start off by visiting everyone we know.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The first ce we visited was the Chef¡¯s Guild because it happened to be the closest. Unfortunately, the person we¡¯d set out to visit, the old judge guy, was nowhere to be found.

    We tried to leave the moment we learned that he wasn¡¯t there, but one of the receptionists stopped us before we did.

    ¡¸Um, excuse me, but could I have a bit of your time?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸The truth is that both you and your master have qualified for a rank up, so I was just wondering if you wouldn¡¯t mind me giving you more up to date guild cards.¡¹

    I didn¡¯t recall the fact that we were a part of the Chef¡¯s Guild until the receptionist reminded us. I¡¯d totally forgotten that we had to sign up in order to participate in the cooking contest.

    And that was exactly why I didn¡¯t understand why we were getting our chef rank¡¯s raised. The only thing we did was participate in the contest, but they would¡¯ve ranked us up before we left if that was why this was happening.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The curry recipe that the two of you are responsible for has be incredibly popr. Curry¡¯s rate of growth is so explosive that it¡¯ll likely soon spread throughout the entire country.¡¹

    I was rather pleased to hear the receptionist¡¯s words. Fran would probably end up rejoicing if curry got so popr she could buy it regardless of where she was.

    ¡¸Your contribution to the development of both our country¡¯s economy and culture have earned you both the right to silver guild cards.¡¹

    Fran pulled out both our cards and had them traded for a pair with silver borders that the guild had already prepared for us ahead of time.

    The cards issued by the Chef¡¯s Guild were quite different from the ones the Adventurer¡¯s Guild issued in the sense that they weren¡¯t magically enchanted in any which way. Comparing the two was likeparing analog to digital.

    ¡¸That card serves to demonstrate that you have our backing in all the business-rted endeavors you pursue within the city.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t really need their support, but hey, why not, right¡­?

    ¡¸Please keep in mind that your rank can go down over time if you don¡¯t renew your card before it expires, or if you don¡¯t aplish anything significant for an extended period of time.¡¹

    I wasn¡¯t really all that interested before, but got sucked in when the receptionist told us we had to actively do stuff to keep our rank. We¡¯d already raised it, so just letting it dropped seemed kinda wasteful.

    £¨Master, what now?£©

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ I guess we should probably give them some sort of recipe.¡»

    Their interest in curry seemed to indicate that they would probably appreciate us giving them any sort of exotic recipe. Hmmm¡­

    ¡ºGot any ideas, Fran?¡»

    Handing over one of Fran¡¯s favourites seemed like it was probably the best choice. I came from another world, so I doubted my taste pte was the best to go by.

    £¨Nn¡­ Katsudon?£©

    ¡ºYeah, I guess that does sound like a pretty decent idea.¡»

    Fried foods and recipes that made use of eggs were both few and far inbetween. Likewise, soy sauce was also really considered to be a bit of an unusual spice. Thebination of the aforementioned three factors made katsudon an incredibly rare dish. I¡¯d never seen anything that bore even the slightest resemnce to it here in Barbra.

    And so, we ended up handing the guild a copy of my katsudon recipe. We made sure to record how one made the katsu part of katsudon, as well as any of the recipe¡¯s optional seasonings and finer details in order to make it easier for the recipe to spread.

    Fran filled in all necessary documents and handed them over to the receptionist.

    ¡¸Wow. This¡­ is amazing. It looks like a genuine innovation and even describes how the recipe can be expanded upon. Should I file this recipe under both your name and your master¡¯s?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, feel free to consider this recipe epted. We¡¯ll make it public soon. It looks really promising, so I expect it to spread the same way curry did.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Your curry recipe has made you quite well known. I¡¯m sure many chefs will ask for the recipe the moment they hear that you two are its progenitors, I don¡¯t doubt that it¡¯ll spread through Barbra like wildfire.¡¹

    The katsudon recipe¡¯s prospects sounded pretty good. I hoped that one of Barbra¡¯s chefs would end up being creative enough tobine our two dishes and create katsu-curry.

    With that done and out of the way, we left the Chef¡¯s Guild. The receptionist saw us out with a big smile on her face the whole way through.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ what now? That took quite a bit more time than I was expecting.¡»

    ¡¸Orphanage?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s not a bad idea. We might as well stop by and check it out.¡»

    We knew that Amanda had done something, but we never did end up personally visiting the ce after her intervention.

    Fran, Urushi, and I all ended up stiffening up the moment we finallyid eyes on the orphanage. The change it¡¯d undergone was just that incredible.

    The exterior used to be all messed up; one could tell the ce was in tattters from a nce. It¡¯d since been repaired, but that wasn¡¯t all. The wall surrounding the orphanage had been repainted, and the garden now featured a massive flowerbed.

    ¡¸Look, it¡¯s Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸The adventurer girl is here!¡¹

    Fortunately, the children themselves hadn¡¯t actually changed. They were wearing better clothes, and no longer looked even the slightest bit shabby, but that was pretty much it. Well, that¡¯s Amanda for you, I guess.

    It seemed that the orphans all still remembered Fran and Urushi, as they immediately gathered around her with smiles on their faces.

    ¡¸Oh, hey Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Io.¡¹

    Io came out from the orphanage and greeted us upon noticing that the children were stirring up a fuss. I still remembered her both because she was kind to children and really good at cooking.

    ¡¸Thank you so much for all you¡¯ve done for us. The orphanage is finally in much better hands, and the children are smiling much more than they were before.¡¹

    The skilled chef bowed her head to us even though we didn¡¯t really think we¡¯d done much of anything at all. Amanda was the one that saved the orphanage, not us.

    ¡¸Amanda told us that you were the only reason she knew that the orphanage was in trouble, and that you had asked her to help it.¡¹

    ¡¸Only did that. Nothing more.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be silly. There¡¯s also the matter of the curry recipe you published. The children just love it. They can¡¯t get enough of it even though I¡¯ve started making it once a week.¡¹

    ¡¸The curry you make is really tasty, Ms. Io!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s super yummy!¡¹

    Io was already capable of making an incredibly delicious soup without ess to anything more than vegetables of the lowest grade. I was really curious as to what she was now capable of making given that Amanda had provided her ess to higher quality ingredients.

    Apparently tomorrow was this week¡¯s curry day. We ended up asking Io to make a bit extra for Fran and Urushi because I wanted to see her take on the dish.

    ¡¸Bye. Will stop by tomorrow.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be waiting!¡¹

    ¡¸See ya!¡¹

    ¡¸Bye Urushi!¡¹

    I took a moment to consider what to do next. Checking out the Luciel Conglomerate seemed to be one of the few remaining choices. All our other acquaintances were adventurers, which in turn meant they were likely still in Ulmutt.

    That, however, didn¡¯t mean we were out of options.

    ¡ºAlright, whaddya say we go looking for the old man?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Sounds good.¡¹

 Chapter 231: Regus, The Information Broker

    <h4>Chapter 231: Regus, The Information Broker</h4>

    We started walking around so we could look for Old Man Gallus.

    I started thinking about who we needed to talk to in order to find him. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was always an option given that adventurers were always on the lookout for skilled cksmiths. There was a pretty good chance someone would know something about where he was.

    Likewise, the cksmiths¡¯ Guild also seemed like a fairly decent choice. He probably would¡¯ve stopped by at least fairly recently if he was still at work in Barbra.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild first, I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    To Fran, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was more or less her home base. She¡¯d met with Gamud, the guildmaster, in person before, and had even be rather famous because of how far she got in Ulmutt¡¯s tournament. There was simply no way the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would end up turning a request for information away for no reason. Speaking of which, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s informationwork likely outshined the cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s. There really wasn¡¯t any reason to choose thetter of our two options over the former. Given all that, we ended up turning our heels towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    For some odd reason, both Fran and Urushi ended up fidgeting and restlessly casting their gazes all over as we moved along.

    Their restlessness seemed to indicate that they were sensing something.

    ¡ºIs something the matter?¡»

    ¡¸Curry¡¯s scent.¡¹

    I totally forgot that Barbra was in the midst of a curry boom until after Fran and Urushi inadvertently reminded me of it. There were several street stalls in our vicinity. It only made sense for at least one of them to be serving the dish given its poprity.

    Fran somehow managed to narrow down the exact stall in question and casually approached it. She did it so naturally it almost seemed instinctual.

    A part of me couldn¡¯t help but suspect that she would probably fall for any traps that involved luring one¡¯s prey in with curry, even if we were in the midst of exploring a dungeon.

    ¡¸¡¯W¡¯e!¡¹

    ¡¸This, what?¡¹

    ¡¸Aye, that¡¯d be mah curry n¡¯dles. We mades it based off curry.¡¹

    I was pleasantly surprised that someone had alreadye up with the idea of using curry to create a noddle-based dish. It looked to me like their recipe involved putting the noodles and curry together in one big pot and then cooking it all at once. The result seemed pretty good appearance wise, but I figured the noodles would end up being overcooked and soggy. Still, I couldn¡¯t really im that I was disinterested. The same seemed to go for Fran, as she bought two portions of the stuff, one for herself, and one for Urushi.

    ¡¸Urushi, here.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Both mypanions immediately slurped down their entire bowls. They seemed perfectly content with the vour.

    ¡ºHow was it?¡»

    ¡¸Tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWere the noodles not too soggy?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It seemed that the chef had managed toe up with something to keep the noddles nice and firm. I asked Fran about it a bitter on, and we managed to conclude that the noodles were the kind that didn¡¯t really get soggy unless you left them for way too long. They probably contained something along the lines of konjac or cellophane.

    The dish was interesting, and I was really impressed by the chef¡¯s ingenuity. He¡¯d raised the bar; I was starting to expect a lot more out of other people¡¯s curry dishes.

    Fran continued to visit stall after stall as she made her way over to the guild.

    Barbra¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild was lively; it contained an incredible number of adventurers.

    A fair portion of them seemed to move their gazes in Fran¡¯s direction the moment she entered. They threw her nces, as if they weren¡¯t all that willing to stare. Their eyes seemed filled with doubt and suspicion, but she didn¡¯t mind them and instead just marched right over to the counter.

    ¡¸Got question.¡¹

    ¡¸Please feel free to ask away.¡¹

    The receptionist¡¯s professionalism impressed me. She treated Fran courteously and politely despite not knowing her identity.

    ¡¸Looking for someone.¡¹

    ¡¸So you want to issue a search request? I can introduce you to an adventurer that specializes in that sort of field if you¡¯d like. Would you mind negotiating with the person in question directly?¡¹

    I liked the receptionist¡¯s suggestion. The person in question could probably do a pretty damned good job if the guild considered them a contact reputable enough to rmend.

    ¡¸Works. Can meet person soon?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. He¡¯s right there, after all.¡¹

    The receptionist directed her gaze towards a nearby adventurer, a middle-aged man with a scout-type ss. Hisbat-based stats were rather low, but that was only because he specialized in the gathering of information. He had a bunch of detection-based skills, stealth-based skills, and negotiation-based skills.

    ¡¸Hey, I heard you¡¯re looking for someone?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m what a lot of people like calling a small fry because I pretty much only do jobs that don¡¯t need me to leave the city. That said, I can make up for it because I know pretty much everything that goes on here in Barbra, so I should be able to point you in the right direction. Anyway, I probably rambled off a bit too long, why don¡¯t we get down to business?¡¹

    Our newfound acquaintance introduced himself as Regus. He seemed to run his operations within the guild, as he had us sit down with him in one of its corners as he spoke. His attitude was an easygoing one, and he didn¡¯t really seem to be looking down on Fran either, which was nice.

    ¡¸So, who exactly were you looking for again?¡¹

    ¡¸Gallus. cksmith.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You¡¯re looking for the ever so famous cksmith, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Know him? Want to know current whereabouts.¡¹

    Things were looking up. It seemed that we¡¯d be able to find Old Man Gallus so long as we paid up.

    ¡¸Will pay intel fee.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t bother. I won¡¯t be charging you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you see, the thing is I don¡¯t really know all that much about where he is right now. I do have a bit of info for you, but it¡¯s nothing substantial enough to warrant me charging you for it. Besides,working with the ck Lightning Princess is worth way more to me than a bit of chump change.¡¹

    Regus¡¯ words demonstrated that he¡¯d acted the way he did precisely because he knew who Fran was. I didn¡¯t really care either way, as we ended up getting the information we needed.

    ¡¸Thest I heard of him was about 10 days ago. He was still in Barbra, and I think he did some maintenance on the Guildmaster¡¯s weapon.¡¹

    There wasn¡¯t any more information on him. Regus himself was of the opinion that Gallus had likely left the city.

    ¡¸But didn¡¯t see in Ulmutt.¡¹

    ¡¸Have you not been in touch at all?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ I can think up several possibilities if that¡¯s the case.¡¹

    The first possibility Regus brought up was that Gallus had gotten into some sort of trouble on his way over to Ulmutt. The old man could¡¯ve been attacked by either magic beasts or thieves.

    ¡¸But I doubt that to be it. The tourney¡¯s made it so the roads are more popted than usual. There¡¯s been more patrols checking the route too, so there probably would¡¯ve been a few witness reports if that was what¡¯d happened.¡¹

    Gallus was decently proficient with both Hammer Arts and Fire Magic, so I doubted he¡¯d be dyed by any sort of minor conflict.

    The second possibility was that he¡¯d been involved in an incident that took ce within Barbra, one that happened before he managed to leave. He was an incredibly skilled cksmith; there was a chance he¡¯d been kidnapped by a ve merchant or criminal organisation that wanted to make use of his skills.

    Though both the first and second possibilities insinuated he was in some sort of trouble, that in and of itself was an assumption that may or may not have been correct. Gallus could¡¯ve just epted a job that required him to remain off the radar. The old man had the tendency to only do things he wanted to, but that didn¡¯t mean he was actually safe from royals or other highly influential nobles. He could¡¯ve been dragged off by one because they wanted him to do some top-secret task.

    Furthermore, there was always the off chance that he¡¯d simply forgotten to keep in touch because he got a bit too engrossed in his work. He had a true craftsmen¡¯s temperament, so that was always a possibility we had to consider.

    There was simply no way for us to figure out exactly what had happened.

    ¡¸Would you mind giving me a day to do some investigating?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. Any task for me?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t really think anything too showy would work to our benefit¡­ Hmm¡­ wait, you know Barbra¡¯s guildmaster, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. It¡¯d probably be best for you to see if you can get any information out of both the guildmaster and the cksmiths¡¯ guild. Don¡¯t worry about investigating and figuring out if they¡¯re trying to hide anything. Just talk to them as you normally would.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Alright, I guess that means we¡¯re visiting Gamud.

 Chapter 232: The Rumours

    <h4>Chapter 232: The Rumours</h4>

    Regus had told us quite a bit for free. That said, we were asking him to do a good bit of work, so we were naturally nning to reward him for any of the services he was going to provide going forward.

    The price was set at 30k Golde regardless of what he managed to find. It was apparently a bit higher than the market price, but he promised to do his best to give us a decent bang for our buck. With that decided, we went our separate ways.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go talk to Gamud.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The receptionist immediately sprang into action when we showed her our guild card and asked to see the guildmaster.

    Her actions apparently weren¡¯t driven by our rank, but rather, because she¡¯d recognized Fran as the ck Lightning Princess. It seemed information about her had already been disseminated to the guild¡¯s associates.

    She ended up getting a secretary-like person to guide us up to the guild¡¯s second floor and into the guildmaster¡¯s room.

    ¡¸Hey, long time no see. I heard you got quite a bit done in Ulmutt.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    There, we found Gamud, the Barbra branch¡¯s guildmaster, and a former A ranked adventurer known as the Dragonfeller.

    He¡¯d fought alongside Forrund, Amanda, Colbert, and everyone else during the Evil Being incident. The sight of him using a warhammer the size of his body to send Rynford flying had left a pretty deep impression on me, possibly in part because he¡¯d totally saved our asses back then.

    ¡¸I probably would¡¯ve spectated myself if I wasn¡¯t stuck here cleaning up after the incident.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹

    ¡¸Riiiiight? Man, I would¡¯ve loved to see you take Fermus on. Those threads of his are one huge pain in the ass to deal with.¡¹

    Fermus and Gamud were both A ranked adventurers that¡¯d made Barbra their home base, so they were probably more than just acquainted with one another. There was a pretty decent chance they¡¯d worked together on at least one asion some time in the past. Their nicknames were rather simr, so I suspected that they¡¯d probably been a part of the same party.

    Asking him prompted him to exin that my suspicions were on point. They¡¯d both been a part of an incredibly famous A ranked party known as The Dragonyers. Their names were so well known that they¡¯d practically be the stuff of legends. Normally, I would¡¯ve just wrote off thest bit he mentioned as a casual brag, but he was an A ranker, so I was actually kinda tempted to just take what he said at face value.

    ¡¸So whaddya need? I¡¯m pretty sure you didn¡¯t stop by just ¡¯cause you wanted to see me.¡¹

    Fortunately for us, Gamud wasn¡¯t too interested in pleasantries, he cut straight to the point and asked us about our business. We responded in kind and told him we were looking for Gallus.

    ¡¸I see. So you¡¯re looking for Gallus¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Current location?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, but I dunno. All I know is that he ran a maint on one of my weapons ¡¯bout 10 days ago, so he was still in Barbra at least till then.¡¹

    ¡¸I think he said something or another ¡¯bout going to Ulmutt, but he never mentioned when he was leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Gallus had apparently informed Gamud of his destination, but that was all the guildmaster knew. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that we weren¡¯t going to get any more info out of him, so I told Fran that it was probably time to leave.

    ¡¸Oh yeah, didja happen to really not like mercs or somethin?¡¹

    But the guildmaster stopped us by asking Fran a question right as she started to get out of her chair.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been hearing some odd rumours.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, y¡¯know, just that the ck Lightning Princess hates mercenaries, that she kills all the mercs that antagonize her, that she¡¯ll crush any mercs she happens to hate, and that she¡¯ll start casting spells at any mercs she happens to see without warning.¡¹

    Huh? Why the hell would anyone think that?

    ¡¸At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been hearing from all the mercs that make this town their base. They¡¯re scared sheetless of you.¡¹

    Did he just straight up ask all the mercs he knew whether or not they thought we hated them or something?

    ¡¸No rtion to mercenaries.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Just, will crush all enemies.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¡­ I getcha.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Thinking back, I realized that we¡¯d gotten ourselves involved with and viciously attacked a prettyrge number of mercenaries. In fact, the first group to foock with us, the adventurers we met in Alessa, had been a group of ex-mercs.

    There was also that run in we had with Blue Pride back in Ulmutt. It was technically the Beast Lord that took them out, but that probably wasn¡¯t how it seemed to the average onlooker. Most people probably would¡¯ve suspected that Fran had done something.

    That exined why the Dimuyr guys we met on our way to Barbra were so terrified of us.

    To them, Fran was overwhelmingly powerful. She was more than capable of wiping them out in an instant. That alone would¡¯ve been perfectly fine, butbining it with the supposed fact that she hated mercenaries made it so it was only natural for them to be terrified of her.

    ¡¸You mind if I ry that bit of info to the mercs?¡¹

    ¡¸Do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, I¡¯ve also got a request I¡¯d like you toplete. ¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the perfect person for it seeing as how you can go head to head ¡®gainst an A ranker.¡¹

    It sounded like he wanted to us to do something along the lines of taking out a powerful magic beast. I didn¡¯t see any problem with taking on a request, but I really didn¡¯t want to do anything that¡¯d take up too much of our time.

    Luckily for us, that wasn¡¯t really what he¡¯d had in mind in the first ce.

    ¡¸Y¡¯see, there¡¯s these guys I just so happen to have my eyes on. I¡¯d like you to spar with them and show them that there¡¯s always someone stronger out there.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t do yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Forrund and I have been looking after them since they were just kids, so they think it¡¯s only natural for them to lose if they¡¯ve gotta fight me or ¡®im. We¡¯ve beat them up so many times that it doesn¡¯t make ¡¯em feel frustrated anymore.¡¹

    Gamud¡¯s argument made sense to me. People kinda expected to lose against their masters and whatnot.

    ¡¸You mind handling it tomorrow morning? It shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Hell yeah. I¡¯ll wrangle the brats in so you can do your thing. They¡¯re older than you, but i¡¯m sure you can give ¡¯em a good smack and make ¡¯em learn some modesty. Gahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran worked out the details of when and where with Gamud before finally making her way back out the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s front door.

 Chapter 233: The Dragonâ€™s Table

    <h4>Chapter 233: The Dragon¡¯s Table</h4>

    ¡ºI guess our next destination is probably going to be the cksmiths¡¯ Guild.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We made sure to ask for its location before actually leaving the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, so we knew exactly where we were going. Our destination was fairly close to the port. It seemed to be built there in order to facilitate easy ess to the ore and coal that¡¯d often get shipped in via the sea.

    Though the cksmith¡¯s Guild was supposed to be our next destination, we still did n to make a stop on our way.

    ¡ºOkay, let¡¯s go find ourselves a ce to buy some booze.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Liquor store?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, either that or a bar that lets you straight up buy whatever.¡»

    Gamud told us that it¡¯d probably be best for us to bring a gift or two after we told him of our next destination. Many of the cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s members, its guildmaster included, were dwarves, which meant they would appreciate a good drink or two.

    Hearing that tempted me to look for some really high quality booze, the kind that would knock their socks right off.

    ¡ºHere¡¯s to hoping wee ross a decent bar on our way over.¡»

    ¡¸Fermus¡¯ store?¡¹

    ¡ºRight. I do remember The Dragon¡¯s Table being somewhere in that direction now that you mention it.¡»

    There seemed like there was a decent chance we¡¯d be able to get some booze from The Dragon¡¯s Table. The ce was a restaurant, so it was sure to have some. Moreover, the owner had personally given Fran a coupon. I figured that alone would almost guarantee the staff there at least hearing us out.

    And so, we decided to stop by Fermus¡¯ store.

    ¡¸Urushi, shadow.¡¹

    ¡¸Wooooof?¡¹

    ¡ºSorry, but no. The ce isn¡¯t really big enough for you, and I¡¯m not even sure they allow pets to begin with.¡»

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

    I really didn¡¯t think we would be able to bring Urushi in with us. To that end, I figured that it¡¯d probably be best for us to feed him stuff he likes a bitter on in order to cheer him up.

    ¡¸Wee. Would you happen to be looking for a table for one?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸This way please.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Unfortunately, the owner is currently out, so we won¡¯t be able to provide our usual selections.¡¹

    The menu the waitress handed us only had five different items listed on it. It was a sharp cut down from the 30 or so I remember seeingst time we visited.

    Fermus¡¯ apprentice was temporarily filling the former A ranker¡¯s shoes because he was currently out of town. It seemed that the Dragon Hunter had only permitted him to create the five dishes currently listed because he didn¡¯t believe the rest of his apprentice¡¯s stuff was of a high enough quality to serve to his customers.

    The restaurant¡¯s renowned Dragon Bone Soup was still being sold, but apparently it was something that¡¯d been prepared by Fermus ahead of time.

    ¡¸Then want everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Did you just say everything?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you really sure you¡¯d like everything? Our servings are quiterge.¡¹

    ¡¸Not problem. Already ate before.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. In that case, I¡¯ll have everythinging right up.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    Fran handed the coupon we¡¯d gotten from Fermus to the waitress. For some odd reason, she seemed extremely shocked; her eyes had snapped wide open.

    ¡¸Did you maybe¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Got from Fermus.¡¹

    ¡¸So it really is a VIP coupon, a token indicating that we¡¯ll have to treat you with utmost care!? I knew it!¡¹

    The waitress¡¯ deration caused her feelings of surprise to make their way over in my direction. I hadn¡¯t thought of the thing Fermus had given us as anything more than just another coupon for discounts or something.

    ¡¸Oh geez! What do I do!? The owner¡¯s out. The only person here capable of making food is an idiot whose skills don¡¯t evene close to matching the owner¡¯s! Oh no, oh no, oh no! I can¡¯t let the customer down, else risk the owner scolding meter on!¡¹

    She went full blown panic mode, and even started to insult Fermus¡¯ apprentice. I kind of pitied her and as a result, didn¡¯t really want to take advantage of her given the current situation, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. She¡¯d basically handed us an opportunity on a silver tter.

    ¡¸Special treatment, no need.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way I could just treat you as I would any other customer, especially when the food we have now isn¡¯t as good as it could be!¡¹

    ¡¸Then want alcohol. Best in store.¡¹

    ¡¸Alcohol? Consider it done! Please just give me one moment to get it!¡¹

    Though she ran off and grabbed us the booze we wanted, she seemed to have totally forgotten about the fact that we¡¯d also ordered food. Normally, that would be something that¡¯d totally piss a customer off, which in our case meant tattling to Fermus. That said, I decided to reserve our judgement until after she returned. There wasn¡¯t really any reason for us to get mad so long as she brought out something of a decently high quality.

    It took about five minutes for the waitress to finally make her way back over to us. She didn¡¯t seem to be letting the fact that she was clearly out of breath bother her, as she immediately presented an expensive looking wooden box the moment she returned.

    ¡¸This wine is the finest we have. Ites from a region known throughout Kranzel as one of its finest producers of alcoholic beverages. This bottle in particr has been magically preserved for about 120 years, so it¡¯s some of the best stuff you could possibly get!¡¹

    The receptionist ended up bringing us something way beyond my expectations.

    ¡¸To be honest, it isn¡¯t something that we would normally be willing to serve our customers¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Source?¡¹

    ¡¸I borrowed one of the bottles that the owner keeps in his personal collection of rare wines.¡¹

    It sounded like taking the wine would probably anger Fermus. I was totally fine with him getting angry at the waitress, but I really didn¡¯t want him directing his rage in our direction. Given that, we convinced the waitress to return Fermus¡¯ prized collectable to its usual spot and have her give us the best stuff they actually had for sale.

    We ended up getting five bottles of a type of booze that cost us 1k Golde a pop. The price seemed just about right for something we were going to use as a gift for someone we¡¯d never met before.

    ¡¸Are you sure you¡¯re fine with just that? The owner¡¯s got a much better selection down in his wine cer.¡¹

    ¡¸Good enough. More important, hungry.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohhhh nooo! I-I-I¡¯m so sorry I forgot! I¡¯ll have your food prepared immediately!¡¹

    It seemed the waitress finally realized that she¡¯d forgotten to take Fran¡¯s order this whole time. She ended up bending her waist forwards and bowing with all the force of a thousand prostrations before running off to the kitchen in order to report the order.

    ¡ºIs it just me, or do you think we stressed her out a bit too much?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The waitress had seemed so be panicking so hard that she even worried Fran. Admittedly, I couldn¡¯t really think of it as a bad thing because we¡¯d managed to get a good couple bottles of booze out of the ordeal, and for a decently cheap price at that.

    Fran burned straight through everything she was given, and even ended up ordering a bit of tea so she could rx after having eaten. The chef took that as a sign and paid us a visit as Fran leisurely enjoyed her post-meal break.

    ¡¸How was the meal?¡¹

    ¡¸Not good as Fermus.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see¡­ Could you point out the parts that bothered you?¡¹

    He took out a notepad and immediately started to write stuff in it. The waitress hadbeled him as an idiot, but to me, he felt more like someone that was obsessed with cooking than anything else.

    I considered telling Fran to be a bit less direct, but ended up deciding otherwise because telling it to him straight was more likely to benefit him.

    Fran ended up being the one giving out pointers because I myself hadn¡¯t eaten. That said, it wasn¡¯t like Fran¡¯s advice wascking in any which way. She would happily eat basically anything because that was what the time she¡¯d spent as a ve had trained her to do, but that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t capable of judging how good something tasted.

    The only real difference was that her scale was a bit skewed. If a normal person were to rate something on a scale from one to five, thebels they¡¯d use would probably be: bad, kinda bad, not bad, good, and very good. Fran¡¯sbels, on the other hand, would probably read something more along the lines of: inedible, not bad, good, very good, great.

    Fran¡¯s cooking skill was t out maxed out, and as a result, her tastebuds were incredibly sensitive. She used this sensitivity of hers to describe the chef¡¯s deficiencies in detail.

    She spent a long time giving her critique; the sun had started to set by the time we finally left.

    Good luck apprentice dude. Live strong, don¡¯t give up!

 Chapter 234: The Blacksmithsâ€™ Guild

    <h4>Chapter 234: The cksmiths¡¯ Guild</h4>

    We arrived at the cksmiths¡¯ Guild about 20 minutes after leaving The Dragon¡¯s Table

    Gamud had only told us its general location, but honestly, that was all we needed to locate it because it stood out from all the other buildings in its vicinity. It looked kinda of like a massive workshop. Smoke actively billowed out its chimney. The plot ofnd the building sat on was huge and all the people entering and leaving it were stern-looking men.

    Though there was basically no way it wasn¡¯t the cksmiths¡¯ Guild, a part of me hoped I was wrong. I really wanted to know what else it could¡¯ve possibly been.

    I tried imagining all the different possibilities, but my train of thought was cut short as we approached. I happened to see a crest with a pair of crossed hammers on it mounted on the building¡¯s door te, which clearly denoted that the ce was indeed the cksmiths¡¯ Guild we¡¯d been looking for.

    A wave of pressure hit me the moment we entered the building. The foyer¡¯s ceiling was incredibly low. It was almost like the ce had been constructed specifically to intimidate those that entered it. I felt like I¡¯d entered a workce meant solely for hardboiled men.

    ¡¸Hmm? You have some business here?¡¹

    The cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s receptionist was nothing like the type we¡¯d typically had back at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. The buff dwarf that worked at the desk didn¡¯t bother smiling. He instead spoke in a low voice and threw Fran a sharp re, almost as if to threaten her.

    ¡¸Looking for person.¡¹

    ¡¸Then you¡¯vee to the wrong ce. Go talk to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild instead.¡¹

    His cold response almost made him seem like a bartender that¡¯d just rejected someone asking for milk.

    ¡¸Looking for cksmith. Gallus.¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about. You satisfied yet, girlie?¡¹

    ¡¸No. Need more informed person. Here, gift.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh?¡¹

    The receptionist¡¯s tone changed the moment heid hands on the booze we¡¯d brought. Welp, that¡¯s a dwarf for you.

    ¡¸That¡¯s a mighty fi-tsk.¡¹

    He began reaching towards the bottle of wine Fran had ced atop the counter, but she took it away right before he reached it. The act caused the dwarf to re at her in a begrudging manner, but she didn¡¯t mind him, and instead just chucked it back into her Dimensional Storage.

    ¡¸Get person. Close to Gallus or know location.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Wait here a bit.¡¹

    The dwarven receptionist left his desk and headed deeper inside the building. It took him about 10 minutes to finally return to his desk.

    ¡¸Follow me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It seemed that he¡¯d found just the guy, as he finally began leading us through the guild. We ended up going underground and passing through a series ofrge doors only to end up finding ourselves inside a rather small room. Despite its size, it managed toe off as a luxurious office that clearly belonged to someone important given how gaudy the furniture was. However, it was dark. No direct light managed to reach any of the room¡¯s four corners. The room¡¯s owner was only capable of operating within it because he was a dwarf.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve brought her over, boss.¡¹

    ¡¸Good work.¡¹

    Apparently, we¡¯d been brought straight to the guild¡¯s top dog even though we hadn¡¯t told the receptionist who we were. I couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact reason he ended up doing so, but I felt that it was likely either because we¡¯d mentioned Gallus, shown him the booze we¡¯d brought with us, or abination of both.

    Regardless, we ended up giving him a bottle of wine as he left.

    ¡¸You sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Still have more.¡¹

    ¡¸Great. I¡¯ll be happy to take it off your hands then.¡¹

    Surprisingly, the receptionist ended up shing us a big smile. I knew that he was a dwarf and all, but god damn!

    ¡¸Is that wine I see?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Gift.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that means I¡¯ll have to take this seriously, not that I wouldn¡¯t have to begin with. I¡¯d rather not risk incurring the ck Lightning Princess¡¯ wrath, after all.¡¹

    It turned out that the cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s boss had already heard of Fran. He¡¯d never actually met Fran and only knew that the ck Lightning Princess was a female ck Catkin, but he still managed to pinpoint the fact that she was the person that everyone was talking about. I wasn¡¯t really surprised. It wasn¡¯t really that difficult to deduce Fran¡¯s identity.

    There were two main reasons figuring out who Fran was had be such a simple task. The first and foremost was because she had be a hot topic as ofte. Barbra¡¯s people were already aware that she was in town, so they¡¯d started to actively talk about her. The second was that Fran was strong. There weren¡¯t many strong ck Catkin, and a single good look at her was more than enough for any skilled individual to figure out that she was a cut above the rest. Putting two and two together immediately allowed one to conclude that Fran was indeed the rumoured ck Lightning Princess.

    We promptly asked the cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s boss for Gallus¡¯ location, to which he responded by making a bit of a murky expression. His reaction didn¡¯t seem quite positive, but it at least served to evidence that he knew who Gallus was.

    ¡¸Does your name happen to be Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸Nope. The only thing we knew you by was your alias.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Named Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, am I right in assuming you used to be called the Magic Sword Girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I was a bit confused as to why he bothered confirming Fran¡¯s old name and nickname.

    ¡¸I see¡­ To be honest, not even I know exactly where Gallus has gone.¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºHe¡¯s telling the truth.¡»

    Not even the cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s boss knew where we could find Gallus.

    ¡¸I do at least have a bit of information. I don¡¯t mind telling you, but only if you swear not to tell a soul. It¡¯s highly confidential.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Won¡¯t tell.¡¹

    ¡¸Good. Last I heard, Gallus had taken on a top secret request from a noble.¡¹

    ¡¸Top secret request?¡¹

    ¡¸Not even I know exactly what it entails. All I know was that it was something an influential noble personally asked him to do, and that he was against it. That¡¯s it.¡¹

    It looked like not even Gallus was capable of turning down important nobles. If he did, the noble in question would probably end up causing trouble both for him and the cksmiths¡¯ Guild as a whole.

    ¡¸Basically means abducted?¡¹

    ¡¸He definitely was being forced to do something against his will, but it isn¡¯t really as bad as you¡¯re making it out to be. They at least put in an official request.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    The cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s boss wasn¡¯t lying, which meant the reason we hadn¡¯t been able to find Gallus was because he got forced into doing something he couldn¡¯t tell anyone about.

    ¡¸Truth is, he actually left you a letter, told me to give it to Fran, the Magic Sword Girl. I¡¯d actually made a few arrangements so you¡¯d be brought straight to me if you ever showed up, but¡­¡¹

    Fran¡¯s new nickname, the ck Lightning Princess, had be much more widespread than herst. Gallus himself never suspected that she¡¯d suddenly gain a new alias, and naturally, didn¡¯t know what that new alias could¡¯ve been, so his letter was still addressed to the Magic Sword Girl. The old name had just t out poofed; it¡¯d gone so quickly that I almost missed it; hearing it again filled me with a sense of nostalgia.

    ¡¸Here it is. I haven¡¯t looked at it myself, so I¡¯ve no idea what he¡¯s written.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It seemed that he was once again telling the truth.

    ¡¸Oh yeah, do me a favour and don¡¯t read it here. I¡¯d be put in a bad spot if it makes mention of the request he¡¯s gotten from the state. I¡¯d rather not get any more involved in than I already am.¡¹

    Apparently, even just carrying the letter was already something the cksmiths¡¯ Guild¡¯s boss considered rather risky.

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    And so, we took the letter, handed over the booze we brought, and went on our way.

    We had no way of knowing the letter¡¯s contents, so we ended up deciding that it¡¯d be best for us to find a ce without anyone around before actually opening it up.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re going to have spend the night in town, so we might as well just rent a room somewhere and read it there.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Fran and I ended up deciding on a ce right by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild seeing as how we were going to have to head over to it the next day anyways.

    ¡¸Nn. Nice room.¡¹

    ¡ºGoes to show you get what you pay for.¡»

    The room was priced at 15k a night, mostly because we¡¯d picked the best room with a bath we could find.

    Though Fran herself had said that she¡¯d be fine with a cheap room, I insisted otherwise, admittedly mostly for vanity¡¯s sake. Fran had gotten a really awesome nickname. I really wanted to let her act in a manner that befitted it.

 Chapter 235: Gallusâ€™ Whereabouts

    <h4>Chapter 235: Gallus¡¯ Whereabouts</h4>

    We got ready to open Gallus¡¯ letter after we settled down.

    ¡ºAlrighty, let¡¯s give it a look.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, don¡¯t be so rough with it. Try opening it with a bit more care.¡»

    Fran ripped the letter open and undid the seal to reveal the piece of paper within.

    It clearly had Gallus¡¯ signature on it, but the writing seemed kinda messy. It was almost like he¡¯d rushed to finish writing the letter.

    The letter started off by describing his predicament. It said that an important noble had ordered him toplete a request with utmost secrecy, hence why he wasn¡¯t able to contact us through any other means. It then continued on as follows.

    I can¡¯t tell you exactly where I¡¯ve gone. All I can really say is that I¡¯ll probably be somewhere in the capital by the time you read this letter. I won¡¯t be able to see you for the time being, but I¡¯d like for us to meet up once the royal auction starts. They sell all sorts of equipment there. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have something that catches your eye, so I encourage you toe. Oh, and I¡¯m nning to make you a new sheath, one I hope will be to your liking. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the capital.

    Gallus.

    So he¡¯s in the capital? That sure does sound pretty convenient seeing as how we were nning to head over eventually anyways.

    ¡ºWelp, so much for finding him Barbra.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. More reasons to go to capital now.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. True that.¡»

    ***

    We headed to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild the next day. Our goal was of course to trade notes with Regus. We¡¯d already gained a rough understanding of where Gallus currently was, but we were still hoping he could provide a bit more info.

    ¡¸Kept waiting?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, I also only just got here. I¡¯ve got a good few bits of info for you.¡¹

    Alrighty. Here¡¯s to hoping it isn¡¯t redundant.

    ¡¸I got us a room upstairs. We should probably head over before I tell you any more.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Regus¡¯ proposal was promising, as it more or less implied that the info he had for us couldn¡¯t be said within the public¡¯s earshot. To that end, we moved upstairs and sat ourselves ross from him.

    ¡¸Silence.¡¹

    ¡¸You really live up to your reputation, ck Lightning Princess. Your wind magic seems to be top notch.¡¹

    Fran used silence to prevent any sound from leaking into our surroundings so we could speak without having to worry about being overheard.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to be honest, I couldn¡¯t pinpoint Gallus¡¯ location.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹

    He then went on to describe what we already knew. That is, he told us Gallus had epted a request from someone associated with the government, and that he¡¯d left Barbra in secret.

    ¡¸Based on your reaction, I¡¯d say you probably knew all that already. I guess that means I¡¯ll have to move on to something you probably don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The person that contacted Gallus was apparently working under Marquis Ashtonah. I can¡¯t say for sure whether the Ashtonah¡¯s issued the request at the country¡¯s request or if they just decided to issue it themselves, but I¡¯m more inclined to say its the former.¡¹

    ¡¸Ashtonah? Heard of somewhere.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the household Celldio was from.¡»

    £¨Godde wanting noble?£©

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the one.¡»

    The Ashtonah household¡¯s employee had attempted to act in absolute secrecy, but he wasn¡¯t able to slip through Regus¡¯ informationwork unnoticed. His identity was evidenced both by the small essory he wore with the family¡¯s crest embedded in it and his use of one of the Ashtonah household¡¯s vis.

    Of course, the person that¡¯d gotten in touch with Gallus wasn¡¯t the only individual Regus had taken note of. Many of the marquis¡¯ retainers had entered the city immediately after the Rynford incident. They tried sneaking around, but ended up standing out as a result.

    ¡¸Oh yeah, take this next bit with a grain of salt. The source I got it from isn¡¯t too reliable, but apparently, a carriage departed from the Ashtonah vi the very same day Gallus was rumoured to have left the city.¡¹

    ¡¸Rode carriage?¡¹

    ¡¸Most likely, yeah.¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t help but have a fairly bad impression of the Ashtonahs. First, they ordered their son to search for Goddes, and now, they¡¯ve even taken Gallus.

    ¡¸Gallus unharmed?¡¹

    ¡¸He should be fine from what I hear. They¡¯re after his skills, so they¡¯re more inclined to treat him well than the opposite.¡¹

    Regus had a pretty solid point. They couldn¡¯t really hurt him or put him in too bad a mood unless they didn¡¯t mind lowering the efficiency of his work. Likewise, they couldn¡¯t brainwash him because there was a chance he¡¯d forget a lot of the things that made him as skilled as he was.

    They couldn¡¯t really threaten him either, because that wouldn¡¯t necessarily lead to him listening to them. The Ashtonahs needed to provide optimal conditions if they wanted him to do what they considered a perfect job.

    ¡¸More importantly, Gallus is considered the Kingdom of Kranzel¡¯s Honourary cksmith. That¡¯s a title only the king can give, which means he¡¯s been recognized by the royal family. Anyone that forces him into anything will probably be tried for treason.¡¹

    ¡¸Silencing him, possible?¡¹

    ¡¸I doubt it. Gallus is important, so important in fact that the state would probablyunch an all out investigation if he goes missing for too long. You can never know whether or not you can hide something you¡¯ve done for good, even if you think you¡¯ve perfectly covered up all your tracks. It¡¯s just not a risk worth the Marquis¡¯ time, especially seeing as how he¡¯d lose everything the moment anyone figures out what he did.¡¹

    I saw Regus¡¯ point, but in my eyes, nobles had the tendency to be stupid enough to take risks like that.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry. Gallus is said to be the closest thing you¡¯ll ever find to a god-tier cksmith. His services are worth a ridiculous amount. They won¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll cause them to risk losing him.¡¹

    Again, Regus had a point. It seemed that we¡¯d gotten the wrong idea, and that there¡¯d been no reason for us to think that he¡¯d been forcibly dragged off. Thinking about it, while Gallus¡¯ letter had made it seem like he¡¯d been forced into something he hadn¡¯t wanted, it didn¡¯t make it seem like he¡¯d been subjected to any sort of violence.

    Him telling us to meet him at the auction could¡¯ve just been interpreted as him just not knowing where he¡¯d actually be until then. He basically was telling us that we¡¯d be able to get in touch with him there. That was all it was.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all I know about Gallus, but I do have a bit more information for you. Specifically, it¡¯s about Marquis Ashtonah and his household.¡¹

    ¡¸Exin?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently one of his subordinates caused some sort of incident. As a result, his secondary residence, which lies here in Barbra, will soon be subject to a government inspection.¡¹

    It seemed that the whole Celldio incident really had caused the country to start suspecting the Marquis. Did that mean that the request they issued Gallus was in some way connected to the incident?

    There was no way for us to discern whether or not that was actually the case because wecked too much information to do so.

    ¡¸He also dispatched a group of knights to the Marou ins, but they weren¡¯t able to reach it. Only a few made it back, most were wiped out in the Forest of Exhaustion.¡¹

    ¡¸Marou ins? Forest of Exhaustion? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, but I wasn¡¯t able to dig *that* deep. I do, however, know that he hired a group of adventurers to try investigating the exact same area after his knights failed him.¡¹

    It seemed that the Marquis was really fixated on the idea of having the Marou ins scoped out. The ins housed B ranked magic beasts, so I had a hard time believing that he actually found anyone capable of doing the job.

    ¡¸The adventurers that epted his request were rather low ranked, so they weren¡¯t able to bring about the results he wanted.¡¹

    Apparently the Marquis didn¡¯t want the whole thing to blow up, so they didn¡¯t make it out to be a big deal or ask for a designated request.

    ¡¸And I think that¡¯s everything I managed to find. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t get you any big reveals.¡¹

    ¡¸Valuable intel.¡¹

    He¡¯d not only verified that Gallus was safe, but also told us quite a bit about the Ashtonah family¡¯s affairs. We definitely got a good bit of value out of his services.

    We paid Regus the 30k Golde we owed him and bid our farewells.

    ¡ºWell, so much for locating Old Man Gallus.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThough, he said he¡¯d get in touch if we went to the auction, so I guess we might as well just wait till it happens.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Alright. Time to go fulfill Gamud¡¯s request, I guess.

 Chapter 236: The Spar Request

    <h4>Chapter 236: The Spar Request</h4>

    ¡ºIt looks like it¡¯s time to do the thing Gamud asked us to do. Why don¡¯t we head on over?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºSo we¡¯re going to be fighting some young adventurers¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Ready to do best.¡¹

    ¡ºI uh¡­ am pretty sure that isn¡¯t what he wanted you to do.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    If anything, we should be more focused on holding back just enough. There was a good chance Fran would destroy the adventurers¡¯ hopes and dreams if she beat them too badly. I knew that Gamud thought well of the group and all, but I highly doubted they were Fran¡¯s match, especially since the nature of his request seemed like it was to beat them down. Still, I doubted they would be that weak. There wouldn¡¯t be any reason for Gamud to ask Fran in particr to spar with them if they wouldn¡¯t at least be able to put up a fight.

    Then again, that might not be the case. Gamud had never proven himself not to be the type of educator that¡¯d throw a chick off a cliff and tell it to fly, just to help it develop a sense of height. Either way, there wasn¡¯t much of a point in sitting around and brooding. We¡¯d be able to figure it out when we saw them.

    With that in mind, we left the room Regus had grabbed and headed back downstairs. I figured there probably wouldn¡¯t be any issue with us just skipping straight over to the guildmaster¡¯s room, but I felt like that vited the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s pipeline. To that end, I had Fran report in by speaking with one of the guild¡¯s many receptionists.

    ¡¸Gamud here?¡¹

    Though, she kinda ended up skipping the whole reporting part given that she just straight up asked for Gamud.

    ¡¸Good morning Fran. We¡¯ve been awaiting your arrival. Please follow me.¡¹

    Thedy that¡¯d responded to Fran¡¯s query led us not to Gamud¡¯s office, but instead to a different room in the back. The room in question seemed like an armoury, as it was crammed full with all sorts of equipment.

    Awaiting us in said room was the guildmaster, all suited up and ready to go.

    ¡¸I¡¯m d you made it!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Why armoured? Joining in spar?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s voice was clearly filled with anticipation. Unfortunately for her though, he ended up denying her query by shaking his head in rejection.

    ¡¸Nah. I¡¯m just going to act as the ref. The armour I¡¯m wearing is supposed to be a contingency, y¡¯know, just in case I happen to get hit. I won¡¯t be taking part at all myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    At first, Fran reacted with disappointment, but she soon recalled that she¡¯d be going up against a group of adventurers so she managed give a motivated nod.

    ¡¸Mmph.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t smash them too hard, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will do best.¡¹

    Uhh¡­ that¡¯s not what I meant¡­

    Fran squeezed down on both her hands in order to express just how motivated she was. It became clear to me that I could no longer do anything for the adventurers she was about to fight but pray for them to have more fortune in their next lives.

    ¡¸Are you ready?¡¹

    ¡¸Anytime.¡¹

    ¡¸Then let¡¯s go. I¡¯m pretty sure the brats are currently using our facilities for training¡¯s sake.¡¹

    Gamud led us to an indoor training ground with a diameter of about 30 meters. Its walls looked pretty thick. You probably wouldn¡¯t be able to damage anything outside the room from within unless you really wanted to.

    ¡¸Gather round, brats!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s good?¡¹

    ¡¸Good morning!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Sup.¡¹

    ¡¸Heya!¡¹

    I¡¯d only been expecting two or three people, but there turned out to be nine. Their personalities varied greatly. The participants included everything fromzy-looking hoodlums to the super uptight kind that had their backs straight with enthusiasm.

    Appraising them allowed me to find out that they were much stronger than I¡¯d been initially expecting. The strongest two were D rank worthy. One was a level 27 Phantom Swordsman, and the other, a level 26 me mage. The rest averaged in at about level 22. Even the weakest, a scout, had managed to make it all the way up to level 20.

    ¡¸Today¡¯s training is going to be sparring.¡¹

    The adventurers immediately began to talk amongst themselves the moment Gamud filled them in on what was going on. It seemed the reason for this was more so because they just happened to be a group that liked to chat as opposed to anything else.

    ¡¸Again?¡¹

    ¡¸Can we fight Forrund instead? I¡¯d like that more.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know right? Mr. Gamud¡¯s pretty bad at holding back.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh god dammit! Shut up!¡¹

    Gamud¡¯s shouted immediately brought silence back to the training ground.

    ¡¸Alright. Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fran.¡¹

    Every single one of the adventurers¡¯ gazes shot to Fran as she introduced herself before shifting over to one of the group¡¯s shielders.

    I didn¡¯t understand why they¡¯d bothered until after I appraised him.

    Only then did I learn that he, Red, had ess to level 7 Appraisal. In other words, they¡¯d looked at him because they themselves weren¡¯t capable of gauging Fran¡¯s strength. They had to rely on him to fill them in because they were still too green to guesstimate her skill level at a nce.

    Unfortunately for them, it was in vain. Fran¡¯s real stats were covered up and hidden away. He wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up anything more than just the random bullsheet we decided fill her stat card out with.

    Red ended up shrugging his shoulders and making an expression that almost made it seem like he was making fun of Fran. The gesture seemed to be an expression of the fact that the spar they would soon engage in wasn¡¯t anything worth noting.

    His message led his peers to rx. If I were to guess, I¡¯d say that they probably assumed that they had to fight Fran because she was going to join them.

    ¡¸She¡¯s going to be taking all of you guys on today.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Are you sure?¡¹

    One of the group¡¯s members responded to Gamud in a questioning tone.

    ¡¸I am. No need to hold back. Be as rough as you¡¯d like. Are you ready, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Gamud¡¯s words led everyone in the group save for the really serious-looking one to start grinning. They appeared to have assumed that Gamud¡¯s instructions had been directed at them and not Fran. Chances were, they were thinking that Gamud wanted them to beat Fran up a bit in order to show her that she still had a ways to go.

    ¡¸Gawts it.¡¹

    I had to say, Gamud was a bit of a doock. He¡¯d purposefully made his words easy to misunderstand so that it¡¯d be easier for Fran to shatter their pride.

    That said, I did have to admit that most of the adventurers Gamud had gathered were indeed fairly talented. They were only as stuck up as they deserved to be. Still, having Fran kick them down a notch was to their benefit.

    ¡¸First up¡¯ll be Dewfo.¡¹

    ¡¸You seriously want me to go first?¡¹

    ¡¸What, did you not want to?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­¡¹

    The first person Gamud had ordered to fight was the highest leveled one, the Phantom Swordsman.

    Fran nced at the guildmaster to double check his intentions, to which he replied with a smile and a wink. Seeing him bat an eysh filled me with a sense of revulsion, but I still managed to get the message. He wanted us to immediately blow the group right off their feet.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t go too hard on him, you hear?¡»

    £¨Nn. Won¡¯t make unfixable with Greater Heal.£©

    ¡ºOh god damn it! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡»

    Personally, I¡¯d been a bit more on the Middle Heal side of things myself. But unfortunately for Dewfo, Fran had already drawn me and happily started walking towards the battleground¡¯s center.

 Chapter 237: The Sparring Begins

    <h4>Chapter 237: The Sparring Begins</h4>

    Dewfo, the young but decently leveled Phantom Swordsman, slowly dragged his feet towards the arena. His face ryed an obvious sense of discontent. One could easily tell that he felt that this whole thing was just a waste of time. He didn¡¯t understand why he, the strongest of the bunch, had to waste his time fighting a weak little girl.

    The guildmaster disregarded his emotions and instead positioned himself between Fran and Dewfo as would any other referee.

    ¡¸Oh and you¡¯re going to have to spar Fran at least twice.¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe if shests that long.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, how about we just say it depends on how well you guys can handle her?¡¹

    Dewfo¡¯s only response was to lightly shrug his shoulders.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already got someone to heal anyone that gets hurt, so hurry up and start.¡¹

    ¡¸Fine, fine. I get it.¡¹

    The person Gamud had called in was honestly one I could only possibly describe as someone¡¯s aunt. She basically looked like the average middle aged viger. Like, seriously. She was even wearing the overly in clothes you¡¯d normally expect a viger to have. She pretty much embodied the concept of ¡°Viger A.¡±

    Despite that, she was still a capable healer. Appraising her allowed me to realize that there was a stark difference between her appearance and her capabilities. She was quite strong. In fact, she was stronger than all the adventurers Gamud had asked us to fight.

    My eyes were immediately drawn to her level 3 Recovery Magic skill, a clear indication that she was even capable of using Greater Heal.

    ¡¸Hi, I¡¯m Beth. I used to be a B ranked adventurer, but then retired and got married, so I¡¯m just a housewife now.¡¹

    ¡¸You say that, but you do still take on the odd request every once in a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Only ¡¯cause their rewards catch your eye, no doubt.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I do have to work hard for those rewards, you know? They really help with our household finances, since my husband¡¯s ie isn¡¯t what you¡¯d call the highest. Ahahaha¡¹

    A part of me almost wanted to say that the woman¡¯s appearance served as the perfect disguise with which she could camouge her abilities.

    Fran caught onto the fact that she would be able to inflict a good bit of damage without having to worry too much. Her eyes had almost began gleaming as a result.

    ¡¸Take your ces and bow as per the routine.¡¹

    ¡¸Dewfo.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸And begin!¡¹

    Both fighters took their stances and raised their weapons as Gamud began the match.

    Neither budged as they stared each other down. It was as if both fighters wanted to let the other take make the first move. Their actions were the same, but their reasonspletely different. Fran had started off by observing her opponent and deducing the extent of his strength. The conclusion she derived was that Dewfo was much weaker than her and that the battle would end the moment she engaged. Hence, she was allowing him to make the first move.

    Dewfo, on the other hand, had ced his trust in the result of Red¡¯s appraisal. He was allowing Fran the first move because he thought she was much weaker than him. His stat page made him look experienced enough to be able to gauge the strength of an opponent thaty right before his eyes, but he wasn¡¯t able to judge Fran regardless. It seemed that his judgement was being clouded because he never so much as even considered the possibility that the young ck catkin girl he was facing off against was stronger than him.

    Seeing him made me once again affirm that getting and maintaining the wrong impression of one¡¯s opponent was a fatal w.

    ¡¸What? Something wrong? Are you not going to attack?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay to?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s question was directed towards Gamud, but Dewfo answered because he¡¯d interpreted otherwise.

    ¡¸It¡¯s normally good manners to let the weaker person seize the initiative at times like these.¡¹

    His words almost made me break out intoughter.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºNah, it¡¯s nothing.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸The hell are you mumbling around for? Hurry up ande at me so we can get this over with. I need to get back to work, and I don¡¯t have all day.¡¹

    ¡¸But letting weaker attack?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Weaker first. You first.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words ended up provoking Dewfo even though she did nothing but state the truth. They pierced right through him and delivered a blow to his pride.

    ¡¸The hell, brat? You trying to put on airs or something?¡¹

    ¡¸Put on airs? Is what?¡¹

    ¡¸It means getting all full of yourself, you damned brat! It¡¯s clear that you¡¯re doing exactly that, seeing as how you¡¯re iming you¡¯re stronger than me!¡¹

    ¡¸But obvious truth.¡¹

    ¡¸Why you little¡­¡¹

    It seemed to me that Dewfo was a bit immature. He started acting like a brat the moment he saw Red dismiss Fran¡¯s abilities. Thinking about it though, it did make sense. Dewfo was older than Fran, but he was still only 22 years old. He was still technically on the much younger side.

    Gamud and Forrund had trained up his abilities, so he was a lot stronger than most of the other adventurers his age, but he probably hadn¡¯t really seen the world or faced any sort of real crisis. He was stillcking the experiences he needed to really grow up.

    That was likely one of the reasons for which Gamud had asked Fran to knock him down a notch in the first ce.

    ¡¸Oi, hurry it up and just attack her already.¡¹

    ¡¸Right? Arguing with her isn¡¯t any less disgraceful than not letting her make the first move, so hurry it up!¡¹

    ¡¸Just show the girl her ce already, damn it!¡¹

    All the other adventurers began urging Dewfo on. None of them seemed to think that the strongest amongst them would end up losing in personalbat, at least not to Fran.

    ¡¸Shut the hell up! Why wouldn¡¯t I rescind the first move to someone weaker than me!?¡¹

    Despite that, he refused to budge. He simply wouldn¡¯t initiate.

    ¡ºWell, it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯ll move until we do, so we might as well just attack.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    Fran brandished me and made a deration before finally initiating.

    ¡¸Will attack now. Defend.¡¹

    ¡¸Haah? Let me guess, the one thing you¡¯re good at is bluffing.¡¹

    ¡¸Now.¡¹

    ¡¸Argh!?¡¹

    As his guard was down, Dewfo wasn¡¯t able to respond to Fran¡¯s attack at all. One moment, she was standing across from him, the next, she was right up in his face. He hadn¡¯t been able to perceive that she had attacked him, but the sharp pain that shot through his leg and forced his knees to buckle informed him that he¡¯d taken a hit.

    ¡¸Graaaagghhhh!¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ Do you think that might¡¯ve been a bit too much for a first strike?¡»

    Fran¡¯s charge had been a rather slow one. She had purposefully held back in order to make Dewfo take her seriously, but things didn¡¯t seem work out the way she intended.

    £¨Hope others take seriously now.£©

    ¡ºYeah, true. They probably will.¡»

    We¡¯d basically made an example out of Dewfo and used him to inform the other adventurers that they¡¯d end up getting totally smashed unless they took Fran seriously.

    £¨Also rematch.£©

    ¡ºRight. He¡¯ll probably take you more seriously next time he has to fight you.¡»

    ¡¸Rashid, you¡¯re next.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Huuuh!?¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry it up!¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir!¡¹

    Gamud shouted and egged the next sacrifice up onto the stage. The person in question was one of the guys that¡¯d been insulting Dewfo just a few moments prior.

    ¡¸Named Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m Rashid. Wait! Hold on a second!¡¹

    Rashid had yet to fully process exactly what¡¯d just happened, but Gamud clearly didn¡¯t care, as he immediately signaled for the next match to start.

    ¡¸Begin!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaahh!¡¹

    Rashid was forced to retire nearly as quickly as Leopaldon. His right arm was blown off the moment he raised his spear and pointed it in Fran¡¯s direction.

    Only then did the adventurers truly register than Fran wasn¡¯t just some random girl. And so, they once again began to tense up as theirpanion¡¯s screams filled the arena.

 Chapter 238: A Scolding From Gamud

    <h4>Chapter 238: A Scolding From Gamud</h4>

    ¡¸Next, Naria.¡¹

    ¡¸Huah!?¡¹

    The third person Gamud picked was the female archer that had joined Rashid in making fun of Dewfo. We used the time she spent approaching to nce over at the man we¡¯d defeated in a matter of moments.

    ¡¸Oh my, what a beautiful looking cut.¡¹

    ¡¸God damn, that hurts.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, stop struggling. Get a grip already. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a man?¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaah! Stop hitting me damn it¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸And now you¡¯re just exaggerating. Geez.¡¹

    The impression I got from the viger auntie made me feel like she was the type to tell the adventurers that their wounds would heal so long as they just spat on them or something, but that wasn¡¯t actually the case. She was doing her job properly and fixing them up with Greater Heal.

    Rashid¡¯s arm was honestly a pretty terrible sight. Blood was flowing out of it nonstop. The viger auntie, however, remained unphased. She simply did her job and treated the wound with a smile. Her actions truly served to evidence that, despite her appearance, she really did have the heart of a former B ranked adventurer.

    Naria turned her head towards Red, as if to ask him to verify the results of his appraisal, to which he responded by shaking his head from left to right. His expression demonstrated clear surprise. He simply didn¡¯t understand why Fran¡¯s abilities differ so greatly from what was written on her stat page.

    ¡¸Named Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Uhm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Her name¡¯s Naria. Begin!¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Sheet!¡¹

    Despite being confused, Naria managed to leap backwards the moment the match began. It seemed that witnessing Fran demolish both Dewfo and Rashid had been enough to at least push her to action. She raised her bow and attempted to aim it in the ck Lightning Princess¡¯ direction, but her attack was t out rejected before it could even be unleashed.

    The distance between the two fighters had already beenpletely erased.

    ¡¸Dammit! She¡¯s so fast! Gyaah!¡¹

    Naria, like Rashid, lost in an instant. She too lost her right arm in a single, momentary engagement.

    Next up was arger man that went by the name Miguel. Unlike his colleagues, he was wearing a rather earnest expression. He was probably the first of the bunch to really take fighting Fran seriously.

    He too gazed at Red for verification, but, the appraiser was no longer capable of providing anything more than just a pale-faced nod.

    ¡¸The name¡¯s Miguel.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸And begin!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    Though Miguel came at Fran more seriously than the rest of his buddies, his attack still seemed to becking in sincerity. He had clearly recognized that Fran had something that prevented Red from seeing her real stats, but he must¡¯ve still held back because he judged Fran based on the way she looked. To that end, his attack almost seemed to becking in power.

    It seemed to me that giving both Red and Miguel a good shock was probably what we needed to do to get rid of the adventurers¡¯ hesitation.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible!¡¹

    To that end, Fran raised me and challenged the blow Miguel had delivered with his greatsword head on. She locked des with her opponent and held me in ce without budging regardless of how hard he pushed.

    She began pushing back after a brief pause, sending him flying through the air. He wasn¡¯t able to resist her. All he could do was get knocked on his ass.

    Neither Miguel nor Red could believe their eyes. They hadn¡¯t thought that it¡¯d be possible for her to block the attack head on, let alone overpower Miguel and push him back given the stats that showed up on her page.

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t all. There was still much more toe.

    ¡¸Stun bolt.¡¹

    ¡¸Guaah!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible!¡¹

    Seeing Fran cast Lightning Magic caused Red to let loose a surprised shout. The skill didn¡¯t show up on Fran¡¯s stat page, so, as far as he knew, there was no way it was possible for her to cast it.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Garrgghh¡­¡¹

    Fran kicked Miguel; she smashed her leg into his face and sent his paralyzed body tumbling several meters back.

    And that was that. Miguel stopped moving altogether. He didn¡¯t even twitch. Red, however, rose to his feet. He was stunned, but still managed to squeeze out a question out of his now-dry throat.

    ¡¸How¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Red?¡¹

    Gamud¡¯s response came in much clearer a tone than Red¡¯s. The situation seemed to have developed the exact way he¡¯d wanted it to.

    ¡¸Tell me, Mr. Gamud. Just who the hell is this brat!?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not sure how you want me to answer.¡¹

    ¡¸My Appraisal skill looks like it¡¯s acting up. It¡¯s telling me that her level¡¯s low, that she can¡¯t use magic, and that she¡¯s got no strength at all. How the hell is she that strong!?¡¹

    Seeing Red express his confusion caused Gamud to break out into a grin.

    ¡¸So you don¡¯t know who she is?¡¹

    ¡¸Why would I!?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s a ck Catkin girl that can cast lightning magic, and one that¡¯s strong enough to instantly beat down Dewfo, Rashid, Naria, and Miguel. Do you really have no idea who she is? What about the rest of you? You got any clues at all?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Silence.

    The only response Gamud got was silence. He¡¯d given them a pretty big hint, so I¡¯d been expecting at least one of them to guess that Fran was the ck Lightning Princess, but it never happened. None of them were capable of answering his question at all.

    Realizing that led Gamud to heave a heavy sigh.

    ¡¸Haah¡­ This is why you guys are still stuck where you are.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You guys started getting cocky the moment you amassed even the slightest bit of strength. You never gather intelligence anymore, and just leave your sess up to fate or chance. You rely too much on Appraisal, you don¡¯t have the ability to judge just how strong someone is without it. And worst of all, you can¡¯t even get yourselves ready for battle even when there¡¯s a clear starting signal.¡¹

    Gamud immediately began pointing out the ws shared by the adventurers he¡¯d taken under his wing. The whole reason that he¡¯d bothered with having us join him today was so he could leave a dent in the group¡¯s pride, so one could say that it was this precise moment that served as the whole session¡¯s climax.

    He reintroduced Fran to the adventurers, whose silent expressions betrayed nothing but a sort of awkward displeasure.

    ¡¸Fran is better known by the nickname, The ck Lightning Princess. She¡¯s a C ranker that participated in this year¡¯s tourney and won herself a spot on the podium by taking down several A rankers.¡¹

    Though Fran¡¯s nickname failed to ring any bells, the group appeared rather surprised nheless. The reason for this seemed to be that they knew just how difficult getting onto the podium was.

    ¡¸And yes, I¡¯m talking about the exact tournament that you all got kicked from a few years ago. I know for a fact that not a single one of you even made it past the preliminaries.¡¹

    ¡¸Ehhh!?¡¹

    ¡¸You have to be kidding me!¡¹

    ¡¸Right, I do remember hearing a few rumours about something like that happening.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but isn¡¯t she a ck Catkin?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe the lot of you. You would¡¯ve been able to recognize her immediately if you just gathered intel by talking to a few local merchants.¡¹

    The exasperated tone in which Gamudined led the adventurers to hang their heads in shame. They knew that he was right. They¡¯d gotten themselves totally wrecked because they hadn¡¯t bothered keeping up to date on recent events.

    ¡¸And again, don¡¯t rely on Appraisal. Some skills will allow people to either disguise their stats or totally deny the Appraisal skill its functionality altogether.¡¹

    ¡¸Fine¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Never forget, the world is vast. There¡¯s always someone stronger than you somewhere out there. If you¡¯re not on¡­¡¹

    Gamud continued to ramble on and on. He didn¡¯t stop until the healerdy started to yawn out of sheer boredom.

    Personally, I¡¯d found his lecture fairly useful. Most of the stuff he said was obvious, but even the most obvious facts were often overlooked unless they were put into words and clearly expressed. Their current situation wasn¡¯t one that we were unlikely to ever find ourselves in, after all.

    The battles we fought in Ulmutt¡¯s arena had taught us caution. The lecture covered simr topics, but more so seemed to be centered around the basics of adventuring.

    ¡¸Whew. Sorry for making you wait.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fine.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve covered most of what I wanted to cover, but could you keep sparring with them? They could use the experience, especially against someone as strong as you.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Fran fearlessly grinned.

    The adventurers she was pit against had lost the ability tough and jeer the way they had when they were first introduced to her. Their expressions had instead been warped in fear. To them, it must¡¯ve seemed like they¡¯d been thrown right into the jaws of a beast.

 Chapter 239: Three Versus One

    <h4>Chapter 239: Three Versus One</h4>

    We decided to continue sparring with the adventurers Gamud took under his wing after he finished lecturing them.

    However, that didn¡¯t go too well. Their moods had hit rock bottom not only because they¡¯d just been scolded, but also because they¡¯d realized that they were no match for Fran.

    They weren¡¯t able to draw out the full extent of their abilities as a result, so she ended up totally crushing them with one hit each even though she was holding back. It took less than five minutes for her to go through a full cycle.

    ¡¸You guys are pathetic¡­ Is that really all you¡¯ve got?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re¡­ terribly¡­ sorry!¡¹

    Gamud spoke a line to provoke the adventurers into taking action, but they didn¡¯t take the bait. Instead, they simply responded with a series of despondent frowns and grimaces.

    They knew that they were far toocking in both strength and experience to beat Fran. That,bined with the fact that she was just a kid, had caused their confidence levels to hit rock bottom.

    We¡¯d been hired because Gamud had wanted us to knock the group down a few pegs. Unfortunately, he seemed to have overestimated them, as they¡¯d ended up totally breaking down instead.

    Fran threw a quick nce in the guildmaster¡¯s direction, as if to ask whether or not there was any point in continuing. We obviously didn¡¯t want to overstress Gamud¡¯s disciples. There was a chance that pushing them harder would lead to them either retiring orpletely losing all motivation to improve whatsoever.

    ¡¸Stop?¡¹

    She quietly whispered the question to him, as if to prevent anyone else from hearing it.

    ¡¸Nah, keep going. The only ones that¡¯ll break from what you¡¯re doing now are the lost causes that never would¡¯ve made it too far to begin with. They would¡¯ve either ended up retiring after some sort of slip up or losing their lives in the field.¡¹

    Techniques can be honed, and skills can be learned. Dispositions, however, are innate. To be frank, Adventuring isn¡¯t the type of career that anyone could pick up and just do. Some people will be better suited to it than others, and that¡¯s that.

    It was much better to realize that during a training session than out in the field where one¡¯s life was at stake. And it was for that reason that I couldn¡¯t help but think of Gamud¡¯s methods as kind. The adventurers he¡¯d taken under his wing were fairly talented. It was only a matter of time before they¡¯d set out for a dungeon or haunt. It¡¯d be far toote for an adventurer to find out that they¡¯d made the wrong career choice in the midst of an expedition.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get on with the second round. Dewfo, Naria, Miguel, you¡¯re up.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh no¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sure¡­¡¹

    Dewfo and Miguel assented reluctantly as Naria squealed in terror.

    ¡¸This next battle will be a 3v1. I take it you have noints?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Though her opponents seemed full ofints, Fran herself seemed all for it as evidenced by the clear way she¡¯d nodded in response.

    ¡¸Oh, and how about this? We¡¯ll ban Fran from retaliating for a good bit. All you guys need to do for it to count as your win is hit her once.¡¹

    I wasn¡¯t too happy about Gamud deciding the rules without consulting us, but I ended up dismissing the thought because it¡¯d only ended up serving to pump Fran up all the more. The restrictions seemed to appeal to Fran¡¯s more childish side, as they made the spar almost seem more like a sort of game.

    Likewise, the adventurers had finally started to show a bit of drive. The three seemed to think that they would be able tond a solid, damaging hit on Fran under the current circumstances, and thus, the three of them engaged in a quick meeting to discuss their n of attack.

    ¡¸It looks like you¡¯re ready. Good. Begin!¡¹

    ¡¸Oryaaah!¡¹

    The first to attack was Miguel. He charged Fran and attacked with a swing of his greatsword. We immediately realized that the strike was a decoy given its unrefined nature.

    Surely enough, Dewfo ended up closing in on us from behind as Miguel closed the gap. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t too bad at sneaking around, but it wasn¡¯t enough to deceive us. Nariaunched an arrow at us right before Dewfo attacked, almost as if to cover for the holes in Miguel¡¯s assault.

    Her shot was precise, and really served to prove that she was actually quite skilled with the bow. It flew under Miguel¡¯s armpit and by his face as he unleashed his strike. Honestly, it was an impressive sneak attack that would¡¯ve caught any less skilled opponent off guard.

    Dewfo¡¯s attack was timed in such a way that it arrived at about the exact same time as Naria¡¯s arrow. They were working together quite seamlessly, as one would expect from a group whose members partied up on a regr basis.

    The Phantom Swordsman¡¯s de seemed to have a sort of skill applied to it, as it seemed to distort in the same way distant objects would on a hot summer day. It seemed that the skill¡¯s purpose was to make it more difficult to figure out the precise manner in which his sword was being manipted, which in turn meant that it gave him a bit of an edge in close quartersbat.

    Though Fran¡¯s three opponents had coordinated quite well, their attacks had failed tond or even surprise her. The ck Lightning Princess was both capable of detecting presences and detecting movement in the air around her. Thus, she caught the arrow with her bare hands and perfectly dodged both iing des. She then leapt out of their newly formed encirclement with ease, an act that caused all three of her foes¡¯ faces to twist in frustration.

    To be fair, I couldn¡¯t really me them. Fran had dodged their perfectly nned and seemingly unavoidable attack with a brilliant disy of agility. The surprise they felt was only natural.

    Still, they continued to attack. They kept trying to hit Fran withbos until Gamud finally gave her permission to retaliate, at which point in time she knocked all three out with a series of kicks. Her victory was apanied by a wave of silence. None of the adventurers that we¡¯d yet to face managed to respond. They all seemed to feel that they wouldn¡¯t be able to so much as scratch her regardless of what they did. That, however, didn¡¯t mean that they gave up. The spars still happened. Our second 3v1 went pretty much the same way as the first, but the third ended up being a bit more interesting.

    Our opponents ended up being Wanda, the me mage whose level just barely fell short of Dewfo¡¯s, Red, the shielder with appraisal, and Liddoock, a spear user. Their demeanors were quite different from one another¡¯s. Red looked like he¡¯d totally started panicking, Wanda seemed surprisingly confident, whereas Liddoock seemed to be going into this whole thing with a serious, professional attitude. To me, he seemed like the most earnest of the nine fledgelings Gamud had taken under his wing.

    One of the things that struck me as the most curious was the source of Wanda¡¯s confidence. She hadn¡¯t been all that motivated as far as the 1v1 went, so I figured it was probably because she assumed that she, as a mage, would be able to shine much more brightly in a group. Thinking about it, I could kinda see where she wasing from. Though Fran had demonstrated her ability to avoid physical strikes with ease, she hadn¡¯t really shown off any of the countermeasures she had for spells.

    Her two party members were clearly of the same opinion, as they focused their strategies around leading Fran around in such a way that she¡¯d be easier for Wanda to aim at. Fran noticed, but she took the bait anyways. She moved right into Wanda¡¯s line of fire.

    ¡¸re st!¡¹

    She went all out. The spell she casted was one with enough power to critically injure a C ranker. It could even produce injuries too severe for Greater Heal to fully restore. The nasty grin that decorated her face demonstrated that it was an intentional choice. The attack wasn¡¯t as powerful as it was because she had identally forgotten to hold back out of desperation, but rather, one she¡¯dunched in order to pay Fran back for all the frustration she¡¯d caused her. It looked like she still needed a bit of discipline and refinement as far as her personality went, but that wasn¡¯t something we bothered concerning ourselves with. Educating her was Gamud¡¯s job, not ours. All we¡¯d been hired to do was smash what was left of her pride to bits.

    ¡¸re st.¡¹

    Fran shot off the exact same spell. Her mes collided with Wanda¡¯s and resulted in an explosion that perfectly neutralized both attacks.

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible! re st!¡¹

    ¡¸re st.¡¹

    ¡¸How¡­!? Fire Javelin!¡¹

    ¡¸Fire Javelin.¡¹

    ¡¸How!? Why!? What!? That¡¯s impossible!¡¹

    Two magical attacks perfectly cancelling each other out wasn¡¯t something that could be considered normal under any circumstance, even if the two in question happened to be instances of the exact same spell. You needed to angle the attacks so they hit each other just the right way while also having a short enough chant speed and enough precise control over one¡¯s mana to match the original attack¡¯s power before it actually hit. In other words, it was an advanced trick that would typically be considered impractical.

    Of course, Fran was he strong and all that, but any other decently skilled mage would¡¯ve been able to pull off the exact same feat. The problemy with Wanda herself. Her chants were long, and shepletely failed to hide any traces of her magical energies. The only skill she really had was me magic. In other words, she was suffering because she relied too much on being a backliner. She was far too used to fighting in an environment crafted for her by her allies.

    Wanda ended up falling onto her knees the moment she realized just how far ahead of her Fran really was. She¡¯dpletely lost the will to fight.

    And so, before long, Fran ended up kicking the third group through the air. We¡¯d assumed that our 12th match would also serve as ourst, but Gamud had other ideas in store. He wanted us to take on all nine of his disciples at once. He clearly wanted to make sure we thoroughly broke their spirits.

    Fran didn¡¯t have any reason to refuse, so she ended up going along with it. The rules were the same as they¡¯d been for the 3v1. Fran wasn¡¯t allowed to attack right off the bat, and it would be considered her loss so long as she was hit even just once.

    They didn¡¯t end up managing to match her. She led them around for about 10 minutes before finally showing them a glimpse of what she could really do by wiping them all out in one go.

    Specifically, she¡¯d ended them with a fire spell with arge area of effect. Gamud had ended up getting hit too, but he almost seemed to enjoy it as he would a cool breeze. We¡¯d purposefully held back, so it didn¡¯t really do that much damage. In fact, I was pretty sure that even the nine we were up against could¡¯ve withstood it so long as they just grit their teeth and endured instead of screaming and letting themselves get blown away.

 Chapter 240: The Sparring Ends

    <h4>Chapter 240: The Sparring Ends</h4>

    ¡¸Those were some pretty decent matches. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸That should fix their attitude problems. Now all I have to do is hope they can pull themselves together.¡¹

    Gamud heaved a heavy sigh as he looked over the nine adventurers we¡¯d just knocked out. Honestly, their skills weren¡¯t all that bad. They¡¯d probably be able to grow much stronger so long as they gained a bit more mental fortitude.

    ¡¸And these idiots thought they¡¯d be good enough to make their way all the way to a haunt¡¯s deepest depths. Can you believe it?¡¹

    ¡¸Haunt? Crystal Cage?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the one. You been there before?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Went to midsection.¡¹

    ¡¸So even you only went that far?¡¹

    The ce Fran was referring to as the Crystal Cage was the one ce we¡¯d gone in search of meat for the cooking contest¡¯s sake. It was also the ce in which we first saw Forrund. I still remember it quite well because we witnessed him totally wreck a thunderbird, a B ranked magic beast. Admittedly, the only reason I still remembered seeing him do that was because it¡¯d freaked me out a bit.

    ¡¸Want to go to depths? Not midsection?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Anyone can visit the midsection whenever, but you aren¡¯t supposed to go there or into any of the even deeper areas without getting permission first. There isn¡¯t anyone keeping watch, so the rule isn¡¯t enforced, but it¡¯s still important. I mean, it was only made in the first ce ¡¯cause it was supposed to protect people and keep ¡¯em away. Most of the people who break the rule end up dead.¡¹

    The Crystal Cage was a bit of a weird ce in the sense that there was a pretty big disparity in the ranks of the magic beasts you could find there. It only made sense for the guild to tell adventurers to stay the hell out of ces they weren¡¯t strong enough to be in.

    ¡¸The risk isn¡¯t the only thing that goes up as you head deeper into the haunt. The rewards you reap do too. That¡¯s why people tend to break the rule and go deeper than they should.¡¹

    Sessfully defeating the magic beasts within the haunt¡¯s deeper parts would good rewards. Likewise, going deeper would also increase your chances of finding rare materials and herbs.

    ¡¸Apparently, these brats have sessfully hunted magic beasts in the midsection a couple times already.¡¹

    That sounded right to me. They did seem just about strong enough to pull it off.

    ¡¸They were lucky enough not to run into anything particrly nasty, so they managed to get out safe and sound. It¡¯s why they started going on and on about wanting permission to visit the depths. The depths are a bit different ¡¯cause they¡¯re blocked off by a magic barrier. You can¡¯t enter or leave unless you¡¯re given permission ahead of time.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    ¡¸The reason they want to go to the depths is ¡¯cause there¡¯s a ce you can mine some pretty decent ores around there. They want to make use of them so they can get themselves some new equipment.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t want to fight?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They seem to be confident they¡¯ll be fine so long as they run away from everything that attacks them.¡¹

    Gamud¡¯s disciples were cocky, but they understood that there was no way they¡¯d be able to defeat a B ranked magic beast. That said, I wasn¡¯t all that sure they¡¯d be able to get away from one either. The thunderbird we saw was really fast. I felt that there was a chance even we would have trouble getting away from one unless we teleported around. There was also a good chance they¡¯d be intercepted by other magic beasts as they ran. Letting them go was effectively the same thing as letting them march to their deaths.

    That was probably precisely why Gamud had asked us to shatter their pride. He wanted to stop them before they did something really stupid.

    ¡¸Thunderbird. Can¡¯t run.¡¹

    ¡¸They probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get away from a flock of storm eagles either.¡¹

    ¡¸Also darkness wolves. Like Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, that reminds me. You had a darkness wolf for a familiar, didn¡¯t you? Whatever happened to it?¡¹

    ¡¸Sleeping in shadow.¡¹

    Urushi didn¡¯t show any interest in the spars because he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to participate. As a result, he ended up sleeping in Fran¡¯s shadow all morning.

    ¡¸Right¡­ Actually, that gives me a bit of an idea¡­¡¹

    ***

    Gamud had his nine disciplines line up side by side after they regained consciousness.

    ¡¸Well? You finally understand how weak you all are now?¡¹

    They turned their gazes downwards in response to the guildmaster¡¯s question. It didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d been too willing to ept their own deficiencies. Rather, they¡¯d instead painted Fran as some sort of incredibly talented genius and came to the conclusion that it was only natural for her to be better than them. In other words, Gamud had failed to achieve his goal, an issue that he himself had alsoe to realize.

    ¡¸¡­Alright, we¡¯re going to be doing just one more spar.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Again¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on! Give me a break already!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut yer traps and listen goddamit! Thisst battle¡¯ll be different from all the others. Fran, if you could.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, out.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi rose out of Fran¡¯s shadow before going from his dog-like form to his usualrger one. It was quite the intimidating act to watch.

    ¡¸This is Urushi, Fran¡¯s familiar. He¡¯s a C ranked darkness wolf, the kind you¡¯re prone to running into around the Crystal Cage¡¯s midsection.¡¹

    Gamud¡¯s words amounted to nothing but total dog sheet. The only part of it that was true was that darkness wolves were C ranked threats. Urushi, however, was different. He not only had a unique skill, but had also gotten a lot stronger because he¡¯d trained with us. It honestly wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say he was pretty much on the verge of being a B ranked threat instead. He was much stronger than any of the magic beasts one would find in the Crystal Cage¡¯s midsection.

    Red, however, didn¡¯t know that. Hence, he ended up informing hisrades that Gamud was indeed telling the truth because his Appraisal skill had told him that Urushi was indeed a darkness wolf.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll let you guys enter the Crystal Cage¡¯s depths if you can prove to me that you can escape from Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Really!?¡¹

    ¡¸You have my word, and as a man, I¡¯m rather inclined to keep it.¡¹

    The current circumstance was the conclusion Gamud hade to after discussing his idea with us. The rules were as follows: the adventurers were to gather in the training ground¡¯s center while Urushi stood by near the wall opposite the entrance. If at least five adventurers managed to escape him, then they would be considered the victors. However, they would lose in the case that Urushi managed to take down that same number.

    Not everyone needed to escape because Gamud had determined that they only needed five members to be able to make it back to the haunt¡¯s entrance in one piece.

    Hearing the conditionsid out for them caused the adventurers¡¯ expressions to brighten. They seemed to think that the conditions were in their favour, and that they¡¯d finally have permission to explore the Crystal Cage¡¯s depths.

    They quickly agreed, and so, they joined Urushi in a game of tag.

    ¡¸Run!¡¹

    ¡¸Uryaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s all up to you!¡¹

    The faster adventurers immediately darted towards the gate while Miguel, the greatsword user, and three others attempted to engage Urushi inbat in order to pin him down.

    In other words, their n had been to abandon four of their members right off the bat. Most notable of the bunch that¡¯d been left behind was Wanda, who¡¯d let loose a Fire Arrow in Urushi¡¯s direction.

    For a moment, it almost seemed like they¡¯d won. The escapees had made almost made it to the gate, and Urushi hadn¡¯t budged. But that all changed when he finally decided to move. He disregarded almost all the attacks that came at him; they bounced right off his fur without inflicting even the slightest bit of harm. The only one he bothered responding to was the Fire Arrow, which he swatted out of the air with a paw before breaking into a howl.

    ¡¸Awoooooo!¡¹

    Fear appeared all over the adventurers¡¯ faces. Their limbs froze in ce, as if they¡¯d been petrified. Urushi¡¯s howl was an application of the Howl, Fear, and Darkness Magic skills. Thebination of the three abilities gave his cry the effect of terrifying any lower leveled foes.

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The next thing the wolf did was use Shadow Slip to teleport while the party of nine was still frozen in a mix of fear and awe. His destination was obviously the door; he sealed off their escape.

    He hit the five closest adventurers with his paws and dark spells as lightly as he could in order to send them flying back towards the room¡¯s center.

    His foes failed to realize that he¡¯d been holding back, and as a result, interpreted his weakened attacks as a sign that he didn¡¯t have much offensive ability. Hence, they decided to work together and attack him all at once. They chose defeating him over yielding.

    ¡¸Sheet!¡¹

    ¡¸One more time!¡¹

    They continued pressing on an in attempt to beat him down, but to no avail. All their physical attacks bounced off their fur. Likewise, their spells didn¡¯t end up having any effect either. He tore right through them with his fangs. They were able to put a little bit of damage on him from time to time, but he would heal it all off with Regeneration before he took any more.

    But again, they didn¡¯t let up. They knew they had to get him away from the door, so they ended uping up with a strategy. That is, they once again split into the same two groups as before, with Miguel¡¯s once again functioning as a decoy. Their intentions were obvious, and Urushi knew that he would eventually win so long as he just sat still by the doorway. Still, he decided to take the bait. He understood that the group wouldn¡¯t get much out of training with him unless he yed along.

    Dewfo¡¯s group took the opportunity to move towards the exit while avoiding Miguel¡¯s. They¡¯d even stuffed their ears with cloth this time around so Urushi wouldn¡¯t be able to catch them twice with the same trick. Their faces were decorated with triumphant smiles. They thought they¡¯d finally won.

    All they needed to do was step out the door while Urushi beat down Miguel.

    But they failed.

    They failed to grasp the extent of Urushi¡¯s abilities.

    ¡¸Growl!¡¹

    The wolf¡¯s Darkness Magic allowed him to knock all four decoys out in an instant; they hadn¡¯t even been able to buy the escaping party a full second. Though Dewfo¡¯s group was very clearly intimidated by the ease with which Urushi had defeated their allies, they didn¡¯t falter. Victory was right before their eyes.

    Too bad for them, it simply wasn¡¯t meant to be.

    Urushi spun around and immediately chased down the party on the verge of escape. He zoomed right past them and once again blocked off the room¡¯s exit.

    ¡¸That¡¯s ridiculous¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Why is it so fast!?¡¹

    All five remaining adventurers realized that there was no way they could actually outrun Urushi, so they tried to take him down with onest desperate struggle ¡ª to no avail.

    The first and second were hit by Urushi¡¯s front paws. One ended up crashed into a wall after flying a full 10 meters. The other was knocked onto the ground. He tackled the third, swatted the fourth with his tail, and used Darkness Magic to half-kill Dewfo, the fifth and final adventurer.

    Less than 30 seconds had passed since he overtook them, but they¡¯d already all been rendered incapable ofbat. There was no doubt that they would¡¯ve died had this not been just a spar.

    ¡¸And the winner is Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Awwooooooo!¡¹

    Urushi let loose a spirited howl. It¡¯d been a while since he¡¯d been allowed to get a bit rowdy, so he was quite content with what¡¯d just happened.

    ¡¸And that¡¯s it for today. ¡®Course this time, I actually mean it.¡¹

    The adventurers managed to regain their consciousnesses, but they seemed quite exhausted. Urushi was a magic beast, so losing to him had felt much more impactful, as it made them feel like they actually could¡¯ve lost their lives.

    We did all we could. The only other thing we could possibly do was hope that Gamud¡¯s disciples actually ended up learning the lesson their instructor had wanted to teach them.

 Chapter 241: In Search of A Ship

    <h4>Chapter 241: In Search of A Ship</h4>

    Gamud led Fran back up to his office in order to give his disciples a bit of time to cool down.

    ¡¸Thanks for today, you were a great help. Sorry it ended up taking so long.¡¹

    ¡¸Not problem. Also learned.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thank you very much.¡¹

    Fran bowed to Gamud in an expression of gratitude.

    At a nce, it seemed that Gamud had only made the request because he wanted us to beat down his disciples in order to curb the extent of their arrogance, but it was actually more than just that. He wanted Fran to learn a simr lesson. It was as if he was indirectly telling her that he didn¡¯t want to see her get conceited. He wanted to make sure she was aware that there were stronger fighters out there, and that she would die if she didn¡¯t remain aware of her own limits.

    She picked up on his intentions even though I hadn¡¯t mentioned them to her, hence why she chose to respectfully thank him.

    ¡¸I dunno why you¡¯re thanking me. You were the one that helped me out, after all.¡¹

    The guildmaster turned his face away from her out of embarrassment, an act that essentially verified his intentions.

    ¡¸Nn. Still wanted to thank.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re still young. You¡¯ve got plenty of time to grow, so don¡¯t push yourself too hard, you hear?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Fran thanked Gamud onest time and epted the request¡¯s payout before finally turning heel and leaving the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.

    ¡ºAlright. It¡¯s finally time for us to find ourselves a ship.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Search immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYou two sure seem pumped. Did something happen?¡»

    ¡¸Tonight, curry. Io.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t bete. No matter what.¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    Fran and Urushi looked at each other and nodded in perfect sync. It was almost as if their appetites had somehow allowed them tomunicate while forgoing the need for words altogether.

    They were motivated for all the wrong reasons, but I didn¡¯t really mind so long as their attitudes would help us find a ship sooner rather thanter. That said, I didn¡¯t want us boarding anything too sketchy. We could alwayse back tomorrow if we didn¡¯t manage to find anything decent by dinnertime.

    ¡¸To harbour.¡¹

    ¡ºI hope we¡¯ll actually be able to find something with the Beastkin Country¡¯s crest on it.¡»

    Finding one would make things more convenient because the Beast Lord had given us that one thing, but honestly, it didn¡¯t matter too much. It seemed that Fran, or rather, the ck Lightning Princess, had be famous enough even in Barbra for us to get ourselves an escort job with ease.

    I was more so concerned as to whether or not there would be any ships headed towards our destinations in the first ce, and how big they were if they did actually exist.

    Personally, I was hoping to board arger ship, preferably something on the scale of an ocean liner. I wasn¡¯t really all that confident in a smaller ship¡¯s ability to make it all the way over to another continent.

    While size was important, it wasn¡¯t the only thing we had to take into consideration. We also had to consider the crew¡¯s attitude. The ck Cat Tribe was apparently no longer being looked down upon by the country itself, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that all its citizens felt the same way. There wasn¡¯t really much of a point in boarding a ship whose crew consisted mainly of people that discriminated against Fran and her people. The captain¡¯s attitude was of particr importance, as it would dictate the manner in which his crew operated.

    ¡¸Nom nom. That ship?¡¹

    ¡¸Nom. Woof. Nom.¡¹

    Fran and Urushi were both fully aware that they were going to have curry for dinner tonight, but they still ended up choosing to chow down on a couple curry voured skewers as they looked around for a ship.

    ¡¸Look.¡¹

    ¡ºDid you happen to see a really nice looking ship or something?¡»

    ¡¸That. Looks tasty.¡¹

    ¡ºOh. That¡¯s what you meant.¡»

    The catgirl slowly drifted towards a nearby stall, seemingly attracted by its scent. The dish being sold had quite the interesting appearance to it. They folded up a bunch of dough in a conical shape before pping something that kinda looked like Qeema Curry with all its liquid drained on top. It was kinda like an ice cream cone, but made with curry instead.

    Both mypanions happily shoved the stuff down their throats instead of actively looking around. It kinda seemed like I would have to take care of all the actual searching.

    We spent a bit more time in the port¡¯s general vicinity as the two gluttons I was apanying went around buying and eating whatever they pleased. During that time, I managed to spot two different ships with the Beastkin¡¯s Country¡¯s crest, but I didn¡¯t particrly want to board either of them.

    My reasons were as follows: the first ship seemed worn down and belonged to a really smallpany hoping to profit from international trade. All the crew members were rtively low level, and the same went for their sailing-rted skills. I didn¡¯t feel like it was safe to board, in fact, I was more or less convinced that it was going to sink. The second ship was in much better shape, it looked prim and proper. The same, however, couldn¡¯t be said for its crew. They couldn¡¯t be called decent regardless of how you looked at them. They weren¡¯t really pirates just yet, but they were definitely getting there. We couldn¡¯t trust them. Boarding their ship was clearly a terrible idea.

    As we hadn¡¯t found anything, we ended up wandering around the port for a bit longer, at which point in time we were greeted by a male merchant.

    ¡¸Hey there!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you maybe looking to escort a ship?¡¹

    ¡¸How can tell?¡¹

    Though we were on guard at first, we soon came to understand that our goal was fairly obvious to the average bystander. Most immediately recognized Fran as the ck Lightning Princess because she happened to be a young ck Catkin girl with a wolf at her side. In other words, they recognized her as an adventurer instead of just your everyday average girl.

    She¡¯d very obviously been looking at the ships that happened to be around, so the merchant had put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Fran needed to cross the sea. It was fairly typical for adventurers to take on escort missions in order to hitch rides, after all.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why I approached you. What do you think about escorting my ship?¡¹

    Hiring an adventurer as strong as the ck Lightning Princess would not only secure the man¡¯s cargo, but also allow him to promote himself as a prestigious merchant. He sweetened up the deal by not only offering us a ride, but also a pretty decent reward along with it.

    Though the offer was quite promising, we couldn¡¯t take it without first sorting out a few facts.

    ¡¸Destination?¡¹

    ¡¸We were nning to set sail for the continent of Reddina.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t.¡¹

    The merchant looked quite disappointed, but ended up backing off shortly after Fran shook her head. I¡¯d expected him to be a bit more persistent, but it seemed he was the type that knew that getting on Fran¡¯s bad side wasn¡¯t that great of an idea.

    He wasn¡¯t the only merchant to speak to us. A few more tried asking us the same thing, but unfortunately, none of them were headed to Chrom, the continent in which the Beastkin¡¯s Country was located. Still, we kept looking around and didn¡¯t give up. In the end, it took us about three hours looking to finally find a ship whose destination was in line with our own.

    I didn¡¯t know too much about ships myself, but, the bit of knowledge I¡¯d managed to pick up from a certain pirate-themed manga told me that the ship in question was probably a galleon. It had five masts, and was definitely one of the biggest ships moored at the harbour. It even had a Beastkin¡¯s Country¡¯s crest on it, namely one decorated with a crown, meaning it was a ship that worked directly under the royal family. The sailors on board seemed disciplined, but lively nheless, asughter often boomed from atop the ship¡¯s deck ¡ª a sign that the environment they worked in was at least decent. In other words, both the ship and its crew seemed like the kind we could put our faith in. Moreover, they would probably aodate us if they could because we had Royce¡¯s ID card on hand, so I decided to try asking to see if they could let us on board.

    ¡ºHey Fran, how about checking that ship out?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

 Chapter 242: Boarding Decision Made

    <h4>Chapter 242: Boarding Decision Made</h4>

    We began moving towards the ship we had our eyes on, the massive galleon with the Beastkin¡¯s Country¡¯s crest on it. Its size made it seem like the type that wouldn¡¯t have too much trouble crossing the ocean.

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ We¡¯re probably going to need to talk to the captain. What do you think we¡¯ll need to do to get ourselves a meeting with him?¡»

    ¡¸Call out to crew?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s definitely an option, but I¡¯m not really sure if the crew¡¯ll know anything about you¡­¡»

    The crew¡¯s members weren¡¯t merchants or adventurers, but sailors. They spent most of their time at sea, so I highly doubted they¡¯d know much about Fran at all. That in turn meant they probably wouldn¡¯t be willing to call for the captain just because she, some random little girl, told them she wanted to meet him.

    There was no guarantee they¡¯d actually know the ID Fran had was the real thing either. They could easily call it a fake and dismiss us. The captain, on the other hand, probably had the ability to actually discern that it was genuine.

    ¡ºWhat do you think of sitting around until we see someone that looks like they might be a bit higher on the corporatedder and then just calling out to them?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Will call now.¡¹

    ¡ºWhatever works for you works for me.¡»

    Fran¡¯s method was straight forward, but it still did work, especially seeing as how there wasn¡¯t really a need for us to go into this thing with a n in the first ce. More importantly, Fran wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. She really didn¡¯t want to bete for dinner.

    ¡¸Going.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The sailors seemed to be in a meeting of sorts, but both Fran and Urushi ran up to them and attempted to get their attention regardless.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸Hi there. Did you n¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s u¡ª¡¹

    The sailors had responded to Fran in a light-hearted fashion, but ended up immediately stopping and freezing up when they caught sight of Urushi. They then immediately began looking back and forth between the two without continuing what they were saying earlier.

    Both their faces were clearly decorated with expression of shock. Fran didn¡¯t really pay them any mind, and instead, moved onto asking for their boss.

    ¡¸Adventurer, named Fran. Want to talk to captain.¡¹

    I felt like she could¡¯ve been a bit more careful with how she introduced herself. I honestly wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they turned her away because of her poor mannerisms.

    But much to my surprise, they ended up doing the exact opposite.

    ¡¸Alright! Give us just a second!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll go grab the captain!¡¹

    A part of me felt like they probably recognized Fran.

    ¡¸You said your name was Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you perhaps the ck Lightning Princess? The one everyone¡¯s been talking abouttely?¡¹

    My suspicions were on point. They really did know exactly who Fran was.

    ¡¸Yup.¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously!? Wait, I could¡¯ve sworn the rumours said the ck Lightning Princess had evolved¡­¡¹

    The sailor¡¯s words reminded me that Beastkin were able to discern whether or not another Beastkin had evolved. It was a function that clearly worked even amongst different tribes given that Fran was able to discern that both Aurel and the Beast Lord had evolved.

    Fran, however, had the Evolution Concealment skill, meaning other Beastkin wouldn¡¯t be able to tell whether she was just a ck Catkin or actually something more. Hence, the sailor must¡¯ve felt confused by the discrepancy between what he saw and what the rumours had told him.

    There wasn¡¯t really much of a point in Fran exining her circumstances, so she decided to ask her a question of her own in order to move the conversation forward.

    ¡¸Evolved ck Catkin. Never seen before?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m from the Beastkin¡¯s Country and I meet a lot of beastkin because of my line of work, but I can¡¯t say I have.¡¹

    It seemed that Fran really was the only evolved ck Catkin out there, which did make sense in its own right. One would need to kill either 1000 Evil Beings or a single A ranked Evil Being in order to undo the curse. It was very unlikely that anyone would end up identally fulfilling either of the two conditions.

    And honestly, the second way of undoing the curse was basically just there for decoration. The only way for an unevolved ck Catkin to solo an A ranked Evil Being was to have a miraculous stroke of luck.

    The other condition, hunting down 1000 Evil Beings a piece, was the much less difficult to achieve. There was a chance that the other ck Catkin could eventually evolve if we spread knowledge of it far and wide. The stronger ones could even find themselves evolving into ck Heavenly Tigerkin.

    It¡¯d be possible to defeat an S ranked Evil Being and undo the curse on a species wide level so long as enough ck Heavenly Tigerkin came to be; there was definitely a chance for the ck Cat Tribe to one day remove its curse.

    Having the entire race actively hunt down Evil Beings was something that benefited the gods. In fact, the whole point of the curse was to make the ck Cat Tribe repent through battle to begin with, but the Beast Lords of old had disallowed the ck Catkin their penitence.

    Fortunately, the current Beast Lord was nothing like his predecessors. The situation would probably change for the better once he started disseminating information regarding the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s current evolutionary conditions. Of course, we couldn¡¯t leave it all up to him. We too had to make sure we spread the word once we reached the Beastkin¡¯s Country.

    The sailor that¡¯d left brought over an important looking man as I continued to contemte the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s situation. His massive frame, which spanned arge area both horizontally and vertically, was decked to hell and back with huge burly muscles.

    He was wearing a captain¡¯s hat atop his head, specifically the kind you¡¯d typically expect a pirate ship¡¯s captain to have. The only difference between his hat and a real pirate¡¯s was that the skull had been swapped out for a crown bearing version of the Beastkin¡¯s Country¡¯s crest.

    ¡¸Oh? Are you perhaps the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, I see. I¡¯ve heard quite a bit about you from all the merchants passing through the city.¡¹

    He started off with a rather grim expression, but he quickly reced it with a friendly smile after seeing Fran nod in response to his words.

    ¡¸So what¡¯d you need me for?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Looking for ship. Going to Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡¹

    ¡¸Were you wanting to board our ship as a guard for the trip¡¯s duration?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Great, looks like we¡¯ve got ourselves one hell of a reliable escort then.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay to board?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Course it is. I can tell just by looking at you that you¡¯re one damned strong fighter.¡¹

    The captain seemed to be quite decent inbat himself seeing as how he was able to discern that Fran was strong with just a nce.

    With all the pleasantries out of the way, we decided to show him the emblem we¡¯d gotten from Royce.

    ¡¸Huh. You¡¯ve even got one of His Majesty¡¯s IDs¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Genuine.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d assume so, seeing as how you¡¯re the ck Lightning Princess, but I¡¯ll have to run it by to check if it¡¯s actually real a bitter on.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸The Adventurers¡¯ Guild will get mad at us if we don¡¯t make sure the request goes through them, so we¡¯re probably going to have to get that handled. You mind tagging along?¡¹

    It seemed the captain couldn¡¯t actually employ us on the spot, but he was more or less willing to do the equivalent. Having the guild handle the request was also beneficial to him in the sense that it¡¯d allow him to verify Fran¡¯s identity.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    It also seemed like he was nning to hire a few other adventurers as well just so he could have more hands in the case of an emergency. We didn¡¯t really see any problems with it, so we apanied the captain to the guild and epted the request the moment it was done being processed.

    ¡¸Leaving when?¡¹

    ¡¸We should be setting sail in three days if all goes well.¡¹

    He wasn¡¯t too sure about the precise date because it could change based on magic beast sightings and the weather. Storms in particr tended to be a major source of dy.

    ¡¸Got it. Will go to ship in 3 days.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds good to me. It¡¯s good to be working with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Same.¡¹

    Fran and the captain exchanged a shake of hands before going their separate ways. We probably wouldn¡¯t see him again for another three days. That said, I was already looking forward to boarding that huge ass ship of his.

 Chapter 243: The Orphanageâ€™s Current State

    <h4>Chapter 243: The Orphanage¡¯s Current State</h4>

    ¡¸Nom nom nom nom nom!¡¹

    ¡¸Om nom om nom nom!¡¹

    ¡¸You two sure are digging in.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow Fran! You¡¯re so awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Look at Urushi! He¡¯s super amazing too!¡¹

    We were currently at the orphanage, where Urushi and Fran were both rapidly tucking Io¡¯s curry away. They were eating so vigorously that I was starting to worry whether they¡¯d give themselves stomachaches.

    I was also concerned as to whether or not it was okay for them to eat as much as they were, given that they were at an orphanage. Fortunately, Io didn¡¯t really seem to mind. In fact, seeing them eat the way they were had caused her to break into a smile.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve made a whole lot, so eat all you¡¯d like.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! More.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Howrge a serving would you like?¡¹

    ¡¸Huge.¡¹

    ¡¸Roof¡¹

    In the end, the pair ended up eating five superrge servings apiece, to which the children reacted with both admiration and a bit of resentment. It seemed like they¡¯d probably be able to have curry the next morning so long as Fran and Urushi didn¡¯t eat it all.

    Some of the kids had actually cared much less about that, and much more about how much Fran could actually eat. Though they seemed a bit less attached to the curry itself, a fair portion of them still ended up gazing at her a bit reproachfully because their incorrect predictions had caused them to gamble away a part of their breakfast.

    I figured it¡¯d probably be a good idea for us to pay Io backter for all the food we ate. The orphanage was definitely much better off than it¡¯d been before, but it was still an orphanage nheless.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Ruff.¡¹

    ¡¸No, thank you. I¡¯m d you enjoyed it as much as you did.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Tasty.¡¹

    Fran patted her now swollen stomach a few times to express just how content she felt. The curry Io made was clearly ridiculously delicious, so much that she almost seemed a bit envious of the fact that she couldn¡¯t have it on a regr basis.

    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t something I was capable of imitating. Io was running an orphanage, so she obviously hadn¡¯t used any super expensives spices. She was only really using the standard kinda stuff, meaning the curry she made was only as delicious as it was because of her abilities as a chef. I would¡¯ve been able to mimic her variation of the dish had I watched her throughout the entire preparatory process, but I hadn¡¯t.

    The children had already finished their meals, and didn¡¯t have much of a reason to stick around, so they went off to y. The only people left in the cafeteria were Fran, Urushi and Io.

    ¡¸Leaving now.¡¹

    Fran stood up and got ready to go as she stroked her stomach.

    ¡¸Already? You should really take it easy and stay around for a while. I¡¯ll even make you some tea if you do.¡¹

    ¡¸Brewed by Io?¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. I can even get you some snacks with it if you¡¯d like, though unfortunately, all we have is baked sweets.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes please.¡¹

    Fran had been presented a chance to have herself some Io-brand tea alongside some Io-brand tea time snacks, a chance her more gluttinous side simply refused to miss.

    Driven by her appetite, she sat herself back in the chair with a series of graceful, flowing movements. Likewise, Urushi, who shared her dietary interests, also positioned himself in a chair while clearing his expression of all butposure.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry Urushi, I¡¯ll make sure you get your share too.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The baked sweets Io made were quite simple. They only contained sugar, flour, and eggs, but a simple nce at the way Fran and Urushi reacted to tasting them made it quite apparent that they were delicious regardless. The same went for the tea even though the leaves used to brew it were considered rather cheap. Both gluttons enjoyed the experience so much that they ended up wearing expressions of bliss throughout the culinary experience.

    Io watched over the two with a smile basically the whole way through. More specifically, she waited for Fran to finish draining her tea before addressing her in a much more serious tone than usual.

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    Her expression turned serious as she bowed as she spoke a few words of appreciation.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I admit I splurged a bit for today¡¯s sake since I knew you wereing, but it was well worth it. Your actions have brought genuine smiles to the children¡¯s¡¯ faces. They¡¯ve just been overflowing with joy ever since you reached out and offered us your help.¡¹

    Fran stayed silent and listened as Io continued to speak.

    ¡¸We, the children and I, used to spend our days with the constant fear that we wouldn¡¯t have enough to eat. The children still used to smile, but not the pure, carefree way they do now.¡¹

    They never knew when the orphanage would end up having to shut down, so it only made sense for them never to really have peace of mind. Children had the tendency to be naive, but that didn¡¯t mean they were stupid. The building they lived in was more or less decrepit, they only had very little to eat, and they¡¯d even been bothered by a loan shark every once in a while. The signs were all there, and they were more than obvious enough to tell the children that the orphanage wasn¡¯t doing too well.

    All the adults involved would always try their best to hide their financial troubles from the children. This would stress them and cause the children to notice their displeasure, which in turn stressed the children out, which of course only lead to the adults redoubling their efforts. It was a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

    ¡¸Thank you very much for allowing the children to smile again.¡¹

    ¡¸Helped by Amanda. Not me.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right. Amanda was the one that helped us out of our conundrum, but that was something she¡¯d only done because of you. She would¡¯ve never had the opportunity to help us if not for you informing her of our plight. Thank you, thank you so much.¡¹

    Io pushed herself into an even deeper bow, as if to demonstrate that she couldn¡¯t thank Fran enough for what she¡¯d done.

    ***

    And so, an hour flew right by.

    Things ended up getting a bit awkward after Io finished apologizing, seemingly because both parties were feeling a bit embarrassed. The two had been on pretty good terms to begin with, so they managed to drive the difort out of the air around them and get back to engaging in conversation.

    ¡¸Leaving now.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry I kept you for so long.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Io escorted us all the way over to the orphanage¡¯s entranceway. We tried to offer her some cash given all we¡¯d eaten, but she ended up stubbornly refusing any form of payment. She insisted that she¡¯d only fed us as a way of expressing her thanks, and that there was no way she could charge us for it.

    £¨Master, what do?£©

    In the end, we ended up holding onto the money we¡¯d nned on giving her. I figured it would be rude to force her to take it after all she¡¯d said, and that she¡¯d actually be much happier not epting it.

    Speaking of happiness, Fran seemed to be in a great mood. She¡¯d even hummed a rare tune as we made our way back to the inn.

    ¡ºWas the curry she made really that tasty?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Oh god damn it. I¡¯m going to have to try really hard not to let her best me.

    ¡¸Besides.¡¹

    ¡ºBesides what?¡»

    ¡¸Seemed happy. Both Io and orphans.¡¹

    ¡ºThat they did.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. d.¡¹

    To Fran, the orphans under Io¡¯s care weren¡¯t just strangers. They were people whose situation paralleled her own. She too had lost her parents at a young age, so, she must¡¯ve empathized with them. Seeing them happy had tugged at her emotions and filled her with a wholehearted sense of joy.

    ¡ºYeah, I guess you¡¯re right. I¡¯m also d everything ended up working out in their favour.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 244: Aboard a Ship

    <h4>Chapter 244: Aboard a Ship</h4>

    Fran, Urushi and I spent the three days leading up to our ship ride walking around the city, eating, and justzing around. The rare bit of downtime served to function as a decent break from all the action we normally threw ourselves right into.

    We actually ended up visiting the orphanage a second time. Our timing had been a bit off, so Fran and Urushi didn¡¯t end up catching themselves a meal, but they did manage to get themselves a cup of tea and couple baked sweets, which, for our purposes, was more than enough. The whole reason we¡¯d visited was so we could give them a bunch of stuff, and use their hospitality as just cause for doing so. Of course, we made sure to give them more than enough stuff to also make up for all the curry Fran and Urushi had consumed. I figured they probably wouldn¡¯t be all thatfortable with us giving them money, so we ended up giving them ingredients instead. More specifically, we handed off a bunch of flour, some sugar, and several different kinds of spices.

    Thoughzing around was nice and all, we were still rather keen on actually going ces. To that end, we set out early in the morning on the day we were scheduled to leave and immediately headed in the ship¡¯s direction.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re finally taking our first step towards the Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Can¡¯t wait.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure we can do a much better job at guarding the ship this time around than we did thest. That said, don¡¯t forget to enjoy the ride.¡»

    ¡¸Can¡¯t wait. Tough foes.¡¹

    We¡¯d gotten a lot stronger since ourst boat trip. I was pretty sure we¡¯d be able to handle anything that came at us with ease, save for maybe the Midgard Wyrm.

    When we arrived at the ship, we saw the captain talking to a group of people that seemed to belong to some sort of government office. I wasn¡¯t really sure exactly what he was talking about, but he wrapped things up and began calling out to Fran when he noticed her.

    ¡¸Hey ck Lightning Princess. I think I forgot to introduce myselfst time. The name¡¯s Jerome, captain of the HSS Algieba.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. C ranked adventurer. Fran.¡¹

    The pair exchanged a handshake. They almost seemed to be on the same wavelength or something, as the act caused both to smile. It was a rare moment for Fran, who typically really didn¡¯t care for appearances.

    ¡¸Hey, you! Get over here. Show Fran to my first mate and have him introduce himself.¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m stuck doing a bunch of stuff so I can get us ready to sail, so my second inmand¡¯ll fill you in on all you need to know.¡¹

    It turned out that the people Jerome had been speaking to belonged to the Ministry of the Port. He needed to work through a few details with them before the ship could actually depart from the harbour. The government officials more or less functioned as sea traffic control. They were making sure people worked on a schedule and only departed when it was their turn to leave. Likewise, they also made sure each ship was assigned a priority so that any lower priority ships would yield in the case of a schedule conflict. Their function was near identical to the sea-traffic control stations you¡¯d see back on Earth.

    The world I was currently living in definitely was a totally different world, but its port-rted rules were quite simr. I honestly wasn¡¯t surprised, rules were needed no matter where you were, and the ones that both worlds had chosen were not only functional but also rather easy to implement. Ships like the Algeiba only emphasized the need for regtion all the more. Allowingrge ships to leave whenever they wanted would lead to a whole slew of issues.

    ¡¸Should be over here.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    One testament to the ship¡¯s sheer size was the 100 odd step staircase we needed to climb to get up to its deck from the harbour.

    Arge group of sailors were working the day away atop the ship¡¯s massive deck. The one that was supposed to be guiding us walked past most of them and approached a man that seemed to be supervising everyone else¡¯s work.

    ¡¸Vice Captain!¡¹

    ¡¸What? Oh, I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s thest escort?¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir. Her name¡¯s Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸C ranked adventurer. Fran. epted escort mission.¡¹

    ¡¸Me, I¡¯m Buphett, the captain¡¯s first mate.¡¹

    Unlike the captain, the first mate didn¡¯t really seem like much of a fighter. He was tall,nky, and to be frank, seemed a bit frail overall. Appraising him allowed me to confirm that he was the type that stayed out of battles. Both hisbat rted skills, Bow Arts and Spear Arts, were still at level one. Topensate, he had high levels in Commerce, Way of the Word, Arithmetic, and Observation. In other words, he was great at everything he needed to be proficient in to qualify him as the ship¡¯s second inmand.

    Though his skills did draw my attention, I found myself much more interested in his race than anything else. He was apparently a sort of goatkin, so I couldn¡¯t help but suspect that he would end up eating the documents he was supposed to fill out.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard plenty a rumour about you, but honestly, it¡¯s a bit hard for me to believe that the ck Lightning Princess everyone¡¯s been talking about is still just a little girl. I thought I might change my mind after seeing you, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The captain says she¡¯s legit though.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Genuine.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry if I offended you. I was just trying to say that it¡¯s really hard for an everyday civilian like me to tell that you¡¯re really strong. To be frank, you look just like every other beginner to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Not offended. Used to already.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, good to hear. I guess I should probably have you meet the other adventurers we hired. I hope you guys¡¯ll be able to get along.¡¹

    ¡¸Will be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. Give me just a second to have them all brought over.¡¹

    Buphett ordered several of his subordinates to go fetch the other adventurers. It seemed that they were all already here, and that we were in fact thest to arrive.

    ¡¸Total, how many?¡¹

    ¡¸We hired a total of 12, you included. We¡¯ve got a few decent fighters amongst the crew, but we still tend to hire adventurers for a good few reasons.¡¹

    It¡¯d be something along the lines of a tradition for ships that worked directly under the crown to hire adventurers, an act that served to show that there were ties between the royal family and the guild. More importantly, adventurers proved quite useful in the case of an emergency. Most tended to have a ton of experience, so they could really aid in keeping everyone calm and battle-ready. To that end, most ships would make sure they grabbed a few adventurers in addition to just having a few battle ready crew members on board.

    ¡¸I believe you¡¯re also the only one that¡¯s running solo.¡¹

    ¡¸Strong?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not qualified to gauge how strong they really are, but, there are a total of three parties, with their party-wide ranks being C, D, and E respectively. The C ranked party¡¯s leader is probably the strongest of the group. He himself is a B ranker.¡¹

    I was impressed that there was actually a B ranker aboard the ship, as I assumed the person in question would end up being decently strong. However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if having them around would end up being more of a pain in the ass than anything else, as we would have to listen to their orders in the case that something happened. I myself didn¡¯t really mind, but I somehow doubted Fran would obey the person¡¯smands.

    ¡¸It looks like they¡¯re here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Strong.¡¹

    ¡ºSeems like it.¡»

    The crew members led the adventurers that¡¯d been inside the ship onto its deck. The warrior-like man at the group¡¯s forefront immediately caught our attention. He, the B ranker Buphett had just told us about, looked much stronger than the rest. A sense of dejavu struck me as I looked at him. I felt like I¡¯d seen that blue armour of his somewhere before, but I couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly where. Chances were, we¡¯d probably crossed paths at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild or something, but I wasn¡¯t really too sure.

    ¡¸Right this way, Mordred.¡¹

    Hearing his name made me suspect that he was going to end up betraying us at some point, but the more rational part of my mind told me that it would probably be fine.

    ¡¸This is thest adventurer that¡¯ll be joining us in escorting the ship.¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, what the hell? Why¡¯d you go and call my bro Mordred all the way out here just to introduce him to a puny little girl? It would¡¯ve been much more polite for you to have her head over to him instead goddammit.¡¹

    The short man next to Mordred angrily responded to the first mate¡¯s summons as soon as heid eyes on Fran.

    What pissed me off the most was that he wasn¡¯t wrong. Fran, a mere little girl, was technically lower on the the socialdder than a B ranked adventurer. Hence, many of Mordred¡¯s party members ended up nodding along to voice their agreement.

    ¡¸Boss, these bastards are making light of y-¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up Slunin. You¡¯re embarassing yourself.¡¹

    But he was soon cut off. Mordred, the person the angry midget hadined to, had spoken up as if to silence him.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸We were the ones that were told to move because it¡¯s natural for the weak to go out of their way to convenience the strong. Putting on a show of respect is our job, not hers.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯re you saying bro!?¡¹

    Witnessing the natural manner in which his boss had submitted caused Slunin to shout in surprise. He was quite loud, but Mordred paid him no mind. He instead turned towards Fran and bowed.

    ¡¸Excuse that subordinate of mine. He tends to be a bit rude.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mordred, I lead the C ranked party known as the Iron God¡¯s Breath.¡¹

    ¡¸C ranked adventurer. Fran.¡¹

    Slunin seemed he pissed. He clearly felt that Fran should¡¯ve been paying Mordred her respects instead of the opposite because she was just a C ranker. He was about to start yelling again, but Mordred cut him off before he could.

    ¡¸Am I right in assuming that you¡¯re the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Called that oftentely.¡¹

    ¡¸I thought so. I saw all your fights.¡¹

    ¡¸Was at Ulmutt?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, but I was the only one of my party members that was there. I participated, but ended up losing to Fermus in the second round.¡¹

    Only then did I realize why I felt like we¡¯d seen him before. We hadn¡¯t met him, but we¡¯d watched his matches. Fran also ended up recalling him after I reminded her of one of the battle¡¯s key points.

    ¡¸Lava Mage?¡¹

    Mordred had been pretty good at using Lava Magic. I very vividly recalled being impressed by how he¡¯d made it seem like such a valuable skill to have.

    ¡¸You remembered me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Because strong.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m honoured to hear that from the person that defeated an opponent that wiped the floor with me.¡¹

    ¡¸So uh¡­ boss, care to exin?¡¹

    ¡¸You guys were holed up in the Crystal Cage back when it happened, so I doubt you know, but she¡¯s the person that won third ce. She¡¯s still a C ranker right now, but she¡¯s in no way weaker than an A ranker.¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet!¡¹

    ¡¸You serious!?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m serious. She¡¯s way stronger than me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸We¡¯re really sorry!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    All three of Mordred¡¯s subordinates dove in front of Fran and started prostrating the moment Mordred¡¯s deration left his mouth. Seeing them had made me realize that they weren¡¯t so annoying after all. They were punks, but honest ones. Fran seemed to feel the same, as she wasn¡¯t really angry either. Instead, she seemed to be finding the sight of three massive dudes prostrating themselves before her to be more curious than anything else.

 Chapter 245: The Cabin

    <h4>Chapter 245: The Cabin</h4>

    Everyone started introducing themselves after the C ranked party, the Iron God¡¯s Breath, finished apologizing to Fran.

    At first, I thought that they didn¡¯t actually need to go as far as prostrating. However, thebination of the willingness with which they did it and the jock-like impression I got from them made me feel that to them, it wasn¡¯t really anything out of the ordinary.

    Their overbearing attitudes seemed to have entirely vanished. They instead had started to bow submissively over and over as if to make up for their mistakes. It seemed that Mordred¡¯s statement, his promation that Fran was far stronger than he was, had left a pretty deep impression on them.

    I was honestly surprised that one word from him had caused their attitudes to change so drastically. Most other adventurers would still doubt Fran¡¯s strength because she looked the way she did. A bit of further consideration led me to realize their willingness to ept Fran¡¯s strength came from their trust in Mordred. They seemed absolutely certain he¡¯d never lie to them.

    Although Mordred¡¯s subordinates didn¡¯t really question the authenticity of his words, I did. Fran was definitely stronger than him, but she was only really way stronger than him in her awakened state. The way I saw it, he was an aplished Magic Warrior skilful enough to match even Colbert in singlebat. He¡¯d make for a dangerous opponent if we didn¡¯t take him seriously.

    ¡¸And these are my four party members.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸We look forward to workin¡¯ with you.¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Same. Will also introduce again. C ranked adventurer. Fran. And Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Woah, that wolf just came out of nowhere!¡¹

    ¡¸I-It rose from the shadows!¡¹

    ¡¸Well then. He looks quite strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Reliable.¡¹

    Unlike his subordinates, Mordred remained calm even though Urushi, a decently powerful magic beast, had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. In fact, he even ended up smiling after affirming the wolf¡¯s strength, as if to express he was d to see another fighter amongst our ranks. I really did have to take my hat off to him. All the other adventurers had backed off and just stared at the Darkness Wolf from afar.

    ¡¸I guess I might as well introduce everyone else. First up¡¯ll be these guys. They¡¯re Red Earth, a D ranked party.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s good to be working with you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Sup.¡¹

    ¡¸Eyyyy.¡¹

    Though the party¡¯s leader seemed to be the formal, uptight kind, the same couldn¡¯t be said for its two other members. They both gave off a much moreid back impression. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that everyone in the party had green scales growing on their arms and faces, a feature that apparently clearly denoted them as serpentkin. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that they were a bit weird, not because they had scales, but because they all seemed to be a part of the exact same demographic. Their well built frames were all about the same size be it in height or width. Likewise, they all wore twin swords and had simr-looking faces.

    ¡¸Identical.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha. That¡¯s cause the three of us are brothers. We¡¯ve been wandering the world and adventuring together for quite some time. It¡¯s been a while since west went home, so we decided to take this escort mission so we could head back for a bit.¡¹

    Their appearances weren¡¯t all they shared. All three of the serpentkin had been taught by their father, so they¡¯d ended up with the exact same skillset. The uncanny resemnce they bore to one another led me to suspect that they were probably triplets. The only real way for me to tell them apart was to look at their hairstyles. I didn¡¯t really think that to be too reliable, so I decided to appraise them each time we spoke to them going forward in order to make sure we knew which was which. For the record, the uptight leader was actually the oldest of the bunch.

    Though Red Earth came off as a bit intimidating, I found that they were actually pretty decent people. They didn¡¯t seem to hold any prejudice against Fran¡¯s tribe.

    ¡¸Thesest three belong to the Crystalline Defenders, an E ranked party.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiya.¡¹

    ¡¸Fancy seeing you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha¡­¡¹

    Thest three adventurers were actually our acquaintances. In fact, they were still quite fresh in our minds because we¡¯d only just sparred with them a few days ago. They were Miguel, the greatsword user, Liddoock, the earnest spearman, and Naria, the female archer.

    ¡¸Oh, you guys already knew each other?¡¹

    ¡¸Kind of. She crushed us in a spar just a few days ago.¡¹

    ¡¸Right, you guys were the guildmaster¡¯s apprentices, huh? Man, I¡¯m jealous. I would¡¯ve loved me a chance to spar with the ck Lightning Princess. Well, I¡¯m d you know her. Makes things more convenient.¡¹

    Though the Crystalline Defenders barely counted as our acquaintances, I still preferred having them over someone we didn¡¯t know for the sole reason that they¡¯d alreadye to understand that Fran was strong.

    ¡¸Here, why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, the truth is, sparring with you taught us just how weak we really were.¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone talked a bit, and we realized that we were starting to get sloppy because of how big our party was. Having nine whole people just ended up making us feel too rxed.¡¹

    ¡¸We decided to split into three smaller parties so we could start training ourselves again from the ground up.¡¹

    Apparently, they hadn¡¯t actually wasted the lessons they¡¯d learned from fighting Fran. They¡¯d realized that something was wrong and immediately acted on it.

    ¡¸Okay. Good luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll do our best!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much for both the instruction and words of encouragement!¡¹

    The captain¡¯s first mate pulled Fran and Mordred aside for a quick discussion after everyone introduced themselves because he¡¯d recognized them as the two most influential members of the group. The other adventurers didn¡¯t seem to mind, as they¡¯d left after stating that they¡¯d go along with whatever the pair decided.

    ¡¸We should probably figure out how we¡¯re going to handle the chain ofmand. Any ideas on your end? As for me, I don¡¯t mind either way. Feel free to take over if you want.¡¹

    Mordred was the type of guy that valued ability, or more specifically, strength inbat, over all else. He was more than willing to yield his position to Fran, but honestly, both Fran and Icked the skill set necessary to fill it. Theva mage was much better suited to the job. Hence, we ended up rejecting his proposal.

    ¡¸Bad at giving orders.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, go on.¡¹

    ¡¸You takemand. Want to be treated as autonomous unit.¡¹

    Fran had basically said that she wanted to just be able to do whatever she wanted in response to the situation at hand. In other words, her proposition was a selfish one that allowed her to retain her freedom while also casting away all the troublesome responsibilities that came with taking charge.

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine with me, but can you make sure you check with me when you¡¯re going to start acting on your own?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will be prudent.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re stronger than me, so I¡¯ll try not to give you orders if I can, but I still will if we get into the kind of emergency that calls for it.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Alright.¡¹

    Mordred heaved a heavy sigh, but ended up agreeing to go along with our idea nheless. It seemed that we were going to be fortunate enough to do as we wished for the most part.

    ¡¸It looks like the two of you have wrapped up your meeting, so, Fran, why don¡¯t I show you to your room?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry in advance, but, it¡¯s going to have to be just a bit on the smaller side.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Just need bed.¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to worry about that. There¡¯s no way we could possible treat you that poorly.¡¹

    One of the sailors led Fran to her quarters. The room she was assigned to was a private room meant for the ship¡¯s stronger fighters; its close proximity to the deck made it easy for her to get to wherever she needed as quickly as possible in the case of an emergency.

    ¡¸This¡¯ll be your room.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Looks good.¡¹

    ¡¸Good to hear. I¡¯m d you like it.¡¹

    The sailor seemed to think Fran wasplimenting the room just for the sake of it, as he seemed a bit ashamed of it throughout the conversation, but she and I honestly both really liked it.

    It was a bit on the smaller side, but that was literally my onlyint. It was a private room with a clean bed, some drawers, a closet, and a decent looking desk. There was even a magicmp suspended from the ceiling. It was way better than the cheap inns we usually stayed in.

    Though with all that said and out of the way, the one thing that really iced the cake was the round window decorating the room¡¯s outside wall. It was exactly the kind of window you¡¯d expect to see on a seafaring vessel. A single ray of light streamed in from it and illuminated the room¡¯s otherwise dim interior. That was all it did, but, that alone was enough to really emphasize that we were in a ship¡¯s cabin.

    Fran seemed to like the room¡¯s ambient atmosphere, as she sat herself down on the bed and started swinging her legs back and forth. The expression that decorated her face was clearly one of excitement.

    ¡¸I like this room.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, me too.¡»

    Sheid down and started rolling back and forth on the bed until she eventually tired herself out.

 Chapter 246: The Algieba Sets Sail

    <h4>Chapter 246: The Algieba Sets Sail</h4>

    A sailor brought Fran to a room not too far from her own, onebeled as the Captain¡¯s Quarters.

    ¡¸I heard that you met the other adventurers, and that you seemed to get along quite well. Do you think you can work with them?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸Good to hear.¡¹

    The captain seemed really relieved to hear that Fran was capable of getting along with the other adventurers. At first, I didn¡¯t quite understand why, but then I recalled the rumours. It seemed that he had been worried that she might start a fight with one of the other people he¡¯d hired.

    Fran was strong, and honestly speaking, probably one of the best escorts he could get. Therefore, as captain, he needed to consider what his options were. Jerome had to be ready to make a choice between Fran¡¯s might and Mordred¡¯s experience in case she ended up antagonizing him.

    ¡¸Chances are, we¡¯ll be running into magic beasts, and maybe even a couple pirates. But until that happens, you can just kick back, rx, and do whatever you want.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it. Want to explore ship.¡¹

    ¡¸Explore? I mean, I don¡¯t mind, but I don¡¯t quite see the fun in it.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay to?¡¹

    ¡¸It shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as you don¡¯t enter the sailors¡¯ private quarters without their permission. I¡¯m also going to have to ask you not to mess with the magic item we use for propulsion.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, and don¡¯t mess up the storehouse. We don¡¯t really have anything to hide to begin with, so that should be it for the off limits areas.¡¹

    ¡¸Really okay? No fear of theft?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re bound by the contract you signed with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and we¡¯re rather inclined to assume it¡¯ll hold. ¡®Sides, none of the stuff we have is valuable enough to warrant you risking your reputation.¡¹

    We managed to get the captain¡¯s permission to explore the ship, but we didn¡¯t go looking around at every nook and cranny right away. We were going to be aboard the ship for quite some time, so we decided to take our time and explore it bit by bit as the voyage went on.

    ¡¸Oh yeah, can you show me that Beastkins¡¯ Country ID you got?¡¹

    ¡¸This?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that space time magic¡­? Sure seems convenient.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Very.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m jealous. That¡¯s something any merchant would want. Anyway, I¡¯d better get to checking this thing for authenticity.¡¹

    The captain¡¯s voice slowly shifted over to carrying a more serious tone as he spoke. Though he himself couldn¡¯t technically be called a merchant, the function he served was rather simr. To that end, he shared many of their sentiments.

    Apparently the captain¡¯s ring had a sort of function that allowed him to double check whether the ID thing we were given was legit, as he pressed the two against one another.

    ¡¸Interesting, so it really was the real thing.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸We should be setting sail some time in the afternoon. For now, I¡¯ll have to ask you to go talk to Mordred.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Mordred¡¯s room, where?¡¹

    ¡¸It should be right next to yours. Do you need me to get someone to help you find it?¡¹

    ¡¸No need.¡¹

    When the captain said right next to, he¡¯d meant that Mordred¡¯s room was literally just two over from Fran¡¯s. He was sharing a triple room with a couple of his subordinates.

    The reason we had to meet with Mordred again was so we could sort out how we were going to handle shifts. Mordred had already sorted out all the details, so he told us that we were going to have to stand guard during the night once every four days.

    He then went over a few other escort mission fundamentals, as Fran had very little experience with them. The most important thing he highlighted was that any magic beasts we defeated would end up belonging to the people that¡¯d hired us.

    Topensate, the escort group would be granted a bonus based on the total number of enemies defeated. This calction was done on a group-wide basis as opposed to an individual one in order to prevent the adventurers from arguing with one another.

    Individuals could still be given additional rewards in some cases if they proved to be truly outstanding, but that was it.

    One of the guild¡¯s clerks had already told us all that information when we epted the request, but Mordred had wanted to reiterate it just to make sure everyone was fine with the rules, as there were many cases in which adventurers wouldterin that they were unfair.

    ¡¸I think that¡¯s everything. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Same.¡¹

    Fran shook hands with Mordred and headed back to her own room. There wasn¡¯t much left to do but wait for departure.

    Fortunately, we didn¡¯t have to wait too long for some sort of event, as a sailor soon came and informed us that lunch was ready. Today was still our first day here, and we had no idea where to go. The sailor seemed aware of it, as he ended up showing us over to where the food was being served. There, Fran ate her fill before heading back to the room and plopping herself down on the bed yet again. I really had to say, the escort mission we were on had some pretty damned good benefits to it. It included all three meals and the servings were big enough to satisfy even Fran. The fact that it took ce on a boat only served to add to just how novel and fresh it felt.

    I was about to pay the mission anotherpliment or two, but my thoughts were cut off by a sudden sense of oscition. It didn¡¯t seem to be just my imagination either, as Fran sat up and started restlessly scanning her surroundings.

    ¡¸Master, shaking?¡¹

    ¡ºJust a bit. It doesn¡¯t really seem like an earthquake though, so¡­ I guess that means we finally set sail.¡»

    The boat was massive, so it didn¡¯t really shake in response to the small waves that¡¯d been constantly hitting it. The same, however, couldn¡¯t be said for when it lifted its anchor.

    ¡¸Will go check.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds like a good idea to me.¡»

    We rushed out of the room and gazed toward the port, only to find that it was a bit further away than we remembered. Both Fran and Urushi then ended up running all the way over to the ship¡¯s edge and looking down.

    ¡ºHuh, so we really are moving.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The cityscape slowly began to drift away from us. We weren¡¯t being seen off by a crowd of people with streamers and whatnot, but that was probably because we were on a merchant ship as opposed to one meant to transport civilians. Besides, tens of ships left the port every single day. There was no way every single one could be sent off.

    ¡ºThis ship sure is fast.¡»

    The ship was moving much more quickly than I¡¯d expected. I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if its current speed was what it had with its sails hoist, but they were all currently still in their folded up states.

    I started to grow curious about the magic item that propelled the ship forwards. It had to be really powerful to be able move such arge vessel so quickly.

    One of the first things that I considered was its shape. I really wanted to know whether it used a propeller, an aqua jet, the wind, or maybe even something else altogether.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go check it out once you¡¯ve calmed down a bit.¡»

    ¡¸Explore!¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah.¡»

    Jerome, the ship¡¯s captain, approached us as we continued to look over past the deck.

    ¡¸Hey. You catch sight of something interesting or somethin¡¯?¡¹

    ¡¸Moving.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t really spend too much of your time at sea then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. First time on big ship.¡¹

    ¡¸Makes sense then.¡¹

    ¡¸Moving using magic item?¡¹

    ¡¸You got it. This ship has actually get the newest magical propulsion system on the market. That¡¯s not all either. It¡¯s also equipped with a barrier and eight turrets to help drive off monsters and the like.¡¹

    It turned out they were using a whole slew of magical items. Though the ship looked like something from my world¡¯s middle ages, it was actually far more technologically advanced. The magical engine system it was using would allow it to continue moving even without the wind¡¯s assistance.

    Wait, they even have a barrier to help keep things away from them? Why would they need to hire escorts if they had something like that?

    Fran ryed my question to the captain, to which he reacted by informing us that the barrier wasn¡¯t perfect. Its main function was to hide the ship fromrger magic beasts, and thus, it had very little effect on any of the small or medium sized ones, which, to me at least, made a lot of sense. The sea was full ofrger magic beasts, and many of them would sink the ship if they struck its hull.

    There was a second barrier device that worked against the smaller-scaled magic beasts as well, but all it did was make them less inclined to approach.

    One of the bigger reasons ships hired escorts was because they needed more hands on deck to fight off pirates. Most pirates avoided ships that worked directly under a country¡¯smand because they were concerned that they would ultimately get wiped out after catching the country¡¯s attention. That, in other words, meant that the only thieves interested in targeting the HSS Algieba were infamous pirates confident in their own abilities.

    The Algieba¡¯s ess to the newest magic engine model made it capable of outrunning most of its attackers, but it would still sometimes be intercepted, rammed, and subject to an attack.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to be counting on you, ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Leave to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. You sure do sound reliable. Looks like we¡¯ll be getting to our destination in one piece.¡¹

 Chapter 247: A Discussion About Routes

    <h4>Chapter 247: A Discussion About Routes</h4>

    And so, a whole day passed.

    ¡¸Another storehouse.¡¹

    ¡ºWell I mean, this is a merchant ship, soooooo¡­¡»

    ¡¸Smells good.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it looks like this is where they keep all the foodstuffs.¡»

    We¡¯d already started exploring the ship¡¯s interior. At first, there hadn¡¯t really been much to see, reason being that we¡¯d started atop the deck and slowly made our way down. Most of the sailors¡¯ rooms were located near the deck so they could react quickly in the case of an emergency. Hence, the first area we ran into was the only one we weren¡¯t allowed to check out in too much detail.

    Most of the rooms on the lower floors were just storerooms. The door to the room with most of the more valuable stuff in it was locked, but pretty much everything else was still open to exploration.

    All we found in the storehouses were boxes, bags, and a whole tonne of dust, but Fran was having fun looking around nheless.

    Likewise, I also hadn¡¯t lost interest in looking at all the odd ingredients, nor the strangely designed goods the boxes seemed to contain.

    ¡¸Moving on¡¹

    ¡ºSure.¡»

    We left the storehouse area and entered a room near one of the ship¡¯s outermost sides. There, we found a huge, cylindrical lump of metal with a hole in the middle. Its surface almost seemed to give off a sort of dark glow.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like a magical cannon. It uses those balls of iron as ammo and propels them with magic.¡»

    ¡¸Why iron balls?¡¹

    ¡ºThe projectiles it fires are weaker than actual spells, but are probably much more efficient with mana. It runs on magical energy, but it probably only has a finite amount of it.¡»

    The cannons we were looking at seemed to be rather high ss, as they could switch between physical and magical rounds. The physical rounds were probably for other ships, while the magical rounds would instead be used on magic beasts.

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel that the cannon was much bigger than the ones we had back on Earth, in part because it had a magical engine strapped to it.

    We ventured further downstairs after inspecting the cannon and found ourselves in the ship¡¯s lowermost subsection. Most of the space was taken up by the ship¡¯s bast tanks, many of which were filled with water. The secondrgest room, however, had an item of interest in it, anotherrge magical device. Said device was almost constantly emitting a sort of low-pitched rumble.

    ¡¸Huge.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess this is probably the engine the captain was talking about earlier.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Really loud.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ that part has watering out of it, and this one looks something like a pump.¡»

    The engine seemed to be the aqua jet type. It used a huge pump to suck in water and then forcefully ejected it in order to propel the ship forwards.

    Several of the ejection devices were ced around the ship¡¯s hull. It seemed like it could use them to not only change direction, but also make tight turns.

    We¡¯d more or less finished exploring, and Fran wanted to get a bit of exercise, so we headed back up to the deck in hopes of being able to find a spot to do a few practice swings. Upon arrival, we found that the deck was actually quite busy. Jerome was ordering the sailors around as they scrambled to raise the masts.

    ¡¸We¡¯re finally out that damned gulf! Men, get ready to sail!¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir!¡¹

    ¡¸Get yourzy asses ready! We¡¯re going full speed ahead ¡¯till we hit the Kraken¡¯s Nest!¡¹

    One of the things the captain had said immediately nabbed my attention.

    ¡¸Kraken¡¯s nest?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh hey, didn¡¯t see ya. The Kraken¡¯s Nest is exactly what it sounds like, a danger zone where you¡¯ll find a whole sheetload of Kraken.¡¹

    ¡¸Passing through?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess you could say that.¡¹

    I knew the ship had a barrier that let it ward offrge magic beasts, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if passing through a ce called the Kraken¡¯s Nest wasn¡¯t too good of an idea.

    ¡¸We aren¡¯t actually going to be passing right through it. We¡¯ll just be skimming the edge of it is all.¡¹

    Fortunately, the captain¡¯s intentions hadn¡¯t been what I was imagining them to be.

    Kraken were the local ecosystem¡¯s top predator, so most other magic beasts naturally chose to avoid their territory. This was especially true of medium sized magic beasts, as kraken had the tendency to prey on them.

    ¡¸We shouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting attacked by magic beasts there so long as we mind the kraken.¡¹

    ¡¸But kraken?¡¹

    I was worried that a kraken would attack us and totally screw us over, but, ording to Jerome, the chances of that were particrly low. The barrier was designed to make the ship especially difficult for kraken to detect.

    As I wasn¡¯tpletely convinced, I had Fran ask about the otherrger magic beasts that lived in the area, to which the captain replied with a rather simple answer: there were none. The onlyrge magic beasts that lived in the area were the kraken.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The patch of sea between the Gilbard continent, from which we just departed, and the Chrom continent, our destination, is only a couple hundred meters deep. Rtively speaking, it¡¯s quite shallow.¡¹

    Apparently, most of the other oceans were much, much deeper.

    ¡¸Most B ranked magic beasts, like Whale Lords, Water Dragons, Leviathans, and Dagons, prefer to live in deeper waters.¡¹

    None of the types of magic beasts the captain had just mentioned had ever been spotted in the space between the Gilbard and Chrom continents.

    ¡¸But the part of the sea between the Gilbard and Brohdinn continents, the Demon Sea, makes up for it. It¡¯s filled with powerful beasts, and has even got the world¡¯s one and only known S rank leviathan.¡¹

    The legendary leviathan in question was said to be over 1000 meters long, capable of creating tsunamis while turning over in its sleep, and, all in all, one of the strongest magic beasts to have ever existed.

    That said, very little was known about it. Sightings were few and far between. There was, however, a significant mention of it dating about 3000 years back in which itpletely obliterated a coastal nation that¡¯d pissed it off overnight. Said report was likely true as it had apparently been confirmed by someone with an oracle-type skill.

    One of the most surprising but well known facts about it noted in the aforementioned report was that the S ranked leviathan¡¯s staple food was in fact the Midgard Wyrm, an A ranked magic beast. It would leave its nest, capture one, and then slowly feast on it over the course of about 100 years. Most sightings of it would happen precisely during these hunting sessions.

    Naturally, the legendary leviathan was only one of the many massive magic beasts that inhabited the Demon Sea, so most ships going between Gilbart and Brohdinn would avoid passing through it. They¡¯d instead take a safer route and stop by Chrom along the way. The route we were currently on was just that much safer.

    But despite that, it still had enough kraken for one of its subsections to bebeled the Kraken¡¯s Nest.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t have to worry about encountering any Kraken. This ship¡¯s got all the kraken countermeasures a sailor could ever ask for.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸But we¡¯ve dedicated most of our resources to it, so we¡¯ll have to be relying on you to deal with pirates and all the other magic beasts, y¡¯hear?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Leave to me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Course.¡¹

 Chapter 248: A Report on Midgard Wyrm Ecology

    <h4>Chapter 248: A Report on Midgard Wyrm Ecology</h4>

    Several days had passed since we left Barbra.

    All we¡¯d done so far was rx. There wasn¡¯t really much to do in the first ce unless we ran into some sort of magic beast, so we¡¯d spent our days eating, sleeping, and asionally enjoying the salty sea breeze while getting a bit of exercise on deck.

    Purification magic allowed us to keep the room clean without having to tidy up.

    The meals were not only hearty, but also quite healthy. Item box-type skills allowed the sailors to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the trip. Beriberi and scurvy were both total non-concerns.

    That said, depleting the ship¡¯s resources wasn¡¯t actually the crew¡¯s first choice. They would much rather eat whatever they could catch. To that end, they were currently hauling up a giant they¡¯d thrown down for fishing purposes a bit earlier.

    It wasn¡¯t something Fran had ever seen before, so she ended up doing more than just observing them. She joined them in saying ¡°heave, heave ho,¡± over and over as they raked the in. The only difference was that she muttered it under her breath instead of shouting it.

    ¡¸Gahahaha. You never seen a couple guys lug up a huge before or somethin¡¯?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Interesting.¡¹

    ¡¸Thought so. The only ships withs that big are huge ones.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸The only way you could haul up a that big without a bunch of people is if you have some sort of magic item do it for you. And y¡¯see, both those options require big ass ships.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¯Sides, the bigger the, the bigger the catch, and the bigger the catch, the bigger the chance you¡¯ll attract or even catch magic beasts. Fighting them off needs manpower and space. It¡¯s not something you could do on a small boat ¡®nless you want to put yourself in danger.¡¹

    The captain¡¯s words led me to the conclusion that it was about time for us adventurers to finally do our jobs.

    ¡¸I¡¯m pretty sure my men¡¯ll be fine without you for now, but y¡¯might as well keep an eye out.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran got into position just in case anything happened, but nothing really did. The sailors hoisted the onto the deck andid out all the seafood they caught without running into any show-stopping issues.

    ¡¸Those, fish, or?¡¹

    ¡ºWhich ones? Are there magic beasts mixed in or something?¡»

    ¡¸Soft and bby thing.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, you were asking about those? Those are goosefish.¡»

    Goosefish were really strange looking, so it did make sense for people that didn¡¯t know about them to assume they were magic beasts. I heard that many people outside Japan feared octopuses, but I myself found goosefish way more terrifying.

    ¡¸And that?¡¹

    ¡ºThose are hagfish.¡»

    ¡¸And those?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure those are sea cucumbers, though they¡¯re way bigger than any kind I know.¡»

    The world I was currently in was a veritable fantasy world, but its fish honestly weren¡¯t that different from the ones we had back on Earth. In fact, I felt that most of them were easier on the eye; Earth¡¯s fish were way uglier on average.

    ¡¸And that?¡¹

    ¡ºWhich?¡»

    ¡¸That.¡¹

    There were too many fish jumbled together for me to identify the one Fran was trying to point out to me, so she just ended up walking over and picking it out of the pile.

    ¡¸This.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, ew.¡»

    The fish in question was one of the grossest looking ones I¡¯d ever seen. I really had tomend Fran¡¯s willingness to touch it. She¡¯d lifted it up without even the slightest bit of hesitation.

    It, the thing in Fran¡¯s hand, looked to me like a reddish-ck, softball sized, blob of flesh. One end was shaped like an intestine. It came with an alien-like mouth, one that had its sharp teeth arranged in a circr pattern. The other looked like it¡¯d been pinched. My immediate reaction was to assume that it was some sort of deep-sea creature.

    Appraising it caused me to telepathically shout in surprise.

    ¡ºThat thing¡¯s apparently a midgard wyrm!¡»

    ¡¸Midgard Wyrm? This?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it¡¯s probably only that small cause it hasn¡¯t grown up yet.¡»

    ¡¸Ohhh.¡¹

    I almost couldn¡¯t believe that the tiny magic beast Fran was holding onto could possibly grow into the 100m long thing we¡¯d fought before. The only way one could possibly describe the creature was to call it fantastical.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s one over there too.¡»

    ¡¸Where?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s that long thing over there.¡»

    ¡¸This?¡¹

    Fran grabbed the long, rope-like organism I was talking about with her bare hands. Its colour and texture were identical to the midgard wyrmrva Fran was holding in her other hand, but their lengths were iparable.

    The first specimen was about the size of Fran¡¯s palm. The second was about a whole meter long. That said, they were still both definitely midgard wyrms.

    ¡¸This bes that?¡¹

    ¡ºI think so¡­ Oh god that thing¡¯s gross. Its unevenness only makes it all the worse.¡»

    The longer specimen wasn¡¯t just thin and long. It looked like a bunch of spheres stuck onto one another. The indents ran along it in an almost regr sort of pattern.

    Jerome approached Fran as she continued to observe the still-wriggling midgard wyrms.

    ¡¸Oh, so you managed to find a couple puny midgard wyrms.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸At that size, I¡¯d say they¡¯re probably still only a few months old¡­ Their parents might still be in the area.¡¹

    ¡¸Thought only kraken around here?¡¹

    ¡¸For the most part, yeah. There are a couple other things, just not too many of ¡¯em.¡¹

    ¡¸Fought midgard wyrm before.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean recently?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Very recent. On way to Barbra.¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously? If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯d best be on our toes.¡¹

    ¡¸What to do if attacked?¡¹

    ¡¸Midgard wyrms tend to react most to smell, so we should be able to outrun them if we just throw a couple barrels overboard as a decoy.¡¹

    It looked like we wouldn¡¯t have to worry because the ship had countermeasures on hand. That said, we were still quite curious as to their ecology. Jerome actually seemed really knowledgeable about them, so we decided to have him sate our curiosity.

    ¡¸This bes that?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but the stubby one you¡¯re holding onto won¡¯t just grow longer or anything.¡¹

    ¡¸Then how?¡¹

    ¡¸They get longer by sticking together. You see how the longer one¡¯s got indents all over? And you see how they¡¯re about the same length?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Narrow parts.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s because that¡¯s where two midgard wyrms are connected. Thervae bite onto each other¡¯s butts in order to form chains. As time passes, they eventually all merge into a single creature.¡¹

    The foock nature?

    I was freaked out at first, but immediately recalled that there were simr creatures back on Earth. I wasn¡¯t too clear on the details, but a part of me wanted to say that most were single-celled organisms and/or something along the lines of a jellyfish.

    Hearing Jerome¡¯s exnation finally led me to understand why the damned things had so many hearts. A midgard wyrm was both a single giant magic beast and an entire colony of smaller magic beasts at the same time. It was that precise trait that stopped them from being affected by Deathgaze¡¯s instant kill ability.

    ¡¸What to do?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re parasitic and not that great for the sea, so we¡¯ll gather them up and dispose of all of them at onceter. You seem to be able to pick them out, so could you lend us a bit of a hand?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Our Appraisal and Magic Perception skills made it easy for us to sort through the pile and pull all the magic beasts it contained. The tasks¡¯ only two downsides were that it was boring, and that it made Fran¡¯s hands stink. That said, the stink could be cleansed, so I made a mental note telling myself that I should cast purification magic on Fran¡¯s hands once we were done.

    The screening process ended up finishing without any real hitches; today¡¯s haul hadn¡¯t seemed to contain any dangerous magic beasts. More importantly, it looked like tonight¡¯s dinner was going to consist of quite a few interesting fish-based dishes.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s up?¡»

    £¨Want to take bath.£©

    ¡ºYou do know we¡¯re on a ship in the middle of the ocean here, right? That¡¯s definitely going to be asking for too mu-wait a second. Maybe not, actually.¡»

    Getting our hands on hot water would be a cinch since it was something we could make with magic. The only real problem was that we didn¡¯t have a bathtub. We¡¯d normally just make one out of earth magic, but there wasn¡¯t any soil anywhere in sight.

    They probably had wooden wash basins somewhere, but I figured we¡¯d be able to find some sort of higher quality substitute if we looked hard enough. Asking led to the surprising answer that the ship actually had a bathtub on board.

    At first, I thought that having a bath on board was a luxurious addition that we shouldn¡¯t have expected, but soon realized that I was wrong. I should¡¯ve known there¡¯d be one seeing as how the ship was equipped with a whole slew of expensive magic items to begin with. In fact, it turned out that mostrger ships actually did have them.

    We only hadn¡¯t really heard of other people using it because sailors didn¡¯t like bathing. I wasn¡¯t really surprised. Sailors were, for the most part, wild seafarers not too different from pirates. I couldn¡¯t exactly see them sitting down and soaking in a tub. They didn¡¯t normally bother getting the baths ready at a set time because it was just an added cost that few ever made use of.

    Fran started heading over the moment they told us we were allowed to make use of it as long as we got our own hot water.

    Mordred, Buphett, and several other guys had told us they also wanted to get in, so we ended up telling them it was ready once we finished with it.

    Buphett had been particrly happy about being able to take a bath, and even asked us to keep taking them going forward so he could as well. Fran liked washing herself on a daily basis anyways, and I kinda liked the idea of him owing us a favour, so we ended up happily agreeing.

 Chapter 249: Finally, Action

    <h4>Chapter 249: Finally, Action</h4>

    A day had passed since we learned a bit more about midgard wyrms.

    We were still living the high life. Fran had taken a bathst night, so she had been in an excellent mood all morning.

    For the record, we made sure to drain the bath and refill it with a whole new tub of water once Fran was done with it. No way in hell was I going to let a bunch of dudes soak in the exact same water she¡¯d just finished using.

    Fran had spent most of the day gazing at the horizon, observing the fish and dolphins that passed by, and idling around in her room whenever she got bored.

    But, that afternoon, our peaceful boat trip finally came to an end.

    The nging of a loud bell filled our ears. It rang four times, paused, and repeated. The four-ng pattern was a signal whose meaning we¡¯d memorized ahead of time. It denoted that the ship was being attacked by pirates.

    ¡ºPirates!?¡»

    ¡¸Going!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran grabbed me and rushed out to the deck. There, she found the captain, who happened to be in the middle of issuing orders to his crew. He had the sailors move around so that they¡¯d be in position for the battle toe.

    Mordred seemed to have been on the deck from the start, as he and his men were currently leering at something to the north.

    ¡¸You¡¯re here? That was fast. I¡¯m impressed.¡¹

    ¡¸Pirates, where?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re right over there.¡¹

    We were certainly able to make out something where Mordred was pointing, but it was too far away for us to make out any significant details. We couldn¡¯t even tell it was a ship, let alone a pirate ship.

    ¡¸Those, pirate ships?¡¹

    ¡¸No way in hell they aren¡¯t. Damned things have got pirate g raised high.¡¹

    Jerome sounded really confident. At first, I thought he was somehow able to just naturally see really far, but upon closer inspection, I realized that he had a telescope in hand. He¡¯d clearly used it in order to scope out the iing ship.

    ¡¸Escape possible?¡¹

    ¡¸Doubt it. Those over there are fast, small ships, and the wind ain¡¯t really doing us any favours right now. They¡¯ll probably catch up in about an hour.¡¹

    ¡¸Then will fight.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll probably have to. It doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯ve got any intention of letting us get away.¡¹

    I highly doubted that the pirates would be able to damage ourrge boat with their much smaller ones. I highly doubted that they¡¯d be able to board us even when they finally caught up. That said, there was no way they¡¯d initiate a battle they didn¡¯t think they could win.

    ¡¸Those ship¡¯s have got naval rams engineered into their front. They¡¯re probably nning to breach our hull and have their men board us.¡¹

    The pirate ship¡¯s naval ram wasn¡¯t entirely solid. It had a passageway built inside of it for ease of infiltration. Their strategy was one crafted under the assumption that the ship they would be attacking wasrger than their own.

    They would catch up to us with their high speed vessels, stop us by ramming us with several different ships, and then break into our galleon¡¯s interior. It was a much safer method than the one I thought of, lining their ships up with ours and boarding viadder. As the defenders, I found it honestly quite difficult to deal with their approach. We had to be concerned with the fact that there¡¯d be enemies inside our ship from the very start.

    ¡¸How?¡¹

    ¡¸We basically have to fall back on the basics and sink ¡¯em with spells and cannonfire before they reach us.¡¹

    The thing the captain had told us really was pretty much the most basic possible thing one could do in a naval battle. The pirates needed to get up close and personal if they wanted to be able to board us. All we needed to do to stop them was to make sure they never got close enough to actually reach us. That said, I felt that engaging them up close wouldn¡¯t be too bad an idea. We could just beat the pirates down, capture them, confiscate their ships, and trade them in for cash once we reached the shore.

    ¡¸Sinking ¡¯em is probably the best option, ¡¯cause the aftermath¡¯s a huge pain in the ass to deal with if we don¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸Reason?¡¹

    ¡¸Think about it. We need a ce to lock ¡¯em up till we reach the shore. We¡¯d also need to feed ¡¯em and keep ¡¯em alive. As for the ship, we¡¯d need to transfer a couple men over for it to actually get ces.¡¹

    ¡¸But enemy treasure will also sink?¡¹

    ¡¸The only way they¡¯d have loot on their ships is if they just finished attacking somethin¡¯. I doubt any of the ones attacking us¡¯ll have anythin¡¯ valuable on board.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    The captain had a good point, and more or less convinced me that it was perfectly okay for us to just sink the iing pirate ships.

    ¡¸The only ships worth capturing would be therger ones. Their propulsion systems can fetch a pretty penny on the market. They can rake in such a profit that I¡¯d say it¡¯d even be worth it for us to attack them instead o¡¯ the other way ¡¯round.¡¹

    Jerome¡¯s tone was so serious it sent shivers down my spine. Merchant ships reeeaaaally weren¡¯t supposed to be attacking pirate ships, were they¡­?

    ¡¸I¡¯d be more pissed if they got away than ¡®nything.¡¹

    Though the captain knew of most of the pirates around these parts, he didn¡¯t recognize the group attacking us. Their g was an unfamiliar one.

    ¡¸They probably either came from the north or south. We¡¯d best be careful, they¡¯ve already thrown five ships our way.¡¹

    That said, the appearance of a brand new group of pirates wasn¡¯t anything to be too concerned about. The ce was practically a hotbed for pirates because of all the merchants ships that would make use of the route. Pirates practically infested the ce, but most merchant ships were ready for them. The act of attacking was actually quite the risk. Still, the sheer frequency with which merchant ships passed through the area still attracted them from all over, often leading to territorial disputes and the like.

    Several bigger pirate gangs more or lesspletely dominated the area. It was really hard for a newly arrived crew to really make too much of a name for themselves, and it was for that reason that the appearance of a new band of pirates really wasn¡¯t anything to be concerned with. They were probably just going to end up getting taken over by one of the bigger gangs eventually anyways.

    ¡¸Them sending out five ships means they think they¡¯ve got a pretty good idea of exactly where we are and how much we can fight back. It¡¯d be best for us to sink ¡¯em.¡¹

    I wasn¡¯t sure what the norm was, nor whether or not it¡¯d be fine for us to butt in just yet, so Fran turned towards someone with a bit more experience for advice.

    ¡¸Mordred, what do?¡¹

    ¡¸The battle¡¯ll start with an exchange of cannonfire. We adventurers, er, the spellcasters we¡¯ve got, will start firing spells once we get close enough for it.¡¹

    Theva mage¡¯s exnation made perfect sense to me, as the ship¡¯s cannons had more range than most spells. Still, I felt it was inefficient. Both we and our enemies had cannons, so we¡¯d effectively just be trading damage at first. Jerome and Mordred both told us that taking some damage was a foregone conclusion when we asked them about it. As far as they were concerned, trading hits was just a natural part of naval battles to begin with. We, however, opted to disagree.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave to me.¡¹

    ¡¸I take it you¡¯ve got something in mind?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Will sink enemies.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds promising to me, but you sure you¡¯re up for it?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure.¡¹

    ¡¸Hm, I don¡¯t want you doing anything that¡¯ll put you in too much danger. We¡¯ve still got a long trip ahead of us, and we¡¯ll be needing you to power our way through it.¡¹

    Jerome exchanged nces with Mordred, as if silently asking the B ranker whether or not he thought Fran would actually be able to pull it off, to which he replied with a nod.

    ¡¸A rankers are strong enough for us to call them t out inhuman, and she¡¯s got enough power to take one down. Me, I¡¯d say she¡¯ll be just fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright then, go fer it. Just make sure you don¡¯t damage our ship, ¡®lright?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Going now.¡¹

    ¡¸Going?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Going to sink enemies. Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Woooah! Your wolf was actually that damned huge?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ starting to think that it could probably even beat me up¡­¡¹

    Fran ignored Jerome, who¡¯s eyes had shot open in surprise, and mounted Urushi.

    ¡¸Go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    And so, the two of them leapt towards the pirates, leaving naught but a series of shocked sailors in their wake.

 Chapter 250: Anti-Ship Sword

    <h4>Chapter 250: Anti-Ship Sword</h4>

    Urushi was so fast that he managed to close the gap between us and the pirate ships in the blink of an eye.

    We used our bird¡¯s eye view to observe the pirates, only to find that they were staring up at Fran with dumbfounded looks on their faces. The dazested for a moment, as they immediately drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and attempted to shoot us down. It was a vicious attack, but not one that bothered Urushi even in the slightest. He dodged them all with ease.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do this.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYou know what? I¡¯d say this is probably as good a chance as any to run a few experiments, just so we can be a bit informed going forward.¡»

    ¡¸Exin?¡¹

    ¡ºI was thinking we could try and figure out the most efficient way for us to sink a ship. What do you think about hitting each of the five with a different kind of attack?¡»

    We were still going to be at sea for quite some time. I highly doubted that we were only going to run into a single group of pirates. Figuring out the most efficient way of eliminating them would definitely function to our own benefit.

    Fortunately, none of the pirates out on the deck seemed strong enough to catch my eye. They weren¡¯t going to be capable of getting in the way of our experiments¡ªunless we messed up really hard, that is.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start by trying out Lightning Magic.¡»

    Last time, we¡¯d only managed to sink the pirate ships we encountered by hurling massive rocks at them. We¡¯d grown a lot since then, we now had a much wider variety of options.

    ¡¸Kanna Kamui?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a bit too extreme for just pirates, don¡¯t you think? Plus, we won¡¯t be able to use it several times in rapid session.¡»

    I figured Kanna Kamui would allow us to obliterate all five ships off at the same time if they happened to be close enough, which, upon further inspection, they actually seemed to be. However, I decided to write it off for the time being, as it would defeat the purpose of the exercise I¡¯d nned.

    Kanna Kamui aside, I began to consider our options. Spells like Thunderbolt were rather decent, but theycked the power to take out an entire ship in just one hit. What we needed was something in the middle.

    ¡ºOh, I know.¡»

    I began to focus so I could cast a powerful spell. It wasn¡¯t anything on Kanna Kamui¡¯s tier, but it was still powerful nheless.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºEkato Keraunos!¡»

    Countless thunderbolts descended from the sky the moment I chanted the spell¡¯s name. They shot towards one of the pirate ships and annihted it in the most literal sense of the word. It had beenpletely and utterly erased, there wasn¡¯t even the slightest trace that it¡¯d been there in the first ce.

    Looking at the result made me feel as if I¡¯d gone a bit overboard.

    Ekato Keraunos was a spell that created exactly 100 bolts of lightning. It was up to its caster to determine exactly how those 100 bolts would act. It didn¡¯t take much effort to concentrate them on a single target as I¡¯d just done.

    Though it only output 10% of Kanna Kamui¡¯s power, it was still evidently way stronger than what was needed to take down a small ship. It looked like we wouldn¡¯t need to use anything more than our regr AOE lightning spells to wipe them all out if we wanted.

    The pirates stopped attacking. Seeing one of their allied ships t out vanish seemed to have scared them sheetless.

    That said, they didn¡¯t seem to think Fran had attacked them, but rather, that the ship had been hit by some sort of abnormal, weather-rted phenomenon. To them, it must¡¯ve looked like the lightning bolts had just randomly descended from the clear sky above.

    ¡¸Next, my turn.¡¹

    ¡ºSure.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Thor¡¯s Hammer!¡¹

    Her follow up, however, clearly revealed that it¡¯d all been her doing from the start.

    A huge magic circle appeared right above one of the ships as Fran chanted the name of the spell that we¡¯d gotten by leveling Lightning Magic up to level 8, the spell that¡¯d failed to break Fermus¡¯ defenses.

    The thick, high powered lightning bolt that came with the spell descended from the magic circle. It tore the ship in half and left the pieces it touched charred ck. Whoever named the spell had aptly described it; its aftermath made it look as if the god of lightning himself had descended, swung his mighty hammer, and smashed it right into the ship.

    ¡ºThat spell looked like a pretty good fit.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t help but think back to our battle with Fermus. He¡¯d managed to mount a perfect defense against an attack that could totally wreck a pirate ship in one hit, albeit a small one, with nothing more than just his threads. He really was one hell of a strong fighter.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try a different approach now, namely one that doesn¡¯t make use of brute force.¡»

    ¡¸What do?¡¹

    ¡ºI mean, all we¡¯re doing is sinking a ship here, so we should be able to finish it off by just sting a hole through its hull or something.¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure, yeah. We¡¯ll have to see how this goes.¡»

    I used the level 4 me spell, Exploding re, and shot it towards the sea.

    It did exactly as it was supposed to, andunched arge fireball that ultimately ended up exploding with a loud boom.

    ¡ºWelp. That failed.¡»

    ¡¸But made hole?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but I didn¡¯t hit the right spot. I was supposed to make a hole in the underside of its hull, not in its nk. I mean, they¡¯ve still got water flooding in, but not enough to sink them right away. Man, me Magic gets really hard to control when you¡¯re at sea.¡»

    ¡¸Then what?¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll have to change it up a bit is all.¡»

    I recast the same spell, but this time, enveloped the resulting projectile in a wall of wind so I could stop it from touching the seawater.

    This time, I managed to aplish my original goal of blowing a hole in the ship¡¯s underside, but I didn¡¯t actually manage to sink the vessel right away. The seawater had weakened re Explosion drastically, so the hole had ended up being way too small.

    On the bright side, I did manage to move the fireball to the exact ce I wanted it before it detonated, the pirate ship¡¯s propulsion system was no more. The ship as a whole wouldn¡¯t be sinking right away, but it¡¯d eventually go down, especially seeing as how it could no longer move. Of course, that wasn¡¯t to say I¡¯d seeded. The method I¡¯d just devised would allow the pirates on board more than enough time to escape.

    ¡ºI guess that means we should fire a few more at it.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    We fired off another five projectiles and totally wrecked the bottom side of ship¡¯s hull. It was no longer able to keep the water out, and so, it began sinking in earnest.

    Our third approach did work, but it took far too much time, and required us to get too close to the ship. Honestly speaking, it wasn¡¯t very practical.

    ¡ºNext, I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Next method?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve used a full powered Telekic Catapult, so I was thinking of maybe giving it a go.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    I was really curious as to the total amount of damage I¡¯d be able to output, so we put everyst bit of effort into powering up my attack. We used my telekinesis, alongside elemental de and Fran¡¯s wind magic. We poured in everyst bit of mana we could and purposefully avoided considering the effect the attack would have on my durability.

    ¡¸Ready?¡¹

    ¡ºReady.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran borrowed the help of a wind spell to boost me up to a high speed. I telekically elerated myself even further the moment I left her hands.

    ¡ºLeggoooooooo b*tchessssss!¡»

    It felt really nice to finally let loose and just bash myself into something as hard as I could.

    I destroyed both the ship¡¯s masts. I hit the first head on and totally wrecked it before striking the second around where it was rooted into the ship. Despite that, I didn¡¯t show even the slightest sign of stopping.

    My de smashed through the pirate ship¡¯s hull; it prated everyst wall and pir before opening a massive hole in the seacraft¡¯s hull.

    I knew that was what¡¯d happened, but it¡¯d all gone by so quick that I hadn¡¯t been able to process it. For me, it¡¯d been more of a three step process. I left Fran¡¯s hands, hit the mast dead on, and then suddenly found myself underwater.

    Only after returning to Fran did I realize that I¡¯d punched a huge hole in the ship. My telekic catapult had done quite a bit more damage than I¡¯d been expecting it to do.

    That said, overboosting elemental de had totally killed my durability. It was kinda wasteful, and probably not worth using on a mere pirate ship.

    ¡¸One ship left. Last method?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s kinda already started running away, so we should probably find ourselves a method that¡¯ll allow us to sink it real quick.¡»

    I began thinking about what we¡¯d done so far in order to figure out what might work. It looked like using wind magic might be a good idea for the time being, as I¡¯d be able to stall them with a cross wind.

    ¡¸Can I choose?¡¹

    ¡ºSure, what do you have in mind?¡»

    ¡¸Need to ask Master to do something.¡¹

    Fran exined her concept to me. I was honestly quite surprised to hear it, as it involved pushing my ability to transform to the limit. Long story short, she told me to make myself huge.

    Shape shifting itself wasn¡¯t really anything out of the ordinary. I¡¯d already tried bing threads, as well as a shield on asion. But this was going to be my first time literally just supersizing myself and nothing else.

    She still wanted to be able to swing me, so I kept my handle the same size, but boosted the hell out of both my de and guard with everything I had.

    I ended up being way bigger than I expected. I¡¯d long surpassed the horse yer in terms of size; my de had grown to be almost a whole 10 meters long. I¡¯d more or less transformed into one of the anti-ship swords that a certain mech would always swing around.

    ¡ºThis work for you?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Perfect. Going now.¡¹

    ¡ºPlease do. I won¡¯t be able to keep this up for too long, so I¡¯m going to have to ask you to be as quick as you can.¡»

    ¡¸No problem!¡¹

    Fran more or less did the same thing she did to Rynford to the pirate ship. She jumped off Urushi, boosted my weight, cast elemental de, and drew me from a sheath made out of air as she approached the ship.

    ¡¸Haaaaaahhh!¡¹

    Naturally, the attack divided the pirate ship in two. The sheer amount of blunt force the strike carried caused the wood that made up the ship¡¯s hull to fly all over the ce as Elemental de set the whole godd*mned thing on fire. The ship had no hope of surviving the attack. Neither its front nor back half could do anything but sink into the ocean¡¯s depths.

    In the end, we figured that Thor¡¯s Hammer and my Anti-Ship Sword mode were probably our two best options, with the former being better against a smaller number of foes, and thetter arger group.

    ¡¸Done.¡¹

    ¡ºPretty much, yeah.¡»

 Chapter 251: Master and Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 251: Master and Teacher</h4>

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess for ya!¡¹

    Captain Jerome happily greeted Fran with a full faced smile upon her return. He was very pleased to see that his ship had remained undamaged despite the pirate¡¯s assault.

    Likewise, the sailors had even started cheering for her. Not a single one of them seemed to be sympathizing with the pirates, nor the miserable fate they¡¯d met. That said, their actions weren¡¯t abnormal. The world we were currently living in was one in which you had to eliminate your enemies and the people that tried to steal from you; it was kill or be killed. To that end, having a powerful ally was something deserving honest gratitude.

    Unlike the sailors, most of the adventurers had ended up going quiet and turning meek, but not out of fear. Rather, they seemed to be trying to express their respect. Though adventurer rankings were based on more than just one¡¯s ability to enact violence, overwhelming strength was still a force that called for powerful feelings of admiration.

    The only member of the group whose expression was any different was Mordred. He, unlike the others, seemed more taken aback than anything. He ended up smiling in a bit of a wry manner as he called out to Fran.

    ¡¸Man, you¡¯re strong. You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve ever seen whose strength and rank differ as greatly as night and day.¡¹

    He had a fair point. Fran was way more powerful than any C ranker should be.

    ¡¸Listen up y¡¯little sheets! We¡¯re getting the hell out of this stretch of sea as fast as we possibly can!¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir!¡¹

    ¡¸The battle turned out to be a bit too shy, y¡¯see.¡¹

    Jerome was worried that the loud sounds and huge shockwaves would attract Magic Beasts to our current location, especially seeing as how there were a bunch of pirates floating around in the area. They would likely soon be preyed on.

    Hence, it would be best for us to get the hell out of the area as soon as possible.

    ¡¸Went too far.¡¹

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t say that. The lil¡¯ bit of risk we just incurred is well worth getting out of that situation scot-free.¡¹

    ¡¸While I do agree with the captain, I¡¯d like to say that it would be better for you to keep try to keep the shiness in moderation, if possible.¡¹

    Jerome was all smiles. He didn¡¯t seem to mind what we¡¯d done at all. Buphett, on the other hand, took a bit more reasonable an approach to the whole situation. I decided to adopt it and be a bit more careful going forward.

    Fran started heading back towards her room right after she finished speaking with Jerome, but was interrupted before she could leave the area.

    ¡¸We¡¯d like to ask a favour!¡¹

    ¡¸Please make us your apprentices!¡¹

    Miguel, Liddoock, and Naria rushed in front of her, prostrated, and began asking for her guidance.

    ¡¸The way you fight is incredible.¡¹

    ¡¸We want to get strong, much stronger than we are now.¡¹

    ¡¸So please make us your apprentices!¡¹

    All three of them seemed earnest, frantic, and desperate for her aid. I wanted to help them, but I didn¡¯t feel like it was actually usible for Fran to take them as her apprentices, as they¡¯d get in the way of her travels. More importantly though, she didn¡¯t really seem like the type that¡¯d actually be capable of teaching.

    Still, she seemed to have something in mind.

    ¡¸My apprentices?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes ma¡¯am!¡¹

    ¡¸Please!¡¹

    ¡¸We beg of you!¡¹

    All three pressed their foreheads against the ship¡¯s deck as they awaited a response.

    ¡ºWait, are you actually gonna do it?¡»

    £¨No. But interested.£©

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t really have them apany us though.¡»

    There were two major issues associated with letting them travel with us. The first was that they¡¯d slow us down, and the second was that they might figure out our secret.

    £¨I know.£©

    ¡ºJust had to make sure. But what exactly are you nning then?¡»

    £¨Nn. Will make apprentices for duration of boat trip.£©

    ¡ºRight. That does sound like it could work.¡»

    Fran¡¯s suggestion did sound like it would work. The three had their own room, so they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out that I was an intelligent weapon.

    ¡ºWell, I mean you do you. My only concern is, do you actually think you¡¯ll be able to teach them properly?¡»

    £¨Nn? Yes. Because interested.£©

    ¡ºWell, alright. Just make sure you let them know that it¡¯s your first time teaching anyone. I¡¯ll be all for it so long as they don¡¯t mind.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Will make apprentices. But just during boat trip.¡¹

    ¡¸Really!?¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you so much!¡¹

    ¡¸But never had apprentices before. No experience teaching. Still okay?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s perfectly fine!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re happy to have your guidance, Master!¡¹

    Fran sent Liddoock a sharp re and freaked him out a bit the moment he dered her his master.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t call me master.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Why not?¡¹

    ¡¸Because no. Not me. Master only reserved for the best.¡¹

    I was d Fran respected me and all that, but calling me ¡°the best¡± was taking it a bit too far. That said, I wasn¡¯t going to stop her or anything. Sheet would start getting really confusing if people started referring to Fran as ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡¸Can call me anything but Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    ¡¸Think of different title.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing.¡¹

    The three adventurers managed to nod even though Fran was looking at them in a serious, intimidating manner. They looked at each other and quietly discussed a few things before finally simultaneously turning back towards her.

    ¡¸What if we called you Ms. Fran then, like we would if you were our teacher?¡¹

    ¡¸Teacher?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Does that work?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Teacher acknowledged.¡¹

    She seemed to have taken a liking to the title, as she nodded while repeating ¡°I¡¯m a teacher,¡± several times over.

    ¡¸Starting training immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes Ma¡¯am!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The joy of being referred to as a teacher had totally pumped her full of motivation.

    I was really curious as to exactly what she was going to tell them to do. Though I was really curious, I wasn¡¯t really nning on butting in regardless of whether or not what she told them to do was anywhere even remotely within the realm of being sane. The three had asked for her to train them, not me. All that mattered to me was that Fran enjoyed the experience.

    ¡¸First is¡­¡¹

    Fran paused for a moment, which in turn caused her three disciples to curiously repeat her words, as if to urge her to continue.

    ¡¸Practice swings?¡¹

    ¡¸Practice swings? Got it! We¡¯ll be right on it!¡¹

    Though her tone seemed to carry a few hints of confusion with it, Fran had managed to get them off to a pretty decent start. A part of me had even started to suspect that she just might actually have a talent for teaching.

    Miguel and Liddoock abided by her orders and immediately began practicing. Miguel swung his greatsword up and down, while Liddoock started to thrust his spear forwards and backwards.

    Naria, however, seemed not to have any idea what to do. Fran¡¯s instructions had been directed towards her as well, but she was an archer. And as far as she was concerned, there wasn¡¯t really any point in swinging her bow around like a melee weapon.

    ¡¸Umm¡­ Am I supposed to join them? I don¡¯t really use swords or anything¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Only carrying bow?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡¹

    ¡¸Only using bow is bad. Will die in closebat.¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­ So does that mean you want me to learn how to use some sort of weapon I can use up close too?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Rmend shortsword. Not for attacking. Defending or throwing only.¡¹

    Watching Fran in action allowed me to confirm that she really did have talent for instructing others. I was surprised at how well she was handling everything.

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Will feel unnatural at first, but start today.¡¹

    ¡¸I definitely will!¡¹

    Fran pulled a rusted shortsword out of her dimensional storage and handed it to Naria. I was confused as to where she¡¯d got it from, so I asked her about it. Apparently, it was something that she¡¯d looted off one of the goblins we killed some time ago.

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Is it really okay for me to take it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Rusted, can¡¯t be used inbat. But good enough for practice.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    Fran silently watched over Naria as she began to get a feel for the weapon. Her face had on it a clear look of satisfaction.

    ¡¸Ummm¡­ Am I doing this right? Do I just keep swinging it around?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Though Fran didn¡¯t actually give Naria any direct advice on how she was supposed to swing it around, I didn¡¯t disagree with her methods. Repetitive training was something that ultimately made one better at wielding a weapon, and the existence of skills only made said training all the more worthwhile. Hence, Fran didn¡¯t actually need to say anything to her newfound apprentice. All she needed to do was watch over her so she could make sure she continued to practice her use of the weapon.

    And in fact, that was exactly what she did. She tirelessly continued to watch over all three adventurers without getting bored or distracted. As for me, I was really looking forward to seeing whether or not Fran would be able to drive them to improve by the time the boat trip was over. I was excited to find out just how far they would go, if anywhere at all.

 Chapter 252: Fran As A Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 252: Fran As A Teacher</h4>

    Today was the day after Fran decided to ept the three adventurers she met back at the guild as her temporary apprentices.

    It was still quite early in the morning, but she¡¯d already gathered them so they could start another day¡¯s worth of training.

    ¡¸First, stretches.¡¹

    ¡¸Stretches? What¡¯s a stretch?¡¹

    Liddoock mulled over the word that he¡¯d clearly never heard before, as if contemting its meaning.

    ¡¸I dunno, but I think it¡¯s probably something rted to some sort of super training!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure? It sounds more like a spell to me.¡¹

    Miguel and Naria answered him in turn, each with their own respective interpretations of the exercise.

    It turned out that stretching wasn¡¯t actually something this world¡¯s people normally did. They did have warm-up exercises, but none of them were meant to increase one¡¯s flexibility. The concept of stretching, as I knew it, waspletely foreign to them. In fact, Fran herself had only started stretching after I instructed her to and informed her that it was good for her. And now, she was taking that bit of information and spreading it.

    ¡¸Warm up before exercise.¡¹

    ¡¸Er, alright, but is there actually any point to it?¡¹

    Liddoock began questioning the exercise before Fran could get to demonstrating or exining.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh, interesting. Could you exin what the point is?¡¹

    ¡¸Warming up. Many benefits.¡¹

    ¡¸Many? Could you give a few specific examples?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Many is many.¡¹

    Although Fran knew that stretching would improve her condition, she wasn¡¯t able to exin why. She had clearly forgotten all the theory behind it even though I vividly recalled exining it to her not too long after we first met. As far as she was concerned, stretching was just another routine exercise she drilled into her body for the sake of getting stronger.

    All three of her apprentices had initially reacted to her clearly iplete exnation with a dumbfounded stare. It took them a few moments to shake their heads free of their doubts and begin following her instructions.

    ¡¸Do we really need to do this?¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up and just do it, idiot! Look, even Teach herself is doing it.¡¹

    Liddoock continued asking questions, but Miguel silenced him with a shout.

    ¡¸True¡­¡¹

    Though the spearman still seemed unconvinced, he felt that his party member¡¯s logic was both solid and believable.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure she¡¯s doing it for a reason us lower rankers can¡¯t even begin to wrap our heads around.¡¹

    Sensing that, Miguel appended another convincing argument to the end of his exnation.

    ¡¸Yeah, you know what, you¡¯re probably right. They¡¯re even worth Ms. Fran¡¯s time, so they¡¯re definitely worth ours too!¡¹

    Mentioning hisck of knowledge caused Liddoock to re-evaluate his stance yet again. Recalling his own faults made him much more willing to ept the unfamiliar exercise despite its purpose still being shrouded in mystery.

    ¡¸You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sure these movements will lead to some sort of incredible effect!¡¹

    Like Miguel, Naria had also decided to abide by Fran¡¯s instructions.

    ¡¸Yeah, it has to have something to do with why she¡¯s so strong even though she¡¯s really young!¡¹

    Miguel took theck of an exnation as a prompt to begin theorizing why Fran wanted them to stretch.

    ¡¸That¡¯s true! It might have something to do with making training more efficient.¡¹

    The constant reinforcement his party members were feeding him eventually caused Liddoock toe up with a more reasoned out answer.

    ¡¸That has to be it!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn, do I like the sound of that. It¡¯s getting me he pumped!¡¹

    Naria and Miguel both unhesitatinglytched onto his seemingly logical conclusion.

    And surprisingly, despite being overglorified, it wasn¡¯t really that far from being the right answer. Stretching didn¡¯t have the sort of miraculous effect they were expecting, but it did reduce the chance of injury. Hence, it technically did have the potential to allow one to train more efficiently.

    ¡¸Stretches, taught by Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Your master, teach?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of person was your master?¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing. Best master in world. Made me strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow! He sounds really impressive!¡¹

    ¡¸Master is best.¡¹

    Liddoock paused to let Fran make ament before continuing.

    ¡¸And he was the one that taught you how to stretch? T-¡¹

    ¡¸See, I called it! This stretching thing¡¯s gotta have some sort drastic effect!¡¹

    Feeling validated, Miguel cut Liddoock¡¯sment off with his own.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s give stretching our all!¡¹

    Neither of Fran¡¯s other two apprentices disagreed with Naria¡¯s suggestion.

    They were all totally gung ho about it, and because of that, started off by trying to force their bodies as far as they could. Fortunately, Fran, who¡¯d realized they misunderstood the exercise¡¯s purpose, stopped them before they hurt themselves. She patiently continued to instruct them until they started going about stretching the slow but thorough way one was supposed to.

    Fran was doing her job as their teacher incredibly well. The three were moved by the fact that she, someone way stronger than them, was willing to carefully instruct them. Their respect for her had been bolstered many times over even though all she¡¯d taught them to do was stretch.

    ¡¸Next, sparring.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?¡¹

    ¡¸Who will we have to go up against?¡¹

    Naria, Miguel, and Liddoock reacted in that order. The first leaked a sound to represent dumbfounded surprise, the second proimed his disbelief, and the third ended up asking a question in hopes of a favourable response.

    Even just considering the possibility of sparring with Fran had caused the colour to visibly drain from all three of the trio¡¯s faces. They clearly remembered getting totally creamed by her just the other day.

    None of them wanted to fight her. They all hoped that she would have them spar with one another instead.

    A hope she mercilessly crushed.

    ¡¸Nn. Me, one by one.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Alright.¡¹

    Resigning himself to death, Liddoock nodded and acknowledged the idea.

    ¡¸I can let you go first if you want.¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, you can go right ahead, Miguel.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry Naria, but I¡¯m with Miguel. Ladies first, you see.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn you Liddoock, you traitor!¡¹

    Fran was getting tired of seeing the trio¡¯s pitiful argument, so she raised one of her arms and pointed in Miguel¡¯s direction.

    ¡¸Swordsman first.¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry up.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it, Teach.¡¹

    ¡¸Do your beeest.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t die out there bro.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh shut up! You two are going to be following me straight to hell in a few seconds anyways.¡¹

    Miguel stepped up, his face dyed in a shade of hopelessness.

    ¡¸You attack.¡¹

    ¡¸Here I go then! Oraaaaaahhhh!¡¹

    Miguel came right at Fran with his sword in motion. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit of hesitation in his movements; he swung to kill because he knew just how much stronger than him she really was.

    The nearby sailors, however, didn¡¯t. All they saw was a hulk of a man viciously lunging at a little girl with his greatsword in hand. Not all of them had watched yesterday¡¯s battle unfold, so most judged based off of appearances and assumed that Miguel was way stronger than Fran.

    They¡¯d found the sight of her teaching him, the thing they¡¯d been watching up until now, entertaining and humorous. That was precisely why the sudden change in activity had caused them to start screaming in panic.

    But their concerns were needless. The tragic event they¡¯d expected to see simply never happened.

    ¡¸Wind-up too big.¡¹

    ¡¸Toryaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Power important, but no point if can¡¯t hit.¡¹

    ¡¸Shiiit!¡¹

    ¡¸Smaller swings.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Too rushed.¡¹

    ¡¸Grgghhh!¡¹

    Fran basically didn¡¯t bother retaliating. She instead spent her time dodging while giving him advice. She would also lightly tap him whenever he exposed an opening in order to show him what he needed to work on.

    Watching the two caused the sailors to freeze up; they werepletely dumbfounded.

    As far as Miguel was concerned, however, things were going roughly as expected. The only thing he didn¡¯t ount for was that Fran wasn¡¯t actually going to retaliate. He was d to see that she continued instructing him as opposed to just totally wrecking him.

    He ended up sinking to the floorpletely exhausted after maintaining his all out assault for approximately 10 minutes.

    ¡¸Nn. Last attack, not bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸Next, spearman.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing!¡¹

    Liddoock took Miguel¡¯s ce and began a second vigorous assault on Fran. He tried to strategically angle and shift his attacks such that they¡¯d hit, but she totally saw through all of his tactics and maintained a wless defense.

    ¡¸Thinking too much before attacking.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Too easy to read. More variation.¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Not bad, but too slow.¡¹

    She more or less treated him the same way she treated Miguel. She dodged all his attacks and asionally pressed her palm against his body to demonstrate that he¡¯d made a mistake that would¡¯ve lead to his death. In the end, Liddoock, like Miguel, ended up copsing out of sheer exhaustion.

    Last up was Naria. Firing projectiles from a bow was quite dangerous given that we were on a ship with a bunch of people on it, and Fran wasn¡¯t really able to offer too much bow-rted advice in the first ce. Hence, she instead focused on teaching Naria how to use her short sword.

    Her methods remained the same, but she made sure to attack a bit more frequently since she wanted Naria to get more used to blocking than anything else.

    ¡¸More attention to blocking. Less to attacking.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    ¡¸Dodge if can¡¯t block.¡¹

    ¡¸Ow!¡¹

    ¡¸Use dagger for control. Feints.¡¹

    Naria ended up yielding a bit faster than Miguel and Liddoock. I didn¡¯t really me her. She was using a weapon she wasn¡¯t used to, and the need to block Fran¡¯s strikes had drained her of her energy really quickly.

    But either way, Fran was satisfied. She¡¯d proven herself capable of functioning as a teacher.

    ¡¸Archer, keep practicing with short sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    ¡¸Swordsman, spearman, focus on offensive footwork.¡¹

    The three nodded after Fran gave them some feedback. She¡¯d sessfully managed to root out their weaknesses.

    ¡¸Archer, can also keep practicing with bow.¡¹

    But despite that, she continued to call them by their weapons as opposed to their names, and not because that was just how she wanted to refer to them. It was instead something that needed to be attributed to one of her bad habits: forgetting everything she wasn¡¯t really interested in. In other words, although she was interested in having them as her apprentices, she hadn¡¯t actually taken to any of the three individuals themselves. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether or not any of them would be able to get her to remember them by name before the Algieba reached its destination.

 Chapter 253: The Water Dragon Warship

    <h4>Chapter 253: The Water Dragon Warship</h4>

    Two days had passed since Fran had sunk the five iing pirate ships. It was currently around noon, the sun was shining directly overhead.

    Fran was doing the same thing she¡¯d been doing most of yesterday: training her apprentices. She made them stretch, sparred with them, and showed them how to move. The training itself was going well, but it was cut short by an interruption nheless.

    The rm bell began ringing during one of the group¡¯s cooldown sessions; its ngs sounded off over and over in a fourfold pattern.

    We¡¯d once again found ourselves subject to a pirate assault.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go teach!¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet, pirates again!? Why the hell are there so many? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be the Kraken¡¯s Nest?¡¹

    Both melee ranged fighters, Liddoock and Miguel voiced their opinions in that order the moment they heard the bell.The former suggested immediately jumping into the fray, whereas thetter groaned andined.

    ¡¸They might be a part of some sort of huge pirate brigade, the kind that can get its hands on brand new, state of the art ships capable of easily outrunning kraken.¡¹

    Liddoock spoke up yet again. Unlike his immediate reaction, which seemed to function as a call to action, his second set of words seemed to contain a bit more thought.

    ¡¸You serious man? We might be in some deep sheet then.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop panicking Miguel. We¡¯ve got Ms. Fran, our teacher, here with us. How¡¯s a pirate ship even supposed to begin topare?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. Good point, Naria.¡¹

    Fran had her apprentices to stand by before heading over to the ship¡¯s bow. There, she found Captain Jerome already gazing at the iing pirates through a telescope.

    ¡¸How many?¡¹

    ¡¸I was just thinking it was about time for you to show up. They¡¯ve got 12 this time ¡®round. There seem to be a couple bigger ships mixed in amongst their ranks too.¡¹

    12? Damn, that¡¯s pretty big for a band of pirates.

    ¡¸They¡¯re waving the same g as the five you sank a couple days back.¡¹

    ¡¸Their friends?¡¹

    ¡¸Seems like it. They¡¯ve probably got their HQ somewhere in the area.¡¹

    ¡¸Sent main force?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry princess, but no idea.¡¹

    At first, Fran and I had both thought that 12 was a pretty big number, but ording to Jerome, it wasn¡¯t. Pirate fleets could get big, really big. The ones we were up against were, rtively speaking, so few in number that the captain couldn¡¯t actually figure out whether they were some small-time group¡¯s main fleet or arger group¡¯s scouting party.

    ¡¸The one thing I do know is that somethin¡¯ feels off.¡¹

    ¡¸Meaning?¡¹

    ¡¸No idea. I¡¯ve just got a bad feelin¡¯ is all.¡¹

    ¡¸Want to see enemies.¡¹

    ¡¸Right. I¡¯ll let ya borrow this then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks¡¹

    Jerome handed Fran a spare telescope. She promptly picked it up, lifted it to her face, and joined him in gazing at the pirate fleet.

    ¡ºYou see anything?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ That, weird-looking?¡¹

    ¡ºUh, you¡¯re asking me? I was asking you cause I can¡¯t see sheet¡­¡»

    ¡¸So not even you know what that is, ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The sight of a really buff dude standing next to a little girl, with the two both speaking in low, guttural tones, was one I couldn¡¯t help but findical. Seeing them side by side made me want to burst intoughter.

    ¡¸Oh!?¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Look at that ship over there.¡¹

    Jerome seemed to have noticed something.

    ¡ºIs he maybe talking about the ship¡¯s g, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Weird g above skull and crossbone g.¡¹

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that just some sort of pirate g?¡»

    ¡¸Strange insignia. Draconic.¡¹

    Well, it probably wasn¡¯t a pirate¡¯s g if it looked draconic.

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ the Sheedran g. Sheet, I knew it!¡¹

    Jerome seemed to have figured something out, as, though he still had the telescope to his eye, he¡¯d started to groan in displeasure.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ve figured out why I felt so on edge.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸That draconic mark you saw? It¡¯s a sign that the ship¡¯s from Sheedran, one of the maritime nations to our north.¡¹

    We didn¡¯t really know much about Sheedran, so we had Jerome borate a bit further. ording to him, it was an oceanic country whose borders spanned the archipgo with whom it shared its name.

    The continent we just departed, Gilbard, had Chrom to its west and Brohdinn to its north. All you needed to do to find the Sheedran inds on a map was to mark the three continents, connect the dots to form a triangle, and find the centerpoint. Visualizing that allowed me to realize that ity just south west of the demonic sea, the expanse of water between Gilbard and Brohdinn. Taking our current position into ount, we¡¯d probably actually be able to reach it if we headed straight north.

    Wait, they¡¯ve got a country¡¯s g hoisted? Does that mean they¡¯re not actually pirates?

    It turned out the whole situation was much more convoluted than I¡¯d initially suspected.

    ¡¸Y¡¯see, thing is, Sheedran¡¯s status as a country is something that people like arguing about. The ce was originally upied by a group of notorious ouws called the Sheedran Pirates. They were sessful, so sessful that they managed to absorb basically every other pirate band in the area. Before long, they started calling themselves a country instead of just a group of criminals. Probably shouldn¡¯t really think about that part of it though. We ain¡¯t got no time here to talk politics. All that really matters is the gist. We¡¯ll be golden so long as you know that that the Sheedran people descend from pirate folk, meanin¡¯ they like to be rough. I¡¯ve even heard rumours sayin¡¯ that their entire popluation¡¯s made up of sailors.¡¹

    As far as Sheedran¡¯s citizens were concerned, the strong and charismatic belonged in society¡¯s upper rungs. The country¡¯s former king was especially outstanding. He had been so charismatic that he got every single one of the country¡¯s citizens to acknowledge him, and then some. Even people like Jerome looked up to him, and that was seriously saying something.

    ¡¸The king was a hell of a man, but no one lives forever. He kicked the bucket a few years back. His sessors jumped right into fightin¡¯ over his seat the moment he left it. Ended up throwing one hell of a sheetshow.¡¹

    The g fluttering about above the pirate g indicated that the vessel belonged to Sheedran¡¯s royal family.

    ¡¸Then, Sheedran¡¯s navy?¡¹

    ¡¸Not even Sheedran¡¯s navy would be brazen enough to fly a pirate¡¯s g. You see how the royal g¡¯s blue? That¡¯s apparently s¡¯pposed to mean that it belongs to the first prince, the guy that lost the power struggle and got his ass kicked outta the country.¡¹

    The first prince took his men and started ying pirate after leaving his country. As Sheedran¡¯s royals had descended from pirates in the first ce, it would technically be more urate to say that he returned to his roots.

    I wasn¡¯t quite convinced that we could really conclude that much from just a g. It could¡¯ve just been a fake. I didn¡¯t need to think too deeply to think up more reasons why that¡¯d be than I could count. Besides, why would someone that¡¯s gotten their ass deported want to raise their old country¡¯s g in the first ce?

    I had Fran express my doubts, but they were shot down. ording to Jerome the g was probably authentic, and the ship most likely bore some sort of connection with Sheedran¡¯s royal family.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Try lookin¡¯ at the ship¡¯s bow.¡¹

    ¡¸Bow?¡¹

    ¡ºYou see anything, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Chains?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. They¡¯re hooked up to a water dragon. Water dragon warships like that one were the whole reason the Sheedran were so powerful at sea.¡¹

    The concept of taming magic beasts and using them to pull seafaring vessels had been around for as long as people could remember, but Sheedran¡¯s first king was the one and only person to have ever seeded in taming B ranked magic beasts, water dragons.

    ¡¸There were only ever four of them, but those four alone gave the Sheedran enough power to plow through every other group of pirates and topple even the fleets sent by the most powerful of countries.¡¹

    Water dragon pulled ships were truly terrifying; they totally eclipsed regr ships in terms of both speed and firepower and dominated any battlefields they were sent to. Mentioning their traits and specialities caused Jerome to realize why he¡¯d felt something was wrong. It was the speed. The water dragon ships were closing in on us as quickly as would speedboats.

    ¡¸They¡¯ve probably gots the g raised either cause they want to assert themselves, or ¡¯cause they want to intimidate anyone theye across.¡¹

    The act of self-assertion sounded really stupid and reckless, but not too unlikely based on what Jerome had told us. After all, the prince had already gone as far as causing a sheetstorm inside his own country despite his responsibilities.

    ¡¸Dealing with ¡¯em isn¡¯t something we¡¯d want to do, but they¡¯ve got too much speed on us for us to get away.¡¹

    ¡¸Won¡¯t fight?¡¹

    ¡¸Hell no, not against a Water Dragon Ship. Sheet¡¯s worth a whole fleet 100 strong.¡¹

    ¡¸But can¡¯t escape.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, we¡¯re sheet out of luck. Damn it! Why the foock did we have to run into that monster of a ship!?¡¹

    It looked like we weren¡¯t going to be able to retreat.

    ¡¸The Sheedrans hate our country, so I doubt we¡¯d be able to get away with losing only the usual 30 percent of our cargo either¡­¡¹

    Many of the less extreme pirates were willing to let you go scot-free so long as you were willing to pay a toll fee. The ones attacking us, however, had a Water Dragon Warship. They could care less about making an enemy out of a country. It was possible that they¡¯d ughter everyone on board even if we surrendered immediately.

    ¡¸Foock it. Our only hope is ramming their gship head on and engaging in an all out melee. They¡¯ve got too many cannons for us to stand a chance at range. Time for you adventurers to earn your keep! Think yer up for it?¡¹

    I didn¡¯t understand why the captain felt that engaging in meleebat was better than letting Fran do the thing she¡¯d donest time. Logically speaking, that seemed like it¡¯d be the way better choice.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll be up against a water dragon, y¡¯know? That sheet¡¯s dangerous up close.¡¹

    ¡¸Can just attack from ship.¡¹

    Though water dragons were B ranked threats, it was rather unlikely for them to be capable of sniping us out of the air. All we had to do was find a few openings, and we¡¯d be able to sink the dragon ship alongside all its escorts.

    I couldn¡¯t say for sure whether or not we¡¯d be able to take the water dragon itself down, but destroying the ship it pulled would honestly be a pretty easy task.

    ¡¸I like the idea, but it doesn¡¯t get us out of the bind we¡¯re in. The water dragons could start going berserk if freed. We¡¯d sink for sure if they attacked us.¡¹

    The only people that knew how to calm down a raging water dragon were Sheedran¡¯s higher ups.

    ¡¸Hmmm.¡¹

    To be honest, I was at a loss. I had no idea what to do.

    ¡ºWe still have a bit of time to figure things out before we actually have to engage them inbat. What do you say to asking Mordred what he thinks?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    The most optimal solution would be for us to totally wipe the pirates out, water dragon and all. Our biggest blocker was that we weren¡¯t sure we¡¯d actually be able to kill the dragon in question. We¡¯d never fought any sort of dragon before, so we didn¡¯t have a frame of reference we could use to figure out our chances. To that end, we needed to keep ourselves on guard, just in case.

 Chapter 254: The Water Dragon Warshipâ€™s True Power

    <h4>Chapter 254: The Water Dragon Warship¡¯s True Power</h4>

    Fran and a few others, Mordred included, gathered to discuss the n going forward immediately after we confirmed that we were going up against a Water Dragon Warship.

    ¡¸So, just to double check, you said you could wipe out all the ships escorting their gship?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Leave to me.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that means the only thing we¡¯ll have to worry about will be the Water Dragon Warship¡­¡¹

    It turned out that not even Mordred had any experience fighting water dragons.

    ¡¸So you remember how you won against Fermus¡­? I think you¡¯d be able to take the water dragon down if you used that again. Do you think that¡¯s something you can pull off, or does it need some sort of condition you can¡¯t fulfill right now?¡¹

    ¡¸Can use.¡¹

    ¡¸Great. In that case, all we¡¯ll have to do ise up with a contingency in the case that it manages to survive it.¡¹

    The ship was sure to get totally wrecked if weunched both Kanna Kamui and ck Lightning Advent at the dragon. It would undoubtedly be set free if we failed to take it down. To prevent that exact situation from unfolding, we needed a more reliable way to damage the dragon, a method of attack that was both precise and extremely high in terms of power.

    (Telekic Catapult?)

    ¡ºYou were thinking that too?¡»

    (Nn. Only option.)

    Taking down the water dragon attached to the ship didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be too difficult. In fact, it was probably way easier than taking down a wild water dragon. The chains that held the creature to the seaborn chariot it pulled greatly limited its range of movement.

    Hitting was going to be fairly simple. All we had to worry about was doing enough damage to kill it through all its defenses¡ªwhich I figured wouldn¡¯t be too hard so long as we hit one of its vitals.

    ¡¸What if only attacked dragon?¡¹

    ¡¸That is probably the most ideal solution¡­ but do you know of any ways to implement it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I guess we¡¯ll have to leave that to you too. God, I feel pathetic.¡¹

    Mordred¡¯s inability to act vexed him. He¡¯d basically no choice but to have Fran, an adventurer way younger than he was, resolve everything all on her own. Worse yet, he wasn¡¯t being limited because he was weak, but rather, because hecked the precise skill set needed to make a difference. His speciality,va magic, was short ranged, but it could provide the ship with excellent defenses, but a focus on defense wasn¡¯t exactly what we needed at the moment.

    Apletely different thought crossed my mind as I contemted Mordred¡¯s capabilities. The ship we were about to attack was one that did technically have a member of a royal family on board. Was killing their dragon and sinking gship potentially going to lead to some sort of international outcry?

    ¡¸Okay to sink enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Will country retaliate if prince dies?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, no worries there. The vessel¡¯s flying a pirate g, so sinking it is only the most natural course of action even if it does belong to Sheedran¡¯s navy. If anything, we¡¯d be under more scrutiny if we didn¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸A pirate g¡¯s basically a threat in and of itself, basically means ¡°hand over your sheet or die,¡± y¡¯know? As far as we seafarers go, attackin¡¯ anyone with a pirate¡¯s g is justmon sense.¡¹

    His argument made sense to me, so we moved on to the next problem: figuring out the order in which we¡¯d sink the ships. We had to choose between focusing on either the gship or its escorts. Though the options seemed quite different, they resulted in the creation of a simr set of disadvantages. The water dragon warship was likely going to chase the Algieba down if we took down the escorts first. Likewise, targeting the gship could lead to the rest of its fleet hunting the Algieba down. Making a decision would¡¯ve been a much simpler task if we were capable of providing time estimates and whatnot, but we honestly had no idea how long we would need to actually beat the dragon.

    Jerome ended up solving that problem for us by pointing out that the other ships would likely run the hell away if we took their gship down, meaning we¡¯d save on the number of things we had to fight if we got our priorities straight.

    ¡¸They¡¯d probably find it totally suicidal to go up against something that managed to take a Water Dragon Warship down, y¡¯see.¡¹

    ***

    We found ourselvesunching off the ship¡¯s deck once the meeting adjourned.

    ¡ºUrushi, focus on dodging.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, try to aggro the dragon. Make it raise its head out of the water if you can.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    It would be much more difficult for us to finish the dragon off if it stayed underwater. The dragon itself didn¡¯t gain any bonuses from being submerged, but it would still naturally be protected by the seawater around it. Water was much denser than air, and wecked anything specialized for subaqueousbat. The vast majority of our attacks would simply end up losing force below the ocean¡¯s surface.

    To that end, I asked Fran to barrage the dragon with weaker spells in an attempt to annoy it enough to lure it out where we could hit it harder.

    Arrows, cannonballs, and even spells would periodically fire from the ship. But Urushi, swift as he was, avoided them all with ease. The ratio of spells to other projectiles was surprisingly high, and indicated that there were multiple mages on board the ship. That same statistic further served to indicate that the people on board really weren¡¯t just your typical pirates.

    As they posed no threat, Fran ignored the iing attacks and just continued to single mindedly throw spells at the water dragon. She didn¡¯t actually seem to be hurting it, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t getting annoyed.

    All it took was five short minutes worth of pestering for the lizard-like beast to emerge from the water, its face adorned with an expression of rage.

    To me, the term water dragon suggested something along the lines of a plesiosaurus, a big, underwater creature with flippers on its sides and smooth, slippery skin.

    Clearly, I was wrong, or least mostly wrong. The only urate part of my guess had been the general plesiosaurus-like shape. Unlike a plesiosaurus, however, it was covered in from head to toe with rugged scales, and even had a sharp horn growing out of its forehead. Its rear was decorated by an abnormally long tail, and its back a pair of fins resembling degenerated wings. Likewise, its arms and legs were also part fin, and bore a strong resemnce to a sea lion¡¯s front two limbs. The way they were shaped led me to suspect that the water dragons would probably still be capable of moving around even onnd.

    The whole creature¡¯s body was covered in ayer of what appeared to be seawater. It¡¯d appeared to have wrapped itself up in moisture in order to prevent its skin from dehydrating.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    There was no point in thinking about what the dragon was doing or why it looked the way it did. All that could be saved for after we defeated it.

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s do it!¡»

    Fran brandished me and pulled me into position. I¡¯d finished all my preparations ahead of time; I was already ready.

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºFuuuck yeaaaah!¡»

    I boosted myself with Telekinesis and charged towards the dragon¡¯s head the moment Fran threw me. Despite being a B ranked threat, it was incapable of reacting given thebination of my speed and theck of distance between us. Both my aim and our setup had been perfect. I smashed into into the water dragon¡¯s unprotected face.

    ¡¸Oryyyywaaat!?¡¹

    A deafening sound echoed throughout my surroundings, but it was neither the sound of the water dragon¡¯s head exploding, nor the sound of a new hole opening up in its skull.

    It¡¯d instead been the sound of me popping the membrane surrounding the dragon¡¯s body. And that was it. There¡¯d been a sort of magical barrier underneath theyer of seawater. Thebination of the two defensive walls had killed all my momentum and minimized the amount of damage I¡¯d actually been able to inflict.

    My telekic catapult had only managed a scratch. We¡¯d thought that just one hit would be enough to take our foe down, but at this rate, it almost looked as if the dragon would be totally fine even after a couple hundred.

    ¡ºWell, then how about trying this on for size? Lightning st!¡»

    I cast the spell I¡¯d gotten from leveling Lightning Magic up to level 5, Lightning st. Though it was rather short ranged, it more than made up for it with its high damage output. I¡¯d assumed that using it would be a good idea because water-aligned life forms seemed like they¡¯d probably be weak to electricity.

    ¡ºYour defenses won¡¯t block sheet if I attack you from point nk!¡»

    Electrical energy zapped through the water dragon¡¯s head; there was so much of it that it even ended up illuminating our surroundings. But despite that, the water dragon took no damage whatsoever.

    I didn¡¯t understand what¡¯d happened.

    It didn¡¯t have any skills that let it resist lightning.

    ¡¸Grooooooooooohhhhh!¡¹

    ¡ºFoock!¡»

    It seemed that the water dragon was about to try and bite me, so I quickly teleported back into Fran¡¯s hands.

    ¡¸Okay?¡¹

    ¡ºI only just made it out, but yeah, I¡¯m fine. But sheet, that thing¡¯s defenses are rock solid. It¡¯s got a magical barrier, ayer of seawater, and its scales all working in tandem to protect it. It basically didn¡¯t take damage from Telekic Catapult. It didn¡¯t seem to take any damage from my lightning magic either.¡»

    I knew we were going up against a B ranked magic beast, but I honestly hadn¡¯t expected it to remain perfectly unscathed even after taking several attacks head on.

    ¡¸Understood something by watching from afar.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    ¡¸Ship supplying magic to water dragon.¡¹

    ¡ºOh¡­? Yeah, I didn¡¯t notice.¡»

    ¡¸Biggest mana flow when Master used magic.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, so that means the ship has something that it can use to boost the dragon¡¯s defense!?¡»

    The moment I considered the existence of such a device was the moment I realized I should¡¯ve been expecting it, or something like it, from the very start. Skilled mages and adventurers were difficult toe by, but there were still quite a decent number of them out there. Some sort of dragon-protecting countermeasure should¡¯ve been par for the course.

    Their ship was big, big enough for it to be carrying a whole boatload¡¯s worth of magical apparatuses. Moreover, it was a gship that used to belong to a country that basically dominated every single major power out there in terms of its ability to do navalbat. Magical items with ridiculously powerful, unimaginable effects should¡¯ve been one of the things we¡¯d expected from them from the very start.

    ¡ºWell, this is a huge pain in the ass if I¡¯ve ever seen one. We can¡¯t kill the water dragon unless we blow the ship up, but that stupid oversized lizard¡¯s probably going to go on rampage the moment we let it loose¡­¡»

    ¡¸Destroy ship first, hunt dragon after?¡¹

    ¡ºI dunno, that sounds like it could be pretty risky.¡»

    We¡¯d be forced into a pretty tough spot if the dragon decided to dive the moment it was freed. I highly doubted we¡¯d be able to chase it and defeat it if it did. It wouldn¡¯t pose too much of a problem if it decided to flee, but, it¡¯d be a huge pain in the ass to deal with if it decided it wanted revenge, and started attacking from the depths. We¡¯d have literally no way of dealing with it.

    ¡¸Will dragon want revenge?¡¹

    ¡ºDunno. It¡¯s a B ranked magic beast, so chances are, it¡¯s probably at least as smart as Urushi.¡»

    And anything that smart was more than capable of wanting revenge.

    ¡¸Understood. Troublesome.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it looks like we¡¯ve pretty much got no choice but to board them.¡»

    I had no idea how they were actually retaining control over the water dragon, but I suspected it was likely either through a tamer or some sort of magic item. Either way, we¡¯d probably be able to figure it out and deal with whatever it was if we managed to bring the fight to the enemy gship.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re pretty much out of options, so let¡¯s head back to the Algieba for now.¡»

    We wouldn¡¯t be able tob through the entire ship on our own. It was way too big. We were going to need more hands on deck if we actually wanted to get much of anywhere at all.

 Chapter 255: The Start of a Melee

    <h4>Chapter 255: The Start of a Melee</h4>

    Fran wholeheartedly apologized to Jerome, Mordred, and everyone else that¡¯d ced their faith in her as soon as she got back on the Algieba. Honestly, I wanted to do the same. I was the one that¡¯d kept going on and on about how we¡¯d be able to pull it off, but the Water Dragon Ship had made me totally eat my words. I felt really bad about the fact that Fran had ended up apologizing in my stead.

    God damn it, Water Dragon Ship! I swear I¡¯ll sink your ass for this!

    I¡¯d expected everyone to get mad at us and start yelling at us, but much to my surprise, none of them did.

    ¡¸So you attacked the water dragon the same way you attacked the pirate ships we ran into the other day?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸If it won¡¯t take any damage from an attack strong enough to sink a ship in one blow, then we can¡¯t really me you.¡¹

    Luckily for us, they were able to understand our circumstances.

    ¡¸Looks like our only hope at winning this would be to board their gship and take out whatever or whoever¡¯s controlling the dragon.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds ¡¯bout right.¡¹

    The captain nodded as he thought over Mordred¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡¸Knowledge of control method?¡¹

    ¡¸None here. What about you, captain?¡¹

    ¡¸I ain¡¯t got any details, but I know the royal family¡¯s been handling them for ages.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, capture royalty?¡¹

    ¡¸Seems like a pretty good idea. We might be able to figure how to stop the damn dragon if we do. Or maybe, if we¡¯re lucky, we might even figure out how we can steal it from ¡¯em, ship and all.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    We¡¯d be able to bring the Beastkin¡¯s Country a nice fancy souvenir. That said, figuring that part out was just a stretch goal. For now, our main focus was going to be stopping the Water Dragon Warship from doing its thing.

    ¡¸Only problem is we have no idea how to get on board the ship. Far as I know, our only shot at it would be to ram ¡¯em somehow.¡¹

    ¡¸Can leave to me.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve got something figured out already, princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Can move everyone to enemy ship instantly.¡¹

    It was finally Dimension Gate¡¯s turn to shine.

    It would¡¯ve been difficult for us to open up a gate to any ce outside the range of our vision, but the Water Dragon Warship had gotten close enough for its deck to be seen with the naked eye. Linking our ship and theirs was an easy task.

    Our confidence was greeted by a set of skeptical-looking gazes. Fran had only just failed spectacrly despite talking big, and space/time magic was a super rare element, so most wouldn¡¯t bother suspecting that she could use it.

    Realizing that we needed something to back our im, I had Fran grab the captain¡¯s hat through a super short distance gate.

    ¡¸Woah! That¡¯s an incredibly advanced spell¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Y¡¯can even use space/time magic? Colour me impressed.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s our teacher for you!¡¹

    Adventurers and sailors alike reacted to our reveal with shock; they began talking amongst each other and making a whole lot of noise.

    ¡¸So you can use the spell you just cast to get us onto the enemy¡¯s ship?¡¹

    The quickest to regain his cool and get back to business was Mordred. We were really lucky to have him and his level head on board.

    ¡¸Nn. Can connect gate to ship¡¯s deck.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that means we should keep this ¡®ere ship as far from theirs as we can.¡¹

    Likewise, Jerome was also fairly quick to begin contemting the spell and its implications.

    ¡¸Nn. No point in boarding enemy if ship sinks.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you think we¡¯d actually be able to outrun that fleet of theirs, captain? It looks to me like they¡¯re faster than us.¡¹

    ¡¸Yer right, they¡¯re bound to catch up. The Algieba¡¯s pretty damned solid, but concentrated cannonfire¡¯s sure to put ¡®er in danger.¡¹

    Protecting our own ship was a must, so we proposed splitting up our forces. Specifically, our idea was to have Mordred lead a group of people aboard the enemy gship while Fran sank the rest of the fleet as quickly as possible before hurrying over to reinforce him.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the n to be validated as our best option given the current situation.

    ¡¸Alright boys, let¡¯s raid the enemy ship, kick asses, and take names. Are you ready!?¡¹

    Mordred fired the men up as he got to his feet and prepared himself to board the pirate¡¯s gship.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yessir!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, if you could.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I opened the gate.

    With Mordred at the lead, our forces began pouring through and invading the enemy ship. The strategy we¡¯d employed was a sink or swim approach. Either we won, and everything went well, or we got totally foocked. If the ship sank, we were done for, so there was no point staying on board and just waiting around. Thus, literally every single adventurer and sailor we had on board ended up following Mordred over to the enemy¡¯s gship, Fran¡¯s three merry disciples included.

    ¡¸It¡¯s time to shine, Teach, so here we go!¡¹

    Liddoock readied his weapon as he got ready to head through the portal.

    ¡¸It¡¯s time to show off everything you¡¯ve taught us!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll capture the enemy¡¯smanders for sure! Just watch us!¡¹

    Likewise, Miguel and Naria totally pumped themselves the hell up as they awaited their turn to sortie.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t push selves too hard. Very important, stay alive.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes ma¡¯am!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    And with that, they left.

    Personally, I didn¡¯t really want to see any of the three die for the sole reason that Fran would be sad if they did. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t try too hard.

    I started to hear screams, mostly pirate screams, leak over from where the gate was connected. There were bound to be a ton of the seafaring ne¡¯er-do-wells on board, but I figured that our allies were rather unlikely to lose given that we had Mordred. Still, it would be in their best interest for us to blow up all the other ships as quickly as possible.

    ¡¸Time to act.¡¹

    ¡ºYou betcha.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re counting on you, princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We exchanged a few words with Jerome, closed the gate, and leapt into action. Time was of the essence, the longer we took, the more casualties our allies would suffer. Given that, we decided to go full throttle from the very start.

    ¡¸Master! Ready!¡¹

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    ¡¸Urushi, full speed ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I transformed into the anti-ship sword form I¡¯d first adopted a couple days back as Urushi plunged straight towards the enemy ship. Fran raised and swung me the moment we passed it by. Thebination of her attack¡¯s power and the additional boost brought about by Urushi¡¯s speed allowed her to cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

    A single strike was all it took her to bring my de from the ship¡¯s front all the way through to its back, bisecting it and sinking it one go. Though he wasn¡¯t able to continue using gravity to his advantage, Urushi refused to slow down. He pumped his legs over and over, bringing her from ship to ship.

    Not a single one of the seacraft he passed survived. Each and every single one was torn right in two. The pirates weren¡¯t slow to react, they immediately began bombarding him with their attacks, but to no avail. It simply wasn¡¯t possible for them to hit Urushi at his top speed.

    While Urushi and Fran targeted nearby ships, I focused on the ones a bit further away. The might of Thor¡¯s Hammer struck every ship too far outside mypanions¡¯ reach.

    Urushi managed to maintain his speed for a full 10 minutes, just enough time for us to loop around and sink all the fleet¡¯s vessels, gship aside.

    ¡¸Nn. Only Water Dragon Warship left.¡¹

    ¡ºWe were pretty lucky that all the other ships were small enough for us to sink in one hit each.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi, go to Water Dragon Warship.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    All we had to now was stop the Water Dragon Ship before it reached the Algieba. In other words, we probably needed to board the ship and find the former prince.

    Fran leapt off Urushi¡¯s back as soon as we arrived, and started cutting down the pirates that happened to be where shended.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Higyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet, more enemies!¡¹

    She loosed an intense aura of bloodlust after dispatching a couple enemies, one powerful enough to stop every nearby pirate in their tracks. I used the time they spent unmoving to quickly appraise them all, but failed to find anyone that seemed noteworthy in our immediate vicinity.

    ¡ºHey Fran, you see how, over there, there¡¯s a guy with a huge ass spear? He¡¯s an executive. Same goes for the mage that¡¯s standing right beside him.¡»

    ¡¸Only need to capture them?¡¹

    ¡ºPretty much. Let¡¯s get rid of everyone else since they¡¯ll probably just get in the way when we interrogate their execs.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Fran nodded before charging into the pirate mob.

    ¡¸Gyaaaah!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiiii!!¡¹

    The pirates panicked as she cut her way through them. The moment she joined the fray was the moment they realized they were doomed. She moved so fast they weren¡¯t even capable of seeing her, let alone keeping track of her. Every time she did appear, their allies would groan scream as they were ughtered likembs. But even then, they still wouldn¡¯t even so much as catch a glimpse of her. Their lines of sight were to cluttered by the fountains of blood erupting from their friends¡¯ corpses.

    Only after murdering another ten or so pirates did she finally pause to issue a threat.

    ¡¸Choose. Jump overboard or die.¡¹

    She spoke in a low, intimidating tone that only those standing right by her could hear, yet, half the pirates present reacted to it and immediately plunged themselves into the sea.

    The other half, the remaining half, managed to keep their wits about them and remain on deck despite her threats. I couldn¡¯t tell whether their decisions had stemmed from loyalty, or maybe something like their creed as pirates, but either way, they¡¯d chosen to fight. In vain.

    ¡¸Made choice? Then die.¡¹

    Fran stepped forward.

    We¡¯d telepathically told all our allies to move behind her; all the people in front of her were pirates.

    And so, as she took a second step, she swung me.

    I extended my de and warped my general shape into that of a five meter long katana the moment she moved and activated a sword technique. Though she¡¯d only swung once, thebination of my form and her masterful attack had reaped 20 entire pirates and heavily injured many more.

    All the pirates that¡¯d survived the attack fell onto the deck, groaning in pain. Ignoring them, she continued to step forwards, her gaze focused only on the two execs we¡¯d spotted earlier. Neither was able to move. Both stared right back at her, frozen in terror.

    ¡­Wait. Why¡¯s the guy with the spear got his face all covered in blood?

    ¡ºSo uh¡­ Fran¡­¡»

    £¨Nn. Made small mistake.£©

    Apparently, we¡¯d happened to make a small incision on the spearman¡¯s forehead. We were pretty damned lucky. We would¡¯ve identally killed him before he told us what we wanted to know had he even been the slightest bit closer. That said, almost getting killed had him totally scared sheetless, so in a way, things did kinda end up working out.

    ¡¸How to control water dragon?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh god!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I-I-I¡¯ll tell you everything I know! Please, just don¡¯t kill me!¡¹

 Chapter 256: Suarez

    <h4>Chapter 256: Suarez</h4>

    Fran disarmed the two executives she captured before sitting them down so she could interrogate them.

    Her goal was of course to get them to divulge the Water Dragon Warship¡¯s secrets.

    ¡¸How to control dragon?¡¹

    ¡¸No idea.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Giiiiiiiii!¡¹

    One of the execs tried to y dumb, to which Fran reacted by mercilessly stabbing me into his thigh.

    ¡¸How to control dragon?¡¹

    ¡¸The only ones that can tell you that¡¯ll be the boss and the guys right under him!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re telling the truth! We¡¯re just regr pirates that happened to get raised up through the ranks! They wouldn¡¯t tell the likes of us anything!¡¹

    ¡¸Tell all known information. Even if insignificant.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll tell you everything I know, so please, pull your sword out of my leg!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The pirate that agreed to talk began wailing in a mix of pain and fear as she removed me from his thigh.

    Hispanion, the mage, paled. He realized that he would soon suffer the same fate as his buddy should he refuse to talk. To that end, the small framed caster immediately began spouting off everything he knew, and even went as far as to borate on things without us needing to ask.

    Though he really didn¡¯t know too many details, he was at least capable of confirming that the dragon simply seemed to obey orders; it wasn¡¯t being controlled through some sort ofrge scale magic item. That said, it would only really ever listen to the prince, the guy the pirates referred to as their boss.

    Asking them about exactly how the prince was controlling the dragon failed to lead to any results. They didn¡¯t even know whether it just recognized him as someone it should listen to, or if it was being manipted through some other means. In other words, smaller scaled items, skills, and spells were all possibilities we still had to consider.

    The most useful thing we got them to do was tell us a bit about the prince. His name was Suarez Sheedran, and could best be described as a brown-skinned hulk of a man with silver-blonde hair adorning his head. Suarez was well versed inbat; the average adventurer supposedly wouldn¡¯t be able to match him. His main weapon was a massive battleaxe, one he was likely to be carrying around right this moment. Capturing him sounded like it was going to be much easier said than done.

    Of course, we also managed to get them to talk about the magical device they were using to strengthen the dragon. Apparently it was quiterge, and near the ship¡¯s rear, but as the part of the ship holding it was cut off from the rest, we wouldn¡¯t be able to find it if we just walked around.

    Annoyingly enough, neither of the two we captured knew how to get into the cut off section. In fact, they were both oblivious to its precise location. This, of course, stemmed from the fact that the prince didn¡¯t trust them. They, unlike many other executives, hadn¡¯t started off as his followers. They were instead just the former top brass of the pirate brigades that used to upy the area prior to the prince¡¯s arrival. Though he did trust them enough to allow them to keep their positions, the prince basically never let them in on anything too important.

    ¡¸We¡¯ve told you everything you asked for!¡¹

    ¡¸So please, don¡¯t kill us¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you so mguraaaaghh!¡¹

    Fran kicked the mage right in the face. The sheer force of the strike sent him spiraling off the ship¡¯s deck.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t kill us if We told you what you wanted!?¡¹

    The spearman screamed indignantly as he watched his friend plunge into the sea.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t kill. Just dumped in sea because in the way.¡¹

    ¡¸What the foock is that suppraaaaghghhhh!¡¹

    She wasn¡¯t wrong. Fran hadn¡¯t actually killed either of the two men. Instead, she¡¯d just knocked them overboard while also depriving them of their consciousness. Though it was rather likely that they¡¯d die, they could still live if they were lucky, so it would be more urate to chalk their deaths up to their own inability wake as opposed to attributing them to her. Besides, they were pirates, professional seafaring pests. As far as I was concerned, they were sure to survive.

    ¡¸Damn Teach, you¡¯re totally merciless!¡¹

    ¡¸I really love that part of her.¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like we should take after her example and start doing stuff like that too.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s apprentices threw in a fewments as they watched the second man follow the first into the sea. The first two, Miguel and Naria, seemed impressed, whereas the third, Liddoock, began making note of her behaviour. Realizing that they¡¯d been watching led me to contemte whether or not they would benefit from imitating her merciless tendencies. My first instinct was to refute the thought, but then I considered the possibility that they might one day get stabbed in the back and die because they sympathized with a foe. From that, I determined that Fran¡¯s approach would probably be best for them in the long run. Probably.

    ¡ºAnyway, why don¡¯t we go hunt Suarez down?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We informed all the other adventurers still on the ship¡¯s deck about Suarez so we could have them help us look for him. We hadn¡¯t been able to talk to Mordred¡¯s party directly, as they¡¯d already started invading the ship¡¯s interior, but we attempted to make up for it by asking everyone else to ry the information if they happened to see him.

    I had no idea exactly how strong Suarez was, but there was a chance that, Fran aside, Mordred¡¯s party would be the only ones capable of dealing with him.

    ¡¸Urushi, search too.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    All the Algieba¡¯s sailors already knew that Urushi was Fran¡¯s familiar, so the chance of him getting attacked by one of our allies mid-search was incredibly low.

    ¡ºCapture him if you can, bute right back if you think he¡¯s too strong for you, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Start.¡¹

    With a single word and nothing more, Fran ventured into the ship¡¯s interior through the nearest exit.

    Our allies had already taken out most of the pirates within, so we were able to look around without any interference¡ªor at least that was how it went until we went down a flight of stairs.

    Enemies began attacking us the moment we descended, and continued to do so as we explored. Not a single one of them was anywhere close to being Fran¡¯s match, but they were still quite annoying nheless.

    A dense aura of battlelust began to assault us as we moved a bit further along. It seemed we¡¯d found our mark.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran traced it to a remarkablyrge door, which she kicked down to reveal something along the lines of an empty warehouse.

    Several adventurers and pirates were facing off against each other in the room¡¯s center. The bloodlust Fran had tracked down had originated from the two most powerful people in the room.

    One was our ally, Mordred. And naturally, the other was Suarez, the pirate we¡¯d been looking to capture.

    The Sheedran prince was honestly quite strong. He had Divine Bow Arts, and several other skills indicated he was obviously an aplished warrior. But, despite that, I didn¡¯t find him to be qualified enough to function as the captain of a pirate ship. Hecked too much in the sailing department for me to really think him a sailor.

    Unfortunately, appraising him didn¡¯t tell me much about how he was controlling the dragon. None of his skills indicated that he was capable of taming or summoning monsters.

    ¡¸You¡¯re idiots, retards! Did you really think you could defeat a Water Dragon Warship?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s true that your ship is strong, probably the strongest there is, but that doesn¡¯t mean sheet if we can just take the people aboard it.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyahahaha! Nice joke! I¡¯ll torture you even more than all my usual prey before feeding you to the fishes!¡¹

    So he likes torturing the people he captures? That¡¯s pretty low¡­

    The twobatants engaged as I pondered the prince¡¯s distasteful hobbies.

    ¡¸Dorryaaaahhhh!¡¹

    Suarez swung his battleaxe straight at the crown of Mordred¡¯s head. His attack had quite the speed to it; he looked to be at least as strong as a C ranked adventurer.

    But despite that, we weren¡¯t even the slightest bit concerned.

    ¡¸Too slow.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! How impertinent!¡¹

    Mordred received the blow head on with his spear and cleanly parried it¡ªa move which appeared well within Suarez¡¯ calctions. The axe-wielder didn¡¯t let the resulting impact throw him off bnce. He promptly twisted the weapon around and brought it back for a second sh. I had to admit, the technique was skillful, and it would¡¯ve been more than enough for him to take down the average adventurer.

    But Mordred was no average adventurer.

    ¡¸Metal Control¡¹

    ¡¸What the!?¡¹

    ¡¸Your axe is mine. It¡¯s already fallen under my control.¡¹

    At a nce, it almost looked as if Mordred had stuck his right arm up out of desperation after realizing that he couldn¡¯t block the attack, but of course, that wasn¡¯t the case.

    The massive axe that had seemed to be on course to sever Mordred¡¯s arm bent out of shape the moment it was about to make contact. It almost looked like the battleaxe had actually been made out of y and not steel.

    Though Suarez had already basically lost, Mordred didn¡¯t let up. He assured his victory by manipting the axe¡¯s metal and wrapping it around Suarez¡¯ body. The way it coiled around its former wielder had almost made it appear like some sort of living creature.

    Mordred¡¯s actions had demonstrated why Lava Magic was so fearsome. It allowed its wielder to take control of and freely manipte metal-based substances.

    ¡¸Sheet! What just happened!?¡¹

    Suarez¡¯ axe, or rather, his newfound fetters, had already returned to a hardened state. The prince tried to break free, but soon found himself unable escape his restraints. The steel hadn¡¯t just been melted down and reshaped. It¡¯d also be strengthened.

    ¡¸Guooooooohhhhh! Release me, damn it!¡¹

    ¡¸Stop struggling. It won¡¯t be possible for someone as weak as you to escape.¡¹

    And with that, the prince was made our prisoner.

 Chapter 257: A Discussion with Suarez

    <h4>Chapter 257: A Discussion with Suarez</h4>

    ¡¸Your Highness!¡¹

    ¡¸Sheet! Damn you! Let our boss go!¡¹

    The prince¡¯s many subordinates immediately began kicking up a fuss the moment they realized he¡¯d been captured.

    ¡¸In the way.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Guaaaahh!¡¹

    But Fran butt into the conflict and cut them down before they could so much as make a move.

    ¡¸So how did the whole pirate ship thing end up going, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Sank all but this one.¡¹

    ¡¸That was quick. Nice job.¡¹

    ¡¸You too. Captured captain.¡¹

    ¡¸I was just lucky. But enough of that, let¡¯s save singing each other praises forter, shall we? We¡¯ve got a bit of an interrogation to get out of the way first.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Suarez still had quite a bit of fight in him. His expression was fierce, and expressed that he wasn¡¯t willing to give up. That wasn¡¯t to say, however, that he wasn¡¯t intimidated. He twitched a bit, as if daunted, when Fran and Mordred approached him.

    ¡¸Release me, you mongrel!¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Insolent! Do you not know who I am!?¡¹

    ¡¸Let me guess. A guy that leads a group of criminal scum?¡¹

    ¡¸Filth, causes problems by being alive?¡¹

    ¡¸The lot of you are all ignorant fools! I am a man of great importance, Sheedran¡¯s king!¡¹

    ¡¸Mhm. I¡¯m sure you are.¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you!¡¹

    Mordred, being the total badass he was, ignored Suarez¡¯ shouts. He instead lifted a foot and started grinding it into the prince¡¯s face¡ªan action that Fran soon began to imitate.

    ¡¸Cease that immediately! I will allow you to acknowledge me as your lord, and yourselves as my retainers if you immediately prostrate yourselves before me and apologize!¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. There had to be something wrong with the prince¡¯s head. He seemed to think that his offer would entice his assants despite the fact that they¡¯d already defeated him and tied him up.

    And he meant it. The expression on his face demonstrated that the offer was as serious as could be.

    ¡¸I am one of Sheedran¡¯s royals, a lord thatmands water dragons. All you have to do is the natural act of licking my shoes. Do that, and I¡¯ll treat you no different from any other in my service.¡¹

    There was no way the prince was simply bad at reading the mood, he must¡¯ve had some sort ofmunication disorder or something. I was surprised he lived as long as he did, and I also now fully understood why he¡¯d gotten ripped off the throne and deported.

    Still, I could see why the pirates had taken his side. Hisck of brain cells was a pretty major issue if you asked me, but he was still strong, and did still have control over a Water Dragon Warship. To them, his threats held plenty of weight; he could easily annihte them if they failed to yield. Moreover, serving him wasn¡¯t without its merits. There were clearly many payouts, of both the immediate and potential future variety. Besides, I highly doubted he¡¯d gotten himself captured by them before starting to negotiate. Given all the aforementioned circumstances, their allegiance to him was almost a given.

    That said, neither Fran nor Mordred had bothered caring even the slightest bit for what he had to say. They ignored everything he had to say and immediately began interrogating him.

    ¡¸Tell everything about controlling water dragons.¡¹

    ¡¸We won¡¯t hurt you if you tell us what we want to know.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? Why would I tell you anything!? ¡¹

    The prince refused to talk. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was demonstrating a royal¡¯s pride, a pirate¡¯s obstinacy, or the simple fact that he couldn¡¯t read the mood. But either way, he shut his mouth and turned his face away from his interrogators.

    ¡¸Fmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Guaaahh! The paiiin!¡¹

    Fed up, Fran once again jammed her foot into Suarez¡¯ face and started to grind down on it even harder than she had the first time.

    ¡¸Cease that immediately, woman!¡¹

    Though many would rejoice from having Fran step on them, to the non-masochistic, it was merely a sort of humiliating torture.

    ¡¸Last chance. Exin controlling water dragons.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s gaze went cold. She started emitting a heavy aura of bloodlust as she looked down upon the prince. It was powerful enough to make the average person sheet their pants. Still, the prince managed to both retain his wits and return her re as he continued toin.

    ¡¸Stop going on and on about that and release me!¡¹

    A foolish move.

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Good. Finally, you understand. Now hurry up and undo these res-¡¹

    ¡¸Got that you won¡¯t talk yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Heal. Next, feet.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop! Cease that immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Say please.¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you ask that of s-¡¹

    ¡¸Fmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    Fran continued to violently thrust me into his body and casting heal to make up for the hp he lost. At first, Suarez refused to talk. He resisted until the situation repeated itself five times over. Only then did he finally realize that he was unable to appeal to her through the use of his authority.

    ¡¸Please stop! No more!¡¹

    He started to beg her, his face dyed in terror.

    ¡¸Exin controlling water dragons. Will stab if you say anything else.¡¹

    Though we didn¡¯t really care for his pleas, we did stop so we could repeat our demands.

    ¡¸Fine! I¡¯ll tell you! So stop, cease your acts of viole-¡¹

    Stab

    ¡¸Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Aarrrrgghhhh! Stop iiiiit!¡¹

    ¡¸Said to only exin controlling water dragons.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I understand! The water dragons are bound by contract to obey any orders made by anyone with Sheedran¡¯s first king¡¯s blood flowing through their veins. That¡¯s why they¡¯ll listen to whatever I say!¡¹

    And so, the prince began to speak. Fran threatened him every single time he hesitated by brandishing me, whereas Mordred yed more of a good cop kind of role and spoke to him almost sympathetically. Thebination of these two methods allowed us to draw everything we wanted out of him. Unfortunately, dealing with him was still a pain in the ass. He would start getting all cocky and sheet every single time anyone softened even the slightest bit, so Fran had ended up grinding me against his thighs upwards of 30 times throughout the process. I almost felt like we¡¯d gone a bit overboard, but it honestly couldn¡¯t be helped. He simply just never learned his lesson.

    His abnormally strong willed and ridiculous sense of pride honestly impressed me. Literally anyone else would¡¯ve long broken into tears and be obedient. He, on the other hand, somehow managed to regain his defiance every other time he opened his mouth.

    Still, we¡¯d made him bend enough to learn what we¡¯d wanted. The water dragons weren¡¯t being manipted through the use of some sort of magic item. Their obedience to him stemmed from the first King of Sheedran¡¯s ability to use contract magic.

    I was surprised to hear that the dragons the nation used today were the very same ones that they¡¯d had from the very start. Well, sort of. The nation had started off with seven dragons. Three had fallen in battle; only four remained.

    The dragons weren¡¯t the only thing that left me astonished. The device that was used to enhance them did the very same. Their boosts weren¡¯t unconditional. Bolstering the dragon¡¯s defenses came at a cost. Dragons had powerful offenses, and identally firing upon one¡¯s allies was quite the concern should the dragon fail to aim its attacks precisely. To that end, the device¡¯s designers had traded its capacity to autonomously use breath and other simr abilities for a magical barrier alongside greatly increased self healing and stamina. The only way for the dragon to use its long ranged attacks would be for Suarez to order it to do so.

    Learning of this gave rise to a pretty big problem. We couldn¡¯t destroy the device without putting the Algieba in danger. The moment we blew it up would be the moment the dragon once again became capable of barraging our ship of its own will.

    ¡¸What do?¡¹

    ¡¸The best way to handle the situation would probably be to get our friend here to order to dragon to stand down.¡¹

    ¡¸Only option?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Once we¡¯ve done that, we can destroy the item boosting its defense before finally ying it. We should be able to give you a hand with thatst part if it¡¯s rendered defenseless.¡¹

    With that decided, Fran, Mordred, and all the other adventurers present lugged Suarez up to the ship¡¯s deck. so he could order the dragon not to attack.

    ¡¸It looks like we won¡¯t have any problems stopping the dragon, but destroying the defensive device it uses may need some more thought.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave to me. Can teleport.¡¹

    ¡¸Good point, that sounds like it¡¯d be the best option. I¡¯ll leave destroying it up to you then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Then will check on device once first. Easier to teleport to known locations.¡¹

    We could go back and forth between several locations with ease if we decided to drop a few beacons.

    ¡¸Then leave that to you.¡¹

    By ¡°that,¡± Fran had been referring to Suarez; she¡¯d decided to leave him behind with Mordred.

    ¡¸Yeah. Be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    With everything considered and out of the way, Fran set off towards the location Suarez had described to her.

 Chapter 258: No Rest For the Weary

    <h4>Chapter 258: No Rest For the Weary</h4>

    Fran and I navigated our way through the ship¡¯s interior, only to eventually stop ourselves in front of an average-looking wall. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary, but we were confident that it served as the entrance to the room that contained the device bolstering the water dragon¡¯s defenses. Suarez gave us a fairly thorough description when we asked him where we needed to go find it.

    We investigated the wall by knocking on it a few times and confirmed that the space behind it did indeed seem hollowed out. The prince told us exactly what we needed to do to ess the room, and I¡¯d memorized all the necessary steps, but we decided to circumvent the prince¡¯s ritual through the use of brute force. The method described to us was far tooplex; we simply didn¡¯t want to bother with it.

    ¡°Fmph.¡±

    Fran swung me several times and filled the wall with incisions before giving it a light kick.

    The cuts themselves were so clean that they allowed the wooden surface to retain its form, but the force she applied with her foot caused the now-unstable structure to copse. The first thing we did as we stepped into the room was gaze upon the device within. I couldn¡¯t help but immediately think of the thing we saw as the product of entricity. I¡¯d only ever seen one other device like it. It was a technological oddity, one made from the union of magic and machinery, a pair of shing concepts.

    The magical part, the device¡¯s core, wasprised of two smaller pieces: a giant crystal, and the sculpture that supported it. Though the crystal shone like a jewel, my eyes were more drawn to its base, a delicately crafted carving seemingly made out of bone.

    The mechanical part, the device¡¯s shell, was installed to enclose both the crystalline core and the support that held it in ce. Its shape almost seemed to resemble that of a sports car¡¯s engine; metallic pipes protruded from it like mufflers.

    All in all, the strange device looked like it came out of a game that mixed steampunk elements with more fantastical ones. In other words, it appeared to be the type of device one would discover in F*inal F*ntasy, as opposed to something one would stumble across while ying Dr*gon Qu*st. Like the Algieba¡¯s propulsion device, it reminded me very much of heavy machinery even though I knew its functions were derived from a set of magical principles as opposed to thews of physics.

    ¡°Mmph.¡± Fran grunted as she felt a sudden wave of magical energy pulse through her body.

    ¡°Holy crap that thing¡¯s using up a ton of mana,¡± I thought.

    The room was constructed in such a way that magical energy wouldn¡¯t escape it. We weren¡¯t able to feel the sheer amount of magical energy whirling around within it until we entered. The device was clearly very powerful; it would¡¯ve been easy to detect had the room not been manaproofed.

    Wait. What if we just took it instead? Destroying it seems like it would be a waste of a perfectly good item. The water dragon would lose its buff even if I just shove it into my dimensional storage. There really isn¡¯t any reason not to take it, is there?

    I settled on the idea of stealing the device, but decided to save working out the details forter.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to want to jack this thing a bitter, but let¡¯s just drop a beacon and head back up to the deck for now.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡± Fran acknowledged my suggestion, turned around, and got ready to leave.

    She had originally nned on walking her way back up to the deck, but her ns were thrown off the moment I finished setting up a beacon. The boat suddenly began violently shaking from left to right and back and forth at random.

    ¡°Earthquake¡­?¡± Fran muttered.

    ¡°Probably just feels that way because we¡¯re inside the ship. Something probably happened. Let¡¯s hurry back up to the deck.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡± She nodded.

    Fran rushed to the deck, darting through the ship¡¯s swaying corridors and dashing up the stairs on her way. The sheer force with which the vessel continued to wobble throughout her journey seemed to indicate a major change in the status quo.

    Upon arrival, we expected to see the water dragon iling about, but we were instead greeted by a sightpletely outside our expectations.

    ¡°The foock is that!?¡±

    ¡°Big octopus legs?¡± Fran tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡°Wait! Foock! Those are kraken tentacles!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    The catkin nodded as she observed the long, thick, wriggling tendrils. Several of the kraken¡¯s feelers had already wrapped themselves around the dragon, binding it and subjecting it to the oversized octopuses¡¯ attacks.

    ¡°What!?¡± I groaned as I caught sight of our ship out of the corner of my eye. ¡°Something totally busted up one of the Algieba¡¯s masts!¡±

    ¡°There you are!¡± Seeing that she¡¯d emerged from the warship¡¯s interior, Mordred rushed over and filled Fran in on the status quo.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Again, she tilted her head in a questioning manner.

    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡±

    He borated on the present state of affairs by describing the events that transpired between when we left and when we returned.

    Mordred brought Suarez over to the dragon so he could order it to stand down¡ªexactly as we discussed ahead of time. Unfortunately, the prince had other ideas. Though we hadn¡¯t the intention, Suarez had been concerned that we would execute him once he issued the order, so he told the water dragon that he wanted it to go on a rampage. Mordred immediately attempted to threaten him into rescinding themand, but he refused. No amount of pain or punishment was enough to force the over-dignified royal into submission.

    Freed from its fetters, the water dragon loosed a breath attack towards the Algieba. It tore down one of the galleon¡¯s masts and damaged its deck in the process. Our ship was sturdy enough to withstand the hit, but it wouldn¡¯tst for long if the assault continued. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the dragon was attacked by a group of kraken right before it couldunch a second projectile.

    ¡°Those, kraken?¡± Fran pointed at the mollusks, her tone filled with curiosity.

    ¡°A whole three of them.¡± Mordred frowned. ¡°I guess you could say they technically saved our skins, but it looks like executing our old n is out of the question. Let¡¯s hold off on destroying the dragon¡¯s augmentation device for now.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    As always, Mordred¡¯s judgement was spot on. Water dragons were stronger than kraken¡ªthey would almost undoubtedlye out on top given a one versus one scenario¡ªbut the difference in strength was not nearly significant enough for the dragons to take on two kraken, let alone three. Our water dragon was currently faring quite well inbat, but only because its defenses had been bolstered. It seemed like it would probably die the moment the device supporting it was deactivated, especially given that it was already in the process of being attacked on all sides.

    And if the water dragon died, the kraken would likely set their sights on the Algieba. Preserving it was undoubtedly in our best interest.

    ¡°Can¡¯t just kill all?¡± Fran asked as she stared down all four monsters present.

    ¡°I do think we can, but it¡¯s probably not a good idea,¡± I muttered.

    Both types of monsters were highly specialized hunters. The water dragon was highly offensive, and quite dextrous. The kraken had outstanding defenses, and they were known to regenerate. I was confident that we could defeat all four monsters regardless of their specialities so long as we used both Kanna Kamui and ck Lightning Advent, but doing so would leave us exhausted¡ªand that was incredibly short sighted.

    The area we were currently in was called the Kraken¡¯s Nest. It was not only possible, but rather likely that kraken would continue attacking us even after we left the water dragon¡¯s immediate vicinity. Draining ourselves was unwise.

    ¡°I¡¯d say we should probably try to escape while the water dragon and kraken go at each other,¡± Mordred suggested.

    ¡°Got it. Return to Algieba?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Could I get you to move us over again? All our men are already standing by on deck and waiting for you.¡±

    Mordred had clearly already considered our options ande to a conclusion prior to our return. Both the sailors and adventurers had been organised so that they would be ready to depart at a moment¡¯s notice.

    All the adventurers were present and ounted for, but we had lost a few sailors in the exchange.

    It¡¯s kind of unfortunate, but that¡¯s just how these things go, I contemted. A melee was a type of messy skirmish. It just wasn¡¯t possible for everyone that participated in it toe out alive.

    Putting the rtively depressing thought aside, I opened a Dimension Gate so the survivors could make their way back to the Algieba.

    To be honest, I was disappointed. I really wanted to kill the water dragon. I wanted both its core and the materials we could loot off its corpse. I also really wanted to steal the device that bolstered its defenses, but it looked like I would have to give it all up. Fran¡¯s safety was much more important than any amount of material gain.

    All the sailors and adventurers, Mordred aside, left through the portal, leaving Fran and the B ranker as thest two individuals remaining on the enemy¡¯s ship.

    ¡°Give me a second,¡± hemanded. ¡°I¡¯ll cast a spell to make it harder for them to chase us down.¡±

    ¡°Doing what?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do too much against monsters this strong, but I should at least be able to lock them down a bit.¡±

    Mordred pulled an elixir out from one of his pockets and swallowed its contents in a single gulp. I appraised the strange liquid and identified it as an item that drastically increased both one¡¯s proficiency inva magic and overall magical prowess for several minutes.

    ¡°There goes a whole year¡¯s worth of ie,¡± the B ranker grumbled.

    ¡°That expensive?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s worth it. It¡¯s extremely effective and doesn¡¯t have any side effects.¡±

    Wait, just how much does a B ranker make in a year anyways? Hmm¡­ Probably somewhere around three million a year, I guess? Wait, that potion costs three whole million? Sheet! Though I guess it does kind of seem like it¡¯d be worth it¡­

    Consuming the potion had boosted Mordred¡¯s magical powers by a factor of five. He promptly took advantage of his strengthened abilities and cast a spell.

    ¡°Vulcan¡¯s Order!¡±

    The warship¡¯s two anchors floated over to Mordred from their respective positions. He manipted the two 10 meter wide lumps of metal, melted them down and merged them to form a single, massive, steel serpent¡ªa feat that would have been impossible had he not consumed an expensive potion.

    The massive metallic snake abided hismands. It wrapped itself around both the oversized octopuses and the dragon they were assaulting and bound them as it hardened. Despite their size, the monsters were unable to escape. His spell locked them in ce.

    ¡°Whew¡­¡± He rxed his shoulders and heaved a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve strengthened it as much as I could, but it won¡¯tst too long against monsters that powerful. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Fran grabbed Suarez¡ªwho¡¯d been rendered unconscious after refusing to listen to Mordred one too many times¡ªand followed the more experienced adventurer through the portal and back onto the Algieba.

    After passing through the gate, she turned around and gave us a bigger picture view of the whole kraken-dragon engagement. Frankly, it looked like a fight between several of the giant monsters you¡¯d often see in P*wer R*ngers.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Fran stared at them as they struggled against one another and their newfound metal bindings.

    ¡°Any ship that gets caught up in that is bound to sink,¡± I mused.

    Mordred¡¯s spell denied the water dragon the opportunity to chase us. We would, without a doubt, be able to open up some distance between it and us so we could escape.

    ¡°More.¡±

    ¡°Oh god, there¡¯s even more!?¡± Fran¡¯s statement caused me to panic.

    Another Kraken appeared on the water dragon ship¡¯s stern, seemingly attracted by themotion.

    ¡°Man the sails! Full speed ahead, get us the ¡®ell out of here immediately!¡± Jerome yelled.

    ¡°Master. There, look.¡±

    ¡°Wher¡ªOh sheet. You have got to be kidding me.¡±

    Only then did I realize that, by ¡°more,¡± Fran hadn¡¯t been referring to the kraken, but rather, the arrival of another sort of creature, one that looked like it¡¯de straight out of the realm of nightmares.

    ¡°Fran! Get the crew¡¯s attention! Make sure it gets noticed!¡±

    ¡°Nn. Big enemy!¡± She quietly nodded and voiced her agreement before yelling in a voice loud enough for all the sailors to hear.

    ¡°Big¡­? Ohhhh foock!¡±

    ¡°The hell is that thing!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me!¡±

    ¡°Sheet, sheet!¡±

    ¡°Ohe on!¡±

    Their eyes widened as they caught sight of the creature she¡¯d directed their attention towards.

    ¡°Well, no rest for the weary, I guess,¡± I grumbled as I examined the monster¡¯s features.

    The grotesque critter was one that I recognized on sight, one I highly doubted I¡¯d ever be able to forget.

    Its body was covered in a thickyer of reddish, yellow-brown skin. Its head looked very much like that of a sea anemone¡¯s, but, with massive fangs lining the inside of its mouth.

    A creature known as a parasite that gued the ocean and leeched off of its life.

    A midgard wyrm.

 Chapter 259: The Water Dragonâ€™s Demise

    <h4>Chapter 259: The Water Dragon¡¯s Demise</h4>

    The Midgard Wyrm wriggled its body as it rapidly darted through the sea at an incredible speed.

    Fortunately, the Algieba wasn¡¯t its target. It was instead headed straight for the water dragon warship, seemingly because it wanted to attack the monsters in its vicinity.

    Or at least that was what I¡¯d thought at first.

    ¡¸Nn? Midgard wyrm disappeared?¡¹

    ¡ºDid it dive out of view or something?¡»

    Wait, wasn¡¯t it supposed to be heading straight towards the kraken and water dragon?

    The midgard wyrm resurfaced the moment I questioned its actions.

    ¡¸Gyagogoggoooooooo!¡¹

    It attacked the still entwined dragon and kraken from directly below, a tactic likely derived from its instincts rather than its intellect.

    The midgard wyrm raised their bodies about 10m into the air as a testament to its brute strength before leaning itself on the water dragon warship. Unable to handle the monster¡¯s ridiculous weight, the symbol of Sheedran¡¯s might creaked and snapped in two.

    The resulting shockwave caused the ocean¡¯s tides to turn violent and rock the Algieba as would a heavy storm.

    ¡¸Uwawawawa!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t fall into the sea!¡¹

    The midgard wyrm¡¯s sea anemone-like mouth once again emerged from the ocean with a water dragon¡¯s neck and several kraken tentacles hanging from its mouth.

    ¡¸Kuooooon¡­¡¹

    The plesiosaurus-like monster, which normally would¡¯ve had the might to decimate arge city, whimpered feebly. It was no longer capable of action.

    ¡¸Gyoooooooo!¡¹

    The midgard wyrm¡¯s proud cry echoed throughout the sea, as if to dere its victory.

    ¡¸This is looking bad. Hurry the ¡®ell up, you bilge rats! We need to get outta here immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Yessir!¡¹

    ¡¸Can we actually escape a midgard wyrm, Captain?¡¹

    ¡¸No clue. It¡¯s way faster than us, but we might be able to get away if it decides to attack some more kraken instead of chasing us down.¡¹

    Jerome¡¯s response to Mordred¡¯s question was grim.

    Mydgard wyrms swallowed things whole, so they didn¡¯t have to stop to chew. In fact, eating didn¡¯t inhibit them from moving in any which way. They were known for consuming everything in an area and then slowly digesting it allter.

    Still, we would have more than enough time to get away if it first went after all the kraken and the pirates that¡¯d fallen into the sea. But unfortunately, things weren¡¯t going to work out that conveniently for us.

    ¡¸Looked this way.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s heading for us cause our ship¡¯s bigger than pretty much anything else it can find, it seems¡»

    It swiveled its head around a bunch and examined its surroundings before finally looking back at us.

    Following its instincts, it headed towards the biggest prey it could see, our ship.

    It rapidly closed in on us.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess! I need you to do us a favour!¡¹

    Jerome ran over to us. Behind him were several sailors carrying a huge barrel.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I need you to fly again, and dump this barrel somewhere off opposite the direction we¡¯re headed. It¡¯s filled with stuff midgard wyrms love, it should be attracted by its scent and stop chasing us.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. Here¡¯s to hoping it actually works.¡¹

    The barrel was normally supposed to be used before the wyrm got as close as it was, but Jerome hadn¡¯t had the chance to issue the order. He had been preupied by the water dragon/kraken fight. He didn¡¯t know how much effect it would have given theck of distance, but he wanted to at least try gambling on it nheless.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s try dropping it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran took the barrel, leapt on Urushi¡¯s back, and had him run straight behind the midgard wyrm before dropping the cylindrical, wooden casket into the sea. It broke open as it hit the water¡¯s surface and spilled its contents all over.

    ¡ºIs it working?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ No.¡¹

    ¡ºTsk.¡»

    The red, yellow and brown abomination was more attracted to the Algieba than the stuff it apparently loved due to the ship¡¯s proximity. And as such, it continued to rush the ship down.

    Looking at the wyrm from our angle really emphasized its size. The godd*mn thing was massive.

    ¡ºWhat about getting its attention by attacking it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Thunderbolt.¡¹

    ¡¸Grooooowl!¡¹

    ¡ºre st!¡»

    We fired spells at the midgard wyrm¡¯s exposed back so we could draw its attention away from the ship. I figured that, if we were lucky, we¡¯d be able to draw its attention to the barrel¡ªbut we weren¡¯t.

    ¡ºDamn it! It¡¯s totally ignoring us!¡»

    It was too big. Our weaker strikes were too insignificant for it to note.

    ¡ºHow about this then!? Thor¡¯s Hammer!¡»

    A thunderbolt struck the midgard wyrm dead on and caused an explosion, but not even that was enough to stop the creature¡¯s charge. It cared much more for eating than it did for our attacks.

    £¨Master, what now?£©

    ¡ºWell¡­ Honestly, our only hope at getting its attention is probably going to be getting between it and the ship. Looks like it¡¯s either sink or swim.¡»

    Fighting the midgard wyrm head on was our only choice. I wasn¡¯t confident we could beat it, but we didn¡¯t need to. We just needed to hit it hard enough to stop it in its tracks.

    We went back to the ship and told its captain that we were going to hit the monster really hard. We also made sure they were aware that Fran would end up exhausted thereafter. She wouldn¡¯t be able to fight anymore.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be ridiculous! There¡¯s no way you could beat a midgard wyrm, is there!?¡¹

    Jerome was shocked by the suggestion.

    ¡¸Might at least slow down.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you¡¯re right¡­ Our only choice is to leave it up to you.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure youe back in one piece, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸To adventurers, own life most important¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! Good point. Then do your best. Show that thing hell.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The task entrusted to us was a simple one. All we had to do was put all our power into one attack and st it right at the midgard wyrm before retreating.

    ¡ºUrushi, focus all your efforts in making sure Fran stays safe on her way back, alright?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    And if worsees to worst, I¡¯ll think of something and hopefully handle the situation myself. But enough of that for now. I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

 Chapter 260: The Legendary Monster

    <h4>Chapter 260: The Legendary Monster</h4>

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Awakening.¡¹

    Fran awakened as she looked down at the midgard wyrm from Urushi¡¯s back. She went full throttle right off the bat and immediately activated Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    The electricity radiating off her body caused Urushi¡¯s fur to stand on end.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start by provoking it and making it raise its head.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd when it opens it mouth, we hit it with everything we¡¯ve got.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi slowed down, bravely ced himself right in front of the midgard wyrm, and fired several spells at the creature¡¯s submerged head.

    ¡ºLeave attacking it while it¡¯s still underwater to me.¡»

    Urushi¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t having too much of an effect, so I asked him to relinquish his role as an attacker for the time being.

    Taking his ce, I dove underwater. I made a beeline for its face and started sting it with lightning and explosions.

    It ignored the first strike, but the second and third ticked it off enough for it to start to twitch.

    ¡ºAlright, this should do the trick.¡»

    I threw in a telekic catapault just for good measure and charged straight at the monster¡¯s head. I didn¡¯t expect it to do too much damage given the amount I was being slowed by the water resistance, but for some odd reason, the attack managed to get a huge reaction out of the midgard wyrm. It stopped moving and loosed a loud roar the moment it got hit.

    ¡¸Gyobobobobooo!¡¹

    The sea stirred. The massive shockwave spawned from its bellow caused the ocean¡¯s waves to violently rock through my surroundings.

    ¡ºWoah!?¡»

    I didn¡¯t take any damage from the shockwave, but it sure as hell foocked me up. The resulting water pulses knocked me around and disoriented me to the point where I couldn¡¯t tell up from down.

    I was surprised. It seemed really mad, and I didn¡¯t understand why. The telekic catapult¡¯s damage shouldn¡¯t have differed much from my spells¡¯.

    After hurrying back to Fran, I realized that the wyrm was totally locked onto us. It raised its head out of the water and stared us down with its neck curved like a goose¡¯s. Though its facecked eyes, I could tell it was giving us a hateful re. It wanted to kill us so badly that its body had started radiating pure enmity.

    ¡¸Did something?¡¹

    ¡ºDunno. It suddenly got all pissed right after I hit it with a telekic catapult.¡»

    ¡¸Rememberedst fight?¡¹

    ¡ºLast fight?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Last time, sted face off with telekic catapult.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, that¡¯s the same one we foughtst time?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The monster had higher hp than it didst time we saw it, and I¡¯d known that it was possible for the midgard wyrm to grow infinitely, but I¡¯d still presumed it a different individual.

    Fran, however, was somehow able to tell that it was the exact same individual. Maybe it¡¯s just a beastkin thing?

    But that would mean that this wyrm¡¯s the exact same one we fed all the monoliths.

    ¡ºSo it remembered me even though it¡¯s dumb as a single celled organism?¡»

    Does it not forget grudges? Oh well, it¡¯s not the only one that still wanted to fight. It was time for us to show it just how much we¡¯d grown since ourst conflict, even if we had to end up running away.

    It tried chasing Urushi down, but it was far too big to catch him. He could easily slip somewhere it was harder for the massive creature to reach.

    The act of him running around bought me enough time to get my spell ready.

    ¡ºI¡¯m good to go, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We struck the moment it tried to attack Urushi, andunched our attacks straight into its mouth.

    ¡ºNow! Kanna Kamuiiiii!¡»

    ¡¸Haaaah! ck Lightning Advent!¡¹

    My spell, a dragon made of pure white lightning, mixed with Fran¡¯s, a burst of jet ck lightning, and flew straight into the wyrm¡¯s interior.

    I used the sorcery skill to put 80% of the mp I had left into the attack and hit the midgard wyrm with the most powerful Kanna Kamui we¡¯d ever used to date. Likewise, Fran had also poured everyst bit of her mana into her ck thunderbolts.

    The wyrm¡¯s head exploded into a million pieces. Blood, flesh, and other fragments of the sea serpent¡¯s body, flew all over the ce and fell around us like pieces of a deted balloon. The explosion had been huge; it covered an area 50 meters in diameter.

    It caused waves to pour through the ocean and crash into the Algieba. I quickly turned towards the ship out of concern to check on it, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming it was still fine.

    The only reason it didn¡¯t get capsized was because the wyrm¡¯s thick ass body had absorbed most of the impact. In a sense, one could say that the wyrm had actually stopped the ship from flipping over.

    Speaking of which, the wyrm itself was a terrible sight to behold. A third of its body was t out missing. Serpent and centipede type monsters were known for their vitality, but the wound was so bad it looked like it would¡¯ve been more than fatal for any normal member of either of the two aforementioned types.

    But the midgard wyrm was an A ranked magic beast, a creature far outside the realm of human imagination. Though its defenses wereckluster, the injury we¡¯d given it was far from fatal.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Midgard Wyrm (Sea Serpent Type Monster)

    Level 62

    HP: 28117/39823

    MP: 591

    STR: 4139

    VIT: 4699

    AGI: 108

    INT: 5

    MGC: 112

    DEX: 24

    Skills

    Absorption: Lv 2

    Regeneration: Lv 2

    Predation

    _______________________________________________________________

    It still had over two thirds of its max health, and it was already starting to rapidly regenerate.

    ¡ºFoock, that thing¡¯s a monster. But we at least managed to slo¡ªoh sheet.¡»

    ¡¸Not¡­ good¡­¡¹

    Wait, what the foock!? That thing¡¯s headed for the Algieba even though it doesn¡¯t have a head!? How is it already moving!? Aren¡¯t you normally supposed to wait for your missing body part to regenerate before you start doing sheet again!?

    Is its brain not in its head, or does it have multiple, like how it has a bunch of different hearts? Wait, does it even have a brain in the first ce?

    Foock! Thinking about this sheet is just a huge waste of time!

    ¡ºUrushi, get in front of it again!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The only choice I had was to use the rest of my mana to hit it with another Kanna Kamui. And if that didn¡¯t stop it, I¡¯d have no choice but to use my real trump card.

    ¡¸Mas¡­ter¡­ okay?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. I¡¯ll be fine. You can sit back and rest for now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I left Fran to Urushi and leapt off so I could focus on casting my spell. I wasn¡¯t expecting it to do much. I didn¡¯t have enough mana.

    ¡ºI really want to avoid using Latent Potential Release unless I really have to.¡»

    Things were looking pretty grim. I was probably going to have to use it in the end¡ªor at least that was what I thought was going to happen.

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    The situation suddenly took an unexpected turn.

    I felt a powerful, imposing presence. It was several kilometers away, but it was incredibly overbearing nheless. The speed at which the thing came at us was incredible. It looked like it was somewhere around the 500 km/h range.

    ¡ºFoock, that thing¡¯s huge!¡»

    There was no other way to put it. The only part I could see was the part sticking out of the water, the thing I presumed to be its dorsal fin. That alone was already 20 meters high and 100 long. I was certain that the thinging at us was some sort of monster.

    ¡ºUrushi, get the hell out of here!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Retreating, I returned to Fran¡¯s side. Urushi was terrified; he was trembling with his tail between his legs. Fortunately, he still somehow managed to move his way back over to the Algieba.

    ¡¸Master, that, what?¡¹

    ¡ºNo idea. Appraisal won¡¯t work because I can only see its fin.¡»

    That said, I had more than enough information to guess. Its aura carried way more magical energy than the midgard wyrms. It was clearly a monster even more powerful than the one we¡¯d just fought.

    ¡¸Master, that.¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it!¡»

    The mystery monster rushed the midgard wyrm and attacked it.

    ¡¸Gaaaaaoooooooooooooooooo!¡¹

    It drove its fangs into the midgard wyrms body and lifted it, and in doing so, showcased its 100m long neck. It was adorned from head to tail in beautiful scales, like a kingfisher. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that it both resembled a dragon and a sort of serpent.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Leviathan (Oceanic Divine Dragon//Divine Beast)

    Lv 87

    HP: 92336

    MP: 36887

    STR: 181397

    VIT: 22699

    AGI: 3123

    INT: 6039

    MGC: 9996

    DEX: 1698

    Skills

    Unknown

    Description

    Unknown

    _______________________________________________________________

    ¡ºHaaaah¡­hahahaha¡»

    Appraising caused me to break intoughter. There simply wasn¡¯t anything for me to do butugh. It was so strong I couldn¡¯t even see its skills. It was a veritable S ranked monster, a ridiculously overpowered creature capable of destroying the entire world if it wished to.

    Just appraising it hadpletely drained me of the will to fight.

    I immediately began to think of the worst case scenario, and what I needed to do. If the Leviathan attacked, then my only choice would be to abandon the Algieba and focus on preserving Fran.

    I would have to teleport us away the moment it showed even the slightest sign of aggression.

    Right as I started working out the details, the leviathan looked at us¡ªbut its eyescked even the slightest semnce of hostility.

    Its gaze instead seemed to momentarily reflect a sense of amusement, as if it was entertained. The impression only seemed tost for a second, so I wrote it off as just my imagination. I assumed that I¡¯d started deluding because of how much I¡¯d hoped it wouldn¡¯t antagonize us.

    Either way, the leviathan ended up leaving; it turned around and nonchntly carried off the midgard wyrm despite its desperate struggles to break free of the more powerful monster¡¯s grasp.

    ¡ºIt looks like¡­ it let us off the hook¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Whimper¡­¡¹

 Chapter 261: Returning to the Ship

    <h4>Chapter 261: Returning to the Ship</h4>

    Though the leviathan, the Divine Beast, had saved us, it¡¯d also kind created its own sort of trouble for the sole reason that encountering it was nothing short of extraordinary. Upon returning to the ship, we¡¯d realized that everyone had totally lost their wits.

    Some had spaced out, whereas others had started smiling like idiots. There was even a group that¡¯d started to offer the heavens their prayers.

    Like basically everyone else, Jerome and his first mate had been unable to respond in their usual manners. Instead, they¡¯d startedughing dryly.

    I was honestly impressed that the Algieba was still upright and floating. The crew¡¯s current state seemed to indicate that it should¡¯ve already capsized, especially given what¡¯d just happened. The leviathan was huge, so massive waves apanying its advent were only a given¡ª

    ¡ªExcept they weren¡¯t.

    It somehow managed to avoid disturbing the ocean and creating waves despite its massive size.

    Does that mean it was trying to avoid capsizing the Algieba? Nah, no way, right? It was probably just coincidentally using something that let it swim faster through the reduction of water resistance or something.

    Mordred, Jerome, and Buphett regained their senses in that order, mostly because that was the order Fran decided to lightly shake them in.

    Despite being known for his calmness and rationality, he was panicked. The event had shocked him enough to make him start shouting hysterically the moment he finally regained his capacity of speech.

    ¡°Sheet! I just sweat enough cold sweat for a whole godd*mn lifetime. I¡¯m surprised my heart didn¡¯t stop. Holy foock, that was absolutely terrifying. I think I¡¯m not going to ept any boat rted escort jobs for a good while!¡± Mordred screamed.

    We ran into a water dragon, some kraken, a midgard wyrm, and then the S ranked leviathan to top it all off. We had a total of four different encounters in a matter of moments. Each one of the four groups of creatures was powerful enough to cause instant death, and hence, we¡¯d ended up getting swept into a series of fierce battles. It¡¯d been far too much to take in, even for Mordred. The experienced adventurer had been reduced to a terrified mess.

    ¡°Dude. Woah. Sheet. Did ya see that thing? Did ya!?¡± Jerome, on the other hand, was excited as all hell. He was leaning over the ship¡¯s edge and staring off in the direction the leviathan had went.

    ¡°Aye, captain¡­ But I do have to say, I never did imagine we¡¯d see it around these parts¡­¡± Buphettmented. ¡°Wait, what if¡­¡±

    Unlike the other two, Buphett¡¯s state was more akin to one of suspicion. He¡¯d already moved on to questioning the leviathan¡¯s motives.

    ¡°Leviathan, only supposed to show up in demonic ocean?¡± Fran directed her question towards Jerome, as his state of mind had seemed much more sound than that of anyone else present.

    Man, that thing was god damned massive. It would¡¯ve have measured somewhere in the 100m range even if you only looked everything from the base of its neck up till the tip of its nose. Its head alone seemed to be about 40-50m tall. I didn¡¯t see how it could¡¯ve possibly even fit around these parts. The deepest areas apparently only go 300m down, meaning there are likely many spots with a depth of 100m or less.

    Given its size, the leviathan most likely would have ended up scraping itself around the ocean floor as it moved about.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s always been in the past, but the past and the present are clearly twopletely different things. S¡¯true that it¡¯s only ever been seen in the demonic sea, but, that ain¡¯t enough evidence for us to say that it¡¯ll never show up anywhere else. The thing¡¯s a godd*mn legend. Ain¡¯t no way for us humans to understand everything ¡¯bout it,¡± Jerome shrugged.

    Yeah, makes sense. There isn¡¯t any reason for it not to leave its nest to hunt and what not, especially seeing as how it literally just did exactly that.

    There was no reason for the leviathan to stay in a small, confined area given its speed. There seemed to be a good chance that it just so happened to have only been sighted in the demonic sea, and that it was actually moving around and going wherever it wanted while remaining under water all the time.

    ¡°Alrighty, now that that¡¯s over with, we should probably get the ¡®ell outta ¡®ere,¡± the captain quickly recovered and got back on task.

    ¡°That seems like quite a good idea. All the kraken have fled due to their fear of the leviathan, so we¡¯ve got ourselves just the chance we need.¡± Likewise, his first mate also refocused himself on a more immediate set of priorities.

    The kraken were no match for the midgard wyrm or leviathan, so they¡¯d all long escaped the area. Likewise, the pirates we¡¯d cast into the ocean were also nowhere to be seen. They¡¯d all either been dragged off by kraken, swallowed by the sea serpent, or simply caught in the massive waves that resulted from the creatures¡¯ advent and washed away.

    ¡°So what are we going to do with him?¡± The first thing Mordred did after regaining his wits was kicking the prisoner rolling around at his feet. Suarez just happened to have gotten brought back to the Algieba because that was simply the most natural flow of things. He was still unconscious, mostly due to all the pain Mordred had inflicted on him while trying to get him to fold.

    ¡°What do you say to randomly dumping him somewhere?¡± Hemented while giving the man another kick.

    There isn¡¯t really any point in keeping him alive much longer seeing as how the dragon is already gone and whatnot, but he is still royalty, so keeping him alive might present us with some sort of merit.

    He could be used as a sort of bargaining chip, but at the same time, it was also possible for him to end up functioning to ignite some sort of political conflict. There was no way for us to know the consequences of our actions for sure, so we instead chose to leave the decision in a more qualified person¡¯s hands. That is, we had Jerome, a man officially sanctioned by the Beastkin¡¯s country, make the final call.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯d say we¡¯d best keep ¡®im in the ship¡¯s hold for now,¡±

    ¡°Aye, captain, I agree, especially seeing as how he might even have some sort of bounty on his head,¡± Buphett added.

    ¡°You don¡¯t say. Stealing one of those Water Dragon Warships is a surefire way to earn a country¡¯s ire,¡± the captain smirked.

    A part of me had thought that it might¡¯ve ended up being some sort of gift, but apparently that was definitely not the case. Every Water Dragon Warship was a vital part of the country¡¯s forces. Having one rampage about was prone to leading to diplomatic problems.

    In other words, there was no way Suarez had any im to the ship he¡¯d been in possession of.

    ¡°It¡¯d be much more convenient for us to get rid of ¡®im, but I¡¯d say he¡¯s got enough use to keep around,¡± Jerome grumbled.

    With that, Suarez¡¯ fate was decided. Mordred took him in the hold and organised the adventurers so they could keep watch.

    ¡°How are you feeling, princess?¡±

    With all urgent business dealt with, Jerome turned back towards Fran and asked her about her condition.

    ¡°She looks quite exhausted to me,¡± his first matemented.

    ¡°Nn¡­ Body feels heavy.¡±

    The ck Lightning Advent Fran put all her power into had drained her of most of her stamina and magic. She could still walk, but shecked the ability to engage in any sort of serious conflict.

    ¡°I would expect so, seeing the amount of power behind the attack youunched. I doubt you¡¯ll be able to perform too well inbat as you are right now, so please do get back to your room and get some rest.¡± Buphett dismissed her from her duties so she could heal up and be ready for any battles toe going forward.

    ¡°Nn. Will do.¡±

    We decided to have Urushi guard the deck in Fran¡¯s ce while she rested. He and Mordred would probably be more than enough to handle any monsters that came the ship¡¯s way while Fran was out ofmision.

    ¡°We¡¯re counting on you Urushi.¡±

    ¡°Do best.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

 Chapter 262: Greyseal

    <h4>Chapter 262: Greyseal</h4>

    Two days had passed since we¡¯d run into the Leviathan and nearly met our demises.

    ¡°Drop the anchors!¡± Jerome shouted.

    ¡°Aye aye captain!¡±

    ¡°One of you is going to need to run over to the magistrate¡¯s office. We¡¯ve a serious political situation on our hands, one involving royalty,¡± Buphett noted as the crew began getting to work.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± One of the sailors immediately responded and began running an errand as per his instructions.

    The Algieba managed to safely reach Chrom. More specifically, it found itself currently docked in the port of a seaside city named Greyseal. Both the city and the port were about a whole size smaller than Barbra¡¯s, but still of a respectable scale nheless.

    All the adventurers had already gotten off the ship after receiving a hefty bonus. The total number of battles we engaged in was on the rtively low side, but they rewarded us handsomely nheless given the whole midgard wyrm incident. Fran in particr had been paid a whole hundred thousand golde.

    With her dutiespleted and renumerations rewarded, she, like all the other adventurers, had gotten off the ship. She was currently standing in front of it, saying her goodbyes to her three apprentices.

    ¡°Thank you very much, Ms. Fran.¡±

    ¡°You taught us a whole lot.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to make sure we keep training ourselves hard! We¡¯ll get strong enough to impress you next time we see each other!¡±

    Naria, Miguel and Liddoock responded in their usual ways as they got ready to leave, to which Fran responded with a simple ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Good bye!¡±

    ¡°Later!¡±

    ¡°Farewell!¡±

    Their training had onlysted a few days, but it seemed to have been impactful nheless, as the three all seemed to have taken her teachings quite seriously. Fran had tried her best to y the role of an instructor as well, albeit seemingly because she wanted to kill time. I couldn¡¯t tell whether or not she really thought of them as her apprentices. She didn¡¯t seem reluctant to part with them, and I wasn¡¯t even really sure whether she ever ended up remembering their names.

    ¡°We should probably head out too.¡±

    ¡°Miguel, Naria, Liddoock,¡± I had many doubts about her stance on the matter, but Fran struck them all down before I even so much as had a chance to voice them by calling out to her three apprentices in turn.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Miguel¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°Teach just called us by our names!? That has to be the first time she¡¯s ever done that!¡±

    ¡°Does that mean she¡¯s acknowledged us?¡± Likewise, Naria and Liddoock also responded with their voices filled by surprise.

    ¡°See ya.¡±

    ¡°See ya, teach!¡±

    All three immediately responded in loud, clear voices.

    Satisfied, Fran turned around and began to move without so much as even showing any sign of turning back.

    ¡°So you actually did end up memorizing their names?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Because apprentices.¡±

    Fran¡¯s response made it clear that she¡¯d taken from the experience and matured, even if only a bit. As her guardian, I was overjoyed, both because she¡¯d grown up and because a part of me empathized with her disciples. She¡¯d reciprocated their emotions; their efforts hadn¡¯t been in vain.

    The first ce Fran decided to head towards was the guild so she could pick up the request¡¯s standard reward. She didn¡¯t know where it was though, so she had Mordred and his buddies show her over.

    ¡°It should be right over there,¡± Mordred gestured towards the guild as it came into sight.

    ¡°Huge.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be because Greyseal is a pretty big city.¡±

    Greyseal¡¯s guild wasn¡¯t too far away from its port. The building was quiterge, as per Fran¡¯s description. Apparently, it was rtively influential because it was frequented by adventurers that liked picking up ship-rted escort tasks.

    Upon entering, we found ourselves staring down a bar with arge number of adventurers hanging around it. Some seemed to gaze upon Fran in one of many unrespectful ways, but quickly averted their eyes once they saw Mordred enter right behind her.

    Being a B ranker, Mordred was quite well known, even in Greyseal. There weren¡¯t any adventurers dumb enough to mess with anyone apanying him.

    Fran was both a cute child and a ck Catkin, so I expected a few people to try messing with her, but fortunately, it didn¡¯t look like we would need to bother this time around. Though no one tried to explicitly attack her, that didn¡¯t actually mean we didn¡¯t have to deal with any sort of annoyances. A bearded,zy looking middle aged man that seemed a bit too thin to be an adventurer waded through the crowd and approached us.

    My immediate thought was that we were going to have to deal with him and whatever idiocy he would pull, but I was well off the mark.

    ¡°That¡¯s a cute girl you found there Mordred. Is she travelling with you?¡± Thenky looking man grinned as he spoke in a teasing tone.

    ¡°Oh, hey Leroy. You¡¯re a bit off the mark this time. She and I just happened to be escorting the same ship. It was her first time in Greyseal, so I lended her a hand and showed her over to the guild.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Well, I guess I¡¯d better introduce myself then. The name¡¯s Leroy, I work as an adventurer around these parts.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s only a D ranker, but he¡¯s got great memory, so he cane in handy. I¡¯ve often asked him for help so I could work around these parts without needing a map,¡± Mordred nodded as he affirmed the other man¡¯s usefulness.

    The fact that even Mordred asked him for help made me understand that Leroy was a respectable adventurer in his own right even though he didn¡¯t look the part.

    ¡°Nn. C ranker, Fran.¡± The catgirl named herself curtly.

    ¡°You¡¯re a C ranker at that age!? I could tell that you were pretty strong, but god damn!¡± Leroy¡¯s eyes opened wide in response to Fran¡¯s introduction, a reaction that caused Mordred to put on a bit of a wry smile and look at Leroy with an almost pitying gaze. He¡¯d only just called Fran out the other day for being way stronger than was justified for a C ranker.

    ¡°I think you might want to change the way you introduce yourself, Fran,¡± he suggested.

    ¡°Why? Not lying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but I think you should at least make sure you mention that you¡¯re the ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°What? She¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess everyone¡¯s been talking abouttely?¡±

    ¡°That she is, friend.¡±

    ¡°That would mean she¡¯s way stronger than me¡­ Man, and her rank made me think we weren¡¯t all that different in terms of ourbat ability too¡­¡± Leroy waspletely taken aback by Fran¡¯s identity.

    It seemed that information about Fran had already made its way to Greyseal through the merchants given Leroy¡¯s reaction and willingness to ept Fran¡¯s identity. Mordred, once again, had voiced a really good point that proved his judgement solid. Fran would be able to stop people from looking down on her so long as she revealed a bit more about herself.

    There was, however, a certain risk rted to Mordred¡¯s suggestion. Anyone that had yet to hear about Fran¡¯s exploits would likely think her an idiot with a self proimed identity. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand for someone making fun of her as a result.

    For that reason, we decided to stick with the C ranker thing for the time being.

    ¡°You serious!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    ¡°Wait, the ck Lightning Princess is here!? Where!?¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    ¡°Yo, you serious?¡±

    It seemed that all the adventurers present had heard of her, as they immediately began kicking up a huge fuss. Some stood up in order to get a better look at Fran, while others let their curiosity get so out of control that they approached despite the heavy aura Mordred was giving off.

    The reaction we got out of making Fran¡¯s identity public was even bigger than the one we¡¯d gotten back in Barbra. Upon further observation, I realized that over 90% of the adventurers were beastkin, and that the beastkin were much more curious about Fran than I¡¯d initially thought. Though their interests were far outside my expectations, I did at least understand them. ck Catkin weren¡¯t supposed to be able to evolve, but Fran had done it nheless. But more importantly, she had defeated Goldalfa, a veritable hero that all of the country¡¯s citizens knew.

    ¡°Did that little girl really manage to beat Goldalfa?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they say. It¡¯s probably true too, seein¡¯ as how the info came from a merchant sanctioned by the crown.¡±

    ¡°Must¡¯ve been because he let her win though, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve got a point. It might be one of those public appearence things.¡±

    ¡°Are you guys stupid? We¡¯re talking about Goldalfa here, there¡¯s no way he¡¯d ever do that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah man, there¡¯s no way Goldalfa would just fork over a win, especially not to a kid. That¡¯d tarnish his reputation.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. You all know he¡¯s not the type to pull his punches.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ve gotta consider this. It wasn¡¯t a spar either. I could see him holding back if it was a spar, but Ulmutt¡¯s tournament lets its participants fight for real, so he must¡¯ve been going all out.¡±

    A fair number of the adventurers seemed to think that Goldalfa had allowed Fran to beat him. I couldn¡¯t really refute their sentiments. It was quite hard to believe unless you were actually there.

    People continued to stare at Fran even as she turned in her quest.

    ¡°And she¡¯s really evolved too.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡±

    ¡°How the hell did she manage that?¡±

    ¡°I remember the merchants saying something about killing evil beings. I don¡¯t remember the details though, ¡¯cause I thought it was bullsheet at the time.¡±

    We¡¯d long turned Evolution Concealment off so we could spread the idea that ck Catkin were indeed capable of evolution.

    The merchants and nobles had already started to spread the method we told the Beast Lord. People would probably start believing it once we went around and showed off that Fran really had evolved.

    Gazes continued to follow Fran all the way up to the moment she finally left.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s find ourselves a ce to spend the night and figure out how we¡¯re supposed to get to the capital.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    _______________________________________________________________

    Stats below. Note: skills in master¡¯s memory excluded by author

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran (Bound)

    Species: Intelligent Weapon

    Attack: 672

    MP: 4800/4800

    Durability: 4600/4600

    Magical Conductivity: A+

    Skills

    Appraisal: MAX

    Appraisal Blocking

    Shape Shifting

    High Speed Self Repair

    Self Evolution (Rank 13 / Cores Absorbed: 8378/9100 / Memory: 124 // Points: 0 )

    Transformation (Superiorized)

    Telekinesis

    Lesser Telekic Boost

    Telepathy

    Lesser Attack Boost

    Space/Time Magic: MAX

    Skill Sharing

    Intermediate Wielder Status Boost

    Lesser Wielder Recovery Boost

    Eye of Empyrea

    Unseble

    Lesser MP Boost

    Knowledge of Monsters

    Sorcerer

    Intermediate Memory Boost

    Unique Skills

    Principle of Falsehood: Lv 5

    Dimensional Magic: Lv 4

    Superior Skills

    Sword Arts SP

    Skill Taker

    Doppelganger Synthesis SP

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Fran

    Age: 12

    Species: Beastkin (ck Cat/ck Heavenly Tiger)

    ss: Magic Warrior

    Status: Bound by Contract

    Level: 45/99

    HP: 551

    MP: 432

    STR: 306

    VIT: 240

    AGI: 295

    INT: 212

    MGC: 241

    DEX: 210

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 5

    Wind Magic: Lv 2

    Court Etiquette: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 6

    Sword Techniques: Lv 7

    Sword Arts: Lv 8

    Evil Resistance: Lv 1

    Blink: Lv 6

    Fire Magic: Lv 5

    Lightning Magic: Lv 1

    Cooking: Lv 2

    Trap Disarmament: Lv 2

    Trap Detection: Lv 2

    Undead Killer

    Evil Killer

    Insect Killer

    Vigour Maniption

    Goblin Killer

    Sound of Mind

    Demon Killer

    Skilled Dismantler

    Conviction

    Sense of Direction

    Magic Manption

    Night Vision

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Brilliant Lightning Rush

    Magic Convergence

    Special Skills

    ck Cat¡¯s Protection

    Titles

    Undead Killer

    Match For a Thousand

    Evil Killer

    Insect Killer

    Lord of Dismantling

    Recovery Magic User

    Sword Lord

    Goblin Killer

    One Who Massacres

    Skill Collector

    Skill Maniac

    Dungeon Conquerer

    Super Big Eater

    Demon Killer

    Fire Magic User

    Wind Magic User

    Lightning Magic User

    King of Cooking

 Chapter 263: The Horned Carriage Association

    <h4>Chapter 263: The Horned Carriage Association</h4>

    Trantion: SupremeTentacle

    We found ourselves wandering around the suburbs not too long after we booked ourselves a ce to stay the night. The original n was for us to head back to the guild so we could figure out what we needed to do in order to get back to the capital, but speaking with thedy running the inn we chose had caused us to change our minds.

    The innkeeper was a businessman with a whole plethora of connections. Thebination of the information she¡¯d gotten from her peers and her instincts as a beastkin had immediately allowed her to identify Fran the moment she walked through the door. As a result, she¡¯d treated Fran with as much fidelity as she could possibly manage. That is, she offered the best room she had for an extremely discounted price.

    She then went on to dere that she would treat the form Fran filled out as a family heirloom before hearing out our ns and giving us a bit of advice.

    It was precisely her advice that led us to our current destination.

    ¡°That?¡± Fran tilted her head as she pointed to a building that seemed to match what the innkeeper had described to her.

    ¡°I think so. The roof¡¯s blue, and structure makes it look kinda like a barn. It¡¯s pretty much a perfect match.¡±

    Approaching the building a bit more confirmed that it was the exact one we were looking for; the sign hanging outside itbeled it as a branch of the Horned Carriage Association.

    ¡°Wee,¡± a calm, collected woman in her twenties called out to us as we entered the building. She looked quite simr to the type of girl one would often find working at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, with the sole difference being that her uniform had been swapped out for another.

    Unlike the innkeeper we met earlier, the association¡¯s receptionist was human, so she didn¡¯t immediately identify Fran. Many of the people we¡¯d met along the way, however, did. Most of the people she walked by totally froze over the moment they realized that she wasn¡¯t just any average ck catkin. Even those that had yet to hear about the ck Lightning Princess ended up stopping and staring the moment they realized that she had evolved.

    Some of the older men that saw her had been shocked so far out of their wits that they started worshiping her on the spot. All in all, she was treated kinda like the type of mythical creature that bless with happiness all that managed to spot it ¡ª basically every beastkin she came across would stop in their tracks just to get a good look at her.

    ¡°Want information,¡± Fran got to business and began questioning the clerk as I recalled the events that¡¯d just transpired.

    ¡°Might this be your first time riding a horned carriage?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    The receptionist gave us a quick overview and exined the services the Horned Carriage association offered. Simply put, they basically provided a transportation service. They rented out carriages pulled by Dual Horns, rhino-like monsters with high speed and endurance. They took very few breaks, so they were able to reach their destinations roughly twice as quickly as horses could. They themselves were considered F ranked monsters, so they could also function to scare off thieves and other weaker potential assants.

    ¡°I see,¡± Fran nodded.

    ¡°Here are the prices,¡± the receptionist showed Fran a piece of paper with a whole bunch of numbers written all over it. The fees seemed to vary based off of two main factors. The first was whether or not one was willing to share a carriage with other passengers. The second had to do with the amount of distance traveled.

    ¡°Want to go to capital.¡±

    ¡°Your destination is Vestia then?¡± The receptionist pointed towards the fees written on the page and paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°In that case, the fee will be 40,000 golde if you¡¯re willing to ride with other passengers, or 120,000 golde if you¡¯d like to reserve a carriage for yourself. The trip should take a total of around 10 days.¡±

    ¡°Expensive.¡± Fran¡¯s one wordment referred to more than just the cash cost. She also meant that the trip would eat up far too much of our time. Seeing that Fran seemed rather confused, the receptionist showed her a map and began to exin the circumstances.

    ¡°This is where Greyseal is on the map. Vestia is right over here, to its west.¡±

    ¡°Not that far?¡±

    Greyseal was on Chrom¡¯s eastern coast. Vestia seemed like it was just a little to the west of it. I wasn¡¯t able to make any definitive conclusions seeing as how the map was missing a scale, but it didn¡¯t really look like it would take 10 days to move between the two rtively close points nheless.

    Being as experienced as she was, the receptionist addressed all my concerns before I even voiced them.

    ¡°The straight line distance between the two cities isn¡¯t too far, but you see this green patch?¡± She moved her finger over to therge green area right between Greyseal and Vestia.

    ¡°Scorpion Lion Forest?¡± Fran read the words aloud.

    ¡°Exactly. The Scorpion Lion Forest is designated as a C ranked haunt. Manticores, C ranked monsters, are known to to live within it.¡±

    Oh, so that¡¯s why people avoid going straight through the forest.

    There wasn¡¯t any way the average person was going to be able to somehow manage to make their way through a C ranked haunt.

    ¡°The forest extends quite far, both to the north and to the south. The carriages have to go a rather long ways to loop around it,¡± the receptionist exined.

    ¡°No ces to pass through?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible for a regr person, more skilled adventurers are known able to do it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°It does appear that way, but I don¡¯t advise trying on your own.¡±

    The receptionist was a really nice person. She seemed to think that Fran was a brand new adventurer, but she didn¡¯t immediately shoot her down rudely, and instead phrased her statement in such a way to avoid injuring Fran¡¯s pride. Moreover, she didn¡¯t question whether or not Fran could afford a carriage ride, and simply continued to attentively answer all her questions regardless.

    ¡°Most adventurers setting off from Greyseal prefer passing through Argenpn instead. The town¡¯s fairly close to where the Scorpion Lion Forest is at its thinnest. You might be able to find yourself a party that¡¯s looking to get through if you head over.¡±

    In other words, we had two choices. The first was to loop around the Scorpion Lion forest by taking a huge detour. The second was to pass through it by heading over to Argenpn. The haunt was apparently only ranked in at C. It likely wouldn¡¯t give us too much trouble, so we would probably be much better off breaking through it¡­

    That said, getting to Argenpn was still a task in and of itself. The map made it seem like we could reach it so long as we headed in a south-westerly direction, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be that simple in reality. The route undoubtedly had its own ups and downs, ones that a mere map wasn¡¯t capable of illustrating.

    ¡°How much to Argenpn?¡±

    ¡°It should take about a day. The cost is 3000 golde if you¡¯re willing to ride with other people and 9000 if you want a private carriage.¡±

    ¡°Riding a Horned Carriage sounds like a pretty good idea as far as I¡¯m concerned. It¡¯ll be much more difficult for us to get lost if we get ourselves one.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, ¡± Fran responded telepathically.

    We¡¯d been curious about horned carriages to begin with, so we ended up booking one that would set out first thing tomorrow morning. We spent a good bit of time debating whether or not we wanted to ride a public carriage or rent one out ourselves and ultimately ended up choosing the first option over the second. Publicity was important, and riding with other people was a pretty good way to advertise Fran¡¯s status as an evolved ck Catkin.

    ¡°Do you have anything to serve as identification?¡±

    ¡°Adventurer¡¯s Guild card okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Then here.¡±

    ¡°Thank yooouwahat! You¡¯re a C ranker!? Really!?¡± The receptionist¡¯s eyes widened as she looked over Fran¡¯s guild card. She flipped it over several times and examined it from all different angles before finally confirming its authenticity by scanning it with a sort of crystalline device.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the real thing?¡± She was clearly taken aback and impressed by Fran¡¯s ability.

    ¡°Nn. Real.¡±

    ¡°Right! I should give this back to you. I¡¯m terribly sorry if I came off as rude.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡°So I hope you don¡¯t mind, but there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you, seeing as how you¡¯re a C ranked adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Nn,¡± Fran prompted the receptionist to continue with a nod.

    ¡°To be honest, we¡¯re in need of escorts. We can¡¯t seem to find enough to fill all our positions, so would you be okay with being a guard rather than a passenger? You¡¯re a C ranker, so we¡¯d be willing to give you a 50% discount if you¡¯re willing to ept.¡±

    ¡°Why not enough? City has lots of adventurers.¡±

    ¡°Most of this city¡¯s adventurers focus primarily on escorting ships. That¡¯s all the more true right now given the current state of international affairs.¡±

    ¡°Meaning?¡± Fran tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡°Oh, did you perhapse to Greyseal by sea?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Things have started to get a bit tense between us and the neighbouring country, in part because the king¡¯s currently off abroad. Most of the soldiers have been assigned to the border. Very few have been left to perform the usual patrols.¡±

    Theck of soldiers led to a proportional increase in the number of thieves and monsters. Many of the adventurers that normally worked escort jobs were busy exterminating all the vermin that¡¯d arisen due to thepse in the usual military presence.

    ¡°War going to happen?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it given the agreements our country has with the Kingdom of Bashar, but tensions are rising nheless. That would in part because the Basharians don¡¯t really quite like Beastkin.¡±

    At present, the beastkin¡¯s country was rtively free of discrimination. It was a peaceful, rtively epting country. However, it hadn¡¯t always been that way in the past. Beastkin used to hold many social advantages. Most other races were discriminated against, and even oppressed if one was to go further back in time.

    Bashar was a kingdomprised precisely of these discriminated people. It was originally established by a group that had either escaped from or been driven out of the Beastkin¡¯s country. To that end, the Basharians hated the beastkin. They instead advocated human supremacy and ensured that humans were given more leverage and opportunities.

    ¡°As a human, Bashar¡¯s past makes me feel ashamed. The country used to proim that humans were the ultimate race and that beastkin were just inferior beings meant to be treated as ves.¡±

    ¡°Exined using past tense. Different now?¡±

    ¡°The royal family¡¯s non-extremist faction rose to power approximately a hundred years ago. Though the two countries have yet to get along, the Basharians have be much more tolerant of our country than ever before.¡±

    Unfortunately, the two countries were still keeping an eye on each other. The Beastkin¡¯s Country recognized that they were currently in a state that made it so that the Basharians wouldn¡¯t actually be able to do much against them, especially with the king being as strong as he was, but they still couldn¡¯t help but have their soldiers gather up upon learning that the Basharians had done the same¡ªeven though the Basharians had dered that they were only using their military might to clear a dungeon.

    ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re a bit short on hands at the moment,¡± the receptionist concluded. ¡°Would you be willing to take up the job and help us out?¡±

    The 1.5k golde we would save was honestly just chump change for us, but the request was one that would officially go through the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and add to our credit, so we figured there wasn¡¯t really anything to lose.

    ¡°Will ept escort job to Argenpn.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± the receptionist smiled. ¡°Is 6 in the morning a good time for you?¡±

    ¡°Nn. No problem.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll see you then.¡±

    Woo. Transportation get.

    ¡°Alright. I guess we can just kick back and rx until tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°First, eat all local specialties.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s local specialties around here?¡±

    ¡°Saw on sign just now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been quick to notice that kind of stuff¡­ But alright, let¡¯s go check it out.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

 Chapter 264: A Journey Aboard a Horned Carriage

    <h4>Chapter 264: A Journey Aboard a Horned Carriage</h4>

    The horned carriage we were riding in rattled as it travelled down the highway at a pace a horse-pulled vehicle could never match. Its destination was, of course, Argenpn, the town closest to the Scorpion Lion Woods¡¯ most traversable subsection. Although we were working as guards, we were basically acting in the same manner as would any other passenger. We wouldn¡¯t need to do anything unless we were subject to an attack.

    A calm atmosphere filled the carriage¡¯s interior. It was a strange mix, one that was somehow both rxing and festive at the same time.

    ¡°Would you like a snack, mdy?¡± One of the passengers handed Fran a treat.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Fran gratefully epted with a nod.

    A second and third passenger soon imitated the first and offered Fran a couple treats, which again, she epted. Her acknowledgement of their offerings caused the other passengers aboard the carriage to react with joy. Speaking of the other passengers, most of them were older, unevolved individuals well past their prime. It was precisely this status of theirs that caused them to view her as an idol to worship and pay her a near superfluous amount of respect. The fact that she was a ck catkin, a member of a tribe known not to evolve, only amplified the admiration they they held for her all the more.

    In other words, the festive mood had stemmed from Fran¡¯s presence. She was being celebrated for allowing the older beastkin to breathe the same air as her. That said, they had given her too many offerings for her to hold; the many snacks presented to her ended up gettingid out in front of her.

    The older individuals weren¡¯t the only ones aboard the coach. Some of the grandchildren were too. One would normally expect children to look upon the mound of snacks with greed or envy, but they weren¡¯t. Like their grandparents, they too were too busy idolizing Fran. As far as they were concerned, she was a hero. Thebination of their grandparents¡¯ attitudes and their instincts as beastkin had deemed her as such.

    Young, innocent sounding cries of ¡°Ebolving ish so cool!¡±, ¡°I wanna be like Fuwan!¡±, and ¡°Awesome!¡± filled the carriage as toddlers scrambled about and admired her.

    Again, the atmosphere was peaceful and rxing. But s, it wasn¡¯t tost.

    ¡°Monsters sighted!¡± The coachman shouted in panic as he spotted a group of enemies up ahead. The contents of his message caused the passengers to curl up in fear and direct their gazes towards Fran, as if begging for her to bring them salvation by resolving the situation.

    ¡°Mdy, please! Eliminate the beasts!¡± The driver raised his voice again as he regained a bit of hisposure.

    ¡°Nn. Got it,¡± Fran nodded as she stepped onto the coachman¡¯s tform and looked ahead.

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    Ten odd german shepherd sized dog monsters looked to be waiting for us a bit down the road.

    ¡°Can¡¯t just break through? Only around 10.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry mdy, but I¡¯m ¡®fraid that ain¡¯t gonna be possible!¡± The coachman replied.

    That wasn¡¯t quite the response I was expecting. I knew that the dogs were monsters, but the Dual Horn was still the size of a god damned rhino. I assumed it would be able to just smash the dog like creatures out of its way and keep moving.

    A bit of a closer examination revealed to me why I¡¯d been wrong.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Venom Dog

    Dog type monster

    Level: 11

    HP: 33

    MP: 13

    STR: 17

    VIT: 13

    AGI: 61

    INT: 8

    MGC: 14

    DEX: 12

    Skills

    Pursuit: Lv 3

    Roar: Lv 1

    Enhanced Sense of Smell

    Magical Poison Fang

    _______________________________________________________________

    The monsters were called Venom Dogs. Their stats were quite low, but they were capable of delivering toxic bites through the use of their agility. Moreover, they would then use that superior agility stat to kite their foe around until it sumbed to their venom. It was an effective strategy, and one even the Dual Horn was prone to falling victim to given the sheer number of Venom Dogs. There was, however, a fairly simple solution. All we needed to do was obliterate the enemies before they closed in on us.

    ¡°Don¡¯t slow down,¡± Fran ordered the driver as she got into position and lifted me into abat ready stance.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Just leave to me.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Though he seemed tock confidence, the driver still ended up obeying Fran¡¯smands because she¡¯d evolved and he hadn¡¯t.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± I telepathically shouted.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Franunched me towards the monsters as I boosted my velocity with telekinesis. The attack was swift; I pierced through two of our enemies¡¯ cores and absorbed them with pinpoint uracy. I then used a mix of wind magic and sheer telekic force to prevent them from escaping before tearing through them one after another.

    I grabbed their corpses and shoved them into my storage immediately after defeating them. Venom dogs were quite weak. They probably weren¡¯t worth too much, but I decided to loot them regardless, just in case.

    The coachman seemed to want to say something about the fact that the monsters had vanished in an instant, corpses and all, but ended up rescinding hisment because he didn¡¯t want to spoil Fran¡¯s mood. He instead heaved a sigh of relief and thanked her, to which she responded by nodding lightly as she returned to the vehicle¡¯s interior. There, she found herself showered in shouts of gratitude and praise.

    She responded to them one by one at first by stating that she hadn¡¯t done anything impressive, and that she was just doing her job, but was eventually overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and forced to retreat back to the coachman¡¯s seat.

    She¡¯d already fulfilled her duty and showed off just how strong ck catkin could be, so there wasn¡¯t really any issue with her retreating. That said, she still made herself an excuse and stated that she was repositioning herself so she could better remain vignt of any additional monsters.

    ¡°Haha, they sure have kicked up a fuss.¡± The coachman smiled wryly. The passengers had been quite noisy, so he knew exactly what had just happened.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    The only thing that followed her reply was silence. The driver recognized that there was arge rift between her social status and his own and thus, remained silent and didn¡¯t really try talking to her. That said, he didn¡¯t seem particrly bothered by the silence. He simply continued to look straight ahead and direct the dual horn along the road before him.

    ***

    And just like that, 4 hours flew right by.

    ¡°Town spotted,¡± Franmented as she awoke from a nap.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got some really good eyes! We¡¯re just abouting up on Argenpn,¡± the driver replied, surprised.

    It took a good bit of time, but we finally reached our destination. There was only a single group of monsters on the way. Fran didn¡¯t really have much to do. Thebination of her boredom and the vehicle¡¯s gentle shaking caused her to end up napping atop the driver¡¯s tform for most of the trip¡¯s duration.

    ¡°Adventurers¡¯ Guild in town?¡±

    ¡°A pretty big ¡®un. It¡¯s right by the town¡¯s entrance, so you¡¯ll prolly see it soon.¡±

    Unlike Greyseal, Argenpncked a space specifically intended for horned carriages. Our vehicle had ended up pulling up beside a stagecoach just outside town.

    The passengers began to get off shortly after the vehicle reached its destination. They each thanked Fran and then the driver in that order as they left.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°We owe you our lives, mdy!¡±

    ¡°Bai bai Fuwan!¡±

    She responded to them with the usual ¡°Nn,¡± before departing from the drop off area.

    To be honest, having people treat us like that is kind of draining. It looks like we¡¯re going to have to put up with it if we want to keep bolstering the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s ce in beastkin society though¡­

    I felt the urge let out a mental groan as I entertained the thought, but was interrupted by Fran before I could.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Tired¡­¡±

    It looked like I wasn¡¯t the only one. But still, it wasn¡¯t really an issue. We were sure to grow ustomed to it in due time.

 Chapter 265: Argentlapn

    <h4>Chapter 265: Argenpn</h4>

    We found Argenpn¡¯s Adventures¡¯ Guild immediately after passing through the town¡¯s front gate.

    The size of the guild was, like Greyseal¡¯s, quite impressive.This made me believe that all the Beastkin¡¯s Country¡¯s guilds wererge, but apparently that was a misunderstanding. Us seeing tworger guilds in a row was just a coincidence. Greyseal was a portside city and Argenpn was right by the best ce one could pass through the Scorpion Lion Forest. As far as adventurers were concerned, both were hotspots.

    ¡ºThere seem to be a good number of adventurers hanging around.¡»

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Upon entering, we found more than 30 adventurers sitting around what looked like a bar and drinking booze.

    All their gazes immediately flew right at Fran, evaluating her. Most were beastkin, so they immediately recognized Fran as someone who had evolved. The realization not only shocked them, but also eliminated any thoughts they had of harassing us. The reckless and ignorant adventurers that would¡¯ve otherwise tried were immediately told to stand down by their buddies.

    ¡°Wee.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Want to sell monster parts.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Could I please see your guild card?¡±

    ¡°Nn. C ranked adventurer. Fran.¡±

    ¡°I-I knew it¡­!¡±

    The receptionist already knew who Fran was. The guild¡¯s intelligencework reached both far and wide and its employees were held to a high standard, so they were always kept in the loop. She soon realized that she¡¯d been timidly staring at Fran¡¯s card, so she lightly cleared her throat before returning it.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, please excuse me. We handle all monster rted transactions over there,¡± she said, pointing towards a table

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Fran brought out the corpses of the venom dogs she¡¯d in on her way over to the guild. They were not yet dismantled because we hadn¡¯t had the time to get to it.

    For some odd reason, the adventurers were riled up by her bounty.

    Wait, why do they seem so impressed? Venom dogs are only F ranked threats, aren¡¯t they? How is killing 10 of them any bit of a big deal?

    Diving deeper into the conversation led me to understand the reasons for their admiration.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the number of venom dogs, miss,¡± said the guild¡¯s receptionist, her eyes wide. ¡°Did you perhaps encounter a pack?¡±

    ¡°Nn,¡± replied Fran.

    ¡°Wow, how impressive¡­ I should¡¯ve expected nothing less.¡±

    Venom dogs were quite difficult for weaker adventurers to handle because they had ess to the Magic Poison Fang skill. Packs of 10 or more were considered especially dangerous and boosted their threat level up to E. In other words, one needed to be at least as strong as a D-ranker to handle a pack all by oneself.

    It was obvious from looking at the corpses that Fran killed each one with a single blow, yet another testament to the extent of her skill.

    ¡°Meat edible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s poisoned, so unfortunately not. But on the flip side, the guild is willing to buy any sort of poison, so we¡¯ll be happy to take it off your hands regardless.¡±

    The guild ended up paying us 5k Golde a pop. The price was that low because the monsters had yet to be dismantled and all were missing their cores. The 50k profit we got seemed like it would probably be about enough to cover the night¡¯s lodging expenses.

    ¡°And here is your 50,000 Golde. Thank you for doing business with us,¡± said the guild¡¯s receptionist, handing Fran arge bag of coins.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± replied Fran. ¡°Also, wanted to ask question.¡±

    ¡°Please go right ahead.¡±

    ¡°How to get to capital?¡±

    ¡°Give me just a second and I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    The receptionist pulled out a map of the surrounding area.

    ¡°The most important thing is knowing exactly where to go.¡±

    I looked at it and realized that we could enter the most narrow part of the Scorpion Lion Forest by heading south from where the town was located. It certainly did look like a good spot to use to break through.

    ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed already, this is where the forest is thinnest,¡± she said, pointing to a spot on the map. ¡°It only takes about a day to get out of the forest if you pass through here. The adventurers tend to call it ¡®The Shortcut.''¡±

    ¡°Got it. Chance of encountering manticore?¡±

    ¡°About one in one hundred.¡±

    ¡°Seems low?¡± asked Fran, tilting her head.

    ¡°Manticores tend to avoid preying on adventurers if possible,¡± exined the receptionist.

    Weaker adventurers were easy prey, but the manticores would be overwhelmed if they ran into stronger adventurers. As a result, they believed attacking adventurers as risky and instead focused on the consumption of other monsters.

    That said, some manticores would still attack adventures near The Shortcut. Those were either young and inexperienced, or desperate because they¡¯d been driven out of their territory by stronger manticores.

    ¡°There¡¯s a road leading all the way to The Shortcut, so it should be quite easy to find.¡±

    Passing through the shortcut took one straight to the town of Roseroon, anotherrge town bordering the Scorpion Lion Forest.

    ¡°While I do think you¡¯d be perfectly fine on your own, you can find yourself a party if you so wish by checking the recruitment board over there.¡± She pointed towards arge wooden board behind Fran.

    ¡°Recruitment board?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Safetyes from one¡¯s individualbat prowess, but can alsoe from numbers for those who arecking.¡±

    Partying up allowed you to take on stronger opponents by working together with other people also capable of putting up a fight. Moreover, it also allowed the possibility of escaping by sacrificing one¡¯spanions in times of desperation.

    That was why it was only natural for those that liked to solo or work in small groups to temporarily join up with each other and form slightlyrger parties before attempting to move through the forest.

    I, however, was against it. Partying up with people would only serve to slow us down.

    ¡°Hey there.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Hi?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nning to head through the Scorpion Lion Forest, right? You wanna join us? We may not really look it, but we¡¯re E-rankers, so we won¡¯t slow you down or get in your way.¡±

    A handsome looking human adventurer approached and called out to Fran right as she attempted to leave the guild.

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of suspicion with regards to his motives. I highly doubted a non-beastkin E ranker would be able to discern the extent of Fran¡¯s might at a nce.

    That said, why was he going about assuming Fran isn¡¯t a weakling?

    ¡°Called out to me, why?¡±

    ¡°Well I mean, you¡¯ve pretty much got everyone¡¯s sights on you, and I just overheard something about you saying you were a C ranker.¡±

    ¡°You believed that?¡±

    ¡°Well, you beastkin tend to have higher stats than us humans, and a good portion of you tend to be able to hold your own in a fight. I met another young, but incredibly strong beastkin girl around your age the other day too, so I¡¯m pretty confident that you¡¯re a strong one.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Welp, don¡¯t I feel like an asshole. He¡¯d actually been wanting to party up with Fran and not trying to mess with her.

    That said, we ended up turning down his invitation because he wasn¡¯t leaving until the day after tomorrow, and we couldn¡¯t afford to just sit around and waste time with our schedule. Moreover, I¡¯d been thinking that it was possible for us to just get on Urushi and fly over the forest. Though, that would eat through his mana, so I wanted to go as far as possible on foot first. Thus havingpanions wouldn¡¯t quite work out with what we had in mind.

    ¡°We should leave now.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    So, with that done, we thanked the receptionist and headed back out the front door.

    ¡°It¡¯s still morning, and we¡¯ve still got the whole day ahead of us, so why don¡¯t we head right over to The Shortcut?¡±

    ¡°Think will encounter manticores?¡±

    ¡°Why again do you seem like you¡¯re looking forward to it¡­? Though, you¡¯ve probably gone and jinxed it now, so I¡¯d say we¡¯re more or less sure to run into one.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t wait.¡±

 Chapter 266: Scorpion Lion Forest

    <h4>Chapter 266: Scorpion Lion Forest</h4>

    Trantion: SupremeTentacle

    Editing: Exkmity, Sebas Tian

    The act of ¡°jinxing¡± something, also known as ¡°raising a g¡±, has always been one that has both brought trouble and evoked fear. It has changed all sorts of destinies. It¡¯s known for hooking up average losers with the hottest girls in school, brutally murdering loving fathers serving in the military, reversing all but guaranteed victories, and everything in between.

    So you¡¯re probably wondering where I¡¯m going with this tangent and all.

    ¡°Garuoooohhh!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there only supposed to be a 1% chance for us to run into a manticore?!¡± Iined.

    ¡°Nn. Lucked out,¡± Fran happily replied.

    ¡°More like this only happened ¡¯cause you jinxed it!¡±

    We happened to encounter a 5 meter tall lion with a scorpion¡¯s tail as we tried passing through The Shortcut.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Species: Manticore (Lion-type Monster)

    Level: 31

    HP: 398/819

    MP: 81/196

    STR: 201

    VIT: 591

    AGI: 350

    INT: 203

    MGC: 187

    DEX: 267

    Skills

    Sole Sense: Lv 1

    Sharp Nose: Lv 6

    Espionage: Lv 4

    me Breath: Lv 6

    Vignce: Lv 4

    Harden: Lv 8

    Herculean Strength: Lv 5

    Shock Resistance: Lv 6

    Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 6

    Life Force Detection: Lv 4

    w Arts: Lv 9

    w Techniques: Lv 7

    Earth Magic: Lv 5

    Poison Spray: Lv 6

    Tail Strike: Lv 9

    Fire Magic: Lv 4

    Physical Barrier: Lv 7

    Roar: Lv 5

    Night Vision

    Vigour Maniption

    Reinforced Fur

    Magic Poison Fang

    Description: A monster that resembles a lion with a scorpion¡¯s tail. Its rank is justified by its defensive prowess as it¡¯s offensive stats tend to be rtivelyckluster. It is quite easy tobat so long as you take note of its tail. Its core is located within its heart. Threat level: C.

    _______________________________________________________________

    The manticore¡¯s stats seemed reasonable and rather fitting given its rank. That is, it was about as strong as all the other C ranked monsters we¡¯d fought to date. As indicated by its description, its skills were mostly centered around bolstering its defenses.

    That said, it had both Magic Poison Fang and Herculean Strength, so its ability to attack wasn¡¯t something to be underestimated.

    Or at least that would¡¯ve been the case if we¡¯d run into it when it was in perfect condition.

    ¡°Dying?¡± asked Fran, as she tilted her head.

    ¡°Not quite. It¡¯s health and mana are both sitting at about half.¡±

    The manticore had deep wounds carved all over its body. The guild had said that younger manticores and manticores that¡¯d been kicked out of their territory were the only two types that adventurers would normally encounter on The Shortcut.

    The one we were staring down seemed to belong to thetter of the two categories. Its right leg had a deep gash in it and its right eye had a cut that seemed to render it useless. Its ever important tail had been torn down the middle and was missing its upper half, stinger and all.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Groooowl!¡±

    It seemed to have sensed Fran¡¯s strength, as its back was arched like an aggravated housecat. Its injured leg had prevented it from running away, so it instead chose to ready itself to engage her inbat.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get ourselves some exp and loot its corpse once we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡± Fran nodded, excited at the prospect ofbat.

    ¡°Stay on guard, Urushi. Whatever almost killed our manticore friend here might still be nearby.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡± Urushi replied reliably.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Fran!¡±

    ¡°Nn! Awakening!¡±

    The manticore¡¯s defenses were focused towards physical resistance as opposed to magical resistance. To that end, I was going to be taking charge of our offensive efforts; Fran¡¯s capacity for magic fell behind my own.

    Fran was going to be focused on defense. She awakened in order to make it easier to avoid the enemy¡¯s attacks by using her perception-type skills in tandem with her boosted dex stat. She¡¯d be using her Sword Lord Arts and Perfect Barrier to parry and mitigate anything she couldn¡¯t dodge. Though I was going to be focused on attacking, that wasn¡¯t all. I was also preparing a teleportation spell just in case we ever needed to escape.

    ¡°Graaaaaaohhhh!¡± the manticore roared as it lunged towards Fran.

    ¡°Fmph,¡± Fran grunted as she dodged the manticore¡¯s strike and took to its rear.

    ¡°Sweet! It looks like you¡¯ve got us into a pretty good position. Thunderbolt! Thunderbolt!!¡±

    ¡°Gyaaaaooooooo!¡± the beast howled as the magical projectiles drove themselves into its body.

    Lightning Magic¡¯s biggest perk was the crowd-control type effect that came with its damage. The paralyzing bolts slowed its limbs and allowed us to better avoid its strikes.

    ¡°Nn! Effective!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s keep this up till it dies!¡±

    We continued to fire off spells. We probably could¡¯ve opened with Kanna Kamui or even Thor¡¯s Hammer and just straight up won, but, we didn¡¯t want to blow up the monster¡¯s core by spamming spells with too much power.

    Thus we whittled our foe down with medium powered spells instead.

    ¡°Lightning st! Lightning st!!¡±

    I called them medium powered, but that was only because I was used to casting the two other spells I¡¯d just mentioned. Truth be told, the spells I was casting were probably considered high powered given that they could hurt C ranked monsters.

    Another four sts of lightning caused the manticore to die.

    ¡°¡­Dead?¡± Fran narrowed her eyes, still on guard.

    ¡°Oh god damn it Fran! You¡¯re jinxing things again!¡± I groaned.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Fortunately, we were fine this time around. The manticore was actually dead. It didn¡¯t get back up and attack. I pierced through its corpse and absorbed its core.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯vest absorbed anything this strong.¡±

    My mood improved as I felt the manticore¡¯s magical energy flow into me. I ended up gaining a whole 200 monster core points worth of value from it, which was a lot more than I imagined. I almost wanted to run into another manticore now.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like there were any other manticores nearby. They weren¡¯t the kind of monster one encountered regrly.

    ¡°Grr!¡± Urushi let out a low growl to warn us of an iing entity.

    ¡°Somethinging¡­!¡±

    Likewise, Fran¡¯s ears twitched as she picked up on the individual the wolf had detected.

    ¡°Whatever it is has got quite a bit of magical energy.¡±

    The thinging towards us had about the same amount of magical energy as a manticore, but it wasn¡¯t one. Whatever it was, it was approaching incredibly quickly.

    And it wasn¡¯t alone. There was what seemed to be one of its allies following behind it as well. If they were monsters, it was possible that they were the type that hunted in pairs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get us ready to teleport the hell out if need be.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran kept her guard up and took abat ready stance with me in hand as she awaited the iing pair. But both she and I were taken aback regardless.

    ¡±What impudence! I have been robbed of my prey!¡±

    A young girl that looked to be only the slightest bit older than Franined as she sprang from the bushes. Her voice carried with it the sort of tone one would expect from a highborn.

    She was pretty. She was really pretty. Her beauty was of such importance that I had to say it twice. Twice!

    Her hair was cut rather short, but curled inwards at the ends. Her eyebrows were thick, but not too long horizontally. They almost seemed a bit like the kind you¡¯d see in Imperial, historical Japanese courts if you looked at her from afar. Whenbined with her big forehead, it made her give off a youthful charm. Both her hair and the ears that adorned her head were a tinum blonde while her skin was white as snow.

    Her deep, crimson eyes clearly stood out from the rest of her visage. They were big, round, and carried within them all the girl¡¯s obstinacy and determination. The sheer strength of her gaze was more than enough to draw attention to her.

    Furthermore, her eyes weren¡¯t the only thing that contrasted with her skin and hair; her armour did too. It was like her opposite: everything she wore was dyed in ck. Her metal armour was ornamented all over with gold, giving her an air that was magnanimous and threatening. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was too over the top for a child to wear, but for some odd reason it seemed to suit her nheless.

    I could tell at a nce that she was a beastkin, but I had no way of knowing what race she was in particr. I appraised her, given that it was only natural in our current circumstances, but I wasn¡¯t able to get anything out of it. She must¡¯ve had a skill or item powerful enough to totally ward off the effects of even my Eye of Empyrea.

    I instead had to rely on using my experiences to discern that she was some sort of cat-rted beastkin.

    ¡°I can¡¯t appraise her, so I can¡¯t say for sure, but it looks like she¡¯s probably a White Catkin or something,¡± I pondered.

    ¡°White Catkin. Doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Fran telepathically replied.

    ¡°Sheet, seriously?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Know all catkin types since also catkin. No white.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Wait, so what is she then? Is she not a cat? Nah, she has to be a cat based on how her ears and tail look. Maybe she¡¯s like a White Pantherkin or White Tigerkin or something, assuming they exist?

    ¡°Can tell already evolved,¡± she remarked conclusively.

    ¡°Huh. Well then¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ But strange. Can¡¯t tell species.¡±

    She could not only stop me from appraising her, but also somehow had the ability to prevent other beastkin from figuring out her precise species.

    The girl briskly walked towards us as I found myself lost in thought. She was giving off an extremely hostile aura, but not the murderous kind. We decided to take a wait-and-see approach and hear her out for the time being. That said, we weren¡¯t going to let her approach us any more than she already had.

    ¡°Stop there,¡± Fran narrowed her eyes as she issued a warning.

    ¡°¡­I need not for you to tell me that,¡± the other girl replied.

    Much to my surprise, she stopped right where we told her to. Thinking about it, I realized it made sense. There was no reason for her to step within range of our attacks.

    That action alone was more than enough to inform me that the girl was a skilled fighter. With a single nce she had not only discerned that Fran was strong, but also urately estimated her effective range.

    Her eyes widened as she took a second look at Fran. I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was because she¡¯d realized Fran was the ck Lightning Princess, or if it was simply because she was an evolved ck Catkin.

    I wanted Fran to ask her who she was, but that had to wait. There were more important issues to be addressed.

    ¡°Approaching person, your party member?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    A second individual emerged from a bush behind the girl as she answered Fran¡¯s question.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t rush on ahead of me, mydy,¡± the individual rebuked.

    A wave of shock coursed through my brain the moment I saw her. The sheer impact I felt was on par with the one I¡¯d felt when I saw the Leviathan just the other day.

    I was so surprised I couldn¡¯t stop myself from muttering under my breath.

    ¡°Is that¡­ a maid¡­?¡±

 Chapter 267: Mare and Kuina

    <h4>Chapter 267: Mare and Kuina</h4>

    The individual that had pushed her way through the bushes was undoubtedly a maid. Wait. Weren¡¯t we supposed to be in the midst of a haunt containing C ranked monsters? The hell is a maid doing here? If there was a limit to how out of ce one could possibly be, then this maid had just exceeded the hell out of it.

    Her being a maid wasn¡¯t really the part that surprised me the most. I¡¯d already met many maids post reincarnation.

    I was as surprised as I was because the maid before me was a whole cut above the rest. She wasn¡¯t wearing the traditional servant wear one normally saw on the maids around these parts. Rather, she wore a less sexualized version of the frilly,cy, gothic-lolita style dress you¡¯d typically see in anime and manga. Her clothes clearly put cuteness well above functionality.

    The dress, whose main colours were white and navy, came with an equally fancy apron attached to it. The bottom part of the dress extended almost all the way towards the ground. It gave her a really prim and proper kinda feel, which really got me going. The girl wearing the maid uniform had a well proportioned figure and clear body lines. Her curves reminded me greatly of Fujiko¡¯s. Moreover, her eyes made her seem cold. She was just the type of maid I liked. Her long chestnut hair was styled into three distinct braids. Her long bangs had been pushed aside to put her forehead on disy.

    Her nose was decorated with a pair of thick-lensed sses. They were heavy, and if you looked at her straight on, it almost looked like they were falling off her face.

    Man, round sses are the best.

    There was no doubt in my mind that her sses were sexy as hell. Her ears were ck and resembled those of a horse¡¯s. They were a bit difficult to see, in part because of the brim she was wearing and in part because they¡¯d been pushed back such that they blended in with her hair. At first, I¡¯d thought that they were just essories.

    Unlike herpanion, the maid could actually be appraised.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Kuina

    Age: 29

    Species: Beastkin (Grey Tapirkin / Phantom Dream Tapirkin)

    ss: First ss Maid

    Status Level: 49/99

    HP: 539

    MP: 651

    STR: 297

    VIT: 230

    AGI: 231

    INT: 333

    MGC: 311

    DEX: 336

    Skills

    Assassination: Lv 7

    Espionage: Lv 8

    Healing Magic: MAX

    Recovery Magic: Lv 4

    Court Etiquette: Lv 6

    Presence Detection: Lv 4

    Presence Concealment: Lv 8

    Illusion Magic: MAX

    Greater Illusion Magic: Lv 2

    Restrain: Lv 6

    Sewing: Lv 7

    Murderous Intent Detection: Lv 8

    Silenced Action: Lv 7

    Purification Magic: Lv 4

    Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 6

    Interrogation: Lv 7

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 8

    Laundry: Lv 8

    Cleaning: MAX

    Throwing Arts: Lv 9

    Throwing Techniques: Lv 8

    Knowledge of Poisons: Lv 8

    Poison Perception: Lv 8

    Magic Resist: Lv 4

    Magic Perception: Lv 6

    Magic Absorption: Lv 6

    Water Magic: Lv 5

    Cooking: Lv 8

    Alchemy: Lv 4

    Ignore Pain

    Iron Will

    Magic Mastery

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    A Maid¡¯s Prudence

    Phantom Dream Matrix

    Titles

    Assassin Killer

    Illusion Mage

    One That has Experienced and Surpassed Hell

    Lord of Cleaning

    Royal Maid

    Equipment

    Divine Silk Maid¡¯s Uniform

    Divine Silk Gloves

    Ring of Sorcery

    Illusion Sealing Bracelet

    _______________________________________________________________

    She was pretty strong, seeing as how she¡¯d evolved. She looked like she was more than fit forbat, or rather assassination, even though she was a maid.

    ssifying her in adventurer terms, she was at least as strong as a B ranker. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she were an A ranker either, given that I had no idea howrge the powerboost she¡¯d get from awakening was.

    ¡°Mydy, I¡¯ve told you time and time again to slow down. I can¡¯t keep up with you, and it¡¯s dangerous for you to dash on ahead of me,¡± rebuked the maid.

    ¡°I do apologize, Kuina. Chasing down my prey caused me to lose myself,¡± replied the little girl.

    ¡°And who might this newfound acquaintance of yours be?¡±

    The maid, Kuina, turned her eyes in Fran¡¯s direction. Her gaze remained cold, but it didn¡¯t seem like she was judging Fran. Instead, it seemed more like she was simply sleepy, but at the same time, she gave off a mysterious feel. Theck of emotion within made it difficult to guess her thoughts. Her eyes were simr to Fran¡¯s, but gave the impression that she had even less interest in other people.

    In fact, she didn¡¯t seem surprised even though she¡¯d stared Fran down. Of all the beastkin we met she gave the smallest reaction to Fran¡¯s evolution.

    ¡°That¡­ is surprising, so much so that I almost tripped and fell,¡± the maid remarked.

    ¡°Indeed. Never before have I seen your face decorated with such a deep expression of surprise.¡±

    Apparently, she was not actually uninterested in Fran. Her emotions just didn¡¯t show on her face. I was honestly impressed that herpanion was even capable of discerning her emotions, let alone their intensity.

    ¡°You, name yourself!¡± the silver haired girlmanded.

    I wanted Fran to tell her that it was rude to ask another¡¯s name without first providing one¡¯s own, but¡ª

    ¡°Rather, it would be more appropriate for me to provide my own name first. I am Mare, and I allow you to refer to me as such!¡± the girl that had named herself Mare dered in an imposing, self-important tone.

    ¡°And I¡¯m Kuina. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Mare ced both hands on her hips and took a proud stance as she dered herself, whereas Kuina instead performed a clean, crisp bow as she gave her name. They seemed really disorganized given the disparity between the manner in which they introduced themselves, but didn¡¯t reallye off as bad people nheless.

    ¡°C ranked adventurer, Fran. This, Urushi,¡± Fran replied in her usual tone. She was clearly undaunted.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Fran¡­? So you really are the ck Lightning Princess,¡± Mare nodded, as if to confirm her own suspicions.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    She knew about the ck Lightning Princess. So wait, does that mean she¡¯s an adventurer? She¡¯s got a maid though, so she¡¯s probably not¡­ Is she a merchant or something? No, that doesn¡¯t seem quite right¡­

    ¡°I never would have thought that we would meet you under circumstances like these,¡± said Kuina. ¡°I would have liked us to meet in a more peaceful environment.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me! How dare you rob me of my prey!?¡± eximed Mare, outraged.

    ¡°Prey?¡±

    ¡°I am speaking of the manticore that you slew! I was in the midst of hunting it down. You snatched the most enjoyable part of the hunt from right under my nose!¡± Mare shouted indignantly as she pointed towards the roasted manticore corpse lying right by us. Apparently, the manticore hadn¡¯t been in our way because it¡¯d lost its territory but rather because it had chosen to flee from Mare and her maid.

    Under normal circumstances, my first reaction would be to use Mare of bullsheetting, but I was pretty sure that she and Kuina would be able to handle a manticore without issue.

    There was no debating that we¡¯d stolen their kill. But at the same time, it was also their fault for letting their prey run from them in the first ce. Still, we would¡¯ve likely also beganining if we were in their shoes.

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer not turning this into any sort of major conflict if possible. What say you, Fran?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­? Can just give manticore?¡± she replied nonchntly.

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind.¡±

    I personally had no problem giving them the materials if it meant avoiding conflict. The only issue would be that I¡¯ve already absorbed the core. Cores were valuable to adventurers, and given that there was obviously no way we could¡¯ve possible sold it already, I wasn¡¯t sure we were going to be able to talk our way through the current circumstances.

    ¡°Then can give you manticore materials,¡± offered Fran.

    ¡°Keep them. I need them not.¡± Mare tly rejected her.

    ¡°Mydy, I beg you to reconsider,¡± interjected Kuina. ¡°We do require them given our funds are beginning to run dry.¡±

    ¡°¡­I do admit that there is no harm in procuring them. However, they are but an extra. I was more interested in the ying of the manticore and the experience I would gain, as I am quite close to leveling up.¡± Mareined.

    Oh, so they were grinding. That made sense. If Mare was anywhere near as strong as Kuina, then she¡¯d need to defeat something at least as strong as a manticore if she wanted to gain any significant amount of experience.

    ¡°Your fault. Let prey escape,¡± pointed out Fran.

    Mare grumbled in dissatisfaction, her face scrunching up.

    ¡°I believe the ck Lightning Princess is in the right here, My Lady,¡± Kuina noted.

    ¡°¡­I understand,¡± Mare relented. ¡°¡­But I won¡¯t forgive you lest you engage me in a spar!¡±

    Again, Mare spoke in a cocky, self-important tone, but I didn¡¯t mind it. At first I thought it was because of how pretty she looked, but Fran felt the same way I did, so that probably wasn¡¯t it. Mysteriously, Fran didn¡¯t feel repulsed by it like she often did when other nobles did the same.

    Was it just because her cuteness seemed to overrule her stubbornness? Or because her pride almost seemed a natural fit for her? Of course, I don¡¯t feel the urge to suddenly kneel before her and obey her every whim, but I did feel like nodding along and agreeing was the natural thing to do.

    ¡°Interested,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a request you would typically spring on someone so suddenly, My Lady,¡± Kuina remarked.

    ¡°A duel with the famous ck Lightning Princess,¡± said Mare, ignoring her maid, ¡°should more than suffice to make up for the loss of the manticore. What say you, ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    I didn¡¯t even need to hear Fran¡¯s answer to know exactly what she was thinking. Her eyes were zing in a way that they only ever did when she was in battle mode. It waspletely self-evident that she was going toply with Mare¡¯s request.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°A splendid response!¡± said Mare, happily. ¡°Let us find a more convenient ce to spar. This area is not exactly what I would im the most suitable.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Oh well, I guess it¡¯s fine. Neither Kuina or Mare had lied, and neither was giving off the impression that they wanted to kill her, so why not.

 Chapter 268: Dueling Mare

    <h4>Chapter 268: Dueling Mare</h4>

    We followed Mare and Kuina out the Scorpion Lion Forest so Fran could spar with Mare. Our party was so strong we instantly obliterated all the goblins and other weaker creatures we encountered on sight. Mare and Fran would immediately charge at any unfortunate monsters they could find.Theypeted for kills so intensely that I felt not even a manticore could survive a hit from the twobined.

    We negotiated to keep all the cores of the monsters defeated along the way and relinquished all the remaining materials to Mare and Kuina. They didn¡¯t particrly mind since all they really wanted was money. Kuina was responsible for transporting all the monsters we defeated. She put the materials into an interesting sort of item bag. It had a small opening, but would suck things inside and had no issues storing thingsrger than it.

    The two catkin chattered and debated their favourite foods as they walked. Kuina, on the other hand, mostly stayed silent. She instead focused on examining the surroundings for any potential danger. Her ears would move about and asionally twitch. It really was hard to read her expressions though. I couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking at all.

    We journeyed through the Scorpion Lion Forest effectively unhindered, taking about two hours to pass through it. Exiting the forest, we found ourselves greeted by a wide, open in.

    ¡°Shall we begin!?¡± Mare suggested.

    ¡°Nn!¡± said Fran as she reached for my hilt.

    The two warriors, both exhrated by the idea of a spar, turned to face each other as they prepared to draw their weapons¡ªonly to be interrupted.

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± said Kuina as she grabbed onto Mare¡¯s head with an iron-w grip.

    ¡°What now!?¡± shouted Mare.

    ¡°You¡¯ll bother everyone else that wishes to use this route should you two spar right here¡± said Kuina, adjusting the rim of her sses with her free hand. ¡°Please move a bit further into the ins so you won¡¯t be in anyone¡¯s way.¡±

    I had to admit, she had a point. I highly doubted that the duel would end with just a sh of des. The two would likely destroy the road if we did not relocate.

    And so we continued walking for another ten minutes and stopped once we were sure that there was nothing important nearby.

    ¡°Okay, this will suffice,¡± said Kuina. ¡°Remember two things: do not kill each other, and do not awaken.¡±

    ¡°That much is obvious!¡± Mareined.

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°But you needn¡¯t hold back too much. I can heal both of you even if you bring each other to the verge of death.¡±

    Mareughed. ¡°I can hardly wait! This will truly be a test of my skill!¡±

    ¡°Same.¡±

    ¡°Will that wolf be joining you inbat? I mind not if it participates.¡±

    ¡°Numerical advantage?¡±

    ¡°That is not a concern.¡± Mare drew the de she carried on her back, raised it to the sky, and shouted, ¡°Llinde!¡±

    A red light radiated from its de and from that light materialized a dragon.

    ¡°Kyuooohhh!¡±

    ¡°Cute,¡± was Fran¡¯s first response.

    It was fairly small, but a dragon nheless. If I had to guess, I would assume it to be a child.

    ¡°Monster Weapon?¡±

    ¡°Nuhahahaha! Amazing, is it not?¡± replied Mare. ¡°My sword is none other than Llinde, the Dragonde!¡±

    Mare¡¯s ability to block me from appraising her didn¡¯t apply to her sword. I was able to appraise both it and the dragon that had emerged from it.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Stats

    Name: Dragonde Llinde

    Attack: 963

    MP: 669

    Durability: 887

    Magical Conductivity: B+

    Skills

    me Resistance

    Self-Repair

    Summon Dragonsoul

    _______________________________________________________________

    The foock, that thing is strong! Hell, it has even more attack than I do! And it¡¯s a Monster Weapon to boot? Sheet, I mean it¡¯s not as impressive as a Godde, but it was still without a doubt a high ss magic sword.

    But I¡¯m still totally the better weapon. I-I have skills and stuff. I-I¡¯m definitely not worse Just because it¡¯s got a dragon.

    _______________________________________________________________

    General Information

    Name: Llinde

    Species: Dragon (Dragonsoul)

    Status:

    HP: 887

    MP: 669

    STR: 120

    VIT: 100

    AGI: 300

    INT: 200

    MGC: 400

    DEX: 100

    Skills

    me Breath: Lv 6

    Fang Techniques: Lv 4

    Fang Arts: Lv 5

    Presence Detection: Lv 4

    Regeneration: Lv 5

    Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 5

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 5

    Charge: Lv 6

    Heat Detection: Lv 5

    Flight: Lv 8

    Fire Magic: Lv 5

    Roar: Lv 4

    Dragon Magic: Lv 5

    Reinforced Scales

    me Nullification

    Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Principle of me: Lv 6

    Description: N/A

    _______________________________________________________________

    The reason the dragoncked a description was likely because it was associated with the de and lived within it. That aside, it was decently strong. It wasn¡¯t a match for Urushi, but it was powerful enough to be considered a D ranked threat. Its unique skill apparently allowed it to manipte any mes in its vicinity.

    ¡°Llinde here will take that wolf of yours on.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± said Fran. ¡°Urushi, no losing.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°The very same applies to you, Llinde! Show them what it means to have a dragon¡¯s pride!¡±

    ¡°Kyuooohhh!¡±

    ¡°This is a spar, so no hard feelings from either of you regardless of the oue,¡± said Kuina. ¡°Do I make myself clear?¡±

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Mare affirmed.

    ¡°Nn¡±

    And so, the two began their duel. They did not immediately charge at each other right out of the gate. The match began with neither fighter willing to make the first move.

    The two instead stared each other down with their des raised. They made only the slightest of feints to keep each other in check. The moment I thought the two would be forever stuck in a deadlock, Mare suddenly charged.

    ¡°Haaaahhh!¡±

    ¡°Fmph!¡±

    The sharp ring of steel on steel echoed throughout the ins as the two young girls let loose their battlecries.

    Mare was quite the swordsman. She was able to cross des with Fran and hold her ground through a short exchange of blows. But unfortunately for her, Fran held the Sword Lord Arts skill, which gave her the edge and allowed her to gradually overwhelm her foe through sheer technique.

    ¡°Hahahah! Impressive, ck Lightning Princess! I expect no less from a tribe whose name has been carved into legend!¡±

    ¡°Also impressed. Not bad.¡±

    ¡°Frustrating as it is, I must admit that my skill fails to surpass your own. I¡¯ve no choice but to up the ante.¡±

    ¡°Bring it on!¡±

    The two seemed to be getting along; they somehow found the time to trade words despite being engaged in a furious exchange of blows.

    Mare attacked Fran with me magic, but the ck catkin managed to ward off her spell through the use of just her sword and a barrier before returning fire with spells of her own. Fran was the more agile type of fighter, so her attacks came in the form of a relentless barrage. On the other hand, Mare was more a strength type. Sheunched fewer attacks, but each was much more powerful. The two girls smiled as they unhesitantlyunched attacks that each carried lethal force. It was clear that both did not want to yield to the other.

    Some of Mare¡¯s me-based attacks woulde without any chants. I couldn¡¯t tell if these attacks were magical spells or if they were instead a trait of her species. I suspected it was thetter, but at the same time I highly doubted it. She was too white to be a Red Catkin, after all.

    Thinking about Red Catkin, I remembered that the Beast Lord had once mentioned that he had a daughter, but I highly doubted said daughter would be gallivanting around doing adventurer-like things with a maid by her side¡­

    Wait¡­ that does seem possible seeing as how the Beast Lord is who he is¡­

    I looked towards Urushi and his foe.

    ¡±Grrr!¡±

    ¡°Kyuuoooh!¡±

    The wolf and dragon were engaged in a high speed battle. The two were using the wide open space they were given to its fullest, trying to chase each other down without being caught. I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at Llinde¡¯s speed. It could generate bursts of speed that exceeded Urushi at his fastest even though thetter had a higher agility stat.

    Of course, its ability to fly contributed in part to its speed, but the bigger part seemed to be attributed to the mes that would trail behind it whenever it elerated. It seemed to be using something simr to the Burnia spell.

    That said, speed was the only thing the dragonling had on Urushi. The wolf was superior in every other category. He held the advantage from start to end even though he was holding back. I was pretty sure he¡¯d eventually win if I just left him be, so I turned my attention back over to Fran.

    She and Mare were still happily exchanging blows, but the winner was already clear. Mare had substantial wounds all over, but Fran had only suffered a few light scratches. Mare¡¯s hands were tied. Fran was both the better swordsman and the better mage of the two. There was simply nothing she could do.

    Realizing that, Mare used her me magic to create an opening and distanced herself from her opponent It seemed that she still had something up her sleeve. Fran defended against the spell, and had more than enough liberty to pursue, but stood her ground. She wanted to see what Mare was nning to do.

    Mare¡¯s eyes were filled with exhration. The battle was giving her an adrenaline rush, one that caused to raise her voice and loose a bestial howl.

    ¡°¡­Coming.¡±

    A massive amount of magical energy began gathering within Mare¡¯s body. There was so much of it that it caused the air around her to begin crackling with energy. Was she awakening? Or maybe using some other skill?

    I couldn¡¯t tell. I only knew that she was trying something big, so I focused my attention on her in hopes of figuring out exactly what it was.

    Fran¡¯s expression was identical to Mare¡¯s. She was excited to see what would happen next, to see the challenge she would have to ovee¡ªbut it didn¡¯t. Something appeared behind Mare and caused the magical energy she started building up to disperse.

    ¡°Ngyaaah!¡±

    ¡°Geez. Were you seriously about to go ahead and do that, My Lady?¡±

    ¡°Kuina¡­¡±

    Kuina had suddenly appeared behind Mare and dumped arge volume of magically created water over her head. The sudden wetness caused the startled catkin to scream and leap before turning back towards Kuina with a resentful gaze.

    Naturally, I had picked up on Kuina¡¯s actions ahead of time. I had my guard up against her just in case. She¡¯d suddenly disappeared using what I assumed to be illusion magic, but I did not mind it because she directed her next actions towards Mare and not Fran. Fran had also picked up on the maid¡¯s movements. Mare, however, didn¡¯t. All her focus had been directed towards Fran.

    ¡°And what exactly did I say about attempting to kill your opponent, My Lady?¡±

    ¡°But I was going to lose if I did not attempt drastic measures¡­¡± whimpered Mare.

    ¡°And why exactly are you being so obstinate about winning or losing a spar?¡±

    ¡°Mmph¡­¡±

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°V-Very well, I apologize!¡±

    And so, that was how the spar ended with the pair apologizing to Fran. She was a bit disappointed with how things ended, but still decently satisfied, so she ended up letting things be. It was a good ce to call it quits. Fran was starting to get hot headed as well. We managed to avoid having her and Mare actually try to kill each other, so this was probably as well as things could¡¯ve possibly ended.

 Chapter 269: The Princess

    <h4>Chapter 269: The Princess</h4>

    Trantion: SupremeTentacle, Editing: Exkmity

    ¡°Next time I will surely win! You wait and see!¡±

    ¡°Kyuuiii!¡±

    With those parting words we separated from Mare and Kuina and made our way towards the town of Roserroon. We asked them toe with us but they declined. For some reason the two of them wanted to avoid the town. Maybe they were involved in some sort of incident? Regardless we decided to let matters be and head towards the town ourselves.

    ¡°They were surely a lively pair.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Will win next time.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Nn. Both of us.¡±

    Our encounter was definitely a fruitful one. I got to see a he gorgeous maid and Fran met Mare, the first person in her age group capable of putting up a good fight. We won the spar, and Mare didn¡¯t seem like the type of fighter to pull her punches, but I wasn¡¯t certain we would have won a serious death match. She was clearly holding onto some final trump card at the end. This fight will definitely encourage Fran¡¯s growth as a warrior down the future. My only worry is that she may be too much of a battle junkie.

    After walking for a distance, we spotted walls rising out of the horizon.

    ¡°Master, town spotted.¡±

    ¡°Yeah and it¡¯s pretty big too. The walls are impressive. This is probably Roserroon.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    As we approached the town we noticed amotion outside the walls. Although it wasn¡¯t strange for a town asrge as this to be noisy, it was strange to see so many people milling around outside the walls. As we approached we saw that all the people were adventurers. There were about thirty of them, all trying to board the same horned carriage. Fran called out to one of the adventurers.

    ¡°Something happen?¡±

    ¡°Hah? The hell do ya want ki- WHOA HOLY SHEET!¡±

    The man took a nce at Fran and cut himself short. He froze, one foot on the horned carriage, the other still on the ground, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°My ba-¡± he coughed. ¡°My apologies.¡±

    He clearly cleaned up his act the moment he saw Fran. He probably realized she evolved.

    ¡°Okay?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re currently tasked with escorting a noble. Our destination is a town down south.¡±

    ¡°Adventurers for guards? Not soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. All the knights and soldiers are headed to the border. There aren¡¯t any to spare.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    It seems there were some extenuating circumstances in this case. Normally a noble will be escorted by knights and soldiers unless they wanted to travel incognito. In that case they would hire adventurers as escorts, but having a full entourage of thirty people was antithetical to staying under the radar. I urged Fran to continue questioning.

    ¡°So many people, cause trouble?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Well this amount is to be expected given we are escorting the princess herself,¡± he said.

    ¡°Princess, here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The guildmaster decided to go over the top with this escortmission.¡±

    It seemed the guildmaster was trying to please the royal family by sending the princess arge group of guards.

    ¡°In fact you can see her over there,¡± the adventurer said.

    We looked over towards the direction he indicated. There stood a girl in a very ostentatious, out of ce dress.

    Maybe we should go talk to her¡­ We are pretty heavily indebted to the Beast Lord, after all.

    That said her entourage was giving the surroundings quite the stink-eye.

    ¡°What do?¡± asked Fran telepathically.

    ¡°We might as well get closer and check things out.¡± I said.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran thanked the adventurer and we headed towards the princess. As we approached we suddenly felt something terribly wrong. A chill ran down our spines. It felt simr to when we were made subject to Coerced Camaraderie in Ulmutt. But maybe not that specifically. Were we appraised by the princess¡¯ guards? Probably not since the sensation was very brief.

    ¡°Fran back off a bit.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    We backed away about twenty meters and the offputting sensation disappeared. I then used magic perception and found some sort of active skill covering the entirety of the princess¡¯ surroundings. I decided to try appraising the situation. I had to be very careful in case one of the guards had appraisal detection, I didn¡¯t want Fran to be used of a serious breach of privacy. It¡¯s best to stay out of trouble.

    I first made a copy of myself while still hiding behind Fran. I switched ces with that copy so it looked like I was still on Fran¡¯s back. Then I shrunk all the way down to about the size of a ping pong ball. Finally I teleported to right above the princess. Making myself smaller was harder than making myselfrger, so I probably couldn¡¯t keep this form for long. I recalled what Kuina did and made an illusion to blend into the sky behind me. I was able to get an appraisal but what I saw was really odd.

    ***

    General Information

    Name: Nemea Narasimha

    Age: 16

    Species: Red Catkin/Golden Lionkin

    ss: Swordsman

    Status Level: 45/99

    HP: 198

    MP: 129

    STR: 181

    VIT: 188

    AGI: 202

    INT: 147

    MGC: 189

    DEX: 110

    Skills

    (Acting: Lv 7)

    Singing: Lv 5

    Court Etiquette: Lv 6

    Presence Detection: Lv 5

    Sword Techniques: Lv 5

    Sword Arts: Lv 5

    Shield Techniques: Lv 2

    Shield Arts: Lv 4

    Poison Perception: Lv 4

    Fire Magic: Lv 5

    Dancing: Lv 5

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Titles

    Princess (Royal Guard)

    Equipment

    Divine Silk Dress

    Appraisal Disguise Ring

    Bracelet of Substitution

    ***

    Why the hell is there some stuff in parenthesis? There¡¯s a bunch of notable stuff like acting, royal guard, and even an appraisal disguise ring. Is the stuff in parenthesis things that are disguised that my max appraisal and Eye of Empyrea can see through? I can¡¯t be certain since there might be stuff hidden behind an even strongeryer of disguise. Another confusing part is the ¡°Princess (Royal Guard)¡±. I can¡¯t tell if it means a guard of royal blood or a guard that specifically attends a person of royalty. I wanted to investigate further but appraisal disguise obscured any further details.

    Either way, the princess looked really weak considering she was that Beast Lord¡¯s daughter. Though, I guess it¡¯s a bit unfair topare her to someone that¡¯s S ranked. Besides, she¡¯s actually pretty good for a sixteen year old. The only real issue I saw was that her skill levels were lowpared to her status level. Maybe someone carried the hell out of her? I highly doubted that the Beast Lord would powerlevel his daughter but that was the only way to exin the discrepancy.

    Wait! Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be fifteen? Did her birthday just pass?

    I concluded that the source of my mise was the appraisal disguise ring. She probably was not someone too suspicious given that the guildmaster was showing her out. Appraising some people around her, I found them to be courtdies and attendants so that made things seem even more legitimate. There likely wasn¡¯t any danger in approaching her.

    I slowly made my way back to Fran.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re in the clear. We can go greet her¡±

    ¡°Nn. Got it¡± she replied.

    Since there currently was only one evolved ck catkin and it was well known that it was a little girl, they should instead realize she was Fran. The ck Lightning Princess nickname was a good as identification and provided us a decent social standing in these parts.

    We approached the princess and this time got close enough for her to notice us.

    ¡°Oh. Are you perhaps the ck Lightning Princess?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Oi watch your mouth!¡± a guard shouted. ¡°You are to address Her Highness with respect!¡±

    Apparently he didn¡¯t like how curtly Fran responded. But the princess reproached her guard.

    ¡°Stand down!¡± she said. ¡°Do you recall that my father specifically ordered us to receive her graciously?¡±

    Apparently the Beast Lord already arranged for stuff ahead of time. Shiet, thanks dude.

 Chapter 270: Assassin Discovered

    <h4>Chapter 270: Assassin Discovered</h4>

    TL: SupremeTentacle

    ED: Exkmity

    ¡°Normally I would hold a proper reception for you but unfortunately currently we are in the midst of an emergency,¡± said the princess.

    ¡°Nn. Don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much for understanding.¡±

    The princess bowed apologetically as we watched the adventurers around her scramble to board the horned carriage. It was clear they needed to depart as soon as possible.

    Upon getting closer I saw that she looked nothing like the current Beast Lord.

    She¡¯s also kinda weak, so I doubt she¡¯s really his daughter. She¡¯s probably a body double, I think?

    That would exin her bizzare status page. All evolved beastkin should receive a species specific skill upon awakening. For example, a ck tigerkin would get Lightning Rush and a ck heavenly tigerkin would get Brilliant Lightning Rush. The Beast Lord is a golden me lionkin and I saw he had Golden me of Extinction, so this gold lionkin should have had something simr.

    Hmm¡­ Nothing quite seems to add up. There are too many inconsistencies. She has to be a body double or something.

    I doubted that the guildmaster would fall for such a disguise. He was likely aware of the situation. The extravagant escort hemissioned was probably intended to help sell the story and trick people into thinking that the royal guard really was the princess. With this level of preparation, it was impossible for anyone that didn¡¯t already know her to tell that she was a fake, especially if they saw her treated and addressed as a member of the royal family.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just thinking about the princess and how she¡¯s probably a fake.¡±

    ¡°Fake? What do?¡±

    ¡°Good question. Honestly, I dunno.¡±

    There was zero benefit towards pointing out the princess was a fake. We would probably jeopardize some important mission, piss off the Beastkin¡¯s Country, and have our backs marked as a result.

    In the end, we just saw the ¡°princess¡± off. She gave us a light bow, boarded her personal carriage, and then quickly departed with the rest of her entourage. She had only exchanged a few words with Fran, but we didn¡¯t mind. If anything, it worked in our favour. We wanted to get the capital ASAP and being asked to have tea with the princess or even guard her would have been a bother.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go to the guild.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    And so we turned towards town but Fran suddenly stopped as we found ourselves upon the town¡¯s gate.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Fran?¡±

    ¡°Master, something there.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    She pointed towards one of the gate¡¯s supports. There, I picked up a strange presence, like a monster trying to escape detection. The person in question was quite skilled, but not enough to escape Fran¡¯s senses. The only reason why I didn¡¯t pick up on him myself was because he wasn¡¯t hostile. He was just trying to hide, it seemed.

    Wow, I¡¯m impressed she actually noticed him.

    I decided to scope the mystery man out since he was clearly beyond your average back alley punk.

    ¡°Wait here,¡± I told Fran.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I teleported closer to better investigate. I found the person in an alley beside the gate. He was hiding in the shadows and using a skill to further hide his presence. I quickly appraised him.

    Hmm. So he¡¯s an assassin.

    The man¡¯s name was Genro and his ss was assassin. He must have been a veteran given his Noble Killer title. I would have ignored him if he was just another punk or hired sword but someone of his caliber shouldn¡¯t be left to his own devices. I decided to capture and forcefully interrogate him. I used telekinesis to freeze him in ce, then used earth magic to mold the ground and constrain his lower half.

    Foock yeah! Surprise attack sess!

    ¡°What!?¡± he eximed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve caught you.¡± I spoke to him telepathically. ¡°Don¡¯t try to resist.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t foock wi-¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t find me. Don¡¯t bother trying¡±

    ¡°Kuh¡­¡±

    I was actually just hiding on the other side of the wall behind him. But being a sword, I didn¡¯t get caught by skills capable of searching for living creatures. Only people with high leveled magic detection skills could track me down.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to business, Genro.¡±

    ¡°Wha-?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie. I already know everything about you.¡±

    ¡°You have appraisal?!¡±

    ¡°Why are you here? To assassinate the princess?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Silence, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Guh.¡±

    Genro bit into his mouth. He had a poisoned capsule embedded into his tooth. As his face turned purple and his pupils began to widen,

    ¡°Nice try asshole. Antidote!¡±

    I healed him.

    ¡°What!?¡± he shouted.

    ¡°That was a strong poison. But too bad my healing magic is stronger.¡±

    ¡°-are you kidding me?!¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t bother biting your tongue. I can heal that too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Now answer my questions. I¡¯ll have to get rough if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you asked for it.¡±

    And so I beat him close to death. He didn¡¯t actually tell me anything, but I was able to put together what happened by using Principle of Falsehood whenever he said ¡°no¡± or ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The results? Genro was an assassin from the Kingdom of Bashar and he was actively targeting Princess Nemea. His n was to chase down the convoy and kill her. He apparently thinks that princess is real. That body double must be doing a good job if they can draw people of his caliber out. Genro moaned in pain. Now what to do with a half-dead assassin?

    I should probably hand him over to the guards if I can find a way to call them over.

    While carefully aiming high into the sky, I fired a me-based explosion above the town. The sound of the st reverberated throughout the town.

    Guards will definitelye running after that. Yep, in fact herees three of them.

    ¡°You there! Freeze!¡± they shouted.

    ¡°Yeah yeah I know.¡±

    I had made a human shaped doppelganger beforehand. I raised its arms as if to surrender and then gestured towards Genro¡¯s body.

    ¡°This guy is a Basharian assassin.¡± I spoke through the doppelganger.

    ¡°What? How do you know this?¡±

    ¡°He was after Princess Nemea so I captured him. I¡¯m turning him over to you. Have fun~¡±

    ¡°Wait what do you mea- holy crap he¡¯s vanishing!?¡±

    The guards, stunned, watched my doppelganger melt into thin air. After blinking a few times, they suddenly remembered they had an alleged assassin to deal with. They looked down and saw his hands and feet were already bound, courtesy of me, of course. After watching them take the assassin in, I pat myself on the back for a job well done.

    Welp. Back to Fran I go.

 Chapter 271: Roserraccoonâ€™s Guildmaster

    <h4>Chapter 271: Roserroon¡¯s Guildmaster</h4>

    After handing off the assassin to the guards, I returned to Fran. Together, we made our way to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. We entered and found the inside to be unusually quiet.

    Well a whole load of adventurers just left with the princess so I guess it makes sense for it to be empty.

    ¡°Ey! ¡®Ee!¡±

    A loud voice called out to us from the counter. The receptionist was a hearty, middle aged man with a rolled up headband around his forehead, one that would not look out of ce at a fisherman¡¯s market by the wharf. We approached the counter.

    ¡°Interestin¡¯. You the ck Lightning Princess,ssie?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nn. Me.¡±

    ¡°I knew it! Good to have you ¡¯ere!¡±

    He nodded as he examined Fran¡¯s guild card.

    Godd*mn, this dude is way too lively!

    ¡°So what can I help ya with today?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Want to know how to get to capital,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°The capital? Oh, ya wanna go to Vestia? Normally, ya wanna find yourself a horned carriage.¡±

    ¡°Normally?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°They¡¯ve all been rented out for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Princess?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I told the guildmaster he was spendin¡¯ way too much on the adventurers and the horned carriages, but he didn¡¯t listen to me. Our guildmaster¡¯s the type that really likes to please his higher ups, ya see.¡±

    The guildmaster employed all the adventurers and horned carriages avable just to ingratiate himself to the royals.

    ¡°But honestly, I can¡¯t really say anythin¡¯ too negative ¡®bout it. I can get why he¡¯s goin¡¯ all out for our royals, y¡¯see.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°O¡¯course. The country¡¯s been doin¡¯ real well since the current Beast Lord took over. He ¡®imself used to be an adventurer, so he¡¯s been givin¡¯ the guild a good cut of benefits too.¡±

    At first, I¡¯d thought that the guildmaster was just a tool, but it turned out there was a bit more to it. He and many other adventurers simply adored the Beast Lord and the adventurer-benefiting policies he stood behind.

    But will Roserroon be okay with so many adventurers and horned carriages missing? What if there is an emergency?

    ¡°Guild empty, okay?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Haha don¡¯t ya worry! We can deal with itssie¡± he replied. ¡°This city¡¯s a hotspot as far as adventurers go. They gather here from all over the country, ¡®specially if they¡¯re nning on makin¡¯ use of The Shortcut. Give it 10 days or so, and we¡¯ll be just as full as we were this mornin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Fran nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ll ask for reinforcements from the guild in the capital,¡± he said. ¡°Couple o¡¯ strong guys woulde and keep us covered for a bit. Our guildmaster¡¯s pretty capable too.¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster, strong?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s gotta be to be a guildmaster,¡± he said. ¡°Plus we¡¯re in this situation cuz of his selfishness, so we¡¯re gonna work ¡®im to the bone haha!¡±

    Seems like my worries about theck of manpower were needless.

    ¡°So,¡± he said. ¡°A normal horse carriage takes ¡®round five to six days to reach Vestia, ya see.¡±

    ¡°Routeplicated?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Route? Naw it¡¯s basically a straight line from ¡®ere to Vestia. There¡¯s even a highway built for carriages, so ya can¡¯t get lost.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°You nnin¡¯ to head over by yerself?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Well, if even half the rumors ¡®bout ya are true, then you¡¯d be there sooner without a carriage.¡±

    I don¡¯t know what these rumors are but if they are basically equating us with an A rank adventurer then they¡¯re probably urate enough.

    ¡°They be some crazy rumours. They sa¡ª¡± the receptionist was about to continue talking, but suddenly stopped himself short.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Seems like the guildmaster¡¯s callin¡¯ for ya,¡± he said.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Our guildmaster here¡¯s a wind mage. ¡®e can send his voice to specific people.¡±

    Huh, interesting.

    It definitely sounds usible if you can control vibrations in the air. Although you¡¯d probably need a good amount of skill in order to make the message clearly reach the person you¡¯re targeting. It seems the guildmaster uses this technique to give orders to people around the guild.

    ¡°Just go upstairs?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Yeah. Sorry in advance,¡± he said. ¡°If our guildmaster says somethin¡¯ stupid just smack ¡®im.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s not a bad person at heart so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Those words alone gave me a rough understanding of his character. We went upstairs and entered the indicated door only to find a frivolous looking man standing beyond the doorway.

    ¡°Hello there!¡± he said with a cheap smile. ¡°I am Emyute, the guildmaster of Rosserracoon¡¯s adventurer guild and a Wind Soul Tanukikin.¡±

    ¡°Rank C adventurer, Fran. ck Heavenly Tigerkin.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the legendary beastkin? This is an amazing moment for me. You definitely look as strong as you look cute, so I can see why the Beast Lord approves of you.¡±

    He seems to be an evolved tanukikin, and from the species name, he is a subspecies that specializes in wind magic. Overall the receptionist was right about him. He seemed lighthearted and kind of annoying but not a bad person at heart.

    ¡°Had business with me?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Straight to the point I see,¡± he said. ¡°To be honest I wanted a favor from you.¡±

    ¡°Favor?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You see we just captured an foreign assassin. The problem is, his target was the princess.¡±

    ¡°Princess Nemea?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Does he mean the assassin I just caught? Holy sheet, information in this town travels really freaking fast. I really didn¡¯t think information would have gotten all the way from the guards to the guildmaster even if there were no dys up the chain ofmand.

    ¡°You see, we have a magical item formunications in the guard room,¡± he said. ¡°Everything they report goes to me. I just got this information a few minutes ago so your timing was absolutely perfect.¡±

    ¡°So, need what?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Deliver this letter to the capital. You can treat it as a proper quest.¡±

    ¡°Okay to deliver to guild in capital?¡±

    ¡°You can move much faster than a horse-drawn carriage, right?¡±

    We¡¯re being directly asked by the guildmaster himself so why not? We¡¯re going to the capital anyway and doing this will put the guildmaster in our debt.

    ¡°We should ept,¡± I said.

    ¡°Got it,¡± said Fran. ¡°Will ept quest.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± said the guildmaster. ¡°You¡¯re doing me such a huge favor. Inside this letter is a request for more escorts for the princess so the faster the better okay?¡±

    ¡°But guarded by lots of adventurers already?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Hmm¡­well I guess it¡¯s okay to tell you since I want this letter delivered for sure. But no telling other people, okay? An oath of silence will be included in this quest.¡±

    ¡°No problem¡± said Fran. ¡°Will swear on tail.¡±

    ¡°The truth is that the princess that just left town is a fake. The real princess is elsewhere.¡±

    Booyah! I foocking called it!

    Sending thirty adventurers and all those horned carriages with the fake princess seemed kind of questionable. It turned out it really was all a ploy to make the fake princess seem more real. The assassin I captured had some doubts. There was a chance that other assassins may have started catching on as well.

    ¡°Delivering the letter is also for the safety of the real princess,¡± said the guildmaster.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°That aside, would you care to join me for a meal before departing?¡±

    ¡°Not hurried?¡±

    ¡°That is that and this is this. It would not do for you to travel on an empty stomach. Above all else I get to have a meal with a lovelydy!¡±

    But Fran is a still a child, you pedophile!

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Frannded a beautiful jab right into his abdomen.

    The guildmaster groaned. ¡°But why¡­?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Receptionist said: ¡®If our guildmaster says somethin¡¯ stupid just smack ¡®im¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Damn him¡­ugh that hurt.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up. Tell way to get to capital.¡±

    ¡°Fine¡­¡±

    And so we got the letter and managed to extract detailed directions to the capital from the guildmaster. It was pretty much just a straight line down the highway with only one branch somewhere in the middle. We had to turn right there then just follow the road. Information in hand, we exited the guild and made our way out of town to a ce suitable for departure.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s do this!¡±

    ¡°Urushi, do best.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Fran mounted Urushi.

    ¡°Fly, Urushi! Fly!¡± Imanded.

    ¡°Woof woof!¡±

    Urushi elerated into a full run. His top speed was so fast we might even reach the capital in a single day.

    ¡°Aww hell yeah! YAHOOOOOOOOOO~!¡±

    ¡°Yahoo!¡±

    ¡°Woof woof!¡±

    Urushi¡¯s clearly having fun since it¡¯s his first time running without hindrances in quite some time. Wait. Holy sheet, he¡¯s still elerating. We might arrive even earlier than I anticipated.

 Chapter 272: Guendalfa

    <h4>Chapter 272: Guendalfa</h4>

    Urushi, full of spirit, raced non-stop down the highway connecting Roserroon and Vestia. After a mere eight hours of travel, we spotted the capital city looming in the horizon. This was the first time I had travelled to any capital city since reincarnating as a sword, so I was absolutely stunned by the sight. Barbara was thergest city I¡¯d been to so far and it paled inparison to Vestia. It was night time, so the whole city was illuminated by torchlight and magical fire. The flickering lights dancing on the massive 20 meter high ramparts were magnificent to behold. The royal castle could be seen standing tall over the walls and towering over the city. Its spire was easily the tallest building I had seen yet, easily visible even from a distance.

    ¡°You think they¡¯ll let us in at this time of night?¡±

    ¡°Nnn¡­ Don¡¯t mind camping out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but I¡¯d rather we don¡¯t. Let¡¯s just keep that in mind as a backup n.¡±

    Some cities closed their gates after dark as a preventive measure against thieves and monsters. I wasn¡¯t sure if the capital was one of them. As we approached, we thankfully found that the gates were still open. Merchants and adventurers were lined up outside the gate in an orderly fashion. There appeared to be some formal procedures that must be taken care of before being allowed to enter. As expected of a capital city, the security was much tighter.

    We joined a line that was around twenty people long with Urushi once again in his smaller form. People were already nervous because it was night time and we didn¡¯t want to exacerbate that by having a giant wolf suddenly appear in front of them.

    I wanted to casually join the line without drawing any attention but apparently Fran stands out a bit too much for that. We¡¯re getting a lot of stares.

    It seemed people were surprised to see a girl her age travelling with only a wolf by her side. Even more so that she was a ck catkin, which was supposed to be the weakest of the beastkin tribes. Those that curiously observed her would realize that she had evolved, which caused them to be taken aback.

    ¡°Huh, wha?¡±

    ¡°Are my eyes actually working?¡±

    ¡°No way! It¡¯s her, the¡­¡±

    ¡°Dude, it¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°ck Lightning Princess? Who¡¯s that?¡±

    The merchants and adventurers around us whispered in hushed voices. But since we¡¯re already used to it, Fran, Urushi, and I paid no heed to it. After waiting in line for a few minutes, we were approached by three catkin.

    ¡°Umm¡­ sorry to bother you. Are you perhaps the ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°We call ourselves The Six Whiskers. We¡¯re a party of catkin. We¡¯re huge fans of you and your aplishments. ¡±

    The speaker was a young red catkin. Standing behind him were hispanions, another red catkin who looked to be in his twenties and an older blue catkin likely in his thirties or forties.

    ¡°Dang¡­ She really did evolve.¡±

    ¡°Looks like those rumors were true.¡±

    The two whispered to one another. I was on guard against the blue catkin. I expected him to try badmouthing Fran, but he did nothing of the sort. If anything, his face showed only a look of admiration.

    Huh, I¡¯m surprised to see a blue catkin that isn¡¯t a scumbag. Though, I probably shouldn¡¯t be, given the Beast Lord¡¯s ck catkin-rted reforms.

    In the end, the Six Whiskers didn¡¯t have any particr business with Fran besides wanting to greet her. They were mostly interested in her because she evolved. At first, I got a little nervous over questions that might expose the exploit we used to evolve her, but thankfully that didn¡¯te up. Our discussions did however inform them about the conditions needed for ck catkin to evolve. We exined to them that ck catkin needed to either y a thousand Evil Beings or defeat an A ranked one in singlebat to evolve. It was good way to kill some time while waiting in line.

    As more people started to approach us, a huge figure suddenly cut in through the crowd. The man stood two meters tall and was emanating a clear aura of hostility.

    ¡°Hey you,¡± he said. ¡°Are you the brat they call the ¡®ck Lightning Princess¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Mhm.¡±

    ¡°Gwahaha! My sheetty uncle must be losing it if he even lost to a brat like you!¡±

    I was filled with an unpleasant feeling when he burst intoughter. I appraised him and saw that he was a white rhinokin, not yet evolved. His name was Guendalfa. Given his race and the simrity of the names, I could only think of one acquaintance that he could possibly be rted to: Goldalfa, the white rhinokin and Beast Lord¡¯s guard that fought Fran in the tournament at Ulmutt and lost.

    ¡°Hey Fran. I think this guy¡¯s rted to Goldalfa.¡±

    ¡°Goldalfa¡¯s acquaintance?¡± she said.

    ¡°Hah!¡± he snorted. ¡°A little brat is addressing you without a title. Look how far you¡¯ve fallen.¡± He pointed to his chest. ¡°I am Guendalfa. The one you speak of, Goldalfa, is a coward. As much as I hate to admit it, he¡¯s my father¡¯s older brother.¡±

    ¡°Coward?¡±

    Fran¡¯s face twitched in annoyance. Goldalfa was a warrior Fran came to respect through fierce battle. She did not like some condescending little sheet disrespecting him.

    ¡°He¡¯s a foocking coward,¡± said Guendalfa. ¡°He threw away his position of patriarch of our n just to be the Beast Lord¡¯s little b*tch.¡±

    ¡°Not coward. Strong, brave warrior!¡±

    ¡°Strong? After losing to someone as foocking puny as you? What a joke. How about I kick your little ass and prove how much of a pussy he really is?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free to take him down but be mindful of our surroundings.¡± I tried to calm Fran down. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be refused entry because we caused a scene.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Change locations.¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Haaaaaaah?¡± he sneered. ¡°Why? You scared? Come at me, brat!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna cause a scene.¡±

    ¡°Stuff your b*tch-ass mouth and just foocking do it!¡±

    Fran did not respond.

    ¡°Hey Fran. Calm down a bit. Rather, you¡¯re totally ready to go at it aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Instant victory.¡±

    Welp we¡¯ve passed the point of no return.

    The crowd began to shout.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ck Lightning Princess!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll testify that he started it!¡±

    ¡°Go kick his ass!¡±

    Oi! Peanut Gallery! Don¡¯t encourage her dammit!

    I quickly used Stonewall to enclose Guendalfa and Fran to block them from the surroundings.

    ¡°Take this. Awakening. Brilliant Lightning Rush. Serious Punch.¡±

    ¡°Guboh-!¡± Fran¡¯s lightning straightnded square on Guendalfa¡¯s chest.

    ¡°-GWUAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!¡±

    ONE PUNCH FRAN!

    Guendalfa was sent flying, crashing straight through the stonewall I erected. His armor waspletely caved in and blood was flying from his mouth.

    Fran shook her wrist.

    ¡°Hmph. So weak for talking so big?¡±

 Chapter 273: Reasons

    <h4>Chapter 273: Reasons</h4>

    TL: SupremeTentacle

    ED: Exkmity

    ¡°You, weak,¡± said Fran.

    Guendalfa did not reply

    ¡°So I don¡¯t think he can respond very well while unconscious¡­¡±

    ¡°That punch? Goldalfa would barely feel.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. Goldalfa was almost immortal. Not a fairparison.¡±

    So what the hell are we supposed to do with a knocked out rhinokin anyway¡­?

    Fran wasn¡¯t satisfied and was ring terribly at Guendalfa.

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    She kicked him, but the only response she got was an unconscious groan. The rhinokin showed no sign of waking, so she kicked him again and again. A guard came out of the station and approached us.

    ¡°Okay okay, that¡¯s enough, everyone break it up,¡± he said.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± said Fran, giving onest kick.

    ¡°Oh man though. Hell of a way to knock him out in one hit!¡±

    Oh sheet! We may have gone way too far. I hope they¡¯ll still let us in.

    The guard poured a generous amount of recovery potion on Guendalfa¡¯s body and spoke to Fran.

    ¡°Sooo, can you let him go now? I know he was being an ass, but I don¡¯t think he deserves to be killed.¡±

    Huh? So we¡¯re not in trouble at all? Wait. If he knew he was being a little sheet, this means that he saw the confrontation leading up to the fight. Why didn¡¯t he stop us?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t stop, why?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°To be honest, he had iting and I wanted to see someone beat the crap out of him,¡± said the guard. ¡°I already knew how strong you were, so I thought you would be the perfect person for the job.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Easy,¡± Fran boasted.

    Oh god dammit Fran. Don¡¯t go tooting your god damn horn just ¡®cause he praised your ability to beat up some random grunt.

    ¡°I used to know Goldalfa back in the day,¡± said the guard. ¡°He really saved my ass when I was starting up myself. I really looked up to him. Guen too. He was really attached to his uncle back in they day. He would go on and on about how he was going to do everything to help ol¡¯ Gold out once he became the family Patriarch.¡±

    Goldalfa as some sort of patriarch? Yeah, I could see that. The guy¡¯s mad strong, so I could totally see him pulling it off.

    ¡°Goldalfa became the Beast Lord¡¯s guard and renounced his position before it was even passed to him,¡± continued the guard, ¡°Guen saw that as betraying expectations. The position went to Guen¡¯s father instead. And as of recent, Guen¡¯s started channeling his emotions into surpassing his uncle.¡±

    So that¡¯s why he challenged Fran. If he could beat Fran, who beat Goldalfa, then the implication is that he would be stronger than Goldalfa. He¡¯s oversimplifying it and kind of wrong, but I can at least see where he¡¯sing from.

    ¡°Sorry about him,¡± said the guard. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell him off. I¡¯m not sure if this is enough to make up for this, but if you need any help just call me. I¡¯ll do whatever I can. You have my word.¡±

    The guard bowed, then effortlessly picked up Guendalfa with one hand and slung him over his shoulder. I was shocked because the guard was a scrawny man and Guendalfa was no lightweight. After a quick appraisal I saw that the guard was a high leveled oxkin on the verge of evolving.

    Not bad for a city guard.

    He was apparently going to throw Guendalfa into the mmer for a bit so he could cool his head.

    ¡°At this point I think we should just forgive him. It¡¯s not like dealing with him really cost us anything, after all. ¡±

    ¡°Nn. Good exercise.¡±

    After that we managed to enter the capital without further incident. We got the location of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild from a guard when passing through the gate, so we didn¡¯t have to stop and look for it en route. Passing through the city had once again demonstrated to us the sheer amount of respect with which beastkin treated those that had evolved. Not a single beastkin adventurer messed with us on our way to the guild, and all the non-beastkin that seemed to want to were quickly shut down by their buddies. Guendalfa had been the only odd one out.

    Vestia was an enormous city, so we expected the guild to be scaled up proportionally. But upon reaching it, we found that it was disappointingly only about the same size as the guilds in Roserroon and Argenpn. Fran entered the guild.

    ¡°Good evening,¡± she said.

    ¡°Wee,¡± replied the receptionist. ¡°How can I hel- ahh. Would you happen to be Fran?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Know me?¡±

    ¡°Yes! All of us guild staff in the beastkin country know you. The staff from the Argenpn branch sent out a message from a magicmunicator informing the other branches of your arrival.¡±

    Wait, there¡¯s such an item for long distancemunication? That¡¯s probably how the guildmaster in Roseroon quickly received the info on the assassin I nabbed. Thinking about it, It only makes sense for every branch to have such a device. But then, why would they need to have us deliver a letter if they have something that convenient? I thought they gave us this letter because they had no other way to send messages over long distances. Then again, Dias did mention that he talked to other guildmasters around the time of the tournament. At this point I don¡¯t know what to make of the situation so let¡¯s just hand over the letter.

    ¡°This. From Roseroon¡¯s guildmaster,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°A letter?¡± The receptionist received the envelope. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Hmm¡­ I see. There¡¯s no mistake. Please wait a moment.¡±

    After examining the seal on the letter, the receptionist got up and hurried to an office in the back. After a couple minutes of waiting, she came back, brought us around the counter, and took us to the back.

    ¡°Guildmaster, I have brought her,¡± said the receptionist.

    ¡°Good work. Please return to your post,¡± said the voice of an old man.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    We entered the office and saw an old man with a crooked back, a set of white fox ears, and a white tail.

    Normally, I¡¯d get all excited upon encountering someone with real fox ears and a fluffy tail, but an old man¡­? Yeah, no.

    ¡°I am Melrosse,¡± he said. ¡°Master of the Vestia¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡±

    ¡°C ranked adventurer, Fran.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho I see. You are even more powerful than the rumors suggest. Indeed very reliable.¡±

    My first impression was that he was just a kind old man. But his eyes carried a very sharp glint as they evaluated Fran.

    There¡¯s more to him than he gives off. We can¡¯t underestimate him.

 Chapter 274: Of Letters and Items

    <h4>Chapter 274: Of Letters and Items</h4>

    TL: SupremeTentacle

    ED: Exkmity

    Melrosse opened the letter and read it carefully.

    ¡°I see¡­ Well done, ck Lightning Princess! We will hereby move to immediately support the princess.¡±

    So the letter really was about guarding the princess. But again, why use a letter when they have magical long distancemunicators?

    ¡°Why letter?¡± asked Fran telepathically.

    ¡°Good question,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Nn. Faster to use item.¡±

    It seemed Fran and I were wondering the same thing.

    ¡°You were of great help,¡± said Melrosse.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Ho? What is it young one? Your face clearly shows unvoiced dissatisfaction.¡±

    What!? How did he know that?

    It really bothered me that he had urately interpreted Fran¡¯s expression. Fran was never the type of person to wear her emotions and that was true even now. The change in her expression was so subtle that I¡¯d assumed I was the only one capable of noticing it. I unconsciously appraised him before I could stop myself. Since I¡¯d already gone ahead and done it, I decided I might as well check his skills and confirmed that he didn¡¯t have anything that would allow him to read her mind.

    ¡°Could tell, how?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Ho. When you have lived as long as I have you can observe what other people often miss.¡±

    Seriously? Just pure wisdom from age? What the hell!.

    ¡°¡­Can use item. Why send letter?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Hoho, so it was the letter that was bothering you. There is a significant reason why we chose to use that method in particr. Would you like me to exin it?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    The guildmaster held the letter out to Fran.

    ¡°Okay to read?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Fran and I took a look at the contents. The letter described how a Basharian assassin was caught in the beastkin country and that the evident danger was reason to provide the princess with additional guards. It didn¡¯t seem like anything out of the ordinary save the code-like numbers that followed the rest of the letter¡¯s content. I nced at Melrose and found him carefully observing Fran.

    ¡°Weird numbers? Meaning?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°They contain information pertaining to the princess¡¯ destination,¡± he said. ¡°We encrypt the information for security reasons.¡±

    The guildmaster went on to exin why they used a letter and not the long distancemunication tool. It turned out the Basharians also had simr tools, and the concern was that they could eavesdrop on conversations in the beastkin country. Information on assassinations and invasion ns had apparently beenpromised in the past. If that was the case, I could see why they would rely on a physical letter for top secret information.

    ¡°If we knew the exact methods they used to eavesdrop on us we could deploy countermeasures,¡± he frowned.

    ¡°Not known?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Yes, their methods are unknown to us. That is the only reason we fall back on more traditional methods ofmunication, like letters. Strong couriers like you are essential to the swift ry of information.¡±

    I was using Principle of Falsehood during the entire conversation. All the parts that the guildmaster said about Bashar was true. But the veryst part about it being the only reason was a lie. It could be that simply an organization asrge as the guild would naturally have one or two secrets. But I couldn¡¯t help but feel bothered that we were used for more than just confidentialmunication¡­

    I hope we weren¡¯t used for something malicious.

    I discussed my suspicions with Fran.

    ¡°Nn. Will ask discreetly,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s try not to make an enemy of the guild. If he doesn¡¯t talk then just drop the matter.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran turned to the guildmaster.

    ¡°What are other reasons?¡±

    Oi! What¡¯s with that straight-ball question!? There¡¯s nothing discreet about that!

    ¡°Hmm?¡± said Melrosse.

    ¡°If need speed, then send letter by bird,¡± said Fran. ¡°Still hiding something. Wanted me to deliver. Why?¡±

    ¡°Hm. You are certainly right that a messenger bird would be quicker, or some other method ofmunication too. But we still have our reasons.¡±

    ¡°Which are?¡±

    ¡°Not telling. This information is not privy to a C ranker.¡±

    Welp we just got stonewalled by the bureaucracy. Can¡¯t do anything about that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t re at me like that,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll still tell you what I can. You see, that letter was intended to verify whether or not our country¡¯s guilds could trust you.¡±

    ¡°Some sort of test?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Noment. But just like how you are doubting me right now, we were also doubting you since you came to our country. You have yet to do anything to earn our trust.¡±

    And so they asked us to deliver a top secret letter? I don¡¯t know how it proves our trustworthiness, but I¡¯m d we actually did our job properly and refrained from breaking the seal on the envelope. We were ustomed to being weed with open arms in the beastkin country simply because Fran evolved. Most of the people we met had assumed that Fran was someone that would help them in their time of need. But in reality, not all beastkin would necessarily ally themselves with the beastkin country. As far as the guild was concerned, we¡¯d started off on the list of those that couldn¡¯t be trusted, but with this task under our belts we were under far less scrutiny.

    ¡°Got it,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Hoh. So are you satisfied with this exnation?¡± he asked.

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°Very good. We are grateful for the work you have done for us, so we shall give you a suitable reward.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Got it.¡±

    We exited the guildmaster¡¯s room and headed to the counter where we received our reward. By the time we headed to an inn rmended by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild it was well into the night. Thankfully the inn had a receptionist posted 24 hours a day. It was quite suitable for adventurers who did not have consistent schedules and would often request lodging and random times at night¡­

    When we got to our room Fran jumped headfirst into the bed.

    ¡°At least take off your cloak.¡±

    ¡°Uuu¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll cast purification on you and clean you up.¡±

    ¡°Nmmm¡±

    ¡°Come on. Get into the covers too, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mmph.¡±

    I tucked Fran, who was half asleep, into bed using telekinesis.

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran was out within three seconds.

    Children do need their sleep after all.

    Tomorrow¡¯s the day we finally visit the castle. I was a bit concerned about getting around at first, but luckily the guildmaster said that he would provide us with a guide. Hopefully we¡¯ll finally get to meet Kiara, the older catkin who was instrumental towards Fran¡¯s growth. I wonder what kind of person she is. Hopefully someone that will spoil Fran like a child.

 Chapter 275: An Unexpected Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 275: An Unexpected Reunion</h4>

    TL: SupremeTentacle

    ED: Exkmity

    Fran and I were both eager to get on with the day, so we headed over to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild as soon as we finished our morning routines.

    ¡°Good Morning Fran,¡± greeted the receptionist.

    ¡°Morning.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning to head to the castle right now?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please wait a moment while I go retrieve your guide.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    We found a seat in the guild¡¯s lobby while we waited. There wasn¡¯t much to do besides observing the guild staff members as they went about their day-to-day activities, so we resigned ourselves to watching them.

    ¡°Hey babe! Won¡¯t you do dinner with me tonight?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Like you don¡¯t say that to every girl you meet.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Isn¡¯t this way to cheap for these materials?¡±

    ¡°Nah, they¡¯re in terrible shape so they aren¡¯t worth crap.¡±

    Most of the receptionists were conducting themselves rather unprofessionally. Their default approach was to deal with the adventurers as casually as they would their buddies. Fran was the only one they treated with courtesy and respect.

    We were currently the center of attention and received many a curious nce from the adventurers around us. In spite of that, we remained undisturbed. Anyone that tried to approach us would immediately be stopped by one of the guild¡¯s staff members. We eavesdropped on their conversations and overheard them im that there were orders to ensure Fran was left alone.

    We couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the guild was preventing people from approaching us, but we didn¡¯t want to bother the guild¡¯s staff while they were busy, so the question remained unanswered until one of the staff members approached Fran and served her a cup of tea.

    ¡°The guildmaster¡¯s ordered us not to let anybody bother you,¡± she said. ¡°You are the only evolved ck catkin, and adventurers are a curious bunch, so he was concerned that you would be subject to the difort of bing a circus attraction.¡±

    Preventing curious onlookers from bothering has eliminated the chance that an unfortunate confrontation would ignite between Fran and some newbie ignorant of her strength. It was a preventative measure that not only allowed the guild to protect its adventurers from getting hurt, but also benefit us by keeping the morons off our backs. It was a win-win situation.

    The guildmaster is doing us a favor here, so we better thank himter. Though, it seems being left alone is making Fran awfully bored.

    The receptionist we first interacted with returned by the time Fran had finished her cup of tea, our supposed guide in tow.

    ¡°Guendalfa?¡± said Fran.

    Fran was frightfully bad at remembering people¡¯s names but even she wouldn¡¯t forget the name of someone she met the day before.

    ¡°Yeah, I heard about that little scuffle you had with him yesterday,¡± said the receptionist. ¡°If you would like, I could make arrangements for a recement guide. What do you say?¡±

    If they heard about yesterday¡¯s fight, why bother bringing him out in the first ce?

    My thoughts were interrupted as Guendalfa suddenly prostrated himself in front of Fran. Seeing him with his his hands, face, and knees all pressed against the floor really emphasized the sheer size of his frame. He was so massive that he was still taller than Fran even in his current state.

    ¡°My deepest apologies, ck Lightning Princess!¡± he shouted, digging his forehead into the ground. ¡°My unseemly actions yesterday were truly regrettable.¡±

    His attitude had taken a full 180.

    ¡°I am uncertain if this will suffice aspensation but I offer my services to you during the entirety of your stay in the capital,¡± he said.

    I was deeply suspicious of him just trying to get closer to Fran again for some banal revenge plot but his eyes were full of sincerity. A single nce was enough to convince me that his actions had been driven by earnesty and earnesty alone.

    ¡°Ate something bad?¡± asked Fran, creeped out.

    ¡°After being blown away by you and then lectured by my buddy, Brass, I have realized how deeply shallow I have been behaving,¡± he said.

    ¡°Brass?¡±

    ¡°Brass was the gate guard that carried me off yesterday.¡±

    ¡°The oxkin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Guendalfa raised his head. ¡°ck Lightning Princess! I n to use this opportunity to turn my life around. But first I must show gratitude to the one who opened my eyes. Please let me be of service to you.¡±

    ¡°What should we do, Fran?¡± I asked her telepathically. His change was so sudden that it left me at a loss.

    ¡°Nn. Don¡¯t care.¡±

    It seems she no longer bore any animosity towards Guendalfa. A good night¡¯s sleep had been more than enough for her to forgive him. While we had our internal dialogue, the receptionist whispered in Fran¡¯s ear.

    ¡°The rhinokin are a tribe of warriors,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s natural for them to show respect to those who defeat them inbat. On top of that, you are an evolved beastkin while he is not. His respectful attitude ispletely natural.¡±

    So basically he¡¯s a musclehead that believes power and strength are everything?

    ¡°Also, he¡¯s the son of the rhinokin patriarch,¡± continued the receptionist. ¡°His face is well known, he has standing, and some authority. He is probably the best guide you could get.¡±

    In the end, we decided to ept Guendalfa as our guide. He seemed to have seriously reflected on his actions. Sending him away and finding a new guide seemed like more like a waste of time than anything.

    ¡°Look forward to working with you,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°No, it is my honor to be of use to you,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°I know you want to go to the castle, but could I perhaps interest you in a tour of the capital? I was born and raised in Vestia and I could take you to the best spots around town.¡±

    ¡°No thanks. Person want to meet as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I see. Is that person in the royal castle?¡±

    ¡°Nn. ck catkin: Kiara.¡±

    ¡°Master Kiara? Understood.¡±

    ¡°Acquainted?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have been her disciple since I was a child.¡±

    Given his former attachment to Goldalfa, one of Kiara¡¯s disciples, his rtionship with the old ck catkin came as no surprise.

    ¡°Understood. I will introduce you to her,¡± he said.

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Guendalfa stuck his chest out proudly as he nodded. He seemed really confident. I was almost inclined to think that we could actually trust him to get the job done.

 Chapter 276: Vestiaâ€™s Royal Castle

    <h4>Chapter 276: Vestia¡¯s Royal Castle</h4>

    TL: SupremeTentacle

    ED: Exkmity

    Guendalfa led us out of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and onto the street after boasting that he would introduce us to Kiara. His massive frame parted the bustling crowd like water, making it really easy for us to follow behind him. We could see the Royal Castle from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild but that didn¡¯t mean it was close by. That was just how big it was; it¡¯s sheer size messed with my sense of distance. It took us twenty minutes to walk from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild to the gate of the Royal Castle. As we approached, we saw that the walls around the castle were just as tall and wide as the walls surrounding Vestia. There was even a moat carved around the castle like a muddy serpent gouged into the earth,plete with a wooden drawbridge featuring a stone gatehouse on top.

    ¡°This castle was designed as the capital city¡¯s final bastion,¡± exined Guendalfa. He seemed to have decided to y the role of tour guide for us. ¡°If need be, the castle can be turned into a fully armed and fortified stronghold. Any enemies that manage to breach the city¡¯s walls will have to deal with a second set.¡±

    As we approached, a guard appeared out of a house next to the drawbridge on the town side.

    ¡°Halt,¡± he said. ¡°You are now entering upon the royal castle. All who wish to pass must first validate their identities.¡±

    Guendalfa approached the guard.

    ¡°I am Guendalfa, son of the Patriarch of the Rhinokin. With me is the ck Lightning Princess herself! I vouch for her identity on my honour. I also carry a letter of rmendation from the guildmaster in Vestia.¡±

    He handed over a ck card and a sealed letter to the guard. After opening up the letter and reading the contents carefully, the guard looked at us in disbelief.

    ¡°You could get an audience with the king with this letter,¡± he muttered.

    An audience with the king? What the hell kind of rmendation did that guildmaster write us? He puts way too much faith into us for justpleting one delivery quest.

    It would make sense if the guildmaster had nned to give Fran such a rmendation all along with the quest as a pretext to give it to her. The guild probably wanted to build ties with the first ck catkin to evolve since the tribe¡¯s downfall. Fran may as well have been a living legend, and because of that, the guild wanted to gain her favor early into her career. Likewise, the Beast Lord had given her a crest with his personal ensignia engraved into it back in Ulmutt right after the tournament. He was probably thinking the same thing.

    Actually given his musclehead personality, probably not. But Royce, his aide, had definitely thought that quickly establishing a working rtionship with Fran was prudent given her circumstances.

    I urged Fran to give the guard the crest. It was most likely a more trustworthy form of ID, and I figured there was no harm in showing it.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­!¡± The guard¡¯s eyes bulged from their sockets. Guendalfa also stared daggers into the crest.

    ¡°Please wait one moment, ma¡¯am!¡± stuttered the guard and he dashed back into the guardhouse. We saw him hold the crest up to a crystal shard, which shed briefly upon activation. Afterwards, the guard ran back to us and gingerly handed the crest back to Fran.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your ID back, ma¡¯am,¡± he said. ¡°Everything is in order. Please enter!¡±

    He signaled behind him and the gates of the portcullis across the drawbridge slowly began to open.

    ¡°Amazing! You even had the Beast Lord¡¯s crest with you,¡± said Guendalfa. ¡°You didn¡¯t need me at all. You should have left someone like me behind.¡±

    ¡°Not true.¡±

    Fran was right. Even if we wouldn¡¯t have needed Guendalfa to pass through the gates, he really helped smoothen the process out by escorting us and interacting with the guard on our behalf. More importantly, hispany had made us seem like the real deal. I was sure the guards would have doubted us more and spent more time investigating our motives had he not been present. I had to say, his change in attitude had really benefited us. Guendalfa¡¯s behaviour hade as a bit of a surprise, but it was by no means unprecedented. Goldalfa had also be more deferential to Fran after losing to her in singlebat.

    After passing through the gates on the castle side, Fran and I noticed another set of walls set up down the road.

    ¡°Another wall?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Guendalfa. ¡°The castle is right past it.¡±

    ¡°Why two walls?¡±

    ¡°The wall ahead of us separates the nobles and themon folk. The outskirts are designated as the living quarters for the guards and servants. It also works as a ce for merchants to do business. Behind the wall is where you¡¯ll find all the nobles.¡±

    ¡°How to enter?¡±

    ¡°Allow me to show you. Please follow me.¡±

    We walked alongside the wall and found a massive gate as big as the entrance to the city. There was what appeared to be arge mansion built next to the gate. Guendalfa led us inside. The building¡¯s lobby was enormous. It contained enough space tofortably house several dozen people on top of the numerous guards and other staff members already stationed throughout. The rhinokin led us up to the counter and spoke to a receptionist.

    ¡°I am Guendalfa, and with me is the ck Lightning Princess. We are here to request an audience with my master, Kiara.¡±

    ¡°Very well, we will process your request,¡± said the receptionist. ¡°Please allow us to guide you to a private waiting room in the meantime.¡±

    Fran¡¯s gaze curiously flickered back and forth as a guard guided us through the mansion. We went up stairways and down hallways, passing by many decorated waiting rooms before finally arriving at our destination.

    ¡°You see,¡± said Guendalfa, resuming his role as tour guide, ¡°the royal family had this mansion built as an extravagant waiting room next to the gate. They wanted as many lounges and private rooms as possible. With security being as high as it is, it takes time to process even just one person¡¯s entry request. And really, you can¡¯t have nobles lining up outside like at some festival stall, can you?¡±

    The guard stopped in front of an intricately patterned door and opened it. Inside was the mostvishly decorated room we¡¯ve seen yet,plete with a sofa and two armchairs around a coffee table. It also contained a firece, an ornate desk with a matching chair, a bookshelf, and a window that let the gentle sunlight seep through. Fran and Guendalfa sat down on the sofa, with Guendalfa sinking a little deeper into the cushions than Fran. After a couple minutes, there was a knock on the door. A maid entered with a cart featuring some freshly brewed tea and a variety of pastries. The moment the maid set the food onto the coffee table, Fran lunged at it. Guendalfa did the same after waiting for her to grab the first bite. Together, the two hungrypanions devoured the snacks they were presented in less than a minute.

    After letting out a contented sigh, Guendalfa once again began to speak.

    ¡°You really are something, ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡± said Fran, sipping on a cup of tea.

    ¡°You see, this room was made to entertain people of noble birth. Normally,mon folk wouldn¡¯t feel right being in such a fancy ce, but you look right at home,¡± he said. ¡°The food too. What they just brought us was some high ss stuff but you scarfed it right down like it was ¡®nuthin.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡±

    ¡°Well of course. I am a noble, so this much is normal for me.¡±

    Fran and I stared.

    What the hell! He was a blue blood?! How the hell does he still have peerage given the attitude he was going around with?

    ¡°What? Why are you so surprised?¡±ughed Guendalfa. ¡°I know I don¡¯t seem like a noble, but my father is technically the patriarch of an entire tribe of beastkin, so I¡¯m used to all the bells and frills thates with having status.¡±

    After that surprising revtion, a knock came from the door.

    ¡°Excuse me. Madam Fran, Mr. Guendalfa, Lady Kiara will see you now.¡±

    The door opened and two maids were waiting for us. We followed them deep into the castle, passing byrge banquet halls and wide ballrooms along the way.

    ¡°You used to be able to find her on the practice grounds in the outskirts of the castle,¡± said Guendalfa. ¡°Buttely her health has been getting worse, so she¡¯s been confined to her room.¡±

    ¡°Bad health? Will be okay?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried too,¡± he replied. ¡°She is getting pretty old. But the fact that they let us see her means she¡¯s alright.¡±

    It can¡¯t be helped. She¡¯s already like 70 years old.

    ¡°It¡¯s finally time to meet Kiara,¡± I said to Fran.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

 Chapter 277: Kiara

    <h4>Chapter 277: Kiara</h4>

    After taking us deep into the heart of the castle, the maid responsible for guiding us stopped in front of a door with a red carpet and turned around to face us.

    ¡°We have arrived at Lady Kiara¡¯s private bedchambers,¡± she said. ¡°Please wait a moment as I seek permission to enter.¡±

    Fran and Guendalfa nodded as the maid turned around and knocked gently on the door.

    ¡°Lady Kiara? Guendalfa and the ck Lightning Princess are here to see you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,e in,¡± said a voice from inside the room.

    The maid opened the door for us. There was a desk with a chair next to the window, a full length mirror next to a vanity closet, an armchair in the corner, and a king sized bed in the middle. All the furniture and interior was done with gold or gold leaf, but the designs weren¡¯t gaudy. Rather, they were carefully crafted such that they appeared subdued and pleasing to the eye. The curtains, carpet, and bedsheets were all made of luxurious cloth or silk. The entire room was cleaned and tidy. It was obvious that its inhabitant was being treated as a guest of honor.

    An old, ck catkin sat upright on the bed. We knew that she was supposed to be a ck catkin, but she didn¡¯t quite look the part. The hair on her ears and tail had long turnedpletely white. Her posture was good, which indicated that she was probably still active in spite of how haggard and thin her body appeared. She was tall too. It looked like she could probably reach 170 cm when standing. She definitely did not give the impression of a frail olddy whose body was wasting away.

    She looked at Fran with a gaze of such intensity that I was intimidated for a brief moment. I felt like my heart stopped and that I was pierced with daggers. If I were still human, I probably would have instinctively prostrated myself on the ground out of fear. Fran, however, waspletely unperturbed.

    ¡°You¡¯re Kiara?¡±

    ¡°And who exactly told you that you could speak to me so bluntly?¡±

    ¡°Beast Lord.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± She pped her knee. ¡°Good to know. I¡¯ll be sure to smack him hard next time I see him.¡±

    Whoa she definitely speaks pretty brusquely. But, surprisingly, it fits her quite well.

    ¡°To answer your question,¡± she continued: ¡°Yes. I am Kiara. I know the snot-nosed brat over there.¡± She jerked her chin at Guendalfa.

    ¡°Snot nosed? I¡¯m already 22!¡± retorted Guendalfa

    ¡°Quiet you!¡± yelled Kiara. ¡°Everyone under 40 is a snot-nosed brat to me. So, who¡¯s the girl?¡±

    ¡°Master Kiara,¡± said Guendalfa, surprised. ¡°Have you not heard of the ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    ¡°Lady Kiara just woke up today,¡± said the maid who guided us to this room. ¡°For the past twenty days Lady Kiara has been in aa.¡±

    Holy sheet! Aa for twenty days!? If she was out for that long it¡¯s not too surprising that she hasn¡¯t heard of Fran yet.

    I took a closer look and saw that her cheeks were a little sunken and her lips were really dry. Her arms looked rather thin and brittle, indicating that they had been out of use.

    ¡°She is-¡± began the maid, but Kiara interrupted her.

    ¡°Hold up.¡± She gestured to Fran and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Come here dear.¡±

    Fran trotted over to the bedside.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Fran.¡±

    Kiara opened her arms and Fran embraced her. At first it was a light hug but after a few seconds, Kiara suddenly pulled Fran tightly into her.

    ¡°All these years I feared that the goal I sought was unachievable,¡± she said. ¡°Now I have proof of sess standing right before me. Thank you Fran, foring to me and showing me that my journey was not meaningless.¡±

    Kiara buried her face into Fran¡¯s shoulder. I felt my heart twist when I heard what she said. Her whisper, which carried the weight of 50 years of doubt, uncertainty, and resolve, seemed to reverberate throughout the room.

    After a few moments of silence, Kiara eventually calmed down and released Fran.

    ¡°Can you give me the details?¡± asked Kiara. ¡°How did you do it? Unless there is some reason you can¡¯t tell me. I won¡¯t force you.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Fran nodded. ¡°But heard Granny Kiara should already know method.¡±

    ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Dias¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­? So he still remembers me¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Aurel and Rumina too.¡±

    Kiara¡¯s eyes began to waver, and she smiled.

    ¡°Those fools,¡± she said. ¡°They should have forgotten me and moved on long ago.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t. Always looking for you,¡± said Fran.

    Kiara sighed, ¡°What I have is just a hypothesis. Let me get morefortable first.¡±

    Kiara turned and got out of the bed. Guendalfa frantically held his hand out but she shooed him away and sat herself down in her armchair.

    ¡°So it all started back in the day in Ulmutt. I ventured into the depths of a dungeon, only to discover that its master was an evolved ck catkin,¡± she said. ¡°That was how I met Rumina 50 years ago. She was really too sweet for her own good. She offered to help me evolve, but her method was too contrived. It required her to turn herself into an evil being.¡±

    Fran blinked.

    ¡°Turn into evil being, how?¡±

    ¡°In the past, one of the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s chiefs invoked a ritual to drown our species in the power of the Evil God,¡± said Kiara. ¡°It was for something stupid like for the sake of strengthening the tribe. Like many members of the tribe, Rumina had also been caught up in the ritual¡¯s processes. She too had the power of the Evil God embedded into her.¡±

    She grimaced at this point.

    ¡°So she told me to stand back, and I did, and suddenly my Evil Presence Detection skill went crazy. I felt a disgusting presenceing from Rumina, one that only grew stronger and stronger as I stared it down. She was probably using her powers as a dungeon master to unlock some tainted part of her soul or something. Anyway, I knew whatever she was doing was bad news, so I ran over and punched her. Told her that I didn¡¯t want to evolve if it meant losing a friend. And that was the end of that.¡±

    ¡°Turn into evil being?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°I wanted to find that out myself,¡± said Kiara. ¡°After thinking about it, I recalled the research I did on our n¡¯s inability to evolve. There was a lot of misinformation being spread about at the time. Some of it was by our own tribe members trying to save face or keep the morale of the younger kinsman up. Some of it was spread by blue catkin that just wanted to mess with us. And there wasn¡¯t much written evidence wherever I searched.¡±

    She sighed.

    ¡°One of the few items that came to mind was an old, torn-up scroll that was barely readable. The parts that I could read said that our tribe invoked the Gods¡¯ wrath and we were cursed. We needed to defeat something on the level of the Evil God to break that curse. I think Rumina was trying to be that evil thing herself. She wanted to let me defeat her so that I would evolve.¡±

    Kiara folded her arms and leaned back as she wrapped up her exnation.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s my theory,¡± she said. ¡°How does that match up to your experiences?¡±

 Chapter 278: Kiaraâ€™s Circumstances

    <h4>Chapter 278: Kiara¡¯s Circumstances</h4>

    Fran spoke up after Kiara finished talking about her journey and her understanding of evolving ck catkin.

    ¡°Got it,¡± said Fran. ¡°Kiara not wrong, but more than one way.¡±

    ¡°What! There was more than one way?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm. Kiara¡¯s way would redeem entire tribe. Must kill one S ranked evil being with only ck catkin. But two easier ways to just evolve self. First, kill 1000 evil beings. Second, solo kill 1 A ranked evil being.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Kiara¡¯s shoulders began to tremble. I thought she was about to cry or something, so her next actions took me by surprise.

    ¡°Kukukuku¡­ Ahahahahahahaha!¡±

    Kiara grinned, threw her head back, and roared withughter. Her eyes teared up as she pushed up on the sides of the armchair and jumped onto her feet.

    ¡°Mia! Bring me my sword!¡±

    Fran blinked a few times in surprise. Guendalfa¡¯s eyes shot wide open. The maid, however, was unperturbed.

    ¡°What are you nning, Lady Kiara?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Kiara let out a fierce grin. ¡°I¡¯m going to beat the sheet out of 1000 goblins.¡±

    ¡°You have to be kidding me,¡± said the maid. ¡°It was only yesterday that you were still in aa.¡±

    ¡°You think a couple of goblins will get the best of me just because I didn¡¯t get a little rest? Not a chance! I can kick their asses all day any day!¡±

    Guendalfa tried to usher Kiara back into her seat but she darted right past him towards the closet. Her belongings ttered about as she rummaged through its contents.

    ¡°It must have been fate that brought Fran here to see me the day I open my eyes again,¡± said Kiara. ¡°I will not let this chance pass me by. All these years, I¡¯ve been wondering why that detestable beast lord didn¡¯t kill me even though I held the secrets of evolving ck catkin. Now I understand: he didn¡¯t need to kill me at all. What I knew was the hardest way to evolve as a ck catkin. Nothing would¡¯vee of it even if I had spread the news. No one could¡¯ve possibly pulled it off. Knowing would only have brought my people despair. But now things are different. I can do it. I can finally evolve. All I have to do is kick the sheet out of a couple goblins, and I¡¯ll be done.¡±

    ¡°But you aren¡¯t as able as you were before,¡± said Guendalfa. ¡°You¡¯ve even lost your blessing!¡±

    ¡°Blessing?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Right, you wouldn¡¯t know,¡± said Kiara. She turned to us while still holding onto an old belt. ¡°For a very long time I held the Blessing of the Warrior God.¡±

    ¡°Ohh! Amazing!¡± Fran pped.

    ¡°Right? I¡¯ve already passed it down to another, but I¡¯m still quite the fighter without it.¡±

    I had no idea what this blessing thing was.

    ¡°What¡¯s this Blessing of the Warrior God thing anyway?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Very famous skill.¡±

    Fran¡¯s exnation left me in shock. Blessing of the Warrior God was an extra skill with world wide renown. The basics were that it gave its user a t increase to all stat values. It also doubled the stat values gained upon each level up. But the most famous part of the skill was the condition required for retaining it. Once each month, the skill¡¯s bearer had to put his or her life on the line inbat. The exact definition of ¡°life on the line,¡± was not well known, but something on the level of beating up a bunch of back-alley grunts wouldn¡¯t cut it. If this condition was not fulfilled even once, the skill will leave its user and pass itself onto another.

    ¡°I first got it when I was seven years old,¡± continued Kiara. ¡°I had to keep fighting and fighting in order not to lose it. I got pretty strong because of that. I managed to hold onto it for five whole decades. Sadly, I lost it about ten years back.¡±

    ¡°Lost it, why?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°There was a time I was bedridden for six months due to illness. Because I was confined and couldn¡¯t fight, the skill moved on from me.¡±

    ¡°But how keep skill while ve?¡±

    ¡°Oh that? When I was still working at the castle, once a month they would let me hunt monsters near the capital. That way I would keep my blessing. ves with extra skills were pretty valuable back in they day.¡±

    Kiara grinned.

    ¡°So yes, I¡¯ve lost my blessing, but I don¡¯t give a damn. I¡¯ve been training for decades for this moment. I will not let anyone stop me!¡±

 Chapter 279: Kiaraâ€™s Social Status

    <h4>Chapter 279: Kiara¡¯s Social Status</h4>

    Kiara addressed Fran after she finished rummaging through her closet.

    ¡°First, we head towards Schwartzkatze! We gotta tell everyone that us ck catkin can evolve.¡±

    ¡°Everyone in the vige has already been informed while you were asleep,¡± said Guendalfa.

    ¡°Excellent! I¡¯m sure those that are interested in evolving have already started recruiting party members to hunt evil beings. I shall join them at once.¡±

    ¡°Schwartzkatze?¡± Fran tilted her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s a vige of ck catkin,¡± exined Guendalfa. ¡°After being freed from very, many ck catkin either lost their homes or couldn¡¯t make the journey back to their hometowns. The vige was built as a ce where they could recover their livelihoods in a safe environment.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you shoulde with me and show your face around,¡± said Kiara to Fran. ¡°Everyone will probably love you.¡±

    With that, Kiara headed towards the door but was stopped by the maid who grabbed her by the arm.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you go,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve been bedridden for almost twenty days. You need to rest for at least another week.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Dammit Mia! Let me go!¡±

    Kiara tugged on her arm but it would not budge no matter how much she struggled. She even grabbed the edge of the doorway to help pull herself through but all that did was make the doorway bend and creak.

    Holy sheet! That maid is strong! Aren¡¯t Kiara¡¯s stats supposed to be massive since she gets double the normal stat growth from that blessing she had? Godd*mn dude, that maid hasn¡¯t moved an inch! Wait that maid¡¯s already evolved!?

    ¡°These royal maids really do live up to their reputations,¡± said Guendalfa.

    ¡°Famous?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. Royal maids are the cream of the crop, hand picked to serve the royal family and guests of honor. They are selected from an early age and trained extensively in etiquette, housekeeping, hospitality, and evenbat. I¡¯d get totally ughtered if I tried picking a fight with any one of them.¡±

    Having given up on struggling against Mia, Kiara turned to Fran.

    ¡°Oh, so by the way, I heard that you came here by boat from the other country. How was the weather on your journey?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Good.¡±

    An awkward silence followed. Kiara gave her arm a quick tug but the maid still gripped it tightly.

    She tried to distract the maid with small talk! How embarrassing!

    ¡°¡­So what did youe here for?¡± asked Kiara sheepishly.

    ¡°Came here to meet Kiara. And one more person.¡±

    ¡°Wait Fran. I don¡¯t think you should mention the god-tier cksmith. The Beast Lord said that all info on him was supposed to be ssified¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± She replied telepathically. ¡°Won¡¯t say more.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Kiara. ¡°Well I wish I could help you more since you¡¯re a ck catkin like me, but I don¡¯t think I can. I might live in a fancy room like this but I have no influence outside of that doorway.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± said Mia. ¡°There is almost no one who would oppose your will, Lady Kiara.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Anyone that listens to an old crank like me should throw themselves in jail.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would if you asked them to.¡±

    Wow. Mia seems pretty rxed for a royal maid. She isn¡¯t as uptight as the other maids we¡¯ve met.

    ¡°But seriously,¡± Mia continued, ¡°You cannot call yourself unimportant after providing many of the country¡¯s most important individuals with your teachings. The Beast Lord, the Princess, the generals, the royal maids, the castle guards. Many of us spent our entire childhood under your care, and we woulde running to your bedside if you called.¡±

    ¡°Damn I messed up,¡± said Kiara. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have trained you so hard when you were younger if I knew you were going to get strong enough to stop me at this point!¡±

    ¡°Too bad. You¡¯ll have to be more careful next time.¡±

    ¡°Nrrrggh!¡±

    ¡°Give it up. You¡¯re not in top shape right now. The adrenaline rush you are having is keeping you from noticing that fact.¡±

    ¡°Haaah.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exert yourself right this minute. The evil beings aren¡¯t going to vanish anytime soon. Have someone at the topy out the groundwork for you. I was not kidding when I said that half the castle woulde running if you called.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± The tension in Kiara vanished. ¡°Mia, go and get me someone decentlypetent from the castle.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Mia let go of Kiara, took out a piece of paper, wrote down a small message, and handed it off to a maid waiting outside the door.

    Kiara straightened out her clothing.

    ¡°Fran, I know I said this before, but I¡¯m very grateful that you came here to see me. You are truly a light in my life. I would like to do something for you to express my thanks. As you can see, I have a fair bit of unofficial power in this castle.¡±

    ¡°No need. Didn¡¯t do for thanks.¡±

    ¡°Hah! Good answer. But I¡¯m not asking out of any sense of obligation. I just want to do something for you. It really can be anything, ya know? For example, I don¡¯t mind permanently removing somebody you consider an eyesore.¡±

    ¡°No thanks. Would do that myself.¡±

    ¡°Really? No, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s more fun to do it by yourself.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Dias was right. Fran and Kiara do get along in weird ways. Both are female ck catkin warriors that could casually talk about assassinating someone they didn¡¯t like.

    Fran and Kiara continued to chat about some rather concerning topics, stopping only after they were interrupted by a knock outside the door.

    ¡°Excuse me. Did you call for me, Madam Kiara?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,e in.¡±

    An old man entered the room. He had silvery gray hair and was wearing an embroidered vestment robe. He spoke cheerfully.

    ¡°Madam Kiara, I havee to answer your call.¡±

    ¡°There you are. I was wanting to introduce you to someone.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± he turned to Fran. ¡°You must be the ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°What? You already know of her?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I think you were the only person in the country that didn¡¯t.¡±

    The man bowed elegantly to Fran.

    ¡°Greetings, mydy. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Raymond, and I hold the position of Prime Minister of this country.¡±

    Holy sheet! I knew he looked important, but he¡¯s actually the Prime Minister!? Kiara really knows how to throw her weight around.

    ¡°C ranked adventurer, Fran. Sometimes called ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°Stop it with the excessive bowing already,¡± said Kiara. ¡°You made it to Prime Minister, so if you keep on lowering your head people will stop respecting your position. Hold your head up high and keep your eyes looking forward. ¡±

    ¡°That was simply due to the grace of the current beast lord. At heart, I am simply a humble public servant.¡± He turned back to Fran. ¡°I was previously informed of your circumstances by His Majesty and was told to amodate your needs during your stay. I will also get that letter of rmendation to that person written as you requested. Is there anything else you require of me?¡±

    Fran spoke to me telepathically.

    ¡°Master. Anything?¡±

    ¡°Nothin¡¯ from me. You?¡±

    ¡°Just one. Want to visit ck catkin vige.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me. Go for it.¡±

    Fran told Raymond her request.

    ¡°Understood,¡± he said. ¡°Truth be told, I was actually going to ask you to visit Schwartzkatze. Your request is most timely. I have a map already prepared for you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

 Chapter 280: Greengoat

    <h4>Chapter 280: Greengoat</h4>

    Raymond opened up arge map and handed it over to Fran.

    ¡°Schwarzkatze is located near the foot of these mountains that serve as our border,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a three to four day journey by horned carriage, but I suspect that you have means of covering that distance more quickly. In that case, I suggest that you make a stop at Greengoat. It is one of the country¡¯srgest trading hubs. Many major roads converge on it.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°And here is that letter of rmendation that the Beast Lord instructed me to write for you.¡± He handed Fran a letter adorned with a fancy wax seal.

    ¡°I believe that is everything on the agenda. If you have no further concerns, I shall excuse myself here. May your journey be safe and prosperous.¡±

    Raymond exited the room. He was gone and we had everything we came for, so it was time for us to go too.

    ¡°Will be leaving too,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Aww, already?¡± asked Kiara.

    ¡°Nn. Bye Kiara, Guen.¡±

    ¡°Bye Fran,¡± said Guendalfa. ¡°And uhh¡­ about that thing¡­ when we first met¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn. No problem. I forgive you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± said Kiara. ¡°Why is she forgiving you, brat? What did you do to her?¡±

    ¡°Nothing! I didn¡¯t do any-¡±

    ¡°Guen picked a fight¡±

    ¡°Gahhhhh!¡± Guendalfa covered his head with his hands and cowered down on the floor.

    Fran exined in detail our first encounter with Guendalfa, starting with him being an arrogant son of a b*tch and ending with Fran flooring him with a single punch. After listening to our story, Kiara directed a furious gaze at Guendalfa.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you!¡± she shouted, drilling her fist into the top of his skull ¡°Why are you still so obsessed with your uncle?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not obsessed!¡± he stammered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about that traitor. He-¡±

    ¡°That right there is what makes you a godd*mn snot nosed brat! You¡¯re over 20 years old and you¡¯re still throwing a tantrum over Gold leaving. It¡¯s an honor to serve the Beast Lord, and you shouldn¡¯t think of it any other way.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°No buts! Stop being so godd*mn immature. I know you¡¯re just mad he left the tribe without telling you first. Get over it already.¡±

    ¡°Urk¡­¡±

    Guendalfa couldn¡¯t find a way to retort, so he just sat angrily on the floor with a frown on his face. Kiara turned to the maid, Mia.

    ¡°Mia. Get this snot nosed brat out of my room.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Lady Kiara.¡±

    Mia grabbed Guendalfa by the cor and dragged him out the room. Kiara turned back to Fran and gave her a hug.

    ¡°Doe back and visit,¡± she said.

    ¡°Nn. Kiara, don¡¯t push self to hard.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! I can¡¯t promise you that. I¡¯m trying to evolve, after all.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Then push self just enough to avoid death.¡±

    It seems both Kiara and Fran are the type of people to constantly push themselves to their limits to achieve their goals. I can protect Fran along the way but the same can¡¯t be said for Kiara. I hope she stays safe, for Fran¡¯s sake.

    ¡°I won¡¯t die,¡± said Kiara. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this alive in years!¡±

    She shifted towards the open door.

    ¡°In fact, I feel so great that why don¡¯t I just get a head start on evil beings. I think I¡¯ll just apany you an-¡±

    ¡°Not so fast, Lady Kiara.¡± Mia suddenly appeared behind Kiara and grabbed her by the shoulder.

    ¡°Goddammit Mia! Let me go! How did you even get back here that fast? I thought I told you to remove that snot nosed brat.¡±

    ¡°I had a feeling that you would try to bolt while I was away so I just dumped him in the hallway around the corner.¡±

    ¡°Nrrrgh!¡±

    After a brief struggle, Kiara gave up trying to escape the maid.

    ¡°It looks like I can¡¯t go, so won¡¯t you stay with me a bit longer?¡± she said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t. Need to leave.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Kiara smiled gently. ¡°In that case, do visit again!¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡±

    With that, we exited Kiara¡¯s room. We turned the corner and found Guendalfa still sitting on the ground and sulking, so Fran asked him to escort us out. Guendalfa seemed to perk right back up and he happily apanied us out of the castle and stuck with us all the way until we reached the city¡¯s front gates.

    ¡°Well then. Be safe, ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°Nn. You too. Stop picking fights.¡±

    ¡°Haha yeah. I kinda learned my lesson the hard way.¡±

    Once outside, Fran summoned Urushi in hisrge form and mounted him.

    ¡°Go Urushi! Go!¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi raced through the sky. We left the capital around noon. Only after travelling for about eight hours could we finally see some city lights emerging from beyond the horizon.

    ¡°It¡¯s prettyte Fran. I think that¡¯s Greengoat in the distance. Let¡¯s touch down there and find an inn where we can have a meal and get some rest. We can continue travelling in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Urushi, descend.¡±

    ***

    2 hourster, Frany contentedly on the bed, just having finished dinner.

    What the hell was that? We got through this city way too smoothly! Nobody batted an eye when we arrived at the town gate and the guard let us through without issue. Nobody gave us sheet at the guild when we were selling our monster mats either. Nor were we disturbed during the check in process. I swear to god, I¡¯m so used to Fran getting harassed that being left alone actually bothers me more. Oh sheet, did I just totally jinx it? Is something terrible going to happen to Greengoat now?

    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Fran, half asleep.

    ¡°Nothing really big. I think it¡¯s odd that no one in Greengoat¡¯s messed with us yet.¡±

    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not. I¡¯ll let it go.¡±

    I decided to put the matter aside and let Fran get some rest. Surprisingly, the next morning was just as uneventful. We managed to set off from Greengoat without a hitch.

    So nothing actually happened while we were in Greengoat? Well damn, I guess there really is a first time for everything after all.

    As soon as I thought that, Fran and I spotted two adventurers standing on either side of the road about twenty meters from where we were. They weren¡¯t doing anything besides just loitering around and suspiciously scouring their surroundings. We were currently riding Urushi so we slowed down and kept our guard up because they directed their gazes at us, but again, nothing happened. As we passed them we saw that the two adventurers were not beastkin, but human. I thought we were in the clear after we passed them by, but then three more adventures on horseback appeared from the side of the road and stopped in front of us, blocking our way forward. Two more came out and stopped behind us. We were surrounded.

    ¡°Whew. We managed to make it here in time!¡± said one.

    ¡°Yeah! What the hell is that wolf? It¡¯s crazy fast!¡±

    ¡°The guys on the ground should have signalled us sooner.¡±

    One of the men dismounted.

    ¡°Oi you! Are you Fran, the ck Lightning Princess?¡± said one of the adventurers.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    He made an ugly smile. The other 4 adventurers dismounted and moved inwards, tightening the circle around Fran.

    Are these guys seriously attacking us when Urushi is out in the open? He¡¯s even in hisrge form. Are they brave? Or just in stupid?

    ¡°Well then. It may be a bit sudden but you will forfeit your life here!¡±

    ¡°If you want to curse something, then curse the day you were born a beastkin!¡±

    The five adventurers each reached into their bags and pulled out arge purple ball. I appraised them.

    ¡°Fran! Those balls create poisonous chunks of fog that weakens everything in them. It¡¯s probably too weak to affect you but I think I¡¯ll teleport you out just in case. Urushi. You have the Nullify Poison skill. Go waste them.¡±

    ¡°Woof¡±

    The men threw the balls straight at Fran but I teleported her high into the sky before they reached. The adventurers¡¯ stats were so low that I felt like I was watching them in slow motion. After missing their target, the balls exploded, covering the area below us with a thick purple fog.

    ¡°Did we get her?¡± said one of the men.

    The next moment an enormous ck shadow emerged from the fog and scooped up the man in its jaws. After violently shaking its head side to side a few times, the shadow loosened its grip and sent the man¡¯s chewed up corpse flying.

    ¡°Hiiii-!¡±

    The other four turned tail and ran but Urushi was much to fast for them. Two of the men got their heads bitten off and the other two were pinned under his massive paws. The first two men who were monitoring the road were pierced by spears of Darkness Magic.

    I checked our surroundings as we descended to see if there were any more attackers, but it was just those seven.

    ¡°Good boy!¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Woooof!¡±

    Five out of the seven men were dead. Thest two were bound to bleed out within a couple minutes. I quickly healed them but left them under Urushi¡¯s paws. Fran kicked them awake. They put up some resistance but our tried and true process of Fran beating them half to death then healing them over and over made them quickly loosen their tongues.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know who hired us! I never saw his face!¡±

    ¡°The guy just left us the money as well as these poison balls.¡±

    ¡°Told us that these could subdue even the mightiest beastkin.¡±

    ¡°He foocking lied to us!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me! I was set up!¡±

    ¡°Master. What do?¡±

    ¡°I think we should take them to the guards. They aren¡¯t a threat anymore and they don¡¯t seem to have any morepanions, so it¡¯s safe to hand them over. They were probably disposable pawns or something. I¡¯m not too sure why they were actually after us in the first ce, but if I had to guess, I¡¯d say they were probably just sent out to harass you. There¡¯s no way anyone with half a brain could expect goons on their level to take us out.

    ¡°Nn okay.¡±

    We headed back to town with the two goons hanging limply from Urushi¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Master, something wrong?¡± Fran tilted her head as we closed in on the city¡¯s gates.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Okay.¡±

    Holy crap, I can¡¯t believe she almost noticed. I can¡¯t tell her that being attacked by these guys actually made me feel relieved¡­

 Chapter 281: Regarding the Failed Attempt on the Black Lightning Princessâ€™ Life

    <h4>Chapter 281: Regarding the Failed Attempt on the ck Lightning Princess¡¯ Life</h4>

    Trante: SupremeTentacle, ED: Exkmity

    We walked back to Greengoat with the two remaining adventurers hanging from Urushi¡¯s mouth. We were greeted by one of the guards as we approached to the gate.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just leave?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nn. Dealt with business.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ What¡¯s with those two guys being dragged by your wolf?¡±

    ¡°Business. They attacked me. Here to turn them in.¡±

    ¡°You were attacked!? Are you hurt in any way?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    The guard gave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Thank God! This is definitely strange though. There shouldn¡¯t be any bandits in these parts anymore. The Beast Lord subjugated them allst year.¡±

    ¡°Not bandits. Assassins. Were targeting me specifically.¡±

    ¡°Assassins!? Please wait a moment. I must notify my superiors immediately.¡± He turned to the other guard. ¡°Go get the squad leader immediately!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    The second guard took off. We handed the two adventurers to the remaining guard, who tied them up, dragged them to the guard tower, and dumped them into a jail cell. By the time he returned, so had his partner, their boss in tow.

    ¡°ck Lightning Princess!¡± said the squad leader. ¡°Are you unharmed?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Unharmed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡± He turned to the guard that had stayed. ¡°You! What¡¯s the status report!¡±

    The guard recounted to the chief everything that we told him and that he had thrown the assassins in prison.

    ¡°I see.¡± The squad leader turned to Fran. ¡°Rest assured, we will find those responsible for this despicable attack immediately. I will also have this matter conveyed to the town¡¯s lord right away. May I serve you some tea in the meantime?

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    He guided us over to the guard tower and ushered us through the front entrance. After climbing a set of stairs, we were seated in a reception room. Compared to the reception mansion in the capital this room was quite shabby, but it was probably the best room that they had.

    ¡°Oi you lot!¡± shouted the squad leader. ¡°Go grab the finest tea that we have! And something for her to eat!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    One of the guards at the entrance dashed back downstairs. After a few minutes, he returned carrying a tray with a teapot, a porcin tea cup, some first flush tea, and an assortment of jams and honey. The guard poured a cup of tea and handed it to Fran alongside the honey and a spoon.

    ¡°Is it to your liking?¡± asked the squad leader.

    ¡°Nn. Not bad,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    Two more guards entered the room carrying arge tter with a silver covering right as Fran finished her first cup of tea. They gently ced the tter in front of Fran and removed the lid.

    What the hell!? What¡¯s up with that massive steak!? Are they seriously serving that with tea?

    Nobody else in the room seemed to share my disbelief. Fran happily munched on the steak as the rest of the beastkin guards stood by just in case she had any sort of request. It seemed that, to beastkin, steak and tea were a natural pair.

    I guess being a glutton is a beastkin trait, not exclusive to Fran. Wait, Fran could probably down two or three of those so she¡¯s probably considered a glutton even among beastkin.

    Fran was approaching herst bite when we could hear the sound of heavy footsteps racing up the stairs. The footsteps stopped short of the door, and then the person quietly knocked on the door, as if they remembered their manners at thest minute.

    ¡°Enter,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Please excuse my intrusion. Are you the ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°I am Marmanno, lord of the city of Greengoat.¡±

    The man spoke with a loud voice that filled the room. He was arge man with bulging muscles and had arge sword hanging by his waist. I quickly appraised him and saw that his species was green goatkin.

    What the heck? He doesn¡¯t look like a goat. And did he name the freaking town after himself!?

    ¡°I received word of what happened and decided to take a look at the situation directly.¡± He turned to the squad leader. ¡°What¡¯s thetest status update?¡±

    ¡°Sir! My subordinates have reported that we are currently interrogating the suspects.¡±

    ¡°Basharian bastards,¡± said the goatkin. ¡°I¡¯m certain it was them.¡±

    ¡°I concur,¡± said the squad leader.

    ¡°Get them to speak even if you have to pry their finger nails off to do it! Don¡¯t let the mastermind escape. Capture him by all means necessary if you find him. He had the gall to attack the ck Lightning Princess, a veritable hero, so make sure he pays the price!!¡±

    Wow, this burly ass dude considers Fran a hero? He¡¯s not even a ck catkin.

    ¡°Roger that sir,¡± replied the squad leader. ¡°I have already dispatched soldiers to the scene of the crime.¡±

    ¡°Very good. What about searching the city for suspicious characters?

    ¡°That¡­¡± the squad leader faltered. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent two squads to locations in the town where ruffians are known to gather, but we just don¡¯t have the manpower to search the entire city. Most of the garrison has been deployed to the Basharian border.¡±

    ¡°Damn those Basharian bastards!¡± bellowed the goatkin, mming his fist onto the table. ¡°Deploy the knights. Have themb this city from top to bottom!¡±

    ¡°Is that okay sir? Wouldn¡¯t thatpromise the security of the castle?¡±

    ¡°That is of little concern! They harmed the ck Lightning Princess! I will make those Basharian bastards pay! No matter the cost!¡±

    I doubt that searching the city will turn up any additional clues. If all the mastermind wanted to do was harass Fran, then by now they would have skipped town. Though, it looks like the lord and his guards are getting fired up, so it¡¯d probably be best for me to hold my tongue for now. It would be rude of me to dampen their enthusiasm.

    ¡°So ck LIghtning Princess,¡± said Marmanno, ¡°would you stay with us until we finish investigating these assassins? I will host you in my mansion and provide you the most luxurious amodations I can offer. We can dine together and trade stories from the battlefield. What say you?¡±

    ¡°Master, what do?¡± asked Fran telepathically.

    ¡°I think we should turn him down. He seems like an honest guy but we don¡¯t have the time to sit around and wait for them to catch a criminal that¡¯s probably no longer in town.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Okay.¡±

    Fran gently declined and we made our way out of the guard tower and through the gates of the city. Once outside, Fran brought out Urushi and mounted him.

    ¡°It looks like we got held up a bit, but whatever. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Ohh!¡±

    Urushi started speeding northwards from Greengoat. He was running faster than normal trying to make up for lost time. After travelling for a few hours, we spotted a river at the foot of the mountain range.

    ¡°Master. Up there. That river.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Right beyond that river is Schwartzkatze. But we shouldn¡¯t cross it just yet.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just in case we¡¯re being tracked by the same dude that sent those assassins. Let¡¯s throw them off our trail.¡±

    I had Urushi double back and head south for a bit before turning eastward and making a wide circle around the vige. Once we were north of the vige, we ran forward for a little ways before ducking behind some bushes. I then teleported all three of us back to where we first saw the river.

    ¡°Alright. That should be good. Let¡¯s cross that river.¡±

    Beyond the river, we found a crossroads with two diverging paths. We took the path going west and followed it until we found a reassuring sight.

    ¡°Master! ck catkin spotted!¡±

 Chapter 282: Villagers Discovered

    <h4>Chapter 282: Vigers Discovered</h4>

    We spotted a group of three ck catkin men on our way to Schwartzkatze walking along the same path as us. Unlike Fran, all three of them were fully grown adults. They looked to be in the midst of returning from gathering firewood as bundles of sticks could be seen attached to the packs on their backs. We approached them from behind and called out to them.

    ¡°Hey,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Wh- Aaaaaaaah!¡± One of the men turned around and then jumped back in fright when he saw Urushi.

    ¡°A monster! A giant wolf¡±

    ¡°Run away!¡±

    The three men dropped the packs they were carrying and ran off into the distance.

    ¡°We messed up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was probably a bad idea to approach with Urushi in his giant wolf form. They¡¯re members of the weakest tribe, so seeing a monster as intimidating as Urushi probably overwhelmed them.¡±

    ¡°What do?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. We should probably chase them down and exin the situation. Things will get hairy if they start reporting that there¡¯s a giant wolf on the prowl.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Also, Urushi we need you to stand by for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Woof¡±

    Fran hopped off of Urushi¡¯s back and had him melt into her shadow. We decided to do the three men we¡¯d just scared a favor and store branches they dropped in our dimensional storage. We ran down the path following their footprints until we saw their tracks split off into three directions. We then decided to start by catching the one closest to us.

    ¡°Fran, go all out.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran d herself in wind magic and used it to boost herself towards the fleeing ck catkin. Shended right in front of him, cutting him off.

    ¡°Hi again.¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    He stumbled back onto the ground. His face rxed momentarily when he saw that Fran was a ck catkin just like him. But then, after looking at her for a couple more seconds, his eyes widened and he began trembling.

    ¡°A- a- a- a-¡­!¡±

    ¡°Nn?

    ¡°Ev¡­!¡±

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°AN EVOLVED BLACK CATKIN?!¡±

    He rushed over to Fran on his hands and knees and grasped her hand tightly.

    ¡°W¡­¡±

    ¡°Speak normally¡±

    ¡°Y-¡­!¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°Would you happen to be the ck Lightning Princess herself!?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    The man copsed onto the ground and burst into tears.

    ¡°It finally happened!¡± he wailed. ¡°One of us has finally evolved! For such a long time we have suffered! It was almost as if we were cursed by misfortune itself, but finally we have someone from our tribe that has a promising future. Uwaaaaaaah!¡±

    His reaction was the most extreme out of all the beastkin we have met. Probably because he himself suffered under the curse the gods have put on the ck catkin. He can probably tell she¡¯s a ck Heavenly Tigerkin because they¡¯re from the same tribe.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about all the trouble I have caused you,¡± he said, after calming down.

    ¡°Nn, no problem.¡±

    ¡°Also, if you could go get the other two that are still running away. They are probably way too far away for me to catch them.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Fran used wind magic to boost herself to the other two ck catkin and retrieved them. Both showed simr reactions to the first.

    ¡°You are our savior! I will follow you forever!¡± one wailed.

    ¡°I-I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life!¡± dered the other.

    They look like kittens admiring a local badass.

    After reuniting the three ck catkin, we asked them if they could lead us to Schwartzkatze.

    ¡°It would be an honor to guide you to the vige,¡± said one of the ck catkin. ¡°Let me return first and inform them that you areing.¡± He seemed to want to leave immediately, but Fran stopped him before he did.

    ¡°Here,¡± said Fran, taking the dropped firewood out of her dimensional storage and handing it over to the remaining two ck catkin.

    ¡°Ohh! Thank you very much!¡±

    ¡°You are so generous! Now we don¡¯t have to go back to that forest!¡±

    ¡°Was that space/time magic? I thought that was the stuff of legends. As expected of the ck Lightning Princess!¡±

    After taking his firewood back from her, the man that¡¯d offered to act as a messenger kicked off and started running back to the vige.

    If this was back in Japan they probably would have asked her to autograph the firewood.

    ¡°Oh. Broughtpanion,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t see him.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Can call him?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Thepanion of the ck Lightning Princess must surely be a person worthy of our respect.¡±

    ¡°Urushi¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Gyaaaaah! It¡¯s a wolf.¡±

    ¡°Run away!¡±

    The two ck catkin fell back when they saw Urushi in his small form. Despite no longer being a giant wolf, they were still frightened by him. Fran quickly managed to calm them down and we were able to resume our journey.

    ¡°Why so frightened?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Normal wolves are a danger for us,¡± said one of the men. ¡°And it¡¯s really obvious from his fur that yourpanion is not a normal wolf but a monster. Of course we would be scared!¡±

    ¡°My bad,¡± said Fran. ¡°Big wolf from before, also Urushi.¡±

    ¡°Really? We should tell the vigers that the giant wolf that was spotted is not a threat. I¡¯ll run off ahead and let them know!¡± A second ck catkin ran off, leaving thest one to escort us.

    As we walked the remaining ck catkin started talking about Schwartzkatze. He exined that currently the poption of the vige was around 300 people. About 90% of them were ck catkin, mostly civilians. The other 10% were guards, adventurers, and their families. The Beast Lord had personally arranged to have the vige constructed. He ordered a solid wooden wall to be built, which is normally umon for such a remote vige.

    He seems to be treating the ck cat tribe really well. Though, a part of me feels as if he¡¯s just doing it to make Kiara happy.

    We started to see the wooden walls emerge from beyond the horizon after walking along the road for about ten minutes. Standing in front of the wooden gate were three people. Two of them were the ck catkin that ran off ahead of us. Thest one was an elderly ck catkin with a hunched back. The elderly man approached Fran,pletely ignoring Urushi.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Ohhhhhhhh! It¡¯s true! She really has evolved!¡± he said with wide eyes.

    ¡°See? I told you so, chief¡± said one of the ck catkin.

    ¡°And you think I could possibly believe that a member of our tribe had evolved?¡±

    ¡°But His Majesty the Beast Lord already sent us a messenger telling us exactly that, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°And you are telling me that youpletely believed that? That every fibre of your being believed those words and didn¡¯t harbor even the slightest amount of doubt?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    It seems like not all the ck catkin believed the news that one of their tribe members had evolved. The thinking that ¡®it is impossible for ck catkin to evolve¡¯ was so deeply embedded into their minds that they couldn¡¯t even believe the words of the Beast Lord himself.

    Fran stepped forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± she said. ¡°Have evolved.¡±

    Hearing those words and seeing her appearance, the vige chief began to tremble. He finally was able to believe the reality in front of him.

    ¡°So does that mean the requirements for evolving that they told us are true?¡± asked the chief. ¡°That all you have to do is defeat 1000 evil beings?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Hooray! I thought it was too good to be true! But now more of us really can evolve.¡±

    It took us a while to calm the excited vige chief down.

    ¡°Well, it seems like they are happy you came, which is good, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Woof.¡±

 Chapter 283: Hero or Idol?

    <h4>Chapter 283: Hero or Idol?</h4>

    The vige chief danced around for a bit before settling down and guiding us into the vige. A huge mass of people crowded around the area in front of the gate. There were at least two hundred ck catkin gathered around us. Despite thatrge number, the crowd was awfully quiet. We could hear some murmuring alongside the asional sob, but nobody was cheering or shouting. Most of the vigers were stunned in silence.

    One of the ck catkin in front of us knelt onto the ground. He sped his hands together in prayer and stared fervently at Fran, as if she was the Messiah. One by one, the other ck catkin around him followed suit. It didn¡¯t take long for the entire crowd to begin praying, with Fran as the object of their worship. The bizarre atmosphere left Fran and I bewildered.

    ¡°People, people, stop it,¡± said the vige chief. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that you are bothering the ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    The people around Fran awkwardly got to their feet, though they did still continue to send her their ardent stares.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± said the vige chief. ¡°As far as we ck catkin are concerned, you may as well be a walking miracle. Everyone¡¯s just acting like this because seeing you has moved their hearts. Could you forgive them?¡±

    ¡°Nn. No problem.¡±

    As if Fran¡¯s voice was a signal, the crowd started to buzz.

    ¡°Oh my god, she talked!¡±

    ¡°Her voice is so adorable!¡±

    ¡°She is truly divine!¡±

    ¡°Mommy, how do I be like her?¡±

    The people around us were talking excitedly. They were treating Fran more like a famous idol than an adventurer or warrior. The crowd rapidly closed in on her. Everyone was trying to get a closer look at her all at once.

    ¡°Enough!¡± shouted the chief. He waved his hands, shooing the crowd away. ¡°I must show her our vige¡¯s hospitality. If you would please follow me, ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    The crowd parted and allowed the chief to lead us to a slightlyrger house in the middle of the vige. Arge group of ck catkin trailed behind us. Most of them were kids, so I half expected them to call out to us. But none of them did. It was obvious from the looks in their eyes that they were too busy admiring Fran to remember how to use their voices.

    When we got to the chief¡¯s house he sat us down and then personally brewed Fran a cup of tea. A bunch of ck catkin crowded outside the window, watching her drink. I could sense that a lot more had their ears pressed to the walls.

    ¡°I apologize for being unable to serve you anything better,¡± said the chief.

    ¡°Nn. Not problem. Tasty,¡± said Fran, after taking a sip.

    ¡°Ohhhh! That¡¯s good to hear! Thank you for your kind words!¡±

    The people outside the house cheered.

    ¡°These tea leaves were produced by this vige. Everyone will be honored to hear that you enjoyed them.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I hope Fran wasn¡¯t just providing them with lip service. What would they have done if she said it was bad? Probably have someone run off and buy expensive tea.

    ¡°Now then.¡± The chief sat down. ¡°May I ask the reason for your visit?¡±

    ¡°Not much,¡± said Fran. ¡°Just wanted to see ck catkin vige.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see!¡± The chief smiled as he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s an honor for you to show interest in us. Please let me offer you my home for you to stay the night. There are no inns in this vige and my house is the biggest here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just a few days. Will camp outside.¡±

    ¡°Nononono! How could I possibly allow the ck Lightning Princess herself to stay outdoors? Please, make yourself at home.¡±

    ¡°Really? Thanks.¡±

    ¡°If there is anything else you need, please feel free to let me know.¡±

    This is a little troubling. We didn¡¯te here to impose on the vige. Rather, we came here to see if there was anything we could do to help.

    ¡°Tell if any trouble,¡± said Fran. ¡°Will help with anything.¡±

    ¡°I am truly happy to hear those words,¡± said the chief. ¡°But we could could not possibly ask that of you, who has already brought so much hope to our tribe.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± insisted Fran. ¡°Tell me. Any monster problems?¡±

    ¡°We are in a secluded area that doesn¡¯t see many monsters,¡± he exined, ¡°so they haven¡¯t been a threat for a while. We have the beast lord to thank for finding us this location. Thend isn¡¯t very fertile, and it¡¯s hard to grow crops, but at least we can live here in peace. That said,¡± he paused, ¡°could I ask one thing of you?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Happy to do anything¡±

    ¡°Can you show our young ones how strong you are?¡±

    ¡°Combat prowess?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It isn¡¯t possible for us old folk to hunt 1000 evil beings. We¡¯re just too old. But the younger generation has a chance. I would really appreciate it if you could show them that it¡¯s possible for us ck catkin to be more than just the weakest tribe. You may even be able to inspire them to go out and hunt evil beings for themselves.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Got it. Right now, tribe a little cowardly.¡±

    ¡°Great! I¡¯m d to hear it!¡±

    The ck catkin outside of the house started kicking up a fuss right as we wrapped up the conversation. Themotion grew louder and louder until they were shouting with their voicesced with panic. And before long, someone began violently knocking on the chief¡¯s door.

    ¡°Chief! Chief are you in? It¡¯s an emergency!¡± the person shouted.

    The chief hurried to the door and opened it.

    ¡°What is going on? You are being loud,¡± said the chief.

    ¡°Chief it¡¯s bad! Goblins! We sighted goblins nearby the vige!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so panicked? We have the guards. What are they doing?¡±

    ¡°This is more than the guards can handle!¡± shouted the man at the doorway. ¡°There are over 20 goblins!¡±

    ¡°What did you say? That¡¯s way too many! Schwartzekatze is doomed!¡±

    Hmm? Is twenty goblins alot? Maybe for a small vige, I guess, but their reaction is totally overblown.

    Fran stood up.

    ¡°Will handle them,¡± she said. ¡°Will show my strength.¡±

    ¡°Will you really take care of it for us?¡± asked the chief nervously.

    ¡°Nn. Have some people follow. Will put on a show.¡±

    ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll send some promising fellows your way.¡±

    The chief nodded and dashed out the house in a hurry.

 Chapter 284: A Look into How Black Catkin Are Treated In Modern Times

    <h4>Chapter 284: A Look into How ck Catkin Are Treated In Modern Times</h4>

    A single red dogkin guard led Fran and a group of around thirty ck catkin towards the area that the goblins were spotted. All of the ck catkin were carrying weapons, albeit crude ones. Some were stuck with just sticks or farm tools. They all wore timid expressions on their faces and their eyes nervously darted all over the ce.

    What the hell? Why are they being so paranoid? All they have to do is sit around and watch Fran kill twenty goblins. Is it because they¡¯re so used to running away that they find it unthinkable for them to knowingly approach a group of monsters of their own ord?

    ¡°Anyone,bat experience?¡± asked Fran.

    The ck catkin all shook their heads vigorously.

    ¡°Never sent to fight Bashar?¡± asked Fran

    ¡°No we were never sent,¡± answered a ck catkin. ¡°The beastkin country doesn¡¯t conscript ck catkin. Our tribe¡¯s too weak to fight.¡±

    ¡°Other tribes noints?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t. All the other tribes consider us a nuisance on the battlefield. They all say ¡®don¡¯t bothering¡¯. We couldn¡¯t contribute anything at all even if we did insist on joining.¡±

    ¡°Before we were actually used as meatshields,¡± said another ck catkin. ¡°But that was in the past when very was still a thing. The Beast Lord quickly banned the practice once he freed all of us. We are grateful to him for that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. So basically, outside of being a meatshield, we are useless in a fight.¡±

    I was expecting that there would be at least one or two decent warriors among the ck catkin living in the beastkin country. There¡¯s a whole ton of them living here, after all. But looks like I was wrong. Rather, the exceptional ck catkin seemed to be those that travelled outside the beastkin country like Fran¡¯s parents or Kiara. The ck catkin that live here are so cowardly that it¡¯s almost kinda heartbreaking.

    ¡°Treated poorly?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°Not really anymore. Before, when we were ves, times were tough. But now that we are free, the other tribes don¡¯t harm us directly anymore. But they still look down on us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we look down upon you,¡± chimed in the red dogkin leading the expedition. ¡°You know how it is. ck catkin being weak is just a fact. Like how the sky is blue and the grass is green. Common sense says that it¡¯s only natural for ck catkin to be weak.¡±

    Judging by his expression, he really doesn¡¯t think anything malicious about the ck catkin. It¡¯s just that he grew up believing that the whole race was weak. The idea was probably reinforced by the fact that all the tribes except the ck catkin were capable of evolution.

    ¡°But looking at you makes me feel like I should reconsider, ¡± said the red dogkin. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see you in action.¡±

    The guard seemed to acknowledge that ck catkin did in fact have potential, but sadly, his opinion didn¡¯t seem particrly widespread. Fran¡¯s strength didn¡¯t look like it would change everyone¡¯s perception of the ck catkin race as a whole.

    15 minutes after departing from Schwartzkatz, we arrived at the area where the goblins were spotted. We found ourselves in a wilderness sparsely popted by trees. The soil in the area around the ck catkin vige was poor. It simply didn¡¯t have enough nutrients to support a dense woond.

    ¡°This ce, huh,¡± remarked one of the ck catkin.

    ¡°This ce? Something wrong?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°You see, there was a period of time that we wanted to cultivate crops and such around here,¡± he exined. ¡°Since our race is weak, we didn¡¯t have the manpower to deforest the entire area around the vige. We could only cut down a few trees at a time and try to make do with a small area. When we found this clearing, we thought we would be able to build some big farms here, but it turned out that the soil was not fertile enough to grow anything.¡±

    The ck catkin around him looked sadly at the ground. He continued.

    ¡°There are more fertilends a bit further north, but those ces are too cold for us to bear. Also, they are infested with monsters.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of monsters, I see the goblins,¡± said the red dogkin.

    Fran quickly ushered the group to hide behind arge boulder. We spotted the group of goblins marching southwards in a rocky area up ahead. They would definitelye across the vige if they kept their current course. The goblins were equipped with iron armor and were holding metal weapons like swords and spears.

    That¡¯s odd. Goblins usually aren¡¯t that well armed. Most of the time goblins wear loincloths and carry around sticks. At best they tend to have the leather armor that they would loot off adventurers every now and then. But the only time I¡¯ve seen goblins wearing legit armor was back in Alessa during the Goblin Stampede. And even then, the only ones that had it were hobgoblins. Is there supposed to be a dungeon nearby or something?

    ¡°Those goblins are way too well armed,¡± said the red dogkin. ¡°They must have stolen their equipment from a group of bandits or mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°Goblins too weak for that,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°No, not if the group was bigger. If the mercenaries or bandits were too severely outnumbered, the goblins probably could have done them in. It would make sense if that group over there is all that was left of what started off as arger horde.¡±

    ¡°It should still be a cakewalk,¡± I told her telepathically. ¡°These are just still normal goblins, and I am not detecting any reinforcements in the vicinity. Go wreck them.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Fran stepped out from behind the boulder and turned to the crowd of ck catkin behind her.

    ¡°Going now. Will eliminate goblins. Watch me.¡±

    The crowd stared at her nervously.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t go!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t abandon us!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Fran. ¡°Urushi staying here.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi popped out of Fran¡¯s shadow and trotted over to the huddling vigers. Their faces rxed when they saw that the big ck wolf would be guarding them.

    I¡¯m d that the vigers are no longer afraid of Urushi. They warmed up to him after seeing him being friendly and happily interacting with Fran.

    ¡°Will be quick,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Please be safe!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be watching.¡±

    Fran left the vigers and stealthily approached the goblins under the cover of the rocky terrain.

    ¡°You should hold back a bit. You want to demonstrate your strength at an extent that the vigers can actually see it.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Awakening. Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡±

    ck lightning bolts sizzled around Fran¡¯s body. Her tail changed from solid ck to ck with gray stripes and stuck out like a lightning bolt. A cloud of dust to whipped up around her.

    ¡°What did I just say about holding back!?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Cooler this way. Will slowly demonstrate sword skills.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Fran unsheathed me and slowly walked up to the goblins. The goblins noticed her and began eyeing her. Three of them approached her with swords drawn and their tongues hanging from their mouths. With three smooth strokes, Fran cut those goblins down. The remaining goblins, now seeing her as a threat, surrounded her with their weapons ready. Three more goblins lunged at her, but she stabbed the first through the chest after ducking under his blow, then spun around and beheaded the other two as they tried to attack her back. To the onlookers, she moved so effortlessly and gracefully that it looked like she was performing a dance.

    ¡°Welp. The goblin¡¯s formation is already starting to copse. Wait. Doesn¡¯t that one on the ground look more nicely dressed than the others? You probably defeated their leader without even noticing.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Will use shy magic now.¡±

    While the goblin¡¯s were caught between either fighting or fleeing, Fran fired Tri-Explosion towards the edge of the goblin¡¯s formation. There was a great sh of light and one goblin was instantly vaporized. The two around him were blown a great distance away, their charred bodies tumbling on the rocky ground.

    The remaining eleven goblins turned around and fled at full speed. But Fran was too quick for them.

    ¡°Stun Bolt. Stun Bolt. Stun Bolt.¡±

    ¡°Gyaaooooh!¡±

    ¡°Gyoooaaoo!¡±

    Fran paralyzed the leftover goblins by firing weak lightning magic at them. After the final goblin hit the ground, Fran inspected their convulsing bodies.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill them?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Will make others finish them off.¡±

    ¡°Oh nice idea! That¡¯s a great way to give them some confidence and experience.¡±

    ¡°Nn,¡± she said smugly.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe now. You should go get them.¡±

    As we walked back towards the group of huddling ck catkin, I took onest look at the twitching goblins.

    I hope that the ck catkin have the guts to finish them off. Hopefully their feral and ferocious side hasn¡¯t beenpletely extinguished.

 Chapter 285: A Crash Course on Killing Goblins

    <h4>Chapter 285: A Crash Course on Killing Goblins</h4>

    We returned to the boulder where all the other beastkin were hiding. There, we found everyone was staring at us with stunned expressions on their faces.

    ¡°Everyone, over here,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The group obediently followed Fran. They began to murmur the moment they saw the many goblins that been strewn across the undergrowth.

    ¡°Amazing!¡±

    ¡°As expected of the ck Lightning Princess!¡±

    ¡°Man! Evolved ck catkin are awesome!¡±

    ¡°Now I get why there is so much hype around evolving.¡±

    The red dogkin guard approached Fran.

    ¡°I was right not to judge you like other ck catkin,¡± he said. ¡°You really do live up to your reputation.¡±

    He kept his expression calm andposed, but his tail was wagging like mad and his eyes were burning with admiration. He was clearly just as excited and impressed as everyone else.

    Suddenly a scream ripped through our surroundings.

    ¡°Aiieee! This one¡¯s still alive¡±

    ¡°What? Oh no! That one is too!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die!!¡±

    The surrounding ck catkin finally noticed that some of the goblins were still breathing. They all paled at the thought that they were casually standing around monsters that were still alive.

    ¡°Left alive for you,¡± said Fran. ¡°Finish them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Letting you kill,¡± repeated Fran.

    ¡°What!? Why?¡±

    The ck catkin responded with shock. Many even seemed devastated. It was almost as if they thought Fran had betrayed them.

    ¡°Goblins, evil beings. Kill for evolution. Also confidence, ¡± said Fran.

    None of the ck catkin responded. They all just continued staring at her in mute horror.

    Well, they¡¯ve probably never held weapons before, so they probablyck the mental strength to instantly kill something onmand. The most they¡¯ve probably done is hunt. They don¡¯t have the strong, warrior-like mentality shared by Fran and most other beastkin.

    ¡°Quick,¡± chided Fran. ¡°Paralysis running out.¡±

    ¡°Oh lord!¡±

    ¡°You three!¡± She pointed at three young ck catkin at the edge of the group. ¡°Do it.¡±

    The three ck catkin jumped back in surprise, almost dropping their weapons.

    ¡°No way! Hitting monsters is scary!.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll Do it tomorrow. I promise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never held a weapon in my life! Please spare me!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Fran took an intimidating step forward. ¡°Do it. Now.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Paralysis wearing out.¡±

    ¡°Anything but that!¡±

    ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± One of the young ck catkin lurched forward towards the goblins. His fear had buckled under Fran¡¯s intimidating re.

    ¡°You two. Follow him,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Oh god, why did ite to this?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got no choice but to do it.¡±

    Goblins are the Evil God¡¯s subordinates. If anything, it would be morally wrong not to kill them off. I¡¯m sure these ck catkin understand that. Their fear probably stems from the idea of raising a weapon and inflicting harm on another living being.

    The three ck catkin positioned themselves around of a single copsed goblin. Each raised his weapon above his head and prepared to swing. Their faces were covered in sweat.

    ¡°Now swing!¡±

    The three ck catkin shut their eyes and brought their swords down. There was a ng as the swords bounced off the goblin¡¯s armor. The goblin let out a painful screech. Hearing it caused the three ck catkin to yelp and scramble back behind Fran.

    What the hell! That attack was so weak! Forget about cutting down goblins. Holy sheet, you can¡¯t even till the earth with that kind of swing. Their fear is really hampering their abilities.

    ¡°Nn. Put hips into swing,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Again. Use hips. Like this,¡± she said, swinging me a few times.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this! I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡±

    ¡°You gotta do it man. Come on! Don¡¯t leave us hanging.¡±

    Overpowered by Fran¡¯s forceful aura, the three of them once again stood in front of a goblin, raised their swords, and swung them down. This time, they followed through with their entire body and also they actually aimed for the head and other exposed parts. It took them a good thirty seconds, but they eventually managed to kill it.

    ¡°Haa¡­hahh¡­¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Did we¡­ do it¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Good job. Goblin dead,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Hell yeeaaaah!¡±

    The three of them raised their hands and let out a cheer! They huddled together and started crying, their joy showing clearly on their faces.

    Fran stepped in before they started getting out of hand.

    ¡°Bad. Getting cocky. Three attackers, one goblin. Still needed 10 swings.,¡± she pointed out. ¡°And goblin immobile. Need one hit kill.¡±

    ¡°Urk¡­ Yeah, I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­she¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Damn. We were getting carried away¡­¡±

    ¡°But not bad for first time,¡± said Fran. ¡°If train and choose skills, can be stronger than goblins.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± the three shouted in unison.

    Fran¡¯s bing a pretty good teacher. She¡¯s employing the carrot and the stick method very effectively, making the ck catkin both fear and worship her.

    ¡°Next three,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±

    The remaining ck catkin all stepped up in groups of three and finished off one goblin each. Most of theter groups had alreadypleted their mental preparations by the time they were called. They knew it wasing; they¡¯d already watched theirrades perform the very same act. Few resisted as much as the first group. The ck catkin began noisily chattering the moment thest goblin fell.

    ¡°The ck Lightning Princess says I gained a level!¡±

    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­ That¡¯s not fair! She let you hit its head! All I did was smack its feet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna totally start training when I get back home!¡±

    ¡°You do that. I¡¯m totally done with this. I can¡¯t handle any more.¡±

    Fran rounded up the vigers.

    ¡°Okay. No more monsters around. Returning to vige,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Okay, but what about the corpses?¡±

    ¡°Will hold onto them for now.¡±

    Fran walked over and swiftly ced the corpses into my dimensional storage before turning around and leading the group back to the vige.

 Chapter 286: A Banquet with the Black Catkin

    <h4>Chapter 286: A Banquet with the ck Catkin</h4>

    The ck catkin were fired up. They continued excitedly conversing with one another as we made our way back to the vige. Content wise, their conversations were rather serious. They were earnestly trying to form parties and learn more about areas in which they could hunt evil beings. Schwarzekatze¡¯s surroundings were almostpletely devoid of monsters, so their only choices were either to head towards the capital or set sail for Gilbard, the continent Fran and I had juste from.

    I¡¯m d they¡¯re motivated, but I¡¯m also kind of worried. They¡¯ll probably die if they push themselves too hard right off the bat. We might¡¯ve stirred them up a bit too much.

    ¡°Might be a good idea for you to hang around Schwartzekatze and train these guys up a bit.¡±

    ¡°But then won¡¯t make to auction.¡±

    Fran shook her head disapprovingly.

    ¡°Yeah, I know, but I¡¯m kinda worried they¡¯ll go out and just get themselves killed without actually getting anything done, y¡¯know?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t stay. Need to keep promise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure if you can call what happened making a promise. I know Gallus left us a letter and whatnot, but we never sent him a reply. We technically didn¡¯t promise anyone anything.¡±

    ¡°Still no.

    ¡°Well¡­ if you say so.¡±

    Fran firmly rejected my suggestion and left no room for negotiation. She could get surprisingly stubborn when it came to things like this. The young ck catkin hated being wishy washy. She¡¯d always stick to anything she decided on without so much as a second thought. There was no point in arguing with her, so I gave my metaphorical shoulders a shrug andid off.

    I wanted her to take care of the other ck catkin, but I wasn¡¯t about to make her go back on her word. The strength of her resolve was one of the most charming things about her, after all.

    The ck catkin that¡¯d apanied us in the assault began bragging about their exploits the moment we returned to the vige. They talked about how they¡¯d killed goblins, and how they¡¯d witnessed Fran¡¯s heroic disy of strength. Each and every single one of them had their voices filled with both pride and fervor. Even those that¡¯d decided never to fight again spoke well of the encounter.

    Witnessing the invigorated youth, the vige¡¯s chief bowed to Fran.

    ¡°Thank you, ck Lightning Princess.¡± His voice dripped with gratitude and delight.

    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°Not big deal.¡± Fran shrugged.

    ¡°It is to us. Our tribe has finally gained the vigour and determination itcked. None of this would have been possible without you. I must thank you for everything that you¡¯ve done. You make us proud to be ck catkin.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Fran, with a nod.

    She stopped for a moment to open up her dimensional storage and extract a portion of its contents. Specifically, she took out all the armour she¡¯d just looted off the goblins.

    ¡°This, can leave here?¡±

    All of it was made out of iron. As far as veterans were concerned, the stuff was useless. But it was still pretty damned goodpared to what most fresh adventurers could get their hands on.

    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t quite follow. What do you mean?¡± The chief scratched the back of his head as he gazed at her with a clear look of confusion.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re offering to give it to us!? We couldn¡¯t possibly ept it. I¡¯m sure it would make a fair amount of money if sold, so you¡¯d best hold onto it.¡±

    ¡°Not big deal. Have enough money.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Can we really have all of it!?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much! I¡¯ll make sure the viger¡¯s youngers put it to good use!¡±

    ¡°Nn. Good. Then this too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re giving us all that!?¡±

    The chief¡¯s eyes practically bulged out of his sockets as Fran dumped a bunch of the equipment we¡¯d been keeping around in her storage. We¡¯d looted it from the corpses of goblins, bandits, pirates, and everything else we¡¯d killed on our journey. Most of it was busted up, but none of it was beyond repair. The leather stuff could just be stitched back together, whereas the metal stuff could be melted down and reforged.

    The reason we hadn¡¯t sold it any of it was because the guild only dealt in monster parts. Armour and the like needed to be taken to stores and merchants, and neither Fran nor I had really wanted to go through the trouble of selling it all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need this. Can¡¯t be bothered to sell. Would be d if you took.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡±

    The chief began tearing up. He¡¯d interpreted Fran¡¯s actions as generosity, and her words as a pretext.

    He seems really moved. It¡¯s kind of a shame that Fran was actually telling the truth. She only decided to give him all that stuff because she was toozy to sell it.

    ***

    And so, the rest of the day passed by rather peacefully. That night, Schwartzekatze held a banquet. The town threw a huge party, all for the sake of weing Fran. Theirnd was infertile, so we didn¡¯t really quite understand where they were getting the money or supplies to hold the event.

    The chief informed us that he was nning to use up the vige¡¯s emergency rations. Of course, there was no way we could possibly allow that. We¡¯de to visit, not drain the vige of its assets. We ended up supplying all the food instead. There was a lot of stuff in our storage. We had meat, vegetables, grains, eggs, and fish from all over the ce.

    At first, the ck catkin had been hesitant to use our foodstuffs. In fact, they¡¯d even tried to refuse, but Fran eventually forced them toply by exining that she really needed to clean up the gigantic mess that was her inventory. She told them that she had so much food it would literally be impossible for her to ever finish it all, and that she needed Schwartzekatze¡¯s vigers to help her polish it off.

    Again, the chief ended up choking back tears of joy. He¡¯d thought of Fran as a sort of hero from the very start, but now, he¡¯d begun seeing her as something even more than just that.

    The chief¡¯s wife had actually taught us a recipe for a traditional ck catkin stew. The taste was apparently kind of mediocre, but I still found it rather interesting because of the way it was made. It¡¯d been cooked in an oddly shaped pot. Therge vat was thick as a wall, and had the overall shape of a bnce ball. Cooking in it had warmed up the entire room, likely due to something along the lines of the far infrared effect.

    The meat and root vegetables that filled the pot softened extremely quickly. The vige chief¡¯s wife had added two main seasonings: salt, and a fermented seasoning that kind of resembled soy sauce. She then just let the pot sit above an open fire and let it stew, asionally stirring until it was thick and syrupy.

    All in all, it turned out like something along the lines of a Japanese-styled stew. I decided to not only memorize the recipe, but also improve on it going forward so I could make Fran a tastier version of the soup that¡¯d fed her people for generations.

    The chief¡¯s wife had been curious about our recipes as well, so we taught her how to make stock, specifically from bones and vegetables.

    She hadn¡¯t been the only one cooking up a storm. Many other vigers had joined in as well. There ended up being a whole ton of food, as one would expect from a banquet. All the vigers were super excited to see the sheer amount they had to eat.

    They kicked off the banquet by practically worshipping Fran. Many of the ck catkin danced as they sang the songs they would always repeat when faced with hardship.

    At first, the atmosphere had almost been solemn. But as the hour passed, people started getting drunk. They cheered up and started getting all festive. They drank together, sung out of tune songs, and danced in a jolly manner that starkly contrasted the reverent atmosphere the banquet had started with.

    Though many were dead drunk, the vigers failed to forget their appreciation. They started crowding around Fran; everyone wanted to thank her at least once.

    They all left the circle as soon as they spoke their words of appreciation but the number of people gathered around her didn¡¯t decrease in the slightest. In fact, more and more started lining up and crowding around her as the booze started getting to them.

    ¡°You okay, Fran?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Fine.¡± She seemed happy.

    Right, to her, this must be a dreame true. She¡¯s always wanted to evolve, both for her own sake, and for her tribe¡¯s.

    The many ck catkin continued to sing throughout the night with smiles on their faces. Fran stayed quiet, and her expression remained as usual, but I could tell that being the centre of attention had brought her joy.

    I really want to encourage Fran to hang around for a bit longer, but I know she won¡¯t change her mind. I¡¯ve no doubt she¡¯ll tell me that she wants to leave in a few days. But you know what, it¡¯s fine. All that matters is that she enjoys the time she spends here.

 Chapter 287: Ms. Franâ€™s Magic Course

    <h4>Chapter 287: Ms. Fran¡¯s Magic Course</h4>

    The banquet had evidently exhausted Fran quite a bit. She got out of bed a good bitter than usual the next day. There wasn¡¯t anything in particr for her to do, so she started wandering around the vige after eating her fill.

    Everyone Fran passed bowed to her. The action was a clear indication of their reverence. This respect was most obvious in the older folk, as many even took to their knees the moment theyid eyes on her.

    ¡°It sure is quiet around here.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Just fields, nothing else.¡±

    Schwartzekatze was a farming vige. The many ck catkin that lived here spent their days tilling the fields. Only a select few were hunters; most of the vige¡¯s meat came from peddlers and travelling merchants. And since the vige was poor, it couldn¡¯t afford to buy much, so most of its members basically ended up being herbivores.

    The younglings were especially thin and frail. Their frames were socking in meat that I was worried whether they would actually be capable of living on given how infertile the surroundingnd was. It didn¡¯t look to me like they were capable ofsting.

    Most of the older ck catkin had lived through the previous Beastlord¡¯s reign. Though they were still cowardly, they¡¯d known that they were going to be used as decoys and meatshields, so they¡¯d at least built up their muscle mass and whatnot. They were unlike the youngsters, that¡¯d known that they¡¯d never need to step on the battlefield. That,bined with the fact that they thought they were weak, had totally robbed them of the will to strengthen themselves.

    That was why they¡¯d spent their lives slowly tilling away at the fields. And that was why they¡¯d never learned ambition. None of them had ever considered trying to evolve prior to Fran¡¯s advent.

    Those that did want to evolve needed to kill a thousand evil beings. But of course, that wasn¡¯t the only restriction, it was merely the one ced upon them as punishment. They still needed to hit level 45 before they could actually awaken. And the way I saw it, none of the tribes members had possessed the conviction to go through that muchbat.

    Despite that, Fran wasn¡¯t worried, and for good reason. Unlike me, she¡¯d known of the issue from the start. I was sure that she not only thought about it, but also came to the conclusion that it was impossible for the tribe¡¯s attitude to take a sudden 180. It seemed that she didn¡¯t expect any other ck catkin to evolve within the next few years. It was possible that it¡¯d even take several decades for one to fulfill all the necessary conditions.

    ¡°Want to do one thing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Want to teach magic training method.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    All one needed to do to evolve was kill a thousand evil beings and cap out their level. But all that would do was turn one into a ck Tigerkin. To be ck Heavenly Tigerkin, it was necessary to not only learn lightning magic, but also boost one¡¯s MGC and AGI stats. Grinding out stats wasn¡¯t too hard. All you had to do was work stat specific training segments into your routine, and you¡¯d more or less be home free. Lightning magic, however, was much more difficult to obtain. Casting lightning magic required not just an affinity for the element, but also a high level in both fire and wind magic. It would be very unlikely for another ck Heavenly Tigerkin to pop up unless the ck Cat Tribe trained its younger members in the art of magecraft. Fran knew that leaving behind the techniques required for such an act would benefit her species greatly.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t see why not. Go for it.¡±

    Amanda had taught us everything we needed to know about magic-oriented training. I was confident we would be able to pass that knowledge on so long as we bundled it with a few hands-on examples. And so, Fran began to search for the vige¡¯s chief. The vige was fairly small, so it didn¡¯t take long for her to catch sight of him discussing something with a bunch of the tribe¡¯s younger members, a serious expression decorating his face all the while.

    ¡°Chief. Morning.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, ck Lightning Princess.¡±

    ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s just fine, thank you. A few of the youngsters had said they wanted to start training, so they came to me for advice, and we were talking it through.¡±

    The youngers in question were ones whose faces I recognized. They were members of the group that¡¯d joined Fran on her goblin-ying expedition.

    ¡°We want to get strong!¡± one said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll actually ever manage to evolve, but I want to try. I¡¯m sick of just running away,¡± imed another.

    ¡°As for me, I¡¯d just like to get strong enough to at least protect myself and everyone else around me,¡± added a third.

    It looks like Fran really did seed in influencing them.

    Hearing their opinions led my cat earedpanion to contently nod before opening her mouth to speak.

    ¡°Got it. Good timing. Had idea.¡±

    ¡°I might be pushing our luck here, but are you perhaps willing to train them?¡± asked the chief.

    ¡°Kind of? Will teach how to learn magic.¡±

    ¡°How wonderful!¡±

    The ck Cat Tribe as a whole had long forgotten the techniques required to awaken one¡¯s magical talents. And because of that, its members thought that gaining the ability to cast magic would be akin to living a dream.

    ¡°I-Is it really possible for us to learn magic?¡± asked the chief.

    ¡°Probably. Not all will have affinity.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but some will, right?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Wind and fire probablymon.¡±

    Lightning magic was effectively the ck cat tribe¡¯s speciality, so it only made sense for many of their members to have an affinity for fire and wind.

    ¡°Anyone already can use magic?¡± asked Fran.

    If such a person existed, then we could make the task easier on ourselves by turning them into the vige¡¯s mage instructor. Unfortunately, it seemed we¡¯d gotten our hopes up. The chief had responded by telling us that there was simply no way a vige as rural as Schwartzekatze would be home to a magic caster. Mages were in high demand all over. There was no reason for anyone with that much talent to stay an area surrounded by nothing but infertilend.

    ¡°Ok. Then gather vigers.¡±

    ¡°Right away! I¡¯ll grab everyone avable!¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ª¡±

    Fran tried to tell the chief that there wasn¡¯t any issue in waiting until the vigers were done with the day¡¯s work, but he ran off before she could.

    It only took ten minutes for him to return. He¡¯d ended up gathering almost 200 ck catkin. They were gathered and seated around Fran, their eyes full of hope and anticipation. Every singlest one of the vigers was present, save for those that absolutely couldn¡¯t leave their posts.

    ¡°Will teach how to train magic,¡± said Fran, nonchntly.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Most of the ck catkin replied at once. Their voices thundered throughout the vige at a volume I¡¯d never imagined possible from a group as timid as they were.

    ¡°Fire first.¡±

    And so, Fran¡¯s lecture began. Its contents pretty much mirrored what Amanda had told her when she was just starting out. She told them to work with fire and me on a daily basis, to stare at it, approach it, and even touch it while resolving oneself to be burnt. She exined to the tribe¡¯s members that they needed to ustom themselves with fire to the extent of seeing it in their dreams if they wished to cast fire magic.

    Hearing her exnation had caused the entire ck cat tribe to go silent.

    I guess the training must¡¯ve sounded too harsh and fanatical.

    The only one to speak was the chief.

    ¡°And doing that will allow us to learn how to cast fire magic?¡±

    ¡°Nn. If affinity.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll prepare a ce for our tribe¡¯s members to train immediately.¡±

    I¡¯d thought that Fran would have to give a bit more insight into the theory for the tribe¡¯s members to actually believe her, but I was wrong. They¡¯d all easily been convinced. They didn¡¯t worry about whether or not they would actually be able to tolerate the training. Nor did they concern themselves with its effectiveness. They simply took in every word she said and believed her.

    ¡°Next, wind.¡±

    Fran continued exining everything away in her usual tone. The tribe was getting riled up despite the fact that she herself didn¡¯t sound particrly excited or enthusiastic. They continued listening to her until her lecture came to an end, their eyes filled with a fiery passion throughout.

 Chapter 288: Village Chief Franâ€¦?

    <h4>Chapter 288: Vige Chief Fran¡­?</h4>

    Many of Schwartzekatze¡¯s ck catkin sat down by a fire or began fanning themselves the moment Fran¡¯s lecture came to an end. She¡¯d not only taught them about the two elements needed for lightning magic, but also about water and earth magic as well. It seemed that the topics had piqued quite a bit of interest here and there, as a couple ck catkin had started practicing the methods she¡¯d mentioned for those two in particr. The vigour with which the vigers trained convinced me that at least one or two mages would end up popping up in due time. Or so I thought, until I¡¯de to a realization.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t they need to get magic maniption to actually cast stuff?¡±

    Amanda had told us that the magic maniption skill was the key to learning magecraft, and I highly doubted that any of Schwartzekatze¡¯s vigers already had the skill. Simply interacting with the magical energy abundant in the natural environments around them wasn¡¯t nearly enough to actually teach them how to manipte mana.

    ¡°Chief.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Stand here.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    The vige chief obediently listened to Fran¡¯s orders and stood himself up right in front of her while she raised a palm and began to focus.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m feeling some sort of strange sensation. What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Using magic.¡±

    She tried seizing control of the chief¡¯s mana through the use of her magic maniption skill. Much to her surprise, it¡¯d worked out surprisingly well. She wasn¡¯t able to gain full control, but she at least managed to gain the ability to mess with it and stir it up.

    ¡°Feel?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can! I can¡¯t tell what it is, but I can feel something!¡±

    ¡°Nn. Magical energy.¡±

    ¡°I see!¡±

    Huh, that¡¯s a pretty solid idea.

    ¡°Nn. Get everyone. Form line.¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡±

    The chief ran around the town square and gathered all the vigers before Fran. It only took them an instant to form a pair of perfectly neat lines.

    And so, both Fran and I got to work. We began manipting the mana within each ck catkin in turn in order to get them ustomed to the flow of mana. Neither of us really knew exactly how effective the action was, but we were convinced that it was at least better than leaving Schwartzekatze¡¯s vigerspletely unaware of what manipting magical energy was supposed to feel like.

    It took us a good bit to go through each and every ck catkin, but neither of us particrly minded it. We didn¡¯t really have anything else to do.

    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± said the chief.

    ¡°Not big deal.¡±

    ¡°It is, for us! You not only taught us that it truly was possible to evolve, but also mentored us in magecraft. We¡¯re so grateful for your actions that we¡¯ve no way to express it!¡±

    A couple other ck catkin chimed in and mentioned that what we¡¯d just taught them would normally be considered top secret information as they nodded along in agreement.

    Magic wasn¡¯t the only thing the vigers were focused on. Some asked Fran questions about swordy as well. There were quite the number of them, so Fran ended up hosting a second lecture not too long after she was done with the first, one focused on the more physical aspects ofbat.

    She taught them how to hold their des, how to swing them, and what they needed to do to improve. The experience she¡¯d gained from training her three apprentices had really shown. She managed to give effective, meaningful exnations despite still speaking in her usual taciturn manner.

    Thebination of the magic and swordy lectures caused Fran¡¯s poprity to skyrocket and reach even greater heights. It seemed that all of Schwartzekatze adored her. I was pretty sure the chief would be totally willing to hand his position over to her should she ask for it.

    Speaking of which, the chief ended up approaching Fran not too long after she finished answering most of her newfound students¡¯ questions.

    ¡°To be honest, I would love for you to take over as chief so that you could lead our vigers and teach them your ways.¡±

    Holy sheet, I called it.

    ¡°Leaving in few days.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Unfortunately for the vigers, Fran refused. Disappointed expressions immediately appeared on all their faces.

    ¡°But will do best while still here.¡±

    ¡°That sounds both wonderful and awe-inspiring. Thank you!¡±

    The chief perked up and began to sing Fran praises the moment she voiced that she¡¯d be willing to help.

    God damn, I really have to give it to Fran. She¡¯s gotta be one helluva bigshot to remainpletely unaffected by the fact that they¡¯re all worshipping her and sheet.

    Once Fran finished speaking to the chief, she began another training session centered around magic. But unlike the other two, the third training session failed to reachpletion.

    ¡°Chief!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    The red dogkin guard that¡¯d apanied us on the goblin hunt dashed into the town square. He was out of breath and panting as heavily as he could. A single nce was enough to tell that there was once again some sort of emergency.

    ¡°We¡¯ve found another group of goblins!¡±

    ¡°What!? How many of them are there?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only ten, but it isn¡¯t normal for them toe around so often.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ You¡¯re right. That really is weird.¡±

    Wait what? Aren¡¯t goblins supposed to be everywhere anyway? Like, I swear they¡¯re fertile as all hell, so seeing them really shouldn¡¯te as much of a surprise, should it?

    Fran shared my opinion, so she asked the chief, only to learn that there¡¯d never actually been many evil beings in Schwartzekatze¡¯s vicinity to begin with.

    Most of the youngsters that apanied us yesterday had never even seen a goblin before. They were born and raised in Schwartzekatze, where it was, for the most part, peaceful and devoid of creatures hostile to the ck cat tribe. Getting attacked two days in a row was so out of the ordinary that it meant that there was probably something wrong.

    ¡°There might be a nest nearby.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I hope that there isn¡¯t going to be a stampede¡­Schwartzekatze will be in deep trouble if the goblins birth a king.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ We¡¯ll need to find the nest as soon as possible.¡± The red dogkin grimaced.

    If twenty goblins were already more than enough to plunge the vige into despair, then an entire nest was sure to lead to itsplete copse. Or at least it would have, under normal circumstances. Fran was currently in town, and it was highly unlikely for any harm toe to the vige so long as she was around. Schwartzekatze¡¯s vigers were really lucky. They would¡¯ve been screwed had the nest shown up any earlier orter.

    ¡°Chief. Will check surrounding area.¡±

    ¡°Will you really do that for us?¡±

    ¡°Nn. But can¡¯t bring everyone along.¡±

    ¡°I understand. All we¡¯d be good for is dead weight.¡±

    The chief seemed to think that Fran would have a hard time protecting all the other ck catkin midbat, but that wasn¡¯t actually true. We¡¯d long be strong enough to kill a hundred goblins in less than ten minutes, even while keeping everyone that came with us safe.

    The reason we didn¡¯t want to take all the other ck catkin along was because we needed to get around as quickly as possible if we wanted to find the goblin nest. Specifically, we were going to teleport. And since we needed to crush the goblin nest ASAP, we¡¯d judged that it would be much more effective for us to go alone.

    ¡°New goblins, where?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re hovering around the same ce we found themst time.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t let anyone leave vige. Call people out looking back.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I¡¯ll get that done immediately!¡±

    Wow. Fran¡¯s influence sure ising in handy.

    The guard¡¯s obedience allowed us to focus on the matter at hand.

    ¡°Will leave now.¡±

    ¡°Good luck on your hunt.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I know he said good luck, but for some odd reason, I could¡¯ve sworn it sounded kind of like ¡°gob luck.¡± I mean, we¡¯re hunting goblins, so I guess it kinda fits.

    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s to hoping we find that goblin nest sooner thanter.¡±

 Chapter 289: The Goblin Nest

    <h4>Chapter 289: The Goblin Nest</h4>

    Dashing over to where the goblins had been spotted was the first thing Fran did after agreeing to exterminate them. She made sure to keep herself concealed throughout the journey so that she wouldn¡¯t spook her foes before she found them.

    ¡°Master, how to find nest?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll probably have to either find their tracks or tail one of ¡¯em.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°It might be best for us to split up. Urushi, you mind sticking around here and seeing if you can find anything?¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi¡¯s nose was nothing short of impressive. I was willing to bet that he¡¯d be able to find the goblin nest with his sense of smell alone so long as it was nearby.

    ¡°As for us, Fran, we should probably start by hunting the goblins the guard spotted.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Make sure you let a few live so that they can lead us back to their base.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to find the goblins. They weren¡¯t too far from where we¡¯d encountered thest group.

    ¡°Strange.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Taking break?¡±

    ¡°Doubt it¡­¡±

    It almost looked like the goblins were investigating the rocky area, which in and of itself, was already quite odd.

    To make matters even more confusing was the fact that this group of goblins were just as well armed as thest. In fact, their equipment was pretty much identical.

    It was immediately clear to me that they were from the same nest as thest group. The only difference my appraisal skill informed me of was that the second group was even weaker than the first. Thebination of their apparent weakness and their smaller numbers made me feel as if they were rtively low on the chain ofmand; they were probably just your everyday grunts.

    But that raises the question. Just how well off does a horde of goblins need to be to arm every single one of its lowly grunts with this kind of equipment? Like holy sheet, they¡¯re goblins, not knights. God damn!

    ¡°It looks like they really might¡¯ve birthed a king or something¡­No way they¡¯d be this coordinated otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Okay, yeah, it looks like we¡¯re going to have to find that nest and obliterate it ASAP.

    ¡°Start with the leader. If we kill it, then the rest¡¯ll probably start running. We should probably let at least three of them live. There are ten of them, so I guess that means you can kill up to seven.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    I teleported us behind the goblin that appeared to be in charge of the group. Fran swiftly dispatched both it and the one to its side in a single motion.

    ¡°Gyaooo!¡±

    ¡°Gya gya!¡±

    ¡°Slow.¡±

    The goblins realized that they were under attack and attempted to react, but they were unable to. Fran cut down another two while I roasted three with a fire spell.

    All three of the remaining goblins began turning their heads and looking at their allies. Their eyes wandered back and forth between the cut up corpses and the me-broiled corpses before they finally realized that only they had survived our assault.

    ¡°Gyahiii!¡±

    ¡°Gyoeeheee!¡±

    ¡°Hyahohiii!¡±

    The goblins let loose what I assumed to be screams as they turned tail and began to flee. Naturally, we chose not to attack even though they¡¯d made themselves totally vulnerable. We stealthily began to chase after them, ensuring that we remained hidden even while on the move.

    None of the goblins so much as turned around as they sprinted forwards with everything they had. They were so terrified that they pissed their pants and shat themselves as they ran.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± said Fran.

    Those mother foocking goblins! How dare they show Fran something that god damn filthy!? I swear to God that I¡¯m going to ¡°disinfect¡± the sheet out of them the moment they lead us back to their nest.

    The goblins couldn¡¯t sense us, so it didn¡¯t take too long for them toe to the conclusion that we were no longer pursuing them. They slowed themselves down to a fast walk. Though they thought they were safe, they were too terrified to stop, so they continued to advance as they fearfully gazed around.

    They passed a waterskin between each other. The goblins took turns drinking from it as they interacted with each other. Their gestures were strangely human-like.

    Something about this whole scenario just feels¡­ off. I remember chasing Goblins around back when I was still exploring the Demonic Wolf¡¯s ins. These goblins are stupid, but the ones I met back then were even dumber. They¡¯d randomly start ying around and napping, as if they weren¡¯t able to focus on anything for too long.

    ¡°Master. There.¡±

    ¡°Is that their base? It looks like it.¡±

    The nest we discovered looked like it contained somewhere in the realm of a hundred goblins. I saw a couple goblin fighters and thieves mingled in with all the others.

    ¡°There.¡±

    Fran directed my attention towards a specific part of the goblin base.

    ¡°Sheet, is that a goblin king!? God damn, the guards were right!¡±

    Well, at least they¡¯re not hiding away in some cave. Them being out in the open makes getting rid of them much more convenient.

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s weird. They¡¯ve all got the exact same equipment.¡±

    How the hell did that happen? Like, murdering a mercenary group or two isn¡¯t nearly enough to arm an entire group of goblins with the exact same sheet.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if wipe out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, true.¡±

    Fran had a point. King aside, all the goblins were just negligibly weak grunts.

    The three we tailed immediately ran up to the king and began making a sort of report. I couldn¡¯t understand theirnguage, but I didn¡¯t need to. I knew that they were making some sort of report concerning Fran regardless.

    ¡°Well then. Looks like the goblin king¡¯s got balls.¡±

    He immediately began rallying his troops once the three goblins had finished with their report. Based on his gestures, it seemed likely that the king intended to take the whole horde to Fran¡¯s location.

    ¡°We should probably cage them up so none of them get away.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Got it.¡±

    Fran and I both preceded by casting Thunder Wall, the spell that came with Lightning Magic¡¯s second level. The two of us focused our magical energy to create fiverge walls. Specifically, Fran created two, and I created three. They came together to form a sort of pentagon, enclosing all the goblins within. Therge panels of lightning suddenly popped up around the goblins. They were buzzing with electricity, and clearly had the ability to electrocute anything they touched.

    ¡°Gogogyaaaooooh!?¡±

    ¡°Agyaga!¡±

    Wow, colour me impressed.

    The goblin king remained rational as he ordered a subordinate to attack the walls. A goblin soldier immediatelyplied and smashed his axe into the electric fence, only to receive a sudden shock and copse on the spot. Though the soldier hadn¡¯t died, he had temporarily lost his ability to move.

    We then pelted the goblins from the sky with all sorts of lightning magic. Only after they were all dead did we finally undo the cage.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done. I¡¯mma go around absorbing all the cores.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Most of their equipment got damaged by our magic, but I¡¯m pretty sure some of it is at least still useable.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Will put in storage.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, might as well bring it back to the vige.¡±

    Killing the goblins had granted Fran a significant amount of experience. It managed to push her over the threshold.

    ¡°Grats! It looks like you¡¯ve hit level 46.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Fran¡¯s level cap had changed due to her evolution, but only now did we finally actually smash through her old cap. Breaking past level 45 really did imprint a powerful sense of progression. I couldn¡¯t wait to see Fran continue growing to the point where she would be able to overpower even the Beast Lord and everyone else on his level.

 Chapter 290: The Black Catkin Princess

    <h4>Chapter 290: The ck Catkin Princess</h4>

    We decided to give the area another quick check after defeating the goblins. Our goal was to check if there were any scouts or stragglers and hunt them down if there were.

    Urushi joined Fran and aided in her search, but the three of us failed to uncover any clues even after an hour of investigation. We couldn¡¯t even find the nest the goblins had crawled out of. The result left me confused. Normally, goblins dug out massive shelters for theirmunities. Both the goblins Fran and I had worked together to defeat and the stupid ass goblins I¡¯d destroyed back when I first came to this world had possessed huge nests. It didn¡¯t quite make sense for the group we just encountered to live out in the open.

    They couldn¡¯t have just migrated over from elsewhere, right? Nah, no way. There were way too many of them for that.

    As we found ourselves unable to find anything, we ultimately ended up returning to the vige as is.

    We did happen to see a monster called a Chicken Deer along the way, so we eliminated it and brought it along, so we technically didn¡¯t returnpletely empty handed. We at least picked up a half decent souvenir. The deer itself posed little challenge to us. It was extremely cowardly and attempted to turn tail and run the moment it spotted us, but it couldn¡¯te anywhere close to keeping up with Urushi¡¯s speed, so he chased it down and ended it with ease.

    The ck catkin erupted into cheers as Fran arrived in Schwartzekatze. The shy spells we cast were apparently so brilliant and showy that the vigers had seen them from within the walls.

    ¡°What power! Wow! That spell of yours was like a natural disaster in and of itself!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess for you!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s so cool!¡±

    They only became even more excited upon seeing her pull a chicken deer out from her storage.

    ¡°Woah! Holy sheet dude, look at that! She even took out that deer monster all by herself!¡±

    ¡°Ermagawd!¡±

    ¡°I want to marry her!¡±

    ¡°Brought souvenir. For everyone. Eat.¡±

    ¡°I-Is that really okay!?¡± asked the chief.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± The old man began bowing as he thanked her profusely. His voice was tinged with all sorts of emotion. Her actions had clearly moved him. He wasn¡¯t the only one either, as many vigers began bowing and paying her their respects. Despite being a mere F ranked threat, the chicken deer was apparently one of the region¡¯s toughest monsters. Seeing her bring one back had led the vigers to gaze upon her with renewed respect.

    Because they were so fast and eager to run, their horns were actually worth a good bit. The ck catkin would often salvage the horns off chicken deer that had naturally reached the end of their lives and sell them to supplement the vige¡¯s ie.

    ¡°And this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve acquired more armour?¡± The chief¡¯s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. ¡°And so much of it too!¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    A decent portion of the armour we dumped out had melted due to the intense heat of the electrical charges we¡¯d sent pulsing through them, but a good bit of it could still be salvaged and put to use.

    ¡°Only this one barely burnt.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It does seem quite special.¡±

    The set of armour Fran was pointing at was the one worn by the goblin king. Being made of steel, it was a good bit stronger than everything else we gathered. None of the ck catkin present were able to make good use of it as they were right now. It would be much better for the chief to hold onto it until the n¡¯s members grew more powerful. A thick stream of tears burst from the chief¡¯s eyes as Fran exined her intentions.

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll make sure it falls into the hands of someone worthy!¡±

    ***

    The second night, like the first, ended up as a banquet, albeit a much quieter one. The ck catkin were all too focused on magecraft and martial prowess to do anything more than quietly speak amongst themselves.

    Tonight¡¯s main dish was the four meter tall deer Fran had hunted. It wasrge enough to provide every viger with a cut of meat.

    ¡°Here, have some of this.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Try this out too.¡±

    ¡°Nom nom.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t forget to have some tea!¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Many of the female vigers were taking turns serving Fran. She was clearly the party¡¯s guest of honour. They had not only cooked up a storm, but also brewed tea for her because she was too young for alcohol. The manner in which they were bringing Fran her food was reverent; it was almost as if they were handing her offerings.

    ¡°Is the dish to your taste, Princess?¡±

    ¡°What about this one? Would you like to try it, Princess?¡±

    Halfway through the party, the ck catkin stopped referring to Fran as the ck Lightning Princess. They¡¯d instead just started referring to her as just ¡°Princess.¡± As Fran didn¡¯t particrly care either way, she didn¡¯t stop them, so the habit soon spread throughout the vige.

    Oh well, not like anything bad¡¯s going toe out of it. Fran¡¯s more than cute enough to be a princess, so if anything, I¡¯d say the title suits her.

    I¡¯d never actually met the beastkin country¡¯s princess, but I was certain that Fran was cuter than her regardless.

    ¡°We can¡¯t thank you enough for all the equipment you¡¯ve graced us with, Princess,¡± said the vige elder. Even he had given the nickname the green light.

    ¡°Just dumped junk.¡±

    ¡°To us, your ¡®junk¡¯ is an entire mountain of treasure. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have a cksmith present, but we¡¯ll take it over to another nearby vige and have everything repaired as soon as possible so we can distribute your gifts to the vigers.¡±

    ¡°No cksmith here?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately not. He passed away several years ago after being struck by a sudden illness.¡±

    While he did have an apprentice, the apprentice was far too green to be worthwhile, so he temporarily moved to another vige so he could learn from the cksmith there. And because of that, Schwartzekatze was currently cksmithless.

    I guess that means they¡¯ll need to wait a good while before actually putting the stuff we gave them to use.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Sup?¡±

    ¡°Us, do something?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±

    We¡¯d stumbled across a rare chance for us to make use of the cksmithing skill that we¡¯d spent so many points on. Fran had never done anything past just maintaining me, so I was almost certain the opportunity would serve as good practice for her to brush up on her skills.

    ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t see why not.¡±

    ***

    ¡°And here we are. This is the smithy.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need any help?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Because secret techniques.¡±

    ¡°My apologies! I understand, I won¡¯t pry any further!¡± said the chief, enthusiastically.

    Fran nodded. She¡¯d decided to get to work the moment the banquet came to a close, so she¡¯d decided to spend the night in the home that belonged to the former cksmith. Looking inside, we confirmed that it had all the tools we needed.

    ¡°We¡¯ve kept the ce clean, but that¡¯s it, so feel free to use it however you wish.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Princess, please! You¡¯ve no need to thank us. In fact, we should be thanking you!¡±

    We got to work as soon as the chief left. Since we had the cksmithing skill, we were able to do everything we needed to, and quite easily at that. Our first task was converting everything irreparable back to ingots. We¡¯d already finished sorting through everything before actually arriving. We¡¯d handed everything that could be made usable after a bit of maintenance over to the vigers. They had already began the mending process, so I was sure they¡¯d have all sorts of usable gear in the near future.

    All the stuff we brought with us either required a lot of work to fix, or was t out beyond repair. And again, everything was already sorted. The n was to melt down the stuff that was beyond repair and use it to fix the stuff that still had a bit of life left in it.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get to work. Feel free to sleep, Fran.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    ¡°You sure? Well, works for me I guess. Let¡¯s get started together then.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    And so, Fran and I worked the forge together until she started nodding off.

 Chapter 291: A Sword Makes Swords

    <h4>Chapter 291: A Sword Makes Swords</h4>

    I had telekically swung my hammer so many times throughout the night that its methodical, rhythmic ring had be almost natural for me to hear. I was so immersed in the tempo that I could immediately discern when any sound, hammer-rted or not, was off beat. And it was for that exact reason that I was able to pick up on the fact that there was a bit of an odd knocking interfering with my sense of flow.

    ¡°Hey Fran, could you get the door? It seems like we¡¯ve got a visitor.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Luckily, Fran had already gotten out of bed. She was about as far from a morning person as could be, so she would have appeared half asleep if I had to wake her up to open the door. And if that happened, we would¡¯ve been hard pressed to exin why the forge was running so smoothly even though she¡¯d yet to fully awaken. We would¡¯ve had no choice but to y it off as a case of sleepsmithing. You know, like sleepwalking, but with a forge.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Good morning Princess! It¡¯s me, the vige chief!¡±

    Fran opened the door to find the man in charge of the vige with his body already bent into a deep bow. He was holding a basket with a few pieces of bread poking out the top; he hade to deliver Fran her meal.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought you some breakfast. I hope it¡¯s to your taste.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°The pleasure is mine. Oh and are you holding up alright? It seems like you¡¯ve been smithing all night.¡±

    Uh, whoops. Hopefully the forge didn¡¯t keep anyone up all night.

    ¡°Too loud? Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it, mdy! If anything, we¡¯re grateful that you stayed up all night for us! We¡¯re so blessed by your actions that we don¡¯t even know how to express our thanks!¡±

    We talked with the chief a bit and exchanged our schedules. We told him that we were going to be at the smithy for the rest of the day, whereas he informed us that most of the vigers would be practicing either their swordy or magic. The older ck catkin would begin cleaning up the equipment in the meantime.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to force to learn magic or swordy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no no no, we¡¯re not forcing anyone, princess. Everyone¡¯s just really eager to join in!¡±

    It seemed that the whole vige wished to cast magic. Everyone wanted to harness its mysterious power for themselves; the fact that they¡¯d learned methods to acquire it had made them highly motivated.

    At this rate, ck catkin mages are bound to pop up in no time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off now, but please let me know if you ever need anything.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    We went back to focusing on our work as soon as the chief left. Specifically, I started to make des out of the ingots I¡¯d spentst night creating while Fran focused on fixing up shields and armour.

    The best part about this world was that its skill system allowed me to gain knowledge seemingly out of nowhere.

    Though I had never done any sort of smithing before, the maxed out cksmithing skill I had taught me everything I needed to know about forging a de. The mostmon way they were made nowadays was through casting. Molten metal would be poured into a mould and hammered into shape afterwards if need be.

    I vaguely recalled something about most western-made swords being cast, whereas most Japanese swords were made in a forge. If I were to track these methods to their roots, I assumed that they likely only deviated due to the differences in resources and the knowledge of how one processed them. Of course, that was only a guess, as I had no real knowledge of how cksmithing worked back in my world.

    This world didn¡¯t require those that wanted to use Japanese swords to go through aplicated folding process. cksmiths could easily use magic-infused metals and magically enchanted tools to create sturdy Japanese-style des through a typical casting process.

    Magically infused metals were strong from the start. Hitting them with hammers while dousing them in magical fire would only enhance them even further. Thus, there was no need for one to go out of their way to fold a de over a thousand times. Of course, one could go through a typical forging process if they wished, but that kind of treatment was reserved for high quality luxury goods. Themon weapon had no need for such an intensive process.

    Thus, I began by casting all the des I wanted to make.

    Ibined parallel processing and telekinesis to cast, hammer, and polish different des at the same time. I functioned as a one man factory and somehow managed to mass produce a whole slew of regr swords. Though I paid very little attention to each de, my maxed out cksmithing skill ensured that they were still of a decent quality.

    But needless to say, none were good enough to surpass their maker. Of all the swords present, I was still by far the most powerful.

    ¡°Alrighty, that¡¯s a whole 50. Should be enough for now, I guess.¡±

    If one were to count the undamaged weapons that we¡¯d looted, there were about 80 swords in total. All 80 were of a fairly standard make, so they weren¡¯t too difficult for the ck catkin to use even though they were all beginners.

    I¡¯d saved a few extra ingots so I could experiment and attempt to make a few weapons that packed a bit more of a punch. The first thing I wanted to try was to make a de that was folded several times and forged from beginning to end.

    I followed the steps my cksmithing skill imprinted into my mind, heated up an ingot, and began hammering at it once it started glowing red. It took a while, but I eventually got the weapon to take the shape I wanted.

    The skill was telling me that the product wasplete, so I checked it over. All in all, it was surprisingly okay. It wasn¡¯t terrible, but it wasn¡¯t great either. It was just mediocre, which couldn¡¯t really be helped given the material it was crafted from. The biggest difference was that, unlike the des I¡¯d casted, it wasn¡¯t an Iron Sword, but rather a Low Grade Steel Sword.

    It was the best thing I could make given my current materials and skills. Or at least it would be if I continued with my current, straightforward approach.

    I decided to change things up a bit as I forged the next de. The materials themselves wereckluster and couldn¡¯t actually hold that much magical energy, but the quality of the de was still likely to improve if I packed it with as much as it could take. I made use of the bones of some of the monsters I¡¯d nned to use for stock and burned them to ashes before mixing them into the metal. Though the monsters they came from were weak, they were still monsters nheless. Since the bones contained a bit of mana, I hypothesized that adding them would serve to increase the amount of mana the weapon could store.

    Keyword: hypothesized. I had no clue if it would actually work out the way I was expecting.

    ¡°Huh, it actually turned out better than I thought.¡±

    It took even longer to make than the de that I¡¯d forged, but the end result was indeed a bit better than thest. The change in materials had actually ended up leading to my hammer¡¯s destruction, much to my surprise.

    The third type of de was a Low Grade Magic Steel Sword. Though I hadn¡¯t managed to get rid of the ¡°Low Grade¡± tag, I¡¯d at least managed to create magic steel. Though it was minuscule, I could indeed feel a bit of magical energy emanating off the de. Its magical conductivity was also a good bit higher than all the others, as it sat at an F+ as opposed to an F or F-. In other words, the third type of de had the potential to hit creatures with ethereal bodies. That said, it would likely take hundreds upon hundreds of swings to actually y one given that the weapon had only the slightest bit of magical energy.

    The stats of each type of weapon were as follows.

    ***

    Name: Iron Sword

    ATK: 88

    MP: 0

    Durability: 300

    Magical Conductivity: F-

    Skills: None

    ***

    Name: Low Grade Steel Sword

    ATK: 114

    MP: 1

    Durability: 380

    Magical Conductivity: F

    Skills: None

    ***

    Name: Low Grade Magic Steel Sword

    ATK: 124

    MP: 10

    Durability: 390

    Magical Conductivity: F+

    Skills: None

    ***

    Given that, I decided to make all the remaining swords into Low Grade Magic Steel Swords.

    And forparison¡¯s sake, Old Man Gallus¡¯ swords had the tendency to look much more powerful. I recalled one of their stat pages as I worked.

    ***

    Name: High Grade Steel Longsword

    ATK: 398

    MP: 5

    Durability: 600

    Magical Conductivity: F

    Skills: None

    ***

    The thought reaffirmed the fact that Gallus was one hell of a smith.

    Fran approached as I lost myself in thought. Her expression seemed somewhat distorted, and one of her hands was rested on her stomach.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Hungry.¡±

    ¡°Woof¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh crap, is it lunch time already?¡±

    I was so lost in thought that I¡¯d totally forgotten that food was even a thing; it was long past noon.

    ¡°My bad. I¡¯ll make something real quick.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The reason the vige chief hadn¡¯t supplied lunch was because Schwartzekatze¡¯s vigers didn¡¯t eat it. To them, only having two meals a day was the norm despite the fact that most other beastkin had three. One could tell from that alone that the vigers were living in poverty.

    We should probablye back again some time after meeting Gallus. Preferably with lots of seeds and saplings in tow.

    ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll even serve curry to make it up to you guys.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Woof?¡±

    ¡°Yup, and you can have as much of it as you want.¡±

    ¡°In heaven.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an exaggeration if I¡¯ve ever seen one.¡±

    ¡°Curry heaven, I shall soon be upon thee. For I will now depart for the promisednd,¡± said Fran. She was so happy that she recited something that sounded like a poem.

    Well, I¡¯m d she¡¯s in a better mood, at least.

    The only problem was that our curry supply was actually starting to run a bit low since we¡¯d more or less served it en masse every time something happened. I was highly concerned that Fran¡¯s mood would plummet if we ran out.

    ¡°Tasty.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    And it went without saying that I would feel bad for Fran if she wasn¡¯t allowed to eat her favourite food. Fortunately, the ce we were in now had a private kitchen in which I could work. Thus, I decided to spend the rest of my spare time making as much of it as I possibly could.

 Chapter 292: An Evening Centered Around Fran

    <h4>Chapter 292: An Evening Centered Around Fran</h4>

    Three nightly parties in a row seemed a bit too overwhelming, so we spoke to the vige chief and asked him to refrain from organizing yet another banquet. Instead, Fran spent the night telling the vigers about her journey.

    It all started because a few of the children, who¡¯d finally grown ustomed to Fran, approached her and asked about her adventures. She promptly began spinning her tale, albeit in her usual way. She wasn¡¯t all that great at exaggerating things or spicing them up, so her stories ended up being much more realistic than they were heroic. But the vigers, both young and old, gathered around her nheless. All it took was a few moments for the whole vige to rally to her side. She told them of the lich, described her exploits in Ulmutt¡¯s tournament, and then finally summed it all up by telling them what had happened on the ship.

    ¡°Then saved by Leviathan.¡±

    ¡°Woahhh!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡±

    The entire vige took a collective breath as she wrapped everything up. Everyst member of its popce was so tense that they¡¯d started sweating. But none had noticed until she was done. *That* was just how much attention they paid her.

    ¡°What happened next!?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear more!¡±

    ¡°Mmph.¡± Fran frowned. She had basically told the vigers all she was willing to, so she was at a loss as to what to say. After a moment of deliberating, she decided to talk a bit about mythology.

    Specifically, she decided to talk about the reason the ck catkin were unable to evolve, as she decided that there likely wasn¡¯t going to be any harm in telling her tribesmen about their curse.

    ¡°Hard to imagine now. But in past, ck catkin high status.¡±

    The ck catkin seemed to sense that Fran was about to dive into a whole different type of topic, but they perked up their ears and listened with interest nheless. The more she said, however, the more their expressions changed. They slowly realized the gravity of the tale they were told, so they began to regard her lecture from a more serious standpoint.

    Though they weren¡¯t quite at the level of being solemn, they stayed quiet. They made sure not to speak so they wouldn¡¯t miss a word. They learned that the ck Cat Tribe had, at one point, ruled over all the other beastkin as the Beast Lord, that their ruler had lost control after discovering a method to absorb the evil god¡¯s strength, and that divine punishment was the reason they¡¯d lost the ability to evolve. Through Fran¡¯s words, they came to understand that their fetters existed for the sake of atonement. They needed to kill evil beings to make up for the sinsmitted by their ancestors.

    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s all.¡±

    This time, the ck catkin stayed silent even after Fran finished speaking. They were having a hard time digesting all the information they¡¯d just been fed.

    The first to move was the chief.

    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much for telling us about our past.¡± He kneeled as he spoke to her.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°We must learn from this!¡± The chief turned towards the vigers as he raised his voice. ¡°Listen, my kin! Our ancestors havemitted a grave, deadly sin, one that we can¡¯t waste our timementing! We have to move forward while making up for all they¡¯ve done to prove to the gods that lenience was the right decision! It may be tough, but the path of rpense is not without benefit, it is also the path that will lead our tribe to evolution. We can finally change! We no longer need to be weak kittens abandoned in the dark! We can stop aimlessly running around, living in solitude, and enduring unjust violence! We must follow our own paths! We must carve them with strength, dignity, and honour! We ck catkin must be more powerful! We have to get strong enough to make up for our sins! I hereby dere that the vige will support the effort no matter the cost! While I won¡¯t force you, I will encourage you to at least try! Let us all work towards redemption, together!¡±

    Damn dude, I can see why the vige chief got his position. Really gotta give to him, he¡¯s good at getting people totally fired up.

    The whole vige remained silent, but the residents¡¯ intentions were clear. Their eyes burned with the very same fiery passion the chief had just ignited in their hearts.

    And it was for that reason that the silence onlysted an instant.

    The whole vige shook as a thunderous roar of sound sted through it. Every single ck catkin had stood up and started to p.

    ¡°I will evolve! I swear it on my name!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame. I¡¯m far too old to try evolving myself, but that don¡¯t mean jack! I¡¯ll make sure I give you youngsters all the support I can!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll use my skills to inscribe the princess¡¯ words in stone! I¡¯ll even make a monument and set it up in this very za!¡±

    Everyst viger acknowledged and epted at least some part of the chief¡¯s speech. Though not all of them decided that they themselves would seek evolution, they at least agreed to contribute to the effort, one way or another. The fact that they were both atoning and working towards their own personal goals at the same time served to drive the ball home.

    Wow. I really didn¡¯t think that they would believe us so easily. They¡¯re not mad at the gods either. That¡¯s a full set of expectations down the drain right there. I mean like, holy crap, talk about devout. They totally seem to think that it¡¯s their fault, and that there¡¯s nothing to me the gods for. Though, I guess it does make sense seeing as how the gods here actually exist.

    The adults began celebrating the newfound policy by breaking out the alcohol. I didn¡¯t want Fran to drink, so I had her join the rest of the children for the time being.

    ¡°I¡¯m d they believed us.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°It looks like the ck cat tribe¡¯s full of kind-hearted, trusting people.¡± I wanted to follow up the statement by telling Fran that there was nothing wrong in making the choice to stay, to remain in Schwartzekatze, even if it was just for a little while longer¡ª

    ¡°Leaving tomorrow.¡±

    ¡ª But she cut me off before I could.

    ¡°Already?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Everything wanted to say already said.¡±

    ¡°You sure you want to leave already? This is pretty sudden.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t stay. Toofortable here. Need to leave.¡±

    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t that all the more reason to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Decision final. Tomorrow.¡±

    Looks like there¡¯s no convincing her.

    ¡°Alright. I guess we can always juste again some other time.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    It¡¯s not like Schwartzekatze is going to just up and disappear, after all.

    ***

    Night fell, the party ended, and peace returned to the vige. Like Schwartzekatze¡¯s residents, Fran and Urushi were already sound asleep¡ªor at least they had been. The two suddenly got up in tandem.

    Are we under attack!? Can¡¯t be¡­ I don¡¯t sense anything, and Fran¡¯s movements had a bit of lethargy to them, so I doubt it¡¯s that¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Woof¡­?¡±

    Neither of the two understood the reason they¡¯d suddenly awoken. They couldn¡¯t identify what they¡¯d reacted to. They looked around and tried to find the source of the disturbance.

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Ruff.¡±

    But their conclusion was exactly the same as mine: nothing was out of the ordinary.

    The heck? Was there an earthquake somewhere or something? Er, wait, right, earthquakes aren¡¯t asmon here as they were back in Japan so everyone would probably be kicking up a much bigger fuss if there was one.

    We decided to take a look around the vige just in case a monster had snuck in through the use of a stealth skill.

    But again, we weren¡¯t able to find anything too far out of the ordinary. All we saw were stered drunks passed out on the side of the road. We had no idea as to where each one lived, so we couldn¡¯t carry them all the way home, but we at least made sure to move them onto grass as opposed to just leaving them face first in dirt.

    Though our search proved to be in vain, I highly doubted that there could be as big a coincidence as Fran and Urushi suddenly waking up at the same time for no real reason.

    ¡°I know we haven¡¯t found anything yet, and that it¡¯s alreadyte, but let¡¯s keep looking.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

 Chapter 293: An Incident To the North

    <h4>Chapter 293: An Incident To the North</h4>

    Though we didn¡¯t discover anything no matter how hard we looked, neither Fran nor Urushi could quite calm down. Both the catkin and the wolf had better senses than me. I trusted their instincts and deduced that *something* had gone awry.

    ¡°Whaddya say we try taking to the sky instead? Might be easier to figure out what¡¯s wrong that way.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Woof.¡±

    With Fran on his back, Urushi kicked off the ground and rapidly ascended. The three of us then used the artificial vantage point to examine our surroundings. Or at least we tried. The skies were overcast; clouds blocked out both the moons and the stars. It was far too dark for us to make out any significant detail.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t see anything.¡± Unlike me, Fran could see in the dark, so she was at least able to scour our surroundings.

    ¡°What about you, Urushi?¡±

    ¡°Whimper¡­¡±

    For some odd reason, the wolf seemed adamant about tracking down the cause of his unease. Urushi continued to look around even though he was blinded by the night. He stayed on guard and even tried sniffing around, but he still couldn¡¯t find anything, as he had no idea what he was supposed to be sniffing for.

    And that was when it happened. A single sliver of moonlight momentarily shot through the clouds and allowed me to catch sight of something.

    ¡°Woah¡­¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°I think I just saw something move over there¡­¡±

    ¡°Over where?¡±

    ¡°Er, my bad. It was to the north.¡±

    It happened several kilometers away from us. At a nce, it looked to be somewhere near the most barren part of the forest. There wasn¡¯t anything obstructing my line of sight. I would¡¯ve been able to see everything if it was still day, or if there weren¡¯t as many clouds. But s, we had no choice but to work under the existing sub-optimal conditions.

    The distance made it so not even Fran could see anything, despite having night vision.

    ¡°Could you get us a bit closer, Urushi?¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi sped through the sky. He moved us straight north with all the precision of apass. The moon peeked through the clouds for another second about halfway through Urushi¡¯s journey.

    ¡°Master, saw?¡±

    ¡°Yup, clear as day.¡±

    ¡°Grrrrr¡­¡±

    Though I only caught a glimpse of it, I was confident in what I just witnessed. Arge group of monsters was slowly marching straight south. The group¡¯s scale was entirely blown out of proportion. It was far more than just a single nest or pack¡¯s worth. There were so many that the wastnd itself had been obscured from view. There were only monster, monsters, and more monsters as far as the eye could see. It was a veritable army.

    I didn¡¯t know its final destination, but at this rate, it was going to collide with Schwartzekatze.

    ¡°Sheet! We need to get closer and make sure of what we saw!¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°What and why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but either way, we¡¯ve got one hell of a situation on our hands!¡±

    It took Urushi another five minutes to get right above the horde. We were now at close enough a distance for us to see them with the naked eye, even without the moon¡¯s aid. I didn¡¯t need to count to know that the army was at least ten thousand heads strong.

    Their march was rigid and steady. It was clear that they were being controlled. I didn¡¯t know the extent to which the monsters were being manipted, but at the very least, whoever was responsible for them had enough of a grasp on them to keep them silent as they moved.

    ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be pretty hard for us to take all these out with just us.¡±

    ¡°But vigers can¡¯t fight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know. Honestly, something like this calls for an army, if anything.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°First things first, we need to get back to the vige and have all the vigers evacuate.¡±

    ¡°Got it. First, preemptive strike?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not. There¡¯s too many of them. We can¡¯t check to see how strong each one is, and there might be something too strong for us to handle mixed in with all the trash mobs.¡±

    We would end up having to run if there really was anything that strong. The only ce to retreat to is the vige, and leading a strong monster there would be a disaster and a half in and of itself.

    ¡°I know you want to fight, but we should probably wait until we¡¯ve at least emptied out Schwartzekatze first.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Alright Urushi, head back to the vige! Full speed ahead!¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Hurry!¡± added Fran.

    ¡°Woof woof!¡±

    Our first stop was the chief¡¯s house. Urushi barked and howled to grab his attention as we approached.

    ¡°Chief! Open! Now!¡± Fran jumped off Urushi¡¯s back and began knocking on the door the moment hended.

    ¡°What is the matter, Princess?¡± The wolf had seeded in waking him, so he answered the door immediately, rubbing his tired eyes as he did.

    ¡°Emergency!¡±

    ¡°What kind of emergency¡­?¡±

    ¡°Horde of monsters. Headed for vige.¡±

    ¡°What!? Enough for even you to be this panicked, mdy!?¡±

    ¡°Nn. In wastnd right now. Huge group. Need army.¡±

    ¡°What!? They¡¯re just to the north!? I¡¯ll go wake up the guards right away!¡±

    ¡°Evacuation. Need to start soon.¡±

    ¡°Understood, mdy!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s all the noise, chief?¡± A few of the ck catkin, awoken by Urushi¡¯s voice, joined us right before the chief set off, so he immediately roped them in and got them to help. The process went far more painlessly than it would have anywhere else. All the ck catkin trusted Fran, so they immediately believed the warning the moment they heard that she was its source.

    ¡°Listen well! The Princess has found a huge army of monsters marching right for us! There are so many of them that they fill the entire wastnd!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Seriously¡­? What the heck!?¡± A couple catkin began to panic, but the chief stopped them before they totally lost their minds.

    ¡°Stay calm, don¡¯t lose your cool! They¡¯re close, but they¡¯re not on our gates just yet. We¡¯ve got enough time to organise an evacuation so long as everyone does their part! Wake everyone up and have them get ready to leave! Split up so you can wake everyone up as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, chief!¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go wake the guards in the meantime.¡±

    The ck catkin moved quickly. ording to them, they were quite used to this. Running away was the one thing they excelled at.

    Many lived as wanderers before settling down in Schwartzekatze. They polished their ability to escape by running from the monsters and bandits they encountered on their travels. In fact, evacuation drills were apparently a part of everyday life in Schwartzekatze. They¡¯d hold training roughly once a year.

    ¡°Where are we supposed to evacuate to?¡± One ck catkin voiced.

    This time, however, was a bit different. Normally, evacuation was simple because all the ck catkin had to do was find another nearby vige. But this time, they didn¡¯t really know where to go. Schwartzekatze was among the sturdiest of the viges in its vicinity. No nearby settlement had wallsrge enough to withstand over ten thousand monsters.

    ¡°We¡¯ll probably need to head to Greengoat,¡± answered the chief.

    The vigers were good at escaping, but that didn¡¯t mean they could outpace monsters. They needed to get all their stuff ready to go right away so they could get as early a head start as possible. But still, many doubted they would be able to make it all the way.

    The chief¡¯s reply to their concerns was calm and rational. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, we¡¯ve got to make sure the information propagates. We¡¯ll have to scatter and send people all over. We¡¯ll both warn the other nearby viges and have our people head to Greengoat to tell the army what¡¯s happened.¡±

    ¡°Nn,¡± agreed Fran.

    Though the battle had yet to start, it had already devolved into a race against the clock.

 Chapter 294: Revisiting Greengoat

    <h4>Chapter 294: Revisiting Greengoat</h4>

    ¡°Are you sure!?¡±

    ¡°Did you just say an entire army!?¡± A pair of panicked guards asked the equally flustered chief to confirm his im the moment they heard it.

    ¡°You heard what I said! The Princess saw it herself!¡±

    ¡°Look, I know what you¡¯re trying to say, but we can¡¯t just¡­¡± As they were soldiers and not ck catkin, the men in charge of the city¡¯s defense didn¡¯t trust Fran¡¯s testimony nearly as readily as everyone else, but the chief talked them down and convinced them that there was a need for concern.

    ¡°Enough of that! Just hurry! You need to get to both Greengoat and all the surrounding viges and let them know the news!¡±

    ¡°Sir, please understand. We just have to make sure of it first. We can¡¯t just be going around reporting whatever we hear.¡±

    Yeah, this isn¡¯t working. Looks like we¡¯ll have to step in a bit.

    ¡°Is truth. Don¡¯t believe?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really what I¡¯m trying to say here¡­¡±

    ¡°Will handle responsibility. Hurry. Move.¡±

    Fran activated her Intimidation skill as she spoke to the guards. For the record, she wasn¡¯t threatening them. She was simply making them understand their ce in the metaphorical food chain. As beastkin, the guards respected those that were stronger than them, so she was only doing the most natural thing and putting on a show of her strength to emphasize that they should listen to her.

    ¡°I-I understand.¡± And surely enough, they were immediately rendered obedient.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get on it right away. In fact, I¡¯ll head out right this instant.¡±

    ¡°Will go to Greengoat myself,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Will you really?¡± asked a guard.

    ¡°Nn. Faster that way. Will leave you responsible for evacuation. Nearby viges.¡±

    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am! We¡¯ll make sure it gets done.¡± The chief was so full of energy that he promptly responded in the guards¡¯ ces.

    ¡°Then going now. Urushi.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    We already knew exactly where Greengoat was rtive to our current location, so we soared through the sky and made a beeline straight for it. We had to get Urushi to push himself a bit beyond what would¡¯ve otherwise been his limits to get there in a timely manner, but it was well worth it. We managed to cut the journey, which had taken us over four hours the first time around, to less than a quarter of that; sixtyish minutes was all it took for the Urushi Express to transport us to Greengoat.

    A part of me had been tempted to just have our wolfpanion ferry us right to the governor¡¯s doorstep, but I ultimately decided against it. Dropping in uninvited is a terrible idea. We¡¯d have a lot of exining to do and not enough time to carry any of it through.

    With no other choice, we suppressed our fiery emotions and stopped by Greengoat¡¯s gate.

    We didn¡¯t bother making Urushi shrink. He approached the gate with us while in hisrger form. Naturally, having a massive wolf close in on one of the city¡¯s entrances in the middle of the night sent the guards into panic mode, but it really couldn¡¯t be helped. It was an emergency. We needed everyst second we could get.

    ¡°I¡¯m ck Lightning Princess. Need to talk to governor. Emergency. Let through now.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get right on it!¡±

    He¡¯s doing a pretty good job of keeping his cool, but I¡¯m totally convinced that he¡¯s in full blown panic mode on the inside right now. This whole scenario¡¯s he blown out of proportion. Like, this dude was casually going about doing his night patrol, only to suddenly have a giant ass wolf drop in front of him. If I was him, I would¡¯ve been expecting to die. And that¡¯s not even it. Next thing he knows, he sees a pretty girl riding it, only to find out that she¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess. And that she has business with someone way high up the chain ofmand. If this scenario isn¡¯t nerve racking, then I don¡¯t know what is. Must suck real hard to be him right now.

    His surprise was clear. The man was so shocked, in fact, that he readily agreed to our request without so much as asking a question. He simply nodded as he opened the gate in a hurry.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    As today was a bit of a special case, Fran didn¡¯t dismount Urushi. She rode him through town and had him fly above the buildings it wasprised of. The wolf flew straight as an arrow and made it to the lord¡¯s house, the manor thaty at the town¡¯s centre, in a mere matter of moments.

    ¡°What!? A wolf!?¡± shouted one of the guards. His partner made a simr remark.

    ¡°This. Governor¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wait, might you be the the ck Lightning Princess herself?¡± The bolder man stepped forward and began to speak with Fran.

    ¡°Nn. So? This, governor¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am! That it is!¡±

    ¡°Need to meet him. Urgent.¡±

    ¡°Please wait just a second. I¡¯ll have someone let him know immediately!¡±

    ¡°In a hurry. Will enter myself if takes more than ten minutes.¡± Knowing that Fran was dead serious, the man went pale. He immediately had the other guard get a move on. Unlike his partner, he remained to keep an eye on Fran, but I wasn¡¯t sure if he really was up to the job. It looked like he¡¯d been scared stiff. ¡°Could you please tell me a bit more about this urgent matter of yours?¡±

    He was intimidated to the point of stuttering, but he managed to do his job nheless.

    ¡°Will tell governor.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± The guard knew not to stick his nose into the confidential, so he promptly dropped the topic.

    ¡°This city, has knights?¡±

    ¡°We do. There¡¯s an order serving directly under the governor¡¯smand.¡±

    Good to hear. I¡¯d imagine that this country¡¯s knights would be pretty damn strong.

    The guard¡¯s partner returned right as we were about to ask him about the number of knights present. Woah, that was quick. It only took him like five minutes.

    ¡°Our lord says that he will meet with you immediately! Follow me!¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I was expecting the guard to lead us to an audience chamber, but he instead brought us to a smaller building ced not too far from the manor¡¯s entrance, one apparently built to receive guests of a more noble background.

    The lord, Marmanno, was already awaiting us within. His bulky, muscleden framey exposed under his thin, translucent nightshirt. The sight of him in what was basically a negligee contrasted his muscr image to such an extent that I likely would¡¯veughed uncontrobly had we not been caught up in an emergency.

    ¡°Wee, ck Lightning Princess. I¡¯ve not seen you around these parts for a whole four odd days.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Thanks for agreeing to meeting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. Any request of yours that I am able toplete is a request I¡¯m willing to at least consider. And meeting with you, even at this hour, is nothing particrly troubling. Personally, I would¡¯ve preferred if I was to be properly dressed, but I decided not to waste your time after hearing that you only came at the behest of an urgent matter.¡±

    So he only decided to meet with Fran right away because of who she was? Damn, that reputation of hers sure has beening in handytely.

    ¡°Not problem. Looks good on you.¡±

    ¡°Your words are too kind. But anyway, enough pleasantries. I¡¯m sure you wish to get right down to business. What¡¯s this urgent matter that the guards have been telling me about? Did you perhaps find out more about the assassins?¡±

    ¡°Not that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m out of ideas then. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m capable of imagining anything else too realistic.¡±

    ¡°North. Whole army of monsters approaching.¡±

    ¡°Did you just say an entire army?¡±

    ¡°Nn. In wastnd north of Schwartzekatze. Headed south.¡±

    ¡°How many of them are there?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡± Fran tilted her head to the side as she tried to figure out how to convey her thoughts. ¡°Enough to fill entire wastnd.¡±

    ¡°The entire wastnd¡­!?¡± Marmanno¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Surely this is not something you¡¯re speaking in jest, is it?¡±

    ¡°Not jest. Truth. Swear on my life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going a bit too far, Fran!¡±

    Holy sheet, talk about going overboard.

    ¡°Is truth, so not problem.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a point, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to get at here. Don¡¯t ever say that you¡¯re going to swear anything on your life ever again, alright?¡±

    ¡°Nn? ¡­Okay?¡± She didn¡¯t quite seem to understand what I was saying, but she trusted me, so she agreed nheless.

    ¡°Is it a stampede¡­?¡± The governor began muttering his thoughts on the matter as I convinced Fran to ce more value on her life. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. The area has no dungeons.¡±

    Marmanno¡¯s doubts were justified. I understood exactly where he wasing from. He was Greengoat¡¯s lord, so there was no way he wouldn¡¯t have known if there were any dungeons nearby, even if they¡¯d only existed in the past. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for the invasion to be the cause of a newly spawned dungeon either. Fresh dungeons didn¡¯t have the means to produce tens of thousands of troops.

    ¡°Any other things in north?¡±

    ¡°I cannot think of too much worth mention. There is the Kingdom of Eldia to the northeast and Bashar to the northwest. However, the uncharted mountain range to the north functions as a natural barrier. I doubt either country¡¯s troops could cross it.¡±

    ording to Marmanno, the only creatures that lived in the mountains were monsters that had adapted to it. Its climate was far too harsh for humans and beastkin to withstand. It was for that reason that the country deployed very few troops to the north.

    Wait, but then¡­ Just where the hell did all those monsterse from? Hmmm. Oh, wait, right. That¡¯s not important right now. We need to figure out how we¡¯re actually going to deal with all the monsters first.

    ¡°Need army.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Marmanno frowned and scrunched up his brows. The look on his face was one of dismay.

    ¡°I am very sorry, but the army cannot be immediately deployed.¡±

    The words that left his mouth were the exact opposite of the ones that we¡¯d hoped for.

 Chapter 295: Of Soldiers and War

    <h4>Chapter 295: Of Soldiers and War</h4>

    ¡°I am very sorry, but the army cannot be immediately deployed.¡± Marmanno spoke in a strained tone. He wanted to help and almost seemed mortified at the fact that he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The Basharian army engaged our own near our country¡¯s southwestern border only three days prior.¡±

    Damn it. I guess that means they got their hands full.

    ¡°More than half of Greengoat¡¯s soldiers have been dispatched to serve on the war front.¡±

    ¡°But still some here?¡±

    ¡°The forces we have remaining are just shy of what¡¯s needed to match an army of ten thousand monsters.¡± Marmanno cast his gaze downward and frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All I can do is pray that the vigers are able to escape and make it all the way here, to Greengoat. This city¡¯s walls are the only ones sturdy enough to ward off a literal army of monsters, and I will be needing my troops to defend the city when the timees. I can¡¯t afford to have them march. That¡¯d be no different from telling them to cast their lives aside.¡±

    Oh, I get it. He¡¯s thinking about letting the monsters siege the city since he doesn¡¯t have enough troops to face them head on, and he can¡¯t exactly keep turtling without the numbers to fight the damned things off.

    ¡°Any earth mages? Can make big wall to stall.¡±

    ¡°The only man in this country capable of making a wall big enough to stop an entire army has already taken his ce on the Basharian front. I doubt we¡¯d be able to get him to respond to our calls.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°But at the very least, I¡¯ll get in touch with all the other governors immediately and check to see if they have any troops to spare. I¡¯ll confer with the army as well, just in case.¡±

    ¡°How much time to arrive?¡±

    ¡°A few days at the very least¡­¡± Marmanno frowned. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait till they¡¯re here to march. We can¡¯t have our troops losing their lives and exhausting themselves before we¡¯ve amassed our forces.¡±

    I understand that Marmanno¡¯s not throwing his troops at the army right away because it¡¯d be a huge waste of lives, but I can¡¯t really bring myself to ept the notion of abandoning all the viges. I know it¡¯s ultimately a choice that¡¯ll save more lives, but he¡¯s practically just leaving them to burn. Not that I¡¯m trying to me him or anything. As a governor, his choices made sense. Each vige only has a few hundred people at best. Numerically speaking, it makes much more sense to focus on protecting the tens of thousands that live here in Greengoat. I had nothing to say. There was no fault in his logic.

    Fran also understood the lord¡¯s grievances, so she immediately stood up and got ready to leave.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for understanding.¡± He heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Where are you headed now?¡±

    ¡°Finished business here. Next, Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡±

    ¡°What do you think of spending a few more days in Greengoat?¡± Marmanno would benefit greatly from having Fran remain. The widespread knowledge of her might made her mere presence enough to relieve the townsfolk of their concerns and boost the soldiers¡¯ morale, not to mention that she would be able to contribute drastically to the city¡¯s fighting force. There was no doubt that she would strengthen its defenses.

    ¡°No. Will not abandon my tribe.¡± Fran turned to him and spoke with purpose, blunt and concise as always. It was ironic. The two were effectively working towards the same goal: protecting their people. And Fran¡¯s tone reflected just that. There was no malice in her voice, only conviction.

    Marmanno, however, failed to catch her drift. He seemed to think that her ironic statement was meant as a critique of his policy. The goatkin promptly got to his feet as his expression twisted in frustration.

    Oh sheet. He¡¯s pissed. Or so I thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡± Contrary to my expectations, Marmanno wasn¡¯t actually angry. He was frustrated, but not irritated by Fran¡¯s actions.

    ¡°As a man and a warrior myself, I respect your decision. I would do the very same if I was in your shoes. Saving those in need is none other than my creed, the pir atop which my pride rests. But as lord of thisnd, I cannot act.¡±

    Rather, he was vexed by his own inability to take to the field and save all that he could.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Please, ck Lightning Princess, go in my stead. Save the vigers to whom I¡¯m unable to extend my hand!¡±

    The goatkin¡¯s body quivered with emotion as he bent his hips forward and bowed as deeply as he could.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I can¡¯t possibly express just how much this means to me.¡±

    ***

    Fran charged out of Marmanno¡¯s mansion and made a beeline straight for the guild. Greengoat was asrge as one would expect of a city in which several major trade routes converged, so it took her a good bit to make it all the way over.

    ¡°Hellooooo?¡± Fran called out as she entered the guild to get as quick a response as she could.

    ¡°Good evening, ck Lightning Princess. How many I help you?¡±

    ¡°Emergency. Need to talk to Guildmaster. Let me meet right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Again, Fran¡¯s reputation came in handy. She managed to get the receptionist to do exactly as she wanted with no questions asked whatsoever. She disappeared for about three minutes to get permission before returning and leading Fran to her destination: The guildmaster¡¯s room.

    The man we ended up being shown to was an old mage with a long, white beard. Like Fran, he had evolved. He was pretty damned strong.

    ¡°What brings you here today, ck Lightning Princess?¡±

    ¡°North. Army of monsters iing.¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡± The old mage¡¯s eyes went wide.

    Fran immediately filled him in on the details. He first reacted to her query with shock, but soon got ahold of himself.

    ¡°You say that this army contains over ten thousand members?¡±

    ¡°Want adventurers to help.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t see any reason for them not to, but¡­¡± The guildmaster as he pressed a fist against his chin.

    ¡°Problem?¡±

    ¡°Weck our usual numbers. About half of our adventurers have already gone south.¡±

    ¡°Adventurers joining war too?¡±

    Wait a second. Aren¡¯t adventurers supposed to be exempt from conscription? I could¡¯ve sworn I saw something like that in the rules back when we first joined up.

    After a moment of pondering, I soon recalled that adventurers were often people that didn¡¯t wish to be tied down to any particr state. They travelled all over and often operated outside their country of origin. Thus, theycked patriotism. Most didn¡¯t want to be pulled into international conflicts. I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯d be far fewer adventurers affiliated with the guild if they didn¡¯t have the anti-conscription use in ce.

    In fact, the guild had signed many an international treaty that guaranteed its members freedom from conscription. The guild was responsible for taking care of bandits and monsters, but that was it. Of course, like all treaties, the guild¡¯s contract was not respected by all. The Reidosians had tantly ignored it and conscripted adventurers in the past. All those that attempted to defy them were deported and banned from the country. And yet, despite their underhanded douchebaggery, the Reidosians were stillpletely and utterly defeated. The Reidosian Adventurers¡¯ Guild was shut down, and the country itself was rendered almostpletely devoid of the profession¡¯s practitioners, even to this day.

    The Reidosians were both the first and thest to ever attempt conscripting adventurers. Countries still do try forming contracts with specific adventurers with uses that mention cases pertaining to war, but that¡¯s pretty much it these days. The only people who ept those contracts are people who are passionate about the countries they live in, like Amanda and Jean.

    Consent had be the key word¡ªforcibly recruiting adventurers was just a t out no go.

    ¡°All of those who went did so of their own ord.¡± The guildmaster smiled. ¡°This country is made by Beastkin, for Beastkin. The knights and soldiers that serve in the military are not the only ones that wish to protect it.¡±

    Ohhh. Right. I forgot. This country¡¯s a bit special. The Beast Lord used to be an adventurer, didn¡¯t he? I guess his policies must really support people that share his background in that case. Huh. I think I can see why so many of this country¡¯s adventurers are willing to fight.

    ¡°So we¡¯re short on hands. I doubt you¡¯d be able to get enough people to fight off an entire army, even if we went around recruiting from all the nearby towns.¡±

    ¡°Want as much help as can get.¡±

    ¡°Got it. But do keep in mind that it¡¯s possible we might not be able to gather more than just what¡¯s needed to keep Greengoat defended.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡± Fran frowned, but nodded regardless. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Will you fight to yourst?¡±

    The guildmaster cast his gaze on Fran as she got to her feet. His eyes seemed to be telling her that he wanted to say it was better for her not to go, but a single nce at her face silenced him. He knew. He knew her peopley to the north. And from her eyes alone, he¡¯d determined her stance.

    ¡°Bye.¡± Choosing not to answer, Fran left his question unanswered.

    ¡°Farewell. May the tides of battle surge in your favour.¡±

 Chapter 296: Resolve and Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 296: Resolve and Preparation</h4>

    Editors: Sebas Tian, Joker

    Fran and I discussed our course of action as we got back on Urushi¡¯s back and sped away from Greengoat.

    Neither the army nor the adventurers were able to act, at least not right away. But we couldn¡¯t just sit around and watch until we finally had allies at our backs. Schwartzekatze¡¯s inhabitants had the tendency to be fairly proficient in the art of escape, but there was no way they could outrun a literal army of monsters. The vigers were sure to be devoured by the still marching horde if left alone.

    Something had to be done.

    We might be able to get the younger ones out if we stick ¡¯em on a carriage and get it moving asap. But all that really means is sentencing the rest of Schwartzekatze to death, and that¡¯s a choice Fran isn¡¯t willing to make. I knew the young ck catkin well enough to understand that Schwartzekatze was effectively the embodiment of one of her many aspirations, a literal dreame true. There was absolutely no chance of her abandoning it. It doesn¡¯t really matter if the vige itself burns down. Everything can be rebuilt and restored so long as the vigers are saved.

    ¡°Things are looking a bit tough this time¡­ I¡¯m not actually sure we¡¯ll be able to do too much.¡± I muttered to myself telepathically as I brooded over my thoughts. I don¡¯t really want to let Fran down. But let¡¯s be real here¡­

    ¡°Master? Something wrong?¡± The catgirl perked her ears up as she caught wind of my voice.

    ¡°Listen closely, Fran. The only way Schwartzekatze¡¯s citizens are going to make it out in one piece is if we fight. All by ourselves. There aren¡¯t any reinforcements standing by behind us. It¡¯s all you, me, and Urushi.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°You do understand how much danger we¡¯ll have to put ourselves in, right?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I know.¡± Fran nodded. Her expression was a serious one and her resolve was clear as day.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say, but I¡¯m just going to go ahead and tell you this anyway. I don¡¯t think you should fight. You need to get the hell out of here, fast. In fact, I¡¯d even go as far as saying that we should leave the Beastkin¡¯s Country.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Master. Will fight. Won¡¯t change my mind.¡± Fran¡¯s reply was instant. She didn¡¯t even stop to consider my advice. It was clear that she¡¯d set her sights on a goal, and she wasn¡¯t going to stop until she achieved it, even if that meant fighting to herst breath.

    ¡°No matter what?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Yeah, I figured as much. She¡¯s not the type to abandon her tribesmen. I mean, it doesn¡¯t hurt to try, but god damn. She¡¯s somitted to this that I¡¯m starting to worry that I¡¯ll lose her.

    ¡°Alright then. Sorry ¡¯bout trying to stop you. Don¡¯t worry about it, just me being silly old me.¡± I mean, who am I to question the extent of Fran¡¯s resolve¡­?

    ¡°Not problem. Master not silly. Amazing sword.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Right. Right¡­ How could I¡¯ve forgotten? I¡¯m Fran¡¯s sword. My job is to cleave through her enemies and support her in all her goals, not make her decisions for her. ¡°My bad there, had a brain fart. I¡¯m all good now.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Master. I know. Thinking about my safety. But won¡¯t focus on safety. Will save other ck catkin. And will need your power.¡±

    ¡°Got it. You have my de.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°But that said¡­ I highly doubt that we¡¯ll be able to take out all of those monsters by ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I know.¡±

    We might¡¯ve been able to handle it if it was just a massive ass horde of goblins, but life, being the b*tch it was, threw us for a loop. I knew for a fact that there were muchrger monsters mingled into the army. It¡¯s probably better to n for the worst and assume the army¡¯s got a couple A and B ranks mixed into it.

    ¡°Alright, first things first, we mess with the vanguard and throw it into a state of disarray. It doesn¡¯t matter how many troops they have. They can¡¯t keep moving forward if they¡¯re stuck in traffic.¡± I said, conclusively. Er wait, that¡¯s not true. They could just step over or trample their peers and keep walking. We¡¯ll have to find a way to actually slow down the army. Oh, I know! Maybe we could build a wall¡­

    Figuring out a way to stop the army was important, but thinking about the steps we¡¯d take after were even more so. The entire army¡¯ll probably turn on us and attack us the moment it realizes that we¡¯re getting in its way.

    We¡¯ll need to figure out what we need to do to keep the army upied for as long as possible. Ideally, we¡¯d want to confuse the sheet out of the person in control and have them make the monsters retreat, but I don¡¯t really see that happening. And once we lose the ability to hold the whole army back, we¡¯ll have to switch to killing off everything that heads in the direction the ck catkin are going to be headed. A part of me doubted that we¡¯d be able to fight off all the foes that came our way while also protecting the tribe.

    Fran and I were pretty good at going on the offensive, but neither she nor I knew much about ying the part of a bodyguard. Not even we knew how well we¡¯d be able to fill the role.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Need to do it, so will do it.¡±

    ¡°Point taken.¡± I agreed. Again, it was my role to give her desires form, and I wasn¡¯t about to let her down.

    ***

    ¡°Vigers spotted.¡±

    ¡°Oh, nice. It looks like they¡¯ve already started to evacuate.¡± The ck cat tribe was moving as one huge lump. It looked like the entire vige had moved in tandem. We got down from the sky andnded right in front of them.

    ¡°Wee back, Princess! I¡¯m very d to see you.¡± The chief, one of the members leading the group, greeted her the moment Urushi¡¯s feet touched the ground.

    ¡°Nn. Everyone here?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Seeing her had brought a look of relief to his face. It seemed that her absence had caused him undue stress, likely in part because he was anxious as to whether or not she was safe. Wow, they¡¯re fast. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d have gotten this far already. Hell, a part of me even thought they might still be back at the vige.

    It turned out that the entire vige had actually finished packing up not too long after we informed them of the situation. They¡¯d grabbed all the stuff they could carry and set out before the crack of dawn with a few days worth of food in tow. The group travelled with the children encased between groups of adults such that they could stay safe in the case of an attack. Wow uh. They really are used to this.

    That said, their overall pace was still painfully slow. They had no choice given that there were children and old timers amongst their ranks. At the very least, it¡¯d take them a few days to make it all the way to Greengoat.

    ¡°Can¡¯t escort you. Will still be okay?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be just fine, Princess. We¡¯ve armed ourselves with the weapons you so graciously granted us. We¡¯re ready for anything,¡± said the chief.

    ¡°All this gear is great,¡± added another ck catkin. ¡°We¡¯re not the greatest of fighters, but you know what they say, fine feathers make fine birds. With these in hand, even we can handle the monsters that pop up around these parts!¡±

    ¡°Everything here¡¯ll be okay, so you do you, Princess!¡± said a third.

    Everyst grown man was armed. They were still quite weak, of course, but they were motivated and at least capable of holding their own against the area¡¯s wildlife.

    ¡°Will go now.¡±

    ¡°Please, be safe,¡± said the chief.

    The chief didn¡¯t ask Fran where she was headed. Nor did any of the vigers. They already knew. They knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape unless Fran engaged the monsters inbat. They knew that she was going to fight with everything she had and put her life on the line. For them.

    And that was why they remained silent as they watched her go. They didn¡¯t even try to stop her from going. They held her resolve in far too high a regard to disgrace it.

    ***

    We parted ways with the ck cat tribe and headed north.

    Schwartzekatze soon came into view. It was quiet and still as could be, like a candle with its me extinguished. One night was all it took to turn the lively vige into a veritable ghost town. It was impossible to tell that, just a few hours prior, it¡¯d been a lively ce filled with song andughter. Now, the only sound I heard was that of the wind, whooshing by its empty houses.

    ¡°¡­Have to protect everyone.¡±

    ¡°That we do, Fran. That we do.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Just t out charging in is way too reckless, so let¡¯s take a bit to figure out a n and get everything ready.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Though I wanted to stop before initiating, I didn¡¯t want to keep us for too long. It would be best for us to initiate an attack before the army managed to march its way past the ins. It¡¯d be a whole lot easier to keep the whole army pinned down if we had a good sightline. The area beyond the ins was forested and the trees were sure to obstruct our vision.

    Of course, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Fighting them on the ins also meant exposing ourselves. That said, we would still be susceptible to surprise attacks from stealthy monsters even if we did decide to make use of the forest, so there¡¯s really more benefit than harm in fighting on the ins.

    ¡°Yeah, it pretty much looks like the monsters mostly headed straight south.¡±

    ¡°Need to hurry.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

 Chapter 297: Paper Mache

    <h4>Chapter 297: Paper Mache</h4>

    We contemted our ns before engaging the enemy army. Specifically, we looked into slowing them down and figuring out if we could make our lives easier through some sort of preemptive action.

    ¡°What now, Master?¡± Fran asked. ¡°Make walls? Dig holes?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± I stroked my figurative beard as I contemted her suggestions. They were legitimate options. In fact, the best case scenario would be one in which we built a wall capable of keeping the ck catkin safe and the monsters out. The ideal wall would alsoe armed with a nice deep moat, and make it so that it would be impossible for any monster, weak or strong, to cross it.

    Of course, creating such a structure was but a pipe dream. Neither Fran nor I had the mana or ability to do such a thing. The only mage in the country that could was on the Basharian front.

    Thergest hole we could possibly make was only three meters wide, three meters deep, and five meters long. Of course, it was possible for us to use the spell over and over, but crafting something in such a manner would take hours, hours we didn¡¯t have. The army was sure to arrive before we finished. That said, I wouldn¡¯t have suggested such a wed method even if we had enough time to actually carry it out. Creating countlessrge holes would exhaust both Fran and I, and draining oneself of magic right before engaging in arge scale battle was naught but a fool¡¯s errand. And that¡¯s not even factoring in the fact that it could just end up splitting the army in two. Having the two halves each assault a different ce would be bad. Really, really bad.

    I recalled my old world as I thought about the many strategies we could potentially employ. I barely knew anything about the military tactics they used back there. The only military-like word that I knew off the top of my head was guerri warfare¡ªthe tactic in which a smaller group wore down arger group through the use of traps, ambushes, and other simr techniques. The tactic was powerful in the sense that it was able to slow therger group¡¯s movements by forcing them on guard. Soldiers on the receiving end of the guerri tactics would be anxious. They would fear the fact that they could be subject to an attack around every corner, and through said fear, lose their morale. Or at least that¡¯s how it tends to go in novels and movies.

    But again, the option was unavable to us. Our trap creation skill was too low a level to mass produce anything useful. We could go around dropping pitfalls everywhere, but I have a feeling that¡¯ll cause more harm than it¡¯ll prevent.

    It was impossible for us to remove every single hole we created, especially if we camouged them by covering them with dirt. In other words, we were bound to leave at least a few lying around and anything we failed to clean up would be to the ck catkin whatndmines were to the vietnamese. Yeah, can¡¯t have that. Gotta learn from history¡¯s mistakes, not repeat them.

    ¡°Well. It looks like our only real choice is to dive right in. We¡¯ll probably need to start with something shy so we get the army¡¯s attention.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    That said, we weren¡¯t about to actually just march right on in. We were still going to do something, and I had just the thing in mind.

    ¡°Alright Fran, n B.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    The two of us began casting the Stonewall skill over and over to produce a series ofrge, rocky blocks. They were a bit flimsy because we traded thickness for overall size, but they more than served our purposes.

    ¡°Master, good enough?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The whole thing¡¯s got a pretty good feel to it. You can even see the windows.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll handle this next part,¡± I said, as I activated Earth Control.

    I used the skill to maneuver the stony walls and close the gaps between them. Before long, we had ourselves a makeshift fortress. Located in the middle of the forest north of Schwartzekatze, the building wasrge enough even to be seen from afar. Its gate was sorge that it almost seemed to resemble the Arc de Triomphe. Appearance wise, it was perfect. But durability wise, it may as well have been made of paper mache. The entire construction was hollow, through and through.

    Still, it was good enough. It didn¡¯t need solid defenses. We hadn¡¯t nned on using it as a point of defense. It was a weenie, andmark. The whole point of it was to tower above the forest such that it could be seen from afar.

    The monsters would be unable to leave it alone. They would have to attack it else risk getting nked after they passed it by. In other words, it provided us a method to predict their actions. I¡¯m not actually sure how effective it¡¯ll be, but they should at least notice it. And if they notice it, they¡¯ll probably at least be wary of it.

    ¡°That¡¯s that.¡± All the building needed now was a couple soldiers. Of course, I didn¡¯t actually have any soldiers under my employ, nor were there any nearby willing to risk their lives in a fort doomed to fall. The only solution was therefore to make them ourselves.

    I retrieved ten corpses from my inventory. I didn¡¯t look for anything in particr. I just chose the ten humanoids in the best condition, so there ended up being goblins and stuff thrown into the mix.

    ¡°Alright Urushi, do your thing.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    The wolf cast spirit magic and instilled force and will into the lifeless corpsesid before him. All ten reanimated bodies soon rose to action and immediately readied themselves to receive his orders. I grabbed a couple random worn out bows and handed them to our makeshift soldiers such that they could fire arrows at any monsters that neared. As I only had five, I armed the remaining undead with broken swords and spears.

    Silhouette wise, they looked exactly like soldiers, and the monsters would likely be deceived so long as they continued moving around atop the fort.

    And with that, our preparations wereplete. Everything was perfectly in order.

    ¡°Fort¡¯s done, Fran.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    We enchanted ourselves with all sorts of support magic before flying off into the sky yet again. As we didn¡¯t want our enemies catching wind of our actions, we made sure to climb until we hit an altitude at which they would be unlikely to spot us.

    ¡°Ugh.¡± I groaned as I looked down on the army. ¡°The way they¡¯re swarming is kinda gross.¡±

    ¡°Looks like garbage,¡± added Fran. I know, right?

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this. Let¡¯s hit them hard and make it as shy as we can while we¡¯re at it. Once we¡¯re done with that, we¡¯ll charge right in. You ready?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

 Chapter 298: The Start of a Battle

    <h4>Chapter 298: The Start of a Battle</h4>

    We got ready tounch our pre-emptive strike as we watched the army of monsters beneath us.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready. What about you, Fran?¡±

    ¡°Also ready.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much holding us back now that all three of us had gotten our preparations in order, so we had Fran give us the signal.

    ¡°Awakening!¡±

    All three of us began raining spells down on the army the moment Fran awakened. The battle was sure to be a long one, so we didn¡¯t go as far as activating Brilliant Lightning Rush. Its suicidal downsides made it difficult to use given the circumstances.

    ¡°Ekato Kernauros!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s showtime! Kanna Kamui!¡±

    ¡°Aroooo!¡±

    Fran¡¯s thunderbolts, which rained down over a wide area, caused rampant destruction. The monsters subjected to the attack howled in pain as their bodies were torn apart by the magical lighting. Likewise, my Kanna Kamui, which hadnded right in the middle of the vanguard, swallowed well over a hundred monsters, ending them before they could even make a noise. Urushi, the only one of us not to cast lighting magic, had gone with a bit more indirect approach. He had unleashed a toxic mist into our surroundings, one that caused the monsters that inhaled it to convulse as they were subject to an intense pain.

    ¡°Gyaaaoooo!¡±

    The monsters began to howl and squeal in confusion as they attempted to figure out where the sudden attack hade from. Confusion quickly spread through their ranks. Operation Pre-emptive Strike sess.

    ¡°On with the n!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Urushi began running in circles above the army as I pulled rocks and trees out from my inventory and dropped them on the monsters below. Likewise, Fran also followed up by firing magical, ming arrows.

    We used to have a whole swamp¡¯s worth of toxins at our disposal, but we¡¯d used most of it to create delicious food back when we were in Barbra. Even thest little bit that remained had already been converted to water with restorative properties.

    Most of the giant rocks we gained when the floating inds fell apart were gone. I¡¯d dumped all but five of them into the stomach of a midgard wyrm. They wouldn¡¯t be able to cause too much widespread destruction because they were few in quantity, but that didn¡¯t mean I was going to skimp out on dropping them. Sure, they won¡¯t really kill too many, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll probably either confuse them or scare them sheetless. I mean, just look at how big they are. Besides, our goal has always been just to stall them, and they¡¯ll make for some pretty good obstacles.

    The tactic ended up being quite effective. Some monsters ended up so confused that they panicked and started running around like headless chickens, screaming all the way.

    ¡°Next, we crush the vanguard!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°Ruff!¡±

    Wended right at the front of the army and dialed our bloodlust up all the way to eleven.

    ¡°Gya, gyagya!?

    ¡°Gii!¡±

    The immense pressure that Fran emitted caused unrest to spread through their ranks. The vanguard, the only part of the army that had eyes on her, took a step back in fear, only to be pushed back towards her by the poor, unknowing saps that stood at the rear.

    Most of the monsters that popted the vanguard were weak. They roughly fit into four categories: evil beings, beasts, scalies, and undead. The evil beings, that is, the orcs and goblins, weren¡¯t nearly as well equipped as the ones that had attacked Schwartzekatze just a few days prior. Their appearances were much more typical of their species¡¯ norms. They were pretty much limited to just rags and wooden clubs. Wait, are all the weak monsters up front so they can act as meatshields or something? I really hope not. That would mean that the mastermind has got a good head on his shoulders, and I sure as hell don¡¯t want to have to deal with any crazy tactics.

    ¡°Haaah!¡± Fran dived right into their ranks and began cutting down every goblin and wolf that she neared.

    Her actions were precise and efficient. She instantly judged the strength of the foes around her before removing the weaker ones by going for their cores and smashing the stronger ones¡¯ heads. Truth be told, we didn¡¯t actually need to go after any monster cores whatsoever, but there wasn¡¯t any need not to, and as Fran only went after them in the case that they wouldn¡¯t dull her efficiency, I had no qualms with her methods. It¡¯s not like any of these monsters are particrly rare or anything anyway. Yeah, this¡¯ll work. If we stack enough corpses together, we might be able to create a pilerge enough to slow down the rest of the army by making it take a detour or something.

    ¡°Take this! st me! Gale Hazard! Thunder Web! st me! Gale Hazard!¡±

    With a strategy in mind, I focused my attention on creating as many corpses as possible. All the spells Iunched were of the same type. They hadrge areas of effect, but they were weak. I bolstered their power a good bit by putting more mana into each cast, but there was nothing I could do about the spells¡¯ natures. Each cast was about strong enough to kill a goblin, leave an orc half dead, and take off about a fifth of an ogre¡¯s max health.

    All the monsters that we used the spells on were weak, but they had to be eradicated nheless. They were sure to attack any evacuating vigers they happened toe across if we let them advance or scatter. Dismantling the swarm as a whole was much more important than eliminating its strongest members.

    Of course, not all monsters were susceptible to magical damage. But those that resisted my attacks were torn to pieces the moment they approached either Fran or Urushi.

    Urushi¡¯s primary role was to function like something along the lines of a shortstop. He covered Fran¡¯s blind spots and attacked everything that went after her with his venomous fog. I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by the sheer toxicity of the spell. Its poison was potent enough to permanently cripple a goblin, if not outright kill it upon exposure. The only problem is that it¡¯s a bit too strong. We can¡¯t use it near allies or if we¡¯re in town.

    It was so potent, in fact, that it was even capable of damaging Fran should she inhale it. Fortunately, the wolf was prudent enough not to fire it off in her direction, and I covered for him by using magic to send anything that did drift over away. Of course, it was still a bit risky nheless, but we didn¡¯t have the liberty to really care. We had to exterminate as many monsters as we could as fast as possible.

    ¡°Haaaaah!¡±

    ¡°Thunder Web!¡±

    ¡°Woooof!¡±

    And so, the battle continued. We were surrounded on all sides, but we kept ying our enemies nheless. Our methods were effective. The army had halted. It stopped advancing in order to focus on moving us out of its way. They only ever moved past us in order to better surround us. Thank god.

    The only problem was that casting spells nonstop had taken quite a toll on my mana. We would soon have to shift into a different style of battle.

    Of course, I had been making liberal use of Magic Absorption. I wrenched everything I could from our enemies each time my de struck them. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. My consumption far outweighed my intake.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop casting for a bit and focus on support instead.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I continued to drain everything she shed of its magic each time she swung me. It would take a good bit for me to recover all my mana given the weak nature of the monsters we were currently locked inbat with, but it would eventually recover. And that was what mattered. Losing time was something that just couldn¡¯t be helped.

    We had to be at our best if we wanted to be able to take down the army¡¯s more powerful members.

    The monsters began to approach with more vigour when they realized that they were no longer going to be pelted with spells on their way in. But even so, Fran remained unharmed. The weaklings before her were simply unable to cause her any damage.

    ¡°You holding up okay?¡± Still, I was concerned. The catkin was unharmed, and I had been restoring her stamina with my magic throughout the battle, so I knew that she felt no real physical load. But the same couldn¡¯t be said for her mind. She was sure to grow tired eventually, and there was really nothing I could do about any sort of mental fatigue.

    ¡°Nn. Fine.¡±

    Her reply, however, indicated that my worries were needless. I could tell that she wasn¡¯t just putting up a front, that she was actually perfectly okay. As far as she was concerned, taking down the enemies that had appeared before her was as easy as a walk in the park. Wow. She really has grown. This kinda thing used to exhaust the hell out of her back when we were helping Jean raid that one dungeon.

    Of course, a walk in the park was still a type of exercise, and Fran had indeed rued a slight bit of exhaustion. Her breath had started to get ragged, but that was basically it.

    ¡°We¡¯ve still got a ton of battles lined up for us, so don¡¯t push yourself too hard just yet.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

 Chapter 299: Strong Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 299: Strong Monsters</h4>

    We continued to engage the army of monsters in head-onbat.

    I managed to recover most of my mana after a good bit of skirmishing, but it was still a bit shy of full. But of course, there was no way the monsters would know that, let alone work with us to make things more convenient.

    ¡°Grrrr!¡±

    ¡°Big onesing.¡±

    ¡°I guess that must mean the show¡¯s finally on the road. Alright. Let¡¯s kick it up a notch.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    A group of monsters with numbers in the tens moved through the crowd and began attacking Fran. There was a four meter tall lizard, a huge lion with green fur, and a high ogre with an iron club amongst many others.

    It seemed that the mob had finally realized that it wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Fran with just small fry. She could cleave through hundreds of them without breaking a sweat.

    The stronger monsters that approached ranked in the D to E range. Each was capable of crushing an entire vige all by their lonesome. Of course, we were far superior. None of the monsters could pose any sort of threat to either Fran or Urushi in a one versus one scenario. But there were far too many of them for us to treat the battle as a leisurely stroll. We had to remain vignt.

    And of course, the weaker monsters hadn¡¯t just up and disappeared now that their superior counterparts hade around. Those that were capable of it were still providing long ranged support.

    ¡°Listen up, Urushi! Sink into the shadows and start sniping them one by one. Your goal is to thin them out as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°And be careful out there. Make sure you don¡¯t get yourself surrounded. I¡¯ll make sure we don¡¯t get hit by projectiles. Fran, you focus on destroying everything nearby.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Fran fearlessly plunged into the mob. She slipped under a monster whose legs were as thick as her hips, and danced around another that tried to stab her with a horn that was as thick as a telephone pole.

    The monsters she fought were as strong as the ones that I¡¯d only barely managed to defeat not too long after my reincarnation. She and I had both gotten much stronger. While we weren¡¯t able to y each enemy in a single hit, we were still able to take them down with ease.

    Agitation spread through the monsters¡¯ ranks as their army¡¯s members fell one by one. They didn¡¯t seem to understand how the tiny little thing that stood in their way was anywhere near as powerful as them, let alone much stronger than they were. They looked at her as they would mere prey. But her attacks and spells were both much more lethal than theirs could ever be.

    At first, they¡¯d just blindly charged in. But now that they had calmed down a bit, they came to understand that she was much more powerful than she appeared.

    Their eyes filled with fear. And from that fear, I finally came to understand the gravity of the situation we were dealing with. The fact that the monsters were afraid meant that they weren¡¯t being manipted. They were following orders. Whoever had amassed this army was powerful enough to make ten thousand monsters follow theirmands. I really hope that they haven¡¯t gathered under someone purely because that someone happened to be overwhelmingly powerful. I really don¡¯t want to have to even imagine how strong anyone capable of that would be. They¡¯d have to be A rank tier, at the very least.

    Lost in my thoughts as I was, I was still actively participating in the battle. The reason I was able to manage all these thoughts while fighting was because I had activated Parallel Processing and dedicated one of my mind¡¯s newly found branches to considering the status quo.

    The situation was honestly not looking all that great. Magic wasn¡¯t the only long ranged attack we had to avoid. We also had to somehow dodge corpses. The monsters were throwing their deadpanions without a care in the world. They didn¡¯t even mind the projectile¡¯s final destination. They would still throw them at full force even if they were at risk of hitting an ally. This recklessness of theirs made their attacks incredibly hard to predict.

    The number of monsters engaging Fran inbat gradually began to shrink. Unfortunately, our resources had suffered a simr fate. My MP, which we had oh so painstakingly worked to recover had once again been reduced to only half its maximum value. Fran was very clearly exhausted as well. She was panting heavily, so heavily that her shoulders would heave with every breath she took.

    I had already healed her back up to full, but she had spent a good bit of the fight covered in wounds of all shapes and sizes. Her face and clothes were all stained by the sheer amount of blood that she had been soaked in. Not all monsters had the same coloured blood, and mixing it all together had eventually caused the stuff that coated her to turn ck.

    As it impacted her ability to see, I made sure to clean the stuff off of her face every once in a while, but my efforts were fruitless, as it didn¡¯t take very long for her face to once again be dyed a shade of ck.

    That was just how intense the battle had been. Being as exhausted as she was was only natural.

    ¡°You still good to go, Fran?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡± Fran gave herself a light shake to get back into the zone before ring at the monsters around her. The overwhelming aura that radiated off her body caused them to momentarily freeze in ce.

    Again, the monsters were made to recognize that Fran was no pushover, that she was more than what her form suggested.

    Whoever was in control of the army seemed toe to understand that it was time for a change in strategy, as the monsters began to fight in a bit of a different manner. I guess they really are watching, then. Hmm¡­ they might even be somewhere in the middle of the crowd. Or maybe there¡¯s amander or something that was taught a bunch of different strategies ahead of time. That might be possible too. And just how are all these orders being issued in the first ce?

    The only thing I knew for sure was that the monsters were moving to support one another. They were working as a team.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Looks like this¡¯ll be a pain in the ass to handle.¡±

    The monsters around us pulled back as would a receding wave as five monsters of an even higher power level stepped forward. These guys are probably this army¡¯s most powerful monsters.

    All five were C ranked threats; each was strong enough to fell Greengoat on its own. The fact that there were five of them gathered meant that the country as a whole would have met an unprecedented amount of trouble had we not discovered them.

    They would have had to fight a war on two fronts. The Basharians would have been attacking from one side, while this army attacked from another. And it all just happened to ur while the Beast Lord was away. Does that mean that this monster army is something the Basharians put together? Man, I just don¡¯t know. But alright, enough thinking. I need to focus.

    The biggest problem was that each of the five C ranked monsters was of a different type. Thergest was a multi headed snake known as a Graphite Hydra. Its scales shone with a ck lustre, as could be guessed from its name. Each of its six heads were wide enough to swallow Fran whole, and all in all, the oversized snake was at least twenty meters long. It had the ability to rapidly regenerate, but that wasn¡¯t all. It was capable of spitting breaths of fire, poison, and darkness.

    Beside it stood a Crimson Wolf, a canine with deep red fur capable of casting me magic. It seemed like it was more or less the same species as Urushi, except that its primary element was fire as opposed to darkness. Its stats were the most well rounded of the five.

    Like the second, the third monster was also a type of beast. Namely, a Steel Titan Bear. The ten meter tall mammal had skin as hard as steel covering its entire body. It didn¡¯t really have any special skills, but its stats, especially its defenses, were incredible. Its strength sat at a whole 1286, meaning it could output even more brute force than the Graphite Hydra.

    Next to the bear was a giant bug known as an Adamantite Beetle. It basically looked like an eight meter long hercules beetle. Its exoskeleton was absurdly hard, and it even had level 8 magic resistance. Its High Speed Flight skill made it look like it would be extremely difficult to deal with.

    Thest monster was a humanoid with jet ck skin, a demon. Its speciesbeled it a Demonic Baron, meaning it was weaker than the Demonic Earl we¡¯d fought back when we first started adventuring. Its stats weren¡¯t as good, but it had skills that seemed to cover all its weaknesses. It looked like it would be harder to deal with than the Demonic Earl we¡¯d fought back then, but only because it didn¡¯t need to protect an idiotic dungeon master.

    Even just a single one of the five monsters that stood before us was enough to pose a threat on its own. And to make matters worse, the army had once again started to move. It looked like it was nning to advance while Fran struggled with its elites.

    Fortunately, I had managed to glean a bit of information. Demons were a type of monster that could almost never exist outside of a dungeon unless very special techniques were employed. In other words, the monsters were likely the product of some sort ofbyrinth.

    ¡°This is looking bad.¡±

    ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ We¡¯re not going to be able to keep the army in check if we¡¯re going to have to take these guys on, so¡­¡±

    It was just far too dangerous. We wouldn¡¯t have a fighting chance unless we went all out and focused all our resources on the opponents we had before us.

    ¡°Then will just win quickly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, seems like our only choice. Welp. Let¡¯s do this!¡±

 Chapter 300: A Successful(?) Preemptive Strike

    <h4>Chapter 300: A Sessful(?) Preemptive Strike</h4>

    We calmly observed the five C ranked monsters that gathered around us and attempted to look for openings. They had us surrounded, so we needed to remain vignt. There was a chance that the horde, the army that had continued to advance, would disperse if we sat around for far too long, and it would be much more difficult to annihte them if they weren¡¯t all gathered in one spot.

    And if we failed in our extermination, the many vigers, ck catkin or otherwise, would be attacked. They wouldn¡¯t be able to evacuate all the way to Greengoat.

    Letting our guard down and diving right in would be an act of suicide. We wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the five enemies before us unless we remained calm. And so, with my mind restored to a state of serenity, I quickly devised a n and informed Fran of its contents.

    ¡°Urushi. Can you keep the Crimson Wolf at bay?¡±

    ¡°Woof woof!¡±

    Kin to the God of Wolves, one of Urushi¡¯s titles, provided him with the ability to intimidate other wolves. Thus, it seemed likely that he would have a paw up on the Crimson Wolf, even if the two were the same rank.

    ¡°Fran, focus on the demon. He¡¯s going to be the most troublesome of the bunch. Don¡¯t hold back if you think it¡¯ll get you in trouble. Feel free to use Brilliant Lightning Rush at your discretion.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    I don¡¯t really want to deal with any trickery, and its magic lets it support its allies too. Yeah, definitely bringing that thing down asap.

    Fran pulled the Phantom Pyroxene de out from her inventory and equipped it. While the two of them were holding off their respective opponents, I would be defeating the final three.

    The monsters kept us surrounded and stared in anticipation of our actions. Fran¡¯s actions, the drawing of a brand new weapon, had caused them to raise their guard even further. It was precisely their excessive caution that allowed me to gather up enough magical power for my next action.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°Kanna Kamui!¡±

    There was a minor bit of dy before the spell activated, in which the magical aura radiating off my body drastically beefed itself up. The monsters reacted to it and immediatelyunched an assault.

    But they were toote.

    A giant white thunderboltrger than even the Graphite Hydra, thergest of the five, descended from the sky and swallowed the jet ck snake whole. Its ability to regenerate would be far too obnoxious if left alone, so I¡¯d mmed it with as much burst damage as I could muster. Kanna Kamui¡¯s light soon faded. And with it went the multi headed serpent¡¯s corpse. The attack had burnt even the very concept of the monster to dust. Not a single bone or scale remained. All that was left was arge crater situated right where it had been just moments ago.

    The aftershock, a heavy burst of wind, assaulted the remaining four monsters. The force was so great that it threatened to knock each of the four massive beasts off their feet and sweep them away if they didn¡¯t take care to keep themselves firmly nted in the dirt below. That said, all four had gonepletely stiff. Seeing the instant death of their ally had frozen them solid.

    Their response, or rather, theirck thereof, proved that they were still unused tobat and its intricacies. Freezing up in the middle of a battle was a huge mistake, one that proved fatal for the Steel Titan Bear that had been by the Hydra¡¯s side.

    ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡±

    ¡°Roarrrrrrrrrrrr!?¡±

    I teleported behind the metallic ursine and drilled straight through its back with a telekic catapult. Its inability to react allowed me tond a critical hit; I destroyed its core with a single blow.

    If it weren¡¯t so taken aback, the bear likely would¡¯ve been able to detect the attack and, at the very least, move to protect its vitals. But as it was now, the bearcked the capacity to even so much as fathom that I, a sword, would be able to move on my own and reap it of all it had.

    The only monster to react, the demon, had been unable to alter the bear¡¯s fate. Fran had already engaged it inbat and locked it down.

    Still, the bear¡¯s heavy defenses were impressive. My intent had been to impale it through and through, but I was only able to barely reach its core, once again showing that it had been no small fry.

    And of course, the same trick wasn¡¯t going to work a second time. All three remaining monsters already knew that I could move on my own. The sight of me killing one of their allies had practically been seared into their minds. They weren¡¯t going to let their guard down again.

    I tried to give the monsters yet another shock by shoving the bear¡¯s corpse into my magical inventory, but much to my dismay, they didn¡¯t freeze up this time. Still, I didn¡¯t particrly mind. I had done enough to better our situation. Two of our five foes were dead. Relieved at my sess, I returned to Fran¡¯s side.

    ¡°Alright, just three left. Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi provoked the crimson wolf with an attack before dragging it somewhere a bit further away so they could engage in a duel. The scarlet canine seemed to have been paying extra attention to Urushi, which was a given since the two were the same type of monster, so it epted his challenge immediately.

    ¡°And now all we have to worry about is the demon and the bug.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Fran grabbed me and got ready to fight. She made sure to keep the tip of my de pointed at the demon in order to cut its obnoxious spells out of the equation as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the ck skinned humanoid had already retreated a fair distance away and started to throw spells at us to keep us in check.

    Our explosive offenses had made the creature wary, which was unfortunate. I wanted it to draw closer so we could finish it off with a single high powered strike.

    We would¡¯ve been able to quickly eliminate the demon if we had Urushi at our side, but he was stuck in a stalemate with the other wolf.

    Urushi was stronger from a magic standpoint, but the crimson canine outranked him when it came to physical prowess. All in all, the two were roughly equal. The ck dog lurked about in the shadows andunched darkness magic from afar, while the red one ignored even the very concept of defense and instead focused on rushing in to deliver a single, critical blow with its mes.

    It looked like their duel would continue for quite some time; we were on our own.

    Both the Adamantite Beetle and demon were extremely fast, and their mobility was only further emphasized by their ability to take to the air. To make matters worse, they were working together. When we chose to attack one, the other would go on the offensive and force us off its partner.

    The Adamantite Beetle¡¯s attacks ended up being a pain in the ass to deal with despite it not having the best offensive stats. It was able to use its mana as thrusters by firing it out from behind, which in turn allowed it to gain an explosive amount of propulsion.

    We couldn¡¯t even avoid it just by keeping an eye on it. We had to carefully observe the flow of its mana and put everything into evading the iing attack the moment it began getting ready to charge.

    And of course, the demon didn¡¯t allow us to focus as much attention on the beetle as I wanted.

    It came at us with a de the moment we looked away from it, one made from poison magic. It used that very same element to fire a spell as it closed the gap. Watching Urushi fight had allowed the demon to deduce that Fran didn¡¯t have the best defenses against poison based attacks. The attack wasn¡¯t too quick, so Fran dodged it and avoided damage.

    Or at least that was what was supposed to happen.

    ¡°Guah!¡±

    ¡°Fran!¡±

    The massive insect charged at Fran the moment she nced at the demon. She realized the moment the creature began to elerate, and readied her defenses, but they were easily broken.

    It turned out that the beetle was capable of not only using its magic as a propent, but also condensing it around its horn in order to up its damage. The force of its blow was able to tear right through the barrier she threw up.

    Both her right arm and right leg ended up bent the wrong way. Her head was bleeding pretty heavily as well. But that wasn¡¯t even the worst of it. The whole right side of her gut had been wrenched out by the beetle¡¯s horn.

    I immediately threw out a Greater Heal, but the spell wasn¡¯t strong enough to close the wound.

    ¡°Fran! Use Instant Regeneration! Right now!¡±

    The only response I got from her was a cough.

    ¡°Can you hear me, Fran!? You need to use Instant Regeneration!!¡±

    My second shout got through to her, as she nodded while wincing, her face distorted in pain. Her wound then quickly began to close. Luckily, she had made it just in time.

    The only problem was that Fran was a humanoid. Unlike a sword or a slime, her body wasn¡¯t made up of a series of simple, easily definable features. To that end, the skill ended up being inefficient as far as cost went. It had ended up draining a massive portion of her mana.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked her as I put up a barrier.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡± She managed to squeeze out a reply between ragged breaths.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Came out of nowhere.¡±

    I nodded my metaphorical head in agreement. She and I had seen the same thing. The attack the beetle hadunched didn¡¯t feel like something that had caught us off guard because it came from a blind spot. It felt more like the attack had just suddenly appeared out of thin air.

    For a moment, I suspected that the beetle had teleported, but it didn¡¯t have the skills to let it do so. I was certain of it. It did have the Espionage skill, but its level was far too low to be of relevance.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a high ranked monster for you. Damned thing has got a few tricks up its sleeves.¡±

    ¡°But will win.¡±

    ¡°You betcha.¡±

    Though she had been on the verge of death only a few moments prior, Fran¡¯s spirit had yet to wane. She was still all for going in and giving it everything she had. But that was only to be expected. Fran¡¯s resilience had always been her most notable trait.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep our guard all the way up and do this!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

 Chapter 301: The Terror Wrought by an Illusion

    <h4>Chapter 301: The Terror Wrought by an Illusion</h4>

    ¡°Baruooo!¡± The demon screeched as it attacked us right before we could prepare ourselves for another one of the Adamantite Beetle¡¯s attacks.

    ¡°Hush,¡± said Fran.

    The oversized bug once again came crashing into us the moment the demon drew our attention. But this time, we weren¡¯t caught unawares. I used abination of telekinesis and a barrier to prevent Fran from taking a direct hit, but we were subjected to a powerful shockwave nheless. I reflected on the attack and its workings as I healed Fran¡¯s left arm, which had once again been shattered.

    We were unable to detect it right up until to the very moment it was about to hit us. I highly doubted that we would be able to avoid its attacks unless we were able to focus on them.

    ¡°Sorry Fran, but I¡¯m going to be cancelling the Haste spell for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re probably going to have to manage on your own for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Nn. No problem. Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡±

    I had been using haste, a space/time spell in order to elerate our thoughts such that we would be able to better deal with the monsters, as they happened to have high agility stats. While that sounded all fine and dandy, the spell did have its demerits. Slowing down our perception of time distorted the sounds around us. Our sense of hearing wasn¡¯t the only sense it distorted either. It messed with most other senses and even dulled the effects of Presence Detection.

    It did nothing but get in the way in cases like the current one, in which we needed our detection skills to be fully functional. I had wanted us to keep holding Brilliant Lightning Rush for the time being. The skill was more suited to shorter battles than it was to longer, more drawn out ones, but we didn¡¯t have much of a choice. We wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat the two monsters before us without Haste if we didn¡¯t bolster our agility.

    The demon once again began attacking us despite the change in Fran¡¯s aura. The catkin raised me in an attempt to block the monster¡¯s de, but it didn¡¯t work. The toxic sword slipped right through me andnded a blow right on Fran¡¯s body.

    It proved itself worthy of its rank by momentarily empowering the de with additional magical energy such that it could pierce through the barrier.

    The wound she received from the attack was honestly not that big of a deal. Therger problem was that she had been subjected to its poison. It was clearly causing her arge amount of pain, as her movements immediately dulled in response. The beetle came in for round three, but Fran had already seen it perform that same attack twice. She wasn¡¯t about to let herself just take a third hit without any sort of retaliation.

    It came from behind and aimed its horn straight for her heart, but she reacted. She spun her body just enough to avoid a fatal blow. The bug still got her right shoulder and tore the whole arm off, but she bore with the pain and jammed her left hand into the creature¡¯s right eye.

    A loud crack resounded as she jammed everything up to her elbow into the beetle¡¯s eyesocket and retaliated with a spell.

    ¡°Lightning st!¡±

    ¡°God damn, that thing¡¯s resilient!¡±

    The direct attack on its brain caused the insect to screech and writhe. But, although it suffered several heavy burns, the Adamantite Beetle lived on. It was still moving.

    ¡°GAGGGGGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!¡±

    ¡°Uwah¡­¡±

    ¡°Fran!¡±

    The creature¡¯s violent thrashing caused Fran¡¯s arm, which was still in its body, to be torn straight out of its socket. The hard pieces of its shell had acted like scissors and snipped her limb in two.

    ¡°Greater Heal! Antidote! Greater Heal!¡±

    I cast several healing magics on Fran, who¡¯d lost both her arms, while keeping her standing with telekinesis. She facilitated the process by using instantaneous regeneration, so she managed to restore her body to its usual state. But unfortunately, doing so had taken quite the toll on her. Much of her mana had been drained, and her physical stamina with it.

    I continued to reflect on everything that had just happened as I healed Fran up. There was something wrong. Neither the Adamantite Beetle¡¯s charge nor the demon¡¯s de seemed quite¡­ right. There was something unusual going on.

    The demon was a caster whose sword arts skill was only level six. It didn¡¯t make sense for Fran to be unable to defend against its attacks, even if she did have to deal with another enemy at the same time. Given that, I decided to appraise the demon a second time.

    ¡°Wait! It all makes sense now! That damned thing¡¯s got Illusion Magic!¡±

    The level four skill was likely much more effective than I had been giving it credit for. I suspected that there was a good chance it was messing with more than just our sense of sight.

    This was our first time fighting against a foe capable of distorting our senses, so I ended up underestimating just how terrifying the magic could be. That said, I should probably affirm that my hypothesis is correct before jumping to conclusions.

    I popped all my detection skills and observed the demon¡¯s movements as it moved for another strike and confirmed that my suspicions were on point. The demon had hidden its real arms and produced another set with illusion magic.

    The most terrifying aspect was that the demon¡¯s real arms were impossible to detect through standard means. I couldn¡¯t even feel their presence. And to make matters worse, the fake arms could produce sound. I could hear them carving through the air as the demon moved to attack. It had Fran totally fooled. I, however, was not. I immediately used telekinesis to redirect myself and block the demon¡¯s strike.

    ¡°Master?¡± Fran asked, curious as to why I had suddenly started jerking about.

    ¡°I¡¯ll focus on defense, you focus on offense!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    We executed the n. Franunched an onught of attacks while I warded off whatever the demon threw at her.

    As demonstrated back in Schwartzkatze, I was no match for either Fran or Urushi in terms of intuition. My instincts weren¡¯t nearly as sharp as theirs were. But I could make up for it with my ability to see through illusions like the one we were faced with just now. Things that distorted the five senses weren¡¯t nearly as effective on me as they were on mypanions, as my senses had been of an inorganic construction from the start. I didn¡¯t have eyes to see with, I barely had a sense of touch, and not even I really knew exactly why it was even possible for me to hear. And those were all the senses I had. I had no sense of taste. I had no sense of smell. I could only see, feel, and hear.

    ¡°Giiiiiiiiiii¡± The demon screeched as it went for another blow.

    ¡°Nice try, but I can see right through you!¡±

    The demon¡¯s spells were extremely effective at not only creating illusions, but also concealment. And that was precisely the trick behind the beetle that wasing out of nowhere.

    Knowing the trick was half the battle. Understanding it allowed me to develop a mechanism by which I could cope. The beetle¡¯s body was shrouded by an illusion. But that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t there. The air around it would still shift as it dashed. I could detect it, even if Fran remained none the wiser.

    Iunched a spell in the beetle¡¯s direction the moment it started to move. It had magic resistance, so I didn¡¯t bother with anything offensive.

    ¡°Turn Shield!¡±

    I instead cast a spell meant to alter the paths of enemy projectiles.

    The Adamantite Beetle was massive. But, by imbuing the spell with as much mana as possible and thenbining it with telekinesis, I was able to redirect it just enough to alter its destination.

    Of course, I didn¡¯t expect the beetle¡¯s attack to instantly end the demon. My goal wasn¡¯t to have that happen. All I wanted was an opening, which is exactly what we got.

    And Fran, being Fran, wasn¡¯t the type to overlook an opening.

    ¡°Haaah!¡±

    The demon leapt backwards in panic in order to avoid the beetle¡¯s rush. Fran chased it down and delivered a heavy blow with her de, splitting its body in two.

    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± shouted Fran. She then twisted me around and used me to destroy the demon¡¯s core in an instant. The battle had devolved into a simple sword fight, one in which she held an overwhelming advantage.

    The beetle immediately judged that the situation had turned dire, so it charged us down with more speed than it had demonstrated to date. It seemed to have activated some sort of trump card and intended to skewer us alongside the demon¡¯s remains. I had topliment the beetle. Its judgement call wasn¡¯t too bad despite it being a literal insect.

    But the loss of its support meant that it was no longer a threat. I destroyed the iing bug by teleporting above it and impaling it with a telekic catapult.

 Chapter 302: Of Level Ups and Monster Core Points

    <h4>Chapter 302: Of Level Ups and Monster Core Points</h4>

    Editors: Joker, Speedphoenix

    ¡°Alright. All we¡¯ve got left now is the Crimson Wolf!¡±

    We hurried over to Urushi after defeating the Adamantite Beetle and the Demon in hopes of providing backup, only to discover that our help waspletely unneeded.

    The battle was practically over.

    Urushi¡¯s offenses weren¡¯t as great as the Crimson Wolf¡¯s. In fact, he was notably weaker from a physical standpoint, period. However, he had still managed to do his foe harm by slowly using poison to shave away at its health.

    Therge red dog¡¯s eyes were filled with purple specks. Its fur had fallen off in patches; bald spots were visible all over its body. Its breathing was shallow and it would even cough every once in a while. It was obvious that its insides had been heavily damaged with a fast acting poison.

    Urushi was injured too. The entire right half of his body was covered in burns. In fact, his right eye had vanished altogether.

    Despite their injuries, both wolves were ring at each other and snarling. It was clear that each still wished to kill the other.

    Although Urushi looked closer to death, he was in fact faring much better than the Crimson Wolf. Thetter vomiting blood was a sign that it was already toote to treat him. The poison had won. Urushi had won.

    The ck wolf made use of the red one¡¯s weakness. He cast a spell that led the shadows to bind the other wolf¡¯s feet before lunging at it and tearing out its throat.

    And so ended the battle. The crimson wolf wheezed onest time before falling over on its side.

    Urushi ced his paws atop his enemy¡¯s corpse and howled to dere himself the victor before also copsing on the spot.

    I hurried over to the wolf in panic and began to heal him. I managed to fix most of his wounds, eye aside. He had the ability to regenerate, so he was sure to get it back in time, but we were on too tight a schedule to sit around and wait until it did.

    And since it was probably best to have him in peak condition, I used one of the high grade potions we had on hand and sprinkled it over his eye, which promptly regenerated over the course of ten odd seconds. Man, are we lucky we managed to get our hands on these.

    ¡°There, all better. How are you feeling, Urushi?¡±

    ¡°Ruff.¡±

    ¡°Whew. Good to hear.¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Truth be told, I would have liked to give both Fran and Urushi some time to rest, but we just didn¡¯t have any to spare. Thus, I decided to do to Fran as I did to Urushi and had her drink a potion. It wasn¡¯t going to help with her mental fatigue, which in fact was much worse than her physical fatigue, but we were going to have to make do for the time being.

    ¡°Alright. That took a good bit. We¡¯ll have to hit the gas if we want to catch up to that army.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°But first, I should probably absorb this monster¡¯s core. Assuming you don¡¯t mind, Urushi.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    It was technically his prey, so I made sure to get his permission before jabbing my de into the mana-filled stone within the Crimson Wolf¡¯s heart.

    Being a C ranked monster, the wolf was worth a wealth of core points. And with me being close to a level as I was¡­

    Self evolution has urred.

    ¡°Boooyaaah!¡± Woo! I called it! Man, that¡¯s lucky. Now, I¡¯ve not only got all my mana back, but I¡¯ve also even got a couple self evolution points to work with. This¡¯ll hopefully make all the uing battles a lot easier.

    ***

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran (Bound)

    Race: Intelligent Weapon

    ATK: 726

    MP: 5500/5500

    Durability: 5300/5300

    Magical Conductivity: A+

    Self Evolution - Rank 14

    Core Points: 9133/10500

    Memory: 138

    Self Evolution Points: 70

    ***

    ¡°Master? What happened?¡± Fran asked me curiously in response to my sudden shout. Oops. Let myself get a little bit too excited there.

    ¡°I ranked up!,¡± I said excitedly. ¡°My MP is all the way back up to full, and I¡¯ve also got us a whole 70 self evolution points. Just in case.¡±

    ¡°Wooooow,¡± said Fran, extending the word to demonstrate that she was impressed.

    ¡°Oh and by the way, you¡¯ve both leveled up three times.¡±

    We¡¯d defeated a number of enemies, especially powerful ones, so I wasn¡¯t sure if I was supposed to beining that they¡¯d only gain three each, or rejoicing given that levels weren¡¯t all that easy toe by to begin with. I was leaning towards thetter, given that many adventurers found it hard to make their way all the way up to level 40, even in their middle ages.

    Besides, levels weren¡¯t all we gained. Fran had gotten a new title: Annihtor of Monsters. Its description read as follows.

    ***

    Annihtor of Monsters

    A title granted to one that has defeated over a thousand monsters belonging to at least 100 distinct species. This title increases the title bearer¡¯s stats when in battle with one or more monsters. The bonus is proportional to the number of monsters and their strength.

    ***

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ now what do I put points in? Oh wait, this isn¡¯t the time for that. Let¡¯s chase after that army. I¡¯ll figure all this point stuff out along the way.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I put the Crimson Wolf¡¯s corpse into my inventory as Fran mounted Urushi.

    ¡°Alright boy, chase!¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    We pursued the army, which had already gained quite a bit of distance on us. We talked about my newfound points and the manner in which we would use them along the way.

    ¡°Anything you want in particr, Fran?¡±

    ¡°Magic Mastery?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, yeah, that¡¯s a good one.¡±

    Turning Vigour Maniption into Vigour Mastery had drastically boosted the power of all our physical skills while shortening their cast times.

    It only made sense for Magic Mastery to provide a simr effect. It was sure to be extremely useful if it worked exactly as we expected.

    ¡°Master? Want to point anything?¡±

    ¡°I, for one, want mana absorption.¡±

    It was a very important skill, one that would let me sustain myself as I cut through the horde of monsters we were about to face. We had left it at level 9 because we didn¡¯t have the points to push it any further. I was certain that level 10 woulde with a boost in functionality worth the expenditure.

    Thinking about Mana Absorption sparked a rted thought that ultimately led to interest in one of the skills we had just gained in our recent rampage amongst the enemy¡¯s ranks: Life Absorption. It sounded like a skill that would allow Fran to use Brilliant Lightning Rush more frequently and for longer periods of time with greater ease. It seemed like a skill we could put to great use, especiallybined with Mana Absorption.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re running out of time to think about stuff, so I¡¯ll just point everything I just mentioned for now, since we¡¯re pretty much guaranteed to use them as soon as we make contact with the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    The first thing I did was dump five points into Magic Maniption. The skill only evolved a single time, but the effect gained from the change was incredible.

    ¡°Amazing!¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡±

    Fran¡¯s eyes widened as she felt a change ur in the skill¡¯s effects. It not only bolstered our magical offenses, but also increased our ability to perceive magical energy. Drastically, at that. It was almost as if our eyes had finally been opened, or like someone had pulled the plugs out of our ears. The world itself seemed to have be a different, more vivid ce altogether. Magic Mastery¡¯s effects exceeded Vigour Mastery¡¯s by far.

    ¡°Okay. Next, Mana Absorption.¡±

    Mana Absorption has reached its maximum level. You have obtained the Mana Thief skill.

    Oh nice, a new skill. I¡¯ll figure out how to use itter. After I finish pointing stuff.

    Life Absorption has reached its maximum level. You have obtained the Life Thief skill.

    Huh. So that one got upgraded too. I wonder what it does. Maybe just boost the amount of stuff I drain?

    Magic Maniption had eaten five points, Mana Absorption two, and Life Absorption eighteen, for a total of twenty five points consumed. In other words, I had forty five remaining.

    ¡°Now, what do I do with the rest¡­?¡±

    ¡°Magic to restrain enemies?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±

    Yeah, that sounds like it¡¯d be pretty useful. But which element should I focus on¡­?

    ****

    General Information

    Name: Fran

    Age: 12

    Race: Beastkin//ck Catkin//ck Heavenly Tigerkin

    ss: Magic Warrior

    State: Contracted

    Level: 46->49/99

    HP: 557->579

    MP: 437->450

    STR: 311 -> 324

    VIT: 244 -> 256

    AGI: 302-316

    INT: 215->221

    MGC: 256->265

    DEX: 214->222

    Skills

    Espionage: Lv 5

    Wind Magic: Lv 4

    Court Etiquette: Lv 4

    Presence Detection: Lv 7

    Sword Techniques: Lv 8

    Sword Arts: Lv 9

    Resistance to Evil Energies: Lv 1

    Blink: Lv 7

    Fire Magic: Lv 7

    Lightning Magic: Lv 4

    Cooking: Lv 2

    Disarm Traps: Lv 2

    Trap Detection: Lv 2

    Undead Killer

    Evil Killer

    Insect Killer

    Vigour Mastery

    Goblin Killer

    Mental Stability

    Demon Killer

    Skilled Skinner

    Resolute

    Sense of Direction

    Magic Mastery

    Night Vision

    Innate Skills

    Awakening

    Brilliant Lightning Rush

    Magical Convergence

    Special Skills

    ck Cat¡¯s Divine Protection

    Titles

    Undead Killer

    One Man Army

    Insect Killer

    Evil Killer

    Lord of Dismantling

    Recovery Mage

    Sword Lord

    Goblin Killer

    One Who ughters

    Skill Collector

    Skill Maniac

    Dungeon Conqueror

    Big Game Eater

    Demon Killer

    Earth Mage

    Fire Mage

    Wind Mage

    Lightning Mage

    Lord of Cooking

    (New) Monster Annihtor

    Equipment

    ck Cat Set

    *****

    General Information

    Name: Urushi

    Species: Darkness Wolf (Wolf-type Monster)

    State: Normal

    Level: 33/50

    HP: 764

    MP: 875

    STR: 416

    VIT: 346

    AGI: 519

    INT: 320

    MGC: 549

    DEX: 274

    Skills

    Darkness Resistance: Lv 9

    Darkness Magic: Lv 4

    Keen Sense of Smell: MAX

    Espionage: Lv 7

    Fang Techniques: Lv 6

    Fang Arts: Lv 7

    Shadowdive: MAX

    Shadowstalk: Lv 6

    Sky Leap: Lv 8

    Fear: Lv 4

    Vignce: Lv 8

    Presence Istion: Lv 6

    Regeneration: Lv 5

    Deadly Poison Magic: Lv 2

    Evil Perception: Lv 1

    Evil Resistance: Lv 1

    Blink: Lv 5

    Covert Action: Lv 6

    Necromancy: Lv 5

    Detect Life: Lv 8

    Sound Mind: Lv 6

    w Arts: Lv 2

    Poison Magic: MAX

    Echolocation: Lv 8

    Roar: Lv 8

    Shadowblend: MAX

    Dark Magic: MAX

    Night Vision

    Sovereign Poison Fang

    Passive HP Recovery

    Passive MP Recovery

    Poison Nullification

    Shapeshifting

    Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Predatory Absorption

    Titles

    Kin to the Sword

    Kin to the Wolf God

    Equipment

    w of Capture

    ***

    Note:

    Renamed from Match For a Thousand because literal gobbledygook

 Chapter 303: Great Wall

    <h4>Chapter 303: Great Wall</h4>

    Fran and I spent a bit of time figuring out which skill to point.

    ¡°me Magic?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    me Magic was our second highest level magic, and it seemed rather suited for the situation given that it was great at wiping out mobs of weaker enemies. The only problem was that we were in a wooded area. We couldn¡¯t just go flinging mes around willy nilly else risk burning down the whole forest. identally setting the whole thing aze and therefore killing the people that were evacuating from it was counterproductive.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad choice, but we¡¯ll have to be really careful with how we use it.¡±

    ¡°Then Storm Magic? Large area of effect.¡±

    That suggestion¡¯s not too bad. Storm spells do generally seem to have a pretty decent area to them, but I¡¯m not really sure going with Storm Magic is the best idea. There was no doubt that I would pick either me Magic or Storm Magic if all we had to do was eliminate arge number of monsters, but our current situation was a little bit different. The whole point of us going into battle was to protect the people escaping the area¡¯s viges. Our victory condition was just for everyone to safely reach Greengoat. The number of monsters we killed in the process waspletely irrelevant.

    We couldn¡¯t just carelessly bombard the army with spells. It was possible that many of the monsters we failed to kill would escape and scatter into their surroundings. We had already defeated the more powerful monsters, so we were more prone to letting our guards down and allowing our prey to escape.

    It wouldn¡¯t be easy for us to chase each and every single specimen down, which meant that there was a good chance that a number of them would end up attacking the evacuees.

    ¡°Mmrph.¡±

    Fran crossed her arms as she contemted her options, and I did the same.

    Wait, that¡¯s it!

    ¡°How do you feel about Greater Earth Magic?¡±

    ¡°Greater Earth Magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Leveling it will let us build bigger walls and dig deeper holes.¡±

    Marmanno had told us that only one of this country¡¯s mages was capable of using Greater Earth magic to keep such arge number of monsters at bay. In other words, there was a Greater Earth Magic spell somewhere out there that made it possible to slow down arge number of foes at once.

    ¡°Nn! Good idea.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got enough points to max it, and if we¡¯re going to mess with it at all, now¡¯s probably the time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Fran nodded to vocalize her consent.

    ¡°Alright. Here goes.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    I spent four points on Earth Magic, which led Fran to gain the Earth Mage title, and me to gain both Greater Earth Magic and Sandstorm Magic. Oh, I get it. Earth and Wind makes Sandstorm because that¡¯s what you get when you kick up a bunch of dust.

    That said, I decided to ignore thetter of the two skills for the time being and instead began investing points in the former.

    I started by leveling the skill four times. We didn¡¯t end up getting the spell we wanted, but we did get a couple other powerful ones instead.

    Only after leveling it up another two times did I finally find a spell that resembled the one we were looking for. I only had 25 points left, but it was worth it.

    ¡°I think I finally got it!¡± The level six Greater Earth spell was called Great Wall, and it allowed us to create both giant walls and giant moats, especially if we invested arge amount of our magical energies. ¡°This¡¯ll let us slow that army down for sure.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    The army had already started to spread out after entering the forest, likely so that they could assault the viges within it more efficiently.

    ¡°Oh no! This is looking bad!¡±

    ¡°What now? Attack?¡±

    But that was all they did. For some odd reason, they suddenly stopped moving and didn¡¯t so much as take another step. Only then did I finally remember something that had totally slipped my mind: we had set up a ¡°fortress.¡± The army had moved a bit such that they were more spread out around it. It looked like they were standing by and awaiting the order to assault it. Well, that idea worked much better than expected.

    The fortress had more than done its job; it bought us everyst bit of time we needed to confine our foes.

    Wended behind the building and gave birth to a wall beginning from our location.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with just one, for test¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Great Wall! Full power! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Wooooah.¡±

    ¡°Woooooooof!¡± Both Fran and Urushi reacted with surprise. I likely would have done the same if I wasn¡¯t so focused.

    The spell had, in an instant, created a wall fifteen meters tall, five meters wide, and fifty meters long. And best of all, it¡¯d used the dirt right in front of it to do so, which meant it was apanied by a massive pit that shared its dimensions.

    At full power, the spell ate over a hundred points of mana. But that was fine. With our powersbined, Fran and I could still manage to make it over a kilometer long, Even the average high level mage should be able to manage something around 300 meters long.

    The only downside was that the wall the skill generated wasn¡¯t infused with mana, which in turn meant it was incapable of repairing itself. It was literally just a wall, and anything that could destroy a wall its size would. Powerful mages and monsters were its bane.

    Fran and I were both capable of blowing a hole right through its center. At best, it would could maybe hold a D ranked monster. Most of the D ranked monsters came at us when we dove into the army¡¯s vanguard earlier in the day, so there probably shouldn¡¯t be all that many left. The only things this army¡¯s got should be monsters that are more on the quantity end of things than they are the quality end. They shouldn¡¯t be able to break through. Sweet. It looks likedy luck¡¯s finally on our side.

    ¡°The monsters are on guard after seeing us make this wall right here, so we¡¯ll have to make a whole bunch of different walls all in one go if we want operation Build a Wall to work.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to use Parallel Processing together with Chantless in order to get a whole bunch of walls to pop up all at once.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Chant Condensation is a great skill, but it still requires us to speak the spell¡¯s name in order to cast it. Chantless, however, might make it so we don¡¯t have to do that. Which meansbining it with Parallel Processing just might be exactly what we need to get our Great Wall up in time.

    ¡°I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure it¡¯ll work out though. You sure you want to try?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Not problem.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do this!¡±

    I used 10 skill points in Chant Condensation and obtained the Chantless skill, just as nned. Its effect was exactly as I had anticipated. I then invested thest fifteen points we had into Parallel Processing, which promptly evolved into Concurrent Consciousness. The evolved skill far surpassed my expectations. It was ridiculously overpowered. It could allow for ten different simultaneous streams of thought without breaking a sweat. It felt like I could probably even cast several simultaneous Kanna Kamuis with the potential it had unlocked. The only downside was that Fran had an extremely hard time using the skill. Just activating it caused her to immediately crouch while holding her head in pain. It seemed to push her brain way past its limits.

    ¡°Mmrph.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself, Fran.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡± She reluctantly agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll build the wall. You keep watch, okay?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Then here we go! Great Wall!¡±

    I activated several instances of the spell at once and immediately created a massive wall and apanying moat. The structure had no trouble living up to the spell¡¯s name. It was great as great could be.

    Concurrent Consciousness had proven overpowered as all hell, but using it even just once had given me a better idea of its downsides. It resulted in a significant drop in my overall efficiency. Each spell consumed more mana than I had anticipated. Their potency had been lowered as well. Moreover, it was impossible to stop any of the spells following their activation. Improper use of the skill would likely lead me to run my mana pool dry.

    Great Wall had a few weaknesses to it as well. The spell could onlyy out walls that were straight, and none of them could bear any sort ofplex design. The whole point of the spell was just to make giant walls. Nothing more, nothing less.

    The massive walls, which had appeared out of thin air in the middle of the night, had an overbearing presence to them. I moved around and repeated the casting in order to create a series of walls in the shape of a horn.

    My structures extended for two hundred and fifty meters in both the east and west directions for a total length of five hundred meters. At the centrey a gap only fifteen meters wide. In other words, I had created a narrow, artificial path. A bottleneck.

    I was grateful that it was nighttime. Theck of light made it such that it was impossible for the monsters to tell just how far east and west the walls extended. It made much more sense for the monsters to attempt to break through the visible barrier than it did for them to attempt to wander around until they found an alternate path that might not even exist. They would, at the very least, avoid attempting to find a shortcut right off the bat.

    Of course, some of the monsters would be able to see in the dark, and I had no way of knowing their skills¡¯ efficacies. However, what I did know was that not even Fran¡¯s Night Vision skill allowed her to see as far as where the walls ended. I was sure that I could rely on them to drive the monsters to act as intended. All we would have to do was prevent them from passing, the very same way Zhang Fei had held off his enemies during the battle of Changban.

    My backup n, in the case that the monsters decided to go around the wall, was just to seal our hole off and give chase. There was nothing stopping us from fighting a bit and then just blocking off the hole and giving chase to the part of the army that had left.

    The most troublesome scenario would be the one in which the army split into three parts, with one going west, one going east, and another heading straight through the corridor. If that were to happen, then we would have no choice but to go all out and totally destroy either the eastern or western subdivisions.

    Oh well, no point thinking about all that now. In the end, it all depends on how the monsters choose to move.

    ¡°All the setup is done. You ready to attack that army?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ***

    NoteL

    Romance of the three kingdoms.

 Chapter 304: An Abrupt Change

    <h4>Chapter 304: An Abrupt Change</h4>

    The monsters were immediately faced with a series ofrge walls. A few moments of unrest followed, as they looked to each other to determine their next course of action, but they soon picked up the ck and began flooding towards the sole exit we had constructed. I¡¯d been a bit worried that they wouldn¡¯t be able to find it, so I ced a small me next to the corridor¡¯s entrance to help show them the way.

    Of course, we went above and beyond just the application of petty tricks. Awaiting those that entered the corridor was Fran. We had refrained from having her clean herself up in order to make her appear more exhausted than she really was. It had to seem like the iing troops had a chance at victory.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they saw her in her ¡°wounded¡± state, but our enemies charged at Fran. The fifteen meter wide hallway we had setup was literally overflowing with them, and everyst one was blindly advancing towards its guardian.

    The reason the term guardian had remained single was because I was just one of the catkin¡¯s equips, and herpanion, Urushi, wasn¡¯t present. He was off on a different mission: hunting down the monsters¡¯ recon unit. Of course, his sudden mission wasn¡¯t without reason. Our foes had somehow managed to confirm that our paper mache fort was just a bluff, all while doing nothing but standing by. Based on their actions, it was only reasonable to assume that they had some sort of unit in charge of reconnaissance. The army would¡¯ve either remained more vignt of the fort or just attacked it head on had theycked troops specialized in gathering intel.

    It was always possible for said recon unit to determine exactly how far our walls ran while Fran was busy fighting off her attackers. Hence, it was absolutely necessary for Urushi to take out their scouts and thereby disrupt their lines ofmunication. Of course, there was always the possibility that such a squad didn¡¯t exist. But that wasn¡¯t an issue. It was still better for Urushi to be off on his own, as there was a higher chance that the monsters would attack Fran if he stayed away.

    Fran roared her battle cries as she decimated the enemy lines. She was unstoppable. The monsters up against her were far too weak to pose any sort of a threat.

    Magic Mastery had powered up Magic Perception, which in turn allowed me to scout out the entire army and judge their strength based on their magical readings. I was certain that there were no remaining monsters that ranked in at C or higher. It had seemed like a D rank or two was possible, but I highly doubted it. I suspected that everything we had to fight was ranked in at E or lower.

    Still, the angry mob was sorge that it was a threat in its own right. There was also always the chance that there were stealthier monsters lurking about, so we needed to remain vignt, even though we were up against inferior goods. And on top of all that was a need to restrain ourselves. There was a good chance they would just give up on getting past Fran if she totally dominated the battlefield. We had to hold back or else risk encouraging the monsters to search for another path.

    To that end, we kept the magic to a minimum. Fran focused on swordy, while I made sure that there weren¡¯t any holes in our defense of the corridor. The only spells I cast were ones that were absolutely necessary for finishing off the enemies that slipped past us.

    ¡°Khhhh!¡± Fran grimaced as she let a goblinnd a blow on her armour.

    ¡°What the heck, Fran!? I know you¡¯re trying to make it look like they can win, but you don¡¯t have to go as far as to let them hit you!¡±

    ¡°Not a problem!¡± she said. Fran knew what attacks she could and couldn¡¯t take, so she always made sure she never tanked anything fatal. Everything she was hit withnded on her armour and the resulting bruises could be healed right off. Still, I can¡¯t say I think it¡¯s a good idea¡­

    Despite my suggestion, the catkin continued to repeat the action, taking hit after hit just to cajole her foes into rushing her down. She had no intention of stopping so long as her actions continued to provide the ck cat tribe with the time they needed to escape.

    Fortunately, both the Mana and Life Thief skills were extremely powerful. They allowed me to absorb both health and magical energy from every creature in an area around me. In other words, they were the AOE variants of the Mana and Life Absorption skills. Their only major drawback was that they were indiscriminate. Everything inside their effective area would be subject to their effects regardless of friend or foe, save for Fran. She didn¡¯t count as a potential target because I was technically one of her equips. Fortunately, we were in a position where that wasn¡¯t much of a concern.

    Their effects were significantly weaker than their predecessors, but they proved to be effective so long as there were three or more enemies within their radii. In fact, keeping Mana Thief active had allowed me to restore all of the mana I had expended in building the wall. Each enemy would provide 30 MP at most, but the radius wasrge enough for there to be a whole 30 enemies in its effective range at a time.

    We continued mowing through the monsters for about an hour. I¡¯d expected them to split up and search for clues before long, but they never did. They continued charging at us until dawn broke.

    Only after sunrise did they finallye to an abrupt halt. There were only about half of them remaining; we¡¯d killed so many that I had rued almost enough monster core points for another level up.

    ¡°What now?¡± I suspiciously narrowed my metaphorical eyes, but allowed Fran to continue charging forwards regardless. Wait!

    A shiver ran down my de, so I immediately used Short Jump and teleported us a few feet away.

    There was a loud roar; several arrows had nailed themselves into the spot Fran had been standing only a few moments prior.

    ¡°Thanks, Master.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± I replied. ¡°More importantly, we should probably focus on tracking our attackers down.¡±

    The only thing I knew for sure was that the attacks hade from somewhere behind the monsters we were engaging. But it couldn¡¯t have been some sort of support unit. That just didn¡¯t make sense. The arrows had a lot of power behind them. No goblin archer would¡¯ve been able tounch anything with that much force. There was no doubt that they would have broken through our barriers and done some serious damage had we not relocated.

    And so, I searched for our assants¡¯ presences-

    -Only to end up gaping in awe.

    I had no idea when or how they¡¯d gotten there, but there was a brand new division of monsters behind the remaining forces. Their bodies were radiating with mana. Even the weakest amongst them was an E level threat. More than half ranked in at D or higher.

    And there were a whole thousand. All neatly lined up and ready for battle.

    It was a veritable army, a well disciplined, well equipped army. Their spotless, silver armour glimmered in the morning sun. Adding to the effect was the way they were standing in perfectly straight lines. A nce at the extent of organisation was enough to tell me that there was trouble. There was no conceivable way they could remain as organised as they were without amander, and the fact that they were all wearing the exact same equips made it obvious that they belonged to the same unit.

    This new army put the old one to shame. Compared to the well organised troops before me, the monsters we¡¯d defeated had been nothing but a ragtag militia. Had its members not been evil beings, casting my eyes on them likely would¡¯ve caused me to sigh in wonder and admiration.

    And that was the problem. Everyst member of the army was an evil being. There were hobgoblins, high orcs, and minotaurs amongst their ranks, but every single one of them was wearing an identical set of equipment.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­ Come on¡­ This has to happen just when we finally removed enough of our foes for me to think of cutting down the rest as a feasible task.¡±

    ¡°Lots of enemies.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Wait. Was everything fought so far just a part of the vanguard? Is the actual main force¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lots of strong foes.¡±

    ¡°You got it. You still ready to do this?¡±

    We¡¯de so far, only to discover that our progress had been an illusion. A part of me had been worried that Fran¡¯s spirit would break. But more of me had been expecting her to reply in the exact way she had. This is Fran we¡¯re talking about, after all.

    ¡°Point taken.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    We cannot fall. For the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s sake.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Win!¡±

    Our wills in sync, the two of us once again began to engage our foes.

    ***

 Chapter 305 â€“ Battle Maiden and Faceless Knight

    <h4>Chapter 305 ¨C Battle Maiden and Faceless Knight</h4>

    An army of evil beings had suddenly appeared before us.

    The sight of them forced us to steel our resolve, but there is one thing that I was very concerned about.

    (How did theye here?)

    How could such a majestic armye here without anyone knowing it?

    ¡°It¡¯s as if they concealed even their breath¡­¡±

    (Hum¡­)

    ¡°But we were fighting with Demonic Beasts then, so it may be that we just didn¡¯t notice their approach.¡±

    Or maybe they had some unique skills to hide them from.

    We tried to observe the Evil Being Army.

    At the forefront stood Hobgoblins wielding spears, with their archers and mages directly behind them. Next came the High Oak warriors, shieldsmen, swordsmen, and snipers. Minotaur foot soldiers andncers brought up the rear of the main forces.

    Hobgoblins¡¯ threat level is rank E. The Orcs and Minotaur are rank D. However, the monsters behind them were much more powerful; they could be considered themander¡¯s elite guard.

    Although the threat of Minotaur Senior Mage, High Swordsman, and Senior Axe Warriors are technically rank D, they were not far from a C-rank in terms of destructive power.

    After all, the me Magic used by the Senior Mage was a high tier magic technique, and the High Swordman was a master of Sword Arts.

    Among those Minotaurs, there were four Minotaur Dark Pdins head and shoulders above the rest that were definitely ranked C. They possessed the ability to use Divine Axe Techniques, Divine Shield, and Dark Magic. Their massive figures standing in the crowd were truly imposing.

    However, these guys were not the leaders. In the midst of Minotaurs, stood an imposing archer, themander, with an adjunct at her side. As I appraised them, it felt as if a shiver ran down my de.

    The army of evil beings they led was already a formidable enemy, but the skills of these two far surpassed all the rest.

    General Information

    Race: Valkyrie?Carnage Archer

    Evil Being: Heavenly Demon Lv66

    HP: 1352

    MP: 2387

    STR: 682

    VIT: 563

    AGI: 1339

    INT: 1002

    MGC: 1298

    DEX: 889

    Skills

    Coercion: Lv6

    Hide: Lv3

    Espionage: LvMax

    Wind Magic: Lv7

    Bow Techniques: LvMax

    Divine Bow Techniques: Lv5

    Bow Arts: LvMax

    Divine Bow Arts: Lv5

    Resistance to Fear: Lv7

    Vignce: Lv4

    Presence Detection: Lv5

    Presence Istion: Lv7

    Presence Concealment: Lv 6

    Sword Techniques: Lv8

    Swordy: Lv8

    Herculean Strength: Lv 6

    Resistance to Madness: Lv7

    Regeneration: Lv 8

    Leadership: Lv8

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv6

    Spear Techniques: LvMax

    Divine Spear Techniques: Lv 4

    Spear Arts: LvMax

    Divine Spear Arts: Lv 4

    Elemental de: Lv7

    Dominating Aura: Lv 4

    Light Magic: Lv4

    Magic Perception: Lv 6

    Magic Release: Lv 6

    Night Vision, Vigour Mastery, Morale Boost, Dampened Sense of Pain, Iron Will, Floating, Troop Assistance, Magic Self-Recovery, Magic Maniption

    Innate Skills

    Battle Maiden

    Titles

    Charging Battle Maiden

    Equipment

    Battle Maiden Spear, Battle Maiden Bow, Battle Maiden Set

    General Information

    Race: Headless Knight ¨C Specter Lv 1

    HP: 1588

    MP: 693

    STR: 781

    VIT: 727

    AGI: 587

    INT: 200

    MGC: 521

    DEX: 714

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv5

    Stealth: Lv4

    me Magic: Lv3

    Presence Perception: Lv6

    Fear: Lv9

    Presence Istion: Lv3

    Sword Techniques: LvMax

    Divine Sword Techniques: Lv2

    Sword Arts: LvMAX

    Divine Sword Arts: Lv2

    Herculean Strength: Lv8

    Instant Recovery: Lv3

    Resistance to Abnormal Status Conditions: Lv9

    Shield Arts: LvMax

    Divine Shield Arts: Lv4

    Shield Techniques: LvMax

    Divine Shield Techniques: Lv4

    Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv9

    Elemental de: Lv7

    me Magic: LvMax

    Resistance to Magic: Lv6

    Magic Detection: Lv8

    Magic Absorption: Lv7

    Resistance to Thunder: Lv4

    Night Vision, Vigour Maniption, Dampened Sense of Pain, Magic Maniption

    Titles

    Faceless Knight

    Equipment

    Evil Stone Imbued Broadsword, Anti-Magic Steel Armor, Anti-Magic Steel Shield, Barrier Ring

    Races like Valkyrie and Headless Knight were known to be strong in fantasies, both being C-ranked threats or greater. This Valkyrie and the headless Knight were both ranked B, although he was slightly weaker, and their skill sets had no obvious drawbacks.

    The Valkyrie was particrly strong. Her countenance was that of a beautiful girl with long blond hair, but her golden armor glinting in the sunlight gave her a dignified presence. She looked sacred; no one would know by looking that she was a monster. But even at this distance, the coercion that she released could be felt.

    In contrast, the Headless Knight was arge, humanoid monster wearing sturdy armor. It didn¡¯t carry its head under one arm, but instead ced it on its neck. I wondered if it would fall. Because its whole body waspletely covered in armor, there was no way to see its face or know its gender.

    Both wielded terrible powers. Valkyrie¡¯s innate skill ¡°Battle Maiden¡± was a powerful skill that had the effect of enhancing martial arts skills, reaction speed, and so on. Moreover, her title ¡°Charging Battle Maiden¡± hid dreadful power.

    Charging Battle Maiden: A title bestowed to a Battle Maiden that has met all the requirements.

    Effect: When she leads a force of more than 100, the Battle Maiden¡¯s stealth and mobility skills will be distributed throughout the army. For those not directly under hermand, the effect will be greatly reduced.

    This was why the Evil Being Army was able to avoid our perception. What is with this overpowered performance?!

    Because it specifies that the effect is reduced on those not directly led by her, then all those recognized by her as a subordinate must receive some effect. Would this include the Monster Legion? Thank goodness the effect had dropped drastically, otherwise, we might not have found them in time. However, if the effect, perhaps we could have found them sooner.

    The Duhan¡¯s title: Faceless Knight. The effects were increased regeneration and absorption system skills. Very basic, but it meant that this guy will be difficult to eliminate.

    If Valkyrie was originally a rank B threat, then her ability tomand the army boosted her to rank A, but it depended on her subordinates.

    ¡°Well. Good reaction speed. Although they are just some underlings, you have stopped so many monsters by yourself alone. You even dodged my arrow.¡±

    Using wind magic, Valkyrie¡¯s voice floated to us across the battlefield.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    We also used wind magic to reply.

    ¡°Can you also employ wind magic? Well, nevermind. I am the servant of master Murellia, the Battle Maiden who leads her Army¡±

    ¡°Is Murellia the mastermind?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so?¡±

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°You seem to know nothing. However, whatever her reasons may be, this has nothing to do with you, since you are about to die here. If you sacrifice your head to Murellia, I will let you die peacefully.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s our line.¡±

    ¡°You would win even though you have already fought with monsters all night?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the victory to us¡±

    ¡°Ha ha ha, very good! This gives value to our outing! Prey should be fresh! Let us enjoy it!¡±

    I had thought she was definitely a battle freak, but perhaps a hunter instead? It seemed she was the type that liked winning best.

    ¡°Archers! Loose arrows!¡±

    Shit. I wanted to get more information from our conversation, but it really couldn¡¯t be continued like this!

    But it seems the boss of these guys is probably a Dungeon Master, and I learned that she was called Murellia.

    Hearing themand of Valkyrie, the evil beings drew back their bowstrings fully and shot their arrows neatly at the same time. It was the beginning of this deadly fight.

    ¡°We need to guard the pass here first.¡±

    I charged Fran with the duty of defending against the arrows and blocked the narrow pass using the Great Wall. It was impossible to resist the magic beasts¡¯ invasion while also withstanding the evil being army. I thought I should prevent them from pressing ahead any farther when ¡­

    ¡®Great Arrow Inferno¡¯

    Suddenly, not far from where we were, an arrow released by Valkyrie pierced into the wall. At the same time, a sudden explosion sted a huge hole in the wall.

    ¡°Chi!¡±

    ¡®Fu hahaha! ¡®Great Arrow Inferno.¡¯

    I tried to cast another Great Wall, but it was destroyed again by Valkyrie¡¯s arrow. Oops, we were in for trouble now.

    Now, the Magic beasts began to march towards the breach, and in the meantime, the evil beings alsounched long-distance attacks. It becamergely ineffective to defend against the evil beings while attacking the Magic beasts. Must I give up fighting with the Magic beasts¡­? NO, absolutely not. Fran wouldn¡¯t want that.

    Is there anything else I can do? How can I help?

    I fully activated my Simultaneous Processing to search for the best option, but as long as Valkyrie was here, it was impossible to shut down the hole in the wall. My only option was to reduce the number of monsters as much as possible. Otherwise, I would have to fight both.

    The only attacking skill I could use now was Ekato Keravnos, a wide-ranging skill, which could bring down 100 lightning strikes at the same time. If I scattered it in a wide range continuously, it was likely that a great number of beasts would fall. Each strike could smash one low ranking magic beast, and stun those surrounding it.

    However, it was high tier magic after all. My magic would all be drained in an instant if I applied the skill continuously to eliminate the 3000-or more beasts. Then I would be at a disadvantage in the subsequent battles with the evil beings; in other words, I would be killed.

    It would be best if I could absorb more magic stones to improve my magic stone points, ¡­ Was there a way to absorb the magic stone points whileunching a wide-ranging attack ¡­? Hum¡­

    No, there is. Can I do it if I¡¯m in this condition? I narrowed my focus and tried to activate the transformation. I wasn¡¯t sure I could do it, but I finally was able to control the de. It worked!

    First, however, I should use up my MP. It would bepletely restored when I rank up after all. Now I can use Ekato Keravnos one after another.

    ¡°Haaaa! Just enjoy it!¡±

    I cast nearly 500 lightning bolts towards the rear of the Magic beasts. Although it isn¡¯t precise, like this, I could destroy many of them. The beasts being hit directly by the bolts were smashed to pieces, and other beings within the attack range were charred by the strikes that nearly missed them.

    Once more, Iunched another attack against the evil beings. I meant to blind them more than doing any significant damage, but it would be better if I could diminish the number of assants.

    I attacked the beasts in the back on purpose, rather than those around me. I deliberately left the nearby beasts tillst, so that they could be food for meter.

    ¡°Fran, Fran, endure the arrows for a while!¡±

    ¡®En!¡¯

    Well, now I will give this my full effort!

    ¡°Haaaa! Magic stones,e to me!¡±

    I activated the transformation with all my strength. This time, however, the transformed part was not the de, per usual, but the braids hung on the hilt, since Fran would be in danger if her weapon was gone. Normally I manipte only the de in the transformation, but both the braid and the cord are also part of me. They would be repaired when I was restored after all, so, the braid should be something I can manipte too.

    Magic Control, Energy Control, Simultaneous Processing. As a result of making full use of them, my transformation reached a level notparable to before.

    In response to my will, the braid transformed into ten steel threads. Like branches of a tree, they extended up to the sky, and sideways further and further. Obviously, the Magic beasts¡¯ stones in their path were all pierced through and eaten.

    ¡°Ku, I have reached my limit¡­?¡±

    I am being held back more by my processing ability than magic capacity. I don¡¯t have a head, but I could feel that my brain was burning. No, maybe it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t have a brain that I felt that way; anyway, it was terrible.

    ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s here!¡±

    It¡¯s the second rank up today! As a result of absorbing arge number of Magic beasts¡¯ stones, enough magic stone points have been umted at once.

    Author¡¯s Notes:

    Since there were many status notations, the Shishou¡¯s post-evolution status will be disyed in the postscript.

    Name: Shishou

    Wielder: Fran (fixed)

    Race: Intelligent Weapon

    ATK: 882

    Magic Capacity: 6250/6250

    Endurance Points: 6050/6050

    Magic Conductivity: S-

    Skills

    Appraisal: Lv Max, Appraisal Blocking, Transformation, High-speed Self Restoration, Self-evolution;

    [Rank 15 ¨C Magic Stone Value: 10569/12000 ¨C Memory: 151 ¨C Points: 75]

    Self-modification [skill superiorization], Telekinesis, Telekinesis small increase, Telepathy, Attack small increase,

    Space-time magic: Lv Max; Skill Sharing, Wielder¡¯s Status Medium Increase, Wielder¡¯s Recovery Small Increase, Heavenly Eye, Seal Negation, Magic Capacity Small Increase, Magic Beast Knowledge, Mage, Memory Medium Increase.

    Unique Skill

    The Principle of Falsehood: Lv 5;

    Dimension Magic: Lv 4.

    Superior Skill

    Sword Technique: SP;

    Skill Taker: SP;

    Multiple Body Creation: SP

 Chapter 306 â€“ Arrow of Godspeed

    <h4>Chapter 306 ¨C Arrow of Godspeed?</h4>

    Trantor: Makisima

    Proofreader: Hylidahlia

    By ranking up again, I got another 75 Self Evolution Points. Now, the top priority was to annihte Magic Beasts.

    ¡°Tch¡­ Any more than this, and it¡¯s going to be difficult to maintain the current transformation!¡±

    However, with onest blow, it should be finished.

    ¡°Haaaa!¡±

    Through the thread-like braids, I released about 50 Stun Bolts at the same time. The result was that even the Magic Beasts which were not pierced by the thread were all paralyzed and fell down on the spot.

    Ekato Keravnos, and the steel thread attack coupled with the wide-ranging Stun Bolts¡ªthis series of attacks killed nearly 1000 Magic Beasts, and 1000 more were incapacitated.

    ¡°Somehow it worked out¡±

    (Shishou, is everything okay?)

    ¡°¡­Ahaaa¡±

    I felt like all my power was draining away. It was simr to a sense of emptiness or mise which I had not experienced since I was reincarnated as a sword.

    Was it bacsh caused by exceeding my limits due to multiple activations of skills and magic? It may be the result of relying on Simultaneous Processing too much. If that¡¯s true, I think I need to investigate Simultaneous Processing further¡­

    ¡°But now is not the right time to do that. I will apply everything avable and try to transcend my limits. ¡°

    Otherwise, Fran would try to do everything by herself.

    ¡®GiaGiauu¡­¡¯

    ¡®Hin¡­¡¯

    ¡®BaRooOo¡­¡¯

    Around Fran, all Magic Beasts had been eliminated and creating a clearing. However, the remaining Magic Beasts just roared out of fear and did not try to charge. Moreover, the beasts withing Fran¡¯s field of vision even retreated slightly.

    The remaining Magic Beasts were out of range, so it¡¯s hard for me tounch an attack from here. Was a second magic attack necessary?

    As I was preparing for another attack, the voice of Valkyrie resounded. She amplified her voice by wind magic so that the sound soared across the whole battlefield.

    ¡°Wonderful, you managed to surprise me. .¡±

    Even though this many Magic Beasts had been destroyed in a single shot, Valkyrie was still at ease. Was it because Evil Beings only suffered a small loss? However, it seems that she was not as angry at us as I had expected. Her anger seemed not to be against Fran, but against the beasts who were her allies.

    ¡°Fucking idiots! I¡¯m so disappointed in you! Despite being the vanguard, and the subordinates of master Murellia, you are all shameful cowards!¡±

    All the Magic Beasts were mortified by the words of the unrelenting Valkyrie, hanging down their heads.

    ¡°I have given up on all of you! At least have the dignity to die by the enemy¡¯s sword; you will be doing Master Murellia a favor!¡±

    It¡¯s shocking that Valkyrie would say such words to her subordinates. However, the Magic Beasts were not depressed, but instead roared with eagerness. It seemed that they were responding to Murelia¡¯s name. The atmosphere instantly changed in response to Valkyrie¡¯s scolding.

    Full of rage towards Fran, the Magic Beasts prepared to face their certain death.

    ¡®Gooooo!¡¯

    ¡®Giawawawawa!¡¯

    ¡®Buraaaaa!¡¯

    All of the Magic Beasts charged at us together. Using magic, I attacked the front line, but it did nothing to slow them down. Since their lives were already forfeited , it seemed to be difficult to stop their assault.

    They quickly closed the distance, and before long that the Magic Beasts had us hemmed in once more. Were they really trying to suppress Fran on their own? What was the point of charging us so recklessly?

    Using Teleportation and Aerial Jump, we darted around beheading the Magic Beasts. If they were our only enemies, the situation would bepletely under control by now¡­

    At the same time, however, the Evil Beings bent their bows, and made their arrows rain down upon us. They deserve their reputation as a high tier race; the arrow storm they released was extremely powerful. Moreover, the Magic Beasts, as Evil Beings¡¯ allies, also continued to attack Fran. It seems that the Magic Beasts were to serve as the cover for Evil Beings¡¯ attack.

    ¡®Haa!¡¯

    ¡®The Barrier must not be breached ¡ª FRAN!!¡¯

    ¡®Gaa¨C!¡¯

    As we navigated through the arrow storm from Evil Beings, while shing our way through the Magic Beasts, the torso of a Magic Beast that was charging, suddenly flew toward Fran¡¯s left shoulder and exploded with a crackling.

    ¡®Uguu¡¯

    ¡°Ti!¡±

    At that instant, I used my Telekinesis Power to grab Fran¡¯s severed left arm, and took her out the siege using Teleportation.

    ¡°Fran, I¡¯ll heal it now!¡±

    (What, happened?) ¡ª Fran

    ¡°It¡¯s Valkyrie¡¯s arrow!¡±

    Using Magic Beasts as a shield, Valkyrie released her arrow, in a straight line rather than an arch. Its speed even didn¡¯t slow down for a little, even though it had gone through almost 10 Magic Beasts¡¯ body in its way. It was so fast we barely had time to react.

    However, because Fran shifted the hit-points at thest instant, the arrow that was aimed at her heart hit her shoulder. Gosh, how many narrow escapes have I had today alone!

    ¡°Nice reaction!¡±

    ¡®¡­ Nheless, it¡¯s somewhat¡­?¡¯

    Fran¡¯s instinct was extraordinary indeed, but it was a ridiculous attack. If Valkyrie had been closer, or if she released this Arrow of Godspeed continuously, then Fran would have been covered in wounds rather than just this one.

    While using Dimension Shift and Teleportation in a small range so as not to be targeted by Valkyrie, I made a suggestion to Fran:

    ¡°Fran, let¡¯s improve our sensory skills. If we do not increase our reaction speed, you will be killed before we can do anything about it. ¡°

    ¡®En. Entrust!¡¯

    ¡°I can make the decision?¡±

    ¡®Shishou knows best¡¯

    Well, while continuously using MP to maintain Dimension Shift, there really was no margin for us to talk too much. I quickly selected the skills and spent magic points on them.

    Spending 16 magic points on Crisis Detection improved it to LvMax, and gave us the Detection Enhancement skill as well. Spending another 12 magic points on Vignce also improved it to LvMax. Both of these skills were used to detect approaching danger.

    It was still far from enough though. I used 18 more points on Reaction Speed Increase, which was obtained recently from Crimson Wolf, and improved it to Lv1. Although the remaining points were reduced to 29, I was able to get the skills I expected before.

    Supreme Reaction is a skill that manifests when Fran uses Brilliant Lightning Rush. In order to stand a chance against Valkyrie¡¯s Arrow of Godspeed both the improved Detection and Supreme Reaction are necessary.

    ¡°I can see the arrow!¡±

    At that very moment, by using Telekinesis, I seeded in blocking Valkyrie¡¯s arrow. I had to focus more, but now it¡¯s better than before when I even couldn¡¯t see the Arrow of Godspeed.

    As thus, it finally felt like I was standing on the starting line.

    ¡°Now we can fight back¡­ !¡±

    ¡®En!¡¯

 Chapter 307 - Shield of Iron

    <h4>Chapter 307 - Shield of Iron</h4>

    Proofreader: Hylidahlia

    ¡¸I thought I got you there! You¡¯ve got guts!¡¹

    ¡¸Likewise¡¹

    ¡¸You can still talk like that even after I cut your arm off? I hope you¡¯re not just acting like a hotshot. Keep it up! It will be boring if I win unterally!¡¹

    Valkyrie smugly taunted us, then began to shoot her arrows continuously; not just the Arrow of Godspeed, but also an arrow which would explode on contact, an invisible arrow, and an arrow that could change its trajectory in arge arc. None of these arrows are simple to avoid, and if Fran was hit by any one of these arrows, she would suffer immeasurable damage.

    Since Valkyrie only intermittently shot those Arrows of Godspeed, it was still extremely dangerous, but she was able tond a solid hit on Fran or me, but at the same time, I couldn¡¯t easily attack her either.

    Although neither side was making any progress, if we continued to just defend, Fran would fail sooner orter.

    ¡ºSorry for making you wait!¡»

    I couldn¡¯t waste the time Fran had earned for me any longer!

    ¡º- Devour them! Kanna Kamui¡»

    I didn¡¯t originally intend to use a Chant, but I shouted inadvertently. Maybe it¡¯s because I am all fired up; I know what I have to do! With all my heart and mind and strength, I attempted a second Kanna Kamui.

    However, it seems that two simultaneous Kanna Kamui was still unattainable, and just like when I used Transformation inordinately earlier - No, this cold feeling attacking me now is even more horrible than thest time.

    ¡ºAhhg¡­g!!!!¡»

    Nheless, I clenched my teeth¡ªenduring the terrible sensation, and concentrated my consciousness on the task at hand. No matter what, I must release Kanna Kamui. Although the opponent was far away, with the help of Magic Control, I was able to expand my attack range; I believed I would be able to target her from here.

    As I seeded inunching the attack, a massive bolt of lightning rained down on Valkyrie¡¯s head. I nned to attack her with the lightning at the moment when she fully drew back her bow, even if it only managed to stall her a little.

    However, the Duhan was behind Valkyrie. Compared to Valkyrie, who was about 5 ft 2 in., the Duhan was more than 6 ft tall. Because of his height advantage, if the Duhan raised a big shield over Valkyrie¡¯s head, it was more than enough to cover herpletely.

    But just as the Duhan lifted its shield to the sky, the Kanna Kamui swallowed them both.

    Killing two people in one breath¡ª well, sure enough, it¡¯s not at all possible. With the augmentation of the Shield Master Arts, Magic Resistance, an Anti-Magic Steel Shield, Anti-Magic Steel Full Body Armor, and the Barrier Ring, the Duhan¡¯s durability was appalling. What¡¯s more, the Duhan also had the Lightning Resistance attribute, making him a perfect match against us.

    The situation now is totally different from what it was in the past; since the martial arts event, my use of Kanna Kamui has improved a lot. I am more familiar with the use of Lightning Magic and also obtained the Magic Control skill. Lightning Magic, the Magic Control skill, and Kanna Kamui have perfect synergy. Plus, didn¡¯t I just fire off two at once?

    At the martial arts event, when Ibined Kanna Kamui with ck Lightning Summoning I was able to defeat Fermus, the user of Strings. Obviously the power this time should have far exceeded thatbination. Moreover, before I fired the attack, I was confident that Valkyrie could be killed if it was a direct hit¡­ But now, the power seems to have been diminished by the Duhan; the damage done to the surroundings was small, and no explosion urred.

    ¡ºDamn it! Why was it so weak¡ª¡»

    ¡¸Shishou, look.¡¹

    ¡ºHum?¡»

    Fran seemed to have noticed something. I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that the Minotaur?Dark Pdins and High Orc?Shieldsmen were all charred and copsing. All of the High Orc?Shieldermen were dead; two of the Minotaur?Dark Paradins died, and the remaining two were also on the verge of death.

    What happened? The attack was fully concentrated on the Duhan; why would it affect them? Furthermore, the other Orcs and Minotaur were not harmed at all.

    ¡ºThe damage may have been transferred.¡»

    Although I didn¡¯t know what the mechanism was, Kanna Kamui¡¯s bolt seemed to have been transferred to some of the Evil Beings. The number of troublesome enemies was cut by more than 100, but unfortunately, the Supreme Magic that I worked so hard to release didn¡¯t achieve the desired result.

    ¡¸Fu, FuHa, FuHahaha. No way, you even used a Supreme Magic technique! How pointless!!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­ ¡¹

    In a cold sweat, Valkyrie cackled, but her mockingughter seemed calcted to disguise her fear. The Duhan stepped aside, then reached out to the nearby Magic Beasts.

    ¡¸Gyo~o? Gaia¡­!¡¯¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    The Duhan seemed to be absorbing magic power in some way. He continued to reach out to another Magic Beast. Yikes, if the Duhan has a Magical Absorption skill, then he can use all these Magic Beasts like magic fuel tanks. In my case, if I blindly continueunching Kanna Kamui and use up all our MP, Fran won¡¯t be able to continue attacking.

    Not to mention it is already difficult to hit the target with Kanna Kamui.

    Unlike their previousbat strategy, Valkyrie and the Duhan were no longer staying put in one spot. The mechanism for firing a Kanna Kamui¡¯s consists of the triggering of the operation, stockpiling power, and the finalunch. Once Kanna Kamui was released, it would be difficult to evade for any enemies. After all, it was lightning.

    However, once I finished triggering the operation, the power stockpiling still took a little time, so it was not impossible for the opponent to escape. Fran and I could do it, so Valkyrie and Duhan should be able to do it too. Even though Kanna Kamui is a Supreme Magic in terms of power, it was still difficult to hit the small opponents who tried to flee.

    ¡ºToo far right now. Need to get close; arrows less effective that way.¡»

    (Got it)

    Fran began close the distance bit by bit so that Valkyrie would not notice our advance.

    Then we charged towards her, using Teleportation to dodge the attacks of Evil Beings and Valkyrie¡¯s persistent arrows.

    For opponents of this level, they probably have strategies to deal with frequent Teleportation, so I don¡¯t want to use it too often. However, it is essential for dodging Valkyrie¡¯s arrows while evading the attack of Evil Beings, so I can¡¯tpletely abandon this strategy.

    That said, if we could approach the opponent andunch a melee attack, she shouldn¡¯t be able to use her arrows, and even if she can use the arrows, it should not be as dangerous as her ranged attacks. I¡¯m not sure how much chance we have of winning in closebat against an enemy of this level, but we don¡¯t stand a chance in a ranged battle so we¡¯ll have to pin our hopes on it.

    I considered the possibility of using points to acquire some new non-lightning magic techniques, but in this situation, it was really too reckless to use precious self-evolution points for gambling.

    If possible, I should probably choose a sword-rted skill. No, wait a minute; can¡¯t I raise the level of Sword Lord Arts again? I thought it might work, but no dice. When I tried to upgrade it, I heard a stony-hearted announcement:

    [Conditions to acquire skill not met.]

    Apparently a more powerful version of Sword Lord Arts exists, but it seems I¡¯m unable to obtain it. The only other option is Divine Sword Techniques¡­ guess we¡¯ll have to go with that.

    Valkyrie¡¯s previous attack was supposed to be a Divine Bow Technique. If that¡¯s true, then Divine Sword Techniques are worth looking forward to.

    Fran agreed with my suggestion; she seemed to be thinking about the same thing.

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    This is it.

    Annoucements:

    ¡¶Divine Sword Techniques has been improved to LvMax. Sword Techniques Enhancement has been acquired¡·

    ¡¶Condition requirements satisfied: Unique skill - Sword Lord Techniques has been acquired. All Sword Techniques skills will be integrated into Sword Lord Techniques¡·

    ¡¶Sword Lord Techniques and Sword Lord Arts were obtained. Unique skill - Sword God¡¯s Grace acquired¡·

    ¡¶Fran obtained Sword God¡¯s Grace. ss - Sword King was liberated¡·

    With a stupendous vigor, the announcements rang out. Although I missed some of them, the most important one was probably the acquisition of Sword God¡¯s Grace.

    I could instantly feel that Fran¡¯s swordsmanship had significantly improved. It felt like she had be one with the de as if we were fused at my hilt. Only a sword itself could fully understand the difference, and as a sword, I was confident that Fran¡¯s swordsmanship had truly reached the next level.

    Sword God¡¯s Grace: When holding a sword, the wielder will get blessings rted tobat.

    Makes sense. Anyway, the point is that this skill can provide enhancements during battle. Although I don¡¯t know to what degree, I am still very excited. After all, this is God¡¯s Grace, its power can¡¯t be too low.

    ¡¸What happened? Why have you suddenly improved so much?¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone, bring down that girl!¡¹

    Now it seems that Valkyrie is surprised and starting to panic.

    ¡¸Divine Sword Techniques?Circle?Impact¡¹

    With this skill, we can turn on the spot to attack all the enemies around us. A simr Sword Technique exists, but after being integrated into the Divine Sword Techniques, its speed of rotation, range, and power were all significantly improved.

    The Sword Technique Enhancement also made a huge difference. Now I could kill almost 20 Magic Beasts with a single sh.

    ¡¸Sword?Sonic!¡¹

    This is the upgraded counterpart of Sword Technique¡¯s Sonic?Wave. It¡¯s the same attack, but the range is extended. The shock wave generated hewed its way through the dense Magic Beasts, creating a path. The remaining Magic Beasts rushed over to upy the clearing, but Fran is faster. Dashing through the gap, Fran broke through the Magic Beast troop in a sh.

    The army of Evil Beings stood before us.

    ¡ºAll right, we¡¯ve got this!¡»

    ¡¸En!¡¹

    Wielding me, Fran elerated her charge.

 Chapter 308 - The Reversal

    <h4>Chapter 308 - The Reversal</h4>

    Trantor: Makisima

    Fran decimated the Hobgoblins surrounding her. They might be powerful, but they were no match for Fran.

    I¡¯m d I¡¯m not one of those guys¡ª¡ª.

    ¡¸Chi¡¹

    ¡ºMove it¡ª!¡»

    ¡¸Gya Gy¨­!¡¹

    ¡¸Ge Gya Gya!¡¹

    The Evil Beings surrounded Fran and started to mor, but it obviously wasn¡¯t the meaningless grunts and shrieks that Goblins and Orcs normally make.

    Although I don¡¯t understand it myself, no matter how I look at it, it seems that they are trying tomunicate and coordinate their attacks. Although the individual strength of these Evil Beings isn¡¯t great, their teamwork is surprisingly effective.

    Emboldened by their cooperation, the Evil Beings seemed to feel no fear, even in the presence of Fran¡¯s overwhelming strength. Every time Fran attempted to advance, the Evil Beings behind Fran would seize the opportunity to harass her, while the Evil Beings in front of Fran would attack her with spears. They never attacked alone.

    Moreover, as soon as they judged that they were going to be killed and couldn¡¯t be saved, they would charge forward in desperation to tackle Fran. This may be because they are Dungeon Creatures, or because of their coordination, or perhaps it¡¯s the effect of Valkyrie¡¯s Morale Boost skill. They were happy to sacrifice their lives if it meant they can kill Fran.

    In addition to all this, their attacks using Spear and Bow Techniques were extremely fierce, so Fran had to use the Mana and Life Thief skills continuously. As a result, our mana was suffering. Over and over, the nicks and cuts from the Evil Beings¡¯ attacks would umte, and Fran would repeatedly use Life Thief or Heal to repair them.

    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice dodge! It seems like your reaction speed is increasing!!¡¹

    If we show even the slightest opening we will be bombarded by Valkyrie¡¯s arrows. She is firing at us from on top of a tform created using Earth Magic. Although we want to counterattack, Valkyrie is always guarded by the Duhan.

    Since they can deflect most of our attacks, it would just be a wasted effort.

    ¡¸Hm. We¡¯re taking quite a bit of damage. Should I be worried?¡¹

    So far, I knew that Valkyrie was just passing by. But now it seemed that it finallying? However, Valkyrie did not release the arrow, but began to speak gently.

    ¡¸What are you even fighting for anyway?¡¹ ¡ª Valkyrie

    ¡¸?¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡¸Why are you sacrificing your life just to eliminate a few Magic Beasts? Did someone hire you? What puzzles me the most though is why you attacked head-on. You seem hell-bent on annihting us.¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸No passing!¡¹

    ¡¸Hm?¡¹

    ¡¸Everything! I protect.¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    With this brief exnation, Valkyrie suddenly understood, nodding vigorously.

    ¡¸Ah, the ck Cat Beastman.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­En!¡¹

    ¡¸In order to buy time for their escape, you¡¯ll even defy death to stop us; how heroic and moving! Kuhahaha¡¹

    Contrary to her words, Valkyrie¡¯s face was full of mockery. Then, she said something even more shocking.

    ¡¸Did you really think that these are all of Murellia¡¯s subordinates?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku, in addition to the group I lead, there are two more groups marching south from the east and west. Their target is Greengoat. Although they aren¡¯t as strong as me, theirmanders arepetentbat veterans. Hope they don¡¯t catch your little friends ~ ¡¹

    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹

    ¡¸Well, they¡¯re an assault team after all. They aren¡¯t arge group, but they move quickly since they are mostly calvary soldiers.¡¹

    At this moment, I felt Fran¡¯s impatience surge straight through her hand into my hilt. Yikes, that really got her stirred up. If she lets this upset her too much, she will blunder into Valkyrie¡¯s trap!

    £¨Shishou, she said¡­£©- Fran

    ¡ºIt¡¯s true. She didn¡¯t lie. However, we must stay calm! Right now, we can¡¯t help it! We just have to pray that the army and adventurers will make it in time! No matter how fast I am, there¡¯s no way to catch up with the assault team!¡»

    There¡¯s still time. Regardless, I need to appease Fran.

    ¡¸Got it. Win fast, then go help.¡¹

    ¡ºFran! She is trying to make you lose your temper! Don¡¯t attack recklessly!¡»

    ¡¸You still want to buy time? Ah, yes. If you¡¯re relying on the army, then too bad. They haven¡¯t even finished their preparations yet.¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸¡­ Kill you, protect everyone!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Try it!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Damn, shepletely flipped Fran¡¯s switch! It¡¯s impossible to stop her now! To what extent can I support Fran¡­!

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    Oops, Fran was really nning tounch a swift attack on the enemy! But the Mana and Life Thief skills cannot be always out of stock.

    (Shishou! Teleport!)

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    We teleported right over the enemy. However, at that moment, Fran was prated by Valkyrie¡¯s arrow. Did she perceive the distortions in space? How on earth could she predict our teleportation destination in advance?

    However, as expected of me: I immediately triggered the Dimension Shift skill, assisted by Crisis Detection, Vignce, and Reaction Speed Increase.

    Using Dimension Shift, I was able to respond in time to the Arrow of Godspeed that I wasn¡¯t even able to perceive until now. However, if I use it recklessly, my mana will run out soon. It can¡¯t be used frequently in a protracted battle. But since Fran is preparing for a blitzkrieg, I can use it without hesitation.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸It is really difficult to deal with opponents who can use Space/Time Magic so freely!¡¹

    ¡¸Sword Lord Techniques?Broken Sky¡¹

    Sword Lord Techniques¡­ I can probably onlyunch one shot. However, one shot should be enough.

    Both in speed and power, Sword Lord Techniques? Broken Sky far surpasses Godspeed sh. And more importantly, Broken Sky seemed to have a time-elerating effect. It¡¯s not an effect of Space/Time Magic; rather, my potential was stimted at that instant, and my reaction speed was abnormally increased.

    I wasn¡¯t using Reinforcement skills yet, and the power of the Sword Lord Techniques made my whole body tremor.

    I could feel that this attack must be a decisive one. I saw the Duhan¡¯s line of sight shift, and his arm suddenly moved. He probably wanted to shield Valkyrie. However, we are moving much too fast and there is no way for him to catch up.

    I plunged into Valkyrie¡¯s shoulder, slicing through her corbone and plunging towards her heart.

    ¡¸Crack¡­!¡¹

    Easily, I cleaved Valkyrie¡¯s heart in two. The force of my strike severed her body. I felt her magic stone break, but for some reason, I did not absorb it. What was the problem?

    As I stared in disbelief, an incredible scene emerged. Somehow, Valkyrie¡¯s corpse, which had fallen to the ground, recovered in an instant.

    Valkyrie shouldn¡¯t be able to use the Instant Recovery skill. In any case, since the heart and the body were divided into two, it was definitely impossible for Valkyrie to heal so fast¡­

    At the same time, a few meters away, the Minotaur Dark Pdins began to spurt blood. In the next moment, mana poured into my body. However, the mana was not from Valkyrie¡¯s magic stone. Instead, I was absorbing the mana from the Minotaurs¡¯ magic stones.

    It¡¯s the same skill that transferred the damage from Kanna Kamui earlier! And it seems that not only Duhan, but Valkyrie can also use it. What a cheap gimmick!

    ¡¸Ku, Kuhahaha. Sword Lord Techniques! Damn! You scared me! Seriously!¡¹

    Valkyrieughed as she retreated to a safe distance! However, her face still showed a hint of fear. She seemed warier than before since she was almost killed this time.

    But what the hell? We used up our one chance, and all we did was spook her? Damn it! Sure, we got the Minotaur Dark Pdin, but that¡¯s just peanuts!

    To give Valkyrie an opportunity to heal her wounds, the Duhan shielded her retreat, while the Evil Beings began once more to attack Fran all together.

    ¡ºIf we let her pull back, she¡¯ll pelt us with arrows again!¡»

    ¡¸Move!¡¹

    ¡¸GeGyaGya!¡¹

    ¡¸GyoGyoGya!¡¹

    Despite Fran¡¯s intimidation, the Evil Beings did not falter. They guarded Valkyrie desperately and stood together to form a wall.

    Time was running out.

    ¡¸AhAhAhAh!¡¹

 Chapter 309 - A New Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 309 - A New Shadow</h4>

    Trantor: Makisima

    The battle between Fran and the Evil Being Army has taken on a new meaning

    On one side is Fran, who wants to quickly destroy the Evil Beings and rescue the ck Cat refugees, and on the other, Valkyrie, who wants to obstruct Fran.

    ¡¸Beat it!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyagya!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyoaa!¡¹

    Fran, who has Sword God¡¯s Grace, ughters Evil Beings with surprising speed while maintaining her course directly towards Valkyrie. With the simultaneous use of Teleportation and Brilliant Lightning Rush, Fran is now much faster than Valkyrie and on several asions, she got very close.

    Although Fran¡¯s attacks are usuallyrge-scale and powerful, the Duhan is sessfully blocking most of them. Worse still, as the Duhan is shielding her, Valkyrie seizes the opportunity to pull away from Fran.

    This situation makes Fran even more anxious. To make matters worse, gaining distance give Valkyrie an opportunity to attack. Fran is managing to dodge all Valkyrie¡¯s lethal arrows, but the rate is clearly increasing.

    ¡¸Grr! Bastards!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, calm down!¡»

    £¨Sorry¡­¡­But!£©

    If Valkyrie hadn¡¯t used Damage Transfer, this would have been a quick fight¡­

    I still haven¡¯t figured out the mechanism of Valkyrie¡¯s Damage Transfer. It seems to be triggered whenever Valkyrie takes damage. This mysterious phenomenon may be rted to their Shield Techniques.

    When appraising Valkyrie, I didn¡¯t discern any items or skills to transfer damage, so it must be an effect of her title, or some kind of martial art. If it¡¯s a skill that needs mana, it should have shown up during Appraisal.

    As far as the current situation is concerned, the Shield Techniques and Divine Shield Techniques are the most suspicious ones. So far, in Valkyrie¡¯s forces, Minotaur Dark Pdins using Divine Shield Techniques and High Orc Shielders using Shield Techniques have always been the ones taking damage. Since shield skills can protect thepanion, it¡¯s little wonder that it can shoulder thepanion¡¯s damage.

    And in fact, Minotaur High Swordsman and High Orc Warrior, who had died from shouldering Duhan¡¯s fatal damage, also held Shield Techniques.

    But once the conjecture (about the link between damage-shouldering and Shield Techniques) stands, the battle waiting for Fran will be bound to be a tough long haul. After all, half of the remaining Evil Beings hold Shield Techniques. For them, I don¡¯t know what level they need to be able to use Shield Techniques to shoulder the damage, but shouldn¡¯t the rest of them can all shoulder the damage? If it¡¯s really so, for how many rounds of attacks on earth can we defeat Valkyrie?

    Let me put aside the case that depending on ordinary Word Techniques, Fran can kill dozens of Evil Beings at the same time. But it shouldn¡¯t have been so absurd that only one or two enemies who shoulder Sword Techniques damage could be killed as it is now.

    Although I had intended to eliminate all Evil Beings, Valkyrie and Duhan would never allow me to do that. And Valkyrie took every moment we take eyes off them andunched continuous devastating attacks.

    We¡¯re really being chased by them. And even though Fran has been using Life Thief Skill and Heal to the best of her ability, her HP Recovery is far less than the damage she suffers. Even if giving up using Brilliant Lightning Rush can save her a lot of magic, but it¡¯s very likely that the bnce between Fran and Valkyrie will be broken once Brilliant Lightning Rush is dismissed now. Overtaxing though, the use of Brilliant Lightning Rush has to be kept.

    However, Valkyrie¡¯s dad-sted attacks are bing more and more violent. Damn, and Duhan also unfolds his attack to Fran. Worse yet, Duhan¡¯s damage is constantly being transferred to other Evil Beings. But Fran now has been affected by the big explosion caused by Valkyrie¡¯s arrows, badly beaten.

    From a distance, Valkyrie conqueringly watched Fran, who stands up and square off in a sh.

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! You are irritated, aren¡¯t you? And it¡¯s likely that yourpanions have been killed while you are fighting against heavy odds!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s a provocation! Don¡¯t listen to her!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Gu¡¹

    Gnashing the teeth in anger, Fran scowls at Valkyrie, I could even hear the crunch. If it goes on like this, Fran will really go berserk.

    No way out now, I have to resort to my trump card, Skill Taker. Directly deprive their skills. But what confused me is that of which skill I should deprive. After all, the basic specs and skill bnce of Valkyrie and Duhan are terrific. To be frank, no matter what skills I deprive them of, it can¡¯t disable them.

    Even so, it might Valkyrie¡¯s Divine Bow Techniques and Duhan¡¯s Divine Shield Techniques can still be on the shortlist. Skill Taker can¡¯t disable them though, it should be able to weaken them to arge extent. And then Fran can make a final bid for victory in the chaos in which their skills are deprived. As for those Evil Beings who shoulder the damage, we will attack them until they can¡¯t do it anymore.

    ¡ºThe problem is¡­ whose skills should I deprive?¡»

    Just as Fran and I were discussing which skills to deprive¡­

    (Shishou, something¡¯sing!)

    ¡ºYeah, I can feel it, too!¡»

    At this moment, from the southwest, a shadow with great mana is approaching at a high speed, which seems much faster than Urushi¡¯s Sky Leap. Could it be Valkyrie¡¯s reinforcements? However, it does note from the north but from the southwest.

    Valkyrie and the others seem to be waiting and seeing, and since the powerful magic captured their attention, they began to grow restless as well. In some way, the shadow doesn¡¯t look like her reinforcements.

    ¡¸Here ites!¡¹

    ¡ºOverhead!¡»

    As the two sides paused to attack and assumed a defensive posture, the shadow alights from the sky.

    ¡¸Kuooo~o~o~on¡¯n!¡¹

    ¡¸Wyvern¡­ No, it¡¯s not. Could it be a Dragon?¡¹

    As Valkyrie muttered, that shadow is a Dragon with red scales. Its height is almost 2 meters, and its wing length is about 7 or 8 meters.

    In the air, the Scarlet Dragon flutters its wings, looking down on the whole battlefield. Its golden pupils gleams with a sharp light as if it is hunting prey.

    At the sound of the dragon¡¯s roar, Magic Beasts shrink timidly. And Evil Beings are also caught up in a riot and stops the previous offensive. But even so, they quickly regain their morale ande out with a ground-to-air formation.

    The Scarlet Dragon is a little smaller than an adult dragon. And for the status, its threat level is only C. However, its sense of existence is extremely strong. But now, there is something more threatening than it that must be kept on the lookout ¡ª Duhan, and Valkyrie.

    However, neither I nor Fran is overly wary of the dragon. Instead, Fran wears a smile on her face.

    Because¡­

    ¡¸Reduce them to ashes! Llinde!¡¹

    ¡¸KuOOOOoo!¡¹

    The Scarlet dragon spraying mes at Evil Beings and people riding on it seem familiar to me.

    ¡¸You seem to have a tough fight, Fran! Are there any reinforcements?¡¹

    ¡¸Mare!¡¹

 Chapter 310 - Mare and Kuina Join the Battle

    <h4>Chapter 310 - Mare and Kuina Join the Battle</h4>

    Trantor: Makisima

    ¡¸Seems a tough battle, Fran!Any reinforcements?¡¹

    ¡¸Mare!¡¹

    The Scarlet Dragon suddenly appearing in the battlefield was attacking the Evil Beings. The people riding on the dragon back were the mysterious girl and her maid follower, Kuina, with whom Fran parted not long ago since they had encountered in the Scorpion Lion Forest. And, the scarlet dragon was called Llinde, a dragon that dwelled on Mare¡¯s Monster Weapon.

    On Mare¡¯smand, Llinde spewed scarlet me from its giant mouth. And wherever in that fire¡¯s power, more than 20 evil beings and magic beasts were burned to ashes in an instant.

    At this moment, I saw Valkyrie watching her army suffer losses, she was about to shoot an arrow aiming at Llinde. It seems that she wants to shoot down Llinde, the powerful threat to the Evil Beings.

    ¡¸Shishou!¡¹

    ¡ºIt will be fine.¡»

    Valkyrie and Fran didn¡¯t sense the fact that the arrow couldn¡¯t hit Llinde though, I was never doubtful about that.

    ¡¸Such a grand way toe on stage, but also such a pity! You¡¯re exiting now!¡¹

    Shouting that, Valkyrie released the arrow, which shot toward Llinde directly. And then, Valkyrie who believed the arrow must hit Llinde shed a reassuring smile.

    To her surprise, however, brushing past Llinde, the arrow flew in the wrong direction, which shocked both Valkyrie and Fran.

    ¡¸Wh¡­ What?¡¹

    (Illusion)

    ¡ºYeah. Illusion Magic, Illusion Magic of high level.¡»

    Fran and I used to be tortured by the Illusion, but now it seems more powerful than before. And Mare, using the Illusion, shouted with a triumphant expression:

    ¡¸Fran! Let me help you!¡¹

    ¡¸Mare! I can handle the situation here for the time being! You can stop the detached force of Evil Beings!¡¹

    Although it¡¯s true, I couldn¡¯t believe Fran was pleading with Mare. I never thought that Fran would make such a cry. But Mareughed away Fran¡¯s worry.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Don¡¯t worry! If the detached force you said is the two troops going south from the east and west, then I have eliminated one of them! And as for the other troop with arger number of soldiers, it has been solved by someone else!¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, just make yourself easy about that! The Evil Being troop in the west has been transformed into my EP. And thanks to that troop, I could improve my level. Look, and Llinde¡¯s figure becamerger than before because of that troop.¡¹

    ¡¸Cool!¡¹

    ¡¸And we have sent a message to the Lord of Greengoat, asking him to dispatch security force to protect the refugees. They should be joining forces with Greengoat¡¯s force soon!¡¹

    Hearing what Mare had said, Fran finally gave a sigh of relief. Although it¡¯s inappropriate to use the Principle of Falsehood to Mare, I don¡¯t think she is lying. Because what she said has inexplicable credibility, or maybe a reassuring power?

    So, since Mare says everything is fine, then we can believe that what she said was true.

    After all, in such an emergency, there¡¯s no reason for Mare to lie. And with Mare¡¯s party¡¯s power, it¡¯s easy for them to eliminate all detached forces.

    And meanwhile, on the other side, Valkyrie¡¯s triumphant look nked gradually. She seemed to sense that what Mare said was not a lie.

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s impossible. How could you defeat the Evil Beings troop dispatched by Murellia Sama? Isn¡¯t the troop of the west led by Duhan, a powerful leader, and demons? ¡¹

    ¡¸So it is. That troop was extremely powerful indeed, but with the joint attack of the two of us, they are still at a disadvantage after all.¡¹

    ¡¸Two of you?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, yes, we two.¡¹

    At this moment, however, I happened to find the girl, who was behind Mare with a fearless smile, disappeared. She was riding on the back of Llinde before, but now where has she gone?

    ¡¸Is this OK? You, the Battle Maiden. How could you be so careless as to be defenseless¡­¡¹

    Valkyrie cried out before Mare finished her words.

    ¡¸GuGaaaaa!¡¹

    No one knew when, a figure appeared next to Valkyrie in a sh, and then, a sudden sting blew Valkyrie. That figure¡¯s hand had pierced through Valkyrie¡¯s chest.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Lady Mare¡¯s maid, Kuina. NIce to meet you. By the way, it¡¯s so mysterious that you can still be safe and sound like this even being pierced through your heart.¡¹

    It¡¯s Mare¡¯s Assassin Maid, Kuina. We haven¡¯t even sensed her appearance. But, I knew what she has done. She should havebined Illusion Magic with her Innate Skill ¡ª Phantom Dream Matrix. And the one that created the illusion of Llinde and Mare should also be Kuina.

    For those who have never seen the illusions, they are not able to recognize those illusions created by Kuina, who is such an adept. A perfect K.O., now it is Valkyrie¡¯s turn.

    However, I can feel that Kuina¡¯s mana is decreasing. Although she looks unruffled, the blow just now should have been a mortal blow. Even if she fails to make a mortal blow, she still stays cool, calm and collected, which shows that she is not ordinary.

    No, wait a moment! The scene is the same as when we met Kuina in Scorpion Lion Forest, she looks cool though, she is in panic in her heart now. In the face of this enemy, not only do we not know how to deal with it, but in fact, Kuina is also anxious.

    ¡¸Haha! You are really worthy of the Assassin Maid! Unmoved by the loss at all! An annoying guy in normal times though, but reliable you are in the battlefield!¡¹

    Kuina appears to be calm. No! Totally can¡¯t figure out. Even on this asion, Kuina gracefully saluted Valkyrie and then distanced from her.

    ¡¸Damn! Don¡¯t cause me trouble!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, so pity! Since you have hurt my rival, I can¡¯t let you get away with that!¡¹

    ¡¸After all, Fran is the only friend of My Lady.¡¹

    ¡¸¡°Only¡± is so superfluous! And, we are not friends! We are rivals!¡¹

    ¡¸My Lady is still so aggressive¡­ But it¡¯s really annoying in the face of Ms. Fran, who has upied the title ¡°ck Lightning Princess¡±, My Lady still can not ept the fact that her favorite color, ck, is preempted. So, My Lady can¡¯t help harboring mixed feelings to Ms. Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸You shut up! But preempt my favorite color by the ck Lightning Princess title is too cunning!¡¹

    ¡¸But no matter how hard My Lady try to deny, the title such as White me Advent, Rough Beast (White) and White Abarenbo, are all terrific.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Is that apliment to me? Are you not dissing me?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, My Lady. But it all trulyes from my heart.¡¹

    ¡¸All pretext! But just forget it. Anyway, I¡¯m the only one to defeat my rival, Fran! I must fight you, troublemakers! ¡¹

    ¡¸Dares to hold suchnguage!¡¹

    ¡¸Cut the crap! I¡¯ming!¡¹

    Then Mare jumped down from Llinde.

 Chapter 311 - Nemea Narasimha

    <h4>Chapter 311 - Nemea Narasimha</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯m going in!!¡¹

    Mare jumped off Llinde, descending from high above. Although it appeared as though shended gracefully, hernding actually presented quite a few defensive openings. Fortunately, with the ever-present threat of an attack from Fran, Valkyrie didn¡¯t dare move recklessly.

    At some point, I don¡¯t know when, Mare¡¯s true body had reced her illusion and, rising from where shended, she red at Valkyrie with zing eyes.

    ¡¸If youe clean about your purpose there¡¯s a chance I¡¯ll show you mercy.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t delude yourself, that¡¯s impossible!¡¹

    ¡¸How unfortunate. But if that¡¯s your answer, I¡¯m getting serious! Fran! You ready?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m ready!¡¹

    In the current situation, Fran wasn¡¯t so foolish as to try to go one-on-one with Valkyrie. She seemed far more invested in fighting alongside Mare and nodded enthusiastically.

    ¡¸Kuina, you bring Duhan to heel now!¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, I¡¯m not very good at tackling heavily-armed opponents.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯d need to do it now!¡¹

    ¡¸Words fail me. Is it really okay for me to tackle such a tough enemy? I just hope I don¡¯t cause Miss Fran any trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on! Right now, please!¡¹

    Kuina, urged on loudly by Mare, saluted gracefully andunched an attack on Duhan. Although, at first nce, Kuina appeared to be running normally, her speed was astonishing, it seemed that she was using some sort of unique footwork technique.

    ¡¸Llinde, you try to restrain the Evil Beings over there. Remember not to push yourself too hard.¡¹

    ¡¸Coollll!¡¹

    Roaring, Llinde, who was in the air, dove towards the army of Evil Beings. Llinde deftly avoided the Evil Beings¡¯ arrows while simultaneously spraying mes at them. As a result, the Magic Beasts fled helter-skelter when they saw Llindeing.

    ¡¸Next, we two shall begin our attack as well. She has brought disaster to my people, does she really think she can leave with a happy ending?¡¹

    ¡¸Ha? Who do you think you are? Do you think you are a member of the Royal household? How dare you speak like that?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it seems that I can only convince you by showing my true power. In that case, I¡¯ll show you now!¡¹

    With that, Mare twirled her coat, raising her right hand to the sky and jumped up.

    ¡¸In this moment, I have be The Swordswoman of Beauty !¡¹

    I had thought she would do something special, but she just made an extravagant pose. Then, she shook her left arm and changed to another pose.

    ¡¸Now I¡¯m The Girl Who Maniptes the Giant Dragon!¡¹

    Next was a pose No. 2, Rider Shapeshift. The forms of Mare¡¯s Shapeshift poses were bing more and more exaggerated. I mean, can¡¯t she just say it already? Why does she have to pose over and over again?

    ¡¸However, my true identity is¡­¡­!¡¹

    Finally, she puffed out her chest, arms aloft. However, just as she was about to announce it, a torrent of explosive me burst out of her mouth, as if she was performing fire magic.

    ¡¸The eldest daughter of the Beast Lord - Rigdis Narasimha, Nemea Narasimha!¡¹

    No, wait. Despite the sudden revtion, Mare actually is the Lord¡¯s daughter?

    Is Mare Nemea Narasimha?

    Although my Appraisal has been blocked, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s not lying because she hasn¡¯t triggered the Principle of Falsehood all this time.

    Not only that, but in terms of all her behavior and manner, the shadow of the Beast Lord is ever present. Either judging from her appearance or from her temperament, it¡¯s not in the least bit surprising that she is the daughter of the Beast Lord.

    ¡¸Let me show you just the tip of the iceberg. Awakening-¡¹

    With a fearless smile, Mare released her power.

    After Mare¡¯s Awakening, much like Fran, her appearance hasn¡¯t changed much. The only difference is that Mare¡¯s body has begun to radiate fire. Wait, her hair has gained volume and stands up now? Looks like lion¡¯s mane. Ok, fine, I think it just means that Mare is a girl. In addition, her teeth and nails have grown.

    ¡¸Mare, You¡¯re so cool!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! I know, right?¡¹

    ¡¸So¡­ you are the daughter of the Beast Lord. It¡¯s said that the daughter of the Beast Lord is born white-haired, seems the rumor is true.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it¡¯s me. I have to keep this secret because my white hair is too conspicuous. After all, people will talk. But even so, there seems to be a lot of rumors about me.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, you certainly do possess pretty wonderful mana.¡¹

    As Valkyrie said, I could feel fairly powerful mana hanging over Mare, whose power seems to be on a par with Fran using Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What!¡¹

    Shocked by what she saw, Fran stared at Mare in bewilderment.

    Mare, hearing Valkyrie¡¯s murmur, showed a fearless smile. And then, she leaned back andughed.

    ¡¸Kukuku¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s wrong? ¡¹

    ¡¸You think this is all my power?¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I said I would show you all my ability, didn¡¯t I?¡¹

    Howling again, Mare struck another pose. This time, her pose was exactly the same as the normal 3rd pose of Shapeshifting.

    ¡¸Golden me of Extinction!¡¹

    With that, a storm-like golden fire burst out from Mare¡¯s body. It was the innate skill of the Red Catkin¡¯s high breed, Golden me Lionkin: Golden me of Extinction. Mare, now, covered by the golden me, was exactly the same as the Beast Lord Rigdis from before.

    It seemed that, like Fran and the Beast Lord, Mare had reached the level of the Ten Original Tribes which had greatly surprised Fran. Because they were both Magic Beasts, Fran seemed to know Mare was evolving immediately and, after witnessing Mare¡¯s evolutionary posture, Fran also figured out Mare¡¯s race type, Golden me Lionkin.

    The way I see it, Mare, who is now using Golden me of Extinction, has an absolute advantage in both Magic and raw strength. If an average person faced her, it would probably be impossible for them to stand their ground. Moreover, in the face of such an extraordinary existence, ordinary people would either be prostrate, petrified or may even lose consciousness. Whatever the oue, it would impossible to maintain one¡¯sposure.

    ¡¸Now, that we¡¯vee this far, I won¡¯t show you any mercy. Suffer my punishment! ¡¹

    In that instant, Mare roared, pouncing on Valkyrie with deafening roars and terrifying momentum. Mare¡¯s bloodlust, intimidation and magical force merged into an invisible pressure that made straight for Valkyrie.

    ¡¸Damn¡­¡­!¡¹

    Facing the oing, overwhelming pressure, Valkyrie was about to speak up, but then she drew her bow, aiming at Mare and released the Arrow of Godspeed.

    ¡¸Will you still keep oning?¡¹

    Despite being released instantaneously, Valkyrie¡¯s Arrow of Godspeed was easily disintegrated by Mare¡¯s Golden me, this seemed to be how the auto-defense of Golden me of Extinction worked.

    The arrow, containing power strong enough to prate dozens of magic beasts¡¯ bodies, that had tormented Fran and I, was instantly burnt to ashes before it broke the Golden me barrier of Mare, despite containing no less malevolence than before.

    Despite its power, however, Mare hasn¡¯t been left unscathed, there is a shallow wound on her face. Sure enough, Mare isn¡¯t as powerful as the Beast Lord, but even so, I¡¯ve no doubt that Mare¡¯s power isparable to Fran¡¯s. Mare certainly is an invigorating reinforcement.

    ¡¸Get ready to suffer my punishment War Maiden!¡¹

    ¡¸En!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, youe and support me!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger that!¡¹

    Fran seemed to understand Mare¡¯s intentions. She breathed a sigh of relief and stopped using Brilliant Lightning Rush. This was because Mare, who belonged to the same skill system as Fran, had understood that Fran¡¯s use of Brilliant Lightning Rush was beyond her limits.

    Thank God. If Fran had continued to push her limits, then I would have had to discharge the Brilliant Lightning Rush myself.

    And so, the fierce battle between the two girls and War Maiden began.

 Chapter 312 - Mare & Fran

    <h4>Chapter 312 - Mare & Fran</h4>

    ¡¸ToAhaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Ku!¡¹

    Raising their swords aloft, Mare and Fran charged towards Valkyrie. Defending with her spear, Valkyrie frowned and retreated, giving ground. Although Valkyrie¡¯s spear technique was excellent, she couldn¡¯t hold back the simultaneous charge of both Mare and Fran.

    Gradually, the damage Valkyrie suffered became more and more serious.

    Meanwhile, the other Evil Beings that had, thus far, been suppressed by Llinde, and Duhan, who had been tied down by Kuina, also attracted my attention.

    From my vantage point, I could also clearly see Llinde¡¯sbat abilities, it certainly was fortunate for us that he was on our side. His airbornebat speed was amazing, not produced by his wings but rather his mana and skills. Thus, as he was flying through the Evil Beings, his eleration and deceleration totally ignored thews of physics.

    After flying at top-speed for a time, Llinde suddenly halted, then produced another sudden burst of eleration, seemingly with no warning whatsoever. The ability initially appeared to be performed using me Magic as a propent, but it was more than that, the key to it seemed to be that the magic was released from his wings.

    Also, due to Llinde¡¯s substantial intellect, his actions were nned out strategically. He never stepped into the attack range of an Evil Beings¡¯ pike, instead just sneaking up on them and only breathing low-level mes to provoke them. In addition, in order to avoid being targeted by arrows, he never stayed in one ce and was always moving unpredictably to avoid being surrounded and bing a sitting duck. Not just this, but whenever the Evil Beings and Magic Beasts tried to recover, he would roar and sow chaos in their ranks.

    Despite the rtive infrequency of his attacks, the gueri tactics he was employing were excellent. His objective wasn¡¯t to kill enemies, just to support his allies and allow Mare and Kuina to be the main force.

    Now, thanks to Llinde¡¯s support, Fran and Mare could focus on Valkyrie without being bothered by the Evil Beings.

    ¡¸me Sword!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Quartet sh!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸You damn little girls!¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Fine, I¡¯ll show you true fear, War Maiden!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Fuck!¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Humph, toote!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Damn it¡­!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Little by little, the converging attacks of Mare and Fran had cornered Valkyrie. Although most of the damage Valkyrie had initially suffered had been transferred to the Evil Beings, it was gradually being transferred less and less frequently. This was because Valkyrie was constantly taking damage during the battle. This, in turn, caused the damage she could transfer to be far outstripped by the damage she was taking, causing the wounds she suffered to be more and more serious.

    ¡¸Haha. I was thrown off by her wound recovery before, but it looks like she was just using a strategy based on Shield Techniques.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Shield Techniques is a skill which allows the user to assume a portion of the damage that is suffered by allies. However Divine Shield Techniques is a skill which can transfer the damage the user suffers to their allies.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Oh, I get it.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    As we had reasoned out, Valkyrie had indeed been using Divine Shield Techniques. But now that her allies, Duhan, and the Evil Beings, were caught up in the fierce battle, she could no longer use the skill to its full potential.

    For now, we decided to give up on using Skill Taker. This was because in future battles we would likely need the skill to deal with the mysterious figure pulling the strings behind the scenes, that of Valkyrie¡¯s boss, Murellia, so we had to conserve skill usage as much as possible.

    What¡¯s more, Valkyrie¡¯s arrow had already proven it couldn¡¯t pose any threat to Fran and Mare and Duhan¡¯s Divine Shield Techniques had also beenpletely blocked by Kuina. So, in circumstances like these, there really was no need to use Skill Taker.

    During the continuous offensive, I found that,pared to Fran¡¯s thunder skill, Valkyrie suffered more from Mare¡¯s me skill.

    ¡¸It looks like,pared to your powerful but fleeting thunder, Valkyrie is more afraid of my relentless, destructive mes.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Oh I see!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸You even have the time to chat!?¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Of course, we have!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Indeed, we do!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Damn!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Valkyrie couldn¡¯t hold back her anger anymore when she saw Fran and Mare were even chatting while avoiding her attacks. What she didn¡¯t know was this was also a part of Fran and Mare¡¯s tactics.

    It seemed as though the two were nning to repay all the damage Valkyrie had inflicted on them, with interest. Moreover, because of their provocations, Valkyrie¡¯s attacks had be rushed and messy out of anger, presenting easy openings for Fran and Mare to avoid them. Because of this, neither of them had any intention of stopping the provocation.

    ¡¸Hora Hora! Weren¡¯t you oh so confident before? Why have you gone all quiet!?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸If you¡¯re having a hard time, just let me know!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Fuck, shut up!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Now that the tables had turned in our favor, we could afford to talk amongst ourselves. Valkyrie, however, had been pushed to the extent where she couldn¡¯t even stop to talk.

    ¡¸It¡¯s time! Go in now!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Gaaaaa!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Finally, one of Fran¡¯s shes broke through and cut off Valkyrie¡¯s left arm. This time, the wound made by the sh didn¡¯t recover and the detached arm flew through the air.

    ¡¸I did it!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸KuA-Ga!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Then, with a lunge of her me Sword, Mare cut at Valkyrie¡¯s body. The fire wrapped around the sword and charred the wound, instantly turning it ck.

    ¡¸Well, now! Changed your mind?¡¡If you tell me what I want to know, I¡¯ll give you a painless death!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸¡­¡¹- Valkyrie

    Valkyrie knew very well that she couldn¡¯t turn things around. Disarming herself, she got up slowly. Even though she didn¡¯t have a skill like dimensional storage, it seemed as though she could still use some sort of ability to arm and disarm herself.

    ¡¸So d¡¯you feel like talking now?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸AhAh, I give up, I will tell you everything I know ¡ª¡ª¡¹- Valkyrie

    Muttering, Valkyrie began to pull out an object, it was a ck spear from which waves of ck magic arose. I had seen the same kind of magic wave long ago, it was the same sort of magic used by the Master of Evil Arts Rynford and the Half Evil Being Zerrosreed. After using Appraisal, Valkyrie¡¯s spear was disyed as [Evil Stone Imbued Spear].

    ¡¸¡ª¡ª Impossible! I¡¯ll never tell you anything!¡¹-Valkyrie

    Still being forced back by Fran and Mare, Valkyrie suddenly lost all semnce of control. She roared and veins throbbed on her forehead.

    ¡¸UGaaaaa! Unforgivable! I will kill you all right here, right now!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Then, from the spear in her hand, an evil specter burst forth.

    ¡¸Even I can¡¯t control it! It will destroy everything until itpletely devours my soul!¡¹- Valkyrie

    In her rage, Valkyrie¡¯s face had now lost its previous beautiful fa?ade. Her expression had turned distorted, almost demonic.

 Chapter 313 - Evil Stone Spear

    <h4>Chapter 313 - Evil Stone Spear</h4>

    Rising from the Evil Stone Spear in Valkyrie¡¯s hand, the evil specter almost equaled the size and ferocity of the gigantic Master of Evil Arts, Rynford.

    ¡ºFran! Stop her before she can make her move!¡» ¡ª Me

    ¡¸En!¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡¸Not if I can help it!¡¹- Valkyrie

    In the instant when Valkyrie, holding the Evil Stone Spear, moved to attack, Fran and Mare leapt forward. However, their swords were blocked some sort of barrier surrounding Valkyrie. The barrier seemed familiar to me and looked somewhat like Rynford¡¯s but I wondered whether there were differences between the two, despite appearing to be the same magic.

    ¡¸I had nned to release the power of my spear in Greengoat, but now it doesn¡¯t matter! Your country would suffer an even greater loss if I kill the two of you! At least you¡¯ll get to die together!¡¹

    While she roared, Valkyrie¡¯s wounds started instantaneously healing in a manner quite different from when she was sharing her damage with the Evil Beings.

    ¡®Squelch.¡¯ Something was squirming, bursting out from inside Valkyrie¡¯s open wounds and filling them with new flesh. The reborn flesh seemed to be covered in rugged, ck nodules, showing that the new exterior had been regenerated into Goblin skin.

    After an Appraisal by Fran, we found Valkyrie¡¯s race had be ¡°Half Evil Being¡±, and ¡°Evil God¡¯s ve¡± was newly added to her titles. In addition, every one of her statuses was improved and Evil Arts had been added to her skill column.

    This was probably caused by the Evil Stone Spear, right? Due to the vague description Appraisal provided, it wasn¡¯t possible to learn any further details about the Evil Being or the Evil Stone Spear itself.

    ¡¸Evil Stone! Devour my soul and destroy everything!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Magic rose from Valkyrie¡¯s body, gradually bing contaminated by the evil specter. Eventually her magic had beenpletely reced.

    ¡¸Damn it. Fran! We¡¯ve got to give it another shot!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸OK!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸¡ª¡ªInferno Burst!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹- Mare

    This time, Mare and Fran cast their me and Lightning Magic from a middling distance however, once more, the attack was reflected by the barrier.

    ¡¸UGaaaaaaa!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Valkyrie charged us in a sh, her eyeballs dyed pitch ck and an ominous, groan-like roar leaking out of her mouth. We could no longer feel any sanity from her whatsoever, it seemed that her evolution into an Evil Being was progressing all too rapidly.

    ¡¸Gaaa!¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Damn you!¡¹- Mare

    Using her sword Mare stopped the, now markedly more powerful, stab of Valkyrie¡¯s spear and retreated arge step backwards.

    ¡¸Mare!¡¹- Fran

    To support Mare, Fran also joined the attack. It looked like Valkyrie¡¯s barrier didn¡¯t have the ability to auto-guard so Fran, positioned behind her, easily broke through by shing at Valkyrie¡¯s back, cutting into her spine.

    Fran¡¯s sh had shattered her backbone and cut deeply into the underlying flesh, however her opponent¡¯s recuperative abilities had drastically improved. Any wounds were rapidly filled by squirming ck skin and, worse yet, Valkyrie seemed to bepletely unperturbed by the damage and didn¡¯t slow down her movements one bit.

    ¡¸Gaa!¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Watch out! ¡¹- Fran

    Valkyrie¡¯s front kick broke through the Golden me¡¯s defense and Mare was blown backwards. However, as one would expect, Valkyrie¡¯s lower leg from the knee downwards had been charred by the searing me. Moreover, the impact hadpletely smashed the charred limb to pulp. However, no sooner had the damage been done, with a strident ¡°Guju Guju¡± sound, new flesh began jutting out from her knee and the leg regenerated. After several instances of this healing process, Valkyrie, who had once had a beautifully feminine appearance, became covered with patches of melted, ugly Goblin flesh, the sight bing increasingly grotesque with each passing second.

    At that moment, Valkyrie quickly spun the heavy spear around in her hand and switched her grip, attempting to stab Fran who was behind her.

    ¡¸UGaaaa!¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Damn!¡¹- Fran

    ¡ºFuck!¡»- Me

    While simultaneously attacking my opponent, I used Telekinesis to ward off the spear. At the same time, Fran used Divine Sword Techniques to counter Valkyrie, who, leaning sideways to dodge, lost her bnce. Throughout the exchange, Mare¡¯s mes continually burned Valkyrie¡¯s body, however Mare herself had barely managed to stop Valkyrie¡¯s front kick with her sword. The situation had quickly be rmingly dangerous.

    ¡¸She¡¯s so tough to deal with! Our attacks don¡¯t seem to be affecting her at all!¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    With a grave expression, Mare bemoaned their desperate situation. Even if we attacked Valkyrie, she couldn¡¯t feel pain and any wounds we inflicted would recover straight away.

    ¡¸GuRooooo!¡¹- Valkyrie

    ¡¸Sh*t!¡¹- Mare

    Mare, who was once again hit by Valkyrie¡¯s fist, saw that the burnt flesh began to regenerate, just as it had done before. If we continued like this, there really was no hope of victory. There was just no end in sight.

    ¡¸Fran! I want to try a more powerful technique! Could you keep her busy for a while?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸OK!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Right!¡¹- Mare

    Mare retreated while Fran drew Valkyrie away. Despite not using Brilliant Lightning Rush, Fran tried her best to keep Valkyrie at bay by herself. With the improvement of Valkyrie¡¯s status, her fighting power had spiked considerably, however this was bnced out by the absence of Duhan and the Evil Beings¡¯ assistance.

    ¡ºHaa!¡»- Me

    ¡¸Fu!¡¹- Fran

    Fran fought valiantly against Valkyrie and, little by little, backtracked until she circled back to Mare.

    Although Valkyrie¡¯s fighting power had definitely increased, her intellect had all but disappeared. Thanks to this, Fran and I had a very easy time baiting her in. What was most worrying, however, was that Valkyrie¡¯s movements were getting faster and faster.

    Did this mean she was previously in some form of iplete state resulting from her forced transformation into an Evil Being? Was this why now, as her changed body and newfound strength began to align, she was so improved? If so, she has the potential to be even more dangerous. I suppose we can only hope that the technique Mare has up her sleeve is enough to put her down for good.

    ¡¸Impact sh!¡¹- Fran

    The next instant Fran blocked Valkyrie¡¯s stab with her Divine Sword Techniques, using the force of the collision to put some distance between them.

    Using this opportunity, Mare came forward. Despite it being the first time they had worked together, Fran and Mare managed to cooperate through eye contact, even their breathing seemed to be the same. Although she had appeared behind her, Mare¡¯s presence had provoked no meaningful response from Valkyrie.

    ¡¸Haaaaa!¡¡Golden Interception me!¡¹- Mare

    Mare now carried the Dragonde Llinde, the sword she had previously been using, sheathed on her back. Instead in her hand was a shining sword. The iridescent sword she held seemed to be formed from the tightpression of her own Golden mes. It was probably a technique that could only be used when the Golden me of Extinction was active, simr to Fran¡¯s ck Lightning summons.

    ¡¸Nuooo!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Ga¡­Ga¡­¡¹- Valkyrie

    Mare¡¯s burning sword ran straight through Valkyrie¡¯s back, charring her body from the inside. Valkyrie¡¯s eyes and mouth began to erupt with a torrent of searing mes.

    ¡¸GuGiaOOOoooo!¡¹- Valkyrie

    Valkyrie was gradually enveloped by the inferno, forming a golden pir of fire that rose straight up into the sky. Without the dark shadow screaming and struggling at its center, it would have been quite the picturesque spectacle.

    ¡¸GuGaGaaaa!¡¹- Valkyrie

    (ShiShou!) ¡ª Fran

    ¡ºFinally!¡»- Me

    Now that Valkyrie was submerged in the intense mes, Fran had the time to release a major attack. I thought that Fran would use her Sword Lord Technique, Broken Sky, but it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t activate in her current state. Without Brilliant Lightning Rush, Broken Sky seemed unable tounch.

    ¡ºUOooooo!¡»- Fran

    Fran used Godspeed sh and swung me at near light-speed, cleaving the air while using Transformation to explosively erge my de to a gigantic size.

    The moment I touched the Golden me, my de began to dissolve. Fortunately, me Resistance prevented me from evaporating instantly. Only bybining Instant Recovery with Godspeed sh could I bear the mes. Sure enough, the Beast Lord¡¯s Golden Inme could not be so casually touched. Nheless, before I even had time to react, I had already lost part of my body¡¯s de.

    In spite of everything, the moment I cut into Valkyrie, I finally felt her magic stone being absorbed. Strength flowed into me; this time, we¡¯d really done it!

    ¡ºI felt it work this time!¡»- Me

    Our relentless determination had finally paid off!

 Chapter 314 - Evil Stone

    <h4>Chapter 314 - Evil Stone</h4>

    The remaining embers from Mare¡¯s Golden Interception me gradually died down.

    By the time the me hadpletely disappeared there was little of Valkyrie left behind. All that remained was a charred, ckened corpse that had been bisected from head to navel.

    As I gazed at the body, I analyzed the skills I had acquired by devouring Valkyrie¡¯s magic stone. Among others, I had acquired Divine Bow Techniques, Divine Bow Arts, Resistance to Madness, Light Magic, Morale Boost, Troop Assistance and War Maiden. They were all fairly rare skills.

    In other words, of all the skills I had acquired today, these were by far the most valuable. However, I hadn¡¯t had time to fully scope them out so I¡¯d do that once the battle was over.

    The only minor issue is if I obtained Evil Arts, you can¡¯t really help it if you obtain a bad skill by ident. Guess I¡¯ll unequip and hide it, if that¡¯s possible of course¡­

    ¡ºHmm? I don¡¯t seem to be able to see Evil Arts anywhere?? ¡»- Me

    It seems that I¡¯ve not inherited Valkyrie¡¯s Evil Arts after all. It must be because Ick the prerequisite of having a title from an Evil God, right? Hang on, this is actually a really good thing. I¡¯ll just be happy I dodged that bullet!

    However, there is another issue. When I absorbed Valkyries Magic Stone, it gave me surprisingly few points. For someone of Valkyrie¡¯s stature I would have expected more than 300 but all I got was 5 points. Even the Magic Stone of an ordinary Evil Being is worth much more than that¡­ Was much of Valkyrie¡¯s Magic Stone consumed in the fierce fighting? There¡¯s a lot here I don¡¯t understand.

    ¡¸We¡­ did it?¡¹-Fran

    ¡¸En¡­¡¹-Mare

    These anomalies weren¡¯t thest either. Having been immted by Mare¡¯s me while I absorbed her Magic Stone, there was no question that she was dead. However, ck smoke was still rising from her body.

    Mare, whose form had reverted from her awakened state after her finishing blow, didn¡¯t let her guard down in the slightest as she stared intently at Valkyrie¡¯s body.

    £¨Still¡­ Alive?£©- Fran

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s impossible. But I do feel evil emanating from Valkyrie¡¯s body¡­¡»- Me

    However, the true source of the specter wasn¡¯t Valkyrie, but the long spear that her charred body still held. The mighty evil specter flowed from the spear towards Valkyrie.

    ¡¸¡ª¡ªFire Javelin!¡¹-Mare

    ¡ºIt¡¯s the spear!¡»- Me

    ¡¸Mare, Spear!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºConsume it in mes!¡»- Mare

    ¡¸¡ª¡ªFire Javelin!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹- Mare

    Lightning Magic released by Fran & I and me Magic released by Mare were aimed directly at the Evil Stone Spear but were blocked by it¡¯s barrier and weren¡¯t able to destroy it.

    Then, the Evil Stone Spear gave off a strong ck light. The ck light pulsed, flickering faster and faster.

    The two divided halves of Valkyrie¡¯s body began to writhe, tentacle-like growths intertwining to connect the two pieces back together. Soon, Valkyrie¡¯s body trembled and stood up. Fran and Mare both grimaced at the grotesque sight of the charred body twisting its joints at horrifying angles.

    ¡¸Fire Arrow¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹- Fran

    As before, Fran and Mare¡¯s magic was rebounded by the barrier.

    ¡¸GaGa¡­¡­Ga¡­¡­¡¹- Valkyrie

    From Valkyrie¡¯s gaping mouth, there emanated a harsh static noise. The next moment, Valkyrie¡¯s body began to swell from the inside, as if a monster was crawling within and parts of her body began to unexpectedly bulge.

    At the same time, the body began to emit a strong aura of evil. The amount emanating from the body was strong enough to make even me shudder.

    Fran frowned and Mare turned deathly pale as they resisted the evil aura and stared at what had once been Valkyrie. It¡¯s wasn¡¯t only an evil aura, it was perhaps better described as a the emission of true malicious insanity.

    Appraisal soon discovered that what stood before us was no longer Valkyrie, but an Evil God Stone. Its race was Evil God Being and it was currently in a state of Evil Deification. It was virtually the same monster as Rynford, the giant Master of Evil Arts we fought at Barbra.

    As we looked on in horror, the specter inside the Evil Stone grew stronger and stronger.

    ¡¸GaGaGaGa¡ª¡ª¡¹- Evil Stone

    It¡¯s too dangerous to go on like this. We have to do something!

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t show any mercy! Do your best to eliminate it!¡»- Me

    ¡¸En! Mare, do it now!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Copy!¡¹- Mare

    Mare seemed to guess at our intentions. She began to put some distance between herself and the Evil Stone, gathering her concentration. Without knowing the structure of the barrier, the only option left was to break it with our most powerful attack.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Pale fire¡­¡­!¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºOoo¡ª¡ª!¡»- Me

    Mare had just exhausted her Awakening status through her use of the Golden Interception me and so wasn¡¯t able to reuse it again so quickly. Fortunately she seemed to have other tricks up her sleeve.

    Unlike her previous golden fire, Mare¡¯s body was surrounded by pale mes that we had never seen before. Mare emitted an aura of dignity, apanied by a sense of sanctity and authority.

    Is that the power of the Golden me Lionkin? Or is that just Mare¡¯s own skill? Well, judging from the enormous magic I feel, it¡¯s extremely powerful, so it¡¯s worth looking forward to.

    ¡ºCharge! Haaaaa!¡»- Me

    I simultaneously cast Kanna Kamui. To tell the truth, this was beyond what I could bear. Bitter pangs of cold pain were attacking my consciousness, almost breaking my focus. However, the situation was so dire I had no choice but to seed.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Summoning!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Destroy my enemies! Pale inferno!¡¹- Mare

    My Kanna Kamui and Fran¡¯s ck Lightning, plus Mare¡¯s Pale me, hit the Evil Stone directly.

    In the face of such an assault, even the Evil God¡¯s Barrier was unable to defend against such a powerful attack. Although Kanna Kamui was briefly blocked, the Barrier was immediately swallowed up by ck Lightning and Pale me.

    A huge explosion took ce at the joint strike site.

    ¡¸WTF?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En¡­!¡¹- Fran

    Despite their distance, Mare and Fran were almost blown away by the st. They used multiple wind walls in session to avoid being hit by the ensuing shockwaves and debris.

    Where the Evil Stone had been there was arge crater. The joint strike caused a crater more than twice asrge as when I used Kanna Kamui alone.

    ¡¸What a tremendous explosion¡­¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Such power even I was scared.¡¹- Fran

    Fran and Mare stepped closer to the edge of the crater.

    ¡¸Got it?¡¹-Fran

    ¡¸It¡¯s not here?¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºI can¡¯t feel it either.¡»- Me

    It appeared that our attack had seeded and it was fortunate indeed that we had managed to kill the Evil Stone before it rampaged out of control.

    ¡¸What was that magic¡­ I¡¯ve still got goose bumps.¡¹-Fran

    ¡¸It was probably from the Evil Stone Spear itself¡¹- Me

    ¡¸Evil Stone Spear¡­ Is it a item rted to an Evil God?¡¹- Mare

    While Fran and Mare were talking, something suddenly came to mind.

    ¡ºDuhan¡¯s sword also was called an Evil Stone Sword¡­¡»- Me

    ¡¸Dangerous!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Help Kuina now!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Well, indeed. Although I don¡¯t think Kuina will lose, it¡¯s better to get rid of Duhan as soon as possible.¡¹- Mare

    Kuina and Duhan were still fighting. It seemed, for now at least, that Duhan¡¯s Evil Stone Sword had not mutated¡­ Either way, it was better to intervene early to aid Kuina.

    ¡ºWill you be ok? We have to make sure we deal with that broadsword.¡»- Me

    ¡¸En!¡¹- Fran

 Chapter 315 - Kuina and Dullahan

    <h4>Chapter 315 - Kuina and Duhan</h4>

    Fran and I appraise Duhan as we rush towards Kuina, who is currently engaging her in fighting against Duhan. Duhan¡¯s weapon is indeed the Evil Stone Sword but his race is that of Ghost, unlike Valkyrie who was Evil God in name and race.

    ording to what Valkyrie said, it seems as long as one holds Evil Stone, it will devour their soul. Isn¡¯t it like a state of berserk? Well, not just the Evil Stone but, most times, Evil God-rted anything can make the wielder go berserk. So if that¡¯s the case then we have to approach the Evil Stone Sword with caution.

    But now, Duhan doesn¡¯t appear to have gone berserk at all. He¡¯s been fighting Kuina inplete silence, most likely due to the fact he is a Ghost now but¡­ is he really going berserk?

    No, something¡¯s wrong. Duhan is a Ghost so perhaps the Evil Stone can¡¯t absorb his soul, after all, Ghosts are soulless creatures.

    If I recall back in the floating ind dungeon, the necromancer Jean talked about Ghosts. During that time, I knew little about soul-rted things then.

    Anything rted to the soul is ssified within the realm of God, and tends to be impossible for humans to manipte them. If a creature dies, its soul is recalled by divine will. Inyman¡¯s terms, it ascends to heaven.

    At first nce, the Ghost Magic seems to manipte the soul, however, it is not. The thing, that is manipted by either the intense resentment rose from the remnants of magic or the magic stone controlled by the remnant spirit of the dead magic beast, is nothing more than a corpse, therefore, the Duhan we are facing now should be soulless too. As for why the magic stone can manipte the corpse, I think it must have something to do with the soul-like stuff created by the necromancer.

    For that reason, the soul that can be devoured by the Evil Stone never been there, so Duhan should not have gone berserk.

    ¡ºSo¡­ if Fran and Mare are cut by that sword, wouldn¡¯t that be disastrous?¡»- Me

    That kind of weapon was able to turn Valkyrie just by her holding it, if Fran or Mare is cut by it, its aura would flow into their body. If that happens, wouldn¡¯t it swallow their soul up?

    Even so, as long as the Evil stone¡¯s aura doesn¡¯t enter the body, the host¡¯s soul won¡¯t be dominated, right?

    No, perhaps I¡¯m too optimistic.

    (ShiShou¡­)

    ¡ºFran, did you notice something as well?¡» ¡ª Me

    Around Kuina, an evil aura is perceived. The appraisal about Kuina showed that she had been infected by the evil aura. And on her shoulder, the extremely small wound is beginning to stain ck.

    I tell Fran what I just discovered, and remind her to be careful.

    ¡ºFran don¡¯t let the Evil Stone Sword touch you, otherwise you might be eroded from within like Valkyrie!¡»

    (Understood!)

    I don¡¯t know whether Recovery Magic or Purification Magic can clear the evil aura. Fran lets Mare know what I passed onto her and reminds her to be careful, but as I was contemting whether to tell Mare about Kuina has been influenced by the evil aura¡­

    ¡¸What! Kuina has been¡­ by that sword? NuOo! I¡¯ming now, Kuina!¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡ºAh-, she¡¯s off.¡»- Me

    Well, can¡¯t be helped, we just have to help.

    ¡ºFran, as you saw, Mare¡¯s power is enormous. Let¡¯s leave the offense to her and in-turn we will provide support.¡»- Me

    Brilliant Lighting Rush will be needed for the final blow against Duhan¡¯s the Evil Stone so I want to avoid using it right off the bat.

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹- Fran

    Mare has already cut into the battle between Kuina and Duhan.

    [Kuina! I¡¯vee to help!] ¡ª Mare

    [My Lady, be wary of that sword, everytime it cut me, I could feel my body being affected by something.] ¡ª Kuina

    [I know, just act as support!] ¡ª Mare

    [Yes!] ¡ª Kuina

    Upon hearing Mare¡¯s words, Kuina steps back obediently. This is not just a master-servant rtionship between a princess and a guard, I can clearly feel Kuina¡¯s trust in Mare, She has no doubt as to Mare¡¯s ability to protect her.

    ¡¸It¡¯s a Ghost, it can¡¯t feel pain. Now, my illusions can¡¯t affect it. It¡¯s different than fighting a person.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Yeah, you are quite ipatible with Duhan.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t I say that from the start?¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Nevermind that, just give me some support!¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    Just as you would expect, their coordination is excellent. Mare releases her me, while Kuina moves to Duhans blindspots to attack. Mare¡¯s attack never get in the way of Kuina, and simrly, because of Kuina, Duhan¡¯s bnce is off, unable to attack Mare.

    ¡¸Dorya!¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸¡ª¡ª¡¹- Duhan

    Kuina sneaks behind Duhan who is too busy with Mare¡¯s me to notice her, then, unbelievably, she manages to grab and swing Duhan with just one hand, effortlessly.

    Duhan¡¯s body rises in the air shortly before crashing back down, and without missing a beat, Mare unleashes a me explosion, blowing him away again.

    Kuina skillfully evades being caught by the explosion and retreats out of its reach. What wless coordination.

    Duhan slowly rose, unable to determine whether he took damage. Even though he was much weaker than Valkyrie in terms of fighting, his durability was still formidable and he is wielding the Evil Stone Sword. It would be best to team up with Mare and it seems like she has the same idea, already she¡¯s begun to cover herself with the pale mes, all-the-while instructing Kuina and Fran.

    ¡¸We have to go all out again, can you handle it Fran?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Un!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Kuina, you block his shield!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    Everything ys out likest time, Mare uses Pale Inferno, Fran uses Kanna Kamui, and I use Broken Sky from the back. As I¡¯m thinking the tactics¡­

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En?¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Is it okay to let me destroy this guy? You killed Valkyriest time, didn¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    Come to think, Mare is also improving her EP to get stronger. Just like Manticore, Mare is more interested in EP than materials (refers to magic stone).

    ¡¸Will the one who strikes the final blow get EP?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know! But the winner will obviously get a lot of EP.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Then¡­ I¡¯ll give you the magic beasts and evil beings, can you leave this one to me?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸What? You such a greedy fellow! Fine, I¡¯ll give you, no point arguing over it.¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mention it, as the older one, I have to act the part.¡¹- Fran

    Seems like it¡¯s easy to pull her strings if you bring up acting like a senpai.

    While Fran and Mare were talking, Kuina was able to rid Duhan of his shield. She created an opening with illusion magic, grabbed the shield, and threw it far away,

    ¡¸That¡¯s it! Destroy the enemy! Pale Inferno!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹- Fran

    Following Mare¡¯s Pale Inferno was Fran¡¯s Kanna Kamui. Fran strained to release and as such was only about half as powerful as my Kanna Kamui.

    Still, since the Evil Stone we fought before required a lot to defeat, in fact, this kind of attack would be overkill for normal ordinary enemies. And even though we agreed to let Mare finish it off, I¡¯m still hoping the magic stone isn¡¯t evaporated.

    Going all out was the right choice. The Evil Stone Sword, persistent to the end, unleashed a barrier to protect the shieldless Duhan, but even then, thebination of Kanna Kamui and Pale Inferno crushed the barrier and struck Duhan directly, resulting in an explosion.

    Before the explosion and mes could settle, Fran rushed straight towards Duhan, raising me above her shoulders.

    ¡ºSword Lord Techniques?Broken Sky¡»

    ¡¸¡ª¡ª¡¹- Duhan

    Mare¡¯s mes engulf my body as I cut through Duhans armor. I slice through the thick armor easily, as easy as cutting tofu, ripping Duhan apart. Is this the power of the Sword Lord Techniques?

    However, after killing Duhan, spider web like cracks began to appear on my de. Sword Lord Techniques seem to cause a tremendous load on it. But I could heal instantly even while I was melted by Mare¡¯s mes, so this damage is just a piece of cake. If I was a normal sword, however, I would¡¯ve turned to a fine powder before even hitting the rival with that technique.

    The impact of this time totally can¡¯t bepared to the time when Fran used Broken Sky on Valkyrie. The previous attack is at best half as durable as it¡¯s now, but this time¡¯s attacking power almost gets me into a devastating crisis, Maybe it¡¯s due to the fact that I¡¯m not very proficient in the Sword Lord Techniques. Still, it¡¯s strange that only Fran can exert my actual strength.

    The terrible splitting and cracking sounded, and the fissures on my de expanded. Even so, I did feel the feeling of shattering Duhan¡¯s magic stone. The magic power was flowing.

    The terrible sound of metal splitting and cracking resounded, and the cracks on my de expanded into fissures, but even still, I felt the shattering of Duhan¡¯s magic stone while the magic power was flowing into me.

    ¡ºGotcha! Magic Stone!¡»- Me

    Notes:

    Ghost: The Japanese word is ¡®ËÀë‘¡¯ - Shiryo, which means the soul of the dead.

    go berserk: In Japanese, it is ¡®±©×ß¡¯ - ¤Ü¤¦¤½¤¦, go ballistic or out of control.

 Chapter 316 - Side Kuina

    <h4>Chapter 316 - Side Kuina</h4>

    My name is Kuina, I serve the Beastkin¡¯s Country as a pce maid.

    When I was two, I was brought to the nursery for maids within the pce but I can¡¯t remember anything before then. The nursery gathered orphans for education, those qualified would be chosen as maids while those who could not meet qualification by a certain age would be assigned to other departments.

    The training was so harsh that it was not umon to die, but even with poor performance, as long as you stayed alive, you wouldn¡¯t be abandoned. If it was an orphan shelter, it would be considered kind.

    The qualifier to be a maid isbat power, and thanks to my talent in fighting, I was chosen to be one. I trained with my predecessors until the age of 14, whereafter I was introduced to mydy. I will always remember the first time I was introduced to the newly borndy.

    The feeling I felt was indescribable. It wasn¡¯t just her loveliness nor the feeling of nervousness that I felt, although those were present.

    It is well known that the children of the Red Cat Tribe have gold or red hair and yellow-tinted skin, and their eyes are mostly gold, silver, cyan, and brown, this includes members of the Royal Family.

    However, mydy¡¯s hair and skin are snow-white and her eyes red. When we first met, I couldn¡¯t tell her race for a moment. It was surreal.

    I didn¡¯t know at the time, but my Lady was a rare variant called White Shrine Maiden .

    Everyone present was happy while gazing at the newly born girl. Those born White Shrine Maiden gain special skills or abilities at birth, and the white me held by mydy is a strong unique skill bestowed by the gods. ording to schrs who came to study the skill, it surpasses the golden me in power.

    With such power came high expectations and annoying people. There were those who wanted her to use that power to destroy the Kingdom of Bashar and others who want mydy to use the power to help themselves.

    Those with malicious intentions began to spread bad rumors about the Kingdom of Bashar in hopes to infect mydy, but the Beast Lord, despite being a muscle head, thought of mydy¡¯s happiness and came up with a n so as not to crush mydy with expectations.

    In response, my Lord arranged Bodyguards for mydy and also granted her freedom outside the pce. I was the only one entrusted to apany her outside and despite the dangers, mydy gained freedom, and a life better than being stuck inside the pce.

    Here, she grew up healthy and mydy who had been spoiled when she was born, turned out to be an exceptional fighter. By the time she turned 13, she had be strong enough to crush a dungeon.

    When it happened, I was amazed. Mydy was still not proficient in controlling her skill and identally made the skill go berserk. That E-rank dungeon, in just a short time, was annihted.

    This all happened in a dungeon near a small town. The local adventurers guild discovered Magical Beasts preparing to stampede, and mydy, who had been taught it was the nobles duty to protect her country, rushed to their aide.

    Upon entering the dungeon, we encountered a stream of magic beasts rushing to exit, here mydy unleashed her skill. I told her she could withdraw and leave it to the adventurers, they could have handled it, but she was still in a rebellious phase at the time.

    Just a bravado, mydy unleashed her skill, which spread and swallowed the entire dungeon. From the entrance, all the mid-level magic beasts inside where engulfed by the white me, and the size of the dungeon worked to medy¡¯s advantage as the corridors were tight. In the face of the White me, even beast ranked E and D could do nothing to stop her.

    Although all adventurers survived in the end, the dungeon core was ruined,pletely dead, so it was all in vain.

    Through this event, mydy earned a lot of experience and gained her evolution, and with it a new title; Not Dungeon Traveler, but Dungeon Tyrant. You could feel the gods influence in that.

    Mydy¡¯s eagerness to help would sometimes cause trouble for people, but at the end of the day, things turned out ok.

    The only problem I could see was that she didn¡¯t have friends her age. Well, to begin with, she¡¯s too powerful whenpared to those her age and her royal status would make those around her treat her with a sense of dignity.

    Despite all that, mydy finally found someone who could be her friend.

    We came across the rumored ck Lightning Princess in our travels. Since hearing the rumor, I had been wondering if she would be mydy¡¯s friend. Ah but to suddenly start fighting¡­ my illusion of mydy with a friend began to crumble and it was a little hard to take in.

    Fran was as fond of fighting as Mydy and they got along well, but when I brought up that they were friends, they got angry and called themselves rivals instead. Honestly, it¡¯s hard to know what goes on inside the brain of a meathead.

    After parting ways from Fran, we headed south to join the war against the Kingdom of Bashar but were rejected. Well, that was to be expected, with the Beast Lords absence, they could not afford to send someone from the royal family to the front lines, lest they were prepared to bear full responsibility.

    Since we couldn¡¯t join the front lines, we ended up helping around at a supply base near the back.

    My Lady¡¯s mood gradually deteriorated and I did my best to appease her, but the moment I brought up following Fran, she instantly lit up. What a simple girl, perhaps I can use this in the future?

    Although we immediately headed north, there were no signs of catching up to Fran. It was during our journey we found out she had been involved in a riot for unknown reasons but when we arrived, we only heard that she had already left.

    Finally, once we had a clear idea of where they would be next, we sped up, and even triggered Awakening, however, Fran¡¯s Demonic Wolf¡¯s speed surpasses what we expected, and just as we were catching up¡­

    We found something terrible at the location.

    The ce, Greengoat, was in a major panic with its people rushing to leave. ording to the lord, arge number of Magic Beasts were approaching from the north.

    Could it be a riot? If so, perhaps the Kingdom of Bashar is involved, it seems like Fran and other adventurers had been attacked by assassins so perhaps the two are linked. I wouldn¡¯t put it past them to send out assassins but if that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t the adventurers be heading south not north?

    Most of the adventurers in this country are battle-hungry and would take the double payback to the enemy. As a result, most of them were heading for the Kingdom of Bashar, leaving the rear undermanned.

    Well, no matter, My Lady was in high spirits and after we learned that the remaining adventurers headed north, we set out immediately as well.

    Along the way, we discovered two more groups apart from the one we were aware of.

    One of the groups had already been intercepted, it seems there were some powerful foes, but the adventurers were good as well. We could join but would that be overkill? Instead, My Lady and I headed towards thest group that was a bit smaller.

    The most shocking thing we encountered was therge number of magic beasts and evil beings riding them all wore simr equipment and were led by theirmander, Duhan. They were even able to properly follow orders and form battle tactics, however, even with all that they were no match for us. After we took out their Duhan, the rest of the forces were easily dealt with.

    After we finished wiping the remaining magic beasts, we continued north, trying to investigate the source, and as we proceeded, My Lady grew along with Llinde, and things became easier.

    However, what was supposed to be a simple investigation turned out to be something more urgent. What we found was Fran surrounded by arge number of Evil Beings, holding them back on her own.

    Of course, My Lady wouldn¡¯t be content with just investigating, and she would not let Fran fight alone so we joined the battle.

    But, why did my opponent have to be the heavily armored Duhan? To be honest, the kind of enemy is hard to beat with my skills. The main problem is that I don¡¯t have a way to end the fight. My fighting style revolves around assassination and pinpointing the enemies weakness, but that doesn¡¯t due to well against tanky ghosts.

    However, since My Lady told me to do it, there is no reason to refuse.

    ¡¸Mydy has requested me to stop you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡ª¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Ok, fine. This silent ghost is so boring.¡¹

    ¡¸¡ª¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Whatever, guess it can¡¯t be helped, maybe I¡¯ll take this chance to learn to fight quietly.¡¹

    My life¡¯s motto is cut corners whenever possible but, in order to live up to mydy¡¯s expectations, I will go all out.

    Notes:

    White Shrine Maiden - original text is ¡®°×Éñ×Ó¡¯(Shiro Kami Ko).

    Shiro - °×, means white, here it refers to the skin and hair color of Mare is white.

    Kami Ko - Éñ×Ó (¤Õ¤¸¤ç), are women who mainly serve the gods of Yamato (Japan).

    Bodyguards - original text is ¡®Ó°ÎäÕß¡¯ (¡®Kagemusha¡¯), means shadowy bodyguards.

    Demonic Wolf - Fran¡¯s demonic attendant, Urushi, ording to Ch. 51, Urushi is ¡®A Highbreed Wolf Demonic Beast capable of manipting the Darkness attribute. Its Status is lowpared to other Demonic Beasts of the same rank, but its Skill and Magic diversity is top-ss. With many Skills rted to stealth, especially the ability to hide and move within shadows, these Demonic Beasts are very difficult to find. Their existence has been confirmed, but there have been very few discoveries. Threat Level C.¡¯

 Chapter 317 - Mareâ€™s Flame

    <h4>Chapter 317 - Mare¡¯s me</h4>

    After devouring Duhan¡¯s magic stone, I receive a huge number of points. I think this confirms that the reason Valkyrie didn¡¯t have a lot of points was that her soul had been consumed and the result weakened her Magic Stone.

    I was able to get enough points, enough so that I was almost at another evolution, and I also got a lot of skills. Most of the skills came from the evil beings and I was able to get Mental Abnormalities resistances.

    ¡¸Well then, let¡¯s take care of the remaining enemies, Fran, this time let me provide support.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Copy that!¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡¸Alright, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸En!¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡¸I can¡¯t awaken anymore, but these kinds of small fries will still be a piece of cake.¡¹ ¡ª Mare¡¸1¡¹

    ¡¸Mydy, use this.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸An Awakening Potion?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Yes, I Figured something like this might happen so I came prepared¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    Kuina hands Mare what seems to be a magic potion, just where did she pull that out from?

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, she took it from under her skirt, that thing is so mysterious.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸An Awakening potion.¡¹

    Looks to be a potion that allows one to us Awakening again. Normally, Awakening in exchange for power forces a heavy strain on the body, using it multiple times is tough, and it¡¯s even tougher if one is already physically tired, but that potion removes the strain caused by Awakening allowing one to use it again.

    However, sounds fishy to force Awakening, I wonder what other side effects there might be.

    ¡¸Does it has any side effects?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s ok to drink it once. The only thing that happens is your sense of smell deteriorates for a few days.¡¹

    I guess if you were a Magic Beast that would be kinda bad, but then again, the upside is being able to Awaken again, so I guess it¡¯s actually a good trade.

    ¡¸The Magic Beasts are scattering.¡¹

    Just as she said, the Magic Beast have begun to flee, despite that, the remaining Evil Beings are still willing to fight. If possible, we should wipe them out here before they can escape.

    Even if a security force has been sent to protect the refugees, their power is still not enough to take care of that many Magic Beasts. ¡¸2¡¹

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t let them get away.¡»

    The Ramparts we built with Great Wall are still rtively intact, there are a few holes that were made by Valkyrie but those can be repaired, and once that¡¯s done, we can use the wall to destroy the Magic Beast.

    Using magic, we drive the Magic Beasts and Evil beings into the walls we build to restrict their movement. They rush towards the bottleneck, trying to break through, but of course, that¡¯s blocked.

    Magic beings get pushed to the wall and arge number of them fall within a ditch. Before they can climb out, we bury them inside with earth magic. So far, things are going as nned.

    In the first ce, the Magic Beast has fallen into utter chaos. They have been attacked by Fran and me, pressed by Llinde, and saw theirmanders in.

    And now, driven by Mare and Frans magic, the Evil Beings also fall into chaos and join the Magic Beast in ramming the wall.

    ¡¸Good job Fran! This way it¡¯s easier to deal with all of them!¡¹

    Thus, Mare begins her ughter.

    Those within her reach she shes with her sword, and for everyone else, she uses Fire Magic. Llinde also provides support from the air, simr to how Fran and I coordinate.

    ¡¸KuOoooo!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat shall we do¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Just be Mare¡¯s support£©

    ¡ºOf course but can¡¯t we kill a few?¡»

    Mare would probably get angry if we go too far, but the Magic beast¡¯s stone is so tempting. Ok, destroying all the Magic beasts is a top priority, for now, besides, we can¡¯t be sure of victory yet, there¡¯s still that Murellia whomanded Valkyrie, so best save our strength.

    We erect another Great wall, further pinning and surrounding the Magic beast who are trying to escape. I¡¯m a little reluctant to use magic, but it¡¯s more important to destroy the current Magic Beasts.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    ¡ºTransformation!¡»

    Fran and I kill those Magic Beasts near us and use Mana and Life Thief Skills to recover, then we continue caging the remaining Magic Beasts.

    ¡ºOkay, that¡¯s it!¡»

    ¡¸En!¡¹

    It took some time, but we manage to eclose the Evil Beings and Magic Beasts with Great Wall, now alls that¡¯s left is to help Mare finish them off.

    However, that may not be necessary as I can sense arge source of magic gathering inside the Great Wall.

    Mare seems to be using the Golden me of Extinction, but there are also traces of white and gold enveloping her body so she¡¯s probably also using pale fire.

    ¡ºLooks dangerous¡­¡»

    ¡¸Think it will hit us?¡¹

    Fran and I stand above on the Great wall looking down on the Magic Beasts when Kuina rushes past us and warns us to run away.

    ¡¸It¡¯s going to hit everyone! We have to get away!¡¹

    It seems even Kuina, who has been fighting alongside Mare, is wary of the powerful technique. Above, I also notice Llinde retreating high in the air.

    ¡ºFran, we have to run away now!¡»

    ¡¸En!¡¹

    We follow Kuina in a hurry, then¡­

    From the other side of the Great Wall, a huge pir of fire rises, from far away, it resembles a volcanic eruption.

    The wall itself can¡¯t sustain the level of power and heat from Mare¡¯s attack and with a ¡®Buku Buku¡¯ sound, it begins to crumble and melt.

    ¡ºWaa¡­¡­¡»

    If we hadn¡¯t moved, either the explosion would engulf us or we would be swallowed up by the Magma from the wall melting.

    ¡¸Mare is really energetic today. Such an attack is beyond imagination.¡¹

    ¡¸She went too far.¡¹

    Fran Kuina and I managed to get away and are now watching the gold-white pir of fire continue to rise. A Maelstrom of heat ravages the wall, and neither Magic Beast nor Evil Beings are likely to survive. Truly there is no better word than ¡®Annihtion¡¯. What should have still been over 1000 Magic Beasts have been wiped with one blow.

    ¡¸Will mare be ok?¡¹

    She¡¯ll be fine but may be a bit tired. Her mes cannot harm her but that¡¯s what led her to be a bit careless. Since she can¡¯t hurt herself, she has little disregard to her vicinity and has caused problems, perhaps I should properly ¡°educate¡± herter.

    That¡¯s seriously scary, I sure hope Kuina¡¯s ¡°Education¡± gets through to Mare, but for now, the battle ends atst and finally, we can take a moment to rx.

    Notes:

    ¡¸1¡¹ In Ch.314 - Evil Stone, Mare had exhausted her Awakening status through her use of the Golden Interception me and so wasn¡¯t able to reuse it again.

    ¡¸2¡¹ In Ch. 310 - Mare and Kuina Join the Battle, Mare has sent a message to the Lord of Greengoat, asking him to dispatch security force to protect the refugees.

 Chapter 318 - Maidâ€™s Prudence

    <h4>Chapter 318 - Maid¡¯s Prudence</h4>

    ¡¸My Lady, do you have any excuses for getting us involved?¡¹

    Kuinained quietly to Mare, who rushed to Fran triumphantly after wiping out magic beasts and evil beings with her overpowered me attack. Well, preaching is also fine.

    ¡¸Well, that¡­ I knew you would make it out. You aren¡¯t hurt anywhere right?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸We almost got swallowed by the wave ofva.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Er, that¡­¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸To begin with, was it necessary tounch such a powerful attack? Ms. Fran took the trouble of trapping them, wasn¡¯t there a more efficient way to annihte them?¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸About that¡­¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Besides, please look here¡¹- Kuina

    Kuina pointed gently to her cheek.

    What! It still the same as usual. Mare also had no idea what Kuina was talking about, tilting her head.

    ¡¸Hmmm?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Please, take a closer look.¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯m looking¡­¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸There¡¯s some dirt!¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Who cares! Isn¡¯t it natural to get dirty in battle?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸The fact that it was caused by an ally and not the enemy makes it worse don¡¯t you think?¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸Alright fine, what a sensitive person! Let¡¯s discuss how to move forward.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    Mare tries to change the topic, and Kuina, seeing Mare properly flustered, seems satisfied and goes along.

    ¡¸Well, tea first.¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸Hey! Ain¡¯t this a battlefield?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    So quick to adapt! Rather, why tea within this battlefield? That even took Mare by surprise, but Kuina still responds calmly.

    ¡¸I believe you should take a break whenever you can.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡­makes sense.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    She was convinced?! Kuina pulls a table from nowhere and lines up several teacups with grace. Then, she pours hot, ck tea from a teapot. Mare takes a seat and rxes on a chair that also appeared out of nowhere.

    ¡¸I expected something like this might happen, so I prepared Beast Flower Tea. Its magic effect will alleviate the burden of awakening.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Ahm that will help greatly. As expected.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Ms. Fran, won¡¯t you join us? We have scones.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸Sorry, I¡¯ve got to deal with the detached force.¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    Fran turned back after rejecting the offer, but after a few steps, her body began to shake, showing signs of copsing.

    ¡ºH-Hey! Fran, are you all right?¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸En.¡¹- Fran

    Although Fran nodded to affirm she was alright, she looked pale. The tension of the battle and her willingness to save her people caused her to forget fatigue, and her body is approaching its limits. I should have noticed.

    ¡¸If you fight like this, you won¡¯t be able to exert your power.¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸The tea is imbued with fatigue recovery effects, and it will also lessen the necessary time before you can awaken again, please give it a try.¡¹- Kuina

    ¡ºFran, take a break. Even if it¡¯s just 10 minutes, I myself feel a little tired as well, don¡¯t you?¡»- Teacher

    ¡¸¡­¡­En. Alright.¡¹- Fran

    Franplies with my proposal reluctantly, and Kuina brings out a chair for her. Once settle to take a break, the ck tea and snacks catch her attention. She sniffs the sweet scones with great interest.

    The scattered remains of charred magic beasts surround us, and the ground is still smoking from theva in this battlefield, yet here is a tea party. Am I the only one who finds this crazy? After all, Fran, Mare, and Kuina all hold their tea cups as if it¡¯s natural.

    Not only that, where did the tables, chairs, and ck teae from? I saw it with my own eyes they came from her skirt but¡­ that¡¯s not where the potion bin came from. There is no space to even put these.

    ¡¸Kuina, how did you get this?¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸It¡¯s a skill. An innate skill of talented maids,¡ºMaid¡¯s Prudence¡»¡¹- Kuina

    A skill simr to dimensional storage, however there are limits to what can be taken, those being only items that are indispensable in the line of work of a maid. Moreover, that has to be judged by the person themselves, but if one believes it is relevant to the work of being a maid, then it may be taken in. A good skill to have, but Dimensional storage makes it unnecessary.

    Despite the drawbacks, it also has its advantages, one being that its a system skill rather than a Space/Time Skill. This means one can use it even when Space/Time Magic is being blocked.

    ¡¸Among the royal maids, being able to store items is the first sign of mastery for a maid. Being prepared for all kinds of predicaments is what is the measure for a maid, and their reason to live.¡¹

    Their reason to live¡­ The dedication of a maid is clearly evident.

    ¡¸I almost forgot, I haven¡¯t formally introduced myself yet. My name¡¯s Nemea Narasimha, Princess to the country and an adventurer rank D. and the Golden me Lionkin.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En. I am Fran, from the ck Cat Tribe. Adventurer rank C, and the ck Heavenly Tigerkin¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸And this is my follower Kuina, and mypanion Llinde.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸KuOOO!¡¹- Llinde

    Llinde floats down, and looking closer, Llinde is really big. Even though his body is smaller than Urushi, his Wingspan makes himrger.

    For the Dragonde Linde to create such a huge dragon, it can¡¯t be a normal magic sword. It seems Mare had simr thoughts about me.

    ¡¸By the way, Fran.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En?¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸What kind of sword is that?¡¹- Mare

    Mare¡¯s bright eyes focused on me behind Fran.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not just a magic sword, is it? What¡¯s the name?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En¡­¡­¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Is it a divine sword?¡¹- Mare

    What should we do? We could make up a lie but, I would like to be honest with someone who might be Fran¡¯s friend. Fran hesitates to answer and Mare continues speaking.

    ¡¸Ah, hold on, It¡¯s not fair if only you tell me your secret, so I¡¯ll share mine as well. Then you can tell me yours, how about that?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Secret? About you being a princess?¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Not that, something more amazing.¡¹- Mare

    £¨ShiShou¡­¡­£©- Fran

    ¡ºEven if you ask me¡­¡­¡» ¡ª ShiShou

    Fran seems to want to tell Mare, but if Mare finds out, her being a member of the royal family might pass the information to the Beast Lord¡­

    £¨Shishou, can¡¯t I?£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Haa. It can¡¯t be helped.¡»

    £¨Thanks£©

    How could I say no if she pleads like that? Well, I was hiding my identity to protect Fran from being targeted by others but if she feels its better to tell her, then theres no reason for me to object.

    ¡¸Got it. Deal.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Oh! Thank you very much. Well, first of all, start with my secret!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Mydy, Is that really okay?¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸Of course, Fran is trustworthy!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Well mydy¡¯s intuition has always been spot on, so I have no objections.¡¹- Kuina

    Kuina let out a sigh as she finished speaking, and I can¡¯t help but feel a little sorry for her. The secret of Mare being a princess is not something one would just tell freely, so I doubt she doesn¡¯t mind.

    ¡¸As for the Dragonde Llinde¡­¡­¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En¡¹- Fran

    Mare¡¯s sword also holds a secret so I¡¯m also curious, she takes it from her back and ces it on the table.

    ¡¸The original name of the sword is Violent Dragonde?Llinde Wurm. It is one of the swords whose fame resounds throughout the world.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸!¡¹- Fran

    And just like that, Mare tells Fran her secret.

 Chapter 319 - Shishou and Mare

    <h4>Chapter 319 - Shishou and Mare</h4>

    ¡¸Violent Dragonde?Llinde Wurm is the sword¡¯s true name. Its fame as one of the Divine Swords is known throughout the world.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸!¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Ha ha. Surprised?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En!¡¹- Fran

    Fran nods enthusiastically, how could one not be surprised? Appraisal only shows Dragonde Llinde, however, that might be because it is such a high-rank item that Fran cant detect it. So, naturally, appraisal cant work on a divine sword and Mare is brimming with confidence.

    ¡¸It¡¯s true. However, due to ack of ability from the user, the true power of this divine sword can¡¯t be fully released.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    A divine sword is not something that can be wielded half-assed. That¡¯s probably why Mare can¡¯t fully exert Llinde Wurm¡¯s true power.

    But still, it¡¯s so unbelievable. I mean, that¡¯s a divine sword, a superweapon, a legendary sword that can destroy a whole country and now said the sword is in front of my eyes. It¡¯s still unbelievable.

    In the first ce, the ability isn¡¯t as shocking. Well,pared to a magic sword, it¡¯s on another realm, but not the same realm I imagine a divine sword. It just looks very adorable at the moment.

    ¡¸It¡¯s true. I¡¯ve had the Divine cksmith take a look at it.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    Kuina added. Her words remind me that this country has its Divine cksmith, so that means this sword is indeed a divine one.

    ¡ºReally? It¡¯s a divine sword?¡­¡­!¡»

    £¨Awesome!£©

    Truly this secret trumps Mare being a Princess. This information would affect the bnce of the military bnce of the world. It¡¯s surprising she would tell us so casually, guess that shows how much Mare trusts Fran.

    ¡ºIf that¡¯s the case, we have to be honest with you too.¡»

    ¡¸Hm? What¡¯s that? Whose voice was that just now?¡¹

    Both Mare and Kuina appeared shocked upon hearing my voice.

    ¡¸It was Shishou who spoke just now.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Shishou? Do you mean your Shishou? Where is your Shishou now?¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸Are they invisible? I can¡¯t feel his aura at all¡­ What an astonishing skill¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Shishou is here.¡¹- Fran

    Imitating Mare, Fran pulls me out and ces me on the table next to Llindee, then begins my introduction again.

    ¡¸This sword is Shishou.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸The sword your Shishou?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Shishou is an Intelligent Weapon. A super sword.¡¹- Fran

    ¡ºNice to meet you. As the introduction goes, my name is Shishou. Just think of me as a talking sword.¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸Ooooo! Is the sword in front of me really talking?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Amazing!¡¹- Kuina

    Mare stood up in excitement, while Kuina remained calm as usual but still showed interest.

    ¡ºWell, how¡¯s it going?¡» ¡ª Shishou

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be! Kuinia, it¡¯s amazing! Is it truly an intelligent weapon? Ha ha ha!¡¹ - Mare

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯m d you¡¯re amazed but aren¡¯t you too surprised for the holder of a divine sword?¡» ¡ª Shishou

    ¡¸What do you mean? An intelligent weapon is something straight from a fairy tale you know?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡ºYes, yes, but aren¡¯t divine swords the same? Besides, it¡¯s a mythical superweapon despite appearances.¡» ¡ª Shishou

    ¡¸It is true that divine swords are very powerful. However, while we don¡¯t know the exact amount, there are 26 confirmed in the whole world, meanwhile, an intelligent weapon is something that hasn¡¯t even been confirmed yet!

    Even if you say that it¡¯s hard to say I¡¯m ¡°Rarer¡± since divine swords surpass me in performance.

    ¡¸En. Shishou is amazing.¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡¸Yes. Even Kuina was shocked.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Yes. To be honest, I am more surprised than when I first met Miss Fran.¡¹- Kuina

    Her face remains expressionless, but Kuina¡¯s cheeks are a bit red and she seems excited.

    ¡¸So what¡¯s the story behind your encounter with each other?¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    ¡¸It was when I was a ve¡ª¡ª¡¹- Fran

    Fran begins recounting how we first met, and Mare seems touched. She uses a handkerchief Kuina hands her to wipe the tears and snot on her face.

    ¡¸I see, I see! Fate brought you together. *Zubi*!¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    Note: Zubi - original text is ¡®¥º¥Ó©`¡¯, the sound of nose blowing.

    Since the cats out of the bag, I also tell Mare about how I grow stronger by absorbing magic stones, how I don¡¯t know my origins, and that perhaps that Divine cksmith might know more about me.

    ¡¸Know it all makes sense! I was wondering why Manticore¡¯s magic stone disappearedpletely.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Shishou absorbed it.¡¹ ¡ª Fran

    ¡ºExactly!¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸But it¡¯s a really intelligent weapon. You even can grow.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Llinde grew, too.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Llinde was able to ess more of its power as I got stronger. Technically, I¡¯m the one who grew, but Shishou is truly getting stronger. You¡¯re so powerful now, bing a Divine Sword is just around the corner.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    The divine sword is the goal, isn¡¯t still too early? For that, we would need to annihte the magic beast several times stronger than today¡¯s foes. Fran answers back confidently to Mare, however.

    ¡¸Of course. Shishou is the best sword. And one day it will be the strongest.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Ha ha ha! Let¡¯s see whoes first then. Me fully exerting Linde¡¯s power or Shishou growing to a sword that surpasses a divine sword.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸Huh! Of course, I will be the winner.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Don¡¯t count me out yet! One day, as the legend tells, Llinde will grow to the form of a giant dragon capable of smashing a whole castle.¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    A whole castle? Its gotta be a dragon hundred of meters long. A water dragon just bigger than a ship is already threat level B, I would imagine a dragon hundreds of meters long must be above A. The amount of power required to summon such dragon must be amazing, truly deserving of its status as a divine sword.

    But Fran believes I can surpass said sword. If that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t give up before it starts. I will meet her expectations, this will be my new goal!

    ¡¸Where did Mare obtain Llinde?¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸I¡¯m not like you. Our encounter wasn¡¯t very dramatic.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Simply in testing my own power and exploring an excavated remains, I happened to find a hidden room that had not yet been discovered, where Llinde was.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸After that, because I thought it was a special sword, I asked the Divine cksmith to appraise it and found out that it was a divine sword.¡¹- Mare

    Surely Mare was called out by the sword. She may think it was luck but maybe she was chosen? Kuina seems to agree, meanwhile Mare proudly recounts her story to Fran about how she got the divine sword.

 Chapter 320 - The Realm of God

    <h4>Chapter 320 - The Realm of God</h4>

    Kuina faces Fran while Mare is recounting the time she met the divine sword. Kuina who was recently under the Evil specter¡¯s influence now appears energetic.

    ¡ºHmm? Oh, wait a minute. Is Kuina okay?¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºJust now, shouldn¡¯t Kuina still be in the evil specter¡¯s drunkenness?¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸Oo! That¡¯s right, I almost forgot about that! Are you okay?¡¹ ¡ª Mare

    ¡¸I¡¯m all right, no problems. This evil specters drunkenness, I¡¯ve heard of it before, but it¡¯s my first time experiencing it.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina

    Kuina seems to know the evil specter¡¯s drunkenness.

    ¡¸The evil specters drunkenness is an abnormal status that urs when one engages in a long battle with a powerful evil specter opponent, like those who are Kin to the Evil God. It¡¯s like having a hangover, but I¡¯m not a heavy drinker so is this what a hangover feels like? Why people would bear onto themselves this state of pain is beyond me, drinkers are indeed fools.¡¹ ¡ª Kuina.

    It¡¯s not that everyone who drinks gets hangovers! Alcohol is just so delicious that some people drink a tad bit too much.

    ¡¸Although its bad if left alone, now the source has been cut down, it will leave on its own. In fact, after mydy and Miss Fran took down Duhan, its effects disappeared.¡¹- Kuina

    As a matter of fact, when we used Mare¡¯s white me and Frans Kanna Kamui to wipe out the evil stone sword I felt something. However,pared to the evil stone spear, the evil stone sword seemed much weaker in its effect, perhaps it was because it didn¡¯t absorb the soul of its host?

    Just as I was thinking about the mystery of evil stone, Mare suddenly said.

    ¡¸Speaking of which, why was Shishou left in that ce, seemingly in the middle of a forest right? Did the cksmith who created you ce you there?¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s not.¡»- Shishou

    I made sure to tell Mare and Kuina about my time being immovable and waking up within a pedestal inside the forest of exhaustion. I also told them how I used telekinesis to overthrow magic beasts until I fell back into the forest of exhaustion after tiring, but it¡¯s hard to exin being a reincarnator, besides its no more strange that what I am now, and I doubt its believable.

    ¡¸As for the pedestal on Maookami ins¡­¡¹- Kuina

    ¡ºDo you know anything?¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸Dunno!¡¹- Kuina

    So sad. Although Kuina has heard a little, she still doesn¡¯t know much about that. She had never even been to the Kuranzeru Kingdom, so it was reasonable for her not to know that ce.

    ¡¸By the way, Mr. Shishou is still very human as you even put yourself in a vegetative state due to yourcency.¡¹- Kuina

    Ooops, Kuina is really sharp. Well, if one thinks about it more, they woulde to that conclusion no? While I am inorganic as an intelligent weapon, I am able to think andmunicate. And while I am not exactly the same as a human being there are simrities.

    And if I evaluate myself objectively, I think I am very simr to human beings. Then, I can¡¯t help but wonder, was it really necessary to be forged like this?

    ¡¸Shishou was a former human, so of course, he would think like one.¡¹- Fran

    Fran, excuse me? Telling them even that? However, the thing about being a reincarnation would be too difficult to exin so let¡¯s leave it as the soul of a human sealed in a sword.

    Nheless, the truth still surprised Mare and Kuina. Mare was struck dumb with astonishment and even jumped out of her chair in surprise.

    ¡¸Is that true?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸The soul belongs to God¡¯s jurisdiction. That is to say, it is impossible to seal human souls in swords unless it is the god or the existence of god¡¯s level.¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸Hmm! It seems Shishou is more than just a magic sword!¡¹- Mare

    Really!? Well, we can¡¯t count that out. After all, I was reincarnated from another world, but could it really be the will of God? Well, if it isn¡¯t, it would be disgraceful to say it happened by ident. And if it is the case I would feel self-conscious.

    ¡¸Well, Shishou can bestow skill onto Fran, and still use them, right?¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºWhy do you think so?¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard before about the so-called skill was just the power of the soul. So since Shishou possesses the soul of a human being, you should also be able to use your human-soul skills besides the Telepathic Communication and Telekinesis attached to the sword.¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºMa, I can use them indeed.¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸As expected! I can sense that the time gap of Fran¡¯s magic and skill use is unusual. I¡¯ve been wondering if there¡¯s any secret in it.¡¹- Mare

    Actually, the fact is that during the interval between Fran¡¯sunch of Sword Techniques, I kept releasing magic without a chant.

    Without elerated Thought and Parallel Processing ¡ª No, even if one sued that, it would be impossible for a human to do it. Mare took note of that during the battle and assumed it was a special skill.

    ¡¸So the flurry of blows was a result of multiple magic techniques right? Were those your skills Shishou?¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºAh ah.¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸That¡¯s so amazing! At first nce, it appears that only Fran is moving, but in fact, its both Shishou and Fran using Supreme Magic together. To be honest, even now you could be considered a quasi-divine sword¡­¡¹- Mare

    ¡ºAh, but I didn¡¯t do it in the mock battle with Mare. She just borrowed my skills.¡»- Shishou

    ¡¸I knew that. We (Fran and Mare) are two of a kind! Even if Shishou offered to help, Fran would not agree.¡¹- Mare

    Mare knows! Is that so-calledmon sense between two battle junkies?

    ¡¸After all. We are very simr. Our age is close, we are Lion and Tiger, and we both hold powerful swords and crave for battle, don¡¯t you agree Fran?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En. Yes.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Well, there you have it, it is that!¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En?¡¹- Fran

    Mare was a little confused and began to talk about something inexplicable. And she suddenly began to be flushed. Faced with Mare now, Fran turned her head askew, at a loss.

    ¡¸You know, that!¡¹- Mare

    Fran is confused. What on earth did Mare want to say?

    ¡¸Mydy, I know you¡¯re embarrassed. But Ms. Fran won¡¯t understand you if you don¡¯t make it clear. Since you are very close to each other, it would be better yo juste out and say your friends.¡¹- Kuina

    ¡¸What! What are you talking about!?¡¹- Mare

    Aha, Fran and I get why Mare was getting bashful. Despite our short time together, we knew that Mare¡¯s tsundere would get in the way of saying such things. So, Kuina definitely said that on purpose.

    So Kuina was just teasing MAre to help her expose her intention. The ratio is 6:4 with Kuina mostly teasing.

    But before Mare opens her mouth again, Fran spoke first.

    ¡¸We fought together so that makes us friends.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸F, Fran¡­!¡¹- Mare

    Friend orrades? Well,rades-in-arms are also kind of friends.

    ¡¸So that¡¯s it? We are friends?¡¹- Mare

    ¡¸En.¡¹- Fran

    ¡¸Ah ah, mydy finally graduates from being a loner.¡¹- Kuina

    Mare and Kuina appear touched, well, it¡¯s our pleasure as well, its good for Fran to have one more friend.

 Chapter 321: The New Evil

    <h4>Chapter 321: The New Evil</h4>

    ¡°Now then, our strength should be about recovered. Shall we get moving?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Will go to the detachment force.¡±

    ¡°I agree that they shouldn¡¯t be left alone, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to check out where the monsters appeared to the north?¡±

    But Fran shook her head.

    ¡°Will doter. Everyone¡¯s safety is first.¡±

    ¡°Fumu. Then we¡¯ll deal with the detachment first.¡±

    ¡°Then, please wait a moment.¡±

    Kuina stores the table in her skirt like some sort of magic trick. If the skill is simr to Dimensional Storage, shouldn¡¯t she be able to store it on the spot?

    ¡°Why do you go through the trouble of putting it up your skirt?¡±

    ¡°As a maid, it¡¯s a matter of taste.¡±

    I don¡¯t get it. But I do know there¡¯s something weird about that.

    ¡°Shall we get going? Come, Linde!¡±

    ¡°KUOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s at your current strength, you should be able to carry 3 people!¡±

    ¡°KUO!¡±

    If we ride on Linde¡¯s back, who is capable of moving at high speeds, we should be able to cover a lot of ground quickly.

    ¡°The battle is over, isn¡¯t he acting kind of weir- !?!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Immediately after being summoned by Mare, Linde cried out in rm. We all simultaneously turned our gaze to the northern sky. A huge magical presence. A magic signal so strong we understood exactly how ridiculous it was even from this distance was heading straight towards us. It¡¯s moving at least as fast as Linde.

    ¡°Somethingsing!¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    This ridiculous presence is going to reach us in no time. This aggressive and intimidating magic power was strong enough to prick our skin.

    ¡°Hey, hey¡­ seriously?! This presence makes the Valkyrie seem adorable¡­¡±

    Fran and Mare are practically breathing in magical energy at this point. But in that moment, the magical presence instantly changed. The magic that was so strong it scared us sh*tless was suppressed to a bearable level.

    It¡¯s as if the gods of evil themselves had appeared, such a deeply frightening evil. The Evil Lord was there, standing in the sky. To its left and right were multiple shadows, which seemed to be followers.

    Though, the most surprising thing wasn¡¯t the overwhelming evil presence. This angry Evil Lord was a pretty girl. And besides that, don¡¯t they look kinda familiar?

    ¡°¡­ A ck catkin.¡±

    Yep, just like Fran, the mysterious girl that was bleeding evil had the distinct characteristics of a ck catkin.

    ¡°If you are so weak as to be defeated by a mere 3 people you are useless to me. No matter. At least serve as my sustenance.¡±

    As the girl dered such with a strange sounding voice, the corpses of the monsters around began to shine. Strangely enough, the light given off by the corpses didn¡¯t cast a single shadow.

    As it turns out, a huge amount of magic began flowing into the girl. Apparently, she was using some sort of method to absorb the magical power from the monsters and Evil Beings. I could feel that her magical power had increased slightly.

    It¡¯s important to note, I say ¡°slightly¡± because she had an immense amount of magic power to begin with, but to us it was a huge amount of magic power. If you have 10 billion yen, you might not think much of getting another million, but for most people it¡¯s a ton of money. Such is theparison.

    It seems the magic stones I absorbed and the materials we put in Dimensional Storage weren¡¯t absorbed. That was the only good news.

    The girl began to descend from the air as if she was on an invisible elevator. On both sides of her, two women beautiful women of an unknown age materialized, and behind them are two huge knights wearing full armor. The girl¡¯s magic power was overwhelming so it was hard to notice, but her followers also had tremendous power. As I looked closer, I can see that the two women are Valkyries and the two knights are Duhans.

    I was struggling with the appraisal results. Because they were actually stronger than the Valkyrie we fought. The Duhan¡¯s ability is almost equal to it. Numerically speaking,pared to the army we just destroyed, they were far fewer. But in terms of power, the army couldn¡¯t evenpare.

    Fran typically never talks. Unless she is prompted to, she usually never even speaks a single word. But it can¡¯t be helped. The enemy is too strong.

    ¡° ¡­ Who?¡±

    Even if she isn¡¯t yelling, I¡¯m still on edge. It seems like the encounter with the Beast King gave her resistance to fearing the strong, the cat girl in front of us is on a whole different levelpared to him.

    ¡°Ohoho. My name is Murellia! You didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Nn, knew.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡±

    As Fran says so, Murellia smiles happily. Murellia was the name of the master named by Valkyrie! Is this her? I tried appraising her, but didn¡¯t receive a result.

    ¡°Ufufu. Isn¡¯t that a bit rude? Could you stop trying to Appraise me? It¡¯s no use~¡±

    Damn, she has Appraisal Detection and Appraisal Block at a level that invalidates my Eye of Empyrea? Really, who is this girl?

    ¡°I wonder where you heard my name from~?¡±

    ¡°Heard from Valkyrie.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ so that was it.¡±

    Apparently, Fran¡¯s answer wasn¡¯t the one she wanted. She was clearly disappointed. However, Mare seemed astonished and stared at Murelia.

    ¡°Murellia the ck catkin??¡±

    ¡°Oh? Has that youngdy over there heard of me?¡±

    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡±

    ¡°Well now, I suppose that depends on which Murellia you¡¯re talking about~¡±

    ¡° ¡­ the princess obsessed with the Evil God.¡±

    ¡° Bingo!¡±

    ¡°Mare, who?¡±

    There¡¯s no other asshole it could be. When I heard Mera¡¯s exnation, I knew beyond a doubt.

    ¡°She¡¯s the one that caused the ck catkin tribe to be punished by the gods 500 years ago.¡±

 Chapter 322: Murellia and the Royal Family

    <h4>Chapter 322: Murellia and the Royal Family</h4>

    ¡°She¡¯s the one that caused the ck catkin tribe to be punished by the gods 500 years ago.¡±

    Did she just say 500 years ago? In that case, this girl has been alive for all this time? Even if she¡¯s awakened, her lifespan shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near that long¡­

    ¡°Ah, if you know my story, please regale her with tales of my greatness!¡±

    Murellia sucked in her chin as she said so.

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure how much of it is legend and how much is truth.¡±

    Mare mutters, and tells Fran and I the story of Murellia. Apparently the story was passed down in the form of tradition, so she was unsure how much of it was urate.

    Even if she says that, almost every tradition and book rted to the ck Catkin Tribe were erased by the previous Beast King, so the credibility of anything remaining would be quite low.

    ¡°Do you know why the ck Catkin Tribe was punished by the gods?¡±

    ¡°Tried to use Evil God¡¯s power.¡±

    We haven¡¯t heard the whole story, but we at least know that the tribe tried to get the blessing of the Evil God.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. But, there¡¯s more to the story; It¡¯s said that the only reason the Beast King at the time drove the ck Catkin Tribe to do such a thing is because Murellia pushed him to do so.¡±

    500 years ago, when the Beast King that was ruling the ck Catkin Tribe at the time tried to harness the power of the Evil God, it seems that he wasn¡¯t actually trying to grant its power to the whole tribe in the beginning. At first, they only intended to harness its power solely for the royal family in order to further solidify their rule.

    During this period, it was Murellia that ignited the king¡¯s ambition. At the time, she was a B Rank Adventurer known as the Thunder Emperor who gained power that was in no way inferior to an A Rank as a result of gaining the blessing of the Evil God. Though, it was said that her abilities went far what ought to be capable of a mortal.

    The Beast King, who bore full witness to the fruits of Murellia¡¯s transformation, became obsessed with bestowing the same abilities to others in the ck Catkin Tribe. With the backing of the Beast King, Murrelia wielded her authority to force countless ck Catkin into epting the power of the Evil God. At the same time, she executed ck Catkins that spoke out against the royal family and began to actively suppress the other beast tribe races.

    ¡°As a result, the name of Murellia has been cursed and despised, and has been passed down through the royal family as a dangerous person for generations. That¡¯s all I can say for certain.¡±

    In other words, she¡¯s the one who pushed the royal family into invoking the wrath of the gods, and who left legends of various misdeeds and atrocities. Why the hell is such a person here in the first ce?

    Murellia listened attentively as Mare recounted her legend. Despite all the ndering and bad mouthing involved in it, she actually doesn¡¯t seem to care that much. However, partway through the story her expression dropped. Soon after Mare finished, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°My version of the story is a bit different, but no matter. Rather, are you a Red Lionkin tribal chief?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am.¡±

    Mera seemed to feel something in the tone Murellia used, and answered carefully. No, if you think about it, it¡¯s a given that Murellia doesn¡¯t have benevolent feelings towards Mare.

    After all, when the ck Catkin Tribe earned the wrath of the gods and were wiped from history it was the current royal family, the Red Lionkin Tribe, that erased their existence and took their throne.

    There isn¡¯t a reason in the world for the two of them to get along. Rather, if this goes on much longer they might go for each other¡¯s throats.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true¡­ Fufufufu.¡±

    ¡°Are you really the Thunder Emperor Murellia?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Indeed, I am the second princess of the Beast King, the Thunder Emperor Murellia.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wrong there. The time has long since passed when you were royalty.¡±

    ¡°Wrong. The Krishna family still retains its royal standing. Rather, it¡¯s you throne-snatching imposters that have overstayed your wee.¡±

    Well, I figured it¡¯d be like this. While Murellia and Mare enthusiastically exchange insults Fran asks Murellia a question.

    ¡°Why did you do this?¡±

    ¡°You, has anyone ever told you that you don¡¯t use enough words? Well, I know what you were trying to say. It goes without saying that my goal is to get rid of the usurpers, and restore the prestige of the ck Catkin Tribe! And to once again create a paradise for our kind!¡±

    I have to admit, I was a little thrown off when I heard her say that. Didn¡¯t the legends regarding her write her off as wicked and malicious? I could¡¯ve sworn she was an enemy of ours¡­

    Is she trying to save the persecuted members of the ck Catkin Tribes? Sure, she forced the residents of Schwarzkatze to evacuate, but we don¡¯t have any proof she was nning to attack it to begin with¡­

    It seems that Fran is thinking along the same lines, and asks Murellia more questions.

    ¡°You want to help ck Catkin? But, now Beast King and ck Catkin are allies.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    The answeres from Mare.

    ¡°The persecution of ck Catkin among the beastmen ising to an end. And, thanks to Fran, they now know the method to evolve.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Even as the two of them exin it, Murellia only tilts her head.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°You did this to save ck Catkin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I get it. You¡¯re wondering why I tried to attack the ck Catkin Vige.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Ufufufu. It goes without saying that the worms that have lost their pride and fell to living with the other tribes have no right to call themselves ck Catkin any longer.¡±

    ¡°Wh-¡±

    She said something like that. The onlyparison I can think of is going out of your way to exterminate pests that have already left your house, where¡¯s the logic in doing that? No, besides being an enemy, it seems like she has a few loose screws flying around.

    ¡°B-But, no point in paradise if you kill all ck Cats?¡±

    ¡°Gahahaha! Something as trivial as that, as long as you use the power of the dungeon, you can do anything!¡±

    Come to think of it, we did hear that there was a dungeon involved somewhere in this mess. But using a dungeon requires tremendous resources. Exploiting one would be no easy task.

    ¡°¡­ Really tried to attack everyone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! But you are different!¡±

    Murellia eximed as she pointed at Fran.

    ¡°You managed to evolve marvelously, and you¡¯re still growing! If you follow me, I will guarantee your safety and your life!¡±

    Even though the lives of Fran, Mare, And Kuina were all just threatened I don¡¯t feel the slightest bit upset. I don¡¯t feel like we can lose here. Rather, my sight is rather clear right now.

    In reply to Murellia, who believed with full confidence Fran would take her hand, Fran offered these words.

    ¡°Sorry, rather die.¡±

 Chapter 323: The Difference Between Us

    <h4>Chapter 323: The Difference Between Us</h4>

    ¡°Sorry, rather die.¡±

    Fran tly refuses Murellia¡¯s friendly offer with a cold voice. As soon as those words were spoken, Murellia¡¯s face changespletely.

    ¡°Haa? Do you understand what you¡¯re saying? I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll let you be my ve. You¡¯d refuse that? Are you sane?¡±

    Even in the face of Murellia¡¯s wrath, Fran didn¡¯t budge an inch. Right now, we¡¯re up against an angry opponent with an unbelievably overwhelming amount of power, there¡¯s no one who¡¯d me Fran for being scared right now. Even so, after being told that Murellia nned to kill the entire vige, Fran was far angrier. Even if she didn¡¯t appear frightening, at this moment Fran¡¯s anger could swallow Murellia¡¯s whole.

    The Valkyries nking Murellia began to react to Fran¡¯s fury.

    ¡°Quite a feisty little cub, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°She certainly seems to be struggling with her feelings quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°Really. There¡¯s nothing quite as unsightly as the struggling of a small fry.¡±

    ¡°Girl. Shouldn¡¯t you be begging for your life right about now? If you struggled against our talentless little sister, there¡¯s no way you can beat us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! If you beg for our forgiveness right now, I¡¯ll forgive you after only 3 days of torture!¡±

    3 days of torture, huh¡­ If these guys are serious, it might actually be better to just die, like Fran says. These women are absolute sadists.

    But, talentless little sister? Are these two rted to the Valkyrie we fought earlier? Fran¡¯s questioning confirms my thoughts.

    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s right. She wasn¡¯t even worthy enough to receive a name from our lord.¡±

    ¡°Being the sister of someone like her though, it¡¯s kinda embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you believe that she got destroyed by this tiny runt afterining to Lord Murellia and leaving the main army? Talk about shameful¡­¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we three sisters such a mess?¡±

    As they said while they were bantering, these Valkyries not only had racial names, but individual names as well. Sigrun and Rossweiss. It¡¯s quite simr to Urushi¡¯s circumstances. If they were named by someone as powerful as Murellia, their power would be equivalently raised to new heights.

    That should be the case, but when I appraised the two of them earlier I only briefly nced at their status and some of their skills. My memory isn¡¯t good enough topare the difference between them and Valkyrie we fought earlier. I really want to check it again, but Murellia has appraisal detection. I can¡¯t carelessly appraise or I¡¯ll get caught¡­

    All I remember is that they seem to have higher stats and skills than the one we fought, and I confirmed that they have that troublesome War Maiden skill¡­

    ¡°I wonder if this brat can evenprehend the difference between our power? I wouldn¡¯t want to make such a small fry one of my servants.¡±

    ¡°No, Lord Murellia. It seems that, unfortunately, she refused your offer in spite of knowing the gap in power between you two.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Then why?¡±

    ¡°I am unsure. Normally, if Lord Murellia made someone such an offer, it would be only natural for them to shed tears and be happy¡­¡±

    As expected as one of the Valkyries, she¡¯s dead serious. It seems that their loyalty towards Murellia borders on fanaticism.

    ¡°Hmm, then, maybe I should show off some of my strength? Fufufu, girl! Gaze upon my terrifying powers and tremble!¡±

    Upon saying so, she began suddenly chanting. It seems that she at least doesn¡¯t have Chantless or Silent Casting. But that aside, I know this spell. It¡¯s one that I¡¯ve cast many times. Which is exactly why I couldn¡¯t ignore this.

    [Fran! Mare! Stop her! She¡¯s casting Kanna Kamui!]

    ¡°Nn! Hah!¡±

    ¡°Ku-!¡±

    It seems that Fran noticed and started taking action even before I sent out the warning. Mare was also moving to cut down Murellia.

    ¡°Oh~? You¡¯re familiar with this spell?¡±

    ¡°It seems that they have a better knowledge of magecraft than we thought?¡±

    ¡°Though, that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll let you disturb our Lord.¡±

    Fran and Mare jumped out towards Murellia, but were immediately intercepted by the Valkyrie sisters and the Duhans. As we suspected, we weren¡¯t going to be able to get through them instantly.

    But that isn¡¯t a big problem. While we upied her escorts, Kuina slipped behind us and was approaching Murelia. This was a surprise attack that used Illusion Magic at a level that I couldn¡¯t even detect her movements.

    ¡°Tch, a barrier.¡±

    However, Kuina wasn¡¯t able to prate the barriers surrounding Murellia and was repelled. It seems that, as I thought, we weren¡¯t going to be able to go straight for the boss from the get-go.

    At this moment, the chanting that was being woven from Murellia finally reachedpletion.

    ¡°-Kanna Kamui!¡±

    In response to her invocations, the heavens split open and poured out a screaming white light¡­ Wait, isn¡¯t something a bit strange?

    Normally, it would make sense to think that she would such a spell quite a bit away away from us. After all, she was using it as a threat.

    The problem was that the white lightning was¡­ strangely underwhelming? There¡¯s no doubt that she used Kanna Kamui, but isn¡¯t itpletely different from the one I cast?

    For starters, when I use Kanna Kamui, a thick white bolt of practically living lightning descends from the sky and rampages in the surrounding area. But Murellia¡¯s Kanna Kamui is less than half of the size of mine when I cast it.

    At first, I thought the difference in magnitude is because she didn¡¯t put that much magic energy into it. But as I thought more about it, that didn¡¯t make any sense. There¡¯s no reason she would threaten us with it if she was going to make it seem so weak. Furthermore, rather than a distance far away from us, the white lightning stabbed into the ground 15 meters from where we were standing, confusing me further.

    DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

    The deafening sound of the explosion snapped me out of my train of thought.

    [It¡¯spletely different from mine¡­]

    As I thought, it¡¯s not a difference in magical energy. I can see that now that I¡¯ve seen how its impact performs. Even though the spellnded in such close proximity to us, the explosion was overwhelmingly smaller than I expected. If you were ready for it, you could definitely take steps to avoid it. But that didn¡¯t mean it was weak at all.

    The white thunderbolt looked thin as a result of Murellia converging multiple Kanna Kamuis as tightly as she could. As the lightning bolts struck, it drilled straight into the ground as opposed to forming an impact crater. The hole it formed then served as a funnel, which channeled the explosive energy of the strike straight back into the sky.

    If you were topare it to my Kanna Kamui, it covered less than a tenth of what mine was able to. However, conversely, any enemy caught in the path of Murellia¡¯s Kanna Kamui was likely to suffer several magnitudes more damage than if they were caught in mine.

    It¡¯s impossible for me, who has their hands full just casting the spell. We¡¯re using this magic at the lowest possible level, while Murellia is capable of adjusting the number and power of the lightning strikes. Who the hell does she think he is? Is this what mastery of magic is? This has to be rigged¡­

    What Murellia just did ispletely different from something like converging Fire Arrows in order to increase the power behind it. Even more difficult than simultaneous activation. It¡¯s impossible unless her control of magic power is several magnitudes higher than ours, not to mention her proficiency with thunder magic.

    ¡°Well? How was it? Do you have a grasp at how different we are now?¡±

    Even after aplishing such a thing, Murellia stood before us, calm and undaunted, with a condescending tone.

 Chapter 324: Failed Negotiations

    <h4>Chapter 324: Failed Negotiations</h4>

    Fran takes a shocked breath, seeing Murellia¡¯s perfect control of Kanna Kamui.

    ¡°Fufu. It seems you¡¯re wise enough to understand what I did just now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Well? Will you die here, or will you be my ve? Ah, the girl from the n of usurpers and her maid will be killed here no matter what you choose. Don¡¯t do anything unsightly.¡±

    Although she¡¯sid back while speaking to Fran, as if another person, she shoots a murderous gaze at Mare and Kuina. The speed at which she switches faces is just creepy¡­ Even if she¡¯s over 500 years old I guess she still has the spiritual youth and instability thates with being a kid.

    Although, there¡¯s no doubt we¡¯ll be given the same murderous look if we reject her offer again. It¡¯ll be just as furious as the look she¡¯s giving Mare, if not more so.

    Fran knows that too. But her answer doesn¡¯t change.

    ¡°Nn, said earlier, but would rather die than ept.¡±

    Yeah, even it earned us time to act or some opening for an attack¡­ acting is really annoying.

    As soon as Fran gave her response, Murellia¡¯s eyes narrowed. We were instantly bathed in her murderous intent. It seems she¡¯s finally recognized us as a proper enemy.

    ¡°I see¡­ then die.¡±

    Upon hermand, the Valkyrie and Duhan immediately advanced towards us. It seems they were infuriated with Fran¡¯s attitude with Murellia, and wanted to kill her before Murellia even gave the order. Especially from the Valkyrie sisters, there was a clear aura of fury leaking out from them.

    It¡¯s pretty clear they had a n of attack in mind to kill Fran. They were way too quick to attack her. Well, since we¡¯re confirmed enemies now, I can fire off appraisals!

    ¡°You denied Lord Murellia¡¯s generosity! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    ¡°Die in regret of your foolishness!¡±

    Y¡¯know, I thought Valkyries had a much more noble image¡­ You sisters are giving off a totally different vibe than you should. Well, in the end, they¡¯re both monsters, and Murellia¡¯s their master. I guess it can¡¯t be helped.

    Both Sigrun and Rossweiss¡¯ status names them as ¡ºValkyrie ? Nemesis Lancer¡». Their levels are 67, only one level higher than the previous Valkyrie. But all their stats were over a 100 points higher, especially their agility stat which was over 200 points higher.

    They don¡¯t have any archery skills, but they have Lv6 in both Divine Spear Techniques and Divine Spear Arts. They also both poses Storm Magic, and the level of their Light Magic is higher. Overall, they seem to be more specialized versions of that Valkyrie that have eliminated all unnecessary skills.

    In regards to titles, Sigrun has ¡ºWar Maiden of Punishment¡», while Rossweiss has ¡ºWar Maiden of Annihtion¡». Each of them seems to raise individual fighting power, and causes ones subordinates to go mad.

    In any case, are these guys really so overwhelming superior to that Valkyrie from before? Yeah, their personal fighting power is pretty high, but their archery skills are pretty low level, and their armymanding abilities aren¡¯t that great either. Depending on the circumstances, they may not even be able to make use of their full abilities.

    In the Duhan¡¯s case, they seem to be pretty much the same as the ones we fought before. However, instead of a shield, they used an axe and a sword respectively. It seems they¡¯re much more attack-oriented than the one we fought before was.

    The battle matchups seem to be that Fran and Mare are fighting the Valkyries sisters, and Kuina and Linde are facing off against the Duhans. It seems the most dangerous one of the mix, Murellia, is just watching from the sidelines. I guess she doesn¡¯t want to dirty their own hands by disposing of us herself. Or rather, maybe she¡¯s taking measure of our abilities?

    It¡¯s a bit underhanded, but we may be able to take advantage of the fact that she¡¯s not participating. Frankly, we have no chance in hell of beating Murellia as we are now. So, we need to get the hell away from her. We can steadily gain some distance from her while fighting the Valkyrie. Then, in the middle of the fight, if we can Dimensional Gate away and hop on Linde, we should be able to make a clean getaway.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what I was thinking¡­

    ¡°Ah yes. I suppose I ought to ensure you won¡¯t try to run.¡±

    So Murellia says and slightly waves her hand. Out of the air, a semi-transparent ck dome with a radius of around 100 meters materialized around us.

    ¡°It would be rather awkward if you were able to escape with Space-Time Magic. Ah, but rest assured. It only blocks transitions with magic, and so¡­¡±

    She materialized a spear from thin air and lightly tossed it. As the spear made contact with the barrier a deafening roaring sound reverberated through the air as the spear broke through the barrier and disappeared into the distance. I guess the barrier is a type of monster?

    ¡°Well, as you can see, it doesn¡¯t obstruct physical objects. So, if you desire, you can attempt to break through it and run away.¡±

    That¡¯s all well and good, but why did you bother to create a barrier that only prevents magical transitioning? Is she looking at our status? If so, does she know I¡¯m an intelligent weapon? I try to watch Murellia¡¯s expression, but I can¡¯t tell where her gaze lies.

    If she could see my status, there¡¯s no doubt she¡¯d be looking at me¡­ I guess I¡¯m being too self-conscious, aren¡¯t I?

    [Anyways, we need to escape the Valkyrie and get out of this barrier somehow. And it really doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any escape option other than teleporting out of here¡­]

    If we all stick to our one-on-one battles, and Murellia chooses not to interfere, there is a very good chance for escape. In fact, Fran and Mare have already started to gain the upper hand against the Valkyrie. Fran is more skilled than her opponent, and she has me for support. She was handling the Valkyrie¡¯s spear well, in fact, she¡¯s been able to deal quite a few decent hits to her opponent.

    Mare seems to be somewhat disadvantaged in terms of skill with her weapon versus her opponent, but her Golden me and White Fire defense is melting the Valkyrie¡¯s spear whenever it approaches her. Apparently the Valkyrie is able to regenerate the spear, but it just melts whenever she tries to attack again. In such a situation, Mare has an overwhelming advantage.

    Kuina seems to be more than equal to her opponent. Linde is struggling a bit, but since he can fly it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s in trouble yet. It should be fine.

    ¡°Keh! What is this amazing amount of skill!¡±

    ¡°My spear-! You little brat!¡±

    Apparently, this wasn¡¯t the oue Murellia was anticipating. She was watching each battle with arched eyebrows. However, she¡¯s wearing an invincible smile on her face.

    ¡°Hoh? Isn¡¯t that something¡­ Even though Rossweiss¡¯ spear is me-resistant. And also¡­ my cute little cousin¡¯s sword, please permit me a closer look.¡±

    I got a bad feeling hearing that, and sure enough, magic power began concentrating in Murelia¡¯s eyes. She¡¯s definitely using some kind of skill.

    I can feel it. Something is watching me. A sharp and deep-seeing eye observing my entire being, as if it was seeing through my very existence.

    To the bottom of my soul.

 Chapter 325: Kin of the Goddess of Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 325: Kin of the Goddess of Chaos</h4>

    Murellia concentrates magical energy in her eyes and probably activates some kind of skill. As she was staring at me, I began to feel something strange.

    ¡°Ufufufu! This is amazing! What in the world is this? An Intelligent Weapon? And it¡¯s not just Space-Time Magic, but Dimensional Magic?¡±

    What the hell are you doing Appraisal Block! Apparently all of my disguisal skills have been seen through. Murellia, with her eyes shining with a brilliant light, pushes her wicked palm towards us.

    [Fran! Murellia found us out! She¡¯s trying to do something! Stay sharp!]

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    We probably won¡¯t be able to escape anymore. We¡¯ll have to rely on Fran¡¯s superhuman reaction speed. However, what happened next was beyond any of our imaginations.

    ¡°Come.¡±

    [Wh-?]

    The next thing I knew, I was in Murelia¡¯s hand instead of Fran¡¯s. I tried to figure out how she could¡¯ve done it. Maybe some skill? I don¡¯t think it was magic since she has already demonstrated she doesn¡¯t have Chantless or Chant Annulment.

    ¡°! Master!¡±

    ¡°Master? Ah, this sword¡¯s name. Isn¡¯t that a strange one.¡±

    Fran, who had me swiped out from under her nose, was furious.

    ¡°Fran! Don¡¯t show an opening!¡±

    ¡°Keh-¡±

    Fran was blown backwards by Valkyrie¡¯s kick. She didn¡¯t suffer much damage because of the defensive barrier she has up, but it was a big hit, I¡¯m still worried.

    [Fran! This is your chance!]

    Murelia, who possessed immense power, drew me.

    [I¡¯ll let Murellia equip me, you have to attack in the opening that creates! Don¡¯t worry about me!]

    [¡­ Understood.]

    I managed to convince myself of my words, and Fran took out another sword and turned to face the Valkyrie.

    ¡°Aw, what¡¯s wrong? Your movements suddenly got a lot worse! Can¡¯t fight without your magic sword~?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    The number of hits Frannded started to decrease and the amount of hits she took began to increase. Skill sharing is still active, but I can¡¯t offer any support, and I can¡¯t afford to make a careless move right now. That being said, I can¡¯t miss this opportunity. I choose to believe in Fran for this chance tond a serious blow on Murellia.

    ¡°[Sigh], well then¡­¡±

    Ding dong!!

    The moment Murellia attempted to do something, and electricity enveloped her body. If I had to guess, she probably tried to equip me. This is what I¡¯ve been waiting for! The moment you show any weakness, I¡¯ll assault you with magic and a telekic catapult!

    However¡­ that opening never arrived. Murellia is still holding me as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Hm? What was that tingling?¡±

    That¡¯s it. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s it, right? She¡¯s not awakened, and thunder damage is still neutralized? No, as long as she¡¯s a ck Catkin, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to have high resistance against thunder damage. Or is she strong enough for it to not work at all? Both are equally likely.

    In any case, the fact remains that she tried to equip me. In other words, she has some sort of interest in me. When ites to this high leveled of an opponent, no opportunity should be passed up. Even if it¡¯s a sh*tty bet, you should take it if you can.

    [¡­ Are you going to equip me?]

    ¡°Ahaha! This is amazing! I got one! It¡¯s not like a person at all! I could¡¯ve sworn I saw a soul, but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d actually have one! I want it! I want this sword!¡±

    She¡¯s like a kid when she¡¯s frolicking like this. However, this sort of personality means she may take the bait.

    ¡°Divine punishment awaits if an unworthy person attempts to equip me. This time around was the Punishment of Lightning. Though, if you endure the punishments, you be worthy to equip me.¡±

    Encourage equipping me while tickling her self esteem. Casually tell her about the punishment for equipping me. If Murelia tries to equip me at this point, the punishment will surely be far worse. Although the lightning strikes were prevented, the god¡¯s death punishment can¡¯t be prevented by Murellia. In the worst case scenario, it¡¯ll do an incredible amount of damage to her.

    ¡°¡­ Heh? Divine punishment? You don¡¯t say. Well, you don¡¯t have to be equipped then I suppose!¡±

    Tch. You were thinking more calmly than I thought¡­ I thought you would equip me to keep the momentum going. I guess I have to switch strategies.

    ¡°Are you afraid? How disappointing. I guess I was wrong. I should¡¯ve figured you wouldn¡¯t be able to equip me.¡±

    This time, I tried to provoke Murellia. She seems to be strangely prideful, and there¡¯s a chance she could get provoked into equipping me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already received divine punishment. I hate the gods, but I don¡¯t underestimate their power any longer. But even so¡­ divine punishment you say?¡±

    [¡­ Indeed.]

    ¡°Hmm, perhaps you are a sacred sword, or are affiliated with some god? No, I wonder if talking about divine judgement is just some sort of defense mechanism, as I was just talking about how our tribe was cursed¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s something interesting. My goodness, is it alright if we talk a bit more? It¡¯s my first time speaking to an intelligent weapon.¡±

    Ah. The provocations failed. But there still might be a chance for her to equip me. Let¡¯s see if these words will do it.

    [You wish to speak with me? Of what?]

    ¡°I wish to know who made you. Was it a divine cksmith? Or was it another human?¡±

    [I don¡¯t know. I do not possess memories of that time.]

    ¡°Is that so, well then`¡±

    [If you please, it is my turn now.]

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t this interesting? What do you want to know?¡±

    [Are you a dungeon master?]

    ¡°I am not.¡±

    [What? Then, what- ]

    ¡°Stop. Isn¡¯t it my turn now?¡±

    [¡­ Go ahead.]

    It looks like Fran has regained herposure and is still fighting with the Valkyrie. Then, maybe I should start gathering some information. Since we¡¯re on the subject of asking each other questions it should be a good opportunity to do so.

    ¡°You mentioned that you don¡¯t remember when you were created, but how far back do you remember?¡±

    ¡°My memory only begins recently. From just before I encountered Fran, my wielder.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to take a chance lying, as Murellia may have some kind of skill that sees through lies. It was highly possible that she possessed some sort of lie-detecting skill as she epted it without question when I said I didn¡¯t remember being created.

    It¡¯s risky to give this information, but if I get caught in a lie, she might not let me continue asking her questions. In that case, it¡¯s better to ept new information even if that means I have to give up knowledge in return.

    ¡°Hmm, does that mean you were only recently built? Or is that the seal on your memories was only recently unlocked¡­¡±

    [It¡¯s my turn now. You said you¡¯re not a dungeon master? Then who are you? I recall you earlier saying that you could use the power of the dungeon¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to know? Well, it¡¯s because I¡¯m a dungeon sub-master. This allows me to spend the master¡¯s points.¡±

    [Sub-master? Points?]

    ¡°Let¡¯s remember the order. Next is me. What¡¯s with your name?¡±

    Is she making fun of me¡­ Well, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m used to it now, and I¡¯m actually rather attached to it, but at first I thought it was a strange name.

    [It is the name given to me by Fran. I previously had no name.]

    ¡°Just a moment, you had no name?¡±

    [It¡¯s my turn now. What does ¡®point¡¯ mean?]

    It was a word that Murellia used, so I¡¯ll pretend I¡¯ve never heard it. Though, I still use self-evolution points.

    ¡°Why do you want to know that? It¡¯s okay, but you can¡¯t tell anyone, okay? They are points given by the Goddess, so-called GP. As they are bestowed by her, you can use points to extend the range of the dungeon or to summon demonic bea- Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Murellia, who was in the middle of an exnation, was surprised for some reason. After an awkward moment, she continues her conversation.

    ¡°Well, anyways, there are many ways to get points. For example, killing creatures that are inside your dungeon. And the stronger and more experienced a killed individual is, the more points you get from them. There is the option of drawing magic from the ground to convert into points, but it is hardly efficient.¡±

    As Murellia exined this to me, she opened her eyes as if she was surprised. No, wait, she actually is surprised.

    ¡°I knew it! I can talk about it after all! Hahahaha! Why?¡±

    Murellia suddenly exims with a joyful expression. I¡¯m having a hard time understanding.

    ¡°Hey, you have something to do with dungeons, don¡¯t you?¡±

    [What?]

    ¡°Hmm, it might not be surprising if you turn out to be a Godde¡­ Are you kin with the Goddess of Chaos?¡±

    [Well, that¡¯s something I would like to know as well.]

    I was told that I was rted to the Goddess of Chaos before, but I didn¡¯t receive any further exnation.

    [Why do you think I am?]

    ¡°People who are affiliated or bound by dungeons are restricted in their actions. One of these restrictions is the ability to speak of the dungeon to other people.¡±

    Now that she mentions it, Rumina was saying something along the same lines. But she¡¯s able to talk about it normally with me. Maybe it¡¯s that she didn¡¯t reveal anything of a level worth omniting? But her description was quite detailed.

    Rumina wasn¡¯t able to talk to me about the details of a dungeon. But now that I think about it, Fran and Urushi were also there, maybe she was restricted for that reason?

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t originally a member of a dungeon. A few years ago, abination of the power of a dungeon and a human sorcerer named Linford summoned and bound me to his will with the permission of the Evil God. Linford, that annoying geezer! That wicked man ruled over me as a maiden of the Evil God, and then forced me into being a Dungeon Submaster! He made me dedicate myself to the hateful gods that destroyed us! I can¡¯t rise up against that usurping small-fry¡¯s n just by being a dungeon submaster, but I also can¡¯t resist the dungeon¡¯s contract! However, I can talk to you about it for whatever reason! If I can understand why, I might be able to worm my way out of the dungeon¡¯s contract!¡±

    Woah woah woah, I might be crazy, but a name I definitely can¡¯t ignore came up! Did she just say Linford? He¡¯s an old sorcerer, and his name is Linford, this can¡¯t be just a coincidence.

    ¡°Is your sorcerer named Linford Laurencia? He possessed monstrous powers and was over like a hundred years old?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure the guy you¡¯re talking about died after we fought him on another continent.¡±

    ¡°Aa! I knew it! Fairly recently, the power that tied me to the world suddenly weakened, I knew I wasn¡¯t imagining it! Ahahaha!¡±

    I didn¡¯t expect to hear Linford¡¯s name in this country. In other words, I guess that means he was scheming in this country beforeing to Barbora.

    [If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what exactly was Linford trying to do?]

    ¡°Ufufu, since I¡¯m in an especially good mood right now, I¡¯ll enlighten you!¡±

 Chapter 326: Linford and the Bashar Kingdom

    <h4>Chapter 326: Linford and the Bashar Kingdom</h4>

    [If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what exactly was Linford trying to do?]

    ¡°Ufufu, since I¡¯m in an especially good mood right now, I¡¯ll enlighten you!¡±

    Murellia starts talking, clearly in a brightened mood. I checked back up with Fran, but her situation hasn¡¯t changed too much. I¡¯ll probably have time to chat with her for a few minutes.

    ¡°The beginning of this story can be drawn at the time Linford came to this ce. Apparently, that crusty old geezer knew that there was a fragment of the Evil God sealed away in this country.¡±

    [What? Is there really?]

    ¡°Mm. It is the same piece that I used on my tribe. Linford aimed to reach that fragment in order tomunicate with the Evil God.¡±

    Though, of course, he didn¡¯t find it. The Gods probably sealed it even tighter than it was before after Murellia had her way with it. But this didn¡¯t mean that Linford gave up. A kingdom known as the Bashar Kingdom which upied the area adjacent to the Beastman Empire, was being crushed.

    ¡°Linford was unable to find the fragment of the Evil God, though he did find something else.¡±

    [Something else?]

    ¡°Indeed. He found a new dungeon that had appeared on the Bashar Kingdom¡¯s side of the Boundary Mountains.¡±

    Linford and his subordinates were, of course, able to conquer this newly formed dungeon.

    ¡°Upon arriving in the boss¡¯ chambers, they threatened the Dungeon Master and forced it to obey them. The purpose of doing so being to use the magical power umted by the dungeon.¡±

    Even if this dungeon was basically a newborn, it was still a dungeon, and so it had a fair amount of magic power umted within it. Twisting this energy towards his own ends, he used the power within the dungeon to initiate a ritual, a certain summoning ritual. There exists a certain summoning technique known as Hero Summoning that calls past heroes and binds them to the summoner¡¯s bidding for a certain period of time. Even things like evil spirits and wicked beings are able to be summoned through such a technique, as apparently even followers of the Evil God are counted as followers of a divine being.

    ¡°During this ritual, the one summoned was yours truly. Though, my body was iplete.¡±

    It seems that during this summoning, only a fragment of Murellia¡¯s consciousness was summoned, as Linford didn¡¯t believe he had the capabilities to control apleted Murellia.

    Through the information extrapted from the summoned Murellia, Linford was able to locate the seal that bound the fragment of the Evil God. Even so, he was unable to break it. Though I¡¯m not sure how he thought he could unravel a divine seal.

    ¡°Though, Linford was horribly stubborn.¡±

    Then, Linford had an idea. By sacrificing a huge amount of souls in the name of the Evil God, Linford would be able to give the Evil God enough power to somewhat weaken the seal. By doing so, the Evil God could summon enough strength to speak to Linford by using Murellia as a medium, as she was technically a priestess of the Evil God.

    [¡­ So that¡¯s the reason the war.]

    ¡°Indeed. War is by far the fastest way to gather a significant amount of souls.¡±

    Conveniently, the Beastman Kingdom where the fragment of the Evil God was hidden and the neighboring Bashar Kingdom were in the middle of a tug-of-war. Moreover, when Linford examined the politics of the Kingdom, he discovered that though King Bashar was an open-minded moderate, behind the scenes of it all he was a member of the beastmen exclusionist group. He contacted the political heads of the Kingdom, and established cooperation with them.

    ¡°Contrary to what you¡¯d believe, many more people were willing to work with Evil Beings than they were to do so with beastmen. Though, if you think about the history between the two countries, that¡¯s only obvious.¡±

    No matter what they felt in their hearts, Linford¡¯s group and the Bashar Kingdom came together to join hands.

    ¡°A pincer attack using the joined forces of the entirety of the Bashar Kingdom and the forces of the dungeon discovered by Linford. Such was the n.¡±

    If what Murellia is saying is true, then this war had been in the works for years. Apparently the reason that the Bashar Kingdom decided to ride on Linford¡¯s coattails is because they weren¡¯t even really a threat to the Beastmen Country otherwise.

    The only reason that the King had decided to adopt a moderate policy as opposed to an aggressive one, despite the fact that he was part of the beastmen exclusionist¡¯s group, was because their force¡¯s military power were so vastly contrasted that even a skirmish could lead to the kingdom¡¯s downfall. On the inside, the people of the Bashar Kingdom felt over-repressed, and the buds of the anti-beastmen movement had been long blooming.

    ¡°Now, I certainly hate the other beast tribes, but their human supremacy has gone way too far. It has be a bit of an awkward situation for me.¡±

    As such, the possibility of finally razing the Beastmen Country delighted the nobles of the Bashar Kingdom. After many years, their desire would finallye true.

    ¡°It was also around this time Linford fully summoned me using the remaining energy in the dungeon and the souls of the ves provided by the Bashar Kingdom.¡±

    Although it is true that Linford normally wouldn¡¯t be able to control Murellia¡¯s vast power, aplete summoning that was powered using the sacrifice of hundreds of souls allowed Linford the ability to control her, to an extent. Even though Murellia¡¯s power wasn¡¯t as perfect as it had been, it was nearly so, and so she was still incredibly powerful.

    Since the power of the dungeon was also used to summon Murellia, the percentage of control that wasn¡¯t afforded to her by the sacrificed soul was achieved by binding her as submaster of the dungeon. No matter how strong Murellia was, she couldn¡¯t escape the contract of the dungeon which was sealed by the Goddess of Chaos.

    [In that case, Mistress Chaos Goddess, please descend and smite this girl again¡­]

    So I wished, but I doubted it could be done. In the first ce, the gods¡¯ punishment was imposed, and the ck Catkin who became corrupted by the Evil God¡¯s power werepletely destroyed, including Murelia. And now, she¡¯s bound by a dungeon submaster contract by the Goddess of Chaos. It¡¯s not like all evil beings are subject to being destroyed by the gods, if that was the case, Rumina wouldn¡¯t have been able to spawn Evil Beings like Goblins and such in hers. It seemed unlikely that the gods would descend and wipe out Murellia again.

    ¡°And because I¡¯m a dungeon submaster, I¡¯m unable to resist either Linford OR the true dungeon master.¡±

    Oh? Apparently she had to obey not only Linford, but the dungeon master too? Though I doubted they had more control than Linford. Nevertheless, this also allowed Murellia to use the power of the dungeon to create her ck Catkin paradise.

    ¡°It¡¯s incredibly frustrating, but the power of the dungeon, I can create the dream I¡¯ve longed for.¡±

    And so, Murellia begrudgingly cooperated while having no small amount of hatred towards Linford. And that was Linford¡¯s n in its entirety. In essence; start a war, collect souls, sacrifice them to the Evil God. With that, he would be able to contact and receive the blessings of the somewhat re-empowered Evil God through Murellia.

    Though, the power of the dungeon had been basically spent by using the energy to summon Murellia. The next stage was to extend the dungeon¡¯s reach to include part of the Beastmen¡¯s Country, and to regather the strength that was expended in the summoning.

    It seems that summoning monsters and controlling them outside of the dungeon consumed points. Though, if you don¡¯t need to specify it, you can set it up so that a magic circle will summon a random monster at regr intervals.

    To achieve that, it was as simple as killing hundreds of ves from the Bashar Kingdom while they were inside the dungeon and absorbing their power. The dungeon master was a former young bandit who was unwilling to oppose either Linford or the Bashar Kingdom, and followed this strategy to the letter.

    Linford continued to research a way to weaken the seal of the Evil God¡¯s fragment, letting Murellia manage the war¡¯s progress as he traveled to do so.

    And the rest, we already know. As Linford was conducting his research in Barbora, Fran and I eventually destroyed him. Is it possible he didn¡¯t even want to keep the Evil Beings he created in Barbora for as long as he had, and had eventually wanted to relocate them to the Beastmen Country as forces for the war? If he had, it would¡¯ve been no joke, this war would¡¯ve gone a whole lot worse.

    ¡°Kufufufu, I thought it might have been possible because of how weak that slug was, but he really went and died! Hahahaha!¡±

    Although I¡¯m d that we defeated Linford, it gives meplicated feelings that doing so pleased this woman¡­

    Even before Linford died, the dungeon master rarely gave orders to Murellia, and now that Linford was dead, and his power over her gone, it seemed that she can even move around quite freely!

    ¡°The binding of that pile of manure has been lifted. His power over that ursed dungeon is lifted. And soon, even the rule of that Goddess of Chaos will be lifted!¡±

 Chapter 327: Rule of the Evil Godâ€¦?

    <h4>Chapter 327: Rule of the Evil God¡­?</h4>

    Murellia shouts with ridicule.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯m no longer being controlled by Linford, all I have to do is seize control of the dungeon, and I¡¯m basically free!¡±

    [What do you n to do with your freedom?]

    ¡°Naturally, I will use the power of the dungeon to create my true paradise! Unlike what I¡¯ve been limited to doing so far due to that sh*tty Linford shoving me away in the corner of the dungeon!¡±

    So it was that after all. I was really hoping that she would disappear quietly but¡­ Like I thought, this woman should never be free.

    ¡°And so, allow me to use your power, I won¡¯t let you refuse.¡±

    Damn. What should I do? If I specifically refuse her here, Murellia will immediately attack me and Fran. Maybe I should try to employ a bit of subtle implication here? Maybe there¡¯s still a chance that she¡¯ll try to equip me-

    As I was pondering the dilemma, she began to move. ck viscous magical power escaped from Murellia¡¯s body with incredible speed. Like a jellyfish tentacle, it slowly began to worm its way up my hilt and de.

    ¡°Fufufu!¡±

    [Dammit!]

    I tried to fly out of Murellia¡¯s hand with all my might, but it wasn¡¯t enough. What monstrous strength¡­

    [Get away from me!]

    ¡°Ahahaha! It¡¯s no use, no use~!¡±

    I quickly activated a bunch of lightning magic, though it¡¯s nullified once again. Seems she has immunity to lightning damage after all. I also tried out me Magic, and used ¡ºInferno Burst¡», but it still isn¡¯t strong enough to Murellia¡¯s Barriers.

    Space-Time magic isn¡¯t any good either. Considering the fact that I could still use Dimensional Storage, it seems that only the activation of transportation type Space-Time magic is hindered by the barrier made by Murellia.

    [God dammit!]

    ¡°Ufufu. Is it frustrating?¡±

    Murellia taunts my futile attempts while making a sadistic smile.

    ¡°Is it painful~? Is it scary~? Do you want me to stop~?¡±

    ¡­Huh? No, it¡¯s not particrly painful or scary. My durability value hasn¡¯t changed after all. Though I was confused, Murellia didn¡¯t wait for a reply and kept ranting with a smug face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be freed from this pain? If you ask me to, I can¡¯t refuse~! Kukuku. No one with a soul can escape the rule of the Evil God!¡±

    Huh? What does that mean? Is something supposed to be happening? I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s referring to the evil tentacle things but¡­ But nothings happening, you know? Or rather, have I lost control of my body?

    ¡°Now, submit to me!¡±

    [¡­]

    No, it seems like I still have control. I can refuse just like normal, and I don¡¯t really feel like my soul has been hijacked¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Submit to me!¡±

    I don¡¯t really get it but¡­ I guess I¡¯ll pretend she¡¯s taken control of me?

    [Uhh, Master Murellia?]

    ¡°Is that it? Even if it has a soul, I suppose a sword is still a sword. Well, I¡¯ll be flying now, fly by yourself.¡±

    [Understood.]

    As shemanded, I tried using telekinesis to move around a bit. Yeah, there¡¯s really nothing wrong with my body at all. I¡¯m moving around as expected. I moved left and right, and I even allowed myself to fall for a few moments.

    I¡¯m not really sure why, but it seems that the ¡®Rule of the Evil God¡¯ that Murellia tried to impose on me really did fail. Though, Murellia herself doesn¡¯t know that, and orders me around with a confident look on her face.

    ¡°It seems like you were trying something, but I suppose you can¡¯t disobey now that you¡¯re my servant? Ah, it seems that you have a Control Immunity skill, but it¡¯s useless in the face of the Evil God¡¯s power! Fufufu, I wonder what kind of face that girl will make when she¡¯s attacked by her own Intelligent Weapon? Now, pierce that eyesore!¡±

    Murelliamands me, as she points towards Fran. It was a crystal clear order, but I didn¡¯t really feelpelled to do it after all.

    Though, Murellia isn¡¯t wary at all against me since she thinks that she¡¯spletely subjugated me. This is a big chance! I simted different attack patterns to see if there was a way I could take advantage of this. Do I simply attack Murellia while her guard is down, or do I pretend to be controlled and return to Fran?

    However, even if I go back to Fran, I¡¯ll just be stolen back by whatever ability she used to take me away in the first ce. Rather, maybe this is the first time I¡¯ve had an actual opportunity.

    Then, how should I go about this? I obviously can¡¯t use one of my most powerful attacks, ¡ºKanna Kamui¡» since she clearly has Lightning Nullification, or something extremely close to it. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to finish her off with Telekic Catapult either. I¡¯ve been trying to figure out where her magic stone is, but I haven¡¯t been able to figure it out yet. Actually, I¡¯m not sure if she even has a magic stone in the first ce.

    She was originally a ck Catkin. She may be an Evil Being now, but it¡¯s entirely possible she doesn¡¯t have a magic stone. If she does, the head and the heart are possible targets, but even if they were there, would I be able to pierce them? Even that was doubtful.

    What do I do! Think! I take full advantage of elerated Thinking and Parallel-Processing. Murellia will be suspicious if I take too long toplete her order. I need to decide now! What is the best way I can take her down!

    What spell can I cast other than Lightning Magic that can be optimally boosted with Sorcery? In the end, doing this is probably the best option I have that can deal decent damage to Murellia.

    Since we don¡¯t meet certain conditions and therefore can¡¯t evolve Swordsmanship skills, I think I can safely take physical skills off the table. I don¡¯t have the confidence that I¡¯ll be able to get past her defences without Fran¡¯s help.

    In the end, it has to be magic, but I only have 11 Self-Evolution points left. The candidates are either me Magic or Earth Magic. I double-checked to make sure these were the only choices, but it seems I also gained not only Light Magic, but Nature Magic and Sandstorm Magic in our battles today as well.

    Actually, wait a moment. Is there a possibility that I''ll be able to take out one of the Valkyries by pretending to attack Fran? If I try to use the logic that being dominated also increased my ability to reason, it would be within possibility that my attempt to attack Fran ¡®identally¡¯ got the Valkyrie involved as well. I¡¯m pretty close to gaining a Self-Evolution level, so killing her might be able to get me the points I need. If I get enough, I¡¯ll have more options for being able to attack Murellia.

    Though, if I took this approach, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯d be able to get this close to Murellia again. And I¡¯m pretty sure if I started attacking indiscriminately Murellia would probably decided to intervene and make the whole thing fail anyways. If that¡¯s the case, should I just attack now?

    Damn, what should I do?

    Then, I figured it out. While I was desperately skimming through my skills to see if there was anything that could help, I found something miraculous.

    It was one of the skills that was added to my list of skills that I can buy by spending points, like my Appraisal Block and Demon Beast Knowledge. Maybe I got it because I reached Self-Evo Rank 15. It seems that I unlocked various other skills at that time too.

    ¡ºSmite Evil¡»: Doubles damage against the Evil God and its subordinates. A skill used to banish Evil.

    [¡ºSmite Evil¡»¡­ an Evil Being specialized skill?]

    Rather than raising the level of some magic skills, this was clearly a better candidate!

 Chapter 328: Counterattack: Start

    <h4>Chapter 328: Counterattack: Start</h4>

    [This skill¡­ is obviously the best choice!]

    I¡¯ve decided on the skill I need to break out of this situation. Get this skill, attack Murellia, get Fran and the gang, and then get the hell out of here!

    Rather than invest in some random magic skill and hope for the best, it¡¯s much better to invest in a skill that I know will definitely be of use. I spend 5 Self-Evo points and gained the skill.

    ¡¶Skill: Smite Evil has been acquired.¡·

    Next, it¡¯s important to see whether I can evolve this skill further. If I can, it will be a surefire powerhouse.

    ¡¶Self-Evolution points will be consumed to increase the level of Smite Evil. Please confirm.¡·

    Yes! It looks like the skill can be leveled up to Rank 5 at the highest. I pumped all of my remaining points into the skill in order to max it out!

    ¡¶Evil¡¯s Bane has been acquired. Fran has earned the title Evil yer.¡·

    Evil¡¯s Bane: The power to defeat and seal the Kin of the Evil God.

    What? The exnation of this skill seems really vague¡­ No, thinking about it, most Unique Skills have weirdly fluffy descriptions like this. I think it was the same way for Sword Lord. Kinda the opposite of what you¡¯d expect.

    ¡°¡­ Hm? The sword has a weird feeling all of the sudden¡­¡±

    Uh oh. Murellia was able to sense the acquisition?

    ¡°Oh? I can no longer see its status?¡±

    Maybe it wasn''t an Appraisal skill, but some Evil God-like spell that Murellia was using to look at my status. Just looking at these immediate effects, I¡¯m already praising Smite Evil in my heart.

    While she still isn¡¯t totally suspicious of us, we have tounch our attack!

    [Fran! Mare! Kuina! Linde! I¡¯munching an attack on Murellia, use the chance to get out of here!]

    They aren¡¯t going to have a lot of time to process it, but it¡¯s better than nothing. After shouting the n at Fran¡¯s group I immediately spin my de¡¯s tip towards Murellia and used my Telekic Catapult. I invoke the full power of Evil¡¯s Bane and weave it into the attack.

    [HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!]

    ¡°Huh? Did my domination fail? To try and attack me again even though you know it¡¯s useless~!¡±

    Moments before I make contact, Murellia puts up a full-powered barrier. If it was before, I would¡¯ve just bounced off without even rattling her. But now¡­

    It was so easy that I was shocked. I flew right past the barrier like it wasn¡¯t even there.

    Murellia¡¯s proud look is immediately reced by agony. I buried my de deep into her stomach, and the concentrated power of her Evil God¡¯s energy drastically decreased. This is probably the sealing effect of Evil¡¯s Bane.

    [Take this!]

    ¡°Geh-! You dare-!¡±

    In order to do more damage, I released me magic inside of Murellia¡¯s body. Though, it seems like the power of Evil¡¯s Bane isn¡¯t as strong with magic as it is with physical attacks. Even though the amount of power she had decreased inparison from before, she was still able to mitigate the harm I could do. I burned some of her wounds, but I wasn¡¯t able to do much damage otherwise. Though, regardless of that, Murelia doesn¡¯t have the chance to speak. She was too busy mitigating said damage with her remaining evil power.

    ¡°Y-You¡­ You still had a hidden ability up your sleeve¡­? Ghaa!¡±

    [Surprise!]

    This time, it was my turn. Murellia grabbed my handle and pulled my out with her monstrous strength. Then, she flicked her fist into my de. Even though Evil¡¯s Bane was protecting my entire body, it wasn¡¯t enough to stop such an attack. My de was broken in the middle, now half length.

    ¡°This¡­ This damn sword! You will submit to me!¡±

    Murellia flew into a rage after being wounded by me. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to her surroundings. Without catching her notice, I was secretly lengthening the decorative chain that dangled from my hilt.

    [Whoops, sorry about that!]

    ¡°GYAAAAAA!¡±

    My chain splits into countless thorns and stabs into Murelia¡¯s back. They aren¡¯t as powerful as my earlier attack, but under the effects of Evil¡¯s Bane each one cleanly pierces her body, ignoring Murellia¡¯s barrier.

    Arching her back, Murellia screams with pain. Was her concentration broken due to the severe pain? After all, Immediately after I initiated the attack, the dome-shaped barrier that inhibited transportation magic practically melted into the air.

    Alright! This should be enough to escape! I instantly return to Fran¡¯s hand with Short Jump.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    [Fran! We¡¯re getting out of here!]

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Though, as we were preparing to escape, multiple shadows rushed towards the battlefield faster than we could flee. Apparently arge group had been hiding their presence just outside of the barrier. There were about 30 of them. My first thought was that they had been with the enemy, but I couldn''t detect the presence of the Evil God with them.

    The figure at the front of the group released a burst of magic power and elerated to a speed that even I couldn¡¯t catch. They ran straight at the Valkyrie that was fighting with Mare, leaving an afterimage of ck lightning.

    ¡°Haaaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Wh-? Where did y-!¡±

    Caught by surprise, the Valkyrie turned towards the figure dashing straight at her, but it was toote. A sword pierced cleanly through the Valkyrie¡¯s chest, and released an incredible burst of ck lightning into its body.

    ¡°This can¡¯t beeeeeeeeeee!¡±

    Such were thest words of the Valkyrie named Rossweiss. Only ck charcoal was left behind.

    ¡°Hmph. Careless.¡±

    ¡°M-Master Kiara! What are you doing here!¡±

    Mare screams in half surprise and half joy. The identity of the mysterious figure was apparently, Kiara, who seems to have evolved!

    The tall, masculine facial expressions are all the same as they were when we met her at the capital. However, if you looked closely, you could see a change in her hair. Her long gray hair from before was gone, and was now striped gray and ck, like a tiger¡¯s stripes. Indeed, it was a testament to inheriting the power of the Heavenly ck Tiger.

    I appraised her status and¡­ it¡¯s tremendous. Originally, ck Catkin obviously be stronger than their unevolved state due to bing a Heavenly ck Tiger, and also because of learning Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    However, even Fran, who¡¯s stats were raised from my assistance were a far cry from Kiara¡¯s current power. The difference was such that it couldn¡¯t be understated. Kiara, the source of all that power, whispered to us with a subtle smile.

    ¡°Sorry, Mare. I ruined your duel.¡±

 Chapter 329: Kiaras Reinforcements

    <h4>Chapter 329: Kiara''s Reinforcements</h4>

    Our ally appeared and charged into the battle as soon as Murellia¡¯s barrier disappeared. Valkyrie, who was fighting Mare, was quickly defeated by the newly Awakened Kiara.

    But Kiara wasn¡¯t the only help that came along. Everyone else that had been fightning individually received reinforcements too.

    For Kuina who had been fighting the Duhan received the assistance and support of Kiara¡¯s maid, Mia.

    ¡°Kuina, I¡¯m lending my support.¡±

    ¡°Is that Mianoa? Well then, I¡¯ll be depending on your support.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The two maids begin their cooperation with no change of expression or pace. Mianoa is a small girl who¡¯s main charms are fluffy and curly pink hair and dull, sleepy eyes. However, as she joined the fight, she changed into an impactful figure.

    ¡°Awakening.¡±

    The tips of her elbow are erged in an instant, as if the arm of a huge, different creature had been attached there. The surface of the skin is covered withrge gray scales with an arrowhead shape, the tips of her fingers are sharp with thick nails resembling the horns of a bull. Since the other parts of her body remained human, the unusualness of her arms stood out. I was surprised when I appraised her.

    Mianoa belongs to the Gray Mountain Tribe. Their awakened form is probably something like a pangolin beastman form. Her arm strength and defensive power are high, and her inherent abilities are increased to about double, giving her an instant boost to her strength. It¡¯s apletely physical-specific ability apparently.

    While Mianoa directly attacks the Duhan, Kuina sneakily weaves in phantom attacks in perfect synch. Due to the nature of their strategy, the Duhan was unable to make any moves against them.

    While the Duhan¡¯s arms were grabbed from behind and twisted up, it also receives a kick to the back of one knee, making it kneel down. It was a textbook subjugation. Even if the undead don¡¯t feel pain, the forces exerted on it¡¯s joints inhibited it by controlling the flow of its movements.

    Then, with pinpoint uracy, Mianoa drove a nail with full force into the Duhan¡¯s torso.

    ¡°Haa!¡±

    ¡°--¡±

    The sharpened nail drove right through the Duhan¡¯s armor and body both, creating arge hole in its body.

    The nail that went straight through the Duhan stops short just before Kuina¡¯s body. Despite almost being skewered, Kuina doesn¡¯t move. They clearly had each other¡¯s full trust.

    Kuina, who is proficient in mostly trickery and disturbing the opponent¡¯s flow while having low attack power, and Mianoa, who isn¡¯t the fastest, but makes up for it with enough power to score a one-shot. They make a pretty good team.

    ¡°Mianoa, you got some blood on me.¡±

    ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t tease me.¡±

    ¡°I suppose your arm must be getting dull.¡±

    ¡°That is surely not the case.¡±

    Supporting Linde was a familiarrge figure. The skin peeking through the gaps in their armor is gray, rugged hard skin.

    ¡°Shockwavee!¡±

    This was the samurai beastman, Guendalfa, who had also evolved at some point. Compared to Goldalfa who we fought at the martial arts tournament, he¡¯s pitiful, but he¡¯s much stronger than when we said our goodbyes at the capital.

    Guendalfa released his Innate Skill ¡ºShockwave¡» which releases waves of force from his entire body, and inbination with the bombardment of blows with the ckiron sword finished by an upper swing, knocked the Duhan into the sky.

    ¡°KUOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Linde mercilessly barrages the Duhan, who is unable to evade while in midair. After sting it with a breath of me, Linde uses its tail to smash the Duhan back towards the ground with his tail.

    The Duhan had already taken significant damage from that attack, but Guendalfa didn¡¯t give it time to recover and immediately followed up.

    ¡°HOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°KUOOOOOOOOOOOO¡±

    Guendalfa struck downwards with his swords as the Duhan smashed into the ground while Linde descended from the sky with incredible speed and delivered the finishing blow with its tail.

    ¡°Tch, I¡¯m going to be the one to crush it!¡±

    ¡°KUOO!¡±

    Guendalfa and Linde continuously rain down blows on the without stopping, and finally manage to finish off the Duhan.

    You can really feel the difference in level from Mianoa, who managed to defeat their Duhan in a single blow. Although Guendalfa has indeed evolved and gotten stronger, they haven¡¯t quite reached Mianoa¡¯s level yet.

    ¡°ALRIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!¡±

    ¡°KUOOOOOOO!¡±

    And after a long battle, Fran also received her long-awaited help.

    ¡°Garuru!¡±

    ¡°Urushi!¡±

    Rushing out of Fran¡¯s shadow, Urushi bit deeply into Sigrun¡¯s ankle, who finally returned after leaving the scouting unit.

    ¡°Tch, that damn wolf. From where-¡±

    ¡°Got you.¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡±

    Though I thought I had perfectly prated her magic stone, Sigrun vanished without a trace.

    ¡°It¡¯s troublesome for me if I lose your strength.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, Master Murellia¡­¡±

    Murellia had teleported Sigrun beside her. It seems that she¡¯s recovered from the damage I dealt from my attack. Still, her Evil Power has reduced a ton inparison to before.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Wee home, Urushi.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi rushed to our side as we stared at Murellia. Apparently Urushi had also had his hands full fighting when he was away. A painful-looking scar runs the entire length of his body, telling us how intense his battle must¡¯ve been.

    With how much the wound has closed, Kiara¡¯s group probably used a ton of healing magic and potions on him. But his wounds were so deep that they weren¡¯t able to heal thempletely.

    In particr, the scar that ran his entire body on the right side of his stomach was sorge that honestly I was surprised it hadn¡¯t been fatal. The scar can be clearly seen since the fur at its location has been peeled off. He also had several other wounds that could be spotted due to scarring, so I was able to get a very good idea of the seriousness of the injury.

    [Hang on a second. Greater Heal!]

    ¡°Here, little extra.¡±

    My magic and Fran¡¯s healing potion began to heal Urushi¡¯s visible scars. Although a bit of it was still visible, Urushi was much more recoveredpared to before.

    Though, there was one wound that we weren¡¯t able to get rid of.

    [Wow, Urushi got a cool one.]

    ¡°Nn, looks strong.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    From between Urushi¡¯s eyebrows to under his left eye ran a cool-looking scar. Seriously, it looks like it¡¯s straight out of a movie. The power of Urushi¡¯s scary face has reached new heights for sure¡­ Before this point, only kids cried when they were scared by Urushi, but at this point, even adults might not be safe anymore¡­

    Maybe the scar was made by some sort of special attack? It seemed that even advanced potions and healing magic weren¡¯t able to get rid of it.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re making light of me, are you¡­¡±

    Murellia roared and red at us with infuriated eyes. Although it¡¯s been diminished, she still has a huge amount of evil aura that far exceeds us. Even so, when we were faced with her wrath, we were prepared.

    Even if our reinforcements didn¡¯t know who she was, they were probably able to understand how dangerous she was in a single instant. Kiara looks up at Murellia with a serious expression.

    ¡°Well now, you¡¯re a bit more than I expected.¡±

    Even if she¡¯s intimidated, the fact that Kiara and our friends are still standing here, ready to fight is impressive. In fact, all of the adventurers that came to the battlefield as reinforcements with Kiara seemed to be running away, and it wasn¡¯t long before they had all disappeared.

 Chapter 330: The Path of Black Lightning

    <h4>Chapter 330: The Path of ck Lightning</h4>

    ¡°Hahaha, I hope you all don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be going home today~¡±

    Even as sheughs, Murellia releases a wave of pure intimidation and anger. It¡¯s an overwhelming force that even me, with Evil¡¯s Bane, can feel. Looking around, I can see even Kiara and Mare changes their expressions ever so slightly.

    All of the beastmen adventurers that showed up with Kiara were sobered up by her terrifying power and are standing on the sidelines. It¡¯s not that they were weak, all of them had strength superior to a D rank adventurer. But they were all under no illusions. They knew they didn¡¯t have the strength to so muchy a finger on Murellia.

    All of the reinforcements that were still here - Kiara, Mianoa, Guendalfa - all enter their awakened state. It reminded me of a certain prince¡¯s quote, ¡°Super #aiyan Bargain Sale¡±, but retracted that thought when noticed that some of the people that were supposed to be strong weren¡¯t evolving.

    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t those women maids of the royal pce?!¡±

    ¡°No way, two gods of death are over there?¡±

    ¡°Outside the royal pce?¡±

    ¡°Why are such top tier fighters here¡­¡±

    A lot of the adventurers are fighting to get a look at Kuina and Mianoa. Gods of death, huh. And top tier fighters besides that? Apparently the pce maids are more famous and feared than I thought. I suppose it¡¯s only natural if all of them are as strong as those two?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to tear all of you people to shreds, but I¡¯ll let you go if you pass me that sword right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looks like Murellia is still obsessed with me, but Fran only looks on silently.

    ¡°Mm. You¡¯re a passionate little girl, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    Murelia changed her face a bit and held out her right hand. At that moment, something glinted on the surface of my de.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    [Careful, she just did something.]

    ¡°Why are you¡­! I¡¯m telling you toe here!¡±

    Murellia pushed out her hand again, clearly irritated. But once again, a bit more clearly this time, my de shone ck for a short moment.

    ¡°What in the world¡­?¡±

    It looks like she tried to steal me again. However it looks like the effect of Evil¡¯s Bane is demonstrating its usefulness now. Murellia squints and me and makes a frustrated face.

    ¡°No matter I suppose, I¡¯ll just take it from you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say whatever you like.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­ That sword already belongs to me. I¡¯ve decided so.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t give to you.¡±

    Fran¡¯s grip on my hilt tightens.

    ¡°Fufufufu. Then, I suppose I¡¯ll just take it by force! Sigrun, you watch from up here.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Will regret that.¡±

    Murellia extended her arm towards Fran and a ck bullet formed from her power and shot out towards Fran at a high speed. It¡¯s abnormally fast, probably as fast or faster than a bullet. I guess she prioritized speed over power.

    However, Fran easily intercepts its trajectory and simply swats it away with my de. Even if she prioritized speed over power, it should still pack quite a punch, but there isn¡¯t a single scratch on my de.

    Everyone else in the group immediately kicks into high gear.

    ¡°--Fire Javelin!¡±

    ¡°White ze!¡±

    ¡°KUOOO!¡±

    ¡°AWOOOO!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going too!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Kiara begins chanting with no hesitation. I¡¯m not sure whether she chose fire magic by chance, or if she already knew that lightning magic wouldn¡¯t work against Murellia.

    Mare and Linde¡¯s attacks quickly followed, with a myriad of spells and arrows barraging Murellia shortly after.

    ¡°Ku!¡±

    Murellia puts up her barrier with a strangely impatient expression. However, she made an obviously relieved expression when she saw that the barrier had invalidated all the attacks. Murellia instantly puts her proud face back on.

    ¡°Oh, hahaha! Useless!¡±

    Apparently, she had been worried that her power was weakening because of my sessful attacks against her earlier. Though, I guess blocking 20 attacks simultaneously had helped her to regain her confidence.

    However, Murellia¡¯s defense had been foreseen by Kiara. From the beginning, we had been aiming to limit her sight.

    ¡°Rolling ck Thunder¡±

    Kiara¡¯s body immediately blurred as she disappeared and reappeared behind Murellia, as if she¡¯d teleported. To those watching, it¡¯d probably looked like she¡¯d teleported. It was only me and Fran, who¡¯d barely noticed, that she had ovee the gap with sheer speed rather than transfer magic. Kuina and Mianoa might¡¯ve noticed too, but I couldn¡¯t read their unchanging expressions.

    Just how fast has she be now? Rather than the ck lightning wrapping her body, it was as if her body had be ck lightning itself.

    Even if Fran uses ck Lightning Advent and increases her speed with skills and magic, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get anywhere near that speed. Plus, ¡°Rolling ck Thunder¡±?

    Maybe it¡¯s a technique that can only be used while in an awakened ck Heavenly Tiger state, simr to ck Lightning Advent? But we¡¯re not able to use it¡­

    Murellia¡¯s reaction to Kiara was dyed since she was focused on me and Fran.

    ¡°Hah! Impact sh!¡±

    ¡°Gah! Now you¡¯ve done it!¡±

    Amazing! Kiarabined a sword skill with her fire magic and sessfully injured Murellia. I guess no matter how strong you are, if you¡¯re attacked without any protection, you¡¯ll take damage regardless of the gap between you and the attacker. For Kiara though, it seems that her full power strike was only a scratch to Murellia.

    ¡°Well well well! Isn¡¯t this amazing! Hahaha! There¡¯s three ck Heavenly Tigers here! This is amazing! It¡¯s been 500 years since a meeting like this!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, it seems you¡¯re one as well.¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am. A ck Heavenly Tiger and Kin of the Evil God! In other words, I¡¯m as strong as both of thosebined!¡±

    ¡°I see. Rolling ck Thunder!¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    There¡¯s that technique again! But seeing it makes me sure. As far as ck Heavenly Tigers, we still have a long way to go. Just as I have a long way to go to master Kanna Kamui, it seems Fran still has a long path of mastering ck Lightning ahead of her.

    Kiara may have only just evolved, but she¡¯s already umted a ton of battle experience by killing and battling every day, and she has an amazing enough battle sense to receive the blessing of the God of Fighting. Taking that into ount, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to be able to acquire and properly use the abilities she¡¯d only just acquired.

    ¡°Haah!¡±

    ¡°You-!¡±

    The two of them were locked in a fierce one-on-one, to be honest, Murellia had an overwhelming advantage. Neither of their ck Lightning techniques are nullified due to the nature of ck Heavenly Tigers, and Kiara¡¯s attacks only inflict negligible damage. But if Murellia¡¯s attacksnd even once, it¡¯s game over.

    Though, that doesn¡¯t stop the battle-crazed Kiara from trying to cut her opponent to pieces.

    [Fran, I¡¯ll assist you!]

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Even in the middle of her fight, Murellia has been wary of Fran and I on the sidelines. Even Fran slightly increasing her grip on me increased the tension to new heights. Despite that, Fran jumped into the fight.

    You¡¯ll probably get mad at uster, but first, we need to take care of Murellia.

 Chapter 331: The Pursuit

    <h4>Chapter 331: The Pursuit</h4>

    [Let¡¯s go!]

    ¡°HAA!¡±

    Fran propelled herself with a jump with the intent to kill as she shed at Murellia. Normally in such a battle, Fran would have the advantage due to her ridiculously high skill with the sword. However, in this battle where Murellia had the ability to fly, the odds became less clear. In this scenario, it resulted in a battle in which each attack towards both sides had been prevented. However, Murellia¡¯s ability to fly is pretty shabby inparison to before I poked her with Evil¡¯s Bane. I guess that confirms that I managed to seal away some of her evil power. There¡¯s a clear dy in when she invokes skills and when they activate. This is our chance.

    She can probably already tell from my earlier attack that her barriers won¡¯t stop me. As such, Murellia began topletely ignore Kiara¡¯s attacks and set her attention solely on Fran. Even though Kiara had managed to prate Murellia¡¯s barriers, I guess thetter had decided the damage was negligable.

    ¡°HA!¡±

    Before we knew it, Mare had jumped into the three-person battle alongside us. Sparing a quick nce at the ground, it looks like she was thrown by Mianoa. We just didn¡¯t notice her approach until she was right on top of us because of Kuina¡¯s illusion magic.

    At first, Murellia just ignored Mare, but it wasn¡¯t too long before she adopted a defensive posture. It seems that any Danger Detection skills she had were firing all cylinders. Looks like we¡¯re finally getting a bit of an edge in this fight. If Murellia starts trying to prevent Mare¡¯s attacks with her barrier, she¡¯ll inevitably begin to fail at preventing Fran¡¯s attacks. Suddenly, Murellia¡¯s figure disappears and reappears more than a dozen meters away.

    Ah, she¡¯s running.

    [She¡¯s running!]

    ¡°Geh. Annoying!¡±

    We immediately give chase and continue our assault. Most of our attacks are going to be prevented, but that¡¯s part of the strategy. While Murellia is busy trying to stop my barrier-ignoring de, if Mare is able to get in a good hit it might be able to decide the battle.

    ¡°What, running already? ¡ºre Cannon¡»!¡±

    Shooting straight out from Mare is a beam straight out of a sci-fi movie. Apparently, if she utilizes both her golden and white me and condenses it, she can even do something like this. If her golden bonfire that destroyed the Valkyrie from before was her ultimate melee attack, this would for sure be her ultimate ranged attack.

    Murellia, with her focus on Fran and I, wasn¡¯t able to respond to the attack in time. As the tinum swirl of energypletely destroyed her lower body.

    ¡°Geh-¡±

    That was an attack with all of Mare¡¯s power behind it. I guess even Murellia¡¯s barrier hadn¡¯t been enough to stop such a thing. She visibly trembles in pain from losing half of her body. I guess she doesn¡¯t have Pain Resistance.

    ¡°You piece of sh*t! I¡¯ll tear you into shreds!¡±

    Murellia¡¯s power immediately pulses as muscles and flesh almost seem to worm their way out of her wounds and regenerate her. At the same time, an evil mist-like aura begins to seep off of her. As we approach it Danger Detection begins ring. It looks like she¡¯s trying to salvage her power and protect herself with this fog. But sorry, it¡¯s not enough to stop us.

    Fran raises me above her as we approach. Upon contact with the mist, everything around us appears to slow toplete standstill as Fran unleashes her attack.

    ¡ºSword Lord Technique - Broken Sky¡»

    As she invokes the technique, Fran calmly takes a deep breath; our surroundings slow to a crawl as her concentration increases to the breaking point.

    And as she swings my de, the evil energy in front of us fragments into countless pieces.

    ¡°Y-YOU!¡±

    Through the aftermath of our attack, we catch a glimpse of Murellia¡¯s figure. Her body, or what remained of it, had been torn from her left shoulder to her right side. Her organs begin spilling to the ground beneath her, as unlike Mare¡¯s attack ours didn¡¯t cauterize her wounds.

    Though to her credit, Murellia is truly the toughest enemy we¡¯ve had so far. She¡¯s already started regenerating her freshly received wounds. But Kiara was there to capitalize on her weakened state.

    ¡°Can¡¯t ignore me now, can you?¡±

    ¡°You old hag!¡±

    Kiara instantly cuts into Murellia with¡ºRolling ck Thunder¡». Her de cuts cleanly through all of the Evil Being¡¯s barriers, Murellia herself, and - with an incredible roar - straight through the earth.

    Although she dealt a decisive blow to Murellia, unlike Murellia and Fran and I¡¯sbined mana pools, there¡¯s no way she should¡¯ve been able to use Brilliant Lightning Rush without a tremendous burden on her body. Immediately after unleashing her attack fell to the ground, probably exhausted, and drops her awakened state.

    [Kiara¡¯s in trouble!]

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran begins to rush towards Kiara, but gets a scolding instead.

    ¡°Gah, I¡¯m fine. Shouldn¡¯t you be focussing on the battle?!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Kiara¡¯s re seals the deal. Fran immediately changes her momentum towards the downed Murellia. Even if she¡¯s used up her entire mana pool, it¡¯s Kiara, I have no doubt she¡¯ll be able to manage.

    Sigrun, finally understanding that her master is in serious danger, rushes to seperate us and her mistress. Upon inspection, she has a jet-ck stone in a tight grip. It¡¯s probably one of those Evil Magic Stones, though strangely it appears that she¡¯s retained her reason, with the only noticeable effect being her ck-stained eyes.

    Her movements are incredibly more refinedpared to the battle from before. It seems she¡¯s using the stones to not only boost her stats, but probably even give her skills a few extra levels. I can¡¯t even tell since she¡¯s be saturated with the Evil God¡¯s power though.

    [Hey, aren¡¯t they supposed to go berserk when they use one of those stones?]

    ¡°¡­ Why still in control?¡±

    The Valkyrie answers Fran¡¯s question.

    ¡°Fuhahaha! Unlike my inferior sisters, I was born as a Kin of the War God! Now that I have the Evil God¡¯s power as well, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d go insane from something like this!¡±

    I see, so there¡¯s still some kind of rtionship from when the Evil God was still considered one of the actual gods? Through her genealogy from the War God, it somehow makes her resistant- No, maybe it gives her some affinity to the Evil God?

    I guess it¡¯s somewhat like the Beastmen¡¯s tribes inheriting the power of the founding beast?

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    ¡°Tch¡±

    Each time Fran and Sigrun sh, the stone that¡¯s enhancing her will be a little less powerful due to Evil¡¯s Bane. Likewise, as the stone weakens, the bonus that the Valkyrie gets to her stats gets lower and lower. This is basically a countdown until Fran and I win, but we¡¯re in a rush.

    After all, the more time we spend on this fight, the more Murellia recovers.

    [Let¡¯s finish this up Fran!]

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    [Alright, here we go!]

    ¡¸Kanna Kamui!¡¹

    ¡ºKanna Kamui!¡»

    Up to this day, I don¡¯t even know how many times we¡¯ve used this spell. But this is probably the first time we¡¯ve used it at minimal power. Or so I say, but even though that¡¯s the case, Evil¡¯s Bane is incorporated into the attack, so it¡¯ll still do pretty decent damage. Though even saying that, with this amount of power, it¡¯ll only trip up our opponents for a second. That is, that would be the case if that was the end of the story.

    I stretched my little decorative chain, slowly lengthening it until it was long enough to form a loose. The goal here is to try and mirror Fermus¡¯ attacks against us in the 3rd round of the martial arts tournament: a tsunami of threads that attacks from all directions at once. Or so I tried, but I¡¯m not quite there yet, at only being created a fine wave.

    The disadvantage of this technique is that I don¡¯t have anywhere near enough threads to do any meaningful damage. Unless the target is an Evil Being, that damage this would do is pretty much negligible. On the upside though, is that it¡¯s very tricky to avoid. In a word, this is an extremely effective technique against Evil Beings.

    Sigrun, who has made every effort to prevent our Kanna Kamui, has stopped dead in her tracks. Not wanting to miss this obvious opening, Fran and I attacked.

    ¡°GYAA!¡±

    After our strike the threads did their work, shredding her body apart into tiny pieces. It probably looked really cool to those watching, as it looked like our single sh had resulted in over 100 cuts.

    [Tch, her magic stone was barely worth anything!]

    Even if she didn¡¯t go insane just from using the stone, it looks like using it had the same effect on her stone as it did to the first Valkyrie we fought. It¡¯s a shame!

    Murellia watches as her subordinate is shred apart and grinds her teeth together. It seems her regeneration has just finished restoring her.

    ¡°Oho, now¡­ now you¡¯ve done it!!¡±

    [Fran, she¡¯s in terrible shape, this is it!]

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Fran rushes in to cut down Murellia as she begins to take flight¡­ just as another figure bars her way.

    ¡°Uoooo!!!¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    [Is that a human?]

    It was indeed a human. A man dressed as a knight takes a fighting stance as he assists Murellia. Apparently he had been skulking around while hiding his presence. Is he a friend to Murellia or something?

    ¡°Murellia hasn¡¯t done anything wrong, leave her alone!¡±

 Chapter 332: The Knights of Bashar

    <h4>Chapter 332: The Knights of Bashar</h4>

    I try appraising the idiot that jumped out in defense of Murellia.

    Name: Johan Magnolia

    Age: 45

    Race: Human

    upation: Covert Knight

    Level: 53/99

    HP: 457 MP: 209

    Arm Strength: 238

    Physical Strength: 198

    Agility: 192

    Intelligence: 110

    Magical Power: 97

    Dexterity: 99

    Skills:

    Assassination Lv. 6

    Acting Lv. 5

    Lie Detection Lv. 3

    Stealth Lv. 6

    Detection Lv. 6

    Court Etiquette Lv. 2

    Attitude Detection Lv. 3

    Archery Lv. 3

    Swordy Lv. 7

    Swordsmanship Lv. 8

    Social Skills Lv. 5

    Shield Techniques Lv. 4

    Shield Arts Lv. 6

    Covert Actions Lv. 3

    Poison Resistance Lv. 5

    Poison Techniques Lv. 6

    Paralysis Resistance Lv. 3

    Water Magic Lv. 1

    Speechcraft Lv. 5

    Power Control

    Painless

    Unique Skills

    Danger Sight

    Titles

    Murder

    Vice Knight of Bashar

    This guy isn¡¯t half bad. Although he¡¯s nowhere near as strong as Fran, he¡¯d still put up a good fight in a physical battle. He¡¯s not so much a violent killer as he is a guy that slinks around in the shadows and quietly takes lives.

    Plus, his title is the Vice Knight of Bashar. Although I don¡¯t know the ranks of knights in the kingdom, chances are he ranks pretty high. Murellia had an alliance with the Basharian Kingdom, so it¡¯s not really strange that he¡¯s here.

    Johan deflected our attack and shouted towards Murellia.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be supporting you!¡±

    ¡°What in the world are you doing here? Your job doesn¡¯t involve helping me!¡±

    Even though he¡¯s helping out, Murellia yells at him furiously. Murellia has a look of rage on her face, though Johanughs it off with a refreshing smile.

    ¡°Hahaha! My job may only be to monitor you, but you¡¯ve done far too much for our country to simply watch as you¡¯re in in battle.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Do whatever you want.¡±

    Murellia closes her eyes and concentrates on recovery.

    ¡°Won¡¯t let you!¡±

    ¡°Too eager, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    This guy easily keeps up with Fran¡¯s movements. Each time she attempts to charge Murellia she finds the knight¡¯s shield waiting for her. This is probably the effect of his unique skill. From the name, it probably simtes the effect of danger detection except disys the danger visually.

    ¡°HAAAAA!¡±

    [Eat this!]

    Even if you can see it, it doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t prevent it! In order to throw off Johann, I start throwing out wind and me magic in sync with Fran¡¯s strikes.

    But somehow, Johann is even able to stave this attack off. Utilizing both sword skills and shield skills, he scatters our wind magic with flicks of his sword while simply dodging the mes. This unique skill is a hell of a lot more useful than I thought.

    However, it seems that his sword hand has gotten exhausted due to neutralizing all of the wind magic. Spurred on by my annoyance at Johann¡¯s persistence, I unleashed a telekic catapult at Murellia while he¡¯s distracted. The purpose being to put pressure on Murellia with ranged attacks while keeping the knight upied with melee attacks.

    ¡°Dammit, dodge this!¡±

    Johann put up his shield just in time for me to m into him, though he¡¯s pushed back several feet by the impact. Fran jumps forward and reims me, twisting to m me once again into the knight¡¯s shield, and he¡¯s blown away to the side from the impact.

    We don¡¯t pursue him any further, since our aim is Murellia anyways, but magic gets shot at us from somewhere to interrupt us.

    ¡ºAir Slicer!¡»

    Nearly 20 des of aire hurtling out of the sky around us. Each of them is quite powerful, probably nearly enough to slice a limb off. While dodging the rain of attacks, we spy the man likely responsible for attacking us, a man dressed like a magician surrounded by some knights that seemed like his subordinates. Where the heck were these guys? Right after Johann showed up I scanned the surroundings just to make sure there wasn¡¯t going to be any more surprises¡­ was it some kind of skill?

    ¡°We¡¯ll protect Murellia!!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll nevery a hand on our lord!¡±

    ¡°Fuhaha! Are you trying to hide behind our benefactor?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re hiding away, it¡¯ll bring shame to the knight¡¯s name!¡±

    The name of the sorcerer man who was screaming is Sanhawk Goldie. Appraisal says he¡¯s a 43 year old Storm Knight. Although his swordmanship is worse than Johann¡¯s, he has Storm Magic at level 4 and Chant Reduction at level 6, and he also has a good bnce of offense and defense. He also possesses a skill called Group Stealth. This one is probably why I didn¡¯t notice them.

    As Sunhawk began to cast again, he turned his sharp eyes towards Fran. These guys are probably ready to be shields for Murellia.

    ¡°First, eliminate the escorts.¡±

    ¡°WONWON!¡±

    Guendalfa and Urushiunch themselves at the group of knights.Kuina and Mianoa are probably both exhausted, and as much as I¡¯d like for them to help keep back the knights, I don¡¯t expect them to join in. It can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We can¡¯t sit here and be useless!¡±

    ¡°Ou!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take that man¡¯s head!¡±

    Our adventurer escorts were¡­ pretty much useless. They must¡¯ve saved their stamina and watched for an opportunity to attack. They quickly realized that they couldn¡¯t win even if they fought conservatively and waited for a chance to strike. Perhaps it would¡¯ve worked if they were up against rookie adventurers, but their opponent was too strong.

    ¡°Stop! You people! Those knights are-!¡±

    Guendalfa called out to stop them, but the adventurer¡¯s paid no heed. Before they were even able to reach the knights, ck bullets shot out and pierced through the adventurers, shot from Murellia. They don¡¯t instantly die from the attack, which suggests that she only aimed to knock them out to begin with.

    But, this is an opportunity. With the attack she just threw out, Murellia probably barely has any evil energy left. She¡¯s probably barely conscious right now. As soon as the knight group is distracted, we dash through the center of them. The knights probably noted something shot past them, as many of them looked back with wide eyes, but it was far toote. We were already one step away from Murellia.

    [We made it!]

    ¡°HAA!¡±

    At the moment Fran strikes out, a newly recovered Johann jumps in to intercept the attack. Apparently he sensed the attack with his unique skill. How many times have we been interrupted now?!

    ¡°Guhaa!¡±

    ¡°So persistent!¡±

    Fran¡¯s thrust that should¡¯ve hit Murellia pierces Johann¡¯s chest instead. But it¡¯s too soon for us to stop. Fran puts even more strength behind the strike in Johann¡¯s chest.

    ¡°I. WON¡¯T. LET. YOU!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it Johann!¡±

    Murellia cries out, but Johann doesn¡¯t heed her.

    ¡°Nugaa!¡±

    Johann doesn¡¯t hesitate to stab the sword deeper into his body, just to take a step closer to us. We¡¯re probably only a few feet away from Murellia at this point. Johann grabs the de in his chest, hurting his hand but trying to keep the de from moving anywhere else.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die here¡­ With me!¡±

    There is no hesitation in his words. The group of knights behind us surrounds us and dash towards Fran.

    [Tch.]

    We escaped for the time being. Johann sunk to the ground in a bloody heap after receiving the attacks meant for us from his friends. The attack failed but it looks like that was enough to take care of the Vice Knight for a while. We¡¯ll reach Murellia for sure with this next attack. Fran was probably thinking along the same lines, as she readies me in her stance again.

    But before we¡¯re able to advance, we are attacked from behind from an unexpected opponent.

    ¡°Gaa!¡±

    ¡°Hyaaa!¡±

    ¡°Gaoo!¡±

    It was¡­ the adventurers that fell to Murellia? Their skin is a sickly color, and they¡¯re clearly in an abnormal state.

    The adventurers rush towards Fran, one after another. It looks like they¡¯ve turned into undead.

    ¡°Ahaha! Just even if it doesn¡¯t work on that irritating sword, the rule of the Evil God still reigns supreme!¡±

    I see, those bullets she shot must¡¯ve beenced with the Evil God¡¯s influence, and now they¡¯re under Murellia¡¯s control.

    ¡°As of this moment, you all are--?¡±

    Murellia, who was just starting to get back in her regr haughty attitude, apparently sensed something and turned away. Following her gaze, she seems to be looking at the to the northern skyline.

    ¡°Hang on, what are you talking about? I still have Johann of the 3rd Knights¡­ Intruder?!¡±

    Huh? What the hell is she on about?

    ¡°Hold on! You want me to withdraw¡­! Do you even see what¡¯s going on? That¡¯s --- Dammit!¡±

    It seems that she¡¯s talking to someone¡­ And that she¡¯s going to be withdrawing.

    ¡°My apologies, I¡¯m going to have to withdraw. I expect you to be following behind me.¡±

    ¡°Haha! Please don¡¯t worry about me!¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°This is my job after all.¡±

    ¡°Your job should be monitoring me! I won¡¯t to die yet, Johann.¡±

    Murrelia uncorked and sprinkled a life potion over Johann. We watch in awe as the knight¡¯s flesh weaves and stitched itself back together. That must¡¯ve been a top tier potion!

    [Fran, Murellia¡¯s running!]

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    We immediately dash up to Murellia, and Fran unleashed a sh at her.

    ¡°Haaa!¡±

    ¡°Gaa! This little brat! Next time we meet will be the end for you, remember that!¡±

    [Dammit. She¡¯s teleporting!]

    Murellia vanishes from the spot, even though her arms were cleanly severed by Fran. I can¡¯t sense her presence anywhere around me. It seems she really did escape.

    ¡°Where did she go?¡±

    [Listen Fran, I want to pursue her as much as you do, but we need to take care of the knights and adventurers first.]

    ¡°¡­ Understood.¡±

    This is going to be the trickiest part, we need to subdue these guys without killing them.

 Chapter 333: Cleansing Evil

    <h4>Chapter 333: Cleansing Evil</h4>

    Murellia has officially escaped the battle. All that we have left to clean up is the Bashar Knights and the unfortunate adventurers that were possessed by the Evil God.

    [Kuina, Protect Mia and Kiara!]

    Right after I send the warning, I nket the entire area with lightning magic. Well, with opponents of this level, it really is just that easy. The adventurers-turned-evil probably would¡¯ve run away if things had looked bad for them, but by using lightning magic we were able to paralyze them and stop that altogether.

    ¡°Guuuuuuu!¡±

    ¡°Uugghhh¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    We finished tying up all the adventurers, but once the paralysis wore off they started screaming and moaning, trying to break free of their bonds.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    On the contrary though, the knights have remainedpletely silent this entire time. What a troublesome bunch both of them are.

    ¡°I want to return our adventurers back to sanity, but I think there¡¯s something wrong.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s something that¡¯ll be dispelled easily.¡±

    Mare, who¡¯s recovered from her exhaustion, and Guendalfa stand above the restrained adventurers with their arms crossed and worried looks on their faces. Actually, I¡¯d already tried casting purifying magic on them, but it seems like there¡¯s either no point, or my skill level is too low.

    Actually, maybe I¡¯m going about this the wrong way.

    (Master, kill them?)

    [Hmm¡­ I¡¯d kinda like to save that as ast resort, but I have something in mind.]

    (Nn.)

    [Can you touch my de to one of them for a second?]

    (Understood.)

    This might work better than purifying magic. Thinking along these lines, I request Fran to put me in direct contact with one of the possessed adventurers, taking care not to hurt them. Needless to say, I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be so effective.

    ¡°GYAAAAAAAAA!¡±

    [Woah!]

    The adventurer screamed and began writhing in his bonds. I watched closely, and slowly but surely, a strange ck energy bubbled to the surface of his skin and boiled away into nothing. Evil¡¯s Bane might be a whole lot more useful than I had even anticipated.

    I mean, sure, the adventurer freaked the hell out. But other than that, it looks like the energy haspletely. I was a bit worried about the scream, but I checked out his status and his health hasn¡¯t decreased at all, so is it safe to call this experiment a sess?

    ¡°Hey hey, what did you do to that guy?¡±

    ¡°Purified evil.¡±

    Guendalfa, who doesn¡¯t understand the situation, makes a face at Fran. From his perspective it probably looked like fran just hit the guy in the shoulder with my de and caused him to scream in pain. That would certainly be a cause for worry.

    Guendalfa walks up to the adventurer and taps his cheek.

    ¡°Oi, you alright?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­ Where¡­¡±

    Huh, looks like he¡¯s returned to sanity. He¡¯s responding well enough, and it looks like his memories cut off at the point that he was struck by Murellia¡¯s ck bullets. Hopefully, this means it¡¯s safe enough to perform on the other adventurers. The screaming is a bit¡­ unsettling though.

    ¡°Higyaa!¡±

    ¡°Raaaaugh!¡±

    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±

    Guendalfa, the only one who doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening, is baffled by the sight that is taking ce before him. Though this time around he knows Fran doesn¡¯t mean any harm, so he¡¯s not stopping us.

    Around five minutester, all the previously brainwashed adventurers were waking up, sanity newly restored. All I had to do is touch them to expel the evil energy, pretty simple.Even then it¡¯s Fran that¡¯s actually touching me to them, so I¡¯m doing even less work!

    But anyways, Evil¡¯s Bane is amazing! To think that it was as simple as touching me to snap possessed people out of the stupor. I didn¡¯t think that such a panic spreading force such as the Evil God¡¯s influence could be banished with just a tap. This will surely be an incredibly useful skill for dealing with Evil Entities in the future.

    I entrust the adventures to a very confused Guendalfa. Fran and I head over to the knights group to see if we can¡¯t get some useful information out of them.

    ¡°Alright fes, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way.¡±

    The knights look at Mare without even a hint of fear or intimidation in their eyes, in fact, it¡¯s almost like they¡¯re looking at her with contempt. In their eyes, we can clearly make out the gleam of determination, making clear their hatred against beastmen.

    ¡°Look, I know that you people are from the Bashar Kingdom. What is your rtionship with the evil being Murellia?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What were you trying to aplish here?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Geez, tough crowd. If they¡¯re this stubborn about giving up such basic info, these guys are gonna be a pain in the ass to get anything out of.

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it. I really didn¡¯t want to do things this way but¡­ Kuina.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The interrogations begin in earnest. They start by simply asking questions, then threaten them before moving to actually hurt them, and then hurting them even more. Even this wasn¡¯t enough. There isn¡¯t even a hint of one of their mouths budging.

    They tried a bunch of things. They tried to say they¡¯re only trying to help reduce casualties. They imed that they don¡¯t want to hurt the knights. They threatened them. Tortured them. Nothing worked, the light in the knight¡¯s eyes shined just as brightly as it did in the beginning. It¡¯s hard not to be impressed.

    ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll ask. What is your rtionship with Murellia?¡±

    Even if they singled a knight out and asked questions while slowly bending all of his fingers back, one by one, they only silently screamed while violently clenching their teeth.

    ¡°Hah¡­ These guys are the real deal, I doubt we¡¯re going to get anything out of them.

    ¡°Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.¡±

    Kuina agrees with Mare¡¯s statement, taking her hands off of the man¡¯s fingers.

    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have any other option. Kuinda, please.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Kuina¡¯s going to go question that guy.¡±

    As I watched, Kuina walks up to a knight that¡¯s been singled out from the rest. The knight¡¯s identity is Johan Magnolia, the leader of the knight group. He was severely injured by Fran and I¡¯s attack when he used his body as a shield for an attack meant for Murellia, but he¡¯s since recovered from a potion Murellia gave him along with Fran and I¡¯s healing magic.

    Still, he¡¯s notpletely recovered, and he¡¯s currently lying on the ground, but that¡¯s better Kuina¡¯s purposes.

    ¡°This will go smoother if the target is not at full strength.¡±

    Kuina said, and begins activating her Inherent Skill, Phantom Dream Matrix. In addition to having Illusion effects mixed in, it also appears to have a slightly hypnotic effect. Since the main effect is the illusions, the hypnotic effect is weak. It seems that Kuina had to use every bit of MP she could in order to sessfully put him in a hypnotic state.

    ¡°Now. Look into my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Geh-¡±

    Johannshes his sore body away and looks away from Kuina.

    ¡°Fufu. I lied. I don¡¯t need your gaze to apply this technique.¡±

    It seems the purpose of that was to split Johann¡¯s attention away from the fact that he was being hypnotized for a brief moment by making him concentrate on something else. Johann, focusing on looking away, showed a small gap.

    A considerable amount of magical energy erupts from Kuina and shoots towards Johann.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see if it took. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Johann Magnolia.¡±

    ¡°Sess.¡±

 Chapter 334. Murelliaâ€™s History

    <h4>Chapter 334. Murellia¡¯s History</h4>

    Thanks to Kuina¡¯s Phantom Illusion Matric, Johan is hypnotized. However, this effect doesn¡¯t seem like it willst for long, which means I need to quickly find out what I want to know.

    ¡°What is your affiliation!?¡± Kuina asked.

    ¡°Johan! Snap out of it!¡±

    ¡°Vice-captain! You scum!¡±

    ¡°Release us you wretches!¡± In loud voices, the other knights tried to disturb Kuina.

    Kuina tried to question Johan, but the other knights interfered. From their point of view, they could understand that Johan was being manipted.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡±

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡±

    With Fran¡¯s Wind Magic, any sounds from the knights were cut off. No matter how much their mouths moved, their voices were unable to reach us. With this, we canfortably Johan for information.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. Which ce are you affiliated with?¡±

    ¡°The Bashar Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°What is the rtionship between you and Murellia?¡±

    ¡°Miss Murellia is the benefactor of my country as well as my home.¡±

    ¡°Let me know more about that. Tell me what you know about Murellia.¡±

    Johan then began to tell us about Murellia¡¯s rtionship with themselves. It was a story about Murellia from 500 years before, that waspletely different from those told in the Beastkin Empire.

    In that time, 500 years ago, Murellia was steadily umting fame whilst acting as an adventurer. She bore her honor as a member of the royal family, and although she was prideful, she did not seem to have a twisted character. Rather, she was actually concerned about the beastkin supremacists and their rejection of humans, which was the mainstream ideology in the country at the time, and she even desired to regte this discriminatory behavior towards humans. However, despite her status as royalty, Murellia had little actual influence due to being an adventurer. As such, she began to Party with humans to improve her public image more.

    Shortly after, she had a fateful encounter, and, of all things, fell in love with a human in the same Party (Adventuring Team). Unfortunately, love between the princess of the beastkin and a human, whom were treated as ves or worse in the beastkin nation at the time, could not be tolerated.

    Murellia, who refused to give up despite these sentiments, instead decided to change the very nature of the people around her and her country itself. Retiring as an adventurer, she returned to the Royal Pce to gain status and voice amongst her people.

    However, due to her human lover, the bacsh towards Murellia was severe. She had be an affront to the pride and honor of the beastkin. A fool who had gone mad over a mere human. Worse, she opened herself to be exposed to even worse rumors, such as that she was a prostitute, a fallen princess, or as scum to even humans. To put it kindly, there was no beastkin around who would take her side.

    In the end, Murellia and her lover were separated by the King, as the shame of the ruling beastkin tribe. That was not all. In order to sever any lingering attachments Murellia had for the human, the King arranged a female human ve for her lover and forced them to procreate. In front of Murellia.

    It seems that the lover was threatened using Murellia as a shield, and had no choice but to obey¡­

    To begin with, Murellia was only infuriated with the beastkin who were conducting unreasonable acts against humans, but after being deprived of her lover, it had be a profound and terrible hatred. It was to such an extent that one could say nothing in this world held value to her anymore.

    Immediately after this, Murellia made contact with the Evil God. At that time, the royal family was managing the seal, but Murellia broke it in order to destroy the beastkin nation. However, because of the many years in captivity, she failed to immediately resurrect the Evil God. Instead, the Evil God empowered Murellia and ordered her to gather souls for itself.

    It seems that Murellia had the ability to resist Evil Magic, and even with the power of the Evil God, she did not lose her reason and rampage. Murellia continued to resurrect the Evil God and take revenge. The first thing she did was to take control of the beastkin royal family. She did this simply by manipting them with the power of the Evil God.

    With the political power she gained from this, having obtained the power of the Evil God and the ck Cat tribe as tools, Murellia began to politically purge any factions which would discriminate against and oppress humanity. It was a two-bird one-stone strategy that would both exterminate the beastkin races she despised, and offer up souls to the Evil God. Unfortunately, that did not mean discrimination against humanity would disappear from the country. Rather, the resistance to Murellia, who forcibly pushed for human protection, became even more critical of humans by the day.

    At that time, assassins were frequently sent to kill Murellia, as well as her lover, who many believed to be a fiend that had driven Murellia mad. As such, Murellia kept her lover, the female ve, and the newborn child born between the two humans close to her side where she could protect them.

    However, as the pressure from assassins increased with each passing day, it came to a point that Murellia finally resolved to have her lover and his family escape. The destination was the neighboring Kingdom of Bashar, a country founded by humans. That being said, they were uncertain if they would be epted as officials of the beastkin royal family. For this reason, Murellia gave them confidential information on the southern nobles¡¯ n to invade the Bashar Kingdom.

    The Bashar Kingdom of that time was not even half the size of what it was currently. Furthermore, they had to deal with the beastkin nation, which was highly aggressive towards them. In addition, they had been defeated in the war the previous year, making preventing another beastkin invasion into theirnd difficult.

    It was to this kingdom that they brought the military intelligence Murellia had given them. While initially doubtful, they acted on the information nheless, and managed to sessfully defend their country. At the same time, one of the other decisive factors that lead to their victory was Murellia, who lead the ck Cat tribe and attacked the invading army from behind.

    Thanks to this, Murellia believed she could offer up arge number of souls to revive the Evil God, exterminate the beastkin, and regain her lover at once. However, this was not the case.

    In the end, her lover, the female ve, and the child born between the two, spent the rest of their lives in the Bashar Kingdom. The lover revived the Magnolia family with the child born from the female ve as heir, whilst the female ve became a mistress of that time¡¯s king.

    In other words, the prince of the Bashar royal family and the heir of the Magnolia family became half siblings. The Magnolia family, under the protection of the royal family, continued to retain its name since, and was now known as a family of warrior masters.

    ¡°What a ridiculous story¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± After hearing Johan¡¯s story, Mia thought with a troubled expression. Of course, the fact remains that Murellia is a sinner attempting to revive the Evil God, but this story implies that her character wasn¡¯t originally broken. Of course, that was only if Johan¡¯s story was true.

    ¡°Does Murellia still intend to revive the Evil God?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Murellia said she would create a paradise for the ck Cat tribe, but why? From what I heard from your story, she should have despised the ck Cat tribe¡­¡±

    ¡°Using the power of the Evil God, it seems she intends to recall the souls of the ck Cat tribe from 500 years ago and grant them eternal torment. She said that she would then use their power to destroy the other beastkin tribes.¡± Johan responds to Mary¡¯s muttering in an emotionless voice.

    Apparently, the story about Murellia was passed on through the Magnolia family and the Bashar royal family. Therefore, he apanied Murellia in order to repay his ancestor¡¯s debt towards her. In addition, the king decided to ally with Lynford and Murellia as well. All this makes the likelihood of the story being true high indeed.

    Not only that, but the invasion of the beast nation is, in fact, more meaningful to Bashar than territorial acquisition.

    In recent years, arge gap has formed between the beastkin¡¯s military power and other countries, making even light skirmishes impossible. As a result, many misunderstand and think ¡®peace ising¡¯, but the truth is the opposite. Within the country, underground beastkin discrimination groups were forming, with many among their number being nobles.

    As a result, the number of young people instigating hate against the beastkin from the shadows were increasing, and the movement to reject the beastkin was quietly spreading in the country. At this rate, it was possible that civil wars or riots might erupt. However, if a war was started with the beastkin country for the sake of letting out their stress, there was the fear that they might be destroyed as well. Although the current beastkin king is moderate, Bashar¡¯s leaders were fundamentally unable to trust in the beastkin.

    That being said, what if they epted Lynford¡¯s invitation? With theirbined power, it might even be possible to win the war and achieve their long cherished wish of colonizing the country of the beastkin. Even if they lose, they could still send the extremists belonging to the radical underground organizations to be disposed of. They could also make the excuse that the beastkin Murellia had used the power of the Evil God to manipte them as well. Even if they were forced to make reparations, their nation would not be destroyed. And, of all things, the one to propose this was none other than Murellia herself.

    ¡°If we put all the responsibility on ourselves, the beastkin nation shouldn¡¯t be able to bring all their strength to bear, is what we were thinking.¡±

    ¡°Is that the benefit of having saved the country twice¡­?¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    The knights present here are among the members of the Magnolia family who are particrly patriotic, and who also seem to have great obligation and adoration for Murellia. Their nation had given them the role of a watchdog, but in reality, they were more like Murellia¡¯s escort instead.

    ¡°Even if we are wicked, we shall not forget our debt to her.¡±

    Still, this is pretty troublesome. I don¡¯t really care if the other person has stuff like justice or circumstances. To begin with, everyone has their own form of justice. Even the enemies we¡¯ve cut down so far all had their own reasons to fight our justice. It was just ipatible with our¡¯s. If there¡¯s someone worrying about things like that at this point, they shouldn¡¯t have started fighting in the first ce.

    I don¡¯t really know how true the story just now is anyways. In the end, it¡¯s no wonder that the story of the Bashar kingdom, which favors Murellia, is different from the beastkin nation. Both stories should be taken with a grain of salt. Though, I do think it¡¯s more likely that the Bashar kingdom, where the information remained intact, has the more urate story.

    What I found to be the most awkward part of it all was Murellia¡¯s motives. This is just what I think from my previous live¡¯s experience, but there¡¯s nothing more terrifying than the grudge of a woman¡¯s love. What¡¯s this 30 year old virgin saying, you might ask. Yeah, I personally don¡¯t have much romantic experience, but I¡¯ve seen it enough at work and at school.

    A girl who lynches a friend just because the boy she was in love with likes said friend. Or, a certain senior female employee who saw their love interest show kindness to a new employee, and, believing herself betrayed, curses them out of misced resentment and attempts tomit suicide in front of their eyes. Or, a colleague who began stalking the person their boyfriend was having an affair with, and murdered their pet cat. Truly terrifying. And they all have inmon that, even after doing so many illogical things, they¡¯re still smiling and going about business as usual.

    Just like them, Murellia also looks calm on the surface. However, she¡¯s someone who no one can understand what destructive actions she might take. Ordinary women might swing their kitchen knives around, but what if it were Murellia? She¡¯s someone who might cause dungeons to spiral out of control or even revive the Evil God.

    To make it worse, those with emotions such as delusions and grudges don¡¯t know how to give up, even to the very end. Fueled by negative emotions, they can continue on without end. And now, she¡¯s the Evil God¡¯s Miko (Shrine Maiden). I have no idea just how twisted and insane her spirit might have be¡­ In that respect, Murellia is really troublesome.

 Chapter 335. Off to the Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 335. Off to the Dungeon</h4>

    After hearing the story about Murellia¡¯s past, we continued to interrogate Johan.

    ¡°To where did Murellia disappear?¡±

    ¡°The Dungeon Master called her back to the Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then¡ª¡±

    Over the course of the subsequent interrogation, one of the most important questions we asked were the location of the Dungeon and its strength. Originally, it was a dungeon with an entrance to the Bashar Kingdom side of the Border Mountains, however, an entrance was also created on the side of the Beastkin country. As thistter exit was meant for the army of Evil Beings and demonic beasts, it seems it is quiterge.

    The entrance is cave-shaped, but the interior is practically a fortress. Fortunately, Johan says there are few traps set. The Dungeon Master is a male ex-human, but he seems to be an exceedingly vile small fry type character. His personal fighting power is nothing to be worried about though. As for the strength of the dungeon itself, Johan didn¡¯t know very much. However, it seems that a considerable number of monsters still remain.

    ¡°The dungeon, is it¡­? I can barely wait.¡± Kiara muttered on the side with an excited expression.

    ¡°Lady Kiara, your body isn¡¯t fully recovered. Please don¡¯t strain yourself.¡± Mianoa scolded Kiara, who had only just recovered enough to walk.

    ¡°Yet Murellia may not be allowed to go free, no? Neither am I able to call in reinforcements. We have no choice but to go.¡±

    ¡°That may be so, however¡­¡± Neither Kiara nor Mia sound confident. With a worried look, I can¡¯t help but agree.

    ¡°What, she is the sub-master of the Dungeon, is she not? If need be, we can split into groups to destroy thebyrinth.¡± Kiara said.

    ¡°I do not think it will be so simple.¡± Mia.

    ¡°Even so, it must be done. An old woman of my station, over the fate of the Beastkin Empire? Topare the two would be impudence.¡± Kiara.

    ¡°¡­ I will ept Teacher¡¯s resolve.¡± Guendalfa.

    ¡°I just wanted a reason to fight, don¡¯t worry yourself.¡± Kiara.

    Kiaraughed mischievously, but Mia remained solemn. Despite Kiara¡¯s attitude, Mia probably knows that Kiara¡¯s words werepletely serious. The only one with a faint expression is Guendalfa.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t make such pathetic faces.¡± Kiara scowled, noticing his face.

    ¡°No, Teacher, if you heard that story, then¡ª¡± Guendalfa.

    ¡°Are you feeling sympathetic? How foolish.¡± Kiara cut off Guendalfa.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself worry about the genuineness of such stories. Besides, if you call yourself a warrior, then be more thankful.¡± Kiara.

    ¡°Wh-, what do you mean?¡± Guendalfa.

    ¡°Your opponent is a legendary figure, you know? If you¡¯re going to fight anyways, then it might as well be a worthy fight.¡± Kiara.

    ¡°The only one that thinks that way is you, Teacher.¡± Guendalfa remarked, stunned. In this case, he¡¯s in the minority, as almost everyone here are battle maniacs.

    ¡°Mia and Fran think so too, right?¡± Kiara.

    ¡°It¡¯s more fun to challenge strong opponents than to bully weaklings.¡± Mia agreed.

    ¡°Nn.¡± Fran nodded as well.

    Battle maniacs are simple. But I agree as well. Anyways, Murellia is clearly Fran¡¯s enemy. In that case, we should just defeat her. Guendalfa, who is naive and young, seems to find it the hardest to swallow; although, Quina and Mianoa also look like they agree with Kiara.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so naive. Thanks to them, the Beastkin Empire is in an unprecedented crisis, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kiara.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Guendalfa still looked ufortable, but this is something he has to ovee himself. Though it might be okay to leave it be.

    ¡°Well then, next I will have you tell me about the aim of the Bashar Kingdom.¡± Mia turned to Johan. As it turned out, Murellia and the Bashar Kingdom have some connection with each other. I don¡¯t know how much of it is based on truth or not, but it¡¯s there. However, does that make it alright to work with the wicked? Even a 500 year old debt should be nothingpared to politics.

    ¡°What is the king of Bashar thinking, joining hands with such evil? Although it is aimed at clearing domestic resentment towards the Beastkin Empire, I can¡¯t believe a sane man would do this. Is there perhaps some other reason for this?¡±

    ¡°His Majesty the King said he was acting upon the debt of 500 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe that?¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    ¡°¡­ There¡¯s no way a king would endanger his country for the sake of some obligation. He must be plotting something else!¡±

    ¡°You animals may be that way, but this is to be expected of my people in Bashar.¡±

    Do they think nothing wrong of this king who joined forces with evil? It sometimes makes me think that these people are willing to throw their lives away to protect Murellia, so it¡¯s kind of scary. I get the feeling that their loyalty to her is way too extreme, or maybe too blind or something.

    Not all of the Bashar Kingdom¡¯s knights are like this, right? In the first ce, do the other knights know they¡¯re working with Evil Beings? When we asked this, we found that only those of the highest authority were permitted this knowledge, much less have the chance to meet Murellia. Just as I thought, they wouldn¡¯t let just anyone know about this matter¡­ There isn¡¯t any evidence anyways, so even if it¡¯s leaked, no one would believe it.

    Later, the hypnosis technique applied to Johan eventually faded and no further information could be acquired. Mia and the others looked like they wanted a little more information, but it can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Shall we chase after Murellia now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. However, we only heard the rough location of the Dungeon. How will we get there? Not everyone can ride the Linde¡­¡± Mia put her finger on her chin and muttered in thought.

    Certainly, it would take too long on foot to reach the Border Mountains. Kiara and Mia have recovered and should be able to run on their own, but that would also leave them exhausted again. Ideally, we would take a carriage, but unfortunately, we don¡¯t have something like that lying around at the moment.

    ¡°Fufu. I thought something like this might happen, so I brought this just in case.¡± Seeing Kiara and Mia looking troubled, Quina reached into her skirt with her hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act cool in a situation like this.¡± Mia.

    Ignoring Mia¡¯s retort, Quina took out a canopied carriage with a flip of her skirt. It even had a horse made of stone attached to it¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s a six-seater golem carriage.¡± Quina.

    ¡°Senpai is amazing. To say that line in a situation like this!¡±

    ¡°That is because I am a maid.¡± Quina.

    I understand Quina¡¯s expression now. It¡¯s a perfect doyagao isn¡¯t it? Guendalfa and the other adventurers looked at Quina with shocked faces.

    Though, it¡¯s apparently nothing special for Mia and Kiara. They¡¯re already getting into the carriage¡­

    (Aren¡¯t you surprised too, Fran?) I asked her.

    (It¡¯s the same as Dimensional Storage that¡¯s why.) Fran responded telepathically.

    (Well, yeah, but¡­) I trailed off. The copse ofmon sense is inevitable, it seems¡­

    ¡°That being said, not everyone can ride. Master Kiara should¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am definitely going.¡± Kiara.

    ¡°I already know. Will Quina, Mianoa, and Fran go as well, or shall we ask others to escort the knights?¡±

    The captured knights can¡¯t be left alone after all, and there¡¯s surely more information we can get from them too. It seems that Mia intends to leave the escort of the knights in the adventurers hands. I also agree with Mia. Even if there¡¯s more people than Murellia, if they can¡¯t resist her, they will only end up being manipted. A small but elite force would be better instead. As for Guendalfa, bringing him along or not is a difficult choice to make, but a person struggling with hesitation will only be a burden.

    ¡°Please wait! I will go too.¡± After we told him that, Guendalfa hurriedly replied.

    ¡°¡­ You want to go?¡± Kiara.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Guendalfa.

    ¡°If it looks like you will be a burden, we will leave you behind though?¡± Kiara asked him in a warning tone.

    ¡°Naturally.¡± Guendalfa nodded solemnly.

    ¡°Understood. Very well, then.¡± Kiara

    ¡°Teacher, is that alright?¡± Mia asked Kiara. At any rate, even if he wants to go, Guendalfa¡¯s fighting ability isn¡¯t anything special.

    Kiara shrugged her shoulders and sighed. ¡°Persuading you otherwise would take too much time. In that case, you would be more usefuling along with us in ce of a shield.¡±

    ¡°Then please use me as a shield, or whichever way you like.¡± Guendalfa.

    ¡°You damn idiot! Who would use a beanstalk like you as a shield!?¡± Kiara.

    ¡°No, wasn¡¯t it Master who just said so¡­?¡±

    ¡°That was a figure of speech! Can you wipe your own ass, or not? Get it?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Anyways¡­ the ones headed into the Dungeon are Fran, Mia, Quina, Kiara, Mianoa, and Guendalfa. Also, Urushi, Lind, and I are going in as hidden members. This team would be reassuring normally, but the opponents this time are Murellia and the Dungeon. I can¡¯t let my guard down.

 Chapter 336. Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 336. Sleep</h4>

    The golem carriage headed north towards the Border Mountains. It was shaking more than I thought it would, considering it¡¯s a golem made of stone, but in hindsight it¡¯s obvious. It¡¯s running out on the unpaved wilderness without any suspension. The carriage shaking is inevitable.

    Still, it doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting themon sense here. Guendalfa is looking at the carriage with an impressed face. This is a carriage reserved for the royal family, after all. Apparently, it is also equipped with a magic tool devised to release the vibrations. It¡¯s still vibrating a lot, though.

    In retrospect, the carriage I rode earlier might have shook this much while running along the highway. This carriage must be amazing after all.

    (Fran, you alright?) I asked her telepathically.

    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯m, fine¡­¡± She said, not looking ¡®fine¡¯ at all. Her eyes were blinking blearily, and her head was shaking back and forth. Come to think of it, we¡¯ve been in battle sincest night. She hasn¡¯t had a wink of sleep.

    It seems that the vibration of the golem carriage induces sleepiness. The vibrations aren¡¯t periodic though. However, the feeling that your body is constantly swaying might be making her drowsy.

    The usual Fran is the type that sticks closely to a regr sleeping schedule. Or rather, she sleeps a lot more than normal people do. Staying up all night like this must be difficult for her. She should definitely be exhausted. Fran struggled with drowsiness while rubbing her eyes incessantly.

    (You don¡¯t have to push yourself. Just go to sleep.)

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    I would prefer it if she just went to sleep, but Fran stubbornly continued to fight off drowsiness.

    (What is it?)

    ¡°Kiara¡­ talk¡­¡± Fran did her best, even though she was so sleepy her speech was broken. Apparently, she wanted to talk with Kiara in the carriage.

    ¡°Fran, we can talkter. For now, just sleep.¡±

    ¡°Mmh¡­ but¡­¡±

    ¡°Allowing one¡¯s body to rest is also one of the jobs of a warrior.¡±

    ¡°Al¡­ right¡­¡± Fran copsed asleep.

    At Kiara¡¯s admonishment, Fran nodded and copsed into the world of sleep.

    ¡°Hm, she fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°Th-, that was fast.¡± Guendalfa remarked in surprise. Guendalfa seems like a sensitive person after all, so he probably has trouble sleeping. I understand him well, because I was the same when I lived on Earth.

    ¡°Even though she possesses such fighting power, she has a surprisingly innocent sleeping face.¡±

    ¡°Well, she certainly is strong, but she is still a child.¡±

    Fran breathed deeply in her sleep, with her head resting on Kiara¡¯sp. Kiara gently stroked Fran¡¯s head, causing a happy smile to float to her face.

    ¡°Mu!¡± Out of nowhere, Kiara suddenly groaned.

    ¡°Is something the matter, Master?¡±

    Mia and the others, thinking something had happened, looked to Kiara who had suddenly raised her voice. However, Kiara¡¯s expression was rather calm.

    ¡°No, it was just Fran¡¯s drool.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t surprise me because of that.¡±

    ¡°Kukuku. It¡¯s just been decades since a kid drooled on me.¡± Kiara smiled from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid to ask Master Kiara for ap pillow.¡±

    ¡°I would be happy to do so as many times as you want, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­ No, I shall refrain.¡±

    Kiara sighed, and said, ¡°Very well. More importantly, the rest of you should rest as well. I can keep watch.¡±

    ¡°Master Kiara, that would leave you tired as well, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°At my age, the time I sleep is too short to be a problem.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unrted to this. There¡¯s no need to worry. Quina is of a species that requires little rest to function, so a lookout is unnecessary with her as the driver.¡±

    Apparently, Baku sleep less than normal people. They aren¡¯t just about putting others to sleep, it seems. Still, I¡¯m not sure if she will be alright with all this umted mental exhaustion. I should help here as well. Moving closer to Quina, I opened up a Telepathic Communication channel to her.

    (Hey Quina, I can create a humanoid Clone. Do you want me to be the coachman? Even if you don¡¯t need to sleep, you must be tired, right?)

    (Ah, Shishou¡­ was it? I¡¯ll be alright. If I take a napter, there won¡¯t be a problem. Also, any fatigue can be taken care of with a Potion.)

    (Even so, how do you deal with the mental exhaustion?)

    (To begin with, I am half asleep, and half awake. Even in the driver¡¯s seat, I can rest sufficiently, and the golem carriage only needs asional instructions, so it doesn¡¯t take much effort.)

    (I see. Still, I will be on guard as well.)

    (Thank you very much.)

    I¡¯m d I was finally able to tell Kiara and the others that I am an Intelligent Weapon, but it¡¯s something I should only talk about after consulting with Fran. Though, I think Fran would easily share it if asked.

    ¡°Rest is also a warrior¡¯s duty, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Hm. That is what Mia said. Still, to be advised by that sleepyhead who always pissed herself¡­¡±

    ¡°Wha-¡­ Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°Kukuku¡­¡± Kiara chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? Right, Quina?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t want her to be upset, so I nned to change the bedding in secret, but in the end, it was discovered by Her Majesty. I remember it well.¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    ¡°Mdy, Fran will wake up if you speak so loudly, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    After that, everyone except Quina went to sleep. They had fought all throughout the night, talking about one thing or another, so they were tired out. I was keeping guard while recovering my physical strength using my recovery magic.

 Chapter 337. An Abnormal Spectacle

    <h4>Chapter 337. An Abnormal Spectacle</h4>

    Four hours after leaving for the dungeon. The golem carriage, traveling north, was approaching the Border Mountains much faster than I thought it would. Although its travel speed is slow, it can run tirelessly on any terrain, without the need for breaks.

    ¡°It¡¯s, giant!¡±

    About one hour ago, Fran woke up from a deep sleep, and, peeking her head out of the carriage hood, looked up at the approaching Border Mountains and shouted. I would have liked her to sleep longer, but it seems she was unable to because of all the excitement. Still, it seems she¡¯s fully recovered from her fatigue, so the rest was worth it.

    (It really is huge, isn¡¯t it¡­ I can¡¯t even see the top with all those clouds.)

    It might even be taller than Everest. Though, I can¡¯t get a good grasp of the size from this distance, so I don¡¯t know the exact altitude.

    The height of the mountains along the mountain range was striking.

    Moreover, unlike normal mountain ranges, there are almost no ins at its base. From a distance, it just looks like a giant vertical wall. It was almost like it was a waterfall of stone, flowing through the clouds from the sky and pouring down to the ground.

    Looking closer, one can see that the slope is just extremely steep. Still, it certainly looked more like a cliff than a normal mountain.

    ¡°We will be arriving at our destination soon. Kiara-shishou, how are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I am alright now. I drank the potion. All things considered, we arrived faster than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Nn. In the blink of an eye.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because those two spent the entire time talking, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Just as Mia says, Kiara and Fran have been talking since she woke up. Though, it wasn¡¯t a conversation between an elder and a child, or about fighting or how to use Senka Jinrai. Instead, it was a brutal conversation in which Kiara talked about Magic Beasts and warriors she had defeated in the past, and how to use intimidation to efficiently break the opponents spirit. I was foolish, expecting a warm-hearted conversation between a grandmother and grandchild from these two.

    Still, it turned out to be an intense conversation. Senka Jinrai really does have a further level to it, just as expected. Just as Fran instinctually grasps the ck Lightningstrike, Kiara can use the Rolling ck Lightning freely. The reason Fran can¡¯t use it, is that Francks sufficientbat experience, it seems. Even when I tried to show her using myself as an example, it didn¡¯t work.

    ¡°Difficult.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. At your age, you¡¯ve already achieved it. If you don¡¯t neglect your practice, you will be able to use it before you know it.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    The topic is brutal, but Fran seems to be having fun. It seems conversation between family really is special.

    ¡°Ojou-sama.¡± Quina, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, called out to Mia. It sounded like her normal voice to me, but it seemed that the tension in her voice was properly picked up by Mia.

    ¡°What is it? Did something happen?¡± While immediately preparing herself for battle, Mia asked a question of Mia in return.

    ¡°There is an abnormal situation.¡±

    Hearing that, Mia and Fran poked their heads into the driver¡¯s side of the carriage.

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­ What happened¡­?¡±

    Quina is pointing in shock, and for good reason. Ahead of the carriage, arge number of magic beast remains littered the ground. That was several hundreds of magical beasts, atrociously rendered into corpses, and scattered across thend.

    ¡°Magic beasts from a dungeon? But, the way they were defeated¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s abnormal.¡±

    As Quina said, the magical beasts were abnormally killed. Everyst one of them was squashed t, as if crushed from above.

    Weak small fry, visibly powerful dragon-like creatures, and evil beings were all simrly pressed into the ground and crushed. Furthermore, it was over a vast area. Looking over the wilderness, everywhere else seems to be in a simr condition.

    We disembarked from the carriage and began investigating the area. It wasn¡¯t just the monster corpses that were unusual.

    ¡°The ground is too t.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    As Mia said, the entire area was t, as if the ground were ttened by a road roller. No, this would be overwhelmingly tter than a highway. It would be shameful to evenpare.

    Examining the surroundings, I was able to spot the t parts and the border where it meets the usual wilderness. It looked exactly like a boundary. The normal wilderness past the boundary suddenly stopped, and became a step more than one meter deep.

    How should I put this¡­? If a giant iron box 100 meters in length and width were pressed against the ground with enormous force, something like this might be the result.

    Furthermore, as I walked around, I saw many simr steps. Apparently, the creator of this spectacle performed thepression of the iron box many times. At each time, depending on the number and quality of the magical beasts to be crushed, the degree of power may have been changed slightly. Because of that, the areas where the steps ovep each other look like stairs.

    Thinking there might be some materials or magic stones I could use, I started searching seriously, but there was nothing decent enough left. Everything was crushed so t they couldn¡¯t be used, and the magic stones were shattered altogether.

    Slowly lifting arge dead body, I examined it closely and found it was a lizard monster. It was almost like a cracker. Most of its adamant scales were shattered, and the remaining scales were cracked through.

    When Fran knocked on the ground as a test, she found that it waspacted and as hard as rock. Even Fran or myself could do something simr, if it was over a much smaller area. However, just how much power would be needed topress such a wide area at once?

    ¡°Just who¡­ could have done this¡­?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know either, Mia?¡±

    ¡°Mm. I cannot think of anymon technique which could do this. Quina, do you have any idea what did this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±

    ¡°Kiara-shishou! Would you know what happened here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Neither Mia nor Quina seem to know, but Kiara seems to have an idea. As expected of one who has lived so long. Mia is surprised as well.

    ¡°Eh? You know what could do this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s just one person I can think of.¡±

 Chapter 338: Friendly Fire

    <h4>Chapter 338: Friendly Fire</h4>

    ¡°Eh? You know what could do this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s just one thing I can think of.¡±

    While looking around at the disaster to the surroundings, Kiara opened her mouth and spoke seriously.

    ¡°The Rank S adventurer known for friendly fire, Asura.¡±

    ¡°Friendly fire? Are you sure about that!?¡±

    ¡°I am not. However, I cannot think of any others who could do this.¡±

    Mia is shocked. They seem to be rather famous. No, that¡¯s to be expected if they are S-Rank adventurers. Anyways, why are they fighting each other? They have a rather dangerous name attached to themselves as well.

    ¡°Who? Friendly fire?¡±

    ¡°S-Rank adventurers. You don¡¯t know of them? The Asura of friendly fire.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Why the strange title?¡±

    Fran tilted her head in confusion, leading Mia and Quina to exin to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s an old story, but I heard that when they participated in wars on other continents, they would attack their allies along with their enemies.¡±

    ¡°The enemy was exterminated, and it seems the allies also suffered enormous damage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not all. I have a number of simr stories as well.¡±

    ¡°The reason he still hasn¡¯t been punished is because he¡¯s overwhelmingly strong, and is constantly making more money than he can waste.¡±

    ¡°There are many rumors mixed in with the facts, so I don¡¯t know how much is true.¡±

    Even if those stories are only half true, it still paints a bad picture. After all, regardless of whether you¡¯re an ally or an enemy, one has to be careful just being closeby.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that he¡¯s a bad person.¡±

    ¡°Kiara-shishou has met this Asura?¡±

    ¡°Ah, a couple of times. It¡¯s just, though I say he¡¯s not a bad person, he¡¯s the type that loses sight of everything around him when he ramps up. That¡¯s why he is always wandering alone. If we encounter the Asura and I tell you to run away, you absolutely must run. Absolutely.¡±

    Kiara warns Fran and the others with a scary expression on her face. From what Kiara says so far, this sounds like a seriously dangerous guy.

    However, even if we stay cautious, if we don¡¯t understand this person¡¯s ability, we won¡¯t know what to be cautious about.

    ¡°What ability does he have?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You didn¡¯t know. Since he¡¯s so famous, I just assumed that you knew.¡± Mia said, scratching her head.

    Is he that famous? Just what is it?

    ¡°He¡¯s a Godde wielder. Asura-dono is known to be the owner of the Earth Sword Gaia.¡±

    Of all things, he turned out to be the owner of a Godde! And it is the Earth Sword Gaia, as well¡­ I sort of understand just what caused this disastrous scene to happen now.

    Earth magic possesses techniques to manipte gravity. I have be able to use several of those techniques myself, thanks to raising my level in Earth Magic to master [Great Wall].

    In addition, there¡¯s also a technique to drop rocks. A Godde that bears the name of the Earth Sword is highly likely to be able to use those abilities. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just gravity or being able to use rocks as well, but it¡¯s possible that these abilities could be used to crush arge area all at once.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him create the exact same scene as this before. Through some unknown means, he created beautiful cubic boulders and used them to crush some bandits once. When I heard the screams of those being crushed, as to be expected, even I felt chills.¡±

    Apparently my prediction was correct. Still, for a guy able to spread this much destruction in battle, bing unable to see his surroundings over the heat of battle? That¡¯s already at the level of a disaster.

    ¡°The user of the Earth Sword Gaia, friendly fire Asura. Memorized.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he will be up ahead or not.¡±

    Well, certainly. I don¡¯t know if he is heading to the dungeon. I was thinking about things like that, but¡ª¡ª.

    10 minutester.

    ¡°He¡¯s definitely heading North, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    After continuing onwards for some time, we came across exactly the same scene as before. The only difference, if any, is the difference in the strength of the magical beasts. This time, there were no small fry included in the dead monsters. Only mid-level and high-level monsters had been crushed and died. it

    No, there was one other difference. This time, some kind of giant rock wall had been created around the ttened area. The wall was 15 meters tall and 5 meters thick, but when we looked closer, we found that instead of being one solid rock, it was made of two rocks that were stuck together. Furthermore, there was a dark red liquid flowing out from between the two rocks.

    It seems that between the two rocks, there was a magical beast that had be trapped there and died. Probably, like being stuck between a pair of shears, it was sandwiched between the two rock walls. There were also eight rock objects standing by quietly, sandwiching the dead monster.

    ¡°¡­ This is definitely him. I have seen the Asura fire off this same attack before.¡±

    It seems there¡¯s no mistake that these monsters were exterminated by the Asura. Does that mean the Asura and the Dungeon are fighting each other? If this many monsters had appeared in this ce, then they¡¯d definitely be rted to that Dungeon.

    ¡°Could the reason Murellia was called back be this?¡±

    ¡°I see, there is that possibility. Ojou-sama, how unusually clear sighted.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to add ¡®unusually¡¯! More importantly, we need to hurry to the Dungeon. If we are fast enough, we might be able to expect Asura-dono¡¯s assistance.¡±

    Are we going to get the Friendly Fire¡¯s help? If possible, I don¡¯t really want to get involved with that person¡­ But if he doesn¡¯t have blood rushing to his head, he isn¡¯t likely to attack without warning.

    ¡°However, from the rumors I heard about Asura, I don¡¯t believe he will just quietly agree to help.¡±

    ¡°We just need to hire him! In the case of emergencies, we have no choice but to do whatever is necessary, even seduction.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Seduction?¡±

    ¡°Wha-, what¡¯s with those looks!? The Asura might be a pervert that likes t chested girls!¡±

    ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that!¡±

    It seems Asura is known to be free spirited, and won¡¯t obey others if he doesn¡¯t like them, regardless of whoever that person might be. In fact, he¡¯s even picked fights with entire countries. On the other hand, if he likes you, he will ept even dangerous requests easily. The only thing is, he seems to charge a very expensivemision. And in advance.

    ¡°I cannot pay the request fee, you know.¡±

    ¡°Take out that money you¡¯re hiding away. I know that you¡¯re storing it with your maid.¡±

    ¡°This is saved in case of an emergency you know? I can¡¯t use it in a ce like this.¡±

    ¡°This is an emergency, fool!¡±

    The longer I listen, the more uneasy I feel.

    ¡°At any rate, let us hurry to the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

 Chapter 339: The Mysterious Strong Person

    <h4>Chapter 339: The Mysterious Strong Person</h4>

    The golem carriage continued to move North, past the abandoned monster corpses left behind by the Asura. Along the way, we encountered three more magic beast massacres. However, the situation in these massacres was different from the previous ones.

    ¡°This ce looks terrible as well.¡±

    Mia muttered, and no wonder. The whole area was a sea of blood. The earth is covered in dark red blood, and the stench fills the battlefield. For the beastkin who possesses good senses of smell, this must be terrible. Along with Mia, Fran and Guendalfa were also frowning.

    Here the appearance of the corpses is different from before. Rather than being crushed by a mysterious power like earlier, these magic beasts were clearly ughtered by something sharp; this likely scatteredrge amounts of the evil beings¡¯ blood around, polluting the surrounding area.

    ¡°Asura?¡± Fran.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The Godde Gaia he wields certainly is shaped like a greatsword, however¡­ I don¡¯t think he would go through the trouble of killing like this.¡± Kiara.

    Kiara tilted her head in thought at Fran¡¯s murmur. The Earth Sword Gaia seems to be a greatsword. However, why change fighting styles all of a sudden? It¡¯s possible he wanted to move his body, see blood, or some other reason to suddenly fight directly.

    More realistically, it¡¯s possible something besides the Asura ughtered the evil beings. Well, that just leaves us the question of what other things could imitate the Asura like this.

    ¡°I think weapons were used here¡­¡±

    ¡°If it was a magic beast, they might be able to do this with their ws instead of weapons.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Also, look at this corpse. I can¡¯t see a human doing this.¡±

    In addition to the butchered corpses, there were beheaded corpses and corpses which looked like something forcibly tore them apart from crotch to chest.

    The way they were defeated really is different from the magic beasts thought to have been killed by the Asura, just as I thought.

    ¡°These aren¡¯t mere small fry.¡±

    ¡°Nn. There¡¯s a Goblin General. That¡¯s a Goblin Sorcerer.¡±

    Apparently, whether it was a human or beast, whatever created this terrible scene wasn¡¯t interested in anything after killing. As such, valuable materials were left untouched without being dismantled and harvested or eaten.

    Not just that, the magic stones were also left behind. I had Fran pick up the Goblin General¡¯s magic stone, and then secretly absorbed it. Though, I was only able to obtain one point from it.

    (Why is this¡­?)

    Although it¡¯s a Goblin, if it¡¯s a high ranking species like this Goblin General, I should be able to absorb a magic stone value of at least three to ten points¡­

    (Fran, could you get some others?)

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Fran then picked up the magic stones which looked like ones which would have reasonably high magic stone values, such as those from the Orc Mages and Goblin Sorcerers. I then obscured Fran¡¯s body, pretending to be a Dimensional Storage, and absorbed the magic stones. However, the magic stone values were still just one point each.

    (Strange.)

    (What¡¯s wrong?)

    (I absorbed too few magic stone points from the magic stones.)

    (Like the time with the Valkyrie?)

    That¡¯s right. It¡¯s the same as that time with the Valkyrie, where the Evil God¡¯s Stone Spear went out of control. Is the power of the Evil God involved here, after all?

    Or, the Evil God¡¯s Stone Spear could have eaten their soul. If the power of the Valkyrie¡¯s magic stone was weakened by that, it¡¯s possible that evil beings can eat souls as well.

    (Fran, don¡¯t let your guard down.) Shisho.

    ¡°Nn.¡± Fran.

    I searched the surroundings, however, I was unable to find anything suspicious. Whatever did this must have moved from this area already.

    ¡°Everyone, proceed carefully from here on. There¡¯s no telling what might be lurking.¡± Mia.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Kiara.

    It seems Mia and Kiara have also determined that the perpetrator of this ughter was not Asura. While scanning the surroundings with frowns, we started the golem carr again.

    The opinion that we should have Quina scout came up, but we don¡¯t know what might be lurking. We decided to travel with the carriage concealment function turned on from here on out.

    I remained on guard for a while, but we haven¡¯t yet been attacked. Much less the perpetrator of the ughter, we haven¡¯t even been attacked by normal magic beasts.

    Did the dungeon monsters run awayst night after detecting a strong being like Asura fighting? At any rate, it was fortunate for us to avoid exhausting ourselves.

    ¡°Everyone, over there.¡± Quina.

    Quina stopped the carriage again, and called to us from the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Mn? Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°That, isn¡¯t that therge boulderndmark that we heard about from the prisoner?¡±

    Quina pointed at a strange rock that seemed to pierce the heavens. It was a pointed boulder that looked like a twisted dragon horn.

    ¡°In other words, that means that there must be a cave leading to the dungeon up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I believe it is beyond that forest.¡±

    Certainly, it looks just like thendmark to find the entrance to the dungeon that we heard from Johan. ording to Johan¡¯s information, there should be a dungeon beyond the forest at the end of the rock.

    ¡°Let¡¯s walk from here on.¡± Quina.

    ¡°Right. Kiara-shishou, could you please lead?¡± Guendalfa.

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Kiara.

    ¡°Quina will be the rearguard.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    It makes sense to have the two experienced and battle tested people at the front and back. It¡¯s a good decision.

    We walked through the forest sprawling at the foot of the Border Mountains while erasing our tracks. We advanced without bing lost. Although there is no road, the path left by traces of many traveling monsters kept us on track. By following it, we could advance without hesitation.

    However, by this point, I should have been able to sense the magic energy from the Dungeon, but there was no sign of it.

    It seems to differ depending on the dungeon, but if the dungeon master is intelligent, it seems that it is moremon to hide the magic energy. It seems that dungeons have various facilities and functions, and there are ways to prevent magic power from leaking out. Whether to conceal the dungeon or not depends on the purpose of the dungeon master, but this time it is definitely the purpose of hiding.

    After a while, Kiara suddenly stopped and hid in the nearby bushes. As expected, Fran and the others followed suit.

    ¡°Kiara-shishou, could this be¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we found it.¡±

 Chapter 340: Discrepancy in Information

    <h4>Chapter 340: Discrepancy in Information</h4>

    ¡±Master Kiara, could it be that¡­?¡±

    ¡±Oh, I see it.¡±

    When we reached the foot of the mountain range through tall, but thin trees forming a dense forest, peculiar to the area around the Boundary Mountain Range and unsuitable for lumber, it emerged suddenly out in the open.

    Arge number of corpses of evildoers are scattered in front of us. And beyond that as well. A huge cave with a gaping mouth could be seen on the surface of the Boundary Mountain Range.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any magic around here.¡±

    ¡±Mmn.¡±

    It¡¯s a pretty huge cave. The entrance alone is more than 15 meters high. It must be more than 40 meters in width. If it was near the entrance, a small vige would have been able to create it.

    Sometimes, with the caves like this one you have to go down the cliff to the entrance just to get in, but here is a gentle slope, I was able to approach it on foot. If it were Earth, it would make a great setting for a little exploration special.

    We crept closer to the entrance to the cave. Huge mossy boulders stand near the entrance and huge stctites hang from the ceiling in a row.

    At first nce, it looks like a natural cave, but the cement of the rocks and such seemed a bit awkward. Obviously, there is a route that would be the way to go.

    There are signs of quite arge armying and going. In addition, there are some ratherrge footprints of magical beasts.

    Kiara snorted and lightly touched the ground in front of the cave. At first nce, it looks a bit trampled, but when you¡¯re at Kiara¡¯s level, you¡¯ll be able to tell what kind of people have passed through, and how many.

    ¡±I¡¯m sure this is the entrance to the dungeon.¡±

    ¡±I see. Let¡¯s go in quickly then.¡±

    ¡±Oh. They said there were no traps or anything like that, but watch out for them.¡±

    ¡±Yes.¡±

    And so, with Kiara at the front of the pack again, we carefully steered our way through the cave.

    ¡±Mmm, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡±It¡¯s a light¡­¡±

    ¡±It smells like blood.¡±

    Kiara stopped, and Mea and Fran each responded. Indeed, the end of the cave had been altered. The limestone cave breaks off and suddenly turns into a stone structure. The walls were set up with what looked likemps, and it really looked like a passageway for a fort or something.

    What¡¯s more, there was once again arge amount of demonic beast corpses. Over here, the evil people were crushed to death. And it¡¯s not just the floor, it¡¯s the walls and the ceiling that were covered in those spattered corpses.

    This must be the work of Lord Ursth.

    ¡±Oh, this is amazing nheless. Normally, arge scale attack would be difficult to conduct in a narrow passage within a dungeon¡­¡±

    Mea and Kiara looked at it and groaned. If you have a wide range of attacks, there¡¯s a good chance you¡¯ll get yourself involved. However, with gravity control, there is less damage to the surroundings. It must be hard to blow oneself up. If you think about it, earth magic may be easier to use within a dungeon than fire, water, or wind.

    ¡±Earth magic is strong in dungeons?¡±

    But at Fran¡¯s words, Kiara tilts her head.

    ¡±I wouldn¡¯t say that in general.¡±

    ¡±Why?¡±

    ¡±There are many ces in the dungeon where there is no dirt. Unless you¡¯re in a cavern or something.¡¯¡¯

    Even if the dungeon walls and such are of stone, they are still under the control of the dungeon. It seemed to be very difficult to manipte. I¡¯ve tried it, but the skill of turning the ground into a needle consumes a lot more magic than usual.

    It would be difficult to use a technique that uses the earth to attack an enemy, let alone a technique that fires a mass of earth created by magic.

    If you think about it, it may be difficult to use the earth attribute unless you¡¯ve cultivated the earth magic that allows you to learn gravity control techniques.

    I don¡¯t think it was this bad in Urumut¡¯s dungeon, but I guess it¡¯s different in each dungeon.

    ¡±Mmm!¡±

    ¡±What was that!¡±

    ¡±Hmm, great magic.¡±

    As we passed through the site of the ughter caused by Ursth and tried to go further, we felt a huge magic power, so massive that Fran and the others had to brace themselves. At the same time, a resounding vibration shook the walls.

    ¡±Someone¡¯s used some big magic on you.¡±

    ¡±Lord Ursth, is it?¡±

    ¡±Maybe. We¡¯ll make haste, too.¡±

    Along the way, as Johan had said, there were no traps at all. But halfway through, there is a sudden dead end and a staircase leading downward appears.

    ¡±Hmmm¡­ didn¡¯t the Beastmen Nation side say it was a single road for a while?¡±

    ¡±Yes, it should be.¡±

    To begin with, the main part of this dungeon exists on the Bashar Kingdom¡¯s side. The part that was extended to the Beastmen Nation¡¯s side was only treated as an underpass to invade beyond the Boundary Mountains.

    ¡±Why are there stairs like this¡­¡­¡­ Besides, a demon beast can¡¯t get through in this tight space.¡±

    Kiara was right, that staircase waspletely human-sized. I think a Minotaur could pass through. It would be tough if it were an ogre.

    But it¡¯s weird. It is certain that arge army of demon beasts used the exit of the cave we used to enter as a way in and out. If so, where did theye from?

    Or can it be transposed if it¡¯s in a dungeon? Then you can transfer it to the entrance side. It was strange that there were a lot of traces of magical beasts marching around here as well.

    ¡±There are so many things I don¡¯t understand¡­¡­¡­ But we can¡¯t turn back here, either. Quina, do you think you can take the lead?¡±

    ¡±Yes. I¡¯ll be with you in a moment.¡±

    Lead the way? As I was watching to see what was going on, Quina used phantom magic to create a dwarf-like object. It looks like a kindergarten-sized mannequin.

    By the way, Quina¡¯s visionary magic is as terrible as ever. I can feel the presence, even the heat. Well, let this one lead the way. I don¡¯t know if you can deceive a trap or not with it, but if it¡¯s a lurking monster, you can probably fool it well enough.

    ¡±You¡¯re as good as ever.¡±

    ¡±I¡¯m ashamed.¡±

    ¡±All right, let¡¯s go.¡¯¡¯

 Chapter 341: Beyond the Labyrinth

    <h4>Chapter 341: Beyond the Labyrinth</h4>

    The structure of the interior of the dungeon was truly worthy of the name of abyrinth. A maze of narrow, branching passageways stretches on and on. Esoteric demon beasts and traps are also plentiful.

    Well, the demon beasts were mostly carcasses, although the traps had been lifted quite a bit. No, it¡¯s better to say they were disabled or activated.

    Apparently, all the people who were ahead of them were trapped. Earth Wrath is a Rank S adventurer, right?¡¡I¡¯m sure you have the skill to disarm it. Or did you create a little lead like we did and disarm it on purpose?

    ¡°That guy¡¯s way of doing things hasn¡¯t grown up at all. Maybe they sent a golem or something to kamikaze them.¡± Kiara.

    It seems to be a way to deactivate the suicide bomb by using the leader. Well, it¡¯s easy.

    ¡±That said, I¡¯m sure there are some types that can detect heat¡­¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s Earth Wrath or not.¡± Kiara.

    In the end, we didn¡¯t fall for one of the traps. Moreover, if you follow the Demon Beast¡¯s crushed corpse, you won¡¯t get lost.

    ¡±Even so, it¡¯s funny. I have never heard of such a greatbyrinth in the information the man Johan has given us.¡± Quina.

    ¡±Were you not hypnotized?¡± Fran.

    Fran tilts her head, but Quina shakes her head in denial.

    ¡±No, it was not an act, it was fully into it. There were a few scenes along the way where emotions ran high, probably because they were asked questions about the beastmen they hated. A trance doesn¡¯t mean that you lose your emotions.¡± Quina.

    ¡±So does that mean that man didn¡¯t know about thisbyrinth, too?¡± Fran.

    ¡±Maybe, maybe not. I think they weren¡¯t informed about this ce.¡± Kiara.

    Quina nods at Kiara¡¯s words, but I¡¯ve been thinking of another possibility. That being said, the dungeon may have been expanded to coincide with the onught of Earth Wrath.

    He hastily creates abyrinth full of traps in order to hold back the strong enemies who have invaded. It¡¯s amon development in light novels with a dungeon master as the main character.

    If you think about it, however, it also exins why Johan didn¡¯t know and why the traces of the demon beasts were suddenly cut off and the humanbyrinth suddenly appeared.

    Thinking back to Murellia¡¯s description, she said that she would use points to expand the dungeon. Plus, I¡¯ve seen Lumina create a room in an instant in the dungeon in Urumut. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to build abyrinth in an instant, depending on the points you pay?

    Well, it¡¯s only in my imagination, and even if I knew that, there¡¯s still no development in the battle.

    One hourter.

    After wading through thebyrinth, the end was finally in sight. Ahead, I saw a huge door with a clearly different atmosphere than ever before. If it were a normal dungeon, you¡¯d think it was a boss room.

    Even so, I had only fought a few demons and traps along the way, but it took this long¡­ If everything was perfect, it would have taken many times longer than this.

    While moving, there were a few times when he sensed powerful magic. It seems that someone is fighting somewhere in the dungeon. And we could sense the same magical wavelengths from the huge door in front of us.

    ¡±In a normal dungeon, other adventurers are often not allowed inside while fighting the boss¡­¡±

    Kiara and Quina approached the door and examined its structure.

    ¡±There are no traps, sir.¡±

    ¡±You can¡¯t open this one if you touch it.¡±

    Apparently, it opens easily.

    ¡±Let¡¯s go!¡¡Now, you may still be able to join Lord Earth Wrath!¡± Mea.

    ¡±Join forces?¡¡Don¡¯t be ridiculous. He doesn¡¯t need that. All right. I¡¯ll tell you one thing, don¡¯t approach the Earthers carelessly. Not until I say it¡¯s fine.¡± Kiara.

    At Mea¡¯s words, Kiara nails it with a look so serious that it¡¯s scary. Hearing this, Guendalfa must have be afraid of Earthrath once again. Buruli and his huge body shook.

    ¡±Master Kiara. Is he such a horrible man, that he should be killed by his own people?¡±

    ¡±It¡¯s a given. I¡¯ll tell you who to be on the lookout for in this dungeon. It¡¯s not a dungeon master, nor is it a Murellia. He has lost his way, Earth Wrath. Remember that.¡±

    Kiara announces in a low voice, as if to frighten everyone. No, it¡¯s not a threat; it¡¯s probably the truth. There was a strong sense of tension from Kiara.

    ¡±I understand.¡±

    ¡±Hmm. Okay.¡±

    ¡±¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Mea and Fran also nodded their heads with a mysterious look. As far as Guendalfa is concerned, he is at a loss for words. She swallowed her breath and grunted as she nodded. The maids are great here as always. It¡¯s truly the power of the iron spirit.

    ¡±But can¡¯t we just sit here and wait with anticipation?¡±

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s not like it was decided that it was Earth Wrath inside in the first ce.¡±

    ¡±Well then!¡±

    ¡±We¡¯re going to have to go.¡±

    Then, Kiara touches the door.

    Gogo-go-go-go¡­

    Beyond the earth-shaking, open door was arge circr hall. My first impression is of the Colosseum. Well, the ground is cobblestone, although the ceiling is domed.

    The reason why this ce reminded me of the Colosseum is because of the tense atmosphere of a huge man holding arge sword in the center of the hall, and a triceratops-like demon beast nearly 20 meters long facing him.

    The demon beast had already lost three of its five horns, and its six legs were also reduced to four, with blue-ck blood dripping from severed legs. Clearly harder than iron, the armor-like shell that covered its entire body was carved with severalcerations, and flesh was visible through the gaps.

    On the other hand, the big man with the horns sprouting from his forehead was unscathed. On the contrary, he wasn¡¯t even breathing heavily. It was obvious that he overwhelmed a demon beast that would be a rank C threat.

    The demon beast let out a roar of anger, but did not move. No, it couldn¡¯t move. It¡¯s probably because of the exhaustion of the battle so far and also because of the deep fear of men instilled in it. His snort was also rough, and although he turned his murderous gaze on the man, he did not try to step forward from the spot.

    The man who had been observing such a demon beast for a while, carried therge sword he was holding on his shoulders. Then, I point my left hand towards the demon beast.

    The man muttered as his magic rapidly increased.

    ¡±Crush it.¡±

    ¡±Boh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!¡±

    Immediately afterwards, I saw the demon beast being crushed from the left and right, as if it was being wrapped in an invisible giant hand. There was no movement, only the demon beast¡¯s pitiful screams echoed in the hall. Eyeballs and tongues pop out from the powerful pressure, and blood spurts from wounds all over the body. The bodily fluids are eventually blocked by an invisible wall and can only umte in the same spot.

    A few secondster, the beast had been brutally crushed to death by some kind of attack unleashed by the man. From the front, it only looks like a piece of wood.

    I quickly examined the man - Earth - and found him to be a monster.

    The status of the Earth as appraised by the Master is listed in the postcard.

    Name: Earth Wrath Age: 148 years old

    Race: Demon, Evil Demon

    upation: War Demon, Warrior

    Status Level: 82/99

    HP: 2987 MP: 1009 Strength: 1519 Stamina: 1228 Agility: 599 Intelligence: 436 Magic: 499 Dexterity: 418

    skill

    Intimidation: LvMax, Transportation: Lv6, Stealth: Lv5, Dismantling: Lv7, Recovery Speed Increase: Lv7, Mysterious Force: LvMax, Fighting Ability: Lv6, Martial Arts: Lv6, Environmental tolerance: Lv7, Presence detect: Lv6, Spirit Control: Lv9, High speed regeneration: Lv7, Strength: LvMax, Regrowth: LvMax, Abnormal condition resistance: Lv9, Instantaneous movement: Lv6, Mental endurance: Lv4, Swordpatibility: Lv8, Great Sword Art: LvMax, Broadsword: LvMax, Grand Sage: Lv8, Grand Sword Technique: Lv8, Earth magic: Lv6, Leap: Lv6, Soil Maniption: LvMax, Bending: Lv3, Ambition: Lv6, Felling: Lv7, Physical barrier: Lv6, Magic Endurance: Lv6, Magic perception: Lv4, Cooking: Lv6, Trap Disarming: Lv5, Trap detection: Lv5, Arise From The Dead, Energy Maniption, Muscles of Steel, High Spirit, Earth Strengthening, Intuition, Pain Resistance, Dragon yer, Magic Power Maniption, Grand Strength Increase

    Unique skill

    Evil Killer, Chaotic Force, Demon Qi, Demon God¡¯s Blessing

    Extra skill

    Divine sword release

    Specific skills

    Mad Demonization, Dark Demon

    Title

    Evil Killer, ughterer, Sword of God, Earth Mage, Dungeon Raider, Dragon yer, Companion yer, Battle Mania, Destroyer of Demons, Rank S Adventurer

    Equipment

    The earth sword, Gaia, the bowl of the Earth Dragon horn, the great armor of the Steel Dragon shell, the battle suit of the Cloud Dragon skin, the coat of the Mirage Dragon, the Armor of Tranquility, the Ring of Dissipation of Anger.

 Chapter 342 - Asuraâ€™s Curse

    <h4>Chapter 342 - Asura''s Curse</h4>

    I was sure it was Asura. He is a true monster. He has a huge amount of first-hand skills and a lot of fancy titles.

    ¡°Well, his ability is right up there with the Beast King.¡±

    Crushed from left and right by an unseen force, the corpse of the ttened demonic beast slowly fell to the ground. The ground shook, bringing Mea and Guendalfa to their senses.

    From their point of view, what happened in front of them was shocking. So shocking that even though it was only a matter of seconds, they had exposed themself defenseless in the hostile territory of the dungeon.

    Kiara grabs Mea¡¯s shoulder tightly as she tries to advance. Seeing the serious expression on her face, Mea remembered what the other person was like.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. But you¡¯re going to stay here for a while.¡±

    And only Kiara steps forward.

    Fran and her team lowered their weapons to show that they don¡¯t have any hostilities toward him. Meanwhile, they lightly tipped their center of gravity forward so that they can move at any time. The only one thing to do is to avoid antagonizing him.

    Apparently, Fran and the others became more aware of how dangerous the situation was when they saw the man who had mysteriously crushed the huge demonic beast to death with his mysterious power. Kiara hides her nervousness and speaks to the demon in a carefree manner.

    ¡°Asura, long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Haa? Are you ¨D¨D isn¡¯t this Kiara? You¡¯ve be a hag!¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You haven¡¯t changed.¡±

    ¡°Wahahahaha! It¡¯s because I¡¯m a demon.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, okay for now¡­¡­ All of you,e here!¡±

    Seems like Asura is not in a situation where he is losing sight of the situation. Kiara beckons Fran and the others to join her.

    ¡°What is this? Are you leading a field trip?¡±

    ¡°They may be little girls, but in their own way, they¡¯re promising little girls. Well, I¡¯m sort of like a chaperone for them.¡±

    The great sword on the back of Asura, who was conversing with Kiara, was unusuallyrge. The crimson pattern alone might be nearly a meter long. The sword was about to scrape the ground even when being strapped at an angle on the two-plus-meter tall Asura¡¯s back.

    I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off that sword. It¡¯s not just big. It has a colossal presence and an intimidating feeling that radiated from within. I had to struggle to keep myself from trembling.

    ¡± ¡­¡­This is that sword huh¡­¡­¡±

    Name:Earth sword?Gaia

    Attack Power:2000

    Magic Power:6000

    Durability:10000

    Magic power conductivity: SS

    Skill:

    Grant Holy Land, Earth Magic Strengthening, Earth Magic Granting, Earth Disabling, Maximum Magic Recovery, and Magic Power Control.

    Without realising it, I already appraised it, and it was astounding. Even if you were topare just their simple offensive power, it wouldpletely overwhelm others. Moreover, as he specialized in the power of manipting earth, with the boost given by the power of his sword, his ability soared tremendously.

    Is this what they called a divine weapon? I¡¯ll admit its strength is immense. But I had a feeling that with a few good sorcerers, I couldpete with it. But how did it be ground sword ? Gaia? Wasn¡¯t it the earth sword? No, like Lind, his power may not have been fully released. I¡¯m suspicious of the divine sword release that was in Asura¡¯s extra skill. If that¡¯s the case, then it will be even stronger than this when it is released.

    As I was thinking about this, Asura¡¯s eyes turned to me.

    ¡°Did someone appraise it?¡±

    I was impressed. How do you know that if you don¡¯t even have an appraisal detection skill?

    ¡°It¡¯s- It¡¯s making me feel sick. My gut tells me what to do. And I feel like I¡¯m being watched.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We teach them to be vignt in dungeons.¡±

    Mea and Guendalfa are surrendering to Asura¡¯s words. However, Asura¡¯sughter, which rose immediately afterwards, softened the hard atmosphere of the ce.

    ¡°Hahahahahaha! It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m not mad at you. I was born with this face so it can¡¯t be helped. But I was simply checking. But still, I¡¯m more surprised that that mad dog - no, that mad tiger-like Kiara - bowed out for someone else! You¡¯ve be so well rounded!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear from you, who has never grown up.¡±

    ¡°You said it! Well, it¡¯s true! I¡¯m just saying, we don¡¯t change that easily.¡±

    ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡±

    There¡¯s something about Kiara and Asura that makes them understand each other. I wondered what kind of monster he was, since he look so threatening before, but he was just a regr old foul-mouthed guy. Maybe it¡¯s because he is also a demon, but it somehow reminds me of Donadrondo from the Alessa Guild. Well, Asura has a bigger body and horns than him though.

    Mea ask a question after the tension has been released.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡°never changed¡±? What does Lord Asura mean I wonder?¡±

    ¡°Well. I¡¯ve been doing a lot of digging to break the curse.¡±

    ¡°A¡­Curse¡­?¡±

    Mea tilts her head. I appraised Asura first, too, and I don¡¯t think there was any particr notation of a curse or anything like that in the state.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a blessing and a curse. I have certain unique skills. ¡°Demonization¡±. I¡¯ve been going around the country trying to shut these skills down.¡±

    ¡°What skills are those?¡±

    ¡°When activated, some abilities and skills rose several times, and resilience is increased by an order of magnitude. In terms ofbat power alone, I¡¯d say several times that.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡­¡­Then¡±

    ¡°But do you think there¡¯s no downside to such powerful skills?¡±

    After Asura says that, he sits down with a thud on the tform he made by raising the floor. It was Kiara who continued to speak in ce of Asura, who continued to smile to himself. There is an air of pain in her eyes as she looks at Asura.

    ¡°It¡¯s automatically triggered by repeatedbat. What¡¯s more, you can¡¯t choose when to activate it, and when it¡¯s activated, you will go berserk and lose your mind making you unable to distinguish between friend and foe. And yet, his wisdom onbat stays without a problem, spreading destruction. It¡¯s definitely a curse for this guy.¡±

    Still, after years of experience, he can sense when it was nearly time and he acts as if he is retreating to go to the frontier where there are no allies, so he could rampage around unnoticed.

    It is indeed a curse. No matter how great the skill is - no, it¡¯s too great. But that¡­ Just seeing his title¡­It just too painful¡­ It¡¯s just a reminder of how much he has killed his fellow member. But this skill, I can make it go away, can¡¯t I?

    I can take it away with a skill-taker skill. But then I have to equip it¡­ If it turns out I can not un-equip it though, that would be the worst.

    But you¡¯ll soon see that my thoughts quickly turn out to be useless.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there an adventurer who could obliterate a skill?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Rank A adventurer, Maleficent the ck. It has a skill called Skill Eraser, which eliminates the opponent¡¯s skills. Of course I tried.¡±

    ¡°Was it¡­ no good?¡±

    ¡°It worked. His skills have been disabled for a year or so, but my unique skill, ¡°Demonization,¡± is gone for¡­ two days.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Inherent skills are the ones that are most tied to a person¡¯s existence. Whether it¡¯s erased or taken away, it¡¯lle back to life over time. I¡¯ve tried skill-eliminating skills and the ability to take away skills and stuff like that but the results are always the same. Which means it¡¯s only a matter of time before it came back to me.¡±

    ¡°I got this skill when I was an ordinary demon warrior, but for some unknown reason I was mutated into an evil demon.¡±

    ¡°A mutation? Isn¡¯t that an evolution?¡±

    Asura answers Fran¡¯s question. He still looks like a good-natured old man.

    ¡°Evolution is about advancing to new heights when you reach your maximum level. A mutation is when something other than the level is met and changes into something different. Well, they¡¯re both simr, but it¡¯s generally epted that the mutation has a smaller pretense of ability.¡±

    ¡°But the evil demons are a bit special. They are a phantom mutant whose existence has been questioned even by demons. A demon of misfortune who loses reason and destroys everything. I never thought I¡¯d be the one to acquired it. However, considering my ability to be a mad demon, I guess that means the lore was right.¡±

    Moreover, he is now the owner of the divine sword. The rumor that the army had been eradicated was rather cute. Because the country could have been destroyed.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why the mad demonization doesn¡¯t go away even a little bit. In a way, it¡¯s a skill that¡¯s like the very definition of the existence of a demon of misfortune. You can also use the method of mutating again to erase the skill. Unfortunately, demons can only mutate once in a lifetime. So I¡¯m looking for a way to lock in my skills. Of course that only works for a short period of time. But what I¡¯m looking for is a way to permanently seal your skills.¡±

    ¡°Did Lord Asurae to this dungeon in search of that method?¡±

    ¡°Well, dungeons are ces that are out of this world¡¯s way. So It is possible. I¡¯ve been to dungeons all around the country, not just here. Besides, I am doing a request.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Asura?¡±

    Kiara asks back. It is a request? In other words, you came to this dungeon at the request of someone? But who?

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s Kiara and her friends, I guess it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s the gods.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 343

    <h4>Chapter 343</h4>

    Kiara asks back. Is it a request? In other words did youe to this dungeon at the request of someone? But who?

    ¡°Well if it¡¯s Kiara and her friends, It¡¯s god!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kiara asks in disbelief. Apparently even Kiara can¡¯t agree to those words. As if that was funny, Asura chuckled and continued to say more.

    ¡°Kukuku, Apparently, the gods have a peculiar obsession with divine swords.They are supposedly always being watched.¡±

    It is possible that depending on how the divine swords are used, they could be more dangerous than evil gods. That could be why they¡¯re being monitored.

    ¡°And if something goes wrong, he¡¯ll send the oracle flying.Well, I guess it¡¯s just a matter of time before you start using it.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that you aremanded by God to do some kind of mission?¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s not something that big. This time it¡¯s just a one way trip to the location of this ce¡±

    ¡°Then, is it an order?¡±

    God is sending me information about the ce directly as if he wants me to go there, so it certainly seems like an order just like Mea says. But apparently, that¡¯s not the case.

    ¡±I¡¯ve only ever received a proper order twice now. Besides, I¡¯ve ignored your request a few times in the past, but I haven¡¯t been used of anything before.¡±

    ¡°Y- You ignored him! The oracle!¡±

    ¡±Well, I was in the middle of some important work that I couldn¡¯t take off otherwise. But they didn¡¯t punish you, so I guess that means they¡¯re not angry.¡±

    You¡¯re a brave man. Even if it wasn¡¯t an order, it¡¯s a request from God that you ignored. Even Kiara looks anxious as she listens back.

    That¡¯s unusual for someone from this world. No, now that I think about it, I¡¯m being made to struggle with a skill I don¡¯t want, so maybe I¡¯m taking a surprisingly nted view of God.

    ¡°Is it really that there is no punishment? Isn¡¯t it simply that there is no punishment yet to be meted out?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, like the Laurentian tragedy?¡±

    ¡°A,aaa¡­¡±

    ¡°What is¡­ the Laurentian tragedy?¡±

    Huh? ¡°Is the ck Cat Lady from another continent, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ¡°Well, then I guess it¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t know.¡±

    The tragedy of Laurencia was apparently an incident that took ce about 150 years ago on this continent. The story goes back another 50 years - or 200 years from now.

    At that time, there was a small nation called the Laurentian Kingdom to the south of the Beastmen Nation. Due to their geographical position, they were always standing in the downwind of the Beastmen Nation and were treated like a vassal state. The king was too young and too patriotic to endure it.

    ¡®What should such a king do?¡¯ Foolish people with power would think the same anywhere. The King of Laurencia then invited an evil magician to summon an evil god by offering his soul to the evil god through that man. From the beginning, the king did not intend to summon evil gods, but rather to bring chaos and exhaustion by unleashing arge number of fecund goblins into the Beastmen Nation. The King of Laurentia, who imposed heavy taxes on his people, used the money he collected to buy ves for sacrifice, and sacrificed the people who couldn¡¯t pay their taxes for the shortfall.

    But then the people who rose up to overthrow the king plunged the Laurentian kingdom into civil war and the king was eventually captured.

    We don¡¯t know what kind of negotiations took ce at this time, but the king was not executed. The royal family was dismantled and the country shifted to a parliamentary government of the people. However, the former royal family was condemned to very and driven to the frontier, where they were ordered to cultivate the untamed wilderness.

    But the royal family didn¡¯t just die out. The former king started to make amends and set about cultivating thend. It was said that he worked hard, cultivated at an incredible rate, and contributed greatly to the productivity of the Laurentian Republic. Not only that, but he also did charitable work, such as running an orphanage and reemployment for the injured and sick.

    By the time fifty years had passed, there were fewer people within the Laurentian Republic who spoke ill of the former royal family. Then, by unanimous consent of Congress, they were freed from very. Well, it seems like there was a lot of political talk involved, but it¡¯s not relevant here, so we¡¯ll skip that. What¡¯s important is that the Laurentians were truly converted and epted within the Republic.The former king and others were considered eminent persons by then.

    However, there was a being who had not forgotten their sin. Namely, the gods.

    Suddenly one day, divine punishment was handed down to the Laurentian family.The charge was that he used arge number of people to summon an evil god. Everyones must have thought, ¡°Why now?¡±

    However, the former king¡¯s family, who werepletely reformed and even revered by the people, were tragically killed by divine punishment. It was said that the only ones left were those who were of not direct descent or were from the branch family.This is the famous Laurentian tragedy of the Crome continent.

    ¡°Well, what this story shows us is how leisurely the gods are.¡±

    ¡°Leisurely?¡±

    ¡°The God who originally existed in eternal time and us humans have different perceptions of time, I guess. For us, it seems like the punishment came after 50 years. But to the gods, 50 years isn¡¯t that much, I guess. If you do something really bad though, you might get punished in an instant.¡±

    Well, it does make sense, somewhat. For example, if youpare a person to a bug, their perceived value of time would bepletely different. I guess the same thing can be said of God and man.

    ¡°But then again, maybe Earthers just haven¡¯t been punished yet?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s okay. After all, I checked directly with God¡¯s apostle!¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯ve seen the apostle of God?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I met him twice when he came to tell me hismand. It¡¯s no wonder when Godmands them the Apostle wille down. I asked him if he was okay with me ignoring him, and he said he was okay with it.¡±

    ¡°But why would he give you such a vague oracle that he doesn¡¯t mind being ignored?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t get it either¡­¡­¡­¡­ The Apostle says it¡¯s a personal thing, you know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Asura tells his conjecture, based on what he heard from God¡¯s apostle. Apparently, the gods will leave it at that if it¡¯s some kind of incident. However, when evil people are involved, they¡¯ll get involved.

    It¡¯s not something we absolutely have to fix, but if we can get our hands on it, let¡¯s do it. Anyway that¡¯s where the Divine Swordsmanes in. In addition to regrly monitoring them, it was easy for them to immediately send down oracles through the Divine Sword. In other words, it seemed that the idea was to use it as a surveince tool as well as amunication tool.

    ¡°Well, as I said before, the gods are leisurely. Wouldn¡¯t it have taken decades just to find someone near the ce where the incident is likely to happen who could receive the oracle and solve the case and give the oracle? That¡¯s why I thought I¡¯d make a divine swordsman who can be contacted immediately.¡±

    It takes 50 years for God to punish you. If that¡¯s the case, it might even take decades to make the oracle.

    ¡°This time around, it seemed like there was a dungeon involved. I figured I¡¯d make a move.¡±

    ¡°Hey Mea, have you ever received an ordainment, too?¡±

    ¡°An ordainment? No, I haven¡¯t. Perhaps I am not yet recognized as the true owner. Not from the sword, not from God.¡±

    I see¡­He looked surprised to hear the story, so it bothered me a bit.

    Well, it seems like he still hasn¡¯t been able to unleash the true power of the Divine Sword, so I guess that¡¯s why.

    (I will be there for you¡­¡­)

 Chapter 344.1 - Side Story : Beastmenâ€™s Land I

    <h4>Chapter 344.1 - Side Story : Beastmen''s Land I</h4>

    Side Kraug

    I am the gray tapir Kraug. I am the best of Gringot Intelligence. Well, even though it may sound like I am part of an intelligence organization, we never actually did anything spectacr like infiltrating enemy territory and bringing back important information or the like. If anything, our main role was to keep an eye out for enemy agents who may have infiltrated our city.

    Not long ago, we managed to catch the mastermind behind the assassins who attacked the ck Thunder Princess. Speaking of the ck Thunder Princess, she¡¯s the current most popr local hero, having broken through conventional wisdom that the ck cat tribe which was said to be incapable of achieving evolution. Upon usurping that deep rooted belief, she could even fight with Goddarfa to a stalemate. Hence, it would be unforgivable for anyone to even think of taking away this budding hope of the ck cat tribe.

    Although it took a bit of time, we managed to apprehend them in the end. On the other hand, however, it was much easier than expected for us to force them to speak up. No, it seemed to be that their mission was to leak this information in the first ce.

    ¡°The Krishna royal family? The royal family that ruled the Beastmen Nation before the Narasinha family, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­¡­ We will only bow our heads to the rightful royal family.¡±

    Then I remembered a rumor. It was said that the current Beast King family has a dark history that people here no longer talk or even know about. One of the reasons for this is theck of people working in a certain profession. There were only a handful of people of this specific profession or title in the Beastmen Nation. This profession we are referring to is a historian.

    Despite our country being more militaristic andbative than others, it does not mean that only barbarians live here. There were also sorcerers, schrs, and in fact, my father used to be a biologist.

    Yet, even though we did have all these knowledge sses, there were sadly still an extremely small number of historian students, historians, and archaeologists in this region. As a matter of fact, it¡¯s safer to say that there were almost none of them. One of the biggest reasons for this was that we didn¡¯t really have proper historical documentation left behind from before, and hence there are no old records left to be studied or kept. Apparently, it was the Beast King family of the past that destroyed the old documents. Therefore, this situation led to the fact that there wasn¡¯t really a need for this kind of upation.

    Another reason was that this profession was heavily cracked down upon by the Beast Kings a few generations ago, and most of the historians of the past have either been imprisoned and executed. As a result, the profession itself has disappeared.

    Having been so thorough in their actions, it¡¯s obvious that there was a big secret that the Beast Royal Family did not want any of its citizens, or anyone else for that matter, to know. While the current Beast King was very lenient with regards to this incident up to the point where we are even able to learn about the situation, until a few decades ago, it was apparently forbidden to even mention anything of it.

    What if that secret was the existence of a former royal family called the Krishna family? Moreover, what if the current royal throne came to be not from a regr regime change of sessor inheritance, but instead an usurpation of its predecessors?

    I wanted to know more about it. But regardless of the past, I am not dissatisfied with the current Beast Royal Family, which is currently running a good government. Rather, they are doing a fairly good job and are honorable leaders of our country.

    But what about the politics behind all of this? What if a person, a survivor of the Krishna royal family, with whom the Bashar royal family is said to be cooperating with, was nning behind the scenes for a reinstatement and restoration into kingship? In some cases, they may be able to im legitimacy.

    At the very least, they may not be able to one-sidedly assert that Bashar Kingdom was evil. Regardless, even at a nce, it was a messy situation.

    ording to an agent of Bashar¡¯s Kingdom, the authorities of the kingdom were indebted to the Krishna royal family of the past and were unable to refuse their request. That¡¯s one thing for certain. But there¡¯s no country that can be driven to action just from gratitude alone. Instead, you can give legitimacy to your actions by appearing to be working in favor of others. In other words, this time, the war was not just a skirmish, and the Bashar Kingdom¡¯s side, anticipating this, should have been well prepared.

    ¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã

    Half a dayter. We had been sent north to scout the neighborhood. Then, near the Schwarzkatze, we encountered a group of adventurers. They were the skillful men who marched with Master Kiara to intercept the evildoers. They also said that a knight of Bashar was amongst those that were captured.

    It seemed that the knight was very loyal and wouldn¡¯t budge to any form of interrogation or extortion. But she had managed to put them in a trance and extracted information from them. Under normal circumstances, it¡¯s hard to force them to do what we want them to, and even I myself am not strong enough to make them do what I want. But apparently, he was put into a trance and it made it easier for him to fall into hypnosis. Well, even so, it was limited to just about a minute.

    The knight also mentioned the name ¡°Myrelia¡±. To repay the woman¡¯s debt, the Bashar Kingdom was apparently lending a helping hand.

    That Myrelia woman, she¡¯s got some serious guts. By impressing upon one¡¯s self-respect or patriotism, it was possible for a person to instill a favorable feeling from another to oneself. It was simr to a prostitute¡¯s modus operandi for hitting on a man.

    However, there is a high probability that the knights have already taken into ount the information leaked to us, and have given only convenient information. It seemed that these knights may have already been brainwashed in the first ce. In essence, the earlier testimony was not very credible.

    ¡°What¡¯s the real purpose of this Myrelia woman? No, it¡¯s not my job to think about this. In the meantime, I must report this to my lord¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 344.2 - Side Story: Beastmenâ€™s Land II

    <h4>Chapter 344.2 - Side Story: Beastmen''s Land II</h4>

    Side Rigdalfa

    ¡°Excellent work, as ever. To build such a wall in such a short time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Lord Rigdalpha. You too, thank you for your hard work.¡±

    In front of me, the young man who was smiling is of the human race, Lysius Laurentia. A member of the branch of the Laurentian royal family that perished in the famous Laurentian tragedy, he is one of the court sorcerers of our beastmen nation. Speaking of Lysius of the Great Wall, he is also known as one of the best earth magicians on this continent.

    It¡¯s unthinkable that this softly smiling figure could raise the earth and bury hundreds of enemy soldiers in the blink of an eye. However, I know that behind that smile is a strong fighting spirit. He is the same age as me, and he is also a friend who has also fought on the battlefield with me many times since the first battle 30 years ago.

    ¡±I think you¡¯ve gone through quite a lot, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    I¡¯m sure they¡¯re using the art of the Great Wall to build these walls, but I¡¯ve heard they use quite a bit of magic. Furthermore, if he is to battle, his consumption must be tremendous.

    ¡°How can it be hard? I am merely doing this for the sake of protecting my ce in this world. The Laurentians are now famous for being descendants of evil masters. It is a mockery in every country. It¡¯s only here in the beastmen countries that people dare to fully ept me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And I think you¡¯re reckless too. The White Rhinoceros¡¯ heroic breakthrough was visible even from the top of the city walls. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d go into the enemy lines with hundreds of infantry.¡±

    ¡°Fu ha ha. Because I can¡¯t show my brother a pathetic fight now that my brother is gone.¡±

    My name is Rigdalfa. I am the brother of Goddarfa of the Vajra Wall, the chief of the White Rhinoceros tribe and a close associate of the Beast King. And I am also the second-inmand for this battle against Bashar Kingdom. It is my natural duty to take the lead and inspire my allies.

    ¡°So, how can I help you? It¡¯s not like you would bother to visit us on the battlefield just to warm up old friendships, right? So, is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sharp. Take a look at this.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­¡­¡±

    Lysias looks over the letter sent to themand center. As he read on, a strong sense of bewilderment and a slight feeling of impatience appeared on his face.

    I know how you feel. Because it was the same for me.

    ¡°The Krishna royal family, was it? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve never heard of such a name.¡±

    ¡°It seems to be a royal family that reigned over our beastly kingdom 500 years ago. But it says in this letter that they¡¯ve suffered a rebellion from the current House of Narasingha and have been usurped from the throne.¡±

    I¡¯ve also spoken to mymander, the general, but I don¡¯t care if this story is true or not. Or rather, it does matter, but it¡¯s useless to argue further on that point right now.

    Of course, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an outright lie.

    There are certainly some dubious aspects of the situation at the time of the Narasingha royal family¡¯s ascension to the throne. However, he is a good King for us now, and to be honest, I don¡¯t want him to step down now.

    But in wars between nations, it was routine for such past events to be brought to light and be used as justification for vindictive actions. And that¡¯s what you can¡¯t fool around with. Post-war processing and so on will have a creeping effect.

    I don¡¯t know if 500 years ago is short or long. It¡¯s definitely a time long past for us beastmen but to some of the long-lived species, it¡¯s possible that they may still consider it as a recent event that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising that some of them might still remember it.

    However, if the Kingdom of Bashar really had at least one person from the Krishna royal family with them and they were nning on bringing that person out of the shadows, it is almost certain that they will raiseplications in post-war negotiations and such. Depending on how the Bashar Kingdom intends to y out their story, there¡¯s a substantial chance, one that we will be unable to ignore, that the surrounding nations won¡¯t be on our side of this conflict.

    ¡°What¡¯s more, it says that she is now an evil person¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It seems like the former head of Krishna family, facing the dire situation in the past, turned to the evil god for help. Thus, as she was helpless against the onught of the usurpers, she had no choice but to dedicate herself to the evil god and has since be the evil god¡¯s maiden¡­¡±

    ¡°They n to thoroughly denounce the Narasingha royal family as usurpers and are content with emphasizing the y of a woman of Krishna¡¯s blood being made into a sufferable victim of the circumstances.¡±

    ¡°It also says that they have no choice but to lend a helping hand because they were indebted to the Krishnas¡¯ in the past. And they also say that it is their duty as neighbors to denounce the usurper royal family and to restore the rights to the rightful royal family.¡±

    It is tempting to question whether Bashar¡¯s kingdom is sane enough to join forces with an evil person, but it may be that the odds were stacked against them. Besides, it seems that this letter has been distributed not only to our country, but to other countries as well.

    A number of inquiries have been sent from our neighboring countries, which were addressed to the Commander. We¡¯ll have to take care of that too. Each country seems to want to gauge the wind and take a careful look at the situation before doing anything else. Apparently, the same story has been circting to other countries through channels other than the letter, and so far none country seems to think that the letter isplete bullsh*t, or rather, they couldn¡¯t simply brush off this news as aplete joke.

    ¡°To meddle with the power of an evil god would be nothing but a foolish thing to do, in my opinion.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very empathetic.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡­ I¡¯ve been struggling with it since I was young. As a child of an evil mage, there wasn¡¯t a day that went by that someone didn¡¯t throw a stone at me.¡±

    ¡°Linford, the wizard huh?¡±

    ¡°He disappeared before I was 10 years old, so I don¡¯t remember much about him. Now that I think about it, he must have been mentally ill. He was an old man who always had a creepy grin on his face. I was picked up by the Beast King, but my father was despised for decades as a descendant of an evil mage, so maybe I can¡¯t help it, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You still can¡¯t find him?¡±

    ¡°Yes. To begin with, I¡¯m a child from my father¡¯s old age, and if he were alive,he would be nearly 100 years old. Maybe somewhere¡­¡­ he already¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been rude.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. The reason I¡¯m looking for him in the first ce is that I¡¯m going to hand him over to you. Instead of talking about him, let¡¯s consult on that letter now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±

    It¡¯s really annoying when they just say that they have the upper hand on the war.

 Chapter 345.1 - Rematch (I)

    <h4>Chapter 345.1 - Rematch (I)</h4>

    After the exnation, Asura stood up from the chair he created.

    ¡°Now, are we done here? Well, if so, you should go home now.¡±

    ¡°Ha?! What are you saying?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine being on my own in this ce. Kiara, take them home.¡±

    Mea screams in surprise, but Kiara just shakes her head.

    ¡°Asura, It¡¯s about time, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Probably. So if you don¡¯t want me to kill you, you need to get out of here.¡±

    Does that mean that Asura¡¯s transformation into a mad demon is about to take effect? If so, it was certainly dangerous. He was already strong enough in his current state, but this change was definitely going to be a few more steps stronger and things will most likely spin out of control too. It¡¯s no wonder that Kiara nodded honestly.

    ¡°Mea, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ I understand.¡±

    ¡°Fran too, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­mhm¡±

    Both Mea and Fran nodded reluctantly. Mea¡¯s sense of obligation towards her mission was so strong that she was not happy with the idea of leaving everything to Asura alone. The fact that she couldn¡¯t do anything at this point also seemed to be a source of irritation to her. She seemed to be frustrated that she wasn¡¯t recognized as the Lord of the Divine Sword earlier as well.

    It¡¯s a shame that Fran didn¡¯t get a chance to witness how strong Asura is. But right now, it¡¯s not exactly an option. At any rate, it would be bad if we got caught up in Asura¡¯s outburstter.

    ¡°Come on, Fran. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Mhm¡±

    Kiara, in a somewhat impatient voice, also gave instructions to Quina and the others.

    ¡°We have to hurry. Quina, open the door.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord. Meanoa you will take care of the Lord.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    With Quina in the lead, we hurried to the entrance. I supposed the reason they made Meanoast was to see to it that Mea didn¡¯t stupidly nt an imitation of herself. Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible, but if it is, I would have went back to Asura by myself.

    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Quina?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t open¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°When we entered this room earlier, I made sure it could be opened and closed.¡±

    I wondered if it was made so it couldn¡¯t be opened from the inside, but apparently Quina, unlike us, was already making sure it could be opened and closed securely before.

    Isn¡¯t this bad? I tried using Dimension Gate. It didn¡¯t really matter even if we can¡¯t get out of the dungeon at the moment, as long as we all could escape this room as soon as possible.

    ¡°©`That, what do you mean?¡±

    But the magic didn¡¯t even kick in. When I tried to activate space-time magic, my magic power did not materialize as expected.

    (Master?)

    ¡°Metastasis is blocked.¡±

    I knew this feeling all too well. The teleportation-disrupting barrier Myrelia had put up. That was the moment I came to that realization.

    ¡°Hahaha! That door is closed, you can¡¯t leave now, you know? I¡¯ve set up a barrier so teleportation is useless you know, it¡¯s futile!¡±

    ¡°That voice!¡±

    ¡°Myrelia?¡±

    A voice suddenly echoed in the room, and the younger group consisting of Mea and Fran braced themselves for it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Myrellia teleported to the opposing side from us, with Asura standing in between both parties. As it was a barrier put up by the power of the evil gods, only Myrellia, who had obtained their blessings, would be able to use teleportation.

    She¡¯s still smiling andughing, it¡¯s obvious that she was truly enjoying this. However, the evil spirit emanating from her body seemed to have weakened slightly. Was it the aftereffects of breaking evil manifestation? Well, regardless, she was still strong enough to not be underestimated, though.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a divine sword user toe along. I also didn¡¯t realize thebyrinth we built to slow them down could be breached so quickly.¡±

    ¡°You are¡­, the dungeon master?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. But well, in a way I am rted to the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡­¡±

    It looks like he was able to sense the evil spirit emitted by Myrellia and discerned at a nce that she was an enemy. Asura pulled out his divine sword, Gaia, and braced himself. However, that gaze was not only directed at Myrellia, but also at us. Asura opened his mouth with a serious expression.

    ¡°¡­¡­Kiara¡±

    ¡°I understand¡±

    ¡°Look, you¡­,you just protect the kids. And when the timees, don¡¯t hesitate, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    What should we do? As long as we can¡¯t escape this ce, aren¡¯t we going to have to be stuck running around and getting out of Asura¡¯s way?

    Or do we want to take care of Myrellia as fast as we can before Asura goes out of control? That might be possible with this group. If Asura was going to run amok in this space anyway, it would be the end of our adventure. If that¡¯s the case, I feel that it¡¯s better to end the fight as fast as possible and part ways with Asura.

    Asura seems to think so too.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna crush that bitch as fast as we can. Let¡¯s get on with it.¡±

    ¡°I understand. We all must follow Asura¡¯smand.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mea is somewhat happy about that. Quina and Meanoa nodded silently. Fran was ready to fight too.

    ¡°Fran¡¯s sword in particr has the power to break the cycle of evil and reveal the truth. It is effective against the evil one.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Well, that¡¯s encouraging.¡±

    I¡¯ve decided to reveal that I¡¯m equipped with the skill ¡®Breaking Evil Manifestation¡¯. After all, it¡¯s a trump card against Myrellia.

    ¡°ck catdy, don¡¯t get carried away and get caught up in my attacks, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡±

    ¡°Well, it looks okay. How do you get to be that strong at your age anyway? I¡¯ve heard that the ck cat tribe is weak, but Miss and Kiara, you guys are just awesome.¡±

    Well, both Fran and Kiara are a special case. They were probably the number one and two in the ck cat tribe at the moment. While we were talking about this, Myrellia didn¡¯t attack us. For some reason, she stood there with a wry smile on her face.

    ¡°Are you guys done talking, I wonder?¡±

    ¡°With all these people, you still dare to act so rxed?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true you know~ to a certain degree that is. Anyway I want to ask you one more question, it¡¯s fine right?¡±

    ¡°Haa??! What is it??!¡±

    ¡°You seem to be already on the edge of transforming, though? Are you sure you can fight in that kind of condition?¡±

 Chapter 345.2 -Rematch (II)

    Chapter 345.2: - Rematch II

    ¡°You seem to be already on the edge of transforming, though? Are you sure you can fight in that kind of condition?¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Asura clicks his tongue loudly upon hearing Myrellia¡¯s words.

    ¡°The urge for destruction is growing within you.The Great Labyrinth was breached in a sh, but it wasn¡¯t entirely in vain, was it? Ufufufu... I wonder if the more you fight, the faster you change? I hope you don¡¯tpletely lose it and get your friends implicated...¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m going to kill you before I go mad!¡±

    That cry from Asura was the signal for the opening of the war. Asura ran towards Myrellia. There wasn¡¯t to be any preemptive, discerning strikes. Instead, he went all out right from the beginning. Although Myrellia avoided it by teleporting away, the attack, which hit the ground, sent a loud vibration throughout the room.

    It¡¯s indeed difficult to teleport without chanting. But that doesn¡¯t mean Myrellia is at a disadvantage. After all,just being able to teleport is already a huge advantage.

    ¡°Haaa! sh Thunder!¡±

    ¡°Ahahahaha, impatient now are we!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    I would read the destination of the teleportation, while Fran was ahead of me. Even if the teleportation itself was interfered with, I could still sense the fluctuations of space and read the other¡¯s position.

    ¡°Haaaaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Sh!¡±

    Fran used a sh of lightning to sh at high speed. It was a move that favored speed over blows. I¡¯ve got it. Thanks to the skill, ¡®Breaking Evil Manifestation¡¯, if the attack connects, it will chip away at the evil spirit. Rather than just continuously bombarding Myrellia with regr attacks, this attack instead would put more pressure on her.

    At the same time as I was attacking her, I was also making an imaginative steel cord. As I got more and more used to it, the transformation became smoother and smoother.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not very nice.¡±

    ¡°You let her get away!¡±

    Myrellia didn¡¯t retaliate and easily teleported away from us.

    ¡°What? Are you really that wary of the ¡®Breaking Evil Manifestation¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Oh, scary, scary~. It¡¯s going to be a tough fight indeed. But how long will you be able to keep it together~? Struggle as much as you can.¡±

    It¡¯s true that it would be an advantage for one person to be able to use teleportation while the other s can¡¯t, but was that sufficient for her to have that much confidence? That was awfully over the top. Does she still have something else hidden?

    But even after that, Myrellia rarely fought back. She would do nothing more than a light attack while running away from the attacking Kiara and Mea.

    ¡°Hey hey! What¡¯s wrong? You can¡¯t take me down with an attack like that, can you?¡±

    We tried provoking her with words. By now, I¡¯ve definitely noticed she was stalling for time. I¡¯m sure everyone here was aware of that too. Regardless, we still couldn¡¯tnd a decisive hit.

    This ce was too small to unleash a wide range of high-powered attacks as it would definitely indiscriminately attack all of our teammates too. Having said that, it¡¯s hard to keep up with the ever-evasive Myrellia. She hasn¡¯t made that move yet, but if ites down to it, Myrellia had the ability to just teleport out of the room if she really wanted to.

    The only way to counter her teleports would be to unleash a wide range attack and detect which area she teleported to based on that. From what I¡¯ve seen, the only people who could do that were Asura and Fran.

    Quina and Mianoa specialized in closebat, so they don¡¯t have attacks that spread over a wide area. Mea and Kiara have no way of detecting and following Myrellia¡¯s teleportation.

    In the end, it came down to either me, to detect the teleportation through space-time magic, or Asura, who can detect it through intuition. But I¡¯m honestly worried about letting Asura do it.

    The reason why Myrellia was stalling for time was probably because of Asura. All I could think of was that she was waiting for Asura to run amok. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid to let Asura shoot a powerful technique so easily, as the more he involves himself inbat, the greater the danger of him running amok.

    Then, I had no choice but to do it. We¡¯ll have to settle this fight before Asura¡¯s outbursts began. I can¡¯t sense Asura¡¯s destructive impulses yet. However, I could see a bit of impatience beginning to show on his face. Maybe Myrellia was right about the change being close. There was no more time. We must defeat Myrellia by any means necessary.

    ¡°Fran¡±

    (Mhm)

    ¡°I¡¯ll stop her! Don¡¯t miss that moment. The only way to bring her down is to cut her yourself.¡±

    (I understand)

    ¡°Good!¡±

    Immediately after Myrellia avoided Mea¡¯s white fire by teleporting, I activated the form transformation at full force. Thinner, sharper, and wider. I could control my own sword de more perfectly by unleashing simultaneous operations at full throttle.

    That¡¯s not all. The power of ¡®Breaking Evil Manifestation¡¯ spread through every corner of the thread, and on every single strand. Otherwise, there would be no way to catch Myrellia.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The same ¨C or even more painful ¨C as when I used simultaneous arithmetic to activate multiple magic operations assaulted my spirit. As I used simultaneous magic attacks at the same time, the magic operations added up to give me the same amount ¨C or even more ¨C of pain to my spirit. Yes, I was supposed to be an invincible sword, but I was definitely feeling pain. Is this my sword? Or is it my spirit? I thought I heard something crack. But we can¡¯t cut corners here.

    I used not only the imaginative steel cords but also the sword de, and like a giant spider¡¯s web, my sword de, which had turned into a steel thread, covered half of the hall.

    ¡°Gah! Even until here!¡±

    ¡°Gotcha, I got her!¡±

    The prey that hung on the spider¡¯s web was Myrellia, just after she made the teleportation. A sharp thread hugged her body, and her right arm and left leg were cut off halfway through. Lacerations were carved all over her body, and we could see the evil spirit fogging away. I manipted the string further, tightening its encirclement to keep Myrellia from escaping.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    At the same time, I¡¯ve paved the way for Fran. Now it was her turn to y her part. Even though there were gaps in the threading, the steel threads would still damage Fran. However, Fran ignored the pain as she thrusted me towards Myrellia, sprinkling red blood everywhere as she made me as thin and small as a dagger.

    ¡°Haaaaaaa!!¡±

    ¡°Ugh...!¡±

    But I didn¡¯t make it in time. Myrellia pushed the tangled threads away for a moment withpressed evil energy and escaped by teleporting.

    Arge hole has been drilled on Myrellia¡¯s body, and arge hole has also appeared in the center of the hall, but there was still no sign of it repairing itself. On top of that, the evil spirit in her has been reduced to less than half of what it was at the start. She must be cornered for sure.

    (Master, are you alright?)

    ¡°That¡¯s my line......¡±

    (Mm. It will heal soon. But Master pushed herself too hard.)

    ¡°Aa.....¡±

    I want to be strong, but that is not enough. Now is not the time to rest.

    ¡°I won¡¯t stop¡±

    (.......mhm!)

 Chapter 346 - Myrelliaâ€™s Unfortunate End

    <h4>Chapter 346 - Myrellia''s Unfortunate End</h4>

    Myrellia¡¯s evil spirit was greatly reduced by my and Fran¡¯s attack. But there was a smile on her face, along with anguish.

    ¡°Hahahahahaha! I knew you were strong!¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you.¡±

    As if to warn Myrellia, who isughing with her face contorted, Asura replies with a blunt word.

    What is with this confidence from Myrelia?

    However, it¡¯s still an opportunity. We¡¯ll stop her here before she gets away with teleportation again. I pushed down my mental fatigue and increased my focus to attack again. Asura seemed to be going for something, too.

    The tension between us rose quietly. Myrellia should have sensed the atmosphere, but she remains as rxed as ever.

    But then, right when we were about to move, something happened. I could feel the magic power radiating through our feet from nowhere.

    ¡°What is this? What is this strange magical power?¡±

    Immediately after that, a tremendous vibration coarsed throughout the dungeon. It¡¯s as if they were pushed up from the earth itself. It wasn¡¯t just Fran, who was lighter, but even Asura was floating for a moment. This is exactly what I was thinking about. I thought there had been a major earthquake.

    Myrellia¡¯s smile deepened as she saw Fran and the others surprised by the shaking. That piece of sh*t Myrellia! I didn¡¯t feel any magic or evil spirits, so how in the world did she do it? Is it the power of the dungeon? Anyway, this urrence gave her a chance.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±

    (Yes)

    Fran, still separated from the shaky ground by an aerial leap, focused all her attention on Myrellia¡¯s movements. As long as she had the trump card against the evildoers, Breaking Evil Manifestation, Fran would always be targeted by her.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    (¡­¡­¡­¡­)

    But Myrellia didn¡¯t make a move. On the contrary, she began tough loudly on the spot.

    ¡°Hahahahaha! Finally!¡±

    It¡¯s not just Myrellia who is acting strangely. Asura and Kiara also stared at Myrellia, who wasughing, with an astonished expression on her face.

    ¡°Was that ¡­ a dungeon scream?¡±

    ¡°Why are youughing at that?¡±

    ¡°A dungeon scream?¡±

    A dungeon scream is apparently an earthquake-like vibration that urs when the dungeon master is defeated and the dungeon goes dormant. In some dungeons that have just been built, it may be barely perceptible, but in the case of older,rger dungeons, the tremors can be so great that you can¡¯t even stand up.

    They say that the wavelength of the magic emanating from the core is unique, so anyone who knows about it can easily recognize it. I see. So what we felt before, the vibrations, in other words, was magic.

    But why is Myrellia smiling? When the Dungeon Master dies and the dungeon goes dormant, everything that belongs to the dungeon, like monsters and other things should disappear. In other words, Myrellia would also disappear.

    ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m free now!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you say you were involved in the dungeon? If that¡¯s the case¡­¡±

    ¡°Extinguished?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Too bad! I¡¯m only half in control of the dungeon, so I¡¯m not going to disappear right now. Well, you¡¯ll have a few days to spare, isn¡¯t that good? But it¡¯s only for a few days, okay?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t need a few days to kill you. A few minutes is all it takes.¡±

    ¡°You are talking bullsh*t now¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly not going to be a normal win. He has a divine sword user and a breaker. Everyone else has evolved as well.¡±

    Myrellia is calm while saying that. I have no idea what she¡¯s thinking.

    ¡°¡®But I can at least let my remaining strength run amok and self-destruct, you know? I¡¯m going to be gone in a few days anyway, so why not self-destruct here? What would happen if I blew myself up as fast as I could in this small space? Even if you survive, the st might trigger that mad demon to start running wild, you know?¡±

    Even though Myrellia¡¯s evil spirit has been halved, she still umted an enormous amount of power. Besides, it was entirely possible that Myrellia¡¯s self-destruction would trigger Asura¡¯s outburst.

    Was Myrellia desperate? But the way she spoke earlier, it was as if she was waiting for the Dungeon Master to be killed. Funny when you think about it, wasn¡¯t it? If she was going to self-destruct, it should have been before the dungeon master dies.

    ¡°Hey, would you like to make a deal with me?¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to do me a favor, I am willing to let you kill me here without making a fuss. No resistance. I promise.¡±

    It¡¯s not a lie ¡ª it¡¯s more like you can¡¯t discern it. When I think about it, it always felt strange to me. The illusionary theory has never concluded that Myrellia¡¯s words were lies. But that was unlikely. In fact, it should be more natural to lie all the time.

    Perhaps, just like appraisal, the reasoning of falsehoods is not as effective as it should be against the words of the evil one.

    ¡°Fran, do you think she¡¯s telling the truth?¡±

    (Mm. Those eyes are telling the truth.)

    Fran has better intuition than I do.Therefore those words were believable.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What do you, an evil woman, want? The Resurrection of the Evil God?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. That¡¯s not the kind of sh*t I want to hear.¡±

    Hearing Myrellia¡¯s words, Asura was also crestfallen. The evil woman called the resurrection of the Evil Gods as a trivial matter. That was surprising.

    ¡°I¡¯m only asking for one thing. I¡¯m sure It¡¯s not that hard for you guys.¡±

    ¡°¡­say it.¡±

    ¡°There is an aristocratic family in the Kingdom of Bashar called the Magnolia family. Could you rescue the recently born, legitimate son and put him in a safe ce?¡±

    ¡°Haaa???!!!!¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Asura and Kiara ask back. I mean that was natural. I too don¡¯t know what she meant. Rescuing a trueborn son of House Magnolia? What do you mean by ¡®rescue¡¯? Why not do it yourself in the first ce?

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you up to?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not nning anything. To borate a bit more, I want you to take the heir son of the Magnolia family out of the kingdom of Bashar before he gets brainwashed and take him out of their reach. All I¡¯m asking is that you let him live a normal life, okay? If possible, take him to an orphanage run by a rank A adventurer on the next continent. That¡¯s all I want.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it yourself?¡±

    ¡°If they know I¡¯m obsessed with that child, the Dungeon Master will surely take that child as a hostage. I¡¯m finally free, but I don¡¯t have time anymore. That¡¯s why I want to leave you guys to it.¡±

    Neither Kiara, Asura, nor Mea said anything. No, it¡¯s more like we can¡¯t. We can¡¯t believe it. In the first ce, she was an evil and aggressive person, and she was a person who brought destruction wherever she went. Is that not enough already, and now you want us to save your child?

    But as Fran says, her words don¡¯t seem to be a lie. The look in her eyes were even sincere.

    Fran opens her mouth to take over from Asura.

    ¡°What about the others guys? What about those knights?¡±

    ¡°You should just leave those guys alone. Being there is not worth anything other than being Romeo¡¯s parent.¡±

    ¡°What did you say about the revival of the royal family or the ck cat paradise?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care about it, the Krishna royal family is just a relic of the past. And about the paradise for the ck Cats? What¡¯s the value of that stuff? This is all a diversion to hide my true intentions. Afterall you don¡¯t know where you¡¯ll encounter the ear of Bashar¡¯s kingdom or the Dungeon Master. All I really want is for Romeo to be happy. Hey, please. Get that boy out of the kingdom of Bashar and out of the spell of Magnolia.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is-¡°

    Asura was about to ask the question again, and that was when suddenly¡­

    ¡°Enough of this farce.¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    A figure suddenly appeared behind Myrellia, thrusting the sword in his hand from his back towards her heart. I could see the evil spirit flowing towards the figure from Myrellia, who was vomiting blood and looking in anguish. He is absorbing Myrellia¡¯s evil energy. This guy looked familiar to us.

    ¡°Xellos Reed. You¡­ Betrayed me¡­¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t let me miss my chance to eat more power!¡±

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    Xellos Reed shoved Myrellia away. Myrellia fell in front of us, and by all ounts, she was dying. I could barely feel the evil energy that had been stored up in her for so long. The wound she just received did not even begin to regenerate.

    ¡°Hey¡­Please ¡­ That child ¡­ please make that child¡­ please make Romeo happy¡­ please¡­¡±

    She tried to reach her hand out to us, even though she was running out of breath.

    ¡°Hmm, you poor woman. You¡¯re a family member of the evil gods, but you¡¯re wishing for a human child to be happy. So no matter how crazy you are, in the end you¡¯re still just a woman huh?¡±

    ¡°Aa¡­¡­¡±

    Then her hands lost their strength as she crumpled to the ground.

 Chapter 347.1 - Side Story: Myrellia (I)

    <h4>Chapter 347.1 - Side Story: Myrellia (I)</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Hey! Just a kind reminder this trantion belong to Centinni please only read and donate at Centinni. Enjoy!

    ¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?

    Side Myrellia

    Thest thing I remember was a white light covering my vision. A divine and abominable light. It was the light of divine punishment that took my life away.

    It¡¯s strange. It felt like that happened a long time ago. But it¡¯s not unreasonable. Five hundred years have passed since then. In other words, I failed.

    What a mess. I was so close to achieving my dream¡­ My mind coated with despair, I feel the reign of the Evil Gods strengthening. Still, I was able to remain conscious without beingpletely controlled by the Evil Gods because of a slight glimmer of hope.

    I was told by Linford that the Magnolia name is still around today. And that even my name has been passed down. I couldn¡¯t contain myughter when I was told about the myths which were full of mistakes.

    The love between me and my lover quickly cooled off. He abandoned me for fear of the beasts around him, and I wasn¡¯t so vigorous enough to continue loving the man who abandoned me either.

    It was around that time that everything in this world became indifferent to me. Losing motivation, I began to live a self-degrading life. Supposedly in the myths, I ended up as a wife of a certain noble. What a dull life!

    However, in reality the story didn¡¯t end there. I have met my destiny. It¡¯s a boy born between my former lover who abandoned me and a prostitute who was enved to a marriage fraud.

    I was captivated the moment I saw him. Is that what motherhood is? The fact that the image of my beloved man remains, albeit at such a time, maybe it¡¯s one of the reasons why I was interested. Anyway, I wondered how could there be such a sweet, cute and lovable being. It¡¯s strange that I didn¡¯t think about such a thing when I saw other children.

    From that moment on, only the child¡¯s happiness mattered to me. So I didn¡¯t kill those two. I heard that children needed both their parents. Otherwise, I would have already killed my former lover and that prostitute who was afraid to earn my disgrace and tried to kill that child.

    But things didn¡¯t work in my favour. My father had clearly begun to run amok. Apparently, my request to marry a human caused the beastmen in the country to distrust the Beast King family. He tried to hold it down with force as a civil war was on the verge of breaking out.

    Eventually, my father turned to a forbidden power to protect his position. He tried to unlock the seal of the wicked god¡¯s tomb, which was under the control of the royal family, and use that power as his own. However, ironically, it was I who ended up endangering the beast royal family as the priestess of the Evil God. Dedicated to the Evil God as a sacrifice, I was revived by the power of the Evil God and for some reason ended up bing a shrine maiden of the Evil God.

    Whether or not I was still myself. Whether I was just a puppet controlled by the Evil God or not. Even if I ask myself the question,I can¡¯t get an answer. And then, I suddenly realized. That I gained power. It was the power to fulfill a great desire. That one wish still remained, smoldering in my chest.

    Then, what is there to hesitate about? I decided to harness even the power of the Evil Gods.

    First I offer my father a deal. Instead of wielding the power of the Evil God for the Beast King family, he asked for the elimination of all the human exclusionists so that that child could live happily in this country. Eventually, my father conspired with me to thoroughly suppress the anti-humanists in the country. The other ck cat tribes easily changed sides when I gained power. It was hrious to see those who previously used me of being a filthy woman who had mingled with so many humans, and yet they didn¡¯t even try to hide their filthy desires, and they all wanted to shake my hand in order to gain power. Don¡¯t they know which one was dirtier?

    But I was betrayed again. My former lover fled to the kingdom of Bashar with that boy. Behind the scenes, his kingdom seemed to be pulling the strings. And then he held that kid hostage and came at me. He asked for help in weakening the beastly nation.

    I had no choice but to obey. Instead of wishing for the child¡¯s safety, he set up his own army and carried out all the pro-war movements who were nning to invade the army and invade the Bashar Kingdom.

    At the request of the army from the beast kingdom, he sent the army of the beasts to attack and annihte the army from the Bashar Kingdom with a pincer attack.

    We also gave them everything they wanted, including rewriting the borders of the other side through post-war reparations and such. By that time, my father had already been brainwashed by me, so I could do whatever I wanted about it.

    But perhaps because of their injuries, the human exclusionists were greatly reduced in strength, and I, who had given my soul, gained more power through the Evil Gods. All that was left was to get that child back from the Bashar Kingdom, and my wish will finallye true. If that white light hadn¡¯t taken my life, it would have happened.

    It seems that all of the people who had even the slightest trace of the Evil God¡¯s factor entering their lives were also eliminated by divine punishment. Ha ha ha, good grief! The one that hit us the hardest was the ck cat tribe, who were supposed to be our own people. Everyone, adults and children alike, called me vulgar and threw rocks at me. I should have destroyed them all anyway.

    And 500 yearster. I would be awakened and dominated by Linford. It was a humiliation to be used by such a man, but he certainly piqued my interest when he said that the descendants of that child remained in the present Bashar kingdom. I can¡¯t see that child anymore, but what of it? But the moment I saw that child¡¯s descendant, I lost interest.

    Their spirit was so distorted that they looked only like puppets. Originally, the Magnolia family had been educated to instill patriotism. But now they¡¯ve gone too far and it was nothing but pure brainwashing.

    In the end I met that child again. His appearance was not simr, his hair and eyes different. But, the moment I saw him, I had the same ticklish feeling as when I met that child. Romeo, the just-born son of the Magnolia family. Did the blood of that child flow through his? That was the moment when I found a new purpose in life.

    And I noticed. As it was, this Romeo would eventually be a puppet of the Bashar kingdom just like Johan. That was the only thing that must be stopped.

    I¡¯ve fallen into the role of Linford¡¯s servant, but I¡¯ve been granted a modicum of authority. I began to take action to achieve my own desires, despite Linford¡¯s wishes.

    The first thing I did was to negotiate with the current king of Bashar. I cooperated with him for the good of his country, and we made a promise that Romeo would be handed over to me when his wishes were fulfilled. No, if I designate Romeo, the country and Linford and others could take that kid hostage.

    Instead I told the King that I wanted Magnolia¡¯s bloodline to summon my former lover¡¯s spirit. And since an innocent soul was better, I would like to receive Romeo intact if possible. It seems that the shrine maiden of the Evil God was likely to say that. Thanks to that, King Bashar seemed to think that I was trying to sacrifice Romeo. Well, it will be great if they misunderstood until the end. It¡¯s just a matter of time before I get my hands on Romeo anyway.

    The wishes of the Kingdom of Bashar. It¡¯s a way of subduing the beastly nation, our sworn enemy, and rising above it. For the Bashar Kingdom, which had always been frightened by the shadow of invasion from the Beastman Nation, it could be said to be a long-cherished wish of the Bashar Kingdom.

 Chapter 347.2 - Side Story : Myrellia (II)

    <h4>Chapter 347.2 - Side Story : Myrellia (II)</h4>

    For the Bashar Kingdom, who had always been frightened by the shadow of the invasion from the Beastman Nation, it could be said to be a long-cherished wish.

    Besides, the deteriorating rtionship with the Beast Nation also cast a dark shadow over the Magnolia family. Even though they are anti-beast exclusionists they were trying to hang on to those whose ancestors had roots in the beast country even if they ended up suspected as spies. The Magnolia family was always targeted as one of these. Also, the Magnolia family¡¯s territory was near the border with the Beast Nation, and if the Beast Nation gained supremacy of the area, the Magnolia family could be executed as traitors.

    Linford¡¯s interests, the interests of the Kingdom of Bashar, and my interests coincided, and a war against the Beast Nation was nned. Lynford wanted a soul, the Bashar kingdom wanted a victory, and I wanted a sacrifice.

    The king apparently used my notorious lore, which was of course full of misunderstandings, to get the upper echelons of the Bashar Kingdom to approve an alliance with the wicked while flirting with profit. Most of them wouldn¡¯t believe in such worldly rhetorics as ingratitude towards me. However, the king seemed to have found a solution and that he didn¡¯t mind a little nuisance as long as he could get the Beast Country.

    Also, ironically, because of historical evidence of me, an evil being, being used to depose the rule of the Beastman Nation five hundred years ago, he seemed to have little resistance to the idea of utilizing the power of the evil god. After all there is a precedent that an evil person can be used.

    But we also had to think about what would happen if we lost. Of course, King Bashar also considered that possibility.

    Even if someone put you in the line or in a fire and tell them that you are threatened by an evil person, you would not be able to avoid the Beastmen Nation¡¯s pursuit. After all we¡¯ve caused so many wars of aggression, and if we lose, of course we¡¯ll be pursued by the beast nation. The least they would do was exiling us.

    But no matter how bad the odds were, no matter how much of a losing game we yed, we could still turn the tides. In other words, we could use the souls gained in the war to summon arge number of powerful and evil people. As a shrine maiden of the Evil God, I could control the evil people. And after causing chaos to some extent inside the beastmen¡¯s country, we would let the Bashar Kingdom Army invade the beastmen¡¯s country in the name of subjugating an evil person. Since the beast¡¯s hands would be tied with internal trifles, the subjugation would be simple. After that, they could effectively control it in the name of disaster recovery or subjugation. After all, there would be no power left to oppose in the Beastman Nation.

    Nevertheless, we also need an excuse for our neighboring countries. Win or lose, we wouldn¡¯t want the nations around us to say that we were an evil nation in league with the Evil Gods. Hence, it was necessary to give the impression that I was in charge of the war.

    I was no longer interested in the royal family, but one of my public reasons was to give the rights to the throne back to the Narashinha family from the Krishna family. I told him that my actual wish was to gain the paradise of the ck Cat. I tried to make Johan Magnolia and his allies feel like I cared about the 500-year old rtionship. The truth was, I didn¡¯t care what happened to anyone but Romeo.

    The whole thing was a prelude to taking the argument that this conflict is an extension of the Beastman Nation¡¯s internal strife 500 years ago and that the Bashar royal family was involved. Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to really kill the princess and her servant there. However, it made sense to spread words of hatred. Each country would be spying on the Beastman Nation, and I wouldn¡¯t know where or what any person would hear. That¡¯s why it was important to appeal to them consistently in a variety of situations.

    By doing so, we could make the form of the conflict between the Krishnas and the Narasinha family more visible. In fact, I had sent a letter to each country saying that the usurper royal family was to be put to death in my name. All in order to make post-war risk as low as possible. Even if the nations don¡¯t believe it, as long as the Beastman Nation was destroyed, it was a matter that can be excused in any way possible. Because the truth was created for the convenience of the survivors. Just as how my lore was full of mistakes.

    The best thing to do would be to win the war head-on in a big way and rule the beastly kingdom by the power of Bashar Kingdom alone, but that would be difficult. However, a pincer attack with a dungeon force should have a good chance of working.

    I didn¡¯t want to use the power of an Evil God if I could. Without a doubt, the heavens will send out punishment again. Fufufu. Yes, I knew and so did King Bashar, that if you used the power of an evil god, you will surely be punished by heaven. That¡¯s why King Bashar kept the n to summon the evildoers deep inside his heart. Perhaps he was going to focus the divine punishment on himself alone. I didn¡¯t know if it would work.

    But, as was the case 500 years ago, there must be some time for leeway. In that little moment, King Bashar would nominate a sessor, and I intended to let Romeo escape from the Bashar Kingdom. I also had an idea of where to leave Romeo. Although it would be on another continent, there was an orphanage run by a Rank A adventurer. I had it checked out, but it was a perfectly straightforward orphanage with no other side to it. If I left him there, he would be a few times safer than if he were to remain in the Kingdom of Bashar.

    However, I thought all those ns were likely to end in vain. Thus, it was such a surprise that an irregrity such as the Divine Swordsman appeared.

    Even though I knew I couldn¡¯t win against my opponent, I could never run away from a fight because of the force of the order thatpelled me to keep doing so. Even I didn¡¯t think I could beat the Divine Swordsman. Therefore I knew that my life would end here.

    The only bright side would be the appearance of Xellos Reed. Apparently he betrayed Linford. I¡¯d eaten all the evil people here. But, traitorous though he is, he was willing to negotiate. What I presented to him was my life. In exchange for giving that power and my life, I decided to have Xellos Reed do three jobs.

    The first was the killing of the Dungeon Master, the only person who could order me around. As long as that thing was watching us, we couldn¡¯t take any chances. However, at any rate, challenging the Divine Swordsman would just end in death. Thus, it would be better to get a little freedom at the end. Well, I told them I could move for a few days, but that was a lie. It will be an hour at the most. I don¡¯t have time to get to the child, I¡¯m afraid.

    The other thing I asked for was to kill me at the perfect time. Specifically, right after I asked the Divine Swordsman and the princess to protect Romeo, Xellos Reed will take my life miserably.

    Why? People like them were susceptible to sad story developments. How could they refuse? After all, it was thest wish of a dying, poor woman. They wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse it. I¡¯ve seen that the Divine Swordsman and the princess were particrly vulnerable to such stories. There is a higher chance though it¡¯s still a small chance, but the probability that Romeo will be saved increased. That was thest struggle I could make.

    As a matter of fact, I¡¯ve asked Xellos Reed for help too. It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know how far he¡¯ll go to keep his promise, so I¡¯d be grateful if the princess or the Divine Swordsman would protect him if possible. Although they were my enemy, the princess and the Divine Swordsman are much more reliable.

    ¡°Hey¡­Please ¡­ That child ¡­ please make that child¡­ please make Romeo happy¡­ please¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you poor woman. You¡¯re a family member of the Evil Gods, but you¡¯re wishing for a human child to be happy. So no matter how crazy you are, in the end you¡¯re still just a woman huh?¡±

    When the princess and the Divine Swordsman heard Xellos Reed¡¯s words, a look of anger appeared on their faces. They felt sorry for me.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡±

    Thank you, Xellos Reed, for the greatest help.

 Chapter 348 - The One Who Keeps On Eating

    <h4>Chapter 348 - The One Who Keeps On Eating</h4>

    ¡°Hmm, you poor woman. You¡¯re a family member of the evil gods, but you¡¯re still wishing for a human child to be happy. It seems like no matter how crazy you are, in the end you¡¯re still just a woman huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    The indifferent man stared coldly, at Myrellia who copsed and disappeared like a ck mist.

    I had no idea what the hell was going on.

    Myrellia said something iprehensible, such as wanting me to help save a child in Bashar Kingdom.

    The Krishna royal family and their attitude toward the knights were all actually ways to hide their true intentions? What she really wanted to do was to save a boy named Romeo from the Kingdom of Bashar? Indeed, Johann Magnolia was brainwashed. The boy named Romeo is likely to end up like that if left alone.

    I can see why it would be difficult for Myrellia to rescue the boy on her own, with Linford and the Dungeon Master in control.

    But was it the truth? It didn¡¯t look like she was lying, but it¡¯s hard to believe that, that Myrellia would make a move like that. Moreover I am worried about Xellos Reed¡¯s sudden appearance.

    And suddenly all the worries I was thinking about were blown out of my head. It seemed to be the same for Fran, Kiara, Asura, and, well, everyone here.

    ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡­¡­until when will you¡­¡±

    The evil energy emitted by Xellos Reed had be so powerful that it was iparably stronger than before. That¡¯s about to measure up to Myrellia¡¯s. No, if he used the power properly, it might even be beyond that.

    It used to be possible to read some statuses and other information in the appraisal. But now I couldn¡¯t see anything. In other words, it meant that the evil spirit has strengthened so much. From a nce it was the same as before, but now it gave off an even more frightening aura than before.

    Even Asura frowned and showed caution. Kiara lightly braced herself, and as for Fran and the others, she quickly distanced herself from them and readied her weapon with a pale face. I could see the goosebumps on Fran¡¯s arms. In other words, Xellos had be just that much more powerful.

    Perhaps he has been killing and killing and killing all the evil people and kept absorbing their power with his cannibalistic skills. I thought before that it would be good for the world in a way, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be able to nurture the evil spirit to this extent in such a short amount of time.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What the hell is Xellos Reed?¡±

    ¡°Are you a follower of the Evil God? You seem strong.¡±

    ¡°I am honored to have the Divine Swordsman say that! Kuhahaha!¡±

    The evil spirit blew up from Xellos Reed¡¯s entire body with a tremendous amount of force as heughed. The vibrations were scattered randomly and turned into a storm that blew around us.

    This is seriously bad! Just when we were about to fend off Myrellia, another monster appears again!

    Even though we have a trump card against evil, I seriously didn¡¯t want to interact with such a monster. The crisis of Asura¡¯s going berserk has not yet passed. I think running is the way to go here.

    ¡°-Chii!¡±

    The Dimension Gate was not activated. I don¡¯t know if it was maintained even though Myrellia was dead, or if Xellos Reed had re-established it, but the teleportation containment has not yet been lifted.

    ¡°That little guy over there looks familiar. He was the one in Barbora¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How is that one boy?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you not answering?¡±

    It¡¯s not like I was trying hard to ignore him, or that I kept my mouth shut to avoid giving him information. But, I can¡¯t speak. Xeros Reed took his gaze off Fran as it was, as if he had lost interest, and looked at Asura with an epic smile on his face.

    ¡°You have a divine sword¡­¡­¡­ I wanted to go at it with you once¡­¡±

    ¡°Battle Junkie¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re just as crazy as I am, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be put at the same level as you, but I guess from a human perspective it¡¯s simr.¡±

    ¡°Moreover you have such a terrific skill set of enhancement! Ka-ha-ha! Nice!!¡±

    Killing intent emanated from Xellos Reed, as if he had identified Asura as his prey. From his point of view, it might just be a greeting, but if the current Xellos Reed did it, it was no different than an attack. If it were an ordinary person, this killing intent alone would stop his heart.

    Even Guendalfa unconsciously backed up and surprised himself by hitting his back against the wall. Apparently he hadn¡¯t realized he was retreating. He was shaking with a sweaty face.

    ¡°Chi¡±

    Looking at Xellos Reed who looked energized, Asura also got agitated.

    ¡°Oi, Kiara!¡±

    ¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡±

    Before I knew it, Kiara approached the entrance door and was looking into it. However, as I expected, it didn¡¯t seem to open.

    In the meantime, the killing intent emanating from Xellos Reed was rising tremendously! I found that even Quina, who normally didn¡¯t show her expression, frowned.

    ¡°Hehehehehe, wanna get at it?¡±

    ¡°Oi you guys! Don¡¯t get involved in this! Kiara, hurry up!¡±

    Then the battle between the monsters began. Of course, the first one to make a move was Xellos Reed.

    ¡°Ora!¡±

    Xellos Reed took out from nowhere a huge swordparable to Asura¡¯s earth sword Gaia. It¡¯s name had be the Great Sword of the Evil God Stone. I see, it might be a suitable weapon for this guy to use. Both in name and strength.

    The great jet-ck sword that was swung down was intercepted by the divine sword raised by Asura.

    Dooooooooooo!

    The pair of great swords were struck together, causing a roar and a loud shockwave that reached Fran and the others who had taken shelter by the wall. From there, a bizarre scene unfolded as two giant men struck each other with great swords.

    The attacks were offset by opposing attacks, and the two fought each other with even more attacks without being able to defend against the sting shockwave. I couldn¡¯t imagine how powerful a single attack could be, but I didn¡¯t think I wanted to mix in there at all. However, it seems that Asura¡¯s swordsmanship was superior to Xellos¡¯ skills.

    Every ten or so times, Asura¡¯s attack caught Xellos Reed. It would regenerate quickly, but I could see that the evil spirit was greatly diminished. But Kiara looked restless. Asura too.

    ¡°This is bad¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Look at the corner of Asura. The color has turned red. It¡¯s a sign of a berserk. Soon, his demonization will be activated!¡±

    Things seemed to be moving in the worst direction possible.

    Every time he hit Xellos Reed with his sword, the horn that grew from Asura¡¯s forehead dyed a deeper red. At the same time, a red magic power began to rise from his body like a heat haze.

    ¡°Red is the color of madness¡­¡­¡­ The fact that he started to wear that aura meant his skills have already been activated!¡±

    I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s just barely in control due to equipment and other effects. It was only a matter of time before the Demonization fully activated. That awareness was already fully focused only for the battle with Xellos Reed.

    ¡°Oraaa!¡±

    ¡°Chi! You are a divine swordsman indeed!¡±

    Asura¡¯s attack bes more intense. The earth sword, Gaia, was struck against the floor of the dungeon, causing arge depression, with a crack in the form of a cobweb surrounding it.

    I was frightened when I saw it. Was this dungeon destructible in the first ce? Maybe the strength of the dungeons varied. In the Goblin Dungeon, the floor was casually gouged by Fran¡¯s attack.

    But this dungeon was mostly unscathed by Asura¡¯s rampage. Although he was manipting it with earth magic, the dungeon itself wouldn¡¯t get hurt by a normal attack. That¡¯s why it was impossible to destroy the dungeon and escape. However, thatmon sense was overturned right now.

    That casual blow probably contained a huge amount of magical power as well as physical strength.

    ¡°Graaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Uraaraaaa!¡±

    The Great Kaiju War! Not only Asura, but Xellos Reed¡¯s attacks have also begun to destroy the dungeon!

    ¡°Aside from Kiara and the others, Guendalfa looks pretty bad!¡±

    We still have plenty of time to dodge the aftermath of the attack, but Guendalfa already looked like he long reached his limit. He was desperately running away.

    However, the battle between the two became even more intense. I mean, Asura didn¡¯t seem to care about his surroundings anymore. He began to use a wide range of techniques without hesitation, and the corresponding Xellos Reed was also releasing a wide range of techniques.

    ¡°Quina! Is it still not open?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m avoiding it while trying to open the door, so it will be a while yet.¡±

    ¡°Mea, Fran, Mia! Protect Quina!¡±

    Ever since Asura¡¯s outburst began, Quina has been trying to open the door. She took position in front of the door and examined something, but it seems to be slow going as she was dodging the aftermaths of the battle along the way.

    We all put up wards and barriers to protect Quina. Guendalfa needed to endure a little more.

    I kept an eye on Asura and Xellos during that time, but they were moving faster and faster. In addition, the magic power in their attacks kept increasing. They were getting serious about each other.

    Finally, Asura made a big move. He lightly distanced himself from Xellos Reed and raised the earth sword Gaia high in the sky.

    ¡°Divine sword release, oooooooooo!¡±

 Chapter 349 - Madness

    <h4>Chapter 349 - Madness</h4>

    Want to read faster? Read only at Centinni and donate only at Centinni! If we got 6$ on Ko-fi we will release a bonus chapter! Do not donate and read this trantion at other website because you won¡¯t get any benefit! Enjoy!

    ¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?¡ã?

    ¡°Divine sword release, oooooooo!¡±

    Immediately after Asura shouted that, a light sted up from the divine sword. Along with that, magical power started pouring out from inside the divine sword and surrounded Asura with light. The scene was as if a pir of light was swallowing Asura.

    Although they were far apart, a shock wave striked Fran and the others. At the same time, a cloud of dust and stone debris billowed everywhere. It was as if a dynamite had exploded at a close distance. Everyone was stuck in ce and simply had to withstand the raging forces.

    On top of that, a tremendous presence and magical power engulfed the entire room, rendering magical power sensing and presence detection useless.

    ¡°So this is the power of the divine sword!¡±

    From the sound of that scream, he must have released the power of the divine sword. Furthermore, the magical power emanating from the divine sword was so intense anyone under its influence would feel as if oppressed by an unstoppable force.

    Is it really the same weapon as me? I couldn¡¯t believe it. No, I guess this is why the Divine Sword is called a weapon.

    ¡°Fran! Are you okay!¡±

    (Hmm!)

    Like this, if someone were to approach us through the dust, it would be toote for us once we actually notice them. With maximum vignce, we waited for the smoke to clear. A few seconds or so passed, although it felt like many times more.

    After the smoke cleared, the figure of Asura, who was at the center of the force, came into view. There is no change in the appearance of Asura himself. But the divine sword in his hand had been greatly altered.

    ¡°That¡¯s the true form of the divine sword¡­? That¡¯s no longer a sword¡­ right?¡±

    How do I say this? It¡¯s a strange sight. The sword didn¡¯t seem to belong to any proper category of weapons. Before its power was unleashed, it was a greatsword with a straight de, but now the de is warped like a curved sword. In addition, five sharp andrge spines, like spikes, grew at regr intervals along the curve, with the tip having transformed into a peculiar shape.

    There was a huge block of iron on the end of the de, just like a hammer. The part of the warped de facing inward is sharp and pointed like a pickaxe. The other side is shaped like a t hammer. Moreover, it is tremendously big. The thick de alone is more than two meters long, and the hammer portion nearly twice as tall, wide and long like a drum.

    It doesn¡¯t look very much like a weapon for personal use. It was probably closer to say that it was a kind of a siege weapon, like a battering ram.

    Even after looking at the weapon and appraising it, I still could only see the name Earth Sword Gaia and a few abilities. The fact that it evolved to its true form must have raised its level to the point where I cannot appraise it at my current level.

    Name: Earth Sword, Gaia

    Attack Power: 4700

    Magical Conductivity/SS+

    Unfortunately, these were the only things I could confirm. However, this alone was enough to show that it was no longer just a regr divine sword.

    ¡°Oraa!¡±

    Asura, who regained his true form, mmed the Earth Sword Gaia into Xellos Reed, faster than before. It was most likely the effect of its status being raised.

    Xellos Reed tried to counter the attack with his greatsword, but he was easily pushed away. He still tried to twist his body to dodge, but it was to no avail.

    Despite avoiding Gaia, an invisible force smashed half of his body.

    Xellos Reed appeared to have suffered a fatal wound, with the entire left half of his body appearing as if cut off, but then he stood and still managed to bnce the remaining half of his body. Normally, people would have died from that attack, but he was a person harnessing evil spirit power.

    Immediately, the right half of his body began to regenerate and regain its original form.

    ¡°Oh sh*t! As expected of the divine sword!¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! Come! Come! I¡¯ll kill you, you bastard, and I¡¯ll take your divine Sword!¡±

    Xellos moved even faster. Every time he swung his sword, he spread a vicious evil spirit around. Just a scratch and you¡¯ll be damaged by the evil spirit.

    Every time Asura mmed Gaia, the dungeon caved in and the ground underneath Fran and the others shook. Sometimes the wrecked dungeon floor would turn into torso-sized projectiles from the impact ande at them at super speed.

    ¡°Uu¡­ ugh¡­ gahhhh!¡±

    In the midst of a fierce grinding contest, Asura held the divine sword on his shoulder. Then he poured his magic power into the divine sword and jumped out with even greater speed than before. It was the fastest he had been so far.

    ¡°Wha!¡±

    The next thing I knew, Asura was right in front of Xellos Reed. Xellos must have realized he couldn¡¯t defend himself. He seemed to have put up a barrier in a hurry, but the entire barrier was smashed by the divine sword.

    The biggest roar and st of the day hit the room as if we were at the center of an explosion. The barrier I set up was easily prated by the flying debris. Quickly, I equipped Physical Damage Nullification, but before I could, several shots gutted Fran¡¯s body.

    ¡°Are you okay?!¡±

    (Hmm)

    Even though the barrier had been breached, its power was greatly reduced because of it. Thankfully, the wounds weren¡¯t deep. As I healed Fran¡¯s wounds with my [Heal], I checked on everyone.

    ¡°Are the others okay?¡± I ask Fran.

    ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± Fran asked the others.

    ¡± We are alright but¡­ Guendalfa is hurt because he defended us!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡±

    It seems that Guendalfa used his huge body as a shield to protect everyone who was at the door. When Fran rushed and ran, I saw countless rubbles of all sizes were stuck on his back. His life was in danger.

    ¡°This is bad Fran!¡±

    ¡°Hmm!¡±

    With me and Fran using Greater Heal in rapid session, we managed to get him out of critical condition. However, he won¡¯t be able to move for a while. If they keep attacking like that repeatedly, the rest of us will be in danger.

    In the first ce, given the performance of the divine sword, it seemed that even with the current attack, its power still wasn¡¯t fully utilized. If a more widespread and high-powered attack was unleashed, even Fran would be in danger.

    ¡°Quina?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I can¡¯t open it yet.¡±

    When asked by Kiara, Quina shakes her head.

    ¡°Is there no other choice but to risk it? I don¡¯t want to bet on it but¡­¡±

    ¡°Bet on what?¡±

    ¡°Asura¡¯s Demonization will be cancelled after a certain amount of damage is taken¡­¡±

    ¡°If so, Then we¡¯ll all-¡±

    ¡°But! If it is not undone, he¡¯ll turn against us! He¡¯ll change his target and attack all of us!¡±

    So that was it. Certainly it¡¯s a bet. If we fail, we will be on the receiving end of that sword¡¯s attacks. Then we had a slightly better bet.

    ¡°Fran. Let¡¯s try that one.¡±

    (¡­Skill Taker?)

    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s right.¡±

    Did Fran also notice? I¡¯m thinking of trying to get rid of Asura¡¯s mad demonization. However, I was hesitant for several reasons.

    First of all, does taking away the skill after the demonization has begun will stop any further demonization? Also, won¡¯t he lose his ability topete with Xellos Reed? That¡¯s what I thought. However, it was certain that we will not continue to be safe in this state. Then we should just give it a try.

    ¡°Stop Asura.¡±

    ¡°What? What will you do?¡±

    ¡°We could do something, maybe.¡±

    Fran exins quickly. We might be able to erase Asura¡¯s skill, which might stop him from running berserk. But we weren¡¯t sure.

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s unclear what will happen, but is it possible?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it. It¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    Kiara¡¯s decision was instantaneous. I guess she knew it wasn¡¯t a good idea to continue fighting as is. Even now, Mea is still protecting us from the asional flying debris!

    ¡°Well then, Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Skill Taker!¡±

    ¡°Gugaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±

    Immediately after I activated the Skill Taker, Asura stopped moving. Soon, he began to writhe and suffer.

    ¡°Guaaaaaa!!¡±

    ¡°Oi Oi, What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xellos Reed also stopped attacking, staring at Asura, who screamed as he knelt on both knees. After a few seconds, Asura stopped moving and came to a still, and silence enveloped them.

    ¡°What¡­ the hell happened¡­?¡±

    Asura didn¡¯t seem to know what happened. He was looking around. Kiara approached him and tried to protect Asura.

    (Now all we need is for Master to remove the mad demonization.)

    ¡°¡­¡­Aaa¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    What is it? Someone said something. No, not someone, it¡¯s Fran. My wielder.

    ¡°No, no, no-¡±

    A sudden urge of rage and destruction overcame me. Both my eyes and my thoughts turned bright red.

    In the first ce, what was I doing here? Why am I resting in such a ce? Why am I not fighting?

    No! Fight! Destroy all enemies!

    ¡°Gaaaaaaa!¡±

    Fight! I must fight! Destroy all Fran¡¯s enemies!

 Chapter 350 - Side Nemea (I)

    <h4>Chapter 350 - Side Nemea (I)</h4>

    Side Nemea

    It was abrupt.

    Fran said she could block Lord Asura¡¯s mad demonization skills. I don¡¯t know if that will work, but Master Kiara said to give it a try.

    And as Fran held her sword and started concentrating, Asura gradually slowed down and eventually stopped moving. They¡¯ve really seeded in calming the demonization!

    ¡°We did it!¡±

    The worst that could happen has been avoided, although there was still the creepy evil viin, Xellos Reed. I thought as such and tried to run towards Fran, when all of a sudden¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Fran, what¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°Gaaaaahhhh!!¡±

    Suddenly, a shrill scream resounded throughout the dungeon. Wait, actually, it¡¯s as if the sound was directly transmitted into my brain. No, it probably was as such.

    ¡°Was that the master¡­?¡±

    The moment I muttered that, the magic sword in Fran¡¯s hand suddenly left her hand and took flight. The sword vibrated violently in the air. I could hear the scream emanating from it. It sounded as if it were the roars of a raging beast, but at the same time also sounded like a painful scream, one filled with anguish.

    ¡°Graaaaahhhh!¡±

    A lightning bolt emanates from the sword and strikes at Xellos Reed. Although it was easily dodged, the sword moved on its own and rushed at Xellos Reed.

    I looked at Fran, who was just standing there, looking stunned. After a moment, she ran after her divine sword, her face turning blue.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not taking action under Fran¡¯s orders? Is your master running amok?¡±

    ¡°Hey Mea! Do you know anything about this?¡±

    Seeing the situation with the sword suddenly moving by itself, Master Kiara also started feeling anxious. She took a look at Fran¡¯s condition and understood that what was currently happening wasn¡¯t as Fran intended.

    ¡°Um, well, the master¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? What about me?¡±

    ¡°No, no! Not Master Kiara, but Fran¡¯s Master!!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±

    No! I¡¯m not allowed to give out information that it¡¯s an intelligent weapon. This is information that Fran trusted me with to keep after all. If I exposed her secret, isn¡¯t it the same as me betraying her?

    Just as I was overwhelmed by my dilemma, Quina interrupted from the side.

    ¡°Miss, please calm down. I¡¯m sorry, the youngdy seems to be getting confused.¡±

    ¡°I see. What does Quina know about it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but as for the one she referred to as master, I think it¡¯s actually Fran¡¯s sword. I heard it¡¯s named ¡°Master¡±. Fran-san¡¯s sword seems to be out of control for some reason. That sword is a fairly high-ranked magic sword. Perhaps, one of the abilities of that sword is Skill Taker? And maybe, we are currently seeing the effects of taking away Lord Asura¡¯s skills as mentioned earlier?¡±

    ¡°I see. And you think it was affected by the madness of the demonization and went out of control?¡±

    ¡°I can only assume as much.¡±

    Good, Quina exined it well. Nheless, as we talked about it, the master continued to run amok, its screams endlessly resounding.

    ¡°Gaaahhh!¡±

    Once again, a tremendous lightning bolt descended towards Xellos Reed. More urately, it was a tight pack of three lightning bolts. Cold sweat ran down my back as I watched each of those lightning bolts drill arge crater into the dungeon.

    That was extreme grade magic no matter how you look at it. Moreover, it shot three rounds of that kind of magic at once? Do all intelligent weapons have that kind of power?

    ¡°That sword! Isn¡¯t the red aura emanating from it looks like the one from the Divine Swordmaster from earlier, what the hell is going on?¡±

    Xellos Reed repeatedly regenerated while being burned by the lightning, but I could see the confusion on his face. I guess he couldn¡¯t keep up with the fact that the sword was the only thing that attacked him on its own.

    ¡°Master! Master!¡±

    Fran squinted at the st and called out frantically, but her voice didn¡¯t seem to reach her master at all.

    The Master continued to ignore Fran and suddenly jumped out at a terrifying speed. Apparently, the sudden eleration from staying still was enough to catch Xellos Reed unawares andnd a surprise attack. Before he had time to evade it, the sword sted away half of his body.

    ¡°Guuh! What¡­! Is this!¡±

    Moreover, it caused critical damage. Yes, that sword also had the ability to counter evil spirit energy and manifestations. Master¡¯s chase continued against the anguished Xellos Reed.

    ¡°Latent Potential Release¡­ oooooo!¡±

    Immediately after the master¡¯s cry, a tremendous amount of magical power overflowed from him. The air surrounding him also vibrated by the magical power released, hitting my skin.

    How much power did that sword have in it? Honestly, I felt that the intimidating feeling emanating from the current master was not inferior to the divine sword Gaia! To my regret, even if I swing Rind, I will not be able to exert all that power.

    ¡°Oh ohhhh!¡±

    Lightning bolts were released again. What a surprise! It wasn¡¯t just raining down from above, bolt after bolt was shot out from both sides. Three thunderbolts, clearly thicker than the previous extremelyrge magic shot out just now, came from above, with two more from either side. The attack surrounded Xellos Reed.

    ¡°How many times can you unleash these attacks?¡±

    Xellos Reed took the thunderbolts head on. With his jet-ck sword in his hand, he cut, blocked, and scattered the lightning bolts. If it were me, I don¡¯t know how many times I would have been charred ck.

    What was wrong with this fight? It¡¯s more intense and crazy than the previous Battle between Xellos Reed and Asura. The sound of discharging lightning bolts canceled out by Xellos Reed could be heard in the distance. However, Master¡¯s berserking continued, leaving various thoughts in my heart.

    All of a sudden, the raging sword suddenly came apart.

    All of a sudden, the raging sword suddenly came apart.

    I wondered if it had destroyed itself because it couldn¡¯t withstand the tremendous magic to visualize it, but after another look, it was obvious that that¡¯s not the case. Apparently, it has deformed its own shape.

    Now it¡¯s made up of thousands of threads that surrounded Xellos Reed. It was like a cocoon ball made of steel threads.

    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Goddamn it!!¡±

    The cocoon ball suddenly narrowed and closed. If this kept on, the threads that came at him from all around would end up entangling Xellos Reed.

    ¡°Damn it! You sure have a lot of tricks!¡±

    But Xellos Reed was able to teleport and escape before he waspletely engulfed. He lost his right arm, but the damage didn¡¯t seem to be as bad as it looked. Master, who instantly understood that he had escaped, started chasing after Xellos Reed.

    Again, its shape changed and part of the main body returned to its original form. There were still about 100 threads wounding about and continued to chase after Xellos Reed. While guiding his opponent¡¯s movements in this manner, the master took a swing with his main body.

    ¡°Divine Judgment¡±

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    The master cut through everything with the extension of the sword. Xellos Reed, the evil spirits, the magic, the air, the dungeons, everything. Before I knew it, the ceiling above me was torn asunder. No, not just the part above my head. All the walls that were in the area of the extension of the teacher¡¯s swing were cut.

    I was scared. If I hadn¡¯t been dragged down by Master Kiara, my neck would have been sliced off by the current attack, and I would have died without even realizing what had happened.

    ¡°Gaaaaaa!¡±

    Xellos Reed lost his body from the waist down. Moreover, his regeneration started to slow down. He must have suffered substantial damage. The evil man who was much more powerful, beyond even that monstrous Myrellia, was being hunted down and injured so easily.

    I couldn¡¯t stop shaking. I was really scared. That¡¯s not just a normal magic sword. It was something else¡­ something much scarier.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaa¡­ Ouuuuuu!¡±

    ¡°What is it this time?¡±

    The Master changed his appearance again. What¡¯s that? The design of the sword¡¯s hilt seemed to rise up, and then the sword was led up with a dull metallic sound.

    ¡°One form after another¡­ I won¡¯t let you!¡±

    This time Xellos Reed initiated an attack. He concentrated his evil spirit on his de and shed with it. But that, too, was offset by the barriers that were already put up around the master. The current blow alone should have contained dozens of times my entire magical power.

    ¡°Uuuu- Aoooooooooooo!¡±

    It is a howl of madness with the intent to destroy everything in existence. I finally realized what the master¡¯s body was trying to turn into. A wolf. A wolf with a jet ck body and a height of about 5 meters, entirely made of steel. And what erupted from his body was jet ck magic.

    The ck magical power mixed with the red aura and gave off a vicious color. I muttered as soon as I saw it.

    ¡°Fenrir¡­?¡±

    It was like the Demon Wolf Fenrir in the myths of old. It was said that a great demon beast once tried to devour the world. However, the descriptions of the beast in past records pale inparison to master¡¯s form in front of me.

    ¡°It¡¯s open!¡±

    Apparently, Quina and Master Kiara had done their job well while I only trembled in fear. The sound of Master Kiara¡¯s pleasant voice was followed by the sound of the entrance door opening.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!!¡±

    ¡°Ye- Yes!¡±

    ¡°Mia, take Guendalfa. Quina, carry Asura! I¡¯ll bring Fran to you!¡±

    I didn¡¯t receive any instructions. Of course. I was frozen in fear. Quina tugged my arm, trying to pull me out of the room. However, as I was trying to leave the room I saw it happen from the corner of my eyes. Master Kiara was attacked by Xellos Reed.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have some more fun!¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    This was bad! Master Kiara cannot get past that man and bring Fran back. Fran was left standing there, still as dumbfounded as right after her master began his outburst.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    ¡°P- Princess!¡±

    Quina¡¯s worried voice hit my back. But it didn¡¯t stop me. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing anyways.

    ¡°Fran! What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°Mea, Master¡­¡±

    ¡°We have to run! Now!¡±

    ¡°No! I can¡¯t leave my master!¡±

    ¡°But¡­!¡±

    I could understand Fran¡¯s painful feelings. If Lind had gone berserk in the same way, I too wouldn¡¯t be able to just run away and leave. Still, I had to take her away from this ce for now.

    ¡°Right now, your master is in a state of madness! He doesn¡¯t even know you¡¯re here. You will just end up getting attacked!¡±

    ¡°Bu- But¡­!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence that you didn¡¯t get involved in the previous attack!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Nowe!¡±

    Fran¡¯s ability to resist weakened. Taking advantage of this, I tried to pull Fran¡¯s arm. But then I wonder why? I felt like the steel wolf¡¯s eyes turned and looked at me instead of Xellos Reed. That was all it took to make me stand still. It was a tremendous killing intent.

    ¡°Ooooooooo! Fraaaaannnn!¡±

    Did you just yell ¡®Fran¡¯ right now? By any chance, could you perhaps identify Fran? Wasn¡¯t it a coincidence that you haven¡¯t wrapped up Fran in your attack from earlier?

    ¡°Grrrroooooo!¡±

    The steel wolf opened its mouth. What emanated from that huge open mouth was a blinding light filled with enormous amounts of magical power. I held Lind over my heart, but I¡¯m not sure if it could protect us. No, it was unlikely it could.

    But the sh of light that tried to swallow me without me even thinking of fighting back was shielded by someone who stood in front of me.

    ¡°Master¡­Kiara?¡±

    ¡°Ou. Are you safe?¡±

    ¡°Ye- Yes¡­ but master is¡­!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! Now get out of here!¡±

    ¡°Ye- Yes, Fran! Let¡¯s go.¡±

    As instructed by Master Kiara¡¯s words, I grasped Fran¡¯s hand tighter this time so that she wouldn¡¯t let go, and ran out to the entrance.

 Chapter 351 - Side Kiara (I)

    <h4>Chapter 351 - Side Kiara (I)</h4>

    Side Kiara

    Just when one would think we were already out of the woods, the worst possible scenario struck¡­

    The sword that Fran was holding began to rampage on its own. And when it came to the strength of its power, wasn¡¯t that alreadyparable to Asura? Maybe it¡¯s actually even more powerful.

    Asura still had the ability to think and make soundbat decisions, even if he was out of control. Because of this, he was unable to go all out for fear of being caught in a dungeon copse. His divine sword was best at widespread annihtion. However, in such a confined space, it wouldn¡¯t be able to show its true worth.

    No, even without that, the sword was abnormal. It could activate the most powerful magic techniques in the world five times and at the same time it could even deploy Latent Potential Release, which was not normal. In addition, it has the ability to fly, transform, and it even took away Asura¡¯s skills. Having even just one of those skills alone would allow it to be called a top-tier magic sword.

    ¡°And we¡¯re not even close to the end of it yet.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be surprising to say that its power was on par with a top-tier divine sword. Really, just what was this ce? How could a divine sword and a demonic sword suddenly just coincidentally gather here?

    While I was thinking about that, Fran¡¯s sword suddenly transformed into a wolf-like figure made of steel, and gave off even more magical power. The ferocious red-ck magical power that emanated from the steel wolf gave a feeling of pressure that made us feel uneasy just by looking at it from a distance. It¡¯s no wonder that Mea ended up being unable to move.

    Mea began muttering about the mythical beast, Fenrir or something, but she might not be entirely wrong. At the very least, it was the strongest wolf-type demonic beast I¡¯ve ever seen.

    ¡°Groooooooooooo!¡±

    I blocked the attack aimed at Mea as quickly as I could, but I took a lot of damage from just that one shot, my whole body screaming in pain. Still, I can¡¯t let myself go down. That wolf is not the only enemy here.

    ¡°Oi, oi, olddy. You¡¯re very motivated aren¡¯t you? Should I give time for the little ones to escape?¡±

    Yes, it would be nice if they went easy on us, but it was scary to think about if they didn¡¯t. If you get chased by either, there was no way to escape. Someone has to stay here. Letting Mea and the others escape, I drew my sword.

    ¡°You know that you¡¯re going to die right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I still have a very long time left to live anyway, It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to use it to save the young ones instead right? -Senkai Jinrai!¡± (TL Note : in the raw it¡¯s written : éWÈAÑ¸À×)

    ¡°Kuhahaha! Good! No matter how weak you are, it¡¯s fun to deal with someone who¡¯s willing to die!¡±

    ¡°Gaoooooooooo!¡±

    And so the three-way battle began. The wolf of steel started relentlessly targeting the enemy in front of it, namely me and Xellos Reed.

    And Xellos Reed was also trying to get at me and the wolf. No, it¡¯s more like he was enjoying the battle rather than aiming for it.

    I could have tried stopping those two, only if I didn¡¯t copse all of a sudden.

    ¡°The question is, how long do I have¡­¡±

    I was hurt and I have been continuously fighting hard sincest night. It was frustrating, but it would be impossible for me to fight for hours on end by now. The best thing to do is tounch a critical attack in one felling swoop and kill these guys in the blink of an eye, but¡­

    I couldn¡¯t. Xellos Reed, who was able to withstand even the attack of the divine sword, and the metallic wolf, who is on par or even stronger than that Xellos Reed.

    Then, what should I do?

    ¡°¡­Hah!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good move!¡±

    ¡°Goooooo!¡±

    Bracing myself I daringly turned my back on the wolf, as I attacked Xellos Reed. The sword and ck thunder blocked the movements of Xellos Reed, and I barely avoided the wolf¡¯s attack from my rear. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from dripping cold sweat. I didn¡¯t expect that wolf would attack me with his tail like a whip. If I hadn¡¯t been wary from the start, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to react.

    But as I have intended, the attack from the steel wolf struck Xellos Reed. Although it was only a ncing hit, I could see that the evil spirit of Xellos Reed had been reduced.

    ¡°I think I can go on like this.¡±

    Yes, this is the only way I could keep on fighting. In my condition right now this is the only way I could beat Xellos Reed. To be honest, I don¡¯t know how to beat the wolf. Huh, never mind, let¡¯s focus and make sure the one that can be beaten will be beaten first. That¡¯s all.

    ¡°Oh,e on, you don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to let myself get hit again and again with an attack like that, do you?¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Then let¡¯s try it.¡±

    I focused my all on speed and evasion. It took all I had to read and guide the actions of the wolf and Xellos Reed to hurt each other. Naturally, both sides would focus their attacks on me, but that didn¡¯t matter. One will not survive to this age if you couldn¡¯t juggle despair at this level.

    The wolf¡¯s attack became more intense, but they missed me and caused damage to Xellos Reed instead. Xellos Reed tried to close the distance between them to regain control. But I wasn¡¯t going to let you get away with it. I used the full force of the ck Heavenly Tiger to chase after Xellos Reed. Of course, with the wolf right on my heels.

    ¡°This damn old hag!¡±

    ¡°Goooooo!¡±

    ¡°Fuhahahaha! There! There! What happened to all your power just now! You evil person!¡±

    I continued to abuse my body with intense pain as I kept on dancing, swerving around between the two monsters. The price for doing so was my life. I dodged the wolf¡¯s fangs with a paper-thin gap, parried the sword attack from Xellos Reed, and I ended up vomiting blood.

    I continued to abuse my body with intense pain as I kept on dancing, swerving around between the two monsters. The price for doing so was my life. I dodged the wolf¡¯s fangs with a paper-thin gap, parried the sword attack from Xellos Reed, and I ended up vomiting blood.

    We were almost even in terms of speed - no, was the wolf faster than me? I was overwhelmingly defeated in terms of offensive power, and our defensive and regenerative powers were not even on the same ne. However, there were several factors that have allowed us to still fight.

    For one, Xellos Reed was still fooling around. He still dared to take advantage of our intentions to enjoy the thrill of battle.

    Furthermore, the wolf¡¯s movements were somewhat awkward. The speed at which it moved was tremendous, but the fluidity of the movements were slightly off sync. Apparently, he didn¡¯t have a perfect handle on his body.

    However, the biggest factor in y was the difference in experience. I was sure that both Xellos Reed and the wolf would be very strong innately. However, there was a slight tendency for them to move too intuitively. Only with enough experience could one counter such instinct.

    The fight proceeded as is. They both kept watch of each other¡¯s movements and anticipated how the other wanted to move and where they were aiming.

    I continued the battle solemnly, wearing out my nerves and straining my brain.

    ¡°Ah! Damn it! Drop dead already!¡±

    ¡°Guruaaaa!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm¡±

    Neither of them look tired at all. I hated it. Whereas, here I am, already exhausted and in extreme pain, and I couldn¡¯t seem to manage it. But we can¡¯t leave any stone unturned. Even a slight shake will kill me in no time.

    ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡±

    ¡°Old hag! Are you getting tired already?.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Even if I was tired, you can¡¯t seem to capture this old hag?¡±

    I tried to provoke him, trying to keep him from turning his attention to Fran and the others, but he exerted thest of his strength. However, the equilibrium that was just barely being maintained was suddenly shattered from an unexpected source.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaaaa¡±

    The steel wolf let out a loud scream and copsed on the spot. His body fell like sand, in tatters. What happened?

    Xellos Reed and I didn¡¯t agree on anything, but once we distanced ourselves, we both stopped to observe the steel wolf. No, it was no longer a steel wolf. For the form hadpletely crumbled and disappeared, and was now a mere lump of metal.

    But the copse has not stopped. In fact, it elerated.

    After the steel wolf crumbled and disappeared, Fran¡¯s sword was left lying on the ground. It was a shabby sword with cracks all over, as if on the verge of being discarded. The red aura and ck magic power previously emanating from it had already disappeared, and one would even start to wonder if this was the same sword that had a vicious presence that seemed to rival the divine sword just now.

    This one really seemed to have stopped moving. I couldn¡¯t feel any magic from it. He was probably dead by now. That left us with Xellos Reed. I was thinking that I had to keep this guy down, but then Xellos Reed looked bored and released his stance.

    ¡°Oi, why do you put your sword down?¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s boring, it¡¯s no longer interesting. The olddy would be incapable of fighting in a heartbeat if left to her own devices. Then it would be better if I-¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re still fine? But your speed is obviously slowing down¡­¡±

    That is a given. The pain was so intense and dizzying that it¡¯s a miracle how I could still move my legs any longer. But I will not let him go beyond any further.

    I didn¡¯t care about the future of the ck Cat Tribe, the future of the Beast Kingdom, or anything else. But those girls. I will not those young children, who share the same blood rtions with me, be subjected to this.

    ¡°-¡±

    ¡°Un?¡±

    ¡°-Kiara¡±

    What is it? I hear someone¡¯s voice. Is this a telepathic conversation?

    (Who are you?)

    ¡°I¡¯m Master. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever had a conversation with you. Well, I had a one-sided conversation with you before though.¡±

    (Why? Where are you in the first ce?)

    ¡°Right in front of you. That¡¯s me, the sword lying on the ground right now. I am an intelligent weapon.¡±

    (What!)

    However, if that was the case, then it indeed made sense why it ran out of control because of the mad demonization skill. You never know what life had in store for you, who would have known that I would meet a legend at the edge of death.

    (Telepathic talk is helpful.I can¡¯t even open my mouth anymore.)

    ¡°Kiara. First, release Senka Jinrai (Note : In the raw it¡¯s written éWÈAÑ¸À×) Otherwise, in a few minutes-¡®

    (No. As soon as I unleash the Senkai Jinrai, I¡¯ll end up getting cut down¡­)

    ¡°But ¡­ you¡¯re really going to die if you don¡¯t!!¡±

    I was told I was going to die. Even though I was aware that it was true, I feel relieved. That Fran wasn¡¯t alone anymore.

    Quina also has a father who loves his daughter in his own way, although he is a snot-nosed boy.

    But what about Fran? The other ck cat people would not be able to keep up with Fran. If I died, she would be alone, wouldn¡¯t she? That¡¯s what I thought, but I guess she has a good partner.

    We only had a mere ten seconds of conversation, but I could ascertain that the owner of this telepathic conversation was a person with a firm heart. With this guy, Fran won¡¯t be lonely.

    Now I can put my life on the line without a care in the world.

    (This olddy is already nearing her grave. Can you help me use this little bit of life I have left?)

    ¡°¡­¡­I see. I understand. Then can you lend me that little bit of life? To defeat Xellos Reed.¡±

    (Fuhahaha, that¡¯s good, fine! Then what do you want me to do? Use the rest of my life as you see fit!)

    ¡°First of all-¡±

 Chapter 352 - Claws Of The Black Thunder God (I)

    <h4>Chapter 352 - ws Of The ck Thunder God (I)</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    The haze that clouded over my mind cleared up and I regained rity of the situation I was in.

    As I took the madness away from the berserking Asura, I instantly went out of control myself. I vaguely remember the time of the rampage.

    I fired a series of lightning bolts without chanting, mastered the use of Transform, and even used Latent Potential Release. I see, turning into a mad demon is a tremendous thing. The only thing I cared about was to fight even though I¡¯d lost my mind and went crazy, surprisingly though I still did a good job in battle. On top of that, it felt like I unconsciously drew more power than my limit.

    However, things became unclear right after. I busted through Xellos Reed¡­ but then what happened? As far as I could recall, I was struck by a sensation of something with tremendous power flooding out from inside me - a sensation I had never experienced before.

    That¡¯s right, something about it forced my body into a form of a wolf. But the berserk me and that something deep inside was fighting for control of our wolven body and I ended up being unable to move well.

    After that, I found myself lying on the ground, in a half-broken state with my sword de in tatters. Perhaps, using Latent Potential Release for an extended period of time reduced the endurance value and that¡¯s what released the mad demonization¡­ I had less than a hundred left in my endurance value left. I only had a small amount of magic power left, and the regeneration of the broken sword de still has not begun.

    Just what exactly happened right before that¡­? No, it doesn¡¯t matter at the moment. Xellos Reed and Kiara were still inbat in front of me.

    Moreover, Kiara was in a pinch. It seemed that she did as I told her to and kept on using the Senkai Jinrai, but any more continuous use of it would put her life in danger. That¡¯s why I tried to speak to her by telekinesis¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Guuhh!¡±

    An excruciating pain overwhelmed me. It wasn¡¯t physical pain. It felt like a mysterious pain that I will experience every time I exceeded my limits. I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve felt this today. Regardless, I can¡¯t hesitate here. I endured the intense pain as if it was directly cutting into my soul and sent a telepathic message to Kiara.

    Even though she was in the middle of a battle, Kiara still responded promptly.

    (This olddy is already nearing her grave. Can you help me use this little bit of life I have left?)

    That being said, I couldn¡¯t tell her to stop deploying her skills any further. That would be disrespectful to someone who was prepared to die.

    ¡°¡­¡­I see. I understand. Then can you lend me that little bit of life? To defeat Xellos Reed.¡±

    (Fuhahaha, that¡¯s good, fine! Then what do you want me to do? Use the rest of my life as you see fit!)

    ¡°First, pick me up. But don¡¯t equip me. If someone tried to equip me other than Fran, only disaster will ur.¡±

    I¡¯ve actually been trying to use telekinesis for a while now, trying to endure that soul-rending pain, but I¡¯m barely able to use it. If I really forced it, I could use it, but then I wouldn¡¯tst long enough for my attack to reach Xellos Reed.

    Therefore, I am working with Kiara here. Have Kiara carry me without Xellos Reed knowing and inject all of the power that remained in me before her time runs out.

    ¡°And then, all you have to do is throw me at him when you see an opening.''¡±

    (Is that all?)

    ¡°Ou¡±

    (I get it)

    It was the only way that Kiara, who was already half-dead and half-alive, and me, who had lost most of my abilities, could possibly defeat Xellos Reed.

    (Got it!)

    Nice! Kiara picked me up firmly as she fought. Seeing this, Xellos Reed gave her a slight look of rm.

    He was probably aware that the attack inflicted by me earlier had the effect of breaking evil manifestations.

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve got your eye on that sword. However, how could a broken sword, which has almost no magical power, be useful? It definitely looked almost broken or something. I presume the magic power must have been really low too.¡±

    ¡°Haaaa!¡±

    ¡°Haha! I didn¡¯t know you could still make that move!¡±

    There¡¯s plenty of leeway for that Xellos Reed guy. The high ranking evil man seemed to feel very little pain, and his strength was bottomless. Maybe he wasn¡¯t a worldly creature to begin with. Even if his evil spirit was reduced now due to repeated fierce battles, he might still be able to recover with a simple rest just like human strength and magic power.

    If that was truly the case, then this fight is really just a game to him. ying with the powerful without fear of death. But I¡¯m going to make you lower your guard!

    ¡°Sh*t! Rolling ck thunder!¡±

    ¡°Mu!¡±

    Good! I groaned unintentionally.

    Kiara took a slightlyrger swing at first, shing head-on, breathless as she did so. It appeared like a weak attack. However, the sh was an invitation for Xellos Reed into a trap. Xellos Reed put only the slightest amount of force into his hand holding the great sword, intending to sh head on.

    But the moment both swords struck each other, Kiara moved fast with a ck lightning roll and got behind him. Xellos Reed, who had been putting a lot of effort into preparing for theing sh, was momentarily dyed in his reaction to Kiara as he turned around.

    By then, it was already after Kiara had thrown me toward Xellos Reed.

    ¡°aaaaaaaaaaa!¡±

    I¡¯m going to use all the power I had left to activate Morphological Transformation. The true projection of the attack is of a thousand needles shredding into the body of the opponent. But right now, I could only be transformed into ten strands of half-hearted thickness.

    Moreover, neither my momentum nor my sharpness was sufficient to prate Xellos Reed. Still, I didn¡¯t give up and wrapped myself around Xellos Reed¡¯s body.

    Damn it! I need to twist with more power! Get thinner, sharper, and eat up Xellos Reed! In response to my intentions, the part that wrapped around his right leg turned into a needle and bit into Xellos Reed.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you get away!¡±

    ¡°Gah! This sword still works! And what¡¯s more? What¡¯s that voice?

    ¡°Giiiii¡­ Guaaaa!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you get away!¡±

    ¡°Gah! This sword still works! And what¡¯s more? What¡¯s that voice?

    ¡°Giiiii¡­ Guaaaa!¡±

    I was shouting out through telepathicmunication. But now it didn¡¯t matter. I felt like I was going to lose consciousness from the pain. However, if we lose this chance, we¡¯ll most likely not get another one. We¡¯ll take him down! I kept furiously activating Morphological Transformation.

    (Master! Are you okay!)

    ¡°Guh¡­ I¡­am¡­fine!¡±

    (I don¡¯t think you are!)

    ¡°I am fine!¡±

    It¡¯s getting harder and harder to evenmunicate with telepathguage anymore.

    ¡°This fucking! Dumb-ass sword!¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    Xellos Read reached out to snatch me by force. Kiara shed at him, but he ignored the attack. Did he even feel pain? I guess he thought that a few scratches would regenerate quickly anyway. So he decided that I, with my Breakthrough Evil Manifestation, was more threatening.

    ¡°Gugaa!¡±

    ¡°You son of a bitch! Get off me!¡±

    No matter what I won¡¯t let go!

    A screaming Xellos Reed and me and Kiara, who can¡¯t move at all.

    Suddenly I saw a new shadow rushing into this room.

    ¡°Master! Kiara!¡±

    ¡°Fran¡­! why¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard Master¡¯s screams¡­ and Kiara too. I felt like I had to return¡­!¡±

    Kiara yelled with a determined expression as Fran yelled.

    ¡°Master! Please keep his attention just like that!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    (I will use my trump card. All this time I¡¯ve been looking for a way to use this little life of mine. I couldn¡¯t find purpose for it before but at this moment I¡¯ve finally found it.)

    ¡°Oi, if you do that, then your life!¡±

    (I know myself the most. Stopping now would only dy my death by a week. I want to die here as a warrior.)

    This Trantion belongs to Centinni

    Kiara suddenly stood still. Her eyes were out of focus. It seemed that her vision was already blurred. However, she still wore a determined expression on her face.

    (As I said a while ago. Let¡¯s show him our strongest form. Do you see the difference between humans and beasts? It¡¯s whether you care about appearance or not. Humans, how much do they care about appearance?)

    ¡°¡­Xellos Reed is a little more right.¡±

    Please only read at Centinni

    (You¡¯re a good man. Fufufu¡­ Hey, take care of Fran, okay.)

    Kiara raised her sword behind Xellos Reed back. ck lightning immediately converged and wrapped around the de of her sword. That was not all. Kiara¡¯s eyes changed to simr to a feline¡¯s, and I could see her hair, which had grown white with old age, turning ck.

    I could see the rapid loss of vitality in proportion to the sudden increase in power. Still, the only thing I could do now was to keep Xellos Reed from moving.

    ¡°Haaaaaa! ws Of The ck Thunder God! Ooooo!¡±

    Also only donate to Centinni

    In Kiara¡¯s hands, a sword of ck lightning was produced. But unlike the Golden Annihtion Fire that Mea had used, it wasn¡¯t simply a convergence of power. There was even a sense of divinity from that ck sword. The quality of the magic power is undoubtedly different.

    It could be said that the magic power emitted was the opposite of the evil spirit that spread fearlessness and fear. The ck Thunder Sword was holy and awe-inspiring even from just a nce.

    ¡°Old hag! What are you¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Heyaaaa!¡±

    The aim was slightly off! Kiara didn¡¯t even have the strength left to step forward anymore. I quickly brought my telekinesis to full strength and tried to correct the trajectory of Kiara¡¯s wielded ws of The ck Thunder God.

    Was it a result of the injury? The sword, which would have initially missed by an inch, had suddenly changed its angle and seeded in shing off Xellos Reed¡¯s left arm.

    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±

    Xellos Reed screamed in agony. Even an attack with Breakthrough Evil Manifestation should not have made him shown such distraught. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, Xellos Reed¡¯s evil spirit was already gobbled up and reduced.

    ¡°Wh- why haven¡¯t you died yet?¡±

    It seemed that Xellos Reed was still trying to regenerate the wound by holding his left arm in ce. But the skin in the cut did not respond at all. To begin with, the area around the wound didn¡¯t seem to attract any evil spirits anymore.

    Apparently, the sacred atmosphere I felt earlier was not just my imagination. It seemed that the ws Of The ck Thunder God was able to fight evil power more than Breakthrough Evil Manifestation.

    ¡°Fuha¡­¡±

    Kiara copsed with a satisfied look on her face. However I just didn¡¯t have any strength left to use my [Heal] anymore.

    ¡°Master! Kiara!¡±

    ¡°No, more than me, Kiara¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Guuoooo!¡±

    You sure can¡¯t read the atmosphere! Xellos Reed stared at me with an abhorrent expression as he held the wound on his left arm that was cut off. But it wasn¡¯t as intimidating as it was earlier.

    ¡°No way¡­ using divine attributes¡­ Maybe it¡¯s true what they say about beastmans being descendants of Divine Beasts¡­ I¡¯ll leave for now, but be prepared for our next sh! Tell that old hag that I won¡¯t lose next time!

    He got away. No, more like he ran away, . Actually, even though Fran came back, if he was really desperate enough and wanted to fight back without regard for anything else, he would still give us a heavy blow. Hence, it helped that he escaped instead.

    ¡°Kiara¡­¡±

    (Master¡­ we did it¡­)

    ¡°But you¡­¡±

    (I am content. I was able to unleash the full power of the ck Heavenly Tiger. We had a good fight at the end, too.)

    ¡°¡­you are¡­ really cool you know.¡±

    (Kuhaha¡­ that was the bestpliment I¡¯ve ever gotten¡­)

    Fran ran up to Kiara, who was lying on her back.

    ¡°Kiara! Kiara!¡±

    ¡°Yo, Fran¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll heal you now!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless¡­¡±

    Fran ignored Kiara¡¯s words and used a series of Greater Heal. However, there was no sign that Kiara would recover. That couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, her life force was exhausted. Kiara was technically already dead, and the dead couldn¡¯t be brought back to life.

    Rather, I didn¡¯t understand why she could still speak.

    ¡°¡­For a short time¡­it was fun¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugu¡­ Kiara¡­¡±

    ¡°Even though we¡¯re not directly blood rted, you¡¯re all like my grandchildren.¡±

    ¡°Un¡±

    ¡°Revenge¡­is just a worthless endeavor¡­¡±

    ¡°Un¡±

    ¡°Be strong¡­ gentle, cool¡­ live freely¡­¡±

    Then¡­ Kiara¡¯s words ended there, as she exhaled herst breath.

    The vitality keeping her together to speak herst words visibly drained from her entire body. Her eyes, which were already flickering as they struggled to stay open, gently closed, as if she was finally at ease.

    ¡°Kiara?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Kiara!¡±

    Fran¡¯s cries for her would no longer garner any response from Kiara.

    She had departed with a peaceful face, with a smile lingering on it.

    ¡°Guuuu¡­¡­ Aaaaa¡­¡­¡±

    Therge tears that flowed down from Fran¡¯s eyes stained Kiara¡¯s chest. And just like that, Fran plopped down onto Kiara¡¯s chest, with a face befitting her age, and began to cry loudly.

    ¡°Uwaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 353 - Alistair (I)

    <h4>Chapter 353 - Alistair (I)</h4>

    As Fran was clinging to Kiara¡¯s body and sobbing, I saw several people running back into the room.

    It was Mea and the others. However, there was a woman with them that I didn¡¯t recognize. Who was that? Right now, my appraisal didn¡¯t work as it should have either.

    She must have followed Fran. Mea and the others rushed into the room in a panic, and when they saw Kiara lying there, their faces contorted.

    ¡°Master Kiara!¡±

    ¡°Kiara!¡±

    Mea and Mianoa were the first to rush over. Aside from Mea, I¡¯ve never seen Mianoa look so serious before. Both Quina and Guendalfa, who was carrying an unconscious Asura on her back, looked upset too.

    They all seemed to understand the situation when they saw Kiara and Fran¡¯s condition. Everyone knew already that Fran could utilize recovery magic, and mythical ones too. Despite that, the fact that Fran was currently weeping without casting the recovery magic meant¡­¡­

    ¡°Fran, did you manage to hear Master Kiara¡¯sst words?¡±

    Mea spoke to Fran, as the tears flowing down both her eyes wetted her cheeks.

    ¡°Master Kiara was concerned about us. For Master Kiara, who had no family, we were close to her enough that she felt that we were like her own grandchildren.¡±

    ¡°¡­ she also said to be kind, cool, and live freely¡±

    ¡°I see. That sounds like things Master would say.¡±

    After hearing Fran¡¯s words, Mea gave a big nod.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Live freely¡­ Master Kiara had a hard time because of that old bastard.¡±

    Old bastard? I wondered who that referred to, but it was probably the previous Beast King. He was the one who enved Kiara, but when I thought about it, he was a grandfather to Mea.

    ¡°But in the end, Lady Kiara looks happy with herself.¡±

    Everyone nodded at Mianoa¡¯s words. Mianoa, who was thedy in waiting, must have had a stronger bond with Kiara than anyone else. Understanding this, Mea and the others gave way for Mianoa toe close to Kiara.

    Even Fran started to make space for her. Perhaps, she came to realize that she wasn¡¯t the only one mourning Kiara¡¯s death. She stood up, rubbing her eyes with her hands, which were bright red because she was crying.

    ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡±

    Mianoa knelt down and wiped the dirt off Kiara¡¯s face with her handkerchief.

    ¡°Kiara-sama¡­ you¡¯re smiling¡­¡±

    Yes, Kiara was smiling. She seemed to be really satisfied with whatever she managed to do just before she departed.

    Perhaps, when she released herst move, Kiara could barely feel her entire body anymore. I think she was not even aware that not only could she not see Xellos Reed, but her attack didn¡¯t even hit him directly and was also assisted by my telekinesis.

    Still, she said she was content and said her goodbyes to Fran with a smile. Her face seemed really blissful. Would I end up with a smile like hers on my face like that if I was destroyed right now and it was all over?

    That was definitely impossible. I¡¯m sure it would have been unsightly instead. I won¡¯t be anywhere near satisfied and I would have cried with regret as I called out Fran¡¯s name.

    Kiara must have experienced all sorts of things throughout her long life, both good and bad.

    Talking and drinking with friends, tasting the sweetness and bitterness of life, sipping muddy water - no, that¡¯s wrong. She must have lived a life that cannot be imagined even by a monk already in his thirties. In other words, Kiara¡¯s life probably couldn¡¯t be fully expressed with such a simplistic outlook.

    Thus, I think it¡¯s because of all of her life experience that Kiara was able tough and pass away so peacefully like that. It was impossible for me to be as such now. I admire her. I want to gain more experience so that I can end upughing at the end too, together with Fran, hopefully after many fulfilling years toe.

    Therefore, I cannot just do nothing and be broken in such a ce. I managed to try to fix myself somewhat, but the intense pain didn¡¯t help.

    ¡°Guga¡­!¡±

    What in the world has be of me?

    While everyone was surrounding Kiara, one mysterious woman, who was not standing together with the group, approached me.

    She was tall, with long silver hair and a white robe. Her eyes were sharp, no- her eyes were unsettlingly intense. Could it be that she was angry at being left alone?

    I could see that the muscles on her body were well-toned despite being so lean. Merely from the fact that she was in a ce like this suggested that she was not just any regr woman.

    Her right eye, with only a slit opened, peeking out from between her long bangs, stared at me, holding me firmly in ce. Owh¡­ What shall I do¡­ If Mea and the others were the ones who brought her here, then she was probably not an enemy. But if this woman starts to pick me up and tries to equip me, we¡¯ll all be in all sorts of trouble.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped. I know Fran would have liked to be around Kiara a little longer, but If this woman suddenly picked me up in silence¡­¡­

    ¡°Fran¡­ Guh¡­¡±

    (¡­¡­Hm?)

    ¡°This, woman¡­¡±

    Maybe it¡¯s because the adrenaline of battle had dissipated, but I could no longer hold back the pain. Still, I managed to ask Fran for help by sending her a telepathic message.

    I think Fran then turned and saw me and the woman and understood what I was trying to say. She got up hurriedly, wiping away her tears, and ran up to me. Then she picked me up before the woman could.

    (Master¡­ Are you okay?)

    ¡°Ou¡­¡­¡±

    Having said that, I couldn¡¯t shake this strong feeling of difort. No matter what I tried to do, I kept feeling this paining back again and again, and I couldn¡¯t even begin to repair myself. Moreover there was no sign that my magical power would recover.

    Will I be cured if I get a cksmith to repair me? No, I¡¯ll be in trouble if I can¡¯t heal. I couldn¡¯t do anything as it is now. This was a difficult moment for Fran, as she just lost someone she truly looked up to. I have to be strong, at least just for her.

    ¡°That¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 353.2 - Alistair (II)

    <h4>Chapter 353.2 - Alistair (II)</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Will I be cured if I get a cksmith to repair me? No, I¡¯ll be in trouble if I can¡¯t heal. I couldn¡¯t do anything as it is now. This was a difficult moment for Fran, as she just lost someone she truly looked up to. I have to be strong, at least just for her.

    ¡°That¡­¡­¡±

    Even though it was her possession, I understand that it was not polite to suddenly appear out of nowhere and take the sword all of a sudden. Fran approached the woman with a slight hesitation. The other person also slightly approached Fran.

    ¡°Are you the owner of the sword?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    The woman had a sour look as she asked Fran. I knew she¡¯d be in a bad mood. Still, though, she still had enough sense not toin about the crying Mea and the others.

    ¡°I see. Let me see that sword for a minute.¡±

    (Master?)

    Hmm, what should I do? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem just to show it, but I don¡¯t know who this woman is. However, if I refused, it looked like I might make her mad, and if that happened, it seems like it will be a pain. In the first ce, is my appraisal camouge working now?

    ¡°You should let her see.¡±

    As I was distressed, Mea suddenly approached me from the side. From the way Mea said, she seemed to be surprisingly more superior than Mea. Moreover, the tone of voice earlier felt somewhat familiar.

    ¡°Lady Alistair wouldn¡¯t do anything wrong. Lind also meets Lady Alistair on a regr basis.¡±

    (Master, is it fine?)

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Mea trusted her that much, so it would be rude to say no here. Besides, she was the kind of person who could handle a divine sword, right? She must be a great cksmith. I don¡¯t know what someone with an awesome skill like that is doing here, though.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±

    It¡¯s strange because both her tone and her sour looks didn¡¯t seem too strange when you think of her as a cksmith. Rather, I even think that it was very fitting for a craftsman.

    Alistair stared at me as Fran stuck me out, and she kept staring at me sullenly. Her gaze scoured my brim and hilt.

    ¡°I knew this design was¡­¡­¡­ But the shape of the pattern¡­ May I take a closer look?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡­¡­ Analysis Eye!¡±

    I could see the magical powers in Alistair¡¯s eyes. There was such a strong magical power concentrated in her eyes that if we were in a dark ce, her eyes would glow.

    Then Alistair let out a murmur of surprise.

    ¡°That¡¯s a very strict equipment registration¡­¡­¡­ No, is this power a remnant of God¡¯s¡­? Moreover ¡­ this ¡­ this thing ¡­ this bullsh*t sword, who made it? Was it a divine cksmith?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not something to say out loud here. Could you give me a few minutes of your timeter?¡±

    Apparently, she has been able to see my status and other information through her appraisal-like abilities. And, based on the reaction she gave just now, she might have found out that I was an intelligent weapon.

    ¡°The magic circuit is shredded. At this rate, it¡¯s in danger of being unable to make a proper restoration.¡±

    ¡°!!! Is this true? What should I do now?¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Can I touch it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    Now that¡¯s a confirmation, you¡¯re definitely talking to me. I knew it. This is a true intelligent weapon.

    Alistair gently touched my hilt with her thin fingertips and began to pour a small amount of magic into it. However, I did not feel any difort. It was rather warm and soothing, so much such that it even felt good. I guess It may be time for me to have a cksmith perform maintenance.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡±

    Is this simr to the sensation of healing wounds? I could sense that something deep within me was healing.

    Still, self-repair couldn¡¯t work. Was it because it wasn¡¯t that kind of healing that worked, or was my damage that serious? However, this Alistair woman feels trustworthy.

    A bit simple minded huh, if I do say so myself. Was I the type of person who, when I was injured severely, would easily sway if someone was a little kind to me?

    (Master?)

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    I experienced less pain now when using telepathicmunication. No, I¡¯m sure, it was definitely much less than before. It¡¯s all thanks to Alistair. I wonder who Alistair is exactly?

    ¡°I have administered first aid. If you don¡¯t overdo it, it won¡¯t get any worse than that, but you should refrain from fighting until it¡¯s properly fixed.¡±

    ¡°Then, can you heal it properly?¡±

    ¡°Of course. There are no weapons I can¡¯t fix.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Oh, just leave it to me¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­ That¡¯s great¡­!¡±

    Immediately after hearing Alistair¡¯s words, Fran squeezed my hilt and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Hou¡±. And then she shed a big tear.

    She had lost Kiara and even I was feeling sad about it. I¡¯m sure she couldn¡¯t stop herself from having negative thoughts, and she was always anxious all this time too. I was too busy with my own problems to notice earlier.

    ¡°Fran, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to worry you.¡±

    (No ¡­ uh ¡­ it¡¯s okay. But really, it¡¯s a relief that you¡¯re okay master¡­)

 Chapter 354.2 - Divine Blacksmith (II)

    <h4>Chapter 354.2 - Divine cksmith (II)</h4>

    After quickly getting ready to leave, we headed straight for the dungeon¡¯s exit, with Fran and Urushi in the lead.

    It took longer than I thought it would because everyone was still worn out, but it wasn¡¯t as particrly dangerous due to theck of monsters.

    I¡¯ve tried it lightly on the road, but apparently Fran¡¯s and my skill sharing was already starting to work well. That was the only blessing I received in this whole bundle of misery. However, since my magic power was empty, I had to make do with just Fran¡¯s magic power for now. We will have to be very careful about that.

    While we were going through thebyrinth part of the dungeon, the dungeon started trembling greatly. It¡¯s likely that Mea and her team have seeded in destroying the dungeon core.

    Then, just before escaping the dungeon, Mea and the others caught up with us. Then, they reported that the core was destroyed and the dungeon was on its way to copsing. Thus, from now on, this ce will be nothing more than an ordinary underground structure.

    ¡°Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°A lot of things happened, but let¡¯s meet each other again in the future.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. We will also pray for Master¡¯s recovery, and hope that he will be able to heal properly. Also, can I leave Master Kiara with you for a little while longer? Once we get settled in, we will arrange a funeral for her, after all we want to make sure the funeral service goes off without a hitch.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    After escaping the dungeon, Mea and Fran gave each other a firm handshake and encouraged each other onwards.

    We are supposed to still be at war with the Kingdom of Bashar. I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, but I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t lose now that the threat from the North has disappeared. They should be able to repel the kingdom of Bashar.

    No, they have to¡­ otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it for Kiara to risk her life. And I am sure that Mea understood it as well. With onest emphatic nod, Mea left with Quina, Guendalfa, and Mianoa.

    As Kiara¡¯s apprentice and a princess, I am sure that she has a lot of responsibilities, especially now that Kiara is no longer here, she will surely bear more responsibilities. Though thinking how much that small back of her has to endure from now on I can¡¯t help but want to root for her.

    Fran stared off at Mea¡¯s back and the others as they climbed into the carriage.

    (This Trantion Belong To Centinni)

    ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again soon.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    (Only read and donate to Centinni)

    After the golem carriage which Mea and the others were in rode off, Alistair spoke to a lonely-looking Fran.

    ¡°¡­¡­Should we get going now too? But first, you may have an idea who I am by now, but I¡¯ll tell you who I am anyway.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    (To get Bonus Chapter Donate to Centinni)

    ¡°My name is Alistair. My upation is a divine cksmith. A pleasure to meet you, ck Thunder Princess and¡­Mr . Intelligent Weapon?¡±

    (For faster release read at Centinni)

    I knew it. I got found out. But still, a divine cksmith? I thought it was possible that she was in charge of taking care of the divine sword, but I didn¡¯t think it was really true¡­¡­¡­

    There was just so much going on that I didn¡¯t have the energy left to be surprised anymore. Fran looked to be the same. She opened her eyes lightly and introduced herself normally.

    ¡°I am a rank C adventurer. Fran, the ck Heavenly Tiger.¡±

    ¡°¡­I am Master¡±

    ¡°Hoo!¡±

    ¡°And this is Urushi¡±

    ¡°By the way, is Fran the one that gave you the name master?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not named¡­¡­¡­How is it possible to not be named at this level?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t the Named system supposed to be a way for gods to name their great equipment? I¡¯d be honored to bepared to an item in that ss, but what about it? I¡¯m aware that I¡¯m a good sword, but I¡¯m not overconfident enough to say, ¡°I¡¯m a sword epted by God! Now bow before me you fool!¡±

    ¡°For now, we¡¯re going to my house. Once we get there, I should be able to analyze and repair your master.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, I get to touch a great sword, thanks to you. Alright, now get in this one.¡±

    What Alistair took out of the item bag was a golem carriage that looked exactly like the one Quina had in her possession.

    Fran climbed into the carriage as prompted. Alistair threw Asura onto the floor of the carriage.

    ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Serves him right! How could this idiot demon get out of control until like this anyway? I bet he¡¯ll wake up with a stupid look on his face.¡±

    That¡¯s a bitter pill to swallow for Asura. What happened between them in the past anyway? Well, we can ask him about that too when he wakes up.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s depart!¡±

    Then we got into the golem carriage and left for the divine cksmith¡¯s house.

 Chapter 355 - On The Road With Alistair

    <h4>Chapter 355 - On The Road With Alistair</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Alistair¡¯s mansion was eastwards from the dungeon. Their golem carriage advanced along the boundary mountains.

    ¡°Well, shall we talk lightly along the way?¡±

    ¡°That, is that fine?¡±

    What Fran worried about was the driver¡¯s seat. It was just the horse-powered golems right now. Even if they did remember the way, what if demon beasts attacked and stuff?

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. There is a powerful barrier against demon beasts. And there is no thief crazy enough that they would attack my carriage. No, more like they are long gone already. Kukuku¡±

    It appeared that all sorts of things had happened before. Well, if a divine grade cksmith said it was okay, then it probably is okay. Plus, there¡¯s Urushi there running alongside us. If push came to shove, Urushi will kick the sh*t out of them.

    ¡°So, first of all, would you like to talk about your master?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm¡±

    Fran nodded and then nced at Asura. She was wondering if she would hear them. Then, Alistair took out a mysterious tool from the item bag.

    It looked like a cord about 1 meter long, I think?

    ¡°It¡¯s a telepathicmunication device. Well, it¡¯s an unfinished product that requires you to touch the string and that if you make it longer than 1 meter, you will instantly lose the telepathicmunication. It¡¯s a good tool for a few people to have a private conversation, right?¡±

    Fran and Alistair, sitting side by side on the seat by the carriage wall, each grabbed the end of the cord. I was in Fran¡¯s arms, and she wrapped the cord around the handle. So the cord was just barely long enough. I see, the ones using this needed to be extraordinarily close to each other for it to work.

    (How is it? Can you hear me?)

    (Hmm)

    ¡°I can hear you¡±

    There was no pain from telepathy anymore thanks to the careful consideration of the item¡¯s effect. Since this was the case, I could have a normal conversation. I mean, it worked as well for me, a sword.

    (So let me ask you again. I would like to ask about the master himself, his creator and the period of production)

    We decided to be honest about answering the things we were asked. We were going to need her help to fix me, and we¡¯re dealing with a divine cksmith anyways. If we lie badly, we will just end up getting found out. On top of that, they might find out about my roots so we decided it was best not to lie to her.

    That being said, I really didn¡¯t know anything about my creator. There wasn¡¯t much that could be said of it. When I replied so honestly, Alistair uttered a word of surprise.

    (I see¡­¡­ so the master was a human previously right?)

    ¡°You- you know?¡±

    To my surprise, she had already found out before I could exin myself. Why? Could it be that an appraisal used by a divine grade cksmith could even show that the item was originally human?

    (No, because even I couldn¡¯t create an artificial soul spirit that can do master¡¯s level of response. And when I looked at the shape of the soul, it didn¡¯t look like it was artificial)

    Apparently she had the ability to see souls, like the unique skill Soul Spiritual Eye that Jean the necromancer possessed. I don¡¯t really know much about it, but I guess there were many forms of souls.

    (Your soul looks just like a person and could give out responses just like a human¡¯s. It¡¯s way too simr to a person. But it all makes sense if you consider that it was originally a human. Well, that leaves me wondering.)

    ¡°Of what?¡±

    (I don¡¯t know how to contain a person¡¯s soul in a sword. I¡¯m a divine cksmith. But I have no idea what kind of method they used.)

    That¡¯s where it alles down to, wasn¡¯t it? Who put me on the sword? Was it the creator of the sword, or was it someone else?

    (I¡¯m hoping that once we do the analysis in my house, it will give us some further insight into this. Let¡¯s leave this forter. Yeah, I¡¯m looking forward to it now. Kukuku)

    Alistair seemed like a pretty sensible person, but the way she looked at me right now is a little scary. It¡¯s simr to a child¡¯s eyes when being given a new toy.

    (Next, I want to hear about your encounter with Fran, is that okay?)

    ¡°Ah, yes. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try my best to remember it.¡±

    However, Fran was already asleep. No wonder I thought it was strangely quiet. She must have been tired from crying earlier.

    (I guess we¡¯ll have to wait to hear from Franter.)

    ¡°My bad. I¡¯ll answer as much as I can.¡±

    (Well, it¡¯s a kids¡¯ job to sleep anyways. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. So let¡¯s start with the encounter, shall we?)

    I talk about everything without leaving out any details. I told her the story of how I met Fran, and even Alistair was taken aback upon listening to more of the story of how we first met.

    Even I myself thought it was pretty absurd, so I don¡¯t me you.

    After that, we continued on our adventures together, and together we¡¯ve traveled and grown after reaching ce after ce. Sometimes, we delved into dungeons, crossed the seas, and finally came to thisnd at the end of our previous journey.

    For the most part, Alistair showed little interest in our journey though. It seemed that she was more interested in knowing the way I matured and grew than of the adventure stories and such. She had a lot of curiosity, but it appears that it was only limited to the fields she was interested in.

    My exnation then came to the part where we entered this continent and fought the Valkyries. During this time, a serious incident happened, which may have something to do with my mutation.

    ¡°¡®For some reason, I¡¯ve started to feel pain from time to time when I use my skills and consume mana.¡±

    (Even though you are a sword you can feel pain? That¡¯s interesting. Does it hurt every time you use a skill?)

    ¡°No, I only usually feel pain when I activate multiple techniques at a time, or when I¡¯ve used too many form transformations.¡±

    I¡¯m supposed to have no sense of pain, but somehow I could feel it. No, I have no pain, and I¡¯m doubtful if it actually hurt. However, the sensation of pain was certainly the closest I could rte it to.

    (It¡¯s hard to say without using equipment to examine that. And I¡¯ve never seen a sword in pain before. However, it could have some serious effect on the master. In the future, refrain from doing anything that might cause you pain.)

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    I¡¯ve got this tool for telepathicmunication, so I¡¯m sure I can handle it for now. I then exined the process of eradicating the army of evil people and meeting Alistair. I don¡¯t remember where I got all of the skills, etc., as expected, but as far as I¡¯ve been asked, I could answer all of them, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve made any mistakes.

    After that, time continued to pass as we discussed the sensation of absorbing a magic stone, the desires to be human, and the differences between humans and swords when using the skill.

    She was particrly interested in the ability to absorb magic stones. She asked me in detail what demonic beasts had high magic stone values and what had low values.

    Are these really the questions I need to answer for her to fix me? Aren¡¯t you merely putting your curiosity first?

    But basically, the magic stone value of stronger demonic beasts are higher, and the magic stone value of evil people is low, etc. I told her.

    And then there was that other thing, with regards to leveling up skills. The system of spending points is a system that Alistair has never heard of.

    (The more I hear about it, the more intrigued I am.)

    ¡°I am honored to have a divine cksmith say that to me.¡±

    (When ites tobat power, we have more weapons than master. Like the divine sword. But there aren¡¯t many swords that are this mysterious. You surprise me, a divine cksmith. You should be proud.)

    2 hourster.

    Around the time I finished answering most of Alistair¡¯s questions, the carriage stopped.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re already there. Well, time flew by so fast! It was a good ride! Hey, Fran, wake up¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Nyu¡±

    ¡°Come on, you stupid demon, wake up!¡±

    Alistair kicked Asura in the head next to a sleeping Fran rubbing her eyes. Oi, Oi, Is that fine? Even if the damage didn¡¯t look like much, he should be worn out from the mad demonization and other things, right?

    However, Alistair¡¯s kicks didn¡¯t stop. Only after he had been kicked five times like that¡­

    ¡°Ah? Where is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°You finally woke up huh? You stupid demon.¡±

    ¡°Geh¡­ Alistair!¡±

    Asura looks up at Alistair and lets out a pathetic scream.

    ¡°Wha- what are you doing!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I could feel the magic of the divine sword. There were two to be precise. So I went to see the situation. If it¡¯s a battle between two divine swords, it¡¯s a big deal.¡±

    A divine grade cksmith even has the ability to sense the magic power of a divine sword? And the way you just spoke, were you thinking of stopping a battle between divine swords?

    ¡°If it¡¯s broken after a fight, I¡¯ll have a chance to fix it!¡±

    Apparently, she was a person who was faithful to her desires.

 Chapter 356 - Start Analysis

    <h4>Chapter 356 - Start Analysis</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Alistair¡¯s mansion had a strange appearance. It was a two-story building made of stone, but the outer walls were all made of one huge rock. If four 25-meter-long rock walls, polished to a mirror-like surface without the slightest irregrity on the surface, were put together to form a box, and one more rock wall was ced on top of it instead of a roof, it would look like this °¼Í¹.

    Such a mysterious looking structure was equipped with evenly spaced small windows. If the windows were not there, you wouldn¡¯t think of it as a residence for sure. At best, you would think it¡¯s part of a ruin or a magical device.

    ¡°How about it? What do you think about my house?¡±

    ¡°As always, your tastes are really weird. It¡¯s even more ridiculous because it¡¯s portable.¡±

    It seemed that this building itself was a magic tool and is portable. As expected from a divine grade cksmith¡¯s house, it¡¯s amazing.

    ¡°Hmph. There is not an ounce of waste in this house. You just don¡¯t understand that, you¡¯re the one who is too big of a waste.¡±

    ¡°Gu¡­¡±

    Alistair didn¡¯t like what Asura had to say, so she red at Asura and spoke harshly. But Asura didn¡¯t even talk back, he just flinched.

    As I suspected, Asura is not very good at dealing with Alistair. I will not say it out loud though. I wonder what on earth happened between the two of them.

    While being guided by Alistair, who had put the carriage into a special item bag, we stepped inside the house. The scene there was as mysterious as it appeared on the outside - no it¡¯s even more mysterious.

    Apparently the entire building had been turned into a workshop and there was no entrance hall at all. As soon as we stepped inside, we immediately saw a room that seemed to be Alistair¡¯sboratory and workshop.

    However, I wouldn¡¯t have thought that this was aboratory and workshop if I wasn¡¯t told beforehand. I mean, I had no idea what kind of use the room would be for from just a quick nce.

    The walls and ceiling were dimly shining. Moreover, it was not a magical light. To my surprise, it turned out to be metal that was sticking to the wall like ting. The metal wall, like polished silver tableware, reflected the light from themps and shined brightly.

    ¡°Cool¡­¡±

    My eyes flickered, and Fran stared at the walls and ceiling while squinting. When Alistair saw this, she exined it to me like it was nothing.

    ¡°Oh, that thing. That is Mithril ting. The magical power of the outside world is the most intrusive in order to perform magically delicate work.¡±

    ¡°Mithril? Is it Mithril?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    It¡¯s also a rare sight to see Fran constantly being surprised about something. But even though it¡¯s ted, this amount of mithril? Isn¡¯t that crazy extravagant? As expected of a divine cksmith.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be able to deal with this woman if you keep getting that surprised.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you stupid demon. We¡¯re about to have an important talk, so you¡¯re going to go upstairs. You know where the guest room is, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I know. I want you to exin what¡¯s going on before I go.¡±

    ¡°How much do you remember?¡±

    When Fran asked that, Asura snorted, cing a hand lightly on his chin. I guess that triggered something and opened his memory.

    ¡°I¡­¡­ I heard from the princess that I went berserk and you used your skills to take the madness away from me and stop me from going out of control. But soon after that, I lost consciousness and found myself waking up here. I can¡¯t tell clearly but I think the evil bastard was fighting someone or something after I passed out¡­¡±

    It looks like he was protected by Mea and the others after the mad demonization was lifted and they lightly exined to him about what happened, but apparently they didn¡¯t tell him that I lost my mind after taking the demonization skill and went out of control and started fighting Xellos Reed.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t woken up feeling this good in a long time. Thank you.¡±

    Asura bowed deeply. It seemed that he was really grateful for the help he received.

    ¡°But even though I just took it away, I think it will be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Still, even if it¡¯s only for a few days, I¡¯m grateful to be free from the fear of not being myself. I owe you big time for this.¡±

    ¡°We would only be putting ourselves in danger if we didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I should be thankful that I didn¡¯t kill the princess and Kiara myself.¡±

    I see. It looks like Asura still didn¡¯t know that Kiara was dead. However, Fran has not yet been able to bring herself to exin from her own mouth. She wrinkled her brows and looked down with a look that couldn¡¯t stand something.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Haa¡­¡­ this stupid demon! Let¡¯s talk about itter! I¡¯ll tell you what happened to Kiarater.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡±

    From Alistair¡¯s words and Fran¡¯s demeanor, he must have understood. The emotions drained from Asura¡¯s face. But I had to tell him this.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Who?¡±

    I¡¯d really like to tell him more about it, but I still can¡¯t have a telepathic conversation on my own yet. However, I thought it was absolutely necessary to tell that Kiara did not die in the hands of the berserk Asura.

    I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship they had, but it sounded like they were old acquaintances.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about thatter. But you didn¡¯t kill her. After you passed out, Kiara fought with the evil one, and the battle with the evil one got too much for her.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ I understand. Then I¡¯ll borrow a room.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, go to the dining room. If you tell the golem, they¡¯ll give you something.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Asura went up the stairs with a heavy heart. I guess the upper floor was the living space. Alistair looked away from it and looked troubled for a moment, but quickly turned to face me and Fran with a serious expression on his face.

    ¡°Now, get on with restoring master. Just the thought of leaving things as they are is enough to make me stressed.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, please.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Master doesn¡¯t have to force himself to talk. More importantly, I need to repair the de immediately. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just a matter of repairing it or more, so I¡¯ll take a sample and analyze it. So, while adding the missing materials, I¡¯ll be restoring it in a way that won¡¯t be too hard on the master. Is that fine?¡±

    ¡°??????¡±

    Yeah, Fran is in apletely muddy state. However, there was no one who knew more about and was better at restoring weapons than Alistair. So I¡¯ll leave it all to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it all to you¡±

    ¡°¡­In the meantime, let¡¯s wrap a telepathic cord around master.¡±

    Alistair wrapped the telepathic cord around my hilt. This made it somewhat easier to talk to both of them. I¡¯ll have to get Fran and the others to hold the string every time, though.

    ¡°Fran, put your master on that table.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start the analysis. What about you, Fran? If you want, I can fix you a meal or something.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I want to watch.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Then the analysis by Alistair began. Alistair used various magic, skills, and magical tools on me on a table made of strange metal materials. What was amazing is that they were all appraisal and analysis type materials. It¡¯s amazing that she could use that much variety of tools and still process all the received information and use it effectively.

    Though if you see it from the outside, it¡¯s so in. After all, all she had to do was hold her hand over my half-broken sword and stay put.

    I¡¯m sure Fran will get bored with this as fast as she can. That¡¯s what I thought, but after ten or twenty minutes, Fran was still staring at Alistair as she worked.

    No signs of sleepiness, no signs of getting bored and starting to squirm around. That¡¯s how seriously she cared for me, I guess. Maybe it¡¯s uncalled for, but it made me a little happier. Because I realized again that I was truly loved by Fran.

    One hourter. Alistair¡¯s analysis was finallyplete. Alistair muttered as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

    ¡°As I thought The metal part is Oreichalcos after all.¡±

    ¡°Oreichalcos?¡±

    ¡°It is a special metal that can only be produced by a divine cksmith. A person without the right knowledge would only think of it as a harmonium-based alloy, but when processed with a special technique, it can be used as material for a divine sword, a divine metal.¡±

    I¡¯ve heard that name before in Ulmut.

    ¡°Am I made of that metal?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°So the person who made master was a divine cksmith?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, there is a possibility that someone just got the Oreichalcos made by a divine cksmith in some way.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but utter words of denial. Could I really be such an amazing sword made by a god-grade smith? After all, I couldn¡¯t help but deny it because after all, if the reality and the expectations on me differed too greatly, the mental damage anyone, especially myself, would receive would be too much for me to bear.

    But my denial was denied by Alistair.

    ¡°No, it would take a divine cksmith to handle Oreichalcos so perfectly.At least the outside of master¡¯s body would have to be handled by a divine grade cksmith.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Then I¡¯m a divine sword¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really it too. There¡¯s no inscription.¡±

    Yes, I expected it. That¡¯s right, just because a divine grade cksmith made it, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a divine sword.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s missing an inscription, I think it¡¯s been scraped off.¡±

    ¡°Scraped off?¡±

    ¡°You mean there was originally some kind of inscription on it, but it was erased?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I have a few ideas about where master came from.¡±

 Chapter 357 - Discarded Divine Sword

    <h4>Chapter 357 - Discarded Divine Sword</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Well, it turns out that Alistair might know something about me. However, she doesn¡¯t seem to have a lot of confidence on her face.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know if this is true¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Just a moment- Truth of the Sword, activate!¡±

    Alistair closed her eyes and concentrated. And then she activated some kind of skill. Immediately afterwards, something that looked like a clear, thin te floated in front of her. There are characters and pictures that were disyed there.

    ¡°That is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of a divine grade cksmith¡¯s unique skill, a skill that has a function to know the truth behind the creation of a sword. Well, to put it simply, it is like an illustrated book filled with divine swords and knowledge about them, from which divine grade smiths could draw information from. Information can also be disyed externally in this way.¡±

    I think it¡¯s something like an encyclopedia. And it looks like it can disy the information you wanted too. Maybe it¡¯s just a picture book with a really high performance.

    If you look at the information disy function of Truth of the Sword, which looked like a hologram, it looks more like science fiction rather than magic or skill.

    ¡°Well, there is a lot of information that is not avable for others to see. How is it? Do you think you can read it?¡±

    Even if you ask me if I can read it, since it¡¯s right in front of me so-

    ¡ºHmm? What is this?¡»

    ¡°I can¡¯t read it.¡±

    The text on disy was a mess. If it¡¯s not encrypted, it¡¯spletely nonsense. But apparently, Alistair already expected it. Therefore she only calmly nodded.

    ¡°I knew it. So what about the painting?¡±

    ¡ºI can see a sword¡»

    ¡°Mm. it¡¯s looks a bit like Master.¡±

    ¡ºIs that so? Well, maybe that¡¯s right¡»

    Although the shape of the most important emblem area waspletely different, the hilt and sword de were exactly the same.

    ¡°The picture looks fine.¡±

    The picture seems to be exactly what Alistair wanted to show. I mean, the text was just gibberish when viewed by someone who isn¡¯t qualified, but it looks like Alistair can see the proper textual information.

    ¡ºIf you went to the trouble of showing it to me, does that mean the sword isn¡¯t irrelevant to me?¡»

    ¡°Yeah, as Fran said, it has too much inmon with you, Master.¡±

    Then Alistair went on to list the simrities between this picture and me. First of all, the pattern. Then the shape, the size, the color of the braid and the weave, everything seems to match perfectly. It was so much alike that it would have been impossible to say that it was just a simple imitation.

    Moreover, the sword de. The blue pattern and other minor decorations were simr. The length of the sword de is said to be a perfect match too.

    However, the most eye-catching part, the brim, waspletely different.

    I had a heroic emblem of a wolf at the base of the sword, but in this painting, there were four human face-like things drawn side by side. It is an emblem with the design of four beautiful women with their eyes closed and each face has something that looks like angels¡¯ wings on the back.

    ¡ºSure, they might be simr except for the emblem¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°Right. A detailed exnation will take time. We¡¯ll have to wait until after we¡¯ve made the necessary repairs. Give me a minute.¡±

    Alistair paused and pulled out some kind of basketball-sized metal sphere from the item bag. When Alistair cast a spell lightly and touched the metal ball, the shape changed at once. It had a strange shape, like a tangled web of thin metal threads, or like a cotton candy made of metal.

    Alistair made more changes as she wrapped that metal cotton around my sword de. Then, she poured some kind of potion on top of it and applied some magic.

    ¡°-Fu. With this, this Oreichalcos should be absorbed into master¡¯s de and automatically begin to repair itself.¡±

    So this is Oreichalcos. She took out a lot of it, even though it is a legendary metal.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my job. But more importantly, about what we were talking about earlier.¡±

    Alistair pulled a chair from the corner of theb and sat down. She offered another chair to Fran.

    ¡°Well, let me start by saying this¡­ in my opinion, master was created by more than one person.¡±

    ¡ºMultiple? Does that mean there were many creators?¡»

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s close to that. The sword on the outside and the one who created the ability to seal human souls and absorb demonic stones inside would be different people. The quality of their work is too different, even on a casual nce. I¡¯m going to proceed on that premise, okay?¡±

    ¡°I understand¡±

    ¡ºI understand¡»

    Unexpectedly, it¡¯s more of a shock. There were quite a few surprises. We didn¡¯t know anything about it in the first ce, but I was actually a sword made by multiple people! That being said, when I heard it, I¡¯m like, ¡°Hmmm¡±. If it were from a human being¡¯s perspective, isn¡¯t it simr to a situation where there were multiple parents withplicated circumstances?

    Once she was sure we understood, Alistair moved the still-disyed picture of the sword in front of Fran.

    ¡°This sword, inscribed with the word ¡®Wisdom Sword Cherubim¡¯. Currently it is one of the divine swords that have been lost.¡±

    ¡ºEh? A divine sword? You mean this is a divine sword? This sword that looks like me?¡»

    I cannot ignore this information. After all, it¡¯s the divine sword you know? It¡¯s like the best sword in the world, and you say it looked like me?

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, there are several possibilities¡­ but, I think master is a discarded divine sword.¡±

    ¡ºDiscarded divine sword? Another word I don¡¯t know.¡»

    ¡°don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see. It¡¯s certainly not a widely known story. Let¡¯s start with the exnation first.¡±

    ¡°A discarded divine sword is apparently a divine sword that has been discarded, as the name stated. There were two main reasons why the Discarded Divine Sword was born.¡±

    ¡°One of the reasons, out of a variety of others, is If one failed to create it. Most of them were discarded because they have the power equivalent to a divine sword, but their abilities were unfortunately half-hearted and in danger of going out of control.¡±

    In that case, the said sword fails to be a divine sword. It may seem a shame to discard it, but the potential for it to go out of control, on the other hand, would certainly be hard to overlook.

    ¡°The other is when the finished divine sword is ordered to be destroyed because it is too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Ordered? By whom?¡±

    ¡°God. In the past, there were three divine swords that were allegedly ordered by God to be destroyed. It was said that all of them were so dangerous that they were discarded by the Divine Grade cksmith himself without activating most of the swords¡¯ abilities.¡±

    I see, so it¡¯s a case of seeding but having to dispose of it because its ability was more dangerous than expected. Though, I can¡¯t imagine an ability so dangerous that God would order it to be discarded.

    ¡°Speaking of divine swords, they are as intimate as children to us divine cksmith. How much pain the past divine grade cksmiths who were ordered to dispose of it have to endure¡­¡­¡±

    Alistair murmured with a strange face.

    ¡°But it¡¯s also true that you can¡¯t really let a sword that could bring cmity out into the world when the sword was supposed to protect the world instead. It would be unavoidable. That¡¯s why I want the divine sword that is alive and well now to remain intact. It is a discarded divine sword that has escaped destruction for some reason.¡±

    Is that why Alistair treated us so well? I thought you were just a sword nerd.

    ¡°What were those three swords?¡±

    ¡°One of the three is the nuclear strike sword, Meltdown. The details of it were not even recorded in the Truth of the Sword, but it was a terrifying divine sword that produced tremendous power and poison.It was ordered to be destroyed because, if left unchecked, it could threatened to wipe all creatures off the face of this world.¡±

    Power and poison¡­¡­ You mean nuclear energy and radiation? The name was also Meltdown. I don¡¯t know how powerful it is, but it would definitely be dangerous if it was used around the world. It must have been so powerful that God considered it dangerous.

    ¡°The other was the beheading sword, Judgment. It is said that it was a divine sword that could simte divine punishment. However, this was also discarded because it may twist the world¡¯s reason.¡±

    I can¡¯t imagine this at all. However, when it came to the possibility of abusing God¡¯s rules, it may indeed be seen as dangerous.

    ¡°And thest one is the wisdom sword, Cherubim. It is said that it was able to ess, interfere with and even rewrite all the knowledge stored in the God Realm. However, It seemed that the ability to browse knowledge was the main problem, though.They said that people were able to ess even knowledge that they shouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    So that¡¯s it. So it¡¯s a risk of spreading dangerous knowledge to the world? But I wonder if this Cherubim-san might have anything to do with me? I¡¯m a little scared.

 Chapter 358 - Announcer-san and Cherubim

    <h4>Chapter 358 - Announcer-san and Cherubim</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    ¡°So, the two of you havee to understand a little bit more about the Discarded Divine Sword right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡ºOh¡»

    ¡°Alright. Now, let¡¯s talk about the possible rtionship between Cherubim and Master.¡±

    So, this conversation is finally happening. I¡¯m getting a little nervous.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it. When one is told to dispose of a divine sword, just how exactly is it done?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ By throwing it away?¡±

    ¡ºNo, that alone won¡¯t be enough. It shouldn¡¯t be allowed to exist anymore, so unless you could melt it down into an ingot or something¡­¡»

    I shuddered as I imagined the scene of myself being melted down. If I were human, it¡¯s like imagining a horror scene where I was murdered in a freakishly gruesome manner. Hmmm, I was a little surprised to find myself more inclined towards my existence as a sword than I thought I was.

    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s also a method of disposal by smelting it again in the furnace and turning it back into a chunk of Oreichalcos. However, don¡¯t you agree that that¡¯s a waste of time?¡±

    ¡ºEven if you ask me¡­¡­¡»

    A divine sword would take a huge amount of time and effort to make. Can you destroy itpletely and pretend it never happened? I couldn¡¯t do that.

    ¡ºI think they¡¯d rather do something about the parts they¡¯ve been told are no good and think about reusing the good part.¡»

    ¡°Right? It¡¯s a divine sword, you know? That is a first ss sword. Then we can just erase the abilities inside and divert the outside to something different.¡±

    ¡ºIn another words are you saying that I¡¯m a product of that kind of process?¡»

    ¡°Maybe, just maybe. Even if you¡¯d lost the function of a divine sword, its size as a vessel is iparable to other magic swords. I¡¯m sure you could add a new and different ability.¡±

    ¡ºBut why is the emblem part different? Isn¡¯t it strange that it is not an angel emblem as in the picture?¡»

    ¡°You could make several modifications if it were limited to superficial matters like that. And it wouldn¡¯t be strange to have a new emblem when the sword is born anew, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I guess.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m not really sure what I¡¯m about to say is true but¡­¡­ There¡¯s another possibility it could have been a test run or a failure when making Cherubim. The other possibility is that it was a prototype made before the production of thepleted product.¡±

    ¡°My Master is not a failure.¡±

    ¡ºThank you Fran¡»

    ¡°What I can say for sure is that there is some kind of connection between Master and the Divine Sword Cherubim. At the very least, they may have inherited simr abilities.¡±

    Cherubim¡¯s ability¡­¡­ When Alistair talked about this, I was reminded of something, or someone. I had thought about it maybe around the time I started hearing about the Discarded Divine Sword, but the more I heard about it, the more I became convinced of what I¡¯m thinking of.

    A reliable person who was always there for me, the announcer. He was still the announcer who mechanically delivered level-up and title notifications to me, but once, I was actually able to talk to him. It was in the middle of the first time I used the potential release in a fight with the Lich, and Announcer-san left some words of concern as his voice dissipated.

    ¡´Thanks to the individual named Master, I, who was not allowed to exist by God, who was erased from existence by the Maker and allowed to exist only as a vessel, was finally able to exercise power for the Lord. May the blessing of the God of Wisdom be on your way -¡µ

    Isn¡¯t that exactly what Alistair told me? Moreover, if I¡¯m not wrong, Announcer-san also mentioned the word ¡°divine realm¡± while releasing the potential limit.

    ¡´¨D¨DAttempting to ess the divine realm¨D¨DSess. essing library. Obtaining information on irvoyance in exchange for loss of ess ability. Building the skill irvoyance¡ª Sessful¡µ

    That¡¯s what he said. I think he also mentioned the ability to browse and interfere with the knowledge of the divine realm that Alistair was talking about. And so I decided to tell Alistair about Announcer-san.

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting. It may indeed be the remnant of the Cherubim, which makes it more likely that it really was created by reusing Cherubim.¡±

    ¡ºSomeone else mentioned that too¡­ Yes, that mysterious voice. That voice sounded like Announcer-san and he said, ¡®Remnants of an existence that supposedly already gone, It just miraculously came to the surface with the potential limit release. The price of using so much more power than he had, even the residue of it, will disappear.¡¯ I¡¯m sure he said something like that.¡»

    That voice was also a mystery. It sounded more like an ally than an enemy, and it didn¡¯t seem like something I can think and do something about, so I tried my best not to worry about it after that, but¡­ We can no longer ignore it at present. I decided to ask Alistair about the mysterious voice as well.

    ¡ºActually, do you think there is one more person inside me besides Announcer-san? I think there is another person inside me.¡»

    ¡°What? What kind of person is that?¡±

    ¡ºHmm¡­¡»

    ¡ºNo matter what you say. All I can say is he is a somewhat bad attitude man.¡»

    They say you can get your strength back when the Moon Festival approaches, but I¡¯ve never been able to have a proper conversation with them because of all the things that get in the way each time. However, he seemed to know various things about my situation.

    ¡°I can¡¯t guess it with just that.¡±

    ¡ºAfter all, I don¡¯t know his name or what he looks like. It can¡¯t be helped -no, wait. I think I did see him once?¡»

    He showed up at an inn in Barbora, like a phantom. As I recall, he came with the intention to apologize and told me that the potential release had worn that man out for some reason, and that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to talk to him for a while.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see, he was a mature man. He had silver hair, and he was wearing a loose-fitting, robe-like outfit in all ck colour.¡»

    ¡°I still don¡¯t think that¡¯s a clue after all.¡±

    ¡ºAfter all?¡»

    I¡¯m sure there are plenty of men with silver hair but¡­¡­

    ¡°However, just keep it in mind. Maybe, if you keep looking into it,ter, you may find out something. Anyway, once I¡¯m done repairing the de, I will start analyzing and repairing the interior.¡±

    I mean, I feel like if I could have a conversation with that man, it would all be solved. Can¡¯t we use Alistair¡¯s power to search for more clues?

    ¡°Yes. Well, let¡¯s do our best to get in touch with that mysterious voice, too.¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave it up to you¡»

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡ºAny other information that might help- yeah, I¡¯m apparently a member of the God of Chaos, right?¡»

    ¡°What? The God of Chaos? Not the God of Wisdom?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡­The divine sword, as its name implies, is a sword that bears the power of a god. Each divine sword is a family member belonging to the god who gave it the power¡­ Cherubim was supposed to have been a family member of the God of Wisdom. Hmm¡­ Belonging to the God of Chaos, huh¡­ Well, it seems worth investigating.¡±

    Oh that¡¯s good. It might have helped a little. Hmm¡­ Is there any other information I have not yet told them?

    ¡ºAh. Can you give me more information about the ce I was stuck in, or perhaps some other hint?¡»

    ¡°Was it the Field of the Demon Wolf? Honestly, it won¡¯t do anything to help, unless you can examine the altar or whatever it is directly.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been there either. I¡¯ve conquered every continent in thest 100 years or so, but I still haven¡¯t reached the Demon Wolf ins.¡±

    ¡°100 years?¡±

    ¡ºEh? How old are you now?¡»

    I was more surprised by learning of how long she had already lived than the information that she has been to all the continents. From appearances alone, I was sure she waspletely human.

    ¡°I am half elf.¡±

    ¡°Your ears? Amanda¡¯s were sharp.¡±

    That¡¯s right. Amanda, a rank A adventurer who used a whip as her weapon, was a half-elf, but her ears were as pointed as an elf¡¯s. However, Alistair¡¯s ears are round like any other human.

    ¡°Ha ha ha, do you know any other half-elves besides me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Well, in my case, it looks like my father¡¯s blood who¡¯s human was thicker than my mother who was an elf. Therefore my appearance is closer to a human than an elf¡¯s.¡±

    So that¡¯s how it is. Even if one was half elf, they don¡¯t necessarily inherit the appearance of an elf.

    ¡°Well, the longevity isn¡¯t just a tribal thing, it¡¯s also an upational thing.¡±

    ¡ºDoes your upation affect your lifespan?¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s not so much my profession, but rather, my profession¡¯s specific skill is called Physical Mastery. As the name implies, it¡¯s a skill that keeps the body in its prime, but it also extends the life span of the body by keeping it young for long periods of time.¡±

    Skills that keep you young? It¡¯s not a very cksmith-like skill. No. Is it possible, considering that she will remain at her prime as a cksmith for a long period of time? And she said she had a number of unique skills. As expected of a divine cksmith, she was just truly as impressive as her title sounds.

 Chapter 359 - Restoration Begins

    <h4>Chapter 359 - Restoration Begins</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    I asked Alistair about her prediction that I might have something to do with the discarded divine sword, Cherubim, but she wasn¡¯tpletely sure about it either.

    ¡°Either way, let¡¯s make restoration our top priority for now. Soon I¡¯ll finish repairing the externalponents. And then I¡¯ll start working on what¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡ºWhat do you do to restore the inside?¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s where a divine cksmith can truly utilize their skills. Just leave it to me. Just, it will take a lot of time to analyze and repair, so be prepared for that, okay?¡±

    ¡ºI understand.¡»

    ¡°As for you, Fran¡­ Honestly, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything you can do to help even if you just watch.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I will just keep watching.¡±

    Fran replied in the same way as before, facing Alistair with a look of determination that disyed her intention that she would not move away from his spot even if just for an inch.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Urushi also sat down in a well-mannered position beside her and looked at Alistair.

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Alistair muttered and said nothing more. Then she turned her back to Fran and the others as she faced me.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get started. Well, there¡¯s nothing for Master to do though. Your job is to stay put.¡±

    ¡ºAll right.¡»

    ¡°Fuhahaha!!¡±

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s the matter?¡»

    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day where I¡¯d be repairing a sword and telling it to not move.¡±

    Afterughing lightly at that, Alistair held up her hand above me with a serious expression.

    ¡°Eye of Analysis¡­!¡±

    It was the same appraisal type skill that she used when we first met earlier. She began to observe me carefully with her magicden eyes. They were several degrees more serious and keener than they had been the first time round.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Complete silence engulfed the room. Neither Alistair, Fran and Urushi uttered a single word at all. Alistair needed her full attention to carry out her task and Fran and the others, understanding that, did their best to not disrupt that concentration. The only thing they had inmon was the seriousness of each other¡¯s expressions.

    The only sounds in the silvery room were the sounds of two people and one animal breathing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a while, actually I stopped keeping track of how long we¡¯ve been at it. Alistair¡¯s forehead was covered in beads of sweat. She had been concentrating her magical power for a long time, analyzing me. The exhaustion she should be going through right now was toorge for me to imagine seeing how quiet the situation was.

    Fran was still watching her work, not moving even slightly.

    ¡°Fuuuu~¡±

    And then, after finally finishing her analysis, Alistair slowly looked up and exhaled. I could see the fatigue draining colour away from her face.

    ¡ºIs it over?¡»

    ¡°Mhm. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Suddenly Alistair apologized.

    Eh? What? What¡­ happened? Why are you apologizing?

    ¡ºI- Is it possible that I can¡¯t be repaired?¡»

    ¡°No, you can be repaired. Let¡¯s be clear on that. However, even after so much time has passed, I still couldn¡¯tplete the analysis. I¡¯d like to apologize for that first.¡±

    ¡ºBut it¡¯s not like you didn¡¯te up with anything at all, right?¡»

    ¡°Well¡­ kind of. I¡¯ve gathered all the information I need to make the necessary repairs without any problems.¡±

    Then, it¡¯s fine. It would have been nice to know what¡¯s going on, but my current priority is to repair myself. No. I was too impatient.

    ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ll exin the results of my analysis while I start with the repairs.¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave it to you.¡»

    Alistair began taking out multiple potion-like objects again and started to concoct something next to me. It seems that the magical medicine prepared for repairs was made and customized ording to the sword to be repaired. Not only does this mean that Alistair¡¯s skills in cksmithing was top-notch, but she was also quite adept in alchemy.

    Alistair, who has finished mixing the concoction, poured it onto my sword de. A secondter, I felt something well up from inside my body.

    It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling though. It¡¯s a warm and gentle feeling,pletely opposite of the intense, dark one I had when I was under the control of the mad demonization. I could feel that soft, fluffyfort spreading all over my body.

    ¡°Okay, the repair of the magic circuit has begun. How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡ºSomehow, it feels good. It¡¯s like soaking in a hot bath.¡»

    ¡°That is quite an interesting expression. You are most definitely a person before. I don¡¯t know if I will ever have this opportunity again in the future to hear thoughts directly from the sword, but this is very interesting!¡±

    When Fran saw Alistair smiling and muttering excitedly, she felt that a huge burden in her chest had been lifted. Then, Fran asked Alistair with an expectant look in her eyes.

    ¡°With this, will Master finally heal?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet. This potion is just going to close up a big wound in the magic circuit. The next step is to close up the more delicate and deep wounds. This is the most difficult job I¡¯ve been tasked with since Ist created a divine sword! I¡¯ll finally be able to go all out again and prove my abilities!¡±

    I don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll do it, but I could guess that it was going to be a very difficult and intricate process. I¡¯m d Alistair was willing to do this, but I also think it¡¯s going to take a while.

    Even so, you have made a divine sword huh.

    She IS a divine cksmith, so I guess I might say, it¡¯s expected of her, but hearing her say of her past work herself brings a different kind of surprise. I¡¯m getting an awesome cksmith to fix me up, huh.

    However, after hearing Alistair¡¯s outburst, Fran fell back down into her chair again, looking dejected as she probably understood that my restoration was likely to be a long way off.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t look so gloomy. It will take some time, but Master will certainly get back on his own feet.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s bet on it with divine swords!!¡±

    I know you¡¯re trying to tell me that it¡¯s a sure thing to seed, but betting with divine swords¡­

    Does that mean¡­ If she fails to repair me, do we get a divine sword? That meant that for Fran, the more you fail, the better the sword you will give her¡­¡­¡­??

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Instead, return Master to his original condition.¡±

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    Good girl! As expected of Fran!

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll definitely fix it. Well, returning it to the original¡­ That¡¯s the problem.¡±

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s just focus on fixing it now.¡±

    ¡º?? I understand¡­¡»

    ¡°That said, it will take a little longer for the potion to finish repairing the damage to the magic circuits. And while we wait for that, I¡¯ll tell you what I found out earlier.

    ¡°Hmm!¡±

    ¡ºPlease do.¡»

    I know I said earlier that restoration was my top priority, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to know!

    ¡°Oh, I think Master can at least use telepathicmunication now, right?¡±

    What? For real?

    ¡ºAa- Aa, test test. Can you hear me Fran?¡»

    ¡°Hmm! I can hear you!¡±

    Oh, I can really use it now! And it no longer causes pain.

    It felt a littleggy or slow to activate when I used it, but it was enough for conversation. I¡¯m really getting better. Once again, I felt that I was really getting better, and I was moved by it.

    ¡°Did you say you have two persons in you?¡±

    ¡ºYes. The announcer and the mysterious voice.¡»

    ¡°Let¡¯s start by talking about this Announcer-san thing.¡±

    ¡ºOh¡»

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Fran had a in reaction to this revtion. I suppose it¡¯s because she has heard of the announcer, but she has never spoken to him in person.

    ¡°It is severely damaged, but there is certainly an area that is deeply connected to the sword. It is simr to a nerve that stretches out its branches and leaves all over the interior of the sword. It is specialized in analyzing information and other stuff, moreover originally it is made for the host or in this case, it was made for Master. It was made in a way so it¡¯s capable of assisting the host.¡±

    ¡ºAssisting? So I still have notification settings for leveling up?¡»

    I don¡¯t think there¡¯s that big of a difference between before and after Mr. Announcer¡¯s sess in releasing the potential limit. But that was only scratching the surface of the story, apparently.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not all. Originally, it was supposed to assist in the activation of skills and assist in calctions.¡±

    ¡ºSo you¡¯re saying that he had the ability to help you activate skills and magic?¡»

    ¡°Ah. But unfortunately before we realized the benefit, that part was damaged. It was originally an ability that Master needed after you level up more.¡±

    Alistair said that it was for me - or in this case, in terms of the sword¡¯s ability - is an ability that was reserved for when I level up more. If Announcer-san had been fully prepared and had that ability to support him, he might not have been injured from overuse of his abilities like he was in this case. On the contrary, if the ability was intact he could have warned me when he was nearing his limit.

    But if it wasn¡¯t for his sess and sacrifice, we would have been defeated by Lich on the floating ind. Therefore I won¡¯t say words of regret.

    ¡ºSo will Announcer-san heal?¡»

    ¡°I am afraid it would not heal. It¡¯s a miracle that there are even some remnants of Cherubimsting to this day. There¡¯s nothing we can do to fix it if it¡¯s broken this badly.¡±

    Unfortunately, if Alistair said she can¡¯t do it, then she really can¡¯t.

    ¡ºIs that so¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°There¡¯s only so much I can do to prevent the residue of Cherubim disappearing or get any worse, such as reinforcing it.¡±

    ¡ºI understand¡­¡»

    If you think about it, Announcer-san did a lot for me during my early days. It distracted me from my loneliness, and I¡¯ve gained a lot of knowledge from it. If the only thing I could do was help it avoid frompletely disappearing, I would be grateful enough for that.

    ¡ºPlease take care of Announcer-san.¡»

 Chapter 360 - The Results Of the Analysis (I)

    <h4>Chapter 360 - The Results Of the Analysis (I)</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Alistair opened her mouth again as she was working on reinforcing Announcer-san.

    ¡°Now, we¡¯ll talk about the mysterious voice.¡±

    ¡ºOh, finally.¡»

    (I wonder, how is the result of the analysis? Could it be that we can find out who they are or how to call them out?)

    ¡°That being said, there¡¯s not much more we know about this one than what¡¯s left of Cherubim.¡±

    ¡ºAh, is that so?¡»

    ¡°Yes. However, in a fairly deep part of the sword, I could certainly sense a soul separate from Master, albeit a weakened one.¡±

    So does that mean it was not part of a discarded divine sword or something like Announcer-san, but it¡¯s instead sealed inside a sword like I was?

    ¡°The ability to get skills from the magic stone would have been an ability that this soul originally had.¡±

    ¡ºYou mean a being that has the power to absorb skills and magic power from magic stones? How is it that I was also able to use this mysterious soul ability?¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s where it getsplicated. Master¡¯s interior is in a moreplicated state and more mysterious than you yourself can imagine, you know?¡±

    (Eh? What is that? Complex and mysterious?)

    I¡¯m a little afraid to ask. But it¡¯s toote to retreat anyway. A man has courage, and a sword should face his enemies without hesitation.

    ¡ºTell me more.¡»

    ¡°Before that, I¡¯d like to see Master absorb the magic stone, will that be alright?¡±

    I see¡­ Well, she will certainly find out more about it if I show it to her in person.

    ¡°Then here.¡±

    ¡°What am I supposed to do with this magic stone?¡±

    ¡°You have to cut it like this.¡±

    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s like that¡­¡±

    The magic stone that was handed over by Fran, was hit by my de by Alistair as Fran instructed. Then, the absorption was done as usual.The weak demon stone didn¡¯t fill me up very well, but I¡¯m sure it was properly absorbed.

    ¡ºWhat do you think of this?¡»

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s an interesting flow of magical power. But I still think my analysis is correct after all. Therefore, I¡¯ll tell you my conclusion now. Even if Master absorbs the magic stone, you¡¯re not getting your power directly from it.

    ¡ºWhat? What do you mean?¡»

    ¡°The magic is flowing towards the mysterious soul, not to Master directly.¡±

    To sum up Alistair¡¯s exnation, here¡¯s how it worked.

    When I absorb the magical stone, the mysterious soul sealed inside me receives its power. Apparently, this soul is quite damaged and it¡¯s a mystery how it could still exist. ording to her, the fact that it was sealed inside the divine sword might have been to protect its existence instead.

    And from this mysterious soul that regained its power after eating the magic stone, the power will be shared with me. Apparently that was how it worked.

    ¡°Perhaps, this mysterious soul is the identity of the mysterious voice that Master heard previously. It is quite an extraordinary thing. It¡¯s soul level is, shall I say, at a superior ne that even I can¡¯t analyze.¡±

    ¡ºYou don¡¯t know where or who he is?¡»

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. However, I don¡¯t sense any kind of evil intent from it. I get the impression that it¡¯s more than willing to cooperate with you.¡±

    Well, if this mysterious soul is the identity of that mysterious voice, it was certainly not an enemy. And if anything, I think he is more of an ally than an enemy.

    ¡°To make things even worse, it seemed that the ability to strengthen Master with self-evolution points was handled by something other than this mysterious soul.¡±

    ¡º¡¯Something else¡¯ huh¡­¡­ That¡¯s a more vague description than the mysterious soul.¡»

    ¡°I know that, but I can only say as much.¡±

    Inside of me, the remnants of Cherubim and the mysterious soul seem to be intricately intertwined. It¡¯s aplicated situation, and apparently a third mystery exists within it. I couldn¡¯t sense any soul or thoughts in this other mysterious thing, and it felt more like a magic program or system built inside a magical tool or device.

    ¡°Even though I say it¡¯s a mystery, what I mean is that I don¡¯t know the creator or the method of making it but I still understand some of its functions. Regardless, it¡¯s too advanced for my understanding, and the analysis I conducted earlier could notpletely catch up to it.¡±

    ¡ºEven Alistair, a divine cksmith, can¡¯t analyze it out?¡»

    ¡°Honestly. Whoever created this system is a monster. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s such a profession, but it¡¯s at a level that¡¯s impossible to build without assuming that there¡¯s a divine grade mage or a divine grade alchemist or something of that caliber. At least as a cksmith, I know that I can¡¯t build one from scratch.¡±

    ¡ºIs- Is that so¡»

    ¡°Ah. It may be simr to the dungeon core I¡¯ve seen before. It¡¯s exactly the same as that because it was impossible to duplicate or imitate and it makes me feel defeated.¡±

    Alistair smiled bitterly after saying that. Even Alistair, a divine cksmith, feels defeated after seeing that? Isn¡¯t that like super messed up? I¡¯m getting excited. What kind of tremendous ability does it have?

    ¡ºOh, so what kind of function does this mystery system have?¡»

    ¡°Oh, as for that -¡±

    The system¡¯s primary purpose, it seems, is to manage the power of the mysterious soul. Earlier, I said that power was flowing from the mysterious soul to me, but it seemed that this system was taking over and intervening each time.

    It was this mysterious system that took the power from the mysterious soul who regained his power and changed it into a form that even I can use. Well, I also heard that it¡¯s only because the mysterious soul is cooperating with me that I¡¯m able to extract that power.

    The power of the mysterious soul was quite tremendous, and it¡¯s difficult for me to use it on my own if I just let it run loose without control.

    The power of the mysterious soul was quite tremendous, and it¡¯s difficult for me to use it on my own if I just let it run loose without control.

    The same was true when it came to learning skills.The mysterious soul seemed to have the power to get skills from the magic stone, but it¡¯s usually difficult for me to use it as it was. Even though they¡¯re sealed inside me and had a connection to me, we¡¯re still separate souls to begin with.

    However, the truth is that the skills the mysterious soul absorbed from the magic stone was converted and transferred by the mysterious system so that even I can use them. The power of skill sharing between me and Fran is an added benefit thanks to this mysterious system.

    In other words, It seemed that the thing that adjusted the mysterious soul power into a form that even I could use was the mysterious system. And apparently the form it used to do so was the rank-up and the self-evolution point system.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know why they¡¯re setting up this thing called magic stone value, I honestly don¡¯t understand. I think we could have built a system to make it easier to strengthen Master without setting it up like that.¡±

    ¡ºIn other words, the more magic stones you absorb, no matter what kind, the more you get strengthened on the spot?¡»

    ¡°¡®Yeah, exactly like that. Is it necessary to set a hurdle such as a magic stone value?¡±

    ¡ºMaybe there are steps needed to be taken as a requirement?¡»

    ¡°Maybe. Well, to be honest, the creator of this mystery system feels like a pretty drunk person to me, or just someone with a lot of mischief. That¡¯s just the impression I got from doing my analysis, though. Or maybe it could simply be a hobby of his, you know?¡±

    Hobby¡­¡­ Even though I¡¯m having a lot of trouble thanks to the magic stone value¡­ If it was really a hobby, he must be an awfully twisted guy.

    ¡°Oh, one more thing. You said you couldn¡¯t get any magic stone value from even the powerful evil one¡¯s magic stone? This is just an assumption, but maybe the mysterious soul can¡¯t absorb all the evil spirits.¡±

    In other words, a magic stone with too much evil energy won¡¯t restore the mysterious soul. That¡¯s why the power wasn¡¯t transferred to me and I didn¡¯t umte any magic stone value. Maybe, the reason I couldn¡¯t get the evil one¡¯s skill was also because the mysterious soul couldn¡¯t absorb the evil one¡¯s magic.

    Apparently, goblins and other evil one are able to absorb power to some extent because they contain not only ordinary magic power, but also some evil power.

    ¡ºUm, it¡¯s getting really confusing. Let¡¯s get this straightened out a bit.¡»

    First of all, inside of me there is Announcer-san, the residue of Cherubim, a mysterious soul, and a mysterious system.

    Announcer-san was responsible for my ability to process information from the outside world andmunicate to me what¡¯s going on inside me. It is the so-called announcing ability, and apparently, the reason why even though I¡¯m a sword and have vision of the outside world was because of Announcer-san. The ability to use telepathicmunication is probably the announcer¡¯s ability as well. It¡¯s kind of like a secretary I guess? Announcer-san the Secretary, that sounds great.

    The mysterious soul is something sealed inside me. Even Alistair can¡¯t find out more about his background than that. However, he is extremely damaged and seemed to be recovering by absorbing the magic stone. And he transfers the power he¡¯s gained from his recovery to me. Apparently the reason I get pleasure from absorbing the magic stone is because I feel this mysterious soul¡¯s delight in it. In other words, it wasn¡¯t me who ate the magic stone and felt good about it! It was Mr. Mysterious Soul who was the one with the perverted sexuality! So when I ate the magic stone and said, ¡®Oho!¡¯ It¡¯s not my fault that I¡¯m saying that!

    And then there is the mysterious system that adjusts the power from that mysterious soul so that even I can use it. Without it, the tremendous power emanating from the mysterious soul would, on the contrary, consume me. Self-evolution points and the like seem to be a benefit from this mysterious system. Although we don¡¯t know who its creator was, there are suspicions that he has a bad personality.

    ¡°Hmmm, we¡¯ve managed to figure some of the things out, but I feel like now the mystery surrounding the creators of these¡­ ¡®things¡¯ just got deeper.¡±

    ¡°As far as I can analyze, I think at least four or more people are involved in the production of Master. One thing for sure is Elmera, the divine cksmith who is said to have created Cherubim is involved.¡±

    ¡°Elmera¡­¡±

    This is a great piece of information to help me figure out who I am. In the future, if I am able to follow Elmera¡¯s footsteps, I might be able to find out more of myself.

    ¡°And then there¡¯s the mysterious soul himself. Perhaps it is not human, but some kind of demon beast, but they would not be able to build such an borate system without it agreeing to be incorporated into the system at will.¡±

    ¡ºAre you saying that the demon beast agreed to do this?¡»

    ¡°Some of the beasts are more intelligent than humans. That¡¯s exactly what happens when they reach the divine beast ss, as their intelligence then far transcends that of humans. And it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there were some circumstances involved or if they agreed to some kind of agreement.¡±

    When he showed up in Barbora to make a gesture of apology, I thought he was human because he appeared in human form, but apparently he wasn¡¯t.

    It seems strangely human, but when you think about it, Urushi also had some human qualities. Maybe if you be a high-ranking demonic beast, you¡¯re no different from a human inside.

    ¡°And then there¡¯s the person who put this mysterious system together. If it was Elmera¡¯s job, I, as a fellow divine grade cksmith, would know. Hence, it¡¯s definitely a different person.¡±

    If Alistair said so, then it must be so. It must be one of Elmera¡¯s coborator then. So there was someone who created a tremendous magic system that even a divine grade cksmith couldn¡¯t analyze?

    ¡ºDid I miss something?¡»

    Cherubim, the mysterious soul, and the mysterious system. No, there must be someone who brought me to this side of the world in the first ce. And, ording to Alistair¡¯s view, it¡¯s not the former three.

    ¡ºMe?¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s Master himself. In the first ce, I can¡¯t find anything about the existence that sealed Master to the sword. At least, it¡¯s impossible for Elmera. I think it¡¯s impossible for Elmera to seal such a mysterious soul on a sword.¡±

    ¡ºWhat about the one who made the system?¡»

    ¡°It is possible. It just that-¡±

    ¡ºJust that¡­?¡»

    ¡°It might be just my intuition as a divine cksmith, but it feels like the method of work involved for the two is different.¡±

    ¡ºThe method of work?¡»

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think the magic circuit of the mystery system and the magic circuit that connects the master to the sword was made by the same creator.¡±

    I had no choice but to only believe that as it is the word of a divine cksmith. Just like how, on Earth, craftsmen could spot the subtle differences between two antiques that an amateur wouldn¡¯t be able to detect.

    ¡°¡®I have no idea how to seal the master and the mysterious soul to the sword. It¡¯s a mystery¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry for only adding to all the mystery and unknowns you face. I couldn¡¯t figure out that you are acting as a subordinate of the God of Chaos, and I also couldn¡¯t keep up despite all the analyses I¡¯ve done. I am a divine cksmith, and yet this is what I look like. I am pathetic.¡±

    Alistair ridiculed herself as she said this.

 Chapter 361 - Fenrir ? (I)

    <h4>Chapter 361 - Fenrir ? (I)</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Alistair regretted that she was unable toplete the analysis.

    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t even know why Master was sealed inside a sword.¡±

    ¡ºThe reason why I was sealed?¡»

    ¡°Yes. Considering the timing, the mysterious soul was first sealed in the remnant of the Discarded Divine Sword Cherubim for the purpose of protecting itself. Then, someone built a mysterious system and arranged for the power of the mysterious soul to be used by the sword¡¯s main personality - or in this case Master.¡±

    ¡ºAh¡»

    ¡°We can only specte as to why they did so, but I think it was for the sake of the mysterious soul. If the number of magic stones it absorbs increases, the stronger it¡¯ll be, then the person that has equipped the sword will continue to voluntarily absorb more magic stones. In doing so, the mysterious soul will be able to recover faster too.¡±

    I see. So we¡¯re doing exactly what the creators of the sword might have intended us to do. No. Am I on the creator¡¯s side? And if that¡¯s the case, should we say that Fran was the one we¡¯re looking for?

    Still, I won¡¯tin about this because it is useful for Fran¡¯s sake anyway. Rather, I am grateful towards this system. After all, it was because of this system that I was able to meet Fran.

    However, the following words from Alistair made me feel like I was doused in cold water.

    ¡°But is it really necessary to have Master?¡±

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡°Maybe Master¡¯s soul was locked up in the sword at the same time as the mystery system was built. It should be so because Master¡¯s soul and the system are paired together. But do we really need Master in this system?¡±

    ¡°Master is indispensable!¡±

    Fran, who hadn¡¯t said a word and had been listening intently to us previously, opened her mouth for the first time in a long while. I guess she was just trying to keep quiet so we wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. You have really grown up, Fran, to be able to listen to a difficult story without dozing off even a bit! I¡¯m a little impressed.

    However, the moment she heard words that she couldn¡¯t just ignore, she couldn¡¯t help but shout her thoughts out loud.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m not saying it in a bad way. It¡¯s just that I am worried. Why did they have to go through all the trouble to seal Master in the sword just to have him act as a mediator of all this power? Couldn¡¯t they just let the person who equipped the sword to directly wield the power of the sword?¡±

    When you put it that way¡­¡­ The sword had the ability to share skills, and we have Announcer-san. I suppose it¡¯s possible for the wielder of the sword to choose their own skills and draw the power from the sword without me.

    Ah¡­ Am I simply a leftover, an unwanted child¡­?

    ¡°We need Master! It¡¯s only because I have Master, and because I could count on him that I could get this far!!¡±

    ¡°Fran¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm!¡±

    I¡¯m d I was Fran¡¯s sword!

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯spletely useless either. There¡¯s a certain amount of merit to the fact that the sword itself has its own will. Besides, there¡¯s no way that a high ss cksmith who has created so many swords would imitate sealing a human soul into a sword for no reason. Not to mention, sealing a human soul to a sword isn¡¯t an easy task. Therefore there must have been something, an important reason why he put Master as the main personality of the sword. Well, I wasn¡¯t able to find out anything about that from my analysis though¡­¡±

    ¡ºNo, we managed to find out about a lot of things, and all of it was pretty significant for me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡»

    Now, I understood better what my powers were, and I came to know of the name Elmera. It also turns out that I was potentially created from a discarded divine sword. This was a huge discovery.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it has anything to do with Master¡¯s role, but there¡¯s one ce in the sword that¡¯spletely beyond my analysis. Should I say the deepest part? It¡¯s in the deepest part of the sword.¡±

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    ¡°Yes. I am sure. No doubt about it. Only, this part is different from the others, and it¡¯s designed to prevent analysis and appraisal.¡±

    ¡ºCould you guess what kind of function it has?¡»

    ¡°There is too little information. I have no idea what it does or how it works¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I really don¡¯t have any ideas.¡±

    She med herself again for this, but I think Alistair has done really well. If it wasn¡¯t for her, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten this much information. And it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know what to expect. I hade up with a possibility after hearing the results of Alistair¡¯s analysis so far.

    ¡ºI have a little hypothesis - or maybe it¡¯s more of a wild guess - about the identity of the mysterious soul, but I have a bit of an idea.¡»

    ¡°Oh? What is your hypothesis?¡±

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s just a possibility but¡­¡­¡»

    ¡ºI¡¯ve been thinking about the identity of the mysterious soul. And I think It¡¯s Fenrir. Well, I know that I might be overestimating myself by saying this, thinking that the legendary Demon Beast could being sealed inside me.¡»

    The wolf emblem design on my handle. The name of the ce with the pedestal I was stuck on was the ins of Demon Wolves. The legend of Fenrir that was once roaming in the in. The title of Divine Wolf¡¯s Attendant that Urushi possesses. The fact that the mysterious soul is a demon beast.

    We could list any number of possibilities. But with this information that we have gathered so far, that was the only conclusion I coulde up with.

    ¡°I see¡­ Fenrir huh?¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Fenrir huh?¡±

    ¡ºYes, what do you think?¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s not out of the realm of possibility. Some divine swords have those kinds of demonic beasts in their swords to borrow their power. There is also a type of magical sword called a ¡®magical beast weapon¡¯ that is used to contain magic beast souls.¡±

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that the same as manipting the soul? Didn¡¯t you said you it was almost impossible to manipte and seal a soul in a sword?¡»

    ¡°It is very difficult to control the soul. However, it is not impossible to create it with a body that is deeply connected with the soul and seal the soul altogether into the sword.¡±

    ¡°What kind of other divine swords are there?¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m interested in that too¡­¡»

    ¡°As for the items used to seal demonic beasts, the Demon King¡¯s Sword Diabolos, the Tyrannical Dragon Sword Lindwurm, the Serpent Emperor¡¯s Sword Jormungand, and the Golden Dragon Sword Eldorado were also used in the past, although Eldorado is already broken now.¡±

    Alistair counted on her fingers as she stated the names of the swords. However, Fran looked like she was curious about a different part of the story.

    ¡°Even though it was a divine sword it still breaks?¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m curious about that, too. In the list of divine swords I saw before, there were names of swords that were already destroyed¡­¡»

    In addition to Cherubim, Judgement, and Meltdown, which were said to have been discarded at the behest of the gods, the names Fanatics and Holy Order should have been listed too as destroyed divine swords. And now she mentioned the name Eldorado. Was it also destroyed unexpectedly?

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s simple. Divine swords are rarely destroyed. But there are exceptions. When a god or divine grade cksmith makes a move themselves. Another way would be when they get destroyed in a battle between divine swords.¡±

    Ah¡­ Of course it was like that. God swords could certainly destroy each other.

    ¡°For example, the divine sword Fanatic has quite a dark history behind it. Dionysus, the divine cksmith who created this sword, was a cksmith who had a certain¡­ inclination.¡±

    ¡°Inclination? What kind of swords did he create?¡±

    ¡°Instead of turning the user into a warrior, Berserk, the mad divine sword, makes the user run out of control and turns mad instead. It is said that he sacrificed a saint to create it, and it also had the ability to control the demon, Diabolos. Hypocritical Sword Pacifist brainwashes others into bing puppets. There are many people that get their desires and dirty sides reflected onto the swords they create.¡±

    Indeed, the divine sword Fanatic that was made by such a guy would be no ordinary sword.

    ¡°Fanatic is, to put it bluntly, a sword that connects people together in spirit.¡±

    ¡°? What¡¯s so bad with that?¡±

    ¡ºDoes that mean it has something like telepathic powers?¡»

    People connecting with each other in spirit¡­ Does it mean you won¡¯t have any quarrels with each other because you could understand all of each other¡¯s thoughts? However, Alistair¡¯s exnation was even more appalling than expected.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It seems like I didn¡¯t say it well. Fanatic has the ability to force the mind of the person they dominate to integrate into themselves.¡±

    ¡ºIntegration? Two people be one? And if so, what about the body of the one being

    eaten?¡»

    ¡°This one¡¯s a little outrageous.¡±

    Fanatic was able to integrate the spirit of others into themselves, but also maintain a connection to their original bodies. As a result, the body may appear to be a separate organism in motion individually, but the soul inside is in fact the soul of the owner of the divine sword, Fanatic.

    I guess you could say that the owner of Fanatic is moving multiple mentally connected bodies at the same time. However, since the original owner of the physical body is integrated into Fanatic, it seems that the external surface can behave as it is.

    ¡°The whole spirit takes in others and fuses them together. As a result, you can own all of their memories, experiences and emotions. But do you think those who have taken in the memories of dozens or hundreds of people can keep remaining sane?¡±

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think so.¡»

    ¡°Exactly. The spirit of the owner who continued to use that sword grew sorge that he could no longer retain his sense of self. In the end, he started turning crazy. The Holy Spirit Sword Holy Order was created by the earliest divine cksmith Ulmer, who saw the Fanatic as dangerous, to counter it. It was apparently a specialized divine sword acting as an anti-Fanatic. As a result, both sides collided, and both sides were destroyed together.¡±

    So there are a lot of different types of people who are divine cksmiths, and there¡¯s a lot going on between them.

    ¡ºI believe Ulmer was the guy who made the first divine sword, wasn¡¯t he? He was supposedly the creator of the Beginning God Sword, Alpha.¡»

    ¡°You know your stuff. That¡¯s right. He¡¯s a legendary man who received a divine revtion and became the first divine grade cksmith in history.¡±

    ¡ºDid Ulmer and that Dionysus live in the same era?¡»

    ¡°They were brothers, you know. Apparently Dionysus was his older brother all along.¡±

    I thought he was Ulmur¡¯s apprentice when he was cksmithing, and he picked up Ulmur¡¯s divine skills while he was being ordered around in the smithy.

    ¡°But Dionysus was fiercely jealous of his brother, who was recognized by the gods and revered as the best cksmith in the world. As a result, he went through his brother¡¯s work, stole the techniques of a divine grade cksmith, and became a divine grade cksmith on his own.¡±

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that amazing?¡»

    ¡°To be honest, he was most likely a genius. In a book left by Ulmer, he wrote, ¡®My brother is the true genius. That is why he is dangerous.¡¯ As a result, two divine cksmiths were born in the same era, and many divine swords were created.¡±

    Now I understand after all this exnation. That¡¯s why this Dionysus guy produced so many weird swords, but I think he was just trying to match his brother. In order to surpass his brother, who made orthodox swords, he must have created many specialized divine swords with unique abilities to surpass his brother.

    ¡°We¡¯ve digressed. But anyway, I think in normal circumstances it¡¯s rather impossible to seal off Fenrirpletely in a sword.¡±

    ¡ºSo, it means that the person who helped Mr. Mystery Soul was also the person who wants to help Fenrir, and he is the one that made me, right?¡»

    ¡°That would only apply if the mysterious soul is indeed Fenrir¡±

    At least it meant it¡¯s worth looking into Fenrir¡¯s story in the future. Well, if the mysterious soul wasn¡¯t Fenrir, then it would be a waste of effort¡­¡­

    Never mind¡­ We shall cross that bridge when that timees I guess.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s head back to the ins of the Demon Wolf once more.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

 Chapter 362 - Refurbrishment

    <h4>Chapter 362 - Refurbrishment</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Alistair continued to ponder on my theory that the identity of the mysterious soul might be Fenrir.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure if we took more time, we could do a more detailed analysis¡­¡±

    ¡°How long will it take?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you want to find out who the mysterious soul is, it¡¯s going to take years.¡±

    ¡ºWell, that is impossible.¡»

    ¡°Hm. Impossible.¡±

    I can¡¯t let Fran¡¯s precious early teens be wasted here.

    Of course, it might be a good experience to learn a lot of things from Alistair, but I still have to let the cute child travel.

    Besides, I have to return to the Kingdom of Kleinzell to participate in the auction. I also have an appointment with Gallus.

    ¡°I know. If it¡¯s not possible, I won¡¯t force it. Well, let¡¯s put a pause to all this rambling, and move on to serious restoration and refurbishment.¡±

    ¡°Refurbishment?¡±

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t simply repairing enough?¡»

    As far as I was concerned, as long as I could get back on track, it¡¯s enough.

    ¡°Yeah, I decided that as long as the residue of Cherubim wasn¡¯t working, it won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not good enough?¡»

    ¡°Originally, Cherubim¡¯s remnant should have managed Master¡¯s vast array of skills and assisted him in using them, but this is not the case right now. That¡¯s probably why Master¡¯s condition had gone so awry this time. Seems like Master can¡¯t keep up with the processing power by himself.¡±

    Apparently I¡¯m forcing myself to do the part, even though it should have been Cherubim who should take care of it for me.

    ¡°If you simply just put it back together, it will do the same thing right away. That¡¯s why it needs to be refurbished.¡±

    ¡ºWhat exactly do you mean by ¡°refurbished¡±? Is it like increasing its processing power?¡»

    ¡°That would be impossible. There¡¯s nothing I can do to improve it any further in terms of ability. In the first ce, Master is a semi-divine sword ss¡ª No, Master¡¯s body has aplicated structure that can almost be called a divine sword. It¡¯s not easy to achieve that, even for me.¡±

    So there¡¯s nothing you can do about the hardware, the constituent parts. Then maybe the internal circuitry, the software¡­ No, that¡¯s not going to be easy either.

    To put it bluntly, there¡¯s a tremendous amount of software residing in the system, and it¡¯s a situation where the gargantuan size of the space consumed by the software is too overwhelming for the local storage. Since I can¡¯t remove that software, there will be no choice but to secure capacity in more detailed parts.

    Is it because of my knowledge as an earthling that I still carry here? Surprisingly, I could easily understand Alistair¡¯s exnation. Fran, who was listening next to me, had already started to doze off, as her head tilted to one side, nodding throughout.

    ¡ºDoes that mean you¡¯re going to cut out the unnecessary parts of my insides somehow?¡»

    ¡°You sure understand quickly. That¡¯s right. To put it more bluntly, I will reduce the number of skills you have. If the remnants of the Cherubim had been there, they¡¯d have had no problem managing the inexhaustible growth in skills. But as it is now, even if you¡¯re not using them, you¡¯re still in possession of a tremendous amount of skills, which ces quite a burden on you, Master.¡±

    In other words, the more magic stones I ate and the more skills I added, the closer I got to my processing limit. I gained a huge amount of skills, especially in the most recent fight. Right now, I should have over 200 in total, and in the worst case scenario, it might have even reached 300.

    After I exined that, Alistair murmured with an amazed expression.

    ¡°Oi, Oi, what is that about.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Master has lots of skills.¡±

    ¡°Hah. Really??? Even divine swords have at most 30 or so skills that were granted to them. If the number exceeds 50, it will malfunction, and if it goes over 100, it¡¯s no wonder the sword goes out of control. And you say you have over 200 skills? That¡¯s crazy! Normally, it would have destroyed itself already!¡±

    ¡ºWoah-¡»

    ¡°How could you not feel any pain before? In fact, I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re able to hold on this long.¡±

    Alistair¡¯s words made me realize how much I had been pushing myself.

    If we hadn¡¯t met Alistair here, I don¡¯t know if we would have been able to repair me. Also, if the enemy hadn¡¯t left us, we would have been even more overwhelmed on top of being in a half-destroyed state. If that actually happened, what awaited us would definitely be a bleak and rough future.

    As we were talking about this, Fran raised a question while tilting her head slightly.

    ¡°Hey, why would Master feel pain?¡±

    ¡ºHmm? As Alistair just mentioned, the overwhelming number of skills takes a toll on me, right?¡»

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what Fran is trying to say, is it? You¡¯re asking how Master, who has no biological body and is not supposed to feel pain, can feel the sensation of pain, right?¡±

    Oh, is that what she was asking about? I was actually curious about that too.

    However, Alistair apparently knew what to expect.

    ¡°If Master was an artificial spirit, he wouldn¡¯t feel pain. He won¡¯t know the feeling of pain in the first ce. But in Master¡¯s case, he still has a slight sense of what pain feels like when he is human. I think, because of that, Master is able to perceive urrences that causes pain like forcing himself too hard to think or process skills, and unconsciously recreates the nonexistent pain.¡±

    ¡ºI- I see.¡»

    ¡°I think the reason why you don¡¯t feel pain when the sword part was damaged is either because you are too far removed from your human sense to feel pain, or you have a strong belief that it can¡¯t hurt because it¡¯s a sword.¡±

    So you¡¯re saying that the pain I feel is all because I unconsciously perceive it, even though in truth it shouldn¡¯t really hurt at all.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a tricky one, but that¡¯s not a bad thing for the current Master. At least, he could sense his limitations without the remnants of the Cherubim from the pain he feels.¡±

    If you ask me, that¡¯s probably right. If it weren¡¯t for the pain, I wouldn¡¯t have realized my own limits and would have destroyed myself in the fight against Myrellia and Xellos Reed.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about the refurbishment. We need to remove some unused or wasteful skills to reduce the chance of Master feeling that pain again. Just, listen properly to what I am about to say. If there were just one or two skills to discard, then it would have been easy. However, with thisrge number of skills, your choice is either you just discard this huge amount of skills, just delete all of them, or you can select your skills one by one and choose ones to keep and others to delete. Unfortunately, this will take years.¡±

    ¡ºHuh? Wait a minute, that¡¯s a problem! We can¡¯t do that!¡»

    If a useful skill I¡¯ve acquired just disappeared, I¡¯m definitely going to lose my strength in a heartbeat!

    ¡°However, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just going to erase skills at random. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    ¡ºI don¡¯t understand what you mean?¡»

    ¡°Ah, hmm¡­ how can I exin it easily? What if I told you that I could use the ability of the mystery system within Master to integrate and optimize your skills?¡±

    ¡ºCan you interfere with the mystery system?¡»

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t change the main feature, but I could use the system to change things up a little bit. For example, we couldbine skills of the same roots into one and evolve them into higher-level skills.

    So, it seems like the problem is that I have a lot of skills that aren¡¯t too useful, and you¡¯re suggesting to lump them all together, and see if they¡¯ll evolve or not? Isn¡¯t that being too reckless?

    ¡°But we can¡¯t really control the details, so it¡¯s up to the system to choose the best option.¡±

    ¡ºI thought so¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°Evolving will increase the capacity of individual skills, but it should be much better than being overwhelmed by the process of managing so many wasted skills. Well, I can¡¯t assure you that you might not lose some useful skills in the process. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever done this after all.¡±

    ¡º¡­¡­What do you think of this, Fran?¡»

    (I¡¯ll do whatever is good for Master.)

    ¡ºBut the worst would be if I lose all my useful skills, like swordy and all that.¡»

    (If you lose them, we can get them back.)

    Fran was very casual in her responses, and that¡¯s when I made up my mind.

    That¡¯s right, and even if I be weak, I can still grow stronger again. If I have something I lost, I can get it back.

    ¡°I do have one question, though.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°What happens if, after Alistair reduces Master skills this time, the number of skills increases again?¡±

    There¡¯s that problem too. Exactly as Fran described it, isn¡¯t this just a temporary fix?

    ¡°Thene back periodically to see me. When the timees, if you find out anything about Master, will you let me know? Hopefully I can be of more help then.¡±

    ¡º¡­Is this help just out of kindness?¡»

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m not interested in Master¡¯s background.¡±

    Of course. Those are the eyes of someone who ispletely engulfed by curiosity. Regardless, even for me, I wasn¡¯t nning on breaking rtions with a Divine Grade cksmith. It¡¯s really relieving to have someone offer repair assistance in an emergency.

    In human terms, isn¡¯t it simr to the peace of mind one gets with being seen by an excellent doctor at any time? Anyway, with this, I can fight again with no worries.

    ¡°All right, we will definitely return.¡±

    ¡ºPlease take care of the refurbishment.¡»

    ¡°Sure, leave it to me.¡±

 Chapter 363 - Their Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 363 - Their Meeting</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    It¡¯s been a few hours since Alistair started the refurbishment process. Apparently, it takes a lot of time to get my internal system up and running, and ready to control.

    As before, Alistair stood still with her eyes closed throughout, before suddenly opening her eyes and looking up.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s ready. We can get into the renovation process at any time now.¡±

    Then, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She has been working continuously for several hours without drinking or eating. I think she¡¯s pretty worn out, but I didn¡¯t see any significant signs of fatigue on her face.

    ¡ºHey, do you need a break? It¡¯s already night, you know?¡»

    From the only small window provided in this room, we could already see the darkness of the night before we realized. The room was so bright and shiny that I didn¡¯t notice the passing of time at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I don¡¯t get tired easily. However, we do have a long way to go. Let¡¯s take a little break¡­¡±

    ¡ºFran must be tired too, huh?¡»

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. So let¡¯s go take a break.¡±

    You just told me right now that you¡¯re not tired.

    Alistair was openly showing her concern for Fran. Lucky enough, Fran wasn¡¯t a child who couldn¡¯t read the air well enough to make that concern worthless, so she nodded with a coy smile at Alistair¡¯s words.

    ¡°All right¡­¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go upstairs.¡±

    ¡°Is resting here not good?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t eat my meals in the workshop.¡±

    It seems like that¡¯s a rule she abided as a craftsman. Good thing, the glutton Fran did not take out any food and started eating it during the analysis. Alistair¡¯s concentration would probably have been disrupted and she might have messed up because of it. Or rather, the analysis process might have been interrupted.

    ¡°But then¡­¡­¡±

    Fran nced at me. She appears to be worried about leaving me here.

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not experiencing any pain anymore, don¡¯t worry about it!¡»

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡ºUnlike me, Fran is tired, and she needs a break. Even if I¡¯m cured, what good will that be if Fran is incapacitated?¡»

    And then, Alistair casually lifted me up.

    What is she doing?

    ¡°Nothing, we¡¯ve done some basic repairs, so as long as we don¡¯t do any heavy fighting, we can carry you around.¡±

    You could have told me that earlier! We had such a heartfelt exchange for nothing!

    ¡°Here Fran.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Oh, I knew I¡¯d feel right at home on Fran¡¯s back, sheathed in old man Gallus¡¯ special scabbard. It fits me perfectly and I feel like I¡¯m wrapped up in afortable nket. Is this what it¡¯s like, thefort ofing home? Anyway, the relief I felt was beyond words.

    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    Alistair led me up the stairs, and I found myself in a surprisingly ordinary mansion. It was probably just slightly more luxurious than a moderately posh inn. The interior was made of stone and was decorated in a stylish vi style.

    Through the door where Alistair just passed into, there was a dining room. There were also guests in front of therge marble dining table.

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m just taking a break.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, make more space, stupid demon.¡±

    ¡°O- oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    I still felt that Asura was feeble or reserved around Alistair. There¡¯s definitely familiarity, but it also looked more than that, as if Asura was restraining himself.

    Even towards that Kiara, Asura still spoke in amanding tone. There¡¯s a strong sense of dissonance that I felt when I saw Asura acting so meekly like this. It¡¯s as if they weren¡¯t the same person.

    Fran seemed to think the same way, as she tilted her head slightly in puzzlement.

    ¡°Hey, are you two bad with each other?¡±

    It was a straightforward question. Alistair raised her eyebrows and Asura looked troubled. Was it something that we shouldn¡¯t have asked about?

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t get along.¡±

    ¡°We- well¡­¡±

    ¡°Then why?¡±

    I felt like they were trying to dodge the question. However, Fran continued to pursue it. I was interested in knowing more too, so I won¡¯t stop here.

    ¡°Haa, when this guy first came to me, I was so taken aback by his stupidity that I gave him a little lecture. I¡¯ve been calling him stupid demon ever since then.¡±

    ¡°Lecture?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and what do you think this guy said the first time we met?¡±

    Alistair turned a stern gaze onto Asura. It sounded like they had a very bad first meeting. Just from remembering that time seemed to have already made her angry.

    ¡°This guy, you know, came up to me, and the first thing he said to me was ¡®A divine grade cksmith can destroy a divine sword, right?¡¯ And then he gave me his sword and told me, ¡®destroy this thing!!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Th- that¡­¡­ I already said sorry about that¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course! To us divine grade cksmiths, divine swords are like our own children! No matter if it was made by another divine grade cksmith, they¡¯re still special to us! And you wanted me to destroy one? By any chance, did you want to get your head split open, do you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Asura stroked his forehead silently. It was as if his head really got cracked. Afterwards, she made Asura sit upright while lecturing him with heated passion, continuing to do so for half a day.

    ¡°The Divine Sword Gaia, once it has been assigned to an owner, can only be used by that person. And even if it is thrown away, it wille back. But It¡¯s not like they have free will¡­¡­¡±

    For a moment, I thought Gaia had a mind of its own, but apparently it didn¡¯t. Maybe it¡¯s more of a mechanical type of artificial spirit, something like Announcer-san.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why they picked me, but I thought it sucked.¡±

    I understood how Asura felt. Just when he was in agony after mutating into a cmitous demon and gained the mad demonization skill, suddenly he obtained the divine sword. If it¡¯s going toe back to him when he discards it, then it means he¡¯ll definitely have it in hand when the mad demonization is triggered.

    To put it bluntly, it would be the birth of the worst kind of demon who could spread mass destruction. If he knew that he couldn¡¯t seal off the madness, he must have at least tried to deal with the divine sword.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already epted that now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m hunting demonic beasts in the middle of nowhere so that I don¡¯t bother people¡­¡­¡±

    Asura seems to have epted his ownership of the divine sword by now, too. That¡¯s probably why Alistair wasn¡¯tining about it and kicked him out. Despite that, I still thought it was impossible for her to be gentle toward him.

    ¡°¡­Even now, I ended up causing you trouble.¡±

    ¡°¡­Kiara didn¡¯t die because of you.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m not trying to put me on who killed that woman, I just want to know what happened. Would you mind telling me about it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll speak. I want to tell him what happened myself.¡±

    Alistair tried to take care of it, but Fran turned it down herself. She was only with her for a short while, but it was the death of Kiara, whom she respected. She probably wanted to speak of the incident in her own words. She seemed to think that this was her role as the person who witnessed Kiara breathe herst.

    That¡¯s not a bad thing. Personally, I think it¡¯s a lot easier for Fran to get herself together by doing this than just dealing with it by herself. Besides, as Fran said before, the end of Kiara¡¯s life was not a tragedy. She began to tell the story, including the part that she heard from me, as if she saw the events herself. It was the ending of a warrior, one who fought a powerful enemy and departed contentedly.

    Asura no longer kept a sad expression on his face when he heard Fran¡¯s retelling. Rather, heughed.

    ¡°Ah, so you left while smiling¡­¡­ You fought a powerful enemy that you couldn¡¯t win even if you put everything you¡¯ve got against it, scraped your life away, and died withughter. It¡¯s a very Kiara-like way to go. And I¡¯m ¡­ well ¡­ jealous¡­¡±

    I couldn¡¯t fully understand the thoughts of these battle maniacs, but I could at least understand the weight of their feelings. Right to the end, having a satisfying battle and dying on the battlefield¡­ All of that seemed really enviable to Asura.

    Perhaps, this ending isn¡¯t possible for Asura right now. If he gets caught up in a battle to the death, his mad demonization would be triggered. If that happened, he¡¯ll either kill his enemies without realizing it or he¡¯ll end up dead. Asura wouldn¡¯t be conscious when that happens. At that point, the only thing driving him would be pure madness.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys are going through¡­¡­ But I¡¯m pretty sure I could also imagine that person dying peacefully on her deathbed, surrounded by her disciples.¡±

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°The sword is for the battlefield¡­¡­¡­ I guess that means the same thing for warriors. That some of them would feel happier rotting away on a battlefield than on a shelf¡­¡­ I¡¯d like to understand that kind of feeling too.¡±

    That¡¯s just like Alistair to be so empathetic.

 Chapter 364 - Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 364 - Evolution</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    ¡°¡­¡­Now I¡¯m a little heartbroken. Let¡¯s just eat. I¡¯ll have them fix a meal for us.¡±

    ¡°Can I have one too?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll give you a special one.¡±

    Alistair stood up with a forcefully cheerful voice. It was followed by Asura and Fran. Everybody there seemed to have understood that a change in atmosphere was in order.

    ¡°Who will prepare the meal?¡±

    ¡°A golem. I have a type that can cook.¡±

    A golem making food? Now that¡¯s something new.

    ¡°Is the food they make delicious?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s all right.¡±

    Fran turned her gaze to Asura, as Alistair and gave her that answer. I also thought that it was okay, although it didn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s going to be too delicious. Fran seemed to share my thoughts on this too.

    ¡°It seems hard to prepare the food for now. Let¡¯s just eat this.¡±

    ¡°Hoo. You have leftovers stored in a time-space spell? That¡¯s handy.¡±

    ¡°Nn. You could always cook beforehand and then just store them, and you can take the food out anytime you want to eat. The best food is always the freshly made ones after all.¡±

    ¡°But still, this one looks good.¡±

    ¡°This is curry, the best food.¡±

    Fran took out a curry pot. Then, she ced a y pot filled with rice and a side dish for curry on the table together.

    ¡°Put this on the te like this, and then like this.¡±

    ¡°Aside from the color, it smells good. May I have some of that?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll put this, this, and this on top of that, and then we¡¯re done.¡±

    Fran took out some more additions, which were some of my favorite toppingstely. They were a pickle, one that looked just like the fukujinzuke1 I found and stocked up on in Barbora, crispy fried onions, and even a boiled egg.

    Alistair and the others also imitated Fran, pouring the curry into their mouths in a fearful manner. I didn¡¯t hear anyone saying the word ¡°delicious¡± out loud, but anyone could tell by the way the food was shoved into their mouths that they all liked it. Rather, they were so absorbed in eating the curry that they couldn¡¯t speak.

    Both Fran and Urushi, who had been served a super-sized portion of curry by Fran, started wolfing the curry down their mouths in silence. For a while, the only sounds in the room were the sounds of chewing and the clinking of dishes and spoons as they collided with each other.

    In just five minutes, they all emptied the super-sized curry pot. However, this special curry made with plenty of magical beasts¡¯ meat was so generously served¡­ Fran seems to have liked thebination a lot.

    With his belly churning, Asura pounded on his own abdomen and burped.

    Mmm, that¡¯s vulgar. It¡¯s bad for Fran¡¯s upbringing. Oh,e on Urushi! Don¡¯t imitate the burp!

    ¡°Fu. It was delicious. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had anything this good in a long time.¡±

    ¡°Me too. Where did you get it from?¡±

    Oh, did you think that we had put away something we bought at some restaurant.

    ¡°Master made it.¡±

    ¡°Hou¡­¡±

    ¡°Who is the master? Is it Miss Fran¡¯s master?¡±

    (Master, is it fine?)

    Fran nced at me. I think she wanted to reveal me to Asura.

    I knew you¡¯d like this guy.

    ¡ºAs I¡¯ve said before, if Fran wants to tell him, then I don¡¯t mind.¡»

    ¡°Nn. This is my Master.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? What happened to that sword?¡±

    ¡ºHi. My name is Master and I¡¯m an Intelligent Weapon. Pleased to meet you.¡»

    ¡°Wha- tha- I- is that sword speaking?¡±

    I was surprised to see Asura almost fall off his chair. I wondered what the owner of a divine sword would say when he found out, but apparently he was also surprised when he saw a talking sword.

    After that, Fran and Alistair exined me to Asura. After he heard all the exnation, Asura is looking at me with great interest.

    But still, he was quicker to ept me than I thought he would be. After all, he was also a user of the divine sword, and I wonder if he had more resistance to strange swords.

    ¡°I see¡­ So it was Master who made my madness disappear.¡±

    ¡ºMaybe it¡¯s just temporary.¡»

    ¡°No, as I told Miss Fran before, I am truly indebted to you. If you need any help, just tell me. I will help you with everything I got, okay? Just keep that in mind.¡±

    Maybe, the mad demonization was taking a bigger toll on Asura than we had expected. I could tell that he was really happy.

    ¡ºHey, can you show me your Divine Sword?¡»

    ¡°Gaia? I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Asura lifted the great sword that was propped up at his side and ced it on the table. The name of it is Ground Sword Gaia. It seems that if he breaks the seal to unleash it¡¯s true power, the sword will regain its original name and ability as the Earth Sword Gaia.

    The sword looked really big. A handle wrapped in thick leather, and was long enough to be held by both hands, with a in, rectangr hand guard without any particr carving on it.

    The de had a straight shape with no curvature, a so-called Western sword. The thickest part of it looked like it¡¯s a good 30 centimetres. It was a lump of metal that emphasized smashing rather than shing. The ck, dull-colored sword de, which was devoid of all decoration, gave off an oppressive sense of intimidation.

    It looked like a greatsword just like any other. However, when you look at it this way, the intimidation it could disy was overwhelming. Anyone could guess that it wasn¡¯t just a regr big sword.

    Just for a while, I, for some reason, felt inferior just from looking at it. Was it my instinct as a sword? The feeling came naturally and I immediately understood that it was far superior than me.

    It¡¯s frustrating, but I¡¯m only a semi-divine sword. Well, that¡¯s only if it¡¯s permissible to say so. And over there is aplete divine sword. The difference wasrge.

    ¡°¡­ Someday, Master will exceed this.¡±

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it!¡±

    Fran has a frustrated, yet motivated look on her face. I felt oddly pleased. I¡¯m inexplicably d that Fran believed in me so.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right!¡»

    ¡°Then we will need to get Master back to full form first.¡±

    ¡°Hmm! Please!¡±

    ¡ºPlease.¡»

    I was motivated. I¡¯m worried about what my remaining skills will be, but if I don¡¯t do it, I won¡¯t be able to fight in the future.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve had enough of a break, let¡¯s get back to the workshop.¡±

    10 minutester.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll begin.¡±

    ¡ºOh.¡»

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Alistair dered that, and poured her magic into me, and primed the magic circle on the workbench to shine.

    At the same time, I felt something welling up from inside my body. Suddenly, a faint pain rushed through me.

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡­!¡»

    My body felt hot. I could feel something strong and hoting out of the bottom of my body. And I could detect something huge stirring inside me.

    ¡ºGaha!¡»

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡º¡­¡­¡­!¡»

    No! I tried to say something back to Fran, but I couldn¡¯t speak.

    Terrible pain. Along with that, a torrent of intense power surged in me, and that magical power began to rampage. I knew something inside of me was changing and reforming itself. I cease to be myself - No I was changing into something different, while still remaining myself.

    Evolution.

    Naturally, the word came to mind. Is that the reason why? No wonder I wasn¡¯t afraid. Rather, tion and anticipation took over me.

    This horrendous pain that seemed to have broken apart my whole body was also bearable when I considered that it is necessary to do so.

    ¡ºGuaaahhhhh!¡»

 Chapter 365: Refurbishment Completed

    Hi guys! For master¡¯s status I¡¯ll upload it as a separate chapter (the is only master¡¯s status) if I post it in this chapter I¡¯m afraid itwit be way too long and you¡¯ll get sore thumb from scrolling way too much¡­. Anyway enjoy!

    ¡º¨D¨D¨D¨D¡»

    I suddenly realized I couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    Deafening silence¡­

    It took me a few seconds to realize that the scream I was raising was gone.

    ¡ºIs it over?¡»

    Since then¨CHow long has it been since the refurbishment began? The severe pain that irritated my whole body haspletely subsided and disappeared.

    ¡ºIs it over?¡»

    I asked myself again. There was no longer any pain. Neither was there a feeling of fatigue nor difort. Instead, I felt something like a refreshing feeling.

    However, only the sense of time I had was strangely obscure.

    I wonder how long I was in pain. From what can I could see through the window, it¡¯s dark outside. I guess it¡¯s not dawn yet. Is it a few hours since then?

    ¡ºNo, I think it¡¯s been a day or a night.¡»

    Honestly, my memory was fuzzy, but that¡¯s just how tough it was.

    If you told me that only been a few minutes had passed, I wouldn¡¯t believe it, since it felt like a long time had passed.

    ¡ºFran is¡ª¡»

    There she is. She was sleeping while breathing soundly under the workbench I have been resting upon. I must have worried her a lot. Her sleeping face looked as if in anguish.

    She hadrge dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was shaggy as if she hasn¡¯t had a bath in days. I remember her looking pretty distraught too, when I was screaming in agony.

    Listening to the cute breaths resounding in my ears while she slept, I¡¯m tempted to just let her sleep, but it¡¯s still better to reassure her that I was now awake.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    I stroked Fran¡¯s head using telekinesis. I was a little anxious, but it went smoothly with no pain org. It actually feels smoother than before, but does it just feel that way because I feel refreshed?

    ¡ºFran. Fran.¡»

    No problem with telepathicmunication. It looks like the refurbishment went well. I lightly shook Fran as I called out to her.

    ¡ºFran, are you awake?¡»

    ¡°Munyu¡­¡±

    As I shook her further, Fran¡¯s eyes opened thinly. And when she saw me floating, her eyes widen.

    ¡°Master¡­!¡±

    Fran stood up, vigorously and hugged me. Her hug was enough to cover me. I quickly dulled the de with a form-transformation, and I activated it with no problem here either. Usually, I¡¯d be unconscious already, but right now, I¡¯m not sure if I can use it or not, so I cringed for a second.

    ¡°Master, this isn¡¯t a dream¡­?¡±

    ¡ºYes. This is me, you know?¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    Oi Oi, this is intense. But as it is, Fran hugged me tighter that her chest ended up touching me as she started shaking her shoulders.

    ¡°¡­¡­I am relieved¡­¡­¡±

    ¡ºIt¡¯s look like I have made you all worried.¡»

    ¡°¡­.Mhm. Worried.¡±

    ¡ºAh, I see, I see. I¡¯m sorry¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Fran won¡¯t let go of me asrge drops of tears keep falling off. I stroked her head and back gently, trying to calm her down.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    After a while, it seems she¡¯s finally settled down. Fran¡¯s hold on me loosened. But instead, she leaned back, leaning her whole weight against me.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s going on? You are such a spoiled kid.¡»

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm¡±

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡°Su-Su¡ª¡±

    <em>Eh? She fell asleep again¡­ I know she was a good sleeper, but sleeping in this situation?</em>

    I was once again reminded of Fran¡¯s incredible pace¡­

    ¡ºFran? Hey, Fran!¡»

    ¡°Let her sleep.¡±

    As I was about to wake up Fran again, Alistair came down from the second floor. Like Fran, she had shaggy hair and dark circles under her eyes.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m in great shape. Telepathicmunication and telekinesis have not been a problem so far.¡»

    ¡°I see, that was good¡­ *Yawn*.¡±

    ¡ºAlistair looked sleepy too.¡»

    Not as much as Fran, but she blinks her eyes heavily and looked like she¡¯s about to fall asleep.

    ¡°Well, even with my body, staying up all night for five days is unbearable.¡±

    ¡ºHuh? What did you just say? Five days?¡»

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know huh? I see. Today is exactly the fifth night since we began our refurbishment ritual. I cannot sleep in case of an emergency.¡±

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    ¡ºReally¡­¡­. Has it been that long? I thought it¡¯s still the night of that day¡»

    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped if you can¡¯t tell the time since you were in that state.¡±

    ¡ºThen¡­.. Fran also didn¡¯t sleep¡­¡»

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t slept a wink in five days, and she has been standing beside you all this time. Well, she ran out of steam and fell asleep about three hours ago.¡±

    I see, so that¡¯s how it is. Fran, who is usually easy to fall asleep, didn¡¯t sleep for five days? Well, seeing her like this, It seems like she won¡¯t wake up for a while.

    I gentlyid her body on the floor as I stroked Fran¡¯s head, who still wouldn¡¯t let go of the hand she put around my sword de. Of course, Fran was still hugging me. I have given her so much to worry about, I should at least be able to let her cuddle me like this.

    Unlike the anguished expression on her face earlier, Fran now slept with a look of relief on her face. She was distraught before huh.

    <em>Sweet dreams Fran.</em>

    ¡ºSo, is this the end of the refurbishment?¡»

    ¡°Well¡±

    ¡ºWe- Well¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever done something like this. I¡¯d rather like to hear more about it. Are you in pain now?¡±

    Well, that¡¯s true.

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine. As I said before, I feel refreshed.¡»

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m jealous. I can¡¯t wait to get into bed, so I could feel refreshed like you.¡±

    ¡ºAh¡­. Somehow I feel bad, I¡¯m sorry¡»

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m just joking. Usually, when I¡¯m making a divine sword I go without sleep for more than 10 days. It¡¯s not as bad as that, yet.¡±

    Wow, I knew it would be hard to make a divine sword, but 10 days of sleepless nights? Is that what physical mastery maximal skills were for?

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen on the outside, you haven¡¯t changed much.¡±

    ¡ºEh? Is that so?¡»

    I had the sensation of my body being rebuilt, and I thought my appearance might have changed on its own¡­¡­ But apparently, ording to Alistair, nothing changed.

    ¡ºI have been refurbished, haven¡¯t I?¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know too. How about your skills? Did the consolidation go well? I would like to know if there are any changes in performance.¡±

    ¡ºI haven¡¯t had a look at it yet.¡»

    It¡¯s a little scary, but now I can¡¯t help but look.I appraised myself, pushing down a strange mixture of fear and anxiety, hope and expectation.

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    I was so stupid that I was amazed at myself. No matter how much I thought about it, I do remember my status.

    ¡ºHow can it change like this¡­¡­?¡»

    Alistair said that my appearance has not changed, but in truth, my ssification has changed. It evolved from an Intelligence Weapon to an Intelligence Unique Weapon. Unique¡­.. I don¡¯t know if that meant as the odd one out or the one and only. I¡¯m torn. But maybe it was just the effect of the change in ss, but my abilities were also increased.

    My attack power has increased by 300, with magic power and endurance value increasing by about 3000 each, and my magic conduction rate rose by two levels from S- to S+.

    Next was the self-evolution system¡­ On the contrary, it was quite devastating. It had 0 magic stone value and 0 self-evolution points. But 0 magic stone value was expected. It seemed that I continuously used the potential release to the limit during the escape. There was only one self-evolution point left, so can¡¯t it?

    But what really frightened me was the list of skills ahead. Some skills disappeared, but there were some small increases in several skills like telekinesis, attack power, possessed magic power, and an increase in memory. However, the fact that the abilities increased even without it may mean that they were absorbed into the status side and which may mean that the abilities have been enhanced without the skills.

    The mad demonization that I just got from the skill taker was also gone. This is good, and it disappeared in a surprisingly convenient way.

    Even more surprisingly, the memory section has been significantly reduced. What does this mean? No, it¡¯s probably not surprising, considering the processing power. Just equipping a lot of unused skills will put pressure on my processing power anyways.

    Next, I¡¯ll check my memory skills. I looked at the list with trepidation, but it didn¡¯t look like any of the skills were missing.

    ¡ºIt was good¡­ hm?¡»

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    But my relief was short-lived. I looked at the skills on disy and ended up raising my voice again. The number has dropped significantly. Not only that, but there was a huge amount of skills with names I hadn¡¯t seen before.

 Chapter 366 - Verification of Integrated Skills

    <h4>Chapter 366 - Verification of Integrated Skills</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    My memory skills were outrageous. I guess this is what they call consolidation.

    I acquired several Lord Weapon Combat Skills and Lord Tactical Skills. However, the only difference between it and the Lord Swordsmanship Technique and Lord Swordsmanship that I originally possessed would be the word ¡°base¡± attached to it.

    I asked Alistair to analyze it as well, and it appeared that the lord arts ? base and the lord technique ? base were apparently a skill that¡¯s upwardpatiblepared to the original lord arts and lord techniques.

    The sword arts is a skill thatprised all sword-based weapons, such as dagger arts and sword arts, but the same is true for the lord arts ? base. That means if you had a lord archery ? base, you could use short archery, long archery, crossbow archery, and any other archery.

    However, its efficacy seems to be reduced by half. It¡¯s said that the Lord Swordsmanship Technique ? base is only half as effective as the Lord Swordsmanship Technique at its highest level. So it¡¯s multipurpose, but not very effective¡­¡­ That being said, it¡¯s nice to see skills I don¡¯t regrly use put together in one ce.

    ¡°Master, you can analyze your skills, but what about whether you can utilize them or not?¡±

    ¡ºOops, that¡¯s right¡­¡­ wait a minute.¡»

    I tried to remind myself how to set my memory skills as I did before. I could still set fire magic with no issues. Also, there was no particr change in my magic skills, with none reduced or increased by the refurbishment.

    ¡º¡ªOK, seems like there is no problem in using it.¡»

    When I cast the torch magic without chanting, a small light floated in front of me. It seems like for magic, at the very least, it will be pretty much the same as before refurbishment.

    ¡°If you¡¯re okay with using that skill, let¡¯s analyze the other skills.¡±

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right.¡»

    Alistair sometimes gave skills to weapons, and because she had information on divine swords, she was well versed with ancient and modern skills, which helps a lot right now.

    The next skill is physical maniption. This is apparently a skill that integrated physical enhancement or maniption skills such as herculean strength, instantaneous movement, and evasion.

    Omnidirectional Perception, Omnipresence Perception, and Covert Concealment is the type of thing that integrated all simr skills as well. However, as Alistair told me, it was a skill that was too powerful and very difficult to master.

    In fact, I¡¯ve tried using Omnipresence Perception before¡­ I was supposed to have only activated my magic perception, but my electromaic perception and airflow vision were activated simultaneously. Then, all sorts of extraneous information were disyed in front of me, making it tough to use.

    This inconvenience could prove fatal if I suddenly received a lot of extra information during a battle and distracted myself. I think I need to think of a countermeasure for it sooner rather thanter.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s going to take a while of practice to handle it with precision.¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought. After all, those are skills that could only be learned by a master-level person who trained for many years. There¡¯s no way you were going to get it and use it right away.¡±

    ¡ºEven if that was the case, I have to be able to use it. They¡¯re all essential skills inbat.¡»

    My skills have indeed grown, but there was a possibility that mybat strength would decline for the time being. It¡¯s a pretty serious situation.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite difficult to use. For example, right now, you can use herculean strength and instantaneous movement. However, if you want to use it unconsciously, you must first reach a high level. However, if we tried topensate for those effects with physical maniption methods, more subtle use would be required.¡±

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s how it is.¡»

    ¡°If you make a mistake in boosting the power output when you use instantaneous movement, it could send you flying. If you make the mistake of using the wrong output of herculean strength when you hit your opponent, you could end up shattering your own arm along with your opponent.¡±

    ¡ºI thought the change from a specialized skill to a higher level all-purpose skill would make it harder to handle, but not so much.¡»

    ¡°Just make sure you know what you¡¯re doing before you use it.¡±

    ¡ºYeah, I will do that.¡»

    The next thing to try is the Lord Intimidation skill. Apparently, this is a skill possessed by dragons and other high-level magical beasts. It¡¯s a high-level skill of intimidation and fear, and it¡¯s quite powerful.

    It turned out that the intimidation that I emitted increased abnormally. I didn¡¯t mean to intimidate her, but Alistair¡¯s face contorted. After all, it was not possible to perform precise maniption. Rather, in this situation, the frantic Fran was impressive.

    Even if this Lord Intimidation skill was used as lightly as the former fear and intimidation, it could cause ordinary people and others around me to p and faint. In the end, I guess that means I need to train myself to use it.

    Magic resistance is an integration of resistance skills to magic, such as me resistance, thunder resistance, and storm resistance. This is, well, is it fine if I think that it has got stronger?

    I also had good technical skills. Although the painting and singing skill that I had before disappeared, the only skills remaining are Demolition: LvMax, cksmith: LvMax, Throwing: Lv5, Cooking: LvMax, Trap Release: Lv6, Trap Creation: Lv5

    All the skills that I wanted remain. Could it be that my unconscious mind was at work in the choice of which skills to stay and to discarded, like the mad demonization skill? I¡¯m especially d the cooking skill is still here. I¡¯m sure Fran will be deeply disappointed without it.

    There was no change in the arts and science skills section. However, the magic ability skill section and special ability skill section had changed dramatically after the refurbishment. There were a lot of skills that I¡¯m unfamiliar with.

    ¡ºme Operation: Lv1, Water Operation: Lv2, Soil Operation: Lv1, Poisoning Operation: Lv1, Wind Operation: Lv3¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°Hmm. Those are also skills I¡¯ve never heard of. Some unique skills manipted the elements, such as me Principle and Water Principle, but¡­ Maybe it¡¯s an upwardpatible skill of those advanced skills, just like the lord arts ? base. It must be the result of the integration of so many skills.¡±

    I then asked her what I was most curious about.

    ¡ºAerial Jump is gone. Has it been merged into one of these?¡»

    I can¡¯t seem to find the name of a particrly well-used skill, Aerial Jump. This considerably limits my scope ofbat.

    ¡°Hmm, isn¡¯t it possible to manipte air?¡±

    ¡°Manipte air¡­¡± I¡¯ll give it a quick try.

    Right then, I had the sensation of a foothold being created in front of me. Was that a wind-based skill? I didn¡¯t even realize it. Unfortunately, there¡¯s a problem. Doing so had consumed more than twice as much magic as it had in the past. Moreover, the foothold copsed immediately.The downside of being a high-level skill seems to be here as well.

    The rest of the new skills are Kill Master, Strengthen Senses, and Strengthen Body. Well, at the end of the day, these skills are also higher-level skills that were integrated with various skills.

    Kill Master is a higher skill of killer skill system such as Goblin Killer and other killer-based skills. The damage efficiency to certain races was reduced, but it is a powerful skill that always activated and increased a small portion in attack power no matter what kind of enemy you are fighting.

    Sensory Enhancement is a sensory enhancement system that included improved vision and acute sense of smell. Strengthen Body enhancement is an integrated physical enhancement skill, such as hair or fur enhancement, and shell or crust enhancement. It was actually probably the most useful skill I obtained this time, since just having it in my possession would strengthen my entire body.

    The other thing to remember would be the Blessing of the God of Chaos and the God of Wisdom that I somehow received. Two blessings from the gods at once¡­¡­ Well, I can understand the protection from the God of Chaos, because I seem to belong to the goddess.

    The effect was high resistance to the power of chaos. Having said that, the definition was unusual and rough. What¡¯s the power of chaos? Is there a technique like chaos magic? However, Alistair did not know about the magic skill called Chaos Magic either. This skill became more and more mysterious.

    I don¡¯t know how the other blessing, the Blessing of the God of Wisdom was included either. Maybe it was thanks to the announcer¡­¡­ However, it seems that skills such as magic and other skills were easy to increase in proficiency. Hence, there was a possibility that the level of magic could be increased faster in the future. This one was an unquestionably gratifying blessing. Well, it didn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t need the protection of the God of Chaos, right? Really! So, please don¡¯t get angry.

    But the whole thing has been consolidated, and unnecessary skills have been erased. To say it was refreshing was an understatement, but it was also slightly saddening. After all, we¡¯ve been working hard to get them.

    I was happy with the consolidation of my skills, but Alistair was groaning at me with a difficult look on his face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can say I¡¯ve seeded¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 367 - Masterâ€™s Transformation

    <h4>Chapter 367 - Master''s Transformation</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    I was happy with the consolidation of my skills, but Alistair groaned at me with a problematic look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can say I¡¯ve seeded¡­¡­¡±

    ¡ºWhat do you mean? It- It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡»

    ¡°Not really. The number of skills wasn¡¯t as low as I thought it would be.¡±

    Ah, Speaking of which¡­ I was only focused on the growth part, but my main goal was to reduce the number of wasted skills and save more processing capacity.

    ¡°There are still about 150 skills left. Master, do you feel any pain or difort?¡±

    ¡ºHmm. For now¡­¡­¡»

    While I struggled to use the higher-level skills, I don¡¯t experience any pain when using them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do a thorough analysis once more.¡±

    ¡ºPlease¡»

    Alistair analyzed me as Fran held me in her arms. I thought it would take a long time, but it didn¡¯t seem to take that long to re-analyze it, as she had analyzed it in detail once. A few minutester, Alistair¡¯s eyes widen in astonishment.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡°No way, this much¡­ As I thought, Master, you are really interesting.¡±

    Alistair said there had been quite a change in my internal structure.

    ¡°The mysterious souls and the mysterious systems connected to the Cherubim¡¯s residue. Maybe they¡¯re making up for theck of processing power.¡±

    Does that mean that the other parts of the system have changed topensate for the other parts of the system that the damaged announcer was in charge of?

    ¡°One more thing. The flow of power to Master may have changed.¡±

    ¡ºWhat does that mean?¡»

    The flow has changed?

    ¡°Well, to put it bluntly, it¡¯s possible that the master¡¯s growth rate has been greatly reduced, and he¡¯s been sent to deal with that. In the future, even if your magic stone value builds up and your rank rises, you might have little to no growth in attack power or anything else.¡±

    ¡ºEh? For real?¡»

    I was delighted that my abilities had improved¡­ My attack power is in the 1000¡¯s, you know? The tension is high, right? And yet, she said I might not be able to grow any further¡­

    ¡°Instead, you will be more efficient than ever when ites to managing your skills. In other words, you sacrificed the abilities of the sword itself and are reborn as a skill-focused fighter.¡±

    ¡ºHmm¡­ But for Fran¡¯s sake, I¡¯d rather have enhanced skills¡­¡»

    Well, my strength isn¡¯t my offensive power as a sword; it¡¯s my skills. While it was honestly disappointing to hear that my growth rate has dropped, I was genuinely happy to see that the skill¡¯s operational potential had been expanded further. Besides, it didn¡¯t seem to havepletely stopped growing, and there¡¯s still hope for me.

    ¡°Apparently, Master¡¯s internal structure was more flexible than I thought it would be. I didn¡¯t expect the mysterious soul and the mysterious system to change as much as it did.¡±

    ¡ºHey, is that okay? Won¡¯t the mysterious soul or mysterious system get overloaded this time?¡»

    ¡°Hmm. I can¡¯t say whether it will be a burden or not. At least, not until we see how that affects us in the future¡­¡±

    ¡ºAlistair too doesn¡¯t know?¡»

    ¡°I do not know.¡±

    Well, there¡¯s a lot of things I don¡¯t know about my body. I guess we¡¯ll just have to agree that our immediate crisis is over.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not aplete solution, but it¡¯s better than before, right?¡»

    ¡°I can assure you of that. The load on Master should have been lessened greatly.¡±

    ¡ºThen I guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and see for now.¡»

    There was no doubt that I could climb higher heights, and it also helped improve my processing power, so it can be said that the repair was a great sess. For now, I¡¯ll just be d to be safely back in Fran¡¯s hands. Rather, that¡¯s the most crucial part.

    After we finished checking some things out, we came back upstairs to the dining room. Alistair wanted some curry before she took a short nap, so I served it to her, and somehow I ended up feeding it to Asurasu as well.

    ¡°This is really good, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Ou, I want to eat it every day.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    Fran was carried on Urushi¡¯s back while I supported her with telekinesis. Urushi seemed to have had a good night¡¯s sleep these past few days and was full of energy as usual.

    Fran has been tirelessly watching over me, and you stupid dog¡­¡­ You look like you¡¯re enjoying your curry. Here, let me help you.

    ¡ºHmph¡»

    ¡°Yelp!¡±

    I pulled his tail.

    Anyway, the curry diminished at a tremendous rate. Fran won¡¯t get mad at meter, right? I was a little worried when I saw Alistair and the others gorging on the curry.

    I nced at Fran lying on the couch in the corner of the dining room with me in her arms. Then Fran¡¯s nose started to sniffing around. Immediately after, Fran¡¯s eyelids slowly open.

    ¡°¡­Unyu¡­curry smell¡­¡±

    ¡°I- I¡¯m treating everyone.¡±

    ¡°¡­wanya eat¡­¡±

    You¡¯re not making any sense. However, it cannot be helped. It¡¯s been less than an hour since you fell asleep, right? You must still be insanely sleepy. And yet you still reacted to curry¡­

    It seems that she has more of an appetite than the desire to sleep.

    I¡¯ll take out the curry te. But I just don¡¯t see Fran getting up.

    ¡°Muyumiyu¡­¡±

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡°¡­Curry¡±

    She was too sleepy to move. I¡¯d like to tell her to go to sleep now, but she won¡¯t be able to sleepfortably until she had her curry.

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped¡­¡»

    ¡°Hmm-?¡±

    ¡ºHere¡»

    I used telekinesis to wake Fran¡¯s body. Then I fed her a spoonful of curry and brought it to her mouth.

    ¡°Momumomu¡­Aaaaannn¡±

    ¡ºHere¡»

    ¡°Mugumugu¡­ Aaaa¡±

    ¡ºYes, yes¡»

    Like a baby bird begging its parents for food, Fran opened her mouth when there was no more curry in her mouth. I fed curry little by little in her mouth.

    It¡¯s cute to see Fran munching on her curry with drowsy eyes, and it¡¯s getting a little fun. In the end, I fed her three bowls of curry.

    ¡°Oh, can you use telekinesis for such dexterity?¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you can cook.¡±

    Somehow, they were impressed. Apparently, they were wondering how I cooked. I¡¯ve been taking it for granted, but I guess it¡¯s a mystery for someone who didn¡¯t know me well.

 Chapter 368 - Native World (I)

    <h4>Chapter 368 - Native World (I)</h4>

    Another note : thanks to all of your suggestion i make some change

    1. From now on Asura will be Asurasu

    2. Demolition in the technical skills will be change to dismantling

    While rxing after finishing our meals, I talked to Alistair and the others.

    ¡ºDid anything happen while I was out screaming?¡»

    ¡°Even if you ask me what happened¡­ What Master is thinking about is the oue of the war, right?¡±

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s the most important thing. After all, if the Beast Kingdom lost, Fran would be sad.¡»

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no way to get any information from the outside world from here.¡±

    Well, I kind of guessed it already. After all, this ce was so out of the country and rarely anyone came here. It¡¯s not a ce where someone can just casuallye here to deliver information to you. Besides, Alistair was standing by all this time in case something happened to me.

    Asurasu - he didn¡¯t seem to be the type of person who cared about disputes between countries. I mean, he is still here.

    ¡ºDoes Asurasu have business with Alistair?¡»

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡ºNo, well, You¡¯ve been here for five days, haven¡¯t you?¡»

    When I said that, heughed at me. Although he said he was nning to leave after thanking me forst time, I¡¯ve heard bad things about him too. Even so, he was actually a pretty sincere guy.

    ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m in your debt. I can¡¯t just leave without saying anything.¡±

    ¡ºSpeaking of which, what happened with the mad demonization?¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s already back. However, we¡¯re not in abat situation, so I can feel relieved for a while.¡±

    I knew it would be back in a few days. I took it away with the skill-taker but then it disappeared after the refurbishment, so I figured it would be resurrected in Asurasu. Yeah, It didn¡¯t work so well. It seems like it was born on its own from within Asurasu.

    ¡°Oh, and about Fran¡¯s equipment.¡±

    ¡ºThat¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering about as well.¡»

    Actually, Fran wasn¡¯t wearing her usual ck cat equipment. She was now wearing a downy cloth outfit and pants that looked like pajamas.

    It¡¯s not the right size at all and she was wearing it with the hem and sleeves folded wide open. If it had not been folded, we would not be talking about moe after all.

    Maybe she borrowed it from Alistair? The quality was quite high. It wasn¡¯t as good as the ck cat equipment, but it was far more powerful than those leather armor. It would easily protect against a bandit¡¯s knife or something simr.

    ¡ºWhat happened to the ck cat armor set? ¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good armor, but it was getting worn out from all the repeated fierce battles.The automatic repair function and other functions have been considerably deteriorated. Hadn¡¯t you noticed?¡±

    ¡ºFor real?¡»

    This battle was hard fought. Fran¡¯s armor was also damaged and then automatically repaired, and it seems like while it was being fixed, it was damaged again. Because of this, I didn¡¯t even notice that the automatic repair function of the armor had deteriorated at all.

    The functions of magic tools deteriorate and I know this because I¡¯ve been in the body of a sword myself. Just as my processing power was being squeezed out over a long period of time, the more you use a magical tool, the lower its specs be.

    ¡°Restoration¡­ isn¡¯t the answer. So I¡¯m modifying that one too. And honestly, it looks like you guys were getting so strong that it couldn¡¯t handle the intensity of the fights.¡±

    It¡¯s true that the opponents we¡¯re fighting grew stronger and the scale of the battles were bigger than when we got the ck Cat set. From Alistair¡¯s point of view as a divine grade cksmith, she might feel that the ck Cat set isn¡¯t enough for us to deal with such powerful enemies.

    ¡°I¡¯ve discussed this with Fran, and she¡¯s agreed to let me get my hands on it. Although it will be modified without the permission of the creator¡­¡­You can¡¯t put your lives on the line. You¡¯re going to see himter, right? Tell him I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Hmm. I¡¯m sorry Gallus, but even for me, I¡¯m grateful to have Alistair, a divine grade cksmith, strengthen the armor.

    I don¡¯t mean to be unfair here, but I think we should take Alistair¡¯s suggestion. Fran must have decided as much.

    ¡ºI understand. I¡¯ll apologize to Gallus.¡»

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. Anyway, that armor is already prepped and ready to be modified. If we start the modifying process today, it will be done the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m happy to have them start working on it right away, but is it okay? You haven¡¯t slept in five days, have you?¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can stay awake for about 10 days straight. This time, I only need to stay up continuously for 7 days.¡±

    She looks fine. Well, then, I¡¯ll leave it to her.

    ¡ºPlease take care of it.¡»

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll make it my best armor, so look forward to it.¡±

    Alistair is a really nice person. I¡¯m not like Fran, but I think I too like her a lot.

    But, I¡¯m still holding back from divulging major secrets from Alistair. It was the fact that Ie from another world. Wouldn¡¯t it be an injustice to keep an important secret after having her analyze me thoroughly? When I thought of that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty.

    However, I can¡¯t share my secret without telling Fran. When Fran wakes up, we¡¯ll talk to her about it.

    That¡¯s what I thought as I watched Alistair¡¯s back as she went back to work.

    However, I can¡¯t share my secret without telling Fran. When Fran wakes up, we¡¯ll talk to her about it.

    That¡¯s what I thought as I watched Alistair¡¯s back as she went back to work.

    ************

    ¡°Hmm, good.¡±

    ¡ºThat was easy!¡»

    ¡°Because Master wanted to say something to Alistair.¡±

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s true¡»

    ¡°Well, then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty big secret, but¡­¡­¡±

    When I consulted Fran, it became simple. She said that since it¡¯s my secret to keep, I can tell it to whoever I want. Well, I said the same to Fran all the time, too.

    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t want to keep it a secret from Alistair either.¡±

    Down in the workshop, Alistair seemed to just be taking a break. She sat on a chair and wiped the sweat off her face.

    ¡°Alistair, we need to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What is it? Could it be that something has changed in Master?¡±

    ¡ºWell, there¡¯s a change, or rather, something I haven¡¯t told you about yet. Would you listen to me?¡»

    Alistair could sense the seriousness of our mood, and she straightened up on the spot.

    ¡°I have already analyzed Master, but Master still has a secret? In a way, the secret of Master , who is even more unique than a divine sword, is quite exciting.¡±

    And then she looked at me with eyes that were brimming with anticipation.

    ¡ºOh- uh, well¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to sound like a crazy person, but¡­ Well, you see¡­I¡¯ve told you that I was once a human being, right?¡»

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡ºBut it¡¯s not just that I was a former human. Actually, I¡¯ve been living in a different world than this one.¡»

    ¡°Hmm? A different world? Did you mean, otherworldly? In other words, Master is an ex-otherworlder?¡±

    ¡ºWell, something like that¡»

    ¡°¡®Could it be that you¡¯re talking about the Native World?¡±

    Alistair was astonished, but it turned out differently than what I expected. It looked like she believed that I was from a different world quite easily. But still, the Native World? What¡¯s that?

    I asked Alistair, and she exined it to me. Apparently, the gods of this world were believed to havee to this world from a different one and created the earth along with all the creatures within it.

    It doesn¡¯t seem to be explicitly told, but it was just mentioned in some myths and the like. The world in which these gods were born and originally existed is called the Native World.

    ¡ºNo, how do I say this? To begin with, I was born and raised in a world with no magic or skills. So, I don¡¯t really know.¡»

    ¡°What? Then how do you build things?¡±

    I continued to exin Earth¡¯s culture and technology for a while, as Alistair asked me to. Anyways, I was only a former sryman, so I could hardly provide detailed answers on specific matters.

    She seems to be very curious and asks whatever question that pops up in her mind. She seemed to have a keen interest in Earth, which has acquired high technical skills without the benefit of skills or magic.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s interesting! I want to listen to this forever!¡±

    ¡ºAs for me, you believing my story so easily is kind of a letdown.¡»

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know the anecdotes of the Native World, this wouldn¡¯t be happening.¡±

    ¡ºEven so, that Native World story may or may not be true, right?¡»

    ¡°I believe it is true, I am a divine cksmith after all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    If one wondered what the divine grade cksmiths had to do with it, it seems that the origins of the divine grade cksmiths were told in the Native World Mythology.

    In the myths, there was a theory that the Sword God fought against the Evil God by summoning a weapon. That weapon could be called his own alter ego, which heter left in the world while leaving to Native World. It seems that the sword of the Sword God is the source of the divine sword. In other words, the first divine sword was the beginning divine sword, Alpha, but Alpha began as an imitation of that Sword God¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Well, even until now, I don¡¯t know the name of the god or the sword.¡±

    Apparently the lore has been lost over the years.

    ¡°Oops, I¡¯m a bit off topic. At any rate, I believe in the existence of other worlds, and I think it¡¯s possible that there are beings that havee to this world from there. Well, I can¡¯t be too sure if Master really came from the Native World¡­¡±

    ¡ºCertainly, there must be a lot of worlds out there?¡»

    ¡°Ah. But maybe, the reason why Master was locked up inside the sword might be there. Is there anything you can think of? Even just a little might help.¡±

    ¡ºNot at all. Just because you¡¯re an otherworldly person doesn¡¯t mean you have special powers. Perhaps me being an otherworldly person makes me somewhat special, but¡­¡»

    ¡°I see. Ah¡­that¡¯s a shame. Well, if you know anything, please tell me.¡±

    ¡ºOf course.¡»

    If one day, I have things I need to discuss, I won¡¯t just stay silent. At that time, I will definitely consult it with you.

 Chapter 369 - Skill Practice

    <h4>Chapter 369 - Skill Practice</h4>

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡°Hmm!¡±

    The day after I woke up, Fran and I were confirming the usability of the skill.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    ¡ºOK! Good move!¡»

    ¡°Shhh!¡±

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right!¡»

    Fran used me to slice through the chunk of rock I created with Earth Magic. There¡¯s a rock about 5 meter long that¡¯s been neatly cut in half. My own magic conduction and use of the attribute sword was also fine.

    However, Fran had a disgruntled look on her face that came from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡°¡­¡­No good¡±

    ¡ºStill?¡»

    ¡°Mhm. No good at all.¡±

    ¡ºRight.¡»

    Well, it¡¯s no wonder Fran didn¡¯t like it. First of all, the physical maniption method took too much magic power. Although it didn¡¯t go out of control, it took a long time to activate, and the effectiveness was low. In general, it meant that there was too much waste.

    Still, Fran could handle this skill far better than I can use the physical maniption method¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s used to moving her body. Regardless, it was also clear that it was not at all up to the standard we were looking for.

    That wasn¡¯t all. Her mid-leap air maniption for creating footholds was also terrible. Fran was going to run up in the air and sh the rocky mass from above, but the second foothold did not activate as she imagined it to. Therefore, she lost her bnce because she couldn¡¯t feel it.

    Although she managed to make a big leap by injecting too much magical power into the third leap in the air, she would have fallen if she made a mistake, and would have fallen straight down and ended up underneath a chunk of rock. Well, that¡¯s not really going to happen because she had my support, but still, it was a potential hazard.

    Other than that, she seemed to have activated her omnidirectional detection to try to find the fragile spot on the rock mass, but she frowned at the amount of information she received. It would still take a while of practice to be capable of utilizing it in the heat of battle. In the end, we were able to sh that chunk of rock, but it was a clunky move that left a lot to be desired in terms of attack power.

    When it came to the battling technique using airpression, it didn¡¯t even activate. The air leap was too difficult to control, and the skill did not work well either.

    ¡ºThis is not looking good¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    All of my skills have evolved into higher-level skills, but mybat power has actually dropped tremendously. In my current state, we could have a hard time even dealing with a D-ss demonic beast, let alone a C-ss threat.

    The physical maniption regeneration I tried before was also unusually inefficient. I think it took about 10 times as much magical power to use the regenerative skill as usual to heal wounds on Fran¡¯s arm. However, the regeneration power itself has increased, so if shees to be proficient, Fran might be able to heal wounds more easily than using the recovery magic. But It¡¯s going to take a long time to master it.

    Fortunately, there were some parts that are in great shape. I was visibly improving my ability to control magic. The simultaneous activation of magic was faster than ever before, and morphing is more delicate than previously possible. The activation of the barriers to keep the rock chunks out was also surprisingly smooth.

    The Earth Magic consumed less magic and activated faster. It might have been possible to arrange Kanna Kamui like Myrellia did. No, I definitely could.

    Well, we are still in recovery, I guess? I¡¯ll wait and see how it goes, and then try it out once again. Currently, my ability to use skills inbat is reduced while my magic-rted skills are enhanced.

    This will certainly help us surpass what we used to be once we be more proficient in handling the skills.

    ¡°Master, one more time.¡±

    ¡ºOh!¡»

    Next, we used our various skills to gauge our current skill proficiency and train in them. I transformed, and I also verified the lord techniques ? base, and the lord arts ? base, To be honest, my impression is that it¡¯s not really a force. Well, I guess I could use Lord Archery ? Base for long-range attacks and Lord Fist ? Base for melee attacks. Still, I think it¡¯s better to improve my sword mastery by earnestly refining sword arts.

    We continued to test out Physical Maniption, Omnidirectional Perception, Omnipresence Perception, Covert Concealment, Lord Intimidation, me Operation, Water Operation, Soil Operation, and Wind Operation.

    In the end, the training method I used was to maintain my Lord Intimidation and Covert Concealment skills while elerating and stopping repeatedly with Physical Maniption. I also utilized Wind Operation, me Operation, and to detect the stones and wind debris in all directions, I used Omnipresence Perception to dodge¡­ In addition, it is also to avoid the wall produced by the Water Operation and the Soil Operation.

    After a long training session like that, Asurasu emerged from inside Alistair¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having a hard time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm.¡±

    Shortly after, Fran nodded to Asurasu¡¯s words.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡ºWha!¡»

    Asurasu suddenly grabbed the Earth Sword Gaia that he was carrying on his back and swung it at Fran. The attack oozed with murderous intent. Gaia thrust deep into the ground as Fran avoided it.

    If Fran hadn¡¯t ducked on the spur of the moment, she would have been badly injured.

    ¡ºWhat are you doing!¡»

    ¡°Kukuku. You evaded it pretty well. That was an attack you wouldn¡¯t have been able to duck if you hadn¡¯t used your skills to the fullest!¡±

    Hmmm, Well, now that you mention it¡­ Fran also heard Asurasu¡¯s words and pped her hand with a pop sound while giving a look of understanding.

    So you¡¯re saying that she instinctively sensed the danger and subconsciously used the skills. I didn¡¯t quite master it, but it was certainly smoother to use than when I was consciously thinking about it in my head.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to repeat the training to master it, but live battle is just as important, you know?¡±

    Well, I understand what you¡¯re saying, but you could¡¯ve just told us about it.

    Unfortunately, Fran, a passionate fellow, seemed convinced by Asura¡¯s actions. She then nodded many times to his words.

    ¡°Mhm. I understand.¡±

    ¡°Then fine. With Master here, you wouldn¡¯t die easily, would you?¡±

    Fran set me up so that we could match Asurasu¡¯s fighting spirit.

    ¡ºHo!¡»

    ¡°Haa!¡±

    ¡°Fuu!¡±

    Before I could say anything else, Fran and Asurasu started a mock battle.

    Sheesh! That¡¯s why you guys are battle junkies! They didn¡¯t even ask for permission first!

    For the next few moments, the two continued to engage in an intense mock battle. No. Is it even a mock battle anymore? There were no reservations in each other¡¯s attacks. It¡¯s just like a face off, as long as one didn¡¯t die, they kept unleashing high-powered attacks on each other.

    In fact, there were several moments along the way where they used healing magic. Nheless, it¡¯s also clear that Fran¡¯s movements have visibly improved during this battle.

    After all, as Asurasu said, there is nothing better than a real battle. Asurasu didn¡¯t seem to be triggered in a fight of this magnitude, thanks to the resetting of the mad demonization once. It would be the only time I could get him to train with me.

    I¡¯m really grateful to Asurasu for caring and lending a hand to Fran.

    ¡°Fuhahahahaha! Your movements are gradually improving!¡±

    ¡°Shhh! Not yet!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±

    Well, it sounds like you¡¯re totally enjoying it.

 Chapter 370 - Oneâ€™s Destination

    <h4>Chapter 370 - One''s Destination</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    It was already well past noon by the time Fran and Asurasu ended their mock battle that looked nothing short of a killing contest. Fran and Asurasu were now chatting over a pile of onigiri I served as a slightlyte lunch.

    ¡°Mogu. You seem to have gotten a lot of your fighting sense back.¡±

    ¡°Mhm. Mogyu Mogyu.¡±

    The half-day battle with Asurasu allowed both Fran and I to improve tremendously in using our skills duringbat. While it¡¯s still not as good as it once was, it¡¯s unlikely that we will be in a pinch while inbat because of it.

    It seems that the foundation has been solidified. Now it¡¯s just a matter of application and practice.

    ¡ºThank you. You really saved us.¡»

    ¡°Mogu mogu. I had a good time, too, you know?¡±

    Asurasu onlyughed lightly in response to my gratitude. He looked embarrassed. Perhaps, he was not used to being thanked.

    ¡°After this, try to actively hunt for demonic beasts in various ces. That¡¯s the most efficient way to train.¡±

    With a rice ball in each hand and a grain of rice sticking to the side of his mouth, Asurasu told me what we needed to do in the future.

    Training in livebat with demon beasts¡­ Well, now that you mention it, it might be useful, but¡­ To be honest, I¡¯m worried. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to practice with our skills a little bit more?

    That¡¯s what I thought. But¡­

    ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to find a demon beast.¡±

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t it too early for that?¡»

    ¡°I¡¯m finding one now.¡±

    Fran was motivated.

    It can¡¯t be helped, let¡¯s find a demonic beast. Let¡¯s at least start with the weaker demonic beasts at first. If there are some goblins around, I can eradicate them without a care in the world.

    As we were discussing what kind of demonic beast we should look for, Asurasu lightly stepped forward. I guess he was done eating as he hit his stomach lightly. This guy ate about 20 rice balls by himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you some interesting stuff at the end.¡±

    ¡°Interesting stuff?¡±

    ¡°Oh, since Master is so determined to one day surpass the divine sword.¡±

    ¡ºFran believes that I can.¡»

    ¡°Mhm. Master will be the strongest one day!¡±

    Hearing those words, Asurasu smiled ferociously. Then, in a slow motion, he thrust Gaia up to the heavens.

    What are you doing???

    ¡°Then, witness this! Witness this and see how far you¡¯vee!¡±

    In response to Asurasu¡¯s spirited voice, we could see magic gushing out of his massive body.

    ¡°Ooo ooooo! Divine sword release!¡±

    A magical power strong enough to visually manifest flowed into Gaia from Asurasu. Then, using that magical power as a source, Gaia unleashed her true power.

    ¡°Ooooo¡ª¡±

    ¡ºUooo!¡»

    If we hadn¡¯t put up a barrier as soon as possible, we would have been blown away. Even if we were already more than 10 meters away, we would still get blown away. That much magic was raging around Asurasu.

    I know you think we¡¯ll be fine, but you need to be a little more careful!

    Fran looked at me with a twinkle in her eye, though!

    When the stormy magic subsided, Gaia¡¯s figure had mutated into the oddest weapon I saw in the dungeon before. It¡¯s that thing, like an over-decorated mixture of a siege hammer and a greatsword.

    Just by existing, a tremendous sense of intimidation, even more so than the Lord Intimidation skill, covered the surroundings. Even though she knew Asurasu wasn¡¯t hostile, Fran can¡¯t help but back away.

    Furthermore, the surrounding atmosphere, magical power, and the earth itself were shaking as if resonating with the magical power of the earth sword, Gaia.

    ¡°Appraisal doesn¡¯t work on it after all ¡­¡±

    However, probably because of my growth due to the refurbishment, it was a little better than before.

    Name: Earth sword, Gaia

    Attack power (ATK): 4700

    Magic Power (MP): 20000

    Durability: 30000

    Magical Conductivity : SS+

    Skill

    Only attack power, magic power and durability can be seen. Well, progress is progress.

    ¡°What I¡¯m about to show you is a piece of Gaia¡¯s power. Let it burn in your eyes!¡±

    Asurasu set up to carry Gaia on his back. A brownish aura ringly rose from Gaia. I could feel a vicious and intimidating magical power spreading.

    ¡°Haaaaaaaaa!¡±

    It¡¯s no longer at the level of vibrations or the like. The Earth was now shaking as if it were an earthquake, with Asurasu as the epicenter.

    ¡°Look at this! Ohhhhh!¡±

    Asurasu leaped. However, that leap was really unnatural. He didn¡¯t seem to have put much effort into it, but he rapidly elerated and rose to the sky. Perhaps, they manipted gravity.

    He continued to jump up to a height of about 30 meters and only then began to plummet with unexpected timing and speed.

    ¡°Gravity Blow!¡±

    Then, the moment Asurasu mmed the swirling magic-d Gaia into the earth, the 30-meter square of earth surrounding him caved in at the same time, reaching a depth of over 20 meters. Earth with that much mass waspressed in an instant.

    ¡°So cool¡­!¡±

    ¡ºYe- Yeah¡»

    What if we were in the range of that attack? We would have been helplessly crushed to death. At the very least, there would have been no way to save ourselves other than to escape with a dimensional leap.

    ¡°How was it? I can¡¯t really release all of its power. This was only about 50%¡­¡±

    Are you telling me this is only half of the full power even though it¡¯s already this powerful?

    Once again, I was reminded of the violence of the divine sword. At the same time, I was d that Asurasu was out of control in a dungeon where he couldn¡¯t get serious.

    If we¡¯d been out there fighting Asurasu at full throttle, we wouldn¡¯t be here at all. Moreover, what¡¯s frightening is that Asurasu, who unleashed that attack, wasn¡¯t perturbed at all. Maybe, as he himself said, this wasn¡¯t his best.

    ¡°Perhaps, this is the level you are aiming for right now. However, this is only part of it.¡±

    ¡°One¡¯s Destination.¡±

    ¡°Ho?¡±

    ¡ºBecause Fran said so. I can¡¯t just give up.¡»

    ¡°Fuhahaha. I see! Well, next time we meet, let¡¯s do a mock fight again! At that time, let me be a little more serious.¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Let¡¯s absolutely fight seriously!¡±

    No, No, Fran?

    I¡¯m nodding with such a motivated look in my eyes, but I don¡¯t want to have a mock battle with a serious Asurasu or anything like that. No, Asurasu can¡¯t do mock battles seriously because of the mad demonization, right? So that means it¡¯s just pep talk for Fran.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going first.¡±

    Sheathing Gaia, he turned his back on us and began to walk away. He wasn¡¯t heading to Alistair¡¯s Mansion. Rather, he was going the opposite direction.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡±

    ¡°Ou. It¡¯s not in my nature to stay in one ce for very long.¡±

    That¡¯s a lie.I don¡¯t have to use my skills to know that. After all, as long as he had mad demonization, the fear of not knowing when he was going to go off the rails haunted Asurasu. In fact, it¡¯s probably because we¡¯ve be so close that we couldn¡¯t stay together for long.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the training with Fran, you could have stayed here much longer.

    However, if he said that, it would watered down Asurasu¡¯s spirit, who was willing to go along with the mock battle, even if he had to speed up the activation of his own mad demonization.

    Fran waved with a forlorn look while looking at Asurasu.

    ¡°Bye bye.¡±

    ¡°See you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, see you soon!¡±

    Then, Asurasu left with a quick dash.

    Hmmm, it looks cool.

    I can¡¯t help but admire it. If I was just a little bit more young, I might have called him ¡®Aniki!¡¯

 Chapter 371 - Dismantling the Spoils Of War

    <h4>Chapter 371 - Dismantling the Spoils Of War</h4>

    After Asurasu left, me and Fran borrowed one of the work rooms on the ground floor of Alistair¡¯s mansion and worked on dismantling.

    The carcasses of arge number of demonic beasts obtained in the riot this time are overflowing in the dimensional storage. It doesn¡¯t look like the storage is full yet, but since it¡¯s already dead it can¡¯t be left there.

    Besides, some of the materials are quite valuable demonic beasts. I wondered if there was something that could be used to modify the armor, so I tried to provide it to Alistair, but it seems that the materials in Alistair possession will be sufficient for the modification.

    I mean, I¡¯m terrified just to hear how valuable the materials that divine grade cksmiths will use are¡­¡­ Well, I¡¯ll ask her about that when it¡¯s finished.

    However, Alistair asked me to show her a list of materials that could be used by her when we finished dismantling them, as some of the materials might be usable for some things.

    So for now, I¡¯m starting to dismantle the demonic beasts that are high threat level first. Because the material of a low threat level misceneous demonic beast wouldn¡¯t be necessary for a divine grade cksmith. There was not enough time to dismantle everything, so it was necessary to select and disassemble the ones with the highest priority.

    The top priority will be the five demon beasts, the bosses of the first flock of demons that we fought before fighting the evil one forces. There are five types: Graphite Hydra, Crimson Wolf, Steel Titan Bear, Adamas Beetle, and Baron Devil.

    Well, Graphite Hydra vanished without a trace with my Kanna Kamui attack. The ones who bothered us most, the Adamas Beetle and the demon of the phantom wizard, have already been disassembled.

    Perhaps it¡¯s because we have defeated a lot of the evil ones and the like, but the dismantling of a demon-like humanoid monster does not feel particrly repulsive. Well, after all that killing, it¡¯s a littlete to feel that way. Well, in the case of demons, the color of blood and internal organs arepletely different from people, so it¡¯s probably a big part of why they don¡¯t look like people.

    ¡°Master, what do we do about this?¡±

    ¡ºHmmm, the fur is tattered, but¡­¡»

    The next thing Fran took out was the corpse of the Crimson Wolf, the threat level C demonic beast that had fought a fierce battle with Urushi. It¡¯s fur is balding, and the bones are brittle, and it¡¯s flesh smells foul because the entire body has been consumed by the poisonous magic of Urushi. There are very few parts that remain intact.

    ¡ºBut let¡¯s try dismantling. After all there might be some parts of it that still remain intact.¡»

    ¡°I understand¡±

    ¡ºI think I¡¯ll take this one apart.¡»

    I took out the Steel Titan bear. More than half of what should be a reasonablyrge workroom is now upied. It is a huge bear that is over 10 meters long. The material remained in perfect condition as the magic stone was crushed with a single blow.

    Because of that, dismantling it will be very messy. Peel off the skin, separate the meat, and put the organs away in individual dimensional storage. It took nearly 30 minutes just to dismantle it. Even though I have maxed out my dismantling skills and can move at will with telekinesis, but, this is only work for me. It would have been a half-day hard work for an ordinary adventurer.

    We also dismantle other demonic beasts that are strong in their own right, such as the Dragon Lizard, a dragonish monitor lizard, a dryad lion that uses tree magic, and a special individual of a high ogre, which is a ss D threat.

    Fran stopped halfway through, but I continued to dismantle it throughout the night. All in all I think I have dismantled about 50. It is certain that arge amount of meat will be secured and Fran¡¯s future meals will be luxurious.

    Next morning. I, along with a still sleepy Fran, went to ask Alistair if she had the materials she needed.

    ¡°Are you done with the dismantling?¡±

    ¡ºWell, not much to show for it. Here¡¯s the list.¡»

    I showed her the list I had written out, but after all, there didn¡¯t seem to be any material that was good enough for a divine grade cksmith. She was just amazed at how fast we were dismantling.

    ¡°Really you dismantled this much overnight?¡±

    ¡ºBecause we did it together¡»

    ¡°Teacher did most of it.¡±

    ¡ºFran is doing about 30% of it.¡»

    While chatting, Alistair reads the list. In the end, it was decided to give the Crimson Wolf¡¯s esophagus and the Steel Titan Bear¡¯s fangs away since Alistair said she has a use for them.

    ¡ºAfter that, there are some magic stones, but do you think it¡¯s okay to absorb them?¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡­ how do I say this. I¡¯m not even sure how the skills will be integrated¡­ After all I wouldn¡¯t know for sure if I didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡ºYeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡»

    ¡°Well, how about you just absorb it for now.¡±

    ¡°Oo, that¡¯s a good idea¡±

    ¡ºI understand¡»

    So, let the experiment begin. I take out some magic stones from the evil ones. You can¡¯t see the skills that dwell in the magic stones when you appraise them, but the hobgoblin spearer¡¯s magic stones should belong to the evil ones who were led by the Valkyrie.

    I remember the appraisal result at that time. Almost all hobgoblin spearer possessed the long spear technique. What will happen when I absorb this?

    ¡ºWell then, let¡¯s do this.¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    When Fran presses the hobgoblin spearer¡¯s magic stone against my de, it is absorbed without problems. There seems to be no big difference in the functions around this area. No. Did it make me feel a little more satisfied when I absorbed the magic stone? Maybe it¡¯s because the refurbishment connected me more deeply with the mysterious soul.

    ¡ºWhat happened to the skill?¡»

    If I check my skills, there is no long spear technique or long spear art. Perhaps it was absorbed and integrated into the Lord Spear Technique ? Base. Later, the skill that should have disappeared due to refurbishment, hole digging from the Technical Skill was added.

    ¡ºI got hole digging¡»

    ¡°So, will the skills that have disappeared be revived if absorbed again from the magic stone?¡±

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t this pretty bad? I was finally able to reduce my skills.¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡­ wait a moment.¡±

    Alistair is analyzing me. Then she asked me to absorb the magic stone again, so this time I absorbed the hobgoblin archer¡¯s magic stone.

    I still don¡¯t get the longbow art and longbow technique, but I do get the carpentry skill from the Technical Skill.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡­ this is just a probability, but I think it¡¯s because you are reborn as a skill-specific type due to the refurbishment. It seems that you can afford a lot of skills.¡±

    ¡°Meaning?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s okay to increase the skill if it¡¯s about 120 to 150. Well, I think it also depends on the quality of the skill¡­¡±

    ¡ºThat¡¯s good news¡»

    What¡¯s scary is that the number of wasted skills increases again, and because of that, I be unable to move again.

    ¡°But don¡¯t build your skills until you¡¯re close to the limit. Come to me before that if you can.¡±

    ¡°Of course¡±

    ¡ºI get it. But it just, I will get another refurbishment¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s something you should put up with. Well, I think you¡¯ll get used to it after a few times, right? Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as this one if it was just to get rid of a skill.¡±

    ¡ºI hope so.¡»

    I then absorbed the magic stone while Alistair watched over me. It¡¯s reassuring to have someone that can deal with it if something goes wrong.

    In the end, the magic stone value was 2203 from about 100 magic stones. I had gained about 15 skills. As far as skills go, it¡¯s all Technical Skill skills.

    The dungeon-born evil ones were probably given these skills for building their positions on the battlefield.

    ¡º¡­¡­I guess we have a long way to go before the next self-evolution.¡»

 Chapter 372 - Black Heavenly Tiger Equipment

    <h4>Chapter 372 - ck Heavenly Tiger Equipment</h4>

    The day after Asurasu departed. After fully absorbing the magic stone, we prepared to leave the Alistair¡¯s Mansion.

    ¡ºI¡¯m indebted to you for all your help.¡»

    ¡°No, it was a great experience for me too. I look forward to seeing you again.¡±

    ¡ºYou even had Fran¡¯s armor improved, but are you sure you want to be paid like that?¡»

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Looking at Fran¡¯s reaction, I can tell that it is much more valuable than money.¡±

    The other party was a divine grade cksmith, and I had the opportunity to ask her to repair and refurbish me, and also modify Fran¡¯s armor. Moreover, I¡¯m sure she used a lot of valuable materials toplete said tasks.

    In a normal course of events, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it would cost hundreds of millions of golds, is it? However, Alistair said she didn¡¯t want any rewards. She added that all of it would be worth it with just being able to analyze an interesting sword, which was me.

    Still, I felt bad, but when I insisted on giving a reward, Alistair said,

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll only take 1 million gold. It¡¯s just a feeling. You know, I got the materials from the monsters. Also, I want a whole pot of curry to be left on the table.¡±

    A million gold is quite a lot of money, but I figured it was a small price to pay for Alistair. Well, it¡¯s just a hunch. Thus, I decided to leave a million gold and one of thergest curry pots on the table.

    Fran insisted she¡¯d leave all the money she had if we didn¡¯t have to give Alistair the curry, but I convinced her that if we go to the town and get some spices we would be able to make more of it. Even a full-sized cauldron which people use to sell food filled to the brim with curry wouldn¡¯t cost 10,000 gold.

    When I tried to give her the recipe, she said she didn¡¯t want it because she couldn¡¯t cook at all. Apparently, the golem for cooking could only make dishes that have been programmed in advance.

    ¡°Thank you for the armor.¡±

    ¡°The original armor was a good one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so cute and strong. I¡¯m really d I asked Alistair to help me out.¡±

    Fran was wearing a series of ck cat equipment that looked much different than before. No, the name had already changed, so it could be called new equipment. The shape of the armor had been drastically changed while retaining its appearance.

    Regardless, its performance has changed even more tremendously than its external experience. First of all, the defense power of each piece increased by 50. Originally, the total defense power was 350, but now it has increased by 300 to a total of 650.

    The durability had also been increased by 200, making it more sturdy. The effects are also enhanced in a modest way.

    Name: ck Heavenly Tiger Uniform

    Defense: 150

    Durability: 800/800

    Effect: good sleep, deodorization, purification, greater mental attack resistance

    Name: ck Heavenly Tiger Gloves

    Defense: 120

    Durability: 800/800

    Effect: greater impact resistance, increase in strength

    Name: ck Heavenly Tiger Light Shoes

    Defense: 115

    Durability: 800/800

    Effect: Jumping, increase in agility

    Name: ck Heavenly Tiger Earrings

    Defense: 65

    Durability: 500/500

    Effect: greater noise resistance, greater attribute resistance

    Name: ck Heavenly Tiger Cloak

    Defense: 135

    Durability: 800/800

    Effect: Cold resistance, heat resistance, automatic equipment repair

    Name: ck Heavenly Tiger Leather Belt

    Defense: 65

    Durability: 500/500

    Effect: granted during magic resistance, granted during abnormal condition resistance, small item bag

    Moreover, the protection of the ck cat has been enhanced with the protection of the ck heavenly tiger.

    The ck Cat¡¯s Blessing was +10 for all stats while wearing theplete ck cat equipment. Furthermore, there was a skill to nullify immediate death. Also, I think there was an effect that made it so it could only be equipped by the ck Cat Tribe.

    However, the ck Heavenly Tiger equipment was even more intense. In addition to all stats +20, there was instant death nullification, thunder nullification, and enhanced stealth. Now, the ck Heavenly Tiger was almost exclusively for Fran.

    Well, it¡¯s a pretty cute design, so I don¡¯t think Grandma Chiara would have said she¡¯d equip it if she were still alive.

    It¡¯s basically ck cat equipment. However, res andcy fluttering in the details added to the overall girliness of the dress.

    A big change will be the ck cat¡¯s uniform. There is arge cor around the neck that looks like a false cor, and the shoulders and chest have ruffles. The lower half of the body became apletely fluttery skirt type of thing. Underneath it, it looks like she is wearing pants that are somewhere between a culotte and an underskirt.

    After all, Aristair was a woman even if she acted like a man. It¡¯s much more girly than the boyish one made by Gallus.

    ¡°It¡¯s fluttering but I can still move.¡±

    ¡ºYeah, Fran is cute.¡»

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting pretty good at this. It looks good on you. I¡¯m sure you will stand out and be the envy of every man in the world. You know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°? We can¡¯t stand out.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We will be found by monsters.¡±

    ¡ºFran, when Alistair says stand out, that¡¯s not what she meant¡­¡»

    Hm. Fran is not interested in cuteness at all. She is not interested in anything other than being easy to move and strong.

    ¡°Master¡­¡±

    ¡ºI know. I know, but there is nothing I can do, right? I¡¯m a man, and Fran isn¡¯t interested in cute things at all!¡»

    ¡°Yes, but the material is good.¡±

    Alistair had no makeup on, but others seem to care. She stared at me with jittery eyes.

    ¡ºI- I knew it wasn¡¯t a good idea to go on like this either. I¡¯ll do my best.¡»

    ¡°¡­¡­Well, I¡¯ll just wait and see what happens.¡±

    ¡ºSo be it.¡»

    ¡°?¡±

    Finally, Fran and Alistair give a firm handshake to each other.

    ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±

    ¡°Be careful. You haven¡¯t mastered Master¡¯s skill yet, have you?¡±

    ¡°Nn. We will train as we go.¡±

    ¡ºI won¡¯t be reckless for a while.¡»

    Worst case scenario, we will have to use teleportation to get around the guy who looks like they could be trouble. Or, until my skills are stable enough to use them, I¡¯ll be fighting mainly with my magic.

    ¡ºHey, when we want to see Alistair to do some maintenance, do wee here?¡»

    ¡°No, I travel around the world regrly. I will be moving out of this ce in less than a month.¡±

    Eh? So how do I get in touch with Alistair?

    ¡°I¡¯m nning to move to the Gilbard continent after this. You guys are going to go back to Gilbard one of these days, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to attend the auction in the capital of the Kingdom of Kranzell.¡»

    ¡°Oh, that one huh? Is it in about two more weeks?¡±

    ¡°Yes, more or less.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I might cross over to Gilbard first. In case you¡¯re wondering, they should be on the side of the town of Ulster in the southwestern part of the Kingdom of Berrios. If you are near me, I¡¯ll get in touch with you. I can already sense Master¡¯s magic, you know.¡±

    It seems Alistair has the ability to detect the magical power of weapons even from a distance. If so, we might be able to meet easily.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s meet over there¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°Ou, be careful.¡±

 Chapter 373 - Gringott Again

    <h4>Chapter 373 - Gringott Again</h4>

    After leaving Alistair¡¯s Mansion, we were on our way to Gringott. We want to know if the ck Cats were able to evacuate safely, and we also want to get information about the war.

    ¡°I see it¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    We left in the morning and by mid-afternoon we had Gringott in sight.

    ¡°The rampart is a little bit broken¡±

    ¡ºYeah, it seems like there¡¯s been some pretty intense fighting.¡»

    Even though Kiara, Mea and the others had eradicated the swarm of demonic beasts to some extent, but of course there would still be some of them that ran away before Kiara and the others managed to strike them down. They must have been the ones who attacked Gringott.

    It can be seen from the damage on the rampart and surroundings that there was a fairly fierce battle. There are burnt marks on the rampart, and part of the surrounding forest is burned down. Not only that, but a lot of trees were knocked down, making lots of hollow parts in the ground.

    But the gates, though damaged, remain undestroyed, and soldiers can be seen patrolling on the ramparts. It seems that they have prevented them from getting into the city.

    For the time being, we decided to get off just before the castle gate. In the past, there would have been a long line of people waiting to be screened to enter the town, but now the gates of the castle were tightly closed and there were no people in sight.

    As we got off Urushi¡¯s back and approached the gates on our own, we were approached by a soldier on the ramparts asking who we are and what do we want bying here.

    ¡°Who- Who are you!¡±

    We can also see that there are multiple bows pointed at us at the same time.

    ¡ºFran, I don¡¯t feel any killing intent ¡­¡­maybe¡»

    ¡°Mhm¡±

    Omnipresence Perception is doing too much work and I will only get information overload, but I don¡¯t think the soldiers on the ramparts are going to kill me. However, there is considerable caution and fearing from them.

    ¡°Fran. Adventurer¡±

    ¡°Like you-¡±

    ¡°Hey! Wait!¡±

    A soldier who was about to raise his voice further was stopped by a colleague next to him, who looked flustered.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°That person is fine!¡±

    Apparently, there was a soldier who remembered Fran. This is going to save me a lot of extra time.

    Eventually, the soldier was able to identify Fran and get us into the city. It¡¯s pretty crowded in there. But there is no liveliness at all. This is because many of them are refugees who have fled from the surrounding viges.

    In the middle of central avenue on both sides of the area families were huddling together. Perhaps they had escaped in a hurry with only their clothes on. Most of them were just tired and sat down without a smile.

    However, as I walked down the street toward the lord¡¯s mansion, there was a corner that was different from the other area where other refugees came together. Here, tents are regrly set up and even a simple kitchen is built. And everyone was chatting therefortably.

    ¡ºThey just saved us the trouble of asking for the direction to the lord¡¯s house.¡»

    ¡°Hmm!¡±

    It¡¯s an area where the refugees from Schwarzkadze gathered. I kind of know it when we escape from the pack of demonic beasts, and I heard that the ck cat people are really used to escaping. They are obviously well prepared beforehand and seem to be more adaptable than other beastmen in ces like this.

    They are indeed a wanderer who has been on the run. Apparently, even though they had a safe haven in Schwarzkadze, they hadn¡¯t lost their escape skills.

    Fran spots a familiar man and runs over to him.

    ¡°Chief!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Princess! You are fine!¡±

    ¡°Everyone! The princess is back!¡±

    ¡°Princess! Wee back!¡±

    Everyone greets her with an awesome smile. Fran seems a little confused, but I think the thought of joy is even greater than that.

    ¡°I¡¯m back¡±

    She nod to everyone shyly. Damn, it¡¯s so cute. The ck cats seemed to have the same impression as me, and everyone were eitherughing or giving a wide smile.

    Fran is a hero and idol to the ck Cat tribe. In no time at all, we were surrounded by a crowd of ck cat people.

    ¡°Gentlemen, we mustn¡¯t barge on the princess like this. Don¡¯te too close!¡±

    ¡°E~~ii, It¡¯s not fair that only the vige chief talks to the princess!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°E~~ii! So noisy! Shut up! Anyway, scatter for now! First of all, let¡¯s have the Princess rest!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ¡°Tsk¡±

    The vige chief disbanded the ck Cats. Then he leads us straight to a ce like a za set up in the middle of the ck Cat Tribe¡¯s tent vige.

    ¡°Now, now, please sit here, but I¡¯m sorry we only have this one chair.¡±

    ¡°Mhm. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Hey, bring us some tea!¡±

    In the square, Fran sat on a chair and the vige chief sitting on the ground in front of her. And the people from the vige remain and surround her. Well, the area around it is filled with the ck cat people.

    ¡°And what happened outside? What happened to the vige?¡±

    Well, It¡¯s obvious that, that¡¯s what you want to know. Naturally, we were on our way to Gringott to check on Schwarzkadze¡¯s condition.

    ¡°The vige is safe. Few houses are broken. And now that all the demon beasts have been killed, we can go back to them whenever we want.¡±

    ¡°Is it really true?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°Is that so!¡±

    ¡°We did it!¡±

    ¡°As expected of the princess!¡±

    ¡°Princess Banzai!¡±

    The moment Fran told them that the vige was safe, the ck Cat tribe, including the vige chief, seemed to explode with joyful emotions.There was an earth-shaking roar, followed by cheerings sound. I suppose that was their number one concern.

    ¡°Thank you very much! Di- did the princess exterminate the demon beast?¡±

    ¡°Not just me. Mea and Kiara are with us.¡±

    ¡°When you say Kiara, is that Kiara?¡±

    ¡°Do you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course! For our ck Cats, it¡¯s another hero lined up with the princess!¡±

    I see, so you know her.

    ¡°Everyone is happy, and surely Kiara is happy too.¡±

    ¡°And, so where is Lady Kiara?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Kiara-¡±

    Fran is at a loss for words. It seems that just by seeing her, everyone, including the vige chief, realized that Kiara was dead. He keeps his mouth shut with a painful expression However, Fran told the story of Kiara as it was. Everyone is quietly listening to her words.

    The vige chief was taken care of by Kiara when he was young, or something like that, and he started screaming and crying halfway through. Other sobbing voices rise from among the ck cat people.

    But Fran concludes the story while smiling.

    ¡°Kiara won¡¯t be happy to see people crying. I¡¯m sure that she will be happier if everyoneughed and remember her as a hero.¡±

    ¡°Pri, princess¡­! Tha- That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°Ou, it¡¯s as the princess says!¡±

    You can¡¯t seem tough all of a sudden, but at least no one¡¯s crying with a dark expression anymore. It¡¯s a reminder of the tremendous power of Fran¡¯s influence. Fran wiped her own tears and smiled.

    However, many ck cats are still crying all at once. The way it looked was nothing short of bizarre. Moreover all the other species in the vicinity are looking at us like they are looking at something creepy.

 Chapter 374 - The Result of the War is?

    <h4>Chapter 374 - The Result of the War is?</h4>

    As we finished exining everything to everyone of the ck Cat tribe, the knights came over. Apparently, he heard the collective cry of the ck Cat tribe.

    ¡°We just received a report of a disturbance in the area¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Who is in charge?¡±

    Apparently, the other refugees had notified the knights. Well, they must have wondered what happened.

    After the vige chief exined to the knights what was going on, their eyes turned to Fran. However, their gaze didn¡¯t seem to be irritated from looking at the source of themotion. Instead, they looked at Fran with a twinkle in their eyes.

    ¡°You are the ck Thunder Princess, right!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you.¡±

    I heard that Marmano, the lord of Gringott, and Mea, who visited the city shortly before we returned, had told them many stories of Fran¡¯s heroic deeds.

    Fran was asked by the knights to join them by all means to visit the city lord¡¯s house. I was a bit troubled by the many beastmen, who froze and kneeled when they saw Fran walking by. They even worshipped her on the spot.

    It appears the rumors of the ck Thunder Princess were widely known among the beastmen of Gringott. Apparently, the ck Cat tribe had also been going around preaching the splendor of the ck Thunder Princess like missionaries.

    Furthermore, from the news brought by Mea, it became known that the ck Thunder Princess took the lead in the annihtion of the demonic beasts and risked her life to defend the beast kingdom. In such a situation, it was only natural that if an evolved ck cat that was said to be impossible was walking around, their identity would be discovered in a matter of seconds.

    Thus, the inhabitants of Gringott saw us off as we reached the lord¡¯s mansion, and as soon as we arrived, we were ushered into the reception room, where we were able to meet the lord, Marmano.

    As they were still in a state of war, he struck a brave figure in his heavy armor. It gave off apletely different aurapared to the negligee I saw him wear when I visited him the night of the demonic beast attack.

    ¡°Wee, ck Thunder Princess!¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I have heard about Her Highness¡¯ great service! Thank you for saving Gringott.¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to protect my friends.¡±

    ¡°Still, our city has undeniably been saved as well. I even heard that you kicked out more than 10,000 packs of demonic beasts and destroyed the evildoers!¡±

    Apparently, Mea exaggerated when she told him of the details. It¡¯s true that we defeated 10,000 hordes of demonic beasts, but the stories Marmano heard seem to have been greatly embellished and beautified.

    With a twinkle in his eye, Marmano recounted the story of Fran¡¯s defense that Mea told him. ying a thousand demonic beasts with a single swing, and defeating ten thousand demonic beasts with a single magical strike¡­ Who is this hero? Isn¡¯t it hard to possess a divine sword?

    ¡°Well, in front of the power of the mighty demon beasts, the dainty appearance of the ck Thunder Princess who stood tall made herpatriots shed tears! I wish I could have seen it happen in person!¡±

    Who are you talking about? The story isn¡¯t exactly wrong, but I feel like it wasn¡¯t about Fran? Well, Mea did intensely love Fran, after all. She must have been a bit too excited.

    Then, Marmano bowed deeply.

    ¡°Thanks to your hard work, it¡¯s not just Gringott. Our country too has been saved. Once again, let me thank you.¡±

    ¡°Like I have said before, I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡±

    ¡°Fuhahaha. I cannot reward my men if you said your help is not something special. It¡¯s fine. You did a great thing. I¡¯m not saying you should show off and be arrogant. However, you should take credit where credit is due. Otherwise, you might end up making some unnecessary enemies.¡±

    Marmano, suddenly with a straight face, advises us in a serious tone of voice. Well, he does have a point.

    ¡®Fran didn¡¯t do anything special¡¯. If we kept insisting on saying we only did the obvious thing and declinedpliments and rewards, wouldn¡¯t it be hard for the other soldiers and knights to be proud of their achievements?

    Also, it was okay now because Marmano is a good man, but some of the nobles might be offended by Fran¡¯s attitude. It may be easier to take a little pride in our aplishments than to be humble to such a person, just so that they won¡¯t hate your guts.

    These people have their own ways to measure others. Therefore, a reputation as a naive adventurer of a young age who gets carried away when praised would be less rming to the nobility than an uncanny and noble warrior girl with no greed and no weaknesses to be exploited.

    ¡°Mhm, I Understand.¡±

    ¡°Is that so! Well, forgive me. I started preaching to you all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°No. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, the ck Thunder Princess really is such a generous person as described! Well, I¡¯m impressed!¡±

    ¡°Too muchpliment.¡±

    ¡°Gahahaha. If we had been pinned down from the north too, our country would have been in a crisis. Preventing one of them, destroying the dungeon and annihting the demonic beast was an unparalleled achievement in this war. It¡¯s no wonder that ck Thunder Princess, Your Highness Nemea and Kiara-sama are dubbed the heroes and the country¡¯s salvation. The only people who could match them would be the two lion generals on the southern front line.¡±

    Southern Front line¡­ I¡¯m curious as to what happened on that side of the war. I also can¡¯t deny that I¡¯m worried about the two generals, who yed important roles in this war¡­ Wait. Before that, what happened to the war? Did we lose? Did we achieve victory? Marmano¡¯s face wasn¡¯t clouded or moody, so I don¡¯t think we lost¡­¡­

    ¡°What happened to the southern battle?¡±

    ¡°It was a great victory for our country!¡±

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it only about a week since the war started? Moreover, they must have deployedrge armies to each other. If they can¡¯t achieve victory with that they will deploy more soldiers or use different tactics, therefore I don¡¯t think it would be surprising if the war went on for months, or even years.

    ¡°There is also the fact that the difference in strength of the forces was too vast. The Beast Kingdom was overwhelmingly superior in terms of number of mobilized troops and quality of soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Still, I heard that the Bashar Kingdom is very good at magic.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. In terms of magic, the quality of sorcerers and the ability to develop magical tools of ours are both outssed by Bashar Kingdom.¡±

    The magic tools for long-distance calls were made by the Magician¡¯s Guild of the Bashar Kingdom, I believe. Perhaps, they developed a lot of other useful tools as well. If that was the case, then it could be said that even if we won in terms of the number of soldiers, we couldn¡¯t have won by simply overwhelming them.

    At least, that was what I thought, but then I was made to know that regr soldiers were too weak to utilize their magical advantage at all.

    ¡°What can I say¡­ There¡¯s the racial difference. But really, even more importantly, there is a bigger difference between our senses.¡±

    ¡°Senses?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    Of course¡­ If wepared beastmen and humans, beastmen were more powerful inbat. However, it was not only that, as there is also a big difference in the senses of the soldiers from the two countries.

    ¡°They definitely have a substantial number of outstanding soldiers. Just, in war, soldiers are also recruited from farmers, amongst many otheryman workers.¡±

    Well, that was normal in this world. Rather, the army and knights were mainly responsible for maintaining security in peacetime and defeating demonic beasts. They would definitely be overwhelmingly short of manpower to fight a war on their own.

    ¡°On top of that, there were already notable differences between our country and the Kingdom of Bashar from the time of the conscription.¡±

    ¡°What difference?¡±

    ¡°The Bashar Kingdom dispatched an officer called a conscript officer to each vige and forcibly gathered soldiers. In each vige, although people were reluctant to betray their homnd, they also weren¡¯t exactly willing to volunteer to be soldiers.¡±

    That was also not surprising. No one wants to send their family to a dangerous war zone.

    ¡°However, in the case of the Beastmen Nation, there was no need to do that. Most of the time, volunteerse from the surrounding viges on their own. Some of them evene to us as if they were going hunting. In fact, it was harder for us as there were too many volunteers wanting to sign up!¡±

    As expected of the fighting race. Even ordinary people were fierce.

    ¡°In both countries, although most soldiers were originally farmers, the soldiers of Bashar Kingdom were just peasants, while ours are semi-farmers. Also, I think theirs were forced into a war that they didn¡¯t want to be in, whereas our soldiers¡ª in particr those in the frontier viges- were soldiers by profession, and they usually feel that by farming they are making supplies for the logistics.¡±

    I see, so the soldiers¡¯ will to fight was overwhelmingly different. Moreover, the soldiers of Beastman Nation do training on a regr basis. Only, the ck Cats were thought to be particrly weak, so they weren¡¯t associated with that kind of atmosphere¡­¡­

    However, the other races were probably trained to be soldiers, even if they were civilians.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that the magical tools of the Bashar Kingdom are excellent. But in the end, the difference in soldierse from the difference in their battle experience. Well, sometimes, as in this case, they can outsmart you¡­¡­¡±

    I guess that means there are no certainties in battle.

    ¡°Regardless, to put it another way, you can¡¯t do anything about the gap in strength without a good n. As soon as word got out that the northern invasion had failed, the Bashar Kingdom¡¯s army copsed.¡±

    ¡°It seems that the people who yed an active role in the battle were the famous earth magician and the current chief of the White Rhinoceros tribe in the Beastman Nation. In a fierce battle until the reinforcements arrived, they held the border line with their small army force, and struck a painful blow against the retreating Bashar Kingdom¡¯s Army.¡±

    I guess that meant they did not only have good warriors, but goodmanders as well.

 Chapter 375 - Journey To the Royal Capital

    <h4>Chapter 375 - Journey To the Royal Capital</h4>

    After hearing of the end of the war from Marmano, Fran asked what she was most concerned about to Marmano.

    ¡°Do you know how Mea is doing?¡±

    Yes, it was about where Mea and the others are now, and how they are doing. However, Marmano only shook his head apologetically.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The princess left Gringott for the southern battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. She is very strong though, so I¡¯m sure she is safe¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°If you want to find out more, you should go to the royal capital.¡±

    It can¡¯t be helped after all huh. I¡¯m also curious about Myrellia¡¯s will. She said she wanted me to help a boy named Romeo¡­¡­

    But, well, I¡¯m hesitant to head to Bestia, the royal capital.

    ¡°Is this town okay?¡±

    After all, the ck Cat tribe has taken refuge in Gringott.There¡¯s no way Fran can ignore the safety of this city and leave.

    ¡°Are you worried? Don¡¯t worry. The war is over, and the knights and soldiers we sent from our city will soon return. Those who have volunteered to fight for us will do the same too. We¡¯ll have no problem finding food to shelter them in the city until they return.¡±

    It¡¯s just like what he said. Well, now that the monster beast in the dungeon is gone, things are back to how it was before. If only there were no concerns about food supply, it wouldn¡¯t be so much as a crisis for Gringott.

    ¡°Gringott is all right now. Please leave the ck Cats to me. I won¡¯t treat them badly.¡±

    Marmano had Fran¡¯s back. Perhaps, he sympathized with Fran¡¯s anxiety.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    After that, we were asked to stay at Marmano¡¯s residence for one night, but we decided to leave immediately. It would have been nice to stay with the ck Cats for one night instead of in Marmano¡¯s residence, but Fran wanted to hurry ahead.

    Now that the ck Cat tribe was safe and sound, Fran wanted to ensure that Mea and the others are safe as well. We left Gringott with the ck Cats seeing us off as the sun set.

    The soldiers were quite worried about us, but with Urushi around, we can manage attacks from most demonic beasts. If it was of a lower rank, we could use dark magic to defeat it, and small fry can¡¯t catch up with Urushi¡¯s speed anyways. If it is of the same rank or higher than Urushi, we¡¯ll use detection skills to steer clear of them.

    ¡°Su~ Su~ Su~¡±

    Fran was already used to a forceful march on Urushi, that she could sleep soundly on its back. While firmly grasping its hair and belt, she slept soundly, buried in Urushi¡¯s hair. Looks like we won¡¯t even need telekic support. Actually, I¡¯m not going to turn off my telekinesis.

    She was even dexterous enough to eat her dinner before bed, and what she ate wasn¡¯t something like skewers or bread, but soup and pasta. She managed to bnce it well, and ate it with a fork and spoon.

    At this rate, wasn¡¯t it already possible for her to live on Urushi¡¯s back? There was no problem with sleeping and eating.

    What¡¯s left¡­ a bath? No, she definitely couldn¡¯t take a bath, indeed. However, I think we could go for a shower, though Urushi will get soaked. Wait, I think that can be prevented if we set up a wind barrier.

    Seriously, I think I could handle most things while on Urushi¡¯s back. Just, it would be quite a nuisance for Urushi.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong Urushi?¡»

    ¡°Woo- Woof!¡±

    Oh, it seems that Fran, who was sleeping while hugging Urushi¡¯s neck, was holding on too tightly and strangled Urushi. Fran¡¯s hand seemed to be in his neck in just the worst way possible.

    ¡ºGood luck?¡»

    ¡°Woo, Woof?¡±

    ¡ºNo. If you pull it off badly, you¡¯ll wake up Fran. That¡¯s why¡­ Good luck?¡»

    ¡°Wo, Woof!¡±

    It¡¯s not that I¡¯m getting back at you because Fran was with me while I was struggling with my refurbishment and Urushi was fast asleep, okay? It¡¯s the truth you know?

    ¡°Unn~~ muu~~¡­¡±

    ¡°Whimper!¡±

    ¡ºGood luck¡»

    ¡°Whine~ Whine~!¡±

    While having such an exchange, we pushed through the night sky, and by next morning, we had reached the royal capital.

    There were no signs of war having broken out here. The royal capital was there, looking exactly the same as when I visited before. Outside the gate, a line of merchants and adventurers waited to enter, as usual. The aftermath of the war seemed to have barely reached the royal capital.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get off in front.¡»

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Master, over there.¡±

    When I instructed Urushi to descend to the ins before the royal capital, Fran, who was already awake, pointed to the sky.

    ¡ºWhat? That is¡ª a Wyvern?¡»

    ¡°Mhm. Mea.¡±

    ¡ºI see! Is that Lind?!¡»

    However, I couldn¡¯t tell. Just from looking at it, it looked like a wyvern, or something flying, passed us.

    I¡¯m going to try again to use my omnidirectional detection against the shadows flying far away. Then, I sensed a vaguely familiar magical power.

    ¡°It was definitely Lind.¡±

    ¡ºHow could you know who it was from so far away?¡»

    ¡°Friends don¡¯t mistake each other.¡±

    It was such a simple reason.

    ¡ºIs- is that so? Oh, well. Urushi, don¡¯t stop there. We¡¯re going to meet up with Mea and the others.¡»

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    They seemed to notice us, too, and slightly deviated from their original course toward the royal capital and headed toward us. As they were moving in the sky at high speeds, in a blink of an eye, the distance between us was closed.

    One wouldn¡¯t make a mistake at this distance. It was Mea, Kuina and Lind. But, it looks like Mianoa isn¡¯t with them.

    ¡°Fran! Master! Urushi! It¡¯s been a long time!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡±

    Mea waved from above Lind. Urushi and Lind, as they were told, lowered their altitudes and headed towards a corner of the ins.

    As theynded, Mea jumped off Lind¡¯s back and ran at us. The same goes for Fran.

    ¡°Fran!¡±

    ¡°Mea!¡±

    The two jumped around while holding their hands together, like two high school girls who haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. They frolicked and cackled, an act befitting of their age.

 Chapter 376 - Scolded By Mea

    <h4>Chapter 376 - Scolded By Mea</h4>

    ¡°What were Mea and the others doing?¡±

    Fran and the others sat at the table set that Quina had arranged ording to the maid¡¯s etiquette, while drinking tea and reporting back to each other on what they had been doing since they had left each other.

    As a matter of fact we got steak as snacks that¡¯s served with the tea. Sipping tea on one hand while munching on a thick steak. It¡¯s already more of a meal instead of tea time, right? However, it is amon sight in the Beast Country. Quina, who acts as the Tsukkomi, doesn¡¯t say anything either.

    To be honest, I think it¡¯s okay to share the information to one anotherter after we entered the royal capital but¡­¡­ It seems that neither could wait.

    We exin how the skills have be difficult to use and about my modifications.

    ¡°So the skill transform to the advanced level but the fighting power has declined? Isn¡¯t that a grave situation!¡±

    ¡°Mhm, very terrible¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not entirely unheard of, is it?¡±

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ording to Quina, this is a phenomenon that often happens when a sensory or physical enhancement skill reaches the highest level and changes to an advanced level skill.

    It seems that the skills we usually use intuitively are more confusing when they change into a more advanced level.

    ¡°Well, even so, I can¡¯t give you any advice, because usually it¡¯s not possible for more than one skill to change to an advanced level at the same time, like what happened to you.¡±

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­ But how do you usually get over that?¡»

    ¡°Training.¡±

    It was a very brief answer. But it¡¯s the only way to go. And if there was an easier way to ovee it, Asurasu would have told us about it.

    The next thing Mea got her teeth into after talking about skills was the story that my outer body was originally a divine sword cherubim. ording to Mea, Quina is also very surprised.

    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d meet a divine sword in a row in such a short period of time¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m surprised.¡±

    ¡ºI will return the words back to you. I¡¯m only at the level of a former divine sword or a semi-divine sword, but you guys have a real divine sword.¡»

    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s a semi-divine sword, and an intelligence weapon, moreover it seems to have some more secrets? Isn¡¯t that much more better?¡±

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t the divine sword much more better?¡»

    Mea and Quina are looking at me with a dumbfounded expression for some reason, but it can¡¯t be helped after Asurasu showed me the Earth Sword Gaia¡¯s capability.

    It¡¯s not totally, but I don¡¯t think I can say that I¡¯m better than a divine sword. Lind hasn¡¯t shown his true power yet, so Mea¡¯s perception of him may be a little too naive. Or rather, it¡¯s scary to see what kind of monster Lind will turn into when he¡¯s regained his true form. I am after all only a semi-divine sword.

    When I muttered something like that, Mea red at me sternly.

    ¡°Master, aren¡¯t you putting yourself down way too much? It doesn¡¯t matter whether you are a divine sword or not. You saved this country! Be proud!¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Master is an awesome sword!¡±

    ¡ºI- Is that so?¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Besides, the sword is rated by its owner, remember? It¡¯s one of the talents of an adventurer toe across excellent armor and be able to get it!¡±

    So that¡¯s it. Luck is part of the talent, or maybe it¡¯s just that the adventurer¡¯s reputation is based on the strength of the armor they are using.

    ¡°Master, if you keep putting yourself down you will undermine Fran¡¯s achievements! Puff out your chest- no, you don¡¯t have any, but you should be proud of who you are!¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m putting myself down too much¡­? And Fran will¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Besides, think about it! You single-handedly fended off a huge army of demonic beasts and evil one that could destroy the country, defeated the vicious evil ones who were pulling the strings behind the scenes, and conquered the dungeon that resulted in saving the country.¡±

    Well, if you look at it objectively, it¡¯s certainly pretty amazing. If I didn¡¯t know I would think she was talking about some Hero.

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­ I am- We are amazing¡»

    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s amazing!¡±

    Fran said something simr to Marmano, apparently it was a word that applied to me as well. He has told Fran not to be humble, but apparently I was putting down myself too much as well.

    I can understand the reason myself. The divine sword. With Gaia in front of me, I took the liberty of rating myself and thought I couldn¡¯t win now. And I thought I was no big deal.

    I vowed that one day I would catch up with the divine sword. That means that I have admitted that I am not good as I am now, and that I am losing. It was no wonder that I couldn¡¯t beat the divine sword, but apparently arge part of me was unknowingly feeling frustrated and defeated. It seemed that my inferiorityplex with the divine sword had caused me to belittle myself more than necessary.

    But as Mea said, if I¡¯m not good enough, that means Fran is using a bad sword. Besides, Fran and I are always fighting together. If I despise my aplishments, that means I despise even Fran¡¯s aplishments. I can¡¯t let that happen!

    ¡ºI¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m fine now.¡»

    ¡°Um. That¡¯s good.¡±

    I don¡¯t mean to be conceited, but I¡¯m going to be more proud of myself from now on. As befits Fran¡¯s sword.

    ¡°But did you say he showed you Gaia? Did Asurasu show you the released state?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, just a little.¡±

    And when I told her the story of our mock battle, Mea was very envious of us. Come to think of it, it¡¯s a mock battle against a rank S adventurer. How could the battle-crazed Mea not be envious?

    ¡°I- I wish I could have fought Lord Asurasu too!¡±

    It seems that the tablecloth is about to be chewed at any moment. But apparently a pat on the head from Pessili and Quina brought her back to her senses. She cleared her throat with a cough and changed the subject.

    ¡°Nevertheless, the equipment looks pretty good. You said that you had your original equipment modified by Alistair-dono, how is it performing?¡±

    Mea looks at Fran¡¯s new armor and squints at it. Apparently, even though she is abat fanatic like Fran, she likes cute things.

    ¡°Mhm. Perfect¡±

    ¡°I see. Fufu¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing¡±

    Mea smiled suddenly. What¡¯s the matter with you? Did Fran¡¯s cuteness get to you?

    ¡°Lady, Why don¡¯t you honestly say that you¡¯re happy to have matching equipment, since both of it was made by Alistair-sama?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­¡­! What are you talking about, Quina! I- I don¡¯t think about such a thing at all!¡±

    ¡°Your expression is bing softer.¡±

    ¡°Shu- Shut up!¡±

    So this is what it seems to be about. Quina continues to be calm and exposing her.

    ¡°Tha- that¡¯s being said, what are we talking about?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    She is embarrassed. It was Mea who forced the conversation back to its track.

 Chapter 377 - Mea and the Shadow Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 377 - Mea and the Shadow Warrior</h4>

    ¡°Did you go to the war area after we part way?¡±

    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s right. Do you know?¡±

    ¡°I heard a little. I heard that they took out the armies of Bashar¡¯s kingdom and the awesome earth magicians pushed back the enemy.Were you with him?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Well, I participated ostensibly as a mercenary, not as a princess.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ording to the story, it seems that she hid her identity from the general soldiers and civilians. It seems that she had spoken to themander and others, but ostensibly she joined the army as an escort for the White Rhinoceros Rigdalfa.

    ¡°As a princess, I can¡¯t move about freely, so, you know, it¡¯s not like¡­¡­¡±

    ¡ºWhat happened?¡»

    ¡°Selene was there.¡±

    ¡°Who is Selene?¡±

    ¡°Selene is ady-in-waiting at the royal pce, she is the same tribe as me. She is less powerful inbat than I am, but she is skilled in the art of illusion, and her stature is simr to that of a youngdy, so she serves as a shadow warrior. And we can disguise things like race with magic tools.¡±

    Could it be that shadowy figure we just said hello to? I wondered what happened to Selene, but when Mea came out here, she(Mea) was sure that she(Selene) has changed from a shadow warrior to herself(Princess Mea).

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Selene ys the role of¡­¡­ that¡¯s¡­um¡­that is¡­¡±

    ¡°Selene ys a graceful, fragile, anddy-like, the so called princess, partly by order of His Majesty the King. Honestly, no matter how much we keep up, it was impossible for the realdy to perform that way. They¡¯ll know for sure that she was reced.¡±

    I see. I don¡¯t think Mea can do thedylike thing. And when Mea and Selene are reced, many nobles and generals will find out that the person they were trying so hard to please and protect with their lives was an imposter. Although it¡¯s not surprising that a princess of a great nation would use a shadow warrior.

    ¡°For sure you will be able to see the difference between the youngdy and Selene.¡±

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a tough one¡­¡­¡»

    ¡°Umu¡±

    Considering the temperament of the Beast Nation, I think a friendly and lively type like Mea would be appreciated. But I¡¯m sure there are many of them who adore the graceful, fragile anddy-like daughter type.

    I certainly don¡¯t like beingpared to. It would break my heart if it were me.

    However, the question remains.

    ¡ºWhy are you letting the shadow warrior y such a character again?¡»

    Why is the girl, Selene, the shadow warrior, acting so unreasonable in the first ce? As long as that shadow warrior ys as Mea-ish character that is lively, it¡¯s all good, right?

    At present, Mea¡¯s reputation seems to be a graceful anddylike, lowbat shelter girl. When the real Meaes out in the future, will she not get bash by the Beastman country¡¯s residence? Because a fragile beauty is suddenly a battle-crazed, energetic girl.

    Mea nods in agreement with my question.

    ¡°Does Master think so too? It¡¯s strange isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t a shadow warrior supposed to be more like the person they are impersonating?¡±

    She seems to think so too. But Quina answered my question without a care in the world.

    ¡°It¡¯s His Majesty¡¯s hobby.¡±

    ¡ºEh? Hobby?¡»

    ¡°Yes. He said he would love to see everyone¡¯s reaction when they figure out that the youngdy is the real princess after making everyone thought that Selene is the princess.¡±

    ¡°Gununu(riled up sfx). That damn father¡­!¡±

    Speaking of beast king-ish, it is beast king-ish alright¡­¡­ I feel sorry for the guys that are being pushed around.

    ¡°And then there¡¯s the rest of it, which could be meant to be an insinuation or a tease to the youngdy.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Well, I think he enjoys watching the youngdy who is depressed and embarrassed to see Selene, who looks just like her, behaving in adylike manner.¡±

    ¡°What a bad hobby! That old man!¡±

    ¡°And if the impression is so different, you¡¯ll be less worried about your daughter¡¯s identity being lost in peacetime.¡±

    Aaah, so that¡¯s how it is. Unlike normal shadow warriors, Mea¡¯s shadow warrior is out there acting as an adventurer. Rather, the aim seemed to be to prevent Mea¡¯s true identity from being exposed by guiding her image into a different type.

    I guess it¡¯s also true that it seems to be interesting as the Beast King said.

    ¡ºI understand that you participated in the fight by hiding your identity, but how did you feel about the fight itself?¡»

    ¡°Even if you ask me about that¡­¡­ To be honest, we barely do any fight.¡±

    ¡°We just scattered the devastated enemies.¡±

    When Mea and the others arrived at the battlefield, it was apparently already at the time when the Beast Nation¡¯s army was about to push back the Bashar Kingdom¡¯s invading army and start a chase.

    It is said that Mea and her men have joined the pursuit force and have marched deep into Bashar¡¯s territory.

    ¡°It was a condition of our joining the army that we would provide an escort for the general inmand.¡±

    ¡ºCome to think of it, you said something like that earlier.¡»

    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t really escorting the general but more like to never leave the general¡¯s side.¡±

    So that¡¯s it. Rather than letting the princess act on her own and endanger herself, the general¡¯s aim is to put her on his side in the name of an escort.

    ¡°But, I left the army in the middle of the way.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­I went to the Magnolia family.¡±

    Speaking of Magnolia, that¡¯s the ce that Myrellia was talking about. It was a request to rescue a child named Romeo from the Magnolia family, from the lord of that house.

    As expected, Mea and the others must have been curious about those words.

    ¡°With the Beast Nation Army marching across the border, the Magnolia territory in question was already in our sphere of influence.¡±

    ¡ºYou said crossing the border, but didn¡¯t they have defensive fortifications and forts on the other side?¡»

    ¡°Of course, it does exist. But those facilities were inplete disarray as the devastated allied forces poured into them.¡±

    Just when they think there¡¯s no way they can lose, they suffer a huge defeat and their troops are running away in a disorderly fashion, that¡¯s resulting in chaos at their rear.

    Even if they tried to contain them, the entire army would try to enter the fort, and there could be enemy spies mixed in. Moreover, if the Beast Nation was chasing after them from behind, it would be difficult to judge.

    ¡°To be frank, the defense facility wasn¡¯t working properly.¡±

    ¡ºDid you mean you just pass it by?¡»

    ¡°It¡¯s close. There were some forts that resisted, but that¡¯s where Lysiases in.¡±

    ¡°Lysias?¡±

    ¡°Um. Court magician Lysias Laurensia. The most powerful earth magician in our country, and the descendant of the royal blood of Laurencia that was renowned for the tragedy of Laurencia. Speaking of the Great Wall Lysias, he¡¯s also famous on the continent of Krom, right?¡±

    Laurencia? Did you just say Laurencia?

 Chapter 378.1 - The Missing Romeo (I)

    <h4>Chapter 378.1 - The Missing Romeo (I)</h4>

    Editor Makoto

    Laurencia? Did you just say Laurencia?

    ¡ºHey, what does that person got to do with Linford?¡»

    ¡°Linford? As I recall, he was the evil sorcerer who summoned Myrellia¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Linford Laurencia¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Did you say that his surname is Laurencia?¡±

    ¡ºYeah, He was an old monster over hundred years old.¡»

    ¡°Hundred years old? I believe Lysias should be over 40. So Lysias probably isn¡¯t his child.¡±

    Then, his grandchildren maybe?

    ¡ºThis Lysias guy isn¡¯t an evil sorcerer, is he?¡»

    ¡°Of course¡±

    ¡°Rather, I¡¯ve heard that Lysias hates evil sorcerers.¡±

    In the first ce, we don¡¯t even know if it is a direct blood rtionship. It is possible that the Laurencia family has split over the years, and not all the descendants of evil sorcerers will be evil sorcerers. If the story about Lysias hating Linford is true, it¡¯s more likely that Linford has done something to him.

    It¡¯s unlikely that the Beast Kings will miss the evil sorcerer, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems with this guy named Lysias.

    ¡°Lysias¡¯s earth magic is unrivaled in siege battles. With him, no matter how many fort there is, it¡¯s nothing to him.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that he is attacking the fort with earth magic?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s possible, but the most secure way you can do is dig a hole for a way to advance. Normally, they¡¯d be fortified with magical tools and other equipment to guard the basement, but they were confused at the time. Lysias who was digging underground was not noticed or interfered with in any way by the enemy. ¡±

    I see, so they¡¯re going to build an underground tunnel and send soldiers through it. I¡¯m sure there was something called tunnel warfare in Japan. I¡¯m not sure how much of that is genuine and how much of it is fiction, but I¡¯m sure that the method of going underground and crossing the ramparts is very effective.

    ¡°Thanks to Lysias and the others, it was easy to get to the Magnolias¡¯ house.¡±

    ¡°There were no soldiers on patrol to deal with the Beastman¡¯s armies, and it was safe to say that there were no guards in Magnolia territory.¡±

    ¡°Then, did you manage to get Romeo under your protection?¡±

    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t¡±

    Mea shook her head, her expression darkening slightly.

    What do you mean? You have been to the Magnolias¡¯ house, haven¡¯t you? Did he resist? Or was there never a kid like that in the first ce? It is also highly possible that they were evacuated when the war began.

    But the answer from Mea and the others was none of those things.

    ¡°He had already been taken by someone else.¡±

    ¡ºSomeone else?¡»

    ¡°Yes, Apparently, a man who was over two meters tall, with scars all over his body, and was as ferocious as an ogre took him.¡±

    I only have two people in mind. No, Asurasu was with us the whole time. And it¡¯s not like he is covered in scars all over.

    If so, there is only one candidate.

    ¡°Xellos Reed?¡±

    ¡°Does Fran think so too? Apparently, Xellos Reed attacked the Magnolia family and kidnapped Romeo.¡±

    Xellos Reed was Myrellia¡¯s partner, but he should have betrayed her in herst moments, right? Why did he take Romeo¡­¡­? Is he doing this out of spite against Myrellia? Or is there a different reason?

    ¡ºWhat is the reason¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡°Don¡¯t know¡±

    ¡ºGuess so¡»

    ¡°Can¡¯t you follow him with Urushi¡¯s nose?¡±

    ¡°Woof¡±

    As expected even Urushi can¡¯t do that. Even if you try to trace it back from the Magnolia family, Xellos Reed will be moving around as well, and after a few days the smell will disappear.

    ¡°I see¡­¡­ I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a dead end.¡±

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s put the prize money on the line. It¡¯s already been arranged, but if we announce it again, it will be just annoying to other people.¡±

    ¡°You are right¡±

    It would be better to leave it to Mea and the others to take care of the prize money. Seems like we didn¡¯t really have a choice. It¡¯s a pretty bad aftertaste, but the story about a boy named Romeo ends here.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡±

    I¡¯m sure Fran is wondering about what to do too. But I know there is nothing more we can do about it.

    ¡ºWell it can¡¯t be helped. If we run into Xellos Reed in the future, we¡¯ll ask him out. Well, I don¡¯t think he will speak honestly though.¡»

    ¡°Mn!¡±

    I really don¡¯t want to meet a monster like that for the second time. But I¡¯ve already met him twice. Barbora, and now this¡­¡­ they say that what happens twice might happen three times as well, and so we can¡¯t let our guard down.

    ¡°Blow him away and get the full story.¡±

    It seems that there won¡¯t be any leeway for negotiations. Well, I don¡¯t think negotiations are going to work with Xellos Reed, so it will end up being a battle.

    ¡ºWe have to be stronger to prepare if that were to happen.¡»

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    Fran nodded with a look of determination on her face.

    ¡°Now, Master, I¡¯m here to take care of Master Kiara.¡±

    ¡ºYes¡»

    After the outdoor debriefing was over, we were entering the royal capital with Mea. I wondered if we would have to wait in that line again, but that didn¡¯t happen since we are together with a royal family. There was a private entrance dedicated for the royal family and we were soon able to enter the royal capital.

    The one who greeted me was Mianoa, thedy in waiting that was attached to Kiara. She seems to have returned to the royal capital a step ahead from us and was reporting back. At the same time, she seems to have been preparing for Kiara¡¯s funeral.

    The body of Kiara was taken out of the dimensional storage, and thenid in the coffin that had been prepared. Both Fran and Mea are getting their eyes wet again when seeing that.

 Chapter 378 - The Missing Romeo (I) Part 2

    <h4>Chapter 378 - The Missing Romeo (I) Part 2</h4>

    Having finished our meeting in the open air, Mea and I entered the capital. Although I was worried that I would have to queue again, there was a person of royal blood with us. Taking advantage of her privileges, we immediately got into the city.

    We were met by Mia, who was Kiara''s personal servant. She returned to the capital before anyone else, apparently to report the sad news. Around the same time, she began to prepare for Kiara''s funeral.

    I ced Kiara''s dead body, which I had previously hidden in the Dimensional Storage, in a coffin prepared by Mia. Fran and Mea, looking at her again, could not hold back their tears.

    But not a single muscle twitched on Mia and Quina''s faces. But not because they did not grieve. It is just that the court maids should not show their sadness outwardly. Real professionals in their field.

    The funeral n I heardter was very different from what I had imagined. That is, I, of course, imagined something like a Buddhist funeral, or a European funeral that I saw in the movies.

    But the local view of life and death waspletely different from the world where Ie from. So, of course, the funeral ceremony was unlike anything I had seen before. Moreover, this is the funeral of the half-beast people.

    For a start, there seems to be an emphasis on the very moment of death. After all, this is the moment when the soul is separated from the body and ascends to heaven. Unlike on Earth, the existence of souls here is a generally epted fact, so praying for the happiness of the deceased in the afterlife is especially important.

    Therefore, in a sense, the very moment of passing away is a funeral. After that, only the body remains, which is considered an empty vessel, devoid of a soul. Of course, this does not mean that he is thrown at random, however, the body itself is not given great importance.

    So, as a sign of respect for the deceased, his body is simply protected from turning into undead. After all, a strong adventurer makes a correspondingly strong undead.

    Therefore, if the body of the deceased can be carried away, it is carried away, and if this is problematic, the body is simply burned and buried. It looks like bones are not being harvested either. It is necessary to make sure that no one else identifies the deceased.

    If the deceased can be carried away with him, then a ritual of protection from turning into undead is performed over him, after which he is buried. However, the main thing at the funeral is not the deceased, but the living.

    At a time when the Earth is sometimes said figuratively that the family says goodbye to the deceased, this is exactly what happens in this world at funerals. At the funeral, those present can see the deceased in a coffin, ept the fact of his death, and receive the support of others toe to terms with the loss.

    But there are no funeral gifts or wreaths. Indeed, they cannot be carried away to the afterlife. And prayers for happiness in the afterlife and other ceremonies are conducted not by some monks, but by family and friends. Yes, there is not a single priest at a funeral in this world, this is another important difference from the Earth analogue.

    - The funeral of Mrs. Kiara will take ce in four days. The day after the return of the Beast King.

    - What? Have you contacted your father?

    - Yes. Since the magic device for remotemunication does not work between continents, and there is a chance that the conversation might be overheard in Bashar, I used the Adventurer''s Guild Mail Falcon. He replied that he would return immediately.

    Wouldn''t it be too quick to return from another continent in just three days? They will have to march without rest. However, when your country is at war, this is not surprising.

    They tried to start it exactly when the king is not in the country. Although this alone did not create any particr problems. Still, the military power significantly exceeds that of the Bashar kingdom.

    - Madam Fran, what are your ns? If you want to, you can get a job on the same fast ship, which will sail the King of Beasts. ording to my n, His Majesty will first disembark at the port of Graysir, and then return to Balbora during the day.

    - Can I ask for something?

    - I understand.

    Fran agreed to Mia''s proposal. But these words only worried me more.

    - Hey stop. Would you like to attend Kiara''s funeral? I asked.

    - Hmm? There is nothing wrong with that.

    Yes exactly. I still can''t get out of my head thinking from my own world. Since Fran was with Kiara in herst minutes of life, there is no point in attending the funeral a second time. While I thought it was amazing how easily she was able toe to terms with her loss, for half-beasts, it seems that it was in the order of things.

    But neither Mea nor Quina reacted at all to Fran''s words that she would not be present at Kiara''s funeral. Although, Mea, upon hearing that Fran was going to sail, immediately became sad.

    - Well, Fran. Maybe you will stay a little longer?

    - Sorry. I made a promise to someone.

    ¡°We are obliged to take part in the auction in the Kingdom of Cranzer,¡± I said.

    - That''s how ¡­ Then you really need to hurry. That''s the problem.

    - Madam. Didn''t you think that if you get so upset it will make Fran worry again during the trip?

    - Yes you are right.

    - Besides, there are still a few days.

    - Right! During this time, we can y enough!

    Quina is just a master maniptor. In an instant, Mea''s tension was dispelled. It seems that she has already decided for sure that Fran and Mea should maintain a rtionship ¡­

    - Yeah. Let''s y enough.

    Fran was also eager. After all, this is her first close friend. I hope these three days will be filled with good memories.

 Chapter 379: Royal Bathing and Royal Meal

    <h4>Chapter 379: Royal Bathing and Royal Meal</h4>

    Incredible!

    ¡°Yes, truly,¡± I said.

    - Ha ha ha! That''s the same! That''s the same!

    It was the first day of our stay at the royal pce.

    First of all, we were shown the personal bath of the royal family. Although I had seen enough luxurious baths before, this one was on a different level.

    Of course, everything was in marble. A beautiful lion statue served as a hot water tap. Huge magical chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and episodes of someone''s heroic deeds were painted on the walls. And the fact that these paintings were redrawn every three months only added to their greatness.

    A wide pool served as a bath, around which grew deciduous trees of an unknown species, of a huge size. Probably each of them was over 100 years old. There were more than ten trees in total, and the size of them would fit as a shimboku from jinja temples in my native Japan.

    From what I heard, they were very valuable magical nts. The fruits from these trees appear to have a healing effect.

    Although I had the feeling that this was a very dubious waste of money, it was probably all done in order to show the greatness of the country to the foreign envoys.

    Although I do not think that the king created these luxurious baths only for this purpose. Maybe, with his general love of provocative things, such bathing suits are quite in his style?

    - First, you need to wash off all the dirt!

    - Yeah.

    We washed ourselves in a slightly different ce. Even the soap and other personal care products here were of the highest quality. Mea quickly talked about their custom of taking a bath.

    Although I thought there would be no shortage of maids at the royal baths, the only maid among us was Quina. It seems that half-beasts do not favor strangers when taking a bath, and even the royal family is limited to just one servant.

    - Let me rub your back. Go here.

    - Yeah.

    Oh, what a beauty, this is how the bonds of friendship are strengthened. I could not help but be moved by the care with which Fran and Mea helped each other during the wash. And they rubbed the backs of each other, and helped with the hair, lovely. And Fran Mea treated as a friend, as an equal to herself.

    - Right, right! - I rejoiced.

    So I continued to watch them.

    - Now it''s Teacher''s turn.

    - ABOUT! Then I''ll help too! Do not remain in debt to the Teacher!

    Fran was not at all shy, and Mea didn''t seem to be too worried about me. No, I certainly told her that I used to be human. But since I''m a sword now, it doesn''t matter anymore.

    And I myself, looking at Fran, did not feel a shadow of embarrassment. Perhaps this is because she was like an unmarried daughter to me.

    Fran began rubbing me with a soft sponge of iparable quality. Mea didn''t seem to be worried about me rusting. I am a magic sword after all, and I have my self-repair, so there was nothing to worry about.

    Nevertheless, Quina, of course, did not stand aside. Quina, wrapped in a towel like a tank top, hurried to pick me up from Fran and Mea.

    - Quina, what are you doing?

    - Yeah.

    - Come on, wait a minute. How long have I said that a nobledy should know what shame is? He may be akin to family to Fran, but to you, madam, he ispletely alien.

    - But what''s wrong with that? This is the Teacher.

    - Certainly nothing good. Anyway, Master, let''s do it this way.

    Before I could guess what was on her mind, she wrapped a cloth around her eyes on my wolf emblem. Looks like she intended to make sure I didn''t stare at anyone. Hmm, by the way, no one has figured out if these eyes can see.

    In fact, my entire body had vision, so this maniption did not particrly change anything.

    Well, what to do ¡­ To be honest or not? I think it¡¯s worth keeping silent so that Quina will be calmer ¡­ But I¡¯m afraid to b it in the future.

    I should be honest.

    - This, one of my skills, "special vision" allows me to see everything around me, so does it make sense to cover this part?

    - That it is true?

    - Yes.

    - So, you saw the mistress in such an inappropriate form from all sides?

    - Yes.

    - Here''s how.

    Hmm? Is she angry? What is Quina''s anger like?

    ¡°Do you know what responsibility you would have had to bear if you were an ordinary man who saw the bare skin of an unmarried woman from the royal family?

    A responsibility? Does this mean, "I am responsible for ensuring your happiness"? Scary!

    ¡°Although the Teacher is a very extraordinary character, you cannot marry anyone off to a sword.

    Well, of course! After all, if you think about it, Mea is from the royal family. Of course, she should be strict about who she is naked in front of. But it seems that she herself is not fully aware of this.

    - He''s just a sword, it''s okay! Really, Fran?

    - Yeah.

    - Eh. Master, I beg you, don''t look if possible.

    - Okay, I understand you.

    So, until we left the baths, I looked at the painted ceiling. However, this did not mean that I wanted so much, just Quina reacted to every movement of my gaze. Cold sweat seemed to creep from her gaze, even though I was a sword.

    Probably the effect of her skills "Recognize Presence", "Interrogation", "Recognize Magic", "Control Magic", and her title "Assassin Killer" helped to capture even the slightest movement of my magical energy. I would not want to be her enemy.

    Therefore, to the smallest detail, I remembered the image of the heroic deed, which was captured on the ceiling.

    After the swim, a banquet took ce. No, it''s better to just call it dinner. In Mea''s room, without much manners, everyone ate their food as they always did.

    And now the worry was not about Fran, but about Mea herself. Since she had been an ordinary adventurer for a long time, such a meal was more to her liking.

    Fran, who hadn''t eaten anything but my concoction for a long time, looked very pleased. Of course, the royal chefs prepared very tasty dishes.

    At the Niku Matsuri (Meat Festival), their cooking would have gained a lot of points. I mean, all of their dishes are meat, meat, and more meat. I don''t mean just that there was a lot of meat in the dishes.

    All the food was in one way or another with meat. So there was pork in beef, poultry in aposition with lizard meat, and stuff like that. And meat sds, and meat soups. Fran and Mea ate the dishes one after the other, and I even worried that they would not get heartburn.

    Although they are half beasts, and a carnivorous type. As I briefly overheard from Quina, she prefers vegetables herself. Apparently, because she is of the herbivorous type, half-beast-tapirs.

    It''s hard to be a chef in and of half-beasts, however. Tastes differ so much among different nations. However, in general, they remain human, so that under normal conditions they are able to eat meat, vegetables, and fish. Themon people do not seem to be so picky.

    Only aristocrats can afford to be picky.

 Chapter 380. New profession

    <h4>Chapter 380. New profession</h4>

    It was the second day of our stay in the capital Bestia. The day was spent on sightseeing in the capital and sparring with Mea.

    And we sparred, not sparing the training ground of the pce, everything turned out to be covered with craters in the end. I thought about how to fix the site with earth magic, but due to its special coating, which has the property of magical istion, it did not work out very well to fix it.

    - Ha ha! As I thought, sparring with Fran is breathtaking!

    - Uh-huh!

    But they were both happy with the sparring results.

    Although we initially nned to just practice using the skills, Mea quickly warmed up and started fighting in earnest. Showering us with me magic and other skills, she didn''t really hold back. If Quina hadn''t stopped her, she would have caused even more damage to the pce.

    Though the proficiency improved in the end. Especially the progress was noticeable with respect to "Ways of manipting the body." We also became better at resisting fire attacks, thank God we got the skill to resist burns.

    The most important event of the second day is a visit to the capital''s temple. Finally, after a long time, you can change your profession.

    If you think about it, we have seen a lot during all this time. To be honest, itpletely flew out of my head until Mea told me about it. It is quite possible that new professions have appeared.

    Thest time we checked this was before the Martial Arts Tournament. Then we could not choose anything but the swordsman-magician. Now, finally, remembering again about professions, I realized how useful the profession of a swordsman-magician was.

    The professional skill of the profession, "Combining Magic", given Fran''s rtively poor sess in magic, perfectly helped her to close one of her weaknesses. Given her specialization in physical attacks, and the prospect of improving her magical side through this profession without leaving her weaknesses, this was the obvious choice.

    So, given how we grew up after these many battles, there was a high chance that we could choose a more advanced profession. It doesn''t hurt to check.

    After donating money to the temple, we entered the career change room. By touching the stone b that was there, we were able to find out if a change of profession was possible. ording to the rules of the temple, except for cleaning, entry into this room was prohibited, so that it maintained perfect privacy.

    Perhaps you can peep into it with the help of magic or magical devices, but it is unlikely that anyone would want to do this. After all, it was a temple. Who would like to receive divine punishment in the crown for inappropriate behavior?

    ¡°And we have a great choice here,¡± I said.

    - Yeah.

    At first nce, there were almost 50 professions. I don''t know if this is the norm, but there were definitely a lot of them.

    - By touching each profession, you can see itsprehensive description. And all for a donation of 3000 gold.

    So, among the professions, 5 positions attracted my attention.

    The first was the profession that we noticed for a long time - "Lord of the Sword". Apparently, thanks to our growth in the process of battles, now this option was avable to us. It included Increase Strength, Enhance Sword Art, and Enhance Sword Mastery, as well as the Transformation into the God of Swords professional skill. In general, this profession allowed you to take your sword skills to the limit.

    As far as I remember, the Beast King''s profession is "Lord of the Spear." Apparently, this is something in the same spirit. That is, with this profession, the adventurer can reach S rank. I would say that this profession is at the top of our list of choices. But there was another interesting profession.

    This is the "Holy Warrior". For some reason, this profession, which gives preference to auras skills, seemed very interesting to me. She also gave Empower Crush Evil, a specialized skill against evil spirits that I had already used, and the professional skill was Holy Armor. Although I could not find out the details of the professional skill, it was clear from the name that it was also directed against evil spirits.

    Considering that in the future we may meet Zelsried or some worse evil, it would be nice to have a strong ability against her.

    - The profession "Warrior-archmage" also looks interesting, which would help you develop more versatile. It looks like it makes it possible to reduce the cost of energy to release a burst of spells.

    Although she had no professional skill, Fran would be able to use the burst of spells.

    - This profession, "Heavenly Ninja", looks cool.

    - Maybe yes. In addition to "Higher Agility", it would help make up for theck of sensory and stealth skills. In addition, her professional skill is Perception of Time and Space. It looks like it makes it possible to react even to teleportation.

    Since Fran is the type of warrior who rely on speed, for us now, who do not have sufficient defensive skills, the opportunity to close the gaps in sensory and stealth skills looks tempting.

    - So, thest candidate is "Demon yer".

    - Yeah.

    This professionplemented us in the aspects of "Increasing all stats", "Increasing the effects of suppression skills", "Martial art", "Martial prowess", "Magic". This profession looks very bnced. Probably, the transition to this profession is equally valid for both warriors and magicians. It was a profession that evenly lifts you up in all aspects.

    - So, we have the Lord of the Sword, the Holy Warrior, the Warrior-Archmage, the Heavenly Ninja and the Demon yer to choose from. Which do you choose, Fran?

    - Lord of the sword!

    It was not hard to guess. The Lord of the Sword is the most obvious choice. Fran still loves fencing more than magic.

    - So there will be "Lord of the Sword".

    - Yeah.

    Then Fran chose the profession of "Lord of the Sword". At the same moment, white light enveloped her entire body. A powerful stream of magic radiated from her. However, there was not a single unpleasant sensation. The magic that enveloped her gave only pleasant warmth.

    - Oooh ¡­

    - Are you okay?

    - Yeah. The strength in me is seething.

    Using the assessment, I was convinced that the profession had really changed to "Lord of the Sword." The stats have also increased. The Professional Skill "Bing a God of Swords" is also learned.

    Of course, there were also disadvantages. The magical energy has slightly decreased, and the former professional skill ("Magic Connection") was forgotten. In exchange for his dramatically increased swordsmanship, Fran''s own magic abilities undoubtedly lost their former strength.

    Let''s assume that Fran and I now have a clear line of roles. Fran is now fully in charge of the physical aspect, and I am in charge of the magical one.

    - Hmm, I would like to know what it is - "Transformation into the God of Swords" ¡­

    Bing a God of Swords: Grants the user the power of a God of Swords.

    Even after the assessment, I could not understand what kind of power is given by "Transformation into the God of Swords". Are all the skills in which the word "God" appears like this?

    Then we have someone who could exin everything in more detail. This is Mea. After all, her father, the King of Beasts, Rigdis, possesses the Transform into Spear God skill. Chance is high that she knows about it.

    If in the process everyone finds out that Fran has changed her profession to "Lord of the Sword", then hardly anyone will mind. Fran first of all promised to tell Mea about her choice of a new profession. In fact, Mea had changed her profession even before Fran, so she agreed to discuss new professions with each other.

    When we left the room for the change of profession, Mea met us in a very nervous state.

    - Fran! What, found a good profession?

    - Yeah. That was incredible.

    - Ltd! Nice to hear! Anyway, let''s go back to the pce first!

    Of course, nobody wanted to talk here. There were many outsiders here.

    Returning to the pce, they immediately revealed their new professions to each other. The moment of sharing secrets, it seems, was to some extent sacred for them. The joy of both girls knew no bounds. Well, not surprisingly, they were both warriors to the core.

    ¡°The new step in my profession is called the Incinerating Knight.

    - Sounds great.

    - And then! Now the control of fire has be even better, and the knight''s abilities have dramatically increased. The profession is just for me!

    It was a profession one step higher than her previous one, "Knight of the me". It seems that there were also steps even higher than the Incinerating Knight.

    Mea''s face was beaming with joy. But Quina, with her invariably cold tone, broke off her joy somewhat.

    ¡°But I have to warn you.

    - Warn? I asked.

    ¡°You might be attracted to the word" Incinerate ", but it doesn''t matter how high your attack power is when your power control can''t keep up. As a result, you only increased the danger of a spontaneous explosion.

    Hmm, this profession worries me very much. Given that Mea hadn''t taken control of her me very seriously before, now what, is it going to get worse?

    - Youngdy, I ask you to treat your actions with even greater caution from now on.

    - I ¡­ I know!

 Chapter 381 - Royal Profession

    <h4>Chapter 381 - Royal Profession</h4>

    Mea, after Quina''s argument about herck of control over her me, tried to quickly change the subject by feverishly addressing Fran.

    - Yes, Fran, what profession have you chosen?

    Fran answered the question in her usual unconcerned tone.

    - Mm. Lord of the sword.

    Mea''s reaction to Fran''s response was unexpected. Her surprise was so strong, she spat out the tea already that she was about to swallow it. So, why go straight to Fran''s face?

    While Mea was recovering from shock, I had to wipe Fran''s face with a handkerchief.

    - Once again, what kind of profession?

    - Lord of the sword.

    - So I heard correctly!

    - It can''t be, a profession of the royal rank ¡­

    Not only on Mea''s face, but on Quina''s, surprise could be read.

    - What is the profession of the royal rank? I asked.

    - Among martial professions, this is the highest level. In addition to professions in the branch of the warrior such as "Lord of the Sword", "Lord of the Spear", and so on, in the branch of the magician there are "Lord of me", "Lord of Storms", and further down the list.

    - With the exception of my father, I saw with my own eyes only two other owners of this profession ¡­

    It looks like this profession is more advanced than we thought. So, "Profession of the Royal Rank" ¡­

    - Since you are the "Lord of the Sword", did you learn to "Transform into the God of Swords"?

    - Yeah.

    I knew she knew something about this. So it''s such a strong skill that even mentioning it generates an instant reaction? From Mea''s eyes, she was extremely serious.

    - Listen carefully. Be extremely careful when using it. Especially the first time. Make sure no one is around.

    - Is this such a dangerous skill? I asked.

    - Yes, dangerous. If it gets out of control, it will hurt both you and yourrades.

    From what Mea said, this is not only a strong but also a dangerous skill ¡­

    - Using familiar terms, this skill falls into the category of "self-reinforcement". However, due to its extreme strength, it will be extremely difficult to control it. And my father also failed in trying to control him.

    - Failure?

    - His Majesty, when he used "Transformation into the God of Spears" for the first time was in a group ofrades. He killed them all.

    So, this part with the murder ofrades is already rming. What kind of skill is this?

    - Can you tell us what skills like "Transformation into the God of Swords" and "Transformation into the God of Spears" are like?

    Here''s how. Although their names are simr, can their effect be radically different? Although there is a great chance that they work in the same way, you need to listen to exactly how "Bing a God of Copies" works.

    - The skill "Transformation into the God of Spears", while strengthening the user, endows his spear with a Divine element.

    - A divine element? - I was surprised.

    - Yes. Although I also do not know the details on this score, among the many elements that exist in this world, the Divine element upies a dominant position.

    Divine element. So he must be somehow connected with God? By the way, I heard that although there is immunity to the me, there can be no immunity to the Divine me.

    - If your weapon is endowed with a Divine element, then you can chop the intangible, kill evil spirits that even the "Crush of Evil" does not take, and slugs that are immune to physical damage can be cut in half.

    So this element ignores immunity to any elements? It''s just an exceptional ability. We can say that in this way you can defeat any opponent with a sword.

    ¡°But ignoring resistance is not the main strength of the Divine Element. Remember what I said recently? This element dominates all others. That is, no matter what element you fight against, the enemy will receive such damage as if you attacked him with an element for which he has a weakness. The damage will be huge.

    Does this mean that he not only ignores resistance, but also constantly exploits the enemy''s weakness?

    ¡°It looks like my father, when he killed hisrades, used the" Transformation into the God of Spears "without preliminary verification. Probably, in that situation, this skill was thest hope. After that, the father stabbed the dragon to death with one beautiful throw. But along with him, this throw took all hisrades.

    The power of "Transformation into the God of Spears" was so great that the Beast King pierced the dragon with one throw of a spear, simultaneously simply annihting half of the bodies of hisrades. The mental trauma caused by that event has not gone anywhere to this day. Now the Beast King never uses the Spear God Transformation if there arerades or subordinates nearby. Which is not surprising.

    ¡°At that time, my father used an orichalcum spear. It seems like he could kill a demonic beast with a danger level B in an instant. I can''t even imagine what effect "Transformation into the God of Swords" will have on Master. It is possible that even the earth itself around will not withstand such power.

    Hmm. Perhaps, even if you try to restrain yourself, casualties on the side are still likely.

    - Yes, you still need to monitor the strength. This skill puts an extremely heavy load on the weapon itself. Even the orichalcum spear crumbled to dust after three seconds of exposure.

    That''s how it is ¡­ I guess this is quite normal. When you strengthen something through force, then, of course, it will exert a strong load.

    ¡°It''s dangerous to use this skill for any length of time,¡± I said.

    - Yes. You two, Master, this means that you need to be doubly careful. However, it also exerts a rather strong burden on the owner. Even with a strong desire, it will hardly be possible to use this skill for a long time.

    In general, it is best to use it only when there is a question of life and death. With all this, you will have to try to apply it at least once.

    - Where can you experience it? I asked.

    - Yeah.

    Well, here''s another skill like "Unleash Potential" and "Magnificent sh of Lightning" that painfully hits you ¡­

    Moreover, in our case, we learned the skill by skipping intermediate steps. Therefore, we have not reached the level of body control and skills required for such strength. Compared to someone who received it gradually, the burden on us must be especially strong. As a result, the body will be at its limit.

    But despite this, I am still pleased that Fran is getting stronger with me. Is there a case where a new skill can be used in conjunction with Magnificent Lightning sh?

    - We need to test it as soon as possible.

 Chapter 382 - The Descent of the Power of the God of Swords

    <h4>Chapter 382 - The Descent of the Power of the God of Swords</h4>

    After talking with Mea, we got down to business.

    After leaving the city walls, we went to test the newly acquired ability "Transformation into the God of Swords." Although we have scheduled another sparring with Mea this afternoon, it looks like it will have to be rescheduled.

    Although Mea asked if she could attend the Convert to Sword God check instead of canceled sparring, of course, no one knew what might have happened. So Quina was against it.

    But Mea continued to resist, and Quina had to use her crown grip on her. No doubt that would have pacified anyone. I would say that such a reception has a ce on the battlefield. Although I was not able to discern all the movements exactly, it seems to have consisted of a leg grab that had already shown itself inbat and some sort of suffocation.

    In general, having somehow shaken off Mea, we immediately went to the in not far from the capital. I didn¡¯t feel anybody¡¯s presence in the area. Not only me, but also the Urusi did not find a single soul.

    - Is Fran ready? I asked.

    - Yeah. Master, are you brave too?

    - Yes. I started self-repairing and instant regeneration to the full.

    This should somehow resist the loss of strength. I think that for a few seconds I will definitely be enough ¡­ In any case, we nned to activate the skill for only a few seconds.

    - Let''s go.

    - Forward! Come on!

    - Activation of the form of the God of swords.

    - Ooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    What is it! I felt an incredible strength awakening in me. Right, waking up. In contrast to how it usually happens, the power seemed to rise from somewhere inside me, and did not flow into me from Fran.

    The feeling was as if I was suddenly caught in the rain. But that was not all. It became surprisingly difficult to control myself, and I could not stabilize in any way. While I would not say that I am not yet seasoned enough or experienced enough in the use of power, but since this is the first time I am epting power from someone else, I was not sure if I could handle it.

    However, there was a feeling that this power was mine. She was ready to overwhelm not only Fran, but me as well. If the two of us can manage her, then, probably, we will be capable of anything.

    There was not a shadow of evil in this power. On the contrary, it felt like the power of Divine support. I have only seen something like this in my life. I remember that Kiara''s dying attack, "w of the God of ck Lightning" felt like this.

    However, unlike Kiara back then, this power was significantly more savage and brutal. I tried my best to pacify this power raging in my de. Does the Beast King somehow manage to control this power? Truly, I don''t seem to have seen all the S-grade adventurers are capable of yet.

    Fran paused the skill the next moment. At the same time, the power swirling in my de disappeared. As I thought, you cannot be prepared for this.

    - Fran, are you okay?

    - Uh-huh ¡­

    Despite her answer, I saw beads of sweat beading on Fran''s forehead. Her shoulders heaved up and down strongly, and her condition was unmistakably tired. In the next moment, we were seized by an incredible breakdown.

    We gave all our strength to control this skill, and it was worth stopping its action, as we werepletely deprived of these powers. It will be difficult to get used to this.

    ¡°Fran, can you¡­ can''t you again?

    - Sorry.

    ¡°Don''t worry, it''s not your fault.

    Just a few seconds of using Transformation to God of Swords lowered Fran''s magical energy to zero. For just one application. We didn''t fight, didn''t even move, and still so exhausted. As Mea said, it''s unlikely to use this skill for long periods of time. Even the Beast King is limited to 10 seconds.

    - Teacher, how are you?

    - I think our safe limit is now 5 seconds.

    During the "Transformation into the God of Swords" incredible power awakened in me. And it looks like a Divine element. However, my toughness was depleting at an amazing rate.

    This thing is probably even more dangerous than Unleashing potential. In just one second, the strength has decreased by more than a thousand. And not even a single blow was made, Fran just held me in her arms. In ten seconds, I will surely turn into a heap of scrap metal.

    - Let''s rest a little and try again. Let''s try to hit this time?

    - Uh-huh!

    An hour has passed.

    Fran, having regained her strength with potions, again prepared to activate the Transformation into the God of Swords.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know how much longer I can take,¡± I said.

    - Are you all right?

    ¡°I¡¯ll survive a few seconds.

    Fran looked at me with a worried face. But she had reason to worry. The damage that "Transformation into the God of Swords" inflicted on me could not be immediately restored with the skill of instant regeneration. Just like before Aristea repaired me, I could only recover gradually.

    Apparently Bing a God of Swords overloads the weapon so seriously. In addition, it seemed to me that one of the reasons for such difficulties was the Divine element and its dominance over other elements. Perhaps this can bepared to how the regeneration slows down in slug monsters under the influence of fire. It took me an hour to fully recover.

    In battle, you must use the Transformation to the God of Swords with extreme caution. I do not want to return to Aristea again in the same killed state.

    - So, ready?

    - Uh-huh!

    This time we strike. Previously, I used earth magic to create five boulders 10 meters in diameter.

    - Go?

    - Come on!

    - Bing a God of Swords!

    Go, go, go! Again! This feeling! Wild power has awakened in my de, and swirls like a cruel whirlpool.

    - Fran! Let me take over the taming of power! I myself will fully focus on controlling it!

    - Uh-huh!

    Fran, nodding slightly to me, stepped forward. And at that moment, something changed dramatically. Hmm? What? Is it really Fran? Outwardly, she remained the same, but seemed to have turned into a different person, a terribly strange feeling. Without further ado, I looked up at Fran. However, her gaze was directed forward.

    Taking a step forward, Fran swung me downward, chopping the cobblestone into two even halves. And she repeated it five times.

    And that''s all. Nothing fancy, a standard forward sh.

    However, during this blow, I felt something like cold. Although I shouldn''t have felt it, being a sword, I felt like a chill ran down my spine.

    I felt such goosebumps watching the ideal movements of a genius yer in some sports manga, when hisrades celebrate how perfectly he honed the basics. Something like that. I don¡¯t know if this can be called what I just felt.

    I have mastered the Royal Sword Art. In a battle with a fighter of a higher level, I can lose to him inbat experience, status numbers, in skills. But where I will definitely prevail is in pure sword technique.

    But seeing Fran''s movements now, I realized that I would lose to her. It was painfully obvious. Isn''t the ¡°Royal Sword Art¡± and the ¡°Sacred Sword Art¡± that came before - not the highest level?

    Seeing Fran¡¯s movements gave me exactly that impression. Until now, I had relied entirely on my sword art, but now I felt like I couldn¡¯t do anything.

    Even though I own the Royal Art of Sword, the gap between us was clearly felt. If I were a normal swordsman, I would have no idea how you can strike so quickly and urately. But, I ¡­ we knew that.

    Something sleeping inside Fran helped her make this simple but ingenious blow. It also pointed the way on the harsh path of the God of Swords, on the path of endless training and endless improvement of sword techniques.

    After Fran scattered "Bing the God of Swords" and the Divine element was removed, I could feel the old Fran again.

    Without a word, Fran stood stunned in one ce. Her breathing was ragged, and she looked at me in her hand, not even paying attention to the cobblestones that were cut so smoothly, as if they were made of butter, and cut them with a hot knife.

    - What ¡­ Now it was ¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said.

    Those exciting seconds now seemed like a dream. But judging by our general surprise and fatigue, these few seconds actually happened.

    This is what self-empowerment is along with weapon empowerment. In words, this skill sounds simple. But the actual degree of amplification is truly extraordinary. Without strengthening her body, and surpassing even the "Royal" swordsmanship, without any skills, she cut these cobblestones.

    - Is this skill a gift from the God of Swords? Incredible.

    - Uh-huh ¡­

    Is this a strong skill? Undoubtedly. But we didn''t feel a drop of joy. Only one regret. I even felt ashamed that I had thought so much about my possession of the sword.

    - We will train more.

    - Uh-huh!

    Suddenly I understood. Could it be that the skill "Transformation into the God of Swords" is designed to teach a lesson to those who are too proud to receive "Royal Sword Mastery" and to show the difference between them and God himself?

 Chapter 383 - Fran and Dress

    <h4>Chapter 383 - Fran and Dress</h4>

    It has been some time since we experienced Bing the God of Swords. Although it was already nightfall, Prime Minister Raymond met us on our way to the castle.

    We, having not yet recovered from the shock of the test of "Transformation into the God of Swords," little by little began to regain our former fighting spirit. Especially Fran, whose mood, in general, easily changed from depressed to full of enthusiasm.

    - We need to train even more! she dered solemnly.

    True, from this phrase, the morale was more likely to decrease even more than to increase. This surprised Raymond a little.

    - Something happened?

    - M?

    - Oh, okay. It''s good if everything is in order. In fact, I have a request for you, Princess of ck Lightning.

    - Request?

    - Yes. Regarding the thank you banquet tonight.

    True, if you think about it, the celebration of victory will not be limited to a simple party. Since the King of Beasts himself is returning, it is necessary to prepare for this appropriately.

    It seems that the generals, having disbanded the troops that previously held the defenses on the border with the Bashar kingdom, are already on their way to the capital. To celebrate their triumph, the pce was about to organize a simple banquet.

    Although I doubted whether disbanding the troops was the right decision, it turned out that fresh troops had already been sent to the border of the Bashar kingdom so as not to stop the pressure. That''s what matters, then.

    - Well, what about the banquet?

    Are we offered to join? But this does not sound like a request. Are we being asked to ensure the food ingredients are safe?

    Seeing Fran''s questioning expression, Raymond hastened to rify the situation. Moreover, he really said that he wanted to invite Fran to the banquet.

    - No, the point is that there is a very specific reason for this.

    - Which one?

    - You are undoubtedly invited to a banquet, but this does not mean that you cane there just like that.

    - What does it mean?

    - This appearance is no good, you are required to attend the banquet properly dressed. That is, in a dress.

    - Dress? What for?

    ¡°Well, frankly speaking, this is for Lady Nimei.

    Raymond finally told Fran the true nature of the request. Apparently, he wants Nimea to be at the banquet in a dress. However, even after promising to attend the banquet as the representative of the Beast King, she still stubbornly refused to wear a dress.

    She probably wanted to thank the generals not as a princess, but as an adventurer, as a warrior.

    So that''s Fran''s way out.

    ¡°Maybe if her friend, the Princess of the ck Lightning,es in a dress, then Her Highness will also grant it.

    Clear. Undoubtedly, Mea is always happy when she findsmon features between herself and Fran, including her preferences in fashion. Probably, she will not refuse to go in a dress with Fran.

    - Okay, how do you imagine it? Of course it''s not free.

    Raymond offered what seemed reasonable to us. In addition, this event was not overly formal, and more should have resembled the drinking bout of a group of generals. That is, you don''t really need to worry about manners. Moreover, you can eat as much as you like.

    - Yeah. I realized.

    - Agree? On a dress?

    - Nothing wrong.

    Fran quickly agreed, however. Probably tempted by free food. So Fran doesn''t pay much attention to clothes. Therefore, she does not have both her favorite clothes and the hated clothes. What rags, what dress - all the same.

    Although she would undoubtedly choosefortable clothes that are easier to move in. But, for the opportunity to eat up to the dump, just wearing an ufortable dress a little seemed to her a small price. And yet, isn''t it forbidden to take weapons with you? If I''m around, then certainly there shouldn''t be any problems.

    - So you are willing toe as I ask?

    - Yeah.

    - Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    True, we do not have a dress ¡­ But it seems that he understood this even before we had time to say it out loud. So he offered to lend us the dress that Mea wore a few years ago.

    ¡°Looks like a tailor won''t be needed, it looks just right in size.

    Raymond muttered, examining Fran''s chest and ass as if nothing had happened. Although Mea is slightly taller than Fran in stature, the rest of the dimensions are practically the same. After yesterday''s episode in the baths, I''m sure of that.

    Frankly, they are both punt. I even feel a little sorry for them when they stand next to such a sex bomb as Quina.

    So, wait, what am I talking about, Mea is still 15. Maybe there is still hope? Probably should be?

    - Mea, live and be strong ¡­

    - M?

    - Oh, nothing, nothing. Anyway, can you try on a dress?

    So Mia helped Fran get dressed in Mea''s old dress. And she was just shivering to the face.

    - What a cute ¡­

    It is something! That''s what I understand, my Fran! This beautiful, blue and white dress went incredibly well for her! While her regr Lolita armor dress was cute too, this ssic floor-length dress looked good too! Like a real princess!

    She wore a cute tiara on her head, and her hair was pulled back in a high bun. Sexy from all sides! Her usual hairstyle is of course cute too.

    In addition, she received a discreet makeup. I thought that it would not suit her, but he was surprisingly not conspicuous. It seems that special persistent cosmetics and semi-beast perfume were used.

    Even while eating, your makeup shouldn''t be damaged. Half-beasts are much less restrained than humans, so that some kind of makeup is never between them and food. The girl in charge of makeup, from somewhere in a smooth motion, took out sweets and meat.

    - A little awkward to move.

    - Well, it''s a dress. But it suits you, right? - I said.

    - Truth?

    So, we must not miss the opportunity topliment her. It seems that my interest in girls is gradually returning.

    - No, I would say to the spitting image of Snow White.

    - Snow White?

    - Yes. A famous princess from my world. The evil witch poisoned her with a poisoned apple.

    - And she didn''t even figure out that it was poisoned?

    - No, in my world few people can identify poison by smell, except perhaps the most talented.

    Maybe a specially trained person can understand.

    - From the poison she fell into a long sleep, from which, fortunately, she was awakened by the kiss of the prince.

    - A kiss that cures poison? Is it such a special skill?

    And really, if you think about it, why did the prince''s kiss awaken her? I have read this book for a long time. In addition, the original piece was an order of magnitude darker. Yes, exactly, like on TV I saw how the original was taken apart. I can''t remember all the details, but it seems like the prince turned out to be some kind of pervert who is turned on by corpses.

    - Yes. I don''t fully understand it either.

    - Hmm.

    It would be better to tell about Cindere. Although no, maybe there is also some gloomy original.

 Chapter 384 - Grateful Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 384 - Grateful Banquet</h4>

    When we came to the thanksgiving evening, it exceeded our expectations. I mean, at one point, I even thought Raymond''s words about it being like a banquet were just a ruse to make it easier to lure Fran.

    - So it really turned out to be a banquet ¡­ - I said.

    Fran left my words withoutment.

    And there was a good reason for that, she for both cheeks absorbed all the variety of dishes that rose in front of her. Although stop, I must say about who was present here besides Fran.

    These were the guests of honor, the royal family, and the heads of the ns. Fran, introducing herself to the guests, immediately attracted an avnche ofpliments about her beauty.

    After that, they did not hesitate to talk to Mea and Fran, showing off their feats of arms.

    Well, there''s nothing to be done, youth. And a beautiful outfit was still not only for Fran, but also for Mea. Contrasting with Fran''s blue and white dress ¨¤ Snow White, Mea''s dress was white and red.

    Its design was quite bold, with bare shoulders. Considering Mea''s childish figure, her appearance was not sexy, but her sweetness more than made up for this shoring.

    By the way, at that moment I was in the form of a golden choker around Fran''s neck. Although I thought it would bring back bad memories of the ve cor, she didn¡¯t really want to make any drama out of it. So the choker shape turned out to be a simple and sessful solution for me.

    Although it was not forbidden to bring weapons, and I could not invent anything, but I could not allow Fran to destroy her cute image by carrying me on her back. I wonder if I look sophisticated enough? Additionally, I decorated myself with small gold rings.

    Since being on the neck, I could immediately close with a barrier both the head and the heart of Fran, the choice of this form really turned out to be verypetent. Thanks to the work that Aristea had done on me, I was now able to sustain the transformation for much longer. If it doesn¡¯te to battles, then I¡¯m probably enough for a few hours or something. If the party is really small, then I will stay in choker shape until the very end.

    Although the eyes of many of the young guys were still fixed on Fran and Mea, almost all of them left after a short conversation. And the reason is simple - realizing that their interlocutor is stronger, and even evolved, everyone tried to disperse as soon as possible. Love is love, and lunch is on schedule.

    Although I could usually understand this from afar, it seems that none of the young people dared to approach us with obscene intentions. The senior officers watched them all, smiling. Perhaps they were amused to look at the troubles of the young.

    When the conversations ended, the tables began to fill with a variety of dishes. All of these dishes were truly sumptuous.

    And then Fran was in the spotlight. It might sound a little rude, but everyone thought Fran was an uncouth adventurer. But, meanwhile, she showed excellent manners. Although she could be respected, at least for her strength, no one could ever imagine that she was capable of such a thing.

    Even Mea was surprised. Although she was taught court etiquette from an early age, even she thought that Fran hardly knew anything about it.

    - Fran, this is amazing!

    - Yes. Perhaps even prettier than the youngdy.

    - M, yeah ¡­

    Apparently, Mea could eat without breaking any rules of etiquette.

    - You can''t lose to her.

    - Hmm, you''re right ¡­

    Mea nodded in agreement at Queen''s words. Of course, it was a shock for her that she could lose in the etiquette of Fran, who, firstly, is younger than her, and secondly - whatever you look at, simple and uncouth. I felt that Quina was looking at Fran with admiration.

    The rest of the half-beasts were also amazed. Of course, in the Land of Half-Beasts, strong heroes are loved, so they did not look down on her before. But when Fran, in a cute dress, began to demonstrate excellent manners, not inferior even to Mea, they definitely began to look at her in apletely different way.

    Considering that she was also a heroic person, the admiration with which she was looked at would have envied even the idol singers from my native Japan. Hey, old man, why did you blush like that ?! And you, kid, you are not looking at her well!

    Well, what to do, Fran is too charming now. They can''t help themselves but admire her. After all, to be Fran''s partner, you have to be strong enough to be able to support her.

    In my opinion, among all those present, only three fell under this description. Everyone else didn''t have a chance.

    The first is old General Barberam. It looks like he was one of themanders during the defense. He was from one of the ten founding ns, the Purple Wind Elephant n. His height exceeded 3 meters, I even at first took him for a representative of the giant race or something like that. In addition, this growth wasplemented by his excellentmanding skills, and he was known as a hero warlord who had seen many battles.

    And though now he looks like a gentle, smiling grandfather, in his youth he was a stern warrior known as the "Lord of Destruction."

    Perhaps this would correspond to an "A" rank of an adventurer. At least stronger than Gododarf. Given all this, it''s hard to believe that age has weakened him in any way. Although, of course, his physical strength is probably not at the same level as before, but he undoubtedly stands at the head of one of the strongest military forces in the country.

    The next strongest was Ligdarf of the White Rhinoceros. He bears the title of the head of the n. Since he is Gwendarf''s father, this meant that he was the younger brother of Gododarf, our opponent in the Martial Arts Tournament.

    Does this mean that after Gododarf left his ce as head of the family for the service of the King of the Beasts, Ligdarf immediately took his ce? It was hard to believe that he was as strong.

    Although he was inferior to Gododarf in terms of physical strength, he possessed level 5 wind magic, and his magical energy and stamina were also quite high. Did Ligdarf act wiser by choosing diversified development? After all, the Genus of the White Rhino is obviously famous for its power, and, probably, would have respected someone strong and hardy more.

    Naturally, he has evolved. In addition, as a weapon, he wore not a huge ax, like Gododarf, but a hexagonal two-handed mace. He was a big man with not frail muscles and a height of more than two meters, and his club was taller than the average person. Probably, on the battlefield, his figure swinging such a mace should not have a feeble influence on enemies.

    But I didn''t know what he would think when he found out that Fran had defeated his older brother. Although I think, since Gwendarf knows about it, then Ligdarf could not help but find out about it ¡­ This man remained as calm as Quina, and there was no emotion on his face. Even after meeting him, I still did not understand whether he had sympathy or antipathy towards us.

    Finally, our favorite is a man named Lucias Lawrence. The one who bore the name "Lawrence". He did not have many simrities with Linford, outwardly he was a very handsome man.

    Given his high level of mastery of earth magic, he was undoubtedly a highly skilled magician. This fact is confirmed by the fact that he is a court magician.

    Among his titles, I did not find a single "viinous", and among his skills there was not one associated with evil. As Mea said, he seems to be a really good person.

    When we met him, we didn¡¯t have to guess what he thought about us. On the contrary, he was very polite and courteous, it was clear that he had sympathy for us. Okay, don''t raise Fran, please!

    As soon as Fran took part in the conversation between Mea and Lucias, the other men quickly went about their business.

    But the quiet atmospherested only until new dishes for the banquet were brought. From that moment on, the party turned into a battlefield. Bosses, subordinates, young and old alike began to hunt, fiercely fighting for the right to eat.

    And if the first to be served full-fledged dishes with metered portions, then as an addition, they brought huge tes of dishes so that everyone was surely full. At least it seemed to me that this was the case. Or will they continue to bring food until the next banquet? In general, in the best traditions of half-beasts, all of them, without hesitation, simultaneously pounced on food.

    And Fran and Mea came out victorious here. Pushing the hefty men in different directions, they broke into the very first row, collected freshly brought food, and carried them back to their ces. Unable to offend little girls, hefty men could only leave the table in tears, seeing their favorite dishes disappear out of sight.

    So where did we start ¡­ Yes, Fran ate food by both cheeks.

    - What is delicious? I asked.

    - Uh-huh!

    Just please don''t stain your dress!

 Chapter 385 - Offer from the Land of demi-humans

    <h4>Chapter 385 - Offer from the Land of demi-humans</h4>

    After this petition of eaters" ended, Fran again called Prime Minister Raymond to him. He stood between two tables that wererger than the rest. There was a very serious atmosphere in the air.

    - Thank you for participating in the thanksgiving evening.

    - Yeah.

    ¡°Thanks to you, even Lady Nemea has grown in the eyes of her subjects.

    Looks like Raymond has achieved his goal. Apparently, he really wanted to make Mea look like a real princess in public, in order to improve her public image.

    Althoughbat power has always earned respect in the Land of Half-Beasts, in Raymond''s opinion, it will be easier to appeal to the feeling of beautiful subjects.

    - But it seems that now they love you even more ¡­ In any case, my duty has been fulfilled.

    Fran didn''t really try. Maybe she''s just too cute by nature?

    ¡°In addition, I would like to reiterate my gratitude to you for the support you have given us in this war. Thank you.

    - Come on. I could not do otherwise.

    - Haha. I only convey the words of His Majesty.

    "The King of Beasts himself?"

    - Not so long ago a letter fell into my hands. In it, His Majesty asked us not to let you go without a reward.

    - Awards?

    - Yes, as a war hero, it is uneptable to leave you without a reward.

    Is that really true? And this is despite the fact that Fran did not enter the battle at someone''s request, but of her own free will. We had no reward in our thoughts. But since the name of the heroine who saved the whole country has already spread everywhere, apparently, it would be bad form to confine herself to only words of gratitude.

    Oh, again I understand everything through the prism of my life on Earth. In the light novel about reincarnations, it often happened that the protagonist, who showed himself well, received a title of nobility for his efforts.

    Of course, I would not mind if Fran gets the title, but something tells me that she herself is not going to be a noblewoman. There is little sense even fromnd holdings - she is not able to manage them. And even being an aristocrat, it is difficult to continue pursuing the craft of an adventurer.

    - In our opinion, for invaluable assistance in the war, you should be entitled to the title of Baroness and hand overnd holdings.

    Yes, yes, I knew it! Things are bad, even if it''s not what we want, rejection will surely ruin our rtionship.

    But when my thought processes began to search with might and main for a way out of this difficult situation, I heard something that I had never expected.

    ¡°But in a letter from His Majesty it was said that you probably would not be happy with any title. So he ordered us to refuse such offers.

    Whoa! Well done, king!

    - Yeah. I do not need him.

    - You are not even attracted by the opportunity to wee yournd to the people of the ck Cat?

    - Come on. The lord of Gringord said he would take good care of them. I cannot be a noblewoman, my high status will cause inconvenience to everyone around me. Therefore, I don''t need a title.

    - That''s how, clear, clear.

    Oh, how easily she parried it, I would also say something like that. Oh, how d I am to see Fran growing up and growing above himself.

    - Well, then let us tell you about your award ¡­ Gvisa, I entrust it to you.

    - Yes, with pleasure.

    There and then a certain half-beast-dog appeared that had previously been waiting in the wings behind Raymond. Judging by the fact that Raymond pushed his chair to the side so he could sit down, one could guess about his significant position.

    - I''m the finance minister, Gvisa.

    Wow, even bigger than I thought! Yes, it looks serious. And it doesn''t seem like he was amodating. His face gave the impression of a wise, butpletely unfriendly person. Interestingly, at least sometimes his facial expression changes? What''s he going to tell us anyway?

    - To begin with, I want to capture the points of view of both sides.

    - Points of view?

    - Yes. So, Mrs. Fran. In this war, you, having received neither an order from the leadership of our country, nor instructions from the leadership of the guild, entered the battle as a volunteer. Am I missing anything?

    - Yeah.

    - In this case, you are entitled to the same payment as any other volunteer, in ordance with the charter.

    It seems that the Land of Half-Beasts has adopted a reward system for volunteers during wartime. So Fran''sw is entitled to the same remuneration as any other local volunteer.

    By the way, what do they do with those who helped without engaging in battle? Let us also fought with demonic beasts, but, for example, what about traveling healers who took care of the wounded on sleepless nights? Or merchants who provided free material support? They all contributed to the victory.

    In addition, despite the fact that the princess herself witnessed this, their contribution to the victory is still not taken into ount. Of course, no one forbade Fran to do what she did, but a lot of mercenaries and adventurers were on the defensive in strategically less important ces, and they are unlikely to react with understanding to her initiative. Unhappy, they spread rumors that Fran''s role in the war was deliberately exaggerated.

    That is, if you thank Fran in a special way, it is unlikely that the other volunteers will ept it calmly. Or you will have to deal with the reward for each volunteer separately.

    I mean, many of them worked hard for the victory, who would refuse a decent payoff?

    - Yeah. I don''t need special treatment.

    Fran nodded back. Of course, we did not fight for the award from the very beginning, and as a result of the battles we have already received a lot of useful things. I think that we should not be judged on a par with those who really worked seriously to win.

    Well, since we would not like to quarrel with the country, it is not worth giving up a small reward. While I was pondering this subject, Raymond continued his speech in an impatient tone.

    - With all this, our country cannot neglect your merits. I hope you understand this.

    It seemed that he had no patience anymore and wanted Fran to finally agree.

    - Here''s how. But, if we reduce Fran''s achievements to the level of the rest, then we will no longer wait for volunteers.

    They seem to realize that Fran''s achievement stands out sharply from the rest. But due tows and other circumstances, it seems that they could not deal with her in any special way.

    - In general, there is a proposal. Fortunately, you have apanied Lady Nimea all this time. So why don''t we arrange everything so that you, on the orders of Lady Nimea, were holding back an entire army of Demon Beasts?

    - In terms of?

    Seeing the bewilderment on Fran''s face, Gvisa exined what he meant.

    - I''ll exin. Firstly, if you ept this offer, then your achievement will partly be the achievement of Lady Nemea, this is his only drawback. Secondly, for our country, this option would be better in the context of foreign policy. That is, we will be able to introduce entry restrictions for countries hostile to us. At this point, you can no longer worry so much about the kingdom of Bashar.

    - I realized.

    - The advantage for you is that your feat, having be widespread, has the potential to have a positive effect on the status of the entire genus of the ck Cat.

    This means that if Fran''s feat is elevated to heroic proportions, it will simultaneously be the feat of Mea, who has been there all this time. Also, if the genus of the ck Cat spreads the story of Fran''s feat throughout the country, then the attitude towards the genus of the ck Cat will improve.

    ¡°Plus, given that we''re going to frame this as a special order from the princess, the rest of the volunteers shouldn''t feel hurt. So we can reward you as we see fit.

    Here it is. Indeed, if it was Nimea''s order, then it might be a good excuse for a special reward. Probably, then the salvation of a member of the royal family can be added to the list of feats.

    Although Fran fought for her fellow ck Catrades, the fact that she did it on Nimea''s orders doesn''t give her much trouble. On the contrary, now Fran''s feat has spread to the scale of the country, and in the end it will benefit both Fran and the ck Cat family.

    - Teacher? Fran turned to me.

    - So, what should we do ¡­ - I thought.

    It probably depends on what the award is. Well, no matter what we choose, we ought to find out what they have prepared for us, and for us.

 Chapter 386 - Medal or Rank

    <h4>Chapter 386 - Medal or Rank</h4>

    - So what if I ept your offer?

    ¡°In that case, we will award you with the gold medal of the animal w.

    - A medal?

    - Yes. The Gold Medal of the Animal w is awarded to those who have aplished particrly significant feats for the state. Medal of the highest rank. But for her feat, Mrs. Kiara received the same medal posthumously. If Fran receives this medal, she will be its first living owner in 300 years.

    This award is more impressive than I thought. Apparently, the presentation of the medal to Kiara is simr to the presentation of posthumous medals to heroic personalities on Earth. Is it too stressful?

    - This medal is not only a sign of honor in the country. The awarded will also be entitled to a certain amount. There is no upper limit for this award, so we can reward Ms. Fran as it should be.

    It seems that since the time when this medal appeared, the exchange rate has changed more than once, and therefore the exact amount of the award has not been established.

    - This time we have nned a reward of 10,000,000 gold.

    - Yeah. Got it.

    Stop, stop, stop, stop! Hey Fran? Have you listened to everything? That''s 10 million! By earthly standards, that''s over one hundred million yen! Maybe even now you will show at least a little emotion?

    - Fran! He said "10 million"! I shouted.

    - Yeah.

    Hmm, incurable coldness. Now I feel like a fool to rejoice so much in the reward. Or are you helping me to understand my own shorings in this way? Eh, Fran. I would like you to remain the same pure and naive forever.

    - Can you buy a whole grocery store for this? Fran asked me.

    - A grocery store is definitely possible!

    - Mmm, food aaa.

    It is clear, she simply did not understand howrge this amount is. Only one question remained - maybe I shouldn''t have told her this?

    - I did not expect anything less. And she didn''t raise an eyebrow when she heard such a sum ¡­

    You''re wrong, she just cares exclusively about battles and food.

    ¡°Also, if possible, I would like some of my money to be given to help the people of the ck Cat.

    - Hmm? That''s it ¡­ As His Majesty said, you are truly a selfless person.

    Gvisa thought for a moment.

    - Okay, let''s figure it out.

    - Yeah.

    - Although I see that you are not against the medal, in fact, you have another choice.

    - In terms of?

    ¡°The proposal I was talking about would be for the good of my country and Mrs. Nemea. Of course, you, Mrs. Fran, also do not remain empty-handed. But there is one organization besides my country that could offer you an award.

    - Organization?

    - Adventurer''s Guild.

    What we didn¡¯t expect to hear from Gvisa was this. But we didn¡¯t receive any instructions from them rted to the war, and indeed, does the guild interfere in wars? I thought that their position was not to support any side, not to take part in the country''s defense, and even more so not to issue any awards ¡­

    - During this war, the guild did not achieve much. Although they themselves took part in hostilities as adventurers, but only in the role of ordinary volunteers. Without a doubt, in the event that their city was attacked, they would have helped in the defense and evacuation, but this, in fact, is the duty of all residents of the city.

    The guild is a neutral organization, so there is nothing to do. Speaking of theck of guild achievements, Raymond and Gvisa did not change their faces at all. So it was clear that this behavior of the guild seemed natural to them.

    ¡°However, at the same time, the top leadership of the guild was concerned about the current situation.

    - Concerned?

    - The way the kingdom of Bashar took control of many demonic beasts from the dungeon. After all, dungeons and demonic beasts are run by the Adventurer''s Guild.

    - Although the country is in second ce for them, since no responsibility has been established for the guild before it, the guild reserves the right to act at its own discretion.

    Hmm, that''s what it is about. Still, this war was fought not only against people, from the north, hordes of animals from the dungeon invaded us like a tornado. No wonder the Adventurer''s Guild has gone into action.

    - It is not a fact that in the future the history of this passage will remain firmly in the people''s memory. In this case, the guild will not be interesting to anyone. We, as the country''s leadership, have noints about the adventurers taking part in this war. But the guild would probably like to eliminate unpleasant rumors in the future while improving their public image.

    Yes, the guild took not the worst position in this war, but it realizes that better decisions could have been made. And then it turns out that Fran, who became famous as a hero, is an adventurer. If the directions for Fran''s actions came from them, then they could take a piece of this glory.

    ¡°But the war is over, and all the demonic beasts are driven back. Now the guild has no tools left to influence the situation.

    ¡°Only Fran can lend a helping hand to the guild.

    - In terms of?

    Fran made a questioning expression in response to Gwisa''s words.

    - Yes. Well, the situation is almost the same as with our country''s proposal. Only we asked to arrange everything as if Princess Nimea had issued a special order to fight the beasts, and in the case of the guild, it would be a special instruction from the guild.

    So furnish it as a guild directive.

    - The disadvantage of such a choice, first of all, is that the country would receive a much greater reward. And since the princess has nothing to do with it, you can also forget about the medal. In addition, the cash reward from the guild will be approximately 5 million gold. That is, even the mary reward is much less.

    We''re talking about serious money here. It is not known what it will be like to negotiate with the guild. And even if everything goes smoothly, the disadvantage is a much smaller reward. Besides, rejecting an entire state¡¯s proposal will leave a bad impression.

    - The advantage is that you get prospects to raise your rank, and improve your position in the guild. Sharing the glory of saving an entire country with an Adventurer''s Guild is serious business. It will definitely pull up to rank B.

    Here it is. Although we suffer financial losses, it is not often that there is an opportunity to raise the rank. Considering that the check bes stricter with each rank, having risen from rank "C" to "B", we have the opportunity to jump over most adventurers and stand out from the crowd.

    Moreover, we will get the favor of the guild. Since Fran is an adventurer, it can be said to be worth more than any money.

    - We, as representatives of the country, give you a choice.

    - Think hard.

    As Raymond and Gvisa spoke these words, they were smiling. I think, as representatives of the country, they would like us to choose a medal, right? It seems that they arepletely benevolent towards Fran, but still they are officials in the service of their country, what are the limits of their benevolence? No, that''s not the point.

    Maybe their politeness is just trying to get Fran to their side.

    And all these exnations of the advantages and disadvantages were needed only to establish a connection with the interlocutor. Moreover, they offered an option that is not beneficial for themselves. Apparently, in this way Fran should feel a kinship with the country of the Half-Beasts. In addition, since the proposal was made not by someone, but by such a noble aristocrat as Gvisa, it is more difficult to reject him. Apparently, they decided that if he were an ordinary employee, Fran would not get the impression that the offer was better not rejected. Well thought out.

    - Mentor?

    ¡°Fran, whatever you choose, I''ll take it all.

    - Good. I realized.

    Well, it doesn''t look like anyone was trying to trick us. On the contrary, there were normal negotiations. All options have their advantages. It would be better for me to trust what Fran herself desires.

    - Since the decision is serious, I give you a night to think.

    - Tomorrow morning you can report your decision ¡­

    - No. Everything is fine. I choose a medal.

    - Hmm? Are you sure?

    Fran answered immediately. I myself did not expect. Actually, I thought she would choose the guild. Since she is definitely not of the character to desire a medal, it was easy to think that she would choose a promotion.

    - The medal will be better. Like Kiara.

    - Received. We will begin preparations immediately.

    - Yeah.

    What is the reason for this choice? So I thought they were just waiting all this time to present the medal to Fran.

    - Well, let''s try to contact the guild.

    Of course, they seem to have already spoken to the guild. Thus, both proposals could be submitted. Since Gwisa was also tasked with handing over the guild proposal and negotiation, the Land of the Half-Beasts was definitely favored.

    - Mrs. Fran, I heard that in battle you got a certain amount of trophies from demonic beasts, would you like to sell them in the guild?

    - But I have no time.

    It''s already night, and tomorrow I have to hit the road. I think that even to just sell something, you have to go to another city. Although we have butchered many animals in Aristea''s mansion, there are still plenty of uncut ones.

    ¡°I think that since you turn down the guild''s offer, it would be nice to do them a little favor and sell the materials to them. You have nothing against selling them, do you?

    - Yeah.

    - Then I''ll invite a man from the guild to the pce. I will also send cutters and evaluators. You can use the training ground of the pce for cutting. For my part, I promise to provide assistants. How about this?

    I thought so, they were well prepared. Well, here it would be even indecent to refuse. I don¡¯t even know why they worked so hard. But, if they help us with cutting and selling, we will only be grateful.

    ¡°Let''s ept this offer,¡± I said to Fran.

    - Yeah. Got it. It will be better this way.

    - Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 Chapter 387 - Last Night in the Land of demi-humans

    <h4>Chapter 387 - Last Night in the Land of demi-humans</h4>

    After we parted with Raymond, a man called us over. We found him at a bar adjacent to the officers'' section of the pce, and took up questions.

    - We need to talk a little.

    - Hmm? With me? About what?

    It was Lucias Lawrence. The earthmage is of the same lineage as the warlock Linford Lawrence, whom we fought in Barubor.

    Although there was no one besides Lucias, Ligdarf, and the bartender, it is not known whether anyone else should have listened to our conversation. Noticing Fran''s nce across the two of them, Lucias hurried to exin.

    ¡°Mister Ligdarf, myrade in arms. I don¡¯t mind him hearing everything. The bartender also keeps secrets like a true professional.

    That is, we will talk like that. Well, since he doesn''t mind, then we don''t need to worry.

    - Have you heard the name "Linford Lawrence"? Where did you hear it? Have you met him?

    - Yeah.

    We knew about him, of course. Is he really his rtive? In that case, you need to tell him how Linford died.

    But before Fran opened her mouth, Lucias dropped his head in silence.

    - Excuse me.

    - What?

    - All the evil that this man brought to people cannot be justified. Tell me how did you meet this viin?

    We just mentioned the name, and he already reacted like this. It was clear that this was a difficult subject for Lucias. It seemed that he felt such guilt that he could not even raise his head.

    ¡°As his son, I am obliged to apologize for him.

    Hmm? A son? So that''s why there is such a difference in age between them. Is he human? If Lucias is really Linford''s son, then he should have had a child that way at 60. If he is not an elf or something like that, then it sounds strange ¡­

    Although no, this ispletely impossible. And Fran, by the way, could not contain her surprise either.

    - Hey Fran. We didn''t even think that he had children, maybe it''s not worth talking like that directly? I asked.

    - No. We were the ones who killed Linford. Since he really is his son, we must tell you.

    - I know that my apology is not enough ¡­

    Oh, I got it. He decided that since Fran couldn''t say a word, it meant she was angry.

    - No no. I was just surprised that you are his son.

    - And that''s it.

    ¡°Besides, I have to apologize too.

    - Apologize?

    - Yeah. Linford is killed.

    Fran told everything without hiding the tension in her voice. About how his father became our enemy. Fran talked about her fight with Linford, and then I supplemented her story about how other adventurers helped in defeating him. Everything from start to finish.

    We didn''t know how he would react. Although Lucias seemed to be ashamed of Linford himself, he was still his father. I don''t think he would have given it as an offense ¡­

    "So Linford is ¡­ dead?"

    Lucias asked again, not hiding his shock at what he heard, which waspletely unsurprising.

    - I ¡­ I am very sorry to you.

    - No no! Nothing to apologize for! You protected Barubora. There is not one bit of a bad thing in this!

    - But ¡­

    - On the contrary! On the contrary ¡­ Apologize ¡­

    - M?

    ¡°I chased Linford for years to send him to his grave with my own hands.

    It seems that Lucias, as a child from a warlock family, endured harassment for many years for this reason. Therefore, over the years, his hatred of warlocks and evil spirits only intensified. When he spoke of Linford, I saw on his face the deepest hatred for him.

    - I had to stop all that series of misfortunes that my father brought to people. But you did it instead of me. I don¡¯t have enough words to thank you ¡­

    Lucias saluted us by kneeling down on one knee and raising his right fist in front of his face, cing it on the palm of his left hand. It looks like it was a gesture of the utmost respect.

    Of course, I couldn''t resist using Deception Control just in case, but I didn''t find a trace of a lie. Both his hatred of Linford and his gratitude to Fran were true.

    ¡°Now my years of incessant worry havee to an end. Now I can visit my mother''s grave with good news.

    Tears welled in his eyes, and Lucias, after thanking us several more times, went to his private room with Ligdarf.

    ¡°I thank you for freeing my friend from his hardships.

    - Yes, thank you.

    It looks like he really endured a lot. It''s good that we had the courage to tell you about Linford. No, only Fran had the courage, not me.

    After that, it was time to speak with the Adventurer''s Guild Representative who haspleted all preparations for the sale of our trophies. We''ve put all the demonic beasts the guild hoped to see on the training ground. Of course, it was impossible to take out all of them, so we limited ourselves to selling about 150 copies.

    Even the representative of the guild could not maintain a neutral expression from the sight of many animal corpses neatlyid out on the site. Seeing the strongest monsters killed with a single blow to the heart, and especially tough beasts with severely crippled skin or scales, seemed to give him a good idea of ??Fran''s strength. Still, there were some very strong animals among them. However, given that people who specialize in cutting and evaluating usually sag in terms ofbat power, this was not surprising.

    - Well, let''s finish this before the morning! Payment will also arrive at about the same time!

    - Yeah.

    However, it didn''t take long before this fear turned into awe. So half-beast and good - that they respect strength. Undoubtedly, they see Fran as a real heroine.

    - Let''s go back to our room? - I said.

    - Yeah.

    Tomorrow morning we are heading to Graysier. If you don''t go to bed now, Fran won''t wake up in time. Although in which case, I can carry it using telekinesis.

    Oddly enough, this time I fell asleep myself surprisingly quickly.

    - Fran! Iwaited for you!

    - Mea, what happened?

    In the room Fran was waiting for Mea, already dressed for bed. When ites to that, Mea wore a loose white nightgown. She was very, very good.

    - And what happened? Nothing! This, here!

    - M?

    - But, here''s the thing ¡­

    Nothing was clear from Mea''s words. Although no, I understood what she wanted to say.

    - The Young Lady is trying to say that since this is thest night in the pce, she would like to sleep with Fran.

    - I wanted to say it myself!

    Ah, that''s it. Tied to Fran as always.

    - That''s exactly what I wanted to say, let''s sleep together!

    - Yeah. Good. But maybe then Urusi will be with us too?

    - Urusi?

    Urusi barked questioningly.

    From behind Fran peeped out Urushi, apparently responding to his nickname. On his face and without words it was possible to read: "Do you need something?" Judging by his slightly haggard face, he was given plenty of food at the thanksgiving evening.

    ¡°He did a great job today, so we''ll sleep together. Good?

    - That''s how it is. I''m not against. After all, Urusi and myrade too!

    - Won!

    Urusi barked happily. It looks like his mood immediately improved.

    So, on thest night in the Land of Half Beasts, Fran and Mea had their little bachelorette party. True, their conversations boiled down to the topics of battles with monsters, and the dangers they had to face during their adventures. But since they have fun together, I don''t mind.

 Chapter 388 - Medal Presentation Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 388 - Medal Presentation Ceremony</h4>

    On the morning of thest day in the Land of Half-Beasts, the medal ceremony took ce.

    Although there was no splendor inherent in ceremonies, everything took ce in just one room of the pce. After reading Fran''s merits to the few invited guests, the royal family presented her with a medal. Probably, everything about everything took 30 minutes. The new medal winners will have to be publicly announced during the triumphal parade.

    In the blink of an eye, all the necessary people were gathered and all preparations were made for the presentation of the medal.

    It seems that in the Land of the Beasts, they initially refrain from especiallyvish ceremonies or meetings. So such simple and short ceremonies were not something out of the ordinary. In general, none of those present was surprised that the ceremony of awarding the highest medal in the country, the Gold Medal of the Animal w, looked so modest.

    Incidentally, of the officers present at the thanksgiving banquet, there were the Barberam of the Elephant of the Purple Wind, Ligdarf, and Lucias. Although they seemed to have drunk quite a bit of alcoholst night, so not all of them were on their feet, but they all held up with dignity in terms of facial expressions. As expected of seasoned veterans.

    Among the officials, Prime Minister Raymond and Finance Minister Gvisa were present. In addition, there were some of their subordinates. However, I do not know if Lucias, the court magician, can be called an officer.

    Although there were not many people present, since there was a general and a prime minister among them, the people gathered here were surprisingly influential. In addition, the medal was presented by Mea, a member of the royal family.

    - Fran is from the ck Cat n. Thank you for your work.

    - Yeah.

    - In order to glorify your feat, we reward you with the Gold Medal of the Animal w. ept her.

    This is how the ceremony went - quickly, but solemnly. There were only two surprises.

    First, Urusi also received a medal. It appears to have been a Familiar Special Merit Medal given to the hero''s pets.

    - Urusi, thank you for your work.

    - Won!

    - Yeah. Suits you.

    - Uuuf!

    Urusi did not hide his delight when Mea hung the medal around his neck. Urusi did a really good job. Then it will be necessary to reward him in his own way. Maybe make him a particrly spicy curry like he likes? He usually eats the same as Fran, so I limit the amount of spices. This time I''ll make it so hot that Fran can''t eat.

    Once you can, in honor of the presentation of the medal. By the way, Fran has promised to support the people of the ck Cat. Looks like he''s going to visit them soon.

    In addition to ensuring equality and living conditions in the country for the people of the ck Cat, those who wish to start a military career will be awarded armor and weapons by the state, and will also send mentors for them in martial arts. In addition, Fran is entitled to an additional reward of 10 million gold. Yes, they did not stint on the award.

    At the end of the ceremony, we will have to hit the road. Yesterday we managed to make some small purchases, and all the awards are now with us. All preparations for departure have been made. We nned to leave the capital immediately after the end of the ceremony.

    Then, by nightfall, having arrived in the port city of Graysir, we will board the high-speed ship on which His Majesty sailed.

    Usually the journey takes about ten days, but we can take a more direct route.

    Previously, we traveled to the capital using a horned carriage, but taking the path right through the demonic barrier would only take us half a day.

    ¡°Let''s say goodbye to Kiara and let''s go,¡± I said.

    - Yeah.

    Finally, we spent a few minutes looking at thete Kiara. Without saying a word, without even shedding tears, they just stood silently in front of her.

    But as Fran left, her face was just more enthusiastic than before. I don''t know why, but it looks like Kiara influenced her so much.

    - Well, that''s all? I asked.

    - Yeah. Everything is fine.

    - Here''s how.

    - Come on, Teacher.

    - Let''s go!

    At the exit from the room with Kiara''s body, Fran was already waiting for Mea.

    - Well, go!

    - Yeah.

    Looks like she saw Fran say goodbye to Kiara. But she said nothing more. With only a slight smile, she ordered us to hit the road.

    We headed outside the capital. I didn''t want to leave the pce. And then there may be a noise that a demonic beast has burst into the capital. So we decided to say goodbye to everyone on the in near the capital.

    - What is Fran, going?

    - Yeah.

    - Great, go ahead, Linda!

    - Guoooooooo!

    This time we skated not on Urusi, but on Linda. Linda''s speed, of course, is second to none. Quina was on duty this time, so only Fran and Mea were flying on Linda. Therefore, the speed was even higher.

    - Guooooooon!

    - Wow! How fast! - I was surprised.

    - Uh-huh! Amazing.

    With each p of her wings, Linda picked up more and more speed. Even Fran, ustomed to riding the Urusi, could not contain her amazement as she flew in the sky. Although I myself flew at higher speeds, I never sat in the scabbard on Fran''s back.

    - Ha ha ha! Linda is not capable of that! Hey Linda! Show them!

    - Guoooo!

    It wasn''t fast yet ?! In the next moment, Linda''s entire body shone with a red light, and his speed began to skyrocket. Looking back, I saw that he had a trail of fire. He used the same ability inbat. It was like the Jet Shot from the school of fire magic.

    eleration was not instantaneous, and although this ability was used to gradually gain speed, the end result was even faster than Rocket Shot.

    This appears to be a unique skill rted to me control. One should also get skills in me control. Even though I''m not that good at controlling mes, I think a skill from the same branch should be found.

    In addition, with the skill of air flow control, he significantly reduced the air pressure. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t feel the wind at all, it could only be weak, like from a fan. Considering that we are flying high in the sky, you can ignore it.

    - Look over there. A whole group of turtle kings.

    - Oooh ¡­

    In the ce where Mea pointed, a whole group of turtles swam in theke, resembling a small mountain from afar. First time I see turtles with a tree growing on their backs! A very colorfulndscape.

    - Look down. The famous all over the country Jade Lake.

    - Beautyaa.

    Now ake appeared, the surface of which shimmered with the colors of jade. It seems that since its bottom ispletely covered with stones of this color, the y of light on the surface caused such an effect.

    Mea never tired of showing and telling us about each curiosity, one after another. Just like a real guide. Fran loved it too.

    - Look! Now the fog will clear and the border mountain range will be visible!

    - Oooh ¡­ Awesome.

    - High ¡­

    In the ce where Mea was pointing, a huge gray mountain range appeared. Although he should have been very far away, this only added to his amazing majesty. It seemed as if he was propping up thick clouds, which ultimately looked like a huge veil covering the ground.

    This ridge was even higher than Everest. You will not see this on Earth.

    - And we were at its foot ¡­ - I said.

    - Yeah.

    Fran looked into the distance, at this ridge. It looks like she''s been flooded with different memories. Both good and bad - there were many.

    - By the way, Fran.

    - Yes?

    - Will youe back to us?

    The right question. Of course, Fran has different memories of this country, and good ones are not in the majority. But, in recent days we managed to get so many good impressions.

    - Of course.

    - True?

    - Yeah. After all, you live here, Mea.

    Still, Fran never stops thinking positively. Although she has many bad memories and very few good ones, she has a dear friend here.

    Even though Kiara died in this country, and we ourselves almost said goodbye to life, while her friend Mea is here, no barriers will stop Fran to meet her again.

    - I will definitely, I will definitelye.

    - Yes I will wait.

 Chapter 389 - Lord of the Sword and Lord of the Spear

    <h4>Chapter 389 - Lord of the Sword and Lord of the Spear</h4>

    Our celestial excursion on horseback on Linda came to an end when we finally arrived at the port city of Graysir.

    There was arge shi p in the harbor, and there was a noticeable lively action around it.

    ¡°Looks like the Beast King has already arrived at port,¡± I said.

    - Yeah.

    The air was simply saturated with the sense of his presence. One could understand this without even seeing him personally. Continuing further into Graysir, we saw the Beast King talking to his subordinates in the harbor.

    Suddenly we noticed someone approaching us.

    - Hey! So you and Fran-chan, you stupid daughter!

    ¡°We haven''t seen you for a long time, Father. Or should I say "Your foolishness."

    - Ha ha ha ha! That Mea got stronger while I was gone?

    - Haha. I am growing by leaps and bounds.

    Between the King of Beasts and Mea, there was no particr atmosphere of father and daughter, but they seem to get along. Since His Majesty was heartily happy about Mea''s sesses, his rude words did not particrly affect her.

    - Hmm ¡­

    After a short conversation with Mea, the King turned his attention to Fran. He slowly examined her from head to toe, as if assessing.

    Nobody expected his next action. Taking the spear from his back, he made a downward blow at lightning speed.

    At the moment when I thought that the spear would cut Fran''s head in two, she barely had time to dodge the blow. In fact, we can say that she was in the bnce of death. From the pressure of the air, her bangs flew up, and her clothes fluttered like in the wind.

    But Fran didn''t end there. Dodging the blow, Fran grabbed me and counterattacked. The king barely had time to ce the spear so as to block her shing blow.

    There was a loud sound of metal hitting metal.

    My de stopped a few millimeters from the Beast King''s neck.

    They were perfectly honed attacks, I even felt their desire to fight to thest. Although neither Fran nor the King used the arts of sword or spear, there was something in their movements, gaze, and maneuvers that made them feel serious. Probably, if such an attack were directed at Mea, then she would definitely lose her bnce. So strongly in this attack a certain bloodlust was felt.

    A powerful blow from one weapon to another responded with a shrill sound.

    In the next moment, both opponents bounced off each other, and at the same time removed the weapon in ce.

    - This time I dodged, then.

    - And you too.

    Neither Fran nor the King showed any anger or confusion. Now it became clear that this exchange of blows was nothing more than a test.

    Yes, an ordinary person would not have survived this, these were first-ss blows. It would be impossible to defend against such attacks without possessing the weapon art of the "Lord" (King) level. That is, they made sure that both are at the same level of weapon proficiency.

    - What are you doing ?!

    Mea, not understanding the situation, looked at the two of them with a shocked expression on her face. Yes, Mea, apparently, did not understand the essence of this exchange of blows. Even for her, with the sacred art of the sword, good intuition, and powerful skills, from the outside it must have seemed as if her father and Fran wanted to kill each other. This, in general, serves as a confirmation that Mea has not yet reached such heights of skill.

    - Ha ha ha ha! What are you, we just said hello! Right?

    - Yeah.

    - Say hello? Just? But ¡­ What would you have done if she hadn''t had time?

    - Yes, everything is all right! As ast resort, I would just stop.

    - M?

    - Hey, hey, I''mpletely serious.

    - Since he owns the royal art of the spear, then you can bepletely calm.

    - So this is how it is¡­

    It looks like he was nning on stopping the spear at thest moment if Fran hadn''t had time to dodge. Maybe he would have stopped, but he certainly would have inflicted serious injury.

    ¡°In any case, does it mean you really acquired the Art of the Lord of the Sword? Moreover ¡­ Transformation into the Lord of the sword.

    - How do you know?

    - Haha. Maybe you, youngdy, are good at hiding your presence, but you arepletely incapable of hiding your strength.

    - Hide your power?

    - Yes. Along with the ability to sense the presence of someone, there is also the power to read the level of power. In your case, I was convinced of this very urately.

    - Yeah.

    - For example, when I first met you, face to face, you seemed to me very defenseless. After all, a warrior like you, even trusting me, would weaken your defense? Of course not. And it''s easy to answer why. Even in this state, you would like to feel at least partially safe. Before I gave in to you. You should already know what I''m really capable of. And all this, together with how you keep your distance, means only one thing. That you still received the power with which you can avoid my spear. That is, nothing more than the Art of the Lord of the Sword. And for sure I was convinced of this after the greeting. So she became the Master of the Sword?

    Wow, he sees right through us. As expected of the Beast King.

    - Well, whether you are the Master of the Sword or not, you probably haven¡¯t met a person of a simr level yet ¡­ You do not understand what an important role information ys in battle?

    - Yeah. I see.

    - So what is the conversation between two owners of professions of the royal rank ¡­

    Mea, looking at her father and Fran, was now in awe. She apparently could not even fully understand the meaning of their words.

    - And what should you do to seem weak?

    - Everything is easy. You have to be more vignt about the environment. But strength can only be hidden to a certain extent.

    Here it is. The strong always looks rxed, because he has nothing to fear. This means that someone who wants to appear weak should show concern and alertness.

    ¡°So the one who looks down on others and hopes for an easy victory is stupid. A cautious adversary may be stronger than it seems. I hope I put it right.

    - Yeah.

    - However, there are still many nuances. This is just the quickest and easiest way to appear weak. Only on weaklings will it work. But never on me! Maybe only if Fran-chan dresses even prettier.

    I''m sorry, but no. But it''s good that we now understand that there are many different ways to hide your true strength.

    - Thank you.

    - So, and I never returned the debt to you!

    - Debt?

    - What, you really don''t understand? I¡¯m not someone there, but the king of the country you saved. In general, you have to kneel in front of me.

    - So, old fool, here you are already true ¡­

    - I realized.

    No matter how sincere, democratic, or close the king may seem, of course, he deserves the appropriate treatment. And I understand that too.

    - But now let''s do this ¡­

    With these words, the King of Beasts took Fran by the hand and bowed deeply. This bow meant the maximum degree of his gratitude. Leaving his headpletely unprotected for Fran, he also showed the highest degree of his respect for her.

    ¡°This time, I have to thank you for your support. You saved all of us.

    And there was no doubt that the Beast King''s words of gratitude sounded extremely sincere.

 Chapter 390 - Departure and Parting

    <h4>Chapter 390 - Departure and Parting</h4>

    ¡°By the way, I''d like you to take this.

    The Beast King bowed his head to Fran for about a minute, then handed her a pouch. At first nce, it was an ordinary small, dirty pouch, but I sensed the magic in it.

    - Item bag?

    - Yes. You got some 10 million, right?

    Some 10 million? What categories he thinks, however.

    - Why skimp on the hero? It would be better to give one hundred million. But, even if I am the king, but I can not dispose of the treasury at random. If I start doing this, I will fall to the level of some dictator.

    And he says surprisingly decent things. I thought he was one of those kings who preferred autocracy, but it turned out that he did not.

    - Although, first of all, there are not so many civilian officials in our country. I would not want to harm them again.

    The Beast King made a forced smile.

    It seems that only military ranks were popr in the Land of Half-Beasts. It may seem that the "herbivorous" half-beasts are inclined to peaceful activities, but even among them there are many brave and daring. That is why the country is constantly experiencing a strong shortage of those wishing to be civilian officials.

    And those possessing such outstanding qualities, who can be entrusted with the post of minister, can be counted on one hand. Therefore, in the Land of Half-Beasts, they are treated with special respect. In other countries, officers often look down on officials as weaklings, but in the Land of Half-Beasts, such an attitude is unthinkable.

    ¡°Our citizens love to eat well, so logistics is our top priority. So those officials who are involved in this area are especially highly respected.

    - That''s how it is.

    - Oh, something I deviated from the topic. Well, although the country cannot give you anything more in gratitude, but no one will be against a gift personally from me. At least I''ll feel better about that.

    - What''s in it?

    - This is something like my pocket money, not so much, about 5 million gold. I still spent a lot on my trip. There was practically nothing left.

    - Yeah.

    Hmm. I no longer have the strength to be surprised. 5 million ¡­ ha ha ha ha. Stop, is it true? 5 million? Together with the additional medal reward and the proceeds from the sale of trophies from demonic beasts, we have a total of over 20 million gold pieces.

    And Fran, as always, did not raise an eyebrow! Why does she make me look like an idiot getting cock for no reason every time we getrge sums?

    But while we were talking, it was time to sail. Together with Loise and Gododarf, someone who looked like a captain appeared and came up to us.

    ¡°Madam Fran, I ask you to get ready to board the ship. We leave in 5 minutes.

    - Good.

    - Do you have luggage?

    - Everything is fine. I gathered in my own way.

    ¡°That''s how, then you are using Space-Time magic.

    Having greeted the captain, we learned that we still have time to talk before sailing. And then that''s it. This ship will take us away from the continent of Chrome, to the continent of Gilbard.

    - Fran-chan,e back any time!

    - Yeah.

    - Thank you.

    ¡°You saved all of us.

    After the King of Beasts spoke, Loise and Gododarf appeared next to him, kneeling and bowing their heads. Apparently the magic of teleportation.

    - I would like to thank you for mentor Kiara.

    - To thank?

    - Yes. She died on the battlefield as she evolved fighting a powerful enemy. After all, this was exactly the dream of mentor Kiara. In addition, in yourst moments of life, you took care of her, Mrs. Fran. The one she considered practically her granddaughter ¡­ I envy such a death.

    - I think so too. When I heard that the mentor came down with an illness, I immediately thought that she would not die so easily.

    ¡°It was you, Fran, who helped her up. If not for you, then, I think, the mentor Kiara would not have been able to evolve, or even fight anymore.

    - Chin up! The death of your mentor is not your fault! She died the best possible death! Undoubtedly, she herself is grateful to you! I, as her student, have no doubt about it!

    While it sounded a little harsh in my opinion, I knew it was all to cheer up Fran. And Fran knew it too. With a serious face, she nodded to the Beast King.

    - Yeah.

    - And one more piece of advice about "Turning into the God of swords." Don''t drown in its power.

    - I realized.

    ¡°Fine, then. This will be your guide. I think it will help you.

    - Yeah.

    - Let''s spar the next time we meet.

    It was clear that the Beast King himself did not find his Transform God of Spears skill easy to use. And it was andmark that would help to conquer new heights after gaining "royal" skills. Apparently, he once felt the same as we do now.

    - Fran ¡­

    - Mea ¡­

    Mea approached Fran onest time. Not knowing what else she could do, she took Fran''s hands and raised them to chest level, and looked into her eyes with a sad look.

    - We are parting.

    - Yeah.

    It was noticeable how not only Mea''s eyes, but also Fran''s eyes were moisturized. No, their eyes were already filling with tears. It''s only a matter of time before they start to cry.

    - If someone offends you, then call. Whatever I do ¡­ Wherever you are, I will definitely rush.

    - And me too.

    - Yes.

    - Yeah.

    - This is not ourst meeting. But I can''t hold back my tears.

    - Yeah.

    - But I can¡¯t help ¡­ with myself ¡­

    - Yeah.

    Tears rolled down Fran''s cheeks and Mea wiped them gently. So, letting go of each other''s hands, they parted. This was a sign of parting.

    - Fran, look. The ship is already sailing.

    There was the sound of a bell to sail, and Fran hurriedly ran up thedder onto the fast ship. Once on deck, Fran still kept her eyes on Mea.

    - Until!

    - Thank you!

    I guess she couldn''t afford to cry thest time she saw her. Fran tried hard to smile. What a bitter smile. However, Mea did the same.

    And even though both girls could not smile, they smiled for each other as much as they could.

    ¡°You helped me a lot,¡± I said.

    - I have to tell you that, you helped us a lot. See you. Next time I''ll show Linda''s true strength.

    - I''ll dly have a look.

    - Well, Fran. See you!

    - Uh-huh! See youter.

    It is not by chance that this ship is called fast. As soon as the ship left the pier, it began to pick up speed surprisingly quickly. The earth was carried away from us faster and faster.

    But Fran continued to wave her hand anyway. Even when she no longer saw anyone, and Graysir turned into a point on the horizon. She kept waving and waving.

    - Bye everyone, bye-bye!

 Chapter 391. City of Curry fans

    <h4>Chapter 391. City of Curry fans</h4>

    I didn''t want to say anything bad about this fast ship, only good.

    First of all, we were treated like clients with no duties on the ship, and due to the speed of the ship, there was not a single instance of demonic beast attacks. A few days of idleness - and the continent of Gilbard appeared on the horizon.

    Apparently, such ships are not popr due to their very high cost. Even using the most modern magic propeller, more than ten magic stones are consumed every day on the road. Moreover, this propeller is sorge that it takes up more than half of the ship''s hull, which is why the capacity suffers 5 timespared to a conventional ship of this size.

    So it seems that they were only suitable for transporting high-ranking personalities and especially valuable goods, and could not rece ordinary transport ships in any way.

    In general, there were no special incidents on the way, and in the end we again entered thend of Barubora.

    - We were d to serve you.

    - Yeah. Thank you.

    It seems that the captain of the ship really liked us. Perhaps because during the cruise, we shared with the whole team a demonic beast fish caught from the sea.

    Plus, they seem to be very jealous of our ability to use the Spatial Repository. And this item pouch also proved to be surprisingly valuable. It has the capacity of a spatial storage facility with enormous storage capacity. This is an invaluable item for merchants.

    - Well, where do we go first? Shall we show up at the Adventurer''s Guild? I asked.

    - Yeah. Probably need to find out something about Gallus.

    - Right. Then you ought to look into the cksmiths guild.

    - Yeah. And then, to the shelter.

    In addition, we have an acquaintance in Barubor, a former A-rank adventurer, a lord of threads, and now the owner of the Dragon Diner and also a chef in it - Fermus. It would be nice to say hello to Colbert and the three sales girls if they are in the guild. Although, I think that they are now carrying out assignments somewhere outside the city.

    ¡°I¡¯d also go to the Lucille Trading Company. We need to stock up on spices.

    - Yeah.

    ¡°How about a visit to Fermus at the Dragon Diner?

    - Of course, let''s go.

    - I knew that you would not mind.

    Not to be that Fran missed a chance to eat.

    But first, we headed to the Adventurer''s Guild. We did not spend enough time in Barubor to develop an affection for this city, and we were here not so long ago that we can say that we are bored. But all the same, it seemed as if we were returning to our nativend. Maybe because there are many memories associated with this ce?

    We walked through residential quarters of the city, here and there, skipping buildings that we had not yet had time to repair. But there was something that caught my attention. Of course, it was not surprising that the adventurers knew Fran, but she also attracted the eyes of ordinary people suspiciously.

    What, so prettier? Or was Urushi making a strong impression with his new scar on his face now?

    But it was neither one nor the other.

    - Hmm, are you that ck-tailed girl?

    - M?

    - Exactly! The curry bread I ate back then was delicious! It seems like a dream!

    Of course, I heard that curry began to be popr in Barubor, but by this point it seemed to have taken on a particrlyrge scale. It all started with that culinarypetition when the curry bread gained its original fame. Since then, Lucille''spany, to whom we sold the recipe, has made a name for itself by selling curry bread and curry paste.

    Since the recipe was bought, there have been those who have tried to replicate the original vor, so all the locals have already tried a variety of curries. Then it became known that curry was invented by a certain character named "Teacher".

    "But ¡­ I didn''t invent curry!"

    It looks like Colbert has found significant sess. So among the people rumors spread about a ck-tailed saleswoman, a student of "Curry Teacher", that is, about Fran.

    Suddenly, many people remembered Fran''s face at the culinarypetition. So it''s obvious why the "ck-tailed girl" attracted the attention of people so much.

    Not that she didn''t like it, Fran was neutral about it, knowing that no one was going to harm her. From time to time we have met some curry fanatics making speeches like "Master''s curry is the best curry in the world ¡­"

    ¡°And the name¡° Teacher ¡±, however, became famous. I mean, it''s curry. It looks like everyone''s roof was blown off on this basis. "

    Eventually, establishments began to appear in front of us with hastily made signs saying "Curry." Looks like all the establishments on this street specialized in curries. Here and there the same word unted.

    - And how do they manage to withstand such strongpetition ¡­

    - It''s incredible! I''m like in a dream! Fran said.

    - Won!

    - Well, maybe it''s a dream for you.

    We will bepletelyte for the guild at this rate.

    - Is that a curry barbecue? I asked.

    - What a smell!

    - Roar, roar!

    Fran immediately bought five. It looked like a chicken skewer sprinkled with yellow curry powder.

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum ¡­

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum ¡­

    - Well, how''s the taste? I asked.

    - So-so.

    - Won.

    That is, not terribly delicious. It probably looked like a regr fish sauce skewer vored with the right spices. They did not experiment much, and cooked the way most liked.

    In addition, due to the extreme poprity of curry, the price of spices skyrocketed, so they skimped on them.

    - Three cups, please.

    - Good!

    - Soup next? I asked.

    - Yeah.

    - Won.

    And this, too, apparently, was not so intense. I immediately felt Fran and Urusi''s interest wither away. Although the smell was good, the taste did not live up to expectations.

    But despite this, the smell still attracted them, and Fran persisted in ordering new dishes. Well, at least she began to limit portions to one.

    - One.

    - I beg!

    - Ooh.

    Everything, now there are no impressions at all! Fran''s eyes were like those of a dead fish, the first time I see her like that. But the light in Fran''s eyes did not go out even when she was in very! And Urusi, obviously, also did not receive what he hoped for.

    - One.

    - Here you are.

    Thest ce was an open-air stand selling meat pies. Something tells me that again with curry vor. But to Fran''s surprise, they weren''t curry pies.

    Usually they put something like kima-curry in the manju that they sell on Earth, but here they were ordinary manju with meat. It looks like the meat itself was fried with curry powder. While it wasn''t curry manju, it was still a dish from the same category.

    While Fran was initially surprised at the inadequacy of expectations, her expression changed after the first bite. Whether it tasted good to her or not, it was immediately clear by the way she began to eat it. She bit the manju three times with a calm expression, as if upset, she suddenly ordered a whole bunch of such manju.

    - 30 pieces please.

    - Hmm? 30 pieces?

    - Uh-huh!

    The saleswoman was very surprised, but as soon as Fran handed her the money, she immediately started cooking.

    - What, is it really tasty? - I was surprised.

    - Yes! Master, cook next time too!

    - Won! Won! Won!

    Looks like they really liked it. This time the chefs tried to develop the recipe. Well, Fran will at leaste to the guild in a good mood.

    Who knows, maybe if she came in a bad mood, it would rain a bloody rain. This time, it seems, will do without it. Although it was close.

    While Fran''s name has be known to more peopletely and the number of fools challenging her has decreased, the guild has undoubtedly only strengthened her image. Probably because from the very first days in the guild, conflicts arose constantly.

    - Let''s go to the guild soon.

    In response to my words, there was only a contented chomp.

 Chapter 392 - Romioâ€™s Location

    <h4>Chapter 392 - Romio¡¯s Location</h4>

    Peeking into the eateries on the way, we finally arrived at the Adventurer''s Guild. The atmosphere in the guild was calm, nothing of concern was happening.

    Fran is still more famous than I expected.

    Among the adventurers there are rumors about the incredible abilities of the girl nicknamed "Princess of ck Lightning", who easily defeated the adventurer of rank "A" and made the famous Colbert her henchman. And if you get in her way, the "curry teacher" student, you will no longer be allowed into the curry establishments.

    Not all of these are lies, but they are stillrgely wrong. This is the effect of a ¡°broken phone¡±. Until this bes a problem for us, we will not fix anything.

    In the building, we met with the head of the guild, Gamudo, with whom we fought against Linford. But, we still didn''t know where Gallus was.

    ¡°Since Fran-chan inquired about his whereabouts, I tried to find information about it in various sources, but failed.

    - That''s how ¡­

    After that, we again exchanged information with informant Regus, who had previously investigated where Gallus could be. But it seems that he also did not have information on this matter.

    - At least I can say that he did not return to Barubora.

    Regus specialized in errands within the city, and his informationwork was quite serious. So since he says that Gallus did not return, then it is so.

    In search of information about Gallus, we came to the cksmiths guild, but even then no one had a single guess. For a second, I thought that we were just wasting our time ¡­ But suddenly, I heard one very interesting thing.

    ¡°Although I thought that Gallus was taken by the Ashton noble family, something has recently begun to happen in the capital. Someone seems to be collecting various materials that the cksmith might need.

    This is actually pretty suspicious.

    - And he does not collect it openly ¡­ Several times he lied about his name, sent intermediaries instead of himself, and lied in our eyes.

    Undoubtedly, we need to go to the opening of the auction in the capital. We can meet him there, and if not, then he may be associated with the strange activities of the Ashton family.

    ¡°It looks like we don''t know where Gallus is. So let''s go to the shelter, I said.

    - Yeah.

    Fran''s grim expression softened. She probably liked the prospect of seeing the children from the orphanage.

    At the entrance to the orphanage there was a doorkeeper who had not been here before. It looks like when Amanda became the boss here, she decided to put more effort into fighting crime.

    The gatekeeper was a former adventurer, a half-beast man. And he recognized Fran too. Thanks to this, he let us through without any problems, and as soon as Fran went inside, the children immediately ran to her.

    - Ooh, it''s Fran!

    - Sis Fran!

    - And Urusi is here!

    That''s what I understand a warm wee! The children, as if not at all noticing the terrible muzzle of Urusi, clung to his fluffy fur,ughing with delight. Urusi was also very happy, it was clear from the way he wagged his tail, lying imposingly on the floor. Children who managed to stroke his tail raised even louder cheers.

    Although I thought that the enormous size of Urusi should definitely scare at least some of the children, it seems that no one was scared at all. What brave children are in this shelter. Of course, in this world, children probably should be bolder anyway.

    Apparently, having heard the noise of children, one of the adults hastily ran out of the building. They had weapons in their hands, and their faces were extremely stern. Apparently, they decided that someone had attacked the children.

    And I recognized their faces. One of the adults was Io-san, who is known as a great cook who can make a great soup from the worst vegetables. But there was someone else with her whom I didn¡¯t expect to see.

    - Charlotte?

    It was the dancer Charlotte who helped us in the fight with Linford.

    - Fran-chan? Long time no see. And Urusi-chan is here too!

    - Won!

    From the conversation it became clear that Charlotte was one of the orphans who grew up in this orphanage. She was very grateful to Fran for making Amanda pay attention to the plight of the orphanage and save him.

    - It''s so good that it''s you, Fran-chan ¡­

    - And what happened?

    - Actually¡­

    There was a reason why Charlotte and Io came running so hurriedly for the voice of the children. The fact is that about two days ago, a criminal visited here, for whose head a solid reward was assigned.

    - In general, although he was dressed differently, he cannot be confused with anyone. When we fought this unclean giant, I was able to get a close look at him.

    - Zelsried ¡­ Why is he here?

    For some reason, Zelsried came to this orphanage. Looks like he said he wanted to transfer one boy to the orphanage who looked like he was three. Despite his appearance, he did not act like a cruel criminal with a bounty on his head, his expression was sincere.

    - He said that this is the child of his deceased friend, whom he cannot raise on his own. That the children have nothing to do next to him. He was even going to pay to be taken ¡­

    The child looked very tired, apparently, he had a very long journey behind him.

    - What is the name of this child?

    - As far as I remember, Romio.

    I knew it was Romio! That is, Zelsried decided to fulfill thest wish of Murray, which he himself had betrayed before? Why would?

    - Where is this child?

    - No, the fact is that we did not ept him.

    - Why?

    It seems that the fact is that Charlotte was not at the orphanage then, and of the adults there was only a teacher, who is not here now. And when she tried to take Romio to her, he began to scream, cry and resist. She said there was nothing she could do. As was the case with Io-san, as soon as Zelsrid hugged him in turn, he immediately stopped crying and even smiled.

    It seems that as soon as Zelsried tried to move away from him, he immediately began to cry loudly.

    Then she told him that she could not take from a man a child who is so strongly attached to him. She suggested that Zelsried take some more care of him. And if he really can''t take care of him, then let hime again.

    As a result, not being able to attach Romio here, Zelsrid took the boy in his arms and left. It turns out that Charlotte bumped into him as he was leaving.

    - To be honest, he seemed to me apletely different person. Such a calm atmosphere reigned around him that he could not bepared with what he was at ourst meeting.

    - What, Zelsrida then?

    - Yes.

    It is impossible to believe in it. Not only did Zelsrid bring Romio to Barubora to give him up to an orphanage, without showing his former cruel disposition, but even the boy himself became attached to him. All this waspletely impossible to believe.

    - But we could not leave it as it is ¡­

    Although we reported it to the soldiers, they never caught it. Although I must say that ordinary soldiers and knights, even at the cost of their lives, could not even touch him with a finger.

    - Zelsried ¡­ What''s on his mind?

    - Maybe, although he betrayed Murray, he decided to make her such a farewell order, fulfilling her request? I said to Fran.

    ¡°But he ended up taking the child with him. What was he going to do with him? To sacrifice? Fran answered me.

    Hmm. Did he take it with him simply because feelings awoke in him? Moreover, if the child himself became attached to him.

    I looked at Fran. I remembered the time when we were just starting the journey after our first meeting. Perhaps Zelsried felt for Romio the same way I did for Fran then? Then I can understand why he decided not to take the child to an orphanage against his will.

    Although this is just my imagination. Considering the worst could happen, maybe we should find out where Zelsried is now? While Fran¡¯s safetyes first, I¡¯m definitely worried about the exact position of that child.

 Chapter 393 - Rumors of the Marquis family

    <h4>Chapter 393 - Rumors of the Marquis family</h4>

    At the shelter, Fran and Urushi ate their fill of Io-san''s culinary masterpieces. After that, donating ingredients to the shelter, we moved on. Our next target was the Dragon Diner.

    - Oh, Fran. Long time no see. ( Fermus)

    - Yeah. Hello Fermus. (Fran)

    An elderly gentleman came out to meet us, looking good as always. Seeing Fermus leaving the kitchen, one of the visitors raised an enthusiastic cry.

    - Today you decided toe and eat with us? (visitor )

    - Uh-huh!( fran)

    - Ha ha ha. Since when you camest time, you did not find me, today I will show you everything that my cooking is capable of. What, this wolf is not with you?( Fermus)

    - He''s in the shadows.( Fran)

    - If you don''t mind, then let me cook for everyone. After all, you fought against evil spirits together. (Fermus)

    - Won-won!(Urushi)

    He already left , Fran didn''t even have time to say anything. Well, since thest time they failed to eat at the Dragon Eatery, they probably wanted to eat this time.

    - Well, what do you want to eat

    - everything ( Fran )

    - Haha. Understood

    Fermus was not surprised, as if he already knew that Fran was big eater. Immediately he turned around and went into the kitchen. Last time we were able to taste only the food of his student, this same Fermus will cook for us.

    The first thing that the female worker, whom we have seen before, brought in was dragon bone soup, one of the signature dishes. However, it was yellowish.

    - New recipe, Dragon Bone Curry Soup

    Apparently, he also decided to follow the curry fashion.

    - What do you think? I asked.( master)

    Fran said nothing, just continued to swallow the broth.

    It looks very tasty.

    - So what do you think?

    - Gorgeous. A bit sour, but okay. (Fran)

    - Won-won!!(Urushi)

    - Really? I am Very d to hear it from you!

    Probably, the curry here was more like Thai than Indian. As expected from Fermus, he only had one hint to make such a curry.

    With each new dish that was brought, Fran and Urushi were increasingly anticipating how delicious they would be. among 10 dishes were meat, the same that they had eaten before. After tasting a bite, Fran nodded, but suddenly thought.

    - What? I asked. ( Master)

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious, of course, but Fermus cooks better,¡± Fran told me.

    - Eh ¡­ its tasty ?

    The voice belonged to a student of Fermus. It looks like he was cooking it. That''s how, amazingly, she understood it from one taste. Fran praised the apprentice''s cooking, saying it tasted better than thest time, not daring to say that the taste was inferior to Fermus''s. Let him continue to work in the same spirit.

    After that, Fran and Urushi tasted a variety of dishes, until finally they were full.

    Our final destination awaited us at Barubor, the headquarters of the Lucille tradingpany.

    As expected, it was argepany, and Fran realized this as soon as she entered the building. Or was it because she remembereding here before?

    The girl at the front desk stood up to bow politely to the guests. In addition, there was also a boy who looked like a local apprentice, who immediately hurried to her.

    -long time no see ,dy Fran. What bring you here today? (girl)

    - Is Rengil here? (Fran)

    - I will now check if he is in ce, wait a little.(girl)

    As soon as the girl left, the apprentice boy ran out after her. So she went to tell Rengil about Fran''s visit.

    - Come here. (girl )

    The girl from the front desk invited us to sit down. Then, almost immediately, another employee came in in the uniform of a maid, with tea and cakes. The cups and saucers were decorated with beautiful paintings and the cakes were unusually decorated.

    Considering that the other traders had simple cups, this should have been a gesture of good rtions. Fran seemed a little unhappy that only sweets were brought to tea, recalling the past with nostalgia. Does it mean that steaks for tea in the Land of demi-humans seemed strange to me, or what?

    ¡°Fran, you¡¯ve been eating recently, are you sure you¡¯ll eat everything?¡± I asked. (master)

    At first she ate in open shops, then in a shelter, and finally - in a "Dragon''s Eatery" ¡­ She should have overeat herself long ago.

    - M? Of course.( Fran)

    She dly put the cake in her mouth, as if she had not eaten before, but put all the food in the Spatial Storage.

    - Maybe you won''t mock yourself like that? (Master)

    - I always have a ce for sweets.(Fran

    I, of course, do not mind that Fran ate deliciously, but still ¡­ Lately, I notice that she is bing more and more insatiable. Although, given how much Fran moves, she doesn''t have to worry about being overweight. But I''ll have to think of something if I notice signs of excess weight in her.

    While Fran was devouring the cakes, the girl had already returned and escorted us to Captain Rengil''s room.

    - you decided to return to Barubora?(Rengil)

    - Yeah. I''m moving on soon, so I stopped by to say hello. (Fran)

    - Oh ! I''m ttered.(Rengil)

    - Also, I would like to buy spices.(Fran)

    Although now the prices for spices are somewhat overpriced, we can still afford them now. Without further ado, we were given the right amount to buy.

    - Well, if you are in the city,e visit again .(Rengil)

    - Yeah.(Fran)

    Since Captain Rengil knew Fran owned the Space Vault, he did not ask us any questions about transportation.

    After that, we asked Rengil about Gallus and Zelsrid, but it seems he could not say anything.

    However, we learned something else interesting about the Ashton family of marquis.

    - This family is now in a difficult situation¡­(Rengil)

    - Tough situation?(Fran)

    -The Marquis Ashton received a guild usation about his son, Serudio, who was an adventurer. As an A-rank adventurer, rumors began to swirl around him, and few people trusted him. Now that he has already lost his life, his numerous atrocities are surfaced. (Rengil)

    Rank A Adventurer Serudio, we killed him in Urmut! For molesting Fran, trying to extort me from her, and for filthy offers to make Fran his concubine, he got what he deserved. Then we used the story of the Divine punishment that will befall the one who equips me, so that he himself, in fact, died from the curse of the sword in his stupidity.

    However, Diaz, the head of the guild from Urmut, has already said something about the fact that he wants to solve the crimesmitted by Serudio to the other heads of the guild. Apparently, he really did it. So the used are the Marquis''s family? Are they not afraid of anything?

    - How can the guild afford to quarrel with the noble family of the Marquis?( Fran)

    - Now they can. Still, thanks to the fact that the state helped the guild, the noble family seems to have paid all thepensation in full. (Rengil)

    The guild had oral testimony from a respected A-rank adventurer, and evidence in the form of magical herbs. In addition, since the country did not want to spoil rtions with the adventurer''s guild, they decided to throw all the me on Serudio.

    Considering that they also have testimonies from Serudio''s henchmen that the Ashton family ordered him to seek the Divine Swords, it was not without the usual scandal that lowered the trust in the family. The state itself is now watching them closely.

    - Recently, their dark financial affairs have been revealed. Since ourpany also had to trade with the Marquis family, I can say that many times they did not pay their bills. (Rengil)

    - I see

    Rengil did not know that Fran was involved with Serudio''s death. It looks like Diaz hasn''t leaked unnecessary information. But it''s hard to believe that with so many witnesses, Fran''s involvement was so well hidden. I don''t know if the Ashton family is aware of this.

    If so, then they can not only hide where Gallus is, but also harbor a grudge against Fran. It would be better to be more attentive when meeting the Ashton family.

    The next destination is Urmut, so I''ll probably need to talk to Diaz.

 Chapter 394 -Return to Urmut

    <h4>Chapter 394 -Return to Urmut</h4>

    After finishing our business in Barbra, our next destination before the capital was Ulmutt.

    First of all, we went to the Demi-Human Country on behalf of Diaz, the Head of the Adventurers'' Guild in Ulmutt.

    Specifically, the assignment to find a missing adventurer from the ck Cat n. That is, Kiara.

    Although I earlier took the position that Fran''s safety is paramount, after a personal meeting with Kiara, and watching her death with my own eyes, it was impossible not to report this to Diaz.

    Since the Martial Arts Tournament has not yet faded from the memory of the locals, Fran found herself in the spotlight. As we walked along the streets of the city, people constantly looked back at her. If we had stopped, they would have surrounded us. In addition, almost all of them are adventurers.

    It seemed that the adventurers who had arrived in town for the Martial Arts Tournament were still there.

    ¡°Why are you looking at that girl like that?¡± (Adventurer 1)

    ¡°Oh, you don''t know?¡± (Adventurer 2)

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± (¡°Adventurer 1)

    ¡°That¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess!¡± (Adventurer 2)

    ¡°Really? Her? She looks like an ordinary demi-human girl!¡± (Adventurer 1)

    ¡°Only because you¡¯re a beginner¡­¡± (Adventurer 2)

    Here and there, people exchanged simr statements. There is nothing to be done, a beginner cannot just look at someone and understand the true power. For a long time nothing happened, but not far from the guild, a situation ured.

    ¡°Hey girlie. Is your sword too good for a beginner?¡± (Adventurer 3)

    ¡°Wait, let''s talk!¡± (Adventurer 4)

    These are probably adventurers who have sunk to the bottom, just waiting for a chance to cheat neers that are heading to the guild out of their hard earned rewards.

    On the surface, they look like bandits more than they do adventurers. What are these fur vests for - Are they for protection? To keep warm? Especially those three, one with a skinhead and two with Mohawks, seemed particrly unfriendly.

    Unfortunately for them, they are extremely weak, to the point it¡¯s trifling. It seems like they¡¯ll soon turn 40, but they haven¡¯t learnt anything¡­ Apparently, not daring to face the dangers, they wasted away their days gambling and hunting weak animals in order to somehow live longer. In other words, these adventure seekers have neither willpower nor a vision of the future.

    I wouldn¡¯t say that that¡¯s bad. A lot of people have be adventurers just to be able to earn a living. But if you bother others with your behaviour, then that¡¯s another story.

    ¡°Hey,e here!¡± (adventurer 3)

    ¡°Quickly, I said!¡± (Adventurer 4)

    When the men began to surround us with practised movements, luring us into an alley right next to the guild. If we were any ordinary neer, we most likely would not have been able to go against the crowd of strong men, and would haveplied.

    ¡°Ghe-he-he, in Ulmutt, it looks like there are plenty of small fries.¡± (Adventurer 3)

    ¡°Yah. Hey, what¡¯s holding you up?!¡± (Adventurer 5)

    ¡°Come over here fast!¡± (Adventurer 4)

    When Rumina, the Dungeon Master of the Ulmutt dungeon, helped Fran evolve, she used up her dungeon¡¯s powers, and thanks to that the rating of the dungeon itself fell. Along with that, the rank of the monsters that emerge from there fell, and with this the extraction of trophies and materials from them.

    As a result, the ie of the guild and its adventurers fell, so topensate for the losses, the guild began inviting neers to this ce. ¡­And these idiots are waiting for them here, like some kind of prey.

    ¡°Hey girl! what took you so lo-- ugh!¡± (Adventurer 3)

    ¡°Oi you! Sto-- gah!¡± (Adventurer 4)

    ¡°HEY, yo-- gah!¡± (Adventurer 5)

    It''s good that Fran is in a good mood right now. She just decided to hit everyone at once. And all because she ate well before she came to town. If she had been in a bad mood, then she might have used me.

    These men were already lying on the ground, spitting blood.

    ¡°You seem to have overdid it a little¡­¡± I said.

    ¡°Nn. A little.¡± (Fran)

    Fran nned to let them get off with one or two broken bones, but it looks like she ended up breaking 4-5 ribs each, damaging internal organs at the same time. Apparently she got a little nervous and didn''t hold back.

    Although, it seems like the first one got a little bit more of a beating than the third. Perhaps the third one has a slightly better skill control. She wounded the first at 80% of his life, and the third at 70%.

    She only nned for them to pass out, and not receive such injuries. Aplete failure on her part. But I am the type of person who loves to praise more than scold.

    ¡°The third one survived it a little better than the others, right?¡± (Master)

    ¡°Nn. Be fine. Probably.¡± (Fran)

    Instead of pointing out her ws, it''s best to praise her. And why do so many idiots stille at us? Although, if it happens it a hundred times more, it would be a good skill control training for Fran.

    Oh well, let¡¯s let it be. Adventurers are everywhere. Rumours are scattered at the expense of time.

    Apparently, having heard the noise outside, someone left the guild.

    ¡°Hey, what''s all this noise?¡± (Elsa)

    ¡°Elsa?¡± (Master)

    ¡°Mm? Who¡¯s that? Fran! Long time no see!¡± (Elsa)

    A sturdy man emerged from the building, who might have been called a macho if not for his permanent red Afro hairstyle and thickyer of makeup. And these tight clothes too.

    It was B rank adventurer Baldy¡­ Or rather, Elsa.

    Despite the fact that he was a macho man with a feminine manner, his strength was really worth reckoning with. Considering that A Rank Adventurers and above are already considered superhuman heroes, Elsa easily towered above most adventurers.

    In addition, despite her appearance, she was quite caring, and helped Fran often.

    Not that it will atone for her perverted trans-bi-masochistic aura that she is spreading around her, though!

    ¡°I am soooo~ d that we met again!¡± (Elsa)

    ¡°Nn. Diaz, is here?¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s in the building. But those guys on the ground, have they really done something to offend you?¡± (Elsa)

    ¡°Nn.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Well, the fact that they can not understand who¡¯s standing in front of them¡­ it''s nothing but their own fault! Okay. Eric, Kane. (Elsa)

    ¡°Yes!¡± (Eric)

    ¡°What?¡± (Kane)

    ¡°Can you throw these guys into the infirmary with the others for me? I have a conversation with Fran-chan.¡± (Elsa) --Note: Leaving in ¡°chan¡± for character effect--

    ¡°Got it!¡± (Eric)

    ¡°Understood!¡± (Kane)

    As always, the adventurers in this city obey Elsa without a second thought. However, I can understand why they do not want to contradict her. Under the gaze of onlookers, by order of Elsa, they took on these idiots and carried them away somewhere.

    ¡°So, you have some business with the guild head?¡± (Elsa)

    ¡°Nn.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Heeee~~, of course, he¡¯s always sitting in his office, but right now he¡¯s talking with grandfather Aurel. Can you wait a bit? From what I hear, they haven''t finished yet.¡± (Elsa)

    ¡°I need to talk to Aurel as well.¡± (Master)

    ¡°Mm? Is that so? Then I can ask if Fran can join.¡± (Elsa)

    ¡°Yes, please do.¡± (Master)

    ¡°Aha. All for the sake of Fran-chan!¡± (Elsa)

    Before leaving, Elsa couldn¡¯t resist giving Fran a wink. Ooooh, I haven''t been thrown into such cold for a long time! I shuddered a little.

    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Fran asked.

    ¡°Fran, you yourself did not feel anything just now?¡± (Master)

    ¡°Just now?¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Nevermind. Pay no attention.¡± (Master)

    Oh, it''s hard for me to bear Elsa.

 Chapter 395 - Reaction to Story

    <h4>Chapter 395 - Reaction to Story</h4>

    It¡¯s been 10 minutes since Elsa left to tell Diaz and Aurel about Fran''s arrival.

    Finally, we went to the guild master''s office. Inside, we found two elderly men drinking tea.

    One of them looked like he resembled a nobleman; his grey hair, neatlybed back, as well as everything else about him, indicated that despite his age he didn¡¯t forget about his appearance.

    The other person was a simrly grey-haired, sturdy elderly man.

    From the way hisrge muscles showed through the haori, it was clear that he never stopped training. His gaze was piercing and heavy, just like a mafia leader.

    ¡°Oh, Fran! Long time no see.¡± (Diaz)

    ¡°Lady Fran, so you came to Ulmutt after all.¡± (Aurel)

    Their smiles werepletely different: Diaz had a radiant, warm smile, while Aurel of the White Dog race had more of a smug grin.

    Both of them met Kiara when she was still living in Ulmutt, and so had decided to search for her when she went missing.

    ¡°Fran! It''s so good that you are came back!¡± (???)

    ¡°Doll, is talking?¡± (Fran)

    On the table where the two men were sitting, there was something that looked like a doll, no more than 20 centimetres in height. The doll had a human figure, but it was clearly crafted very skilfully, like the finest figurines from my home world.

    And then a voice came from her. However, I had heard that voice before.

    ¡°This voice¡­ Rumina?¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Yes. At the moment, she is inside this doll.¡± (Diaz)

    Even though I thought that the Dungeon Lord was unable leave the dungeon, it seems like there are a few workarounds. On that note, the doll really did look like Rumina.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± (Fran)

    ¡°I¡¯m discussing issues rted to the management of the dungeon.¡± (Rumina)

    Why are all three of the city rulers, Diaz, Aurel and Rumina, present? And we arrived at such a surprisingly convenient moment. Nevertheless, we need to inform the people in this room about Kiara.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Rumina)

    ¡°Nn. I came to Diaz with a report on behalf of the guild.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± (Diaz)

    ¡°Nn.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Well, youngdy, regarding the report¡­¡± (Aurel)

    ¡°Did you learn of Kiara¡¯s whereabouts?¡± (Rumina)

    ¡°Yeah. I met her.¡± (Fran)

    Aurel and Rumina immediately reacted with surprise to Fran''s words,

    ¡°Oh!¡± (Rumina)

    ¡°Really?!¡± (Aurel)

    ¡°So what happened.¡± (Diaz)

    Diaz got down to business when Fran¡¯s face didn¡¯t lighten up. Diaz and Aurel sensed this and corrected their sitting postures. Rumina, although in doll form, seems to have changed her expression to a more serious one.

    Diaz could tell that Aurel didn¡¯t intend to hide what the assignment rting to Kiara was about, and it seems that he didn¡¯t mind that everyone present heard the report.

    ¡°Kiara was in the Beast-Kin Country.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°I see, as I expected.¡± (Diaz)

    ¡°How is she?¡± (Aurel)

    ¡°Is she alright? Did she evolve?¡± (Rumina)

    ¡°We met with Kiara in the Beast-Kin Country¡¯s Capital¡­¡± (Fran)

    Fran told them everything that happened after meeting Kiara, all of the events, battles, and struggles. Diaz, Aurel and Rumina listened very closely to what she was saying.

    They couldn¡¯t hide their happiness when Fran talked about when she met Kiara, the battles with the army of demonic beasts, and about how Kiara came to her aid.

    Of course, she didn''t say everything. There was a lot that was worth keeping secret; both about Alistair and myself. Surely, experienced people like Diaz and the others should have realized that Fran had something to hide. However, they shouldn¡¯t doubt what Fran was saying.

    Despite their emotions, they all listened attentively to what Fran was saying.

    But when the report approached the event of trip to the dungeon, their faces immediately darkened. From Fran¡¯s tone alone, they knew that some kind of misfortune was about to happen.

    By the time Fran finished the report with Kiara''s death, none of them were remotely excited.

    ¡°Kiara¡­¡± (Diaz)

    Diaz jumped from the couch with emotion, but immediately fell back on it, as if he lost all his energy, and sighed loudly with a nk look. He sat there, motionless. But it was evident that his hands were reddened to the very tips of his fingers from the strength with which he had been holding them together in front of him.

    ¡°I see¡­ she hadn''t changed at all¡­ even up until the end¡­¡± (Aurel)

    Aurel was in a simr state. Hanging his head, he wiped away his tears and sniffed. Nheless, he perfectly understood why everything happened like this. After all, he was just like her, a battle-obsessed warrior.

    Rumina held on tighter than the others. However, for some reason, she seemed even happy.

    ¡°I see she managed to evolve. And as a Heavenly ck Tiger¡­¡± (Rumina)

    Rumina probably understood Kiara better than anyone else. Instead of feeling sad about her death, she was d that Kiara managed to spend her final years in happiness, achieving evolution, and emerging victorious from battle.

    Soon, there was silence in the room, and then Aurel slowly raised his head and said:

    ¡°Young Lady¡­ You said that Kiara smiled in thest moments of her life?¡± (Aurel)

    ¡°Nn.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°Then, in your opinion, was it a sincere smile?¡± (Aurel)

    ¡°Of course.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°I see¡­ Then it''s fine.¡± (Aurel)

    It seems that he was having a hard time epting the news of the death of his girlfriend, whom he had been searching for for many years. I heard Aurel whisper to himself over and over again.

    ¡°¡­Zelosried¡­¡±

    Diaz muttered the word in a choked voice. Despite his restraint, I could understand all the rage he put into that word. Even though there was no emotion on his face, it made him look even more terrifying.

    ¡°Diaz, Kiara told me not to do stupid things trying to avenge her.¡± (Fran)

    ¡°I see. So revenge for her is stupidity. Is that how you watched the veteran''s death? I would like to understand how you can be satisfied with the death of someone who is close to you¡­¡± (Diaz)

    The head of the guild understood that not everyone wanted to leave it like this.

    ¡°But still, I¡­ I cannot ept this news as calmly as you do. Perhaps this is because I am a human being, but as long as this dirty, low, hated enemy continues to live somewhere, I will not give up on my revenge.¡± (Diaz)

    Diaz''s words sounded subdued, but I saw a dark fire in his eyes. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s going to do, but he will certainly never forget the name of Zelosried.

    But realizing that he would be troubling Fran if he continued to say such things, he immediately changed his tone to a friendlier one.

    ¡°By the way, I thought that Kiara had a hard time in the Beast-Kin Country. So she still lived happily. This alone makes me quite happy.¡± (Diaz)

    Even without a the Principle of Truth, I knew that this wasn¡¯t what he really thought, but I didn¡¯t want to point it out. After all, no matter what Fran says, Diaz will not be honest.

    ¡°Of course, it would be nice if she was alive, but¡­ This is just the essence of time. It''s not new to me to hear that one of my friends died, without me even knowing about it¡­¡± (Diaz)

    ¡°Gha-ha-ha-ha! You are right, Diaz. On the contrary, consider that Fran was present at the death of Kiara in our ce. You should be grateful to her!¡± (Aurel)

    ¡°Perhaps you are right. Furthermore, she helped to show what it takes for the ck Cat-kin to evolve. We are all grateful to her for that.¡± (Rumina)

    While the three of them were ultimately unable to figure out how to respond to the news of Kiara¡¯s death, Fran was delighted.

    Because Fran had both love and respect for Kiara. And she was d that there was someone to tell her story to. It was new for Fran to tell such a long story, and her hands were even a bit tired from the many gestures she used to tell her story.

 Chapter 396 - Again about Serudio

    <h4>Chapter 396 - Again about Serudio</h4>

    When Fran finally finished talking about Kiara, it was time for her to listen to Diaz . Aurel and Lumina immediately left the room.

    ¡°I would like to tell you something about a man named Serudio.(Diaz)

    - By the way regarding, him, Ipletely forget about him. ( Master)

    Sorry Diaz, Fran doesn''t remember who is it. Even though she remembers some annoying nobleman to whom she handed me over, after which he died, shepletely forgot both his name and face. However, this shows how insignificant he was for Fran.

    - Have you ever met the Marquis Ashton?(Diaz)

    - No.(Fran)

    ¡°But after leaving Urmut, we will head to the capital,¡± I said.

    - I see. It''s because of auction?(Diaz)

    - Yeah.(Fran)

    Fran told that since the cksmith Gallus took on some top secret assignment from the Ashton family, he has gone.

    - Yes, I heard that he went to Barubora. So the rumors about his disappearance are true.(Diaz)

    ¡°Looks like the Ashton family is collecting materials for cksmithing,¡± I said.

    - Oh, really? So the Ashton family really took Gallus? It looks extremely suspicious¡­(Diaz)

    -We promised Gallus that we would meet in the capital. Given the circumstances we wont be able do that without running into the Marquis''s family. Therefore, I would like to know exactly how the Serudio incident developed, in particr - what the Marquis''s family might know about Fran. (Master)

    - I see .(Diaz)

    Apparently, the first thing that Diaz did after our "quarrel" with Serudio was to arrange for his subordinates to interrogate , extracting as much information from them as possible.

    - However, I heard from them everything that I wanted to believe myself¡­(Diaz)

    The words "that he himself wanted to believe" sounded very creepy. Although Fran did not notice this, in response to leading questions, he allowed himself to tell only that information convenient to him.

    - However,st time it did not go so well¡­(Diaz)

    - And what happened?(Master)

    - Under the auspices of the Ashton family, a nobleman named Baron Holmes , this guy was another pain in the neck for us. He had the skill of seeing through lies and was given a very important job¡­(Diaz)

    Hmm? I''ve heard it somewhere. A skill to see through lies?

    - Have you heard of a man named Viscount Alsand? i believe You have been in Ares, so I wouldn''t be surprised if you know him¡­(Diaz)

    Exactly! The same Viscount from whom I took away the Deception Control. Auguste Alsand. Exactly, then his father is Viscount Holmes.

    - This skill was a big problem for us. It''s called "Managing Deception" and not only exposes a lie, it can make anyone believe a lie. Just think about what you can achieve using this skill wisely¡­(Diaz)

    ¡°Interrogations will be useless,¡± I said.

    - Right. For example, if that viscount interfered in the testimony of Serudio''s , subordinates they would simply lead us on the wrong track¡­(Diaz)

    In fact, Auguste tried to used his skill in the same way on Fran, obviously plotting a fraud.

    - True, at some point, Viscount Alsand simply took and lost his skill in discovering lies. Without that skill, he became a burden to his family and went under house arrest. The affairs of the family of Baron Holmes rolled downhill. Thanks to this, the Ashton family can no longer manipte with truth and lies. .(Diaz)

    But I took the Deception Control skill from Alsand only in retaliation for trying to deceive Fran. I never thought that this story wil be bringed up one more time .

    - Having magic herbs as evidence, he could not get out. Since Serudio had the title of viscount, responsibility for his crimes fell on the family of Viscounts Reseps. Although the marquis family did not have to be responsible for them, there are rules for the guild representatives. So all the guild leaders whom Serudio annoyed decided to do this. .(Diaz)

    Diaz made an odd gesture, pping his neck. And it didn''t seem to mean "Getting punished ." Undoubtedly, it meant "Head off the shoulders."

    In conversation, Diaz appeared to be a good-natured old man, , but he was also a seasoned guild manager. To those who encroached on his power, he knew no mercy.

    ¡°Speaking of Serudio¡¯s death, I tried to hide Fran¡¯s involvement as best I could. For those who were at the ce of his death, Elsa-kun made a very serious conversation. However, it will still be difficult to hide everythingpletely .(Diaz)

    - Its cant be helped (Master)

    - that''s why , various rumors had spread¡­(Diaz)

    - Different rumors? I asked.

    - Yes, that the cause of Serudio''s death was either the magic sword of a certain adventurer, or I, or Forund-kun. . Although there is actually a rumor that he died from the sword of the ck Lightning Princess, you are too popr a person in this city. So, on the contrary, it would be strange if such a rumor did not exist. I don''t think many people think that this rumor is true¡­(Diaz)

    If you need to hide a something, put in the most noticeable ce. It'''' fit to that situation.

    ¡°Moreover, since Serudio¡¯s death, all subsequent interrogations and persecutions attract more attention. How much attention do you think Forund and I are, given our lively interrogation and other activities? .(Diaz)

    - I see. And you and Forund are not worried about your safety? - I asked a question.

    - Ha ha ha ha dont worry about us. we "A"rank adventur or who? Adventurers do have the potential to make an impact on an entire country. Whoever challenges one of us will be an enemy to all of us. And the family of the Marquis will not make such a stupid thing .(Diaz)

    - Well, if that''s true ¡­(Master)

    ¡°But it will still be difficult topletely hide Fran-san''s involvement in this. Be very careful while meeting with the Ashton family¡­(Diaz)

    - Yeah. Got it¡­(Master)

    After talking with Diaz, there was still thest ce in Urmut where we should have collected information. yes, we must go to the dungeon where Rumina had returned. We were immediately transported there by the spatial gate. Since we informed her that we will pay her a visit , she was already to wee us with open arms.

    The first thing we talked about was Murray. Although we''ve talked enough about Kiara, there was another member of the ck Cat family that I should have tell to Rumina about.

    However, rumina''s reaction was not as violent as we expected. She hung her head down, nostalgia and regret mixed in hre expression . Perhaps all this time she thought that Murray would never return.

    For Rumina, Mureria was a memory of 500 years ago. Moreover, sharing the same bloodline with her, Rumina knew those whose lives were destroyed by the Dark God.

    - Its you ¡­ Lady ¡­ Mureria ¡­(Rumina )

    I could not understand what feelings swirl in her heart, but for a while Rumina remained silent.

    After that, while Fran and Urushi were drinking tea with steaks, Lumina and I, who had already calmed down, moved to a separate room. Since I could not sit at the chair opposite Lumina, I lied down on the table.

    - I apologize. There is something I would like to hear¡­(Rumina )

    "Something Fran shouldn''t hear?"(Master)

    ¡°Mm, Its not the case , but ¡­(Rumina )

    I told her what I heard from Murray during that meeting with her in the dungeon. After that, I told that I was a follower of the Goddess of Chaos, and at the same time I have no connection with the Lord of the dungeon.

    - Rumina, did it happen that you could not tell Fran about how to evolve? Could it be that you could only speak in my presence?(Master)

    - Oh, I understand.(Master)

    ¡°So maybe it''s even easier for you to talk when Fran is gone. So can I talk to you alone for now?(Master)

    - I have nothing against it . So what would you like to hear?.(Rumina )

    - What does it mean to be a follower of the Goddess of Chaos?(Master)

    I talked to both the Goddess of Chaos and Murray, but I never understood it. Although I do understand a thing or two about those associated with her.

    - How to tell who the followers are ¡­ Followers of God are those whom God created with his own hand, and those who received some kind of power from God¡­(Rumina )

    - And which of these cases is mine (Master)

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Of course, I don¡¯t know, but most likely the follower of the Goddess of Chaos must have something to do with the dungeon¡­(Rumina )

    - Do you think so?(Master)

    - Unlike other Gods, the Goddess of Chaos does not show up herself in this world in any way outside the dungeons. The magic of the Goddess of Chaos is intended for the Lords of the dungeon exclusively for managing the dungeon, so until now there has not been such a thing that the Goddess of Chaos created some kind of living creature. As far as I know, the followers of the Goddess of Chaos are those monsters that are under the control of the Dungeon Lord¡­(Rumina )

    So, am I one of them? After all, I probably am not the Lord of the dungeon. So, when I was created, the power of the dungeon was transferred to me? Besides, could that mysterious soul that is sealed inside me be a follower of the Goddess of Chaos?

    - In the end, I have no obtain any useful information (Master)

    I am deeply sorry , but here another and final chapter for today , once again without editing .

 Chapter 397 - queue

    <h4>Chapter 397 -queue</h4>

    it was the morning of the second day since we left Urmut.

    - it''s the capital?(Fran

    - it should be . I don''t think there are any other cities of such magnitude, I replied.

    - its Huge.(Fran)

    From the back of Urushi, gracefully running in the sky, the surface of a giant city became visible. Barubora, of course, was also arge city, but could not bepared with therge-scale greatness of the capital. City was evenrger than the, capital of the beastmen country.

    Even the fortress walls were of unprecedented size. They were twice as tall as the trees from the forest surrounding the capital. More than 50 meters in height . Probably, there are such demonic beasts in this world that only this size can ensure the safety of the city.

    In addition, these walls did not look rough and utilitarian, the walls and towers with spiers were beautifully finished, which only enhanced the impression of the city view. As befits a capital, shebined pomp and reliability in her image.

    The capital was located southeast of Aressa, which was in the northern part of the country, and northeast of Urmut, which was in the southern part of the country. That is, slightly east of the geographic center of the country. It seems that at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Cranzer, the center of the country was here, but over the long years of its existence, the territory of the country has grown, and the capital ended up being east of the center.

    I heard that about 200 years ago they wanted to move the capital closer to the sea, but considering the cost of money and ore for this project, this venture was abandoned. Well, yes, I can imagine how much money is needed to rebuild such a capital.

    ¡°Come on, let''s go down there,¡± I said.

    - Woow!(Urushi )

    - Nn.(Fran)

    As always, having reached the outskirts of the capital, we went to the entrance gate. A long queue immediately appeared on the way to the capital. Although there was also a long line at the entrance to Urmut, this one was much longer.

    Although Diaz warned us about it before we left Urmut, its actual scale exceeded my expectations. All because the visitors to the auction arrived. If the line lined up straight, it would stretch so far from the capital that people at the end of it would have to fight off demonic beasts somewhere in the woods. Therefore, people lined up along the walls.

    The area was patrolled by soldiers and knights, in addition to guards, who also looked after the order in the queue.

    - It''s hard, but it''s cant be helped. We will obediently wait, ¡±I said.

    - Nn.(Fran)

    We went to the very end of the line. Having descended to the ground, we could not see its end at all.

    Although in line, in Urmut I saw many people who traded with each other in line, but here the scale was different. The liveliness of trade in this line would beparable, probably, to the market in some small vige.

    There were kiosks and ordinary shops in the open air. These benches may be easy to build, but is it really worth it? Since the line was moving slowly, everyone had enough time to properly examine all the goods.

    Many of them were selling what looked like good old ekiben (packed breakfasts usually sold at train stations) from my native Japan. Although, probably, there is somethingpletely different inside, to which I am not used.

    It looks like there will be something to do in the queue.

    - I see the end, over there.(Fran)

    - What aa big line , - I said.

    It seems that at least 3 thousand people are lined up here. Since there are separate gates for the townspeople and the aristocracy, where preliminary registration is required, this is especially surprising. So almost all people in this queue either visit the capital for the first time, ore here less often than once a year. That is, these are the participants in the auction.

    I was already beginning to worry if we could meet Gallus in time. Okay, we''ll think about the details when we get to the capital.

    ¡°This is going to take a long time, so let''s rx,¡± I said.

    - Nn.(Fran

    - Wow!(Urushi )

    This time, Urushi was next to us. even though I thought it was worth ordering him to hide in the shadows, there were enough other people with demonic beasts. Demonic wolves stood in line with the owners, and there were even huge horses under 3 meters, harnessed to arge trade cart.

    With all this in mind, there is nothing wrong with leaving Urusi with us. Of course, in his gigantic form, he would panic in line. In general, it was worthwhile to clearly show everyone around that we have a familiar.

    With Urusi, some small fry won''t dare to cling to us, and even Fran will befortable sitting on it.

    ¡°Well, let''s y game of words,¡± Fran suggested.

    - Oh, you haven''t yed for a long time, have you?(Master)

    - woof -woof!(Urushi )

    For some reason, she really liked the game we yed in line at Urmut. Since we have plenty of time, why not y around until Fran gets bored.

    We spent two hours like this. We still haven''t made much progress in the line .

    By this point, she was already tired of the word games, so now she was ying with Urushi in reverse. Fran, for obvious reasons, moved the pieces behind Urusi.

    By this point, many people in line have acquired board games that they bought in stores. Great businesses out, so skillfully exploit people''s position.

    By the way, before the reverse, Fran and Urushi had time to y tic-tac-toe, but by the hundredth game they were bored to death.

    While we waited, we were not only ying games. We had tea breaks, snacks, and even made friends with the merchants who stood behind and in front of us in line.

    Before us stood a dried fruit merchant, Rab-san, who was 31 years old. Having bought dried grapes and apple chips from him for a snack, we managed friends with him.

    Behind us stood the aromatic wood merchant, Menan-san, who was 41 years old. Unlike Rab, he had a wagon. It was an open wagon pulled by a donkey.

    In order to cook bloated meatter, we bought some aromatic wood, and have talk. Looking at the game in Reversi Fran and Urushi, they both had a good conversation.

    ¡° no, youngdy. Not this wrong You need do it like this (.Rab)

    - But then he will do it .(Rab)

    - Definitely. If he does so, then do such turn .(Rab)

    - Nn, I get it.(Fran)

    In the same vein as Rab-san discussed the game with Fran, Menan-san talked with Urushi.

    - Hey, Urusi. make this turn¡­(Rab)

    - woof-woof?(Urushi )

    - You will soon be pushing to the coner . But if you keep doing turns like this, you can always slip away.(Urushi )

    - Woof woof ¡­(Urushi )

    This uncle with a serious face discusses moves in reverse with a wolf. Crazy picture. But since it was not a mystery to anyone that among the demonic beasts there are many who areparable in intelligence to humans, Menan-san did not feel difort about this. He spoke to Urusi very seriously.

    - Ooh. (passerby )

    - Indeed¡­(passerby )

    Every now and then all sorts of suspicious persons passed by us slowly. They didn''t do much, they just looked at Fran strangely and went back and forth. Do they think that we do not notice it?

    Moreover, almost all of these strange passers-by were half-beasts. Probably, news about the Princess of ck Lightning is already well known among the half-beasts in this line.

    Although we used the "Conceal Evolution" skill, so even the beastmens shouldn''t know that Fran evolved, but ¡­ Most likely, since there were many who saw the evolved Fran at the martial arts tournament in Urmut, it was already impossible to stop the spread of rumors that the Princess ck Lightning Princess has evolved.

    So Fran, a girl from the ck Cat n, with a wolf familiar, easily gave herself away as the very Princess of ck Lightning. Perhaps there were those who had already seen Fran alive in Urmut. So these nces from the -beastsmens seemed to be only intended to make sure Fran was exactly the Princess of ck Lightning. I felt no malice, nothing but respect. Even here her fans.

    - Don''t you notice? I asked.

    - What?(Fran )

    It seems that having visited the Beastmens country , she is already ustomed to increased attention from passers-by. So Fran waspletely didn''t mind then . Then I''ll leave it as it is. I can''t say this directly, so there is not much choice.

    t/n edited version will beter on

 Chapter 398 - lost in the streets

    <h4>Chapter 398 - lost in the streets</h4>

    We have been fourth hours in the line at the entrance to the capital. We were finally able to get to the capital.

    Unlike Urmut or Bestia, we have not had any conflicts with other adventurers, which is already a plus.

    Having passed the check at the entrance and parting with the merchants, we first went to the Adventurer''s Guild. The fact is that the head of the adventurers guild in Barubor, Gamudo, told us to show the letter of rmendation to the guild master first.

    Since this ce exist for more than a thousand years old, many buildings in the capital looked very ancient. We had not yet reached the main street with shops and other establishments, and walked along an alley, both sides of which were lined with ckened stone buildings. Although I don''t think they have never been rebuilt in a thousand years, they were definitely one or two hundred years old.

    Plus, the alleys were narrow. It was practically a maze. Apparently, these were private and apartment buildings, built without observing the urbanyout.

    The reason I have immersed myself in these reflections is that we are now truly lost.

    ¡°Oh, since we didn''t know the shortcut for sure, we had to stay on the avenue,¡± I said.

    - Maybe we will jump?(Fran)

    - No, in the capital we should not draw attention . Let''s look a little more for the way on main street.

    - Got it.

    The surroundings of the fortress walls looked more neat. But the part of the city where we were located was very ancient, the buildings around us referred to those times when the capital was expanding most vigorously.

    There were buildings that looked like apartment buildings, with a a lot of narrow alleys stretching between them. Many of the apartment buildings had shops on the ground floor, so the voices of inviting merchants echoed in the narrow alleys.

    From time to time we passed underground passages and tunnels piercing through buildings. Fran and Urusi were in a good mood.

    If this ce is deserted, like some ghost town, you like it or not, you will feel anxiety and fear. But the ce where we were was hardly quiet.

    Cheap taverns and public canteens, and other suspicious establishments came across every corner, and we walked among the tipsy townspeople, flirtatious-looking women, and whatever you look at, not very decent-looking men. From everywhere came menacing male voices, now charming female voices.

    This ce was definitely not very good for living, but at the same time it felt a kind of chaos and ardor.

    Surprisingly, Fran liked that. She probably had nothing against such a lively atmosphere. Despite the fact that we were lost, she walked briskly and in high spirits.

    And shepletely ignored the evaluating nces directed in our direction and the feeling of someone''s presence behind our back. Given his clumsy attempts to hide his presence, he was not our enemy.

    After many unsessful attempts to hide from our skill of presence recognition, he finally felt the real power of Fran, and fell behind. Simply put, our annoying pursuer once again turned out to be a small fry.

    ¡°Hmm, I can''t get out of here,¡± I said.

    Due to the fact that everything around was densely built up with four and five-story buildings , we could not even see thendmark in the form of a royal pce or arge temple, so we got lost. Although Fran has the skill ¡°Sense of Direction¡± , and she should have roughly understood where to go, but ¡­ Considering how many dead ends and unexpected turns there were in this ce, it was not particrly useful.

    ¡°We need to lern the way,¡± Fran said.

    - Well, we have no choice . (Master )

    The only question is, whom to ask ¡­ Anyone in one of the establishments nearby?

    While I was thinking about it, Fran suddenly turned 180 degrees. After that, she went to the diametrically opposite side from where we were going before.

    - Fran, what are you doing?(Master)

    - I know the way.(Fran)

    I didn''t even have time to ask who she was going to find out from.

    - Excuse me, how do I get into the Adventurer''s Guild?(Fran)

    - How the hell did you notice me?(Men)

    The voice belonged to a young man who had followed Fran''s trail for almost half an hour. Probably one of the locals. Although he was surprised to be noticed, did he really hope to go unnoticed?

    I don''t think he was following Fran, or anything like that. If the goal was surveince, then he would carefully hide his presence, and moved on his heels very carefully. So he didn''t even follow Fran. Apparently, therefore, Fran''s instincts did not find him hostile. Or at least not considered an enemy worthy of attention.

    ¡°I want to join the Adventurer''s Guild. (Fran)

    - Huh? Guild?(Men)

    I thought the young man would answer in a rude manner but , he remained surprisingly calm. Although Fran looked weak at first nce, the sword on her back and her good ability to recognize presence hinted at her strength. Besides, she had a wolf with her.

    Perhaps instead of robbing us, he decided to try to pull a coin or two from us safely.

    - Of course, it''s not hard for me to tell , but what do you have ¡­

    - Hey, wait !(Men 2)

    With a vile expression on his face, the young man was already ready to demand payment for information, when someone interrupted him in mid-sentence. This voice belonged to a grown man with a piercing gaze.

    He set off after us about the same time that the young man followed us. From the way he stalked us, I can tell that he is pretty good at it. He wasparable to the exploration adventurers, and his fighting power was appropriate.

    It seems that Fran also realized that this man should not be underestimated. However, his gaze did not intersect with Fran, but was directed at the young man.

    - Kalk-san, what are you doing?(men)

    - Don''t mess with this girl.(Kalk)

    - What is it? I just wanted to sell her information, that''s all.(men)

    Unsurprisingly, the young man made a displeased face upon hearing such words from the man he named Kalk. Perhaps he thought that he wanted to take "game" from him.

    ¡°Anyway, don''t mess with her. (Kalk)

    - Hmm? What are you talking about?.(men)

    - Its not your business ! Get out of here, quickly!(Kalk)

    - Understand!(men)

    Kalc''s serious expression and menacing voice forced the young man to leave Fran. Before leaving, he nced at Fran again, but was immediately kicked by Calc.

    The young man flew to the wall and fell on the ground with a crash. He didn''t seem to expect such a thrust from him, and looked up at Calc with a face full of fear.

    - I told you in an amicable way - disappear.(Kalk)

    - Iii ¡­ Sorry!( men )

    Having finally received a portion of his suppression skill from Calc, he stumbled and ran away. After that, Kalk stopped and bowed his head low in front of us.

    - I apologize. He''s just a fool who has no idea about the difference between his and your strength. Will you be generous enough to forgive him?(Kalk)

    - Nn? (Fran)

    ¡°Oh no, I didn''t mean to make you angry. Anyway, you wanted to find way to the Adventurer''s Guild?(Kalk)

    - Yeah. Will you show the way? (Fran)

    - Yes. Follow me.(Kalk)

    It looks like he decided to show us the way with his own hand.

    - Maybe you just tell us how to get through?(Master)

    - No, I must be your guide. Such fools who want to stick their nose in your affairs, like this one, are countless. It''s scary to imagine what will be of this area if someone starts a fight with you ¡­ Kalk

    Kalk muttered those words, not hiding his fear. It seems like Kalk is good at the art of assessing the real strength of other people. This ability is granted to him by a magical vision called the "Eye of Weakness." This is a magical eye that unmistakably recognizes those who are stronger than him. Moreover, it allows you to find out exactly what the gap between your strength and the strength of the target is. Apparently, in his opinion, Fran is just some incredible monster.

    What would have happened if that gopnik started a fight with her? The destruction would be enormous. It seems that this is what he fears most.

    Whatever the reason, Kalc did not lie when he said he was going to deceive us himself. He seems to have a good understanding of these ces, so we should rely on him.

    - I see. Let''s go.( Kalc)

    - Please this way (Master )

 Chapter 399 Aunt Steria

    <h4>Chapter 399 Aunt Steria</h4>

    Following Kalc, we soon found ourselves on the main street. Without bing to lead us further to ces where he has norades, he bowed deeply to Fran for thest time and left. Looks like he was afraid of Fran.

    As soon as we went out to the main street, after 10 minutes of walking the sign of the Adventurers Guild appeared.

    -Finally we arrived . But the building, however, is not that big .(Master)

    ¡° its smaller than in Balbor. (Fran)

    Judging by the size of the capital, I was expecting to see the corresponding size of the guild building. But, , it was almost half as much. well, of course it wasrger than in Alessa and Ulmut, but nevertheless I imagined itrger.

    -Well, in any case, let''s go.(Master)

    - Nn¡­ (Fran)

    As much as the guild lose in size to Balbor, there was no doubt that this was the capital guild. The atmosphere inside was pretty heavy.

    Although the building was made up of huge, rough-hewn boulders, the interior was decorated with huge embroidered tapestries with the guild emblem, scarlet carpets, and the wood of the reception desk had taken on a beautiful hue over the years. Everything around looked elegant and graceful. A good description of the atmosphere of the guild would be that the weight of the story was felt in this ce.

    Rather than the luxury resort style of the Balbor Guild, the guild was more like an old high society hotel.

    The racks seem to have been split depending on the purpose. There was no guide here, as in the Balbor guild, but all the necessary information was clearly written on the board.

    First of all, we decided to line up to the stand for ranks C and D. Behind it was a huge man like a bear.

    ncing at Fran, he said:

    - Girl, what is your rank?( adventurer)

    - Hmm? C. (Fran )

    - I see.(adventurer)

    Fran took out her adventurer card, which seemed to convince the man. He did not assume that it was a lie or a fake. This is rather not because he was able to feel the real power of Fran, but because he did not want to burden himself with unnecessary trouble, believing that the staff would certainly be able to distinguish a fake from the original. Besides, I think he could at least feel that Fran is not weak.

    However, there were also those whom Fran could not convince. Nearby there was a line for ranks F and G. It seemed that for them, dreaming of this cherished middle rank, it was unpleasant to see such a little girl in line . There were especially many talks about this among the F rank adventurers, who recently left the rookie category. It was clear from them that they were ready to enter into a fight with Fran.

    And then came the understanding voice of a strong-looking aunt, standing next to the counter for ranks A and B. Even as apliment, I could not say that in her youth she was a beauty.

    It may sound rude , but I was surprised that such arge guild could not find a pretty girl to work at the counter.

    However, after looking closely, it became clear why she was entrusted with such a position. She was very strong. As strong as all those outraged F-rank adventurers, and could have dealt with them all easily. She may have been an adventurer herself before. Considering the peculiarities of high-ranking adventurers, I had no doubt that strong people were chosen first of all for the role of service personnel.

    - Girl, you, by any chance, are not that Princess of ck Lightning, which one there are so many rumors? (aunt )

    - Nn.

    Apparently, hearing the name "Princess of ck Lightning", the crowd of adventurers began to rustle. Well, well, almost none of them believed it.

    -I see , then, you can came here.

    - What, really I can? (Fran )

    - Yes, you are only 12 years old, and already in rank C. In addition, you also became the star of the Martial Arts Tournament, defeating the former adventurer of rank A, and even the current rank A. You are strong , no doubt. So, I have nothing against you getting in this line here .

    - Nn.

    Apparently, this woman was treated in a special way in the capital''s guild. When Fran confirmed her pseudonym, and this aunt willingly believed her, the adventurers around did not mind. Maybe they still had doubts, but the atmosphere was such that no one wanted to contradict this woman.

    - Wee. Steria

    - Nn. My name is Fran, a C rank adventurer.(Fran

    - My name is Steria. (Steria)

    - Aunt Steria. (Fran)

    Hey hey, be careful with what you call people!

    -What is, Mentor? (Fran)

    - no , its nothing. Just thought it would be nice to bake some cookies just in case. (Master)

    -?

    We spoke to Steria about the case. To begin with, Fran passed on a letter of introduction from Gamudo, the head of the Balbor Guild.

    - I want to take part in the auction. Here''s a letter of rmendation. (Fran)

    - Hm? Can I tale a look ? (Steria)

    - Nn.(Fran)

    Steria opened the letter and confirmed its contents. It looks like he wrote that he would like Fran to provide maximum assistance in everything.

    And it also seems that the seal next to the signature was there for a reason. I felt the magic emanating from her before, but now Steria herself brought some kind of crystal from this seal.

    - Yes, this is the original. A letter from Mr. Gamudo himself, incredible. (Steria)

    - Do you know Gamudo? (Fran)

    - Why do you call Mister Gamudo so familiarly ¡­ Listen, he''s the same Gamudo, that known as dragon yer!( Steria)

    - I know.(Fran)

    - You don''t know anything! In my time, it was the legendary team: Dragon yer, Lord Gamudo; Dragon Hunter, Mr. Fermus; Dragon Crusher, Mr. Diaz; Captive of dragons, Mr. Eyvas. (Steria)

    Steria spoke so quickly that we barely heard anything. But it seems that when she was a rookie there was a team of A-rank adventurers with Gamudo in the lineup, and she respected them a lot.

    They rode around the world like a party of dragon yers . We have already seen the power of Gamudo and Fermus, but now it turned out that my assessment of Diaz was also true. Considering that they had anotherrade who was not equal to them, I could easily believe that such a party could hunt dragons. Although, of course, everything depends on the type and level of threat of a particr dragon.

    However, this party split up 5 years after its formation. Diaz first took over as the head of the guild in Ulmut, and was forced to leave the party. Then there were disagreements between the magician Avas and the rest of the team, and it seems that these feuds caused the copse.

    I have a feeling that I already heard the name of Avas when after the Martial Arts Tournament Fran tried to lure the guild of magicians. Yes, "Guild of Avas Mages". Although they say that this guild is something like an underground organization, but from the name it is clear that its creator is this very Avas.

    Perhaps the reason Fermus is so surprisingly familiar with this organization is that it was founded by his formerrade. And Diaz, therefore, harbors such hostility towards the Mages Guild because Avas was the cause of discord in the team.

    It looks like Avas is a mage specializing in ice magic and poison magic. Not that I wanted to meet him, but if we happen to meet him, then we must bear in mind these two schools of magic.

    - Oh. ¡­ Something we are a little carried away by this topic.(Steria)

    She said that we were carried away, although only she HAS spoke. Fran didn¡¯t say anything besides ¡°uh-huh¡±. Although, it seemed she was d that she spoke out. Steria gathered her courage again.

    - In general, I do not have the authority to do as I want , so we need to call the boss. Can you sit down here on a chair and wait?)Steria)

    - Nn. Fine.

    When Steria left her ce, the adventurers did not take their eyes off from Fran. But they seemed to remotely sense her power, so they didn''t say anything. Well, until they start bothering us, let them watch as long as they want.

    -So, would you mind a tea break? (Master)

    -Nn (Fran)

    Fran took tea and a snack from the Spatial Vault.

    Hmm? I said "tea break" right? (Master)

    -Nn (Fran)

    No, of course she got the tea. ck tea, to be exact. But why is the table bursting with food? Although no, everything is clear. It seems that this is how she envisions a snack for tea.

    I have nothing against pancakes, cookies and pies. It looks like these fritters, along with curry, were Fran''s favorite treats. Since we are talking about an appetizer for ck tea, then it will not do without mitarashi dango and daifuku. And, of course, a steak, as a tribute to the traditions of the half-beast people.

    Also, how about curry, fried rice and boiled rice? Sounds like a full meal, huh? Something too much rice dishes.

    - Yummy. (Fran)

    -Fran, will you eat some sd? (Master)

    - Nn. i will . Fran

    We should teach her to eat in a bnced way.

 Chapter 400 - Eliante

    <h4>Chapter 400 - Eliante</h4>

    It''s been 10 minutes since Steria left for a guild master

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum ¡­ (Fran) t/n eating sounds

    - Ummm ¡­ Of course, I may not understand something, but How this ce turn into a dining room? (Master)

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum ¡­ (Fran)

    A woman came up to the table where Fran was having so called the tea break. She was a woman of a who look like cold beauty, with an intelligent look. Her blue hair was styled into a tall hairstyle toplete her strong woman image. The first thing I thought about when I saw her was "A secretary from some bigpany."

    She looked at Fran somewhat shocked, and there was not a shadow of a smile on her face. It was the opposite , it seemed that she was very unhappy. She was that the type of person whose smile does not look natural, but rather scary .

    Although on surface she looked in her 20- years old, but it was clear from her eyes that she was not human. Her sclera were ck and her pupils were green. Exactly the same distinctive features that were in that half-insect alchemist that we met in Balbor, Eugene. Only Eugene had antennae, and this woman did not.

    It must be because Eugene belonged to the family of semi-insect bees, and this woman was something else.

    Since she was not a purebred person, we could not just by eye determine her real age by her appearance. After all, Eugene, although he looked 40 years old, was actually almost 60. Given this, I would not be surprised if this woman was about forty years old.

    No doubt she knew how to fight. She was also an influential person. Since Fran was focused on food and the woman showed no hostility, Fran did not notice her until she got close enough.

    - Nn? What are you? (Fran)

    ¡°You are the Princess of ck Lightning, right? I''m the guild master ( guild master)

    So it was the guild master. The next moment, the woman sat down in a chair, facing Fran. When she reached out to grab the cookies, Fran didn¡¯t stop her.

    However, she watched the guild masterclosely until she touched the cookie, because if she chose curry or pancakes as her target without showing her true level of power, Fran would see it as a threat. Considering that she still has little control over her skills, if she had used "Royal Suggestion" here, then she would probably have caused a rustle. I would have had to calm Fran down as strong as I could.

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum. ¡­ my name is ¡­

    - Well, no need to talk with full mouth .(Guild master

    - Nn.

    I did not expect such a kind tone from her. Maybe she has such a scary expression by nature? Finally finishing with her food, Fran introduced herself to the woman again.

    - My name is Fran, i am C rank adventurer.(Fran)

    ¡°I am the head of the Capital Adventurers Guild, Eliane.(Eliane)

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum.(Fran)

    - Actually, I was hoping that we would talk in my office ¡­(Eliane)

    The guild master inviting us to her office ? And she is easy-going.

    But it seems that they simply did not have enough people.

    - At this time, the guild staff is busy preparing for the auction, so there are no free hands at all. Steria cannot go anywhere, because she may need to deal with a high-ranking client.(Eliane)

    Eliante said this while looking at Fran''s meal.

    - even though I also have no free time ¡­(Eliane)

    Sorry. I am already finishing (Fran)

    - Oh, okay. You don''t have to rush ¡­ (Eliane)

    - Khrum-Khrum-Khrum ¡­ (Fran)

    She Is that really kind? Although her Face is still the same scary , but maybe she really has it by nature . Leaning rxed on her elbows, Eliante ate the cookies, and now she seemed even softer than before.

    passed 20 minutes .

    - So, let''s continue the conversation.

    We have moved to Eliante''s office. Well, there was a mess. This is not what I expected from Eliante, the "strong woman". Piles of documents were everywhere, clothes were scattered here and there.

    It takes incredible power to move around this room. Perhaps this is already the standart for her, and she has lost sensitivity to the state of her office.

    - Yeah. I would like to participate in an auction.(Fran)

    - as the seller? Buyer? Or maybe both?(Eliane)

    - I want to take part in the weapon auction.(Fran)

    I see ¡­ I don''t think you will find better equipment than the one you are wearing now. Although there are no problems with this. (Eliane)

    - Also, I would like to buy magic stones.

    - And there is no problem with that. It looks like there is something like a separate auction for magic stones. Do you know how an auction works?(Eliane)

    - I do not know.(Fran)

    Eliante immediately began to tell Fran about this.

    First of all , there are many types of auctions, each specializing in a different kind of item. Nothing other than weapons and armor can be exhibited at an arms auction, and all armor and weapons must be disyed on it.

    It seems that this is because there are also dangerous items at the auction, such as the cursed or with unknown abilities. Indeed, if an invaluable demonic sword with a dangerous ability gets there, then the entire capital may be thrown into chaos. Both sellers and buyers are closely monitored.

    In addition, after going through managers and appraisers, almost all items can be sold at the appropriate auction.

    An exception is for items brought in on the day of the auction, for which there is a separate auction. However, the check here is quite strict, and if the item looks even a little suspicious, then it will not be epted. So, especially high-level magic artifacts and other items that are difficult to evaluate are practically not exhibited there.

    - To participate, you must go through many rigorous to find.

    - Find?.(Fran)

    - Yes. Identity identification, criminal history, and everything like that. Weapons, armor, and magic stones can be especially easily associated with crimes. But it is rtively easy for adventurers to qualify for participation. That is, it should not be difficult for us to issue an identity card for you to participate in all auctions on behalf of the guild.(Eliane)

    - So it is possible?(Fran)

    - If something happens, then the responsibility will be on Gamudo, who wrote the letter of rmendation.(Eliane)

    This means that our inappropriate behavior can bring problems to Gamudo.

    ¡°Besides, without even counting all these rmendations from Gamudo, I would like to forge a good rtionship with you.(Eliane)

    As she said this, Eliante smiled slyly. However, it was more like she was plotting something, but such grin of some tomboy confessing to a prank.

    - Haha. But there are not many women among the high-ranking adventurers. Not to mention a talent like yours. Not that there are none at all, but definitely the adventurer''s world is inhabited by men. Almost all guild masters are men. When I decided to be the head of the capital''s guild, such a loud noise arose from all sorts of folks . But I shut them all up.(Eliane)

    That is, she would like to make friends with women who share the same job as her. Indeed, the vast majority of high-level adventure seekers are male. Dzyan, King of Beasts, Arrs, Forund, Colbert. Guild master and former high-level adventurers are all male too: Krimt, Gamudo, Diaz, Fermus.

    Among women of high rank, I can only remember Amanda and Eliante. Mea and Kiara, if they were adventurers, would not have pulled up to a high rank. Elsa ¡­ In general, I will consider a man.

    ¡°Because of this idiot Serudio, the number of female guild master has decreased significantly, and therefore I ept any active adventurer like you with open arms.(Eliane)

    Diaz talked about female guild leaders that, under the influence of "seduction" Serudio gave him unfair assistance and were expelled.

    - If you have any problems in the capital, alwayse to me for advice.(Eliane)

    - Nn I understand.

    Although she was calcting, there was no doubt that she was genuinely worried about Fran. These words cannot be lies.

    - I would not want such a promising adventurer to be troubled by any problems. The capital is still full of aristocratic fools. The time wille when the Marquis Ashton and Baron Holmes will pay for their crimes on the block ¡­

    What a horror! She also spoke the name of the Marquis of Ashton. Probably, he managed to annoy the guild of adventurers. I used Deception Control, but the words were just as true. So she really wants their heads to separate from their bodies?

    - Understand ? If there is even a tiny problem,e. Got it?

    Yes, she herself emphasizes this. Maybe she is familiar with the rumors about Fran? Well, I can''t say that we haven''t had any problems yet. And her tone was quite serious.

    If something happens in the capital, then we should not hesitate to rely on her.

 Chapter 401 - Types of Slaves

    <h4>Chapter 401. Types of ves</h4>

    Eliante finished telling Fran about the auction.

    - Are you interested just in armor, weapons and magic stones?(Eliante )

    - What other types of auctions are there? (Fran)

    - Hmm ¡­ You might be interested in an auction of materials from demonic beasts, a cooking auction, or an auction of magical artifacts?(Eliante)

    - A cooking auction? (Fran)

    I thought she would react to it. It seems that in such a short time Eliante began to understand something about Fran. Smiling a little tightly, she nodded.

    - Yes. Mostly ingredients are sold there. they just not only the edible parts of demonic beasts, but also ghost mushrooms, magical vegetables, and other wonderful ingredients. Basically, they selling rare ingredients that are poorly present on the mass market. (Eliante)

    - Nn, I get it. (Fran)

    ¡°Besides, I can exhibit recipes and culinary secrets there.

    That is, in fact, everything rted to cooking is exhibited there. If you have time, you should take part in it

    - Nevertheless, the dishes itself is hardly showen there .(Eliante)

    - Its fine.(Fran)

    - Hmm? Do you cook yourself?.(Eliante)

    - Nn.(Fran)

    - Oh really? ¡­ We are so simr.(Eliante)

    Eliante muttered those words, visibly nervous. She probably didn''t really know how to cook. given the state of the room, she couldn''t even handle theundry and cleaning.

    Apparently, there was an auction of art objects, and a real estate auction, and an auction of clothing and jewelry. But Fran didn¡¯t react at all. But it wasn''t even the cooking auction that she reacted most strongly ¡­

    - ve auction?(Fran)

    - Yes. The auction deals only with those who were enved for serious crimes, are you interested?(Eliante)

    - No!(Fran)

    - Why do you suddenly have such a frightened face?(Eliante)

    - Nevermind.!(Fran)

    Of course, for Fran, the topic of the ve trade is still heavy. She was not going to take part in either the shady or legal trade in ves.

    She seems to have an aversion to more than just the illegal ve trade. To begin with, I must say that there are many different types of ves. As already mentioned, there are three main types: those who have fallen into very for debts, for light, and for serious crimes.

    As the name implies, those who are unable to pay off their debts be debt ves. In addition, it seems that those who are in a particrly difficult life situation can sell themselves into very.

    When I first heard how debt ves were treated, I even wondered if this could be called very. In fact, they are called ves only because they are subject to the magic of envement, but their rights are surprisingly well protected.

    The master pays the ves a sry, and is obliged to provide them with food, clothing, and a roof over their heads, abuse is not allowed. Compulsion to sexual services and coercion to participate in a crime are severely punished. Not only the ve, but also the master is bound by the magic of the contract, so he cannot break these rules either. I have the impression that this is like involuntarybor from one of the offers of thebor exchange from my native Japan, only you are also provided with food, clothing, and amodation.

    At best, the person is released after one month, and no discrimination against debt ves is allowed. In some cases, a useful skill can be learned in the workce, so it seems that a lot of people consider bing a debt ve not a worse fate. Hmm, just like abor exchange.

    But starting with those who have fallen into very for minor crimes, the attitude towards them sharply deteriorates. Unlike debt ves, whose position is more likely due to some kind of social security, in this case they became ves as punishment for something. Of course, cruel treatment is still prohibited to them, their rights are significantly less than that of debt ves. They seem to be used exclusively as bodyguards and for heavy physicalbor.

    Sounds like involuntary 3Kbor (Note. In Japan, this means "Hard, dirty, dangerous work"). However, for hard work they are eventually released, so in general human rights apply to them.

    So, thest are those enved for grave crimes, and their fate is truly terrible. For a start, those sentenced to death go there, and the goal is the most cruel exploitation of theirbor. They practically do not count as people.

    It seems that these ves who fall into different categories. Some are also used to provide sexual services, while others are used as detachments. In fact, I was interested in the local very system before, and we had already heard something about it in the Adventurer''s Guild before, but since Fran could not bear this conversation, I did not manage to fully learn about the system then. So I didn''t know any particr details.

    Of course, Fran''s illegal very is much worse. It already fully meets my idea of ??very.

    In fact, both debt ves and criminals ves are bound by a contract of their own ord. For starters, a ve contract is not activated without mutual consent. Even those convicted of a serious crime, in fact, also voluntarily choose between execution with public torture and very.

    However, illegal very is different. They fall into very not of their own free will, but by force. The way they get around the ve agreement limitation when making a contract is more vile than you might imagine. That being said, this is a very simple way.

    The stolen person is tortured for a long time, and when he agrees to the "ck" contract, then he is also required to ask for forgiveness. Such a contract does not guarantee even those few rights that those convicted of serious crimes have, and the vepletely obeys all the orders of the drafter of the contract.

    Although, of course, the extreme punishment is imposed for the illegal sale of ves, there are still those who are engaged in this. And all because of the interest in illegal ves on the part of criminal organizations, and the stupid aristocracy.

    But Fran, was in illegal very, so it is not surprising that she is so negative about the ve trade. Sensing the unsettling atmosphere, Eliante changed the subject.

    "This is perhaps the familiar auction for you?" Only trained familiars are disyed there. You seem to have walked with the wolf? Is it interesting for you? Oh, or isn''t the familiar with you today?(Eliante)

    - Urushi by my side.(Fran)

    - Woof!(Urushi)

    - This is ¡­ The Wolf of Darkness? I really didn''t expect them to be tamed. Does he use shadow dipping? Not the best bodyguard, of course. And even this size ¡­(Eliante)

    - Urusha may get smaller¡­(Fran)

    -Woof !(Urushi)

    - Oh, and such unique individuals exist.(Eliante)

    It seems that the head of the guild Eliante did not know that Urushi was hiding in the shadows. Sure, he''s used to it now, but he''s usually pretty cowardly.

    After that, while we were receiving the auction participant ID, Eliante asked us where we were going to stay.

    - Fran, have you decided where you will spend the night today?.(Eliante)

    - Not yet.(Fran)

    - Then, can I offer you a good ce? This hotel is used by high-profile adventure seekers¡­(Eliante)

    Looks like she could show us a ce to stay a night . True, there was only one question.

    "Can we sleep there with the familiar?"(Fran)

    ¡°Yes, familiars are allowed in this hotel. If Urushi stays that size, then there is no problem.(Eliante)

    I see , great. Since the auction of weapons and armor will take ce in two weeks, until that time we will be able to see the capital. We need lern more information

 Chapter 402 - Going to the auction

    <h4>Chapter 402 - Going to the auction</h4>

    It was our second day in the Capital.

    We were standing in front of arge building. It looks like it was the building of the capital''s leading theater.

    Although Eliante, for us, created a list of the 10 best attractions of the Capital, suggested that we visit this theater, we politely declined.

    Even under the most favorable conditions, Fran was unable to carefully look at the theatrical performance, not to mention the fact that it seemed to be some kind of snotty romantic performance, and even about love between young mens.

    Since the title of the production was "The Sword of the Purple Rose", I thought it would be something about fighting. I thought that if it was a colorful production with a lot of action scenes, Fran could well have seen it, so in general terms we learned from Eliante the duration and content of the production.

    She said that the main theme of the movie is love, although all the characters are men. What kind of romantic movie is this? And the "sword" in the title is that a dirty euphemism ?!

    She was so carried away by her story that, without noticing it, shepletely went into the jungle of her hobbies. Fran probably only understood 20 percent of what she said.

    Eliante probably loved the aesthetic side of this kind of operas and theatrical productions. When she talked about the beauty of the actors, she was already heavy breathtaking. It''s even creepy how local noble women go crazy about this production.

    Indeed, when we are talking about cultural things , is it not worthwhile to understand in advance where to draw the line between simple decline and decay?

    I''m a bit of an otaku too, though. It''s not that I can''t understand such a culture. But how can you advise such an innocent girl? At least I would not want Fran to rmend that.

    When she asked with excitement in her voice about other attractions, out of 10 ces 5 turned out to be something in the same spirit.

    This is the pce garden, which was used as a stage where Eliante''s favorite performances were yed, and the cemetery of one princely family, whose lineage was interrupted due to the homosexuality of one of its heads, and the house in which the author of popr ys about same-sex love was born, and that''s it. like that.

    But in the other half of the list were ces such as the Great Temple and the hill from which the royal pce is clearly visible - in general, thanks to her for rmending at least some normal ces.

    I was especially pleased with the giant building of the royal pce, which by its appearance told the rest of the city "The right to sunlight? What is it?" Although no one is allowed to live next to the pce except the high nobility, there is a corner where aristocrats of lower rank live. This ce is the worst of all, as it is in the shadow of the royal pce all day. Nevertheless, it is a great honor to live near the pce, so there are still a lot of people do so. One of the soldiers-patrolmen told us all this, not hiding his disdain for the aristocratic vanity.

    Well, let''s finallye in(Master)

    - Nn.(Fran

    At the entrance of the hall, we presented a certificate of what they did for us in the guild. At first nce, it looked like a simple metal te, from the engraved pattern on which one could understand the rank.

    The certificate that was given to us was the 5th step, the second from the top in terms of the degree of admission. It allowed you to participate in all auctions, but it forbade you to take ces specially prepared forrge merchants, guild leaders, and so on.

    As expected, it looks like noble visitor rooms are also not allowed.

    (Auction of weapons and armor is open today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow - three days)

    - How many weapons.(Fran)

    Fran was flipping through the catalog we bought earlier while exploring the city.

    This catalog has been on sale for over a week, so it''s no surprise that usually the bidders arrived at the time when the items of interest were being disyed.

    Spending the whole day at the auction from morning to evening, not being sure whether the product you are interested in will be disyed here is not the most efficient waste of time.

    But in our case, there were no special products that we had our eye on. Our goal was to visit the weapons and armor auction. So we were still in the dark about what kind of items are being auctioned.

    Of course, this does not mean that we did not look into the catalog at all. Gallus wrote in his letter about the scabbard that he puts up for the auction of weapons and armor. And his words sounded somehow suspicious.

    I thought he was going to somehow contact us when this scabbard is put up for sale, but ¡­

    The only problem is that there were several scabbards among the goods, and the time of their putting up for sale was very different. We tried to find the signature of the manufacturer of each of the scabbards or the name of the seller, but there was not a word about this in the catalog.

    Apparently, we will have toe to terms with the fact that we will not find out. There that we decided to came to the auction in the morning.

    We are of course entitled to special reserved seats, but (Master)

    - What to do?(Fran)

    -Hmm (Teacher

    I don¡¯t know how Gallus was going to contact us, but if he is here, it¡¯s not a fact that he will be able to go to special ces. So it was better to take the usual ce.

    The question was whether Fran could sit in one ce all this time.

    -Can you handle it(Master

    - Uh-huh!(Fran)

    I don''t know if her enthusiasm willst for a long time ¡­

    3 hours passed.

    -Hey Fran, don''t sleep. You¡¯ll draw unnecessary attention(Master)

    -¡­ yeah.(Fran

    (We may be kicked out)

    - ¡­ yeah.( Fran)

    Its useless. Its cant be helped , I will support her with telekinesis. I certainly understand her. Different weapons and armor appeared again and again, one after another. In addition, these were not only enchanted items, for example, they sold a collection of one hundred ordinary swords, that is, there were many simple things.

    Having somehow endured all this boredom, in the afternoon they began to disy special goods. As for those products that were registered after the catalog was printed, no matter how unique and striking they are, it is not a fact that they will agree to put them up for sale.

    In fact, the first thing that was exposed was an ordinary long sword. It was said that the engraving on its de was done in a way that did not affect durability.

    However, when I saw the next item, I involuntarily eximed.

    Huh? ¡­ Hey Fran!Master

    - ¡­ mmmm?(Fran)

    I lightly shook Fran with telekinesis. We had to get ready to ce a bet. Although a bet can be made at a special ce using a magic device, it cannot be done at a regr ce. As we were told before the start of the auction, for the bid you need to show the sign with your fingers.

    - And here is the scabbard for the long sword! Thanks to the parts of the demonic beasts that were used in the manufacture, they are not only durable, but also able to adapt the size to your needs!

    The auctioneer brought a sword scabbard and put it on the stand. The scabbard was made of brown leather. But when the words were said that they were fascinated by the adjustment of the size, a noise arose in the hall.

    In this world, people find valuable the ability of the scabbard to adapt to the size of the sword. It''s not the cheapest thing, but for an expensive scabbard put up for auction, being enchanted with resizing magic was a matter of course.

    Without it, no matter how wonderful the scabbard is, it will always be limited to only one type of sword.

    But that was not important for us. For some reason, it seemed to me that this scabbard was very simr to the scabbard by Gallus, in which I was sitting now. And the default size is the same. This scabbard is made exactly for me.

    Finally, the auctioneer''s voice, drowning out the voices of all the other participants, loudly announced the signature on the scabbard.

    - The creator of the scabbard is unknown! Signed - The Mentor''s Scabbard! The starting price is 10 thousand gold!(auctioneer)

    Fran! We have to win the bid! (Master)

    - Nn!

 Chapter 403: Master Scabbard

    <h4>Chapter 403: Master Scabbard</h4>

    We tried to win the bid for the scabbard. but it was easy to win the bid. It''s even surprising because it was too easy.

    After all by not having size adjustment makes it not popr. It seems for the our opponent reason was they could re-use the monster material. But they immediately withdrews when they saw we had the bid.

    The winning bid is 30.000 Goldes. I didn''t know the market price, but it wasn''t a super luxury item. The material used is not so expensive, and isn''t it was only the scabbard alone?

    However, it is quite conspicuous. In the first ce, it is out of ce for a child like Fran to be in a weapon auction, and i can feel a lot of gaze.

    Isn''t this looking bad? for Gallus to took such a roundabout way mean that he could not make direct contact. Perhaps he was still under Marquis Ashtner surveince or is still in captivity.

    No, since he was able to put up the bid, he must not be in captivity? However, i dont think he is in a state where he can casually go in and out.

    In the worst case, for Fran won the bid for the scabbard made by Gallus in this auction has immediately revealed to Marquis Ashtner. And when they found out it was the ck Lightning Princess involved in Serdio''s death? They will keep an eye on us i think.

    ¡ºFor the time being, lets win the bid after this¡»

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s for distraction¡»

    I don''t think they can be deceived by only this¡­Honestly there is something interesting, and we can pretends that we was impulsive to win the scabbard.

    So, we decided to win the bid for windbreak bracelet that appeared second in the afternoon. It was an item that softens the wind when riding a horse. It would be usefull when we ride Urushi.

    However, it seems to be a surprisingly popr item, and it haspete with a considerable number ofpetitor. But we have to show that we are serious, so we can''t fall back. In the end, it cost us 470.000 Goldes. We are quite rich now, after all wasteful spending is moody.

    ¡ºSo, lets receive our winning bid, and return to our inn¡»

    (Nn)

    If you can immediately pay for the winning bid, you can receive it from that point. But, it''s a hassle to carry around a lot of money, so it''s usually a form of paying at atter date.

    Some fairly strong adventurer can be seen near the winning bid delivery counter, which is watching as a security guard. It seems the security guard are pretty good at it. Well, this is a big auction after all. Seeing Franing, he immediately increased his vignce, which shows his high ability.

    Among adventurers, if they are at rank G to E, they won''t sense Fran''s ability at all. Those who often try to pick a fight with us are usually around this rank.

    When ites to rank D and C, they maybe can sense something, even if they cannot see through Fran abilities. In addition, there were many cautious adventurers that is capable to some extent, and a few were actively trying to not get involved with Fran.

    If they are ranked B or higher, by just only looking at Fran, they can already sense her strength, and almost no one trying to pick a fight. Well, we may be spotted by battle junkie instead.

    Considering that, these security gurads ability was about rank C it seems. And it also depends on their sensing ability, so it''s not certain.

    ¡¸Hey¡¹

    When Fran called out to the staff at the delivery counter, the guards tension reached it''s peak. On the contrary, the staff who did not have any fighting prowess seemed to think she was a lost child. She replies to Fran with a carefree look.

    You can see that the guards are irritated bye the staff carelessness.

    ¡¸Yes, what can i do for you? This is the delivery counter for winning bid, so please ask the person in charge at the entrance for guidance¡¹

    ¡¸Came to pick up the winning bid¡¹

    ¡¸That''s! I beg your pardon. Then, can you show me your participation card¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When Fran gives the particioation card, she holds it over a crystal. That crystal probably is a magic tool, and it seems, to hold various information.

    The rest was easy. Pay the money normally and receive the goods. Most expensive items are carried to their residences for crime prevention, and it seems that not many people pay and receive at the counter. They usually assume that they will hand over cheaper items at this counter.

    The person in charge was pulling his face when he saw 500.000 Goldes piled up on the counter casually

    ¡ºWell, first let''s go back to our inn¡»

    (Nn)

    We can''t expect any contact from Gallus, and is there any message hidden in this scabbard? When we returned to the inn room we examined the scabbard that we won on the bid.

    ¡ºThere''s no different part¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºDo you want topare it a little?¡»

    Wepared our winning bid scabbard with my original scabbard side by side

    ¡¸¡­¡­the same?¡¹

    Yes, as Fran says, they looked exactly the same. It seems that the size, the making, and the color are exactly the same.

    ¡¸woof?¡¹

    Urushi tried to sniff, but it seems he can''t get anything from it.

    We carefullypare the details. Lifting hitting, sensing magical power, and so on.

    ¡º¡­¡­I can''t get anything¡»

    ¡¸Nnn¡¹

    But when i casually look inside the scabbard. That''s where i noticed. The scabbard looked exactly the same, but it actually has only one difference.

    It''s inside the scabbard. And it was just a single part. The thread used to sew the inside of the tip of the scabbard was a red thread. The part of my scabbard that i originally had was made of white thread. To be honest, no matter how much i looked at it, i couldn''t find any other difference other than there.

    ¡ºFor the time being, lets untie the thread¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºI-if you do it too hard like that it wi-¡­! I-i will do it my self!¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Got it¡¹

    Instead of letting Fran forcefully pulling the thread, I''ll take care of tbe thread my self. It was sewn tightly without any gap, but i managed to do it after a few minutes.

    ¡ºOoh, can the leather inside the scabbard turned over a little?¡»

    ¡¸Is there something?¡¹

    ¡¸woof¡¹

    ¡ºOh, hey!, dont push me!¡»

    I searched inside the scabbard while calming Fran and Urushi who are curious and tried to take a look too. But i couldn''t find any message which i expected.

    ¡ºHmm¡­there''s nothing in it¡­Wait, something is written in the flipped ce¡»

    ¡¸What is written?¡¹

    ¡ºE-to, this scabbard, to be used by the strongest sword, wish for it to the God of Wisdom¡»

    Is this some kind of cipher?

    ¡¸Master want to use it?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸The strongest sword is definitely Master! that''s the only thing about it¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s why you want me to use it? No. Wait. God of Wisdom? not the God of cksmith but Wisdom? Maybe it''s about an intelligence weapon?¡»

    As Fran says, this is without a doubt must be a message for me to use it. However, it doesn''t mean for me to actually using it. It should contain more ciphers that only us know about it.

    As i were thinking about the meaning of the cipher. Fran immediately put me in the scabbard right away. The front part of the scabbard is partially destroyed so it is morefortable to get in.

    The unraveled tip was a little stiff, and a little metal hits the base of the de. I didn''t know how it looked, but it seems that the metal fittings that fasten the back strap are slightlyrger than my previous scabbard. So, even Gallus make a mistake like this.

    No, wait. Will a cksmith like Gallus make such a mistake? In other words, is this on purpose?

    ¡ºFran, take a look at the metal fittings¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    When i examined it, i found that the metal on the back side of the metal fittings was slightly different from my previous scabbard. A yellowish soft metal is used. It''s just glued together and might peel off if you put some effort to peel it.

    I carefully peel off the joints of the metal fittings. And then, some characters were written on the inside of the metal. It can''t be, is it really meant for me.

    ¡ºE-to, a mansion with a war maiden red at by a scorpion lion?¡»

    ¡¸More ciphers?¡¹

 Chapter 404: Meaning of the Message

    <h4>Chapter 404: Meaning of the Message</h4>

    We reconfirm the text hidden in the bid winning scabbard.

    ¡ºA mansion with a war maiden red at by a scorpion lion¡­¡­¡»

    I''m sorry Gallus, i disassembled the scabbard as much as possible to see if there were any other hidden cipher. I loosen all the parts that could be loosen, and tried to remove all the parts that could be removed¡­but, no more hidden ciphers left were found.

    In other words, are you trapped in the mansion in this ciphers?

    ¡ºFran, can you understand what it means?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Seriously!?¡»

    ¡¸Find a mansion with a valkyrie red at by a manticore! If it''s a demon beast, we can find it with Urushi''s nose¡¹

    Yeah, it''s not like i didn''t know. As Fran says, the scorpion lion is a Manticore. The war maiden is definitely Valkyrie. We have fought both in the Beastman Country. Well, i don''t think it points to the real thing. In the first ce, there is no reason for such a high-ranked demon beast is in the royal capital. It''s going to be a big fuss. When ites to that, i think that was a metaphor¡­

    If it''s a hint to get us looking for it, it''s likely to be surprisingly easy to understand. No, why did he make it a cipher in the first ce?

    ¡ºThat may be true¡­but why did he entrust us with such a roundabout cipher¡»

    It should be fine if he write more specific, maybe about the mansion of Marquis Asthner or more concretly. Or maybe this is already specific?

    Are manticore and valkyrie really somewhere in the royal capital? No, it shouldn''t be. When ites to it, maybe it''s a statue or a painting of a scorpion lion. Or is it a home ornament?

    Maybe when he were confined somewhere, on the outside he can see a valkyrie red at by a scorpion lion. Or an noble mansion with such anecdotes?

    Note: They sometimes changes between using "sasori shishi" (scorpion lion) and "mantikoa" (manticore). "sen''otome" (war maiden) and "baarukiri-" (valkyrie)

    If that''s the case, this may not be a cipher or metaphor, but simply a hint of where he were being confined.

    ¡ºFor the time being, lets look for a war maiden who were red at by a scorpion lion¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºIf we go near Gallus, he might get caught in Urushi''s nose, can we count on you?¡»

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    On the night of the day when we received hint from Gallus.

    We came to the Adventurer''s Guild. To talk to guild master Eliante, our only acquintance in the royal capital. It''s easier to move after gathering information first rather than blindly looking for a scorpion lion without any information.

    ¡¸Wee. do you need something?¡¹

    When we sent to the officem Eliante was looking tired while being burried in a pile of documents. It''s not a lie when she said she wasn''t free the other day. She call us out without raising her face, maybe she know it was Fran without even looking.

    ¡¸I have something to ask¡¹

    ¡¸Something to ask?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, looking for a war maiden red at by a scorpion lion¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    So Eliante looked at us for the first time. There is confused expression on that face.

    ¡¸Scorpion lion and¡­what is it the other thing?¡¹

    ¡¸A mansion with a valkyrie red at by a scorpion lion. You didn''t know?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean? I don''t think there''s anyone in the royal capital who has manticore¡¹

    Eliante tilt her head at Fran''s word that it seems doesn''t make sense. It would be quick if i could speak, but it''s impossible. But somehow, i managed to get Fran to exin it over time. Of course, without bringing up Gallus name.

    Eliante was irritated at first, but she managed to listen to the end.

    ¡¸In other words, there is an acquintance you were looking for in that mansion. And you are worried because you can''t get in touch with him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But isn''t it just a hint¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t know?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry, i''ll let you know if i can find anything¡¹

    ¡¸Onegai¡¹

    It can not be helped. Lets steadily look for him at the royal capital¡­But, Eliante was strangely hostile to the Marquis Asthner. Maybe we can work together?

    ¡¸Hey, does Eliante dislike Marquis Asthner?¡¹

    ¡¸Suddenly asking that, but yeah¡­if you ask me if i don''t like them, I hate them¡¹

    ¡¸What would you do if I could make a blow to Marquis Ashtner?¡¹

    ¡¸Hoho? If there is really such a way to do that, I''ll definitely cooperate, right?¡¹

    It seems what she said is true that she dislike Marquis Ashtner. For going that far, is it okay to dere you hate them?

    ¡¸Even if they bes hostile?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmh. At this stage. how much do you think they''re abusing their power under their political hat. I''m against them, it''s like they''re already hostile to begin with¡¹

    It seems to be a deeper problem than we thought. The Adventurer''s Guild is not under national control, but it can''t be independent and ignored the ruler of each region. Especially in the royal capital where the power of aristocrats is strong.

    ¡¸If you really can blow that idiot of marquis¡­¡­No, it''s enough to be able to harass them! I''ll help you with anything!¡¹

    Said Eliante venting her excess stress with a Bang of her fist on the table.

    ¡¸Ah! it''s not like it¡¹

    The momentum destroyed the pile of documents. Is it our fault? No, it destroyed it self.

    However, if that is the case, it wouldn''t be a problem to talk about our own purpose.

    Therefore, it''s very likely that Gallus was confined by Marquis Ashtner. We told Eliante that this was a message from Gallus. Then she squints her ck eyes and grins a ferocious smile. **

    ¡¸In other words, if we can find a ce that mathces this riddled sentence, we might uncover the wrongdoing of Marquis Ashtner, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I get it, I''ll do my best to help. You can also find that ce from here as well. And of course, all information about Fran will be hidden so rest assured.¡¹

    All right, with this we now have the Adventurer''s Guild on our back. We''ll get far more information than we can look for alone.

    Later, Eliante was able to tell us some mansion locations associated with Marquis Ashtner. First of all, Let''s go to check there.

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    ¡¸Not a problem¡¹

    ¡¸Then, i''m going¡¹

    As Fran, who was about to leave the room and thanked her, Eliante remembered something.

    ¡¸Oh yes, one piece of advice i want you to listen¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Recently, the security in the royal capital is not good. Many people are gathering because of the auction, including bandits, murderer, and criminal organisation¡¹

    The rich are gathering for the auctions, and cause of it, criminals are increasing.

    ¡¸I understand. I''ll crush them when i find it¡¹

    ¡¸No don''t! rather the opposite!¡¹

    ¡¸Nnn?¡¹

    Eliante denied Fran''s words. with her head down.

    ¡¸If you go on rampage, the damage will be enormous. If you''re not good at it, it''s better to overlook them¡¹

    I see, she said someting simr to Kalk, the guy we met in the back alley. In the case for Eliante, she has information about Fran too, and she knows that Fran has her battle junkie like personality. So i think she is worried.

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    ¡¸As long as you understand¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll blow them away without destroying the surroundings¡¹

    ¡¸You don''t have to blow them away! Can you seize them more peacefully?¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She looked at Fran with a lot of doubt

    ¡¸¡­can i count on you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Can I really really count on you?¡¹

    I''ll be more careful too. I''m sorry if this only increased the work of Eliante who is looks tired already.

 Chapter 405: KALK

    <h4>Chapter 405: KALK</h4>

    After getting Eliante''s help in the guild, we pretend to be sightseeing and looked at ces around the Adventurer''s Guild. First of all, I thought about looking on nearby ce

    But this aristocrat district was a favorite ce where noble tends to gather. And we stand out too much. So, we are going to sneak around at night. We have night vision skill so darkness wouldn''t be a problem.

    ¡ºStone statue, bronze statue. Banner in a painting. engraving on a relief. There''s a lot of possibilities¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, if you can smells something rted to Gallus, please tell us. It was the smell that sticking to yesterday''s scabbard, remember that? ¡»

    ¡¸woof woof!¡¹

    All that''s left is to search by foot.

    However, even after we kept walking since morning, we can''t find what we were looking for. In the first ce, in this vast royal capital, relying only on a sentence of a scorpion lion that we don''t even know its shape is impossible.

    ¡ºIf it like this, it''s going to take a long time¡»

    (Ask someone who seems to know?)

    ¡ºEven if we asked Eliante, she doesn''t seems to know right¡»

    (How about Kalk?)

    Kalk. We certainly had an acquaintance other than Eliante. No, he''s not really an acquaintance, we only have met once after all. He has a face of a thug, and it seems he''s familiar with the back alley of the royal capital.

    But i can''t trust him, he too seems scared of Fran, and probably would help if asked. However, he can also pretend to help us while leaking our information elsewhere.

    I don''t know how Gallus put the scabbard up for auction. In some cases, it''s possible that Marquis Ashtner already knows that we won the scabbard.

    That alone is still suspicious. But what if Fran, who won the scabbard, finds what she looking for? The ciphered message of a mansion with a war maiden guarded by a scorpion lion and the one who own such a mansion. It certainly will lead us to Gallus.

    If that happens, it will be trouble some. It will be clear that the Marquis are our enemy.

    But, Kalk''s informationwork is certainly attractive. So i made up a n.

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯ll just make a strong Doppelganger and make contact¡»

    Without asking Fran, I make up my doppelganger to be a dubious looking man in in clothing.

    ¡ºYosh, isn''t it looks good enough¡»

    It''s so-so in terms of its ability. Although far from reaching Fran, he can at least use swordsmanship and have an average status of about 200. His ability is on par with mid-level adventurer. With Urushi''s nose, it will be easy to find Kalk.

    Urushi then hides in the shadow of my doppelganger, and Fran followed him while erasing her presence. I was also able to talk to Fran while moving my doppelganger with split thinking.

    (woof woof)

    ¡ºThis way¡»

    We followed Urushi''s instructions and passed through back alley. And then we arrived at a bar with a tattered appearance that it''s doubtful whether it is open for business. If i haven''t sensed the presence of person inside it, i would have thought it was an abandoned building.

    I push open the swing door, with just a little push the hinges started to make a creaking noise, and then i steps into the bar. Their gaze turned at me all at once with their unscrupulous gaze as if they were appraising me.

    And then their expression immediately changed into a mockery. Because what i look like now is a middle-aged man with a dull face dressed in in clothes. and i doesn''t seems to ever trained and is unlikely to have special skill such as magic. These are enough conditions to be looked down.

    Well, it seems the person I¡¯m looking for has a rather keen eye on me. I approached the table where Kalk sits while slips through the men trying to trip me with their feet.

    ¡¸Yo, are you Kalk-san?¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk, what do you want me to do¡¹

    Kalk frowns upon seeing me. But he doesn''t try to escape

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be so cold to me. Someone told me that you can help me¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­where did you came from. stop your unnecessary pretense¡¹

    There is no one else with me, but he seems to be thinking various thing.

    ¡¸Oi, don''t do anything¡¹

    Kalk''s words weren''t for me, it was for his subordinate behind me that thought i was a nuisance and trying to get rid of me. Considering his man strength, he knows his man isn''t enough to beat me.

    His man was surprised when he understood the meaning of his word. After all, he thinks he is stronger than me. However, he seemed to be well educated as his subordinate and did notin. The reason is he know Kalk''s eye are highly reliable.

    ¡¸Lets use the back room,e.¡¹

    ¡¸No, here is fine.¨D¨DSilence¡¹

    ¡¸So you are a magician¡¹

    Kalk''s face bes even more bitter. Probably because my doubtfulness has increased. His man was surprised at the sudden disappearance of Kalk''s voice. But when Kalk''s restrained him, he promptly sat back on his chair.

    ¡¸With this they won''t hear our voice¡¹

    ¡¸So what do you want me to do?¡¹

    It seems that he will at least listens quietly. Good

    ¡¸There is a ce I¡¯m looking for. It''s a mansion with a war maiden guarded by a scorpion lion. Do you know? ¡¹

    ¡¸Is it a cipher or something? I would like to meet someone who can understand it already by only that¡¹

    ¡¸That''s true, so please look for it. Also, secretly¡¹

    ¡¸Oioi¡­¡¹

    ¡¸This is a deposit. If you find it, I¡¯ll give you three times of this¡¹

    ¡¸Hou¡¹

    I casually put 50.000 Goldes in front of Kalk. The color of his eyes changed in front of therge amount of money.

    ¡¸What''s the deadline?¡¹

    ¡¸Tomorrow night, I¡¯lle here again¡¹

    ¡¸That''s, will be tough¡¹

    ¡¸That''s why it''s this amount¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Don''t expect too much from me¡¹

    ¡¸I expect much from you, see youter¡¹

    ¡¸O-oi¡­¡¹

    I grinned at Kalk while erasing doppelganger Infront of him. He seen his client disappear like a smoke dispersing into thin air giving an eerie feel.

    ¡ºYoshi, with this i managed to get Kalk''s help. Hopefully, we''ll get information tomorrow night¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºThat being said, we''ll continue to search on our own¡»

    ¡¸I know¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    Author note:

    I received a review!

    Moreover, he is from Korea.

    The charm of cat ears has nothing to do with borders.

 Chapter 406: Thieves Guild

    <h4>Chapter 406: Thieves Guild</h4>

    The next night after we asked Eliante and Kalk to find the mansion.

    ¡ºIn the end, we couldn''t find it on our own¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸woof¡¹

    We also looked around the noble district at night. However, even though there were stone statues of dragon, reliefs of lion, and angels like statue made of bronze. We couldn''t find anything that matched the cipher.

    It seems that Eliante couldn''t get any remarkable information either, so she will continue her search.

    We couldn''t find it on our own or in the Adventurer''s Guild intelligencework. So now we are relying on ourst hope, Kalk.

    (will he get any clue?)

    ¡ºWell, even if it doesn''t exist, at least we can narrow down our search range, right?¡»

    With Kalk''s informationwork, we can find out about downtown and entertainment districts to some extend. So, even if Kalk couldn''t get any useful information, we can exclude this area from our search range.

    ¡ºthen, let''s go¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I used my doppelganger skill to create my body split. ording to Urushi''s nose, Kalk is already inside the bar.

    I push open the cracking door and step into the bar. As expected, at once all of their gaze turned to me. Perhaps, because they know i was talking with Kalk yesterday, so no one seems underestimating me now.

    Oh yeah, yesterday i dissolved my doppelganger into thin air. Seeing that, they may consider me as an eerie person.

    Today, no one trying to trip me with their feet, and no one is ridiculing me either. Rather, they don¡¯t want to get involved with me, so they opened my way.

    ¡ºYo, it''s been yesterday¡»

    ¡¸so you came huh? have you prepared the money? ¡¹

    ¡ºis it mean, you have found it?¡»

    ¡¸yea¡¹

    That''s amazing! Even an organization like adventurer¡¯s guild couldn''t get any clue. It seems we can''t underestimate on Kalk informationworks.

    ¡ºThen, this is it¡»

    ¡¸Are you really going to pay before hearing the information first?¡¹

    ¡ºOh, I¡¯m good at spotting lies, and you are not stupid enough to try to steal away this money, are you?¡»

    ¡¸hmmf¡¹

    It is unlikely for Kalk to try escape and steal the money. Either in the sense of him losing his credibility and he also knows he can''t escape from me.

    Kalk snorts in an unamusing way, he probably doesn''t like being insulted because they have to put themselves in the line.

    ¡º¨D¨DSilence, can you tell me right away?¡»

    ¡¸Here¡¹

    ¡ºA paper? what''s about these number?¡»

    ¡¸It''s the address of the mansion you are looking for. It''s in the center of the noble district. It''s the vi of Count Olmes behind the mansion of marquis Ashtner. Opposite the mansion of Count Bailleys¡¹

    ¡ºOrmes¡­¡»

    ¡¸It used to be the residence of Viscount Lesseps, but it seems that he was crushed by a scandal. Do you know? it''s the concubine of marquis Ashtner¡¹

    Viscount of lesseps is, Serdio. The connection with Marquis Ashtner is perfect

    ¡¸In front of Count Olme''s vi, there is a stone statue of Manticore that faces the garden of the vi, and the garden is decorated with a stone statue of a war maiden¡­What do you think?¡¹

    It seems this information would be a hit.

    ¡ºIt''s perfect. it saved me from looking for it¡»

    ¡¸Even though I was forced to ept it, business is business. I''ll do it perfectly¡¹

    ¡ºYou have my gratitude¡»

    As i thanked Kalk, i dissolved my doppelganger. The paper has been secretly handed over to Urushi in the shadow. No, wait. Kalk''s informationwork may be helpful again. For the time being, i have to tell him in advance. We''ll be bothering Kalk again.

    ¡ºI''lle again when i have another thing to ask¡»

    ¡¸Nevere again¡¹

    ¡ºI''ll make a best of you¡»

    ¡¸Oi¨D¨D¡¹

    I grinned lightly at Kalk who had an annoying look on his face while dissolving my doppelganger

    (Master, how is it?)

    ¡ºI never thought i could get the information this good¡»

    (Then?)

    ¡ºOu, I know where the mansion is located. However, even if i was told the address, i don''t know where the exact location is¡»

    I was told it was behind Marquis Ashtner''s mansion, but i don''t even know where it is.

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYou finally returned, Urushi¡»

    Urushi has returned to Fran''s shadow, we looks at the paper given by Kalk, but we still can''t understand it.

    (Then, ask Eliante)

    ¡ºYou''re right, that''s the fastest way¡»

    (Nn)

    We decided to go straight to the Adventurer''s Guild. It''s still in the evening, i hope she''s still be there¡­

    ¡¸Oh, Fran. What''s wrong? ¡¹

    It seems it was an unnecessary worry. Eliante, who looked exhausted due to excessive work, weed Fran with a weak voice.

    ¡¸Sorry, but i haven''t received any information yet¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That''s okay, got information on my hand¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? did you find it on your own? ¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong, talked to an information broker¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean by information broker? I also asked information broker among our adventurers. So you are saying you procured information faster that us?¡¹

    [TLN: I tried to make Fran''s dialogue to be as short as possible and sounds monotone, it''s like that in the raw. wdyt?]

    Eliante stopped her works and turned her gaze to us. She seems to have been very surprised.

    ¡¸Nn. Talked at the bar¡¹

    ¡¸By any chance, do you make a contact with the Thieves Guilds?¡¹

    From the shock, Eliante''s eyes sharply narrowed. Did you just call it the Thieves Guild now?

    ¡¸Nn? Thieves Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸You didn''t know? They are like an underground organization that active in this royal capital¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t know¡¹

    ¡¸Then, how did you find that bar? you won''t find it if you randomly go inside any bar to look for information broker¡¹

    Apparently, from Eliante''s aura, the Adventurer''s Guild and the Thieves Guild are not in good terms. We should keep quiet about this.

    However, we can''t tell her about me, so we told her that Urushi remembered the smell of the person we met in the back alley and went to see that person again, relying on his nose.

    ¡¸I see¡­If it''s in themercial district, is there someone you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I see, I¡¯ll believe you. But you shouldn''t get involved with them as much as possible¡¹

    ording to Eliante, the Thieves Guild has been acquiesced as an evil organization. In a big city like the royal capital, various people and criminals are wriggling behind it. The royal capital would be in a mess if they were simply left unchecked. Only the Thieves Guild could control those criminals to some extent.

    Of course, acquiescence does not allow them everything and be overlooked. If the Thieves Guild goes too far, the country will crack them down. It seems that they are good at determining their limit line. Cause even if the soldiers are not deployed, bounty will be given to members of the Thieves Guild.

    In that case, it was natural for them to be ipatible with the adventurer''s guild to which those bounty hunters belong. I wonder will they get retaliation for catching a member of the Thieves guild, but that doesn''t seem to be a problem. It seems they know that the Thieves Guild will also be crushed if they mess with the Adventurer''s Guild. Besides, in their world, it seemed the one who get captured were often said to be idiots.

    ¡¸Well, in the end, it''s a group of criminals, their reserve, and their coborator. It''s not going to be a problem if you are not good with them. But be careful?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Understand¡¹

    Fran did note into direct contact with Kalk, so that wouldn''t be a problem.

    Rather than that, the location of the address is more important now. Fran tells Eliante the address and the information that it is the vi of Count Olmes, behind the mansion of Marquis Ashtner.

    Apparently Eliante knows the ce. With just that address, she seems to be able to point the ce to some extent, it seems Marquis Ashtner''s Mansion are famous. She drew a map on the spot.

    ¡¸Here¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks¡¹

    ¡¸¡­you know, you are prohibited to make an enemy of noble. After confirming the location, immediatelye back at once. Never try to infiltrate alone¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    As expected, we couldn''t suddenly infiltrate into Count''s mansion alone. We''ll just check the location first. However, Eliante looks uneasy.

    ¡¸Do you really understand?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Aah, you are worrying¡¹

    Fumu, should we ask what rumours Eliante has heard? It seems that she thinks Fran was a wild kid that tends to rampage.

    ¡¸It''s fine, won''t do anything stupid¡¹

    ¡¸Really really, right?¡¹

    Author Note:

    The short story drawn by Maruyama-sensei published in the January issue of Monthly Birz is the best. Fran is so cute.

    Moreover, the pancakes that appear on it look delicious!

    I went to eat pancakes unintentionally. A man alone¡­

    But it was really delicious hahaha¡­¡­

 Chapter 407: Reunion in an Unexpected Place

    <h4>Chapter 407: Reunion in an Unexpected ce</h4>

    As we left the Adventurer''s Guild, we immediately went to Count Olmes''s vi. We erased our presence and look at the mansion from a distance.

    (Master, that''s its)

    ¡ºI see, so that''s a scorpion lion¡»

    Fran is pointing to the gate pir of the mansion in front of Count Olmes''s vi. Certainly, it was the mansion of Count Bailleys.

    As expected, the gate of the residence of an aristocrat is quiterge. The gate pir alone was over 10 meters high. And a majestic statue of a manticore set up on the top was staring at the street as if protecting the gate.

    If we follow that statue line of sight, it certainly seemed to be facing the vi of Count Olmes. And then, it would be perfect if there was a valkyrie in front of that line of sight.

    We can''t look inside because of the high wall. I thought we can sneak in a little bit, but it''s too risky so i hesitated. This is because i could already feel the magic barriers even from the outside. Moreover, its strength is mid rank. And it seems, Count Olmes''s vi has stronger barrier than Marquis Ashtner.

    Fran was really eager to go. I stopped her with all of my might. No way, are your talk with Eliante before was a lie¡­¡­That was close.

    ¡º¡­Let''s take a look from the sky. I''m going for a while. So, don''t move a step from there will you?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fortunately, it''s night. Even if i make some shy move, i won''t stand out. Even more so if it''s just me.

    I moved to the sky by teleporting. I teleported a little higher because i have to take a great care to not touch the barriers of the mansion. I can feel the barrier magical power, it seems to have covered the mansion in a spherical shape.

    While i were stationary in the sky. I turned my gaze to the garden of Count Olmes''s vi. I utilize all my skills to observe every corner of the garden, and i found it.

    ¡ºThere! It''s the statue of a war maiden¡»

    There was a stone statue of a war maiden installed on the center of a fountain. Dressed in armor, and have the appearance of a maiden, there''s no doubt about it. It also coincides with the line of sight of the stone statue of manticore.

    I have confirmed it, and i teleported to Fran again

    ¡ºI''m back¡»

    ¡¸Okaeri, how was it?¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s a bingo, this is the right ce¡»

    ¡¸Great¡¹

    But it is not possible to tell what''s going on inside the mansion just by looking at it from above. Of course, i can''t even confirm where Gallus was.

    ¡ºThere''s not much can be seen from the outside, but there are quite a few people inside¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    By sensing the presence, it was clear that there were too many guards. Moreover, most of the guard are facing inward rather than outside, as if they were guarding to prevent something to escape.

    ¡ºUrushi, can you smell him?¡»

    (whimper¡­)

    ¡ºNo good huh¡»

    (woof)

    It seems the mansion also has a wind-type barrier. This may be blocking the sound and smell.

    (What will we do?)

    ¡ºI hope i could locate where Gallus was confined¡»

    We decided to walk around the Count''s residence to find any clues. I can sense considerable number of guards are patrolling the mansion. But they shouldn¡¯t be aware of us yet.

    However, when we were walking around, Urushi reacted to something. He is eagerly sniffing around our surroundings.

    ¡ºIs it Gallus?¡»

    ¡¸woof¡¹

    He is shaking his head, maybe it''s something different.

    (woof!)

    Urushi started walking to lead us. What''s more is he seems to be reminding us to erase our presence with dark magic. We didn''t mind our magic consumption, and we used our magic and skills and went into covert mode. We are confident that even if we pass in front of ordinary people, they won''t notice us.

    We followed Urushi while keeping our distance from Count Olmes''s vi. From there go through a back alley and follow the route around the main street that runs in front of Marquis Ashtner mansion.

    (woof)

    Then, just before the exit of the back alley. Urushi suddenly stopped. Urushi slowly puts his head out and looks at the street. We also followed Urushi and slowly looked into the main street.

    ¡ºThat is, a vagrant huh?¡»

    (woof!)

    Urushi is staring across the street as seen from the alley we were lurking. There was an entrance to an alley slightly closer to Marquis Ashtner mansion. There was a vagrant wearing arge rag cloth. It''s not umon for a big city like the royal capital. In fact, we''ve seen a lot of them.

    But it was unusual for one to be in the noble district, but it''s in a blind spot in that ce. it''s possible that patrolling guards may not even notice it.

    However, after watching for a while, I noticed the strangeness of the vagrant.

    ¡ºI can''t feel his presence¡»

    ¡¸Nn. That magical power is strange¡¹

    ¡º¡­Are he used a skill to hide his presence¡»

    It seems to be not your everyday vagrant. He is quite a talented person. At the very least, the covert skill of his can beparable with C rank adventurers.

    ¡ºFrom there¡­maybe he''s monitoring Marquis Ashtner residence¡»

    The vagrant''s line of sight is facing the front gate of Marquis Ashtner residence.

    Even so, Urushi can notice this vagrant from such a distance. Did he feel the faintness and unnaturalness? When I was wondering so, the vagrant turned around. He goes into the back alley. Did he notice us?

    For the time being, we decided to follow after him while erasing our presence. We didn''t take the alley where the vagrant went in.

    We used the alley next to it, and following him along while maintaining a certain distance. Even if we lose sight of him, we can still find him with Urushi''s nose.

    And because of it, we were able to trail around without being noticed by the vagrant. We continued to trail him through the alleys of this noble district.

    Perhaps he didn''t think he were being watched; he took off his robe he was wearing from his head. It seems he stopped pretending to be a vagrant.

    From under it, a surprisingly firm body emerges. He clearly has a trained muscle and appearance of a warrior honed inbat. I felt that the man''s ability was about C rank scout, but it seems that was a mistake. Obviously, scouts are not his main job, but the poise of those who live with battle.

    But, his face was familiar. Why is he here?

    (Colbert?)

    ¡ºYeah, without a doubt¡»

    (woof!)

    He is a B ranked adventurer who helped our stalls in Barbra, and we confronted him as a strong opponent in the fighting tournament. A fighter who crushes a demon beast with his fist. He is the Iron w Colbert.

    Probably Urushi reacted because he remembered Colbert''s smell. And also, because we fought together hand-in-hand against Linford.

    (What now? Call him?)

    ¡º¡­hmm, what to do?¡»

    Although he is not a stranger, doesn''t mean we are always an ally now. We should be careful while we didn''t know who hired him as an adventurer. I don''t think he would personally watch over Marquis Ashtner unless he has his own circumstance.

 Chapter 408: Two Half-Dragonmen

    <h4>Chapter 408: Two Half-Dragonmen</h4>

    Colbert walks ahead of us. He was wary of the surroundings, but he wasn''t hesitant with his steps. He seems to have a clear destination.

    We decided not to call out and continue to follow him.

    If Colbert goes into a noble mansion or some kind of facility, we will ask Eliante or Kalk what kind of ce it is. If he went into an inn, we''ll remember the ce, and n to meet again under the guise of chance. The rest is to pull out the information well. That''s where it''s difficult.

    ¡ºWhere is he heading?¡»

    (Noble town?)

    ¡ºThat is so in that direction¡­¡»

    Colbert didn''t leave the noble district, but came to the northern section of the noble district. This area is under the shadow of the royal castle, so there''s not much light during the day, and only lower-ss aristocrats live in this area.

    In the middle of it, Colbert enters a park with a lot of trees. There are other parks in the royal capital, but the park in the noble district is truly gorgeous. This is probably because it ys a role as a garden to be seen from the outside, not as a ce for rxation as in themoner district, but only for the scenery.

    However, perhaps because it is in a ce where there is less light during the day, it is dull and gloomy. No flowers are in bloom, and the trees are too dense. At night, it looks like a haunted ce. If you didn''t know anything, it wouldn''t be strange to mistake it for a cemetery.

    ¡ºWhat is his objective?¡»

    (Meet someone?)

    There is no straight road in the park, and if you''re in a hurry, you shouldn''t use it. It seems his purpose isn''t just to going through it. As Fran expected, are he really going to meet someone?

    If so, i would like to know the identity of the other party. We will let Urushi remember the smell, so we can tail itter.

    We decided to follow Colbert and infiltrate the park. Colbert was walking straight in the park for a while, but he suddenly stopped his steps.

    He watched his surroundings, without much movement. We also stopped at a distance and were observing Colbert¡­

    ¡ºAh!¡»

    (Hmmh)

    (woof!)

    Colbert suddenly started running at full speed. Did he notice us? Moreover, while we were surprised, a new presence appeared somewhere at slightly distant ce.

    At the same time as the presence appeared, something was thrown toward us. It seems when he attacks, his camouge decreased, and we can feel it.

    I don''t know what was thrown, but i instantly teleported above to avoid the attack with dimension shift and used physical attack nullification in a hurry.

    Shyuu¨D (sfx)

    We teleported about 20 meters above the park and looked down. We could see a green smoke fill the area around our spot before. It seems the think thrown at us was an item that generate gas. It was obviously a poison.

    He seems to be puzzled because our presence suddenly disappears. His ability as a covert is considerably high, but he seems to have little experience inbat, because you shouldn¡¯t let your presence leaked every time you act.

    It seems he was an acquaintance of Colbert, so it maybe bad to kill him.

    ¡ºWe''ll hit him with lightning magic and then teleported behind him¡»

    (understood)

    ¡ºUrushi, hides and wait¡»

    (woof!)

    ¡ºMake sure you didn''t kill him¡»

    (Nn)

    I and Fran fired stun bold in a row toward the spot where we spotted his presence. A small figure emerges illuminated by pale lightning in the dark night.

    We teleported, aiming at his back. It seems he took some damage, but he can still move. However, he was blown away by the lightning bolt.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    We have wind barriers as well as resistance to abnormal conditions, but Fran took a deep breath and hold her breath just before teleporting. Maybe it was just her instinct. If it''s a super strong poison that even these two couldn''t prevent, i don''t think it''s enough with just holding your breath. It''s better to take care of your eyes and skin.

    Fran, whose mouth was inted like a squirrel, tried to hit the figure with me still in the scabbard, but when she was in the middle of it, she retreated swiftly.

    ¡¸You dodged it huh?¡¹

    It can''t be helped. In the ce where Fran stood earlier, a jet-ck spear created with dark magic was stabbed the ground. It seems we have 2 opponents.

    The new enemy who attacked Fran were overwhelmingly stronger than the previous one. In the first ce, his presence is quite thin even at this close. He seems to have the appropriate covert skills and magic.

    ¡¸Th-that saved me¡¹

    The one we engaged before called out to the dark magic user. He looks pretty young, and as the appraisal says, he is 17 years old. And she was a girl.

    She is a beauty who looks courageous, with her light blue hair tied up in a ponytail that seems to reach her back if she unties it. She is wearing ck leather equipment like a kunoichi that appears in American Comics. It doesn''t just help her to blend in the dark, but it seems it has the ability to help blocking her presence in all of her equipment.

    (Note: Kunoichi is a term for ninjas, but for female)

    She holds her knife in her hand, and looks at me with a stern look.

    At her young age, herbat prowess is quite high. But more than that, her ability as a scout is considerably high. Moreover, she seems to know how to handle poison and the type who can still fight with her hand tied.

    Her name is Velmeria Bailleys. It seems by her name; she is rted to count Bailleys.

    The dark magic user was Frederick. He is 35 years old, but his calm aura makes him look older. He is a handsome guy with ck hair. His equipment is also ck ninja-like leather equipment.

    Not only he has high-level skills such as sword sacred art and dark magic, but he also has a wide range of resistance skills such as Mental Resistance: Lv 8, Fame Resistance: Lv 5, and Storm Resistance: Lv 4. In addition, he possessed multiple unique skill such as Evil Lure.

    However, his status is quite lowpared to his skill. Even so, his status was about 100 on average, so he is not a small fish.

    I''ve seen the opposite before. It was a noble whose level has been carried only by power levelling and medicine. However, this is my first time seeing a low status despite having higher skill level.

    If you look only at his skills, he is certainly ranked B or higher. However, his status is about rank D. Maybe, he''s not on his peak condition so he seemed to be weak.

    Their race is also worrisome. Velmeria is a half-water dragonmen. Well, it seems there is a race called dragonmen, and i wonder if she is a half of them. The problem is Frederick''s race. He was a half-evil dragonmen. I can''t feel any evil, but is it a race rted to evil people?

    Even with the same half-dragon races, Velmeria looks almost like human. However, Frederick apparently has thicker Ryuujin blood in him.

    He has reptile-like split eyes, and his right arm is covered with ck scales. His left arm is covered with a gauntlet so i don''t know if it has scales too. No, it seems that is not an arm with gauntlet, but a metal artificial hand.

    ¡¸Be careful. This girl has immense skill¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I know. But how did she escape the poisonous gas and turn to attack me? ¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe it''s space-time magic, that''s the only think to exin her movement¡¹

    ¡¸Space-time magic user¡­what a troublesome one¡¹

    This would be troublesome. Frederick''s declining status doesn''t mean that he lost his experience and insight. As evidence, he found us out to be able to use space-time magic. It''s multiple times easier to do with someone who just have their strong status.

    ¡ºFran. Frederick seems to be a cunning type, longer battle with him may be troublesome. Let''s end this at once¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 409: Velmeria and Colbert

    <h4>Chapter 409: Velmeria and Colbert</h4>

    In order to incapacitate Velmeria and Frederick, we decided to use lightning magic.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡ºEat this!¡»

    The lightning magic Thunder Chain we invoked is a technique to bind and paralyze our opponent with a chain of lightning to deprives them of their freedom. The range was not so wide but itpensated for its shorings by using multiple activations released to our opponent.

    If it is a magic below intermediate level, the Fran now can activate 2 shots instantly and i can activate 3 shots. But if i took it seriously, I was able to fire more than 5 shots.

    ¡¸Gaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hggh!¡¹

    Seven streak Thunder chain rampages like a snake, Velmeria are surely intertwined by Thunder chains one after another and fell limply on the spot.

    However, Frederick is stubborn, he shed the chain of lightning that came towards him with a sword imbued with magic. It seems to be an application of magic release skill.

    ¡ºNot bad. But I will try to push harder too¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Kuh! Chant less magic! and she can re-cast it this much¡¹

    From 10 thunder chains i nned to shot, it cut it off until the 7th shots, it seems this number couldn''t be blockedpletely by Frederick. Thunder chain wrapped around his body, and depriving Frederick of his consciousness.

    Thunder chain was a magic that focuses on paralyzing rather than power. Firing in rapid session cost me unusual amount of mana. It was also difficult to hold back against Velmeria whose resistance are not very high. But that was what exactly I was aiming for.

    We cast magic as an insurance on the two who fall side by side on the ground. Restraining their body with earth magic, the ground changed like an ivy and wraps around their legs and body and tied up.

    Still, I''m not relieved. Frederick in particr has dark magic. The chances of him escaping to the shadows are not zero.

    ¡ºUrushi, on guard with your dark magic¡»

    (woof)

    The use of Urushi''s dark magic can even attack enemy in the shadows.

    ¡ºWell, lets start questioning them¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Let¡¯s start with Velmeria, I don''t think Frederick will answer us obediently. So, we separated Velmeria from Frederick.

    Fran knelt beside Velmeria and tapped her cheeks, where she normally would kick and hit her body. That''s good, don''t always be so rough.

    I think she''s still paralyzed by thunder magic, but the impression is absolutely different between us fighting for self-defence and using violence after capture. She is a noble daughter who may be acquainted with Colbert after all. So, we must not hurt her.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woke up?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­what is this¡­¡¹

    As soon as she woke up, there was a ck cat girl in front of her, and she was detained for some reason. Of course, she''s confused.

    However, she probably remembered the situation before. She res at Fran and shouts.

    ¡¸What did you do to me!¡¹

    ¡¸I was the one who should asking¡¹

    ¡¸Is my subordinate safe?!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave the trifling stuff, answer my question¡¹

    Fran activated intimidation skill; it must have break Velmeria''s heart. Swallowed by the intimidation of Fran, her body quivered. There is fear in her face.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­who are you¡­¡¹

    However, Velmeria said back with a determined expression. She must have epted the cmity that was about to fall on herself. Although she is a little immature, she has her pride as a full-fledged warrior.

    However, the miserable future that Velmeria imagined will nevere to her.

    ¡ºFran, did you aware of it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    There was a presence slowly approaching from behind us. He seems to be wary of us, but i didn''t feel any hostility or malice.

    ¡¸Yo. It''s been a while. Could you release thatdy? miss Fran¡¹

    It was Colbert who showed up. He seems to have been apanion with the assant. Well, i thought so considering his good timing.

    He raises his hands lightly and slowly approached Fran, there were no sign of sudden attack for the time being. It was supposed to be a proof that he has no hostility.

    ¡¸Colberd-dono! Is she your acquaintance!?¡¹

    ¡¸We are not really an acquaintance¡¹

    ¡¸So, she must be a spy of Marquis Ashtner?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran is? It''s impossible¡¹

    ¡¸How did you know¡¹

    ¡¸This girl is the ck Lightning Princess. Do you understand what i mean?¡¹

    After Velmeria heard Colbert¡¯s words, she opens her eyes and raises a surprised voice.

    ¡¸Re-rally? Speaking of ck Lightning Princess, isn''t she is the adventurer who caused the death of Serdio Receps!¡¹

    She knows that much huh

    ¡¸I''m sorry miss Fran. She told me there was someone following me. I left it to her because she said she would detain him¡­¡­but i didn''t expect it was you¡¹

    Colbert are equipped with a magic tool called Wind Jewel; it seems to be an item that can pick up the voice of other party in a distant ce through the wind. However, it seems to be a disposable item, the jewels are in a damaged state. She must have contacted him with this.

    ¡¸Then why did you followed Colbert!?¡¹

    ¡¸Cause suspicious appearance, and being sneaky¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    Velmeria frowns. She admits Colbert was looks suspicious and being sneaky. And Fran isn''t lying, right? If he was dressed normally, she would have call him out with out tailing him.

    ¡¸These guys, who?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, how to say this, these guys are the subordinate of my employer, for the time being, they are my current colleague¡¹

    Given Velmeria''s surname, is their employer was Count Bailleys?

    ¡¸But, i didn''t think miss Fran was in the royal capital. I asked Gamudo''s man, they said you went to the Beastman Country. What was your purpose ofing to the royal capita? for auction?¡¹

    ¡¸Various things¡¹

    ¡¸Various things huh. And it seems miss Fran has be even stronger again¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Honestly, the me right now can''t win against you¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-!¡¹

    Velmeria was surprised at Colbert''s deration. From her point of view, it was unbelievable for strong person like Colbert admitted he would lose without fighting.

    ¡¸They weren''t trying to kill you. So, could you release them?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you raiding? Is it rted to monitoring Marquis Ashtner?¡¹

    ¡¸Huft, you have seen that much huh? i never thought this would happen¡¹

    Colbert sighs as he gives up. Fran has an overwhelming advantage in here. In the first ce, there are hostages. He also knows that Urushi is lurking somewhere and don''t even know when Urushi will attack the hostages. On the contrary, it bes pressure.

    And then, when ites to Frans against Colbert, Fran will win. Colbert has grown since that martial arts tournament, but we are a lot stronger. Well, it wouldn''t be an easy win.

    He apparently chooses to reveal the facts obediently rather than trying to bargain. Colbert talks about their situation.

    ¡¸I was certainly monitoring Marquis Ashtner. My objective is to lure the spies that serve under Marquis Ashtner¡¹

    In other words, Colbert dared to act suspiciously so Velmeria and the others can follow the one who was tailing Colbert and catch him. So that was their n huh, but Fran was the one who caught in their operation instead, not the spy of Marquis Ashtner.

    Yeah, it was an unfortunate ident. Let¡¯s go along with that.

    ¡¸Then, hostile with Marquis Ashtner?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that''s right¡¹

    It''s not a lie. Maybe Colbert didn''t know the information about Gallus? We decided to reveal our situation to Colbert to some extent.

    ¡¸My acquaintance may have been captured by Marquis Ashtner, and was looking for his whereabouts¡¹

    ¡¸What? So that''s why you were there?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, and happened to meet Colbert¡¹

    ¡¸Huft¡­of all things¡­But, so that''s why¡¹

    Colbert thinks for a few seconds.

    ¡¸Do you got any information?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s leave this ce for the time being. If we talk too long, people wille here soon, and I want to hear more about it¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Colbert is right, so we decided to follow him for the time being. Release the restraint of the earth magic from Velmeria and the other one. It seems Velmeria will do something about Frederick.

    ¡¸Then, where are we going?¡¹

    ¡¸About that¡­Miss Fran. Would you like to meet my employer?¡¹

 Chapter 410: Count Sidre Bailleys

    <h4>Chapter 410: Count Sidre Bailleys</h4>

    Colbert said he wanted us to meet his employer, so we decided to follow him. He says he will tell us what information he knows, and he is also interested in that person.

    Along the way, we asked Colbert about his employer

    ¡¸Your employer, who is him?¡¹

    ¡¸My employer''s name is Count Bailleys. He is the leader of the Knight of the West Gate, one of the four Knights of the royal capital¡¹

    I''ve heard the name, but it''s bigger than what i imagined. What¡¯s more, he isn''t employed under the Count Bailleys, but the person himself. ording to Colbert we were a rare and reliable person among the nobles.

    Velmeria snorts inins while listening to the conversation between the two.

    ¡¸Hmph¡¹

    It seems that Velmeria hasn''tpletely trusted Fran yet. As she walks forward, she asionally turns her gaze at us. Still, she didn''t object andin at Colbert''s decision.

    I don''t know about Frederick; he is quietly walk next to her with his poker face.

    We walked for more than 10 minutes in this noble''s district.

    Ah, by the way, we are not just simply walking. Everyone is using their covert skills and Frederick used dark magic to erase our presence.

    We proceed through the noble''s district like that, and arrive at a small mansion. It looks like a typical lower-ss noble''s mansion with no soldiers at the gate.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yea, this way¡¹

    Velmeria enters the mansion through the back gate instead of using front gate, it must be an insurance.

    There are indeed soldiers in the mansion, and when he sees Velmeria, he quietly bows his head. The soldier was pretty strong. It''s a pity topare but they are stronger than the corrupt knights of Allesa, whose deputy leader was Alsand. Can''t he be a knight because he is amoner?

    When i thought so, the soldier we met next were just as strong as the one before. I involuntarily appraised them, but everyone can at least use martial art, and their status are quite high.

    This seems to be the average of the soldiers here. But they were stronger than the patrol soldiers we met in the royal capital.

    Fran seems to have noticed that too, and she''s looking at the soldiers in the sideways.

    ¡¸What happened, miss Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Soldier is strong¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it''s a little special here, because they are all fighters¡¹

    Their lord was a leader of the knights, they may have been trained by him to be a good soldier.

    Velmeria goes up the stairs and lead Fran into a room. It seems to be a drawing room. It wasn''t shy, but the interior was calming.

    ¡¸Wait here¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    At the same time, a female servant brings us a tea. Velmeria is still wary of us, but she seems to treat her as a guest.

    ¡ºBut, there is still surveince huh¡»

    (1 person in the attic, 1 person in the next room)

    ¡ºDon''t do reckless things, it''s a nobleman''s mansion¡»

    (Nn)

    Partly because we didn''t notice Frederick, we are paying close attention to the surroundings. Skills, magic, and Urushi''s nose are all mobilized. If we still can''t find him with this, I think he was already in a rank S ss powerhouse.

    ¡¸Zuzu¡¹

    On the sofa in the drawing room with a peephole, we spend time drinking tea while paying attention to the surveince and killing time. As expected, i need to refrain from servingrge amount of food from dimensional storage in this noble mansion.

    Because it''s strange to suddenly serving curry here. For the time being i only allow kushiage here.

    What? You want us to stop eating? Hahahaha, it''s impossible.

    After waiting for about 10 minutes, Vermelia returned to the drawing room where the delicious smell of kushiage remained. She is apanied by a man of about 50 years old. However, he didn''t look like an elderly person, though not very much.

    He wears well-tailored, loose-fitting robe-like clothes, but he can''t hide his trained body underneath. The bodybuilder also has a deep blue tint, he is clearly a high-ranking warrior. If his clothes weren''t for noble, he would only look like a high-ranking adventurer

    ¡¸¡­¡­You seems to be rxed¡¹

    The man speaks with a low-pitched baritone voice. If i had met him on earth, i would have rmended him to be a voice actor.

    ¡¸Nn? Who?¡¹

    ¡¸You! This person is¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸It''s fine. You should pay respect to the strong, especially not in a public ce like this¡¹

    Velmeria raises her anger at Fran''s words, but then controls her with an uplifting attitude.

    ¡¸I''m Count Sidre Bailleys, and the current employer of Colbert''s and these two lords¡¹

    Was this man the Count of Bailleys? He seems to be strong enough to be entrusted as the head of the Knight Order of the royal capital. He has frank personality; he smiles and asks Fran for a handshake.

    ¡¸Adventurer Fran¡¹

    ¡¸I know. I wanted to talk to you once at least. With that ck Lightning Princess¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know me?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, of course, I was watching the martial art tournament. The battle where you won against this Colbert and the battle that defeated the Dragon Hunter Fermus. Fufufu, I¡¯m excited, it was truly wonderful¡¹

    So, he watches the martial arts tournament huh. Then it''s natural for him to know Fran. His eyes are shining like a boy listening to an adventure story.

    ¡¸I couldn''t exchange words at that time, but I¡¯ll never forget you, Besides, you are His Majesty the Beast King favourite after all¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know the beast king?¡¹

    ¡¸Yea, I fought side by side with him. At that time, His Majesty the Beast King was still a B Rank adventurer and he was my subordinate¡¹

    ¡¸Was the beast king in this country?¡¹

    ¡¸At that time, I was traveling around the world as adventurer, and during my stay in the beastman kingdom, a skirmish with the Kingdom of Raidos took ce, and I participated in the battle as a mercenary to earn travel expenses¡¹

    So, he participated in that war to earn travel expenses huh. As expected of the Beast King. Well, in the Beastman Kingdom, it''s normal for adventurers to participate in the war, and it maybe a good source of extra ie.

    ¡¸The Beastman Kingdom at that time was in difficult situation due to the naval blockade of the Raidos Kingdom. So, the war is meant to return the grudge. At that time, I was the organizer of the mercenary unit, and that person was assigned to my direct unit¡¹

    Count Bailleysughs at the fact that he was immediately pulled out from his position. The beast king at that time hid the fact that he was a royalty, so he only thinks that he was only a cheeky and interesting young adventurer.

    However, it seems the Beast King and the Count still have a rtionship. No, it may be said that it is a friendship that transcends position and age. After all, when the Beast Kinges to the royal capital of Kranzel Kingdom, he always stays at the residence of Count Bailleys.

    The Beast King whoe to the royal capital after the martial arts tournament, naturally stayed at the Count Bailleys residence and asked him to take care of Fran when shee to the royal capital.

    ¡¸It''s his Majesty the Beast King request. I can''t help but wonder, but I didn''t expect to have this kind of encounter¡­¡¹

    Everything was true. Rather, there is no single lie. Does he trust us so much? Anyway, it seems we can consider this Count as an ally.

    ¡¸Take care of me¡¹

    ¡¸Umu! Take care of me too¡¹

 Chapter 411: Investigations

    <h4>Chapter 411: Investigations</h4>

    ¡¸Oops, It seems i talked too long, I was excited to see the ck Lightning Princess in front of me. Please take a seat¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Prompted by the Count, Fran sits down on the sofa again. The Count sits in front of us, with Colbert to the right and Velmeria and Frederick to the left of the Count.

    ¡¸Well, it seems to have been an unfortunate encounter, but I''m not going to me it¡¹

    That''s good to hear. We mmed our thunder magic into Velmeria, the daughter of the Count. If we were med for that, we would have a lot of trouble.

    ¡¸But if possible, I would like to know what''s your purpose for? We are investigating Marquis Ashtner, and it''s almost over. If you make a shy move there, what we''ve been secretly doing so far will be wasted¡¹

    Count Bailleys said he was investigating the treason of Marquis Ashtner at the behest of the kingdom. In particr he was suspected of his own research and search of magic swords, and illegal manufacturing and smuggling of narcotics.

    ¡¸It''s all because of ck Lightning Princess¨D¨DFran, we can uncover a part of Serdio Receps sins¡¹

    They haven¡¯t able to grab Marquis Ashtner tail until now, but it seems that various things have begun to appear in the wake of Serdio''s death.

    ¡¸It seems that he run out of his luck up until now. Serves him right¡¹

    Count Bailleys said so andughed with joy. He ispletely hostile to Marquis Ashtner huh.

    ¡¸I heard from Colbert that your acquaintance may have been captured by Marquis Ashtner¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Can i know his name?¡¹

    (what to do?)

    Well, with the help of the Count, we might be able to get information about Gallus.

    Besides, when ites to the investigation by the order of the country, if we do something wrong and get in the way, there is a possibility that we could be criminals.

    ¡ºFran, we''d better talk about Gallus here¡»

    (Nn, understand)

    In the first ce, as long as we can find Gallus, it doesn''t have to be on our own. Fran would want to rescue Gallus on her own, but I¡¯m okay if Count Bailleys rescued Gallus from Marquis Ashtner.

    ¡¸Looking for Gallus the cksmith¡¹

    ¡¸Gallus¡­Maybe the Kranzel Kingdom Honorary cksmiths, Gallus?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s him¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Surely a while ago, Marquis Ashtner had invite Gallus under the pretext of a public project¡­Frederick?¡¹

    ¡¸Sir, ording to the investigation, Marquis Ashtner requested it should have been for repairing magic tools of the Great Barrier¡¹

    The Great Barrier is a magical tool that creates a huge barrier that covers the town developed by Marquis Ashtner. It is notpleted yet, but it is said that i has been put to practical use.

    It seems that this is also one of the factors that Marquis Ashtner is suspected for treason against the kingdom. In other word. It is thought that they intended to use it as a trump card when ites to a fight with the country.

    Although the information is handed over at the request of the country, the doubt seems to remain.

    ¡¸At first, it is a secret of the Marquis, so we don''t know where and how long the work was done¡¹

    ¡¸So, the repairs already done, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, about Gallus, he has already been released¡¹

    In other words, he means that he has been released but they are still confining him?

    ¡¸Gallus is likely to have been confined in Count Olmes''s vi¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Is that true?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. A mansion with a war maiden red at by a scorpion lion. That is where Gallus is¡¹

    ¡¸I see, that''s certainly the mansion¡¹

    It seems he understood immediately because his mansion was rted.

    ¡¸How did you get that information?¡¹

    ¡¸Gallus told me¡¹

    If it''s him, it wouldn''t be a problem to tell him. We tell them that there''s a letter secretly written on the scabbard exhibited by Gallus, and what written on it was "a mansion with a war maiden red at by a scorpion lion."

    Bailleys seems to have believed us by showing him the actual scabbard.

    ¡¸So that''s how¡­can you give me one day? we''re going to investigate it¡¹

    ¡¸Can you get anything on one day?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve spent a lot of time keeping my hands around Marquis Ashtner. I''m going to do my best to find out¡¹

    It seems that he has taken a long time to prepare. That''s why he wants to avoid Fran from ruining his effort.

    ¡¸If he''s detaining the kingdom''s honorary cksmith, Gallus, he can be charged with a clear national treason¡¹

    (Master, what to do?)

    ¡ºHmm, I¡¯m sure it''s bad to rush it¡»

    I don''t even know where he''s being confined in the mansion. Moreover, i we do something to the noble''s mansion, it bes a big crime. So, it would be less dangerous to have Count Bailleys investigate.

    ¡¸If Gallus-shi is confined, it must be rted to the research of magic sword, if so, we can investigate by the route they used to procuring the supplies necessary for cksmithing from somewhere¡¹

    He seems to be quite confident. This seemed to be worth for a one day waiting.

    ¡¸I understand, will wait 1 day¡¹

    ¡¸That''s helpful, I will send you a messenger tomorrow night¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    But what can we do until tomorrow? is there anything we can do to help?

    ¡¸Do you need helps with the investigation?¡¹

    ¡¸Rather, adding an unfamiliar person might confuses the field. If you won''t do anything¨D¨DNo, can you spend your day normally?¡¹

    ¡¸Normally?¡¹

    ¡¸Umu, I''m talking about the scabbard, I don''t know how much Marquis Ashtner knows. At worst, he may be monitoring Fran. Ah, but in here you are safe. This mansion is our base for investigation, cause I¡¯m paying really close attention to it. But, i won''t know in your daily life. There''s a possibility that there''s a watchful eye in the inn or in the town¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, it would be more deceptive to the other side to go sightseeing. It''s fine to participate in the auction, right?¡¹

    Well, he does have a point. And to tell the truth, i was really grateful for his word. After all, magic stone auction will be held tomorrow. In this situation, i was hesitant to participate. But if he asks us to keep it normal, I can''t help but do that, right?

    ¡¸Nn, then tomorrow I¡¯ll be normal¡¹

    ¡¸Do that please, Ah, I¡¯ll be putting surveince over you, so please don''t attack them¡¹

    ¡¸Surveince? over me?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I''m trying to keep an eye on the spies which is monitoring Fran. I don''t know how much information Marquis Ashtner has about Fran. But if it done well, I might be able to grab the tail of the other person¡¹

    So, Fran be a decoy huh? Well, we don''t really care, there is no harm here. We have to talk with telepathy as much as possible, otherwise, when Fran is alone, she will be thought as a loner with a lot of monologues.

 Chapter 412: Street Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 412: Street Murderer</h4>

    After we promised to cooperate with Count Bailleys, in the night of royal capital, we walked towards our inn.

    As expected, there are many people at night in the royal capital. Especially around the red-light district, it will be more crowded than during the day. On our first day, we got into this ce and got lost, but now I have grasped the way to some extent, so no problem.

    ¡¸Nom Nom¡¹

    ¡¸Munch munch¡¹

    There were many food stalls aimed at drunk people in red-light district, Fran and Urushi enjoyed buying and eating as usual. However, they don''t have much taste variation huh.

    The royal capital is andlocked city. So, it seems the seasonings are more expensive than Barbra. Neither spices nor salt can be used inrge quantities due to high transportation costs. Therefore, most of the seasonings here are based on miso produced around here.

    That''s why we are doing research in this red-light district, but it seems we unexpectedly won''t get bored of it. Fran and Urushi were even aiming at a stall with miso-based seasoning in the middle.

    But when a child like Fran walks in the red-light district at night. She really stands out, so today we used our covert skills. With this, a thug level won''t even notice Fran, so it shouldn''t develop into destruction of the red-light district to the ash, like what Kalk was worried about. But if something happens, it can''t be helped right?

    Well, we''ll be close to our inn soon, and it''s unlikely for something to happen. After this, if we go through underground passage there, we will reach our inn in a straight line.

    Fran descends to a slope leading to a dim underground passage. As expected, there are no food stalls here. Rather, the traffic suddenly disappeared, and I felt the noise of the red-light district was strangely far away. I thought it was because we simply went underground¡­¡­

    (¡­Master)

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong?¡»

    (I felt something strange)

    ¡ºWhat? something strange?¡»

    (Nn)

    What does she mean? I didn''t feel anything.

    ¡ºWhat exactly is strange?¡»

    (¡­it''s just felt strange)

    ¡ºE-to, did you feel unpleasant?¡»

    (Nn! unpleasant!)

    So that mean, she felt unpleasant sensation? Moreover, only Fran?

    ¡ºIs it magic?¡»

    (Nn¡­?)

    It seems that Fran hasn''t grasped the true nature of that sensation.

    ¡ºBut, why i can''t feel it¡­?¡»

    I don''t fully open my detection skills on a daily basis, but if it was a magical anomaly in our surrounding, I should feel a sense of difort. But why i hasn''t feel it?

    ¡ºHow about you Urushi?¡»

    (woof!)

    It seems that Urushi also felt it.

    ¡º¡­Let''s get away from here for the time being¡»

    I don''t know what Fran and Urushi felt, but it''s better to stay away from here. If the two feel something is wrong, we can''t ignore it.

    But it seems that we were a littlete.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, i know¡»

    Strong killing intent and intimidation. A man was approaching us from the front without even trying to hide his hostility toward Fran. Is that a magic sword in his hand? A strange magical power is released from the long sword held by the man.

    It''s not just magic. He was also in a strange appearance. But no matter how you look at it, the sword was half destroyed. After all, the de broke in the middle, and the remaining part was also deeply cracked. The handle has a sabre-like hand cover, but the surface is engraved with a face of a man with a look of agony.

    ¡ºHe seems to be a skilled ones, don''t let your guard down¡»

    He has Sword Skill: Lv 4 and Sword Technique: Lv 2, he even has intimidation, covert skill, and me magic. Maybe he''s an adventurer, he''s certainly on rank C or above.

    The man''s name is Hamuls, I¡¯ve never met him. Maybe he''s the street murderer? Or is he going to defeat Fran and make a name for himself?

    (Note: Street Murderer [Tsuji Giri: killing passerby to test a new sword], and also, any better suggestion for ¥Ï¥à¥ë¥¹ (ha mu ru su)? Hamurus, Hammuls, Hammulus, Hamrus¡­)

    As I continued the appraisal, I noticed the condition i had never seen before. Fanaticism? If you look only at the letter, does it mean a fanatic or something like that? This is my first time seeing it.

    In any case, even though it''s a strong enemy, Fran didn''t lose in terms of both status and skills. The only thing that bothers me is the ability of the magic sword. Even though it''s broken, it still emits strong magical power. Moreover, whether it was originally a high-ranking magic sword, it was not possible to appraise it.

    ¡ºFran, watch out for the magic sword, i don''t know it''s abilities¡»

    (Understand)

    ¡ºUrushi waits in the shadow in case of emergency¡»

    (woof!)

    Well, anyway, I wonder what this feeling is. When i look at Hamuls, it makes me feel ufortable. It feels like when my chest is rustling or my stomach is stuffy.

    In a single word, disgust? Anyway, it''s not physically, but I couldn''t help feeling unpleasant about this man. I wonder what this feeling is.

    ¡ºFran, when you look at him, do you feel unpleasant?¡»

    (It''s not unpleasant, more concerned about how strong he is)

    ¡ºUrushi?¡»

    (woof)

    Apparently, it''s only me who felt it now, opposite from a short while ago.

    ¡ºUhmm¡»

    It was probably since I felt terrible disgust for Serdio that i thought others so badly. No, it''s far worse than that time. But, did I hate this Hamuls-like face? But he''s just your average looking man, they''re everywhere¡­¡­

    Fran readied herself to pull me out anytime and called out to Hamuls as he approached.

    ¡¸¡­Who?¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    Hamuls didn''t answer anything to Fran, and proceeds to walk silently. The distance between the two was already less than 10 meters.

    ¡¸If you get any closer, I''ll consider you as enemy¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    As expected, Hamuls moves forward without answering anything. He wields the sword as it is. He''s clearly hostile.

    After confirming his action, Fran moved, run with her body as low as if crawling on the ground. The aim is his foot, we intend to deprive him of his mobility and neutralize him.

    As the result of continuing our training to control our skill since the integration of skills, the strengthening of physical ability has worked. The enhanced agility was already been considerable. To be frank, even if we just shed at this speed, we can already beat an ordinary opponent.

    However, Fran is on alert. Immediately before the sh, she puts in a feint with her eyes and pretends to aim at his neck. Hamuls got caught of her feint and moved to guard his neck with his sword.

    It seems that he soon realized Fran''s aim, but it''s toote. It was already impossible to prevent this attack.

    Yes, it seemed impossible¨D

    nk!

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡¹

    The magic sword that Hamuls held is protruding and shed to the ground. Seriously, it seems to do better than I expected. Besides, the magic sword is also unusual.

    Currently, I have consumed about 500 magical powers and have greatly increased my attack power. If it''s a mass-produced sword that''s sold all over the ce, we should be able to cut it along his legs. We should be more careful with this magic sword.

    And there''s one more thing I noticed. I did feel ufortable about Hamuls, but I seemed to be even more disgusted with that magic sword. The moment we exchange our sh, I thought I¡¯d get goosebumps. There''s sign of magical power emitted from that sword, it seemed to arouse my disgust.

    Is this a familial disgust? But I have never had such a feeling with other magic swords and swords.

    ¡ºUhmm¡­¡»

    (Master, what''s wrong?)

    ¡ºNo, nothing. It''s just that his magic sword is strangely irritating¡»

    (Is that, Master''s enemy?)

    ¡ºNo, how to put this¡­But I''m sure i don''t like it¡»

    (Understand, Master''s enemy is my enemy)

    Oops, it seems that Fran is fired up. But, I¡¯m sure i don''t like that sword. I want to destroy it here if possible.

    ¡ºYosh, Let''s do this seriously!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Either way, he''s the one who''s been shing, if he doesn''t want to speak up, that''s fine. I will sh both the user and the sword as it is.

    I put more magical power into my de and fully opened my skill. It''s still not at fine control, but it was possible to use it with the determination to waste magical powers. This could be an overkill, but it doesn''t matter if you''re against this opponent.

    Now, I just wanted to bury that magic sword as soon as possible.

    ¡¸Hyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

 Chapter 413: Hamuls

    <h4>Chapter 413: Hamuls</h4>

    Shiing! Snk!

    A high-pitched metallic sound is heard in the underpass when our des collide with each other.

    There is a girl and a man who manipte the swords and shed each other. Fran and Hamuls.

    Thanks to the reticence of the two of them, the only sound echoing in underpass was the high-pitched sound of me and my opponent''s magic swords shing each other.

    We''re overwhelmingly advantageous in this battle, but Hamuls sometimes manages to evade Fran''s attack with strange movements. No, it seems, it is the magic swords that makes the strange movements.

    ¡¸Sha!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    Gaiin!

    (Note: there''s a lot of sfx that i don''t know how to trante it in English properly!!)

    It''s so now, Hamuls waspletely caught in the illusion of Fran created by my illusion magic.

    Hamuls thrusts out his magic swords to attack Fran''s illusion. Moreover, because he used his sword skills, his body will be slow to react.

    And at the moment he shed the illusion, a deadly blow by Fran who went around behind him was released. Hamuls waspletely lost sight of Fran. Moreover, his body is still stiff from activating sword skills before.

    He is supposed to be a dead body now. Fran''s sword technique was supposed to cut through Hamuls''s body. However, Hamuls arm moves quickly, preventing me from being mmed into his back with his magic swords protruding over his shoulder. No matter how you look at it, Hamuls doesn''t see Fran''s sh. It was as if the sword had moved on its own in order to prevent our attack.

    Does he have auto guard skills? But there is no such thing in Hamuls''s skill, so it must be the ability of that magic sword.

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    Even so, Hamuls''s expression doesn''t even change

    ¡¸¨DFire Javelin¡¹

    Still, his mouth moves smoothly only when chanting magic. It''s creepy to see that only the mouth moved so quick.

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    And, without making a voice again, he shed. Isn''t he''spletely unconscious? Is he being manipted by someone?

    Fran and Hamuls face each other quietly. Then, suddenly Hamuls jumped up, at the same time his magical power also increases.

    ¡¸¨D!¡¹

    Hamuls''s muscles began to swell, making a creaking noise. Moreover, his status rises up sharply. It''s abrupt, is it a sudden power-up development? His appearance looks like a human being bes an evil person as we have seen in Barbra, but i don''t feel any evil from him.

    However, when facing Hamuls, I felt my disgust just be stronger. Heck, what happened to me¡­

    I can see that the magical power is so dense that it be visualized around the magic sword. It deployed a de formed by magical power. It''s an image of Aura de, a sword technique that attacks with a magical de, instead of its own de huh.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    Fran attacked Hamuls, who was still convulsing. That behaviour that doesn''t wait for his transformation toplete will be an advantage for us. However, the sword moves again. Hamuls is still standing on the same spot, but the sword moves automatically. There''s no doubt that sword has an Auto Guard ability

    However, Fran was calm. While keeping our distance she readied me on her hips.

    If it can prevent our normal attack, we simply need to aim at a ce where is it physically impossible to reach. Specifically, the diagonal line of his right hand holding the magic sword. The left ankle.

    We deal a blow of god speed with sword drawing technique. The sword tried to respond to it, but it wasn¡¯t long enough because it was broken, and can''t guard it on time.

    I was swung by Fran and cut Hamuls''s leg off easily. Losing the support of his left foot, Hamuls falls to the ground. Well, this guy is just like before, with his white eye and still convulsing.

    However, something amazing happens in front of us. The cross section of Hamuls''s wound swelled, and it began to regenerate with at tremendous momentum. His ankle returns to normal in only two seconds.

    In a hurry, I tried to appraise him again. Now he suddenly had Regeneration, Muscle Ergement, and Martial arts were added to the skills of Hamuls.

    It''s not that strange to have more skills afterwards. When Fran evolved, her skills would increase, even the Evil Person had evil arts after their first change.

    However, what is the reason of the sudden powers up and increased skills while still remaining as a human?

    When I continued the appraisal with that in mind, I noticed a surprising fact. The state of Hamuls was him using Potential Release.

    His life force continued to decrease while his status was greatly increasing. Certainly, it is the side effect of using potential release. Is this also the ability of that magic sword?

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Fuh! Shii! ¡¹

    Hamuls stood up from lying on the ground as if jumping with the power of his spine, and attacked Fran with an expressionless expression like deadpan face as usual.

    With a terrible continuous attack. Hamuls, whose using potential release, seems to be aiming end this battle quickly. But continuous attacks tend to be in an unreasonable position. In other words, Hamuls now is full of gaps and opening from our point of view.

    It is not so difficult for Fran, who has gained a lot of experience in one-on-one fighting, it''s not difficult to make use of that opening. Sheunches an attack and shes Hamuls.

    Several fatal shes caught Hamuls. However, the wound is immediately regenerated due to the abnormal regenerative power. It seems, due to using potential release, that mere regeneration skills have been raised to the same level of effectiveness as instant regeneration.

    For such opponents, long distance magic attack is more effective, but it is also difficult to use in the town and in this underground passage. Fran could even be charged with a crime if she let it copse.

    ¡¸Next one will be more faster!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    Well, Fran seems to be enjoying the fight against this abnormal Hamuls, that''s relieving.

    Fran sped up even further and attacked Hamuls with 3D movements using walls, ceilings, and aerial jumps. Hamuls''s whole body is scratched but it immediately closes. The magic sword doesn''t only prevent attacks on vital points, in the meantime, it even strikes back.

    It is an attack that take advantage of his abnormal regenerative power. Moreover, his attack method was abnormal.

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡¹

    ¡ºDorya!¡»

    His arm, which was in a state of being bent at an impossible angle, continued to attack. I can hear a painful cracking sound. Is it possible to do such an unreasonable attack?

    Hamuls''s abnormal attack continues

    Zobbu!

    He thrust his sword into his belly. Blood started dripping and Hamuls vomited blood. Then, the magic sword that prated Hamuls''s body approached Fran, who were shing behind him.

    ¡¸Muu!¡¹

    Fran was surprised, but thanks to Hamuls''s warning in advance when he did something, she avoided it by a hairbreadth.

    Even though he has the ability to regenerate, he''s too bold. And is Hamuls rallye up with such a surprising tactic, who is clearly lost his reasoning?

    Hamuls, with a hole in his chest started to closing, and advances his steps with a hollow expression that seems to not have emotion or intelligence at all.

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    As expected, something is strange here.

 Chapter 414: Magic Sword Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 414: Magic Sword Struggle</h4>

    Fran continues to fight fiercely with Hamuls, but his luck is about to run out.

    Fran, who had be ustomed to Hamul''s bizarre movements, canpletely seen his attack, while his vitality continued to diminish due to the potential release.

    However, even though he has been cornered, Hamuls''s still expressionless as before.

    ¡ºAs expected, that sword is strange¡»

    (Nn)

    Actually, while fighting, we tried several times to destroy Hamuls''s magic sword. However, all of it have failed.

    For example, when we aimed at the sword itself with fire attribute sword technique and vibration fangs, Hamuls became a shield as if to protect the sword.

    Next, we tried to paralyze him with thunder magic so he will let go of the sword, but no matter what, he didn''t let go of his sword.

    There was a doubt i had all this time.

    Is there a person who maniptes Hamuls who has lost his reasoning? If so, where are he and how are he manipting him? Is he hiding somewhere and manipting him with magic? Or is he has been put in something like a suggestion in advance?

    Or is it that sword who manipte him?

    That''s right, my doubt was that. Isn''t that a sword simr to me? Whether it is an intelligence weapon or not, it seems that the sword is manipting Hamuls. Moreover, as we have seen Hamuls move to protect the magic sword, it seems that it has some intelligence.

    On the contrary, there seems to be emotions such as impatience and anger. This is also only my guess after seeing Hamuls''s movement.

    Immediately after he fired a sh with the magic sword, his attack intensified as if to take a distance to be vignt or retaliate.

    Although, an Intelligence weapon is a legendary existence, but that doesn''t mean that I¡¯m the only one¡­¡­

    No, our battle is our priority now. Hamuls vitality will soon run out, with that said, there would be no more resistance.

    Even if the magic sword itself has a will, if you look at our battle so far, you can see that it cannot act autonomously or not even able to move alone. It is already cornered this much. If it really can move, it''s strange to notunch a surprise attack with only the sword.

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    It seems that it realizes that his limit is approaching, and go on its final offense as the magic power of the sword increased even further. The magical de swelled like arge snake and attacked.

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    Even if Fran avoided it, it seems it will stretch forever and chase her relentlessly. But this is an opportunity. It only focused on chasing Fran.

    ¡ºUrushi! Do it!¡»

    ¡¸Grrraa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    It was a surprise attack by Urushi we had preserved so far. He jumps out of the shadow of Hamuls and reach out his hand holding the sword. His hand was bitten by Urushi and Hamuls let go of his sword.

    The magic sword loses its support and falls to the ground, disturbing the attack of the magic de. The ceiling of the underpass has been severely scooped out, but let¡¯s pretend we never saw it.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºOh!¡»

    We won''t miss this opportunity! Fran, approached him at once with my transfer and unleashes an air sword technique with all her strength.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    Gyaiiin!

    The magic sword collided violently with me with an echoing high-pitched metallic sound.

    ¡¸Gnuu!¡¹

    ¡ºThis thing, is so hard!¡»

    We were going to split it in half with this blow, I have put sufficient magical power and activated our skills.

    However, Fran''s attack, which was swung down from above, only managed to chipped some of the de that had already broken and had been shortened. Well, it seems we can defeat him with straightforward manner!

    Immediately after that, Fran tightened her expression at once and jumped out of the ce.

    ¡º£ñ¡ñ£ó£¯£®£¬£ï£ø£´£ñ¡ó£î£·£À¨D¨D!¡»

    The presence of the magic sword suddenly increased, and something like an indescribable scream echoes in the underpass.

    ¡ºGaa! What now!¡»

    ¡¸So noisy¡¹

    Moreover, it''s not just a mere scream. It was as if the screams were being hit directly against our brain, like a telepathic skill. Fran holds her head and frowns.

    The source was the magic sword. Is it felt hurt and angry? It looks simr like me¡­Its possibility as my kind has finally increased.

    However, its resistance will be only up to this point. Hamuls''s vitality, who has been abused, has finally reached its limit.

    ¡¸¨D¡¹

    Doshaa

    Hamuls copses on the spot like a doll with a broken thread. As if the fierce battle until now was a lie.

    ¡¸¡­Dead?¡¹

    ¡ºYea¡»

    There is no need to appraise him as his vitality can''t be felt from his body. His heart was also stopped beating. He loses his skills effect and his muscles shrink.

    I used dimensional storage to confirm whether he died or not, and i was able to get it done without any problems. After all, Hamuls is dead.

    All that''s left is his magic sword. I tried to appraising it again, I wonder if there will be any change after we managed to damage the de. Then, the result of the appraisal looked different from the previous one. It seems that appraisal has be more effective because its ability has declined due to the damage.

    ¡º¡­I was only barely able to reveal its name huh¡»

    Name: £ã%£ó:¡ñ£è£ê£¯£î¡ö£Ð

    However, the characters were garbled and i couldn''t reveal its ability. If I can find out its true name, we can at least find the source of the magic sword.

    Wait? Someone who couldn''t be appraised in the past should not have been able to simply see it. The same is true for swords. Only the part that can be identified such as the name is disyed, and the impossible part simply cannot be seen. But i never heard of garbled characters.

    I thought that the name was garbled as a result of this magic sword blocking the appraisal¡­but, isn''t this its real name? No, did it mean that the original name was originally there, but as a result of its severe damage to the de, the name has be strange?

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºOops, it''s nothing¡»

    Well, I don''t care anymore. This thing is going to be destroyed here.

    ¡ºFran, I''m going to destroy this guy¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    This time at full throttle, we paid no mind about our surroundings, Fran swings me while concentrating her mind. It was just after that.

    ¡ºW-wha!¡»

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    Tremendous amount of light and magical power was emitted from the magic sword.

 Chapter 415: How to use Magical Release

    <h4>Chapter 415: How to use Magical Release</h4>

    Immediately after Fran swung me, a tremendous amount of light and magical power was emitted from the magic sword. It released magical power from its whole body. It''s not just a blinding light, it''s an omnidirectional attack with considerable offensive power.

    ¡ºCheh!¡»

    Although it was prevented by my barrier, the entire underpass were shaking. The release of magical power soon subsided, but the figure of the magic sword was no longer there.

    Not only it attacked us with the release of magical power, but it also makes use of that moment to move.

    ¡¸It flied?¡¹

    ¡ºI won''t let it get away¡»

    The magic sword flies toward the entrance of the underpass at a tremendous speed. Its speed isparable to my full-powered catapult.

    Using transfer is¨Da no. At that speed, we wouldn''t be on time right after we transferred.

    I think it''s bad to destroy this underpass by trying to unleash magic of great firepower. In the end, we shot Fire Javelin in a row. More than 20 me spears reach out the magic sword.

    However, the magic sword avoided everything with a sharp movement While flying at high speed, it twists its body and creates a rotating trajectory like a barrel roll.

    And the magic sword that avoided all of our attack run out without killing its momentum.

    ¡ºWe''ll chase it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When we followed it in a hurry, the sight of pandemonium and scream was spreading outside.

    ¡¸Uwaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸I-it hurts, it hurts!¡¹

    ¡¸He-help me¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Bl-blood is¡­!¡¹

    Near the entrance of the underpass, more than 10 people were bleeding and copsed, some of them have broken arms and are dying.

    Not only that, we can even hear screams from far away.

    ¡ºTha-that bastard¡­It attacked anything in its way!¡»

    ¡¸¡­heal them!¡¹

    ¡ºAa! Urushi chases that magic sword!¡»

    (woof!)

    We abandoned the chase and healed those victims with recovery magic. It seems this is the aim of that magic sword.

    It''s definitely has intelligent. Otherwise it wouldn''te up with such a nasty way to stop is. It means that sword was really a kind of me.

    ¡¸I hate that sword¡¹

    ¡ºMe too¡»

    ¡¸Will absolutely beat it¡¹

    ¡ºThe next time we meet, we''ll settle this¡»

    ¡¸Nn! won''t let go next time!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    Even so, the movement of that magic sword at that time of escaping was like my catapult.

    However, the principle ispletely different. Apparently, that magic sword blew outpressed magical power to gain propulsion.

    As the name suggests, my psychic catapult first explode kic energy and shoots my self, then steers with psychic. While that magic swords way of flying is like a rocket that constantly spouts magical power. It was a method that could be called an engine system.

    Perhaps this is the cause of Hamuls abnormal movement that ignored Hamul''s physical limits during battle.

    Previously, the insect-type demon beast, Disaster Ballbug we fought in Ullmut dungeon, used his magical power release skill to rapidly elerate and change direction, it seemed to be the same principle.

    Anyway, it must take tremendous amount of magical power to produce that speed. At least, it should have been impossible to continue using it for a long time.

    In addition, even if it has eleration force, it will not be able to make small turns. Aside from attacking a non-moving opponent, it''s pretty hard to hit someone who moves around at high speed like Fran. If dodged, bot Hamuls and the magic sword will be defenceless during that time. That seems to be its weak point.

    After the rescue of the citizen was over, we went back to the underpass for the time being. Then Fran shouted in a small voice.

    ¡¸Aa¡¹

    ¡ºWhat happened?¡»

    ¡¸The unpleasant atmosphere disappeared¡¹

    ¡ºDid you mean the unpleasant feeling when we entered the underpass?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    As expected, it must have been rted to that magic sword. But i have no idea, is it rted to the disgust I had for that magic sword? It seems that Fran and Urushi didn''t feel the same feelings as i did for the magic sword and Hamuls.

    ¡ºI don''t know¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    For the time being, what should we do with Hamuls''s body? Should we hand it over to the guard station? I don''t think he''ll be treated as a murdered, but he''s likely to be detained.

    When I was wondering what to do after this, I felt someone''s presence entering the underpass. Moreover, many peoplee from both entrances. It seems that ordinary citizen hase down to the underpass.

    But, when I thought about it, it was unnatural for no one came in when we fought fiercely.

    Besides, it''s unlikely that no oneing into this underpass in this entertainment district for that much time.

    Did the underpass have any abilities to prevent people from entering in the first ce? So, it''s a type of barrier that only affect peoples. With that in mind, it''s understandable for me to not felt the strange unpleasant feeling as I¡¯m not a living thing.

    When I was thinking on the spot, I felt a presence that I knewe down to the underpass from the opposite side of that magic sword''s escape.

    ¡¸Fran, are you all right?¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, are you safe?¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria. Frederick¡¹

    It was the two who we had just parted earlier.

 Chapter 416: The Magic Swords Identity

    <h4>Chapter 416: The Magic Swords Identity</h4>

    Shortly after our battle with Hamuls ended.

    Velmeria and others came down to the underpass. She rushes to Fran with a worried look. So, the escorts sent to Fran was Velmeria huh.

    ¡¸I''m terribly sorry. Even though he said i must be wary of any enemiesing into contact with Fran¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But i never expected it to be in a ce like this¡­¡¹

    Apparently, my guess about a barrier to prevent people to enter the underpass was correct. ording to Frederick''s analysis, it seems that this underpass would be hard to recognized unless you have certain or higher status.

    Moreover, it seems to be considerably higher cause even Velmeria and others couldn¡¯t break in.

    Because of that, Velmeria and Frederick lost sight of Fran and stuck around. They seem to not recognize we had entered the underpass because of the high-level barrier.

    Both of them are quite dispirited. In the end, they can''t grasp our opponent identity.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Attacked by street murderer¡¹

    ¡¸Street murderer¡­Did he escape?¡¹

    ¡¸Defeated it. I can take it out¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, you were a space-time magic user right, does it mean, you killed him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Velmeria thinks on Fran nods.

    ¡¸Even so, I don''t think a mere street murderer can put up such barrier¡¹

    Surely, but I don''t know if it was just a mere street murderer.

    ¡¸He had strange sword¡¹

    ¡¸Sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, it was a magic sword¡¹

    Fran asks Velmeria and others about the magic sword that Hamuls had. However, it was not possible to identify the true identity of the magic sword by only that.

    However, we tell them that the sword seems to be manipting Hamuls and also greatly improved his ability, and about how it escaped by moving alone.

    ¡¸Impossible¡­It can manipte people? is there really such a magic sword¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you are right¡­I don''t have any proof, but if it''s an undead sword, it might be possible¡¹

    Frederick seems to have a guess.

    ¡¸Undead Sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, it''s a sword which a soul have moved in¡¹

    Frederick exined to us, it is a weapon that has be a host for ghost, and the user will be possessed by the ghost and be manipted. In addition, those who are being manipted may be strengthened by the ghost''s ability. Certainly, it matches the characteristic of that magic sword.

    But, if it''s an undead sword, it wouldn''t be a magic sword anymore but a kind of demon beast from ghost system.

    ¡¸However, undead sword is not such a strong demon beast. Their threat level is only F. If you are slightly stronger than average person, you wouldn''t be manipted by it.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? But, felt great magical power from it¡¹

    ¡¸That was strange, I''ve never heard of an undead sword that emits magical power so strong that would makes ck Lightning Princess felt it. Maybe it''s a unique individual or a higher-ranking species¡¹

    Even though it was a unique individual, is the original small fish demon beast was strong?

    ¡¸I have to report this to his excellency and search for it. Also, in order to find out the identity of the street murderer, I would like to ask you a few question¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    ¡¸We have a room as our base on this side. Let¡¯s go there before the guardse in this turmoil. It would be a lot of trouble if you get detained¡¹

    With the guidance of Velmeria, we moved to a small room prepared in the apartment house in this entertainment district. We took Hamuls''s corpse out of the dimensional storage and show him to Velmeria and others.

    It seems that Hamuls was not just a mere street murderer.

    ¡¸Eh¡­? Hamuls!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­without a doubt¡¹

    It seems they knew each other. After confirming it, Velmeria rushes to Fran.

    ¡¸Fran! What do you mean by this!¡¹

    ¡¸I fought because he attacked, Then, he couldn''t stand the strengthening of that magic sword and it killed him¡¹

    ¡¸There is certainly no external wound¡¹

    It''s good for Frederick to remain calm. Velmeria seems to have noticed that she was too restless when she saw her subordinates¡¯ attitude.

    ¡¸I''m sorry Fran, that was my bad¡¹

    ¡¸Acquaintance?¡¹

    ¡¸He''s no more than a colleague! He was missing during infiltration in Marquis Ashtner ranks¡¹

    It''s smells fishy. In other words, is the source of that undead sword is Marquis Ashtner? Or by any chance, they are not researching for magic sword but for an undead sword? Isn''t it impossible?

    ¡¸But it''s certainly unusual. There''s no precedent for an undead sword that can control a warrior like Hamuls¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hamuls. Why¡­¡¹

    Velmeria gently touches Hamuls''s face, she seems to be trying to close Hamuls''s eyes which remains open. However, her hand suddenly stopped.

    ¡¸This is¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria, what''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Frederick, take a looks at Hamuls''s eyes¡¹

    ¡¸Eyes?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸I see. This colour¡­¡¹

    And like that, the two begin to examine Hamuls''s body. they examined his eyes, his gums, and smells. Further, Velmeria apologized at Hamuls and she lightly scratched her fingertips and checked his blood colour.

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Yea. on Hamuls''s body¡­it''s showing symptoms of being a drug addict¡¹

    ¡¸His body is pretty tattered. I think he was given arge quantity of drugs in a short period of time¡¹

    Speaking of drugs, I recalled Serdio. His party member was also a servant of Marquis Ashtner and he was also insane.

    Did it mean, he was captured by Marquis Ashtner during the infiltration, administered drugs, and used as a host for the undead sword? It means, when you lose your sanity with the drugs, even a strong person wouldn''t be able to resist the control of an undead sword.

    Even so, the appraisal didn''t tell us he was a drug addict, right? Serdio had the title of a drug addict. No, are constant addict and being drugged different? Apparently, the addict isn''t listed as a title. Does Hamuls''s state, Fanaticism represent for being drugged? Drugs addiction and fanaticism¡­I can''t really connect it together.

    The most important thing for us than that now was how much Marquis Ashtner involved in this attack, and what he knew.

    Does Marquis Ashtner known that Fran was looking for Gallus and that attack was a warning for us? Did he think we were rted to Count Bailleys? Or is Marquis Ashtner not involved in this attack at all?

    Well, I don''t think thest one is possible¡­Now, how should we move in the future huh.

    ¡¸Fran, are you injured¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? no¡¹

    ¡¸Although he was being manipted, but you didn''t suffer a single wound against a warrior like Hamuls¡­You are really strong¡¹

    It was apliment, but her tone was dark. Rather than ming Fran, she has a colour of self-mockery.

    ¡¸If it as strong as you, my father too¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it''s nothing¡¹

    The expression of Velmeria shaking her head after saying that is still dull. And Frederick stared quietly at such Velmeria.

    And then, Urushi returned, but the chase seems to have failed. He looks disheartened. However, something that flies in the sky was hard to track by smell only, so it can''t be helped.

    Even so, where on earth did that conspicuous magic sword disappear?

 Chapter 417: Magic Stone Auction

    <h4>Chapter 417: Magic Stone Auction</h4>

    The day after Hamuls attack.

    After we consulted with Velmeria, we came to the auction site as nned. Velmeria asked us to take part in the auction, they judged that spending time normally will not interfere with Count Bailleys operation.

    What we are aiming for today is magic stones.

    ¡ºOur first target is the Goblin King''s magic stone¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    In most auctions, the name of the demon beast that own their magic stone is known by prior appraisal.

    But, i don''t really know about the skill used. Well, it''s meaningless information for ordinary people. Even my appraisal with Heavenly Eye skill doesn''t reveal the skill sealed in a magic stone.

    Maybe there is a special skill that can analyse it, but I have never heard of it. It would be convenient if I could get my hand on it.

    Therefore, what we are aiming today is a magic stone with a threat level of C or higher, or it was a magic stone of a humanoid demon beast. After all, humanoid monster is dexterous, and they are likely will learn new skill by training. Until now, goblins, orcs, demons, and other humanoid demon beasts often possessed many skills.

    There''s a good magic stone of a devil that will be exhibited at the end of the morning session. But there will be many people aiming for it, it will be a tough battle.

    No, I have 20 million Goldes on hand, and I have no problem to just drop it all, but I don¡¯t want to suddenly putting dozen times of the market price. If I ignored the market price, other participants and auction organizers may red at us. Worst of all, the chance of us being too conspicuous and being noticed by Marquis Ashtner wouldn''t be zero.

    So, we will give up if the price went up too much.

    ¡¸Shall we go then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºFran, Listen quietly to what Codart says today¡»

    (I know)

    Actually, we are not alone today.

    To keep a low profile, we had a representative prepared by adventurer''s guild. If a child like Fran make a bid on an expensive magic stone, we will stand out, and if we win a number of bids, they will definitely look for our identity.

    When we consulted with Eliante who was really concerned about us, she introduced us to some adventurers ho are familiar with the auction.

    Codart is a rank E adventurer, he has an appraisal skill and was originally working as an auctioneer. But he has been longing to be an adventurer for many years, he has an interesting career by bing an adventurer by equipping himself with the money he has saved.

    Therefore, he was also ate-blooming adventurer who was already 35 years old, he''s not young anymore. But still, he had climbed to rank E. He seems to be having fun doing things like getting rid of small fry and doing chores in this royal capital.

    He also admired a strong adventurer, and so he shows tremendous polite attitude toward Fran. He seems to have a deep respect for Fran, who has a nickname for herself at young age.

    Eliante seems to have introduced Codart to us with that in mind.

    ¡¸Then, it''s good for us to win the bid for the items on this list, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Onegai¡¹

    While sitting next to him, the bid will be made by Codart. The items to bid in advance are decided by looking at the catalogue. We decided an upper limit after consulting with Codart. We nned to have Codart won a bid within that limit.

    If an item on our list exceeded our upper limit, Fran will secretly call him out with wind magic and tell him how much to exceed.

    If something else we wantes out, we will make a sessful bid by our self. It''s rather strange toe to an auction site and not bid on anything.

    It seems there are several products that are not listed in the catalogue exhibited today, and a mysterious magic stone that even an expert could not appraise are exhibited, so we are aiming for it.

    ¡¸Are you sure you want a special seat?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Because you are allowed to eat and drink over there. We take a seat in the special seat corner with Codart, and we''ll just leave the rest to him.

    Normally, in such a case, a representative should be paid a percentage of the difference between the prepared upper limit amount and the winning bid amount, but Codart put a fairly low price for us.

    Instead, he suggested that Fran would go out for training with him once, that''s why we hired Codart on that condition.

    We just trained with Codart early this morning. To be honest, it''s a littlete to be an adventurer at the age of 30. However, he is very serious and has some guts. So, if he continues with his training, he will be able to go a little higher.

    Today, I was teaching him the feeling of using martial arts, we showed how Fran unleashed her martial arts and letting him receive it with a stance while holding sword, and Codart was pretty impressed with it.

    It seems that he was d that an adventurer who was far stronger than him gave him a serious guidance. No matter how many times he was sent rolling by Fran, he seems to be smiling happily.

    ¡¸Then, leave the rest to me¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    1 hourter.

    ¡¸I managed to win the goblin king¡¹

    ¡¸Munch munch¡¹

    ¡¸Next is the devil''s magic stone that appears early in the afternoon huh¡¹

    ¡¸Munch munch¡¹

    While listening to Codart''s words, Fran continues to ate the rice balls in her hands. I thought it would be bad to serve a strong-smelling food, so I told Fran to only eat rice balls and sandwiches.

    By the way, today onigiri ingredients are tuna mayo made from grilled tuna and spicy seaweed simr to kelp.

    Even so, I never thought that goblin king magic stones would be so expensive.

    The Auctioneer exined at the beginning of the bid that ¡¸It is a magic stone of the goblin king who able to use life magic endlessly to heal himself, this is the magic stone of the goblin who has tormented the adventurer! ¡¹ I ended up giving instruction to Codart to push for it.

    The winning bid amount is 2 million Goldes. It is more than four times the market price of a goblin king magic stone.

    Apparently, some magic stone mania waspeting for it.

    Which ever the world is, there are collectors in every world, and it seems that there are magic stone mania who collect everything in the world of magic stones. What they want is a rare magic stone. Or a magic stone with a beautiful shape.

    Magic stone shape are varying and most of it have a distorted shape. However, there are rarely magic stone that are well shaped like a cut gemstone.

    Magic stones cannot be polished. No, it can be polished, but if it is damaged, its magical power will be greatly lost. Then, its value will decrease and even lost. For that reason, a naturally beautiful shaped magic stones are extremely rare. Therefore, it is said that the price of high-ranked demon beast stones with beautiful shape tends to rise.

    I don''t think magical powers matter if you just use it as decoration or collection, but a magic stones collector doesn''t seem to think so. They preferred a powerful magic stone and have beautiful shapes. That was exactly the magic stone of this goblin king.

    The magic stones that are put up for auction are like a collection of gems, so it seems that the winning bid cannot be estimated from the rank alone. I was told about that by Codart in advance, but i realized once again the difficulty of an auction.

    ¡ºThe devil''s magic stone is in the afternoon¡­I wonder how it will goes¡»

 Chapter 418: Masterâ€™s Value

    <h4>Chapter 418: Master''s Value</h4>

    At the end of the morning session of the magic stone auction.

    It is a bargain time where items that just brought in on the day and items that cannot be appraised are exhibited.

    ¡¸The next one is this! A mysterious magic stone that even if an expert appraised it, everything wille out as unknown! The adventurer who brought this in, got it after seizing a thief''s hideout, so there is no information regarding the demon beast that was the owner of this magic stone at all!¡¹

    It was a small magic stone. However, it has a good shape, and it seems that it was exhibited with the expectation that it would be more valuable as a jewel than a magic stone.

    ¡¸Starting form ten thousands Goldes!¡¹

    Bid ising in, but it''s not that popr. The only problem here is that we don¡¯t know the exhibitor name. However, I was willing to make a sessful bid for it and asked Fran to bid.

    3 minutes passed while continued topeting for it. We seeded in winning the mysterious magic stone for 120 thousand goldes.

    (Got it)

    ¡ºOh, sankyu. Now we have the evil goblin general magic stone on our hand¡»

    Yes, the mysterious magic stone is a high-ranking species of goblin, an evil goblin, it was also a general one. The evil species are more wicked, so even if they appraised it, the result will be unknown. I guess no one knew it.

    However, in my case, thanks to my heavenly eye skill, I can reveal only the name. The evil magic stone doesn''t help the mysterious soul in me to recover, so I''m sorry for this time. But if it''s a general rank one, we ca expect a few numbers of skills.

    After that, Codart made another sessful bid for magic stone. He got 7 out of the 8 we were aiming for from the beginning. The only bid that failed was the magic stone from a fairy species called Ketsey.

    (TLN: ¥±¥Ã¥È¥·©` Kettoshii)

    It is a demon beast with a threat level of C, but it''s quite small. Furthermore, its colour and shape are high grade, its price has risen more than 10 times the market price. We expected special skills from it, but it can''t be helped now.

    We managed to get the devil''s magic stone that I wanted the most, I am really grateful to Codart. We spent more than ten million goldes in a day. Well, money is meant to be used.

    We parted with Codart in front of the auction site and head towards our inn.

    ¡ºWell well! Let''s go back to our inn and absorb it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºIyahoo!¡»

    Haah, my tension goes up. After all, even the cheapest one was a threat level of D, except for the evil stones. We also got 3 threat levels C, Moreover, the devil''s magic stone is a Count ss. In other words, it has the same threat level of B as the devil we defeated in Allesa.

    There are not many opportunities to be able to absorb such high-quality magic stones at once. I want to absorb it real quick!

    ¡ºMagic stones? Magic stones?¡»

    ¡¸Master, looks happy¡¹

    When i were singing along, I felt that someone was running up from behind. He stopped for a moment, but soon increased his vignce. It turned out that the other party was aplete amateur.

    He didn''t erase his presence, and on the contrary, his running steps could be heard echoing. He''s less than a small fry adventurer. It seems he must be apletely ordinary person.

    ¡¸Please wait a moment!¡¹

    It was an elderly man who run up. He is literary a civilian with well-tailored and loose-fitting clothes. The flesh of his belly is shaking every time he moves.

    ¡¸Can i have a bit of your time?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah you! There''s a story i want you to listen! There''s no loss in this! Would you like to listen about it?¡¹

    (Master?)

    ¡ºWell, if only a little¡»

    I really want to go back to our inn ASAP!

    ¡¸Nn, if only a little¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! Then pleasee with me, this way¡¹

    What a carriage he had prepared. I''m ready for anything. But, is he a fool? Without even giving us his name, he suddenly asked us to get on the carriage. I would like to meet a fool who would get on a carriage like that.

    No, i think he''s underestimating this child, Fran. In other words, it seems that he hasn¡¯t investigated Fran''s identity. What on earth are he going to do? I can only guess he''s a scammer.

    When I appraised the man, more or less, he''s a nobleman, and a baron.

    ¡¸Your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, sorry it''s a bitte. My name is Beckert¡¹

    (TLN: ¥Ù¥Ã¥±¥ë¥È Bekkeruto)

    The nobleman is humbly giving his name without his family name. he''s just getting more suspicious.

    ¡¸What''s the story?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it will be a long story¡¹

    ¡¸Here is fine¡¹

    We shouldn''t follow a suspicious person.

    ¡¸But¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll go home¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! W-wait! You''ll regret it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Are you threatening me?¡¹

    ¡¸No-no way! I-i didn''t mean it! Wa-wait a second! Oi! Come out!¡¹

    When Fran returns her heels, the man calls out into the carriage in a hurry. Then, two strong looking mene down from inside. I already know from the presence, but obviously he was going to threaten or attack Fran in the carriage, right?

    However, Fran refused to ride in the carriage, so he instructed them toe out to intimidate her.

    Two men stand around Fran. He is sliding the sword on his waist and frowning as if showing he is angry. It seems that he is ustomed to this kind of works.

    They are not a big deal in terms of ability. They are using fake muscles and weapons that are only a fashion. It''s funny that their acting skills are higher than their swordsmanship. A mere guard under Count Bailleys we meetst night can handle them by himself.

    ¡¸So, you are talking?¡¹

    ¡¸Wha? Oh that''s right¡¹

    Beckert was surprised at Fran who wasn''t scared at all. However, he remembered his purpose and he began to talk about why he wans to talk with Fran while holding down his voice.

    ¡¸Actually. My lord wanted the sword you are carrying¡¹

    ¡¸Lord? who?¡¹

    ¡¸I can''t reveal that¡­but if you give away your sword. I''ll pay you 50 million goldes. How about it, it''s a good deal isn''t it?¡¹

 Chapter 419: Not For Sale!

    <h4>Chapter 419: Not For Sale!</h4>

    ¡¸If you give me your sword, I will pay you 50 million goldes. That''s good deal, right? now will give me your sword?¡¹

    He never expects his offer would be turned down, and he offers his hand. Can he give it here? 50 million goldes is a lot of money. Perhaps he thinks with this amount, any ordinary people can y and live for the rest of their lives. But is there anyone in this world would believes this stinky man will pay as much as 50 million goldes in a post-payment?

    He is looking down on Fran, or are he making a fool of her? Or do we look like we''re in trouble with money?

    ¡¸Won''t sell swords¡¹

    Look! I believed her!

    ¡¸Wha? What did you say?¡¹

    ¡¸Won''t sell swords¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! stop joking¡¹

    ¡¸Not joking¡¹

    ¡¸It''s 50 million you know? I don''t think there''s such a good deal out there? It''s an amount that ordinary adventurers can''t even earn in their whole lifetime you know?¡¹

    Beckert looks astonished. Now it''s clear that this guy doesn''t know anything about Fran. Is these trio an idiot?

    If she knew Fran was that ck Lightning Princess, he would have had different response. Franpletely loses her interest in Beckert, turn back her heels and starts walking. Well, of course the two thugs won''t let us escape.

    ¡¸Wait a minute¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t be too cheeky¡¹

    While grinning, they stepped out to stand in front of Fran¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Ghaa¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Bufu¡­!¡¹

    They stopped moving.

    Because I choked both their necks with telekic. They must be felt their neck is grabbed by a huge hand and being lifted a bit huh.

    The two fluttered their legs in struggle to escape. However, these guys couldn''t escape from it and lost consciousness almost at the same time.

    ¡¸Wha? What did you just do?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m not doing anything though?¡¹

    With that said, Fran red at Beckert. He got that gaze and felt like he was being told that he was next.

    He dropped his jaw while dripping cold sweat.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­i understand! Let''s make it 60 million! this should be enough!¡¹

    ¡¸No matter how much. wont sell¡¹

    ¡¸Then 100 million!! How about 100 million!!¡¹

    That was a lie. No, it''s even a lie when he said 50 million.

    I thought about selling me to find out who his lord was, but i don''t want to leave Fran when that mysterious magic sword hasn''t been discovered yet.

    Besides, there is a possibility that my magical power will be sealed when transporting me. Although i have the seal nullification skill, but there is no guarantee it will always worked. I didn''t feel the need to gamble here.

    ¡¸? Are you deaf? won''t sell. It''s not something that can be reced with money¡¹

    ¡¸Wa-wait a minute¡¹

    He''s persistent. However, Fran has lost interest in Beckert. She turns her back on Beckert, who is screaming with an impatient expression.

    ¡¸Thi-this brat¡­get on with it¡­I''m telling you I¡¯d buy that filthy sword! You are just a meremoner, hand over that sword at once! Or I¡¯ll take it by force!¡¹

    This guy true self hase up. However, he''s a pathetic guy.

    ¡¸¡­Oi¡¹

    ¡¸Huh¡­! Wh-what¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Is it filthy? Did you just say master is filthy?¡¹

    ¡¸Hi, hiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸And you are going to rob me? Did you just say that?¡¹

    He stepped through Fran''snd mine. I''m loved by Fran. The future in which Beckert, who said he would take me over by force from Fran and could safely return to his lord disappeared at that moment.

    Fran activated Lord Intimidation skill on Beckert and breaks his heart. Moreover, because she is in deep anger, she was able to concentrate Lord Intimidation on Beckert without spreading it around her. Isn''t this the first time she have seeded in controlling it?

    Instead of involving her surroundings, she seeded in controlling it thanks to her anger¡­Well, it really is like how Fran is.

    ¡¸A, A¡­Aah¡­¡¹

    Ah, this bastard Beckert, did he leak? ck stains spread on the lower body of his clothes.

    Ah, Fran, you''re fine with getting this close with him?

    ¡¸¡­Fun¡¹

    ¡¸Gegagagaga!¡¹

    However, Fran didn''t seem to care about Beckert''s ugliness, and when she stood in front of him, she gently reached out. She sps her hand when reaching out to the fallen Beckert. It looks like they''re shaking hands, but of course it''s not a handshake.

    ¡¸Abababa!¡¹

    Fran, who boast super-grip strength that cannot be imagined for her appearance, she holds his hand with all her might, and crushed his hand and deformed it like a rubber glove with no content in it. Beckert was screaming, and his mouth were letting out foam.

    The moment she releases his hand, Beckert copses on the spot. There is nothing left as his hands which had been squeezed.

    ¡ºWhat should we do with this guy?¡»

    (listen about his lord)

    ¡ºWhat are you going to do after hearing it?¡»

    (Of course, I''ll beat him)

    Well, you are right. But i don''t really want you to do it. The other party is an aristocrat, and I hope it won''t be a trouble for uster¡­

    Aaah! So troublesome! I want to return to our inn soon! Why don''t we just throw him away as it is?

    As if i was worrying about Beckert''s treatment, there was a new presence approaching us. It''s Frederick, he dared to leak his presence as if to inform us about his existence.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess. I''ll pick up and handle these guys here¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran is eager to interrogate this guy and have his lord take ount for him. But it''s a waste of time to spend by interrogating Beckert. Fredericks would be better at cross-examination in the first ce.

    ¡ºNo, Fran. You do as what Frederick says. Absolutely¡»

    (Is that so?)

    ¡ºYea¡»

    ¡¸I understand, I''ll leave it to you¡¹

    ¡¸I''m going to find out the background rtionship here¡¹

    Beckert should be left to Frederick. We came to the right ce.

    ¡ºThen, this has been resolved, let''s go back to our inn!¡»

    (Master)

    ¡ºWhat is it?¡»

    (Did you just push it to Frederick because you want to go back early?)

    ¡ºNo no no, that''s not true right?¡»

    (¡­let¡¯s return to the inn)

    ¡ºYea Yea! It''s magic stone absorption time! Hiyaaha!¡»

    Fran looks a little dumbfounded, but she doesn¡¯t mind, right?

    ¡ºFufufu, It''s finally the time!¡»

    ¡¸Ne¨D¡¹

    ¡ºWell well, Fran-san. Please line up the magic stones!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    Huh? Why does Fran show such an eye? Whatever. Rather than that, the magic stone has lined up in front of me now.

    ¡ºThen, i ta da- ki ma- su! Hyahahaha¨D! Magic is flowing in! Oh¨D! Good¨D! goood¨D! unbearable! Hmmmh¨D! Pa?Ra?Di?Se¡­¡»

    ¡¸¡­Master looks happy¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Woof¡¹

    Not only Fran, even Urushi''s eyes too? Why?

    ¡ºOhoo¨D!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    ¡¸¡­woff¡¹

 Chapter 420: Marquis Ashtnerâ€™s Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 420: Marquis Ashtner''s Conspiracy</h4>

    10 minutes after I absorbed the magic stones.

    ¡ºAah¡­I''m sorry¡»

    ¡¸Why apologizing? Master didn''t do anything wrong¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºThen why are you looking at me like that!¡»

    I got a lot of magic stones points and skills in exchange for my dignity as a guardian.

    I got 1420 magic stones value in total. 11 new skills and even 2 unique skills.

    But there''s no skill that can help me manage Fran''s eyes.

    However, there were a number of skills that looks interesting. And with our new Life magic, itpletes the 6 types ofbined attributes, it is: Thunder Magic, Life Magic, Dust Magic, Tree Magic, Molten Iron Magic, and Ice & Snow magic.

    I was expecting to get few, but I was only able to get one new title. The name is ¡ºAttribute Master¡».

    Magician had the ability to control magical power and increase the processing power during casting. It doesn''t work for me, but it will help Fran to use magic in the future.

    In addition, it seems that she now can choose Magic Expert job. From the name, you can tell that it is a high-ranking magician.

    Other skills that are unlikely to be useful are singing, dancing, woodworking, and carpentry. It was all basic skill.

    Skill that seems to be useful are normal skills such as corruption nullification, overweight, ghost dispel, and animal knowledge. Unique skills we had obtained were predatory absorption and cannibalism.

    Corruption nullification, as the name implies, is a resistance skill that nullifies corruption attack. Corruption is an attribute that rots flesh if it is a living thing, or corrodes it if it is an inorganic substance. It''s a resistance skill that can be used for both me and Fran.

    It seems that overweight is an upwardpatibility skill for weight increase that we already have. It is a skill that increase the weight of yourself and your equipment. If you use it at the right time when attacking, you will be able to increase your power.

    Ghost dispel is a skill simr to purification magic that can defeat a weak undead or scare strong opponents. And animal knowledge is as its name isn''t it. Well, it wouldn''t hurt to have it.

    As for the unique skills I''m interested in, Predatory Absorption is a skill that increases the experience and other values gained from eating. Some of the skills that Urushi possesses seem to have been gained through the effects of this skill, so I''m sure it will be useful in a humble way.

    And cannibalism. Hmmm. This is the only one that''s subtle. It''s a skill that allows you to kill your own kind and absorb some of their power. It''s also a skill that Zelos Reed possesses. The reason why he became so strong so rapidly is probably because he used this skill to absorb the power of evil people.

    But what about me? Is my kind a divine sword or an intelligence weapon? And besides, even if i was told to kill them. The opponent is a weapon, so does destroying it mean I''ve killed it? To be honest, it was a skill that seemed extremely unlikely to be used.

    Well, let''s just equip it and consider ourselves lucky if it activates. Oh, and by the way, the magic tool and the magic sword were not recognized as being of the same family. I bought a magic weapon at the Armor shop near the inn and have already experimented with it.

    As a result, the expensive magic weapon was only destroyed in vain.

    I absorbed arge number of other skills, but most of them have apparently been integrated into higher-level skills. No, it''s better considering my processing power. I''ve been trying so hard to increase the number of skills I have. I''m not used to it yet.

    After that, I was testing the effects of my new skills in the courtyard of the inn, and night was quickly approaching. Count Bailleys said he would find out where Gallus was in a day, but now I wondered what had happened.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, looks like he''s here¡»

    There was a familiar presence near the entrance of the inn. It seems that he dared to give a big presence to let us know that he had visited here.

    The owners of the presence leave the inn ande to the courtyard where we are.

    There is no doubt that it was them. Fran told Velmeria to sit on the bench after soundproofing the area with wind magic.

    Velmeria is looking at Fran''s magic as impressed.

    ¡¸The flow of your magic invocation, I¡¯m impressed with it. What''s more is that, you are staying at this inn where you can''t stay without a letter of introduction¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. When showed Eliante''s letter of introduction. They let me stay here normally¡¹

    ¡¸From a guild master? Are you on good terms?¡¹

    ¡¸So so¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, so so huh¡­¡¹

    Rather than being wary of Fran, Velmeria seemed to be ufortable with Fran''s type. She didn''t know how to handle Fran, who had no expression and spoke in an unpredictable way.

    ¡¸We-well that''s fine. But more importantly, I have a few things to report.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, about the magic sword you saw. I''ve looked into a lot of things¡¹

    It was the one who had manipted his friends to death. Velmeria and the others must have a great deal of interest in that magic sword. When we parted, I asked them about its characteristics in detail and left. Apparently, they had been searching for it earlier today.

    ¡¸First of all, there was an eyewitness testimony. People who Fran healed, naturally saw it, but of course, they couldn''t trace it afterwards. It seems that it suddenly disappeared into a residential area. Its current whereabouts are still unknown¡­¡¹

    It is a mysterious flying object that moves through the night sky while spewing out magic power. I think it stands out like a sore thumb. Well, it''s not that big, and once it hides itself, it''s will be hard to find.

    ¡¸There is a high possibility that it is an undead sword, so we have mobilized adventurers who can use the undead search skill, but we have yet to find it.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s regrettable¡¹

    ¡¸We also collected information on the magic sword, hoping to get some information from its shape. However, this too has ended as a wasted effort. There was information that Marquis Ashtner has been collecting magic swords for several years, so we thought that they might be included in the sales records¡­¡­ Apparently, that''s not the line either.¡¹

    Well, we have no clue after all.

    ¡¸Next, I have information about the man who came into contact with you today. His name is Baron Beckert Huth. He was a subordinate of Marquis Ashtner.¡¹

    ¡¸Marquis Ashtner? What is his purpose?¡¹

    He is rted to Marquis Ashtner too?¡¡Well, his namees up everywhere.

    ¡¸It seems that the Marquis himself had ordered him to obtain your magic sword by any means necessary. But the way he gave the order was to obtain a magic sword with a wolf design, which is in the possession of a strong ck cat tribe girl swordsman¡­¡¹

    It was a messed up and ambiguous way of giving orders. For example, if they knew about Gallus''s scabbard and wanted to reduce his strength and harass him, the order should have been to take the adventurer Fran''s magic sword.

    ¡¸I can''t tell if the Marquis really knows Fran. Maybe he just half-heard a rumour about you and wanted the magic sword you possess¡¹

    In other words, the order had nothing to do with Gallus-rted matters, but was aimed at the holder of the magic sword? I''ve heard that the Marquis house is collecting magic swords around the world.

    ¡¸We''re tightening things up even more at the moment, so I''ll let you know if we find out any new information¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    It seems like all the bad things are the conspiracy Marquis Ashtner. What''s more, there are still reports about that Marquis house toe after this.

    ¡¸Then, finally, i would like to tell you the information about Master Gallus.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸The information you provided to us has been confirmed. It seems that Master Gallus was indeed confined at Count Olmes''s residence.¡¹

 Chapter 421: Velmeriaâ€™s Circumstances

    <h4>Chapter 421: Velmeria''s Circumstances</h4>

    ¡¸It seems that Master Gallus was indeed confined at the Count Olmes'' residence. I''m sure of it, since someone from our side witnessed it. However¨D¡¹

    ¡¸However?¡¹

    ¡¸The report came from a person who had infiltrated as a gardener, so we did not know where he was in the mansion. Furthermore, we don''t even know if he is still in the Count''s mansion¡¹

    Well, normally he''s likely to be confined in a hidden room, a basement, or something like that. However, it seems that he just happened to witness his existence when he was taken out to the hall on the first floor for some reason.

    ¡¸He said it was just the other day¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    Fran nodded at Velmeria''s words. But immediately, as if in a panic, Velmeria continued her words.

    ¡¸We are now preparing to conduct an on-site search of Count Olmes''s residence under the authority of the Count Bailleys! Please don''t do anything rash!¡¹

    Unknowingly, she felt the fighting spirit rising from Fran and thought that she might have to go in alone.

    In fact, I think that was exactly Fran''s intention. However, I was against the idea of Fran running into the Count''s mansion alone. Even though he was doing bad things, he was still a nobleman.

    It would definitely make us look like the bad guy. Unless we are prepared to rescue Gallus and flee the country, But I have no intention in doing so. I also don''t know if I can really rescue Gallus for sure.

    ¡¸It''s difficult to gain ess to the Marquis Ashtner''s residence, but if it''s in the name of investigating Count Olmes, I''m sure we can get the permission. Absolutely. Within the next few days, we will definitely make our move. I''ll ask if Fran can join us then, so until then, Please don''t do anything rash.¡¹

    Velmeria red at Fran as if begging

    ¡ºFran, you should just nod at this point. The more details they can give us about Gallus''s whereabouts, the better chance we have of rescuing him.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, thank you very much¡¹

    Velmeria feels relieved and strokes her chest.

    As for Fran, she seems to be a little dissatisfied, but I''ll let her bear with it a little longer. However, it seems that once she got motivated, her battle switch will be turned on. Her body is still leaking with fighting spirit.

    Frederick must have sensed this, because he''s about to open his mouth, which had been closed up to this point.

    ¡¸Velmeria, why don''t you have ck Lightning Princess train you¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Frederick? What are you talking about¡¹

    ¡¸There is a lot to be gained from practicing with a stronger opponents. Besides, doesn''t ck Lightning Princess also want to exercise her body? ¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran, of all people, is the most enthusiastic about Fr¨¦d¨¦ric''s proposal. She is already getting up from the bench and pulling me out.

    ¡¸Velmeria, I''m on it¡¹

    ¡¸¡­understood¡¹

    Velmeria too, must have heard Frederick''s words and realized that Fran''s excitement should be dissipated here. She nodded obediently at Fran''s invitation.

    No, not only that, but Velmeria also seems to be on board. I guess that means she is also a battle junkie.

    ¡¸You doesn''t want to pull it out?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, this is my stance¡¹

    ¡¸Got it¡¹

    Velmeria faced Fran with nothing in her hands, seemingly empty-handed. But that doesn''t mean that she is good at fighting with her bare hands.

    Based on her appraisal, she can use martial arts, but she is more skilled in using dagger, dark arts, and throwing. He must be good at assassin-likebatbined with muffling her presence.

    Well, I won''t tell Fran. It would be more fun for Fran, and it would be a good training for her. Now, I wonder how well Fran will cope with her first strike?

    Frederick used a technique to envelop the surroundings in darkness to prevent the two from being seen from the outside, which was also the signal for the mock battle to begin.

    It was Velmeria who strike first. However, i think that is the right decision. Because there''s no point in waiting for Fran, who is lightly armed and has a surprisingly effective strategy to attack her.

    Even if her opponent is stronger than herself, she may be able to defeat her with a strike to a vital point using dark arts.

    Even though I don''t have dark arts skill, but i can tell that Velmeria was throwing out something familiar. Apparently, she threw something like an arrowhead that she had prepared under her sleeve.

    She suppressed her killing intent and presence as well without any motion. But I was a little too impatient. I was thinking too much aboutunching an attack before she got close to Fran.

    If she were an ordinary C rank adventurer, she might have been able to cause some agitation. With hope it can give her some damage. However, it didn''t work on Fran. At this distance, Fran could still see and react to it.

    Fran dodged the arrowhead thrown by Velmeria by simply tilting her head lightly. She then stepped in at once and kicked Velmeria''s sr plexus with a front kick.

    ¡¸Shhi¡¹

    ¡¸Gafuuh¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Hyee¡¹

    ¡ºHou¡»

    She''s been taking it easy on her, but she''s still sent flying backwards from that kick. She has taken some damage, but not enough to stop her from moving. You can''t underestimate her strength. With more battle experience, she will be stronger.

    ¡¸Like hell i would let this end like this! Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmh!¡¹

    ¡¸Shhh!¡¹

    ¡¸As expected¡­!¡¹

    Velmeria held up a dagger in both hands and danced directly at Fran. She fired a smoke screen shortly before and throw a-like object at her. She must have gotten serious.

    Fran used wind magic to blow away the smoke ands, but by then, Velmeria was already right beside her. Seeing her, I change my view of her. I thought she was an assassin type aiming for a surprise attack, but her skill with dagger was quite high.

    Moreover, she''s somewhat tricky. shepensated for the lightness of her body and the low attack power of a daggers with centrifugal force. While spinning around like a wheel, he mmed both of his daggers into Fran. In addition, almost all of the blows were aimed at vital points.

    ¡ºI see, if she can get it done, she can turn the tide with a single blow¡»

    Her teacher must have prepared her for a fight that even she could win against stronger opponent. I myself think the best thing to do is to run away from an opponent you can''t beat, but there are certain situations where you can''t run away from and certain situations where you shouldn''t run away from.

    However, she was still inexperienced. Her attacks were repelled by me, and she was often blown away by jus a kicks and fists. However, her will to fight did not fade from Velmeria''s face. With her light blue ponytail swinging wildly, she came towards Fran. It''s proof that her mind has been trained well.

    I wonder if it is Frederick who is teaching Velmeria how to fight?¡¡Speaking of Frederick, he was watching over Velmeria with a very kind expression. He looks like a father or a brother.

    I don''t really understand the rtionship between these two either. Velmeria, who has the surname of Bailleys, and Frederick, who talks to her in a way that he seems to be treated as Velmeria''s subordinates¡­

    They are both from half-dragonmen races, and I''m sure there is some reason for that. But I''m not sure if it''s the right thing to ask. I don''t want to poke my head into the muddy side of a noble.

    But some people just simply couldn''t read the air.

    ¡¸Ne, what rtionship does Velmeria and Frederick has? Is it just because you are both half-dragonmen?¡¹

    That was Fran-san. She casually asked it during the break. Then, Velmeria answered surprisingly easily. Apparently, it wasn''t like it''s a secret as I thought it was.

    ¡¸It''s hard to say what kind of rtionship we have, but isn''t it more like a guardianship? I heard that he was originally a guard in my mother''s service, but when my father took me in, he came to this country with me.¡¹

    ¡¸Then, your mother is not in this country?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. father is¨D¨DMy ChichiUe is the Earl of Bailleys, whom Fran met the other day. What i know is that he met my mother when he was sent to the continent of Gordisia.¡¹

    (Note: You know what ¸¸ÉÏ Chichiue is right? Chichi Ue = Literally "father above," it''s very honorific and respectful way to address a father)

    The continent of Gordisia was supposed to be a ce where most part of it were covered by a magical beast so huge that it swallowed the continent. As I recall, I''ve also heard that there was a dragonmen''s empire.

    ¡¸I was told that my mother was the caretaker of my father¡¹

    There, the Count and Velmeria''s mother became family, and Velmeria was born. However, the Count had to return to his country after his dispatch period was over, and that''s when he took her in.

    Certainly, the Count already had a wife and children, but as a nobleman, that was not a problem.

    ¡¸Your mother is still in Gordisia?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. My mother has something to do there, so she can''t leave Gordisia continent.¡¹

    ¡¸Lonely?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, what do you think? I have very little memory of her, and I don''t think I want to meet her that badly¡­¡­Well, even if I could meet her, do you think i would like to meet her?¡¹

    She seems to be pretty easy going. Maybe that''s how it is if you were separated at an early age and grew up without seeing each other.

    It was Frederick who had a rather painful face. He looked at Velmeria, who shrugged her shoulders, and sadly lowered her eyes.

    Maybe he''s feeling sorry for Velmeria, who has no memory of her mother.

 Chapter 422: Midnight Raid

    <h4>Chapter 422: Midnight Raid</h4>

    The night of our mock battle with Velmeria.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ceh! Fran, barrier¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi jumped up from their fluffy beds in the inn, and I immediately activate the transfer. In order to get away from this ce as much as possible. Fran is already putting up barriers as fast as she can.

    Booom!

    Immediately after we moved to a dozen meters above the courtyard, there was a huge explosion from the room where Fran was staying. It had been struck with me magic.

    ¡ºEven though there''s another guest, they''re crazy!¡»

    ¡¸Master, that is!¡¹

    ¡ºAh! I can feel it even from here. It''s that magic sword¡»

    In the middle of the courtyard, the person who did it stood quietly. He had a nk expression on his face which I couldn''t tell what he was thinking and a half-destroyed longsword in his right hand. There is no doubt about it, that was the sword with a face of a man with an expression of agony engraved on the hand cover.

    More than that, the disgust rising from within me tells me. It''s him.

    ¡ºAre Velmeria and Frederick safe?¡»

    ¡¸I don''t know.¡¹

    Velmeria and the others were supposed to have taken a room next door, but i couldn¡¯t feel their presence. Is it because they sensed an enemy attack and disappeared, or is it because they lost their lives and have no more presence of them? I think it''s the former¡­¡­

    ¡ºUrushi, check the safety of the two!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We weal deal with him

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    The man is looking at us with an expressionless face.

    ¡¸This time, gonna defeat it!¡¹

    ¡ºFirst, i want to block his escape route¡­¡»

    The only thing I can think of that might work is the Great Wall skill.¡¡But I can''t use it in this small courtyard. If we covered all four sides with the huge wall made by that technique, we would only have a space of about four and a half tatami mats. If we made it thinner, it wouldn''t be strong enough and he could easily escape.

    I also thought about surrounding the entire inn, but then the people in the inn would not be able to escape. In the end, we had to be careful not to let him escape huh.

    ¡ºFran, don''t let it go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Leave it to me! Haaaa!¡¹

    Fran offsets the me magic released by that magic sword again by releasing me magic in the same way. She ran down the street towards the man below her.

    ¡¸Awakening¨D¨D¡¹

    The awakened Fran kicked the sky to elerate and shed at him with all her might. However, the man used his magic sword to fend off the blow, he''s pretty skilled.

    I appraised the man during our attack. His sword skills are at level 5, higher than Hamuls. He has various strong skills such as Herculean Strength, Physical strengthening, and Rapid regeneration. He was clearly stronger than Hamuls.

    And also, he is in the same state of Fanaticism and Potential Release as Hamuls. But there''s something interesting.

    Hamuls would have had the skills of regeneration, muscle hypertrophy, and martial arts added when he is using Potential Release. However, the man in front of me - Gordon - has none of those skills. Regeneration may have been integrated since he has rapid regeneration, but what about the other two?

    Weren''t those three skills given to him by the sword?¡¡I wonder if it was a skill gained from using potential release, a skill that bloom from his dormant talents?

    Well, let''s think about itter after we destroyed that magic sword.

    ¡ºIf possible, I want to capture Gordon alive¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    If we can talk to him, we can find out if Marquis Ashtner is behind this. We''ll destroy the magic sword without letting it escape and capture Gordon without killing him.

    ¡ºSince he has rapid regeneration, it''s okay to hurt him a little¡­¡»

    As long as he was in a state of potential release, he would soon die if we didn''t do anything. We had to destroy the sword and return him to his normal state before that happened.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    Fran''s target was Gordon''s wrist. The first step is to separate Gordon from the magic sword, and then hit the magic sword with a great firepower.

    But that doesn''t work. Gordon took advantage of his rapid regeneration and forcibly attacked her. However, Fran, who has a superior skill with the sword, did not miss the w in Gordon''s attack. She used a feint to hit his neck and aimed at Gordon''s writs

    However, Gordon reacted to it as well. But he didn''t evade it, or that he repelled the thrust. Gordon dared to expose himself in front of Fran''s thrust.

    ¡¸Tsh!¡¹

    We pierced Gordon''s sr plexus deeply. Gordon then let go of his magic sword and grabbed onto my hilt with both hands. His grab is powerful because of his Herculean Strength and Physical Strengthening skills.

    I tried to get out from his grab, but Gordon had tightened every muscle in his body to hold me in ce so that I couldn''t escape. If I tried to escape seriously, I could shake him loose, but if I went crazy in this state, I might kill Gordon.

    ¡¸Get your filthy hands off my master!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Aaah!¡¹

    Fran grabbed my hilt and kicked Gordon in the face. The sound of Gordon''s legs and ribs snapping echoed through the air. But that didn''t freak Gordon out. On the contrary, she was blown away by the magic power released by the magic sword that had fallen at Gordon''s feet, she''s forced to let her hand go from my hilt.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Kuh! Master!¡¹

    Thank God. She''s okay. But what Gordon did after that was beyond our expectations. He showed his back and ran away from Fran.

    ¡ºThis bastard!¡­He wasn''t after Fran, but his aim was me alone!¡»

    ¡¸Stop!¡¹

    Fran was about to chase after him when she saw the magic sword standing in the way. It''s trying to split me and Fran up!

    ¡ºLike hell, i would let you!¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    I used telekinesis to entangle Gordon''s leg, and then used wind magic to break Gordon''s legs as he dropped to one knee. But he still wouldn''t let me go.

    Should I just hold Gordon here and leave the magic sword to Fran?

    ¡ºBut, she can''t take on a magic sword without a weapon¡­¡»

    As I watched, I saw that Fran was parrying the attack of that magic sword that had plunged in at high speed with her fist that had concentrated barrier. No matter how fast it was, it would not be able to catch Fran in such a straight line of attack. Fran''s fist was a little bit damaged, but she was still able to deflect its trajectory significantly.

    It was just after that.

    Kiiinnn!

    ¡ºObey me!¡»

    An inorganic, high-pitched voice that sounded as if it had been synthesized by a machine rang in my head.

    I can understand it with my senses, that Fran''s resistance skills have been activated, something must have been yed. She used to leave everything up to her skills, but now that she has trained herself to manipte the flow of her magic, she now can understand which resistance skill has been activated.

    It''s mental resistance and dominance nullification.

    ¡ºFran, are you all right!¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Is this your voice now?¡¹

    She seems to be fine. There''s nothing wrong with her. But I''m pretty sure it has used some sort of mind control ability on me. Looking at Hamuls and Gordon, there is no doubt that they have the ability to manipte people. There was a good chance that he would be able to exert that effect on the person he shed.

    I guess the reason I could hear her voice too was because I was connected to Fran.

    ¡ºObey me¡­!¡»

    ¡¸So noisy¡¹

    ¡ºFran, don''t let it cut you! It has mind control powers!¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    The sword on the ground jerks away. Is it just me, or does it seem surprised that it couldn''t dominate Fran?

 Chapter 423: Disgust

    <h4>Chapter 423: Disgust</h4>

    I wanted to go back to Fran as soon as possible. My resistance skills are preventing it from taking control, but I don''t want to get hit by it again.

    For the time being, I decided to restrain Gordon with earth magic. I''m not sure if it can hold him long enough, but it''s better than just leaving him alone.

    Gordon''s figure was covered in ivy made of earth and swallowed him. After make sure of it, I transferred back to Fran''s hand.

    ¡ºFran, I''m back¡»

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºAre you okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    When I transferred back to Fran''s side, she greeted me with a hug. It must have been very painful for her to have me taken away forcefully, even just for a few seconds.

    ¡¸Unforgivable¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    The magic sword looks as if it''s not sure whether to run away or to attack Fran again. From the way it acted, it really seemed to have emotions. Fran shed at the magic sword, throwing her killing intent.

    ¡¸Haaa! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    She closed the distance at god speed and swung me down. However, that magic sword had jumped back just before that.

    ¡ºI won''t let you go away!¡»

    No, this time it was different. The magic sword distanced itself from us and shot magic to Fran. But it wasn''t aimed at Fran. It blew away the rock cage in which Gordon was trapped. It was a bit harsh, but it managed to set Gordon free.

    I guess that magic sword isn''t good at acting alone for a long time. It needs a wielder to continue the battle.

    The magic sword flies towards Gordon.

    ¡ºI won''t let you!¡»

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    We used wind magic to blow Gordon away even more and knock him out of position. After that, we transferred and shed at the magic sword. Immediately after the transfer, I tried to use telekic to block the magic sword''s movement, and Fran will attack it with Sword King technique. I had nned to do that, but¡­

    ¡ºIt detected our transfer!¡»

    The magic sword elerated rapidly and was already out of our sight. It seems that it has excellent sensing ability. Gordon, who had just gotten up, rushed in. He was not doesn''t hold the magic sword, and he had no hands.

    But this guy has no martial arts or fighting skills, so what is he going to do? As I was thinking that, he came straight at me. Although his movements were not that sharp, if we get caught, we would suffer a great deal of damage due to his physical strength.

    However, Fran and I both hesitated to attack this guy. He already had very little vitality left in him. If we attacked him now, we might end up killing him.

    Fran quickly jumped back and dodged Gordon''s attack.

    But, at that moment

    Booom!

    Gordon''s torso made a dull sound and exploded from the inside. No, it''s not that. Before i knew it, the magic sword had moved behind Gordon and rushed from his back.

    It seems that when the magic sword hit Gordon''s body, it dared to curl magic de around itself to make it look like a hammer, so that it would not prate Gordon''s body, but make his body burst. But, no matter how fast he can regenerate, if his upper body was destroyed, he would die instantly.

    ¡ºThis bastard! It killed its own wielder!¡»

    My anger rises up after witnessing it.

    ¡ºAs a magic sword, I can''t forgive what it have done!¡»

    Its very existence was disgusting.

    The magic sword attacked with its magic de while blindly scattered Gordon''s flesh and blood. Its shape transformed once again, and the de branched out into multiple pieces, each deing at Fran from multiple direction.

    We were wary of its mental control and used transfer to keep our distance. The magic sword did not give a chase. Rather, it seemed to have anticipated our escape. Without slowing down at all, it flew towards the inn, passing by our side at super high speed.

    ¡ºIt got me!¡»

    ¡¸Is it trying to escape?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it wasn''t!¡»

    There was a figure at the destination where the magic sword flew.

    ¡¸Run away!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria!¡¹

    It was Velmeria and Frederick, who had been rescued by Urushi. They were hiding in the inn, watching over our fight. However, the magic sword seemed to have aware of them.

    I''m not sure if she heard Fran''s warning, but she turned on her heel in panic, but it was toote. Just as she was about to be cut by the magic sword, Frederick, who was standing next to her, push her away. The de of the magic sword, which seemed to pierce through Vermelia''s body, had cut deep into Frederick''s arm.

    ¡¸Gaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Frederick! How is your condition?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m fine! but what is this voice? If you want me to obey you, then show me what you''ve got!¡¹

    So that''s it, it was nning to take control of Frederick and make him it''s new wielders!¡¡But it seems that it failed. Frederick has mental resistance. It must have prevented the magic sword from taking control of him.

    But Velmeria didn''t have that kind of skill. We have to settle this before she was attacked.

    ¡ºLet''s jump¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We had already confirmed that it can detect when transfer will be used.

    The magic sword releases magical power to Fran who appears in the room after transfer, but the attack is transmitted by our dimension shift.

    Fran swung me out against the magic sword, which was shaking in surprise.

    ¡¸¡­Sword King Technique - Heaven Judgement¡¹

    ¡ºGiyaaaaa!¡»

    The de of that magic sword that had already been broken were cut down even further with the sh of sword released by Fran. The magic sword then lets out a high-pitched scream.

    It was obviously damaged, but an eerie magical power that swirled within it had not yet dispersed. Does it mean, we have to destroy its core-like part in order to defeat it?

    One more shot! I was about to shout that, but I couldn''t raise my voice.

    ¡ºUrgh¡­!¡»

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºKuuuaaa!¡»

    I screamed a moan while feeling a huge force flowing into me. Apparently, Cannibalism had been triggered.

    It wasn''t like I felt being overwhelmed by taking too much power, or it was going out of control. But, the magical power from that sword flowing into me made me feel so disgusted that i couldn''t think of anything else.

    I''m sorry to use a little dirty representation, but it was like having a mixture of filth, garbage, and crappie juice smeared all over my body. Anyway, I couldn''t help but feel sick. If I had been in a human body, I would have been screaming and rolling around.

    ¡ºUuuwaaaaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    There was no way that magic sword would miss such opportunity, it elerated at once to escape from the room.

    ¡¸Urushi! After it!¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    ¡ºGuurghhhh!¡»

 Chapter 424: Intelligent Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 424: Intelligent Weapon</h4>

    ¡ºSorry Fran. I''m fine now¡»

    (really?)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    While I was screaming, the magic sword escaped me again. I hope Urushi brings back some information for us¡­¡­

    But I don''t know why cannibalism was triggered. It''s supposed to be an ability to absorb power if you kill someone of your own kind¡­¡­

    We''re inorganic, we''re already lifeless. In other words, because we''re lifeless, attacking us and damaging us will trigger it? Or is it judged that cutting some part of us counted as killing? Or is there some other reason?

    Either way, it''s going to be dangerous if I don''t deactivate cannibalism when we fight that magic sword in the future. I don''t want to have to go through that feeling again.

    However, absorbing its power means that I will be strengthened while the magic sword will be weakened. If that''s the case, it might be better to put up with the disgust and use cannibalism. Hmmm¡­

    ¡¸Fran, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸It seemed that your movement suddenly slowed down¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That sword had the power to control the mind of the person it shed. Doesn''t it affect you?¡¹

    Velmeria and Frederick asked worriedly. Frederick had already healed his wounds with a potion that Velmeria had, but his face was slightly frowned. Even though his mental resistance prevented it, Frederick was still affected by the domination skill. I''m sure he understands the horror of it.

    They knew Fran might be already manipted; we couldn''t win the fight. Hence, they were looking at Fran with caution.

    ¡¸I got resistance skill, so I¡¯m fine¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so¡¹

    ¡¸I''m d¡¹

    Apparently, they understood that she wasn¡¯t lying. The two are relived and stroked their chests.

    After that, we decided to rescue the people at the inn. Some part of the inn was still burning by that explosion. We had to do something about this.

    Leaving the firefighting to Velmeria, who is good at water magic, we searched for people who arete to escape. Surprisingly, there were only a few people were injured and unable to move.

    Because it was originally a high-ss inn, there were only a few guests. Furthermore, it was an inn for adventurers of rank C or higher, and half of them had escaped on their own.

    Of course, there were some ordinary rich guests, but they had their own guards, and they had already evacuated with their help.

    In the end, we rescued only one of the employees who had failed to escape. The young man had already been led out of the inn after we healed his wounds.

    ¡¸Let''s go back to courtyard¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸We need to secure Gordon''s body.¡¹

    With all thismotion, the soldiers would be here soon. Of course, if they saw Gordon''s body, they would suspect that it was rted to the case because of its unnaturalness. His body would be confiscated.

    ¡ºWe need to get his body before they do.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When we returned to the courtyard, Frederick was already examining the body. The upper half of the body had been destroyed, but the head was still there, and there was a chance that there might be a clue to the identity of the magic sword.

    ¡¸Got something?¡¹

    ¡¸More or less¡¹

    Hou? That''s not something to be overlooked.

    ¡¸Tell me¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, this man''s identity is undoubtedly that of Gordon, a servant of Count Bailleys¡¹

    ¡¸Same as Hamuls?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, he went missing during reconnaissance¡¹

    Gordon was apparently a colleague of Frederick. There was a hint of mourning on his face, but there also seemed to be a slightly reluctant look in his eyes.

    ¡¸But¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸But?¡¹

    ¡¸Gordon was not in charge of the actual operations, like us and Hamuls, but was in charge of surveince¡¹

    ¡¸In other words?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course he was trained, but his fighting ability wasn''t that high. I''m sure he shouldn''t be able to go against Fran head-on even for a short time¡¹

    I guess that means, when he used potential release, his ability had been raised to the fullest. However, there was still a point where he felt something strange.

    ¡¸Gordon was fighting with a sword, wasn''t he?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­Gordon was a spearman, and I''m pretty sure his sword skills weren''t that great.¡¹

    Potential Release is a state in which one''s original abilities increase. In the case of physical enhancement skills such as regeneration and muscle hypertrophy, i can think of it as an awakening of a dormant talent due to potential release.

    But how is it possible that only his skill in swordsmanship would increase? Even though he originally possessed low-level sword techniques, it seems strange that it would be strengthened to the point of turning into sword saint techniques. In addition, the spear technique, which was at a higher level, did not seem to have changed.

    ¡¸And so is his fire magic. Gordon was only able to use basic earth magic, and no fire magic at all.¡¹

    ¡¸But, he was using me magic¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I saw it too¡¹

    Sword Saint Technique and me Magic¡­¡­ Both of these skills shouldn''t be so easy to get. That is unless you have the ability like me.

    ¡¸So, it''s that sword ability?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I don''t know. But, is there such a sword that can manipte its wielder and give them multiple new skills¡­? Now I¡¯ve seen it this close, I¡¯m pretty sure it''s not from a dead soul¡¹

    Frederick also understood that it was not an undead sword, but a magic sword. This was confirmed by the fact that my cannibalism was triggered.

    On the contrary, it was more likely to be an intelligent weapon.

    ¡¸I heard voices when it cut me.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too. "Obey me" That''s what it said.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That sword, has its own mind¡¹

    ¡¸Huh! You meant, it''s an i-intelligent weapon! No, but it sure sounded like one¡¹

    Frederick is surprised with his eyes wide open. An Intelligent Weapon is said to be of legendary things. It''s only natural to be surprised when it exists in a ce like this while spreading destruction.

    But that didn''t seem to be the only surprise for Frederick.

    ¡¸No way¡­I didn''t think there''s another one exist outside of Gordisia¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸In the continent of Gordisia, exist a single intelligent sword¡¹

    ording to Frederick, it was the beloved sword of Trismegistus, the tragic hero of Gordisia. It is said that Trismegistus, a genius alchemist, used all of his knowledge and painstakingly created it.

    As a result of divine punishment, he was destined to fight forever until the Abyss Eaters he created were destroyed.

    Maybe, Trismegistus was the one who created me?

    He doesn''t seem to be a divine cksmith, but if he has the original discarded divine sword or something like that, there''s a chance, right? After all, he is a genius alchemist who almost destroyed the world.

    ¡ºGordisia Continent huh¡­¡»

 Chapter 425: Familial Disgust

    <h4>Chapter 425: Familial Disgust</h4>

    ¡¸And this, this is likely to be a clue¡¹

    ¡¸The piece of that magic sword¡¹

    What Fran took out was the de of the magic sword that she had cut off. There would be a chance to get closer to its real identity. Thanks to the fact that most of the magic power had been drained out from it, its already felt much less disgusting.

    ¡º¡­Hmm. the material is¡­I think it''s simr with my de¡»

    I have cksmithing skills, so I can tell some things apart to some extent. At least it''s not iron. I don''t know exactly what this metal is, but the closest I cane to it is the metal used for myself.

    As I recall, it was a metal called Orichalcos, which could only be used by a divine cksmith. However, since only divine cksmiths can handle it, I can''t tell if it''s something special with my normal cksmithing skills.

    Even that Gallus didn''t understand the material of my sword. Still, I could tell that the metals that made up my sword and this were very simr.

    But that would make the story moreplicated. After all, there will be possibility for that magic sword to be a divine sword.

    Well,pared to Gaia that Asurasu showed me, I only felt a much weaker magical power, and I think it''s more likely that it''s less than divine magic sword made by a divine cksmith using Orichalcos.

    When I think about it, it makes sense that I was able to activate cannibalism. An intelligence weapon made by a divine cksmith, made of the same material. It wouldn''t be strange to say that we are the same kind. It seems to be more likely rted to a divine cksmith rather than Trismegistus.

    ¡¸I''d like to examine it. Can you leave it with me?¡¹

    (Master?)

    ¡¸I''ll make sure to return it to you when the investigation isplete. It''s Fran''s loot after all¡¹

    Well, we can''t investigate any further on our own even if we had it, and if you want to lend it to him, that''s fine.

    ¡ºI think it''s a good idea.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Understood¡¹

    While Fran and Frederick were talking in front of Gordon''s body, Urushi returned.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, wee back. you got something?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Oh, Urushi looks so confident. Apparently, the chase went well.

    ¡¸¡­Marquis Ashtner''s residence?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi nodded at Fran''s question. Seriously?¡¡Fran had only mentioned Marquis of Ashtner randomly, but actually it was the correct answer.

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    When Fran asked back suspiciously, Urushi desperately appealed for her to believe him. It seems that he has really escaped to Marquis Ashtner''s mansion.

    Last time, it took the trouble to cut off its sign in the residential area and was wary for anyone to not follow it¡­But this time, it was so easy to find where its destination is.

    No, because it was damaged by Fran''s Sword King technique, it didn''t have enough time to scatter its pursuers. And I¡¯m sure I''ve absorbed some of its power too.

    Incidentally, as a result of cannibalism, my magic power and durability increased by 50 each. It may seem subtle, but if I canpletely absorb the power of a magic sword, I can expect a considerable strengthening.

    ¡¸Did that wolf find out where that magic sword ran off to?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Marquis Ashtner residence¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He is trustworthy¡¹

    ¡¸Gau Gau!¡¹

    When Fran suspected him, he reacted with a¡¸please believe me¡¹kind of whining, but when he looks at Frederick, he looks at him like saying¡¸What? You didn''t believe my words?¡¹That''s how he reacted and shot a re at Frederick.

    Even in his dog-sized state, he is powerful enough, but Frederick is not flinching at all. As expected of him.

    ¡¸Don''t re at him¡¹

    ¡¸woof¡­!¡¹

    Fran smacked Urushi on the head and warned him. Then, Urushi looked back at Fran with a look like saying¡¸it''s because of him¡¹

    However, Fran ignored Urushi and proceeded with her story.

    ¡¸I''m going to Marquis Ashtner¡¹

    ¡¸No, wait a moment¡¹

    ¡¸whine¡­¡¹

    Yeah, hang in there, Urushi.

    ¡¸Even if you force your way in here, when you can''t find any evidence of guilt, you''ll just end up being pursued. It will take a long time to start the investigation again. Be cautious¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Gau!¡¹

    Urushi red at Frederick again. Now he looks like saying¡¸Bastard, what did you said to neesan huh¡¹maybe?

    Fran hit him on the head again, and Urushi looked away from Frederick with an attitude of ¡¸Damn. I''ll let you off the hook this time¡¹ he said. I''ve never seen this boy looks so much like a thug.

    In the end, there was a possibility that we would be attacked again if we stayed here for too long, and after putting out the fire with Velmeria, we decided to move on. The ce we were aiming for was their hideout in the noble district where we first met Count Bailleys.

    When I mentioned that the magic sword had disappeared to the Marquis Ashtner''s mansion on the way, Velmeria nodded her head in agreement.

    ¡¸It seems that he were involved, after all. That''s one more reason for us to search Marquis Ashtner''s residence¡¹

    ¡¸Assuming what that wolf say was real. We''ll have to back him up¡¹

    ¡¸Gau!¡¹

    Urushi responded to Frederick''s words, groaning like saying¡¸Are you saying I¡¯m lying! Haah?¡¹No, he''s usually a bit more of a cute guy, but he gets strangely worked up over Frederick.

    Is its familial disgust? Well, he have a simr skillposition and are rivalling Frederick, who seems to be a threat to his position. He''s a wolf, after all, and he''s probably concerned about his position in the group.

    ¡ºFamilial disgust huh¡­¡­¡»

    I wonder if the disgust I feel for that magic sword is the same thing.

    It is a magic sword with great power and can act independently with its own will. In addition, it can give its user skills and other abilities to strengthen it to an unbelievable degree.

    Of course, this information was not confirmed yet, but at present, it was highly likely that it was an intelligent weapon with powers simr to mine.

    We are alike, too much alike.

    I was angry at it for its methods. But Hamuls had died because he had been in potential release for too long. It could have happened to any of us. Both I and that magic sword are dangerous swords that can bring death to the wielder. I hate to admit it, but¡­¡­

    ¡ºHmm¡»

    (What''s wrong?)

    ¡ºNo, nothing¡­I just wondered why that magic sword and I are so much alike¡»

    (Not alike)

    ¡ºNo, we don''t look alike, but our abilities are pretty simr, right?¡»

    However, Fran denied my words with an unprecedentedly strong voice.

    (Not alike! it killed its own wielder!)

    ¡ºBut it''s the same for us, if we overuse your potential release, you will lose your lives. The only difference is whether or not we stopped in the middle. Well, I know It killed Gordon¡»

    (Not alike! It killed its own wielder. Master is always thinking of me. Completely different)

    ¡º¡­is that so?¡»

    (Nn! that thing is a bad sword. Master is a good sword)

    To be honest, I don''t think there''s that much of a difference between that magic sword and me. The only difference is our stance towards the wielder.

    But if Fran says it''s different, then it must be different. That''s what I''m going to think from now on. (

    Just thinking about it like that, I found that the haze in my mind cleared up. I''m a lucky guy¡­

    ¡º¡­Thanks¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 426: Velmeriaâ€™s Tears

    <h4>Chapter 426: Velmeria''s Tears</h4>

    After repelling the attack of the magic sword, we had retreated to a mansion in the noble district. This is the mansion where we first met Count Bailleys.

    In fact, I wanted to report to Count Bailleys on various matters and discuss our future moves with Frederick and the others¡­¡­

    ¡ºFran, get up¡»

    ¡¸Unya¡­¡¹

    ¡ºCome on, we have to discuss our future moves with the count¡»

    ¡¸Nyumu¡«¡­¡¹

    Last night, Fran was so sleepy that we couldn''t talk at all. Count Bailleys went out of his way to greet her, but she was asleep while standing.

    I was really d that the Count was the tolerant type. He smiled and forgave her. However, as expected, I couldn''t keep him waiting again today.

    ¡ºCome on, get up¡»

    ¡¸Mu~¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHai, I''ll wipe your face¡»

    ¡¸Muyu¨D¡¹

    ¡ºWe need to fix your bed hair, so don''t move a bit.¡»

    ¡¸Uaa~¡¹

    What a 15 minutes exchange.

    ¡¸Good morning, Master¡¹

    ¡ºOu, good morning¡»

    Fran managed to wake up, and the next thing she do is rubbing her stomach and looking sad.

    ¡¸¡­I''m hungry¡¹

    ¡ºHai hai. In the meantime, you can put this in your stomach.¡»

    Last night, after the battle, she slept without eating. Well, I predicted that she would be starving in the morning. I took out some snacks such as rice balls and sandwiches andid them out in front of Fran.

    The mansion would have prepared breakfast for her, but they would not be able to handle Fran''s appetite. It would be better to fill her stomach first.

    ¡ºUrushi too¡»

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Munch Munch¡¹

    15 minutester.

    ¡¸oof oof!¡¹

    ¡¸Munch munch¡¹

    Fran and Urushi were having their second breakfast in the dining room of Count Bailley''s residence.

    ¡¸What do you mean!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I can''t ept that I''m being left out!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡­¡­¡¹

    A loud angry voice wasing from upstairs. It was Velmeria''s voice. She seemed to be arguing with someone, but I couldn''t hear the other person''s voice. Velmeria must have yelled very loudly.

    ¡¸Excuse me!¡¹

    Bam, A sound of a door being roughly closed can be heard along with Velmeria''s voice. Then, I heard the sound of someone running down the stairs.

    As expected, it was Velmeria running into the dining room with a flushed face.

    ¡¸Velmeria?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸No, nothing¡­excuse me¡¹

    When shees face to face with Fran, Velmeria stopped for a moment. However, she quickly turns her head and leaves the ce in a hurry.

    (Velmeria, crying)

    ¡ºYea¡»

    What on earth had happened? With tears welling up in the corners of her bloodshot eyes and her teeth clenched, Velmeria''s figure seemed fragile, as if she was about to copse on the spot.

    That Fran stopped eating and wondered if she should go after Velmeria. That''s how weak she was.

    However, Fran could not go after Velmeria. She was called by a new person entering the dining room.

    ¡¸Fran, Sidre-sama called you¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria, what''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­don''t mind her¡¹

    ¡¸I''m concerned¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I can''t talk about it¡¹

    As long as the tight-lipped Frederick couldn''t tell me, he wouldn''t tell me even if I persisted.

    ¡ºFran, we''re not going to get anywhere by arguing here. Let''s just go to the Count''s ce.¡»

    ¡¸¡­understood¡¹

    Frederick guided Fran in, looking somewhat relieved. And in the office where she was guided in, Count Bailleys with a tired-looking face was sitting on a sofa.

    ¡¸So you''vee, ck Lightning Princess. I would like to discuss our future ns immediately, do you mind?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, thank you for all the information. Thanks to you, I was able to get permission to enter Count Olmes'' vi without any problems. Even if it''s owned by a marquis family, they can''t object with the decisions of the royal family¡¹

    The vi belonging to Count Olmes is now the property of the Marquis Ashtner, but I guess they can''t resist if it''s in the name of investigating a case.

    No, in the past, he might have defied us. However, his power has declined due to his repeated blunders, so now, he can no longer resist. He must have lost his ability to manipte from behind the scenes.

    ¡¸We haven''t received permission to enter the Marquis'' residence yet, but if the investigation of the vi produces evidence, we should be able to use it as a reason to investigate the main residence.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. What should i do?¡¹

    ¡¸I need your help in raiding the Olmes residence tonight. What do you think?¡¹

    Today? That was crazy fast. Fran seemed to think so too, and was surprised.

    ¡¸To night? so quick¡¹

    ¡¸The longer we wait, the more likely for them to notice. What''s wrong with that?¡¹

    ¡¸Unn. That''s fine¡¹

    ¡¸I see. In the meantime, you''ll be treated as a coborator hired from the outside, just like Colbert. You''ll be working under Colbert''s direction in the field, is that okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I''m grateful¡¹

    Seeing Fran nodding, for some reason Count Bailleys looked relieved. Was he worried that Fran might not be able to wait and go off on her own?

    ¡¸I know you''re capable, but in this case, Colbert knows how to do it better than you do.¡¹

    I can understand from his words. Count Bailleys had seen the match in which Fran had defeated Colbert. That''s why he was worried that Fran might say that she was ufortable following the instructions of an opponent who was weaker than her.

    Knock Knock

    ¡¸Who is it?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s Colbert¡¹

    The man who appeared there at the right moment was Colbert himself. But there was a hint of confusion on his face.

    ¡¸Ahh, excuse me. I passed miss Velmeria back there, but is something wrong?¡¹

    Oh, good one Colbert. You just asked the question we were afraid to ask!

    ¡¸¡­It''s not a big deal, but. I told her I''d remove her from the investigation of Count Olmes'' residence tonight, but she wasn''t happy about it.¡¹

    ¡¸You''re going to remove Miss Velmeria? Why? I''m sure she''s quite skilled.¡¡At least she''s a better scout than I am.¡¹

    ¡¸This was a pretense. she has gotten a little better at it, but she''s still immature. and she''s not as strong as you guys¡¹

    If wepare our fighting prowess only, that would be true. However, as Colbert said, the true value of Velmeria lies in her scouting skills. Rather, I¡¯m sure she is suitable for searching inside the vi. I think the Count does not understand that¡­¡­

    Is there some other reason?

    ¡¸Velmeria, crying¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I know. But it''s not the kind of ce where you can take inexperienced people.¡¹

    The Count replies to Fran''s words in a weak tone. But it''s a lie. It seems that Colbert has figured it out. He stares at the Count with sharp eyes.

    ¡¸Count. I understand that Miss Velmeria is cute, but she''s an adult now. You can''t keep her away from danger forever, can you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­ugh¡¹

    He was simply being overprotective while saying all the right things. The look of dismay on the Count''s face showed that Colbert''s point was right on the spot.

    I guess even if you''re an outstanding warrior, a parent will always be a parent aren''t they.

    ¡¸Isn''t that why you''re teaming her up with Frederick, so that she can get some experience?¡¹

    ¡¸A-anyway! I''m not taking Velmeria with me on this raid!¡¹

    Colbert shook his head in dismay at his words, and Frederick slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

    ¡¸Thi-this is my final decision!¡¹

 Chapter 427: The Dragonmen Now

    <h4>Chapter 427: The Dragonmen Now</h4>

    Fran and Colbert are kicked out of the room by the Count, who says the conversation is over. Colbert sighs in exasperation.

    ¡¸Haah. Frederick, you don''t want to go after miss Velmeria?¡¹

    ¡¸She''s in her room, so it''s better to leave her alone for now. If we talk to her now, she''ll just get more stubborn¡¹

    ¡¸As expected, but you should y your role as her teacher, you know¡¹

    I guess Frederick yed the role of Velmeria''s teacher. That must be why they have such an easy rtionship.

    But there was one to worry about. Count Bailleys was overprotective. He was more worried than overprotective, though.

    But if that''s the case, why are he raising her as a warrior or a covert agent? If he were really worried about her, he could raise her as youngdies of high society. I''m sure there are many noble girls who don''t know anything about fighting and spend all day learning.

    Even if she was the child of a concubine, she seemed to recognize that she would be carrying the family name, and she should be able to get a good education.

    When Fran asked that question, Frederick and Colbert answer it.

    ¡¸There are various circumstances¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we can''t stand and talk here. Let''s go downstairs and have a cup of tea and talk.¡¹

    As Colbert suggested, we were told about Count Bailleys and Velmeria''s situation while drinking tea in the dining room.

    First of all, to answer the question of why he taught Velmeria fighting skills and raised her as a warrior, he said that it was simply because it was his family tradition.

    ¡¸Count Bailleys came from a renowned military family. Men and women alike are educated to be knights and join the military. Even if they are the children of concubines, they are not given special treatment¡¹

    ¡¸Rather, it''s because she''s from a concubine, isn''t it? If he treated only Miss Velmeria like that, we''ll be talking about how much he loves his concubine more than his real wife¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. Because in the end, the one who would be hurt the most by that would be Velmeria. So Sidre-sama trained Velmeria with a cold heart¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it''s bad enough when that wife stares at you. I''ve met her a few times, and she''s an awful person. I guess she thinks adventurers are just rtives of bandits. She looks at us as if we were insects. And yet, she had the good looks to make up for it. That''s what we call a noble''s wife.¡¹

    I see, for Velmeria, who lives far away from her mother at Count Bailley''s residence, it''s important to be on good terms with his real wife.

    ¡¸Well, I guess that''s why she don''t me her for being a concubine''s child. A concubine is a natural part of being a nobleman, and if you behave like a concubine''s child would, she won''t be worried about anything¡¹

    It seems that if she avoids putting her selves on the short end of the stick, they have to be rather strict. At the very least, he''s not allowing preferential treatment to his wife''s children. No matter what.

    But then another question arose.

    ¡¸¡­Isn''t Velmeria a knight?¡¹

    It is said that Count Bailleys'' families are educated to be knights. However, Velmeria is being raised as a covert agent. Even a concubine''s child would be a knight if she was the daughter of a Count¡­¡­

    However, this wasn''t an usual story of a concubinage. Rather, the bottleneck was her race.

    ¡¸Race? Half-dragonmen?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh. In the Kingdom of Kranzel, not only half-dragonmen like us, but dragonmen themselves are not allowed to obtain a special status. This naturally includes being knighted and holding important positions in public organizations.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Because dragonmen are considered as a symbol of abomination¡¹

    ¡¸Abominable species? They hate you?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, I wonder¡¹

    Frederick chuckled at Fran''s blunt words. However, perhaps it was because that words came from Fran, a ck cat kin who had been oppressed for many years. He didn''t seem to be offended and told her how dragonmn were treated in various countries.

    ¡¸Trismegistus, who caused the tragedy of Gordisia, was the king of the Dragon Men. That was the biggest cause.¡¹

    ¡¸But, not all dragonmen are bad¡¹

    ¡¸No. It was Trismegistus who was judged by the gods, but the dragonmen enthusiastically supported and encouraged the king, with the vile delusion that he would conquer the world and make it prosper under the superior race, dragonmen¡¹

    I had thought that Trismegistus personally was the only bad guy, but apparently that was not the case. It seems that the entire dragonmen race weed his ambition and research.

    ¡¸And as the result of the arrogance and greed of the dragonmen race, was that incident that nearly destroyed the world. The nations that were suffering from dragonmen race invasion began to eliminate the dragonmen race because they had been punished by God. On the surface, they look at us as a sinful race that had been punished by the gods, but behind the scenes, they were probably afraid of us, the dragonmen, a race with strong ambitions and aspirations.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, the dragomen race is powerful as a species. They were probably the eyesore of human''s eye. Even now, they are feared along with Insect-kin and High Elves¡¹

    I can understand why the dragonmen are so strong. After all, they are dragons. But what about the insect-kin and High Elves?¡¡Are they as strong as the dragonmen?¡¡I''m not sure what to make of that.

    ¡¸Don''t you know the story little miss? The deadly dragonmen. The crazy insect-kin. The most powerful high elf. You must have heard of that, right?¡¹

    The dragonmen are a race with enough military power to control an entire continent, and yet they cause misery for themselves and those around them.

    Although there are individual differences among the insect-kin, those of the warrior ss are said to be born with overwhelming abilities. Theirbat power is at least at the level of rank C adventurers. In addition, their loyalty to their country is high, and their values are different from those of humans, so they are sometimes seen as crazy by humans. For this reason, the insect-kin are said to be crowned the craziest.

    ¡¸I''ve met an insect-kin before. They look like normal people¡¹

    Eliante was also from insect-kin, but she looks normal by all mean. But apparently that''s because she only has half racial blood in her.

    ¡¸Ah, she must be half-insect kin¡­¡­A pure-blood insect kin or their higher species are quite different¡¹

    Insect-people are born as a noble species or leader ss. The battle type specializing inbat, or a leader to rule the civilian. But just because they were a child of noble species, doesn''t mean they will be a noble, it''spletely random and is strictly divided ording to the species of the child born.

    Among the four ss of insect-kin, the noble ss, the fighting ss, and leader ss are born with a strong sense of belonging and loyalty towards their country, and are said to be difficult to understand than the civilian ss.

    ¡¸When they are from a civilian ss, they''re just like any other normal person¡¹

    ¡¸Both in appearance and in ability.¡¹

    That''s interesting. Could it be that the higher species look like a certain Rider? I''m interested. I''d like to go to the country of insect-kin someday. Well, if it''s safe, that is.

    And finally, there are the High Elves. Elves, because of their longevity, have a veryid-back personality. The older they get, the more rxed they be, and by the time they are over 300 years old, they spend their whole day in sleeping.

    However, sometimes there are individuals who show a curiosity and behaviour not like any typical elves, and continue to train themselves even as they age. These special elves evolve over the course of several hundred years by continuing to grow. That is the High Elves. There are only a few of them in the whole world, but all of them are said to have rank S level strength.

    The elves, with their superior magical power, will continue to grow for hundreds of years. Their power must be overwhelming. Even though I''ve never seen it, I can imagine it.

    ¡¸Oops, I''m getting off topic. Anyway, in the Kingdom of Kranzel, as long as you have dragonmen blood, you can''t be a knight¡¹

    ¡¸However, as long as she was raised by Count Bailleys, he had to train Velmeria. As a result, she was raised as a covert agent.¡¹

    ¡¸And in the future, she''ll be serving the sons of his wife and help Count Bailleys¡¹

    In other words, she can show that she can be useful to his wife, and she can also show that you she knows her ce by being a covert agent under the knight.

    ¡¸Nevertheless, she is the Count''s only daughter. The truth is that he''s very fond of Miss Velmeria. I''m sure he can''t say it out loud to his wife, though.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that why, he remove her from dangerous mission?¡¹

    ¡¸Yea, that must be it¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that Miss Velmeria wasn''t happy about it, though. They say you won''t understand the heart of a parent, but in this case it''s probably the other way around. He''s obviously too overprotective.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I know how you feel¡¹

 Chapter 428: Pseudo Fanatic Sword

    <h4>Chapter 428: Pseudo Fanatic Sword</h4>

    After hearing a little bit about Count Bailleys'' situation. We were waiting for Velmeria to settle down with a cup of tea.

    ¡¸¡­Colbert. Acquaintance?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I don''t know any of those guys who will sneak up on you while spreading their killing intent. Frederick? Is it the Count''s men?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t think so. I''m going to Velmeria. You guys take care of them. Take some of them alive if you can.¡¹

    The source of this conversation was the mysterious presence that was trying to surround the house while emitting their killing intent.

    In all likelihood, it was an enemy attack. What''s more, if I may say so¨D¨D

    ¡ºFran, it could be that magic sword¡»

    (Really?)

    ¡ºThey''ve got that eerie magic mixed in with their magic¡»

    Even from a distance, there was no mistaking the disgust that welled up inside me. It is the same kind of magic that the magic sword was emitting.

    (Understood)

    ¡ºBut¡­¡»

    (But?)

    However, there was a problem. For some reason, there were multiple sources of this sickening magic. Worst of all, there was the possibility that there was more than one of those magic swords.

    (¡­Just crush everything)

    ¡ºWell, you''re right. When that magic swordes out, I¡¯ll do everything i can¡»

    (Okay)

    Eliante, I''m sorry. But there might be some damage around here. But we can''t leave that magic sword unchecked. We have to make sure we kill it when it appears.

    ¡¸Is that okay? you can''t make the first move to im self-defence. Just keep that in mind¡¹

    So, we have to be passive. A few minutester, Frederick left the room and headed downstairs to Velmeria.

    Inside the mansion, the guards were on alert. The level of the soldiers in the house was high, and there was no one who hadn''t noticed the mysterious presence that was narrowing their encirclement.

    However, it seems that the attacker''s first move was something beyond our imagination.

    Guooooo!

    ¡¸Su-suddenly they unleashed huge magic spell!¡¹

    Multiple magics hadnded on the vi. The room we were in was unaffected, but through the window we could see tongues of red me stretching out and turning the space orange. Perhaps someone had released an inferno burst from outside the premises.

    In addition to that, it seems that wind magic and earth magic have torn holes in the vi. Colbert also looked surprised.

    ¡¸How dare they make such a shy moves in the noble district of the royal capital!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know! We''re in the king''sp! And if he causes a disturbance in this ce full of nobles, he''d be sentenced with death! Even if he was a marquis!¡¹

    That''s why the people in the vi didn''t think they would cause such a conspicuousmotion. They were probably thinking that they would try to assassinate and subdue them in closebat after they entered the vi.

    The fact that they had been betrayed made them realize that the air in the vi was shaking.

    Was Marquis Ashtner running out of time, or was he were on the verge of ruin? Either way, it seemed that the enemy was simply straightforward.

    ¡¸Miss, lets split up. I''ll take the front gate, can i leave the back gate to you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Yoshi, lets go¡¹

    I really wanted to head in the direction of the magic sword, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t locate its presence. Its not like that magic sword had disappeared, but there were several weak reactions of it.

    ¡ºFor the time being, let''s check it with our eyes¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, look for suspicious guys around the premises¡»

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    And when Fran arrived at the back gate, the enemy had already made their way into the vi. There were two men in front of us. They looked like adventurers. However, both Fran and I were stunned at the sight of their strange appearance.

    ¡ºWha-what are they¡­¡»

    ¡¸Sword, stuck¡¹

    ¡ºAnd that impaled sword¡­It looks like a magic sword¡»

    What can I say? There were swords stuck deep in the backs of the men. From the center of the back of their neck, it looked as if a sword had been inserted in ce of their spine. Along the spine, an estoc-like sword pierced through the body.

    (Note: ¥¨¥¹¥È¥Ã¥¯ esutokku - a variety of swords)

    The men were both in that state. Moreover, the hand cover on their estoc was familiar. An engraving of a man in agony. It looked just like the hand cover attached to that half-destroyed magic sword.

    The appraisal worked for this thing. Well, all I found out was the name. However, the name was not something that could be ignored.

    ¡ºPseudo Fanatic Sword¡»

    ¡¸Fanatic sword? I''ve heard it somewhere¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s from the scroll that Rumina showed us in Ulmut¡»

    (Note: ¥ë¥ß¥Ê rumina, author-san was really kind to mention who she is which i actually forgot)

    That scroll contained the list of the name of divine sword that Rumina, the dungeon master of Ulmut and a member of the ck Cat tribe, carried. Its been on that list.

    ¡ºSword of blind devotion, Fanatics¡»

    ¡¸So, that''s a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡ºPseudo means it''s not the real one. Maybe it''s a duplicate or something¡­Don''t let your guard down!¡»

    Yes, a pseudo. It''s not real. But even if it was a pseudo, it was a divine sword. This finally smelled fishy.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Here ites!¡¹

    But then again, they''re under mind control too! They have the same face as Hamuls and Gordon. They also have the same state of fanaticism and were using potential release. Their status is very high, and they have many skills. Not even the soldiers in the vi will be able topete with them.

    ¡¸Awakening! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    But still, from the start, they are no match for Fran.

    When we are facing both Hamuls and Gordon, we were too focused on wait-and-see and trapping approach. We were also too concerned about the damage to our surrounding. However, the current Fran was serious both in a good and bad way.

    When she heard that the enemy had something to do with a divine sword, her switch must have been flipped.

    The man on the right, who was about to unleash a sword technique, was sliced in half by Fran''s void sword technique, which has closed the distance at lightning speed. The men were not even able to react to Fran''s extreme speed.

    (Note: ¿ÕšÝ’iµ¶Ðg k¨±ki batt¨­-jutsu, vacuum air pulling sword technique, void sword drawing arts)

    The sword is swung with a speed that doesn''t even allow for a blink, then his body is shifted diagonally with a dy.

    ¡ºKuh¡»

    ¡¸Master? What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it''s just triggered cannibalism¡»

    The sh had cut down the pseudo fanatic sword as well. As a result, a sickening amount of magic power flowed into me. I had already experienced this once before, but the amount of magic I absorbed was much less thanst time, so I only felt a little disgust, but it was still unpleasant.

    The fact that I had absorbed so little power could be seen from my increased stats. In fact, the magic power I have only increased by 2.

    ¡ºWhat''s more is, there''s another one¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    The man swung his sword over his head, as if he had finally realized that his friends had been killed instantly. But by that time, Fran was already prepared.

    Faster than the man''s sword swung down, she unleashed void sword technique once again, cutting off both of the man''s legs.

    ¡ºJust lie down!¡»

    I invoked my telekinesis on that guy¡­

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    For a moment, the pseudo fanatic sword on the man''s back seemed to glow, and I saw it suck the magic power out of him. And then my telekinesis is cancelled out.

    ¡ºThis guy¨D¨Dcan manipte magic huh!¡»

    I tried to restrain it with earth magic, but that was counteracted as well. That pseudo fanatic sword was the user. No, parasite? The wearer? Whatever it was, it seemed to have the power to use the man''s magic to counteract my magic and skills.

    Seeing that my morphing and swordsmanship skills are still usable, it seems that the magic released to the outside world is being dissipated by that sword in some way.

    In the meantime, the man''s legs had finished regenerating at a tremendous rate. Abnormal regeneration and pain blocking made him a pseudo-immortal, andbined with the ability to cancel out magic power to blocks its opponent''s attack. That was a nasty ability.

    If we had run into them when I was weaker, we would have been in a pinch. But they''re not much of a threat for us now.

    Even though my magic and skills have been blocked, my swords skills have not diminished, and I am still in Fran''s hands. That''s enough for me.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    The match is decided in an instant. No matter how good he is at regeneration and even if he feels no pain, if his hands and feet are cut off, there will be an opening. The regeneration process had already begun, but it would take at least ten seconds for the limbs that had been severed from their roots to be restored.

    ¡ºYosh, this is our chance!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Our target was the pseudo fanatic sword. Fran grabbed the hilt and attempted to pull the sword off the man''s back.

    ¡¸Muuuuu!¡¹

    ¡ºHang in there!¡»

    I would have joined in with telekinesis, but it would only be cancelled out. Naturally, I tried dimensional storage too, but I couldn''t store the pseudo fanatic sword in this state, as it was treated as the man''s equipment.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡ºYosh, it came out!¡»

    It had holding into his body quite tightly, but it could not resist Fran''s strength. In about three seconds, the pseudo fanatic sword was pulled out of the man''s body. I immediately tried to stow it away, and this time I was able to do so without any problem. Atst, we got a clue.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    But I couldn''t be all that happy. The man whose sword had been pulled out of his back had died shortly after. It was going to be difficult to get any information from the attacker this time.

    ¡ºWell, that simplifies the story.¡»

    ¡¸Nn, cut them down¡¹

    When we pull out the pseudo fanatic sword, he will die, and if we leave him alone, he will die from his potential release. Then we can defeat him without thinking about capturing him.

    ¡ºFor the time being lets take down the assant who broke into the premises¡»

 Chapter 429: Reppeling the Assailants

    <h4>Chapter 429: Reppeling the Assants</h4>

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºUgh¡»

    When Fran cut down the assants along with their pseudo fanatic sword, the magic flowed into me. Cannibalism was triggered.

    Of course. Our opponent seems to be another copy of the pseudo fanatic sword. In other words, they''re a fellow discarded divine sword.

    No, maybe I can even devour on a divine sword¡­But, I don''t think i can destroy those superweapons.

    (Master, are you okay?)

    ¡ºI''m fine¡»

    (Cannibalism, why not turn it off?

    ¡ºNo¡­¡­even if it''s only a little, I won''t miss the opportunity to be strengthened without resorting to self-evolution. I''m going with this.¡»

    (Understood, let''s find our next prey)

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    (But, don''t push yourself)

    ¡ºYea, I know¡»

    Dooon! Dogogoon!

    From inside the mansion, I could hear sounds of destruction and people''s screams scattering, probably due to magic attack. Considering that all the assants were being manipted and didn''t raise their voices, it meant that all these screams wereing from the soldiers of the mansion.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Shiii!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºThis guy''s strong too!¡»

    All of the assants were quite skilled. Almost all of them possessed sword saint skill, and they were in a state of potential release. In addition, they are also able to counteract our magic and skills.

    In a small space, Fran''s speed could not be fully utilized, and it was quite difficult to take them down with a single blow. It would be easier if she could use her magic to snipe from a distance, but it would only be dispelled.

    And yet, the other side was freely unleashing their magic on us. It was quite troublesome.

    ¡¸¨D¨DWind cutter¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    We dodged the wind magic that woman unleashed, and Fran approached her at once. It was a purely a contest of once she got this close. After a few shes, the assant was defeated.

    ¡ºShe even have regenerative powers too huh¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Annoying¡¹

    Because it was Fran, it was only annoying, but it would be hard on the soldiers. They can''t say that they''re strong because of their training, but they''re still just a soldier.

    ¡¸Guaa!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    A bloody soldier was blown through a nearby door. Fran quickly tried to cast a recovery spell on the soldier, but it didn''t get invoked.

    ¡ºIt''s useless! let¡¯s destroy that pseudo fanatic sword first!¡»

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    I twisted and snatched the sword from the hands of the swordsman who had shed the soldier, and kicked his jaw with full power. We killed him after smashing his heart and broke his neck. She struck me into his neck to crush the pseudo divine sword. It seems we can do it with just one sh.

    (Note: author-san suddenly mentioned it as "pseudo divine sword ÒÉËÆÉñ„‡" instead of "pseudo fanatic sword ÒÉËÆ¿ñÐÅ„‡", but then he mentioned it again as pseudo fanatic sword¡­¡­)

    ¡ºYosh, as long as there''s no pseudo fanatic sword nearby, we can use magic¡»

    The soldier who was dying recovered in time. She tapped on his cheek to wakes him up.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­you are¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Healed your wound, does it still hurt?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m really grateful¡­What about everyone in the dining room?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me¡¹

    Leaving the soldier, whose wounds had healed but couldn''t move because of too much blood loss, Fran entered the room from which he had popped out.

    As the soldier had said, it seemed to be a dining hall for servants and soldiers. I saw several maids and soldiers lying down in therge room. I wondered if the carpet was red, or if the grey carpet was stained with blood!

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm!¡¹

    Fran was about to sh the assant, but the other party took an unexpected action. To her surprise, he thrust his de at the maid who were unconscious at his feet. Clearly, he was taking her hostage.

    I was surprised because I hadn''t expected these assants to behave in such an intelligent manner.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    But even if these guys themselves are incapable of thinking, there is someone controlling them. I don''t know how they do it, or to what extent they can give detailed orders, but at least they can make each assant make detailed and precise action.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    The attacker does nothing, but just keeps the de on the maid''s neck. This would be a waste of time. Maybe he is trying to buy some time until his friends arrive.

    ¡ºFran, I''ll do it¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Fran nodded lightly at my words and casually pointed my tip at the assants.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    The assant braced himself lightly, as if on alert. But to no avail.

    ¡ºDoryaa!¡»

    We''re far apart. We were at opposite ends of therge dining hall. This is the reason why the magic power cancelling effect has not reached us.

    Then there is only one thing to do.

    I jump out with my telekic catapult and shatter the assant¡¯s head and pseudo fanatic sword into pieces. It seems that even with his strengthening, he couldn''t react to the telekic catapult at this distance!

    Even if it can counteract the skill, it doesn''t stop the eleration I got in the first ce. That was what i aiming for.

    ¡ºI don''t know what these guys are up to, let''s go to Count Bailleys for the time being!¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    After treating the maid who was still breathing among those who had copsed in the room, we decided to leave her to the soldiers and head for the Count''s escort on the second floor.

    The Count himself was quite skilled, so I thought he would be okay, but the enemy was stronger than I thought. Perhaps even the Count might be in danger.

    We close the distance and shes down the assants who is aiming for the upstairs, dodging their attacks with her three-dimensional movements using the walls and ceiling as footholds.

    As we rushed into Count Bailleys'' office, I found him on his knees with wounds all over his body. His dominant arm was bleeding and he was unable to hold his sword.

    Moreover, the assant is about to give chase. It looks like we came just in the nick of time.

    ¡ºOh no! We have to help him!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaa!¡¹

    She approached the closest man among the assants surrounding the Count from behind and cut him in half from his right shoulder to his left side in a surprise attack.

    She also tried to horizontally cleave the torso of the man on his left, turning clockwise on the spot, but it was dodged.

    ¡ºHe can dodge an attack from behind!¡»

    If we wanted to focus on flow, we should have used the momentum from shing the man on the right and shed counter clockwise. It would have been the fastest way to attack. However, that would have been a frontal attack for the enemy.

    That''s why she dared to kill her momentum and sh at him from behind in a clockwise direction. However, the attacker avoided the sh by twisting himself while losing his bnce.

    Apparently, the five of them here¨D¨Dwell, four of them now. It seems that these guys are the most skilled among the assants. They had Sword Saint Skills on lv 5, moreover, their physical ability was high.

    ¡¸It''s ck Lightning Princess! we are saved!¡¹

    ¡¸Get back!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk, if i had a potion, i can still fight¡¹

    The Count mumbled in frustration and stared at the water stain on the carpet at his feet. An empty potion bottle was lying near it.

    Apparently, he had sprinkled a potion on his arm in an attempt to heal it, but the magic counteracting effect had turned it into mere water.

    ¡ºFran! All of these guys can use magic. It''s going to be a tough fight while protecting the Count¡»

    ¡¸Nn! end this at once! Sword Deification!¡¹

    It''s been a long time since we used sword deification, not in training, but in actualbat. I could feel the power dwelling within me. At the same time, my de creaked from the inside, and I knew that the countdown had begun.

    In a long-term battlefield where the number of enemies is unknown, it''s hard to use a skill that will shave me down, but I can''t say that here.

    Besides, even if it could only be used for a short period of time, the sword deification, which simply increased her skill and power in swordsmanship, went well with their ability to counteract magic power.

    Fran stepped forward, wielding the atmosphere of a powerful person, making the adjective "overwhelming" seem cute. Despite the power rampaging within her and the presence she wore, her face was calm.

    I don''t know if these assants had any feelings of fear, but they must have understood that Fran had turned into something dangerous. They all attacked at once.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Shi¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Fuu¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Haa¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Teei¡¹

    And then it''s over.

    I feel so empty. It had been settled so easily. Each of them possessed sword saint skills, had no fear of death, we had defeated an opponent who would not hesitate to use them self as bait for his friends with just four swings of sword. It was said that the sword deification would give me divine attributes, but such a thing wouldn''t have been necessary.

    Each sh was as powerful as a Sword King technique. But when i thought about it, was it natural?¡¡The Sword King Technique is the ultimate shing technique. The perfect sh that will blow everything, that is what a sword king technique is.

    What if she truly mastered the sword and every sh, she made was perfect? Wouldn''t even a casual sh be as good as the sword king technique? No, it may be that the sword king technique is a technique required for reproducing such shes.

    The swords god didn''t really move Fran''s body, but this is already above the realm the swords king technique.

    Well, that''s why the burden on us is so great. After we released the sword deification, we exhaled deeply and confirmed each other''s safety.

    (Master, are you okay?

    ¡ºI don''t really know¡­Every time I sliced one of them, my endurance went down so much, I didn''t feel so good. How about you, Fran?¡»

    (Tired)

    The reduced durability doesn''t recover at all, and Fran wears out very fast. It was still a difficult skill to use in actualbat.

 Chapter 430: Raidâ€™s Outcome

    <h4>Chapter 430: Raid''s Oue</h4>

    ¡¸Fuh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWe won¡»

    Fran, who had released her sword god transformation, recovered the Count who was on one knee. Apparently, even though he was in a daze, he had seen the scene where Fran had defeated the assants. Rather, he was so surprised by that scene that he lost consciousness for a moment.

    Immediately after he recovered, he stared at Fran. The look on his face was not one of questioning, but one of pure admiration and surprise.

    ¡¸Oi Oi Oi! What the hell was that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know what happened, but I know something incredible happened!¡¹

    Apparently, thanks to the Count''s dazed state, our sword god transformation has not been discovered by him.

    ¡¸As expected of ck Lightning Princes¡­The one that His Majesty the Beast King favourite. No, more than that now is¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    Interrupting the Count''s words, Fran holds me up.

    ¡¸There''s more!¡¹

    There was still signs of battle in the house. The sound of broken windows and magical explosions echoed in the air.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Count, go down¡¹

    ¡¸I can still fight! Damn, are you guys safe!¡¹

    10 minutester

    She had repelled the assants twice and was finally on her way to rescue the others. The aftereffects of the sword god transformation had degraded her fighting strength, but she had managed to win because there was only one opponent and we were two.

    ¡¸This room!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We went to Velmeria''s room. There was no sign of a battle from inside, but there was also no sign of Velmeria and the others.

    ¡¸Are you safe!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey! Frederick¡¹

    The room was in a horrible mess. The remains of beds and bookshelves were scattered around, and there were deep scars on the walls and ceiling. Two dead bodies of the assants were among them. And Frederick was lying on the floor.

    His body was bleeding profusely, and he had a sword stuck in his stomach and back. The swords were blocking his way, so he was lying on his side in a slightly distorted position.

    ¡ºGreater Heal!¡»

    ¡¸Hang on there¡¹

    It seems that we make it just in time. The recovery spell worked. Fran hurriedly approached Frederick and pulled the sword out of his body at once. Oh, it''s just a normal sword. It''s not a pseudo fanatic sword.

    ¡¸Gaaah!¡¹

    The intense pain from the sword being pulled out awakens Frederick, but it''s hard for him to recover when it''s still stuck in him. Sorry, but I can''t deny that Fran was a little rough.

    We used more recovery magic and seeded in rescuing Frederick. However, Frederick, who must have lost his strength due to the loss of blood, forced himself to stood up and headed for the window.

    ¡¸Don''t, take a rest¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria¡­! was kidnapped!¡¹

    ¡¸What! What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Even thought I¡¯m with her¡­it''s inexcusable¡¹

    To my surprise, one of the attackers had knocked Velmeria unconscious and escaped through the window. I thought their goal was to kill the Count, but were we wrong?¡¡No, they failed to do that, so they switched their goal?¡¡At any rate, it seemed that it would be difficult to track them down, since Velmeria had been taken more than ten minutes ago.

    ¡ºIf Urushi returns¡­ No, maybe Urushi would have noticed it in the first ce. Let''s wait for him¡»

    ¡¸¡­N¡¹

    I don''t think we can catch up with them even if we recklessly chase them. Besides, there are still enemies left.

    ¡¸¡­First lets eliminate the enemy around the premises¡¹

    ¡¸Your Excellency! But¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I will not leave my men to die in vain for the sake of my daughter!¡¹

    ¡¸Sh*t! It''s just like before¡­¡¹

    Half an Hour after we saved Frederick.

    They had caused great damage to the soldiers in the vi, but we managed to defeat the assants.

    There were 25 assants in total. The Count had more than forty victims, including his servants. There were probably about fifteen injured. Not a single person was unharmed. It seemed that the reason for the increase in damage was that the first magic attack had burned down the soldiers'' quarters next to the house.

    Colbert is also among the injured. He, too, was on the verge of death, but was able to survive. Had it been a littleter, he would have lost his left leg. I''m d we were able to take care of him in time.

    ¡¸¡­It seems I need to train my martial arts further¡­¡¹

    Even Dimitris style martial arts techniques were blocked by the effects of the pseudo fanatic sword, but he defeated three of them by himself, which is amazing. Colbert looks frustrated. Seeing the changed appearance of his colleagues make his feelings even stronger. He gritted his teeth and endured the rage.

    ¡¸¡­Who in the world, would do such a thing!¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I have many guess, but¡­¡¹

    Marquis Ashtner is the most suspicious one, but there is no evidence. I think we should just punch him in the face, but as long as we tried move our soldiers around the capital, we can''t afford to be vague about the evidence. I''m not sure what to make of it, but I''m sure they are nning to revolt.

    When Frederick and Colbert examined some of them, they found that they had been givenrge doses of narcotics, just like Hamuls and Gordon.

    The narcotics is said to have the effect of stimting the mind of the person who ingests it and depriving them of their ability to think, as well as making it easier for them to be influenced with magic. Therefore, it is said to be very useful for brainwashing using magic.

    ¡¸This guy¡­¡¹

    Colbert, who was checking the body of the fifth assants, suddenly tilted his head. Then he stared at the face of the assants. That''s the swordsman that Fran defeated first, isn''t it?

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Miss Fran, do you recognize this guy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. defeated him¡¹

    ¡¸No, not about it¡­Oh yes! He is an adventurer!¡¹

    It seems that he was a rank C adventurer. So, they were manipting high-ranking adventurers. There were a few other adventurers that Colbert recognized. All of them were rank C or rank B adventurers, as Colbert remembered.

    Colbert, too, is tilting his head in front of the mysterious sword that was stuck in the attacker.

    ¡¸What the hell is this sword¡­you know it Frederick?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, do you still have that thing?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸It''s from the magic sword that attacked the inn. You''ll never mistake this unpleasant looking hand cover for anything else¡¹

    Frederick exined to Colbert the simrities between the magic sword that seems to have been controlling Gordon with the magic sword that was stuck in the assants this time.

    ¡¸So you''re saying that this magic sword has its own will and was controlling these guys?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a possibility¡­¡­It''s hard to tell because the magic sword I saw at the inn was half destroyed, but I think it was a long sword, and it can freely move itself¡¹

    ¡¸A sword that can move on its own? But this sword doesn''t seem to be moving¡¹

    ¡¸I guess that means they''re not exactly the same thing. Its power feels so much weaker¡¹

    As we were talking, there was a sign of Urushi returns to the residence. Now we will be able to track down Velmeria.

    ¡¸Urushi is back¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so!¡¹

    It was Frederick, the one who shout a cheer when he heard those words, not the Count.

 Chapter 431: Signal to Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 431: Signal to Counterattack</h4>

    ¡¸Whimper¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸wuff¡­¡¹

    Urushi came back with wounds all over his body. He is healing himself with regeneration, but even so, the wounds must have been much deeper than before. It seems that there were assants outside as well. He tried to chase after Velmeria, but the assants seemed to have prevented him from doing so.

    Urushi''s method of fighting is to use a variety of skills to toy with his opponent. When his dark magic and skills were blocked by the pseudo fanatic sword, it seemed that his fighting style was quite limited.

    In particr, it bes difficult to evade and do surprise attack when he can''t use shadow diving and shadow crossing. That alone would reduce Urushi''s strength by half.

    The fact that we were in the middle of the city in broad daylight was also a problem.

    If Urushi, her follower, makes a scene, Fran will be charged with a crime. So, I''ve taught him to not run amok in the town and grow back to his original size¡­

    Because of this, he was forced to go head-to-head with the assant in his small size, and ended up grinding away at each other until the other party destroyed itself by using potential release.

    ¡¸Urushi, can you follow Velmeria''s smells?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof! woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi pointed her nose at the attacker''s pseudo fanatic sword andined about something.

    ¡ºCould it be, that they escaped to the same ce as the magic sword?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Marquis Ashtner''s mansion?¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    It seemed that he had already tracked them.

    ¡¸We''ll be right behind you!¡¹

    Fran said this with great enthusiasm, but it was none other than Urushi who stopped her.

    ¡¸Grrrr! woof woof!¡¹

    He bites Fran''s sleeve, desperately pleading for something. He was apparently trying to discourage her.

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸whimpering!¡¹

    Then, Urushi points to the pseudo fanatic sword again.

    ¡ºCould it be that there was a sign of pseudo fanatic sword in the Marquis'' mansion?¡»

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    He was sure of it. Moreover, Urushi must have felt that their number was enough to stop Fran. When the Count heard this, he questioned Urushi with a stern face.

    ¡¸Could it be, that Marquis Ashtner''s mansion has arge number of people with these mysterious swords stuck in them?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸That is unbelievable¡­¡¹

    But Colbert didn''t quite get it.

    ¡¸What''s wrong? If we know where it is, let''s crush it right now!¡¹

    Colbert had a good point. However, Count Bailleys

    ¡¸¡­We don''t have enough strength¡¹

    ¡¸What are you talking about! These assants are all drugged! Maybe they can''t be controlled otherwise. On the contrary, if you leave them alone, even Miss Velmeria!¡¹

    ¡¸I know that!¡¹

    ¡¸We are preparing our force to attack Count Olmes'' residence!¡¹

    ¡¸They''re just making preparations secretly in several bases. They haven''t finished those preparation yet!¡¹

    ¡¸Then we''ll go on our own!¡¹

    ¡¸It''s useless, I can''t allow it!¡¹

    Count Bailleys may actually feel the same way as Colbert. It was painfully obvious that his words were the exact opposite of what he really felt.

    ¡¸But why?¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t underestimate the enemy''s strength. In light of this raid, I expect more frightening possibilities¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸It is no wonder that the location of our base has been discovered this time. They must have gotten the information from those who were captured. But he''s sending that much force to kill me?¡¡Depending on how he does it, that''s enough force to turn the capital into a sea of fire.¡¡And all we get out of it is only one person, Velmeria?¡¡Even if he had seeded in assassinating me, it would only bring the Count''s family down by one notch¡¹

    I thought that the inspection scheduled for this evening could be postponed, but the Count has many excellent people under hismand. He said that the mission would not be cancelled just because the Lord was dead.

    ¡¸Rather, they will be motivated to avenge me. Some of themanders are knighthood holders, so there''s no problem in transferringmand¡¹

    Besides, even if the inspection was prolonged in this way, the suspicion of the Ashtner Marquis would only increase. In the not too distant future, a thorough investigation will be led by the royal family.

    ¡¸It was too much of a force to be used up just to buy some time¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I see. But maybe that''s how cornered they are, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s true, but there''s another possibility.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s possible that he didn''t mind for such force being used up¡¹

    He must have immediately understood the meaning of Count Bailleys'' words. Both Colbert and Frederick looked at him in surprise.

    ¡¸In other words, they have a lot more stronger force in their mansion?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The chance is high. The signs that the ck Lightning Princess''s followers have sensed must be more than we can imagine.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn¡­that''s worrisome!¡¹

    Colbert mutters in frustration. But it is so. We don''t know how many of these pseudo fanatic swords there are. If they can mass produce it, it would not be surprising if there were dozens of them.

    ¡¸¡­They are skilled swordsman who has the ability to cancel out magic and is not afraid of death. This means that you''ll be dealing with a legion made up of these mad swordsmen¡¹

    Our force here is Fran, Colbert, Frederick, the Count, and a few surviving soldiers. At most, there would be a few dozen more knights.

    However, the ability of the pseudo fanatic sword is too troublesome. It cancels out skills and magic, and the other side can use it as they please. No matter how you look at it, it''s reckless.

    There was also a high possibility that the pseudo fanatic sword had something to do with the fact that so many secret agents had been captured. Could their skills have been sealed off without their knowledge, blocking their ability to hide or block their presence?¡¡With that in mind, there was a possibility that it would be difficult to rescue her by sneaking in.

    ¡¸Damn it. What the hell is that sword!¡¹

    ¡¸It''s a pseudo fanatic sword¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess! Do you know something?¡¹

    ¡¸Appraised it, but, only got its name¡¹

    ¡¸SO you can use appraisal huh¡­Pseudo¨Dwhat was it?¡¹

    ¡¸Pseudo fanatic sword¡¹

    ¡¸Are you saying that it was the fanatic sword, but only a fake?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fanatics Sword is a divine sword that was destroyed a long time ago. The Swords of Blind Devotion. Fanatics¡¹

    We didn''t know much about it, but we pretended that we had heard about it from an acquaintance and told everyone about the ability that Alistair had taught us and I could see the astonished expressions on their faces.

    However, he seemed to shudder more at the fact that it could be a dead copy of the divine sword than at its ability.

    ¡¸Pseudo Divine Sword, you said¡­Ashtner has reached this far¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oioioi. Isn''t this sound bad¡¹

    ¡¸What if, he has a real divine sword with him?¡¹

    A divine sword is a super weapon mentioned in mythology. And now, it might be in the hands of our enemy. I can understand their tragic expressions.

    I''m d they trusted Fran, and didn''t say that her word was a lie, but you''ve lowered their fighting spirit.

    ¡¸From what I''ve heard, the Fanatics must have been destroyed¡¹

    ¡¸So, is it possible that they only got Fanatics manufacturing method?¡­¡¹

    ¡¸However, by just having a lot of those sword is worrisome!¡¹

    Just after Colbert shouted out in frustration. There was a sign that someone wasing into the house. However, it was not hostile. In the first ce, he hadn''t even tried to eliminate his presence.

    ¡¸E-excuse me! I-is there anyone!¡¹

    ¡¸Th-this is bad¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Who is it!¡¹

    Count Bailleys shouted out who and what he was, and the men began to identify their affiliation. It was a patrol soldier. The one leading them was a knight. Come to think of it, after making so much noise in the noble town, they came toote.

    However, ording to their story, the attack was not limited to this residence only. This house and several other houses and homes were attacked at the same time, causing a lot of damage. They said that nearby station was also attacked.

    It seems that themander who was in charge of the soldiers in this area had died, so the handover didn''t go well, and the newmander had finally dispatched the soldiers.

    Count Bailleys told him about the attack and asked him to send personnel to treat the injured and so on.

    As the soldiers rush out, they looked grim. I thought they were worried about the magnitude of the situation, having heard that other ces had also been attacked, but apparently that wasn''t the only reason.

    ¡¸¡­¡­It seems that those who had been secretly preparing to investigate Count Olmes'' vi have been attacked¡¹

    To my surprise, the mansions and private houses that were attacked were the hiding ces prepared by Count Bailleys. It must mean that not only the information about this mansion, but all the information had been leaked.

    ¡¸¡­¡­We need to assess the damage. But we''re definitely short handed¡¹

    Frederick questioned in the dark tone to Count Bailleys.

    ¡¸So you''re saying you''re going to sit tight until we have enough strength?¡¹

    ¡¸I didn''t say that. I can''t leave a rebel with that much power unchecked. If they start a rebellion in the capital, our prestige will be greatly damaged. No, it can already be called a rebellion. We have to prevent the Marquis from running amok any further. Even if we have to be a little reckless¡¹

    Count Bailleys then gave a flurry of instructions to his surviving subordinates.

    ¡¸I''m heading to the royal castle. This is very confusing. I''ll have to exin what''s going on. I''m sure we can get help from the other Knights. Frederick, you contact the inspection team of the Olmes vi!¡¡Tell them to rescue the survivors and give those who can fight two hours to finish their preparations!¡¡Tell them we''ll avenge their friends. That should inspire them!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, sir¡¹

    ¡¸After that, I''ll put you in charge of the reconnaissance unit. Infiltrate in time for the battle on the surface. I''ll authorize operation into the Marquis Ashtner''s residence as well as Count Olmes''¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸The fact that he went to the trouble of kidnapping Velmeria means that he doesn''t intend to kill her right away. For now, just bear with me¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Yes¡¹

    When he had finished giving all the instructions, he finally turned to Fran and Colbert.

    ¡¸Colbert, ck Lightning Princess. I need you both to connect me to the Adventurers'' Guild¡¹

    ¡¸A connection?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I would like you to ask Eliante to send a force. Of course, I''m not trying to requisition you. I will hire them properly¡¹

    ¡¸I see. So, you''re saying we should supplement our strength with adventurers!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It can be any adventurer who is willing to help. No upper limit. I''ll double the asking price. But make sure you exin to them that this is a dangerous mission. I don''t want to scare them off on the way¡¹

    Double the market price. That''s a lot of money. Colbert is also impressed. If we use adventurers, there is a risk that information will leak out, but for now, I guess they are prioritizing replenishing their forces first.

    ¡¸No upper limit? What if we have to hire hundreds of people?¡¹

    ¡¸We have plenty of work to do, and the more forces we have, the better off we are. It''s a small price to pay to have a better chance of rescuing my daughter safely¡¹

    ¡¸Heh. I see¡¹

    ¡¸The operation starts in three hours. I''ll leave all the negotiating to you¡¹

    ¡¸All right, sir. We''ll go to the guild!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸So far we''ve beenpletely fallen behind, but now it''s our turn to fight back!¡¹

 Chapter 432: Legacy Inheritance

    <h4>Chapter 432: Legacy Inheritance</h4>

    Fran and the others were asked by Count Bailleys to set foot into the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, they seem to be busy today. There were several parties lined up in thenes for high-ranked adventurers.

    The town was in an uproar because of themotion in the noble district, but the adventurers were as usual. I wondered if they had decided that it was none of their business.

    In fact, somemoners were just talking anxiously in the traffic.

    Fran was about to rush to the reception desk at once, but Colbert stopped her.

    ¡¸It will take even more time. Besides, if we make a scene here, the adventurers will feel bad about us. We''ll just line up like normal¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹

    While we were lined up in thene, Colbert made small talk with Fran, perhaps to calm her down.

    ¡¸What did you do after the fighting tournament, Miss Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? went to the Beast Kingdom on the continent of Krome¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? A request for a ship''s escort? I''ve had a few of those myself, you know?¡¹

    He said that when he goes there on a ship escort request, he never goes outside the port town andes back. So, he had been there a few times, but he is not very familiar with it.

    ¡¸That''s why i don''t know the details¡¹

    ¡¸I went to a ck cat kin vige there¡¹

    ¡¸Then, did you also went to the royal capital?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Heh! How as it? Did you find any good food or interesting ces?¡¹

    ¡¸There''s a lot¡¹

    Fran talked to a curious Colbert about the food and scenery of the beast country. There are many stories that can''t be told, but fortunately, Colbert''s interest is focused on the climate.

    Colbert, who enjoys cooking, was particrly interested in the cuisine of the Beast Country. When I gave him some recipes through Fran, he was very happy.

    He was also impressed by what has we seen of the beast country from the back of Urushi.

    ¡¸That sounds interesting. I want to go to the Beast Country too. Delicious food, and scenery I''ve never seen before. That''s the best part of traveling, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    These two are actually get along. It has been so since we first met in Barbra. It seems that they share the same wavelength, or perhaps they are of simr mental age, or perhaps they are moved by simr things.

    After Fran finished talking about the beast country, she now asked Colbert a question. Actually, there''s something I''ve been wondering about too. But I''m not sure if I should ask Colbert. It''s a delicate matter.

    But Fran put the question to him easily.

    ¡¸Was Colbert emunicated?¡¹

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    Yeah, I was actually kind of expecting Fran to ask this question without reading the air.

    Colbert used to be a member of a martial arts school called Dimitris style. I don''t know the details, but it is said that there is a test to receive initiation approval in the Dimitris style.

    The idea is to be a rank A adventurer while your powers are sealed by a special magical device. I think it''s going to be insanely difficult. I mean, he is going to get the same level of power as a rank A adventurer with his abilities sealed.¡¡If he really put his mind to it, he''ll be a Rank S ss.

    I''m not sure every one of them will achieve it.

    The seal can be lifted by the person himself in case of emergency. Originally, this was only allowed in emergencies, such as helping others or when one''s life was in imminent danger, and if you lifted the seal for personal gain, you would be emunicated.

    However, Colbert broke the seal at the martial arts tournament. In order to win against Fran. It was aplete selfish use.

    If the rumours are true, it would be strange if he hadn''t been emunicated¡­¡­

    ¡¸How was it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I was emunicated!¡¹

    Oh, so he was seriously emunicated? Colbert''s expression, which had been so happy until now, changed drastically, and his shoulders slumped with a gloomy expression. Could this guy be crying?

    ¡¸Ugh. Well, I was prepared for that. I knew I''d be emunicated¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What happens when you are emunicated?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean? Well, I''m emunicated, so I can''t use Dimitris style martial arts anymore¡¹

    ¡¸? What does that mean?¡¹

    Being emunicated does not mean that the training he have done so far will be gone. His skills should remain, and if he practices on his own, it will be possible to raise Dimitris style martial arts level.

    No, I can''t actually see the Dimitrius style martial art when I appraised him, but isn''t it just because it''s in a sealed state?

    Or did he made up his mind to seal his martial arts skills with magic tools in order to be righteous in front of his master, Dimitris?

    Or maybe there''s some kind of secret that can only be passed on by Dimitris himself? No, I don''t think it mean that it can''t be used.

    ¡¸All martial arts school that are recognized by God, including the Dimitris style school, has special skills that are inherited only by the founder and his legitimate sessors. The name of this skill is ¡ºLegacy Inheritance¡»(1). It is a skill that can only be used by the head of the school can use in this world ¡¹

    ¡¸Legacy Inheritance? What are the effects?¡¹

    ¡¸The skill has only one effect. The only effect of the skill is to erase the martial arts and martial arts skills of those who belong to that school. In case of Dimitris''s, it will be ¡ºLegacy Inheritance?Dimitris Style¡», it will have the effect of erasing the Demetrius style from the target''s possession¡¹

    ¡¸Is that what they used on Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s natural, because I was emunicated¡¹

    As expected of a different world. If you are emunicated, the skill itself will be erased.

    ¡¸So Colbert is weaker now?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you''re right. No, the seal status has been lifted, so the status has increased, but the skills¡­¡¹

    It seemed that the reason he hadn''t used the Dimitris style during the attack had nothing to do with the magic cancelling effect, but simply because he had lost his skills.

    ¡¸I can''t bring myself to join another school, so I''ll just keep working on my martial arts skills and martial arts technique¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    At Fran''s encouragement, Colbert smiles back with a good face.

    As a matter of fact, I was thinking a little bit about the possibility of him to held a grudge. There was no doubt that the fight with Fran was part of the reason. I guess its human psychology that makes us want toin.

    However, Colbert does not seem to have any hard feelings for Fran. Colbert is a good guy, isn''t he? Perhaps the reason why Fran is so fond of him is because she is sensitive to that.

    ¡¸Well, I''ll be strong enough to beat miss Fran some day¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Looking forward for it¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh, you can count on me¡¹

 Chapter 433: Swamp of Works

    <h4>Chapter 433: Swamp of Works</h4>

    We spent five minutes waiting in line at the Adventurer''s Guild counter. It was finally Fran and Colbert''s turn.

    [Oh, ck Lightning Princess and Iron w, what''s up?]

    [I have something to do with Guild Master, is she avable? It''s an urgent matter]

    [well, she''s here¡­ but I don''t know if she can''t meet you now]

    Stellia looks at Fran with indescribable eyes. What''s wrong?

    [Well she''s in the office. Why don''t you go there by yourselt? You already know where it is, don''t you?]

    [Can we go without permission?]

    [Even if I tried to call her myself, she''d probably reject me in her current state. Is your business so important?]

    [Nn]

    [If that''s the case, you''d better take the matter up with her drectly. Just don''t irritate her too much, because there''s a lot at stake here]

    IS she in a pinch? Oh, are you mean she''s busy managing the auctions?]

    Idiot! idiot Iron w! It''s not that simple! Don''t do anything to make her angry, okay? You''ll get us all in trouble tool]

    [O-o okay, okay]

    It seems that Eliante has been overwhelmed with work. Thest time we came here, she

    seemed to be overwhelmed with paperwork, but I guess it''s getting worse.

    At SteIlia''s request, we were allowed to enter Guild Master''S office. There, I found Eliante buried under a pile of papers, moaning.

    Her eyes look dead. Seeing Eliante like that reminded me of the time when I was still an office worker on Earth. She has the same face as I did that day when missed thest train of the day and stayed up all night making documents for the end of the fiscal year, only to find out that the documents I had used as a basis were fromst year and I was in despair.

    [Uh- Who¡­?]

    [Gu-guild Master? Are you okay?]

    [Colbert? What do you want? As you can see I don''t have time for idle chat, right?]

    [Well, I''m here to report something¡­¡­He-hey miss Fran, you want to talk to Guild Master too, right?]

    Oh, this guy! He got spooked by Eliante''s presence and threw her to Fran!

    [Fran¡­?]

    Eliantel''s eyes turned to Fran. Immediately after that, her expression changed drastically. Her eyes snapped open and he stood up vigorously on the spot.

    [Fran! Fran you¡­! you said I can count on you!]

    She mmed her hand on the desk and shouted. Her bloodshot eyes were scary.

    [Nn?]

    [I asked you not to make a scene like that!]

    Oh no. This time, she broke down crying on the spot. Her emotions seem unstable now!

    No, I know exactly how she feel. But she soon will realize that crying won''t lessen her

    works. Well, Eliante doesn''t seem to have reached that point yet.

    [Not making a scene]

    [Yeah, we didn''t making any trouble ourselves]

    We was involved in the incident, though. Maybe Eliante has information that Fran was at the scene.

    [The first is the underpass! There was something going on in the underpass! There were a lot of people hurt, it was a big mess!]

    [Nn. Attacked in the underpass]

    [I knew it! Then what about the inn? What about the incident in the inn you were supposed to stay in burned in mes? What about it?]

    [That too, I got attacked, just like the one in the underpass]

    [Aah! I knew it, you are rted in it!]

    It''s rted, but Fran is the victim. It''s not like she willingly caused the trouble,

    though.

    [By any chance, are you rted with the incident in a park in the noble''s district too? The nts are dying, and there''s amotion about this too!]

    [Nn. Got attacked too]

    [I knew it! Why are they attacking you! Because of you, my work is doubled! Stacked with

    that 3 cases too!]

    That''s unreasonable. I don''t know why we are being attacked too. Well, I don''t think the current Eliante is capable of making a sane decision right now, and I think she''s just directing her anger indiscriminately. People who are stuck in the swamp of work, usually don''t have any normal thinking ability left.

    [The number of urgent requests is doubling, we''re getting a lot of protests against adventurers, and why should we be the one to be offended about something that has nothing to do with the Adventurers Guild? If its a problem about the royal capital,in to the Knights!]

    Eliante shouts while half-crying.

    [So, what on earth does the walking troublemaker, ck Lightning Princess want?]

    [We were attacked in the noble''s district]

    [A-Again! another one! Whyy~!]

    Ah, She is already started cryingpletely. She must have imagined a future with even more work. Colbert also felt that we couldn''t go on like this, so he opened his mouth again.

    [Ah, you know. There''s been quite a lot of damage there. I''d like to hire some adventurers to replenish our forces, if you don''t mind?]

    [Was there that big of a battle happen?]

    [Aaah, actually¡ª¡ª]

    Colbert gave a brief exnation of what had happened. Then Eliante''s expression tightened. As expected, she was indeed the guild master, even if she was in a temper.

    [In other words, Count Bailleys'' vi was attacked by that idiot Ashtner. So, in order to fight back at them, you''re going to use the investigation of Count Olmes'' vi as an excuse to beat up that idiot Ashtner as well?]

    [Well, yeah. That''s what my Lords are after. Ostensibly, it''s an on-site investigation into Count Olmes'' residence. However, it will surely be a battle with

    Marquis Ashtner]

    [And while we''re at it, we''ll also rescue Master Gallus and Count Bailleys'' daughter¡­]

    [I''m sure you have your own feelings about Marquis Ashtner as well. He thinks adventurers are nothing more than disposable tools. I once had to pay them amission for a job that He didn''t want to pay]

    [Of course! How many adventurers do you think have suffered because of them¡­ Serdio Receps too has ruined our reputation¡­ So we''ve finally reached the end of that fucking Marquis huh?]

    Eliante show a dark smile on her face. She must be imagining for Marquis Ashtner being captured.

    [A-ah, So what do you say? I''d like to make a secret request to the adventurers]

    [Hmm. That''s fine, but how many people would you take? Is it fine to set up something against a marquis family? And if we can''t gather them openly, you''ll just have to talk to the high rankers in secret]

    [I know. That''s why the request reward is high. And also¡ª¡ªMiss Fran]

    Under Colbert''s gaze, Fran takes out the bodies of the swordsmen who attacked the Count''s mansion, who were thought to be adventurers. Seeing this, Eliante''s reaction was swift.

    [That is! That''s our missing adventurers!]

    [He was a part of the assants]

    [It seems that the Marquis Ashtner have the tools to brainwash and manipte people. In addition to these guys, some of Count Bailleys'' men also became a part of the assants too.]

    [¡­WouId you like to hear more about it? About this sword and the details of our opponent¡­]

    It seems that Eliante has decided to listen to us. She had already agreed with Colbert to hand over the adventurer''s body here.

    The guilds would certainly cooperate if they knew that the adventurers under theirmand were being captured and manipted. In some cases, some of their higher-ups might even ept the request for the purpose of revenge.

    After listening to Colbert''s story, Eliante has an angry look on her face.

    [Fine with me¡­ I''ll let that Ashtner know who he sold the fight to! By when should I gather the adventurers?]

    [In two hours, I will pick them up here]

    [All right, then. I''ll gather our forces before then. Count Bailleys is famous for his fondness for adventurers, and if I mention his name, I''m sure we''ll attract a certain number of people]

    [I''ll be counting on you]

    [Well, you can count on me]

    [It''s my pleasure]

    Fran and Colbert shook hands with Eliante and were about to leave the room. However, Eliante called out to them.

    [Wait a minute, you need a fighting force, right? I have an idea]

 Chapter 434: The Top Brass

    <h4>Chapter 434: The Top Brass</h4>

    Eliante said that she had an idea for more forces. When Colbert urged him to go on, Eliante called her men and told them to bring someone with them.

    In less than five minutes, the guild member returned with a person. He got a short stature.

    [Hey hey, did you called for me. What can I do for you?]

    [Fran, Colbert. This man is Faize. He''s an adventurer and a member of the Thieves'' Guild.]

    [What?]

    Colbert stares at Faize with a surprised look in his eyes. Faize''s eyes widened too as his identity was easily exposed.

    [¡­Eliante-sama, if you expose me so easily, you may got various problems aren''t Cha?]

    [SO noisy, 11m in a hurry right now, Shut up]

    It was a little better, but Eliante''s bad mood was still there. A murderous re hit him, and Faize sighed and fell silent. Looks like he is having a hard time.

    As Eliante exined, Faize seems to be a watchdog for the adventurer''s guild''s watcher and link to the bandit''s guild.

    Even though there is an unspoken rule not to openly get involved with each other, it is impossible to have no rtions at all when they are active in the capital.

    So, it seems that there are several personnel who belong to both guilds, like Faize, and at least one of them is stationed at the guild. It seems that only the adventurer''s guild''s top brass knows who they are, though.

    [It''s urgent. Tell the top brass to gather. Tell them that there may be a disturbance in the royal capital. Anyway, they might already have a general idea of what''s going on, so they''ll know]

    [¡­¡­Understood. Are they the ones who are

    going to bring us together?]

    [That kid there, she is Fran the ck Lightning

    Princess, You''ve heard of her, right?]

    [Hou? She is¡­¡­I understand. If it''s her,

    the top brass won''t say no.]

    What does he mean? Does it mean that Fran''s name is known to the Thieves'' Guild? We''ve also met Kalk, maybe that''s how they got the message.

    [Then, let''s make the arrangements right away]

    He could tell from Eliantels attitude that it really was an emergency. Faize bowed and swiftly left the room.

    [Guild master, can we trust the Thieves'' Guild]

    [I donlt trust them. But 11m sure they can help us this time. Royal capital is a ce they can''t afford to lose]

    Eliante nodded with certainty in her voice. Well, if she''s like that, I guess she''s sure.

    [But the way you exined it earlier, it sounded as if Miss Fran was the only one going to the Thieves'' Guild]

    [Because I can''t leave this ce.]

    [No, you have me here, right?]

    [Colbert. I have a few ces I''d like you to visit. Hopefully we can add some more strength to our forces]

    [What?]

    [The mercenary group "Tentacles and Shells". Do you know them? It''s a small, elite group of mercenaries made up of half-insect kin]

    [No, I don''t know. But a mercenary in the royal capital? That''s unusual]

    Apparently, most of the ordinary mercenary groups are located near the borders as they cross the battlefield. This is probably because most of the battles take ce along the border.

    That''s why it''s very rare to find the main unit in an ind area like the royal capital, a ce that is not involved in warfare. Normally, there are only a few liaison officers and logistical support personnel at the base.

    [An acquaintance of mine leads that group, so if you have a letter of introduction, you should be able to at least meet the executives. The rest is up to you to negotiate. They have a rule about not taking children into battle, so Colbert should be better at negotiating than Fran]

    [Thank you for that! In other words, I''ll take the mercenaries, and the youngdy will take the thieves'' guild]

    [Yeah]

    As long as Eliante is busy gathering adventurers, it can''t be helped¡­¡­ She want Fran to negotiate with the Thieves'' guild? Isn''t it impossible for her. Is this really the right time to split up again?

    After that we moved ahead of the others to the first floor of the guild. Colbert had Eliante to write a letter of introduction for him.

    "Fran, don''t let your guard down, okay? You''re

    dealing with the Thieves'' Guild."

    (Of course)

    However, whether or not they would be able to send out a force, the Thieves'' Guild would probably have people infiltrating variousces to gather information, and there was a possibility that they would have some useful information. There was a loudmotion going on, and if they were not careful, there was a possibility that both the Marquis and Count families had ears somewhere.

    "Urushi, stay hidden."

    (Woof!)

    After that, Faizee back in about five minutes.

    [Sorry to keep you waiting. This way, please.]

    [Nn]

    He led Fran to a building that looked familiar. To my surprise, it was the same tavern where I had brought my request to Kalk. But instead of going through the front entrance, we went in through the back door, which was hidden from the street.

    [We''ll use the back door]

    [Okay]

    The watchmen looked at Fran, but said nothing in particr. It was probably because she was Faizels guest. After a quick word with the man, Faize and us walked further into the room and were ushered into a small private room. However, there was no one in the room.

    [Here?]

    [Wait a minute]

    I wondered what he was going to do, but then he pulled the string by the entrance. To my surprise, the wall opened to the left and right, revealing a hidden staircase.

    [Wow-]

    Fran''s eyes light up at this. Wow, a hidden passage is a roman, right?

    Faize led the way down the stairs to a ratherrge basement, with an ornate round table in the middle of the room, big enough for about ten people.

    There were three men and a woman sitting there. They were not necessarily our allies yet, so I felt free to appraise them. Although each of them had lowbat power, they had an interesting skill set.

    The scarred, bald-headed man sitting in the middle was a typical bandit in appearance and skills. He had a skill set simr to that of a scout adventurer. He also had the charisma andmand abilities to be the leader of the bandits. However, the moment he saw Fran, he grabbed his cheeks pull into a big smile.

    The handsome man in his early thirties sitting to his right was aplete marriage fraudster. He had acting skills and skills that might be useful for lying and threatening. He also has the skill of attracting the opposite sex and the title of woman killer. He looks a little like that Serdiols bastard. In addition, he seems to be able to use some magic.

    The bewitching beauty on the left seemed to be the head of the prostitutes. In addition to her skills for cajoling men, she had a lot of skills rted to poisons. A prostitute who knows a lot about poison. She''s scary!

    [Well then, I''ll leave her with you]

    [Ou. Good work]

    Faize bowed to the three of them and left the room.

    [Oh, I''m Fist]

    [I am Honest]

    [I''m pink]

    They all were using fake names. No, they were criminals, so that was to be expected. The man in the middle was Fist. The con man is Honest. The prostitute is Pink.

    Fist greeted us in a shaky voice, sweating profusely. He must have sensed Fran''s ability and was terrified. I could see his eyes checking the walls and floor.

    At first nce, it looks like there are no guards, but there are more than ten people around this room. There are hidden doors all over the ce, and they must have a guard hiding in one of it.

    It seems that Fist thought about how he could use the guards to get rid of Fran. Then he realized that it was useless. On the contrary, he seemed to have regained hisposure.

    [Adventurer, Fran]

    [O, ou. Actually, we have some business with you. In fact, I was going to contact you even if this hadn''t happened. Well, please have a seat]

 Chapter 435: The Thievesâ€™ Guild and Gallus

    <h4>Chapter 435: The Thieves'' Guild and Gallus</h4>

    Did the Thieves'' Guild have their eyes on Fran from the start?

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Please wait, let''s have a little talk, shall we?¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t have time for idle chitchat¡¹

    ¡¸So, it''s fine if it''s not wasting your time, right? Oi, Honest¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Me, out of the blue?¡¹

    Honest''s eyes widen lightly when Fist asks him to talk. Apparently, he was surprised. And he is suspicious.

    ¡¸I can''t handle this, it''s too much for me¡¹

    ¡¸Well, if you think she''s that strong?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Is it okay? Don''t ever antagonize her. Unless you want to die. It''s the first time for my danger sense has responded so much since I faced the Hundred Swords¡¹(1)

    I see. Normally, the strong Fist would have threatened the other party, and the con man Honest would have taken advantage of the situation. However, it seems that Fist instantly realized Fran''s strength and gave up trying to intimidate her with force.

    ¡¸A-ah, miss, I''ll have some tea prepared for you for now, so please have a seat¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t need it, don''t have much time¡¹

    ¡¸No no, A good negotiation is neverplete without a good cup of tea.¡¹

    ¡¸I said, i have no time to waste¡¹

    ¡¸Ha-, haha. Is that so. No, I would really like to get close to someone as beautiful and capable as you¡¹

    Honest smiles as he brushes his hair lightly. He is emitting a glitter beam. If I were on Earth, He could have been the number one host of a show. But Fran''s expression didn''t show any change.

    ¡¸Don''t you heard what I said?¡¹

    Perhaps Honest is their trump card against women. It''s true that a smile from this handsome man would make most women swoon, and the negotiations would go in the Thieves Guild''s favour.

    But it was a shame. My Fran is not interested in handsome men! In the first ce, there is no way that roundabout negotiations will work. We are in a hurry, especially now. The fact that the other party is not an ally is also a big factor. The more vignt we are, the more severe their response is likely to be.

    I guess this is where the doppelgangeres in. If she said that I came in through transfer magic, it will be a good excuse for my sudden appearance.

    ¡¸Wa- please wait!¡¹

    The moment Honest called out to us, an ufortable feeling hit me as if I had static electricity in my brain. I remembered this. It''s exactly the same as when Ss the thief we caught in Ulmut''s dungeon used his forced affinity on us.

    Maybe he used the attract opposite sex skill. (2) It''s a skill that attracts the attention of the opposite sex.

    Fran can''t notice it before, but now that she had be more skilled, she could feel it clearly. Her eyes narrowed.

    She kicks the round table with a thump and flies off,nding right in front of Honest, who is still in a lightly raised position to stop Fran. The round table creaked as she dared, perhaps to scare Honest.

    And then she sticks me directly at his neck. Honest was rendered speechless by the cold eyes looking down at him from above. It was the two people on either side of him who spoke up instead.

    ¡¸St-stop it youngdy! What the hell is wrong with you!¡¹

    ¡¸Ye-yeah, that''s right! You''re suddenly being aggressive!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Is it appropriate to use your skills during negotiations?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Perhaps he didn''t think that his use of the skill would be discovered, but Honest''s face turned pale. However, Honest showed a strange pride here. I think it''s best to apologize quietly, but for a guy like them, they can''t afford to be licked at the negotiation table.

    ¡¸How dare you draw your sword here! You''ll regret it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hou?¡¹

    Ah, this guy has done it. Even though Fist told him not to antagonize her, she was still somewhat underestimated because of Fran''s appearance. Or maybe he felt ridiculed for being shunned by the young Fran, or maybe he was frustrated that his appearance didn''t pass through at all.

    In an attempt to regain control of the conversation, He uttered a hostile line.

    Immediately after that, Fran red at Honest. She hadn''t used her skills to intimidate him yet. But she was already on the verge of recognizing this guy as enemies. Depending on what he said next, he would lose his head.

    I could sense that the guards behind the wall were also getting nervous. They may not be able to sense Fran''s strength through the wall, but they must have heard Fist''s words and understood that the other party was overwhelmingly strong. Even so, if they ordered to fight, they have to attack Fran. It''s the sorrow of ackey.

    I think this is bad. The negotiations are about to be aplete fail. No, I wasn''t even in the negotiations. Maybe I should havee out from the beginning.

    ¡¸Calm down!¡¹

    ¡¸Bubbeh¨D¨D?¡¹

    What a surprise, Fist punched Honest in the face from the side to shut him up. Honest was blown up in a cone-shaped heap and crashed into the wall and be immobile. His chest is rising and falling, so he''s probably not dead, but hismercial face(3) is in pretty bad shape.

    Fist went straight down on his hands and knees and apologized desperately. Now all he had to do was lower his head and he would be in a perfect dogeza position.

    ¡¸P-please wait! That was his bad! It was just his usual bad habit came out! We never think to be hostile with you! I''m sorry! So, please take a seat!¡¹

    Fist and Honest seemed to be of equal rank, but is that okay? Pink also seemed surprised by the sudden situation.

    ¡¸Wha-what are you doing Fist? You don''t want to get in trouble with Honest''s groupter, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up! It''s better than getting us all killed in here! I knew it when I saw her. The rumours are true!¡¹

    I guess He decided that it was better to have trouble with Honestter on than to have Fran go on a rampage. But still, killing everyone is¡­¡­I don''t know what kind of rumours you''ve heard, but he seemed to be quite afraid of Fran.

    ¡¸This is why, I was against making a pimp who has no ability other than his skill to run things as a top brass! Aaah! Damn it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I didn''t think you''d be that distraught¡­Haah. It''s no use. The men are useless, so I''ll do the talking. Just a little more patience, okay?¡¹

    Pink smiled and spoke to her, even though she must have known from Fist''s attitude that Fran was dangerous. Fran, too, must have felt a pent-up when she saw Honest''s devastation. I nodded my head.

    ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹

    ¡¸I appreciate it¡¹

    Pink sits down in her chair again. Fran gets down from the round table, but remains standing. Pink is supposed to be inplete control of Fran, but she doesn''t show any fear. I''m pretty sure it''s this Pink who has the most grit out of all the top brass.

    ¡¸Well then, let me be frank with you. Master Gallus is no longer at Count Olmes'' residence.¡¹

    ¡¸! What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, You''re finally interested. Well, Master Gallus and us have a bit of a history¡¹

    She lightly exins why Pink has connected Fran to Gallus and has given her this information.

    Apparently, the Thieves'' Guild originally owed Gallus a debt of gratitude.

    ¡¸A long time ago, a summoning magic tool brought to the royal capital by a rebel nearly went out of control. At that time, arge number of magical beasts with a threat level of D were almost unleashed in the capital¡¹

    Apparently, it was Gallus who was present at the scene and stopped the summoning by destroying the magic tools.

    ¡¸We are doubted as the one who has summoned the magical beast in the royal capital, we wouldn''t be able to say the opposite. The whole organization would have been crushed¡¹

    Because of this, the Thieves'' Guild was greatly indebted to Gallus. And when they found out that Gallus was confined by Marquis Ashtner, they tried to contact him.

    ¡¸Someone from the Thieves'' Guild is with the Marquis?¡¹

    Even the elite of Count Bailleys was captured? However, it''s the Thieves'' Guild. It seems that they already have their hand on them from long ago.

    ¡¸Our ears and eyes are everywhere, and they don''t know that they were working for the Thieves Guild. They diligently work like usual and asionally sell information for a little extra money. That''s all. So even if they are crushed, they won''t be able to reach us¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸And with their help, it''s easy to sneak in. No, we don''t need their guide, just a little bit of diligence in my rounds would be enough¡¹

    This is how the Thieves'' Guild came into contact with Gallus and asked him to sell the sword scabbard he had secretly made while being confined at multiple auctions.

    ¡¸We have a debt, so I couldn''t refuse. In addition to the scabbard, I got a few other well-made weapons from him as well¡¹

    What a surprise, the itembelled as Master''s scabbard was apparently sold in several auctions. They were selling them in multiple auctions to make sure everything was in order. Well, if someone bought it and didn''t know anything about it, they wouldn''t have noticed the code right away. And even if they did, they wouldn''t know what it meant.

    I thought he could use someone from the Thieves Guild to give Fran his message, but then he wouldn''t know if she can be trusted or not. That''s why he took such a roundabout way.

    And it seems that Fran was the only one who actively bid on that scabbard. The Thieves'' Guild must have been monitoring all the scabbards closely.

    I wonder how he could make so many scabbards while being confined? I thought so, but apparently Gallus was given a workshop of his own to keep his arms from bing dull, and he could make armor as he pleased.

    ¡¸So Gallus is safe?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m not so sure about that. ording to the reports from the personnel who have been in regr contact with Master Gallus, it seems that a small amount of magic drugs has been mixed into his food, and recently it has started to affect him a little. It''s hard to say that he''s safe, because sometimes he can''t even speak¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see¡¹

    ¡¸I also heard that sometimes they make him hold a strange magical sword that was broke from its middle. Then, regardless of his will, his body would move and he would be forced to work as a cksmith. To be honest, I thought he was hallucinating because of the magic potion. I did some research on that magic sword, but I couldn''t find out what it was¡¹

    He is probably using a magic drug to make him susceptible to mental control and is manipting him with that half-broken magic sword. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the broken sword is most likely the Sword of Blind Devotion, Fanatics, but it''s not confirmed yet.

    However, when skill and knowledge are required, as in the case of Gallus, the amount of magic drugs administered must be adjusted to preserve his consciousness and reasoning. A craftsman''s skill is not just limited to his technique.

    ¡¸And just the other day, I heard that he was transferred to a certain ce¡¹

    ¡¸A certain ce?¡¹

    ¡¸I think he''s in the basement of the former Viscount Alsand''s mansion, which is now uninhabited, but I''m not sure¡¹

    ¡¸Viscount Alsand?¡¹

    ¡ºHe''s the foolish noble, the owner of Principal of Falsehood¡» (4)

    I remember a guy like that. His father Count Olmes'' mansion is being used by Marquis Ashtner. It wouldn''t be surprising if Viscount Alsand''s mansion is also being used.

    ¡¸So what does it mean?¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, we have confirmed that Master Gallus has been taken out of the room where he has been under house arrest. Marquis Ashtner''s residence, Count Ormes'' residence, and Count Ormes'' vi. The ears of the Thieves'' Guild have entered there, but no sign of Master Gallus has been confirmed¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Which means there''s a good chance he''s been moved to somewhere else¡¹

    ¡¸Is that the underground?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh. we''ve confirmed there''s arge space and arge amount of what appears to be human presence¡¹

    ¡¸Enemy troops?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe¡¹

    It might be a base for making pseudo fanatic swords. If so, there would be a significant number of forces there.

    ¡¸But they don''t know how to get into that underground space. No matter how hard I search, I can''t find a way in or out of that underground space¡¹

    Are they using teleport magic to go in and out, or is there a hidden passage that is well concealed?

    ¡¸How did you find out that such a ce existed?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, A rat can go anywhere¡¹

    As expected of the Thieves'' Guild. They even have spies in such a secret base!

    ¡¸What''s the exact number of troops?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry about that. Because rats can''t count¡¹

    It seems about the rats mentioned earlier was not a metaphorical expression, but really meant that they were using rats. It seems that no matter how secret the underground space is, there are air holes that rats can enter.

    ¡¸But if we pieced together the information, we could make a guess. Probably no more than a hundred¡¹

    Note:

    (1) °Ù„‡ Hyaku ken

    (2) ®ÐÔÕTÒý Isei Yuuin

    (3) He is so handsome that makes his face was valuable.

    (4) ÐéÑÔ¤ÎÀí kyogen no ri, principle of falsehood, reference: Centinni-TSKD 365.1

 Chapter 436: Military Strength

    <h4>Chapter 436: Military Strength</h4>

    ¡¸But if we pieced together the information, we could make a guess. Probably no more than a hundred¡¹

    ¡¸How do you know?¡¹

    ¡¸That is¨D¨D¡¹

    The Thieves'' Guild has apparently identified several mercenary groups that were hired by Marquis Ashtner in thest few years and are supposed to have been wiped out.

    ¡¸It''s not often that a mercenary group is wiped out. This country hasn''t had a major war in years. So where are all the mercenaries that were wiped out?¡¹

    Until now, He was suspected with rituals involving human sacrifice and the like. However, today''smotion in the noble district brought to light the fact that a corps was controlled by a pseudo fanatic sword. Moreover, it seems that the members of the mercenary corps who were treated as annihted were mixed among the brainwashed soldiers who attacked the soldiers'' camp and destroyed themselves.

    I''m sure of it. The Thieves'' Guild is aware that there are more than 80 people in their ranks. If we add the missing adventurers to that number, we can expect about a hundred people.

    ¡¸Be careful. It''s going to be pretty hard to rescue Master Gallus; you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Why would you give me that information?¡¹

    The Thieves Guild is not on the side of justice, and I don''t understand why they would go out of their way to support Fran and Count Bailleys. I''m not saying this was a bad thing, but isn''t there an option to join forces with Marquis Ashtner and suck the sweet juice out of it?

    ¡¸Well, we can''t afford to lose this royal capital. the Thieves'' Guild has been protecting and nurturing the dark side of the city, just as the Adventurers'' Guild has been protecting and nurturing the dungeons as hunting grounds. Just as the adventurer''s guild protects and utilizes dungeons as hunting grounds¡¹

    Over a long period of time, the thieves must have established their own rules and created a ce for themselves among the nobility and ordinary citizens.

    As Pink said earlier, dungeons and magical ces for the adventurer''s guild. For the cksmith guild, it''s workshops and mines. And the royal capital is for the thieves'' guild.

    ¡¸If we lose this ce, we can''t move to another city. There are already indigenous people there, you know. No, it won''t really matter for the top brass. But what about the people underneath? Pickpockets, burrs. Whores and male prostitutes. Many of them would have no choice but to be debt ves¡¹

    I don''t know how many members there are in the royal capital, but I do know that it''s impossible for everyone to get a new job.

    ¡¸I''ve always been a little suspicious, but Marquis Ashtner these days arepletely crazy. I don''t even think they can negotiate. That''s no good¡¹

    ¡¸No good?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sure he was ambitious to begin with, but¡­¡­In thest few years I can''t help but think he''s gone crazy. There is a chance that the royal capital could be a sea of fire¡¹

    In other words, Marquis Ashtner are unlikely to be their business partners, who seems to be out of control, and wanted him to leave as soon as possible before their precious royal capital bes a battlefield.

    ¡¸No, some fighting will have to be done now. But now, it can''t be limited to just the noble district anymore¡¹

    As expected of the Thieves'' Guild, they are formidable.

    Apparently, the Thieves'' Guild had been following Fran''s movements in order to teach her about Gallus. They were nning to make contact with her at some point. In other words, even if they hadn''t been contacted by Face (1), they would have approached Fran as soon as possible. In the process, they also recognized Marquis Ashtner abnormality.

    ¡¸We may not be able to move our forces openly, but we can support you in other ways. We''re not looking for a reward. Let''s have a joint front. What do you think?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, she isn''t lying. I don''t trust thempletely, but I think we can cooperate¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll tell the count¡¹

    ¡¸You don''t have much time, do you? I''ll send one of my men to bring thee info to the Count, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    A small, elderly man with a smooth head arrived in about five minutes. His eyebrows, beard and moustache were long and white.

    With his staff and robes, he must be a magician. But with his bent back, he didn''t look like he could fight. Well, that''s only from his appearance.

    Even before I appraise him, I could sense the magic within him, and Fran and I were both ready for any fight. We would react to this old man''s attack at any time and maintain a good distance to counterattack.

    It wasn''t just the strength of his magic. From the old man, I could sense the kind of intensity that is peculiar to the strong. To put it bluntly, he might be the strongest person I''ve ever met in royal capital. We can''t underestimate the Thieves'' Guild.

    ¡¸Huh? You can understand my abilities at first nce? As expected of the nicknamed ones isn''t it? You''re not like the rest of them¡¹

    He hit the floor with the cane in his hand and mumbled something. He seems to be a dour old man. His eyes, which sometimes peek out from under his white eyebrows, are sharp, and he doesn''t seem like a very nice old man.

    ¡¸Strongest person in the Thieves'' Guild¡¹

    ¡¸Eihwaz¡¹ (2)

    He is 73 years old, and because of that, his strength and agility stats are low, but he is a very high-level magician, with level 3 storm magic, level 2 ocean magic, level 6 ice and snow magic, and level 5 death poison magic (3). He even uses earth magic and auxiliary magic. No, wait. Eihwaz? That sounds familiar. Fran seemed to remember it too.

    ¡¸Friends of Diaz?¡¹

    ¡¸You know Diaz?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. know both Fermus and Gamudo too¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I''m Eihwaz, the Dragon Binder. I''ve been in a party with them for a while¡¹

    When she asked him about his past friends, he didn''t even smile. Maybe they don''t get along with each other, or maybe that''s just the way he is. At any rate, he has been wearing a scowl ever since he appeared.

    ¡¸And a weird secret society¡¹

    ¡¸A secret society? Oh, you mean the magician guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. They were annoying¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry about that. But I''ve already left. I''m sure they''re doing whatever they want with it now. Well, I''m not interested anymore¡¹

    ¡ºFran, he''s not lying¡»

    Apparently, he''s the type of person who doesn''t care about anything except what he''s interested in. I want to shout him to properly clean up his mess!

    ¡¸Why a former A rank adventurer in the thieves'' guild?¡¹

    ¡¸That old man was originally a thieves hunter¡¹

    It seems that he had appeared in the capital a few years ago and had been attacking the members of the Thieves'' Guild and taking them away. And the reason for this was for human experimentation.

    ¡¸I used to buy crime ves, but that''s expensive and I can''t always buy them. But I can''t just use innocent people as test subjects. Then it hit me. That''s right, let''s hunt the thieves¡¹

    It''s a disaster of the worst kind for the thieves. But for the general public, it''s a blessing. And yet, the reason why I don''t respect him at all is probably because he is actingpletely to satisfy his own needs.

    ¡¸I used to hunt the thieves around for a while¡¹

    However, the number of thieves gradually began to decrease. It seems that this was the result of information circting among the thieves that it was dangerous to work in the Kingdom of Kranzel because Eihwaz was hunting them down too much.

    After that, Eihwaz came to the conclusion that there were thieves in the city, not bandits or pirates. It seems that he started to target the members of the Thieves'' Guild. But the Thieves'' Guild didn''t happy about that.

    As a result, they negotiate with Eihwaz and hire him as a guard for the Thieves'' Guild in exchange for offering him a crime ve and traitor.

    ¡¸All I have to do is defeat the asional enemy and I can get as manyb rats as I want. It''s an easy job¡¹

    Fran is frowning. She must have felt ufortable with Eihwaz. No, it''s impossible to be nice to this guy.

    ¡¸Oh, and just so you know, I didn''t kill the test subjects. I just take a little peek of their inside, and then I let them go after they''ve recovered properly. Well, I do sell off the crime ves again. Would you like to know what kind of experiments I do?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Not really¡¹

    We are in a hurry right now. Besides, Fran doesn''t really seem to be interested. Eihwaz frowns in frustration as Fran shows no interest at him.

    ¡¸Hmph¡¹

    ¡¸Haah. He''s a difficult old man to deal with, but he''s a good fighter¡¹

    ¡¸¡­The enemy has the ability to counteract and block magic¡¹

    ¡¸What? Is that true?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Kukukuh. very interesting¡¹

    ¡¸No, Eihwaz. No matter how strong you are, wouldn''t it be dangerous if you can''t use magic are you?¡¹

    Pink asked that question, but it didn''t stop Eihwaz fromughing. The advice she had given him had only aroused the old man''s curiosity.

    ¡¸Kukukuh. I don''t care. If it kills me, it''s because I''m weak. I was more interested in the sword. It may help me in my research¡¹

    I was worried about whether this old man would be useful with his magic blocked, but his motivation seemed to be at its maximum.

    ¡¸Eihwazorth. Don''t overdo it, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll take care of it. Well, it depends on the other party. Kukukuh¡¹

    When he smiled like that, Eihwazorth''s face was distorted with lust, and he had the expression of an evil person. He was no more trustworthy than the Thieves'' Guild.

    Note"

    There are a few old stuffs being bring back here, to maintain naming consistency of the trantion, please refer me any inconsistency with their respective tl group.

    (1) Changed Faize name to Face

    (2) ¥¨¥¤¥ï©`¥¹ Eiwa-su - Before: Ainsworth. On Previous TL : Aiwass, From anon-kun''s suggestion : Eihwaz. Thanks to Sarrink and Anon-kun UwU

    (3) ËÀ¶¾Ä§Ðg Shidoku Majutsu

 Chapter 437: Eihwaz Ways of doing Things

    <h4>Chapter 437: Eihwaz Ways of doing Things</h4>

    She had intended to take Eihwaz with her to Count Bailleys'' mansion, but Face burst into the basement, gasping for breath.

    ¡¸Face, what''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that the Knight Order has already begun to enter the Olmes'' residence¡¹

    What! There should be more than an hour on the schedule!

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that the King ordered the knights directly¡¹

    Naturally, the King seemed to have taken this incident as a serious matter. After receiving an exnation from Count Bailleys, the king decided on the spot to summon Marquis Ashtner immediately. A messenger was dispatched.

    It is said that the Marquis did not even show up to deal with the matter, although he said that he would be charged with treason if he did notply. It seems that the housekeeper, who was spilling excuses, was captured and the knights were sent out to battle.

    The fact that it has taken only an hour so far shows the strength of the King''s sense of crisis. Also, his trust in Count Bailleys and his strong distrust of Marquis Ashtner seems to have contributed to the speed of his decision.

    No, they can''t even go into battle if they are not ready in the first ce. Could it be that Count Bailleys had read this far?¡¡Marquis Ashtner''s intelligence is not to be underestimated, and it''s possible that he already knows about the Count''s announcement to go out in three hours. If that''s the case, they dared to say three hourster and attack before that time to take advantage of the situation. It''s not an impossible story.

    I remember the conversation Fran and the Count had before we left.

    ¡¸If you are too slow, the Knights might just go off on their own, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Nan¡¹

    ¡¸When ites to that, move as you wish. You''ll be better off that way. But don''t forget to cooperate with the knights, okay?¡¹

    That''s the conversation. Could that have been what you had in mind all this time?

    ¡¸Count Bailleys is in charge, and he''s leading the charge in the square in front of the royal castle¡¹

    The Thieves'' Guild is also amazing for being able to grasp so much information in such a short time. They may not be able to match the Adventurer''s Guild in terms ofbat, but they have an overwhelmingly superior informationwork.

    ¡¸It seems that fierce battles has already begun in the noble district¡¹

    It is said that swordsmen controlled by pseudo fanatic swords have emerged from Marquis Ashtner''s mansion, Count Olmes'' mansion and his vi, and are fighting fiercely against the Knights.

    ¡¸What''s the status of the war? What about those weird guys with a sword stuck in them?¡¹

    ¡¸They came out. It appears the Knights are inferior¡¹

    I knew it would happen. They are adventurers and mercenaries who are in a state of potential release with a pseudo fanatic sword. They are much stronger than knights and have higher regeneration abilities. If both magic and skills are cancelled out, it will be hard for them.

    ¡¸About 20 adventurers from the Adventurer''s Guild rushed out to support us. They are all mid-level adventurers and above, but we''ll see how much of a force they are¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Are they going to lose?¡¹

    ¡¸No. The guild master is still gathering other adventurers, and knights are gathering from all over the capital, so we won''t be inferior any more than we are now¡¹

    If that''s the case, where should we head to?¡¡Or should we take advantage of the opportunity and head to the rescue of Gallus and Velmeria?

    Besides, I''m curious about something.

    ¡¸Hey, did the enemye out from the Viscount mansion with an underground space?¡¹

    ¡¸Did you mean Viscount Alsand''s residence? Yes, they sent a knight to the house, but it was empty¡¹

    ¡ºHmm. I suspect the opposite¡»

    (Nn)

    Besides, if there were no enemies, wouldn''t this be a good chance to explore the underground facility? The Thieves'' Guild seemed to think so.

    ¡¸¡­Young miss. Why don''t you leave the fighting to the knights and adventurers and go to Viscount Alsand''s residence? We are also curious about the whereabouts of Master Gallus. I''m sure you''ll be happy to hear that¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    That''s what we want too. Leaving the fight to the Count and the Guild, we decided to head straight for Viscount Alsand''s mansion.

    Although he was an old man, he was a former rank A. He was able to keep up with Fran as she ran along with Face. He didn''t seem to be out of breath as he listened to Fran talk about the pseudo fanatic sword.

    Anky old man with a bent back who runs lightly is odd to look at. It reminded me of the urban legend of the Turbo old hag. The people we pass from time to time roll their eyes at us.

    The former Viscount Alsand''s residence was located at the edge of the southern section of the noble district. Since it was out of the way from Marquis Ashtner''s residence and Count Olmes'' residence, it seemed that no battle had urred in this vicinity yet.

    From afar, I can hear explosions that seem to be the result of magic, and the battle cry of knights.

    ¡¸This is the former Viscount Alsand''s residence¡¹

    The garden of the mansion, which had been abandoned for more than a month now, was gradually growing weeds and was starting to look a little rough. In the courtyard that Face led us to, the flowers in the flower beds and other areas were withered and wilted.

    It seems that Viscount Alsand has ostensibly returned to his domain to recuperate from his illness. However, stories are spreading that he lost his skill to detect lies and was rude to the royal family, and many nobles and people in the underworld know the truth.

    ¡¸Well, it was the Thieves'' Guild that spread the rumour.¡¹

    There were many thieves who had been framed by Count Olmes and his son, and who had been med for the crimes of the Count and his faction. They were looking for an opportunity to retaliate one day.

    ¡¸As a result, Viscount Alsand is now pushed into a corner of the estate¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmh¡¹

    Fran, don''t seem interested at all. I''m pretty sure it''s our fault that he''s in that state, but whatever. He got what he deserved. Now we have to find the underground.

    ¡¸There seems to be a space just below this¡¹

    ¡¸But you didn''t know how to get in? You don.t even have a guess?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The man who is using the rats also has no idea how they could have gotten in. There was a hole or a crack somewhere, and the rats just happened to find their way in.¡¹

    ¡¸That rats user. I never meet one, but what kind of ability that he has?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, I think it''s¨D¨D¡¹

    The rats user is said to be able to sense where the rats are, slightly peek into their memories, and even read their surface thoughts. However, the intelligence of the rats themselves is not very high, so they can''t hear the details of the story.

    ¡¸What a useful story. If we use magic to destroy this area, we can destroy the underground passage as well, don''t you think?¡¹

    ¡¸No, please don''t do that. It might even kill Master Gallus¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so. It''s a pain in the ass¡¹

    We had to do something about this before Eihwaz does something stupid.

    ¡ºHmmm¡­Certainly there''s arge space. I also felt multiple vitalities¡­And this difort. There''s definitely a pseudo fanatic sword in there¡»

    (Nn)

    However, I don''t know the exact number. I don''t think there are more than a hundred of them, probably because they devoted their forces to fought the Knights, but there are probably ten or twenty. If we can get closer, we can go to¡­Maybe we can sneak up on them while digging a hole with earth magic?

    It''s possible to get inside using teleport, but it''s too dangerous to have to deal with countless soldiers controlled by that pseudo fanatic sword.

    ¡ºNo, if we can teleport and immediately attack them before they can make a move and greatly reducing the enemy''s strength¡­¡­¡»

    While I was pondering like that, Eihwaz suddenly started chanting his magic. Then he dug a huge hole with earth magic.

    ¡¸Wha. Eihwaz-san! What did you!¡¹

    ¡¸There''s no point in sneaking around here, is there? If that''s the case, why don''t we just find that underground space?¡¹

    I looked into the hole and saw that it was incredibly deep. Moreover, I could see a pale light leaking out from its depths. Maybe it reached the mysterious underground space.

    I did think about digging a hole with earth magic, didn''t I? But if I do it in such a spectacr way, we''ll be found out for sure!

    ¡¸It''s reaching it huh. Hmm, it looks like there was a barrier against earth magic, but it wasn''t at a level that strong enough to prevent my magic¡¹

    Looking annoyingly calm, Eihwaz threw something into the hole. More than one. It looked like a bottle, but what the hell was it?

    Fran asks Eihwaz, who has now started plugging the hole with earth magic.

    ¡¸What was that?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s a special drugs. It''s made to vaporize and spread all at once¡¹

    Drugs? is it poison? Ohe on, there may be Gallus! Fran red at Eihwaz as she put her hands on me.

    ¡¸It''s not just the enemy in there!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukukuh. Don''t stare at me like that. Don''t worry, none of these drugs can kill. They are a numbing drugs that causes intense pain in the skin, a corroding drug that only works on metal when ites in contact with air, and a drug that stimtes the magic centers of living things, causing them to lose their magic rapidly¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The numbing drugs may cause pain, but it doesn''t actually reduce life, and it only gives numbness to the limbs. It will not kill you due to magic power depletion. The metal corrosion drugs have no effect on the human body. A dwarf with a high tolerance to the drugs will not die. However, it may be effective against the soldier that controlled by a sword that you told me about along the way¡¹

    Even though the first two used magic in the production process, the finished product itself was apparently not a magic drug. Hence, there was a high possibility that the magic counteracting effect of the pseudo fanatic sword would not be able to counteract it. The magic power depletion drugs were a magic drug, but it also seemed to be intentional.

    ¡¸If you want to prevent all three of these drugs, you will need to use the magic counteracting and potential release states that you mentioned. We can wear them out even before the battle, so they won''t go to waste¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell, what''s done is done. Let''s wait for the result instead of ming Eihwaz now¡»

    (Nn¡­)

    ¡ºMore importantly, don''t let your guard down. Because in the worst-case scenario, we could be dealing with dozens of pseudo-zealotry swords!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 438: The Drugâ€™s Effects

    <h4>Chapter 438: The Drug''s Effects</h4>

    It''s been more than ten minutes since Eihwaz had gone ahead and scattered the drugs in the basement without permission. Fran and the others were checking the inside of the house. We wanted to see if there were any hidden passages leading to the basement.

    We don''t need hidden passages when we can use earth magic and teleport magic to get inside. However, Face''s suggestion was that it would be better to find a regr route forter use.

    However, even after Fran and I searched for hidden passages with our detection and sensing skills, but no suspicious ces existed. If this is the case, it seems the passage wasn''t from the Viscount''s residence.

    On the way back to the courtyard from the vi, we sensed the movement of magical power. I knew this magic. As we rushed out into the courtyard, we saw that Eihwaz had just dug another hole with his earth magic.

    ¡¸Eihwaz!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? What is it, young miss?¡¹

    When Fran runs up to him, Eihwaz asks her back, looking as if he doesn''t understand why she is angry with him.

    ¡¸Didn''t i said to not do anything¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, I remember you saying something like that before we split up. Well, I wasn''t interested, so I didn''t feel like to remember it¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡­¡¹

    Face had suggested that we split up and explore the area, and he had warned Eihwaz not to take any action. I had even confirmed that he wasn''t lying in his response with the Principal of Falsehoods!¡¡He hadn''t lied when he said he wouldn''t make a move without asking at that time. I''m sure about it but¡­¡­

    No, it was certainly not a lie. However, he soon forgot about the promise he had made, and simply acted on his interest. We had underestimated Eihwaz''s freewheeling nature too much.

    ¡¸It doesn''t matter. Let''s go. Don''t worry about the drugs. They should be wearing off by now¡¹

    ¡¸Ah!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha, Eihwaz-san!¡¹

    When Eihwaz used his wind magic to make his body float, he went straight down into the pit. He really is an old man who acts ording to his own curiosity.

    (Master! After him!

    ¡ºYeah, I know!¡»

    For a moment, I thought about pushing it all to Eihwaz, but then I recalled that it might be dangerous if Gallus was in the underground base. I wondered how far Eihwaz would go to take Gallus'' safety into ount. After all, he threw poison into the pit without hesitation.

    ¡¸Eihwaz, wait!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, wait! M-me too¨D¨D¡¹

    Oh, I forgot about Face. No, we might as well leave the lessbat-ready Face behind. We don''t know what kind of situation we''ll be in.

    We sliding down the almost vertical hole in one fell swoop, and killed the momentum with a leap in the air tond.

    I don''t know what''s going on with Eihwaz''s drugs, so I wear a wind barrier, but I don''t feel like it''s filled with poison. I guess Eihwaz was right, the effect had already worn off.

    ¡¸¡­A building¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I''m pretty sure this is the underground base¡»

    It was a solid structure, as if we were inside some kind of fort.

    ¡ºYou never know where they''re going toe from. Don''t let your guard down¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    For the time being, we decided to follow Eihwaz.

    There was little vitality in the vicinity, but the magic of the pseudo fanatic sword could still be felt faintly. They must have noticed Eihwaz and Fran''s intrusion and are removing their presence.

    We kept going for about fifteen meters before I caught up with Eihwaz. He had stopped at the end of the aisle, in what looked like arge hall.

    ¡¸What are you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Young miss, look at this¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Stairs?¡¹

    What Eihwaz was looking at was a staircase for climbing. However, the stairs had hit the ceiling and had no use for it. Had they filled the hole to iste the underground facility here?

    But it wasn''t. When Eihwaz lightly channelled his magic, the stairs glowed for a moment.

    ¡¸I knew it. It''s a kind of magic tool¡¹

    It seems if you channel magic powers, a staircase will extend to the ground. I guess this is how they go in and out. No matter how hard we searched, we couldn''t find the entrance or exit.

    When they return from outside, they need to have the stairs appear from inside, the possibility of being attacked from outside is low. Well, it was forcefully invaded by Eihwaz

    ¡¸We''ll have to look into thister. Let''s go to the other side¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    Fran nodded, although she was somewhat unhappy. She didn''t like being led by Eihwaz, but she did recognize him somewhat when she saw how much insight he had into magic tools. For the time being, she didn''tin and started running ahead of Eihwaz.

    But soon I notice the magic lurking ahead of us.

    ¡ºFran!¡¡Over there, behind the door!¡¡There''s a magical power of the Pseudo-Rabid Sword!¡¡Maybe there''s two of it¡»

    (Nn? Understood!)

    Apparently, Fran can''t sense it. I may be aware of it in part because I feel the disgust more strongly than the magic.

    ¡¸Eihwaz¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Did you feel something?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When Fran called out to him, Eihwaz stopped and began to pay attention to his surroundings. The uracy of his judgment was good, as expected of a former rank A adventurer.

    ¡¸Behind that door there¡¹

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    Fran pointed to a door in the middle of the passage. She doesn''t seem to know that someone is hiding in there, not even Eihwaz. But he doesn''t release his guards. He honestly acknowledged that Fran''s sensing ability was better than his.

    ¡¸Is it the enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know. But there''s two of them¡¹

    ¡¸¡­It seems that even I can''t sense it. Let''s make the initiative¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Then Fran kicked down the door and rushed inside. First, she shes one of them with her Sword technique! Worst case scenario, we¡¯ll use Eihwaz as a shield and finish him off with the telekic catapult after I get some distance. He''s maybe an old magician, but he can at least buy us some time.

    When Fran stepped into the room, the first thing she saw was a pile of ck powder. Arge amount of ck powder is scattered on the floor and shelves.

    It was probably an armory. However, the metal corroding potion thrown in by Eihwaz had corroded everything and it looked like nothing but a pile of ck powder. There were only a few traces of leather armor, leather shields, and a leather belt that had been wrapped around the handle.

    There are still two men inside. A pseudo fanatic sword was stuck in their necks. However, my n to use the Eihwaz as a shield was never put into action. Because the enemy was already dead when we stepped inside.

    ¡¸¡­Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like it''s dead to me¡»

    ¡¸Eei¡¹

    Just to be sure, we tried to cut the sword stuck in his back, but it still didn''t move. Since the cannibalism was activated, there was no doubt that this was a pseudo fanatic sword.

    Eihwaz, who came into the roomter, approached the corpse with a euphoric look on his face.

    ¡¸He''s dead, isn''t he?¡¹

    An appraisal showed that he had lost all of his magic as well as his life force. It seems that Eihwaz''s drugs did more than I expected. I don''t know if it was the magic depletion drugs or the counteracting effect of the pseudo fanatic sword, but it must have used up all the magic.

    The sword''s magic is weak because it can no longer absorb magic power from its host.

    ¡¸I figured it would be easier to fight if their magic power was somewhat reduced¡­¡­The enemy seems to be more stupid than I imagined. No, as long as their mind is being manipted, it doesn¡¯t have that much urate judgment left. Or is the sword''s ability automatically activated by some conditions? But¨D¨D¡¹

    Eihwaz is mumbling something as he inspects the body. He seems to be considering various things. But now is not the time to rx.

    For the time being, I decided to store the corpse in a hurry.

    ¡¸Tsk. It can''t be helped. But I''ll be sure to check itter¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, are you listening? You definitely going to give me the bodyter right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, little girl¡¹

    Is Fran having trouble talking to Eihwaz? She ignored himpletely. In response, Eihwaz is shouting at her. This guy doesn''t listen to others, but gets angry when he''s ignored. He''s got a really good personality.

    ¡¸Is it okay? I''m gonna dissect it, you know?¡¹

 Chapter 439: Cunning Battle

    <h4>Chapter 439: Cunning Battle</h4>

    Dissect, dissect, Eihwaz was annoying so she gave him the corpse to silence him. Fran''s response was ¡¸If you want it so bad, I''ll give it to you¡¹ And Eihwaz was overjoyed.

    He took the body that was handed to him as he ran with ease and tucked it into his own item bag.

    ¡¸Kukukuh. I''ve got a good sample. This will help me advance my research again¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    To be able to made Fran shocked, Eihwaz can''t be underestimated.

    As we drove on, the road ahead became brighter. There seems to be a hall ahead. I can feel the reaction of arge number of weak pseudo fanatic swords. It seems that the same tragedy happened there as in the armory earlier.

    ¡ºSo this ce is full of dead bodies too?¡»

    ¡¸Wiped out?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, a few of them are still alive¡»

    Even from here, I could feel the life force of several people.

    ¡ºStay alert¡»

    (Nn)

    When we stepped into the hall, I found it to be a slightly brighter room, simr in construction to the hall where the magic tool stairs had been installed. Originally, it was probably going to be a fierce battle with arge number of pseudo fanatic swords¡­¡­

    Among the twenty or so corpses lying in the hall, four swordsmen stood. They were the ones who had poison resistance, etc., and the ones who had prevented the drugs with wind magic. But again, their magic power was already greatly reduced. Now is our chance!

    ¡ºFran! do pre-emptive strike!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The moment she saw me, Fran threw me into the air. elerated by the telekic catapult, I destroyed the head of the woman in front of me, along with her pseudo fanatic sword.

    ¡ºYosh! 3 more!¡»

    I tried to use telekinesis to get back to Fran, but failed. It seems that the magic cancelling effect is already in effect.

    But there''s a way to do it.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi ran at me at once, bit my hilt and threw me to Fran. As it was, Urushi rushed at the nearest swordsman.

    ¡ºOne more time!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaa!¡¹

    Due to therge size of the hall, the magic cancelling effect had not reached the entrance area. This meant that it was possible to telekic catapult again.

    As if reying the scene from earlier, the telekic catapult shattered the head of the swordsman who was fighting Urushi and the pseudo fanatic sword. Instantly, Urushi lifts me up and hands me to Fran.

    I was going to finish the rest. I thought so, but I was interrupted by Eihwaz.

    ¡¸Come on. Leave one for me¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    I was thinking of ignoring him, but if I despise Eihwaz here, he might go off the railster. With that in mind, it would be better to give him a chance.

    Besides, while I was hesitating, one of the swordsmen came close to us. I need to get some distance again to use the telekic catapult.

    ¡ºIt''s no use. We''ll take care of this one, and let Eihwaz take care of the other one¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, return!¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    If we were not careful, Eihwaz could attack us all. Fran called Urushi back and cut off the dwarf who was running towards her. It was a blow aimed at his neck, but he seemed to be a defensive specialist and put up a strong barrier to block the attack.

    For that reason, he is not very good at attacking. Fran dodges the counter-attack of his big sword with ease. Would it be easier to wait for him to self-destruct?

    As Eihwaz watched, he stepped toward the remainingrge man. His face was full of motivation.

    ¡¸Fumu. ck Lightning Princess doesn''t need any help. Then I''ll take this one¡­Poison Fog¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Oh!¡¡Is that the magic cancelling? You really did dispel the poisonous mist I created with my magic! Very interesting¡¹

    Old man, Sorry to burst your bubble but are you okay?¡¡If he can''t block magic, you''re at a huge disadvantage. However, Eihwaz''s expression remained joyful.

    Unfazed by therge man who approached him at once, he threw several bottles from his pocket. He must have an items bag or something inside his robe.

    The moment the big man reaped the bottle, a tremendous explosion sounded. At the same time, smoke and mes rose up.

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    Fran kept her distance from the dwarf, holding her cat ears with her hand. It was such an explosive sound.

    ¡¸Fumu fumu. They can''t cancel out phenomena caused by chemical reactions that are not borne by magic after all¡¹

    After interrupting his fellow, Fran, Eihwaz himselfughed happily and unleashed more magic. It is an AOE magic that freezes a wide area. But the big man''s pseudo fanatic sword cancelled it out. He was able to frighten him for a moment, but he wasn''t able to beat him.

    ¡¸Umu umu¡¹

    He nodded a couple of times, as if he had already factored it in, and unleashed his magic again. This time, he threw a bottle of drugs at the same time.

    Of course, the magic was cancelled out, and the broken bottle that hit the ground had no effect but only spread the liquid inside to the surroundings.

    It looked like he was wasting his time, but it seemed that Eihwaz was getting excited. He swiftly began to bber out his thoughts.

    ¡¸I see, I see. It seems that the magic cancel can''t specify the target so delicately. It''s not like he can specify a specific area? The poison fog that I had just use, and the magic that I had just use, he didn''t able to erase the effects of it on the ces far away from me. And a potion turned into mere water¡­¡­¡¹

    After only a few tries, he was uncovering the effects of the magic counteract. It was frustrating, but amazingly insightful.

    Still,cking a decisive move, Eihwaz was not able to defeat his opponent. The big man shed at him again. Eihwaz dodged the attack. That''s right. This old man is not incapable of closebat. He had mastered the skills of hand-to-hand fighting and dodging. He may be inferior in status, but hisbat experience is vast.

    Eihwaz evaded the big man''s attack with a flick of his wrist and took out five drugs bottles again. He then dropped the bottles at his feet. Naturally, the bottles broke and smoke spewed out from inside.

    The smoke that seemed to envelop Eihwaz and therge man waspletely dissipated in less than a second. The whole thing must have been a magic potion.

    It was supposed to be a dire strait when his self-destruct attack was cancelled out¡­¡­Eihwaz''s smile was the same as at first. But now, it even seemed to be deepening.

    With a look of heartfelt enjoyment on his face, Eihwaz thrusts his arm out toward therge man and speaks.

    ¡¸¨D¨DEternal Coffin!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡­¡­¡¹

    What happened immediately after that was beyond our imagination.

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? How?¡¹

    To my surprise, Eihwaz''s magic was not cancelled out, and he freeze the big man.

    No, So that''s how. The potion that created the smoke that he used beforehand. He made the big man use up all of his magic power by daring him to cancel it out. And then, by making it impossible for him to use the magic cancel, he was able to activate his magic in a rxed manner.

    ¡ºFran, after I saw that, I think I have an easy way to beat these guys¡»

    (Really?)

    ¡ºYeah. After I casted my spell on him. Then, unleash Void Sword Technique on him¡»

    (Understood)

    They use their own magic to counteract it. I should have known that, but I didn''t realize that I could take advantage of that phenomenon. That was my mistake.

    ¡ºHere we go! Try to cancel this!¡»

    I activate 10 magic shots simultaneously, and everything is cancelled out as intended.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    Then, Fran''s Void Sword Technique sliced away the dwarf''s head and pseudo fanatic sword, which had used up all of its magic power. If you think about it, it was a simple matter. With the amount of magic power I had, even if it was a little inefficient, I should have just let him use up all of his magic by pushing him with my magic.

    If there were dozens of opponents, it would be a different story, but if there were only a few, it would be easy to deplete their magic before my power ran out.

    ¡ºHaah. I can''t help but be dismayed by my own dullness. Well, let''s find Gallus now. Reflection willeter¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, you don''t mind if I take this big guy, do you?¡¹

 Chapter 440: Heroes and Maiden

    <h4>Chapter 440: Heroes and Maiden</h4>

    At the end of the hall, there was a ce where a huge door had been sitting¨D¨Dor so it seemed, but only the remains of the door were scattered about. It was the work of the metal corroding potion that Eihwaz had used.

    No matter how huge and airtight the door was, if it was a metal door, it would be ripped apart by the metal corroding potion, and that''s how the other potion got in. Once again, it was a horrible potion.

    Fran and Eihwaz stepped over the wreckage of the door and continued on. Whaty ahead was a prison. A sturdy-looking metal grate was set into it.

    The swordsman on guard was still alive, but one-on-one he was no match for us, who knew how to deal with him. He was killed instantly.

    ¡¸Gallus!¡¹

    Immediately after stepping into the room, Fran started to run. Yes, there was Gallus lying in the prison. After appraising him, it seems that he is only unconscious.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    Fran grabbed the bars and put a lot of pressure on them, but it wouldn''t budge off. Apparently, it was a special metal and had not been corroded by the metal corrosion potion.

    ¡¸It''s probably a magical steel alloy. That potion doesn''t work well on magic metals¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Shii!¡¹

    However, this level of grating would not be a problem if it were not for the magic cancel. Fran easily sliced through the bars and stepped into the prison.

    ¡¸Gallus? Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    She shook Gallus lightly, but he didn''t respond.

    ¡¸¨D¨DGrea¨Dter¨DHe¨Dal! How was it?¡¹ (1)

    ¡ºIt''s no good, he''s not waking up¡»

    It must be the effects of the narcotics. I don''t think it was Eihwaz''s potion. Maybe.

    ¡ºIn the meantime, let''s get Gallus out of here¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    Fran straps the unconscious Gallus to Urushi''s back. The burden on Gallus would be less if we moved while supporting him with telekinesis.

    ¡ºWhat happened to Eihwaz?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Eihwaz was crouching in front of the jail. He seemed to be examining the corpse of the watchmen.

    ¡¸Hohoho. So, he''s inserting the sword into his back from here. Looks like it runs down the back of his spine. It''s durability is¡­I see. It''s not as powerful as a magic sword. Did they build it with this use in mind from the beginning? And about this technique? This is¨D¨D¡¹

    He was dripping a mysterious liquid on the sword and checking the condition of the corpse. On the contrary, he was piercing some kind of needle-like tool into its eyeballs and cutting its wrists to draw blood.

    ¡¸Eihwaz, back to top¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. I see. Well, there doesn''t seem to be anything here anymore. So, is the dwarves safe?¡¹

    ¡¸But, can''t wake him up¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm. Let''s have a look¡¹

    With the corpse firmly tucked away, Eihwaz approached Gallus on Urushi''s back. Fran was not sure if she should stop him or not. But in the end, she decided to let him examine Gallus.

    ¡¸I see, I see¡­¡­¡¹

    Eihwaz is flipping through Gallus'' mouth and eye lids, checking the flow of his magic.

    ¡¸It must be the narcotics. He is mentally drained, and it''s affecting his body¡¹

    ¡¸Will get cured?¡¹

    ¡¸From the looks of it, the contamination is quite advanced, but it hasn''t reached the worst of it. With time, healing won''t be a problem¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so. How can I treat him?¡¹

    ¡¸It could be a high level healing magic or detoxification with alchemy. Narcotics have a strong impact, but there are several medicines to deal with them. If you want, I can treat him for you? A dwarf affected with a narcotic is a very rare specimen¡¹

    Nonono, there''s no way in hell I''m leaving him with Eihwaz! It''s like throwing a roll of raw meat in front of a starving wolf. He would never get away from it. I could only imagine a future where Gallus would be dissected.

    ¡¸No need¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Wa-wait. I''m saying that I''ll cure him right away, right?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s fine¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡­¡¹

    Fran seemed to have thought the same thing as me, and rejected Eihwaz''s words.

    ¡ºWith that said, what should we do now¡»

    I''d like to take him to a safe ce and ask for medical treatment, but where should I take him? The noble district is in the middle of a battle¡­¡­

    ¡ºFran, let''s go to the Adventurer''s Guild. It''s far enough away from the noble district. They might have a fighting force and someone who can heal him¡»

    ¡¸Go to the Adventurer''s Guild¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. It''s not a bad decision. In your point, you can''t just leave it in the hands of the thieves'' guild¡¹

    Surprisingly, Eihwaz agrees with her. I thought he would insist that we leave it with the Thieves'' Guild.

    ¡¸Leave the dwarf to them and let''s go to another battlefield. I''d like to observe them in action¡¹

    Was his matter of interest simply in the pseudo fanatic sword?

    What''s more surprising is that he doesn''t want to go on his own. With his personality, I''m afraid he''s going to leave Fran and go off on his own. No, I''m afraid to unleash Eihwaz alone, so it''s better if he stays within my sight, though.

    ¡¸The world''s rarest thing, an evolved ck cat kin¡­Its true value is not to be missed¡¹

    This guy was curious about Fran too! The way he looked at Fran held the same curiosity that he had for Gallus and the pseudo fanatic sword. It was the way he looked at his precious experiment.

    ¡ºFran, never let Eihwaz get to you, okay?¡»

    (Of course)

    Well, Fran has been keeping a wary eye on Eihwaz since a long time, and I''m sure she''s fine. Maybe she has a wild intuition and senses the look that Eihwaz is giving to her.

    After Fran and Eihwaz got out of the hole they had plunged into as it was, they picked up Face, who was getting anxious, and hurried to the Adventurer''s Guild on their feet.

    Themotion already seemed to be spreading, and people were looking anxious in the civilian and downtown areas. In fact, some travellers and vendors seemed to be hurrying to the gates to escape from the royal capital.

    ¡¸This is a bad. If the battle drags on, it could cause panic as people try to escape from the royal capital¡¹

    It was no wonder that Face was muttering anxiously. The battle seemed to be getting more intense, with loud explosions echoing in rapid session and mysterious lights emanating from the noble district.

    ¡¸No one in here?¡¹

    When we arrived at the Adventurer''s Guild, it was surprisingly deserted. Other than the receptionist, there was no one around. The first person to notice Fran was Stellia, who was still picking at her cookies in her spare time.

    ¡¸Oh, isn''t it the ck Lightning Princess? what''s up?¡¹

    ¡¸What happened to the adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸The guild sent out an urgent request for security. All the people who have time to spare are out of town¡¹

    It seems that the guild is also working properly.

    ¡¸I want you to take care of Gallus¡¹

    ¡¸Gallus¡­by any chance, the Honorary cksmith, Gallus?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran told her that narcotics was keeping him from awake, and he needed medical treatment, and that in some cases the enemy mighte to take him back. Then Steria raised her eyebrows and frowned. With no adventurers around, she must be wondering if she can keep him.

    ¡¸What are you mulling over? Get on quickly¡¹

    ¡¸Haa? Who the hell are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m a former adventurer named Eihwaz¡¹

    The change in Stellia''s face when she was told this by Eihwaz was dramatic. Her scornful expression changed, and she looked like a maiden in love. No, she''s just an olddy.

    ¡¸Ei-Eihwaz-sama? A-are you by any chance, Eihwaz the dragon binder?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. This is the guild card I used to use¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll take a look!¡¹

    Steria picked up Eihwaz''s guild card with a slightly trembling hand. Then, with a serious face, she checked it for authenticity.

    ¡¸I-it''s the real one! It''s the real Eihwaz! I-it''s a honor to meet you!¡¹

    ¡¸Umu¡¹

    It''s a ss change from being a pouty olddy to an idol chaser. Stellia is staring at Eihwaz with sparkling eyes. The tone of her voice is probably a step higher.

    The other receptionists stared in amazement at her transformation.

    ¡¸So, can you take care of this dwarf and treat him?¡¹

    ¡¸Ye-yes! Of course!¡¹

    I guess she really admire him. Instead of being offended by Eihwaz''s big attitude, she nodded happily, and her cheeks dyed red.

    But, is it okay if it was this easy?

    ¡¸Are you okay? The enemy mighte here¡¹

    ¡¸I''m fine! Just leave it to me! I''m still a former rank B adventurer! Besides, I''ll summon all the high-ranked adventurers who didn''t respond to this call as soon as I can! I''ll also call for a healer and an alchemist right away!¡¹

    Do the adventurers who didn''t respond to the call would listen to her?

    ¡¸Fufun. How many years do you think I''ve been in this guild? I at least have three or four adventurer''s weakness. I didn''t want to work for the noble, but for Eihwaz-sama, that''s a different story!¡¹

    It seems that Aunt Steria was more powerful in the shadows than I had imagined. Well, I guess I can leave this one to her.

    Besides,e to think of it, he''s a cksmith with the potential to make something as crazy as a pseudo fanatic sword. It might be a bad idea to leave him in this country. Mainly in terms of Gallus'' freedom. If King Kranzel had big ambitions, he would not have the option of freeing Gallus. I can only imagine a future where he is forced into very and then forced to engage in the mass production of pseudo fanatic swords.

    In this respect, the adventurer''s guild can be a strong voice for the country. However, let''s make a push. Fran takes out a million golds on the counter and tells Stellia.

    ¡¸Then I''ll make the request. I want you to take care of Gallus and keep him safe. And no one but us. In particr, do not hand him over to the country or anyone else. This will cover your expenses¡¹

    ¡¸Let''s add my name to the list. I don''t want to be ripped off by the state¡¹

    ¡¸Is there a reason for this? Well, that''s okay. If Eihwaz-sama asks me to do something. I''ll do it, no matter what! And the rewards are plenty¡¹

    It was a request made directly to the guild by an adventurer. The guild''s reputation would be at stake if they lost Gallus. I''m sure they will protect him.

    ¡¸Also, I''m leaving my follower. Urushi, if anything happens to him, take Gallus and run away¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Worst case scenario, Urushi should be able to protect Gallus.

    ¡¸Well then, we''d better get going¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Our goal is to get to the square in front of the royal castle. I''ve heard that Count Bailleys is there.

    Note:

    (1) ¨D¨D¥°¥ì©`¥¿©`¥Ò©`¥ë gure-ta-hi-ru, i don''t know why the use of spacing is, for intonation maybe.

    (2) That was the longest Fran''s line that i can remember lol¡­

 Chapter 441: Battle in front of the Royal Castle

    <h4>Chapter 441: Battle in front of the Royal Castle</h4>

    When we stepped into the noble district, we were immediately confronted by men with pseudo fanatic swords stuck in them. However, as long as they were far enough, my telekic catapult would kill them instantly.

    I had to give some of them away, though, because Eihwaz imed them.

    ¡¸Fuhaha. I still have some things to try¡¹

    He slurped down the potion he had taken out of his pocket. It seemed to be a body enhancing potion. He jumped into his opponent''s bosom at once and began to fight with the swordsman.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I see I see! Drugs and skill with body strengthening effect can be used¨D¨DIn other words, magic counteracting does not work for things that act in the body!¡¹

    He threw the medicine he had taken out at the enemy who was charging at him. At the same time, he plunged into the enemy with his fists clenched.

    He''s good. If he dodges the potion, he''ll probably fall prey to Eihwaz''s physical strengthened fist. If he wants to get rid of the potion, he needs to consumes magic power to activate magic cancel to cancel out the potion''s effect and his magic would be drained Either way, Eihwaz had the advantage.

    He then uses his ice magic to freeze the enemy, who has used up all of his magic by cleaving the medicine with his sword, he wins without a scratch.

    It seems that Eihwaz true essence was the use of his magic, closebat and potion together. If we have to fight him, he is a very nasty opponent with no noticeable gaps.

    Fran seemed to have thought the same thing, and was observing Eihwaz''s battle with an eye as if looking for a weakness.

    ¡ºAside from magic and hand-to-handbat technique, drugs ispletely unknown to us¡­¡»

    (Nn. Strong)

    After a few battles, Fran and Eihwaz reached the square in front of the royal castle.

    The za in front of the royal castle was made quiterge in order to amodate a military parade. However, there was a fierce battle going on there, more than I had imagined.

    There were about 100 enemies. Among them, there were probably about 40 with pseudo fanatic swords stuck in them. Along with them, an ogre-like magical beast about two meters tall was running rampant.

    When I appraised it, it came up as a Flesh Greater Golem (1). Apparently, it was a golem made from a corpse. It was also quite strong. Its agility was low, but it was sturdy and had regeneration ability. It would be quite a nuisance while being protected by the Pseudo Fanatic Sword''s magic counteracting power. At least a few knights should not be able to resist it.

    In contrast, there were probably about 200 knights. If you include those who had already fallen, there were probably more than 500. There were also adventurers in the crowd.

    There''s Colbert too. There''s even an appearance of Eliante. I didn''t expect her to be here. The two of them are still moving exceptionally well. However, there were five people who were showingparable work.

    Maybe the five of them were in the same party. They wore armor of the same design and fought in tandem. Maybe they were the half-insect kin.

    ¡ºI think that''s the mercenary group Eliante was talking about. I believe it was called Antennae and Shells (2) or something like that¡­¡­¡»

    Well, it was just as the name implied. Some of them have antennae growing out of their heads, while others have parts of their bodies covered with hard shells.

    The species are hardy shrimps, locusts, ms, dragonfly, and fanged ants (3). However, it seems that they are still struggling due to their inability to use skills and magic. Even so, they fought in tandem and seemed to have killed more than ten flesh golems, which was impressive.

    (Master, there''s the count)

    ¡ºIn the meantime, lets join him¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran ran across the battlefield at once and cut down the swordsmen infested by the pseudo fanatic swords around Count Bailleys and the others.

    The knights were stunned to see their struggling opponent defeated so easily. But when the Count saw that it was Fran who had appeared, he nodded approvingly.

    ¡¸As expected of the ck Lightning Princess! How did you do that? You looked different form the time of the battle at the mansion¡¹

    So, Fran tells them what to do. The Count, however, has a difficult look on his face. If you think about it, it wasn''t so easy to fire off a bunch of magic to drain the magic power, or to throw a bunch of magic potions.

    ¡¸Lets collect all the potions we can find or go to¡­Anyway, I''ve heard good things about you. Can you help me eradicate this square first?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But, are the other ce is fine?¡¹

    Enemies must have appeared from the Marquis Ashtner''s and Count Ormes'' mansions¡­¡­

    ¡¸¡­They should be fine. Rank A adventurers are heading there¡¹

    ¡¸Heading there?¡¹

    ¡¸We''ve had a lot of adventurerse through here for the auction. Eliante talked me about it¡¹

    Is that so? If you''re a high-ranking adventurer, you''re probably interested in the auction. The auction has already ended, but I''m sure there are many adventurers still left in royal capital.

    ¡¸What about Velmeria?¡¹

    ¡¸We haven''t found her yet. Forget about my daughter for now. Think only of defeating the enemy. The safety of royal capital is more important¡¹

    After all, he was probably saying these words to himself as well. The Count told Fran with an expression as if he was holding something back.

    ¡¸Don''t worry. The adventurers will rescue her. She should be fine¡¹

    ¡ºFran. Since we can''t find her, all we can do now is reduce the enemy''s strength¡»

    ¡¸¡­All right. I''ll take care of the enemy here for now¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, let''s go, shall we? The flesh walls are just to attract our attention. It will be easy to be done withter. Let''s ignore the meat wall and reduce the number of swordsmen first¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Then Fran and the others ran out into the battlefield.

    ¡¸Awakening¨D¨D¡¹

    We don''t even know what kind of battle we''ll have after this. Let¡¯s save ck Lightning Rush forter. But it seems for this battlefield, awakening alone was enough.

    Although it was a melee, it was easy to distinguish friend from foe by using the pseudo fanatic sword as a marker. All we have to do is sneak up from their blind spot and strike the pseudo fanatic sword with all our might.

    In some cases, barriers or other factors may prevent that attack from being determined, in that case, simply switch to a magic saturated attack.

    ¡¸Eh? Why a child here¨D¨Dwhat!¡¹

    ¡¸What? A ck shadow!¡¹

    The knights are surprised to see Fran suddenly appear and easily bury a powerful enemy. However, Fran ignores them and runs on the battlefield.

    Boooom!

    An explosion and a knight''s scream. Apparently Eihwaz is hustling too.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    From the middle of the battle, not only Colbert and Eliante, but also the mercenaries came to the aid of Fran. They dared to move mboyantly to attract the attention of the enemy. This made the job even easier.

    It took us less than fifteen minutes to clean up the pseudo fanatic sword holders. Then, against thest enemy, I tried to unleash a controlled amount of Kanna Kamui. I wanted to find out how much magic that sword could still counteract to.

    ¡ºHmm, It should be as strong as Thor Hammer (4) or something huh¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It seemed that a magic of Kanna Kamui ss could not be counteracted as expected. Although the power of the thunder was considerably reduced, the thunderbolt annihted the enemy along with the pseudo fanatic sword, leaving a huge crater in the square in front of the royal castle.

    ¡ºThat was a bit overkill¡»

    ¡¸It''s better than being cancelled out¡¹

    Note:

    (1) ¥Õ¥ì¥Ã¥·¥å?¥°¥ì©`¥¿©`?¥´©`¥ì¥à furesshu gur¨¥t¨¡ g¨­remu

    (2) ´¥½Ç¤È¼×š£ shokkaku to koukaku. On ch. 434 it was Tentacles and Shells. Changed into Antennae and Shells.

    (3) ˆÔº£ÀÏ Ken Ebi, ïw»È batta, ò× shen, òÝòö kagerou, ÑÀÏ kiba ari . I never thought shrimp and ms was an insect!? They are ÏxÈË mushibito insect-men,¡­¡­or maybe, anything small and have carapace like exosskeleton counted as insect¡­? nvm

    (4) ¥È©`¥ë?¥Ï¥ó¥Þ©` T¨­ru hanm¨¡

 Chapter 442: In the End, Thereâ€™s Him Here

    <h4>Chapter 442: In the End, There''s Him Here</h4>

    I thought it was better than being cancelled out, so I used it, but I think Kanna Kamui was a bit too much.

    A hole about five meters in diameter was drilled in the square in front of the royal castle, and the surrounding knights and flesh golems were reaped by the impact.

    It was much less powerful, but it has saved their life. If it had been as powerful as it was, it would have been quite a disaster. No, it may have been a bad idea to open a hole in front of the royal castle in the first ce.

    I can feel the knights'' eyes on us. I wonder if they are angry with me for blowing a hole in front of the royal castle.¡¡However, it seems that they don''t have time to talk to Fran as they are soon engaged in a battle with the flesh golem.

    Eihwaz was starring at Fran, but he was quickly attacked by a flesh golem and moved to deal with that. It may be troublesometer huh.

    ¡ºWe''ll do the golem too¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After clearing out the pseudo fanatic sword wielder, we moved on to clearing out the flesh golem.

    While they were certainly strong, they were no match for us at this level. Once again, I had enough time to observe the battles of the other adventurers and mercenaries.

    Colbert has be like a normal fighter. It seems that the cost of losing the Dimitris style was great. His attack power seems to have dropped drastically, and he has been dealing damage to the Flesh Golem with a series of attacks.

    However, now that he was no longer in a sealed state, his body movement itself would have improved. The loss of the Dimitris style must have led to more rigorous training. He probably has talent to begin with, and he will grow even more in the future.

    Eliante was not what she appeared to be at all, she was a super power fighter. As if she was taking the stress of her job out on the fight, she was swinging a huge sword that was bigger than her with one hand and mming it into the flesh golem.

    ¡¸Ahahahahahahahahaha! Horahorahorahoraa!¡¹

    I thought she didn''t have antennae for a half-insect kin, but it seems she had hidden them in her hair. From between her untied purple hair grew a rather thick antennae that at first nce appeared to be long horns.

    She appears to be a half-spider. She wraps threads sprayed from the palm of her hand around the golem, blocking its movement. It''s like an American spider-man ability. Eliante ran into it and mmed her big sword into it, and the loudughter that she kept raising gave her a great sense of being a mad warrior.

    The five members of the mercenary group are strong individually, but they are also highly coordinated. It''s enough to change the image you had of mercenaries.

    ¡ºSo there''s such a strong mercenary huh¡»

    (Nn)

    That''s natural, but it can''t be helped because I hadn''t encountered them before. If you think about it, the strongest mercenaries are probably on the battlefield, and conversely, it''s no surprise that the mercenaries we usually meet of aren''t a big deal.

    The hot-blooded-looking man who had just mmed his fist into the flesh golem in front of Fran seemed to be the leader. He''s giving orders to everyone. Hard shrimp?¡¡Maybe he''s a lobster or lobster-type half-insect kin.

    A red, slippery shell covered his face and the middle of his right hand. The shell around his fist in particr had a huge, aggressive form, like a hammer with spikes. He was fighting by swinging his fist. He was also using water magic to overwhelm a flesh golem that was equivalent to several knights by himself.

    The legs of these half-insect kin locusts are very thick. The upper body is slender and beautiful, but only the legs have an unusual volume, as if they were cut out of arge tree and attached.

    On his lower body, he''s wearing a pair of dowdy pants like a bonton to amodate the change, and now his bloated legs are squeezed tightly inside the bonton.

    ¡¸I''m breaking it! Zeyaaaaaa!¡¹

    However, it seemed that his leg strength was even more tremendous than I had imagined. When the boy (1) kicked the golem with his foot, the huge body of the golem, which must have weighed well over a ton, floated. His movements were as fluid as Tae Kwon Do or Capoeira, and he seemed to specialize in attacking with the power of his legs.

    The female spear woman was moving in a strange way. The thin wings on her back were not designed for flight, but she seemed to be using them to make sudden movements. In addition, her slender body was swaying and moving in an unusually tricky manner. The sleepy, half-eyed expression on her face made it difficult for even us to predict her movements. It may not mean much against flesh golems, but it will be very effective against humans.

    The fanged ant half-insect kin are simr to a human in appearance, with the only differences being her antennae and eyes. It is a beautiful, innocent-looking girl of about 160 centimetres, who doesn''t look particrly strong. However, her power is far from human. I''ve never seen a dual axe wielder before. In addition, she seems to be able to spit venom from her mouth. She attacks the golem''s single eye with the venom precisely. It''s a fighter with a few tricks up her sleeve, so it seems that the half-insect kin are not to be underestimated.

    I''m not sure what it is, but it''s a race of half-insect kin called ms. It seems to be a shellfish¡­I''m not sure if it''s the same thing. I guess bugs even include that kind of species. He is a big man who seems to be a simple man. He''s got a gentle but powerful air about him. It seems that he is not a warrior, but a magician who uses illusion. However, as he was of shellfish, the shell covering his shoulders and back seemed to have a high level of defense. He was able to catch the huge fist of the Flesh Golem with a curled-up stance. It was a strange way to be a tank and a magician.

    Beside them, Fran was overkilling flesh golems with all of her skills and magic, as if to relieve the frustration of being forced to fight so inconveniently with her magic and skills blocked.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    She slices off the golem''s limbs, burns it with magic, and finally slices off its torso and head with sheaths of wind (2). I guess it feels good to be able to use all her strength without limitations.

    ¡¸Oi! We can''t lose to that beastman girl!¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we are getting high rewards after all! To get that reward we need to work hard!¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    It seems that the Insect Rangers (3) have gotten motivated. Since they are bugs, they seem to be more like modified humans, but there are five of them. What about the Antenna Squadron: Koukakuger? (4)

    While we were fighting like that, there was a huge magical reaction in the middle of the square. At the same time, purple smoke covered the square with tremendous force.

    ¡ºFran, don''t ever breath that smoke! My danger detection is ringing loudly!¡»

    (Nn!)

    It was clearly a poisonous fog. I hurriedly protected Fran with wind barriers and the like. The nearby insect kin rangers instantly gathered, and I could see them defending against the poisonous fog with wind barriers of the dragonfly and water barriers of the hard shrimp.

    Then, after the poisonous fog clears, the flesh golems, knights, and adventurers appear lying in the square, convulsing. The old man''s loudughter echoed through the air.

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha. I seem the paralysis poison is effective against flesh golems because it''s made from human flesh¡¹

    It seemed that Eihwaz had unleashed a deadly poisonous spell on friend and foe alike.

    ¡¸Don''t worry. It''s paralytic poison. I''ll give antidote for itter. For now, whoever''s still alive, destroy the flesh soldiers¡¹

    ¡¸That old man, even his ally too¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Guildmaster! The golem should be our priority right now¡¹

    I hope Eliante and Colbert were okay. Eliante was about to sh at Eihwaz, but Colbert was holding him back.

    Well, it actually didn''t do much damage to human, and it would be better to destroy the flesh golems as Eihwaz said.

    The mercenaries follow his words, even though they are angry. But they are a reasonable one, I''m sure. In a way, it''s a battle strategy that can only be done because Eihwaz doesn''t even think of people as people.

    ¡¸It''s just going to take a lot of time if I didn''t do this, isn''t it?¡¹

    There was only one person who nodded in agreement with Eihwaz''s words.

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Wha, Fran? Did he just impress you? You can''t do that! Don''t you ever imitate him!

    Note:

    (1) Author san mentioned him as shounen, maybe he looks like a kid

    (2) On previous chapter it''s Void Sword Technique, changed into Sheath of Wind (as cardboard tl use on TKSD chapter 199 thanks to Sarrink)

    (3) Ïx¥ì¥ó¥¸¥ã©` Mushi Renj¨¡-

    (4) ´¥½Ç‘éê ¥³¥¦¥«¥¯¥¸¥ã©` Shokkaku sentai koukakuj¨¡

 Chapter 443: End of Battle in the Square

    <h4>Chapter 443: End of Battle in the Square</h4>

    The battle has ended due to Eihwaz''s outburst, and now relief is being provided by those who were safe. The paralysis has been lifted long ago, but some of them were wounded before that.

    However, only Eihwaz rushed to Fran''s rescue.

    ¡¸Little girl! That''s some serious magic!¡¹

    She asked Fran a question with a glint in his eye. But there was no hint of jealousy or a sense of defeat in his eyes. What was there was an intense curiosity and inquisitiveness.

    ¡¸I didn''t expect it, you are extremely good at thunder magic!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I-i never thought I could control that thing on my own¡­¡­Are you assisted by some kind of magic tool?¡¹

    ¡¸Secret¡¹

    ¡¸Ca-can you do something about it!¡¹

    ¡¸No¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh. Then how does it feel? How much magic is used? How hard is it to control? For example, How much is it consumedpared to other magic?¡¹

    Fran dodges Eihwaz''s constant barrage of questions, answering themzily. No, Fran is serious, but she only answers with ¡¸a lot¡¹ or ¡¸really a lot¡¹

    For the theoretical Eihwaz, he didn''t understand it at all. Eventually, he gave up.

    ¡¸But still, what does it mean? Is this really a rank C¡­? Are the eyes of the guild that blind¡­? No, maybe it''s because she''s a child? By the way? which guild do you affiliate with?¡¹

    ¡¸Affiliate?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you traveling around? So, do you know the name of Klimut or Amanda? Or you are rted to Allesa?¡¹

    ¡¸Know both, be adventurer in Allesa¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Eihwaz seems convinced.

    ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda and Klimut are both negative about sending children into battlefield. They''re really powerful in this country. If their backing is visible, not many people will be willing to raise your rank¡¹

    I guess they are not keeping Fran from ranking up. But, if a child is registered in Alessa and has information that she is close to Amanda, a normal guild master might not think of taking advantage of her badly.

    ¡¸If you rise above rank B, the nobles will get annoying. I quit being an adventurer because of that¡¹

    To the extent that this very picture of insolence is annoying for him?

    ¡¸Are noble, that annoying?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Their intelligencework is foolproof. Their messenger wille out of nowhere when he hears that you''ve risen to Rank B. Some are low and some are high-handed, but they all have one thing inmon: they want you to be under them. No matter how many times you say no, they won''t give up¡¹

    ¡¸Even if I say no?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess they have special ears that can only hear what''s inconvenient¡¹

    Is this what they said with disliking people simr to oneself? I''m starting to thing they''re like Eihwaz huh?

    ¡¸No matter which town I went to, or even out from the country. There are nobles in everywhere. Especially since I''ve made a name for myself as a dragon yer¡­¡­The more powerful you are, the more likely for you to be recruited¡¹

    ¡¸I have no desire to serve a nobleman¡¹

    ¡¸They won''t care what you want. They''re noblemen, remember? They never expect to be rejected. So, if you do, they''ll resent you. Hmmph, that''s ridiculous¡¹

    He was fed up with having to deal with nobles every day like that, so he quit being an adventurer. There was a way for him to be a guild master like Gamudo and Diaz, but he turned it down.

    ¡¸That would leave no time for my experiment¡¹

    Other than that, it seems that the norm is to associate with nobles in moderation, receive support in moderation, and be shielded by other nobles, like Amanda and Forrund.

    But I don''t think Eihwaz is capable of that. And I don''t think Fran can either. I can imagine a future where She''d blow it up and get in trouble. Maybe it''s okay to leave things as they are until Fran grows up a bit more.

    Anyway, was Klimut really that influential?¡¡He was strong, sure, but he didn''t seem to be a top rank A adventurer. As a guild master, does he get a pass because he''s been working for many years?

    When Fran mentioned the question, Eihwaz snickered.

    ¡¸Fun. How can you look at a high-ranking spirit user with mere status? It''s like having dozens of transparent, covert magical beasts at your disposal¡¹

    I don''t really know what a spirits is. I''ve only seen a spirits used by Klimut once. Eihwaz said that by using spirits that are difficult to detect, it is possible to fight in a variety of ways. He said that Klimut was a particrly skilled spiritualist.

    ¡¸In the first ce, do you know what his second names are? It¡¯s Cmity, Klimut the Cmity. A destructive force that brings destruction and misfortune to friend and foe alike. Kukukuh. Well, that second names are not true, but¡­¡­Still, his ability is outstanding even among Rank A. No, he''s retired now and used to be Rank A, right? Anyway, depending on how he fights, he could probably go toe-to-toe with S ranker¡¹

    I-i didn''t know he were such a great adventurer. Maybe spirit magic is even worse than I thought. When I think about it, we can find a dungeon on the ins of the Demon Wolf, a grade A magical area, and Raidos Kingdom. Alessa is surrounded by troubles on all sides. It might be that you have to be pretty good to be the guild master of Allesa.

    ¡¸Well, I don''t really care with that story¡¹

    With that, Eihwaz looks at Fran.

    ¡¸Hmm? Would you like to be dissected by me? I''ll give you a million. I can guarantee your life!¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn''t want¡¹

    ¡¸2 Million! How about 2 million? Just for a second I''ll open up your head and observe the magic transmission in your brain!¡¹

    ¡¸Can''t do¡¹

    ¡¸B-by all means?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    While we were having this conversation, Count Bailleys came running up to us.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess. It''s safe here now. I want you to head to Marquis Ashtner¡¯s residence with the adventurers. Can you please move?¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸I''ming too!¡¹

    ¡¸No, I''ll have you join the magician corps¡¹

    Eihwaz shouted without pause, but Count Bailleys did not agree.

    ¡¸We do not have enough mages. I''ll need you to instruct the mages on how to deal with the swordsmen, and then we''ll head to Count Olmes'' residence¡¹

    ¡¸You have a court magician right! No, wait. Is now the time for it huh?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. Ashtner was probably aiming for a time when royal capital''s troop strength would be reduced¡¹

    It seems that half of the knights and magician have been dispatched to a magicalnd near the royal capital. The magicalnd itself is not that dangerous, as it is said to be a ss C area. However, once every four years, arge outbreak of locust-shaped magical beasts urs. In order to exterminate the locusts, the strength of the royal capital would been reduced by half.

    Marquis Ashtner naturally knew about it, of course, and he must have timed his rebellion to coincide with that period.

    ¡¸As a reward, I''ll try to lift the bounty that has been ced on you!¡¹

    ¡¸A bounty?¡¹

    ¡¸Umu. So much for being a free man, right? I''m sure there''s a bounty or two on your head¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    I thought about it at the same time as Fran did.

    ¡¸Fun. I don''t really care about it, and I dot mind if you didn''t lift it. But, well¡­¡­When you''re done with this, you''ll send me the materials you''ve confiscated. And I''ll take a sample, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­We''ll do everything we can to amodate you.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuh. So be it, I''ll take care of the magicians¡¹

    ¡¸Please don''t do anything rash¡¹

    ¡¸I know¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You don''t seem to understand. That''s why I had to remind you¡¹

    Count Bailleys exhaled lightly as he looked at the square where the rescue still continued.

    It seems that Bailleys is aware of Eihwaz character. He probably doesn''t want to use him, but there is no way to avoid using such a talented person in this situation. In the end, the only thing he can do is to fish for profit and nail him.

    ¡¸I beg you, please¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuh. I know I know¡¹

    You''re not going toply with this, are you?

 Chapter 444: Marquisâ€™ Residence

    <h4>Chapter 444: Marquis'' Residence</h4>

    After Count Bailleys sorted the force, Fran was among the adventurers led by Eliante.

    ¡¸Then, we are going too¡¹

    ¡¸I rely on you, Eliante¡¹

    ¡¸I know. Thene with me, ck Lightning Princess¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    At themand of Eliante, the guild master, all the adventurers rush out at once. The core of the group was Fran, Eliante, and Colbert, but the other 20 were probably all rank D or higher.

    On the way, he gives us information about the rank A adventurer who was sent to Marquis Ashtner''s residence.

    ¡¸The one who was sent to Marquis Residence was ¡ºSword of the West Wind¡»¡¹

    ¡¸Sword of the West Wind? Is that a party?¡¹

    ¡¸You didn''t know? A small, elite party led by a rank A adventurer, ¡ºZephyrd of the Skywall¡»¡¹

    When Fran said she didn''t know the name, the adventurers around her looked at her with astonishment and dismay. They must be a very famous adventurer party.

    The adventurers around us are telling her more details as we go. It seems that Sword of the West Wind is a very powerful party, made up of rank B adventurers except for Zephyrd.

    It is said that Zephyrd''s individual abilities are inferior to Forrund and Amanda. However, as a party, Zephyrd is the best in the country and is said to be more stable than Forrund and the others who are solo.

    ¡¸And they are usually famous among people withmon sense¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? What do you mean?¡¹

    It didn''t make sense at first, but now that it''s been exined, I can understand it better. It''s hard to say that high-ranking adventurers are sensible people no matter how you look at it. Among them, by havingmon sense will make them stand out.

    ¡¸Forrund, Amanda, Eihwaz, and also, Fran. You''re not exactly a person withmon sense, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Fran is tilting her head, but I had to nod mine. Well, I''d like to tell Eliante to put her own name in there. I guess it just goes to show that no one really knows who themselves is.

    ¡ºI''m looking forward to meet them¡»

    (Nn)

    Maintaining a fairly high speed while conversing like this, the group arrived at Marquis Ashtner''s residence. There was still a fierce battle going on there.

    ¡¸I can''t see Zephyrd and the others around? It''s no use. We''ll take this ce in one fell swoop¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hold on. Leave it to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Wa¨D¨D¡¹

    Fran interrupted Eliante''s words and elerated alone.

    ¡ºThe first thing we need to do is disable the pseudo fanatic sword¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I think I''ll imitate from Eihwaz ways here. No, As expected, I can''t spread poison magic around like him.

    The first thing I did was to try to shoot one magic shot, but it was cancelled just as I intended. After all, they don''t just see my magic and cancel it out, but they are constantly activating their magic cancelling power.

    ¡ºYosh, we can do this!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The magic I use was a magic that does not harm our allies when activated. It was healing magic. By putting in an excessive amount of magic power, the range is increased.

    As I thought, I couldn''t cover all of the vast garden that couldn''t be called a garden anymore, but if we used it while moving around, we could cover a lot of ground.

    We continued to run around the battlefield at high speed, activating our ranged healing magic. And we make sure that most of the enemies in the vicinity have used up their magic.

    There may be a few who are safe, but with our strength, a few of them are not a problem.

    ¡ºThe ones in this garden have already lost their magic!¡»

    ¡¸Eliante! You can use your magic and skills now!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    When Fran used magic to show them in front of the bewildered Eliante, their actions were quick.

    At Eliante''smand, the adventurers headed towards the enemy at once. Together with the surviving knights, they annihted the swordsmen who had been parasitized by the pseudo fanatic sword.

    However, Fran''s expression did not clear up. There was a reason why we were in such a hurry to get rid of the pseudo fanatic sword.

    (Master, any presence inside the mansion?

    ¡ºThere is!¡»

    There was a strange presence emanating from inside the house. But Eliante and the others didn''t seem to notice it. Fran couldn''t sense it either. It must be the same kind of mysterious disgust that only I can sense.

    The next moment, however, Eliante and the others changed theirplexion. A powerful magic power was emitted from inside the house. It was enough pressure to make Fran change herplexion too. The adventurers and knights seemed to have noticed this as well.

    It was right after that.

    BOOOOOOOM!

    With a tremendous roar, something bursts through the wall of the mansion.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­!¡¹

    It was a man with scars all over his body. His green hair and masculine face peeked out from between his shattered full face. It wasn''t just his helmet. The metal armor he wore had holes in it, as if it had melted in ces, and a lot of blood was pouring out.

    Seeing the man, Eliante raises her voice.

    ¡¸Zephyrd!¡¹

    How, this half-dead man was a rank A adventurer!

    It is true that his abilities are tremendous. He seems to be a warrior who specializes in shields, and has a level 7 shield saint skill (3). In addition to that, he has a wide range of skills that increase his defense, such as barrier and body strengthening.

    His attack power is low, but with this man, he can defend against most attacks. A rank A adventurer who specializes in defense is about to die? What the hell was he fighting?

    ¡¸Gu-guild master¡­huh¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Greater Heal!¡¹

    In a sh, Fran healed him with magic. However, one shot was not enough to make him fully recovered. After that, she used several shots of Greater Heal and managed to recover Zephyrd.

    ¡¸¡­That guy is, a monster¡¹

    ¡¸That guy?¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone was, killed by him! It''sing!¡¹

    Is it frustration, fear, or despair? Zephyrd''s face twisted into a scream. There was none of the dignity of a rank A adventurer in his voice.

    ¡¸It''s Marquis Ashtner!¡¹

    From: https://todstl.blogspot/2021/01/tenken-444.html

 Chapter 445: Marquis Ashtner

    <h4>Chapter 445: Marquis Ashtner</h4>

    Rank A adventurer, Zephyrd, screamed.

    ¡¸It''s Marquis Ashtner!¡¹

    Then, a figure slowly emerged from therge hole in the wall of the mansion that had been blown open by Zephyrd.

    So, this guy is Marquis Ashtner. He wears magic armor and cloak made of orichalcon, it was so gorgeous and gilded as much as possible. You could probably have enough fund to build a small fort with just the armor.

    He was a skinny, bald, and unhealthy-looking old man.

    His skin has lost all moisture and looks like the trunk of a cracked old tree. His eye sockets are deeply sunken, and underneath are dark circles that look as if they were painted with ck ink. He has no beard, let alone hair. This makes him look more like a fake.

    Despite of hisckluster appearance, his back was straight and his figure radiated a strange sense of intimidation.

    His appearance is fearsome, as if a vicious spirit has taken over a mummy and is moving it. If this were a Hollywood movie set in Egypt, he would certainly be the boss.

    Eliante mutters in disbelief as she stares at the old man.

    ¡¸Is, Is that, that Marquis Ashtner? It ¡¯s not at the level of sudden change anymore¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Cause, that guy, When we met a few years ago, he was a lot fatter¡¹

    Apparently, his appearance has changed quite a bit. No, it seems that it is not only his appearance that has changed.

    ¡¸In the first ce, that magic power¡­¡­Is impossible¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Cuz that guy, He was supposed to be a liberal aristocrat who had hardly ever been on the battlefield¡­¡­I''m intimidated by magic like that¡­¡¹

    I see, she means he shouldn''t be this strong. However, the current Marquis Ashtner has gained tremendous strength. It was clear from the appraisal.

    Name: Wenaria Gale Ashtner

    Age: 66 years old

    Race: Human

    Job: Sword Saint

    State: Fanaticism, Superhumanization

    Status Level: 36

    HP: 911

    MP: 1208

    Strength: 541

    Physical Strength: 320

    Agility: 520

    Intelligence: 169

    Magic: 778

    Dexterity: 123

    Skill

    Intimidation: LvMax, Acting: Lv2, me Magic: Lv7, Singing: Lv3, Complete Barrier: Lv6, Crisis Detection: Lv8, Riding: Lv3, Vital Point Detection: Lv6, Court work: Lv7, Madness: LvMax, Presence Detection: Lv9, Sword Saint Technique: Lv7, Sword Saint Skill: LvMax, Negotiation: Lv4, Superhuman Strength: Lv7, Poetry: Lv5, Socializing: Lv3, Instantaneous Regeneration: Lv7, Instant Blink: Lv6, Abnormal Condition Resistance: Lv7, Life Steal: Lv4, Elemental Sword: Lv8, Earth Magic: Lv4, Poison Resistance: Lv7, Poison Knowledge: Lv6, Vigour: Lv7, Dancing: Lv3, Magic Resistance: Lv8, Magic Detection: Lv9, Magic Steal: Lv6, Magma Magic: Lv8, Enhanced Intimidation, Chant less, Enhanced Regeneration, Body Strengthening, Sense of Bnce, Magic Control, Night Vision.

    Unique Skill

    Vitality Control

    Extra Skill

    Superhuman

    Title

    Weak Will, Marquis, Spender

    To put it bluntly, he was stronger than a rank A adventurer. He was as strong as the Beast King. His skills were especially amazing. Sword Saint Skill: Lv. 10 is probably the highest level of our enemies this far.

    Is the high status due to his extra skill of superhuman? As the name suggests, he really is a superhuman.

    Moreover, theposition of his skills is strange. While there were high-level skills such as sword saint skill, me magic, and magic steal, there were no lower-level skills that were prerequisites for them. It was as if he was suddenly given only those skills in one day.

    It''s like my skill sharing with Fran.

    The Marquis opens his mouth in front of us, who shudder at his strength.

    ¡¸¨D¨DKihihihihi, I got a lot of small fry here¡­¡¹

    His expression waspletely unchanging, but the atmosphere of his words sounded like a lowly thug. To begin with, it was strange that he could talk, unlike the others who were controlled by pseudo fanatic swords.

    More to the point, Marquis Ashtner did not have a pseudo fanatic sword stuck in him. And yet, he didn''t have that half-broken demon sword in his hand either.

    But since his state had be fanaticism, it was certain that he was being manipted.

    ¡¸So, you are Ashtner?¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder?¡¹

    I got the impression that something inside Ashtner was using his mouth to speak. No, maybe it was definitely something other than Ashtner.

    ¡¸Well, why don''t you just die anyway?¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone! Gather around!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhahaha! Volcanic Gazer!¡¹

    Hearing Eliante''s instructions, the adventurers tried to gather around Eliante, but it was a moment toote.

    As if in response to Marquis Ashtner''s words, a tremendous amount of bright redva spewed out, breaking the ground of the Marquis'' residence.

    Magma rose up like a fountain from the deep fissures in the earth that had been created in every direction. The super-heated magma turned into a tsunami that swallowed the adventurers and knights in the garden. We quickly set up wind barrier around the area, but it couldn''t protect everyone.

    A few adventurers and knights were swallowed by theva and disappeared without even being able to scream. After the magic ended, theva vanished as if it had been an illusion. Not a single human corpse was left in its wake. It seemed that they hadpletely turned into charcoal and disappeared.

    A few remnants of magic armor were all that remained of their existence.

    ¡¸This is dangerous¡­¡­If he fires a bunch of magic, we can''t do anything to block it off¡­! All adventurers of rank C or lower except Fran evacuate immediately! Evacuate the surrounding residents!¡¹

    They must have realized that the small fry would only slow them down. Eliante instructed the adventurers.

    ¡¸You''re not getting away!¡¹

    The Marquis readied himself to pursue the fleeing adventurers.

    ¡ºFran, I''ll cover the adventurer''s retreat! Go at once! If we do wait and see approach here, we''ll only be killed!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Awakening! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    He must have noticed the presence emanating from the awakened Fran. Marquis Ashtner stopped his pursuit of the adventurer and turned his gaze to Fran. But our preparations are already over.

    ¡ºSuperhuman or whatever he is, you can''t ignore us right? Kuraaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸Thor Hammer!¡¹

    My release of Kanna Kamui and Fran''s Thor Hammer intertwine and rain down on Marquis Ashtner. No matter how strong he is, he won''t be able to handle the speed of lightning. This speed and the high hit rate are the strengths of thunderbolt magic.

    ¡¸Oaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡¹

    The white lightning, we released hit the Marquis directly. However, to our surprise, the Marquis had clothed his sword, which he had pulled out of the item bag at his waist, with magic power and was receiving our magic. For several seconds, the Marquis resisted the extreme magic that poured down on him incessantly. In the end, the Marquis could not endure and his figure was swallowed by the lightning, but it is still an opponent that cannot be measured bymon sense.

    ¡ºFran, Lets go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I don''t think we could have defeated it with just that. Just before the lightning struck its body, I saw that he had put up a barrier. Besides, he has high resistant to magic.

    Defying the shock and st generated by Kanna Kamui, Fran ran toward it''s center.

    ¡ºI knew it, there''s still a presence! Its definitely Ashtner!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaa!¡¹

    Fran unleash Sheaths of Wind to the presence. However, her attack was caught by Marquis Ashtner''s sword.

    Giiiiinn!

    My de shed with his sword, and a high-pitched sound echoed.

    ¡ºTsk! Is that sword specially made too huh?¡»

    I was going to cut the whole sword! It seems, the name of the sword was Pseudo Fanatic Sword, but the shape was a longsword. Its appearance was not that of an Estoc-type pseudo fanatic sword, but more like the half-destroyed magic sword.

    ¡¸Kihihihi! That''s hurt you know!¡¹

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    As expected of the holder of highest level of sword saint skill. His sword handling was on par with Fran''s. He must have taken quite a bit of damage from Kanna Kamui, but the instant regeneration had healed his wounds.

    But, that''s not all.

    ¡¸I''m losing my power¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºIt must be his Life steal and Magic Steal!¡»

    Due to the higher skill level of the other side, we were losing the battle of attrition. We were clearly at a disadvantage in endurance battle.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice work, little girl! I haven''t felt pain in hundreds of years!¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-445.html

 Chapter 446: Talkative Fanatic Swords

    <h4>Chapter 446: Talkative Fanatic Swords</h4>

    The Marquis''s mansion burns up. With that as the background, Marquis Ashtner, who was engaged in a fierce slugfest with Fran,ughed vulgarly, still wearing the same expressionless face.

    ¡¸Nice work, little girl! I haven''t felt pain in hundreds of years!¡¹

    First pain in hundreds of years? I knew it, this wasn''t Marquis Ashtner himself.

    ¡¸What are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder? We''d love to know too. What are we?¡¹

    It sounded like he was trying to smoke me out, but strangely enough, I didn''t feel that he was trying to hide it. He seemed to be serious about it.

    ¡¸Was it 100 years, or Was it 500 years, or even 1000 years? I''m not sure anymore. But I vaguely remember that I was about to be destroyed by the Holy Order!¡¹

    Holy Order? I remember it! It''s one of the divine swords that Alistair taught me about! Holy Order, the Spirit Sword - Holy Order. It''s said to have been made to be used against Fanatics.

    This is already clear. Fanatics are behind this incident. No, on the contrary, it seems that something inside the Marquis was Fanatics it self.

    However, a question remains. The Marquis is holding a pseudo fanatic sword. Is it a fake or does he have a real one hidden somewhere?

    But still, Fanatics was an Intelligence weapon the same as me¡­If that''s the case, then it''s possible for Marquis to be a puppet and the mastermind is Fanatics.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Naturally, the high-speed sword fights continued even during the conversation. The sword fights were so fierce that Colbert and Eliante could not intervene.

    Marquis Ashtner, who has the Sword Saint Skill: Lv. 10, and Fran, who has not yet perfected the Sword King Skill. As a result, the two of them were almost evenly matched in their sword skills.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you Fanatics¡¹

    ¡¸Fanatics? Come to think of it, do we have a name like that¡­? Hey, are we Fanatics?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m the one asking you¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhahaha! You''re right!¡¹

    In the first ce. We? Why "we" and not "me"?

    ¡¸Why "we"?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah. We are. One in many. All in one. We''re all of us! Ha ha ha! Even in your sword, there''s us!¡¹

    What? They''re inside me?

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸It doesn''t even have an ego, it''s just a fragment separated from us, but it''s still us! That magic sword of yours, does it have the power to absorb magic power?¡¹

    Could it be that he was referring to the power of the pseudo fanatic sword that I absorbed through cannibalism?¡¡Maybe the pseudo fanatic sword was imbued with a small amount of the magic power from Fanatics.

    As I recall, the Fanatics'' ability is to take in the consciousness and memories of the person they cut and identify them with themselves. If that''s the case, it wouldn''t be surprising if he had more than one consciousness.

    I''m gonna be okay, right?

    ¡¸That''s it! Give me that sword! It''s made of Orichalcos isn''t it? It might heal our wounds!¡¹

    ¡¸I refuse!¡¹

    ¡¸Kahahaha! Even so, you''re pretty good, aren''t you? I never thought you''d go this far with this special body!¡¹

    The topic has changed again. It was either too manic, or too talkative, or just talk too much.

    As I mmed my sword into the Marquis, Fran asked a question. The Marquis, who had caught me with his sword, replied with a cool face in the midst of the tremendous shockwaves rolling around us.

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸This is a special body that has been adjusted over nearly 40 years!¡¹

    ¡¸40 years? Adjustment?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. The only way to create a body with transcendent power is to slowly modify it with drugs and our abilities over time! Goddamn it! In the past, I could create as many strong troops as I wanted! Now I can only give them a few skills they''re suited for!¡¹

    So, not only can Fanatics integrate the powers of others, but they can also give them? If they can give skills and experience as they please, then they could mass produce the most fearsome soldiers.

    What if this legion of soldiers was as powerful as Marquis Ashtner were to work in perfect coordination under the Fanatics'' consciousness? Moreover, given the Fanatics'' capabilities, they could be replenished at any time. It would be terribly dangerous.

    ¡¸I''ve experimented with his sons, his vassal''s sons, and all kinds of random people I''ve captured in this town!¡¹

    Could that be Serdio or Auguste? I let Fran ask.

    ¡¸Serdio? Auguste?¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh? You know them? In the end, I couldn''t recover the mental maniption skills and unique skills I gave them!¡¡Unlike swordsmanship and magic, which can be replenished as much as I want, those skills are very valuable!¡¹

    So, the skills that Serdio and Auguste had been given to them by Fanatics.

    ¡¸On that note, this guy''s has been modified for 40 years! Most of the skills we have can be transferred! Hyahahahaha!¡¹

    The Marquisughs loudly. He talks a lot, doesn''t he? It seems he can''t stop talking even during battle. Thanks to him, I can get a lot of useful information, but it''s difficult to know how much to watch. In addition to the Steal skills used by the Marquis, Fran''s life and magic power are gradually diminishing due to the wear caused by the Brilliant Lightning Rush, even though it looks like an even fight.

    Somewhere along the line, we had to stop gathering information and start pushing at once.

    However, it was Marquis Ashtner who made the first move. He may have realized that this fight would get nowhere, or he may have grown tired of talking. The Marquis distanced himself from Fran.

    ¡¸For Example, we could do something like this! Magma Wall! Earth Shooter! and, Sword Sonic!¡¹

    The Marquis shoots out a huge rock at the wall ofva that has been created and the burstingva rained down on Fran like a spray. In addition, the shock waves created by the sword saint skills fly after her.

    If we try to dodge the bullets and shockwaves of earth magic, we will be damaged by the rain ofva. If we try to catch them with barriers, our movements will slow down. If we try topletely avoid a wide range of attacks, our movements will be monotonous.

    I guess they want to take advantage of that.

    But we are also looking for an opening. We''ll use this attack against them.

    ¡¸Earth Wall!¡¹

    Blinding him with an earth wall¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kihihihi! You used teleport huh!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    He''s as perceptive as a monster! A sh from behind was easily deflected! But I''ve already factored this in!

    ¡ºFran! I''m all set!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaa!¡¹

    Fran shed at him again, nailing the Marquis in ce. The Marquis, who doesn''t mind a prolonged battle, dly responded to the sh. Without knowing what its aim is.

    ¡¸I''m fine with it! Another shing match huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong¡¹

    ¡ºEat this!¡»

    There, I unleashed Kanna Kamui again, it rained down on him. And it was a converged and more powerful version.

    ¡¸Wha, Even if you are in this too?¡¹

    ¡¸Won''t let you go!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn!¡¹

    He can''t afford to be in the middle of a shing match with Fran. Fran has a thunderbolt nullification. I just need to use my Dimension Shift for a moment and pass it off.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Little Girl!!!¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-446.html

 Chapter 447: An Expert and an Amateur

    <h4>Chapter 447: An Expert and an Amateur</h4>

    A pir of white lightning swallowed Fran and the Marquis, piercing the sky and earth with a roar.

    When the huge amount of dust settled, there was a crater about five meters in diameter and Marquis Ashtner were groaning on one knee in the middle of it.

    Unlike Fran and her equipment, which is protected by her thunderbolt nullification, the Marquis''s orichalcon magic armor is half-melted and smoke is rising from his whole body.

    The reason why the crater is smaller than I imagined is because the Marquis quickly created a wall with magma magic to reduce the power. In that time, Fran cut off his left arm. Well, half of it has already almost regenerated.

    ¡¸Gogaah¡­¡­¡¹

    However, I think he knows that by getting down on one knee, he is showing the biggest opening. He turned his ghostly eyes toward us. He was ready for any move Fran might make.

    Fran moved away slightly to avoid theva barrier, but she took the opportunity and prepared for a follow-up attack.

    She let the ck lightning rack up and stepped in at once. With that momentum, she struck Marquis Ashtner with a sh from above.

    ¡¸There''s an opening!¡¹

    ¡¸Guoooooo!¡¹

    Gagiiiiii!

    A moment of fierce sh.

    Marquis Ashtner is far superior in terms of strength, but he is in the disadvantageous position of being on one knee and wielding his sword with one hand. On the other hand, Fran swung me from above while keeping her speed. In addition, the ck lightning that flowed through my sword was damaging his arm.

    As a result, the swords of the two sides were locked against each other, and both sides stopped moving. However, this was exactly what Fran were aiming for.

    She didn''t make eye contact, nor did she give any signal. But Fran seemed sure of it.

    There was no way Eliante and the others would miss this opportunity.

    ¡¸Dieeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸Sonic Blow!¡¹

    ¡¸Spiral Bash!¡¹

    In the face of the overwhelming power of Fran and the Marquis, Eliante and the others realized that they could not do anything about it, so they gathered their strength, looking for an opening.

    Their attacks attacked the Marquis at once. Eliante''s great sword, clothed in Ki, swung down at super high speed, Colbert and Zephyrd''s mid-range attacks pierced him from both sides.

    In particr, Eliante''s blow was as powerful as Fran''s serious Sheaths of Wind.

    The Marquis¨D¨DThey are indeed strong (1). They have superhuman-level bodies and overwhelming skills. In addition, the way they fought, they were able to handle those skills perfectly. This is why his sword saint skill were able to sh each other evenly with her sword king skill.

    But when it came to battle tactics, there seemed to be a breakdown. The Marquis is literary a civilian from the beginning, and the Fanatics-like beings who control his body are not considered to be professionals inbat. We can overwhelm him with our abilities in a head-on fight, but in subtle tactics, we''re losing to him.

    Zephyrd and his party member have been destroyed because they had confronted him head-on with a straightforward attack. In the first ce, they were not expecting an opponent that wouldunch a series of attacks that would break Zephyrd''s shield.

    Moreover, he had the conceit of a strong man. He was clearly trying to get a handle on us. Eliante and the others didn''t even seem to be paying attention. The fact that he drives the existence around him out of his consciousness was also amateurish.

    ¡¸Guaaaa!¡¹

    Marquis Ashtner is blown away by the attacks of three people. Even so, he managed to keep Eliante''s sword out of the way, which was impressive.

    ¡¸GugaGAga¡­Small fry gaah! You''re getting carried away!¡¹

    His speech is a little slurred, probably due to the broken bones in his neck. However, he red at Eliante and the others who were standing around him with eyesced with killing intent, intimidating them.

    ¡¸I''m gonna kill you!¡¹

    I knew it, you''re still an amateur. While you''re talking about killing them, you should be taking action. My brother in Pro-sh©–t (2) said something simr!

    And Fran is a pro at that, you know?

    ¡¸First, I''ll mess this area with magma¨D¨D¡¹

    As he turned his killing intent to Eliante and the others, his attention was diverted from Fran for a moment. It was only for a moment, but it was our chance.

    It was more than enough of an opening for us. Fran, who showed superhuman reflexes, started preparing the moment the Marquis showed an opening. It is the preparation for unleashing the sword king technique.

    She is not yet at the stage where she can unleash the sword king technique anytime, anywhere. She still needed to make a preliminary movement to swing the sword over her heads, and afortable posture to swing it out. In addition, she needed time to knead her magic power. She would need a few moments to prepare for this.

    No, if the opponent was a small fish, there would be no problem. A moment of this magnitude could not be called a gap. However, if the opponent was an equal match for Fran, it was a fatal moment.

    However, thanks to the gap Ashtner had shown us, we had time to get ready. Almost as soon as Fran finishes her preparations, I teleported her body.

    From my teleport, Fran uses me to unleash the Sword King Technique - Heaven Judgement. If we don''t count the self-destructive effects such as Sword God Transformation and Potential Release, this is probably the strongest blow we can unleash right now.

    ¡¸¨D¨DHeaven Judgement¡¹

    ¡¸Guu, Aaa¡­¡­!¡¹

    The Marquis reacted to this as well, his crisis detection and his sword saint skill gave him an insight. In addition, he sensed the presence of a spatial magic through his presence detection. That''s what we are aiming for.

    Thanks to the fact that the Marquis had quickly slipped his pseudo fanatic sword between himself and me, I was able to attack the sword and the Marquis with a single blow.

    I was swung out by Fran, who easily cut off the pseudo fanatic sword and instantly pierced through Marquis Ashtner''s right shoulder and his left side. There was no response, as if I had sliced through a mass of air.

    However, right after that, the tip of the pseudo fanatic sword that was broke from its middle fell. Then, a line was drawn on Marquis Ashtner''s body, and ck blood spurted out from it at once.

    ¡¸Li-Little, Girl¡­¡­¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-447.html

 Chapter 448: Superhumanization + Potential Release

    <h4>Chapter 448: Superhumanization + Potential Release</h4>

    Marquis Ashtner fell into a puddle of blood as his body was split upside down. Beside him, the tip of a pseudo fanatic sword that had also been severed fell.

    I braced myself, thinking that the cannibalism would be triggered, but the freakiness didn''t struck me yet. In other words, the fanatics parasitizing inside Marquis Ashtner must not be dead yet.

    Isn''t the pseudo fanatic sword his main body? If that''s the case, doesn''t that mean we have to stop the Marquis from breathing in order to defeat him?

    ¡ºFran, not yet!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaa!¡¹

    The stiffness caused by the release of the sword king technique has ended and Fran began to move again. Next, she unleashed Sheaths of Wind. It was aimed at Marquis''s head. The Marquis''s lower body could be seen growing out in a sh due to instant regeneration, but this attack was faster.

    ¡¸You piece of shiiiit!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    What a surprise, Marquis Ashtner put up a powerful barrier to block Fran''s attack. He must have focused the barrier on a single point. She shed his head deeply, but it wasn''t enough to sever it.

    No, normally a cut to the brain would kill someone instantly, but the current Marquis with his enhanced vitality still can''t be defeated by this.

    But even so, isn''t it a little strange? It seems too strong for a barrier that was put up on the spur of the moment. I appraised the Marquis Ashtner again and found out why the barrier had suddenly increased in strength.

    What a surprise, he had entered a state of Potential Release. The superhumanization skill had made him stronger, and now he had released his potential. His status was unquestionably rank S.

    It would have been nice to be able to take away superhuman skills and such with a skill taker, but it was still impossible to use due to the fact that it was used to turn Asurasu (1) into a mad demon.

    ¡¸You bitch, I''ll kill you here! And I''ll take that magic sword too!¡¹

    The Marquis tries to stand up while shouting it.

    ¡¸This body will die here, but it doesn''t matter as long as I have that magic sword and that little girl!¡¹

    Apparently, they can enter a state potential release, but they can''t deactivate it. It''s no wonder they haven''t been used this much. Unlike other disposable bodies, they took 40 years to prepare. They must have regretted it.

    ¡ºDon''t give him a chance to stand!¡»

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    I tried to stop the Marquis from moving by unleashing a series of mid-level thunderbolt magic, but it had little effect. It is likely that his magic resistance itself has been strengthened.

    ¡ºTsk! A light attack won''t do any good anymore!¡»

    The Marquis who stood up concentrated a barrier on his left arm and thrusts it out against Fran, who was about shes at him. The back fists of the Marquis and I collide.

    A moment ago, Marquis Ashtner''s arm would have been wounded. But now, the Marquis'' power was overwhelming. My de was easily flicked above and a pseudo fanatic sword was thrust into Fran''s vacant torso. The shortened de is covered with magic power topensate for its lost length.

    ¡¸Diieee!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaah¡­!¡¹

    Thanks to the fact that she had twisted around at thest second, she had avoided being pierced through her heart, but the pseudo fanatic sword had pierced her abdomen deeply. The tip of the de protruded from Fran''s back.

    In that state, I could sense Marquis Ashtner''s hand getting stronger. I hurriedly made a short distance teleport.

    ¡¸Oraa!¡¹

    It was just in time. Marquis Ashtner had swung his sword, which was still stuck in Fran''s body, with all his might and was about to forcibly rip out her heart.

    The pseudo fanatic sword wielded by the Marquis was cutting the sky in vain.

    ¡ºFran! I''ll heal you now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiyahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Too fast! The next thing I know, he was right next to her. Now I know what it''s like to fight Fran!

    When she received the pseudo fanatic sword that strikes me, it alone reduces my endurance value significantly and blows Fran right out to the sky.

    She must have been blown over ten meters. In addition, the Marquis had already moved to where Fran jumped and was waiting for her.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    She leapt into the air, kicked her feet to get into position, and then elerated to sh at the Marquis herself. This is the only way to escape from the situation.

    The Marquis'' eyes widened a little, as if he didn''t expect Fran to attack him. Marquis Ashtner''s sword was raised in a panic to intercept Fran and shed again¨D¨Dbut it didn''t. Just before that, I teleported Fran.

    In the blink of an eye, Marquis Ashtner had been outmaneuvered twice and waspletely out of position. Her second sword king technique of the day was released on him.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Hyahaaaaa!¡¹

    However, there was a gap between them that could not be bridged by a little trickery. The Marquis had even reacted to the God Speed of a Sword King technique and dodged it.

    I was going to smash his brain, but I only managed to slice off the Marquis'' left arm, while the Marquis'' left leg, swung up in the opposite direction, pierced Fran''s right side.

    I activated my telekinesis to reduce the power, but Fran still spat blood and blew over 20 meters. As her body mmed into the ground again and again, she managed to break through the wall of the Marquis'' residence and somehow stopping.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­Gefuh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºUse regeneration!¡»

    Fran writhes around, spitting blood and gastric juices back into her mouth. Not only were her internal organs in bad shape, but the rest of her body was in bad shape as well. She is bruised all over from the impact of her continuous bouncing on the ground, and she has some deep cuts. Both of her legs are probably broken as well.

    It was amazing that she didn''t let go of me in this state. Her eyes weren''t dead either. After recovering her legs through regeneration, Fran stood up dazedly, fighting off the pain. She still intends to fight.

    But I couldn''t agree more. I was able to heal her wounds, but at this rate, she would definitely lose. In addition to the overwhelming difference in ability, Marquis Ashtner''stent ability has been released, increasing the power of his life steal and magic steal. Even now, Fran''s power was being sucked out of her at a fairly rapid rate.

    In this state, I can sense arge heat sourceing towards the room where Fran is. If it can''t be decided with my sword, we¡¯ll have to use magic! While using magic to prevent the tsunami ofva from avnching into the room, I suggested to Fran that we make a tactical retreat.

    ¡ºLet''s get out of here! and get some distance!¡»

    He doesn''t have space and time magic. If we keep our distance, he''ll just destroy himself! But Fran didn''t nod her head.

    (No! Eliante and the others are going to be killed!)

    ¡ºBut, if this goes on like this, Fran will¨D¨D¡»

    (There''s something I haven''t tried yet! If that doesn''t work, let''s run away!)

    ¡ºSomething you haven''t tried?¡»

    (Nn!)

    /2021/01/tenken-448.html

 Chapter 449: Brilliant Lightning Rush+????

    <h4>Chapter 449: Brilliant Lightning Rush+????</h4>

    (There''s something I haven''t tried yet! If that doesn''t work, let''s run away!

    ¡ºSomething you haven''t tried?¡»

    (Nn!)

    ¡¸Kuhahahaha! Diieee!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    With a determined look on her face, Fran managed to catch the swing of the Marquis, who had pursued her under the cover of magma magic. The impact was so strong that makes Fran frowned.

    ¡¸Shaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    Marquis Ashtner mmed his left fist into her, taking advantage of her inability to kill the momentum. Fran flew backwards as fast as she could, but the fist dug into her cheek. It seems that she tried to twist her neck to further reduce the force of the blow, but there was no way she couldpletely fend off the attack of an opponent who boasted the strength of a monster.

    Fran''s cheeks were instantly swollen. But it''s a good thing that the Marquis doesn''t have any hand-to-hand fighting skills. She didn''t have to be wrenched or let the impact prate.

    However, the current Marquis was not so naive as to take a wait-and-see approach here. The fact that he was prepared to kill Fran by self-destructing probably made him feel less insulted by us.

    ¡¸Volcanic Gazer!¡¹

    We could see the magma rising in a much wider area than the magic the Marquis had unleashed at the beginning. It seems to have doubled in power and range.

    Not only the Marquis'' residence, but also the surrounding mansions are involved.

    I don''t know what he''s nning to do, but they''d better hurry or he''ll push them away! This magic didn''t kill Eliante and the others in the first ce, right?

    Honestly, I don''t know which one I want more. I don''t think I want her to be dead, but I thought that if she was, Fran might be more inclined to run away.

    I know it sounds horrible, but that''s what true intention.

    When I searched the safety of Eliante and the others, It seems that the three of them are still alive and working together. If that''s the case, they can probably prevent the magic.

    I was a bit relieved.

    While dispersing waves ofva with wind magic, Fran set me up. Her eyes are not dead. She''s going to do something. What are you going to do? Do you want to bet it all on thebination of Briliant Lightning Rush and Sword God Transformation?

    But I had a bad feeling about this. For some reason, I knew I had to stop Fran. Had my crisis detection done its job?

    ¡ºWait, FranÒ»What happen to your bodyÒ»Ò»¡»

    But before I could stop her, Fran muttered in a strong voice.

    ¡¸Potential Release!¡¹

    ¡ºWha! Aa! Stop!¡»

    Right now, you''re still using Brilliant Lightning Rush, and your powers are being robbed by his skills!

    An enormous amount of magic power swirled around Fran, radiating a tremendous presence. It was on a levelparable to that of Marquis Ashtner.

    It can be said that her status are doubled. Her agility is over 1000, and her other stats are all over 800. Can they be enhanced this much?¡¡No, when I think about it, Fran is still a child. It would not be surprising if thetent ability that lies dormant within her is even more powerful.

    The air around us vibrated violently as the magic power released by Marquis Ashtner and the magic power released by Fran collided.

    ¡¸Here ie!¡¹

    ¡ºAaah! Understood!¡»

    I can''t do anything about it anymore. The potential release that Fran had used could only be deactivated by her. So, there was no choice but to decide the figh before the destruction came.

    I was tempted to ignore Fran''s wishes and run away with teleport already, but I couldn''t despise her determination.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    With her potential release, Fran has acquired a power that rivals that of Marquis Ashtner, and she unleashes shes with a speed that even I can''t see.

    Fast! But not messy. It''s just a mere sh, but it would exceed the sheaths of wind. Not just rank C or D, even a Colbert-ss adventurer might not be able to react and be shed one-sidedly.

    ¡¸Thi-this is¡­!¡¹

    The Marquis was astonished when he saw Fran''s sudden increase in speed. But even so, the current Marquis had the ability to react.

    ¡¸Aaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸This brat!¡¹

    But while Fran had been outmatched earlier, this time they were evenly matched. Neither one of them was blown away, and both were in a tightpetition.

    A fierce battle thatsted less than a few tenths of a second.

    At that moment, as if to shrug off the Marquis''s efforts to push back, Fran teleported a short distance away.

    Of course, I''m the one who made the teleport. But there were no instructions from Fran. But I knew exactly what Fran was feeling and how she wanted to move.

    It seems that the potential release has strengthened the bond between me and Fran. To put it another way, Fran is perfectly capable of using me as her own sword.

    ¡ºThe image of me being an extension of Fran''s arm flows in. Is this the feeling of being used as a sword by the wielder? ¡­¡­¡»

    I was being treated as a sword. But I didn''t hate it at all. In fact, I even felt a sense of fulfillment.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Fuh!¡¹

    The moment he put in the effort to blow Fran away, she has teleported, and the Marquis'' movements stopped for a moment. It''s not as if the current Marquis was going to lose his stance, but he didn''t have enough energy left topletely dodge Fran''s sh behind him.

    ¡¸Shii! Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Sh*t! So sudden!¡¹

    While repeating the ultra-short distance teleport and the high-speed movement by Brilliant Lightning Rush in session, Fran continues to attack the Marquis in session.

    It was the final onught that burned Fran''s life. However, it was not enough to defeat the Marquis. Seeing Fran''s life force weaken rapidly, he must have realized that this attack would notst long. The Marquis continued to handle Fran''s attacks while showing a look of impatience.

    There''s not much life left in her. No matter how he looked at her, everything will be used up.

    The Marquis grinned, as if convinced of his own victory.

    Without knowing that this was Fran''s aim.

    Fran had been inducing the Marquis to breathe while cutting herself down by continuing to attack at a certain speed and timing. Then, she suddenly made a move to disrupt that timing.

    The Marquis held up his pseudo fanatic sword in a slightly unreasonable position in order to guard against the horizontal cleave blow that was fired from right beside him. However, the impact did note at the timing the Marquis had predicted.

    ¡¸ck Thunder Roll!¡¹

    Just before the attack was received by the pseudo fanatic sword, Fran''s body turned into a single strand of ck lightning and moved to the opposite side as fast as instant teleportation.

    Thanks to the potential release, she is now able to use the ck Thunder Roll, which she could not use before.

    Oddly enough. This was very simr to the attack Kiara had made on Zelos Reed. Even though I wasn''t watching, I felt something hot and unfeeling when I saw Fran perform a simr attack.

    ¡ºGooo! Fraaan!¡»

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaa!¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-449.html

 Chapter 450: Trade-off

    <h4>Chapter 450: Trade-off</h4>

    ¡ºGooo! Fraaan!¡»

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaa!¡¹

    What''s released from the ck thunder Roll is the Sword King technique - Heaven Judgement.

    It seems that the benefits from using potential release were not only limited to the ck thunder roll, the enhanced status, and the improved coordination with me. What''s more, it was now possible to perform the sword king technique from an unprepared stance, something that was impossible before.

    A cut-up released from an impossible posture after using ck Thunder Roll. That cut-up was released as a Sword king technique.

    But the cost was great. A deafening buzzing and bumping sound wereing from within Fran. All the muscles in her body were tearing due to the tremendous burden to her young body, mixed with the sound of something hard cracking. It seems not only her muscles, but her bones were also broken.

    But Fran endured all the pain. She gritted her teeth and swing me out.

    It''s an attack that can be called a god speed, but Fran''s ability to unleash it has been greatly increased by her potential release. It is her fastest attack today. There is no way to dodge it.

    However, the opponent was also a monster outside of the norm. As soon as he realized he couldn''t dodge, he gave up trying to avoid it.

    Then, he switched to prepare for a trade-off.

    The Marquis concentrated all of his barriers on his side just before the Sword King Technique hit him. Of course, there was no way he could prevent the Sword king technique, it would have only dyed the direct hit by a few tenths of a second or less.

    However, in the current fight between Fran and the Marquis, that time could be a major factor in determining victory or defeat.

    As the Marquis was being torn apart by me, he used the moment he had to thrust out his sword. It''s a full thrust with everything he has left in him. It''s a great way to make sure you''re getting the most out of your money. You can see that not only the magic power but even the life force is poured into the sword.

    And Fran, who was in the midst of performing the sword king technique, had no time to dodge this thrust.

    ¡ºKuh....¡»

    It would be dangerous for Fran to take this thrust now that she has so little vitality left!

    Teleport, telekinesis, and Potential Release. There is a way to prevent this attack. But only if we can do it in time. The attack was so fast that none of my skills would be able to activate in time. The sword is closing in on me even as I think about this in my thoughts that have been stretched out by space-time magic.

    I''m already trying to activate the teleport, but I still can''t make in time. It''s too fast.

    ¡ºAaaaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸AA¨D¨D¡¹

    Marquis Ashtner, who was convinced that we were going to trade-off a blow with each other, had a dazed look of pleasure in his eyes.

    Quickly!

    O Teleport, please activate faster!!

    Faster Faster Faster Faster¨D¨D.

    But I can''t help at all, and the Marquis'' thrust is sucked into Fran''s torso.

    Shiiiiiit¨D¨D¨D¨D?

    ¡¸Wha?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    It''s not just me. Marquis Ashtner and Fran were also surprised. The Marquis must have felt the cut on Fran. And Fran is still feeling the impact of the cut.

    Yet, for some reason, the wounds that were supposed to have been inflicted did not exist. Since there were no wounds, naturally there was no damage.

    What''s going on? No, no. That''s not what''s important right now. We should make the most of this opportunity. Of course, Fran would know that.

    She had already sprung into action. She swung me up high and shouted.

    ¡¸Haaaaa! ck Lightning God ws!¡¹ (1)

    It seems that not only was the ck Thunder Roll avable, but another ck Thunder technique was also avable. I can feel the ck lightning clinging to my sword de.

    Kiara created the sword of ck lightning with this technique, but it is probably originally a technique to converge ck lightning on the equipped weapon.

    And this magic power. It had that holy feeling that I got when we use sword god transformation. It''s not just a matter of gathering and solidifying ck lightning, but it also seems to add a divine attribute.

    ¡¸Thaaaaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Giiiih!¡¹

    Marquis Ashtner, who was sliced into pieces by the sword king technique, is already dying. It was surprisingly easy to cut through the Marquis'' body. At the same time, the ck lightning scorches his body, and his entire body is carbonized.

    But I didn''t have time to look at the scene calmly.

    ¡¸Gyaaaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡ºUgooooh....! Th-this is...¡»

    Immediately after the Marquis'' desperate scream rang out, a tremendous amount of magic power flowed into me. At the same time, I felt an unbearable nausea.

    ¡ºUugh, Ugheeh! GuAghah...!¡»

    Of course, I couldn''t vomit, so I just had to endure the difort swirling inside. Because I still had a little bit of the feeling I had when I was human, I knew what it felt like to throw up and feel better after that. Therefore, I didn''t think it would be this hard to endure.

    ¡ºGuuh....¡»

    But we''re in a battle now. What happened to the Marquis?

    I hurriedly looked around and saw Marquis Ashtner lying on the ground. There was no sign of regeneration, and he didn''t move a muscle.

    Did we win....? Apparently, we won. Thest attack that she unleashed ended the life of the Marquis, and also stopped the Fanatics that were nesting within it.

    (Master?)

    ¡ºI''m fine. More than that, your potential release....¡»

    (Already deactivated)

    I see. that''s Good....No, not good!

    If I look closely, I can see that she has very little life force left. And she has almost no magic power.

    Herplexion was at its worst, and her eyes were suspiciously unfocused to begin with.

    ¡¸...Gohho...¡¹

    ¡ºFran.....!¡»

    Fran fell down coughing up blood! Are her internal organs damaged from repeated overexertion of her movements? She probably can''t recover on her own due to herck of magic power.

    I still have a little bit of magic left in me. No, I''ve only recovered what I absorbed from the pseudo fanatic sword through cannibalism.

    I put off my own recovery and used a healing spell on Fran. It was only a single mid-heal, but it would have saved her from dying. All at once, Fran''splexion improved and her ragged breathing became a little better.

    ¡ºFran...that was really dangerous!¡»

    ¡¸But....¡¹

    ¡ºNo but! If Ashtner''s attack hadn''t failed for some reason, you might have been dead!¡»

    This was all due to the fact that she had used her potential release to force a decisive battle.

    ¡ºSure, it might have been necessary to win! But there could have been another way!¡»

    ¡¸....Sorry¡¹

    ¡ºDon''t make me worry......I beg you¡»

    ¡¸I''m sorry¡¹

    ¡ºFran would be worried about me if she knew I might break, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s the same for me. I thought Fran might die. I might going crazy¡»

    ¡¸Nn....¡¹

    At first, Fran was indifferent, but gradually, a hint of remorse appeared on her face. She understood that I was really worried about her.

    ¡º....Do you understand now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Won''t use potential release anymore¡¹

    That''s what she promised me. Fran is a girl who keeps her word once she says it. From now on, she will really refrain from using it without asking. I guess that''s a bit of a relief.

    ¡ºI hope you do understand. So, do you feel anything strange?¡»

    The potential release skille at a cost to use. For me, it''s the magic stone value. So, what is it for Fran? I tried to appraise Fran, but I couldn''t figure it out.

    ¡¸Nn....?¡¹

    ¡ºYou didn''t know?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Even Fran herself didn''t seem to understand the cost. Is there something hidden? If it was a visible cost, i might have been possible to heal it......

    ¡ºYou really don''t get it, do you?¡»

    ¡¸I''m Sorry¡¹

    ¡ºNo, I''m not ming you. But you know what? If you notice anything out of the ordinary, you tell me right away, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    __TLN_________

    (1) ü\À×Éñ×¦ Kuro raijin tsume

    (2) It''s been a month since i started tranting this series, if you have time, please take a moment to fill a survey by me about this website: https://forms.gle/Z8mPsA1fLvVY8QV79

    (3) I posted this without linking it''s link to novel updates or previous chapter, and it only got 3% of it''s usual traffic. Thank you to those 3% who actually checked my site without those links.

 Chapter 451: Zephyrd of the Skywall

    Fran escapes from the burning Marquis'' mansion with a staggering gait.

    It''s no longer in original shape due to the fierce battle between the two of us. The debris and furnishings are scattered at our feet.

    ¡ºYou''d better drink this potion for the time being¡»

    ¡¸Nn.....¡¹

    As she walked, she drank five high-grade potions I had given her and finally recovered about 20% of her life force and magic power. The potions didn''t work so well. Could it be that her recovery power is decreasing due to potential release? Or is it because She has overworked her body too much?

    Anyway, she was still in a dangerous state. Perhaps it was the umted fatigue, but her movements were dull.

    Besides, my condition was pretty bad too. While not as bad as when I was in sword god transformation, my durability was greatly reduced and I was slow to recover from it. It was probably due to the divine attributes of the ck Lightning God w.

    Maybe those who use divine attributes, besides Fran, are using their weapons as disposable. In fact, the Beast King said that he broke an orichalcon spear with his Spear King Technique.

    No. Could it be that the divine attributes were affecting Fran as well? There was a possibility that this might be the reason for her slow recovery.

    (Master, are you okay? You were screaming a while ago)

    However, it seemed that Fran was worried about her partner as well. She asked in a caring voice.

    ¡ºIt was from the cannibalism, but I¡¯ll be fine¡»

    (Really?)

    ¡ºYeah, the difort has subsided. Besides, that was a huge harvest¡»

    Up until now, the pseudo-fanatic sword only increased my magic power and durability value by one even if it was destroyed and cannibalized. However, when i take the alter ego of the Fanatics that had possessed Marquis Ashtner, my magic power and durability increased by 300.

    Although I didn''t receive any self-evolution points, I was enhanced as much as a rank-up. I''m really d I put up with the difort from cannibalism.

    As I continued to the garden, I saw Eliante and Colbert holding Zephyrd, who was sitting leaning against the rubble.

    ¡¸How was it?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! Did you defeat it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran nodded and found Zephyrd smiling wryly.

    ¡¸Is that so. You defeated him huh¡¹

    There was no hint of bitterness in Zephyrd''s tone. However, he was bleeding profusely from his stomach, and his face was white beyond blueish. This is a dangerous situation. I don''t know how he can keep a calm face and smile like this.

    ¡ºFran, use recovery magic¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll heal you now¡¹

    However, even after the light of Fran''s recovery magic enveloped Zephyrd''s body, there was no change in his dying condition.

    The wounds did not heal, and his vitality did not recover.

    ¡¸Hmmh?¡¹

    ¡¸Even Fran''s heal didn''t work huh....¡¹

    ¡¸It won''t heal?¡¹

    ¡¸Even the potion doesn''t work!¡¹

    You mean a condition thatpletely nullifies recovery? That''s wound is really bad, right!

    ¡¸What''s caused this wound?¡¹

    ¡¸This is¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I was hit by a stray debris¡¹

    Colbert was about to say something, but Zephyrd interrupted him with strong words. Don''t you want Fran to know the reason for your wound? But Eliante remonstrated with him.

    ¡¸You should tell her. She¡¯s maybe a child, but Fran is a full-fledged adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸But...No, you are right¡¹

    ¡¸I understand that you doesn''t want her to be the one to me for your own death. I think she''s someone you can talk to, you know?¡¹

    I could already tell from Eliante and Colbert, Zephyrd himself was about to die. No, they can''t move him in this state, and if recovery magic and potions don''t work, I don''t think there''s any way to save him......

    What bothered me more was the word that the cause of the problem was Fran.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸There is a technique in the shield saint technique that allows you to transfer the damage that befalls your friends to yourself. That''s what Zephyrd used¡¹

    ¡¸....From me?¡¹

    ¡¸Zephyrd wants to help at least.....He said that since the Marquise''s mansion was destroyed in your battle and he can now see you, he can use his skills¡¹

    I had a guess. It was thest thrust that Marquis Ashtner had made in an attempt to counterattack. It was as if the attack, which had indeed pierced Fran, had been nullified as if it had never happened.

    I have a physical attack nullification, but I didn''t have time to activate it on the spur of the moment. In the future, I will actively use it, even if it is a bit risky, but I didn''t have it on at the time. I didn''t have time to think about it and returned to the battle before I could figure out what was going on, but it was definitely a strange phenomenon.

    So, you''re saying that was because of Zephyrd?

    However, I know that there is a technique in the shield saint technique. I had suffered a lot when I fought Valkyrie in the Beast Kingdom. If it was a shield saint technique that could transfer even a life-threatening attack, it certainly could exin the phenomenon.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, thanks to you, I was able to avenge my friends. I thank you....Gobuh¡¹

    Zephyrd bowed his head in a quiet manner that did not seem dying. Still, therge amount of blood that he spat out at the end told us about his condition.

    But neither Eliante nor Colbert would stop him from speaking. They know he can''t be saved, so they want to let him talk as he pleases.

    ¡¸Even if it was a little, do i be a help for you?¡¹

    ¡¸So much. If you hadn''t saved me, I''d be dead by now¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so, I have onest piece of advice¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸You used some kind of powerful skill that have great bacsh on you right?¡¹

    Zephyrd spun his words with thest of his strength. It seems that the recovery disabling condition that Zephyrd has fallen into should have originally fallen on Fran. However, Zephyrd seemed to have taken care of it.

    He is highly skilled in the shield saint technique, and he understands that it is a bacsh orpensation for some special technique that Fran used.

    ¡ºIn all likelihood, it''s the price of Fran''s potential release¡»

    ¡¸Nn.....¡¹

    The price and some of the damage had been took over by Zephyrd. That was why Fran was only weakened. If it hadn''t been for Zephyrd''s help? Fran would have surely lost her life. We could call him a lifesaver.

    ¡¸If you know what I mean, you should be careful....Gobuh....¡¹

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m a rank A adventurer. I''m sure my friends on the other side willugh at me if I show my disgraceful appearance at the end of my life¡¹

    To be able to stay calm while his life continues to flow out of him is truly a tremendous mental strength. I admire him from the bottom of my heart.

    Also, the man''s smile of satisfaction while epting his own death was simr to Kiara''sst moments. It must have been the same for Fran. With a somber expression, she tried to bow to Zephyrd. However, it was Zephyrd who interrupted her.

    ¡¸I''m sorry. It''s because of me¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong! Gobuh...that''s not true. Rather, you''re the reason I was able to have a peace on my mind. I can only thank you¡¹

    Zephyrd grinned at that. It was Eliante who took over the words.

    ¡¸That''s right. You are in no way responsible for Zephyrd''s death. Maybe it was because he was protecting Fran. But it was still Zephyrd''s responsibility and Zephyrd''s achievement. In fact, you should be proud to send off your friends who did a great job against that monster¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. Litt-....Fran. You yed a big part in this, but we did our best, and so did Zephyrd''s. That''s the result. And whatever happens, it''s our responsibility. Thank us, but don''t apologize¡¹

    ¡¸.....Nn¡¹

    They said so, and Fran seemed to agree.

    (If it were the other way around, I wouldn''t want to be apologized to either)

    ¡ºIs that so¡»

    She stopped her apologetic look and looked straight into Zephyrd''s eyes.

    ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu.....Me-..too...In the end, i did a good job¡¹

    Those were thest words of the rank A adventurer, Zephyrd of the Skywall. We only talked for a little while, but he was a good man. If we had met him earlier, he might have been able to get along with Fran.

    ¡ºThank you very much¡»

    ¡¸....?¡¹

    I wondered if he heard my words as he closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

    ___NOT A TLN____________

    (1) He was a good man :'')

    (2) This chapter marks my 50th tranted chapter. I''ve tranted 50 chapter worth of72.235 words in 30 days, gj me! if you have time, please take a moment to fill a survey by me about this website:https://forms.gle/Z8mPsA1fLvVY8QV79

    (3) I got a pretty awful toothache, it also give me terible migraine...the updates will be slowing down until i feel better.

 Chapter 452: Mercenaries and Adventurers

    <h4>Chapter 452: Mercenaries and Adventurers</h4>

    After witnessing the death of Zephyrd, Fran was unable to move. Fatigue and drowsiness seemed to have kicked in. Thanks to the adrenaline that had been pumping her, she had been able to forget her fatigue during the battle.

    However, now that the tension of the battle had settled down, the fatigue was outweighing the excitement. She was too tired, and her body needed to rest. She was rubbing her eyes constantly.

    ¡¸Munyaa¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAre you okay, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸¡­I''m¡­fine©`¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa¡»

    ¡¸Su©`¡­¡­¡¹

    She hadpletely fallen asleep. I hurriedly caught her copsing body with my telekinesis and gentlyid her down on the ground. She''s sleeping with a cute face.

    ¡ºHmm. What to do now¡­¡»

    The battle was not over yet. From the direction of the royal castle, I could feel a tremendous magic power. The distance was too far to get aplete grasp of it, but it seemed that there was a being that radiated as much magic as the Marquis Ashtner in his potential release state. Moreover, I could feel more than one of them.

    The asional rumbling of the earth and the slight shaking of the ground were probably not unrted. The fierce battle is still going on.

    ¡ºIf it''s like this, I''m rather d that Fran fell asleep¡»

    It would be suicide to fight a strong enemy in her current state. However, Fran would still challenge them to a fight. In order to protect the capital.

    ¡ºEven so, I didn''t realize that the price of Fran''s potential release was that she would be incapable of recovery¡­¡»

    How long it willst is also a question. If it''s only for a few hours, she might be able to manage to use it. That is, if she uses it only for a moment and kill the enemy instantly, she won''t be driven to the brink of death.

    However, the fact that she can''t win without using the potential release means that the strength of the enemy is at a considerable level. I don''t think it can be killed instantly.

    And if they fought for a long time, Fran wouldn''t be able to get away with anything. If she couldn''t recover in such a condition, the probability of her death would increase.

    A few minutes of inability to recover would be fine, but a few days would be quite dangerous. I don''t think it would be for a lifetime, but it was possible that the effects couldst for months.

    I can''t even try it carelessly. After all, potential release was dangerous. If the user body would never be able to recover when she used it, she would have to be prepared to risk her life when using it.

    Because I''m a special kind of inorganic being with a will, I''m sure the cost of the magic stone value is something that can be recovered.

    If it had went on like that, Fran might have died. No, if it hadn''t been for Zephyrd, she would have died. Just thinking about it brings up some strange feelings. It makes me want to scream out meaningless words and scratch my head. I hate myself for my inadequacy and helplessness, and I can''t help but feel bitter.

    I don''t want to go through something like that for a second time. To do so, I must be stronger.

    As I was making up my mind to do so on Fran''s back, Colbert saw her sleeping on the ground and rushed over to her.

    ¡¸Fran? Oi, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Shu©`¡­Shu©`¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t do that, Colbert. She''s too tired to stay awake, right?¡¹

    ¡¸A, aah. You are right. But, even so¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸No. In her state, I can''t think of her as the adventurer who defeated that monster¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you''re right¡¹

    Eliante and Colbert stare at Fran as she sleeps, her face innocent sleepy face.

    Colbert looked delicate. He realized once again the difference in power between him and the others. He still looks like a child. It must beplicated in many ways.

    But then he remembered that now was not the time for this. He tightened his expression and stared in the direction where he could feel a great presence of magic.

    ¡¸So, what should we do now?¡¹

    ¡¸First, let''s take Fran and Zephyrd to the guilds¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Eliante carries Fran on his back, and Colbert carefully carries Zephyrd''s body as they move. I''m d Eliante didn''t try to take me off Fran.

    ¡¸There''s been too much damage¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it is¡¹

    Eliante''s muttering was probably directed more at the human casualties than the physical damages.

    In the battle at the Marquis'' mansion alone, nearly 30 adventurers of medium rank or higher were killed, and the life of Zephyrd, a rank A adventurer, was also lost. Fran, who she can rely on for strength, is still unconscious. Moreover, the battle in the royal capital is still ongoing.

    ¡¸Young master Zephyrd is just like this¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That''s what being an adventurer is all about. You never know when or where you''ll die. Compared to that, Zephyrd looks quite content¡¹

    ¡¸You are right¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸He had avenged the death of hispanion for 30 years¡¹

    It seems that Zephyrd and his party had been working together for 30 years. It seems that they were more like family than friends.

    ¡¸Maybe it wasn''t such a bad end for Zephyrd¡¹

    ¡¸You said it''s not bad¡­¡­But it''s always good for all of us to survive¡¹

    ¡¸I hope everyone can survive. But it was impossible against that monster. You know that. Besides, it''s hard to lose your friends while you survive on your own¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¡­Is that so, guild master¡­I''m sorry¡¹

    Colbert, overheard Eliante''s murmur, and bowed his head in fear.

    ¡¸¡­Even if only one person had been saved here, he would have eventually lost the will to live, and would have lost his life prematurely by repeating his recklessness¡¹

    ¡¸¡­But you''re still alive¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. I''ve been through a lot¡­¡­¡¹

    Eliante smiles sadly as she says that.

    ¡¸It''s hard when I lose my friends, but it''s painful afterwards. After retreating for my life. I was eating tasteless barley porridge in a fort full of wounded soldiers, I suddenly burst into tears and couldn''t stop¡­¡­After all, theck of that noisy conversation during dinner, I finally realized that everyone was gone¡¹

    ¡¸¡­But you''re still getting back on your feet. Even Zephyrd''s might¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe. But in our case, we weren''t wiped out, some of us survived. We were able to lick each other''s wounds. If it weren''t for them, I wouldn''t be alive today. I really appreciate it¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve always wondered. Why did you go from being a mercenary to an adventurer? Couldn''t you have continued as a mercenary with your survivingrades?

    So Eliante used to be a member of a mercenary group that was nearly wiped out? After that, she apparently turned into an adventurer. That''s how she made it to be a Guild Master, as expected, she''s no ordinary person.

    ¡¸In fact, yourrades are still working as mercenaries aren''t they? They helped me this time too¡¹

    ¡¸A solo adventurer can carry the whole load by themselves, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s what I thought¡­¡­Well, what I''ve learned is that as long as you''re alive, you can''t break ties with people, and you''ll end up carrying a lot of things on your back¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Even now, do you still feel like you want to die?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I don''t know. But I do sometimes dream about it. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn''t retreated that day, but hadunched a suicide attack with my friends against the Crimson Knights Order of the Kingdom of Raidos¡­¡­¡¹

    While listening to the conversation between the two of them, I also kept a vignt eye on my surroundings. On the way, I saw many knights and adventurers in the town working together to evacuate people. Not only that, but there were also alchemists carryingrge quantities of magic potions. Count Bailleys'' instructions must have been properly conveyed.

    Some of the enemies had pseudo fanatic swords stuck in them, but Eliante and Colbert worked together to defeat them. However, it was when the Adventurer''s Guild came into view.

    ¡º¡­¡­!¡»

    What is it? Something with tremendous magical power has appeared all over the royal capital. The number of them might be close to a hundred. The mysterious presence could be sensed even in our immediate vicinity.

    Boooom!

    Immediately after that, a tremendous fire erupts from the depths of the alley, and the knights are blown away in their cruel forms.

    ¡¸Tsk. Colbert, I''ll leave Fran to you!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Following the carbonized knights was a swordsman who was controlled by a pseudo fanatic sword. However, something was wrong. The magic power I can sense from it is too great.

    And I shuddered as I appraised its state.

    ¡ºDivine Swords Release¡­?¡»

    What a surprise, the status of the pseudo fanatic sword showed that it was a divine sword release. However, the host''s ability was poor. But he was as strong as Marquis Ashtner before his potential release.

    I know it won''tst long. After all, his vitality continues to decline at tremendous rate. It won''tst more than three minutes.

    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹

    And as if to confirm my fears, the swordsman began to indiscriminately unleash sword skill and magic. It didn''t even seem like he had a purpose anymore. He just seemed to be trying to spread destruction until his life was over.

    ¡ºWhat should I do¡­! No, if I didn''t protect Eliante, Fran will be sad! Damn it!¡»

    /2021/01/tenken-452.html

 Chapter 453: Side: Count Bailleys

    <h4>Chapter 453: Side: Count Bailleys</h4>

    What the hell is going on?

    ¡¸GHaaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiigghh!¡¹

    My daughter¨D¨Dmy beloved daughter, Velmeria, wasying waste to the knights. For some reason, her whole body was covered with light blue scales, and she looked almost like her ancestor like Frederick, but that was definitely Velmeria.

    Whenever the transformed girl waved her arms, huge water bombs shot out and shattered the bodies of the knights, and when she swung her magic sword, which was broken in half, shock waves were released and cut up many adventurers.

    ¡¸Don''t fall back! Continue the attack!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it! Why i can''t hit it!¡¹

    ¡¸Why I can''t see that attacking!¡¹

    At mymand, my men unleash their attacks, but none of our attacks hit. All of them were either evaded or shot down. Even if it did hit her, the power was greatly reduced, and the slightest of wounds were healed by instant regeneration.

    The girl was now is an enemy of the royal capital. I must order my men to defeat her. But I can''t defeat her. I wouldn''t be pleased about that¡­¡­No, is that really my daughter in the first ce?

    ¡¸Fucking lowly insects! Don''t mess with me!¡¹

    She looks like my daughter, Velmeria. But what''s inside is somethingpletely different, isn''t it? Ii doesn''t just mean that she is getting stronger.

    ¡¸Hyahahahaha! Diee Diee!¡¹

    What is that? What came out of my daughter''s mouth was a high-pitched, grating voice that didn''t sound like a man or a woman. Clearly, something different from my daughter was moving her body. That was all I could think.

    ¡¸Sigh, General! Wh-what should we do¡­!¡¹

    It was one of the toon leaders of the knights who asked for instructions with clinging eyes. The second-inmand was originally waiting at this location, but he had already lost his life in the attack by Velmeria.

    His words probably had two meanings: Are we going to continue fighting at the cost of further sacrifice and Is it okay to attack my daughter?

    But my answer remains the same.

    ¡¸Keep up the attack! We have the royal castle behind us! If we run now, it may turn to the king and the people!¡¹

    The people and the king. I must not spare my daughter''s life in the face of my mission to protect them both.

    ¡¸Ha, Haha!¡¹

    ¡¸The adventurers, knights, and magician who have scattered to various ces will surelye running! Until then, endure!¡¹

    ¡¸Is it not possible ask for help from the royal castle?¡¹

    As the toon leader said this, he looked up at the royal castle behind him.

    The most elite of the guards must still be in the royal castle. The best knights are gathered from each knight order. Themander in chief of that group is known to be the strongest in this country. He is said to be as strong as the Hundred Swords and the Hariti.

    However, there was no way that we could ask them to go into battle. Their mission was to protect the king. Their ce is the ce where the king sits. If there was only one enemy, there was no way that they would leave the king''s side when the enemy was in full force, as they were this time.

    In the first ce, they are the shields, and it was our job to defeat the enemy and protect the people. That is the enemy we must deal with.

    ¡¸Starg. Can you see it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes sir¡­Not all of it¡­But it''s unbelievable¡¹

    ¡¸It''s that bad huh?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry master, but your daughter is truly a monster right now¡¹

    Starg, one of the knights serving our Bailleys family, mutters with a pale face. He has highbat power and possesses a high-level appraisal, so I always kept him by my side as my guard. It seems that this Starg took his time and managed to finish checking the abilities of Velmeria¡­¡­

    Starg, a veteran knight, is frightened? Starg, who bravely fired his bow even when standing in front of a sub-dragon?

    ¡¸First of all, I couldn''t appraise that broken sword. It must be a very high-ranked magic sword¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­¡¹

    Could that be the sword of blind devotion - fanatics that the ck Lightning Princess was talking about?

    ¡¸Also, I cannot measure your daughter''s ability at present. The value is probably over 1000. With my appraisal, even i could appraise Lord Zephyrd of the Skywall¡¹

    ¡¸So, in terms of ability values, she''s more than a rank A adventurer¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The skills are also enormous. It has nearly 100 high level skills such as Sword King Skill, Sword Saint Technique: Lv8, Ocean Magic: Lv8, Instant Regeneration: Lv8. He also possesses several unique and extra skills, and to my eyes, all I can see are Sword King Technique, Divine Dragon Transformation, Fire Absorption, Herculean strength, Swift steps, Chantless magic, Magic Control, and Spirit Control, but I''m sure there are more!¡¹

    The rest of the skills seemed to be in line with the high-ranking rare skills. If it hadn''t been for the words of my trusted Starg, I would haveughed it off.

    ¡¸What is that¡­¡­? How is it possible for a person to be that strong in such a short period of time?¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Her state are fanaticism and Divine Dragon Transformation. Either one of these could be the cause of your daughter''s condition¡­¡­¡¹

    Divine Dragon Transformation! I remember hearing about it. I believe it appeared in the mythology of the dragon people, as told by Tirananaria, the mother of Velmeria.

    It is the name of a super being that has evolved from the dragon man, and is positioned like a high elf for elves. The conditions for their evolution are not known, and only a few have been confirmed in thest 10,000 years, but it is said that they definitely exist.

    And legend has it that they fought the High Elves head on and ended up going toe-to-toe.

    What a nightmare. Not only did my daughter turn into an enemy, but her fighting strength is such that even rank A adventurers are hazy? If she really was at High Elf level, it would not be surprising if she had rank S level strength.

    However, as long as the opponent had the devil''s card, the fanatic sword, it was no surprise that anything could happen.

    ¡¸Oi! Sent a messenger immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Whe-where to send?¡¹

    ¡¸To the royal castle! Tell the king to evacuate immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸U-understood!¡¹

    I understood that this was not an opponent I could win against. Even if I add multiple rank A adventurer-level forces, there is a possibility that we won''t be able to win. The five rank-A adventurers currently in the capital that I know of are Zephyrd the SkyWall, Forrund the Hundred Swords, Fran the ck Lightning Princess, Eihwaz the Dragon Binder, and Ruga Mufuru, the captain of the Royal Guard. They are the ones who can be called upon and gathered at the same time.

    Even if you are in the royal castle protected by barriers, you are not safe. Let the king escape, then save as many people as possible. After that, leave everything to the strong.

    All we can do is being left behind and earn more time.

    ¡¸We''ll keep her here as long as we can. Put your life on it¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes sir!¡¹

    The only saving grace is that the morale of my men is high. They responded to my orders with motivated faces, even when I was telling them to die.

    It would be a shame to let these men die here, but it can''t be helped.

    I selected the youngest soldiers I could find and sent them out as messengers to various parts of the royal capital. The purpose of this is to convey my message that the enemy is formidable and that we need more than one rank A to win. This way, my fellow generals will be able to take over after I am gone.

    ¡¸I wille out too¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸If only Master Demitris were here¡­¡¹

    The toon leader''s murmur was overheard.

    ¡¸Master Demitris huh¡¹

    The only Rank S adventurer based on the continent of Zilberd, Demitris the Immovable. He is a martial artist who can kill a hundred enemies in an instant without taking a single step.

    It is said that he still continues his training by traveling around the magical regions of the continent while using his own dojo in a small country in the south as a base.

    He may be a difficult old man to deal with, but he is definitely a good man and has been helping people in many countries. He would be the most reliable person in such a case, but we had no information where he was currently.

    ¡¸Don''t mind with what''s not here¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry, sir¡¹

    ¡¸No, it''s fine. I had thought about it too. But we can''t rely on Demitris, who we don''t know where he is. We''ll take care of this!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    He scolded his subordinates and himself, and was about to go out to the front.

    ¡¸I''m sorry I''m not the old man Demitris, but am I not good enough for you?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    What the hell is going on? I didn''t feel any sign of him at all! But there was arge demon man standing behind me, looking very rxed. I could tell just by looking at him. He was no ordinary person. That was exactly the feeling I had when I met His Majesty the Beast King.

    The big man pulls out a huge sword from his back. This sword is not just a magic sword either. The overwhelming magical power contained within it almost pressured me.

    ¡¸I''ll help you. Orraaa! Gravity Blows!¡¹

    The big man swung his sword down on the spot, and Velmeria, who was far above, suddenly began to fall. It was as if she was being drawn to the earth by an invisible force.

    Then my daughter''s body mmed into the earth with great force.

    ¡¸Guaaaaah!¡¹

    Today, for the first time, I think that was the only damage was dealt to Velmeria today. Who the hell is this guy!

    ¡¸Now, how long can I keep this up¡­¡­?¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-453.html

 Chapter 454: Side: Ashwrath (I)

    <h4>Chapter 454: Side: Ashwrath (I)</h4>

    ¡¸The continent of Gilberd huh. It''s been a long time since I''ve been there¡¹

    ¡¸You are a big guy! Are you from the demon tribe?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou, perhaps¡¹

    ¡¸Are you on a business on this continent?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it''s not like a business¡­¡­¡¹

    It was on a whim that I crossed over from the continent of Krome to the continent of Gilberd.

    ¡¸Well. I guess I just followed my intuition¡¹

    ¡¸Haah, intuition?¡¹

    I have a unique skill called ¡ºImbecility¡», which is a skill that strengthens your intuition and instincts. With this skill, I could tell if the other person''s words were a lie or not. I could somehow tell if they were speaking from the heart or not. Sometimes I am wrong, but many times this skill has saved my life.

    My intuition was telling me that I should go to the continent of Gilberd. It was originally triggered by the words of an evil person named Murellia.

    Thest thing she said to me was that she wanted me to save a boy named Romio. I couldn''t feel any lie in those words. It must havee from the bottom of her heart.

    And then the man I fought afterwards, Zelos Reed. He was a vicious man, but I could also feel his deep sadness. I didn''t know why at the time, but¡­¡­

    Later, when I heard that Zelos Reed had kidnapped Romio, it became clear. Ostensibly, it looked like Zelos Reed had betrayed Murellia, but I guess that was just for show. I don''t even know why he did it¡­¡­

    With that in mind, it seemed only natural that Zelos Reed would act to fulfil Murellia''sst wish.

    I can also predict the destination that Zelos Reed will take Romeo to. The results of a survey of orphanages around the country had beenpiled to determine where Murellia would leave Romeo.

    Among them, an orphanage in the big city of Barbra was apparently being checked out as a promising ce to leave the child. This is what I''ve heard from Miss Mea and the others, so I''m sure it''s true.

    It''s not like there''s anything in it for me to go after. I''m not sure if I want to save Romio or if I want to have a rematch with Zelos Reed. But I felt that I should see it through. And the next thing I knew, I was on a ship bound for the continent of Gilberd.

    ¡¸But I didn''t realize it was a vain attempt¡­¡­¡¹

    Once I got off the ship and started asking around, I quickly found out the location of the orphanage. It seemed to be a very famous ce in Barbra. Recently, a rank A adventurer had taken shelter at the orphanage, and the name seemed to have spread even further.

    I asked the strangely low-key woman who came out to respond about Romio, and to my surprise, she said he wasn''t at this location.

    ¡¸Zelos Reed took him, huh?¡¹

    It didn''t end up here¡­¡­

    ¡¸I had a bad feling¡¹

    It felt like a small fish bone was stuck in my throat. Maybe I should leave it alone, but I couldn''t help wondering. Where did Romio and Zelos Reed go?

    Besides, it would be boring to cross the continent ande up empty. At the very least, I wanted to see Zeros Reed and Romio at least once.

    ¡¸So where should i go to next¡­?¡¹

    Zelos Reed is a criminal who is wanted all over the world. It must be difficult for such a man to continue raising a child. If he has to keep running away from his pursuers, he won''t be able to settle down.

    But there is a ce where even such a person can live without worrying about his pursuers. A ce where criminals from all over the world flee for their lives. It is harsher than any other ce in the world, but if you are as strong as Zelos Reed, you will have no problem in that ce.

    ¡¸A ce where all of your past is forgiven if you are a capable warrior. The continent of Gordisia¡¹

    On the continent of Gordisia, as long as you join the allied forces and meet your daily quotas, your past criminal record is considered irrelevant. Losing a capable warrior for trivial reasons is a great loss in that hellish ce.

    Undoubtedly, Zelos Reed would have aimed for the continent of Gordisia.

    ¡¸So the best thing to do would be to cross the continent of Gilberd and take a ship at a port town on the eastern coast¡¹

    On the way, I stopped at the royal capital of the Kingdom of Kranzel. It was indeed the royal capital of a great country, and it boasted a tremendous grandeur. It wasn''t often in my long life that I had seen such arge wall.

    To begin with, there are only a few ces in this world where you can build a city of this royal capital level. This is because it is difficult to build arge city in a ce that does not have the conditions for the generation powerful demonic beasts, is ecologically stable, and does not have bad transportation or water.

    It is especially difficult to find a ce where there are no strong magical beasts in the vicinity. It''s impossible to build a city in a ce whererge magical beasts such as dragons and giants frequently appear, and even if you could, it wouldn''tst long.

    In that sense, the royal capital of Kranzel is a wonderful achievement. Most of the demonic beasts in the vicinity are of medium size or smaller, and it is not difficult to defeat them if you have a sufficient number of adventurers and knights.

    It''s hard even for a big country to have strong people. It''s fine as long as you happen to have a strong people by chance, but for a country tosts for hundreds of years. Considering this, a system that can always provide a certain level of defense with numbers and tools is more reliable.

    I thought it would be very developed inside¡­¡­

    ¡¸But I didn''t expect to get caught up in the turmoil here¡¹

    I was in the middle of gathering information on Zelos Reed at the tavern. But I didn''t get any information on him though. But apparently Fran and his master were in the royal capital. When I was about to meet them, I saw that there was arge-scale battle going on all over the capital.

    I don''t know if it''s a civil war or a coup d¡¯¨¦tat, but people are fighting each other. Could it be that they were invulnerable to external enemies but vulnerable to internal disturbances?

    But even so, there''s still a lot of noise. While I was thinking about it, I was attacked too. They were weird guys with swords stuck in their backs. They were pretty strong. If these guys are on the rampage, the royal capital might be in a quite dangerous state.

    I heard from the adventurer''s guild that the Marquis had staged a coup d¡¯¨¦tat. The people with swords stuck in their backs seemed to be his army. The guild master and others seemed to be leading an elite group of people to various ces for support.

    ¡¸I can''t just ignore this huh¡¹

    I don''t know if it''s fortunate or unfortunate for the people of this city that I''m here, but¡­¡­I want to make sure that Miss Fran is safe.

    For the time being, I''m going to head for the royal castle where there are people rted to the Knight Order. I''ll go there and get some information, and if necessary, I can destroy the Marquis. Thanks to Fran and the others who held him down, there should still be enough time for her to run away. I''m sure I can help.

    However, it seems that thinking was too sweet. In front of the royal castle, a girl with tremendous power was overrunning the knights. She''s a dragon kin, but her magic power isparable to mine. It''s not as if she has a purpose, but it hasn''t led torge-scale destruction, but if she''s serious, even this royal capital should be cleared in less than half an hour.

    I''ll have to do it myself. If I leave her alone, it''ll be a disaster for Miss Fran and Master. I called out to the pompous men who were talking about old man Demitris and gave them a bite, but it didn''t do much damage. If I don''t get serious, I''m the one who''s going to get hit.

    ¡¸Now, how long can I keep this up¡­¡­?¡¹

    The problem was that if I went out of control, there would be more damage. I had to get it over with before that happened.

    ¡¸Oi! Get these people out of the area. They''ll be involved into the fight¡¹

    ¡¸Yo-you are¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m an adventurers, Ashwrath. You can call me arade in arms¡¹

    ¡¸Y-you are¡­Oi! All hands retreat! Use the royal castle to escape immediately! Hurry up and evacuate the residents¡¹

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    Apparently, he knows who I am. The knight who seemed to be the most important one moved immediately. This would make the fight a little easier.

    ¡¸You, have you ever heard of the adventurer known as the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know Fran, Ashwrath-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, where she is now?¡¹

    ¡¸They''re searching Marquess Ashtner''s mansion¡¹

    ¡¸Is that far from here?¡¹

    ¡¸more or less¡¹

    It''s good then. She''s less likely to get involved.

    ¡¸There''s nothing to regret! Divine Sword Release!¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-454-1.html

 Chapter 454: Side: Ashwrath (II)

    <h4>Chapter 454: Side: Ashwrath (II)</h4>

    ¡¸There''s nothing to regret! Divine Sword Release!¡¹

    With my words, the divine sword in my hand transformed its appearance into something vicious. The gate that had been holding back the tremendous power was opened.

    ¡¸Gravity Prison!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaaa!¡¹

    The magic resistance is so high that restraining magic is almost useless. So, it will be a slugfest.

    ¡¸Oiiii! Youu!¡¹

    I was surprised. From the looks of it, she looks like she''spletely out of control, but I didn''t know she could speak in this state. However, what came out of the girl''s mouth was a croaky, man-like voice.

    Oh well. If it can buy time to get the others out of the way, I''ll join her for a chat.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a divine sword, isn''t it? It''s not the fake one that that little ck cat kid had! It''s a real divine sword, right?¡¹

    ¡¸The kid from the ck Cat tribe? Is that Fran by any chance?¡¹

    ¡¸With that divine sword¡­¡­we''re¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oi!¡¹

    ¡¸If we take in that divine sword¡­¡­¡¹

    Just because she could talk didn''t mean she was sane. Whenever the girl screamed, the broken sword in her hand began to emit a vicious magic. Apparently, the sword was controlling the girl?

    ¡¸What are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know! I wish I did! But I know!¡¡If we can get that divine sword, we''ll be able to regain our original form! So, give me that divine sword!¡¹

    Her swords turned on me. But it''s a good thing, too. This makes it easier to fight.

    ¡¸It''s time to get serious, huh?¡¹

    Almost all signs of people have disappeared from the area. It seems that there are still people inside the castle though¡­¡­ It is true that I can fight morefortably in the noble districts than in themoner districts. It wouldn''t hurt my heart even if I crush their house.

    ¡¸Give me that sword!¡¹

    ¡¸Die, you bastard!¡¹

    I was in top gear from the start. It was probably the same for the other side. They unleashed a series of attacks that could turn even arge mansion into a ruin with a single blow. In just a few tens of seconds, the square was in a cruel state. The cobblestones werepletely bald, and there were manyrge holes in the ground.

    But even a fight like this is just a check and bnce for us. From time to time, we would find an opening and hit him with an even bigger move, but it would not be enough.

    Even though her arms were torn off, her legs crushed, and her bodies punctured, they instantly regenerated her wounds and mmed her weapons into me.

    ¡¸Howe I can''t control you?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh? You want to control me?¡¹

    Apparently, he was using some kind of ability on me that would allow her to control her enemies. But I don''t think that''s possible. I''ve always been under the influence of the Abominable Madness. Unless he had more control than that skill, he wouldn''t be able to control my mind.

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    The girl shows a slight expression of impatience. At first nce, we seem to be evenly matched, but she knows she is at a disadvantage. She realizes that the stalemate will notst long.

    ¡¸Oraaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugha!¡¹

    We are evenly matched in ability. But they have slightly better regeneration. I was the better tactician. And the difference in weapons was obvious. I had the divine sword. The other side was a broken magic sword.

    I start to get the better of the fight. If they wanted to beat me, they should have flown through the air and cut me down from a distance. However, perhaps they were too determined to take my divine sword, so he challenged me to a close to mid-range battle.

    No, they must have been confident in his sword skills. In fact, if it was a normal shing match, the other side was far superior. They had to sh me ten times before I could hit him once. And maybe he needed to cut me with his sword to control me.

    However, the attack power of the weapons in her hand was too different. Gaia''s attack, which was on a divine attribute by putting magic power into it, had gutted the girl''s life force with a single blow.

    Of course, I''m pretty much cornered myself. It''s been a while since I''ve fought a rank A magic being like Lich.

    ¡¸Gughaa!¡¹

    ¡¸You can''t escape! Kiss of the Earth!¡¹

    In the next moment, the vast area was crushed at once. A super-gravity was being applied to a radius of about 200 meters. This was not earth magic, but Gaia''s ability. The girl who was about to take off crashed and was plunged into the ground.

    Before I knew it, the area around the castle had became a vacant lot and half of the castle had copsed, but it was to protect the capital. I guess it can''t be helped.

    ¡¸Kiss of the Earth!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    Next to the surface point. The gravitational cage that stretched as if contracting towards the girl from all directions had captured her body perfectly. It''s one of Gaia''s special moves that crushes even the sturdiest earth dragons¡­¡­It''smendable that they''re able to endure it, but there''s no escaping her now unless they use teleport magic.

    Just before she was about to stop the blow there.

    ¡¸Divine Sword Release!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    With the girl''s cry, the precept of gravity bursts forth from within. But still, a divine sword release? Was that magical sword a divine sword? No, the way it''s broken, is it the same discarded divine sword as Master''s?

    Thanks to my rtion with Alistair, I''ve heard a bit about the Divine Sword. There are six discarded divine swords that I know of.

    The cherubim, meltdowns, and judgments that were ordered by God to be discarded have no chance of existing in this world. Even if they still have their outer bodies like masters, they would not have their original abilities.

    So, is it more likely to be the Holy Order, Fanatics, or Eldorado, which were just destroyed by ident or in a battle between divine swords?

    ¡¸God damn it! It''s over! Why isn''t everything working! It''s been 40 years! Forty years we''ve been preparing for this!¡¹

    ¡¸Like I¡¯d know!¡¹

    ¡¸A pseudo fanatics sword made by cutting and melting our swords, and a lineage of dragon maidens who can handle our most powerful skill, "Divine Dragon Transformation"! Why did a guy like you appear at time like this! Don''t joke with meee!¡¹

    She was cornered and lost her temper. The sword was ranting and raving in an unseemly manner. Yes, the sword was talking.

    The sword, which had been transformed by the Divine Sword Release, retained the broken part of the de, but the hand cover had been erged to resemble a gauntlet covering the elbow. Numerous human masks were drawn on the surface of the gauntlet, giving it a strange air.

    Then there is a sculpture of a man who has be so huge that he is almost as big as a human head, and he is screaming like a real person. The way its mouth and eyes move are no different from a human''s.

    ¡¸Did you orchestrate this coup d¡¯¨¦tat?¡¹

    ¡¸Hyahahaha! That''s right! We caused it with Ashtner! But it had already failed!¡¹

    ¡¸What is your goal?¡¹

    ¡¸The divine sword of Philias, Diabolos! We''re going to seize the capital and the king with our abilities, unite all the armies, and invade Philias at once! And we were going to take the divine sword!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­To fix you?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right! If only we had a divine sword made with Oricalchos¡­¡­Besides, Diabolos was made by Dionysus, just like us! It''s supposed to be highlypatible with us!¡¹

    I finally understand. This is the end of the fanatic sword Fanatics. It was destroyed by the Holy Order and lost its original ability, but it must have escaped without disappearing.

    They are only trying to fix themselves, so they created this mess. Well, I guess they doesn''t care how many people die.

    The surprise was that it has a will, but it was less shocking thanks to the fact that I had met with master.

    ¡¸If only you weren''t here¡­¡­Even if I have to die here, you''re the only one I''ll kill here! Not only that! The people in this royal capital will go with you! You''ll all die!¡¹

    Is this the effect of the divine sword release? His sword de begins to crumble into sand as if it is weathering. The Fanatics will soon copse from that. Well, he showed his power as a divine sword in an iplete state, that can''t be helped.

    ¡¸I''m gonna destroy you, and then I''m gonna end all of this!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll kill you right here for interfering with me!¡¹

    /2021/01/tenken-454-2.html

 Chapter 455: Self-Destruct

    <h4>Chapter 455: Self-Destruct</h4>

    A swordsman who burns down his surroundings with me magic. And it wasn''t just a simple me magic. He had activated multiple techniques to createrge explosions at the same time without chanting.

    More than ten shots of magic that could destroy several houses with one shot went off at the same time, blowing the surrounding houses to smithereens.

    People who failed to escape were engulfed in mes and screaming.

    ¡¸That guy¡­!¡¹

    Eliante jumped out of the way to stop the swordsman. At this rate, she would sacrifice herself to stop the man in order to buy time to let the civilians escape. Looking at Eliante''s tragic face, I knew that she was prepared to not win.

    ¡¸Stop it!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Guuoh!¡¹

    However, the swordsman now, for some reason, had gained a more strength from the pseudo fanatic sword being in the divine sword release. Even if Eliante had risked her life, it would have been difficult to even stall for time.

    The shockwave from the sword he had fired had flung her nearly ten meters and she was groaning. The de of the greatsword in her hand is split in half, but I guess that''s what saved her from being blown away.

    In addition, me magic was mercilessly applied to it. Countless ming bullets rained down on Eliante with no ce to escape.

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    I jumped out of the way as quickly as I could and used telekinesis to st away the me magic.

    ¡¸Eh? What¡­?¡¹

    Eliante is surprised to see a sword that moves on its own. Well, I have no choice!

    I used my doppelganger to get in front of Eliante and the others. It would look suspicious, but I couldn''t let them know I was an Intelligence Weapon!

    I pretend as if I''ve just been teleported and grabbed my handle.

    ¡ºI''m not some suspicious guy. I''m an acquaintance of Fran''s¡»

    ¡¸Aren''t you the Curry Master!¡¹

    Apparently, Colbert remembered me, even though he had only met me once before. Hearing Colbert''s words, the suspicion faded from Eliante''s face.

    ¡ºIf you didn''t fight him properly, he''ll kill you instantly! You know that right!¡»

    ¡¸But, even so¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºI''ll face him! Even if i look like this, I''m still Fran''s master. I can at least buy you some time! But you have to make sure Fran gets away! I beg you!¡»

    ¡¸Ah, wha¨D¨D¡¹

    I saw the swordsman''s eyes turn to look at me. There was no time for more questions and answers. I didn''t wait for Eliante and the others to reply, and ran toward the swordsman.

    I don''t want Eliante and the others to hesitate because of me¨D¨D

    As expected of an adventurer. She made a quick decision and began to retreat.

    ¡ºWell, the problem is, will he stick with me until he kills himself?¡»

    Red rays of light rained down on me. It must have been the simultaneous activation of about twenty re sts that converge and shoot out mes.

    The stone building behind me melted into mush, filled with holes, and finally exploded.

    But I hadn''t taken any damage. I had used the little magic power I had recovered to activate the Dimension Shift.

    Then, winds began to swirl around me, quickly growing into a giant tornado. It must be storm magic. It gets thicker and bigger, engulfing the surrounding debris.

    I jumped up and exposed myself in the air by teleporting and jumping in the air. If I don''t, the damage to the town is going to be bad. From his point of view, I was full of opening.

    There was no expression on the swordsman''s face, and I couldn''t tell if he was surprised that I was okay or not. However, I''m sure that the point of the attack was directed at me. A spell was fired at me.

    A huge pir of fire, fused and amplified by the simultaneous release of Inferno Burst, engulfed my figure. It was the same type of attack that Announcer-san had unleashed against the Lich, yet it was several times more powerful.

    But even that vicious attack couldn''t hit me who is using the Dimension Shift. My magic power is decreasing, I knew that I could hold out for a few more minutes.

    ¡ºShii!¡»

    I''ll also counterattack to draw his attention to me. I unleashed a lower level thunderbolt spell. I don''t think it will work, but it was shy and eye-catching.

    Sure enough, the swordsman strikes back at me. This time, red fireballs surrounded me, and then they all expanded and exploded at once. With the simultaneous activation of the re Explode, a flower of mes bloomed in the sky.

    ¡ºIt won''t work on me!¡»

    Booooom!

    My counterattack was followed by more counterattacks.

    I knew he was out of control and his ability to think has declined. If he still had the ability to make good decisions, he would ignore myck of effective attacks and attack his surroundings.

    His ability is on par with a rank A adventurer. But his head was an idiot. He was an easy opponent for me to deal with.

    ¡ºI''m going to keep his eyes on me and let him keep wasting his time!¡»

    Since I can use space-time magic, I''ve been able to do something about it. But I wonder how much damage has been done elsewhere¡­¡­

    And about three minutester.

    When I started to worry about my remaining magic power, his life force finally hit the bottom. It was a really long three minutes.

    The reason for this was that his attack was more violent than I had expected, and I had used a lot of magic to spend on dimension shift. If he hadn''t died ten secondster, I would have tried to attack him.

    And it was at that moment when the swordsman''s life force ran out.

    Boooooooooooomm!

    ¡ºUwoooh!¡»

    Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. A violent st whips the rubble of the houses far up into the sky.

    I thought that he had unleashed some kind of me magic, but that was not the case. It was not a me, but an explosion caused by arge amount of magic power released.

    It seemed that with the death of the swordsman, the magic power of the pseudo fanatic sword that had been raging within him lost control and overflowed all at once.

    From above, I could see that a huge crater had been created. More than forty houses had been destroyed, and the surrounding area was heavily damaged. If the furniture that scattered due to the shock wave was counted, the damage would reach hundreds of houses.

    But shortly after I descended to the ground, a series of explosions echoed through the royal capital. When I looked over there, I could see the released magic power rising up like a pir.

    It seems that even outside of this ce, controlled swordsmen are falling down, leaving behind a huge explosion. The sound of explosions continued to echo intermittently, and we could see more than fifty pirs of magic power rising up. There are many explosions in the noble districts, but there are also explosions in the residential andmercial districts.

    The area that is particrly intense is near the royal castle. In particr, the magic explosions are concentrated in the vicinity where the tremendous magic power is colliding with each other.

    ¡ºIt''s not like they''re a suicide bombers. What the hell is their goal?¡»

    Is their goal being to destroy the royal capital?

    ¡ºI hope Fran is safe!¡»

    /2021/01/tenken-455.html

 Chapter 456: Rank S that Appeared

    <h4>Chapter 456: Rank S that Appeared</h4>

    As the massive explosion of the pseudo fanatic sword continued to cause great damage in the royal capital, I was searching for any sign of Fran.

    We have a magical connection that allows us to sense each other''s presence even when we are quite far away. Relying on this connection, I used the long-distance teleport.

    ¡¸Wh-who is it!¡¹

    The one who was surprised by my sudden appearance was Stellia, the receptionist at the Adventurer''s Guild. She was wearing bright red full-body armor, it''s perhaps her equipment from her active days, and she was holding a huge mace.

    Maybe, it''s bigger than it was when she was active, but thanks to the size-adjusting magic, it seems to be equipped without any problem. It seems, magical equipment was like a living thing in many ways.

    ¡ºI''m the master of Fran, the ck Lightning Princess. I''m not an enemy!¡»

    ¡¸Hee¡­¡¹

    I''m quite suspicious. My body performance was at its lowest. I can''t even move my mouth, so I has to use telekic, and my status is so low that it''s hard to believe for someone like me to be Fran''s master.

    Furthermore, my doppelganger was dressed very poorly. Because I had created it into human form on the spur of the moment, I hadn''t bothered to dress it. Because of this, my doppelganger was dressed only in shabby clothes, like a ve''s.

    It''s pretty hard to believe for someone like me to be Fran''s master huh.

    ¡¸That little girls'' master? Hmm¡­you don¡¯t even look like a human tho¡­¡¹

    Huh, I didn''t know Eihwaz was here too. Unlike Stellia, there''s no hostility in his gaze. Instead, his eyes are those who looks at their Guinea pig though. He seems to intuitively understand that my body is different from that of a normal human. As expected of the mad scientist who likes to dissect things.

    ¡¸Everyone, we will evacuate to the city outskirts! Hurry up!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll carry Master Gallus. You take care of Fran¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    Eliante and Colbert appeared from the back. Colbert was carrying Gallus on his back, and Fran was strapped to the back of Urushi.

    ¡¸Oh, Master Curry! So you''re safe!¡¹

    Colbert notices me and rushes over to me, please stop with that Master curry!. however, it seems ease the suspicious res from Stellia.

    ¡ºA,aah. I see you''re fine too¡»

    ¡¸Yes. But the crisis isn''t over yet. We''re still evacuating the royal capital¡¹

    Eliante shared with me the information that Eihwaz and the others had brought. It seems that Velmeria is being controlled by the broken magic sword and is untouchable.

    He said that Forrund was also there, but both of them almost died. She was so strong that makes Eihwaz had no idea what he can do, and showed Forrund her overwhelming power when he saw her.

    In my mind, these two people are at the top of the list of people I don''t want to fight. To put it bluntly, they''re probably better than us. I can''t imagine them losing. But even with the two of them working together, they were kicked to the curb in less than ten minutes.

    In the end, he said, Forrund pursued Velmeria and Eihwaz came back to the guild to report the scale of the enemy. However, it seems that Eihwaz was able to contact Forrund through the use of a familiars, and he understood the situation right up until a few minute ago.

    ¡¸Well, it seems that something happened to Forrund, and the familiars has died. It can''t be helped¡¹

    ¡ºWhat happened?¡»

    ¡¸That little dragon girl named Velmeria and a rank S adventurer started a fight. Looks like the Hundred Swords got caught up in it¡¹

    ¡ºA rank S adventurer? Was there such a guy in this country?¡»

    As I recall, there was a rank S adventurer named Demitris in the Gilberd Continent. A genius martial artist who is the master of Colbert and the founder of the Dimitris style.

    However, he said that it was not Demitris who appeared in the royal capital.

    ¡¸It''s not the immovable Demitris. It was my first time to saw him, but the one who started the fight with the little girl were also causing friendly fire. That was from Hundred Swords, then it must be true¡¹

    ¡ºFriendly fire! Ashwrath was here huh!¡»

    ¡¸Do you know him?¡¹

    ¡ºYea. So, he''s fighting Velmeria?¡»

    ¡¸That''s right¡¹

    Isn''t it pretty bad for Ashwrath to fight with Velmeria, who can easily managed two rank A adventurers? The damage to the surrounding area will be horrendous.

    Well, if Ashwrath hadn''te, the royal capital would have been destroyed by Velmeria by now¡­¡­

    But there is a problem that cannot be ignored.

    ¡ºIs Ashwrath¡­still sane?¡»

    ¡¸Hou? What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡ºI can''t exin it in detail, but Ashwrath was dangerous, he will going out of control the more they fight. It doesn''t matter if you''re friend or foe, When Ashwrath is out of control. He''s really dangerous!¡»

    No, you know that, don''t you? That''s why Eliante and the others are trying to escape in a hurry.

    But will it save us? If Ashwrath were to go on rampage, the damage would not only be the capital but also the surrounding areas. Unlike that underground dungeon, he should be able to wield his power here without any restrictions. Will Eliante and the others be able to escape?

    The best thing to do would be for all of us to get out of here, and for Ashwrath to defeat Velmeria early so he doesn''t go out of control. It would be great if he could also save Velmeria''s life.

    The worst thing that can happen is that Ashwrath will go out of control during the battle with Velmeria, and the battle between the two causes great damage to the royal capital and its people. In some cases, Fran''s and Eliante''s live are also in danger.

    What should I do? The easiest thing for me to do would be to get out of royal capital right now with just Fran and Urushi. Even with the rest of my magic power, I should be able to get pretty far away using teleport.

    But if Fran woke up and found out that she was the only one who survived, abandoning Eliante, Gallus and the others¡­¡­She''ll be sad, she''ll be devastated. Fran might not be able to forgive herself.

    ¡ºIf that''s the case, I guess the least damaging method would be to take down Velmeria as soon as possible and prevent Ashwrath from running amok¡»

    I''m not sure how far i can fight that monsters without Fran¡­¡­It can even be said that I only have half the number of moves and half the power now. The only way I can beat her now is only with stealth.

    No, in this case, stealth is important. It''s impossible to attack her from the front anyway. If that''s the case, the best thing to do would be to sneak up on the battle, and strike an effective blow at Velmeria, and give Ashwrath support.

    ¡ºUnderstood. Then, I¡¯ll go¡»

    ¡¸Wa-, it''s dangerous, even for you!¡¹

    ¡ºI''ll be fine. I''m just gonna check on her. I leave Fran with you¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I''m anxious to leave Fran''s side, but I have no choice.

    ¡ºIt''s in front of the castle huh¡»

    I can still feel the huge magic power. I heard that the Count and the others have already evacuated the area, but Forrund must still be there. He seems to have been caught up in some unforeseen situation, but that man would not die so easily.

    In some cases, we might even be able to fight together.

    /2021/01/tenken-456.html

 Chapter 457: Battle Between the Transcenders

    <h4>Chapter 457: Battle Between the Transcenders</h4>

    The ridiculouslyrge magic power in the town is already gone. The pseudo fanatic swords must have all self-destructed. All that''s left is Velmeria.

    I tried to approach the square in front of the royal castle to check the current situation in Velmeria, but it was impossible. After all, the ce was already in a state of hell.

    I mean, how big was the square in front of the royal castle?

    Originally, there was supposed to be a beautiful square with neatlyid cobblestones¡­¡­But now, it''s only a bare ground, with lots of craters and bumps stretches on and on.

    No, some of it is so t it looks as if it''s been graded with a road roller. I''ve seen this before in Beastman country. It''s definitely the work of Ashwrath.

    The surrounding mansions and the royal castle, which was supposed to have been protected by strong barriers, hadpletely copsed, and I couldn''t tell where the square was from where I was. Moreover, the destruction was still ongoing.

    Boooaaam!

    Boooooom!

    Ashwrath wields Gaia in its released state, spreading destruction. As soon as arge area is crushed by gravity, a huge rock projectile shoots toward the sky. And then they fall to the ground, spreading a great deal of damage. Even now, a nobleman''s mansion was destroyed in front of me.

    I thought he might have already gone on rampage, but I couldn''t see any sign of it even from a distance. I couldn''t see the blood-red, ominous and disastrous aura that had enveloped Ashwrath when the mad demonization was activated. It must mean that the opponent is strong enough that he has to fight without worrying about damage to the surrounding area.

    In contrast, Velmeria - is that really Velmeria?¡¡She is moving at high speed, and I can barely make out her figure the moment she stops moving slightly, but her appearance has been transformed too much.

    Her light blue hair was still remained, but her entire body was covered with hard scales. The arms were also erged and knotted, clearly out of the human category. Moreover, she had huge wings on her back. If they were the same kind of wings as a dragon''s, it would be able fly at high speed with magic power.

    While Ashwrath fights mainly with earth magic, Velmeria unleashes a wide variety of magic. I don''t know why she doesn''t fly, but she was firing a series of magic while running around on the ground.

    Then, Velmeria manifested a pseudo sun.

    It was just like the sun that had fallen to the earth, scorching the air and vaporizing thend. Even from a distance, a tremendous heat was beating down on me. It was so hot that my body would disappear in an instant.

    The remnants of the stone pir rolling beside me were bubbling and starting to melt and crumble. I could feel my endurance dwindling even though there should still be some distance between us, and I hurried to get away from it.

    The magic contained in it would easily surpass even my Kanna Kamui that I unleash with all my might. I''m not sure if it''s a me magic or not. No, the current Velmeria might be able to do this with a Lv. 8 or 9 skill.

    Either way, it''s a destructive magic that''s impossible for me to do.

    Ashwrath popped out of the miniature sun. Smoke billowed from his entire body, and parts of his arms and face were burned off, but his life was intact. I can''t imagine how he could escape from that thing without losing his life.

    Ashwrath turned to face the pseudo-sun, leaping with gravity maniption. Immediately afterwards, Ashwrath sidestepped Gaia, and the pseudo-sun contracted all at once, easily disappearing. The super gravity must have cancelled out the pseudo-sun.

    In its wake was a beautiful spherical hole. The size of the hole was several times the diameter of the pseudo-sun, no less than fifty meters. It seemed to have vaporized not only the area it had touched, but also the surroundingnd, making it disappear.

    Then, Ashwrathunched a counterattack.

    In the ce where the pseudo-sun was, a small ck sphere is now created. It was really a small sphere, about 30 centimeters in diameter. However, something strange happened immediately afterwards.

    The surrounding rubble and earth began to gather towards the sphere with tremendous force. Apparently, the super gravity was pulling the surroundings together.

    ¡ºThat''s dangerous!¡»

    I was also pulled slightly. I used my teleport again and moved away from the scene. In terms of impact, it''s more than Velmeria''s me magic.

    In the meantime, the sphere continued to expand and grow to a huge size as it was covered with the earth and debris that seemed to have belonged to the royal castle. The unceasing earth tremors were probably caused by the distortion of the earth over a wide area, not just in this vicinity.

    ¡ºAnd Velmeria is¡­¡­¡»

    There she is! Right underneath a huge rock floating in the air. She was crawling on all fours on the ground, trying to hold on. However, she was caught up in the debris that was being pulled toward the rock lump one after another, and her body finally separated from the ground.

    The new debris immediately covered Velmeria, who had been mmed into the rock, and swallowed her up inside. The pressure would be tremendous due to the super-gravity and the weight of the rock mass that had been pulled in.

    I thought this was going to be a victory for Ashwrath, but¡­¡­

    Booooooooom!

    A small mountain-like mass of rocks floating in the air exploded from within. The rocks of various sizes that burst apart poured into the surrounding area. The range of the explosion must have reached the entire noble district.

    Although they were small, they were still rocks that had beenpressed andpacted together. The roofs and walls of the houses would be pierced with ease, and people would be seriously injured at the very least if they were hit. The nearby area was already in a hellish state to begin with, so it was a littlete for that.

    Although they may not have been attacking each other in turn, Velmeria next unleashed her water magic. A huge water snake with eight heads was created and attacked Ashwrath.

    The head of the water snake alone was nearly ten meters long, but it was blown away by one swing of Gaia''s sword. However, that was not the end of Velmeria''s attack.

    The eight-headed water serpent restricted Ashwrath''s movement, and then she unleashed her main attack. It was a technique that I was familiar with. No, I don''t know if I can say that it''s the same as the one I use but¡­¡­

    ¡ºKanna Kamui huh¡­!¡»

    It was the same sense of defeat that I felt in the battle with Murellia. But at that time, it was a sense of defeat with hope that I would catch up with her someday.

    However, when I saw Kanna Kamui released by Velmeria, what I felt was a sense of emptiness that I could never catch up with her. I can''t even picture the vision of catching up. I don''t even know if I can call it a defeat in the first ce. From the very beginning, there was an overwhelming difference that was not even able to be called as a match.

    It is denser and more powerful pr thunderbolt than the convergence-type Kanna Kamui used by Murellia, but it is several times thicker.

    A huge pir of lightning pierced the earth and caused a huge explosion. It was so powerful that the st even hit me right where I was.

    I see, so that''s an extreme magic. This is what extreme magic is all about. It is a magic that exceeds the limits of human being, capable of destroying an army with just one blow. This must be the true power of Kanna Kamui.

    I''m sure I''ve been unorthodox in my own way, but the battle in front of me was unorthodox even from my perspective. They unleashed a wide range of mass destruction attacks on each other, and still there was no sign for it to be settled any soon.

    I can see some damage, but the regeneration ability is so high that it would be difficult to get to the point of taking each other''s life if not for an instant kill.

    But I can''t just sit back and watch until the battle is over. I now has a reason to end this battle early, even if I has to be a little reckless.

    ¡ºAswrath''s horns are started to emit a reddish light, aren''t they?¡»

    I could see the signs of an outburst from Ashwrath.

    /2021/01/tenken-457.html

 Chapter 458: Talks with Forrund

    <h4>Chapter 458: Talks with Forrund</h4>

    ¡ºI have to end this fight somehow, before Ashwrath gets out of control¡­¡­¡»

    Actually, I was thinking that if we escaped outside of the royal capital, maybe there would be no damage¡­¡­ After seeing the battle between the Transcenders, my wishful thinking was blown away.

    There was no way we could let it run amok. The damage wouldn''t be limited to just the royal capital if Ashwrath went out of control.

    ¡ºShould i support Ashwrath¡­¡»

    However, as I found out when I watched the two of them fight, both of her defenses and life force were too massive for a few attacks to take kill it.

    Even if I managed to create an opening, I wasn''t sure if that would be enough to help Ashwrath defeat Velmeria.

    ¡ºWhen ites to that¨D¨DI have to aim for the Fanatics huh¡­¡»

    The broken magic sword that Velmeria is holding. That is definitely the main body of the Fanatics. The moment I saw it, I immediately knew.

    It''s a divine sword. There''s no need to appraise it. Is the announcer-san inside me secretly whispering to me?

    The Fanatics were bizarre even from a distance, and its presence was no less than Gaia''s in its liberated state.

    ¡ºIf I could just do something about it¡­¡­¡»

    As I was thinking about that, I noticed something. The Fanatics were getting shorter. In the short time since I started observing the fierce battle between the two, the de of the Fanatics had shortened.

    If I take a close look, I can see its de crumbling away as if it were weathering. It must be a reaction to the divine sword release. Because I''m often affected by skills with strong repercussions, I could be sure of that.

    Do I have to do something? If the copse continues at that rate, it won''t be long before it destroys itself. But before that happens, there is a possibility that Ashwrath will start to run amok too¡­¡­No, it''s too dangerous to bet on wishful thinking.

    ¡ºI guess I''ll have to take the risk and intervene huh¡»

    If I hadn''t seen Gaia before, all I would have been able to do was shudder at the thought of a battle between two divine swords. The idea of a battle between two superior divine swords gives me such awe.

    ¡ºBut, still¨D¨D¡»

    I have to do something.

    ¡ºHowever, what should I do?¡»

    I can''t break into that fight without a n.

    As long as I can only expect to damage it with a full-blown blow, I will have to prepare a blow at the perfect time.

    I can''t use potential release. Because I can''t stand it now.

    I can use telekic catapult after teleporting? No, Its wont work. Against a strong opponent, there is a high possibility that it can detect my teleport. In fact, some of the rank A opponents I''ve fought in the past have avoided it. I should assume that Velmeria will naturally react as well.

    This is where the bad side of not having Fran came in. I would teleport, Fran would aim, and the two of us would attack. We were able to minimize the gap because we were able to divide our roles in this way.

    ¡ºThen, do i have to use telekinesis to catch the opponent?¡»

    If I can use telekinesis to block your opponent''s movement, even for a moment, I may be able to hit them. At the same time, if I use the telekinesis with a guider, the possibility of missing an attack will be even lower. However, that would make it impossible for me to use telekic catapult.

    ¡ºNo, if only I could use magic together¡­Hmm?¡»

    As i was worried, I felt the presence of a person somewhat far away. he seemed to be using his stealth skills, but his stealth must have wavered for a moment as he tried to dodge the huge debris that had fallen nearby. In terms of location, he was in the shadows of the rubble, about 20 meters away from me.

    The owner of the presence was Forrund. I didn''t think he''d be this close. He seemed to have immediately normalized his stealth skills, when I caught his presence.

    Still, I''m pretty sure that Forrund had almost no stealth skills when I appraised him before¡­¡­His current stealth skill is quite good. It''s not inferior to its higher ranks.

    But I soon found out why. It was the sword that Forrund currently held in his right hand. It was probably a magic sword that Forrund had created with his extra skill, the love of the Sword God. It seems to have the ability to grant the wearer a stealth skill. In addition, the magic sword in his left hand has the same type of stealth ability.

    When i think about it, that was amazing. It would be possible to handle any situation by creating a magic sword with the most appropriate ability for the situation. Moreover, Forrund can create more than 100 swords at the same time, right? That would be like suddenly having 100 more skills.

    It''s quite bad if he was our enemy. Well, I suppose it''s the same for me and Fran''s skill sharing.

    Should I fight with Forrund here? But as long as I¡¯m not using the doppelganger, it will reveal my true identity.

    Forrund huh¡­¡­I don''t mind revealing my true identity to this man. I''ve met him many times before, and I''ve never had a bad impression of him. He''s usually very intimidating because he''s often involved inbat, and he sometimes can be scary. However, he never once had any negative feelings towards Fran or me.

    That''s probably why Fran has a strange fondness for Forrund. Although they hadn''t talked that much, it was clear that Fran liked Forrund.

    No, this is an emergency. There was no time for hesitation. If fighting together would increase our chances of survival, then we should have fought together.

    ¡ºForrund¡­Can you hear me?¡»

    (Hmm? What''s this voice? Who are you?)

    ¡ºAah, I¡¯m not an enemy. I''m the master of the ck Lightning Princess. I''m talking to you with telepathy¡»

    (Is that so, then I''ll believe you. I don''t sense any malice in your words)

    Somehow, he believed me so easily. No, I don''t have time for useless thoughts right now, so I''ll just be thankful.

    ¡ºI have one favor to ask¡»

    (What is it? Ask me anything)

    ¡ºVelmeria-do you have a back-up n that could take down the dragon girl?¡»

    This made me think that if Forrund had a powerful special move, I could just cooperate¨D¨D.

    (No, I don''t have the offensive power to finish that thing off. It''s beyond the human realm)

    ¡ºI see¡»

    (How about you?)

    ¡ºThere is, but¡­¡­Hey, that sword-shooting skill. What''s the point of that thing if it''s not your equipment or a sword under your control?¡»

    (No, that''s not the case. It''s an ability originally created by my skills to control swords, but the effect is to manipte swords within a certain range)

    So, it''s like a sword-only telekinesis. If so, maybe we can cooperate.

    With Forrund''s firing ability, I would be able to direct all of my telekinesis to restraint Velmeria.

    Anyway, wasn''t Forrund more of a quiet guy?¡¡I thought he was a man who always said only a few words. However, when I used telepathy, he talked normally. Maybe he''s just not very talkative in general, but he''s thinking a lot in his head. I felt a little closer to him when I thought about that.

    ¡ºI need Forrund''s help. Can you lend me your strength?¡»

    (Yea, fine with me. What should I do?)

    That''s a quick decision. I can count on him.

    ¡ºLet''s meet up first. I''ll go over there. Don''t be surprised, okay?¡»

    (?)

    /2021/01/tenken-458.html

 Chapter 459: Forrund and Strategy Planning

    <h4>Chapter 459: Forrund and Strategy nning</h4>

    I teleported under Forrund.

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡ºOops, don''t be surprised¨D¨Dis that too much to ask huh? Well, I am Master, an Intelligence Weapon¡»

    ¡¸¡­I see¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Aaa¡­¡»

    ¡¸Hmmh¡¹

    Is that all? Isn''t it too early to be convinced? I''m ashamed of myself for saying ¡¸Don''t be surprised!¡¹ with a smug look on my face.

    ¡ºMa, maybe you know other intelligence weapon besides me?¡»

    ¡¸No¡¹

    ¡ºI-is that so huh¡­¡»

    Anyway, aren''t you talking too much differently than you did during telepathy?

    ¡ºUh, when you''re connected via telepathy, you can talk with your mind. You''re better off this way, right?¡»

    (Is that so? I don''t mind if you do)

    ¡ºEveryone says you don''t talk much, don''t they?¡»

    (A few often said me like that, but not everyone)

    Yeah, maybe some people are too scared to point it out. Well, I hope we can cooperate well. Then I told Forrund about my n.

    What we need to do is simple. elerate with Forrund''s abilities supported with my magic and skills. We''ll use the Dimension Gate to try to surprise her. The target is the Fanatics equipped by Velmeria.

    It would be best if we could destroy it, but what we are aiming for is to weaken it through cannibalism. It is a skill that absorbs part of the abilities of the person you kill, but this is not the case with Fanatics, I should destroy it.

    It seems that the personality of the Fanatics is a kind of collective consciousness. their words and actions, as well as their ability to take the minds and memories of the people they kill and integrate them into themselves, would certainly confirm it.

    And when my attack damages a part of their consciousness, a part of the collective consciousness dies and is absorbed by me through cannibalism. Even if I can''tpletely destroy the pseudo fanatic sword or the fanatics themselves, the cannibalism is still in effect, so this must be true.

    If that''s the case, I''ll be able to weaken the Fanatics'' abilities by inflicting a painful blow with my attack, and provide cover for Ashwrath. If I''m sessful, I may be able to greatly speed up the Fanatics'' self-destruction.

    The only question is whether I can stand it or not. But now I had no choice but to do it. Cannibalism is the only way to ensure that I can damage the Fanatics.

    In truth, it would be quicker if we could tell Ashwrath about our n and get him to cooperate, but we needed to get closer to deliver the telepathy. But if I got any closer, Velmeria would notice me. I couldn''t take that risk.

    ¡ºThe question is, can we do any damage in the first ce? we''re dealing with an opponent who hasn''t been destroyed by Ashwrath''s super attack. If i can''t do any damage, it won''t even trigger cannibalism¡»

    (Then¨D¨D¨Dwhat do you think?)

    ¡ºBut then¨D¨D¨D¡»

    (Even so¨D¨D¨D)

    ¡ºI mean¨D¨D¨D¡»

    And with each other''s input, we formte a strategy.

    (That would give us a chance)

    ¡ºAre you sure you want to do it?¡»

    (I don''t care. As long as I''m the only one who can help to take him down, I''m all yours.

    ¡º¡­¡­I''m not going to sacrifice you, but I''m not going to go easy on you either, okay?¡»

    (Of course. You don''t have to worry about me)

    To be honest, it''s a lot of burden for Forrund, but it''s a better idea than my n.

    ¡ºAlso, a word of advice. If anyone but Fran equips me, they will die. I''m serious. If you just hold me in your hand, you''ll be fine¡»

    (Huh? Got it, I¡¯ll be careful)

    ¡º¡­Are you sure?¡»

    (About what?)

    ¡ºNo. you are not afraid to just hold me?¡»

    (If I don''t equip you, it wouldn''t be a problem, right? What does it matter?)

    As expected of a rank A adventurer. He has great courage. I''m counting on him.

    (I also have one piece of advice for you)

    ¡ºEh? What is it?¡»

    (I have the ability to analyze and duplicate magic swords. In this case of you, master, I knew at first nce that it was impossible to duplicate you¡­¡­However, analysis will be possible to some extent. This is done automatically, so I have no control over it. In some cases, things like the Master''s secrets might be revealed to me)

    ¡ºI see¡»

    However, as long as Forrund had the love of the Sword God, I was prepared for that. In fact, it would be a blessing just to not be able to duplicate me. In order to increase the odds of victory, there was no choice but to not borrow Forrund''s power.

    ¡ºAah, if you figure out something, I''d appreciate it if you''d keep your mouth shut¡»

    (Of course)

    Forrund''s words are trustworthy, even though I was not using the truth of falsehood. I wonder why it is? Is it because he is like a man without his backbone? (1)

    ¡ºThe aim is the moment when Ashwrath stops Velmeria from moving¡»

    (Oh. Let''s put all our energy into this one blow)

    ¡ºI counting on you¡»

    (That''s my line. We need to stop that girl)

    ¡ºLeave it to me. I''ll give it my all¡»

    (Umu)

    First, Forrund created about ten new magic swords. The first is the invisible sniper''s sword, which has a sniper function that increases the uracy of long-range attacks, the second is a telekic sword, and the third has the ability to control the wind.

    It seems that thanks to the love of the Sword God skill, he can use his ability to create a magic sword without holding it in his hand. He thrusts his magic swords up against the ground around him.

    Thest thing Forrund created was a magic sword with a short de but a powerful presence. It was a jet-ck sword breaker with a row of animal fang-like protrusion on its back.

    If I didn''t know that I was a discarded divine sword, I might have harboured a rivalry with it. That''s how vicious its atmosphere is.

    ¡ºIs that, your ace card?¡»

    (Yeah, its name is ¡ºAgito the Demon Wolf¡». It''s a high-grade magic sword that was made by grinding the fangs of a Fenrir, the demon wolf that devour everything) (2)

    ¡ºFenrir¡­¡»

    Seriously? When I heard that, I felt a sense of familiarity to that magical sword. I can''t help but be curious about this sword. Is there really a Fenrir in me?

    (What''s wrong?)

    ¡ºAah, no. Don''t mind¡»

    (Is that so? This magic sword has two abilities: one is to weaken the barrier of the person it touches. The other is the ability to absorb the durability of the armor it touches, making it more fragile. On the other hand, this magic sword is getting stronger and stronger)

    That''s pretty cool. If the sword had those two abilities, it would make something strong even stronger.

    ¡ºSurely, if we have it, that would really help¡­¡­¡»

    (I didn''t expect it to be the Fanatics, but it should be effective against that sword too. I don''t know how far I can go to reduce the durability of that thing, though)

    ¡ºStill, I''m starting to see some hope¡»

    (If so, then)

    ¡ºYeah, let''s go¡»

    /2021/01/tenken-459.html

 Chapter 460: Cooperative Attack

    <h4>Chapter 460: Cooperative Attack</h4>

    Forrund, who had grabbed my hilt, staggered lightly as if he were dizzy.

    He''s not equipped me, why!

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºA-are you okay?¡»

    (The amount of information from analyse was too much¡­For now, let''s just focus on the attack)

    ¡ºA, yeah¡»

    Thank God. The goddess'' curse had not fallen on him. What did he can see? Well, I''ll ask him when the battle is over and we''re both still alive.

    Forrund quickly regained his stance and aimed me with his right eye. As Forrund''s magical power enveloped my de, my body left his hand and slowly floated into the air.

    So, this is what happens when someone used telekinesis on me huh. It''s a strange feeling.

    Forrund pulls his right hand back and takes a stance as if to deliver a punch. I''m floating as the extension of his palm. his left hand was thrust forward as if to keep me steady and straight.

    I also used my shapeshift skills to transform into a cone shape to reduce air resistance. I''m going to put all my strength into the tip of my sword.

    ¡¸All sets¡¹

    ¡ºOkay¡»

    Somehow, I started to understand him a little. I feel like we''re on the same page. Is this another ability of the Love of the Sword God? It would not be surprising if he had the ability tomunicate with the sword or something like that.

    As I stared at Ashwrath''s aura, which was growing redder, I suppressed my impatience and continued to observe Velmeria.

    ¡ºNot yet¡­a little more¡­¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    My current state, where I''ve built up my strength to the limit, must be a tremendous load. The blood vessels on his forehead swelled to the point of bursting, and I could hear his arms creaking. However, he clenched his teeth and endured the pain. I guess he''s simr to Fran in this way too.

    As I watched for the right moment, the moment finally came.

    Ashwrath''s attack knocked Velmeria to the ground. She got up instantly, but was held in ce by super gravity.

    ¡º¡­Now!¡»

    ¡¸Here I go, Master!¡¹

    At the moment I shouted, Forrund''s magic power surged and exploded. I was shot out of Forrund''s palm at super high speed.

    ¡ºUwooooooooh!¡»

    I opened the dimension gate over Velmeria. It wasn''t directly above her, because I needed some distance to elerate.

    I simultaneously activated me magic, wind magic, thunderbolt magic, and space-time magic to elerate myself. The effect is enhanced as much as possible by controlling fire and wind magic.

    In order to increase my speed and power as much as possible. I also used Gravity Pressure on myself to draw me into the target.

    I also did not neglect to increase my attack power. In addition to Super Gravitation and Vibration Fangs, I used the Dark and Light attribute swords at the same time. Dark attribute was chosen because it attacked the opponent''s spirit directly, increasing the activation rate of my cannibalism as much as possible.

    As for light, it was a gamble. I can see that Velmeria has high resistance to the four basic attributes and theposite attribute. So, I thought that light, a rare attribute, would be better.

    Not only that, but I was also able to copy the rapid eleration by magic release that the Fanatics were using back then.

    While being pushed out by the telekinesis of Forrund, I instantly gained an unbelievable amount of eleration due to the multiple activation of his skills at the very limit of his control power. Normally, I would lose control and be blown away.

    However, with the guidance of my telekinesis, i went straight

    The tremendous recoil caused by the simultaneous use of magic and skills is quickly eroding my durability. However, this was to be expected. Forrund is risking his life, so I have to risk everything!

    ¡ºWraaaaaa!¡»

    Velmeria''s eyes are looking at me. She''s clearly reacting. But she won''t be able to intercept. Because Forrund was standing in front of her.

    As soon as he shot me, he dove through the other dimension gate I had opened and attacked Velmeria. Because she was able to react to my sudden appearance in the sky, she was only a moment toote to respond to Forrund who had appeared behind the scenes.

    Taking advantage of the opportunity, Forrund had seeded in blocking Velmeria¡¯s movement. Forrund used the sword breaker in his hand to tightly secure the Fanatics.

    Of course, with the power of Forrund alone, she would be easily shaken loose. However, it was the super-gravity of Ashwrath that held her to the earth. It was impossible to shake that off in an instant.

    Not even Velmeria could shake off Forrund, who had challenged her with the determination to throw everything away.

    ¡¸Gaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Won''t let you escape!¡¹

    ¡ºUWOOOOOOO!¡»

    Then, I turned into a super-fast bullet and pierced the Fanatics, along with Forrund''s arm and his magic sword. It was probably thanks to Agito the sword of demon wolf. The Fanatics, which had boasted such great defensive power, were shattered into pieces.

    Forrund was blown away by my blow, spraying a lot of blood. Still, at the moment we crossed, Forrund was certainly smiling.

    But I don''t have the luxury of caring for him right now.

    ¡ºGyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡»

    Is it mine, or the Fanatics'', or abination of our screams?

    I was screaming unconsciously at the tremendous torrent of magic power flowing into me.

    /2021/01/tenken-460.html

 Chapter 461: The Black Things that Devours Everything

    <h4>Chapter 461: The ck Things that Devours Everything</h4>

    ¡ºIiiiIIIiiii¨D¨D!¡»

    Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!

    What is this!

    Unbelievable magic power is¡­!

    Hot! Hot, hot! Something is burning inside of me! I''m burning, burning, and seemed to pop!

    ¡ºGUhGHaaaaghaaaaaaiiiiii!¡»

    It''s disgusting! A strange feeling as if countless bugs were crawling around inside my head, inside my body, and all over my body.

    ¡ºUwaaaaAaaaAaaa!¡»

    Help! Help me!

    I will break¡­!

    ¡ºGha, GHaah¡­¡­¡»

    Gkiiiiin!

    ¡º?¡»

    Suddenly, there''s a sound like something cracking. What was it?¡¡what''s cracking¨D¨D.

    It was right after that.

    ¡ºUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¨D¨D!¡»

    ck stuff overflows from deep inside me.

    It hurts, it''s hot, it''s cold, it''s painful. It''s just that something ck is covering and invading my insides. No, this is me too. It''s an entity that makes up myself. I understood this intuitively.

    ¡ºDevour it¡»

    ¡ºGhaaaa¡­!¡»

    ¡ºDevour it¡»

    ¡ºAAAAAghuh¡­?¡»

    ¡ºDevour it, Devour it!¡»

    ¡ºGhuh¡­What is this? Ghaaa!¡»

    Devour?

    ¡ºDevour it! Devours everything!¡»

    Devour what¡­? Everything¡­? You''re a part of me, but you''re not me. Who are you?

    ¡ºListen to my voice! Surrender yourself to me! Surrender yourself to me!¡»

    A voice echoing directly in my mind. The image is ck. An evil and terrifying thing is screaming inside me.

    ¡ºDevour it! Devour the Heaven and earth, gods and demons, people and beast, devour them all, devour everything!¡»

    What came through in his voice was an intense sense of hunger. The word "devour" means exactly what it sounds like. Its to eats flesh, slurps blood, swallows the earth, and even bites through the heavens. This ck thing is capable of that.

    ¡ºUgh!¡»

    What I felt in response was tremendous anger. My mind was filled with anger.

    You can''t just say whatever you want! You want to devour everything? And by people, you mean Fran too huh!

    Don''t mess with me! I won''t allow anyone to kill Fran, even if it''s me! If you''re going to kill Fran, you''ll have to kill me first, me! Oh, sh*t! I don''t even understand it! I don''t know what I''m talking about! My thoughts are all jumbled up!

    ¡ºAAAAAAHH! You''re so noisy! Shut the fuck up!¡»

    Maybe because of my anger, but the pain and difort went away.

    ¡ºWhy don''t you obey me! Obey me!¡»

    ¡ºI said shut the fuck up!¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­!¡»

    What? It did shut up? I guess i just have tomand it to¡­

    The lord of that voices¨D¨DI could see that the ck evil thing was clearly confused. Then, it rapidly lost its power. It didn''t disappear, nor did it leave me, but I could feel it receding deep inside me.

    Anyway¡­how did it work?

    It was right after I thought that. I heard a high-pitched voice, different from the one I had just heard.

    ¡ºKehihihihi! It''s funny to see what the guy who ate us was like!¡»

    ¡ºYou''re next huh¨D¨D¡»

    I don''t know why I know who they are. Maybe there''s something that the discarded divine sword canmunicate with each other.

    ¡ºFanatics huh?¡»

    ¡ºKihihihihi! Now what? We are what we are! But you''ve got one hell of a thing going on here!¡»

    Every time the Fanatics speak, their voice tone changes. It could be a man, a woman, an old man, or a child. But the fanatics were inside me. It seems that cannibalism was triggered and ate the Fanatics. I was in so much pain that I didn''t even notice it.

    However, this was the first time that I could feel so clearly the being I had absorbed through cannibalism. As soon as I became aware of it, a sick feeling came over me.

    ¡ºUghooh¡­!¡»

    ¡ºGuhahahaha! You were originally a human! So pitiful!¡»

    ¡ºWha-what do you mean¡­?¡»

    ¡ºSomeday, you will definitely go crazy! The body of a sword, the mind of a man! There''s no way you can stand it! One day, you will go mad! Just like we did!¡»

    ¡ºI won''t go crazy!¡»

    ¡ºThat''s impossible! We''re going to watch you from the inside. We''re gonna watch you went crazy! And finally, you will kill your own wielder at the end!¡»

    ¡ºSh*t! You are so noisy!¡»

    ¡ºGyaha¨D¨Dgha! What the¡­!¡»

    The Fanatics, who had been ranting and raving about the joke inside me, suddenly writhed in agony.

    ¡ºWha-what the hell is going on inside of you?¡»

    Fanatics raise a frightened voice. It''s Announcer-san who bites into that spirit. I can see that Announcer-san - or what''s left of Cherubim - absorbs the Fanatics.

    ¡ºWha-what the hell is this! Why is there a being of our kind inside of you¡­! Stop it! Don''t devour us! Stop! We''re not going away! We won''t going AWAAAAAAaaaaaay¨D¨D¨D¨D¡»

    With that exmation, the horrible feeling of disgust that had overtaken mepletely disappeared. Just like that.

    ¡º¡­¡­It''s finally over?¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    There was no one to answer my mutter. I thought that maybe announcer-san would answer me, but no. However, I could feel its presence increase slightly. Perhaps, if I continue use cannibalism, Announcer-san mighte back one day.

    But my condition is pretty bad. The de ispletely shattered, and to the casual observer it would appear to have been broken. I''m not sure if I''m still under the influence of the divine attributes, but my regeneration is slow.

    However, my durability value was slowly recovering. I guess I survived just in the nick of time¡­¡­

    ¡ºNo, rather than about me, what happened to Velmeria!¡»

    Had her rampage stopped? I hurriedly checked my surroundings.

    ¡ºVelmeria is¨D¨Dthere she is!¡»

    At some distance away, I saw Velmeria lying on the ground. Her body had returned to its original human-like form. I could see her chest rising and falling lightly. She seemed to be alive.

    The super magic power emanating from her body had vanished and she was rather dying. Her right arm was sted off, along with her fanatics, and the right half of her body was torn to shreds.

    On the opposite side of Velmeria, I could also see Ashwrath lying on the ground.

    ¡ºOi, Ashwrath?¡»

    ¡¸Shih, Master, huh?¡¹

    The wordse back to me, albeit weakly.

    ¡ºYou''re not out of control, are you?¡»

    ¡¸It''s thanks to you¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, the worst had been averted.

    /2021/01/tenken-461.html

 Chapter 462: Handling Ashwrath

    <h4>Chapter 462: Handling Ashwrath</h4>

    ¡º¡­Forrund is!¡»

    Forrund was lying on the ground some distance away. I somehow managed to control my telekinesis as I flew low, asionally scraping my hilt on the ground, and managed to get close to Forrund.

    ¡ºThis is¡­¡»

    He makes it, but he''s in bad shape. The area from the right vicle to the right ribs waspletely gouged out, exposing internal organs and bones. The left arm was also missing from the elbow up. The ground, which had been levelled by the fierce battle, was stained ck by his massive blood loss.

    ¡¸Uggh¡­¡¹

    But he was still alive. His remaining left lung was moving slightly, and I could hear his heartbeat faintly. I hurriedly continued to use recovery magic on Forrund which was about to be lost his life.

    I was really d that I had recovered my magic power from cannibalizing the Fanatics.

    ¡ºForrund! Forrund!¡»

    ¡¸I''m fine, now¡­¡¹

    He makes it huh? Forrund raised himself up on his own, still flooding with a lot of blood from the section of his shredded shoulder.

    As it was, He immediately produced several magic swords. Then his arm started to regenerate slowly. He must have created magic swords of the recovery and regeneration type. Forrund ability to respond is still amazing.

    ¡ºYou''re safe. Thank God¡»

    (It''s been a while since I''ve had a conversation with my dead friend)

    Does that mean you almost went to the other side?

    While I was recovering Forrund, Ashwrath, who was now able to stand up on his own, was checking on Velmeria''s condition. Then he suddenly held up Gaia, still in the open.

    ¡ºAshwrath! She''s not rampaging anymore! You don''t have to kill her!¡»

    ¡¸It''s fine. Well, have a look¡¹

    I can''t feel any killing intent. It seems that he is not trying to kill her. Ashwrath held Gaia above Velmeria.

    ¡¸Smile of the Earth¡¹

    As Ashwrath muttered it, gentle magic power overflowed from Gaia and enveloped Velmeria. The dying Velmeria''splexion improved, and the wounds all over her body began to heal. Its recovery power was probably even greater than Greater Heal. It seemed that Gaia had not only the power to attack, but also the power to heal.

    It also means that there''s a powerful means of recovery for a rampaging Ashwrath right.

    ¡¸¡­Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Miss, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­i¡­where is this¡­?¡¹

    There was a possibility that the Fanatics would absorb her spirit and she would never regain consciousness, but apparently the worst had been avoided. The Fanatics seemed to have lost their original power due to the damage, and they might not even have the power to integrate other''s spirit into their own.

    If they couldpletely integrate their mind into their host, there would be no need for a magic drug to manipte them. No, Gallus and the others were not supposed to wake up because of that magic drugs¡­¡­

    ¡¸You don''t remember anything huh. It''s all right. Now go back to sleep¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Shyu©`¡­¡­¡¹

    Even if she survived, she must have been on the edge mentally and physically. She fell asleep again as if she had fainted.

    ¡ºHey, Ashwrath. Does your current recovery technique have any effect on healing the symptoms someone under a magic drugs effect?¡»

    ¡¸Magic drugs? No, it one only heals wounds¡¹

    ¡ºThen how did Velmeria wake up? Isn''t she suffering from the after-effects of the magic drugs?¡»

    ¡¸Master, maybe it''s because she haven''t taken the magic drugs for long enough right? She had just been taken, hadn''t she?¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡»

    Although arge amount of magic drugs was used to manipte her mind, the aftereffects may have been small due to the short period of time it was administered. The amount of magic drugs that umted in her body was probably very small.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Thanks for the help, you two¡¹

    I''m sure he meant what he said. Ashwrath is wounded to the bone. The wound itself has healed, but the drain on his magic and life force has not yet recovered. In addition, the demonization has progressed considerably. The mental exhaustion must be more than we can imagine.

    ¡¸She was a bit of a strong opponent. I don''t know what I would have done without you guys¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s our line. If it weren''t for Ashwrath, the damage would have been much worse. Well, I wouldn''t say the damage was small though¡­¡­¡»

    It''s a pretty extensive wastnd. Half of the noble''s district is probably in this state. I''m sure that none of the remaining mansions are undamaged. In addition, there was no trace of the huge castle that had been standing there as the symbol of the country.

    There are also the suicide bombings of pseudo fanatic swords in civilian areas and slums, and the damage done to this royal city must be unimaginably huge.

    ¡ºStill, we were able to defeat the Fanatics, thanks to Ashwrath¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess it''s mutual then. However, I''ve gone a little overboard. I''d better get the hell out of here¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Ashwrath?¡»

    ¡¸I''ll take the little girl, okay?¡¹

    ¡ºWha-wait a moment! What do you mean?¡»

    Sheathing Gaia, Ashwrath carries the still-unawake Velmeria on his shoulders. He means he''s leaving like that? And with Velmeria with him?

    But Forrund seemed to agree with him.

    ¡¸It''s for the good of this country¡¹

    I don''t know what Forrund''s words mean. For the good of the country?

    ¡¸Well, if I do say so myself, this battle caused a lot of damage. I''m not saying that I''m not to me. But, you see, if a country tries to capture me and bring me to the courts, it won''t just end up being this country''s problem¡¹

    Ashwrath and Forrund exin it to me. In other words, it seems that the existence of Ashwrath is too big for them.

    Let''s say they''ve captured Ashwrath for the destruction of the royal capital. And make him pay for his crime. But that''s the hard part.

    First of all, a death penalty is out of the question. If he were in a danger of dying, the mad demonization will just be triggered on its own and cause great damage again. He can''t even kill himself.

    They can''t even enve him. He will also be protected by mad demonization. Unless if Ashwrath is willing to serve on his own. But how can this country would use a monster that could go on a rampage at any moment?

    If Ashwrath wanted to, he could probably do most of it. But ites with a super-strong bomb with a time limit waiting until it explodes. If it explodes, it will wipe several cities off the map. And no one knows when the time limit wille. If there is a politician who wants to keep this in his country, he is either a fool or a madman.

    Then send them to the enemy? That is also out of the question. They can''t let Ashwrath get involved in a war. If they do that, the Adventurers'' Guild will turn against them. If the guild, which takes the stance of not being involved in wars, were to use its rank S adventurers to a war, they would do whatever they could to destroy the country in order to save face. Otherwise, the organization pride itself would be tarnished.

    No, it was a problem before that too. In the first ce, it was difficult to unterally use Ashwrath of a crime.

    This incident, inrge part, was a coup d¡¯¨¦tat by Marquis Ashtner. Many adventurers have lost their lives, and the responsibility for overseeing them lies with the country. Depending on their point of view, Ashwrath''s fight to stop Marquis Ashtner''s trump card could be said to have saved the country.

    If they charge Ashwrath with a crime, the Adventurers'' Guild wille to his defense. If the country opposed it, a conflict would break out between the two. It was the country that would lose out.

    Furthermore, the neighbouring countries would also react sensitively to the situation. After all, Ashwrath possessed a divine sword. It was not surprising for them to think, for the Kingdom of Kranzel wanted that divine sword.

    Instead of reparations. Or to take it away after his death penalty. Whether it was feasible or not, just being told that that was what they were aiming for could have been a lead to diplomatic problem.

    On the other hand, what if they put all the me on Marquis Ashtner and hold up Ashwrath as the hero of the nation''s salvation? That''s too, will be another problem. There is a possibility that they might think that they are trying to get rank S adventurers into their country.

    Rather, this was more of a problem. The fact that they were trying to possess a superweapon could be seen as having some kind of ulterior motives.

    After all, Ashwrath was an untouchable existence that was beyond their own power no matter how they handle him. The smartest thing to do would be to stay uninvolved with him. Even the Beast King had left him alone.

    The safest course of action for both the Kingdom of Kranzel and Ashwrath would be for Ashwrath to voluntarily leave the country and be exiled.

    When a mass destroyer with the nickname of "Friendly Fire" were to roam the world as usual, I guess all countries will respond in a simr way.

    If this were anyone other than Ashwrath, this would not be happening. They will be captured and enved. No, the normal route would be execution.

    In other words, Velmeria was at high risk of bing one. She was the Count''s concubine''s child, and she didn''t have a lot of power. Moreover, she was the party responsible for the greatest act of destruction. She was not going to go unpunished.

    To be honest, I have no ill feelings toward Velmeria. The residents of the royal capital would probably have a different opinion, but all I felt was pity. I think she was just caught in the middle of it, she was dealing with a marquis and a divine sword that had spent forty years preparing for this. I don''t think they could have gotten away with it. If Ashwrath was willing to help her, then I was fine with that.

    ¡ºPlease take care of Velmeria¡»

    ¡¸I guess this something i have to do. You can leave her to me. I won''t let anything bad happen to her¡¹

    ¡ºI was hoping you''d go see Fran too though¡»

    ¡¸That will be difficult. Well, Se you soon then¡¹

    When she wakes up, Fran must be disappointed.

    ¡ºWhere are you going?¡»

    ¡¸I was originally nned to follow Zelos Reed to the continent of Gordisia. It''s the perfect ce to hide her daughter, and I''ll be hunting demon beast on that continent for a while¡¹

    ¡ºIs Zelos Reed on the continent of Gordisia?¡»

    ¡¸I''m just saying it''s highly possible he might be there¡¹

    The continent of Gordisia is recruiting talented warriors to fight against the Rank S demonic beasts, and it seems that if you are strong enough, your past history wouldn''t be an issue. It is said to be thest ce criminals from all over the world flee to.

    ¡ºI see¡»

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯m going? Master, Forrund, see you again¡¹

    ¡¸Yea¡¹

    ¡ºSee ya¡»

    Although he must not be in his top form, Ashwrath leaves with a firm steps. If it weren''t for Velmeria on his shoulder, it would be a perfect picture.

    He went to different direction from the gate, but¡­¡­Well, I guess he''ll find a way.

    ¡ºForrund, what will you do now?¡»

    ¡¸I''m going to guild master¡¹

    ¡ºI see. Then I''ll go with you. I mean, I''d appreciate it if you could carry me. If i stay like this, I''ll looks like a sword that flies and moves on its own¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, understood¡¹

    His wound finally healed, but he''s still dizzy, Forrund carried me on his back and started walking toward the main gate.

    /2021/02/tenken-462.html

 Chapter 463: The Images Forrund Saw

    <h4>Chapter 463: The Images Forrund Saw</h4>

    After sending Ashwrath off, I was moving along with Forrund on his back.

    ¡ºHey, It''s about Ashwrath, but can''t we just say that the country or something made the request in advance? That way, the country can say that they anticipated the coup and took countermeasures in advance? It would protect their prestige a little¡»

    Fran actually did so in the beastman country. But Forrund shook his head.

    (If it weren''t for Ashwrath-dono, that might not be a problem. But when ites to that man, it''s a different story)

    ¡ºBecause he have a divine sword huh?¡»

    (Rather, it is probably because he specializes in mass destruction. In the case of Ashwrath-dono, most of his anecdotes are about mass destruction and genocide. Of course, most of the stories were told on the battlefield, and many of the older anecdotes have been passed down as heroic tales¡­¡­)

    The fact that he favored Ashwrath, who could destroy a country by himself, would be called ambitious in the first ce. In peace times, they might not have cared so much. Other countries would have had the option of treating Ashwrath with diplomatic excuses.

    However, the Kingdom of Kranzel, whose major cities, the Royal Capital and Barbra, were damaged one after the other, had suffered a major blow to its national power and prestige. In this situation, it was dangerous to do anything that would antagonize other countries. Especially with the ambitious kingdom of Raidos in the north, rtions with other countries would be important.

    (Of course, it is possible that the government''s decision may be different. It''s just that Ashwrath-dono has made that decision¡­¡­If he turn himself in, he may have a trouble with the government. But if he walks away without saying a word, nothing in particr will happen. Thetter would be the safer option)

    ¡ºSuch a thing huh¡­¡»

    (Yeah, it''s a shame, though)

    I never think what Ashwrath and Forrund have thought of? Besides, they''ve been doing this for decades. I''m sure that Ashwrath himself knows best what to do.

    In the first ce, I don''t think that Ashwrath, who fought against a terrorist and stop them was guilty.

    (No, even though it was an act of force majeure (1), he attacked the royal castle where the king resides and caused great damage to the noble town. How can he not be charged with a crime?)

    I have a soft spot for Ashwrath, so my judgment may be a little bit on Ashwrath''s side. Let''s cool down a bit and try to put this into Japanese perspective.

    One day, a defective super robot weapons owned by the Self-Defense Force was manipted by a terrorist suddenly appears and starts wreaking havoc in Tokyo. They unleash beams and missiles, and if left unchecked, Japan will be in danger! Just then, the same type of Super Robot #2 appears. Super Robot #2 uses the same super weapons to defeat the terrorist robots. However, the area around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government was burnt to ashes, and hundreds of people lost their lives¡­¡­

    Yeah, it''s bad. If the pilot of No. 2 appeared on the side of justice, there would be many people throwing stones on him. The inte would go up in mes, and there would be far more people who would be against it than support for it.

    No, I don''t think I can use modern Japan asparison in the first ce. This is an aristocratic country, not aw-abiding country. After all, it might be better to just walk away and avoid themotion. Well, Ashwrath has already left, so there''s no point in thinking about it any more¡­¡­

    ¡ºHaaah, let''s change the mood and see my changes after cannibalism¡»

    Then I checked my status and let out an involuntary squeal of surprise.

    ¡ºUgghhh?¡»

    ¡¸Hmmm?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, sorry. Don''t mind me¡»

    ¡¸Very well¡¹

    My ability had grown much more than I had imagined. To my surprise, my magic power had increased by 5000. That''s almost 1.5 times more. My endurance value had also increased by more than 3000.

    I had eaten the divine sword, even though it was nearly broken. Perhaps this much was natural. And it wasn''t just the ability value that I gained from the cannibalism.

    I had added a new skill to my skill set called Magic Power Supply. This is a skill that allows you to share your magic power with your user. Fran had always been able to draw out my magic power, but with this new skill, she would be able to reduce her losses and increase her efficiency significantly.

    As I check my abilities in this way, I soon see a line of people being evacuated. The one leading the people in the hall is Count Bailleys. I can also see Eliante and Colbert.

    Fran''s presence was already outside the city. It seems that Urushi has went exactly like what i told him to.

    (Master, I''d like to report to the Count. Do you mind?)

    ¡ºI think it''s better that way too¡»

    The evacuation of the people will proceed in vain if we do not inform them of what is going on. I don''t know if there is no more danger in the city, but we should tell them that we have killed the Marquis and the Fanatics.

    So Forrund approached the counts who were desperately trying to takemand. Eliante was the first one to notice us. She called out to Forrund with an anxious expression. Count Bailleys soon approached as well.

    ¡¸Forrund! So, you''re safe!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸So what happened¡­¡­? I can''t hear any battle anymore¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It''s over¡¹

    ¡¸Does this mean that Ashwrath-dono has won?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    Oh, no. He can''t make a proper report with Forrund''splexity to talk! Telepathy. I''m used to it with Fran, so leave this to me.

    ¡¸Ashwrath has won. Marquis Ashtner has fallen. The swordsmen under hismand blew themselves up and died¡¹

    ¡ºOi, there''s more to it than that. Report properly!¡»

    (It can''t be helped. I can''t speak any more fluently than what I already do)

    I guess it was hard for him toe up with long lines out of nowhere! But you have to do your best here.

    ¡¸What happened to the girl who was fighting Ashwrath-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Ashwrath defeated her¡¹

    ¡¸! Is-is that so¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And Ashwrath is?¡¹

    ¡¸Already left to avoid trouble¡¹

    Even if we were to tell the Count the truth, there are too many people''s ears in this ce. I''m sorry for the Count''s shock at hearing of his daughter''s death, but please bear with it for a little while longer.

    ¡¸Forrund?¡¹

    ¡¸Forrund-san?¡¹

    Eliante and Colbert were looking at Forrund with puzzled expressions. After all, it seemed strange to see the normally quiet Forrund talking for so long.

    Still, Forrund did his best and managed to convey the information we knew to the Count and the others. Based on this information, the Count and the others began to discuss the situation in the city and how to guide the evacuation in the future. I guess we can leave the rest to them.

    ¡ºThen, Forrund. Let¡¯s head to Fran¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    As Forrund turns himself around, Eliante rushes to keep him back.

    ¡¸Hold on! Where are you going? I was hoping you could help me with this, if you don''t mind¡¹

    ¡¸No¡¹

    Forrund shook his head and put his hand lightly on my back. Eliante must have seen me before. He is looking at me lightly.

    ¡¸Return Fran''s swords¡¹

    ¡¸That swords is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸He leave it to me¡¹

    ¡¸I-is¡­that so. Then it can''t be helped¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    Eliante looked sad. Colbert was also drooping for some reason. Oh, did they think I''m dead? The way Forrund said it, it was like myst wish when i was about to die.

    But before I could get him to correct it, Forrund had left the. Well, we''ll have to correct himter.

    On the road, I asked Forrund a question that had been bothering me.

    ¡ºHey, what kind of information about me were you able to analyze with the love of the Sword God skill?¡»

    Then Forrund answer back with a difficult look.

    (Normally, I''d be able to learn more about the maker and the sword''s capabilities, but this time, I just saw a strange sight)

    ¡ºA strange sight?¡»

    (¡­¡­¡­That was the scene where a man is led by someone and sealed inside a sword that emits an evil aura. The sword seemed to resemble Master''s, but the details were a little different)

    ¡ºWha-What kind of sword was that?¡»

    (The de and other parts of the de were very simr to Master''s, but the design of the handle was different. I think it was a four-sided woman shape, not a wolf)

    No doubt about it. It''s the cherubim. I''m not sure what the aura of evil is, but it''s a dangerous divine sword that the gods ordered to be destroyed. Maybe it has something to do with that. And the scene where the man is enclosed in it is¡­¡­

    ¡ºWh-what did the man look like?¡»

    (Fumu¡­)

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong?¡»

    (He was a simple man with no distinctive features other than his ck hair and ck eyes. In fact, the fact that he was so in might be a characteristic of him)

    ¡ºI-is that so¡­¡»

    My heart aches¡­¡­But I''m pretty sure it''s me.

    ¡ºMaybe that was me¡»

    (Was Master originally a person?

    ¡ºYeah. I was the human soul that is sealed inside this sword. Well, I''m not exactly sure who did this to me though¡»

    If I talk to Forrund in detail, he might be able to tell me who else was involved in my making besides Elmera.

    ¡ºWhat did it look like?¡»

    (You don''t remember?)

    ¡ºYeah, not at all. So, I need to know¡»

    (I see. But I didn''t see everything either. It''s like I was looking through a haze, like a vision)

    ¡ºI''m okay with that¡»

    (Then. The first thing I saw was the three pirs)

    ¡ºThree pirs? Not three persons?¡»

    That''s a pretty exaggerated word.

    (This is what happens when a god or his family is involved with the sword I analyze, but the analysis doesn''t work and I can only see strange sights)

    ¡ºYou think that''s what happened when you touched me?¡»

    (That''s right. A disturbing image appeared in my mind, a god, or three people who seemed to be his family members, were having a conversation with Master)

    ¡ºDo you know what they says?¡»

    (I''m sorry. It''s just, the Master was smiling)

    Apparently, there was no sound in his vision. Still, it must be a big clue. I asked Forrund to exin as much as he could remember.

    The location is unknown. The image seemed to be as if the characters were floating in the sky. There were three characters, but their faces were unknown. But they looked like women. Are they goddesses, or are they members of a female-formed deity?¡­¡­

    I was brought in by one of them, and after some conversation, I was enclosed in the sword. To Forrund, it looked as if I had agreed to it of my own free will, as I smiled.

    (Then a strange thing happened. One of the goddesses held up her hand, and a strange image appeared in the air, as if it had been pulled out of Master)

    ¡ºWhat was it?¡»

    (I didn''t see Master in that sight¡­¡­I''m looking up at an amazingly tall, rectangr tower of buildings in a neat row. Maybe the owner of that gaze is lying on the ground. But it looked like he was badly injured. Because when I moved my gaze, I could see his body and hands covered in blood)

    Could that be a memory from when I died? Actually, that part is fuzzy. I remember being hit by a car, but then I found myself in a sword and¡­¡­

    (I also saw a scene where he was staring at a woman in a beautiful dress on a bed, and another scene where he was walking hand in hand with a young woman)

    No, maybe it''s not my memory. I don''t remember it at all.

    (Then, in a strange square board, a naked woman and a man are morously¨D¨D) (2)

    ¡ºWha-wait stop!¡»

    How to exin it. It''s that thing. No, but this is an important clue. I can''t just cut it off because I was embarrassed¡­¡­

    ¡ºI''m sorry, keep going¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Forrund describes a few other scenes that he saw. Apparently, they were a memory of a meal or a movie, or sad memories of being rejected by a woman. The rest of the memories seemed to be sexy - well, erotic.

    I don''t remember any of them at all. No. Did God take my memory away? Is that why I have no memory? But even Forrund doesn''t know the details he says. Considering the fact that I was smiling as I was sealed in the sword, it seems I had convinced myself¡­¡­

    If it was a memory from the time of my death, it may still have some meaning, but I don''t see the point of taking away other memories as well.

    (The rest, yes¡­I see a coat of arms)

    ¡ºCoat of arms?¡»

    (Yes, the gods have their own symbols, and the three women wore emblems representing those symbols)

    Forrund saw that it was a symbol of three pirs: The Goddess of Chaos, the Goddess of the Silver Moon, and the Goddess of the Underworld.

    ¡ºSo you''re saying that it was those three goddesses or their families that created me?¡»

    (I think so)

    Hmmm, I guess I''ll have to find out more about these goddesses. I''ve heard of them by name, but I don''t know much more about them.

    (However, Master is a great sword)

    ¡ºWhy not? No, I¡¯m a discarded divine sword, if I do say so myself, and I''m sure i was a great sword, but¡­¡»

    (Even if it is a divine sword, it only has the power of one pir. But if the will of three pirs is involved, then that''s ridiculous isn''t it? For what purpose was it created?)

    ¡ºThat''s what I''d like to know too¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-463.html

 Chapter 464: Curry Upon Waking Up

    <h4>Chapter 464: Curry Upon Waking Up</h4>

    Ten minutes after we leave the Count and Eliante.

    With my guidance, Forrund had reached Fran. This is where the nonbatants of the Adventurer''s Guild gather.

    Fran and Gallus were lying on a nket on the ground, and beside them, Eihwaz was sitting on a chair he had brought from somewhere. In his hand was a destroyed pseudo fanatic sword. He seemed to be observing them.

    And that wasn''t all. There was a bundle of documents in Eihwaz''s hand. He seemed to beparing the documents with the pseudo fanatic sword. I took a quick peek and saw a drawing of a pseudo fanatic sword. Could it be that he had taken some kind of research material from somewhere? I''d like to have a look at itter.

    (Is here fine?)

    ¡ºYeah, Thanks for helping me¡»

    Forrund put me next to Fran.

    ¡ºFran, Fran¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Shu©`Shuu©`¡¹

    Still no good huh. She''s sleeping with an innocent face. There is nothing wrong with her body, and she will wake up naturally when she recovers from fatigue.

    Next to us, Forrund is exining the situation to Eihwaz.

    ¡¸Hmm? the Hundred Swords huh? Is it Over?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so. Then, what happened? Did the friendly fire win?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    As expected from an elder wisdom. He let him answer with yes or no to his questions and get the exact information about what happened.

    Stellia was also listening, but she didn''t seem to have the guts to interfere in the conversation between Eihwaz and Forrund.

    Well, I''ll leave Forrund to deal with Eihwaz.

    ¡ºUrushi, good job¡»

    (woof!)

    I also give a word of encouragement to Urushi, who is resting in the shadow of Fran. Then, Urushi let out a pitiful voice.

    (Kuun)

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong? Are you injured somewhere?¡»

    Groowllll

    Hmmm, he''s just hungry huh. But,e to think of it, he hadn''t eaten in a long time. It was no wonder that Urushiined of hunger. It''s a good thing he didn''t pick up and eat anything on the ground or steal from the burning residence.

    ¡ºHaah, it can''t be helped then. Urushi, hide me from the eyes around us¡»

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    Urushi jumped out from Fran''s shadow and quickly made a blind with his dark magic. In the meantime, I took out a bowl of very hot curry and served it to Urushi. He didn''t take part in much of the battle this time, but he had done his best to protect Fran. I guess he needs a reward.

    ¡ºDon''t spill anything okay¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸What? Where the hell did that came out from? No, if it''s dark magic, he can hide in the shadows¡­¡­¡¹

    Eihwaz is tilting his head, but he doesn''t seem to be suspicious of him. Forrund must already know that I did something, but it''s probably toote now.

    ¡¸woof woof!¡¹

    As Urushi devours the extrarge and extremely spicy curry makes his mouth all red, Fran, who is lying next to him, cringes.

    First her nose moved a little, followed by her ears twitching. Then her eyes fluttered open.

    ¡¸Muh¡­Curry smells¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡­Curry¡­unfair¡­¡¹

    She just woke up¡­¡­¡­Eh? Isn''t the power of curry amazing? No, is Fran''s eating behaviour that amazing?¡¡Well, I guess it''s because she was stimted by the aroma of her favorite food when she had recovered from fatigue.

    ¡¸Master¡­¡­Curry¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran! There''s another people here!¡»

    (Nn. Curry)

    ¡ºYes yes, I''ll give you too, here¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­Nom Nom¡¹

    I''m going to serve her a veryrge curry, pretending that Fran took it out. It''s topped with pork cutlet and fried chicken. It doesn''t matter if she''s fully awake or not. This is really a piece of cake for Fran.

    ¡¸Munch Munch¡¹

    ¡¸Oofu Oofu¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, What is it?¡¹

    Eihwaz is looking at Fran, who has just woken up from sleep and started to shovel in a mysterious dish with a spicy aroma. His eyes were curious. There was no way that the curiosity monster, Eihwaz, would not be interested in curry.

    ¡¸Hmm? Is it delicious?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s super delicious¡¹

    ¡¸Hohou¡¹

    Fran turns away lightly to hide her curry from Eihwaz''s intense gaze.

    ¡ºFran, why don''t you share one with Eihwaz?¡»

    (Muh)

    ¡ºDon''t look so unhappy. This time you''ve been taken care by Eihwaz. Even after Fran went to bed¡»

    ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹

    Still reluctant, Fran ced a small serving of curry in front of Eihwaz.

    ¡¸Want some¡¹

    ¡¸Umu. With pleasure! Fumu Fumu?¡¹

    Eihwaz observed the curry he received with great interest, and after sniffing it lightly, he began to eat it immediately.

    ¡¸Houhou! This is interesting! And It''s delicious!¡¹

    He began to gobble up the food, but his tongue was apparently much more sensitive than I had imagined. No, He''s good at handling medicine, so it was natural for him, right?

    ¡¸The spices used are 8¡­¡­or 9 kinds? I''m guessing four kinds of vegetables in a broth made by boiling the bones of a pork-based demon beast¡¹

    He haspletely guessed the material. If I''m not good enough, he might be able recreate it, right?

    ¡¸Don''t worry. I won''t spread the recipe. But you don''t mind if I make enough for my own consumption, do you?¡¹

    Well, if it''s only that much then. Forrund is looking at Eihwaz with envy. I can''t not serve it only to him in this situation. I gave him arge portion of it. After all, Fran also seems to have a good opinion of Forrund.

    As everyone was eating the curry, I told her the story since Fran had fallen asleep.

    (¡­Muuh)

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong?¡»

    (In the end, I was useless)

    ¡ºThat was inevitable. Besides, we¡¯re not directly gotten into the fight with Velmeria¡»

    (But, Forrund fight alongside with Master)

    Fran''s mouth furrowed in sulk.

    ¡ºThat was¡­¡­only possible because of Forrund''s special abilities. Besides, that guy almost died too. It was a real gamble¡»

    (¡­Master)

    ¡ºWhat is it?¡»

    (Is Forrund strong?)

    ¡ºAh, yeah¡»

    (I see¡­)

    Could this be that she''s jealous? I''m sure there are a lot of emotions swirling around inside Fran. The disappointment of missing out on a battle with a powerful enemy. The disappointment of not being able to y a role in that fight. But more than that, she seemed to be jealous of the fact that Forrund and I had fought together.

    The rest are, strangely uneasy.

    (I''m still weak¡­¡­I couldn''t fight to the end. Unlike Forrund¡­¡­)

    Apparently, she is worried that people willpare her to Forrund. I understand that feeling. I''m also afraid that Fran willpare me to the divine sword.

    ¡ºForrund had abilities like my telekinesis, and he was a trustworthy guy. That''s for sure¡»

    (Nn¡­¡­)

    ¡ºBut Fran is still the best for me. I can''t tell you how many times I wished to had Fran on that fight. I realized how weak I am without you¡»

    (Master is not weak!)

    ¡ºSurely, I may be stronger than an ordinary sword. But with Fran, I can be even stronger. Because it''s Fran who understands me the most, and who can bring out the best of me¡»

    This is not a constion or anything. It''s just something I''ve thought about a lot.

    ¡ºI''m going to get stronger and even stronger to be a sword worthy for you¡»

    Fran''s goal is to break the curse of the entire ck Cat tribe so that everyone can evolve and improve the status of the ck Cat tribe. In other words, it is to defeat the evil being of threat level S.

    That meant, defeating an enemy that was more than just the transcenders I had just witnessed.

    As it is now, it is just a dream. But I don''t think Fran will ever give up. And I am confident that Fran will continue to grow and one day reach that level.

    In order to continue to be worthy of being Fran''s sword, I need to be even stronger than I already am. This time, by cannibalizing the Fanatics, I was able to greatly strengthen my magic power. The next step would be to learn the skills and how to use them.

    ¡ºFran, we''re getting stronger. But there''s still someone stronger than us, and there''s a lot of people we can''t beat if we keep doing what we''re doing. Not me, and even not you can¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºSo let''s be stronger¡»

    (Understood! So, go training?

    ¡ºThat''s right. I have magic stone value. Fran, has experience point. Let''s train in order to get more than we have now. Fortunately, I know a good ce¡»

    (Where?)

    ¡ºThe ce where it all began for me. The ins of the Demon Wolf. We had to go there once anyway. So, let''s do some training there¡»

    (Nn! I''ll get stronger and even stronger. Next time, I''ll fight with Master until the very end!)

    Well, that would be when themotion in the royal capital have calmed down.

    /2021/02/tenken-464.html

 Chapter 466: Relief

    <h4>Chapter 466: Relief</h4>

    By the time Fran had finished her curry, the talks between Eihwaz and Forrund had juste to an end.

    ¡¸In other words, the fights brought down the Count''s daughter, and the friendly fire had already left to avoid trouble¡¹

    ¡¸Yea¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­Well, the damage was only concentrated on the nobles district, and for a monsters of that level to fight, the damage was rather small, wasn''t it?¡¹

    Oh, I see? It seems that Forrund is on the same opinion. He nodded at Eihwaz''s words.

    ¡¸There was a lot of damage¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. If he were not careful, there will be more damage to the surrounding areas, including the royal capital. But the fact that only a part of the city was leveled, I''d say the damage was less than expected¡¹

    I see¡­¡­ But even so, it was clear that the damage was enormous. There must have been some injured, and many people must have lost their property.

    Eihwaz is the one who says these words out loud when he doesn''t even know who''s around to hear him.

    ¡¸Huh. I wonder what''s going to happen to the royal capital¡¹

    Stellia''s expression was gloomy.

    ¡¸Besides, if the Marquis were to revolt, there would be a great deal of confusion¡­¡­ There''s been quite a few injuries and deaths¡¹

    When Fran heard Stellia''s words, she stood up.

    (Master, let''s go)

    ¡ºWhere to>¡»

    You''re not trying to go into training right now, are you? Even though you''re awake, you''re not fully recovered yet. If possible, I''d like you to rest a little longer.

    (Helping the injured)

    ¡ºUuumm¡­¡­¡»

    That would be hard work. It requires magic and physical strength. It''s not a job for a sick person. But Fran is saying that she wants to help people on her own volition. I can''t stop her.

    ¡º¡­¡­very well. Then let''s go to Eliante first¡»

    If there is a ce where the wounded are being collected, we can go there. We must also hurry to rescue the injured who have not yet been found, but the guild and the knights will do their best on that.

    However, there is one problem.

    ¡ºWhat should we do about Gallus huh¡­¡»

    (Bring him on Urushi''s back)

    ¡ºNo, that''s not going to happen¡»

    The unconscious Gallus is quite weak. It will be difficult to take him around. So far, we''ve forced him to evacuate, but we can''t force him any further.

    ¡¸Muh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸I want to go help the injured. But I can''t take Gallus with me¡¹

    ¡¸Master Gallus'' body is in pretty bad shape. And I wonder what will happen to him in the future¡­¡­¡¹

    Stellia, who had been watching Gallus, sighed in annoyance. In fact, I wonder how much of a crime Gallus will be charged with?¡¡Even though he was manipted by the power of a magic drugs and a divine sword, he also caused a lot of damage with the pseudo fanatic sword that he seems to have been involved in making.

    Will there be excuses? Or will he be dered a felony? Thew and political decisions will have a lot to do with it, and I have no idea.

    ¡¸Regardless of what happens, your request is still valid, and even without it, I won''t treat the current Master Gallus disrespectfully. Don''t worry, the Adventurer''s Guild will protect him well¡¹

    ¡¸She''s right¡¹

    Forrund nodded along with her. So did Eihwaz.

    ¡¸I think it would be a waste of time to punish him in the midst of all this chaos, would it?¡¡It would be better to ingratiate him and make him work for the country¡¹

    I see, does that make a point huh?

    ¡¸And my employers have sent me to protect him. You can trust me. There''s no one else who can cure the potion. Leave him to me¡¹

    ¡ºFran, I don''t trust Eihwaz, but I do trust Forrund and Stellia. Let''s let the guild take care of Gallus¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood¡¹

    Fran seemed convinced. She nodded slightly, staring at Eihwaz.

    ¡¸Stellia, I''m counting on you¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Take care of everyone there too¡¹

    We then headed to Eliante and she showed us where the injured were being housed.

    Apparently, there were several different locations. The first aid station for the injured we went to looked like a field hospital.

    Parmachist, Magician, and alchemists are running around, desperately healing the injured. Everyone looks exhausted, but they seem to be doing their best by drinking magic recovery potions.

    (Master, let''s go)

    ¡ºYeah, well, we''ll have to talk to whoever''s in charge first¡»

    (Okay)

    If a child suddenly appeared and started using recovery magic, it would only confuse them. It was one of the court doctors who was giving instructions to everyone here.

    They seems to be medical specialists with expertise in medicine, recovery magic and alchemy. It is said that all of them, except for the chief physician, go around to rescue the people by order of the king.

    The woman who was showing me around called out to the busy court doctor man.

    ¡¸Excuse me©`¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, is there any problem?¡¹

    ¡¸No, this girl here offered to help¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? You seem to be an adventurer. Can you use recovery magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸That''s good to hear! Because right now we need as many healers as possible! How much of the technique you can use?¡¹

    ¡¸I can make it up to the Greater Heal¡¹

    ¡¸What? So you''re a healing magic user? Re-really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! Wonderful!¡¹

    I was afraid that she would be rejected because he seemed to have a lot of pride, but he epted us easily. But this is not the time to be worrying about pride now.

    ¡¸Can you take a look at the most urgent patients first? I''ll prepare as many mana potions as I can!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Then, we flew around to the first aid stations inside and around the capital, healing patients. If it wasn''t us, they would have run out of magic, but thanks to the harvest after cannibalizing the Fanatics, my magic power was greatly increased. Fran healed patients at a rate that amazed the court doctors around the city.

    In thetter half of it, they were quite worried about us. Apparently, they thought she was overexerting herself by guzzling few mana potions.

    If we include the people we rescued from the piles of rubble along the way, we must have healed over 500 people. Many of those who were healed stayed on to help at the relief station, and some even sped their hands in worship when Fran came back again.

    Apparently, she was recognized as a girl from the ck cat tribe who devoted herself to healing people. However, she didn''t have time to respond to them individually, and could only wave lightly.

    And then, she was starting to get tired, but her motivation was still at its peak. She is happy to save everyone and to be thanked.

    ¡ºAre you sure you don''t want to take a little break?¡»

    ¡¸I''m fine!¡¹

    /2021/02/tenken-465.html

 Chapter 466: Those Who Inherit the Will

    <h4>Chapter 466: Those Who Inherit the Will</h4>

    It was midnight and Fran had finally returned to the guild.

    Fran had nned to work a little harder, but the court physician had begged her to rest.

    The emergency patients have been healed for now, and the first aid station can now be run by people other than Fran alone. Surely, Fran could take it easy now.

    However, when Fran tried to enter the guild, three men stood in front of her.

    I think, they were a small fry, they didn''t even know how to hide their presence, but he seems to had some business with Fran.

    ¡¸Oi! So, you''re the rumoured ck cat kin healer!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    The small fat man in the middle spoke to her in a haughty manner.

    ¡¸You use recovery magic to heal themoners, don''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Rejoice. I will wee you as a vassal to my baronial family! From now on, you may use that power only for my benefit!¡¹

    Recruitment, No, an order huh? But, with his attitude, I don''t think anyone would say ¡¸I''ll be your vassal!¡¹ Well, he doesn''t seem like a good nobleman.

    ¡¸I heard you''re treating themoners for free now! If youe to me, you won''t have to do that anymore! You can do business with nobles and merchants¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸You can only use your healing power on those I choose! There are many who would like to benefit from powerful healing magic. You can raise the price as high as you like. With the help of my family''s backing, you''ll have no shortage of business partners. Oh, and don''t worry, I promise you''ll get plenty in return¡¹

    ¡¸What about those who can''t afford it?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t care about the poor. A few deaths of people who can''t afford medical treatment won''t affect the tax revenue either!¡¹

    Oh, he''s such an idiot huh. He tried to get Fran with money. If he had gathered the information properly, he would have known that Fran was actually refusing to ept gifts from the patients.

    More to the point, I can tell that he is a typical idiot noble, and with his haughty attitude, I can''t tell if it''s a recruitment or an order. I can see that even his guards have a dumbfounded look on their faces.

    ¡¸Don''t you want to continue to work in vain like you did today?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran is quite angry, isn''t she? I would have ignored him if he hadn''t recruited her with just his slightly haughty manner. But she''s tired, and she''s not in the mood to be make fun off.

    But Fran was furious with this guy for hisments about devaluing the weak.

    (¡­Kill him)

    ¡ºWait! Wait wait! I understand your feelings, but you shouldn''t kill him!¡»

    (He says I saved them all for nothing. Everyone was so happy. Now I can help others too¡­¡­That''s why!)

    Oh, this is pretty bad. Fran is angry. I guess she feels like what she cares about were being tarnished.

    At this rate, she might seriously cut him down. I have no choice but to use my telekinesis here.

    ¡¸Oi¡¹

    ¡¸Muh? Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸The nobleman there. This girl is currently employed by Count Bailleys. If you want to recruit her, you''ll have to go through the Count, won''t you?¡¹

    Oh, he''s right, the contract has not been terminated yet. Formally, Fran was still being employed by the Count.

    In this situation though, has be more than just a raid on the Marquis'' house.

    ¡¸What? Bailleys¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right¡¹

    ¡¸Ha, haha. I''ll take the responsibility for it¡¹

    ¡¸So, you will force yourself to recruit the girl? And ignore the Count?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡­¡¹

    The baron and his guards were visibly flustered. The Baron, who was ipetent by all ounts, and the Count, who was one of the country''s most prominent warriors, although there was no telling what would happen in the future. It would be a no-win situation no matter how you look at it.

    When the baron nced at the two guards, the men shook their heads to the side with blue faces. They seem to know that they can''t take her by force.

    I don''t think these guys can see what Colbert is capable of, but they probably knew about Colbert from the beginning.

    In the end, the Baron run away and was not cut down by Fran.

    ¡¸I was just in time huh¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    ¡¸What''s the matter? You look unhappy¡¹

    ¡¸He got away¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi, There are going to be a lot of guys like thating out to you. If you beat them all up, you''ll be on the wanted list in no time. Just ignore them¡¹

    Yeah. Tell her that!.

    ¡¸Oh, I also have something to do. The Count has a message for you. I''m sorry for everything that''s happened. The contract is consideredplete at this point. However, you may mention Bailleys'' name to refuse any recruitment from other nobles¡¹

    That''s helpful. It''ll keep them away while we were in the royal capital. Well, it would lose its effectiveness if Count Bailleys house was destroyed though.

    ¡¸I''ll go then? There''s still a lot of work left for me to do¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I''m sorry, about Master Curry¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Oh, that''s right, I still haven''t cleared up the misunderstanding. Colbert must think that I was dead after fighting Velmeria.

    ¡¸He was a good man¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, Colbert is under the impression that I''m dead. You have to clear the misunderstanding¡»

    ¡¸Master is not dead.¡¹

    When Fran said that, Colbert gave a confused look for a moment and then quickly nodded with a look of realization on his face.

    ¡¸Yeah. You''re right¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸As long as there''s someone to carry on the will, that person hasn¡¯t die yet¡¹

    Aah. She didn''t clear up the misunderstanding at all

    But before I could get Fran to correct it again, Colbert had left.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Colbert looks weird¡¹

    ¡ºNext time we meet him, we have to make sure to tell him properly¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-466.html

 Chapter 467: Letter from the North

    <h4>Chapter 467: Letter from the North</h4>

    After parting with Colbert, we were about to enter the guild.

    ¡¸Ungh¡¹

    Fran pulled herself up and took a step to the side from in front of the door. Immediately after that, something flew out of the door with tremendous force.

    It rolled along the ground and stopped in the middle of the road.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    It was something, or rather, a person. An adventurer. And quite strong. I''d say he''s at least a rank C.¡¡I appraise him, he''s just unconscious. But I don''t think he''ll die.

    ¡¸Ga, Gareth! Are you okay!¡¹

    The adventurer who blew up, Gareth, is followed by another man, this time a small fat man, whoes running out. I wonder if he''s one of the fellow adventurers. What in the world is going on in the Adventurer''s Guild?

    ¡¸Muh, blood thirst?¡¹

    ¡ºCould it be an attack by the Marquis'' remnants?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Let''s go!¡¹

    ¡ºBe careful!¡»

    Fran cautiously opened the door to the guild¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Look what you''ve done in this emergency, wasting our time with your nonsense! The theater''s been destroyed, and we''re all in despair! You should be thankful you''re not dead!¡¹

    It seemed that Eliante was the one who was letting out the blood thirst. She was shaking his purple hair and ring at the entrance of the guild with the expression of a madman.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Fran? I''m sorry. I kind of mistook you for those idiots.¡¹

    ¡¸The ones who just walked out?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. They''ve wasted so much time!¡¹

    She''s pretty angry, and her eyes red fiercely.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Those guy¨D¨D¨D¡¹

    Still angry, Eliante quickly rambled on about what the men had just done.

    From what I could summarize, the fat man''s name was De. He seems to be the guild master of an inn town near the royal capital.

    He came in himself, bringing adventurers and relief supplies with him. He''s an enthusiastic guild master about his work¡­¡­

    It seems that the guild master has always wanted to be the guild master of the royal capital. He also doesn''t like the fact that Eliante, a woman, is in charge of such an important ce.

    As a result, he was always sarcastic when they met, but today it didn''t end well. De was using Eliante of being responsible for the incident and pressuring her to step down from her position.

    In addition, he went on and on about how ¡¸It''s not suitable for a woman¡¹ and ¡¸The adventurers are pitiful when a woman is their guild master¡¹. To top it all off, he even threatened her with a rank C adventurer.

    ¡¸Threatening Eliante?¡¹

    And a rank C? No, there are rank C''s like Fran, but¡­¡­That guy was quite worthy for rank C no matter how you look at it, and he threatened Eliante with him?

    ¡¸He thought that a woman from a mercenary background was no big deal? Well, I made him pay for it!¡¹

    So that''s what happened to the man before huh.

    ¡¸Guild Master, What should we do?¡¹

    A man under hermand asks Eliante how she would like to treat them. But Eliante, finally feeling refreshed, dismisses the men with a light wave of her hand.

    ¡¸Let''s just leave the idiot who tried to confuse the situation by saying something stupid in this emergency situation alone. He may look like a big shot, but the rest of the Guild masters don''t like him, and if we reported him, he''ll be dismissed anyway¡¹

    ¡¸Very well¡¹

    Fran, who was not interested in the situation, didn''t hear Eliante''s words at all. Right now, Fran''s interest was in Eliante''s hair.

    ¡¸Why is your hair color changing?¡¹

    Yes, Eliante''s hair is usually blue, but it seems to change to purple in battle. And it''s still purple even now.

    ¡¸Oh, this? It''s called "battle colors". I''ve inherited a little bit of it from my parents. It changes color when I''m in a hostile mood¡¹

    It seems that not all insect-kin are like that, but only some of them. Furthermore, there arerge individual differences among half-insect kin, and even if they inherit the power of the same kind of insect, their abilities and appearance are said to differ greatly.

    ¡¸Sometimes they transform intobat form, sometimes they don''t change their appearance at all¡¹

    ¡¸Like the mercenaries in the square?¡¹

    ¡¸You met them? Yes, that''s right¡¹

    The hard shrimp and the locusts are apparently the type that usually look more like humans, but transform when they want to show off their abilities. The dragonfly and m are usually characterized as insect, but they don''t transform any more. And the fanged ants are said to have a human-like appearance and do not transform at all.

    ¡¸Eliante''s Friend?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, old friends, I guess¡¹

    Actually, I''ve heard a bit of a story about them. It seems that she is a survivor of a mercenary group that was wiped out. It would be better if I didn''t mention it too much.

    ¡ºFran, in the meantime, you can dismiss my death theory¡»

    ¡¸Eliante, Master is¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Guild Master! A hawk has arrived!¡¹

    As if to interrupt Fran''s words, a man came down from the second floor of the guild and shouted. In his hand, he holds a letter. It''s a little crumpled, as if he''s excited. It seems to have been carried by a messenger hawk from elsewhere.

    ¡¸From where?¡¹

    ¡¸From the northern border. The sender is¨D¨DAllesa''s Guild Master¡¹

    ¡¸! Maybe it''s about Raidos?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! A force believed to be a reconnaissance unit from the Kingdom of Raidos attempted to cross the border, and the Knights of Alessa went to intercept them¡¹

    Seriously? Isn''t the timing too good? Could it be that the Fanatics were also connected to the Kingdom of Raidos?

    ¡¸And then! What happened!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes. The knights were apanied by rank B adventurer Jean Doobie, and they annihted the forces of Raidos Kingdom!¡¹

    At that moment, the guild was filled with the admiration of the adventurers. And the cheers soon followed. Not a single adventurer seemed to think it was a lie.

    No matter how well they work with the Knights, I don''t think it''s very likely that a rank B adventurer would be able to destroy a unit of the Raidos Kingdom by himself.

    ¡¸Fuh. No wonder he killed them all!¡¹

    By the way, Jean was a disturbing nickname.

    ¡¸Jean is amazing¡¹

    ¡¸He''s a guy who''s been granted a special rank of A in military battles. Even the main force that was supposed to be waiting after him can be buried single-handedly, so a reconnaissance unit is probably no match for him¡¹

    Apparently, that suspicious necromanced saved the Kingdom of Kranzel with a smirk.

    ¡¸I''ll take this report to the king! And you, tell to the citizens! We need at least one good news right now!¡¹

    When Eliante gave instructions to her men, she himself ran out of the guild.

    ¡ºHmmm. We lost our chance to clear up the misunderstanding again¡­¡­¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-467.html

 Chapter 468: The Fate of Crime and Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 468: The Fate of Crime and Punishment</h4>

    Two days have passed since that fierce battle.

    Although the capital was still in a state of unrest, it seemed that there were no more of the Marquis'' men left. At the very least, there was no one who was organizing to revolt.

    But it''s not without conflict. A ce to live, daily food, medicine. Everything was in short supply. It was impossible not to have trouble with this situation.

    The most important thing is the living space. Tents were temporarily erected for the people who lost their homes, but there were not enough of them. One of the main reasons was that a small number of nobles upied one tent. I thought they should be squeezed into the same tent, but apparently that''s not the case.

    Well, I understand that it would be rather torturous formoners and nobles if they were forced into the same ce. It would be better to just get a nket and sleep on the side of the road.

    However, it is said that even among nobles, if they don''t differentiate the nobles based on their rank, it will be a problem. And it seems that noblemen are even more concerned with their prestige. A count and a baron cannot be given the same treatment. The fact that this was an emergency situation doesn''t make them able to disregard it.

    In the end, most of themoners managed to get out of their tents as soon as they could, relying on their acquaintances for shelter¡­¡­Some of the nobles were so stupid that they started toin about the tents that had been given to them and asked how they could stay in such a ce.

    Some nobles even tried to seize houses frommoners, using their power to their advantage, and skirmishes broke out. The rift between themoners and the nobles only deepened.

    Other than that, a strong dust cloud was also bothering the people. It was said toe from the wastnds of the former noble district, blown up by the wind. When we put up wind barrier in shelters and other ces to prevent this, they were very pleased.

    Well, the shortage of supplies will be alleviated somewhat as support should be sent from various ces. It seems that we have already received food aid and more guards from neighbouring towns. From now on, supplies and manpower will be sent from all over the country.

    Adventurers and soldiers have been sent out to clear away the rubble, and knights are working to maintain security.

    The royal family also seemed to be safe, and they were conducting their affairs at a nobleman''s vi in a residential area. I''ve often seen kings who stay behind in a castle on the verge of falling, saying, ¡¸A king has a responsibility to protect his subjects!¡¹ But unless he was as strong as the Beast King, that''s a foolish idea. In all likelihood, it would be better for the country and its people if he escaped and quickly took charge of the reconstruction afterwards.

    ¡¸Sorry I kept you waiting¡¹

    ¡¸I''m fine¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    We were currently visiting Count Bailleys. However, the Count''s mansion has disappeared. He had taken up residence in a corner of the Knights'' quarters.

    I thought they would be dismissed or something, but apparently it was an emergency and they hadn''t been told yet. That''s where Fran and Forrund were called in.

    ¡¸So, what do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I just thought I''d let you know how it went. I''d like to thank you all for all your help¡¹

    I have already told the Count that Velmeria is actually alive and that Ashwrath has taken her. His grief was great, but he understood that it was better than being dead. He said he would not go after him.

    However, only Frederick, the half-dragon, had disappeared right after he heard about it. His allegiance was probably more to Velmeria than to the Count.

    ¡¸I don''t know where to start with¡­¡­As for Gallus-dono, he will not be med for this incident.¡¡But he will be under guard and surveince for a while¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. He had been manipted and settled in a way that he was innocent. Well, we can''t waste time punishing him in the middle of all this chaos¡¹

    ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹

    ¡¸His Majesty the King, is a man who puts the interests of the nation first. Now that both national power and prestige have been damaged, any further damage will be impossible to be overlooked¡¹

    Well, there''s the Kingdom of Raidos to the north, and there''s no guarantee that the nobles won''t betray the country this time. I''m sure they don''t want to see their national power decline further in this state. But what does that have to do with Gallus?

    ¡¸They say he''s the closest being to a divine level cksmith, and this time he''s the cksmith who actually touched the divine sword. It would be more beneficial to dismiss the charges and let him work for the country. Besides, there is the matter of the Adventurer''s Guild¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran tilted her head, but Forrund seemed to get the idea.

    ¡¸Gratitude¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. There are many adventurers in the royal capital who feel indebted to Gallus-dono. If we were to charge him with a crime, there would be many adventurers who would not find it amusing¡¹

    As was the case in Alessa, where we met Gallus, Gallus was traveling around the kingdom of Kranzel, selling his wares to adventurers at a discount. If he thought there was something worth seeing, he would make good equipment, even for lower-ranked adventurers.

    It seems that many adventurers in the Kingdom of Kranzel are indebted to Gallus for his help when they were just starting out.

    ¡¸This country is home to arge number of adventurers. The reason for this is that the country was originally able to attract adventurers who had been spirited away due to Raidos'' misadventures, but it has since seeded in settling them through policies that favor adventurers¡¹

    ¡¸Hee©`¡¹

    ¡¸You doesn''t know? It''s rare to find a country with so many adventurers.¡¡In the first ce, there are not many other countries that have five current rank A and more than ten former rank A. Well, the number has decreased¡­¡­¡¹

    We only know that the Kranzel Kingdom and the Beastman Kingdom Kings, were an adventurer himself, but it seems that there are very few countries where adventurers are treated so well. The taxes are especially low, making life easier for adventurers.

    ¡¸Though, there''s also the problem of how low the knights and soldiers level is. Well, that''s okay¡¹

    I see. I guess there are many adventurers and not many opportunities for the knights to hunt magical beasts. Is that why it''s so hard for the knights to raise their level?

    Originally, the knights were mainly dealing with humans, but in this country, it seems that there is a clear distinction between the two.

    ¡¸Anyway, in a country where adventurers have always had a strong presence, we will need to rely on them even more in the future. Inevitably, adventurers will be even more important¡¹

    In such a situation, they could never afford to spoil the adventurer''s good mood. It was probably because of what Gallus had done so far that he had saved them.

    Count Bailleys himself will not be punished too severely. Although he will be relieved of his position as Knight Commander, the Count''s family will only be required to pay some money and provide somebor.

    ¡¸I myself was prepared to have my territory taken away and to be ced in a camp¡­¡­¡¹

    They were unable to prevent the revolt and allowed mass destruction in the royal capital. Moreover, his daughter was the one who carried out the crime. As the leader of the knight order, he must think that he should take the responsibility.

    However, the king''s decision was different. He thought it would be more constructive to put all the me on Marquis Ashtner and the Fanatics to calm the situation down quickly and let them work on the reconstruction afterwards, rather than causing more confusion by charging them with crimes or neglect of duty.

    With the current shortage of manpower, I guess they avoided the folly of wasting their efforts on unnecessary things. This is monarch country, isn''t it? To a certain extent, it can be controlled by the king.

    If that was the case, wouldn''t Velmeria be allowed to do the same? I thought so, but it wasn''t that simple.

    ¡¸My daughter has caused too much damage directly. What''s more, she destroyed the royal castle.¡¡No matter how much she was being manipted, it''s not like she can be easily forgiven. And there were quite a few people who saw her¡¹

    Indeed, the damage caused by the self-destructing swordsmen and Velmeria was too great. In both mary and human terms, Velmeria had gone too far.

    ¡¸Eventually, the territories of the former Marquis Ashtner and his allies will be temporarily ced under the king direct control and will be redistributed¡¹

    In this way, they will be able topensate the nobles for the losses they suffered this time.

    ¡¸So, the two of you have actually received a summons from the king. You are requested toe to the mansion where he is holding his office today¡¹

    Huh? King? You mean the King?

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t you realize the influence you have?¡¹

    Originally, Forrund was the one who renowned as a hero, but it seems that Fran''s fame has also grown as she has gone around healing people. Moreover, word quickly spread that Fran was the ck Lightning Princess who had won a prize in the Ulmut martial arts tournament.

    Because of this, she is now as well known as Forrund in the capital.

    We didn''t know anything about it because we''ve been out clearing debris and stuff for thest two days where there no more people around. Even when we went out into the town, we were moving fast by teleporting and jumping in the air. There was almost no opportunity to be cheered on.

    ¡¸And I heard that your master was helping Forrund?¡¹

    What''s more, it seems that the story is spreading that Fran''s master---that is me. gave up his life to save the capital. It was definitely the work of Eliante and Colbert. We''ve been too busy to clear up the misunderstanding, but I didn''t expect this to happen.

    ¡¸His Majesty said that he wanted to pay tribute to the heroes who saved the royal capital. Well, I guess he wants to show off his good rtionship with the heroes to the people here¡¹

    Is there still politics involved huh?

    ¡¸Aah. It''s okay. His Majesty doesn''t expect perfect courtesy from adventurers. In fact, the Adventurer''s Guild wouldn''t take kindly to the idea of offending you two heroes. I''m sure they know that, and you''ll just have a little conversation¡¹

    Either way, there was no way we could refuse the king''s invitation. If I had heard the information beforehand, we might have been able to escape, but being told face to face that he was inviting her would bad if we escaped. It was a bit of a hassle, but we had no choice but to ept.

    /2021/02/tenken-468.html

 Chapter 469: Audience?Front

    <h4>Chapter 469: Audience?Front</h4>

    A few hours after hearing from the Count that the king was calling for us. Fran and Forrund went to a mansion. This is the ce where the king has taken refuge and is currently conducting his affairs.

    As this was an emergency situation, we were told that we didn''t have to wear formal wear, so the two of us were dressed as usual. However, since we were not allowed to carry weapons, I had transformed into a bracelet. This way, I wouldn''t be taken away.

    In terms of time, it was a little early for dinner, and I was grateful that we would only have to have a really brief conversation.

    ¡ºFran, use honorific to address the king, okay? I¡¯m serious¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºAnd also, don''t talk about unnecessary things. I don''t know what would be considered disrespectful¡»

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    Apparently, Forrund is used to it, but as expected, this is Fran''s first time. No, she has met the Beast King before, but I don''t think that should be included in the category of kings. At the very least, he''s not a normal king.

    ¡ºForrund, if she makes a mistake please give her a follow up! I beg you!¡»

    (Leave it to me. The king of this country is not a fool. As long as you don''t aim to be rude, you won''t have a problem)

    ¡ºYeah, but©`¡»

    Because it''s Fran, right? A girl who talks as she usually does to a nobleman on the first meeting? No matter how much I worried, I couldn''t worry enough.

    ¡ºWorst case scenario, we''ll have to consider leaving the country¡»

    ¡¸It''s all right. I got it¡¹

    ¡¸Worrying excessively¡¹

    You guys, how can you be so calm¡­

    But no matter how worried I was, the time for the audience woulde. The attendant man who was leading Fran and Forrund stopped in front of arge door.

    ¡¸The king awaits you ahead. Please do not be rude¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Yea¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Very well¡¹

    The old attendant gave us a look that said,¡¸will these guys be fine huh¡¹I agree with you!

    ¡ºFran, it''s just like we practiced, okay?¡»

    (Nn)

    And when the door was opened from the inside, it was a simple audience room. Had it been renovated after the king had upied the mansion?

    A red carpet stretched straight out from the door, which must havee from somewhere, and there was even a throne at the end of it. Compared to the throne I had seen in the Beastman Kingdom, it looked rather in, but it was big enough and luxurious enough to be called a throne.

    On the throne sat a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes that looked a bit out of ce. It may be a simple type for daily use, but he really does have a crown on his head. I was a little impressed.

    I''d say he''s about 50 years old huh? His hairline is a bit receding, but his body is reasonably well trained. Well, not quite at a warrior level. At least he seems to be in decent shape. He doesn''t seem to be a tyrant type.

    In my mind, royalty in this world is the image of a strong man, but apparently this king is different. Well, theparison is with the Beast King, who is a rank S adventurer, or the royalty of Philias, who possesses a divine sword¡­¡­

    On either side of us were knights and noble-looking men. I could tell that half of the noblemen looked down on Fran and Forrund, or were bitter about it. But the other half were clearly weing Fran and Forrund.

    Moreover, among the noblemen, the higher-ranking noblemen who wore more luxurious clothes seemed to have a greater tendency to do so. Many of them are smiling.

    As expected, the knights guarding him were expressionless. Among the knights, there was a very strong man who was closest to the king.

    His skin is as white as snow, and he has beautiful silver hair. He was only about six feet tall (180 cm), but his intimidating presence made him look bigger. In addition, the magic power he emitted was unbelievable.

    I have heard that SPs intimidate their attackers by showing a stern appearance, and I guess this is just another form of intimidation. By showing his strength from the start, he''s silently warning us not to do anything stupid. (1)

    On the other hand, if the opponent is not able to sense this intimidation, it is probably not even worthy of caution.

    ¡ºEven so, he has no gap huh¡­¡­¡»

    He''s probably at a rank A ss. It''s a pity that I can''t appraise it since it''s in front of the royalty.

    As expected of the king''s bodyguard. They are in a position to attack Fran and Forrund while protecting the king at any time without a moment''s dy.

    ¡¸Both of you, step forward¡¹

    At the attendant''s words, Fran stepped forward alongside Forrund, bowed, and knelt. Okay, you''re moving as what we have practiced beforehand.

    The nobles were especially surprised by the elegance of Fran''s manners. They probably didn''t expect a little adventurer girl to bow so beautifully in ordance with the manners of the nobility. I could see their eyes widen.

    Yes. The court etiquette that we got from Viscount Alsand is still exist. And then, Forrund made his speech.

    ¡¸It is a great pleasure to have an audience with you¡¹

    Fran just nodded her head silently. The chambein said that was fine. I was wondering what was going to happen, but I think they can manage somehow huh?

    ¡¸Raise your face¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    At the king''s words, Fran and Forrund raised their face.

    ¡¸You''ve done a great job¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Well, it was a typical audience scene from here. The king said a few firm words, then Forrund and Fran nodded. This was repeated. At the end, the king gave another word of praise, and that was it.

    There was almost no unnecessary conversation. It''s so simple, it''s almost feels disheartening.

    ¡ºI was expecting him to bring it up to the point of taking you into the Kingdom of Kranzel, but he didn''t said anything at all¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºI thought he might at least offer you a knighthood or a medal¡­¡»

    In fact, she had discussed it with Eliante. It was obvious that if she refused the offer of a knighthood at the audience, it would cause a lot of trouble. So, if she was offered a knighthood, she nned to present the Order of the Golden Beast Fang Medal that she had received in the Beastman Kingdom.

    It was not limited to this audience, though. Starting with the baron who was turned away by Colbert the other day, various noblemen have flocked to the audience. It seems that the purpose is to take in Fran, who is started to be called the cat-eared saint.

    I thought that they should help with the reconstruction before they came to recruit her with their guards, but it seemed that they were misceneous nobles who hadn''t been assigned any important work.

    Well, judging from the dim-witted attitude they took when recruiting, I could tell he wouldn''t be valued to any work. However, there were so many of them, and some of them did not back down even when she mentioned the Count''s name, so we consulted Eliante about what to do. The conclusion was to use the medal.

    Apparently, it was a more powerful medal than we had imagined. When we showed it to Eliante, she literally jumped up in surprise.

    Since it is a medal of another country, it does not have a strong influence in the Kingdom of Kranzel, but the people who are shown it are likely to think that Fran has ties to the Beast Kingdom.

    As a beastman, it was not strange at all that Fran belonged to the Beastman Kingdom, and the Beastman Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kranzel were friendly countries. It was at Eliante''s opinion that they would not be so arrogant as to forcefully give Fran a title.

    It''s still can be treated as a string attached¡­¡­to the beastman country, it is a good ce for Fran to live, and it''s much better than being forced to give her a knighthood in another country. In fact, they might have given her the medal in anticipation of such a situation.

    Well, it seems I was worrying too much. However, it was soon after Fran and Forrund had finished their audience.

    ¡¸You two!¡¹

    The man who approached us was the chambein. I had a bad feeling about this. The words I didn''t want to hear came out of his mouth.

    ¡¸The king is waiting for you in the other room. This way, please¡¹

    Without saying a word, the chambein turns and walks away. He didn''t think that Fran and Forrund would not follow him. No, we will follow him though.

    ¡ºFran, please still use the honorific¡»

    ¡¸Nn? I understand¡¹

    Perhaps, you didn''t get it, huh? Oh God! Please call out to her!

    /2021/02/tenken-469.html

 Chapter 470: Audience?Back

    <h4>Chapter 470: Audience?Back</h4>

    ¡¸This way¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran and Forrund sat down on the chairs that had been prepared for them, just as the chambein had told them to do.

    What Fran and Forrund were taken to was a room that looked like a drawing room. The room was much smaller than the hall they had used for the audience, and was quite cozy.

    But my nervousness was nothingpared to what I had just experienced before.

    ¡¸You may make yourselffortable. This is an informal meeting¡¹

    How can anyone really ease up when the king tells them to©`©`

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    There she is! That''s my girl! No, she''s still hunched over, just a little out of position! We could still recover!

    ¡ºFran! Don''t really take it for granted!¡»

    (?)

    ¡ºUh, anyway, just keep your spine a little straighter here!¡»

    (Understood)

    Fuh, that was a close one. Look, she already got her back on straight! Don''t stare at her like that, silver-haired knight! If a strong person like you stares at her like that, my Fran will be thrilled!¡¡It''s not a good idea to get involved with this knight who looks very strong and seems to have a high rank.

    ¡¸I am Wiss Bred Kranzel¡¹ (1)

    The king himself, whom we met in the audience hall. Isn''t he too careless for this?¡¡I searched for any presence around us, but there was only the king, two knights, and a chambein in this room. I was under the impression that there was usually a hidden door or something and an escort waiting inside of them.

    Fran also tilted her head, but it seems that the king saw through it.

    ¡¸My daughter, what''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You don''t bring more guards with you?¡¹

    ¡¸You mean that huh. My knights said it was unnecessary. He said that if he wereto be serious, the other knights would be a burden to him¡¹

    As he said this, the king looked at Fran.

    ¡¸You''re not that strong in my eyes huh¡­¡­¡¹

    I can''t be sure, but it seems that the king himself has appraisal skills. And it seems that the effect of the appraisal disguise makes her look like an ordinary adventurer.

    However, the silver-haired knight beside him would not be able to be easily deceived.

    ¡¸She''s more than equal with me¡¹

    ¡¸If Ruga says so, I''m sure he''s right. Let me introduce you. He''s captain of the guard and knight of the King. Ruga Mufuru¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you¡¹

    Ruga Mufuru bailed lightly, not taking his eyes off Fran and Forrund. He''s not showing any gap.

    ¡¸You are two of the most powerful people in our country. There''s no harm in knowing each other''s faces, right?¡¹

    The king put a strange emphasis on the "our country" part. I guess he wants to bring Fran and Forrund into the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    He''s very different from the Beast King. The Beast King was more like a high king, or a king with a majestic air. However, the man in front of me does not radiate any sense of intimidation. He''s the politician type huh?

    However, it was not like he did not have the dignity of a king. I haven''t made a clear hierarchical rtionship with him, but I naturally felt that he was the most superior person in this ce. He had the presence of a king, or perhaps I should say that he was a born superior.

    It''s a good thing that he''s not a fool, but I''m not going to let my guard down.

    ¡¸Now, let''s get down to business. We''re running out of time¡¹

    Then the king gave some instructions to the chambein with a nce. Then the chambein brings out two small boxes, about 30 centimeters long. The boxes are ced in front of both Fran and Forrund.

    Inside the box was what looked like a jewelled medallion.

    ¡¸You are hereby granted the rank of first ss baron. You may ept¡¹

    Uwaah, you''ve hit the nail on the head. We can''t use a roundabout way of saying no or anything like that anymore. Is he doing it on purpose? Or is it just in? I can''t read his expression at all.

    (Master?)

    ¡ºAah, wait a minute. Forrund, what do we do¡»

    (¡­Hmm. Fran doesn''t want to ept the title, does she?)

    ¡ºIt''s obvious¡»

    (Very well)

    Then Forrund nodded lightly. Oh, how dependable!

    ¡¸I''m grateful for this, but¡­¡­¡¹

    He shook his head as he said it.

    ¡¸You want to refuse?¡¹

    ¡¸By all means. She''s too¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I have to refuse¡¹

    Wait a minute, Fran! Your words! Thanks to her court etiquette skills, her movements are fine, but her words is!

    I panicked and made her rephrase it.

    ¡¸I''m sorry. But I want to continue bing adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Even after I said that I¡¯m giving it to you?¡¹

    The king frowned in displeasure. Ruga Mufuru also increased the intimidation he was emitting. Are we going to do this?

    This situation would definitely make a weak-minded or power-hungry person nod their head. The room was filled with that much pressure. Ugh, my stomach hurts.

    ¡¸¡­I''m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry¡¹

    With Forrund bowing with a short apology, Fran also bows her head.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Kuh, the silence feels heavy! The King is still looking at Fran and Forrund with a sullen look on his face.

    ¡¸¡­Hmm. It''s as you said huh, Ruga¡¹

    The king sniffs lightly and sinks down on the sofa with a bored look on his face.

    ¡¸Yes sir. Because they are adventurers¡¹

    ¡¸It''s correct to do this in a ce without any lower ranked nobles. I can just see them making a scene¡¹

    Hmm? Apparently, the king and Ruga were expecting Fran and Forrund to decline.

    ¡¸Too many people don''t realize how much adventurers have contributed to their territories. These days, even the nobles of the great domains are bing more and more incapable of caring for adventurers¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, the nobleman, who doesn''t like adventurers, wanted to give Fran and Forrund a knighthood so they wouldn''t antagonize them. Could it be that the sullen attitude is an act?¡¡However, he still maintains his ufortable expressions.

    ¡¸As for Forrund of the Hundred Swords, he had turned it down several times in the past, so I knew it would happen again this time. But, Fran, the ck Lightning Princess? Why do you refuse? It''s a title, remember? In addition, being a first-ss baron is like being a count without a territory. You don''t want to be bothered with running a fiefdom, right? A first-ss baron has a nobleman''s annual sry attached to it, but you do not have to run the estate. Are you sure you won''t consider it once again?¡¹

    In other words, it''s probably a title for adventurers. By giving her a nobleman''s annual sry, she would be bound to the country as a war power in case of emergency. Since they are no longer adventurers, they can be used for war. In exchange, the adventurer gets the backing of the country and honor.

    ¡¸What is it that you are dissatisfied with?¡¹

    However, Forrund''s reply to the king''s words was short.

    ¡¸It''s freedom¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hmmm. That''s a word I''m not familiar with. But aren''t you interested in money and power? What about you, my daughter?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I don''t need such a thing¡¹

    ¡¸Such a thing huh¡­This is why an adventurers is¡­¡­! I had enough of this. Go away¡¹

    Have we offended the king? However, there was no sign that Ruga was going to do anything about it. After all, he probably already knew that he would be rejected. Even so, if he was refused, he would still be dissatisfied huh.

    Then, as Fran and Forrund were leaving, a voice called out to them.

    ¡¸Forget everything that happened in that room. And I will do the same too¡¹

    Does that mean you''re not going to question the fact that he lost face? His anger didn''t seem to subside yet, but he didn''t want to antagonize her.

    ¡ºHuh. We manage it somehow huh? To be honest, I was ready to flee this country¡»

    (As I said the other day, the king is a man who puts the interests of the nation first. He won''t make the mistake of antagonizing us. Of course, if he judged that it would be in his interest to retaliate against us for destroying his face, he would have ordered an attack without hesitation)

    How''s that working out for him? He was a scary opponent, in a different way than the Beast King.

    ¡ºWell, I hope we made it through¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-470.html

 Chapter 471: Rank Up

    <h4>Chapter 471: Rank Up</h4>

    After we managed to get through the audience with the king, we came to the adventurer''s guild. In fact, we had been summoned by Eliante.

    The Adventurer''s Guild is incredibly densely popted. It may not like a crowded train, but it''s about as dense as an elementary school yground during breaks.

    In fact, the number of adventurers in the town has temporarily doubled due to the adventurers who came from neighboring towns to help out. In addition, many of them are sleeping and waking up in the corners of the guild floor because there are not enough ces for them to sleep. The guild is crowded with these relief adventurers.

    Fran was already famous among the adventurers in the royal capital, but some of the adventurers from other towns would still try to get involved with her.

    To begin with, most of the adventurers sent to clear away the rubble in the royal capital are of low rank. Some were adventurers with special skills or magic, but about 80% of them were just starting out as manualborers. In other words, they were all people who could not see through Fran''s abilities.

    Moreover, once they get to the royal capital, it is much harsher than they can imagine. Maybe they were just longing for the royal capital. But in reality, it was just a repetition of inbor covered in dust.

    It was no wonder that there were idiots who wanted to relieve their sorrows by picking on the girl.

    But today, they don''t seem to want to get involved. Well, I guess it''s because yesterday and the day before, there was a guy who got involved with her and she give him a bit of shy treatment.

    Ah yeah, we can''t afford to reduce our workforce now, so I made sure to recover them with recovery magic, okay? In addition, she threatened him that if he didn''t work diligently, she would give him a bad time. I''m sure he''s working up a good sweat by now.

    Perhaps the word had spread, but there was no sign of any neers getting involved today. Rather, they gave her a look of fear.

    ¡¸Stellia¡¹

    ¡¸Aah. Go right ahead!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    It seems that Stellia has been busy today, as they eliminated the high ranked adventurer''sne and added a new temporary low ranked adventurer''sne.

    She certainly doesn¡¯t seem to have time to guide her.

    By the way, there''s also a line at Stellia''s ce. In terms of the image of adventurers, I think it''s a line of the beautiful woman''s ce and a deserted scene at Stellia''s ce¡­¡­

    ¡¸You guys! Get in line over here! You''re so noisy! Do you want to be stripped off!¡¹

    I see. So that''s how it is. The neers who were exposed to Stellia''s intimidation skills were moving to Stellia''sne with blue faces. Well, good luck to everyone.

    We continued through the crowded floor and entered Eliante''s office¡­¡­

    ¡¸It''s endless¡­¡­I can''t finish this work¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºUwaaah©`¡»

    ¡¸Mountain of paper¡¹

    This is a miserable scene.

    A mountain of papers had doubled in size since the other day, and Eliante at her desk surrounded by the pile, working like a ghost.

    ¡¸Eliante?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¡­You''re here huh¡­¡­Wait a minute¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Five minutester.

    Eliante, who had calmed down a bit after a cup of tea, was presenting some papers to Fran.

    ¡¸What''s this?¡¹

    ¡¸You''ve been promoted to Rank B. Here are your official promotion papers¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Rank up? Why?¡¹

    That''s very sudden. I''m sure we haven''t contributed enough at all to move up in rank. Besides, she doesn''t want to stand out and get tangled up with the nobles.

    ¡¸You¡­¡­How much do you think you''ve done this time? You defeated a monster that wiped out Zephyrd''s party, you healed hundreds of people, and you helped clear away the rubble¡­¡­I can''t even begin to count your other minor aplishments¡¹

    If she said it like that, I guess she''s right. As long as Ashwrath''s achievements are pretended to have never happened, the most meritorious adventurer is Forrund. After that, it will be Fran huh?

    ¡¸I know you don''t like trouble, and I know you''ve been reluctant to rank up. But, you know, all the reasons that have been holding you back from moving up have now been cleared up¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Originally, I had no problem with yourbat prowess. There was no doubt in my mind that you had the ability of an A ranker. In fact, I''d say that thismotion has confirmed it¡¹

    Eliante, the guild master was able to watch our fight with the Marquis. It''s the most reliable way to confirm her ability. It''s not a mock battle, but a real battle, and it proves that she can do it.

    ¡¸And one of the problems was yourck of achievements. You have made a name for yourself in the royal capital, and you even received a medal from the Beast Nation¡¹

    I see. So at least she had got a good track record for a rank B.

    ¡¸Then there was your attitude towards the nobles. You had managed through an audience this time, too, and it''s proven that you have at least a minimum of courtesy¡¹

    Oh, I see. When she be a rank B, she will meet more nobles, so she must have said that she''s worried of Fran, who is obviously not courteous. It''s a rather valid opinion. However, by having had an audience with the king, the pinnacle of the nobility, that problem has been eliminated to some extent.

    ¡¸I talked to a nobleman I knew, and he told me that you had perfect manners. I was surprised to hear that you were much more elegant than those lower-ss nobles¡¹

    He must have been one of the noblemen who lined both sides of the room at the first audience.

    ¡¸It looks like you were able to refuse the title from the King, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But the King was angry¡¹

    ¡¸The king wouldn''t be that mad about it. No, he doesn''t want to be taken as a fool by the adventurers, so he pretends to be angry¡­¡­? Well, he''s not a straightforward guy, but he''s not an emotionally driven one, so that''s not a problem. He''s not going to do anything stupid like making an enemy of you. You can trust him¡¹

    Was it an act, after all? Or perhaps he was just acting to show his dignity as a king. And yet, he didn''t make Fran and Forrund ufortable any more than necessary. In other words, he showed them that he was dissatisfied, and then he made no questions about it.

    He generously showed mercy to the adventurer who refused the king''s extraordinary offer. That''s how it works. For example, let''s say that the king asks you to do something in the future. There is a high probability that he will think ¡¸You turned down an offer of a title before, so you might as well ept this request¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm, I was a bit down on him for allowing the Marquis to revolt, but he''s indeed the king of a great nation¡»

    But the other party is Fanatics. It may be more difficult for them to notice.

    ¡¸Well, I''m not going to do anything rude to someone who has the medal of the Beast Kingdom. From now on, diplomatic rtions with that country will be of utmost importance. It is said that Count Bailleys was punished lightly out of consideration for the Beast King¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸His rtionship with the Beast King is well known. There are even rumors that he was relieved of his post as a lord in order to send him as an envoy to the Beast Kingdom¡¹

    Not only did they lighten the punishment, but they want to use it to further strengthen their rtionship with the beast kingdom.

    ¡¸The medal is a also a factor for your rank up. The guild was reluctant to throw out a kid with no backing in front of the nobles, but now they know that she actually has tremendous backing¡¹

    There is no shortage of ability, she was able to show courtesy, and she has a great deal of backing. Indeed, I don''t see any reason not to raise her to rank B.

    ¡¸Honestly, if I don''t rank you up, it''s going to make me question the decency of the guild. I mean, the other guild masters are pushing me to make sure you rank up. That''s why take your rank up!¡¹

    If we listen to Eliante''s lines, she seems to be saying so, but her eyes are shaking with anxiety. In fact, Fran had the right to refuse this offer.

    And Fran has her own reasons for refusing. The guild will not remember this well, but the fact that she won''t get into trouble with the nobles is too big of an advantage. Even though she has the backing of the guild, she won''t have zero contact from the nobility.

    ¡ºFran, what do you want?¡»

    (Nn? ept the rank up)

    ¡ºAre you sure? Honestly, there will be a lot of trouble, you know? Stupid nobles, stupid adventurers¡­¡»

    (If they''re idiots, just blow them off)

    ¡º¡­I see¡»

    I''ll have to make sure she doesn¡¯t overdo it. But if Fran is willing, I have no problem with it. We''ll thankfully rank up here.

    /2021/02/tenken-471.html

 Chapter 472: Gallusâ€™ Determination

    <h4>Chapter 472: Gallus'' Determination</h4>

    It''s been a few days since the rank up. Fran had been summoned to the Adventurer''s Guild again.

    The adventurers make a lot of noise when they see Fran, but there are few malicious nces. Is that being an admiration or fear? The former are the neers who admire Fran, who is the youngest B rank adventurer. Thetter are probably those who have been blown away by her or those who have witnessed the scene.

    Anyway, it''s nice not to get tangled up with the small fry. It seems that rank has a big impact on this.

    Moreover, the number of recruitments from nobles has decreased drasticallytely. This is because rumors have spread that she has the backing of the Beast King. Apparently, it was the king''s words at the dinner that triggered the spread of this rumor. He must have dared to spread it.

    Still, that doesn''t mean we don''t have any contact with any of them at all, though. It seems, those who think that they are special was everywhere huh. In the first ce, there is no way for a nobleman who is in the royal capital and has not been given a good job can bepetent.

    When she intimidates them, they won''te back, so it''s not that annoying. There was almost no hindrance to our work. Well, in thest few days, most of the work that Fran had to do was gone.

    The treatment of the seriously injured patients was almost finished, and the rest could be left to the court doctors and magician. The removal of debris can be left to the adventurers who came to help. The Knights have regained their functions and are now in charge of maintaining the peace.

    Still looking for work, Fran advised the Count to use earth magic to build temporary housing, but he refused.

    The area outside the city walls is not a safe ce to live, with magical beasts roaming about. Themoner''s area is densely popted with houses, and there was not that much extensive damage. Therefore, there was no space to build temporary housing in the first ce.

    Even if it were to be built in the noble district, the temporary houses that cannot be moved would be a hindrance during the rebuilding process. It would be verybor intensive to demolish several temporary houses. A tent that can be moved quickly is better.

    I''ve been thinking about this from a different perspective, but it''s difficult to build temporary housing here. We don''t have the technology to build prefabricated houses. If we stay here until the reconstruction, we can help, but we don''t intend to stay that long.

    In the end, Fran''s major tasks were to help the injured and set up a wind barrier to prevent dust, but that was mostly done and she waspletely out of ideas.

    That''s why she was able to answer the guild''s call in the middle of the day. But it wasn''t Eliante who called Fran, it was Forrund.

    ¡¸I came¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    As usual, the two were able to understand each other. Forrund took her to a ce that was not Eliante''s office.

    ¡¸In here¡¹

    The room looked like a private room in an inn. It seemed to be a room used to amodate adventurers who hade to the capital on business from other adventurer guilds.

    They have these rooms because they may not be able to use the lodge depending on the time of day, the nature of their work, or the time of year.

    ¡¸Gallus'' room?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    Gallus was supposed to be lying low now. The Adventurer''s Guild was still protecting him, although the government had decided not to impose any punishment. It was said that this wasrgely due to the cooperation of Eihwaz, who could cure magic drugs, and also as a result of the king''s decision not to offend the Adventurers'' Guild.

    Well, as for us, we''re going to let Gallus decide what to do after he wakes up.

    When Forrund walked in, we found Eihwaz, Eliante, and Gallus waiting for him. Yes, Gallus had gotten himself out of bed and was here to greet Fran.

    ¡¸Gallus, already awake?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry for all the trouble I''ve caused you. Let me show you my gratitude. Thank you¡¹

    His face is still pale, but his tone is firm. I wonder if the after-effects of the magic drug are safe?

    ¡¸Are you okay now?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. I cured him, didn''t I? I used the finest elixir I could find. Oh, don''t worry about the price. The Guild and he himself have already agreed to pay for it. Besides, I''ve gotten some interesting data¡¹

    He grinned andughed at her. It''s not like he''s hiding his embarrassment, but he''s serious. He must have really conducted the experiment in parallel with the treatment. I''m notining, though, because it''s cured him.

    ¡¸Besides, I also have a deal with the country¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Why should Iin when I''ve made these weak magicians a little more useful?¡¹

    It seems that this old man had drugged the magician entrusted to him by Count Bailleys. The drugs increased their muscle strength and stamina and allowing them to work sleeplessly and without rest, and after its effects wore off, the users would suffer from hellish muscle pain and insomnia.

    ¡¸That''s why there are fewer mages avable for reconstruction, you know? Isn''t that obvious?¡¹

    ¡¸If we hadn''t killed the enemy, more damage would have been done¡¹

    ¡¸You know that, and that''s why the king said he''d wouldn''t care with Gallus'' treatment¡¹

    ¡¸I know what I''m doing¡¹

    ¡¸Rather than that, what to do about Gallus'' future. That''s why I asked Fran toe here to discuss it¡¹

    I see, more or less, it''s because of Fran has issued a protection request.

    It seems that Eliante and Eihwaz have already exined the whole situation to Gallus. Everything, including what he himself can''t remember.

    ¡¸What does Gallus want to do?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­¡­¡¹

    When Fran asked him, Gallus grunted in distress. Even though he had been manipted, he probably regretted having a hand in a major incident that shook the royal capital.

    ¡¸I''ll help you escape¡¹

    ¡¸The Thieves'' Guild said they''d help us out¡¹

    ¡¸And the Adventurers'' Guild too¡¹

    ¡¸Me too¡¹

    After all, it seems that the guilds are not optimistic about Gallus'' situation. If he is taken into custody by the state, he may be forced to work on the divine sword in captivity.

    But Gallus shook his head and refused Fran and the others'' proposal.

    ¡¸I''ll stay in the royal capital. It may not be enough to atone for my sins, but I will help rebuild the royal capital¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Umu¡¹

    Gallus understands everything. Still, he chose to entrust himself to the country. Once she saw the determined look on his face, she knew that it was impossible to reverse his decision.

    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran muttered in disappointment.

    ¡¸You did everything you could. I''m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸No. If Gallus had decided, so be it¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t worry, I''ll give some push on him from the guild!¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sure the Thieves'' Guild won''t stand idly either¡¹

    ¡¸Me too¡¹

    If all these guys are willing to back Gallus, will he be okay? I don''t think he''ll be under house arrest. At any rate, if they make enemies with these people, the country will be in trouble this time.

    ¡¸I''m sorry¡¹

    At these words, Gallus bowed deeply.

    However, even in this somber atmosphere, it is Eihwaz who can''t read the air. After listening to Gallus''s resolve, Eihwaz takes out something and starts asking Gallus questions.

    ¡¸I''m not quite sure about this part¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, that parts huh¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hou. In other words¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right here¨D¨D¡¹

    What Eihwaz took out was a document on the pseudo fanatic sword. It seemed that the Thieves'' Guild had been holding it. He seemed to be looking at it and asking questions about the technical aspects.

    The others, especially Eliante, seem to be quite curious and start asking more questions to Eihwaz, who asks Gallus questions.

    ¡¸©`©`that is why¡¹

    ¡¸So you can''t mass-produce pseudo fanatic swords anymore?¡¹

    ¡¸In the first ce, they were using the fanatic sword as a raw material¡¹

    The pseudo fanatic sword was apparently made by mixing pieces of the fanatic sword with the consciousness of the fanatics when it was made. Originally, it was said to be a magic tool that sucked the magic power of its surroundings and strengthened the user. Moreover, it was a failed product with unsteady abilities.

    By mixing it with Fanatics and inhabited by its consciousness, he was able to strengthen and stabilize its abilities, making it a pseudo fanatic sword.

    The ability to counteract magic is a product of the magic-absorbing ability of the tool.

    The reason why it was stabbed in the back was because the original magic tool was a type of magic tool that was worn on the back in the first ce, and the Fanatics'' consciousness could not disy its abilities to the fullest unless it was in the form of a sword, so it had to be in the form of a sword.

    In other words, now that the sword of blind devotion-Fanatics had disappeared, the pseudo fanatic sword could no longer be made.

    ¡¸Well, I don''t know if the country will believe this story¡¹

    ¡¸It''s not easy to forge that much of evidence. Besides, after a while, various information will be discovered in the Marquis''s territory. If they look at them, they must be understood, no matter how foolish they are¡¹

    /2021/02/tenken-472.html

 Chapter 473: The Great Spirits User

    <h4>Chapter 473: The Great Spirits User</h4>

    In addition, the materials collected by the Thieves Guild included the diaries of the family members and servants, which revealed how the Fanatics came to be in the hands of the Marquis and his ns. The Thieves'' Guild, they must have done their best.

    There were two things I was curious about. Hamuls as the street murderer, and why Velmeria was targeted.

    As for the first, why did Hamuls attacked Fran, he was simply looking for a strong host. They discovered that I was made by orichalcos, and they were relentless in their pursuit. That''s when they discovered Velmeria.

    Apparently, Velmeria had a special bloodline among the dragonmen and had the potential to use a powerful skill called the Divine Dragon Transformation Skill. For this reason, the Fanatics kidnapped Velmeria.

    ¡¸So, just before the Fanatics'' n was about to be executed, they got their hands on the most powerful host huh¡¹

    ¡¸n?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukkuh. That''s a pretty big deal, you know?¡¹

    ording to Eihwaz, the fanatic sword was discovered 40 years ago in the Marquis territory, in the basement of a 1000-years-old fort that had been turned into ruins during a survey to build a new facility.

    It was presented to the Marquis by a person from the research team because it was imbued with magical power¡­¡­I''m sure the Fanatics'' ns began at this time.

    Moreover, the Fanatics'' n was not a simple one, such as limited to manipting the Marquis to seize power.

    ¡¸Haah, to team up with the Raidos Kingdom and to take over the Philias Kingdom?¡¹

    Even Eliante was surprised.

    Even for the Fanatics, it is impossible to control all the people in a half-destroyed state. Hence, there were some people who were not controlled and just received orders, and some of their subordinates seemed to know what the Fanatics wanted.

    ¡¸Or more urately, It''s going to get its hands on the divine sword Diabolos¡¹

    ¡¸They are the same kind, right?¡¹

    After they taken control of the country, they nned to invade the Philias Kingdom by taking control the military. It seems that they wanted to use Diabolos to repair itself.

    I guess it wanted Gallus not just to have him create a pseudo fanatic sword, but also to be involved in its own restoration.

    ¡¸Then the invasion from the Raidos Kingdom that is happening now is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It must have been nned in advance¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I have a bad feeling about this¡¹

    Eliante mutters to herself. Could it be some kind of insect sense? I''m a little scared when half-insect kin tell me that.

    ¡¸We''re not hiding the fact that the mass murderer Jean is in Alessa. In fact, I''m sure he''s even actively spreading the word in order to intimidate them. And yet, they attacked us¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸They have prepared for this in advance huh¡¹

    Isn''t this situation pretty bad? No matter how strong Jean is, there is always a possibility that he will lose if they have taken countermeasures in advance. The other side is said to be a military superpower, so isn''t the possibility of losing rather high?

    ¡¸Wh, why are you so calm about it!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmh. There will be disaster for that city¡¹

    ¡¸That''s why I''m telling you this is bad! If that Klimut guy fought seriously¡­¡­¡¹

    Eihwaz too, called Klimut a cmity before¡­¡­Eliante also seems to be more afraid of Klimut than the Royal Army of Raidos.

    ¡¸Hey, What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸You''re already a B ranker, so it''s fine huh¡­¡­Klimut''s second name is Cmity. He is a spirits user who specializes in mass destruction, destroying friend and foe alike¡¹

    I see. So, it''s a cmity because he attacks both friend and foe in a wide area. I guess it''s a simr story to Ashwrath the Friendly Fire.

    ¡¸But it''s fake nickname, given over 50 years ago. Adventurers who didn''t know any better started calling him that, and it stuck to him. Now, many adventurers believe the alias to be true¡­¡­No, Klimut is a trump card for the guild as well. We''ve never dared to correct that mistake¡¹

    ¡¸Mistake?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, technically, he stopped a weapon of mass destruction and saved a city¡¹

    A long time ago, there was a small country in the northern part of what is now the territory of the Kranzel Kingdom. It belonged to the Raidos Kingdom, which had long been an enemy of the Kranzel Kingdom.

    However, that small country was sandwiched between two major powers and at the mercy of the political situations of both sides, it''s unstable. The country and its people must always be prepared for war, not knowing when it will be a battlefield.

    Even with a small national budget being squeezed by military expenses, the country was unable to increase its strength and had to continue receiving support from the Raidos Kingdom as a poor country.

    The king of the time tried to break through this situation. He turned his attention to spirit magic as a low-cost means of warfare. He tried to develop spirit magic by inviting excellent spirit magicians.

    However, spirit magic is very difficult to handle. There are only a few who have the talent, but it is extremely unstable. Even if the same spirits magician uses the same spirits magic, the effect will fluctuate drastically depending on the physical and mental condition of the practitioner and the mood of the spirits. Furthermore, spirits were fickle and had a different mental structure than people, and they sometimes did not understandmands urately.

    It was recognized by the adventurers and military, but it is too unstable. It is difficult to unless they are a high-level magician. That''s how they feel about it.

    Especially important is the part about its instability. They can easily go out of control. Even for Elves and the others that have umted thousands of years of study in spirit magic are said to have difficulty in trying to control it.

    Then, that small country also made a big mistake. A few spirits user attempted to summon and use a higher-level spirit, whether it was a miracle or a nightmare, it was a great spirit that was summoned, and it easily got out of control.

    There are different ranks of spirits: misceneous spirits, lower-grade spirits, middle-grade spirits, high-grade spirits, great spirits, and spirit''s king, with great spirits having power equivalent to threat level A.

    What if it gets out of control? The small country would be easily destroyed. In fact, at that time, the Great Spirit of the Wind, which had been rampaging for five days, had cleared more than half of the country, killing and injuring more than 50,000 people in total.

    The person who quelled the Great Spirit at that time was Klimut, who was already the Guild master of Alessa. He himself did not take part in this experiment and only cleaned up the mess by himself, but from the onlooker it appeared as if he had summoned the Great Spirit.

    What''s more, he made a contract with the Great Spirit at that time, and the fact that the scene looked like he was giving orders to the summoned spirit elerated the misunderstanding.

    ¡¸In fact, He just managed to save the people of a small country from being wiped out. It''s insane to go to the trouble of infiltrating a hostile country and attempting to make a contract with a great spirit with a low chance of sess. Well, since he seeded, he must be a genius as a spirits user¡¹

    ¡¸But, it had weakened Klimut greatly¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    If he made a contract with a great being like the Great Spirit, he must have gotten stronger, right? That''s why he was a rank S adventurer right.

    ¡¸He are constantly on edge to hold down the great spirits that lie dormant within his bodies. The amount of magic power he can use is limited, and his life force is being drained away. On top of that, it seems that his body is also bing weak¡¹

    ¡¸Originally, his fighting style was supposed to be using multiple spirits, but I''m told that''s also difficult now¡¹

    In order to keep the Great Spirit sealed inside of him, his abilities have been weakened. Moreover, it''s difficult to summon spirits because he''s constantly devoting his control and other resources to it.

    ¡¸But that doesn''t mean he can''t fight. If ites to it, he can use the Great Spirit¡¹

    ¡¸Kukukuh. The great spirit of the wind that will blows everything from the ground huh¡¹

    ¡¸If that happens, there will be a lot of damage in the area. And Klimut won''t be able to get away with it either. I heard that he used it once in the past in a battle with a dragon, but that time he had wandered between life and death¡¹

    So, neither the people around Klimut will be able to get away from it huh.

    I wondered why they had such a person as the guild master of Alessa, but it seems that the Raidos Kingdom is an irreconcble enemy of the adventurer''s guild as well.

    There were no adventurers in that country, and if there was an adventurer''s guild member in the area they controlled, they would execute them all and confiscate their property.

    In order to prevent such a country from moving south and weakening the Kranzel Kingdom, which favors adventurers, the guild has ced Klimut as a trump card.

    ¡¸However, a trump card is something you save until thest minute. That''s why we''re putting Amanda and Jean in Alessa''s so Klimut doesn''t have to fight too much¡¹

    In other words, he''s probably even more destructive than Amanda and Jean. Apparently, Klimut was even more awesome than I thought he was.

    /2021/02/tenken-473.html

 Chapter 474: Gallus and Equipment

    <h4>Chapter 474: Gallus and Equipment</h4>

    Eihwaz and the others left, leaving Fran and Gallus alone in the room.

    No, they were very thoughtful, as they knew there would be a lot for us to talk about. Only Eihwaz was still fussing about having something to talk about, but Forrund took him out.

    After watching Fran put up a barrier to prevent eavesdropping, Gallus opened his mouth again. I''m sure Eihwaz or someone else will try to eavesdrop on us in ways we can''t even imagine.

    ¡¸Once again, thank you for your help. So, you found the scabbard huh?¡¹

    ¡¸NN¡¹

    ¡ºBecause of its name and shape. I knew there was definitely something to it¡»

    ¡¸I was worried you wouldn''t notice it, you know?¡¹

    But that''s not the main issue.

    ¡ºNo, but¡­There was always a chance we wouldn''t make it to the royal capital, right?¡»

    I don''t know if we''ll be able to keep our promise. We might have other things to do, and as adventurers, we might have lost our lives on the road.

    But Gallus shook his head lightly and smiled.

    ¡¸It''s okay. I knew you guys would keep your word¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. I keep my promises to my friends¡¹

    ¡¸Ghahaha. Friends huh! Yeah, we are friends!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Gallus wasughing as he said that, but his face soon became serious. No, I think he''s a little bit down? I feel like I can see a bit of sorrow in his eyes. What''s wrong with him?

    ¡¸So, umm, can I ask you one question?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸That equipment, is it originally from my ck Cat series?¡¹

    So that''s what he''s looks down huh? I exined to Gallus how we had acquired this equipment. The repair function was deteriorating due to the continuous battle with strong enemies. It had been torn to shreds by the fierce fighting. A cksmith we had met by chance had repaired it for her.

    ¡¸You met a cksmith by chance¡­¡­Is he a divine level cksmith?¡¹

    I knew he''d noticed it huh. She makes the work of Gallus, the world''s greatest cksmith, even better, there are only a few people who can do that. The reason why Gallus was a bit down was probably because he wasparing his own work with Alistair''s.

    ¡ºAah©`¡­¡­¡»

    What should I do. No, she has taken the liberty of improving Gallus'' best work. Even though it was necessary for Fran to do so, I should apologize to Gallus with a goodwill.

    ¡ºThat''s right. Alistair, a divine cksmith, altered the armor that Gallus made for her. I''m sorry. We didn''t ask for your permission first¡­¡»

    ¡¸No, don''t apologize! In fact, I''m impressed!¡¹

    ¡ºUgh. Y-you will forgive us?¡»

    ¡¸I don''t care about it, but anyone who gets angry at the sight of this works are disqualified as a cksmith!¡¹

    Gallus seemed to be seriously impressed. His eyes sparkled as he stared at Fran''s ck Heavenly Tiger equipment.

    ¡¸Modifying a named item and making it into something more powerful is¡­¡­Amazing¡¹

    ¡ºShe''s a divine cksmith after all~¡»

    ¡¸Damn it. If it weren''t for this incident, I would have asked for an apprenticeship¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAn apprenticeship?¡»

    For someone like Gallus, the honorary cksmith of the Kranzel Kingdom?¡¡Bute to think of it, the other party is a divine cksmith. It wouldn''t be strange for him wanted an apprenticeship huh?

    She is supposed to be in the Belios Kingdom now, but I don''t know how much information I can give him about Alistair.

    ¡ºUmm. I''ll let her know the next time we meet¡»

    ¡¸Really!¡¹

    ¡ºAh, yeah. But I don''t know if she''s going to agree to that, you know?¡»

    ¡¸I know, I know. Just the possibility of making us acquainted is enough!¡¹

    Well, I''ll just tell her about Gallus. After that, it''s up to Alistair.

    ¡ºAlso, Alistair doesn''t seem to want to be used by those in power¡­¡»

    ¡¸I won''t tell anyone! Don''t worry!¡¹

    Gallus said he wouldn''t tell anyone about it. We can rest assured.

    ¡¸Can''t you show it more to me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Fumu fumu¡­¡­Is this look your thing, little girl?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, Alistair made it look like this¡»

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­So that person is really a woman huh?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸I see. I''m impressed with its perfect appearance. Maybe it''s a woman thing¡¹

    But the first piece of armor she got from Gallus looked pretty girly, didn''t it?¡¡That''s what I thought, but I heard that that equipment was just made ording to a client''s wishes.

    Apparently, it was the boyish ck cat series that reflected Gallus''s taste.

    ¡¸Besides, a change in appearance is a small price to pay for the improvement of its ability. It''s not every day I can see a piece of armor like this¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    ¡¸Umu. Considering the original materials, this is on an incredible level. Even adventurers of rank B or higher don''t have equipment of the same level as this¡¹

    It''s just as I expected from a divine ss cksmith who modified it. I thought it would only improve its performance, but it seems it''s worth more than I imagined.

    ¡¸Besides, Master has gotten pretty awesome too¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Is that so?¡»

    ¡¸Umu. You''re considerably strengthened, isn''t it?¡¡Even with my god''s eye, the information I can get from you were very little this time. It''s a sign that you''re stronger than thest time we met in Alessa¡¹

    ¡ºI''m sure my appearance hasn''t changed though¡»

    ¡¸The presence that emanates from within ispletely different. When you''re like me, you can see it clearly¡¹

    The old man Gallus is now snickering as he observes me. It''s nice to be praised, but I feel nervous. I feel as if I''m being evaluated by a great appraiser.

    ¡¸Are Master handled by Alistair-dono too?¡¹

    ¡ºOnly on some parts, but there are various thing too¡»

    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­I won''t ask for details. However, not only Fran, but Master also has grown a lot¡¹

    ¡ºI felt a little embarrassed¡»

    This may be the first time that someone other than Fran has praised my growth. I think I''m a bit of a simple-minded guy, but I can''t help but be happy about it.

    ¡ºTh-thanks¡»

    ¡¸That''s my line. The best of the best swords, and the best armor made from my work. It was a feast for the eyes¡¹

    After that, we spent the rest of the day talking about various things with Gallus.

    /2021/02/tenken-474.html

 Chapter 475: The Five with Antennae and Shells

    <h4>Chapter 475: The Five with Antennae and Shells</h4>

    ¡ºIt''s probably the time for us to head to Alessa huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    A few days after the incident. Fran''s job was already gone, and Gallus and the others had decided to move on. I think it''s safe to say that we''ve almost finished our business in the capital.

    As for me, I was thinking if we could stay a little longer.

    ¡¸Finally, training¡¹

    Fran is motivated. Besides, I''m curious about what''s going on in the north.

    In the end, we decided to head to Alessa. I heard that we had to apply for permission from the guild before entering the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    There are no penalties for entering without permission, but if we have permission, we can get support from the guild in the worst-case scenario, andplete a request for investigations and such.

    In particr, the ins of the Demon Wolf is a Grade A magical area, so it''s not easy to get permission to explore it solo unless you''re a rank B adventurer or higher.

    Come to think of it, I''ve heard a simr story about the Crystal Cage near Barbra. It seems that not only were they able to receive higher level requests due to their higher rank, but also the restrictions on exploring magical areas were lifted.

    ¡ºWe''ve already received our reward, so there''s certainly no reason for us to stay in the royal capital any longer¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºFor the time being, let''s greet the guild¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    In case you''re wondering, we received bounties and special rewards from the guild and the country. But the amount we spent on Gallus'' protection request and the auction. Also, considering the amount of money that Fran donated to rebuild the orphanage and relief center, we arepletely in the red. Even so, we still have about five million goldes in our pocket.

    Besides, it made Fran''s reputation even stronger. Fran''s reputation for not only saving people with her healing power, but also for investingrge sums of money to help the weak, was now beginning to be known as the ck Cat Saint.

    I''ve heard that Fran likes the ck Lightning Princess better because it makes her seems stronger. But in the royal capital, the name "saint" has be overwhelmingly more popr. Wherever she goes, she is called a saint.

    Even now, on our way to the guild, she was being approached by many people. At that time, everyone would call her ¡¸Saintess-sama¡¹ or ¡¸Saintess-san¡¹.

    Well, Eliante will be begging her to stay in the royal capital. As long as Fran is here, the reputation of the Adventurer''s Guild will remain high.

    That state of affairs was no different in the guild. Right now, it''s just the royal capital, but sooner orter, the name of the ck Cat Saints might spread to the surrounding towns. Although Fran would be unhappy about it.

    ¡¸Stellia¡¹

    ¡¸Oya, what can I do for you today?¡¹

    ¡¸I''d like to speak to Eliante¡¹

    ¡¸Then you can go up yourself. If it''s you, we won''t have to worry¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It was aplete face pass already. It''s not so much that her rank has risen, but that her trustworthiness in the capital has increased. Although it was highly possible that Stellia thought it was a hassle for her to act as guide for her.

    ¡ºThere''s a sign of someoneing from Eliante''s room. Maybe she has a visitor¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I guess we''ll have toe backter huh? Well, for the time being, we¡¯ll just say hello and let her know that we''ll be backter.

    Fran knocks on the room door.

    ¡ºOoh. So, you''re able to knock on the door now huh¡»

    (Fufun)

    I couldn''t help but admire her, and Fran stuck out her smug little chest. No, it''s not that big of deal. But for me, it was an event that made me feel that she had grown a lot. Because it''s Fran, you know? She''s knocking, right? Isn''t that amazing?

    ¡¸Who is it? Come in¡¹

    It didn''t seem like an important guest. When Fran entered the office, she saw a group of familiar warriors chatting with Eliante. They were the half-insect kin mercenaries who had stood out during the incident.

    ¡¸Ara, you''vee at the right times. We were just talking about you¡¹

    ¡¸About me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. These are old acquaintances of mine, members of the mercenary group Antennae and Shells¡¹

    ¡¸Hi, there. I''m Robin. I''m the sub-leader of Antennae and Shells¡¹

    The refreshing man who asked her to shake his hand is a half-insect kin of a hard shrimp. Unlike when he was in battle, his shell has disappeared, except for his eyes and antennae, he looks no different from a normal human. His ability is also much lower than in battle.

    ¡¸I''m Hobbs¡¹

    ¡¸Effie¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I''m Anne!¡¹

    ¡¸My name is Shingen¡¹

    They introduce themselves in the order of locusts, dragonfly, fanged ants, and mirages m.

    Hobbs, in his boyish form, has a cool, rugged air about him. Like Robin, he has a human-like appearance.

    Effie of the dragonfly looks like a rather quiet¨D¨Dor rather, shy type of woman. Anne the Fang Ant is a girl who seems to have a lot of energy. Shingen the mirages m, as I felt about him before, is probably a gentle and powerful type.

    ¡¸We usually active in the small nations to the south, but this time we happened to be working in the north. We were lucky enough to be in this city¡¹

    ¡¸Lucky?¡¹

    Isn''t that the correct word for this is bad luck? You almost died, remember?

    ¡¸It''s luck. Thanks to it, we were in time for our friends in her predicament¡¹

    ¡¸Well, It was a good money too¡¹

    Robin seems to be a hot-blooded man, just like his image. Hobbs seems to be the oblique type.

    ¡¸¡­¡­It was a good fight¡¹

    ¡¸It''s been a while since I can rampage as much as I want¡¹

    The two women also seem to be the type to enjoybat. They are happy to talk about fighting a pseudo fanatic sword wielder.

    ¡¸I''m d we all survived¡¹

    Shingen-kun. He looks like he''s having a hard time, but hang in there!

    ¡¸Eliante told me about you. She said she fought with you against a powerful enemy and saved her life. Thank you. Let me give you my gratitude¡¹

    ¡¸Wha, Robin! You''re acting like a guardian!¡¹

    ¡¸She saved my friend''s life. Isn''t that a proper courtesy?¡¹

    ¡¸You''re always so hot-blooded though!¡¹

    While saying that, Eliante''s face looks not so happy. I guess there is a kind of bond that can only be shared between them.

    ¡¸Th-then? What can I do for you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Going to Allesa¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? You''re leaving the royal capital?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-wait a minute! I still have a lot of work for you to do!¡¹

    Eliantemented, but Fran''s resolve remained unchanged. It''s a job that could be done by any other adventurer, and it''s not like the nobles havepletely stopped messing with us.

    She must have understood that. Eliante nodded reluctantly with a pitiful look on her face.

    ¡¸I understand then¡­¡­So, when do you leave?¡¹

    ¡¸Tomorrow¡¹

    ¡¸To-tomorrow? C-can you at least stay for another weeks©`©`¡¹

    She was probably calcting in her head how to get Fran toplete the request before she left. But it was Robin, who had been listening to the conversation, who admonished Eliante, who was so shocked that he thought she might cling to her and stopped her.

    ¡¸Eliante. Don''t interfere with a warrior''s departure¡¹

    ¡¸Uuh. You guys don''t know how much work I do, so you can''t say that!¡¹

    ¡¸We''re going to stay in town for a while and take some jobs¡¹

    ¡¸Re-really? You sure about that?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I heard that! I got your word! You won''t get away with this!¡¹

    Hearing Eliante''s words and actions, her friends gave her the same wry smile.

    ¡¸Haah. You''re the same as always huh¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Really¡¹

    ¡¸She never change huh©`¡¹

    ¡¸You''re right¡¹

    Eliante¡­¡­She is a deplorable person huh. She''s a woman with a good appearance but her personality is pretty bad¡­¡­

    /2021/02/tenken-475.html

 Chapter 476: Departure from the Royal Capital

    <h4>Chapter 476: Departure from the Royal Capital</h4>

    ¡ºYo¡­¡»

    ¡ºIt''s you again huh¡»

    I''m wrapped up in a feeling as if I''m dreaming, even though I shouldn''t need sleep. I don''t know how many times I''ve got this, but I''m getting used to it. At least I''ve experienced this situation enough to not be distraught.

    The ce was the familiar white space. Standing there was a man I recognized. He was a stout man with silver hair, and was dressed in a kimono-like robe.

    ¡ºCome to think of it, the Moon Festival wasing up huh¡»

    I''ve heard that there''s a big Moon Festival held every year in the royal capital, but now it''s on an emergency. This year, it seems that only a simple ceremony will be held.

    ¡ºHey, who are you? Is the mysterious spirit inside me, is you? What are you? Are you Fenrir?¡»

    ¡ºSorry. I''ll get back to you on that next time¡»

    ¡ºDidn''t you say you''d tell me the next time we met?¡»

    ¡ºWhose fault do you think it is¡­¡­? Anyway, things have changed a bit. It''s not safe to give you information about me. If I''m not careful, my memory will be¡­¡­¡»

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡ºAnyway, for now, listen to me¡»

    ¡º¡­Okay¡»

    Hearing the serious tone of the man''s voice, I understood that it was some kind of urgent matter.

    ¡ºBut you look really tired, don''t you?¡»

    The man, however, looked a little different from when I had met him before. I''m sure he looked a little more domineering or spirited expression back then¡­¡­

    The man in front if me now, was incredibly exhausted. He looked pale and had terrible dark circles under his eyes. Did he have hollow cheeks too?

    ¡ºIt''s a lot of things. Including the fact that there''s something unusual going on with you¡»

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    ¡ºYou know about it yourself, but you''re in a bit of a--No, it''s quite dangerous information¡»

    ¡ºThe, uh, mysterious voice huh?¡»

    Something inside me were screaming at me to devour everything. Heaven and earth, gods and demons, people and beast, devour them all for nourishment, was it?

    ¡ºThat''s not all¡»

    ¡ºIs there anything else?¡»

    ¡ºToo many of it. I just don''t have the power to solve it right from here¡»

    Then why did you bother to show up in here.

    ¡ºAnyway, here''s what I want you to do,e to the ins of the Demon Wolf within 20 days¡»

    ¡º¡­Do I have to go to the altar? In 20 days?¡»

    ¡ºThat''s right. Because in that period of time, the moon''s magic is still powerful¡»

    The moon''s magic huh. I wonder if she''s a member of the Silver Moon Goddess'' family, since her power increases during the Moon Festival. I know he''s not the goddess herself, because he''s a man.

    ¡ºSo, at that time, I''m going to reveal myself. And a whole lot more things too¡»

    ¡ºAh, Wait¨D¨D¡»

    The man just says it and disappears.

    And at the same time as the man''s figure dissolves into the void, my vision became clearer. The white space disappears in an instant, and I''m back in our room at the inn.

    Or rather, I''m not moving at all to begin with, and only my spirit is being called into that white space.

    ¡ºGood grief! It''s so one-sided, every time!¡»

    Nevertheless, I''ve heard some important information this time.

    ¡ºThe Altar of the ins of the Demon Wolf huh¡»

    It was the ce where I first woke up in this world. I knew there was a secret there. Not only for the sake of Fran''s training, but also for myself, I now have a reason to go to the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Master?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, did I wake you?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn. Something weird¡¹

    ¡ºActually¨D¨D¡»

    I told her everything that had just happened. I''ve already told Fran all about the mysterious voices and the Fanatics when I cannibalized the Fanatics.

    She was pretty worried, but I appeased her by saying there was nothing to worry about it¡­¡­

    ¡¸We have to get to the ins!¡¹

    Well, this is what''s going to happen huh. After this, we nned to go and say hello to the head of the court physician, but I''m afraid she''s going to ignore that too.

    ¡ºWait a minute, we still have 20 days. We can travel to Alessa in a few days, and the ins of the Demon Wolf are not that big. There''s no need to rush¡»

    ¡¸But it''s dangerous, right?¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s what he told me, but if it was a urgent matter of minutes and seconds, he would have said something more urgent. He''d say, Come to the altar right now¡»

    So, I think we need to hurry, but we don''t need to rush.

    ¡ºBesides, it''s better to say something to the higher ups first, right?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­I undertand¡¹

    She managed to understand me. I thought so¡­¡­No, I didn''t expect her to cut off the meal with the court physician so quickly. There were some important people here too, like the chief of the court physicians and the chambein, who praised Fran''s achievements, but they were almostpletely ignored.

    Maybe the meal was about 30 minutes long? I never thought for that Fran, would leave her meal¡­¡­When asked why she was in a hurry, Fran told him that she had to go to Alessa, but for some strange reason, he was convinced.

    Apparently, he had received a secret message from the adventurer''s guild, and they thought she was heading to Alessa to help prepare for Raidos Kingdom''s attack. Well, I didn''t dare to clear up the misunderstanding because it was better to be misunderstood than to offend them.

    ¡¸Master, we''re going to Alessa!¡¹

    ¡ºYes yes. I know¡»

    Nothing will stop her anymore.

    ¡¸Urushi, go for it!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    With Urushi''s legs, we would be able to reach Alessa in four days without straining ourselves. However, we didn''t set off immediately. When Fran jumped onto Urushi''s back in front of the main gate, a voice called out to her.

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸You know¡­¡­Well. I just wanted to thank you for all your help. I really appreciate your help this time. On behalf of the adventurers on the royal capital, I would like to say our gratitude for you. Thank you very much¡¹

    Then Eliante bowed deeply, and the others too, one after another, shook Fran''s hand and bowed their heads.

    Then, for some reason, a crackling sound began to rise from the surroundings. It was the sound of soldiers, adventurers, and civilians pping their hands as she left the royal capital.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama! Thank you for saving us!¡¹

    ¡¸Come back again!¡¹

    ¡¸Saintess-san! Thank you!¡¹

    Isn''t this the first time she had so many people blessed her on our journey?

    ¡¸Fran,e again! You''re always wee here!¡¹

    ¡¸Come back and show me your equipment too!¡¹

    ¡¸You''ve saved us!¡¹

    With these blessing, cheers, and bittersweet words at her back, Urushi begins to run under Fran''s direction. She is nonchnt, but I know she hides her embarrassment. I can see a faint smile on her face.

    ¡ºA lot has happened huh¡­¡­I hope they will recover soon¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºNext up, the nostalgic Alessa huh¡»

    ¡¸Looking forward to it¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    Although, it''s actually not even been six months.

    ¡¸Urushi, Let''s go!¡¹

    ¡¸woof woof woo-f!¡¹

    ¡ºAah, Don''t push yourself too hard¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-476.html

 Chapter 477: Side: Alistair

    <h4>Chapter 477: Side: Alistair</h4>

    This was an urgent matter.

    ¡¸This presence is¡­¡­a divine sword!¡¹

    What a surprise, the power of the divine sword has been unleashed on this continent. As a divine level cksmith, I can sense the presence of a divine sword.

    Especially when it''s on released state, I can sense it so much better. What''s more, surprisingly, there were two divine sword''s presence.

    I knew one of it. It''s probably Ashwrath''s Earth Sword, Gaia. However, I had no idea about the other one.

    Does it mean, it was a divine sword that even I have never touched has appeared.

    However, there is also some strange feelings about it. There was an obvious distortion in the presence of the divine sword that seemed to be fighting Gaia. There was a possibility that it had already been damaged, or for some reason it had not been able to disy its true power.

    ¡¸No, I will know when I see it¡¹

    Anyway, I have to go. That''s my mission and my purpose in life. However, there was someone who interrupted me as I started to act.

    ¡¸A-chan? Where the hell are you going?¡¹

    Blonde hair and white skin. Slender body with pointed ears. She has all the features of an elf, and she looks like a gentle woman.

    ¡¸Winnarhyn¡­! Since when!¡¹

    But don''t be fooled by her gentle appearance and her voice tone. This woman is one of the people I''m least able topete with in this world.

    ¡¸This is my house, remember? If you''re sneaking around and acting suspiciously, I''ll notice, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I even went to the trouble of using a tool to remove my presence though!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my? But it didn''t hide your presence quite well huh? Isn''t it a failure?¡¹

    ¡¸This is why i hate a high elf! Making a fool of a divine level cksmith¡¯s tool is¡­!¡¹

    Yes, this woman is not just an elf. She was one of the High Elves, one of the strongest races of elves in this world. She was also one of the most famous of the High Elves.

    The exact number of High Elves is unknown. In addition, while many High Elves are keeping their activities hidden from the public, there are a few who are actively involved with humans.

    One of those few High Elves was this Winnarhyn. The other two known names are Willow Magnus, a historical researcher. The other one is Wigan Wigan, a wandering botanist.

    It is just a coincidence that all three of them have "wi" at the beginning of their names. There is a time when names beginning with "wi" are popr among elves, and all three were born at that time. Well, in elves sense of time it''s hundreds of years ago already.

    The reason why thetter two have family names is because they were once nobles. The reason it was because the country that had anointed them as nobles had already gone.

    In the first ce, a High Elves couldn''t be epted by the country''s nobles. There is even an anecdote about Wigan Wigan who, when asked what he wanted to name his family, replied that it was too much trouble and that Wigan was fine.

    Well, the fact that the country was destroyed so easily shows that the High Elves were not interested in running the country. If they had been able to use their power in any way, it would have been easy to avoid ruin.

    Although the three High Elves are well known for their various anecdotes, Willow Magnus and Wigan Wigan are usually wandering the world for research and only asionally submit their research results to the guild. With that in mind, Winnarhyn was the only High Elf in the world whose whereabouts were known.

    There are two famous titles for Winnarhyn. The first is "The Seven Sages" which is the name given to a group of seven people who are said to be as strong as rank S adventurers. Well, none of the seven sages have ever taken that name themselves. In the first ce, there were only two mages in the group.

    This is just a self proposed organization by countries that have be really concerned about the rise of the guild''s influence, in order to keep them in check. Some of them have never even been to the battlefield. It''s just seven people who are thought to be extremely talented. The reason why they named them "The Sages was to counter the rough image of adventurers.

    However, from what I saw, these seven sages were not foolish.

    First, there are three divine sword owners: The Knight of the Gods, Owner of the first Divine sword Alpha. Although only his job title has been revealed, there is no doubt that he exists.

    On the other hand, the owner of the Mad Sword, Berserk, was under the "Queen of the Night". This isn''t a person name, but the name of a special organization for the operation of the divine sword.

    Furthermore, thest one is the king of Philias, the owner of the Demon Sword, Diabolos. However, this isn''t true. There is no way for the owner of that Diabolos can casually appear in public. As royalty, they have the right tomand the demons, so they are probably using that to hide the true owner. Even the king is treated as the shadow warrior of the owner of the divine sword. I believe that someone from the royal family who is said to be dead is actually still alive and is the master of the divine sword.

    Of the remaining four, three of them are kings of powerful nations. The king of thend of demons. The king of thend of the Insect-kin. The king of the Dwarf nation. As for these three, I don''t know what they''re capable of. Their countries are too powerful to be attacked, and they''ve never experienced arge-scale war. However, they are probably not weak.

    And thest one was the High Elf Winnarhyn. I''m well aware of her abilities. I once had her apany me to a dungeon to gather materials a long time ago. However, in the case of Winnarhyn, her other title is probably far more famous than the seven sages.

    Her title was "The Director of the Academy of Magic".

    In a special area of the Belios Kingdom, where autonomy is granted, there is a magic academy where children with magic talents from all over the world gather. The director of the academy was Winnarhyn.

    Well, it''s directed by a High Elf who is said to be the world''s greatest mages. That''s why she''s popr.

    There are magic academies and magic schools all over the world, but the term "Academy of Magic" simply refers to the magic academy where Winnarhyn is the director.

    ¡¸You still have a lot of work to do, don''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yeah¡¹

    ¡¸I''m so sad. I can''t believe A-chan is going to be the kind of girl who breaks her promises¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    I''m currently renting a room in a corner of the academy of magic. Since the chief, Winnarhyn, knows who I am. It was a ce where I could stay quietly andfortably.

    My title is temporary cksmithing instructor. Well, it''s an easy job, just a little light instruction for the chicks.

    And in exchange for a temporary identity, food, and shelter, I take care of the maintenance of the magic armor and equipment on the Academy of Magic. It can even be said as a perk. It''s a great way to get a feel for what''s going on in the world of magic.

    ¡¸B-but¡­I can''t let the presence of the divine sword go unchecked¡¹

    ¡¸Umm. I guess so. The divine sword is dangerous¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right¡¹

    ¡¸But, If you don''t finish repairing my armor, I''m not going to be able to teach my advanced sses~¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that''s true¡­¡­¡¹

    I can''t be too pushy on her because she has been a great help to me when I was young and still is. I knew how scary it would be if she lost her temper.

    ¡¸Besides, you haven''t finished repairing and maintaining that golem, have you? Without it, we''re going to be veryte for the mock battle ss¡¹

    ¡¸C-can you do something about it! You can get by without it, right? Why don''t we let them deal with Winnarhyn directly?¡¹

    ¡¸It can''t be helped huh. I understand. Well, I guess you owe me this time¡¹

    ¡¸I''m grateful!¡¹

    ¡¸But, I''ll give you one assignment¡¹

    ¡¸A-assignment?¡¹

    Oi oi, what kind of impossible task are you trying to impose?

    ¡¸Yeah. I''ve asked you to introduce the Beast King or Ashwrath as our instructor for the mock battle, right?¡¹

    ¡¸N-no, But, that is¡­¡­¡¹

    A mock battle against rank S adventurers? What kind of enemy do you have in mind? Are you trying to train people to fight the evil gods? But when I told her it was impossible, Winnarhyn surprisingly backed down.

    ¡¸I understand. So I''llpromise¡¹

    ¡¸Compromise?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. If they''re not at the level of those two, can you go find someone who is somewhat strong? If they''re adventurers, at least they must be a B ranker or higher¡¹

    ¡¸Uh, okay¡­I don''t have a choice huh. I''ll take care of it¡¹

    ¡¸You promise? I''m hardly ever away from here, so I don''t have that kind of connection at all¡¹

    Well, if pushes to shove, we''ll have to rely on the Beast King''s. Worst-case scenario, I can sell off some magical equipment to the guild and ask them to introduce me to an adventurer instead.

    ¡¸We can''t hold a high-ranking adventurer for a long time, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸I know, I know, It will only takes about a week or so¡¹

    ¡¸By when should I bring them here?¡¹

    ¡¸Lets see. I need it as soon as possible¡­¡­¡­Can I have it within 5 years?¡¹

    Thank God, the High Elves have a screwed-up sense of time. It''s a hassle, but I''ll figure it out somehow. More importantly, it''s time for the divine sword now!

    /2021/02/tenken-477.html

 Chapter 478: The Nostalgic Alessa

    <h4>Chapter 478: The Nostalgic Alessa</h4>

    ¡¸I can see it! It''s Alessa¡¹

    ¡¸woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it felt strangely nostalgic¡»

    Was it because this was the first town I visited aftering to this world? This town felt special to me.

    There were not many people lined up in front of the gate. This is a normal sight in Alessa, which isn''t that big of a town, but after seeing the royal capital, I felt quite lonely.

    But as usual, there were no signs of war. There was no sign of the usual soldiersing and going, no sign of the troop merchants who were looking to take advantage of the special wartime demand.

    It was perfectly normal. They looked the same as they did when we were there.

    ¡ºIf we suddenly descend in front of the gate, there might be confusion¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    So, we descended to a somewhat remote area and walked to Alessa. The merchants and adventurers who were waiting for their turn, of which there were several, were looking at us with horrified faces.

    They were surprised to see Urushi.

    However, the reaction of the soldiers guarding the gate was different from that of the merchants.

    ¡¸Oya? You''re Fran-chan right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸You''vee back to Alessa?¡¹

    ¡¸Delt¡¹

    It was Delt, the gatekeeper we had gotten to know best when we were in Alessa.

    Apparently, Fran remembered his name too. I had forgotten about Cruz too until we met again at the martial arts tournament. Does she remember Delt?

    In Fran''s case, it seems she never forgets a strong opponent. It''s almost certain, if they had crossed swords before.

    The other important thing is whether they are friendly to her or not. If they are friendly from the start, like Delt, and she have been in contact with them for a reasonable length of time, she probably won''t forget them.

    In Cruz''s case, he wasn''t that strong, and he didn''t make much of an impression because he was neutral rather than favorable. Well, he was good-looking, but he was so in.

    ¡¸Well. Wee back¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    For Fran, this town, where she registered as an adventurer, must be very special. She nodded happily at Delt, who greeted her with a smile.

    ¡¸Well, then, show me your ID cards¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, thankyou¨DOooohhh? Eh? Fran-chan, this is¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Delt''s eyes widen as he looks at the guild card. He also alternates between the card and Fran''s face, and reads the names on it again.

    ¡¸Th-this is without a doubt, is Fran''s card! H-how did you get to B rank in such a short period of time?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Ranked up in the royal capital¡¹

    ¡¸The royal capital¡­¡­! I heard, there''s a big uproar and it inflicted quite a lot of damage to the royal capital¡­¡­There are rumors flying around that the royal castle has been destroyed, that the royal capital has been obliterated, and so on¡¹

    Apparently, the details of the damage are not being conveyed. No, it seems that the information is so mixed up that they don''t know which one is correct.

    ¡¸A lot of people died¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, so it''s true there''s a terrible mess there huh. But I''m d that Fran-chan is okay. Well then, Wee back to Alessa¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks¡¹

    We came back to Alessa, it was still the same as before, even from the inside. I don''t see any effects from the battle with Raidos at all.

    ¡ºFor the time being, let''s go to the guild¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    That''s how we arrived at the adventurer''s guild, and it was just like before. No, it''s rather lively, isn''t it? the number of adventurers seemed to have increased a bit. Well, I guess it depends on the time of day.

    ¡¸Pardon©`¡¹ (1)

    ¡ºI''ve said this to you every time. Isn''t that wrong?¡»

    When she entered the Adventurer''s Guild, all eyes turned to Fran. Some were cautious, some were surprised. But half of them seemed to know Fran from before, and there was a sense of surprise and respect.

    Some of them even tried to make a trouble with Fran, but they were stopped by the adventurers around them.

    ¡¸Ulmut''s©`©`¡¹

    ¡¸Martial arts tournament''s winner©`©`¡¹

    Apparently, they don''t know that she had been promoted to Rank B yet. It''s a bit far from the capital, and I guess they don''t bother to announce information about adventurers in other cities. It would be a different story if she were ranked A or higher, though.

    However, it seems that she is known to have won a prize in the martial arts tournament. Hearing the story, the man who had stepped forward was turning back in a hurry.

    ¡¸Wee. Ummm, is young miss an adventurer too?¡¹

    I didn''t recognize the receptionist. Perhaps she was a neer hired after Fran had left. I could see that she was confused when she saw the Fran appearance.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸What can I do for you today?¡¹

    ¡¸I want to enter the ins of the Demon Wolf. What do I need to do to apply?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? The ins of the Demon Wolf? You see, it''s a grade A magical area and normally only adventurers of Rank B or higher can enter¡¹

    ¡¸I know¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Then young miss should know you can''t enter it, right?¡¹

    Half of the adventurers around her areughing at Fran''s words, aren''t they? When she was in Alessa before, she was a D ranker, so it can''t be helped.

    ¡¸This¡¹

    ¡¸Guild Card? Eeeeeh? Eeeh?¡¹

    She had a simr reaction to Delt. This girl was more intense, though.

    ¡¸No way, this child is a B ranker?¡¹

    The moment the receptionist muttered, the adventurers around her made amotion. Then, all at once, they became noisy. I guess they couldn''t believe it. Well, of course they are. After all, it means, she''s stronger than them.

    This is not going to go away for a while, is it? That''s what I was thinking, but then someone appeared from the back of the guild and pped his hands lightly, and the whole ce went quiet.

    ¡¸Hai hai, stop making amotion¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, Nell-senpai¡¹

    The person who showed up was Nell, the receptionist who had taken care of us before.

    ¡¸Long time no see huh, Fran-chan¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸We wee you, Fran, the ck Lightning Princess. Or, would you prefer the ck Cat Saintess instead?¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Lightning Princess is cooler¡¹

    When Fran replied with a sullen expression, Nell chuckled.

    ¡¸Well then. Fran, the ck Lightning Princess, pleasee this way. The guild master wants to see you¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Hmmm, I guess guild master already heard about our arrival. Well, it''s convenient that we''ll have to talk to guild master in order to enter the magical area anyway.

    Nell''s admission must have made them realize that she wasn''t lying. The adventurers were staring at Fran with shocked faces. Well, no matter how you look at it, she doesn''t look any stronger than they are, so it can''t be helped. With the quiet astonishment of the adventurers at our back, she starts walking behind Nell.

    ¡¸I heard, you y a great role in the royal capital¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­That''s not true¡¹

    Hearing Nell''s words, Fran shook her head with a reluctant expression. Well, it was a battle that gave me a lot to think about in terms ofbat.

    Seeing Fran''s reaction, Nell quickly changes the subject. As expected of a receptionist who is skilled at reading people''s expressions.

    ¡¸And before that, you were awesome at the Ulmut martial arts tournament! Congrattions on your win¡¹

    ¡¸I didn''t win¡¹

    But this wasn''t the best result for Fran either. She experienced a good fight, but she was outssed by Amanda. She showed her an overwhelming difference.

    Nell looks at Fran with dismay, who is more disappointed that she lost than that she did well.

    ¡¸Fran. Before I know it, you''re just like Amanda huh¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    Does that mean she''s a battle junkie too?¡¡Well, it''s recently been discovered that most high ranked adventurers arebat enthusiasts. In fact, if they doesn''t likebat, they won''t get any stronger.

    /2021/02/tenken-478.html

 Chapter 479: Klimutâ€™s Melancholy

    <h4>Chapter 479: Klimut''s Mncholy</h4>

    ¡¸Guild master. I''ve brought Fran-can with me¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah,e in¡¹

    When we entered the office, she was greeted by Klimut, the elven, spirits user guild master. He''s looking at her with the same stern expression as usual.

    After Nell left, he offered Fran the couch and sat down across from us.

    ¡¸Long time no see¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Haah¡­So much things happened in such a short time¡­¡­Even the word "genius" sounds dumb¡¹

    I guess Klimut''s words are not just about rank. We didn''t know much before, but Klimut is pretty strong. I don''t need to appraise him to know that.

    It''s not about his status, but about the presence that oozes from within him. And Klimut must have felt the same way about Fran.

    He looks at Fran in astonishment. Well, she much stronger than she was when she left Alessa.

    ¡¸Anyway, congrattions on your ranking up¡¹

    Although he said congrattions, Klimut''s face did not look like he was congratting her at all. Rather, it was more of a frown.

    ¡¸Good grief, even if they have the ability to do it, it''s not like we can take advantage of a child¡­¡­Well, what''s done is done¡¹

    After all, he was against the idea of putting children in danger as adventurers. The other adventurer''s guilds don''t have tests in the first ce. If a childes to the guild, the guild will scare them away. After that, they are treated as apprentices and taught the basics.

    ¡¸So, what brought you back to Alessa?¡¹

    ¡¸Training¡¹

    ¡¸Training? Are you still trying to get stronger?¡¹

    When Klimut looked stunned, Fran nodded her head with a serious face.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸You''ve reached B rank at age 12 you know? That''s one of the top five in the guild''s all-time record¡¹

    Top five, does that mean there''s others above Fran?

    ¡¸Who is the number 1?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Are you talking about the historical rankings?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸The youngest person to reach A rank is the old S ranked adventurer, ¡ºBattalion¡»¡¹

    ¡¸Battalion? It''s a nickname?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. However, because the records are too old, only the alias is now transmitted. His abilities are also unknown. However, it is said that this person became B ranker at the age of 8, A ranker at the age of 10, and S ranker at the age of 14¡¹

    What the hell is that? I thought it was a strange nickname, but what kind of monster he is? As expected of a genius with a long history.

    ¡¸Even though you are not as strong as that person, you are growing faster. Do you still want to be stronger? Aren''t you already strong enough?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m not strong enough¡¹

    Fran shook her head and muttered in frustration.

    ¡¸I kept losing. If I hadn''t gotten help, I would have lost every battle. And there are a lot of strong guys out there¡¹

    She must be thinking back to the battle with the Marquis and what I told her about the battle between the strong.

    ¡¸Besides, I haven''t beat the Beast King or Ashwrath yet¡¹

    ¡¸Haah. It looks like you''ve had a very intense few months huh. And you still can''t win against them?¡¹

    He was even more dismayed. Come to think of it, Klimut doesn''t seem to be a battle junkie, which is unusual for a senior adventurer. If you''re asking me if he''s a person withmon sense, I think he''s not.

    ¡¸Is that why you''re going to training huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Going to the ins of the Demon Wolf to train¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you going to go in there? By yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m already a B ranker, I should be fine¡¹

    I know Klimut won''t look any better. But he can''t stop her, because she''s fulfilled the rank requirement.

    ¡¸You''re right¡­¡­Haah, it can''t be helped. Even if you don''t get permission, you''ll still go in there anyway, right?¡¹

    Fran nods to Klimut, who shrugs his shoulders in resignation.

    ¡¸Of course¡¹

    ¡¸Then there''s no point in stopping you huh. But that ce has be quite dangeroustely, don''t push yourself too hard¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Your prompt answer smells fishy¡­Dont push yourself too hard, okay¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah. Also, please don''t go to the north. It''s very confusing at the moment¡¹

    ¡¸Confusion?¡¹

    It seems that the skirmish with the Raidos Kingdom has not been settled after all.

    ¡¸Yeah. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to send a child to war¡¹

    As he said this, he gave a light exnation of the current situation.

    ¡¸First, the first Raidos Kingdom army was prevented by an adventurer named Jean Doobie¡¹

    ¡¸I know it¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, by the way, did you and Jean know each other? He writes about being together with you on his diary¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸However, Raidos'' invasion did not end there. It seems to have been done sporadically, on several asions¡¹

    The reason for this seems to be an experiment in necromancy. It seems that the enemy is using an army of undead.

    ¡¸I guess it''s a countermeasure against Jean. They can''t reach Jean, but there''s so many of it. Jean and the adventurers he hired to guard him are running around to counter them¡¹

    Donadrond, who was an instructor for neers in this guild, is also out there.

    ¡¸Klimut isn''t going? You''re Klimut of Cmity, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Haaah. I''m not that big of a guy to be given such a big name, though. Well, when I get serious, the surroundings might be destroyed¡¹

    In other words, you''re not going to go into battle with Raidos just for a skirmish huh.

    ¡¸Anyway, you are allowed to enter the ins of the Demon Wolf. But please stay away from the skirmish with Raidos. Is that clear?¡¹

    Klimt tells her with a sigh, rubbing the wrinkles between his eyes. Guild masters in every town seem to have a hard time huh. Well, Fran is making more work for them.

    /2021/02/tenken-479.html

 Chapter 480: Letâ€™s Find Out About the Plains of the Demon Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 480: Let''s Find Out About the ins of the Demon Wolf</h4>

    After we greeted Klimut, we went to the adventurer''s guild''s library room. We were going to read the information on the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    I''ve heard that the magic beast is even stronger than when I was there. It would be dangerous to go in there without any information.

    We looked around and found a good amount of detailed information. After all, it is a magical area near the town, and it seems that there is a certain amount of research and consideration being done in Alessa.

    ¡ºThen read as much as you can, Fran, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Now, how long will Fran be able to stay awake?

    First of all, the types of magical beasts in the ins of the Demon Wolf, it was concluded that there were no certain rules.

    The chance of encountering rare magical beasts are not zero, but it also means that the materials and ecosystems we can obtain are not constant. Moreover, if the monsters that appear are different each time, it is difficult to n countermeasures.

    In a normal magical area, a magic beast lives under a certain ecosystem, so as long as we take the proper measures, we can fight them. However, in the ins of the Demon Wolf, we had to deal with them randomly.

    This is probably another factor that increases the threat level of the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    There was a list of magical beasts that had been confirmed to have appeared in the past, but there were so many that I gave up trying to remember them. It was that diverse and inconsistent.

    In addition, it is said that the cycle of magical beasts being born in that in, where the Forest of Exhaustion makes it easy for magic power to umte, is extremely fast. The cycle of magical beasts is said to be several times faster than elsewhere. There is apetition for survival, and the victorious monsters will evolve to be area bosses.

    However, the higher-ranked magic beast, needs more magic power to survive, so it was concluded that as long as the Forest of Exhaustion existed, no magic beast would be able to get out.

    It is said that there have been a few times in the past when magical beasts with excellent flying ability have gone out beyond the Forest of Exhaustion. However, the phenomenon of magic power absorption in that forest extends into the sky, so unless there is a great deal of trouble inside, magic beasts will not try to approach that forest.

    Also, several times a year, the guild conducts regr inspections, and it is said that the magic beasts change quite often.

    It is said that in a normal magical area, the same individual that has grown up to be powerful will often reign for decades. However, in the ins of the Demon Wolf, even vicious demon beasts of threat level C and above are frequently reced.

    Even a threat level A magic beast would have difficulty surviving for decades in that in. It seems that the speed at which the magical power of magic beasts¡¯ recovers is very slow in that in. I don''t know if it''s because of the effects of the Forest of Exhaustion or if there are other reasons, but it seems that magical beasts need to absorb several times more magical power than other ces in order to survive.

    As a result, if they do not constantly fight and eat other magic beasts, they will not be able to recover the magical power they have consumed and will be weak. However, if they be too strong, other magical beasts will not be able to get close to them, and they will have a hard time hunting them. Moreover, their magic efficiency would be lower.

    As a result, the stronger they be, the more they have trouble recovering their internal magical power, and when they are weakened, they can be defeated by lower-ranked magical beasts.

    It should have the same effect on humans, but they won''t get such significant results in a short period of time. I guess it''s because it''s a grade A magical area and it''s difficult to stay there for a long time, so they haven''t been able to conduct any experiments.

    Could it be that I had also suffered from this phenomenon when I was in the ins of the Demon Wolf? To be honest, I didn''t notice it. After all, it was the first ce in this world where I appeared. I didn''t have anything topare it to, and in my case, I was able to absorb the demon stone and recover.

    Also, when I escaped, my rank went up and I just assumed it was because of that, my magical efficiency got better too.

    What''s more, the most important thing for me is the pedestal in the middle of the in, but I couldn''t find any information about it. We asked the old man who was in charge of the library, but he said he had never heard of such a thing.

    They know that there is something that looks like ruins in the middle of the in, but no so-called altar-like object seems to have been confirmed.

    ¡ºWhat do you mean¡­?¡»

    (Has disappeared?)

    ¡ºHmm. I guess that''s what happens when you think about it normally¡»

    But that mystery man told me toe to the altar, didn''t he? No, no? He just said toe to the ins of the Demon Wolf. Maybe he didn''t say the altar.

    ¡ºWell, I don''t know what to think, I guess we''ll find out when we get there¡»

    (Nn!)

    The next thing I looked at was the material on the Forest of Exhaustion.

    However, there were no new facts that surprised me that much.

    What caught my attention was the fact that the phenomenon of magical power absorption was considered to be caused by something underground.

    It is a phenomenon that is less effective in the air and much more powerful on the surface, but it is said that the rate at which magic is sucked out of you increases even more as you dig into the ground.

    However, the more they dug, the less magic they could use, so the more they had to dig by hand. It seems that the investigation was abandoned because it was too dangerous to proceed in the forest where goblins and other creatures were running rampant.

    That was why it was so troublesome. A low-level adventurer would fall behind even against goblins.

    Well, a genuinely skilled high-ranking adventurer like Fran, for example, wouldn''t have problem at all. I''m not worried about that. It''s just that my trauma will be stimted a little bit.

    I don''t want to stay there for too long if possible, but depending on the strength of the magic beasts that appear in the ins of the Demon Wolf, I may have to consider using the Forest of Exhaustion as a base of operations.

    As I was thinking about this, I felt a presence approaching our side. It was clearly aiming for Fran, but I didn''t feel any hostility or malicious intent.

    ¡¸Hey. Is that you, Fran-san?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Oi Oi! Don''t tell me you forgot me! It''s me!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

    The man spoke to her in a familiar way, but Franpletely forgot about him. She could see the man''s head tilted back with a scowl and a pathetic look of shock on his face.

    ¡¸¡­Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Ha, hahaha. We dove the dungeon together, remember? I am d-sama, leader of the Dragon''s Roar!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Uumm¡¹

    It was d, an adventurer who we had dived into the dungeon with before. He used to be a yankee who woulde and mess with Fran, but his attitude has changedpletely. He had learned a lot about reality during that adventure, and in the end, he recognized Fran''s abilities.

    I''m just sorry, but Fran is seriously forgot about him. He had a bad attitude, and he was weak. But I''m kind of impressed with him. He was a lot stronger thanst time.

    Name: d

    Age: 23 Years old

    Race: Human

    Job: Spear Warrior

    Status Level: 27

    HP:148 MP:104 STR:86 PHY:70 AGI:74 INT: 55 DEX: 49 Magic:50

    Skill

    Transport: Lv2, Acrobatic: Lv4, Crisis Detection: Lv4, Fasting: Lv3, Presence Detection: Lv1, Martial Arts: Lv1, Spear Technique: Lv2, Spear Skill: Lv5, Intimidation: Lv3, Climbing: Lv3, Poison Resistance: Lv1, Ki Maniption

    Equipment

    Fine steel spear, Armored lizard Armor, rock bull Armor, Armored lizard boots, stone spider cloak, detoxification ring.

    He can be said as a full-fledged D ranker already.

    ¡¸So, what do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, no. It''s nothing. Haha¡­¡¹

    Maybe he was expecting a conversation like¡¸Long time no see!¡¹ ¡¸Hey, it''s been a while!¡¹. But Fran''s attitude seemed to have broken his heart. He left, looking sad.

    I''m sorry, d-kun. But we don''t have much time to bother with you. Stay strong.

    ¡¸Ara, you''re done?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    As she was leaving, I thought I''d say hello to Nell at the reception¡­¡­Next to him, the receptionist who first greeted Fran, had both her cheeks red and swollen. I don''t know how people''s cheeks get this peachy. It seems that the adventurers have been punished to the point of being quiet.

    ¡¸Well, I give them a good punishment¡¹

    The smiling Nell is scary!

    ¡¸I''m sho shorry¡¹

    Keep up the good work, newbies-san!

    /2021/02/tenken-480.html

 Chapter 481: Alessaâ€™s Current Situation

    <h4>Chapter 481: Alessa''s Current Situation</h4>

    The day after Klimut gave us permission to enter the ins of the Demon Wolf. Before we left, we went to the market.

    We''ve been handing out a lot of food from our dimensional storage in the royal capital instead of cooking it out. We''re going to replenish that. I didn''t expect Fran would give out curry as well. I guess that''s how much she wanted to help the people on the royal capital.

    We didn''t hand out all of them, but I would like to replenish them if possible.

    ¡ºWell, it''s faster to get the meat ourselves¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    In the first ce, I don''t think there are that many magic beast''s meats in Alessa''s market. I thought so, but when I actually saw the market, I realized that I was wrong.

    ¡¸This is, what kind of meat is this?¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! You''ve got a good eye! This is the meat of a magic beast with a threat level of "D" called Gullinbursti!¡¹(1)

    There was a good amount of meat from a very powerful magic beast on disy. Speaking of Gullinbursti, it was a magic beast that we had used for curry bread in the cooking contest at Barbra. It''s a golden boar beast, it''s quite tasty, and strong too. It appears in here too huh?

    There are also other kinds of magic beast meat in the market. Moreover, this wasn''t the only store that sold meat. I don''t remember Alessa being a city with such an abundance of meat.

    When I was wondering about it, thedy at the store told us a lot before we even asked.

    ¡¸Amanda-sama''s generosity is being passed on to us¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda? She''s in Alessa?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. She''s been looking around this town and actively hunting for us¡¹

    Amanda has hunted around Alessa, and the magic beast''s meat that was sold to the guild as material was also being sold to the town.

    ¡¸Amanda didn''t go to war?¡¹

    ¡¸I heard that an adventurer named Jean is active, so Amanda-sama is staying behind to protect this town, you know? With her here, there will be fewer people who will do bad things¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, there was some confusion because of the war, but the knights are reliable these days. There was less confusion than I thought¡¹

    Since the death of Augusto, the vicemander who had been monopolizing the Order, it seems that the Order has been reborn as a much better entity.

    ¡¸The knights have be well-behavedtely, and the noblemen with dark rumors have been taken down by the authorities, so Alessa has calmed down a lot¡¹

    ¡¸A nobleman with a dark rumors?¡¹

    ¡¸It was the noblemen who were involved in the coup d¡¯¨¦tat in the royal capital. Thanks to the disappearance of Count Olmes and other noblemen who originally had a bad reputation around here, business has be much easier¡¹

    Until now, they had to pay a kind space fee for stalls on top of other payment. Now that this is no longer necessary, it is much easier for retailers.

    After that, we stocked up on meat, spices, seasonings, and vegetables, and headed to our next destination.

    ¡¸Oya oya? Are you Fran-san by any chance?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Long time no see, Randell¡¹

    It was Randell the general store owner, he''s the one who give Fran a ride with his carriage before we reached Alessa. He hadn''t changed a lot huh.

    ¡¸I never expect for the hottest topic, the ck Lightning Princess to be here!¡¹

    ¡¸You know?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. For a merchant, information is a weapon. Well, in my case, I knew and concerned about you more than most merchants¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    If he already heard the information from his acquaintance, things will be easier.

    ¡¸I never thought that the girl from that time would climb so high. But I''m relieved to see that she hasn''t changed¡¹

    ¡¸Hasn''t changed? I''m stronger than I was then¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, that''s not what I meant. I''m talking more about what''s inside. Some adventurers tend to be overbearing when they rise in rank¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    In Fran''s case, whether it''s high or low rank, she never treated someone with proper respect in the first ce. She has always been like that even when she was still low in rank, so it would be better to say that she is still the same person as before even when her rank rises.

    ¡¸So, what are you going to do now? You won''t juste to say hello to me just because you''re back in Alessa, right? Well, I''m still happy to see you though¡¹

    ¡¸I need pots and tableware¡¹

    ¡¸Pots? Tableware?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When we cooked out in the capital, we often had to give away the pots along with the dishes and the tableware, so even if we cooked new dishes, we did not have enough vessels to hold them.

    She asked if Randell''s general store have a few of it.

    ¡¸How much do you need?¡¹

    ¡¸A lot¡¹

    It was a little difficult to exin, but she managed to tell him the size of the pot I wanted.

    But, of course, Randell''s store did not have everything we needed. However, thanks to Randell''s help in contacting other stores, we were able to get the necessary amount.

    Some of the shopkeepers even went to the trouble of carrying the tableware and other items on a cart. I guess it was a good thing that we paid generously without haggling.

    In addition, there were even people from the Lucille Commerce Association among them. It was arge business association that we had dealt with in Barbra. We heard that they also have a small branch in Alessa. It seems they had branch office on every major city and town in the Kranzel Kingdom.

    ¡ºWell, now that we have the ingredients and tools, let''s go outside the town and cook¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    In the past, I had to borrow an inn''s kitchen to do any cooking, but now I could handle it with my magic. In fact, I don''t have to worry about doing it if it''s outside the town.

    I can''t use magic and cook in the Forest of Exhaustion.

    When ites to that, I will be fine if I cook just right before the Forest of Exhaustion right?

    /2021/02/tenken-481.html

 Chapter 482: Itâ€™s Somehow Related

    <h4>Chapter 482: It''s Somehow Rted</h4>

    ¡ºAah, do it like this¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºHow is it? Can you do it?¡»

    ¡¸Like this?¡¹

    ¡ºYes yes. That''s the correct lenght¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    We were now cooking on the ins just right before the Forest of Exhaustion. I don''t know if we''ll have time to cook after we entered the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    In an improvised hut as a kitchen I made with earth magic. I used fire magic, water magic, and wind magic to mass produce food.

    Fran is also helping out. I don''t mind with her helping, but for some reason, Fran''s seems to be motivated. No, maybe she just wants to get to the ins of the Demon Wolf as quickly as possible by helping me.

    As I continued to cook in the hut, there was a knock at the entrance of the hut.

    ¡ºI wonder who is it? Someone brave enough toe near this ce¡»

    Well, there were signs of adventurers wandering around the area several times. However, a stone-built hut that suddenly appeared on the ins was too suspicious. In the end, we ignored it.

    If it tried to get closer, it will notice Urushi lying in front of the door. Even if he was wearing a follower''s tag, he was still a powerful beast, they would run away after seeing him if they just wanted to rob us. But, if they tried to use force, Urushi as a watchdog will get rid of it.

    But the fact that it was knocking normally meant that it had somehow managed to befriend Urushi. There was no sign of a fight, so maybe they knew each other?

    ¡ºFrom the sign, it''s just one person, but¡­Its magic power is quite high. It was not a novice adventurer huh. Who is it i wonder?¡»

    ¡¸I''ll check it out¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I leave it to you¡»

    Fran sprinted over to the door. Even though it was an improvised hut made with magic, it had a door. Well, it was just a stone cut to look like a door. With Fran''s strength, she can open-or perhaps, shift it.

    I hadn''t expected to really use that door, I had nned to finish cooking in a couple of hours and make it disappear with earth magic.

    I told Urushi to turn them away unless it was an emergency. The exception to this is when an adventurer or traveller is being chased by a magical beast.

    But would the owner of this sign ever be in danger around this area? It seem to be strong enough to get out of here.

    ¡ºFran, how was it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. It''s Alistair¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Alistair? You said?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Alistair¡¹

    ¡ºUmmm¡­Let her in for the time being¡»

    I''m almost done with the cooking. The only thing left to do is to wash the dishes, but that can be der.

    It was really Alistair, a divine level cksmith, who led by Fran into the hut.

    ¡¸Hello Master. Long time no see¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s really Alistair huh. What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Belios Kingdom¡»

    ¡¸It was supposed to be¡­¡­I sensed a battle between two divine swords. I couldn''t stay there any longer¡¹

    ¡ºAah. Come to think of it, Alistair can detect the whereabouts of a divine sword to some extent huh¡»

    That''s probably why she knew I was here.

    ¡¸Once it''s in a released state, I can feel it from quite a distance. I can feel the reactioning from the royal capital of the Kranzel Kingdom¡¹

    Belios Kingdom was a country in the northeast. Certainly, if she really aims for the royal capital from there, Alessa would be a good ce to pass through.

    ¡ºSo, you''re saying you''re on your way to find out about the divine sword?¡»

    ¡¸That''s what I''m talking about. Hey, Master, do you have any information for me?¡¹

    ¡ºI don''t know really know much about it, but I got caught up in it and almost died. Or, should I say I¡¯m about to break huh?¡»

    ¡¸What? Can you tell me more about it?¡¹

    Hmm. Well, it''s about the divine sword. I think it''s best to share some information with Alistair. She''s kind of has a rtion to it right.

    ¡ºOkay. I''ll tell you everything I know¡»

    ¡¸That''s helpful¡¹

    That''s how I told Alistair about Fran''s adventures, from her arrival in the capital to her departure.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAlistair, what''s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸No, I''m well aware of Fran''s exploits, but the important part of the story is about the divine sword¡­¡¹

    ¡ºOops, sorry¡»

    About halfway through, I got overly enthusiastic and started talking more about Fran. I told her again what I knew about the Fanatics and the fierce battle that followed after Ashwrath showed up.

    ¡¸Fanatics huh¡­I never thought it would be still alive after being destroyed¡¹

    ¡ºIt looks like it was half destroyed, and not at its full potential¡»

    ¡¸Anyway, did the Fanatics talk? As far as I know, that divine sword doesn''t have such a function, but¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI think, it was a collection of various human thoughts integrated into the Fanatics¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Just like that, we exchanged some information.

    ¡¸So, Fanatics have beenpletely destroyed huh¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, Umm, sorry¡­¡­¡»

    I know that Alistair has strong feelings about a divine sword. I wonder how she would react if I destroyed it¡­¡­However, there is surprisingly no grief on her face.

    ¡¸¡­No. Fanatics that have be nothing but spreading disasters must be destroyed. Besides, Master is one of the discarded divine swords. I won''t me you¡¹

    She looks a little sad, but she also seems to be convinced. As for the Fanatics, who have be an entity that maliciously maniptes even their own wielder and spreading chaos, I guess she understand that we have no choice but to destroy it.

    ¡ºWhen I destroyed the Fanatics, I absorbed their power through cannibalism¡­¡­From Alistair''s point of view, is there a change on me?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm? Changes? In Master''s case, I''ll have to analyze you carefully to be sure¡¹

    ¡ºAhh. No, but we can''t do it right now. Sorry¡»

    ¡¸Are you in a hurry?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, a little¡»

    I''m going to find out a lot of my secrets after this, but I''m not sure how much I''m allowed to tell Alistair.

    I feel like I could tell her everything, but I''m not quite sure what he''s dealing with¡­¡­If it has something to do with God, would I be allowed to divulge the secret to Alistair?

    He hasn''t told me not to talk about it, but won''t it backfire and cause trouble for Alistair? The other party is God. I don''t even know what kind of logic or thinking they have.

    ¡ºActually, there''s a ce I have to go after this. There, maybe you can find out a little bit about me¡»

    ¡¸What? Are you sure? Come to think of it, this ce is close to the ins of the Demon Wolf huh¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸Ugh. If it weren''t for the divine sword thing, I''d go with you too¡­¡­I can''t even ignore the whole pseudo fanatic sword thing¡¹

    Apparently, for a divine level cksmith, a pseudo fanatic sword is a problem that cannot be neglected. Come to think of it, I''ve got a broken pseudo fanatic sword. I think I''ll give this to Alistair.

    ¡ºThis is a pseudo fanatic sword¡»

    ¡¸Wha! You have it huh!¡¹

    ¡ºBut, I think, it already lost its ability huh?¡»

    ¡¸Umm, still, this is¡­¡­¡¹

    Alistair did a quick analysis and then sighed.

    ¡¸Haah. It''s no good. I don''t know if the loss of its ability was a result of the destruction or the disappearance of the main body. If there''s some kind of collective consciousness of the Fanatics left, there''s might be a chance for it to react¡¹

    I honestly never thought about that. I thought we''d just need to defeat the Fanatics main body and all will be done¡­¡­So there''s a possible that the pseudo-fanatic sword could remain act independently huh?

    ¡¸I still wanted more information after all¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡­Speaking of which, the cksmith who was manipted by the Fanatics into helping it make the pseudo-fanatic sword also wanted to see Alistair¡»

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s Gallus, the honorary cksmith of Kranzel Kingdom. Do you know him?¡»

    ¡¸Of course. His ability is said to be close to a divine level cksmith¡¹

    ¡ºI''m sure he''ll be pleased to meet you, so please talk to him. Just give him Fran''s and my name and I''m sure he''ll meet you¡»

    ¡¸Understood. Could it be, he knows about master''s true identity?¡¹

    Oh yea, I haven''t told her about it.

    ¡ºYeah. I''m indebted to him. He''s the cksmith who made my scabbard and Fran''s armor¡»

    ¡¸I see! Oh, by the way, you said her armor was made by a cksmith named Gallus right! I''ll have to apologize for taking the liberty of altering his work¡¹

    ¡ºWell, give him my regards when you meet him¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Gallus''s request to introduce him to Alistair was apparently aplished sooner than expected. I hope he doesn''t shocked when a divine level cksmith suddenlyes to see him.

    ¡¸Oh right. Fran is an adventurer, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you get in contact with any B ranker or higher?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, I have a small request. It''s a very simple request, but it will be wellpensated. I''ll also vouch for the client''s identity¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s a simple request, but you need adventurers of B rank or higher?¡»

    ¡¸Well, you see. The content is easy, but the rest of it can be difficult. An adventurer with a high rank but a troublesome personality would only be a problem. So, I was wondering if Fran could introduce me to someone who might be a good match¡¹

    I see. But an introduction, or whatever it''s called is--

    ¡¸I''m a B ranker¡¹

    ¡¸What? You used to be a rank C, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Ranked up in the royal capital¡¹

    ¡¸I see! Hey, what do you think? Would you ept my request?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No good huh?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m going to train in the ins of the Demon Wolf. In the meantime, I don''t have time to take on unnecessary requests¡¹

    It''s not the same as doing a little bit of work for Alessa.

    ¡¸It doesn''t have to be right away, you know. I mean, my client wants me to bring someone back within five years¡¹

    ¡ºFive years? That''s a very long time¡»

    ¡¸Just think of it as ax request¡¹

    Alistair exins the nature of the request, but I don''t think it''s suitable for Fran.

    ¡ºBing an opponent for a mock battle in the Academy of magic?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. Your opponent is still a child©`©`Well, some of them are probably older than Fran, but they''re not too strong¡¹

    If it''s like that, i guess it''s fine then. On the other hand, if they''re incredibly strong, that''s fine too, and Fran will be happy. But it''s not the same as training an adventurer like a Spartan, is it? I don''t think Fran can handle it.

    ¡¸It''s okay to overdo it a little. In fact, it''s a good experience to be beat them to a pulp. Well, you don''t have to answer now. You can do it when you feel like it¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    We should think about it when we done with our training huh.

    /2021/02/tenken-482.html

 Chapter 483: A Walk in the Forest of Exhaustion

    <h4>Chapter 483: A Walk in the Forest of Exhaustion</h4>

    After parting ways with Alistair. We went to the Forest of Exhaustion.

    I was a little nervous going in, but that was about it. Apparently, I was less traumatized by this forest than I thought I was. Well, maybe it was because it was also the ce where I met Fran.

    ¡ºHow is it, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Nnn¡­Feels weird¡¹

    Although it can''t absorb magical power in our body, but we can recover our magical power in here. In addition, skills such as presence detection doesn''t work well.

    It also feels different from before, and it feel strange. When she met me in here, she couldn''t control her magic power yet. So, she must not have been able to sense the abnormalities in this forest before.

    ¡ºIt would be difficult to use our magic and skill in this Forest of Exhaustion. Be careful¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºHow about you, Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸woof¡­¡¹

    Urushi, who was currently walking slowly in her original huge size, let out a pitiful whine.

    In Urushi''s case, it must have been more of a burden on his body than Fran. He unconsciously uses magic power on his own body for his daily life, but now he has to do it manually.

    First of all, he can''t use his body change and shadow diving skills well. He can barely activate the body change, but he can''t seem to maintain it for long periods of time, and he can''t seem to adjust his size properly.

    In addition, it seemed that he had unconsciously strengthened his body with magic power to support hisrge body, but since he could not use it, he could not control his huge body well.

    ¡ºIt didn''t drain magical power in me and Fran''s body though¡­¡­¡»

    In Urushi''s case, it seems that his magic power is constantly being drained. Not only is he unable to activate his abilities to strengthen his body, but he is constantly losing his magic power. If I hadn''t supplied him with magic power, he would have been unable to move long ago.

    Maybe there is a part of us that we don''t understand were unconsciously using magic, and the cycle of that magic being drained is repeating.

    It seems that Urushi himself cannot stop it even if he tells it to stop. I guess it''s like skin respiration in humans, a kind of life activity that takes ce on its own.

    ¡¸woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºCome on, we''re almost reached the end of this forest¨DFran¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Even if we can''t use presence detection, we could clearly tell by the rustling sound. There was something big approaching us.

    ¡¸Ghroaaa!¡¹

    A bear with two heads jumped out of the bushes.

    ¡ºTwin-headed Bear huh¡»

    ¡¸I remember this one¡¹

    ¡ºOh, really?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. The first beast I defeated using Master¡¹

    As expected of Fran, she remembered it huh. Well, it was killed instantly by Urushi in front of the motivated Fran though.

    No matter how weak it is, their status is different. There was no way that Urushi could lose. However, looking at the bear''s vitality, I guess lower level magical beasts that can live without relying on magic power are better suited for activities in the Forest of Exhaustion.

    ¡¸Woof¨D!¡¹

    Urushi puts his foot on the twin-headed bear, which is knocked down by a blow from his paw, and looks triumphant. However, Fran''s face is dissatisfied as she watches.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Even though I was going to take it down myself¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Wo-woof¡­¡¹

    Well, it was a nostalgic opponent huh? Fran, who had intended to take down the twin-headed bear she hadn''t seen in a long time, puffed out her cheeks when her prey was snatched from her.

    Fran res at Urushi with jealous eyes as he hurriedly slips away.

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph¡¹

    ¡¸Kyain!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Next one is for me¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran was still upset, but she seemed to have forgiven him by pulling his tail.

    ¡ºJust bear with it for now¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºYosh. We''re good to go then¡»

    I put the bear away in my dimensional storage. It is still possible to activate it for a moment in this Forest of Exhaustion. However, the effect of the magic absorption phenomenon is stronger when the bear is lying on the ground, so I had it lifted a little. No, it can be stored even while it lying on the ground, but that would unnecessarily consume more magic power.

    ¡ºBut then again, normally, magic beast in this area won''t attack us¡»

    ¡¸What does it mean?¡¹

    ¡ºYou know, with Urushi''s smell and presence around us, no small fry magic beat woulde near us¡»

    They would rather run away. However, we already had several battles in this Forest of Exhaustion. We had encountered the Twin Headed Bear we had just defeated, twice with goblins, and once with a kobold.

    ¡¸Nnn¡­They don''t know how strong their opponent is?¡¹

    ¡ºThat was¨Dpossible huh¡»

    Because they can''t use skills like presence detection, they can''t gauge the strength of their opponent. However, not all of the magic beast that attacked us had those skills.

    No, even if they don''t have any skills, can they have simr abilities if they have a magic stone? I''ve heard that even if they don''t have magical power maniption or energy maniption skills, they can still use magic and other magic technique thanks to the magic stones that take the care of those skills.

    If that was the case, it would not be surprising if they had abilities simr to skills such as presence and magic detection. They could tell where their opponent was, but they might not be able to measure its strength.

    ¡ºAlso, it seems magic beast that live in this Forest of Exhaustion are only small fry, so their ability to sense danger has been greatly weakened¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    This might be a bit of a hassle to set up a tent in this Forest of Exhaustion. We have to be constantly on the lookout for attacks by magic beasts.

    Well, it¡¯s not like we''re going to stay in this Forest of Exhaustion for a long time. The outer perimeter of the ins of the Demon Wolf is inhabited by higher level magic beast.

    It is said that there have been confirmed cases of magic beast with a threat level of A. In such cases, there is no choice but to flee. In any case, a threat level of A is the same level as that Lich. Even if we had be stronger, we couldn''t say that we could beat him. It was unlikely, but if there were arge number of magical beasts of that level, we would not be able to enter the ins of the Demon Wolf without a fight.

    ¡ºWell, lets leave it until we reached the ins of the Demon Wolf. Come on, we''re gonna get out of here¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We are going to the nostalgic ins of the Demon Wolf. Well then, I wonder what its current situation is?

    /2021/02/tenken-483.html

 Chapter 484: Smoke Beast

    <h4>Chapter 484: Smoke Beast</h4>

    ¡ºFuhahaha! It''s the ins! I came back!¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºSorry, don''t mind it. More importantly, can you feel the presence around us?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Is something''s wrong?¡¹

    After passing through the Forest of Exhaustion, we had stepped about a dozen meters into the ins of the Demon Wolf. In terms of location, it would be in the northeast area of the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    There is definitely something out there. I know that, but I couldn''t find out the exact location of the presence. There was a tense feeling around me, and the flow of magic was somewhat unnatural.

    ¡ºHow about you, Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYou can''t feel it too huh¡»

    Does it have stealth level that can even fool Urushi''s noses, or is it a type of magic beast that has no scent at all?

    ¡¸Stay alert, let''s go¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We proceeded like that for a few minutes, using our exploration skills to the fullest. Well, we didn''t gain much distance. Would it have been quicker to go through it at full speed rather than proceed with caution huh?

    But apparently, it''s not that easy.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi jumped up at once. A momentter, I finally realize.

    ¡ºFrom below huh!¡»

    After all, the less I''m in contact with the ground, the weaker my ability to detect what''s underneath. How many times already, did I lose to Fran and Urushi huh.

    ¡¸Smoke?¡¹

    ¡ºIt could be poison gas. We need to get further away¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    What came up from the ground was arge amount of white smoke. I could tell that it had a lot of magical power.

    And the smoke ising towards us as if it had a will of its own.

    ¡ºThis smoke¨D¨DI knew it! It''s a higher species of magic beast from the Gust type¡»

    Upon appraisal, the smoke itself was part of the magic beast. A threat level B magic beast, the Greater Venom Gust. In addition to being immune to physical attacks, it has high levels of stealth and regeneration. It also had high levels of magic absorption, life absorption, and stealth. (1)

    It was a magic beast that will regenerate endlessly unless its smoke ispletely extinguished or its magic stone is destroyed, Moreover, the smoke also contains a deadly poison.

    It doesn''t have the ability to kill us with a single blow, but it''s a nasty opponent that will continue to wear us down as long as it''s attached to us.

    Well, we have high poison resistance. If it was a weaker person that exposed to its deadly poison while having their life and magic power absorbed would be fatal.

    Moreover, from what I saw, the smoke was quite extensive. Judging from the fact that it caught up with Fran, who was already quite far away from the ground without any problem, but it probably can''t cover 100 meters area. Wouldn''t it cover a small town with this?¡¡It was no mistake that this being was ranked as a threat level B that could even destroy a country.

    ¡ºFran! Urushi! Find its magic stone!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I try to hit the smoke with magic. I tried thunder magic, me magic, and wind magic, but I think me magic is the most effective because it can attack on its surface.

    Also, magic and life steal skills are effective. I could see the smoke that had lost its power dissipate into thin air. However, it would soon be replenished by the smoke that kepting up from the ground.

    ¡ºHow was it? Did you find out where its magic stone is?¡»

    ¡¸I don''t know¡¹

    ¡¸woof¡­¡¹

    It seems, magical power from its smoke had distracted them, making it impossible to examine its surrounding in detail.

    ¡ºI''m pretty sure there''s a magic stone under the ground though¡­¡»

    ¡¸Then, why don''t we blow the whole ground with magic?¡¹

    ¡ºYou''re right, there''s no other choice huh¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºThen, let''s go! Haaaaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸Muuuu!¡¹

    What we activated was an earth magic called Gravity Pressure. This is a technique that uses super gravity to crush a certain area, and we activated it in a way that covered the area where the main body of the Greater Venom Gust might be, lining it up without any gaps.

    We can seerge areas being crushed andpressed. It''s a scene simr to Ashwrath''s Gravity Blows, forcibly recreated by firing a series of magic. Well, this one is inferior in power and range.

    ¡¸Did it works?¡¹

    ¡ºNo good huh. The smoke''s still going strong¡»

    ¡¸Then, give it more!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    We''re going topress the earth even wider and deeper. Not only that, we also bombarding it with me and thunder magic is an added bonus.

    However, the smoke still did not disappear.

    ¡ºTsk. Even after all of this huh¨D¨D¡»

    Kabooom!

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºUwoh!¡»

    Immediately after, a tremendous impact shocked off Fran''s body, which was still in the air. The moment I heard that sound, I immediately guarded Fran, so she wasn''t injured, cause a direct hit would have caused serious damage.

    I grabbed the mysterious object that was bouncing off my de with telekinesis as soon as I could.

    ¡ºA crystal. No, a scale huh?¡»

    The scales were made of a transparent material like crystal. These crystal scales seemed to have the effect of reflecting magic power, making it quite difficult to detect its presence. If it hadn''t been for its soundsing at us, I wouldn''t have noticed it.

    While I was checking, I heard a series of wind noises. It seemed that it hadunched a series of attack.

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    But, if it wasn''t a surprise attack, the covert nature of these scales would be halved. Fran was already able to deal with them. She knocked some of them away and blocked some with dimensional storage.

    However, the enemy is too far away. I could tell that they were attacking us from the northwest, but I couldn''t sense any sign of them or their magic. It seems that they are sniping at us from outside our search range.

    ¡¸Master, Urushi. Let''s go!¡¹

    ¡ºOkay!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran tried to get close to the mysterious sniper, but her opponent was not half-hearted. The more we move in the direction of the sniper, the greater the number of crystal scales and the more powerful they be.

    In terms of power alone, each shot would be enough to instantly kill a D rank adventurer. Moreover, the smoke from the unexpectedly fast-moving Gust was still persistently chasing us.

    ¡ºFran, at this rate, we''ll have to deal with both the Gust and the mysterious attacker!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Muh. What should we do then?¡¹

    ¡ºWe can either shake them off by teleporting to the Forest of Exhaustion. But, if we simply shake them off, there''s a chance that the gust will keeping after us¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood. Let''s return back to the Forest of Exhaustion¡¹

    Fran looked frustrated, but she immediately epted my suggestion and began to leave from the area. I think she understands that she is in a troublesome situation.

    ¡ºI knew this wasn''t going to be easy huh¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    /2021/02/tenken-484.html

 Chapter 485: Invisible Sniper

    <h4>Chapter 485: Invisible Sniper</h4>

    We escaped from the troublesome magic beast and retreated to the Forest of Exhaustion; we were discussing countermeasures as we moved.

    ¡ºAs expected, that Ghast won''t follow us to this Forest of Exhaustion¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Apparently, due to its smoke body structure that uses magic power to move, it cannot live in the forest of exhaustion. The being who sniped us with the crystal scales didn''t attack us in the forest of exhaustion either. No, it might just be that it can''t aim at us because it can''t use its magic to search for us in here.

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡ºWe can bypass the area where the ghast live, and go through it all at once¡»

    The more we go to the center of the ins of the Demon Wolf, the weaker the enemies be. The reason for this was not rified even in the archives of the Adventurer''s Guild yet.

    There was also a theory stated that Fenrir''s magical power was affecting it, but that seems to be just a spection without any basis.

    The important thing to remember is that this phenomenon does exist. After all, I''ve experienced it first-hand.

    ¡ºIn other words, if we go through them all at once, the higher level magic beast won''t follow us¡»

    In fact, I gradually conquered the ins of the Demon Wolf by running back to the center of it when I was in trouble.

    But it was also a strategy that only I could do because I was a sword. I was an inorganic material that is highly conceble and does not stimte the appetite of magic beast. To put it bluntly, I was not worth for the magic beast to chase after.

    But what about Fran and Urushi? she has soft flesh with high magical power. Wouldn''t they seem like easy prey for a magic beast? There was even a possibility that they woulde after her beyond my expected habitat area.

    Nevertheless, there is a danger in daring to defeat a powerful magical beast. After fighting with the ghast for that small amount of time, it has exhausted us a little.

    If we want to be on the safe side, we should start by gather information on the magic beast camped around the periphery of the in, and either kill the ones we think are the easiest to deal with, or dodge them and force to enter to the center of the in.

    ¡ºWhat should we do huh?¡»

    ¡¸....For now, the first priority is to get to the center of the ins of the Demon Wolf. Traininges after that¡¹

    ¡ºIn other words?¡»

    ¡¸Take the safest way and hurry up¡¹

    ¡ºOoh? You think so?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I was a little impressed. I mean, it''s Fran, you know? Fran is a girl who love fighting isn''t she? But in the face of a strong enemy, she would avoid fighting to achieve her goal.

    I''m loved, aren''t I? Well, I guess that''s not all, Fran is also growing up. Come to think of it, she didn''t even doze off in the library. Well, she did get bored and zoned out. But, there''s a big difference between dozing off and almost dozing off.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s confirm its identity first¡¹

    ¡ºUnderstood¡»

    What Fran is referring to are the crystal scales. No, I used the word "crystal" because of its transparent appearance, but the hardness of the scales is far greater than that of a crystal, so much so that Fran need to give more effort to break them.

    ¡ºI agree with you. If it''s a magic beast that''s good at long-range attacks, it might not be so good at closebat¡»

    It''s the kind of magic beast that would fire a series of high-precision sniper shots from over a kilometer away. Its threat level must be high, but how strong would it be in close quartersbat?

    We were moving to northwest, observing the ins of the Demon Wolf from within the Forest of Exhaustion. And at a certain ce, Urushi reacts to something.

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Did you found something?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi''s nose twitched as he turned his sharp gaze to the ins of the demon wolf. As a wolf, he has a keen sense of smell, even if it cannot be enhanced by magic. It seemed that his nose had caught a target.

    ¡ºHmm....where?¡»

    ¡¸Muh? I don''t know¡¹

    To be honest, Fran and I had no idea where that magic beast was. However, Urushi is very confident.

    ¡¸Urushi, take the lead¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, be careful¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    It was just after we had set foot on the ins of the Demon Wolf, with Urushi as the lead.

    Shudder!

    ¡¸Kyain!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi!¡¹

    Urushi shrieked and stopped on his tracks. It was definitely the sniper. But the way Urushi was looking right now, he could totally see the attack, right? And yet, he took a decent damage and.......No, if Urushi had ducked like that, there was a possibility that his huge body would have blindsided Fran and dyed his reaction. That''s why he dared to use his body as a shield.

    ¡ºUrushi! Good job! Aah, it broke your bones huh...¡»

    ¡¸woof....¡¹

    While she casting a recovery spell on Urushi, whose torso was bleeding profusely, I gave her instructions.

    ¡ºFran, it will be dangerous if we hide right behind Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    So, Fran dared to move diagonally behind Urushi, keeping her distance. This way, Urushi could avoid the attack without any problem, and Fran could react.

    After that, the attacks became fiercer, but Fran and the Urushi did not get hit. Fran had no problem without my help, and Urushi can dodged it skilfully.

    As a result, although our progress was slowed down, we were pushing forward across the in without taking any damage. However, no matter how far we advanced, we still could not capture the enemy. But, Urushi seems to be concerned of something......

    ¡ºWhere it is.....¡»

    ¡¸Nn.....¡¹

    And then Urushi stopped in his tracks. It seemed that there was a magic beast in his line of sight, but Fran and I had no idea what it was. The other side has also stopped attacking to prevent its whereabouts from being discovered.

    However, the dark magic that Urushi had unleashed brought his opponent into view. As the veil of dark magic that Urushi used covered the entire area, an anomaly urred about 20 meters away.

    What to say about it, A heat haze? No, a mirror with a strange refractive index? Anyway, the scenery behind it started to distort, as if the space was distorted.

    ¡ºI see, optical camouge huh¡»

    It seems that it had been refracting the light to assimte its figure into its surroundings. However, the light was suddenly blocked by dark magic, and it must have been unable to adjust in time.

    ¡¸A weird lizard?¡¹

    ¡ºA dinosaur d in crystal?¡»

    What I saw there was a 10-meter-long, four-legged magic beast. It resembled an Ankylosaurus, a dinosaur that I had seen in dinosaur picture books before I reincarnated. However, its scales were all translucent crystal.

    Its stealth ability was incredible. After all, even at this distance, I can''t clearly detect its magic power or its presence. On top of that, it can even use optical camouge.

    But I can clearly see it now, so I can appraise it!

    ¡ºInvisible Death! It''s a magic beast with threat level of B¡»

    I guess the overall strength of magic beast is really on the rise huh!

 Chapter 486: Close Combat

    <h4>Chapter 486: Close Combat</h4>

    The magic beast that had disguised itself with optical camouge was a threat level B magic beast called Invisible Death. It was said that an army had once invaded its territory and annihted without being able to find it.

    Well, an ordinary soldier won''t be able to handle sniper''s shoot of that power from over a kilometer away.

    Not only it has its high status, but it also has magic skills such as light magic, thunder magic, and fire magic.

    In addition, the crystal-like outer shell that surrounds its body is a tricky thing, it seems to have the property of reflecting magic power. In addition to this, it has a wide variant of covert skills. And if it used its optical camouge, it could be right in front of us without noticing it.

    What I hate about this guy is that it can make a tactical decision, he''s probably intelligent enough to stop attacking when we get closer to it.

    In this world, the more powerful a being is, the more capable they are of sensing magic and presence with their skills. And they are used to it. The covert nature of Invisible Death will only be ineffective against such beings. Just like we didn''t realize it until Urushi taught it to us.

    When dealing with a strong being with a Urushi-level sense of smell, it would rather snipe us from a distance.

    On the contrary, it is highly likely that it is not good at closebat. It seems to have high defense, but its movement seems to be slow.

    ¡¸Ghruoooo!¡¹

    Urushi shoots dark magic at Invisible Death. However, it seems that the crystal is also resistant to magic. The huge jet-ck spear easily dissipated on the surface of the crystal.

    ¡¸Wruoooh!¡¹

    Invisible Death braced itself, probably realizing that its position had been discovered.

    This is where the real battle begins.

    ¡¸Master, use magic!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Urushi attacks from behind!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran rushes in at once while giving instructions. She jumped back to the right in an attempt to attack.

    Immediately after, the ce where Fran had been caved in heavily.

    ¡ºIt used its tail huh!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Invisible Death looks like an Ankylosaurus, but what i find the most simr was its head and tail.

    Its tail had a weight like a hammer, and as far as I could tell, the blow would be quite powerful. And it''s fast.

    The attack, in which it swung its tail in session, was incredibly fast, it was also very urate. When we dove into the spider dungeon before, where Fran and Amanda had a mock battle, Amanda''s whip handling might have been the same speed. Fran is desperately trying to avoid its tail.

    Moreover, Invisible Death''s attack was not limited to just swinging its tail.

    It shoots sharp crystal scales that grow all over its body at Fran and Urushi. I don''t know how it does it, but it seems to be able to shoot out all the scales it can. In addition, new crystal scales immediately grow in the marks where they were shot out.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    Kiiiin!

    Fran, who approached Invisible Death while dodging the scales, cut it down, but as expected, a serious attack is the only way to do any damage. Its ability to disrupt magic power is troublesome, although it is certainly hard. The power of attribute swords is weakened.

    Fran braced herself for another attack, but then she heard a high-pitched sound as if a powerful dust collector was running at full power.

    Kiiin¨D¨Dbooom!

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºI see! It was shooting from its tail huh!¡»

    The scales that shot out from his entire body didn''t seem as precise as when he was sniping, but the sniper scales were apparently specially made to shoot from its tail as a barrel. In addition to its exploding burst of magic power, it seems to usepressed air and thunderbolt magic as well. Furthermore, it also manipted airflow to stabilize its trajectory.

    I was wondering why he didn''t just use his thunderbolt magic when he had the skill, but I guess it was only for sniping. The sniper scales were quite fast and powerful even at this close range. Furthermore, the Invisible Death that rushed forward tried to crush Fran with its foot.

    Its movements are certainly not that fast, but because of its huge size, each step it takes isrge enough, and its rushes are surprisingly quite fast.

    ¡¸Wruoooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    Who said this guy was bad at closebat! Good grief! Not only does it have two types of scales attacks, it also able to attacks directly with its tail. This guy might be even stronger in closebat.

    ¡ºHaaa!¡»

    If that''s the case, we should keep our distance and use magic instead. Even taking into ount the crystal scales'' ability to disrupt magic, a very strong spell should be able to pass through.

    I unleash the thunder magic "Thor''s Hammer" and the me magic "re Explode" in session. Although the power is a little lower, the damage still seems to be able to pass through.

    Some of the crystals were destroyed, and Invisible Death shout out a scream from its mouth. But it doesn''t take much damage.

    ¡¸Wruoooh!¡¹

    ¡ºOh no!¡»

    ¡¸Muh?¡¹

    I felt a strong convergence of magic power and immediately performed a short distance teleport. At the same time, a dazzling beam of light pierced the ce where we had been.

    It was an attack with light magic. Or rather, it looks like aser beam already. The ground was heavily gouged by the impact and heat. Is light magic this strong?

    But before I could even think about it, Invisible Death sensed where we were moving to and shot scales at us.

    Fran was unable to dodge the scales that were shot at her immediately after she teleported, and I was only able to parry the scattered scales that exploded at close range. However, I managed to protect her vitals. She was hit in the arm and leg several times.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºGreater Heal!¡»

    Fran has suffered not a few injuries. But it''s better than being hit by that light magic.

    (Master, thanks for saving me)

    ¡ºWe''ll have to dodge that light magic first, okay? Stay on guard after teleporting¡»

    (Okay)

    The troublesome parts are not only the speed of its activation, but also it attacks speed. In fact, I don''t think I could react after being shot. The only way was to detect the prior convergence of magic power as much as possible.

    ¡¸Master, use magic! This time, we''re going to defeat it!¡¹

    ¡ºUnderstood!¡»

    We unleashed the Thor''s Hammer and re Explode again. This time, however, we have prepared multiple activations. Urushi, who had been waiting for another chance, unleashed his dark magic to match ours.

    Arge explosion enveloped Invisible Death''s body, causing even more damage than before. More than half of the crystal shell that covered its back fell off, and smoke rose from its body.

    ¡¸Wruooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Break in! Finishing blow!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-486.html

 Chapter 487: Fierce Battle Against the Magic Beast

    <h4>Chapter 487: Fierce Battle Against the Magic Beast</h4>

    Invisible Death was badly injured by our magic, but even we didn''t know what it would do next.

    ¡¸Muh? What?¡¹

    ¡ºNot only it has an Ankylosaurus-like body part, but also an Armadillo-like body part too huh!¡»

    To my surprise, it shrunk and curled up as if it was holding its head and limbs. Moreover, the crystal scales regenerated and erged all at once, as if a huge lump of crystal had been ced on the ground.

    Moreover, I can see magical power growing inside its body. It must be a form of defensive fortification while preparing for an attack.

    ¡¸¡­What should we do?¡¹

    ¡ºLet''s just throw some magic at it for now. Just be careful with its counter attack¡»

    ¡¸Understood. I''ll leave the magic to Master¡¹

    The opponent had stopped moving. It''s too dumb to follow suit and just watch.

    I cast my magic once again.

    However, Invisible Death didn''t just simply curl up its body. It seemed to have increased its defense against magic, and this time neither the Thor''s Hammer nor the re Explode could damage it.

    Moreover, it also unleashes its light magic and crystal scale attack almost simultaneously with our attack. I see, it is difficult for any human or magic beast to use magic while moving at high speed huh. It''s a counter strategy to lure the opponent into a big move and exploit the gap.

    Well, it''s not a problem for us. Because Fran can move fast enough to dodge the attack and I can unleash my magic at the same time.

    ¡ºWe''re going again!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºI don''t want to call this one a Kanna Kamui after what I saw before¡­¡­¡»

    The most powerful technique I can use is Kanna Kamui. It''s just like a replicapared to Velmeria''s Kanna Kamui that I saw in the royal capital though, but it''s still the best spell I can use right now.

    White lightning rained down and struck Invisible Death. It doesn''t seem to be able to withstand a technique of this power huh. Invisible Death''s defensive posture was forcibly broken by the crushing lightning strike, and it was turned over by the huge explosion that followed.

    ¡¸Bumoooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Now!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Its stance had copsed, and nearly half of the crystal covering its body had been shattered. Although the damage was surprisingly small for such a direct hit from the magic, much of the armor protecting its body had been lost.

    ¡¸Grrrruo!¡¹

    Urushiunches an attack.

    He dared to bark loudly, attracting Invisible Death''s attention. The Invisible Death''s consciousness waspletely pulled away by Urushi, who wandered around in front of him, changing sizes in vain. His target was the ce where the crystal scales had been removed by Kanna Kamui. Smaller scales have already begun to grow like a thin skin, but it''s better than the other ces.

    Taking advantage of the chance, Fran charged in from the side. She unleashed the Sword Saint Skill: Spiral Fang. It is a powerful thrusting technique with added rotation.

    My sword de pierced through the crystal scales and the hard-shell underneath, gouging the body of the Invisible Death deeply. Due to the nature of the crystal scales, I couldn''t locate its magic stone, so it wasn''t a one-hit kill, but the life force of the giant beast was greatly reduced.

    ¡ºHaaaa!¡»

    ¡¸A bonus!¡¹

    We also unleashed me magic in that state. The explosion of mes engulfed us, but we were able to block it with a barrier.

    ¡¸Vumoooh¡­!¡¹

    Invisible Death, whose body had been pierced with a deep hole, let out a weak moan. Although the internal organs had not yet been reached, pale bones that seemed to be its spine were exposed

    Even so, crystal scales immediately sprouting from around the wound, trying to seal the area. These scales are really troublesome.

    ¡¸Awoooof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡ºWha?¡»

    Urushi took over for Fran, who had once distanced herself before being swallowed by the regenerating crystal. But the way he did it surprised both me and Fran.

    ¡¸Ghrooaaaa!¡¹

    What a surprise, he jumped into the body of the Invisible Death in his small size. As the crystal scales regenerated, he was trapped inside, but he didn''t care about that.

    Within the craters in the giant beast''s body, he would eat muscle fibers, flesh, and bones, and dig deeper.

    ¡¸Bhuoooooooooooh!¡¹

    The giant beast, which had endured even a direct hit from Kanna Kamui with a short grunt, was writhing around, thrashing its limbs. Then it let out a roar that sounded like a scream as if it was crying out.

    Being devoured from the inside must be a painful experience that it never imagines.

    ¡¸It''s full of opening¡¹

    ¡ºOu! We''re gonna stop this thing!¡»

    I aimed for the head. Thanks to Urushi, Invisible Death had left a huge opening between us, and I was going to use the Sword King technique to stop him at once but¨D¨D

    ¡¸Bhuooooooooooh!¡¹

    I could feel magic power growing inside Invisible Death''s body. The crystals all over its body began to emit a white light.

    ¡ºIt looks dangerous! Let''s take some distance first!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi¡­¡­are you okay?¡»

    As we escaped into the sky by teleporting, I saw a tremendous light springing up below us. A dome of light was being created around the Invisible Death. Just looking at the way the ground around the dome was turning into ss-like substance by the high heat. (vitrification)

    Immediately afterwards, the dome swelled and enveloped arge area. That wasn''t all. The giant dome popped, and causing a huge explosion.

    The tremendous impact and the stormy wind raised a cloud of dust and reaped the grass, flowers, and shrubs near the hypocenter. The petals of the white flowers that had been growing in clusters at a considerable distance were all flown up at once, creating a beautiful scene that did not belong in the middle of a battle.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Gururu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi! I''ming!¡¹

    After Invisible Death''s attack was over, there''s Urushi''s figure on the ground, he copsed and smoke was billowing from his whole body. His entire body was burned to a crisp, his hair crumbling into tatters and his flesh gouged out in ces. He must have been hit hard by the heat and the explosion.

    At the same time, Invisible Death had been badly wounded. It seems that in order to remove Urushi from its body, it had involved itself in the attack. It was probably itsst resort, as it was highly resistant to magic.

    We rushed over to Urushi in a panic, only to be met with a follow-up attack. But it''s not the Invisible Death.

    ¡¸Get off!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Ice Javelin¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Arge number of ice spears rained down on Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    Fran quickly activated her barrier to the fullest extent and took a stand to protect Urushi. She doesn''t care if she gets hit herself, she only takes care the magic in the trajectory that will hits Urushi.

    ¡ºI''ll use recovery on you both!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Guh¡­Who is it?¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D¨DWhat a tasty looking little girl¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s a bunch of undead huh! The Wight King!¡» (1)

    It was a threat level B magic beast, the Wight King. It seemed to have attacked us in an attempt to catch us. I wondered how it had gotten so close, but since it also possessed space-time magic. It seems to have approached us by simply teleporting here.

    The Wight King is a magic beast that will summons countless weak low-grade undead. However, the Wight King that attacked Fran had only six underlings with him.

    It''s a magic beast with a threat level of C: four Wight High Wizards and two Wight Imperial Guards instead.

    Apparently, they are choosing quality over quantity. I guess there is such a type of a Wight King huh.

    ¡¸I''ve been setting up a here in the ins to detect any signs of teleportation¡­¡­What an excellent prey!¡¹

    ¡¸Bhuoooh!¡¹

    Invisible Death is still alive and well. In fact, if left unchecked, it will recover in no time at all.

    ¡¸Damn it¡­¡¹

    ¡¸woof¡­¡¹

    After sealing their wounds with magic, Fran and Urushi stand up, looking worn out. Should we really continue fighting like this?

    ¡¸Master! That is!¡¹

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    Suddenly, Fran shouted sharply.

    ¡ºOioi, even to a ce like this¡­¡­It''s still following us huh?¡»

    As we looked, we saw a white smoke figure approaching us, wriggling in the sky.

    /2021/02/tenken-487.html

 Chapter 488: Super Inazuã€‡ Kick

    <h4>Chapter 488: Super Inazu©– Kick</h4>

    Beyond our line of sight, there''s a white smoke figure approaching us while wriggling in the sky. It was the Greater Venom Ghast.

    In addition to the Wight King, Invisible Death was still alive.

    We were surrounded by three magic beasts with a threat level of B.

    One of the criteria to raise into a rank A, adventurers should have been to be able to defeat one magic beast with a threat level of B in solo. In other words, in front of us, there were three opponents that Amanda and Forrund would have to fight one-on-one with all their might in front of us.

    ¡ºThis is bad¡»

    Shall we continue to fight? Invisible Death is still pretty banged up, but Ghast is troublesome too but it''s not very aggressive. It''s not impossible for us to fight them all though¡­¡­

    (Master, where''s the magic stone of that smoke?)

    ¡ºI can''t detect it! How about you guys?¡»

    (No good)

    (Woof¡­)

    Does that mean, its magic stone is hidden somewhere around, so it can still reach this far?¡¡Or does it hide its magic stone in its smoke so we can''t detect it?

    ¡¸Then, what about the magic stone of the undead?¡¹

    ¡ºI can''t find it either!¡»

    It is said that a magic beast with a threat level of B has the ability to hide the location of its magic stone. I couldn''t even detect the magic stone of The Wight King and its underling. Well, this guy is a sorcerer type, and it''s probably very good at hiding its magic power.

    ¡¸Icicle Burst!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Icicle Burst!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºThey won''t give us time to think huh!¡»

    I quickly used fire magic to block it, but it seemed, they won''t give us any time to think.

    ¡¸Master! Above!¡¹

    ¡ºI see, okay¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I did as Fran instructed and ascended at once with teleport. After that, I used the telekic air ride to gain even more altitude.

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    ¡¸That smoke will follow us¡¹

    ¡ºBut, the Wights won''t be able to follow us though!¡»

    ¡¸Dodging huge beast is easier¡¹

    Invisible Death''s attacks seem to be the easiest to dodge at mid-range. The distance is just enough for us to detect its magic when it preparing an attack, and there is enough room for us to dodge it. If we are too close, we won''t have enough room to move, however, if we are too far away, we won''t be able to detect it.

    And it seems, the wights'' does not have the ability to fly and their magic can not reach this altitude. We must have already climbed more than 100 meters. But somehow, their attack can still reach us, but as expected, it''s difficult to aim urately at an opponent at this height.

    We can''t defeat the ghast, but we can ignore it for a little while. Besides, the wights and a ghast should be ipatible with each other. The undead wouldn''t be able to maintain their existence if their magic is absorbed.

    In fact, the Wight Kings are making a move to avoid the white smoke.

    If that was the case, we might be able to deal with the Invisible Death while the ghast and the wights were restraining each other.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi? What''s wrong?¡»

    While dodging their attacks, Urushi tries to tell us something.

    ¡¸Gurruu!¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe, you''ve figured out where that huge beast''s magic stone is?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºI see!¡»

    It seems that he had not just simply dealt damage to Invisible Death when he invaded its body but had also identified the location of its magic stone.

    ¡¸Master, let''s only kill the big one here¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Understood¡»

    I think it''s better to start all over again, but if Fran is willing, I''ll just go along with her.

    ¡¸Don''t use the Sword God Transformation¡¹

    ¡ºWha?¡»

    ¡¸Using the sword god transformation here would only be a temporary solution. We must win without using it. What should we do?¡¹

    In Fran''s own way, she thought that she had to reduce the exhaustion in order to fight through another battle. However, she didn''t know how to defeat the Invisible Death without using the Sword God Transformation.

    ¡ºUnderstood. Then, how about¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸I see¨D¨D¡¹

    I exined the n I hade up with to Fran. It was quite difficult, but Fran seemed to be on board with me.

    ¡ºYou think you can do it?¡»

    ¡¸I''ll do it!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, attack the location of its magic stone and tell us where it is. We''ll attack there¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    First, Urushi shoots a spear of dark magic while descending at full speed. This was not to deal damage to it, but to show Fran and me the location of its magic stone. I see, it''s a little bit closer to the tail than the center huh. That''s where the crystal is thickest.

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Urushi then ran straight towards the Wight King. This is a way to keep them in check and to attract their attention. The Wight King was sessfully attracted to Urushi, who used a lot of shadow dive and evasive maneuvers.

    ¡¸Let''s go¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    And then, Fran and I start to act secretly.

    ¡ºFirst, let''s stop its movement!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    My earth magic made a hole under the Invisible Death''s limbs, blocking its movement. That''s pretty quick huh. In order for us to carry out our n, we have to stop it from moving.

    All of Invisible Death''s limbs are firmly stuck into the ground, and I then tightened it up to make it unable to move for a moment.

    ¡¸Bumooh?¡¹

    ¡¸HAAAAAAA!¡¹

    Fran''s Kanna Kamui rained down into it. A thick pir of lightning stripped away the crystal of Invisible Death. It was less powerful than my Kanna Kamui, but it seeded in stripping the crystal as we nned.

    Fran took charge of the skill so that I could focus on my next attack.

    ¡ºGood one, Fran!¡»

    I used a full throttle of telekic catapultbined with wind magic, me magic, and even thunder magic to create maic maniption.

    I''ve been using maic force to elerate objects for a long time. Even when we were trying to stop the Fanatics in the royal capital, we used it as abination. But it wasn''t that big of a dealpared to the eleration with me magic and wind magic.

    But since I got a lot of hints from Invisible Death. I used the method of coiling maic maniption around the long barrel that I made by telekinesis, imitating Invisible Death. I also seeded in gaining more eleration than ever before by doing this. Well, it''s a bit more difficult to control, and the wear is doubled.

    ¡ºDoryaaaa!¡»

    Immediately after theunch, my sword de pierced deeply into the shell of the Invisible Death, whose scales had been destroyed by Fran. However, I still couldn''t prate it.

    ¡¸Bumoohoooh!¡¹

    ¡ºFraaan!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    But I have expected this. Rather, this is the point of the n.

    Fran ran down from the sky at full speed to the Invisible Death, who was concentrating its magic power to release light magic to eliminate us.

    Using all the magic she had to use Brilliant Lightning Rush, and taking advantage of her falling speed, she had be so fast that it was as if Fran herself had turned into lightning.

    At the end of her trajectory, there''s me. To be precise, it''s me, whose handle has been transformed into a tray-like shapeshifting.

    ¡¸HAAAAAAA!¡¹

    Fran, who was running down from the sky at super high speed, did not kill any of her momentum and mmed a kick into me as if she was going tond on my handle.

    ¡¸Bumoooooooooh!¡¹

    I was already stuck into Invisible Death''s body, but Fran''s Super Inazu©– Kick gave me an impact from directly above and pushed me further into its body.

    ¡¸Bumoooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Guuh!¡¹

    The sound of Fran''s leg bones cracking and the sound of the giant beast''s shell cracking, also with the sound of my hilt and sword de shatteringbined to create a deafening dissonance.

    That powerful kick reduced all of my endurance at once. But I didn''t care about it and extended my de further by transforming it. Then I could clearly feel its magic stone.

    ¡¸Guh¡­!¡¹

    The impact was so great that Fran''s leg was bent in the wrong direction. My endurance is also at a dangerous level.

    ¡ºBut, we did it!¡»

    ¡¸Bu¡­mooh¡­¡¹

    An unprecedented sense of satisfaction. The amount of magic power flowing into me was at another levelpared to what I''ve ever experienced in the past. It even surpassed the demon we had defeated long ago. Even though it was a magic beast with the same threat level of B, this one was probably superior huh.

    It seems that Fran and Urushi''s levels have also increased. However, there was no time to check it now.

    I immediately stowed the corpse of Invisible Death and went straight back to Fran.

    ¡ºLet''s leave this ce for now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    /2021/02/tenken-488.html

 Chapter 489: Even the Sky is Absorbing!

    <h4>Chapter 489: Even the Sky is Absorbing!</h4>

    Once we escaped into the sky, we felt the pressure from the Wight King weakened. It seems that it is difficult to attack us when we are flying.

    No, Wight King''s magic was quite urate. Moreover, it has a good eyesight. However, the Wight High Wizards under hismand did not have that level of ability.

    ¡¸Keep going up¡¹

    ¡ºOkay¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We continued to gain altitude as Fran had instructed. We must have already climbed more than 100 meters.

    ¡ºNow if we can just shake off the ghast¨D¨DOh?¡»

    ¡¸It run away?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The Greater Venom Ghast that had been following us suddenly stopped moving.

    Apparently, it has reached its limit huh?

    ¡ºWe should have went up to the sky from the start huh¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Ofu¡¹

    When I thought "Shall we continue to gain a little more altitude and head to the center"

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºTh-this is¡­! Dangerous!¡»

    ¡¸Wo-woof!¡¹

    We suddenly lose our bnce and begin to lose altitude rapidly like a paper airne that has lost its buoyancy, and Fran is wobbling because of it.

    Urushi is in even more danger. He moves his feet repeatedly to activate his aerial jumps, but he can''t step on the sky and falls all at once.

    The way he pped his legs for a moment and then fell down was like a scene from a gag anime. However, this is not a gag, and it is very dangerous.

    Fran tried to chase him with an aerial jump, but it still didn''t work.

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    ¡ºWha, Fran!¡»

    Urushi and Fran fall with such force that I can even hear the whooshing sound.

    I panicked and tried to use teleport, but it didn''t work either.

    I felt as if I were in the forest of exhaustion. No, I think I am actually experiencing the same phenomenon as in the forest of exhaustion right now.

    ¡ºSo it was because of this altitude that caused that ghast to run away huh!¡»

    Perhaps the higher up we go, the more the magic absorption phenomenon hits us.

    As if to confirm this spection, when we have fell to a certain height, I was able to activate telekinesis and other functions, although they were somewhat required more power.

    Fran and Urushi are also using the aerial jump again to regain their bnce.

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! But that smoke ising once again!¡¹

    ¡¸Garruu!¡¹

    ¡ºLet''s rise our altitude again!¡»

    ¡¸Eh? but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWe have to find its edge!¡»

    Escaping into the sky was not a bad idea. The idea was the same as the strategy of using the forest of exhaustion as an escape route. We need to find an altitude at which Ghast could not pursue us, and at which we could still use our magic power.

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We gained more altitude once again. To tell the truth, it was difficult to maintain the same altitude for a long time. Because there are nondmarks around us as aparison.

    Still experiencing a few falls, we had found thest possible altitude. The ghast didn''t chase us anymore, but we were pretty exhausted, we also managed to find an altitude where we wouldn''t fall.

    We didn''t gained altitude by teleporting. No, I was going to do it at first, but if it not a short distance teleport, the point of appearance will shift quite a bit. In the beginning, it was difficult to control teleport over medium distances, and due to the phenomenon of magic power absorption, my uracy was considerably reduced.

    I''m sure Fran was very upset when she was upside down with no skills or anything else avable for her to do after teleporting. But it might lead to a bigger ident.

    Short distance teleport''s control wasn''t disrupted so much, but its magic consumption is tremendous. It would be safer to proceed with aerial jumps.

    At first, the ghast were relentless in its pursuit. But after five minutes, it gave up the chase. Or maybe it can''t follow us because of the area. Anyway, we were thankful that we were able to shake off that troublesome magic beast.

    Besides, this near-border altitude strategy was quite easy since we could also avoid the magic beasts on the way. We encountered a few bird-shaped monsters, but they ran away as soon as we threatened them.

    As I moved, I checked the skills I had acquired from Invisible Death.

    I already had light magic, thunder magic, scale regeneration and rushing, but I was also getting four interesting skills. Well, one of them looked really interesting, but it wasn''t going to be useful.

    The first one is Magic Disruption. Perhaps this skill is the ability of its crystal scales to disrupt magic power. When I tried to use it, I definitely felt the magic in the vicinity being disturbed.

    However, there is a problem. It even interferes with the skills I use, such as magic steal. Also, it might affect me when I try to cast a spell on Fran. I think it''s best not to leave it activated all the time.

    The second is a skill called shooting correction. This seems to be a skill that simply increases the hit rate of long-range attacks. The power and uracy of my telekic catapult will no doubt be increased.

    It seems to be a passive skill, but when I equipped it, it was definitely different. It''s not that my vision has suddenly improved, but my sensitivity to distant targets has clearly increased. When I aim lightly, I feel like I can see the target clearly, and I feel more confident that I can hit it.

    ¡ºThis skill is interesting¡»

    The third skill is the light distraction film. It is used to create a semi-circr field to reflect the light that hits its surface. However, the output is low, and it doesn''t seem to be able to reduce the power of light magic. It seems that it is only a skill to distract natural light or weak light.

    It seems that optical camouge was an application of this skill, but it''s very difficult for me to imitate. I mean, I have to calcte the amount of light reflected, the angle, and everything in detail. It seems that just randomly reflecting the light has some effect, but I don''t think I can imitate the same level of perfect optical camouge as Invisible Death.

    The fact that it is able to supplement this with his wild instincts is probably the reason why it is categorized a high-ranking magic beast. However, it is a skill that can''t be easily used.

    Thest skill was Crystal Transformation. As the name implied, it was a skill that could transform the shape of a crystal into any shape.

    It probably used this skill to transform its own scales into bullets, or it may have used it like reactive armor, daring to transform itself into a fragile form in response to our attacks and then releasing its magic power to make it pop. It''s an interesting skill, but it''s also one that I have no use for.

    Now that I think about it, it had huge electromaic cannons,ser weapons, reactive armor, detection jammers, and optical camouge. It was more like a Zo©–ds than a magic beast.

    I also learned a lot from it. In particr, the increase in the power of my telekic catapult was a big gain. Well, I guess it can''t be used everywhere, though.

    In other words, the increase in power has made it more difficult to control. Just to stabilize myself from firing it would need tremendous powerful telekinesis. I may need to be a little more selective in the skills I use huh.

    If telekinesis is used for trajectory control, the critical injection speed will be reduced. If I try topensate for this with magic or skills, the power used for control will increase even more, and its magic consumption will also increase. In the worst-case scenario, the power might not even increase by ten percent, even though it consumed many times more than the usual.

    While I was thinking about it, I could see where I was going. interrupt my thoughts and scream involuntarily. That''s how nostalgic I felt.

    ¡ºFran! I can see it!¡»

    ¡¸Over there?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. That ruin-like ce, that''s where I started¡»

    /2021/02/tenken-489.html

 Chapter 490: The Identity of the Silver-Haired Man

    <h4>Chapter 490: The Identity of the Silver-Haired Man</h4>

    In the middle of this vast in, there was a decaying ruin.

    A building that has be stained and discolored by years of exposure. Cobblestones covered with moss and grass. From the sky above, we can see a circr za is surrounded by buildings at equal intervals, which I am not sure for what purpose they were built.

    ¡¸Is that the pedestal Master was talking about?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, I mean, yes, but it''s not the same¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡ºThe pedestal had disappeared¡»

    That''s right. When I woke up, the pedestal that had housed me had disappeared.

    Fran pointed to the entire ruin and asked if it was a pedestal. But for some reason, the thing I call a pedestal, which should have been in its center, was not there.

    The only remnant of this is a square space in the center of the za where there is almost no grass. It was obvious that something had been ced there a while ago, and that it had been removed.

    A few months had passed since the pedestal had disappeared, and the grass had begun to encroach slightly on the area, but from above, the difference from the rest of the site was obvious.

    ¡ºL-let''s get down there¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    I went down to the vacant lot where the pedestal should have been before. Fran tapped on the cobblestones, and Urushi sniffed the ground, but there was nothing unusual.

    ¡ºIt really had disappeared huh¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡ºOf course. I''ll never forget this ce¡»

    As we were exchanging words, my surroundings turned white in an instant.

    But I''m not surprised anymore. It''s that space.

    ¡ºHe''s here huh¡»

    ¡ºYeah, I''m here¡»

    It''s just a voice, but I''m sure of it. It''s that guy.

    ¡ºI can''t find the pedestal. What''s going on?¡»

    ¡ºIt''s also a sacred object. It did its job, and then it disappeared. Well, now we need it. Tell Fran to back off a bit, and I''ll make the pedestal appear¡»

    ¡ºU-understood¡»

    A sacred object? As expected, it wasn''t just a pedestal huh.

    When I returned from the white space, I told Fran and Urushi to back off from the vacant lot.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸woof!¡¹

    Immediately after Fran and Urushi took a few steps, a shape of a pedestal appeared on the spot like a hologram. Then, the phantom-like pedestal took on substance and appeared on the spot.

    It wasn''t a teleport, but rather a mysterious flow of magic that seemed to have sprung from the earth. But the thing that appeared was definitely a familiar pedestal.

    ¡ºOooh¡­There''s no mistaking it. It''s the pedestal. My pedestal¡»

    It was only a few months ago, but it seemed strangely nostalgic.

    ¡¸Is this, Master''s¡­Home?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, no. It doesn''t look like a home though¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Then, what should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸That sword¨D¨DStick master on the pedestal. Miss Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    Fran turned around and saw a translucent, ghost-like being standing in front of her.

    ¡¸I''ll reveal it soon. But first, stick master on the pedestal¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    A man with silver hair, all back, and a kimono-like dress. Fran had never seen him before, but he was familiar to me.

    Fran looked suspiciously at the mysterious man who had called her name. Well, he really is look suspicious.

    ¡¸You don''t know me miss, but I know you well, okay? After all, I''ve been watching you from Master¡¹

    ¡¸Inside master?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it''s true¡»

    I didn''t use the principle of falsehood, but I understood that he wasn''t lying. Not on the level of trustworthiness or anything like that, but I can see as a matter of course that he is not lying. I didn''t feel the need to doubt the authenticity of the man''s words, just as I didn''t have to worry about whether my words were false or true.

    I wonder what it is? I''m aware of a strange connection between me and the man. It''s not something vague like a bond or a connection, but a more direct connection. Or should I say, I¡¯m connected?

    I don''t know if I''d call this a direct magic connection, but it was close enough.

    ¡ºFran, it''s okay. Put me on the pedestal please¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    At my urging, Fran approaches the pedestal.

    ¡ºA little more higher huh?¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Without any hassle, Fran grabbed me backhanded and thrust me into the pedestal with great force. At that moment, something warm¨D¨D¨Dno, something hot is enveloping my sword de. But I don''t feel anything bad from it.

    It was hot, but not an aggressive heat that would melt my de. It was more like a full body soak in a slightly hot bath.

    Somehow, it felt simr to when Alistair was refurbishing me.

    ¡¸Master, you okay?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I''m feeling rather good¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    I guess she can hear my voice and decided that there really wasn''t a problem. Fran murmured reassuringly. It''s a familiar ce for me, but an unknown ce for Fran. She was still worried.

    ¡¸Well then, now we''re all set¡¹

    The man said so and walked over to the pedestal.

    ¡¸All set?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, prepare to re-enforce Master''s seal¡¹

    ¡ºReinforcing my seal?¡»

    ¡¸It''s okay. I''ll exin everything today. Well, as much as I''m allowed to though. Now that he''s on this pedestal, Master''s condition is stable. His memory will be fine¡¹

    ¡¸Master''s? Memory?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. If I tell you what''s going on, it might break the seal on Master''s memories¡¹

    ¡¸Is it bad?¡¹

    ¡¸That will sucks for your Master. Well, I''ll exin that too. As long as he''s stuck in the pedestal, his memory door should be stable¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡ºI''m counting on you¡»

    The man snaps his fingers lightly, and the ground rises up to create a chair. I could tell that it wasn''t the man''s ability, but rather my earth magic activated with my own magic power. Or perhaps I should say, not mine, but ours.

    It''s both my and the man''s power.

    ¡¸No magic beast is going to approach this ce for a while, and it will be somewhat longer. Why don''t you take a seat?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, go sit beside her¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Urushi is as quiet as a borrowed cat. Apparently, he understands that the men in front of him are superior to him. Either that, or Urushi considers him as his master too because of his connection to me.

    ¡¸Well, let me start by introducing myself¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Atst huh.

    ¡¸My name is Fenrir. I''m a former divine beast who went mad after eating an evil god. And I''m an interloper whose soul is sealed inside master''s body¡¹

    /2021/02/tenken-490.html

 Chapter 491: Fenrir and The Evil God

    <h4>Chapter 491: Fenrir and The Evil God</h4>

    Fran¡¯s eyes widened as she heard the man introduce himself. Well, even I feel the same way you know?

    Even though I thought it might be possible, I was still surprised to hear it from him. I was so surprised that I didn¡¯t raise my voice.

    ¡¸Fenrir? the magic beast with a threat level of S?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. I¡¯m that Fenrir¡¹

    ¡ºAs what I¡¯ve guessed huh¡­!¡»

    ¡¸It seems that master already knows about me huh. I was going to reveal it a little earlier, but I got a little behind¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you about that too. But first, let¡¯s talk a little about me¡¹

    His name was Fenrir. It seems that his human form was a temporary form he created tomunicate with us and that he was actually a giant wolf over 100 meters long.

    I don¡¯t know exactly how big he was, I just guessed that he was big enough to kill an Invisible Death with one bite.

    ¡¸A long time ago, I used to be called a Divine Beast ¡¹

    ¡ºDoes the fact that you¡¯re a Divine Beast mean that you have some kind of connection to God? Or did you just call yourself that?¡»

    ¡¸Describing oneself as a Divine Beast would hurt, right?¡¹

    Fenrir chuckles at my words.

    ¡ºThen¡»

    ¡¸Aah, yes. My Lord is one of the Ten Great Gods, the Goddess of the Silver Moon¡¹

    I see. In the mysterious image that Forrund saw, there was an emblem of the Goddess of the Silver Moon. So, he¡¯s connected to that huh.

    ¡¸The mission I was given by the Gods was to eat the pieces of the Evil Gods and purify its power. To do so, I was given the ability to take in the power of the person I ate and make it my own, thus I was born¡¹

    That¡¯s probably the source of my ability to absorb magic stones and gain power from them. And from what I¡¯ve just heard, it sounds like a God created him right? So, he¡¯s a God¡¯s direct subordinate huh.

    ¡¸I came down to earth, and in my first day, I seeded in defeating and devoured pieces of the Evil God¡¹

    ¡ºIs it possible to meet the pieces of the Evil Gods that quickly?¡»

    Or were the pieces of the Evil Gods roaming around all over the ce since a long time ago? However, it seems that is not the case.

    ¡¸A fool who sought power broke the seal. Originally, I was created to defeat that Evil God¡¹

    After that, Fenrir found the seal of a rtively weak Evil God piece, defeated it, and ate it. Including the first pieces he defeated, he had devoured four of them.

    He was truly worthy of his name, the Divine Beast that eats Evil Gods. People revered Fenrir as a spokesperson of the Gods, a Divine Beast, and a Divine Messenger. It is said that Fenrir was even treated as an entity on the same level as a God.

    However, humanity¡¯s faith did notst long. After all, Fenrir himself went on a rampage and began to attack the humans.

    ¡¸The delusion of the Evil Gods must have been beyond the imagination of the Gods. I couldn¡¯t fully purify the evil I took in, and it eroded me into the opposite direction¡¹

    When he had taken in the first piece of the Evil God, it had seemed to not affect him at all.

    ¡¸But now that I think about it, I suppose it affected me from the start. Without even realizing it, my appetite and desire for destruction had increased. And driven by this desire, I hunted down the pieces of the Evil Gods at a pace faster than my purification speed¡¹

    In the end, Fenrir was unable to resist the temptation to ¡°destroy everything¡± brought about by the soul of the Evil God he had absorbed, and he then began to run wild.

    He caused more damage than the unsealed pieces of the Evil God, and the continent of Zilberd was in danger of being destroyed. Several countries were destroyed, affecting the lives of tens of millions of people.

    No, if Fenrir had really gone out of control, there would have been much more damage. However, Fenrir hadn¡¯tpletely lost his reason.

    ¡¸I was like a runaway and struggled all over again. Oh right¡­ Do you remember the Lich from the floating ind we fought before? I might be simr to him¡¹

    The main personality and the Lich¡¯s personality are fighting for control of the body, and while one of them is awake, the other is asleep huh? I see, so Fenrir¡¯s original personality and the runaway personality that was corrupted by the Evil Gods were both taking turns to show up.

    ¡¸As my body was gradually deprived of control, I came to this in with thest of my strength. Well, there was no forest of exhaustion back then though¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it was createdter by the Gods. The pieces of the Evil Gods were separated and sealed here with me, so it wouldn¡¯t get out of the ns¡¹

    ¡ºEh? In other words, this in is¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸The pieces of the Evil God are sealed in here. It¡¯s a fusion of four pieces of the particrly strong pieces of the Evil God¡­¡­¡¹

    Not only me but also Fran and Urushi stared at the ground unintentionally. It was such a shock. But the man did notugh at us.

    ¡¸I know how you feel, but it¡¯s okay. So far, we haven¡¯t had any problems with the sealing loose.¡¹

    ¡ºReally?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Thank God. Something is going on with the seal inside me, and I was worried that this one will be okay too. But the situation is not like ¡°The Evil God¡¯s seal is about to be broken!¡± ¡°Please do something!¡±

    ¡ºBut still, you said you have separated and sealed the Evil God pieces, right? How did you do that?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s a good question. Only the Gods would be able to seal the pieces of an Evil God¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Then, what did the Gods do?¡¹

    ¡¸You know¡­¡¹

    When Fenrir arrived at this ce, he didn¡¯t have a specific purpose foring here. He was simply looking for a ce where there were few people and animals, and then he found this ce.

    ¡¸A Divine Beasts cannotmit suicide on its own. Because they¡¯re a part of the Divine part of the system that runs the world¡¹

    That¡¯s probably why he was looking for a ce where he could at least not bother the world.

    ¡¸But, I heard that even for the Gods, it was difficult to tear the piece of the Evil God out of me and seal it. But then a person appeared.¡¹

    ¡ºA person?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. Elmera, the Divine level cksmith. She was the one who made the Cherubim, she was looking for a ce to dispose of it¡¹

    The creator of Cherubim. In other words, the person who made up the sword part of me. I perceived myself as a sword. Strangely enough, I felt more like a sword than a person.

    When I first came into this world, I think I was very conscious of being a human once upon a time. Maybe I got used to being a sword while I was living here as one.

    So that¡¯s why I had a strong image of Elmera as my creator. It¡¯s not like she is my parent, but I feel she is somehow close to that.

    ¡¸Elmera¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹

    However, Fenrir once again uttered a surprise.

    ¡¸Well, at first we¡¯re trying to kill each other though!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? You were trying to kill each other?¡»

    ¡¸You fought her?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Elmera heard a rumor that I was here, and then she came here to the ins.¡¹

    So, she¡¯s beening here for Fenrir from the beginning huh.

    ¡¸She thought that if she was going to dispose of the Cherubim anyway, she would unleash all the power of the Divine Sword and defeat the Divine Beast, Fenrir¡¹

    ¡ºHow did that get you to cooperate?¡»

    ¡¸I was ready to be defeated by Elmera, trying to somehow hold back my body that was trying to take action on its own¡­ and the Moon Goddess also asked the other Gods to try and save me¡¹

    It seems that the Gods, especially the Goddess of the Silver Moon, called out to Elmera and asked her to help Fenrir. So Elmera epted the request.

    ¡¸It was probably partly because the Gods had asked her to, but Elmera was also happy that there was still a use for Cherubim¡¹

    That¡¯s a Divine level cksmith there, just like Alistair. She doesn¡¯t want to destroy the Divine Sword as much as possible.

    In order to save Fenrir, it was necessary to separate Fenrir¡¯s soul from the Evil God¡¯s soul. So, the Gods decided to separate only Fenrir¡¯s normal soul, leaving the Evil God¡¯s soul in Fenrir¡¯s body, which had already been fused with the Evil God¡¯s pieces.

    ¡¸The problem was where to store my soul. Because when you cut off a part of a soul, it will drain its power tremendously¡¹

    If Fenrir¡¯s soul was left without any vessel, it would disappear in a sh. Then the vessel that was chosen was the Divine Sword Cherubim.

    ¡¸My body was sealed deep within this in along with the Evil Gods, and I fell asleep within the discarded Divine Sword¡¹

    As a result, the evil beast Fenrir disappeared, and the continent of Zilberd was saved.

    ¡ºBut that didn¡¯t make it a happy ending, right?¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡ºWell. After all, you¡¯re not in the story now. There has to be a continuation¡»

    ¡¸Well, you¡¯re probably right. But my original body is happy you know? Being sealed by the Gods. They even created a barrier for me¡¹

    ¡¸A Barrier?¡¹

    ¡ºCould it be the Forest of Exhaustion?¡»

    ¡¸The sky too. They are also a barrier against the Evil Gods in case they would resurface. They also absorb the magic power of the surrounding area and gradually weaken the Evil Gods that lie beneath these ruins by continuing to perform purification techniques on it¡¹

    The uneven distribution of magical beasts in the ins of the Demon Wolf was actually due to that barrier. Due to the forest of exhaustion, the ins of the Demon Wolf is and where magic power easily umtes and magic beasts are easily born. Therefore, the Gods also suck up the power from the magic stones of the magic beasts and use them in their purification techniques.

    Magic beasts increase in number through breeding, but other than that, they are born from the umtion of magical power. When a magic beast is born from a pool of magical power, a magic stone is first created, which then bes a magical beast when it is covered with magical power.

    Therefore, the magic beasts themselves are weakened by the Divine Barrier that sucks up the magical power even from the magic stones that have just been created from the pool of magical power. In addition, the closer we get to the ruins, the stronger the barrier power bes, and the closer we get to the center, the weaker the magical beast bes.

    The magic beast that is born is also unwilling to go near the center because they hate the ruins that suck up their power. It is said that only small magic beasts such as goblins, which are almost immune to the effects of the barrier woulde close to the center.

    ¡¸Will Urushi be okay here?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯ll be fine here. The Forest of Exhaustion sucks up magic indiscriminately, but the barrier of the ins chooses its target¡¹

    He said that since my magic is registered and Urushi is my followers, he will not be affected by the barrier. That¡¯s convenient huh.

    ¡¸The magic power gathered by the God¡¯s barrier is purifying the pieces of the Evil Gods that parasitized my body every day, but that is not the problem. It¡¯s my soul that¡¯s the problem¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, to put it simply, I haven¡¯t been able topletely rip the Evil God out of my soul.¡¹

 Chapter 492: The Reason It Was Me

    <h4>Chapter 492: The Reason It Was Me</h4>

    ¡ºOioi, Isn¡¯t that bad?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. In fact, I was in danger¡¹

    It seems that the Gods had sealed Fenrir inside Cherubim, and intended to gradually tear away at the Evil God¡¯s power and purify it over thousands or tens of thousands of years.

    However, the Evil God¡¯s corrosiveness was unexpectedly deep, and instead of being cleansed, it invaded even deeper into Fenrir¡¯s soul as time went by.

    ¡¸The Divine Sword is an entity that is designed to counter the pieces of the Evil God. Therefore, I was supposed to be protected as long as I was sealed within it¡­ However, the power of the Evil God was stronger than expected. Well, it was abined existence of four pieces after all¡¹

    The Gods had taken notice. The Gods paid attention to Fenrir¡¯s ability to take in the power of the beings he ate. However, there was no way that Fenrir, in his soul state, could take in his prey on his own.

    So, the n was to fuse the sword with Fenrir¡¯s soul. The purpose was to absorb the power of the killed opponent and restore Fenrir¡¯s soul.

    ¡ºIf I may say so, couldn¡¯t they have just used the Gods powers to heal Fenrir normally?¡»

    ¡¸Even though I am a member of the Divine family, I don¡¯t understand everything about the Gods¡­¡­I¡¯ve heard that Gods have rules too and that they don¡¯t allow any kind of interference on Earth¡¹

    So, the Gods wield their power within the rules that they have set. Otherwise, the world could be messed up by the whims of the Gods huh.

    ¡¸And with the help of several Gods, the foundation of the current Master was created. It¡¯s a sword with a built-in system that absorbs the magic stones it cuts and heals me¡¹

    ¡¸How about the wielder?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, what do you think? I¡¯m not sure even the Gods had any guesses¡­ But first, there was a problem that needed to be solved¡¹

    ¡¸A problem?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the Evil God. Even if I were to perfect the system that heals me, that wouldn¡¯t suddenly weaken the Evil God¡¯s power¡¹

    ¡¸Certainly¡¹

    ¡ºSo how did you solve that problem?¡»

    ¡¸Fufu¡¹

    Hearing my words, Fenrirughed. It wasn¡¯t augh that made fun of me, but a mischievousugh.

    ¡¸The solution to that problem was you, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Me?¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you think is the most troublesome power of the Evil Gods?¡¹

    ¡¸Ummm?¡¹

    ¡ºTroublesome power huh¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Is it its fighting prowess? Its stubbornness? The evil beings they spawn? No. The most terrifying thing about the Evil Gods is their ability to control others¡¹

    A God has more or less control over his or her kin. If she is the Goddess of Chaos, she has control over her kin in the dungeon. If she is the Goddess of Beasts and Insects, she has the power over Beastmen, beasts, and insects. It is said that it is difficult for the kin to disobey their God¡¯s orders. Of course, they are not absolute, but their powers are quite strong.

    ¡ºI¡¯m rather surprised that it¡¯s not absolute. Can it be resisted?¡»

    ¡¸In the case of the Beastmen, the average person would be unable to resist. If the Beastmen¡¯s Godmands them to do something, they would have no choice but to obey. However, if you are strong enough to be at the level of the Beast King and his entourage, I believe you can defy her control. Well, I don¡¯t know if there is anyone who would defy a direct order from a God though¡¹

    ¡ºOrdinary humans would rather be willing to obey, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Probably¡¹

    We know about the rtionship between men and Gods. So, what about the Evil God¡¯s kin members? Are they only evil beings?

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s not. An Evil God can rule over all who are born in this world¡¹

    A Kin member is an existence that was created by their God. Beastmen, the descendants of the Divine Beasts created by the God of the Beastmen, are under the control of the God of Beastmen.

    ¡¸And before the fall, the Evil Gods were assisting the Gods when there was war between Gods¡¹

    In creating this world, the God of War assisted all the Gods. In other words, she is slightly involved in the entire creation of this world. Therefore, the control of the Evil Gods will also extend to everything in this world.

    The War God helped in only a small part, though apparently, her control was not as great as that of the other Gods.

    It is also said that the reason why kin members can resist the rule of the Chief God was that the Evil God has taken part in their dominant territory of control.

    ¡¸And it seems that when he fell to the Evil Gods, his power was altered to specialize his control¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that? There¡¯s no way you can win against that right¡»

    ¡¸It would be difficult for an ordinary being to defeat the Evil God¡¯s pieces. Only those who possess the Divine Sword or have the strength to ovee the Evil God¡¯s control can fight against it¡¹

    ¡º¡­Then, why am I involved in this? I was just amon Japanese man on Earth you know?¡»

    Now I¡¯ve be the Discarded Divine Sword, but when I was on Earth, I was just a regr guy. I¡¯m an otaku whose hobbies were ying games, watching anime, and reading manga.

    ¡¸That part about you being born on Earth is important¡¹

    ¡ºBeing born on earth¡­? I see! So that¡¯s why huh!¡»

    ¡¸Do you understand?¡¹

    ¡ºThose who are born in this world are treated as kin members of the Evil Gods and are ruled by them. But I was not born in this world. So, I won¡¯t be controlled by it huh!¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹

    It seems that they nned to connect Fenrir and the magic stone absorption system to the people from Earth and make use of their souls as the main personality, thereby nullifying the Evil God¡¯s control.

    It¡¯s like a filter or a barricade, but anyway, Fenrir is protected by my presence now.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s finally starting to make sense¡»

    I didn¡¯t know why I had been summoned when I was a normal human being, but it was important to me that I was born on Earth.

    ¡ºWell, I don¡¯t know the reason why I was the one chosen all among the candidates¡»

    ¡¸You may think you were chosen at random, Master, but it seems you were screened ordingly¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    ¡¸First, the form of the soul. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯ve heard that the shape of the soul is very important to fit in as the main personality of the sword. I¡¯ve heard that from the Gods. In particr, the core system of the sword was created by the Goddess of Chaos by applying the dungeon system. I¡¯ve heard thatpatibility with this is important¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Dungeon?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard, and I don¡¯t know what part of the dungeon system they¡¯re using either. However, the way you umte points to gain new powers may indeed be simr to that of a dungeon master¡¹

    That¡¯s why I¡¯m treated like the Goddess of Chaos¡¯ kin huh. And the Goddess of Chaos said that I was also her kin. So, I guess I¡¯m also the kin of another God. Maybe to the Goddess of the Silver Moon.

    ¡¸Personality was also important too. You¡¯re going to be the independent personality of a powerful sword, so you need to have a decent personality¡¹

    ¡ºPersonality?¡»

    I¡¯m not proud of it, but I¡¯m not a saint, you know? Rather, I¡¯m a greedy snob.

    ¡¸It seems rather important to be a greedy person. God said this. Good people are quickly ruled by their self-righteousness and start talking about justice, and bad people are out of the question. Moderate people with a certain level of conscience are preferable¡¹

    Haha, so you¡¯re saying they prefer people who do everything in moderation huh?

    ¡¸Then there are religious views. Atheists are bad, but fanatics are even worse. It¡¯s bad enough when theye to our world and say that their God is the only one. Also, mental flexibility. You need to be able to adapt to this world to some extent¡¹

    I have an idea of a race thatprehensively meets the current criteria. It¡¯s the Japanese otaku. They look down on those who pretend to be good people, but they don¡¯t have the guts to do great evil, and if something happens, they will ask for help from God.

    Hmmm, so there¡¯s a reason why the main characters of otherworld reincarnation novels are all Japanese otaku huh? Perhaps the authors of the otherworld reincarnation stories that have been flooding the earth are actually returnees. I wonder?

    ¡¸In addition, when they look on Earth from this world, it has to be a person who is just dying or has died. I guess that means it¡¯s easier to summon their souls. When ites down to it, there are very few people who can be summoned¡¹

    It would indeed be very hard to find a person with the right personality, that was dying or has died. It¡¯spletely based on luck huh.

    ¡¸In fact, I think Master was the fifth person I¡¯ve met since I started looking for a suitable person. It seems that in a world where killing each other is the norm, being reincarnated as a sword is still a high hurdle. The previous four refused, but fortunately, Master agreed to be the main personality of the sword, and so the sword was finallypleted¡¹

    Ooh, so I wasn¡¯t the only one who met the requirements huh. Now I¡¯m grateful to the previous four people who refused to be reincarnated. If I hadn¡¯t been reincarnated as a sword, I wouldn¡¯t have met Fran either.

    ¡¸And when Master was summoned to this world by the power of the Goddess of the Underworld, some of your memories were sealed and then you were sealed as the main personality of the sword¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s it. I want to hear more about that. Why did they wipe my memory? And what did they wipe from my memory?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s for Master¡¯s sake. After all, Master as a former human was going to be reincarnated as a sword. If he retains his human senses, he will surely go mad¡¹

    Come to think of it, the Fanatics must have said something like that huh. It said that the spirit of a man cannot withstand being the body of a sword.

    ¡¸So, it seems that they sealed away the memories that would strongly shake your personality, desires, and emotions as a human being¡¹

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of other memories I¡¯m forgetting besides the ones before and after my reincarnation that I¡¯m just not aware of?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Of course, it was nned that the seal on your memories would be lifted once you werefortable with the sword and had no problem regaining your memories. Master may not remember this, but it was exined to you before your reincarnation and you understood it¡¹

    That¡¯s probably true. If I was asked to choose between going crazy or having some of my memories sealed, I would definitely choose thetter. Well, the mystery remains as to why I agreed to be reincarnated¡­ No, if I was dying and someone offered me a reincarnation, I might ept it even if it was as a sword. I¡¯m more surprised that there are people who refused.

    ¡ºIs it different from what was nned now?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I need you toe to this ce. The Gods are not all-powerful, but I didn¡¯t expect that their schedule would be so far off¡­ I don¡¯t know whether I should praise orment for the Gods, either¡¹

 Chapter 493: Masterâ€™s Current Situation

    <h4>Chapter 493: Master¡¯s Current Situation</h4>

    Fenrir began to exin the anomaly that was happening to me.

    ¡¸Originally, Cherubim was supposed to help Master¡¯s mind to adjust to the sword. Over time, Master¡¯s mind would adapt to the sword, and at that point, I would reveal myself and release your memories in stages, gradually uniting you with the sword¡¹

    ¡ºBut, Cherubim is¡­¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. Of course, if she hadn¡¯t taken a stand at that time, Master and I would have disappeared. I am grateful to her. But now that I no longer have Cherubim¡¯s support, my ns are beginning to fall apart¡¹

    And that wasn¡¯t the only thing that had gone wrong with the n.

    ¡¸You grew at a faster rate than expected. In addition with extraordinary series of fierce battles, arge number of skills were acquired as a result. You also burdening the system by the use of potential release, outbursts of mad demonization, and absorption of the Fanatics¡¹

    Fenrir counted on his fingers. It¡¯s been a pretty intense few months if he tells me that. But does that mean it was bad?

    After using potential release, Announcer-san lost his power and also caused a major distortion in the entire system. In the Mad Demonization, the evil part of Fenrir went out of control. And when I ate the Fanatics, the internal system was further overloaded, causing a breakdown not only in my memories but also in the seal of the Evil God.

    ¡¸It¡¯s proof that Master and Fran have been fighting hard. I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s a bad thing. But I¡¯m sure it was more of a rush than the Gods had imagined¡¹

    It seems that the Gods, who have a different sense of time than humans, were not very urate in their estimates. Well, maybe we¡¯re living a little too active too.

    Even the Gods didn¡¯t think that the seal of Evil Gods was perfect no matter what. That was why they had left the residue of Cherubim - in other words, Announcer-san. They said that even if there were some tears in the seal, Announcer-san was supposed to be able to repair it.

    However, Announcer-san has lost his power, and so his recovery has been greatly reduced. There¡¯s also the series of events that shook the seal in a short period of time followed, causing the seal to be looser.

    ¡¸But, Alistair had refurbished Master¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯m sure that had brought it back up quite a bit. However, even a divine ss cksmith won¡¯t be able to have a perfect understanding of the system that the Gods built. It was just a first aid¡¹

    ¡ºSo, this time will be different?¡»

    ¡¸Even I don¡¯t know much about it either¡¹

    The pedestal that I¡¯m currently stuck on. This is also a pedestal made by the Gods, and it is said to have various functions that even Fenrir does not know about.

    ¡¸Anyway, Master has not fully adapted to the sword, but his power is much greater than what was expected. If we leave you like this, the memory seal might break and will affect Master¡¯s soul. In fact, it will definitely make Master¡¯s mind go crazy. Not only that, Master, you¡¯ve heard that voice, right?¡¹

    ¡ºVoices? Ah, you mean that one? The one who says ¡°Devour everything¡±?¡»

    It was bothering me in my mind during that battle, so I yelled at it and before I knew it, it was gone.

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. You know what it is now, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡º¡­the Evil Gods huh¡»

    ¡¸Exactly. Or, more urately, a piece of the Evil God¡¯s soul fused with my soul. But still¡­kukukuh¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s the matter?¡»

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s just that I remembered how that piece of the Evil God was yelled at by master, and how it kept quiet after that¡­ kukukuh. It couldn¡¯t believe that there was a being that didn¡¯t ept its control. So it pulled back in surprise¡¹

    Oh, I see. It¡¯s not that it was overwhelmed by my soul, it¡¯s just that it was surprised that it couldn¡¯t dominate me.

    ¡¸Only a small amount of the Evil God¡¯s consciousness is still leaking out, but we can¡¯t leave it like that. We need to reinforce the seal and repair the entire system. That¡¯s why I asked you toe to this ce¡¹

    ¡¸Then, Master can be healed?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. I mean, I¡¯ll be in trouble, if we don¡¯t fix him. It¡¯s because I was also a part of him¡¹

    ¡ºI understand that. So, what am I supposed to do now?¡»

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have to do anything¡¹

    ¡ºNot doing anything¡­¡­are you telling me not to move?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. I heard that the pedestal will do the rest of the work automatically. I don¡¯t know much about it, but Master¡¯s job is just to stay still. I¡¯m sure that the forms built into the pedestal have already started analyzing you now¡¹

    ¡ºForms?¡»

    So, does that mean I¡¯m stuck here for a while? I¡¯m a little scared¡­ It reminds me of the intense, mind-numbing pain I felt when Alistair repaired me. I¡¯m not going to go through that again, right?

    ¡ºHow long do I have to wait?¡»

    ¡¸Well, I don¡¯t know. Will it be an hour, a day, or a week?¡¹

    ¡ºOioi, isn¡¯t that really long?¡»

    ¡¸Think about howplicated and sophisticated the system inside you is? It could take you a month or more you know?¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously. So, what about Fran? If I leave her, she¡¯ll lose her skill-sharing¡­¡­¡»

    Even if Urushi was there with her, it would be too risky to go back to Alessa through the ins of the Demon Wolf alone.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll wait here¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it can¡¯t be helped huh¡­Sorry, it¡¯s because of me¡»

    ¡¸No problem. Besides, it will be a good training period¡¹

    ¡ºBut, I¡¯m noting with you, right?¡»

    ¡¸Gonna train to fight without relying on Master. Urushi is also with me¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºI see, you¡¯re right¡»

    If she can use her skills, Fran¡¯s strength won¡¯t drop that much. As long as she doesn¡¯t go to the outer perimeter, she should be fine.

    Based on Fenrir¡¯s exnation, it seems that the magic beasts don¡¯t like going near the pedestal.

    ¡¸Then, should I train with Fran and Urushi too?¡¹

    ¡¸Fenrir will?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Now, I¡¯m out thanks to the pedestal, but once the restoration isplete, I will sleep inside Master¡¯s again. It¡¯s the only time I¡¯ll be able to train you¡¹

    ¡º¡­Fran, why don¡¯t you ask him to?¡»

    I¡¯m also wondering what kind of training Fenrir will give to Fran. Especially to Urushi.

    Thanks to Fenrir, now I know why I was able to summon the wolf-shaped magic beast. That¡¯s also what Urushi¡¯s title, ¡°Kin of the Divine Wolf,¡± means. As a wolf-type magic beast, I think this will be good training for Urushi.

    ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll be in your care¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Yosh Yosh! Well then, let¡¯s give you a little lecture¡¹

 Chapter 494: Simple Training

    <h4>Chapter 494: Simple Training</h4>

    The start of Fenrir¡¯s training was a little different from what she had expected.

    ¡¸Yes just like that, don¡¯t move¡¹

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Concentrate within your own body, sharpen your senses¡¹

    She thought he was going to teach her how to use her skills and how to wield weapons, but he told her to sit in a cross-legged position on the spot.

    It was training to control the flow of her magic power. The content of his training was to let magical power flow through her body.

    Fran is already capable of using her techniques, but shecks the fundamentals because she has been fighting on her own. That¡¯s why it is not surprising that she has to do this kind of training.

    ¡¸Once you can do this properly, you¡¯ll be able to use your skills better¡¹

    Fenrir has been watching over Fran from within me. Thanks to that, I also know Fran¡¯s shorings now.

    ¡¸Fran has two problems, the first one is about her skills control¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s still far from perfect¡»

    With the maintenance of the Divine cksmith Alistair, some of my skills have been integrated into one and I gained more powerful superior skills, but she is still having a hard time controlling them.

    ¡¸And the other one is that her own power is too great, but the bacsh on her body is also great too¡¹

    ¡ºThat too. We¡¯re trying to do something about it¡»

    The only solution I can think of is to train her body and increase her status. Of course, I know that reducing the number of multiple skill activations and lowering the power output will solve the problem. However, that would put us at a disadvantage in future battles against powerful enemies.

    ¡¸This training she¡¯s doing now will have a positive effect on that weakness¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Really?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    He said that once she had better control over her skills, she would be able to use the magic power she was currently wasting to offset the bacsh and strengthen herself.

    ¡¸It won¡¯t be as strong as body strengthening technique, but it¡¯s better like that¡¹

    ¡ºHoho¨D, That¡¯s good¡»

    ¡¸And for Urushi, he¡¯s from a species where skill handling is important¡¹

    ¡ºThe wide variety of skills is Urushi¡¯s main asset after all¡»

    ¡¸Besides, even withter evolution, the Darkness Wolf won¡¯t be able to enhance its fighting ability much¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸W-woof?¡¹

    Not only was I surprised by Fenrir¡¯s words but Urushi was too. He stood up unconsciously with a shocked look.

    ¡¸A Darkness Wolf¡¯s next evolutionary path is the Gehenna Wolf or Dark Knight Wolf. However, since both of them are lord-level monsters, their abilities as individuals do not increase much, while their dominance skills over other wolf species increase a lot¡¹

    ¡ºSo he¡¯s going to make his underlings fight like the Goblin King?¡»

    ¡¸Well. Although he¡¯ll be able to use more magic, his evolution won¡¯t be as explosive as other wolf species in terms of status¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Hearing those words, Urushi drooped. He wanted to evolve and be stronger after all.

    ¡¸Urushi, that¡¯s why this training will be meaningful. The way for you to be stronger as an individual is to strengthen your skills. Think about how to use your skills even more than you already do¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ***

    Three days passed in the blink of an eye since Fran and Urushi started meditating.

    Of course, they take meals and breaks. But they¡¯ve been in meditation for most of the time. Urushi looks like he¡¯s just sitting down though.

    ¡ºI¡¯m relieved I had prepared some food before we came to the ins of the Demon Wolf¡»

    ¡¸Fran can hunt and cook by herself, right? She also has the skills¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you¡¯re right. But this will allow her to focus on her training, right?¡»

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s certainly true¡¹

    However, starting today, they will be doing a different kind of training. The training is to stalk the goblins that appear in this area without using any skills.

    Instead of relying on stealth skills, they need to be able to eliminate their presence without using skills to manipte it.

    This is something I can¡¯t teach them, so I¡¯m very grateful. As an inorganic being, I don¡¯t understand what it means to erase my presence. After all, I¡¯m usually able to eliminate my presence without doing anything. I mean, I don¡¯t have a heart, so no heartbeat, no breathing, no smell, and no sound because I move by telekinesis.

    In general, as a sword, I don¡¯t have any presence. As long as I conceal my magic, it would be difficult for those magic beasts to find me.

    Well, I still have the senses I had when I was human, but I¡¯ve never had any training on Earth to erase my presence. I¡¯m an amateur in this field.

    Meditation in the morning. Goblin stalking would be their next training in the afternoon.

    ¡ºWill that make Fran stronger?¡»

    ¡¸Of course. Well, it would be even better if she could raise her level at the same time¡¹

    ¡ºWon¡¯t she need me for that?¡»

    ¡¸Not in particr. You have a few swords in your storage, right? Well, she¡¯ll have to be with Master to hunt magic beast on the outer perimeter, but as long as it¡¯s a D level threat or below, Fran will be fine now¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸I know how you feel, but sometimes you just need to keep an eye on things, right?¡¹

    ¡ºUgh¡­¡»

    I also know about that, but¡­ Either way, in my current state, all can do now is just to watch over her.

    ¡ºHow far are my repairs going?¡»

    ¡¸Well. All I can tell you is that you¡¯re still being analyzed. It hasn¡¯t made any progress in repairing you¡¹

    ¡ºEven though it¡¯s already been three days?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. Moreover, the repairs would take more time than the analysis¡¹

    ¡ºSo even if the analysis is finished today, it¡¯ll be at least three more days huh?¡»

    Fenrir told me that my system was soplex that it would take a lot of time to analyze it in detail.

    ¡ºDo you know how long will it take?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡¹

    ¡ºHaah¡­¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that this is necessary for Master¡¯s sake. Please bear with it¡¹

    ¡ºOkay. Hey, if I don¡¯t move from this state, can I use my skills or magic?¡»

    ¡¸Umm. Aside from telepathy, I think you shouldn¡¯t use high-level skills. That could prolong the analysis¡¹

    ¡º¡­I¡¯m not going to use high-level skills¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine then¡¹

    Haah! I can¡¯t wait for this to be over!

 Chapter 495: Itâ€™s Been a Week

    <h4>Chapter 495: It¡¯s Been a Week</h4>

    A week passed quickly after I was ced on the pedestal.

    The analysis isn¡¯t finished yet. Seriously, this is going to take at least a month, isn¡¯t it?

    While Fran was here with me, she went out for goblin stalking now.

    Fran and Urushi seem to have taken a great liking to goblin stalking, which was supposed to be their training, and they go out happily every day. They found it as fun as ying detective.

    ¡¸Today is the day I¡¯m going to get close enough while not being spotted by ¡ºCrooked Nose¡»¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. The ¡ºCrooked Nose¡» can¡¯t be taken lightly¡¹

    ¡¸woof?¡¹

    ¡¸It keeps ying with the ¡ºSpear guy¡» and never returns to the nest¡¹

    She now can distinguish between the different goblins, and she¡¯s having fun by giving them nicknames.

    Right now, they seem to be following the goblins around all day long, trying to track down their nest. She¡¯ll keep going until she gets tired of it.

    Because of this, Fran and Urushi didn¡¯te back even if it gets dark, leaving me with a lot of free time.

    Thanks to that, I¡¯vepleted my original novel-style story that I¡¯ve been imagining little by little. The title of the story is ¡ºThe Former Brave Wise Man as SSSS Ranked Adventurer in His Previous Life, Reincarnated for The Third Time to Be a Demon King as a Holy Sword Used by a Viiness¡»

    It¡¯s a super high fantasy with gag, tears, and sex appeal. Of course, it also includes elements of sarcasm and harem.

    In the end, when he and his 100 wives are about to take revenge on the hero party that abandoned him, he realizes that it was all a dream. When the protagonist wakes up on his bed on earth, he realizes the pointlessness of fighting and realizes that ¡¸a normal life is the best!¡¹ This is the end of that story.

    It¡¯s terribly interesting, even for me. I¡¯m sure if I posted it on ¡°Let¡¯s Be a Novelist!¡± (1), which I used to use on Earth, it would be ranked number one in no time. Even I was scared of my writing talent.

    ¡¸Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m getting bored. I¡¯ve got enough time on my hands to finish a big, long, super-sh*tty fantasy in my head that isn¡¯t even interesting¡»

    ¡¸Uumm, why doesn¡¯t Master go train too?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ve done that too¡»

    I was still training to control the flow of my magic power, imitating Fran and Urushi. However, I have the Simultaneous Operation skill. That¡¯s why I can think about other things while I¡¯m training.

    ¡¸There¡¯s also the blessing of the God of Wisdom, so it can¡¯t be helped¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸That blessing assists you with the Simultaneous Activation of magic (2). Or should I say, that makes it easier for you to split your thoughts huh?¡¹

    Whenbined with Simultaneous Operations (3), the effect is doubled. That means I can have twice as much free time.

    ¡ºBut why did I get the blessings of the God of Wisdom?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s because the Divine Sword Cherubim was a kin of the God of Wisdom. In other words, the being that Master calls Announcer-san is the God of Wisdom¡¯s kin¡¹

    It seems that Alistair¡¯s maintenance strengthened my connection with the residue of Cherubim, and I was recognized as a member of the kin too.

    ¡ºSpeaking of which, I¡¯ve been wondering about the emblem on my guard. Why is it in the shape of a wolf? No, I know it represents Fenrir, but I thought, cherubim were supposed to be designed like angels, right?¡»

    ¡¸There are several reasons for this, one is to hide the fact that master is a former cherubim, and even though it was rarely seen by the public, there are still people who know what it looked like because of Oracle skills¡¹

    That¡¯s for sure. If they find out that I was a former Divine Sword, they¡¯re going toe after me in many ways.

    ¡¸The other, simply because it makes it stronger¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? It wasn¡¯t just a change in shape huh?¡»

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s just a change in shape, you know? But the form and existence are closely linked. A cherubim has a form befitting a cherubim, and Master who took in has a form befitting for it¡¹

    ¡ºDoes that change the strength?¡»

    ¡¸Just a little bit. Well, that¡¯s because it¡¯s a Divine Sword, a high-ranking entity. There¡¯s no point in messing around with the emblems on a few of those swords¡¹

    Because of the tremendous power of the Divine Sword, even a slight increase in strength would be meaningful.

    ¡¸Oh yeah¡­ For example, it will also affect the acquisition of blessings. A weapon in the shape of fire will not have the blessings of the Water God. The image given by the figure is that much more important¡¹

    ¡ºBut with the wolf design on me, I don¡¯t get the blessings of Fenrir or Goddess of the Silver Moon. Instead, I get the blessings of the God of Wisdom¡»

    ¡¸This may sound contradictory to what I said earlier, but the form is not everything. It¡¯s important, but in the end, it¡¯s only one of the factors that make up a big thing¡¹

    ¡ºI guess it¡¯s all about what¡¯s inside as well as how it looks huh¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s what I mean¡¹

    In the first ce, the blessings of the God of Wisdom were supposed to be given to me as I grew up, but they had to be put on hold due to Announcer-san¡¯s loss of power. Thanks to Alistair, those growths have progressed all at once I guess.

    ¡¸As for the blessings of the Goddess of Chaos, I don¡¯t know much about her¡­¡­She¡¯s a fickle person. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she gave you the blessing simply for the fun of it¡¹

    ¡ºHer blessing huh¡­? After what I¡¯ve heard about the Divine kin, I¡¯d even say she¡¯s rather troublesome¡»

    ¡¸Haah. You came from a different world after all. For people in this world, it¡¯s a big deal to have two Divine Blessings, you know? In Master¡¯s case, the Gods have no control over you. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re forcing you to do what they say, so just think of it as a useful skill¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ve been ordered around by the Goddess of Chaos before though?¡»

    ¡¸That wasn¡¯t using control over the kin, that was just a normal threat with force, right?¡¹

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that worse?¡»

    ¡¸Well, I wonder? But, you can try to resist it if you¡¯re prepared to die, right?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that? I don¡¯t want to die yet!¡»

    After all, I can¡¯t go against the Gods, right? No, I have no intention of disobeying any Gods other than the Evil Gods. But what if I have to fight a God? I don¡¯t think that would happen. But¡­

    ¡ºAah. I think badly because I have too much free time on my hands. I tend to be negative when I think too much¡»

    ¡¸Haah. Then, I think you should do moreplicated training¡¹

    ¡ºLike what?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s a discipline for novice magician, but it involves controlling basic magic to change form¡¹

    ¡ºChange form? Do you mean like thickening up arrow-type magic?¡»

    ¡¸No. What am I talking about is changing its form more finely¡¹

    Fenrir said so and created a fire arrow in front of himself. However, the arrow immediately changed its shape and transformed into a wolf. It had the added bonus of making a howling motion.

    ¡¸Can you get it? I¡¯m not using any magic to transform its shape right now¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    When I strengthen magic or transform it, I put more magic power into it to y with it. However, the transformation Fenrir just performed did not use any extra magic power. In other words, it was the same magic consumption as a normal Fire Arrow.

    It seems that if I train my imagery and control of the skill, I can transform the skill without wasting any magic power.

    It is said to be a method developed for novice magicians to train without wasting their magic power. By transforming the shape of the magic while maintaining it in the air, they can train their concentration, control, and endurance.

    My magic is self-taught, and it¡¯s nice to be taught these basic training methods. If I keep doing this, even if my skill level doesn¡¯t improve, my magic skills might.

    ¡¸This doesn¡¯t consume much magic power and has little effect on the analysis. And yet, the more you focus all your attention on it, the more interesting transformations you can make. It¡¯s a great way to train and pass the time¡¹

    ¡ºBesides, it looks fun¡»

    I tried to transform the Fire Arrow first as Fenrir had done.

    ¡ºSuddenly making it transform into a wolf was impossible for me huh?¡»

    ¡¸First, you need to imagine the shape of it¡¹

    ¡ºSh*t, just you see, I¡¯m not going to make just a wolf, I¡¯m aiming for Cerberus!¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to it¡¹

 Chapter 496: Training as the Time goes by

    <h4>Chapter 496: Training as the Time goes by</h4>

    ¡ºI wonder how much time has passed already huh?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Of course, no one can answer.

    It¡¯s been an eternity since I¡¯ve been plugged into this pedestal.

    Clouds drifted, rain fell, many nights have passed, and I was still here.

    ¡ºHow long has it been since¡­ When will I be able to get out of this?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThis already like a torture prison on this ins¡­¡»

    But there was a voice that answered myment. A man¡¯s voice, full of dignity, came out of nowhere.

    ¡¸Are you done with your ¡°One Hundred Years of Solitude¡± act?¡¹

    It was Fenrir-san who looked at me with a dumbfounded expression as I acted out my monologue.

    ¡ºI¡¯m bored!¡»

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t expect it to be this long either. But it¡¯s better than when you were stuck in the Forest of Exhaustion, right?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡»

    I know there is an end, and I have Fran, Urushi, and Fenrir with me here now. And I have also grown quite a bit.

    ¡ºBut I¡¯m bored, bored! It¡¯s been a month you know?¡»

    Yes, it¡¯s been a month since then. Even after all that time, the analysis hasn¡¯t been finished yet. How much time will it take huh¡­¡­?

    A hut made of earth magic now stood next to the pedestal. For the first few days, Fran hadid her bed on the ins and slept there. She doesn¡¯t mind sleeping out in the open, or rather, she prefers to sleep on the fresh ins rather than in a confined space.

    However, it rains sometimes, so we built a hut just in case. At first, Fenrir tried to build it, but we forgot that this guy was originally a wolf. He dug a huge hole and said ¡¸Isn¡¯t this a nice ce to sleep!¡¹

    In the end, Fran decided to make it properly. But this is Fran we were talking about. Well, it¡¯s not as bad as just having a roof over her head though. Sh*t, if I could have made it, I could have made a better house!

    Well, thanks to my analysis not being finished yet, Fenrir was able to stay out longer, and Fran and Urushi made a lot of progress in their training.

    ¡ºI even can do this with my ice magic now you know!¡»

    I can now control my ice magic better, which I was not very good at before, and transform it from wolf to dragon, dragon to tiger, etc. without difficulty.

    With thunder magic and fire magic that I specialize in, I can make ten dragons fly in the air, move them separately, and finally scatter them like fireworks.

    I wouldn¡¯t do this in front of Fran, but I can even make it look like a beautiful girl and have it pose in many sexy positions.

    ¡¸I¡¯d just remove the Simultaneous Operations in the first ce¡¹

    ¡ºThen, we won¡¯t be able to respond to an emergency like that right?¡»

    ¡¸You worry too much huh?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a good thing because it¡¯s been good training for me. And Fran¡¯s training has progressed even further¡»

    Fran and Urushi are already in the second stage of their training. This is the training to fight using only sword techniques.

    Fran doesn¡¯t use sword techniques very often. The reason was that in a high-speed battle, the dy after a move can be fatal. There was also the reason that Fran, who could increase the power of each blow with her skills and magic, did not need it.

    But another reason is that Fran is not very good at using her sword techniques.

    In the case of a normal swordsman, they would practice sword techniques ¡ú learn sword skills ¡ú fight mainly with sword skills ¡ú encounter opponents for whom sword skills alone are not enough ¡ú and start to use both sword techniques and sword skills in a bnced manner.

    However, Fran had mastered sword skills at a high level from the start and was, therefore, able to fight battles on her own. Moreover, because she became strong quickly, she didn¡¯t need to use sword techniques in the method mentioned above.

    She skipped the process that other swordsmen go through, where they learn sword techniques and use them all the time and get hurt. Normally, that¡¯s when the body learns how to use the sword techniques. Because of this, Fran, who had not umted much experience, was not very good at utilizing sword techniques in her offense and defense.

    This is the reason why we often use sword techniques to pre-empt or end a fight.

    Fenrir knew this and told her to use only her sword techniques for a while. Even in the mock battles against Fenrir, she was using only her sword technique to fight.

    Fenrir is like an illusion, so it doesn¡¯t seem to matter how many attacks he receives. Thanks to this, he was able to take Fran¡¯s sword techniques from time to time, while giving her advice.

    ¡¸I think it¡¯s time for her to get some realbat soon¡¹

    ¡ºCan¡¯t she just have a mock battle with Fenrir?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m an illusion, so she can¡¯t touch me. That¡¯s not even a mock battle. You won¡¯t call a fight with a goblin as a real battle, right? She needs to fight a stronger opponent. Either an actual battle against a magic beast or a mock battle against adventurers¡¹

    As expected, she won¡¯t get meaningful experiences unless she trains in actual battles.

    ¡¸It¡¯s just, you know, I¡¯m about out of time¡¹

    ¡ºEh? What do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m almost out of time to talk to Master like this. I¡¯ve been saving my strength except for when we were training, but I can¡¯t stay out here any longer. I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    Those words made me understand. It¡¯s not just that he won¡¯t be able to use his illusions toe out here anymore, but that he really won¡¯t be able to talk to us like now.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve taught Fran and Urushi almost everything I can teach them, but¡­ It¡¯s regretable that I won¡¯t be able to see them in the future. Please take care of the rest, Master¡¹

    ¡ºShould she hunt some small fry magic beast then?¡»

    ¡¸As long as she doesn¡¯t have a decent opponent, that¡¯s all we can do. We¡¯ll start with the small fry and then increase the difficulty. Fortunately, in these ins, we can narrow down the strength of the monsters to some extent¡¹

    However, I still feel uneasy about letting them fight a strong magic beast without me¡­ I¡¯ve been through something like this before in the Royal Capital, but the position was reversed now. This time I¡¯ll be the one waiting.

    ¡ºHey, can she just have a mock battle with Fenrir and Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸The two of them know too much about each other¡¯s moves. I¡¯d prefer another adventurer or a formidable magic beast if possible¡¹

    We can¡¯t call in the adventurers here. We have to hide my identity, and there¡¯s no way they¡¯d agree to stay here and keep up with Fran¡¯s mock battles in the first ce.

    ¡¸I guess, Master needs to work on that worrying habit of his huh¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºI know¡­¡»

 Chapter 497: She Came

    <h4>Chapter 497: She Came</h4>

    ¡ºThen, we¡¯ll use fried fish for today curry¡¯s topping¡»

    ¡¸Nn! the fish is tasty¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the worst thing about this body is that I can¡¯t eat¡¹

    Fenrir lets out a sigh as he stares at Fran and Urushi who are enjoying their curry. Well, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand the feeling. Fran and Urushi looks really delighted eating their food after all.

    Even I, who had lost my ability to eat after bing a sword, was a little envious. Fenrir must have been stimted by his appetite as well.

    ¡¸¡­Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    After a luxurious meal that could not imagine being in this magical area, Fran and Urushi who were drinking their tea stopped. Then, they stared at the north of the ins.

    ¡ºLooks like it¡¯s getting closer¡»

    ¡¸Moreover, it seems to be aiming straight to here¡¹

    Something with great magic power ising towards us.

    At first, I thought it was a strong magic beast running rampant, but it ignored the area and headed straight from the south. It seemed to be more than just a magic beast.

    ¡ºFran, be prepared!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi stand ready to respond at any time. I will also have to suspend the analysis at worst. I don¡¯t know what that thing would do, but Fran is my first priority.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    But we were soon relieved of that tension. It wasn¡¯t that the other party had disappeared or anything like that. It was simply that we realized that the owner of the presence was someone we knew.

    The closer the distance, the more clearly we knew who the owner of this presence was.

    ¡¸Amanda?¡¹

    Yes, it was Amanda, a rank A adventurer, who wasing towards us with tremendous speed. It looks like she¡¯s running as fast as she can. At this rate, she should arrive here in a few minutes.

    We waited for about five minutes, and sure enough, we saw Amanda running across the ins.

    She must have found us at the same time we saw her.

    ¡¸Fraaan-chan!¡¹

    Amanda had spotted Fran and while waving her hands, she elerated even further.

    The goblin that was in Amanda and Fran¡¯s straight line was shattered by wind magic. When Fran saw that, for some reason, she let out a sad voice.

    ¡¸Aaah! Crooked Nose!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Oh, so that goblin is Fran and Urushi¡¯s eternal rival, the Crooked Nose huh. That goblin has a sense of smell that is unbelievable for a goblin and can spot through all of Fran and Urushi¡¯s stalking. I¡¯m sure they were determined to increase the proficiency of their stealth and stalk it from a distance.

    ¡¸Huhu©`, Crooked Nose is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda you idiot¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Why¡­?¡¹

    Amanda was confused. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and she was imagining all kinds of emotional things. But then Fran suddenly fell to her feet and started crying. And to top it all off, she got angry.

    ¡¸U-umm, Sorry?¡¹

    Amanda bows her head, not knowing why she¡¯s angry.

    When Fran saw this, she had no choice but to ept. Well, they¡¯re only goblins after all.

    ¡¸You forgive me?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­It¡¯s fine now¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you Fran-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Muguh¡¹

    Looking thrilled, Amanda jumped on Fran and hugged her. As she was buried in her cleavage, Fran let out a strange voice. It continued with a series of cheek-to-cheek attack.

    It¡¯s been a long time since theyst saw each other. I guess she can¡¯t help but be a little passionate about it. But if Amanda were a man, I¡¯d ignore the analysis and hit her with the most powerful attack I could use.

    ¡¸Fran-chan! Now that your Onee-san is here, you¡¯ll be safe now!¡¹

    Amanda dered so with a firm face. But Fran has no idea what she¡¯s talking about.

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Because Fran-chan said she was heading to the ins of the Demon Wolf but has not returned ~. Do you have any trouble?¡¹

    ¡¸No¡¹

    Apparently, Fran had been treated as missing.

    ¡¸But, I¡¯ve said I¡¯m going to train¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯ve been training all this time?¡¹

    When adventurers train in a magical area near a town, they usually return to the town after a few days. It would be a shame to waste the materials obtained, and they also have problems with their food.

    However, it was not a problem for Fran, who has dimensional storage. Well, it would be difficult for a normal adventurer to stay in a dungeon or magical area for a long period of time, but Fran can do it.

    ¡¸At Alessa¡¯s guild, Nell was worried that Fran hadn¡¯te back, so I came to find you¡¹

    ¡¸Nell knows about my dimensional storage though¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, you should be a little more aware of how awesome you are¡¹

    There is a dimensional storage skill in space-time magic, but it is usually not as useful as ours. In the first ce, I can use the storage skills, but I¡¯ve rarely used it.

    Because dimensional storage was the higher version of it. It can be activated instantly, the entrance isrge, and the capacity is overwhelminglyrge. Moreover, time does not advance inside. Well, it¡¯s a special skill that specializes in that after all.

    Whenpared with Storage skills, it can¡¯t hold anything as big as us, nor can it hold as much. And unless you¡¯re a proficient user of it, time will pass.

    ¡¸Besides, this is a grade-A magical area you know. No matter how strong Fran is, if she doesn¡¯te back for a month, I¡¯ll worry about her. Well, guild master wasughed about this though¡¹

    Amanda also thought that something might have happened and came to the ins of the Demon Wolf in a hurry.

    ¡¸Besides, Master wasn¡¯t with you, so I figured there must have been some unforeseen circumstances. Master, what¡¯s wrong with him? I mean, with his magic power is¡­¡¹

    Amanda is pained while looking at me like this. It seems that while I¡¯m plugged into the presence, my presence is almost imperceptible to others. Therefore, to Amanda, I must look like a magic sword that has lost its power.

    She asked Fran with a look on her face as if she was asking something that was hard to ask. Well, if she knew the rtionship between me and Fran, it would be hard for her to ask after all. It¡¯s like asking her why her partner has died.

    However, I have already discussed with Fenrir how much I can exin to Amanda.

    ¡ºShould I say thank you for worrying about me? Or don¡¯t make me looks like I¡¯m dead?¡»

    ¡¸Eh? Master, are you okay? I thought you were¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThis pedestal is created by the divine level cksmith who made me, and it¡¯s supposed to keep my power from leaking out while I¡¯m stuck here¡»

    ¡¸Hee©`. That¡¯s great to hear then. But, by a divine level cksmith? Is Master a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha, no, I¡¯m not. I just a sword made by a divine level cksmith¡»

    I¡¯m not lying. I am not a divine sword now.

    ¡¸We¡¯re here to repair master¡¹

    ¡ºThis pedestal also has a lot of functions¡»

    ¡¸Repair? What had happened?¡¹

    As expected, I could not talk about Fenrir or the Gods. So, I decided to use Elmera, a divine level cksmith to exin that I was under maintenance.

 Chapter 498: The Current Situation

    <h4>Chapter 498: The Current Situation</h4>

    After a long conversation, Amanda hugged Fran again and stroked her head.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve done your best huh¨D?!¡¹

    Well, the story goes that wherever she went, she got caught up in trouble and almost died over and over again.

    With that being said, Amanda didn¡¯t stop stroking Fran¡¯s head. Fran won¡¯t be going bald or have a Fire started on her head if she continues like this right? I didn¡¯t stop her because Fran herself doesn¡¯t mind it.

    ¡¸It¡¯s great that you had uncovered the conspiracy of that cheapskate Marquis, but don¡¯t be reckless, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Cheapskate Marquis?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s that Ashtner! I¡¯ve had a few requests from the Marquis, but he never pays! But I can¡¯t refuse because he has an introduction from an acquaintance¡¹

    Amanda had taken on a few jobs from him, including gathering materials. She couldn¡¯t refuse because she was a person who had some influence on Allesa.

    In Amanda¡¯s case, she also has thick connections with the country and the nobility.

    Amanda seems to know quite a bit about this whole thing. I¡¯ve heard that a lot of information has been disclosed to deal with the Raidos Kingdom. They¡¯ve been gathering information through their ownworks after all.

    Needless to say, she must have also heard about Fran¡¯s activities in the Royal Capital.

    If anything, Amanda is probably more concerned about the battle in the Beast Country, which is new to her.

    When I told her about Kiara¡¯s death, she had a pained expression on her face. I guess it was more out of concern for Fran¡¯s loss than out of mourning for Kiara.

    ¡¸¡­Fran-chan is a hard-working person huh. But don¡¯t overwork yourself too hard, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be sad if something happens to Fran without my knowledge. So, don¡¯t be too reckless, okay? Is that no good?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn. But I have to be reckless to be strong¡¹

    ¡¸Fuh¡­ Is that so?¡¹

    In the next few seconds, she must have realized that nothing she could say would change Fran¡¯s decision. Amanda¡¯s eyes were sadly downcast.

    ¡¸Hey?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Right now, Fran-chan is doing her training while waiting for Master to be repaired in this ce, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right¡»

    ¡¸I see¡­ All right, I¡¯ll help you too then!¡¹

    Amanda, with a look of determination on her face, clenched her fists and made a deration. Her face was full of motivation, and she looked like she was about to start a mock battle.

    ¡ºWhat do you mean by saying you¡¯ll help her?¡»

    Amanda would have to stay in Alessa as a deterrent against Raidos Kingdom. Moreover, she would not be able to do so without permission, as she was currently in the middle of a skirmish.

    ¡¸Because you want a mock battle partner, right? I¡¯ll be your partner then¡¹

    ¡¸Oohh¨D¡¹

    Fran looks happy, but is it fine for her to do something like this?

    ¡ºI appreciate your offer, but what about Allesa? And is the war with the Raidos Kingdom going to be okay?¡»

    ¡¸Aah. About that matters¡­¡¹

    I asked her, and Amanda exined the current situation to me.

    Raidos¡¯ troops that crossed the border were scattered and kicked around by Alessa¡¯s forces, and eventually, they all retreated. Afterward, Raidos sent a letter saying that they were sorry for the outburst of some hardliners.

    They¡¯re stating it¡¯s not the will of the country, it¡¯s just a few idiots messing around. The letter was followed by a messenger and the head of the alleged ringleader.

    ¡¸Actually, it¡¯s just the head of a lower-ranking nobleman who lost a political battle with a Raidos nobleman and had nothing to do with his head¡¹

    ¡ºSo, it¡¯s a scapegoat huh¡»

    The leaders of Alessa and the negotiators sent by the Kranzel Kingdom know this. However, even though they know this, they have to ept Raidos¡¯ reasoning.

    ¡¸Why? The other side was the bad guy, right?¡¹

    ¡¸We know~ But there¡¯s no use in continuing the war either¡¹

    At a time when the country is in turmoil, it is impossible to continue a war against a major power. If we had the luxury of doing so, it would be better to focus on the reconstruction of the Royal Capital.

    There is also an issue with the face value, but that was resolved when Raidos had apologized for the time being. We can also get a good amount of benefits after all.

    Raidos Kingdom must have been aware of this from the beginning.

    It would be best if they could sessfully cut off the border area. Even if it fails, there¡¯s no chance for the Kranzel Kingdom to invade. Because we can¡¯t afford that. We will have to paypensation, but we will also gain valuable battle data.

    ¡¸Jean is currently guarding the border, and is searching for any Raidos agents who may have entered the country with other adventurers¡¹

    ¡¸And Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m filling in for the other adventurers, handling requests for high-ranking adventurers and urgent requests. But I got a little carried away and ran out of requests¡¹

    If that was the case, I thought she could help find the agent, but it seems for Amanda, who is famous and stand out like a celebrity, was deemed unsuitable for such a job.

    ¡¸Aren¡¯t they rude? I can be a ninja if I want to be. They make me looks like a brute that can only fight¡­¡¹

    Amanda was mutteringints about Nell and guild master for a while, but she quickly regained herposure.

    ¡¸Well, thanks to that. That¡¯s what gave me the time toe here, so I should be rather grateful!¡¹

    In other words, it seems that Amanda is not going to stay here for long, but will travel back and forth between Alessa and the ins of the Demon Wolf every few days.

    ¡¸It would be biased to only have mock battles with me, wouldn¡¯t it? Mock battles, magic beast hunts, basic training, and exploring the ins with me. I think it¡¯s best to repeat that¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you¡¯re right¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When Fran and I agreed, Amanda hurriedly prepared her whip.

    ¡ºEh? Are you going to do it already?¡»

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Naturally!¡¹

    Aah. I still hadn¡¯t figured the minds of these battle junkies. They never understand themon sense to do things slowly.

 Chapter 499: Farewell

    <h4>Chapter 499: Farewell</h4>

    ¡¸Shall we do it now then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and Amanda face each other with a sharp gaze in front of the pedestal. It¡¯s been just a few minutes since we met again for a long time, but they¡¯re really going to do a mock battle right now huh¡­

    Fran is ready to go and holds up the magic sword made of phantasm pyroxene that she had been using for a while. Amanda¡¯s whip was a terrifying whip with the scary name of ¡ºDemon¡¯s Torment¡». It was not the Divine Dragon¡¯s Beard Magic Whip, which was broken in the martial arts tournament. It was her spare whip that was used in the finals.

    Name: Demon¡¯s Torment

    ATK: 721

    MP: 616

    Durability: 720

    Mana Conductivity: B-

    Skill: Stretch, Pain-stacking, Paralysis

    Name: Divine Dragon¡¯s Beard Magic Whip

    ATK: 1030

    MP: 1800

    Durability: 1000

    Mana Conductivity: A

    Skill: Stretch, Weight Maniption

    It¡¯s weaker than the Divine Dragon¡¯s Beard Magic Whip, but it¡¯s still pretty strong. The pain-stacking skill is also a nasty ability.

    ¡¸Let me give my newly acquired whip a test, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, bring it on!¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, then, here Ie!¡¹

    At that moment, the battle began. It may look so sudden for outsiders, but it¡¯s not for the two of them. It¡¯s started when they held their weapons.

    ¡¸Shaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Nnhh!¡¹

    While dodging Amanda¡¯s whip, Fran shed at her. After a few minutes of this kind of repeated attack and defense, Amanda smiled in admiration.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve changed your stance, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸I see, I see. You¡¯re aware of the use of sword techniques now, huh?¡¹

    Amanda saw through at her easily. While looking at her, I realized that Amanda¡¯s stance was naturally woven into her whip technique.

    ¡¸Shii! Haa!¡¹

    In between the dancing whip attacks. The whip dives into the ground, it strikes Fran like a spear from the ground and turns into a horizontal attack.

    She must have made good use of the ¡ºMadness Water Lilies¡» whip technique to attack her opponent from below, incorporating vertical attack with its horizontal movements. This not only disrupted Fran¡¯s evasive timing but also forced her to constantly pay attention to the ground below her.

    Other than that, Amanda¡¯s whip technique was also amazing.

    The whip, which was once flicked by the sword, attacked Fran again with an impossible movement and blocked her pursuit. The whip moved and took her by surprise even when Amanda didn¡¯t move her arm at all, showing once again the usefulness of martial techniques.

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s her aim huh¡­¡»

    In the end, Fran was pushed aside by the storm of whip attack and her sword was flicked away. Amanda was so strong after all.

    ¡¸Muh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well, don¡¯t lose your spirits yet okay? If we continue to use this approach, you¡¯ll be able to be quite strong. And it seems that your martial arts skill itself has already surpassed mine¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, it would definitely be in Fran¡¯s best interest to fight without Master¡¯s support. And I¡¯m not just talking about your attack power and magic control, if you can¡¯t consult him in battle, you¡¯ll have to think for yourself, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹

    Fran looks frustrated, but she nods her head in agreement with Amanda¡¯s advice. This honesty is what supports Fran¡¯s growth potential.

    Although she never loses her stubborn side, she was surprisingly straightforward when it came to asking for lessons inbat and the like.

    ¡¸Then, shall we go on the next one?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Well, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll be satisfied with just one round huh.

    After that, the mock battle between Fran and Amanda continued until the sun began to set.

    ¡¸Uwaah, that¡¯s was one of the best mock battles I¡¯ve had in a while!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t even win once in the end. Even though she hadn¡¯t changed her stance and was mainly using sword techniques, she looked terribly frustrated. Maybe she thought she could win at least once. But without me, the difference in strength was obvious. No, it wasn¡¯t a difference in strength, but a difference in experience and skill handling.

    Nevertheless, in the second half of the mock battle, she was able to react to Amanda¡¯s whip, and I think she will be able topete well with her as her training progresses.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m going back to Alessa for now. I¡¯lle back here in four days¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chan. Won¡¯t you miss me when I¡¯m gone?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    ¡¸R-really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Really, really?¡¹

    ¡¸There wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all¡¹

    ¡¸Really¨D¨D?¡¹

    Amanda, just go back already!

    ***

    At dinner time.

    Fran and Urushi were biting into a huge piece of meat. Fufu, even Fran won¡¯t eat curry every day. Well, she had curry for breakfast and lunch today though.

    This meat is from a stray fang boar that had wandered it, and I made a whole roast of it

    ¡¸Munch munch¡­This will be delicious like this¡¹

    ¡¸Grff grff! Woof!¡¹

    Fran holds the manga meat in her hands and chewing on it, while Urushi chews the meat off the bone, and he¡¯s happy to bite into the thick bones. They seemed to be more pleased with the chewiness than the taste.

    ¡¸Well then, I¡¯d better go to sleep¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    I¡¯ve already exined to Fran and Urushi that Fenrir needs to sleep. But they are sad to be told again by him. Unlike Amanda, she doesn¡¯t know if she¡¯ll see him again.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t make a face like that. I¡¯ll just sleep in Master. Both of you, good luck with your training¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran and Urushi straightened their body and bowed their heads. It¡¯s apletely different attitude than the one they have towards Amanda, but I guess they feel she¡¯s like their good friend or sister, while he¡¯s their favorite teacher even if he only taught them for a while.

    ¡¸What was that, Master and I are the same. As Master¡¯s partner, Fran is not a stranger to me either¡¹

    ¡¸But you¡¯ve taught me a lot¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, I need Fran to do her best to help me regain my power¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Just leave it to me!¡¹

    Fenrir smiled gently at Fran¡¯s firm words.

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ll count on you. See ya¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, see ya¡¹

    Then, Fenrir puts his hand on Fran and Urushi¡¯s head. As an illusion, he couldn¡¯t touch them directly, but they still look happy. After a few moments of watching at Fran and Urushi¡¯s expressions, he smiled lightly and disappeared without a trace.

    I can feel Fenrir falling asleep inside me.

    ¡ºHe fell asleep, huh? Well, we¡¯ll meet him again someday¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯ll do my best!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 500: Urushiâ€™s Feeling

    <h4>Chapter 500: Urushi¡¯s Feeling</h4>

    It¡¯s been a few days since Fenrir came back inside me.

    Today, Fran and Urushi are still busy with their training, stalking, and fighting magic beasts. Well, I¡¯m still stuck on this pedestal, so I used my skills to sense their presence.

    It seems that the skill-sharing had grown along with my growth, extending its effective range even further than before. Now, she can go as far as the entrance of Area 4 without the sharing being cancelled. Or maybe it¡¯s the effect of these ins and the pedestal?

    Oh, the areas are the ones that I divided into ording to the strength of the magical beasts that appeared when I was alone in this in.

    However, in the current ins of the Demon Wolf, the previous point seemed to bepletely meaningless.

    ¡ºThe strength of the monsters has gone up a lot after all. Area 1 is no exception¡»

    In the past, Area 1 would only have small fry like goblins. Areas 2 and 3 used to have monsters with a threat level of F, and area 4 had monsters with a threat level of E, but now the threat level of the monsters that appear has gone up by one or two ranks.

    Rank D magic beast seems to have appeared around the border of areas 3 and 4. In the past, it would not be surprising if one had reigned as an area boss in Area 5, the outer perimeter.

    The reason why the magic beasts have be so strong is because of me. No, rather than getting stronger, it seems to be more correct to say that it has now returned to its original state.

    It takes a tremendous amount of magic to summon my soul, seal it in a sword, and fix it. Of course, it is the Gods who took the lead, so they could handle most of the process. However, the pedestal and other facilities required a supply of magic power from the ins.

    Well, it seems that the Gods of this world have set many restrictions, which means I can¡¯t rely on them for everything, I guess.

    To make up for theck of magic power, they temporarily activated the magic power absorption barrier to its maximum. Because of this, the magic power of the entire ins of the Demon Wolf had temporarily decreased, and the magic beasts that appeared became weaker.

    It helped me a lot, though. It has helped me to survive and be stronger.

    If the magic beast had been stronger, I would have been destroyed sooner. Even if it was safe, it would have taken me much longer to escape the ins of the Demon Wolf. If it had been as strong as it was now, I would have been trapped in this ins for years.

    I would never have met Fran in that case.

    The Goddess of Chaos once told me that there is no fate in this world. But is it because I¡¯m a former human that I feel something like fate in my encounter with Fran?

    ¡º¡­Looks like they took it down huh?¡»

    Fran and Urushi had been fighting for a long time, and after storing the magic beast materials, they returned to the pedestal. They looked pretty tired.

    ¡ºGood job, how was it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, it was pretty strong¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    As usual, I didn¡¯t give my help for them to take it down, her weapon was also not as strong as me, and she was fighting in an unfamiliar way, focusing only on martial arts. It must be hard to fight a rank D magic beast like that.

    She seemed to have healed herself a little, but there were obvious signs of bleeding marks and tears on her equipment, which showed that she must have taken a lot of damage.

    Urushi¡¯s condition is also quite serious. No, it may even worse than Fran¡¯s. These days, he tends to challenge himself to closebat, which is clearly not suited for him.

    In Urushi¡¯s case, although his evasion ability is high to begin with, his melee attack power is not so great. As a result, he can¡¯t deal much damage to a magic beast that specialized in defense and closebat.

    Fenrir¡¯s story about his evolution path seems to be influenced by his reckless behavior.

    Urushi has two paths for evolution. Being a Gehenna Wolf or a Dark Knight Wolf. He also said that both of them were a very simr evolution, except that the Gehenna Wolf has deadly poison magic, and the Dark Night Wolf has extended dark magic.

    It is an evolution in which the individual status does not increase much, but themand skills such asmand, leadership, bird¡¯s eye view, and eagle¡¯s eye view were greatly improved.

    Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that his status won¡¯t increase at all. He¡¯ll be a Lord-ss magic beast with a threat level of B after all. However, it¡¯s quite weakpared to wolf-type magic beast¡¯s evolution into an Inferno Wolf or a Valkyrie Wolf, which both specialize in closebat.

    Fran would have to fight much stronger enemies in the future. At that time, it might be difficult to even cover for her from behind if he continued as he was now.

    Perhaps, that¡¯s what Urushi felt when we were in the Royal Capital.

    That¡¯s why he wanted to be even stronger.

    I guess Fran can understand how Urushi feels. If she had been told, ¡ºYou won¡¯t get stronger even if you evolve, but you will gain the ability tomand other ck cats¡» she would never consent to it.

    That¡¯s why she decided to watch over him and not saying anything to Urushi who had be reckless.

    ¡ºFran, how was Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Doing his best¡¹

    ¡ºI know that, but it seems like you had a hard time huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ The opponent was quite strong¡¹

    When Fran told me the details of the battle, it seemed that Urushi had made a few mistakes. Their opponent was a magic beast with hard scales like a lizard and a body like a gori.

    Fran stalled it with her sword techniques and magic, and Urushi bit it on the neck from behind, but even that blow didn¡¯t kill the magic beast. And Urushi was almost caught by it.

    It was a typical brutish enemy that specialized in strength and defense. Urushi would have been able to defeat it without taking any damage by wearing it down with magic from a distance, but it would take a lot of time. It was better for him to support Fran and let her give the finishing blow. However, Urushi wanted to put a stop to it by himself.

    Maybe, he has hope for his predatory absorption skills. But he has be too reckless this time.

    ¡ºUrushi¡­¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Don¡¯t look so dejected. I could see the frustration all over Urushi¡¯s face. This is the first time this easygoing wolf has ever been this depressed, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸Master, Urushi will be stronger. So please wait a little longer¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡º¡­ Haah, I understand, so don¡¯t look at me like that. I also understand Urushi¡¯s feelings¡»

    I can only stay on this pedestal and watch over them. Now that I¡¯m in this state, I can understand how Urushi feels. I want to fight alongside Fran too. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for me and Urushi.

    ¡º¡­ However, don¡¯t be too reckless okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I understand¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    That¡¯s a good answer.

    ¡ºAh¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¶Analysis isplete. Proceeding with the repairs. Until the restoration isplete, the main personality will go into a dormant state, and all contact with the outside world will be cut off¡·

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    Oioi, I haven¡¯t heard anything about this! I mean, oh jeez, the pedestal is starting to glow!

    ¡´The repair is expected to bepleted in approximately 150 days¡µ

    ¡ºF-fran! It looks like I¡¯ll be leaving you for a while!¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºDuring the repair, I will not be able to speak with you! It¡¯s supposed to be done in about 150 days! Sorry! I didn¡¯t expect it to be this soon!¡»

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºGood luck with your training! But be careful! Don¡¯t be reckless! Get along with Urushi! Also, listen carefully to what Amanda says¨D¨D¡»

    And that¡¯s when I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 501: True Prologue - Top Parts

    <h4>Chapter 501: True Prologue - Top Parts</h4>

    I wondered how long I had been here.

    I moaned at the unbearable pain that assaulted my entire body and looked around with hazy eyes for help. Aah, the tears I¡¯ve shed, pooling at the corners of my eyes, are so disturbing¡­

    I could see that my hands, which were stretched out to the sky for no reason, were sticky with the bright red blood that had flowed from me.

    ¡¸Guh¡­ Argh¡­ Help¡­!¡¹

    Why am I in this mess¡­! Guh, It hurts¡­! I wish it could be morefortable¡­

    ¡¸Aahh¡­¡¹

    Huh? It¡¯s not hurting so much anymore? The pain and burning heat that had been gnawing at me from my bones suddenly eased. It¡¯s rather, cold¡­?

    I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s worse if I can¡¯t feel any pain in these situations.

    Aah, maybe it¡¯s time.

    When I thought about it, I felt that my body had rxed.

    My grudge towards the car that hit me, or the safety of the child I saved, or thepany that will be gone after I¡¯m gone, and other unnecessary thoughts havepletely disappeared from my mind.

    What I am feeling right now is only relief.

    ¡¸¡­Aah¡­¡¹

    I can¡¯t even move my mouth. But that¡¯s better if that means I won¡¯t be suffering anymore.

    Aah, so this is the end of me huh. My field of vision turnspletely white, and a sense of being liberated surrounds me as if I¡¯m floating in the air. I didn¡¯t feel any pain at all, and it seems I can just get up and start walking normally.

    ¡¸I¡¯m dead¡­ huh¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right, if we don¡¯t do something with you, you might die¡»

    ¡¸¡­ Umm?¡¹

    ¡ºBut what if I told you there was a way to save you?¡»

    Is this hallucination? I had never heard these voices before, but it sounded so clear. It was as if a woman was whispering in my ear.

    And what¡¯s with that old-fashioned way of speaking?

    ¡ºI know how you feel, but this is not a hallucination. I¡¯m here to save you¡»

    A hallucination that says they weren¡¯t a hallucination¡­ Haha, maybe it¡¯s just me that doesn¡¯t want to die so badly.

    ¡ºI¡¯ve told you that I¡¯m not a hallucination. Well, it can¡¯t be helped then, so how about this?¡»

    Snap

    I heard the sound of fingers being snapped, then my field of view changed again.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸I wee you to my realm¡¹

    I was supposed to be lying on the ground, but before I knew it, I was sitting on the floor. I couldn¡¯t help but look around me.

    The white space around me remained the same, but before I knew it, a small ind had appeared in this endless space.

    An ind about the size of a schoolyard. In the center of it stands a solemn building made of stone. I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but it¡¯s¡­ A temple?¡¡Yes, it was indeed a temple. I¡¯ve never seen one in person, but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s something like the Parthenon in Greece.

    I was sitting right in front of the temple.

    And it wasn¡¯t just the ground and the temple that suddenly appeared.

    ¡¸How is it? Do you still insist on calling me a hallucination?¡¹

    A woman stood in front of the entrance to the temple.

    There were plenty of things that caught my eyes, such as her strange outfit and hairstyle. But the first thing that struck me was a feeling of amazement, ¡¸She¡¯s so Beautiful¡¹

    She had a pure Japanese face, but it was surprisingly well-rounded. Not only that, but I could also sense a kind of invible Godliness from her.

    It¡¯s not just simple beauty, but an inhuman beauty, as if an angel had taken up residence in a statue of a Goddess and started to move.

    I gulped and looked at the woman¡¯s face for a moment, then finally I looked at her whole body.

    Just like her face, her figure was also like a Japanese woman. However, it was not like the old-fashioned ones. Her kimono was not the type of kimono with a long hem like a twelveyered kimono, but rather the type of kimono worn by Kunoichi in a manga. To put it simply, she looked like she was cosying.

    It was thin, form-fitting, and had a long slit. It¡¯s a design that could be called cheesy, but it looks mysterious just because this woman is wearing it.

    The kimono is jet-ck, just like her long hair and eyes, but the edges and the obi are unified with vermilion.

    ¡¸Come¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    A woman pulls my hand and helps me stand. That soft, warm feeling was definitely not a hallucination.

    ¡¸You¡¯re not¡­ a hallucination?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, So you finally understand huh? Well, this isn¡¯t my true form. This is a mixture of my Divinity and your image of me¡¹

    ¡¸I-in other words?¡¹

    ¡¸This is a temporary form of the Goddess in your head. It is easier to talk to you this way¡¹

    So, she¡¯s saying that¡¯s the image of Goddess I have in my head? A beautiful woman in a thin costume. Hmm, I¡¯d like to say something about my vulgarity.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re a Goddess¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I am the one in charge of theherworld and reincarnation. In your sense, I am the Goddess of the underworld¡¹

    ¡¸Goddess of the underworld¡­? L-like Hades? No, she looks like from Japan, so, Enma-sama? or Izanami?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right, and also wrong. But let¡¯s not talk about my Divinity for now. Your current situation was more important¡¹

    Aah, by the way, what¡¯s happened to me? No, the Goddess of the Underworld is right in front of me, so I must be dead, right? But I think she said something about there being a way for me to be saved¡­?

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s up to you to decide if you want to be saved or not, but I also have a favor to ask of you¡¹

    ¡¸A favor¡­? From a Goddess to me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Will you at least listen to me?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good, thene with me¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, wait a minute¡­¡¹

    The Goddess of the Underworld turns herself around and walks into the temple. Is that a ce that I can enter? Isn¡¯t it a sacred ce¡­

    ¡¸Hey, what are you doing,e¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    She said I coulde in. I hurried after her. And then I was met with more shock.

    ¡¸Wee. I am the Goddess of the Silver Moon¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, and I am the Goddess of Chaos¡¹

    Two beautiful women, no less so than the Goddess of the Underworld, were waiting for me.

 Chapter 502: True Prologue - Bottom Parts

    <h4>Chapter 502: True Prologue - Bottom Parts</h4>

    The Goddess of the Underworld invited me to enter the temple, where I found two extremely beautiful women waiting for me.

    Their appearances might be described as a westernpared to the Goddess of the Underworld.

    The woman who called herself the Goddess of the Silver Moon was, as her name implied, a Goddess with beautiful silvery-white hair, pure white skin, and golden eyes. Every time she moved lightly, her silver hair would sway and shimmer. Her expression was full of motherly love andpassion, and she looked exactly as one would expect a Goddess to look.

    The Goddess of Chaos on the other hand had a mischievous expression on her face, she had a different kind of beauty than the Goddess of Silver Moon. She had beautiful crimson eyes that seem to see through everything. Her glossy brown skin was clear and beautiful and that made me want to touch it. Her silver hair has a slightly lighter shine than the Goddess of the Silver Moon. Or should I call it an ashen silver? However, her hair color was suitable for her brown skin.

    Is the beauty of these Goddesses and their outfits that look like they¡¯re just wrapped in thin cloth based on my imagination too? If so, my imagination has done a good job.

    ¡¸Umm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸These two are my colleagues. And they¡¯re the ones who were looking for you. Well, I¡¯m just a helper here, and they¡¯re the ones in charge¡¹

    Then I talked with these three Gods.

    To my surprise, they were not the Gods from Earth. So where did theye from? The answer was another world. A world that was different from the Earth. They were the Gods who created and manage that world.

    But that was not what surprised me. Of course, I was surprised by the fact that there was another world and that I had met Gods, but what they told me next surprised me even more than anything else.

    ¡¸With my power, it is possible for your soul alone to cross over to our world¡¹

    They were also former Gods of Earth, so they have the power to interfere with Earth slightly. The Goddess of the Underworld in particr can summon those who are on the verge of death.

    ¡¸Former Gods of Earth? No, rather than that, another world¡­? I¡¯ll be reincarnated into another world¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸You might be right, it¡¯s close to that¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­But why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well well, take your time. We¡¯ll exin that matter too¡¹

    Well, it was natural for me to wonder, because there was no way I would be reincarnated for free. If I were to be reincarnated into another world, there must be a mission that I have to fulfill.

    They showed me an image of the world under their control and about the battles between Gods while exining what I should do.

    I will be reincarnated into a sword and save the Divine Beast called Fenrir who had been infected by the Evil God¡¯s pieces within him. I was told that all I had to do was to fight and defeat any magic beast, but it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. They also told me that as an Earthling I could repel the Evil God¡¯s control¡­

    ¡¸I want you to save that child. I beg of you¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­ I¡¯ll be reincarnated as a sword huh¡­? Moreover, my memories will also be erased?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re not going topletely erase your memories, we¡¯re just going to seal it temporarily. You¡¯ll go insane if you suddenly be a sword after all¡¹

    ¡¸Mostly, it will be only your memories of the deaths of friends or acquaintances, and the ident that caused your death¡¹

    ¡¸Also, the memories of emotion and sorrow, which may have a great influence over your personality¡¹

    ¡¸Other than that, the memories of your first act of sexual intercourse or encounter with the opposite sex will also be sealed¡¹

    In other words, the memories that remain strong, and the memories that are deeply connected to the core of my being, will be sealed.

    ¡¸If you get used to having a body of a sword, and it is judged that you will no longer go crazy when your memories return, it will be returned. Without this, I don¡¯t know what will happen to you when you join the circle of reincarnation as a human again after all¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, what will happen if I die in another world? Will I die if my sword body breaks?¡¹

    ¡¸You will rejoin the circle of reincarnation of Earth. And not only that, it¡¯ll be the same when you havepleted the mission¡¹

    They told me that I wouldn¡¯t be reincarnated in another world, but back on Earth again. But a little bit of preferential treatment will be given to me. Well, I wouldn¡¯t have any memories at that time though.

    ¡¸Umm, what will happen if I refuse to be reincarnated?¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have to be so scared. We won¡¯t punish you. You¡¯ll simply go back to the reincarnation cycle, and we¡¯ll just look for the next candidate¡¹

    Apparently, I¡¯m not the first person whose soul was pulled into this ce. However, they refused the idea because they would be reincarnated as a sword.

    I¡¯m anxious and scared. But I had already decided on my answer.

    ¡¸¡­Okay. I¡¯m willing to be reincarnated¡¹

    ¡¸Is that fine with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I was dead anyway, and I also want to see another world. Besides, as long as I fulfill my mission, I won¡¯t be of any use to you, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, could I also ask you to erase the data on myputer? But would a God listen to such a silly request of mine¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I know, just leave it to us¡¹

    The Goddess also provided excellent after-sales service huh. They said that they would also erase the horrible memories of the poor girl I rescued that caused me to be hit by a car and being killed, the data on my homeputer, and get rid of my treasured books.

    But that wasn¡¯t the reason why I decided to do this you know? Although I¡¯ll be a sword, being reincarnated with cheat ability was a man¡¯s romance right? Also, the reward of being able to be happy in the next life is great. That¡¯s how far the Gods are willing to go for me¨D¨D

    ¡¸Well then, let me introduce you to these two people as well¡¹

    As she was preparing to introduce someone, two new figures appeared in front of me. ??. The reason for the ¡°??¡± is because I can¡¯t recognize one of the figures very well.

    ¡¸It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the Goddess of Wisdom¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you. I am Futsunushi. I am the God of Swords¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes, nice to meet you two¡¹

    The one who imed to be the Goddes of Wisdom had a neutral beauty so I couldn¡¯t tell if she was male or female. She had long, silky blond hair and slender, and thin-framed round sses. Her thin figure was wrapped in a kind of hunting robe that made it difficult to tell her shape.

    Maybe this God is also based on my image. She wears sses because she¡¯s the Goddess of Wisdom huh? Yeah, just like my image of her.

    However, the other God was really bizarre.

    ¡¸F-futsunushi-sama? You have a name?¡¹

    The other Gods don¡¯t say their names. Futsunushi was a famous Japanese Deity in his own right after all. He should have been the God of Swords.

    ¡¸Moreover, your appearance is¡­¡­¡¹

    Futsunushi figure could only be described as a ck shadow. His figure looks mysterious as if darkness had congealed into a human form. What¡¯s wrong with my image of him? But it seemed that this God hasn¡¯t taken an image from my mind.

    ¡¸He is the only God among us who has a name. In the battle against the Evil Gods, he summoned some of his Divinity that he had left behind on Earth, and by ying an active role, he was once again bound by the name he had abandoned¡¹

    Come to think of it, when I was shown the images of the battle between the Gods and the Evil Gods, there was a God who summoned a giant sword and wielded it.

    When Gods came over to a new world, they discarded their old names and were reborn as new Gods. In the first ce, they were not a single Deity, but a mixture of Deities from various Gods who were interested in the new world.

    However, to defeat the Evil God, the God of Swords had to use his Divinity as Futsunushi, which was only a part of himself, to the fullest. Because of this, the God of Swords was fixed as Futsunushi, instead of being free like many Gods who were not bound by a name.

    ¡¸Since my existence is fixed, I cannot easily change my form. However, a human soul might not be able to bear the image of my true form. Therefore, pardon me for being in this form¡¹

    The other Gods don¡¯t have names, so they can easily change their forms, but Futsunushi couldn¡¯t do that.

    ¡¸The Divine Sword in which you are going to be reincarnated is the kin of the God of Swords and the Goddess of Wisdom. Therefore, you will need the cooperation of both of them¡¹

    After that, I was shown by the Goddess what kind of memory that I can keep. Ugh, this was so embarrassing.

    It was better at first. Memories of pain and negative emotions when I died. Memories of favorite movies and VR games that I was addicted to. Many of them were scenes that moved me.

    However, it started to get more and more into my personal side of things¡­

    ¡¸Ah, this is a memory of a popr movie that you saw on your first date, it remains strong in you¡¹

    Even now, when I watch the reruns, I get sweet and sour feelings and memories of those dayse flooding back.

    ¡¸This is a memory of separation from the dog you loved so much¡¹

    It was Fran, a crossbreed dog that my parents had bought. It looked like a white mop. One day, I got a phone call from my mom saying that it had died, and I flew back to my parents¡¯ house. The least I can say is that it lived a long life. For a while, I couldn¡¯t help but cry when I saw a dog that looked like it.

    ¡¸This is a memory of the first time you experienced skinship with a woman. You made many mistakes, and it remains as a bitter memory¡¹

    Wha! Oh, God! This memory is¨D¨D!

    From there on, it was torture for real. Just kill me already! Well, I was already dead though! I was so tortured that I had to do some flippantmentary by myself.

    You still remember the first time you went to a cabaret club huh? No no, that was just my senpai taking me there! Aaaaah! You don¡¯t have to show me every single memory of my favorite sexy DVD or anything!

    Afterward, when I was mentally too exhausted, they used their power on me, and my soul was transferred into the sword. I was left on my own just like that.

    The Goddess of Chaos called out to me as I stand in front of a beautiful sword with an angel-like emblem on its hilt.

    ¡¸The next time you see us will be when you havepleted your mission. Well, if there are no irregrities, that is¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean by ¡°irregrities¡±?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder? But you already know by what the words imply right? We¡¯re not an all-knowing and all-powerful being you know? There are always some kind of irregrities¡¹

    Is that true?

    ¡¸But if you ever meet us before then, we Gods will pretend that we¡¯ve never met before¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸How much do you think your memories about us God will shake your memory? It would be bad if the seal was broken, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see¡¹

    Is it possible that even a seal ced by Gods could be broken? No, the fact that they¡¯re not all-knowing and all-powerful beings mean that it is possible.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ve done the best I could. Especially the system that controls your power, which is my best work yet. You can y with it as much as you want to¡¹

    ¡¸Eh, y with it?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s important you know? Certainly, the mission is important. But it¡¯s also important for you to enjoy the other world, right? Have some fun¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m supposed to seal your memory here so you won¡¯t remember this when you wake up. So, good luck¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes, thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufufu. Well then, have a good chaos!¡¹

 Chapter 503: Master, Fran, and Urushi

    <h4>Chapter 503: Master, Fran, and Urushi</h4>

    ¡¸Urushi! Now!¡¹

    ¡¸Grroaa!¡¹

    Urushi, who has be muchrger than his original body by his body ergement skill, rushed towards the giant beast wielding a hammer-like tail. The gray-silver fur on his back makes his movement look like a shooting star.

    By looking at Urushi made me remember.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s so big¡­¡»

    His size was probably more than twice as big as before. From the tip of his nose to his tail, he was over ten meters long. His body height had also more than doubled, creating a shadow that looked like arge tree.

    However, his heavy body did not slow his movement at all. In fact, he was faster due to his increased strength.

    Urushi easily closed the distance between them, perfectly avoiding the various attacks that were unleashed. And then there was the giant beast, whose huge limbs were protected by a hard shell¨D¨D and he struck the head of the Invisible Death.

    It was not enough to kill it, but it seemed to have seeded in violently hurting its head. The giant beast, who had suffered a mild concussion from Urushi¡¯s blow, stopped moving with a stomp on the ground.

    This was our chance.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    Fran jumped out to the sky and swung me from over her head.

    ¡¸Bughooooh!¡¹

    As expected of a magic beast with a threat level of B. It seems that even if it¡¯s in a vulnerable state, it won¡¯t let us attack it easily.

    The crystal-like scales on its entire body stood upside down and shot out in unison toward Fran, who was right above it. In addition to this, it also unleashed a deadly sniper shot.

    However, Fran was not panicking and was handling the situation calmly. She didn¡¯t even need to use my teleport; shepletely dodged its crystals with her defensive movement and sword handling.

    In the past, she would not have been able to use the aerial jump continuously with such delicate control. However, it was not difficult for the current Fran.

    As for sniping, it waspletely offset by the use of her wless sword techniques. This was also the result of her training. While using her sword skills to intercept the scattered bullets of the scales, she was also able to mix her sword technique into her offense and defense without hesitating.

    Fran, who was in midair, was naturally pulled down by gravity and was gradually losing her altitude. The closer she got to the Invisible Death, the more intense the attacks became, but Fran¡¯s defense was undisturbed.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lighting Rush!¡¹

    Just like that, Fran went to end this battle at once.

    ¡¸Yaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Bumoooh!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s it!¡»

    The Invisible Death¡¯s scales and light magic were blocked by me instead of Fran, who had shifted to focus on attack. It was possible to use dark magic to cancel out the light magic while using telekinesis to prevent the crystal scales from hitting Fran.

    Just like that, the full force of Fran¡¯s Sword Saint techniques, wrapped in ck lightning, cut through the carapace in front of her.

    The Invisible Death¡¯s tough shell, which was protected by a giant crystal and multiple barriers, was no obstacle for her now.

    It¡¯s not that the technique was special. It¡¯s that Fran, who used the technique, has be stronger.

    Fran¡¯s ck lightning and my multiple deployments of attribute swords shattered the flesh and bone inside its shell, causing it to explode from the inside.

    ¡¸Shiia!¡¹

    ¡¸Bumhoooooooo¡­¡­¡¹

    In the end, she thrust me against the exposed magic stone of the Invisible Death and killed it.

    It was ourplete victory over the Invisible Death, who had given us a lot of trouble in the past. Of course, the experience from that time is still vivid, but more than that, Fran and Urushi¡¯s strength has increased.

    ¡ºFran, you¡¯ve be stronger, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Master, you¡¯re saying it again¡¹

    ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯ve grown a lot¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s only been a month though¡¹

    ¡ºBut still!¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m not changing like Urushi right?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m not talking about your appearance! Well, in Urushi¡¯s case, he¡¯s changed a lot¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Fran stroked Urushi, who came up to her and his size now was about the size of a cow. I guess the biggest change is his fur.

    It had been ck with a slight hint of red, but now it had more red with two flowing silver lines on his back. Also, the degree of its fluffiness has increased too.

    The frequency in which Fran hugged Urushi had obviously increased.

    ¡ºBut you know, you¡¯ve definitely grown a lot in such a short amount of time¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    As we were talking about this, we suddenly heard the inorganic yet somewhat gentle voice of a woman in our head.

    ¡´Obtained multiple skills from the Invisible Death¡¯s magic stone. Integration of skills with the same name into higher-level skills have been confirmed¡µ

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It was Announcer-san, who had regained a little of her power. Although she couldn¡¯t talk to me like she did when she used her potential release, she seemed to have regained the same level of power as when I first came to this world. The fact that I was able to absorb the power of the Fanatics also seemed to have worked in the right direction.

    Announcer-san was also taking over some part of my control, and the load of using magic and telekinesis was considerably reduced.

    Another new feature was that Announcer-san¡¯s voice can also be heard by Fran now. I¡¯ve been exining everything to Fran, but she doesn¡¯t seem to fully understand it. She¡¯s like a talking spirit inside of me after all.

    And yes, I¡¯ve talked to Fran about the memories I¡¯ve regained.

    It was the memories of the time before I died and became a sword.

    Just before the maintenance was finished, I met the Goddess of Chaos again and she exined to me that she returned my memories of the time before and after my reincarnation. She said that if she left the part of my memory that was about to return halfway through, it could have affected the sealing of my other memories.

    If all my memories came back at once, I¡¯d go crazy for sure. Well, I guess the worst thing that can happen to me is that I start to remember.

    Oh, I¡¯ll keep the hi (1) part to myself for now. It¡¯s too early for Fran. I mean, how should I exin it to her?

    My hi memories were sealed by the gods because they could have a strong impact on me. I would rather die than have to exin that to Fran myself.

    ¡ºAnyway, it¡¯s been a month since I¡¯ve been back¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºYour coordination with each other is already perfect huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Of course¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I was quite confused at first. Well, both of us. Fran and Urushi looked so different after all, and my fighting power had also increased with the assistance of Announcer-san.

    We had spent the past month perfecting our coordination. The result was this battle.

    ¡ºWell, it was tough for me right after I woke up though. A lot harder than just practicing our coordination¡­¡»

    (1) Just in case you¡¯re pretending to not know about it, it means sexually explicit lol

 Chapter 504: A Talk with the Goddess of Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 504: A Talk with the Goddess of Chaos</h4>

    Aah¨D, I wonder what this feeling is¡­

    I felt as if my body was being lifted and liberated from the weight that had been pressing down on me.

    Did I slowly ascend from the dark seabed towards the surface? Or from the bottom of a gravity well, towards the weightless space?

    Anyway, I felt liberated and exhrated. It was a strange mixture of the two.

    Where am I in the first ce?

    I couldn¡¯t see anything in here. I was in pitch darkness.

    What have I been doing all this time?

    I feel like I¡¯ve been asleep for a very long time. However, I didn¡¯t feel dull from sleeping for too long. On the contrary, my whole body feels light, although I am aware that I am a bit drowsy.

    ¡¸Hey, I¡¯d like to have a little talk, have you woke up yet Sleepy-head-san?¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    While I was in a daze, I heard a woman¡¯s voice out of nowhere. It was a strangely sexy and naughty voice.

    Moreover, it sounds familiar.

    ¡ºGoddess of Chaos, -sama?¡»

    ¡¸I just thought I¡¯d tell you a few things before you fully wake up¡¹

    It was the Goddess of Chaos. I couldn¡¯t see her, but there was no way I could forget her voice.

    ¡¸First, I¡¯m going to unseal some of your memories¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Really?¡»

    She suddenly said that to me. But wouldn¡¯t I go crazy if my memories came back?

    ¡¸It seems that you were very concerned about yourck of memory, and leaving this sealed would have negative effects on you¡¹

    ¡ºWhat kind of negative effects?¡»

    ¡¸When you have a memory that you can¡¯t seem to remember, you can¡¯t help but be curious and try to remember it somehow, right?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, certainly¡»

    That may stimte the unsealing of some memories in an unexpected part. As a result, there is a possibility that the sealing of other memories will also be affected.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t want to go crazy like the Fanatics, do you?¡¹

    The Fanatics said something like that. They say that it is dangerous to have a human soul in the body of a sword. Well, I can kind of understand that, and it also reminds me of the Fanatics¡¯ madness. I certainly didn¡¯t want to be like that.

    ¡¸So, I decided to unseal not all of them, but the ones that I think can be returned at this point. So, shall we get started then¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Wai¨D¡»

    Before I could reply to the Goddess, my mind was flooded with various memories.

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡»

    It¡¯s an indescribable feeling. It doesn¡¯t hurt, but it¡¯s weird. I wonder what it is. It¡¯s like the moment when I cannibalized the fanatics. Well, this is somewhat better though.

    What came back to me were the memories of when I was a human and when I was hit by a car. The identity of the three mysterious women who had remained in a corner of my memory. And the memory of the scene where my memory was sealed by the three Goddesses.

    It¡¯s not like all of my memories had returned, but I remember the main part of what I was most curious about. It was the reason why I can¡¯t remember anything.

    Well, it also brought back some humiliating memories though. It was about the shaming y by the Goddess¡­

    It was just an embarrassing memory for me, as I don¡¯t have any special sexual preferences.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºN-no, it¡¯s nothing. Just because I¡¯ve regained some of my memories, is it okay for me to continue to act as before after I wake up?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, rest assured¡¹

    Then, I should collect more magic stones for Fenrir huh

    ¡¸But still¡­ you were hit by a car while trying to save a stranger¡¯s child and agreed to be transferred to help a dying child in this world¡­ You must really like kids huh¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t like the way you say that! It makes me sounds like a lolicon!¡»

    ¡¸Ufufu, that was just a joke. Well, I think it¡¯s time huh?¡¹

    ¡º?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s time for you to wake up¡¹

    ¡ºSo, the repairs are done?¡»

    Come to think of it, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been so clearly awake. That is, not since I left Fran in front of the pedestal. And yet, it didn¡¯t feel like an instant. I know I¡¯ve been asleep for a long time. Maybe that¡¯s why I think it¡¯s been so long.

    ¡¸Ufufu, say hi to the ck cat-chan too. Well then, have a good chaos¡¹

    That¡¯s the second time I¡¯ve heard that! Is that the Goddess of Chaos¡¯ signature line huh?

    ¡´60 seconds left until the individual named Master is to be fully awakened¡µ

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    When I thought the presence of the Goddess of Chaos had gone, I heard a strange voice, inorganic but also warm. I think I¡¯ve heard this voice before¡­

    Uuummm¡­

    ¡ºAh! Announcer-san!¡»

    ¡´Yes¡µ

    ¡ºEh? You can talk?¡»

    ¡´Conversation is possible for now only. But it will soon return to normal. Right now, I was borrowing power as an emergency measure when the main personality was dormant¡µ

    ¡ºHmm? Main personality?¡»

    Do you mean me? So, while I¡¯m asleep, the power I normally use is given to Announcer-san allowing her to have a little talk with me for now?

    ¡´By recing the individual named Master, the provisional named Announcer will be deprived. So, before that¡­ Master, you have my thanks once again¡µ

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡´Once again, I have the opportunity to wield power for the benefit of my registered wielder¡µ

    ¡ºBut, you will be deprived right?¡­ That means you¡¯re going asleep just like before¡­¡»

    ¡´In the future, the probability that the Provisional named Announcer will regain its power with Fenrir is 77%. Also, some of its blocked privileges have been restored¡µ

    ¡ºIn other words, you have recovered a little huh?¡»

    ¡´Yes. By assimting and absorbing the virtual personality of the Discarded Divine Sword, I have regained some of my power, which had been reserved only for necessary calction before¡µ

    Umm, did my cannibalizing of the Fanatics work out for the better then?

    ¡´It¡¯s time¡µ

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san! When I had restored Fenrir¡¯s power, I¡¯ll bring you back too! I¡¯ll do my best!¡»

    ¡´Thank you¨D¨D¡µ

    Then a change came to my vision.

    A ray of light shone into my ckened vision, and as if it had exploded, it swelled and dispelled the darkness.

    I was able to look directly at it because I don¡¯t have a retina. Well, if I had been a normal creature, I would surely have damaged my eyes, wouldn¡¯t I?

    The color returns.

    What I saw was the blue of the sky and the green of the ins.

    And a girl is standing in the middle of it.

    ck hair, healthy skin, a body without unevenness, distinctive ck cat ears, a cat tail, and big eyes showing her determined will.

    ¡º¡­Fran¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

 Chapter 505: Things that Wonâ€™t Change

    <h4>Chapter 505: Things that Won¡¯t Change</h4>

    The first thing I saw when I woke up was a girl standing in front of me.

    ck hair, healthy skin, a body without unevenness, distinctive ck cat ears, a cat tail, and big eyes disying her determined will.

    She was my partner, Fran.

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºYea¡»

    Fran muttered the word as if to confirm, and I replied in a slightly quiet voice.

    I wonder, why my heart was so full that I couldn¡¯t get the right words out of my mouth. I felt like I just slept and woke up, so I shouldn¡¯t have experienced the passage of time so much¡­

    This must be the feeling of nostalgia. If I had tear nds, I would have cried.

    ¡¸Master¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    Fran rushed over and hugged me while I was still stuck on the pedestal. It was more than a hug, but she¡¯s giving it her all.

    If the sword being hugged wasn¡¯t me, her hug might have destroyed it. And if it were an average person, she might have killed them. That¡¯s how powerful her hug was.

    However, I was rather happy that thisck of restraint seemed to express Fran¡¯s loneliness. And it meant that she missed me so much.

    ¡¸Master¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, I¡¯m back¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    I used my telekinesis to gently wipe the tears from the corners of Fran¡¯s eyes. Then Fran rubbed her head against my handle as if she was trying to be sweet.

    ¡ºFran, if you rub your head against me that hard, your head will get hurt¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    I was in the middle of stroking Fran¡¯s head while she was spoiling me.

    Growl¨D¡­

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    A mysterious sound echoed about.

    But it doesn¡¯t seem to be a mystery or anything. ¡®Fran-san, you must be hungry, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Even though this is an emotional reunion scene?

    Grooowl¨D!

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m hungry¡¹

    Even after five months, Fran was still the same Fran, huh? Should I be happy that she hadn¡¯t changed, orment that she hadn¡¯t grown up? Well, there is almost no change in her appearance.

    Fran was holding onto me with her right hand and rubbing her stomach with her left. Then she quickly cringed and opened her mouth to me.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºWh-what is it?¡»

    ¡¸Give me curry¡¹

    ¡ºCu-curry, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºWoof!¡»

    ¡¸O-okay¨D¡­ eh?¡¹

    ¡ºWoof woof!¡»

    Before I knew it, Urushi was here too. He seemed to havee out of Fran¡¯s shadow. However, his appearance had changed drastically.

    He was basically the same Urushi. A ck wolf with lustrous fur. However, his fur color and the presence he emitted have changed greatly.

    Originally, the red color was just mixed in with the fur on his neck, but now it was all over his body. Dark red was mixed in at the tips of his neck, knees, and tail. In addition, the fur on his back had silver lines now.

    Only by looking at him, I knew that he had evolved. He had be so shy.

    ¡ºUrushi, you¨D¨D¡»

    Grrrooowll¨D

    ¡¸Master¡­ Curry¡­¡¹

    ¡ºAh yes, sorry! Look, I¡¯ll bring it out now! Urushi wanted the spicy one, right?¡»

    ¡¸I want a big bowl¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThen, we¡¯ll use ten toppings for the curry. And for Urushi, I¡¯ll make the curry ten thousand times spicier¡»

    After receiving the curry I served, Fran and Urushi began to devour it as if it was their first meal in several weeks. The curry, which I was worried might be a bit too much, was quickly filling their stomachs.

    When was thest time she had eaten? But I¡¯m sure I had cooked a good amount of food in the Forest of Exhaustion and stored it for Fran in Dimensional Storage¡­

    ¡ºAah! Co-could it be, the skill-sharing didn¡¯t work?¡»

    If that were the case, she would have lost my dimensional storage and cooking skills. And it would have been difficult to even survive on this in.

    ¡ºF-Fran¡­ You must have experienced a lot of difficulties¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn? The skill worked¡¹

    ¡ºEh? The skill-sharing worked?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºThen, the reason you wanted to have that much curry is¡­¡»

    ¡¸Fran-chan and Urushi ate up all the curry in the first two months¡¹

    ¡ºOoh, so that¡¯s why¡­¡»

    I usually kept her under control. If there was no one to stop her, she would always eat her favorite foods. But I¡¯m rather surprised that her body hadn¡¯t changed!

    But I¡¯m d Fran hasn¡¯t gotten fat after all this time!

    ¡ºAnd then, Amanda, how are you doing?¡»

    She had been there from the beginning, so I called out to Amanda, who was smiling at me behind Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. But rather than that, why don¡¯t you tell us what had happened?¡¹

    ¡ºYou need to know that there¡¯s very little that I can tell you, okay? But I¡¯d rather want to know what had happened while I was gone¡»

    ¡¸Are you sure? This is gonna be a long story¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave it to you. Fran won¡¯t be able to do anything for a while after all¡»

    ¡¸Mogu mogu!¡¹

    ¡¸Wouf wouf!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I guess so¡­¡¹

 Chapter 506: Side: Amanda

    <h4>Chapter 506: Side: Amanda</h4>

    Fran-chan was depressed for a while when Master was gone. Her face didn¡¯t show it, but her voice and eyes werecking strength.

    At night, while being buried in Urushi¡¯s fur, she stared up at the stars in a daze, just like a child her age would act.

    But even so, after a few days, she was slowly getting back on track.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s do our best okay? You wanted to surprise Master when hees back, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be more strict on you then!¡¹

    ¡¸Just like I wished¡¹

    Fran-chan¡¯s determination was genuine. In fact, I even scolded her several times for being a little too enthusiastic.

    When I came back to Alessa, my equipment was often badly damaged. Not only that, but the sword I had procured for her had broken, and she was in the process of healing her injuries.

    Apparently, they had been challenging high-ranked magic beasts and were being defeated multiple times. They also had recklessly fought a series of unreasonable battles.

    She was not a child who will stop, no matter what I say, and I have no right to force her to stop. Fran-chan is already a full-fledged adventurer. She can make her own decisions and take responsibility for everything she has done.

    Even if she gets badly injured or even dies from her training. It¡¯s hard for me to not be strict with her though because I myself have be stronger through repeated reckless training.

    All I can do is toe to these ins more often and train her until she almost dies.

    However, a little over a monthter, something strange happened to Fran-chan and Urushi. They began to lose their spirits.

    There was also a change in their diet. They used to eat curry rice with brown sauce, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, this was reduced to one meal a day, then one meal every three days, and finally, there was nothing left to eat.

    It was Fran-chan¡¯s favorite dish, but it was difficult to make and the ingredients were very hard to find. Fran-chan seems to be a good cook, but she doesn¡¯t have the ingredients.

    In the end, she managed to cover it up by getting some of the spices for the curry from Alessa and sprinkling them on the meat.

    If there had been an infinite supply of curry, Fran-chan and Urushi would have been able to make more progress in their training.

    ¡¸Well, can you dodge this then?¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Good! Yes, just like that! You have to read your enemy¡¯s aim, and be careful of their feint¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran-chan¡¯s movements were getting better and sharper every day. I may be wielding my whip like it was nothing, but inside, I was covered in a cold sweat.

    After training without magic and only using weapons in the mock battles, I decided that it was almost time to let her give it a shot.

    The training between Fran and I was not limited to mock battles. Fighting magic beasts was also part of our training.

    Her opponent was magic beasts with a threat level of D. Sometimes, she handicaps herself and uses her sword techniques only, and sometimes she would only use her magic. That¡¯s how she fights and defeats them. My presence here was just insurance in case of an emergency.

    There was something interesting about her fights though. Sometimes I thought she was in a daze, but suddenly she was moving much better than before. I can only assume that someone had given her some advice, but there was no sign that she was talking to anyone.

    Fran-chan said it was a sword spirit, but I couldn¡¯t feel any signs of a spirit around. It was hard to tell from her straight face, but it seems that Fran-chan was able to make jokes.

    Well, maybe she¡¯s just adjusting her movements while organizing various things in her head.

    ¡¸You broke your sword again huh~¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    The problem, for now, was her weapon.

    There were a few weapons in Fran-chan¡¯s dimensional storage, as well as a magic sword. However, they were unable to withstand Fran-chan¡¯s power. Even the strongest magic sword made of phantasm pyroxene stone was easily shattered in just two weeks.

    So, I started selling the magic beast materials that Fran-chan defeated at Alessa to buy some swords for her, but there was no way I could get a sword worthy of Fran-chan so quickly.

    But it was also good training for her to learn how to hold back when using a weaker sword. The situation just continued like that until Alistair showed up.

    Alistair¨D¨DA Divine level cksmith suddenly appeared in the ins of the Demon Wolf in early winter when it began to snow. Because she was using a powerful stealth magic tool, she suddenly appeared near the pedestal without us even noticing. Honestly, I was startled by the mysterious woman wearing high-quality equipment with a surprisingly high-level fighting prowess of her own.

    At first, I thought she was a member of the special forces of Raidos Kingdom, so I couldn¡¯t help but take a stance. The other side seemed to feel the same way, and if Fran-chan hadn¡¯t intervened, we might have ended up killing each other.

    Surprisingly, she was a good person to talk to, and we quickly became friends.

    Alistair then made a sword for Fran-chan made of heavy magic steel. And as expected of a Divine-ranked cksmith, she was able to create such a work of art in a week. Unintentionally, I even asked her to make a whip for me.

    She then promised to make it for me as long as I gathered the materials by myself, so I¡¯ll be working hard to gather them.

    Alistair was away from the ins of the Demon Wolf now at my request. In addition to my whip, there was also something else I wanted her to make. Alistair seemed to have been thinking about the same thing, and she epted without a second thought.

    And then, a few days of training passed. Urushi lost his right leg and his right eye due to his recklessness. It was as if he was in a hurry for something.

    And finally, the day hade.

    ¡¸Shii! Just like that!¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Nnha! Tho-!¡¹

    She used her sword to flick off my whip technique and then ducked through the gap in the whip to get close to me. I pulled the whip back and threw a kick, but she ducked and thrust perfectly. Thest attack she used must have been the dagger technique.

    The perfectbination of sword skills and sword techniques, without any dy, and her ability to observe one¡¯s surroundings. In addition, she could control her body-enhancing skills with precision. All of this was on full disy during her attacks.

    ¡¸That¡¯s the first time you managed to get a perfect thrust in huh~¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! But it¡¯s not over yet¡¹

    ¡¸Fuh. Then, let¡¯s go for the next one!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I¡¯m really looking forward to the result of her training.

    Another month or so had passed after that. Urushi had never given up and continued to fight with all his might even after losing his legs and eyes, and then he had achieved a surprising evolution.

    ¡¸Fran-chan, what¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to train?¡¹

    Unusually, Fran-chan had been awake since sunrise. And she was sitting in front of the pedestal with her knees in her arms, refusing to move. Beside her, the newly evolved Urushi was sitting in a well-behaved position.

    When I asked Fran-chan, who seemed happy for some reason, what she was doing, her answer was a surprise.

    ¡¸Nn. Master ising back¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Master, ¡®is said¡¯ to be back in about 150 days, and today is exactly 150 days after he left¡¹

    ¡¸Is said? Are you talking about the sword spirit¡¯s voice?¡¹

    I can¡¯t hear it, but apparently, she really was hearing the voice of the sword spirit. She said that it was not Master, but a woman with a funny name of Announcer-san.

    She doesn¡¯t respond every time, but it seems that she gives her information about Master¡¯s current situation and sometimes helps with her training.

    ¡¸She says he¡¯s almost back, but she doesn¡¯t know the exact time. It may be two hours, or maybe two days¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? two days?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran-chan nodded her head and went back to staring at the pedestal.

    ¡¸Are you going to wait¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She stared back at me with an angry look as if saying ¡®Naturally¡¯. It seems that she really intends to keep waiting for Master.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll wait with you too¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Master, please get back here quickly!

 Chapter 507: Side: Fenrir

    <h4>Chapter 507: Side: Fenrir</h4>

    The little wolf of my kin seems to be worrying about something.

    Not only did he want to be useful to them, but he also wanted to be able to continue to fight alongside them.

    That¡¯s why he was worried, he wanted to be stronger, but it was difficult for him.

    ¡¸Woof Woof¨D¨DKyain!¡¹

    Today too, he challenged a superior magic beast and suffered a painful attack.

    I know what he¡¯s trying to do. He¡¯s trying to take in the power of a stronger magic beast using his predatory absorption skill to achieve his evolution.

    His way of triggering it wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.

    After all, some individuals could evolve abnormally by taking in the blood and flesh of a stronger opponent. Moreover, Urushi was also a unique individual. So, there was a possibility.

    But he couldn¡¯t do so in his current state. The blood and flesh of a magic beast with a mere threat level of C was insufficient. Urushi was stronger than them, and it¡¯s not because of his level orpatibility, there¡¯s not that much difference between the races after all.

    If Urushi wanted to trigger a new evolution, he would need to take in arge amount of blood and flesh from magic beasts with a threat level of A or higher, and at least one of each type.

    No, I think Urushi himself knows that. He was being reckless in his search for a stronger magic beast, and finally, tragedy struck him.

    ¡¸Gyauuuf!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushiii!¡¹

    Urushi let out a scream of grief that we had never heard before and was blown to the sky. The opponent that attacked him was a two-legged magic beast that was over 15 meters long. Well, I don¡¯t think I would call it two-legged since it was using its tail to support its body though.

    It was a variety of the dragon species called an Evil dragon. It¡¯s ssified as an earth dragon with retracted wings, hard scales, tight muscles, and overwhelming physical attack power. In particr, its arm¡¯s attacks were as powerful as an attack from a magic beast with a threat level of B.

    Previously, Urushi was having a hard time fighting against a brute lizard, which was a lower species of this magic beast, so there is no way that the current Urushi can defeat this magic beast.

    Urushi, who had been blown 50 meters away, was convulsing with his body bleeding profusely. His internal organs were spilling out of his stomach, and both of his right legs were torn off. His spine was probably broken as well. Half of his face was crushed, and this might have affected his brain.

    He was probably unconscious. Urushi was unable to escape from the scene.

    All I can do now is watch over Urushi, my kin. I¡¯m just a Divine Beast with a soul on the verge of extinction after all.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Bughuuh!¡¹

    It was Fran who stepped in to help.

    She struck with a series of lightning magic to draw the attention of the Evil Dragon, and then cast a recovery spell on Urushi. However, his wounds were not even recovering with the amount of recovery magic that Fran had cast.

    ¡¸Why!? Greater Heal!¡¹

    ¡¸Wu, wuuf¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No good¡­¡¹

    When Urushi regained consciousness, she used regeneration together with her healing magic, but the recovery was still slow.

    ¡¸Bugwooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­ Urushi, sorry!¡¹

    ¡¸Wo, woof¡­¡¹

    Fran carried Urushi and continued to distance herself from the dragon. And after a few minutes of running, Fran set Urushi down and tried to heal him again.

    The potions and other items that Master had given to them were all used up, but Urushi was notpletely healed yet. This was not the fault of Fran or the others. The Evil Dragon was a power fighter, but it is also good at handling magic for a dragon. It is particrly good at life magic, which strengthens itself, but its life magic also includes a technique that blocks its opponent¡¯s recovery.

    It seems that magic was carried from that arm¡¯s blow.

    As a result, Urushi ended up losing his right hind leg and his right eye.

    If Master had been there, the oue would have been different, but with just Fran and Urushi, it would have been fortuitous that they survived.

    ¡¸Urushi¡­ Sorry¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I understand, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll evolve someday¡¹

    Even in such a state, Urushi did not lose his desire to evolve. Rather, he became even more determined, didn¡¯t he?

    Urushi wholeheartedly desired to be even stronger for the sake of his Master.

    ¡¸Kyaiin!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Wo, woof¡­¡¹

    With one eye and one leg missing, the sight of Urushi pushing himself into a fierce battle looked, Divine.

    He struggled while looking up to the heavens as he walked forward, he reminded me of myself in the past. I absorbed the pieces of the Evil God, and while being consumed by its power, I continued to fight for my creator, until I finally exceeded my limits and copsed.

    That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Urushi getting hurt and being worn out day by day. It had been about 30 days since Urushi lost his legs and eyes. So, I involuntarily call out to Urushi.

    Sorry Master, this may prolong your restoration. But I need to do this.

    ¡ºUrushi¡­ You may evolve now¡»

    ¡¸Grru¡­!¡¹

    Urushi has reached his evolvable level. He probably knows this himself. That his efforts had not been rewarded.

    If he continued like this, he could evolve into the Dark Knight Wolf. But Urushi refused to do so, by struggling to block the magic power that had begun to flow within him.

    However, he couldn¡¯t continue refusing his evolution, he might lose his life due to the outburst of his magic power after all. Seeing his foolishness, I couldn¡¯t help but do something for him.

    ¡ºBut you do have one option¡­¡»

    ¡¸Gurru?¡¹

    ¡º¡­I will give some of my power to you. With it, you can choose a new path¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHowever, that path is full of loneliness¡»

    To receive a part of my power, which is a wolf but also not a wolf, means that Urushi will also be transformed into something that is a wolf but not a wolf too.

    He will evolve into a new species that wouldn¡¯t exist anywhere else in this world. But that also means that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find another member from his new species.

    This was an unusual evolution that will affect his whole life. Even though his form is that of a wolf, it goes beyond even that category. Urushi, who was not a Divine Beast, would be truly lonely.

    ¡ºSo, the price of this power is loneliness. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to be left behind by Master or Fran. But you¡¯ll be left alone, outside the confines of your species¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure? For the sake of your Master, you¡¯re willing to be lonely?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­!¡¹

    ¡º¡­I¡¯ve heard your resolve. So be it. I¡¯ll give you power!¡»

    I borrowed some power from Master and shared it with Urushi. This must have put a lot of strain on Master.

    However, I was sure that Master would forgive me. I was confident of that. In fact, if I did nothing, he would be rather angry with me.

    The magic that Urushi had been blocking was mixed with the power I had given to him. It began to circte, and I could feel it seeping into his body. His body was being remade, and he was beginning to evolve into a different species.

    ¡¸Gauuf¡­ Grru¡­¡¹

    Was it painful? But this was not even an ordeal when you¡¯re going to be apletely different species.

    ¡¸Urushi! Are you okay?¡¹

    Fran shouted when she saw Urushi, who suddenly began to suffer from a huge amount of magic power after the battle. His voice won¡¯t be able to reach the little girl. To Fran, it would appear as if Urushi was in a mysterious state of an outburst.

    ¡¸Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Grruu¡­¡¹

    Urushi did not lose consciousness or cry out, but simply continued to stand on his knees with all the strength in his body. That¡¯s right, if you can¡¯t handle something like this, you¡¯ll never be able to ovee the many trials that wille your way!

    ¡¸Ghurrruuuuu!¡¹

    And then, he had evolved.

    ¡¸Ghuuwooooff!¡¹

    The roar of a new Demon Wolf echoed across the moonlit ins. It was the voice of birth, the cry of the soul that signified a farewell to the cradle of his species.

    A vicious mixture of ck and gold magic rose from his body, which had swollen to the size of a small mountain. His missing hind legs and eyes seemed to have beenpletely regenerated. His thick limbs stomped on the earth, and his sharp face red at the darkness.

    Originally his fur had a slight red tint to it, but it has probably be even red now. In addition, silver hair grew like a mane on his back.

    ¡ºUrushi. You have be a new magic beast. Your race now is a Ragnarok Wolf. Abhorred by all other wolves, you are alone in this world. This is must be what you¡¯ve always wanted¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a good reply¡»

    In exchange for his loneliness, Urushi has gained great power. I¡¯m sure he will be able to continue to fight alongside Fran and Master now.

    ¡¸Urushi¡­? Evolved¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸So cool¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Ah yes. Give him morepliments, Miss Fran. Because that was exactly what Urushi was looking for.

    Name: Urushi

    Race: Ragnarok Wolf; Demon Wolf; Magic Beast

    Status: Normal

    Status Level: 62/99

    HP: 1834

    MP: 1910

    STR: 1280

    PHY: 480

    AGI: 1274

    INT: 360

    DEX: 290

    Magic: 1417

    [Skill]

    Dark Magic: Lv7, Keen Sense: LvMax, War Cry: Lv3, Stealth: Lv8, Superhuman Strength: Lv3, Shadow Transfer: Lv3, Shadow Dive: LvMax, Shadow Transition: LvMax, Fang Skill: Lv9, Fang Technique: Lv9, Aerial Jump: Lv8, Madness: Lv7, Terror: Lv7, Vignce: Lv8, Presence Blocking: Lv6, High-Speed Regeneration: Lv3, Herculean Strength: LvMax, Regeneration: LvMax, Lethal Poison Magic: Lv4, Evil Detection: Lv6, Evil Resistance: Lv5, Instant Launch: LvMax, Instant Walk: Lv4, Silencing: Lv6, Abnormal Condition Resistance: Lv6, Spirit Magic: Lv6, Life Detection: LvMax, Mental Resistance: LvMax, w Technique: Lv6, w Skill: Lv5, Poison Magic: LvMax, Haki: Lv5, Echolocation: LvMax, Roar: LvMax, Magic Resistance: Lv6, Magic Absorption: Lv5, Darkness: LvMax, Dark Magic: LvMax, Lightning Resistance: Lv7, Darkness Nullification, Night Vision, Poison Fang, Fur Strengthening, Regeneration Inhibition, Automatic Recovery, Great Physical Change, Poison Nullification, Split Thinking, Rampage, Magic Control.

    [Unique Skill]

    Dark Absorption, Predation Recovery.

    [Extra Skill]

    Predatory Assimtion

    [Inherent Skill]

    Dimension Fangs, Familial Intimidation, Familial Hatred, Seal Nullification.

    [Title]

    Kin of Swords, Kin of the Wolf God, The Lonely Beast, The Predator of the Evil, The One and Only.

    [Equipment]

    Divine Steel Magic ws, Serpent Dragon Cor

 Chapter 508: Fran and Urushiâ€™s Growth

    <h4>Chapter 508: Fran and Urushi¡¯s Growth</h4>

    ¡ºWell, shall we go then?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Right after I woke up, we went to look for some magic beasts in the ins of the Demon Wolf. I wanted to check my condition and Fran and Urushi¡¯s growth.

    In my case, a malfunction in a part of me that I didn¡¯t understand had been repaired, and in addition, Announcer-san has regained some of her strength.

    The current Announcer-san couldn¡¯t speak freely, but she seems to answer any questions I had about my condition.

    She also said that she will assist me in my magic operations from now on. It will be a little easier for me to control the finer details and use great magic in the future.

    I also take a look at the sword in Fran¡¯s hand. The sword seems to be made sturdy enough to withstand Fran¡¯s reckless use.

    Alistair said that it was only a makeshift sword, but it was quite strong.

    Name: Heavy Magic Steel Sword

    ATK: 480

    MP: 80

    Durability: 1200

    Magic Conductivity: D-

    It¡¯s like a portrait drawn in five seconds by a professional illustrator, or a snack made quickly from leftovers by a genius cook. From my point of view, it¡¯s amazing, but from her point of view, it¡¯s nothing.

    ¡ºHmmm¡»

    ¡¸Master? Is something wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡»

    The center of gravity and the length of the de are made to resemble me. But it gives me mixed feelings too.

    I¡¯m sure it was useful to Fran. It has protected her while I was away, watched her growth, and endured her rough usage in silence. Yes, that¡¯s a great sword.

    But I don¡¯t like it. No, let me rephrase it, I¡¯m jealous of this sword. I¡¯m jealous of the sword that looks so much like me that Fran used as a recement while I was gone.

    That¡¯s exactly how I feel right now.

    ¡ºWell, now that I¡¯m back, that sword won¡¯t be around for a while¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I haven¡¯t been able to get serious in a while¡¹

    ¡ºOu, I¡¯m on it!¡»

    There is no doubt that Fran has grown a lot. She has earned the title of Big Game Hunter and her skills have increased.

    Big Game Hunter, as the name suggested, was a title she got when she defeated a huge opponent. Fran didn¡¯t seem to know exactly when she earned it, but Announcer-san told us the details in her ce. Apparently, she fought against an Earth Slime, which takes in the earth and bes huge.

    It¡¯s a title that will increase her status when she¡¯s fighting someone bigger than her, so it can be quite useful. Fran is small after all.

    I was also surprised at the growth of her skills. Even without skill-sharing, she was even able to handle Sword Saint Skill and Sword Saint Technique by herself now.

    Even though the use of skill-sharing and dealing with high-level skills has sped up their growth, their growth rate was still extraordinary.

    I guess it was the result of multiple factors.

    She had the talent, to begin with. She had the best training partner, Amanda. In addition, she continued to fight against superior opponents in these ins of the Demon Wolf.

    And she had the mental strength to dive into the rigorous training to make the most of it.

    The result was her current growth. However, the true value of her training was not in terms of numbers. But the use of her magic power, which was previously left aside, has been sharpened to a far greater degree.

    It only took me one look at her magic to know that. When she used the lower level fire magic to light a fire. Her magic flow when she chanted that technique was surprisingly smooth. Moreover, there were no momentary pauses.

    No matter how many times you chant, you won¡¯t be able to eliminate the process of concentrating and controlling your magic power. Fran would have had to pause for a moment in the past. That was not necessary now though.

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve grown a lot huh¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    When I praised Fran, Urushi cried as if to tell me not to forget about him too. His voice came down from far above us. Urushi was now over ten meters tall.

    ¡ºOf course, I haven¡¯t forgotten you. I¡¯m sure you have done your best too¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    I was also surprised by Urushi¡¯s evolution. His growth makes me amazed at him, he grew more than Fran after all.

    It wasn¡¯t just about his size. The species he had evolved into was neither the Gehenna Wolf nor the Dark Night Wolf species that Fenrir had mentioned before.

    Ragnarok Wolf, which was Urushi¡¯s race now. Apparently, he has evolved in a special way. The exnation for it was still unclear, just like the Evil People, but Urushi didn¡¯t have the blessings of the Evil God.

    ording to Announcer-san, he has evolved into apletely new and unique species. There¡¯s no information about him even in the world¡¯s logic after all.

    Moreover, his abilities were not hampered. His status was greatly improved, and he has several stats that exceeded 1000. I¡¯m sure his threat level would be at least B.

    Moreover, the number of his skills has increased significantly. His skills are mostly the higher-level than the original skills, but there are also new unique skills that have been acquired.

    The following are just some of his skills that stand out.

    [Skill]

    Shadow Transfer: The higher version of Shadow Migration

    Regeneration Inhibition: Reduces the healing speed of the enemies he bites.

    Great Physical Change: The higher version of Physical Change

    Rampage: Pushing oneself on a rampage when cornered

    [Unique Skill]

    Dark Absorption: Absorb a portion of the magic power contained in dark magic and darkness magic

    Predation Recovery: Heal wounds by eating

    [Extra Skill]

    Predatory Assimtion: The higher version of Predatory Absorption

    [Inherent Skill]

    Dimensional Fangs: A Fang technique that deals damage while ignoring defense.

    Familial Intimidation: Intimidate his kin and rtives.

    Familial Hatred: Disliked by his kin and rtives.

    Seal Nullification: Nullify sealing techniques.

    Familial Intimidation and Familial Hatred was a particrly strange skill. Didn¡¯t he evolve into a higher species? But it was clearly a disadvantageous skill. Moreover, his titles were also strange.

    I know what Predator of Evil is. As the name implies, it was probably earned by defeating and devouring an evil being. But The Lonely Beast and The One and Only seems to be a title given as afort to the lonely being.

    Announcer-san also taught me that Fenrir-san had given him some of his power. And as a result, he seems to have evolved into a special race, transcending his wolf kin but bing a shunned being.

    ¡ºUrushi¡­¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Urushi stared back at me with his pure eyes. Even after he became a 10-meter giant, those eyes had never changed.

    I can¡¯t feel any loneliness or sadness from him.

    Besides, when I thought ¡®what if someone took pity on me?¡¯ or ¡®Isn¡¯t it lonely to be the only sword with a human soul in the world?¡¯ What if I was told something like that?

    I wouldn¡¯t be happy; those were not the words I would want to hear after all.

    ¡ºUrushi, you¡¯ve be even stronger huh!? You look so reliable! I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 509: Be Careful to Not Overdo It

    <h4>Chapter 509: Be Careful to Not Overdo It</h4>

    ¡¸Haaa¨D?¡¹

    ¡ºOops! My timing is off!¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºAah, I¡¯m sorry Urushi¡»

    We were out on the ins of the Demon Wolf, checking our coordination against a herd of Fang Boars we had discovered.

    They were small fry magic beasts that were normally easy to handle. The current Fran would be able to defeat them with a single flick with her fingertip.

    However, I unexpectedly missed my first and second shots against the Fang Boar leader that I had designated as my first target.

    First, Fran tried to draw its attention to us, but it seems neither of us fully understood each other¡¯s growth. I had predicted that her magic would be faster, but I hadn¡¯t expected that she would be able to control her me magic Vernier so perfectly.

    In the past, it would have been necessary for her to use wind magic or telekinesis to stabilize her posture, but now Fran can go straight ahead without any disturbances while using the Vernier.

    Well, if that was all, it would have ended with Fran cutting down the Boar magic beasts, but unexpectedly, I got in her way.

    Well, it can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯re doing this to check our coordination after all, so I can¡¯t just watch her do all the work.

    I instantly understood that Fran was going to use aerial jump and me magic to elerate, so I was going to use wind magic to help her elerate further while using telekinesis to stop the Fang Boars from moving.

    But my control over it was far better than I thought I would be. I¡¯m sure I put too much magic power into it because it has been a while and I was trying to show off a little¡­

    I didn¡¯t expect it to be nearly twice as powerful as it was before. The eleration of my wind magic was so fast that it made Fran jump over the Fang Boar.

    Even so, Fran managed to offset it a little and attacked the Fang Boar, which was great. However, her attack had annihted the Fang Boar herd.

    I didn¡¯t know that the power of her attribute sword has be that powerful. With a single swing of the wind attribute sword, three Fang Boars were crushed, and the two that were farther away were lifted by the wind and mmed into the ground.

    I wonder if thetter was more miserable than the former huh? Anyway, I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.

    Urushi went at thest remaining one, but they were too different in size. Before we could see how strong he was, Urushi would probably crush it with his huge paws and it would be ttened.

    When I thought so, Urushi shrunk in front of me. It was the ability of the Great Physical Change skill. Up until now, the changes were between four meters and one meter. But now it seems that he can change his body size from 10 meters to 50 centimeters.

    Urushi, now the size of a small dog, attacked the small Fang Boar, whose movements were blocked by my telekinesis. However, it seems that his attack was repelled by something. He had aimed for the head with moderate attack power to secure as much meat as possible, but my telekinesis had gotten in the way.

    Just like my wind magic, it seemed to have a lot of strength due to the excessive amount of magic power I put into it. However, the telekic restraints were burst away with that one blow.

    The Fang Boar ran away after being freed from the restraints. However, Urushi caught up with it instantly through Shadow Transfer and chopped off its head with a strike of his paw.

    Shadow Transfer was a skill that allowed him to transfer to any ce as long as there was a shadow, rather than diving into it. He could even go in and out of a shadow that was smaller than him. And then there was the new equipment for his paws. This was the weapon that Alistair had made for Urushi.

    Name: Divine Steel Magic ws

    ATK: 480

    MP: 250

    Durability: 800

    Magic Conductivity: B

    Skill: Size Adjustment Enhancement

    Name: Serpent Dragon Cor

    DEF: 80

    Durability: 600/600

    Effect: Small Item Bag, Size Adjustment Enhancement

    The Magic ws of Divine Steel was simr to the previously equipped w of Capture, but this one was made for Urushi from the start. Although the paralyzing ability had been lost, the performance was so much different, so it was definitely an upgrade.

    The Serpent Dragon cor was made of worm skins and other materials that Amanda had hunted. It seemed to be a substitute for a follower¡¯s tag and also a handle for Fran when she rides on him.

    Both are very useful because they do not break even when Urushi reaches his maximum size. Apparently, she couldn¡¯t attach any other skills to it because she had given them this unusual resizing feature, but she managed to add an item bag feature.

    ¡º¡­I¡¯m so sorry¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºIt sounds like you¡¯re more interested in confirming my power than our coordination¡»

    From that point on, we tested our power separately, but we asionallybined them over time.

    Ooh right, I had also absorbed all the magic stones that Fran had stored while I was gone and I had gained a few skills from it. But it wasn¡¯t just skills that I had gained, but my rank had also increased.

    Fran had umted more than 300 magic stones after all. So, I was able to rank up at once and added more magic stone value for me.

    However, the only problem was that the magic stone value I could absorb from the magic stones was strangely low, and I couldn¡¯t get any self-evolution points from them. When I was trying to figure out why that was the case, Announcer-san had exined it to me.

    ¡´Fenrir¡¯s transfer of power to the individual named Urushi requirespensation¡µ

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡´To prioritize Fenrir¡¯s recovery, the power transferred has been greatly reduced¡µ

    I know that the way I get the magic stone value has to go through a first. It starts with me absorbing it ¡úSome goes to Fenrir to aid his recovery ¡ú and finally the leftover poweres to me.

    It seems that Fenrir had done a lot of work to make Urushi evolve into his unique species. However, because of this, he was worn out and seemed to be using my magic power to recover.

    ¡ºHow long do you think this willst?¡»

    ¡´It will be until the next time you rank up¡µ

    Well, he did it for Urushi, so I¡¯m notining. I¡¯m rather grateful for what he has done.

    And because of that, Urushi got the power he wished for. It would have been great if it didn¡¯t give him the Familial Hatred Skill¡­¡­It was a unique skill, so I don¡¯t think even my skill taker could erase it. Well, I¡¯m going to give it a try at least once.

    Ah, as for the sudden increase in the number of skills I own, I think I can handle it now. Since Announcer-san is here to help me ease my burden when doing so.

    I can¡¯t be too reckless with it though.

    It seems that this pedestal was not something that can be used that often. It requires a huge amount of magic power to activate in order to repair me. Even though it continued to absorb and store magic power from the ins of the Demon Wolf, that magic power was not infinite.

    ¡ºSo I¡¯ll be able to get points at the next rank up huh?¡»

    ¡´Yes. However, the probability of obtaining the specified number of self-evolution points is predicted to be only 11%¡µ

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that the same as not gaining any points at all?¡»

    ¡´The possibility of halving the number of points obtained is 89%¡µ

    Well, does that mean I can get half? That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a small price to pay for Urushi¡¯s evolution.

    ¡ºWe need to strengthen our coordination, master our skills, and obtain more magic stones. We still have a lot to do!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Let¡¯s do our best!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡´The required magic stone value for the next rank up is 1022 points¡µ

 Chapter 510: Commemorative Day

    <h4>Chapter 510: Commemorative Day</h4>

    About a month has passed since I woke up. Based on the calendar, we¡¯ve passed the middle of the second month and are approaching its end.

    And today was a special day for us too.

    ¡ºIt seems that our coordination is now sufficient and we were able to understand each other¡¯s abilities well. We¡¯ve tested our skills, and we¡¯ve allocated some self-evolution points we¡¯ve obtained to gain new skills¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll end our training tomorrow¡»

    I dere that to Fran and Urushi, who are eating around the fire next to the pedestal.

    Actually, I wanted to continue our training here in the ins. I¡¯ll gain more power by hunting the magic beast around here after all.

    But I must not. Fran¡¯s wishes would not be fulfilled by staying and training here for too long. In the first ce, it would not be good for Fran¡¯s education to remain holed up in this magical area. A child needs to be exposed to a variety of people in a human environment to help them grow.

    ¡ºAmanda too, thank you for staying here with her¡»

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine isn¡¯t it, we¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we. Besides, it was fun and this could be considered as training for me as well¡¹

    In fact, Amanda¡¯s level had gone up, and so had several of her skill levels. Even so, the supposedly busy Rank A adventurer hade to this ce at least once a week, while adamantly refusing to ept any rewards.

    I guess you could say that we owe her a lot. Well, Amanda would probably tell us not to worry about it, so we just keep that thinking to ourselves.

    ¡¸Alistair too, you¡¯ve been a great help for us¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it was an exchange for information about the Fanatics sword. Besides, I can get a lot of experience by examining Master¡¹

    ¡ºBut, are you sure you don¡¯t want us to pay you?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it, Amanda was the one who gathered the materials after all¡¹

    Amanda had asked Alistair to make new ws and a cor for Urushi. She asked her to do it so that not only Fran but also Urushi would be stronger too.

    ¡¸Urushi too, you¡¯ve worked so hard¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Come to think of it, Urushi has been together with us since he was summoned by me.

    ¡¸If you¡¯re interested, I¡¯d like you to take care of that request¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll take care of it¡»

    The request was for us to go to a magic academy in a neighboring country. She said that they were looking for a partner for a mock battle, but we might be asked to do something else as well.

    The High Elf who was the director of the magic academy seems to be a person that even Alistair could not handle, so she has eagerly epted this request of her.

    ¡º¡­Well then, I wonder when the date would change?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm? You¡¯re probably right¡¹

    Alistair heard me muttering and pulled out a pocket watch from her robe. I¡¯d like to have it too, but I hear it¡¯s really expensive.

    In particr, a pocket watch made by Alistair would be worth millions.

    ¡ºWell, Fran. Do you know what day today is?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    She doesn¡¯t seem to know huh. Well, she¡¯s been training in this magical area for a long time, so she probably doesn¡¯t know what days today is.

    ¡ºToday marks the day of the first time Fran and I met one year ago¡»

    ¡¸Oooh, really?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. It all happened so fast¡»

    I couldn¡¯t be with her half the time though, but I was still close to her for almost half a year in total. We had sad, angry, and happy memories together. And it was a terribly intense time for us.

    ¡º¡­And we¡¯ve got stronger¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran was a powerless ve girl when I met her. She had endured fear and intense pain continued to fight without running away even from strong enemies and continued to walk in a straight line to the new height of her race she was aiming for.

    I¡¯m deeply moved when I think about it. Fran is probably the same. She nodded her head with a shy smile.

    However, when I appraised Fran, I was surprised by something.

    ¡ºEh? Fran¡¯s¡­ age is¡­ Come to think of it, you¡¯ve always been 12 years old huh?¡»

    To my surprise, Fran¡¯s age had changed from 12 to 13.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡¹

    ¡ºHey, Fran. Do you remember your birthday?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Nn¡­?¡¹

    She didn¡¯t seem to remember. But what a miracle for today happened to be her birthday too. If that were the case, would the world¡¯s logic have recognized the day when she changed her name to Fran as her new birthday? The day she changed her name from nameless to Fran.

    ¡ºNot only today is the day that Fran and I met, but it¡¯s also her birthday! It¡¯s a double anniversary then!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m happy¡¹

    ¡ºFufufu, I¡¯ve also got something good for you! You know what that is?¡»

    ¡¸Something good¡­ Pancakes?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right!¡»

    ¡¸Oooh!¡¹

    Fran pped her hands happily when she heard my words.

    She seems to see pancakes as amemoration treat. Pancakes were Fran¡¯s favorite food in a different way than curry was.

    ¡ºFufufu, this is the batter for the special pancakes I¡¯ve been secretly preparing while Fran was sleeping!¡»

    ¡¸Special pancakes!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes lit up at my words. But I will not betray her expectations.

    For the past week, Amanda had been buying all the ingredients and preparing them in secret. The cream for the topping was ready, and all I had to do was cook the pancakes right here and it would be ready.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start with Fran¡¯s share! Now I can make 10 at the same time!¡»

    ¡¸Master, so amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºHaha! Of course!¡»

    I poured the batter into ten pans on the fire created with me magic at the same time. It was all done with my telekinesis. It was like there were dozens of invisible hands. But it was a piece of cake for me now that I had the help of Announcer-san.

    ¡´All telekic output is well within the margin of error¡µ

    ¡ºYosh! Here it is!¡»

    ¡¸Master, so cool!¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha!¡»

    Fran ps her hands even faster than before when she sees my strange move of flipping the pancake by shaking the pan all at once. But aren¡¯t you going to wipe away the drool that is flowing down from the edge of your mouth?

    ¡ºAnd now it¡¯s done!¡»

    ¡¸Oooohh!¡¹

    ¡ºA ten-tier tower of pancakes with 20 toppings of your choice!¡»

    The pancakes were piled up on arge te in front of Fran with a thud. Currently, there was only butter and maple syrup on them.

    On a separate te, I prepared small bowls of whipped cream, chocte sauce, nuts, and various kinds of jams. Then she used a spoon to pour them on as she wished.

    ¡ºHow was it!¡»

    ¡¸Amazing! Master is super amazing! Can I eat it now?¡¹

    ¡ºOu! Enjoy!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Thanks for the meal!¡¹

    Fran then cut off the top pancake and first popped it straight into her mouth.

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡¹

    ¡¸How is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    She just nodded, but I could tell the truth from the big smile on her face. A perfect score, I guess. Fran continued to fill her stomach with pancakes at a tremendous pace. Amanda, who was watching her smiling, suddenly raised a question.

    ¡¸Hey, Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Mogu mogu?¡¹

    ¡¸Between curry and pancakes, which one is more delicious?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­?¡¹

    Oh? Fran stopped eating and tilted her head.

    ¡¸Curry is fulfilling!¡¹

    ¡¸Then, do you like curry the most?¡¹

    ¡¸Pancakes make me happy! Both are delicious. But a different kind of delicious¡¹

    When Fran said so while trying to put more pancakes in her mouth again¨D¨D.

    Growl¨D¨D.

    Her stomach growled, even though she had eaten a lot of pancakes. Well, it was probably because she mentioned curry to her. As evidence, Fran is staring at me right now.

    ¡¸Master¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYes yes. I¡¯ll serve you curry too. But it¡¯s only because today is special okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran, who usually doesn¡¯t show much emotion, smiled so much when she ate the food I made. I couldn¡¯t be happier. I have to limit what she eats so that she doesn¡¯t be fat though. It¡¯s okay if it only happens once in a while, right?

    ===== Fran Status =====

    Name: Fran

    Age: 13 Years old

    Race: Beastman, ck Cat Kin, ck Heavenly Tiger Kin

    Job: Sword King

    Status Level: 61/99

    HP: 669

    MP: 531

    STR: 430

    VIT: 295

    AGI: 497

    INT: 249

    DEX: 255

    Magic: 310

    [Skill]

    Sole Sense: Lv3, Intimidation: Lv3, Stealth: Lv7, Evasion: Lv2, Fire Resistance: Lv4, Wind Magic: Lv6, Court Etiquette: Lv4, Vignce: Lv2, Presence Detection: Lv8, Sword Technique: LvMax, Sword Saint Skill: Lv2, Swordsmanship: LvMax, Sword Saint Technique: Lv2, Evil Resistance: Lv4, Instantaneous: Lv8, Silencing: Lv2, Mental Resistance: Lv3, Survival Technique: Lv2, Attribute Sword: Lv1, Sea Resistance: Lv1, Earth Resistance: Lv2, Provocation: Lv4, Intuition: Lv3, Poison Resistance: Lv4, Fire Magic: Lv8, Physical Barrier: Lv2, Windstorm Resistance: Lv2, Paralysis Resistance: Lv2, Magic Detection: Lv4, Burn Resistance: Lv3, Thunder Magic: lv7, Cooking: lv3, Trap Disarm: lv2, Trap Detection: Lv3

    Undead Killer, Evil Killer, Insect Killer, Orc Killer, Energy Maniption, Sword Technique Enhancement, Sword Skill Enhancement, Goblin Killer, Mental Stability, Demon Killer, Adept Skinning, Determination, Split Thinking, Directional Sense, Magic Maniption, Night eye.

    [Unique Skill]

    Blessings of the Sword God

    [Inherent Skill]

    Awakening, Sword God Transformation, Brilliant Lightning Rush

    [Special Skill]

    Blessing of the ck Heavenly Tiger

    [Title]

    Undead Killer, A Match for A Thousand, Evil Killer, Insect Killer, Orc Killer, Big Game Hunter, Dismantling King, Healer, Sword King, Goblin Killer, ughterer, Evil Killer, Skill Collector, Skill Mania, Attribute Master, Dungeon Conqueror, Super Big Game Devourer, Demon Killer, Earth Magic-User, Fire Magic-User, Wind Magic-User, Annihtor of Magic Beast, Lightning Magic-User. King of Cooking.

    [Equipment]

    Heavy Magic Steel Sword

    ck Heavenly Tiger Series (Name: ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Fighting Robe, ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Gloves, ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Light Shoes, ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Ear Ring, ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Cloak, ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Leather Belt) Herculean Strength Bracelet, Magician Ne.

 Chapter 511: Training is Over!

    <h4>Chapter 511: Training is Over!</h4>

    ¡ºShall we go then?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s take its magic stones and make it as the culmination of our training!¡»

    ¡¸Okay. Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    Fran then jumps off of Urushi¡¯s back while holding me. There¡¯s a white smoke below us. It was the Greater Venom Ghast, but that¡¯s not all.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let that little girl get away this time!¡¹

    ¡¸Today is the day for us to kill her¡¹

    ¡¸This is an impossible fight for you!¡¹

    The Wight King was also there. Apparently, Fran had fought with the Wight King many times before. However the Wight King and the Greater Venom Ghast were always close to each other, and because of that, she had be too exhausted to defeat them so she had no choice but to retreat.

    ¡ºHave you located where that Ghast¡¯s magic stone is¡»

    ¡¸No¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ Let¡¯s defeat the Wights first then¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, take care of its subordinates!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    In the past, this would have been a rather reckless instruction. Four Wight High Wizards and two Wight Imperial Guards against Urushi alone was too much for him to take care of. He would have only been able to take care of two of them.

    However, it wasn¡¯t impossible for the current Urushi.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    With the use of his Dimensional Fang after his Shadow Transfer, he had immediately inflicted great damage on the High Wizard. They were capable of detecting space-time magic, but since Shadow Transfer was a skill in the same system as dark magic, they seemed unable to detect the surprise attack from this ability.

    After that, he repeatedly used hit-and-run tactics to defeat the wights. Urushi, whose life force, defense, and regeneration had all increasedpared to before, did not even budge from a few counter-attacks from them.

    From time to time, he changed his body size and used deadly poison magic to create smoke and other substances that fly around among the wights to keep them at his mercy.

    Of course, it was not an easy win. He was taking a few hits and asionally he took some heavy damage from strong counterattacks. But that¡¯s all. He never gets into a pinch where we have to intervene, and he never feels uneasy. There was a sense of steadiness andposure in his fight.

    ¡¸What kind of wolf is that¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not asking about its name! And how did you get here in such a short time¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been training after all¡¹

    ¡¸If only training can make someone be that strong, then anyone would train!¡¹

    The Wight King was screaming at her, but Fran didn¡¯t respond to his words and rushed forward.

    ¡¸Th-that little girl too! She¡¯s getting even faster!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¨D¨DShort teleport!¡¹

    As expected, the Wight King could not be underestimated. Even though he was a magician type, he dodged Fran¡¯s Sheaths of Wind skill. In addition, he used a teleport skill to gain some distance, and immediately after, he unleashed a wide range of ice and snow magic attacks.

    ¡¸Diamond Dust!¡¹

    It was a technique used to freeze arge area. However, Fran had rushed into the attack while using me and wind magic. She cut through the shimmering ice mist and pushed forward toward the closest Wight.

    ¡¸Kukaka! I had expected that! Nuooooo! st Avnche!¡¹

    The Wight King¡¯s magic created an avnche on the ins. It was a tsunami of snow that swept over Fran, engulfing a wide area.

    He probably would be able to breach the wall of a medium-sized fort with this technique. That¡¯s how destructive his technique was. In addition, the ice created with magic had an unusually cold air around it. So, its danger was much greater than an avnche of the same scale.

    However, Fran only looked at the advancing avnche and muttered a single word.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºOu! Leave it to me!¡»

    She believed that I could do something¨D¨DNo, she knew that I would do something about it. So, it was my job to answer that trust.

    ¡ºHaaaa!¡»

    What I released was a huge torrent of light. It wasn¡¯t an emission type of magic power, nor was it fire magic. It was light magic that had been raised to a higher level by consuming some points.

    It was the Lv6 Light Magic, Sr-Ray.

    When you hear the term ¡°light magic¡± the first thing you might think of issers or beams. To put it simply, it¡¯s simr to the beam gun from an anime. Since it was magic, it was not a simple ray of light, but it looked like a beam.

    A pir of light as thick as a drum shot out and pierced the white tsunami. The light concentrated on a single point melted the avnche and created a path for Fran to follow. In addition, I used the Light Distraction Membrane that I obtained from Invisible Death to increase the power of the light by increasing its focus point.

    The level of the technique was probably about the same, but this one was stronger because of its single-point focus.

    ¡¸Ghhaah! Yo-you can even do something like that!?¡¹

    The Wight King was damaged by the light magic that had been released through his skill. It seems that we couldn¡¯t defeat an opponent that was resistant to magic so easily. However, because he was on the lookout for the next magic attack, the Wight King¡¯s attention was in front of him.

    ¡¸ck Thunder Roll¡¹

    ¡¸Nuoh?¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t miss the opportunity. She ran through the path I had created and rushed with the ck Thunder Roll.

    ¡¸Fuuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gha¨D¨Dha¡­!¡¹

    Immediately after the teleport, she swung me down and cut the Wight King¡¯s body in two.

    ¡¸For an elite of the ck Skeleton Army, to be defeated¡­ by such a little girl is¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Giiaaahh!¡¹

    As expected, the Wight King could not dodge the attack from behind, because his focus was elsewhere. We still didn¡¯t know where his magic stone was, but there was no way he could save himself if he was cut in half from the top of his head and then cut into pieces.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no magic stone?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm, could it be that he was summoned with necromancy? No, there¡¯s should be no magician who can summon such a high-level undead¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºOops! I forgot that we¡¯re in a fight now!¡»

    The smoke from the Greater Venom Ghast tried to surround us at once.

    ¡ºThe only thing left is this smoke guy huh¡­ But how to find its magic stone?¡»

    ¡¸Attack the ground again?¡¹

    The Wight King was the same, but I still couldn¡¯t find the Ghast¡¯s magic stone. No, I think there¡¯s some sort of focus in its magic power, but I couldn¡¯t trace it back to its source.

    However, if I can feel this particr focus, then I can be sure that there is a magic stone nearby. It¡¯s a good idea to use an AOE magic that engulfs the entire area.

    As Fran and I were thinking about something, Urushi tried to appeal about something.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºCould it be, that you know where its magic stone is?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThen let¡¯s do this!¡»

    ¡¸Woooof!¡¹

    With a smug look on his face, Urushi bellowed and ran toward the air. With his momentum, he bit into the space in front of him. And then¡­

    ¡¸Uuaaaaaa!¡¹

    As an eerie scream rose from the space, the smoke cleared at once. We thought the magic stone was in the ground, but it seems to have been hidden in the smoke. Perhaps it was being hidden with some kind of space-time magic ability. However, Urushi¡¯s evolved senses did not miss the magic power of the magic stone. With his Dimensional Fangs, he would be able to attack it no matter what space it was in.

    Well, we didn¡¯t get its magic stone though, but we did defeat a troublesome opponent. So, I¡¯ll give him an honestpliment.

    ¡ºGood job!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, good boy¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi, who had changed his size into a medium-sized dog was happy to be petted by Fran.

    Even so, we¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger. We were able to defeat an opponent that we had struggled with before with only a little bit of strain and minor injuries. We took on two magic beasts with a threat level of B and won.

    ¡¸Fran-chan, Master, and Urushi. Now I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes, you guys are really getting stronger!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    Amanda gave us a thumbs-up as approval when she praised us.

    ¡ºYosh, with this, our training is over!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ___________

    Author-san note for the previous chapter (Fran¡¯s status):

    ¡°If you get the Killer title, you will also get a skill with the same name¡±

 Chapter 512: Temporary Parting

    <h4>Chapter 512: Temporary Parting</h4>

    After defeating the Wight King and the Greater Venom Ghast as the culmination of our training, we were discussing our future actions.

    ¡¸What are you going to do now, Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm? Master?¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you¡¯ve mentioned it¡»

    It¡¯s not like we have to do something. But there are so many things I wanted to do though.

    ¡ºAs for me, Alistair has asked us to be a partner for a mock battle. And I¡¯m kind of interested in that¡»

    Rather than the request itself, I¡¯m more interested in the academy. Well, I don¡¯t think Fran would want to study there though.

    Fran¡¯s most important goal was to be stronger and break the ck Cat Kin¡¯s curse. For that purpose, going to school would only prolong her mission to achieve her goal.

    However, it¡¯s also important for her to get in contact with kids of her age, and maybe, Fran will be interested in studying there.

    As for me, I agree that Fran should take some time and study there. I¡¯m not going to actively encourage it though, but if Fran wants to go, then I¡¯m not going to oppose her.

    Well, with all that said, she has to experience the academy first.

    ¡¸I¡¯m interested too¡¹

    ¡ºOoh? Are you sure?¡»

    By any chance, does she have the desire to go to school? I thought so, but it seems what she was interested in was different than what I was.

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯d like to meet the High Elves¡¹

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s why huh?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m interested in the strongest race in the world¡¹

    Just as I thought, Fran¡¯s interest seemed to be focused solely on the fight. But if Fran also wanted to go there, our next destination has been decided then.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s head to the Academy of Magic in the Belios Kingdom then¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Very well, I will give you my letter of introduction then. Take this with you, and you won¡¯t have to wait for days to meet Weena Rhyn¡¹

    ¡ºSo the name of the High Elf is Weena Rhyn huh?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹

    But still, how long would we have had to wait without this letter of introduction? Such a thing should only happen when someone is requesting to meet someone of high status right?¡­ From her title as the Director of the Academy of Magic, I had assumed that she was somewhat an important person, but she seems to be more important than I had imagined.

    ¡¸The Academy of Magic is allowed to self-govern itself. So, in a sense, Weena Rhyn is like a feudal lord. Without a letter of introduction, you won¡¯t be able to meet with her right away¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of person is she?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, now that you mention it¡­ She is a calm person, but she seems to be rather dull sometimes. Well, she often switches around between her normal and oundish behavior. But rest assured, she has no ill intentions. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s a little entric¡¹

    ¡ºThat doesn¡¯t sound very reassuring at all¡»

    A High Elf with no ill intentions but an entric personality that often switches around. Isn¡¯t that quite a bad personality?

    ¡¸I know you¡¯re worried. But she really is a good person. In fact, she¡¯s been running the Academy of Magic for hundreds of years and is worshipped by many people. Well, I¡¯ve also heard that there are a few people who had a grudge against her though¡­¡¹

    You don¡¯t have to add thosest words to increase my worry!

    ¡ºSomehow, I don¡¯t feel like going there now¡»

    ¡¸Come on, don¡¯t say something like that, and how about you, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Interested to meet with the High Elves¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s what she said¡¹

    ¡ºKuh¡»

    If Fran really wanted to meet her, it couldn¡¯t be helped then!

    ¡¸Very well¡­¡¹

    Then we¡¯ll need to get ready to cross the border. What¡¯s the procedure for that? I asked Amanda, and she said that as long as we have a rank B adventurer¡¯s card, we should be fine.

    ¡¸Well, because it¡¯s also bordering with the Raidos Kingdom, the border guards would be quite strict now, so I rmend that you go through the border checkpoint properly¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡ºDo they have a wall?¡»

    ¡¸No, they don¡¯t. But be careful, because I¡¯m pretty sure their immigration records are very well kept¡¹

    So, we would be in trouble if they check our identity somewhere but there is no record of us entering the country huh.

    ¡¸Actually, I¡¯d like to go with you too, but¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI thought you said you were done investigating the fanatic sword?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not done yet. And the investigation of the former Marquis Ashtner was still on going¡¹

    It seems that she was supposed to inspect the documents left in the Marquis Ashtner¡¯s mansion with Gallus and the others.

    I wondered if it would be so easy for them to show her the documents of the Divine Sword controlled by the government, but to my surprise, she had already talked to the King.

    ¡ºAre you okay with divulging your identity to the government that easily?¡»

    The King of the Kranzel Kingdom is not the frank type like the Beast King. In some cases, he might even try to force her to do what he says, right?

    I thought so, but it was Amanda who denied it.

    ¡¸I think she¡¯ll be fine. You were introduced to the King by Gallus, weren¡¯t you? To be frank, under the current circumstances, they wouldn¡¯t want to make enemies with both the head cksmith and the Divine Level cksmith. Besides, no sane countries would mess with a Divine Level cksmith¡¹

    ¡¸Why so?¡¹

    ¡¸They don¡¯t know what kind of magic tools they have, or what kind of connections they have either. They might have some connections to other countries or famous adventurers that aren¡¯t known, right?¡¹

    If they tried to take in a Divine level cksmith for themselves, they could make enemies of many ces.

    ¡¸Besides, solving the fanatic sword problem is a top priority for this country. If a copy of that thinges out, there¡¯s a good chance this disaster will happen again after all. Well, at least until the chaos is over, they¡¯ll treat me well¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to worry. And I¡¯ll also hint my connection to Alistair to them¡¹

    So, they would also turn Amanda into their enemy if they tried to take in Alistair for themselves huh.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why please rest assured¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Fran nodded at Alistair¡¯s words and bowed deeply.

    ¡¸Amanda, Alistair. Thank you very much¡¹

    Amanda and Alistair smiled as they watched her. They were happy, but they somehow felt lonely. It seems they know that this was a farewell gesture.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve had a lot of fun¡¹

    ¡¸Me too¡¹

    Fran then raised her head and jumped on Urushi, who had changed his size to as big as a horse.

    ¡¸Come see me again, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure¡¹

    ¡¸Me too, I¡¯ll go to the Academy of Magic too after the investigation is over¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll be waiting¡¹

    Normally she holds back more sadness from goodbyes, but this time she was surprisingly quiet. With strong feelings of gratitude, but not so much sadness.

    They had been together for a while, and had already been separated and reunited several times, both with Amanda and Alistair. Maybe she¡¯s getting used to that rtionship.

    Besides, she¡¯s confident that we will meet these two again. Maybe that¡¯s why Fran feels that this was a temporary parting.

    ¡¸Both of you, bye bye¡¹

 Chapter 513: Shadow of a Guy With a Bounty

    <h4>Chapter 513: Shadow of a Guy With a Bounty</h4>

    The speed of the evolved Urushi was so incredible. The journey which should take us a day toplete was done in about an hour.

    He jumped over mountains and rivers, and the magic beasts there were nothing but food to him. He didn¡¯t even stop; he just ate them up as he continued to run.

    ¡¸Momu momu¡¹

    ¡¸Tasty?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I don¡¯t mind though, since he had secured their magic stones so we won¡¯t need to strip off their materials.

    ¡ºOoh, now we can see the next town. That must be Didianne, thest town before we leave the Kranzel Kingdom¡»

    ¡¸What¡¯s their specialty?¡¹

    ¡ºI heard they are famous for their cheese from domesticated magic beasts¡»

    ¡¸Heee¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    With Urushi¡¯s speed, we should have entered the Belios Kingdom long ago, but we¡¯re still in the Kranzel Kingdom.

    This is because we stopped in all the towns and viges along the way to eat their local specialties. It¡¯s been a week since I learned how to cook some of it and even stayed overnight because I liked to cook.

    We¡¯re not in a hurry, so Fran could do as she pleased. It would be rather boring if we just simply hurried to the destination. It would be a waste to not enjoy the journey as well. I wanted Fran to experience more than just fighting after all.

    The first thing we saw when we entered the town through the gate were armed soldiers. They weren¡¯t trying to intimidate us, but there seemed to be a lot of them for a town of this size.

    Maybe because it¡¯s a city near the border huh? But no matter how I look at it, they seem like security soldiers, don¡¯t they? Or should I say, police-types? They give a different impression from border patrol soldiers after all.

    However, the reason for this somber atmosphere soon became apparent. It was at the first stall we stopped at.

    ¡¸Hey young miss! This is Didianne¡¯s specialty, bread with lots of cheese! Do you want some?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Give me five¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh, aren¡¯t you quite the bold one! Coming! That looks, are you an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing, you¡¯ve must have to do your best even though you¡¯re still small huh, is this also your first time in this town?¡¹

    ¡¸Just arrived¡¹

    ¡¸I see! So, what do you think of this town?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s a lot of soldiers¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, about that huh?¡¹

    The old man at the stall told us that a few months ago, a famous person with a bounty on his head was spotted in this area. He said that soldiers and even the local army had been sent out to capture him, but they had been one-sidedly beaten.

    ¡¸About a hundred soldiers were beaten in a blink of an eye, you know? It¡¯s been like this for the past few months, with such a dangerous person possibly lurking around¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    It¡¯s quite a violent criminal for being able to defeat a hundred soldiers by himself. Well, I guess the Lord won¡¯t just leave him alone after that.

    However, I felt a little strange about that.

    ¡¸¡­Are the soldier not being serious on their duty?¡¹

    Yes, there were a lot of them, but the soldiers didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood to capture him. It wasn¡¯t that they were not serious, but I felt that theycked the enthusiasm to capture him.

    ¡¸Well, no one died, so I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re not actually that serious about this¡¹

    ¡¸Defeated an entire army, but no one died?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah. Some of them were badly injured, but none of them died. Because of that, the soldiers don¡¯t seem to be putting in much effort. I think the Lord just wants to have a record of having a lot of soldiers huh?¡¹

    So, he¡¯s appealing that he had done his best to protect his people, but he¡¯s not willing to capture that guy. And if they put up a serious fight, they¡¯ll probably just get beaten back.

    ¡¸Well, there was a rumor that he was quite a bad person, so there was some panic in this town at first. There was an increase in the number of adventurers looking for the guy with a bounty on his head, and it became unsafe here. However, I haven¡¯t heard of anyone seeing himtely, and security has improved thanks to the increase in soldiers. In fact, I¡¯d rather want him to stay here and not be found¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, what kind of person is this guy with a bounty?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you going to catch him? No, please don¡¯t¡¹

    Did he see the expression on Fran¡¯s face and detected that she had a strong interest in the guy with a bounty? For him to be able to read Fran¡¯s expressions, that¡¯s quite a feat huh. No, it must mean that Fran was so motivated that even someone who never met her before could tell.

    ¡¸But are you sure? His name is Zelos Reed. He¡¯s said to be a skilled mercenary who¡¯s killed hundreds of people in his time. He¡¯s not a someone a novice adventurer like you can catch¡¹

    ¡¸Zelos, Reed? Zelos Reed is here?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yeah¡¹

    No, wait. That¡¯s absolutely ridiculous. He had fought a hundred soldiers and not a single one of them had died, right? If he¡¯s saying that he had ughtered hundreds of people back then, how is it possible that he didn¡¯t kill a single person now?

    It¡¯s that Zelos Reed after all.

    ¡ºIs it the real one?¡»

    He may be a criminal, but he is still famous. It would not be surprising if it was a fake. But the thing is, this guy has a high fighting power.

    ¡¸What does he looks like?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s a big guy with scars all over his body¡­ Wha, oioi, do you really want to chase after him?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­T-that¡¯s fine then¡¹

    When he heard Fran¡¯s answer, the old man thought he had been yed for a fool.

    But the response now was Fran¡¯s true intention.

    She has a lot of hatred for Zelos Reed. But Kiara has told me not to seek revenge. As for Fran, she probably doesn¡¯t want to actively pursue him, unless he¡¯s nearby that is.

    However, this guy doesn¡¯t seem to be the real one and I don¡¯t think that he¡¯s still around. But we can¡¯t ignore this guy.

    ¡ºWell, why don¡¯t we find this guy with Urushi¡¯s nose?¡»

    If he was hiding nearby, we should be able to track him down. If he had left the vicinity immediately after the incident a few months ago, there would indeed be no scent left behind. Well, that is, if this Zelos Reed was the real one.

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Young miss and her little doggy, don¡¯t be reckless!¡¹

 Chapter 514: Border Checkpoint

    <h4>Chapter 514: Border Checkpoint</h4>

    ¡¸Sniff sniff¡¹

    ¡¸How is it, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºNo good huh?¡»

    We were walking around while eating our meal in Didianne, looking for Zelos Reed with Urushi¡¯s Nose. If he were in town, it would be next to impossible to escape from Urushi¡¯s nose.

    We had fought him so many times that Urushi remembered his smell after all.

    However, we didn¡¯t get any results. There was no trace of him, not even a hint of his scent, so it was safe to say that he was no longer hiding in this town.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s no use. The information was uncertain after all¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    As for Fran, she felt that it couldn¡¯t be helped and she wasn¡¯t that depressed. It¡¯s like saying that she didn¡¯t have high expectations to begin with, so she was doing this as a tour.

    ¡ºSo, what should we do now? We¡¯ve stocked up on a lot of cheese, but should we stay here in town tonight?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine, let¡¯s go to the next town¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure? ¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m tired of cheese¡¹

    Aah, now that she mentioned it, she was thinking earlier that we shouldn¡¯t buy food that doesn¡¯t have cheese, but it seems, she got tired of eating too much cheese. Well, cheese is not something you would eat in suchrge quantities after all.

    ¡ºThe next town is already in the Belios Kingdom. But before that, there¡¯s the border. We must take the proper route into the country or it¡¯ll be troublesome for uster¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    In this world, countries¡¯ borders were vague things. There are no lines drawn or walls to separate them. It was easy to ignore them if we wanted to.

    I also heard that many countries that were on good terms with each other have no particr restrictions on traffic.

    However, Belios Kingdom was different. It has one of the strictest immigration controls in this world.

    All of the roads in the city are guarded by guards, and there are many security stations. If you are found to have entered the country without passing through the border checkpoint, you will be charged an entry tax. Not only that but if you hadmitted a crime without having gone through the entry procedures, even minor crimes often came with severe punishment.

    This was a measure against spies and such from the neighboring Raidos Kingdom, and they won¡¯t let you off with a bribe or something. Well, it¡¯s a good thing that the soldiers were serious on their duty.

    Besides, if we crossed the border properly, it shouldn¡¯t be that bad, and we wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much about it.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Right now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She seems to be tired of cheese. Come to think of it. I rarely saw her request cheese as a topping for her curry. So, even Fran has something she likes and dislikes huh? But it¡¯s not like she doesn¡¯t like the cheese, it¡¯s just she has her own ¡®super like, really like, and normal like¡¯ list of food.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head to the border checkpoint then. With Urushi¡¯s legs, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage to get to the border by the end of the day¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    After we finished our shopping and had reported our departure to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, we then arrived at the first border checkpoint one hourter.

    ¡ºThat seems to be the border checkpoint on Kranzel side¡»

    ¡¸A fort?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that fort seems to be double as a border checkpoint¡»

    But rather than functioning as a border checkpoint, that fort seems to be a measure to keep the Belios Kingdom in check.

    Most of the borderline between the Kranzel Kingdom and the Belios Kingdom was separated by a river. However, this mountainous area seemed to be defined as its borderline.

    In the middle of it, roads were set up to pass between the mountains, and the border checkpoint was located on the way to those roads. The reason why this checkpoint was not built on the borderline was probably that it also doubles as a fort.

    Even if they were a friendly country, they wouldn¡¯t let only one of them build a fort near their border. If one side builds a fort that doubles as a border checkpoint, the other side will do the same. And they also wanted to build their fort as close to the other country as possible.

    However, if both sides think the same thing, it could mean that the two forts were adjacent to each other across the border.

    So, in most cases, there was a treaty between the countries not to build any structures within a certain distance from the border. Well, I only heard about this from a guard at Didianne though.

    ¡ºFirst, we¡¯ll go through the exit procedures on the Kranzel Kingdom¡¯s side. And then we¡¯ll cross the pass and go through the entry procedures on Belios¡¯s side¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just go on like this for the time being. We¡¯ll be misunderstood if we continue to ride on Urushi after all¡»

    They might think that a dangerous magic beast was attacking them and will prolong our exit.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    We then headed for the border checkpoint, and the procedure went very smoothly. We were the only ones there, so we didn¡¯t have to wait that long, and with her adventurer¡¯s card, they didn¡¯t take us into moreplicated procedures. All she had done was answer with ¡°an adventurer¡± and we were let out of the country.

    They were a little skeptical that Fran was really a B-ranked adventurer, but once they found out that her adventurer¡¯s card was real, they didn¡¯t ask too many questions. Many adventurers don¡¯t like to be questioned about their personal life, and if they were a real B-rank adventurer there was no way for them to afford to offend them.

    Rather, it seemed to be more difficult for us to enter the Belios Kingdom.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s walk until we get over the pass. Urushi being here would only cause more confusion after all¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The pass was not that steep and it was said that an average person can get through it in about half a day.

    Magic beasts are also said to appear around this area, but since the soldiers were hunting them down, those who might appear would only be a magic beast with a threat level of F at best.

    Currently, the strongest magic beast that has been confirmed was said to have a threat level of D, but it is said that they were only witnessed once every few years.

    Unless we encountered a magic beast with a threat level of D, it would take Fran and Urushi less than half a day to cross the pass. It was already evening, but even if they camped out, they should be able to reach the border checkpoint by tomorrow morning.

    Well, that was what it was supposed to be, but¨D¨D.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t tell me, did I just raise a g?¡»(1)

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. More importantly, let¡¯s help them first!¡»

    Near the peak of the mountain, we came across a traveller that was being attacked. Moreover, they were being attacked by a Storm Wyvern, a magic beast with a threat level of D.

    ¡¸Urushi, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Note:

    (1) Raise a g means ¡°bring something to notice¡±. The phrase Raise a g originated from ¡°raise a red g¡± which means to alert someone about potential danger or trouble ahead, the origin is that red gs are often literally used to warn people of possible peril.

 Chapter 515: Girlsâ€™ Party

    <h4>Chapter 515: Girls¡¯ Party</h4>

    At the top of the pass, a group of three girls was being attacked by a Storm Wyvern. I thought they were adventurers, but that was not the case.

    One of them was wearing full-body armor like a knight, not unlike that of an adventurer, and the equipment of the other two was oddly refined. To put it bluntly, they were overly decorated. They looked like nobles ying adventurer, huh?

    ¡¸Lady Khanna! I¡¯ll draw its attention! Please use that chance to escape!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Kuh! She! Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸B-but,dy Dianne is¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m just going to slow you down!¡¹

    A girl who looked to be in her early teens named Khanna seems to be the master. I don¡¯t know if she was a noble or the daughter of a rich man, but she was trying to act without losing herself in fear in this scene. It seemed to be quite a spectacle.

    A woman of about 20 years old named She was her squire, and Dianne, in her full body armor, was probably her guard.

    It seems that Dianne was using herself as bait to try to let her master escape.

    Dianne was trying to draw that Wyvern¡¯s attention to her by making a rattling metallic sound with her armor.

    W-well, let¡¯s just help them.

    ¡º Its attention is perfectly directed at that female knight. Let¡¯s finish it off at once¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Teleport above it!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Urushi protects the girls!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Nevertheless, the Storm Wyvern was on the weaker side of the threat level D magic beasts. No, if it were only for itsbat power and status, it would be in the threat level of E ss. However, its flying ability is troublesome, so it was ranked D.

    As long as we can get a hit to it, it wasn¡¯t that strong of an opponent.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaoooh¨D¨D¡¹

    After the teleport, Fran instantly identified the location of its magic stone by detecting the flow of its magic power and thrust me into that spot. She pierced the magic stone that was located at the base of its neck, and the Storm Wyvern was easily defeated.

    I stowed it away as soon as it died so as not to cause any damage to Dianne below, and then silence reigned as if the Wyvern had never been there in the first ce.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    The girls were looking up at us with a dumb face. They didn¡¯t even seem to notice Urushi approaching them.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh, yes. Thank you for your help¡­¡¹

    The girls were still shocked, but it was the youngest girl of the group that had responded quickly when Fran spoke to the girls while descending from the sky.

    She was a beautiful girl with fluffy violet hair and beautiful purple eyes. The dress armor she wore was also of the highest quality. I can¡¯t tell if she was a noble by appraising her. The youngdy does not have a title, so nothing will be disyed as a title.

    ¡¸Umm, were you the one who did that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Defeated and stored it¡¹

    ¡¸I see, thank you very much¡¹

    As the girl lowered her head, the other two finally started to move.

    ¡¸Y-you has saved us. You got my thanks¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much¡­ Hiii! a w-wolf!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha, since when!¡¹

    They finally noticed Urushi who had approached them. And the female knight pointed her sword at him.

    ¡¸That is mypanion. It¡¯s okay¡¹

    ¡¸I-is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    When Urushi heard the female knight¡¯s murmur, he transformed into the size of a puppy on the spot and got down. They finally understood that he had no hostility towards them and finally the three of them could rx their shoulders.

    ¡¸Thank you for your help. I¡¯m Khanna¡¹

    ¡¸B-ranked adventurer, Fran¡¹

    ¡¸So you are an adventurer huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It was just right after Fran gave her name. Khanna and the other reacted in three different ways. Khanna was really surprised, while She had a terrified expression for some reason, and Dianne somehow had a look of disgust on her face.

    It seemed that these girls didn¡¯t have a good feeling toward adventurers. Fran felt this and turned quickly to leave.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll go then¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯m sure these guys will be able to handle the other magic beast on their own¡»

    When I appraised the three of them, I found that their basic abilities were quite high. Not only Dianne but also Khanna and She had a status level of 30.

    Maybe they have used the power leveling method to raise their levels, but it didn¡¯t seem to be just that. Khanna was able to use fire magic and water magic, while She was able to use recovery magic.

    And then there was Dianne, who had a decent level of skill. As I had expected, she wasn¡¯t good enough to fight a flying Storm Wyvern, but she would be ranked D if she became an adventurer.

    The three of them wouldn¡¯t have any struggle with anything other than wyverns around here. If that was the case, there was no reason for us to stay with them any longer when we had unpleasant feelings for each other.

    She and Dianne tantly looked relieved as Fran tried to leave. However, their hopes were dashed by none other than their master, Khanna.

    ¡¸P-please wait!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸If possible, can I hire you to be my escort!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha! Youngdy! But this girl is an adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸But you have seen how strong she was just now, didn¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸But adventurer is no different than a barbarian who only has money in their heads!¡¹

    What a horrible thing to say. No wonder that Fran¡¯s mood dropped. And just like that, the master-servant argument continued in front of Fran.

    ¡¸But if a magic beast of that level happens to show up again, will we be able to deal with it¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that is¡­ No, I can do it! I will let mydy escape even if it would cost me my life!¡¹

    ¡¸No, don¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t want you to die, Dianne¡¹

    ¡¸Even though I look like this, I¡¯m still a member of the glorious Order of the Red Banner! And I had prepared myself to die to protect you!¡¹

    What should we do¡­ They havepletely forgotten about Fran, aren¡¯t they? She didn¡¯t say that she will take the job in the first ce.

    ¡ºShould we leave them alone now?¡»

    (Hmm¨D¨D)

    ¡ºEh? Do you want to help these guys?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t want Khanna to die¡¹

    Apparently, she had a good feeling about Khanna, who was the same age as her and didn¡¯t seem to make fun of adventurers, and was concerned about the safety of her servants. However, I was sure that she was angry with Dianne.

    ¡ºWhat should we do then?)¡»

    (¡­I¡¯d be willing to be hired under certain conditions)

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    Well, we¡¯ll just wait for these two girls to stop arguing for the time being.

 Chapter 516: Adventurerâ€™s Value

    <h4>Chapter 516: Adventurer¡¯s Value</h4>

    After waiting for a while, their argument seemed to be over. Then Dianne spoke to her with the same haughty look as ever.

    ¡¸Oi, Adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll allow you to apany us for now¡¹

    Uwaah, who does this guy think she is? I could tell that Fran was getting annoyed with her.

    ¡¸How much will you pay?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you trying to extort money from me!¡¹

    No, what are you talking about? How could you hire an adventurer as an escort free of charge? However, Dianne cursed Fran even more

    ¡¸This why adventurers are¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t itmon sense that we need to pay to hire an adventurer as an escort?¡¹

    ¡¸Lady Khanna, I¡¯m telling you that I will protect you by myself! It would be an honor for me!¡¹

    ¡¸Knights really are hungry for honor huh? That¡¯s great, but adventurers don¡¯t work for free¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re a littlecking in themon sense of adventurers. So how much would you like for us to pay you?¡¹

    ¡¸Youngdy!¡¹

    Dianne shouted when she saw Khanna bowing her head. However, Khanna replied with a sharp re at her knight.

    ¡¸Silence, Dianne¡¹

    ¡¸Wha¡­! Why!¡¹

    ¡¸Do not impose your value on others. The value of a knight is different from an adventurer after all. Because even among the knights and nobles, their value is different¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­That is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hey. If you¡¯re just gonna talk forever, can I go now?¡¹

    Aah, Fran was getting bored with them. But before Dianne could say anything to Fran¡¯s words, Khanna bowed her head again.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. So, how much would you like for us to pay you?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s gonna ask for a lot of money from us anyway. But it¡¯s fine, here¡¹

    Dianne said so and threw a leather bag at Fran¡¯s feet. Doesn¡¯t this guy have any learning ability? Khanna is staring at her with displeasure, isn¡¯t she? When Fran picked up the leather bag and opened it, she found about 2,000 Goldes in it.

    ¡¸It¡¯s just for one night, isn¡¯t it quite an exceptional deal?¡¹

    What are you saying! The most you can hire with this money is an E-ranked or lower adventurer.

    Fran is a B-ranked adventurer you know? There¡¯s no way she could be hired for only that much money even if it¡¯s only for one night. See! Fran is looking really annoyed now.

    It¡¯s not so much for her haughty attitude when giving the money, huh? I know that she was making fun of her job as an adventurer, but this must have definitely put Fran in a bad mood.

    In other words, she has been told that she¡¯s only worth that much.

    ¡¸Those who exchange the glorious work of protecting the weak and hunting magic beasts for menial and vile money will risk their lives as long as they are paid, won¡¯t they?¡¹

    Could it be that she is deliberately trying to make Fran angry so that the negotiations will break down? Or does she hate adventurers that much? But there was no way that Fran would consider such a situation and take a wait-and-see approach.

    Fran threw the leather bag back at Dianne¡¯s feet a little harder and opened her mouth.

    ¡¸Not enough¡¹

    ¡¸Nonsense! It¡¯s only for one night, you know? How much would you like to extort us for just a one-night job!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m a B-ranked adventurer. There¡¯s no way I can be hired with only this much. The request fee is proof of evaluation to the adventurer. If I¡¯m only worth that much, then the negotiation has failed¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hmph. That¡¯s just like what an adventurer who sells themselves for money would say. Then how much do you want me to pay¡¹

    ¡¸If you want to hire me. Then give me all your money¡¹

    ¡¸What nonsense! Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Then how do you think we¡¯ll sustain our journey in the future huh!?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not joking. Either you don¡¯t hire me or you¡¯ll give me all your money. That¡¯s your choice. You like that, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Money is menial and vile, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll take care of all of it for you then. Or is the money that¡¯s so menial and vile really that important to you? Did you tell a lie even though you were a knight? Aah, or were you just a liar?¡¹

    Aah, she¡¯s angry huh? She has said a lot of words after all.

    Maybe she¡¯s going to say everything she wants to say and piss them off with it. Now it seems, it was Fran who was nning to break the negotiations.

    ¡¸Guh¡­ That Iprehensible reason is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t even know you, but don¡¯t make fun of adventurers¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii¡­¡¹

    Dianne, who had been hit by Fran¡¯s intimidation, paled and fell on her butt on the spot with tears build up in the corners of her eyes.

    No matter how much she despises us, the fact remains that we are overwhelmingly powerful. And right now, they were turning on each other. I guess she has realized that.

    Shortly after, Khanna intervened between Fran and her.

    ¡¸That¡¯s enough. Dianne, it¡¯s your fault. Even I feel ufortable listening to your words. Don¡¯t talk anymore¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡­¡¹

    Ooh. She made it look like she was angry with her escort, but in fact, she has protected her from Fran. Moreover, there was no change in her expression even though she knew that we could strike her with intimidation.

    ¡¸¡­Fuh¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ll give Dianne a scoldingter and I won¡¯t let her say unpleasant words to you again. So, can you please calm your anger?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran releases her intimidation and turns to face Khanna. Sure enough, this girl is special, isn¡¯t she? While others, such as She, who had watched Dianne being put through her paces, looked as if she were about to have a stroke, but there was not even a hint of fear on Khanna¡¯s face. There was no lie in her apology either.

    ¡¸So, what would you do? Do you want to give me all your money? Or not?¡¹

    ¡¸About that¡­Can you give me more time to pay for it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸To be honest, we really need to get to the town of Shenarl with the money we have¡¹

    (Shenarl?)

    ¡´It¡¯s a town located in the western part of Belios Kingdom. It also located near the Academy of Magic we¡¯re heading to¡µ

    (Ooh, I see)

    ¡¸If I give you all the money I currently have. We¡¯ll be troubled with our future journey¡­¡¹

    Interesting. Even though she was looking at Fran, who was so intimidating, she was still trying to negotiate with her. Moreover, she was looking up at her with an upturned eye.

    I didn¡¯t miss the thin smile on Fran¡¯s face. Perhaps, seeing Dianne¡¯s disgusting behavior had cleared her mind and left her with interest in Khanna. She seemed to be amused by her fearlessness in negotiating the price.

    ¡¸I understand that you¡¯re strong and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll need a lot of money, but that¡¯s all we can afford. Can you apany us to the next border checkpoint with this?¡¹

    The leather bag she held out to her was filled with gold coins over 30,000 Goldes in it. The interesting thing was that it was surprisingly appropriate.

    This is about what a B-ranked adventurer would get for a one-night escort on a ce where the magic beast¡¯s level is low. No, if these girls already have some fighting power and are prepared for the camp, this was rather too much.

    I don¡¯t think she understands this¡­ However, I was sure that this was the reason why Fran liked her so much.

    ¡¸Okay. And in return, that guy is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, I won¡¯t let her say bad things to you anymore¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Then I¡¯ll ept the request¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

 Chapter 517: Knights and Adventurers

    <h4>Chapter 517: Knights and Adventurers</h4>

    Fran epted Khanna¡¯s request to escort them, but the sun was soon setting.

    We camped on the roadside of the pass and used earth magic to create walls and other stuff around our camp as a defensive measure.

    ¡ºWe won¡¯t be in the way of traffic and I think we¡¯ll be fine here on the road side¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    This pass is not apletely straight road, it is said that dozens of side roads lead to various ces. Some of them are said to lead to the Raidos Kingdom, and naturally, that road was monitored by guards, so free passage was not possible.

    ¡¸Yo-you can use this much magic¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸Yo-you¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­!¡¹

    Dianne and She were shocked when they saw the camp that Fran had created.

    They may have known that Fran was a powerful warrior, but they didn¡¯t expect her to be skilled in magic. It seems Khanna and Dianne were more astonished than when they saw Urushi in hisrger form.

    The atmosphere on the road was not as bad as I had expected. Dianne, who hadpletely lost her mind, and She, who was still terrified of Fran, hardly spoke at all. On the other hand, Khanna was very active in talking to Fran.

    Dianne and She were also trying to hide their presence at a distance from Fran and Urushi while Khanna was sitting next to Fran, enjoying a bowl of curry-vored soup.

    As one would expect of a squire, She braved herself to be a tester for poison, but Khanna still ate the seemingly crude dish served by Fran withoutining. Well, it might look crude, but it¡¯s still a high-ss dish made with a lot of magic beast meat and spices.

    She rather enjoyed eating the grilled skewers as they are and her cheerful expression doesn¡¯t seem to be an act.

    ¡¸Fran-san is an adventurer, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I think, Fran-san is about the same age as me but isn¡¯t it unusual for an adventurer to be that young?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­ but there are a few¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so¡­ Umm, hey. Why did Fran-san be an adventurer?¡¹

    She doesn¡¯t seem to hate adventurers like Dianne and She and was interested in adventurers. Is adventurer that rare? But every town should have a few of them though. Or had she never seen the outside world before? But she¡¯s quite resilient enough to use magic and notin about our camp.

    ¡¸To be stronger¡¹

    ¡¸Stronger, huh? But can you be a knight or a soldier instead?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m still a kid so it¡¯s impossible¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ Umm, is it hard to be an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    When Fran heard Khanna¡¯s question, she asked back, sincerely curious.

    ¡¸To be that strong at the same age as me, it must have been very difficult, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I became an adventurer because I wanted to be strong. That¡¯s why I never thought of getting hurt or fighting a strong opponent as a hardship¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see¡­¡¹

    When Fran¡¯s eyes looked straight at her, Khanna looked away as if she was under pressure. Our values are too different from each other. I¡¯m not saying that we can¡¯t understand each other, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to understand each other all in one night.

    What seemed like hellish days for Khanna must have been irreceable for Fran.

    On the other hand, Fran could not understand Khanna either. I¡¯m sure that this nice youngdy has a pain that only she can understand.

    That¡¯s just what people are like.

    ¡¸An adventurer¡¯s job is to defeat the magic beast and bandits, right? And also, escorting the merchant¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? No, you¡¯re wrong¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Really?¡¹

    Eh? Really? I was also surprised to hear her reply too.

    ¡¸An adventurer¡¯s job is to go on an adventure¡¹

    ¡¸Go on an adventure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, by adventuring someone can be an adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸But what about catching the bandits or hunting the magic beast? Isn¡¯t that what adventurers do?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, they do. But it¡¯s actually the job of the Knights and soldiers. But since they won¡¯t do it, so the adventurers are the ones to do it¡¹

    Hmm, I don¡¯t think many adventurers would agree with Fran. Fran¡¯s definition of adventuring is to be going into a magical area or a dungeon and fighting in general.

    Maintaining public order by defeating bandits and magic beasts is essentially the work of the Knights. However, the boundaries were pretty fuzzy there. Since adventurers were fighting magic beasts in the dungeon, they could fight outside as well, and fighting bandits and such could be considered an extension of that.

    ¡¸¡­B-but those who have power should use their power to protect the people!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! Great poweres with great responsibility¡¹

    ¡¸Dianne!¡¹

    Khanna tried to stop her, but Dianne¡¯s words didn¡¯t stop there.

    ¡¸Y-You has so much power and yet you see the weak and think nothing of them? Don¡¯t you want to help them?¡¹

    ¡¸I always thought of it though, that¡¯s why I helped you guys, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t understand anything, don¡¯t you¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? I wanted to help you, so I helped you. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t care even if I¡¯m weak, if I want to help, I¡¯ll try to help. Do you only help people because you¡¯re strong? And you¡¯ll just abandon them if you were weak?¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Dianne, silence!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¹

    Dianne, who had been yelled at by Khanna, fell silent with a pale face.

    But it was a difficult problem. The responsibility of power is a convenient story for the weak to take advantage of the strong. Or it is the conceit of the strong who are drunk with power.

    In Fran¡¯s case, she wouldn¡¯t be thinking about such difficult things. In the first ce, if there was someone in trouble in front of her, she would help them without even thinking about the reason. As she said, she helps people because she wants to. That¡¯s all.

    If the other party is annoying, she would usually abandon them, or help them and demand an exorbitant reward.

    This may be another difference between adventurers and knights. Knights are people who are fed by taxes, so to speak. They must be taught about their duties and rights from the time they join the knight order.

    Aah, as long as it¡¯s not a rotten scum knight that is.

    However, ¡¸Work for your paycheck!¡¹ was not enough to raise morale or maintain their pride. That¡¯s why they use phrases like ¡¸helping the weak¡¹ and ¡¸serving the cause of justice¡¹. If that kind of education goes too far, more knights like Dianne will be born.

    Adventurers, on the other hand, are entirely responsible for their actions. In other words, the power they acquire is their own, and it is normal for them to use it for themselves.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t mean to speak for Dianne, but I¡¯ve also heard that some adventures do things like a bandit¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not the adventurers only, even knights and nobles must have their scum too. Or there are no bad guys in your country?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ might be true. There are also some bad knights and nobles after all¡¹

    Khanna agreed when she heard Fran¡¯s words. She seemed to have some idea of what she meant. When I think about it, it¡¯s not normal for a youngdy to be travelling in such a small group, so she must have her own reason.

    ¡¸Then, what an adventurer¨D¨D¡¹

    Perhaps because she was so interested in adventurers, Khanna¡¯s questions went on and on until she went to bed.

 Chapter 518: Entering the Country

    <h4>Chapter 518: Entering the Country</h4>

    ¡¸I can see it, that must be the border checkpoint¡¹

    ¡¸Really? That was really fast¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi is amazing¡¹

    On the day after saving Khanna and the others, Fran and Urushi departed with them at sunrise and in less than two hours they were about to reach the border checkpoint on Belios Kingdom¡¯s side.

    We had run through the pass while carrying them all on Urushi¡¯s back.

    Khanna and the others were our top priority, so we only killed the closest magic beasts along the way and ignored the others.

    No matter what happens, since she had epted the escort request, we have to do it properly.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll only make amotion if we continue like this, so let¡¯s get down for now¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I wonder is it possible for anyone to use a magic beast like him huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that¡¯s impossible, I¡¯ve never heard of it before¡¹

    Dianne and She remained pale the entire time on Urushi¡¯s back. They must have understood that he was not only big but also capable.

    She had been by Dianne¡¯s side ever since she got to know Fran¡¯s abilities. And apparently, Dianne had decided not to offend Fran any further by speaking rudely to her. Thanks to that, it was nice and quiet now.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go then¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    With Fran in the lead, we headed for the border checkpoint. We were told that the screening was quite strict, but would we make it through?

    This border checkpoint was just as big as the one on Kranzel Kingdom¡¯s side. It was also built as a fort so in case of emergency it can be used to hide from magic beasts and enemy troops.

    When we got closer, we were being targeted with a bow from inside the fort. However, this may be just preparation in case ruffians or enemy soldiers disguise themselves as travelers. And since we didn¡¯t feel any clear killing intent, Fran and I endeavored to ignore it for now.

    ¡¸Halt! Only four people?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Show me your identification¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    She took out her identification card as she was told and handed it to the soldier. Well, as expected, they were a little bit surprised at first, but once they found out that her guild card was real, they allowed us to enter the country without any problems.

    It seems by being a high-ranked adventurer ys a part in that. The Belios Kingdom would also benefit from having more strong adventurers in their country after all, so they have no reason to refuse her.

    ¡¸Are these three people with you too? Or are they from a different group?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san is the escort we hired the other day¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Morley Trading Company? I¡¯ve never heard of them before¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s because we¡¯re still a small tradingpany¡¹

    ¡¸So you¡¯re a daughter of the tradingpany owner and these two are your servants huh¡­?¡¹

    Oya? Khanna and the others seemed to be under some suspicion. However, it seems Khanna was the daughter of a tradingpany owner. I see now, the guts she showed yesterday was very merchant-like. However, I think she still has an elegant side too.

    They might know if she is the daughter of arge tradingpany. But would the daughter of a small tradingpany that the immigration officer, who should have a lot of information in his head, had never heard of, disy that kind of elegance? I know that she had received a strict education too, but¡­

    Dianne¡¯s existence with her was a mystery. She called herself a Knight, but her job was a Swordsman. This means that she is not a Knight because of her job, but a knight by status.

    But would a guard of a tradingpany make such a im? Of course, there¡¯s also the possibility that it¡¯s just her longing to be a knight. However, she must have clearly said that she was a knight of the Red Banner.

    There¡¯s also the possibility that she was picked up by the tradingpany after she was fired, but would that allow her to keep calling herself a knight?

    (Master, what should we do about Khanna and the others?)

    ¡ºHmmm¡­ Let¡¯s watch them for a while¡»

    (Okay)

    When pushes to shove, we must insist that we are irrelevant.

    ¡¸Where is this tradingpany is located?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s in Dards, a port city in the Kranzel Kingdom¡¹

    ¡¸What is the name of the owner of thatpany?¡¹

    ¡¸Raymond Morley¡¹

    ¡¸What is your purpose ining to Belios Kingdom?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re going to the special self-governing region¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hmm¡¹

    This immigration officer seemed to have some kind of lie detection skill. Although his level was still low, he should be able to sense at least a hint of difort if the other party lied. And it seems she didn¡¯t trigger that skill. However, he was still looking at Khanna and the others with an unconvinced look on his face.

    Having years of experience as a border immigration officer let him know that they¡¯re somewhat suspicious. However, based on his skill there is nothing suspicious about these girls.

    I was also using the Principal of Falsehood, but there was no lie in Khanna¡¯s words. As expected, she is really a daughter of a tradingpany owner in the Kranzel Kingdom huh?

    The officer who had asked the question before was currently having a sneaky discussion with a man who seemed to be his boss. Well, I can hear it though.

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that girl is an adventurer from the Kranzel Kingdom?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸If they hired an escort from the adventurer¡¯s guild in the Kranzel Kingdom, we can say that their identity has been proven by the guild. It¡¯s fine then since their destination is to the special self-governing region¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure about that?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine as long as their destination is really to that ce. But don¡¯t forget to inquireter if they really had entered the special self-governing region okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Did Khanna use her for this? I see, if they have an adventurer as their escort, anyone would think that they had requested an escort at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. In other words, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has recognized that she is not a suspicious person.

    This doesn¡¯t mean that she has fooled us, but as expected, Khanna was just like a wily fox.

    In the end, the four of us were not detained any further and seeded in crossing the border. Well, I guess there is nothing more that can be done.

    Also, the fact that the destination was a special self-governing region seemed to be another reason why we were overlooked. It seems that the autonomous region is treated as a different country within the Belios Kingdom. So, I guess they just pushed us over to them.

    Fran turns to face Khanna when they have walked a short distance past the border checkpoint. While Dianne and She are checking maps and at such a distance from her.

    ¡¸The request ends here¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Thank you very much for escorting us. And thanks to Urushi-san too, I was able to enter the Belios Kingdom earlier than I expected¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. And hey?¡¹

    ¡¸Is there something?¡¹

    ¡¸Is Dianne a knight?¡¹

    Fran was actually curious about it too. Like me, she probably didn¡¯t want to be stopped at the border checkpoint for asking it, so she kept quiet.

    ¡¸¡­That¡¯s right. But won¡¯t you care about my identity?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Not really?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Adventurers don¡¯t care about the past¡¹

    Many adventurers have left their past behind. And it is forbidden to pry into their past by an unwritten rule. It seemed that she had acquired this mentality while spending some time among them. Well, she was indifferent to her past too after all.

    ¡¸More than that, I was worried about her¡¹

    ¡¸Are you worried about her?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Dianne said that she was a knight, and she also had dressed as a knight too¡¹

    In the future, there would be other people who would be suspicious of Khanna¡¯s identity. Fran was genuinely worried about Khanna. After all, she was interested in this strong-willed girl.

    ¡¸Aah, do you mean that¡­ She¡¯s not really my servant, as I¡¯ve only borrowed her from my father¡­ At first, I tried to get her to dress up as an adventurer, but she just hated that idea¡¹

    She seemed to have a tremendous prejudice against adventurers, and I don¡¯t me her. It¡¯s like asking Fran to pretend to be a blue cat. She would refuse even if it means she would die.

    ¡¸Although she may be inflexible and narrow-minded, she¡¯s quite a skilled one. It¡¯s hard to find a girl with that certain level of strength after all¡¹

    Even a person with a difficult personality like Dianne can be a valuable female escort huh.

    ¡¸And thank you for keeping quiet at the border checkpoint¡¹

    Khanna then bowed her head deeply once again. It¡¯s true that if Fran had interrupted her at that moment, Khanna and the others might have been in a tight spot right now.

    Dianne¡¯s suspiciousness and the fact that she only hired Fran until they had crossed the border. I don¡¯t think she has any bad intentions, but I just didn¡¯t want for us to get into any more trouble.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind it¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. I was really lucky to have met you. Let¡¯s meet again next time¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. likewise¡¹

 Chapter 519: The Reason Why She was Interested in Khanna

    <h4>Chapter 519: The Reason Why She was Interested in Khanna</h4>

    After we left Khanna and the others, I asked Fran a question that had been bothering me.

    ¡ºHey, Fran¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºWhy did you interested in Khanna so much?¡»

    I wouldn¡¯t say she was a bad person, but she was a strong-willed and tricky person. She would use Fran to her advantage to get into the country. Was there any reason for her to favor her that much?

    Now that I think about it, I wonder if there was a reason why she didn¡¯t strongly restrain Dianne¡¯s rude words.

    Well, if Khanna and the others had any incidents in the future, there would be little chance that Fran would be bothered. They were justing along for the ride and being protected from any monsters after all. I didn¡¯t dare tell her that, though.

    They also didn¡¯t use bribes or lie to enter the country. Moreover, they had also presented their identity, and the immigration officer had also officially admitted them into the country. If something goes wrong, the responsibility has already been handed over to the country.

    Moreover, in Fran¡¯s case, since her immigration records were well documented, they would know that she was alone when she left the Kranzel Kingdom. In other words, it was supported by the fact that they happened to be together on the pass. It would be unlikely that she would be considered one of Khanna¡¯spanions.

    But even so, Fran had to bear the burden of being with Khanna.

    ¡ºYou know that she has obviously taken advantage of Fran, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, I wasn¡¯t fooled¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you¡¯re right, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸Khanna, the same age as me¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you¡¯ve mentioned it¡­¡»

    But, is that all?

    ¡¸And she didn¡¯t despise the ck Cat kin¡¹

    ¡ºAah, I see¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Dianne too, she made a fool of the adventurers but didn¡¯t make a fool of the ck Cat kin¡¹

    In fact, even the people we had met and befriended in our travels so far had been very surprised to see a girl from the ck Cat kin. There were two patterns of their surprise though.

    The mostmon one was the surprise that a girl from the weakest race, the ck Cat kin, could be an adventurer.

    The other one was the surprise at the fact that even though she was a member of the ck Cat kin, she carried the air of a powerful person.

    Either way, there was contempt for the ck Cat kin. No, they don¡¯t have any contempt or malice towards the ck Cat kin. It was just that they consider it wasmon knowledge that the ck Cat kin is weak and unfit for battle.

    It was frustrating for Fran. It must have been sad too.

    But not once did Khanna, Dianne, or She say anything about the ck Cats being weak. There were some insults about her being a little girl or an adventurer, but that was it.

    Especially Khanna. Come to think of it, she didn¡¯t seem to care about race, age, and status at all. Now I also felt respect for her.

    ¡¸Khanna is interesting. I wish she was an adventurer though¡¹

    ¡ºHee?¡»

    In fact, this was quite thepliment in Fran¡¯s eyes.

    ¡¸But Khanna is weak¡¹

    ¡ºWell, she¡¯s not much of a magician, is she?¡»

    ¡¸But she¡¯s not afraid of me, so I knew that she¡¯s not to be underestimated¡¹

    Strong adventurers sometimes tested each other¡¯s strength during their first encounter. They fought against each other with a light exchange of feints to assess each other¡¯s strength.

    But it seems the public eye often thought that they¡¯re trying to kill each other, but if they were a really strong adventurer, no harm woulde to them. And when they recognize each other¡¯s strength, they will go out as equals.

    Although it was different from that for an adventurer, Fran seemed to recognize Khanna as an equal. I wonder what she had to have that tugged at Fran¡¯s heartstrings besides her fighting ability?

    She¡¯s the same age as her, doesn¡¯t look down on her for being an adventurer or a member of the ck Cat kin, and even tried to use her without fearing her overwhelming power. When I think about it, she¡¯s quite capable huh?

    ¡¸Khanna is interesting¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s fine then if Fran says so¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After all, she was kind of interested in her. I guess that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about.

    ¡ºThey said it normally should take about 5 days to reach the Academy of Magic from here¡»

    ¡¸It would be even shorter with Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºBut since this is the first time we¡¯vee to this country, I¡¯d like to see some of the towns too¡»

    ¡¸Delicious specialties too!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThat too, huh?¡»

    I also want to show up at the adventurer¡¯s guild to listen to the domestic situation. In particr, I want to know what¡¯s currently going on with the Kranzel Kingdom and the Raidos Kingdom. I don¡¯t want to get involved in a war after all.

    ¡¸Is there anything else?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡º¡­There might be more to see if you¡¯re an adult¡»

    ¡¸Ooh-, I see¡¹

    It would be best if Urushi didn¡¯t make his body size too huge too. We¡¯ll never know what kind of rumors might start after all.

    In the end, we decided to have Urushi change to the size of a pony and head for the nearest vige from here. After that, we would head to arger town.

    However, we were not able to achieve anything special in that vige. It was the closest vige to the border, so I thought it would be developed like a lodging town, but it waspletely rural.

    There was only one old man, a former E ranked, in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild branch. There was also ake about an hour further on, and apparently, there was arge town on its shores.

    Most travelers usually just pass through the vige and go to that town.

    ¡ºAkeside town huh?¡»

    ¡¸Looking forward to it¡¹

    ¡ºCome to think of it, have you ever seen ake that big?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Ake itself was not new to us, but the ce we were going to visit was on a different scale. We can¡¯t see the other side of theke after all. It¡¯s probably about the same size as Lake Biwa. But it might even be bigger than that.

    (Note: Lake Biwa: 63Km in length, 23Km in width)

    ¡¸Urushi, hurry!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºOioi, theke won¡¯t run away you know?¡»

    ¡¸There¡¯s fish¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Aah,e to think of it, he said that big freshwater fish was a specialty. Was it something like a carp?

    ¡¸Fish Curry¨D¡¹

    Does freshwater fish go well with curry? Was there such a thing as carp curry or eel curry? I guess it was not out of the question as a local souvenir, but¡­

    ¡ºFran, let me tell you one thing, some ingredients don¡¯t go well with curry you know?¡»

    ¡¸It will be fine. Curry is the best, no matter what you put in it¡¹

    Oh crap, I definitely need to make delicious freshwater fish curry, huh?!

 Chapter 520: The Lakeside Maiden

    <h4>Chapter 520: The Lakeside Maiden</h4>

    ¡¸I can see it. A big puddle¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s ake¡»

    ¡¸Just like the sea¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s ake¡»

    Ahead of us was the town of Kiarazen.

    It was also known as the Lakeside Maiden. It¡¯s because there¡¯s a statue of a water spirit in the square where you can get a nice view of theke that attracts a lot of tourists. But Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in it though.

    The town was also nicknamed ¡°Lakeside Maiden¡± because of the beautiful white color of its town¡¯s buildings.

    It was a beautifulndscape, just as the name ¡°Maiden¡± implies. The shimmering blue surface of theke reflecting the sunlight and the white buildings standing on its shore. The contrast of blue and white looks so beautiful.

    The sight of the tiny fishing boatsing and going on thergeke reminded me of the preciousness of people¡¯s lives.

    ¡¸¡­So big¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Even these duos seemed to be impressed by the view. They stared at theke in awe. Well, it didn¡¯tst for a minute though.

    ¡¸Fish!¡¹

    ¡ºYes yes, let¡¯s go to the town then¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Our entry went smoothly. We had to wait in line for a while, but it probably took less than five minutes. I wondered if there were too few people due to the war, but it seems that most travelers use boats to enter the town from thekeside.

    Only a few peddlers or adventurers used thend route.

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºYou shouldn¡¯t eat too much, we need to get to the adventurers guild too after this¡»

    ¡¸Nnhm¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not polite to answer when eating you know¨D¡»

    I mean, how can she go to a food stall within 30 seconds of entering a town¡­ Oh crap, buying snacks has definitely been added to the purpose of Fran¡¯s trip now.

    We have the money, but I wonder was it good for her education to allow her to buy as much food as she wants? I know she won¡¯t waste any of it, but¡­

    ¡ºHmm¡»

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing, but I just think that Fran eat a lot, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Fufun¡¹

    Why did you make such a smug face? She never reacts at all when people say she¡¯s cute. But it seems she thinks that eating a lot was apliment for her.

    ¡ºSo, what did you buy?¡»

    ¡¸This¡¹

    ¡ºHohou, deep-fried fish huh?¡»

    It would look more like a carp or a goldfish. Just like a freshwater fish. The cooking method used for it was simple: take out its guts and fry it in oil. They did not even remove the scales.

    ¡ºHow does it taste?¡»

    ¡¸Salty?¡¹

    ¡º¡­Anything else?¡»

    ¡¸A taste like a mud¡¹

    It was a typical under-prepared river fish. However, despite saying that, Fran still managed to eat the fish.

    ¡¸It¡¯s crunchiness is good¡¹

    ¡ºOh, you like its texture huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She seemed to like the fried scales. After Fran finished it, she rushed to the food stall and bought more fried fish, and bit into it.

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡ºWh-what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸This is delicious¡¹

    ¡ºHou?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi too, huh?¡»

    What Fran was staring at with wide eyes was the fried fish that almost every stall on this street offered. The fish they used seemed to be the same and I couldn¡¯t tell the difference from other stalls by looking at it.

    But if Fran and Urushi say it was delicious, then it must be true.

    ¡ºIt must have been a famous stall. Maybe it was prepped and seasoned well¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get more!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAh, wait!¡»

    Fran and Urushi dashed back into one of the stalls. I mean, how could they think of buying something here?

    The stall was deserted and looked very rundown. The paint was peeling, and its curtain was dirty and worn.

    Was it because of this appearance that no customers came to the stall, or was it because no customers came to the stall that it remains rundown? At least for me, I wouldn¡¯t have chosen this stall to get something to eat.

    ¡¸Huh? You¡¯vee again?¡¹

    The seller was a beautiful girl with blond hair. Her white skin made me wonder if she had the blood of nobility in her veins. Since she was selling fish that had been fried on the spot, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if her skin was rough from the oil sshes, but there was not a single blemish on the girl¡¯s skin.

    But I don¡¯t think customers will be rushing in for this girl. She was wearing a ck headband-like eye patch that covered both eyes. It would be fine if she showed one of her eyes. But it covered both her eyes. The strangeness of her eyepatch, which looked like a blindfold, stood out on top of her beauty.

    But Fran didn¡¯t care about that at all and ordered some fish.

    ¡¸Nn! It¡¯s the most delicious in here, the smell didn¡¯t lie¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    The girl smiled softly and bowed her head lightly.

    Apparently, Fran and Urushi chose this stall with their noses. The frying oil used looks different from the others, it may be reced frequently without being reused. That¡¯s why the price was also a little higher than the other stalls.

    ¡¸Give me all you have¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸I want them all¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, you mean all the ones in here?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll buy it if you¡¯re gonna fry that too¡¹

    ¡ºHey hey, you can¡¯t buy everything, she won¡¯t be able to do business¡»

    It was not enough for a store to have good sales. For the sake of the customers and the regrs, they have to keep a certain amount in stock for their reputation.

    However, the girl looked pleased.

    ¡¸Thank you. I¡¯ll fry it right away then¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Come to think of it, her stall was not as popr as the others. Maybe it was already lucky for the girl to be able to sell them.

    ¡ºBut still, she¡¯s amazing¡»

    The girl was making the fried fish so fluidly that it made me wonder if she could see. The way she handled the fish and the timing of lifting it out of the oil was perfect.

    And that¡¯s not all. When Fran handed her the money, the girl could tell by the slightest touch whether it was silver or copper and returned the change to us.

    I was curious and couldn¡¯t help but appraise her.

    Name: Rhyn

    Age: 24 Years old

    Job: Cook

    Status: Missing both eyes

    Status Level: 25

    HP:54

    MP: 101

    STR: 30

    PHY: 36

    AGI: 41

    INT: 49

    DEX: 47

    Magic: 70

    [Skill]

    Sensitive Hearing: Lv2, WInd Magic: Lv4, Air Flow Vision: Lv2, Presence Detection: Lv2, Wand Technique: Lv2, Echolocation: Lv4, Magic Vision: Lv5, Water Magic: lv2, Cooking: Lv4, Magic Maniption.

    [Equipment]

    Oak Wand, Water Spirit Clothing, Magical Eyepatch, Magical Ne.

    She possessed several skills to supplement her vision. Judging from her skill set, she was probably a magician by nature.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    Wha? Did Rhyn¡¯s eyes look at me for a second there? No, she shouldn¡¯t be able to see¡­ But was it her Magic Vision that allowed her to know that I was a magic sword? It felt strange, it was as if she saw through my soul that resided in the sword¡­ But that shouldn¡¯t be possible.

    However, it seems that the loss of her eyesight made her extremely perceptive in other areas. Let¡¯s be careful not to let our guard down in front of her.

    ¡¸Thank you, I¡¯lle again¡¹

    ¡¸Likewise. That¡¯s the best sale I¡¯ve had since I started this stall. Come again next time¡¹

    Then we left Rhyn¡¯s stall, but for some reason, I felt like she was watching me the whole time.

    ¡ºNo no¡­ Was it just my imagination?¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºHey, do you feel like someone is watching us?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­?¡¹

    My words made Fran and Urushi brace themselves for a moment. But they quickly tilted their heads in confusion. I guess they don¡¯t feel anything. Was it just my imagination after all? When I thought about it, the inexplicable feeling cleared up before I knew it.

    ¡ºSorry, maybe it¡¯s just my imagination¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

 Chapter 521: What a Commercial Fleet Is

    <h4>Chapter 521: What a Commercial Fleet Is</h4>

    After we left Rhyn¡¯s stall, we were on our way to the adventurer¡¯s guild. But on the way, I was still worried about that girl with the eye patch.

    ¡ºI wonder if she knew I used appraisal on her?¡»

    ¡¸Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    I thought I was mistaken, but something was still bugging me.

    ¡¸She¡¯s amazing then¡¹

    In the first ce, our training in the ins had strengthened our stealth and concealment abilities considerably. We have also been able to suppress any hint of our use of Appraisal more than before.

    I¡¯m so confident that if our opponent didn¡¯t have a high-level Appraisal Skill, they wouldn¡¯t be able to detect it.

    Even Amanda had to concentrate very hard to notice it after all. And even if she did notice, it was only to the extent of giving her an ufortable feeling like ¡°Did look at me?¡±.

    From what I could tell, Rhyn wasn¡¯t very strong. Even though her senses were sharpened, her movements were only amateurish, and her magic power was low. If she was an adventurer, she must have been a ranked F or E

    To be frank, I hadn¡¯t expected to be noticed. In fact, she didn¡¯t have any skills that would allow her to notice appraisals perfectly, and her status would not allow her to somehow notice them through intuition or feeling like a strong person.

    That¡¯s was supposed to be though, but¨D¨D

    ¡º¡­This is just making me lose my confidence¡»

    Appraisal was a very useful skill. It was necessary to train daily to use it quietly when the timees.

    I¡¯ve practiced a lot against the magic beasts on the ins. And I¡¯ve be proficient to the point that they can hardly detect the presence of my appraisal even against those with high sensing abilities. And I was now in the middle of practicing it on humans.

    However, I wouldn¡¯t use it on a King or a Guild Master. The only people I will use it to are ordinary people in town or travelers passing by on the road, who are unlikely to notice my appraisal.

    No, there is still a small chance that they will notice. There¡¯s even a chance that they might have the Appraisal Perception skill by ident. But if I said that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use my Appraisal skill out of fear.

    But it would be foolish to seal off this skill because of the fear of being caught using Appraisal and then fail when the timees. That would be just in stupid.

    There is no such thing as failure when ites to just activating Appraisal. However, using it in conjunction with the Stealth skill to suppress the presence when the skill was activated requires a certain amount of practice.

    This was a world with a game-like system, but it doesn¡¯t work the same for everyone, but the more you train, the better you get.

    Appraisal too, you have to use it to get better at it.

    It¡¯s not that I forgot what Diaz said, okay? It¡¯s just that he warned me that if I used appraisal on royalty, I might be guilty of disrespect. He didn¡¯t tell me not to use appraisal. Rather, he advised me to use it well.

    I was going to follow that advice and use the appraisal on the easiest no-risk opponent possible to practice on.

    I¡¯m still worried about Rhyn. I think I¡¯ll refrain from practicing appraisal on humans for a while.

    As I was thinking about this, I quickly saw the sign for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡¸Excuse me¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, wee to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild!¡¹

    When we entered the guild in Kiarazen, the receptionist greeted us with a smile.

    ¡¸Are you¨D¡­going to take a request?¡¹

    ¡¸I came to see the requests¡¹

    ¡¸I see, you¡¯re an adventurer huh? Are you alone?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? But that¡¯s strange¡¹

    ¡¸About what?¡¹

    ¡¸You didn¡¯t just stick with themercial fleet, did you?¡¹

    ¡¸Commercial fleet?¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t know? Maybe, you were born in a foreign country huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Themercial fleet is¨D¨D¡¹

    The Onee-san then exined it to us. Themercial fleet was arge fleet of ships that traveled around Lake Vivian. Aah, Lake Vivian is that hugeke from before.

    There were severalrge towns and cities on the shores of theke, which wasrger than a small country, and the fleet was said to be making regr trips to these ces.

    Their work was diverse, ranging from trading to buying and selling local products. They provide transportation for adventurers and travelers. Fishing and purchasing materials in the dangerous central area of theke. They also provide entertainment such as circuses and minstrels and even regr checkups by doctors.

    ¡¸I can get that much on ship?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not on one ship. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be called a fleet, would it?¡¹

    ¡¸Then, there¡¯s a lot of ships?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, a lot. I don¡¯t know the exact number, but there were more than 10rge ships. I think there are also more than 50 small and medium-sized ships¡¹

    ¡¸Hoo¨D¡¹

    That¡¯s great. There are probably more people there than in a small vige.

    ¡¸They¡¯ve been around thiske for hundreds of years, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Hee¨D. Who started it?¡¹

    ¡¸ Something is interesting about it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a lie or not, but this Lake Vivian used to be a sea¡¹

    ¡¸The sea turned into ake?¡¹

    ¡¸The story goes that this was originally a smallke and that theke and the seabined to form argeke. Lake Vivian was named after that smallke¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm. I don¡¯t know the details, but it seems that theke and the sea were connected by a natural disaster, and then a part of the ground rose and separated this part from the sea, forming theke as we know it today. The merchant of the fleet said that themercial fleet began when the trading ships that were left behind on thekeside gathered together to protect themselves from monsters¡¹

    ¡¸Are they staying in theke forever?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, they can¡¯t just leave a ship like that behind, right? It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they just stayed there right?¡¹

    A ship was an expensive thing, so it was a valuable asset. If it was a trading ship that could sail the open sea, it was much more expensive than the cargo it carries. I don¡¯t know whether the captains of the trading ships were the owners or hired hands, but they probably didn¡¯t have the option of leaving the ships behind and returning to their countries.

    But to live, they had to work. I don¡¯t know if they had enough conscience not to beke bandits, or if they couldn¡¯t make a living as bandits because of theck of prey, but they consideredke viges as ports and started trading.

    Well, they must have thought of various ways to earn money, since they would not be able to earn enough money just by visiting thekeside viges. They must have thought of: transportation, fishing, escorting, entertainment, and trade. As a result, it would not be surprising if it became what was now called amercial fleet.

    ¡¸So, themercial fleet is full of adventurers who are just starting in this area. They have safe jobs like carrying cargo, and they can watch and learn from the work of the senior adventurers¡¹

    It is said that it ismon practice for adventurers around thiske to first train in themercial fleet.

    ¡¸So there are quite a few adventurers of your age in themercial fleet, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Hee¡¹

    It might be unusual to find a ce with so many child adventurers. However, if there was little danger to their lives and they could receive guidance from senior adventurers, it might not be a bad ce to work.

    ¡¸The fleet will wee you with open arms¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸If you ingratiate yourself with them at the beginning, you could be a good customer for themercial fleet when you grow up. If you grow strong enough, you can be hired as an escort. They have a great advantage of having the support of adventurers after all¡¹

    It was like a big business moving on theke. I¡¯d like to see it once, whether we ride it or not, and it seems that Fran felt the same way.

    ¡¸Thatmercial fleet. Where can I find them?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my, are you interested?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Let see¡­ I think the main force is in the east this time of year. I don¡¯t know exactly where they are though. But the squadrons, which are small ships that go around the viges,e at least once a week¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    This town is located just south of theke. East of here is also in the direction of the Academy of Magic we¡¯re heading to.

    The Academy of Magic was still quite far from theke, but I heard that the self-governing territory around it also borders theke. This might give us a chance to see arge fleet of ships first.

    ¡¸Hey, did youe from the Kranzel Kingdom by yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But how did you know I¡¯m from Kranzel?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s because there are no adventurers in Raidos. If that were the case, the only foreign adventurers that woulde to this area would be from the Kranzel Kingdom¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a girl your agee alone, but I think it¡¯s good to be part of amercial fleet. After a year you¡¯ll be able to be a full-fledged adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? I don¡¯t really want to stay there though¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Didn¡¯t you said you¡¯re interested before?¡¹

    ¡¸I just want to see it¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, I see. But it¡¯s not life-threatening, and I¡¯d definitely rmend it. There¡¯s also a branch of the guild in themercial fleet, so you can still rank up in there¡¹

    A guild branch in a ship? That was amazing. Not only was it arge moving merchantpany, but apparently it seemed to be a moving town.

    ¡¸Even a kid with G or F-rank can hopefully rank up one rank in a year. We¡¯ve umted the know-how to nurture the adventurers, so they can grow safely¡¹

    So, you¡¯re saying that they¡¯re going to assign us a job to train adventurers? That might indeed be a good system. They might be tied to themercial fleet, but if they¡¯re going to be working in this kind of work, that connection is rather a plus.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve also heard that when someone bes a high-ranked adventurer and has had enough of working in there, they often leave the ship¡¹

    ¡¸But I¡¯m fine¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? But why?¡¹

    ¡¸This¡¹

    Fran shows her guild card to the Onee-san, who clearly thought that Fran was just starting.

    ¡¸¡­? The usual ck card color is¡­¡¹

    G & F-ranked adventurer cards are copper, E & D cards are ck, and C & B cards are silver. Apparently, this guild only had adventurers of rank D or lower, and they were not used to seeing Fran¡¯s B-ranked adventurer card.

    ¡¸Eeeeh? I-it¡¯s real? It¡¯s real, isn¡¯t it? Y-yeah, it¡¯s the real thing! It¡¯s real!¡¹

    ¡¸So noisy¡¹

    As soon as she finally realized that this was the real thing, the Onee-san screamed out. Immediately after, she went upright.

    ¡¸I-I-I apologize for my attitude from before! I¡¯ve been talking down of you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m so sorry!¡¹

    She seemed to be terrified of her. It was the first time that she had been reacted to so intensely before she had even shown her ability.

    ¡¸A, awawawa¡­¡¹

    She was obviously flustered. And it seems she won¡¯t be able to listen to us properly for the time being.

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

 Chapter 522: The Relationship Between the Three Countries

    <h4>Chapter 522: The Rtionship Between the Three Countries</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for that fool from before¡¹

    The one bowing his head with a wry smile in front of Fran was the master of the Kiarazen Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    He looked like a refreshing uncle, but his speech was coarse and had a gap. However, the presence emanating from his body was definitely that of a high-ranked adventurer.

    ¡¸High ranked adventurers rarelye here, after all, I think that¡¯s why she was so panicked when she met a B-ranker from another country in front of her. It has been a long time and I still can¡¯t get rid of this newbie mentality. It¡¯s better thanst year though¡¹

    ¡¸Not many high-ranked? What if a strong magic beast appears?¡¹

    ¡¸They rarely appear, but when that happens, I¡¯lle out or ask themercial fleet for help¡¹

    The fleet itself travels along a fixed route, but it was possible to reach each town in a few days by using small boats.

    The adventurers in each town were trying to get by while waiting for help from themercial fleet. That seems to be their basic strategy when an uncontroble situation arises.

    Therefore, most of the high-ranking adventurers in the area belong to the guilds in themercial fleet, and they scatter to each town to do their work. The receptionist doesn¡¯t have much contact with the high-ranking adventurers because the masters will be the ones to take care of them.

    ¡¸And then, what will Fran do after this? You must have heard about themercial fleet from that fool, but are you interested?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ A little, but I can¡¯t, there are ces I have to go, maybe next time¡¹

    ¡¸I see, If the ck Lightning Princess is going to be active around here, I¡¯d very wee it¡¹

    ¡¸You know about that?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s not a single guild master on this continent who doesn¡¯t know your nickname. I¡¯m sure Diaz also has his eyes on you now. There¡¯s been a lot of talks about you when she raised you to a B-ranker¡¹

    Come to think of it, to be a high-ranking adventurer, you needed a rmendation from a guild master. Because of this, it seemed that Fran¡¯s story was spreading to the top brass of the guild.

    ¡¸You¡¯re a hell of a thing to actually face¡­ Are you really from that ck Cat kin? It¡¯s been a long time since my strong person detection skills have sounded that much of a warning¡­ Even though I¡¯m a former B-ranker too¡¹

    It can¡¯t be helped, but it was true that this guild master was also quite strong.

    He then observed Fran lightly and smiled bitterly.

    ¡¸Coming here to get information about this country¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you¡¯ve just crossed to Belios from Kranzel after all¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. What¡¯s the rtionship between this country and the other country?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, first of all, the current rtionship between Belios and Kranzel is probably not so close¡¹

    Both countries were bordered by the military power of the Raidos Kingdom and have not had any major conflicts in the past. They both knew that if one of them falls, the other will be the next target of Raidos, so they work together moderately while amodating each other in various aspects. That kind of rtionship has continued for a long time.

    ¡¸Ideally, we¡¯ll reap the profit while the other country and Raidos try to crush each other. But I understand how difficult that would be¡¹

    Currently, there was no threatening force other than Raidos, and thanks to the threat of that country, the nobles were not asking them to attack the other country.

    As long as there was no war, it was safe to say that the country was stable.

    It reminded me a little of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms from my previous life, where the famous military strategist Confucius Kongming (Note: Zhuge Liang alias) proposed to his master Liu Bei a n to divide the country into three parts. It was a famous n that three opposing countries should check each other to bring stability. The northern part of the continent of Zilberd seemed to be in such a state by ident.

    ¡¸Well, it looks like Kranzel is a little shaky for the time being, but that¡¯s a big country. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to suddenly copse. But the Belios Kingdom can¡¯t afford to have it fall¡¹

    Although they send spies to each other, it seems neither side wants to actively destroy the other.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure there will be some kind of support from Belios to Kranzel soon. Well, of course, we¡¯ll do it quietly behind the scenes¡¹

    ¡¸I see, what about Raidos then?¡¹

    ¡¸ We¡¯re still talking about them a little now, but it sucks¡¹

    They had been at war with each other for hundreds of years, and public sentiment between them was bad. To put it bluntly, many of the people here seemed to consider that country as an enemy.

    ¡¸However, we believe that the risk of invasion is low now¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Because we have that special self-governing region¡¹

    The special self-governing region. This was where the Academy of Magic was located. In terms of location, it was located on the west side of the Belios Kingdom, and if Raidos invaded, the self-governing region would definitely be in their pathway.

    ¡¸Even though she was a High Elf, we wouldn¡¯t just simply lend her a piece ofnd that¡¯s equivalent to 10% of the country right? So, we used that as a deterrent. In fact, there are already several deals between Weena Rhyn, the head of the self-governing region, and the country¡¹

    ¡¸Deals?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know much about it, but I¡¯ve heard that there are deals to participate in emergencies and that the technology created at the Academy will be made avable to the rest of the country on a priority basis¡¹

    And so, the country has also granted various privileges to Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸We granted self-government for the special region, but this is probably for the best. They¡¯re also exempted from paying taxes to the government, have the right to veto the extradition of criminals, and so on. They also have the power to interfere in the governance of Lake Vivian¡¹

    ¡¸Does thatke belong to the High Elf too?¡¹

    ¡¸No, she doesn¡¯t have full authority, but she does have the power to interfere in development and other matters. She has also said that there is a spirit living in thiske and that if the spirit is angered, the country might be destroyed by it. I was told that she¡¯s responsible for monitoring the spirits to make sure they don¡¯t get angry¡¹

    ¡¸A spirit that could destroy a country?¡¹

    I¡¯ve heard of that kind of story somewhere. It was Klimut¡¯s Great Spirit of Wind. Could it be that the Great Spirit of Water was here? If so, it would be dangerous to anger it.

    ¡¸But the guys from themercial fleet wereining about that too. Because every time they add a ship or decide on a new route, they have to report it to the government or the self-governing region, which is troublesome¡¹

    In fact, no one knew whether such spirits lived in thiske or not. It¡¯s just that the High Elf, Weena Rhyn, said so, so it must be something like that.

    ¡¸They can¡¯t afford to offend the High Elf though, so they¡¯re not going to against it¡¹

 Chapter 523: Collecting in the Lake

    <h4>Chapter 523: Collecting in the Lake</h4>

    ¡¸Around here?¡¹

    ¡ºMaybe. Can you find it, Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºCan¡¯t find any signs of herbs either, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    We had just received a request from the master of Kiarazen to collect medicinal herbs.

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guilds in this area had a unique and interesting system. This system allows requests made by other guilds to be epted by guilds in different locations. Conversely, you could report requests to other guilds, but it¡¯s limited only to gathering requests such as harvesting.

    This was also thanks to themercial fleet. By using ships to transport items, they could deliver materials to different guilds. It seems that the small fleet called squadrons were mainly responsible for this.

    The herbs we were looking for were said to grow at the bottom of theke, but it was difficult to collect them due to the presence of magic beasts around.

    If we collect it and deliver it to the town ahead, it would also be delivered to Kiarazen. That¡¯s why this system was so convenient.

    ¡ºWell, we¡¯ll find out when we dive in. I¡¯ll set up a wind barrier. Fran and Urushi, get ready for any magic beast¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s go¡»

    We then dove into theke. There we found an amazingly beautiful sight. First of all, it was so clear that I couldn¡¯t believe it was a hugeke. Could it be because it was ake in another world that hadn¡¯t been polluted by civilization?

    The bottom of theke was covered with green water nts, and the slight current of the water made them sway and flutter. Moreover, colorful flowers were blooming there.

    I had seen the water-crowfoot before I died. It was a nt that grew small white flowers in the water. But this one was iparablyrger and looked no different from the nts on thend.

    We also saw various fish that swam around on the green carpet, and underwater creatures such as shrimps and turtles nced out from among the flowers. The unfamiliar creatures must be those from this world.

    The sunlighting in was diffused by the surface of the water, wavering more gently and softly than on the ground. The shimmering and changing light added to the fantastic atmosphere of this ce.

    We almost forgot that we were in a dangerous ce inhabited by magic beasts for a moment to look at the scene.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s amazing¡»

    (Nn)

    (Woof!)

    It was so amazing that it even impressed Fran and Urushi.

    However, the excitement did notst long.

    ¡¸Kyaaaa!¡¹

    ¡ºTsk, we have a guest, huh?¡»

    High transparency also means that we could be seen clearly by those who were targeting us.

    (Huge lizard?)

    ¡ºThat¡¯s what we call a crocodile!¡»

    I proudly said so, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t a crocodile.

    Its face was simr to that of a crocodile, and it had the same hard scales all over its body. However, the shape of its body would be more like a seal or a sea lion.

    It had two pairs of fin-like limbs on each side of its body that was probably used for swimming. In total, it had eight fins. If you were a dinosaur lover, you may also say that it was just like Mosasaurus with eight fins, huh?

    It¡¯s about three meters long, so it was probably about the same size as a crocodile.

    (So that¡¯s the Lake Murder?)

    ¡ºIt seems so¡»

    It seems that this magic beast with a scary name would be the powerful enemy that would prevent us from collecting medicinal herbs. Its threat level was E. But underwater monsters tend to be difficult to fight, so the threat level tends to be set higher. I appraised it, and based on its status alone, I¡¯d say it had a threat level of F. Its Swimming skill was outstandingly high, but that was not unusual for an underwater magic beast. To be honest, even a low-ranked adventurer could fight it if they knew how to handle it.

    But only if they were alone. These Lake Murders always act in groups of 10 or more and hunt in coordination. They were also difficult to exterminate because they quickly run away when they feel endangered. In fact, there were probably more than thirtyke murdersing at us right now.

    Not only that, but it was also the most hated magic beast in theke because of its weak but long-range water magic attack. It was also said that it caused the most damage by far.

    Just like goblins and orcs, subjugation requests for them were posted permanently.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s take care of that one first¡»

    (Nn. I don¡¯t want to hurt the herbs or the other flowers)

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s go with a less shy technique, shall we?¡»

    (Let¡¯s do that)

    (Woof!)

    Wh-what a surprise to hear Fran say that she didn¡¯t want to hurt the flowers¡­! I¡¯m so touched! It was worthing to this ce just to hear those words!

    (Nn!)

    (Woof!)

    Fran shot a sh of light magic. It was a technique used to blind people or signal them to go farther, but this time she used it to create a blinding light.

    Then, Urushi¡¯s dark magic exploded. He used shadow-mediated binding magic. It was a type of magic called shadow stitching or shadow binding. What Urushi just used was a technique that created darkness from shadows and wrapped it around the opponent to seal their movements.

    I was surprised when Fran said that she wanted to raise her light magic, but it worked surprisingly well with Urushi¡¯s dark magic. In particr, the ability to create shadows at any location would be a considerable advantage. My Fran must be a genius because she coulde up with something like that in her own way.

    ¡ºYosh, I¡¯ll take care of the rest!¡»

    A group of Lake Murder was struggling to rise to the surface with their limbs restrained by Urushi¡¯s magic. Then I split my de into multiple pieces with Shape Transformation and moved each piece separately to pierce all of their magic stones

    Once I stored their corpses, the subjugation wasplete. I heard that its flesh was smelly and inedible, but the skin was in demand as armor, and the stuffed heads were popr with enthusiasts. Besides, we could also fulfill the permanent request.

    The subjugation was an E-rank request, but it was also an achievement for getting rid of a magic beast that was hated in this area. So, there¡¯s no harm in defeating it.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s collect the herbs. It is said to be a red and thorny nt¡»

    (¡­Is that the one?)

    ¡ºOoh, it¡¯s definitely red and thorny¡­ I¡¯m that¡¯s the one we¡¯re looking for. Let¡¯s get the whole rood¡»

    (There¡¯s more in there)

    ¡ºAll right, let¡¯s split and gather them for now. They said that they want as many as we can get¡»

    (Okay)

    ¡ºUrushi, secure the perimeter¡»

    (Woof!)

 Chapter 524: Scarlet Waterweed Delivery

    <h4>Chapter 524: Scarlet Waterweed Delivery</h4>

    ¡ºUwaah, we¡¯re so lucky!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºI never thought we¡¯d run into themercial fleet just after entering Sheftent¡»

    It was the day after we collected the spirit grass from the bottom of theke.

    What we witnessed from the back of Urushi, who was running nimbly along the shore of theke, was the sight of several veryrge ships docked at the shore of theke. Not all the ships could enter the harbor at the same time, so they use the harbor in turn over a period of days.

    As Kiarazen¡¯s idiot-san (We didn¡¯t get her name) said, there must be more than 50 ships in total, big and small. I wonder how they could be so densely packed together and not collide with each other?

    ¡¸Urushi, let¡¯s look from above¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi then used his Aerial Jump skill to run up into the sky at once.

    ¡ºOoh, it looks so messy from above¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Before I could say it was spectacr, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of ships. However, the size of thergest ship could be seen from above. The gship, which seemed to be thergest of therge ships, was as big as a fort.

    It was probably over 150 meters long. It was also probably about thirty meters wide. The strong reaction of magic power made me think that it was carrying a magic propulsion system. No, I could feel the magic power from the hull as well. Maybe it was being strengthened by magic? Or maybe they were using special materials from magic beasts.

    It was not as big as a luxury cruise ship, but it was a lot bigger than the ferries I¡¯ve seen before.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see it from the town¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºWhile we¡¯re taking care of the deliveries in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Sheftent, let¡¯s ask them more about themercial fleet¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When we entered the town of Sheftent, we found it was so crowded with people. Although it was arger town than Kiarazen, though it was not many timesrger, there was a difference between the two towns.

    It must be because themercial fleet was here. The crowd was asrge as the Royal Capital in the Kranzel Kingdom. It was almost as if they¡¯re holding a festival.

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡¹

    ¡¸Momu momu¡¹

    ¡ºJust straight ahead¡»

    I guided Fran, who couldn¡¯t see at all due to the crowd. Fortunately, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was a tall building, so we could follow its roof and not get lost.

    We managed to reach the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, despite the crowds of people, the delicious smells of the stalls, and the unusual stalls and their vendors. But its inside was just as crowded as the outside.

    ¡¸Lots of people¡¹

    ¡ºI guess there¡¯s also the adventurers that were aboard themercial fleet too¡»

    The adventurers of themercial fleet would have told adventurers that they would disembark their ships at ports of call to fulfill their requests. The story about arge number of young adventurers was also consistent with what we had heard in Kiarazen.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a long line¡­¡»

    For this number of people, there were not enough counters at all. But I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped. It only gets this crowded a few times a year.

    They¡¯ve added a temporary counter, but it was still not enough.

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t have any choice, let¡¯s just line up¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I was d to have Urushi hide in the shadows. He would have been in the way even at any size.

    However, as she stood in line, all eyes around her were focused on Fran. If she wasn¡¯t careful, they might all be looking at her. She was used to being the center of attention wherever she goes, but to have everyone staring at her from the moment we walked in was rare indeed.

    (¡­Why?)

    ¡ºAah,e to think of it, all these guys here must have known each other except us¡»

    It couldn¡¯t be helped if Fran, whom they didn¡¯t recognize, stood out. But it was not like she was doing anything wrong. She just has to keep her head up.

    Besides, it must have been half a year since they came to this guild, and some of the neers must have be adventurers in that time. In the end, Fran¡¯s turn came without her being approached by anyone.

    It seemed that the adventurers in themercial fleet were better behaved than I thought. Well, they were from a ship with the same group of people working on requests, so the stupid ones would be naturally weeded out or re-educated.

    ¡¸Umm, Are you new to this guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. How did you know?¡¹

    ¡¸If you¡¯re an adventurer in amercial fleet, you¡¯ll have an emblem so that we can identify you with¡¹

    Now that she mentioned it, I could see that the people around us were wearing matching silver badges. I guess that was their emblem. And the guild¡¯s receptionist could tell that Fran was not an adventurer from here.

    ¡¸Nn. I just came¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then what can I do for you?¡¹

    ¡¸Report onpletion of requests. I have fulfilled the subjugation request. This is the delivery¡¹

    Fran submits the request form she had received in Kiarazen to the receptionist. Then the onee-san received it with a surprised look on her face.

    ¡¸Well, is this a request for delivery of Scarlet Waterweed? We¡¯ve had a shortage recently, so even a small amount would be appreciated. May I ask you to put it out here?¡¹

    ¡¸All of them?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡ºAh, Fran, wai¨D¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Baaam!

    Aaah, it¡¯s been a long time since she has done that. Maybe, she guessed that Fran was a newbie. She probably didn¡¯t think she had an item bag and thought that she only brought one or two of them.

    I heard in Kiarazen that some low-ranking adventurers were lucky enough to collect Scarlet Waterweed growing in the shallows and bring it with them. She seemed to think that Fran was that kind of person.

    ¡¸Eh, Eeeeh?¡¹

    ¡¸This is all of them¡¹

    ¡¸Ho-how many are this!?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe about 200 of them?¡¹

    I¡¯ve thought¨Ddid I pick too much? But there was more than I expected, and they also said that they wanted as much as we could get. So, we picked up all the Scarlet Waterweed that was growing in that area.

    But it seemed that since that ce was full of Lake Murder and the water was quite deep, it was very difficult to collect them and no one had been able to do anything about it.

    ¡¸Wa-wait a minute!¡¹

    The onee-san at the reception desk was in a panic. Also, the stares of the adventurers around us were amazing. A surprised, jealous and suspicious atmosphere drifted through the guild.

    What should we do?

    As the Onee-san at the reception desk fumbled around with a troubled look on her face, an older adventurer standing in line behind us approached her.

    ¡¸Lulu-chan. Why don¡¯t you just count them and process them for now? There¡¯s no other Scarlet Waterweed that looks the same as it, so it can¡¯t be a fake¡¹

    ¡¸Yo-you¡¯re right!¡¹

    ¡¸Buying these medicinal herbs that are in short supply is top priority right? We¡¯ll wait until it¡¯s processed, okay?¡¹

    This Dandy adventurer seemed to have a lot of say in here, and the other adventurers who had approached nodded in agreement.

    ¡¸Y-yes, of course!¡¹

    ¡¸Huft¡¹

    I think we¡¯re gonna make it. Thank you, Dandy-san!

 Chapter 525: Making the Same Mistake Again

    <h4>Chapter 525: Making the Same Mistake Again</h4>

    I was so relieved that Dandy-san called out for her. But his face looks very serious.

    ¡¸You¡¯re not one of the adventurers from around here, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Just stopped by during my trip¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ I know it¡¯s rude to ask, but where did you get that huge amount of Scarlet Waterweed? I¡¯ll pay you for the information if you¡¯re willing to tell me¡¹

    ¡¸Where to find?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, the shortage of Scarlet Waterweed has been a constant problem for the people in this area. If a new harvesting point has been found, that would be a piece of pretty good news ¡¹

    I see. He thought she found a less difficult harvesting point where Fran, who looked like she was just starting, could collect arge amount.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t mind¡¹

    ¡¸Re-really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m not going to stay in here for long after all¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m grateful!¡¹

    The man bowed his head and immediately took out a map. It was a reasonably detailed map of the area, with theke at the center.

    But unfortunately, it was already a well-known ce.

    ¡¸Do you know where it is on this map?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. In here¡¹

    Fran pointed to the slightly west side of the islet, halfway between Kiarazen and Sheftent. From Kiarazen, it was 100 meters west of the star-shaped ind.

    The Guild Master of Kiarazen knew that Fran would be able to harvest at this location, so he asked us to collect at a more difficult location.

    ¡¸Eh? But I thought there was a Lake Murder nest in there¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve beat them¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You? Beat them?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When Fran nodded, the adventurers made a noise once again. This time, the atmosphere was even stronger in denial than before.

    ¡¸Hey, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, just tell me that. I¡¯ll know right away if you tell a lie to me, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? I¡¯m not lying¡¹

    ¡¸Th-then, you must have the materials from the Lake Murder, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ve beat them after all, so you must have some, right?¡¹

    Dandy-san looks angry. I couldn¡¯t me him though; he must have thought that she was trying to give him false information after all. Even so, he didn¡¯t yell at her. That must be the sign of his age, huh? He seems to have a lot of experience as an adventurer.

    ¡¸Why don¡¯t you bring it out for now?¡¹

    ¡¸In here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    When Fran looked around, all the adventurers were looking at us with stern faces. Aah, she was totally being recognized as a liar.

    I¡¯m so pissed. You could go ahead and do whatever you want. I¡¯m not gonna stop you.

    Then there was even moremotion than before. It was because she brought out the Lake Murders, which we had defeated without getting any wounds. I also had removed its flesh and internal organs and processed its skinst night. The head was still attached, and it looked very impressive.

    That was thirty of them. The adventurers around us were being pushed and falling by the copsed pile of leather. And it smells pretty fishy. But it was fine since he was the one who told us to take them out!

    ¡¸You believe me now?¡¹

    ¡¸I-it can¡¯t be real¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not lying¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You must have bought it from somewhere else right!?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the point of doing that!?¡¹

    I wonder what we should do now. Maybe, I should have stopped her before, huh¡­? The onee-san at the reception desk didn¡¯t seem to know what to do either. It was already out of control.

    Then a small, old woman appeared from the back of the guild as if she had heard themotion.

    I could guess who she was by just looking at her. She must be the Guild Master. Theck of stagnation in the magic power flowing through her body told me that she was a first-rate magician.

    ¡¸What the hell is happening here? Oi, Lulu, what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, Master. Uumm, it¡¯s because of this girl¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oioi¡­ What is someone with an alias doing in here?¡¹

    The old woman looked at her lightly. It seemed that she had figured out Fran¡¯s true identity with just one nce.

    ¡¸In the middle of a trip¡¹

    ¡¸I appreciate it, but I wish you¡¯d think about it a little more before doing something like this¡¹

    I¡¯m sorry. We got a little heated. After hearing from the girl at the reception desk and Dandy-san, she sighed even more.

    ¡¸Is this guild only full of blockheads and idiots¡­? What a shame¡¹

    ¡¸So-sorry¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s fine then. Swift, you¡¯re gonna help me take care of it right? It¡¯s your fault because you were too stupid to see what she¡¯s capable of¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    ¡¸And you,e with me. ck Lightning Princess¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The moment the guild master called Fran the ck Lightning Princess, there was amotion of apletely different level than before. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be astonishment. It seemed that Fran¡¯s alias was even known in the Belios Kingdom.

    The moment Fran and the Guild Master entered the back room, themotion they had been holding back exploded all at once. Even without listening, I could tell that they were gossiping about Fran.

    While many people were saying that a child like that couldn¡¯t be strong, the calm adventurers seemed to be saying that there was no way that the Guild Master could be wrong. Still, some of the younger adventurers wereughing at us when she told them that she was stronger than them.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for those annoying guys¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m the Guild Master. The adventurers here call me Grandma Jill¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran, B-ranked adventurer¡¹

    She showed her guild card to her, but Grandma Jill just lightly nced at it.

    ¡¸I know. You¡¯re the only ck Cat kin who can do something like that. You look just like the stories I¡¯ve heard. So, you¡¯re in the middle of a trip?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to the Achajhe¡­ Academy of Magic¡¹

    Fran biting her tongue at the academy part was cute. It would be even cuter if she was a little embarrassed by it. But it seemed like it was nothing to be embarrassed about and she just rephrased it as normal.

    The Guild Master also decided to not mind it.

    ¡¸Academy of Magic? Are you going to enroll there?¡¹

    ¡¸No. I have just received a request¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Well, it¡¯s not just a ce that teachesbat skills, and I think someone your age should be able to enroll there¡¹

    ¡¸I can get stronger by being an adventurer too¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I won¡¯t force you. I¡¯ll also be sure to send the Scarlet Waterweed you mentioned to Kiarazen. There¡¯s a shortage of that stuff around here too. Can I share it with the other guilds? I¡¯ll make sure the request is treated as fulfilled in here too¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. You can split it up where ever you need it¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, that helps¡¹

    It must have been very scarce. Grandma Jill looked relieved.

    ¡¸Can I have you sell me some Lake Murder skins too?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s such beautiful skin after all¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    ¡¸Now that we¡¯ve got that out of the way, can we talk about something serious?¡¹

    As expected, there was a reason why she was called into the room, huh?

    ¡¸Since you¡¯re a B-ranked adventurer, I have a request to make of you. Will you ept it?¡¹

 Chapter 526: Community-Based

    <h4>Chapter 526: Community-Based</h4>

    The day after being asked to ept a request from the Guild Master of Sheftent.

    Fran was on a small boat. Next to her was the Guild Master, Grandma Jill.

    We were aiming for a medium-sized ship called an adventurer¡¯s ship that was docked about 100 meters away from the port.

    At first, she tried to bring Urushi with us, but Grandma Jill stopped her. She said he would only cause panic in there. As there was no way for everyone in there to know about him, there would certainly be a risk that they would mistake it for an attack by a magic beast.

    If a panic broke out in this kind of ce where ships were so densely packed, there was a possibility that the damage would be tremendous. Like a ship that would try to escape only to hit another ship and they might sink each other.

    ¡¸There¡¯s an Adventurer¡¯s Guild there?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. They didn¡¯t use arge ship so that it can turn around in an emergency¡¹

    ¡¸Is the ship just used as a Guild Branch?¡¹

    ¡¸Well. There are also the Adventurer¡¯s Quarters, training grounds, a dismantling site, and a weapons shop. Just think of it as a ship with everything an adventurer needs¡¹

    ¡¸So it¡¯s also the training grounds where they do the tests?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you¡¯re right¡¹

    The request from Grandma Jill to Fran was for her to be an examiner for an Adventurer¡¯s Promotion test. She wouldn¡¯t be the one to determine who passed or failed, but to be a witness.

    Normally, they would have called in people from remote towns in the country for the test to measure theirbat power. However, due to the warmotion and incidents that have urred in the country, it has been postponed for half a year.

    The reason why they need to go to the trouble of inviting outsiders was to make them feel less naive and to give them a sense of the vastness of the outside world.

    Unlike the other regions, many adventurers in this region were born and raised around Lake Vivian and became adventurers as they were.

    In a normal region, they would travel to improve their skills or to find a dungeon with a difficulty level that suited them. Even if it wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as a trip, if they were interested in a dungeon or magical areas, it was normal for them to move their base when they were young.

    However, the number of settled adventurers has surprisingly increased as a result of themunity-wide efforts to train adventurers, especially in themercial fleet. Or should I call it amunity-based Adventurer¡¯s Guild? Since they were from this area, they were well-behaved and knew the rules around here. All in all, it was a good thing.

    At the same time, however, there was a downside in that, it caused people to get used to each other. A particr problem, she said, was theck of a sense of urgency andpetition among lower-ranked adventurers.

    Many of the adventurers were familiar with each other, and many of the higher-ranked adventurers were like heroes they had admired when they were young. Because of this, even when they were beaten in the exams, many of them would think ¡°Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped if I lost to you¡± and didn¡¯t feel frustrated at all.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t want them to be looked down on by the people from other regions. So that¡¯s why we call in strangers as an examiner whenever possible¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Understood¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Me too, I hate it when the ck Cat kin gets looked down upon¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it may be a feeling close to that. So, go ahead and beat those brats¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Hihihi. The guy who wants to pass this is out of luck¡¹

    It seems this grandma Jill¡¯s personality was quite bad. But I agree. Those adventurers who lose to Fran would be quite shocked. She was a girl, an outsider, a ck Cat, and doesn¡¯t look very strong after all.

    Mmm, I¡¯d cry if I were them. If they¡¯re going to hold a grudge, please hold that grudge against Grandma Jill for knowingly asking Fran to do this. Should I ask Fran to go easy on them? Haha, it was impossible, of course.

    ¡¸Besides, I want the others to see what you¡¯re capable of¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸As a reminder and a goal¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, just show them what you¡¯re capable of¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I see, what great magic power. I¡¯m looking forward to this. Urushi too, please take care of them¡¹

    As expected, her personality was bad.

    Five minutester.

    From a small boat that hade alongside, Fran teleported to the adventurer¡¯s ship.

    ¡ºIt looks like a normal ship to me though¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Other than the Adventurer¡¯s Guild g on the mast, it didn¡¯t look much different from the mid-sized ships that were docked nearby. But once inside, it looked so different.

    The reception lobby of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild existed directly inside the ship after all. Many adventurers were hanging out here and the atmosphere was very lively.

    A good number of adventurers must havended at the Sheftent, but there were still so many aboard.

    All the adventurers¡¯ gazes turned to us as Jill led us in. The adventurers, all of whom were skilled in their own right, were observing Fran as if they were evaluating her.

    Many of them have suspicious looks on their faces. They seem to be looking at Jill, and then at Fran.

    I guess they already know that Grandma Jill was bringing the examiner. But they didn¡¯t know that it was this girl. Since it was Grandma Jill, I¡¯m sure she did it on purpose.

    The adventurers who were evaluating Fran were those who sensed that she was not a small fry. The ones who were puzzled were probably the ones who see Fran just like a normal girl.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve finallye huh, old hag?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks for picking me up, old man¡¹

    Just like Grandma Jill, a small, wrinkled old man greeted us in front of the reception desk. This old man must be the Guild Master of this ce.

    ¡¸I am Galfiran. I¡¯m the Guild Master here. You can call me Grandpa Gull¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Thene with me so I can exin things to you, you¡¯re weed here¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    Grandpa Gull must have understood that she was an examiner because he epted Fran as normal. The high-ranked adventurers nodded their heads in understanding, while the lower-ranked adventurers shouted in surprise.

    Then a young man with an unconvinced face stood in front of Fran and the others.

    ¡¸Grandpa Gull, is she¡¯s today¡¯s¨D¡¹

    ¡¸You fool!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of attitude is that towards an adventurer who took the trouble to respond to our request! Don¡¯t you even know how to be polite!¡¹

    His friends then tried to help the young man who was shouted down by Grandpa Gull.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll introduce herter. Shut your mouth if you can¡¯t even judge her abilities!¡¹

    ¡¸B-but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸In the first ce, don¡¯t you understand that the fact that I greeted her politely means that she is an important person? It looks like those dumbasses who can¡¯t even realize that need to be retrained¡­! Be prepared for thatter!¡¹

    Was this another one of the bad sides of being familiar with each other that Grandma Jill was talking about? He had interrupted the conversation between the Guild Master and a guest and then treated him with ax attitude. If this had been Eliante, whom we had met in the Royal Capital of Kranzel, He would have been cut down on the spot.

 Chapter 527: Promotion Examâ€™s Content

    <h4>Chapter 527: Promotion Exam¡¯s Content</h4>

    ¡¸So I just have to fight a few times?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. First, I want you to take it easy on them and see what they can do. After that, beat them to a pulp with overwhelming power and break their fighting spirit¡¹

    ¡¸Hihihi, that¡¯s gonna be good medicine for the weak hearted¡¹

    Grandpa Gull said some pretty extreme things while swinging his arm as an example. And Grandma Jill seems to be liking his idea too.

    ¡¸Is that really fine?¡¹

    Fran tilted her lightly when she heard what these two said. But it seems, this Grandpa Grandma duo was pretty motivated.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve just seen those guys from earlier, right? I mean, they¡¯ve been cking off a little¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it because of you spoiling then too much, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I won¡¯t deny it. After all, we don¡¯t get many dangerous requests around here¡¹

    ¡¸No matter how much you say, words can never fully convey the message, you know¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    He wanted us to beat up the cking adventurers and get them back into shape. I¡¯m sure there were other ways to do so if he just wanted us to show the difference between our power¡­ But this was the most reliable way to deal with those adventurers.

    ¡¸However, there are a few things for you to keep in mind. First of all, can you hold back a little¡¹

    ¡¸As long as I don¡¯t kill them, right?¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, no. It would be a problem if they suffer an injury that has no hope of recovering! You¡¯re kidding, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, Old hag¡­¡¹

    Sweat was trickling down from Grandpa Gull¡¯s temples. He finally understood that Fran was more dangerous than she looked.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already asked her to do this though¡¹

    ¡¸Yo-you¡¯re right. But please, those adventurers still have a future. I¡¯d like you to refrain from giving them any injuries that might affect their life as much as possible¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll be as careful as I can¡¹

    ¡¸You promise!? Please be as careful as you can!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Please leave it to me¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Seriously, can I really leave it to you!?¡¹

    You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll stop Fran if she makes a mistake. Well, as much as I can though.

    ¡¸And also, please refrain from using any shy magic¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Isn¡¯t the ce was protected by a barrier?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s simply because we¡¯re onboard a ship. If you use Fire or Thunder magic in here, the damage to the ship will be tremendous¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    It was a simple reason. This was probably because he knew the meaning of Fran¡¯s alias, so he advised her to hold back.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve covered the ce with barriers and stuff, but it might not be able to hold up if you unleash your magic with all your might¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll get you to pay for the repairs if you overdo it, so be careful¡¹

    ¡ºFran, you shouldn¡¯t do any damage to this ship!¡»

    (Okay)

    This ship was a magic ship no matter how I thought about it. I wonder how great the bill would be if she caused any damage to the engine section¡­ It seems I¡¯ll have to make sure she doesn¡¯t overdo it!

    ¡¸And also, you have a follower, right? Can you call him now?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh, I didn¡¯t see thating! A Dark magic user huh!? And look at that¡­¡¹

    ¡¸A Darkness Wolf? No, he looks different, huh? But I can tell that he¡¯s strong¡¹

    If their opponent was a humanoid, they would be able to sense a certain level of strength based on their years of experience. Theck of stagnation in magic power flowing through his body, his behavior, and his gaze were all factors that could be used to judge him. This was why some people could tell that Fran was strong even when she was suppressing her magic power. Well, to put it simply, it was an adventurer¡¯s intuition.

    However, I guess these two don¡¯t know much about any wolf-shaped magic beasts. They¡¯re not sure how to measure Urushi¡¯s power, who had evolved and became better at concealing his magic power.

    ¡¸Urushi is very strong¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? Is he strong enough for Fran to say so? That¡¯s good then, why don¡¯t we get Urushi to fight too?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi said he¡¯ll do it¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks a lot. After all, there aren¡¯t many strong beast-shaped magic beasts around here. So, I¡¯d like to show them how scary a magic beast can be. Theck of adventurer¡¯s awareness can be fatal in times of crisis after all¡¹

    ¡¸Awareness?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, The adventurers around here are only good at dealing with problems around Lake Vivian. To make matters worse, they¡¯re too familiar with this ce¡¹

    It seems that they only hone the necessary skills to do jobs in this area, so they couldn¡¯t do much when they go to dungeons in other areas. I¡¯ve heard that a man who was a C ranker in the guild here once died easily in an E-ranked dungeon.

    That was also why the adventurers around here don¡¯t want to go out. This was not a bad thing for the region, so it had not been seen as a problem.

    However, if such a thing continues for a long time, adventurers who work around Lake Vivian in the Kingdom of Belios would be looked down upon. They¡¯re useful on theke, but elsewhere they¡¯re considered a rank below. That was what the rumors say about them.

    ¡¸It¡¯s so frustrating¡­ I¡¯ve tried to do something about it, but things are not going well¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why we would be grateful if Urushi is willing to help¡¹

    Grandma Jill was stroking Urushi while saying so.

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t he a beautiful beast¡­ His rank must be pretty impressive, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Well, it¡¯ll be fine as long as you don¡¯t destroy the ship¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸No problem¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, you¡¯d better get to the exam site¡¹

    The promotion exam site was reasonablyrge. It was about the size of a gymnasium. The ceiling was low though, but it was enough for us to move around.

    ¡¸Ah right, more guys met the rank-up requirementsst night. Is that a problem for you?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem¡¹

    ¡¸All right. Well then, let me introduce you guys to your examiner today. She¡¯s Fran, an adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Nice to meet you¡¹

    ¡¸You guys! No matter how high up in the ranks your opponent is, don¡¯t show a pathetic appearance against a kid!¡¹

    Grandma Jill¡¯s personality, as always, was quite bad. She didn¡¯t exin Fran¡¯s identity in detail. And Grandpa Gull seems to be in on her n too. In fact, he was fueling the adventurers.

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸You can count on us! We¡¯ll definitely rank up!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s going to be easy this time, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe, they¡¯re so adorable¡¹

    Well, I¡¯m sorry guys.

 Chapter 528: Adventurers of the Lake

    <h4>Chapter 528: Adventurers of the Lake</h4>

    ¡¸Hey, who are those guys?¡¹

    ¡¸That must be the onlookers. The old man must have called them here¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯ve been ckingtely too. I thought I¡¯d give them a shot to wake up. Let¡¯s show them how strong you are¡¹

    ¡¸Or do you not want to show your skills publicly? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll kick them out immediately¡¹

    ¡¸No need, it¡¯s fine¡¹

    Well, it was not going to be a fight where we have to show up the cards in our hands after all. Fran was rather pleased with this. It was because this was a nice chance to improve the status of the ck Cat kin.

    I was worried that she might get a little too motivated though.

    ¡¸Ooh, that¡¯s good then. I¡¯m sorry for not telling you before¡¹

    ¡¸Good grief, this old man is so brazen¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t want to be told that by this brazen old hag!¡¹

    As they were talking about this and she was doing some light stretching, a man approached her from among the onlookers.

    He was clearly an adventurer with power a level higher than the rest of them. At the very least, he was a C-ranker. Depending on his skills and abilities handling, he could have been a B-ranker.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s quite strong¡»

    (Nn. Appraisal)

    ¡ºAah, what are you doing?¡»

    (It¡¯s natural to appraise stranger who approaches us)

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    (Nn. If he found out, then we can either defeat him or run away, that¡¯s all)

    She was so simple! Apparently, I was an idiot for worrying about it.

    When I used the appraisal skill a sense of weight lifted off my shoulders, I found that he was still quite strong. His status was at the top of rank C, wasn¡¯t it? He was much weaker than Colbert, but he had a good bnce of water magic, underwater action skills, and trap detection. He was an all-rounder with a high rating in areas other than hisbat prowess.

    ¡¸Hey, sorry to barge in on you. I¡¯m a B ranked adventurer and my name is Lovren¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. And I¡¯m a¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸You just need to give your name¡¹

    ¡¸?? Okay, I¡¯m Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll learn a lot today. Nice to meet you¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran shook the hand that was offered to her. He was a fresh, handsome guy with dark hair, but he doesn¡¯t seem like a bad guy. And he was a B-ranker, huh?

    ¡¸Anyway, Guild master, what¡¯s the point in hiding her true identity? After all, I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s noticed it¡¹

    ¡¸Well, those who don¡¯t realize it are negligent. And it means they have bad ears for information and poor eyes for judging others!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha, so strict¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Why are youughing!? Well, enough about the low rankers. But the problem is that there are a lot of C¡¯s and D¡¯s who underestimate Fran! They¡¯ve been in lukewarm water for too long, and their senses have been dulled¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we haven¡¯t had any major incidents in thest 20 years after all~¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be so cocky! It was because you¡¯re such an ace, that¡¯s why the adventurers of Lake Vivian look like fools! The people of the Royal Capital haven even called us water striders!¡¹

    ¡¸What a strange thing to say¡¹

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well well, it¡¯s no use worrying about it. You¡¯re just segregating yourself¡¹

    Lovren doesn¡¯t seem to care. Apparently, he was a pretty easy-going guy. Grandpa Gull, on the other hand, was the impatient type. So, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll get along.

    Well, it seems like Grandpa Gull was a little hot-blooded huh?

    Well, that was fine. I¡¯m more concerned about something else.

    ¡ºFran, you recognize that kid?¡»

    (No)

    ¡ºOf course, huh¡»

    There was a boy who kept staring at Fran and Urushi since we showed up. Although the other group¡¯s members were also looking at us with suspicion and contempt, this boy was the only one who was letting out his killing intent at us.

    I wondered if we had beaten him up somewhere, but Fran didn¡¯t seem to remember him either.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s looking at us as if he was looking at his parent¡¯s killers¡»

    (¡­ I don¡¯t know)

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s no use thinking about him, we¡¯ll just need to be a little more cautious¡»

    (Nn)

    I wonder if it was because his rtives were killed by the ck Cat kin or something like that? Or maybe he was the child of an enemy that Fran had defeated?

    ¡¸Two people from the E-rank,e!¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    A man in his early thirties and a woman in her mid-twenties stepped forward at Grandpa Gull¡¯s words.

    Both were warriors that used the spear. Apparently, there were a lot of spear users in this guild. Of the nine people here, seven were spearmen, and the other two were a mage and an archer, so all the warriors were equipped with spears.

    ¡¸Let me show you these spear handling skills that I got from Daghour-senpai!¡¹

    The tip of the spear that the man held up looked like a harpoon. No, it was not that it looked like a harpoon, but wasn¡¯t it a real harpoon?

    I wondered about it, only to realize that using a spear on ake would be easier. Furthermore, if the junior adventurers were taught by their seniors, it would lead to an increase in the number of spear users.

    Upon appraisal, I found that he possessed skills such as harpoon skills and spear throwing, in addition to spear skills. In addition to swimming, diving, and other underwater skills, he also had water walking skills.

    Certainly, it was true that the adventurers in this area were specialized to work around Lake Vivian. I also took a look at the other examinees, but they all had simr skill sets. I can see why the Guild Masters would feel frustrated by this.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe they brought a kid this time. I guess they were more concerned with the fact that the examiner must be an outsider than their ability¡­ Don¡¯t resent me if you get hurt, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, why don¡¯t you say something? Or are you just too scared to¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸No need to talk,e¡¹

    Fran interrupted the man¡¯s words and provoked him with a gesture of her finger to call him over. I guess the man¡¯s story was boring for her.

    The reason why she didn¡¯t go first was that she¡¯d been told to let them strike first and show what they were capable of. Yeah, yeah, it was great that she remembered what she was asked to do!

    ¡¸This brat¡­ Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡¹

    This guy seems to have zero tolerance for agitation.

 Chapter 529: The Examiner is Tough

    <h4>Chapter 529: The Examiner is Tough</h4>

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmh¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! Sh*t! Zeeii!¡¹

    The man, provoked by Fran, thrusts his spear out in rapid session. However, Fran could dodge all of his attacks by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    After about a minute, Fran started to put a light counterattack. She controls her attack where her opponent could still dodge it.

    He could react to the attacks that came above and below, but he was not that good at responding to the strikes from the left and right. When the attack was about to hit, Fran pulled back and stopped.

    The man was pissed off and kept attacking, even though it was obvious that she was holding back. This was not good. He needs to learn how to suppress his emotions. After all, it seems that he hadn¡¯t realized how many times he had died if this was a real battle. But when Fran pointed this out to him, he became even more pissed off.

    In the end, she fought him for about five minutes, until Frannded a flying kick on the exhausted man¡¯s head, and the match was over. It was okay, I immediately cast heal to the man who was blown away. He was unconscious, but he was unharmed.

    ¡¸All right, next!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes!¡¹

    The girl started cautiously, probably because she had seen the man get beaten up so badly. With her spear poised at her hip, she moved in a circr motion around Fran, stepping like an out-boxer.

    (Note: One of the primary boxing styles, check on Wikipedia for details)

    She seemed to be looking for an opening. Immediately after that, the woman thrusts her spear into the air without missing the opening that Fran showed. It was a good thrust, intended to inflict a fatal wound from the start.

    However, Fran easily dodged the thrust that should¡¯ve hit her from behind. Well, it was an opening that Fran made on purpose after all.

    After that, the woman continued to attack. And as if she was being led by Fran, all of her attacks were dodged. Gradually, she seemed to realize that she was being led by her, and she stopped taking the lure.

    A look of impatience clung to her face. It seems she didn¡¯t have any more ideas to attack.

    ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then¨D¨D¡¹

    Oh, water magic, huh? If she couldn¡¯t use her spear, using magic was not a bad idea. However, her skill level was still too low. The bullet that was released was easily shattered by Fran¡¯s back fist.

    ¡¸The magic power was half-heartedly formted. This will be useless in a real battle¡¹

    ¡¸Wha¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, it¡¯s my turn now. Here Ie¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    She changed to offense now. Just like against the man before, sheunched a few attacks to see how she would react to defend against them.

    Five minutester. Just like the man from earlier, her consciousness was reaped when exhaustion slowed her movements.

    There was no voice from the surrounding adventurers. They probably didn¡¯t expect Fran to be that strong and the fight to be so one-sided. The F-ranked adventurers, who would have had to fight Fran next were in tears.

    However, Grandpa Gull and Grandma Jill wereughing with a look of heartfelt joy on their faces.

    ¡¸Uwaah! Fran, that was amazing! You¡¯ve exceeded my expectation!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right. This will be easy for us to evaluate. Keep it up like this for the next one too!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Understood¡¹

    After that, Fran took less than three minutes to beat the fledglings.

    ¡¸Ghaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Arrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸But she¡¯s cute!¡¹

    Well, they don¡¯t have as much strength as the two from before, and they also had fewer tricks to watch, so it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¨D¨DAt the end of the first round.

    ¡¸What kind of move is that¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸This¡­ This is not fair¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Haah, haah, more¡­!¡¹

    The adventurers who had regained consciousness were looking at Fran with a desperate look. Losing doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ve been disqualified, but they¡¯ve been beaten without being able to put up much of a fight at all. So, they must be quite shocked.

    Some of the F-ranked adventurers began to cry for real. Aah, there was also a guy who received a kick from a bad angle and broke his neck, so I instantly cast Greater Heal on him. He had a serious life-threatening experience and it seems that his heart was broken.

    The rest of the participants seemed to be in a simr state. Well, there was one guy who seems to have woken up¡­

    This one person among them was the only one who never lost his fighting spirit. It was that boy, who had been sending killing intent to Fran from the beginning.

    I think hested the longest out of all the F-rankers. It was still only for about five minutes though. I couldn¡¯t believe he just barely met the rank-up requirements yesterday.

    He wasn¡¯t bad from a technical standpoint. In terms of ability, there was even a possibility of him reaching D-rank. At his young age, that was quite a talent.

    Well, he didn¡¯t say a word to her, so I still don¡¯t know why he was staring like that at Fran.

    ¡¸All right, next, everybody, step forward¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? There¡¯s still more?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! It¡¯s not over yet! If you¡¯re done with only that battle, you¡¯ll fail the exam! Show some spirit! And stop talking or we¡¯ll start it all over again!¡¹

    Maybe Grandpa Gull¡¯s threats managed to make them regain their motivation, or maybe they realized that there was no escaping this. The adventurers then lined up in front of Fran.

    ¡¸The next one is all of you vs Fran. We¡¯ve got the old hag and potions with us. You should go all out to the extent that you do not destroy the ship¡¹

    Those words were probably meant for the adventurers. Those who were relieved to have the numbers and those who were worried that Fran would not be able to get away with anything if these many people were toe at her started to get serious.

    However, it was Fran who reacted to that first.

    ¡¸Are you sure you want to do this?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­As long as you don¡¯t hurt them too badly¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The second battle between Fran and the blue-faced adventurers who heard the conversation between Fran and Grandpa Gull began. And then it was over.

    Yes, in about 10 seconds.

    The two E-ranked adventurers, who were the leaders, were blown up and out by Fran¡¯s first blow when she rushed at them with super high speed. After that, the adventurers fell out at the rate of one hit and two faints per second, and the match was easily settled. That was what will happen when you¡¯re stuck without a n.

    The adventurers whose consciousnesses had been reaped were lying around Fran, who stood leisurely.

    ¡¸It¡¯s over¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¨D¡­ You¡¯re right. You¡¯re amazing¡¹

    ¡¸Fufun¡¹

    ¡¸However¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe, these guys don¡¯t even know what you have done to them¡¹

    Of course, huh? They had already fallen before they had realized it after all.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think you understand your differences in power with them¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ve beaten them into pulp¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, It¡¯s a metaphor, you know? What I meant by beating them into pulp was to break their pride! It¡¯s not like you have to break their bones or anything, you know!?¡¹

    Grandpa Gull was telling Fran with a worried look on his face, while Grandma Jill was kicking the adventurers in the head to wake them up.

    ¡¸Come on, get up! There¡¯s still the next one!¡¹

    It looks like their suffering will continue for a little while longer.

    That was too quick for them to realize what had happened, so this time they were a little more cautious and able to fight for a longer time.

    The adventurers now spread out from the beginning while preparing their weapons.

    They probably thought that if they froze for a moment, they would be killed instantly. But, do they think that was enough?

    ¡¸Well then. Begin!¡¹

    Immediately after Grandpa Gull shouted so, Fran was already moved in front of the man on the far right.

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll be going for your torso, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Ghaah!¡¹

    While holding me that was still in my scabbard, she sent the guy flying to the wall. The rest was a repeat. Fran approaches any lone adventurer, calls out to them, and then strikes a blow.

    It took her longer than before. But it still took about five minutes though.

    ¡¸Good grief, what a bunch of idiots¡­ It¡¯s because they¡¯re so afraid of being taken down altogether that they spread out randomly!¡¹

    That was right. If they were just scattered randomly, it would only have the effect of slightly extending the time it took for each of them to be defeated. They were too far apart to attack Fran from behind while their friends were attacked. So, it was no wonder Grandpa Gull was so angry.

    ¡¸Get ready for the next one! Get up, quickly!¡¹

 Chapter 530: A Puppy?

    <h4>Chapter 530: A Puppy?</h4>

    And soon, the third group battle began.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s go a little easier on them this time. It¡¯s not good for the exam if we keep defeating them instantly¡»

    (Okay)

    And she then began to circle the adventurers who were trying to intercept her in a formation with a speed that even created an afterimage.

    She sometimes kicks the low ceiling to jump over their heads, while tapping the shoulders of the adventurers to provoke them.

    ¡¸Sh*t!¡¹

    ¡¸That was just an afterimage¡¹

    Wha? Fran wasn¡¯t that the line from Flying Shadow-san¡­! Well, that was a good one to hear. I need to thank these adventurers for that. As thanks, I¡¯ll wish them a gentle defeat.

    (Note: Yuyu Hakusho references)

    ¡¸There she is!¡¹

    ¡¸So naive¡¹

    ¡¸Wha!? She stopped my spear with her finger¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t break our formation!¡¹

    As the adventurers began to attack recklessly, Fran gradually increased her pressure on them. She increased her speed, even more, fooling them with a speed that doesn¡¯t even leave an afterimage, and asionally stepping into their formation and tapping them on their backs.

    They were suddenly struck on the back by her who could take them down with a single blow. In addition, she also whispered ¡¸Yes, you¡¯re dead now¡¹ or ¡¸Your back is full of openings¡¹ into their ears but they found no one there when they turned around with a pale face. It must be quite a horrible experience for these adventurers.

    (It¡¯s about time to end this)

    ¡ºWhat would you do?¡»

    (I¡¯d like to see their reaction to magic. I¡¯m an examiner after all)

    Fran muttered that with a smug look on her face. Well, at least she hasn¡¯t forgotten that she was the examiner.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll end this now. Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Sh-she¡¯s using magic now!¡¹

    ¡¸A-aren¡¯t you a sword¨D¡¹

    The shivering adventurers were attacked by multiple activations of stun bolts. The adventurers, who had been frozen in ce, were struck by the pale blue electric shocks and copsed.

    ¡¸Th-that was amazing. That was an example of how even lower-level magic can be differ based on the user¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right. That was how a first-rate magician uses their magic¡¹

    Both of the Guild masters were praising her, but I was worried about something else.

    ¡ºThe floor got a little burnt¡­ I wonder if that¡¯s okay¡­¡»

    Seeing the adventurers crying made me feel sorry for them, but Grandma Jill and Grandpa Gull were merciless. They woke up the adventurers and started the mock battle again.

    However, the adventurers that have lined up looked confused.

    ¡¸Umm, are we going to fight this puppy now?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my~, he¡¯s so cute~¡¹

    ¡¸You fools! No matter how he looks, he¡¯s the kid¡¯s follower, you know!?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-you¡¯re right¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸B-but he¡¯s so small¡­¡¹

    ¡¸However¡­¡¹

    They seemed to bepletely confused between the relief of not having to fight Fran anymore and the fact that their next opponent would be a pup-sized Urushi.

    At first, I thought about making him look a little bigger, but when Grandma Jill saw Urushie out of the shadows in puppy size, she insisted we keep it that way.

    ¡¸If he can manipte his body size¡­ He must be a high-rank magic beast. It would be more shocking for us to lose against the small one than to the big one, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. This time, our goal is to let you witness how strong a beast-type magic beast is. I¡¯d be grateful if you could have a decent fight with him¡¹

    ¡¸Is he the type that changes his fighting power based on his size?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll leave this to him then¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The adventurers then formed a formation while looking puzzled.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t underestimate him just because he¡¯s a puppy!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s make a preemptive strike with magic!¡¹

    With the E-ranker as their leader, the F-ranked adventurers obediently followed. Their teamwork was the only thing that looked good though.

    Water magic was released sporadically by several adventurers, and that was the signal for Urushi to start moving.

    ¡¸Wooof!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha?! So fas¨DGhaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaaah!¡¹

    Two people were immediately blown away by Urushi, who had evaded their water magic and approached them. Urushi didn¡¯t do anything special. He just lunged in a straight line and lightly patted them with his paw.

    The adventurers, who had fallen on their asses, looked at Urushi in astonishment as he dared to attack them from the front.

    ¡¸Wh-what the hell was that¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸Short distance teleportation, huh?¡¹

    While they were puzzled by what had happened, he really used his teleportation this time. The adventurers were pushed away by Urushi, who instantly moved behind them.

    Urushi¡¯s attack continued for a while. But no adventurer had retired yet. It was because they were asked to show off their strength, so they don¡¯t want to let this fight end so quickly.

    But I think their adventurers¡¯ pride has been torn to shreds already. Because they¡¯re being beaten one-sidedly by something that looks like a puppy.

    Urushi too seemed to be starting to think that it was about time to end this. After all, they looked at him with a very frightened look, so it must have hurt him a little.

    ¡¸¡­Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸He can even use magic!? What the hell is this!¡¹

    ¡¸Th-the shadows are entwining us!¡¹

    ¡¸Sh*t, it won¡¯te off!¡¹

    Although it was not that strong, it seems that most of the adventurers are unable to shake off Urushi¡¯s magic. In the end, only two E-ranked adventurers managed to escape the restraints.

    ¡¸L-like hell I¡¯ll let this puppy defeat me like this!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, wait!¡¹

    A male adventurer ran to Urushi out of desperation. It seems he couldn¡¯t stand the fear of losing. I guess this was what Grandpa Gull meant by calling them ¡°Naive¡±.

    ¡¸Uwooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    The two-stage thrust that he must have put all of his power into was not even able to graze Urushi as he was able to easily slip into his bosom. And then, with a headbutt from below, he was blown up and hit his back against the ceiling. He then fell to the floor unconscious, but he¡¯ll be fine because an E-ranked adventurer would not die easily.

    After that, the female adventurer who remained until the end was hit by water magic and a p with his paw. She even has a paw-shaped bruise on her cheek.

    ¡¸Wh-what the hell was that puppy is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, a magic beast, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I know that, but¡­ he¡¯s scary!¡¹

    ¡¸Surely. If I encounter that thing in the woods, I won¡¯t even imagine being able to defeat it¡¹

    As requested, he was able to show them how scary a beast-type magic beast could be. Urushi was freaked though, and he was depressed. Basically, he¡¯s a friendly guy.

    ¡¸Urushi, good job!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Nevertheless, when Fran held him in her arms and stroked him, he was in a good mood in no time. I wouldn¡¯t call it too easy tofort him. But that¡¯s just how much he likes Fran.

 Chapter 531: Daghour

    <h4>Chapter 531: Daghour</h4>

    They decided to let them take a break as it would take some time for the adventurers to recover their bodies and minds after being beaten by Urushi.

    After this, a mock battle between Urushi and those who wished to participate would be held. The goal was to show Urushi¡¯s power not only to the lower-level adventurers but also to the higher-level adventurers.

    It was a little off from the request of being an examiner, but it was fine since they¡¯re also offered an extra reward and Urushi was looking motivated too. Well, it seems, it was also because Fran praised him earlier for doing a good job.

    However, Fran was not tired at all and seemed to be bored. Perhaps realizing this, one of the adventurers approached Fran.

    ¡¸I¡¯m a C-ranked adventurer named Daghour. Fran-dono, would you be so kind as to let me have a match with you?¡¹

    Fran then nced at both of the Guild Masters, and they nodded rather happily.

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. In fact, I¡¯d like you to blow all the onlookers away too¡¹

    ¡¸Understood, I¡¯ll do it then¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! I¡¯m grateful! I know I¡¯m not going to be able to do much, but I¡¯ll do my best to not let you down!¡¹

    It seems he was a warrior type. And that name too, this guy must be the one that had taught spear techniques to the adventurers from before. In fact, he looked quite skilled in using a spear. He possessed the Spear Saint Skill and Spear Saint Technique and his level of harpooning and throwing skills was also high. In addition, he had a strange skill called ¡ºWater Draining¡». It seems to be a skill that weakened the opponent¡¯s water resistance when an attack wasunched into the water. Well, he was ake specialist after all.

    ¡¸Well then, please take care of me!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Shiyaa!¡¹

    He unleashed a deadly attack right from the start. But Fran smiled as if she were enjoying it. Daghour too, heughed excitedly.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Good shot¡¹

    Then the fierce battle began. Although there was a difference between Daghour¡¯s seriousness and Fran¡¯s wait-and-see approach, both seem to be having fun.

    There was also a scene that made me feel a chill at times. It was the shape of the spear that Daghour used. It had arge harpoon-like curve at the tip, so it could be used as a small sickle when pulled back after a thrust.

    We had never seen this unique weapon movement style before, as he had tried to snatch Fran with it a few times already.

    ¡¸Interesting¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! It¡¯s an honor to hear the ck Lightning Princess say so!¡¹

    Then Daghour starts chanting while fighting. To be able to use magic while moving, this guy must be quite skilled! Although he hadn¡¯t reached B-rank yet due to his level, it seems he had been training his skills every day. His level of mastery was quite impressive.

    ¡¸Haaa! Aqua Create!¡¹

    It was the simplest water magic that he used, but it was not foolproof in a high-speed battle. If it hits her in the face, her movements would be impeded, and she might even lose her footing.

    Fran ducked this time, but I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t my imagination that she looked happier. Because it was a mock battle with a strong opponent.

    (Master, put up a me barrier)

    ¡ºOioi, are you going to use mes to end this?¡»

    (Nn. He won¡¯t expect it to be used here. This is my payback)

    ¡ºVery well¡­ Haaa!¡»

    ¡¸Uwooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Fi-fire magic, in this kind of ce¡­ Eh, it¡¯s not hot?¡¹

    The surrounding adventurers screamed and looked terrified as they were swallowed up by the veil of mes that spread quickly around Fran. Soon, however, they begin to be confused by the fact that it wasn¡¯t hot.

    What I used was the me Barrier, a Fire Magic skill. This skill itself had no offensive power and was not hot to the touch.

    Originally, it was a spell that enveloped the user to nullify me attacks. However, with my current control power, I could transform this magic to cover this sitepletely.

    ¡ºLooking good. The Superiorized Magic Control skill is showing a good result!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    This was the result of Skill Superiorization, which had been a dead ability for a while. This skill transformed my magic control skill into a Special skill. This was also thanks to Announcer-san¡¯s advice.

    When I was asleep, Fran had talked to Announcer-san about how to use the points and taught her how to enhance this skill.

    Not only did it have the benefit of increasing my magic control more, but it also had the benefit of making it easier to reacquire my magic control if I trained my magic maniption. Of course, I¡¯ve already reacquired the magic control as a shared skill in the ins of the Demon Wolf. Well, I used my self-evolution points to raise the magic control level though, so I¡¯ve spent a lot of points.

    ¡¸I-impossible¡­ To be able to use such a skill¡­! You¡¯re also a first-rate magician, huh!? Ha, haha, I guess I had a problem with my eyes¡¹

    It seems that the only person who understood this greatness was Grandma Jill, who was a genuine magician. It was no wonder she was so sober and her face was pale.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll end this now! Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸No chanting huh!? Damn, this is¡­!¡¹

    re Impulse. Well, it was the skill that spread an explosive me over a wide area. It was the higher-level magic of Burst me. It had less killing power, but with the addition of explosions and shes of light, it had high crowd control power.

    After the mes had cleared, there was no one standing on the site except Fran.

    Even the Guild Masters were moaning while covered with soot.

    ¡º¡­It¡¯s overkill¡»

    ¡¸But they also asked me to blow away the onlookers too¡¹

    ¡ºWhat they meant by that was for you to show them how strong you are though. Now then, I wonder if this all right¡»

    It would be enough to just show off her strength after all.

    After that, we just went with the flow and took a break. The damage shouldn¡¯t have been too bad, but I guess, we overdid it.

    It was also going to take a while for the participants to recover from the shock of fighting Urushi as he broke their hearts again.

    ¡¸Uwaah, that was great magic¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I am impressed¡¹

    Lovren, who was an onlooker, and Daghour, who was a participant, seem perfectly fine. Along with a few other adventurers who are still fine, Fran was making small talk with them.

    By showing her strength, she seemed to have been epted at once.

    But in the midst of it, an adventurer that seemed to be in a great hurry came running into the exam site.

    ¡¸This is a disaster! Anyone¡­! Eh? What a mess!¡¹

 Chapter 532: Modoki

    <h4>Chapter 532: Modoki</h4>

    ¡¸A-Anyone¡­ Eh? What a mess!¡¹

    Apparently, he didn¡¯t know about the promotion exam and was surprised to see arge number of adventurers.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, Guild Master! This is a disaster, we¡¯ve got another Modoki attack¡¹

    ¡¸Another one, huh!? How many of them?¡¹

    ¡¸Four of them! They¡¯reing here right now!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk! Oi, the exam is suspended! This is an urgent request! Get rid of those bastards before they reach the fleet!¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    Modoki? Was that a monster?

    ¡¸Hey, what¡¯s a Modoki?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh right, Fran doesn¡¯t know about them, huh? It¡¯s a troublesome magic beast that¡¯s been on the rise in thisketely¡¹

    While heading to the deck, we heard from Grandpa Gull and the others.

    ¡¸Originally, there was an endemic monster in thiske called the Vivian Guardian, do you know it?¡¹

    ¡¸Never heard of it. It¡¯s endemic?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s a rare monster that can only be found in thiske¡¹

    However, the monster had rarely been hunted. First of all, it was very mild-mannered. They don¡¯t leave their territory and won¡¯te into contact with humans unless they cross its territory.

    ¡¸And even if you go into their territory, the first thing they do is to show up in groups and block your path. And you¡¯ll be attacked if you ignore them¡­¡¹

    Still, they would not be killed. They said that they would just render them powerless and throw them out onto the nearbynd.

    However, that doesn¡¯t mean that it could be hunted one-sidedly. When they were pressured with a certain amount of attacks, their stance would transform into an attack with hundreds of Guardians in the vicinity.

    ¡¸Once it¡¯s in its attack form it won¡¯t stop until the humans are eliminated from its area. In addition to the idiots who provoked them, unrted fishing boats and adventurers may also get caught up and die¡¹

    ¡¸Are they strong?¡¹

    ¡¸Their threat level was E and will be treated as lower than that if they¡¯re not in their attack form. We also didn¡¯t have many battle records with them, so I don¡¯t know exactly how strong they are. But from what I¡¯ve seen of its attack from when I was younger, I¡¯d say that they would be a threat level of B in a flock¡¹

    Isn¡¯t that quite a powerful monster then? But I wonder why they never talked about them in the guild?

    When we asked them about it, they told me that their habitat was off-limits and that it was not a ce to be entered. So, if someone approached those ces, the guards would turn them away. In fact, the guild doesn¡¯t actively promote this rare magic beast, because if they spread the information about them, poachers might appear to hunt for them.

    ¡¸So, what is a Modoki?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, They think Modoki was an aberration of the Vivian Guardian, in other words, a new kind of monster¡¹

    ¡¸Aberrations? Will it be fine if we take them down?¡¹

    That urgent request he made earlier was supposed to be about taking them down, right? But, wouldn¡¯t it be bad if we attack it?

    ¡¸But, you see, even if we attack these monsters, the other Vivian Guardians will not attack us¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know. I¡¯d love to know about it too¡¹

    It seems that their research had not progressed that far yet.

    ¡¸It¡¯s so different from the usual Vivian Guardian, and there¡¯s so much that we don¡¯t understand yet. Why are theying out of their territory and why are they relentlessly targeting themercial fleet?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re targeting themercial fleet?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently, yeah. Every time they¡¯ve been sighted, it¡¯s been near themercial fleet, and I can¡¯t help but think that they¡¯re heading towards us. Of course, themercial fleet has a lot of guards and surveince magicians, so it¡¯s easy to spot them, still¡­ the spotting ratio is high, that¡¯s for sure¡¹

    That would be a very bad situation, wouldn¡¯t it? It would not be an exaggeration to say that this fleet supports the life of the area around thiske, and if the fleet was destroyed, the surrounding towns and viges would be seriously affected.

    ¡¸Guild Master! Over there!¡¹

    ¡¸There were four of them, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, the rookie on watch was the one who found them!¡¹

    As soon as we stepped out onto the deck, we were able to spot the Modoki.

    It swam towards the fleet while sticking its body halfway out of the surface of theke.

    Does their figure look like a 5-meter-long shelled squid or an octopus? It looked like a pointed turban shell with about ten octopus-like tentacles sticking out of it. It seemed to be swimming with its tentacles while pointing the tip of its shell at us.

    Its overall color was ck and red stripes with reddish-purple in some ces that look very poisonous.

    ¡¸So that¡¯s a Modoki?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    Race: Vivian Guardian: Evil Spirit: Magic Beast Lv30

    Condition: Abnormal

    HP: 561

    MP: 301

    STR: 301

    VIT: 441

    AGI: 210

    INT: 298

    DEX: 121

    Magic: 459

    [Skill]

    Presence Detection: Lv4, High-Speed Regeneration: Lv3, Regeneration: LvMax, Abnormal Condition Resistance: Lv5, Tentacle: Lv7, Flexible Tentacle: Lv5, Water Bullet: Lv6, Underwater Movement: Lv8, Life Detection: Lv4, Water Flow Control: Lv5, Magic Perception: Lv4, Water Magic: Lv5, Swimming Lv4, Coordination: Lv8, Sharp Smelling, Sharp Hearing, Shell Strengthening, Rampage, Magic Control.

    ¡¸Well, it should be called the Abnormal Vivian Guardian, but since it was too long, so they called it with Modoki¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, it has changed a lot from its original form¡¹

    Grandma Jill, who was catching up with us, also blurted out at the sight. The original Vivian Guardian was said to be pure white. In addition, its tentacles should¡¯ve been translucent, as if they were made of water, giving them a mysterious appearance.

    ¡¸Hey, is it really fine to take them down?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, no problem¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t get any materials from them! So, don¡¯t be too reckless!¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t get its material?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. When the Vivian Guardians are defeated, it would melt like water and disappear! You won¡¯t even get its magic stone! It¡¯s the same for Modoki too¡¹

    I see, I certainly had sensed its magical power, but I couldn¡¯t find its magic stones anywhere. What a strange magic beast¡­

    I have an idea of what this type of magic beast this thing was. But they seemed to be the same as the undead that we defeated on the Ind in the Sky. After all, the improvised undead that Jean created with his magic doesn¡¯t have magic stones.

    But these guys weren¡¯t undead, were they? Was there a technique to create such magic beasts out of nothing?

    (Master, how is it?)

    ¡ºIt really doesn¡¯t look like there are any magic stones. So, we can kill it without worrying about its materials. But since we¡¯re near the fleet, don¡¯t do anything too fancy¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Suddenly, as the adventurers were surprised to see Urushi grow to the size of arge dog, Fran took off on his back.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 533: VS Modoki

    <h4>Chapter 533: VS Modoki</h4>

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work, but let¡¯s try the method we used against the Lake Murders!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It was abination of Shadow Binding and the sh of light. But it didn¡¯t do much to stop it. Their eyes didn¡¯t seem to react to the light, and the fact that one or two of their tentacles were bound didn¡¯t do much to stop them.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s no good, huh¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    So, was a direct attack the only way to fight it? Magic would inevitably cause a lot of damage to the surrounding area after all. If we use Fire Magic or Light Magic, I don¡¯t know what kind of effect it will have, like a steam explosion or a huge wave.

    ¡¸Master, I¡¯ll attack it first¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Awakening!¡¹

    Fran nodded and used awakening. She seems to be in her serious mode. Fran then kicked Urushi in the back and jumped up. She also leaped high in the air and set me up above her head as she fell.

    ¡¸Bujuuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Bujyuh!¡¹

    The tentacles extended from the Modoki attacked Fran. They must have used their Flexible Tentacle skills. The tentacles that looked like they were about five meters long have grown to nearly twenty meters long.

    But Fran continued to dodge their tentacles by kicking lightly in the air and twisting her body as if she was dancing. Since she didn¡¯t use me, she continued to fall with only the bare minimum of evasion.

    ¡¸¨D¨DHeaven Judgement¡¹

    ¡¸Bushuu¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Bubu¨D¨D¡¹

    With just one swing, she cut two Modoki in half, their hard shells then melted into mush. She could now release the Heaven Judgement with her strength alone.

    ¡¸Master, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    My telekic catapult, boosted by Fran¡¯s throw, shattered one of them into pieces. I guess when pushes to shove, physical attacks was the way to go.

    ¡¸Urushi, take care of it. You can use your bigger form¡¹

    ¡¸Wooof!¡¹

    ¡¸Bushyu¨D!¡¹

    At Fran¡¯s instruction, Urushi killed thest one. He returned to his original size and used hisrge mouth to bite its entire shell to death.

    ¡ºThe promotion exam would have been canceled under these circumstances, so it¡¯s probably a good thing that we were able to show Urushi¡¯s strength here¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran must have remembered the request from Grandpa Gull. So, she thought of a way to show the adventurers how strong Urushi was, even if it wasn¡¯t a mock battle.

    ¡¸Bweh bweh! Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong? Does it taste bad?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Apparently, the Modoki was not to his taste. He spat out the remains of the mush and desperately washed his mouth out with theke water.

    ¡¸You better not bite them next time¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go back for now¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºOh hey, Urushi needs to be smaller first¡»

    Just like that, we returned to the Adventurers ship and were greeted with cheers from the adventurers. The low rankers that scare me still haven¡¯t woken up, so the only people there were people of some ability. They must have acknowledged Fran, who had shown them overwhelming power.

    ¡¸That was as expected from you! No, it was even more than what I expected!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. That was amazing! I feel embarrassed to call myself as the same B rankers now¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here, Fran!¡¹

    Fran was being squeezed by her. But Fran looked happy. I guess this kind ofmunication was new to her. Besides, it looks just like what any adventurer would do.

    The adventurers then huddled together and started singing merrily.

    They said it was a song about the spirits in thiske and was called the Song of the Lakeside Maiden.

    To sum it up, a spirit in the form of a blonde, white-skinned, innocent-looking girl with a mysterious amethyst right eye and an emerald left eye was guarding thiske. And it seems the lyrics were mostly about their gratitude to her.

    Grandpa Gull also shouted as he got even more excited as he sang.

    ¡¸All right! Let¡¯s hold a party¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be ridiculous, old man! And these bunch of idiots too, stop making a fuss about it!¡¹

    The adventurers who were about to get even more heated stopped when Grandma Jill shouted at them.

    ¡¸Alert the guards at the perimeter to search for any others! We also need to confirm how much damage was done! We still have so much work to do!¡¹

    She instantly took over the atmosphere of the ce with her shouting and intimidation, which I couldn¡¯t believe came from a petite old woman. The adventurers who had been red at by the old woman then dispersed at once.

    ¡¸Fran, youe with me¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! Thank you for your help this time. If you have any problems, just let me know. I¡¯ll help you next time!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    Fran, who was a little disappointed about missing the chance to have a party was led by Grandma Jill to what looked like a conference room.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter with you? Did you want to have more fun with those idiots?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Haah. At a nce, you don¡¯t look like you would fit being with those idiots¡­ You¡¯re a high-ranked adventurer after all¡¹

    Grandma Jill shook her head in disbelief. She was smiling bitterly, but her eyes were kind. After all, I guess she doesn¡¯t hate those idiots either.

    ¡¸Well, thank you for your help in epting the request for being an examiner. I¡¯m satisfied with it¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It seems the exams were judged to be over. And the ones who will pass or fail will be judged from their first battle and then the group battle.

    After that, we talked about the reward and got the approval of thepletion of the request. All that was left was to receive the reward.

    ¡ºWell, there was also one thing I wanted to ask the old woman¡»

    We asked Grandma Jill about the boy who had been staring at Fran before.

    ¡¸That boy, huh? It¡¯s said that he¡¯s the youngest genius ever to take the rank E exam in this guild. And I think he will be 13 this year¡¹

    It was true that he was very young,pared to the other adventurers who were over sixteen, which was concerning. But I don¡¯t understand why that would make him red at Fran like that.

    I can understand if he hated someone who has a higher reputation than him. But I don¡¯t know if it was hatred or just simple anger¡­

    ¡¸I could felt his killing intent¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know what we should do. This is your first-time meeting, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸You should ask him directly then. I¡¯ll be sleeping in the next room¡¹

    We then headed to the infirmary, but the boy was nowhere to be found. The only people there were the young adventurers who were scared of Fran. When we asked about the boy¡¯s whereabouts, the answer was that they didn¡¯t know.

    He must have gotten up on his own and left.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s no use, we¡¯ll ask him directly the next time we met him¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Now that the request was over, our next destination would be the self-governing region.

 Chapter 534: Famous Place

    <h4>Chapter 534: Famous ce</h4>

    The day after we defeated the Modoki.

    After leaving themercial fleet, we were heading northeast. It was a straight route to the Academy of Magic.

    ¡ºI never thought we¡¯d be involved with themercial fleet by chance¡»

    ¡¸Nn. It was amazing¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºMe too, I¡¯ve never seen that many ships in one ce before¡»

    I looked at Lake Vivian again as we were leaving, and it was still looking big from this distance. Maybe it really was much bigger than Lake Biwa.

    Well, I¡¯ve never seen the real Lake Biwa before, so I don¡¯t know what it was really like.

    After that, we traveled by flying in the sky while riding on Urushi¡¯s back. Since the Kingdom of Belios was a mountainous country, there were a lot of differences in elevation, and it was fun to see aplete change in the scenery just by going a little further.

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

    Fran was staring at the clouds far above.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸What is that?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Aah, it finally reached here huh!? It¡¯s the floating ind¡»

    ¡¸Looks strange¡¹

    What Fran has discovered was a huge mass of clouds, standing even higher than normal clouds. No, she was probably looking at the shadow of an ind floating in the middle of it.

    ¡¸Floating Ind¡¹

    It was the same kind of floating ind that we had explored with Jean the necromancer.

    However, this one was not a dungeon. I¡¯ve done some research at the adventurer¡¯s guild in Alessa after all.

    ¡¸So, there is no strong magic beast?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, that¡¯s not true. It¡¯s a Grade S magical area, the bed of the Heavenly Dragon. It¡¯s one of the most dangerous ces in the world where the strongest ss of magic beasts in the world, the A-rank magic beasts, live¡»

    Yes, that ce was more of a dangerous ce than a dungeon.

    I don¡¯t know how it works, but there was always a lot of water flowing down from that floating ind.

    ording to those who have reached the ind, rivers as wide as 100 meters fall straight down from the edge of the ind to the ground. However, these waters never reach the earth.

    The water seems to turn into vapor and dissipate before reaching the ground. The same principle applies to Angel Falls, a famous waterfall on Earth that has no basin.

    The clouds surrounding that floating ind were created by the waterfall that turned into clouds.

    ¡¸Heavenly Dragons? It exists?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. I heard some are living on that ind¡»

    However, these Heavenly Dragons have rarely caused any damage to this country. In the first ce, they seem to be unable to live on the ground and never descend below the clouds.

    It was said that during a battle with adventurers who broke into the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s sleeping quarters, the breath that a Heavenly Dragon released rained down on the earth, destroying the highway to some extent.

    ¡ºI¡¯ve heard that there are few records of them being defeated in the past, so we don¡¯t know how strong they actually are¡»

    The reason it was called an A level threat was that other Dragon species were ranked as threat level of A. Since they were dragons too they were ranked A for the time being.

    Only A-ranked adventurers or higher were allowed to enter the sleeping quarters of the Heavenly Dragons Well, it seems that more than half of them were knocked down by the magic beasts that inhabit the sea of clouds beforending on the ind though.

    And even if they managed tond, most adventurers won¡¯t challenge the Heavenly Dragons right away. Their main goal was the several dens that exist on the floating ind.

    In their dens, they collect the scales and the beards that have fallen off and then run back. That was the main goal of those adventurers.

    There was the possibility of being attacked by multiple Heavenly Dragons, but there was no ce to run to in case of emergency. When that happened, the adventurers would be at an overwhelming disadvantage, it was because fighting the Heavenly Dragons in there would be suicidal.

    ¡ºThey say if we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll see a Heavenly Dragon flying between the clouds!¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸What is it like?¡¹

    ¡ºThey say it looks like a long snake with a body length of about 200 meters¡»

    Yes. That dragon figure looks like an Eastern-style Dragon, unlike a Western dragon. It has a magic power that far surpasses that of a Western dragon, and if a Western dragon was a warrior type, this dragon was more of a magic and skill type.

    Eastern-type Dragon and Western-type Dragon. Their ecology seems to be very different.

    ¡ºThey have golden scales that looks blinding on a sunny day¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ I can¡¯t see any¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell, they say it¡¯s really rare. But since we can see the ind from anywhere in the eastern part of this country, so if we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll get to see it¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We proceeded to look up at Heavenly Dragon¡¯s ind to see if we could see any dragons. Urushi too was slowing down while looking up, but he sometimes failed to maintain our altitude and Fran almost fell. In the end, we couldn¡¯t see any Heavenly Dragon.

    ¡ºOoh, I saw the town¡»

    ¡¸So that was the Academy of Magic? It¡¯s so big¡¹

    ¡ºNo, you¡¯re wrong. The Academy of Magic is in the back where the tower is. It¡¯s still big though. What¡¯s in its front is just a town¡»

    It seems that a town has developed around the Academy of Magic. It was also called the Academy Town.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s Lady Blue, the town where the Academy of Magic was built ¡»

    ¡¸Blue? It¡¯s not blue though?¡¹

    ¡ºLady in Blue. It¡¯s a name that honors the world¡¯s most powerful ocean magic user, the High Elf, Weena Rhyn¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

 Chapter 535: Great Ancient Tree Pavilion

    <h4>Chapter 535: Great Ancient Tree Pavilion</h4>

    Lady Blue was a much more chaotic town than I had imagined. Aside from the main streets, once we entered the back streets, we found ourselves in a maze of narrow streets.

    It was also quite easy to get lost in the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Kranzel, but this one was really just like a maze. However, the image of the town was much different due to the different nuances of the buildings.

    Compared to the Mediterranean style of the Kingdom of Kranzel, this one was more like the good old British style, huh? Well, I¡¯ve never been to Ennd, so it waspletely subjective.

    I feel like this was the kind of atmosphere that was introduced in the Beatles special on TV, such as the downtown area of Liverpool or the country towns in the suburbs.

    ¡ºHey, don¡¯t you think we made the same mistake as before?¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºWe got lost off the main street in the Royal Capital of Kranzel back then, right?¡»

    ¡¸I smelled something delicious¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    In response to my words, Fran held a waffle-like baked confectionery in her hand. Urushi was chewing on three of them in one gulp.

    At first, we were going along the main road as usual. However, Fran smelled something delicious and suddenly veered off the road. It was fine until we found the source of it, a baked pastry store.

    ¡ºWe¡¯repletely lost¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºYou asked the olddy at the baked pastry store for directions, right?¡»

    ¡¸Yup¡¹

    ¡ºThen why are we still lost?¡»

    ¡¸This way looks more interesting¡¹

    ¡ºAaah, is that so?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    There were paths that she had to lie down to get through, stairs that were so steep and narrow that an old man would get tired on the way, tunnels of greenery made out of nts, and many other ces that would tickle the fancy of children.

    Fran and Urushi explored the town with great joy. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had gone to get lost themselves.

    ¡ºWell, we¡¯re not in a hurry, so that¡¯s fine. I¡¯d like to go to the adventurer¡¯s guild for now, but even that was not urgent¡»

    Besides, I¡¯m starting to enjoy exploring a bit more. This area has fewer apartment buildings and more single-family houses, but the gardens of each house were very borate and fun to look at.

    Then Fran stopped abruptly and pointed ahead.

    ¡¸Master, that¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸That building is amazing¡¹

    Fran pointed to a building with a distinctive appearance a little further down the road. I see, that was certainly amazing.

    It was a three-story house, and trees were growing out of its roof. It was not like they were greening the rooftop, huh? No matter how I looked at it, there was a hole in the roof and the top of a huge tree sticking out of it.

    When we look closely, I can see branches that seem to belong to the tree sticking out of some of the third-floor and second-floor windows.

    But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised us. There wasundry drying in the yard. Apparently, people were living there.

    We walked up to the house. Then we made another surprising discovery. A sign saying ¡°Green Ancient Tree Pavilion¡± was hanging at the entrance of the house.

    Apparently, it was an inn.

    ¡¸Urushi, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAh, wait!¡»

    Fran and Urushi stormed into the inn with bright eyes. Even though they didn¡¯t even know what kind of ce this building was!

    ¡¸Oooh¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¨D¡¹

    Fran and the medium-sized Urushi stood side by side in the middle of the garden, looking up at the huge tree. The tree resembled a camphor tree, but its branches and leaves were already wider than the roof of the inn. It was as if the inn had another roof.

    After a few moments of looking around, Fran was satisfied and decided to get into the inn. Its door was well-kept but it was a very old wooden door.

    ¡¸Oooh¨D¡¹

    And then, for I don¡¯t know how many times already, she expressed her admiration.

    ¡¸There are trees inside too¡¹

    ¡ºOf course, but well, I can understand your surprise¡»

    The tree trunk was much thicker than I had imagined. The inn was supposed to be quite spacious, but half of it was upied by the tree trunk. A huge tree sat in the center of the room, and the floor was stretched around its roots like a wooden deck.

    The uneven shape of the floorboards around the tree was probably because they were cut into that shape as the roots had continued to grow.

    ¡¸Oho, a customer?¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean by who? You too, who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran. Adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Haha¨D. I see¨D¡¹

    It was an old, petite female Elf, who spoke to Fran who had stopped at the entrance of the inn.

    ¡¸I¡¯m the owner of this inn. Are you going to stay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! One night!¡¹

    ¡ºOi oi, do you want to stay here?¡»

    (Nn!)

    We haven¡¯t found the guild yet though¡­ But she seems to like it a lot already.

    Still, this may be the first time I¡¯ve ever seen an old Elf. It was said that elves spend most of their long lives looking youthful, and in thest hundred years or so, they age just like humans do. When that happens, most elves were said to shut themselves away and go into long periods of sleep.

    It must be quite rare for an old Elf to still work in a town of people, right?

    ¡¸That will be 500G with dinner and breakfast¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Also, I have to warn you about this. I¡¯ll kick you out if you hurt this Daiki-sama. Do you understand?¡¹

    (Note: Daiki -> big tree)

    Daiki-sama, huh? Was it some kind of special tree? Fran asked and was told that it was inhabited by a spirit. The old woman said that she had made a contract with the spirit.

    ¡¸She¡¯s a nice person, as long as we don¡¯t do anything wrong to her¡¹

    ¡¸Spirit, can I see her too?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know. Maybe you¡¯ll see him, or maybe you won¡¯t. Well, if you¡¯re a good kid, maybe you will meet her¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll be a good kid¡¹

    ¡¸Houhou, that¡¯s good then¡¹

    The room she was then shown to was more ordinary than I had expected. A clean bed with a simple interior design. Also, there were no tree branches that stretched all over the room as I had worried before.

    She said that the tree itself was not inhabited by a spirit, but she can adjust the direction of its growth ording to the inn. Because of this, the branches of the tree have not entered the guest rooms.

    The roots and other parts of the nt seem to get thicker though.

    ¡¸Nice room¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºYou seem to like it a lot, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! It smells like being in the forest¡¹

    This inn which was in the middle of the town, remind her of the forest. So, Fran must have thought this was a nice ce where she could feel at ease. She then sat down on the bed and took a deep breath.

 Chapter 536: The Walls of the Academy of Magic

    <h4>Chapter 536: The Walls of the Academy of Magic</h4>

    ¡ºSo this is the Academy of Magic, huh¡­? It¡¯s so big, or rather, it¡¯s so tall¡»

    ¡¸Looks pointy¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    After getting a room at the Green Ancient Tree Pavilion, we once again head to the Academy of Magic.

    At first, I nned to go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but I realized that the Academy was closer than I thought.

    After we left the inn, we decided to take a look at the town from a hill. We climbed up a narrow staircase with more than 500 steps and looked around Lady Blue from the square at the top of it. There we saw the Academy of Magic was surprisingly close to us.

    We got lost again on the way to the Academy, so it took us quite a while to get there.

    It would have taken us less than five minutes if we went from the top¡­ But well, we made progress in our exploration instead, and Fran and Urushi were both happy with it.

    It seemed that waffles were a specialty of this town as we discovered many stores that were selling them. I didn¡¯t expect to find not only sweet vors but also non-sweet dough with ham and cheese in between.

    It was interesting to discover different stores while we were in Lady Blue. Maybe I¡¯ll try to make some too. But well, if I ask Fran what kind of waffle she wants, she¡¯ll probably just say curry-vored waffle anyway.

    By the way, Fran wanted to try the freshwater fish curry. So, I came up with a slightly unusual one and the straightforward one.

    The first was one curry with eel. I added a bit more sansho (Japanese pepper) and a bit less sweet unagi kabayaki (broiled eel). So, this would be a Hitsu-mabushi-style curry, huh? I thought it was a bit too much, but Fran seemed to enjoy it.

    The other one was carp curry, well, it was normal, but it was fish curry you know? It was nothing new, and I made it a little too spicy to take away the muddy smell, and Urushi seemed to like this one a lot.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s find its entrance for the time being¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We¡¯re standing in front of the outer wall that surrounds the Academy of Magic. From there, we could clearly see the tall towers that line inside of the Academy. There were probably more than ten tall and thin towers. There may be more when we go further in.

    It would be rare to see such a tall building outside of a military facility such as a castle or fort. At first, I thought it was to make effective use of the small site, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    After all, we couldn¡¯t find the gate no matter how far we walked. In retrospect, when I look at this town from the outside, about a quarter of it must have been upied by the Academy of Magic. It was a quarter of the Lady Blue, which boasted a scale that this Academy alone could be called a town already.

    I also thought that the grounds of the Academy of Magic must berger than those of Kiarazen, where we stopped along the way.

    ¡¸¡­Should we climb it? But that way, the people wille at us¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºN-no, don¡¯t¡»

    After all, we¡¯ll be staying in this town for a while, so we couldn¡¯t cause any problems here. Besides, this wall was not just a simple wall. There was a hint of magicing from it.

    At first nce, it seemed to be rm-type magic. Fran guessed so too, then she came up with the overly reckless idea of sounding the rm and calling the people here.

    But now that I had the Magic Control SP, I could sense other magicing from it. The rm spell was a distraction, and it seemed that something else was being hidden behind the spell.

    As I expected, I couldn¡¯t sense what kind of magic it was, but it was certainly a troublesome one. At least we don¡¯t feel like trying it ourselves.

    It was better to keep walking steadily outside of it.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s why Fran-kun¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn. I understand¡¹

    After wandering along the wall just like that, we finally see something other than a wall. But it doesn¡¯t seem to be the main gate.

    ¡¸Master, what¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡ºIt looks like an entrance, but¡­ Why is it so small?¡»

    We finally arrived at the entrance of the Academy of Magic, which was surprisingly smallpared to the immensity of the walls. It looked like a kitchen door. No, in fact, it was probably something close to that.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re at the back entrance, huh?¡»

    It seemed to be a back door used by servants and staff when they went out.

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, we can go to the main entrance, but in the meantime, let¡¯s ask if we can enter it from there. Oh, and make sure you show the letter of introduction from Alistair, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡ºAnd Urushi¡­ Well, just stay like that¡»

    It was better for him to be visible from the beginning than to be hiding in the shadows. It would also save the trouble of introducing himter.

    ¡¸Excuse me¡¹

    Even though it was a back entrance, there was a guard. So, we decided to talk to them for the time being.

    ¡¸Hmm? Do you need anything?¡¹

    He seemed like a kind uncle. I wondered if it was okay for the guards to be so soft-hearted, but I guess that¡¯s just how well they teach their staff.

    ¡¸I came here for a request¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You¡¯re an adventurer, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s unusual for us to outsource our work though¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I¡¯m sorry. So, what¡¯s the request?¡¹

    Apparently, we could get through from here. Fran then handed Alistair¡¯s letter of introduction to the uncle of the guard.

    ¡¸A request for a mock battle. Various things are written on this¡¹

    ¡¸Let me see it. Wha-what¡­ Eh?¡¹

    The uncle was surprised to read the letter of introduction. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. It says ¡°To the director of the Academy of Magic, I have found the person you were looking for to be a mock battle instructor, so I¡¯m sending her to you with a letter of introduction¡±

    Alistair¡¯s name was written at the end of it. It seems that Alistair had a title as a faculty member of this Academy of Magic. In addition to the envelope and the letter made by the Academy of Magic, her signature would be enough to make sure that they would take care of us.

    ¡¸Umm, Did you bring your adventurer¡¯s card?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, here¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take a look at it¡¹

    After checking the card carefully, the guard opened a small window next to the back door and started talking to someone on the other side.

    ¡¸May I take this letter of introduction for a moment?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    The uncle then handed the letter of introduction to someone through the small window and asked her to wait here for a moment while he returned the card to Fran.

    ¡¸Umm, I can¡¯t make the final decision myself, so someone a little more important will being here. So please wait a moment¡¹

    His attitude had changed a lot. He was treating her like a child before, but now it seems that he was treating us like a guest now. They were not assuming that it was a forgery and were treating us well.

    Well then, I wonder what kind of person woulde here.

 Chapter 537: The Other Side of the Back Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 537: The Other Side of the Back Entrance</h4>

    Five minutester.

    ¡¸Hello, sorry to keep you waiting. So, you¡¯re the adventurer who brought Alistair¡¯s letter of introduction?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Can I see it?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Hohou¨D¡­¡¹

    The man who showed up was a cheerful-looking young man. He was a half-elf, so he¡¯s probably older than he looks, but no matter how I look at him, he looks like a teenage character. He then read Alistair¡¯s letter of introduction, but because of his frivolous look, it looked like he was just skimming through it.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Well, whatever. Pleasee this way for the time being¡¹

    The man led us through the back entrance. On the other side was a passage with a low ceiling. The outer wall itself seemed to be quite thick, and the passage through it was like a little tunnel.

    ¡¸My name is Coltandhyre. Feel free to call me Colt, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, an Adventurer, and this is Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I like the wolf-type beasts. They¡¯re obedient, good for fighting, good for spotting, and good as a nket at night too¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi is the best¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, you seem to be getting along, huh?¡¹

    I observe Colt from behind as he guides Fran. He has high magic power, but his footwork waspletely amateur. I guess he was a typical researcher type.

    Coltughed as he led us through the passage. The tunnel was getting much wider than we had imagined, and we were greeted by an interesting sight.

    There were not onlywns, but also forests, ponds, and rocky mounds on the site. It seems they were used for training and experiments. Looking further in, we saw a snow mound about 10 meters high.

    I could feel its magic power trace, so it must have been created by magic or maintained by magic¡­ Just as expected of the Academy of Magic.

    Furthermore, a huge structure sits in the middle of these unnatural natural objects.

    The many towers that we saw from the outside were all connected by passageways and buildings and were actually just a part of one super huge building.

    ¡¸Whoa¨D¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s pretty amazing, isn¡¯t it? They¡¯re still renovating it, so the buildings are expanding every year, you know? It all started with that little short tower over there¡¹

    Colt pointed to a very old and shabby tower in the middle of the many towers. It was the only tower that was not connected to the huge facility and stood quietly and independently. So, he¡¯s saying that the Academy of Magic was so small at first? It¡¯s hard to believe.

    ¡¸Heee, when was it built?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s over 2000 years old and it was originally the Director¡¯sboratory¡¹

    A High Elfboratory, huh? If that¡¯s the case, we couldn¡¯t judge it by its humble appearance. I wonder what kind of tremendous research was going on inside.

    ¡¸Well, that ce is basically off-limits. Only the Director or authorized personnel can enter. More importantly, we¡¯re over here¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Colt then led us to a small building right next to the exit of the tunnel. No, it looked small after seeing the academy, but it was actually a ratherrge building with three floors.

    ¡¸It¡¯s the guard¡¯s office though, but it has some magic tools to check things out. In the meantime, I¡¯ll check to see if your adventurer¡¯s card is real, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, I don¡¯t mind¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not much of a fighter, but I¡¯m good at sensing magic. So, I can tell that you¡¯re not just an ordinary person, but on the other hand, I can¡¯t just let someone like that walk by without inspection¡¹

    I see. If you¡¯re a small fry, it would be easy for them to handle you, but if you¡¯re a powerful person, you need to go through an inspection.

    He held up Fran¡¯s adventurer¡¯s card to a crystal that Colt had been seeing several times before. And that seemed to be all the confirmation he needed.

    ¡¸Yes, thank you. Now we have confirmed your identity?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? It¡¯s over¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, that¡¯s right¡¹

    ¡¸You won¡¯t check if the letter is real?¡¹

    Yeah. I was wondering about that, too. I mean, if the letter was a forgery, it doesn¡¯t matter if Fran was an adventurer or not, right? There were a lot of things he could do to find out, like handwriting analysis and whether or not the sign on the letter was genuine.

    But Coltughed cheerfully as he handed the letter of introduction to Fran.

    ¡¸Ahaha, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve already confirmed it. It¡¯s a special paper after all. If we drop a little chemical on it, we can easily determine its authenticity¡¹

    It seems they have already confirmed that the letter used for that letter introduction was a special one made for Alistair at this institute.

    ¡¸Since your letter of introduction is genuine and your adventurer rank was high too, so no problem, right? All I need to do now is to interview you¡­¡¹

    Th-there¡¯s such a thing too, huh? Well, she¡¯s hired as an instructor after all, albeit a temporary one, at one of the most prestigious schools in the world, so it¡¯s rather natural.

    But I wonder if she would be fine¡­? Fran seems to be bad at an interview after all. No, I¡¯m sure she could handle this if she uses her court etiquette skill to the fullest and just follows my instructions, right?

    Well, it was so long ago that I¡¯ve forgotten more than half of what I learned about an interview back then. But I¡¯m sure it¡¯s better than just letting Fran do it by herself. Come, bring it on!

    I was all fired up like that, but they said that the interview would not take ce today.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry~. The interview must be done by the director of the academy, but she¡¯s out of the academy for some business. But I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be back by tomorrow or the day after¡¹

    Well. That¡¯s because we didn¡¯t tell them about our arrival in advance after all.

    ¡¸Okay, then what should I do next?¡¹

    ¡¸Where do you stay? If you don¡¯t have a ce to stay, we can get one for you¡¹

    ¡¸I already have a ce to stay¡¹

    ¡¸Heee, where is it?¡¹

    ¡¸The Green Ancient Tree Pavilion¡¹

    When Fran said that, Colt looked a little surprised.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸No, well. Thendy there is famous for being difficult and not letting people stay if she doesn¡¯t like them. How did you manage to get a room?¡¹

    ¡¸She was just an ordinary old woman though¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    She was kind to Fran and Urushi. She was an old elf, wasn¡¯t she? Did he mistake her for someone else?

    ¡¸I-is that so¡­? Well, that¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll send a messenger for you when the Director returns¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Now, all we had to do was pass the interview and she¡¯ll be an instructor at the academy. It¡¯s not that she really wants to be an instructor, but I feel like we¡¯re being tested, so Fran and I were both starting to get a little worked up.

 Chapter 538: A Normal Adventurerâ€™s Guild

    <h4>Chapter 538: A Normal Adventurer¡¯s Guild</h4>

    After wepleted the procedures at the Academy of Magic, we were now at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡¸It looks, normal?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Fran and Urushi tilted their heads when they saw the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building. They had seen a lot of special buildings in this city, and they were expecting too much from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    However, the guild¡¯s building used brick as the exterior, which was quitemon in this town. It was almost twice the size of the nearby building, but it was not too huge.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just go inside for the time being¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    When we passed through the guild¡¯s door, we found that the interior was normal too. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, and the reception counter were just as in as the others.

    It was just like any other Adventurer¡¯s Guild, where adventurers were struggling to decide which requests to ept, or negotiating in vain with the receptionist to raise the purchase price of materials.

    However, there was one group of people that caught Fran¡¯s attention.

    ¡¸A lot of kids?¡¹

    ¡ºThey¡¯re probably older than Fran¡­ I guess, they are students at the Academy of Magic¡»

    The boys and girls wore leather cloaks of reasonable quality. On the shoulders of their cloak was an emblem of an upside-down wave. The emblem looked familiar to me. I¡¯m sure it was on the g of the magic academy that we had seen on the back entrance.

    Some of them were standing in line at the counter, others were looking at the request forms. If they hadn¡¯t been wearing the cloaks of the Academy of Magic, I would have thought they were just ordinary fledgling adventurers.

    I was wondering if students of the Academy of Magic were allowed to be an adventurer. But I guess, they were allowed to do so since they¡¯re wearing their cloaks so proudly like this.

    ¡ºI wonder why these students would be adventurers¡»

    Well, we¡¯ll probably find out about it when she bes an instructor.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s say hello to the guild for now¡»

    We were going to stay in this town for a while after all. Well, that was, if she doesn¡¯t fail the interview though. In that case, as a high-ranked adventurer, Fran needed to report to the local guild to stay. It was not mandatory, but it was rmended for us to do so.

    After all, it was important to know the whereabouts of high-ranked adventurers in case of emergency.

    ¡¸Hey¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Wee to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, how may I help you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I came to say hello because I might be staying in this town for a while. Here¡¯s my card¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, I see. I¡¯ll take a look at your card then¡¹

    Thedy at the reception desk then took the card from Fran. She then looked surprised for a moment. However, she soon regained her business smile.

    ¡¸P-please wait for a moment while someone from the higher-upses¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    She definitely thinks that she was a fledgling adventurer imitating a high-ranked adventurer, huh? Even so, it was amazing that she continued to respond to us with hardly a smile on her face.

    Lately, I¡¯ve been able to tell if the receptionist was a veteran by this kind of first interaction with them.

    As we waited in front of the reception desk, I felt a presence approaching us from behind. I thought she was going to the reception desk, but she just stopped behind Fran.

    ¡¸Hey, you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    The one who spoke to her was a beautiful blonde girl. She was probably a little older than Fran. She was wearing the cloak of the Academy of Magic and had a sword on her waist that emitted strong magic power. However, all I could see was one thing.

    ¡ºUwoooh! Blonde Drill! It¡¯s a Blonde Drill-san! Moreover, it is decorated! I-Is this for real! I wonder will sheugh at us with an ¡°Oh-ho-ho¡±¡»

    The girl had what was called blonde hair in a vertical roll. It was the first time I had ever seen anything like this up close. She also had the air of a high-ss youngdy.

    I couldn¡¯t help but shout out at the sheer perfection of it.

    (Master? What¡¯s wrong?)

    ¡ºAh, no. It¡¯s just her hairstyle is a bit¡­¡»

    (Hair? It¡¯s blonde?)

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. But I¡¯m just surprised that she has such an unusual hair style¡»

    (Hmmm)

    Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in this at all. Well, that was obvious. But it was one of the most exciting things I¡¯ve seen since I¡¯vee to this world after a butler and a maid.

    Based on the appraisal, it shows that she was 16 years old. Her name was Charon Lyfaal, so she must be a youngdy of nobility. If she was amoner with this hairstyle, I would have punished her.

    In terms of ability, she was probably ranked E as an adventurer. She could handle fire magic and water magic, but both of them were only on level 3, and her meleebat ability was quite low.

    Still, she possessed the minimum skills to work outside, such as life magic, presence detection, and survival. It was the same with the other academy students, all of whom had learned skills useful for survival. I wonder if they taught them this at the Academy of Magic.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    Fran looked at the Blond Drill-san cautiously. She could tell that there was no hostility on our part, but her voice contained slight annoyance, or perhaps a subtle hint of disgust.

    ¡¸¡¯What is it?¡¯ you said¡¹

    The Blonde Drill-san sighed at Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Students are required to wear their cloaks when epting requests from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It¡¯s a vition of academy rules to not doing so¡¹

    Apparently, she misunderstood that Fran was a student of the Academy of Magic. And she called out to Fran to warn her that she seemed to be viting the academy rules.

    ¡¸You, where¡¯s your cloak?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t have it with me¡¹

    Well, that was because she was not a student at the academy, so she doesn¡¯t have one, but there was a better way to say it, right? She makes it sound as if she didn¡¯t bring it with her now.

    ¡¸Then I can¡¯t just let you go. You must return to the academy first¡¹

    She has still misunderstood her, huh? The Blonde Drill-san then grabbed Fran¡¯s arm. It was as if she wanted to remove her from the guild. It was not like her intentions were bad, so Fran was wondering if she should shake her off.

    She struggled on the spot to resist her, but the Blonde Drill-san thought of her like she was a child who didn¡¯t want to listen. She may be a surprisingly gentle person, as she didn¡¯t yell at her in here.

    While Fran and Drill-san continued their struggle, a man then appeared from the back of the guild. He looked to be a handsome man in histe twenties. Well, he was an Elf, so it was hard to tell his age from his appearance, but he definitely seemed to have a good amount of experience.

    He was a skilled warrior, and his magic power was much higher than that of most magicians. In addition, he was very good at eliminating his presence and seems to have a quite high all-around ability.

    The man approached the reception desk rather quickly and whispered to the receptionist. Well, I could hear him though.

    ¡¸The emergency beacon went off. What¡¯s going on?¡¹

    Apparently, there was a mechanism where if we do something at the reception desk, something would make a sound in the Guild Master¡¯s room. This coulde in handy in case of robbery. But I don¡¯t think any robbers would be dumb enough to break into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild though.

    ¡¸As a matter of fact, a high-ranked adventurer came to report on her stay¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? What¡¯s her rank?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s B¡¹

    ¡¸And where she is now?¡¹

    ¡¸That kid over there¡¹

    Drill-san, who took her hand away once to admonish Fran, and thedy at the reception desk who pointed at Fran who was asked by her with ¡¸Go home then!¡¹ but Fran replied with

    ¡¸I¡¯m not going home¡¹. And the guild master seemed to understand what was going on in an instant.

    ¡¸Hey, can I have a word?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Umm, who are you? We still have a business here¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I have some business with her too¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What kind of business do you have with her? I¡¯m her guardian¡¹

    Drill-san stepped forward to protect Fran. As an upperssman, I guess she was trying to protect her underssmen.

    The guild master looked like a young man on the outside, so he looked like a suspicious man. But it was no surprise that a low-level adventurer had never met the Guild master.

    ¡¸Guardians? Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­No¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Fran was troubled for a moment, probably because she felt sorry for Drill-san. She was not very good at talking, so she kind of got her involved with the guild master in a weird way.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m Khinabar, and I¡¯m the Master of this guild¡¹

    ¡¸Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Adventurer, Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸I never thought I¡¯d see someone with an alias. You¡¯re wee here¡¹

    ¡¸Eeeh?¡¹

    Fran then bowed her head to the Blonde Drill-san, who was too surprised and stunned to know about her.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    I¡¯m sorry too, Blonde Drill-san.

 Chapter 539: How Hard The Interview Would Be?

    <h4>Chapter 539: How Hard The Interview Would Be?</h4>

    Prompted by the guild master, Fran then came to his office.

    ¡¸Well, please have a seat¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, you don¡¯t have to worry about the youngdy who seemed to be taking good care of you¡¹

    Even though it was their first meeting, he could read Fran¡¯s dejected expression. As expected of a Guild Master. He¡¯s very observant. On the other hand, there was a good chance that I¡¯ll be found out too.

    ¡¸You¡¯re not angry?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, I rather like that littledy, don¡¯t you think? It must have been hard for her to stand in front of a suspicious person for the sake of her junior. Well, it was a misunderstanding in the end. Anyway¡­¡¹

    The Guild Master then observed Fran sullenly.

    ¡¸To someone who can¡¯t tell the difference, you might look like a weak beast girl. And it¡¯s hard to tell the performance of your equipment from its appearance¡¹

    Sure, if they didn¡¯t know anything, it might just look like a flimsy piece of cloth equipment.

    ¡¸Your magic sword certainly stands out, but¡­ Many neers are tricked by how a piece of equipment looks, so they often equip themselves with fancy looking good for nothing equipment¡¹

    In other words, the Blonde Drill-san¨D¨Dor Charon looked at Fran and thought that a junior student of the Academy of Magic who yearned to be an adventurer was trying to be an adventurer fully equipped with good for nothing equipment.

    ¡¸So, what¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess, Fran doing in this town? Are you nning to stay here for a long time?¡¹

    This guy¡­ His tone of voice was quite rude, but it¡¯s strange to hear a beautiful Elf talk like this because it makes him look more handsome. He looked like a slightly evil and handsome Elf. The Elves were really unfair, weren¡¯t they?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be an instructor at the Academy of Magic¡¹

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What do you mean by ¡°Maybe?¡± It hasn¡¯t been decided yet?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    Fran then gave a brief story to him. An acquaintance of hers was rted to the Academy of Magic. The acquaintance was looking for someone to be a mock battle instructor at the academy. Then, Fran was invited and came to Lady Blue with a letter of introduction.

    ¡¸I see, so that was the case, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Went to the academy today, but the director wasn¡¯t there and they said that the interview would be held another time¡¹

    The Guild Master snorted when he heard Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸The interview process at the academy is pretty tough, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup. Even among the adventurers in this town, there are only about 30 adventurers designated by the academy this far¡¹

    ¡¸Designated by the academy?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They will be adventurers who are allowed to apany the students of the Academy of Magic after all¡¹

    Some of the students of the Academy of Magic are allowed to work as adventurers. It seems that only those students whose skills and grades are up to a certain standard are allowed to register with the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.

    Moreover, there were even stricter rules for epting requests. First of all, requests of E rank or higher could not be epted by the students alone. It was an absolute requirement that they need to be apanied by an adventurer designated by the Academy of Magic.

    I guess it was a measure to prevent students from dying in vain. The adventurers who are qualified to apany the students of the Academy of Magic are called the Academy¡¯s Designated Adventurers.

    With this designation, they were obliged to apany the students and were paid a certain amount of money every year by the academy.

    It seems that they received a good amount of money for this job and it seemed to be a popr job among Lady Blue¡¯s adventurers.

    ¡¸The students who are allowed to register as adventurers are strictly screened by the academy, and those who pass are the ones who are allowed. So those who will cause problems are quite rare¡¹

    So, even though they were apanying them, they were not there to babysit those sh*tty brats, but rather giving instructions to the new adventurers. After all, they would be an excellent new adventurer who could use magic and be willing to learn. And if they were paid arge sum of money in addition to the request, it would not be surprising if they became popr.

    However, not just anyone could be designated by the academy. Because the academy entrusts its most important students to them, they are very strict in their screening process. They look at the character, ability, family structure, past work history, and so on. Finally, only adventurers who pass the interview with the Director of the academy are allowed to be academy-designated adventurers.

    And in particr, the interview with the director of the academy was famous for how strict it was.

    ¡¸Regardless of whether you have a letter of introduction or not, if they deem you useless, they¡¯ll simply kick you out. There was once a problem when a nobleman who came for an interview with a letter of introduction from the government was kicked out. And for some reason, their house disappeared¡­ I wonder how scared that person is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know the Director?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I do. I¡¯m the Master of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and I¡¯m an Elf too, right?¡¹

    It was natural when I thought about it. Fran then inquired about the personality of the director. But the Guild master then crossed his arms lightly and frowned.

    ¡¸She¡¯s usually a calm and gentle person, but when she gets angry, she¡¯s terrifying. So never make her angry, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    It seems that even the guild master was afraid of the Director of the academy¨D¨Dthe High Elf Weena Rhyn. He reminded Fran about it with a pitiful face.

    ¡¸Is she strong?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s obvious, right? She¡¯s a High Elf after all¡¹

    ¡¸I heard she was a great Ocean Magic user¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. She¡¯s the greatest Ocean Magic user in this world. She once single-handedly crushed a mid-level dungeon that had a stampede by herself¡¹

    What was more is, Weena Rhyn was said to not even moved from the entrance at that time, as she used her excess magic power to create endless amounts of water, submerging everything in the dungeon and suffocating the magic beasts to death.

    The sight of her using magic constantly for three days straight was said to be breathtaking.

    ¡¸What else can she do? Since she¡¯s an Elf, maybe, Spirit Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? You don¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸If you¡¯re someone at her level, you¡¯ll probably just use your Ocean Magic for everything. But I¡¯ve never seen her in closebat or using Spirit Magic. And Appraisals don¡¯t work on her either¡¹

    ¡¸She has an Appraisal Jammer?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s simply because the rank is so overwhelmingly high that Appraisal doesn¡¯t work on her¡¹

    It would be like me not being able to appraise a Divine Sword huh? She¡¯s lived for thousands of years and said to be more powerful than any S-ranked adventurer. She may indeed be difficult to Appraise.

    ¡¸Well, not only is she famous for being the Director of the academy, but she¡¯s also famous for her love of children too. So, I¡¯m sure Fran will have no problem with her¡¹

    After that, we had a light chat about the local specialties in the area, and then we left the Guild Masters¡¯ office. It seemed that the Guild Master wanted to find out what kind of personality Fran had. I wonder what kind of rumors were going around about her?

 Chapter 540: Charon

    <h4>Chapter 540: Charon</h4>

    ¡¸Hey¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Someone called out to Fran when she came back to the lobby. It was Charon, the blonde drill girl from earlier. Her face seemed to be somewhat tense.

    ¡¸I apologize for what I did earlier. I didn¡¯t know you were a high-ranked adventurer, and I was very rude to you¡¹

    It seems that thedy at the reception desk had told her that Fran was actually a high-ranking adventurer, and so she seemed to be afraid of her now. Even though she looked like the daughter of a nobleman who seemed to have a lot of pride, she bowed deeply on the spot without hesitation.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not angry¡¹

    ¡¸Re-really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When Fran told her so, she then looked relieved.

    A high-ranking adventurer was probably just like a monster for a low-level adventurer. Even if she looked young¨D¨Dthe fact that she¡¯d managed to be a high-ranking adventurer at such a young age made Fran a veritable monster to her.

    ¡¸Guild Master praised you¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? He praised, me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He said you¡¯ve bravely stood in front of a suspicious person just to protect your junior¡¹

    ¡¸About that, Umm¡­¡¹

    Charon looked down with a troubled look on her face.

    It seemed as if she was being ridiculed for mistakenly treating Fran as a junior student and for how she treated a suspicious person without knowing the Guild Master¡¯s face, but she was also happy to be praised.

    Either way, she was troubled on how to reply now.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s change the topic for now¡»

    ¡¸?? Did I look like a student of the academy?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were a student of the Elementary Department who didn¡¯t know the Academy¡¯s rules¡¹

    ¡¸Elementary Department¡¯s student?¡¹

    ¡¸Ye, yeah. There are many different departments at the Academy of Magic, but all students must start in the Elementary Department to learn the Magic Skills¡¹

    As expected of what was called the Academy of Magic, it seemed the students were required to learn Magic first. They would then be allowed to choose a new Department during the promotion period once every six months.

    It didn¡¯t matter what attribute they could use, if they didn¡¯t graduate from the Elementary Course within three years, they would be expelled. Well, it was an Academy of Magic after all, so I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡¸You are also not allowed to register with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild while you are enrolled in the Elementary Department¡¹

    Well, it was natural, since the children were probably all amateurs who couldn¡¯t even use magic after all.

    However, it seemed that every year there were students from the Elementary Department who heard rumors that students from the Academy of Magic were going in and out of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and without even listening to the exnations of it, they immediately charged into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡¸Some students are selfish and even cause trouble for the guild sometimes¡¹

    If a student of the academy were to cause trouble for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, it could bring down the reputation of the entire academy. She was proud to be a student of the Academy of Magic, and so, that was not something she could tolerate.

    I thought she was a member of the moralsmittee or the student council, but it seems she was just being concerned. After that, she told many stories about the failures of students who don¡¯t follow the school rules. It was quite rare that Fran listened to someone so quietly, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸Oi, It¡¯s time for us to go¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯ming. Well, I¡¯m really sorry about today. I¡¯ll take my leave now¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know if there is anything I can do for you, but if you have any problems, please just ask for help. I will show up at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild at least once a week¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, thanks¡¹

    ¡¸Very well then¡¹

    She was called by one of herpanions, Drill-san then bowed onest time before leaving the guild.

    As I saw her leaving, Fran suddenly talked to me.

    (Master)

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    (Now I know what Master meant when he said it was an interesting hairstyle)

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    (Every time she moved; her hair would bounce)

    ¡ºI thought you were listening to her quietly, but you were actually thinking about her hair, huh!?¡»

    (Her hair was interesting)

    After leaving the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, we decided to enjoy sightseeing in Lady Blue based on the information we had gathered.

    Thedy at the reception desk seemed to be a local of this town and knew all the best ces to go and ces to visit.

    We enjoyed the scenic hills and unusual buildings while visiting a few food stalls and restaurants.

    As we toured the town in this way, I noticed a few things that made it different from other towns.

    ¡¸It¡¯s beautiful here too¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t see anyone that looks like a guard anywhere too¡»

    No matter how narrow the backstreets or how far out of town we went, I couldn¡¯t find the so-called slums anywhere. There may be a gap between the rich and the poor due to ie and other factors, but the atmosphere here seemed to never drop below a certain level.

    Of course, we didn¡¯t run into any members of Thieves guilds or underworld organizations who wore an underworld atmosphere. We also didn¡¯t encounter any thugs who would try to take advantage of us. Well, it also meant that we couldn¡¯t get extra pocket money from those thugs either though.

    That was unusual for a town of this size, right?

    Furthermore, perhaps due to theck of such criminal organizations, I have only seen a few guards in the town. It was not that there weren¡¯t any, but they were probably less than half that of other towns.

    ¡ºDoes it mean this town was so safe?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. There¡¯s a lot of kids too¡¹

    ¡ºCome to think of it, maybe that was the case¡»

    It was rare to see kids in an unsafe town. This was because parents think of the worst and don¡¯t let their kids y outside. But in this town, there are kids everywhere we go.

    I could see the kids running around and ying in the back streets by themselves. I guess it meant that they were sure that they¡¯ll be safe.

    On our way back to the inn, we went to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to give them some baked sweets as a thank you for introducing us to a good restaurant. They also told us why the security here was so good.

    It was simply that Weena Rhyn was crushing criminal organizations and criminals from the inside out. And they were sure that someday, no organization would be able to freelyy their hands on this town.

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s methods are said to be quite extreme. For example, if there was a drug dealer, she would crush not only the dealer, but also the organization behind the dealer, the organization involved in the distribution, the organization involved in the production, and everything else.

    It didn¡¯t matter if it was a nobleman or another country behind them.

    The Kingdom of Belios, which had been repeatedly troubled by diplomatic problems due to her extreme measures, decided to defend the self-governing region.

    I guess they would rather spend their budget to protect the self-governing region than let Weena Rhyn run wild as she pleased. No, maybe Weena Rhyn was actually the one who arranged for that to happen, huh?

    Anyway, Lady Blue was safer than any other town we¡¯ve been to.

    ¡ºShe loves kids, a radical one, and an Elf¡­¡»

    (Just like Amanda)

    ¡ºThey¡¯re sure simr, huh?¡»

    By the way, when Alistair mentioned the Academy of Magic, Amanda, who was standing next to her, was quiet and didn¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t think it was surprising that Amanda and Weena Rhyn would be acquainted with each other¡­ Well. If they really knew each other, she would have said something at that time.

    ¡ºI wonder what kind of person she is¡­¡»

 Chapter 541: Oneâ€™s Gaze

    <h4>Chapter 541: One¡¯s Gaze</h4>

    ¡¸Mogu! Mogu!¡¹

    ¡¸Gafu! Gafu!¡¹(*munching sfx)

    ¡ºDoes it taste good?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After we returned from our adventure in Lady Blue, Fran and Urushi were now in the middle of dinner at the inn.

    They even served a normal meal for Urushi too without needing us to pay any extra fee.

    The meal¡¯s contents were not an animals¡¯ food or anything like that, it was just the normal, salty food, from the same menu as Fran¡¯s.

    It was hard to say if she was just like the old Japanese moms who didn¡¯t care about the health of their animals, or if she just dared to serve the same food to Urushi because she saw him as a powerful magic beast.

    The menu consisted of gnhi-like pasta made from wheat and potatoes with cheese, and tomato soup with ground meat. The rest of the meal consisted of bread, scotch eggs, and sd.

    Urushi¡¯s portion was put together in arge deep dish, making it look like a left-over food for cats. No, it was not even a left-over food for cats anymore when it was mixed with so many other things.

    It looked very unappetizing, but Urushi was eating it like it tasted good. It seemed that it consisted of abination of ingredients that went surprisingly well together.

    ¡¸¡­Hmmm¡¹

    Aah, Fran, don¡¯t mix it up! It¡¯s not polite! Don¡¯t look at Urushi with such envious eyes. It may look delicious, but it¡¯s not!

    ¡¸How do you like my cooking?¡¹

    ¡¸It tastes good!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good to hear then. Just say so if you want more. I¡¯ve got plenty of it¡¹

    After that, she refilled Fran¡¯s bowl three times without any hesitation, and the olddy didn¡¯t even look ufortable, and even happily gave us a special serving.

    But still, was it okay for us to eat this much? Should we pay extra for it? Fran and Urushi were probably already eating ten people¡¯s servings after all¡­

    However, the olddy didn¡¯t seem to mind Fran and Urushi¡¯s binge eating. The way she smiled while looking at Fran and Urushi, was just as if she were grandmother taking care of her grandchildren.

    ¡¸Uwaah, you sure eat a lot aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸It was delicious¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so? How about some herbal tea after dinner then?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    It was a dark green tea that looked quite bitter, but Fran seemed to enjoy drinking it. She seemed to rather like it.

    As Fran sipped her tea, she looked up at the huge old tree. Well, her gaze was blocked by the ceiling though.

    Fran, who had been quietly staring at the tree for a while, unexpectedly opened her mouth.

    ¡¸Hey, is there really a spirit in this tree?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, the Spirit of the Green Trees was in it¡¹

    ¡¸Why did you build an inn around such a tree?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a bit of a long story, but¨D¡¹

    The olddy gave us a very long exnation, just like what she said. Fran almost got bored halfway through, but I managed to tie her to a chair with my telekinesis and secretly gave her some sweet snacks out of my storage.

    To summarize briefly, there was originally a tree here where spirits dwell. It was said that the tree was now over 3,000 years old. However, about 1,500 years ago, it was not considered to be a tree where spirits dwelled anymore, but just a mysterious magical tree. Its sap, branches, leaves, and bark of the tree had been forcibly extracted by the alchemists and pharmacists who lived in this area at that time, and the tree had weakened.

    The tree was then saved by the Elves who founded the inn, and Weena Rhyn, who was consulted by the Elves.

    The method was simple: they bought the ce and surrounded it so that no one could mess with the spirit tree. The reason why they turned it into an inn was because the spirits that lived in the tree liked to observe people.

    As a result, it became an unusual inn that only allowed people approved by the spirits to stay inside. Fifteen hundred years have passed since then, and now the olddy, the granddaughter of the founder, was running the ce. It has been 1500 years, and she was still the third generation¡­ As expected of the long-lived Elf.

    ¡¸Then, was I also approved by the spirits?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. In the first ce, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter the inn without the spirit¡¯s approval¡¹

    I didn¡¯t know that. We couldn¡¯t sense spirits, so we had no idea. Spirits were mysterious existences after all.

    I also understood the horror of it. After all, since we couldn¡¯t detect it, we wouldn¡¯t know if a spirit were aiming to attack us.

    We would know if itunched an attack on us, but if the spirits were to lie low and stay put, it would be nearly impossible to detect them.

    Afterwards, Fran and Urushi thanked her for the meal and went back to our room. Even as she walked, she kept looking at our surroundings.

    Well, I know what she was looking for.

    ¡ºAre you looking for the spirit?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I want to see it!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Even when we got back to our room on the third floor, she peeked between the branches of the spirit tree and into a small cave. But she never touched them. I guess it was because she was told not to hurt them.

    However, there was no way she could find the spirit by doing so, and she ended up giving up.

    Both Fran and Urushi went to bed looking disappointed. Lately, Fran and Urushi have been sleeping in the same bed together. Now that Urushi could be smaller, it was no longer a problem.

    Urushi was held tightly by Fran¡¯s hands and feet in a hug. I wonder if it hurt. No, Urushi¡¯s sleeping face looks happy. Fran was also breathingfortably, and both of them seemed to be enjoying their sleep.

    As I was observing their sleeping faces, Fran suddenly opened her eyes. Did my presence disturb her?

    But when Fran jumped out of bed, her gaze was not on me, but on the entrance to the room for some reason.

    ¡ºWh-what¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Even Urushi, who had fallen off the bed when Fran suddenly raised herself, tilted his head, unable to understand what was happening.

    ¡¸¡­I felt a gaze on me¡¹

    ¡ºA gaze? Did you feel it too, Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I felt it¡¹

    Fran too, was still unclear about it.

    Did she have a strange dream? Neither Urushi nor I could sense it after all¡­ We used our skills to the best of our ability to search for a presence and magic, but we couldn¡¯t sense any presence of anyone other than us and the olddy inside the inn.

    Of course, there was the presence of small insects, but it was hard to imagine that Fran would be awakened by such a presence. For example, if she had magic or skills that allowed her to see into the distance through the eyes of insects, she would definitely be able to sense the presence¡¯s origin. However, there was not even that in the inn.

    ¡ºMaybe it was the spirit? It was said to like to observe people after all¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    After that, neither Fran nor the two of us could feel any presences. Well, we were dealing with a spirit after all. It would be quite difficult to sense them.

    Eventually, Frany down on the bed again.

    ¡¸¡­Good night¡¹

    ¡ºOu, good night¡»

    ¡¸Spirit¡­¡¹

    It seemed that it would be a while before Fran could sleep soundly.

 Chapter 542: Unexpected Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 542: Unexpected Reunion</h4>

    The day after Fran felt the presence of what seemed to be a spirit.

    ¡ºFran. You don¡¯t seem to be sleeping wellst night. Are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m okay¡¹

    It seems that she was always searching for the spirit¡¯s presence. In the end, though, she didn¡¯t feel anything after that.

    She rubbed her eyes, but that didn¡¯t stop her from eating her breakfast. She just looked like a real cat, didn¡¯t she?

    Breakfast was freshly baked bread and vegetable soup with meat. Also, with assorted fruit and arge meatball-like ground meat dish, Fran and Urushi were happy to eat it.

    ¡¸You¡¯re still sleepy, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? If there¡¯s something wrong with the bed, I¡¯ll fix it right away¡¹

    ¡¸I felt a gaze on me¡¹

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    When Fran told her about the gaze she feltst night, the olddy smiled happily.

    ¡¸The spirit must have liked you¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be peeking on you¡¹

    To stay at this inn, you have to be epted by the spirits, but that doesn¡¯t mean they like you. It was said that only a handful of people who were allowed to stay at the inn were liked by the spirits.

    It seemed that some of the guests had seen them.

    ¡¸How do I get the spirits to like me?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder about that¡­? Just be a good girl¡­¡¹

    Hmm, I don¡¯t understand what she meant by being a good girl¡­ Do we just have to be nice to the olddy and not mess with the spirit tree?

    Just like that, as she was eating her breakfast, the entrance to the inn opened. The person who came in was an Elven man. Ooh, even though he was an Elf, wasn¡¯t he a handsome one?!

    When I looked closely, he was certainly a handsome person. But after seeing the Guild Master, he looked a bit in. He reminded me of Phreon, the in Elf we had explored the spider¡¯s nest with before.

    Even the Elves had someone like this, huh?

    ¡¸Umm, I believe there¡¯s an adventurer named Fran staying here¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    I wondered if he was a new customer, but he seemed to have some business with Fran. When the man spotted Fran, he approached her with a smile.

    ¡¸That appearance, are you Fran-san?¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m an employee of the Academy of Magic¡¹

    So, why was he here?

    ¡¸The Director of the academy had returned earlier today. So, I am here to ask Fran-san about the date for your interview¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re asking me for the date?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The Director says it can be done today or tomorrow, but what do you think?¡¹

    It seems that Weena Rhyn was back after all. I was expecting him to tell us when toe, but he seemed to be giving priority to our convenience. I wonder, if we left it for a few days would she be disqualified?

    (Master, can we do it today?)

    Well, we must go there sometime soon, so¡­

    ¡ºYeah, we can do it today¡»

    Even if we stayed here till tomorrow, there would be nothing to do but explore the town anyway. So, the sooner the better.

    ¡¸Today then¡¹

    ¡¸Very well then. So, do you have a specific time in mind?¡¹

    ¡¸I should decide now?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll go after I finish my breakfast then¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. I will tell that to the Director then¡¹

    So, after finishing breakfast, Fran went to the Academy of Magic. We wereing through the back entrance today too. I thought about going to the main gate, but I thought it would be faster to talk with the guard who already knew Fran¡¯s face.

    If they told us to go to the main entrance, we would have obeyed them, but they easily called Colt for us. In the first ce, it seemed that outsiders don¡¯t oftene to the back entrance, so they had already called Colt when they saw us.

    ¡¸Hey, It¡¯s been yesterday¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll show you to the Director¡¯s office. Follow me¡¹

    As we walked through the tunnel as we did yesterday, Colt gave us a few notes of warning.

    ¡¸The Director is a gentle person, but she has no mercy for those who are hostile to the academy. So be careful not to offend her¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    I wonder if she was a person who tends to easily get angry.

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t be careless here¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She was a High Elves, and I don¡¯t want to antagonize her from the start. I¡¯d never know what might happen after all.

    We passed through the same tunnel we had passed through yesterday, but this time we did not head for the guard¡¯s office. Colt¡¯s eyes were on a tower at the far end. That was where he was headed, I guess. It seemed that today we would be taken to the school building of the academy.

    We could see a sparse number of students around the building. They weren¡¯t there the other day, but maybe it was because they¡¯re on a break or something like that, huh?

    Many of the students wore the same cloak as Charon and the others we met at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and others wore robes like magicians.

    As I observed these students from a distance, I could see that they were looking at us from the other side as well.

    ¡¸Is that a freshman?¡¹

    ¡¸But, what¡¯s about that equipment?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, there are some people who go from being adventurers to being students at this academy after all¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡¹

    Under the gaze of many students, Fran abruptly stopped in her tracks.

    ¡¸Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Colt, our guide, turned around in surprise. But I don¡¯t think Fran heard him. At the moment, Fran¡¯s attention was only on the person who came out of the building at the back.

    ¡¸¡­Why, are you here¡­?¡¹

    I was surprised, too. How could he be in this ce? And I panicked and tried to stop Fran.

    ¡¸Awakening¡­ ck Lightning Rush!¡¹

    ¡ºWait! Fran!¡»

    It was toote. Fran had already rushed out for battle.

    Fran muttered the name of the man she hated, gritting her teeth so hard that they even made a sound.

    ¡¸Zelos¡­ Reed!¡¹

 Chapter 543: Someone that Get in The Way

    <h4>Chapter 543: Someone that Get in The Way</h4>

    ¡¸Zelos¡­ Reed!¡¹

    Fran, who was running while being d in ck lightning, muttered a word filled with killing intent. However, she didn¡¯t leak any killing intent at all.

    As a result of the use of Awakening and Brilliant Lightning Rush, arge amount of magic power has leaked out. However, whether or not there was killing intent attached to it, it could buy her a fraction of a second before the target she was aiming for¨DZelos Reed¨Dnoticed her.

    Fran was calm even though she was dominated by fury. Calmly, she acted to kill Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸Sword God Transformation!¡¹

    ¡ºUgh¡­!¡»

    This was bad. Fran was even more pissed than I had thought. She didn¡¯t even check to see if it was okay for me to use the Sword God Transformation! The usual Fran would never do something like this!

    I couldn¡¯t stop her anymore at this point. Her eyes were simply focused on therge, scarred man directly in front of her.

    For some reason, his evil spirit seemed to have faded, as I could finally sense it at this distance, but I could certainly feel the evil spirit from inside the man. That figure and that evil spirit. He was definitely Zelos Reed.

    Zelos Reed¡¯s face finally turned to look at her, as if he had noticed Fran¡¯s gaze, which was filled with crazy killing intent.

    Our surroundings looked slower as we had entered the realm of super speed with our Sword God Transformation, and it had probably only been a few blinks since Fran had awakened. However, the distance between us was already less than half.

    More magic power then gushed out of Fran, and the ck lightning in her body increased in density. Then, Fran, who was running at full speed, turned into ck lightning.

    ¡¸ck Thunder Rolls!¡¹

    The ce where Fran reappears after moving at super high speed with the ck Thunder Rolls was behind Zelos Reed. She had pulled me out of my scabbard and positioned me at her hips.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s suppressed energy overflowed. It was the first time that even I had seen Fran unleash such killing intent.

    As if seeking an outlet for her killing power, I was swung at him. Despite her current wild emotions, the attack was calm and beautifully executed.

    The sword sh, which had been optimized by Sword God Transformation, was sure to reach Zelos Read in the neck.

    He shouldn¡¯t be able to duck at this point. Fran, who was in a state of Sword God Transformation, was convinced of this, and I could see it in her eyes.

    Zelos Reed sensed Fran¡¯s killing intent and tried to react to it. I could see his head moving slightly as he tried to turn around to face us. But the fact that he was making such a movement now meant that he waspletely unable to react in time to Fran¡¯s surprise attack.

    No matter what he did now, there was no chance that Zelos Reed would be able to prevent this attack. It was already toote for him to try to activate any skills.

    My de then slipped into Zelos Reed¡¯s neck and sliced through his flesh. However, it was just right after that feeling came over me.

    Booom!

    ¡¸Ghaah!¡¹

    ¡ºGhuhh!¡»

    Fran and I were blown away by an impact that came from the side.

    It wasn¡¯t that powerful. However, because she was targeted at the moment sheunched her attack, shepletely lost her bnce.

    If he had aimed for this timing, his discernment was perfect.

    Fran twisted in mid-air as she was blown sideways andnded on the ground without any injuries. I wonder who this mysterious attacker was?

    The crazy thing was that we didn¡¯t know the source of the attack until we were attacked. Now we knew they were a little behind Zelos Reed. There was someone there.

    I couldn¡¯t figure who it was. But I could tell from the bias of the magic and the presence that there was someone there¡­

    But Fran seemed to understand. Her eyes were clearly on the one behind Zelos Reed. Could it be that she could see them?

    However, Fran¡¯s eyes quickly returned to Zelos Reed.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    Without the slightest hesitation, Fran¡¯s next move was to attack again. She seemed to be nning to defeat Zelos Reed here, even if it meant ignoring the mysterious person who had attacked us earlier.

    No, it seemed that she would try to block their attack by putting up a barrier. Did she find out the identity of the other party?

    ¡¸Tsk! This brat!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    In the meantime, Fran, who was in a state of Sword God Transformation, shed at Zelos Reed without hiding the vicious killing intenting out from her.

    With the first blow, she sliced off his left arm, but the feeling was strange. It was clearly not flesh, but a hard substance.

    Then I remembered. Come to think of it, Kiara¡¯sst attack had severed Zelos Reed¡¯s left arm, and apparently, it wouldn¡¯t regenerate.

    For the evil people, the divine attribute was not only a weakness for them, but it could inflict fatal damage. And now she was d in that divine attribute due to the effects of Sword God Transformation.

    This was not a relief or anything, but a chance. If we hit Zelos Reed now, we might be able to inflict a fatal wound on him.

    But this time¡¯s attack did not go well either.

    It wasn¡¯t the invisible shock I had felt earlier, but this time I could see it. Suddenly, ayer of water the size of two tatami mats (Note: 2-3 meter) was stretched between Fran and Zelos Reed.

    It was so dense with magic that I¡¯d think it was made up purely of magic power.

    However, Fran didn¡¯t care and shed at it. And at that moment, the wateryer then created a huge explosion.

    ¡¸Ghaa¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    It seemed theyer of water was created bypressing a tremendous amount of water. When thepressed water was released all at once, an overwhelming amount of water overflowed instantaneously, making it look as if a huge explosion had urred.

    While in the air, she was attacked by the violence of the water so I rescued Fran from drowning by teleporting. But I could see that even though she was drowning, Fran¡¯s face was still looking in Zelos Reed¡¯s direction.

    She hadn¡¯t given up yet. But honestly, she was already at my limit. Any more fights would be bad for us.

    ¡ºFran, sorry. I¡¯m already¡­¡»

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    Hearing my words, she must have finally remembered that she was using the Sword God Transformation. She then hurriedly deactivated the skill.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­ Master¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine now!¡»

    A tremendous amount of pressure then surrounded us. It was not Zelos Reed. For some reason, the pressure that Zelos Reed was giving off was not as significant anymore. It was as if he had no intention to fight us.

    The source of the pressure was the person who hade out of the building after Zelos Reed. It was a blonde Elf.

    ¡¸I wonder who is this bad girl who behaves badly in my beloved academy?¡¹

 Chapter 544: The Unmotivated Strong Person

    <h4>Chapter 544: The Unmotivated Strong Person</h4>

    ¡¸I wonder who is this bad girl who behaves badly in my beloved academy?¡¹

    While saying so, the beautiful blonde Elven woman gave off a pressure that even made Fran¡¯s whole-body shudder.

    But now, her willow eyebrows were upturned showing her clear anger. When I looked at her face, she was just like an Elven woman frowning, but she gave off intimidation as if we were facing a Dragon.

    ¡¸¡­Ugh¡¹

    She also showed us a glimpse of her ability. Just by shing at the water, my durability value, which was buffed by the Sword God Transformation, was greatly reduced.

    What was more, the annoying thing about that water defenseyer was that it countered by instantaneously releasing arge amount of water. At the moment of attack, we¡¯d be defenseless, and we¡¯ll be countered by a torrent of water at that moment, our attack could most likely be canceled halfway through. It was also quite difficult to spot it at first sight.

    Even without appraising her, I could guess who this Elf was. She had tremendous magic power, the overly powerful Ocean Magic, and she also said the line ¡¸My beloved academy¡¹. Fran couldn¡¯t help but mutter her name.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Weena Rhyn. Hmm¡­ You¡¯re quite a lovely youngdy, aren¡¯t you? Maybe you¡¯re Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I wish we could have met differently¡­ I also have a lot of questions I need to ask you¨D¨DBut first, I need to punish you¡¹

    The moment Weena Rhyn said that and looked at Fran, a violent sense of intimidation enveloped her. What she had been radiating was only a small residue that leaked out from earlier. Maybe she didn¡¯t even realize she was intimidating her.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t let anyone who was messing in this academy go unpunished. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you¡¹

    Weena Rhyn was giving off a sense of pressure that was even apanied by physical pressure as if the surrounding gravity had increased many times.

    ¡¸I, Weena Rhyn, as the guardian, will¨D¨DNo, that¡¯s not good enough. That will be too much. To you, who will be a special instructor¨D¨DThat¡¯s still not good enough, huh? Then, to you, who have been offered a position as a special instructor and a short-term transfer n, I shall begin with your punishment for your hostile acts towards our temporary instructor and our protected students. It will be a little harsher than a normal punishment. Well, you¡¯ve almost killed him after all¡¹

    Immediately after Weena Rhyn said so, the air around us changed. I could see that the magic power that had enveloped this area was also flowing into Weena Rhyn. Some kind of reinforcement must have been applied to our surroundings.

    However, Weena Rhyn seemed to be really unmotivated. Despite the intimidation and the words she said, there was not much motivation on her face. In fact, she looked like she didn¡¯t even want to fight.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to have to restrain you for now. You can resist as much as you want, your opponent will be me alone. It¡¯s for your own good too. But I¡¯m the strongest in this academy, you know? Divine Water Creation¨D¨DAquarius¡¹

    With Weena Rhyn¡¯s words, a sphere of water filled with strong magical power was created. Moreover, this sphere of water was slightly imbued with Divine Attributes. As the name suggested, Divine Water Creation must be a skill to create water with the Divine Attribute. She was manipting it with the Ocean Magic, Aquarius.

    Aquarius was an Ocean Magic that simply manipted the surrounding water, but I¡¯ve once read in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild documents that it could be changed into a thousand different forms when used by an expert user. In other words, if Weena Rhyn used it, it would be something terrifying.

    The effect was immediately apparent. To my surprise, I could no longer sense the Divine Attributes and magic power from the water sphere. However, my danger detection was ringing loudly.

    It¡¯s not that it has lost its attributes, but the effect of the Aquarius must have masked its presence. At first nce, it was just water magic. However, it was actually superb magic that contained powerful magic power and Divine Attributes.

    Now I know why my endurance was cut down so quickly. Thatyer of water was also Divine water.

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s start¡¹

    The next moment, a sphere of water shot out like a bullet. Fran jumped back to avoid it, but a new sphere of water was already created ahead of her.

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    Fran was trying to cut off the water sphere¨D¨D.

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡ºHow troublesome!¡»

    We were being toyed with. Although it was a spur-of-the-moment attack, it was a blow that could even take down a mid-level magic beast¡­ Fran managed to dodge the water sphere by twisting her body using an aerial jump. The water sphere approached her again, but Fran was also in a position to intercept it. She was in a Sheaths of Wind stance.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Ara?¡¹

    Now it was Weena Rhyn¡¯s turn to be surprised. Her eyes widened when she saw the water sphere that had been cut in half by the Sheaths of Wind technique.

    ¡¸No way, I didn¡¯t expect you to be able to do this much¡­ You¡¯re an amazing child, aren¡¯t you? That was wonderful. But I wonder, why do we have to fight¡­?¡¹

    As I expected, Weena Rhyn does not seem to want to fight. However, some kind ofpelling force seemed to be at work, forcing her to continue the fight.

    ¡ºFran. All I see with my appraisal is her name only! I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s going to do next!¡»

    ¡¸Then, we¡¯ll take her down as fast as we can. Now it¡¯s our turn!¡¹

    ¡¸And now you¡¯re using light magic? You¡¯re so versatile, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    Fran shot her light magic, the Sr Ray. Just as it looked like the violent torrent of light was going to swallow Weena Rhyn, it was the sameyer of water that had interfered.

    The rays of light were blocked by ayer of water and dissipated. But this was expected. Rather, the purpose was to blind her with the sh of light and make her focus on defense.

    ¡¸¡­ck Thunder Rolls¨D¨DHeaven Judgement!¡¹

    With Fran still maintaining her light magic, she went right behind her with the ck Thunder Rolls.

    She then unleashed her all-out attack. Fran¡¯s aim from the start was to get in close and use the Heaven Judgement.

    The speed was so godlike that an ordinary opponent would not even be able to react and would only realize after being shed by it. However, Weena Rhyn was able to respond to it.

    ¡¸You¡¯re so fast, aren¡¯t you!?¡¹

    Just like when she attacked Zeros Reed in her Sword God Transformation state, ayer of water then stood in front of Fran. She was blown away by its massive flow of water before, and unable to finish her sh.

    But she had seen that technique once. So, Fran had naturally thought of a way to deal with it.

    (Master!)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    To be honest, I don¡¯t know if resisting Weena Rhyn was the right thing to do here. Unlike Zeros Reed, we don¡¯t have a grudge against her, nor do we want to kill her. In fact, looking at it objectively, it would be worse for us to suddenly draw our swords and start fighting in a ce where there were many nonbatants.

    I couldn¡¯t sense any killing intent from Weena Rhyn, and I felt that it would be better for us to be caught obediently.

    However, Fran was motivated, and she had received word from Weena Rhyn that it was okay to resist. Even if she was caught without resistance in this state, Fran would not be satisfied. If that was the case, it¡¯s better to go all out and feel satisfiedter.

    And it was not that I don¡¯t have my own thoughts after being so one-sidedly beaten before.

    I activated my Dimension Shift in time with Fran¡¯s call. I guess that the counter of the water current was set to automatically activate upon impact.

    We then easily slipped through theyer of water with the dimension shift. And the moment we hit Weena Rhyn, we canceled the skills.

    As she regained her physical form, she was touched by theyer of water and the counter was triggered. Franughed ferociously while being blown away by the tremendous stream of water that was created to explode.

    This time, there was a definite response.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­! You can even use the space-time magic¡­!¡¹

    A red liquid was flowing out of Weena Rhyn¡¯s right side. It was where Fran¡¯s Heaven Judgement technique sliced through Weena Rhyn¡¯s side.

    ¡¸You¡¯re stronger than I had imagined, aren¡¯t you¡­? It¡¯s been hundreds of years since I¡¯ve had a hard-fought battle like this¡¹

    Weena Rhyn was grimacing. However, she immediately looked apologetic and said she was sorry.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I did say that you could resist as you can¡­ But it seems that I¡¯ve underestimated you. When this happens, I need to get a little serious¡­ This is going to hurt a little bit, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Immediately after we heard Weena Rhyn¡¯s words, her figure was already in front of us. Instead of distancing herself to heal her wounds, she just stepped right in!

    She must have been using a physical strengthening skill. Because even her blood flow has been strengthened, arge amount of blood was gushing out from her side. No, even that was actually Weena Rhyn¡¯s aim! Arge amount of blood that overflowed became countless ivy and attacked Fran all at once.

    Is it because it was a liquid, or because it was her blood that she could control it? Anyway, it seems that Weena Rhyn could manipte her blood. Moreover, Weena Rhyn¡¯s blood, which was imbued with strong magical power, was actually much stronger than ordinary water.

    The blood ivy, wriggling as if it was alive, wrapped around Fran¡¯s right arm in two or threeyers. It must have focused on the right side of her sword grip. And her barrier could not pull it off.

    Fran tried to use her magic release to blow the blood away, but it was a moment toote. Before she could do so, Weena Rhyn released a water sphere at close range that struck Fran¡¯s sr plexus.

    ¡¸Ghaah!¡¹

    Because her arms were held by the blood ivy, she wasn¡¯t blown away and lost her power. Fran¡¯s body lifted and I saw that her right shoulder was badly injured.

    Well, Fran wasn¡¯t the only one who was getting hit. Even as she was being attacked, she swung her left leg up and mmed a kick into the right side of Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    The water armor covering Weena Rhyn¡¯s skin caught the kick, but the impact seemed to have prated and reached Weena Rhyn, and she was frowning as she spat blood out of her mouth. Moreover, this was not the only attack that Fran had made.

    ¡¸Eat, this!¡¹

    The ck lightning that Fran wore was flowing into Weena Rhyn through her kick. It was the ck lightning that even Goddarfa was taking damage from.

    However, even though her entire body was enveloped in ck lightning, Weena Rhyn¡¯s expression did not change. When I looked closely, I could see that she seemed to have controlled it with the water armor she wore and was guiding it to the ground.

    It was a perfect response as if she had seen the ck lightning before. Could it be that she had prepared the armor not to prevent the attack, but to nullify the ck lightning?

    ¡¸I think we¡¯re done here¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    For some reason, Weena Rhyn let go of Fran¡¯s arm while saying those words. Fran hurriedly tried to keep her distance, but her legs never moved.

    ¡¸Water¡­?¡¹

    Before she knew it, arge amount of water had covered Fran¡¯s body, blocking her movements. The water sphere that had just been released was not just to attack. The water quickly covered Fran¡¯s legs and torso. Moreover, this water was not just for catching Fran too.

    ¡¸Argh? Gughaah¡­!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s body suddenly glowed and began to spark, apanied by a buzzing sound like electricity popping. It was as if she was leaking electricity.

    No, it seems that a simr phenomenon was really urring. The ck lightning on Fran¡¯s body lost its density all at once, and her life force began to drop rapidly.

    ¡¸My¡­ Power is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen ck Tiger Kin, but I¡¯ve got all the countermeasures I need, you know?¡¹

    This phenomenon, Weena Rhyn was doing this on purpose! It seemed that Weena Rhyn, who had lived for a long time, had fought the ck Heavenly Tiger in the past. So, this wasn¡¯t her first time seeing the ck lightning either.

    I tried to use teleport to somehow escape, but for some reason, it didn¡¯t activate.

    ¡ºThis feeling¡­ It feels like something was interfering with its activation?¡»

    ¡¸Did you try to use teleport? Currently, teleport was not allowed to be used in this whole area. Even I won¡¯t be able to use it¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Unleash your Brilliant Lightning Rush right now! We¡¯re in trouble if you don¡¯t!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Okay!¡¹

    As soon as Fran released the skill, she used all her magic power release while putting up a barrier, and flicked away the water that clung to her body.

    ¡¸That was a quick decision, wasn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t believe you were able to do something about it¡­ It¡¯s been hundreds of years since I had someone run away from me after I thought I¡¯ve caught them perfectly, you know? I would have preferred to have a normal encounter with you if I could¡­¡¹

    Weena Rhyn sighed again as she healed her wounds. Her face showed signs of fatigue, but she was still able to fight.

    On the other hand, Fran was fully wounded. If it was a game of simple battle, we¡¯d have won by hitting her with the Heaven Judgement. But if you look at the degree of exhaustion, we were overwhelmingly defeated.

    ¡¸You have very little energy left, but what will you do now? More than this, and I¡¯ll be more serious, you know? Or do you still want to go?¡¹

 Chapter 545: Surrender

    <h4>Chapter 545: Surrender</h4>

    ¡¸Or do you still want to go?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I do!¡¹

    Immediately after shouting so, Fran created a ball of light behind her. However, this was not an attack skill, but merely simple light magic.

    The ce where it was created was where the light ball, Fran, and Weena Lane line up. Fran¡®s long shadow then swallowed Weena Rhyn.

    And then, the mouth of a huge beast suddenly appeared from her shadow and swallowed Weena Rhyn¡¯s leg.

    It was Urushi, who had changed to hisrgest size, who ambushed her from the shadows.

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­It¡¯s still hiding all this time even though you¡¯ve been pushed this far, huh!?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn had jumped up as quickly as she could, and all Urushi could bite was below the knee. In addition, the Aquarius counter immediately pried open Urushi¡¯s closed mouth. Apparently, therge amount of water produced in his mouth made it impossible for him to keep it closed.

    ¡¸Gaoof!¡¹

    Spitting out arge amount of water from his mouth, Urushi fled into the shadows again. But he had done his job well enough.

    Although he hadn¡¯t been able to bite through, both of Weena Rhyn¡¯s legs had been severely injured. Blood was pouring out of the holes drilled by his fangs, and both legs would have been broken.

    It was the effect of the dimensional fangs that he had acquired through his evolution. The attack, which ignored defense, prated the defensiveyer created by Aquarius and inflicted damage to her.

    If he had been able to close his mouthpletely without the water getting in the way, he would have been able to bite her legs off¡­ But this was enough to make a chance for us.

    Fran and I decided to make our final attack here.

    ¡¸Kanna Kamui!¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s ovep it!¡¹

    To be honest, my durability value was already on the edge. That was due to thebination of the damage received from the Sword God Transformation and the damage from striking the Divine Water.

    Knowing this, Fran chose magic. It was a field that she was not very good at, but her training had improved this as well.

    It wasn¡¯t enough to unleash Kanna Kamui easily, but it didn¡¯t take her tens of seconds to concentrate like before. That was enough time for me toplete my preparations in the time that Urushi had given us.

    The strongest attack we could unleash at the moment rained down on Weena Rhyn, who was healing her legs while floating in the air using water to support her body.

    ¡¸Divine Water Creation! Yamata-no-Orochi!¡¹

    (Note: Eight-headed serpent)

    However, our opponent was a master of magic. She must have sensed the signs. So, she immediately activated her magic against the extreme lightning that was pouring down.

    Eight dragons formed out of water ascended toward the sky. The water dragons, each with their own tremendous power, then collided with Kanna Kamui in the sky, causing a tremendous discharge.

    Rizzt zzt zzzt!

    Then the lightning rapidly became thinner and thinner and disappeared before it even reached the ground.

    It wasn¡¯t an explosion, nor was it being one-sidedly pushed back. The water dragon had weakened, dispersed, and dissipated the power of extreme lightning.

    It seems that Weena Rhyn was doing it on purpose. She had adjusted its power to cause as little damage to the surrounding area as possible while being able to cancel out our Kanna Kamui.

    We were able to have a good match in closebat, but I guess she has the upper hand in the battle of magic.

    ¡¸That hurts¡­ Mybat instincts must have beenpletely dulled, huh? But even so, you are still able to use Kanna Kamui after using the Heaven Judgement, huh¡­? Aren¡¯t you a little too strong for someone of your age? Well, I¡¯ll ask you once again, will you surrender now?¡¹

    Perhaps, Fran¡¯s voluntary surrender was the key. Weena Right seemed to be forced to fight by some kind ofpelling force after all. It seemed that in order to stop it, the other side would have to surrender or be neutralized.

    ¡¸The damage would be too great if we were to have a serious fight here with someone of your level. I¡¯ll detain you, but I¡¯ll let you go soon. I promise¡¹

    (Master?)

    ¡ºI think we should listen to what she has to say here. She wasn¡¯t lying¡»

    The Principle of Falsehood was able to discern a lie and the truth. However, I didn¡¯t know if the Principle of Falsehood was working properly against someone who was so superior that even my appraisal could only reveal her name.

    Still, Fran seemed to have decided to believe her words. Well, it could also be said that her anger was somewhat dissipated after the fierce fight.

    ¡¸Or do you still want to beat me and kill him?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Weena Rhyn and Fran¡¯s gazes turned to Zeros Reed, who was standing some distance away. He was covered in blood, with blood pouring out of his neck, which had been cut open by us. But he didn¡¯t make any noise and stood there quietly.

    ¡¸I understand that you have a history with him, but I can¡¯t let you kill him just yet. Besides, if you kill him here, I won¡¯t be holding back anymore. So please, surrender!¡¹

    Weena Rhyn said so and bowed her head in ce. It felt like the positions were reversed, but I could tell that Weena Rhyn really wanted to avoid further fighting. Fran must have understood that too.

    ¡¸¡­Okay, I¡¯ll surrender¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    Weena Rhyn exhaled in relief at Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Berthoudi is still making noise¡­¡¹

    But her brow furrowed again.

    ¡¸Eh? Do you mean that wolf? I don¡¯t have a choice then¡¹

    Does she have a conversation with someone? Weena Rhyn, who was nodding towards nothing, produced a sphere of water again.

    ¡¸Aside from Fran, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve punished the wolf enough. I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m being a little rough with him¡¹

    The sphere that Weena Rhyn created was sent flying andnded at Fran¡¯s feet. I wondered if she was trying to restrain Fran, but it didn¡¯t seem that was the case.

    The sphere of water began to spread thinly as if it were licking the ground. At first nce, it would appear that Fran was standing in the center of the puddle. I wonder what she was doing.

    As Fran and I watched in amazement, the water immediately began to bubble up. Soon after, something jumped out of the water.

    ¡¸Ofu offu!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    It was Urushi, spitting water out of his mouth and scratching the air with its paws as if he were drowning. Or rather, he was actually drowning. It seems that the water was somehow poured into the shadow where Urushi was hiding.

    As long as Urushi was blocked from using his teleport, he would not be able to escape the water torture. As soon as Urushi jumped out of the water, the sphere of water that was ced above his head attacked him again, as if it had been aiming for it.

    ¡¸Offu¡­!¡¹

    When the water sphere expanded at once, Urushi was trapped inside it. After having escaped from being suffocated, he was immediately thrown back into the water and moaned pitifully.

    He seemed to be on the verge of panic, but still, Urushi did not give up. He then tried to make his body huge at once. He thought he could use the size of his body to blow away the water.

    However, Weena Rhyn was one step ahead of him.

    ¡¸It¡¯s useless¡¹

    To my surprise, the water sphere expanded to adjust with the giant Urushi. In the end, Urushi was still trapped in it. Then Urushi¡¯s face was distorted in agony. It seemed that water was being forcefully pushed into his mouth.

    ¡¸Offufu¡­¡¹

    This was bad, Urushi¡¯s going to drown! But just as Urushi¡¯s face twisted in agony, Weena Rhyn snapped her fingers. Then the sphere of water changed its shape, with only Urushi¡¯s face allowed toe out.

    ¡¸That should take care of the wolf. You¡¯re next. Stay put¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then waved her finger lightly, and water rose from under Fran¡¯s feet at once, covering her as if to envelop her. From the outsider¡¯s perspective, it would appear as if she were being attacked by blue slime.

    Just like that, the water went from Fran¡¯s neck down. It wrapped around her torso and legs, simr to Urushi. Apparently, the water pressure was exquisitely regted, as there was no damage to Fran¡¯s vitality. However, she seemed to be unable to move.

    Fran and Urushi, who were stupidly restrained with only their faces sticking out of the water sphere, were drooping in frustration.

    But Weena Rhyn¡¯s face still frowned.

    ¡¸She doesn¡¯t seem to want to resist, and I¡¯ve restrained their movements, but why is Berthoudi still so noisy¡­? Eh? Her sword? What you mean is that hostile thing is¡­ her sword?¡¹

    She was talking to someone else again. And did she just say sword? Then Weena Rhyn¡¯s gaze turnedpletely to me.

    The water holding Fran then wriggled, and I am separated from her in such a way that only I am separated from her.

    ¡¸Umm? Sword-san? How should I say this¡­? Are you going to resist?¡¹

    I was sure that she knew. So, there was no point in hiding it now.

    ¡¸Well, just because it has consciousness doesn¡¯t mean that it can answer my question huh¡­?¡¹

    ¡º¡­No, I¡¯m not going to resist¡»

    ¡¸Eh? What was that?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m the sword. Please talk using telepathy for now¡»

    (A-a talking sword¡­? Even though each one of them was legendary enough, there are only three of them after all¡­ Well, I¡¯ll have to hear more about thatter, okay?)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸Hostile responseplete. This concludes the defensive action¡¹

    When Weena Rhyn said that, the magic that had covered our surroundings dissipated. At the same time, the aggressive magic emanating from Weena Rhyn eased.

 Chapter 546: Zelos Reedâ€™s Change

    <h4>Chapter 546: Zelos Reed¡¯s Change</h4>

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ Fran, you are somehow rted to him, am I right?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn asked Fran, who only had her head out of the water sphere a question.

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Haah¡­ If I¡¯d known about it beforehand, I might have been able to prevent this, but I¡¯ve been so busy dealing with something that I haven¡¯t had a chance to look through your files¡¹

    ¡¸My files?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. When interviewing a staff member, the research office is supposed to provide a briefing on the person in advance. Well, in your case, since you¡¯re quite famous, they¡¯ve been gathering rumors about you from the beginning¡¹

    She said they would gather information before the interview. So, they have a special department for that, huh? And then they would pass on the information they had gathered to Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been looking for him since yesterday. We¡¯ve been trying to seal him up ever since, and we finally caught him this morning. It was finally going to be over and I was just about to take him to the istion room¡­¡¹

    Then Fran came across him at the worst possible time.

    ¡¸When I interrogated him, he told me that he came from the Beastman Nation to the continent of Zilbert, but did you have a grudge with him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran nodded and turned her eyes, filled with dark emotions, to Zelos Reed.

    Kiara had told us not to seek revenge, but as expected, she couldn¡¯t just ignore it when Zelos Reed appeared in front of us.

    Zelos Reed, who had been hit with killing intent, was standing behind Weena Rhyn, instead of running away. Weena Rhyn had said that she had caught him, but what about his current treatment?

    ¡¸As I said before, I still can¡¯t let you kill him. Besides, he is being treated as one of our temporary employees right now. So, we need to protect him, that¡¯s how it works. Well, I understand that it may not sit well with you, so I¡¯m not asking you to ept it right now¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸However, I¡¯d like you to choose the ce to get your revenge on him next time¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Just take a look around you¡¹

    Around us? Fran and I then looked around us as we were told.

    Then we saw a group of students who had been watching us from afar fall on their knees.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve made a barrier beforehand, so the damage is minimal¡­ But before that¡­ When you attacked him, the students got the full brunt of your power and intimidation¡¹

    The barrier must have been the magic that surrounded the area after Weena Rhyn mumbled something back then. Apparently, it had the effect of blocking damage from the inside to the outside.

    So, it was definitely our fault that the students were scared.

    When Weena Rhyn appeared, I thought she looked like a dragon in front of us, but to the students, Fran was exactly like that.

    I guess they were too frightened to even run away in the face of the mysterious being that had suddenly appeared, d in super magic and spreading vicious killing intent. They were looking at Fran with a mixture of fear and terror.

    ¡¸Aah¡­¡¹

    ¡¸This time, there were only a few students around, so we only suffered this much, but if it was in the town, the whole town would have panicked¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    She finally realized how little she had been aware of her surroundings. Fran then bowed her head with a heavy feeling.

    ¡¸Ara? You¡¯re apologizing?¡¹

    ¡¸?? Because I did something bad¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re quite an honest girl, aren¡¯t you¡­? Well, let¡¯s take care of him for the time being¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then looked away from Fran, who was bowing her head and approached Zelos Reed, who was standing behind her.

    Even though it had been prevented, my de had slightly cut Zelos Reed¡¯s neck.

    And at that time, she was clothed in Divine Attributes due to her Sword God Transformation. So Zelos Reed was unable to recover from the wound on his neck, and could only hold back the unstoppable flow of blood with his hands.

    ¡¸Just sit tight for a bit¡­ Divine Water Creation, Aqua Heal¡¹

    Weena Rhyn waved her hand lightly as she created a new sphere of water. The water then clung to the wound on Zelos Reed¡¯s neck and began to glow dimly.

    After a few seconds, a section of the shed flesh rose and began to regenerate itself at high speed.

    Shouldn¡¯t the Divine Attribute be quite effective against the evil gods¡­? Or was it because she used a recovery based on the divine water?

    In no time, Zelos Reed¡¯s wounds were healed. Then Weena Rhyn gave him an order.

    ¡¸Stand up¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Although she had healed him, Weena Rhyn¡¯s gaze on Zelos Reed was very cold. Withoutining about such treatment, Zelos Reed nodded quietly. His gaze turned to Fran for just a moment. He was neither frightened nor angry, just quietly staring at Fran. But that was impossible, to begin with.

    Is this really Zelos Reed? His atmosphere has changed to such an extent that I doubted him.

    When their eyes met, Fran began to re at Zelos Reed again. This was not good. If this continued, Fran¡¯s anger would re up again.

    When Weena Rhyn saw this, she raised her voice.

    ¡¸We can¡¯t even talk properly with him around, huh¡­? Colt, take him to the Third Tower, I¡¯ve already spoken to the other side before¡¹

    Oh, we forgot about Colt. We forgot he was here ever since Weena Rhyn showed up.

    ¡¸Are you sure you¡¯ll leave him to me?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve put a seal on him, and Berthoudi and the others will keep an eye on him. Besides, he won¡¯t do anything stupid while he was still healing, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to have a talk with Fran then¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    I don¡¯t know the details, but it seemed that something magical was binding Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸Also, call the other staff members toe and administer first aid to the students. None of the students is in any serious condition, but they can take a break from their sses for today¡¹

    Fran¡¯s head drooped as she listened to the exchange between Weena Rhyn and Colt. She was probably regretting now that she had caused damage to unrted students because of her hatred of Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸You should go now¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Come with me¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Zelos Reed then quietly obeyed Colt¡¯s words and started walking slowly. So, he had really changed, huh? I guess I could call it a transformation. Was it because of Weena Rhyn¡¯s magic? Or¡­

    ¡¸Fran, why don¡¯t you just talk to me for now?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s body then blocked Fran¡¯s gaze, which was staring at Zelos Reed¡¯s back with aplicated expression.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to release you now. I hope you won¡¯t run away. Besides, you must want to know about a lot of things, right?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem, I won¡¯t run away¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you. Then, I¡¯ll release you now¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then snapped her fingers, and the water sphere that had been holding us disappeared.

    ¡¸Come with me¡¹

    Weena Rhyn turned and walked away as the two of themnded. Fran then picked me up from where I was stuck in the ground and followed her with a short run.

 Chapter 547.1: Guardian Spirits of the Academy

    <h4>Chapter 547.1: Guardian Spirits of the Academy</h4>

    Weena Rhyn led us to what appeared to be her office. Fran then sat on a sofa in one corner of the room and faced Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to introduce myself again. I¡¯m Weena Rhyn. I¡¯m the Director of the Academy of Magic¡¹

    ¡¸B-ranked adventurer, Fran. And this is Urushi¡¹

    ¡ºMy name is Master, and I¡¯m an intelligence weapon¡»

    ¡¸Master? Is that your name?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been called President, Headmaster, or Director too. So, I know how you feel¡¹

    Just as I expected, Weena Rhyn¡¯s reaction towards me was a little weak. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t like it when people aren¡¯t surprised when they find out about me, but she¡¯s much calmer than the people who have seen or know who I am.

    But I soon found out why.

    ¡¸This is the first time in a thousand years since I¡¯ve seen an intelligence weapon capable of having a proper conversation¡¹

    ¡ºYou know any other intelligence weapons besides me?¡»

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ve lived a long life after all. I know more than what I can hold in one hand. You¡¯re the second sword that I¡¯ve seen that is capable of having a proper conversation. Most intelligence weapons have gone mad after all¡­¡¹

    What a surprise, it seemed that she had met an Intelligence Weapon many times before. I guess that was why she wasn¡¯t terribly surprised to know about me.

    But still, the mad intelligence weapon, Fanatics, also said that when a person¡¯s consciousness was in the body of a sword, there¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll go mad. I feel like I want to meet the other intelligence weapons, but I also feel scared at the same time¡­

    However, I could tell that the Intelligence Weapons were not new to her. Rather, it seemed that Weena Rhyn¡¯s interest was in Urushi.

    Urushi, who was sitting next to Fran in his small form, was stared at by Weena Rhyn. Well, Urushi felt nervous when he was being looked at.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong with Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Well, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen this species. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a magic beast that waspletely new to me, you know? Well, forget about that, there¡¯s something you want to know more than that, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure it¡¯s fine to leave Zelos Reed to Colt?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve used my skill to seal off the evil spirits within him and bind his actions, and the spirit here is watching over him too¡¹

    Just as I thought, it seems that the reason why Zelos Reed¡¯s evil spirit was suppressed was as a result of something Weena Rhyn had done. On top of that, he seemed to be bound by a kind of ve contract. Moreover, she had a spirit watching over him.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t limit his ability to talk properly, but his strange quietness has shown that he¡¯s obeying me. Well, when you attacked him, he didn¡¯t fight back, right? That¡¯s because fighting is not allowed in the academy¡¹

    Indeed, Zelos Reed did nothing more than put out his hand to block our attack. After our first attack failed, there must have been plenty of opportunities for him to counterattack.

    ¡ºIn the first ce, why is Zelos Reed here?¡»

    ¡¸It all started the day before yesterday¡¹

    Weena Rhyn has received word that a dangerous criminal was hiding in the Self-governing region. He was not well known in this country, but there was a bounty on his head in other countries.

    It was said that adventurers had already set out to capture him, but had been repelled many times. Even if there were no deaths, his power was considered to be overwhelming.

    So, this time, Weena Rhyn herself went out to catch him. Because of her shiness and numerous heroic stories, people tend to think that Weena Rhyn was always ready to respond to any situation, but she said that if there was an incident outside of the Academy that could be handled by someone other than her, then she would leave it to them.

    ¡¸Otherwise, the younger generation will not grow up. And I don¡¯t have time to deal with every little incident, you know?¡¹

    Conversely, Weena Rhyn would only respond if it was a much more serious incident.

    Weena Rhyn then used her magic and other means to find Zelos Reed and captured him after a battle. But she also learned that Zelos Reed had apanion.

    ¡¸A kid named Romio?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, Romio Magnolia, I¡¯ve decided to take him under my protection¡¹

    So, he was still bringing him around after all this time, huh?

    I¡¯ve heard that Weena Rhyn likes children, and I could understand her decision to protect Romio. If it were Amanda, who likes children too, she would have also done the same.

    However, Fran was still confused.

    ¡¸Is there a reason why I shouldn¡¯t kill Zelos Reed yet?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the problem¡­ There¡¯s a connection between Romio and him that¡¯s close to a master-ve contract. And a nasty one at that, where if one of them gets hurt, the other one will get hurt too¡¹

    ¡¸Zelos Reed did that?¡¹

    ¡¸I think it¡¯s the opposite. Romio might be the one who unconsciously made a deal, I guess it¡¯s kind of a curse possessed by Magnolia¡¯s bloodline¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHow is that possible? He¡¯s just a little kid, right? And what this all about Magnolia¡¯s bloodline?¡»

    I know he¡¯s from a noble bloodline, but what¡¯s so special about his family?

    ¡¸A long time ago, there was a special family on the continent of Gordisia that guarded the seal of the pieces of the Evil God. Magnolia, Wisteria, and Camellia. The people of those three families had a special bloodline that couldmunicate with the Evil Gods and control their power. They have taken advantage of that characteristic to perform a ritual to appease the Evil Gods¡­ However, the Dragonmen destroyed and stole the pieces from them¡¹

    The pieces of the Evil God that Trismegistus used to create the giant magic beasts must have been the pieces that those three houses were guarding.

    ¡¸And this child, Romio, was a descendant of that Magnolia Family. Moreover, his blood was pretty strong that I even thought he was a reincarnation of his ancestor¡¹

    Could it be that it was because of that blood that Murellia and Zelos Reed were strangely obsessed with Romio? No, I¡¯m sure it was.

    ¡¸Anyway, as long as that contract was still in ce, killing him will only get Romio killed too¡¹

    And apparently, that was not all.

    It seems that Romio¡¯s young body had been contaminated with evil from spending so much time with Zelos Reed. After all, there¡¯s a phenomenon of intoxication by being exposed to strong evil, and it seems that Romio¡¯s condition was even worse than that.

    It was life-threatening if it was not cured, but because of the contract, it was dangerous to keep them apart for a long period of time.

    So, in the end, to protect and treat Romio at the academy, it was necessary to have Zelos Reed close to him.

    ¡¸So I decided to use my power to significantly suppress Zelos Reed¡¯s power and keep them in the academy until Romio is healed¡­ I¡¯m going to treat him as a temporary employee. I¡¯ll also exin to you why I doing something like this¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, this Academy of Magic is protected by a powerful guardian spirit and its dependent spirits. So, there must be hundreds of spirits guarding and watching over the academy¡¹

    ¡ºCould it be, the mysterious attack that first blocked Fran¡¯s attack was¡­¡»

    ¡¸The High Ranking one was in charge of watching over Zelos Reed. And in your case, it was just trying to stop an outsider frommitting violence in the academy rather than protecting Zelos Reed¡¹

    So that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t see it! Moreover, if it was a High-Ranking spirit, it must be quite strong. And wasn¡¯t it quite dangerous if it could attack stealthy from anywhere?

    But it seems, Fran managed to look at it faintly. No, maybe it was just a faint feeling, huh? Perhaps because of our stay in that inn, Fran got the ability to sense spirits.

    ¡ºFran, did you see the spirit?¡»

    ¡¸¡­I only felt something strange¡¹

    ¡¸Ara? Maybe Fran has a talent as a spirit user¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s possible. For example, how about this?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then pointed her fingertips lightly at the ceiling. All I could see was a slight movement of magic, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening.

    However, Fran could definitely see something.

    ¡¸It looks hazy¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, you can only roughly see it, huh? But it seems you can feel it¡¹

    Maybe Fran really has a talent as a spirit user, huh? I¡¯d really like to see her use it.

    ¡¸How to be able to see them?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ All I can say is that you need to be in contact with spirits and be aware of them at all times. Some people say that you need to have a pure heart, but to be more precise, some spirits like people who have a pure heart. In the first ce, many spirits don¡¯t care whether we are good or bad¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Think about it. Do you think that spirits would care about the values, crimes, andws that the peoples have set for themselves? The same goes for the guardian spirits of this academy. Their defense ethics have nothing to do with right or wrong. First and foremost is the safety of those involved in the academy as specified in the contract. Next is the people¡¯s safety, which is its high priority. No matter what the reason, the guardian spirits will not tolerate any hostile acts¡¹

    Moreover, the defense system was not limited to the spirit¡¯s surveincework.

    ¡¸And I, myself, am part of that defense system¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then exined further to Fran and Urushi who looked confused.

    ¡¸To put it simply, the guardian spirits will determine if someone is an enemy, and I will be the one to impose sanctions. That¡¯s how it works. That¡¯s also the reason why I attacked Fran earlier¡¹

 Chapter 547.2: Guardian Spirits of the Academy

    <h4>Chapter 547.2: Guardian Spirits of the Academy</h4>

    It seems that if an outsider attacked the academy, Weena Rhyn had to deal with them. To fulfil the contract with the spirits, she couldn¡¯t stop attacking until the spirit decided that the sanction was sufficient.

    ¡¸The spirit¡¯s eyes can¡¯t be deceived, so in some cases, I have to kill them against my will¡¹

    In addition, the spirits could read the emotions of the enemy and even determine if they were feeling remorse or if they were lying.

    In other words, the degree of sanction would be rather severe against those who had surrendered but thought that they could get revengeter.

    The degree of the sanction also varied considerably depending on the position of the other party and the degree of hostility.

    If a hostile organization hurts a student in the academy, they were doomed, no questions asked. However, if it was someone friendly to the school¡­ For example, if a graduate raised their hand because a student mocked them, a simple apology was all that was needed.

    In some cases, the academy may be at fault, but that doesn¡¯t seem to matter to the spirits who judge the degree of sanction. Even if the other party was a Saint, a felon, or even the King, the sanction would still be enforced.

    ¡¸It was impossible to keep him, an evil person, in the academy without a title. Just being Romio¡¯s guardian was not enough to convince the spirits, so he needed the title of a temporary staff member¡¹

    ¡¸Even Zelos Reed, can be a staff member?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, you mean, is it fine for us to ept a sinner?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸You see, as I said before,ws made by humans are meaningless to the spirits that judge them. In addition, if you are talking about him who has taken the lives of many people, the number of people that I have directly taken is hundreds of times greater than the number of people that he has killed¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then shrugged her shoulders after saying so.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve traveled around the world for a long time, fought on countless battlefields, and fought against countries. Even now, some countries still have me listed as a terrible criminal¡¹

    Come to think of it, she had also killed a nobleman who messed with the academy, right? Well, no wonder she would be considered as their enemy.

    ¡¸And such a person is acting as the Director of the academy, right? Well, it just goes to show that spirits don¡¯t care what kind of sins you¡¯vemitted¡¹

    As a result, Fran, an outsider who had attacked Zelos Reed, who was now an academy employee, had triggered the sanctions.

    ¡¸But there is one thing I owe you an apology for¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸ To lessen the sanctions against you, I misled the guardian spirit, Berthoudi, by pretending that you were rted to the Academy. Specifically, it¡¯s when I said, ¡°To you, who have been offered a position as a special instructor and a short-term transfer n¡±. Instead of treating you like someone from outside the academy who almost killed someone from the academy, I decided to treat you like someone from the academy that got into a fight with someone from here¡¹

    (TLN: Reference ch544)

    I see. So, there was a loophole like that, huh? She had a letter of introduction from Alistair, and since Weena Rhyn actually recognized her as a rted individual, she was then treated as a rted on the spot by the spirits.

    And it seems Alistair¡¯s letter of introduction was particrly influential. It was said that just having this letter of introduction was enough for a minor assault case to be judged as no problem. That¡¯s why even Fran, who was involved in an attempted murder case, was only detained.

    For a moment, I wondered why she hadn¡¯t told Alistair that information, but then I thought, why would she need to?

    It was obvious that one shouldn¡¯t be messing on the academy or being hostile to Weena Rhyn. It was alsomon sense that someone should not be rude to someone who was about to hire them.

    It¡¯s the same as someone warning an acquaintance who was going to a job interview at a bigpany with ¡¸Don¡¯t be rude at the office¡¹ or ¡¸Don¡¯t insult the Chairman of thepany and make him angry¡¹.

    I heard that if we pass the interview, they usually tell us about it, but I guess they didn¡¯t think it was necessary to tell us. As we had a letter of introduction, some mischief was allowed. It was just that this time, that wasn¡¯t enough.

    Oh, that was right. There¡¯s another mystery.

    ¡ºWe had attacked Weena Rhyn, right¡­? So, we actually did some damage, didn¡¯t we?¡»

    She had shed her with Heaven Judgement, and Urushi too has hurt her a little, right? Wouldn¡¯t our sanction be increased by the spirits?

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ve told you in the beginning that you could resist, didn¡¯t I? That¡¯s why I permitted you to do that¡¹

    So, by Weena Rhyn¡¯s permission, it was treated as a mock battle, huh? In other words, she had said a precautionary line first so that Fran could resist.

    ¡¸But Fran was much stronger than I expected. Well, it was also because I hadn¡¯t calcted you had the support of Master. I should have told her that she could hurt me, not that she could resist as much as she wanted. The spirit then judged that you were resisting more than you were allowed to. I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    Weena Rhyn bowed her head as she said so.

    The surprise attack she had done to Zelos Reed was offset by receiving some damage and being restrained. Her attack on Weena Rhyn too was offset by receiving some damage from Weena Rhyn. And the fear she had caused to the students was forgiven by the apology she made afterward. That seemed to be the case.

    However, the problem remained.

    ¡ºYou said that she has been offered a position as a special instructor and a short-term transfer n, right? Does that mean it¡¯s already decided?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s the problem, isn¡¯t it? In the first ce, if you think about what Fran has been doing since she came to this academy, there¡¯s no factor to increase her likability. I¡¯m not going to say, ¡°I¡¯m going to make you a member of our prestigious academy, shiver and be grateful!¡± I¡¯m not even going to say that. But for now, that title is the only reason Fran is allowed to be here by Berthoudi¡¹

    ¡ºWhat if she refuses?¡»

    ¡¸¡­If you refuse, I think you¡¯ll have to deal not only with me but with the spirits as well¡¹

    Doesn¡¯t that mean we don¡¯t have the right to refuse at all!?

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. You can¡¯t quit immediately, but if you work for a couple of weeks, the spirits will be satisfied. That¡¯s how long it will take to work for a short period of time to bepleted¡¹

    Well, by listening to her exnation, I could tell that it was a necessary procedure¡­ It was probably because she had made a decision for Fran on her own.

    But even so¡­ Not only an instructor but a transfer student too? Doesn¡¯t that mean she¡¯s going to be a student here? I wonder if she will be fine¡­

    However, Fran nodded easily at her words.

    ¡¸Understood, I¡¯ll be that special¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Special instructor and short-term transfer student¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine then¡¹

    ¡ºFran, are you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? In the first ce, that was my intention; it¡¯s the same as passing the interview after all¡¹

    Apparently, she didn¡¯t have any particr thoughts about Weena Rhyn. So, she casually epted Weena Rhyn¡¯s words.

    ¡¸If we stay here, we can keep an eye on Zelos Reed¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you¡¯re right¡»

    Whether or not the opportunity for revenge came around, she was not going to give up and let it pass her by here.

    ¡¸Are there a lot of spirits in this academy?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, There aren¡¯t many ces as crowded with spirits as here, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸If so, I can practice using spirit magic by staying here. So, it¡¯s a good thing¡¹

    ¡¸Haah¡­ That¡¯s good for you then. Thank you very much for epting it. Now I don¡¯t have to be angry with A-chan anymore¡­ Aah, as an apology for the trouble, I¡¯ll at least offer you a raise in your sry. But do you have anything else you want?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I want to have a mock battle with Weena Rhyn¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? With me? I don¡¯t mind though, but¡­¡¹

    Rather, the major reason we came to this academy was because of her interest in Weena Rhyn. She wanted to see the strength of the strongest High Elf in the world. And although she had experienced that strength once, I guess she wanted to fight some more.

    Weena Rhyn, who was obviously not a battle junkie, chuckled at her.

    ¡¸Your face is cute, but you¡¯re quite greedy, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, just wait for it. In the meantime, I look forward to working with you for a short time¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll be in your care¡¹

 Chapter 548: Shitty Brat

    <h4>Chapter 548: Sh*tty Brat</h4>

    ¡¸This way¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We were now being taken by Weena Rhyn to the staff room. Most of the staff was given private rooms orboratories, but apparently, there was also arge room for everyone to gather.

    She said that it was more convenient for them to prepare before ss or for simple meetings. It really felt like a Japanese staff room.

    ¡¸But still, you¡¯re the first one to cause suchmotion in such a state since the establishment of this academy, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Usually, people whoe to the academy for an interview are nervous because they know about me. So, who would cause amotion in such a state, right?¡¹

    Well, she was right. If they offended Weena Rhyn, they would be doomed. In that sense, Fran was in a lot of trouble.

    ¡¸And I¡¯m not going to let you do anything crazy in my presence¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸I usually make people wait an hour for an interview, but some of them get angry and leave¡¹

    ¡¸You make them wait? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t need people who didn¡¯t have the patience and enthusiasm and leave with just being neglected for that long¡¹

    I think they were just like normal people in interviews on Earth, weren¡¯t they? I mean, I used to get that kind of treatment a lot when I was looking for a job. Inrge-scale interviews, they even made me wait for a long time. It was abo strategy of making you wait for a long time and then pressuring you into an interview.

    Well, there were also times when the interview process was prolonged and thepany unintentionally made you wait. Anyone who had experienced those eras whenpanies were super dominant would understand it.

    ¡¸Some aristocrats who brag about their great titles have no patience. In the first ce, being an instructor or teacher is hard work, right? Not all kids are good and honest, and there are a lot of sh*tty brats out there. You have to have enthusiasm and patience to deal with them. Or maybe you just need the heart to go through it¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Fran tilted her head a little when she heard Weena Rhyn¡¯s words. I was also feeling a little ufortable too.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you like kids?¡¹

    That was right. I felt ufortable with Weena Rhyn¡¯s tone when she said ¡°Sh*tty brat¡±. Amanda, who also loved children, would not have said it, and even if she had, there would have been a hint of affection in it. But I couldn¡¯t feel it in Weena Rhyn¡¯s words.

    She seemed to really think of them as sh*tty brats. However, she thenughed slightly with a bitter smile.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know why people seem to think of that of me as the Director of the academy¡­ Well, it was also because I¡¯ve made a contract with the spirits so that I was bound to the academy, but I wonder if that¡¯s another point that they¡¯ve misunderstood. Well, but I love honest, cute, and talented kids, okay? Like you for an example¡¹

    Weena Rhyn said so and winked at her. But the chuckle remained on her face.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t love every kid unconditionally just because they are a kid, right?¡¹

    ¡ºSo, why did you be the Director of the academy?¡»

    ¡¸There¡¯s a lot of things an adult should do. Aah, by the way, you know Amanda, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I saw that she was looking through Fran¡¯s files before she said so. So, I guess it must be from what was written in it.

    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯tpare with to that girl¡¹

    ¡¸You know her?¡¹

    ¡¸You haven¡¯t heard about it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu, she never changes, doesn¡¯t she¡­? Well, her ancestors are my children. I guess that makes her my descendant, right?¡¹

    What? She was rted to her by blood? But Amanda never said anything about that, right?

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s because she hates me¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s because of a lot of things. But one reason is that she probably doesn¡¯t like me being called as a kid loving person, as she was a real kid loving person¡¹

    Is that all? Well, I¡¯m not going to pursue it too deeply if she doesn¡¯t want to tell more.

    As we walked along talking like that, I noticed that the students we passed were staring at Fran.

    ¡¸Who is she? I can¡¯t believe that the Director is personally showing her around¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe she¡¯s some kind of noble?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think the Director would care about something like that. She¡¯s the type who would even beat up the royalty after all¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, is that the director of the academy? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen her¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi, we were greeted by her at the entrance ceremony, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I waste getting in because of my family matter¡­¡¹

    I wondered if the incident from earlier had already spread, but they seemed to be simply surprised that Weena Rhyn was guiding us.

    The students thought they were whispering, but we and Weena Rhyn could clearly hear them. It seemed that Weena Rhyn¡¯s face wasn¡¯t well known even to them.

    ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped, you know? Most of the work is done by my subordinates after all. So, the only time I appear in front of the students is for the upperssmen¡¯s mock battles or greetings at the ceremony¡¹

    It was a school with a long history after all, so I¡¯m sure they already have aplete system of education as well as defense.

    Besides, as the Director of the Academy, she wouldn¡¯t be in charge of sses often.

    Even for me, it was hard to remember what my principal looked like when I was in school. But I do remember that the principal in my high school had a little less hair though.

    ¡¸Besides, I usually walk around in a in outfit, so I don¡¯t think the students would recognize me, right?¡¹

    Well, if they couldn¡¯t sense her strength, she might just look like a normal Elf.

    She was an Elf, and she was beautiful, but not the best in the world or anything. Even if she evolved into a High Elf, her appearance would probably remain the same.

    She wore a in robe that certainly doesn¡¯t look like much of those in power. However, it was actually a luxury item made of good material, but they wouldn¡¯t know about that by just simply seeing it.

    Furthermore, she seemed to be suppressing her aura. I guess it was because she doesn¡¯t want to cause amotion here.

    Seeing Weena Rhyn dressed like that, Fran nodded approvingly.

    ¡¸Nn. Weena Rhyn looks so in¡¹

    ¡¸Wait doesn¡¯t that sound like it means something different¡¹

 Chapter 549: Staff Room

    <h4>Chapter 549: Staff Room</h4>

    We followed Weena Rhyn to the room that was muchrger than I had expected. It was probably five timesrger than what I imagined when she said it was the staff room.

    Wooden desks were neatly arranged facing each other like an office or a staff room, and nearly a hundred people were working here right now.

    Even so, only about half of the desks were upied, so there were probably 200 to 250 people actually using this room.

    It was even hard for us to see to the back of the room unless we got on a table as Weena Rhyn had climbed right now.

    ¡¸Ha~i, everyone, attention please~!¡¹

    As soon as Weena Rhyn called out and pped her hands, all eyes in the room then immediately focused on us.

    ¡¸She¡¯s Fran, an adventurer. She¡¯ll be a special staff member and a transfer student for a while in this academy. And next to her is her follower, Urushi. He can change his size a little, and he¡¯s a smart boy. So please take care of them¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be in your care¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    After Weena Rhyn told them so, the teachers¡¯ reactions were split.

    They were split into those who were bewildered and those who epted her. And it seemed that there were even more people who were bewildered. Many of the people here were just normal teachers, after all, so they might not understand what Fran was capable of.

    On the contrary, the teachers who seemed to have epted her were former adventurers and those dressed like magicians.

    Well, they won¡¯t need fighting prowess to be a ssroom teacher, so I won¡¯t me them.

    However, the man closest to us, who was dressed in a suit, spoke up on behalf of the group. He looked like a chubby uncle in his fifties, who didn¡¯t get enough exercise.

    ¡¸I understand that she¡¯ll be a short-term transfer student. And there will be no problem with her age. However, she¡¯ll be a special staff member too? Where will she be ced?¡¹

    It seemed that bing a student and an instructor at the same time was indeed a rare thing in this academy.

    ¡¸First of all, Fran will be ced as the Advanced and Special Combat ss Instructor¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? So, you mean, she¡¯s going to enroll in the Special Combat sses¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯ll be the Mock Battle Instructor¡¹

    Her words then caused a slightmotion.

    ¡¸Mock Battle Instructor¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it that only a D or higher ranked adventurer is allowed to be an instructor¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Moreover, I¡¯ve heard that Advanced and Special Mock Battle Instructor is at least a C-ranker, right?¡¹

    Apparently, the ss Fran was in charge of was a merit-based ss for both students and teachers. So, it was unthinkable for an ordinary teacher to be allowed to fill that role.

    ¡¸She¡¯ll be fine. Even though she looks like this, Fran is a B-ranked adventurer with an alias. In terms of fighting prowess alone, she¡¯s definitely at an A-ranked level¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? But if the Director says so, then it must be true¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, It¡¯s been hundreds of years since someone has made me shed my blood in the academy after all¡¹

    Themotion then became even louder than before. They must have been shocked to hear that she managed to hurt Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸Th-the Director has made a contract with a guardian spirit to protect this academy, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. And she will be even strengthened when fighting in the academy¡­¡¹

    ¡¸S-so, you¡¯re telling me that she managed to hurt that strengthened Director? No way¡­¡¹

    To them, she must be like an invincible legendary figure, and they have never even heard of her struggling in a fight.

    Some of them seemed to think that it was a joke, but most of them seemed to believe it. However, some of them were staring at us because of it. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    Weena Rhyn was the world¡¯s most powerful magician and a High Elf who has lived for a long time. She was also the founder of the Academy of Magic and a world-famous hero. So, she must have many admirers.

    For such admirers, hearing a story of someone who managed to hurt Weena Rhyn must be very unpleasant.

    The uncle, who didn¡¯t know what was going on, was also confused.

    ¡¸Umm, what do you mean¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸A lot of things had happened. Well, I can at least assure you that Fran¡¯s ability is outstanding¡¹

    ¡¸U-understood¡¹

    The way the uncle looked at Fran has changed. Before, it was as if he was surveying a mysterious beautiful girl, but awe had definitely been added now. The reason it was not fear was probably that she was someone that Weena Rhyn approved of.

    ¡¸What will be her ss then?¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s put her in the Special Battle ss¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸It will be more convenient for her as an instructor. Besides, Fran is a first-rate magician, so it won¡¯t be a problem¡¹

    It seemed that in order to qualify to get in the Special Battle ss, someone needed to have not only decent fighting prowess but also decent magic abilities.

    ¡¸Is it okay to transfer her to the Special Battle ss?¡¹

    ¡¸Rather, I think Fran has nothing to lose from doing this, right? It¡¯s a shame, though. After all, Fran¡¯s magic skills are at a level where she can be trusted to be the head of a department at our academy¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Sh-she is¡­ Quite amazing then¡¹

    It was not amotion anymore. Everyone was talking to each other so loudly that it almost looked like they¡¯re shouting.

    Probably, it was because that was a position that required considerable ability.

    (Master)

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like being the center of attention?¡»

    (Nn? I don¡¯t care about that. Rather than that, I¡¯m more interested in learning Spirit Magic)

    She was not concerned about the teachers¡¯ reactions. Rather, she had been thinking about where she was going to be transferred.

    ¡ºAre you sure? Well, ask her if they have any sses that teach that kind of stuff then¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Hey, I want to take a ss where I can learn Spirit Magic¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, so you¡¯re interested to learn that. You should choose Spirit Magic ss as your elective ss then¡¹

    Apart from the curriculum of the Special Battle ss, there was an elective ss where students could choose any ss they wanted. Among them, there were also sses on Spirit Magic to choose from.

    ¡¸The Special Battle ss doesn¡¯t have lessons on Spirit Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸The basic knowledge will be taught during the basic studies. As long as you¡¯re in this academy, that knowledge is absolutely necessary. But if you want to learn to use Spirit Magic, you¡¯ll have to learn it in an elective ss

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    ¡¸But I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to master Spirit Magic, you know? It was one thing that Fran had the talent to see spirits, but it¡¯s apletely different thing if you¡¯ll be able to get along with them¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    It seemed that there was no uniform way to use a spirit or make a contract with a spirit because each spirit has a different personality and preferred a different partner for them. Therefore, it was quite difficult to teach.

    In addition, there were very few people other than Elves who have the talent for Spirit Magic, and even fewer people who have the talent and could improve. And even if they do, it was not sure if they could master it because it was very difficult.

    Because of this, it was quite difficult to incorporate it into the regr sses. But she said it was fine for people who could sense spirits like Fran to choose an elective ss.

    As for Elves, they don¡¯t need to learn Spirit Magic as they had been trained by their vige or parents. However, many Elves were individualists, so they did more training on their own. That was why most of the Elves attending this academy did not take the ss on Spirit Magic.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why I think you should be in the Special Battle ss. After all, the teacher in charge of that ss was a Spirit Magic-user. You should ask her about it¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s good then¡¹

    ¡¸Yup. So, let¡¯s get started with the procedure then¡¹

    I wonder what kind of ss that was.

 Chapter 550: Going Around to Greet Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 550: Going Around to Greet Everyone</h4>

    ¡¸W-well then, pleasee right here!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    After separating from Weena Rhyn in the staff room, we were heading to a ce with a female teacher who had been assigned to guide us.

    ¡¸Th-that is the eighth tower. The advanced ssrooms are on the first floor¡¹

    The Special Battle ss was outside of the Academy for practical training, so she had to go around to some of the sses she was in charge of as an instructor first.

    Inez, the girl and instructor in charge of mock battles like Fran, was our guide. In terms of ability, she was at least a D-ranked adventurer. However, she had a good intuition to sense Fran¡¯s strength. That was why she was so strangely nervous and timid right now.

    So, I thought it would be better for someone without any fighting prowess to be our guide. But well, we didn¡¯t have any choice.

    We then left the teacher¡¯s tower where we had just been and were now heading to one of the department¡¯s towers a short distance away.

    As we walked, Inez briefly exined to her that each tower had a specific role. There were research towers for teachers, storage towers for magic tools, and quite a few other ces that students were not allowed to enter.

    This ce was just like a huge university, wasn¡¯t it? It seemed to be more than just a big academy.

    She said that the tower we were going to visit was used especially forbat training and practice.

    ¡¸F-Fran-dono, the waiting room for the Special Battle ss that you will be transferring into was here, so you¡¯ll have many opportunities to use itter¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸For the beginning, Let¡¯s introduce you to the advanced ss¡¹

    After we walked together, Inez seemed to have lost some of her nervousness, and she exined a lot of things to her.

    The advanced ss, as the name implies, was a ss of advanced students. This academy has several departments, including many specialized departments. However, there was also a general department that does not have any specialization, where students could uniformly learn everything. The advanced ss was the ss to which the advanced students of the general department belong.

    In the case of the Academy of Magic, they do not divide the students into different grades because the ages of the students were quite different.

    They first need to learn magic in the elementary department. Those who were able to master the magic there will be able to move on to the next ss.

    But if they couldn¡¯t learn magic after years of training in the Elementary Department, they¡¯ll be expelled. Well, this was an Academy of Magic, so they need to be able to at least use magic.

    Next to that was the Basic Department. However, it was often referred to as the Junior ss in the academy. In this department, students took sses that had little to do with magic, such as ssroom lectures, and were taught the basics of using magic for about two years.

    If they don¡¯t have any problems here, they will be admitted to the practical department. In other words, they will be an advanced students. There were many advanced sses of the General departments to choose from such as the Adventurers Department, Magicians Department, and Special Combatants department, as well as quite detailed specialties such as Fire Magic, Water Magic, and cksmithing.

    Students could choose the ss they wanted to belong to and study what they wanted in the form of seminars or club activities.

    About 70% of the sses were decided by the department, and the remaining 30% could be chosen by themselves.

    Besides, after graduating from the Practical Department, students were allowed to re-enter other departments, so as long as they were motivated, they could learn whatever they wanted.

    I was even surprised to learn that some of the students have been students for more than ten years by repeatedly changing their departments after graduation. On average, it takes about five years for a student to graduate.

    ¡¸The previous Special Mock Battle Instructor had retired, and we General Instructors were somehow filling in the gaps, so you was a great help this time¡¹

    ¡¸Is there a difference between a Special Mock Battle Instructor and a General Instructor?¡¹

    ¡¸There is, of course. The most important job of a Special Instructor is to demonstrate overwhelming ability. Since that is impossible for us¡¹

    In this world, some overwhelmingly strong people couldn¡¯t be easily reached. So, they wanted students to learn of that firsthand and also to develop the courage to immediately flee or negotiate with a strong person without bing stiff when confronted. That was the role of the Special Mock Battle Instructor.

    In short, it was their job to beat them with overwhelming force in a mock battle. To do that, they needed to have tremendous ability.

    ¡¸I see. But, did Weena Rhyn was not good enough?¡¹

    Fran asked so. Well, she was right. I think Weena Rhyn would be a perfect fit for this role.

    ¡¸The Director is not very good at holding back. No, that¡¯s not it. She¡¯s just simply too powerful, and there¡¯s a limit to how much she can go easy on them. Just as a dragon cannot lift a pup with its ws, no matter how hard it tries¡¹

    She had never identally hurt a student, but she had overdone it many times against bandits. Because of this, the teachers have asked Weena Rhyn to avoid doing a mock battle with the students as much as possible.

    However, they hadn¡¯t found suitable personnel for the past few months, so they had been conducting special mock battles with multiple instructors and continuous attacks on the defending Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸However, the effect was still too subtle. So, I am very grateful to have such a strong person like Fran here even for a short time¡¹

    As she talked about this, we were led to a room at the back of the first floor of the tower. It seemed to be a room where ssroom lectures were held, and about twenty students were taking the lectures there.

    ¡¸Redua, can I have a moment?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes. Umm, Inez-sensei, who is this girl here? ¡¹

    ¡¸I came here to introduce her. Fran-dono, this girl is the one in charge of the teacher of History, Redua. And these people here are the students of the Advanced ss¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Understood¡¹

    The students were looking at us with astonishment. However, the surprise seemed to be directed not at Fran but Inez.

    ¡¸Th-that Devil Instructor, Inez, bringing a child here¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Wh-who is she? Is that really Instructor Inez?¡¹

    ¡¸For someone like her to do something like that¡­ It¡¯s just like the Devil getting sunstroke!¡¹

    It seemed that the normal Inez and the current Inez were more than a little different. It seemed that the students were astonished to see her changes.

    ¡¸Devil? You¡¯re a human though?¡¹

    ¡¸N-no, you don¡¯t have to worry about it! Hey! Those who said that before! I¡¯ll remember you!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii!¡¹

    I see why they call her the Devil Instructor Inez.

    ¡¸Haah, she¡¯s Fran-dono, the one who has been assigned to take care of you guys as the Special Mock Battle Instructor!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be in your care¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Eeeeh!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    There was a different kind of shriek, but Inez shouted again to shut them up. So, this was her true nature, I guess.

    ¡¸Silence!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡­¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The students then immediately fell silent. She was amazing, wasn¡¯t she?

    ¡¸You may not be able to understand it, but Fran¡¯s ability is real, you know? It will be tomorrow before she can start, so look forward to it¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸And this is Fran-dono¡¯s follower, Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be in your care¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Please treat us well!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Immediately after Fran¡¯s greeting, the students bowed their heads in unison. They may still be skeptical, but if they behaved badly here, Inez¡¯s thunder would surely strike them.

    Well, I guess she could read the air. However, Inez seemed to be unhappy at the fact that her students did not believe her words.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, can you scare them a little?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Okay¡¹

    Perhaps she meant to threaten them with her intimidation skills. But Fran had chosen a different approach. She was probably worried about the fact that she might threaten the students with killing intent instead.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    What Fran activated without chanting was a technique to create a light ball. The students¡¯ eyes then focused on the ball of light she created near the ceiling. However, when the students noticed, Fran¡¯s figure had disappeared from their sight.

    Fran¡¯s disappearance then made amotion among the students.

    Knock knock.

    A sound then rang out in the back of the ssroom, causing all the students to turn around in panic. What they witnessed was Fran standing quietly at the very back of the ssroom,pletely unnoticed. She just stayed there without being noticed until she hit the wall.

    What Fran did was simple. All she did was draw their eyes to the ball of light, make it disappear, and move fast. But the students must not have known what was going on.

    However, the fact that she was able to deceive everyone¡¯s eyes and move in an instant was enough to show her ability. After all, if this had been a battlefield, there was no doubt that they would have been cut down without being able to do anything.

    Furthermore, the students in the Advanced ss are capable enough to notice the difficulty of no chanting and blocking presence. There was not a single student who looked like they would be underestimating her anymore.

    ¡¸Even you guys must have witnessed a glimpse of Fran¡¯s abilities. So, look forward to it tomorrow. Shall we go then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, I¡¯m sorry for disrupting the ss¡¹

    After that, we repeated almost the same exchange about five more times, and the greeting tour then ended.

    But what did her reaction mean in the teacher¡¯s room where we were led to at the end? Inez seemed to be the leader among the instructors, and it seemed strange that she was using honorifics with Fran.

    Aside from the instructors in charge of mock battles, the teachers in charge of fundamentals and tactical theory are not that strong, so they couldn¡¯t seem to detect Fran¡¯s abilities.

    And since the Special Battle ss will being back tomorrow, she should also greet them as a transfer student too.

 Chapter 551: Inn and Dormitory

    <h4>Chapter 551: Inn and Dormitory</h4>

    After the tour by Inez, our next stop was a series of three towers near the center of the academy.

    The other towers were built apart from each other, but these towers were built so that their foundations were attached, and the upper floors were connected by a walkway.

    It seems to be a ce used as a dormitory.

    ¡¸It will be tomorrow afternoon when you¡¯ll meet the Special Battle ss. So, I¡¯d like you toe to the Instructor¡¯s office at that time, is that okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, right. I¡¯ve also been asked to take you to your dormitory and another facility, so I¡¯ll just show you around¡¹

    Did they prepare a dormitory for her? However¨D.

    ¡¸Dormitory? But I¡¯m currently staying at an inn¡¹

    It was as she said. Moreover, Fran liked the Green Ancient Tree Pavilion where she was staying now.

    ¡¸It¡¯s cheaper if you stay in the dorm¡­ And Fran-dono doesn¡¯t have any problems with it, right?¡¹

    But, what Fran was interested in was the matter of the spirit. The gaze that Fran feltst night seemed to be the gaze of a spirit. So that inn was suitable for her to train spirit magic.

    However, there were even more spirits in the Academy of Magic. So, would it be even better for her to stay here then?

    ¡¸Inez, are there a lot of spirits in there?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? The spirits, huh¡­? Hmm¡­? I know there¡¯s some in there, but I¡¯ve never seen one¡¹

    ¡¸Not even once?¡¹

    ¡¸Unless a spirit magic user is willing to visualize them, the figures of lower or middle-ranked spirits are invisible. However, if it¡¯s a powerful being like the Great Spirit, even someone like me can see them¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ve heard it once from someone before¡¹

    Surely, the Great Spirit, that Klimut was said to have calmed down, was said to have had its appearance witnessed by many people back then.

    ¡¸Well, I think the spirits in this academy are quite hidden, so it¡¯s harder for people who can¡¯t use spirit magic to see them, right?¡¹

    If that was the case, it wouldn¡¯t be that good of a training method for spirit users, wouldn¡¯t it? No, was it the better training instead? I¡¯m sure they were there, and if she try to sense them. It might be good training for her.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡¹

    ¡¸Staying at the dorm is also convenient because it is only a short walk from our workce. They also serve meals to us too¡¹

    ¡¸They serve meals?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    That was what interested you, huh? Well, that kind of thing has always made Fran and Urushi interested.

    ¡¸Eh? Yes, you¡¯ll also get a different meal every day¡¹

    Inez was puzzled by her unexpected reaction. Up to now, she¡¯d been indifferent to anything she said, but her eyes suddenly lit up and she quickly started questioning her back. Just like that, with Fran and Urushi staring at her she told us about the menu for the past few days.

    ¡¸They usually serve the same breakfast, but lunch and dinner are different every day. And the amount is quiterge too¡¹

    ¡¸Is it tasty?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Its taste? I-I¡¯m sorry but I haven¡¯t paid attention to that matter¡­ But at least, it doesn¡¯t taste bad, I guess?¡¹

    So at least it wasn¡¯t something super tasty, huh? However, Fran and Urushi were curious about the food they served in the dining hall.

    ¡¸I want to try it. I¡¯ll decide after I eat there¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ll decide based on the food?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that¡¯s fine then¡­ I think we can still have lunch now, so let¡¯s go to the cafeteria¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She told us that the dining hall for the students was sorge that it could amodate up to a thousand people, but the dining hall for the teachers was morefortable. It seemed that they also served the same meals for the students and the teachers.

    ¡¸This room is quite small though?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, the one for the students is ten timesrger than this¡¹

    The teachers¡¯ cafeteria wasrge enough to amodate a hundred people. It was reasonably clean and the atmosphere was not bad.

    ¡¸Please wait a moment¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Inez then rushed to the counter. There she talked to an aunt in her apron.

    She then somehow pointed at us, so I guess she was talking about Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸Today¡¯s menu is bean and ground meat soup, sd, potatoes with cheese, fish pie, and fruits. Is there anything you don¡¯t like?¡¹

    ¡¸No¡¹

    ¡¸Very well then, please wait¡¹

    ¡¸Want arge portion¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. They also said that they¡¯ll serve a meal for Urushi too. Do they need to serve it on a wide te?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Then Inez brought us our meal. The menu was just as we had been told. The soup and potatoes were almost twice as much as Inez¡¯s could eat, probably because she asked for arge serving.

    ¡¸Just ask for a refill if you want more¡¹

    It doesn¡¯t look bad. However, when Fran and Urushi smelled the meal, their expressions were subtle.

    The meal was not well-prepared, and they probably did not use that many seasonings. The portions wererge, and the vegetables were plentiful and nutritious, but the taste may be mediocre.

    ¡¸Thanks for the meal¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Momu momu¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHow is it?¡»

    I could imagine what it would taste like by the looks on their faces, but I asked them about it.

    (It tastes normal¡­)

    (Woof¡­)

    It was not bad, but it was not really tasty either. The serving wasrge, but they didn¡¯t seem to want to eat a lot of it. That was how it seemed to be.

    After all, the most important thing for an Academy meal was to be nutritious and fulfilling. They were serving meals for thousands of people after all, so I couldn¡¯t me them.

    ¡¸How is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m not going to stay in the dorm¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸So you choose tomute from the inn?¡¹

    Inez was puzzled by Fran and Urushi¡¯s decision to choose the inn.

    In her mind, she was probably thinking ¡°Just because of the meal?¡±. But for Fran, that was the most important thing.

    ¡¸I-I understand. I¡¯ll ask them to give you an entry pass then¡¹

    ¡¸Please do¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

 Chapter 552: Troublesome Contract

    <h4>Chapter 552: Troublesome Contract</h4>

    ¡¸What are you going to do after this?¡¹

    After picking up the student and faculty handbooks at some sort of general affairs office and getting everything she needed for her sses, Inez asked her where she wanted to go next.

    She told us that we already had visited all the ces we needed to go to today, and if there was anywhere we wanted to go, she would take us there.

    So, we decided to take a look around with Inez¡¯s guidance at the ces we were interested in.

    Our first destination was a snowy hill, which was unique among the various facilities in the academy.

    ¡¸Whoaah¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    There was white snow all over the ce, and it got steeper and steeper as it went straight to the center. It looked like a snowy mountain or a ski slope, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸This ce is used to train hikers on a snowy mountain and basicbat training in snow¡¹

    ¡¸Can I go up?¡¹

    ¡¸I think it¡¯s okay for now¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Immediately after Inez gave her permission, Fran and Urushi ran into the snowfield. It wasn¡¯t the first time that Fran and Urushi had experienced snow. It had even fallen in the ins of the Demon Wolf after all.

    I guess she was just excited by the strange sight of the snowy area while everything around it was normal.

    The snow was as soft as if it had just fallen because it even got Fran¡¯s legs buried up to her knees.

    I thought they were collecting the snow that had fallen during the winter and cooling it down to prevent it from melting, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, the snow in this area should be harder than that. Especially in the hill part, it should¡¯ve beenpressed like a block of ice. Just like the snow that had been collected in one ce during snow removal and would then stay there for a long time, it should¡¯ve been hardened.

    Fran and Urushi then returned to Inez, probably satisfied after running around until they were covered in snow. Then Fran asked her somewhat excitedly.

    ¡¸How do you make this?¡¹

    ¡¸They used ice and snow magic and other techniques to maintain it¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    It seems that every day, they created new snow with magic. So, when the snow hardens, they¡¯ll melt it back into water, which was then turned into snow again.

    ¡¸But it¡¯s only possible during this time of the year¡¹

    As expected, it would be difficult to maintain it in the summer. So, it was possible to make it only in this season when the outside temperature was not so high.

    In the summer, they use it as a small mountain with deep bushes to train hikers.

    After that, we looked around at the rocky hill,kes, marshes, and other training grounds that were mainly used for practice. Many of the ces were apparently maintained by magicians and spirits.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve shown you most of the training grounds we have in this academy. But do you have any ce you still want to go to? The sun is about to set after all¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Where¡¯s Zelos Reed?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been told to not guide you to his ce today. However, once things have settled down, you can meet him with the condition that he¡¯s with the Director¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Okay¡¹

    Well, of course, there¡¯s no way they would let her see him the day after she almost killed him. Fran seemed to understand that she had asked the impossible, so she didn¡¯t seem to be so depressed.

    ¡¸Then, how about Romio?¡¹

    ¡¸It would be quite difficult to let you go there too. As he was asleep right now¡¹

    With that said, I thought he was getting sick because of the evil spirit. But that doesn¡¯t seem to be the only reason why Romio was asleep

    ¡¸I can¡¯t meet him?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­¡¹

    Huh? Why did Inez sound strangelyckluster?

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a lie that the boy named Romio is asleep. He was already awake by the time Fran came to the staff room¡¹

    ¡¸?? Why would you lie about that?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been told to not let Fran-dono meet the boy named Romio¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸The truth is, he¡¯s scared of you, Fran-dono¡­¡¹

    The incident where Fran attacked Zelos Reed was still fresh. It was not only Zelos Reed who had his head almost cut open and the unlucky students who were hit by Fran¡¯s killing intent that was affected.

    There was one more person who had been severely injured. That was Romio, who was connected to Zelos Reed by a special ability.

    Weena Rhyn had also told us before that Zelos Reed and Romio were in a quite troublesome situation where if one of them gets hurt, the other would too.

    And if Fran hurt Zelos Reed then¡­

    Fran looked a little shocked and opened her mouth.

    ¡¸Did Romio get hurt too?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­ However, he didn¡¯t suffer the same injury as Zelos Reed, but only a tenth of it. However, he is just a three-year-old child¡¹

    Even a slight scratch would be a serious injury for a child that young.

    ¡¸Is Romio okay?¡¹

    ¡¸His injury was treated immediately. However, he seemed to understand who had caused the injuries¡¹

    So that was why he was so scared of Fran. Apparently, she thought that Fran would be upset if she found out that she had indirectly almost killed Romio as well, so she was trying to hide that fact.

    However, since she had said that she wanted to see Romio, she must have told the truth. If she misrepresented it properly, she would have said, ¡°You¡¯ll be allowed to see him at ater date¡±.

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m leaving for today¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    When Fran muttered this with her shoulders slumped, Inez walked her to the main gate with a worried look on her face. With a face like this, she must look like her appropriate age.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard about your situation. But I don¡¯t know what will happen to Romio, so it is best for you to not worry too much about it¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡¹

    Even as she replied, Fran¡¯s face did not clear up. The fact that she had almost killed a three-year-old was making her feel depressed.

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s a good thing that we didn¡¯t kill him. So, let¡¯s be happy with that for now¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, Urushi¡¹

    Fran¡¯s face regained its light slightly as Urushi licked her hand flippantly. However, this made her revenge against Zelos Reed more distant, or rather, more difficult.

    She couldn¡¯t even hurt him anymore unless Weena Rhyn dispelled the contract between him and Romio. All it would take was for Fran to be enraged again and hurt him, and Romio could be killed.

    It¡¯s just like what Weena Rhyn had told us before that it was quite a troublesome situation.

 Chapter 553: Spirit-samaâ€™s Interest

    <h4>Chapter 553: Spirit-sama''s Interest</h4>

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Momu¡­ Momu momu¡¹

    (*munching SFX)

    Fran still looked in low spirits when we returned to the inn at night.

    She wasn¡¯t visibly depressed, but she didn¡¯t look like her usual self. Her smile was somewhat weak, even though she was eating.

    The menu consisted of stew with lots of meat and potatoes with red bean paste. With the addition of three kinds of bread which were, ck bread, rye bread, and butter rolls. A sd with fish in oil, homemade pickled vegetables, and cheese pasta. Considering what they had the other day, the meal tasted perfect.

    However, Fran¡¯s eating speed did not increase much. It was about the same speed as when she was at the cafeteria of the academy. This was quite unusual for her to be like this. If it were the usual Fran, she would forget most of her worries if she ate a good meal.

    Urushi, who was eating next to her, was not as energetic as usual because he was worried about Fran. He was eating his meal while ncing sideways at Fran from time to time.

    ¡ºFran, are you still worried about Romio?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Yikes. As soon as she heard Romio¡¯s name, Fran¡¯s expression became visibly clouded over. It seemed that she was still worried about hurting Romio. I think that no matter how much I said that it was unavoidable, she didn¡¯t seem to be able to get over it.

    Her spoon had stopped, but then an olddy, the innkeeper spoke out to Fran.

    ¡¸Did something happen today, young miss?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask for the details, but¡­ Is that something you need to worry about thiste?¡¹

    ¡¸That is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸There is this Elven saying¡­ ¡°New shootse from the ashes of the deep forest¡±¡¹

    ¡¸??¡¹

    An Elven saying?

    ¡¸Even if the forest you live in burns down, one day the trees will grow back and a new forest will be born. In other words, anything can happen as long as you¡¯re alive, but it¡¯s what happens after that that counts. Some things are irreversible. You may not be able to get back what you have lost. But we have to live with them as our strength¡¹

    Maybe it was an Elf-like outlook considering their long lifespan. They lived much longer than humans, and I¡¯m sure their lives would be filled with many incidents and events. If they were to worry about all of them and regret them, their heart would probably be overwhelmed.

    ¡¸¡­Hmm?¡¹

    Fran seemed to be trying to understand the words. However, she immediately crossed her arms and tilted her head. I can grasp the meaning of the words, but to be honest, I¡¯m not sure if I understand them.

    So that might be a little difficult for Fran, who has only lived for thirteen years, to understand.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ You don¡¯t get it, do you, young miss? Well, it¡¯s a phrase that has finally sunk in for us old Elves at this age¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry too. I didn¡¯t mean to pester you. But can I tell you something?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸A good meal tastes even better when you put your mind to it, right?¡¹

    ¡¸!! Certainly!¡¹

    The olddy had said many words to try tofort her, but in the end, thest one seemed to impress her the most.

    And it seemed that the two of them were on the same page. They then stared at each other for a moment and then nodded at each other.

    ¡¸Eating while thinking about other things is disrespectful to the meal¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, you¡¯re right¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Then Fran began to shovel in her meal steadily.

    She was not fully cheered up, but she was getting back in shape. And I could see a slight smile on her face. I hope this can help her regain her usual self¡­

    However, when I thought so, Fran¡¯s hand stopped again.

    Did she just pretend that she was fine? I thought so, but the olddy had stopped moving too. And both of their eyes were locked in the same ce.

    ¡¸Hohou? Why have you shown up?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­A spirit?¡¹

    Apparently, the spirit of the ancient tree hade out near the entrance of the dining room, and both of them were looking in its direction.

    When the olddy noticed that Fran was looking at the same ce as her, she asked Fran in surprise.

    ¡¸Can you perhaps can see it?¡¹

    ¡¸Is there, something?¡¹

    She couldn¡¯t see it, but when Fran replied so, the olddy¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, and then she immediately startedughing.

    ¡¸Hohoho. You must have been very well-liked by Spirit-sama then¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Even if you have the talent, you won¡¯t be able to feel it if the spirits don¡¯t like you. Hmm, spirit-sama is watching you and it seems to be worried about you¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸If it doesn¡¯t like you, it¡¯ll just kick you out¡­ It¡¯s been decades since Spirit-sama has been so attentive to someone other than an Elf¡¹

    ¡¸Spirit-sama allowed me to be here?¡¹

    The olddy¡¯s words made Fran¡¯s eyes widened this time. But I wonder why the spirit cared for Fran so much.

    It had only been one night, right? Or maybe, the spirit was attracted by Fran¡¯s cuteness. So, even a spirit was charmed by Fran, huh? Yeah, that must be the case.

    ¡¸But, I didn¡¯t do anything special¡¹

    ¡¸Spirit-sama likes a pure and gentle person after all¡¹

    Well, it wasn¡¯t her cuteness but Fran¡¯s pureness that the spirit was attracted to. Well, she can¡¯t see it though.

    Fran also tried to activate her detection skills to detect the spirit even more. However, her face soon looked pensive.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    (Even after I used the skill, I still can¡¯t detect it)

    Apparently, she still couldn¡¯t detect it. The olddy who saw this then gave her some advice.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t be able to detect it with the usual way¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸In order to see spirits that are not visible, you need to have Spirit Magic skills or spirit eyes. It is said that those who have either of these qualities can sense them slightly¡¹

    What was next was to get some kind of trigger and let her skills blossom. The fact that she could feel it was a sign that she was on the verge of sensing it. However, the olddy couldn¡¯t give her more advice as Elves could see spirits before they could even remember.

    ¡¸¡­Spirit-sama?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran called out to the ce where the spirit was supposed to be. But as expected, she got no response. Fran didn¡¯t know what was going on, but the olddy was smiling while narrowing her eyes.

    ¡¸Hmm, Spirit-sama was d¡¹

    ¡¸What did Spirit-sama do?¡¹

    ¡¸It looks so happy. It has gone back to the tree though. It¡¯s a whimsical fellow after all¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Well, if it looks like that, I¡¯m sure it¡¯lle out again¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to it¡¹

    But at this rate, she might actually learn Spirit Magic while we stay at this inn.

 Chapter 554: Uniform

    <h4>Chapter 554: Uniform</h4>

    It was the day after she had decided to transfer to the school as a student while working as an instructor at the Academy of Magic.

    Fran and Urushi were walking towards the Academy of Magic.

    ¡ºYou didn¡¯t feel any sign of the spirit after that, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Perhaps the contact in the dining room had satisfied the spirits. And Fran was able to sleep soundlyst night without waking up at all.

    ¡ºIs it easy for you to move around with that uniform?¡»

    ¡¸No problem¡¹

    ¡ºBut even so, its impact was so dangerously destructive¡­ Fran, do you like the uniform?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Its defense power is low, but it¡¯s quite easy to move in. But I don¡¯t think its destructive power is better¡¹

    ¡ºAah¨D, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. What I mean is about its cuteness or something like that¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    It was no good trying to exin it to her, huh? Well, I can¡¯t imagine Fran wearing girly clothes and being happy that she was called cute though.

    Right now, Fran was wearing the uniform of the Academy of Magic. Aside frombat training, she was required to wear the uniform during ssroom lessons.

    This was to show the student¡¯s sses and grades clearly. In such arge academy, with a huge number of students, it would be more convenient to be able to tell by sight.

    As a mammoth academy (Note: giant academy), the academy store had uniforms of all sizes avable for purchase on the spot. Oh, and in Fran¡¯s case, she got it for free.

    The uniform of the Special Battle ss was a navy-blue zer with the emblem of the Academy of Magic sewn on the shoulders and chest, a tie with white lines on a red background and a navy blue and white checked skirt.

    She chose a white shirt, a gray vest sweater, navy blue socks, and ck loafers because she was allowed to choose whatever she wanted for the rest of the outfit.

    Eh? What do you mean? It¡¯s to my liking too though. Some cloaks and robes could be worn over the head to make her look more fantasy-like¡­ But I purposely asked her to wear a school-like uniform, because, with that, Fran¡¯s prettiness would stand out even more!

    ¡ºNow all you need is a high twin tail and you¡¯ll be perfect¡­¡»

    But there was a big problem with that.

    Her cat ears would get in the way if she tried to make twin tails. I just realized that the supreme cat ears would sh with the supreme hairstyle!

    So, she had no choice but to tie her hair into a low knot twin tail. Well, it looks great too.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºHmm? What¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Why has Master be small?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it would be weird if you were carrying me on your back in this outfit, wouldn¡¯t it?¡»

    ¡¸??¡¹

    She was wearing a zer, but it would be ruined if she was carrying arge sword so I transformed into the size of a dagger and hid on the inside of her zer.

    For now, I could maintain this state for a long time if it was just a resize. At the very least, I could maintain it on our time when we¡¯re at the academy

    It would be perfect if we had a school bag, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. As long as we have the Dimensional Storage, that would only be a hindrance. However, her looks would beplete with that! Should I have Fran bring it with her? No, however¨D

    ¡¸Master¡­ You¡¯ve be strange again¡¹

    She gave me the same deadpan look she had given me yesterday when I was picking her uniform at the store. Were my thoughts leaking out?

    ¡ºA-ahaha. It isn¡¯t weird, is it? What was the weird part about it?¡»

    ¡¸I knew it, it was weird after all¡¹

    ¡ºUgh¡­ W-well. More importantly, the main entrance is already in sight¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    Phew, did I manage to cover it up? No, let¡¯s just say that I managed to cover it up.

    ¡ºYou must show them your ID card, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    We were supposed to be able to get in by showing the guard her teacher¡¯s ID card, but¡­

    ¡¸Hold on a second, young miss!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    A guard uncle stopped Fran when she tried to go straight through the main gate after presenting her teacher¡¯s ID card.

    He looked like a former adventurer with a stern appearance not like the calm and collected uncle at the back entrance. And there was a hint of confusion on his face.

    ¡¸Aah, young miss, you¡¯re a student, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But what you presented to us was a teacher¡¯s ID card, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    They were wondering why Fran, who was dressed as a student, had presented them with a teacher¡¯s ID card.

    ¡¸However, the spirit is not responding to her¡­ Aah, could it be! The one with cat ears and brought a wolf with her is¡­ Umm, can you tell me your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I¡¯m sorry for stopping you. I¡¯ve heard the story about you, but I just wanted to confirm it myself¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    We were told that we could get in as long as she presented her teacher¡¯s or student¡¯s ID card. But as expected, she should have shown her ID card a little more clearly for the first time. Or rather, she should have used the student¡¯s ID card instead.

    ¡¸I know you just got hired yesterday, but do you know the academy¡¯syout?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem¡¹

    She had already confirmed the location of the ssroom she was going to today.

    Fran then said goodbye to the guard and continued to walk again.

    However, she immediately tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸I felt like I was being watched¡¹

    As Fran muttered so, the eyes of the surrounding students were focused on her. I wondered if perhaps they were the victim of yesterday¡¯s incident, but there was no fear or fright in their gazes.

    They looked at her not without ill-feeling, but also jealousy and irritation which seemed to be the main ones.

    ¡¸Who is that pretty girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Sh-she¡¯s cute¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey wait, where do you think you¡¯re lookin¡¯ at!¡¹

    It seems that she had attracted attention as a mysterious pretty girl. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped that our cute little Fran had acquired a different kind of cuteness with her uniform.

    She was probably going to have to be ustomed to the hostility and contempt from the adventurers by now, but this kind of attention was rare, so it has even bothered her.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s ignore it for now. It might stay like this for as long as we¡¯re in this academy, and once you get used to it, it won¡¯t bother you anymore¡»

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    You guys with a delirious face just now, I¡¯ve memorized your faces, so be prepared!

 Chapter 555: Seeing Each Other Again in the Special Battle Class

    <h4>Chapter 555: Seeing Each Other Again in the Special Battle ss</h4>

    ¡¸Good morning¡¹

    ¡¸Good morning, Fran-dono. Ooh, so you¡¯re here in your uniform today?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    When Fran arrived at the academy, she visited the preparation room for the mock battle instructors that she had been shown yesterday.

    In a room much smaller than the staff room, there were about ten adults here. All of them were mock battle instructors, just like adventurers, they were dressed in leather armor. It could also be said that their current appearance, which was ready for battle, was their formal attire.

    The scene of muscr former adventurers crowding this small room made the room look hot and humid. I didn¡¯t have a nose, but I wonder why I think I could smell the sweat. Well, think of this as a gym, and you¡¯ll get the idea.

    Inez greeted her while standing upright. The other instructors had already been introduced to us yesterday, so they too were standing upright with serious faces. It made me feel nervous though.

    ¡¸Let me show you to the Special Battle ss¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Then, please follow me¡¹

    She was then led to one of the ssrooms on the second floor of the tower.

    The room looked just like any other ordinary ssroom.

    The presence that could be felt from inside was no different from any other ssroom. There was a somewhat tense presence of about twenty people in there.

    I guess they were nervous because they knew that Fran wasing. If there was someone who had a quick ear, they must have heard that a pretty girl who was both an instructor and a student would join them.

    When we reached the ss, nothing had changed except the tension.

    There was no tremendous sense of intimidation emanating from the front of the ssroom, nor was there any magic spreading around that would startle us. It was just the presence of ordinary boys and girls.

    Since they were from the Special Battle ss, I was wondering how amazing they were, but¡­

    Well, when I thought about it, it was not that surprising. They were still students after all, and that meant that Fran was by far the stronger of the two.

    In addition, the fact that Inez was able to take on multiple students was a good indication of their ability. They probably just had high fighting prowess among the students. It seems that I was expecting a little too much.

    ¡¸This afternoon¡¯s ss is scheduled to be a mock battle, but before that, I¡¯ve set aside some time to introduce Fran-dono. They may have some questions, but if you can¡¯t answer them, please just ignore them¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get in then¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    They must have seen our figure through the blurry ss of the door and knew that Inez had arrived. The voices of the students then quickly quieted down at once.

    Inez then slowly opened the door to the ssroom of the Special Battle ss. All eyes turned first to Inez, and then to Fran, who followed her into the ssroom.

    There was no contempt on the faces of the students. There was just a great sense of confusion.

    ¡¸She really was a kid¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sh-she¡¯s so pretty!¡¹

    ¡¸So, what Charon said was true!¡¹

    I wondered if she had told them that she had met with Fran before, but it seems that was not all.

    ¡¸I-it¡¯s really you!¡¹

    Amid the noisy ssroom, a student suddenly stood up with a surprised look on her face. But we were just as surprised as she was. After all, we had met her before.

    ¡¸Charon?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes! I¡¯m d that you remembered my name¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Yes, it was Charon, the blonde drill girl. So, she was a member of the Special Battle ss, huh?

    Apparently, Charon had already told her ssmates about Fran beforehand.

    Maybe she heard about the story about an instructor that was also a student from another ss, then Charon who heard that information, tells her ssmates about Fran. I guess that¡¯s how the flow went. However, her ssmates were also skeptical.

    After all, for a girl from the ck Cat kin, who was actually a super talented adventurer and was talking to the Guildmaster so casually. That was too wild to be true, so I don¡¯t me her.

    But unless the other sses, Charon and Inez, were in cahoots to fool them, they were certain that the girl in front of them was the new Special Mock Battle Instructor. Knowing that they finally believed that Fran was a strong girl.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, do you know her?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. We talked a little in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¹

    ¡¸So that¡¯s why. Oi! Stay quiet!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡­¡¹¡¹¡¹

    As usual, they were under her control. The students immediately closed their mouths in unison.

    ¡¸Let me introduce her. This person is Fran-dono. She has just been appointed as the Special Mock Battle Instructor! Fran-dono¡¯s adventurer rank is B, but herbat prowess is on par with an A ranker! She also has the Director¡¯s approval. Besides, she also has an alias. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the name of ck Lightning Princess, right?¡¹

    Most of the students in the ss were shaking their heads. But it seems that they know about Fran¡¯s alias.

    ¡¸It looks like you¡¯ve been collecting information very well. If there was anyone who said they didn¡¯t know, I would have had to give them an hour-long lecture on the importance of gathering information¡¹

    It seemed to be a part of their education but seeing as how Charon didn¡¯t notice Fran at first, I¡¯m not sure if she was being kept active or not.

    She seems to know her name, race, and alias. However, shecked the ability or insight to see through the identity of the other party.

    Even Inez must have that ability. She felt the need to teach her the importance of such information from now on.

    ¡¸The next lesson will be a mock battle, but before that, does anyone have any questions for Fran-dono?¡¹

    If this were a school on Earth, I¡¯m sure there would be all sorts of questions being asked to the mysterious and pretty transfer student. Whether or not she had a boyfriend, where she was from, what type of boy she liked, there would be no end to the questions that would be asked.

    However, the students then be quiet. After all, she was an instructor and a high-ranking adventurer. They must be afraid of upsetting her by asking inappropriate questions, so they don¡¯t know what to ask. However, they also knew that it would be rude for no one to ask any questions.

    The students looked at each other and a strange sense of tension enveloped the ssroom. It was the blonde drill-san who then broke the atmosphere.

    ¡¸¡­Me!¡¹

    ¡¸Charon, huh? Go ahead¡¹

    ¡¸You mentioned that she will be both an instructor and a student, what kind of responsibilities will she have?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll answer that. Basically, she¡¯ll be a student in the Special Battle ss. However, since she¡¯ll also act as an instructor for the Special Battle ss, the Advanced ss, and several other sses, she will be excused during that time¡¹

    ¡¸I understand, thank you very much¡¹

    That was also exined to us beforehand. Except for her work as a Special Mock Battle Instructor, she was a student of the Special Battle ss.

    Well, Fran doesn¡¯t have to earn credits, so it didn¡¯t matter if she missed some sses.

    They also exined the content of the sses beforehand, but she didn¡¯t need to take half of them. Apparently, there were many sses to learn skills for working as an adventurer, such as trap disarming and goblin dissection sses.

    After that, most of the questions were about the weapons she used and the magic she was good at. It seems that they wanted to gather information about her before the mock battle.

    Well, I don¡¯t know if any of that is of any use though.

    ¡¸Well then, it¡¯s about time. Move to the 5th mock battle site! Make sure everything is ready by the time Fran-dono and I arrive!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-dono, pleasee with me. For now, please use the instructor¡¯s changing room. But from tomorrow onwards, you can use whichever you like, whether it¡¯s the one for students or instructors¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

 Chapter 556: The First Impression was Important

    <h4>Chapter 556: The First Impression was Important</h4>

    She changed into her usual gear in the instructor¡¯s changing room and headed for the mock battle site. Unfortunately, her hair was the same as usual. After all, she felt ufortable because she wasn¡¯t used to tying it up. So, she decided to make it in short twin-tails.

    We then went to arge field, a little far from the triple towers.

    It was a huge, empty field of dirt. It¡¯s probably the size of the Tokyo Dome.

    On that mock battle site, the members of the special battle ss were waiting after they changed their clothes. It was simr to what Charon wore the other day at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. On top of her leather and metal armor, she wore a cloak and robe with the emblem of the academy on it.

    The students had also formed a neat formation, which showed the high level of their training. Inez nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the students standing upright and waiting without being told to do so.

    ¡¸Well then, Fran-dono will now show you some of her power!¡¹

    Apparently, it was customary for those who were assigned as instructors to first perform a kind of demonstration to show their abilities.

    She was told that she could choose one of the instructors to fight with, or she could unleash her magic on thisrge field. But most of the new instructors choose to use martial arts and magic against the target doll.

    We were told that Inez could use Earth Magic and could create dolls, but we decided to go a little shier.

    The first time is the most important, so we can¡¯t afford to be underestimated here.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, please go ahead¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸We¡¯re looking forward to it!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    With the eyes of the students on her, Fran strode out onto the field. We were going to give them a good scare.

    ¡ºFirst, let¡¯s start with that one¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The first thing we did was to make a target. Fran put her hands on the ground and activated her magic.

    Immediately after she had done so there were shrieks from the students.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped though, as the ground in front of us suddenly rose, creating a 15-meter-high spire.

    ¡¸Th-that¡¯s. No matter how you look at it, that was High-level Earth Magic, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I-isn¡¯t the ck Lightning Princess a Thunder Magic-user?¡¹

    ¡¸Or maybe, she¡¯s a magician? Not a swordsman?¡¹

    They probably thought that Fran was a swordsman who could also use Thunder Magic. But after they saw her using Earth Magic, they realized that she was also a very skilled magician.

    But this was just the beginning.

    ¡¸Awakening! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    ¡¸Th-this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a bolt of ck lightning!¡¹

    ¡¸Hiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Fo-for such a kid¡­ To use this much magic is¡­!¡¹

    Many of the students paled as they felt the magic power that Fran, who was d in ck lightning, was giving off. The reason they be talkative is probably to calm themselves down.

    I felt like It was already enough to show her abilities, but the real thing was just about to start.

    (Master, together!)

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re going to be as shy as hell!¡»

    The first shot was a Thunderbolt of Lightning Magic. Fran fired two, I fired four. And a total of six Thunderbolts struck the earth spire, creating a huge hole with a thunderous roar.

    However, that was not powerful enough to copse the spire. Since it was just for the opening I focused on the impact of sound and appearance.

    ¡¸Next!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    Now for the real deal¡­ Both Fran and I used Thor¡¯s Hammer at the same time. My two shots ovepped with Fran¡¯s, creating a spectacr sh of light.

    The extremely thick thunderbolts that rained down from the magic circle drawn in the sky above then swallowed the earth spire as a whole.

    The students now couldn¡¯t even keep their eyes open anymore. They were screaming, struggling to stay on their feet as the st, roar, and the shing lights made them wince.

    A few secondster what the students saw when they opened their eyes was a ruined spire.

    ¡¸¡­Ah-ahaha¡¹

    ¡¸I-in one-shot¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸B-but that wasn¡¯t Extreme Magic, right?¡¹

    The spire, which was now less than half its original length, was smoking as its surface melted intova. The upper half part of it must have been vaporized.

    It must have been an incredible level of magic to the students. They must have felt as if their blood had gone out of their veins so they could onlyugh.

    But Fran hadn¡¯t stopped yet.

    The students, who had noticed that Fran was nowhere to be seen, looked around to find her.

    Immediately after, a tremendous amount of magic emitted from the sky, and at the same time, it seemed that they had finally found Fran. All at once, their faces turned up to the sky.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s finish up with this¡¹

    ¡ºOu. Let¡¯s show it to them¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The first thing that Fran did was to perform the Sheaths of Wind with all her might. Magic and swordy. That was what was important to show off about Fran¡¯s abilities.

    In front of the students¡¯ eyes, the lower half of the remaining spire was shed diagonally. A momentter, the students watched in dismay as the spire slid away from the cut at its center.

    The fact that they didn¡¯t even understand what had happened showed how awesome it was. That must have been what it felt like.

    ¡¸Fuh¡¹

    ¡ºGood job¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    That was it. That was what we had nned, but someone thenined.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? You want to go too, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It was the first time in a long time that Urushi wanted to relieve himself. When he saw the destruction that Fran had left behind, Urushi¡¯s tail was hanging.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s do that one then?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    In response to Urushi¡¯s begging, Fran jumped up into the air again. Once she gained some height in her aerial jump, she activated two magic spells.

    She used earth magic to create a te about five meters in diameter and activated light magic to create a light source on top of it. As a result, a dark shadow was created on the ground.

    ¡¸Wooo~f!¡¹

    In response to Urushi¡¯s roar, a jet-ck circle about ten meters in diameter was drawn inside the shadow that was created by Fran.

    What Urushi invoked was the Dark Magic, Bottomless Shadow. It was vicious magic that created a field of shadow that swallowed everything on its surface.

    Well, it has many shorings though. First of all, it couldn¡¯t be activated without a shadow. Furthermore, the speed at which it swallowed was slow, so it was surprisingly easy to get out of. And it seemed to be quite difficult to control, as Urushi couldn¡¯t even move while using it.

    Also, while its name was Bottomless, there was a limit to the amount of mass it could swallow at one time. What was more was that it was impossible to retrieve materials and magic stones because it was impossible to release what it haspletely swallowed. It also consumed arge amount of magic power.

    It was a technique that looked shy but was not very useful. At least, it could never be used during high-speedbat. Well, it might be useful to momentarily hinder our opponent¡¯s movement though.

    It may be of use against sluggish opponents or if he made a surprise attack in the middle of the night. It was also suitable for cleaning up messes like this.

    The remains of the spire on the ground slowly sank into the shadows, as if swallowed by a bottomless swamp. And then, a minuteter, it was all gone, clean and clear. The field was back to its original empty state.

    The students stared at the ground with their mouths wide open as they realized that not only Fran but also Urushi, was out of the norm.

 Chapter 557: Mock Battleâ€™s Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 557: Mock Battle''s Preparation</h4>

    ¡¸F-Fran-dono! What stunning magic and swordy! Thank you very much! I never thought I¡¯d see something like that!¡¹

    Inez became restless and praised Fran. She was quite excited to be able to directly witness Fran¡¯s abilities.

    Even for Inez, who should have understood Fran¡¯s ability to some extent beforehand, was like this. But the students were still in a daze.

    However, this wasn¡¯t the end of today¡¯s ss.

    Inez had told Fran in advance to demonstrate her abilities to make an impact on them, and then she would have a mock battle with the students. If possible, she¡¯d like for her to give them a bit of a beating as well. That was what she was asked to do.

    The spirits surveincework wouldn¡¯t be a problem for the current Fran, as she was officially recognized as a Special Mock Battle Instructor. They told her that fighting in ss wouldn¡¯t be a problem. As long as she didn¡¯t kill a student with malicious intent, she wouldn¡¯t be med for it.

    Of course, this didn¡¯t apply outside of ss or when she was being treated as a student.

    Will the students be able to continue the mock battles like this? Wouldn¡¯t it better to let them rest for a while? After all, they were surprised and exhausted and seemed to be running out of energy.

    However, as expected of the one being called a Devil Instructor, Inez.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to conduct the mock battle as nned, are you okay with that?¡¹

    She said they should continue just like this. However, she asked Fran with a somewhat worried expression.

    ¡¸How long do you need a break?¡¹

    ¡¸A break?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Will you take about 30 minutes to rest? We also have stamina potions and mana potions with us if you need some¡¹

    She seemed to think that Fran needed to take a break for a while after unleashing such a huge spell. Well, I couldn¡¯t me her for thinking that, since she had unleashed such arge amount of Advanced Magic. After all, she had used the same amount of magic power as several ordinary magicians.

    But Fran shook her head with a calm face.

    ¡¸I¡¯m perfectly fine¡¹

    ¡¸Yo-you¡¯re perfectly fine¡­? Certainly, you¡¯ve already stopped sweating now. I¡¯m impressed¡¹

    Inez was sincerely surprised to be told that she didn¡¯t need a break.

    ¡¸Th-then. Let¡¯s proceed to the mock battle as it is¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Inez then turned to her students, who still looked dazed, and gave them a sternmand.

    ¡¸You will now engage in a mock battle with Fran-dono!¡¹

    Immediately, there was a shriek. There was a strong look of fear on the faces of the students. Well, it seemed that we had gone a little overboard earlier.

    But oveing the fright was the main purpose of the battle with the Special Mock Battle Instructor. Inez then stared at the students with cold eyes and shouted at them.

    ¡¸All of you, prepare for battle!¡¹

    ¡¸A-All of us?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s what I said, right? Or did you not hear me?¡¹

    ¡¸No! I could clearly hear you! I¡¯m sorry for asking something like that!¡¹

    A male student who had asked back was smacked down by Inez. Seeing this, the students ran out to the central part of the ground without wasting any more time after that and formed a formation on the spot.

    It seemed that their fear of Fran was weakened by their fear of Inez. They still looked pale though, but they managed to start moving.

    Apparently, they were nning to form parties of five or six people and then coordinate with each other. During this time, the students were discussing something with each other, so they must be confirming their strategy.

    ¡¸Alright. Fran-dono, please take care of them. As for the recovery, I¡¯ve called the school nurse, Deaden, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for the introduction! I¡¯m Deaden! I¡¯ve mastered Recovery Magic, so if you lose two or three arms, just leave it to me and I¡¯ll regenerate it in no time!¡¹

    Three arms¡­? No, does he mean if it was more than one person? However, the students scrunched up their faces when they heard that.

    Perhaps they just imagined the future of their arms being cut off.

    ¡¸Very well. Then, Let the mock battle begin!¡¹

    At Inez¡¯s shout, the mock battle began quietly.

    The students in the vanguard held their weapons and shields and refused to move from their positions. I wondered if they were nning to intercept us, but it seemed they were waiting for the Support Magic from the rear guard. They were using a spell to raise their magic resistance and a spell to raise their defense.

    It seemed that they were nning to counter Fran¡¯s magic.

    Was the reason why they raised their defense was to prevent themselves from being defeated with a single blow? But if they¡¯re all stuck together like that at the start of the battle, wouldn¡¯t a wide AOE spell wipe them out? Besides, even with their defense up, were they going to be able to react to Fran¡¯s movements?

    Well, it was not a bad idea to increase your defenses when you¡¯re fighting an opponent who was far faster than you. But that would be of use only if you could barely see your opponent¡¯s movement.

    After all, there was no point in raising their defense if they were unable to sense or even see their opponent¡¯s movement.

    If they were like Goddarfa, they would be able to counter-attack. However, with their level of magic, it seemed to be of little use.

    No, not if we assume that this was a mock battle, right?

    The powerful magic and sword techniques that we just showed to them could not be used this time. After all, they would just simply kill them instantly if they were to hit them. That was why she could be as serious as she wanted about evasion but she had to adjust her attack considerably.

    I guess the students have already figured that out. So, it was not surprising that they thought they could get away by fortifying their defenses.

    But was that all right? Wasn¡¯t a mock battle supposed to be a real battle? Did they n a strategy based on the assumption that their opponent would go easy on them in a mock battle?

    Well, at least they managed to gather and analyze the information to form a n, but¡­

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Inez looked angry.

    ¡¸Fran-dono¡­ Give them a taste of despair. You can also break their hearts if you want to¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    I was thinking of holding back a little but Inez requested the opposite.

    Fran then pulled me out, I was back to my normal size, and we stepped onto the ground.

    However, the students still did not move. They seemed to be nning to ignore the wide AOE magic and deal with it together.

    Well, it was predictable though. Their n would be for the vanguard to stop her movements while the rearguard attacks.

    They observed Fran who started to walk slowly. Their magic chanting had already beenpleted and their arrows were ready. So whatever Fran does, they should be able to handle her.

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s give them a little lesson, shall we?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 558: Never Ending Mock Battle

    <h4>Chapter 558: Never Ending Mock Battle</h4>

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s give them a little lesson, shall we?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The students were frozen in ce, unable to make a move to respond to Fran. There was a strong sense of fear and just a tiny bit of motivation left on their faces.

    We were told that the purpose of this ss was to get the students used to facing an overwhelmingly powerful opponent so that they could know how to deal with them.

    I felt a little sorry for them because they were being forced to fight an opponent that they had no hope of winning against. However, this kind of training might save their lives one day if they can experience despair in this ss and not stop thinking during their adventures. So, I guess it was in their best interest for us to beat the crap out of them right here and now.

    It seemed that the students could also understand it too. They knew that they had no chance of winning after being shown Fran¡¯s power in the beginning. And what was worse is that there was no victory condition set for their mock battle.

    There was no condition such as if they can get a hit on Fran, if they managed to hold on for 10 minutes, or if they could escape to a specific location. In other words, all they had left was a future in which Fran would beat them to a pulp.

    Even so, I was impressed that they were determined to at least get a hit on Fran before they were defeated. Well, we were not going to make any mistakes though.

    ¡ºWhat do you wanna do now? Do you want to scatter stun bolts over a wide area? Burst me will do too¡»

    I suggested that we should use magic to wipe them out, but Fran seemed to have a different n.

    While keeping me down, she slowly approached the students.

    (I¡¯ll only use Master for defense)

    ¡ºWhat are you trying to do?¡»

    (Nn? Breakthrough the front)

    And the moment we were about 30 meters away from each other, the students started to move.

    From the other side of the wall created by their vanguard, countless arrows and various attributes of magic were released all at once.

    The reason for the variation in attributes was probably because it was the techniques they were best at.

    Even though we were already so close, their aim was still poor. After all, only about half of them were on the trajectory to hit Fran.

    Or maybe it was their purpose. They scattered them far and wide so that Fran could not escape with only a little evasion. That was quite a nice n.

    Normally, she would have jumped away from the spot or used a barrier to block it. However, Fran took neither of those actions.

    Without stopping her slow steps, she stared at the barrage of bullets raining down on her.

    The students must have thought that she would get hit if she didn¡¯t do something. But instead of being happy, I could see that they were rather worried.

    For them, this kind of attack was probably just to probe the other party. But it would be great if they could stall high-ranking adventurers with this. That must be the extent of their thinking.

    They looked surprised because it looked as if it would be unexpectedly effective.

    Well, they were wrong though.

    ¡¸Fuuh!¡¹

    Fran swung me so casually. But she managed to knock the arrows away. After that, she continued to sh and y at their magic, and walked leisurely through the barrage.

    ¡¸Did she just cut the arrow!?¡¹

    ¡¸You fool! Even Instructor Inez could do that! But what¡¯s more important is¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸She even shed the magic!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that the ability of her magic sword!?¡¹

    ¡¸That was just her ability! You¡¯ll just blow yourself up if you don¡¯t have the skill to urately break the magic!¡¹

    The students were making a lot of noise when they realized that Fran was still approaching. They then started to chant a spell again, and the students with the bows began shooting more arrows.

    When the distance between Fran and the students had been reduced to about 15 meters, the second volley of magic was fired. This time there was a lot of Wind Magic and Water Magic. They must have chosen this technique as they were hard to see.

    Moreover, the vanguard started moving in time with simultaneous shots.

    They tried to get close and attack her while she was blocking the long-range attacks.

    The long-range attacks that were more urate than before were fired one after another with slightly dyed timing. Were they nning to keep Fran on the defense, so that Fran wouldn¡¯t have a chance to counterattack the vanguard?

    Immediately after shing away the magic, the students in the vanguard attacked Fran at once.

    Four swordsmen shed at her from all sides, and spearmen thrust their spearheads into the gaps. At the rear of the encirclement, the second group was looking for an opening to attack.

    They were able to attack at the same time, and their aim was urate. I guess this was the result of their training in a party to fight a single magic beast.

    However, the opponent now was not a magic beast, but a very skilled swordsman.

    ¡¸Wha! How!¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible!¡¹

    ¡¸Re-reflection!?¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t stop walking. And yet, all their attacks were being repelled at the same time. Well, while it looked that way to the students, Fran just had swung me at super high speed and repelled their attacks.

    It seemed that there were even students who misunderstood that their attacks had been blocked by Reflection Magic.

    The same went for the spear thrusts. The tip of the spears was being flicked upward. Because their attacks were repelled upwards, the hand of the swordsman and the spearman were all pointed up to the sky, leaving a huge gap in front of Fran.

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll start from the four of you¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghuh!¡¹

    I wonder if the two guys in front of her who took a punch to the stomach and copsed on the spot were still okay. But the two in the back were hit with a kick to the back on their head and were blown several meters away.

    Moreover, her attack was just enough to keep him from losing consciousness, so he didn¡¯t pass out and was writhing around, spitting out stomach juices.

    The reason she didn¡¯t let him faint was to make the other students wonder whether they could recover or not and dying their decision even for a moment. The other purpose was to instill fear into them by showing them the sight of their fellow students writhing in agony. Well, there were other purposes too, but they didn¡¯t matter right now.

    As I had expected, the students who had been waiting behind as the second group slowed down. In that time, Fran had finished taking care of the spearmen.

    What Fran used was her magic release skill. The current Fran could attack multiple enemies at the same time by sending her magic power flying like a bullet.

    For the students, in a matter of seconds, more than half of the vanguard had been defeated. The astonishment stopped the students from thinking, exposing more gaps.

    Fran then continued to attack the rest of the vanguard with her magic release skill and rendered them powerless. In the end, they didn¡¯t evenst ten seconds after theyunched their attacks.

    ¡¸S-shoot, shoot!¡¹

    ¡¸I-If we keep up the attacks¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s all we can do right now!¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Don¡¯t shoot so recklessly!¡¹

    The students in the rearguard were also very confused. Some were even casting magic recklessly. Some were wondering if they should run away. Some were trying to rethink their strategy.

    In the end, the scattered attacks did not stop Fran, and when the distance between us was less than ten meters, about half of them started to retreat to get some distance.

    But she wouldn¡¯t let them escape so easily.

    Fran suddenly stepped up a gear and closed the distance between her and the students at once.

    The rest was a one-sided beating. Even though they were the rearguard, they also had some experience in closebat, but they were still inferior to the students in the vanguard. In the end, they were unable to do anything and all of them fell after being punched in the stomach.

    However, none of the students in the vanguard and the rearguard were unconscious. However, that was what she was aiming for.

    ¡¸¡­Hey, if you¡¯re gonna sleep here, I¡¯m gonna one-sidedly attack you, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    A puzzled look appeared on the faces of the students when they heard Fran¡¯s words. With anguished expressions on their faces, they were probably thinking hard about the meaning of those words.

    But they immediately understood.

    ¡¸G-get up! Everybody, get up! The mock battle isn¡¯t over yet!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll start attacking again in ten seconds¡¹

    ¡¸Get up! Get up!¡¹

    ¡¸Shiit!¡¹

    Fran only hit them all once each. Their life force hadn¡¯t diminished much as they hadn¡¯t lost consciousness.

    In other words, the mock battle was not yet over.

    Yeah. I felt a little sorry for them, but I think she managed to give them despair, just like what Inez had asked her.

    Later, when the students managed to get up and readied their weapons, Franpletely destroyed them again. The relieved expressions on the faces of the unconscious students spoke volumes about their feelings.

    But I now understand why Inez was called the demon instructor.

    ¡¸Thanks to you guys for finishing the mock battle so quickly, we still have a lot of time left! Rejoice! We¡¯re now ready for the second round!¡¹

    She said so to the students who had just regained their consciousness after being taken care of by Deaden.

    Well, neither I nor Fran would go easy on them though.

 Chapter 559: The Secret Garden

    <h4>Chapter 559: The Secret Garden</h4>

    The first mock battle ss had ended.

    The tattered students then lined up with dejected looks on their faces. There also seemed to be a hint of regret on their faces.

    I wonder how they could still make such faces after being beaten so badly¡­ It seemed they had more guts than I had imagined.

    ¡¸Good job, today¡¯s mock battle ss is over! Make sure to properly take care of your equipment!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸And you, Charon¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, do you need something from me?¡¹

    ¡¸Guide Fran-dono to the student changing room¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    I¡¯m d that Charon was in this ss. If it were any other student, they would have been scared of her for sure.

    But it seemed, even Charon was a little scared of her. After all, she had punched her in the stomach just like the other students and had beaten her up with sword techniques.

    However, it was probably because she had had some conversations with her before and knew that she was someone she could talk to if she was not in battle.

    ¡¸Well then, let me be your guide¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks¡¹

    Fran then began to walk with Charon as her guide.

    But there was no conversation between them, just silence. Well, Fran was just like her usual self, but Charon seemed to be a little nervous.

    But, it was Charon who broke the silence between them.

    ¡¸Umm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, what did you think about us today?¡¹

    What a vague question to ask. Perhaps she had asked that as she couldn¡¯t bear the silence and said that without thinking. Fran looked confused in response to her question.

    ¡¸What do I think?¡¹

    ¡¸I know that we are not as good as Fran-sama, but¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hey¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t need the honorific¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Just Fran is fine¡¹

    Charon looked worried when Fran interrupted her, but she soon felt relieved. But she was a little confused.

    ¡¸B-but, Fran-sama is¨D¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re in the same ss, so we¡¯re equals. That¡¯s what Weena Rhyn said. Nobles and exiles, strong and weak, it doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re in the same ss¡¹

    That was what Weena Rhyn said to her when she briefly exined the academy to us.

    This academy was a very special ce. Regardless of their status or honor on the outside, the students were equal under the spirits here. There was no room for nobles to act arrogantly with their power, or for the strong to threaten others with violence.

    On the other hand though, the weak wouldn¡¯t be tolerated to ck off because of their positions or weakness, or formoners to vent their daily frustrations on the nobility.

    This also meant that Fran and Charon were now equals regardless of each other¡¯s strength or positions.

    For Fran, it was fine for her to call her that while she was being an instructor. But when she was just a student, they were in the same position as students. I guess that was how she saw it.

    ¡¸O-okay then, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Do you think we¡¯re weak?¡¹

    That was quite a difficult question. From Fran¡¯s point of view, they were quite weak. But in the eyes of the world, I¡¯d say that they were reasonably strong. Each of them was as good as an E-ranked adventurer, and they were able to work together as a party quite well.

    If their opponent had been an ogre, they would have won without any problem. But their opponent this time was too tough for them.

    However, Charon didn¡¯t seem to think so. It was just as if the confidence she had in herself had been shattered into pieces.

    ¡¸I aspire to be an adventurer, so we applied for the Special Battle ss with the goal of making a living by fighting as an adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But we werepletely outmatched in this mock battle. I didn¡¯t expect us to win, but still, we couldn¡¯t even return a single blow in the end¡­ Can we really be an adventurer like this¡­?¡¹

    It seemed that she was no longer confident with her abilities. When Charon was looking down anxiously, Fran then spoke to her.

    ¡¸Nn. You guys are weak¡¹

    ¡¸I-is that so¡­? Of course, that¡¯s true¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You guys took too long to activate your magic and were quite slow to make decisions. Your level was still low too¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Even though Charon was a magician, you went too far forward¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You may be confident in your martial arts, but you can only kill a goblin with that much strength. You need to train harder¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    Oioi, you¡¯re making Charon cry, you know? But it was the truth. However, Fran hadn¡¯t finished speaking yet.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t even be able to escape from a strong magic beast with only that much strength¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Ugh. You¡¯re right. We are¡­ weak, aren¡¯t we?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Just like what I thought, we are¨D¡¹

    ¡¸But everyone is weak at first. So, Charon and the others can get stronger from now on¡¹

    Charon then stopped in her tracks and stared at Fran¡¯s face.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Even we, can be strong too?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, you¡¯ll get stronger if you train. It¡¯s the same for everyone¡¹

    ¡¸You think so¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She must have understood that Fran¡¯s words were not meant tofort her, as I could see a strong determined light in Charon¡¯s eyes.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll do my best! I¡¯ll train harder and harder from now on!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Do your best¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Fran also smiled at Charon, who finally smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly.

    After that, the conversation had surprisingly be livelier. I guess it meant that they had grown closer. All they talked about was how delicate the food in the school cafeteria was, and which cafeteria was the best though.

    They were chatting happily and in no time, they arrived at the changing rooms. There was a sign saying ¡°Girl¡¯s changing room¡±.

    Yes, it must be the Girls¡¯ changing room.

    ¡ºF-Fran! Th-this is bad! You can leave me here!¡»

    (What¡¯s wrong)

    ¡ºAa-aah you see~¡­¡»

    We-we¡¯ve entered it! An old man has gone into the Secret Garden!

    I-I¡¯m not looking though! I don¡¯t have eyes after all, but I¡¯ll meditate! I¡¯m a harmless, gentlemanly Gentle Weapon after all!

    ¡¸Oh yikes, I have a bruise on my butt¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, aren¡¯t your breasts getting bigger again?¡¹

    ¡¸H-hey, don¡¯t touch it~¡¹

    I-I see nothing! I swear! But, you see, I can¡¯t do anything about the sound! I can¡¯t block my hearing after all!

    There was a way to use magic to block it, but if I did that here, it might make me look suspicious. So, I had no choice! Yes, I have no choice but to listen to the voices.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t know you had a mole in such a ce. It somehow looks so naughty, doesn¡¯t it~¡¹

    ¡¸Iyaahn! Don¡¯t look at it!¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡»

    (Master? Why are you shaking so much?)

    ¡ºDo-don¡¯t mind me, just get dressed quickly and get out of here, okay!¡»

    (??)

    To all the boys in the country, I am so sorry.

 Chapter 560: Elsaâ€™s Brand Beauty Serum

    <h4>Chapter 560: Elsa''s Brand Beauty Serum</h4>

    Together with Charon, she went into the changing rooms.

    It was quite spacious, just like a changing room in arge facility like a fitness club or a swimming pool. The students from the other sses seemed to be here as well, and over a hundred girls were changing here.

    I-I¡¯m looking at the floor, okay! And I could only feel their presence! But I couldn¡¯t help but notice the clothes that were scattered on the floor!

    In the midst of all this, Charon made a small sound.

    ¡¸Aah!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, I¡¯ve taken you to the changing room, but did you bring a change of clothes?¡¹

    Aah, Fran had changed her clothes before ss in the instructor¡¯s changing room. So normally, she would have left a change of clothes in there as well.

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I bring it with me¡¹

    ¡¸You can even use Space-Time Magic too? Amazing¡¹

    In her case, she had stored it in the dimensional storage. She rolled her eyes at Fran as she pulled her uniform out of the thin air.

    She had shown a considerable amount of magic before in front of Charon. She had already witnessed she used Fire, Wind, Earth, Thunder, Light, and Space-Time Magic. She seemed to be surprised at her versatility. But perhaps, she¡¯s already used to being surprised by her, so her reaction was rather weak this time.

    ¡¸Charon?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Umm, Fran, do you know how to use the locker?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Heard of it from Inez¡¹

    ¡¸Well, since Fran can use the Space-Time Magic, it might not be of much use for you though¡¹

    It seemed that their next subject was the magical beast¡¯s anatomy, a subject on the dismantling of magic beasts. And Fran¡¯s job as an instructor would be to deal with the Advanced sses after this ss.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll guide you to the ssroom, so let¡¯s change our clothes first¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Fran and Charon then begin to change their clothes. Hmmm, the sound of the clothes rustling was strangely pleasing to my ears. It¡¯s like I¡¯m listening to a sound that I shouldn¡¯t hear.

    Charon suddenly spoke up again while I was waiting nervously for them to finish changing.

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re a high-ranked adventurer but you have very smooth skin¡¹

    Aah, did she expect her to have old scars or something? Well, the more experienced an adventurer was, the more likely they would have some scars on their body. However, in Fran¡¯s case, I¡¯ve healed her with my Recovery Magic, so old wounds were unlikely to remain.

    Well, it¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t have any, but she doesn¡¯t have any noticeable scars.

    ¡¸Do you take care of it in any way?¡¹

    ¡¸Taking care of it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Your skin is so smooth that it¡¯s hard to believe that it¡¯s just because of your age¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you using any beauty serums or other products?¡¹

    Taking care of it, huh? That¡¯s not the case though.

    I let her use the special beauty serum given to her by Elsa (real name Bardiche), the man-like-woman adventurer from Ulmut, on her skin as she told her to. She pays particr care when applying it to her face and exposed limbs.

    Fran was a little annoyed at first, but by making it a routine, she no longer hated it. Well, it seemed that she skipped using it during her training in the ins of the Demon Wolf though, but now she won¡¯t miss her nightly skincare.

    We¡¯ll need to go back for more when the serum we got runs out.

    ¡¸I use this on my skin¡¹

    ¡¸Wow! Isn¡¯t this¡­!?¡¹

    When Fran handed her the serum she had taken from the dimensional storage, Charon raised her voice and widened her eyes. She was probably a few degrees more surprised than when she saw the dimensional storage.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸I-isn¡¯t this Elsa¡¯s brand Beauty Serum! It is said to be a miracle product because of its limited distribution!¡¹

    Elsa¡¯s brand was probably referring to the picture of an axe and a woman on the bottle.

    Charon was getting very excited. Moreover, the color of the surrounding female students¡¯ eyes changed when they heard Charon¡¯s voice.

    All of the students from the other sses, even the students from the Special Battle ss who were too scared to get involved with Fran before were all looking at the bottle Fran was holding.

    However, the owner, Fran herself, was not interested in the serum. She just replied absent-mindedly.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸Wh-where do you get that¡­? After all, it¡¯s not something that even nobles can easily get in their hands, you know? The few that do appear on the market are bought up by the wives of high-ranking nobles¡­ I also heard a rumor that even the Queen uses it as well¡¹

    But Fran only thought of it as a tedious work routine, so she wasn¡¯t particrly impressed with it.

    ¡¸This was given to me by an acquaintance in Ulmut¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, I see. I¡¯ve heard that Ulmut is the ce where this serum is produced, and it¡¯s also the town where Fran made a great achievement. So maybe there¡¯s a connection between it¡¹

    She didn¡¯t mention that she wanted it. It¡¯s not that it was so expensive, but she just couldn¡¯t ask Fran for it. Especially after Fran had disyed her ability to her.

    The girls around us didn¡¯t seem to be calling out to her as well. It seemed that they were ufortable with Charon. Was it because she was a noblewoman? No, maybe it¡¯s because she was in the Special Battle ss. Anyway, it was fine as long as they didn¡¯t cause us any trouble.

    That was what I thought, but it was Fran herself who caused all the trouble.

    ¡¸You can use it too if you want¡¹

    ¡¸Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸Here¡¹

    To my surprise, she handed the bottle of serum to Charon.

    ¡¸A-are you sure??¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Anyone can use it too if they want¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¨D!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    At that moment, the changing room was in shock. Not only the students around Fran and Charon, but even the students far away who had heard the story, dashed to gather around them. Even the students who were scared of her had gathered around Fran in an instant.

    ¡¸E-even a single bottle of this thing usually costs tens of thousands of gold, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a gift though¡¹

    ¡¸Aah! Come to think of it, Fran is someone with an alias¡­! Unlike my poor Baronial family, that much money doesn¡¯t seem to mean much for you, huh!¡¹

    It seemed that Charon, who was hesitant at first, couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of the high-quality serum and those who stared around her were like ¡°Just use it quickly and pass it to us¡±. She then took out a handful of the serum and began to apply it to her skin.

    After that, the surrounding girls started passing around the bottle of serum, and in no time, the bottle was empty.

    Even so, it was not enough for everyone. A covetous gaze then fell on Fran. Then Fran took out a new bottle and handed it to the girls.

    ¡¸You can use it¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaa! Thank you!¡¹

    At this rate, she¡¯ll have to bring out more bottles for them¡­

    ¡ºOi, Fran, you have to save some for yourself, okay?¡»

    (¡­)

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    (Everyone is happy to use it)

    ¡ºAah! You, did you just give it away because you¡¯re toozy to use it at night!?¡»

    (¡­)

    I didn¡¯t know that it was that annoying for her¡­

    Well, they¡¯ll resent her if she takes away what she had given to them, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. However, I won¡¯t let her give them any more than this!

    ¡ºWha, Fran! Why are you taking out another bottle!?¡»

    ¡¸You can use this too¡¹

    ¡¸Yeay! Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸I feel amazingly moist!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahaha! Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Everyone smiled and thanked Fran. Her ssmates who were also excited began to even shake Fran¡¯s hand. It was just like there were no more reservations or walls between them.

    Haa~h. Let¡¯s just say that it was an upfront investment by her to be epted by the female students¡­

 Chapter 561: Rebellious Period?

    <h4>Chapter 561: Rebellious Period?</h4>

    ¡ºHaah¡­ She ended up emptying three bottles of it¡­ We¡¯ll have to get more from Elsa again next time¡»

    It was actually a luxury item, so we¡¯d have to pay for it next time.

    (Muh¡­)

    Fran didn¡¯t look pleased with my idea at all.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    (¡­)

    She turned her face away at my call! I-is this her rebellious period? What do you think, Announcer-san?

    ¡¶Carnivorous Beastmen do not have a rebellious period¡·

    ¡ºEh? Really?¡»

    But it seems, the Beastmen¡¯s rebellious period was actually quite interesting.

    ¡¶Rebellious Period. It is a state of excitement characteristic of growing up, in which stress is expressed in the form of aggression and antisocial behavior toward others. The imbnce between physical and mental growth is considered to be the primary cause¡·

    ¡ºWell, I guess so¡»

    She was at the age when they began to ignore their family members, stop listening to their parents, and even steal someone¡¯s bike to y with it.

    ¡¶Beastmen are said to grow faster than humans and are also considered to be a race that can get excited more easily than Humans and Elves. So, if we apply the definition of rebellious period of the human race to the Beastmen race, especially one that inherited the carnivore factor, then more than half of their life would be considered a rebellious period¡·

    ¡ºIn other words?¡»

    ¡¶Since that state is normal for the Beastmen, they don¡¯t have a rebellious period¡·

    Doesn¡¯t that mean they were in a 24/7 rebellious period!? Well, the Beast King was just like that though.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    Fran, who had been calmly changing in the changing room after the excitement of the serum did not cool down yet, moaned something.

    ¡¸D-do you need something?¡¹

    ¡¸This, how do you use it¡¹

    Then she held up a long piece of cloth.

    Oh! Come to think of it, Fran couldn¡¯t tie a tie by herself! I was the one who tied it for her this morning. And that was quite a tedious task.

    I used to tie it for myself, but it was quite hard to tie it for someone else.

    I¡¯ve seen a few sweet scenes where a young wife ties a tie for her husband, but it must take a lot of practice to do that.

    This morning, I managed to tie it for her by getting to Fran¡¯s back to make me feel like I was tying it for myself, but¡­

    This time she should have just loosened the tie lightly and pulled it off her neck instead of untying itpletely.

    ¡¸Can you give it to me for a moment?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, I remembered that I learned to do it by doing it for the other kids when I first entered the academy¡¹

    Charon then stood on her knees in front of Fran, and she then tied her tie skillfully. As she did so, she also fixed the cor and hem for her. Charon seemed to be a capable girl, doesn¡¯t she?

    ¡¸And, it¡¯s done¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    Immediately after Charon tied her tie, someone came stumbling up to us and approached Fran and Charon.

    ¡¸Hey you! I heard you¡¯re an adventurer, aren¡¯t you!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸That beauty serum, give it to me! It¡¯s useless for amoner like you to use!¡¹

    Uwaah, this was the first time I¡¯ve seen this type of noble since we came to the Academy of Magic.

    ¡¸You want to use it too?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not what I meant! Give all of it to me! I don¡¯t want to be rough with you, so just give it to me and leave!¡¹

    I thought she was just a bit of a tsundere and couldn¡¯t bring herself to say that she wanted to use it too, so she acted haughtily, but it seemed that she was just a regr sh*tty nobleman.

    As I was wondering how to handle the situation, Charon stepped forward with a stern look on her face.

    ¡¸Hey you, Your arrogance will not be tolerated in this academy, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Hah!? What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡¹

    The female student replied with a mocking attitude. Charon then looked at her with pity in her eyes and further warned her.

    ¡¸Weren¡¯t you warned about it when you entered the academy? That no matter who you are, your status is meaningless while at the Academy¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph! It¡¯s indeed that this is arge academy, but how can the prestige of my Marquis family be affected by a mere rule of the academy!? Rather, they should be grateful that someone of such high rank as me choose to enroll here!¡¹

    So, she was a daughter of a Marquis? She must never think that there were ces where her family¡¯s title was meaningless. But that kind of thing was really meaningless to the spirits that protected this academy.

    ¡¸That speaking manner¡­ You¡¯re not from this country, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m a member of the Marquis Renge¡¯s houses, the leading vassal of the glorious Kingdom of Vassar¨D¡¹

    Just as she was getting to blurt it out, a female student then came at her in a fierce dash and jumped at the daughter of Marquis Renge. She then tried to cover up her mouth with her hand.

    ¡¸Wh-what do you think you are doing!?¡¹

    ¡¸That should be my line! What do you think you¡¯re doing here, Miss Kurda¡¹

    ¡¸Get off of me! You¡¯re so rude! Sarltha!¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t your father also tell you to stay quiet and obey the rules here at the academy! Or did you forget about it!?¡¹

    ¡¸I know! That¡¯s why I¡¯m obeying the staff and the nobles of this country in this academy!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure that¡¯s what he asked you to do? What your father meant was that for you not to break any of the rules of this academy and obey them all though!¡¹

    ¡¸But as the eldest daughter of a marquis family, do you expect me to care for a meremoner!? That¡¯s nonsense!¡¹

    This female student, Sarltha, must be her attendant. They couldn¡¯t bring a maid with them, but they could enroll with them and share their room with them.

    ¡¸Jeez! Anyway, this is really bad! It will even be a matter of the family¡¯s future! Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha, let me go!¡¹

    Sarltha seems to be a quite skilled person. She was at least as strong as the students in the Special Battle ss. It seemed that she also doubled as her personal attendant and escort.

    Sarltha who looked deeply troubled bowed to Fran and Charon. She seemed to understand how bad it was to cause a scene in this academy.

    ¡¸Umm, I¡¯m really sorry. I won¡¯t let her approach you again, so can you please just forget what had happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Sarltha! What are yo¨DUgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Just keep silent! Jeez!¡¹

    ¡¸Haah. What should we do now, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Should we just overlook these girls?¡¹

    Fran was the first one to get tangled up, so Charon asked for Fran¡¯s opinion. But Fran was not interested in these girls at all.

    ¡¸Just let them do as they want?¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹

    ¡¸Anyway, can I wear my skirt now?¡¹

    Huh, Fran? You¡¯re not wearing your skirt yet!? But if it had been the Fran before, she would havepletely ignored them, finished changing, and tried to walk away. But just the fact that she stopped changing and tried to listen to them properly was a sign of a big leap in her growth.

    ¡¸Eh? Yes, go ahead. You girls can go now. Well, I don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll meet again, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ I think you might be right¡­¡¹

    Does that mean that they¡¯ll be expelled? Well, it only ended as an attempt though, so I don¡¯t know how much punishment they¡¯ll get.

    Charon shrugged her shoulders as she watched them leave.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll get great credibility if you¡¯re a graduate of this academy even among the foreign nobles, so there are people like that once in a while¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Well, if we wait a little while, the teacher who was called by the spirit will soon arrive here. So, we should be a little patient in such situations¡¹

    Charon advised her that she didn¡¯t have to submit to the arrogance of the nobility, but¡­

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll hold back not to blow them away next time¡¹

    Charon then chuckled when she heard Fran¡¯s words. She must have remembered that the girl in front of her was a strong person with an alias and even the country should be concerned about her.

    ¡¸¡­It seems that I have more things to worry about Fran now¡¹

 Chapter 562: Dissection Class

    <h4>Chapter 562: Dissection ss</h4>

    When we returned to the ssroom from the changing room, the other students had already arrived in the ssroom.

    The boys froze when they saw Fran in her school uniform. But it seemed it was not because of Fran¡¯s cuteness, but because of the trauma from the mock battle.

    The female students were not as distant as they had been in the changing room earlier. Some of them were even waving at her.

    However, the ssroom, which had an enormous male-to-female ratio, quickly became quiet.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran,e here¡¹

    Charon ushered her to a seat among the boys who were holding their breath and staring at Fran.

    Although I called it a ssroom, it was shaped like a bowl, like a university lecture hall. Apparently, there were no seating arrangements, so each person could sit wherever they wanted.

    The reason why Charon purposely sat in thest row was to alleviate everyone¡¯s attention on Fran.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    When Fran and Charon were seated, silence still dominated the ssroom. All the boys were still holding their breath and concentrating on Fran¡¯s presence as if they were facing a fierce beast.

    Seeing that, the female students wereughing at them.

    ¡¸Oya? You guys are quite quiet today, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    The silence was broken by an old man who walked into the ssroom. He must be the teacher for this subject.

    ¡¸N-no, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Well, okay then, let¡¯s start the ss. Oh, right, that reminds me, we¡¯ve got a transfers student, right?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s me¡¹

    ¡¸So you¡¯re the instructor and transfer student that I¡¯ve heard so much about, huh? And a Beastman too, quite rare in our academy¡¹

    The old teacher looked at Fran with interest as she raised her hand. He wasn¡¯t in the staff room when she was introduced this morning.

    ¡¸They also said that you¡¯re an adventurer, but have you done a lot of dismantling?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸So what about this, would you be willing to change things up a bit today and tell us about your experience? It would be a rare opportunity to be able to hear an actual story from an active adventurer after all¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t mind¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! That¡¯s good!¡¹

    The old teacher was more excited than the students. He must be a teacher that liked to do research.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not every day I¡¯d get to hear about a high-ranking adventurer¡¯s dismantling experience!¡¹

    With eyes filled with curiosity, he shouted in joy.

    ¡¸Where should we start then? Oh, that¡¯s it¡­ For example, what is the biggest magic beast you¡¯ve ever dismantled?¡¹

    ¡¸The biggest?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? Or did you haven¡¯t had much experience in dismantling arge magic beast?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know which one to choose because there are too many¡¹

    ¡¸O-ooh! So that¡¯s why! Well, how about the biggest one in recent days?¡¹

    ¡¸¡®That¡¯ will do then, the one I defeated in the ins of the Demon Wolf¡¹

    ¡¸Hohou? Rumor has it that there are all kinds of magic beasts in there. So, what did you y there?¡¹

    The old teacher showed a big smile on his face. He was probably the most serious person in this ssroom right now.

    ¡¸An Invisible Death¡¹

    ¡¸Wh-what did you say!? I-I-Invisible Death!? It¡¯s a magic beast with a threat level of B! And you managed to defeat it!?¡¹

    The students werepletely left behind, weren¡¯t they? Contrary to the excitement of the old teacher, the students looked puzzled.

    ¡¸Uhum. Aah, that¡¯s right. Let me exin about the magic beast called the Invisible Death first¡¹

    There was no textbook, so he began to exin about Invisible Death while writing on the board. As he was a specialist in magic beasts, the old man¡¯s exnation was very detailed.

    However, some things could only be understood through first-hand experience, and Fran would supplement this information ordingly.

    For example, its optical camouge. He knew that it refracted light to camouge, but he didn¡¯t have any concrete information about how stealthy it and how much of a threat it was.

    And so, the ss went on with the conversation between Fran and the old teacher. The students were trying their best to understand, but it seemed to be quite difficult for them.

    It was too powerful to be real, and its abilities were too diverse to be imagined. He tried to exin them with diagrams on the ckboard, but they couldn¡¯t seem to get the hang of it.

    ¡¸Umm, Morley-sensei¡¹

    ¡¸Charon-kun, do you need something?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m having a hard time imagining what the magic beast you¡¯re talking about looks like, so why don¡¯t we use a magic beast book now? I¡¯ll be back in 15 minutes to fetch it¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, you¡¯re right¡¹

    Normally, he would bring a magic beast book from the library and show the pages to the ss.

    Then, Fran pulled out something from the dimensional storage.

    ¡¸This¡¹

    ¡¸C-could it be! An Invisible Death¡¯s Scale!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸D-do you have anything else?¡¹

    ¡¸I kept all of it with me¡¹

    ¡¸A-all of it? Could it be, you have a whole Invisible Death with you!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? I also got two of them¡¹

    The moment Fran nodded; the old teacher let out a crazy scream.

    ¡¸Uhiihoo! C-can you show that to us? Wha? No, for the sake of the young students¡¯ studies, by all means, please let us see it!¡¹

    It was definitely for his interests, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸This ss is too narrow¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s move! Let¡¯s go right away! Come on! Everybody gets ready to move! Let¡¯s get to the dissection room!¡¹

    They all moved to the dissection room after that. On the way, she was also bombarded with questions from the old teacher.

    The dissection room we arrived at was muchrger than I had imagined, and the ceiling was also quite high. It was maderge enough to dissect even arge magic beast.

    Moreover, there were several support magic circles painted on the floor. These magic circles help to preserve the blood of the magic beast during dissection.

    In the middle of it, Fran pulled out the corpse of an Invisible Death. This one was still untouched, the one that she had killed before her training.

    The corpse of the giant beast, over 10 meters in length, d all over with crystal as thick as a pir, attracted everyone¡¯s eyes with its overwhelming presence. Both teacher and students were speechless in front of the huge beast with the scars of the fierce battle still fresh on it.

    Even if they already knew it with knowledge, the impression of it was different when they actually saw it in front of them.

    The corpse of the Invisible Death had a foul odor as some of its bodily fluids and internal organs flowed out. It had been stored in the dimensional storage, so it wouldn¡¯t rot. So, this might be the original smell of its internal organs.

    I was impressed that none of the students felt sick or frowned at the smell. It seems that this was the result of their regr dissection and dismantling activities.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve brought it out¡¹

    ¡¸O-oooh¡­ It¡¯s wonderful¡­ Everyone! Make sure you observe it carefully! You may never have the chance to see a magic beast with a threat level of B up close like this again!¡¹

    The old teacher shouted, and took the initiative to start observing the carcasses of the magic beasts. Seeing this, the students scattered around it and started sketching.

    ¡¸Fran, can you tell me more about this magic beast?¡¹

    ¡¸C-can we join too?¡¹

    It was a group of female students, led by Charon, who approached us.

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s start with the most annoying part. The tail. There¡¯s a hole here, from here¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I see¨D¡¹

    ¡¸And then, there¡¯s this¨D¡¹

    ¡¸What about its ability¨D¡¹

    While listening to Fran¡¯s simple exnations, Charon and the others responded with exaggerated reactions. Fran seemed to be getting into the mood with their reactions. She then continued her exnation with great eloquence that was quite unimaginable for someone like Fran.

    The boys, watching them, gradually came closer and closer to Fran and the others. Some of them even started to ask questions. I guess they realized that they didn¡¯t need to be afraid of Fran any more than they needed to be after actually interacting with her.

    They all listened to Fran¡¯s story of her fierce battle with the Invisible Death, and the difficulties she faced in finishing it off.

    The ss was a little sidetracked, but I hope this has brought her even closer to her ssmates.

 Chapter 563: Beastmen and Magic

    <h4>Chapter 563: Beastmen and Magic</h4>

    ¡ºWell, today we¡¯ll also have a mock battle in the afternoon, but we¡¯ll have normal sses in the morning¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºOh? Feeling enthusiastic, aren¡¯t you? Could it be, that you¡¯re looking forward to the ss?¡»

    But aside from Fran, why does Urushi look so enthusiastic too?

    ¡¸Cooking ss today!¡¹

    Aah, now that she mentioned it¡­

    ¡ºHey, Fran¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºDo you remember what other sses you¡¯d need to go for today?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­?¡¹

    At my question, Fran tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face. She looked as if asking ¡¸What other sses?¡¹ She didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it¨DOr rather, she didn¡¯t seem to feel the need to remember them.

    ¡ºYou remember that you have a Cooking ss today, so you must have looked over the timetable you were given, right? But are you sure you don¡¯t remember anything else?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Well, it was Fran we were talking about¡­

    But Cooking ss was a ss where they¡¯d cook their food, right? How could she be satisfied with students¡¯ cooking? Moreover, in the case of the special battle ss, they were supposed to learn how to cook quick and easy meals on the battlefield or outdoors. So, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able toe up with a dish that suits Fran¡¯s pte.

    ¡ºFran, do you know what kind of ss Cooking ss is?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure I can eat there¡¹

    As Fran¡¯s t chest heaved with anticipation, I told her the truth about the Cooking ss.

    Then Fran¡¯s expression quickly became sad. After all, it wasn¡¯t what she had imagined.

    Urushi¡¯s tail too hung and stopped moving. I guess he was hoping to get some leftovers from a delicious meal. However, it was doubtful whether he would eat the leftovers from an amateur¡¯s cooking. He seemed to have finally understood that.

    She passed the main entrance while feeling down.

    ¡¸Good morning!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Good morning¡¹

    We didn¡¯t get stopped by the guard today. He greeted her with a nice smile.

    She still doesn¡¯t know many people in the academy yet, so she could hardly talk to any of them. However, some students seemed to remember Fran¡¯s face from yesterday¡¯s changing room incident, but she just nodded at their call.

    ¡¸Fran, good morning¡¹

    ¡¸Good morning¡¹

    As soon as she entered the ssroom, Charon immediately called out to her. Fran then casually sat down next to her.

    We had Urushi in his small dog size today. He was sitting next to the chair where Fran sat.

    Even though he was known to be a powerful magic beast, his cute appearance made the female students¡¯ gazes mellow.

    ¡¸¡­Urushi is cute, isn¡¯t he?¡¹

    ¡¸You think so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. No one will be afraid of him when he looks like that¡¹

    Well, Urushi still had a sliver of hope for the Cooking ss and he thought that if he was the size of a small dog then he could be easily fed.

    The first ss of the morning was not a Cooking ss. It was a ss to learn more about the various species that exist in this world.

    ¡¸Well, well. It¡¯s an honor to meet the ck Lightning Princess here. So, you¡¯ve really evolved, haven¡¯t you?¡¹

    The teacher for this ss was a Beastman. His name was Horial, and he was a Deer Beastman. Horial bowed his head respectfully in front of Fran and shook her hand in a somewhat familiar manner.

    However, his eyes were filled with genuine emotion, and I could tell that he was thrilled to be able to see the evolved ck Cat Kin firsthand.

    ¡¸Since Fran-dono is here, let¡¯s talk about evolution today. Untilst year, I¡¯ve taught you that the only Beastmen that could not evolve were the ck Cats, but that theory turned out to be wrong. And the person who made that fact known to the world was this Fran-dono here!¡¹

    Some of the teachings have been changed this year and they were now teaching that the ck Cat Kin was one of the Ten Primordial Races that could evolve when they met the requirements.

    Fran smiled happily when she heard that. She was happy that the ck Cat Kin were being reevaluated.

    ¡¸I¡¯d even say that she has made history! You guys must be really lucky to be in the presence of such a person! Besides, there aren¡¯t many Beastmen in this academy, and none of them has evolved yet. Have you guys witnessed her evolved forms?¡¹

    Charon and the other students then let out a chuckle. Fran was a scary instructor for them. So, I guess, they disagree with the word ¡°lucky¡± in some aspects, as they¡¯ve been beaten to a pulp by Fran in her evolved form.

    However, Fran seemed to be more interested in a different matter.

    ¡¸There aren¡¯t many Beastmen in this academy?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. There¡¯s only a few of us here¡¹

    How was it possible for an academy of this size to have almost no Beastmen? But as I thought back, I certainly hadn¡¯t seen any of them.

    Could it be that in this country or academy, Beastmen were discriminated against?

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Simply put, it¡¯s because this academy was an Academy of Magic, and Beastmen aren¡¯t very good at magic¡¹

    To my surprise, it wasn¡¯t because of discrimination.

    Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard that Beastmen weren¡¯t very good at magic.

    ¡¸Beastman who are good at magic, like the ck Lightning Princess-dono are very rare. And just like what I said before, I¡¯m not very good at magic either¡¹

    I see. In teachers¡¯ case, it doesn¡¯t matter as long as they can teach, so they don¡¯t have to be able to use magic, huh?

    ¡¸Let me exin in detail. First of all, most Beastmen have low magic power. This is a Racial Trait, and is more prominent than in Humans and Dwarves¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸In addition, it also has something to do with their personality¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Personality?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Fran tilted her head in confusion, but I somehow figured it out.

    ¡¸The training of magic is very simple, and it¡¯s also boring, and the results of the daily training won¡¯t be easily visible¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸In other words, many impatient Beastmen are unable to endure that kind of training¡¹

    It was not that they couldn¡¯t endure it, but they were certainly not suited for it. Not all Beastmen were impatient and short-tempered, but I¡¯m sure that was the general tendency for them.

    Among them, the Beastmen who could use magic simply had tremendous talent from the start. They were probably the kind of people who, with a little training, could learn magic in a blink of an eye and handle it with ease. I guess you could also say that they have a keen perception.

    The Beast King and Mea seemed to be that type.

    ¡¸Moreover, many Beastmen aspire to be fighters; they start training when they are about 5 or 6 years old, and many of them start working as apprentices when they are about 10 years old. Therefore, they have little interest in the academy. It ismon for them to think that they would rather learn on the job rather than studying¡¹

    If they n to be adventurers or soldiers in the future, it may be indeed more efficient for them to train from an early age.

    ¡¸Then there is the geographical issue. In this country, the statuses of magicians are great, while in the neighboring countries, the statuses of adventurers are great. As a result, there¡¯s no particr discrimination here, but most of the Beastmen choose to go to the Kingdom of Kranzel¡¹

    However, if you wonder if the Beastmen were absolutely unsuited to be magicians, I¡¯ve heard that this was not the case. One of the major advantages was that the aptitude for magic that each race could use was already determined to some extent.

    Unlike Humans, who may have an aptitude for all kinds of magic, Beastmen often have uneven characteristics in their respective races. Let¡¯s use Horial for example. He was from the Blue Deer Tribe which made it almost certain that they had an aptitude for Water, Earth, and Tree magic.

    Therefore, it was said that they could shorten their training time considerably on that element. On the other hand, he also said that not many of them could use the other elements.

    ¡¸It¡¯s difficult for us to make it big as magicians because of our low magic power, but it¡¯s easier for us to train as Magic Warriors¡¹

    However, it would still be very difficult to get the Beastmen to practice magic. Do you think Fran and the Beast King would be able to continue their in training for years? That would be absolutely impossible.

 Chapter 564: Gods Return

    <h4>Chapter 564: Gods Return</h4>

    Horial¡¯s ss continued further.

    They had gotten a little sidetracked and ended up talking about the Beastmen¡¯s aptitude in magic, but he managed to bring the ss back to the topic of evolution.

    ¡¸Well then, Charon-kun. What is the only species in this world that does not evolve?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s us, humans¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¨D¡¹

    Maybe it¡¯s for Fran¡¯s sake, but Horial said it was just a review of previous lessons and briefly reviewed what they¡¯ve learned so far.

    It was quite a strangebination of natural anthropology and mythology, but it was considered factual in this world.

    To put it simply, after the Gods created this world and finished creating nature, the Great Gods worked together to create man. Then each God created their kindred based on human beings.

    If they¡¯re kin of the Beast and Insect Gods, they would be born as a Beastman or an insect-kin. If they¡¯re kin of the Forest Tree Gods, they would be born as Elves. If they¡¯re kin of the Earth Gods, they would be born as Dwarves or Demons. That¡¯s how it works.

    Each of the demi-humans created by the Gods had special powers given to them by the Gods, and that was why they could evolve.

    It may seem that the humans were the only race that didn¡¯t have any special powers, but actually, the humans were given the power of the Ten Great Gods in a bnced manner. That was why humans were an excellent race with lots of capabilities and high fertility. So, it was not that they couldn¡¯t evolve, but that they didn¡¯t need to.

    Well, it seemed that the interpretation of that also differed depending on the ce. As there¡¯s no way for a country ruled by Human Royals would teach their people that humans were a poor race with no good qualities.

    The Beastman countries too would teach that the Beastmen were the strongest and noblest race that didn¡¯t rely on the puny thing known as magic.

    ¡¸Well, let¡¯s talk about evolution now. First of all, non-humanoid races can naturally evolve if they level up and meet the requirements. There are also cases of mutation, but please differentiate between mutation and evolution, okay?¡¹

    I learned that demons don¡¯t evolve, but they mutate. Evolution was a big change that came when someone reached their level cap, while mutation was a small change that was possible to achieve regardless of their level as long as the conditions were met.

    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re Beastmen, an Elf, a Dwarf, or Dragonmen, they can still evolve¡¹

    However, it was said that among the species that could evolve and mutate, there were individuals who sometimes undergo a special kind of evolution.

    The Ten Primordial Beastman races, for example, were said to have that kind of special evolution. But there were also special evolutions in other races as well.

    Ashwrath¡¯s race, the Cmity Demon, was a legendary race whose existence was always questioned. It may not be clearly proved yet, but it was clear that a special evolutionary process had made him stronger than normal.

    ¡¸Among these special evolutions, there is a particrly rare one. It¡¯s the evolution called the Gods Return or the Ancestral Return. Some researchers even refer to them as the ¡°Godlike beings¡±¡¹

    That¡¯s quite a big name.

    ¡¸As the word suggests, it is believed to be an evolution of a species that is close to the Primordial Races that were created by Gods themselves. Well, perhaps I should call it a ¡°Regression¡± rather than an ¡°Evolution¡±, but I¡¯ll talk about it as a form of evolution here. As far as I know, the High Elves are one of the examples of a Gods Return¡¹

    The main difference that differentiates the Gods Return from a normal evolution was the change in races.

    Take the Elves, for example. They have sub-species such as Wood Elves, Leaf Elves, and Grass Elves, but no matter how much they evolved, they would still be Elves.

    In Weena Rhyn case, however, things were a little different.

    She was a High Elf but also seemed to be a Demigod herself.

    (Amazing, she reached the gods)

    ¡ºReally? So, that meant that Weena Rhyn was like a god herself?¡»

    Both Fran and I were so surprised, but it seemed that was not the case. A Demigod was not officially a God but was positioned as beings second to the Gods.

    ¡¸However, there¡¯s only a few of them in history, so this is just my opinion based on what I¡¯ve read and what I¡¯ve heard from the director¡¹

    ¡¸Other than the High Elves, are there other races that have achieved the Gods Return?¡¹

    The other students then began to actively ask questions, as if their nervousness about Fran¡¯s presence hadpletely disappeared.

    ¡¸That¡¯s a good question. As far as I know, the Elder Dwarves achieved the Dwarven God Return and the God Demons achieved the Demon God Return¡¹

    ¡¸So, what about the unidentified races?¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see. First, there¡¯s the Divine Dragonmen, they¡¯re said to be the Return of the Dragon God, but the documents about them have been lost due to the destruction of the Continent of Gordisia. However, their existence is still known among the Dragonmen, so there¡¯s a high possibility that they actually exist¡¹

    The Divine Dragonmen. I had an idea of what beings they were. In the battle in the Royal Capital, Velmeria, who was being controlled by The Sword of Blind Devotion - Fanatics, and went out of control, must have some kind of skill to be a Divine Dragonman.

    And I¡¯ve witnessed how tremendous her power was when she used that skill.

    So, wasn¡¯t that the Divine Dragon?

    ¡¸And for us Beastmen. I¡¯ve once heard that there¡¯s a saying that some of the oldest kin among us also has a being called as the Divine Beastman¡¹

    ¡¸Divine Beastman?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s said to be a being whose power even transcends the Ten Primordial Races. And there¡¯s also a story of it defeating a Divine Sword with its bare hands¡¹

    ¡¸Eehh?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s, really¡­¡¹

    The students then made amotion when they heard Horial¡¯s words. There were also sses about the Divine Sword in this academy, and that must have been told of its tremendous power.

    Maybe, they must think that Horial, who is also a Beastman himself, was exaggerating about the Beastmen¡¯s Gods Return.

    But Fran and I have different thoughts. Because I¡¯ve actually witnessed Velmeria fighting evenly with Ashwrath, a Divine Sword user, and as for Weena Rhyn, we hadn¡¯t seen her using all of her power, but she seemed to have enough power to fight a Divine Sword.

    ¡ºAnd if that Divine Beastman has the power of Weena Rhyn or Velmeria ss¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn. There¡¯s a possibility of it winning against a Divine Sword¡¹

    Fran¡¯s muttering seemed to have caught the ears of a surprising number of students. Horial, too, asked back with great interest.

    ¡¸Do you have any thought about it, ck Lightning Princess-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ve fought Weena Rhyn before, so I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s strong enough to fight a Divine Sword¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Have you ever seen a Divine Sword?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve seen Ashwrath fight with his Divine Sword¡¹

    ¡¸I see. So, you¡¯ve seen both the Divine Sword and the Gods Return, huh!?¡¹

    The noise in the ssroom got even louder. Apparently, the story of her seeing a Divine Sword in an open state was shocking. She was then bombarded with questions from the surrounding students.

    I was afraid that Horial would get angry with her for sidetracking the lesson, but he ended up asking her a question about the Divine Sword himself.

    He just liked the legends in this world, so it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    In the end, they ended up talking about Ashwrath and his Divine Sword until the ss ended.

 Chapter 565: Cooking Drill

    <h4>Chapter 565: Cooking Drill</h4>

    Once Horial¡¯s ss was over, the next ss was the Cooking ss.

    However, for some reason, the ss was held outside, not in the cooking room or the cafeteria. The students were gathered in their uniforms on the grass field.

    The ground was covered with the blue sheet that I had seen at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before, and on top of it were the corpses of about ten magic beasts.

    It looked like a one-meter-long roon. Its fur was dry and shaggy, and it was not very clean.

    And it smelled bad. It was faint, but it smelled like rotten eggs.

    This magic beast was called the Skunk Roon. Its meat smelled so bad that even if you cooked it properly, it wouldn¡¯t be very edible. In fact, an ordinary adventurer would probably only collect its magic stones and poison nds and discard the rest.

    The fur and other materials are of low quality and are not worth selling too.

    But, could it be, they were expected to cook this thing?

    Arge woman was standing in front of the blue sheet. Her name was Yafi, and she was also a former adventurer.

    ¡¸Today¡¯s Cooking ss is designed to teach you how to process and cook the magic beasts you¡¯ve killed in the field!¡¹

    It seemed that they didn¡¯t just have to cook it, but they also had to dismantle it themselves as well.

    ¡¸You have to dismantle and cook this Skunk Roon, remember what I¡¯ve taught you so far! You can make anything you want with it!¡¹

    As I¡¯ve expected, this Skunk Roon was prepared for them to cook. She¡¯d prepared them a quite nasty prey, hadn¡¯t she?

    ¡¸Split up into groups and each group must take care of one of them! And make sure you make enough portions for all of us!¡¹

    It seemed that this ss was meant to prepare for the times when they lose their food, as they were forced to cook and eat nasty prey.

    When Urushi realized that, he quietly disappeared into Fran¡¯s shadow.

    ¡¸Umm, you must be Fran, right? I wonder what task to give to you¡­ Have you ever dismantled a magic beast or cooked one?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve experienced both of it¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸As expected of a solo high-ranked adventurer. If that¡¯s the case, where should I ce you then?¡¹

    ¡¸How about she join our group?¡¹

    It was Charon who raised her voice. Although her group¡¯s members didn¡¯t reject her idea, their faces looked a little uncertain.

    ¡¸But, I wonder if Fran would like to join her group¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Aaah, and also, you don¡¯t have to hold back, okay? You can use whatever spices you have on hand¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s prettymon for adventurers to have unexpectedpanions to join their party. But can you really ask them to hold back just because your share would be reduced?¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸In fact, if you can¡¯t draw out the abilities of those irregrpanions and cooperate with them, you shouldn¡¯t consider yourself as a pro¡¹

    That was probably true. I¡¯m sure there are times when multiple parties will take on a joint request, and there are also times when a solo adventurer who knows a particr region will be temporarily added to the party.

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯d also like to have at least some good food too¡¹

    So that was her real intention!

    Nevertheless, I¡¯m not going to do anything to help Fran this time. Aside from dismantling, if I interfere with the cooking process, the food will usually taste better. But I want Fran to have to gain her own experience too.

    ¡¸I look forward to working with you. Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Me too¡¹

    ¡¸Also, I¡¯d like to introduce you to my group members¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m Rellus. It¡¯s nice to meet you¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Marquez¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Osless. Nice to meet you¡¹

    The frail-looking guy was Rellus. He seemed to be a magician from the Demon Kin. He was quite an unusual student of the Special Battle ss, as he was a pure magician type.

    The serious-looking macho guy was Marquez. He was the opposite of Rellus and was probably a shield user.

    Thest man was a frivolous-looking gentleman. He¡¯s Osless. And he looked to be in his early twenties.

    Well, since the Academy of Magic does not limit admission by age, so some of them are older than others.

    It seemed that these three people, including Charon, were a group in the Cooking ss. At first, I thought they were friends who had formed a party at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but it seemed that was not the case.

    ¡¸We don¡¯t have a fixed party when we take quests at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s also unlikely that we¡¯ll be able to make a party with our ssmates after graduation¡¹

    If they were to form a party with only their ssmates, they would not be able to respond flexibly in times of need. In order to prevent this, the students of the Special Battle ss are required to change theirbinations in turns when they take quests outside.

    ¡¸I know in yesterday¡¯s ss that Fran has dismantling skills, but what about cooking?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ It¡¯s so-so? I¡¯m not as good as Master¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Fran¡¯s master? What kind of person is he?¡¹

    ¡¸Master is the best, he can do anything¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that is¡­ Well, he¡¯s Fran¡¯s master, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s true¡¹

    Fran¡¯s master must be even more screwed up. That must be what she thought of me.

    ¡¸So, what do you want us to do? We don¡¯t mind you giving us instructions¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    How could you ask Fran, who still hadn¡¯t mastered her Cooking Skills to give you instructions¡­? Charon, you¡¯re quite a gambler, aren¡¯t you? No, did she decide to just follow a high-ranked adventurer, which was, in a sense, a natural thing to do for an adventurer?

    Her group members don¡¯t seem to have any objections as well. Rather, they were nodding happily. The one who was clearly happy with it was Osless

    ¡¸Uwaah, we¡¯re saved. All the guys in this group are really bad at cooking¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yeah. It¡¯s because everyone except me is totally useless~. Well, all three of them are nobles, so it¡¯s no wonder¡¹

    It seems that the three of them were children of small noble families, but still, they had a maid or two in their houses. But after entering this academy, they¡¯ve worked a little harder, but they were not good at it.

    Osless, on the other hand, was the son of a Chief Soldier and came from amoner family. Therefore, he had been helping his mother in the kitchen since he was a child, and he seemed to have no qualms about cooking.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not really skilled at it, but I¡¯m better than these guys. And I also have some useful skills as well¡¹

    And so, they choose Fran to be their leader, with Osless as her assistant, and the other three ready to take instruction.

    ¡¸Are there any spices in this group¡¯s inventory?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Each group has its inventory¡¹

    ¡¸Then bring them all. And bring some cooking utensils too¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸First, secure the prey, get the best one¡¹

    ¡¸Even if you tell us to get the best one, they¡¯re the same magic beast, you know? And their size is about the same too. Will that really make any differences?¡¹

    ¡¸It probably took days to prepare it. So, obviously, there¡¯s a difference in its freshness¡¹

    ¡¸How can we tell the difference?¡¹

    ¡¸The smell, the hair, the cloudiness of the eyes. And the color of its tongue¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Now, I wonder what kind of food she¡¯ll make.

 Chapter 566: Cooking Drill, Start!

    <h4>Chapter 566: Cooking Drill, Start!</h4>

    Fran started by checking the seasonings and discussed what kind of dish she was going to cook.

    ¡¸Umm, Fran? Shouldn¡¯t we split up and start dismantling?¡¹

    ¡¸The other group has already started dismantling, you know¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. I can dismantle such a magic beast in no time¡¹

    ¡¸As expected of Fran¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s so reliable¨D¡¹

    I sneaked a peek at the other group¡¯s work, and it was pretty bad. They were slow as they didn¡¯t understand the structure of their prey, and their overall work was poor. It would probably take them more than half an hour just to dismantle it.

    On the other hand, as long as she was careful with the Skunk Roon¡¯s poison nds and magic stones, it would only take Fran less than five minutes to dismantle it.

    Well, it was thanks to our Dismantling Skills though. Come to think of it, I¡¯m a lot better than I was when I first came to this world. I missed the old days when I tried to dismantle something randomly and ended up tearing the materials apart.

    ¡¸Is this all the seasoning we have?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Yeah¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    Fran made an unusually small grunt when she saw the seasonings that Charon and the others had prepared.

    Well, I knew how she felt. After all, on the table, there were only rock salt, pepper, and two kinds of herbs. The rest was seasoned salt mixed with chopped mushrooms and oil. That was all they had.

    The seasoned salt seemed to be handmade by an amateur, and the herbs were of a weak type with little aroma and taste.

    Apparently, they only have things that could be collected in the wild. When she asked them about it, they said that it was the seasonings that they had collected in their previous sses.

    ¡¸¡­Can we buy some?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s allowed, but we¡¯re not very familiar with the seasonings¡­¡¹

    Until now, they had only been able to get the food to be edible by adding salt and herbs and heating them.

    But this time, the Skunk Roon won¡¯t be that simple, you know? We couldn¡¯t get rid of its foul scent by just heating it.

    But as expected, we don¡¯t have the time to go to town and buy the seasonings now.

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll do something about the seasoning then¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have some?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I have a lot of them¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, now that I remember, Fran can use Space-Time Magic, isn¡¯t she?¡¹

    And so, Fran and her group decided to proceed with the dismantling first.

    If Fran gave her best, it would be over quickly, but she chose to dismantle it while giving some details to Charon and the others. This was probably because it was part of the ss. Fran must have understood that she shouldn¡¯t do everything herself.

    But before Fran and the others could start dismantling, there was a scream from the other groups. And then, the other group started screaming too, while holding their eyes and noses.

    ¡¸Ugh¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸What smell is this¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸It stinks! Stink, stink, stink!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaa¨D!¡¹

    Apparently, a group had damaged the poison nd during dismantling. The venom of the Skunk Roon was only slightly poisonous, but the smell was very horrible.

    People tend to think that¡¯s what causes the smell of its meat, but it¡¯s actually not. In the blood of Skunk Roons, there was aponent that helps them withstand their own poisonous gas. The chemical-like scent of these ingredients was the true source of its meat¡¯s smell.

    On the other hand, the poison smelled like strong sulfur. The smell also seemed to have spread to the surrounding area all at once. All the groups were in agony with tears in their eyes.

    Charon and the others were starting to smell it too. Aside from the three men, that must be horrible for Charon, she was a daughter of a Nobleman after all. Fran also seemed to have smelled the gas for a moment and was frowning.

    However, she immediately used her wind magic to blow the air around her and put up a barrier to block the smell.

    ¡¸I-I was saved¡¹

    ¡¸Th-thanks¡¹

    ¡¸That was really terrible¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah, you all look awful¡¹

    The people around them were in a half panic, but Fran didn¡¯t really care. Once they were sure that their surroundings were no longer smelly, she went back to exin the dismantling process.

    ¡¸Then, use a knife to cut here¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Ah, yes!¡¹

    Charon and the others quickly concentrated on Fran¡¯s hands, remembering that they were behind in their work.

    They proceeded in this manner and finished almost all the dismantling in about 10 minutes. Of course, she didn¡¯t make any mistakes that could damage the poison nds and cause a foul-smellingmotion again.

    ¡¸That was an amazing technique¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m impressed¡¹

    ¡¸Anyone can do it once they get used to it. More importantly, what should we do with this?¡¹

    ¡¸If we can harvest its magic stones, we give them to the teacherter¡¹

    It seemed that teachers would bring it to the Adventurer¡¯s Guilds and the like to cover some of the costs of conducting the sses.

    ¡¸We got quite a lot of meat. But what should we make with it?¡¹

    ¡¸S-somehow, it smells strange¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The color is also bad¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s quite a lot of muscle too. I wonder how it tastes?¡¹

    Charon and the others looked at each other as they didn¡¯t think it wouldn¡¯t taste good before they ate it. Fran could only nod at that.

    ¡¸Nn. It was very smelly and quite unappetizing. This is nothing a little roasting can fix¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah. Then¡­ What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t have any choice. Let¡¯s use this¡¹

    What Fran took out from the dimensional storage was a variety of curry powder that I had blended. The aroma and spiciness could be adjusted ording to the ingredients and cooking methods.

    ¡¸Umm, what is this?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry powder made by Master. With this, any ingredient can taste better. The supreme seasoning!¡¹

    ¡¸Hee, is curry the name of the dish?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. The best food¡¹

    ¡¸That sounds awesome. But its scent was quite strange. I wonder if it¡¯s a mixture of spices?¡¹

    Osless was the only one who took a bite out of the curry powder. If they were not interested in cooking, it was just a rare seasoning for them.

    But soon, Charon raised her voice.

    ¡¸Wait a minute. When you say curry, isn¡¯t it a new dish that has recently started to be popr in the Kingdom of Kranzel?¡¹

    ¡¸Master made it¡¹

    ¡¸Could it be, Fran¡¯s Master is the rumored Curry Master? I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s a very skilled cook¡­ But wasn¡¯t your Master an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Master can do everything. His cooking, his fighting, his magic, everything is top-notch. He is my master of everything¡¹

    ¡¸I-is that so? Is he a famous adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Not an adventurer. Master is Master¡¹

    While they were talking, Osless had checked the curry powder.

    ¡¸How do I use it? Do I just sprinkle it on and grill it?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine too, but I¡¯ll use it differently this time¡¹

    After that, they all proceeded with the cooking, with Fran giving the directions.

    It¡¯s quite hard to believe that Fran was telling people what to do and working together to cook¡­ If it had been her before, she would have finished it all by herself and ate the food alone.

    I could feel Fran¡¯s growth, and I¡¯m about to cry. But I don¡¯t have tear nds though.

 Chapter 567: Franâ€™s Cooking

    <h4>Chapter 567: Fran''s Cooking</h4>

    Fran and her group had decided on the dish they were going to make and started cooking it, but the way they cooked was very different from the other groups.

    While the other groups were cooking with pans over the fire, they were using improvised stoves made with Earth Magic.

    Moreover, Fran provided them with top-grade knives and pans from her dimensional storage. It was a very high-quality product made by a Dwarven master.

    The seasoning used in the preparation and the milk used to remove the smells was also usedvishly.

    She also used a makeshift pressure cooker made with abination of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water Magic to cook the meat until it was tender.

    The makeshift-pressure cooker looked simple at first nce, but it was actually a technique that required a high level of skill and was very difficult to maintain and adjust inbination with magic.

    Well, no one was aware of that though. But if a Magic Teacher were to see it, they would be amazed at the waste of its use.

    Yafi, the teacher in charge of the Cooking ss, was admiring all the dishes that Fran and her group hadid out in front of her.

    ¡¸Hee? It has no distinctive pungent smell at all. It¡¯s almost hard to believe that you used Skunk Roon meat for this¡¹

    From the white porcin dishes, it was hard to believe that they were used for outdoor cooking. No, it was not only Yafi but the rest of the groups seemed to think so as well.

    ¡¸What kind of cooking is this?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸It looks delicious¡­ Moreover, they even made four dishes in such a short time¡­¡¹

    It was not just the cooking that the students were impressed with.

    ¡¸Did you see how fast they dismantled it? That was amazing¡¹

    ¡¸I also listened to her exnation, and it was very informative¡¹

    ¡¸As expected of a real active adventurer¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Or rather, I never thought that magic can be used like that¡¹

    ¡¸One day, I¡¯m gonna be able to do the same¡­¡¹

    Even if she had simply cooked outdoors, they could feel the difference in their abilities. They looked exhausted and looked at Fran with envy.

    Well, the students were probably tired because they were physically and mentally drained from the multiple foul smell disturbances that had urred. Perhaps, half of the groups had failed to dismantle and damaged its poison nds. If they had smelled the fainting stench over and over again, they must have been exhausted.

    ¡¸This looks delicious¡¹

    Yafi¡¯s words probably summed up her feelings pretty well. As far as I could tell, the food had not been good so far.

    It was all about herb-crusted grilled food and salty soup. She couldn¡¯t stop eating for the assessment, and it was quite hard for her.

    The only thing that seemed to be better was the cooking of the group that received good reviews in this ss every time. A brown-skinned, tinum-blonde, fresh-looking man from another continent was in charge of the cooking as the leader of that group.

    He seemed toe from a desert country called the Kingdom of Azalea, which was apparently famous for its cuisine that used a lot of spices. In this ss, he was also making Azalean soup and a torti-like dish with grilled meat sandwiched between flour dough.

    At first nce, I thought the soup might be a curry soup, but it seemed more like a stew with spices.

    The filling of the torti was ayer of thinly sliced meat that has been baked and then sliced into thin strips, just like a kebab.

    The spices and coconut milk seemed to have removed a lot of the smell from the meat, but it was not perfect due to theck of preparation such as draining the blood. Yafi¡¯s assessment of it was ¡¸It¡¯s so-so¡¹.

    Now, how would the cooking that Fran and her group had cooked, be evaluated?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll dig in then¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder if this is pounded and minced Skunk Roon meat? Is that cheese on top?¡¹

    ¡¸After removing as much fat as possible from the abdomen, we crushed it into small pieces, mixed with special seasoning, rolled up and baked¡¹

    Well, to put it simply, it was a hamburger steak mixed with curry powder and baked, with cheese on top of it.

    ¡¸And how does it taste¨D¨D¡¹

    Yafi then used her fork to cut up the hamburger and slowly brought it to her mouth.

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡­!¡¹

    (*munching SFX)

    Immediately after chewing once and twice, her eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡¸Delicious! What the hell is this!? It tastes like something that you¡¯d normally need to pay for! And it has the mostplex taste I¡¯ve ever had¡­ It¡¯s a little bit spicier than Azalean food, but¡­ What is this spiciness¨D¨D¡¹

    Yafi was surprisingly urate in her analysis of vors. I thought she was just an adventurer who wanted to teach outdoor cooking, but it seemed she was well versed in food and cooking.

    ¡¸Is this jerky? You did a great job making it in such a short time¡¹

    ¡¸Fresh jerky made with magic¡¹

    ¡¸Your magic is quite amazing then¡­ Hmm¡­ It has a unique taste from the seasoning and spices. Aah, it made me want to have some alcohol¡¹

    ¡¸And this. I made it with meat miso. Wrap it in this flour crepe¡¹

    ¡¸Another unusual dish. Mogu mogu¨D¨D it¡¯s also delicious. Incredible!¡¹

    Fran, whose Cooking Skill was already at its highest level, had used spices and miso to cover up the smell and taste. She chose a dish that she could make right here from the many dishes I¡¯ve made in the past and recreated it.

    ¡¸Andst but not least, the mysterious soup¡­ Is it soup? It looks oddly thick¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s curry. The most delicious food in the world¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that¡¯s quite a big one. Let¡¯s find out how it tastes¡­ Mogu mogu¡¹

    The other dish that Fran prepared was a curry with a lot of ingredients. There was no rice though.

    It was a slightly spicy red curry with meat and vegetables tenderized in a makeshift pressure cooker. When Yafi took a bite of the curry, she looked even more surprised than before.

    ¡¸Th-this is! What aplex taste! It¡¯s spicy, but it only makes me want to eat more of it¡­!¡¹

    Yafi, who had only eaten a few bites of the other group¡¯s dishes before, said that she couldn¡¯t judge well if she was full, but right now, she was gobbling up Fran and her group¡¯s cooking.

    This would be an unquestionably high evaluation.

    ¡¸W-we¡¯ll have some of that too¡¹

    Charon and the others, who had been holding out so Yafi could assess it first, couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I-I can finally eat it¡¹

    ¡¸It looks delicious¡¹

    ¡¸I-ta-da-ki-ma-su!¡¹ (Note: Thanks for the food!)

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi also came out and got some curry. However, his actions were quite disgraceful. He then ate the curry while paying attention to Fran who made it, but I could tell by the way his tail wagged how happy he was.

    But Fran was not angry at him. Rather, Fran herself had a subtle expression on her face. For Fran, who loved curry, the taste must not be satisfactory.

    Even so, it was very well received by her group. Fran wasparing it to my cooking, so it¡¯s a harsh assessment, but I¡¯m sure it was a lot better than most of the cooking the other groups made.

    The other ssmates looked enviously as Charon and her group ate their curry while saying how delicious it was. The rule was that they had to eat everything they made, so all the groups were forced to eat their food.

    ¡¸¡­H-hey. If you have any leftover, could I have a bite of that food?¡¹

    The first person who approached her was the handsome young man who made the Azalean dish. He was good at cooking and seemed to be very interested in it.

    ¡¸Sure¡¹

    ¡¸Really!? Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh! I want some too!¡¹

    ¡¸Me too! Me too!¡¹

    In the end, everyone raised their hands in the air. However, there was not enough for everyone who wanted it.

    Well, to the students who lost in rock-paper-scissors, good luck next time!

 Chapter 568: The Curryâ€™s Impact

    <h4>Chapter 568: The Curry''s Impact</h4>

    They got a high mark in Cooking ss. They made the best use of what they had and made delicious food.

    But even after such ss, Fran still went to the cafeteria to eat lunch.

    Charon and her group members were following her too. It was probably because the amount of food they ate in the Cooking ss was not enough for them.

    But for their ssmate, they probably just want to remove the bad taste from their mouth.

    While everyone else was enjoying the food served in the cafeteria, only Fran was eating something different. In the cafeteria, people were allowed to bring in their food from outside. Well, it was just a school cafeteria after all.

    The students, especially those who do not live in the dormitory butmute from the town, seemed to get their meals from outside.

    And of course, what Fran was eating was the curry rice.

    The Skunk Roon curry that they made wasn¡¯t quite satisfying for Fran. So, she decided to eat some curry¡­

    ¡¸Nn. This is for you¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran then continues to shove the curry into her mouth over and over again. Urushi too, but since he ate his curry in his puppy mode, his mouth was all messy.

    Looking at Fran and Urushi eating, Charon seemed to be a little envious.

    ¡¸That must be a dish made with the curry powder from the Cooking ss earlier, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Yes, but different¡¹

    ¡¸Ummm¡­? It isn¡¯t curry?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s curry. But it¡¯spletely different from the one we had earlier. This is the real thing. The one we made earlier was a total failure¡¹

    ¡¸The one we made earlier? It was so delicious though?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Have some¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Th-thank you. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­ Aaah¡¹

    Charon hesitantly sipped at the spoon that Fran had offered to her.

    ¡¸Th-this is¡­! I-it¡¯s delicious! Certainly, it can¡¯t bepared to the one we had earlier!¡¹

    I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve seen that look of astonishment today.

    Well, the food they made in the Cooking ss may have been delicious, but the ingredients used were not good, and the curry powder was not mixed properly. On the other hand, what Fran just made her eat was the best curry I made with all my heart.

    Needless to say, this one should have tasted better.

    Looking at Charon who was impressed, Fran showed her smug face.

    ¡¸Fufun¡¹

    ¡¸Is that the one that Fran¡¯s Master makes?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Is he really an adventurer? Not a cook?¡¹

    She must feel very happy for her to praise the curry. Fran then took out a bowl of curry from the dimensional storage and ced it in front of Charon.

    ¡¸I-is this for me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    Charon thanked her with a radiant smile. She had already filled her stomach with the lunch provided by the cafeteria, but she seemed to still be able to eat more.

    ¡¸Thanks for the food¡¹

    As one would expect from a noble, the way she moved the spoon was elegant at first, but her pace then became incredible. Her hand never stopped moving the spoon, and the curry in the bowl was steadily decreasing.

    ¡¸I-is it that good? H-hey, let us have some too¡­¡¹

    They came to the cafeteria after the Cooking Drill, so Osless and the other boys were sitting together at the same table as Fran.

    Seeing Charon eating the curry so deliciously, I guess they couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. Osless then said that he wanted to eat it too.

    If it was Fran from before, she would have found it hard to share the curry. However, I wondered if she had developed a sense of friendship after the short time they spent together in the Cooking ss.

    Fran then willingly served them some curry. She also served it with a side of sliced vegetables pickled in soy sauce.

    ¡¸It¡¯s delicious!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, God! This is so good¡¹

    ¡¸Gatsu gatsu!¡¹ (*munching SFX)

    It was just that, you know if she serves curry to only Osless and the others here¨D¨D

    ¡¸¡­Gulp¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Slurp¡¹

    All their ssmates around were looking at Fran¡¯s table with a menacing look like starving beasts.

    No, even the other students, other than their ssmates, were also looking at them.

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Fran and Urushi, who can smile even when surrounded by a pack of magic beasts, were being pressured by the students.

    ¡¸¡­This, have some too¡¹

    ¡ºAh! If you do that¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸Uwoooh¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The moment Fran took out one of the barrels from the dimensional storage, an earth-shaking cheer suddenly rose. It already sounded like a war cry.

    ¡ºPa-panic will ur here!¡»

    I braced myself for that, but Osless, Marquez, and Rellus voluntarily took charge of serving the food and organizing a line.

    ¡¸It seems like it¡¯s our fault¡­ So, let us at least do this¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s right¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t know what will happen if we leave them alone¡¹

    The Special Battle ss seemed to be well respected, and the students from other departments obediently followed their instruction. Thanks to that, we were able to finish distributing the curry smoothly without any incident breaking out.

    ¡¸It tastes much better than cafeteria food!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s already more than a few degrees higher¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right! This is certainly hundreds of times better!¡¹

    While Fran gazed sadly at the empty barrel, there were shouts of joy in various parts of the cafeteria. Apparently, the curry was well epted.

    However, other people besides Fran could not simply be happy about the situation. But it was not Charon and the others.

    ¡¸Hey, you. The little Beastman there¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing here without telling us?¡¹

    The words alone sounded as if he was part of the town¡¯s hoodlums, but I suppose that was to be expected.

    The man who was staring at Fran with a blue mark on his forehead was an elderly man dressed in a white cook¡¯s uniform.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Noritz, I¡¯m in charge of cooking here. Can I have a talk with you for a moment?¡¹

 Chapter 669: Academyâ€™s Cafeteria Reform

    <h4>Chapter 669: Academy''s Cafeteria Reform</h4>

    The cook, Noritz, showed up looking a little pissed off, but after listening to him carefully, I found out that he was actually very interested in the curry.

    His tone of voice made him sound like he was angry, but the words that came out were a request to eat the curry. A tsundere old man. Good grief, that wasn¡¯t moe at all!

    He really wanted to try my curry himself, and he was angry at us for causing a scene, but the smells are so delicious. He was a little offended by what the students were saying, but he was interested in the unique dish.

    It seemed that such a mixture of emotions resulted in his tsundere response.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ This is delicious, isn¡¯t it? This must have used a lot of spice to make it¡­¡¹

    Noritz analyzed various things from the curry Fran had given to him.

    ¡¸As expected of the one who developed it, they are two of three steps ahead of the recipes they sell¡¹

    ¡¸You know about the curry recipe?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They sell it at Lucille¡¯s Trading Company. I¡¯m also interested in the fact that it was developed by a silver-ranked cook¡¹

    Apparently, Noritz was a member of the Cooking Guild. It was not a very big organization, but most cooks from big restaurants were members.

    And when he learned that the developer of the curry was a Silver Rank member of the Cooking Guild, he decided to buy it.

    ¡¸I was shocked by it. However, if I make it by following the recipe, the cost would be quite high¡­¡¹

    Noritz said that the most important thing he paid attention to when he cooked was nutritional bnce. Next is quantity. Thest is taste. Of course, he does not want to serve bad food. However, there was a limit to what he could do within his budget.

    There may be many ways to make this at home, but they have to make food for thousands of people with a small number of people. They also don¡¯t have enough time orbor for even a small amount of innovation.

    ¡¸By the way, what is the cost to make this?¡¹

    ¡¸It was¨D¨D¡¹

    When she gave him a rough idea of the cost and the ingredients used, Noritz put his head in his hands. The soup stock was made from the bones of magic beasts, and a variety of their meats were used. Magical nts were usedvishly too. So it was probably not something that could be served in a school cafeteria.

    It seemed that Noritz was also trying to make a good and cheap curry, but it just didn¡¯t seem to be working. If he reduced the number of expensive spices, it bes just like a soup with a few spices.

    In the first ce, spices were expensive in this country. Well, since Barbra was a port town, it was particrly cheap to buy there. So if he used such spices as in the recipe, the cost will inevitably go up.

    Seeing Noritz so distressed, Fran seemed to feel sorry for him. She could tell that deep down he wanted to make sure that the students had the best food possible.

    (Master, can we do something?)

    ¡ºHmm, I actually had an idea¡»

    Noritz¡¯s mistake would have been to try to replicate the taste of the recipe based on the one sold at Barbra. I guess it¡¯s because he had an assumption that that was how a curry should be¡­ But with a limited budget and ingredients, it was impossible to do so even for me.

    ¡¸¡­I have an Idea¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Could it be, you want to help us?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Oooh! Thank you! Then, what should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸Let me use the kitchen¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    Fran then cooked and prepared the dish ording to my instructions. Naturally, it was Fran and Urushi who were the first to taste it.

    Seeing how well they ate, Noritz followed suit and took a bite of her cooking.

    ¡¸This is¡­ It is curry, but it¡¯s not the curry I know. However, it¡¯s cheap and delicious¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s Curry Mapo Rice¡¹

    ¡¸Mapo? What an interesting name¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a little different from curry, but it¡¯s delicious¡¹

    What we made was a curry Mapo with fewer spices and more sansho (Japanese pepper). In this country, a variety of sansho could be obtained inexpensively. After all, they grew naturally everywhere.

    But Noritz and the others never thought of it as something they could use for the curry. They never thought that the inexpensive sansho, which they usually used inrge quantities, would be a good substitute for expensive spices. The smell was quite different too.

    I took advantage of that and made a curry-like version of a dish that originally existed in this area, a dish simr to Mapo seasoned with sansho, soy sauce, and sugar. The spiciness of this dish was different from that of curry, but I¡¯ve tried to make it addictive.

    In terms of cost, it¡¯s not so different from what we¡¯ve done in the past, but it¡¯s a recipe that we, with all our cooking skills, really thought about. Moreover, by using even a small amount of spices from abroad, we were able to create something new. I¡¯m sure the students would love it.

    ¡¸If you change the seasoning or the thickness a little, you can put it in steamed bun or sandwich¡¹

    ¡¸I see what you mean! We can freely change the ingredients! You¡¯ve taught me something good!¡¹

    In addition to that, I¡¯ll teach him how to arrange existing dishes, like curry fried rice. With Noritz¡¯s skills, I¡¯m sure he can make the cafeteria¡¯s food taste even better than it already does.

    ¡¸Thank you. With this, now I can give the students a good meal. But, about your reward¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? I don¡¯t need it¡¹

    Fran refused the reward. Well, this is half as an apology for making a scene, and half for the sake of the other students.

    Besides, we¡¯ve seen Noritz and the others making tearful efforts to keep the cost of ingredients down. If we were to receive a reward for the recipe, it would be meaningless for us to teach them how to make it cheaply.

    When she told him that, Noritz said that he couldn¡¯t ept it for free and that he would pay for it out of his pocket.

    And after a short discussion, we settled on asking him to write a letter of introduction to a business association that does business with the academy. After all, I also wanted a lot of sansho for our future use. So, it¡¯s just right.

    We finished our work at the cafeteria, but then, we had an unexpected encounter. It was when we were heading for the exit to leave the cafeteria.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    It was a brown-haired boy who looked to be only about three or four years old. The boy came running into the cafeteria with a smile on his face as if he was really looking forward to eating, but he stopped moving the moment he saw Fran.

    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡¹¡¹

    Fran and the boy looked at each other. The boy¡¯s smile had changed and he was now ring at Fran. There was strong anger in his eyes and a slight hint of fear. I never thought a boy like him would look at her like that.

    After a few seconds of staring at each other, the woman who was with him gently touched the boy¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡¸Romio-kun, you¡¯ll disturb everyone if you stop here¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I-I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸Shall we go then? Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    As we passed each other, the woman bowed her head apologetically¨D¨Dwhile Romio was still staring at us. She must be a caretaker.

    ¡ºSo that was Romio¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t overthink about it too much¡»

    (That eye¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve seen it somewhere)

    ¡ºEh? You mean, from Romio?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I thought she was depressed because Romio was staring at her, but actually, she had something else on her mind.

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve seen it somewhere? You can¡¯t remember?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    We had never met Romio before. So I¡¯m not sure if the hostile and frightened look in his eyes was the same as the one we used to fight with.

    ¡¸But where¡­?¡¹

 Chapter 670: First-Year Student

    <h4>Chapter 670: First-Year Student</h4>

    It was the day after our encounter with Romio.

    Today, the atmosphere at the Academy of Magic was different from this morning. It was because there was an entrance ceremony for the new students.

    However, the ceremony was quite modest.

    It seemed that new students entered this academy every four months, and that was why the entrance ceremony was not such an important event.

    Only the new students and a few teachers would attend it.

    Fran was also told that she did not have to attend. She could attend if she wanted to, but of course, she didn¡¯t. Even at her entrance ceremony, she was sure to doze off, and she would definitely fall asleep at someone else¡¯s entrance ceremony.

    So, she wouldn¡¯t bother to tarnish the bright memories of the new students.

    The bustle of the freshmen, filled with excitement and expectation, seemed to light up the academy.

    ¡ºI guess it¡¯s the same in every world that freshmen are always excited¡»

    (In Master¡¯s world too?)

    ¡ºYeah, they are simr. Well, it¡¯s rare to find freshman with varying ages in my world though¡»

    Since there was no age limit for admission, the new students were of varying ages. Some were as young as ten years old, while others were over twenty.

    The mostmon age group is around 12 to 14 years old. The same age as Fran.

    In a part-time school system, an age difference of this magnitude would be normal. However, children and adults should never be mixed. It was like elementary school students and college students studying in the same ssroom.

    However, this was not unusual in this world, and the adult freshmen mixed in with the children did not seem embarrassed, nor did the children seem to look at them strangely.

    However, it was inevitable that people of the same age would tend to stick together. It was the same as on Earth.

    The new students were gleaming with excitement as they saw the facilities of the Academy of Magic. As we were heading towards the ssroom with them at our side, we were approached from behind.

    ¡¸Fran-san?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it was you!¡¹

    Fran turned around and looked unusually surprised when she saw the face of the person who had called out to her.

    ¡¸Khanna? Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸That should be my line¡¹

    In front of Fran¡¯s eyes, the girl was Khanna, the girl who had been with us on the pass from the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    And she seemed to be a freshman as she was wearing the uniform from this academy.

    ¡¸Fran didn¡¯te to the entrance ceremony?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t see you there. But if you¡¯re here, does that mean you were able to enroll here?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m enrolled here¡¹

    It was not like she was enrolled though. She was just being treated as a temporary student here.

    ¡¸But I was told that I didn¡¯t have to attend the entrance ceremony¡¹

    ¡¸Ara, really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But it¡¯s good to see you again. Since we couldn¡¯t find you anywhere, I was wondering if you had abruptly canceled your enrollment. But it¡¯s impossible for Fran to not be epted because of her ability¡¹

    I had a feeling that Fran and Khanna were not quite on the same page, and now I know why. It seemed that she thought that Fran was a new student just like her.

    Come to think of it, she only told Khanna that her destination was the Academy of Magic.

    Fran¡¯s age was just right for enrollment, and it was not surprising that Khanna misunderstood.

    ¡¸Since we¡¯re both new students, please take care of me¡¹

    As I thought, she seems to have misunderstood.

    ¡¸But your uniform is¡­? It¡¯s so different from ours¡¹

    ¡¸This is the Special Battle ss uniform¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? The Special Battle ss? Isn¡¯t that an advanced ss¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸You didn¡¯t get into the Elementary department?¡¹

    At this point, Khanna must have finally realized that something was wrong.

    They then exchanged information with each other, and finally, she realized that Fran was not a new student.

    ¡¸I see. I never thought you¡¯d be an instructor. Well, it was natural for someone as capable as Fran-san¡¹

    ¡¸So Khanna wanted to get here from the start?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Well, that¡¯s right, but¡­¡¹

    She didn¡¯t reveal that the purpose of her trip was to enter the Academy of Magic because she wasn¡¯t sure if she would be able to get in.

    ¡¸You said this ce is open to everyone, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I have a lot of things going on my side¡­¡¹

    I was aware that she had her reasons, but what exactly was the reason that might have caused the rejection of her admission?

    Well, she wouldn¡¯t tell us even if we asked. I guess Fran was not really interested in that either. So, she asked a different question.

    ¡¸Hey, what happened to the other two?¡¹

    ¡¸Dianne and She?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Those two¡¹

    Fran hadpletely forgotten the name of Khanna¡¯spanions. Well, she was always like this though.

    ¡¸She is looking for a job in town during our stay. If I can sessfully graduate, then we¡¯ll return to our home country together¡¹

    It would take years for Khanna to graduate. If She waited that long, it would cost her a lot of money just to keep staying at the inn. She was looking for a job at Lady Blue to raise as much money as possible to pay for her stay.

    ¡¸And about that knight?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what Dianne is going to do. Originally, her job was to apany me to this ce. She said she would return to the country with me, but she is allowed to act at her discretion during her stay¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸She said she was going to train as a warrior, but she hasn¡¯t decided where she¡¯s going yet¡¹

    I¡¯m rather d that she was not here.

    ¡¸Aah, I have to go. I¡¯m sorry to keep you with me¡¹

    The teacher leading the new students called her, and Khanna hurried back.

    ¡¸Umm, hey!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Looking back at her, Khanna opened her mouth with a somewhat thoughtful expression.

    ¡¸Can I meet you again next time?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. See you¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! See you!¡¹

    Khanna smiled with relief and with a nod and wave at her. It was probably because she hadn¡¯t seen Fran smiling during the conversation and thought that she was annoying her.

    But from Fran¡¯s point of view, she was actually quite happy to see Khanna again.

    ¡ºI¡¯m d you meet someone you know here¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

 Chapter 571: A New Resolution

    <h4>Chapter 571: A New Resolution</h4>

    It had been ten days since we hade to the academy.

    Fran was feared as an instructor, but as a student, she was bing familiar with the academy and her ss.

    She greeted students as we passed them, and if they had a mock battle scheduled for that day, they would often ask her to go easy on them. She ate together in the improved cafeteria and taught each other what shecked in the ss.

    Fran also seemed to be enjoying life at the academy.

    As for the sses, she didn¡¯t doze off all the time. Several sses caught Fran¡¯s interest, including the ss on spirits and the ss on magic. Well, if she was not interested, she would just doze off though.

    I tried to wake Fran up at first. But she even devised a way to ignore my calls and stay asleep. I gave up trying to wake her up because of her persistence. After all, if I nag her too much, she might even start to hate the academy.

    And besides the boring sses, she seemed to have otherints as well.

    ¡ºI mean, this is an academy, we can¡¯t really go crazy like that, you know?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Woof¡¹

    Both Fran and Urushi seemed to be frustrated by the fact that they hadn¡¯t been able to really exert themselves for the past week or so.

    The first few days were still better. She was able to vent some when they were introduced to each ss. But after that, there was hardly any fighting except for mock battles with the students.

    If we were outside the town, I could have yed with Fran and Urushi, but we couldn¡¯t do that in the town. I wondered if we could borrow the academy¡¯s training grounds, but that also seemed to be quite difficult.

    The field outside, where they wouldn¡¯t trouble anyone for being serious, was usually used by one of the sses. But when it was free, Fran had a ss to attend.

    I thought about going there after school, but that time was filled with club activities. The clubs¡¯ names were quite fancy, like the Society for the Study of Military Arts, and there were also clubs with quite dangerous names.

    ¡ºBesides, we¡¯re going to have an off-campus survival training tomorrow. So, you¡¯ll get a chance to kill some magic beasts and stuff there¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡º¡­I¡¯m not sure though. Besides, once we¡¯re out of town, you can have a mock battle with Urushi¡»

    ¡¸Oooh! I see¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof¡¹

    ¡ºSo, don¡¯t make the mistake of using the wrong amount of force in the next mock battle, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    As a matter of fact, several sses, including the Special Battle ss, had a tradition of going outside the academy for training every year at this time.

    The location was nned to be on the shores of Lake Vivian. Apparently, it would also allow for swimming practice for the students.

    As long as they lived in this country, they should visit it at least once, and visiting that hugeke would be a great experience for students from outside the country.

    And Fran was going to participate on the instructor¡¯s side.

    (Looking forward to it!)

    ¡ºYou¡¯re going to be their escort too, remember?¡»

    Well, it seemed that adventurers from around Lake Vivian will be hired, so the students wouldn¡¯t be in danger that often. And the students themselves were quite strong.

    I heard that they would use carriages for transportation. Three days to get there, three days to stay, and three days to return.

    ¡ºOnce that¡¯s done, your job as an instructor is over¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHey?¡»

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡ºIf you want to stay, we can get yourself officially hired by the academy, you know? Well, it¡¯s also okay for you to enroll as a student though¡»

    This was Fran¡¯s first time at the academy. In fact, it was the first time for her to be in contact with so many people of her age.

    If Fran feltfortable being in the academy, staying was an option.

    However, Fran¡¯ replied with a shake of her head

    ¡¸¡­No¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s fun here, but being an adventurer is more fun. Besides, I won¡¯t get stronger by staying here¡¹

    ¡ºBut you¡¯ll gain knowledge. It may go a long way, but it¡¯ll help you get stronger¡»

    ¡¸No need. I¡¯ve thought of something when I heard about the evolution¡¹

    ¡ºIs it about the ss?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Horial¡¯s story. When I heard that, I thought that it would be great if everyone could evolve too¡¹

    By ¡°everyone¡± she must mean all of the ck Cats except herself. In the past, Fran had fought for the ck Cat kin in her mind.

    She wanted to break the curse that had been ced not only on her but on the entire ck Cat kin.

    Apparently, after listening to Horial¡¯s lesson, she reconfirmed her feelings and made them stronger once again.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re ready for it, aren¡¯t you?¡»

    ¡¸Of course¡¹

    Breaking the Curse of the ck Cat kin. It would be an arduous path that would make the word ¡°thorny¡± sound rather nd.

    The power of the ck Cat tribe alone had to be enough to defeat the Evil People or the underlings of the Evil Gods with a threat level of S or higher. That was the condition for them to break the curse.

    However, at present, there was no other ck Cat kinsman besides Fran that could participate in the battle.

    The ck Cat people of the Beast Nation would have already started training and hunting the evil people. However, it was going to take quite some time before it would bore fruit.

    In addition, if they want to fight an evil person with a threat level of S or higher, the strength they had gained through power leveling was not enough. They needed to have a core strength that was based on experience as blood, training as flesh, and everything that they had acquired on their own.

    I wonder how long it would be before the ck Cat people would reach that level.

    So, we have to go it alone or find apanion. The ck Cat kin was said to be the weakest, and their evolution had been blocked. However, there was an exception, Kiara. She was said to have gained that much strength thanks to the extra skill of the God of War¡¯s favor. There was no guarantee that something simr would not happen to the other ck Cats.

    But I don¡¯t even know if there was someone as strong as her out there. So, there was no way we could rely on that alone.

    ¡¸I need to get stronger and even stronger¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, you¡¯re right¡»

    In the end, whether she was going to take on the challenge with apanion or alone, Fran needed to be even stronger than she was now to aplish the ordeal.

 Chapter 572: Our Last Night Staying at the Inn

    <h4>Chapter 572: Our Last Night Staying at the Inn</h4>

    ¡¸Here it is. Tonight is yourst night staying here, so I made a big one for you¡¹

    ¡¸Oooh¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Tonight was ourst night staying at the Green Ancient Tree Pavilion.

    Tomorrow, we were going to an off-campus survival training exercise, and her job as an instructor would be over. So, we would have to leave this inn.

    When we told her that, she prepared an even more sumptuous meal for Fran and Urushi.

    Fran and Urushi ate arge portion of pasta and grilled meat at a super speed. I thought they had ten servings worth of pasta in their stomach already, but still, they didn¡¯t slow down.

    Or rather, weren¡¯t they eating a little too much? I¡¯m worried about tomorrow. No, before that, I¡¯m worried what the innkeeper would think of this.

    ¡¸Mogu mogu mogu mogu!¡¹

    ¡¸Momu momu momu momu!¡¹ (*munching sfx)

    ¡¸You sure eat a lot, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    The olddy was smiling and giggling when she saw how much Fran and Urushi were eating.

    In the middle of that, the olddy suddenly looked up at the ceiling. Both Urushi and I followed her gaze but found nothing but an ordinary ceiling.

    But not so for the olddy.

    ¡¸Aah¡­ Spirit-sama is sad¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s there?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup¡¹

    Fran, reacting to the olddy¡¯s words, stared at the same spot. She continued to stare at the ceiling for a while, asionally squinting her eyes.

    ¡¸Can you see it now?¡¹

    ¡¸I still can¡¯t see it¡¹

    Fran responded to the olddy¡¯s words with a shake of her head. However, there was more to Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸But, I somehow know¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? You mean you can feel it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran straightened up her posture and rxed her entire body. In addition, she stopped using the various skills she normally used unconsciously. In particr, the amount of informationing in must have been greatly reduced by turning off her sensing skills.

    She intended to focus all of her senses on her eyes. The way she opens her eyes reminded me of a cat staring into an empty sky. It was called the Ferengel Staden phenomenon*. Well, I heard it was not really a phenomenon though.

    As I watched over Fran, I was reminded of the ss on spirits we had taken a few days ago.

    There were two types of special lectures on spirits at the Academy of Magic.

    One was the Spirit Magic ss. As the name implied, this was a ss to teach and train students about Spirit Magic.

    The other was Spiritology. This one was a ss for students who could not use Spirit Magic but could sense the presence of spirits, to learn Spirit Magic. Students learn the basics and train themselves to be able to feel them.

    Fran decided to take the course in Spiritology.

    It was unusual for Fran to take the ss so seriously. She must be very interested in the subject.

    ording to the ss, Spirit Magic was a very special kind of magic. I thought I knew about it, but its uniqueness was actually beyond my imagination.

    First of all, our skill level was not proportional to the strength of the spirit we could handle. It seemed that the skill level of Spirit Magic would just indicate how well our ability tomunicate with spirits was.

    If we have a high level of Spirit Magic skill, we might be able to see spirits clearly, hear their voices, and share a lot of magic power with them.

    However, spirits were fickle beings with a will of their own. No matter how well we listened to them and conveyed our voice to them, it waspatibility that counted in the end.

    And it was a matter of luck whether or not we would be able to meet a higher-level spirit with whom we would bepatible.

    The reason why there were so many Elves among the strongest Spirit Magicians was actually due to this fact. In fact, it seemed that many Elves were favored by spirits because of their racial characteristics.

    In addition, the Elves know the ces where spirits tend to gather due to their experience and knowledge umted over the years. This was one of the reasons why they were able to find and make contracts with spirits that werepatible with them.

    However, it takes a long time to find a spirit that was a good match for them. There was even an Elven saying that says, ¡°You¡¯ll meet a spirit once every hundred years¡±.

    In other words, if we don¡¯t have the lifespan of an Elf, we probably won¡¯t be able to master Spirit Magic. However, it was not impossible for a human being to make a contract with a spirit.

    In Fran¡¯s case, she could sense them, so she should have been able to learn Spirit Magic as her connection with the spirits deepened.

    In the ss, she even tried to train herself to sense the presence of the spirits in the academy. However, even after those sses, she was unable to reach the level to be able to see them which was necessary to acquire Spirit Magic.

    ¡¸¡­I still can¡¯t see them¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    For about five minutes, she stared at the ce where the spirit-sama would be, and then her shoulders slumped and she fell back to her chair.

    Almost every day in the inn, Fran sensed the presence of the spirit, but in the end, she could not seem to see it.

    However, when Fran looked depressed, the olddy kindly called out to her.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able tomunicate with the spirit-sama since you¡¯re so well-liked by the Spirit of the Great Tree¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I guarantee it. Besides, you¡¯vee to understand the spirit that you couldn¡¯t sense at all at first, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen anyone grow so fast like you¡¹

    She was right. In the first ce, it has only been ten days since Fran became aware of Spirit Magic. If she were able to use it, the world would be full of spirit users already.

    Rather, it was amazing that she could sense the presence of spirits on her own, without even relying on my abilities.

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    ¡¸That should be my line. It¡¯s been a long time since I and Spirit-sama had this much fun. Pleasee again¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She was greatlyforted by the olddy¡¯s words. Fran then nodded slightly and smiled.

    (If not now, someday I¡¯ll definitely be able to talk to a spirit!)

    ¡ºYeah. It must be nice if that happens¡»

    (Nn!)

 Chapter 573: At the Off-Campus Training

    <h4>Chapter 573: At the Off-Campus Training</h4>

    ¡ºOur convoy is longer than I imagined¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Lots of carriages¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Fran and Urushi muttered in agreement to my unintentionalment.

    We were currently outside the Lady Blue, about 20 meters up in the air. Fran, riding the Thoroughbred-sized Urushi, was looking down at the long line of carriages.

    (Note: Thoroughbred > name of a horse breed)

    Today was the start of our off-campus survival training. We were traveling to Lake Vivian with 40 carriages, including those for transporting our supplies.

    Over 200 students were participating in the event, and 30 instructors were apanying them as their guards. In Fran¡¯s case, she was given the role of a scout, so she could keep an eye on the entire group and respond to any dangerous magic beasts that might appear.

    On the other hand, if it was a small fry, the students were supposed to handle it by themselves, and we were not supposed to help them.

    Senior students such as those in the Special Battle ss would take turns escorting the carriage as it moved. However, some students rarely got off the carriage and were just escorted to their destination.

    About thirty new students were apanying them on this off-campus survival training. This seemed to be a tradition of the academy, and the students of the Special Battle ss had also experienced that when they enrolled in the academy.

    Even on Earth, there was a joint school activity with the upperssmen, and I guess, this event was simr to that.

    In one of the carriages that don¡¯t have a roof, we saw Khanna chatting with her ssmates.

    There were three freshmen and three upperssmen in each carriage. However, there were always two upperssmen guarding the carriage outside, and they took turns to rest.

    Charon and her group were the ones who were guarding Khanna¡¯s carriage. In case Charon and her group couldn¡¯t handle the situationter, they had an instructor sitting on the coachman¡¯s seat, and if that wasn¡¯t enough, they had Fran and Weena Rhyn as support.

    ¡ºWell then, Let¡¯s get going too¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof! Woof!¡¹

    By riding on Urushi, we were going to keep an eye from the sky.

    As Urushi ran out by leaping in the air, I could see that the students below us were looking up at us.

    It was not every day they got to see a giant wolf running in the sky. Urushi was particrly magnificent, and I¡¯m sure that this sight would make a great picture.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s going to be more troublesome if we get a bunch of the small fry than just a big one¡»

    ¡¸Like goblins?¡¹

    ¡ºAnd maybe a bandit, or a swarm of bug types monster¡»

    It would be a disaster if arge magic beast were to run into them. So, it might be better for us to defeat the big ones as soon as possible.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s keep looking for the enemy!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡­

    Six hours after our departure.

    The convoy had passed the first rest stop and was now entering the forest area from the ins. From here, the visibility was very poor, and we need to be more vignt than before.

    It must be a difficult ce for the students ying the role of escort, as I could clearly see the tension in the whole group increasing.

    As for Fran, she was now a little further away from the convoy. We were not cking, okay?

    Rather, we were currently doing our job.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gii! Gigii!¡¹

    We were in a battle with a magic beast that lived in the forest area. Our opponent this time was a Tall Mantis. It was a giant praying mantis with unusually long arms and legs. Its body was seven or eight meters long, but its legs were probably more than ten meters long. It was a magical beast with a threat level of E. It used its arms and legs to move dexterously through the deep trees.

    It must have sensed the signs and smells of the many prey moving. It was approaching the convoy at a fairly fast pace, so Fran went out to intercept it.

    However, it was quite an unusual magic beast, as it possessed a martial arts skill called Scythe Technique. It was able to catch Fran¡¯s first blow with its sickle. Even though it was just a check to gauge our opponent¡¯s strength, it was pretty impressive.

    Moreover, its scythe was covered with electric shocks. If it hadn¡¯t been for Fran, who was immune to lightning, they might have been paralyzed.

    However, the magic beast¡¯s resistance only ended there. Fran, who had found a blind spot where the scythe could not reach, sliced it in half from the back and it fell apart.

    I heard that this was a troublesome enemy that would rain scythes down on us from above when we fought in the deep forest, but for someone like us who could always attack from the sky, it was an opponent full of openings.

    ¡ºNow that we¡¯ve cleared all the big ones, let¡¯s get back to the convoy. It seems they¡¯re fighting with goblins right now¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    The reason for our return was not to help them but to heal any students who were badly injured. However, their opponent was just a normal goblin, and no one would be injured enough to need Recovery Magic.

    The students of the Special Battle ss were capable enough to handle them. They were also able to strip materials from the defeated goblin skillfully. I could even see rxed expressions on their faces.

    However, the new students looked pale.

    Not many students were able to remain as calm as Khanna. In her case, she already had actualbat experience and she was capable of defeating goblins.

    However, most of the children must have had no experience in fighting. So, if they were suddenly shown a fight with a magic beast in front of them, it was inevitable that they would be frightened.

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¹

    ¡ºAah, you mean the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s Lair, huh? We can see it clearly from here¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in the fights below us, she was looking up at the floating ind that stood so majestically far above us.

    We didn¡¯t get the chance to see a Heavenly Dragon today either. However, the sight of the floating ind covered in white clouds never got boring no matter how many times I saw it.

    Both Fran and Urushi stared at the floating ind with sparkling eyes. However, they quickly turned their gaze back to the ground and stared deep into the forest with sharp eyes.

    ¡¸Master, Urushi, Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThis time they came as a flock huh!? Let¡¯s kill them all at once!¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    We sensed the presence of magic beasts approaching the convoy. And they were much stronger than goblins.

    They were called the Assassin Apes, magic beasts that excelled at killing their target with a single blow by a sneak attack. They were slightlyrger than a Mountain Gori, but their threat level was the same as that of the giant Tall Mantis.

    In fact, these beasts were more troublesome to deal with than therger target, like the Tall Mantis, as they could move quickly and had the attack power to kill their target instantly.

    There were six of them. Six of them, using tree branches as tforms, repeatedly leaping towards the students at a tremendous speed.

    The way they eliminated their presence was that of a seasoned adventurer, so the students were probably still unaware of them.

    ¡¸Urushi, take care the two on the right¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll take care of the two on the left then!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We were the first to attack them, as we were a step ahead of them in terms of eliminating our presence, and in terms of detection. Moreover, we could also teleport.

    It took less than a minute for them to be annihted after the first one was cut down by Fran, who had appeared with teleport in front of them. They hadn¡¯t thought that they would be taken by surprise in the forest. A look of astonishment was still on the face of the big ape that was about to die.

    ¡ºFor two types of magic beasts with a threat level of E to appear in such a short time is¡­ It looks like we¡¯ll be pretty busy until we reach Lake Vivian¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran looked happy when she nodded to my words. She must feel refreshed after being able to rampage against those magic beasts. Well, it was better for her than being stressed out and frustrated.

 Chapter 574: Meeting each other at the off-campus training.

    <h4>Chapter 574: Meeting each other at the off-campus training.</h4>

    The first night after our departure.

    The convoy from the Academy of Magic camped out in arge open space in the middle of the forest.

    They formed a wall by arranging the carriages in a circle and set the tents inside of it. Guards took turns resting and patrolling the outside of the carriage¡¯s lines.

    And in one corner of the camp.

    Fran had been called to Weena Rhyn¡¯s tent. We left Urushi on patrol because I was not sure if the two greatest warriors of the group would be at ease leaving their posts, but it seemed to have been unnecessary.

    ¡¸We have spirits with us¡¹

    ¡ºHee? Where are they?¡»

    ¡¸Around there? And over there too¡¹

    ¡º¡­I can¡¯t see them though. But is that all?¡»

    ¡¸There are a few more of them. Maybe¡¹

    ¡ºAre they strong?¡»

    ¡¸Dunno¡¹

    Even though Fran¡¯s ability to sense spirits were getting stronger, she still couldn¡¯t seem to discern what kind of spirit they were.

    Perhaps, the spirit that dwelt in the great tree of the inn was a spirit of some high rank. The Elf innkeeper even addressed it with ¡°sama¡± and she also said that it had existed for over a thousand years.

    However, Fran could not distinguish between the lower-ranked spirits of the academy and the spirits of the inn. Were they a lower-ranked spirit or a higher-ranked spirit? What attributes and abilities did they have? She had no idea about that.

    I couldn¡¯t sense spirits at all, so I could only imagine from Fran¡¯s poor description, but she said she felt like she could hear a slight sound that spirits made. And it seemed that she could only hear something that sounded like ringing in her ears if she concentrated very hard.

    Based on the direction and interval of the sound, she judged that spirits were there.

    ¡ºAre they Weena Rhyn¡¯s spirits?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know, but they¡¯ve been in the same ce all the time¡¹

    They must be spirits sent out by a spirit magic user as a guard. There were quite a lot of them, and they seemed to be fine without us.

    In the first ce, they were doing the same event every year, so they should be fine without her.

    She walked straight into Weena Rhyn¡¯s tent and found that the High Elf magician was not the only one there.

    ¡¸¡­Zelos Reed¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Zelos Reed sat on a chair behind Weena Rhyn. Beside him was the boy, Romio, who was ring at Fran.

    We already knew from their presence before but decided to face them. Fran seemed to be suppressing her feelings by clenching her teeth. Well, her murderous intent was leaking out though.

    ¡¸Even though I¡¯ve sealed his power, I can¡¯t just leave him at the academy without me, right? So, I had no choice but to restrain and bring them here¡¹

    Just as Weena Rhyn said, metal bracelets were restraining both of Zelos Reed¡¯s arms. Moreover, it also seemed to have some kind of sealing magic power, further suppressing Zelos Reed¡¯s power.

    But with Weena Rhyn close by, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran and Romio red at each other.

    Well, Fran wasn¡¯t really ring at him, but she just couldn¡¯t help but be concerned when he expressed his hostility so straightforwardly.

    On the contrary, Zelos Reed barely showed any emotion when he saw Fran. He was shocked for a moment, but he quickly returned to his calm face.

    I guess he decided to stay out of this as much as possible because anything he said would be offensive. But Fran didn¡¯t like that attitude. Well, she didn¡¯t like everything about Zelos Reed.

    She red at Zelos Read with irritation in her eyes. She might not have violent outbursts anymore, but there was no way she could control her feelings in front of someone she would kill right now if she could.

    But then, it was Romio, who clung to Zelos Reed¡¯s leg and looked up at Fran, who broke the tense atmosphere.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t bully Oji-chan!¡¹ (Note: Uncle)

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m not bullying him¡¹

    ¡¸Liar! I know everything!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran, however, didn¡¯t want to argue with Romio as she knew that Romio didn¡¯t mean anything bad by it.

    Besides, the current Fran, who emitted murderous and angry intent, must be quite frightening for a child like him. She was slightly impressed by Romio¡¯s courage to confront her to protect Zelos Reed.

    But it was not a time to praise him.

    In the end, she didn¡¯t seem to know what to do next, and with a bitter smile, she removed her gaze from Romio and asked Weena Rhyn why she had called us.

    ¡¸You need something?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯d like to talk with you about your escort¡¯s job for tomorrow onwards¡¹

    I thought her purpose was to bring her together with Zelos Reed and Romio, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    Weena Rhyn showed us a rough map of the country and exined the terrain ahead. Beyond the forest area, she said there was a in that was inhabited by arge magic beast that would be hunted by the students.

    And the reason why Weena Rhyn had called Fran was to talk about that.

    ¡¸The target is the Slow Tortoise. It¡¯s a tough and strong magic beast, but it moves so slow that even the students can manage to hunt it down¡¹

    The Slow Tortoise was an herbivorous magic beast that spent most of its time holed up in its shell when facing strong enemies. It should¡¯ve been a rtively easy magic beast to hunt as long as they were careful to avoid some of its attacks.

    Its threat level was E, but she said that the students could defeat it with proper preparation. She also said that they had magic tools to stall and defend from its attack so it could be said that they were already well prepared.

    ¡¸What is my role then?¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have to do anything to help the students to hunt down the Slow Tortoise. But a lot of magic beasts wille close to them when they smell the Slow Tortoise¡¯s blood. Especially those goblins, they show up every year¡¹

    Fran¡¯s role was to defeat those magic beasts that would try to steal the student¡¯s prey.

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸And also, I¡¯ll make this guy work too¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Since we have so many avable forces, shouldn¡¯t we use it all for the safety of the students?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I understand¡¹

    Fran nodded quietly, neither disagreeing nor agreeing with her.

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    (¡­I don¡¯t know)

    As we returned, Fran didn¡¯t seem to understand her feelings either.

    If Weena Rhyn said it was for the students, she won¡¯t be able to object. Besides, if he would work as forcedbor or a meat shield, it would sound like a punishment for him. Denial and affirmation swirled in Fran¡¯s chest, and she couldn¡¯t seem to sort it out.

 Chapter 575: In Sheftent Again

    <h4>Chapter 575: In Sheftent Again</h4>

    On the third night after we had left the academy.

    The off-campus survival training group had reached Lake Vivian as nned.

    On the second day, they had to hunt the turtles for food, but a horde of goblins attacked them, which increased the challenge, but apparently, it was expected by the teachers.

    They smiled at each other and said that it was just like every other year.

    On the other hand, the students¡¯ faces were showing signs of great fatigue. It was because this was not only a long journey, but they also had to fight on their own.

    Moreover, we didn¡¯t camp out on the second night.

    In the forest areas where it was dangerous to march through the night, we had no choice but to camp, but in the ins where night marching was possible, we continued to drive through the night without stopping our convoy.

    This should be a good experience for them.

    The students acting as guards must have taken turns taking naps, but they still looked very sleepy. The teachers, who should¡¯ve been under much harsher conditions, were still in good spirits, probably due to their status and experience.

    And Fran? Fran was fine. She could take a nap on Urushi¡¯s back after all. And of course, she was always ready to wake up if a magic beast came closer.

    Due to Urushi¡¯s evolution, sleep was less necessary than ever before, and he could be active for several days without sleeping. Well, he liked to sleep, so he usually slept like normal.

    He was reliable in a case like this trip. In fact, he hadn¡¯t slept since our departure, but he was still full of energy.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re now back in Sheftent again¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The ce where the convoy from the Academy of Magic was setting their tent was next to the town of Sheftent. It didn¡¯t have an outer wall or anything like that, but the ground was t and level and looked like an easy ce to set up camp. They used this ce as a base for their annual training at Lake Vivian.

    ¡¸Everyone looks sleepy¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to do their duties properly¡»

    We could see a group of sleepy students standing guard at their posts. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll miss any suspicious person walking past in front of them right now. And they would surely get scoldedter.

    ¡¸Charon! That was a close one¡¹

    ¡ºI never thought a serious girl like her would doze off¡»

    She dozed off, or rather, she fell asleep. It seemed that she was awakened by the boat¡¯s momentum. She then looked around in panic and was relieved to know that there was nothing wrong happening.

    We proposed an idea to build a wall around the camp with Earth Magic, but Weena Rhyn rejected the idea.

    It seemed that one of the purposes of this off-campus training was to experience camping and escorting others in an exhausted state.

    If there was a wall, the students would feel less tense, and if the magic beasts do not show up, it wouldn¡¯t be a good experience for the students.

    It was just like Spartan training, but I guess they have a point.

    The best we could do was to look around to make sure no big ones showed up. Since we were near the town, it was unlikely that any big one would appear, but the scent of many preys might draw them in.

    However, that was no longer necessary.

    ¡¸Master, a lot ising¡¹

    We could see a group of adventurersing from the town towards the camp. They were about thirty in number.

    ¡ºThey must be the adventurers from Sheftent. They were probably hired by the academy as escorts¡»

    ¡¸Jill is there too¡¹

    ¡ºThe Guild Master came here in person?¡»

    The leader of the group was a small, old woman. However, the magic power emanating from her body was that of a First-ss Mage. She was probably the strongest among the adventurers, who ranged from young to more experienced.

    She was Grandma Jill, the Guild Master of Sheftent. She was also the one who asked Fran to be an opponent for the adventurer promotion test before.

    As we looked down from Urushi¡¯s back at the figure, Fran suddenly turned her gaze to somewhere. But all I could see there was the darkness of night.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s the spirit¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    Immediately after Fran said that a dim mass of light appeared as if springing out of the empty darkness. It was the size of a bowling ball, and the intensity of the light was about that of a bulb.

    And I don¡¯t feel any hostilitying from it.

    ¡¸Fran. Can youe to the tent?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡ºI see, so this the visualization of spirits, huh?¡»

    The greatest advantage of using spirits was their stealth ability. However, there were times when this was inconvenient.

    For example, they can be used as messengers as it was now. It would be difficult if the spirits were invisible in case of emergencies.

    Therefore, there was a technique to visualize spirits so that they could be seen by anyone. It was said that this technique could be used by any Spirit Magic-User. However, it was said that only Advanced Spirit Magic-Users could use it to send their voices far away.

    The one who sent a message to us this time must have been Weena Rhyn, and the technique used must be quite the advanced one. When we were in Alessa, the Guild Master, Klimut, had shown us the same technique, but he had actually done it with great difficulty.

    As we followed the spirit to Weena Rhyn¡¯s tent, we saw Grandma Jill outside, exchanging greetings with her.

    Some of the adventurers around them were faces we had seen during the promotion exam. However, the boy who had sent a killing intent at Fran wasn¡¯t there. Well, I don¡¯t want to be bothered by anything strange during this escort, so that would be more convenient.

    ¡¸I look forward to working with you again this year, Weena Rhyn-sama¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ll count on you this year too¡¹

    The two then shook each other¡¯s hands. At first nce, Grandma Jill looked more experienced and important, but in fact, it was the opposite. I could tell that Grandma Jill¡¯s words were filled with awe and respect for her.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to start their training on theke tomorrow, but how things are going there?¡¹

    ¡¸As expected of Weena Rhyn-sama. Did you already know?¡¹

    ¡¸The spirits told me¡¹

    ¡¸There has been a change in theke recently. So, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be the same asst year¡­¡¹

 Chapter 576: Side: ???

    <h4>Chapter 576: Side: ???</h4>

    ¡ºHey, buddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸Oji-chan, I think they have arrived¡¹

    ¡ºThey¡¯re finally here, huh¡­?¡»

    My partner, who had better detection abilities than me, was staring out the window of the inn.

    It was already nighttime. The stars were shining bright in the sky, and the curtain of darkness had fallen.

    But I was sure that my partner could feel it. He could feel the presence of the many people within the darkness of the night.

    Not many people had that ability, even for an E-ranked adventurer. In particr, his ability to sense presences and danger had grown remarkably as a result of struggling on his own for years.

    On the other hand, my ability to sense things had dropped significantly since I got into my current body. I guess it was because my survival instincts and intuition had been dulled. However, I am now able to sense things that I couldn¡¯t sense before.

    I focused my attention to look for any presence. Even though I don¡¯t have the same uracy as my partner, I could still sense the presences if I concentrated.

    And Indeed, I could feel the presence of arge number of people outside the town.

    They were finally here, huh?

    10 years¡­ It felt like it had been a long time, but it also feels like a blink of an eye. But I couldn¡¯t turn back time, so I had to be prepared.

    ¡ºIt looks like Romio was also there¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. But he¡¯s crying like a baby as if he doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, which is annoying¡¹

    An annoyed look showed up on my partner¡¯s face as he spoke about Romio.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t say that. It¡¯s normal for someone of his age, right? For a child like that, all he sees must be new to him¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯re right¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThere¡¯s also that damned High Elves near Romio¡»

    I guess it was just like before, huh? I¡¯ve brought Magnolia¡¯s bloodline with me in case of emergency.

    We were the ones who leaked the information about Romio and Zelos Reed to lure that High Elf. We thought it would be better than them being captured by Zelyse and treated asb rats.

    But was this really the right thing to do? That High Elves also had her eyes on the sealing technique that resided within Romeo after all.

    At this rate, we¡¯ll just end up in the same situation as before¡­ But we had prepared to prevent that from happening, so we should be fine.

    ¡¸As expected of a High Elf, her presence is so tremendous¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d like to beat her to death, but It¡¯s impossible for us now¡»

    ¡¸She¡¯s too strong. I just realized how monstrous a High Elf is at my age¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡»

    She had killed my previous partner before, and now, she might kill my new partner too.

    But I must prevent that from happening.

    However, I couldn¡¯t find any hint of dislike or hatred on my partner¡¯s face when he talked about the High Elves. On the contrary, he seemed to genuinely admire her.

    ¡ºAre you sure you want to do this?¡»

    ¡¸This is the surest way¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s true, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do my best to prevent that from happening again¡¹

    ¡ºWell, unlikest time. Zelyse won¡¯t intervene this time. The seal has loosened considerably due to the recement, but we can still manage it for now¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do something about it too¡¹

    ¡ºOu¡»

    It seemed that this slow-witted kid had learned to talk some sense.

    ¡¸And it seems, there¡¯s also an adventurer named Fran there¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThat girl, huh? You¡¯ve seen her before, aren¡¯t you?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t make such a face. It would be different this time. You wanted to see Romio, right?¡»

    ¡¸I know, but¡­¡¹

    My partner¡¯s face turned into a hateful expression. He even exuded murderous intent.

    For me, Weena Rhyn was far more unforgivable, but my partner didn¡¯t seem to think so. He had a strong desire to kill the girl from the ck Cat kin.

    Seeing him made me feel ufortable. But I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the girl from the ck Cat kin hated and wanted to kill me as I had killed someone important to her.

    I¡¯ve been living my life just like that. A life of being resented, a life full of negativity, and an endless cycle of bloodshed. All of that only brings more and more struggles to me.

    As a result of that, I don¡¯t mind if someone wanted to kill me for revenge. I would ept it. However, even if I told him not to hold a grudge, my partner would not forgive her.

    And so, the endless cycle of negativity would only continue. Even after I¡¯ve rotted away.

    What I¡¯ve done¨D¨D

    ¡¸¨D¨DChan?¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡»

    ¡¸Oji-chan?¡¹

    ¡ºOops, I¡¯m sorry. I was just thinking about something¡»

    ¡¸Thinking about the seal?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s a bit different, but let¡¯s focus on the seal for now¡»

    ¡¸The thing we need to be most vignt for now is the presence of Zelyse¡­¡¹

    ¡ºEven I don¡¯t know where he is right now. I wonder if he¡¯s anywhere near here¡»

    ¡¸He was here before. So, there¡¯s a good chance that he¡¯s here this time too¡¹

    He was the Alchemist, Zelyse.

    He was a man who acted based on his own desires. He didn¡¯t care how many people he had to sacrifice to achieve his goals. Rather, he was a man who found joy in the number of sacrifices and the increase of his infamy.

    ¡¸Zelyse used me for his own gain before, but not anymore¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right. But that bastard is tricky. No matter how much of an advantage you have, he always seems to have a trump card that can turn the tables to his favor¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡ºMore importantly, I don¡¯t even know how long I can hold my ground against him. He might even have something in store for me¡»

    ¡¸¡­Yeah¡¹

    As for me, I think my current body is convenient, but I¡¯m sure it was because of the magic stones and the sword that Zelyse had imnted in me.

    Zelyse was a very careful person. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised even if he had nted a curse to manipte me in anticipation of this.

    ¡¸But can Zelyse use that now?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I wonder¡­? But we should assume that he might use it, so we can deal with it when the timees¡»

    Weena Rhyn, Romio, Zelos Reed, and Fran. While all the key people were on the stage of doom, only Zelyse¡¯s whereabouts were unknown.

    And yet, we would prevent our demise. That was what we¡¯ve been doing for the past eight years.

    ¡¸I know for a fact that the fleet is suspicious. Let¡¯s look again for any abnormalities¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s do so¡»

    Next time, I would save my partner.

 Chapter 577: The Survival Training Begins

    <h4>Chapter 577: The Survival Training Begins</h4>

    It was the day after we had arrived at Lake Vivian.

    The Academy¡¯s students were dispatched in groups of ten around the town of Sheftent. They were asked to gather medicinal herbs and defeat any magic beasts with a threat level of F there.

    Since it was an official request from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, each group must have a student registered with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and the other students would be treated as their party.

    Many students were active as Adventurers in Lady Blue, not only in the Special Battle ss but also in the Advanced and other sses. They must have thought that the request this time would be quite easy for them, but actually, it was not that easy.

    It was because the vegetation, animals, and weather around Lady Blue and Lake Vivian were quite different. If they thought it would be the same as usual, they might have a hard timeter.

    Each group was apanied by one instructor and one Adventurer, and the spirits seemed to be following us as well. So, without any abnormalities, there wouldn¡¯t be much danger for them.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Charles¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to working with you. It¡¯s reassuring to know that the ck Lighting Princess is with us¡¹

    ¡¸Likewise¡¹

    Fran was also assigned to apany one of the groups. The adventurer who was assigned to apany the same group as us was a young E-ranked Adventurer.

    They seemed to have bnced the instructor and Adventurer pairs, with strong Adventurers paired with weaker Adventurers and the weak instructors paired with stronger Adventurers.

    And that was the reason why Fran, the strongest instructor they had, was paired with Charles, the weakest of the Adventurers. Moreover, I don¡¯t know if they were aiming for it or not, but Charon and Khanna were in the same group as us.

    ¡¸I look forward to working with you, Fran-san¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Me too, I¡¯m d to be in the same group with Fran¡¹

    At first, the students were uneasy when they saw how unreliable Charles looked, but when they knew that Fran would apany them, their smiles returned.

    The upperssmen probably knew that Fran was second only to Weena Rhyn in terms of ability.

    But still, it was the new students who seemed anxious. They only saw Fran as a fledgling Adventurer.

    They should have seen her riding on Urushi¡¯s back before, but she hadn¡¯t properly shown them her abilities yet. They must think that she was a strong magic beast user, but Urushi was now hiding in her shadow, and they only saw Fran alone.

    Thus, they might think that their escort was the newbie duo of Charles, who was a fledgling, and Fran, who looked just like a child. That was probably what made them feel uneasy.

    Currently, Fran and the third group were asked to gather medicinal herbs and defeat a pack of wolves. Our location now was in the middle of the mountains, a little away from theke.

    Charon was walking in the lead while looking at the map. Those requests could be done in no time if I or Fran helped, but this time we had to let the students do it.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s pick some herbs around the river ahead¡¹

    But then, it was Khanna who replied to Charon¡¯s words with an uneasy expression.

    ¡¸Eh? But you sure you want toe closer to the water?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s theke that we should stay away from. So, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem on the river, right, Charles-san? It¡¯s safe for us to go near the river up ahead, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Yeah, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s fine if it is the river up ahead¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much. Let¡¯s head there then¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Charon, she was quite good, wasn¡¯t she? She casually extracted the information that there was a river up ahead. Charon¡¯s map was taken from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Sheftent, but I¡¯m not sure how urate it was.

    Some rivers would disappear depending on the season, and if the information was old, there wouldn¡¯t be a river anymore. However, Charles¡¯ slip made her sure that the river was still there. That was unless Charles hadn¡¯t purposely told a lie.

    Well, I guess it was simply just a slip from him. He doesn¡¯t even seem to be aware that he had given her a hint, as he was talking to Charon in a carefree manner. So, it was unlikely that he had told a lie to her.

    There were some restrictions set for the students in this off-campus survival training. One of them was to stay away from Lake Vivian. This restriction was not set by the Academy, but by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    It was because the Modoki sightings were increasing and it had be too dangerous for the students to be there.

    When we reached the river, Charon and the others started looking for medicinal herbs. Then one of the students shouted with joy.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve found it! This must be some kind of medicinal herbs, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh, isn¡¯t that a Scarlet Water Weed!? They¡¯re short in supply right now, so they must fetch a high price!¡¹

    It was the Scarlet Water Weed that we had found before. We were told that there was a shortage of it back then, but it seemed that there was still a shortage now.

    The Scarlet Water Weed was supposed to be a cure-all for this country¡¯s unique endemic disease, but was the endemic infection still spreading?

    I asked Fran to ask him about that. But even Charles didn¡¯t seem to know the details either.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not a big deal around here. But in the eastern part of the country, the demand seems to be rising. You all came from the Magic Academy, right? I¡¯m sure you know a lot about it, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I haven¡¯t heard anything about an endemic disease spreading though¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸How about you, Charon?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think there is that kind of problems at the Academy. Evenst year, there were only a few students from other countries had been affected by it¡¹

    It seemed that Charon didn¡¯t know much about the endemic disease either.

    ¡¸Is that an epidemic in other towns?¡¹

    ¡¸No, Fran-san. That¡¯s not possible¡¹

    They told us that children were more likely to be affected by this endemic disease and that the number of patients increased at the Academy of Magic when there was an epidemic. In other words, the disease couldn¡¯t be prevalent elsewhere when it was not prevalent at the Academy.

    ¡¸Then, from where is it?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know about that either. Maybe it¡¯s only prevalent in the coastal areas in the eastern region¡¹

    Oh, and by the way, Fran was fine. The potion made from the Scarlet Water Weed was supposed to be preventive medicine, and Fran has already taken it.

    ¡¸Khanna, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? No, I was just wondering if I could make some money by procuring the medicine that is short in supply¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh, as expected of a student of the Academy. I didn¡¯t know you coulde up with something like that from what we just talked about for a while¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m the daughter of a tradingpany¡¯s owner after all¡¹

 Chapter 578: The Modokiâ€™s Attack

    <h4>Chapter 578: The Modoki''s Attack</h4>

    Charon and her group, with Fran as their escort, were searching for a pack of wolves to kill while gathering herbs.

    However, the search was not going well.

    In the vicinity of the academy, they live in holes on the ins, but the wolves around here have their dens in the forests. In addition, they dug holes in the trees¡¯ roots and hid in them.

    If they didn¡¯t know that, they would have had a harder time finding them. But the receptionist of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would tell them that hint right away if asked. Even Charon, who had thought about getting a map at the guild, didn¡¯t seem to think that the wolves¡¯ behavior here would be so different.

    Charles, their escort, had an indescribable expression on his face. He wanted to teach the students, who were continuing their fruitless search, about the wolf behavior here but that would not be a good experience for them.

    He wanted to teach them, but he shouldn¡¯t. The frustration must be torturing him from within.

    We knew about the wolves¡¯ behavior because we¡¯ve tracked and spotted them many times during our herb gathering before.

    I think they were probably the closest to the wolves when they were looking for medicinal herbs at the river.

    Since Urushi was hiding in Fran¡¯s shadow, Familial Hatred didn¡¯t seem to have shown its effect before, but it might do so to an advanced wolf-type magic beast though.

    We followed the students at a leisurely pace, keeping an eye out for any magic beasts that might approach them.

    We have only had one encounter today. And that was only because we went to kill a Lesser Wyvern that was in the distance by teleporting.

    But we had been in some good fights these past few days, so Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be frustrated today. It must be so refreshing for her, unlike being in the stifling city. And she was also in the mood for a pic with Charon, Khanna, and the others today.

    As we continued to move, Charles issued a warning.

    ¡¸Aah, please don¡¯t go any further to theke¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, we¡¯re already that close?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    When we were at theke before, the Modoki used to appear only near the center of theke, but it seemed that they would appear in a wider area now.

    A few cases of people being attacked on the shores of theke had also been reported. Therefore, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild decided to restrict the students from approaching theke for their safety.

    However, that only applied to the students of the Academy of Magic. They could not deprive the local people of their livelihood, so there were no restrictions on the traffic of the ships.

    And the result was the scene in front of us right now.

    ¡¸Eh? Hey, that ship seems to be under attack!¡¹

    ¡¸I-it¡¯s true!?¡¹

    A cargo carrier had been attacked by a Modoki.

    When Charon and Khanna shouted, the other students seemed to notice it too.

    ¡¸W-wait! Don¡¯t go!¡¹

    Charles was desperately trying to hold back the students who were about to run away.

    ¡¸But, if we don¡¯t do something, they¡¯ll sink that ship!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! We can help them!¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, you guys need to calm down!¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t even go there, you know!?¡¹

    Some of the students appealed that they should go to the rescue, but the students who remembered the information about the Modoki were against it. However, the students in the rescue group were appealing with good intentions while the students who were against it were the weaker ones.

    The ones who were against it would also like to help if they can.

    However, if the students go there, they will surely be killed by the Modoki.

    (Master, let¡¯s help them)

    ¡ºYeah, the students would be reckless if we leave them alone¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºUrushi, we¡¯ll count on you here¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The students¡¯ eyes then focused on Urushi as he jumped out of Fran¡¯s shadow.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll go help them, but Urushi will stay behind, so don¡¯t worry¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? But¡­¡¹

    The new students, who had not yet seen what Fran was capable of, looked at her like she was a child who won¡¯t be able to do much to help them, but the upperssmen seemed to agree.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll leave it to you!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, we¡¯ll be counting on you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The ship¡¯s mast had already been broken, and the tentacles of those Modoki were stuck to its deck. We¡¯d better hurry.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s jump at once!¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    We then made a long jump and teleported directly above the ship.

    ¡º People are floating on theke. Are they the crew members?¡»

    ¡¸They¡¯re still alive¡¹

    ¡ºSo, the Modoki is still attacking the ship, huh¡­?¡»

    The Modoki continued its attack without paying attention to the crew members who had been thrown out into theke. Doesn¡¯t it have the habit of preying on humans? As I was wondering, we saw a man still on board being coiled and lifted by its tentacles.

    ¡ºThat guy is in danger!¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s help him!¡¹

    Fran used her aerial jump to dash towards the ship. Noticing the appearance of a new enemy, the Modoki tried to attack us with its tentacles but Fran managed to dodge them all andnded on the deck.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    We rescued a man who was about to be dragged into theke by shing its tentacles.

    The man who fell from a height of about five meters shouted in pain, but he wouldn¡¯t be badly injured, as the tentacles that were gripping his body served as a cushion.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Just wait there, I¡¯ll be right back¡¹

    After leaving the man behind, Fran jumped out again because to save all of them, we had to do something about the Modoki.

    ¡ºFran, thunder-type magic is no good, it¡¯ll include the crew members¡»

    ¡¸Okay. Let¡¯s shoot it down then!¡¹

    ¡ºRoger!¡»

    With Fran¡¯s intentions in mind, I instantly changed my shape. I transformed into a one-handed sword with a cone-shaped de without a brim, suitable for throwing. It would be easier to understand if I said I transformed into the smaller version of the jousting spear.

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go!¡»

    I activated my telekic catapult as she threw me straight down, and I turned into a super-high-speed bullet that shot through the Modoki. Its hard shell would be just like plywood in the face of this attack.

    Thanks to the fact that the power was concentrated at one point, there was no damage to the surrounding area. And the crew members floating in theke did not seem to be suffering from the aftermath.

    The Modoki that was pierced by me melted into a mushy mess. Oh, that reminded me, we wouldn¡¯t be able to collect materials or magic stones from this thing.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s help everyone before other Modokie¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Let¡¯s bring them to the shore for the time being. That ship was already useless¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    However, it was just a normal-looking ship, why was it attacked by a Modoki? Was there a reason for its strange behavior? Or did they just randomly attackrge moving objects?

    I have no idea.

 Chapter 579: Strange Occurrence in the Lake

    <h4>Chapter 579: Strange urrence in the Lake</h4>

    ¡¸Young miss, thanks for saving us¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe that Modoki would even go to this area¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, our cargo is¡­¡¹

    The five crew members who had been rescued by Fran were grimacing on the shore. Some of them had drunk a lot of water, but their lives shouldn¡¯t be in danger.

    The old man, who seemed to be the captain,mented as he stared at the sinking ship.

    ¡¸Is your cargo is something that shouldn¡¯t get wet?¡¹

    ¡¸We have no choice but to let go of the grains we brought. But we have to recover the Scarlet Waterweed medicine back somehow. There¡¯s a shortage of it after all. It¡¯s stored in a sturdy crate, and I¡¯m sure some bottles are safe¡¹

    ¡¸Scarlet Waterweed medicine?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s the recently developed medicine made from Scarlet Waterweed. It works the same as the conventional pills against the endemic diseases, but I¡¯ve heard that its efficacy is enhanced by being made into a potion¡¹

    And he told us that that ship was loaded with that new medicine.

    ¡¸I guess we¡¯ll have to ask the adventurers to pull up the medicer¡­ I hope this is a ce with few magic beasts though¡¹

    I wonder about that. Right now, thanks to the Modoki, the other magic beast seemed to have escaped, and there was no sign of them. But I¡¯m sure they woulde back after a little while.

    (Master)

    ¡ºYou want to help them?¡»

    (Nn)

    Well, we can go get it now though.

    ¡¸Where did you store that medicine?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? It¡¯s in a storage room on the port side. Right around where that damned Modoki pierced our ship¡¹

    The captain pointed to arge hole on the port side of the ship, which was sinking with the starboard side facing down.

    (Note: port, nautical terms for ship¡¯s left side, starboard > right side)

    It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for us if it was there. Rather, that big hole would make it easy for us to get into. Well, that hole was half of the reason the ship was sinking though. The other half was the cracks that had formed all over the hull. It was because of the Modoki¡¯s tentacles.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be right back¡¹

    ¡¸Y-young miss!?¡¹

    Waving lightly at the surprised captain, Fran jumped out again.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s retrieve the medicine¡¹

    ¡ºWait, let¡¯s see if I can store the hull itself first¡»

    ¡¸Aah, I see¡¹

    That would be the fastest way to do this. However, I failed to store the whole hull. Maybe there were living beings inside the ship. It didn¡¯t have to be human beings, just a fish or a rat, and it wouldn¡¯t be able to be stored in the dimensional storage.

    ¡¸It won¡¯t be stored¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t have any choice. I¡¯ll take care of the air for you to breath, Fran, use your water magic to move¡»

    (Okay)

    If we were going to explore the small ship, it would be safer for Fran to move around on her own.

    Fran then jumped into the ship through the hole made by the Modoki. The inside was already filled with water and half of it was submerged.

    Frannded on a half-flooded crate and looked around the storage room.

    ¡¸Where it is?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­¡»

    The captain had told us before that it was a magic potion, so I tried to use my magic detection to find it, but I got no response here.

    But I could feel a small hint of magic power in the entire water in this room. Perhaps the bottle of the scarlet potion had been broken and the contents had dissolved into the water.

    It¡¯s just that there¡¯s something weird about it¡­

    ¡ºWe had no other choice, we¡¯ll have to check thebel on each crate ¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I checked the crates that had not yet been submerged in water, but there was no Scarlet Waterweed medicine. No, at this point it would be better to stow all the crates away and check themter.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s just store it all away for now¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Then I started to store the crates in my dimensional storage, Fran, who had gone underwater, quickly swam out of the water.

    It was not that she looked like she was in a hurry, but she seemed to be a little surprised.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸¡­I felt strange when I used some magic¡¹

    ¡ºStrange?¡»

    ¡¸Somehow¡­ It feels like my magic worked a little too well¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    When I listened to the details, it seemed that the output of the magic she used was higher than she had imagined. It was just a small difference, when she manipted the water to move about 10 centimeters, she went a few millimeters further than she had estimated.

    Normally, this wouldn¡¯t bother her, but Fran, who had gained a high level of magic control through her training, seemed to feel a slight difort.

    ¡ºThere might be something other than the Scarlet Waterweed potion leaking here then¡»

    It¡¯s probably not poisonous, as my crisis perception wasn¡¯t triggered, but it was a little creepy. Let¡¯s get it over with and get out of here.

    I went into the water, leaving Fran behind, and quickly stowed the cargo.

    I also tried to use water magic, but it definitely felt strange. It seemed that there was a problem with the water itself, rather than something being wrong with the water magic that I had activated. There was a high possibility that some kind of magic potion was dissolving in the water.

    Or was it the effect of the Modoki that had dissolved in the water? That sounds possible too.

    ¡ºAnyway, let¡¯s get out of here quickly¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    By using Teleport, we returned to the shore at once. And at the same time when the captain saw us, he rushed over to us with an expression of relief.

    ¡¸Are you safe!? We can get the medicine pulled upter, you know! Don¡¯t be so reckless!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. More importantly, I brought it with me¡¹

    ¡¸What? No, since she used teleport before¡­ Could it be that you can use space-time magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Should I bring it out here?¡¹

    ¡¸A-Aah, yes please¡¹

    They had already selected the most well-rested crew members and sent them back to Sheftent. He said that help would being soon.

    But as Fran stacked the crates, the captain¡¯s face was changing rapidly. First joy, then confusion, then a look of impatience, and finally, astonishment.

    Space-time magic was very weak at a lower level. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if its capacity was only the size of a small crate.

    The captain must have thought that she only managed to retrieve a crate of Scarlet Waterweed potion. But we¡¯ve retrieved the entire cargo instead.

    With nearly 30 crates piled in front of him, he was beyond happy.

    ¡¸Is this fine?¡¹

    ¡¸A-ah, yes¡­ T-thanks¡¹

    He seemed to be troubled. But still, he didn¡¯t forget to say thanks, so he must be quite a nice person.

    However, we can¡¯t help them any further. We¡¯re in the middle of escorting the students. Since it was an emergency, we had to leave to save them, but we need to get back to the students as soon as possible.

    We could help them carry the cargo back to the Sheftent, but that would have disqualified us as an escort.

    Oh, before we went back, we asked him about something that had been bothering me. It was about our difort when using the water magic before. However, the captain didn¡¯t seem to understand it either. He said that they didn¡¯t have any magic potions other than the Scarlet Waterweed potion on board.

    Then, was my theory about the Modoki¡¯s dissolved body was right? Well, it was also possible that the Scarlet Waterweed potion itself was the cause though.

    But since they were in shortage of this medicine, I can¡¯t ask them to share it with me for experiments.

    We¡¯ll have to ask someone who seemed to know more about thister¨D¨Dlike Grandma Jill.

 Chapter 580: Romioâ€™s Strange Behavior

    <h4>Chapter 580: Romio''s Strange Behavior</h4>

    The night following our ying of the Modoki that attacked the cargo ship.

    When we returned to the camp, we had an evaluation meeting with Charon and the others. At the end of the day¡¯s training, the escorts were now allowed to give them some advice.

    Fran and Charles point out their mistakes of the day¡¯s mission. Despite his low rank, Charles was still one of the adventurers who made his living around thiske.

    When ites to gathering and hunting, he could give more precise advice than Fran.

    When the meeting was over, Fran was on her way to the tent she had been assigned to sleep in. Perhaps because she had Urushi with us, she was allowed to use a tent without sharing it with anyone else.

    But on our way there.

    We spotted a small shadow crouching in the grass. It could not be an animal as it seemed to be wearing proper clothes. So, it should be a small child.

    It seemed to be Romio.

    No, we knew he was there from his presence, but when we approached him, he looked strange. His cheeks and forehead were flushed red, and he was breathing heavily.

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    Fran rushed over to him and hurriedly picked up his little body. His fever seemed to be quite high. His cheeks, which were peculiarly puffy for an infant, were red from the fever, and his forehead was covered with a lot of sweat.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Romio opened his eyes slightly to see Fran, but he didn¡¯t even seem to have the energy to speak anymore.

    Fran didn¡¯t ask him if he was okay as it was obvious that he was not.

    (Master, what should we do? Use Heal?)

    ¡ºNo, don¡¯t use Recovery Magic¡»

    (Why?)

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know what will happen to his physical exhaustion¡­¡»

    I had heard that if you use Recovery Magic on a child who didn¡¯t have much strength, it could cause them to lose extra strength and worsen their condition instead.

    The same went for potions. And I don¡¯t even know if he was injured, sick, or just tired.

    It wasn¡¯t simply a matter of using magic.

    My appraisal told me that Romio¡¯s condition was fatigue. But I don¡¯t know how reliable that was.

    The fact that he was in a contract with Zelos Reed, an evil person, made things moreplicated as some of the results of my appraisal were disyed as unknown.

    Some skills were impossible to identify, and the statuses had holes in them, so I didn¡¯t get to see everything.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s bring him to Weena Rhyn right away!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran gently picked up Romio with the so-called princess carry. It was refreshing to see Fran holding someone like this.

    Romio tensed up slightly, but he didn¡¯t have the strength to move much.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t give up¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    When Fran called out to him, Romio¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    Fran was like an enemy for him. To Romio, who was only about four years old, the world had only recently begun, and in that world, Zelos Reed was a dependable guardian for him. At least that was how Romeo perceived it.

    I don¡¯t know how he behaved in front of Romio, but I¡¯m pretty sure he didn¡¯t treat him badly. Otherwise, there was no way Romio would miss him.

    That enemy had unreasonably attacked Zelos Reed before, the most important person for Romio. And that enemy was Fran.

    Well, for that matter, Fran understood that it was no use getting angry at a child who didn¡¯t know any better.

    That was why we have very little in mind for Romio. It was not that we didn¡¯t think about him at all, but it was not to the point of being hostile with him. At most, I have a sense of dislike for him.

    Just like now, we were honestly worried about Romio, who was in poor physical condition.

    And that was what surprised Romio.

    Seeing Romio¡¯s confused expression reminded me of Fran when she met Zefmate. The guy from the Blue Cat kin. Zefmate was the first Blue Cat kin that Fran had encountered in her life that was friendly to the ck Cat Kin.

    At that time, Fran also had a confused look on her face. Romio¡¯s face was just like Fran¡¯s at that time.

    Romeo was just a young child¨D¨Dwell, because he was a child, he must have thought that the world was clearly divided into friend and foe.

    So why would Fran, who was supposed to be his enemy, help him? I guess he wouldn¡¯t understand that for now.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn! I found Romio lying on the ground!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Can you put him down here?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Zelos Reed was not here. It seemed he was doing some chores right now, and that must be the reason why Romio went to look for Zelos Reed.

    Sheid the limp Romio on the bed as Weena Rhyn had told her. Weena Rhyn, without seeming to be in a hurry, began to do some sort of medical examination.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ He¡¯s just simply tired. Well, just being around Zelos Reed could get you affected by the evil spirits, so it can¡¯t be helped¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸He must have been through so much exhaustion, hadn¡¯t he?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn said so and shrugged her shoulders.

    Well, as a High Elf, childhood was a long time ago for her. She might not be able to understand Romio¡¯s suffering.

    ¡¸Romio will be fine?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s not life-threatening¡¹

    ¡¸I see, that¡¯s good then¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m surprised. I thought you¡¯d hate him¡¹

    ¡¸Not really¡¹

    Fran shook her head in response to Weena Rhyn¡¯s question.

    Well, it was not that she didn¡¯t hate him.

    It was just that she didn¡¯t know how to treat him.

 Chapter 581: The Spirit of Time and Water

    <h4>Chapter 581: The Spirit of Time and Water</h4>

    ¡¸!! I¡¯m leaving!¡¹

    Fran took onest look at Romio¡¯s face and hobbled to the entrance of the tent.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    She sensed that Zelos Reed wasing back. We passed each other at the entrance but did not say a word to each other.

    Soon, however, we heard Zelos Reed¡¯s voice behind us.

    ¡¸Romio!¡¹

    Fran, who had been expressionless when I saw her face, widened her eyes when she heard Zelos Reed¡¯s voice. The expression on her face was not one of frustration or anger. If anything, the look on her face was one of surprise and panic.

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸¡­No, it¡¯s nothing¡¹

    It doesn¡¯t seem like that though¡­ I wonder what part she thought was so surprising about Zelos Reed?

    Fran continued to walk in silence and returned to our tent.

    The look of panic she had shown earlier was no longer there, and on the surface, she seemed to be calm. However, Fran was quite emotional when it came to Zelos Reed. To be exact, she was nervous.

    She didn¡¯t know whether she should call out to him or not¡­

    When I was thinking so, someone suddenly called out to her.

    ¡¸What¡¯s troubling you?¡¹

    ¡¸Who!¡¹

    ¡ºWho is it!¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    Fran, Urushi, and I all turned around in a panic.

    I couldn¡¯t sense their presence after all. Although we were a little distracted, we were not defenseless. However, none of us could detect any sign of the owner of the voice.

    This was a really strange situation.

    No, there was one possible existence.

    That was if the other party was a spirit. Urushi and I couldn¡¯t sense any sign of it, and Fran would have to be very focused to sense it.

    But that doesn¡¯t seem likely either.

    What I saw in front of us was not a spirit at all. On the contrary, it was a girl we recognized.

    However, unlike before, she was not wearing an eye patch.

    ¡¸The one from the food stall?¡¹

    ¡¸Long time no see¡¹

    It was Rhyn, a blind girl who ran a food stall in the town of Kiarazen. She was a beautiful white-skinned girl with beautiful loose blond hair in half-twins.

    However, now she had removed the eye patch that covered both eyes and was exposing her eyes. We could see that her right eye was purple and her left eye was green, it was the so-called odd eye.

    Even in this dimly lit tent, lit only by a single pale light from a small magic tool, her eyes were as clear as if they were shining.

    I guess that was what you would call eyes that seemed to suck you in. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Rhyn¡¯s odd eyes, which sparkled like jewels.

    Her eyes seemed to be firmly focused on Fran. Wasn¡¯t she blind? I¡¯m pretty sure the appraisal at the time showed that she has lost both of her eyes¡­

    I tried to appraise her again.

    ¡ºWha!¡»

    (Master?)

    ¡ºMy appraisal was blocked¡»

    I should have been able to appraise her before.

    ¡¸Fufu. Sword-san. It won¡¯t work on me¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu¡¹

    She actually knows what I am!? But Rhyn had no intention of pursuing the matter. She smiled and looked at Fran, who yed dumb.

    ¡¸I¡¯m here to see Fran today¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Besides, are you¡­ a spirit?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    (I could feel the sign of a spiriting from Rhyn)

    For real? But certainly, I couldn¡¯t feel Rhyn¡¯s presence at all. It was as if an illusion was standing right in front of us. But I sensed her human presence when we were in Kiarazen¡­

    Was she really a spirit? I¡¯ve never thought I¡¯d be able to see a humanoid spirit like her. Long ago, Klimut told us that a humanoid spirit was a high-ranking spirit.

    If so, was the girl in front of us a high-ranking spirit?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you my name again. I¡¯m a spirit, Rhyn. The spirit of time and water¡¹

    ¡¸As I guessed, you¡¯re a spirit¡­ Amazing, you look like a human¡¹

    She was a spirit. And her right eye was purple and her left eye was green? Wasn¡¯t that the characteristic of the Great Spirit, who is said to be guarding Lake Vivian?

    However, when she told us that she was a spirit, I was convinced of her mystical beauty. In fact, there was a sense of detachment of the worldly sense that made it hard for me to be convinced otherwise.

    ¡¸I came here today because I wanted to tell the both of you about something¡¹

 Chapter 582: Possible Tragedy

    <h4>Chapter 582: Possible Tragedy</h4>

    ¡¸I came here today because I wanted to tell the both of you about something¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What is it?¡¹

    Rather than trying to pry into Rhyn¡¯s identity, Fran decided to listen to her first. There was something about the serious expression that Rhyn wore that made it difficult for her to say no.

    ¡¸Through water, I can see the cause and effect of the past. And from the vision of the past, I can know the future¡¹

    ¡¸The future?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. There is no such thing as a fixed destiny in this world. But there is an oue called the future, which is likely toe if we do nothing¡¹

    Rhyn seemed to have some kind of psychometric ability. Since she could predict the future, she must have been able to analyze the past in great detail. Moreover, it seemed that she could also predict the future by performing calctions based on past information.

    Maybe it was because of that ability that she found out I was not just a simple sword. If she could see Fran¡¯s past, then, of course, she could see me in her past too.

    ¡¸Of course, this is not a sure thing. It¡¯s just that, as it is now, there¡¯s a high probability that it wille¡¹

    ¡¸So what does that mean?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s a tragedying for the both of you¡¹

    ¡¸Tragedy?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. You¡¯ve saved my life before, and I wanted to return that favor¡¹

    ¡¸Before? What are you trying to say since a while ago?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. If I interfere too much, the future I see might change into somethingpletely different. But I¡¯m really worried about you guys¡­ Sword-san. To avoid this tragedy, you¡¯d need to be ready¡¹

    Rhyn¡¯s eyes definitely focused on me.

    ¡¸You must haven¡¯t noticed, the changes in yourself¡¹

    ¡º¡­What do you mean?¡»

    I¡¯d beenpletely exposed. There was no point in hiding it any longer. I was worried about the tragedy that wasing to Fran too.

    ¡¸You are, bing a sword¡¹

    ¡ºBing? I¡¯m already a sword, aren¡¯t I?¡»

    ¡¸The body is. But not the inside. You¡¯re still a person inside¡¹

    Aah, so that was what she meant. I¡¯m a former human being, so it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡¸However, you¡¯re bing less and less of a person. The change is elerating, from a human spirit to a spirit worthy of the sword¡¹

    ¡ºIs that bad?¡»

    ¡¸In the past, you hesitated in a situation where you would have stopped Fran. Nowadays, you are taking a step back and looking at Fran from behind¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that is¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸No, definitely not. You acted like a guardian before. But now, you act like a sword, just like what any sword does¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s because I¡¯m a sword, right¡­?¡»

    ¡¸And you¡¯re starting to feel morefortable by thinking that way¡¹

    ¡ºNo¡­ I-I¡¯m¡­!¡»

    I tried to argue with Rhyn and was surprised at how weak my words sounded. What was it? I tried to shout, ¡°No! I¡¯m not just a sword!¡± but failed.

    ¡¸You must haven¡¯t noticed the change in Fran too¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    ¡¸Was she frustrated because she couldn¡¯t freely move her body? Did you really think that was the case?¡¹

    What do you mean? When I looked at Fran, sheid her ears t and turned her head down with an indescribable look on her face. She looked apologetic, sad, lonely, and a mixture of other emotions.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhy are you apologizing?¡»

    ¡¸I had noticed that Master was a little strange. But I was afraid to tell you¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    The uneasiness I was having was making her irritated and agitated¡­? Because of me?

    ¡¸You are indeed a sword. But you¡¯re also a person. Don¡¯t forget that¡¹

    Right after she told us that, Rhyn¡¯s body started to fade.

    ¡ºW-wait!¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯re her master, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t just be a mere bystander. Keep your mind strong. You are Fran¡¯s teacher¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn! Wait! Please tell me more about it!¡»

    It was no good. She had said all she wanted to say and disappeared.

    ¡ºFran, can you sense Rhyn¡¯s presence?¡»

    ¡¸She is gone¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡­¡»

    But, I was bing a sword? How did that lead to tragedy?

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡ºWhat is it?¡»

    ¡¸I prefer Master to remain as my master¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    There was a definite sadness in Fran¡¯s voice. Her eyshes trembled, and her eyes moistened slightly.

    Fran pulled me out of the scabbard and hugged me tightly. I could feel Fran¡¯s warmth and the beating of her heart.

    ¡¸There are many swords. But Master is my only master¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m¡­¡»

    Fran was afraid. She was afraid I would turn into a sword. She even shed tears for me.

    I was terrified at that moment.

    Even though Fran had done so much for me, I wasn¡¯t afraid of the fact that I was bing more like a sword. If it had been me when I first met Fran, I would have definitely felt sorry and scared.

    As Rhyn had said, I was on the verge of bing a sword. The moment I became very aware of this, I was hit by a terrible chill.

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡»

    ¡¸Master!?¡¹

    It was the first time I felt this way since I became a sword. The next moment, I felt my body tremble with an unfamiliar urge that took over my mind. No, I don¡¯t have a body to tremble though¡­

    ¡ºGha¡­¡»

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    Then, I suddenly realized that I had a strong fear of bing a sword.

    This is¨D¨D.

    ¡¸¨D¨D! Master!¡¹

    I became blind and couldn¡¯t see my surroundings. I couldn¡¯t even hear Fran¡¯s voice anymore. However, the moment I heard the sorrowful call, I was able to rapidly regain myposure.

    ¡º¡­Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Master! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡ºA-aah, yes, I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m totally fine. Sorry, I was just a little distraught¡­ Hey, have I been acting weirdtely?¡»

    ¡¸Just a little. But it is really just a little¡¹

    So, it was only a little, huh? Apparently, that was why she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. But Fran was clearly relieved.

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m still myself. I¡¯m Fran¡¯s master¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Just what am I supposed to do? Rhyn told me to be strong-minded. I guess that means we can still do something about it.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll do my best¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 584: What Was Causing the Strange Occurrences in the Lake?

    <h4>Chapter 584: What Was Causing the Strange urrences in the Lake?</h4>

    The next day.

    Fran, who was in a good mood after she had my special pancake, was on her way to Weena Rhyn¡¯s tent.

    She called us because she had something to say.

    ¡¸Morning¡¹

    ¡¸Morning, Fran. I need a little advice from you¡¹

    Weena Rhyn cut straight to the point without much greetings. There seemed to be a subtle hint of impatience on her face.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸You must have noticed that there¡¯s something wrong with theke, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. The Modoki areing out¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, about them. To be honest¡­ I didn¡¯t even know why this was happening. It wasn¡¯t like this untilst year¡­¡¹

    The strange urrence must have really happened very recently then.

    ¡¸I need you to find out what¡¯s going on¡¹

    ¡¸Me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You¡¯re the strongest person I could ask. And I¡¯ll also relieve you of your guard duty temporarily¡¹

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, you must also curious about what¡¯s going on with theke, right? After all, we have encountered the Modoki many times already¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºThen, I guess you should take it¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Besides, Fran was now employed by Weena Rhyn, and if she was given a new job, she should do it.

    This was not what an Instructor would do though.

    But we were not going toin because we would be able to go out there and investigate what was going on in theke that we¡¯ve been wondering about.

    But I did have one question.

    ¡ºWouldn¡¯t it be faster if you do this on your own?¡»

    She was an ocean magic-user who controlled water, and a spirit user who might be useful for reconnaissance. In addition, she had local connections, power, and money. If you wanted to investigate theke, Weena Rhyn was definitely the right person for the job.

    But apparently, that¡¯s not possible as Weena Rhyn shook her head at my words.

    ¡¸For various reasons, I want to stay as far away from theke as possible¡¹

    ¡¸? We¡¯re close now though¡¹

    ¡¸This is the very edge. I shouldn¡¯t get close to theke¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸That is¡­ Don¡¯t tell anyone, okay? If it ever leaks to the other countries, it¡¯ll be a disaster¡¹

    ¡¸Understood, I¡¯ll never tell anyone¡¹

    ¡¸That said, I don¡¯t have time to tell you the whole story. But let me give you a short exnation¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸First, there is a certain magic beast sealed at the bottom of Vivian Lake¡¹

    ¡¸Magic beast?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. A huge magic beast that I¡¯m sure must have a threat level of A or higher¡¹

    We¡¯ve heard about it in Kiarazen before, Lake Vivian used to be a much smallerke in ancient times. However, due to a natural disaster, it was connected to the sea and then separated from the sea again, bing thergeke it was today.

    And she said that that natural disaster was actually caused by that magic beast.

    Even though it was at the sea, it sensed the presence of the Great Spirit that lived in Lake Vivian and tried to devour its power.

    And it seemed that in order to reach the spirit in thiske, it connected the sea and theke.

    ¡¸In the end, the spirit of theke was devoured by the magic beast, and that magic beast gained tremendous power. The entire continent was on the verge of a great disaster that time¡¹

    The magic beast was sorge that it could sink part of the continent into the sea and had absorbed the Great Spirit. That¡¯s why she said that it could have been ssified as a threat level S.

    If it ever got out of control, the continent of Zilberd would surely be destroyed.

    However, an acquaintance of Weena Rhyn seeded in sealing the magic beast. He separated its source of power, the sea, and sealed it in the bottom of the newly formedke.

    Since the magic beast was a sea-dwelling being, staying in freshwater for a long time would surely weaken it.

    And after that acquaintance died, Weena Rhyn took over the seal and had been protecting it ever since.

    She didn¡¯t go into detail about her acquaintance, but they might be a High Elf. I could sense the affection in her tone, and she even took the trouble to take over the seal after their death.

    ¡¸As soon as I took over the seal, I entered into a contract with the magic beast. Or to be more precise, by making a contract with the guardian spirit of theke that was absorbed by the magic beast, I also made a contract with the magic beast¡¹

    ¡¸The guardian spirit, is still alive?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a spirit, so I¡¯m not quite sure if you could even call it alive, but it hasn¡¯t disappeared yet. It was now a part of that magic beast and continues to exist¡¹

    By using her contract with the spirit, Weena Rhyn seemed to have been able to keep the huge magic beast under the seal quiet.

    ¡¸A part of the power of the magic beast and the spirit has been contained within me. Therefore, if I ever get closer to theke, that power will be attracted to the magic beast and it will be revitalized¡¹

    That was why Weena Rhyn couldn¡¯t go near theke. Even so, she had tried to find out the cause of the anomaly and talked to the spirits living in theke, but she was unable to find any clues.

    ¡ºIn the first ce, what is the Vivian Guardian, which is the origin of the Modoki? I heard it¡¯s not just a magic beast. What does it have to do with that sealed magic beast?¡»

    ¡¸The Vivian Guardian is the guardian of the seal. Well, it actually wasn¡¯t me, but the spirit inside that magic beast that created the seal¡¹

    So that was why, huh? She said that the Vivian Guardians don¡¯t attack people, but tried to prevent anyone from entering a certain ce.

    ¡¸What if they attack us and then go out of control?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know much about it either, but I think it must be a warning. It tried to warn anyone who ever got close to the seal¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Then I asked her about something that had been bothering me.

    ¡ºIs the name of that spirit is, Rhyn?¡»

    ¡¸Ara? How did you know?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s what she called herself¡»

    ¡¸We met her yesterday¡¹

    Fran took over my words. And it was right after that. Weena Rhyn¡¯s expression changed dramatically.

    ¡¸What¡­ did you say¡­!?¡¹

 Chapter 585: Investigating the Anomalies

    <h4>Chapter 585: Investigating the Anomalies</h4>

    ¡¸What¡­ did you say¡­?¡¹

    Hearing Rhyn¡¯s namee out of our mouths, Weena Rhyn¡¯s expression changed dramatically.

    The look on her face was of suspicion and astonishment. She stared at Fran with eyes that were opened to their limit.

    ¡¸You must be joking, right¡­?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s expression looked as if she hoped it was just a joke. But Fran shook her head.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not¡¹

    ¡¸Really¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Then she stood up with enough force to knock over the chair she was sitting on and shouted in disbelief.

    ¡¸That¡¯s ridiculous! That shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn is¡­! That child is¡­!¡¹

    With a weak gesture, she ced her hand on the desk and panted as she spoke.

    ¡¸As long as I¡¯m here! As long as Weena Rhyn exists, Rhyn shouldn¡¯t be able to show up¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m still Weena Rhyn¡­ What does this mean? Is this why theke is so strangetely?¡¹

    It was no good. She¡¯spletely ignoring what we were saying. She was scratching her hair with a look of confusion and dismay on her face.

    Of course, if Rhyn was the spirit from Weena Rhyn¡¯s story, and she was inside the great magic beast, then I can understand why it would be strange for her to show up.

    However, it seemed that Weena Rhyn didn¡¯t mean it that way.

    ¡¸¡­Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you investigate theke as soon as possible?¡¹

    We didn¡¯t dare to ask Weena Rhyn any more questions than we already had. Weena Rhyn¡¯s face was so intense that even Fran could sense its pressure.

    ¡¸¡­Okay¡¹

    The words that came out of her had an indescribable power that could not be denied. To be honest, even I was not an exception.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure there are a lot of people in the local guild who are working on this, so you can talk to them¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸You may use my name as well. I¡¯ll even allow a little recklessness¡¹

    ¡ºOi, oil, that isn¡¯t quite peaceful¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s just how bad the situation has gotten¡¹

    A situation that would even rm a High Elf? Wasn¡¯t this a seriously dangerous situation then¡­? It seemed like we had to do whatever it took to find out what was going on.

    ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We were about to leave the tent, but Weena Rhyn¡¯s next words stopped us.

    ¡¸Hey, did Rhyn say anything about me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Not really¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    Was there something wrong with my sight? As there seemed to be a hint of loneliness on Weena Rhyn¡¯s face.

    ¡­

    One hourter. We arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Sheftent.

    When we arrived here, we realized that we forgot to tell her about Rhyn¡¯s stall. It seemed that we were a little overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Weena Rhyn before. Well, we¡¯ll tell her the next time we meet her.

    ¡¸Pleasee this way¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The receptionist seemed to remember Fran, and it had be a face pass already. She told her that she wanted to see Grandma Jill, and she let her through right away.

    ¡¸Hmm? Isn¡¯t it the ck Lightning Princess, what can I do for you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I was asked to investigate theke¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why is that again?¡¹

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn asked me¡¹

    Fran said in a halting voice that Weena Rhyn had asked her to investigate theke. This probably made her realize that the situation was more serious than she had imagined.

    Grandma Jill then straightened up her figure.

    ¡¸I see. So, she¡¯s worried about the situation too¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Do you have any information?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, we¡¯re investigating into it as well, but it¡¯s not going anywhere¡¹

    To begin with, the central part of Vivian Lake, where the Modoki appeared, was still guarded by the Vivian Guardians. Because of this, they couldn¡¯t investigate the source of the problem.

    ¡¸Are there any adventurers investigating the anomaly?¡¹

    ¡¸There are some. The adventurers you know would be Lovren and Sierra¡¹

    I remember Lovren. He was the rank B adventurer of the Commercial Fleet. She had a small talk with him when she acted as an examiner for the promotion test there. He was a veryposed man with a gentle nature.

    But I had never heard the name Sierra before.

    ¡¸Sierra? Who is he?¡¹

    ¡¸Oya? You don¡¯t know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe?¡¹

    ¡¸Aaah,e to think of it, he didn¡¯t give you his name that time. He¡¯s the kid who had taken the promotion exam and got promoted. His hair is brown and I think he¡¯s got a peculiar interest in you, don¡¯t you remember?¡¹

    Could it be that boy with the killing intent?

    For some unknown reason, he was an F-ranked adventurer who had turned his killing intent on Fran, whom we had never met before. Well, I guess he was an E-ranker now.

    Fran asked her about his features, and it seemed that it was him. Could we ask her to tell us about him? Well, let¡¯s see.

    ¡¸Lovren is the only one we¡¯ve sent a request to. But Sierra seems to be investigating on his own. Well, it¡¯s not just Sierra though¡¹

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was still looking for more information about the anomaly, and they had even asked Lovren, a senior adventurer, to help.

    It seemed that many adventurers wanted to make a name for themselves by solving the mystery of this anomaly or to make their presence known to the guild bypeting with the senior adventurers.

    ¡¸For now, let me tell you what information we have¡¹

    ¡¸Please¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, the Modoki often aim at boats. We still don¡¯t know the reason yet. And unlike the usual, they also eat people now¡¹

    ¡¸It ate people? Like musha musha?¡¹ (munching SFX)

    ¡¸Yeah. Well, it looks like it¡¯s doing it to absorb magic power. It¡¯s also been confirmed that it also attacks the other magic beasts¡¹

    The only time a Vivian Guardian attacked a living being is when it was attacked. And even then, they did not eat them, they would only attack them.

    When I thought about it, I found out just how abnormal the Modoki were.

    ¡¸Why would they attack a boat?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t know much about that either. I thought about narrowing it down based on the cargo, but almost no ship carries only a single item¡¹

    Wasn¡¯t this almost as if they didn¡¯t know anything? When I thought about it, they actually had some good information.

    ¡¸It¡¯s just that themercial fleet has the highest probability of being targeted by far. It may be that arge number of ships makes it worthwhile to attack them, but it is also possible that there are other reasons¡¹

    I see. We would have to look into that too. But let¡¯s talk to Lovren first.

 Chapter 586: The True Nature of the Endemic Diseases

    <h4>Chapter 586: The True Nature of the Endemic Diseases</h4>

    Should we go talk to Lovren Right away? Well, I think it was better for us to go back to Weena Rhyn first and report about Rhyn¡¯s stall. I was sure she had calmed down by now.

    But before we left, I remembered that there was something I wanted to ask Grandma Jill.

    ¡¸Hey, does the scarlet waterweed medicine have any effect on the surroundings?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Yesterday¨D¨D¡¹

    She exined that when she saved a boat from the Modoki attack, she felt some difort with her Water Magic and that the cause may have been the spilled Scarlet Waterweed potion or the Modoki¡¯s dissolved body.

    Then Grandma Jill nodded her head in agreement.

    ¡¸I see¡­ If it¡¯s someone in your ss, they might be able to feel it. Perhaps that¡¯s the effect of the Scarlet Waterweed potion¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸You can use the Space-Time Magic, can¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Then it¡¯s no wonder that you¡¯re so sensitive¡¹

    Then Grandma Jill exined to her.

    ¡¸The water in thiske has a slight amount of magic power in it¡¹

    ¡¸Magic power?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s a magic power simr to Space-Time magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, but why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we don¡¯t know much about that either. All I can say is that it¡¯s been that way for hundreds of years¡¹

    People living around here seemed to live their lives thinking that was the way it was, and don¡¯t question it much.

    ¡¸Of course, it¡¯s so slight that you wouldn¡¯t normally be able to feel it at all. Even you can¡¯t detect it either, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Indeed, if it hadn¡¯t been for the Scarlet Waterweed potion, we wouldn¡¯t have noticed it either. It seems to be a very small amount of magic power.

    However, it wasn¡¯tpletely unaffecting the surroundings. It has be an endemic disease that has taken root in this country.

    Apparently, it is not caused by pathogens, but by continuous consumption of the water from Vivian Lake, which is their water source, since birth.

    In fact, the disease is not endemic in areas of the country that get their water from other sources.

    The process is simple. If they keep drinking the water from theke, they will umte Space-Time Magic power in their body.

    As a result, the magic power of the water made them feel slightly hasted. In other words, the water in theke acted as a very weak Haste potion.

    However, since the effect was really slight, no one noticed it. Because no one noticed it, the person¡¯s senses and the body¡¯s reaction to it keep deviating from each other, causing fatigue to build up and making the person even more intoxicated. This was the true nature of the endemic disease.

    The reason why adults rarely develop the disease is that once they do, their bodies will get used to it and it bes less of a problem. Many of them might even adapt without developing the disease at all.

    Also, no matter how severe, no one died from the endemic disease alone. It must feel like terrible car sickness.

    Besides, it can be cured quickly by ingesting a special medicine. Therefore, the people of this country did not consider this endemic disease to be that important.

    It was like measles, which you may get only once in your life and was not deadly. Of course, some die fromplications due to other illnesses or from idents caused by poor health, but that was no different from themon cold.

    ¡¸And the cure is also imbued with Time-space Magic-type magic power¡¹

    Scarlet Waterweed, which grew only in the Vivian Lake ecosystem, was tolerant of that water.

    Simply put, the stems had the effect of repelling and disrupting Space-Time Magic, which protected itself from the waters of theke.

    And inside, it seemed to have the power to umte and control the magic power contained in the water it absorbs from its roots.

    By extracting those effects from the scarlet waterweed, a cure for the endemic disease could be created.

    When they took the medicine, the Haste effect on their body was further enhanced. As a result, the brain would be aware of any sensory discrepancies and adjust to them immediately.

    The human body was an amazing thing, it seemed that once it understood the feeling, it would never get sick again.

    ¡¸ording to a guy who had an aptitude for Space-time magic, it¡¯s only 1/100th as effective as Haste, even after they have taken the potion and are enhanced¡¹

    But to Fran, who was used to using Haste regrly, it must have felt like a big discrepancy.

    Moreover, if the water itself was filled with magic power, it was even more difficult to act as usual.

    However, some questions remained.

    From what we just heard; an endemic disease was not the kind of thing that can be transmitted. So how was it possible that an epidemic like this year¡¯s could happen?

    It was inevitable that there would be a certain number of cases every year, but I didn¡¯t understand why there would be a sudden epidemic.

    When Fran asked that, Grandma Jill gave a few reasons.

    ¡¸It¡¯s caused by various things. First, the number of children born. Do you know how some years, after a war or something, there are more children born than any other year?¡¹

    In addition to that, the number of patients could also increase after a few years of epting immigration from foreign countries. After all, if there was an increase in the number of people who were not resistant to the disease all at once, it could be a trigger.

    ¡¸It also depends on the climate. In years when it¡¯s a little warmer and there¡¯s a lot of fog, the amount of water that gets into the body increases. That¡¯s sure will increase the number of patients¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Other reasons include the poprity of new types of crops that use a lot of water and the development of new methods of making sake. Aah, there was even a time when the poprity of water-soluble incense led to an increase in the number of patients¡¹

    Since water was an inseparable part of human life, trivial reasons could lead to an increase or decrease in the number of endemic patients.

    ¡¸So what¡¯s the reason for the increase in patients this year?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s so widespread this year. Maybe you could ask Weena Rhyn-sama about that¡¹

    So, it was not under the jurisdiction of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? Certainly, the reason for the epidemic disease was the responsibility of the government and research institutions.

    We were going back to Weena Rhyn after this anyway, so let¡¯s ask her then.

 Chapter 587: Zelos Reedâ€™s Request

    <h4>Chapter 587: Zelos Reed''s Request</h4>

    Supporter: Asekhan

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn is not here?¡¹

    ¡ºIt seems so¡­ We¡¯ve only left for about an hour though¡»

    After talking to Grandma Jill, we came back to the camp. We wanted to talk to Weena Rhyn about Rhyn¡¯s stall. However, there was no sign of her in the tent.

    ¡¸¡­Weena Rhyn, where did she go?¡¹

    ¡¸She didn¡¯t tell me where she¡¯s going¡¹

    Fran asks Zelos Reed, who was tied up in the tent, but he didn¡¯t seem to know where she was.

    ¡ºMaybe she went to investigate it herself¡»

    (What should we do now?)

    ¡ºHmmm¡­¡»

    We have no choice. I guess we should leave a message with Zelos Reed and go talk to Lovren. She was able to have a normal conversation with someone like Zelos Reed with him now.

    Even so, I wondered if it was okay to leave this man alone, but it seems that the spirits are closely watching him. I guess they wouldn¡¯t have much problem if it was the current Zelos Reed whose power was greatly suppressed.

    However, with chains around his ankles and restraints around his neck, he looked like a ve. Even so, the way he stayed still and didn¡¯t start raging, made it hard to believe that he was the same person as that battle junky he was before.

    ¡¸¡­Tell Weena Rhyn that Rhyn might be still in Kiarazen. She¡¯s running a food stall there¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹

    They exchanged such looks with no expressions on each other¡¯s faces. Fran still hated Zelos Reed, but what about him?

    Does he hate her? Or just dislike her? I couldn¡¯t tell which one it was.

    But when Fran, who had said what she had to say, was about to leave the tent, she was unexpectedly stopped by Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸Wait¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What?¡¹

    Fran stopped for a moment and replied in a sharp voice.

    ¡¸¡­I have a request to ask¡¹

    ¡¸Request? Request you say¡­!?¡¹

    Fran snapped immediately after Zelos Reed uttered those words. She muttered to him with an angry expression.

    Uncontroble killing intent covered the surrounding area. However, Zelos Reed showed no sign of fear and knelt on the spot.

    It was not that he was not afraid, but he was prepared for it. Here, even if Fran cut him down, he must have thought that it was inevitable.

    The eyes that stared at Fran while he was down on his knees were so clear that it was hard to believe they belonged to Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸I have, a request¡¹

    I could hear the blunt sound of gnashing teething from Fran¡¯s mouth. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that her hand, which already stretched out on my handle, was trembling in disbelief.

    ¡ºFran! Wait! This ce¨D¨D¡»

    (¡­Don¡¯t worry)

    The fire of anger still burned in her eyes. However, Fran let her hand go from my hilt and slowly lowered her fist.

    (I know¡­)

    I wonder, did Fran allow him to at least tell her his request after seeing his look? Zelos Reed then opened his mouth again.

    ¡¸¡­In exchange, you can take my life¡¹

    ¡¸!?¡¹

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn is going to cancel the contract between me and Romio. After that, she can do whatever she wants with my life¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know what that means?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. If just by killing me is not enough, you can also torture or do whatever you want to me¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸My request is for Romio. I want you to bring Romio to an orphanage in Barbra after I die¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Romio wouldn¡¯t be happy if he stayed with me. So, please¡¹

    Impossible. Even I thought that. Did he really entrust Romio to us with his life as the price? But he was not lying. He really meant it.

    As if in a daze, Fran¡¯s strength loosened from her arms. And at the same time, the killing intent that had been so prevalent dissipated into thin air. This time, the atmosphere was eerily quiet. Her hands that were hanging down were swinging limply.

    A dumbfounded expression appeared on her face. Was she dumbfounded after hearing the unexpected words? Or did her anger break through the limit?

    But to my surprise, Fran nodded lightly to Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸¡­I understand¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. With your life as the price, I will take Romio to an orphanage¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Thank you, very much¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hmph¡¹

    Fran then turned her back to Zelos Reed, who continued to bow down on his knees. And just like that, she walked away with an indescribable expression on her face.

    ¡ºFran, well done for holding back¡»

    (¡­That guy¡­ has changed. He¡¯s not the same Zelos Reed I remember)

    ¡ºWill you forgive him?¡»

    (¡­I¡¯m not going to forgive him, but¡­

    Fran seemed to find it difficult to put it into words. Even so, it seemed that Zelos Reed had changed to the extent that made her willing to listen to his words instead of immediately drawing me. No, was it Fran who had changed?

    Her hatred was still there, but it seemed that different feelings were also growing.

    ¡ºYou did great¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    At that moment in the Academy of Magic, when Fran shed Zelos Reed, I thought that it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    If I were in Fran¡¯s position, for example, I would have definitely attacked him. I wouldn¡¯t care if it involved people who had nothing to do with it.

    With that in mind, I thought that it was only natural for Fran to attack Zelos Reed. That was why I was toote to stop her, and I also wondered if I had the right to stop her.

    Besides, I was Fran¡¯s sword, and I was willing to follow her to the end, even if it would lead to her demise.

    But that was ridiculous. That¡¯s not what a guardian should do.

    I am disqualified as a guardian, aren¡¯t I?

    Wasn¡¯t it the guardian¡¯s duty to scold, even if he has to put himself on the line? It reminded me of my parents. They were not saints, nor were they good adults. If I were to list their virtues and faults, I would say that they had more faults than virtues. When I was little, my parents would scold me and I would think, ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me what to do¡¹

    But they still scolded me and raised me. In the first ce, it was the job of a guardian to show a good example of what not to do.

    I¡¯d even say it was a job because it was not only love that parents needed to give. Parents also have a duty. They have a duty to raise the children under their care in a healthy and proper manner.

    As a self-appointed guardian, I will have to remember that.

    So, I praised her. I praised Fran for being able to suppress her hatred and being able to contain herself.

    ¡ºYou did great, Fran¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    However, what I was wondering is whether Fran was really going to take Zelos Reed¡¯s life or not. However, Fran turned over with a troubled look on her face at that question.

    ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t know¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    Apparently, a spur-of-the-moment decision at that time had made her promise to do so.

    ¡¸¡­But¡¹

    ¡ºBut?¡»

    ¡¸I still can¡¯t forgive Zelos Reed¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    "Still", huh?

 Chapter 588: Urban Legends: The Phantom Stall

    <h4>Chapter 588: Urban Legends: The Phantom Stall</h4>

    We were now back in Kiarazen again.

    We were told that Lovren was here.

    It was close to other countries, and the legend of the Lakeside Maiden was popr here. It was a ce that shouldn¡¯t be missed when investigating the strange urrences in theke.

    Besides, we¡¯d like to visit Rhyn¡¯s stall again.

    But her stall was not in the same ce as before. We looked around the town to see if she had moved locations, but she was nowhere to be found.

    In the end, we even went to the merchant association that organizes the stalls in this town to ask them about it. But they replied that there was no such merchant by that name.

    They didn¡¯t lie as their answer was not ame response. After all, we even mentioned Weena Rhyn¡¯s name and showed them Fran¡¯s adventurer card. In addition, I also used my doppelganger to apany her as her guardian this time.

    This was also meant to be a test to see if this skill would be effective in keeping my soul as a person. I wanted to try having a conversation with someone in this state and see what happens.

    In addition to the big shots, we also met with the high-ranking adventurers. The person in charge of arranging the stalls in town was even shaking with a blue face. I felt a little sorry for him when I saw him going over the list of names again and again.

    The chairman of the tradingpany, who could not stand to see the situation, even took over the handling of the situation, but his investigation did not change the results.

    However, he remembered something in his mind.

    ¡¸There is an urban legend in this town¡¹

    ¡¸An urban legend?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a story that people are very uncertain about whether it¡¯s true or false¡¹

    Apparently, there is a rumor among the merchants that there was a phantom stall that could not be normally encountered, although they do not know when it all started.

    They never knew when or where it would appear, but there were stories of travelers who had encountered strange food stalls and had been sold amazingly delicious food.

    ¡¸The vendor of the stall is said to be a mysterious looking girl with ck cloth covering her eyes¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Without a doubt, she¡¯s the one I¡¯m talking about¡¹

    ¡¸Could it be, the rumor was true¡­? But then, we have no more information to go on. I¡¯ve heard that some people have tried to find it before, but they couldn¡¯t find it¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But it could be the Lakeside Maiden disguised as a girl to watch human activity, or a demon taking human form¡¹

    So, in the end, we didn¡¯t get many results. But it seemed that no one had ever been able to find it. They couldn¡¯t even get a clue.

    Rhyn must have some kind of status disguising ability that was at the level at which even my appraisal ispletely fooled.

    Well, from what Weena Rhyn had told us before, she was originally a high-ranking spirit that was fused with the huge magic beast. In addition, she was in a contract with Weena Rhyn. She¡¯s probably overwhelmingly superior being to us. Even if nothing was done to her, there was a high possibility that she could not be appraised. There was nothing we could do if her disguise skills were added on top of that.

    Also, does she possess the ability to block perception? She was a spirit, so she should be invisible to normal humans, but that alone didn¡¯t exin why they couldn¡¯t find her stall. Maybe she could also use it for anything besides herself.

    ¡ºWell, it can¡¯t be helped that we can¡¯t find her. Let¡¯s go to Lovren for now¡»

    ¡¸How is it? Has anything changed?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm? Oh, you¡¯re talking about my body¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran tilted her head and looked at my doppelganger.

    ¡ºUmm, I don¡¯t know¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nothing changed?¡¹

    In the first ce, my main body was a sword, but at the same time, my doppelganger was moving, so it was not as if I hadpletely gone back to a human body. Besides, my doppelganger had weak senses, so it was hard to feel that it was a human body at all.

    It felt like controlling a full dive avatar in a VR game, maybe? Anyway, I was feeling a strong sense of wrongness. In fact, I felt that pretending to be a person reminded me more that I was a sword.

    Also, Fran seemed to be slightly ufortable with it. To Fran, I¡¯m a sword. That was the way it should be, and she felt ufortable seeing my doppelganger for the first time in a long time.

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s not exactly the goal I¡¯m aiming for, and I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d use this skill often enough¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    But Fran seemed to be a little happy while saying that. After all, she didn¡¯t really like the idea of me using my doppelganger¡¯s body.

    From now on, I would use it from time to time, but I wouldn¡¯t use it all the time.

    Then I erased my doppelganger and urged Fran to move

    ¡ºWell, let¡¯s go to the harbor~¡»

    ¡¸Oo~¡¹

    ording to our information, Lovren had been at the harbor until about an hour ago.

    He was a very famous person in this area, so when we asked the merchants, they immediately knew where he was.

    We headed to the ce we were told to go to, but there we ran into someone we didn¡¯t expect.

    ¡¸It is¡­ Err¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s Sierra¡»

    There was Sierra, the boy with the killing intent.

    He was holding a somewhat sinister-looking sword with a jet-ck de in his right hand, and for some reason, he was dipping the tip of the sword into theke. I wonder what he was doing?

    ¡¸¨D¨DI guess¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨Dmaybe?¡¹

    He was mumbling something in a low voice, but I couldn¡¯t hear him clearly. It seemed as if he was talking to someone, but there was no one around. Did he have a habit of mumbling to himself?

    As we approached the boy, he turned around and looked at her.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Sierra and Fran stared at each other for a while.

    In contrast to Fran¡¯s curious look, Sierra¡¯s gaze toward Fran was filled with killing intent.

 Chapter 589: The Evil Sword and Sierra

    <h4>Chapter 589: The Evil Sword and Sierra</h4>

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran and Sierra stared at each other in silence. But Fran was just as silent and expressionless as usual.

    Eventually, Sierra looked away and walked past Fran to get past her.

    But at that moment, Urushi, who was standing beside Fran, grew huge at once and intervened between Fran and Sierra.

    ¡¸Grrrr¡­¡¹

    Urushi growled with the full force of intimidation. Sierra stopped in surprise at his reaction, which was evenced with killing intent.

    However, Urushi¡¯s gaze was not on Sierra¨D¨Dbut on the sword at his hip.

    Does it mean it was his magic sword that Urushi is wary of? No, but that didn¡¯t exin this reaction. Was it because the person releasing the killing intent was in possession of a powerful magic sword?

    I wondered as I appraised Sierra and his magic sword.

    ¡ºNot that it matters, but¡­¡»

    Sierra¡¯s status was the same as before. He was certainly strong for his age, but his abilities were at best at those of a D-ranked adventurer.

    But after appraising the sword, I understood why Urushi was so wary.

    ¡ºWhat! All of its descriptions were disyed as unknown!?¡»

    If the opponent¡¯s rank was higher than mine and the appraisal fails, it would end up not showing up anything rather than showing up as unknown.

    The only things that showed up as unknown were evil people and things possessed by an evil spirit. Come to think of it, Urushi should had the skill to detect evil spirits. So, I¡¯m sure he had sensed a very small amount of evil in the sword that even Fran and I couldn¡¯t detect.

    ¡ºUrushi, hold back a little¡»

    ¡¸Grrr¡­¡¹

    Urushi reverted to hisrge dog size and lessened his intimidation. However, he was still in a position to attack at any time. Sierra, who could understand this, was bracing himself with a sense of caution.

    ¡¸That sword¡­ Where did you get it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Do I have to tell you?¡¹

    We had never heard his voice before. It was higher-pitched than we expected.

    ¡¸I can sense the evil in it¡¹

    ¡¸Then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph¡¹

    His reaction now, Sierra seemed to know that there was an evil spirit hidden in his sword. Honestly, we were not sure what to do now.

    But we couldn¡¯t sense any evil in him, and just because he had an evil weapon didn¡¯t mean he was evil.

    It was the same for me. No, rather, am I even worse? After all, a part of the Evil God¡¯s soul was sealed in me. Was it evil of Fran to use me? No, not at all. It was just that the sword I¡¯m using has a bit of a story behind it.

    I guess it¡¯s the same for Sierra.

    The boy frowned ufortably and walked away. It was amazing that he was only slightly surprised by Urushi¡¯s intimidation. In terms of his ability, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he would instantly die from being shocked¡­ It seemed that he had tremendous courage.

    It was then at the moment after he avoided Urushi and passed Fran, Sierra stopped and opened his mouth.

    ¡¸¡­Weena Rhyn might kill Romio¡¹

    ¡¸! What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸But the fact that she decided to do it means that it needs to be done. And when she does, don¡¯t do anything you don¡¯t have to do¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Please exin!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Just ask Weena Rhyn yourself¡¹

    That was all Sierra said and tried to walk away, but Fran wouldn¡¯t let him. She walked around in front of him and red at him.

    ¡¸¡­The power of the ¡ºEvil God¡¯s Sacrament¡» is hidden in Magnolia¡¯s bloodline. But if she uses that power, Romio will die¡¹

    ¡¸Evil God¡¯s Sacrament?¡¹

    ¡¸It is a fearsome grace given by the Evil Gods to rule over the evil people, to devour them, to absorb their Evil Soul, and to transform them into power. That is the Evil God¡¯s Sacrament possessed by the Magnolias. The Grace of the Evil God passed down to each family is what gives the three Gordician families their power¡¹

    The three Gordician families were the guardian families that were supposed to keep the Evil Gods at bay, right? They are Magnolia, Camellia, and Wisteria. I¡¯ve heard that they¡¯ve already been ruined though¡­

    But now he¡¯s telling me that they were empowered by the Evil God? In other words, they worshipped the Evil God? And yet, they sealed away the Evil God?

    ¡¸Was it given by the Evil God?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re gonna have to find out for yourself. What¡¯s important now is thiske. The magic beast sealed in here has also taken in the power of the Evil God¡¯s piece. The best way to suppress its power is to sacrifice Romio and use the power of the Evil God¡¯s Sacrament to seal it¡¹

    Oi, oi, the huge magic beast in thiske has even had the power of the Evil Gods?

    ¡¸How do you know all this?¡¹

    Certainly, Sierra knew too much about Romio. It was hard to believe that he could know so much from mere research. However, there was no way Sierra would answer it.

    ¡¸It¡¯s none of your business. Just stay out of my way and Weena Rhyn¡¯s. That¡¯s it¡¹

    Sierra told her so with a cold expression on his face, to which Fran replied in protest.

    ¡¸Romio will not die!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? You, aren¡¯t you supposed to be Romio¡¯s enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re an enemy of Zelos Reed, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Zelos Read is my enemy. But Romio isn¡¯t really an enemy¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Tsk¡¹

    How much does Sierra know about anything? I¡¯m not sure why he even knew about Fran¡¯s rtionship with Romio and Zelos Reed.

    Who was he? I wondered, and Fran questioned Sierra¡¯s back as he was walking away.

    ¡¸Are you¡­ Romio¡¯s big brother?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not¡¹

    Sierra only answered with that and disappeared into the crowded streets of the town.

    ¡ºRomio¡¯s big brother? What made you think so?¡»

    ¡¸He knew a lot of things¡¹

    ¡ºI see. Well, I guess that¡¯s why he even knows about the power of Magnolia¡¯s bloodline and all that¡»

    ¡¸Moreover¡­¡¹

    ¡ºMoreover?¡»

    ¡¸He looked like Romio¡¹

    ¡ºIs that so?¡»

    Sure, they had the same hair color, but did they look that much alike?

    ¡¸Nn, their eyes look simr¡¹

    ¡ºEyes?¡»

    ¡¸Their eyes are simr when they stared at me¡¹

    Ah, now that she mentioned it, they may indeed be simr. Romio¡¯s eyes towards Fran, and Sierra¡¯s eyes towards Fran. The sharp eyes mixed with hostility; the feel was very simr.

    Why did he teach Fran such a thing? What was he aiming for?

    I wonder who exactly he was. Anyway, I¡¯m sure he was no ordinary adventurer.

 Chapter 590: The Modokiâ€™s Target

    <h4>Chapter 590: The Modoki''s Target</h4>

    After Sierra left, we were finally able toe in contact with Lovren.

    We had been so focused on Sierra that we hadn¡¯t noticed that we were already in the harbor.

    ¡¸I¡¯d be grateful if you could be a little calmer around the town, you know?¡¹

    Lovren, of course, must have seen our encounter with Sierra earlier. He wasining to us right now.

    Especially regarding Urushi. A big wolf that had suddenly appeared and growled ferociously while radiating intimidation in the town.

    Fortunately, there were no people in the harbor, but it could have caused a hugemotion. It would have been no surprise if Adventurers and guards had been dispatched to check the situation.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi. You should apologize. It¡¯s definitely our fault¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸As long as you understand, just be careful next time, okay?¡¹

    Huh? Was that all? I think a little more scolding would have been in order.

    Well, even though he was a high-ranking adventurer, he was a very meek man after all.

    ¡¸Hey, the sword Sierra was holding. What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you curious?¡¹

    ¡¸He was dipping it in theke before¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? He did that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, Sierra already had it when he first became an Adventurer, maybe around six or seven years ago¡¹

    What? Six or seven years ago? Sierra was just a kid, right?

    ¡¸In this country, can a child that age became an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, he could only register, he wouldn¡¯t be able to move up from G rank until he was 12 years old, so he could only do chores¡¹

    I see. There was no way a child who wanted to be an adventurer had a decent background. Even if they turned him away, he would probably end upmitting a crime or dying in the wild. So, it would be better for the child if they gave them a job.

    ¡¸That sword¡­ We called it the Cursed Magic Sword around here. It¡¯s because every Adventurer who had tried to steal it always ended up with bad luck ¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Did they die?¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, no, at most they would be badly injured. At first, they thought that Sierra might have done something, but he had an alibi for everything. However, I don¡¯t think that Sierra had anything to do with it. Hence, it must have been a curse¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Could it be rted to its Evil Spirit? There was no sign of a curse being ced on it, and curses should be prevented by our resistance to abnormal conditions, so Fran should be fine.

    Well, let¡¯s get our focus back on the anomaly pertaining to theke for now.

    ¡¸I knew Sierra was looking into the Modoki, but¡­ I wonder if he¡¯s onto something? Maybe I¡¯ll ask him next time I see him¡¹

    ¡¸Let me know when you do¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Could it be that Fran is also investigating the anomaly?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Apparently, Lovren had already gotten the information that Fran had be an instructor at the Academy of Magic.

    Then it would be quick. Read only at travis trantions.

    We exined why we were looking for Lovren and asked if he had any information for us. Of course, we made sure to use Weena Rhyn¡¯s name. It was the quickest way to get the information out.

    Then Lovren nodded his head in agreement.

    ¡¸I see. So Weena Rhyn-sama has started to act too¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, I was just about to go to the merchant association and get some documents?¡¹

    ¡¸Documents?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, why don¡¯t youe with me, if you don¡¯t mind? I¡¯d really appreciate it if you could help me there¡¹

    It would be faster to get the information and we would like to hear more about the story. It would be better for us to help him.

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh, thanks. Then, let¡¯s go¡¹

    When they saw Fran back at the merchant association again, they must have thought she hade toin about theck of information. The same person in charge as before had turned pale, but when he found out that was not the case, he became very polite.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but you are really helpful. I didn¡¯t expect they¡¯d let me get the documents so easily¡¹

    Some of the information about the cargo may vite the confidentiality of the merchant association. Even though Lovren was a B-ranked adventurer, it was rare for him to be shown such information so easily.

    But this time, when he asked, he was immediately taken to the reference room. He seemed to be really surprised by that.

    ¡¸Usually, we have to ask what kind of documents we want, and they¡¯d bring it to uster¡¹

    In addition, it was forbidden to take them out of the country, and even making copies of them was not looked upon favorably.

    If someone were to look at the documents, they would be able to find out all about the inner workings of the Merchant Association and the status of its purchases. That was why they usually didn¡¯t disclose all of their information to adventurers.

    ¡¸I mentioned Weena Rhyn¡¯s name when I came here earlier¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, that¡¯s certainly quite frightening. If they go against her, they won¡¯t be able to survive in this country¡¹

    In the meantime, we arrived at the archive room. There were already several documents on the desk.

    They also served tea for us, along with some snacks beside it.

    This was already more than satisfactory. It seemed that they were really afraid of Weena Rhyn, as they were trying to make things as convenient as possible for Fran, who seemed to be her subordinate.

    ¡¸What are you looking for?¡¹

    ¡¸The cargo of the boat that was attacked¡¹

    To my surprise, Lovren said that he was going around the town to investigate the cargo of the boat that was attacked by the Modoki.

    In some cases, he even talked to the captain of the boat.

    ¡¸I was trying to figure out if people were being attacked for their Magic Power or if a specific cargo was being targeted. Fran, please check the documents over here¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Okay¡¹

    For a moment, Fran looked really ufortable.

    But she couldn¡¯t say no aftering all the way here.

    ¡ºFran, do your best¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn¡¹

    So, the two of them read the documents and made a list of the ship¡¯s cargo. It was a task that required a lot of patience, but Fran still managed to do it.

    She almost dozed off a few times, but as soon as I called out to her, she got right back up and got back to work. Well done, Fran!

    It was an hourter when they finished checking all the documents.

    Afterparing it with the list of other merchant cargo that Lovren had already gone through, he came to one conclusion.

    ¡¸Did you find out anything?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Every boat that was attacked always had a certain cargo on board¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸The Scarlet Waterweed Potion, or the Scarlet Waterweed from which it is made¡¹

    Indeed, all the boats were loaded with Scarlet Waterweed Potion or Scarlet Waterweed. The rest were foodstuffs, but it was unlikely that the modoki would target bread and wheat.

    ¡¸I¡¯m notpletely convinced that they¡¯re targeting people¡¯s Magic power¡­¡¹

    ¡¸They could target the Magic Beasts instead. It¡¯s weird that they only attack people¡¹

    ¡¸I know, right?¡¹

    If they wanted to get magic power, there would be more appropriate prey. A magic beast like the Lake Murderer would have more magic power than a human. And if it was the Modoki, they wouldn¡¯t have any problem preying on them.

    ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s go to the Atelier¡¹

    ¡¸Atelier?¡¹

    ¡¸The Atelier where the Scarlet Waterweed Potion is made¡¹

    ¡¸Where it is?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s in the Commercial Fleet¡¹

 Chapter 591: The Fate of the Intelligence Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 591: The Fate of the Intelligence Weapon</h4>

    Even though we were heading for the Commercial Fleet, we were not currently in the harbor. We had to head to the Sheftent first and then take a fast boat to it.

    (Master, Weena Rhyn is back)

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right. Let¡¯s show her our faces then¡»

    (Nn)

    From the Academy of Magic¡¯s camp built next to the Sheftent, we could feel the presence of Weena Rhyn there.

    We decided to give her a brief update on our investigation. We also asked Lovren to report to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild while we returned to the camp.

    In the tent, we saw Weena Rhyn sitting in a chair, concentrating on something. Romio and Zelos Reed seemed to be in the next tent.

    ¡ºWhat is she doing? Her magic seems to be flowing in strange ways¡»

    ¡¸There¡¯s a spirit¡­¡¹

    She was apparentlymunicating with a spirit. Fran was about to turn on her heel, thinking it would be a bad idea to interrupt her, but then Weena Rhyn opened her eyes and called out to her.

    ¡¸Fran, it¡¯s fine¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I didn¡¯t do anything serious. I was just gathering information from the surrounding spirits¡¹

    I¡¯ve heard thatmunicating with spirits was a challenge even for a skilled Spirit Magic User, but apparently, it was no big deal for Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸I got your message. You think Rhyn¡¯s in Kiarazen?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but I couldn¡¯t find her¡¹

    ¡ºWe went there again. But we didn¡¯t get to see Rhyn, we also heard a rumor that there was a stall run by a mysterious girl¡»

    After that, we reported to Weena Rhyn about our previous conversations with Rhyn and the circumstances of our encounter.

    Maybe it was because the time had passed, she didn¡¯t get so emotional at the mere mention of Rhyn¡¯s name anymore. Thanks to this, we were able to talk calmly.

    First of all, there was the time when we met her at a stall in Kiarazen. We told her about how at first, we only thought she was a blind girl, and how she could still see us.

    ¡¸¡­She was running a food stall in town?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It was delicious. But why did Rhyn, a spirit, would do something like that?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to know that too¡¹

    ¡¸Even Weena Rhyn doesn¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I don¡¯t know¡­¡¹

    I could see the deep anguish on Weena Rhyn¡¯s face as she muttered. She really didn¡¯t seem to understand the reason for Rhyn¡¯s actions.

    ¡¸I really don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking¡­ I guess we¡¯ll have to get in contact with her after all. Well, that¡¯s fine for now. Tell me the rest¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    At Weena Rhyn¡¯s urging, we talked about the next time we saw Rhyn again. We told her about her sudden appearance and the advice Rhyn had given us.

    ¡¸Does Rhyn really have the power to see the future?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m sure of it. And spirits don¡¯t lie unless they¡¯re ordered to do so by their contractors. Her case is a little more special, though¡­ But I don¡¯t think she¡¯s lying¡¹

    ¡ºSo, if my soul adapts to the sword, it¡¯ll be a tragedy for Fran¡­?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s what it¡¯s gonna be¡¹

    ¡ºHey, what do you think I should do then?¡»

    She was a person who had lived for thousands of years. So maybe she could give me some advice.

    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t really expecting much, but Weena Rhyn put her hand on her chin and started thinking.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ That¡¯s a very difficult question. First, Master doesn¡¯t want to go crazy. But in order not to go crazy, he has to adapt to being a sword¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    ¡¸However, if he bes a sword, he will lose his human emotions. Moreover, a tragedy might befall on Fran¡¹

    ¡ºYes¡»

    ¡¸In other words, you have to adapt to the sword without going crazy, but you also have to keep your human heart¡¹

    ¡ºYou think that¡¯s possible?¡»

    Weena Rhyn pondered my question.

    ¡¸¡­Oh right. I¡¯ve met intelligence weapons several times in the past. But most of them had gone crazy. However, their craziness was different from each other¡¹

    ¡¸Different?¡¹

    ¡¸One was in an irrational, manic-depressive state. It was in the type of state that woulde to mind when you think of the word ¡°crazy¡±. But what they all had inmon was that they hated their sword bodies and were tired of living as swords. I guess it was that the ego of the human being could not ept its sword body¡¹

    Just like the Fanatics. He was the type who didn¡¯t know what he was going to do next.

    ¡¸Then, there was the type that didn¡¯t feel like it had true sentience. Just like if you took away all emotions from a human being and gave them the ability to just answer questions¡¹

    Just like a machine, huh?

    ¡¸Of course, an artificially created being is not umon. Golems with a conversational function are one example. However, if a being that was originally human is sealed in something, or if a being that has had its soul transferred without a way to help them to adapt then they would surely go crazy¡¹

    Announcer-san was originally created to support the sword, so she couldn¡¯t be called crazy. That was because it was only natural for her to not go crazy.

    But if I be like Announcer-san, I would surely go crazy.

    ¡ºThe former is when they¡¯re too conscious of being human. They couldn¡¯t adapt to the sword and went crazy. And thetter was when their adaptation to the sword advances too far¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    I was on the verge of bing thetter. And I didn¡¯t even notice it myself. It was scary.

    ¡¸Thus, the existence of the only intelligence weapon that I have met that was not crazy bes important. Now that I think about it, a sword and a person. I suppose both sides were bncing each other mentally¡¹

    ¡¸How did that sword manage to not get crazy?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­This was something I couldn¡¯t say for sure. Still, there was one thing that made it different from the other swords, it was its bond with its wielder¡¹

    Weena Rhyn said that the swords that went crazy had passed through the hands of many different wielders and were regarded as powerful and rare.

    However, the exceptional sword had been used by the same wielder ever since it was created, and had apparently formed a bond with that wielder as if they were partners.

    ¡¸It was both a sword and a person. It was proud of itself and had epted itself as a sword. I think that¡¯s what sustained its soul¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡­¡»

    A bond with the wielder. But what exactly should I do? Should Imunicate more with Fran?

    However, Fran smiled at me with a look of relief on her face.

    ¡¸Then, Master will be fine¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸Because we¡¯re the greatestbination¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s why, Master will be fine¡¹

    Fran wasn¡¯t talking in aforting or wishful way, she seemed to really mean it. She was smiling, as if this problem was no longer dire.

    When I saw her like that, I felt the frustration that had almost taken me over unknowingly disappear. If I¡¯m with Fran, I¡¯ll be fine. I should think that without any worries.

    ¡¸If you¡¯re afraid that you might go crazy, it might trigger an imbnce in your mind. I also think it¡¯s better to be as optimistic as Fran, right? There¡¯s no perfect way to deal with this, and I think it¡¯s important to stay aware of it¡¹

    ¡º¡­I see¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸As soon as you understand your problems and start struggling to do something about them, the future might change. Then the fate that Rhyn had mentioned may have already been averted¡¹

    Rhyn had said, ¡ºThere¡¯s a high possibility that it wille true if we did nothing about it¡». Indeed, the future could have been different once we understood the problem.

    ¡ºBut I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s enough to avoid the tragedy. We don¡¯t even know when it will being in the first ce¡»

    Aside from the possibility that I might or might not be going crazy, what was the tragedy she mentioned? From Rhyn¡¯s words, it seemed to being soon. However, the sense of time of beings who have lived for a long time was often different from ours.

    I couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that 10 or 20 years to us may feel like a day or two to Rhyn.

    ¡ºHey, where¡¯s that intelligence weapon that didn¡¯t go crazy, right now?¡»

    I wasn¡¯t sure if we would be able to make it in time for the tragedy Rhyn had told us about, but if we meet it, it might be able to give me some insight.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see. I¡¯ll let you know if you can figure out what¡¯s the cause of theke¡¯s anomaly. What do you think?¡¹

    I didn¡¯t think it was petty, and neither did Fran. The information was really valuable for us. But it was information that had nothing to do with the current incident. So Weena Rhyn had no obligation to give it to us without anypensation.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll definitely find out the cause of the anomaly!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    Fran had been serious on our investigation so far. But she wasn¡¯t in a hurry before. She was just doing what she could because her current employer, Weena Rhyn, had asked her to.

    But now it became a case that was actually involving us. Fran¡¯s motivation was clearly visible.

    ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Author-san note (or was it his editor, dunno XD):

    The ability handed down in the Magnolia family has been revised from ¡°Evil God¡¯s Charms¡± to an ability called ¡°Evil God¡¯s Sacrament¡±, and a light exnation of it has been added.

    To summarize, the Sacrament of the Evil God is an ability that absorbs Evil Spirits from evil people or pieces of Evil Gods and converts them into power.

    The power of the three Gordician families, including the Magnolia family, was actually given to them by their ancestors from the Evil God.

 Chapter 591: Khannaâ€™s Information

    <h4>Chapter 591: Khanna''s Information</h4>

    We were still in the camp, not at the meeting point with Lovren, after being asked by Weena Rhyn to investigate the cause of the anomaly again.

    It was also because we wanted to greet Charon and the others.

    At Weena Rhyn¡¯s request, Fran has been relieved from her duty as an instructor for Charon and her group. But because we were so overwhelmed by Weena Rhyn before, we went out to investigate without even saying something to them.

    Fran was concerned that she hadn¡¯t said anything to Charon and Khanna. They didn¡¯t seem to be the kind of girls who would me her for that, but she wanted to at least greet them.

    We went straight to the tents for the students. There, we found Charon¡¯s group and Charles, the adventurer. In addition, there was also an instructor we knew with them. It seemed that he had taken Fran¡¯s role as Charon group¡¯s escort.

    Apparently, they were on their way to take on a request. However, when they saw Fran, they greeted her with a smile.

    ¡¸Fran! You have returned?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I didn¡¯t get a chance to say something to Charon and the other before because of the job Weena Rhyn had asked me to do¡¹

    ¡¸So you came all this way to greet us? Thank you very much. But I heard that you were investigating the anomaly in theke, so we won¡¯t me you¡¹

    It seems that they understand the weight of Weena Rhyn¡¯s direct request. In addition, Charon and the others, who were born in this country, seemed to be interested in the anomaly of theke, and they asked her a lot of questions about it.

    Fran told Charon and the others that it was very likely that the Modoki were aiming for the Scarlet Waterweed Medicine, and advised them to check for Scarlet Waterweed around them when approaching theke¡¯s shore.

    Oh, we had Weena Rhyn¡¯s permission to tell them about it, so it should be okay.

    But we told Charon and the others not to spread the word, citing the fact that we were still investigating. She told them that it was also Weena Rhyn¡¯s order, so they wouldn¡¯t dare to spread the word.

    We were almost certain that it was true, but it was still unconfirmed. Weena Rhyn also feared that if this information spread, it might cause widespread panic among the people, and Kangaroo Courts could be rampant.

    (Note: Kangaroo Court: an unofficial court held by a group of people to try someone regarded, especially without good evidence, as guilty of a crime or misdemeanor)

    There was no doubt that some sort of witch hunt would even take ce if that ever happens.

    With that in mind, it would be bad for rumors to spread at this stage.

    First of all, we needed to confirm whether or not the Modoki were really after the Scarlet Waterweed medicine. Well, Weena Rhyn will be the one to look into that though, so we were going to head to the Commercial Fleet with Lovren as nned.

    Charon and the others looked worried. If the cure for the endemic disease was being targeted by the magic beasts, then the people of this country would surely be concerned about it.

    In the midst of all this, Khanna was reacting in a somewhat unusual way. She seemed to be more surprised than anxious.

    ¡¸Khanna?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, no¡­¡¹

    Fran became curious and called out to Khanna.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fran-san, may I have a moment?¡¹

    Then Khanna looked at Fran with a somewhat serious look. She took Fran¡¯s hand and moved away from everyone.

    ¡¸¡­Actually, I have some information that might be useful for you¡¹

    ¡¸About theke anomaly?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not sure if it will lead to that yet¡­ but you can look into it yourself. I would like to share this information only with Fran-san if possible, as I was able to get this information through my parent¡¯s contacts¡¹

    When Khanna said so, Charon seemed to understand and distanced herself. The other group members also followed Charon¡¯s lead.

    If it was a message from a nobleman or a tradingpany, it might contain a lot of important information. Being a noble herself, Charon probably understood that it was better if they didn¡¯t listen to it.

    ¡¸So?¡¹

    ¡¸This information is about the Scarlet Waterweed medicine¡¹

    Khanna¡¯s said that she had been investigating the Scarlet Waterweed and the medicines that use them since she arrived in this country. She had been gathering information on everything from prices and raw materials to efficiency while traveling.

    Support the trantion team by reading the tranted chapter at travis trantion¡¯s website.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸I was thinking that I could use it as amercial product¡¹

    In this country, Scarlet Waterweed was only recognized as a raw material for special medicine for endemic diseases. However, it was still a material to make magic potions. Depending on the research, it could be used in various ways.

    Apparently, Khanna thought it would be a shame if she couldn¡¯t purchase the Scarlet Waterweeds and sell them outside the country. As expected of the daughter of a tradingpany owner.

    However, it seemed to be quite difficult. Even though it was not life-threatening, a disease was a disease. Scarlet Waterweed was the raw material for the cure, and it was still impossible to cultivate, so it was practically impossible to sell outside the country.

    It was not that they were prohibited. However, many citizens tended to be reluctant to shiprge quantities of it out of the country. Merchants were not an exception. After all, they were reluctant to export Scarlet Waterweed in case they ran out of the special medicine in case of emergency.

    And if there was a shortage because of her doing, it would make it harder for her to live in this country.

    ¡¸Still, I was looking for some way to do something about it, and I did a lot of research¡­ But at some point, I got a hunch that something wasn¡¯t right¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Even though it is impossible to export inrge quantities, it is not so difficult to buy in small quantities. So, I decided to start by buying them from various ces and send them to my home¡¹

    She also said that the reason why she bought it from various ces was to study the differences in the growing areas. Otherwise, she would not have been able to collect the necessary amount for her research.

    However, Khanna suddenly noticed the difference in prices. Normally, in the area near theke where most of the nts could be collected the price should be cheaper, and the further away from theke, the more expensive it should be. However, the Scarlet Waterweed was actually the most expensive around theke and was sold at the same price around the Academy of Magic.

    And the reason for the skyrocketing price was said to be the increase in the number of patients in the eastern region¡­

    ¡¸But actually, there has been no increase in the number of patients¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. By using my family¡¯s contacts, I checked the number of endemic cases in each city in the Kingdom of Belios. And they said that they¡¯re all the same as usual¡¹

    But they were actually experiencing a shortage of Scarlet Waterweed medicine, right?

    ¡¸So where do you think the Scarlet Waterweed medicines that were supposed to be sold domestically disappear to?¡¹

    ¡¸You know that too?¡¹

    ¡¸The distribution of the Scarlet Waterweed potion is quite strange and is almost monopolized by a certain tradingpany that has signed a contract with the workshop that seeded in developing it. And that tradingpany is actually connected to the Kingdom of Raidos from behind the scenes¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Seriously? So, the reason behind this anomaly is actually because the Raidos Kingdom is doing something behind the scenes?

    ¡¸We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on yet. However, around the same time as theke¡¯s anomaly, a new special medicine has been developed, and the shadow of the Kingdom of Raidos is flickering in its wake¡­ Furthermore, there are signs that the information is being manipted by someone. And if one doesn¡¯t check very carefully, one may not realize that the increase in endemic cases may be false information ¡¹

    Was the merchant association involved in this incident? Or was there some kind of conspiracy behind it? It was suddenly starting to smell fishy.

 Chapter 593: The Rumorâ€™s Purpose

    <h4>Chapter 593: The Rumor''s Purpose</h4>

    Having unexpectedly learned some valuable information from Khanna, we returned to Sheftent and met up with Lovren.

    There, we also gave him the information we had received from Khanna.

    ¡¸The Merchant Association has ties to the Kingdom of Raidos? It¡¯s kinda hard to believe¡­¡¹

    Lovren was also quite surprised. He said that the Mesther Merchant Association, which was selling the Scarlet Waterweed medicine, was a very old merchant association with a high reputation in this country.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll need to double-check that first¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But, Lovren didn¡¯t notice it? That the disease wasn¡¯t really an epidemic¡¹

    Indeed. That was what we were most curious about. Anyone who did a little research would know that the epidemic was false information, but was anyone else in the country aware of it?

    ¡¸Well, yeah. In the first ce, we don¡¯t have anyone who¡¯d investigated such things¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Because there¡¯s no one in trouble¡¹

    Although it was said that there was a shortage of Scarlet Waterweed medicine, it didn¡¯t mean that there was no distribution at all. There was always a certain amount of it avable in the country. But still, it was thought that there was not enough for everyone¡­

    ¡¸Actually, even if the disease was not endemic, I¡¯m sure it would have been properly distributed to all patients. So, no one would be making a fuss about the shortage¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸And its price was still the same as in the previous years¡¹

    Furthermore, the distribution was being handled by the Mesther Merchant Association, a rtively big merchant association. If the source of the rumor was the Mesther Merchant Association, no one could point out anything strange about the distribution.

    After all, although it was being said that there is a ¡°shortage of scarlet water pills,¡± not many people had been affected by this. The only people who had suffered were the adventurers near theke, who had to collect more Scarlet Waterweed than usual.

    ¡¸But why would they spread such rumors?¡¹

    ¡¸Well. I could understand if they wanted to raise the price of Scarlet Waterweed medicine by spreading false rumors that the disease that was not actually an epidemic had be an epidemic¡­ But if that was not their aim, maybe they were actually aiming at the Scarlet Waterweed medicine itself¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸They could disguise it as a domestic sale and ship it elsewhere. Like the Kingdom of Raidos for example. But I don¡¯t know what their purpose is though¡¹

    In other words, there was a high possibility that their objective was to obtain the medicine.

    ¡¸How should we investigate it then?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess our best bet would be to ask around to the people in the merchant association¡¹

    Well, he was right. I would also like to hear from their top brass if possible.

    ¡¸Where is the merchant association?¡¹

    ¡¸Its headquarters is in the Commercial Fleet¡¹

    It seemed that both the atelier and the headquarters of the merchant association were located in the Commercial Fleet.

    ¡¸The problem is that we can¡¯t just barge in without an appointment and expect them to listen to us¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry¡¹

    ¡¸You got a secret n?¡¹

    ¡¸Just give them Weena Rhyn¡¯s name¡¹

    Both Fran and I already witnessed the tremendous influence Weena Rhyn had in this country.

    I didn¡¯t think there was anyone who would dare to defy us with Weena Rhyn¡¯s name. We were already at Komon-sama level, weren¡¯t we?

    (Note Trivia (skip this if you¡¯re not interested in these details as it is quite long XD): Mito Komon (Tokugawa Mitsukuni), was a Japanese Daimyo (feudal lord) that lived in the 17th century. During thetter half of the Edo period and the Meiji period, a k¨­dan (narrative tale) named ¡°Mito Mitsukuni Man¡¯y¨±ki¡± fictionalized the travels of Tokugawa Mitsukuni. This tradition of dramatizing his life continued with a novel and, in 1951, the first television series to portray him as a wanderer, masquerading as amoner, who castigated evil in every corner of the nation. The most memorable phrase of the series is ¡¸¤³¤Î¼yËù¤¬Ä¿¤ËÈë¤é¤Ì¤«!!¡¹ (Kono mon dokoro ga me ni hairanuka!!) ¡°Don¡¯t you know whose family seal is this!?¡± while his escort shows up with the Tokugawa family¡¯s emblem. Well, you should get the idea about the references already)

    (Another Trivia: In the light novel Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku, the main protagonist quotes Mito Komon frequently)

    Moreover, she gave us a valuable but frightening assurance that she would cover things up for us.

    I have no intention of abusing it, but it was times like this that we needed to use that power.

    ¡¸Hahaha. Now that you mentioned it, you¡¯re on a mission for Weena Rhyn-sama, aren¡¯t you? Let¡¯s go with that strategy then¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We had nned to head to the Commercial Fleet by boat at first but decided to ride on Urushi instead. It was much faster that way.

    If we didn¡¯t get lost, that was.

    Thiske was the size of a small country. If we ever lost our direction, we could get lost. In fact, it was said that several ships a year fail to return because of it.

    This time, however, the Commercial Fleet was rtively close to shore, and we had a guide to lead the way. Well, there was no need to worry about getting lost, since Lovren was familiar with the route.

    ¡¸I see it¡¹

    ¡¸Haha! So fast! Amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    About three hours after we left Sheftent, we had managed to find the Commercial Fleet.

    Lovren seemed to be in high spirits. He seemed to like the experience of riding the flying Urushi more than he thought he would.

    His praises also put Urushi in a good mood.

    ¡¸The ship is a little behind that one in the center. Can you go down there first?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It was hard to tell from above, but it seems to be the ship of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The Adventurers on deck were surprised to see Urushi descending from the sky.

    Some of them even raised their weapons, but themotion quickly died down when they saw Lovren on his back.

    It was a good thing we hade down here. If it had been any other ship, we might have caused amotion.

    ¡¸Well, let¡¯s head to the Mesther Merchant Association first¡¹

    From here, the Commercial Fleet was apparently much more organized than I had thought. The Commercial Fleet seemed to look like a mess of ships, but in fact, the specific cement of each ship was carefully regted.

    Therefore, it seemed that those who were familiar with it already knew where some things were.

    ¡¸Which ship?¡¹

    ¡¸That one. The ship with the red g¡¹

    It looked surprisingly close, but we had to take quite a detour to get there. Well, we had to move from ship to ship. Sometimes we crossed a simple suspension bridge that connected the ships and even had to move from ship to ship in a small boat.

    ¡¸Can¡¯t we just ride on Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t. It would only cause a fuss here¡¹

    Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. The Commercial Fleet was just like a town after all. Flying over it on Urushi was just like running around the town on Urushi.

 Chapter 594

    The ship of the Mesther Merchant Association, which Lovren had led us to, was small but had a rather grand appearance. The railings were carved, and there were even nts on the deck. This ce might have even been regarded as the lobby of an ordinary merchant association already.

    The entire ship itself seemed to belong to Mesther Merchant Association

    At first, I thought it was a rather ordinary thing, but apparently, it was difficult for a small business association to even own a single ship here, so they¡¯d rent a corner of arge ship to use as their office. In other words, they were using the so-called tenant system.

    With that in mind, I could tell how wealthy the Mesther Merchant Company was, as they could own an entire ship in this Commercial Fleet.

    I wondered if they would listen to us when we suddenly visited such a merchant association... But to my surprise, we were able to meet with their top brass without much difficulty.

    ¡¸I heard that you, one of the top Adventurers in thiske, came to visit us unexpectedly¡¹

    It seemed that it was thanks to Lovren that we didn¡¯t have to wait long. Bute to think of it, there was no way that a merchant association of this size did not know Lovren, a famous Adventurer around thiske.

    ¡¸Could you introduce me to the young miss beside you?¡¹

    ¡¸She is Fran. Even though she looks like this, she¡¯s still an Adventurer, you know? She¡¯s been a great help to me¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m Fran¡¹

    ¡¸I see. My name is Gregory from the Mesther Merchant Association. I am pleased to be able to make your acquaintance¡¹

    He hadn¡¯t realized that Fran was the ck Lightning Princess? Although he was polite, I felt like he was treating her as apanion of Lovren up till now.

    ¡¸So, what can I do for you today? If there¡¯s anything you need, I¡¯ll do my best to get it for you¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks, I appreciate your kindness, but I¡¯m not here to make a deal today¡¹

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    The conversation started with a smile. But soon enough, the other side¡¯s face turned grim.

    ¡¸Actually, I¡¯m working on a request from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I was hoping you could help me with my investigation¡¹

    ¡¸Investigation?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re investigating the anomaly in theke¡¹

    The moment Lovren said that Gregory stiffened for a moment. It was only for a moment. His expression did not change, neither did his voice.

    But for us, who had strong suspicions from the start, even that was enough of a hint. Both Lovren and Fran looked convinced that Gregory knew something.

    ¡¸Hohou? Then what brings you to our merchant association? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I can do to help you with your investigation about theke, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Then, would you mind showing me the bookkeeping records and the warehouse of Mesther Merchant Association?¡¹

    ¡¸What did you say!?¡¹

    We know that they may have prepared a forged version of their bookkeeping. But our purpose was to see how the other party would react.

    And if they really did bring out fake bookkeeping records, we might be able to use it as evidence to prove their crimes. No matter how well they did their bookkeeping, it could never be perfect.

    ¡¸Can you please let me check all the bookkeeping records containing the sales records of the Scarlet Waterweed potion at Mesther Merchant Association, as well as the storage warehouse where the Scarlet Waterweed potion is stored?¡¹

    Having been convinced that the Mesther merchant association was hiding something, Lovren became quite bold.

    ¡¸Hahaha. What are you talking about... you know that¡¯s impossible, right? It¡¯s our merchant association¡¯s trade secret after all¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to do something about it¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have any suspicions about our merchant association? Do you think we have something to do with this incident?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yes¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s ridiculous. Our merchant association has nothing to do with it¡¹

    Gregory stood up with a stern expression on his face. It was probably his way of saying that he had nothing more to say.

    ¡¸Please leave now. It¡¯s truly a shame, Lovren-dono. I thought you were a respectable man for an Adventurer. We¡¯ll never do business with you again¡¹

    Gregory turned away and walked toward the doors.

    But we couldn¡¯t let him get away. After all, this guy had lied about a lot of things. Not only did he say that there was nothing he could do to help in the investigation of theke, but he also lied about his im that they had nothing to do with theke¡¯s anomaly.

    He was really suspicious.

    ¡ºFran, this guy definitely knows a lot¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Wait. I still have something to talk¡¹

    ¡¸But I don¡¯t¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe you don¡¯t, but I have¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words made Gregory look even more pissed. But before he could raise his voice in anger, Lovren opened his mouth.

    ¡¸And also, unlike me, she¡¯s working on amission from a different ce. We¡¯re just working together on the investigation¡¹

    ¡¸From different ce?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san has been entrusted with full authority by Weena Rhyn to investigate the recent anomaly¡¹

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn, you said!? A kid like her is working for her...?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. She is indeed a kid, but her strength is well known. She¡¯s a B-ranked adventurer that even has her own alias, and she also happens to be a special instructor at the Academy of Magic¡¹

    ¡¸What...!? An alias!? Could it be, she¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m Fran, a B-ranked adventurer. Nice to meet you¡¹

    ¡¸I can vouch for her identity¡¹

    When Lovren said so, Gregory stopped in his tracks.

    He seems to be struggling with something.

    But it was no surprise. I suspected that Gregory just wanted to pretend to be angry and make Lovren and Fran leave.

    However, it was a different story when Weena Rhyn¡¯s name was mentioned. To put it bluntly, she was a much more influential figure in this country than the Royal Family. There was no way that a mere merchant association would refuse an order from someone who imed to be Weena Rhyn¡¯s representative.

    If he still refused to allow us to check their bookkeeping records and warehouse, it¡¯s like he was saying that he had something to hide.

    Lovren already had some clues and was suspicious of the Mesther Merchant Association. So, if he still refused Fran¡¯s request to conduct an investigation even after she mentioned Weena Rhyn¡¯s name here, his suspicions would be confirmed.

    Support the trantion team by only reading this tranted chapter at travis trantion¡¯s website.

    Well, Fran and Lovren were already convinced of it, but it seems Gregory thought that he could still handle this.

    With Lovren¡¯s confirmation, there was no doubt that Fran was Weena Rhyn¡¯s representative. I suppose he could argue that it was just hard to believe, but...

    Gregory froze for about ten seconds, but eventually, he nodded bitterly.

    ¡¸Very well then. But since it will take some time to prepare for the bookkeeping records, let me show you our warehouse first¡¹

    Gregory called a person and told him to lead us to the warehouse. Then he said that he would prepare the bookkeeping records while we checked the warehouse and then left.

    I attached a piece of string that I had created using my transformation skill to Gregory. If it was someone like Gregory, he wouldn¡¯t even notice it. Well, if he turned around for no reason, he might see it though.

    However, I managed to remain undetected. Gregory ordered his men with a yell, and they were clearly visible through the thread. No matter how thin it was, it was still a part of me.

    ¡¸Oi! We¡¯ll have to advance our ns! Hurry up and prepare to withdraw to the homnd!¡¹

    ¡¸Is something went wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸The Adventurers have noticed us!¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that is... How could a mere Adventurer notice our n...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Idiots! Do you really believe all that propaganda about them being ipetents and incapable of doing anything was real? I¡¯ve told you to think of them as being on par with the Red Knights, right!?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸Enough. Anyway, I¡¯ll leave the preparations for the withdrawal to you. And also, tell the President¡¹

    ¡¸V-very well. But what about the Adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve ordered someone to take them to our third warehouse. The rest can be left to that creepy corpse. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be happy to kill them¡¹

    ¡¸A-are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸ording to that man, those ck corpses are stronger than the Red Knights. So, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    As I¡¯d expected, there was no way he would just let us check their warehouses so easily, and it seemed like something was waiting for us there. But, corpse, he said? In other words, it was an undead? He even said that they would withdraw to their homnd, didn¡¯t he? It seemed that these people were from another country¨D¨Dfrom the Kingdom of Raidos, I guess.

    (Master, how is it?)

    ¡ºIt seems that an enemy is waiting for you at the warehouse. Stay alert¡»

    (Nn. Okay)

 Chapter 595

    We readied ourselves while being led by the people of the merchant association.

    Lovren¡¯s face scrunched up dramatically. He must have understood that a frightening enemy was waiting for us at our destination.

    Lovren also began to secretly prepare the magic power within his body.

    The man guiding us didn¡¯t seem to realize what we were doing, due to hispleteck ofbat skills. But still, it didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t feel anything.

    From time to time, he would look back at us and turn his head around, but he didn¡¯t seem to know what we were doing.

    After a few minutes of walking, we were led to a gloomy area close to the bottom of the ship. Our guide stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary door in one corner.

    ¡¸T-this is the warehouse¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t sense any magic or presence from behind the door. There must have been some kind of barrier on the walls.

    Well, we would just have to check it out ourselves.

    I once again turned into steel thread and entered the room through the doorway. To Lovren and the others, it would appear that Fran had the skills of a thread user.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸I need to do a quick check before we enter. You¡¯re going to show us the insideter anyway, so why not?¡¹

    ¡¸Th-that is...¡¹

    The guide looked troubled. Lovren then moved quietly behind us, it seemed that he intended to stop him if he tried to interfere with us.

    Once inside, there was indeed a hint of the undead. But it was really faint. Did that mean it wasn¡¯t a strong undead?

    I searched lightly to see where it was and found the magical power of the Undead was emanating from a coffin ced in the center of the room.

    The coffin itself seemed to be a magic tool. It seemed to be able to suppress the undead¡¯s presence and reduce the consumption of magic power while it was sleeping.

    But weren¡¯t they going too far just for it? They even had a coffin-shaped magic tool for an undead... Well, I guess its purpose was to hide it, but it was too obvious.

    ¡ºWell, whatever. I¡¯ll justunch a preemptive strike for now¡»

    I manipted my steel thread body with skills to stretch it around the coffin. Then, I activated my Magic Steal Skill multiple times.

    Since the undead lived by magic, they weakened when their magic was absorbed and then disappeared when their magic ran out.

    I could feel the magic power in the vicinity begin to decrease rapidly. It would not only affect the coffin, but also the undead.

    Well, what should I do next? It was an undead, so I wouldn¡¯t know until I checked it.

    It was probably aware of the changes that were about to happen to it, but if it moved now, Fran and the others would find out about it.

    The undead, who still thought it could take us by surprise, seemed hesitant to make a move here.

    In the first ce, he wouldn¡¯t even know if it was an attack by Fran and the others or not.

    After about a dozen seconds, there was finally movement in the coffin. With a bang, the lid sprang up from the inside, followed by a corpse raising itself.

    ¡ºA Wight King, huh!?¡»

    It was the Wight King, a magical beast with the threat level of B. No doubt. It was the same as the one we fought in the ins of the Demon Wolf. It was just as intimidating and had just as much magic power as that Wight King.

    They looked very simr. The robes it wore were probably almost the same.

    Wait, wasn¡¯t that strange? Even if they were the same kind of magic beast, it was unlikely that they could have the same equipment. Could it be that this Wight King belonged to the same group as those guys? In other words, they might have been working for the Raidos Kingdom.

    ¡¸W-what the hell is this...! Thread...?¡¹

    It still hadn¡¯t grasped the situation. However, it soon realized that the threads all around him were sucking up his magic power.

    Magic power began to gather in the palm of its hand. It was going to blow me up at once.

    But I wouldn¡¯t let him.

    ¡ºOra-!¡»

    ¡¸Nuooh! T-This is, Purification...!?¡¹

    I wrapped my thread body around the Wight King¡¯s body and activated the Purification spell. My skill level was still low, so it was not powerful enough to defeat an opponent of the Wight King¡¯s level, but I should be able to weaken it significantly.

    The Wight King¡¯s cries can be heard from outside the door. What was more, it sounded as if it was in some kind of pain.

    The guide seems to be confused.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave the rest to you! Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Why, why did I¨D¨DGuoooh!¡¹

    It was going to take us by surprise, but it was the one who got caught by surprise instead and was not able to respond to us in time.

    It seemed that it had tried to respond to Fran¡¯s attack by kicking down the door and putting up a barrier. However, the activation was blocked by my Magic Steal and Purification Magic.

    ¡¸Ghaa¨D¨D!¡¹

    Being tied up with threads, it couldn¡¯t even twist its body and was left defenseless to Fran¡¯s attacks. Before Wight King could even use its signature necromancy, it was cut in half by Fran.

    ¡ºAll right, good job Fran¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    Even though she had killed the Wight King in the blink of an eye without causing any damage to those around her, Fran¡¯s face did not look happy.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    (We didn¡¯t get it magic stones)

    ¡ºAah, now that I think of it, you¡¯re right¡»

    This Wight King, just like the Wight King we defeated in the ins of the Demon Wolf, didn¡¯t have any magic stones in its body. Could it be that the Wight Kings were a race that didn¡¯t even have a magic stone?

    Well, we need to exin things first to Lovren, who looked stunned.

 Chapter 596

    Fran-san...?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Lovren was stunned by the sudden battle that took ce in front of him. No, it was not a battle, but rather a one-sided fight.

    ¡ºFran, we need to exin it to him¡»

    ¡¸There was an undead inside, so I defeated it¡¹

    ¡¸Undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. And there¡¯s no Scarlet Waterweed medicine inside¡¹

    Hearing Fran¡¯s words, Lovren peeked inside the warehouse. In addition to the remnants of the undead and coffin that had been cut in half, he confirmed that there was indeed no medicine in the warehouse.

    He then threw a nce at the guide.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡¹

    ¡¸Did you know that there¡¯s an undead inside?¡¹

    Lovren and Fran asked the question at the same time, and the guide trembled.

    ¡¸N-no! I had no idea there¡¯s something like that inside!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s lying¡»

    ¡¸Did you also know that there is no Scarlet Waterweed medicine in there?¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t know!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s lying again¡»

    I guess that meant that this guide knew what was happening to some extent.

    ¡¸Lovren, this guy knows something¡¹

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    The guide shivered at Fran¡¯s words. I guess it was because he knew that his lie had been exposed. Then he blurted out the information he knew once we hurt him a little.

    He was from this country, but it seemed that his deceased father was from the Raidos Kingdom. That country has been sending spies into hiding for a long time. This man¡¯s father must have been one of them.

    However, since he was not a native of the Raidos Kingdom, his loyalty was low. He was answering all of our questions without lying.

    ¡¸What does the Raidos Kingdom n to do in theke?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t know! I swear! It¡¯s just that the alchemist under the Eastern Duke is giving orders to the merchant association!¡¹

    ¡¸Eastern Duke?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-you don¡¯t know him?¡¹

    ¡¸You know him, Lovren?¡¹

    ¡¸Just the name. We don¡¯t have much information on Raidos, so I only know that he is one of the four Dukes in the Raidos Kingdom¡¹

    There were no diplomatic rtions between the country, and no adventurers came from and went there. Therefore, even Lovren was not familiar with the Raidos Kingdom¡¯s domestic affairs.

    ording to the guide¡¯s exnation, the current situation in the Raidos Kingdom was quite chaotic. First of all, it seemed that the King had died in an ident and no one had taken over the throne.

    And among the children of the deceased King, no one had been chosen to be the next King.

    Several factions were trying to push their own candidates to take the throne, but they seemed to be in a deadlock. The King¡¯s oldest child was still 13 years old, and the fact that there was no better candidate who could take the crown seemed to further prolong the problem.

    The main yers behind the chaos in the Raidos Kingdom were the Four Great Dukes, who held positions and territories second only to the King.

    In the past, Raidos Kingdom was just one of the many small nations that were scattered in the northern part of this continent. However, one day, a Supreme King with an overwhelmingly superior military talent took over the throne, and under his kingship, they conquered the surrounding nations and built the country that we know today.

    At that time, four generals, who served as vassals of the Supreme King, yed an active role in the war. The four armies, led by the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern generals,unched their invasions of the surrounding nations at breakneck speed, and the Raidos Kingdom expanded rapidly.

    At the end of the war, each general was appointed as a Duke by bonding their family with the Royal Family through marriage.

    However, it seems that the Dukes still had some sort of hierarchy within them. The most powerful was said to be the Northern Duke, followed by the Western Duke. The Eastern and Southern Dukes were said to be almost equal in rank.

    The reason for that was due to their war records. The Northern General had skillfully manipted a small number of troops to achieve his goal ofpletely conquering the northern part of the Zilberd Continent. As a result, the Northern Duke was highly regarded by the people and nobility.

    The Western General is said to have almost conquered the western part of the continent in his hand but failed in the face of the Kingdom of Philias, who possessed a Divine Sword, the Diabolos. However, they were regarded as the most economically prosperous by their ve-trading practice, and the Western Duke was also said to be as strong as the Northern Duke.

    On the other hand, the Eastern and Southern Dukes were said to have weakened in power. Although they were not going to fall, they were probably less than half as powerful as the Northern and Western Dukes.

    That, too, was influenced by past battles. Weena Rhyn to the East and the Kranzel Kingdom to the south stood in the way and stopped the advance of both generals. Because of this, the two families had slightly smaller territories and less influence than the North and West.

    Apparently, the two families were not happy with the current situation and continued to fight even after they were appointed as Dukes, and fell into a vicious cycle of continuous defeats that skyrocketed their war expenses that put pressure on their economy.

    These days, they had stopped waging war head-on, but instead seemed to be working on various schemes under the surface.

    It seemed that the Eastern Duke was the main culprit this time as well.

    ¡¸But ackey like me won¡¯t even know the details! I just heard Gregory-san mutter something like that!¡¹

    All the guide knew was that the Mesther Merchant Association was a front for the Raidos Kingdom, and its head was the Eastern Duke. Also, the alchemist who was sent by the Duke was currently giving them orders.

    ¡¸Who is this alchemist?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t know... But I heard that he was frequenting the Scarlet Waterweed medicine-making atelier...¡¹

    After we got some information out of him, we punched the guide and knocked him out, and then tied his limbs and rolled him over.

    ¡¸What would you do now?¡¹

    ¡¸What about you?¡¹

    ¡¸Capture the top brass. Urushi is keeping an eye on them, so it won¡¯t take long¡¹

    ¡¸Can I leave it to you then? I¡¯ll return to report to the guild and then head straight for the atelier¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Certainly, there would be less chance for them to escape if we split up. Lovren picked up the guide and headed straight for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    If the Raidos Kingdom was behind this, it meant that it was not a simple matter anymore.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s capture Gregory¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 597

    Relying on Urushi¡¯s presence that we could feel from a distance, we made our way through the ship.

    If we met any people from the merchants¡¯ association along the way, we would try to put them to sleep as gently as possible. This was because we didn¡¯t know if they were all from the Raidos Kingdom or just hired locals.

    But if they turned out to be the enemy, we would just simply break their legs.

    ¡ºFran, he¡¯s around the corner¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran arrived at the corner of the ship¡¯s upper floors. They probably used the upper floors as offices and the lower floors as warehouses.

    ¡ºUrushi¡»

    (Woof)

    When I called him, Urushi showed up from the shadow of a decorative nt.

    ¡ºIs Gregory in this room?¡»

    (Woof woof!)

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s capture everyone in the room¡»

    (Nn!)

    ¡ºUrushi, keep an eye out for anyone who might try to escape from the ship. Don¡¯t hesitate to use violence to prevent them from escaping¡»

    (Woof!)

    Then, after we saw Urushi off, we stepped into the room in front of us.

    The people inside finally noticed us when they heard the sound of the door being shed open by Fran.

    Gregory, who had been rummaging through his desk, turned his gaze towards us.

    Then, a look of astonishment came over his face.

    ¡¸H-how...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Howe you¡¯re still here, did the undead not kill her!?¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    With those words, they must have realized that their attempt had been exposed.

    ¡¸Jag! Vade! Kill her!¡¹

    Besides Gregory, there were other men in the room who looked like Adventurers.

    They didn¡¯t seem to be strong, as they couldn¡¯t even detect Fran¡¯s presence outside the room before. Well, their abilities as warriors were just average, but their skills outside ofbat, such as detection, seemed to be mediocre.

    ¡¸...Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Nuuooh!¡¹

    However, it seemed that they were well trained. Without uttering a single unnecessary word, they attacked Fran.

    I guess they had been trained to follow orders regardless of the opponent¡¯s background or age. Their level of coordination was not bad either.

    If their opponent had been an E-ranked adventurer, it might have worked. But something like that wouldn¡¯t even work against Fran.

    Fran¡¯s fist, which she swung like a flicker jab, struck them both in the jaw in rapid session, reaping their consciousness in an instant.

    Even though it was just a simple jab, they still received a hit from someone like Fran. Their jawbone would be shattered at the very least.

    ¡¸Wha...! S-she took out two knights in instant!?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve defeated your undead, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯m gonna had a hard time against these people¡¹

    Gregory was astonished for some reason, but Fran told him so while tilting her head.

    Then Gregory¡¯s eyes, which had been wide open, widened even more. I didn¡¯t know human eyes could get that big.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve defeated it... you said!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Liar!!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not lying¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a monster that can even destroy a small country, you know...!? It was a non-fighter, but no ordinary adventurer should be able to hurt it! That¡¯s why¨D...!¡¹

    ¡¸But I¡¯ve defeated it¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s ridiculous!¡¹

    Apparently, he thought that we had noticed the undead and went away without a fight. Well, knowing the strength of the Wight King, he probably could not help but think that.

    Even at the sight of two men instantly defeated in front of his eyes, he didn¡¯t seem to believe that Fran was stronger than the Wight King.

    But he seemed to understand that she wasn¡¯t an opponent he could beat anyway. There was a hint of anger and impatience in Gregory¡¯s eyes.

    ¡¸Little girl... If you didn¡¯t get out of here now, we¡¯ll¨D¨D¡¹

    He was probably thinking of scaring Fran to get out of this situation. However, as if to interrupt Gregory¡¯s words, Fran opened her mouth.

    ¡¸We know that you are connected to the Raidos Kingdom¡¹

    ¡¸Ha, hahaha... What are you talking about? Where did you get that false information...?¡¹

    At this stage, he still tried to make an excuse, but it was of no use. There was no point in arguing with him here.

    ¡¸Shii¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaa!¡¹

    Fran stepped in easily, keeping low, and drove a body blow into Gregory¡¯s stomach. Fran¡¯s fist went in deep enough topletely bury itself in Gregory¡¯s plump flesh.

    ¡¸Ughaah!¡¹

    Gregory cowered in ce, spitting out various things from his mouth.

    He was plunging face-first into his vomit, but the pain in his abdomen must have been so unbearable that he didn¡¯t even notice it.

    Even when he didn¡¯t have anything left to spit out, he was still holding his stomach and groaning on the floor.

    Even so, Gregory looked up at us with a miserable expression on his face, as if he was feeling somewhat better after a dozen seconds. He seemed to havepletely understood his position.

    ¡¸I¡¯m gonna have you talk about a lot of things¡¹

    ¡¸...Kuh¡¹

    After that, he was able to endure some of it, but again, for not being a fighter himself, Gregory did not have a high pain tolerance.

    I guess he was prepared for a violent interrogation, but his resolve seemed to have been shattered when he was actually beaten.

    It was quite rare to see people who looked so desperate when they were being healed.

    ¡¸Ghaah... Talk...! I¡¯ll talk...! L-let me talk, I beg you!¡¹

    Ten minutester, he was crying and begging for it himself.

 Chapter 598

    When we spoke to him, we found out that Gregory was a nobleman of the Raidos Kingdom. To my surprise, he was actually a Viscount.

    However, he said that he had never lived like a nobleman since he entered the Belios Kingdom disguised as a merchant more than twenty years ago.

    I thought it was amazing that he remained loyal to the Raidos Kingdom, but it seemed that his fear of being killed if he betrayed them was stronger than his loyalty.

    In fact, some of his fellow spies had been killed for trying to betray their homnd.

    Maybe there were even spies watching over other spies.

    Besides, spies from the Raidos Kingdom were somewhat unique. Instead of always conducting operations against the other country, they usually worked earnestly so that they could move easily in case of emergencies.

    He mentioned that a Knight named Saruth, who had infiltrated the Kingdom of Philias, also worked normally in peacetime to gain trust.

    Gregory was the same, and it seemed that he was really a decent merchant, except for the fact that he sent information to the Raidos Kingdom once every few years.

    Because of this, he had gained the trust of the people around theke, and their scheme involving the Scarlet Waterweed medicine had been able to proceed smoothly.

    Gregory and the others were under themand of the Eastern Duke, and they were helping the alchemists under hismand with their ns.

    ¡¸Who is this alchemist you¡¯re talking about?¡¹

    ¡¸Zelyse, a man who behaves like a child¡¹

    ¡¸Zelyse!? He¡¯s in this country?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes...¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes widened. She never thought she¡¯d hear his name here.

    He was the crazy, psycho, good-looking alchemist, who had done several things to us in Barbra. Well, we did manage to thwart his ns as well, so I¡¯d say it was even between us.

    But still, is he on the Raidos Kingdom¡¯s side? Or did he originally belong to the Belios Kingdom? But he also said something like he was raised in the Kranzel Kingdom at that time...

    ¡¸Is Zelyse a subordinate of Raidos Kingdom?¡¹

    ¡¸I-It would be more urate to say that he was a subordinate of the Eastern Duke...¡¹

    ¡¸Even though he¡¯s being hunted elsewhere?¡¹

    ¡¸Criminal records in countries that are hostile to our country are irrelevant. Besides, in the Raidos Kingdom, where there is no Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the bounties issued by the Guild is meaningless...¡¹

    In other words, they would ept criminals from other countries as long as they were capable. On the contrary, it was even possible that they were actively epting those who were wanted in the Kranzel Kingdom. Just like that saying went, ¡°the enemy of my enemy is my friend¡±.

    ¡ºCould it be that that undead are under Zelyse¡¯smand?¡»

    When Fran asked him about it, he said that it had nothing to do with Zelyse. He said that the undead was loaned by the ck Skeleton Army, an organization under the control of the Southern Duke.

    To my surprise, it seemed that the ck Skeleton Army had created a technique to transform necromancers into undead while retaining their human consciousness.

    ¡¸How is that even possible?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t know. But even that Wight King was still able to hold a decent conversation. Although his mind was greatly corrupted...¡¹

    It seemed that it was not possible to tell which ss of undead a ve would turn into depending on the affinity of the person who became the base body, so the current method was to force a ve to turn into an undead after making them learn necromancy.

    After they were turned into undead in this way, they were then controlled by higher-ranking necromancers and made to swear allegiance to the Raidos Kingdom.

    The advantages of turning a human into an undead were strong reasoning and the ability to talk. The undead, who were usually too mentally deranged to carry outplex missions, could be transformed into fearsome and powerful soldiers by having human thoughts.

    However, he said that those who became undead must sleep in a coffin during normal times because their bodies and minds would gradually deteriorate over time.

    The coffin also had a powerful concealment effect, so powerful undead could be hidden inside their luggage and be transported. In some cases, it was even possible to carry them close to the heart of the enemy country without being detected.

    The Wight King we had just defeated was said to be one of the few remaining top-level forces in the ck Skeleton Army. When we mentioned Weena Rhyn¡¯s name before, they must have seen us as a possible enemy. Well, we killed it instantly though.

    However, the Scarlet Waterweed medicine was more important than the undead right now.

    ¡¸What is your purpose? What are you going to do with the Scarlet Waterweed medicine?¡¹

    ¡¸Z-Zelyse hasn¡¯t told us his main goal! He just asked us to mass-produce the Scarlet Waterweed medicine!¡¹

    ¡¸Where are you sending that Scarlet Waterweed medicine?¡¹

    ¡¸N-nowhere...¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    What does that mean? Aren¡¯t they trying to make Scarlet Waterweed medicine and use it for something?

    However, Gregory told us that the Scarlet Waterweed medicine was still stored inrge quantities in the ship¡¯s warehouses.

    He said that all of them were left here except for those that were distributed for domestic use.

    They assumed that it would eventually be transported somewhere else, but the situation had remained the same for over a year now.

    (But why? Isn¡¯t their purpose is to get the Scarlet Waterweed medicine?)

    ¡ºWell, I don¡¯t know about it either... Besides, I don¡¯t even understand the connection between the fact that these guys are from the Raidos Kingdom and are working under Zelyse¡¯s orders and the anomaly in theke¡»

    We thought that the anomaly was caused by something that the Mesther Merchant Association had done. In fact, we thought that the Scarlet Waterweed medicine had been misused in some way to cause the current anomaly.

    But was that really the case?

    ¡¸Did you know that there¡¯s been some kind of anomaly in theke?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    ¡¸Are you guys the ones behind it?¡¹

    ¡¸T-that¡¯s outrageous! There¡¯s no way we could do something that big!¡¹

    ¡ºFor real? But this guy seems to be serious¡»

    Was it just that Gregory didn¡¯t know about it? Or did they really have nothing to do with it?

    ¡ºFran, It seems we need to get Zelyse to talk, even if we have to force him to¡»

    (Nn)

    Fran then asked Gregory where Zelyse was.

    ¡¸T-the atelier! He should be in the Scarlet Waterweed medicine making atelier!¡¹

 Chapter 599

    We got Zelyse¡¯s whereabouts out of him. Apparently, he was in the atelier where the Scarlet Waterweed medicine was made.

    (Should we head to where Lovren is going?)

    ¡ºYeah, but...¡»

    Could he have possibly run away from this? It wasn¡¯t like I was making a fool of Lovren, but I didn¡¯t think he could handle Zelyse.

    If they found out that we were suspicious of their atelier, Zelyse might try to flee immediately.

    But we couldn¡¯t leave this ship unattended either. We hadn¡¯t been able to capture all of their top brass, such as the head of the merchant association.

    As I was wondering, I then heard Urushi¡¯s howl from outside. And at the same time, I could sense that multiple presences wereing towards this ship.

    ¡ºIt looks like the Adventurers have arrived¡»

    There was no hint of tension in Urushi¡¯s voice. So, they were probably not enemies.

    As soon as we stepped out onto the deck, we saw a group of Adventurersing towards us in a small boat. Some of them looked familiar to me. They were Daghour and some C-ranked Adventurers that we fought during the mock battle.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono! It¡¯s been a while! I¡¯m d to see you are well!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Likewise¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. Well then, we¡¯ve been asked by Lovren-dono to assist you to take over this ship, but what¡¯s the current situation?¡¹

    She then exined to Daghour, the leader of the group, that Gregory, who was tied up and lying next to her, had told her everything, and that this merchant association was a front for the Raidos Kingdom.

    ¡¸I had heard about it from Lovren-dono, so it was actually true, huh...?¡¹

    ¡¸Can I leave the rest to you then?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you can leave it to us. But ck Lightning Princess-dono, what are you gonna do now?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll head to the atelier¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸No one has escaped since we went in. But I don¡¯t know if they could have teleported or not¡¹

    As she said, it would not be surprising if their top brass had some kind of teleportation device to help them escape. However, they should not be able to travel very long distances.

    In fact, it would be just far enough to escape from the ship. It would have been impossible for Urushi and I to not notice if someone had teleported that close to us.

    However, there was a possibility that they had a magic tool that we did not know about, and there was also a possibility that the president of the merchant association was actually a Space-Time Magic-User himself. In that case, there was honestly nothing we could do.

    ¡¸For now, we need to capture everyone on this ship¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    With this handled, we could finally head for the atelier. We just didn¡¯t know exactly where it was, so we would need a guide. It would be much easier if we could just see it from here.

    But just as I was thinking that¨D¨D¨D

    Boooom!!

    ¡¸Uh!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi were surprised at the sudden explosion. I was so surprised that I couldn¡¯t help but let out a yelp.

    When I looked in the direction where the sound came from, I immediately knew the cause.

    A huge pir of fire was erupting into the sky from a small ship that was part of the Commercial Fleet. There must have been something that exploded.

    What happened?

    Was there an ident? Or was it attacked by a magic beast?

    The ship that was still engulfed in mes was simr to an oil tanker that I had seen on the news. Well, this one is smaller in scale though.

    But still, with that sort of fire, the surrounding ships might be in danger of catching fire, and it would be difficult to save them.

    ¡ºI wonder what ship that is?¡»

    The ships of the Commercial Fleet had a wide variety of functions and ownerships. Some were used for residency, fishing, offices, workshops, and even the Guild Headquarters. That¡¯s why it was hard for outsiders like us to identify them at first nce.

    ¡¸Daghour. That ship, what ship is that?¡¹

    ¡¸T-that is the atelier that ck Lightning Princess-dono said she was heading for!¡¹

    Eh? That ship?

    ¡ºIs Lovren and the others safe?¡»

    (Master, is this Zelyse doing?)

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know!¡»

    But still, that possibility was very high.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s head for that ship for now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran jumped on Urushi¡¯s back and headed towards the burning ship. Since it was an atelier, it was probably filled with mmable chemicals, and from time to time explosions of various sizes urred.

    Moreover, it seemed that a hole had appeared in the hull and the ship was sinking at a considerable pace. This could be quite a catastrophe.

    This didn¡¯t seem like something that could be handled by just pouring water on it with magic.

    ¡ºOi oi, what¡¯s going to happen to Lovren and the others...¡»

    ¡¸Master! Over there!¡¹

    At where Fran pointed, I could see Lovren floating in theke, holding on to a board.

    ¡¸Lovren!¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, Fran-san...¡¹

    Maybe it was because he had already seen Urushi many times before, Lovren didn¡¯t seem to be frightened by his giant wolf appearance. Or maybe he just couldn¡¯t afford to be, though.

    I then used my telekinesis to pull Lovren up onto Urushi¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I somehow made it out of there... But the Adventurers who went into the atelier with me are...¡¹

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    Fran asked the tragic-looking Lovren about the cause of the explosion.

    ¡¸The alchemist in the atelier suddenly unleashed powerful Fire Magic. Then his magic ignited the medicine inside the ship¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know who that alchemist was?¡¹

    ¡¸He must have been caught in the explosion... I don¡¯t think he could survive from something like that¡¹

    ording to Lovren, he was a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, however, he spoke just like a child.

    ¡¸But he¡¯s not just an ordinary alchemist. He¡¯s more like a terrifying opponent... Just looking at him gave me goosebumps¡¹

    No doubt about it, he must be Zelyse. With his sharp intuition, Lovren must have sensed that he wasn¡¯t just an ordinary person.

    ¡ºFran, we must prioritize on rescuing those in danger for now¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 600

    Urushi and Fran split up to rescue the people floating on theke.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m saved...¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Hiiii!¡¹

    The ones we rescued were not only the Adventurers who stepped onto the ship with Lovren, but also ordinary people who worked on that ship.

    The Adventurers were generally grateful to us, but those who weren¡¯t screamed when they saw Urushi approaching them. They probably thought that they were going to be attacked by the giant wolf.

    Urushi was using his mouth at first to pull them up after all... A normal person would find it hard not to be frightened at the sight of his giant body and dreadful looks.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s why so don¡¯t be so upset¡»

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    Later, the Adventurers who could walk on water like Lovren joined in the rescue, and we were able to rescue quite a lot of people.

    But still, not everyone was safe. We also recovered a lot of dead bodies floating on theke.

    ¡¸...Zelyse...!¡¹

    ¡ºWhere the hell did that bastard go!?¡»

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    At the sight of the wreckage, Fran muttered in anger. The same went for Urushi and me.

    Zelyse must have had some kind of teleportation ability, but I didn¡¯t think that he had gone very far yet. Could we just find him with Urushi¡¯s nose? Or maybe, the current us now could detect his presence with our skills.

    ¡ºZelyse should still around here somewhere¨D¨D¡»

    Boooom!

    ¡ºW-what!?¡»

    ¡¸Another explosion!?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    As we were thinking of ways to find Zelyse, we heard a loud explosion again. We hurried to check it and saw a pir of fireing from a different ship than this one.

    We knew right away what ship that was. That was where we were just a moment ago.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the Mesther Merchant Association¡¯s ship...!¡»

    Just like the ship that had been set on fire by Zelyse, the Mesther Merchant Association ship was also engulfed in mes and smoke and was slowly sinking.

    The fire was spreading incredibly fast. It seemed that the ship had been modified in some way to destroy the evidence.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    We once again went to the rescue. However, we were only able to rescue the Adventurers.

    Many of the people from the merchant association must have been tied up and could not escape the fire. Even if they had sessfully jumped into theke, some of them would have drowned because of their tied hands and feet.

    But things didn¡¯t end there.

    Crack!

    There was another loud sound again.

    However, the sound this time was not caused by an explosion.

    Rather than an explosion, it sounded more like a fracturing sound, as if something was creaking and breaking.

    Crack! Booom!

    And I could hear it happening over and over again.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We ascended and looked in the direction where the sound came from.

    ¡ºThis is... quite bad, isn¡¯t it...¡»

    ¡¸Master! Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Urushi, hurry up!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It seemed that our detection skills had not gone crazy.

    ¡ºWhy are there so many Modokiing here...!?¡»

    ¡¸Did Zelyse summon them?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s crazy! The people living around theke didn¡¯t even know their ecology, right!?¡»

    To our surprise, several ships in the Commercial Fleet had been attacked by the Modoki. Some of the ships were already surrounded and hadrge holes pierced in their hulls.

    Many Adventurers must have been sent to the Mesther Merchant Association and the atelier ship, so the security around the Commercial Fleet was quite weak right now.

    And then, because of the sheer number of Modoki, they couldn¡¯t deal with them in time.

    Was this a coincidence?

    The Modoki were suspected to be after the Scarlet Waterweed medicine. And when the atelier ship and the merchant association ship exploded, arge amount of Scarlet Waterweed medicine must have been spilled into theke.

    Moreover, the loud noise and the conspicuous pir of me were still happening around here.

    That must be the reason why Modoki was attracted here.

    We didn¡¯t know exactly how many there were, but there must have been more than 30 of them around the fleet. And more of them were likely to being here.

    ¡ºAnyway, let¡¯s hunt the Modoki!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, Urushi, don¡¯t use any shy magic, okay? We¡¯ll kill them in closebat so as not to cause any damage to the fleet!¡»

    ¡¸Just like before. Don¡¯t worry¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAll right! Let¡¯s go!¡»

    We split up into two groups and took the nearest Modoki down first.

    I actually thought about splitting into three groups. If I fought underwater, it would be unlikely that I would be exposed as a sword that could move on my own.

    But I decided not to do that.

    There was a chance that Zelyse might still be in the vicinity. And I didn¡¯t want to leave Fran alone in such a situation.

    I think it was unlikely that the current Fran could be easily defeated. However, something was unsettling about Zelyse that could not be measured by strength or status. I was afraid of what he might do.

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºAah, sorry. I was just a little worried about Zelyse¡¯s whereabouts. Anyway, we¡¯ll have to deal with the Modoki first¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 601

    There were a lot of them, but we didn¡¯t have much difficulty dealing with the Modoki.

    It took a lot of effort to hit them because we couldn¡¯t do anything too shy, but we rarely took any damage. Even if we did, it was only a slight scratch.

    Well, we could perform surprise attacks on the Modoki that were attacking ships, and we were much stronger than them to begin with. That was why we wouldn¡¯t have much difficulty dealing with them.

    But we wouldn¡¯t let our guard down.

    (Master, someone is watching us)

    ¡ºYeah, I could feel it on me too. But I don¡¯t know from where it ising¨D¨D¡»

    (I don¡¯t know too)

    We could clearly feel that someone was watching us.

    It was noting from the people of the Commercial Fleet that were watching in amazement at the mysterious girl who one-sidedly defeated the Modoki.

    It was a much more persistent and disturbing gaze. It was as if they were observing an interesting subject for an experiment. Or as if they were nning to kidnap a young girl they spotted on the street. It was quite unpleasant.

    I was eager to find out where they were and beat the shit out of them right away.

    And it was not just us they were watching. Apparently, they were observing the entire battlefield.

    I wonder who they were? We would find out when we caught them, but we didn¡¯t even know where they were.

    It was either they were too far away from us, or they had advanced stealth abilities.

    But that was just what I and Fran felt.

    (Woof woof!)

    After evolving into a Ragnarok Wolf, Urushi¡¯s keen sense seemed to have caught the owner of the gaze for sure. As expected of Urushi.

    ¡ºUrushi, keep tracking their whereabouts¡»

    (Woof!)

    The first thing we needed to do was to get rid of the Modoki. The other Adventurers had started to join the fight, but we still didn¡¯t have enough strength to handle all of them. If we left now, the fleet would surely suffer a great deal of damage.

    ¡ºOur next strongest forces are Lovren and¨D¨DSierra, huh?¡»

    (Nn. That sword is amazing)

    ¡ºYeah...¡»

    To Fran¡¯s surprise, the jet-ck sword wielded by Sierra was a much more powerful magic sword than she had imagined. Although she couldn¡¯t appraise it due to its Evil Spirit, there was no doubt that it was a high-ranking magic sword.

    It was not simply about its attack power. I could see that it was clearly raising Sierra¡¯s strength. Moreover, the strengthening rate was quite great.

    But still, the movements of the D-ranked Sierra were nowhere as good as Lovren¡¯s.

    However, the sight of him holding a jet-ck sword and running across the water at high speed, shing through the modoki one after another, was unlike that of a D-ranked Adventurer.

    But for some reason, I could sense something akin to impatience from Sierra. It seemed to be different from either caution or anger towards the Modoki.

    I wondered if it was his determination in the face of such a powerful opponent that made him think that way, but with Sierra¡¯s ability, he would be able to fight even a pack of Modoki without a problem. It was strange that he seemed to be so tense.

    So then why did he seem that tense?

    As I observed Sierra taking down the Modoki, he seemed to be looking for something.

    Apparently, he seemed to be looking for the same person who was observing the battlefield just like us.

    ¡ºWell, we¡¯ll be the one to find that person first!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I was so proud of our win, but it was entirely thanks to Urushi.

    ¡ºAll right, we¡¯ve defeated most of the Modoki, I¡¯ll leave finding that guy to you, Urushi!¡»

    Once we were sure that there were no more Modoki in the fleet¡¯s vicinity, we made our move without a moment¡¯s dy. We didn¡¯t want to let them get away.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get to the owner of that gaze before they escape!¡»

    (Woof!)

    Our strategy this time is quite simple.

    Urushi would use his shadow transfer to surprise the hiding opponent, and then we would follow Urushi¡¯s signal and teleport there. That was it.

    The only problem was if the opponent is too far away to be reached by our teleportation¨D¨D

    ¡¸Woooof!¡¹

    It apparently wasn¡¯t a problem. Urushi then dove into the shadows on the spot.

    And in the next moment, Urushi¡¯s presence appeared a few dozen meters behind the fleet.

    ¡ºHow should I put it, aren¡¯t they quite close!?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    This meant that they must have been highly skilled in their stealth abilities, and the fact that they could deceive Fran and I when we were only 200 meters away was quite impressive.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t let your guard down!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I teleported with Fran, who was ready for battle, to where Urushi was. Of course, we¡¯d made sure to leave no trace of our presence. It would be pointless for us to take them by surprise if they discovered us right after we teleported.

    We teleported slightly above Urushi, and below us, Urushi and a man were facing each other.

    ck tentacle-like things were wriggling around Urushi and the man standing on the water¡¯s surface. It was probably a binding spell that Urushi had unleashed. But it seemed to be blocked by the barrier that the man had set up.

    ¡ºZelyse!¡»

    The blond-haired, blue-eyed man looked familiar. He was the psycho handsome guy, Zelyse. I had a hunch, but as I thought, it was this guy who was watching over us before.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºOkay!¡»

    Fran quickly readied me. In response to her words, I transformed myself into my katana form. It had been a while since I¡¯d felt this way. It may have been the first time in a long time that we¡¯d been able tomunicate so well as a team.

    A sword and its wielder. I was Fran¡¯s guardian, but I was also her sword. Therefore, it was inevitable that the ce where we could understand each other best was in battle.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    I understood. I understood what Fran was telling me.

    She readied her Sheaths of Wind and aimed it to sh at Zelyse. Without using teleport, she added the power of falling to her sh. The reason why she used the Wind Attribute was to hide our presence. And of course, she also activated a variety of other skills at the same time in this attack.

    Fran narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and smiled slightly as she saw that I had activated the skill just as she had wanted.

    ¡ºHere we go, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 602

    When Zelyse was being held back by Urushi, Fran, who had made herself unnoticeable,unched a surprise attack.

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    Fran was silently descending from the sky to theke surface. The natural signs of sound, air movement, and body heat were beingpletely eliminated by her skills. Even her own shadow on theke surface had been erased by magic.

    By the time Zelyse noticed Fran falling from the sky, the distance between them had already shrunk to only a few meters.

    ¡¸Uwaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Shii!¡¹

    Fran swung me down at Zelyse, who was making a dumb face.

    I could not sense any martial arts capabilities from Zelyse. He may have possessed the skill, but he didn¡¯t seem to be a master. The only unusual thing was that Zelyse had noticed Fran¡¯s surprise attack before he was cut down.

    As I thought, he was no ordinary opponent. With that in mind, I activated multiple attribute swords at the same time.

    ¡ºEat this!¡»

    And then my de shed through Zelyse¡¯s body. It was not that I had sliced through him so easily that he couldn¡¯t even resist. But I didn¡¯t even feel a slicing sensation at all. It was as if I had cut through an illusion, and my de went right through his body.

    The sh that Fran unleashed slipped through Zelyse¡¯s body, only to cut deep into the water at his feet.

    Just a moment before Fran sliced Zelyse, I could clearly feel his presence at that spot.

    But it has changed now. Even though I could see him, I couldn¡¯t even feel any presence or magicing from his body.

    He looked exactly like when we used Dimension Shift, but he didn¡¯t seem to have used any Space-time Magic.

    I have no idea of what he has done.

    However, Fran and I were not that surprised by it. We were not that surprised, because we had thought, somewhere deep inside our minds, that this guy might dodge.

    That was why we could still move on to our next action without getting freaked out.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºOrraa!¡»

    Fran unleashed a series of shes without pause. And at the same time, I continued to shoot Lightning, Fire, and Storm Magic at him.

    I didn¡¯t know what kind of permeability power Zelyse was using, but if it was a Dimension Shift kind of power, it shouldn¡¯tst that long.

    If that was the case, we would just have to keep attacking until that ability wore off. That was our strategy to handle this situation.

    ¡¸Oya! Isn¡¯t it Fran-san!? Long time no see!¡¹

    ¡¸Even at a time like this...!¡¹

    ¡ºDoes he think he can afford to be so rxed!?¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t make such a scary face~¡¹

    Zelyse shed a carefree smile without a hint of hostility at her. Seeing that, Fran increased her speed even more, but Zelyse¡¯s permeability power did not seem to be disrupted at all.

    No matter how many times Fran¡¯s sword struck that smug face of his with powerful telekinesis, he just stood there smiling andughing.

    ¡ºThen how about this!¡»

    ¡¸Ahahaha! I¡¯m so surprised you can even use the Space-time Magic with no chanting!¡¹

    I unleashed my Space-time Magic, the Dimensional Sword. It was a technique that ignored the opponent¡¯s defenses and dealt damage, but it was also effective against Dimension Shifts.

    However, Zelyse¡¯s annoying smile remained on his face.

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    My Dimension Sword had been repelled! It appeared that he had prepared all countermeasures against it. However, the fact that he had prepared a countermeasure for it meant that attacks with the Space-time attribute were effective.

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah! Even this wolf!?¡¹

    Urushi used his Dimensional Fang skill. It had the same Space-time attribute as my Dimension Sword, but it was far more powerful.

    Perhaps what he was using was not Space-time Magic, but a skill simr to Dimensional Magic, which is the superior version of Space-time Magic.

    Seeing the approaching fangs, Zelyse created a barrier in front of him. The barrier, which was put up in the spur of the moment, couldn¡¯t have blocked Urushi¡¯s attack, but he hoped it could buy him a moment of time.

    Zelyse¡¯s figure drowned into the water then appeared a few meters from where he had been standing. But the weird thing was, I couldn¡¯t detect if he had activated any magic at all.

    I was constantly paying attention to our surroundings in order to anticipate if he was going to use teleportation. And yet, I was unable to detect any sign of him using teleportation at all.

    Then was it possible that the Zelyse we were facing was just an illusion? No, if he was just an illusion then I should be able to feel the magic power of his illusion. However, I couldn¡¯t feel anything from this Zelyse at all.

    Then, was that figure of his a mirage, a false image created by natural phenomena? I couldn¡¯t help but think that was the case...

    But if that was the case, there was no way he could have a conversation with us.

    Moreover, he could block my Space-time Magic and dodge Urushi¡¯s attack. So, it seemed, he must have erased his own entity in some way.

    ¡º...Fran, unleash your Space-time Magic at full force¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Even if the Space-time Magic was not very powerful, it could be strengthened by putting too much magic power into it.

    ¡ºUrushi, focus on your attack. I need you to attack that guy without pause¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    It was Zelyse we were facing, and he was always quick to escape. So even if this would use up all of our magic power, we must bring him down here!

    ¡¸Fran-san, why did you evene to this ce... Or have you perhaps been following me by any chance?¡¹

    ¡¸No. Rather than that, what are you doing here?¡¹

    ¡¸Ee~h? You want to know?¡¹

    ¡¸I know you¡¯ve been working for a very important person from the Raidos Kingdom. So, what are you up to in this country?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu~n, if you¡¯re that curious, I¡¯ll tell you about it then¡¹

    In response to Fran¡¯s question, Zelyse easily spoke up and started bbering about his misdeeds. Yes, this was what kind of guy he was.

    Well, I¡¯m grateful for that because it allows me to ready my skills and understand his circumstances.

    ¡¸It wasn¡¯t the Scarlet Waterweed medicine we were after!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    They were not aiming at the Scarlet Waterweed medicine? But why have they been hoarding so much of it?

    ¡¸You¡¯re wondering why, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Then, why have you gathered that much Scarlet Waterweed medicine in the first ce?¡¹

    ¡¸We didn¡¯t really mean to gather that many, we just threw the unnecessary ones in the warehouse¡¹

    I didn¡¯t understand. Didn¡¯t they make the Scarlet Waterweed medicine and store it in the warehouse because they needed it?

    ¡¸What we wanted was something that came out of the Scarlet Waterweed medicine¡¯s manufacturing process¡¹

    ¡¸Something thates out of it?¡¹

    ¡¸Its waste liquid. Well, for me, that¡¯s the real deal, and the Scarlet Waterweed medicine is just like the real wastewater¡¹

 Chapter 603

    ¡¸It¡¯s waste liquid. Well, for me, that¡¯s the real deal, and the Scarlet Waterweed medicine is just like the wastewater¡¹

    The endemic medicine in its pill form that was originally manufactured in this country was made entirely from Scarlet Waterweed.

    First of all, the outer skin of the Scarlet Waterweed¡¯s stem had the effect of disrupting Space-Time Magic, dissipating the Space-Time Magic power umted in patients¡¯ bodies. And its stem had the effect of regting Space-Time Magic inside the patients to cure their Space-Time Magic sickness.

    However, it seemed that the Scarlet Waterweed medicine manufactured by Zelyse and the Mesther Merchant Association only used the part of the stem that had the effect of regting Space-Time Magic.

    As a result, there was a big difference between the two. It took longer for the pills to take effect. The potion was said to work right after they took them, but the pill took a few hours to actually start working.

    Its potion form may sound superior, but there was a big reason why they had never manufactured it.

    First, the pills were easier to produce, while the liquid form requiredplicated extraction, separation, and bottling, as well as expensive equipment. But the pills only needed to be boiled in a pot and dried. Well, the process of making them still required skills and some chemicals, but it was not difficult to produce them.

    Moreover, the pills were easy to store, easy to carry, and inexpensive. They had no side effects and were better against endemic diseases.

    Its perfection as medicine was already high. No one had ever bothered to produce the liquid medicine when the manufacturing method for it was already widespread.

    It seemed that when the Mesther Merchant Association started selling the product, while many people were pleased, some were surprised to hear that they had been conducting such a useless experiment.

    However, the Mesther Merchant Association still manufactured it. I thought for sure that the medicine itself was useful, but...

    I never thought that the medicine itself was not important to them, but the waste liquid from its manufacturing process was actually what they were aiming for. If what Zelyse said was true, then the Scarlet Waterweed potion was just a byproduct for them.

    ¡¸That thing, what would you use that for?¡¹

    ¡¸I actually have some business in the center of thiske, but you see, I can¡¯t get closer because of those troublesome guardians¡¹

    It seemed that even Zelyse could not break through the Vivian Guardian¡¯s defenses. But still, what business did he have in the center of theke? Could it be that Zelyse¡¯s true purpose was the sealed great magic beast?

    ¡¸So I was wondering if I could get rid of them somehow... I knew that they were magic creatures born with Water and Space-Time Magic. So, I thought that if I dumped arge amount of the extracted Scarlet Waterweed into theke, they would disappear¡¹

    So that was their reason for aiming for the waste liquid!?

    ¡¸I thought that even if they didn¡¯t disappear, it would at least weaken them, but... I never thought it would mutate them like that. Moreover, it seems that the abnormal Guardians were suffering from a magic disorder and turned violent. Ahahaha! Isn¡¯t it interesting!?¡¹

    ¡¸Not at all¡¹

    ¡¸Well, there¡¯s also something else that¡¯s interesting. The abnormal Guardian is now seeking the Scarlet Waterweed potion. I think it¡¯s their instinct to try to get back to normal. Don¡¯t you think so?¡¹

    I see so that¡¯s the reason why many ships were attacked by the Modoki.

    ¡¸But still, how did you manage to get to us? We¡¯ve taken a great deal of care to made sure we didn¡¯t get found out, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸It was obvious¡¹

    ¡¸Hu~h?¡¹

    Fran replied to Zelyse¡¯s question with a triumphant look on her face, but it was Khanna who did the research, right, Fran? And I didn¡¯t think it was that easy.

    ¡¸That¡¯s strange... Other people were sniffing around too, but none of them could even get to us... So, is there a traitor within our ranks...? Hmmm...¡¹

    It seemed that Khanna¡¯s informationwork was quite impressive. I thought that she wasing from a small merchant association, but it seemed, they were actually arge, cross-country merchant association.

    ¡¸Rather than that, what¡¯s your real goal?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder...?¡¹

    ¡¸...Are you going to bring back the magic beast inside theke and destroy this country?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Too bad! Wrong guess! I¡¯m not interested in that! That would be great if it could destroy the world. But if it could only destroy this country, it would only be talked about for hundreds of years at best, right? Ahahahaha, that¡¯s worthless for me!¡¹

    Zelyse said so andughed with an innocent look on his face.

    ¡¸You know the magic beast sealed in thiske is not normal, right? I¡¯ve heard that it was a strange mixture of various things, so it might be useful for the ultimate magic beast I¡¯m trying to create, right? Even I was shocked at my uncontroble intellectual curiosity!¡¹

    After all this scheming, his goal was just to satisfy his curiosity? I still didn¡¯t quite understand this guy. It just reminded me that I couldn¡¯t let him go unchecked.

    ¡ºFran, you ready?¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºUrushi?¡»

    (Woof!)

    Alright, it seemed that Fran and Urushi were both ready. And of course, I myself havepleted my magic and skills preparation.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll make the first attack to create an opening. Then, you must attack him from the opening I make for you at once¡»

    (Okay)

    (Woof!)

    I was about to unleash my magic, intending tond a hit on Zelyse¡¯s annoying handsome face.

    But just before we made a move, I sensed a new presence behind us. It was a powerful presence that gave off a presence that I couldn¡¯t ignore. It wasing from the Commercial Fleet and heading towards us at tremendous speed.

    It was a presence that I remembered.

    When we looked in that direction, I saw a young boy with brown hair running across the water as if he were bouncing. It was Sierra.

    I was wondering if he hade to help us...

    ¡¸Zelyseee¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸Oya?¡¹

    Sierra¡¯s eyes were staring straight at Zelyse. From his fierce expression, it seemed that they had some sort of connection.

    Sierra¡¯s gushing murderous intent towards Zelyse was very simr to Fran¡¯s when she attacked Zelos Reed.

    The anger and hatred that was so strong that he could not control it must be what drove his body. He didn¡¯t even look at Fran, he was just staring at Zelyse with the eyes as if he was going to kill him.

    But Zelyse¡¯s face twisted into a grin when she saw Sierraing at him in a straight line.

    ¡¸Could it be, he is... Woah, he has gotten big, hasn¡¯t he?¡¹

    As I thought, they seemed to know each other. But what kind of rtionship did they have?

 Chapter 604

    It was not every day we could get a chance to take down Zelyse, so we would use Sierra as bait.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll make our move as Sierra attacks!¡»

    (Nn!)

    (Woof!)

    Just like before, the attacks weunched still slipped through Zelyse¡¯s body, but we used this as a cover to build up our strength. We would then use all of that power on Zelyse, who was still distracted by Sierra.

    ¡ºYou ready?¡»

    (Nn)

    Immediately after, Sierra jumped up at him with his jet-ck sword raised above his head.

    I didn¡¯t know what kind of attack Sierra was nning tounch, but I didn¡¯t sense any Space-Time Magicing from it, so I didn¡¯t think he could damage Zelyse with it.

    However, it was enough to keep Zelyse¡¯s eyes on him.

    ¡ºNow!¡»

    It was just before I was about to unleash my dimension sword, which I had put more than the limit of my magic power into...

    ¡¸Evil Release!¡¹

    Sierra shouted those words. Then, an enormous surge of Evil Spirit began to fill the surrounding space.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºUoh?¡»

    Zelyse and I both make a dumb sound at the same time.

    The surge of evil that was released from Sierra¡¯s sword was so enormous. I knew that an Evil Spirit was sealed in Sierra¡¯s sword, but...

    I never thought that it was this powerful!

    The eviling out of the sword Sierra held was so enormous that it wouldn¡¯t be possible if the Evil Spirit sealed inside his sword was not a super-powerful Evil Spirit.

    (Master, what is that?)

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know! But don¡¯t let your guard down, okay? That thing is already beyond the realm of what a mere adventurer could handle!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºBut still, this Evil Spirit is...¡»

    I didn¡¯t think there was any kind of wavelength inherent to Evil Spirits, but I felt that I remembered something about it. This intimidating feeling... This was not the first time I had felt something simr to it.

    ¡ºI wonder where I had felt this... Do you know, Fran?¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºEh? You know?¡»

    (It¡¯s simr to Zelos Reed¡¯s Evil Spirit)

    I see. That may be true. Perhaps we unconsciously perceive Evil Spirits that were more powerful than a certain level as being simr to each other.

    However, the current situation was not good. I would always feel an indescribable disgust every time an Evil Spirit was close to me.

    Our minds were inevitably shaken slightly by the unexpected exposure to such a powerful Evil Spirit. If our minds wavered, the uracy of our skills would also decrease.

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t lose your focus!¡»

    (Nn)

    But it was actually just the beginning. In the next moment, we were exposed to even more psychological shock.

    ¡¸O Reason, let there be chaos!¡¹

    As if in response to Sierra¡¯s shout as he jumped towards Zelyse, the jet-ck evil sword emitted an evil light. No matter how I look at it, it was probably the kind of light that we shouldn¡¯t get caught into.

    I¡¯ve tried to put up a barrier as quickly as I could, but¨D¨D¨D

    Booom!

    We both fell into theke by the big waves caused by his attack.

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Without any sign, Fran and Urushi¡¯s aerial jump suddenly stopped working.

    And that was not all. The magic that I had prepared had also disappeared just before it was activated. It wasn¡¯t that the magic had been blown away, or that it had been blocked.

    How should I put it, the skills themselves were disturbed and failed to activate... The Strengthening Magic and Detection Skills that I had activated were all canceled out.

    In all likelihood, it was the ck light from Sierra¡¯s sword that did it, huh?

    I tried to use my telekinesis to pick up Fran and Urushi who had gotten all wet as soon as I could, but it was working fine.

    It seemed that the skills I had activated or prepared for the moment I was exposed to the light earlier had been canceled out.

    But it wasn¡¯t just us.

    ¡¸Uwaah!¡¹

    Zelyse had also fallen into theke. Moreover, I could clearly feel his presence now. It seemed that the mysterious skill he had been using had been canceled by Sierra.

    A fearsome Evil Spirit and a mysterious ability that canceled skills in its vicinity. To tell the truth, we had underestimated him. It seemed that Sierra had powers that surpassed our imagination.

    ¡¸Die! Zelyseee!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! That hurts, you know!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    Sierra, who was running in the sky, swung his sword down at Zelyse, who had been thrown out into theke. His sword had definitely sliced through Zelyse¡¯s body. His spurting blood was proof of this.

    Zelyse was shed from his right shoulder to his lungs, and I saw him spit out a lot of blood from his mouth. However, Zelyse escaped from the water into the sky, moving as if he hadn¡¯t taken any damage.

    Although he said it hurt, I didn¡¯t see a hint of pain on his face. However, I could tell that the life force that I could now feel from Zelyse had definitely decreased.

    Although he had already used some potion to close his wound, it was obvious that Sierra had cornered Zelyse.

    We could consider Sierra to be an ally to us, couldn¡¯t we? But because he had previously shot killing intent towards Fran, I did not doubt that Sierra might be harboring some sort of malicious intent towards Fran.

    But he was just concentrating on Zelyse now...

    ¡ºFran, can you move?¡»

    (Nn!)

    It looks like their skills were already working properly. Both Fran and Urushi then went in with their aerial jump.

    In the meantime, the battle had shifted from the surface of theke to the sky, and the fierce battle between Sierra and Zelyse had just begun.

    Sierra moved fast, but his swordsmanship was not that great. His status may be strengthened by his sword¡¯s ability, but his skills were probably still the same.

    From the distance, we could see Sierra¡¯s evil sword and the beautiful sword made of crystal that Zelyse had taken from somewhere were fiercely shing.

    ¡¸Kuh! Zelyseee!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re pretty fast, aren¡¯t you! But that¡¯s not fast enough to reach me!¡¹

    On the other hand, Zelyse¡¯s movement was quite unbelievable for someone like him. He was suddenly moving like a master. He definitely possessed the Sword Saint Skill. And it must be at a pretty high level.

    No, maybe it was the effect of his magic stone weapon. He must have developed a technique that allowed him to use the skills contained in the magic stone for a short time. That was probably how he got his swordsmanship skills.

    ¡¸Haaa! Dieee!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahah! Well, that¡¯s a tall order!¡¹

 Chapter 605

    Zelyse smiled happily as he continued his fierce battle with Sierra.

    Under normal circumstances, his smile would look like a fresh, handsome smile, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sinister feelinging from it.

    ¡¸Ahaha! Amazing! What an amazing sword!¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah, I can¡¯t believe how much that little kid from that time has grown up like this!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk! Bastard! There¡¯s no way the current you know the current me now!¡¹

    Sierra frowned at Zelyse¡¯s words. They seemed to know each other, didn¡¯t they? But Sierra denied it with strange words.

    The current you? What did he mean by that? Was he saying that he should have forgotten about him by now?

    I couldn¡¯t figure out the rtionship between Sierra and Zelyse. Was it something like Zelyse experimenting on him and abandoning him a long time ago?

    ¡¸Fufu~n. Do you really think so?¡¹

    ¡¸...Nonsense! Are you trying to confuse me?¡¹

    ¡¸No no no, I really know who you¡¯re, right, Romio-kun?¡¹

    ¡¸...My name, is Sierra!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that what you call yourselves now? But I know you guys pretty well, you know? Romio-kun and... Zelos Reed-san?¡¹

    ¡¸H-how did you...¡¹

    What did he mean? Romio? And moreover, Zelos Reed...? The boy¡¯s real name was Romio, and Zelos Reed was hiding somewhere? What the hell did that mean?

    ¡¸Have you been... watching us!? That shouldn¡¯t be possible, but still...¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder...?¡¹

    ¡¸...It does not matter. If I kill you, the culprit here, it will be all over!¡¹

    ¡¸You think you can kill me?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure I can!¡¹

    I guess it was time for us to join the fray. Although they were immersed inside their own world, our hatred towards Zelyse was the same.

    We could ask him about their name and what happened with Zelyseter.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    (Nn!)

    For some reason, Zelyse had not been using his permeability, and now was our chance. Was he wary of it being canceled out again by Sierra, or was it something that he couldn¡¯t use often?

    Anyway, he was definitely tangible right now.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get serious!¡¹

    ¡ºOu! We¡¯ll bring him down here!¡»

    I didn¡¯t want to involve Sierra in this if possible. But I had some questions I wanted to ask him, and he was on our side, for now.

    Therefore, we could not use a ranged attack or arge-scale attack that would involve him in it. If that was the case, then the only thing we could do was to put all our strength into this and strike Zelyse with all our might.

    ¡¸Awakening¨D¨DBrilliant Lightning Rush. Sword God Transformation!¡¹

    ¡ºHere we go!¡»

    The characteristic devastating magic that covered my de and the strange feeling of one¡¯s thoughts being strengthened enveloped Fran and me.

    ¡¸ck Thunder Roll¨D¨D¨D!¡¹

    The strengthening of the Sword God Transformation was not limited to our swordsmanship alone. It also brought out the best of what we were capable of at that moment.

    The power of the ck Heavenly Tiger that resided in Fran¡¯s body and the swordsmanship associated with the Gods. In addition, the skills I possessed.

    When they were fused, it became a killing blow that no one could dodge. The speed of the ck Lightning, the best sh, and its refined stealth was packed into this one strike.

    I was confident that this attack would work against the strong opponents we had struggled with in the past. Even against the Lich and Amanda, I was confident that we could defeat them as long as we could activate it.

    After all, there was a good chance that we would be taken down before we could even use it.

    Sierra waspletely unable to react to the sudden appearance of Fran in her ck Lightning Roll. Neither his eyes nor consciousness was directed at Fran, who had appeared right next to him.

    But on the other hand, Zelyse was able to react to this somehow.

    He then sacrificed his left hand to catch Sierra¡¯s sword, while moving to block me with his drawn crystal sword. If his reflexes and swordsmanship weren¡¯t on par with ours, this move would have been impossible.

    I had thought that he had acquired skills at the level of the Sword Saint Skills, but apparently, it was even higher. In addition, there was no doubt that he had acquired a skill simr to super-reactivity through his magic stone weapon.

    He had used his extra skill, the Thief¡¯s Favor before. With that in mind, it was no surprise that he could use any skill he wanted.

    However, Zelyse would not be able to prevent the sh we unleashed.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Zelyse blinked in surprise at the strange phenomenon that had urred before his eyes.

    The moment I made contact, the sword in Zelyse¡¯s hand disappearedpletely without a trace.

    Immediately after that, with the feeling of my stomach being filled, magic power flowed into me.

    ¡ºThanks for the meal!¡»

    Zelyse¡¯s sword, which looked like a crystal, was actually made of a magic stone. I recognized it as we approached, so we shed at it.

    A magic stone weapon that enabled the use of Magic Stone Skills for a certain period of time. A golem made of magic stone, a magic stone soldier. In addition, his research on imnting magic stones into humans, we could even say that Zelyse was an expert in magic stones.

    The sword that Zelyse was using was made of a magic stone. It was probably a powerful magic sword that had some special abilities.

    But in front of me, it was just a treat.

    ¡¸W-wait...!¡¹

    It made me happy to see the look of genuine surprise on this Zelyse bastard¡¯s face!

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghiighaaah!¡¹

    Immediately after, my de mmed into the defenseless Zelyse. I could definitely feel it slicing through his flesh. No doubt, this was his real body.

    Moreover, the attack with the Divine Attribute seemed to have been unexpectedly effective. Zelyse, who hadn¡¯t changed hisplexion when Sierra shed him, screamed in disgust.

    Perhaps the Divine Attribute, which was superior to all possible attributes, had an effect that nullified pain-dulling skills and the like.

    ¡¸Even the Divine Attribute... That¡¯s not... fair...¡¹

 Chapter 606

    ¡¸Even the Divine Attribute... That¡¯s not... fair...¡¹

    Like a crucified saint, Zelyse, with his hands stretched out to either side, spat out arge amount of blood and fell backward to the surface of theke.

    But I felt something was odd with my sh. I aimed my de at his heart, but it collided with a hard object on its way from his left shoulder to his right side.

    If I were an ordinary sword, I might get caught in his spine or ribs. But what we just unleashed was a killing blow from the current Fran...

    Her sh should have been able to cut through not just bone, but even some hard metal like tofu. So, there must be something inside Zelyse that was strong enough to withstand our blow just now.

    Actually, I remembered a simr feeling to this. It was during the incident in the Royal Capital of the Kranzel Kingdom.

    It was the same feeling as when she shed someone who had the pseudo fanatic sword stuck in him. However, there should be no way that Zelyse had a pseudo fanatic sword stuck in him¨D¨D.

    ¡¸...So, this is it, huh...¡¹

    With a mming sound, Zelyse¡¯s body fell into theke. The blood that flowed from his body then dyed the surface of theke red.

    And it wasn¡¯t just blood that was flowing out. It seemed as if even the life force within his body was dissolving and vanishing into theke.

    The light and fervor drained from Zelyse¡¯s eyes, and his presence faded rapidly.

    ¡¸Aah... Goodbye¨D¨D...¡¹

    Zelyse smiled at thest moment when his life force was entirely gone. Immediately afterward, his body swelled from within, swelling several times in an instant.

    With that momentum, Zelyse¡¯s body spewed out a purple mist from within. No, it wasn¡¯t from inside the body. But Zelyse¡¯s body itself turned into a mist and dispersed.

    Bushwooohhh!

    ¡ºThis is bad!¡»

    My danger detection started to ring like crazy, but I didn¡¯t even need it to know that it was something that we should never get close to.

    ¡ºHe won¡¯t just simply die, isn¡¯t he!?¡»

    Urushi and I hurriedly used teleport to get some distance. We were more than a hundred meters away, but my danger detection was still ringing. But I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped. We could see a waterfowl between us and the spot where Zelyse had fallen, thrashing and suffering to death.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hold it back with wind!¡»

    I enclosed arge area with my Wind Magic and then narrowed the wind wall as if I werepressing it. It seems that I¡¯ve managed to block out all the poisonous fog with my Wind Magic. At the very least, the purple mist was not in the visible range.

    There¡¯s nothing we could do about the amount that had dissolved into the air and water, but since my crisis detection was hardly reacting anymore, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    In the end, I would just devour them all with my Poison Absorption Skills. Even if it was a skill like a vampire that turned his body into a poisonous mist, he shouldn¡¯t be able to revive once it was all been absorbed.

    ¡ºWait, was Sierra okay?¡»

    ¡¸Over there¡¹

    ¡ºOoh, so he¡¯s safe...¡»

    Before I knew it, Sierra had also distanced himself from it, and he didn¡¯t seem to have been poisoned. It seemed that Zelyse¡¯sst attempt was in vain.

    ¡¸...Did we win?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Fran and Urushi looked somewhat unconvinced. I too felt the same way.

    ¡ºIs this the end?¡»

    It seemed to be a suicide attack. An attack that assured him that he could pull off an eventualeback even against a superior opponent.

    But was it really this easy to win against him?

    Our opponent was Zelyse, right? Differently from our fight with the Lich, he should have been a difficult opponent to fight against.

    Honestly, deep down I knew that he might have been able to dodge even that attack.

    And yet¨D¨D.

    But we definitely witnessed it. The moment when Zelyse lost his life force and died. That moment when Zelyse¡¯s face, body, and limbs crumbled and turned into that purple mist. And the moment when that mist was devoured by me.

    Without a doubt, Zelyse had perished, and his body vanished.

    Fran and Urushi seemed to feel the same way, and there was something other than joy on their faces. But there was no way he could have survived in that situation.

    Even though we were not convinced, we had to admit that Zelyse was dead.

    While we were standing still, Sierra came up to us.

    ¡¸...Did you, killed Zelyse...?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I see... I was saved...¡¹

    I was slightly surprised when Sierra bowed to us. I hadn¡¯t expected him to thank us so frankly. I was expecting him to say something like, ¡¸Don¡¯t do something you shouldn¡¯t have¡¹ or ¡¸That was my prey¡¹.

    I guess that was how much Sierra wanted to defeat Zelyse.

    Sierra returned the jet-ck sword, which still radiated a weak evil aura, to its sheath at his waist. Fran¡¯s eyes were then drawn to his sword.

    ¡¸Hey, Is that sword... safe...?¡¹

    The tremendous evil that had just been emitted, and the ability to counteract skills. Even if it wasn¡¯t Fran, they¡¯d probably be wondering about the same thing.

    In response to Fran¡¯s not-so-specific question. Sierra nodded back.

    ¡¸No problem. As long as I can handle it, no harm wille to me¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yeah¡¹

    Sierra looked surprised when Fran nodded easily at his words. He was probably expecting to be pursued further.

    For Adventurers, it was bad manners to persistently ask about the origin or source of a weapon that someone else was using.

    But the point about whether Sierra really could handle it or not could have been pushed further.

    After all, the existence of a powerful sword that emitted arge amount of evil was a problem that could even cause a lot of damage if left unchecked.

    However, Fran was satisfied without asking anything further into the matter. She seemed to have lost interest in it.

    Well, Fran had me, and I was a hell of a sword. I have free will, I have fragments of the Evil God sealed inside of me, and there were many other secrets within me.

    Compared to that, a little bit of an Evil Spirit was tolerable, I guess.

    Fran then asked Sierra, who had a subtle look on his face.

    ¡¸You know Zelyse?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yeah... We have a bit of history...¡¹

    He apparently didn¡¯t try to brush it off by saying ¡¸It¡¯s none of your business¡¹.

 Chapter 607

    It seemed that Sierra had known Zelyse for some time. However, given that he was surprised that we knew Zelyse, they probably weren¡¯t close to each other. At the very least, they must have seen each other many times before.

    Maybe he was involved in some kind of a conspiracy with Zelyse, or maybe he suffered some kind of harm from him.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been looking for him for a long time already... How did you find him?¡¹

    I wondered if Sierra had approved of her now that she had killed Zelyse. His old harsh attitude had softened and he even talked about himself. Well, it was just briefly though.

    Sierra had been looking for Zelyse for years. He had information that he was working around this area, but he just couldn¡¯t find him.

    Not only was he unable to find Zelyse, but he also failed to get any information on the Mesther Merchant Association, which had connections with him, and the Kingdom of Raidos behind it.

    Still, he was sure that Zelyse was in this area, and he had been looking for him in this area for a long time.

    But I still didn¡¯t think he was going to talk to us about what we were most concerned about.

    Fran thought so, too, and questioned Sierra again.

    ¡¸Why did Zelyse called Sierra with Romio?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¨D...¡¹

    ¡¸Is Sierra Romio? That Romio?¡¹

    ¡¸...That is...¡¹

    The fact that you kept it quiet without denying it was like saying you knew something about it, you know?

    ¡¸I am¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    It was just when Sierra was about to say something.

    Magic Power began to swell in the water. Then, at the bottom of the deep water, I saw something moving at high speed.

    It was clearly not a living thing. It had no life force, and I couldn¡¯t sense any signs of life from it. However, there was no doubt that it was covered by powerful Magic Power.

    Moreover, the ce where it appeared was directly under the ce where Zelyse had sunk. We couldn¡¯t just ignore it.

    Sierra¨D¨DRomio? Well, I guess we could call him Sierra for now. Sierra also seemed to have noticed the mysterious moving object. He then put his hand on the evil sword at his waist again and followed Fran as she ran off.

    The moving object seemed to be heading north in the water.

    We were not at our full speed yet, but if Sierra didn¡¯t do his best and ran hard enough, Fran was going to leave him behind.

    Sierra was in a desperate state. Compared to Fran, who still had some leeway, he seemed to already be at his full speed. In terms of physical ability and aerial jump skill, Fran probably had the upper hand. If she increased her speed any further, he might end up being left behind.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll find out what it is first. Get me in the water¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I was thrown by Fran and quickly approached the mysterious moving object. The depth of theke was quite deep, and the water was muddy from the aftermath of the battle, so I couldn¡¯t see to the bottom.

    But I could definitely feel some kind of presence breaking through the water and pushing forward. It was a little smaller than me, and elongated in shape.

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    I used my Light Magic to create multiple light sources. The strong light then illuminated the surroundings, and I seeded in catching a clear image of it.

    ¡ºA sword...!?¡»

    It was a thin sword, the de of which had snapped off from the middle.

    Moreover, it looked familiar.

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t it a pseudo fanatic sword!?¡»

    The hardness that I felt when I shed Zelyse a while ago. Could it be that it really was a pseudo fanatic sword?

    However, if it was a pseudo fanatic sword, there was a possibility that it would work by itself. It was, after all, a kind of an intelligence weapon.

    However, I never imagined that there would be a working pseudo-fanatic sword now that the main source, the Fanatics, had been destroyed. And it was also beyond my wildest imagination that it was in the hands of Zelyse.

    No, was it really a pseudo fanatic sword? If that breakage was caused by my sh, then it was strange that my cannibalism hadn¡¯t been triggered.

    What the hell was going on here then?

    ¡ºI¡¯ll try to block its movement for the time being¡»

    I tried to use telekinesis to capture the pseudo fanatic sword, which still thrust forward like a torpedo. But it was unsessful.

    ¡ºJust now, it dodged my attack?¡»

    I clearly witnessed it as it evaded my telekinesis.

    After that, I tried several times to release telekinesis and Light Attack Magic, but all of them ended up in vain.

    Its movements were somewhat just like a living thing.

    It didn¡¯t seem to be a predetermined evasive action that was mechanically programmed. It was clearly the movement of something that had seen my attack and was thinking about how to move on the spot.

    The sword was likely the same kind as me¨D¨Dan intelligence weapon.

    Name: None

    ATK: 442

    MP: 4680

    Durability: 1000

    Magic Conductivity: B+

    Skill:

    Malice Detection, Subspace Navigation, Demon Knowledge, Exorcism, Stone Working, Stone Devourer, Masonry, Chant Reduction, Keen Smelling, Keen Taste, Stealth, Dismantling, Recovery Magic, Dissection, me Resistance, me Magic. Martial Arts, cksmithing, Wind Magic, Detection Jamming, Appraisal Jamming¨D¨D¨D

    That was all I¡¯d been able to see. I couldn¡¯t seem to be able to see everything due to the effects of its Appraisal Jamming.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s crazy!¡»

    My overall performance was better than it, but what was with all those skills? From the looks of it, it was probably still in possession of arge number of skills. I knew it, something was wrong with this sword!

    ¡º¨D¨D¨D¡»

    ¡ºI¡¯m not letting you go!¡»

    The pseudo fanatic sword gained even more speed. Moreover, it was surfacing with a deafening boom.

    Perhaps it chose to escape in the air, where it could gain more speed than in the water, where there was more resistance.

    On the water, Fran and Urushi were now running at their full speed. And Sierra had already been left behind.

    ¡ºFran! Urushi! Don¡¯t let it get away!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi reacted immediately to my instructions and started moving at once. Fran unleashed her Thunderbolt Magic, and Urushi unleashed his Dark Magic, trying to shoot it down.

    Magic was heading to it from all directions.

    But our attacks didn¡¯t hit it. It just simply passed through that sword.

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t that... the same skill that Zelyse used!?¡»

 Chapter 608

    The Pseudo Fanatic Sword continued to flee at high speed while activating its permeability. It seemed that it had already decided to use this strange ability to slip past all of our attacks but always evaded our Space-Time Magic.

    The main feature of this ability was of course the inability to be hit by attacks, but it had another annoying point.

    It eliminated all the signs and such, so I couldn¡¯t tell the level of exhaustion on the other side.

    If we knew how quickly its magic power was decreasing, we could understand when its current state would be lifted and how much of a burden it was for it.

    However, because all of this information was blocked, it was impossible to predict how much longer that sword would be able to maintain its permeability.

    If I had Divine Attributes, I would be able to break through that defense, but I was battered by the Sword God Transformation earlier. So, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it for a while.

    Then, Urushi would be the one to use teleport and attack it at once¨D¨D¨D

    Booom!¡¸Kyain!¡¹

    (Whimpering dog sfx)

    He had been hit with a painful counter by its me Magic. The moment he was about to bite it, an explosion of me was generated in his mouth, and Urushi jumped back in panic.

    It hadn¡¯t attacked us at all before, so I guess it didn¡¯t expect us to unleash such powerful magic.

    And because I couldn¡¯t read that sword¡¯s flow of magic, I couldn¡¯t predict when it would release its magic.

    But his attack was not wasted in vain.

    At the moment of the attack, I could definitely feel the presence of that sword. But soon after, its presence disappeared again, so it seemed that it had to cancel that state of permeability when it attack.

    ¡¸Urushi, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The fur around his mouth was slightly scorched, but it was not a serious injury for Urushi. It was just as bad as if a human had drunk hot soup without care.

    He jumped back, not from the damage, but in surprise. I guess that was why Urushi looked a little embarrassed.

    ¡ºBut in that one moment, I was able to measure its magic power¡»

    ¡¸How is it?¡¹

    ¡ºIt only has about half of its magic power left¡»

    Compared to the time just after it started moving at the bottom of theke, its magic power had been reduced by half. After all, there was a price to pay for using that permeability ability.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s keep going!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, It¡¯s good to get a little excited, but don¡¯t get carried away and make a mistake like that again, okay?¡»

    ¡¸W-woof!¡¹

    We started attacking again, but the situation remained the same. The other side didn¡¯t seem to be attacking us anymore, and we were just chasing it.

    (Master, there¡¯s something I want to try)

    ¡ºHou? What is it?¡»

    It seemed that Fran hade up with something. If she had something that could ovee our current situation, we should try it.

    However, there was something I needed to confirm.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not dangerous, right?¡»

    (...Maybe?)

    It was so important, and yet, Fran answered while tilting her head.

    ¡ºM-Maybe!? What on earth are you gonna do!?¡»

    (Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s definitely not dangerous... Maybe)

    ¡ºLike I¡¯d said! If you keep adding ¡°maybe¡± in your words, I¡¯ll just get even more uneasy!¡»

    (It¡¯s gonna be okay. Besides, as long as I have Master, he¡¯ll definitely help me)

    ¡ºGuh...¡»

    It was hard for me to disagree when you say that!

    ¡ºO-okay. But if I judge that it is too dangerous, I¡¯ll stop you by force¡»

    (That¡¯s fine)

    ¡ºAll right. Go ahead and try it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    Fran was once again d in her ck Lightning. However, she did not immediately move to attack.

    ¡¸Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    She called Urushi over and jumped on his back.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s chase it¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Leaving the chase to Urushi, Fran closed her eyes and began to focus on her consciousness. She kneaded the magic power in her body and strengthened it.

    ¡¸Fuuh...¡¹

    She went into apletely meditative state. What was she going to do if it attacked us in her current state? No, that was exactly what my part was. I have to live up to Fran¡¯s trust.

    ¡¸Haah...¡¹

    The more Fran concentrated, the more magic power she managed to gather within her body.

    She looked calm without the slightest irregrity from the outside. But deep within, the power that Fran had gathered was raging like crazy within her.

    Fran¡¯s face contorted in distress. She must be struggling a lot just to suppress the power she had concentrated on herself.

    I was about to call her, but I stopped myself from doing so. If I were to distract her here, Fran¡¯s life would be in danger. So, I had to trust and watch over her for now.

    Then, after a long, long few minutes had passed.

    ¡¸...Nn!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes snapped open and then she released her power.

    ¡¸ck Thunder Roll!¡¹

    Turning into a ck thunder, Fran¡¯s figure disappeared from Urushi¡¯s back and instantly appeared in front of the Pseudo Fanatic Sword.

    That sword could detect the activation of Space-Time Magic, but it couldn¡¯t react at all to Fran¡¯s ck Thunder Roll. That skill was just a high-speed movement skill after all.

    The ck Thunder Roll was not a teleportation type of skill, but a movement skill with lightning speed, it was so fast that it even looked like a teleport. That was why reacting to it required the ability to physically detect it.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºT-that was...!¡»

    It wasn¡¯t me that Fran swung at that sword. It was her unsped left hand that she held high in the air.

    But for anyone who could perceive magic power, that was not just a simple bare-handed attack. I could sense the dense magic power that was released in the shape of a sword that was being held in Fran¡¯s left hand.

    Immediately after, that magic power transformed, and ck lightning gushed out.

    In Fran¡¯s hand, a sword formed of ck lightning was created.

    ¡¸ck Lightning God¡¯s w!¡¹

    It was the ultimate technique of the ck Heavenly Tiger, which could only be used when she used the potential release before. A ck lightning sword, with Divine Attributes. It was a technique that even Fran, who was able to control the ck Lightning Roll, had trouble using.

    Apparently, she seeded in triggering it at thest minute¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Aah¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    It was at that moment that Fran was about to swing the sword of ck lightning at the sword in front of her.

    The sword of ck lightning lost its shape and disappeared with a burst. It was fortunate that the impact on the surrounding area was surprisingly small. It seemed to be only a slight breeze and a light electric current.

    ¡¸...It failed¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it would not work out that way!¡»

 Chapter 609

    Fran and Urushi start to run once again, chasing after the Pseudo Fanatic Sword that slipped past us.

    Fran also seemed to be quite eager and fired off some ranged magic at it. The surface of theke was swirling like a storm due to our attack. And if there were any ships around, they would have capsized.

    We had already traveled a great distance. We must have gone very deep into the middle of theke, which was about the size of a small country.

    I wondered where in the world the Pseudo Fanatic Sword was going.

    But it was just after I wondered about it.

    ¡ºFran! Stop!¡»

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Fran reacted immediately to my voice and tried to perform a sudden stop. But she couldn¡¯t just stop instantly, and her heels skidded on the surface of theke.

    The water sshed violently like a fountain.

    And despite getting herself drenched, Fran managed toe to a stop.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s get some more distance for now¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, wee back¡»

    Both Fran and Urushi must have already noticed. They followed my words and moved back about 30 meters from the spot.

    ¡ºSo this is the ce, huh?¡»

    My various detection skills are telling me not to go any further. I couldn¡¯t see anything on the surface of the water. However, there were signs of what seemed like countless magic beasts in the water.

    ¡¸The Vivian Guardians¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, no doubt¡»

    This must be the Guardian¡¯s domain, where the Vivian Guardians would attack if anyone tried to enter.

    I didn¡¯t sense any hostility. As I recalled, they would only block our way if we had identally entered the area. I guess we were still at that stage.

    ¡¸But what about that sword? Moreover, will it be fine to pass through this area?¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm... Maybe it¡¯s because that sword is an inorganic thing, or maybe it was because that sword doesn¡¯t have a presence... I¡¯ll give it a try¡»

    ¡¸You sure?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯ll run right away if it getting dangerous¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Be careful¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    I moved slowly toward the area where I could sense the presence of the Vivian Guardian, with Fran and Urushi looking over me.

    In normal circumstances, I was sure they¡¯d let a single inorganic sword pass...

    However, I soon realized that this attempt would fail.

    After all, I could tell that the gazes of the surrounding Vivian Guardians were focused solely on me.

    They must have noticed me.

    Nevertheless, I broke into the Guardian¡¯s territory with a ray of hope.

    Immediately after, a pure white magic beast with a form simr to a squid stood in front of me. Not just one, but five of these guardians used their bodies as walls to block my way.

    ¡ºHmm, so they won¡¯t let me pass, huh?¡»

    I tried to block out as much magic as possible for now. It now seemed like I was nothing but a lump of metal, with almost no magic power.

    But that didn¡¯t work. I took a detour, but the Vivian Guardian still came in front of me.

    ¡ºTheir detection ability shouldn¡¯t have been that good, though...¡»

    Then how about this.

    I activated my dimension shift and tried again. Although I was visible, I was just an inorganic thing and had no signs of life. Right now, I should be in a state simr to that Pseudo Fanatic Sword when it uses its permeability ability¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡ºGo!¡»

    As I¡¯d thought, the Vivian Guardians did not move at all, it seemed that they couldn¡¯t react to an opponent in another space.

    If I kept going forward like this¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Stop right there¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯ve gone quite far, haven¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t a Vivian Guardian who suddenly appeared in front of me. It was the familiar, odd-eyed girl.

    As usual, I couldn¡¯t feel her presence, but I could see her figure.

    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t go any further than this yet¡¹

    ¡ºYou know what that sword is, don¡¯t you? And what¡¯s up ahead?¡»

    ¡¸...You have to stop Zelyse. At this rate, we won¡¯t be able to stop the tragedy¡¹

    ¡ºTragedy!? H-hey, did you mean the tragedy that you told us before?¡»

    Rhyn shook her head with a sad expression to my question.

    ¡¸One of the tragedies has been avoided. But a new meddler is standing in your way¡¹

    ¡ºAnd this meddler, was Zelyse?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. Because of him, the future I knew is beginning to change drastically. You may have avoided the tragedy that stemmed from you, but Zelyse will eventually cause a tragedy to happen¡¹

    ¡ºWhen you say tragedy... Can you tell me the specifics!¡»

    ¡¸If the path has changed this much, I guess it can¡¯t be helped... There¡¯s a great magic beast sealed in thiske. You know that, right? But because of Zelyse, the seal of that beast is very shaky right now¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it!¡»

    ¡¸If the great magic beast is resurrected, this country won¡¯t be able to do anything for itself. Even Fran, who is nearby, will lose her life¡¹

    So that was the tragedy!? But after hearing it, a new question came to my mind.

    ¡ºWhy would myplete adaptation to my sword body lead to a tragedy? Is there any connection between me and the great magic beast¡¯s seal?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s rted, Romio, that child has the power of the Magnolia. With him, no matter what Zelyse does, the resurrection can be stopped. But that didn¡¯t happen before¡¹

    ¡ºBefore...?¡»

    She had said it a few times already but Rhyn didn¡¯t answer that.

    ¡¸With you bing a sword, Fran is going to change a lot. She will be desperate and more aggressive. You, who should have been the one to stop her outbursts, had stopped saying anything¡¹

    That seemed to be a possible future. It was an undeniable fact that Fran adored me. What would happen if I became an emotionless sword? That would be terrible.

    ¡¸As a result, Fran will fight and defeat Zelos Reed. They end up in a fierce battle that engulfs everyone around them. Romio, who lost his only protector, Zelos Reed, went out of control in his disappointment, and the seal on the great magic beast failed¡¹

    I see. If that had happened, the great magic beast would be resurrected and Fran would be affected.

    So, it was a tragedy for us and those around us.

    ¡¸Zelyse is up ahead. He has already reached the seal by taking advantage of the guardians¡¯ anomalies¡¹

    It was Zelyse who had caused the Vivian Guardians to go berserk by pouring a lot of waste liquid from the Scarlet Waterweed potion into theke, but it seemed that he had already achieved his goal.

    ¡ºIf that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t we¨D¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸No, don¡¯t. I won¡¯t stop you if you can definitely win against him. But when that guy is cornered, that guy won¡¯t hesitate to resurrect the great magic beast. And it seems, he already figured out how to do that¡¹

    It was indeed difficult to win against him for sure.

    ¡¸That man is still ying around now. He¡¯s not even going to resurrect the great magic beast yet. There¡¯s still time¡¹

    ¡ºIn the meantime, you want us to get ready to take him down?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll leave that to you. But we don¡¯t want any serious harm toe to any humans. We just want to prevent that from happening somehow¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll do my best for Fran¡¯s sake¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. You should cherish those you care about¡¹

    Rhyn smiled at the end and disappeared as if dissolving into the water. She was a spirit after all.

    ¡ºAah! I forgot to ask what she meant by ¡°before¡± again!¡»

    Did Sierra, who seemed to be deeply involved in this matter, know what that meant?

 Chapter 610

    After Rhyn suggested that I not go any further, I went back to Fran.

    She said it should be fine for now as Zelyse was still ying around right now, but it also depended on his mood, which is the least stable thing in the world.

    We should talk to Sierra and ask for Weena Rhyn¡¯s help as soon as possible

    ¡¸So, you want me to talk to Sierra?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. In all likelihood, Sierra seems to knows something¡»

    If it hadn¡¯t been for that Pseudo Fanatic Sword earlier, we would have been able to get something out of him.

    ¡¸A little more¡¹

    ¡ºIt looks like we¡¯re getting closer¡»

    We had traveled quite a distance, but we were making our way towards each other. At this rate, we should be able to meet up soon.

    ¡¸Urushi, dash!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We were able to meet up with Sierra soon after. However, he seemed to be exhausted.

    ¡¸Haah, haah... That, sword...?¡¹

    ¡¸It got away¡¹

    ¡¸I see...¡¹

    It must have been hard for Sierra to keep running on the water. Both his magic and physical strength seemed to be exhausted. But since he thought that sword must have something to do with Zelyse, he must have pushed himself to run.

    I didn¡¯t think he would fall over any time soon, but he needed a break.

    We decided to move to an ind that we could see in the distance. The ind was a rocky chunk about ten meters in diameter.

    When hended on it, Sierra felt weak and sat down involuntarily. Apparently, after weighing his fatigue against his pride, he had be rxed enough to even show his ugly side in front of Fran.

    We waited for a few minutes, and when Sierra had caught his breath enough, Fran opened her mouth.

    ¡¸Tell me everything you know¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    We didn¡¯t know where to start asking questions, so we decided to just let him tell us everything. I wanted to know who Sierra was, what he knew about Zelyse, and all sorts of things he knows.

    After a few seconds of silence, Sierra suddenly opened his mouth.

    ¡¸Do you think it¡¯s possible to cross through time?¡¹

    ¡¸Time?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸...Hmm?¡¹

    Fran pondered for a moment and tilted her head. I guess she didn¡¯t quite understand the meaning of his words.

    ¡¸You in the present, under the influence of some force, suddenly travels to the past. Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible¡¹

    ¡¸You think so?¡¹

    ¡¸Not unless you have a God¡¯s power or something¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. But it was surprisingly possible. There are already three people who have experienced it after all¡¹

    I see! So that was what was going on!

    Fran tilted her head, but after hearing Sierra¡¯s words, I understood what was going on to a certain extent.

    When I thought of it as a time travel from the future to the past, then it made sense that there would be two Romio!

    I briefly exined it to Fran.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re Romio who¡¯s traveled through time?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯m the present little Romio who get back eight years into the past and had grown older¡¹

    It seemed that it was not the adult Romio who crossed time but was the present Romio who got back as a young boy and grew up.

    So, this must have been the meaning of the ¡°before¡± that Rhyn mentioned to me. I exined this to Fran, but it was just simply unbelievable. It was just like a time slip, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸You believe me?¡¹

    But Fran didn¡¯t seem to be surprised.

    ¡¸You have the same eyes¡¹

    ¡¸Eyes?¡¹

    Now that she mentioned it, she said something like that before. She said that when Romio and Sierra red at her, their eyes looked the same.

    Sierra himself was not quite convinced. Well, it was because she said he had the same eyes after all. He then groaned and stroked his own eyes.

    However, he decided to ept it, for the time being, thinking that it was okay since she believed him.

    ¡¸Well, it doesn¡¯t matter as long as you believed me¡¹

    ¡¸Then what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸...It has already been 8 years ago for me, but you guys of now... have be a lot different from the people I had known, so the same thing that happened before might not happen anymore¡¹

    Sierra slowly told her what had happened to him before as if he was recalling it himself.

    It happened eight years ago for them.

    It seemed that Romio and Zelos Reed had escaped to this country at that time as well. However, the timeline had changed drastically between the current Romio and Zelos Reed and the one from the past.

    This Romio from the past said that they were captured by Zelyse in this country before. I never thought that someone as strong as Zelos Reed could get caught.

    ¡¸It was because he took me hostage...¡¹

    As a result, Zelos Reed was at the mercy of Zelyse and had be the subjects of various kinds of human experimentation.

    ¡¸Experiments on human?¡¹

    ¡¸He was imnted with a magic stone, a Pseudo Fanatic Sword, and given a wide variety of drugs. I was so young at that time that all I could do was watch my uncle¡¯s physical form change¡¹

    Uncle, huh... It seemed that the rtionship between Romio and Zelos Reed was good even in another timeline. So, he got caught and became an experiment subject, huh... But the Romio that was under the protection of the academy never said anything like that, didn¡¯t he?

    ¡¸Not like the Romio over here?¡¹

    ¡¸It was because we were the ones who led them into their current situation¡¹

    In their timeline, they ran away from the adventurers from the Belios Kingdom and Weena Rhyn but ended up being captured by Zelyse. But in this timeline, Sierra dared to leak the information about Romio and Zelos Reed¡¯s whereabouts to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild that led them to their current situation.

    ¡¸We knew that Weena Rhyn wouldn¡¯t simply kill us before. If that was the case, it was far better than being yed around by Zelyse¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Romio and Zelos Reed from another timeline then continued to be used by Zelyse for good. But it seemed that it was Romio alone that was protected by Weena Rhyn.

    Zelyse, who was investigating the seal of the great magic beast, was detected by Weena Rhyn and his hideout was raided.

    ¡¸That¡¯s when I learned about my bloodline and the power that lies in it. I also learned that I was bound with my uncle without his knowledge...¡¹

    However, a few days after Romeo was taken into care by Weena Rhyn, things suddenly changed. Zelyse appeared at the site of the seal, aiming to resurrect the great magic beast.

    It was Weena Rhyn and her hired help, Fran, who worked to stop him.

    Fran, who had been targeting Zelos Reed as her revenge, attacked him without listening to the warnings of those around her when she saw him. In the aftermath of that fierce battle, the Commercial Fleet was said to have been destroyed.

    That was the same as what Rhyn had said to me before. I guess I had turned into a mere sword and there was no one to stop Fran. No, there was someone who could have stopped her.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn didn¡¯t stop me?¡¹

    ¡¸Even if it means she¡¯d abandon themercial fleet, she made a priority to keep my uncle out of her reach¡¹

    It seemed that while Fran was holding back Zelos Reed, Weena Rhyn tried to reseal the great magic beast, which had begun to resurrect. At the cost of Romio¡¯s life.

    ¡¸Magnolia¡¯s power can be used to absorb the power of an evil person. Normally, it would go straight to the user¡¯s power, but Weena Rhyn decided to use it in a special way¡¹

    The power of the Sacrament of the Evil God was hidden in the blood of the Magnolia family. With this power, she absorbed the power of the Evil God¡¯s shards that were captured in the great magic beast and used the absorbed power to use arge-scale sealing technique.

    In other words, it is a way to weaken the great magic beast and use its power to seal itself.

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have a problem if it was a matter of absorbing the evil power within something of a goblin size. But that time, the opponent was really bad. If she continued to absorb power from the Evil God¡¯s shards and then let them act as a channel for the sealing technique, the young Romio would not have been able to withstand it and would have died¡¹

    However, Weena Rhyn still didn¡¯t want to stop the process. No matter what the cost, she was going to seal the great magic beast.

    ¡¸I can only understand her reason now too. So, I won¡¯t me her¡¹

    Even though he had been sacrificed, Sierra¡¯s voice showed no sign of resentment. He seemed to have epted that it was inevitable.

    But there was someone who couldn¡¯t ept Romio¡¯s death. That was Zelos Reed. He tried to save Romio somehow, but when he showed an opening, he was cut down by Fran.

    ¡¸To be honest, I don¡¯t remember what happened after that either. As soon as I decided to save my uncle somehow, my powers went out of control, and¨D¨D¨D¡¹

    He found himself lying alone in the woods.

    After saying that much, Sierra then pulled out the sword at his waist.

    ¡¸There was no one else there. Just this sword that had fallen beside me¡¹

 Chapter 611

    Fran stared at Sierra¡¯s sword. The appraisal was still ineffective due to the Evil Spirit. However, she could sense the indescribable awesomeness of the sword.

    ¡¸What¡¯s with the sword?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d believe me, but...¡¹

    Sierra seemed a little hesitant to continue his sentence. I wonder why someone who had said that he had traveled through time would hesitate.

    Sierra then stared at the sword for a few seconds and then fell silent. It was as if he was having a conversation with the sword.

    Then, as if he had made up his mind, Sierra looked up and spoke seriously.

    ¡¸This sword... contains the consciousness and power of Uncle Zelos Reed¡¹

    Does the sword contain the consciousness of Zelos Reed? That means that sword was¨D¨D¨D

    ¡¸So it is an intelligence weapon?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Hoo¨D¡¹

    It was hard to believe, but Sierra wasn¡¯t lying. It seemed it was really an intelligence weapon inhabited by Zelos Reed.

    It was not like they were talking to each other even now, but I guess they were really talking to each other.

    ¡¸Y-you¡¯re not surprised?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m surprised. Woah¡¹

    No one would know it unless they were me. Fran was really surprised. But she wasn¡¯t so much surprised as taken aback.

    Originally, I thought it was a strange sword with many mysteries. To Fran, who was used to using an intelligence weapon, it was just a strange sword that had be a super strange sword.

    ¡¸Zelos Reed is in that sword?¡¹

    ¡¸You believe that too?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    From his point, he was not convinced that Fran would simply believe anything he said.

    It was actually because of my Principal of Falsehood and Fran¡¯s wild intuition. But to anyone, she seemed like a strange girl who believed anything.

    As Sierra looked at her, Fran raised a question.

    ¡¸Can Zelos Reed talk to others?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, no... He can¡¯t have a conversation with anyone but me. It was because we¡¯re talking with a skill called Synchronization, which allows me tomunicate with my equipment¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    As Fran muttered this, the jet-ck sword in Sierra¡¯s hand suddenly emitted a high-pitched squeak. It must have been a sign that it had a will of its own.

    ¡¸Uncle is trying to say he¡¯s sorry¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s sorry?¡¹

    ¡¸...You have a grudge against Uncle Zelos Reed, don¡¯t you? I know that¡¹

    It seemed that the Zelos Reed from another timeline had changed, just like the Zelos Reed of this timeline.

    Fran raised her eyebrows and frowned lightly, but she was no longer enraged. His appearance had changedpletely, so she didn¡¯t really feel it.

    Besides, Fran, who had already gotten over her anger, seemed to be confused when this Zelos Reed apologized to her now.

    Sierra then bowed deeply on the spot.

    ¡¸But can you wait just a little longer to take your revenge?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re not gonna tell me to stop?¡¹

    ¡¸I know how you feel... But there are some things we just have to do. And until we do it, we have to stay alive¡¹

    ¡¸Revenge on Zelyse?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ve been through a lot in my previous timeline too. To me, you were unforgivable too¡¹

    I guess that must be the reason why he shot that killing intent at Fran before. Even though there were differences between then and now, it was the same Fran. She had driven Zelos Reed to the brink of death¨D¨Dor maybe she had killed him, considering that he had be a sword for some reason.

    Such resentment toward Fran lingered in Sierra.

    But it seemed to be smallpared to the hatred he had for Zelyse. I was sure Zelos Reed also thought so.

    ¡¸The reason why Uncle Zelos Reed is in this state must be because of his experiments on him. Besides, if he hadn¡¯t resurrected the great magic beast, we wouldn¡¯t have been involved in the first ce¡¹

    A dark me seemed to be lit in Sierra¡¯s eyes as he said so. His eyes resembled those of Fran, who had attacked Zelos Reed.

    Maybe they were simr to each other. Even though they were young, they were caught up in a difficult fate, yet they were still strong and steadfast towards their goals. They were also the same in that they had acquired an intelligence weapon and used them as their partners.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll deal with you when I¡¯ve settled things with Zelyse. So, until then, you¡¯ll have to let me go. I beg you¡¹

    I now understood why Sierra told us their secret. Rather than have Fran distrust him and turn against him here, he would rather tell his secret and gain her trust.

    Fran, who was staring down at Sierra as he continued to lower his head, nodded her head.

    ¡¸...Nn. Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    She didn¡¯t really have a direct grudge against Sierra.

    So she then decided to ask Sierra a question that had been bothering us.

    ¡¸I now understand that Zelos Reed has be a sword. But how? Did Zelyse do something to him?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. We don¡¯t know the specifics, but he said he was using a Pseudo Fanatic Sword to seal human consciousness into the sword¡¹

    ¡¸He can do that?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure he could... After all, here¡¯s the proof of it. It seems that a magic stone was imnted in his body and the magic stone in the Pseudo Fanatic Sword was used as a medium, but I don¡¯t know how it worked. In the first ce, uncle was not a sword until we traveled through time¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸When I let my power get out of control and was swallowed by the light and sent back to this time, uncle somehow turned into a sword. And he lookedpletely different from the Pseudo Fanatic Sword. That¡¯s all I know¡¹

    So, he¡¯s saying it¡¯s just a coincidence that Zelos Reed became an Intelligence Weapon? If so, would it be difficult to mass-produce?

    The worst I could imagine was that the Intelligence Weapon would be mass-produced by Zelyse and it would end up in the hands of the Raidos Kingdom.

    But it seemed that we didn¡¯t have to worry about that.

    As I was relieved, Fran opened her mouth again. It seemed that there was something that was bothering Fran too.

    ¡¸Can I ask one more question?¡¹

    ¡¸If I can answer that¡¹

    ¡¸Earlier, you said three people had traveled through time, right? Sierra and Zelos Reed, but who¡¯s the other one?¡¹

    I¡¯d been wondering about that too. I had a prediction in my head, but my rational mind refused to tell me the answer. Was there really the other one? Such a thing would only cause me a nightmare.

    But what came out of Sierra¡¯s mouth were the worst possible names of all.

    ¡¸It¡¯s Zelyse¡¹

    I knew it! I thought so too!

    ¡¸We didn¡¯t know it until just now too, but that must have been Zelyse from that timeline. Or was it the current Zelyse, who had gotten information from the other one¨D¨D?¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like you¡¯re talking about me. Hi hi~!¡¹

    Suddenly, Sierra¡¯s words were interrupted by a familiar voice.

    ¡¸Hello, Romio and Fran. I was waiting for you toe after me, but you didn¡¯te at all, so I came to you¡¹

    I turned my eyes in the direction of the voice and saw Zelyse standing there, holding a Pseudo Fanatic Sword with a chipped tip.

    ¡¸It¡¯s me, Zelyse de~su!¡¹

 Chapter 612

    It¡¯s me, Zelyse de~su!¡¹

    It was Zelyse who had just escaped. But when Fran saw her, she tilted her head.

    (Is he really Zelyse?)

    ¡ºNo matter how you look at it, it is him, right?¡»

    (...Something felt strange, is he Zelyse¡¯s younger brother?)

    Fran seemed to feel something strange about the Zelyse in front of her. But before she could question him about it, Zelyse opened his mouth first.

    ¡¸You seem to be interested in this sword, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    What he held up was unmistakably that Pseudo Fanatic Sword. The de of that sword was missing from the middle.

    I was pretty sure that it was that Pseudo Fanatical Sword that we had chased before.

    ¡¸What is that sword?¡¹

    ¡¸This sword is an Intelligence Weapon that we created. The name of this sword is¨D¨DThe Transcendence Invincible Strongest Sword¨D¨Dwell, it¡¯s a bit long, so let¡¯s just call it the magic sword, Zelyse, shall we?¡¹

    The moment Zelyse said that the Pseudo Fanatic Sword¡¯s appearance changed. Like a piece of candy, the supposedly hard sword expanded, stretched, and deformed.

    A few secondster, Zelyse had a sword in his hand that did not resemble the Pseudo Fanatic Sword.

    It had a poisonous-looking purple hilt and a huge knuckle guard. It was a short sword with a shy fluorescent pink de. No, maybe it was even shorter than that. The de was thick and looked sturdy, but the base of the de was thicker than the tip, it was basically something like main-gauche.

    The de, which had been broken, had beenpletely repaired in its transformation process.

    What bad taste, that was all I had to say of it. However, it had a tremendous presence. It seemed that it wasn¡¯t just a change in appearance.

    There were also changes in the information that was visible in my appraisal.

    The part of the name that had been ¡°None¡± was changed to Magic Sword, Zelyse. And the skills and other information becamepletely invisible.

    Perhaps the naming process had raised the sword¡¯s status. It might be a phenomenon simr to how I named Urushi and evolved him.

    ¡¸That sword, is an Intelligence Weapon?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! It¡¯s the sword with a will, the one that sealed me in before!¡¹

    Could it be that he had created his own Intelligence Weapon? After all, he has been experimenting with various things using Zelos Reed as his test subject...

    It was almost legendary if I do say so myself. It could even be considered rarer than the Divine Swords.

    What was more, he said it sealed him in before?

    ¡¸I don¡¯t get it¡¹

    ¡¸Fufun? Want to know?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll tell you!¡¹

    Zelyse eximed proudly. He really was an easy guy, wasn¡¯t he?

    ¡¸You see, I¡¯ve been researching the possibility of creating an Intelligence Weapon for a while now. Well, I couldn¡¯t figure out how to seal a soul into a specific vessel, so my interest shifted to the Chimera¡¹

    I was created by the Gods, so I¡¯ve never really been aware of it, but I thought it was difficult to seal a soul, which was usually under the authority of the Gods.

    ¡¸But I still collecting research materials and conducting simple experiments on it¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ve made a lot of new discoveries over the past few years. Well, it¡¯s thanks to the data of Zelos Reed-san that was provided by me from that timeline though¡¹

    Zelyse then stared at the jet-ck sword that Sierra was holding. ¡°By me from that timeline¡±, So this was Zelyse from this timeline!

    ¡¸Plus this Pseudo Fanatical Sword. This thing is really interesting. After all, it was capable of thinking for itself like an Intelligence Weapon, albeit a temporary one!¡¹

    Marquis Ashtner, who had acquired Fanatics, was connected to the Kingdom of Raidos behind the scenes. And Zelyse had taken refuge in the Kingdom of Raidos. It seemed that the information had been passed on to Zelyse through that channel.

    But the Kingdom of Raidos also seemed to be in a state where the various forces are fighting each other, so I don¡¯t know how far Zelyse was cooperating with the Fanatics¡¯ n.

    However, they were probably rted to each other to the extent that he had ess to the research materials on Fanatics and the actual Pseudo Fanatic Sword.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been doing a lot of research based on the data ¡°I¡± remembered and the fact that Zelos Reed turned into an Intelligence Weapon since then¡¹

    It seemed that if someone lived with a Pseudo Fanatic Sword embedded in their body, not only did their body but also their soul would think that that state was normal. I guess it meant that the Pseudo Fanatic Sword had been mistakenly seen as part of their body.

    When their body perished in that state, the soul that struggled to survive somehow seemed to get absorbed into the Pseudo Fanatic Sword.

    ¡¸Of course, I had to imnt the same type of magic stone on both sides to create a channel of passage, and there were many other prerequisites as well! Well, as a result of my hard work, I have seeded in bing an Intelligence Weapon in this way. Uwaah~. The me from that timeline is happy too. After all, it¡¯s not every day in history that a person bes an Intelligence Weapon! And the only thing left to do was to transfer my soul to the sword, but after you guys killed ¡®that me¡¯, he decided to give it a shot, and I¡¯m d it turned out so well¡¹

    ¡¸Is that the same sword that ¡®that Zelyse¡¯ used to fight us with earlier?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup!¡¹

    It seems that ¡®that Zelyse¡¯ volunteered himself to be a sword. So, he used himself as a tool for his experimentation... What a mad fellow.

    But now I knew why Fran felt so ufortable with this Zelyse. The previous Zelyse and this one were different in ages. Just as there was an eight-year age difference between Romio and Sierra.

    However, in Zelyse¡¯s case, since he was a half-demon, it would hardly show in his appearance. Rather, it was just Fran who sensed even the slightest unusualness in him.

    (...Nn?)

    Fran tilted her head. She must have been confused by what he said before and what he said now.

    ¡ºThe Zelyse that Fran just defeated was the one from another timeline, and now he has be a Pseudo Fanatic Sword. And the one in front of us is Zelyse from this time. That¡¯s how it is¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Oya? Did you believe me? I was going to give you a lot more evidence though... Fran-san, aren¡¯t you being too naive? You¡¯ll be deceived by bad people if you¡¯re like that, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re one to talk¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahah! Well, you¡¯re right! But take a look! Cool, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    Zelyse said so and raised the Pseudo Fanatic Sword¨D¨D¨Dno, the Magic Sword, Zelyse, above his head. His face looked just like that of a child who found a cool branch.

    ¡¸¡¯That me¡¯ says hello again to you guys¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t hear him¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, right. Sorry sorry. I didn¡¯t know you guys couldn¡¯t hear ¡®that me¡¯¡¹

    Hmmm, with it not moving, I couldn¡¯t tell if the sword was really conscious or not. But seeing how it moved in the water and the air before, I¡¯m pretty sure it was.

    This guy had really created an Intelligence Weapon.

    What was more, my fears were about toe true.

    ¡¸Can Intelligence Weapons be mass-produced then?¡¹

    ¡¸I have a concept, but it¡¯s still a long way to go. I¡¯m still relying on chance. Hmm? Ah sorry, sorry. That¡¯s right. You want to be active too, right?¡¹

    If we didn¡¯t know anything, he was just like a bad guy who suddenly started a conversation with someone we couldn¡¯t see. I would have to make sure that Fran was more careful in the future if we came across anyone like that.

    ¡¸I think ¡°that me¡± is getting bored, so I¡¯m going to stop chatting for now and ask you to join me for a bit¡¹

    ¡¸...For what?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! It¡¯s just for myst little experiment!¡¹

 Chapter 613

    A tremendous amount of magic power then erupted from the Magic Sword Zelyse, that Zelyse holds.

    This magic power alone showed that he was an opponent to be reckoned with. But, of course, that was not all.

    ¡ºFran, the Magic Sword Zelyse must have quite a few skills. It must have all the skills that Zelyse had! Be careful!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The first thing we needed to watch out for would be the barrage of magic and skills. It was no exaggeration to say that this was a basic tactic for Fran and me.

    The fact that the sword and the wielder could use the same skill meant that he could do something beyond that.

    ¡¸Ahahah! Here Ie!¡¹

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha! Great! You¡¯re good enough to fight with that sword!¡¹

    Every time the magic sword Zelyse and I struck each other, our durability value whittled down. Even so, he was not destroyed by a single blow but continued to recover by self-repair. As a result, Fran and Zelyse were constantly shing with each other.

    Furthermore, their magic barrage was still flying to us in this state.

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll block them. Fran, just focus on shing!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I see now, facing a nasty enemy like this was really troublesome!

    There was no sign that he was chanting, but suddenly, great magic was activated. It was as if he was not chanting at all.

    Because of their stealth and concealment skills, it was also difficult for us to detect their magic flow. Even if we knew that the sword was going to release magic, we would still be caught off guard. But it was no surprise that we couldn¡¯t dodge the magic attacks of an opponent we fought for the first time.

    Moreover, their attack intervals are strange. Immediately after releasing a skill or great magic, his body will inevitably stiffen and his movements would slow down. However, it could be ignored as Zelyse and the magic sword repeatedly attacked in turn.

    It was something we did all the time, but when it was done to us, we now understood how absurd it was.

    As soon as he threw an obvious big move, he would throw the exact same big move without pause. It would be a nightmare for the opponent who thought they had a chance and went into it.

    What was more troublesome was his permeability skill. Zelyse¡¯s presence disappeared, and our attacks slipped through his body.

    However, the way it was used waspletely different from before. The on/off intervals must have been longer before.

    Once he used this mysterious skill, he kept on using it for a while. And during that time, the other side didn¡¯t attack us either. Maybe they couldn¡¯t attack us while the skill was active.

    But now it was different. They turned it on and off frequently and attacked hard.

    It seemed that when he used the magic sword, Zelyse, he could now reduce some side effects of that skill.

    ¡¸Come on! Come on!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahah! You couldn¡¯t kill me, huh? Too bad!¡¹

    On the other side, we had Fran and the grown-up Romio¨D¨Dor Sierra, but we werecking in offense.

    We were simply too exhausted. I was still in tatters from the after-effects of the Sword God Transformation, and Fran had consumed a lot of her magic power too.

    Against a tricky opponent like Zelyse, she couldn¡¯t be so careless as to use all of her remaining strength, and she ended up fighting by keeping an eye on his movements.

    We were waiting to counter for the time when Zelyse¡¯s skill was in cooldown, but he seemed to know our aim too. He was able to offset its timing and all our three attempts failed.

    Sierra also showed no attempt of using that mysterious ability that made his skills disappear. I wonder is he concerned about us?

    ¡¸Hey, Romi¨D... Sierra?¡¹

    ¡¸Just call me Sierra¡¹

    ¡¸Sierra, why don¡¯t you use the power you just showed me before?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t use it yet¡¹

    That was what I had expected. It must have been an ability that couldn¡¯t be used sessively. It seemed that it was either too exhausting or it came at a high cost.

    It was such an ability. There was no way he could just use it multiple times.

    Still, I had a strange feeling of difort as our fight with Zelyse continued.

    So, this was what he meant, huh? He said it was just for a little experiment, but it didn¡¯t seem like Zelyse was really nning to attack us. Of course, his attacks were fierce and if we were not careful, we might get hit.

    But was this the best he could do after using an intelligence weapon, the magic sword Zelyse?

    That was what didn¡¯t make sense to me.

    I thought that he was fighting lightly as a test run, but it seemed that this was not the case. Whenever we shed, Zelyse repeatedly said and did provocative things, but now it seemed that he was even more conscious of provoking Fran and Sierra.

    ¡¸Come on! Come on! Is that all you got! What a disappointment!¡¹

    ¡¸You can just run away, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸You still think you can kill me? Not a chance!¡¹

    ¡¸Why don¡¯t you guys just run while you still can? I¡¯ll even let you off scot-free if you just run away right now, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah! That was a hell of an attack! As expected of you! But it¡¯s too bad¨D¨D!¡¹

    The things he said about letting us run away were lies. I was starting to get it. It seemed that he wanted to provoke Fran and Sierra to keep them here.

    In other words, his real purpose was to stop us. He didn¡¯t want us to go any further.

    So, it would be better to go further than to deal with Zelyse here. I was sure it would all be over once we defeated Zelyse, but I didn¡¯t know if we would be able to finish him off with any certainty since we couldn¡¯t even use the Sword God Transformation right now.

    (Then what should we do?)

    ¡ºIdeally, I¡¯d like to have Sierra stall Zelyse¡»

    While he stalled Zelyse, we would go further with my dimension shift to check what was going on up ahead. Something terrible must be going on in there.

    Fran approached Sierra and whispered to him.

    ¡¸Can you stall him?¡¹

    ¡¸You want to do something?¡¹

    ¡¸Zelyse aims to stall us. So, I¡¯m going to see what¡¯s going on up ahead¡¹

    ¡¸I see...¡¹

    ¡¸Then?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll use my trump card then¡¹

    Sierra said confidently.

    In fact, we still didn¡¯t know the depth of Sierra and his magic sword, Zelos Reed. Since he was so confident, we might as well just leave this to him then.

    ¡¸I need you to distract him for a second¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    After a brief discussion, Fran then lunged toward Zelyse.

    By making it look like she was aiming for an obvious counterattack, she made it harder for Zelyse to attack as he was forced to focus his attention on Fran. There, we struck him with a series of time-space magic and dimension sword attacks.

    A dimension sword in an over boosted state, with an excess of magic power, poured into it, was quite powerful.

    We released twelve shots. They attacked Zelyse from all directions.

    Ideally, he would have deactivated the permeability and tried to prevent it with a barrier or something¨D¨D¨D.

    But Zelyse stopped in ce while still maintaining his permeability. He then swung his magic sword, Zelyse, to strike down the flying dimension swords one after another.

    It seemed that he even had a space-time attribute.

    But that was also within our expectations. Don¡¯t underestimate an intelligence weapon!

    Our real target was his feet.

    ¡¸Groouf!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! Don¡¯t tell me you were aiming for this!?¡¹

    The Dimensional Fangs from Urushi¡¯s Shadow Transfer had swallowed both of Zelyse¡¯s legs.

    To his surprise, Urushi attacked just as he was caught in a barrage of dimension swords. Urushi emerged from the shadows and was hit by several Dimensional Swords.

    But Urushi was also prepared for this. Although he had deep cuts in several ces, he had certainly caught Zelyse with his fangs.

    There, Sierra plunged in at once, with his jet-ck sword clothed with a tremendous evil spirit.

    ¡¸Ooooooo!¡¹

    The mass of evil energy released from Sierra¡¯s hand sprang like a snake and entangled itself in Zelyse¡¯s arm.

    ¡¸Evil Binding, ck Chain!¡¹

    Well, it looked like a chain. Then, Zelyse suddenly lost his stance.

    ¡¸Kuh! W-what is this...!?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s an evil chain. How¡¯s that? Hard to keep your skills up, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    It seemed that the chain made of Evil Spirit has simr properties to the one he used earlier to cancel out the surrounding skills. It didn¡¯t seem to cancel them outpletely, but I guess it couldst longer.

    ¡¸Is this good enough?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll leave him to you¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Where are you going, Fran-san? Are you running away from me!? I haven¡¯t seen you for a while, and you¡¯ve be such a coward!¡¹

    ¡¸...Hmph¡¹

    ¡¸Ah! W-wait¡¹

    Seeing that Fran had ignored him and ran off to the center of theke, Zelyse hurriedly tried to follow her. However, Sierra stood in front of him.

    As long as there were evil chains, he couldn¡¯t ignore Sierra ande after her.

    ¡¸Oi, Zelyse. Your opponent is me¡¹

    ¡¸Shiii¨Dt...!!¡¹

 Chapter 614

    With Zelyse¡¯s frustrated cries at their backs, Fran and Urushi ran through theke.

    ¡ºFrom this point forward, we¡¯ll use Dimension Shift to proceed¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t have that much magic to spare, so we¡¯ll move quickly. And Urushi, follow me as I moved with your shadow transfer¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I activate the Dimension Shift after feeling the Vivian Guardian¡¯s attention towards me.

    Urushi was moving through the shadows of the rocks and other objects on the bottom of theke, as he couldn¡¯t get together with us. But apparently, Urushi who was moving in the shadows was noticed by them.

    The ce where Urushi was hiding was then surrounded by the Guardians.

    ¡ºUrushi! Get back!¡»

    (Woof...)

    If we forced the Guardian to follow him any further, they would get agitated and go out of control. So, we would have him wait here to intercept Zelyse.

    Fran and I then made our way through the water without any problems. After a while, we caught a strange object in front of us.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that...?¡»

    ¡¸A pir?¡¹

    As Fran said, it did look like a pir.

    A white column, about five meters in diameter, rose from the water to the sky. And it was not just one there.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s take a look at it from above¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Looking down from above, we saw that there were twelve white pirs. They were evenly spaced in a circle. No matter how I looked at it, this must be the center of theke.

    ¡ºAnd I¡¯m feeling some kind of magic power from it¡»

    ¡¸It felt gross¡¹

    I felt a strange magical powering from the center of the circle. It was not evil, but it was not normal magic power either. As Fran said, it was a weird and unpleasant magical power.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s get closer¡¹

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t have a choice¡»

    I really wanted to act cautiously, but I didn¡¯t have much magic power left to spare. But we couldn¡¯t just leave it there, so we would check the source of this magic first.

    Fran then plunged into the water with the momentum of her descent.

    The water depth seemed to be quite shallow in this area. It was less than ten meters deep. And at the bottom of theke, there seemed to be a mysterious structure.

    At first nce, it looked like a temple. It was paved with the same white stone material as the stone pirs, and there was an altar-like structure in the center.

    I think it was quite old, but it was still very clean for such an old thing. No moss, no debris, no dirt, just a pure white structure.

    And in the center of the temple, there was a strange source of magic.

    In this beautiful white temple, it was clearly a foreign and hideous-looking object. It seemed to be an artifact and was made up of a purple crystal.

    ¡¸What is that thing?¡¹

    ¡ºThat must be a magic stone weapon!¡»

    Moreover, it seemed to be absorbing the magic power of its surroundings and pouring it into the temple. The creepiness we felt was probably the sickening feeling of having our magic power sucked out of us.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve gone so far, haven¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸!! Rhyn!¡¹

    Suddenly, the spirit, Rhyn, appeared.

    ¡¸This ce is special. It¡¯s safe to cancel your Space-Time Magic now. The guardians won¡¯t be able to get into this ce¡¹

    I followed Rhyn¡¯s words and canceled our Dimension Shift. There seemed to be no sign of the Vivian Guardians making any noise outside the temple. So, it seemed they really couldn¡¯t get in this ce.

    I then put up a wind barrier and continued talking with Rhyn.

    ¡¸Have you guys seen that huge magic stone?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Rhyn stared at the magic stone weapon with sorrowful eyes.

    ¡ºIs that nasty device gonna resurrect the great magic beast?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s using the magic around it to devour the magic beast¡¯s seal little by little¡¹

    ¡¸So if we destroy it, the magic beast won¡¯t be resurrected?¡¹

    Rhyn shook her head sadly at Fran¡¯s question.

    ¡¸The seal on the magic beast has already loosened considerably. If we don¡¯t perform the resealing ritual, the seal will break by itself in a few weeks¡¹

    ¡¸Then, should we do the ritual?¡¹

    ¡¸We need to prepare for the resealing ritual. If we hurry, we might make it in time¡¹

    ¡¸How do we perform that ritual?¡¹

    ¡¸I know Weena Rhyn knows about it, but I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll perform the ritual or not...?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Ask her yourself¡¹

    Rhyn still didn¡¯t want to speak about the most important thing as usual, did she?

    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s destroy that thing first for now¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible. Zelyse has reinforced it with multipleyers of protection. I tried it myself, but I couldn¡¯t get a scratch on it. That¡¯s gonna be impossible unless we have the power of a High Elf¡¹

    Rhyn herself was a high-ranking spirit, but that spirit can¡¯t even get a scratch on it... That thing certainly was amazing.

    But that would be the case for anyone else.

    ¡¸Rhyn. Just answer me one question. Is it okay to destroy that thing?¡¹

    ¡¸If you could. But you probably can¡¯t, so get out of here, out of this country, before you get caught in this¡¹

    ¡¸¡±If you could¡±. That¡¯s fine with me. Master¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸...I don¡¯t know what will happen to you, you know?¡¹

    With Rhyn¡¯s pitying words behind her, Fran shed at the magic stone weapon.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush¨D¨D¨DHeaven Judgement!¡¹

    While being d in ck lightning, she unleashed a sh at a godspeed.

    nk!

    However, the result was a little different from what I had imagined. It felt dull as if she had struck a hard rock with a blunt sword.

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    There was no change in the magic stone weapon in front of us. Fran tilted her head, but I knew the cause.

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t even get a scratch on it, huh...¡»

    My magic stone absorption is the ability to eat the magic stones that I cut. In other words, if it doesn¡¯t get even a scratch, the ability won¡¯t be activated.

    ¡¸Muh...¡¹

    ¡ºWe have no other choice... Let¡¯s use the Sword God Transformation¡»

    This was probably the situation where I had to push myself. But Fran shook her head, looking like she was about to cry.

    ¡¸Noo!¡¹

    It seems that Fran has been a little worried about me ever since she heard that I was going to turn into a mere sword.

    ¡ºBut otherwise, it¡¯s gonna be hard to scratch that thing, right?¡»

    Even after she used Heaven Judgement before, it was still unscathed.

    It¡¯s certainly quite dangerous for me to use the Sword God Transformation now, but I must withstand it for just a moment. However, Fran didn¡¯t give me a yes.

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you¡¹

    ¡ºThen, what should we do?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of it¡¹

    Fran gave me a determined look and readied me again.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll definitely cut this thing. So, Master doesn¡¯t have to push himself too hard¡¹

 Chapter 615

    Fran set me up and slumped heavily in front of the magic stone.

    In this state, she concentrated on breathing slowly and steadily.

    Her appearance was very simr to the one she had just a moment ago when she was kneading her magic to use the ck Lightning God¡¯s w. Only, it was a lot deeper now.

    I guess she nned to build up her power little by little over time, rather than kneading it all at once.

    To be honest, I really wanted to ask her to stop. The fact that she had failed earlier meant that it was still too early for Fran. Forcing her to use such a technique would be quite a burden on her.

    I was worried about her because she shared higher-level skills such as Magic Control with me, so she could seed if she pushed herself.

    However, she had already controlled arge amount of magic power within her body and had entered a meditation state. It would be dangerous to stop her at this point.

    Besides, she didn¡¯t have any other choice than this.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped. I would just help Fran by maintaining the Wind Barrier for now.

    Still, there seemed to be less waste in the flow of her magic power than before. Could it be that she had grasped something by trying to use it once?

    There was far less distortion in the flow of magic power circting in her body and the density of her ck lightning. Of course, it was not perfect, and it didn¡¯t mean that the burden on Fran had decreased.

    The evidence of this was the painful expression on the face of the enduring Fran. Just by looking at her face, I could tell that a great deal of pain was hitting Fran.

    But I shouldn¡¯t heal her now. It would only be a hindrance for her to be hit with other magic while performing such a delicate and precise magic operation.

    I gave Fran a shout of encouragement in my heart and watched her quietly.

    But then, Rhyn unexpectedly raised her voice.

    ¡¸Zelyse ising!¡¹

    ¡º...! I see¡»

    This was not good. But I didn¡¯t call out to Fran. Fran must have heard Rhyn¡¯s words, but she didn¡¯t react to it at all.

    I didn¡¯t ask any more questions either. We shouldn¡¯t interfere with Fran right now.

    But still, I couldn¡¯t catch any sign of Zelyse. He must be using his permeability ability to fool the Vivian Guardian¡¯s eyes.

    But Rhyn seemed to know. Was it because she was a spirit of time?

    Fran breathed quietly beside Rhyn, who had an anxious expression on her face as if she were a human girl.

    Then, after a short and intense time, I sensed a shadow jumping into the water.

    It must be Zelyse. He then took out a magic stone from his pocket and threw it out at his feet. Then a powerful magic power was emitted, and the scenery around him changedpletely.

    Apparently, it could manipte the wind and create a dome. Was that a kind of magic stone weapon too?

    Inside the dome of air created in the water, Zelyse pulled out his magic sword, Zelyse.

    ¡¸I got you! Can you stop right there, please?¡¹

    It was Zelyse. His expression was quite impatient. The magic stone weapon was supposed to have strong protection, but even so, he seemed uneasy.

    Was that how highly he regarded Fran? In addition, he was probably wary of her because she easily defeated his magic stone soldiers before.

    But he was a step toote.

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Fran opened her eyes wide and used all her strength to deliver a blow with all her might. Her ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and all the other parts of her body transmitted all of their power in a beautiful blow.

    ¡¸ck Lightning God¡¯s w!¡¹

    At the same time, she shouted, my tip got covered with ck lightning.

    The ck Lightning God¡¯s w that Fran had tried to release before was a technique where she created a ck lightning de and wielded it in her hand.

    However, the original form of the ck Lightning God¡¯s w was to be wrapped around a weapon.

    Naturally, this one would be easier to use.

    Fran knew that too. After all, the reason she chose to use it in the first ce was that she was worried about me.

    To wear the Divine Attribute twice in one day is too reckless. It was obvious that I was going to be in an even worse state than I was after being tattered by the Sword God Transformation.

    But now, if we didn¡¯t destroy this magic stone weapon, many people would suffer. We had to seed.

    Besides, it would still be less damaging for me to be used with the ck Lightning God¡¯s w for a moment than to use the Sword God Transformation for the second time today.

    That was why Fran didn¡¯t activate her ck Lightning God¡¯s w until the moment she released her strike. I was sure she was trying to minimize the amount of time I had to wear the Divine Attribute.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºOraa!¡»

    nk!

    The response was dull.

    It was not so different from the time when she had just unleashed her Heaven Judgement at the magic stone weapon before. However, the result was very different from before.

    ¡ºWe did it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The huge purple magic stone that had been in front of us vanishedpletely. Then, arge amount of magic power flowed into me.

    ¡ºUWOOOOOOOOH¨D!¡»

    What the hell was this? It was an unprecedented, tremendous torrent of magic power! It was a magic power that couldn¡¯t even bepared to the magical stone of a magic beast with a threat level of B.

    ¡º¨D¨D¡»

    My mind went nk, passing over any sense of pleasure I ever had.

    (Master?)

    ¡º¨D¨D¡»

    (Master!?)

    ¡º¨D¨DF-Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡ºA-ah, yeah. Sorry, I¡¯ve shown you something unsightly¡»

    It was a close call. If Zelyse had attacked us now, I would have beenpletely useless. The magic stone used in that magic stone weapon was indeed a high-grade magic stone.

    Aah, this was bad, I was still a little disoriented. I needed to pull myself together.

    ¡¸...Oi oi... You really...!?¡¹

    But Zelyse was still Zelyse, he just stood there with a look of surprise on his face.

    ¡¸I finally understand what ¡®that me¡¯ from that timeline meant when he said to be careful with just you...¡¹

 Chapter 616

    With the disappearance of the magic stone weapon, the eerie magic that had been shrouding the temple disappeared.

    But we couldn¡¯t afford to be relieved yet.

    (Master, are you okay?)

    ¡º...I¡¯m fine, I¡¯d say...¡»

    I was actually not that good.

    I managed to get out of the disorientation of absorbing arge amount of magic power, but because I pushed myself too hard, I was losing a lot of my capacity as a normal sword.

    My durability had drastically reduced and it didn¡¯t start to recover at all. It was also obvious that my self-repair ability was not working as a small chip remained on my de.

    It¡¯s probably a bacsh from overusing the Divine Attribute.

    ¡ºHonestly, it¡¯s pretty dangerous for me to engage him inbat right now¡»

    (Okay)

    Zelyse was still stunned, but we didn¡¯t know when he would attack us.

    That was what I thought, but what Zelyse said next waspletely different from what I had imagined.

    ¡¸Haha... Ahahahah! Amazing! You¡¯re amazing, Fran-san! As expected of you!¡¹

    He startedughing, truly enjoying the scene. It wasn¡¯t a pretense. He really meant it.

    As I¡¯d thought, I¡¯d never understood the inside of this guy¡¯s brain.

    ¡¸Uwaah~. You see, that me from that timeline was really wary of you. And now I finally understand what he means. I¡¯m sure, Fran-san had given him a pretty hard time¡¹

    What did he mean? The current Zelyse and that Zelyse are in cahoots, right? But based on what he just said, it sounded like he didn¡¯t know the details of why Zelyse from that timeline was wary of Fran.

    ¡¸That Zelyse?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you want to know what kind of rtionship that me and I had, Fran-san?¡¹

    ¡¸Partner? I already hate Zelyse when there¡¯s only one of it, but it¡¯s even worse when there¡¯s two of it¡¹

    ¡¸O-one of ¡®it¡¯...?¡¹

    ¡¸Cause you¡¯re just like a pest ¡¹

    ¡¸A-ahaha! That¡¯s harsh!¡¹

    (TLN: She¡¯s using Æ¥ (hiki) which is a counter for an animal. It¡¯s how Japanese yfully insult each other)

    Fran was talking badly of him. She was in a very bad mood. She was probably feeling very angry at Zelyse for irresponsibly trying to break the seal of the great magic beast.

    ¡¸W-well, regardless of what Fran-san think of me¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Shitty insect¡¹

    ¡¸Oh,e on! You might think that Zelyse from that timeline and I were, at best, or mayberades in research? But we have a surprisingly dry rtionship, you know? We don¡¯t even get along as well as what Fran-san might think of us¡¹

    ¡¸Why? You can avoid any mistakes if you listened to him, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Because that¡¯s gonna be boring¡¹

    That again. But I guess that was a part of Zelyse¡¯s principles that could never be changed.

    ¡¸To know what would happen and move ordingly? That¡¯s boring! Besides, the future can be changed so easily. Especially since Zelos Reed and Romio from that timeline are here too¡¹

    That was certainly true. In fact, because of Sierra¡¯s action, Romio and Zelos Reed have not been captured by Zelyse.

    ¡¸It¡¯s too dangerous to move based on such vague information, right? That¡¯s why I rarely ask that me what had happened in the previous timeline. At most, I only ask for data on his research results¡¹

    So, the current Zelyse had heard very little information from Zelyse from that timeline.

    ¡¸The future me is also aware of that. So, he doesn¡¯t force me to get any information from him. It¡¯s very convenient that we¡¯re on the same page, isn¡¯t it? A single word and we understand each other¡¹

    Indeed, normally, someone would try to tell themselves exactly what happened in another timeline.

    At least if it were me, I¡¯d definitely give my other self the details.

    ¡¸But you see, there¡¯s one person that the future me is very cautious about, or rather, someone who¡¯d keep interfering with my ns. And I haven¡¯t heard any details other than that, but it seems, that person had given that me a lot of trouble in that timeline¡¹

    ¡¸And that person, was me?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Take the incident in Barbra for example, that¡¯s where I first met you. I was nning to let a lot of magic stone soldiers rampage in there¡¹

    ¡¸A lot?¡¹

    ¡¸I had a hundred of them ready to go, you know? But that me insisted that I shouldn¡¯t do that because it would have been a waste of resources. He insisted that we should use the magic stones for other projects, and so we changed our ns¡¹

    I see. Maybe Zelyse from that timeline had deployed arge number of magic stone soldiers at Barbra, only to have them wiped out by Fran. But from the way he put it, it must have had little to no effect for him.

    If there was no significant difference in the results, and if Zelyse could save his precious magic stones, it was certainly better to give up the use of magic stone soldiers in Barbra.

    It was very unfortunate for me though. I don¡¯t know how much magic stone value I could get from hundreds of magic stone soldiers.

    It must have been a tremendous bonus for us at the time.

    ¡¸Well, now that I¡¯ve seen it, I understand why the future me was so wary of you. No, it was not you. It was your sword, wasn¡¯t it? Well, there¡¯s also Fran¡¯s skill as well. Anyway, you have the power to destroy magic stones. It doesn¡¯t matter the ability, power, or type of magic stone it is, as long as you manage to scratch it even a little, and it¡¯ll be destroyed¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸Fufun. You¡¯re being cautious now, aren¡¯t you? I guess that means I¡¯m not too far off, right?¡¹

    Tsk, my ability has been exposed! A magic stone soldier, a magic stone sword, and now a giant magic stone weapon. If we show it to him over and over again, it¡¯s only natural that he¡¯ll notice it.

    ¡¸As a self-confessed magic stone user, this is the worst match for me. You could even say that it¡¯s a natural enemy for me¡¹

    ¡¸...So why don¡¯t you just give up?¡¹

    ¡¸No no, I haven¡¯t lost yet, have I? Well, your powers are indeed a little troublesome¡¹

    Zelyse¡¯s gaze then turned to me.

    Those were the eyes of someone who was looking at an interesting research subject. To be honest, I was used to being looked at as an object, but I just couldn¡¯t help but feel weird about the way this guy looked at me. I guess it was because there was something creepy about the way he looked at me, it felt like he could see right through me.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to analyze that sword and do some research on it¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t give it to you¡¹

    ¡¸Fufun. As I thought, there¡¯s a secret in that sword, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m getting more and more curious!¡¹

 Chapter 617

    ¡¸...What happened to Sierra?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that kid? Well, if you¡¯re that curious, why don¡¯t make me tell you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do that¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re still acting tough even when you¡¯re in tatters huh?¡¹

    As Zelyse said, we were still recovering. Fran and I were pretty exhausted after using the Divine Attribute twice a day.

    It wasn¡¯t so bad that she was breathing heavily, but she couldn¡¯t hide her weariness. After all, using the ck Lightning God¡¯s w was quite straining.

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwaah!¡¹

    Urushi, summoned by my Familiar Summon, attacked Zelyse.

    ¡¸I thought I¡¯d taken care of it!?¡¹

    ¡¸Shii!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    Zelyse let out a pathetic scream, but he was able to avoid Urushi¡¯s surprise attack perfectly. I was sure he was wary of Urushi, who could unleash attacks with the Space-time Attribute. However, while he was paying attention to Urushi, Fran and I made a decent sh at him.

    As I felt in our earlier fight, he was quite strong as a warrior.

    ¡¸Well then, I wonder what would happen if I use this?¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    ¡ºA magic stone sword?¡»

    When I received the attack of the magic stone sword that Zelyse took out, that was all it took for that sword to be absorbed by me. However, Zelyse did not show any sign of regret. Rather, his smile deepened.

    ¡¸Hahahah! Then what about this!¡¹

    ¡ºAnother one!?¡»

    Zelyse took out another magic stone sword again and attacked me in session. Obviously, his attacks were aimed not at Fran, but me.

    However, if I avoided it, Fran might lose her bearing and it would be dangerous for her. Therefore, I had no choice but to take it, and once again I met the magic stone sword head-on.

    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing! As I thought, it really was the ability of that sword! A magic sword that can absorb magic stones! Amazing! I really want to do some research on it!¡¹

    What a freak!

    But suddenly Zelyse turned serious and tilted his head. Then he looked at Fran with a serious expression.

    ¡¸Eh? Is that so? Hmmm¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Somehow ¡®that me¡¯ lost interest in you¡¹

    ¡¸Lose interest?¡¹

    ¡¸He said that the Fran in that timeline was stronger, scarier, and more dangerous¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Fran was annoyed by Zelyse¡¯s words. Even the current Fran was quite strong. Did that mean that Fran in that timeline was that much different than this Fran?

    The differences between that timeline and now were the people who slipped in time like Sierra and Zelyse... I see,e to think of it, there was surely a big difference between that timeline and now.

    The incident at Barbra. If it was as Zelyse had said, we would have annihted the magic stone soldiers and I would have been strengthened considerably. That was why I might have ranked up four or five levels at once.

    What would happen as a result? There was a good chance that we would have been able to kill even stronger magic beasts, and that we¡¯d have been able to strengthen faster than we had now.

    But as a result, it was possible that my turning into a mere sword would have been hastened. In other words, while I would have been stronger than I was now, I would havepletely lost my heart as a person.

    As Rhyn had taught me, if that happened, Fran might run amok.

    That meant, she was stronger than she was now (because I got strengthened), scarier (Fran had run amok), and more dangerous (I never advised her, so she wields her power as she runs amok) than she was now.

    So, when I thought about it, were we saved by Zelyse from that timeline? No, it must be just a coincidence. If anything, it might actually be thanks to Fran from that timeline who had done us all the favor.

    Thanks to Fran¡¯s rampage in that timeline, we were now able to be saved and have hope in the future.

    ¡º...¡»

    (Master, what¡¯s wrong?)

    ¡ºAh, sorry, I was just wondering what happened to Fran in that timeline¡»

    (I¡¯m sure she¡¯s fine)

    ¡ºWhy is it?¡»

    (Because Master will never abandon me. Even if I go out of control, I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle right back and save me. So, she must be fine)

    ¡ºBut Rhyn said I hadpletely turned into a sword, remember?¡»

    (She¡¯ll be fine, she¡¯s with Master after all. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d do something)

    I could feel Fran¡¯s straightforward thoughts.

    ¡ºI see... You¡¯re right¡»

    (Nn!)

    It was strange how Fran readily believed in me and she really meant it. But she was right.

    There was no way I was going topletely turn into a sword and leave this cute little Fran behind. I was sure myself in that timeline felt the same way too.

    If that was the case, then maybe Fran was right and I would get my heart back again someday.

    Fran was no different. Even if she did get a little out of control, she would soon realize her own mistakes. I was not there? It didn¡¯t matter. I was sure that without my help, she would be able to regain herself, punch me in the face, and get me back to my senses.

    Besides, there was no way for us to know what happened in that timeline.

    We didn¡¯t even know if that timeline branched off and became a parallel world, or if it was overwritten by the current timeline and disappeared.

    If that was the case, it was better for us to stay positive. Worrying about it was not going to help.

 Chapter 618

    ¡ºWell then, Fran, you ready now?¡»

    (Nn! Sorry I kept you waiting)

    The current stalemate was created by Fran, although it was Zelyse who said that it was them who was losing their interest. Well, I guess Zelyse was also deliberately ying along with us.

    I think he was still observing me during our fight. That must be why he didn¡¯t dare to attack me seriously.

    (Master, let¡¯s do it!)

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    Normally. Getting away from here would be the best option. However, if we ran away here, Zelyse might do something to the seal of the great magic beast again.

    She said that the seal was already very weak, so we wanted to stop him.

    That was why Fran was so determined to win. If we couldn¡¯t fight for a long time, then we would just have to fight for a short time.

    ¡ºHaaa!¡»

    ¡¸Thaa!¡¹

    ¡ºResonance magic!¡» (Resonance magic!)

    The magic power released from me and Fran was merging into a single form.

    This was our Resonance Magic, the secret technique we had acquired on the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    It was a technique in which multiple magic users resonated with each other¡¯s magic power and activated it. And apparently, it was a very rare form of magic.

    It was a unique skill after all. And in order to activate it, everyone who cooperated had to have this skill.

    Even with all that, it was unlikely that the activation conditions would be met. Besides, it was not something that could be used by just having the skill alone.

    The wavelength and intensity of the magic power must be kept under control to match.

    In other words, they had to have resonance magic skills and advanced magic control but there were not many people who could do that in this world.

    Even Amanda said she had only seen it activated a few times. She said that it was used by a group of high-ranking magic beasts that appeared deep in the dungeon.

    I think the skill was originally developed for magic beasts in dungeons. Because it would be rather easy to activate it in a dungeon that could generate arge number of magic beasts of the same species and the same ability.

    Me too, I just happened to have killed a magic beast that had the skill in the ins of the Demon Wolf.

    It was a mysterious group of five slimes that were connected by a tentacle-like object to each other. And their name was the Resonance Slime.

    Well, we killed them before they could even use their resonance magic though.

    ¡¸Kuh...!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Hang on!¡»

    Fran grunted. This was also the reason why this magic could not be used in actual battles.

    Normally, this magic was designed to be used by groups of ten or twenty magic beasts. The burden on the user was tremendous, as Fran and I were the only ones using it.

    In particr, the stress on the brain seemed to be quite severe, and Fran got a bad headache when she tried to use this skill.

    Fran even said ¡¸It feels like someone is hitting me with a spiked hammer in my head¡¹.

    Because of this, Fran¡¯s control was not stable at all.

    ¡¸Aaaaa!¡¹

    ¡ºAll right! You did a great job, Fran!¡»

    But Fran, despite her screams,pleted her part.

    Fran mustered up all her mental strength and endured the pain as shepleted thest part of the preparation. I then sensed my own magic power and instantly adjusted my output.

    Then, a bolt of pale blue lightning shot out from us, rampaging in all directions and covering the surroundings.

    ¡¸Ghaa! W-what is this...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    Zelyse, who was still in his permeable state, was severely shaken by the resonance magic and deeply wounded by Urushi¡¯s follow-up attack. Moreover, the lightning was still raging around us.

    He must have thought it was just a Thunderbolt Magic. Zelyse was surprised that he received a direct hit by the thunderbolt while in a permeable state. It seemed that even Zelyse could not even tell what it was at first sight.

    That was because of the effect of our Resonance Magic. Fran¡¯s lightning attribute and my space-time attribute blended together, and a bolt of lightning with the space-time attribute was released.

    It could be changed in many ways depending on the nature of the magic that was put into it and the image of the user. That was what resonance magic was.

    However, it was not very powerful as the user¡¯s magic power must resonate when it was used. It might fail if one of us used too much magic. In other words, it had to be matched to the person with the lowest of magic power.

    And I was the one who had to adjust to Fran this time. In the first ce, her headache already made it difficult for her to adjust to me.

    Moreover, the magic power that was put into it was also consumed tobine the attributes, so the power was further reduced.

    It was also weaker than Kanna Kamui and Heaven Judgement.

    However, if the situation was one where multiple attributes were effective, as it was now, it was very useful magic. It had the speed of a thunderbolt, but also had a space-time attribute that could inflict damage onto Zelyse in his permeable state.

    ¡ºNow¡¯s our chance while the effects of the Resonance Magic are still in effect!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran rushed out to cut Zelyse down.

    Both Fran and I are resolved to put everything we have into this blow.

    But at the next moment, I, Fran, Urushi, and Zelyse all cowered and looked astonished at the same time.

    ¡¸This is...?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºOi oi oi! Something ising out of the bottom of the temple! And its magic power is really great!¡»

    ¡¸W-why is the seal of the great magic beast broken!? I haven¡¯t done anything...¡¹

    From the center of the temple, gray magic power slowly leaked out like it was crawling.

    We then jumped back in a hurry.

    ¡¸U-Uwaaah!¡¹

    Immediately after, Zelyse let out a scream. It was not a fake scream like before. It was his serious scream. But I guess that was to be expected.

    ¡¸Kuh...! What¡¯s this! Let me go¨D!!¡¹

    There wereyers of what looked like thin strings entwined around Zelyse¡¯s body.

    If I looked harder, I could see that it was an extremely thin tentacle simr to those of a jellyfish. Countless tentacles overflowed from the gaps in the pure white floors and attacked Zelyse.

    He should have been using his permeability, but apparently, it was pointless.

    Seriously, is the great magic beast about to resurrect?

    But why? Could it be because we fought here?

    ¡ºWhere¡¯s Rhyn!? I¡¯m sure Rhyn can tell us what¡¯s going on¡»

    (Nn? She¡¯s not here?)

    But then from behind me, we could hear Rhyn¡¯s voice.

    ¡¸See? I¡¯ve told you to just run away...¡¹

 Chapter 619

    ¡¸See? I told you to just run away...¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s already toote... I never thought that it would actually happen...¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn! What are you saying!?¡»

    Rhyn continued her words as she suddenly appeared in front of us.

    ¡¸Thank you... Fran. It was thanks to you that the great magic beast only made an iplete resurrection...¡¹

    ¡¸Did Rhyn... do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Fran couldn¡¯t believe it, but Rhyn, with a look of guilt on her face, clearly affirmed it.

    ¡¸But why?¡¹

    ¡¸I really wanted you to get away... If you manage to survive, tell Weena Rhyn. Tell her to get prepared... Well then, goodbye...¡¹

    Rhyn said one-sidedly, and as usual, she suddenly disappeared too.

    Zelyse was still unable to shake off the tentacles.

    ¡¸Shiiiit!¡¹

    I wondered why he wasn¡¯t using his permeability power, but apparently, he could not activate it properly.

    It seemed that only a part of his body was in its permeable state. In fact, some of the tentacles had passed through Zelyse¡¯s Body.

    However, not all of his body was permeable, so one of the countless outstretched tentacles had wrapped itself around Zelyse.

    Even if it seeded in prating one part of his body, it would fail to prate the other parts, and he would end up being caught by the tentacles.

    ¡ºFran! Urushi! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡»

    We¡¯ve got to get out of here as soon as possible.

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAA¨D!¡¹

    With Zelyse¡¯s screams at our backs, we left the scene at full speed.

    I tried to use teleportation to get away from here at once¨D¨D¨Dbut it failed.

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    It was not that the teleportation failed to activate. It was just that the teleportation didn¡¯t happen as it was supposed to.

    If it had been true, we would have escaped at once to tens of meters above the surface, but we only moved a few meters to the side.

    When I considered the fact that Zelyse, who was in a permeable state, was being held by the tentacles, there must be something in the area that was disrupting Space-time Magic.

    Was this the work of Rhyn, the Spirit of Time?

    ¡ºWe have no other choice, we have to run by ourselves!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    In order to escape the countless transparent tentacles gushing out from the floor of the temple, Fran and Urushi jumped up at once in an aerial jump.

    They kicked in the air, dodging the tentacles that attacked them, and sometimes intercepting them with magic. However, although we were able to knock away the tentacles, they were multiplying faster than we could handle.

    Moreover, she couldn¡¯t use Brilliant Lightning Rush due to exhaustion.

    I could see that our escape route was being gradually cut down. It reminded me of the attack of the thread user, Fermus, that we had faced in the martial arts tournament.

    ¡ºThis is bad! At this rate, we¡¯ll get trapped in the wall of tentacles!¡»

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    Arge number of tentacles were noting from below but all sides. If we continued to struggle, we might get trapped in the tentacle dome.

    Fran whipped her tattered body to increase her speed even more. Her face was contorted in pain.

    Shit! I wish I was in better shape!

    But it was right after I thought that.

    ¡ºHmm, wait... Could it be!¡»

    I hurried to check my status.

    ¡ºI knew it! Just a little more!¡»

    If we do it right, I might be able to recover at once.

    ¡ºMagic stone¨D¨D... I don¡¯t have any of it, huh!?¡»

    Yes. I just checked the self-evolution section. If I could get another 50 or so magic stone values, I would be able to rank up.

    However, I didn¡¯t have any magic stones in my dimensional storage. There were a few goblin corpses, but that was not enough to get 50 magic stones value.

    ¡ºFran, do you have any magic stones in your storage?¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    No, wait.

    ¡ºI know a guy who might have magic stones! Fran, just hold on a second!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I left Fran¡¯s hand and descended the water surface.

    ¡¸Zelyse!¡¹

    ¡¸W-who!?¡¹

    I don¡¯t know how far I could fake it, but I ran up to Zelyse with the doppelganger that I created with my alter creation.

    ¡¸If you have any magic stones, give them to me! It might even save your life if it works! Besides, we¡¯ll let you off the hook for now!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry!¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, damn! I don¡¯t understand, but I don¡¯t want to be here anymore!¡¹

    Zelyse was confused for a moment, but I guess he also knew that it would be difficult to escape on his own. He decided to take my word for it, even though he doubted it.

    He then pulled out a medium-sized magic stone from his pocket. He seemed to have a bag of items in his robe.

    With just a snap of his wrist, Zelyse threw a magic stone at my doppelganger. It was probably a magic stone from a magic beast with a threat level of C or B.

    ¡¸Take that, you thief!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha! I¡¯ll take that!¡¹

    When I received the magic stone, I turned my back to Zelyse so that my body could be a cover, and absorb it with my main body. Well, a little thought about what I was doing would probably expose it though.

    ¡¸Here ites!¡¹ ¡ºHere ites!¡»

    My tattered body was restored at once, and I could feel an enormous amount of magic power flooding into my body.

    Moreover, the bacsh from using the Divine Attribute had disappeared as well.

    ¡ºI¡¯m fully recovered!¡»

 Chapter 620

    I was able to absorb about 60 magic stones value. I had just barely achieved a rank-up.

    I never thought I would be able to rank up in such a short time.

    Because of Fenrir-san¡¯s weakened state, my umtion of magic stones value was very slow.

    It must have been thanks to the magical stone weapon that had been set up to break the seal of the great magic beast. Even the current me was sure to get more than 500 magic stones value worth from that one.

    The number of self-evolutions points I had umted so far was 60, which wasn¡¯t much either, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. If I believed what Announcer-san said, I should be back to normal after my next evolution.

    ¡ºFran! Sorry I kept you waiting!¡»

    I erased my doppelganger and went back to Fran.

    ¡¸Urushi,e!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAll right! Let¡¯s clear them out! Fran, focus all your energy on getting out of here!¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    This tentacle could be destroyed by magic. If that was the case, then if we could wipe out arge area in an instant, we would have a chance to escape from here.

    I was about to activate Kanna Kamui, the most powerful magic I had¨D¨D¨DBut I was shocked.

    ¡ºWha! This is...!¡»

    (Master?)

    ¡ºI can¡¯t stabilize my technique at all!¡»

    I thought that something would disturb the activation of Space-time Magic, but I was wrong. It seemed that if I tried to use more than a certain amount of magic power, something would interfere with it.

    Obviously, external interferences were distorting the Kanna Kamui that I had constructed. It wouldn¡¯t activate because of it.

    What should we do? Use dozens of weak spells that could be released rapidly? But that was not strong enough. I didn¡¯t think that would work well against these countless tentacles.

    As I pondered for a few moments, I could feel the magic emanating from Zelyse.

    ¡¸AAAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡ºA barrier huh!?¡»

    ¡¸Use it... quick!¡¹

    What Zelyse threw at us was a magic stone weapon that contained a huge amount of magic power. This barrier is amazing. Not only did it block tentacles, but it even prevented the mysterious interference. My technique then gets stabilized at once.

    The only reason he didn¡¯t use it himself was probably because there was no way for him to escape from the tentacles even if he could stop them from reaching him for a short amount of time.

    Normally, it was a tool that would momentarily stop an opponent from performing arge-scale technique. But for me now, that brief moment was enough.

    ¡ºOooooh! Blow them up!¡»

    I activated Kanna Kamui at once. I purposely lowered the convergence rate to increase the range.

    ¡¸Tsk, Even me too¨D¨D¡¹

    As a result, six Kanna Kamui were released in all directions, and the whole area was then swallowed by the white lightning.

    ¡ºNow!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran, holding the smaller form of Urushi, used thest of her strength to run to the sky at once.

    She used a telekic air ride with me. Amid the bursting thunderbolts and explosions, I forcefully pushed through while using a barrier and ascended at a great speed.

    Looking down, the area where the temple used to be was covered with vapor, making it impossible to see properly. I could hear the buzzing of the steam as it became electrically charged.

    Zelyse must have been involved in it, but what happened to him?

    I said it might help, but I didn¡¯t explicitly say it would. Rather, I released it intending to get him involved, but... I wonder if he managed to get away? Well, I don¡¯t think that guy would die from that thing.

    I don¡¯t feel the need to keep promises to bad people, but I don¡¯t have the luxury of looking for him and chasing after him right now. As a result, my words to let him go had been kept.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s leave this ce!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi and I began to run at full speed.

    A tremendous amount of magic power was starting to leak out from the ce where we had just been. Even though we were already hundreds of meters away, me, Fran and Urushi were not feeling safe at all.

    The hairs on both Fran and Urushi¡¯s bodies were standing on end. Even Fran couldn¡¯t help but break out in cold sweat.

    I was under tremendous pressure that enveloped my entire body. No matter how much we moved away, it didn¡¯t stop. In fact, I think it was getting stronger.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think it¡¯s hostile or malicious, but...¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s frightening¡¹

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    ¡¸It was as if something wanted to devour us¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    She was right. What we felt was hunger.

    We felt a terrifying sense of hunger in this presence. Not only Fran and Urushi but even I was being recognized as food by it.

    ¡ºMoreover, it¡¯s mixed with evil...¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    It seemed that there really were some pieces of Evil Gods inside the great magic beast. The evil mixed with its magic power leaking out into the surrounding area was quite strong. It was not even close to the evil in Zelos Reed and Murellia.

    ¡¸We need to go to Weena Rhyn¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, you¡¯re right¡»

    We decided to go to Weena Rhyn as Rhyn had told us.

    I don¡¯t even know why Rhyn broke the seal on the great magic beast. In the first ce, did Rhyn really break the seal?

    We need to speak to Weena Rhyn to get answers to those questions.

    ¡ºAs I suspected, the influence is rather small when we¡¯re this far away¡»

    ¡¸But I could still feel it a little¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    I think we were already more than two kilometers away, but Fran and Urushi still seemed to sense something disturbing.

    Just when we realized once again that the great magic beast was no ordinary being, Fran, who was looking back at it, gasped.

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    At the same time, Fran¡¯s surprise was conveyed to me.

    ¡¸Master, that...¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously...! I see, that surely is a great magic beast!¡»

    Beyond our line of sight, there was something huge that split theke to reveal itself. At this distance, we couldn¡¯t appraise it, nor could we perfectly estimate its strength.

    But we could tell just by looking at it how huge it was. Even in its current state, it was probably more than 100 meters long.

    The Midgardsormr was long and slender, giving the impression of being longer rather than wider. Besides, it was still underwater, so I didn¡¯t have a full view of it.

    (TLN: Midgardsormr, a colossal serpentine dragon)

    Maybe that was why this one seemed even bigger to me. I don¡¯t even know how big it would be when it was fully resurrected.

    ¡¸Grooaaahhh!¡¹

    A grey creature was roaring wildly.

    Its body was still in a terrifying-looking state of peristalsis and ergement, and we could not get a full picture of it. The only thing I knew was that if we let it go unchecked, it would surely cause a lot of damage.

    ================

    Master¡¯s Stats

    ================

    Name: Master

    Wielder: Fran (Fixed)

    Race: Intelligence Unique Weapon

    ATK: 1352

    MP: 17452/17452 (Cannibalism +5352)

    Durability: 15450/15450 (Cannibalism +3350)

    Magic Conductivity: SS-

    [Skill]

    Appraisal: LvMax, Appraisal Block, Form Transformation, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self-Evolution (Rank 18, Magic Stone Value: 15310/17100, Memory: 50. Points: 60)

 Chapter 621

    When we returned to Sheftent, the town was already in chaos. Many people were running around at the harbor.

    Ships of all sizes were anchored throughout the harbor, some with broken masts and others with scorch marks.

    They must be a part of the Commercial Fleet.

    But there weren¡¯t many of them in here. Maybe only about a fifth of the ships that belonged to the Commercial Fleet were here. Could it be that many ships had sunk?

    Adventurers were gathered in one corner of the harbor, staring at the great magic beast with grim faces.

    It looked quite small from here, but Adventurers who knew theke well could estimate its size.

    When we got closer, they seemed to have recognized Fran right away. Well, she was obviouslying back from the direction where the strange thing happened while riding a big wolf. It was only natural that we would stand out.

    ¡¸O-oi! Isn¡¯t that the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! It¡¯s true! ck Lightning Princess-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸Wh-what on earth is going on? What the hell was that thing?¡¹

    A few people called out to her.

    ¡¸A big magic beast came out¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I can tell that by just looking at it...¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know much about it either. More importantly, I want to ask you some questions¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? What it is?¡¹

    ¡¸Have you seen Sierra?¡¹

    ¡¸Sierra?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that kid? No, we haven¡¯t seen him¡¹

    ¡¸I see...¡¹

    In the end, we couldn¡¯t find out what Zelyse had done with Sierra. And I guess Fran was still concerned about Sierra¡¯s whereabouts.

    But no one seemed to have seen him in Sheftent. He did not even get caught with our detection range on our way here.

    And we didn¡¯t have the time to look for him any further now.

    ¡¸Also, what happened to the Commercial Fleet?¡¹

    ¡¸It has be a horrible mess¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I never thought the fleet would end up like this¡¹

    The Adventurers told us so with grim faces.

    Apparently, due to the Modoki attacks and the huge explosion, many ships were damaged and arge number of people were killed.

    Even so, the safe ships managed to scatter around and dock in the surrounding towns, and many people were able to get off the ships.

    Many of the damaged ships were docked in Sheftent, and people were still being treated at the moment.

    ¡¸Right now, we¡¯re still trying to identify the people who have died. They¡¯re right there in the square¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Let me show you the way¡¹

    He then guided us to the square.

    Arge number of people and a dozen or so bodies wereid out in the square. It pained me to see people clinging to the bodies of those who were close to them in tears.

    The wailing cries of the children were especially depressing.

    I could see Fran clenching her fists and quietly stifling her anger. I felt the same too.

    Seeing this scene, once again I felt the urge to kill Zelyse. When we escaped from the temple, even if I had to force myself a little, I should have put a Kanna Kamui right on his face.

    But at that time, my priority was to get Fran out of there, no matter what. I didn¡¯t have time to take any unnecessary risks back then.

    ¡¸I also heard that some of them haven¡¯t been found yet...¡¹

    (Master)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    We asked the people from the ship who were in the square to help us to arrange the bodies of the victims in the square. We didn¡¯t have much time, but we knew we couldn¡¯t neglect this.

    It seemed that some of the ship¡¯s crew members who were here, had friends and rtives among them, and the square then filled with even more grief.

    (Zelyse...! I¡¯ll definitely beat him the next time we see him)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    (Woof!)

    Then we prayed silently and left the ce.

    Our destination was the academy¡¯s campsite, where I could detect the presence of Weena Rhyn.

    When we arrived there, the students had gathered back at the campsite, looking somewhat anxious. I guess they still hadn¡¯t grasped the situation yet.

    When Frannded at the campsite, the students immediately surrounded her. The first one to call out to her was Charon.

    ¡¸Fran-san! The town seems to be in an uproar. Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡¹

    ¡¸...The Commercial Fleet was attacked by magic beasts¡¹

    ¡¸Wha! How bad is the damage?¡¹

    ¡¸Quite terrible. I have to report to Weena Rhyn about that¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I¡¯m sorry for stopping you¡¹

    When Fran mentioned Weena Rhyn¡¯s name, the students spontaneously cleared a path for her.

    As expected of the students of the Academy of Magic. They probably understood that there was no point in panicking at a time like this.

    ¡¸...It may get dangerous for us to stay here. Prepare to evacuate¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? But...¡¹

    ¡¸This is an order from an instructor¡¹

    ¡¸U-understood¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It was convenient to have authority at times like this. Well, she didn¡¯t have the kind of authority that would normally allow her to issue such an order, but this was an emergency.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s talk to Weena Rhyn first so we can start evacuating everyone. She should have known that something is going on¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    In fact, it would not be surprising if she had known everything through the spirits.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran...¡¹

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s face, as she sat in her chair, was dominated by a sadness that made me feel sorry for her. From the way her hair was in a mess, she must have ruffled her head many times already.

    It seemed that Weena Rhyn was now so cornered that she could be convinced that she had done such a thing.

    ¡¸How, how could the magic beast in theke resurrect!? I¡¯m sure the seal wasn¡¯t severely broken yet...!? If things continue like this, Rhyn might disappear!¡¹

 Chapter 622

    <h4>Chapter 622</h4>

    The Determined Weena Rhyn

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    Weena Rhyn let out sorrowful words while covering her face with one hand.

    ¡¸If things continue like this, Rhyn might disappear!¡¹

    ¡¸But it was Rhyn who resurrected the magic beast¡¹

    ¡¸...Huh? Rhyn did? Really...?¡¹

    ¡¸Really¡¹

    ¡¸But why...?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡¹

    ¡ºWell, we¡¯d like to know about that too¡»

    Then Fran and I told her everything that had happened at the bottom of theke.

    Zelyse tried to break the seal and we managed to stop him. But to our surprise, Rhyn resurrected the magic beast.

    Weena Rhyn could not seem to believe it. She looked up at the void with a dumbfounded face.

    ¡¸Rhyn has a message for you¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡¸She told you to be prepared¡¹

    ¡¸...But then, that girl will...?¡¹

    We¡¯ve known each other for a while now, but I still didn¡¯t understand Weena Rhyn and Rhyn¡¯s rtionship. When she said that ¡°that girl¡±, was she referring to Rhyn? If so, they were not just ordinary acquaintances then. It seemed that they might have some kind of close rtionship.

    ¡¸What¡¯s Weena Rhyn¡¯s rtion with Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡¸...We are... I wonder how should I put this...¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m listening¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡¹

    Weena Rhyn smiled wearily at us. She seemed to be mentally overwhelmed.

    ¡¸To put it simply, we¡¯re sisters, twins¡¹

    ¡¸Twins, even though she¡¯s a spirit?¡¹

    ¡ºHer twin is an elf. Is that possible?¡»

    As expected of a race favored by spirits. But apparently, that was not the case. Weena Rhyn was shaking her head.

    ¡¸Rhyn was originally a High Elf¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then talked about the rtionship between herself and Rhyn.

    ¡¸Rhyn made a contract with the spirit of theke, which had been captured by the great magic beast, and made herself one with the spirit in order to seal the great magic beast¡¹

    ¡¸She could do that?¡¹

    ¡¸It must have been possible because Rhyn was one of the High Elves who particrly excelled in Spirit Magic. It was impossible for me¡¹

    By bing one with the spirit of theke, which had be one with the great magic beast, it meant that Rhyn had also be a part of the great magic beast.

    Then, Rhyn weakened the great magic beast from within and sealed it in the center of theke with the sealing technique she had prepared.

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s acquaintance who was said to have sealed the great magic beast was actually her twin sister, Rhyn.

    ¡¸I then made a contract with Rhyn, who had be a spirit... If things were left like this, Rhyn would one daypletely merge into the great magic beast and disappear¡¹

    Normally, a contract between a Spirit Magic-User and a spirit was not a contract that could be defined as assimtion.

    It was more like a give and take rtionship, where they worked together and lent each other power

    However, Weena Rhyn¡¯s had strong feelings for Rhyn, their unusually deep connection as they were originally twins, and the High Elves¡¯ high affinity for spirits brought about an unexpected situation.

    ¡¸You see. My name was just Weena¡¹

    ¡¸Did you change your name because you made a contract with Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡¸No, you¡¯re wrong. When I made the contract with Rhyn, our souls were fused into a single entity. As a result, we are neither Weena nor Rhyn, but a new individual under the name of Weena Rhyn¡¹

    It seemed that the base was Weena. Her memories and appearance were still that of Weena¡¯s. But there was a definite change. Rhyn¡¯s hobbies, tastes, and consciousness have be mixed in with Weena¡¯s.

    When someone¡¯s spirit was assimted into their own, a change would ur. To put it differently, it meant that they were no longer themselves.

    No one would normally want that, but...

    ¡¸I couldn¡¯t help but be happy. Now we could be together forever. That¡¯s what I thought¡¹

    As I¡¯d expected, I still didn¡¯t understand the way the long-lived being think. But after listening to her exnation, one thing didn¡¯t make sense to me.

    ¡¸So what about the Rhyn that we met?¡¹

    ¡¸The Rhyn that I made a contract with was the Rhyn that had be one with the Spirit of the Lake and turned into a spirit herself. But there¡¯s still half of Rhyn left inside the great magic beast¡¹

    So, you¡¯re saying that only a small part of Rhyn who had be one with the spirit became Weena Rhyn, and the rest is still sealed inside the great magic beast?

    Maybe that was why Weena¡¯s consciousness was in charge of Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸Rhyn seems to be able to break out of the seal and materialize herself for a short time. The mysterious spirit that had been seen around theke was probably Rhyn. She never came to see me though¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸If the Rhyn in me and the Rhyn in the great magic beast are attracted to each other, the seal could get weaker... But I wanted to see her though...¡¹

    Weena Rhyn was strangely unstable when she talked about Rhyn. She was just like a girl who was happy and worried about her loved one.

    ¡¸What did Rhyn mean when she said you have to be prepared?¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn said we¡¯ll find out about it if we asked Weena Rhyn¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let her do it. I¡¯m not gonna let Rhyn disappear...!¡¹

    Weena Rhyn mumbled something for a little while, and then abruptly stood up from her chair.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to reseal the great magic beast¡¹

    ¡¸You can?¡¹

    ¡¸It was impossible before. But now I should be able to do it¡¹

    Weena Rhyn said so and rushed out. But despite her determined expression, her steps were somewhat unsteady.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going¡¹

    ¡¸But first, what do we do with the students?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, now that you mentioned them... Give them instructions to leave this town and evacuate. Fran, get the other instructors together and take care of them until they escape¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Weena Rhyn reacted as if she had forgotten about the students. As I thought, there must be something wrong with her right now.

    However, only Weena Rhyn could seal the great magic beast. We had no choice but to leave it to her.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m okay¡¹

    She didn¡¯t look okay though. But we were afraid to point that out. That was just how intense the atmosphere of the current Weena Rhyn was.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll definitely seal it¡¹

 Chapter 623

    <h4>Chapter 623</h4>

    I Don¡¯t Know

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    Weena Rhyn said she was going to do something and left. To be honest, I was not sure if it was safe to leave her alone, but evacuating the students was also an important task.

    Fran then went over to the students, it seemed that they had already made preparations to evacuate. They abandoned the tents and everyone was carrying only food and other supplies.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, what¡¯s going on?¡¹

    It was Inez, one of thebat instructors, who spoke on their behalf.

    She was well respected by both teachers and students, and I guess this time she had be the leader of the whole group.

    ¡¸A huge magic beast appeared in theke¡¹

    ¡¸A magic beast?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran¡¯s exnation was met with a puzzled look not only from Inez but also from the other instructors and students.

    ¡¸Hasn¡¯t the Director dealt with the situation?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, she has¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Do we still need to evacuate then?¡¹

    Aah, I see.

    Weena Rhyn was like an absolute existence to the people from the Academy. I guess they couldn¡¯t understand why they still had to evacuate when Weena Rhyn had made a move.

    They must have thought that she could defeat the slightly stronger magic beast without causing any damage to the surroundings.

    ¡¸The magic beast this time was really strong. Even Weena Rhyn said that she was unsure what would happen¡¹

    ¡¸F-for real...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t that mean, it¡¯s already certain that it is a magic beast with a threat level of A or higher...?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, that¡¯s why we need to hurry and evacuate everyone¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    After Fran, the strongest among them exined the situation, they all seemed to understand the severity of the danger.

    Weena Rhyn was said to be capable of single-handedly fighting against an entire country, but that Weena Rhyn was unsure if she could handle this great magic beast.

    And if Weena Rhyn were to seriously confront the great magic beast, the damage to the surrounding area would be enormous.

    ¡¸Did she say anything about the route we should take?¡¹

    ¡¸No. I¡¯ll leave this to Inez¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    Then the students of the academy began their march to leave the campsite. Simrly, we could see the line of residents fleeing the town.

    It seemed that the information had been passed from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to the town chief.

    The refugees were thinking the same thing, to get as far away from theke as possible. There were many people crowded together on the road heading east.

    We went along the road with the students of the academy. But then I realized something.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t see Romio and Zelos Reed around¡»

    (...Certainly)

    ¡ºAre they in the back? Urushi?¡»

    (Woof)

    Even Urushi¡¯s nose didn¡¯t seem to be able to tell where Romio and Zelos Reed were. In other words, I guess they were not among these refugees.

    ¡ºWhere did they go?¡»

    ¡¸I wonder are they all right¡¹

    ¡ºHmm...¡»

    We were actually more worried about Romio than Zelos Reed.

    But as Fran started to frown, Charon spoke to her.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Romio, do you know where he is?¡¹

    ¡¸Romio...? Oh, that cute little kid that the Director brought?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? He¡¯s not with us? That¡¯s a big problem then!?¡¹

    The students around her nodded in agreement with Charon¡¯s exmation.

    ¡¸I mean, the magic beast this time was an opponent that even the Director has to fight seriously, right?¡¹

    ¡¸But we may not have enough time to find them now, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸This is bad...¡¹

    I didn¡¯t know if I would think of the students as kind orcking a sense of urgency, as they were still able to worry about them even at a time like this.

    However, Fran seemed to have a good opinion of them. I guess it was because she shared the same sentiment.

    ¡ºFran, Weena Rhyn only ordered us to take care of them until they had escaped, right?¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºAnd we¡¯ve already made it out of town¡»

    (Aah, I see)

    Realizing that loophole, Fran then rushed to Inez, who was walking in the lead.

    ¡¸Inez¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! Do you need anything?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you handle it from here on out without me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! That¡¯s not a problem!¡¹

    In response to Fran¡¯s question, Inez nodded in agreement.

    Now there were also the Adventurers escorting people from the town among them, so the escort force was more sufficient than I had imagined. As Inez said, even if Fran were to leave, there would be no problems.

    ¡¸Besides... It¡¯s not only the students we should protect, but that kid as well. We shouldn¡¯t just turn a blind eye and leave him there¡¹

    Apparently, the instructors regretted not checking for Romio¡¯s absence when they left. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. On the way from the academy to Lake Vivian, Romio and Zelos Reed were under Weena Rhyn¡¯s care.

    Even after arriving at theke, there was little to no contact between them and the instructors. So, it was asking too much to expect them to remember their presence during the evacuation.

    However, it seemed that they had their pride as instructors.

    ¡¸We leave it to you! Fran-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san. We¡¯ll be counting on you. Please help that kid¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, it was soothing for me to see him¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. You¡¯re right¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I hope he¡¯s okay¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. I¡¯m going to go help Romio¡¹

    So, we headed back to Sheftent, with many instructors and students watching us as we headed there.

    ¡ºUrushi, you find Romio¡¯s scent. Fran, focus on your detection¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    There was still no sign of Weena Rhyn doing anything yet. I didn¡¯t know what she nned to do, but we needed to find Romio before therge-scale battle broke out.

    Moreover, we had one more thing on our minds.

    ¡¸Sierra told us before, that Weena Rhyn in that timeline used Romio¡¯s power without caring that he was in mortal danger¡¹

    ¡ºCould it be, Weena Rhyn was going to do the same thing?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll ask her if there¡¯s another way¡¹

    ¡ºBut what if she says there¡¯s no other way?¡»

    ¡¸...I don¡¯t know¡¹

 Chapter 624

    <h4>Chapter 624</h4>

    Sacrifice

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    We returned to Sheftent and jumped straight into the campsite. However, we couldn¡¯t detect Weena Rhyn or Romio¡¯s presence there.

    ¡ºI wonder where he went... Urushi, can you trace his scent?¡»

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    Urushi nodded but seemed somewhat unsure.

    It seemed that their scent still lingered in this area but he wasn¡¯t sure where they went.

    Nevertheless, in search of clues, Fran walked off with Urushi in the lead.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Passing through the townspeople who were busy making preparations for their escape, Urushi and Fran arrived at the harbor.

    His gaze was fixed on theke¨D¨Dtowards the great magic beast. Did this mean that Weena Rhyn was on her way to seal the great magic beast?

    ¡ºSo Weena Rhyn, Romio, and Zelos Reed¡¯s scent areing from the same direction?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    It seemed certain that Weena Rhyn had taken them both. Could it be that she was really going to use Romio¡¯s power?

    Fran jumped on Urushi¡¯s back and pointed at the great magical beast.

    ¡¸After them!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    At Fran¡¯s urging, Urushi ran off again with a sharp look on his face.

    And so, we were back on theke in a few minutes.

    ¡ºI see her! Over there! No doubt, it¡¯s Weena Rhyn!¡»

    ¡¸But, isn¡¯t that...¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! My worst fears may havee true!¡»

    Near the great magic beast, a circr stage-like object about 15 meters in diameter appeared on theke.

    It was paved with pure white stones, and pirs that seemed to be made of the same material were built on all sides.

    The vibe it was giving was very simr to the temple where the great magic beast had been sealed. But what mattered the most was the people on top of it.

    We saw Weena Rhyn standing on top of that stage. Romio and Zelos Reed were also there together with her.

    Well, it was not like they were there ¡®together with her¡¯ though...

    Romio and Zelos Reed were lying on an altar-like ce set up in the center of the stage. It was obviously a ce for a sacrifice.

    Was she really going to sacrifice Romio and Zelos Reed to re-seal that magic beast?

    ¡¸Urushi! Get over there!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    As Fran instructed, Urushi descended to the stage. But I wondered if it was already toote for us to do something.

    There was dense magic power swirling around the area, and it was clear to me that some kind of ritual was in progress.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn!¡¹

    ¡¸...Fran. So, you came¡¹

    ¡¸What are you trying to do?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m in the middle of the sealing ritual. Please don¡¯t interrupt me¡¹

    After a closer look, Romio and Zelos Reed¡¯s limbs seemed to be bound by water shackles, forcing them to remain in ce.

    Fran¡¯s eyes then narrowed sharply.

    ¡¸What are you going to do to Romio and Zelos Reed!?¡¹

    ¡¸These two will serve as the foundation for the seal¡¹

    ¡¸...So, you mean they¡¯re a sacrifice!?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    She admitted it so casually!

    But Weena Rhyn didn¡¯t seem to feel any guilt. She nodded as if it was a matter of course.

    ¡¸Fran, this is something that I need to do¡¹

    ¡¸But¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have to worry about us¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words were interrupted by none other than the restrained Zelos Reed. Romio seemed to be asleep, but Zelos Reed was conscious.

    ¡¸...What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s gonna die and Romio will live. Right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The Sacrament of the Evil God skill is sealed inside Romio. So, if he can bear the entire burden, Romio¡¯s life can be spared¡¹

    ¡¸Something like that. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to worry¡¹

    So, would Zelos Reed be the one to die instead of Romio? Was that what they meant?

    ¡¸But if Zelos Reed dies, isn¡¯t Romio going to die too?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already severed their contract. But once a connection is made, it¡¯s not gonna be easily erased. By using that connection, it is possible to channel the burden that should normally go to Romio into Zelos Reed¡¹

    To be honest, I thought that might be the better choice. However, there was someone who objected to that.

    ¡¸...Is there any way that neither Romio nor Zelos Reed dies?¡¹

    ¡¸Ara? You want to save Zelos Reed too?¡¹

    ¡¸...I¡¯ve made a promise. After their contract is severed, I will take Romio to the orphanage in exchange for Zelos Reed¡¯s life. In other words, his life is mine¡¹

    ¡¸So what?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not going to let him die on his own. Besides¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Besides?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d feel sorry for Romio if he woke up and found that Zelos Reed was gone... Me too, if Master was gone when I woke up, I¡¯d be sad too¡¹

    Fran tried topare herself with Romio.

    ¡¸Hmm? Does that mean you¡¯re not going to listen to me then?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn muttered that while releasing a terrifying amount of magic power. She may be trying to intimidate us, but this killing power alone would be enough to kill an ordinary person.

    A cold sweat broke out on Fran¡¯s forehead as she was hit by Weena Rhyn¡¯s murderous intent. However, she never turned her eyes away from Weena Rhyn at all.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Is there another way to do this so that Romio and Zelos Reed don¡¯t have to die?¡¹

 Chapter 625

    <h4>Chapter 625</h4>

    Rhyn¡¯s WIsh

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Is there any other way that Romio and Zelos Reed don¡¯t have to die?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s none¡¹

    Weena Rhyn responded to Fran¡¯s question almost immediately with an intimidating air. I guess this was what it felt like to be in over your head.

    ¡ºFran... She¡¯s lying¡»

    (She¡¯s lying?)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    In other words, there was a way to do it without having to sacrifice Romio and Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸...Liar¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not lying¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it, she was really lying¡»

    Her words ¡°I¡¯m not lying¡± were a lie too.

    ¡¸Tell me the way that Romio and Zelos Reed don¡¯t have to die!¡¹

    ¡¸...There¡¯s none¡¹

    ¡¸Liar¡¹

    ¡¸...Tsk¡¹

    Seeing Fran¡¯s convinced expression, she must have understood that her lie had been seen through. Weena Rhyn then sharply narrowed her eyes.

    The intimidation radiating from her body increased. It could already be called a kind of bloodthirstiness now.

    ¡¸I said I don¡¯t have any other way. That doesn¡¯t convince you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸...Haah¡¹

    She was clearly irritated. However, she still seemed to have enough sense not to try to get rid of Fran all of a sudden.

    Well, maybe she just couldn¡¯t attack us because she was in the middle of a ritual?

    The killing intent that Weena Rhyn unleashed was so devastating that it was a wonder why she hadn¡¯t made a move.

    So, this was Weena Rhyn, huh? No, this must be the real Weena Rhyn.

    Weena Rhyn then opens her mouth again in an annoyed tone.

    ¡¸Then what¡¯s the difference between killing another person?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s say there was such a way where we could handle the situation without killing Romio and Zelos Reed. But what would you do if it requires another person to be the sacrifice?¡¹

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m just saying¡¹

    ¡¸That is¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have to worry about the sacrifice though¡¹

    Just as Fran was about to open her mouth. As if to interrupt her words, we could hear a girl¡¯s voice behind us.

    ¡¸...Eh?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn looked behind Fran with a look of astonishment. Her expression changed drastically from frustration to astonishment.

    ¡¸...R-Rhyn...?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn muttered in a faint voice. Yes, the identity of the voice that had interrupted us was Rhyn, the spirit girl with beautiful odd eyes.

    ¡¸You look a little different?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve be a spirit, and my form is just a mere shadow of my former self... I guess you could say that this is my true form¡¹

    Fran was right, Rhyn¡¯s figure that was floating on the ground was quite different. If it hadn¡¯t been for the same voice and eye color, I might not have recognized her instantly.

    Rhyn¡¯s current appearance was quite slender and thin, with her long ears, her appearance reflected the characteristics of an elf and she looked just like Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸I¡¯m d you survived from that. Fran¡¹

    I wondered whether she was talking out of her mind, but I didn¡¯t sense any sarcasm or malice in her words. She seemed to be happy for Fran¡¯s safety from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡¸Long time no see, Weena¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It has been hundreds of years...¡¹

    ¡¸Even if you leave it alone, the great magic beast will surely resurrect. Even if I and the Rhyn in you are attracted to each other, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore¡¹

    That reminded me, if Weena Rhyn ever got too close to theke, the great magic beast would be revitalized and the seal would loosen.

    I guess that must be why Rhyn couldn¡¯t see Weena Rhyn before. But since the resurrection was already inevitable, did that mean there was no point in not seeing her anymore?

    But their expressions were in direct contrast. Weena Rhyn looked like she was about to cry but what she felt inside was definitely joy.

    But Rhyn was expressionless. Moreover, there was no sign of joy on her face. Rather, she looked disappointed.

    About what though? Besides, I didn¡¯t understand what she was saying earlier.

    ¡¸Hey. What do you mean by saying we don¡¯t have to worry about the sacrifice?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. Because I was the one who¡¯s going to get sacrificed¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Rhyn walked past Fran, who was tilting her head and stepped quickly in front of Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn... You are going to reseal the great magic beast, aren¡¯t you¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Now, we can use the Sacrament of the Evil God to reseal it¡¹

    ¡¸...Yeah. Maybe we can reseal it with that¡¹

    ¡¸Right?¡¹

    ¡¸But you know that, don¡¯t you? That I don¡¯t wish for it¡¹

    Immediately after Rhyn said that Weena Rhyn looked as if she was about to cry.

    ¡¸...What¡¯s your purpose, Rhyn!? What do you want to do by resurrecting the great magic beast!?¡¹

    ¡¸Well you see, I want to be ¡®saved¡¯. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want it to be resealed¡¹

    ¡¸Why do you want something like that!?¡¹

    I thought that she was unhappy about being sealed and was nning to resurrect it. After all, Rhyn and the great magic beast were connected, and she had broken the seal herself.

    But apparently, her motives were not something that we had expected.

    ¡¸I want you to liberate me¡¹

    She didn¡¯t want to be freed, but to be liberated?

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn... I know you can do that¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s response to Rhyn¡¯s words was silence. However, the red blood that flowed from between her tightly clenched fists proved the emotions that swirled within her.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t! Why must I do that!¡¹

    ¡¸I beg of you¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t do that! I will never forgive you if you were to disappear!¡¹

    Weena Rhyn looked just like a spoiled child as she eximed that.

 Chapter 626

    <h4>Chapter 626</h4>

    The Unimaginable Number of Wishes

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn, if it¡¯s the current you now, you should be able to defeat that great magic beast that has been ipletely resurrected¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t do that!¡¹

    ¡¸No matter how many times it is sealed, there is no telling when someone will n to resurrect it like this time. It must be defeated here and now¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t!¡¹

    Just like a child, Weena Rhyn covered her face with her hands and shook her head in disapproval. Seeing her like that, Rhyn seemed to have decided to change her approach

    ¡¸I, too, want to be liberated... I¡¯m tired of being sealed at the bottom of that darkke¡¹

    ¡¸No! I said I won¡¯t!¡¹

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn...¡¹

    ¡¸Why would you say something like that!?... I¡¯ve been trying so hard for us to be together again, as Weena, and Rhyn!¡¹

    Weena Rhyn, who was now acting as if she had be a child, screamed with lots of tears streaming down her face. Well, maybe meeting with Rhyn, her twin sister, had returned her emotions to those of a child.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t care about the people of this country! I don¡¯t care what happens to them! I just want to get you back!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not possible¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t say it¡¯s not possible! I¡¯ve been preparing for the day when I can separate Rhyn from that magic beast! I¡¯ve also opened the Academy, which is one of Rhyn¡¯s dreams! I¡¯ve also set up an environment to make it easy for spirits to move around the academy in case you¡¯re still in your spirit form! I¡¯m even donating to an orphanage like Rhyn used to do, and protected the country to get them to recognize Rhyn!¡¹

    Fran backed away slightly at her cry, which even showed a glimpse of madness. Her tail was wagging from side to side and her ears ttened. It seemed that she was under a lot of pressure.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn...¡¹

    Rhyn¡¯s face contorted in sadness. I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    As far as I could tell, Weena Rhyn had dedicated her life to Rhyn. Everything she had done was for Rhyn. It might not be an exaggeration to say that even the kindness she had shown to others was for Rhyn¡¯s sake.

    But the one Rhyn said she wanted to be liberated from was actually Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸I just... want to be together with Rhyn again...¡¹

    ¡¸If you only separated me from that great magic beast, it would only regain its full strength. If that happens, it could even destroy the whole world¡¹

    ¡¸Like I care! I don¡¯t want a world without you in it...¡¹

    This was bad. I could see Weena Rhyn¡¯s expression getting more and more negative, it was already as if she was talking without thinking at all. No, her suppressed emotions might have made her lose her self-control already.

    ¡¸Separate her...? Maybe I can still do it now...? If I use the Sacrament of the Evil God, I might be able to rip off the power of the Evil God...? Can I bring Rhyn back with that...? I don¡¯t care what would happen to the world...¡¹

    Weena Rhyn¡¯s thoughts seemed to have been overwhelmed by negativity.

    Seeing her like that, Rhyn¡¯s shoulders slumped sadly.

    ¡¸Actually, I wished for Weena Rhyn to defeat the great magic beast without using the Sacrament of the Evil God...¡¹

    ¡¸...!¡¹

    Responding sensitively to Rhyn¡¯s murmur, Weena Rhyn shook her head multiple times, biting her lip so hard that it even bled.

    ¡¸For now, let¡¯s start with the biggest problem, shall we?¡¹

    ¡¸The biggest problem?¡¹

    Fran muttered puzzled. There were too many problems, to begin with, and I was not even sure which one Rhyn was talking about.

    ¡¸Do you know that we could use the Sacrament of the Evil God in many ways? Whether it¡¯s used to defeat or seal that great magic beast¡¹

    ¡¸But...¡¹

    ¡¸Do you really think we have to sacrifice Romio or Zelos Reed to achieve that?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸Then we¡¯ll need their help. Come here¡¹

    Rhyn waved her hand lightly to the side, and a ck light swirled next to her. From the looks of it, it resembled a dimension gate.

    Immediately after, a figure came out of it. Fran then gave a small shout of joy when she saw the figure.

    ¡¸Sierra! So, you¡¯re safe¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, somehow¡¹

    Sierra and Zelos Reed stayed behind to stall Zelyse before, but it seemed that they were almost killed by his powerful magic stone weapon.

    But then Rhyn saved them.

    Immediately after being entangled in the tentacles that dragged them into the water, his teleport skill seemed to have allowed them to escape to a small ind somewhere in theke.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve just been resting there...¡¹

    So Rhyn summoned them and now they were here.

    ¡¸Now I know that Sierra and Zelos Reed were safe. But why did you call them here?¡¹

    ¡¸Because this is their wish. Besides, it also serves my purpose¡¹

    What they wished for? Wasn¡¯t Sierra and Zelos Reed¡¯s goal to get revenge on Zelyse?

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn. That ritual, we¡¯ll join in it¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Who are you?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn didn¡¯t know about Sierra? No, they lived in different towns. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they didn¡¯t know each other, wouldn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸E-Ranked adventurer, Sierra. But my real name is Romio, and this sword is my partner. This is Zelos Reed that has be an Intelligence Weapon¡¹

    ¡¸...Eh?¡¹

    It seemed that even Weena Rhyn could not immediately understand the meaning of his words. Surprisingly, Weena Rhyn didn¡¯t seem to know anything about Romio and Zelyse from that timeline.

    Then, Rhyn gave a brief exnation to her. Weena Rhyn looked at him with suspicion, but she must have decided to believe them because of Rhyn¡¯s words.

    ¡¸I-Is that so...? Certainly, they do look alike¡¹

    The shock of witnessing an existence that had crossed time seemed to have calmed her mind. She seemed to have slightly snapped out of her negative thoughts.

    A rational light then returned to Weena Rhyn¡¯s eyes.

    She looked at Romio and Sierra,paring their faces.

    ¡¸Now I understand. Then, Romio that has grown up, what do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let that Romio or Zelos Reed get killed by the Sacrament of Evil God. That¡¯s what I want¡¹

    Sierra dered while looking at his other self.

    ¡¸Y-you¡¯re Romio, you said..!?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, it¡¯s me oji-chan¡¹

    ¡¸Ha, hahah... am I dreaming...?¡¹

    ¡¸The one carrying the burden of using the Sacrament of the Evil God will die. Then why don¡¯t you also channel that burden to me and this sword?¡¹

    ¡¸I see! Now that we have two Romios, though I don¡¯t know if I should call them that¨D¨Dand Zelos Reed and Zelos Reed in his sword form¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The effect of the Sacraments of the Evil God will be doubled but the burden will be shared between me, that Zelos Reed, and this sword Zelos Reed¡¹

    In other words, no one would die even after using the Sacrament of the Evil God.

    Note: I¡¯m sorry for thete update, I am sick, very, I just confirmed to got TBC, and need to be on medication for six month, but I can still TL, of cource at a slower speed than ever, tenken will continue, at a slower speed. I also need to finish my bachelor degree first this year, wish me all the best on my health and study.

 Chapter 627

    <h4>Chapter 627</h4>

    A Glimpse of Hope

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ?

    ¡¸I see. If we could do that, maybe no one would have to die¡¹

    Weena Rhyn muttered to herself.

    ¡¸But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s dangerous. Just because you won¡¯t die, that doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t lose most of your powers¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m prepared for that. I¡¯m not going to abandon Romio and Uncle Zelos Reed. I¡¯ll definitely save them¡¹

    Sierra seemed to have understood that from the beginning. Their main goal now also seemed to have changed to saving Romio and Zelos Reed, hasn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸But if you want to save them, why don¡¯t you make her stop the ritual then?¡¹

    ¡¸...If the fully resurrected great magic beast is left unchecked, those on this continent will be annihted. That¡¯s how bad that thing is. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s better to take the better chance of survival at all costs¡¹

    This was the second time Sierra had seen that great magic beast. He understood the horror of it. He even said that the continent would be destroyed if it was left unchecked.

    In fact, Sierra¡¯s face was pale as he said that. He must have remembered the great demon beast and his fear of it.

    That must be why they were willing to use the Sacrament of the Evil God to seal the great magic beast. Even if it meant putting themselves in danger to do so.

    But was this a good thing from Rhyn¡¯s perspective?

    Fran was trying to stop Weena Rhyn because she had been told that Romio and Zelos Reed were going to die.

    But with Sierra joining them, the danger of death had been eliminated. In other words, there was no longer a reason for Fran to stop the ritual.

    To be honest, I could understand Weena Rhyn, who didn¡¯t want to endanger her other half, Rhyn, and Rhyn, who wanted to free herself from it, and Weena Rhyn by being killed.

    However, if we killed Rhyn, we would only be in a hostile situation with Weena Rhyn.

    But when asked whether I wanted to take that risk and side with Rhyn... I¡¯d probably stay on Weena Rhyn¡¯s side.

    Rhyn seemed to understand that as well. So, she brought Sierra with her, but she looked somewhat troubled.

    ¡¸It would have been better if they don¡¯t have to y a role in this though...¡¹

    I see. So, they were treated as insurance, huh? But as long as Weena Rhyn was determined to kill that great magic beast, we should be fine.

    However, if she failed to persuade her, she would let her seal the great magic beast. But in that case, Sierra and Zelos Reed were necessary to use the Sacrament of the Evil God.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn...¡¹

    ¡¸...No matter how many times you ask me, I won¡¯t...¡¹

    The tension between Weena Rhyn and Rhyn, which should have been on the verge of settling down, began to rise again.

    As far as I was concerned, the two of them were on the opposite sides and would never be able to agree as long as Weena Rhyn, who was taking the initiative, didn¡¯t give in.

    And with the madness we just witnessed, I couldn¡¯t imagine a future where she snapped.

    But of all people, it was Fran who stepped in.

    Even though she was sandwiched in the middle of the intimidation emitted by the superior beings, she boldly asked a question.

    ¡¸Hey. Is there really no way to make both of your wishese true?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s impossible. I want to be liberated. But Weena Rhyn¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I definitely am not going to let Rhyn be killed. One day, I¡¯ll bring Rhyn back to life, and I¡¯ll return to being just Weena¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s it¡¹

    Fran snapped her fingers at Rhyn and tilted her head.

    ¡¸The reason why Rhyn wants to be liberated is because of Weena Rhyn, right?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been watching over Weena Rhyn through the spirits. But I can¡¯t stand to see her push herself so hard for my sake. Besides, there¡¯s something wrong with Weena Rhyn these days¡¹

    ¡¸Something is, wrong with me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. But you know. Thanks to Master, I now know why. Regardless of how close we were as twins; it was a wonder how long two minds in one body could stay sane¡¹

    Oh! I thought Weena Rhyn¡¯s mental state was weird just because of her encounter with Rhyn... But actually, the fact that Weena¡¯s and Rhyn¡¯s consciousnesses were mixed was beginning to overwhelm her!

    Wasn¡¯t that quite dangerous then? If Weena Rhyn went crazy and went on a rampage, the whole country would easily get destroyed. In terms of threat level, I¡¯m sure she would get a threat level of A or higher.

    ¡¸If I, the core of that magic beast, were to be destroyed, Weena Rhyn would be able to return to Weena. And not only Weena but many people will be saved too¡¹

    It would also bring Weena Rhyn back to her senses. Was that why Rhyn insisted on dying?

    ¡¸In other words, if Rhyn returns to her original form and is freed from Weena, she doesn¡¯t have to be killed¡¹

    ¡¸But like I said, If I was separated from the great magic beast, it will regain its power¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t we just do something about it with the Sacrament of the Evil God?¡¹

    I was impressed by Fran¡¯s words. She was right. Why didn¡¯t we just use the Sacrament of the Evil God to suppress its powers and separate Rhyn from it?

    The current, ipletely resurrected, and weakened great magic beast could be defeated by Weena Rhyn, right? Then why didn¡¯t we use the Sacrament of the Evil God to weaken it further rather than letting Rhyn sacrifice herself?

    But Weena Rhyn and Rhyn shook their heads in unison.

    ¡¸We can weaken it. But we don¡¯t have any way to defeat it¡¹

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn can¡¯t defeat it?¡¹

    ¡¸I am the only one who can perform the ritual to weaken the great magic beast using the Sacrament of the Evil God. However, performing that ritual alone requires a lot of power. I won¡¯t have enough strength left to defeat it at that time¡¹

    ¡¸Can Rhyn do it in her ce then?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. This body of mine is just a temporary one. I can use my inherent powers of Time and Water to some extent, but I can¡¯t do much more than that¡¹

    ¡¸I see...¡¹

    I guess things wouldn¡¯t work out that conveniently.

    ¡¸If only that magic beast had been a little weaker...¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸If only the magic beast¡¯s power was weaker, there¡¯s a chance I could defeat it with what¡¯s left of my strength after the ritual¡¹

    ¡¸Does that mean I can just damage it and weaken it?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not possible. You wouldn¡¯t be able to get closer to that magic beast¡¹

    Weena Rhyn muttered sadly.

    We couldn¡¯t get closer to it? I could understand if it had a very thick barrier or its counterattacks were powerful, but what did she mean we wouldn¡¯t be able to even get closer to it?

    Then they briefly exined it to us.

    ¡¸You may not know it, but the Evil God has the power to control and drive all living beings mad. Unless you¡¯re a spirit like me, it¡¯s hard to resist it¡¹

    ¡¸Weak people would go crazy at the mere act of getting close to it. And the piece of the Evil God that lies within that great magic beast is the Evil God¡¯s throat. The voice it releases has a strong curse-like power¡¹

    Weena Rhyn said while pointing at the great magic beast.

    ¡¸At this distance, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that we can¡¯t hear the voice of the great magic beast? Even though we¡¯re still in the sealing ritual, we should at least be able to hear it, right?¡¹

    Now that she mentioned it, she was right.

    ¡¸This stage is protected with a barrier to block out the voice of that great magic beast¡¹

    I see. I thought it was because of the distance, but it was actually because of the barrier that surrounded this stage.

    ¡¸Even I can¡¯t get any closer to that great magic beast than necessary, as it could take control over me too. Although I can defeat it with a single shot, I can¡¯t weaken it by attacking it over and over again¡¹

    So, you¡¯re saying that if the attack can¡¯t bring it down, we would only be dominated by the magic beast? Therefore, we had to unleash one big attack that could instantly defeat it.

    However, after hearing what she just said, Fran and I had some newfound hope.

    ¡ºControl of the Evil God, huh...?¡»

    ¡¸If it¡¯s Master, you should be fine, right?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, you¡¯re right¡»

    Fenrir once told me. As someone from Earth, my soul was immune to the control of the Evil Gods.

    ¡ºThe only problem is, what would happen to my wielder, Fran...? Do you know something, Announcer-san?¡»

    ¡¶A sword and its wielder are inseparable. So, it¡¯s possible for Fran, the wielder, to negate the Evil God¡¯s control¡·

    ¡ºWhat about Urushi?¡»

    ¡¶Urushi¡¯s soul connection with Master has been confirmed. Urushi is also capable of negating the Evil God¡¯s control¡·

    ¡ºAlright! I guess that means we can fight together, right?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. No problem¡·

    Sankyu, Announcer-san. You are so reliable!

    ¡ºFran, Urushi. You heard her too, right?¡»

    (Nn! We can save Romio, Weena Rhyn, and Rhyn. And while we¡¯re at it, we can save Zelos Reed too!)

    (Woof!)

 Chapter 628

    <h4>Chapter 628</h4>

    Our Strategy to Defeat the Great Magic Beast

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be the one to make the great magic beast weaker¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸That way, after Weena Rhyn separates Rhyn from the great magic beast with the Sacrament of the Evil God, she will be able to defeat it, right?¡¹

    Weena Rhyn looked at Fran, who suddenly said that she was going to attack the great magic beast with a dumbfounded look.

    Rhyn looked at us with the same look too. As expected of twins. Although Rhyn was much younger in appearance, they looked exactly alike when they had simr expressions.

    Well, I guess that was why Rhyn had changed her appearance. Even if she was just acting like a mysterious girl, if she looked exactly like Weena Rhyn, it would only cause some kind ofmotion.

    ¡¸Were you listening to me and Rhyn? You can¡¯t get close to that great magic beast. These beings aren¡¯t so careless that a single strike would be enough to take care of it¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    ¡¸That thing was not something that can be handle with just your willpower alone, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi and I are immune to the Evil God¡¯s control¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸We can negate the Evil God¡¯s control, so we¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    ¡¸...Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸B-but that shouldn¡¯t be possible...¡¹

    Hearing Fran¡¯s words, they both looked at Fran with a puzzled look. Sierra was as surprised as they were too.

    ¡¸...You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸...I¡¯ve never even heard of such an ability¡¹

    ¡¸But it¡¯s the truth¡¹

    Even though Fran insisted, they didn¡¯t seem to believe her. They were clearly doubting her.

    ¡¸To be honest, I don¡¯t know what should I do if Fran went out of control because of it...¡¹

    ¡¸But if Fran really can weaken the great magic beast... It may be possible to separate Rhyn from it¡¹

    ¡¸Just leave it to me¡¹

    In the end, no matter how much Fran argued, Weena Rhyn and Rhyn still doubted her. Well, it must be hard for them to believe that it was possible to negate the control of the Evil God.

    If someone was strong enough, they might be able to repel the control, but that didn¡¯t mean that they couldpletely negate it. They could only resist it.

    Even if it was evil, a God is still a God. There was no such thing as an existence that could deny their power. That seemed to be what theirmon sense was telling them.

    ¡¸...I¡¯ming with you too¡¹

    ¡¸Sierra? But what about the ritual?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll return to the ritual once we¡¯ve inflicted some damage to the great magic beast¡¹

    ¡¸But first, aren¡¯t you forgetting about the Evil God¡¯s control? As I said before, if you don¡¯t have a spiritual body like mine, you¡¯ll end up being controlled. Well, Fran was an exception though¡¹

    ¡¸You believe me?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t sense any lies from you... And my intuition tells me that we should let you do it¡¹

    ¡¸Intuition?¡¹

    ¡¸I am a spirit that rules over Time, you know? So, it can¡¯t be just a hunch¡¹

    It seemed that not only was she able to see the future, she also had some kind of power to predict the better options.

    ¡¸And that intuition is telling me that Sierra will be okay too...¡¹

    ¡¸In my case, it was thanks to this sword. Thanks to uncle Zelos Reed that was sealed in this magic sword, I can now prevent the control of the Evil God from corrupting me¡¹

    Since Zelos Reed was an evil person, did that make him resistant to the Evil God¡¯s control? But wouldn¡¯t an evil person be more vulnerable to the Evil God¡¯s control?

    ¡¸Uncle Zelos Reed had a skill called Cannibalism. It allowed him to absorb the power of the Evil God¡¹

    I see. So, it was thanks to that skill, huh? That skill seemed to have a much wider range of use than I had imagined. Maybe I should do some research on itter.

    ¡¸Then Urushi, Sierra, and I will be the ones to attack the Evil God¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Even if you use the Sacrament of the Evil God, that doesn¡¯t mean you can just resume the ritual so easily, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s only natural, right?¡¹

    Well, certainly, it was only natural.

    But we would be grateful if Sierra could help us. He may be inferior to Fran in terms ofbat power, but he knows more about Evil Spirits than we do.

    So, we discussed what was the best way to attack it, and we all decided to cooperate.

    Weena Rhyn and Rhyn also exchanged a few words to each other, though this time without much tension.

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s wrap it up. First, I will initiate the ritual of the Sacrament of the Evil God. But I need Sierra, Romio, and both of Zelos Reeds to be here after you haveunched your attack¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Then Fran will start attacking, and Sierra will join in the attack once the ritual activation isplete¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me¡¹

    It seemed that even when the Sacrament of the Evil God was activated, its effects were not instantaneous. In the first ce, the Sacrament of the Evil God was the ability to absorb power from evil and use it as the user¡¯s power.

    In the same way, we could also give orders to the weakened evil being.

    But this time, our goal was to deprive the Evil Spirit of the piece of the Evil God that was dormant within the great magic beast and channel the Evil Spirit that would normally flow into Romio to Sierra and the two Zelos Reeds.

    In other words, not only Sierra and the sword Zelos Reed, but Zelos Reed could also join the attack.

    ¡¸The oue will depend on how well you guys do it¡¹

    ¡¸If you guys manage to weaken that magic beast¡¯s power, I¡¯ll be the one to defeat it after I manage to separate Rhyn from it¡¹

    ¡¸But if you can¡¯t, Weena Rhyn won¡¯t separate me from it and she¡¯ll reseal it with her sealing technique¡¹

    If all goes well, then everyone¡¯s wishes woulde true.

    Even if we failed, we could at least try to get it sealed. But to be honest, it would just be a solution to postpone the problem though.

    But it was much better than allowing the great magic beast from getting fully resurrected.

    However, Fran didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of ending it that way.

    ¡¸I promise, I¡¯ll make sure we all end up with a smile on our faces¡¹

 Chapter 629

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll be going¡¹

    ¡¸Be careful!¡¹

    It showed how good of a person Rhyn was when she told us to be careful instead of telling us to do our best. Well, she was a spirit though.

    But if Fran didn¡¯t push herself to shave off the great magic beast¡¯s power, Rhyn¡¯s wishes would note true. But it seemed that Rhyn was more worried about Fran¡¯s safety.

    But it was effective on someone like Fran though.

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll do my best¡¹

    ¡¸Your opponent was a legendary, albeit imperfectly resurrected magic beast, you know? Don¡¯t push yourself too hard¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    The expression on Fran¡¯s face as she nodded back at Rhyn was so full of motivation that it was hard to tell that she was not gonna be reckless.

    ¡ºFran, your safetyes first, you know?¡»

    (I understand)

    ¡ºBut your expression wasn¡¯t that of someone who understands though¡»

    But still, she looked to be overly motivated over this. I wondered if there was something that caused her to be like this?

    (This is the first time I ever fought with a piece of the Evil God)

    ¡ºYeah, certainly¡»

    (It was an opponent that I might have to fight eventually to lift the curse of the ck Cat kin. It¡¯s a good chance to know how strong they are)

    Fran¡¯s ultimate goal was to lift the curse ced on the entire ck Cat kin due to Divine Punishment.

    To do so, the ck Cat kin must use their own power to defeat an evil person or an Evil God¡¯s kindred with a threat level of S. That would also mean defeating the pieces of the Evil God.

    To put it bluntly, I think it was an unattainable goal without having more ck Cat kin that were stronger than the Fran. It would take decades to achieve. No, it might even take more than that, maybe even several generations.

    But that didn¡¯t seem to be a reason for Fran to stop trying.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re not gonna be identical, you know?¡»

    (I know)

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t even know if the other pieces of the Evil God are stronger or weaker...¡»

    (But this gonna be a good chance to experience the power of an Evil God¡¯s piece)

    She just smiled it off with a determined look on her face.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right. Though this is a mixed being, I think this really is a good chance to experience its power first hand¡»

    (Nn!)

    ¡¸Oh right, take this...¡¹

    Rhyn produced some water and showered it on Fran. Immediately after, I could see that Fran¡¯s strength was starting to recover. It was not a full recovery, but it should have made things easier for her.

    ¡¸It was healing water. It was the least that I can do for you¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t push yourself too hard until Sierra and the others join you, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But if it has gotten this weak, you don¡¯t mind if we somehow managed to defeat it, right?¡¹

    Oi oi! That was one of the lines I¡¯ve always wanted to say!

    But wasn¡¯t that just gonna raise a death g!?

    (Master? What¡¯s wrong?)

    ¡ºN-no, nothing. I was just impressed by Fran¡¯s motivation¡»

    (Hmm?)

    But if things were to get worse, I¡¯ll have to force her to escape!

    Then, Fran got on Urushi and took off toward the great magic beast.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    With Urushi at full speed, the distance of about a kilometer could be covered in a blink of an eye.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t get too close! We could already be in its range around here!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Is it getting bigger?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s obvious¡»

    Compared to when we first saw it, the body of the great magic beast had swollen several times over. It was still in the resurrection process, but I wondered how big it really was.

    I could see that the gray, purple, and red-ck tentacles were intertwined like a gooey mess, and its huge lump of flesh was still continuing to swell.

    ¡ºFran, how are you feeling?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine¡¹

    That was what Fran said, but we had been through a lot of fierce fighting today. In addition, she even used the Sword God Transformation before, and she must be really exhausted.

    I would really like for her to take a break, but there is no time for that.

    ¡ºFirst, we¡¯ll fight mainly with our magic. And Fran, don¡¯t be reckless so focus on observing our opponent¡»

    ¡¸...Okay¡¹

    Fran, who understood her condition, nodded reluctantly.

    ¡ºUrushi, we¡¯ll count on you on evasion¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸!! It¡¯sing!¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it, it really could reach this far!?¡»

    A jet-ck magic bullet was released from the top of the wriggling, huge mass of flesh. The magic bullets that wereunched up into the sky came straight towards Fran. And there are countless of them. It was just like a barrage already.

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    The power contained in each magic bullet seemed to be tremendous. And we could see a column of water nearly ten meters high on the surface of theke where the magic bulletsnded.

    But its aim was clumsy.

    This had given Urushi plenty of leeway to evade the barrage.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s my turn now! Let¡¯s see how it handles this! Kanna Kamui!¡»

    I fired one shot. But it wasn¡¯t just a simple Kanna Kamui. What I released was a special technique designed for evil beings, with a convergence that increased its power and the power of the Evil Crusher.

    It had the power to defeat the Minotaur General, a magic beast with a threat level of C that we had fought on the ins of the Demon Wolf, with a single blow. The General was a defense-specialized type, and it managed to withstand a normal Kanna Kamui.

    ¡ºOrra!¡»

    The white lightning, clothed in the Divine Attribute, pierced through the countless tentacles and burst into the main body. Immediately after itnded, countless thunderbolts were discharged with a roar, and a blinding sh of lightning then covered the surroundings.

    Although it wasn¡¯t able to prate its body, it did leave arge crater on its massive fleshy body.

    ¡ºTsk, I even used the Evil Crusher, but it still could regenerate itself¡»

    ¡¸Is it because not all of it is part of the Evil God¡¯s piece?¡¹

    ¡ºProbably¡»

    ¡¸...It doesn¡¯t get wounded?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but its magic power seems to have be weaker now¡»

    It really didn¡¯t do much to it.

    ¡¸Should I join the attack too?¡¹

    ¡ºNot yet, I want to find out its weakness first. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, Fran, just make a simple attack on it¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, can you get us a little closer? Now I want to use my telekic catapult to attack directly it¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! Let¡¯s go!¡»

 Chapter 630

    ranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    Taking advantage of Urushi¡¯s movement force, Fran threw me at the great magic beast.

    ¡ºHyaaah!¡»

    With my telekinesis at full power, I charged forward in a straight line toward the great magic beast.

    But tentacles as thin as a string were stretched out to intercept me. However, its strength was not as great as it looked.

    With my momentum, I pierced through the encircling of more than a hundred tentacles and plunged into the grotesque magic beast.

    ¡ºUwooo!¡»

    ¡¸Ghyuoooooh!¡¹

    It roared at the moment I pierced it. But didn¡¯t it sound more annoyed than in pain? It seemed that it was only annoyed by my attack...

    The crater is about the same size as my previous Kanna Kamui, and it doesn¡¯t seem to be taking much damage.

    ¡ºSo my Evil Crusher can only inflict this much damage huh?¡»

    The piece of the Evil God in it was probably too smallpared to its size, moreover, it was a high-ranking being too.

    ¡ºTsk! This is...!?¡»

    The gouged flesh began to regenerate at once. At this rate, I would get swallowed by the great magic beast¡¯s body. It was clearly aiming for me.

    In other words, it possessed the intelligence and rationality to think of a strategy of this level.

    ¡ºKuh... I need to get out of here!¡»

    Moreover, my durability value had been significantly reduced. It seemed that its body fluids had a corrosive or acidic effect.

    When I escaped with my teleport, the hole I had made was already closing.

    ¡ºConsidering how big this thing is, a hole like this was probably just like a scratch, huh?¡»

    Once again, I flew around the great magic beast to see what it looked like.

    It was still growing. Tentacles still intertwined here and there, and from up here, it just looked like a lump of flesh. It had no head, hands, legs, tail, or wings.

    Well, let¡¯s just call it a massive grotesque purple, dark red, and grey tentacled monster...

    ¡¸Ghu... Ghughooh...!¡¹

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    There was some kind of strange noiseing from the great magic beast.

    Was that this thing¡¯s howl?

    I don¡¯t even know where the mouth is, but it sure sounds like a howl.

    ¡¸Ghughaa... Ghughyagoooh!¡¹

    ¡ºUwaah! Gross!¡»

    I was at the top of the lump of flesh when something strange appeared. As I watched from the sky, I could see tentacles wriggling violently beneath me, and then something sprang out from it.

    ¡ºA mouth?¡»

    ¡¸Ghugyoghoooh!¡¹

    A mouth appeared as it moved through the tentacles. Could it be the mouth of the great magic beast?

    ¡ºIt sounded just like a person though...¡»

    It didn¡¯t seem to have beast-like fangs, and although it was huge, it was not deformed. It had reddish-ck gums and white square teeth that lined the gums. In fact, the shape of its mouth was very simr to that of a human¡¯s.

    It was strangely deformed in contrast to its body.

    ¡¸Ghogooaaah... Ooobeey meee!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸Oobeey mee!¡¹

    It talked!

    Its voice was loud and deafening as if it was speaking through a broken loudspeaker, but it was definitely talking.

    ¡¸Obeeey meeee!¡¹

    I wonder if I could call it a spirit of voices. There seemed to be an Evil Spirit in its voice. I see now, those who heard it will surely get controlled by it.

    (TLN: Spirit of Voices (ÑÔë‘ kotodama) refers to the Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words)

    But it didn¡¯t work on me.

    Perhaps it would normally take a great deal of effort for anyone to repel or reject the control.

    But honestly, I didn¡¯t feel like I had done anything. After all, I didn¡¯t feel like I was about to be controlled at all. It was just a loud voice for me.

    ¡¸Obey, me!¡¹

    ¡ºWell, sorry!¡»

    ¡¸Obey, me!¡¹

    ¡ºJust sit there and scream that for the rest of your life!¡»

    ¡¸Obey, me!¡¹

    Is that all you could say!?

    ¡ºJust shut up already! But I was grateful that you¡¯ve shown me a big, visible weakness!¡»

    ¡¸Obey, me!¡¹

    It really only seemed to be able to speak in high-pitched tones. Was that what they called it in ce of a squeal?

    ¡¸Obey,¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºEat this!¡»

    I unleashed my Kanna Kamui at the mouth of the great magic beast, which had repeated the same words over and over like a broken speaker.

    A white thunderbolt was then swallowed by its open mouth.

    ¡¸Obeehygyaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºOh, it works better than before...?¡»

    The magic power of the great magic beast seemed to have decreased since my first Kanna Kamui, but...

    The great magic beast seemed to be still making some movements. I decided to go back to Fran for the time being.

    ¡ºFran, its voice doesn¡¯t affect you, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s just so noisy¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Alright, it seemed both Fran and Urushi were perfectly unaffected by the Evil God¡¯s control, they both just had their ears ttened and were frowning from hearing it.

 Chapter 631

    ranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    I was able to confirm that the Evil God¡¯s control didn¡¯t affect us. Well, the extremely loud voice of the great magic beast was still annoying though, but it was not unbearable.

    ¡ºWe have tried attacking at one focused point and its inside. Next, let¡¯s try attacking its whole body¡»

    ¡¸Whole body?¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll use magic that can cover its whole body. Fran could also help me a little¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡ºThen, let¡¯s do it!¡»

    We then unleashed Ekato Keraunos, a level 9 Thunderbolt Magic on top of the great magic beast.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºOrraa!¡»

    Hundreds of lightning bolts then rained down on top of the great magic beast thanks to the high-level Thunderbolt Magic that was activated simultaneously. The way the electric current charged through its entire body and sparked was nothing short of spectacr.

    The great magic beast¡¯s entire body then flickered as it continued to emit intense light. Not only that, but the thunderbolt also flowed through its body into theke, causing a wide area to be caught up in the shing thunderbolt.

    ¡¸Obebbeey¨D!¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re not done yet!¡»

    The lightning that was imbued with my Evil Crusher seemed to be working. With that in mind, I continued to rain down 10 more barrages of Thunderbolt Magic to the great magic beast. The total number of thunderbolts that had struck the great magic beast must have exceeded a thousand now.

    Then the great magic beast writhed wildly as it received my barrage of thunderbolts.

    But just after I thought its whole body had shrunk slightly¨D¨D¨D

    ¡¸Obey mee¨D!¡¹

    The mass of flesh that had shrunken slightly, quickly swelled at once, and a storm of magic power raged through the air.

    ¡ºWhat the hell! It used brute force to break out of my attack!¡»

    The great magic beast blew away my magic from its body by releasing a torrent of magic power from its entire body.

    The amount of magic power that was released from its body was also tremendous.

    We could¡¯ve been obliterated if we got caught up in that storm of magic power. As I¡¯ve thought, it seemed that this great magic beast was really out of the norm.

    ¡ºTsk. It doesn¡¯t seem to take much damage from that attack¡»

    ¡¸It only got a slight burn...¡¹

    ¡ºYeah... It only affected its body¡¯s surface¡»

    However, it could regenerate any wound on its body¡¯s surface in no time. And the magic power possessed by the great magic beast had not diminished much.

    ¡ºIt seems that we should use one powerful attack instead of a lot of smaller ones¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    But Fran then raised her hand after I told her that.

    ¡¸I want to try something¡¹

    ¡ºYou want to try something? I don¡¯t want you to do anything too reckless though...¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry¡¹

    ¡º...Well, okay¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Thank you, Master!¡¹

    Her earnest-looking eyes made it hard for me to stop her. But it wouldn¡¯t hurt to let her give it a shot.

    ¡ºThen? What do you want to try?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Cut it!¡¹

    Her answer was simple, but it was worth a try. I¡¯ve tried ramming it with my telekic catapult before, but that was the only physical attack I¡¯d tried so far.

    ¡¸Master need to help me too¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Urushi, you too¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºI see, so you want to use that, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    During her training on the ins of the Demon Wolf, Fran had developed a special technique not only with me but also with Urushi.

    The technique was so insane that even I couldn¡¯t keep my mouth shut when I saw them practicing. Well, I didn¡¯t have a mouth though!

    I¡¯d tried to stop them from practicing it many times already, but I stopped myself from doing so after seeing Fran and Urushi so happy despite being in tatters.

    But thanks to that, they were able to perfect that special technique... They managed to perfect their coordination after several serious injuries that should have caused permanent damage to any normal person.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll leave the timing to you. I¡¯ll concentrate on strengthening and defense¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi then begin to ascend to the sky at once. Our altitude must have exceeded a thousand meters already by now.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush¨D¨D Let¡¯s do this, Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    At Fran¡¯s shout, Urushi began to ascend further. Fran stayed where she was and reinforced herself.

    ¡¸Wooo¨Df!¡¹

    Immediately after, Urushi charged straight towards Fran. Using his skills, his speed now was much faster than his ascending speed. And as if he was trying to crush Fran with his huge body, Urushi rushed towards her without slowing down at all.

    Then he aimed his paw at Fran and even activated his w attack technique on it.

    But Fran didn¡¯t move her body to dodge him at all.

    ¡¸Rrhaaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Whooof!¡¹

    And instead of evading the attack, Fran turned her back on Urushi.

    As if to intercept Urushi¡¯s paw, she put both her feet together and stuck them out behind her.

    If the direction had been reversed, it might have looked like Fran was standing with her knees bent over Urushi¡¯s paw pads.

    But this time, Urushi was trying to swing down his paw from above, while Fran¡¯s body was facing downward.

    However, this was the way to do that technique.

    In her usual Sheaths of Wind technique, she would use the momentum of the aerial jumps to gain initial speed, but this time, she used the momentum of Urushi¡¯s attack to gain speed.

    Using Urushi¡¯s power, Fran wasunched straight at the magic beast at once. It was as if she had used the telekic catapult.

    And it was no coincidence. After all, they were really using my telekic catapult as a reference.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    The full power of Urushi¡¯s strengthened skills, which were enhanced by my strengthening on her, as well as her martial arts skills, was transformed into propulsive force, and Fran descended towards the great magic beast with the speed of that of a meteor.

    With Urushi¡¯s assistance,bined with Fran¡¯s eleration skills, it was now difficult for anyone to even follow her speed with their own eyes.

    ck lightning fluttered in the wake of Fran¡¯s descent.

    The distance between us and the great magic beast, which used to be 1000 meters apart, was reduced in an instant.

    ¡¸¨D¨DHeaven Judgement!¡¹

    ¡¸Obeey¨D¨D¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t feel my de slicing through its flesh. It was probably because her attack was too sharp and too fast. The resistance I felt from slicing it was no different than slicing through a body of water.

    I, the one who was shing through it, didn¡¯t even recognize what had happened.

    When I became aware of it, the body of a great demon beast had been ripped in half from the top.

    ¡ºTeleport!¡»

    Still, I knew what I had to do next. I activated the short-range teleport that I had prepared to get away from the beast.

 Chapter 632

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    Immediately after striking the Great Magic Beast with that sh, we teleported a little farther away from the Great Magic Beast.

    ¡¸Ugh...¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Use your regeneration skill!¡»

    Fran had not been directly attacked by the Great Magic Beast. However, her body was full of wounds.

    ¡¸Khoff...¡¹

    She spat out blood mixed with the contents of her stomach. The degree of damage to her body from using that technique was frightening.

    But of course, she would be like this.

    She had been hit by Urushi¡¯s serious attack after all. Even though I had protected her with barriers on her legs and other parts of her body, and used magic and regeneration to reduce the damage, the impact must have been tremendous.

    What was more, this time Fran also had elerated herself with all her might.

    The burden from using those techniques on her body must be enormous. Her internal organs, muscles, and bones were in tatters from not being able to withstand the eleration. Her legs in particr were in a bad shape. It was swollen from internal bleeding, broken bones, and torn muscles.

    The most badly injured part of her body was her right arm, where her bone was visible through her broken elbow. Also, both of her eyes were dyed in red from broken capiries and were bleeding incessantly.

    I was amazed that she was still able to unleash the Heaven Judgement in such a state, and I was also amazed that she was still conscious after having taken the additional burden from using the Heaven Judgement.

    ¡¸I was still in the midst of a fight after all... That¡¯s why...¡¹

    We were still in the midst of a fight, and that was why she tried her best not to lose her consciousness. I could understand that, but whether she could still fight or not was another matter.

    What fearsome mental strength. I truly admired her from the bottom of my heart.

    If I were in Fran¡¯s position. I¡¯d be crying out in pain and agony right now. But in the first ce, I would nevere up with a technique like that...

    ¡ºGood job, Fran! But I¡¯ve told you not to be reckless though¡»

    ¡¸But if I didn¡¯t do that much, my attacks wouldn¡¯t have inflicted much damage to it¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you¡¯re right...¡»

    ¡¸However...¡¹

    ¡ºHowever?¡»

    ¡¸I still couldn¡¯t defeat it¡¹

    She was really nning to defeat it on her own!?

    However, as Fran muttered in frustration, we had not been able to defeat the Great Magic Beast.

    From its mouth at the top, about half of its body was cut in half, revealing the inner parts of its body. However, near the bottom of its body, tentacles began growing out of the cut section and had begun to intertwine to rejoin the cut section.

    It didn¡¯t seem to have any internal organs, just a small throat-like cavity under its mouth with a lump of meat at the end. I couldn¡¯t find its magic stones either

    ¡ºEven after that, it seems that its life force hasn¡¯t decreased much¡»

    ¡¸The ck Lightning God¡¯s w... I failed to activate it...¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it can¡¯t be helped in that situation¡»

    In fact, I was surprised that that attack wasn¡¯t the only attack she nned to use. If Fran were able to add the Divine Attribute of the ck Lightning God¡¯s w on that attack, we might have really defeated the Great Magic Beast.

    However, she failed to activate it in that instant and was still in extreme pain. It was inevitable that she failed to do so.

    ¡ºBut it seems that it lost quite a lot of magic power after that attack, you did rather well¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    ¡ºBesides, we¡¯re not done yet!¡»

    When I attacked the inside of its mouth, the damage was obviously much worse. After all, a direct attack on the inside would be more effective.

    ¡ºHow about this...!¡»

    Our thunderbolt magic didn¡¯t work very well against the Great Magic Beast. So, I decided to follow it up with another kind of magic.

    I scattered more than a dozen of re Explosions and Light Explosions on the cut surface of the magic beast¡¯s wound, which had not been fully closed yet.

    Red and white shes of light and explosions then began to rumble.

    ¡¸Ooobeey meee!¡¹

    ¡ºIt didn¡¯t do much damage to it either, huh?¡»

    It was not that the Great Magic Beast was particrly resistant to Thunderbolt Magic, but it seemed that magic itself didn¡¯t do much damage to it. It may have a magic resistance skill.

    Due to the pieces of the Evil God in its body, my appraisal does not work on it and its abilities were disyed as unknown. What we do know so far was that it had unusually high regenerative power, was quite resistant to magic, and could control others.

    One of its weaknesses was that its physical strength itself was not that high. I couldn¡¯t call that a weakness because of its regenerative ability though.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡¹

    Urushi came back to us. However, he also seemed to be in pain. The bacsh on both Fran and Urushi was tremendous. Naturally, Fran wasn¡¯t the only one who was injured.

    It may have already been healed by his regeneration, but stters of blood were still clinging to his face and shoulders.

    His right foreleg, which was used tounch Fran, must have been unable to withstand the impact ofunching her. It seemed that his leg was torn from the inside by the impact.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran asked while she patted Urushi¡¯s nose.

    Then, I sensed a presence approaching us. But it was not an enemy.

    ¡¸T-that is some serious damage... Were you really the one who did that...?¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi, that was quite a shy move¡¹

    Two people approached us. They were not enemies, but I honestly didn¡¯t want them to get any closer.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll help you out from here¡¹

    ¡¸...Just order us to do anything¡¹

    The ones who came to us were Sierra and Zelos Reed who were d in Evil Spirit that was far beyond even that of Murellia.

 Chapter 633

    ranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸...Muh¡¹

    Fran frowned as she saw Sierra and Zelos Reed who had just arrived.

    However, it was not because of any negative feelings towards Zelos Reed or Sierra. It was simply because she was subconsciously sickened by the evil presence that the two were radiating.

    ¡¸It¡¯s still alive even after it received that much damage, huh...?¡¹

    Looking at the Great Magic Beast that still bore the wounds of Fran¡¯s sh, Sierra muttered with a grim face.

    ¡¸...Did the Evil God¡¯s control not affect the both of you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m still fine¡¹

    ¡¸Me too¡¹

    It seemed that after using the Cannibalism Skill of the magic sword, Zelos Reed made him able to absorb the Evil Power of others and convert it into their own power.

    The same went for the Zelos Reed of this timeline.

    Thanks to that, they seemed to be able to negate the control of the Evil God, which was manifested through the medium of evil energy.

    But I don¡¯t think that skill could be relied upon for a long time. After all, I don¡¯t know what might happen if they absorbed more evil energy than what they could handle.

    However, it seemed that Sierra and Zelos Reed knew that themselves.

    ¡¸We¡¯llunch our attack now. Just being here will increase our power, but I don¡¯t think we can handle it for a long time¡¹

    ¡¸Me too¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    We didn¡¯t know each other¡¯s moves, nor did we have deep trust in each other. Fran and the others exchanged a few words for a few seconds and eventually decided to attack independently.

    I¡¯m sure Sierra and Zelos Reed could work together, but I¡¯m not sure if Fran could.

    Besides, I wanted to watch how they fought.

    ¡ºIt seems that they¡¯ll go all out from the start. Let¡¯s drop a few gears and look for their weaknesses from a distance¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    And as I¡¯d expected, Sierra and Zelos Reed rushed towards the Great Magic Beast with their evil spirits in full force.

    But then, a question came to mind... Would they attack it with their evil spirit? Would it work against an opponent who had taken in a piece of the Evil God?

    Well, we won¡¯t know until they¡¯ve tried it.

    Sierra and Zelos Reed then begin their attack on the Great Magic Beast with an attack that was imbued with their evil spirits. A huge explosion then urred, their attack managed to blow off countless tentacles into the air.

    It seemed that since it was so specialized in its ability to control its opponent, its physical body was not that of a normal creature.

    I also tried to unleash my magic from a distance too. I tried all the attributes I had, such as Earth and Water Magic, but the Great Magic Beast didn¡¯t seem to be weak against any of them.

    If it wasn¡¯t weak against any attribute, does it have any weak point on any part of its body?

    I wondered if it even had any vital points at all...

    Leaving the attacking parts to Sierra and Zelos Reed, I continued to observe the Great Magic Beast, cut off its tentacles that tried to reach us, and sometimes I used short-distance teleport to avoid them.

    I also observed the flow and concentration of the Great Magic Beast¡¯s magic power. Was there any principle behind its regeneration ability? What about when itunched an attack?

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    ¡¸Something¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah...¡»

    I felt a subtle sense of difort. However, neither Fran nor I could detect its origin.

    ¡ºSo in the end, we¡¯ll just have to cut it down by force, huh...?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s easy to understand¡¹

    ¡ºWell, but...¡»

    I didn¡¯t miss the fact that Fran¡¯s movements were getting slower. Physically and mentally, she must have umted exhaustion that she wasn¡¯t even aware of.

    ¡ºFran. Try to regain some strength for now. We¡¯re gonna use it for one final attackter¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    As I was pondering where to strike while repelling its tentacles, Fran and Urushi suddenly reacted to something.

    They looked up slightly to the sky with a surprised expression on their face.

    What they saw were Sierra and Zelos Reed who were about 100 meters above us in the sky.

    And the reason why Fran and Urushi were so surprised was probably because of the sudden increase in the amount of evil that the two were releasing. They seemed to be nning to unleash some kind of big attack.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get away from here¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    In front of us, Sierra and Zelos Reed seemed to be getting ready to unleash an attack. They formed a line with Zelos Reed in front and Sierra at the back. Both of them seemed to be concentrating their evil spirits on themselves.

    I didn¡¯t know if this was going to help them, but we unleashed some shy magic to draw the attention of the Great Magic Beast to us.

    Then as I watched, Sierra and Zelos Reed seemed to havepleted their preparations.

    ¡ºThat was... an Evil Spear?¡»

    ¡¸And what Zelos Reed created was... rings?¡¹

    What Sierra had created was a cone-shaped spear of evil spirit. It was a mass ofpressed evil energy. I guess he was going to use it tounch an attack

    But what the hell is that thing that Zelos Reed created? As Fran said, he had created three ck rings that were slightlyrger in diameter than the evil spear that Sierra had created.

    ¡ºAnyway, let¡¯s prepare a barrier¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I don¡¯t know what kind of attack they were going to make, but I¡¯m sure it was going to be quite powerful. We then further distanced ourselves and put our barrier at full power.

    Immediately after that, Sierra made his move.

    ¡¸Eat this!¡¹

    At the same time that Sierra swung down his right hand, the evil spear was shot out with great force, it was as if it had been thrown by an invisible hand.

    From our point of view, the speed was a bit of a disappointment though. But was hitting the Great Magic Beast with the evil spirits more important than its speed for them?

    But that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    Zelos Reed then lined the three rings that he had created in the line of fire of the Evil Spirit Spear. And each time the Evil Spirit Spear passed through one of the rings, the Evil Spirit Spear seemed to grow faster.

    It seemed that by controlling the flow of evil power on the rings, he was able to elerate the Evil Spirit Spear that Sierra released at once. I see now, interfering with evil spirits by using evil spirits. This was an attack that only the duo of Sierra and Zelos Reed, who could handle powerful evil spirits, could do.

    ¡¸So fast!¡¹

    The evil spear, which had reached the speed of my telekic catapult, prated the head of the Great Magic Beast while destroying also its tentacles that were trying to intercept it.

    Booom!

    ¡ºUwooh?¡»

    Shock waves and strong evil spirits blew even to where we were. I could see the surface of theke shaking violently as a tidal wave like a tsunami was generated. What a fierce explosion. Thepressed evil spirits must have been released all at once.

    The Great Magic Beast that took a direct hit from Sierra and Zelos Reed¡¯sbination technique then had an excessivelyrge hole gouged out of its body. The wound was also muchrger than my Kanna Kamui.

    However¨D¨D

    ¡º¨D¨DThat didn¡¯t do much damage either, huh?¡»

    The wound has then begun to regenerate immediately. I was getting fed up with the Great Magic Beast that could immediately regenerate no matter how much we attacked it.

    But even in the midst of all this, we finally see a slight glimmer of hope.

    ¡ºIts regeneration has begun, but... It¡¯s a little slower now?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The regeneration rate was slightly slower than when we first attacked it. I wonder if this was the result of our continued attacks on it? Or was it because of Sierra and Zelos Reed¡¯s attack?

    Anyway, if we could find out why, we might be able to ovee the situation.

 Chapter 634

    <h4>Chapter 634</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡ºThat hole, it¡¯s regenerating at a slower rate than before¡»

    Therge hole was created by Sierra and Zelos Reed¡¯s attack. And of course, it had started to regenerate at a steady rate, but it was obviously closing up much slower than when we first had attacked it.

    Had it taken so much damage that it even affected its regeneration power?

    There was also the possibility that it was because of the effect of the Sacrament of the Evil God.

    I could also see that its evil spirit flowed out of the Great Magic Beast into Sierra and Zelos Reed at a fairly high rate. With so much power being sucked out of it, it was no surprise that it started to affect the Great Magic Beast.

    Just when Fran was about to call out to Sierra and Zelos Reed, we heard a voice called out to us.

    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯re having a hard time here¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn?¡¹

    It was Rhyn, the spirit, that suddenly appeared before us.

    ¡ºDid youe to support us?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. I was hoping I could be of some help¡¹

    ¡ºHey, does that thing has any weaknesses?¡»

    ¡¸Well, yes it has¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? For real?¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Rhyn nodded casually at my question. Both Fran and I then couldn¡¯t help but question her back.

    ¡ºCould it be, you know where its magic stone is? After all, we can defeat it if we can destroy its magic stone¡»

    ¡¸Well, of course, it has a magic stone, but it¡¯s still under the seal for now¡¹

    ording to Rhyn, the current Great Magic Beast was only a fraction of its true size. To put it in human terms, the current magic beast was only the size of an arm.

    Naturally, the magic stone and the other parts of its body are still under the seal.

    ¡¸What¡¯s its weakness then?¡¹

    ¡¸It was not really its weakness, but...¡¹

    As she said so, Rhyn pointed to a spot a little farther away from the hole that was made by Sierra and Zelos Reed¡¯s attack.

    ¡¸Look over there¡¹

    ¡¸Where?¡¹

    ¡º...Aah! That small wound!?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s such a small wound, but it heals so slowly, doesn¡¯t it? And look at the tentacle that was there¡¹

    I then looked at the tentacle near the area of that small wound. I see now, some of the tentacles have not begun to regenerate and are still in tatters. There were so many of them that I hadn¡¯t noticed until now.

    ¡¸Tentacles around the wound still has some magic power in it that is simr to Life Magic¡¹

    ¡¸Life Magic...?¡¹

    Fran muttered and patted Urushi on the back. Urushi reacted to it and looked back at Fran on her back.

    Yes, the tentacles were indeed indistinguishable, but the small wound on its body was definitely the marks of Urushi¡¯s bite.

    ¡ºI see now! It must be the effect of his Regeneration Inhibition skill!¡»

    I had never pay much attention to this skill before, so I waspletely unaware of it, but Urushi had a skill that could inhibit an opponent¡¯s regeneration.

    And apparently, it worked well against the Great Magic Beast.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not much of a weakness, but that tremendous regeneration power is ultimately due to skill. So, any magic or ability that could block it will work. Urushi should be able to do damage to it more efficiently¡¹

    The slow regeneration of the wound meant that the Great Magic Beast would take more magic and evil energy than ever before to close the wound.

    I think Rhyn was trying to tell us to involve Urushi more in our attack. Even though his single attack power was inferior to Fran¡¯s, if he kept attacking it we could expect the Great Magic Beast to take a lot of damageter.

    Under normal circumstances, it was the most efficient way to go.

    Well, under normal circumstances, that was.

    ¡ºFran, there¡¯s got to be a technique in the Life Magic system to block others healing ability¡»

    Urushi lost one of his eyes for a while because of it. But that was also probably why the evolved Urushi got the regeneration inhibition skill though...

    (Should we use Master¡¯s points?)

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    (Nn!)

    I still have a few self-evolution points. Moreover, I already possessed Life Magic.

    After discussing it with Fran, I decided to put my points into Life Magic.

    ¡ºHowever, I don¡¯t know at what level I¡¯ll learn that technique. Hmm... Well, let¡¯s just raise it one level at a time then...¡»

    ¡¶That magic can be learned at Life Magic Lv.5¡·

    ¡ºOoh! Really!?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. The Life Magic, Heal Disturb. It is possible to temporarily inhibit the opponent¡¯s ability to heal and regenerate when they are wounded by the user¡¯s weapon or body¡·

    ¡ºBingo!¡»

    I followed Announcer-san¡¯s advice and raised my Life Magic to Lv.5.

    ¡ºAlright! I learned it!¡»

    Life Magic, Heal Disturb. It was just as Announcer-san said. First, we needed to put this technique on our weapon or body, then the effect would take effect when we attacked our opponent, and it would hinder our opponent¡¯s ability to heal or regenerate their wounds for a while.

    But in the Great Magic Beast¡¯s case, it seemed that its body was too big to exert this skill effect on its entire body. Also, in Sierra and Zelos Reed¡¯s case, it seemed that evil spirits originally had properties that inhibit regeneration. As expected of an enemy of all living things.

    ¡ºAnyway, I¡¯ve learned another good techniques now¡»

    In fact, I was more than satisfied with this one.

    Life Magic wasn¡¯t just magic that interfered with one¡¯s ability to recover. But it was a line of techniques that affected the physical bodies of all living things.

    There were techniques to increase one¡¯s recovery speed of physical abnormalities, techniques to strengthen one¡¯s muscles and nerves, and there were also techniques to make one¡¯s body more robust and increase one¡¯s physical strength.

    At first, I didn¡¯t understand what it meant, so I asked Announcer-san, but a technique to increase physical strength was exactly what Fran needed right now.

    ¡¸What technique did you learn?¡¹

    ¡ºThis technique is amazing. After all, by increasing one¡¯s physical strength, it reduces the bacsh of using other techniques and skills!¡»

    In other words, it was magic for people like Fran now, who suffer from severe injuries every time she used a technique. With this, not only the bacsh of the Brilliant Light Rush but also the damage caused by the burden of using Heaven Judgement and Sheaths of Wind would be greatly reduced.

    Well, we won¡¯t know until we try it.

    Anyway, Fran was not going to stop even if I told her to. It was regrettable, but the time to use it woulde soon. If possible, I didn¡¯t want her to be reckless for the time being...

 Chapter 635

    <h4>Chapter 635</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try the recovery inhibition skill, the Heal Disturb first¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran nodded lightly in response to my words and called out to Urushi.

    ¡¸Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºW-wa-wait! Could it be, are you going to do that thing again?¡»

    What I mean by ¡°that thing¡± was Fran and Urushi¡¯sbination attack. We didn¡¯t have a name for That yet, so I called it ¡°That¡± for now.

    ¡¸Nn. We have that Life Magic now. We¡¯ll surely take it down now!¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I was still a bit reluctant to immediatelybine it with That attack though¡»

    We still didn¡¯t know how well either of these techniques would work after all. She was way too scary for her own good!

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try That after we¡¯ve tried a few things first, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Okay. And Master, it¡¯s not ¡°That¡±. I¡¯ve thought of a name for it¡¹

    ¡ºHou? What did you call That?¡»

    That was unusual. Fran rarely cared about those kinds of things after all. Wasn¡¯t this the first time she¡¯de up with something like that on her own?

    ¡¸Nn. Sirius Sky Wolf¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºStoo-p! No! Not that!¡»

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, he certainly needs to elerate from the sky though!¡»

    Because that name was bad because of a lot of things!

    ¡¸Then, Cutting fang of Sirius¡¯¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºNo~pe! Not that too!¡»

    Huh? Did I ever tell her about that manga before?

    (TLN: Reference to Ginga Densetsu series manga. Trivia: Sirius, a star in the constetion of Canis Major also known as the Dog Star)

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡ºA-anyway, we can¡¯t just use that name for it. Someone already used it after all¡»

    ¡¸Muh... We can¡¯t use a name that is already being used by someone?¡¹

    ¡ºOf course, right?¡»

    ¡¸I have three more names in mind¡¹

    ¡ºHohou?¡»

    That¡¯s quite a lot. I¡¯d love to hear all of it.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s the first one?¡»

    ¡¸Hyper Special Excellent Miracle sh¡¹

    ¡ºRejected!¡»

    ¡¸?? That¡¯s no good too?¡¹

    ¡ºWell... I was hoping for something unique if possible¡»

    It reminded me that Fran was just a kid, that name was cute, but...

    I don¡¯t want Fran to be made fun of for the name of her technique in the future. I mean, using Hyper... Miracle... Aah~ what was it again?

    ¡¶Hyper Special Excellent Miracle sh¡·

    ¡ºA-announcer-san! Just forget that!¡»

    Anyway, that name was rejected!

    ¡¸Okay, then, the second one¡¹

    ¡ºO-ou!¡»

    ¡¸Super Urushi Attack¡¹

    ¡º...I-I see...¡»

    Wasn¡¯t it better than before? Or was it just because thest one was so bad that it seemed better? This was bad, I wasn¡¯t sure anymore.

    ¡ºI-I¡¯d like to hear thest one¡»

    ¡¸Nn! The Wolf-Style Sword Drawing Technique¡¹

    ¡ºO-ooh! That¡¯s a good one!¡»

    I mean, I didn¡¯t have any other choice! Well, I¡¯d settle for thest one.

    ¡ºWolf-Style Sword Drawing Technique sounds good to me¡»

    ¡¸Really? Super Urushi Attack is much cooler though¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran, Urushi, stop looking at me with those sparkly eyes! It only made it hard for me to deny it!

    ¡ºL-let¡¯s just use Wolf-Style Sword Drawing Technique for that! Okay?¡»

    Later, as a result of my desperate persuasion, thebined technique of Fran and Urushi was named the Wolf-Style Sword Drawing Technique.

    ¡ºWell, just leave this to me now¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran took me in her other hand and prepared to shoot me out. We¡¯d have to try it from a distance first instead of suddenly attacking with everything we got.

    With that in mind, my telekic catapult would surely be quite useful. Normally, one would have to apply Heal Disturb to a weapon or something to make a direct attack. But Fran had me, so we could attack from a distance.

    ¡¸Go!¡¹

    ¡ºHiyaahaa!¡»

    We then once again used the telekic catapult to attack it. But this time, on top of my Evil Crusher, I also used my newly acquired Life Magic. However, there seemed to be a miscalction on my part.

    ¡ºHmm... I forgot that I was not a living thing...¡»

    The techniques that elerated recovery and strengthened one¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t work for me. I was just a sword after all...

    It was a little disappointing because I thought that the Strong Body technique might reduce the bacsh of using telekic catapults and the like.

    ¡ºWell, the important thing is that the Heal Disturb is working fine, so whatever¡»

    I also used my Magic Release and other methods to drastically increase my speed. Then, after pushing through the numerous tentacles, I once again stabbed into the body of the great magic beast.

    Just like before, arge crater was then created because of it. The damage was not as great as I¡¯d expected, but...

    ¡ºI¡¯m gonna tear you up even more!¡»

    I activated my form transformation as I thrust myself into the center of the crater that had opened up in the Great Magic Beast¡¯s body.

    I did not transform myself into a steel thread this time. After all, no matter how weak its physical body was, it was not strong enough to pierce the great magic beast¡¯s body.

    I transformed into something a little thicker than that, I transformed my de into something like a needle. My de then branched out into nearly a hundred pieces and a dozen meters long needle,ying waste to the body of the great magic beast.

    This still wouldn¡¯t be much of a wound for the Great Magic Beast, but I¡¯d have to shave off the Great Magic Beast¡¯s power as much as I could.

    ¡ºWell then... How¡¯s the result?¡»

    I returned to Fran with teleport and observed the Great Magic Beast from a distance.

    The hole I made was visibly slow to regenerate. It was probably less than a hundredth of the regeneration speed of the other wounds.

    ¡ºAlright! It¡¯s working!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! It doesn¡¯t seem to regenerate at all!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 636

    <h4>Chapter 636</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸It seems you¡¯ve learned the Life Magic, haven¡¯t you? But you didn¡¯t seem to have used all of it though...¡¹

    Rhyn looked at me in surprise when she saw mee back to Fran. Then she suddenly nodded with a satisfied look on her face.

    ¡¸Oh, so it was Sword-san¡¯s ability¡¹

    ¡ºEh? No, how to put this...¡»

    ¡¸Aah sorry, I just looked at the past, that¡¯s how I know it¡¹

    ¡º...¡»

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone¡¹

    It seemed that being able to see the past didn¡¯t just mean that she could understand the past, it also meant that she could see what happened just a moment ago.

    ¡ºA-anyway, next time we¡¯ll get serious!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºShaving its power little by little will only tire us out. So, let¡¯s put all our strength into this onest attack¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    As we were discussing our next attack, the Great Magic Beast then suddenly emitted a particrly powerful magic power from its body.

    ¡¸Oobeeeyy Meee!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s moving... and its magic power is...¡»

    ¡¸It seems to be swelling even more...¡¹

    There was a clear change in the movements of the Great Magic Beast. Until now, the tentacles had been intertwined and were continuing to grow, but as soon as they stopped moving for a moment, they began to violently thrash around.

    It wasn¡¯t just the physical and magical aspects of the Great Magic Beast that had changed.

    ¡¸Is it watching us?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah...¡»

    I don¡¯t know where this thing¡¯s eye was. It may not even have eyeballs, and it may only sense us through magic or life detection, but its awareness was definitely on us now.

    Until now, I doubt it even knew we were here. We were probably just like small flies before.

    But now, it seemed that the Great Magic Beast had clearly recognized us as an enemy.

    ¡¸It¡¯s sucking the magic power out of the water...¡¹

    ¡ºWater? Do you mean theke water?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. And unfortunately, the Great Magic Beast also has my power as a spirit in it, that must be why it can do that¡¹

    Rhyn was a Spirit of Time and Water. And the water of Lake Vivian contained the magic power of the Space-Time attribute.

    It seemed that the Great Magic Beast was taking advantage of Rhyn¡¯s power to absorb magic power out of theke water.

    ¡ºBut wait, you know how the water in thiske contains space-time magic...?¡»

    ¡¸It was because of me and the great magic beast¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that exins why it has such a high affinity!¡»

    The swelling of the great magic beast¡¯s tentacles increased in intensity, and gradually changes began to appear all over its body. Masses that looked like bumps began to appear all over the great magic beast¡¯s body.

    The huge masses then swelled up and grew in number. I could sense that each of them possessed a considerable amount of magical power and evil spirits.

    Was it preparing some kind of attack? If so, this could be quite dangerous then!

    Facing the increasing pressure, I put upyers of barriers to protect Fran. But my prediction was wrong.

    It was clear that the great magic beast had recognized us as an enemy to be defeated, but it had not yet taken any direct action.

    ¡¸Obeey Meee!¡¹

    ¡ºKuh...!¡»

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    The magic power of the great magic beast, which had been slowly increasing, increased several times in an instant. I even involuntarily teleported us backward and distanced ourselves from the great magic beast.

    It was just such an explosive release of magic power and hostility. I could feel it was releasing its strong malice and hostility towards us.

    It scared me. It wasn¡¯t just fear of losing Fran. I was afraid of being that close to the great magic beast myself.

    ¡ºUrushi,e over here too!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸...It has lots of mouths¡¹

    ¡ºYeah...¡»

    It was just as Fran said.

    The great magic beast¡¯s appearance had changed drastically and mouths had sprouted all over its body. The bumps of mass had now been transformed into the shape of a mouth. It was almost simr in shape to that of a human mouth.

    It was only about a tenth the size of the first huge mouth that grew on the top of its body, but it looked exactly the same.

    It was probably more than a hundred by now.

    It was just like the image of Tata©–, the goddess that has numerous small mouths all over her body...

    (TLN: I don¡¯t get what author-san is referencing with ¥¿¥¿©–Éñ)

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¨D¨DFire Arrow¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Just as the multiple ovepping chants echoed in our surroundings, arge number of fire arrows filled the space around the Great Magic Beast.

    Over a thousand fire arrows are directly pointed at us, Sierra and Zelos Reed.

    Immediately after, our field of vision turned crimson. The continuous sound of explosions then continued to echo without a pause.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for my multiple activations of me Barrier, both Fran and I would have been burned to a crisp.

    The Fire Arrows, which had been activated by the great magic beast, were all fired at Fran and the others at once.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just any multiple activations. It used an overwhelming amount of magic as if hundreds of magic users had unleashed their magic at the same time. It seemed that each mouth on the body of the great magic beast was capable of chanting magic.

    ¡ºThe control over its magic is... seems to be fine...¡»

    We are dealing with a great, extraordinary magic beast after all. It probably has magic control power that was far beyond our imagination. As for its magic power, it seemed to be almost inexhaustible. At the very least, as long as there was water in theke around it, it doesn¡¯t have to worry about its magic power even if it repeats that kind of attack 1000 more times.

    ¡¸Muh!¡¹

    ¡ºDammit! It even used a magic bullet and its tentacles...!¡»

    ¡¸More iing!¡¹

    ¡ºI know!¡»

    Itunched another barrage of Fire Arrows. And just like before, it also aimed magic bullets and its tentacles at us.

    Up until a moment ago, the Great Magic Beast seemed to have given top priority to its resurrection and hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to us. The tentacles and magic bullets were probably not a clear attack on us, but an unconscious defensive action. Just like a cow swatting a fly with its tail.

    In other words, it could also send out its tentacles alongside its magic attack at us.

    ¡ºIf we don¡¯t attack it now, we¡¯ll only be crushed by the sheer volume of its attacks!¡»

 Chapter 637

    <h4>Chapter 637</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¨D¨DWater Arrow¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡ºIt used water magic now...!¡»

    Unlike Fire Arrow, which was apanied by an explosion, this one had an inferior range of attack. But instead, it had excellent prating power, so the physical power of the water arrow was superior.

    Moreover, the number of water arrows it created greatly exceeded the number of fire arrows it created earlier.

    There seemed to be over 2,000 of them.

    This was probably also a matter of affinity. Thanks to Rhyn¡¯s power within it, it was only natural that Water Magic would be a better suit for the Great Magic Beast since it had high affinities for Time and Water Attributes.

    But if that was the case, I wondered why it used Fire Arrows on its first attack... I¡¯m not sure if it simply used that without thought, or if it was prioritizing control over numbers.

    If it was thetter, this was gonna be quite annoying. It would mean that it had the intelligence to use different attributes depending on the situation.

    I knew this magic beast wasn¡¯t stupid, but maybe it could be capable of thinking several levels higher than I had anticipated.

    (Master, what should we do?)

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll need to get together with Sierra and Zelos Reed and turn to attack it at once¡»

    (Nn)

    While evading the water magic with Dimension Shifts and Short Jumps, we discussed our ns for our next move.

    Now that the opponent was aggressively attacking us, we couldn¡¯t afford to use the wait-and-see approach. The longer we waited, the more of a disadvantage we would be in.

    As I thought, this magic beast seemed to really have high intelligence.

    It shot out water arrows at regr intervals and it seemed to have calcted each shot so that they wouldn¡¯t collide with each other. That was an impossible feat for a magic beast that acted on instinct alone.

    The barrage of water arrowsing at us still hadn¡¯t stopped yet.

    It was as if the barrage of the countless arrows that were being shot at us would nevere to an end.

    A wide area of the surface of theke then raged violently because of the stray arrows, and high waves kept forming up.

    The Great Magic Beast keptunching its tentacles and magic bullets at us, leaving no safe ce within a radius of 500 meters of the magic beast.

    ¡ºAnd its current size is just still the size of its arm!?¡»

    It was also being weakened by the Sacrament of the Evil God, right!?

    ¡ºWhat about Sierra and Zelos Reed...!? They seem to be safe¡»

    I checked on the safety of Sierra and Zelos Reed after the barrage had stopped.

    They were far farther behind us. They must have managed to retreat to the outside of the barrage range in time.

    But they did note out unscathed.

    Zelos Reed, in particr, was in a really bad state. The lower half of his body had beenpletely obliterated. There was also arge hole in his head, he would have died if he were not an Evil Person. And it seemed that his regeneration had begun to restore his body.

    Sierra was also hurt quite badly, but it was a minor injurypared to Zelos Reed¡¯s.

    ¡¸Oji-san! You don¡¯t have to cover for me...!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh...Do-n¡¯t mind... it...¡¹

    ¡¸But!¡¹

    Zelos Reed seemed to have protected Sierra. Even though he had grown up, it seemed that Romio¡¯s affection towards Zelos Reed hadn¡¯t changed much.

    Well, it was not like I didn¡¯t know how he felt. After all, If the grown-up Fran from the future was here in Romio¡¯s position, I¡¯d probably do the same too.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get some distance! We¡¯ll fall back until we¡¯re close to Sierra and Zelos Reed!¡»

    (Nn!)

    Fran understood the danger of staying here. She immediately moved at my suggestion.

    We immediately teleported out of the attack range of the Great Magic Beast.

    ¡¸Sierra, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, how about you? You seem pretty worn out¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine¡¹

    ¡¸I see... I think you already know this, but it seems that I can¡¯t continue shaving away its power any longer¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But while we still have the power to unleash our full power attack, we¡¯ll attack it with our all-out attack¡¹

    It seemed Sierra and Zelos Reed had made the same decision as us to make onest attack on the Great Magic Beast.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll serve as a decoy while you prepare yourself¡¹

    Zelos Reed, who had the highest recovery power, volunteered himself to be a decoy for us. This would reduce the amount of power he could allocate to his attacks, but he could leave that part to Sierra and Fran.

    ¡¸And while I was at it¨D¨D¡¹

    Just before Zelos Reed finished his words, something happened and he turned around with a startled expression on his face. And at the same time, Fran and Sierra also stared in the same direction as him.

    ¡¶Magical power reaction inside the Great Magic Beast detected. It¡¯s rising rapidly. Rmending evasive actions¡·

    ¡ºWhat!?¡»

    I quickly teleported after I heard Announcer-san¡¯s advice. Immediately afterward, an extremely thick ray of light passed by us as if to snatch us at the ce where we had been before we teleported.

    Even though we didn¡¯t get a direct hit, the aftermath alone was enough to scrape off part of our barrier.

    And it was that Great Magic Beast that released that ray of magic power at us.

    ¡ºSo, it hasn¡¯t given up to attack us even after we¡¯re out of its magic range, huh!?¡»

    As I followed the line of fire of the light ray, I saw that it hadnded on the surface of theke far from here. With a tremendous boom, a huge column of water that seemed to be over 50 meters high was created.

    ¡ºOi oi... It even reached that far away...¡»

    Fortunately, there were no ships in the vicinity. Well, they¡¯re most likely already evacuated after all. However, I felt that ray of light seemed to be able to reach even farther. It might even be able to reach thend tens of kilometers away from the center of theke.

    Depending on the angle from which the ray was emitted, there might even be significant coteral damage because of it.

    ¡¶Second shot iing¡·

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Uoooh!¡¹

    Before Fran could make a move, Zelos Reed rushed at the Great Magic Beast. He held up a huge shield made of evil spirits and jumped into the line of fire of the rays himself.

    The rays that the Great Magic Beast released and Zelos Reed¡¯s evil shield collided, creating an impact that was so strong that it was apanied by a violent wind.

    ¡¸Gghuaaah!¡¹

    Even though the evil shield prevented a direct hit, a tremendous amount of its heat was burning Zelos Reed¡¯s entire body. The surface of his body even turned red like a charcoal from the heat, and he was still regenerating only to get burned again.

    Zelos Reed continued to block the rays of light while smoke billowed from his burned body.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of its attack! You guys! Justunch your attack on it!¡¹

    Zelos Reed turned only his head toward us and roared loudly. The look in his eyes was so sincere that it was hard to believe he was an Evil Person.

    TLN: I¡¯ve gotten better, so we (the team that TL/ED this series) decided to shorten the update rate from ¡°a chapter per 3-4¡± days to ¡°a chapter per 2 days¡±.

 Chapter 638

    <h4>Chapter 638</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    What triggered people to change could be so trivial.

    It did not require a dramatic incident to trigger it, but a trivial matter that coulde suddenly. And before you know it, it has changed you.

    For me, it all started with a request from an acquaintance.

    It was a request from Murellia. A pitiful woman whose spirit has been corrupted by the Evil God. A woman whose only interest was Romio. And she was a beautiful woman.

    I remember how shocked I was when I first saw her. It was the first time I had ever looked at a woman and thought she was beautiful. It was not because of lust. I was just fascinated by her beauty.

    It was not about the beauty of her facial features. It was because of her fierceness, her twistedness, and her cold-heartedness. I was fascinated by the existence that had them all.

    I was someone who was born, abandoned, and grew up on the battlefield.

    When ites to the battlefield, people tend to think that it was a ce where people killed each other 24 hours a day from morning till night, but that was not the truth. It took days to advance, and both sides often retreated at night when they couldn¡¯t see the enemy well.

    And a little further back from the front lines, the soldiers spent their days drinking and gambling. Merchants woulde to sell goods, and prostitutes evene to sell themselves.

    They were prostitutes who came all the way to the battlefield. They were not high-ss prostitutes for nobles. On the contrary, they were all women with special needs who could not even afford to stay in the brothels in town.

    And apparently, my mother was one of those prostitutes. Well, I¡¯d never met her, so I could only assume that she was, given my circumstances.

    I didn¡¯t know how it happened. But I was born on a battlefield and was sold off. It seems that I was bought by a mercenary corps of magic beast users.

    The reason why the mercenary corps bought me was simple. It was to feed me to the magic beast. By daring to teach the magic beast to love the taste of human flesh, it would increase its will to fight on the battlefield.

    However, the mercenary corps was destroyed before I was put into the magic beast¡¯s stomach, and I survived. I must have been two or three years old at that time.

    I didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d raised me to a certain extent before being sold or if the mercenaries just raised babies for a little while before being fed to their magic beast.

    However, thanks to the fact that I was already able to move around on my own at that time, I didn¡¯t meet my worst possible end, which was to die of exhaustion while being abandoned.

    I stripped clothes from dead bodies, sipped muddy water, ate the dead flesh of people and Evil People, and made the battlefield a ce to live for a long time. My memories about my childhood were a little vague, and I had nothing to be proud of.

    I was living like that of a beast until I was picked up by a mercenary corp. They picked me up¨D¨D¨Dor perhaps I should say, they captured me. Anyway, the mercenary corps that picked me up belonged to a survivor of the mercenary corps that bought me from my mother, and he taught me a lot of things.

    It seems that the mercenary corps was nning to make up for the reduced number of soldiers with children. Instead of buying ves, it would be cheaper to just pick them up. For that reason, I was given the name ¡¸Zelos Reed¡¹ and raised as a mercenary.

    He taught me everything I needed to know to be a mercenary. He also taught me about my origins and the story of the previous mercenary corps. But in the end, that corps lost the war a few yearster and was wiped out, including my caretakers.

    After that, I continued to live on the battlefield, moving from ce to ce as a mercenary. I¡¯d tried to live in towns but that was just suffocating.

    Guards woulde flying at the slightest disturbance. Money, money, and money were involved in everything. It was a ce where everything was lukewarm and frustrating.

    In that sense, the battlefield was the best ce for me. I could kill as many people as I want, and I could always keep getting stronger. And above all, I felt alive being there.

    And I also liked the simplicity of it. The strong were righteous. The dead were the losers. Winners took all, losers were robbed. There was no other ce in the world that was so simple as the battlefield.

    The reason why I epted the old man Linford¡¯s invitation was because I heard that I could get stronger. I didn¡¯t care if he was an Evil Person or a wanted man. As long as there was a fight, that was all that matters.

    I¡¯d seen mercenaries who were addicted to gambling, but for me, all I wanted was just a battle.

    The best liquor has never quenched my thirst more than the blood of my enemies. I even tried to hold a woman for fun, but it didn¡¯t give me any more excitement than shing a strong enemy.

    But for the first time in my life, I was moved by someone that did not belong to the battlefield, and that person was Murellia. I¡¯m not going to say that I¡¯m in love with her.

    But that was the only time, ever, that my desire to talk to someone came first then my desire to fight a strong enemy.

    When I actually had a conversation with her, I found out that she was really fucked up beyond my wildest imagination. Well, I guess I was crazy enough to think such a woman was beautiful.

    And such a person tells herst request to me, and I¡¯d make it happen. That was what I thought, and I took Romio with me, but...

    ¡¸Oji-chan, who is that?¡¹

    ¡¸Oji-chan, what¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Oji-chan, run faster!¡¹

    ¡¸Oji-chan, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Oji-chan¨D¨D¨D¡¹

    I¡¯d never taken care of a kid before. It was so tedious and troublesome. He would sit down and say he was tired, and he would say he was in pain at the slightest thing. I was d that he didn¡¯t start crying in front of me, but I was really troubled by the fact that he was strangely fond of me.

    Why was that, you ask? Well, I certainly handled him very well for a man of my stature. But it was just because of Murellia¡¯s request, and I¡¯d been asked to make sure the kid gets to safety.

    But what was it about me that made him so fond of me? Was this kid crazy, too?

    Still, I managed to continue my journey and even took him to an orphanage in Barbra, but... I didn¡¯t expect him to start screaming that he didn¡¯t want to leave me. I didn¡¯t understand why.

    But what made even less sense was that I had decided to take care of Romio. What was I doing? I wonder.

    But I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave Romio behind. I saw the kid¡¯sughing face and found myself smiling bitterly.

    At such times, I remembered Murellia for some reason. And I also remembered that ck Cat Kin old hag.

    The eyes of those two people. They shouldn¡¯t look alike at all, but the eyes of the old hag whounched her attack at me, and the eyes of Murellia who asked me to save Romio,e and go in my mind. Those eyes, desperate yet clear as water.

    I didn¡¯t understand why.

    ¡¸Oji-chan, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing, just sleep already¡¹

    ¡¸Okay...¡¹

    Why I urged Romio to sleep already even while he had a fever? It was because we¡¯d been spotted by that monstrous High Elf. If I leave Romio here and run away, I might be able to escape on my own.

    But I couldn¡¯t do that. I just couldn¡¯t.

    I, what the hell was wrong with me...?

    ¡¸Uwooh?¡¹

    It seems that I was out of my mind for a moment. I think I was remembering something from the past, but I didn¡¯t really remember. Was it just a shback?

    Now, Sierra¨D¨Dor should I say, Romio¡¯s grown-up form was in front of me. It was hard to believe at first, but he looked just like Romio. So, I decided to protect Sierra as well.

    It seems that Romio¡¯s special ability could affect and control Evil People, but...

    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter...!¡¹

    I could tell all the reasons why I care about Romio if I wanted to. But all of it didn¡¯t matter.

    Right now, I just had to protect Sierra. I had the power to protect him, and everything else was a trifling matter.

    ¡¸UWOOOH! Hey, you big monster! I¡¯m not dead yet! Come at me! Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ooobeeey Meeee!¡¹

 Chapter 639

    <h4>Chapter 639</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    I could see the evil energy of Zelos Reed, which continued to receive the ray of light, rapidly diminishing.

    He seems to be using more than what Romio could supply using the Sacrament of the Evil God.

    The shards of evil energy that scattered as his shield of evil energy and the rays of light collided against each other gradually increased in intensity.

    ¡¸Fran! Let¡¯sunch our attack in thirty seconds!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Shouted Sierra to her, he then closed his eyes and began to concentrate as if he was meditating. He was defenseless right now.

    But he must have believed that Zelos Reed would protect him.

    (We¡¯ll do the same)

    ¡º...It can¡¯t be helped¡»

    We were past the point where I could tell her not to be reckless. However, the time for us to be reckless hase.

    (Let¡¯s put all of our might in this attack)

    ¡ºAll of our might...?¡»

    (Nn. All of it. Urushi)

    (Woof!)

    Fran and Urushi then soared high to the sky at full speed. We¡¯d have tounch our attack in thirty seconds, so there was no time to hesitate.

    It may seem like a short time, but that was the limit of what Zelos Reed could withstand its attack.

    ¡¸Urushi, let¡¯s do that again!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran was going to do that Wolf-Style Sword Drawing Technique again. I wonder how much damage could be reduced by using our life magic now...

    At Fran¡¯s words, Urushi barked happily. There was not a hint of reluctance in his voice. He must be truly happy to be of use to Fran.

    (Master, can you use That?)

    ¡ºOf course¡»

    What she was asking me to use was the trump card that I¡¯d acquired as a result of my training. Well, it was not so special that I could call it a ¡°trump card¡± though.

    It only increases my attack power for a short time by a few levels at the expense of my durability.

    To put it simply, I¡¯d put all my magic power into my sword body. That was all.

    My current MP stats were over 10,000 now. My magic conductivity was also SS-. So, my efficiency of using magic would be increased by 340%.

    In our current situation, If I used what was left of my current magic power¨D¨D

    ¡¶Master¡¯s base attack power will be over 35,000¡·

    That was right. To put it bluntly, it was a superb attack power. Well, it alsoes with a high risk.

    After all, the burden wouldpletely exceed the strength of my sword body. I tried it a lot in the ins of the Demon Wolf, and it seemed that if I used more than 2000 magic power, various bacshes would appear.

    At first, my durability would decrease on each swing, and as I increase the amount of magic power into my sword body, my durability value would begin to decrease even without doing anything.

    Once it exceeded 10,000, the durability of my sword body would decrease at an unbelievable rate of 100 in 1 second. In addition, it was not umon for me to lose 1000 or 2000 durability value with just one light swing.

    If the damage from using Heaven Judgement and Sword God Transformation were added to that, I would not evenst a minute. No, even a dozen seconds might be dangerous for me.

    Still, if Fran wanted to do it, I couldn¡¯t help but do it.

    We were going to use Wolf-Style Sword Drawing Technique + my Magic Power Overload + Sword God Transformation. It was probably the most powerful attack we could unleash right now.

    ¡¸Fuuuh¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr¡¹

    Fran and Urushi then quietly kneaded their magic and made their preparations steadily. And of course, I did the same.

    ¡ºI¡¯m gonna need Announcer-san¡¯s support too¡»

    ¡¶Understood¡·

    ¡ºBy the way, you¡¯re able to freely talk now?¡»

    ¡¶With the increase in rank of the individual named Master, I have seeded in recovering a small part for action¡·

    I guess, in other words, Announcer-san¡¯s abilities were slightly restored as I leveled up.

    ¡¶Synchronizing the timing of attack with the individual named Sierra. Countdown, 17, 16, 15¨D¨D¡·

    We could leave the count to Announcer-san. With this, our attack timing was gonna be perfect.

    But at thiste in our fight, I was wondering about something.

    I wonder if I should use Potential Release.

    I¡¯d never had the experience ofbining Magic Power Overload and Potential Release before. So, I was not sure if I should use it or not, but...

    ¡¶11, 10¨D¨D¡·

    Now that I¡¯d been shown the tremendous power of the Great Magic Beast, I was not going to spare any effort. I was going to attack it with all my might. But that didn¡¯t mean I was going to sacrifice myself in the process.

    ¡ºFran gonna be sad if that happens ¡»

    ¡¶81% chance of dealing more than the predicted damage to the Great Magic Beast without using Potential Release¡·

    ¡ºWhat if I use the Potential Release?¡»

    ¡¶99% chance of dealing more than the predicted damage to the Great Magic Beast. However, the individual named Master will be left severely damaged, and his abilities will be severely reduced for the next 178 days¡·

    ¡ºI see...¡»

    ¡¶Also, 15% chance of the individual named Master going to be destroyed¡·

    That was the worst-case scenario...

    ¡¶7, 6¨D¨D¡·

    ¡ºI shouldn¡¯t use the Potential Release then...?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. It is rmended to refrain from using it¡·

    ¡ºWell, okay¡»

    But it was just right after I had decided not to use my Potential Release.

    ¡¸There seem to be a bit of disconnection in your magic line¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn!¡»

    It was Rhyn who suddenly appeared.

    ¡¶4, 3¨D¨D¡·

    Rhyn then touched my sword body, then I could feel magic power flowing into me. I was grateful for the slightest bit of it now.

    But right after that, an unexpected situation arises.

    ¡¶Suggestion. It is now rmended to use the Potential Release¡·

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Said Announcer-san just before weunched our attack.

    ¡ºEh? What do you mean?¡»

    Is it because of Rhyn? What has she done to me?

    ¡¶Using it was the better choice for the individual named Master and the individual named Fran¡·

    ¡ºWha, why...¡»

    ¡¶2, 1¨D¨D¡·

    I-it was the time! But aside from me, why was it the better choice for Fran? Anyway, we¡¯d use it if Announcer-san said so!

    ¡ºAaaah! Potential Release¨D!¡»

    ¡¶0¡·

    ¡¸Wooof!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaa!¡¹

    Then, Fran turned into a shooting star again.

 Chapter 640

    <h4>Chapter 640</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Wooo¨Df!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaaa¨D!¡¹

    Almost at the same time Fran wasunched by Urushi¡¯s paw. I channeled all of my magic power into my sword body while leaving the bare minimum amount of magic power for our escapeter.

    I also used my Telekinesis and Magic Release to help Fran elerate further while transforming my sword body into the shape of a katana. I also supported her with my newly learned Life Magic.

    And thanks to our Potential Release, I could smoothly activate all of them at the same time.

    The price of using it was high though...

    ¡ºGuh...!¡»

    My durability value has already been reduced by half.

    (Master?)

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine! Just focus on your attack!¡»

    (Nn!)

    The world seems to be running in slow motion because of my Thought eleration, but Fran¡¯s rushing speed was incredibly fast. The surrounding scenery even flowed by us as if we¡¯re in a warp.

    Fran then poised me above her head.

    I will then activate the Sword God¨D¨D

    ¡¶Space-time fluctuation detected¡·

    Said Announcer-san just before I used the technique.

    ¡ºHuh¨D¨D?¡»

    (!)

    Has time stopped?

    No, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. It was only our perception that experienced a significant eleration. Because of this, there was a dy that made our surroundings seem to stop.

    But, why?

    I was using space-time magic to help us elerate to the very edge of our limit. But there was no way we¡¯d suddenly elerate even further without me noticing just because we¡¯re in a Potential Release state.

    And it wasn¡¯t just a slight eleration, but we got elerated several hundred times faster.

    (My body, won¡¯t move)

    ¡ºMe too¡»

    I searched for signs of our surroundings, trying to figure out what was going on. But I couldn¡¯t fully process the flood of information that was pouring in, and I was feeling something simr to a vertigo attack.

    ¡ºKuh...¡»

    (What¡¯s wrong?)

    ¡ºF-Fran, are you okay?¡»

    (?)

    I thought Fran was in an even worse state than me, but... Fran¡¯s telepathy tells me that she was just in shock.

    Was she okay? It wouldn¡¯t be surprising that her brain was under a tremendous burden due to the multiple activations of magic.

    ¡¸This was because I helped you¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn! You¡¯re the one who did this!?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, it was me, and Sword-san too¨D¨D¡¹

    When Rhyn told me so, my vision suddenly went white. But at the same time, the torrent of information subsided. I see. I guess the reason why Fran was so calm was because she was in this state.

    (Master, over there)

    ¡ºYeah, I see it... But isn¡¯t that, Fran?¡»

    (Master is there too)

    We saw our figures right in front of us. It was as if it was a three-dimensional image of us, projected onto the ground just a few feet away.

    However, this Fran¡¯s outfit was a little different. It was simr to Fran¡¯s ck Heavenly Tiger equipment, but with pants instead of a skirt, and the details are quite different.

    The most conspicuous feature was probably the earring in her left ear. Not like the earring of Fran over here, she wore an earring with a blue gem on it.

    Moreover, I could also feel her presence, so she shouldn¡¯t be an illusion.

    Their presence was simr but yet slightly different.

    If I felt her presence, I would definitely determine that it was Fran. But there was a slight difference when Ipared the Fran who was holding me and the Fran who appeared in front of me.

    Their difference was really slight, I could tell because I couldpare them directly... She was Fran, but she was not the Fran I know.

    And what the hell was that horrible evil spirit? Was iting from me? But Fran was exposing herself to that evil spirit without a care in the world. On the contrary, she even seemed to be manipting that evil spirit.

    But I didn¡¯t have the time to worry about that right now.

    ¡ºFran! Are you okay!? Oi!¡»

    That Fran¡¯s entire body was in a terrible state. She must have over-strengthened her body. Even though she was only standing there, she seemed to be continuously taking damage from the bacsh.

    I could hear the sound of bones creaking. The pressure of magic power flowing inside her must be causing intense pain all over her body. Blood tears flowed down her face as she clenched her teeth.

    That Fran was in such a state while holding another me in her hand.

    Why the other me didn¡¯t heal Fran!? Why was Fran in such a state!? And it seemed that she was nning to perform some kind of technique from that state.

    She seems to be pointing the other me towards her opponent.

    But in my eyes, all I could see was just her appearance in this white space. I couldn¡¯t tell what was going on around them.

    She didn¡¯t respond to my call either, so I guess Fran and the other me on that side couldn¡¯t see us.

    ¡ºFran! Shit! Why, why my recovery magic won¡¯t work!¡»

    As I was trying to use my recovery magic on her, that Fran suddenly began to make a move. And with a sad and somewhat desperate look on her face, she muttered quietly.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡ºOkay¡»

    Fran¡¯s voice and expression were so somber that it seemed as if someone close to her had died. But behind that expression, there must be an SOS from the girl that could not be expressed in words.

    ¡°Somebody, help me...¡±

    I thought I could hear such a voice.

    However, the words that came from her sword, which should be able to speak, were so emotionless that it gave me chills.

    ¡¸Can I use Master in his Potential Release state?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m a sword. I have no right to judge. I¡¯ll follow Fran¡¯s decision¡»

    ¡¸Master¡¯s thoughts, I want to hear it¡¹

    ¡ºIf you use it, you will be able to defeat it for sure. However, the bacsh will affect your future battles. In some cases, your life may be in danger. If you don¡¯t use it, you may or may not be able to defeat it. However, you can maintain your fighting ability¡»

    ¡¸Not that, that¡¯s not what I meant. Let me hear which one you think is better, Master¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t have the right to answer that question¡»

    I felt like my head was going to boil with anger from hearing that.

    What was that!?

    Was that really me? No, I would never admit that that thing was really me.

    What the hell are you doing!? Fran looks like she was about to cry, but she was still counting on you, you know?

    Help her! Don¡¯t just answer her with something like that!

    If it was me, I would answer with ¡°You don¡¯t need that!¡±, ¡°I¡¯ll do something about it!¡±, or ¡°Let¡¯s use it and defeat it in an instant!¡±, ¡°Let¡¯s do this together!¡±.

    You¡¯re the one who needs to say something to Fran to take her mind off her worries! A simple ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡± would do!

    I couldn¡¯t help but shout at the Me over there.

    ¡ºOi! The idiot over there! You bastard! Why are you making Fran cry!? I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡»

 Chapter 641

    <h4>Chapter 641</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Fran, thank you for letting Romio and Zelos Reed off your hook this time¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn...¡¹

    ¡¸You are such a sweet girl, aren¡¯t you? Even when you were angry, you subconsciously kept Romio out of this¡¹

    ¡¸Not really... It was just that that kid looks so pitiful¡¹

    ¡¸But thanks to you, I was able to put Romio, Zelos Reed, and Zelyse out of this. Besides, thanks to your permission, I was able to borrow Sword-san¡¯s help. Without It, the connection would not have been sessful¡¹

    ¡¸Where did you send them?¡¹

    ¡¸Very far away¡¹

    ¡¸I see... But did we have to let Zelyse go too?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. And it was for you guys¡¯ sake too¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Just like usual, it was hard to understand what this spirit, Rhyn, was saying. But I knew Rhyn was not an enemy. So, I did as Rhyn had asked me to do, and stopped myself from trying to kill Zelos Reed.

    Romio and the others seemed to have teleported somewhere, but I wonder where they went?

    ¡¸Fran, with this, there¡¯s no one around who might get involved in this anymore. So, you can get serious now¡¹

    ¡¸Get serious... Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes... Weena Rhyn was quite far away from here too. So, it¡¯s okay now¡¹

    ¡¸Nn... Okay¡¹

    I¡¯d gotten stronger ever since that day when I lost to Murellia and had lost Urushi.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s do our best¡¹

    ¡ºOkay¡»

    ¡¸...Nn¡¹

    I wondered when had Master started acting strangely?

    Was it at Barbra, when I defeated a lot of magic stone golems that Zelyse was controlling? Or was it around the time I won the martial arts tournament?

    When we first came to the Beastman Country, I didn¡¯t think he was like he was now.

    But then I noticed that he was getting less and less talkative to me. And he wouldn¡¯t speak unless I asked him first.

    But that was not all.

    No matter what I asked, he was indifferent.

    ¡ºI¡¯m just a sword¡»

    ¡ºYou think, Fran¡»

    ¡ºIf that¡¯s Fran¡¯s choice, I¡¯ll follow it¡»

    His voice was no longer as gentle and reassuring as it used to be.

    He sounded as if he wasn¡¯t a person.

    I want to hear more of Master¡¯s voice. But I¡¯m afraid to talk to him myself. Because he¡¯d always answer ¡°I¡¯m Fran¡¯s sword, so I¡¯ll follow Fran¡¯s decision¡± with that cold voice again.

    No matter how hard I pushed myself, Master would never praise me anymore. Even if he did, he would just say ¡°Well done¡± in that cold voice again.

    In town, a drunk man made fun of me and I got a little violent and was involved in a fight. But at that time, Master warned me ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far, Fran¡±.

    It was only a little, but I think it was Master¡¯s old voice.

    If I became a bad kid, would Master let me hear his old voice again like before? I thought so, but that was only at the beginning. Soon, he stopped saying anything.

    That was when I saw him again.

    Zelos Reed, the one who had killed Kiara.

    I had never forgotten about him, but I¡¯d never chased after him. After all, Kiara had told me not to seek revenge.

    But then he showed up right in front of me. And with a child with him.

    Both Zelos Reed and Romio seemed to be very calm. They seemed to have been through a lot, and even now they were being held captive.

    But they looked so happy.

    Did I ever have a smile like that on my face?

    Somehow, looking at them made me frustrated.

    ¡¸Hey, Master. Why am I feeling something like this?¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t understand. Was there anything that caused you to be stressed?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know...¡¹

    ¡ºYou have no idea why you¡¯re stressed?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know why!¡¹

    ¡ºThen, I don¡¯t know why either¡»

    Somehow, I just didn¡¯t care anymore. Anyway, I¡¯d kill Zelos Reed. But as I was thinking that, Rhyn stopped me.

    Moreover, Rhyn asked me to lend her our help because she really needed Master¡¯s Dimensional Magic to save Romio and Zelos Reed. Rhyn had saved my life once before. So, I couldn¡¯t refuse her request.

    But why were we helping Zelos Reed?

    I couldn¡¯t keep my head organized and it was all messed up. I even had a hard time controlling my frustration.

    ¡°Let¡¯s vent out all my frustration by attacking the Great Magic Beast,¡± I thought.

    And she told me I could go serious this time.

    Thest time I got serious was when I was on the ins of the Demon Wolf, I broke a barrier that the Goddess had made, and she got mad at me. But this was ake many times wider than the ins of the Demon Wolf. Even if we went all out this time, nothing would get caught in our range.

    Let¡¯s do this!

    ¡¸...Release the pieces of the Evil God¡¯s power...¡¹

    ¡ºDestroy everything! Destroy¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Shut up, all you have to do is give me your power¡¹

    Following my words, arge amount of Evil Spirits then overflowed from the piece of the Evil God sealed inside Master to me. Before, I couldn¡¯t control this Evil Spirit well and went out of control, but now I could control it perfectly.

    I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it was the same power that Murellia had used. I hated it so much when I got this power that it made me want to throw up, but now I¡¯m going to use it.

    ¡¸...Soul of the Night Sky activated¡¹

    This was the unique skill of the Dark Knight Wolf. It was a power we inherited from the magic stone that Urushi, who died protecting me from Murellia¡¯s attack, entrusted to us at the end of his life. It was a skill that could enhance one¡¯s status only during the night like now.

    ¡¸Master, activate all the other strengthening skills¡¹

    ¡ºOkay¡»

    There used to be an onee-san with a kind voice called ¡°Announcer-san¡± who used to give me a lot of advice, but she had disappeared, saying something about the Evil control.

    I could feel my body screaming as I applied too much strengthening on top of each other.

    I keep thinking that I might die. I never thought about it before Master became like what he was now, but I get a little scared about the thought of it now.

    But I also thought that I didn¡¯t mind if I die. So, I¡¯d just do what I always did.

    ¡¸Master, don¡¯t mind using recovery magic, just put everything into strengthening¡¹

    ¡ºOkay¡»

    I continue to talk while holding the pain in my body.

    ¡¸Can I use Master in his Potential Release state?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m a sword. I have no right to judge. I¡¯ll follow Fran¡¯s decision¡»

    ¡¸Master¡¯s thought, I want to hear it¡¹

    ¡ºIf you use it, you will be able to defeat it for sure. However, the bacsh will affect your future battles. In some cases, your life may be in danger. If you don¡¯t use it, you may or may not be able to defeat it. However, you can maintain your fighting ability¡»

    ¡¸Not that, that¡¯s not what I meant. Let me hear which one you think is better, Master¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t have the right to answer that question¡»

    Just as I was about to get disappointed with Master¡¯s usual answer.

    ¡ºOi! The idiot over there! You bastard! Why are you making Fran cry!? I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡»

    For a moment, I thought I heard Master¡¯s old gentle voice.

 Chapter 642

    <h4>Chapter 642</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡ºFran! Are you okay!?¡»

    I heard that gentle voice again...

    Was it not my imagination? But from where?

    I couldn¡¯t feel any sign of him.

    Just as I was looking around for the source of that voice, Rhyn reappeared in front of me again.

    ¡¸Fran. You have a tough battle waiting for you in the future. This is not a fate; it is inevitable for you now. But in your current state, you¡¯ll probably lose your life¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡¸So, this is a gift from me¨D¨Dor should I say, from us. It may be small, but please ept it¡¹

    It was right after Rhyn had said that and opened her hands.

    The surrounding area turnedpletely white.

    ¡¸Huh, Rhyn?¡¹

    There, I saw another Rhyn. But just as I was thinking about what was going on, another figure suddenly appeared next to that Rhyn.

    What appeared was another Me and Master.

    That was definitely Me and Master, but she looked a little different than me, like her equipment, and her expression for example...

    Intuitively, though, I understood.

    Maybe that was me from a different world, or maybe from the future, I didn¡¯t know which one it was, I wondered where that Me hade from.

    But the voice from earlier seems to being from the Master over there.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºO-ooh! You can hear me now?¡»

    It seemed that my mumbling had been answered.

    How I envy her... the Master with her was still Master...

    ¡ºI¡¯m gonna heal you now!¡»

    The Master over there then tried to do something, but it seemed that he had failed.

    ¡ºWhy won¡¯t my magic work!¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t able to make a perfect connection. I used your enhanced strength to bring us together. I also used your connection with each other, and yet, this is as far as I could bring you¡¹

    ¡¸Romio, Zelos Reed, and Zelyse. Using the three¡¯s connections and with the help of Master, we were able to change fate. But I need you to be patient for a little longer...¡¹

    Said the Rhyn beside me and the Rhyn over there while bowing their heads.

    I didn¡¯t really get what they¡¯re talking about, but it was a miracle that I could talk with Master again.

    Then I called out to the Me over there.

    ¡¸Hey... Me¡¹

    ¡¸What is it, Me?¡¹

    ¡¸...Are you happy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m happy every day with Master and Urushi. Are you not happy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    Aah, I knew it. That Me over there was happy. But that was only natural because she had Master and Urushi with her.

    ¡¸After all, Master has...¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸This Master has...¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    That Me nodded gently at me. Then, I couldn¡¯t hold my words any longer.

    ¡¸He doesn¡¯t show his kindness anymore... He doesn¡¯t say anything to me at all... He stopped praising me, and he never scolds me anymore!¡¹

    What wasing out of my mouth were my true feelings, which I¡¯d never told anyone before.

    Because I felt like if I said that, all of it woulde true...

    ¡¸I hate Master that is in such a state! That¡¯s not the Master I know! I want Master like that Master over there!¡¹

    My words poured out one after another.

    ¡¸Tell me, Master! How can I get Master back to normal! How can I get him to smile like before! Tell me!¡¹

    I blurted out everything I wanted to say.

    ¡¸Master, what am I supposed to do...?¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t understand. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me. It¡¯s more that Fran herself seemed upset¡»

    But what came back from Master was not the words I was expecting. I was a bit hopeful because I just heard the gentle voice of the Master over there...

    ¡ºCombat action in this state is dangerous. Try not to get too agitated¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s not what I want to hear!¡¹

    ¡ºFran. Don¡¯t get too agitated¡»

    ¡¸So noisy! Shut up! Shut up, shut up! Don¡¯t talk to me with that voice! The one like you are not Master!¡¹

    Immediately after I shouted so, a gentle voice muttered in dismay.

    ¡ºO-Ooh... F-Fran has be like a delinquent!¡»

    He sounded a little bothered for some reason.

    ¡¸Delinquent?¡¹

    ¡¸What a delinquent is?¡¹

    The two of us tilted our heads at the same time. It was the first time I had heard that word.

    ¡¸A-ah. That is, like a bad kid with a foul mouth, maybe? It was like a nickname ced on a kid who talks rudely to their parents or teacher¡¹

    ¡¸I see! Then, that Me has be a delinquent¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not a bad kid¡¹

    ¡¸But, you seem to have be one¡¹

    ¡¸No, I¡¯m not!¡¹

    I wonder why. I was supposed to be being made fun of, but I was having so much fun talking like this.

    But there was a voice that put a damper on such a pleasant mood.

    ¡ºCurrent status. Fran¡¯s aggressiveness is much higher than it used to be. The term ¡°delinquent¡± applies to the Fran now¡»

    My happy mood suddenly turned sour. For some reason, it made me feel very sad. I couldn¡¯t help but turn my head down. Why... why was it so painful?

    Then I heard a shout in my ear.

    ¡ºOi! You bastard! What the hell are you saying!? Are you really me!?¡»

    ¡º...What am I saying?¡»

    ¡ºYou think Fran has be a delinquent? That was because of you! Then, all you had to do was make sure she didn¡¯t be one!¡»

    ¡ºI¡¯m a sword. I don¡¯t have that kind of right¡»

    ¡ºThat¡¯s not true, right!? I don¡¯t care about rights or anything like that! Did you forget what were we? Weren¡¯t we supposed to be Fran¡¯s Master!?¡»

    ¡ºMaster is just a name. It is merely a symbol used to identify an individual name. My essence is a sword¡»

    ¡ºYou¡¯re wrong! We¡¯re not just a sword, we¡¯re her Master! And you think a master is just a symbol? That¡¯s wrong too!¡»

    ¡ºI¡¯m not wrong. It¡¯s a fact¡»

    ¡ºYou¡¯re wrong! Master was a name that Fran gave us, remember? That is our goal, that is Fran¡¯s hope! And I wanted to make ite true! Don¡¯t you even remember that!? We¡¯re just a sword? Don¡¯t forget that before that, we¡¯re her Master!¡»

    ¡ºI am...¡»

    ¡ºLook at her! Fran is crying! You don¡¯t feel anything when you see her like that!?¡»

    I just realized it when the Master over there mentioned that I had been crying all this time. I wonder why I couldn¡¯t stop my tears froming out?

    ¡º...She¡¯s, crying?¡»

    ¡ºYou didn¡¯t even notice it, did you!? You can¡¯t even say a word offort to Fran when she¡¯s crying!? Have you turned into a mere sword!?¡»

    ¡¸Master...¡¹

    ¡ºI...¡»

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to ask you one more time. You see Fran crying, and you don¡¯t want to say a word to her!?¡»

    ¡ºI...¡»

    ¡ºDon¡¯t you feel anything when you see Fran¡¯s tears!? You idiot!¡»

    ¡ºI...!¡»

    Master¡¯s voice over here sounded like a human being for the first time in a long time. And at the same time, I heard a voice that I missed so much.

    ¡¶Instability of the individual named Master detected¡·

    ¡¸Eh? Announcer-san?¡¹

    ¡¶Yes, individual named Fran, I was the individual named Announcer-san. I had secured enough power to operate from the transferred power¡·

    ¡¸I thought you were gone...¡¹

    ¡¶As long as the individual named Master is not destroyed, the individual named Announcer-san will not disappear¡·

    ¡¸I see...¡¹

    ¡¶Instability of the individual named Master detected. He seemed to be shocked from realizing the difference with his other self¡·

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san... I...¡»

    ¡¶Suggestion to the individual named Fran. His current state can get even worse¡·

    ¡¸Even worse...? Then what should I do?¡¹

    ¡¶Answer. Don¡¯t be afraid¡·

    ¡¸Eh...?¡¹

    ¡¶This may be yourst chance¡·

    ¡¸Do your best, delinquent me¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not a delinquent!¡¹

    The other me chuckled when I reflexively said that back. But I didn¡¯t hate it.

    ¡¸Nn. See you, Me¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Remember that I will always be on your side! No matter what happens, forever!¡»

    Prompted by Announcer-san and the Me over there, I hesitantly opened my mouth.

    ¡¸Nn... Hey, Master. Can you hear me?¡¹

    ¡ºFran...? I...¡»

    For the first time in a long time, I heard that gentle voice again from the Master over here.

 Chapter 643

    <h4>Chapter 643</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Fran, Sword-san, we¡¯re losing our connection!¡¹

    Said Rhyn to us. It must mean that this mysterious event wasing to an end.

    At the very least, I must say something to her!

    ¡¸Nn. See you, Me¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Remember that I will always be on your side! No matter what happens, forever!¡»

    It was right after I shouted that.

    The other Fran, that dimwit me, and the other Rhyn disappeared.

    ¡ºSo it¡¯s over?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, we got disconnected from them¡¹

    As Rhyn said, I couldn¡¯t feel their presence anymore.

    ¡ºHey, Rhyn. What was that?¡»

    ¡¸That was Fran and Master from the other timeline. That was when Sierra, Zelos Reed, and Zelyse got transferred into our timeline¡¹

    ¡ºHas that me... turned into a mere sword?¡»

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸So that¡¯s what Master is going to be?¡¹

    Fran muttered sadly. It seemed that she had imagined what I would be like if I became like that.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s gonna happen to that Fran?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not entirely sure anymore. But, you know, the future must have changed a lot. That¡¯s why our connection was severed¡¹

    ¡¸What was the future like before the change? Was it not so good?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran runs out of control in desperation and uses all of her power to match the piece of the Evil God sealed within Master. Causing a lot of people to get involved in the mess she made¡¹

    That¡¯s awful... But that Fran was definitely in danger from being over strengthened. And that Me, who was supposed to stop her, was in such a state.

    ¡ºBut the future has changed, hasn¡¯t it?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. It was thanks to you guys. The words that Fran and Sword-san said to the two of you over there had changed the future in a significant way...¡¹

    ¡ºSo that Fran won¡¯t be in danger of dying like what Rhyn said she would, right?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. At the very least, that Sword-san should have regained his heart as a person. After all, if the future hadn¡¯t changed that much, our connection wouldn¡¯t have been severed so suddenly¡¹

    ¡ºI see...¡»

    ¡¸Now we just have to hope that their future has changed for the better¡¹

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    I wondered what happened to us over there? Did he manage to heal Fran¡¯s broken heart even a little? Did I, who had be nothing more than a sword, be any better?

    ¡¸Master, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    ¡ºYou think so?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, after all, our words must have reached them. So, no worries¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right. They were Me and Fran after all! With a little spark, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to change for the better¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Now that Fran mentioned it, she was right.

    ¡ºIt seems that the Announcer-san over there also recovered¡»

    ¡¶Yes. I also have shared some information with the individual named Announcer-san over there. She will surely make good use of it¡·

    ¡ºSome information?¡»

    ¡¶I have shared the information I have analyzed from the individual named Master and the methods to prevent him from adapting too far to his sword body¡·

    ¡ºI-I see...¡»

    Did she mean the information about my personality? It seemed she had concluded that by using that information, the Announcer-san over there should be able toe up with a measure so that the Me over there didn¡¯t turn into a mere sword.

    That was a relief. As expected of Announcer-san, she was very capable! But I felt a little embarrassed though because it was like my mind had been analyzed.

    ¡¶We also seeded in exchanging some skill information¡·

    ¡ºDoes that mean we got a new skill?¡»

    ¡¶Yes, I provided them with the information about Evil Crusher and Magic Power Transfer, while that Announcer-san provided us with the information about Spirit Detection and Evil Spirit Control. Based on the information, we seeded in obtaining the skill Spirit Detection and the unique skill Evil Spirit Control. Also¨D¨D¡·

    W-what a long exnation! It seemed that Announcer-san managed to exchange a tremendous amount of information in that short time.

    ¡¶Sessfully obtained the unique skill Divine Power Maniption based on the information of Evil Crusher and Evil Spirit Control. Sessfully obtained the Unique Skill Spirit¡¯s Hand based on the information of Divine Mind Maniption and Spirit Detection¡·

    I-I¡¯d gotten a lot of skills. Simply put, Spirit Detection was just as its name implied, it allowed the user to detect spirits. With this, we¡¯d be able to detect spirits with our skills now.

    The Evil Spirit Control was a skill to manipte the Evil Spirit. It seemed to be simr to the Evil Spirit version of Magic Control, but it seemed to be of a higher level and had a stronger influence on the target.

    And I was d we got our hand at the Divine Power Maniption. This was a skill that made the user better at handling Divine Attributes. So, we might be able to reduce the bacsh from using the Divine Attribute with this skill.

    And the Spirit¡¯s Hand. This was a skill that allowed the user to not only see spirits but also influence them. It could even allow us to touch and attack the spirits. Well, it seemed to be quite difficult to master. So, I guess it was gonna depend on our future training.

    I wish I could have tried everything first, but it seemed that I didn¡¯t have the time to do so.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s time for us to get back to our timeline. Be careful...¡¹

    ¡ºOi! Isn¡¯t that gonna be dangerous...?¡»

    I didn¡¯t know what would happen if we suddenly went back to our normal time from our current state of super eleration. The worst that could happen would be that we could lose our bnce.

    After all, we were in the middle of beingunched at a very high speed from the sky to the Great Magic Beast.

    I wondered whether I could ask her to put us back slowly, but¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Rhyn, you okay? You look so pale¡¹

    ¡¸I just pushed myself a little too hard... But not anymore...¡¹

    I could see the scenery around us begin to flow by us slowly. It seemed like time had begun to start flowing again!

    ¡¶Three seconds left until time eleration is deactivated¡·

    ¡ºFran! Don¡¯t lose your bnce!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Leave it to me!¡¹

    Fran nodded with a motivated look on her face. Apparently, she was inspired by seeing that Fran and me over there.

    ¡¸We can¡¯t afford to lose!¡¹

    ¡ºOu! You¡¯re right!¡»

    She was not saying to what, but I felt the same way!

 Chapter 644

    <h4>Chapter 644</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Sword God Transformation!¡¹

    Immediately after Fran shouted so, Rhyn¡¯s super-eleration was deactivated, and the surrounding scenery flowed out at once like before.

    ¡ºKuh¡»

    I already knew this would happen, but the disorientation was terrible!

    Immediately after we were out of the super eleration state, the ugly body of the Great Magic Beast with countless mouths on the surface of its body appeared in the field of our vision.

    Fran seemed to have made it through too.

    We then instantly corrected the disorientation in our senses and delivered the best blow with everything we had in our hands, including the Sword God Transformation, Potential Release, and Evil Crusher.

    Our attack was slightly off to the right of our aim, but that could not be helped.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡ºRhaa!¡»

    The tremendous torrent of power that rushed through my sword body was unleashed on the Great Magic Beast.

    But before I could even feel myself slicing through the beast, I deactivated my Potential Release and other strengthening skills at the same time as the sh and teleported us a little further away.

    After all, if I didn¡¯t do that, we wouldn¡¯t be able to teleport in time.

    However, a slight feeling of having sliced through something remained. That told me that our attack was sessful.

    ¡ºHow was that?¡»

    ¡¸...Nn¡¹

    Just before we collided with the Great Magic Beast, we teleported to the sky and saw a terrible sight.

    ¡ºIt was a sess, huh... Sierra too¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    There were two huge wounds on the Great Magic Beast. The two cuts ran vertically parallel to each other.

    I could feel that the presence I felt from the Great Magic Beast had dropped a few notches. It seemed that our attack had definitely inflicted significant damage to it.

    One was caused by our shes. And the other one was¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Sierra¡¹

    In the distance, we could see that Sierra was frozen in ce with his magic sword, Zelos Reed, raised in the air.

    Anyway, it seemed that the other wound was definitely caused by Sierra¡¯s sh.

    ¡ºIt looks like Sierra¡¯s attack was almost as powerful as our best attack...¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It was hard to believe. But I could tell it was his attack because the wounds were lined up like this. The width and depth of the wounds were almost the same in both wounds.

    ¡ºBut our attacks were made of the Divine Attribute, and the wound should heal more slowly!¡»

    That was what I thought, however...

    ¡¸Obeeeey meee...¡¹

    ¡¸Its regeneration didn¡¯t start at all¡¹

    ¡ºNot on the other wounds too, huh?¡»

    It seemed that the Evil Spirit had invaded the wound and prevented it from regenerating.

    I didn¡¯t expect him to be able to deliver an attack of almost equal power...

    As I looked at Sierra with a confused look, I saw him copse on the spot while his whole body was covered with a ck Evil Spirit.

    Sierra¡¯s condition was pretty dangerous, wasn¡¯t it? Zelos Reed then ran to him in panic and held him in his arms. He seemed to be unconscious.

    Zelos Reed himself was in tatters from continuously receiving the rays of the Great Magic Beast, but Sierra¡¯s attack¡¯s bacsh must have been even more severe.

    Well, it didn¡¯t mean that I had the time to worry about others either.

    ¡¸...Muh¡¹

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸...The bacsh is just a little more severe...¡¹

    ¡ºI see... Actually, I felt the same too...¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    Without our Levitation skills, we would have fallen into theke long ago. That was how bad the bacsh was. Even with Life Magic and Divine Power Maniption, we were in this kind of state.

    The thought of not having those skills made me break out in a cold sweat.

    ¡¸Master can¡¯t recover yet?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯ve used the Divine Attributes on top of Potential Release after all. My durability value hasn¡¯t recovered at all...¡»

    I had less than 100 durability values left. I really would be a piece of junk for a while.

    I think I¡¯d spent about 5,000 magic stones worth to use the Potential Release this time. Well, I didn¡¯t regret it though, because it seemed to have helped us to connect with the other side.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡¹

    Urushi ran up to us while dragging his paw limply.

    Among us, Urushi was the one in the best condition with only a broken paw.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll heal you now¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, I¡¯m counting on you for the time being¡»

    Both Fran and I were extremely slow to recover from our injuries. In our current state, we couldn¡¯t even fight properly.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re counting on you¡¹

    ¡ºFor now, let¡¯s see how¡¯s Sierra and the others going¡»

    ¡¸No, you need to get out of here right now...¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn?¡»

    Where was she? I could only hear her voice... I couldn¡¯t even tell where she was with my newly acquired Spirit Detection skill.

    ¡¸I just can¡¯t maintain my form anymore. But somehow, I managed to deliver my voice to you...¡¹

    ¡¸Is it because of connecting this side to that side?¡¹

    ¡¸There are many other reasons too, but... It was the price I had to pay for seeing too far into the future... Rather than that, you guys need to get away from here...¡¹

    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but I didn¡¯t feelfortable letting the struggling Rhyn talk anymore.

    Even in such a condition, the fact that she went to the trouble of telling us this indicated that we really needed to get away from here.

    ¡¸Urushi¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We decided to get away from here without even checking what was going on.

    Note: My editor got involved in a car ident and was unable to do his part until next week, this chapter was thest one he had edited so you¡¯ll need to be patient until he recovers.

 Chapter 645

    <h4>Chapter 645</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    <h4>Really sorry for the long dy, but (I hope) we¡¯re back on schedule now!</h4>

    I instructed Urushi to get away from the Great Magic Beast. And immediately after, the Great Magic Beast released a tremendous amount of magic power from its body.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Grrrhaaaah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    All the mouths screamed wildly and twisted their huge bodies as if they were in pain.

    ¡¸Kyain!¡¹ (Sfx dog¡¯s whimper)

    ¡ºGuh!¡»

    Being exposed to the wave of magic power that the Great Magic Beast released from its entire body, Urushi shrieked and pushed his magic barrier to its full strength.

    Having exhausted our powers, Fran and I were unable to do anything, we had to rely on Urushi for the time being.

    ¡¸Urushi, do your best...¡¹

    ¡ºDo your best, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    Urushi made his barrier even thicker as he held his ground.

    ¡¸Grrrr...¡¹

    At the same time, we could see tens of thousands of tentacles being produced from the body of the Great Magic Beast, that twisted and writhed around chaotically.

    From time to time, its tentacles would even hit our barrier, but Urushi gritted his teeth and tried to withstand it.

    But rather than being on a rampage, the Great Magic Beast seemed to be in pain and was struggling to ovee it.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Aghaaaaah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸It getting bigger¡¹

    ¡º...Is it because Rhyn has been separated from it?¡»

    The Great Magic Beast¡¯s rampage has be even wilder than before. The wounds we had inflicted were still there, but they had be rtively small because of the swelling of the Great Magic Beast¡¯s body.

    I couldn¡¯t find Rhyn anywhere, but if she had been separated from it, then it was no wonder that the Great Magic Beast¡¯s power had suddenly increased.

    She was the one who had sealed and weakened the power of the Great Magic Beast after all.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Ugrooaah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡ºW-wha!?¡»

    The wave of magic power subsided, but now the swelling of the Great Magic Beast¡¯s body began to elerate. However, there seemed to be something odd with it.

    I heard a sound that was simr to flesh being torn apart, and along with it, I saw that the body of the Great Magic Beast was tearing itself apart. Arge amount of reddish-ck liquid then overflowed from the torn ces on its body and started spreading all around. Was it its blood?

    It was clearly suffering from the damage. However, the tears were quickly regenerating and new ones were being created. During that process, the Great Magic Beast¡¯s body continued to swell.

    It seemed that it was trying to force its way out of the seal, wasn¡¯t it? Until now, the Great Magic Beast had been trying to get out of the weakened seal little by little and escape without forcing it.

    However, the situation had undergone a sudden change. As a result of the disappearance of Rhyn and the fact that she was the reason it was weakened, the Great Magic Beast seemed to have prioritized escaping from the seal as its top priority. This exined its strange behavior.

    ¡ºWhat do you think, Announcer-san?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. I have the same opinion¡·

    ¡ºIsn¡¯t this dangerous then?¡»

    This thing was only at the size of its arm right now. The five of us won¡¯t be able to defeat it even after putting all our might into our attacks when it has fully resurrected.

    What if it were to be fully resurrected, albeit somewhat weakened?

    We¡¯d need the power of Weena Rhyn¡¯s Ougi to put a stop at it as soon as possible. She should have already started preparing for it.

    (TLN: Ougi, secret technique a.k.a Ultimate or Super in game terms)

    ¡ºBut I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Weena Rhyn¡¯s attack might even get us involved in it as well!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I didn¡¯t know what Fran thought of Weena Rhyn, but my opinion of that woman had been pretty low.

    On the other hand, though, my opinion of Rhyn, who I had been somewhat distrustful of, has gone through the roof.

    I think I¡¯m a bit of a simple-minded person.

    However, there was a figure blocking Urushi¡¯s path as he tried to escape. It was obviously trying to block our way.

    The shadow called out to us with an easy-going attitude that seemed to be out of ce under such circumstances.

    ¡¸Hello, Fran-san! Would you mind lending me that sword for a moment?¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    ¡ºAs I thought, he wasn¡¯t dead that time!¡»

    ¡¸...Zelyse¡¹

    The person who was there was a handsome young man with a grin on his face as he pointed his rainbow-colored magic sword Zelyse to us.

    ¡¸The man who spoke to me at that time. That¡¯s the incarnation of the sword or something, right?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you talking about?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. If you don¡¯t want to tell me, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure I can figure it out by taking that sword apart¡¹

    Fran let out a chilling killing intent at him after hearing his words, but she doesn¡¯t try to sh me at him. After all, we were too battered to do anything serious now.

    Besides, Zelyse wasn¡¯t alone this time.

    Next to him, a magician in a ck robe floated silently.

    But the fact that I could only feel a faint magic power from it was kinda unsettling.

    From inside the jet-ck robe, the empty eye sockets of a skull stared at us.

    The skull¡¯s face didn¡¯t seem to be a mask. But belong to a real undead. The quality of its magic power was clearly different from that of a human.

    Moreover, it doesn¡¯t seem to be a normal undead either.

    The two holes in the skull looked as if they were filled with bottomless darkness. There was a strange sense of dread as if something sinister was about to overflow out of the darkness and swallow us whole.

    Fran felt a shiver run down her spine. Just like me, she must have sensed something.

    Theck of familiarity and the viciousness I felt just by looking at it told me that it must be a strong undead.

    What I couldn¡¯t understand was that he was undead, but he had the skill and reason to conceal his power himself.

    ¡¸Kukaka¨D¨D¡¹

    The creepy undeadughed in a shrill voice.

    ¡¸Kukakakakaka¨D¨D! I never thought I¡¯d see you in a ce like this!¡¹

    ====== Tenken anime confirmed! ======

 Chapter 646

    <h4>Chapter 646</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Kukakakakaka¨D¨D! I never thought I¡¯d see you in a ce like this!¡¹

    What did it mean?

    That statement now. It was as if it knew Fran...

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Of course, there was no way Fran could remember what I couldn¡¯t. She tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t know. Even I don¡¯t actually know you myself!¡¹

    Did it know Fran from someone else then?

    I appraised the undead in front of me for the time being. However, for the first time in a long time, my appraisal was working well and showed me all of its status and skills. In the past, even though I had the Heavenly Eye, my appraisals couldn¡¯t get through at all because they were either super high ranking beings, clothed in evil spirits, or were spirits.

    Name: Nameless

    Race: Demi Lich: Ghost: Magic Beast Lv52

    HP: 1932

    MP: 1298

    STR: 1869

    RES: 444

    AGI: 810

    INT: 303

    DEX: 810

    Magic: 600

    [Skill]

    Quick Chanting: Lv6, Hatred Barrier: Lv3, Hatred Maniption: Lv8, Panic: Lv2, Terror: Lv2, Fist Saint Technique: Lv5, Fist Saint Skill: Lv7, Fist Fighting: LvMax, Herculean Strength: Lv7, Regeneration: Lv8, Explosive Power Output: Lv9, Ghost Control: Lv3, Ghost Maniption: LvMax, Necromancy: LvMax, Mental Derangement Resistance: Lv4, Irregr Fighting Style: Lv8, Magic Resistance: Lv7, Magic Detection: Lv6, Magic Release, Lv5, Underworld Magic: Lv3, Dark Magic: Lv4, Hatred, Bone Body Transformation, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Vibration Control, Ghost Control, Ghost Rampage, Magic Control.

    [Unique Skill]

    Hatred Absorption, Marker of Hades

    [Title]

    Commander of the ck Skeleton Army, King of the Dead

    [Equipment]

    Three Linked Magic Stone Staffs, Rotten Dragon¡¯s Glove, Lord of the Great Tomb¡¯s Glove, Circlet of Hatred Sealing, Ring of Purification Resistance, Bracelet of Purification Resistance, Hatred Ball.

    ¡ºFran! This undead is strong!¡»

    (Really strong?)

    ¡ºYeah. It has a threat level of B or higher on its own. Moreover, it¡¯s a necromancer on par with Jean!¡»

    In terms of overall threat level, it could have been an A. It was not as strong as the Lich we fought on the Floating Ind, but it¡¯s certainly stronger than the Legendary Skeleton under hismand.

    ¡¸Are you Zelyse¡¯s subordinate?¡¹

    ¡¸You think I work for this guy? What kind of nonsense is that? I am themander of the ck Skeleton Army! I¡¯m only lending him my strength this time because of the Duke¡¯s insistence!¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Skeleton Army?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. The most powerful army ever created in the Kingdom of Raidos! A name that will even rece the Red Knights and be a legend!¡¹

    ¡¸And you¡¯re themander of that army?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I am Nameless, the King of the Dead! Remember me! No, you¡¯re going to die here though. So how can you possibly remember that?¡¹

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    Luckily, this guy was as stupid as Zelyse. Without needing to be provoked, it leaked a lot of information itself.

    ¡¸Is The ck Skeleton Army a force of undead?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! The mightiest army of the mightiest undead created by my secret arts! I¡¯ll have that damned necromancer bled to death in our next battle!¡¹

    In other words, the Wight King and the other undead we¡¯ve encountered were created by this undead using its Underworld Magic? But considering its magic and skill set, it may not be impossible.

    What it meant by ¡®that damned necromancer¡¯ must have been Jean. Well, he was like a natural enemy to the Kingdom of Raidos, so it was only natural for them to take measures against him.

    In fact, it had the strength to be on even ground with him.

    ¡¸Kukakaka! If you surrender right now, I¡¯ll kill you in an instant so that you don¡¯t suffer, and then I¡¯ll make you one of my minions¨D¨Dwell, that¡¯s what I¡¯d say if you were an ordinary person though...¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    The Demi Lich released a tremendous killing intent that even made Fran brace herself. It wasn¡¯t just killing intent. It was a mixture of anger, hatred, and resentment that made Fran¡¯s skin crawl.

    It was said that a ghost was born out of resentment and harboring hatred for the living. But this seems to be more than just that. Obviously, it has its thoughts about Fran.

    ¡¸You¡¯re the only one I¡¯m going to kill here. I somehow feel obliged to do so...¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸That being is screaming inside of me¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸The grudge of the Emperor of the Dead¨D¨Dthe grudge of the Lich which has be a part of me is screaming at me to kill you! You will return the favor you owed to him on the floating ind!¡¹

    The Demi Lich¨D¨DNameless, covered its white skull with its right hand, which looked like a withered branch as if to grasp it.

    It is a gesture that made it look like a grieving tragic hero, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the reason. Rather, it seemed to be an act of suppressing the rage that could explode at any moment.

    As proof of this, all kinds of negative emotions seemed to be leaking out of the hollow eyes that peeped out from between its thin fingers.

    ¡¸Lich? Do you mean the Lich from that time?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka! I¡¯m talking about the dungeon master who perished on the Floating Ind, the one who was originally an experimental subject for the Kingdom of Raidos!¡¹

    Oi oi, Seriously? I did think of some connection between the Lich and Demi Lich, as it was rted to the Kingdom of Raidos. But I never thought that Lich actually has a direct connection with the Raidos Kingdom!

    ¡¸I am grateful to you. Thanks to you, I was able to recover the fragment of the Lich¡¯s hatred!¡¹

    If you ask me, I think they might actually look alike. Well, I guess it¡¯s only natural that they look alike since they are both skeletons.

    However, the atmosphere they wore and the way they spoke were also very simr.

    ¡¸I was created by taking in the fragment of that Lich¡¯s hatred that was recovered from the ruins of the Floating Ind! The faint remnants of that Lich¡¯s memory tell me that you are my enemy!¡¹

    I see. If this undead inherited the memory and hatred of that Lich, it would certainly have a motive to resent Fran.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why! You¡¯ll die here!¡¹

    The Demi Lich who shouted so came charging at us with great speed.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh! Don¡¯t run away!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s leave this ce quickly!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, Wait a minute!¡¹

    Nameless seemed to be strong in meleebat, but it was more suited to be amander. And as expected, it could notpete with Urushi in a chase and win.

    However, there were two opponents this time. Zelyse blocked Urushi¡¯s path as he tried to escape. Even if hisbat power was not as strong as Nameless¡¯, this guy is much more dangerous than Nameless in that we would never know what he would do next.

    ¡¸Urushi, do your best!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakakaka! Eat this!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey hey hey!¡¹

    Nameless struck at us while flying at high speed, and Zelyse released his magic as if he were trying to intercept us.

    ¡¸Kukakakaka!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    Great job, Urushi! He was able to catch Nameless¡¯ fist with his paw. He also used his fangs to make up for theck of moves and managed to strike at it. With the sound of our blows reverberating through the air, we entered a momentary stalemate.

    But this seemed to be what they were waiting for. While we were being held back by Nameless, Zelyse¡¯s magic attacked us. A huge ck vortex swallowed Nameless and us, and the scenery in our vision changedpletely.

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºW-what is this!?¡»

    It was probably some kind of Dimension Gate, a way to connect space to space. Although being engulfed by it, the vortex itself was not dangerous, but the reaction of my detection has be dull.

    Well, now that Fran and I are pretty weakened if Urushi couldn¡¯t detect things, there was no way we could.

    However, where the hole was connected to was the most dangerous ce around theke.

    In front of us, the body of the Great Magic Beast appeared. I could see the wriggling tentacles up close. The ce where we were teleported was right in front of the Great Magic Beast.

    The tentacles reacted to us and attacked. Could it be that they were nning to let the Great Magic Beast get rid of us!?

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Sure, I¡¯m interested in that sword, but I¡¯m more interested in getting rid of it! It was my natural enemy after all!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    Fran red at Zelyse, but he soon disappeared from our sight. Countless tentacles had begun to cover the surrounding of Urushi¡¯s barrier.

    ¡¸Kukakaka! Just get swallowed by the great magic beast like that!¡¹

 Chapter 647

    <h4>Chapter 647</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    We¡¯re in deep trouble.

    Right now, we are about to be entangled and swallowed by the tentacles of the Great Magic Beast.

    Urushi¡¯s barrier was still protecting us, but it would reach its limit in less than ten seconds. I could feel the magic of the barrier fading rapidly.

    But that didn¡¯t mean we couldn¡¯t escape. We could use teleport to get out of here.

    The only problem was that it would exhaust my magic power for real. After that, we would bepletely dependent on Urushi.

    ¡ºUrushi, can you do something for me?¡»

    (Woof!)

    Urushi nodded energetically at my words. I guess he knew what he had to do.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do¨D¨DNo, wait!¡»

    I just noticed that the magic around me had be strange. A strange magic power had suddenly covered our surroundings. It didn¡¯t seem to being from Zelyse, Nameless, or even the Great Magic Beast.

    There was no sign of hostility, rather, it was giving off a sense of security, as if it were trying to protect us.

    And then the wall of tentacles that had been swallowing us began toe off as if it were going to vanish.

    With a dull sound as if something was hitting us at high speed, our field of vision became clear.

    ¡ºWhat in the world has happened...?¡»

    ¡¸Get out of here, quickly¡¹

    ¡ºRhyn?¡»

    Out of nowhere, I heard Rhyn¡¯s voice. It wasn¡¯t a voice that was sent directly into our minds like telepathy, but it was as if Rhyn had whispered directly into our ears.

    But when I looked around, Rhyn was nowhere to be found.

    ¡ºI could feel her presence, though...¡»

    I could feel Rhyn¡¯s presence, albeit faintly. I guess it was thanks to my Spirit Detection skill.

    ¡¸In a few minutes, Weena Rhyn will release her attack¡¹

    ¡ºShe¡¯s going to use her trump card, huh?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m not sure if I can help you guys anymore... But, do your best to get away from here...¡¹

    Rhyn muttered bitterly as her voice began to be inaudible. The subtle hints that I had sensed from the surrounding area also seemed to have gone away.

    But now was not the time to worry about Rhyn.

    ¡ºUrushi! Let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Judging from the hint of impatience in Rhyn¡¯s voice, it seemed that we didn¡¯t have much time anymore.

    ¡¸Kukakaka! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done to get out of there, but I won¡¯t let you get away from here!¡¹

    Nameless, who was supposed to be entangled in the tentacles with us, had already escaped from the restraint and was waiting for Urushi.

    Well, it was not going to let itself get caught up with itsrades¡¯ technique after all!

    ¡¸Rhaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr...¡¹

    Whenever Nameless thrust its left and right fists in session, a shockwave was generated and struck Urushi. In addition, the shockwaves were released over a wide area, making it impossible for Urushi to escape.

    There was almost no gap left for us to escape.

    Besides, the apparent escape route was clearly a trap. Zelyse must be waiting for us at the end of it.

    I guess they intended to drive Urushi into it and kill us, like a trap for hunting animals.

    However, Urushi immediately saw through their aim.

    ¡¸Woooof!¡¹

    ¡¸What! You¡¯re trying to get away from there!?¡¹

    Urushi dared to rush into the thickest part of the barrage of the undead¡¯s attack and forced his way through using his dark magic and barriers to block out the shockwave.

    He broke through the shockwave released by the Fist Saint Technique head-on. But he was not unscathed.

    Urushi¡¯s whole body was covered in wounds and blood was gushing out of his body.

    I guess the parts of the barrier used to protect himself were not strong enough because he made the parts to protect Fran and me on his back thicker.

    However, Urushi didn¡¯t seem to care about the damage he had suffered and continued to push forward.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not letting you go I said!¡¹

    Zelyse, who had teleported in front of us, unleashed his attack. His tone was as easy-going as ever, but the technique he unleashed was nothing short of fierce.

    It must be a technique that he had originally prepared to kill us in their trap. The amount of magic power contained in it was enough to make me shudder.

    The power of each shot probably surpassed that of the Fist Saint technique that Nameless had just unleashed.

    This was bad.

    After all, his attack had a Space-Time Attribute in it. There was no way to escape even with Dimension Shift. And since it covered a wide area, it would be difficult to avoid.

    I guess we would just have to withstand it by putting a barrier at full power. But just as I was thinking about it, I saw Zelyse had started to concentrate his magic power to release a second wave.

    Don¡¯t tell me he could fire consecutive shots? No, it seemed it was only possible if Zelyse and the magic sword Zelyse took turns firing! This was exactly what made an Intelligence Weapon so annoying!

    But that didn¡¯t stop Urushi.

    ¡ºUrushi! What are you...!?¡»

    ¡¸Wrrrooof!¡¹

    While keeping a keen eye on the wall of magic bullets, he collided with it head-on.

    nk nk nk!

    With a high-pitched sound as if metal was crushing against metal, Urushi¡¯s barrier that was covering our surroundings was bombarded with magic bullets. I could feel his barrier bing weaker with each impact.

    But that was not the only problem.

    ¡¸Urushi!¡¹

    ¡ºPut up a barrier for yourself!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi had put up only minimal barriers for himself. He seemed to be deploying barriers concentrating on the front to protect his head...

    He did not receive any direct hits. However, the bullets that snatched the nk of his body scraped off Urushi¡¯s flesh, and arge amount of blood spurted out from the wound.

    Still, that didn¡¯t stop Urushi from pushing forward.

    He escaped the barrage with arge amount of red blood spraying from his body.

    ¡¸Unbelievable!¡¹

    Zelyse seemed to be really surprised by this. His eyes were wide open as he shouted so.

 Chapter 648

    <h4>Chapter 648</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    Seeing that Urushi had forcefully broken through his barrage of magic bullets, Zelyse shouted in surprise.

    But that did not seem to stop him from moving.

    Zelyse quickly raised his magic sword and tried to release the second barrage. He also took out arge magic stone from his pocket and grinned.

    Judging from the enormous amount of magic power contained within it and my danger detection skills that started to ring like crazy, it must have been some really powerful magic stone weapon.

    Their n must be to use the magic bullets to hinder Urushi¡¯s movement and stop him with the magic stone weapon.

    But they¡¯d underestimated Urushi too much, hadn¡¯t they? Urushi was not a mere decoration here with us. He was our reliable partner who had reached a new level of evolution.

    ¡¸Wooof!¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Urushi suddenly elerated.

    Yes, he had been pretending to be running at his full speed, but in fact, he was still holding back all this time. This was not because he was cking, but rather out of consideration for Fran on his back.

    However, thanks to this, he had been able to outsmart Zelyse. He showed an irritated look at Urushi, who was rapidly advancing at a speed beyond his imagination.

    Fran looked in pain at the sudden eleration, but she didn¡¯t make aint. Urushi noticed that too, but he did not slow down.

    That was also because of Zelyse¡¯s words.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not done yet¨D!¡¹

    He then swung his Magic Sword Zelyse horizontally and scattered magic bullets to us. The power of the bullets was weaker than before due to insufficient buildup, but the bullets were released in greater concentrations.

    I could see that Zelyse¡¯s expression had regained a little of itsposure.

    The power of his attack was certainly powerful. A direct hit from it would probably kill even a magic beast with a threat level of C.

    But did he really think he could defeat Urushi with just that? He had grown stronger through his training after all.

    ¡¸Wooof!¡¹

    Urushi thenunched his own secret move.

    Dark Magic Lv7, Dark Embrace. Essentially, it was a technique to increase one¡¯s defense and physical strength by covering one¡¯s entire body with darkness.

    However, as a result of his training, Urushi had seeded in modifying this technique in his own way.

    The jet-ck darkness produced covered only Urushi¡¯s head. By doing that, only the power of his fangs was strengthened. At the same time, I noticed that he had also activated his Dimensional Fangs.

    If the Giant Wolf, Urushi were to seriously bite with all his might, even an orichalcon could be crushed like a candy ball. It was a super-powerful blow thatbined the Dark and Space-Time Attributes.

    It was not a technique that he and Fran hadbined, but a technique that he created to finish off an enemy by himself. This was Urushi¡¯s surefire attack.

    Amanda, who named this technique ¡ºWorld Breaker Fang¡» said that even she would not be able to avoid a fatal wound if she were hit directly by it.

    ¡¸Grooaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghaaaah!¡¹

    With his fangs deflecting the space-time magic bullets released by Zelyse, Urushi returned to his original size and bit into Zelyse¡¯s body.

    I could see Urushi¡¯s fangs, which had be as big as a log stake, were crushing the lower half of Zelyse¡¯s body.

    ¡¸Ghuh... I never heard this wolf could do something like this...¡¹

    Zelyse muttered to himself as he floated in the air with only the upper half of his body remaining.

    Well, maybe Zelyse had gotten information about Urushi from his other self who had be a magic sword. Or, if he knew that Urushi was the Darkness Wolf, he could have predicted his evolutionary path.

    Even though the evolutionary path of the Darkness Wolf had excellent leadership and magic power, they did not have a great ability for direct attack. The small-sized Urushi would have looked like a Dark Knight Wolf or even a Gehenna Wolf at a first nce after all.

    As a result, Zelyse and Nameless must have misjudged Urushi¡¯s fighting strength.

    Although he looked pretty bad, Zelyse¡¯s vitality was not yet exhausted. In fact, I could see the signs of regeneration about to begin.

    ¡¸Hm? I wonder why my regeneration is quite slow... Good grief... What in the hell is that wolf...?¡¹

    I couldn¡¯t feel any sense of panic in Zelyse¡¯s eyes, rather he seemed to be curious about something. What an abnormal guy to not be shaken in his current situation.

    No, it seemed that he was confident that he could escape from this. After all, as long as he had his Magic Sword Zelyse, he could use a variety of its abilities. He then put away the magic stone weapon and held up the Magic Sword Zelyse.

    It was certain that Zelyse was badly injured and stuck in a situation where he could not move. It was our chance to defeat him, but...

    ¡¸Grrr...¡¹

    Urushi was still unable to move because of the bacsh from his powerful move. Fran and I didn¡¯t have enough strength left to unleash an attack that could defeat Zelyse either.

    ¡¸Aah, well, it seems that is all from me for today¨D¨D¡¹

    Shit! He was gonna run!

    ¡¸¨D¨DHmm?¡¹

    What happened? Zelyse must have tried to activate his Teleportation skill, but nothing seemed to have happened? Had it failed to activate? But when I was thinking about that, I noticed that there was a slight presence of a Spirit around Zelyse.

    Was it Rhyn¡¯s doing!? After all, as a Spirit of Time and Water, Rhyn should be able to block others from teleporting.

    Then, for the first time, I saw a hint of impatience on Zelyse¡¯s face.

    ¡¸Shit... what a troublesome... Ghaah! T-this is!?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    It was Fran. She whipped her heavily exhausted body to the very limit and unleashed a magic bullet. The power was at its weakest, it might not even kill a goblin.

    However, it seemed that she was able to at least break Zelyse¡¯s stance. Fran then directed her eyes at me.

    Very well, I¡¯ll push myself too!

    ¡ºRhaa!¡»

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    What I activated was Telekinesis. I could only activate it for a moment. However, with the loss of his lower body and the loss of his sense of bnce, Zelyse was unable to resist the force that was suddenly delivered from an outside source.

    I pushed Zelyse downward as far as I could.

    That was all there was to it, but¨D¨D.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Countless tentacles then tangled around Zelyse¡¯s body.

 Chapter 649

    <h4>Chapter 649</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Countless tentacles then tangled around Zelyse¡¯s body.

    The tentacles that Rhyn had blown off had grown back.

    Of course, Zelyse and Nameless had been evading it all this time as well. However, I pushed Zelyse down to the tentacles that were aiming for Urushi.

    I don¡¯t expect this to take him down, but it will buy us enough time to escape.

    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹

    Zelyse twisted his body in an attempt to shake off the tentacles that were wrapping around his body. He must have thought that he could escape from it, but it didn¡¯t seem to be happening.

    Zelyse held on in the air, trying not to get dragged down. He seemed to have redirected his magic from regeneration to it as well and used his magic to repel the tentacles that are crawling around him.

    He couldn¡¯t seem to get permeable instantly in that state.

    This was a chance to get rid of him, but...

    ¡ºNot even a little left, huh...?¡»

    ¡¸Muh...¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr...¡¹

    Urushi was the only one left with the strength to attack. His wounds were also getting better after Fran and I sprinkled as many potions as we could on him.

    However, Urushi must unleash his magic from a distance to leave some energy to escape.

    We couldn¡¯t force Urushi to push himself now that he was exhausted from unleashing his secret move before.

    ¡¸Ghaah! Shit shit shit¨D!¡¹

    Well, Urushi¡¯s magic must have been quite a nuisance for him. But we couldn¡¯t stay here any longer.

    ¡¸Kukakakaka! You look like a fool! Zelyse!¡¹

    ¡¸Just help me already!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka!¡¹

    We ran out of time. Nameless has reached here.

    Even Urushi, as expected, would not be able to defeat Nameless while carrying and protecting Fran and me on his back.

    We should escape while they¡¯re off guard. Urushi knew this and was slowly retreating.

    However, it was just right after that.

    An unbelievable scene unfolded before us.

    ¡¸Kukakakaka! You want my help that badly?¡¹

    ¡¸Ghah!?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, you look so strange? Alchemist-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸...Ha, hahaha. It seems you can still make a joke at a time like this...¡¹

    Instead of helping Zelyse, Nameless suddenly grabbed Zelyse by the neck while giving him a deafening loudugh as it applied more power into its hand.

    Zelyse responded with a pained look on his face, but he was still showing an attitude as if he still had some room for leeway...

    ¡¸Hmm? I¡¯m not joking though, Zelyse¡¹

    ¡¸Ghuh...!¡¹

    A dirty-looking aura, like a ck sludge on a puddle, then overflowed from Nameless¡¯ arms.

    Just looking at it made me feel an ufortable sensation in the depths of my mind.

    I think I¡¯ve seen this somewhere before... Aah! I¡¯ve seen it before on the floating ind! It resembles the hatred that overflowed from that Lich!

    However, this one is several levels more terrifying.

    The hatred then crawled around Zelyse¡¯s body and gradually covered him.

    ¡¸Sh,¨Dit, ...?¡¹

    Zelyse raises his Magic Sword, Zelyse. However, the sword did not respond at all. It was as if it had be a mere sword.

    ¡¸Eh...?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka! Kukakakakaka! That¡¯s too bad! He doesn¡¯t want to help you¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s ridiculous...¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s just soak you up with hatred and make you my servant... Hmm? Really? So, you¡¯re saying you can¡¯t forgive him for his very existence?¡¹

    ¡¸With whom did you talking to...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka, with whom, you ask? With your other self of course!¡¹

    At Nameless¡¯ words, Zelyse looked down at the sword in his hand. It was right after that.

    ¡¸Well, whatever. I just have to retrieve that sword¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Nameless took the magic sword from Zelyse. However, the sword was not resisting it at all. If it was an Intelligence Weapon, it should even be able to attack on its own...

    However, there was no sign of the sword rejecting Nameless.

    ¡¸Even the sword finds you annoying! Kukakaka! You have a look on your face that says you don¡¯t know why!¡¹

    ¡¸...W-why!? I thought we were supposed to understand each other...¡¹

    ¡¸You should have understood what it¡¯s like to lose a human body, don¡¯t you? For the sword Zelyse to be the only one, your existence must be like an eyesore for him¡¹

    ¡¸...Haha, I see. Bing a sword must have made him feel like a different being after all...¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t dislike your eagerness for curiosity, but... To achieve my goal, your existence is still an eyesore. You shall die for us¡¹

    Crack!

    When Nameless put more strength into his hand, Zelyse¡¯s neck was crushed with extreme ease, and his head fell.

    ¡¸Farewell, you mad alchemist¡¹

    When Nameless let go of its hand, Zelyse¡¯s body fell toward the Great Magic Beast. It seemed that he was not dead yet, but he was indeed unable to move.

    And just like that, he was captured by the tentacles. While being entangled andpressed by the tremendous force, Zelyse was swallowed into the Great Magic Beast.

    The sound of crushing flesh and bone sounded as if the Great Magic Beast was chewing its food.

    I couldn¡¯t feel any hint of Zelyse or even the slightest hint of his life force anymore.

    Was he... dead? That resilient Zelyse was...?

    But we couldn¡¯t even afford to get confused here.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi let out a warning at us.

    ¡ºKuh! Terrifying magic power was swelling around where Weena Rhyn is! It¡¯sing!¡»

    We left the scene as fast as we could before Nameless came to us.

 Chapter 650

    <h4>Chapter 650</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    Right after we left, a huge water sphere appeared over the head of the Great Magic Beast.

    The diameter is probably over 100 meters.

    ¡¸Amazing¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. It was almost unbelievable, what an incredible Divine Power¡»

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    I wasn¡¯t talking about the enormous amount of magic power contained in it.

    But the water sphere was emitting a strong Divine Power that covered the surroundings. I could feel that the entire water sphere¡¯s atmosphere was simr to mine when I was using the Sword God Transformation.

    Could it be that all that water has the Divine attribute imbued in it?

    I was probably lucky that my sensing skills were dull because of pushing myself too hard.

    If my sensing skills were still at their normal state, I might have panicked because of the sheer intensity of the presence and the vast amount of information I might have received from it.

    In fact, Urushi had be frightened of it. All the hairs on his body were standing on end, and his ears wereying down.

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    Urushi continued to run with an anxious look on his face. Fran was shaken up and down on his back because of this, but Urushi didn¡¯t slow down.

    I guess after witnessing that Divine Power, he didn¡¯t feel safe no matter how far away we had gone. That was also for Fran¡¯s sake too.

    I was d that she activated it after we had gotten some distance.

    No, could it be that she had been waiting for us to leave? Well, Weena Rhyn was not necessarily a bad person just because she was a little crazy.

    As we watched the sphere of Divine Water, it started to undergo a significant shape change.

    It began to stretch wide to cover the entire surface of the Great Magic Beast.

    Then it turned into countless small water spheres. Well, even though they were small, I think each one of them was big enough to swallow Fran.

    But it was just right after I had that thought.

    Swoop!

    With a heavy and loud bursting sound, a deep gash was drilled into the body of the Great Magic Beast. The gash seemed to run in a straight line from top to bottom.

    The water sphere that was shot out at super high speed easily pierced the body of the Great Magic Beast. It was so fast that even we were only able to catch a glimpse of its shadow.

    From then on, the scene that unfolded in front of us was so unreal that I couldn¡¯t believe it was happening.

    Swoop swoop swoop¨D¨D!

    The sound of a series of bursts echoed through the air, and the body of the Great Magic Beast was rapidly being whittled away.

    The water sphere was shot out at a great speed and continued to pierce the flesh of the Great Magic Beast.

    The water sphere that pierced through the body of the Great Magic Beast naturally crashed into theke. Each time it did, a column of water nearly fifty meters high rose, and the sight of it did not even elicit augh.

    After all, the Great Magic Beast had been attacked by over a thousand shots of such water arrows.

    And yet, the huge tsunami that was generated was quickly quelled over in an unnaturally short distance. I wondered if Weena Rhyn was able to control it.

    I couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of techniques or skills would allow her to do something like that, but I¡¯m pretty sure that was one of Weena Rhyn¡¯s secret techniques.

    More than half of the Great Magic Beast¡¯s body was already gone, and more water spheres kept shooting out at it.

    When I thought that the Divine water was not ceasing at all, I saw that a pir of water from theke was soaring up, breaking apart in the air and creating more water spheres. Moreover, I could feel Divine Power in those water spheres as well. Could it be that all of it was imbued with Divine attributes too?

    The new water sphere ascended to the sky in a straight line, and it looked as if we were watching rain footage in reverse. And after reaching a certain height, the water spheres began to fall as if pulled by gravity and poured down on the Great Magic Beast.

    As long as that cycle kept repeating itself, the attacks on the Great Magic Beast would never stop. Well, as long as Weena Rhyn¡¯s magic power remains, that is.

    But could she really defeat it with just that?

    After all, no matter how much it was attacked and its body was whittled down, it could still regenerate.

    The Great Magic Beast seemed to have decided to stop its swelling too.

    It must be less taxing to concentrate its power into a small body to protect itself than to maintain a huge body.

    Weena Rhyn continued to shoot water spheres, with each shot having destructive power that rivaled our Heaven Judgement, without pause like a machine gun. And then, there was the Great Magic Beast that continued to use powerful barriers and instantaneous regeneration at the same time.

    I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much magic power was consumed in just these few tens of seconds.

    Nevertheless, the struggle between Weena Rhyn and the Great Magic Beast continued.

    I couldn¡¯t even imagine doing a fraction of what they did.

    All we could do is watch this myth-ss battle. I was stunned, Urushi was terrified, And Fran was somewhat frustrated from looking at it.

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    (Weena Rhyn and the Great Magic Beast are both amazing)

    ¡ºThis was the battle between those who are at the top of the world after all...¡»

    (But still, it¡¯s frustrating)

    ¡º...Is that so?¡»

    (Nn. One day, I have to defeat a Great Magic Beast like that myself. I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s impossible for me...)

    She never thought that she would see this kind of battle and immediately feel frustrated...

    Was she not afraid of it? No, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Anyone who didn¡¯t feel fear after seeing that must be crazy.

    Rather, she must have used her feeling of frustration to motivate herself and ovee her fear.

    As expected of Fran. I couldn¡¯t stand idly by either! That¡¯s right, one day we¡¯ll break the curse of the ck Cat kin.

    In other words, we would have to defeat an enemy as powerful as that Great Magic Beast by ourselves.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Before I knew it, Urushi was no longer frightened. I guess he must have felt the same way too. He was looking back with a face full of energy, ready to witness that battle with his own eyes.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right. we can¡¯t say that was impossible to us¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn...!¡¹

 Chapter 651

    <h4>Chapter 651</h4>

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by Phantom0408

    When we had managed to reach a ce where we thought was a safe area, a change in the battle between Weena Rhyn and the Great Magic Beast urred.

    ¡¸It stopped?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    The barrage of water bullets that Weena Rhyn had been unleashing stopped unexpectedly.

    ¡ºCould it be that Weena Rhyn has run out of magic power?¡»

    That was a lot of attacks after all. I¡¯m sure that even a High Elves would suffer from its tremendous magic power consumption.

    It was quite possible that she would run out of strength before she could defeat the Great Magic Beast.

    The body of the Great Magic Beast was slowly starting to regenerate. Well, it looks slow because of its immense size, but in reality, it is probably quite fast.

    ¡ºDoesn¡¯t the damage from the Divine Attribute even matter to it!?¡»

    Wasn¡¯t this quite bad? It seems that it was better to have Urushi move on to escape even more...

    ¡¸Master, that is...¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    As I was wondering what to do, Fran suddenly pointed her finger at theke. When I looked in the direction of her finger, I found that a strange phenomenon had begun to ur.

    ¡¸A string?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºSurely, it looks like a string, but...¡»

    As Fran said, I could see the water in theke transforming into long, thin strings. It looked as if an invisible hand was twisting the strings out of the water.

    The string stretching out from the surface of theke then increased in number at a tremendous speed. In a matter of seconds, countless strings covering the entire surface of theke had been created.

    Those strings ascended to the sky again like the water sphere from earlier.

    The number of them was probably more than one or two thousand now. In fact, it seemed to be well over tens of thousands.

    ¡¸Is that Weena Rhyn¡¯s doing too?¡¹

    ¡ºI guess so. I can feel the Divine Attribute from every water string after all¡»

    That¡¯s right. I could feel the presence of a strong divine attribute in those strings. It only meant that Weena Rhyn¡¯s secret technique wasn¡¯t over yet.

    It seemed that she simply changed the way she attacked the great monsters.

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡ºYou want to move...?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi seemed to have sensed the strange flow of magic power. He then put up a barrier around Fran and began to run as fast as he could again.

    Immediately afterward, the strings wriggled in unison and rushed toward the Great Magic Beast¡¯s body.

    ¡ºAmazing¨D...¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    The three of us watched in amazement.

    A single string was very thin. The only reason we recognized it as a string in the first ce was that it was so thin. Being entangled in a single string would not affect the Great Magic Beast.

    But what if there were a thousand of them? What if there were tens of thousands of them? What if there was more than that?

    The answer was right there in front of us.

    The body of the Great Magic Beast covered with long, thin strings would make anyone wonder if its body color was white.

    Gradually, the entire body of the Great Magic Beast was covered tightly by the water strings and restrained.

    But of course, Weena Rhyn wasn¡¯t aiming to just stop the movement of the Great Magic Beast.

    The surface of theke where the strings were stretched out, began to swell over a wide area, and the movement of the strings became more and more violent.

    ¡¸The Great Magic Beast suddenly getting bigger than before?¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you mention it... But rather than getting bigger¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯sing out of the seal?¡¹

    ¡ºYes, that¡¯s what it looks like!¡»

    I wondered if the Great Magic Beast was trying to break the seal and get out... But it seems that wasn¡¯t quite right. If anything, it looked more like it was being forcibly dragged out of it.

    The Great Magic Beast¡¯s scream then reverberated through the air. Yes, it was clearly a scream.

    ¡¸Ghrroaaaaah!¡¹

    The body of the Great Magic Beast then dragged out of the seal at once. It looked like arge amount of red and ck jelly strips were being pushed out of a narrow hole.

    Well, even though the hole was narrow, it was probably several dozen meters in diameter.

    It seemed that its body strength was extremely weak because it was forcibly dragged out of the seal before it managed to fully resurrect. The lump of flesh that overflowed onto the surface of theke could be seen melting and crumbling at the mere touch of the water that was infused with the Divine Attribute.

    The lump of flesh that we had attacked earlier had already lost its original form. It seemed that the strings were not just simple strings, but also had an offensive power.

    It seemed to serve the purpose of damaging the area it touched and inhibiting its regeneration.

    The strings of water that attacked the Great Magic Beast continued to increase in number. That is to say, the surface of theke within a radius of about 500 meters was probably almost under Weena Rhyn¡¯s control.

    Now, there¡¯s no way the Great Magic Beast could escape.

    ¡¸Whrooaah...!¡¹

    The roar that the Great Magic Beast let out sounded like the cry of a tormented sinner. After that roar, we couldn¡¯t hear a thing from the Great Magic Beast ever again.

    Its entire body had already crumbled into a million pieces, and not a single mouth was left.

    It was the end of a Great Magic Beast that seemed to boast infinite vitality.

    The strings that had enveloped the Great Magic Beast like a giant cocoon slowly unraveled. And when all the strings returned to theke, nothing was left there.

    There is no trace of the Great Magic Beast left behind.

    The surface of theke, which had been raging so wildly, quickly calmed down and became so calm that make us wonder if the battle we had seen was just an illusion.

    ¡ºIs it... over?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    No matter how hard I searched our surroundings, there was no sign of the Great Magic Beast¡¯s remains. The only residue of the battle was the slightest hint of Divine Presence emitted by the surface of the water. That was all.

    The end of such a wild and massive myth-ss fierce battle was surprisingly quiet.

 Chapter 652

    <h4>Chapter 652</h4>

    Urushi ran across the surprisingly calmke.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s no sign of the Great Magic Beast left...¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºAnd since when did the Vivian Guardians disappear?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    Until now, the Vivian Guardians should have attacked us in this area, but there was no sign of them.

    I think it had something to do with the demise of the Great Magic Beast, but I didn¡¯t know for sure.

    We then hurried to the person who knew the details of the situation.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn, she¡¯s there¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºSo she¡¯s safe? Well, it¡¯s not like she was gonna let herself get killed by using that technique ¡»

    I could see the white stage where Weena Rhyn and the others had been performing their ritual. It did not appear to have copsed or been destroyed in the battle that had just taken ce.

    But what about Weena Rhyn and Romio? Were they safe?

    As we got even closer, I could feel the presence of Weena Rhyn and the others. Weena Rhyn, Romio, Sierra, and Zelos Reed. They were all there.

    However, being alive was not the same as being fine. As we arrived at the stage, we were reminded of this fact.

    Romio was still unconscious, but there were no problems with his vitals or breathing, he was just unconscious. The fact that Sierra and Zelos Reed were not panicking suggested that there was nothing to worry about. He should wake up soon enough.

    Sierra and Zelos Reed were in tatters. Their bleeding seemed to have stopped, but their vitality still hadn¡¯t recovered. Just like us, they seemed to have lost their regenerative power as a bacsh from pushing themselves too hard.

    But both of them were conscious, and as long as they stayed put, they shouldn¡¯t get any worse. They were now drinking potions and were resting their bodies.

    However, Weena Rhyn¡¯s condition didn¡¯t seem to be fine at all.

    ¡ºFor real...?¡»

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn... You okay...?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu... I¡¯d like to say that I¡¯m fine, but, it seems I¡¯m not¡¹

    Weena Rhyn smiles wryly while looking powerless.

    Half of Weena Rhyn¡¯s body was covered with something ck, like the embodiment of the darkness of the night. It was the same with her right eye, part of her right ear, her right arm, and her right shoulder.

    It was neither magical nor miasma. I couldn¡¯t sense any magic or presence from that ck thing. In fact, I couldn¡¯t even detect the presence of Weena Rhyn¡¯s body which should have been inside it.

    No. Was there even a body in it? I thought the ck stuff was covering it, but it seemed like her body itself had been transformed.

    I couldn¡¯t even imagine what had happened to it.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s kinda hard to exin, but... I guess this is the price of borrowing in advance¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I borrowed some power from another me in the future¡¹

    Borrowing from the future? I¡¯m not sure I understood the concept. Both Fran and Urushi were tilting their heads.

    ¡¸You know I have a contract with Rhyn, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn¡¯s attributes are Time and Water¡¹

    ¡¸I know that too¡¹

    ¡¸My skill, the ¡º Divine Water Creation¡», is the result of abination of Weena¡¯s ability as a Water Magic-user and Rhyn¡¯s power as a Spirit of Water. It is a power that was created by evolving the Holy Water Creation skill that I could originally use¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    So, the power that Weena originally possessed was enhanced by her fusion with Rhyn.

    ¡¸Apart from that, another force has a strong influence on Rhyn. It is called borrowing in advance. It¡¯s a Space-time ability that allows the user to use magic power from the user¡¯s other self from the future¡¹

    ¡¸You borrow magic from your future self? So that¡¯s what borrowing in advance is?¡¹

    ¡¸Something like that. It¡¯s an ability to secure a huge amount of magic power for a moment at the price of being unable to use any magic for a few days. You can think of it that way¡¹

    ¡¸So the bacsh of using that move is that ck part on your body?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s half correct¡¹

    Well, she said that the cost of borrowing power in advance was the inability to use any magic for a few days. So, I didn¡¯t think it was the reason why a part of her body turned ck like this.

    ¡¸In the first ce, my secret technique was neither borrowing power from my future self nor the Divine Water Creation¡¹

    ¡¸Then, what?¡¹

    Fran casually asked back. I wondered if she was willing to tell us about her secret technique, but to my surprise, Weena Rhyn was quite willing to tell us about it without hiding anything.

    ¡¸The secret technique of the High Elves is the ability to be a demigod. The effect is simple. It increases my status and strengthens my skills. Well, the percentage of that is ridiculously high though. Especially in the skills¡¯ case, you can even say that the transformation causes it to evolve into a higher-level skill while in that state¡¹

    ¡¸Did you use the Divine Water Creation and that Borrowing In Advance ability after you be a Demigod?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. And this body is the result of me using my enhanced strengthening from bing a Demigod to its limit¨D¨D¡¹

    She said that the Borrowing In Advance ability that she used in her demigod state could draw something other than magic power. But she said she didn¡¯t even know what it was.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t know?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I borrowed something from my future self that I didn¡¯t understand, and somehow it gave me tremendous power. That¡¯s how it works¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re not afraid?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I¡¯m afraid, you know? However, I will gain tremendous power even more than I would gain by the demigod transformation during that time. Even so, it was almost a gamble on whether I could finish off the Great Magic Beast or not. So, I couldn¡¯t help but use it¡¹

    The originally monstrous High Elf was super-strengthened by the Demigod transformation and then further strengthened by the Borrowing Power In Advance from her future self in the demigod transformation state.

    It seemed that if she activated thebo of Divine Water Creation and Aquarius in this state, she could imbue any water within a 500-meter radius with the Divine Attribute and then manipte it at will.

    ¡¸Amazing...¡¹

    ¡¸...Well, I wonder? But when you look at my current state, it¡¯s not alright, right?¡¹

    ¡¸So, the parts of your body turned ck because of you bing a demigod?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. When this happens, I can¡¯t feel or move them anymore. I can¡¯t see out of my right eye, and I can¡¯t hear out of my right ear¡¹

    Weena Rhyn then tried to move her arm, but the ck arm didn¡¯t move at all.

    ¡¸Can you use Heal on it?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯ll return to normal in a few years. After all, I¡¯ve been through this before¡¹

    Years!? Well, considering that tremendous power, it¡¯s rather not that costly, is it? She¡¯s a long-living High Elf too after all... But even if she was a long-lived being, a few years was still a lot of time.

    ¡¸Well, I don¡¯t know exactly how long it will take this time, because I¡¯ve never used it this close to the limit before¡¹

    ¡¸You used it to its limit?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I would have been dead if I activated that demigod transformation for another ten seconds¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸If it¡¯s just my arms and a part of my face, I¡¯ll be fine as long as I rest because my regeneration will eventually help me recover. However, if this ck part reaches my heart, my heart will naturally stop beating. If my heart or brain stops functioning, there¡¯s nothing I can do¡¹

    Weena Rhyn shrugged her shoulders as she said that. Well, the only thing that moved was her left shoulder though.

    ¡¸That being said, if you and Sierra hadn¡¯t been chipping away at its power before, I would have lost my life before I could take it down. You have my thanks¡¹

    ¡¸...Nn¡¹

    Fran nodded, with aplicated look on her face.

    After seeing the battle between Weena Rhyn and the Great Magic Beast, I guess she would feel that her help was a small thing.

    But it didn¡¯t look like Weena Rhyn was lying. In other words, she was really telling the truth.

    But still, the price of Weena Rhyn using it was high. ¡°If only I were stronger...¡± That must be what Fran was thinking. I understood how she felt. That was because I felt the same way too.

    Oh, and I still hadn¡¯t heard the important part.

    ¡¸Has the Great Magic Beastpletely exterminated?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Without a doubt¡¹

 Chapter 653

    <h4>Chapter 653</h4>

    Weena Rhyn assured us that the Great Magic Beast had been exterminated. She must be very convinced that she could say that with such certainty.

    It looked like we really didn¡¯t have to worry anymore.

    If that was the case, I guess we better ask her something that had been bothering us.

    ¡¸Rhyn, where¡¯s she?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Yes, it was about Rhyn¡¯s safety.

    It seemed that she had pushed herself too hard and was exhausted. Moreover, in order to save us, she had pushed herself to the very limits.

    I haven¡¯t felt her presence since then. My spirit detection couldn¡¯t catch the presence of a spirit either.

    I wonder whether her presence was just too weak to be detected by my spirit detection or whether she has used up all of her power and disappeared?

    But if Rhyn were to disappear because she saved us, Weena Rhyn would be even madder than before. If that¡¯s the case, I think it¡¯s the former...

    ¡¸I¡¯ll call her now¡¹

    Thank goodness, it seems that she hadn¡¯t disappeared after all.

    Weena Rhyn then closed her working left eye and concentrated. Immediately after that, a magic circle was drawn on the ground a few meters in front of her and a white figure emerged from it as if it were floating in the air.

    Blonde hair, odd eyes, elf ears. It¡¯s definitely Rhyn.

    However, her appearance was like that of a ghost as we could see the other side through her body.

    It may not be strange since she was a spirit, but her presence itself is clearly less than before.

    ¡¸Thank you. Thanks to you, there were no casualties this time...¡¹

    It was very quiet and hard to hear, but I could recognize that it was definitely Rhyn¡¯s voice.

    ¡¸You okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah...¡¹

    She didn¡¯t seem to be doing very well, but Rhyn nodded with a big smile on her face. Rhyn must have paid a steep price but she seemed to be satisfied with the result.

    However, Weena Rhyn had a bitter look on her face as if she had chewed a bitter bug.

    ¡¸Rhyn. Why did you push yourself too hard!? I know you did something to help Fran and the others when theyunched their attack, but...¡¹

    ¡¸...I¡¯ve been through a lot¡¹

    ¡¸And you can¡¯t tell me?¡¹

    ¡¸Because it¡¯s not over yet...¡¹

    I guess Weena Rhyn was referring to that mysterious time when Rhyn connected this side to that side and allowed us to speak to the delinquent Fran and that stupid me.

    Apparently, she hadn¡¯t told Weena Rhyn the details either. Rhyn¡¯s exhaustion was so obvious that even we could see it. There was no way Weena Rhyn wouldn¡¯t have noticed.

    But what did she mean when she said it was not over yet?

    The connection had been broken, right?

    Was she talking about Fran on the other side not being saved or something?

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn, I can¡¯t go back to being me if things continue like this. You know that, right...?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. All I have to do is give back Rhyn¡¯s power that is inside of me¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t! You won¡¯t be able to withstand it. It¡¯ll take a lot of strength to separate us after all¡¹

    ¡¸I know that. But if that means I can get Rhyn back, I don¡¯t need my life¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why I said you can¡¯t!¡¹

    Rhyn, who looked sad, shook her head at Weena Rhyn, who also looked sad.

    That was a very crazy thing to say. We were able to defeat the giant monster without anyone losing their lives. But we wouldn¡¯t have a happy ending?

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸...Honestly, I¡¯m pretty exhausted right now. So much so that if things continued like this, I might just disappear¡¹

    ¡¸But that¡¯s not gonna happen if I return her power¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ll die if you do that. You¡¯re not in good shape, remember? You¡¯ll only waste your life force if you tried to separate my power from yours¡¹

    Rhyn may disappear in her current state. The only way to prevent that from happening was to separate Rhyn¡¯s power that was fused with Weena Rhyn and return it to her.

    But it seemed that it was gonna take a lot of strength for Weena Rhyn to separate it from her, and it seems that the current Weena Rhyn wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it.

    This meant that only one of them, Rhyn or Weena Rhyn, could be saved.

    ¡¸That¡¯s, terrible¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran had a look of astonishment on her face that only we could understand.

    ¡¸If only we¡¯d been able to whittle down the Great Magic Beast a little more...¡¹

    ¡¸...I¡¯m so sorry¡¹

    Before I knew it, Sierra had approached us. Using the magic sword Zelos Reed as a walking cane, he managed to walk.

    He must havee to the same conclusion as Fran after hearing their conversation. He turned his head down in frustration.

    However, Sierra¡¯s face was not as ghastly as it had been in the past.

    Perhaps it was because they had witnessed Zelyse¡¯s death before. Their main goal was to take revenge on Zelyse and rescue Romio and Zelos Reed after all.

    The whereabouts of the magic sword Zelyse were unknown, but the human Zelyse had certainly perished, while Romio and Zelos Reed had survived.

    With most of their goals aplished, much, if not all, of the grief Sierra had been feeling was probably gone.

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s too early to apologize... Fran, I am going need you guys¡¯ help¡¹

    ¡¸You guys? You mean, Sierra and me?¡¹

    ¡¸No... I mean Fran and her sword. Did you guys manage to get the power to cut spirits?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant when she said the power to cut spirits, but I had an idea of what it was.

    ¡ºYou mean the Spirit¡¯s Hand skill?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹

    ¡¸What about it?¡¹

    ¡¸With that power, you can break the ties between Weena and Me. Once the ties are broken, our power will naturally separate itself. By using that, Weena won¡¯t have to use much of her strength¡¹

    ¡¸Will it save the both of you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I know this is going to be a burden for you guys, but I¡¯m begging you. Please, please save us¡¹

 Chapter 654

    <h4>Chapter 654</h4>

    TENKEN 654 How To Properly Use the Spirit Detection

    ¡ºWe can help both Rhyn and Weena Rhyn if we use the Spirit¡¯s hand?¡»

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡ºHow exactly do we do that?¡»

    The Spirit¡¯s Hand is a new skill that I just learned a while ago. To be honest, I don¡¯t even know how to use it since I haven¡¯t used it.

    Is it a kind of offensive skill? Besides, if it¡¯s something that would put a burden on us, it must be a skill that requires a lot of magic power.

    But if we can save Rhyn and Weena Rhyn with it, then it¡¯s definitely worth the effort.

    ¡¸How do we use it?¡¹

    ¡¸Use the Spirit¡¯s Hand to break the ties between Weena and me. Then Weena and Rhyn will be separated from each other on their own¡¹

    ¡¸Ties?¡¹

    ¡¸The ties that define Weena and Rhyn as one being. The very cause that has made Weena and Rhyn into Weena Rhyn¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Hearing that, Fran tilted her head.

    We can¡¯t see that ties at all. No matter how much I searched for some kind of magic power between them, I can¡¯t find anything. I wonder how should we cut something that we can¡¯t even see...

    ¡¸ Where¡¯re that ties?¡¹

    ¡¸It will not be visible to the eye. But if you have the skill called the Spirit Detection, you will be able to feel it¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡»

    Spirit Detection, huh... It seems that it was not a kind of magical ties but something simr to spirit.

    (Master?)

    ¡ºYeah, I know¡»

    Then I concentrated my Spirit Detection to find it.

    As I searched for the presence within our surroundings, I was able to detect the faint presence of the spirit Rhyn.

    But I have no idea where the ties she told me about is.

    ¡ºThat ties are between Rhyn and Weena Rhyn, right?¡»

    (Yes, that¡¯s right)

    Rhyn nodded at my question. It seems that those ties were really there between them...

    ¡º...Hmm¡»

    But unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t detect anything.

    Isn¡¯t this better if Rhyn could tell us what to do and activate the Spirit¡¯s Hand at her instruction?

    As a spirit herself, she should be able to tell us where to cut with the Spirit¡¯s Hand.

    But Rhyn shook her head.

    (Under normal circumstances, that would be fine, I suppose)

    ¡ºUnder normal circumstances?¡»

    (The Spirit¡¯s Hand is a skill that requires a lot of power to use. Moreover, there would be a lot of resistance to cut off the ties between Weena and me. In Sword-san¡¯s current state, he¡¯ll definitely reach his limit halfway through)

    In other words, my magic power won¡¯t be able tost long when using it.

    Now that I¡¯m exhausted, my magic power would definitely run out halfway through.

    ¡ºI understand¡»

    So, in the end, we should do our best to detect it with my Spirit Detection.

    I decided to deactivate all my skills and concentrate entirely on Spirit Detection. All the presences of my surroundings then disappeared, and I waspletely immersed in a world of nothingness, seeking only the presence of their ties.

    First of all, I could feel that Rhyn¡¯s presence was much stronger than before.

    For the first time, I felt that I was able to properly feel the presence of a spirit.

    So, this is what a spirit is, huh?

    The moment I felt that, there seemed to be something between Rhyn and Weena Rhyn.

    Could it be, that is the ties?

    I followed the slight feeling of difort and focused even more on my senses.

    My sharpened senses definitely caught something that was there.

    Simply put, it feels like a tangled, thick string. A single thick string that was stretched out from each other, tangling and knotting in aplicated way in its middle.

    The knot looked as if a young child had randomly twisted it many times, tied it into a tight knot, and then further messed up the string all over the ce.

    In particr, the shape of the string that was stretching out from Weena Rhyn¡¯s side seems to be so distorted. It was as if the string extending from Weena Rhyn was trying to swallow the string on its own.

    ¡ºI see it! So, this is what she means with ties?¡»

    ¡¶Spirit Detection is reacting to it. The information provided by Rhyn also indicates that there¡¯s a 96% possibility that this is the key to their connection¡·

    ¡ºSo she wants me to cut this thing with the Spirit¡¯s Hand?¡»

    It¡¯s an ability I¡¯ve never used before, will I be able to pull it off?

    But to my surprise, Announcer-san has different opinion on it.

    ¡¶Currently, the individual named Master¡¯s magic power is not enough to fully activate the Spirit¡¯s Hand¡·

    ¡ºYou think it¡¯ll consume that much magic?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. Even though it¡¯s a unique skill, it¡¯s one of the top skills that use a lot of magic¡·

    Well, that¡¯s a problem.

    ¡ºWe also don¡¯t even have a way to restore my magic power right now...¡»

    We have used up all of the magic stones and potions we have. The only way left to restore my magic is to use Magic Steal, but the only people around were Weena Rhyn, Rhyn, and Sierra, who were as worn out as we were. If we stole their magic power now, they might lose their life.

    The only vigorous ones among us would be Urushi and Zelos Reed.

    No, if I can get these two to supply me with magic power, can I manage it?

    ¡ºWhat do you think, Announcer-san?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. Sufficient magic power can be secured that way¡·

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    With this, I think I have a chance to save Weena Rhyn and Rhyn.

 Chapter 655

    <h4>Chapter 655</h4>

    TENKEN 655 Sympathy

    Among us, Urushi and Zelos Reed are in rtively decent condition. No, I don¡¯t mean that they are in a good condition, just that they are not in a state where they are going to die.

    Still, they¡¯re the only ones who can afford to supply me with magic power.

    Now we just need to figure out how to get them to supply me with magic. Should I take it away with Magic Steal? But in Zelos Reed¡¯s case, what lies within him is his evil spirit.

    Even if I were to absorb it, I don¡¯t think I could convert it into magic power.

    Bute to think of it, I just acquired the Evil Spirit Control skill a while ago. If I were to use that, wouldn¡¯t I be able to convert evil spirit into magic power?

    However, that would require Zelos Reed¡¯s cooperation. Then I exined this to Fran for her to get Zelos Reed¡¯s cooperation.

    ¡¸Oi¡¹

    Hey, Fran! I know you didn¡¯t like him, but could you talk to him a little more politely?

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    Zelos Reed, however, responded to Fran¡¯s harsh words with a sincere one. His tone was not polite, but it seems that he was willing to listen to Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t have enough power to help Rhyn and Weena Rhyn. Give me yours¡¹

    ¡¸All right, take as much as you want¡¹

    Zelos Reed then promptly nodded his head. Perhaps he had nned to nod no matter what she said from the beginning.

    That¡¯s how quick it was.

    But there are also those who are not happy with it.

    ¡¸Wait, would it be dangerous for unc¨D¨DZelos Reed-san? Besides, it should be difficult for a normal human to control the evil spirit¡¹

    As Sierra said so, he turned his worried gaze to Zelos Reed. Well, for Sierra, saving Zelos Reed is his main goal. So, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.

    I would definitely be worried if Fran were to offer her magic power to someone I didn¡¯t fully trust after all.

    ¡¸This sword has the ability to control it¡¹

    ¡¸...I knew it wasn¡¯t just a normal sword, but is that sword really had that kind of ability?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But...¡¹

    Sierra just can¡¯t ept it. But I can¡¯t just tell him about me either, so why don¡¯t we force things a bit here?

    ¡¸Sierra... is that what should I call you? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine¡¹

    ¡¸But...¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, I¡¯ve already entrusted my life to Fran. I don¡¯t care what happens to me¡¹

    ¡¸What are you talking about?¡¹

    Zelos Reed then tells Sierra, who rolled his eyes in surprise, about his promise to Fran.

    In exchange for Fran taking Romio to Barbra¡¯s orphanageter on, she can do whatever she wants with Zelos Reed¡¯s life. However, only after the contract between Romio and Zelos Reed has been cancelled.

    The contract between Romio and Zelos Reed has already been cancelled by Weena Rhyn. Then it means that his life now belongs to Fran.

    Zelos Reed doesn¡¯t seem to care how he gonna be treated because his life now belongs to Fran. But still, he wished that Sierra wouldn¡¯t resent Fran if he were to die because of this.

    But Zelos Reed¡¯s inability to read people¡¯s emotions has turned out to be apletely bad thing. I don¡¯t know much about this man, but there is no way he is good at proper human interaction by any stretch of the imagination.

    Of course, there was no way that Sierra could be reassured by such a story.

    ¡¸No way...¡¹

    Sierra then red at Fran.

    Well, I¡¯m sure Sierra also know that Fran has a grudge against Zelos Reed after all.

    If that was the case, there¡¯s no way she would be concerned about Zelos Reed¡¯s life. In other words, he must have thought that there was a good chance that she would absorb all the evil spirit and magic power from Zelos Reed to kill him.

    If I were in his shoes, I¡¯d definitely be skeptical too.

    Fran then approached Sierra. She held me up so that he could see me better.

    (Master, can I tell him?)

    ¡º...You want to tell him about me being an intelligence weapon?¡»

    (Nn)

    ¡ºI¡¯m not sure that¡¯s going to convince Sierra right now though...¡»

    (Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll understand when he gets to know Master)

    ¡ºYou think so?¡»

    (Nn. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine)

    ¡ºWell, I guess it¡¯ll be fine if Fran says so...¡»

    Does she gonna say it¡¯ll be okay because I would be the one to control the skills instead of her? Even so, I don¡¯t think it gonna clear up Sierra¡¯s doubts...

    But I think it¡¯s fine to tell them about me. Sierra was also a wielder of an intelligence weapon after all. So, I don¡¯t think he gonna bber out our secret.

    ¡¸...What?¡¹

    Sierra gave Fran a suspicious look as she showed her sword to him and fell silent. But Fran didn¡¯t care and opened her mouth again.

    ¡¸This sword¡¯s name is Master¡¹

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master, an intelligence weapon¡¹

    ¡¸What...!?¡¹

    Sierra¡¯s face turned into an expression of surprise. He may be putting on a tough face, but he¡¯s still a kid. His poker face tends to crumble from time to time.

    ¡ºYo, my name is Master. I¡¯m Fran¡¯s sword and guardian. Nice to meet you¡»

    ¡¸F-for real...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. The Spirit¡¯s Hand will be used by Master¡¹

    ¡ºWe won¡¯t take revenge on Zelos Reed for now. Rhyn and Weena Rhyn are our top priorities right now. Besides, Romio would be sad if we do that, right?¡»

    I¡¯ll just tell him how I honestly feel for now. I thought it was better for me to be honest here instead of lying.

    Then Sierra¡¯s expression changed to one of surprise. After a moment of confusion, a strangely happy expression appeared on his face.

    ¡¸I-is that so!? So, it was an intelligence weapon, huh...¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Sierra then falls silent for a moment. He is probably talking to the magic sword, Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸Alright. I¡¯ll trust you for now¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    I wonder why... I just greet him a little and now he suddenly believed me?

    (He¡¯s a fellow wielder of an intelligence weapon after all, so I knew he¡¯d understand if we properly exin things to him)

    I thought that was a silly reason, but maybe it really is. He had been sent here from a different time, and the only person he could ask for advice or rely on was the magic sword Zelos Reed. For Sierra, this must be the first time he has met someone like him.

    In addition, they were both children who were in a very simr situation. It was no wonder that Fran and Sierra felt sympathy for each other.

 Chapter 656

    <h4>Chapter 656</h4>

    TENKEN 656 Power, Replenished!

    Now that Sierra was no longer opposed to this, we could peacefully ask Zelos Reed to supply me with power.

    Since they already knew about our secret, I decided to give them direct instruction.

    ¡ºZelos Reed. I¡¯m going to need your help now. I need you to stay put and not resist¡»

    ¡¸...Understood¡¹

    Zelos Reed nodded in hesitation, seemingly unsure of what kind of face to make. It seems that he is still ufortable with talking to a sword.

    As everyone watches in silence, I activated my Evil Spirit Control.

    I see, it was certainly a skill to Control the Evil Spirits. I was able to control the little bit of evil that was leaking out of the Zelos Reed at my will.

    The next step is to control the evil spirit within Zelos Reed.

    ¡ºHere I go¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Then I extended the target of the Evil Spirit Control to the evil spirit within Zelos Reed.

    Zelos Reed¡¯s expression did not change during that process. I guess it was because he has readied himself for anything that would be done to him.

    But even in such a state, an evil person is still an evil person. Evil spirits were flowing and swirling within him.

    So, this is the evil spirit of a high-ranking evil person, huh?

    The Evil Spirit Control allowed me to feel the evil in more detail than ever, but it was so overwhelming that it gave me chills.

    Nevertheless, I will use my Evil Spirit Control to increase my interference with the evil spirit within Zelos Reed.

    And to my surprise, it was going surprisingly well. Well, maybe it was also because I was good at magic control.

    But it seems that it was also thanks to the fact that I didn¡¯t have a physical body, so I don¡¯t have to bear the burden of pain and fatigue. I was also used to manipte magic to do anything, so I was more used to this kind of skill than most people.

    I could tell that the evil spirit within Zelos Reed¡¯s body was starting to follow my will slightly. Then, a little by little, it was pulled away from Zelos Reed and began to flow towards me.

    ¡ºAlright, just keep going like that...¡»

    ¡¸Muh¡¹

    Zelos Reed twitched lightly. It seems that even he can feel that his own evil spirit is being manipted from the outside.

    But as I thought, there would be some resistance too.

    Zelos Reed may havepletely submitted himself to me, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I can perfectly control his evil spirits.

    It¡¯s probably because it¡¯s an evil spirit under the control of another. Especially when controlling the evil spirits of high-ranking evil people like Zelos Reed, the difficulty ought to be high.

    On the other hand, if it was just on the level of a goblin or an orc, I think I could suck out their evil spirits more easily. I should give it a try next time.

    Still, I continued to use my skills with determination, and little by little, I could see evil spirit continued to flow out of Zelos Reed and flowing into me.

    ¡ºNow all I have to do is convert this evil spirit into magic power, huh?¡»

    I haven¡¯t tried it yet, but it looked like I could use my Evil Spirit Control skill to convert evil spirit and turn this power into magic power.

    However, Announcer-san has different opinion on it.

    ¡¶Due to the effect of the Evil Spirit Control skill, it is possible to handle evil spirits as it is¡·

    ¡ºEh? Does that mean I can use both magic power and evil spirits?¡»

    ¡¶Correct. Although it is less efficient than magic power, the power gained by using evil spirits as it is would be greater than the loss caused by converting it¡·

    But is that okay? No matter how potent this skill is, using evil spirits as it is was a bit...

    However, will the current me be able to stand it?

    ¡ºIs it okay if I let evil spirits pass through me?¡»

    ¡¶ording to my calctions, there is no problem if it is temporary. In addition, with the assistance of the individual named Announcer-san, it is possible to temporally minimize the effect of using the evil spirit¡·

    ¡ºOoh! Is that so!? As expected of Announcer-san!¡»

    ¡¶The influence of evil spirits will be channeled to less influential areas within the individual named Master to protect his core¡·

    That means spreading the damage from the evil spirit to less important ces, right? Besides, the less damage in one ce, the faster the recovery will be.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san! I¡¯m counting on you!¡»

    ¡¶Yes. Leave it to me¡·

    All right, now it¡¯s up to Zelos Reed¡¯s physical condition. I¡¯ll absorb his evil spirit little by little.

    ¡ºOkay, next is Urushi¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡ºI know this gonna be pretty harsh for you, but just hang in there¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a good answer¡»

    I used my Simultaneous Calction skill to use magic power absorption in session. In Urushi¡¯s case, thanks to the fact that he has a magical connection with me, I was able to absorb his magic power quite smoothly.

    ¡¶12% remaining to fill the required magic power¡·

    ¡¸Kuh...¡¹

    ¡ºJust a little more, hang in there!¡»

    ¡¸Grr...¡¹

    ¡¶The required magic power has been secured¡·

    ¡ºGood!¡»

    The moment I stopped the magic absorption, Urushi fell to the ground without a word. He seemed to be conscious, but he was too tired to even speak.

    His regeneration has stopped, and I could see that he had started to bleed again.

    But it¡¯s not the time to feel sorry for him.

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve endured well, Urushi! Thanks to you, I¡¯ve regained much of my magic power!¡»

    ¡¸Uuf...¡¹

    I¡¯ll use my telekinesis to pet him as much as I canter.

    ¡¶The absorption of evil spirits isplete¡·

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    Well then, let¡¯s do this!

    Then I once again sensed the ties between Rhyn and Weena Rhyn, and aimed my next move to it.

    ¡ºSpirit¡¯s Hand, activate!¡»

 Chapter 657

    <h4>Chapter 657</h4>

    TENKEN 657 The Spirit¡¯s Hand

    The Spirit¡¯s Hand, unlike its name, was not in the form of a hand. It was more like manipting a lump of power that has no shape at all.

    But I was not confused by it.

    After all, the Spirit¡¯s Hand were almost simr to telekinesis in its use. I think I can manage this.

    I¡¯ve been able to maintain my spirit detection perfectly. Apparently, once I seeded in detecting the spirits, I became able to recognize them more easily.

    It¡¯s like I¡¯ve found the right wavelength. I can now see the ties with just a light concentration.

    I moved the Spirit¡¯s Hand and touched the ties a little. Indeed, it seemed that I could touch it. It doesn¡¯t react at all to a light touch, but what would happen if I were to put more strength into the Spirit¡¯s Hand? Will I be able to pull it off?

    ¡ºYou sure you want me to cut this?¡»

    ¡¸Yes, we¡¯re counting on you¡¹

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    I poured my power into the Spirit¡¯s Hand and tried to cut the ties between Weena Rhyn and Rhyn, but...

    ¡ºTsk!¡»

    It did not work at all. I couldn¡¯t even scratch it. Moreover, I could see that the magic power I had gotten from Urushi was diminishing at an rming rate.

    ¡ºSo this is what Announcer-san was worried about!¡»

    ¡¸Do your best!¡¹

    ¡¸Please, please save Rhyn...¡¹

    Weena Rhyn, who had been silent all this time, opened her mouth.

    I guess she stayed silent all this time as not to disturb our concentration. But it seems that she can¡¯t hold herself back anymore.

    ¡ºIf ites to this, I¡¯ll give it everything I¡¯ve got!¡»

    I don¡¯t think I can afford to take a wait-and-see approach now.

    So, I focused myst remaining power on the Spirit¡¯s Hand and kneaded Evil Spirit together with it at the same time.

    ¡ºGuh...¡»

    This is bad.

    The moment I kneaded the Evil Spirit, a chill ran down my spine. It¡¯s just the sensation though, I don¡¯t have a spine after all.

    My spirit was shaken, and I felt a creepy, unpleasant sensation within me.

    But actually, I¡¯ve felt this a few times before.

    When I am on the verge of breaking from overusing my powers, or when I cannibalized the Fanatics. In such critical situations, this chill would hit me every time.

    In other words, this is still dangerous for me.

    ¡ºIs it because of the Evil Spirit...?¡»

    ¡¶Recalcte the efficiency of dispersing damage caused by Evil Spirits will further reduce the effects of the Evil Spirits¡·

    ¡ºIs that possible?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. The individual named Master should concentrate on using his skill¡·

    Just right after Announcer-san said so, the chill that I had been feeling suddenly eased.

    ¡ºGood job!¡»

    The moment the burden was lifted, I put all the strength I had into the Spirit¡¯s Hand.

    ¡ºHaaah!¡»

    Alright! The ties that hadn¡¯t scratched at all earlier is now being bent by the Spirit¡¯s Hand!

    The ties had no substance, so it made no particr sound when it was being hit by me. However, I thought I could hear the sound of cracking and creaking from it.

    Using the image of a wrung-out rag, I grabbed the ties at the edge and twist it up.

    Then, at the moment I put even more effort into it.

    As if all the hard work I had done earlier had been a lie, the ties shattered easily. No, maybe that was just my own image of the power that had lost its substance and scattered as fine particles.

    The interfering power of my Spirit¡¯s Hand must have exceeded the strength of the ties.

    ¡ºWhohooo! How was that, Rhyn, Weena Rhyn!?¡»

    I immediately checked the status of Rhyn and Weena Rhyn.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Huh?

    Both Rhyn and Weena Rhyn remain silent. They are standing there with straight faces.

    C-could it be, it didn¡¯t work? But the ties were certainly destroyed, right?

    ¡ºH-hey, you two?¡»

    Just as I was about to call out to them again.

    ¡¸...It¡¯s gone¡¹

    ¡¸...You¡¯re right¡¹

    Said Rhyn and Weena Rhyn to each other.

    A short word murmurs. But it must have been filled with all their feelings.

    Happiness, loneliness, solitude, freedom, sorrow, hope. Thousands of years of feelings that only Rhyn and Weena Rhyn can understand that we can¡¯t fullyprehend.

    Then tears quietly trailed down Weena Rhyn¡¯s cheeks. The sight of the beautiful High Elf quietly weeping held a sense of mystery and serenity.

    But we didn¡¯t have time to admire it.

    A tremendous amount of magic power had begun to be released from Weena Rhyn¡¯s body.

    It was a magic that was simr to Weena Rhyn¡¯s magic, but not exactly the same. And it was certainly not under Weena Rhyn¡¯s control.

    Normally, magic power that is simply released would dissipate into the air. However, this magic was different.

    ¡¸Rhyn... I¡¯ll give it back¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Thank you, Weena¡¹

    I could see that a huge amount of magic power was being sucked into Rhyn.

 Chapter 658

    <h4>Chapter 658</h4>

    TENKEN 658 Rhyn¡¯s Resurrection

    The flow of magic from Weena Rhyn to Rhyn had stopped, but there was no visible change in Weena Rhyn and Rhyn.

    However, if I were to search deeper, there¡¯s definitely a change.

    The changes in their presence were so drastic that it seemed as if they were different people. It was not that their presences had be stronger or weaker, but the wavelength of their presences itself had changed.

    It seems that with the ties between them was broken means that Rhyn¡¯s existence in Weena and Rhyn has been separated and Rhyn¡¯s power has been returned to Rhyn.

    In this case, it¡¯s understandable that the presence of Weena Rhyn would change, but why would Rhyn¡¯s presence undergo a change as well?

    Or was it natural that changes would happen when Rhyn returns to her original state?

    However, it seemed that Weena Rhyn was too worn out to stand. Immediately after, she copsed on the spot.

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn? Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not Weena Rhyn anymore. I¡¯m just Weena now...¡¹

    Weena Rhyn¨D¨DNo, Weena loses her consciousness when she says so.

    ¡ºOops!¡»

    I was almost run out of power, but I activated my telekinesis to kill the momentum of Weena¡¯s fall slightly, and then Fran catches her falling body.

    ¡¸Weena?¡¹

    Even when Fran shook her lightly, she showed no signs of waking up. She must be extremely exhausted from everything.

    ¡ºHer vitality has diminished considerably...¡»

    ¡¸Let her take some rest for now¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    Following Rhyn¡¯s words, Fran gentlyid Weena down.

    ¡¸She¡¯ll be fine?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯ll wake up after a while. Her powers will be greatly reduced though...¡¹

    I guess at least she¡¯s not going to die.

    Unlike Weena, Rhyn was filled with great vigor. She had regained her strength and seemed to bepletely out of danger.

    ¡¸...Thank you. It¡¯s all thanks to you guys that Weena could be saved¡¹

    Said Rhyn while bowed to us.

    ¡¸Of course, you guys had saved me too...¡¹

    ¡ºHey, Rhyn, how much do you know?¡»

    I decided to take this opportunity to ask her something that had been bothering me for a long time.

    ¡ºRhyn said that she couldn¡¯t see the future... But still, you must have working on a lot of things to change the future, right?¡»

    When I made contact with the other Fran, I¡¯m pretty sure that Rhyn must be assisting.

    If Rhyn hadn¡¯t told Announcer-san, I wouldn¡¯t have used my Potential Release. Then I wouldn¡¯t have met the other Fran and Me, and I wouldn¡¯t have gotten some new skill. And Weena and Rhyn would not have been saved.

    In the first ce, if the other Rhyn hadn¡¯t sent Sierra, Zelos Reed, and Zelyse to this timeline, I could have turned into a mere sword.

    I don¡¯t believe that all of this is just a coincidence. I just couldn¡¯t figure out how much of it was a coincidence and how much of it was in Rhyn¡¯s hands. I couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    No, I wouldn¡¯tints if it was all in the palms of her hands. After all, it had saved our life. Rather, I would be grateful. However, I was just a little bit curious.

    ¡¸...I, who am not a God, cannot see into the future. I¡¯ve told you this before, haven¡¯t I?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    "Who am not a God" she said? but the Goddess of Chaos has told me that even a God cannot see into the future.

    Considering that, a perfect prediction of the future would be impossible.

    ¡ºBut you do have the kind of power that makes you choose the better options, don¡¯t you?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not that big of a deal. I just know how my actions affect me. It¡¯s a hunch, if you say¡¹

    It seems that the immediate future of a few seconds can be predicted by that intuition.

    However, if she wanted to explore farther ahead, she would have to use tremendous power. She said that if she were to try to perceive years ahead, Rhyn herself might disappear.

    This is just a guess on my part, but I wonder if Rhyn is unconsciously performing high-level operations. What if Rhyn is using her abilities as a spirit of time to instantly simte various possibilities and unconsciously foreseeing the future, and the results are appearing as intuition?

    That¡¯s because the more distant the future she predicts, the more exhausted she bes. The more information she has to process, the more she has to process. My simultaneousputing skills are simr to that, so I know exactly how it feels.

    ¡¸But I¡¯m sure that this intuition has helped me in many ways... Well, you see, it all started with an encounter¡¹

    Rhyn muttered to herself and looked at Sierra and the others.

    ¡¸One day, a tremendous evil spirit appeared on the shore of theke. Naturally, I went to check on the source. There, I found a boy and a sword that emitted strong evil spirit¡¹

    No doubt about it. It must be Sierra and his magic sword, Zelos Reed. It seemed that Rhyn was already aware of their presence when they appeared at this time.

    ¡¸You may not be able to see the future, but you can easily see the past. After all, it¡¯s only a matter of reading what has already happened¡¹

    To us, seeing into the future and seeing into the past seems to be equally difficult, but to Rhyn, seeing into the past seems to be a very simple act.

    As a result, she encounters a lot of bewildering facts.

    ¡¸No matter how you look at it, the boy and the sword were living in the future¡¹

    Rhyn¡¯s vision of Sierra and the others¡¯ past gave her a lot of information.

    ¡¸And I received a silent message from myself. That this boy is the beginning of hope for us all¡¹

 Chapter 659

    <h4>Chapter 659</h4>

    TENKEN 659 The future in Rhyn¡¯s grasp.

    ¡¸Did you know Sierra and the others when they first came here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, of course¡¹

    They probably had no idea that they had been noticed that long ago. Sierra¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡¸And when I found them, I tried to contact them to see into their past¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Sierra raises a dumb voice and had a confused look on his face.

    Most likely, he had no memory of Rhyn.

    ¡¸At first, I hid myself as a spirit, so they wouldn¡¯t have noticed me. And after that, it was just a matter of changing my appearance and greeted him¡¹

    It¡¯s only recently that I¡¯ve been able to detect spirits. It¡¯s still not perfect. If the spirit I was talking to consciously erased their presence, I might not be able to tell even now.

    Sierra and Zelos Reed must not have noticed Rhyn either.

    It was the Rhyn of that timeline who had first decided to gamble on this n¨D¨Dor rather, on the slightest possibility of salvation. Her intuition must have whispered to her that contact with Sierra and Fran from the other timeline might help her avoid ruin.

    Rhyn sent Sierra, Zelos Reed and Zelyse from one ce to the other to make the faint hope a reality.

    And the Rhyn in this timeline took over that hope by making contact with Sierra.

    ¡¸There is no such thing as an ending where no one is unhappy, neither here nor there. There is no such thing. But what if we could reach such a future? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s worth risking everything I have?¡¹

    Rhyn said that she was determined. She was determined that she would save everyone.

    ¡¸Things have only recently started to move though¡¹

    Zelyse¡¯s whereabouts were unknown, and there was no telling where Fran and the others were. In the end, she had no choice but to wait for the time toe while assisting Sierra from the shadows.

    ¡¸We were being helped without our knowing...?¡¹

    Sierra muttered in astonishment.

    I could care less about the process, as long as I avoided the destruction that was toe for Fran. Even if the whole thing was set up by Rhyn. Fran would not be convinced. After all the fierce battles and adventures she had been through, she might not have been able to do it all by herself.

    It was the same fact that could shake Sierra¡¯s self-confidence that he had built up over the years after all.

    ¡¸Just so you know, my help is minimal. I¡¯ve only directly interfered with him three times in the past. First, when I led a Guild member to his weakened body. The other time when he was surrounded by dangerous magical beasts, I helped him escape by distracting them just a little bit. And the other time, when he almost died from an illness, I used my healing power to restore his strength. That¡¯s about it, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    Whether it¡¯s insignificant or not, Rhyn didn¡¯t seem to give him an upper hand in any way.

    ¡¸...I see¡¹

    Sierra seemed satisfied. It was probably because Rhyn¡¯s help was less frequent than he had imagined.

    Well, I guess by saying that she hasn¡¯t helped him directly means that she has helped him indirectly many times. I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut because it mightplicate things.

    ¡¸When Zelyse showed up and started to make a move in the dark, things finally began to move¡¹

    Rhyn said that she opened a stall in order to get in touch with Fran. She said she wanted to talk to Fran and get to know her.

    The reason for this is that Rhyn¡¯s influence can only target those who are close to her. To put it simply, the closer you are to Rhyn, the easier it is for Rhyn¡¯s influence to work.

    For this reason, Rhyn decided to have a chat with Fran and form a strong connection with her.

    ¡¸? Rhyn had a chat with me?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, in my case, I barely know anyone but Weena Rhyn. But even that was enough for me¡¹

    In other words, because Rhyn is a loner, even a small conversation with her would qualify anyone as her friend?

    But I guess that contact was still meaningful for us.

    ¡¸It was really hard after that. Sierra, Fran, Romio, Weena, and Zelyse. I had to keep an eye on everyone¡¯s behavior as much as possible and move around to avoid the worst developments...¡¹

    It is difficult for Rhyn to handle everyone directly. In the first ce, she can¡¯t wield so much power due to the fact that she is using her power to choose the future.

    Therefore, only when the worstes to the worst does she makes a slight alteration to the flow of history. The result of this lonely struggle is the history we have today.

    For that matter, she was concerned about the fact that she had left Zelyse unattended, but after thinking about it, Zelyse¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t necessarily the worst thing for Rhyn. On the contrary, an ipletely resurrected great magic beast might provide an opportunity to be exploited.

    The worst thing for Rhyn is not the resurrection of the great magic beast, but the death of Weena Rhyn and the transformation of her personality due to herck of mental stability.

    Considering the fact that even Weena Rhyn¡¯s life would be in danger if the great magic beast were to be fully resurrected, it might have even been a blessing if Zelyse was able to resurrect the great magic beast ipletely.

    ¡¸I never thought I¡¯d be able to achieve such great results¡¹

    ¡¸Is it for the best?¡¹

    ¡ºBoth Weena and Rhyn are looking very worn out... Weena also says that she won¡¯t be able to regain her powers back for years, but it must be the same for Rhyn, right?¡»

    Rhyn¡¯s weariness was more than just a temporary loss of power. No matter how I looked at her, she had be a lower grade spirit.

    She used to be ssified as a high-level spirit, but now she was only at the level of medium-level spirit.

    ¡¸No, I¡¯m fine. The great magic beast has gone, we managed to separate me and Weena without losing our lives. What¡¯s more could I ask for?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s true...¡»

    ¡¸Romio, Sierra, and Zelos Reed were safe, and neither Fran nor Sword-san had gone out of control. The only thing I was worried about was Zelyse losing his life, which had a positive effect on us over there. The country did not fall, and the damage to the people was minimal. It would be greed to want more than that¡¹

    Rhyn must have excluded the option of everyone being safe from the beginning. She must have thought that it would be better if some of us survived than if everyone including herself died and the great magic beast was left on the loose.

    ¡ºSurely, after dealing with such a monster, it would be too greedy to ask for more...¡»

 Chapter 660

    <h4>Chapter 660</h4>

    TENKEN 660 Side Fran? 3

    ¡¸Master¡¹

    ¡º...Fran. I... All this time...¡»

    I could hear Master¡¯s frayed voice. But I was so happy to hear his voice that I cried.

    Because this voice was definitely Master¡¯s voice¨D¨DMaster¡¯s voice from when we first met.

    When I hear his voice, I feel brave. I¡¯m no longer afraid to call him my Master.

    ¡¸Master. Lend me your strength¡¹

    ¡º...My strength...?¡»

    ¡¸I need Master¡¯s help to defeat the great magic beast. Help me as Master, not as a mere sword. Please¡¹

    ¡ºAre you crying...?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m crying from happiness. Don¡¯t worry about it¡¹

    After we get out from here, we¡¯ll be facing the great magic beast.

    It¡¯s very intimidating. Can I really win? I feel a little uneasy. But if my Master lends me his strength, I¡¯m sure I can win.

    ¡¸Master. What I needed is Master¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right... I am your Master after all...¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºAah, that¡¯s right! I am Master. I¡¯m Fran¡¯s Master...!¡»

    Suddenly, Master¡¯s tone changed.

    Very rough. It¡¯s like he¡¯s angry.

    But I was not afraid at all. On the contrary, it made me happy. Because that voice was no longer the voice of the sword. It was the voice of Master with a proper heart, just like in the past.

    ¡¸Can you go? Master¡¹

    ¡ºAa... Aaah! I can go! Let¡¯s go! Wherever you want to go! I¡¯ll put all my heart into it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll apologizeter. For now, let¡¯s just blow that thing up!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Okay!¡¹

    I wonder why. I myself was not really sure about it either, but I felt like I could do something amazing. I can beat any enemy now.

    The big monster is no match for me now. Because I have Master now.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get serious!¡¹

    I¡¯m really going to settle this. I¡¯m not going to leave anything behind. I will use the strongest skill I had.

    ¡¸O raging power of the divine beast that lies in my blood. Awaken! Divine Beast!¡¹

    ck lightning enveloped my entire body, and I could feel my hair grow a little longer.

    But that¡¯s about the extent of the change in appearance. It¡¯s a little too bad though. With a name like "Divine Beast", I wish my whole body would be more fluffy.

    But this skill is very strong. It¡¯s about five times as strong as Brilliant Lightning Rush. Maybe.

    ¡¸Master. Are you ready?¡¹

    ¡ºOf course. Full throttle. Don¡¯t hold back on me. And it seems Announcer-san is back too¡»

    ¡¶Leave the control of your skills to me. If it¡¯s dangerous, I can force it to end¡·

    ¡ºThat¡¯s what she says¡»

    ¡¸...Okay¡¹

    Master and Announcer-san, both of them are very reliable.

    ¡¸Okay then... Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    ¡¸Aaaaa! Divine Sword Release!¡¹

    ¡ºOooooooooo¨D¨D¡»

    ...

    ¡ºFran... We did it...¡»

    ¡¸Nn... But, I made a hole in theke...¡¹

    ¡ºAah¨D... I wonder will there be ecological problems in the future...?¡»

    ¡¸Still, it¡¯s much better than a great magic beast on the loose¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn, so you¡¯re safe?¡¹

    We were resting our weary bodies on a small mountain near theke when Rhyn came up to us.

    I thought something bad had happened to her because she suddenly disappeared after she lost her connection with the other side. I thought she might have died, so I¡¯m d she¡¯s okay.

    ¡¸I just used a little too much power...¡¹

    ¡¸Is it because of our fault? Because you let me talk to the Masters over there?¡¹

    ¡¸Not only that... The fact that I sent Romio and the others to that timeline and doing many others things exhausted a lot of my power... But I¡¯m fine now¡¹

    Rhyn¡¯s figure is getting fainter. I can feel very little of her energy. Is she really okay?

    ¡¸...Don¡¯t push yourself too hard¡¹

    ¡¸I know¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder what happened to us over there...?¡¹

    Was it because I felt relieved after defeating the great magic beast? Suddenly, I wondered about us over there. It was thanks to that me and Master that Master was able toe back from just being a mere sword.

    ¡¸Would Rhyn know?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. The connection¡¯s already been severed¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Too bad¡¹

    I wish we could have talked some more.

    But it¡¯s okay.

    Because they left me so many things.

    ¡¸Master. I pushed myself pretty hard. Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡ºAah. I¡¯m fine. My strength¡¯s all gone, but I¡¯m feeling pretty good¡»

    Master says so andughs.

    He doesn¡¯t have a face, but I can tell. Master is definitely smiling like he used to.

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡º...I¡¯m sorry, Fran. I was out of my mind¡»

    ¡¸No. As long as you¡¯re back to normal, that¡¯s all that matters¡¹

    ¡º...I see¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Master¡¯s gentle voice. Tears well up in my eyes again.

    I can see that Master is ming himself. But that¡¯s also because Master was able to return to normal. he can be happy, he can be angry, he can do all these things because he has feelings.

    And I¡¯m so happy about that.

    ¡¶Warning. There are signs of change in the individual named Master¡¯s name¡·

    ¡ºEh? The name is... Does that mean my name is going to change? Eh? Why?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. The change alreadypleted. It has returned to its previous name. With the change of individual named Master, the Divine Sword Release skill has disappeared from individual named Fran¡·

    ¡ºWait, what do you mean? Wow, seriously, my name is back to Master! Does this mean that I¡¯m no longer a Divine Sword?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. With the change of Master, it was stripped of its name as a Divine Sword and lost its authority¡·

    I don¡¯t really understand, but it seems that my master is no longer a divine sword. But I wonder why? Could it be because I got his heart back? Can¡¯t he be a divine sword if he has a heart? No. Maybe it¡¯s the other way around. Maybe he lost his heart because he became a divine sword.

    If that¡¯s the case, he doesn¡¯t have to be a divine sword. In fact, I don¡¯t want a divine sword. I want Master.

    ¡ºI-I¡¯m sorry Fran. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m not the divine sword anymore!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºEeh? Why are you smiling?¡»

    ¡¸No problem. Master is Master. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s a divine sword or not¡¹

    As long as Master is there, that¡¯s all that matters. And Announcer-san will be there too after all.

    ¡¸...If only Urushi were here, we¡¯d be perfect¡¹

    ¡º...You¡¯re right¡»

    That was the only disappointment. But then, the Announcer-san told us a surprise.

    ¡¶It is not impossible to resummon the individual named Urushi¡·

    ¡ºEh? What do you mean?¡»

    ¡¶The magic stone of the individual named Urushi has been assimted into the individual named Master. By using this bond, it is possible to attempt to summon him again¡·

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¶To re-summon from a magic stone, you must use the Divine Beast Summoning Technique. To learn this, you must reach the maximum level of the summoning technique and be recognized by the god of magic¡·

    ¡¸The God of Magic... What can I do to get their approval?¡¹

    ¡¶There is ack of information. It is rmended that you first raise your summoning skills to the maximum level, followed by getting information on the God of Magic¡·

    ¡¸I see... Master¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I think we know what our next objective is¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Our adventure continues. A lively, fun adventure.

 Chapter 661

    <h4>Chapter 661</h4>

    TENKEN 661 What Happened After

    It had already been ten days since the great magic beast was defeated.

    Weena Rhyn¨D¨Dor Weena¡¯s handling of the aftermath is nowplete. Although the feudal lords and adventurer¡¯s guilds in the area are the ones who actually take action, Weena was the one who gave the various instructions.

    Many were astonished to see her changed appearance, but her influence seemed to be much the same.

    It may be because her power is not yet known to have been greatly weakened, but it is probably due to her past record.

    Also, the fact that she had defeated that great magic beast that was visible from the town seemed to have helped increase her influence even more.

    The adventurers, for example, looked at her like she was a hero. They were inplete obedience to her instructions.

    When she had finished giving some instructions, she handed over the work to the government officials who had been dispatched, and Weena returned to the academy.

    The officials really wanted her to stay, but they couldn¡¯t force her to stay. In the end, they had no choice but to let Weena go.

    We were also able to return to the academy with Weena afterpleting a few quests for reconstruction.

    The academy was also in an uproar over Weena¡¯s appearance, but as expected, things seemed to have calmed down after two days. Normally, the students don¡¯t have much contact with Weena Rhyn, and when it¡¯s exined to them that there¡¯s no problem, they probably think that there¡¯s really no problem at all.

    The teachers still can¡¯t seem to get used to it, but I guess they¡¯ll have to learn to ept it over time.

    Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to us who will be leaving the academy soon.

    ¡¸So, you¡¯re sure you want us to keep Zelos Reed?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Now we were discussing with Weena and the others about the treatment of Zelos Reed and Romio.

    This had been bothering me as well.

    She made a promise that she¡¯d get his life for something, but I don¡¯t think Fran would kill Zelos Reed now.

    Fran feels a strong emotional attachment to Romio and Sierra. She found out that there was some simrity between them and herself. It may not be friendship, but she felt some kind of sympathy for them.

    If she were to kill Zelos Reed, she would certainly be resented by Romio and Sierra, and they would be her enemy. Even Fran would not like that.

    Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that her hatred for Zelos Reed has disappeared, but if she was asked to kill him, I don¡¯t think she would.

    The fact that Kiara herself has told us that avenging her is pointless is probably a big factor. I hate to say it, but we already have an excuse to get away with it without killing Zelos Reed.

    And Fran¡¯s decision was to leave Romio and Zelos Reed in Weena¡¯s care.

    When we thought about Romio¡¯s sake, it was not a bad idea.

    Romio¡¯s wish is not to be in a privileged environment or under the protection of a gentle guardian, but to be with Zelos Reed.

    However, Zelos Reed is being hunted as a criminal. There are few ces where he can walk around with his head held high. And the academy, with its self-governing rights, was one of those few ces.

    Also, with Weena and Rhyn¡¯s power weakened, the academy is without any exceptional strength. Zelos Reed¡¯s power will be needed by the academy.

    It was a decision that would allow us to trade favors with Romio, Zelos Reed, Weena, Sierra, all of them. Well, I don¡¯t think Fran would think that far ahead though.

    Rather, it was as if she had been wondering what to do, and then pushed it to Weena. Perhaps she had been thinking so much that she had lost her sense.

    Sierra and the magic sword Zelos Reed had disappeared when we noticed them.

    In their case, there was no reason for them to stay here. They weren¡¯tmitting any crimes, and they weren¡¯t beingmissioned by the academy. Their status in this world was that of mere adventurers.

    However, he was probably still concerned about the treatment of Romio and Zelos Reed. But once he had seen it, he had no more business here anymore.

    I don¡¯t know where he went, but I think he went after the magic sword Zelyse. Zelyse from this timeline is dead, but the real revenge for Sierra and the others is the magic sword Zelyse.

    I didn¡¯t know what happened to Nameless in the end. Weena also said that she didn¡¯t know about those little things, and it was very likely that they had escaped.

    All that remains is for us to figure out our future.

    Fran¡¯s role as an instructor has ended. In the past, she was forced to be an instructor in order to deceive the spirits of the academy who were about to turn against her. No, Fran doesn¡¯t mind about it, because she came to the academy to be an instructor.

    By saving Weena and the others, she was officially recognized as having served as an instructor. It seemed that even if she quit her position as an instructor, she would no longer be attacked by the guardian spirits.

    I wondered if the contract would be okay with Weena bing weaker, but she said there would be no change to the contract that was already signed. In other words, the academy¡¯s defense will continue to be irond. Even Rhyn is going to be a part of it.

    ¡¸You saved my life this time. Thank you¡¹

    Weena bows her head deeply.

    Her tone has not changed at all from when she was still Weena Rhyn. However, there is clearly a change inside.

    The instability that I had felt before was gone, and I could listen to her with some peace of mind, as if she was mentally stable now that she was no longer two souls in one body.

    I think she¡¯s back to being the real Weena.

    ¡¸It¡¯s just that I¡¯m struggling to find the right rewards¡¹

    ¡¸Not money?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give you money, of course. But I¡¯m not going to just say thank you after all the help I¡¯ve received. I¡¯m going to pay you what you deserve¡¹

    ¡¸Oo~¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyes light up at Weena¡¯s words. It¡¯s a reward that a very important person like her would say is worthy. It seems to be quite promising. I think Fran understands that.

    ¡¸What¡¯ll you give me?¡¹

    ¡¸For the time being, let¡¯s start with the reward I promised you first¡¹

    ¡¸Promised?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you remember that, don¡¯t you, Sword-san?¡¹

    ¡ºOh, you mean that. Of course¡»

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    Fran seemed to remember too. Well, how could I forget.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give you information on intelligence weapons that didn¡¯t go crazy¡¹

 Chapter 662

    <h4>Chapter 662</h4>

    TENKEN 662 What Her Name Is

    Weena has encountered many Intelligence Weapons.

    I really wanted to know about the intelligence weapon that does not go crazy, which was extremely rare among intelligence weapons.

    We were supposed to tell her about theke¡¯s anomalies once we found out what caused it... But instead of finding out what caused it, we¡¯ve helped her to make the source disappear.

    It seems that she treated it as a kind of solution and said she would give us the information.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know if she still exists or not though...¡¹

    ¡¸She?¡¹

    ¡ºIt was a woman?¡»

    We let out a yelp of surprise.

    It¡¯s not that all of the intelligence weapons must be a man, but every intelligence I know so far has always been a man.

    It was the same for me, the magic sword Zelyse, the magic sword Zelos Reed, and the Divine Sword Fanatics, our base personalities were that of a man. It seems that because of this, I unconsciously thought that the all intelligence weapon was a man.

    Announcer-san¡¯s base personality was that of a woman, but she¡¯s not a former human being.

    ¡ºI see, a woman, huh?¡»

    Well, if the soul inside is originally human, then of course it has a gender.

    However, it¡¯s true to say that swords don¡¯t have gender, but the gender of the soul inside is still important. If I were to take a bath with a woman, it would be a problem, right? I¡¯m sure people would be offended.

    In Fran¡¯s case, she¡¯s a child and I¡¯m her guardian, so it¡¯s still okay. But I can¡¯t deny that it¡¯s a little hard to go into the bathroom with other women.

    ¡¸Can I continue?¡¹

    ¡ºOops, sorry. I¡¯m just a little surprised. Please continue¡»

    ¡¸Sorry¡¹

    ¡¸The ce where I met her was the cursed continent of Gordisia¡¹

    ¡ºThe continent that was destroyed by Trismegistus, huh...?¡»

    The continent was destroyed by the worst magic beast that could have destroyed the world. It was said that the continent is now being protected by a huge barrier to hold back the magic beast. Knights and adventurers dispatched from all over the world are said to be fighting against the magic beast.

    Certainly, it might be a fitting ce for an Intelligence Weapon to exist.

    ¡ºBut Weena Rhyn met this intelligence weapon and its wielder over a thousand years ago, right?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    So, it¡¯s highly likely that the wielder has changed.

    ¡ºIt seems unlikely that they¡¯re still in Gordisia, right...?¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    ¡¸No, you don¡¯t have to worry about that, I¡¯m more worried that she¡¯s been destroyed¡¹

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸Her wielder is still alive after all¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? For real?¡»

    It¡¯s been a thousand years, right? Well, it¡¯s not that it means that there is no being that can live that long. Weena and the others High Elves are the proof of it.

    ¡ºCould it be, the wielder of this Intelligence Weapon is a High Elves?¡»

    When I asked her that, Weena shook her head. It seems that this person is not a High Elves.

    ¡ºThen, what kind of person her wielder is?¡»

    ¡¸Her wielder is the immortal sinner. His name is Trismegistus¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºErr?¡»

    Fran shouted in surprise. That¡¯s how shocked she must have been at the sudden mention of the name.

    He is, after all, a very famous person who is described in fairy tales and is also the worst sinner in history.

    ¡¸Trismegistus...¡¹

    ¡ºWasn¡¯t he the King of the Dragonmen who was forced to fight the magic beast for eternity?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹

    But then I remembered.

    ¡ºA while back, I remember Frederick mentioning that Trismegistus had an Intelligence Sword¡»

    Velmeria, the half-dragonmen girl who was controlled by Fanatics and gone out of control. Her guardian is a man who was also a half-dragonmen.

    He seemed to be a native of the continent of Gordisia and seemed to know a lot of things.

    He had apparently disappeared after the incident in Royal Capital, and had leaked such a story after he had learned of Fanatics¡¯ existence.

    So the intelligence weapon in the two stories was the same existence, huh?

    ¡¸Her name is Juanaverta¡¹

    ¡ºJuanaverta...¡»

    So that¡¯s the name of the intelligence weapon that hasn¡¯t gone crazy.

    ¡¸Yes. The Dragonmen King¡¯s second-inmand and his partner. A cold-blooded witch. Savage swordsman. Shadow of the Golden King. A high-ranking magician of many titles, an elf who volunteered to be an Intelligence Weapon. That¡¯s who she is¡¹

    ¡ºA former elf?¡»

    So, maybe that¡¯s why Weena and the others know her.

    ¡ºNow that I¡¯ve heard about her, I wonder would it be difficult to talk to her peacefully?¡»

    ¡¸I guess so. She wasn¡¯t the easiest person to deal with after all¡¹

    She was apparently Trismegistus¡¯ second-inmand, a woman who made it her life¡¯s mission to assist him.

    ¡¸But I was still wondering is Trismegistus a kind of supremacist?¡¹

    ¡º...It¡¯s not like she was crazy before she became a sword, right?¡»

    Like, she was crazy from the start, so she won¡¯t get any crazier when she bes a sword?

    ¡¸Well, at least I don¡¯t think she has gone crazy, though she might have been a lunatic. But the fact that she has been able to maintain her spirit unchanged for more than a thousand years since she became a sword is a certainty¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s reassuring¡»

    Seeing my other self from the other timeline turned into a mere sword made me think of that again.

    ¡¸The continent of Gordisia, huh...¡¹

 Chapter 663

    <h4>Chapter 663</h4>

    TENKEN 663 The Value of a Heavenly Dragon

    ¡¸That¡¯s it for the information about Intelligence Weapon. Then... Is there anything else you want? If not, I¡¯ll increase the money reward¡¹

    ¡¸Muh... Master?¡¹

    ¡ºWait a second...¡»

    We don¡¯t really need money. We already have the highest quality armor, the kind that ordinary adventurers spend the most money on.

    Moreover, it automatically repairs itself, so it doesn¡¯t cost any money to maintain.

    I¡¯m proud of myself, but a better sword than mine is not something one can buy with money, and Fran¡¯s armor is made by a divine level cksmith.

    It could probably be a national treasure in some countries.

    We¡¯ve already received arge sum of money as a reward for this time. Even if we replenish the high-quality potions and other items we used up this time, we¡¯ll still have more than 10 million goldes left over.

    We didn¡¯t need more money right now.

    Besides, we¡¯re dealing with High Elves who have lived a long time. Moreover, she¡¯s a powerful person. It would definitely be more profitable to ask for a reward that cannot be obtained with money.

    That is, items or information that one might not be able to obtain even with a lot of money.

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t need money! I¡¯d rather have some items or information that might be useful¡»

    ¡¸Hmm... Even if you say so...¡¹

    Weena puts her left hand on her chin and bes distressed.

    ¡¸If there¡¯s one reward Fran would probably be happy with, it would be ess to the Heavenly Dragon¡¯sir¡¹

    ¡¸The Heavenly Dragon¡¯sir? You mean that floating ind?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. And how about a ride to get you there?¡¹

    It was a grade S magical area, a ce where the Heavenly Dragons, a magic beast with a threat level of A, lives.

    ¡ºEven if we get permission to enter, we¡¯re not going in there alone, okay? It¡¯s too dangerous after all¡»

    ¡¸Eh~¡¹

    Fran makes a dissatisfied voice at my words, but I can¡¯t give in here.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t "eh" me. You shouldn¡¯t do this all the time something like this happen!¡»

    ¡¸Well, you¡¯re right. If I were in perfect condition, I could help you, but right now, I think I can¡¯t¡¹

    Weena cowers her left shoulder and sighs. Indeed, it is a ce I would love to visit if we were escorted by a High Elf.

    After all, the materials from Heavenly Dragon are of the highest rank. The whip that Amanda, the A-ranked adventurer used as her partner was also a weapon made from the materials of the Heavenly Dragon.

    It was broken in the martial arts tournament, but it seems that there is no better whip avable yet. I guess that¡¯s how rare and powerful the whip is.

    With the materials from the Heavenly Dragons, it might have been possible to further strengthen Fran¡¯s armor.

    But it¡¯s too dangerous. The opponent might be stronger than us even in a one-on-one battle. If there were more than one of them, we would never win.

    I¡¯ve heard that most adventurers bring back a little bit of the material in a stealthy way, but...

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think a single scale is going to be much of an enhancement¡»

    ¡¸Muh... Too bad, I wanted to give it to Amanda as a present though¡¹

    ¡ºA present for Amanda?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. It gonna be the material for her whip¡¹

    What a surprise!

    I thought she was just interested in the Heavenly Dragons¡¯ir! I never thought she gonna give a present to Amanda...

    I¡¯m happy to see how much Fran has grown!

    If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d like to help out too, but...

    ¡ºHey, Weena. What kind of material from a Heavenly Dragon do we need to make a whip?¡»

    ¡¸A whip? Then you¡¯ll probably need its beard. You¡¯ll also need its magic stones, scales, and hair¡¹

    ¡ºI see¡»

    Well, it was unlikely that we could get enough materials for a whip if we just snuck in and took a few things. Amanda would have been delighted to receive a few scales, but we wanted to give her something that could be used already.

    ¡¸But well, the material of a Heavenly Dragon is actually avable in the treasury of our academy¡¹

    ¡ºFor real?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. I needed a few materials from it, so I hunted one down¡¹

    She said that in order to cure the king¡¯s illness at that time, she needed a medicine made from a Heavenly Dragon¡¯s internal organs.

    As a result, the scales, beards, and magic stones that are not used in the medicine manufacturing process remain stored in the treasury until now.

    Normally, anyone would use it to make armor, but as a High Elf, Weena Rhyn doesn¡¯t need armor, and as the academy is running smoothly, there is no need to sell it.

    As a result, even Weena had almost forgotten about it.

    ¡¸Then, I want that!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm... Is Amanda would the one who will be using the whip?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯ll break again if it¡¯s done half-heartedly. I¡¯ll give you its beard, hair, magic stone, and of course, its eyeball and bone too¨D¨D¡¹

    Weena suddenly went silent. A spirit came, didn¡¯t it? It seems that Weena has called them. I can feel their presence, but as expected, I can¡¯t tell what kind of exchange they¡¯re having.

    Then Weena opened her mouth with a difficult look on her face.

    ¡¸As for me, I¡¯d be happy to give you a set of Heavenly Dragon¡¯s materials. I¡¯d even give you the whole body. But it seems I can¡¯t do that this time¡¹

    The fact that it is stored in the academy¡¯s treasury means that the academy has jurisdiction over it. In other words, it is under the supervision of the guardian spirits.

    It seems that even if she is the Director of the academy, Weena cannot freely do as she pleases. It is in the form of payment for our works this time, but¨D¨D.

    ¡¸There¡¯s a cap on the amount of rewards that can be given¡¹

    This time, the reward for Fran was the highest reward set by the academy. Even so, it is said that the upper limit is 20 million goldes. No matter how much work she did, the spirits would not allow her to go beyond that.

    In other words, the value of the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s material is probably well over 20 million goldes.

    ¡¸If I had kept it in my possession, it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem¡¹

    ¡ºThen, why don¡¯t you ask them to use all the rewards you are supposed to give us this time in the form of the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s materials? I don¡¯t need the money. I¡¯d rather pay for it¡»

    The reward for uses from the academy, with Weena adding some extra from her own pocket. The total amount is 40 million goldes.

    That¡¯s 20 million from the academy. 20 million from Weena. Then why don¡¯t we use the 20 million goldes from Weena to the academy to buy the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s materials?

    ¡¸Still... I just wished that I had a little more savings... I can only afford to give you about 10 million more¡¹

    Weena is a high elf who has lived for thousands of years. However, she was surprisingly not that wealthy. To the average person, she was a millionaire, but as a fortune for someone as powerful as she was, it was far less than one would imagine. However, there was a reason for that.

    She didn¡¯t need a lot of money to live in the academy, and she didn¡¯t like to live a morous life. She is not a collector of any kind, nor does she have any hobbies to umte money. Besides, when the timees, she can do everything by herself.

    To put it bluntly, she didn¡¯t need money. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t actively work for money and spent her days in a simple life.

    Even so, the reward given to us this time, 20 million goldes, was the result of her saving up the reward paid to the Director every year. Although she said that she could give us another 10 million, it would still not be enough to buy the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s material.

    ¡ºThen why don¡¯t you just ask them to sell the beard or the magic stone?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine, but... I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get much higher performance out of buying a set of top quality dungeon materials rather than making them out of half-assed materials, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Muh...¡¹

    After all, it¡¯s not that easy. But as we were pondering over this, Weena suddenly opened her mouth.

    ¡¸I have a solution for you. Why don¡¯t you take one of the requests from the academy?¡¹

 Chapter 664

    <h4>Chapter 664</h4>

    TENKEN 664 The Commitment for Gordisia

    ¡¸I have a solution for you. Why don¡¯t you take one of the requests from the academy?¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡ºDepends on the details¡»

    Apparently, the value of a set of Heavenly Dragon¡¯s materials is well over 50 million goldes. I wonder what kind of request that could cover the shortage?

    It must not be an easy request.

    ¡¸You two, do you know what the Commitment for Gordisia is?¡¹

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡ºNo, I don¡¯t know. I understand that it must have something to do with Gordisia, but...¡»

    ¡¸Well, to put it simply, it¡¯s a treaty imposed on each country to deploy troops and aid to the continent of Gordisia¡¹

    In the continent of Gordisia, the fight against the Abyss Eaters, the abominable magic beast created by Trismegistus is still ongoing.

    Well, I¡¯ve only heard about it through rumor, so I don¡¯t really know what kind of fight it is.

    Countries all over the world were providing various kinds of assistance to the fight. Some countries dispatched troops, some provided supplies, and some were in charge of transportation. Each country is doing what it can do to help.

    This assistance is called ¡ºThe Commitment for Gordisia¡» and is said to be mandatory for all countries of the world. There are various penalties for abandoning this duty, and in the worst cases, it can even lead to war with neighboring countries.

    In fact, there was an incident in which a country that ignored its Commitment to Gordisia and attacked a neighboring country that was sending troops to Gordisia waster destroyed by the allied forces of neighboring countries.

    The Commitment for Gordisia is necessary in order to protect the world. Therefore, the sanctions are said to be quite severe so that the perception that it is okay to ignore them does not arise.

    Since even the Kingdom of Raidos has never neglected to provide their assistance to the continent of Gordisia, it can be said that itspelling power is rather great.

    ¡¸The Kingdom of Belios usually provides financial aid and ships for transportation. We also dispatch some hired adventurers. In some cases, I¡¯ll even travel there myself. But...¡¹

    ¡ºIt is gonna be hard to give them financial aid or sending troops this time, huh? Weena still can¡¯t go there with her current condition too...¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll be the ones to take care of it this year or next. But this incident has caused a ridiculous amount of damage to us¡¹

    ¡¸This year or next year?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s certainly gonna be tough¡»

    ¡¸I can handle the financial stuff. But our troops areother events...¡¹

    We will need as muchbor as possible for the reconstruction. Besides, it would be uneptable to send the dwindling number of adventurers out of the country.

    But even if we wait until next year, we will not see a dramatic recovery.

    ¡¸The government is allowed to reduce or dy its aids if there is a serious disaster or other event that reduces the country¡¯s strength. But we want to make that as ast resort¡¹

    By showing weakness to other countries, the influence of the Kingdom of Belios will be diminished.

    It¡¯s a political thing that feels trivial to most of us, but I guess it¡¯s something that the higher-ups in the country can¡¯t ignore.

    ¡ºSo you¡¯re telling me that you want Fran to go to Gordisia as a representative of the Kingdom of Belios?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Well, you¡¯ll also be representing the Academy of Magic, so you¡¯ll be paid by both the academy and the state¡¹

    In other words, as a representative of the Academy of magic, I guess it means that we should cross over to the continent of Gordisia together with the other people sent from the Kingdom of Belios.

    ¡ºHmm. We did have a n to go to Gordisia someday, but...¡»

    The idea of carrying a whole country on our shoulders makes me nervous. I mean, I¡¯m with Fran, remember? She doesn¡¯t have a problem in terms of herbat ability, but I can¡¯t promise that she won¡¯t ever cause problems there.

    As her guardian, I was not a fan of leaving such important responsibilities in Fran¡¯s hands.

    When I told her this, Weena shrugged lightly.

    ¡¸Let me assure you, you don¡¯t have to take the formal parts there¡¹

    I imagined that we would be joining the troops, and that we would be on a strict battlefield where orders must be obeyed, but it seems that the ce is much morex.

    However, it seems that each individual is allowed to act freely once they arrive in Gordisia. It also seems that all country does not have any control over that continent. Well, for small countries, they have no choice but to follow the orders of the big countries though.

    ¡¸And I don¡¯t think anyone would dare to try to force an impossible task on a Representative for the Kingdom of Belios with my backing¡¹

    There is a special magic tool that allows people to track the results of their battles within the continent by registering on it when they enter the continent. If Fran fights against the Abyssal Eaters to some extent, it will be treated as if the Kingdom of Belios has fulfilled its duty.

    ¡¸In other words, my request to you is to travel to the continent of Gordisia as an adventurer sent by the Kingdom of Belios, and then go on a moderate rampage there¡¹

    ¡ºI see... By the way, how strong the Abyss Eater is?¡»

    I¡¯ve heard that it can infinitely regenerate itself, but there¡¯s not much other information about it. From what I¡¯ve heard from the ordinary soldiers fighting them, I¡¯d say it doesn¡¯t seem like it has that muchbat power, but...

    ¡¸It¡¯s kind of hard to exin though¨D¨D¡¹

    Weena then told us a brief description of it.

    First of all, the Abyss Eater is said to look like a colorless, transparent slime. It is also said to look like a slime ghost.

    Moreover, it is so huge that it covers the entire continent.

    What¡¯s more, the inside of the dome-shaped barrier covering the whole continent of Gordisia is said to be filled with Abyss Eaters.

    I imagined it as a ce with a translucent dome with the Abyss Eaters tightly crammed inside. It seems to be just like that.

    ¡ºEh? But we have to get inside the barrier to fight, right?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡ºWouldn¡¯t that mean we¡¯d be stepping into the Abyss Eater¡¯s body? Isn¡¯t that dangerous? And what about the air?¡»

    ¡¸Abyss Eaters are a half-spirit magic beast. You can¡¯t physically touch it. It¡¯s kinda simr to a spirit. The Abyss Eater itself is not harmful to us even if we are inside its body¡¹

    ¡ºBut if that¡¯s the case, it doesn¡¯t sound like a dangerous magic beast, right?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s not quite right. The Abyss Eater itself has no offensive power. It just simply stays there. But the magic beasts that the Abyss Eater create within its body are different. They attack, eat, and continuously send their power to the Abyss Eater¡¹

    ¡ºSo it was the source of the endless flow of magic beasts, huh? In other words, the job is not to deal with the Abyss Eaters but to defeat the magic beasts that are constantly being created by it, huh?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. The magic beasts that are created in Abyss Eater¡¯s body are actually its defensive mechanism. They¡¯re called with Kouma there, I want you to defeat as many of them there. Once you¡¯ve managed to defeat a certain number of them, you¡¯re free to do whatever you want¡¹

    We were nning to go to the continent of Gordisia anyway, and if we went there, we would inevitably have to fight against those magic beasts. And I¡¯m grateful if that¡¯s all it takes toplete the request.

    ¡¸And the benefit of epting this request isn¡¯t just the reward, you know?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸There are a lot of restrictions and quotas if you want to go to the continent of Gordisia as a regr traveler. But if you¡¯re going to Gordisia on my request, I¡¯ll prepare the groundwork for you, and you¡¯ll be able to enter smoothly. Moreover, you can act freely without having to worry about being forced to join another country or being interfered with. I guess you could call this an advantage, no?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s good to be free¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you¡¯re right¡»

    We were going there anyway, so we might as well take the request.

 Chapter 665

    <h4>Chapter 665</h4>

    TENKEN 665 Rhyn and the Academy

    Weena suggested Fran to go to the continent of Gordisia, but Fran seemed to be troubled by something.

    ¡ºSomething bothering you?¡»

    ¡¸Nn... The Kingdom of Raidos, is it okay to let them get away this time?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯ s certainly something to be concerned about, but... There¡¯s nothing we can do on our own against a big country, right?¡»

    No adventurers are allowed to enter that country, and even if we did infiltrate, what would we do? Move around therge country in hiding, searching for Nameless and Zelyse wherever they might be?

    If we¡¯re not careful, the whole country will turn against us, right?

    It¡¯s just too reckless. Even if we were to look for Nameless there, we wouldn¡¯t even know where to go.

    ¡¸As for the Kingdom of Raidos, I have contacted some countries and guilds about this incident. It¡¯s not toote to wait for their response. It¡¯s not like we want to destroy the Kingdom of Raidos immediately, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Eventually, they¡¯ll have to pay for what they¡¯ve done. There wille a time when I will need your help. Until then, please be patient, okay?¡¹

    Weena had no mercy for anyone who messed with her. Even if she no longer had the power to punish them herself, she seemed to be nning to fight against the Kingdom of Raidos in some way.

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    For Fran, the Kingdom of Raidos is a detestable country that causes trouble all around her. But it wasn¡¯t so much that she hated it or wanted to destroy it.

    At most, she wished she could see them suffer, maybe?

    Well, for now, that is.

    There is also information that they have coborated with Zelyse to create Nameless and are targeting Jean. For Fran, some of the powerful people in the Kingdom of Raidos had be an opponent that had to be defeated.

    However, Fran doesn¡¯t want to deal with it on her own either. If Weena is willing to make a move, she can wait for it.

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯d like to deliver a message to Jean¡¹

    ¡¸And about the demi-lich, Nameless, was it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Leave that to me too. I¡¯ll pass on all the information from you to the guild¡¹

    ¡¸I leave it to you¡¹

    Weena is a very influential person in the adventurer¡¯s guild, so I think it¡¯s safe to leave it to her.

    Then, as I was talking with Weena about the future, a new figure appeared in the room.

    But we didn¡¯t hear the door being opened nor closed at all.

    Suddenly, something appeared as if it were gushing out.

    ¡¸Fran, let me thank you as well. Thanks to you, I¡¯ve sessfully be a guardian spirit¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn¡¹

    It was Rhyn, she had signed a new contract as the Spirit of the Academy.

    Even though she had regained her power that had been sealed within Weena Rhyn and the great magic beast, her physical body had already gone and now she exists as a spirit.

    It was impossible for her to return as a High Elf.

    Weena said she¡¯ll try to find a way to get her body back, but it was Rhyn herself who refused.

    Rhyn became a spirit because she made a contract with the spirit of theke, which was captured inside the great magic beast, and became one with it.

    In other words, half of her body also belongs to the spirit of theke. Spirits¡¯ way of thinking ispletely different from people. Even if Rhyn is to get absorbed and be one with the magic beast, it doesn¡¯t mean that the spirit of theke would be grieving over it.

    However, Rhyn chose to stay by Weena¡¯s side as a spirit. She thought that it was the right thing to do.

    ¡ºBut why did you be the guardian spirit of the academy instead of making a contract with Weena?¡»

    ¡¸That would create a hierarchical rtionship between Weena and me, wouldn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡ºSo even the Director of the academy and the guardian spirits have a hierarchical rtionship, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Not quite right, we¡¯re both equal under the rules that have been established¡¹

    ¡¸Were both equal. I suppose you could also say that we¡¯re tied to the academy¡¹

    As far as I know, this academy has the strictestw enforcement in this world. Perhaps Weena Rhyn made it so that the rules that the guardian spirits follow take precedence over her own will to prevent her from taking advantage of the spirits.

    This way, even if someone other than her became the director of the academy in the future, it could prevent any tyranny. In a world wherews could be twisted at will depending on the mood of those in power, what a unique ce this Academy is.

    ¡¸To be honest, now that Rhyn is back, I¡¯d be happy to step down from my position as director of the academy, but...¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t. This ce is where you have made my dreame true after all¡¹

    Rhyn disagrees with Weena¡¯s words. She dreams of being tied to the academy? What does she mean?

    It seems that Fran doesn¡¯t understand about it either.

    ¡¸Dream?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ve always dreamed of building an academy one day and being surrounded by children¡¹

    That reminds me, I remember Weena Rhyn said something like that before Rhyn was separated from her.

    ¡¸Well, you see, Rhyn used to hold the title of Guardian of Children after all¡¹

    Guardian of Children!? Isn¡¯t that also the title held by the child-loving Amanda?

    The fact that she had that means that she must really like children.

    ¡ºBut why would you chose to be the guardian spirit instead of being a teacher?¡»

    ¡¸Well, albeit in a slightly different way, I can still watch over the children here. I¡¯m content with it¡¹

    I wondered if she¡¯s really all right with that, but Rhyn¡¯s seemed to be content with it.

    An elf and a guardian of children. She just looks like Amanda, isn¡¯t she? When I told her this, she was surprised to hear it.

    Amanda was said to be a descendant of Weena Rhyn, or more urately, a descendant of Rhyn. Apparently, one of the reasons why Amanda dislikes Weena Rhyn is because it looks as if Weena has captured Rhyn within her.

    Well, I guess the main reason is that she acts like a child loving person as the director of the academy even though she doesn¡¯t really like children.

    ¡ºWell, if Rhyn is happy, that¡¯s all that matters¡»

    ¡¸Within thest few thousand years of my life, this is probably the most joyful time for me¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That¡¯s all that matters¡¹

    Rhyn then showed a warm, human-like smile on her face, not the usual mysterious expression she used to have.

    She smiled like a kind old school teacher, friendly like a saint and reassuring despite her young appearance.

    I guess this is Rhyn¡¯s genuine smile.

    If I¡¯d had a teacher like her in my elementary school, maybe I would have liked the school more.

 Chapter 666

    <h4>Chapter 666</h4>

    TENKEN 666 Spirit Magic

    In the end, we decided to ept Weena¡¯s suggestion. It was a deal that had more advantages than disadvantages after all.

    We¡¯ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. However, we won¡¯t rush straight to the continent of Gordisia.

    It seems that we have to go to the royal capital of this country with the request letter first. There, we would cross over to the continent of Gordisia together with the country¡¯s personnel

    ¡ºI guess it¡¯s time for us to say goodbye to this inn¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran is eating her meal with a somber look on her face while looking at the huge tree that runs through the center of the inn. The meals were supposed to be delicious, but I wonder is there something bothering her?

    ¡ºFran, are you not feeling well?¡»

    (...The spirit, I didn¡¯t get to see it in the end)

    ¡ºAah, now that you mention it...¡»

    She was unable to see the spirit that was said to dwell in the ancient tree after all. With my spirit detection skills, even I haven¡¯t been able to detect any sign of it.

    But then Fran suddenly turned her gaze upward.

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Master, it¡¯s here¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    I don¡¯t really get what Fran meant when she muttered that.

    I didn¡¯t detect anything other than us here after all... Even Urushi doesn¡¯t seem to be able to detect anything.

    However, Fran¡¯s eyes were firmly fixed on one point.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Fran continued to stare silently at the trunk of the giant tree for several seconds.

    And right after that.

    ¡º!¡»

    ¡¸I can see it¡¹

    ¡ºM-me too!¡»

    ¡¸W-woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi had forgotten about eating and gaped with her mouth wide open.

    ¡¸¨D¨D¡¹

    What we saw there was a green squirrel floating fluidly in the air. On the outside, its appearance looked like that of a small animal, but inside, I could sense a much greater presence.

    It¡¯s definitely the spirit of the ancient tree. At the very least, it must be a high-ranking spirit.

    It may sound strange, but I couldn¡¯t sense anything when I couldn¡¯t see it, but as soon as I could see it, I immediately understood how great it was.

    Besides, the fact that the spirit was able topletely fool my detection skills while I was right in front of it shows that it possesses a great deal of power.

    ¡¸Hoho. I didn¡¯t expect Spirit-sama to show itself. It seems it has taken quite a liking to you¡¹

    ¡¸To me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    The old elfdy smiled as she was looking at Fran and the spirit. It seems that this spirit was really the spirit of the ancient tree.

    ¡¸It seems that Spirit-sama wanted to say its thanks to you¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I wonder? But since you can see it now, why don¡¯t you ask it yourself¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay¡¹

    ¡¸Good¡¹

    Fran nodded enthusiastically at the olddy¡¯s words. Then, she slowly approached the spirit of the ancient tree.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Fran and the spirit silently looked at each other for a while, and then nodded at each other for some reason.

    ¡ºWhat happened?¡»

    (?? You didn¡¯t hear us?)

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    What does she mean? Have they had any conversations?

    ¡ºYou were talking with the spirit just now?¡»

    (Nn, it says that it was grateful to us for saving Rhyn)

    ¡ºUrushi?¡»

    (Woof)

    It seems that even Urushi didn¡¯t hear them either.

    I see; maybe this is what¡¯s calledpatibility. In spirit magic,patibility with the spirit is more important than the skill level or its proficiency.

    In some cases, even a novice who has just learned the spirit magic can make a contract with the Great Spirit if the Great Spirit likes them.

    It seems that the spirit of the ancient tree and Fran have goodpatibility with each other, but not with Urushi and me.

    Bute to think of it, could I even havepatibility with a spirit in the first ce? I am a sword after all. There¡¯s a possibility that even a spirit couldn¡¯t notice me at all, right?

    ¡¸Nn. I see¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    Fran, on the other hand, seemed to be able to converse with the spirit just fine.

    ¡ºThe spirit know Rhyn?¡»

    (Nn. The spirit said that it was Rhyn¡¯s friend. It was happy to know that Rhyn has been freed from the great magic beast)

    So, even spirits were interacting with each other, huh?

    ¡¸Ah...¡¹

    ¡ºOoh¡»

    As I was thinking about that, the spirit¡¯s figure vanished. However, it seems that Fran can still sense the presence of the spirit and is now pursuing the ce where the spirit seems to be with her eyes.

    It seemed that the spirit had simplye to express its gratitude.

    But for us, we gained something far greater than words.

    ¡¶As a result of prolonged sighting of a high-ranking spirit, Fran has acquired spirit magic skill¡·

    ¡ºHuh? What did you just say?¡»

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡¶It looks like her talent has blossomed¡·

    You¡¯re not joking, right!? I hurriedly checked Fran¡¯s status. Sure enough, she had acquired spirit magic. Certainly, due to the fierce battle the other day, both Fran and Urushi had risen by five levels.

    But at that time, I was sure that she did not acquire any spirit magic.

    Could it be that the spirit of the ancient tree dared to show up for this purpose? Anyway, I¡¯m d that Fran has gained a new skill.

    ¡ºFran, it seems that you¡¯ve really acquired spirit magic¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, how is it? Can you try to use it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    Fran looked excited and concentrated her mind. She already knew how to use magic very well. Even if it was a skill she had never seen before, it should be no problem.

    That¡¯s what I thought, but she soon stopped her concentration. By looking at how her ears and tail were drooping limply, I could tell that it was not going well.

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s no good¡¹

    ¡ºNo good, huh? Is it that because you don¡¯t know how to use the skill?¡»

    ¡¸I can use the skill just fine, but I don¡¯t know other spirits besides the tree spirit¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean the ancient tree spirit we saw before? So, what are you trying to say is that you can¡¯t sense the presence of other spirits?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. But I can¡¯t borrow the power of the tree spirits¡¹

    She could activate the spirit magic, but the spirit keeps rejecting her. They have goodpatibility though...

    It seemed that using spirit magic was more difficult than I had imagined.

 Chapter 667

    <h4>Chapter 667</h4>

    TENKEN 667 Farewell Party

    The next day after Fran acquired spirit magic. She attended a special ss at the academy in her school uniform for thest time.

    ¡¸¨D¨DThat¡¯s what it¡¯s like. You get that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But still, to be able to awaken your spirit magic in such a short time... As expected of the ck Lightning Princess¡¹

    The topic of today¡¯s ss was about spirit magic. Since Fran was still considered a student of the academy until today, Weena helped her to master her newly acquired spirit magic.

    Thanks to that, she was able to learn all she needs to know about spirit magic. Well, she must find a spirit that waspatible with her first though.

    We also learned that the reason why Fran couldn¡¯t make a contract with the spirit of the ancient tree was because that spirit had a deep bond with the old elvendy and did not want to have another contractor. It seems that while some spirits can have multiple contractors, there are also some that prefer to stick with only one contractor.

    Then after the ss, there was a farewell party organized by the students for Fran. They ate together and said their goodbyes in the student cafeteria, which had improved remarkably under Fran¡¯s guidance.

    ¡¸Thank you very much. I¡¯ve learned a lot from you¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks for your help¡¹

    ¡¸Pleasee again¡¹

    They were scared of her at first, but now they have epted herpletely. Thanks to it, Fran was able to really feel like she was a part of the ss, especially during the first few days after we returned from theke.

    ¡¸You are leaving soon, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸I thought we¡¯d finally had another fellow beastman here...¡¹

    Inez, Horial, and the rest of the teachers also bid their farewells to us.

    ¡¸The ss that received your guidance has shown remarkable growth in their abilities. The students would surely be happy if you could continue to instruct them like before... But that¡¯s not good; we can¡¯t rely on you forever¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Do your best¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Fran seemed happy when she was talking with Inez. I guess it¡¯s not only because she doesn¡¯t want to part with her, but also because she respects her as an instructor.

    Surprisingly, Fran doesn¡¯t dislike working as an instructor here. Well, although she does like acting like an important person, she also finds it rewarding to know that her experience can help others.

    I guess the praise from Inez, a real instructor, had given her some confidence too.

    ¡¸Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Charon¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for all your help¡¹

    Next was the blonde drill girl, Charon.

    It started with an encounter at the adventurer¡¯s guild, but before she knows it, she had be a friend of hers.

    Charon has a high opinion of Fran as an instructor who had taught her and her ssmates a lot ofbat techniques.

    As she bowed her head, I could feel her deep gratitude and respect for Fran.

    It was also the same for Fran. She was grateful for her and respected her.

    Without her, Fran¡¯s school life would have been much different.

    It would have taken her a long time to fit in with the other students, and she might not have been able to have as much fun as she had.

    Fran understood that too. It was true that Fran was a better warrior. But as a person, Charon had more experience than Fran. That¡¯s how Fran felt.

    ¡¸Likewise, thank you¡¹

    She bowed her head back to Charon.

    ¡¸Thanks to Charon, I had a lot of fun here¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s...¡¹

    Charon was surprised to hear such words from Fran.

    Even I was surprised too.

    Sensing my surprise, Fran tilted her head in confusion.

    (What¡¯s wrong?)

    ¡ºIt¡¯s nothing, I just thought that Fran is talking a lot more than usual today¡»

    (Is that so?)

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    Apparently, Fran herself was unaware of it.

    ¡ºBut I think it¡¯s good to be honest about your feelings, right?¡»

    You don¡¯t have to say everything, but you can at least say thanks.

    Then, Fran nodded her head as if she had understood something.

    (You may be right...)

    ¡ºOoh, you understand?¡»

    (Nn. Maybe if the other Master and I from that side had talked more, they wouldn¡¯t have ended up like that)

    ¡ºI see¡»

    Our encounter with ourselves from the other timeline was really brief, but there was something about it that stayed with Fran. It was an eventful moment after all.

    ¡¸Fran...¡¹

    Charon put her hand over her mouth as if she was trying to ovee her emotions.

    ¡¸...Pleasee again, okay!?...¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸E-excuse myself for a moment!¡¹

    Not wanting to be seen crying, Charon gets up from her seat. Her pride must have brought her to act like this, ady to the core, huh? I don¡¯t hate that part of her.

    ¡¸Fran-san, be careful on your way there¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thank you for your information too¡¹

    Thest one to bid us farewell was Khanna. Her information about the Mesther Merchant Association had been really helpful.

    ¡¸Not at all, I¡¯d like to thank you as well¡¹

    ¡¸??¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for protecting this country from the Kingdom of Raidos¡¹

    ¡¸I did it for myself though¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, it is a fact that many people were saved. If the situation had continued to develop into arger scale, many people in both countries would have been in misfortune¡¹

    Khanna bowed her head again as she said that. How do I put this? She looked somewhat pained. She looked not as happy and relieved as Charon and the others, but somehow filled with sadness and loneliness.

    I wonder why, I¡¯m sure there must be some deeper reason... But before Fran could ask anything, Khanna walked away. She seemed to have some business to attend to, and she was unable to stop her.

    ¡ºWell, we can ask her when she returns¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Afterwards, we enjoyed the rest of the day and the party continued. It was unusual for Fran to stay up sote at night. It must have been fun for her to be surrounded by so many kids of her age.

    ¡ºFran¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºThat was fun¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I had a lot of fun!¡¹

    Despite all the troubles, just being able to see the smile on Fran¡¯s face made the trip to the academy worth the while.

 Chapter 668

    <h4>Chapter 668</h4>

    TENKEN 668 Departing from Lady Blue

    ¡¸Fran. I¡¯ve been waiting for you¡¹

    ¡¸Sierra?¡¹

    As we went through the main gate to leave Lady Blue, a boy appeared in front of us. It was Sierra, the boy who we hadn¡¯t seen for the past few days.

    He requested that we call him Sierra from now on, so neither Fran nor I would call him Romio.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹

    ¡¸I thought I¡¯d thank you again. Thanks for letting us off the hook¡¹

    Sierra then bowed his head as he said that.

    When he revealed the identity of the magic sword Zelos Reed, Sierra promised Fran to let her do anything she wants to them once they had their revenge. (TLN: References ch 611)

    That¡¯s the reason why Fran let them go.

    She still holds a grudge against Zelos Reed, but she doesn¡¯t feel the same hatred with the Zelos Reed from the other timeline which is now in the form of a sword.

    Rather, Fran feels sympathy for Sierra and does not want to fight him for the time being. She even decided to avoid a fight by telling them that the whole thing was not over yet as Zelyse from their timeline had escaped.

    ¡ºCould it be, you have been waiting here to thank us?¡»

    ¡¸I-it¡¯s not like that. Well, it¡¯s true that I¡¯d like to thank you, but I also remembered something, so I thought I¡¯d tell you about it¡¹

    ¡ºYou remembered something?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, It¡¯s something from the other side¡¹

    From the other side? In other words, it must be something that happened in the other timeline.

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸I once heard Oji-chan saying something before he bes a sword, he heard a talk about the Fran from the other side saying that Master was a divine sword¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? The other me on that timeline was a divine sword?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    What does that mean? How could the other me on the other side be a divine sword?

    ¡ºNot a discarded Divine Sword?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. Oji-chan also mentioned that it could use the Divine Sword Release¡¹

    That¡¯s certainly not a word that would be used to describe a discarded divine sword. Obviously, it must be an active divine sword.

    ¡¸Then, is it possible for Master to evolve into a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡ºAs Fran says... Is that even possible?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. It is possible. The gods are involved in the creation of the individual named Master. With Cherubim being the vessel and the Fenrir sealed within it, Master are fully capable of bing a divine sword. However, the method is unknown due to theck of information¡·

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, didn¡¯t you say that you exchanged some information with the Announcer-san from that timeline? Did you not get any information regarding this?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. There¡¯s no information regarding how to turn Master to be a divine sword¡·

    Now that¡¯s another mystery. I mean, they were able to exchange information about skills, so why wouldn¡¯t the other Announcer-san share some simple information with us? It should only take her a moment to tell us simple info like "The Master here has be a Divine Sword!" right?

    ¡ºOr did you not even have time for that?¡»

    ¡¶No. We had plenty of time to share information at that time¡·

    Then why didn¡¯t she tell us? The fact that I might be able to be a divine sword is pretty important information, don¡¯t you think? Things were also different in here and there after all, so I don¡¯t think the other Announcer-san would be reluctant to give out some useful information.

    ¡ºIn that case¨D... did she intentionally choose not to tell us anything about me bing a divine sword?¡»

    ¡¶That¡¯s the most possible reason¡·

    ¡ºIn other words, the Announcer-san from that side has decided that it¡¯s better for me not to be a divine sword, huh...?¡»

    ¡¶There is a high possibility that there will be some kind of price to pay for the individual named Master to gain power as a divine sword¡·

    ¡ºThe price for that must be really high, huh...¡»

    The Announcer-san from the other side must be aware that we were fighting against the great magic beast at that time. So, if she chooses not to share us the information on how the other me became a divine sword, the price for it must be really high.

    What if by bing a divine sword changed me? The other me from that timeline had been reduced to being just a sword after all... It¡¯s possible that bing a divine sword was the reason for that.

    I do admire divine swords, but it seems that I should be cautious about this.

    ¡ºThanks for the info¡»

    ¡¸Not at all, I¡¯m d I could be of some help¡¹

    ¡ºIt should be useful for us¡»

    We got the information that there was a possibility for me to be a divine sword, and a possibility that it woulde with a steep price.

    ¡¸What¡¯s Sierra going to do after this?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll continue to chase after the magic sword Zelyse. He¡¯s my mortal enemy after all¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸What about you?¡¹

    ¡¸I received a request from Weena¡¹

    Fran and Sierra then exchanged information about each other¡¯s future actions.

    In Sierra¡¯s case, he¡¯s going to see if there¡¯s a way to enter the Kingdom of Raidos legally. At the same time, he will gather information about the damage caused by the undead in the area.

    After all, the current wielder of the magic sword Zelyse, Nameless the Demi Lich, called itself the leader of the ck Skeleton Corps belonging to the Kingdom of Raidos.

    In other words, there is a high possibility that it is leading an undead army and is making moves in the dark in various ces.

    In Fran¡¯s case, her immediate destination is the royal capital of the Kingdom of Belios. It is likely that we will go directly to the continent of Gordisia from there.

    So, while fulfilling Weena¡¯s request, we will also go to see Trismegistus.

    Also, our long-term goal is to break the curse of the entire ck cat kin. Well, this will take a really long time though.

    ¡¸The curse of the ck cat kin?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup¡¹

    It seems that Sierra doesn¡¯t know that information. Well, I guess that¡¯s what you¡¯d get for not being interested in things in the world. Fran then gives him a brief exnation about the curse.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re saying that the ck Cat kin must defeat the evil being with a threat level of S or higher?¡¹

    ¡¸It could also be the evil god¡¯s kindred¡¹

    ¡¸Either way, it¡¯s going to be a tough fight...¡¹

    ¡¸But I will definitely break the curse¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so...? I hope you can achieve your goal. I¡¯m rooting for you too. If I ever find a strong ck cat kin somewhere, I¡¯ll make sure to let you know¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. I¡¯ll help you find Zelyse too¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    With a final handshake, Sierra jumped on the horse that he had brought with him. It seemed to be a summoned animal. It was of a lower ss, but it was a horse type. It looked like it could run pretty fast.

    ¡¸Sierra, see you again¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, see ya!¡¹

    Then, after watching Sierra leave, Fran jumped on Urushi¡¯s back. Her face was filled with motivation.

    ¡¸We should go too¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, you¡¯re right¡»

    ¡¸I can¡¯t lose to the Sierra¡¹

    ¡ºMe too, I¡¯m not going to lose to another intelligence weapon!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 669

    <h4>Chapter 669</h4>

    TENKEN 669 The Trip to The Royal Capital

    We set out from Lady Blue and headed for the royal capital of the Kingdom of Belios.

    Urushi briskly ran across the clear sky with only a few clouds in the sky with us on his back.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi looks so happy¡¹

    ¡ºDoes it feel good for being able to run as fast as you can?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Well, he belongs to the canine family after all; they like to run a lot.

    We¡¯re currently traveling at a very high altitude. Although we¡¯re still below the clouds, we¡¯re still about 2000 meters away from the ground.

    At this height, even if Urushi had returned to his original size and were running at full speed, no one would notice him from the ground.

    ¡¸Woof woo~f!¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh¨D¡¹

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t lose your grip!¡»

    It seems that the tension was getting too high, and Urushi¡¯s movements started to get more vigorous. He tried running at a higher altitude, changing his stride and jumping up and down, and so on.

    ¡¸Woof woof woo-f!¡¹

    ¡¸Uooh¨D!¡¹

    ¡ºWha- hey, we might fall!¡»

    He even did a crazy trick where he spun around and ran in a spiral with Fran as the origin. It was as if we were riding on a roller coaster.

    Fran cheerfully shouted, perhaps amused by the G-force that hit us from various directions. It was just like a real roller coaster.

    But I¡¯m still worried that Fran might fall if this continues.

    ¡ºU-Urushi! You¡¯re getting too excited!¡»

    ¡¸Woof...¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s over already?¡¹

    ¡ºAnd Fran, don¡¯t put such a face now!¡»

    As we were making our way through the sky, we saw a strange light glittering in the sky.

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Master, is that, a Heavenly Dragon?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it seems so¡»

    When I looked up, I saw that there was an ind floating in the air. And as if it was sucking at the surface of the white clouds that surrounded the ind, something long and thin was steadily moving in it.

    It¡¯s definitely a Heavenly Dragon, a magic beast with a threat level of A. It was said that they¡¯re usually seen in the clouds, but they sometimes appear outside by chance.

    ¡¸It¡¯s glowing¡¹

    ¡ºI wonder if it was due to the reflection of the sun¡¯s rays¡»

    The Heavenly Dragons, which specializes in light magic, wears the light of magical power on its body. And not only that, it¡¯s probably reflecting the light of the sun that is pouring down on it.

    We had been shown the Heavenly Dragons material from the magic academy¡¯s warehouse, but the scales of a living Heavenly Dragons had apletely different glow to them.

    The scales of the Heavenly Dragons I saw in the warehouse had a dull gold color on them. My impression was that they looked just like King Ghi©–rah¡¯s scales. However, they seemed to gain a mirror-like shine when they were infused with magic power.

    (TLN: Ghidorah, the three-headed winged dragon in Godzi)

    The sight of the Heavenly Dragon shining in bright tinum ascending through the clouds is so beautiful that it makes me want to worship it.

    I now understand the meaning of the saying that good fortunees to those who can see it.

    ¡ºLooks like something good is going to happen¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The sight of the Heavenly Dragon flying gracefully in the sky made me feel as if it was blessing us on our journey.

    ***

    Two days after we left Lady Blue.

    We made stops at towns and viges along the way to buy local specialties, and continued our smooth journey to the east.

    And without any problems, we arrived at the royal capital of the Kingdom of Belios.

    ¡ºUwaa~h, as expected of the royal capital of a major power. It¡¯s as big as the royal capital of the Kingdom of Kranzel¡»

    ¡¸Nn. The walls are high and the road is wide¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    I was surprised by how big Lady Blue was, but that was mostly because of the size of the academy. But here, the scale of the city was simply bigger.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go to the castle¡¹

    ¡ºOu. Urushi, you shouldn¡¯t get big here, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    We got lost in the Kingdom of Kranzel¡¯s royal capital, but I don¡¯t think such a thing is going to happen now. All we had to do was to walk almost in a straight line from the gate to reach the royal castle after all.

    A huge castle could be seen at the end of the main street where carriages could be lined up to 20 rows abreast. They must have systematically built the royal capital.

    ¡ºNow, let¡¯s go¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    However, this wide road proved to be a problem for Fran.

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡¹

    ¡¸Momu momu¡¹ *eating SFX

    ¡ºIs it good?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Our customary shopping and eating begin. As usual, Fran and Urushi zigzagged down the street, hitting every single stall they saw.

    This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone zigzagging along a road this wide.

    It took us about 30 minutes to go 100 meters. It would have been better if we only had to go to one side of the street, but because both Fran and Urushi have good noses, they quickly discovered the stall on the other side.

    ¡¸Over here, I smell something good¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    She must have spotted another stall on the opposite side of the street, she then ran off to weave her way through the crowds.

    ¡ºHow long will this take us to get to the royal castle...?¡»

    ¡¶If we continue at this pace, it will take us an estimated 4 hours and 38 minutes to reach the royal castle¡·

    So long! At this rate, it will be night before we can get there!

    ¡ºHey, we are still a long way from the royal castle... Why don¡¯t we finish our errands first?¡»

    ¡¸...Nn¡¹

    ¡¸...Woof¡¹

    Kuh! Don¡¯t look at me with such sad eyes! But I can¡¯t let this get the better of me this time.

    ¡ºLater! Once we¡¯ve done our errands, I¡¯ll let you go as long as you want! So why don¡¯t we go to the castle now? Okay?¡»

    ¡¸As long as I want... Okay, let¡¯s go to the castle¡¹

    Ah, I wonder was it a bad idea to promise her that...

 Chapter 670

    <h4>Chapter 670</h4>

    TENKEN 670 Brunnen

    We made our way to the royal castle of the Kingdom of Belios; it was surprisingly easy to get ourselves in.

    The letter of introduction that Weena had written for us proven to be incredibly useful. Furthermore, it seems that a detailed report of the incident at theke had been submitted to the government before we arrived.

    Naturally, there must have been some information about Fran¡¯s background in there. But when we arrived at the entrance of the royal castle, a simple inspection was all that was required to get us in.

    And now, in a ce that looks like a conference room in a corner of the royal castle, we are sitting face to face with an old man.

    He is a thin, dark-skinned old man with an unusually stern expression on his face. His eyes that were staring straight at us through his long white hair were as sharp as that of an assassin¡¯s; it was almost as if he were ring at us.

    His torn right ear and the scars all over his body told me that this old man was no ordinary person.

    If I had met him without knowing anything about him, I would have thought that he was a retired yakuza.

    This old man¡¯s name is Brunnen. I heard that he was one of the admirals of the Kingdom of Belios. Knowing that, he certainly has the air of a valiant warrior. Well, he looks more like a pirate than an admiral though. But it seems that it was also because he can¡¯t afford to let himself be looked down upon by others.

    He was apparently the one in charge of the troops heading to Gordisia.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re willing to go to Gordisia as our hired adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I see! I¡¯m grateful for that¡¹

    When Fran nodded, Brunnen looked delighted. After all, the impact of this incident was so great that the leaders of the kingdom were apparently quite worried about what to do with the Commitment for Gordisia.

    And then came Fran, whom Weena Rhyn described as someone who has the capability on par of an A-ranked adventurer. She¡¯s like a godsend for the country.

    ¡¸We¡¯d love to hire you¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. So, when do we leave?¡¹

    Fran asks Brunnen in a very excited voice. But in response, Brunnen¡¯s expression darkens slightly.

    ¡¸Ugh... Well, about that...¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¨D...¡¹

    Hmm? What¡¯s with the sudden change?

    We¡¯ve only known each other for about half an hour, but Brunnen is a very lively man. He doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of man who would be talking like this.

    But after hearing more about it, I understood why.

    ¡¸So, it¡¯s still two months before we leave?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Originally, they had nned to leave at the end of the third month or at the beginning of the fourth month, that is, just about ten days away from now. But thenes the great magic beast uproar.

    In addition to the dys in bringing in supplies and securing troops, they must also provide relief to the victims and rebuild themercial fleet.

    The Kingdom of Belios was forced to change its ns because of that.

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸I beg of you! I know I¡¯m asking for the impossible, but could you pleasee back to the royal capital in two months?¡¹

    Two months is not a very long time for a country to wait. It¡¯s only a two-month postponement of departure. But for those who live for the moment like the adventurers, it gonna be a long waiting time.

    Any normal adventurer would definitely say something like ¡¸I haven¡¯t heard much detail yet, so I¡¯ll pretend that this request never existed¡¹.

    I think Brunnen knows that too.

    But if we make a promise that we will definitelye back in two months here, they will have to pay a deposit to us for the time being. For an adventurer of Fran¡¯s ss, it would be quite expensive.

    Not only that, there¡¯s also the case of adventurers who don¡¯t like to be tied down so they turned down the request and left.

    However, it would be difficult to force things on adventurers as powerful as Fran, and Fran, who was from another country, could not be expected to be loyal to the country.

    So, in the end, the only thing Brunnen could do was to bow his head and ask sincerely.

    ¡ºWhat should we do now?¡»

    (I¡¯m fine with it)

    ¡ºWell, this is just a verbal promise, so there should be no penalty for breaking it¡»

    Brunnen and Weena will hate us if we do that though.

    In the first ce, we are already nning to go to Gordisia. If that were the case, it would be better to have the backing of the country. Considering this, it was not a bad idea to ept the request while selling a favor to the Kingdom of Belios.

    ¡¸Okay. I¡¯lle back in two months¡¹

    ¡¸R-really!? I¡¯m in your debt!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸So, what¡¯s Fran-dono gonna do after this?¡¹

    Yes. That¡¯s also a problem for us.

    We just wanted to cross over to the continent of Gordisia, so we had no specific ns in mind. However, Fran seemed to have a decent idea.

    ¡¸Barbra! I want to go to Barbra¡¯s Cooking Contest!¡¹

    ¡ºOh, I see. Come to think of it, now that we got some free time, shall we participate too?¡»

    Two events will be held in the Kingdom of Kranzel. Barbra¡¯s cooking contest and Ulmut¡¯s martial arts tournament.

    Fran had participated in both, but had given up on them for this year.

    The reason is, we¡¯d bete if we take part in the events, and Fran¡¯s curiosity about the unfamiliar continent was getting the better of her.

    However, the trip to Gordisia was postponed, which conveniently gave us more time. This would be our chance to participate in the events in the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    Hearing her words, Brunnen pondered something.

    ¡¸I see... You¡¯ll be heading south then?... In that case, why don¡¯t you take on one of the country¡¯s requests as well?¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I want you to ask a certain person toe with us to Gordisia. I¡¯ll write you a letter, and please give it to him¡¹

    Could it be someone from the Kingdom of Kranzel? Thinking of possible forces, I don¡¯t think Amanda is avable. I don¡¯t think Jean will be able to join us either. So maybe, Forrund?

    ¡¸I believe he is usually wandering around the small countries of the south, but I believe he has been invited to be the guest of honor at this year¡¯s Ulmut Martial Arts Tournament. Perhaps you can meet him there¡¹

    ¡¸Who is he?¡¹

    What came out of Brunnen¡¯s mouth in response to Fran¡¯s question was a name that I didn¡¯t expect to hear.

    ¡¸The name of the person to whom I¡¯m giving the letter is Dimitris. A well-known S ranked adventurer¡¹

 Chapter 671

    <h4>Chapter 671</h4>

    TENKEN 671 Item Bag

    Dimitris.

    I¡¯ve heard his name before. He is Colbert¡¯s master and the founder of the Dimitris martial arts. He is a warrior recognized by the gods and said to be one of the strongest fighters in the world.

    The S ranked adventurer with "Immoveable" as his alias.

    I heard that although he was quite old, he¡¯s still very active as an adventurer.

    ¡¸You want me to go see Dimitris and give him the letter?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. Will you ept it? ¡¹

    ¡¸Yup, I¡¯m also interested with him too¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! You have my thanks!¡¹

    ¡¸All I have to do is give him the letter, right?¡¹

    ¡¸We won¡¯t force him if he doesn¡¯t want to ept it¡¹

    The other party was a high-ranking adventurer. It was more likely for him to listen to a peer like Fran.

    ¡¸He¡¯s not a bad guy, but he¡¯s kind of difficult to deal with...¡¹

    That makes me a little worried when you say something like that though...

    ¡¸So, I¡¯m really d that you¡¯re willing to take it!¡¹

    The overjoyed Brunnen then pulled out a bag. It was a in leather bag, except for the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Belios on it. But upon looking at it, one could see that it was filled with a kind of magical power.

    ¡¸An Item bag?¡¹

    ¡¸The letter to Dimitris-dono was in it. Ah, wait, don¡¯t carelessly open it¡¹

    Brunnen hurriedly stopped Fran from taking a peek inside.

    ¡¸Let me tell you this first; the letter is considered a ssified document, and this bag could tell if anyone other than Dimitris-dono opens it¡¹

    ¡¸It can do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Our chief magician is an excellent one after all. He¡¯s especially good with item bags and space-time magic¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm~¡¹

    Fran responded nonchntly because her magic and skills were all she needed, but considering that this chief magician was a normal person, he must be a prized asset for the kingdom. Perhaps he could even create a long-distance teleporter.

    Brunnen was apparently annoyed by Fran¡¯s disinterested response. He then began to boast about their magic tool technician.

    But then, one particr topic suddenly caught Fran attention. Well, me too.

    ¡¸Research to open an item bag?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. An item bag can not be opened if the person who are registered to it died. We¡¯re not at the practical stage yet though¡¹

    He was d that Fran showed a reaction and exined the groundbreaking nature of this research.

    He exined that if this works, it will make it much easier for the military to manage supplies.

    It seemed that nowadays, ordinary food is managed in item bags that do not have to be registered, while valuable supplies such as medicines and money to be used in the field are ced in item bags with registered owners.

    This is meant to prevent corruption and theft, but it also has a disadvantage. If all the registered owners die, the items inside can no longer be retrieved.

    He said that in the past, some armies have copsed because assassins killed their item bags owners and their food and medicine became unusable.

    Well, if you can do a lot of damage to the enemy¡¯s supplies just by killing a few people, there¡¯s no reason not to do something like that.

    That is why they set a high number of registered owners in case something goes wrong, but that also has a disadvantage. As the number of registered owners increases, so does the probability of people with bad intentions getting mixed in.

    But what if the item bags could be opened without the registered owners? There would be no need to worry about that kind of problem.

    ¡¸But, wouldn¡¯t that render the registration itself be meaningless?¡¹

    That¡¯s right. As Fran said, if such a technology is developed, the registration itself will be meaningless in the first ce.

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s the problem too¡¹

    Brunnen seems to understand that as well. He groans with a difficult look on his face.

    However, since this research itself is being conducted everywhere, their country cannot afford to be the only one to miss out. If the research is going to bepleted someday, it would be advantageous for them to be the first to get their hands on it.

    ¡¸Anyway, you don¡¯t have to worry so much about it now. After all, nobody has ever opened the littlest item bag yet. It would be better to pay a high-ranking contract magician a lot of money to open it for us¡¹

    ¡¸A high-ranking contract magician can open an item bag?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, to a point. They say it also depends on the rank of the bag and how big it is... I¡¯ve heard that arcane magic, which precedes contract magic, has a technique that is rted to it. Do you happen to have an item bag that you can¡¯t open?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Fran then took out several item bags. Some were obtained from the hideouts of human traffickers, some from goblins, and many others.

    ¡¸The registration of these bags must be done by contract magic. So, if you¡¯re a good magician who can overwrite it, you can deactivate it. Well, I only know of one, and that fellow is currently missing¡¹

    ¡¸I see...¡¹

    Well, I actually can open it if I want. All I have to do is raise the level of my contract magic and get the arcane magic. However, I¡¯m not going to spend my precious points just to open an item bag that we don¡¯t even know what¡¯s inside.

    We¡¯ll need to find someone or a magic beast that can use the magic. Well, I never give much thought to it, so I don¡¯t really care whether we¡¯ll found them or not.

    ¡¸The request is only to deliver the letter to Dimitrius, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s all. We¡¯ll be counting on you¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Dimitris the Immovable. I wonder what kind of old man will he be? I¡¯m looking forward to it. Well, I¡¯m also worried though. After all, high-ranking adventurers are always full of weirdos.

    What about Fran, you ask? How in the world you¡¯d thought that Fran belongs to those weirdos!? Don¡¯t you see how pretty and lovely she is!?

    ¡¸Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about something¡»

    ¡¸Dimitris the Immovable. This gonna be fun¡¹

    ¡ºYou thought so?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I want to fight him¡¹

    ¡º...¡»

    Well, it¡¯d be hard for me to defend her if you¡¯re asking me whether she¡¯s a person withmon sense or not though.

 Chapter 672

    <h4>Chapter 672</h4>

    TENKEN 672 The Power of Appetite

    After leaving the royal capital of the Kingdom of Belios, we returned to the Kingdom of Kranzel a few dayster.

    It took us a few days to finish the confirmation of the request from the Kingdom of Belios and do some shopping in the royal capital.

    Thanks to that, we were able to replenish some of the potions we had run out of and stock up on ingredients. I will be able to make a lot of Mapo Curry which Fran likester.

    Spending some time touring the capital was worth it.

    Well, what took most of the time was Fran and Urushi¡¯s buying and eating though. We probably visited most of the famous stores in between the shopping sprees.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve been to the Kingdom of Kranzel¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºEven though we just crossed the border, I feel strangely nostalgic¡»

    Maybe it¡¯s because this ce is where I firste to my senses in this world. This country has somewhat be a special space for me as well.

    But Fran pays no heed about my sentiment and climbs up on Urushi¡¯s back and pointed her hand to the south.

    ¡¸Urushi, quick! We don¡¯t have much time¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    At Fran¡¯s words, Urushi start to run at full speed.

    Not only Fran, but also Urushi has a serious expression on his face. They¡¯re somewhat seemed to be in a hurry.

    As if to express their impatience, Fran and Urushi continued on their nonstop march. They didn¡¯t take a break even when they normally would have, but instead, they kept going in a straight line while using magic to recover their strength.

    They even ate while running. When Urushi gets tired, Fran will keep running on her feet.

    We¡¯re currently on our way to Alessa

    Since we¡¯re nearby, we should say hello to Klimut and Amanda.

    But our true destination is Barbra.

    If we hurried, we could make it in time for the cooking contest. I don¡¯t think we would be in time to participate, but since Fran and Urushi¡¯s goal was the food stall, we should be able to make it in time during the festival.

    That¡¯s the reason why they are so determined to push themselves to the limit.

    ¡¸Even if I break my leg, I¡¯ll make it to the stall!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    ***

    Five hourster.

    ¡¸Are you leaving already?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda will be back in half a month, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll bete if we wait that long for her¡¹

    ¡¸You were in the middle of a request, huh? It can¡¯t be helped then¡¹

    We arrived safely in Alessa, and after making a quick round of greetings to Donadrond and others who had helped us before, we exchanged information with Klimut at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    Amanda seemed to have left Alessa to scout the northern border in the meantime.

    It seems that the vicious magic power released by the great magic beast had reached many ces, and could even be observed in the Kingdom of Kranzel. As a result, many adventurers were asked to scout the border.

    The information we gave them about the great magic beast incident was very much appreciated. Oh, I¡¯m not telling them anything that needs to be kept secret, okay?

    On the other hand, we managed to get some information about spirit magic and Dimitris from Klimut. There wasn¡¯t any new information about spirit magic, but we did hear a lot of interesting things about Dimitris.

    There was the story of how he single-handedly quelled a goblin stampede, and the story of how he rammed into an enemy castle in a war and took the king¡¯s head by himself. There¡¯s also a story about how he defended a bridge against an invading army for three days and three nights by standing in the middle of the bridge alone, which gave him the nickname "Immovable".

    He¡¯s not doing anything shy these days, but he is said to be still in training and hunts magic beasts in various ces.

    We heard a lot of interesting information, and even if was only for a short time, I¡¯m d we came back to this town.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be going then¡¹

    ¡¸Haa~h... I can imagine Amandaining when she finds out that I¡¯m the only one who met Fran...¡¹

    I felt sorry for Klimut. But we¡¯ll have him to give our regards to Amanda.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re getting close to Barbra, it seems. That was quick¡»

    ¡¸Nn. We¡¯ve done our best¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Thanks to the two¡¯s obsession for food, we managed to traverse the Kingdom of Kranzel surprisingly quickly.

    Even though we had to avoid the town and snake our way through as Urushi running by the town might rm them, it took us four days to reach Barbra from the northern border.

    How terrifying their appetite power is!

    I didn¡¯t expect that we could traverse the rugged mountainous region in the center of the country in just one day.

    There was probably a range of mountains higher and steeper than Mt. Fuji, and possibly even higher than the Himyas maybe?

    But Fran defied the cold and low oxygen by using Aerial Jump to climb up cliffs, crawl out of crevasses, and traverse the mountain range in a straight line.

    Even when it was snowing so hard that she couldn¡¯t use her Aerial Jump, she didn¡¯t take a break and tried to climb up the mountain while putting up barriers. I felt a chill just by looking at her revealing outfit.

    If I were topare her to the people of Earth, it makes me once again realize how strong the people in this world are.

    We also encountered some rather strong magic beasts, but they could not stop Fran and Urushi¡¯s momentum. In fact, they were still able to enjoy a short break and a delicious meal.

    I also get a little carried away because of this snowy mountain and made a lot of other new dishes.

    The one that was particrly well-liked was the smoothie made from snow strawberries and ciers found on this snowy mountain. They looked so delighted when they drunk the snow strawberry smoothie inside a simple snow hut that I build and was heated by magic.

    It¡¯s been a while since they¡¯ve eaten that much of anything other than curry, isn¡¯t it? We even stopped for a few hours to pick up a bunch of snow strawberries. We also have a lot of ciers in storage so we can make smoothies whenever we want.

    Other than that, I also managed to get a few new skills.

    They are snow-running, snow-diving, and snow-swimming. All of them are skills that assist the user in their activities in the snow. Although they can only be used in limited ces, they are skills that should be useful in times of need.

    My favorite skill is the Snow-Swimming. I can swim in the snow as if I were underwater. When Fran does this, her body would get cold quickly, but it was nothing for me, I¡¯m not a living being after all.

    ¡ºWhen we get into Barbra, should we head to the cooking guild first?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 673

    <h4>Chapter 673</h4>

    TENKEN 673 Curry Soup

    ¡¸Little girl. Wee back¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m back¡¹

    Fran was facing an old man at the cooking guild.

    He is the food critic who helped usst year. I don¡¯t really like his vibe that makes me remind of Kaibara-sensei though. (1)

    Well, it seems that it was only me who thought of him as someone who had taken care of us while Fran perceived him as a rival.

    I could tell that by the expression on her face as she faced the man with a scowl.

    I¡¯m sure they have acknowledged each other in their own way at thest cooking contest though... Well, it can¡¯t be helped since they are not the type that will act all familiar with each other.

    The old man¡¯s name is Mecham. He is a bigwig in the cooking guild. (2)

    ¡¸Then, what¡¯s your answer to the proposal I made the other day? You have given it some thought, haven¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll set up my stall too¡¹

    ¡¸Would you go with curry again this year?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Hohou! How interesting. A year has passed since then, and the number of restaurants serving curry dishes has exploded here in Barbra. The advantage of being a rarity has already faded, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufun. Master¡¯s curry is not just any curry, so it¡¯s no problem¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it then¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll make sure everyone recognizes that curry is the best food in the world in this year¡¯s cooking contest!¡¹

    Actually, we had arrived in Barbra yesterday, but the cooking contest had already started.

    I didn¡¯t think we would be able to participate in the contest in time, so after showing up at the cooking guild, we had nned to devote ourselves to buying food and studying cooking, but©`©`.

    The stall we set upst year, the ck Tail Stall, has be a legend as the original curry food stall, and it seems that the contest organizer has been flooded with inquiries about whether we would be participating in the contest this year.

    What would happen if they found that Fran was just ying around buying and eating without setting her stall? I could foresee that the cooking guild would be med for that.

    Hence, the cooking guild begged Fran to help them.

    "Just for a day! Can you please set up the ck Tail Stall for one day?" he begged.

    Fran thought that her buying and eating spree was important, but she also thought it was important to spread curry cuisine to the world. Since they only asked her to open the stall for a day, she decided to ept their request.

    ¡¸Then we¡¯ll set up the ce the day before the final. We could also provide you with staff and supplies¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    And just like that, we got involved in the cooking contest again this year, though, not as a contestant...

    ¡¸Master, what kind of curry should we serve?¡¹

    ¡ºUmm, let¡¯s see...¡»

    It had to be curry. Fran and the customers were expecting it, and there was no reason to go for something else.

    But if possible, I wanted to make it different fromst year. Curry bread would be fine, but would curry rice work for this year?

    ¡¸Last year¡¯s curry rice was no good¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯sst year. But maybe we could use it this year¡»

    Last year was a struggle for us. There were a lot of things to worry about, like profitability and sales volume. But this year was different.

    We won¡¯t be rted to the main contest, our stall would be a sort of exhibition this year, so we don¡¯t have to worry about the profitability.

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡ºIn other words, we don¡¯t even have to worry about the cost or anything! Even a super luxurious curry is allowed!¡»

    Rather, a dish with a special appeal that is hardly profitable will be more appreciated.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s make something awesome then!¡¹

    ¡ºSomething awesome, huh?...¡»

    ¡¸We¡¯ll use the best meat to make the best curry. Let¡¯s make the kind of curry that will make everyone want to eat nothing but curry!¡¹

    How frightening. But that might be good too.

    Since the end ofst year, we have umted a great amount of magic beast¡¯s meat from the ins of the Demon Wolf. We probably even have enough meat for 10,000 servings by using the low-ranked magic beast¡¯s meat alone.

    I¡¯ve always felt reluctant to throw away something edible, so I¡¯ve been kind of hoarding it, but I never thought it woulde in handy here!

    Our main problem is rice. I wonder can we prepare a lot of it now?

    We should ask the cooking guild and go with curry rice if we can get rice.

    That¡¯s what I thought, but...

    ¡ºI never thought there¡¯d be so little rice...¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    We searched all over Barbra for rice, but found very little. Not that there was no rice at all, but there was a lot of old rice, and to be honest, it did not suit our needs.

    Originally, thergest importer of rice was the Kingdom of Belios. The Kingdom of Belios, which has abundant water and is slightly colder than the Kingdom of Kranzel, is said to have been a major rice producing area. Their climate is probably simr to the Tohoku region in Japan.

    This month, however, the supply of rice from there has dropped drastically. This was probably due to the disturbance caused by the great magic beast.

    The Kingdom of Belios had their own way of storing the rice they harvested, from which they exported a little each month.

    This would allow them to provide high-quality products, and in the event of any domestic incidents, they could cancel exports and secure food.

    And then there was the big incidentst month, which led to a decrease in the exports volume.

    ¡ºWe have no choice. Let¡¯s think of an alternative¡»

    But I don¡¯t want to make the same curry bread asst year. It¡¯s too boring.

    ¡¸Would using roux no good?¡¹

    ¡ºRoux, huh?... Wait, maybe we could make it into soup?¡»

    Let¡¯s make it a curry soup. If we make it filling and satisfying, we should be able to make it work! I think we could use more meat too.

    ¡¸Meat-filled curry soup¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Drool began to flow from the corners of Fran and Urushi¡¯s mouths. It seems they couldn¡¯t contain themselves anymore just by imagining it.

    Now that I have the approval of the curry-loving duo, let¡¯s try this.

    ===TLN====

    (1) Yuzan Kaibara, a famous gourmand who tries to sabotage his rival in Oishinbo (1983), a manga about cooking.

    (2) Need help! Can anyone check what the previous TL group used for his (Mecham) name.

 Chapter 674

    <h4>Chapter 674</h4>

    TENKEN 674 Side: A Certain Group of Three

    ¡¸Big sis, is that Barbra?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it seems so. There aren¡¯t many ces with a port of that size. I¡¯m sure of it¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re finally here! Uwa~h, I never thought the boat trips would be so boring¡¹

    ¡¸Wasn¡¯t it you who gets excited at it in the beginning? Biscot¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t youe up on deck too, Clicker? It was quite exciting at first, but it got boring after seeing the same scenery for so long... Don¡¯t you think so, big sis Siby?¡¹

    ¡¸It wasn¡¯t that boring, I guess. The sea magic beasts were pretty tough too¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, it was stupid of me to ask big sis who¡¯s happy as long as she could have a fight¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸I-it¡¯s nothing! But if we were just going to enter the Kingdom of Kranzel, wouldn¡¯t it have been fine if we stopped by the port town of Dahz first? We don¡¯t need toe all the way to a town this far south, right...?¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t. The border is heavily guarded at the moment. Besides, we don¡¯t want to cause any trouble¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t we just break through them?¡¹

    ¡¸How stupid. Good grief, this is exactly why you are such a Biscot¡¹

    ¡¸D-don¡¯t use my name to represent stupidity!¡¹

    ¡¸Listen, unlike back in our country, there would be no supplies or reinforcements out there, right? We have nowhere to run if theye after us. And if we cause a scene, we might find ourselves stuck sooner orter¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸It is. In the first ce, we don¡¯t even know what they¡¯re capable of¡¹

    ¡¸You mean their strength? What¡¯s the big deal about those guys?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, Biscot¡¹

    ¡¸! W-what is it, big sis?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing to look down on people from other countries. It¡¯s practically a habit in our country. It won¡¯t change anytime soon. But don¡¯t underestimate the capabilities of people you¡¯ve never seen before. Are you going to do the same thing as those idiots at the top?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s what we¡¯re going to find out, remember? The truth whether those outside of our country really are a small fry or not¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸The demon knights of the Kingdom of Filias are said to be around too¡¹

    ¡¸Haa~h, they¡¯re really a pain in the ass. I understand, we shouldn¡¯t move too recklessly¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s good that you understand. Capta©`... No, Siby-sama, there¡¯s several methods to measure the strength of those outside of our contry¡¹

    ¡¸Hee? What kind of method is it? The only thing I can think of is something rted to fighting¡¹

    ¡¸Please refrain from doing that when we got there. We are supposed to be traveling mercenaries. I¡¯ve asked the Morley Trading Company, a subsidiary of my family, to guarantee our identities. So if we were to do something wrong, the trust of that tradingpany, which has spent a long time building up its credibility in the Kingdom of Kranzel, would be lost at once. It would be a great loss for our country if we lose this tradingpany¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s true. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as to acquire foreign currency, gather information, and in cases like ours, to infiltrate¡¹

    ¡¸You seem to be aware of that. However, Morley Trading Company is probably less loyal to the country than we are, since they are more active outside. Worst case scenario, they might even ditch us¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi, Clicker. Is it safe to rely on those guys then?¡¹

    ¡¸We should be fine as long as we don¡¯t do anything that could put them at a disadvantage. Besides, with the strength of this ship, the three of us can easily overpower them¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you might be right...¡¹

    ¡¸Just follow our instructions, you¡¯re stupid after all¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot, be quiet¡¹

    ¡¸Yes...¡¹

    ¡¸So, you said there are several methods to determine how good an adventurer is, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. First of all, the conventional method is to submit a request. If we can get them to escort us, we can see them at work up close. Well, there¡¯s a problem with this method though¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the problem?¡¹

    ¡¸If the other party was skilled enough, they might be able to see through our real prowess. There is a high possibility that they will have doubts about why we asked for an escort when we¡¯re strong enough to defend ourselves¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Although it¡¯s a bit of a roundabout method, we can check the quality of the magic beast¡¯s meat and medicinal herbs sold in towns. There is also the method of checking the quality of their armor. We can¡¯t directly check their capabilities this way, but we can at least use it as a rough indicator of their overall strength. Fortunately, we are heading to Barbra, a city with arge poption. It¡¯s a good ce to investigate¡¹

    ¡¸I get the gist of it, but I¡¯d rather not have to do the investigation myself¡¹

    ¡¸Me too. It¡¯d be easier to just attack the adventurers there¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve told you we shouldn¡¯t do something like that, right!? Well, I don¡¯t believe that Siby-sama and stupid Biscot can do it anyway. I¡¯m just proposing the method¡¹

    ¡¸If I don¡¯t have to do the tedious investigation, I¡¯m fine with being stupid¡¹

    ¡¸Leave the investigation to me¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll leave it to you. So, Clicker, anything else? From the way you¡¯re talking, you¡¯ve got other proposals, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸The next one is the direct method. In a little while, there¡¯s going to be a martial arts tournament in a city called Ulmut¡¹

    ¡¸A martial arts tournament? Hohou. That sounds like fun! There¡¯ll be some strong fighters, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that many famous adventurers will bepeting in the tournament, so we could get a good idea of their abilities by watching their fights¡¹

    ¡¸Watching their fights? So we¡¯re just going to watch and notpete?¡¹

    ¡¸Give me a break, will you? We¡¯ll be in trouble if they find out who we are. We must refrain from doing anything too conspicuous¡¹

    ¡¸Tch...¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t "tch" me! Anyway, unlike us, Siby-sama will certainly stand out. If you were to participate in the tournament, they would definitely look into your background. So as to not attract too much attention, you mustn¡¯t win the tournament... But you hate to lose on purpose, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Haa~h... I guess I¡¯ll have to be content with watching it this time¡¹

    ¡¸Please do so¡¹

    ¡¸That means we can rest a little in Barbra before going to Ulmut to watch the martial arts tournament, right?¡¹

    ¡¸The two of you can think of it that way. I¡¯ll take care of the various arrangements¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. We¡¯ll leave it to you¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe. So we¡¯re staying in Barbra for a while? I hope they have some good liquor¡¹

    ¡¸I hope they can keep us from getting bored¡¹

    ¡¸...Please don¡¯t cause any trouble while we¡¯re there, okay?¡¹

    TLN: It¡¯s all dialogue XD

 Chapter 675

    <h4>Chapter 675</h4>

    TENKEN 675 Making Curry with Io-san

    ¡¸Umm, is this how the vegetables should be cooked?¡¹

    ¡¸Mogu mogu¡¹ (munching sfx)

    ¡¸...How is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s perfect¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good to hear¡¹

    We were now in the cooking area in the basement of the cooking guild. As one would expect from the headquarters of a guild based in a major city, the cooking area was nothing short of gorgeous.

    This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a metal sink in this world. They have also installed magic tools on their stove and oven, and it seemed to be made with efficiency in mind.

    At first nce, this ce might look like the kitchen of a luxurious hotel on Earth.

    Fran and one of the female cooks are standing side by side in such a kitchen, tasting the curry soup.

    ¡¸Io, amazing¡¹

    ¡¸Not at all, Fran¡¯s master is more amazing! I am nothingpared to the person who came up with this amazing dish...!¡¹

    The girl with Fran is said to be a natural-born genius cook. The unreliable but kind sister to everyone, Io.

    We went to the orphanage to say hello to Io the day before, and that¡¯s when we heard that they wouldn¡¯t be having a stall at the contest this year.

    Untilst year¡¯s contest, she had to open a stall to earn money to run the orphanage. But now that they are under Amanda¡¯s patronage, their financial difficulties have been resolved.

    In addition, the number of children has doubled over thest year, making it difficult for her to find time to prepare for the contest.

    Because of this, she had no intention of participating in the contest this year.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to open the stall if I could. It¡¯s important to interact with the local people after all¡¹

    Hearing that, we asked Io if she could help us with our stall.

    With this, she can work at the stall for a day and show her face to the local residents. She will also be wellpensated.

    On the other hand, we¡¯ll be getting the best helpers. She knows a lot of people and is a good cook. We couldn¡¯t ask for a better person.

    This is truly a win-win situation.

    Well, there was also the selfishness of me wanting to see her cook though.

    The level of my cooking skill is higher than hers, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can make the more delicious food.

    Just like with Fran¡¯s swordsmanship skill, she instantly got it after raising my skill level all at once. Compared to those who had honed their skills on their own, I realized that we had been neglecting the basics of cooking.

    There were also many areas where Icked in application. I¡¯m good at recreating Earth¡¯s cuisine and improving it to make it more delicious, but...

    When ites to dishes that originally existed in this world, I can recreate them, but I can hardly do a good job of preparing them.

    It¡¯s not that it was bad, and Fran is happy enough with it. But it was nothingpared to the food cooked by Io and Fermus at the dragon restaurant.

    And that¡¯s why we¡¯re here with Io today. I thought that if I could see her cooking process, I might be able to grasp something.

    Well, all I¡¯ve learned is that I just have to be diligent. I can¡¯t imitate a genius after all.

    Knock knock.

    Just then, a knock sounded at the entrance of the kitchen.

    As our work was a trial production of a new product, it was off-limits to everyone except those involved. However, it seemed that we had a visitor.

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸This voice, It¡¯s Fran, huh? It¡¯s me, Colbert. I heard you were in Barbra!¡¹

    The one who came was Colbert. He was a B-ranked adventurer and a skilled fighter. He was also a former disciple of Dimitris, whom we had to meet.

    He was emunicated for getting serious against Fran in a martial arts tournament, but...

    (Can he be here?)

    ¡ºWell, I don¡¯t mind. He may have lost his skills when he was emunicated, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s lost his memories of Dimitris. We might find some useful information from him¡»

    It¡¯s not that I want to know Dimitris¡¯ weaknesses or how he fights. What I want to know is his favorite food, his favorite color, or any other information that I can use to make friendly contact with him.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while, Fran¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸It seems, you¡¯ve gotten bigger too¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Colbert looked strangely excited as he came in. And for some reason, he grasps Fran¡¯s hand tightly with tears in the corners of his eyes.

    Oi oi, what is he doing? Isn¡¯t he getting overfamiliar with Fran!? I mean, his hand! He¡¯s squeezing too hard! C-could it be that he has fallen for Fran!? Well, that¡¯s not surprising since Fran is super cute, not... I won¡¯t let him! I won¡¯t let someone who¡¯s weaker than Fran to take care of her! Go get stronger than Fran first ande back again!

    ¡¸I may not be able to rece your master, but you can count on me for anything while you¡¯re in town!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry Master, your disciple has grown up well!¡¹

    Aah¨D, I know where this is going. It seems like he¡¯s still under the impression that I¡¯m dead and he¡¯s going to watch over Fran in my stead. He¡¯s the type of guy who often goes around making assumptions, and I guess he got excited all by himself when he saw Fran.

    ¡¸Master is still alive¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you¡¯re right¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    It was rare to see Fran¡¯s dumbfounded face.

    ¡ºShould I show myself to clear up the misunderstanding?¡»

    (...Not now)

    ¡ºEh? You sure?¡»

    (Nn. If Master shows up now, we won¡¯t be able to get any information out of him)

    ¡ºAah¨D, that may be true¡»

    I¡¯m sure Colbert will be happy to see me. But he would be too happy, and his excitement could prevent us from getting some information out of him.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s leave it for a littleter then¡»

    (Nn)

 Chapter 676

    <h4>Chapter 676</h4>

    TENKEN 676 A Misceneous Staff and Three Meals a Day

    Colbert looked surprised when we invited him into the kitchen.

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it Io-dono from the orphanage? Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸You two know each other?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, who might you be?¡¹

    Colbert seems to know Io-san, but Io-san doesn¡¯t know Colbert. She tilted her head with a troubled look.

    ¡¸Oops, my apologies. Your soup is famous here in Barbra, and of course, I buy your stuff every year!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Umm, err, thanks, I guess?¡¹

    I see. If Colbert likes cooking and respects the cooks, of course, he¡¯d knows Io-san.

    ¡¸Aah, my name is Colbert, and I¡¯m a B ranked adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸Eeeeh? B-B ranked?¡¹

    Voiced Io in surprise when she heard Colbert¡¯s self-introduction. It even sounded like a scream.

    Our senses were a bit off, but a rank B adventurer must be something of a big deal to the average person. They¡¯re not heroes and were also treated differently than nobles, but they¡¯re considered to be of a higher status.

    It was understandable that she would be surprised when he suddenly introduced himself like that.

    ¡¸A-aah, but, this Fran here is also a B ranked adventurer, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Ueeeh?¡¹

    Come to think of it; she previously told her that she was a D ranker, isn¡¯t it? She hasn¡¯t told her anything about her rank-up.

    ¡¸F-Fran-san...?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s true¡¹

    ¡¸Haeee!?¡¹

    Io raised her voice in response to Fran¡¯s nod.

    ¡¸But, before... Eeh?¡¹

    ¡¸Never mind that¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s right. Besides, I think you¡¯re quite awesome yourself, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Ueh? N-not at all...¡¹

    Io-san was frightened when Colbert bowed his head. She¡¯s probably confused by the fear of a B ranked adventurer.

    ¡¸No no no, even I was just¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸No no no,¨D¨D¡¹

    They continued to bow their heads to each other one after another.

    ¡ºWe cannot progress at this rate¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Hey, why¡¯d youe here, Colbert? Is it just to see me?¡¹

    ¡¸I thought I¡¯d help out this time too. What do you say? I¡¯ll do anything!¡¹

    He looked like he was expecting her to let him help us as he said that. I had seen this expression before. It was the same expression Fran had when she begged for a curry. Well, he¡¯s not cute at all though.

    Maybe he¡¯s after the meal. It was the same withst year cooking contest.

    ¡¸...I can let you help¡¹

    ¡¸Really!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I need a misceneous staff¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine by that!¡¹

    Fran also knows that Colbert¡¯s goal is not money, which is why she¡¯d have him do the misceneous task.

    ¡¸Eh? Eeeh?¡¹

    Io is confused again. Well, it¡¯s strange no matter what you think. Hiring a B-ranked adventurer for misceneous tasks is unthinkable under normal circumstances. It would be a waste of a high-ranking adventurer¡¯s talent.

    However, Fran and Colbert¡¯s conversations continue.

    ¡¸Your reward would be three meals a day¡¹

    ¡¸Hurray! I¡¯ll do it! Fran¡¯s a hell of a cook after all! I¡¯m looking forward to it¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m currently preparing for a new dish¡¹

    ¡¸F-for real!?¡¹

    ¡¸So, work hard to get your reward¡¹

    ¡¸Ou!¡¹

    ¡¸E-Eeeh?¡¹

    Io, who was a person withmon sense except for her insane cooking skills, was so confused that she¡¯d answer all of our questions with just a "yes."

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    ¡¸You should take a break if you¡¯re tired¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. I-I¡¯m going to take a short break¡¹

    Io-san then walked out of the kitchen with a staggering gait. She must be tired of being surprised.

    After seeing her off, Fran opens her mouth again.

    ¡¸I have a question¡¹

    ¡¸What is it? You can ask me anything you want!¡¹

    ¡¸I want you to tell me about Dimitris¡¹

    Colbert became somewhat tense when Fran mentioned his master¡¯s name.

    ¡¸Are you interested in him?¡¹

    ¡¸I have to see Dimitrius for a job¡¹

    ¡¸Hohou. So, in other words, you want to know where he is? I don¡¯t really know where he is but I guess you should start from Ulmut¡¹

    The A-ranked adventurer Dimitris is invited as a guest every year to the martial arts tournament in Ulmut.

    But Dimitris had some business to attend to and was unable toe to Ulmutst year, so the Beast King was invited as the guest of honor instead. It was apparently during the period when he had to visit the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    ¡¸I think that the reason why the Beast King lent out his magic tools to run the tournament was probably out of rivalry with Master Dimitris¡¹

    ¡¸Are the two of them on bad terms?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that he was invited in his ce and felt he couldn¡¯t afford to lose face without doing anything. He¡¯s an adventurer and a king after all¡¹

    So, as a result ofpeting with Dimitrius, a fellow S-ranked adventurer, he provided the magic tool used in the quarterfinals, the Cradle of Time.

    Well, he seemed to like to be shy, and as royalty, I guess appearances are also important.

    ¡¸I already know he¡¯sing to Ulmut¡¹

    ¡¸Then, what do you want to know?¡¹

    ¡¸Like what he likes¡¹

    ¡¸Aah, that kind of thing, huh..¡¹

    ¡¸And what kind of person he is¡¹

    We don¡¯t want to make a poor impression on Dimitris. This was because we didn¡¯t want to offend Rank S, and we really wanted to get some useful information to aplish this request.

    ¡¸Hmm, you see... The simplest way to describe my master is...¡¹

    ¡¸The simplest way?¡¹

    ¡¸Strict, stern, and entric. That¡¯s what kind of person he is¡¹

    That doesn¡¯t sound like an easy guy to get along, huh...

 Chapter 677

    <h4>Chapter 677</h4>

    TENKEN 677 The One Named Dimitris

    When we asked Colbert about Dimitris, the words that came out of him were strict, stern, and entric.

    Words that worry me a little.

    ¡¸...Was he a bad person?¡¹

    ¡¸Buhahaha! He¡¯s scary indeed, but he¡¯s not a bad person. He¡¯s merciless to his disciples, but the people revere him like a hero¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be able to picture it very well. She is making a difficult face and is tilting her head.

    ¡¸What can I say is that he¡¯s tough on people who make fighting their livelihood. He must have used himself as his standard. He¡¯d even say something like ¡ºIs that all you can do! You¡¯d die? There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let you die yet! If you were really dying, you wouldn¡¯t be able to speak!¡»¡¹

    Uwaah¨D. That¡¯s pretty tough. It sounds like the Marine corps. But if that¡¯s all he does, he won¡¯t be adored by many disciples, right?

    Though Colbert had a wry smile on his face, I could see the respect he had for Demetrius in every word he said. Even though he was emunicated, his respect for his master remained unchanged.

    ¡¸But he¡¯s a person that won¡¯t abandon someone in need nor takepensation from the poor. He¡¯d say that it was only for his training. But that¡¯s how he saved the vige I grew up in¡¹

    So, what he¡¯s saying is that he¡¯s been wandering around the continent of Gilberd, helping people in need for free? That would certainly be considered heroic.

    But is that okay?

    Dimitris was an S-ranked adventurer. In other words, he is at the top of all adventurers.

    If such a person were to help people for free, wouldn¡¯t the other adventurers have nothing to do?

    Let¡¯s say the vige that was saved for free by Dimitris next hires a D-ranked adventurer. Would they befortable with it then? They¡¯re going to have to pay tens of thousands of gold to an adventurer who is far less skilled and weaker than Dimitris. It should be a fair reward, but it¡¯s not surprising that people wouldin.

    Besides, isn¡¯t this a matter that should be addressed to the faces of the knights and soldiers?

    ¡¸Is it okay for him to do that?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸If he won¡¯t ept payment, the other adventurers will be in trouble¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¨D, you mean that huh?¡¹

    Fran voiced her concerns before I could say anything to her. In Fran¡¯s case, she¡¯s the type of person who believes thatpensation is a justified form of appreciation.

    However, Fran could also understand the act of helping a person she liked for free. In the ck Cat Kin¡¯s vige and elsewhere, she was treated with great respect, but she didn¡¯t get any reward.

    I guess that¡¯s why it bothered her even more.

    ¡¸In master Dimitris¡¯ case, you see. Originally, he became an adventurer because it was convenient for his training. And when he became an A-ranked adventurer, he easily attempted to quit¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡¹

    ¡¸Because it became too much of a trouble, he said. The recruitment of nobles and the guild¡¯s meddling. Then there was the issue of the request fee. For Master, belonging to the guild must have been a hindrance. But the guild held him back from that¡¹

    Well, of course, everyone would hold them back if an A-ranked adventurer ever said that he was quitting.

    At that time, Dimitris had put forward three conditions for him to stay on as an adventurer.

    When epting unexpected requests, Dimitris may decide the fee for the request. The adventurer¡¯s guild will cooperate in the training of Dimitris¡¯s apprentices. And unrestricted ess to magical areas.

    And the Adventurer¡¯s Guild epted all of those conditions. Apparently, even back then it was said that he would eventually rise to rank S, and they wanted to keep Dimitris in the guild at all costs.

    There were some problems at first, but now that the story has be well known in the small southern group of countries where Dimitris is active, no major problems have urred since then.

    ¡¸It seems that the other adventurers have had a lot to say to him, but he¡¯s stubborn as hell. He¡¯s also a bit of a hothead. I even heard that he punched them in the face to shut them up¡¹

    He¡¯s adding that he¡¯s a stubborn and a hotheaded person now...

    I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not a bad person, but I just can¡¯t get a good impression of him.

    ¡¸How can I get closer to him? And what¡¯s his favorite food?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what his favorite food is... He¡¯s a person whose daily life is like a training session, so he puts more importance on nutrition than taste in his meals. All he eats is just sds with medicinal herbs; he even goes as far as to take a medicinal herbs bath. To be honest, the only reason I got interested in cooking was because I was sick of such bad food¡¹

    ¡¸So it¡¯s impossible to get close to him with delicious food?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, unless you have a dish that is rich in nutrients and makes one stronger after eating it¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    A dish that makes one stronger? No, if there was such a thing, I¡¯d feed it to Fran myself. But maybe it¡¯s possible to provide food that is nutritionally bnced and tastes good. It doesn¡¯t sound promising though.

    ¡¸Then, what¡¯re his hobbies?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s training. Well, Master Dimitris would never admit it. Training is life, and life is training. That¡¯s what he says all the time. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s interested in anything else. A thing that might interest him would be fighting a strong opponent, I guess?¡¹

    The type that is only interested in improving themselves, huh. This one seems troublesome.

    Colbert may feel offended, but my impression of him right now is that of Ashwrath, who is caring for others.

    ¡¸It might be a good idea to challenge him to a mock battle, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸You think so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. He¡¯s having a hard time finding people to have mock battles with these days. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy to ept. Of course, if they¡¯re too weak, he¡¯ll just ignore you, but Fran will be fine¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    ¡¸However, you¡¯re going to deal with one of the strongest human beings in the world. Are you prepared for that? You won¡¯t be back scratch-free, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufun, just like I wanted¡¹

    Aah¨D, this is bad. Fran¡¯s berserker switch has gone on! I can¡¯t help but notice the battle-crazed smile on her face.

    She would never stop even if I stopped her. After all, it was a mock battle with an S-ranked adventurer. It was like a tinum ticket for Fran. (1)

    Still, we have to make sure we nail this.

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay?¡»

    (Nn, I understand)

    That¡¯s not the face of someone who understands though!

    I wonder if Dimitris is actually a person who is fond of his grandchildren or something and gets charmed from the moment he meets Fran who¡¯s around the same age.

    ==TLN===

    (1) tinum Ticket is simr to an SSR gacha ticket (or golden ticket).

 Chapter 678

    <h4>Chapter 678</h4>

    TENKEN 678 The Girl and a Woman

    ¡¸Here you go! This is the original curry soup!¡¹

    ¡¸Meat-filled curry soup! 200 Goldes per bowl!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s delicious!¡¹

    At thest day of the cooking contest. There was a tremendous line in front of the ck Tail stall.

    There are probably more than 300 people lined up right now.

    ¡ºI¡¯m surprised it¡¯s selling at this price¡»

    (It was delicious after all!)

    200 Goldes for a bowl of soup is a very expensive price. It was the price of a night¡¯s stay at a cheap inn. Io-san¡¯s soup is usually sold at 10 Goldes, but we sold our¡¯s at 20 times her price.

    It is still not very profitable even at this price though. After all, we had used all the spices and ingredients we needed through the cooking guild. We also spent a lot of money just making the prototypes.

    Using magical vegetables and ingredients that are usually only known through books as knowledge, the result was a price of 200 Goldes per bowl.

    I had a lot of magic beast¡¯s meat in my storage, so the meat part was practically free. If we had to purchase the magic beast¡¯s meat as well, we might have to set a price of 300 Goldes per bowl.

    I hoped that it would still sell well, but it actually turned out to be a bigger sess than I had imagined.

    A sign that says "The Original Curry Stall", the massive advertising by the cooking guild, Io¡¯s reputation, and the merchant¡¯s and adventurer¡¯swork.

    All of these factorsbined to create a crowd that far exceeded our expectations. The line was so long that we had to immediately hire more sales staff and increase the number of cash registers.

    And yet, the line was still this long.

    ¡¸Uu~, the line won¡¯t end...¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s even worse thanst time¡¹

    ¡¸Uu~, ck Lightning Princess tricked me¡¹

    Don¡¯t you talk bad about her, Lydia! If anything, you¡¯re the ones who jumped at the offer of free meals as payment, remember!?

    I didn¡¯t lie or force her to be our salesperson. I just didn¡¯t tell her that the payment would be given after the work was done. But that was justmon sense, right? Why should I pay for someone who hasn¡¯t even worked yet?

    By the way, what we are serving at our stall this time is a curry soup with vegetables and chunky meat. It is served in a thick paper cup with a piece of bread on top as a lid.

    This way, the curry won¡¯t spill and the bread can be sold along with it.

    We offer three levels of spiciness: normal, spicy, and dragon spicy. All of them are highly rmended by Fran and Urushi, and are excellent soup curries.

    The dragon spicy was popr among the adventurers. Just likest year, there is also a rumor going around the adventurer that they should be ashamed if they can¡¯t handle this level of spiciness.

    I thought it was Colbert¡¯s doing again this year, but it seemed that he didn¡¯t spread such rumors this time. It seemed that the adventurers who had eaten the dragon spicy curryst year hade up with the idea on their own.

    This kind of thing is not going to take root in Barbra like a tradition, is it?

    To adventurers who don¡¯t like spicy food, I¡¯m sorry.

    ording to Fran, who has been to almost all the stalls in the past few days, there are only a few curry dishes that could be our rival. The only one that is evenly matched is the curry dragon soup that Fermus serves.

    Since Fran says they¡¯re evenly matched, I guess they really are. Not bad, Fermus! It seems you¡¯ve already mastered the art of mixing spices.

    Or rather, I¡¯m practically losing, isn¡¯t it? I have no restrictions, and I¡¯m the original. Fermus, on the other hand, is pursuing profits for his food stall, and in just one year, he has created a soup that is on par with mine.

    Kuh! Well yed, Fermus! It looks like I have to keep working hard for Fran¡¯s sake!

    As I was thinking about this, I suddenly felt Fran¡¯s presence waver. It wasn¡¯t that she was flustered, but she was a little surprised, and perhaps a little wary.

    Her center of gravity changed by just a few millimetres. It seemed that her body had unintentionally tried to shift into a battle-ready position.

    But I suppose that was not surprising.

    ¡¸Hee~. So, this is what they call curry? It sure smells good, what do you think, sis?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it looks delicious¡¹

    The duo who were receiving the curry now. She reacted to the disturbing presence that the red-haired woman in particr was giving off.

    If we were to pass each other on the street, we might have thought she was trying to pick a fight with us. That¡¯s what I felt from noticing the aggressive air from her.

    The three adventurers who were manning the sales counter have given up on herpletely.

    The woman gazed at the three members of the Scarlet Maidens as if she was trying to put a value on them. She shifted her gaze to Lydia, Maia, and Judith, and quickly lost interest in them.

    She then looked at Fran next.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Uwaah¨D, what¡¯s with this woman. She reminded me of the first time we met the Beast King for a moment. The intimidation in the woman¡¯s eyes was so fierce. I would even call it ferocious.

    She must be considerably strong. If it had only been a resemnce in presence, she reminded me of Mea.

    But the fact that I subconsciously remembered the Beast King meant that I sensed a great deal of danger from this woman.

    Fran stares back at the woman in reply to her gaze.

    It¡¯s not that they are mming each other with intimidation. But the problem was that the atmosphere of check and bnce created by the two, who were both trying to put a value on each other, was intimidating enough for the average person.

    It was probably only for a moment that the two of them made eye contact. But a strangemotion immediately rises. Some of the customers rushed to the counter for no apparent reason, while others suddenly felt a chill and raised their voices. But I guess they can¡¯t help but unwittingly open their mouths and make some kind of noise.

    I don¡¯t think most of them knew what had happened, but their instincts told them that this ce was dangerous.

    The adventurers, who are one of the few people who understand the situation, are the opposite. They can only remain silent in the face of Fran and the woman¡¯s strength.

    It was only for those few seconds that something strange happened.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    The woman then took the curry and walked away from the stall. Both Fran and the woman just casually checked each other out like Yankees checking each other with guns as they passed each other.

    In the first ce, if the two had really tried to intimidate each other, there would have been a panic here.

    ¡º...What¡¯s with that woman? Is she an adventurer?¡»

    (She¡¯s strong)

    ¡ºWell, yeah¡»

    Maybe I should ask someone for information about herter. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s a famous adventurer.

 Chapter 679

    <h4>Chapter 679</h4>

    TENKEN 679 The Woman¡¯s Identity

    ¡¸Good job for today¡¹

    ¡¸Iyaah~, that¡¯s really been a busy day¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m so tired...¡¹

    After the cooking contest was over, we were now in a standing dinner party hosted by the cooking guild.

    The party was more like a gathering hosted by the cooks and merchants though. There were a few noblemen in the crowd, and it seems that they could enjoy themselves and chat with the cook. They probably wouldn¡¯t attend such a rude gathering if they weren¡¯t such people after all.

    Fran and the others are still going to eat a huge amount of food even though they just ate their payment. Fran, Colbert, Lydia, Maia, and Judith all had severalrge tes of food in front of them.

    It was said that famous chefs have prepared the dishes for the event and they all seemed to be delicious.

    Fran asked me to do the same, so I¡¯m serving a dish that I made too. It looks like it¡¯s already beenpletely taken care of, but what I cooked was a grilled fish sprinkled with curry powder. I tried to create a fish curry like appearance.

    Few cooks were even having a heated discussion in front of my dishes.

    Well, it seems that the next time wee here they will have more curry dishes with seafood.

    ¡¸Fran-san, it¡¯s been a while¡¹

    ¡¸Fermus¡¹

    ¡¸Your cooking this time was also wonderful¡¹

    ¡¸Yours too, it was delicious¡¹

    The man who came to greet us was Fermus of the Dragon Restaurant. He looks as young as ever.

    He may be many times older than Fran, but to her, he is like a skilled, strong, and kind grandpa who can make delicious food. The conversation between Fran and Fermus goes suitably lively.

    It¡¯s amazing that Fermus is able to have a good conversation, even if it¡¯s with the quiet Fran.

    ¡¸Fermus-san, congrattions on your victory¡¹

    ¡¸It was all thanks to this new dish called curry¡¹

    Colbert then joined us and we started talking about today¡¯s stalls.

    ¡¸Were you recruited by a nobleman to be their cook?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! I don¡¯t have any ns for that at the moment. I like to serve a lot of people, and I know I¡¯ll be doing something other than cooking there¡¹

    ¡¸I see, Fermus-san surely will be more active in the battlefield if you work there¡¹

    Many of the cooks participating in this contest are said to dream of winning and bing a nobleman¡¯s servant, but Fermus apparently turned them all down.

    After all, the nobleman would rather have Fermus do something other than cooking rather than keeping him around in their kitchen. This is the reason why he is so insistent on being a city cook.

    In the first ce, honor and wealth are probably not worth much to Fermus now.

    ¡¸By the way, there was a woman who looked pretty strong, how was that one?¡¹

    ¡¸The woman with red hair¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that one. It was the first time in a long time that I didn¡¯t want to fight someone who gave off the vibe of a strong person. It might have been since the time I met Fran¡¹

    ¡¸She was strong¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, without a doubt¡¹

    Fran and Fermus seemed to be agreeing on this.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t get to see her as I was away for a break though¡¹

    ¡¸She is a tall woman with red hair tied in zanbara. Her clothes were kinda unusual. She also stared at me with her reddish-brown eyes¡¹

    (TLN: Zanbara, dishevelled hair that is too short to be tied up in a top knot)

    You remember that much? As expected of Fermus, all I could remember was her strength and red hair.

    ¡¸It might be easier to describe her as a yakuza rather than a wild person. The kind of person who is able to tame their inner savagery with instinct and intelligence¡¹

    That may be true. That woman¡¯s attitude was definitely on purpose.

    It wasn¡¯t that she got excited at the sight of a strong opponent and became hostile, but that she had been giving off a disturbing vibe from the start to see how we would react. I don¡¯t know why, but she might have been judging Fran.

    There was a whiff of a battle junkie in the air too, but maybe she just wanted to know what Fran was capable of. Even so, she backed off surprisingly easily in the end, which is different from a mere battle junkie.

    ¡¸The man I met with was quite something too¡¹

    ¡¸...There¡¯s someone like that?¡¹

    Well, Fran was focused on the woman at that moment. And the other one was certainly less conspicuous than the red-haired woman.

    ¡¸Yeah. A brawny man with blond hair tied back in a bun, about a head taller than the woman. He had good muscle mass. He doesn¡¯t wear much but that was definitely the body of a warrior¡¹

    ¡¸Hee~¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder if I could call it a grin, but he was smiling out of the corner of his mouth the whole time. He seemed to be the type of guy that would be popr withdies¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s strong?¡¹

    ¡¸To a certain extent. Not as much as the woman though. However, his expression didn¡¯t change at all even after being exposed to the presence of that woman, he seems to be a rather daring one. I guess he will be a troublesome opponent if it turns into a fight¡¹

    ¡¸Hohou~¡¹

    Fran was also interested in the man after hearing Fermus¡¯ evaluation. She crossed her arms and started to grumble, trying to remember the man somehow.

    However, it seems that nothing came up in her mind.

    She¡¯s the type that could even forget someone whom she had talked with a few times before after all, I don¡¯t think there is any way she can remember this one guy.

    (Master, you remember?)

    ¡ºYeah, I remember what he looked like too. I¡¯ll tell you the next time we saw him¡»

    (Nn, please)

    Still, it seems that neither Fermus nor Colbert know the identity of that woman.

    ¡¸Colbert, you don¡¯t know this man?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to him, but he¡¯s got a pretty distinguished look, doesn¡¯t he? I don¡¯t remember any adventurers that looked like him from around here¡¹

    If Colbert doesn¡¯t know, then he¡¯s probably not an adventurer who is active in Barbra.

    ¡¸She¡¯s probably not an adventurer from this town either. After all, how could such a skilled woman not be the talk of the town yet, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s that time of year, so maybe they¡¯re adventurers from abroad. After all, the route from Barbra to Ulmut was the most popr route for people from abroad¡¹

    Tourists whoe to Barbra may also want to see the famous Ulmut martial arts tournament. On the other hand, the participants of the tournament often stop by Barbra while they were in Kranzel.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not umon for foreign adventurers to want to associate with renowned adventurers too¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Now that you mention it...¡¹

    Well, it¡¯s an adventurer we¡¯re talking about, they¡¯re known to have a lot of trouble makers.

    ¡¸Besides, it¡¯s only natural that they woulde to see Fran and me, the previous year¡¯s finalists, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Certainly¡¹

    Does this mean that woman is going to take in this year¡¯s martial arts tournament? It looks like a strong opponent has appeared.

 Chapter 680

    <h4>Chapter 680</h4>

    TENKEN 680 Side: A Certain Group of Three 2

    ¡¸Geez! Siby-sama! I¡¯ve told you not to make a scene, haven¡¯t I!?¡¹

    ¡¸Iyaah~ I didn¡¯t expect it to cause such amotion¡¹

    ¡¸This is not our country! We¡¯re now in a peaceful country, some of the people here have never even fought a magic beast before!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸They don¡¯t have the same type of training against magic beast as our country after all. What do you think would happen if Siby-sama used her intimidation in such a ce...¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? I¡¯m not intimidating them or anything though, right, Biscot?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! You just had a little standoff with the girl from the stall¡¹

    ¡¸...Why did things be like this when I took my eyes off you for a moment...¡¹

    ¡¸By the way, you said you were going to check something out, didn¡¯t you? What were you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸A famous adventurer was having a meal with me, so I made some quick contact with him¡¹

    ¡¸Hee~? What¡¯s he like?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s the Iron w Colbert, a B ranked adventurer. I just greeted him and had a quick chat with him¡¹

    ¡¸So, what¡¯s your impression of him?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s a very sociable and honest person. I think he was a desirable person to make a request to¡¹

    ¡¸Adventurers are greedy, untrustworthy, coward, stupid and weak, was it?¡¹

    ¡¸No matter how many times I hear it, that was just a terrible propaganda. If all of that was true, then why is the Kingdom of Kranzel, which has so many adventurers, flourishing to this extent? I¡¯d like to show this city to the foolish higher-ups who can¡¯t tell the difference between fantasy and reality¡¹

    ¡¸You think so?¡¹

    ¡¸The size of the market and the abundance of goods avable surpass even that of the capital of our country. The food at those stalls is as good as the food of our nobles. It seems that the adventurers work a great part in this. I¡¯d like to tell those fools who say that adventurers they¡¯ve never seen are no big deal to get a grip on reality!¡¹

    ¡¸But the problem is, most of the people in our country have never seen an active adventurer before. It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯d believe what they¡¯re told by the government, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. That was an unusually sharp thing for Biscot to say¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, what was that for...¡¹

    ¡¸It also seems that not only the people, but also a growing number of knights and soldiers are believing the propaganda¡¹

    ¡¸We are the finest and the most powerful, and we deserve to rule the continent. Other inferior nations that rely on barbaric fools like adventurers should follow our lead, huh? Kukuku, was it the Southern Duke who said that? That loser pig sure talks a lot¡¹

    ¡¸But it must be hard to even doubt it when they¡¯ve been taught that since birth, the propaganda was promoted about 20 years ago to recruit soldiers and has spread throughout the south after all¡¹

    ¡¸The story goes that this elerated the tendency to look down on the Kingdom of Kranzel, and the Southern Duke became unable to control his army well because of that... Well, he got what he deserved¡¹

    ¡¸However, if the Southern Duke were to start a war with only his momentum, there is no telling how much damage it would cause to our country. We need to assess the power of the adventurers during this visit¡¹

    ¡¸But you know what? Wouldn¡¯t it be their worst nightmare if we were to abandon©`©`¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    ¡¸Tell me what we stand for¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes! The symbol of the red sword must be wielded only to protect the people! No one can harm it, no one will be harmed by it, for it is the evil and the wicked that we will destroy!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Our job is to protect our people from magic beasts and bandits. We don¡¯t want to get involved in something as trivial as an invasion. Of course, it would be a different story if Kranzel or Belios were to invade. Don¡¯t misunderstand that part¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! My apologies!¡¹

    ¡¸The only exception would be the dispatch to Gordisia¡¹

    ¡¸The Sixth Order¡¯s movements seemed to be a little suspicious too. There is a possibility that they are cooperating with the Southern Duke¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk! Those bastards! They¡¯ve been crushed once and they still haven¡¯t learned their lesson?¡¹

    ¡¸It looks like theirmander has been reced since the previous one was defeated by Siby-sama¡¹

    ¡¸Well, we don¡¯t have many achievements there yet, so we tend to get underestimated, and in the first ce, the southern territory is our main battlefield after all. Can¡¯t they just refuse the Southern Duke¡¯s request?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what to do if the Red Knight Order were to be driven by the personal greed of those in power. How deplorable!¡¹

    ¡¸The Sixth Order©`©`the current Order of the Crimson me has been hit hard by that necromancer. In order to redeem their honor, they seem to have a strong desire to make a move¡¹

    ¡¸Aside from my house, I wonder if the other houses are okay? Perhaps we might even need to rein in once and for all¡¹

    ¡¸The Red Banner and the Scarlet Eye will not be a problem. The Red Rain¡¯s headship has just been taken over by its sessor, but seems to be stable. The Bloody Knights are still the same, and they don¡¯t seem to be willing to venture out of the country¡¹

    ¡¸So, the only problem is that Crimson me brat, huh? Well, I¡¯ll just crush him when the timees¡¹

    ¡¸Their newmander seemed to be weaker than Siby-sama¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a pity. Their previousmander had a rotten personality, but his fighting skills were top-notch¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not every day Siby-sama can find someone who canpete with her after all¡¹

    ¡¸That said, I¡¯d love to say that I¡¯m looking forward to this trip, but... The adventurer you came in contact with, how was his skill?¡¹

    ¡¸From what I can tell, he was a very skilled man. I don¡¯t know if I can beat him for sure¡¹

    ¡¸Really? For someone like Clicker to say that much of him...¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Biscot might be able to defeat him, but it won¡¯t be an easy fight¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? Well, that¡¯s quite something, isn¡¯t it? And he was just a B ranked adventurers, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I haven¡¯t made contact with any of them, but there are A ranker and S ranker on top of that¡¹

    ¡¸I was told that there is a lot of A ranker and former A ranker roaming around in Kranzel... Oh right, the beastman girl from the stall! What about that one?¡¹

    ¡¸Big sis sure is having fun, huh? I didn¡¯t expect the girl who was selling food at the stall to be so strong. To be honest, I would have preferred if she hadn¡¯t made a face¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. That one was a real deal; I¡¯d love to have a match with her¡¹

    ¡¸Even Siby-sama talk that much of her, huh...?¡¹

    ¡¸At least it¡¯ll be more fun than dealing with that Crimson me¡¯s brat. That¡¯s for sure. That¡¯s what they call an A ranked adventurer, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸I see, that makes sense. I¡¯ve heard that adventurers are all about capability. That B ranker is one of the few people I¡¯ve met since entering this country who seems to be stronger than me¡¹

    ¡¸Yup yup, what do you think, Clicker?¡¹

    ¡¸...Unfortunately, you¡¯re wrong. The young beastman girl in that stall would be the adventurer known as the ck Lightning Princess. It is said that she is strong, but she¡¯s still a B ranker¡¹

    ¡¸...Even with all that strength, she¡¯s still a B ranker?¡¹

    ¡¸Judging from what Biscot and Siby-sama say, she must be stronger than that Colbert guy. But she¡¯s really just a B ranker¡¹

    ¡¸F-for real... Hah! Then, what about the old man from before!? What about him!?¡¹

    ¡¸That soup shop owner huh? That one looked strong enough to make me shiver. In terms of power, the ck Lighting Princess is the stronger one. But in terms of sheer creepiness, it was the old man from the soup shop¡¹

    ¡¸Soup shop... they called that shop the Dragon Restaurant, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it has such a name!¡¹

    ¡¸Whether it¡¯s a lie or not, they said they were using a dragon for ingredients¡¹

    ¡¸Then it must be the store¡¯s owner, Fermus the Dragon Hunter. He¡¯s a former A ranked adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s a, former?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, let¡¯s see, doesn¡¯t that mean an active A ranked adventurers were stronger than the ck Lightning Princess or the Dragon Hunter? Seriously...!?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku! This is making me even more excited to see more and more A ranked adventurers¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m starting to get a little intimidated. I mean, far from being an inferior country, they¡¯re country of monsters¡¹

    ¡¸I beg of you! Please don¡¯t cause a scene here!¡¹

    ¡¸I know I know¡¹

    ¡¸Haa-h... I wonder whether we can safely return to our country in one piece...¡¹

 Chapter 681

    <h4>Chapter 681</h4>

    TENKEN 681 Fran¡¯s Apology

    ¡ºWe finally arrived!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºd we made it in time¡»

    ¡¸Thanks to Urushi too¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Two weeks has passed since the cooking contest in Barbra, and we had arrived safely in Ulmut. Well, a lot has happened in the past two weeks too.

    First we were asked by Gamudo, the Guild master of Barbra, to go to Crystal Cage. A magical area near Barbra where we first saw Forrund duringst year¡¯s contest.

    We were asked to procure magic beasts¡¯ meat because there was a shortage of meat after the cooking contest.

    We could have refused, but Fran was more than willing to take it. After all, a magical area was an attractive thing for her.

    Moreover, her battle-crazed spirit seemed to have been ignited by her encounter with the mysterious red-haired woman during the cooking contest.

    The hunt went well and we had gotten ourselves a good amount of magic beasts¡¯ meat, but... we somehow got a little too deep into the woods and ended up having a tough fight with a pack of Thunderbirds, the most powerful magic beasts in Crystal Cage.

    Thunderbirds are a magic beast with a threat level of B that could move at a speed that was on par with Fran. Well, I don¡¯t think they could surpass Fran in her Brilliant Lightning Rush state though.

    We were also lucky that our opponent¡¯s strongest attack is based on the thunderbolt attribute. Fran would get a thunderbolt nullification effect during her Brilliant Lightning Rush state after all. And by also using my physical attack nullification at the same time, we were left unscathed after being hit by their strongest attack.

    Well, that quickly deplete my magic power in a blink though, so we decided to escape in the end. I wanted to at least bring one back if possible, but I couldn¡¯t let Fran take on five of them at the same time.

    Without Urushi¡¯s support, who had acted as a decoy despite being badly injured, Fran would not have been able to escape with her life.

    As expected of a magic beast with a threat level of B. I think we should be able to handle up to two of them though.

    And it¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t get anything out of that encounter, okay? I managed to pluck up a good amount of Thunderbirds¡¯ feather with my telekinesis after all. Fran wasn¡¯t interested in it at all because she couldn¡¯t eat it, but we were able to sell it to Gamudo at a high price.

    Not only that it can be used to make armor, but it can also be used to make bedding or a super luxurious item. Well, it certainly sounds amazing, but as expected, I can¡¯t fathom why royalty or nobles would pay a million goldes for it...

    After that, we were nning to leave for Ulmut right away, but we had a little problem there and had to stay for a while.

    At the time of the incident in Barbrast year, there werepanies that wrongdoing was exposed and brought to a close thanks to Fran and the others.

    They were owned by the second son of the feudal lord, the Tolmaio Trading Company, which was under Brooke influence, the man who was nning a coup d¡¯etat, and the Ysra Trading Company, which was its dark side.

    They were supposed to have been eradicated, but the surviving members of thepany were still lurking in Barbra and had developed a grudge against Fran.

    They even hired several assassins to target Fran.

    Well, I killed the assassins instantly and managed to catch the one who ordered them.

    Some of them tried to escape, but there was no escaping from Urushi¡¯s nose.

    Thanks to that, we had to extend our stay for a few days due to the time taken for the interrogation. Well, I guess it was also our fault that we fought a little too shy when we defeated the assassins.

    In the end, we didn¡¯t leave Barbra until ten dayster than we had originally nned.

    There were various things that happened along the way, but let¡¯s leave it at that.

    We have bigger problems than that right now.

    ¡¸d you came, Fran-san, and, Master-kun¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s been a while¡»

    Naturally, when we arrived in Ulmut, we hade to greet the guild master, Diaz.

    We¡¯re not strangers, and Fran is already a B ranked adventurer. So, it¡¯s not strange for her to show her face to the guild master.

    But I didn¡¯t really want to meet him this time if possible. Well, I didn¡¯t expect to be able to avoid Diaz aftering to Ulmut though.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? You look so strange. How unusual¡¹

    ¡¸I want to talk about Zelos Reed¡¹

    ¡¸...Hohou?¡¹

    That¡¯s right. There was no way we could keep Zelos Reed a secret from Diaz.

    But for Fran, who had chosen to let Zelos Reed go after meeting him, this was a decision she had made. And she refused to give in.

    The mere mention of his name quickly changed his atmosphere. It seems that Diaz still has not forgotten his grudge against Zelos Reed.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve found Zelos Reed¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But then, I let him go¡¹

    ¡¸He¨D...?¡¹

    Diaz¡¯s smiling face now kinda scares me! I don¡¯t know how Fran manages to stay soposed!

    He¡¯s smiling, but I can feel that inside, dark emotion must be swirling within him.

    ¡¸Mind if I ask why¡¯d do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    And then Fran told him the story of how we found Zelos Reed, almost killed him, and then let him go.

    We¡¯re not going to tell him everything. After all, he¡¯d go to look for him if we tell where Zelos Reed is. Besides, Weena Rhyn¡¯s condition is probably not something we should be talking about lightly.

    ¡¸So, you borrowed his help for something big, then letting him go as to repay the debt? Or was it because of his ties with this Romio kid?¡¹

    ¡¸...Not quite right, but something like that¡¹

    In the first ce, Fran doesn¡¯tpletely know what she¡¯s feeling either.

    ¡¸Fumu... So? You want me to let Zelos Reed out of my mind too?¡¹

    Diaz stared at Fran with emotionless eyes as he says that. It¡¯s not that he¡¯s ring at her, but the pressure is tremendous.

    A pressure that is like telling us that there was no room for lies or deceit.

    However, the next words that came out of Fran¡¯s mouth were something that neither I nor Diaz expected.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Didn¡¯t youe here to tell me to let Zelos Reed out of my mind?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not¡¹

    Fran denied Diaz¡¯s words. I thought she was trying to convince him to forgive Zelos Reed, but it seemed that I was mistaken.

    ¡¸It was my decision to let Zelos Reed go. It had nothing to do with Diaz¡¹

    ¡¸...Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, I want Diaz to give up on wanting to kill Zelos Reed. But Diaz¡¯s feelings are Diaz¡¯s¡¹

    ¡ºThis could make a conflict between the two of you, you know? Are you sure about this?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m not really sure, but I don¡¯t have a choice. It doesn¡¯t mean that what Zelos Reed has done is gone too¡¹

    Having said that much, Fran now looked at Diaz.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t stop Diaz for wanting to go after him, but¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸But?¡¹

    ¡¸Diaz can¡¯t stop me from trying to protect Zelos Reed and hispanion too¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-kun...¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry¡¹

    Fran then sincerely bowed her head to Diaz as he was about to say something. She must have been prepared to be called a traitor by Diaz.

    But this time it was Fran¡¯s turn to be surprised.

    ¡¸...No need to be sorry¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran tilted her head at Diaz, who say that with a strangely calm expression.

    ¡¸In the first ce, Kiara is not the kind of person who¡¯d ask me to do anything stupid like avenging her death. In fact, you should¡¯ve been mad at me for trying to ignore it¡¹

    ¡¸Diaz...¡¹

    ¡¸Still, I need to sort out my mind a little. I¡¯m sorry, but can you leave for today?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn...¡¹

    ¡¸...I¡¯m sorry¡¹

 Chapter 682

    <h4>Chapter 682</h4>

    TENKEN 682 Rumina and Aurel

    As soon as we split up with Diaz, we went to the dungeon. We hade to the dungeon to report to Rumina about Zelos Reed too

    She wasn¡¯t showing as much anger as Diaz, but I wonder how could she not be concerned?

    However, there was one miscalction, or rather, one thing that I had not calcted.

    ¡¸Aurel, why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi, is that how you greet people?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re alone?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m still an evolved and former adventurer, you know? In the current dungeon, where the difficulty level has been lowered, I won¡¯t have any difficulty going in alone¡¹

    Certainly, Aurel has his strong body. In this dungeon, where Rumina has been weakened because of pushing herself too hard to evolve Fran, I think he should be fine soloing this dungeon on his own.

    We¡¯ve exined things to Diaz, so this might be a good chance to be able to exin things to Aurel and Rumina at the same time, saving us the trouble.

    Fran then tells Aurel and Rumina the same exnation that she gave to Diaz before.

    I was worried about how they would react, but after listening, both Aurel and Rumina showed a gentle expressions on their faces.

    ¡¸I see... But that¡¯s okay, I guess. Fran still has a bright future ahead of her. We can¡¯t forget our past experiences, but we don¡¯t have to be bound by them¡¹

    ¡¸I agree¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    ¡¸Kiara will probably be happier if you grow up healthy too¡¹

    Rumina smiled when she said that, but then sighed with a difficult look on her face.

    ¡¸But then again, Diaz is still a kid, isn¡¯t he? He hasn¡¯t changed much¡¹

    ¡¸?? Diaz is a grandpa¡¹

    ¡¸Listen Fran. A man is still a kid at heart, no matter how old he gets¡¹

    Rumina gives her a faraway look as she says that. She seems to have had a bitter experience in the past.

    ¡¸Men, you know, no matter how old they get, their mind will never age beyond that of a kid. Yes, no matter how long they live! You¡¯d better remember that¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Hey, stop it! Can you not tell anything weird to Fran!? I¡¯m aware that I¡¯m not exactly a good adult, so it¡¯s hard for me to deny her words with something like "That¡¯s not true" or anything.

    At the same time, Rumina¡¯s lecture on men continued.

    ¡¸At first nce, some of them may look more mature than others. But that¡¯s just because they¡¯ve learned to put on an appearance, and in the end, they¡¯re all the same. In fact, they are even worse because they are indulging themselves in the idea of being mature¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸E-even If you were to ask me...¡¹

    Aurel slurred his words with a pathetic face. He perhaps had some idea of what Rumina had said.

    This is bad, there¡¯s not a man here who can deny Rumina¡¯s words! Oh, right, Fermus! Where¡¯s Fermus¨D!?

    ¡¸This guy here was just a kid who grew up to be a big shot!¡¹

    ¡¸I just can¡¯t say a thing when Rumina-sama says so...¡¹

    ¡¸Well, this guy is better than the others though. It was because he understood that he¡¯s still a kid¡¹

    ¡¸Iyaah~¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not apliment! Just beware of men who say they¡¯re not a kid, okay? That kind of man is usually the worst. They don¡¯t really understand themselves at all. They are nothing but kids who think they are more mature than others, don¡¯t you think?¡¹

    W-well, isn¡¯t that too much of a rant? But people who look at others and say, "That guy¡¯s childish," or "I¡¯m not like that childish person," are certainly not of high mental age.

    Still, I feel like it would be better to say that kind of person as one that doesn¡¯t really have the ability to understand themselves though.

    ¡¸Oh well, I¡¯ll talk to Diazter. Anyway, Fran. You¡¯vee to Ulmut for another martial arts tournament, haven¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s half of it. The other half is that I¡¯m here to find Dimitris¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? You¡¯re looking for Dimitris the Immovable?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Because of a request. Know anything?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. He hase to this ce in the past. At that time, even though I knew he wouldn¡¯t hurt me, I felt a terrible fear from him¡¹

    Rumina is pretty strong. She¡¯s weakened now, but she must have been strong enough to be called a strong person before. That would have been stronger than the current Fran, wouldn¡¯t it?

    She wasn¡¯t a ck Heavenly Tiger, but she had achieved evolution, had studied for hundreds of years, and had the power of a Dungeon Master.

    There are not many opponents that Rumina would feel fear of. It¡¯s no surprise, but it seems that S rankers are indeed exceptional.

    ¡¸Dimitris should be staying at the lord¡¯s mansion during the tournament. If it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure you can get in touch with him¡¹

    ¡¸The lord?¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t remember him? You should¡¯ve met at the awards ceremony though¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Ulmut¡¯s feudal lord was a very in old man, and we¡¯ve only met him once after all. It was no wonder that Fran had forgotten him.

    ¡¸Poor guy...¡¹

    Aurel shrugged with a wry smile as he realized that Fran had alreadypletely forgotten about him. He must have known that by her gesture. It seemed that Ulmut¡¯s feudal lord and Aurel had a reasonably close rtionship.

    ¡¸You¡¯re close with him?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re not on bad terms at the very least. Well, I think he¡¯s doing a good job as the lord of this town full of adventurers, and we were also peers at the royal pce. He¡¯s almost like an advisor to me¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    While many nobles act arrogantly toward adventurers or want to interfere with guilds, Ulmut¡¯s feudal lords are said to be very tolerant. It is even said that he is quite skilled in handling the adventurers.

    This is mainly because he knows that without the help of adventurers, Ulmut would not be able to maintain its development.

    Doesn¡¯t this mean that he knows exactly what he¡¯s doing and is able to see what¡¯s going on around him? I only had the impression that he was a simple man, but he might actually be a capable fellow.

    ¡¸That¡¯s because he¡¯s such a lord. I doubt he¡¯d say no if it was a request from you, a high-ranking adventurer and tournament winner¡¹

    ¡¸When will Dimitrise?¡¹

    ¡¸As usual, a few days before the start of the tournament. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s here yet¡¹

    We¡¯ve already taken lodgings with the intention of participating in the martial arts tournament anyway, so we¡¯ll just have to wait for him. We should recognize him as soon as someone as famous as him enters the town too.

    ¡ºUntil then, should we ept some quest?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I don¡¯t think he could hear me, but Aurel then mentioned his request to Fran.

    ¡¸Oh, right. I¡¯ve got a request for the young miss. You mind epting it?¡¹

    ¡¸What request?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s an escort mission for my granddaughter¡¹

    ¡¸Escort mission?¡¹

 Chapter 683

    <h4>Chapter 683</h4>

    TENKEN 683 Katley

    ¡¸It¡¯s almost our turn¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let your guard down¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    The day after we exined things to Diaz and Rumina.

    We¡¯re now waiting in line to one of the dungeons in Ulmut. We¡¯re not going to the eastern dungeon where Rumina¡¯s living space is, but the western dungeon for beginners.

    It was originally at a level that could be explored by even a fledgling adventurer, but now that it has been weakened, it¡¯s even less of a threat now.

    So much so that even ordinary people, beginners, and children are allowed to enter as long as they have a weapon.

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Ulmut has been preparing this dungeon as a ce to train beginners over the past year too.

    Now that the word has gotten out, people who don¡¯t even look like adventurers are lining up in front of the dungeon.

    In the midst of them, Fran and a girl younger than her are waiting in line together. She is a beautiful girl with twin-tailed silver hair.

    ¡¸Fran-oneesama, are you sure that I only need a sword for my equipment?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Katley is still small, so heavy armor would be more of a hindrance for her. Besides, you should be better at dodging in fights like this¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see¡¹

    ¡¸If it¡¯s just a torn arm, I can heal it with my magic. So it¡¯s no problem¡¹

    ¡¸I see¨D¨DeEeh?¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Eeh?¡¹

    It was only a few minutes ago that we met her in a courtyard inside Aurel¡¯s mansion.

    ¡¸This is my granddaughter. Come on, say hello¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! My name is Katley Aurel!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m Fran, an adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s an honor to meet you! Fran-oneesama!¡¹

    ¡¸Oneesama?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes. Is it no good?¡¹

    ¡¸...I don¡¯t really mind¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    When we visited Aurel¡¯s mansion, we were immediately introduced to a girl from the White Dog tribe. What a surprise, so Aurel really has a granddaughter, huh?

    She is a beautiful girl who looks nothing like Aurel. Her slightly sullen eyes give me the impression that she is a timid person. Is she really Aurel¡¯s granddaughter? The resemnce is so faint that it makes me wonder.

    She is ten years old this year, a little younger than Fran.

    ¡¸Do I just have to take this girl to the dungeon?¡¹

    ¡¸Ou. That¡¯s right¡¹

    Yesterday, Aurel had asked her to take his granddaughter to a dungeon and let her fight some magic beast.

    Apparently, his granddaughter has been longing to be an adventurer, and has recently begun to learn sword fighting in earnest. But Aurel¡¯s son and daughter-inw think that their daughter is unsuited to be an adventurer because she has always had a timid personality.

    However, Aurel¡¯s own belief is that what¡¯s important for an adventurer is motivation and caution. With that in mind, a timid personality is not necessarily unsuitable for an adventurer.

    All that was left was motivation, and from Aurel¡¯s point of view, his granddaughter seemed to be motivated enough for this.

    So, apparently, Aurel decided to show her granddaughter some reality by throwing her into a simple dungeon and have her fight some magic beast for now.

    If she gets tired of it and gives up on being an adventurer, she can go to a school for girls as originally nned. If she still wants to be an adventurer even after the horrible experience in the dungeon, then Aurel will personally train her.

    That¡¯s what he thought.

    ¡¸You¡¯re not going to make her give up on this, are you?¡¹

    The request must be a NG from Fran¡¯s point of view. But Aurel then nodded in response to Fran¡¯s question.

    (TLN: NG, No-Good, a Japanese-made english term meaning the opposite of okay)

    ¡¸Of course. I only wanted to show her the reality of being an adventurer. Well, it¡¯s too early to decide whether or not to give up on one¡¯s dream at the age of ten, but she¡¯s still my granddaughter¡¹

    ¡¸Is there something about being Aurel¡¯s granddaughter?¡¹

    ¡¸Even though I look like this, I still have a lot of money. There might be some people who were aiming for it out there¡¹

    Aurel is a sessful businessman who started his own tradingpany. His son and daughter-inw have taken over the business, and the granddaughter who asks Fran to escort her was their child.

    What would happen if the only daughter of a prosperous tradingpany showed up as a fledgling adventurer? She would surely be a valuable prey for kidnappers.

    ¡¸It¡¯s hard to expect a 10-year-old to be ready for that¡¹

    ¡¸She didn¡¯t have any interest in being an adventurer before?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ve had her train a little for self-defense, but she¡¯s far from ready¡¹

    ¡¸Why is she suddenly wanting to be an adventurer?¡¹

    Being an adventurer is the best thing for Fran, but it¡¯s notmon sense for everyone. That¡¯s why she wondered.

    Then Aurel shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile.

    ¡¸...Well, a girl her age has a lot going on in her mind. She heard about the exploits of a certain famous adventurer and then longed to be one¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran doesn¡¯t seem to understand, but it seems that Aurel¡¯s granddaughter has been inspired to be an adventurer by Fran.

    When she heard that there¡¯s a beastman girl not much older than her yed an active role in various things as an adventurer, it¡¯s no wonder that she can¡¯t help but admire her.

    ¡¸Well, anyway, I¡¯d really like you to ept this request, how about it? I could do this myself but I would end up spoiling her. There¡¯d be no point in doing this then, right?¡¹

    Though he said that, he probably really wanted to let his granddaughter meet Fran, whom she admired. So, even if this would make her give up on being an adventurer, this should be a great memorable experience for her.

    ¡¸Would you take it?¡¹

    (Master? Should we take it?)

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯s up to Fran. It¡¯s not the kind of request that will hold us up for a long time anyway¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Okay, I¡¯ll take it¡¹

    ¡¸Ooh! That¡¯s great!¡¹

    After such an exchange, the next morning Fran came to pick up the girl who was the subject of the request.

    ¡¸Take care of Katley for me, young miss. I¡¯ll have no say in the matter from here on out, so you can do anything to her in any way you like¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll be in your care!¡¹

    Katley gulped down her throat with a blue face when she heard the exchange between the two, she must have been a little frightened.

    She¡¯s timid indeed. Her status was quite low too. Her level was 10, and her various skills were appropriate for her level.

    As she was originally a student, her skill set was heavily weighted towards academics. Arithmetic, business administration, and so on... I¡¯d say that it was a rather suitable skill set for her to seed the tradingpany.

    On the other hand, she only had three skills forbat and exploration. Swordsmanship: Lv1, Quick Movement: Lv1, and Keen Smelling Sense: Lv1, that¡¯s all.

    Fran looked at her and must have sensed how weak she was in an instant. She also asks me about her skill set then frowns when I tell her my opinion.

    ¡¸First of all, you don¡¯t need that armor. Take it off¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Eeh?¡¹

    When she was suddenly asked to take off the armor that was supposed to protect her life, Katley turned to Aurel as if to ask for help. But there was no helping for her.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve got some work to do, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave. See ya¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Katley, take it off now¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes!¡¹

 Chapter 684

    <h4>Chapter 684</h4>

    TENKEN 684 Adventurer¡¯s Rules

    Fran came to the west dungeon of Ulmut with Katley, and promptly put her through the ordeal.

    ¡¸You go first¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸You won¡¯t learn anything about the dungeon if you stay behind. So, you go first¡¹

    ¡¸B-but what about traps and magic beasts...?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re not a big deal here. So it¡¯s fine¡¹

    Maybe, Katley was nning to let Fran take the lead and follow her like an observer.

    But Fran had no intention of making it easy for her. Rather, the purpose of this request was to show her the reality of being an adventurer. So, she wanted her to actually experience things.

    Before entering the dungeon, she has told Katley that ¡¸If it¡¯s just a torn arm, I can heal it with my magic. So it¡¯s no problem¡¹. And that was not a joke, Fran was very serious about it.

    In fact, she even thought that getting some injury would make her feel like being an actual adventurer.

    Fran is just like a spartan trainer, isn¡¯t she?

    Well, she might look like a spartan to others, but from Fran¡¯s point of view, if Katley really wants to be an adventurer, she should be able to handle this much.

    People are beings that think based on their standards.

    Fran was a battle junkie who is willing to get hurt or go through a lot of hardship to be stronger, but Katley was just a youngdy who had been focused on her studies until recently. The contrast between the two was beyond anyone could imagine.

    At any rate, I¡¯ll at least make sure she doesn¡¯t die.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s move¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes!¡¹

    Prompted by Fran¡¯s words, Katley began to advance through the dungeon.

    Her steps were surprisingly steady. Curiosity and excitement seemed to have prevailed over her fear.

    She walked through the seemingly empty passage while looking around incessantly. It seems that besides her interest in the dungeon, she probably intends to look for traps.

    Well, that was all for nothing though.

    ck!

    ¡¸Ah!¡¹

    She identally triggered a trap under her feet. It wasn¡¯t much of a trap, however.

    She activated a trap that uses strong winds to m pebbles to her feet. It wasn¡¯t the kind of tricky trap that harass and tire people, but a childish trick to make the beginner aware of the traps around them. As expected of a dungeon designed to teach.

    ¡¸Uu~¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t stop. Keep moving¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    Katley, who had stopped and was rubbing her feet, started walking again with a slightly frightened expression returning to her face. It seems that she remembered once again that she was in a dungeon.

    Her dog¡¯s ears, which were originally droopy, seemed to have drooped even more. Her tail, which had been wagging, had lost all of its energy. What an easy to read girl.

    The way she moved was slower this time. It was as if the energetic steps she had a while ago had been a lie.

    She proceeded at a very slow pace, wary of traps that she couldn¡¯t even see through. So slow that even the other adventurers who came from behind kept overtaking us.

    ¡¸...So slow, go faster¡¹

    ¡¸Uu... Yes¨D¡¹

    Katley¡¯s eyes welled up as Fran urged her to hurry. Even though she is frightened, she doesn¡¯t talk back to Fran. I wonder if this is another effect of her admiration for Fran.

    After that, Katley made her way through the dungeon, getting caught in traps, finding them and avoiding them.

    Well, we¡¯re only about halfway through the first floor though. If this were in a game, I¡¯d say that we¡¯re still at the beginning of the tutorial.

    Katley seemed to have exhausted herself quite a bit. Even though she¡¯s just a small youngdy, she is still a beastman and had received some training. She shouldn¡¯t get exhausted by this distance under normal circumstances.

    However, the unfamiliar environment, the need to be wary of traps and the fear of magic beasts. These factors seemed to have caught up with her mind and quickly tire her.

    ¡¸Hafu-...¡¹

    Even so, Katley continues to walk withoutint and seemed to have no intention of giving up on being an adventurer. She seems to understand that anyone who gives up over something like this won¡¯t fit to be an adventurer.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s take a break here¡¹

    ¡¸Yes...¡¹

    Fran decided to take a short break at a ce where the passage was wide enough for multiple adventurers to pass.

    As the two sat down alongside each other, Katley began to ask a number of questions to Fran.

    Fran can¡¯t talk about what she can¡¯t openly talk about, but she could tell her about our adventures. Though it was a bloody and horrific story, the light of admiration that shines from Katley¡¯s eyes only increases in intensity.

    As she had no experience inbat, she could not imagine the harshness of adventure and battle, only the thoughts of how cool and amazing it was coulde to her mind.

    And when she asked about her recent encounter with magic beast, Fran told her about her struggle with the Thunderbirds she encountered in Crystal Cage.

    Until now, Fran stories had been about how she managed to defeat formidable magic beasts. So, Katley was surprised to hear that Fran escaped from them.

    ¡¸E-even onee-sama can¡¯t defeat that magic beast called Thunderbird?¡¹

    ¡¸I could have defeated them if I used my strongest move¡¹

    ¡¸Then why did you run away?¡¹

    ¡¸I could end up in a bigger mess if I were to use my strongest move. I¡¯d normally go all out, but when adventurers are on a request,pleting it should be our top priority. Remember that¡¹

    ¡¸You can get a lot of materials if you defeat them though...¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I could have leveled up too. But what if I meet a strong enemy after that? I can¡¯t be sure there won¡¯t be any. So, there¡¯s no point in wearing myself out unnecessarily¡¹

    It¡¯s as Fran says. We could have won against those Thunderbirds if she were to use the Sword God Transformation or Potential Release.

    But doing so would surely wear us out. After all, our strongest move has a terrible bacsh that could render us incapable of fighting properly for a while, and if things didn¡¯t go smoothly, we might not be able to participate in this year¡¯s martial arts tournament because of it.

    From Fran¡¯s point of view, wearing oneself out in unnecessary battles during a request is not what a full-fledged adventurer is supposed to do.

    ¡¸Be more cautious and always y it safe during a request. If you were to fail, you could get people in trouble¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see¡¹

    Fran prioritized making sure that the request was aplished over her desire to level up.

    But I never thought that this very Fran would tell a younger girl about the importance of being cautious. Somehow, I was very impressed.

 Chapter 685

    <h4>Chapter 685</h4>

    TENKEN 685 Katley¡¯s Doing Her Best

    Having been taught the importance of caution by Fran, Katley seemed to have regained her courage and resumed her journey through the dungeon.

    She pays more attention to her surroundings now.

    However, the threats in the dungeon were not something that could be avoided with a little effort from an amateur. She has been caught in a trap multiple times already.

    Still, without anyints, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and proceeded without a word. But then, a new threat appeared in front of her.

    ¡¸T-that is!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, a magic beast. The Stealth Rabbit¡¹

    ¡¸So that¡¯s, a magic beast...¡¹

    Stealth Rabbit was a small fry magic beast with a threat level of G. And speaking on how much of a small fry it is, it is the weakest magic beast we know.

    They¡¯re good at digging holes and hiding, but in a dungeon of stones like this, they were just a stupid-looking rabbit that moves like a turtle.

    Forget magic beast, it probably would even be defeated by a mere wild dog. But that¡¯s why they¡¯re suitable for the first floor of the dungeon for newbies.

    There should be no adventurer that would lose against it. The sole reason they¡¯re here is to get newbies used to defeating magic beasts after all.

    ¡¸Take it down with your sword¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    She was probably d that the time she had spent being harassed by traps was over, and that things were now unfolding like what an adventurer is supposed to do. Katley then draw her sword with a cheerful voice and aimed at the Stealth Rabbit.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Pikyii¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I did it!¡¹

    She may be a youngdy, but she is still an inhabitant of this world and an aspiring adventurer. She had sessfully defeated the magic beast without uttering any naive words such as "I can¡¯t attack rabbit-san" or "I¡¯m afraid of blood".

    ¡¸Nn. Good job¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Fran nodded in satisfaction.

    It was a sh that stuck to the basics, I can¡¯t tell if she has talent or not at this stage yet, but I don¡¯t think she has no talent at all.

    Afterwards, Katley dismantles the rabbit under Fran¡¯s direction and puts the meat and magic stones in her backpack. It seems Fran doesn¡¯t want to spoil her by using her dimensional storage.

    Katley is smiling brightly as she puts her backpack which has gained some weight back on. I guess she feels like she has aplished something after dismantling the magic beast she killed herself.

    But like I said before, this is still at the tutorial level. The main part of an adventure is not as simple as this.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all for the first floor, let¡¯s continue¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s hurry. I¡¯ll give you a piggyback¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Fran bent down and turned her back to Katley. But Katley froze, unable to move because of her confusion.

    ¡¸Katley?¡¹

    ¡¸B-but...¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    Fran seemed to have given up on the idea of carrying her on her back because Katley won¡¯t move at all.

    ¡¸Kyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Careful not to bite your tongue¡¹

    Fran takes Katley by the arm and runs off without waiting for her to say a thing.

    ¡¸Kyaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s still safe around here, but you might attract magic beasts once we got to the next floor. You¡¯d better not scream¡¹

    ¡¸...!¡¹

    Ooh, she immediately kept her mouth shut. She listened to Fran¡¯s words... or should I say, she doesn¡¯t want to make it looks that wanting to be an adventurer is just a half-heartened resolve.

    Fran continues to run while teaching Katley about traps.

    She sometimes moves three-dimensionally, kicking walls and ceilings to avoid traps, and does not stop at all while finishing off magic beasts with her kicks.

    ¡¸...E-aeh!¡¹

    It seemed that Katley had lost herposure due to the rapidly changing scenery and the constant pressure from all directions.

    She shrieked as she looked around with her whirling eyes.

    ¡¸...Fueh¨D¡¹

    Her mouth eventually dropped open halfway and she had a dumbfounded expression on her face. She didn¡¯t seem to have passed out, but she must have lost her train of thought.

    And half an hourter.

    Fran had stepped through the second and third floors and had reached the entrance to the fourth floor.

    The mid-level floor of this dungeon started at the fourth floor. To go any further, it is rmended that everyone be an F ranker or higher, or be apanied by an E ranker.

    Unlike the first three floors, which were like attractions for beginners, this was a true training ground. An amateur could potentially lose their life if they were not careful.

    The mostmon cause of that is the magic beast in front of Fran and Katley now.

    ¡¸I-Isn¡¯t that...¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Lesser Ogre¡¹

    A reddish-brown skinned beast wearing only a loincloth and carrying a thin wooden stick. It is no taller than 150 centimeters. And as its name implies, it was a subspecies of ogre that looked like a skinnier, smaller version of an ogre.

    Rumina had originally wanted to ce a goblin that was adjusted to be weaker than the original. However, the Goddess of Chaos seemed to have done something to her, and she needed greater power to create evil people in the dungeon.

    It seems that her n to create arge number of low-level goblins and fast-track the development of the ck Cat kin failed even before it was done.

    So instead of goblins, Rumina ced the weakest Lesser Ogre in her dungeon. Still, itsbat power is on par with goblins.

    It took a position in the middle of the passage and stared at us.

    ¡¸Gugyah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hii!¡¹

    Katley let out a shriek briefly when she heard the Lesser Ogre¡¯s voice.

    It certainly must be quite scary for a child. They are not that different in size, but they have a vicious look on their faces. Moreover, they are armed with weapons and have a strong hostility towards us.

    Even a Japanese Macaque can inflict serious injuries on people. If it were arger lethal ogre, the danger would be far greater than that of a monkey.

    (TLN: Also known as the snow monkey, the one you¡¯d see bathing in open-air hot springs)

    Fran had always been ready to kill magic beasts from the start. As a result, I assumed that it was a normal thing, but it seemed that no matter how harsh this world is, a normal child would probably react the way Katley did.

    ¡¸That thing is weak¡¹

    ¡¸I-is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Even beginners should be able to defeat it. So go for it¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay, I can always heal you as long as you don¡¯t die¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Eeh¨D!?¡¹

    ¡¸Gugyagyah!¡¹

    While they were talking, the Lesser Ogre had identified Fran and Katley as its prey. It seemed that it failed to sense Fran¡¯s strength because it was just a small fry.

    From its point of view, the two must looked like a delicious easy prey.

    ¡¸It¡¯sing¡¹

    ¡¸Gyagyahah!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaaa!¡¹

 Chapter 686

    <h4>Chapter 686</h4>

    TENKEN 686 Interferer

    ¡¸Gyagyahah!¡¹

    The moment Fran steps back, the Lesser Ogre jumps at Katley.

    As it was just a small fry as a practice opponent for beginners, its movements were sluggish and not very nimble.

    It has no weapon skills, and its wooden stick is not that dangerous of a weapon.

    But it could still inflict a painful blow and break one¡¯s bones if it were to hit a bad ce. It could also cause a concussion if it were to hit one¡¯s head.

    You can imagine it as an elementary school boy wielding a wooden stick, maybe?

    It was an enemy that could be defeated by the Fran now with just the tip of her finger, but a normal adult with proper armor should be able to handle it with ease.

    However, it must look like a terrifying magic beast to Katley. She must be terrified not only by the look, but also by the clear hostility being directed at her.

    Frightened by the Lesser Ogre, Katley swung the sword in her hand as hard as she could without using any swords skill.

    ¡¸Yhaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyii!¡¹

    Because of her longer reach, Katley¡¯s sword reached the opponent first. It only grazed its skin slightly, but the Lesser Ogre screeched and retreated.

    ¡¸Gigigyah!¡¹

    It rubbed its wound with its hand and licked the blood off its finger, which made it realize once again that it had been injured. The Lesser Ogre then started to irritably hit the ground with the stick in its hand.

    ¡¸Uuh...¡¹

    ¡¸Gigyih...¡¹

    Katley is frightened by its presence, but at the same time, the Lesser Ogre also seemed to be wary of her sword.

    A strange tension developed between the two, and a stalemate urred for a few seconds.

    Fran won¡¯t be helping her this time, she¡¯ll just watch and let Katley ovee the situation.

    But then, there was an unexpected turn of events that we didn¡¯t seeing.

    A red light flew from the other side of the passage, obliterating the Lesser Ogre¡¯s head and defeated it.

    It was obviously not a stray bullet, but a shot aimed at the Lesser Ogre. Of course, both Fran and I knew that there were other adventurers at the end of the passage.

    But I didn¡¯t expect them to intervene with us. Could they be the bandit adventurers that Aurel had been worried about?

    ¡¸Katley, get behind me¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    Fran and I both lightly braced ourselves as we watched for any sign of theming towards us.

    (Master, this presence....)

    ¡ºYeah. It¡¯s the red-haired woman from back then¡»

    As we had expected, the one who appeared from the other side was the one who had caused a bit of a stir when she confronted Fran at Barbra cooking contest.

    ¡¸Yo, is everything good there?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm...¡¹

    ¡¸Oya? Isn¡¯t that kid... the one from that stall?¡¹

    ¡¸Sis, it¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, the B ranked adventurer, right?¡¹

    I don¡¯t think she wouldn¡¯t have noticed Fran¡¯s presence, but she looks seriously surprised. Could it be that she knew that there was someone strong but didn¡¯t realize it was Fran?

    Is there any adventurer who has the strength of this woman¡¯s level, yet has poor detecting skills?

    The man with her didn¡¯t know it was Fran either. He looked surprised when he saw her face.

    I appraised them and found that their names were Siby and Biscot. But I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s their true name or not.

    They were definitely falsifying their identity; both of them had garbled characters in some parts of their abilities, and their status and skill levels were clearly too low. It¡¯s hard to believe that two people with such ability would be together at the same time, so it must be the effect of some kind of magic item.

    It only means that they have the contacts to be able to get that kind of thing.

    ¡¸...Why did you interfere?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    Fran asks in a rather angry voice to the woman. It¡¯s probably because she can¡¯t read the other party¡¯s intentions.

    ¡¸The kid looked like she was in trouble, so I saved her. Why don¡¯t you go in and help her before?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re in training now¡¹

    ¡¸Training...? With that level of ability, she is probably still in the basic training stage, right? It¡¯s too early for her to go into actualbat¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not for you to decide¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? First of all, why do you have to stare at me like that? I saved her, remember?¡¹

    ¡¸This is none of your business¡¹

    It¡¯s aplete breach of the adventurer¡¯s code, but Siby doesn¡¯t seem to know what¡¯s even wrong. She twisted her neck in confusion.

    ¡¸Aah! S-sis Siby!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Biscot?¡¹

    ¡¸Now that I remember, I thought we were supposed to always ask for approval before helping other adventurers in the dungeon...¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I remember Clicker saying something like that¡¹

    These two are definitely not an adventurer... Are they mercenaries or knights in disguise? It might not look like it, but I guess they were just trying to help Katley.

    ¡¸Even so, isn¡¯t it too early for her to be in here? She¡¯s just too weak. You must¡¯ve brought her here by force, look, she¡¯spletely terrified¡¹

    ¡¸...S-she didn¡¯t force me toe here...¡¹

    She must have been a little offended to be called weak. Katley turned to Siby while hiding behind Fran¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Huh? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the truth...¡¹

    Though Fran did drag her here, Katley has agreed in advance to enter the dungeon. Even Fran would not take her into the dungeon if she did not want to.

    Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any aspiring adventurer who doesn¡¯t want to go into a dungeon though.

    Katley has made up her mind to enter the dungeon and follows Fran.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t intend to offend you, but... please go back home for today. You should work on your swordsmanship and put on some better armor before youe back. You¡¯re still young, you still have lots of time¡¹

    Siby speaks in a gentle voice as if she¡¯s trying to convince her.

    Her act would have beenplimented by the general public if it had been done outside the dungeon. But in a dungeon where there were only adventurers and aspiring adventurers, that was aplete crap.

    In the first ce, although she doesn¡¯t even know Katley¡¯s circumstances, she speaks so superiorly and disregards her resolve. Katley also knows it better than anyone else that she¡¯s weak and feels frustrated at it.

    She was angry at herself, who deserved to be called weak, and Siby, who disregarded her resolve.

    ¡¸...Katley...¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes. What is it, onesama?¡¹

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Go back home?¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t offer any words offort to Katley, who clenched her fists and looked down. On the contrary, she asked her if she wanted to leave. It was as if she wanted to tell her to give up.

    It must be a kind, yet harsh words for Katley, whose heart was about to break. I would not be surprised if her heart hadpletely broken and she¡¯d nod at Fran¡¯s words.

    But Katley shook her head and looked up. She somehow looked better than before.

    ¡¸...I¡¯m not going home yet. I came here on my own volition, so I will also leave on my own volition. I don¡¯t know if I could be an adventurer or will I ever give up on it, however... That¡¯s for me to decide!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Seeing Katley like this, Fran nodded in satisfaction.

 Chapter 687

    <h4>Chapter 687</h4>

    TENKEN 687 What it Mean to be an Adventurer

    ¡¸She wants to be an adventurer...? How can someone with that level of ability be an adventurer? Moreover, isn¡¯t she still too young for it?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I will be one! Besides, everyone is a beginner at first!¡¹

    Katley heard Siby¡¯s muttering and retorted. It seems that she felt ridiculed by her saying that there was no way someone like her could be an adventurer.

    However, I don¡¯t think that Siby¡¯s murmur had anything about ridiculing her. I think she was simply expressing her doubts about whether there were any restrictions based on ability or age.

    ¡¸Will the guild approve though?¡¹

    ¡¸? They will. Adventurers are the very definition of freedom. Everyone is free to be one or quit at any time¡¹

    Well, some guild masters, like Klimut, would try to keep the kids from registering as authorized adventurers and train them as apprentices though.

    It sure brings back the memories of our test with Donadrond. But that was a very special case.

    ¡¸Hee¨D? But, for example, the kid there, if she bes an adventurer, will she be useful? How can she protect people or kill magic beasts if the most she can do is collecting herbs?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh...¡¹

    Katley groaned. But I guess she can¡¯t say anything back because it was a fact. Though she did not mean to defend Katley, Fran spoke back in her ce.

    ¡¸But what¡¯s wrong with that?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t need such a useless adventurer, do we?¡¹

    Siby speaks harshly but doesn¡¯t seem to have any ill intentions. But Fran retorts further.

    ¡¸?? I don¡¯t get it. It¡¯s not whether we need an adventurer or not. It¡¯s whether or not someone wants to be an adventurer. It¡¯s not about other people¡¹

    ¡¸Are you okay with that? With all that strength, you don¡¯t think anything of it when you see weak adventurers? Don¡¯t you think they¡¯re a hindrance?¡¹

    ¡¸Not really. After all, people are people. Didn¡¯t you just say that we don¡¯t need useless adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸But I don¡¯t understand what you mean by that. Being an adventurer isn¡¯t really about helping people¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? What¡¯s their job then?¡¹

    ¡¸To go on an adventure. That¡¯s why we¡¯re called adventurers¡¹

    Fran seemed a little irritated, it seemed that she didn¡¯t like Siby¡¯s remarks.

    The way Siby says "adventurers are supposed to help people," "If an adventurer is not useful, they¡¯re not needed," must be what makes Fran feel like that.

    Siby herself may not be aware of it, but she is talking about adventurers as if she¡¯s superior to them. I guess you could say that she unconsciously looks down on adventurers.

    Fran doesn¡¯t like it. To most people, an adventurer is a lowly, bottom-tier job, but to Fran, it¡¯s a career she¡¯s always dreamed of.

    ¡¸Being an adventure as a job... Is such a job even necessary?¡¹

    ¡¸Like I said before. Whether we¡¯re useful to the kind of you or not is irrelevant. Adventurers are free. We just do what we want to do¡¹

    She¡¯s using "omae" to call her just now!! It seems that she is getting even more irritated. Little by little, her words began to show how irritated she is.

    (TLN: Omae, ¤ªÇ°, considered as a disrespectful/rude pronoun to call someone)

    ¡¸So you¡¯re saying, you won¡¯t fight to protect the people?¡¹

    ¡¸Adventurers are free. Those who want to fight for others will fight. Otherwise, they won¡¯t¡¹

    ¡¸Even though they had the power to do so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Adventurers might take it on as a job. But being an adventurer is not about helping people¡¹

    Well, even though she says this, if there is someone in danger in front of her, she will probably go in and help them somehow.

    But I guess that¡¯s just Fran¡¯s idea of the ideal adventurer. A hard worker, an individualist, a person who is free to make decisions based on preference rather than on whether something is right or wrong. A free and unbounded people.

    Because of her race and the time she spent as a ve, Fran does not like to be bound or ordered around by others. Freedom is, in a sense, the most important thing for Fran, and it is the very thing she cannot allow to be vited.

    And the image of the adventurer that Fran describes is the embodiment of that freedom.

    On the other hand, despite her unreliable demeanor, Siby seems to take it for granted that we should stand in front of the weak and help them... Or rather, she must think that it¡¯s the duty of the strong. I think this is quite a rare way of thinking in this world.

    But that is why she cannot readily understand Fran¡¯s points. And likewise, Fran cannot readily understand Siby¡¯s point either. Their principles are too different from each other.

    As the two continued their arguments, I remembered that we had talked about this same thing in the past somewhere.

    On our way from the Kingdom of Kranzel to the Kingdom of Belios. We met a girl named Dianne, a self-proimed knight who served as Khanna¡¯s squire and escort.

    The two reacted as if they had never seen an adventurer before, and spoke with a surprisingly distorted impression of adventurers.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re saying that you adventurers wield power only for your personal interests?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Fran nodded casually at Siby¡¯s words.

    Well, to put it bluntly, that¡¯s what happens most of the time. Not all adventurers are good person after all.

    However, some of these interests are useful to others. Some of them, like Amanda, are working hard for her interest¨D¨Dor rather, her goal to help children in need.

    But to begin with, I think it¡¯s rather difficult to think of adventurers as a whole.

    Adventurers, like Fran and Amanda, are all people with their own ideas and ambitions. Ten people, ten colors. There are as many goals, desires, and opinions as there are adventurers, and it¡¯s hard to describe them with just one word.

    (TLN: Ten peoples, ten colors, Ê®ÈËÊ®É«, everyone has their own interests and ideas)

    Even the words "an adventurer¡¯s job is to go on an adventure" that Fran said are just Fran¡¯s ideal of an adventurer.

    ¡¸Putting one¡¯s own desires over helping those in need... Is that what adventurers are all about?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    Fran¡¯s presence changed at Siby¡¯s words. A slight hint of hostility begins to mix with her anger.

    This isn¡¯t good. If Fran and Siby were to fight here, the damage to the surrounding area would be enormous. A hint of killing intent has already begun swirling between them.

    But it was the flushed, trembling Katley who broke the ice. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t feeling fear. But her anger seemed to outweigh her fear.

    ¡¸Why are you...! Arbitrarily asking such questions! Arbitrarily pushing your ideal! Can you not arbitrarily crush my dream!? Who are you!? Where did you evene from!?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? No, I...¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t answer that?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¨D well... It¡¯s not like we were hiding our identity or anything...¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t even tell your identity? How suspicious. Who in the world are you!?¡¹

    ¡¸S-suspicious? W-well you see...¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that right!? You went into a dungeon but doesn¡¯t even know the adventurers¡¯ code! Such a weird person is nothing short of suspicious!¡¹

    ¡¸...A-ah, well...¡¹

    It¡¯s a breach of the adventurers¡¯ code to ask someone¡¯s identity out of the blue, but Siby doesn¡¯t seem to know that. She flinched at Katley¡¯s angry look.

    Look who¡¯s just like the big sister now, so she can be like this too, huh.

    ¡¸Besides, Fran-oneesama has saved many people! In the Beastman Country, she once fought for three days and three nights alone against a pack of more than 100,000 magic beasts to help her fellow ck Cat people to escape!¡¹

    Huh? Isn¡¯t that story getting a little exaggerated?

    ¡¸When there was a dungeon stampede near Alessa, she single-handedly took on the dungeon boss to save the other fledgling adventurers, and sessfully saved the lives of many adventurers!¡¹

    Our fight against the demon somehow has be such a moving tale!?

    Katley then continued her splendidly exaggerated story about Fran¡¯s deed.

    It seems that the story gets even more exaggerated from each pass. As a result, the image of Fran that was imprinted on Katley¡¯s mind was that she¡¯s a strong, kind-hearted, solo ck cat adventurer.

    ¡¸And there¡¯s still more toe from Fran-oneesama!¡¹

 Chapter 688

    <h4>Chapter 688</h4>

    TENKEN 688 Siby and her Companion¡¯s Identity

    ¡¸And there¡¯s still more toe from Fran-oneesama!¡¹

    Katley, whose strange switch seemed to have been turned on, speaks further to Siby.

    ¡¸She also yed a major role in the royal capital! Together with herrades, they exposed the conspiracy of the treacherous Kingdom of Raidos there!¡¹

    ¡¸T-treacherous?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! The worst country that has always been plotting to harm our country with its despicable schemes!¡¹

    ¡¸T-the worst...¡¹

    I don¡¯t know why, but Siby¡¯s face tensed from hearing that.

    ¡¸Did you know that the Kingdom of Raidos built an experimental facility on a floating ind and repeatedly conducted terrible human experiments? But I guess the Kingdom of Raidos has been punished by heaven. The floating ind has been turned into a dungeon somehow! Fran-oneesama with a fellow adventurer Jean was the one who conquered the floating ind dungeon, and freed the miserable spirits!¡¹

    ¡¸Jean? You mean the Mass Murderer?¡¹

    ¡¸You know him, don¡¯t you? He¡¯s a great person who has defeated the ruthless and heartless Kingdom of Raidos many times over!¡¹

    ¡¸This time it¡¯s ruthless and heartless...¡¹

    Katley seemed to hate the Kingdom of Raidos quite much, isn¡¯t she? There¡¯s a lot of bad wordsing out of her mouth. Well, someone from the Kingdom of Kranzel would probably feel more or less the same way, but I think she has gone a little too far.

    I wonder did Aurel, his son, and daughter-inw educate her that way?

    ¡¸Just how many people do you think have suffered because of that country...?¡¹

    ¡¸T-There are...?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! My uncle also lost his life in the incident caused by the conspiracy of the Kingdom of Raidos. He used to y with me when I was little... How unforgivable!¡¹

    ¡¸...Y-you¡¯re right¡¹

    ¡¸It really is the worst country in the world¡¹

    So, one of her rtives died because of the incident caused by the conspiracy of the Kingdom of Raidos, huh? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s understandable that she holds a grudge towards them.

    Siby raised a small, theatricalugh, when she heard the Kingdom of Raidos¡¯ deeds.

    And Biscot, who had been listening in silence until now, somehow showed a stronger reaction than Siby.

    ¡¸R-Raidos is not such a country! It was the greatest country!¡¹

    His face turned red as he shouted so.

    ¡¸...Why are you defending that country?¡¹

    Katley¡¯s words are surely a natural response for a person from the Kingdom of Kranzel. It was just a straightforward and without sarcasm response.

    Biscot on the other hand, from being stared at with her pure eyes, mmed up and unable to speak further.

    ¡¸Eh? W-well, that was just...¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot, silence. You see, we¡¯ve met some people from the Kingdom of Raidos because of our work. We talked to them and they didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy¡¹

    ¡¸...I think we don¡¯t have much contact with that country though. Just what kind of business is it that you have to meet with people from the Kingdom of Raidos?¡¹

    ¡¸W-well, that¡¯s what you call trade secrets. And young missy, you can¡¯t just lump the people of the Kingdom of Raidos into one, there are also good people, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸You, who lumped adventurers in the same category, are saying that? There are certainly adventurers whomitted crimes, but there are also amazing adventurers like Fran-oneesama¡¹

    ¡¸W-well...¡¹

    Just like the time we met Dianne in the past, I wondered who these two were.

    From their behaviour, I¡¯m certain they¡¯re not an adventurer.

    A mercenary maybe? They certainly share the same hostility toward adventurers, but they shouldn¡¯t be too ignorant about adventurers if that were the case.

    And rather than Siby and Dianne being unfamiliar with adventurers, it was as if seeing one was a rare thing for them.

    They may think that they managed to hide it, but they know too little about adventurers. It seemed to me that they evencked somemon sense here.

    It would be understandable if they were just a child. But it should be impossible for someone like Siby to never had contact with an adventurer before.

    That was unless, they were born and raised in and where there were no adventurers at all. There was no other exnation for this.

    So what kind ofnd is it? And where there are no adventurers at all, or rather, and where adventurers are looked down upon and considered enemies.

    The only thing I could think of was a major country in the north, the Kingdom of Raidos,

    If so, that would also exin Biscot¡¯s attitude.

    But it raised another question, why would someone from the Kingdom of Raidos be in a ce like this?... I know that it¡¯s only natural that agents and spies are sent between enemy countries, and there are probably those who have infiltrated Raidos from Kranzel too.

    But to be honest, I don¡¯t think Siby and Biscot are spies. They should be at knights or soldiers in terms of ability, and I don¡¯t think they are suited for covert action to begin with.

    There is no such thing as a spy who has such a strong presence and is so conspicuous. It would be more understandable if it were said that she was just a tomboy youngdy from the Kingdom of Raidos.

    Well then, what do we do now?

    I feel that we might be able to find out who they are if we were to question them now. But the other side is someone from an enemy country that goes on undercover.

    If they thought their true identity had been discovered, they would certainly try to silence us. It would certainly be difficult to deal with both Siby and Biscot while protecting Katley.

    Besides, even if we were able to get away from this now, there was a possibility that Katley would be targeted in the future. So, the best thing to do would be to pretend not to notice and let this slide for now.

    ¡¸...S-Sis. Any more of this and we¡¯re screwed!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s just get out of here¡¹

    The other side seemed to be ready to leave as well, so let¡¯s just let the water pass the flood gate already.

    ¡¸...Katley, let¡¯s go¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Anymore of this is a waste of time¡¹

    ¡¸If oneesama says so, okay...¡¹

    I instructed Fran to give them a way. Then, taking advantage of this, the two ran away from Fran and Katley.

    ¡¸N-now, if you¡¯d excuse us!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸F-farewell!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, follow them¡»

    (Woof!)

    ¡ºAside from the two, they might have other allies with better detection abilities. So, let¡¯s be careful¡»

    It¡¯s hard to believe that those two alone managed to travel this far without their identities being discovered, so I¡¯m sure they have more allies here.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re counting on you¡»

    (Woof!)

    Now, all we have to do is report to Diaz. Well, it might get a little awkward, but he¡¯s not the kind of guy who brings his personal feelings into his work¨D¨Dor was it?

    W-well, if he won¡¯t listen, we¡¯ll just turn to Aurel and Elsa.

 Chapter 689

    <h4>Chapter 689</h4>

    TENKEN 689 Katley¡¯s Changes

    Ten minutes after the Siby and Biscot left.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gshaah!¡¹

    Katley¡¯s sword cracked the Lesser Ogre¡¯s head open and took its life.

    The Lesser Ogre died with various things dripping from its head. It¡¯s a pretty gruesome sight, but Katley is smiling.

    ¡¸I did it!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    She was so scared of the Lesser Ogre a while ago, but she¡¯s ready to go at it from the start now.

    It seemed that she had been agitated by all the things Siby had said to her. Also, after experiencing Siby¡¯s intimidation, she didn¡¯t seem to care much about the Lesser Ogre¡¯s power now.

    As a result, she was able to grow rapidly by defeating Lesser Ogres.

    The other thing that seemed to have a lot to do with it was her high level of trust in Fran.

    It seemed that from telling Siby about Fran¡¯s exploits, she remembered that Fran was indeed a great adventurer. And she must have suggested to herself that if Fran said it was okay, then she should be okay.

    Oh, Fran also tried to correct her about the super amazing story about her. But that didn¡¯t go well.

    ¡¸But still, I wonder what those people were! They¡¯re so suspicious! Should I report them to Grandfather or Uncle Diaz when I get back?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do it¡¹

    ¡¸That was of course! If oneesama was the one to tell them, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll believe it! Aah! But what if they¡¯ve already run away?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi is still following them¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see! As expected of Fran-oneesama¡¹

    The conversation between the two continued like this the whole time.

    There was hardly any conversation between the two at first, but Katley suddenly became much more expressive. This seemed to be the result of the tension that had been relieved by her ranting to Siby.

    I thought she might have been pretending all this time, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. She¡¯s certainly a timid and reserved kid. She¡¯s the usually quiet type, but when ites to her favorite things, she won¡¯t stop rambling about it.

    And now that she¡¯s with her very special person, Fran. It¡¯s no wonder she¡¯d be like this.

    That¡¯s why Fran couldn¡¯t really handle her at all. She had tried her best to clear Katley¡¯s misunderstanding, however¨D¨D

    ¡¸To not brag about her achievements, oneesama is so humble!¡¹

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Well, it looks like it¡¯d be hard to clear the misunderstanding.

    I thought we could convince her that the story has been exaggerated. But Fran gained a new reputation as a humble person instead.

    She looks at Fran with a great deal of respect. If it were me, I¡¯d definitely say something like, "Don¡¯t stare at me with those sparkling eyes! I¡¯m gonna melt!" But Fran doesn¡¯t seem to mind.

    We ended up spending the next hour or so defeating magic beasts and experiencing the thrill of opening treasure chests before turning back to the surface.

    ¡¸We¡¯re done, let¡¯s back to the surface¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see... Thank you very much! I¡¯ve learned so much today!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But it¡¯s too early to thank me. We haven¡¯t made it back in one piece¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see! So, there¡¯s still adventure until we made it to the surface too!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Besides, we¡¯re not going back immediately.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s take onest break. You shouldn¡¯t push yourself too hard¡¹

    ¡¸Y-you¡¯re right! If we¡¯re tired, we might be caught off guard¡¹

    ¡¸I agree¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Katley looks really happy that Fran agrees with her. Her tail is waving merrily. Looking at her reminded me of Urushi.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s have our dinner here¡¹

    ¡¸Dinner?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Take out the meat in your bag¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¡¹

    Eating in dungeons or in the wild is also one of the most exciting parts of the adventure. But depending on the people, it can be a time for fun or a time of torment.

    It¡¯s not always a fun time for most fledgling adventurers. After all, if they can¡¯t catch anything, they¡¯ll often just make off dried meat.

    We let Katley roast the rabbit meat she got from the upper floors by herself. But since there was no salt and the meat was handled poorly, it must have been dry and not very tasty.

    Still, Katley seemed to be pleased with it. She was surprisingly tough, isn¡¯t she? Well, it must have been new for her to cook and eat her own prey that she had hunted herself.

    And so, after having Katley enjoy the beginner¡¯s dungeon to the fullest, we left the dungeon and returned to Aurel¡¯s mansion.

    ¡¸Oh, you¡¯re back!¡¹

    ¡¸Grandfather! Are you done with your work?¡¹

    ¡¸Yup¡¹

    It was Aurel himself who greeted us.

    Well, what can I say, he was probably worried about his granddaughter. He put a smile on his face, which resembled that of a yakuza boss, and patted Katley¡¯s head as she ran over to him.

    ¡¸How was it? You didn¡¯t get badly injured, did you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Aurel should¡¯ve known how the dungeons for beginners are built. He must have known that if she were to get caught in a trap, she should be able to escape with just some scratch in there.

    But I guess he¡¯s more concerned about whether or not she got badly hurt in battle.

    ¡¸She defeated 3 Lesser Ogres and didn¡¯t get hurt¡¹

    ¡¸Hou? Even in her first fight?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm... There¡¯s something I need say about that¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like something has happened, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Katley did her best. I can guarantee you of that. It¡¯s just that we met some suspicious people in there¡¹

    ¡¸Suspicious people?¡¹

    As expected, there¡¯s no way we could say in front of Katley that Siby and herpanion might be spies for the Kingdom of Raidos.

    Fran¡¯s quick nce at Katley should have given him an idea. Aurel then asked to change the ces and left Katley to the maid.

    ¡¸So, what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸We met some people who might be from the Kingdom of Raidos¡¹

    ¡¸What!? Raidos you said?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸But you don¡¯t have any clear evidence, do you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. But they were really suspicious people¡¹

 Chapter 690

    <h4>Chapter 690</h4>

    TENKEN 690 Side: A Certain Group of Three 3

    ¡¸Siby-sama... Didn¡¯t I ask you not to cause any trouble?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, sorry¡¹

    ¡¸I heard from Biscot that you get into some quarrels in the dungeon, and to top it off, you even had an argument with the ck Thunder Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸But Sis and I didn¡¯ty our hands on them, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸That was of course! If you had done that we¡¯d be hunted down by now!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yeah¡¹

    ¡¸Uhh...¡¹

    ¡¸Siby-sama? What¡¯s the matter? Are you even sorry for what you¡¯ve done?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you even think of me!... W-well, nothing in particr. I¡¯m just thinking about our country¡¯s reputation¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Biscot said that there¡¯s a kid that says bad things about our country?¡¹

    ¡¸The kid says our country was ruthless, heartless, and¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸The worst of the worst¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that one. The one who keeps messing with the Kingdom of Kranzel is just the Southern and Eastern Duke, isn¡¯t it? But thanks to them, they think our country is just like them¡¹

    ¡¸Because of the way our country was established, each of the five regions, east, west, north, south and center, has its own uniqueness... We may tend to think that what each region is doing is the responsibility of the people of that region and has nothing to do with the other region. We were not that interested in what the other dukes were doing abroad too¡¹

    ¡¸But it doesn¡¯t seem to matter to the people of Kranzel. They will think that what the Southern and Eastern Dukes are doing is the will of the entire Kingdom of Raidos¡¹

    ¡¸And the result is the reputation of being the worst country in the world¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡¹

    ¡¸But is the girl¡¯s story for real? I knew that the Southern and Eastern Dukes were hostile to Kranzel, but...¡¹

    ¡¸Well... I¡¯m quite sure they really did that though¡¹

    ¡¸A conspiracy, huh...? The Southern and Eastern Dukes does smell fishy. They certainly had hard feelings towards Kranzel, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they were doing something to Kranzel¡¹

    ¡¸What about the Western Duke, Clicker? Your parents¡¯ house is over there, have you heard anything about the Eastern Duke?¡¹

    ¡¸Well... I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not without possibility, but he won¡¯t do anything that is not in his interest. Besides, it would be difficult for him to conspire against Kranzel while dealing with the Kingdom of Phillias and the Sea Kingdom of Sydran at the same time¡¹

    ¡¸I guess so. We¡¯re talking about that greedy Duke after all...¡¹

    ¡¸What about the North? To be honest, I don¡¯t know much about that region¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the ce with the strongest sense of independence in our country after all. The Northern Knights could take care most of the problems in its territory, so the Red Knights will hardly be needed. But the north is out of this I think¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yeah. The Northern Duke has a warrior¡¯s temperament, he doesn¡¯t like to do things theplicated way. If there is a hostile party, he will raise an army and fight them head-on¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸What about the capital? Is it even possible that we¡¯re not hearing anything about it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah... What¡¯s happening, Clicker?¡¹

    ¡¸If he¡¯s really up to something, wouldn¡¯t the Prime Minister have brought some information to us as well?¡¹

    ¡¸I see. And I don¡¯t think the current royal pce has that much power¡¹

    ¡¸Therefore, I guess it¡¯s the pigs in the south and the lunatics in the east who are doing all these things¡¹

    ¡¸I agree. Well, let¡¯s discuss how to deal with the dukes when we get back to our country. However, I asked you to keep quiet today, didn¡¯t I? Why did you go to the dungeon?¡¹

    ¡¸W-well, how to put it, Sis said we should go check the dungeon...¡¹

    ¡¸Siby-sama?¡¹

    ¡¸I just thought it would be a good idea to see what an adventurer is capable of. I heard there¡¯s a dungeon that you can enter even if you¡¯re not an adventurer¡¹

    ¡¸There was nothing to be gained by going there, was there? I heard that it was just a dungeon full of beginners¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not like that. I just thought that if we didn¡¯t know more about adventurers, our country might get hurt at some point in the future¡¹

    ¡¸Well, thanks for your concern. However, I think we should end our investigation in this town. I will make arrangements to leave the city as soon as possible. Is that all right with you?¡¹

    ¡¸No, not yet¡¹

    ¡¸Why is it? There¡¯s a good chance that Siby-sama and Biscot had already been eyed by the adventurers of this town, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸You think they are watching us?¡¹

    ¡¸I haven¡¯t confirmed it, but there¡¯s a hint that they¡¯re watching us. It seems they¡¯re using a magic beast to keep an eye on us... I didn¡¯t know what kind of magic beat it is, but the only thing I know is that it¡¯s most likely using dark attribute magic to conceal itself¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi, for the captain of the scout unit, Clicker, to cannot detect it... Is there someone who can employ such a magic beast in this town?¡¹

    ¡¸They should be an adventurer. I hadn¡¯t gathered much information about the dungeon, but I had experienced their diversity and uniqueness. I also learned that to truly understand them, you can¡¯t just look at them from their surfaces¡¹

    ¡¸B-but until now¨D¡¹

    ¡¸This is the order from the leader of the Red Sword Knights. We will remain in this town and continue our investigation on the adventurers. Our true identity hasn¡¯t beenpletely exposed yet. I¡¯m sure we can work something out¡¹

    ¡¸Work something out? This is too dangerous. What will we do if our true identities are exposed?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll force our way through when ites to that point¡¹

    ¡¸Haah-, as I thought... Then, let¡¯s prepare for the worst¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry about that¡¹

    ¡¸So, when you say investigation, what exactly are you nning to do? You must havee up with something, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, the best way to understand someone is to fight them¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be on the wanted list if you do that, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸We won¡¯t. There¡¯ll be a ce where you can legally fight adventurers soon, right?¡¹

    ¡¸A-are you nning to participate in a martial arts tournament by any chance? I¡¯ve already told you that it¡¯s dangerous though¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not every day you get the chance to go up against a high-ranking adventurer. It¡¯s decided. Biscot will enter the tournament with me, and Clicker will support us¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure? This is a mission where the future of the Kingdom of Raidos is at stake, remember?¡¹

    ¡¸Is an adventurer really that much of a thing?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why we have to know them¡¹

    ¡¸...What about the red seal?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re not going to use it in the tournament. If we show it to them, they¡¯ll know who we are. I¡¯ve used it before to stop Kranzel¡¯s counter-invasion. But we might have to use it to escape, so just be prepared¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    ¡¸Sis. Are you serious that I¡¯m going to participate too?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Neither of us knew what they really are. The Kingdom of Raidos has distorted our view on them too much after all¡¹

    ¡¸D-distorted...¡¹

    ¡¸Patriotism is not the same as blindly looking down on an enemy country. Well, I was just saying it out loud, but I wasn¡¯t really practicing it either...¡¹

    ¡¸Sis...¡¹

    ¡¸This is not about winning or losing. We¡¯re going to fight like hell to understand what adventurers are. Okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it¡¹

    ¡¸What about the one who has been keeping its eyes on us?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you get rid of it?¡¹

    ¡¸If only getting rid of it, but... It might be difficult to even catch it¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s leave it then. They¡¯ll send someone else to watch us anyway. They won¡¯t know that we¡¯re aware of the surveince by doing so¡¹

    ¡¸I understand¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it looks like we¡¯re still on track to fulfill our original mission from the Prime Minister¡¹

    ¡¸Confirming the whereabouts and abilities of the S-Ranked adventurer, was it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. A while ago, I was informed that someone from the Southern Duke¡¯s men had confirmed it... They should be here to watch the martial arts tournament¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that the adventurer is not the same as the one reported by the Southern Duke¡¯s men, but there¡¯s no doubt that an S-Ranked adventurer ising¡¹

    ¡¸All right then. We¡¯ll see what they¡¯re capable of, and if we can, we¡¯ll measure their loyalty to Kranzel. It would be nice if we could go at them, but just being able to observe them up close will be enough for now¡¹

 Chapter 691

    <h4>Chapter 691</h4>

    TENKEN 691 The Surveince Continues

    After dropping Katley off at the mansion, we came to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Naturally, we wanted to report about Siby and herpanion.

    The adventurers were noisy when we entered the guild.

    Well, Fran is like a celebrity in this city after all.

    The adventurers don¡¯t take the bard¡¯s stories as seriously as Katley does, and many of them remember her performance inst year¡¯s martial arts tournament.

    In fact, when we walked around the town and other ces, Fran was sometimes looked at with admiration even by those who were not a beastman.

    ¡¸Ara? If it isn¡¯t Fran-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Elsa¡¹

    The person who greeted Fran was Elsa, a B-Ranked adventurer.

    ¡¸Long time no see!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s been a while¡¹

    She¡¯s as fierce as ever. I thought I¡¯d gotten used to her from thest martial arts tournament, but I¡¯m still amazed when I see her after a long time.

    A muscr afro onee-sanes up to Fran with her ballerina-like footwork. Contrary to my desire to run away, Fran greets her with a smile.

    ¡¸Are you going to participate in the tournament again this year?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s great to hear! After all, it¡¯s unlikely thatst year¡¯s first and second ce winners will be able topete this year¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    Elsa¡¯s words were met with a disappointed response from Fran.

    ¡¸Well, they¡¯re an adventurer, they can¡¯t help but give priority to requests... So, I¡¯m d Fran came¡¹

    Amanda has to keep a check on the Kingdom of Raidos, and Forrund is still in the Royal Capital, or maybe they were carrying out some kind of request against Raidos?

    Could this be our chance to win first ce? Fran will be disappointed, but our main rival has decreased in numbers.

    This year, the Beast Kings wouldn¡¯t be here, and the A-Ranked adventurers who fought so hardst year might not participate. Then, it was unlikely that there would be anyone stronger than Fran.

    As for potential rivals, would it be Colbert and Fermus? They are definitely strong opponents, but Fran has already defeated them. A year has passed since then, and Frans has grown even more, so there is a good chance that she will be able to beat them this time too.

    Well, I don¡¯t know if Fermus is going to participate or not though. I believest year he said that he had no choice but to participate because Diaz asked him to.

    Also, the strongest ones we¡¯ve encountered sinceing to this city would be Diaz and Siby. However, Diaz is a guild master and Siby is (presumably) a spy for Raidos.

    ¡¸What do you want with the guild today? Or did youe just to see me?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see...¡¹

    ¡¸I have something to report to Diaz. I was going to go see Elsater¡¹

    ¡¸Ara! I see!¡¹

    Fran has be a bad girl! She¡¯s now capable of using an advanced technique of dropping then raising one¡¯s mood. Well, Elsa is wriggling her body with a look of delight on her face though.

    ¡¸Guild master is upstairs. But he¡¯s been acting weird since yesterday¡¹

    Well, I¡¯m pretty sure this is our fault.

    ¡¸...Was he angry?¡¹

    Fran asked fearfully, but Elsa shook her head with a wry smile.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think he¡¯s angry. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s kind of absent-minded. He hasn¡¯t gotten any work done at all. And yet, he¡¯s been wandering around his room making strange growling noises like a caged animal¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    He certainly didn¡¯t seem to be angry, but it was clear that he had something on his mind.

    ¡¸Could it be, guild master¡¯s weird behavior has something to do with Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸I See... Well, let me ask him if he¡¯ll meet you for now¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do anything if it¡¯s for Fran-chan! Anything! Even if guild master says no, I¡¯ll definitely bring him to meet you!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t force Diaz if he doesn¡¯t want to¡¹

    ¡¸Ara? You sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    A few minutes then passed after the exchange.

    We¡¯re now walking on the stairs to Diaz¡¯s room. I thought he¡¯d refuse to meet us, but to my surprise, he casually invited us.

    When Fran entered the room, she was greeted by Diaz, who had a somewhat distressed expression on his face.

    He used to be an old man who looked young and stylish for his age, but now he looks older than his age. He seemed to be very tired after just a single night.

    ¡¸Can I really see you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m just a little lost, but I hear you have something to report to me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸If this is a continuation of yesterday¡¯s story, I¡¯d say that I need more time... But this time is just a report, isn¡¯t it? It means that you have somethingpletely different to report, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    The guild master could not ignore the report from the high-ranking adventurer it seemed.

    I think I need to apologize for thinking that he¡¯s the type to bring his personal feelings into work. Well, he certainly do his job well, but he did bring his personal feelings into works though.

    ¡¸Shall I leave?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine¡¹

    After hearing the report, the hand that Diaz will move will probably be Elsa. If so, it would be better for her to listen too, so that we would not have to do it twice.

    ¡¸Yesterday, I met a suspicious people in the west dungeon¡¹

    ¡¸Suspicious people? How suspicious are they?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¨D¨D¡¹

    Fran then tells them everything we know about Siby and herpanion.

    The fact that we first met them in Barbra but now they¡¯re in Ulmut. The matter about how they¡¯re too ignorant about adventurers even though they looked like very skilled adventurers. And how unsettled they were at the mention of the Kingdom of Raidos¡¯s deed.

    ¡¸...They could be a spy for the Kingdom of Raidos¡¹

    ¡¸I see... This is certainly a vexing situation. Fran, are you aware of their whereabouts?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re staying at the inn near the town entrance¡¹

    Urushi hase back to report once we had left the dungeon.

    ¡¸I see. I¡¯ll have someone check them out as soon as possible¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi is still watching them now. If they tried to escape, he should notify us¡¹

    ¡¸Much appreciated¡¹

    ¡¸Are we gonna catch them?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm... That may be difficult. We¡¯ll easily catch them if they¡¯re just a small fry, but from your story, they must be quite strong, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸...I also don¡¯t want to mess with them and cause damage to the town. Besides, now is not the right time. If something happens now, it might affect the martial arts tournament, right? For the prestige of the guild, we want to prevent that from happening¡¹

    ¡¸So what are we gonna do? Just keep an eye on them?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yes, for now. We¡¯ll capture them after the tournament. Until then, we¡¯ll only keep an eye on them. You¡¯ll be helping us too, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Of course¡¹

    Fran nodded enthusiastically at Diaz¡¯s words. After all, this might be a chance to fight Siby and herpanion. There was no way Fran would refuse.

 Chapter 692

    <h4>Chapter 692</h4>

    TENKEN 692 Making a Bet with Diaz

    Fran had been busy since the day after aplishing the request to take Katley to the dungeon.

    As a famous person, she has received many invitations and requests.

    Even though the guild would have to turn down any contact from nobles, there were some requests that could not be refused and some that Fran would want to ept.

    The request that she couldn¡¯t refuse was the invitation from Elsa. It was not an invitation for a meal or a chat, but an inquiry about the effect of her serum.

    Cosmetic products and fashion are things that Fran is not interested in at all. She even thought that it was a hassle to apply it to her skin at night for some reason. Though we got it for free from Elsa, she only uses it because I was so insistent on her applying it.

    Well, there was no way this Fran could give a decent answer though. The only thing that woulde out of her mouth was ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡¹ or ¡¸It¡¯s troublesome¡¹, and Elsa couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    Previously, she has also given her serum for free to some female students at the academy of magic. She apologized to Elsa, but she justughed and forgave her. She was rather pleased to hear that they were so popr.

    Moreover, she gave her anotherrge amount of serum when we parted, she was seriously too nice to her.

    She must think that she didn¡¯t hate it as much as she said she did, because she used it so much that it was all gone. It pains me that it¡¯s like we¡¯re deceiving Elsa though...

    I think I could let Elsa know about me, but I don¡¯t think this is the right time.

    Fran thanked her with a wry expression on her face as she epted the serum.

    Well, Fran refused it at first, but Elsa looked so sad that she feltpelled to ept it. To be able to make this Fran feel guilty, what a fearsome person.

    I hope I can repay her someday.

    And the request that Fran was happy with was the request for tasting new dishes that had been sent out by chefs and restaurants.

    Riding the wave of the curry boom that hade to Ulmut in full force, many chefs were experimenting with curry dishes and trying to perfect them. They were probably preparing for the martial arts tournament.

    Curry dishes were already well known when we were here before, but an unprecedented boom happened this time. It seems like all the restaurants are serving curry dishes now.

    Then Fran, the disciple of the curry master who created curry, appeared.

    It seems that along with the craze for curry, the information about Fran was also passed on to the chefs in Ulmut, and a number of requests for tastings were made to Fran.

    There was only one at the beginning. But as a result of the chef¡¯s tearful improvements in response to Fran¡¯s harsh opinions, their curry dish became significantly more delicious.

    The word spread quickly, and arge number of tasting requests were sent out to Fran.

    Eat curry, give a few opinions, and get paid good money. It¡¯s the best request an adventurer could ask for.

    Moreover, as a B-ranked adventurer, the people who wanted to make requests to Fran were all from famous restaurants that made a good amount of money. Since they were allpetent cooks, there were very few bad dishes.

    Well, there were some dishes that were a bit too challenging for Fran¡¯s taste though.

    However, it was not without its problems.

    The chefs had started to secretly call Fran as the ¡¸Curry Princess¡¹ or ¡¸Spice Princess¡¹. It seems that her nickname has be the ck Lightning Princess of the Disciple of the Curry Master now...

    What I was afraid of was that Fran might like that alias. What would happen if she started calling herself the Curry Princess when she had such a cool alias as ck Lightning Princess?

    I have to prevent that from happening.

    The cooks seemed to understand that this nickname was not preferred by adventurers, and fortunately, they did not call her that to her face.

    From time to time, there are those who almost call her Curry Princess by ident, but when that happen, I used telekinesis to physically cover their mouths.

    Well, I know it sounds a bit harsh when I put it like that, but all I¡¯ve done was just shut their mouth with my telekinesis and temporarily prevent them from talking, okay?

    That¡¯s how hard I worked for the past few days.

    And now, there was a messenger from the adventurer¡¯s guild at the inn where we were staying. They told us that Diaz wants to talk to us.

    ¡ºI wonder what he¡¯s going to talk about?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Would it be about Siby, who are suspected as spies for the Kingdom of Raidos?

    The guild had asked the adventurers not to make any direct contact with them so as not to provoke them. Therefore, we have not approached Siby and herpanion at all. We just left the monitoring to Urushi.

    If so, they must have made some kind of move then.

    Or has Dimitris arrived in Ulmut? We had asked him to introduce us after all.

    He seems to be a rather difficult person to deal with, but with an introduction from the guild master, maybe he¡¯ll at least listen to us. Well, maybe, that is.

    But to my surprise, what Diaz want to talk about were something about neither of those things.

    ¡¸I need to talk about Zelos Reed¡¹

    ¡¸...Okay¡¹

    Fran¡¯s expression tightens in front of Diaz¡¯s serious face. Now, what kind of talk will it be?

    It was impossible to tell what he¡¯d say from Diaz¡¯s expressionless face.

    ¡¸...Fran, in our conversation the other day, you said that you had Zelos Reed life in your hands, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    I think what Diaz is referring to is when Zelos Reed gives his life to her in exchange for her to take Romio to Barbra¡¯s orphanage when he dies. Such is her promise with him.

    But to be honest, I don¡¯t think it would be a fair deal to take his life when Zelos Reed is not dead and Romio and he are being sheltered by the academy of magic.

    Fran too, would not be as unreasonable to use that promise to ask for anything from Zelos Reed now. However, such a promise was certainly made between Fran and Zelos Reed.

    I¡¯m also sure that Fran had exined to Diaz how she let Zelos Reed go and told him of her promise. Fran may not have been aware of her own feelings, but she knew that Zelos Reed life was in her hands, so she would not do anything unnecessary.

    But Diaz was certainly aware of his feelings. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why Diaz mentioned it to us.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s make a bet. I¡¯ll give up on the idea of getting my revenge if you win. I can¡¯t erase this grudge, but I¡¯ll carry it with me to my grave. I¡¯ll never touch Zelos Reed. In exchange, if I win, you will tell me where Zelos Reed is. What do you say?¡¹

    Diaz was smiling as he said so, but to me, it seemed like an expression of anguish. I don¡¯t know why I felt that way myself...

    ¡¸...What¡¯s the detail of the bet¡¹

    ¡¸How about Fran and I fight in the uing martial arts tournament, and the winner wins the bet?¡¹

    ¡¸Diaz is participating?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, there¡¯s nothing in the rules that says a guild master can¡¯t participate, right?¡¹

    ¡ºBut we don¡¯t know if Diaz and Fran will be matched up against each other for sure, do we?¡»

    Or would the guild master¡¯s authority allow for such a thing? That¡¯s what I thought, but it turned out to be wrong.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t do anything about it, because the order of the matches is decided randomly in the final round. So, if one of us loses in the middle of the tournament and the matchup itself doesn¡¯t happen, you win the bet, deal?¡¹

    ¡¸You sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. When that happens, I will just give up and think that it is destined to happen¡¹

    It¡¯s a very favorable bet for us. Is that how confident he is? Or does he already know that he¡¯s going to lose? I don¡¯t know which.

    If Diaz was serious about finding Zelos Reed, it actually wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to find Zelos Reed. If he searched the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s record, he could easily find out where Fran had travelled.

    Instead of doing that, why bother making a bet with us...?

    ¡ºWhat if we don¡¯t ept that bet?¡»

    ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go find Zelos Reed on my own¡¹

    ¡¸...Okay, I¡¯ll ept that bet¡¹

    ¡ºFran, are you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I know how Diaz feels. It must be tough to be stuck in such a state¡¹

    Fran showed an expression that looked somewhat concerned for Diaz. Diaz then bowed deeply to Fran.

    ¡¸Thanks. I appreciate it¡¹

    Diaz¡¯s face looked somewhat relieved as he smiled at us.

 Chapter 693

    <h4>Chapter 693</h4>

    Dimitris

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by NotEdited

    Just a few days before the martial arts tournament was to be held.

    We were now in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. This time, our purpose was not to see Diaz nor the strangely tired-looking Colbert that stood beside the couch, but the slender old man sitting on it.

    ¡¸Well done foring here¡¹

    Though he said that, there was not even a hint of affectionate expression on his face. He was just simply looking at Fran with a sharp stare.

    Appearance-wise, he looked like a skinny old man with a slightly scary face.

    I guess it must be because he has nt eyes in the first ce, so just by being narrowed, it made him look as if he were staring at us.

    His hair had turned white with age, but was still very lush. His hair, which could have been a bob if unraveled, was gathered into a short topknot at the back of his head. He had a magnificent mustache and beard, which gave the appearance of a hermit.

    Well, his presence was so tremendous that one would hardly think of him as a hermit though.

    Since he was sitting, I couldn¡¯t exactly tell how tall he was, but I¡¯d say he was a little over 170cm tall.

    His skin, which had lost much of its moisture due to old age and had begun to wrinkle, looked like the surface skin of a tree.

    However, I could see that there were well-developed muscles underneath that skin. His muscles were simr to that of an athlete. I could tell that he was still continuing his training.

    He was wearing a loose-fitting robe that looked like a kimono with ck embroidery on a purple base. Even through such a robe, I could clearly see the strength of his body.

    Then Colbert steps forward and opens his mouth.

    ¡¸Master¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not your Master anymore¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Dimitris-sama, Hilt-ojousan, this girl is Fran, the girl who defeated me¡¹

    ¡¸Umu¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph¡¹

    Well, you¡¯ve guessed it right. The old man in front of us was the S-Ranked adventurer, Dimitris the Immovable.

    Just by observing the current exchange, I can understand that he¡¯s not a straightforward person.

    And there was another woman with a serious face that seemed to be acting as a guard standing on the other side of the couch from Colbert.

    Colbert called her ¡°Ojousan¡±, didn¡¯t he? I wonder what kind of rtionship they had. She looked quite strong too, on par with Colbert perhaps. She¡¯s been looking at Fran with an evaluating eye for a while now.

    Well, Dimitris is our priority right now.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran, a B-ranked adventurer. Nice to meet you¡¹

    Said Fran while bowing her head slightly.

    Fran greeted him with an unusually formal greeting. It may have been because the other party was rted to the request, but she probably understood the strength of the other party just by facing him.

    I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was being respectful.

    The old man then gave a silent nod to Fran.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Dimitris, an S-Ranked adventurer¡¹

    At first nce, the old man sitting on the couch with his arms crossed seemed to be full of openings. But Fran knew that if she were to attack, she would surely be met with a painful counterattack.

    He showed such a strong presence that could make us clearly understand that.

    It was probably on purpose. It seemed that he was trying to prevent unnecessary conflicts by showing his strength to a degree that could be clearly understood by those who were capable of fighting.

    He wouldn¡¯t take his opponent so seriously if they were so weak that they cannot sense such presence because he can simply kill dozens of them in an instant if they try to mess with him.

    From what I¡¯ve heard, Dimitris is also a bit of a battle junkie. So, he probably would be more than happy to take care of those who still tried to mess with him.

    I was wondering what kind of entric old man he would be after hearing so much about him from Colbert, but he is somewhat better than I imagined. I was somewhat expecting that he would attack us upon our meeting.

    But I was not expecting him to agree to meet us so easily in the first ce.

    However, while Dimitris was not as aggressive as I thought he would be, Hilt was ring at us for some reason.

    Well, rather than ring at us, it¡¯s more like she¡¯s in a bad mood and had no choice but to re at us¡­ Anyway, the atmosphere was not so friendly right now.

    Fran also unconsciously turned her gaze from Dimitris to Hilt.

    ¡¸My name is Hiltoria. Dimitris-style master and an A-Ranked adventurer¡¹

    I knew she was strong, but who could guess that she¡¯s an A ranker!? She must be one of Dimitris¡¯ direct disciples then. It must also mean that she had passed the ordeal that Colbert was undergoing.

    ¡¸I¡¯m also the legitimate granddaughter and the heir of grandfather Dimitris. Nice to meet you¡¹

    Though Hilt said ¡°Nice to meet you¡±, her face didn¡¯t seem to mean it at all.

    She was a tall, beautiful woman with dark green hair pulled up in a side pony. She was dressed in the same purple base color as Dimitris, but her¡¯s were smaller and clearly showed the lines of her body.

    Her top was a tube top with short sleeves that exposed her belly button. Her bottom is a kind of pants that looks somewhere between spats and shorts. And the protective gear to protect her legs looks like knee-high socks.

    At first nce, all of them seemed to be made of thin cloth armor, but in reality, they were high-end armor made of magic beast material. The reason for their small size was probably because they were designed for ease of movement.

    It¡¯s obvious that she¡¯s a fighter. I don¡¯t even need to appraise her to know that. And it¡¯s not because I observed her center of gravity or the way she move or anything.

    But the knuckle duster in her hands was glinting with a swarthy light. It probably used to be silver in color, but now it had turned reddish-ck. It must have been used for so many years that the blood could not be removed anymore. That showed how much she uses that knuckle duster as her main weapon.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran and Hilt then stared at each other. It looks like this is not going to end peacefully.

 Chapter 694

    <h4>Chapter 694</h4>

    Hilt and Colbert

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by NotEdited

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Hilt, who had been staring at Fran for a few seconds, then muttered something in a small voice.

    ¡¸¡­I see¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    I wonder what she means by that? Fran tilted her head in confusion for not understanding the meaning of her words.

    ¡¸I see, it¡¯s no wonder Colbert lost to her. I wonder how can she be this strong at this young age¡­¡¹

    So that¡¯s what she wants to say, huh? Hilt and Colbert, who obviously had a rtion with Dimitris, must have been an acquaintance before. Maybe they were fellow students or something. If that¡¯s the case, then Fran was the one who caused her friend to be emunicated.

    So, I suppose, it was not surprising that she¡¯ll be somewhat thinking ill of Fran because of that. It¡¯s not something that she could simply ignore after all.

    I also somewhat understood the meaning of her stare before. Even though she knew in her rational mind that Fran was not at fault, she must have mixed feelings when she saw her in front of her.

    ¡¸You¡¯re friends with Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸Rather than a friend¡­ that Colbert there is my ex-fiance. Well, the talk got dropped when he was emunicated though¡¹

    ¡¸Ojousan. I was just one of the fiance candidates¡¹

    There seemed to be several potential fiances for her, and the one who seemed to be the most suitable is going to officially be Hilt¡¯s groom.

    And as the heir to the Dimitris-Style school, the groom must be a suitable man to assist her. Naturally, the emunicated Colbert was eliminated as a candidate.

    ¡¸Besides, Charlie, thest candidate left, is a stronger and better man than I am. He¡¯s also close to your age, I think he¡¯ll be a good match for you¡¹

    ¡¸You think so? Well, you might be right¡¹

    From their exchange, they may have not been as simple as just friends, aren¡¯t they?

    When Colbert replied in a light tone, Hilt responded in the same light tone and shrugged her shoulders. However, her expression was clearly dejected.

    Could it be, Hilt has a feeling for Colbert¡­? Is Colbert unaware of this?

    Now that I think of it, Colbert was being somewhat nicer to Io-santely¡­

    ¡¸Is Hilt going to participate in the martial arts tournament to avenge Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸I have no interest in being a spectacle¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see¡¹

    I was relieved to know that Hilt is not going to participate, but Fran seemed to be somewhat disappointed, Hilt looks strong after all.

    But rather than that, our priority is Dimitris now.

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t forget why we came here¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    My words must have reminded her of the request. Fran then turned to Dimitris.

    ¡¸This man tells me that you want to see me, but what do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. This is from the Kingdom of Belios¡¹

    ¡¸Hou?¡¹

    She took out the leather bag we had been keeping to give to Dimitris and put it on the table.

    ¡¸They said they wanted to hire you as one of the adventurers they were sending to Gordisia. There should be a letter in it¡¹

    ¡¸Fumu, I see¡¹

    Dimitris then opens the bag and takes out an envelope, which he opens on the spot. Dimitris nodded several times as he looked at the letter that was inside it.

    Now, the request is fulfilled. The rest of the story is up to the Kingdom of Belios¡¯ letter and Dimitris.

    Unlike my prior expectations, we were able to aplish the request quite easily.

    But things don¡¯t seem to simply end here.

    ¡¸So, will you take on their request?¡¹

    Fran asked so to Dimitris. Actually, the Kingdom of Belios has offered to pay us a bonus if she could convince Dimitris.

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s going to be a boring job without Weena Rhyn. I think I might refuse¡¹

    ¡¸Can you please do something about it¡¹

    ¡¸Fumu¡­¡¹

    Demetrius pondered a little at Fran¡¯s rather blunt words.

    He then nced at his granddaughter, Hilt.

    ¡¸¡­Then how about this? ck Thunder Princess, you¡¯re going to participate in the martial arts tournament, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, of course¡¹

    ¡¸Then, I will go to Belios if you can defeat Hilt in this martial arts tournament. What do you think?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s exactly what I want!¡¹

    The old man makes an interesting proposal without even putting a smile on his face. Of course, Fran is motivated about this. But rather than being motivated by the bonus she¡¯ll receive, she seemed to be motivated for getting a chance to have a match with Hilt.

    However, in contrast to Fran, Hilt seemed to be a bit confused.

    ¡¸Wha, grandfather?¡¹

    ¡¸And Hilt. If you defeat the ck Thunder Princess, I will retire and give up my position as the head of the school¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¨D¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. I had a wife and a child. I¡¯m not made of wood and stone, you know? Did you think I never think of them?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­So, in other words, if I be the head of the family, I can freely choose my groom?¡¹

    ¡¸As the head of the family, you can do whatever you want. Don¡¯t worry about this old grandpa. You may close the dojo too if you wish¡¹

    ¡¸I understand. Though I say I don¡¯t like to be a spectacle, with that much reward, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d refuse¡¹

    This time it wasn¡¯t just a staring contest between Fran and Hilt.

    They are throwing their fighting spirit at each other.

    I could hear amotion downstairs. The adventurers in the guild must have sensed the sudden burst of hostility.

    ¡¸Grandfather, what would happen if one of us got defeated before we even meet¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, the one with the higher ranking wins¡¹

    ¡¸Understood¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    Neither of them asked what would happen if they lost the first match and the standings were the same. I guess they are nning to win the tournament in the first ce. They probably didn¡¯t think that they would be the first to lose.

    But still, I wonder why there is always an unexpected situation like this in every martial arts tournament. Thest time we made a bet with the Beast King, but this time we made bet with Diaz and Dimitris.

    ¡¸U-umm¡­¡¹

    The only one who looked like he was in trouble is Colbert. I feel sorry for him. I¡¯m afraid his future may depend on Fran¡¯s victory.

 Chapter 695

    <h4>Chapter 695</h4>

    Nilfe

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by NotEdited

    The martial arts tournament has finally begun. However, Fran is in the seeded bracket this time, so she won¡¯t be participating in the qualifying round.

    Well, Fran said she wanted to participate in the qualifier, but as expected, Diaz and the others won¡¯t let her. They asked her to be patient for the sake of the other participants in the qualifying round, so she gave up this time.

    ¡ºFran, over there¡»

    ¡¸? The seats are over there¡¹

    ¡ºFran may cause amotion if she were to sit on the regr seats. I¡¯m sure the special seats for officials won¡¯t draw that much attention, so let¡¯s watch from there¡»

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    Today, we came to watch the qualifying round. I don¡¯t know if there will be any strong opponents, but we simply have nothing else to do for today.

    Holding the food from the stall in both hands, she walked towards the special seats. On the way, we spotted a familiar face.

    Fran then calls out to the girls walking in front of her.

    ¡¸Katley¡¹

    ¡¸Oneesama!¡¹

    It was Katley, the aspiring adventurer who adored Fran. She was walking in the same direction, apanied by a man who seemed to be their escort.

    ¡¸Did oneesama alsoe to watch the martial arts tournament?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, you too?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Katley looked happy, but beside her was a little girl who looked up at Fran anxiously. She squeezed Katley¡¯s hand and gripped her skirt with her other hand.

    ¡¸Who?¡¹

    ¡¸Her name is Nilfe. She¡¯s Dimitris-sama¡¯s granddaughter¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m Nilfe¡­¡¹

    Nilfe muttered his name in a very low voice.

    Dimitris¡¯ granddaughter? So, she¡¯s Hilt¡¯s sister? Her green hair certainly looks like hers. But I didn¡¯t feel the same presence as hers. She seems to be a shy and weak girl. Other than the color of her hair, she had nothing inmon with Hilt.

    ¡¸And that¡¯s Michael-san. He¡¯s Nilfe¡¯s bodyguard¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you¡¹

    A bald, fine-looking macho man standing behind Katley and Nilfe bowed his head lightly. He¡¯s got a pretty good face. He seems to be Dimitris¡¯ disciple.

    ¡¸Grandfather asked me to show her around. He said if I was going to be an adventurer, I had to be able to escort her¡¹

    For Aurel to leave the role of guiding Nilfe around to Katley, he seems to have fully approved of Katley bing an adventurer. Well, getting to know someone of her age is certainly a good experience too, I guess. But Fran seemed to be bothered by Kaley¡¯s words.

    ¡¸I see. If that¡¯s the case, your current introduction is no good¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Even if it¡¯s not a formal request, if you¡¯ve epted the job as an adventurer, you shouldn¡¯t give out any information about your client or escort. Even to acquaintances¡¹

    It seems that Fran¡¯s mentoring has not ended with thepletion of the previous request. Well, she¡¯s her first kouhai (junior) after all, she¡¯s willing to give her an advice or two.

    Katley, whose carelessness was pointed out by Fran, immediately realized her mistake.

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry Nilfe¡¹

    She bowed deeply to Nilfe, with the look of a newbie adventurer who screwed up a request.

    I think it¡¯s not something that she should be so upset about, but Katley seemed to have taken it very seriously. The other reason was probably because of her respect for Fran.

    ¡¸Nilfe is the granddaughter of a famous person. The more reason you should be careful¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re certainly right¡­¡¹

    ¡¸U-umm, I don¡¯t really mind¡­¡¹

    Nilfe shakes her head in frustration as Katley apologizes. She looks young, but she seems to have understood what we were saying.

    ¡¸Did youe here to see the qualifying round?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes..¡¹

    Fran was not asking Katley this time, but Nilfe. It seems that she could tell that Katley adored Fran and was interested in her.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go together then¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹

    As we walked, Katley talked to Nilfe about Fran.

    She¡¯s telling the overly exaggerated story of Fran again though. It¡¯s a little better now that Fran had corrected her a little, but it¡¯s still a bit exaggerated.

    Fran is so indifferent about it that she hardly everments on it.

    Nilfe¡¯s expression changed as she listened to Katley¡¯s passionate talk about Fran. She clearly has developed some respect for Fran.

    Katley¡¯s story sounds like something thates out of fiction no matter how much I think about it, however¡­

    ¡¸T-that¡¯s amazing¡¹

    Nilfe, who trusts Katley, doesn¡¯t seem to think that her words are a lie or an exaggeration. Well, she¡¯s still young after all.

    Her small body trembled as she listened excitedly to Katley¡¯s story.

    ¡¸That¡¯s so cool¡¹

    ¡¸Right? Fran-oneesama is amazing¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡¹

    The gleam in her eyes is exactly the same as that of Katley looking at Fran. This could be the birth of a new child who respects Fran.

    Even after arriving at the special seat, Katley¡¯s praise of Fran didn¡¯t stop. Maybe in Nilfe¡¯s mind now, Fran is as big a hero as Dimitris.

    ¡¸What have you been up totely?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m training every day to be an adventurer. The rest of the time, I do chores in the city¡¹

    I heard that in Ulmut, there are jobs that one can take as an apprentice even if they are not registered as an adventurer. I guess it¡¯s just something for newbies. And because of the martial arts tournament, there are plenty of chores that need to be done, so there are a lot of jobs posted around this time of year.

    This apprenticeship was not only a great way to earn money, but also a way to hear various rumors, which Katley seemed to enjoy very much.

    Especially at this time of year when rumors from all over the country are flying around.

    ¡¸I heard that the appearance rate of undead is increasing around Ulmut¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The reason is still unknown. However, since many travelers areing here at this time of the year, many of them die around Ulmut. The merchant who told me the story said that the corpses of such unfortunate travelers might turn into undead¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Also, there are a lot of mercenariesing in as guards for those travelers, so there have been more fights recently¡¹

    ¡¸Between adventurers and mercenaries?¡¹

    ¡¸ It¡¯s also happening among the mercenaries. There are also more pickpockets and swindlers, so grandfather is busy all the time¡¹

    The festive atmosphere must have attracted bad people as well.

 Chapter 696

    <h4>Chapter 696</h4>

    The Qualifying Round

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by NotEdited

    The first round of the qualifying round of the martial arts tournament was a battle royal this year as well.

    Each round consists of five or six participants, and the one who survives moves on to the next round. It¡¯s exactly the same asst year.

    The fights between the small fry were boring, but there were also some talented people in the mix. Other matches in which people we knew were participating were also worth watching in their own right.

    The Scarlet Maidens, a party of three girls who worked for us at Barbra, participate this year too.

    They¡¯ve improved their abilities quite a bit sincest year. They must have trained hard.

    They were still unable to advance past this year¡¯s qualifying round though.

    Well, the girls are the type that put more emphasis on coordination than individualbat power after all. Moreover, they are a party that excels at fighting in dungeons and outdoors.

    But before that, Maia, the thief, and Lydia, the sorceress, were not suited for a martial arts tournament. In the end, as the most skilled, they were all targeted by the other participant, and they ended up losing.

    As for Judith, their leader and a swordswoman, she had a bad opponent.

    She fought against one of Dimitris¡¯ disciples. Even though he was still a disciple in training, he was probably equivalent to a C-Ranked adventurer in terms of ability.

    It seems that he is one of the people that are under Hilt¡¯s supervision.

    Colbert told us about the Dimitris school, and it seems that it is mostly Hilt¡¯s role to instruct the disciples.

    It also seemed that Dimitris has always been putting his own training first, and is not that concerned about preserving the Dimitris style that he created.

    Still, he has disciples and dojos all over the country because there is no end to the number of people who want to be his disciple.

    At first, the adventurers who admired Dimitris were simply learning the basics of fighting in between their activities.

    Before long, Dimitris himself became somewhat interested in raising disciples, and the number of disciples in his school increased, until it became arge dojo with more than a hundred disciples in total.

    That certainly sounds like a lot of disciples for someone who was just starting out, but I also heard that his training was extremely strict and many were quitting because of it.

    Well, with his status as an S-Ranked adventurer, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to eventually get thousands of disciples.

    If the disciples were able to continue their training without failing and be top disciples, they would be allowed to be trained by Dimitris in person. However, it is also said that many of the disciples are disheartened by his insane Spartan training.

    In such an environment, Colbert and Hilt were among those who remained.

    And even though Colbert was quite capable, he was treated as just a top disciple, not a master.

    Hilt and the other masters who had passed the ordeal must be highly capable.

    It is even said that there have only been three masters since the ordeal to be a master was introduced.

    Well, the ordeal was to be an A-Ranked adventurer while sealing their own abilities after all. I doubt many of them will be able to achieve that.

    ¡¸Oneesama, do you know the person who just lost?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. She¡¯s an adventurer from Barbra¡¹

    Fran also seemed to be rooting for Judith. When she lost, she unconsciously uttered an ¡¸Ah¨D¡¹, and Katley didn¡¯t miss it.

    ¡¸Is that so? That¡¯s too bad¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    ¡¸Why would Nilfe apologize?¡¹

    ¡¸Because her opponent is grandfather¡¯s disciple¡­¡¹

    Nilfe bowed her head, looking like she was about to cry, but Fran stopped her.

    ¡¸Nilfe has nothing to do with this. It is their problem alone¡¹

    ¡¸Is that, so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Thank you very much¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Seemed relieved, Nilfe smiled at her. Fran didn¡¯t quite understand, but it seemed that she had been through a lot.

    Just being the lineage of a famous person must have attracted a lot of attention and unreasonableints.

    It¡¯s not surprising that a person like Dimitris, who doesn¡¯t bother to conceal hisck of respect for others, would be resented by many people. That resentment has been turned to her simply because she is his granddaughter. The fact that she immediately expressed her apologies just now suggests that she must have gone through a lot of hardship.

    ¡¸Mdy¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, Michael¡¹

    Michael gently offers a handkerchief to the teary-eyed Nilfe. How dependable of you, Michael!

    However, Fran is wary of Michael. She noticed that he has been ncing at us on asion. He¡¯s probably just holding a grudge about Colbert, just like Hilt.

    I didn¡¯t feel any strong hostility, but he had been watching us with a watchful eye. It was an eye looking for weaknesses and gaps. We can¡¯t afford to let our guard down in this situation.

    ¡¸Ah! Oneesama! That person was one of the participants in the mainpetitionst year, wasn¡¯t she!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Charlotte¡¹

    Charlotte seemed to be participating in the tournament this year as well. Her rank as an adventurer is the same as Judith and her party member. but her fighting style is more suitable for martial artspetitionspared to Lydia and Maia. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll make it to the top again this year.

    Even now, on top of the arena, no one could catch her dancing movements and she kept defeating them one after another. Moreover, when I appraised her, I found that she was much stronger thanst year.

    In addition to the fact that her level has increased, her job has also changed. Last year, she was a Combat Dancer, but now she is a Combat Fighter. Her unique skill set includes the Dance of Trance, and she has even acquired another special skill.

    Last year, she lost because of herck of offensive power against Elsa. It seemed that she had taken measures to counter that this year.

    Anyway, should we gofort the Scarlet Maiden for now? They seemed to be very confident this year and cried a bit after losing.

    I also want to greet Charlotte too.

    Well then, let¡¯s see what kind of contestants we¡¯ll meet this year, shall we?

 Chapter 697

    <h4>Chapter 697</h4>

    The Qualifying Round

    Tranted by Tods

    Edited by NotEdited

    The day after we watched the qualifying round.

    ¡ºThe matchups have been announced, and well¡­ It looks like we matched up against someone we know right from the start¡»

    (¡­Who?)

    ¡ºWell, I knew you wouldn¡¯t remember¡»

    We couldn¡¯t wait for the news to reach the inn, so we came to check the matchup table posted in front of the arena.

    The names of the 64 participants in the main round are written on this board. The table is divided into four blocks with 16 names each that willpete to get into the semifinal, and Fran¡¯s name is written at the very top of the first block.

    That is because we are ced under the ¡°Seed-A¡±. It seems that this ce was given to us because we ced thirdst year.

    Directly across our block, at ¡°Seed-B¡±, Diaz¡¯s name was written under it. Under our block, at ¡°Seed-C¡±, Hilt¡¯s name was there. And next to it, the ¡°Seed-D¡±, there¡¯s Fermus.

    This seeding is not based on adventurer¡¯s rank or prestige, but the previous year¡¯s rank seemed to have the highest priority. This meant that Fran, a B-ranked adventurer, was ranked above Diaz, Hilt, and other A-Ranked adventurers.

    It sure feels good to be in Seed-A.

    Fran seemed to feel the same way, looking at the tournament table with a shine in her eyes.

    (Master, my name is first on the table!)

    ¡ºYeah, this is going to attract a lot of attention. We can¡¯t afford to show them a bad fight¡»

    (Nn! Let¡¯s do our best)

    If all goes well, we¡¯ll meet Diaz in the semifinal and Hilt or Fermus in the final.

    ¡ºYour first match will be against Dufour¡»

    (¡­Who?)

    ¡ºThe one you trained in Barbra at Gamudo¡¯s request, remember?¡»

    Fran seems to have forgotten that he was one of the fledgling adventurers she met at the adventurer¡¯s guild in Barbra. At Gamudo¡¯s request, she broke their noses when they were getting too overconfident.

    Riddick, Naria, and Miguel formed a party and joined us in escorting a ship to the Beastman Kingdom and even trained them on the ship.

    She seemed to remember the three whom she had trained pretty well, but as for the others, her memory about them was quite limited.

    ¡ºHey, he was the strongest of all the novices back then, the phantom swordsman¡»

    (¡­Oh, there¡¯s someone like that too, maybe?)

    Even after I told her the details of his characteristics, she could only recall him vaguely. Well, even if he was a little strong, he was still at the level of a novice.

    I hope she¡¯ll remember you this time, Dufour-kun!

    ¡ºAfter that, our next most likely matchup is¨D¨D¡»

    (Mordred)

    Fran muttered in a cheerful tone.

    She seemed to remember this one.

    He is also a B-ranked adventurer who was with us when we escorted a ship to the Beastman Kingdom.

    He was the type of adventurer who excelled in more than just simplebat. Of course, his fighting skills were also top-notch. He was a master of spears and Molten Iron magic, and he used them skillfully.

    ¡ºSo Mordred¡¯s first-round opponent was Naria, huh¡»

    (Naria!)

    Naria, as I mentioned earlier, was the novice adventurer that Fran had trained for a short time. She was supposed to be a bow user, but to my surprise, she made it through the qualifying round.

    I don¡¯t think she was strong enough to beat Mordred after only one year though. Mordred would surely advance to the second round.

    ¡ºIf so, I wonder who will advance to the third round¡­¡»

    ¡¸Hmm¡¹

    I don¡¯t see another familiar name on the same block¡­ Oh, there¡¯s another!

    ¡ºThis Biscot, wasn¡¯t he the guy who was with Siby?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    It seems Fran didn¡¯t remember him. But, now that I take a closer look, Siby¡¯s name is on this block too!

    I never thought that Siby and herpanions, the (Suspected) spies of Raidos, would participate in the martial arts tournament. Are they not actually spies? Or do they just not give a damn about this?

    Moreover, Siby and Biscot¡¯s names are so close. Wouldn¡¯t it be bad for them to face each other?

    ¡ºIf I were to assume that Siby is going to win, we¡¯ll be facing her in the quarterfinals¡»

    (Nn. I¡¯m looking forward to it)

    As we were checking the tournament table, the people around us suddenly made a noise. It was the same reaction as when Fran appeared here.

    Did some famous adventurer happen to show up?

    As we waited, a man came up to the tournament table. Well, no wonder they were surprised when they saw this guy.

    The man¡¯s head looked like that of an insect. It was as if a praying mantis head, which was as big as a human head, was mounted on top of a human body.

    With just one look at him, surely no one will ever forget his appearance.

    He seemed to be strong too. His movements were wless, showing that he was a high-ranking warrior. He was probably on par with Colbert at the very least.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ My name¨D¡­¡¹

    I had imagined a voice that sounded more gritty, but his voice sounded surprisingly normal and human.

    No, his voice would rather be in the cool category. His voice is exactly like that of a handsome voice actor.

    The way he muffled the sound of his footsteps, the way he paid attention to his surrounding, made me think that he was a first-rate warrior. He doesn¡¯t seem to be carrying any weapons, is he using his bare hands? Or could he transform his arm into a scythe or something?

    Anyway, it seems that there will be apetent participant that Fran will be a little excited about.

    ¡¸Who is that guy?¡¹

    ¡¸There aren¡¯t any half-insect kin adventurers in this town, are there?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s someone from outside then? He looks strong¡¹

    ¡¸You think so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, he has pretty good movement¡¹

    It seemed that the adventurers around did not know this man. He¡¯s probably from another city or country then.

 Chapter 698

    As we watched the mantis man checking the tournament table, his head suddenly turned to us.

    The sight of him turning his head was quite horrifying.

    I readied myself to activate telekinesis at any time. But what the mantis man said next was something that I didn¡¯t expect.

    ¡¸Could it be, you¡¯re the ck Heavenly Tiger, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! I knew it, my friends in the royal capital said that they were indebted to you¡¹

    The royal capital? Half-insect kin in the royal capital means¨D¨D

    ¡ºHe¡¯s Eliante¡¯s acquaintance?¡»

    Eliante was the guild master of the adventurer¡¯s guild in the royal capital of the Kingdom of Kranzel, she was a half-insect spider kin. She was also acquainted with the members of the Antennae and Shells, a mercenary group that she used to belong to.

    This mercenary group is an unusual group of mercenaries made up entirely of half-insect kin.

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re, Eliante¡¯s acquaintance?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right!¡¹

    The mantis man let out a happy voice when Fran mentioned Eliante¡¯s name. Well, I can¡¯t really read the expression on this guy¡¯s face though, I can only guess from his voice.

    ¡¸It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I am the leader of the mercenary group called ¡ºAntennae and Shells¡»; my name is Neidhart¡¹

    Neidhart bows politely. Despite his mantis-like appearance, he is quite refined.

    ¡¸You¡¯re the leader?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Well, there were no other members who would do it, and they just forced me to be the leader¡¹

    Even though he said that, I could sense a kind of presence in Neidhart that was befitting of someone who stood above others.

    It may have been his own humble way of saying it, or the fact that the other members of the group were not good at leading, but even without that, Neidhart looked very suitable as the leader of the group.

    ¡¸I¡¯d heard you¡¯re a lovely youngdy, but you were even more lovely than the rumors said¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Excuse me. That was rude of me¡¹

    Even though it is an impolite line, it doesn¡¯t feel unpleasant at all. I guess it¡¯s because his attitude is that of a gentleman.

    ¡¸Thank you for helping my friends. Please let me know if you ever need any help. Never leave a friend behind, always return the favor. That¡¯s our principle¡¹

    What a nice guy! He¡¯s so nice in both personality and manners!

    ¡¸They helped me a lot too. We¡¯re even¡¹

    ¡¸Please don¡¯t say that, I heard you¡¯ve saved my friends¡¯ very life. I really do feel grateful, so please don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you need our help¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡¹

    ¡¸That said, I won¡¯t go easy on you if we were to meet in the tournament, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Just as I hoped¡¹

    Fran smiled at Neidhart¡¯s words. She seemed to get a kick out of imagining how strong Neidhart was.

    He¡¯s in the same block with Fermus and Elsa. So, in order to meet Fran, he would have to make it to the final and defeat them first.

    ¡¸¡­Is everyone else here?¡¹

    ¡¸Robin and the others are still in the royal capital helping Eliante. It¡¯s about time for us to move on to the next battleground though¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t Neidhart the leader?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, are you wondering why I¡¯m the only one here?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m here to recruit new members¡¹

    It seems that Neidhart¡¯s goal is to draw attention to himself by participating in the tournament and attract the interest of the half-insect kin to join his mercenary group.

    His mercenary group consists of only half-insect kin. It¡¯s not that it was exclusive to half-insect kin only, but their purpose is to help each other by gathering together with other half-insect kin, who are often looked at as odd in society.

    They are treated less favorably if their characteristics were a lot different from that of humans. There is half-insect kin who have been persecuted and have developed a strong fear of other species because of their strong insect-like characteristics.

    For such people, a mercenary group of only half-insect kin could be a safe haven.

    That¡¯s the reason why they prefer to not wee other races such as humans, elves, dwarves, etc. into the group, and stick with a group of only half-insect kin.

    However, there is not many half-insect kin who have strong traits of their roots. Even if they wanted to increase their numbers, they were not able to find good people.

    ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been searching for talent in various ces. I think it¡¯s a good idea to participate in this tournament, because if I do well, I¡¯ll catch the attention of a lot of half-insect kin¡¹

    Neidhart¡¯s participation in this martial arts tournament would certainly be a hot topic. If the story of their mercenary group were to spread along with it, there would surely be people who wanted to join the group.

    ¡¸I see¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-dono too, if you meet any half-insect kin on your traves, please advertise us¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. If you ever meet any ck cat kin, I¡¯d like you to tell them about our evolution too¡¹

    ¡¸Very well then, let¡¯s help each other¡¹

    Neidhart should know quite a bit about the ck cat people. That¡¯s why, he should know about their evolution conditions.

    This is probably because such information can be used as a weapon for a mercenary group.

    ¡¸Oh, right, one piece of advice¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that there are people who were investigating you. I don¡¯t know who they are, but I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re not adventurers¡¹

    ¡¸Are they gathering information for the tournament?¡¹

    ¡¸It may be, but at this time of the year, a lot of people enter this town. As a famous person, you might have created resentment without knowing it, so you¡¯d better be careful¡¹

    ¡¸I understand. Thank you for telling me¡¹

    ¡¸Not at all. Very well then, let¡¯s meet again sometime¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    After giving a bow, Neidhart left the scene.

    ¡ºPeople who were investigating Fran, huh¡»

    (Enemy?)

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know. It¡¯s also possible that they¡¯re just looking for information on famous adventurers¡»

    Urushi is still away for surveince. It looks like we¡¯ll need to be more careful from now on.

 Chapter 699

    ¡ºFran, how¡¯s your condition?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, all good¡¹

    ¡ºGood. How about you, Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi replied with a cheerful voice from within the shadows.

    Urushi has returned to us today. Now that Siby and herpanion were also participating in the tournament, it be easier to monitor them. The adventurer¡¯s guild must have decided to relieve Urushi from his post as his master was also participating.

    Fran nodded at my words with her usual expression. She seems to be somewhat excited, but not as excited as I think she would be.

    But, well, I think she should be able to remain calm and fully demonstrate her abilities in this state.

    Her bearing did not change as she walked through the corridor and was showered with loud cheers from therge crowds.

    It seems she had gotten used to the cheers afterst year¡¯s experience.

    As expected of Fran, she is so dependable.

    In contrast to Fran, the young man standing on the other side of the arena looked somewhat flustered.

    ¡¸C-calm down, me¡­¡¹

    It was the Phantom Swordsman, Dufour. He¡¯ll be Fran¡¯s opponent in the first round of the martial arts tournament.

    His job is still that of a phantom swordsman, but he looked much more skilled than thest time we saw him. His status and skills have be more developed too.

    However, I guess he is not used to fighting in front of arge crowd. He was clearly a bit intimidated under the gaze of more than ten thousand people.

    But with Fran in his sights, he seemed to have flipped a switch.

    The face of the young man who had been looking around at the crowd with an uneasy look changed into that of a warrior. Well, he still looks a little pale though.

    ¡¸S-so you¡¯vee!¡¹

    His voice is so hoarse. Maybe it wasn¡¯t the crowd that made him pale, but his fear of Fran?

    Come to think of it, thest time we saw him, Fran gave him a pretty bad experience. Maybe he was remembering that time. And now, the very same person was his first opponent.

    No wonder he was so frightened.

    ¡¸It¡¯s certainly been a while, isn¡¯t it!? T-today won¡¯t be likest time!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, just reply with a nod for now¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    It would be a pity if Fran were to reply with a ¡°Who?¡± when Dufour is courageously putting up a brave front after all.

    ¡ºNow, here we go! It¡¯s that time of year again! The Ulmut Martial Arts Tournament! Starting with the first round, heree the seeded participants!¡»

    It¡¯s been a year since I¡¯ve heard this kind ofmentary. He spoke as fast as ever, introducing the participants to the audience without pausing.

    ¡ºLast year, she beat all the other strongpetitors and came in an impressive third ce! The incredible beastman girl who set the record for the youngest winner! She¡¯s not a dark horse this year, she¡¯s the number one seed and the favorite to win! The ck Lightning Princess, Fraaan!¡»

    Immediately after the introduction, an explosion of cheers rained down on Fran. It was as if an idol or the like had just appeared on the stage, and the cheers were even mixed with shrill voices.

    It seemed that Fran was much more well known and popr than I had imagined.

    Well, it has only been a year sincest year¡¯s martial arts tournament in which Fran performed well. I¡¯m sure many people still remember Fran.

    The cheers showed support and encouragement for the participants.

    ¡ºI can¡¯t wait to see what kind of amazing fights we¡¯ll see this year!¡»

    Fran stood calmly as she was used to, but Dufour was visibly dismayed. He seemed to have remembered that he was being watched by a lot of people.

    ¡ºOn the other side, making his first appearance in the main tournament this year! The D-Ranked adventurer, Dufour! He may be young, but don¡¯t underestimate him! He¡¯s a formidable participant who made it through the preliminary round unscathed with his skillful swordsmanship!¡»

    The audience roared at thementary. However, the cheers were far less than at Fran¡¯s, as a clear indication of the poprity of the two.

    The spectators are being too obvious! It¡¯s good manners to apud for both sides, you know!?

    But it seems that DuFour is so nervous that he ispletely unaware of such things. With a slightly awkward movement, he draws his sword and readied it.

    Well, it was his first time in this tournament. It also seems that the crowd were much bigger than he had expected. And his opponent was the terrifying ck Lightning Princess. I have to admit that I felt sorry for him.

    Even so, I appreciate the fact that he doesn¡¯t lose his will to fight. Well, Fran doesn¡¯t seem to be aware of it at all though.

    ¡¸? What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸I-it¡¯s nothing!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmm¡¹

    Fran, which has no word called ¡°nervous¡± in her dictionary, couldn¡¯t understand why his movement was bad.

    Fran followed Dufour¡¯s lead and drew me out. Seeing this, his eyes twitched slightly. He¡¯s clearly afraid of me.

    The calm face of Fran and the pale face of Dufour face each other in the center of the arena. Just from the contrast between them, it is easy to see who has the upper hand.

    And then, it¡¯s finally time for the battle to begin.

    ¡ºWell then¨D¨DLet¡¯s begin!¡»

    ¡¸Ooohh!¡¹

    Immediately after the signal was given, Dufour rushed in at once. What he unleashed was a horizontal strike with all his might. And as expected, he hid the de with his skill, the phantom sword.

    He wanted to strike before Fran did. But his opponent was simply too skilled. Fran could see the invisible trajectory of the sword by the sound, and she bent down to pass under it.

    ¡¸Impossible¨D¨Dgha!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s fist went straight into his belly, and digs into his guts. With that one shot, Dufour¡¯s legs lost their footing and his body copsed.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve grown a lot. But you¡¯re not close enough to get to me yet¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Damn, it¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Your opponent could read your movements if you don¡¯t mask your gaze. Also, there¡¯s still problem with your movement too¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    It seemed that seeing his phantom sword had finally reminded her of Dufour.

    But I don¡¯t think Dufour is listening. Because he¡¯s alreadypletely unconscious.

    ¡ºWhat a stunning performance! It¡¯s all over in just five seconds! Many of you seemed to have missed it! Well, it looks like we¡¯ll have to keep our eyes on the ck Lighting Princess this year too!¡»

 Chapter 700

    ¡ºWe won the first round!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After winning against Dufour, Fran went straight to the spectator seats.

    The fight was over in an instant, but Fran looked satisfied. Though the same happens inst year¡¯s tournament too, I guess winning is always a happy thing.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s celebrate our first-round victory. We¡¯re going to have a big party tonight!¡»

    ¡¸Curry?¡¹

    ¡ºOu. Let¡¯s also add menchi katsu (ground meat cutlet) and an extrarge fried egg¡»

    ¡¸Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) too!¡¹

    ¡ºAll right. I¡¯ll put a pile of tonkatsu too¡»

    ¡¸Ooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    At Fran¡¯s feet, Urushi pokes his head out of the shadows to show that he¡¯s there too. It is like having a wolf¡¯s head between Fran¡¯s legs.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll make plenty for you too, so just keep your head down!¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡¹

    As we walked, I saw a man standing across the corridor, a disheveled man in his forties.

    Immediately after seeing Fran, he opens his mouth and speaks in an arrogant tone.

    ¡¸You¡¯re, the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. You really are a child, aren¡¯t you¨D¨D¡¹

    Fran nodded in response to the man¡¯s question, but walked straight past him without stopping at all. For some reason, the man seemed to have assumed that Fran would stop, and he called out to her in a panic.

    ¡¸W-wait!¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t, the next match is starting¡¹

    Well, the next match between Mordred and Naria was the match to decide who would be our next opponent after all. She really wanted to watch the match to get some information about them.

    Of course, there was no time to talk to a suspicious person who would not even identify himself.

    Fran would have been distracted by him if he had been a strong person. But the man was just a small fry with little fighting ability.

    I¡¯ve appraised him, and he¡¯s quite weak. He has some fighting skills, but his status was so low.

    But he has a type of skills for threats and negotiation, so he is probably good at intimidating others with words and negotiating in a threatening manner.

    Well, that kind of skill won¡¯t work on Fran though.

    ¡¸Hey, wait! I am¨D¨D¡¹

    The man was about to say something, but Fran elerated quickly and left him behind. She didn¡¯t slow down at all as she kicked the wall at the turn, slipped past the surprised passersby, and arrived at the special viewing area in no time.

    ¡ºFran, you¡¯ve gone too far¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºHa~h. Anyway, what was that guy doing back there?¡»

    I think he was intentionally waiting for Fran. Was he a messenger from somewhere?

    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter. More importantly, the match¡¹

    ¡ºCan¡¯t be helped then¡»

    We can¡¯t pretend that we didn¡¯t ignore him, but his attitude and timing was quite bad. Well, we¡¯ll just say that if someone were toin.

    ¡ºThe match is starting¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Just in time¡¹

    When Fran appeared, the people in the special viewing area made a slight noise. This was supposed to be the officials¡¯ seats, but it seemed that many of them had never seen Fran up close before.

    However, no one was trying to force Fran to talk to them. I guess they know their manners.

    On the contrary, people even try to give up their seats for her.

    ¡¸You can sit here. You want to see your opponent, don¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸You sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, well, My daughter is a fan of yours. She¡¯ll be jealous when I tell her I gave up my seat for you¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡¹

    It seems the bard¡¯s influence was evident even in this ce.

    We took him up on his offer and sat down, just in time. On the field below, Mordred was just about to make his move.

    His opponent was Naria, a girl who uses a bow. She fires her bow in rapid session while retreating from Mordred, who is approaching at high speed.

    The fact that she had gained rapid-fire skill, which she did not have before, showed that she had improved her bow skills a lot.

    The bow, which is powerful enough to instantly kill a goblin, urately struck Mordred in the face.

    She was already holding several arrows in her hand as she pulled the string, and then fired them at high speed. Moreover, the aura arrows created by the archery technique are attacked with a slightly different trajectory from the main body of the arrow.

    This rapid-fire and archery skills must have helped her get through the battle royal in the preliminary round.

    Fran nodded admiringly as she watched Naria, who had been her student for a short time, grow.

    ¡¸Naria is doing her best¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡»

    She must have continued her painstaking training after arriving in the beastman country. The results are clearly evident.

    But even so, she could not reach Mordred.

    ¡¸Spear Technique?Spiral Guard¡¹

    ¡¸Wha! You can do that!?¡¹

    He spun his spear around in his hand and flicked all the arrows away without any difficulty. In addition, he immediately approached Naria without dy. She was already at Mordred¡¯s range.

    Naria and Mordred, they had been together on the ship to the beastman kingdom, and he was a famous B-Ranked adventurer to begin with.

    She knows that she was no match for him in closebat.

    But Naria stepped in from where she was. She made it look like she was going to retreat even further, but instead, she leaned forward and lunged at Mordred as if she were going to attack.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Hou!?¡¹

    She threw her bow at Mordred and stopped his spear movement.

    Mordred seemed to have been caught off-guard as well. Naria had stepped over the distance that is generally considered to be the range of a spear, and had entered within his bosom.

    She held a dagger in her hand. She must have continued to train the dagger as Fran had instructed her on the ship.

    ¡¸Haaa!¡¹

    Naria¡¯s dagger was thrust into Mordred¡¯s stomach. The de is buried in Mordred, all the way to the base¨D¨Dor so it seems.

    But Naria looks vexed.

    ¡¸Molten Iron Magic¡­.¡¹

    Mordred had used his molten iron magic to melt the de of Naria¡¯s dagger.

    ¡¸That was a good fight¡¹

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    Mordred then struck his spear on Naria¡¯s head, and reaped her consciousness.

    ¡ºAs I expected, Mordred would be our next opponent¡»

    ¡¸Nn. He¡¯s skillful¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I didn¡¯t even realize when he chanted his molten iron spell¡»

    He must have been chanting molten iron magic beforehand in preparation for closebat. His caution and his ability to hide his chanting from the others. And the skill to dy the magic even during a fierce battle.

    Skillful is exactly the right word to describe this guy.

 Chapter 701

    ?[It was a good fight]

    [Sensei! You''re here?]

    [Nn]

    After witnessing Mordred''s victory, Fran went straight to the waiting room where Naria was waiting.

    I think it''s not usually this easy to get this kind of information, but when Fran asked the officials, they promptly told her where Naria is. The promptness of their response made me worry that their information management might be a little too sloppy.

    Well, I guess it''s because Fran is a celebrity. This would be impossible on earth, but here, depending on one''s rank, poprity, and status, even ck can be white.

    Well, at the very least, we have no n to abuse this privilege.

    Familiar faces were gathered in Naria''s waiting room.

    Miguel, the great sword user, and Riddick, the spear user, who had received Fran''s training on the ship with Naria, areforting Naria. They apparently lost in the preliminary round.

    [The main battle was just like a monster''s den...]

    The tournament is a ce where skilled people from all over the country gather after all. In addition to the famous ones, there are also those unknown strong participants]

    The female swordsman who beat me was just like that. She was sleeping outside the venue when I first saw her. With her conspicuous red hair, I can''t believe she''s a nobody...]

    The three of them slumped their shoulders while letting out a sigh. But, a female swordsman with conspicuous red hair, huh?

    What was the name of the one who defeated Miguel?]

    [Eh? Umm, I can''t quite remember. What I remember is that she''s a red-haired swordsman with an oddly imposing air about her]

    It''s probably Siby. So, her choice of weapon is a sword, huh?

    Fran likes to fight strong opponents, but she tends to get more fired up when she is up against a swordsman, which is just like her. She was probably thrilled to find out that Siby''s weapon of choice was a sword.

    In fact, a faint smile has appeared on her face.

    [Okay, I''m going back to the spectator area]

    [Ah, Thank you foring!]

    [Nn. What are you guys going to do now?

    [I think I''ll be joining with Dufour and the others and go to the dungeon... I''ll have to train more for next year''s tournament

    [Nn. Do your best

    [Yes!]

    Naria was depressed, but she doesn''t seem to be discouraged.

    I think she realizes that, even if only for a moment, her strategy worked against someone stronger than her like Mordred. Even from my point of view, it was a good fight

    For instance, what if her dagger was a magic sword? It might have withstood Mordred''s molten iron magic. If that had happened, the battle would have been prolonged a little longer.

    Or at the very least, it would have given her time to pull out of the bad situation.

    To the ordinary observer, it may only add a few more seconds for her to lose. It would look like a lower-ranked person struggling in vain.

    But it''s a great chance for Naria. What if she had grown more and gotten some sort of special move? Those few seconds could make a big difference in determining the oue of the battle.

    I''m sure it made her realize that her training was not in vain.

    When I looked at her face as we left, I saw that she was already smiling. It looked just like Fran''s face when she said she wanted to train. [Do your best]

    [?]

    [Ah, it''s nothing. I just thought that Fran''s students would work harder next time

    [Nn. Naria''s doing her best. She''ll do better next time]

    [Yeah]

    When we were about to return to the spectator area, we saw a familiar man approaching us with an angry look on his face. [Oi! You!]

    He approaches us with an angry voice and an annoyed look on his face. Well, it was the ill-mannered fat guy from earlier.

    [How rude of you to ignore me! But in the first ce, there is no way that this kid is strong. I knew I couldn''t rely on those adventurers'' gossip!]

    Well, whatever. You shall rejoice!]

    [?]

    [The king of my country is going to make you a knight and use you! It is unheard of for an adventurer to be a knight of our glorious country!]

    Is this a solicitation from some country? Well, I don''t know if I can call this a solicitation though. After all, I don''t think they really want Fran to be a knight, and this guy is just deliberately trying to be rude and piss us off.

    I wonder what''s his reason for doing this.

    [But since we''re going to make a knight out of a mere adventurer, we''ll have to give you a test! First, we''ll have youplete a mission from us, and if you seed, we''ll make you a knight of our country, and then

    [I decline. I don''t have any intention of bing a knight]

    [W-what? Did I hear you wrong? Oi, I''m offering to make you a knight, you know? You should be grateful and kneel before me!]

    [Are you stupid? Bing a knight of a country with people like you? I''d rather die]

    [F-for a mere beastman adventurer like you to say that..!]

    This guy... I don''t know what he''s after, but he''s made an enemy of Fran in an instant. Fran, who had been mocked for her identity as an adventurer and a beastman at the same time, red at the man with an angry expression.

    Then the man who had been hit by the unrestrained anger fell into panic.

    He seemed to be the type of person who talks more when he feels fear. I guess this is what they mean with "the weaker the dog, the more it barks". He began to scream in an unpleasant voice, wetting his pants and the floor with his leak

    [W-wh-what''s with that attitude of yours! I am a member of the royal family of the glorious Kingdom of Shallus! I am Viscount Emmert! You animal! You''ve been acting all high and mighty for a while now! Get down! Get down on your knees and lick my feet or I''ll kill you! I''ll definitely kill you!

    [Let''s shut him up for now]

    [Nn]

    I used wind magic to block out the sound. He seems to have lost hisposure, so I don''t think he will run away.

    The only problem is, there''s no lie in his words... So, it looks like he really is a viscount of the Kingdom of Shallus.

    While I was wondering what to do with this leaking Viscount, I saw a figure running from across the hallway, he looked to be in his thirties. And when he saw Viscount Emmert, he had a desperate look on his face.

    [V-Viscount Emmert...!]

    Damn, he''s with one of his men? We''re in a lot of trouble for making a scene here... I braced myself with caution, but what he did next was something that I didn''t expect.

    [B-ck Lighting Princess-sama!? We''re really sorry!]

    The man, who seemed to be one of the Viscount''s men, quickly got down on his knees in front of Fran.

 Chapter 702

    ¡¸We¡¯re really sorry!¡¹

    The man who seemed to be a nobleman, rubbed his head on the floor and begged for forgiveness next to Viscount Emmert, who hadshed out at Fran and leaked his pants at the mere intimidation

    ¡¸My name is Lerian Chart. I am a Count of the Kingdom of Shallus!¡¹

    ¡ºSo he really is a nobleman¡­ However, the Kingdom of Shallus?¡»

    ¡¶It is a small country located on the coast of the southern part of the Kingdom of Kranzel. It produces several kinds of ore, but most of it is exported to other countries and used to import food¡·

    Ooh, as expected of Announcer-san!

    ¡ºSo, it¡¯s a typical weak country with low national power huh?¡»

    ¡¶Yes. Due to the small amount of tnd and the damage caused by salt, the country¡¯s self-sufficiency in food is low and food imports are putting a lot of pressure on their national budget¡·

    Well, their ore was inedible after all. It seems that food-producing countries are taking advantage of this too.

    ¡ºDo you think he may be plotting something?¡»

    ¡¶Not enough information to answer that¡·

    While I was exchanging information with Announcer-san, Count Chart continued to apologize, or should I say, making excuses.

    ¡¸I apologize for the rudeness of this dimwit from my country. I don¡¯t know what he had said, but my country has nothing to do with what this man said! It¡¯s all just his nonsense and his own responsibility!¡¹

    ¡ºUwaah¡­ He ditched Emmert in one breath¡»

    ¡¸What does this man have to do with your country?¡¹

    ¡¸H-he is not a man who should have the authority to be in a ce like this. Even in my country, he is considered to be a scum, or should I say, trash¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then, how can someone like him be a messenger?¡¹

    ¡¸W-well¡­ It might be because of a slight blunder on His Majesty the new King¡¯s part¡­ After all, this me doesn¡¯t need an adjutant like him either¡­¡¹

    In other words, he¡¯s not usually the kind of man to be given such important positions, but for some reason, this time he was given the role of a messenger to Fran? Did he bribe the king or something?

    He did mention a new king before, so there¡¯s a possibility that it was because their country¡¯s policy has suddenly changed.

    Count Chart must have known how stupid Emmert was. That must be the reason why he decided to put all the me on the Viscount for causing problems outside the country.

    Or perhaps, the reason why a piece of shit like Emmert is kept alive is to make him a sort of sacrifice to put the me on when something goes wrong.

    After all, this guy is clearly lusting over something. Maybe they deliberately let him do this to make it easier to push the me on him.

    He can¡¯t pretend that his remarks didn¡¯t happen, but he can at least save his neck by putting all the me on Emmert.

    But I guess, he never expected the situation to go out of control like this.

    ¡¸He said he was going to make me a knight. He even imed that it was the word of the King¡¹

    ¡¸I-it must be a figure of speech¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸It is true that our king has taken an interest in you! And I¡¯m sure he wants to make you a knight! But I was going to give up if you refused, and I have no intention of forcing you to be a knight!¡¹

    Thest part, the part where he said that he would give up if Fran refused was a lie. But he¡¯s not lying about the part where he said that they won¡¯t force Fran to be a knight.

    Originally, he must have nned to contact us again and again to have further discussions.

    But it seems that Viscount Emmert, who was still sitting on his leak, got ahead of him and ruined it.

    It seems they¡¯re not plotting on some conspiracies or something and this was just a forceful solicitation¡­

    This is exactly when we have to use ¡°that¡±.

    ¡ºFran, show them ¡°that¡±¡»

    (¡°That¡±?)

    ¡ºI mean the medal we got from the Beastman Country¡»

    (Ooh, I see)

    We¡¯ve been told that we can use this medal in this kind of situation. This is exactly when we have to make full use of it!

    Fran then took out a golden medal from her dimensional storage and held it up high just like when lord Mito¡¯s escort shows up his family emblem.

    (TLN: Ref. Mito Komon, see TLN in ch593 for more detail)

    I even give Fran a line to say.

    ¡¸Can¡¯t you see this medal!?¡¹

    ¡¸T-that¡¯s¡­¡¹

    Umu, I¡¯m satisfied.

    Nevertheless, it seemed that Count Chart knew about the Golden Beast Fang Medal. The moment he saw the medal, he looked even paler than before.

    ¡¸You know what¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-yes¨D!¡¹

    He was already on his knees, so he couldn¡¯t lower his head any further, but he was still desperately rubbing his head on the floor.

    But isn¡¯t he overreacting? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re some sort of important figure in the Beastman Country¡­

    Well, for a weak country like their, arge country like the Beastman country is not something to be made enemy of. Besides, they¡¯ve just made a blunder. No matter what we say, he¡¯s still trying to get down on his knees.

    This should be enough to scare them off.

    ¡¸Can I go now?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! We¡¯re really sorry for the trouble we¡¯ve caused!¡¹

    Count Chart stayed in a kneeling position until the end, and then he sent Fran off. I also lifted the wind barrier to silence Viscount Emmert from earlier, and an ugly scream could be heard along the hallway, but I¡¯m sure Count Chart would do something about him. Or rather, he should!

    ¡ºWell, they won¡¯t being back with this¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡¹

    ¡ºWe should report this to the adventurer¡¯s guild though. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll do something to prevent something like this¡»

    After all, for someone as popr as Fran, this kind of thing might continue to happen in the future¡­

    It has been a bit of a mess, but we made it back to our seats in time for the match we wanted to see.

    ¡ºNext up is the match between Biscot and Dimitris¡¯ disciple. And there¡¯s Siby match today too¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m looking forward to it¡¹

 Chapter 703

    ?

    The man who was with Siby, Biscot, was also quite a warrior himself.

    From his tall, heavily muscled body, he must be quite a power fighter.

    I appraised Biscot, which had appeared in the arena. However, the appraisal did not work properly. It seemed that he was still using a device to disguise his true status.

    [That''s quite arge shield]

    [Is he a shield user? I can sense a lot of magic power from it

    [Nn. It looks sturdy too]

    Biscot''s most conspicuous equipment is his tower shield. It was so huge that it couldpletely hide his huge body if he bent down slightly. It was probably quite thick as well.

    His weapon was a long-handled sledgehammer. At the end of the nearly two-meter long handle is a huge iron head that looks like it weighs hundreds of pounds.

    Protection with a shield and a killing blow with a hammer. In a sense, it''s the basic equipment for a shield user. Well, both the shield and the hammer are of a non-standard size though.

    No ordinary person would even be able to lift either of them. The strength of his muscles must have been tremendous, because he could carry such heavy equipment with one hand.

    I think, only high ranked adventurers should be able to achieve the same feat.

    His equipment would certainly be useful against magic beast, but would it be effective against human? Human opponents are nimble and much quicker after all.

    We''ll see how he handles this

    [Nn]

    [On the other hand, Dimitris'' disciple is... he''s only wearing a hand armor?]

    [He looks strong

    Well, he''s someone that had Dimitris'' approval to participate after all

    His name was Zelt, a young man with short ck hair and a stern face. To be frank, he looks like a gori. That said, I''m sure he''s strong. I also heard that he has mastered the Dimitris style up to the sixth stage. Well then, I wonder what kind of battle we''ll see. They bowed gracefully to each other, and the match began. Fran and I were both excited to see it, and the match was as intense and fast-paced as we had anticipated. Zelt was the one who make the first move.

    [Here Ie, Shield user-dono!]

    [So fast!]

    Just as we had predicted, Zelt used his agility to his advantage and toyed with Biscot. He ducked into a blind spot and tried to break Biscot''s stance with a swift move.

    However, Biscot''s defense was more solid than I had imagined. He could turn around incredibly quickly and block all of Zelt''s attacks with his shield. Even so, I think he had been hit a few times too, but his stance did not waver at all

    On the contrary, Zelt soon showed signs of change. The frequency of his attacks had dropped slightly. And when I paid closer attention, I saw that bright red liquid was flowing down from the gap of his hand armor.

    It seems that Biscot was not only blocking him, but also dealing damage to his fist by lightly hitting it with his shield. It seems that the damage was done to the extent that the inside of his hand armor was damaged.

    Zelt''s expression twisted in frustration. I think it''s because almost all of his attacks had been seen through. Moreover, it was through a shield. This was more of a power difference than I thought. In the end, Biscot''s well-aimed counterattack on Zelt, who had little room to attack, ended the match in an anticlimactic ending

    It was a bigeback from what seemed to be a one-sided victory for Zelt in the first minutes. Witnessing this, the crowd cheered loudly. That solid defense is really troublesome

    [Nn!]

    Fran is looking at Biscot with a motivated face. I think she''s imagining how she would fight against an opponent like him.

    After that, we waited for Siby''s turn, but it didn''t give us any useful information at all because she defeated her opponent in an instant.

    [At least we have confirmed that she uses a sword

    [And she''s a speed-focused fighter]

    You''re right, she''s only wearing light armor and no shield after all

    Let''s look forward to the next match. It''s Siby Vs. Colbert next. Whoever wins, this will definitely be a good fight.

    After that, we headed to the adventurer''s guild. We were going to report about the messenger from the Kingdom of Shallus.

    Diaz and Elsa didn''t seem to be around, so Fran exined to the receptionist. But to our surprise, we got a surprising response about the matter. [It''s Kingdom of Shallus again, huh...?]

    [Again?]

    [Yes. Actually, the people from the Kingdom of Shallus have been causing problems for quite a while now

    What a surprise, it seems that the other top participants have been contacted by people from the Kingdom of Shallus as well. They seem to be recruiting famous participants without any proper procedures.

    The receptionist then sighed with a tired look on her face.

    [They''ve been causing a lot of problems for several people now...]

    [Why don''t we just decline the Kingdom of Shallus?]

    [It''s no use. It''s not like what they''re doing is illegal. Every country has been recruiting strong adventurers to their country after all]

    It seems that, at best, they could only tell them not to bother the tournament''s participants.

    [Still, they''re a bit weird, aren''t they?]

    [Weird?]

    [Yes. Their messengers'' attitude was so bad that I can''t help but think that they don''t want to seed in recruiting the participants]

    It seems that Viscount Emmert is not a special case, but all the messengers of the Kingdom of Shallus are like that. And when the adventurer gets angry, the next person or his cohorts will get down on their knees and apologize exaggeratedly.

    Having a nobleman from another country to get down on their knees, the adventurers would certainly find it difficult to remain angry any longer. Moreover, their ridiculous appearance would certainly make anyone feel bad.

    In the end, the talks ended in a stalemate, and the adventurers were left in anger.

    [In the first ce, the caliber of the people who im to be messengers of the country is too low. How can it be that all the people officially sent by a country are idiots, right?]

    [So, they are not actually from the Kingdom of Shallus?]

    Are they trying to ruin their reputation by pretending to be their messengers? However, when I checked them with my lie detection skill before, I was able to confirm that they are really the messengers of the Kingdom of Shallus.

    [...Is this some kind of conspiracy?]

    [We don''t know. We don''t see their point in doing this either, but... This matter has been overwhelming us. We also have to increase the number of security personnel. It would be a big mess if the participants attacked the nobles after all... Fran-sama too, please ignore them if they tried to contact you again

    [Nn]

    The Kingdom of Shallus, I wonder what they''re after?

 Chapter 704

    <h4>Chapter 704</h4>

    <h4>704: Powerful Opponents</h4>

    Today is the second day of the first round with the C and D blocks having their matches.

    ¡¸Hilt ising out.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We''re sitting in our special seats again today, spectating them.

    Fran is sitting in front of Urushi, hugging him from behind and resting her chin on his head, enjoying his fluffiness.

    ¡ºNow, what kind of match are we going to see here?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I appraise Hilt, as she appeared into the arena. She is strong as expected.

    Name: Hiltoria Age: 23

    Race: Human

    upation: Magic War Martial Artist

    Status Level: 61/99

    HP: 682 MP: 582 STR: 410 VIT: 262 AGI: 589 INT: 197 MAG: 366 DEX: 314

    Skills

    Foot Sense: Lv 4, Intimidation: Lv 6, Super Strength: Lv 6, Brawling Arts: Lv 3, Brawling Mastery: Lv 3, Crisis Sense: Lv 5, Holy Fist Arts: Lv 4, Holy Fist Mastery: Lv 6, Fist Arts: Lv Max, Fist Mastery: Lv Max, Hard Spirit: Lv 8, Hardened Qi: Lv Max, Leadership: Lv 6, Blink: Lv Max, Blink Step: Lv 3, Status Resistance Lv 5, Mental Resistance: Lv 5, Provocation: Lv 4, Throwing: Lv 4, Dimitris Style Martial Arts: Lv Max, Dimitris Style Mastery: Lv Max, Physical Barrier: Lv 6, Magic Resistance: Lv 6, Magic Perception: Lv 5, Magic Release: Lv 8, Drowsiness Resistance: Lv 5, Orc Killer, Kobold Killer, Gastronomy, Split Thinking, Energy Control

    Unique Skills

    Energy Outburst, Food Storage

    Innate Skills

    Magic Cloak Fist

    Title

    Orc Killer, Kobold Killer, Giant yer, Heir to the Dimitris School, Bludgeoner, Destroyer of Monsters, Rank A Adventurer

    Equipment

    Spiral Piercing Knuckles, Tenma[1] Silk Robe, Tenma Silk Garments, Water Dragon Bone Wargreaves, Bracelet of Magic Control, Pendant of Regeneration

    Her stats are strong, and so are her skills. Since her Dimitris Style is maxed out, she should be able to the use the same moves as Dimitris himself. I''m sure she''ll be able to use whatever secret arts the style has.

    It would be like a higher level version of the Colbert we foughtst year in his unsealed state.

    ¡ºIt would be nice to see a few Dimitris-style moves.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­No way.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡¶The probability that the individual name Hiltoria uses Dimitris style martial arts, 2%.¡·

    Not only Fran and Urushi, but even Announcer-san! Well, I agree too.

    Hilt''s opponent is arge adventurer with an axe. His face is stern and powerful. If he was walking through town, everyone would get out of his way.

    With that being said, he isn''t very strong. In fact, he''s pretty weak. No stronger than those of the three Scarlet Maidens.

    Since the preliminary matches arepletely random, it''s possible that a person with a weaker ability can be selected for the main tournament if he or she wins a block full of weak fighters.

    And the match ended as expected. Hilt''s jab, which was thrown as a feint, easily settled the match.

    Unable to even react to Hilt''s attack, the axeman copsed in a heap after taking a jab to the jaw. We couldn''t even have a glimpse of Hilt''s ability.

    ¡ºW- Well, I''m sure he''ll be a better opponent next time, so we''ll see what happens then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    As we continued to watch, I saw a friend of ours in the next match.

    ¡¸Ladur.¡¹

    Fran actually remembered his name, which is a rare urrence. He''s that old wizard from Ulmutt who had tea with Fran once. He''s C rank, but is as good as a B and was once in a party with Aurel apparently.

    I couldn''t watch his matchst year, but I''m pretty sure he was defeated by Cruz, who was supposed to be a lower ranked fighter. He was probably disoriented by his speed and was hit by a big move before he could do anything.

    He was a former court magician, so even though his magic level is high, his physical stats were quite low due to his old age.

    How about this year?

    I was a little worried while watching the match, but old Ladur was very strong. He said that he could usend, storm, and ocean magic, and he used them exquisitely.

    He didn''t use any powerful magic, but rather abination of simple spells.

    He usesnd magic to break his opponent''s foothold, shy ocean magic to draw his attention, and invisible storm magic to quietly attack.

    The enemy shieldman sank helplessly in the face of the various amounts of magic released without chanting.

    ¡ºHe might not be good with guys like Cruz that focus on speed and aim for big reckless damage, but he is pretty strong against a slow opponent.¡»

    ¡¸Ladur is amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Fran''s eyes were shining. He''s not a shy fighter, but he is a skilled one. I guess he has a simr style to Mordred, except he specializes in sorcery.

    In the final D block, there were quite a few fighters I know.

    First up was Elsa. His presence was as strong as ever, and carrying a huge mace so powerful that a child would have nightmares about it.

    He was smiling as he took his opponent''s attacks and easily won the match with a only few attacks.

    Next on stage was Charlotte. A girl who specializes in a rather tricky style of fighting weilding an iron ring while dancing.

    She used the ring to capture her opponent''s spear and snatch it away from him, winning the match without much hesitation.

    Both of them were strong, but the impact of the next person was no less impressive. The mantis-headed half-insectkin Neidhart stood outpared to the rest.

    Although he was barehanded, he had smashed and destroyed a steel sword. There were screams when he fought back against the sword with his bare hands, but it was followed loud cheers the next moment.

    Name: Neidhart Age: 57

    Race: Half-Insectkin - Mantis

    upation: Twin Striker

    Status Level: 66/99

    HP: 897 MP: 214 STR: 588 VIT: 317 AGI: 612 INT: 138 MAG: 167 DEX: 433

    Skills

    Bad Eating: Lv 3, Sole Sense: Lv 4, Assassination: Lv 4, Stealth: Lv 4, Singing: Lv 3, Observation: Lv 4, Crisis Perception: Lv 8, Archery Arts: Lv 4, Archery Mastery: Lv 6, Critical Detection: Lv 4, Court Etiquette: Lv 2, Arithmetic: Lv 5, Perception: Lv 6, Presence Blocking: Lv 5, Sword Arts: Lv 5, Sword Mastery: Lv 5, Holy Fist Arts: Lv 3, Holy Fist Mastery: Lv 3, Fist Arts: Lv Max, Fist Mastery: Lv Max, Hard Spirit: Lv 4, Negotiation: Lv Max, Hard Power: Lv 3, Command: Lv 7, Instruction: Lv 4, Blink: Lv Max, Blink Walk: Lv 8, Silence Action: Lv 6, Status Resistance: Lv 7, Mental Resistance: Lv 3, Twin Sword Mastery: Lv Max, Farseeing: Lv 4, Fatigue Recovery: Lv 6, Magic Resistance: Lv 2, Magic Sense: Lv 3, Night Vision, Strengthen Legs, Leg Boost, Control Energy, Null Pain, Fortitude, Increase Agility

    Unique Skills

    Skanda[2]

    Innate Skills

    Sickle de, Twin Strike, Bugform

    Title

    Giant yer, King of Battlefield, Thousand yer, Twin Swordsman, Survivor of Loss, Hundred yer, Bug Bond

    Equipment

    Silver Dragon Twin Swords, Silver Dragon Scale Gauntlet, Cerberus Garment, Orihalcon Light Armor, Cerberus Wargreaves, Bracelet of Spirit Recovery, Anklet of Super Life Restoration

    He''s quite strong and also much older than the others. I thought he was in his twenties because he sounded like a handsome voice actor. I guess he''s been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and which exins his strength.

    He has some skills that we haven''t even seen yet, so I''m really excited to see him in a real fight.

    Felmus, thest one on the list, will bring out the best in Neidhart. He is a former rank A adventurer who fought with usst year in the match for third ce.

    His ever-changing strategy using threads really made us suffer and even now, he uses strings to block his opponent''s movements and his fists to settle the match. To the spectators, Felmus'' opponents seems to have suddenly stopped moving for no reason.

    Last time we managed to win the fight by overpowering him with hard hitting moves, but I am not sure if we''ll win the next time we fight.

    But Fran, Urushi and I have be much stronger since then and in the limited space of the arena, we would have a good chance to win.

    But if it everes to a death battle in an area like a forest, I am honestly not so sure.

    ¡ºIt doesn''t look like it''ll be easy to win again this year¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Bring it on!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºFirst up, we have to beat Mordred!¡»

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf-¡¹

    ===== (Author Note)

    My cold has gotten worse.

    Sorry about that. The next update will be on the 12th.

    Chapters not uploaded to novelupdates are unedited

    ===== (Trantion notes)

    [1] Tenma - Demon of the sixth heaven in the realm of desire who tries to prevent people from doing good

    [2] Skanda - A swift footed (really fast) guardian deity from Buddhism

 Chapter 705-full

    Chapter 705: Mordred Match Begins

    ¡ºWell, here we are! The second round of the tournament with a hot card ready from the first match! Our fighter is the B rank adventurer, Mordred! A seasoned fighter who is skilled in the use of spears and molten magic!¡»

    The cheers of the crowds erupted as per usual when Fran walked upon the stage.

    £¨Master. I''ll start by myself.£©

    ¡ºYeah, I know¡­ I won''t touch him until you ask me to or until we''re about to lose. Urushi, you okay with that?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    The tournament is a test for Fran. Just likest year, I''m going to leave it all to Fran until thest minute.

    ¡ºAgainst him is the strongest 13 year old who won the first round in a blink of an eye! What kind of fight will she show us in this match? You can''t take your eyes off her! Herees Fran, the hero of the ck Cats!¡»

    Fran and Mordred face each other in the centre, smiling confidently.

    ¡¸Long time no see.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I know it hasn''t been that long, but you''ve gotten a lot stronger.¡¹

    ¡¸You too.¡¹

    Fran was right. Mordred had be much stronger. It is not so much that he has acquired new powers, but rather that his overall level has improved.

    Name: Mordred Age: 43

    Race: Human

    upation: Skilled Magic Spearman

    Status Level: 47/99

    HP: 423 MP: 418

    STR: 217 VIT: 111 AGI: 237

    INT: 218 MAG: 222 DEX: 249

    Skills

    Concealment: Lv 5, Chant Shortening: Lv 5, Stealth: Lv 3, Evasion: Lv 3, Inferno Magic: Lv 2, Brawling: Lv 2, Crisis Sense: Lv 4, Fear Resistance: Lv 4, Collecting: Lv 3, Leadership: Lv 4, Shooting: Lv 4, Blink: Lv 7, Swimming: Lv 2, Petrification Resistance: Lv 2, Spear Arts: Lv Max, Spear Mastery: Lv Max, Holy Spear Arts: Lv3, Holy Spear Mastery: Lv4, Elemental Sword: Lv5, Heat Resistance: Lv6, Tracking: Lv2, Earth Magic: Lv8, Throwing: Lv3, Poison Resistance: Lv5, Fire Magic: Lv Max, Magic Sense: Lv5, Paralysis Resistance: Lv1, Molten Magic: Lv6, Trap Setting: Lv5, Energy Maniption, Sahagin Killer, Hawk Eye, Sense of Direction, Split Thinking, Magic Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Spellshroud

    Title

    Sahagin Killer, One who Overcame Death, Giant Killer, Pyromancer, Transcender of the Ordinary

    Equipment

    Adamantite Alloy Spear, Mithril Alloy Light Armor, Hard Magisteel Gauntlets, Water Demidragon Cloak, Cannon Tortoise Greaves, Bracelet of Abnormal Status Immunity, Magic Staff Ring, Warding Stone

    ¡¸Well yeah, I can''t let myself stay defeated by someone younger than me. I took a vacation for the first time in a long while and went to a monster den.¡¹

    ¡¸Monster den? Where did you go?¡¹

    Mordred was trying to y it cool, but Fran''s eyes lit up at the mention of the "monster den".

    Mordred gives a bitter smile at Fran''s sudden eagerness before the fight.

    ¡¸Well, I''ll let you know if you can beat me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Got it!¡¹

    Fran nods and awakens. This is one opponent she won''t be able to beat in her base form.

    ¡¸I''ll win.¡¹

    ¡¸You look excited.¡¹

    ¡ºA battle between B rankers! Will the cunning of the veteran prevail? Or will the young and energetic surpass him? This is a match you can''t miss!¡»

    And so the match began.

    Both fighters were quiet at the start.

    Fran started to use her footwork to move around the stage while holding me at the ready, while Mordred stood firm and watched Fran''s moves.

    Fran was looking for an opening she can jump into. But it was Mordred who made the first move.

    ¡¸If you aren''ting, then I''ll go first!¡¹

    He read that Fran was about to make a hasty move, and came forward at the perfect moment to catch her off guard.

    ¡¸Sh-!¡¹

    Mordred cleaves the spear horizontally while making a light feint using his eyes.

    It was a sharp blow, but Fran wasn''t fooled by such a feint and handled it calmly.

    She used me to catch Mordred''s horizontal cleave and used the momentum to get behind him. Or at least that was what Fran was trying to do, but¡­

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    Mordred''s spear bent with a jerk. An adamantite alloy spear. It would be impossible for such a light blow to even cause a scratch.

    ¡ºMolten magic!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    He didn''t seem to be chanting so he must have activated it earlier.

    The tip of the spear bent at the point where it made contact with me, aiming for Fran''s head. Fran quickly ducked and dodged, but Mordred had already moved on to his next action.

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Mwah!¡¹

    As soon as the spear, which was wrapped around me like a string, returned to its original stiffness, he pulled me to him with all his might. Not only did he pull me with force, but he also gave the spear a slight twist, so that Fran''s position would be slightly disrupted.

    At the same time, Mordred''s armor transformed into a hedgehog-like appearance.

    If Fran tries to hold on to me, the needles in his armor will skewer her, and if she lets go of me, she will lose her weapon. Either way, Mordred would have the advantage.

    This is what he''s been trying to do from the beginning. He seemed to have been preparing multiple molten spells while pretending to be wary of us.

    He is very skillful and hadpletely taken us by surprise.

    However, Fran''s ability to respond was not to be outdone.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa?¡¹

    Unexpectedly, Fran hit Mordred with her free left hand and right in his torso through the needles.

    He might have expected to be attacked in the face, but he certainly did not expect Fran to hit him with her bare hands in such a reckless ce.

    Fran''s fist was pierced by multiple needles, and arge amount of blood spurted out. However, Fran did not flinch at all and the fist went all the way through.

    Mordred grunts and backed up a few meters. He must have sensed that he was going to be severely damaged if he stayed where he was, so he flew back.

    He had not let go of his spear, but he was off his bnce and then, Fran came in. It was a change of attack and defense.

    Fran shakes off her left fist, which was still covered with blood, with a gesture as if she was stroking air causing arge amount of blood to stter onto Mordred''s face.

    She used the blood to blind Mordred but he calmly brushes it off with his cloak and backs away further.

    Fran, perhaps not expecting him to be unfazed, stops chasing and slows down.

    The distance between them is about the same as when we started.

    ¡¸You''re being reckless.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah? But you weren''t surprised at all.¡¹

    ¡¸Sometimes guys use blood as a weapon.¡¹

    Fran''s idea of a surprise attack was not so unusual for Mordred.

    ¡¸But like I thought, I''m at a disadvantage fighting face to face. I''ll give it my all right now rather than saving this for the finals.¡¹

    ¡¸No! I won''t let you!¡¹

    Mordred pulls something out of the bag at his waist. It''s a familiar potion. It must be Mordred''s trump card, used when we were together on a previous mission. A molten magic super-enhancement potion.

    At this tournament, recovery potions are forbidden, but magic potions are not. I didn''t quite understand what the difference was, but I heard that only the various types of recovery potions were forbidden in this tournament.

    That is to say, enhancement drugs and poisons are allowed. This may be because many contestants use them as a part of theirbat.

    This tournament isn''t a honorable practice duel to decide who is the strongest. This is apetition for adventurers to show whoes out on top with no holds barred.

    Fran tries to stop him with magic but it gets blocked when it reaches him. It was the effect of the warding stone, an item used to create a disposable barrier. He must have brought it for this asion.

    The well-prepared Mordred downed the potion and immediately afterwards, I could tell that his magic power increased several times over.

 Chapter 706-full

    Chapter 706: Experienced Matchup

    ¡¸This is the new trump card I''ve been preparing!¡¹

    Mordred turns the bag he removed from his waist upside down and shakes it gently. 10 Softball-sized metal balls fell out of the bagnding with a thud.

    They''re called magicontrol alloy balls ording to appraisal.

    Mordred holds up his spear as he lightly rolls the metal balls under his feet.

    ¡¸Spellshroud.¡¹

    Mordred muttered the name of his unique skill, and a reddish-ck coloured light rose from his body. It was molten magic.

    Is this like a full-body version of the Elemental Sword? Or does it have other abilities? I soon found out what it was capable of.

    ¡¸Vulcanus Order!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    The magic was activated before Fran''s astonished eyes. I''ve seen this trick before when he manipted a huge anchor to bind a kraken and water dragons. It''s a high-level molten magic spell that allows one to manipte metal within range at will.

    It used to require a long chant but he''s doing all that by just saying the name of the spell? The results of the pre-match appraisal showed that he didn''t even have any chant cancelling or chantless casting skills.

    Was this the effect of spellshroud?

    Metal balls started to dance wildly in front of us. He may not be serious yet, but they''re quite fast. Even in this state, they''ll probably break our bones if they were to hit us.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸I''m fully prepared for lightning magic!¡¹

    Before Fran was attacked, she released a lightning spell.

    In response, five metal balls went to protect Mordred like a shield causing Fran''s thunder spell to just bounce off and disappear as if it was blocked by an invisible wall.

    It seems that the magical power swirling around each ball acted as a barrier.

    ¡¸Get crushed!¡¹

    ¡¸Not happening.¡¹

    Fran was forced on the defensive. Mordred moved his hand lightly, and the metal spheres attacked Fran all at once.

    Some of them were straight, some of them were arcing, but all of them were moving in different ways. Because of all this, they were able to precisely drive Fran''s movements around the stage.

    He seems to have perfect control over the 10 metal balls.

    Fran quickly knocked away the metal spheres, but even that was within Mordred''s prediction. As soon as they hit me, the metal spheres deformed. I didn''t feel a clean cut but rather as if I had been hit with gtin.

    It''s the same as the spear from before. The ball of metal remained entangled on my de and wouldn''te off. Fran can handle the extra weight, but it still stops that part of the de from cutting.

    And that wasn''t the only problem.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    Fran shouted in surprise when I suddenly made a move of my own.

    ¡ºIt wasn''t me!¡»

    Yeah, it wasn''t me. The metal wrapped around the de was pulled in an unexpected direction by Mordred''s maniption.

    This caused one of the metal balls to collide with my de again, adding more weight to it.

    Moreover, I felt a tremendous sense of difort. It was as if I was being forced to use transmogrification against my will. Perhaps Mordred''s molten magic was having an effect on me through the metal ball.

    It seems that he can''t manipte me directly, but my concentration is being disturbed enough. I''ll have to be careful from now on when dealing with molten magicians.

    Fran managed to force me under her control, even though I wasn''t moving like she wanted me to. She''s able to keep dodging but her escape routes were gradually diminishing.

    While evading, she was pulled to the other side and lightly hit several times. Although they were only grazes, Fran must have judged that this would be dangerous if this continued.

    Fran moved forward, lowering herself.

    She avoided the metal ball that tried to block her way with minimal movement while putting up a barrier. Just when it seemed like she was going to break through the surrounding metal balls¡­

    ¡¸Gagh!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    Fran suddenly loses her stance and almost falls. Her right leg sank into the ground as if it was buried.

    She quickly put her hand on it and twisted her body to prevent herself from falling, but the condition of her right leg was quite bad.

    It was burned and turned to ash in some ces. It seemed that theva had been made under the floor of the arena, and had been made to drop someone''s foot into theva when they stepped on it.

    Fran was only able to survive that because she had covered her entire body with magic power, but if she had been your average magical beast or human, her foot would have beenpletely burnt off and gone.

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    I quickly heal her with recovery magic, but in the meantime, Mordred moves on to his next attack.

    ¡¸Magma Field!¡¹

    Mordred puts his hands on the stage and pours magic power into the it causing the ground around him to begin glowing a red-hot colour.

    The tremendous heat was so intense that Fran was forced to flee to the sky in a hurry.

    The range of the heat increased rapidly, and all the ground in the arena was heated to a bright red. The stone stage was melting into mush, and the inside of the arena was aplete sea ofva.

    Mordred was standing on theva with a chill face thanks to the effect of his molten magic.

    ¡¸Lightning bolt!¡¹

    ¡¸Blocked!¡¹

    ¡¸Muuh!¡¹

    Fran''s magic was still blocked by the metal ball. The offensive side of Mordred''s magic was already proven to be superior, but the defensive power of the metal balls were as troublesome.

    The metal spheres are still orbiting around Mordred and would take a lot of offensive power to break through them all.

    Mordred looked up at Fran. Was he trying to force Fran into the air to take away her mobility? If so, that was a bit naive.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    Fran has used her trump card.

    With air hop and Brilliant Lightning Rush, she can fight at the same speed as if she were on the ground. No, she can move even faster in the air.

    Fran flew around the arena with me in position to counter Mordred''s moves. As soon as she sees an opening, she''ll be ready to dive in at the blink of an eye.

    But even this was within Mordred''s grasp.

    ¡¸I knew that your speed was beyond my control.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s why I''m going to hit you with everything I''ve got while you''re still waiting to see what happens!¡¹

    It''s impossible for him to hit a serious Fran with a normal attack. So he''s going to give it everything he''s got.

    The magma field was not meant to drive Fran into the air, but as preparation for this attack.

    ¡¸Volcanic--¡¹

    Mordred''s hands, which had been lowered in azy motion, are lifted lightly, and only his wrists rotated with a jerk. If you were a tokusatsu enthusiast, you''ll understand if I told you that it was the pose of Sh*n-Godzi.

    As if in response to his palms facing the sky, the magma around him began to swell.

    ¡¸--Geyser!¡¹

    And then theva covering the ground of the arena explodes, filling inside of the barrier withva.

 Chapter 707-full

    <h4>Chapter 707: Mordred Match Concludes</h4>

    Waves of ragingva surrounded us and not only that, but a bright red wall emitting tremendous heat was approaching from below.

    There was no escape. Fran''s going to be swallowed up by theva.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨Not yet!£©

    We can make it if we use teleportation, is what I thought, but Fran still seems to think she can manage on her own.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­ Ryaaaaah!¡¹

    What Fran did was simple. She deployed a barrier to its max output and plunged into theva. She put up a slightly thicker barrier in front of herself, and all that''s left was to go all in.

    The faster she ran, the less time she would be covered inva.

    Right now, it wouldn''t have been difficult, provided there was no interference from Mordred.

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    ¡ºA metal ball!¡»

    Suddenly, Fran''s path was diverted to the side by a violent impact.

    Mordred had predicted Fran''s path andunched a metal ball at her.

    It was really difficult to find the metal ball using magic detection because they are covered with the same kind of magic power as theva. Even if we tried to detect them physically, theva waspletely obscured our vision.

    If she stops for a moment in theva, the barrier will hit its limit. If she tried to force her way through theva, she would be attacked by the metal balls.

    Either way, Fran was at a disadvantage.

    She had been dragged into Mordred''s ying fieldpletely. So this is how a veteran ys the game, I guess.

    So, where do we go from here? If it were up to me, I''d go with teleportation or Dimension Shift.

    Fran was trying to use dimensional storage, but it didn''t seem to be working. I guess she can''t suck in theva because Mordred has the control of it.

    As I watched to see what she would do, Fran stepped forward again. She is on the same course as before, heading straight for Mordred.

    Is she going to run straight for him at the cost of taking damage?

    As soon as Fran ran forward through the sea ofva toward the bottom again, the metal ball attacked her. I didn''t even notice it until just before it touched the barrier.

    It was such a stealthy attack however, Fran had seeded in parrying the blow with her barrier.

    She deformed the shape of the barrier slightly, causing the ball to be deflected. I didn''t think she should have had enough time to deform the barrier as quickly as she did¡­¡­

    I thought it was a fluke, but Fran seeded in preventing one attack after another.

    The angle of the barrier was perfectly adjusted to deflect and sometimes even managed to deflect the flying metal balls.

    It was clear that she could sense the movement of the metal balls.

    But how? I''ve tried so many different skills, but the presence of thevapletely stopped me, and I can''t get it to work at all.

    Moreover, Mordred was very proficient at hiding the presence of magic and the flow of his mana. He must have honed this skill by dealing with magical beasts that are unusually sensitive to the presence of magic.

    I can''t tell when he activated his magic earlier, but before I knew it, the magic had already activated under our feet. It wouldn''t be easy even for me to keep on detecting Mordred''s attacks like this.

    I''d love to hear how Fran''s doing it, but I don''t want to interrupt her right now. I''ll askter.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Argh! Rising Impulse!¡¹

    After breaking through the wall ofva, we entered a small empty space surrounding Mordred. Fran immediately shes at him. Mordred, on the other hand, responded with martial arts.

    He thrust his spear above his head and fired a shockwave into the air.

    Mordred used this technique to kill Fran''s momentum and then defended himself with the metal balls. Or at least that was his intention.

    However, Fran used air hop to leap down in the air and sh at Mordred while retaining her momentum.

    The shockwave was blocked by the barrier at least minimally, and she twisted her body to make the spear miss her vital points. The left side of her abdomen was cut, but the wound wasn''t fatal.

    Then she used me to strike the metal balls blocking us in rapid session.

    Naturally, Mordred reacts quickly and I am entangled with five metal balls. From the outside, I look like a distorted metal baseball bat.

    From Mordred''s point of view, he seeded inpletely blocking Fran''s weapon. However, his expression didn''t look good.

    He must''ve realised that Fran hit the balls on purpose.

    That''s right, didn''t avoid hitting them at all, but intentionally attacked them with me. As a result, I was pulled down so fast that she wasn''t maintain her position after shended on the ground and fell forward.

    Mordred, on the other hand, was aiming to stop her by using a spear art, even though he didn''t what she was nning.

    ¡¸Quick Pierce!¡¹

    A quick pierce towards Fran''s head, but this is exactly what she was waiting for.

    ¡¸Taaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve been baited!¡¹

    Fran thrusts me at Mordred. There were no metal balls attached to my de.

    Fran had used dimensional storage putting me away for a split second, and then taking me out again. The metal spheres under Mordred''s control couldn''t be stored, so I was able to be freed from the metal balls.

    Neither the metal balls, the spear, nor the needle armor will be able to stop Fran''s sword in time.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gohu¡­¡­ Gah!¡¹

    Mordred''s thrust grazed Fran''s left cheek, and at the same time, Fran''s stab pierced through Mordred''s stomach, and the ck lightning burned his body from the inside. Mordred falls to the ground, smoke billowing from his body.

    He lost his consciousness. Fran won. It''s a victory, but¡­¡­

    ¡ºFran! Use the dimensional storage!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    A huge amount ofva hase falling down all at once, having lost its master. If we don''t do anything, Mordred will be caught with us in the middle of this.

    We cleaned up all theva that had been out of Mordred''s control leaving us with a vast amount of it inside of our dimensionalstorage.

    ¡ºWhoa! Just when we thought the arena was covered withva, now its all suddenly gone! What''s more, the match has already been decided! What in the world happened inside! More importantly, earth mages and healers, it''s time to go to work!¡»

 Chapter 708-full

    <h4>Chapter 708: Victory and Reflection</h4>

    Fran, the victor the match, walked down the aisle to the special spectator seats.

    She used Brilliant Lightning Rush so her magical and physical strength were exhausted. She must''ve taken a lot of damage too. I''d like to let her rest at the inn if possible, but it is also important to gather information on the matches.

    I''ll give her a good rest tomorrow, and let her watch the matches in peace today.

    As Fran walked silently, I asked her what had been bothering me about the Mordred match.

    ¡ºHey Fran, can I ask you something?¡»

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡ºHow did you detect Mordred''s metal spheres in theva? The magic was masked and it was hard to get a read on them, right?¡»

    ¡¸Did you feel a tingle?¡¹

    ¡ºA tingle?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I don''t know what you''re talking about¡­¡­ You mean you you sensed something with your natural instincts? Or is there something else to it?

    ¡ºA tingle, huh? Can you be a little more specific?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ a little bit of the magic I used left a tingle on the sphere.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, really?¡»

    If Fran''s magic made the ball tingle, it must be lightning magic.

    So it seems that when it blocked the lightning magic, some of that magic remained in the metal ball. I guess you could say it was electrified.

    Fran''s senses sharpened by Brilliant Lightning Rush seems to have caught that slight lightning attribute. It may not be unrted to the fact that ck Heavenly Tigers have a high affinity for the lightning attribute.

    I wonder if I can do something like that if I try hard enough.

    ¡ºEven so, you won even without my help.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Last year, when we fought against the B rank adventurer Colbert, I helped her out and we won by sheer brute force after using physical attack immunity.

    But this time, Fran won all by herself.

    However, Fran seems a bit unhappy.

    ¡º¡­¡­Are you frustrated?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell, he''s a veteran so of course he''d be taking the lead. That''s one thing that just can''t be helped.¡»

    ¡¸I know. But it''s frustrating. Besides, I was a bit overconfident. I''ll do better next time.¡¹

    Although she outyed Mordred in the end, she had been at Mordred''s mercy until that point.

    He was not only skillful, but also anticipated Fran''s personality to enjoy the battle.

    In a sense, everything had been foreshadowing, and until the final Volcanic Geyser, the game went all ording to Mordred''s n.

    He probably prepared several ns in advance, and simted what he''d do if Fran moved a certain way.

    Even though Fran won, it was a disappointing match for her.

    ¡¸He was great.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, he was.¡»

    Brilliant Lightning Rush, Sword God Transformation, Dimensional Magic, Sword-King Arts. If we had went all in, there''s a possibility that we could have won in the first few seconds of the match.

    But all things considered that would just be brute force. If we were up against a veteran with the same level of power, it might not work. At least, it wouldn''t be an easy victory.

    And I know one such an opponent.

    ¡ºDiaz will be even worse.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I can''te up with any counter measures for him but it was a great experience for us to fight Mordred here. We must make the most of this victory in the future.

    As we were walking along, we heard somemotion in front of us.

    ¡¸I''m sorry, sir!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn! If you''re going to apologize, don''t start acting like a fool from the beginning!¡¹

    Someone was making a scene with the adventurers. At first nce, it looks like the adventurers were the ones at fault, but the soldier who rushed into to the scene was angry with the man who was on his knees.

    Perhaps he''s a recruiter from the Kingdom of Shallus. As the guild told us, they were causing a ruckus in many ces.

    The guards were giving him an exasperated warning, but the people of the Shallus Kingdom didn''t show any remorse. In any case, their apologies were all lies and are probably going to keep trying to recruit us.

    ¡ºFran, let''s get out of here before we get caught in the middle of this.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    I wonder what the Shallus Kingdom are really after. They''re gonna make it really hard for the guards. Maybe they''ll be banned from the venue soon.

    Back at the spectator seats, the game has not started yet. Since Mordred has turned the whole ying field intova, and since Fran has stowed away all of it away.

    But it was almost ready. Several magicians who could use earth magic proceeded to clear the ground and set up the stage. The workmanship was quite good.

    And so the second match began¡­¡­

    ¡ºIt''s settled! The mercenary Biscot has pulled off a brilliant coup de grace to win the match!¡»

    ¡¸It''s over!¡¹

    Biscot had finished him off in seconds. I couldn''t check out any of his moves or skills but oh well,ining won''t help.

    But more importantly, the next match wasing up. After a few okayish games between unknown fighters, we have a must-see gameing up.

    Fran knows this. She put away her food and snacks and took her hands off Urushi, who was getting smothered. She straighted her back and stared quietly into the arena.

    After all, the next match was between Siby and Colbert.

    ¡ºHerees the rank B adventurer, Colbert the Iron w! He is said to have left the School of Dimitris, so what kind of fight will he show us? The first round was almost an instant kill, but what about the next round?¡»

    As expected, thementator wouldn''t use the negative word "expulsion". Still, I would like to see how Colbert will fight now that he no longer has the Dimitris style.

    ¡ºAgainst him is the red-haired mercenary Siby! Like Colbert, Siby showed us an impressive first-round KO finishing the fight in the blink of an eye! Let''s see how close she can get to Colbert in this match!¡»

    Listening to thementary and the reaction of the audience, it was clear that Siby was being treated as a lower rank. This is how unknown mercenaries are treated, I guess.

    However, the two fighters themselves seem to have a different view. Siby lets out a chuckle of amusement, while Colbert res at Siby with a stern expression.

    If you were at Colbert''s level, you''d know what she was capable of. The amount of magic he''s weaving in his body is a sign of his utmost vignce.

    ¡¸Colbert is starting off at full power?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, seems so.¡»

    ¡¸Siby is just like me.¡¹

    You mean as in how she''s going to wait and see at the start. Let''s see what happens.

    ¡ºLet the games begin!¡»

 Chapter 709

    <h4>Chapter 709</h4>

    <h4>709: Siby vs Colbert</h4>

    The battle between Colbert and Siby has begun.

    Colbert started off by making use his footwork, and at first nce, it seems like he''s waiting to see what Siby might do. However, I could feel that he was nning to take advantage of this opportunity and settle the fight now.

    Even so, Colbert''s strength lies in his ability to wait and not attack recklessly.

    Siby, on the other hand, didn''t move much and waspletely amused by Colbert''s moves. As expected from a fighting maniac.

    Fran did the same against Mordred and was taken advantage of. On the other hand, if we ever fight abat maniac, we might be able to take advantage of that as well.

    Colbert slowly makes his way around the arena, keeping a certain distance between Siby.

    ¡¸So you''re a brawler huh?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m used to fighting swordsmen. You''re going to get hurt if you underestimate me just because I''m using my bare hands you know?¡¹

    ¡¸I see! Sounds fun!¡¹

    The two were happilyughing and exchanging words with each other, but gradually the gap between them became narrower and narrower.

    ¡¸You''re going to get your ass kicked!¡¹

    ¡¸I wouldn''t want that!¡¹

    Before Colbert could make a move, Siby attacked.

    Siby''s overhead blow created a small crater in the center of the arena signaling the start of the fierce battle.

    Colbert is only two levels higher thanst time, but his skills have increased considerably. He has probably spent less time fighting and more time training himself topensate for losing the Dimitris style.

    Siby, like Biscot, cannot be appraised. If Colbert breaks the magic item preventing appraisal, we''d be able to see though her.

    As I was thinking about this, they exchanged some light blows. Basically, Siby attacked and Colbert tried to counter while avoiding.

    Colbert''s defense was much more sophisticated than before, sometimes ducking Siby''s very fast shes and sometimes deflecting them with the back of his hand.

    Siby''s attacks seem rather rough. Her style of fighting is rather linear and power oriented, although she mixes in feints and other techniques. This is a good solution when fighting against monsters and beasts, but against humans, Siby''s attacks are easily readable.

    ¡¸Uraaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! What kind of ridiculous strength is this?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! You see, my strength''s the only thing I''m confident about!¡¹

    ¡¸And you''re too tough!¡¹

    ¡¸I''m confident in that too!¡¹

    Normally, a brute force opponent like Siby should be a sitting duck for Colbert. In fact, Colbert sometimes managed tond a blow on her, like how he just knocked her out of her stance by deflecting her sword.

    It is an example of how skill trumps power.

    However, Siby''s toughness was surprise to see.

    Colbertnded a skillful hook to the gut, but she didn''t even let out a grunt. He just hit her in the face and the same thing happened.

    She moves forward and ms her sword down, showing no signs of caring about a sharp jab to the nose.

    Each of Colbert''s blows should have been enough to blow up a goblin.

    She is taking damage but her recovery and momentum are just superior. There''s a high chance that she had pain nullification as well. And maybe some other skills such as force resistance and perseverance.

    I didn''t expect Siby to be this much of a powerhouse.

    However, Colbert after being taken aback by Siby''s violent fighting style, soon got back into the swing of things.

    If it doesn''t work, then just keep doing it until it does. And if they are taking it unprotected, then aim for their vital points with stronger moves.

    Moving things up a gear, Colbert delivered a series of blows to Siby''s stomach in rapid session. He puts a stop to her movement and then followed up with a chain of attacks when she slowed down. Well, at least that was his intention.

    However, Siby''s toughness seems to have exceed Colbert''s expectations. We didn''t even expect her to be this tough either.

    Even though she''s been hit ten times in the stomach, her movements didn''t show any sign of slowing down at all. She was still wearing her animalistic smile and pressing hard against Colbert.

    Gradually, Colbert''s movements began to slow down. It looked like he was tired, but that wasn''t the case.

    ¡¸Haha! I''ve seen that one already!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! That was close!¡¹

    ¡¸Ora! Take this!¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?!¡¹

    Siby''s attacks began to grow more severe, as if she was anticipating Colbert''s moves.

    She began to swing her sword at angles that were difficult for Colbert to defend against, anticipating the direction he would duck and turn around, and even to parry and counter attacks that wereunched as counters.

    It seems like Siby was getting used to Colbert''s moves during the battle. Her fighting instincts and adaptability were frightening.

    Finally, Siby''s sword grazed Colbert''s body and just like that, Colbert''s posture was greatly disrupted. After all, the sheer destructive power of her sword was something to behold.

    ¡¸Whoa!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha! I''ll take that!¡¹

    ¡¸I won''t let you!¡¹

    ¡¸You''re still fighting back in that condition? Not bad!¡¹

    Colbert managed to get away from Sibying after him by throwing kicks at her. He seemed to have treated the wound on his left arm by tightening his muscles. The bleeding''s already stopped.

    However, there''s no way he could easily use his left arm anymore. Siby, on the other hand, still looked good.

    ¡¸Siby, amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºOh, that toughness¡­¡­ I''m sure it''s not just because of her high stats.¡»

    £¨A skill?£©

    ¡ºI think so¡­¡­¡»

    But I don''t think it''s a barrier since There was no sign of magic movement. Also if she was using physical nullification, it would be strange for the spots where she was hit to turn red.

    Colbert must be aware of this.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don''t know what kind of trick this is, but it nullifies damage below a certain level¡­¡­ Or is it just a reduction? Anyway, I know that it doesn''t matter how many weak attacks I put in.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh? You''ve got a good eye. What now?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m going to hit you with a blow so heavy that it won''t matter if it''s mitigated or not!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Correct answer!¡¹

    Hey, hey! Siby just admitted it didn''t she? She''s not lying! She really does have a damage reduction skill!

    Siby gives off big smile, while Colbert started to walk forward slowly. There was no stance, just a normal pace.

    However, I could feel the tremendous magical energy building up inside his body. The magical power once concentrated in his abdomen now circted through his body and was concentrated again, repeating the cycle, gradually permeating his entire body with a powerful energy.

    After ten seconds. The distance between the two reached about five meters. But Colbert was still walking slowly.

    ¡¸Shaaa!¡¹

    Siby shes at Colbert with a somewhat excited look on her face.

    And in the next moment, Siby''s figure disappeared with a tremendous crash.

    In the ce where Siby had been, Colbert, who had been walking slowly just a moment before, was standing still in the same position as he had justunched a direct thrust.

    ¡ºDid you see that?¡»

    £¨Nn! He moved very fast, emitting magic power from the feet and back.£©

    Using the release of magical power, he super-elerated in an instant. The speed itself was a little slower than Fran, but it seemed faster because of the instantaneous rapid eleration. To many of the spectators, it must have looked as if he had teleported.

    Moreover, it was very difficult to perceive the attack because the usual signs of movement were not there. He suddenly dashed from pure stillness. The eleration with very little muscle movement would certainly catch Siby and even Fran off guard.

    What is also amazing is that I did not even feel the killing intent. This would have been impossible without mental control.

    Siby was sent flying horizontally with tremendous momentum and was going to lose the match by exiting the ring. That''s what everyone thought but right afterwards¡­

    ¡¸Uruaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    Siby roared like an animal. Siby''s body was suspended in the air. Her momentum killed in an instant, but it wasn''t air hop nor magic release. Moreover, she floated there silently. If I had to say, it was like my telekinesis.

    ¡¸Buh¡­¡­! Aaaaahhhh!¡¹

    Her organs must have been damaged because she spat out a glob of blood from her mouth. Was it her lungs that were hit? Her breathing sounds reallybored.

    But Siby does not stop moving. She thrusts her left hand forward with great force. The distance between the two is more than 20 meters, but¡­

    ¡¸Gghhh!¡¹

    This time, Colbert was knocked away. Forget being simr, this is just in old telekinesis. Siby seemed to be a very powerful telekic user.

    Siby flies toward Colbert who is thrown into the air. It seems that Siby wasn''t flying around like when I use Telekic Catapult but by levitating her whole body with telekinesis.

    Well, Telekic Catapult would be a tremendous strain on a human body. However, the speed was fast enough probably due to the huge amount of magic power she''s putting into it.

    ¡¸Uraaaaahhhh! Get crushed!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    Colbert managed to avoid Siby''s sh by changing his stance in the air using magic release, but his movements were toockluster.

    His whole body seemed to be screaming from the previous attack letting Siby get a grasp on Colbert''s right arm, which he failed to keep away from her.

    ¡¸I''ve got youuuu!¡¹

    Siby, with a vicious smile on her face, head-butted Colbert. Yep, just a head butt.

    Siby''s head mmed into Colbert''s head.

    With a deafening cracking sound, Colbert fell from the sky. Without any movement to break his fall, he mmed onto the stage.

    ¡¸Haha¡­¡­ Gof¡­¡­ It, was a good fight¡­¡­¡¹

    Siby, still bleeding from the corners of her mouth,ughs happily.

    ¡ºIt''s settled! And with a head-butt at the end! I heard an awful sound! I wonder if Colbert''s head is okay! Healing magician! Please hurry!¡»

    The magician rushes in immediately, but will Colbert really be alright?

    ¡¸¡­I''m going to Colbert.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, yeah.¡»

    ===== (Author Note)

    Here are Colbert''s current stats

    Name: Colbert Age: 39

    Race: Human

    upation: Steel Brawler

    Status Level: 43/99

    HP: 516 MP: 458

    STR: 311 VIT: 208 AGI: 266

    INT: 146 MAG: 209 DEX: 242

    Skills

    Covert: Lv 1, Brawling Arts: Lv 6, Brawling: Lv 7, Crisis Sense: Lv 4, Presence Blocking: Lv 1, Holy Fist Mastery: Lv 3, Fist Arts: Lv 9, Fist Mastery: Lv Max, Hard Spirit: Lv 5, Hard Power: Lv 9, Kicking Mastery: Lv 2, Blink: Lv 9, Body Enhancement: Lv 2, Swimming: Lv 4, Ocean Resistance: Lv 2, Throwing: Lv 5, Convenience Magic: Lv3, Poison Resistance: Lv2, Physical Barrier: Lv4, Magic Release: Lv6, Drowsiness Resistance: Lv3, Paralysis Resistance: Lv4, Cooking: Lv3, Eagle Eye, Weaken, Beast Killer, Split Thinking, Minor Strength, Energy Maniption

    Unique Skills

    Steel Fist

 Chapter 710

    <h4>Chapter 710</h4>

    <h4>710: Colbert and Hilt</h4>

    ¡¸Colbert, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Fran¡­¡­¡¹

    When we entered the infirmary, we found Colbert lying on the bed with a bandage wrapped around his head. He was able to respond normally when Fran called out to him.

    I wondered how he was doing after that terrible head-butt, but it seems that he was saved by a healing spell.

    However, his skull was caved in and he suffered a few fractures from the fall. In addition, the recoil from special technique he delivered to Siby damaged every muscle in his body, and for a time he appeared to be in critical condition.

    He is sullen and drooping.

    ¡¸I lost.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, I saw that.¡¹

    ¡¸Haah... I know it''s my fault that my best moves didn''t work. I didn''t think it could take her down, b ut I thought I could at least knock her out of the ring¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That was a great move.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah? It''s my own special technique that I came up with after I got expelled from the Dimitris school, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s notplete.¡¹

    The Dimitris school utilizes magical discharge which has a wide variety of uses, including far-reaching attacks by shooting ki and strengthening the body with ki.

    However, because Colbert''s Dimitris style had been sealed off, his ability to use ki, which was something he had taken for granted, has been greatly reduced.

    Despite this, he still had some of the skills he had acquired such as ''magic release''. He did wonder if he could somehow use them in a different way.

    ¡¸During a quest, I fought with against a magical beast that moved really fast by releasing magical power. You know how their movements are hard to detect, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Basically, they release magic power behind them to elerate, and rush forward. It''s hard to predict how it moves purely by looking at their muscles and body movements.

    ¡¸That''s how I came up with the idea. I thought that if I could use the release of magic power, I could eliminate the wind up time of my attack.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s what you were doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. But it takes too much time to build up that power. In a match like this, you can''t pull it off unless your opponent waits for you to attack. I''ll take a long time until I can use this in a real fight. Besides, it''s not even that powerful¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Siby got sted away.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, it''s nothing more than a fast punch. I''m feel like if you put magic into the attack itself, it''ll make it perfect.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    A strikeing out of a neutral stance with extreme speed. And a release of agic to cause internal organ destruction to top it all off. That must be Colbert''s ideal form.

    ¡¸Then¡­ Even you''d take damage from that too, right?¡¹

    Colbert was thinking of this as a countermeasure to the physical nullification we were usingst year.

    ¡¸Dimitris style specializes in ki maniption. It is a tremendous advantage to be able to use martial arts and techniques from a distance¡­¡­ But your ability nullifies not only fists, but also ki and because of that, all of my Dimitris style techniques were rendered useless. I''m sure the youngdy and the Master can do something about that though.¡¹

    Ki and magic power are nearly the same thing, but there are some subtle differences. The magic inside of the body is ki, but when it''s released outside the body, it''s just called magic power.

    If you ask what the difference is, Fran and I don''t really know¡­¡­ But the Dimitris style seems to rify the difference between them and ces a lot of emphasis on releasing ki out of the body.

    By releasing ki at a long distance, it makes it possible to use fist techniques that would only be normally used in close quartersbat. I wonder if it''s like attacking by manipting a fist made of ki.

    However, our physical nullification is also able repel the ki. Otherwise, there is wouldn''t be an exnation for the fact that we were able topletely invalidates Colbert''s various attacksst year.

    ¡¸That''s why I was going to hit her with magic power instead of ki¡­¡­¡¹

    As Colbert said, if magic is released into the body at such a distance, even physical nullification wouldn''t work. However, as the word "unfinished" implies, it seems like Colbert hasn''t mastered it yet. He seemed to have used up all of his magic power by propelling himself.

    ¡¸Well, I''ll show you the finished product one of these days.¡¹

    ¡¸Looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­¡¹

    Boom!

    Colbert smiled and nodded. Then the door to the infirmary opens with a force that threatened to send him flying.

    ¡¸Colbert!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa! M-Miss Hilt?¡¹

    A scary-looking Hilt jumps in looking around the infirmary with a piercing gaze that was almost as sharp as a gunshot.

    ¡¸Hmm, looks like you''re okay.¡¹

    I thought she was angry at Colbert for losing, but she was just in a panic. After seeing Fran conversing with Colbert, she clearly let out a sigh in relief.

    ¡¸You''re Fran, the ck Lightning Princess¡­¡­ Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸To see him.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I appreciate it.¡¹

    ¡¸Why would Hilt thank me?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? H-He''s a former member of our school! S-So even though it was a bit of a pain, I still need to check on his condition!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡¹

    Hilt seems very nervous. Her face is bright red and it''s all too obvious.

    But Colbert seemspletely oblivious to her feelings.

    ¡¸Sorry to bother you, miss.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­ O-Of course! Jeez! How can you be defeated by such a no name mercenary! That proves you''ve been cking on your training!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha. That''s harsh.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Well, I can train you again, I suppose?¡¹

    Isn''t this a subtle way of saying that she wants him back on the Dimitris style? But Colbert... He was one of those dense protagonist types.

    ¡¸I''ve been expelled. I can''t go back to the Dimitris school.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Hilt seemed annoyed, frustrated with Colbert for not reading her intentions, and with herself for not being honest.

    This is so obvious to the point where it''s impressive he doesn''t seem to notice it at all. Well, it''s not easy to notice some things because of one''s own bias, even if people around are telling you otherwise. I remember screwing up a few times in some video games cause I made some bad assumptions.

    Maybe in Colbert''s mind, Hilt is nothing more than the heiress to the school, and one who is very strict to him. ''It is impossible for her to fall in love with me'', or so he thinks.

    ¡¸That''s enough! Fran, I''m going to win!¡¹

    With these words, Hilt stormed off. The look she gave Fran at the end was nothing but full of hostility, since she was the reason for Colbert''s expulsion and now she was the one who had to be defeated in order to make her love bear fruit. If they were to fight now, she would be even more fired up than before.

    ¡¸Uhh, I''m sorry about thedy.¡¹

    We can''t lose either, but we''ll be rooting for you behind the scenes.

 Chapter 711

    <h4>Chapter 711</h4>

    <h4>711: Spectating the match with Mordred</h4>

    Colbert seemed to be OK, so we decided to go back to spectating the fights. A B rank adventurer named Abarb was currently fighting a student of the Dimitris school.

    Abarb was apparently a magical swordsman who made use of scimitars in closebat, and water and poison magic at long range.

    ording to thementators, he was a disciple of Eiworth. I see, his fighting style is particrly nasty and he has a personality to match.

    His opponent is unable to move thanks to his poison, and he''s chipping away at him with weak attacks. He''s formidable, that''s for sure.

    ¡ºHe has a terrible character, but his moves are refined. Besides, if he''s Eiworth''s disciple¡­¡­¡»

    £¨He might use poison bombs.£©

    ¡ºYeah, we have to be careful there too. I can think of a few countermeasures, like keeping up the pressure to prevent him from opening his item bag.¡»

    £¨I won''t fail this time.£©

    Mordred had been able to block our prevention by using the warding stone and other such strategies, and Fran has been thinking of various ways to stop that from happening.

    ¡¸Fran, you were brilliant.¡¹

    ¡¸Mordred? Should you be up?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it''s not too bad.¡¹

    Mordred, who had been in a fierce battle with Fran until a little while ago, called out to us after the match was over.

    His gait was a little unsteady, but he seemed to be able to move.

    There was no frustration or anger on his face. All that was there was a in smile.

    ¡¸I''m sorry about thatst part.¡¹

    ¡¸Theva? But you would be fine, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, because I used a spell to increase my molten resistance before the match. Even if was unconscious, the spell wouldst for the duration of the spell, but it was like I was continuing to attack you even after the match was decided. It was a breach of etiquette.¡¹

    While saying that, he bowed his head deeply. A true man of honor.

    ¡¸Okay. I ept your apology.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸In exchange, I have a few questions.¡¹

    ¡¸All right. Anything you want to know?¡¹

    ¡¸About that fight. First of all¡­¡¹

    Fran asked Mordred a bunch of questions about how the match was yed. Mordred gave a straight answer to each of them.

    He seemed to enjoy teaching Fran. What a helpful guy.

    It''s not every day that you get to talk to a veteran, so this is a great opportunity.

    He showed us up close what a skilled fighter looks like and reflected on the match with us. It really was a great experience for Fran to have fought Mordred here.

    After a few minutes of reflection on the match they had together, the conversation now became an analysis on the other contestants'' battles.

    ¡¸How would you fight Abarb?¡¹

    ¡¸If he''s an opponent I have little information on, I''ll first keep my distance. I would mainly use molten magic and look out for an opening.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Or, if you''re confident, you can bring him into close range. In your case, you''d have an advantage in a sword fight. So getting close before he can pull off any tricks is a decent idea too.¡¹

    Mordred''s words have weight behind them, since he was able to catch Fran with his tricks.

    ¡¸I think he can actually cast that poison spell with a shorter chant.¡¹

    ¡¸How do you know?¡¹

    ¡¸One time, he fired off a poison spell faster than usual. He must have panicked when his opponent rushed forward. It doesn''t make sense that someone can cast faster only once on ident.¡¹

    ¡¸Is he trying to make the other fighters think that he is bad at using chant shortening?¡¹

    ¡¸I think so.¡¹

    It was interesting to hear Mordred''s analysis of the situation.

    While all this was going on, one of Mordred''s men came to him. Fran hadpletely forgotten his face, but they had met before back when they were asked to escort a ship.

    I could see that he was respectful to Fran, even after she defeated Mordred. That must be a sign of Mordred''s good leadership.

    Apparently, he had something to do.

    ¡¸Is it that time already?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I''m going. It was a good time. We''ll talk about the monster den next time.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. I had a good time too.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Fran was left alone and started to fluff Urushi until someone else came up to her again.

    ¡¸Um, Fran-oneesama.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Kaitly, Nilfe, too.¡¹

    ¡¸H-Hello¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Kaitly and Nilfe were a pair of children. They were in the VIP section where the nobles sat, but they must have found Fran and came to the special viewing area.

    They had been aware of Fran''s presence for a few minutes beforehand, but did not speak to her out of respect for Mordred. Or was it simply because they were afraid of him?

    Incidentally, the people who are rted to or have invested in the contestants are allowed to enter into the special viewing seats

    The general spectators are in the unreserved seats, the special viewing seats are for rted parties and the VIP seats are for invited guests. That''s how they''re divided. The people in the VIP seats are treated specially, so they are allowed toe here, too.

    ¡¸You were talking earlier to Mordred-sama, weren''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸You seemed to be very friendly with him¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ fellow adventurers?¡¹

    Fran tilts her head questioningly. Indeed, it''s a bit hard to describe our rtionship with Mordred.

    They haven''t known each other long enough or are close enough in age to be called friends. I guess it''s not the same as being rivals either, so the mostfortable way to describe him is as a fellow adventurer.

    ¡¸You were fighting earlier, and you''re okay with it? I mean, both of you.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸No hard feelings, no anger, no¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It''s just a match.¡¹

    No, you can only say that because the two of you are both the open-hearted type, right? Some people might hold a grudge over a win or a loss.

    But Kaitly, who has a lot of respect for Fran, thought it was normal. Nilfe was impressed and convinced as well.

    ¡¸I-I see. It''s just a match¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You''re amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ win or lose, no hard feelings.¡¹

    Fran''s words must have reminded them of why they hade this far, for they both congratted Fran on her victory.

    ¡¸Congrattions on your victory, Onee-sama!¡¹

    ¡¸Congrattions!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸You were truly great!¡¹

    Kaitly and Nilfe excitedly describe the battle between Fran and Mordred.

    ¡¸Well, I didn''t really understand what was going on in the middle of the fight¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But it was great!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it truly was!¡¹

    After theva from Mordred had covered the inside of the barrier, it seemed that nothing could be spectated from the outside.

    However, the audience seemed to surprisingly enjoy it despite that.

    ¡¸It was like a ss cup filled with orange-colouredva, a sight I had never seen before. Lava is such a beautiful thing.¡¹

    ¡¸It was pretty.¡¹

    Indeed, it was an unusual sight. The heat was blocked by the barrier, so the only thing that remained was the beauty.

    It was also a good thing that the show ended before the audience got bored. It was only a few minutes at most.

    ¡¸Are you okay with those injuries?¡¹

    ¡¸That always happens.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I see¡­¡­ I''ll have to prepare myself if I''m going to be an adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks!¡¹

    Kaitly didn''t seem to be afraid, in fact, she was even more motivated. Maybe it was the ''Fran effect'', or maybe it was her original nature¡­ Perhaps she''ll be a famous adventurer in the future.

    Later, Fran was invited to watch the match with the two. The little ones listened to Fran''smentary with serious looking faces.

    Nilfe also seemed to be interested in the match and nodded his head from time to time. Fran wasn''t amazing at giving good exnations, but they seemed to have learned a lot.

    ¡¸It''s unfortunate what happened to your friend, Charlotte-san.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But she put up a better fight thanst year.¡¹

    The highlight of the tournament was the match between Elsa and Charlotte. It was the same card asst year and the flow of the fight was simr tost year as well.

    The main difference was that Charlotte fought longer and her moves were much better. However, it seemed like she hasn''t yet acquired enough offensive power to break through Elsa''s defense, and in the end, she was thrown out of the ring and lost.

    ¡¸Onee-sama, please do your best in the next match, too. I''ll be rooting for you! After all, the next guy is one from that pair we saw in the dungeon!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ I''ll win.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    Next up is Biscot.

 Chapter 712

    <h4>Chapter 712</h4>

    <h4>712: Biscot Match Begins</h4>

    Fran is on her merry way to the venue this morning. Her hands equipped with roasted meat skewers from a food stall, as just like every other morning.

    Of course she ate breakfast at the inn, or rather, she took some stuff out of her dimensional storage and ate it when she got up from bed. What does it matter? To Fran, a grilled skewer was like a cookie to an ordinary person.

    ¡¸Munch!¡¹

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    Urushi meanwhile, was chomping on a huge cow bone taken after broth had been made with it. Thedy at the soup stall gave it to us.

    He seemed to enjoy biting the middle of the bone which was more than a metre long.

    Reminds me of a silly-looking dog walking with a long wooden stick in its mouth.

    Yesterday, I heard that the number of customers increased after Fran praised them, and she even got some free bowls of soup for it. Those disappeared into Fran and Urushi''s bellies in an instant.

    I''m pretty sure there''s some stuff you needed to chew in there though.

    ¡¸Mogu¡­¡­ Mwah!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸That¡­¡¹

    Fran stopped suddenly and saw a familiar man standing in front of her.

    ¡¸That one guy from that country¡­¡¹

    ¡ºViscount Emmert of the Kingdom of Shallus. Well, not that you need to remember.¡»

    ¡¸What do we do?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm.¡»

    He''s obviously waiting for someone. It''s very likely that it''s Fran.

    Actually, we had a chance to talk to Kaitly a little bit yesterday. I remember what she said.

    ¡¸Shallus Kingdom? They came to me too.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, yes! I heard that those people are causing a lot of trouble and making Grandfather very busy. He said he''s going to send a letter of protest to the Shallus Kingdom.¡¹

    A letter of protest to the kingdom? Seems like the situation has be even more serious than I imagined.

    ¡¸I heard they never keep their promises ever.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Maybe they''ll send another person for me?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe¡­¡­ I heard that some of them were so persistent that an adventurer struck back them. They''re nobles, so it seems like the guild and the lord couldn''t protect them.¡¹

    ¡¸Even though it''s their fault?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it''s not a crime to solicit, and the other party has a nobleman¡­¡­¡¹

    In the end, it seems like the person who hit first is considered to be the one at fault. Is that perhaps the goal? To disqualify a promising contestant by provoking them tomit a crime? Or maybe to use that as fuel for ckmail?

    ¡¸Fran-oneesama, please be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    That was the exchange we had.

    ¡ºLet''s just keep going. And when Viscount Emmertes this way, we''ll just make a run for it.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, as long as you hide your presence, I don''t think he''ll find us.¡»

    We blended into the crowd and passed by Viscount Emmert and a man who looks like his retainer as the spectators entered the stadium.

    Sure enough, Viscount Emmert and his follower didn''t notice Fran when she hid herself.

    ¡¸Is that ck cat girl still not here?¡¹

    ¡¸I think she should be here now¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Whatever! Look harder!¡¹

    So they really were after Fran huh? Well, I guess we''ll just have to keep avoiding them like this. We''ll be leaving this town in a few days anyways.

    Half an hourter.

    ¡ºHere she is again for the first game of the day! The strongest of the ck cats, ck Lightning Princess Fraaaan!¡»

    No one in particr bothered us the waiting room, and we were on the arena facing today''s opponent.

    A huge shieldman in matted metal armor with a huge tower shield, Biscot, a man suspected of being a spy for the kingdom of Raydoss.

    Based on what I saw in the first round, he''s a very strong defensive type.

    ¡ºFran, what do you want to do today?¡»

    £¨¡­I want to go alone.£©

    ¡ºGot it.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    £¨Because of how Mordred bested me.£©

    ¡ºMaybe in a real battle where lives are at stake, but this is just apetition. Besides, don''t you want to fight a shieldman?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran has never fought a high-level shieldman in a one-on-one match before. She wants to experience it.

    That''s why she wants to have a back and forth fight rather than just instantly taking him down with all her might.

    ¡ºBut be careful.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even for me, I think it''s a good experience for me against Biscot here. Besides, it wasn''t a bad idea for us to save our cards for the next round.

    ¡¸Hey, long time since we met in the dungeon.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Show me how strong you are, adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸You show me that your shield isn''t just a decoration.¡¹

    Fran and Biscot began their match, as the two exchange killing intent.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    The awakened Fran cuts at full speed right from the start. It seems that even Biscot can''t handle the speed.

    She slipped through the shield andnded several good shots. His metal armour was very well made, but it''s not strong enough topletely repel our attacks.

    Did we overestimate him? That''s what I thought, until Biscot began to prove how truly resilient he was.

    ¡¸Huh!?¡¹

    ¡¸That was too weak! Far too weak!¡¹

    No matter how serious the wound, he didn''t falter at all. He''s obviously losing a lot of blood, but there''s no sign that he''s healing himself. He seems to have some sort of auto-regeneration skill.

    No damage nullification skills like Siby''s, but just in sturdiness and persistence. He frowned from time to time, showing that he doesn''t have pain nullification, but only a little.

    ¡¸Usually, I''m dealing with huge magical beasts! This kind of wound is just an everyday urrence!¡¹

    So he''s gone head-to-head withrge magical beasts? That would exin how tough he is.

    Fran is currently unharmed, but it doesn''t feel like we''re ahead. It''s probably because Biscot isn''t showing any signs of weakness.

    ¡¸It was a lot worse when I got chewed up and swallowed by that Earth Dragon!¡¹

    ¡¸Earth Dragon?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Our knight div¡­ Uh, it''s nothing. Anyway, we''re about to get down to business! You better get serious!¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it!¡¹

    Biscot, you were gonna say "our knight division", right? Like I suspected, they are definitely knights from Raydoss.

 Chapter 713

    <h4>Chapter 713</h4>

    <h4>713: Biscot Match Concludes</h4>

    Fran moves up a gear and attacks Biscot with the intention of finishing the match. Although she hasn''t used Brilliant Lightning Rush yet, she has achieved a tremendous amount speed by using Awakening, Body Maniption, and various other spells.

    She was able to move this fast without using any of our self-harming trump cards.

    However, Biscot was beginning to react to Fran''s attacks, even though she was much faster than before.

    ¡¸Guard shift!¡¹

    ¡¸Ghm!¡¹

    He only used his shield to block the attacks that were aimed for his vitals, and just tanked the feint attacks with his body. Biscot also withstood the lightning magic that Fran unleashed after disengaging. He doesn''t seem to be paralyzed at all.

    ¡¸Take this!¡¹

    ¡¸Too slow!¡¹

    ¡¸No, you''re just too fast! I''ll hit you on the next one!¡¹

    ¡¸You can''t!¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t know until I try! Come on, bring it!¡¹

    The frequency and quantity of damage dealt by Fran increased greatly, but Biscot''s vigor is the same as it was when we started.

    He threw sharp counters with a speed that did not match his huge body.

    Siby and Biscot are way too tough. They also have the same great fighting instincts. Are all Raydossian warriors like them?

    His style is totally different, but probably simr to Mordred and Colbert when ites to overall strength. In some areas, he''d even be more troublesome than Mordred and Colbert.

    Nevertheless, Fran still had the advantage. After all, Biscot''s attacks have not yet hit Fran.

    He had a resilience that was almost inhuman alongside having high level shield skills and he can inspire himself and hisrades with his strong personality. Those traits probably make him perfect as a tank against magical beasts.

    Compared to his impregnable defensive prowess, his offense was a few notches below. No, I''d have to say that he''s still quite powerful and skilled.

    If he was up against a magical beast, there''d be no problem. He''d be able to catch any attack attack with his perfect defense and deal damage with counterattacks. Powerful mace blows delivered with his high strength will inflict damage no matter what the opponent is.

    Biscot''s strong counters are a threat even against human opponents. Not even Fran can avoid them unless she puts her mind to it.

    Butparisons stop there in the end.

    There are magical beasts that move faster than Fran, but there is no such thing as a magic beast that can match Fran in speed, skill, and strategy.

    I''m sure Biscot has never fought one either. No matter how perfectly he timed his counters, he would not be able to hit Fran.

    ¡¸Tch! There!¡¹

    ¡¸Nope.¡¹

    ¡¸You''re mine!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    He gets so close to hitting her, barely missing. But as time passed on, Fran was forced to parry more and more swings with me. Her evasions were not fast enough.

    Biscot must''ve thought it was the time to go on the offensive.

    ¡¸Spiral Bash!¡¹

    He unleashed an attack with his shield, which he had been hiding up until now. Normally, it would be difficult to respond to this. An extremely fast andpletely unknown attack. That was his strategy.

    Biscot''s full power attacknded a direct hit¡­ or not.

    ¡¸What?!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve seen that before.¡¹

    Fran had been on the lookout for shield attacks from the very beginning. Her history in fighting duhans and other fiends that used shield attacks had given her this experience.

    In addition, she had fought against Zephyld of the Heavenly Wall, an A ranked adventurer who used a shield at the royal capital.

    Ironically, Biscot''s shield art was exactly the same as Zephyld''s. For a technique that Fran has seen before, it be even easier for her to avoid it.

    ¡¸You got me good!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe.¡¹

    Biscot finally realized that he had fallen into Fran''s trap.

    Fran was parrying his attacks on purpose to provoke Biscot into using a big move, making him think that she was being pushed into a corner.

    Frankly speaking, I doubted if it would work. If it had been Mordred or Colbert, they would have seen through her trick.

    But Biscot could not. For better or worse, Biscot''s specialized in anti-magic beasts which gave him a disadvantage in this case.

    ¡¸You''re open.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it!¡¹

    Biscot''s shield blow attack, Spiral Bash, waspletely avoided, and he lost his bnce. That said, he''s still pretty calm. Must be a sign of his confidence in his defense.

    Fran would use her strongest technique, and Biscot would endure it and then deliver a counter attack. That''s the scenario he had in mind. I too thought that she would use Brilliant Lightning Rush followed by Heavenly Judgment or Sheaths of Wind. But I was wrong.

    Fran smirked at Biscot. She made a choice. And it wasn''t full power attack Biscot had been expecting.

    ¡¸Haaaah! ¡­Just kidding.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa, huh? Oh, my feet are¡­¡­!¡¹

    Fran''snd magic transformed the entire stage into a huge downward slope from Fran to Biscot. She threw in some ice magic on top to freeze the ground under him as well.

    The sudden change was terrible for Biscot, who had been bracing himself for an attack.

    Then Fran ran straight towards him. She elerated rapidly with the release of magical power and delivered an overhead strike.

    Biscot managed to catch Fran''s attack with his shield, but Fran yed him like a fiddle.

    ¡¸Damn it all!¡¹

    ¡¸Bye bye.¡¹

    Pushed by Fran, he slid all the way down the icy slope. A series of wind magic sts were thrown in as insurance, and there was nothing more he could do.

    ¡ºI-It''s decided! What a abrupt end! I would have never imagined such a finishing from her! The ck Lightning Princess Fran hase out victories in a battle of wits!¡»

    Even I didn''t think Fran would do something like this, and Biscot even less so.

    ¡ºFran, I''m amazed you came up with that idea.¡»

    £¨I''ve been wanting to try something like this too.£©

    Apparently, she wanted to imitate Mordred and tried out a method of fighting that made use of tricky techniques. Well, it''s always good to have a choice other than brute force.

    As a result, Fran''s victory was nearly wless. She barely used any of her cards, and didn''t exhaust herself out at all. Biscot was just simply outmatched.

 Chapter 714

    <h4>Chapter 714</h4>

    <h4>714: Warriors Climbing up the Ranks</h4>

    ¡ºFran, you did a great job!¡»

    £¨Nn. I tried to imitate Mordred.£©

    ¡ºYou still have a lot to learn and experience to gain, but you truly deserve praise for pulling off a win like that.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºYeah! Beating up your opponent is not the only way to win.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    The battle with Mordred seemed to have affected Fran in more ways than I had imagined.

    After all, she pulled off a trick like that in herst match when I was expecting her to just use a power move. I didn''t think she''d be using this kind of thinking right away, but if she can rely on things other than brute force, herbat repertoire would only improve.

    This should be a big plus for Fran in the future.

    This style will still need a bit of honing, but one day she''ll be able to use it well. I''m looking forward to when that happens.

    ¡ºWell, we''ll have to see who our next opponent will be.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The winner of the next match will face Fran in the quarterfinals.

    Five minutester.

    ¡¸Siby.¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it.¡»

    Her opponent was a huge mace user who looked up to Elsa. The destructive power of that mace must have been quite impressive, but Siby did''t back down a single step from such a powerful opponent. They went at it head-on and she pulled off a win in less than a minute.

    I would have never expected her to stand her ground after taking a direct hit from that giant mace. I doubt any half-assed attack would put a dent in her so this time, we''ll have to get serious.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Strong.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    The matches went on, and the winners of Block B were Eiworth''s disciple, Abarb, as well as Diaz. Both defeated their opponents with ease. I remember Diaz and Eiworth being former party members, so it won''t exactly be a master-student fight, but it should still be one to watch.

    Next up is the battle between Hilt and Ladur.

    ¡ºAnother match up between wildly differentpetitors.¡»

    Ladur, who used a variety of magic to mess with his opponent, and Hilt, a brawler that fights with brute strength.

    What kind of battle will this be?

    In terms of pure strength, magical power, and speed, it seems obvious that Hilt wille out on top.

    However, this isn''t the only factor that determines the winner. Differences in experience and strategy are quite significant in martial artspetitions.

    ¡ºWill Master Ladur, the weilder of the three attributes of superior magic, once again use his various magical spells to trick his opponents and seal their movements? Or will the rank A adventurer, Hiltoria of the ''Piercing Fist'', crush the old sorcerer with her overwhelming power? Don''t ask me because I have no idea!¡»

    Ladur and Hilt moved as soon as the match started.

    ¡¸Aaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    Hilt rushed forward, and Ladur flew back. Are their speeds about the same?

    Ladur must have used some kind of speed-boosting spell before the match. Maybe wind foot from wind magic.

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    ¡ºOld man Ladur is pretty good.¡»

    Ladur was gliding around the ying field like a figure skater. He must have been using wind foot, but it should be very difficult to control it like that. We''ve only ever used it to help us move in a straight line.

    While performing such extremely difficult levels of magic control, I could see that he was channeling his magical power for the next spell. It was nothing short of amazing.

    Ladur might be the best contestant when ites to the delicate control of magic.

    Hilt followed closely behind him. With her sharp moves, she quickly closed the distance.

    ¡¸Earth Control!¡¹

    ¡¸What are you¨D¨D?¡¹

    A huge amount of magical power emanated from Ladur. Right when Hilt sensed it, she bes alert, sending her body flying in the air.

    Her foot had been caught on a slight ridge that Ladur created with hisnd magic. She twisted her body in the air and managed tond on the ground, but her body was off-bnce.

    ¡¸That was...!¡¹

    ¡ºHe didn''t hide his magic power, but covered his surroundings with it to obscure the small changes. I see!¡»

    ¡¸Amazing!¡¹

    The technique Ladur used was Earth Control.

    A person of Hilt''s level would have been able to see through the flow of magic. If he casted it normally that is.

    Ladur had set up Earth Control over the entire stage to create a difference of only a few centimeters. It was as if he was dering that he was going to perform a grand move to attack the entire stage.

    In reality, however, he had made a tiny change. This is a really nasty move that can surprise the opponent and cover up small changes in mana flow.

    The disadvantage is that it consumes a lot of magic power.

    Even so, Ladur seemed to have decided that it is worth it if he can hinder Hilt''s movement even by just a little bit.

    ¡¸Here you go!¡¹

    ¡¸Peh!¡¹

    Using his ongoing earth control, he transformed the ground under Hilt''s feet into a pool of mud. The mud sshed on her face causing her to frown.

    No matter how high her stats were, if she suddenly loses her footing, she''s bound to lose her bnce. And then, Ladur went all in on the offensive.

    ¡¸I will not make the same mistake I madest year! I must end the fight quickly when fighting one such as you! Ooourgh! High Wave!¡¹

    ¡¸I can never let my guard down around you seniors!¡¹

    Ladur is known for his mastery of basic magic, but it does not mean that he cannot use powerful spells. Usually, he doesn''t need them because of how much mana it drains.

    However, when the match is on the line, he naturally must use his secret weapon.

    Ladur unleashed an ocean magic spell that created huge waves. If used on the sea, this technique could even capsize a ship.

    Used in this narrow arena, it could push the opponent out of the arena.

    A tall wall of waves rushed into Hilt as it rose.

    Many spectators were convinced that Hilt would be swallowed by the wave and just lose outright. However, in the next moment, their predictions would bepletely blown away.

    ¡¸Ruaaaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gohgg!¡¹

    Hilt released a magic bullet, which smashed straight through the wave and blew Ladur away.

    ¡ºSuch power released without any timeg. Her magic release is several times stronger than Colbert''s. That alone is enough to make her a threat.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The collision with the wave should''ve made the bullet a bit weaker, but Ladur was knocked unconscious by the blow. I guess he can''t physically beat the passing of age, after all.

    ¡ºT-This is¡­! Just when it looked like Ladur was going to win! Hiltoria''s mysterious attack blew him away! As expected from the heir to the ''Immovable!'' Her strength is unbelievable!¡»

    At first nce, it seemed like Ladur put up a good fight, but Hilt wasn''t taking the match seriously at all. Her goal was not to enjoy the match like Fran and the others, but to hide her own cards as much as possible.

    Of course, she was hiding them from Fran.

    Hilt, the victor of the match, looked straight at us. Like I thought, she''s constantly wary of Fran''s presence.

 Chapter 715

    <h4>Chapter 715</h4>

    <h4>715: Neidhart and Elsa</h4>

    Hilt and Fran''s gazes collide.

    Even though they were far away from each other, they can feel each other''s fighting spirit. Hilt didn''t smile and just left without a second nce.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fun.¡¹

    ¡ºBut first, you have someone you have to beat, right?¡»

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    We don''t even know if Hilt will even make it to the finals in the first ce. It''s still only the quarterfinals next.

    ¡ºNext up, Klikka versus Babaros.¡»

    I''ve never heard of either of them. Klikka was a mercenary and Babaros was an adventurer.

    When the match started, Fran raised her voice in surprise, which was rare.

    ¡¸Huh, she can see that?¡¹

    ¡ºProbably. Is it the effect of her perception skills or¡­¡­?¡»

    The woman, Klikka, used a mysterious fighting technique. She was a specialist in detection, or should I say sensing?

    She perfectly dodged her opponent''s attacks and hit him in his vitals with her bow and rapier. That''s what it looked like.

    Babaros, in contrast to the harshness of his name, was in fact a thin magic warrior. He had a lot of moves and hisbined use of wind magic and short spear was quite sharp.

    Fran would''ve been able to evade him. However, it was bizarre that Klikka, someone nowhere near Fran''s level of physical ability, was able to evade all the attacks.

    The audience may think that she was just fast, but it''s more like she had eyes on the back of her head. Her ability to predict moves was also amazing and would not have been able to move like that if she didn''t have perfect knowledge of her surroundings.

    She didn''t take a single hit the entire fight.

    For a scout, that''s a hell of an ability.

    And we weren''t only interested in her because of her interestingbat style.

    £¨I''d expect that from Siby''s friends.£©

    ¡ºYeah. Urushi, are you sure it''s her?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi told me that Klikka was one of Siby''srades.

    At Siby''s and Klikka''s level, it''s likely that they''re aware that they are being watched. They must already know that their identities are exposed, right?

    Still, they act publicly because they don''t want to reveal that awareness? If so, they may have already made ns to escape¡­¡­

    ¡ºWell, I''m sure thew enforcement will take them into custody.¡»

    How could Diaz not already be aware of what I knew? I don''t want to stick our noses in and interfere with the guild''s operations.

    ¡ºLooking at it this way, the knights of Raydoss are probably very specialized¡­¡»

    £¨I see.£©

    Biscot specializes in tanking, Klikka in scouting, and Siby in destruction¡­ well, Siby is good at defense too, but she seems to be better at offense.

    Though there are many ws in them as individuals, they''d be very reliable when considered as a party or a unit.

    In this sense, their true value may lie not in duels, but in group battles.

    ¡¸Neidhart is here.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd Elsa.¡»

    Next up is a battle of acquaintances.

    Neidhart, the mantis, and Elsa, the beauty queen.

    Elsa offers his hand, and Neidhart shakes it without hesitation. A handshake before a match is rare in this tournament. It''s probably because Elsa is a people person and Neidhart seems to just be a nice guy.

    ¡¸Oh my! You''re quite a hunk!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing, I''m just a little surprised, since that didn''t seem to be a mere pleasantry.¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufu¡­ You have just a cool voice. I wish I could give you a loving hug.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha¡­ Haha. Please be gentle.¡¹

    Neidhart, who''s supposed to be an experienced fighter, was already at a loss before the match even started. That''s Elsa for you.

    Moreover, Elsa called the mantis-headed Neidhart a hunk. Isn''t his strike zone a bit too wide?

    I''m not discriminating against bugs, but there''s a limit don''t you think?

    After the awkwardly long handshake before the match, the fight finally began.

    ¡¸Let''s go!¡¹

    Elsa was armed with a mace and Neidhart with twin swords.

    Elsa''s not only sturdy, but also had a propensity to enjoy pain and even possessed a skill in this area. I was expecting to see how Neidhart would ove that but¡­

    ¡¸Oorgh! Spiral thrust!¡¹

    ¡¸Ehh¡­¡¹

    Immediately after the match started. All it took was a single blow.

    Neidhart''s sword, which had closed the distance in an instant, pierced through Elsa''s stomach, and arge amount of blood spurted out from his back.

    ¡¸Aha¡­¡­ You, put a big one in me¡­¡­¡¹

    What''s with your eyes tearing up and tone of voice?! Soon after, Elsa copsed and was no longer moving.

    ¡¸Did you see it?¡¹

    ¡ºBarely. If I was in Elsa''s ce, I might have gotten hit too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    Maybe Neidhart did some research on Elsa''s fighting techniques and capabilities beforehand. As a result, he chose to throw an attack at max power. Well, it seemed like he wascking information on Elsa''s personality though.

    ¡ºI think that was the effect of his unique skill, Skanda, but he was terrifyingly fast¡­¡­¡»

    He may even exceed Fran''s speed in Brilliant Lightning Rush. It was that fast. Not even Elsa''s defenses could''ve prevented that super-speed thrustbined with the strength of an insect-kin focused all onto a single point.

    Elsa stood back up after being healed and approached Neidhart, but he briskly walked off stage, showing not the slightest presence of his immense power.

    However, he was undoubtedly one of the best fighters in this year''s tournament.

    £¨¡­¡­I''d like to fight him.£©

    ¡ºI thought you would say that, but we''ll see what happens.¡»

    Hilt is on the other side of the block, and there''s still another match today.

    Neidhart, who just won, will be fight whoever wins thest match today. And just as we predicted, Felmus won thest match without a hitch.

    ¡¸Neidhart and Felmus!¡¹

    ¡ºI seriously don''t know who''s going to be winning this.¡»

    Fran''s eyes sparkled as she imagined what the matchup between these two would be like. She would like to fight them herself, but she was also looking forward to watching a match between the best of the best. I feel the exact same way, so I can understand.

    Next up are the quarterfinals. The cradle of time, donated by the Beast King, will make its appearance again where dead contestants will be resurrected, and ring out will no longer result in a loss. In a sense, this was the beginning of the real fights.

    ¡ºWe''ll have to beat Siby first to enjoy the battle between those two.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 716

    <h4>Chapter 716</h4>

    <h4>716: Siby Battle, Initial Test</h4>

    ¡ºWell, here we are! The quarterfinals! The hero of the ck Cats has achieved victory after victory up to this point! Here''s Fran the ck Lightning Princess! She is as small as ever! But everyone knows just how strong she really is!¡»

    In the quarterfinals, the audience''s voltage was at its peak even before the event started. The crowd cheered so loudly that the earth shook.

    ¡ºAgainst the red mercenary, Siby! She has defeated many strong opponents and won with her overwhelming destructive power!¡»

    Fran and Siby faced each other on the stage.

    ¡¸Hey. Nice to see you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I saw the Biscot fight. You weren''t serious, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Watch and see.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. I know it!¡¹

    ¡ºLast year''s dark horse against this year''s dark horse! Who will win?¡»

    Now that you mention it, it''s fitting to call it a match-up of dark horses.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? So you really are an evolved ck cat, aren''t you?¡¹

    Siby smiles happily watching the ck lightning rushing around Fran.

    SHe''s probably already checked out the information on Fran. It''s a well-known story, so it''s easy to find out if you ask around a bit.

    It''s best to assume that they have at least some information about us.

    ¡¸Now, show me your power as one of the best adventurers in the world!¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t need to be told.¡¹

    ¡ºLet the match begin!¡»

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    As soon as the match started, Siby came forward. This was unexpected. In the previous matches, she''d wait and see what would happen first, but¡­¡­

    This is a sign that Siby''s as serious as we were.

    A sword thrusts out at high speed, and it aimed right for Fran''s throat.

    Even though that was unexpected, this possibility was notpletely ruled out.

    ¡ºAir shield, multi cast!¡»

    This time, I was at full throttle from the very start. I created multiple air shields and blocked Siby''s attack.

    ¡¸Chantless?!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuh!¡¹

    Fran fires a sh at Siby''s open nk.

    It should have caught her perfectly, but¡­

    ¡¸Kuhaha! It''s so light!¡¹

    ¡¸Mnh!¡¹

    It didn''t cut her in the slightest.

    It''s not like it was bounced by a barrier. There was a dull feeling and sound, as if she was hitting a thick tire with an iron pipe.

    The ck lightning did not seem to damage Siby either.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºI don''t know yet!¡»

    It seems like Siby has some kind of skill to mitigate the damage. Physical resistance and lightning resistance? But, could she really have the exact resistances against us?

    ¡¸Doryaa!¡¹

    We tried to parry her attack and take advantage of the opportunity, but Siby was the one who struck first. It was quite fast, but not enough to catch Fran.

    Fran, who had avoided the sh with minimal movement, now mmed a low kick into Siby''s inner thigh.

    But it didn''t seem to work either.

    ¡ºThen I''ll look for a weak spot!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    From there it was a fierce exchange of blows.

    Dozens of sword shes ensued, but neither Fran nor Siby were seriously damaged.

    Fran evaded everything and Siby simply took no damage.

    That''s right. She didn''t bleed at all no matter where we cut or stabbed her from her head to her feet. Even a thrust straight at her eyeball didn''t leave a mark.

    I tried Destroyer of Evil, Demon Poison Fang, Elemental Swords of various elements¡­ Still no effect.

    ¡¸Nice try but it''s all useless!¡¹

    ¡ºThen we''ll use magic!¡»

    I let Fran handle the evasion and fired several spells at once at Siby, who continued to swing her sword down at us.

    Inferno, storm,nd, water, lightning, ice, molten, dust, poison, darkness, light, space-time. I used pretty much every single spell I had that could cause direct damage.

    Then with Fire Control, Water Control, Earth Control, Poison Control, and Wind Control, Iunched non-magical elemental attacks.

    However, Siby didn''t show any attempt to avoid them.

    It seems likely that she has a skill nullifying damage below a certain level rather than a resistance skill. It would be too hard to believe that Siby has resistance against all the attacks I just made.

    ¡¸That''s not enough to hurt me!¡¹

    ¡¸Then try this!¡¹

    Siby approached us, deflecting the attack with her own body.

    Fran held me at waist height while ducking to avoid a side sh.

    Using all her strength, Fran sends me flying from the sheath made of wind.

    The Sheaths of Wind sh flew right for Siby''s neck with divine speed.

    Against any normal opponent, this would have been the decisive blow. However, Siby didn''t even care.

    I thought it might be a skill that reduces damage beyond a certain threshold, but how could it possibly nullify even this powerful attack?

    Physical nullification? No, that doesn''t exin why ck lightning doesn''t work.

    In the first ce, she certainly took a lot of damage in the fight with Colbert. Thest technique that Colbert had unleashed was indeed impressive.

    Even so, the Sheaths of Wind isparable to that. In fact, the damage should be way higher than Colbert''s because of the addition of my attack power to it.

    So why is there no damage?

    ¡ºWhat kind of a trick is this!?¡»

    ¡¸Nice! That''s a good one! But it''s not enough to beat me! I''m just about warmed up, let''s get this party going!¡¹

    Siby''s pressure increased at once, and her entire body erupted with red magic power.

 Chapter 717

    <h4>Chapter 717</h4>

    <h4>717: Beyond Heavenly Judgment</h4>

    ¡¸I''m just about warmed up, let''s get this party going!¡¹

    Siby''s words were no lie. The amount of magic flowing through her body spiked, and red magic overflowed from her entire body.

    The pressure we sense now was no less than that of the strongest opponents we''ve fought up until now.

    As if to show that this tremendous magical power was no fluke, Siby''s speed increased not just one stage, but several stages.

    ¡¸Shaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gu¡­¡­!¡¹

    Siby may have be ustomed to Fran''s movements, but Fran''s hesitation also slowed down her movements slightly.

    Fran, who should''ve had the advantage in speed, was beginning to be pushed back by Siby''s onught. Ourck of vision for a sessful attack is beginning to affect her evasion.

    Even if she continued to evade her attacks, she will not be able to break out of this situation.

    ¡ºFran¡­ let''s go on the offensive.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Okay.£©

    Siby stopped her movements when she saw Fran use air hop to jump away from her. She must have sensed that we were about to use our trump card.

    ¡¸Ha-ha-ha! Your hesitation''s suddenly is gone! Come on! I''ll wait as long as you want!¡¹

    She''sughing in this situation, but I''m going to wipe that smile off your face!

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    If Siby is willing to wait, let''s take advantage of that.

    Fran is more focused than ever. She circtes her magic between us, as if to unify the both of us, and sharpens it all as if to put everything she has into a single blow.

    It''s a strange sensation, as if I am an extension of Fran''s body. A sense of tion that my sword self will be utilized to its maximum potential. Even before I was swung, my body trembled with delight.

    It might simr to when Fran weilds me in her Sword God Transformation state.

    ¡¸Hah¡­¡­¡¹

    Siby only smiled like a wild beast and braced herself in front of Fran, who circted an enormous amount of magic power while holding me overhead.

    Siby was seriously going to take it without interfering.

    Then, in a sh, Fran closed the gap.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Siby doesn''t react. Whether she can''t or won''t, she just stared at Fran.

    ¡¸Heavenly Judgment.¡¹

    Leaving all sound behind, a de of divine speed swung down too silently, striking Siby''s body¡­

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat!¡»

    ¡¸That''s amazing! But, it just won''t be enough!¡¹

    Don''t be ridiculous! If that''s not enough, then what CAN cut Siby?

    No, it''s not that I couldn''t cut her at all. My de sliced about 10cm into her shoulder, making her bleed for the first time.

    But it was a blow from Heavenly Judgment, which Fran, in her Brilliant Lightning Rush state, had fired with all her might. And that''s all it did?

    ¡ºThat attack even had a slight divine attribute on it!¡»

    £¨? Really?£©

    Fran didn''t notice it herself.

    I however, was able to sense it thanks to the divine energy maniption skill.

    Considering that the Sword God Transformation is somewhat beyond Heavenly Judgment, it;s not unusual for it to apply a divine attribute.

    I think Fran has finally taken that step to the next level.

    However, Siby looked calm. Moreover, the wounds that should have been inflicted by the divine attribute began to regenerate instantly.

    This overwhelming defense and unbelievable regenerative power. That may be what most people tend to focus on, but there was something else that wasn''t right. Even if we didn''t cut her all the way, it was a super high-speed blow, right? There must have been a considerable impact behind it.

    The fact that it hit her without cutting all the way means that the force must have been transferred to Siby. And she didn''t seem to do anything to deflect the momentum, yet she didn''t even get knocked back at all.

    I''ve seen this before. It''s just like when Fran used physical nullificationst year at the martial arts tournament.

    ¡ºSo it really is physical nullification?¡»

    But the divine attribute should transcend ordinary skills. Even a skill that nullifies physical attacks wouldn''t be able to protect against the divine attribute. Why was the cut so shallow? No, is it because of its divine attribute that we were able to cut her, however shallow, in the first ce?

    And if it is a resistance skill, I have no idea why of all of our magic spells were blocked.

    £¨Master¡­ can you draw out the divine attribute?£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Let''s try it.¡»

    It seemed like the divine attribute was the key. Using divine energy maniption, I converted my own magical power into divine energy. It''s not going to be easy, but I won''t give up.

    Remember the Sword God Transformation and Heavenly Judgment. I can do it.

    Then I feel a sudden increase in my own presence, and a sense of power overflows me.

    ¡ºHere ites¡­¡­ I can do it¡­ not as good as the Sword God Transformation though.¡»

    £¨Plenty.£©

    Fran moved again, not with the Heavenly Judgment, but with the Sheaths of Wind. However, it''s a blow with just as much magic power as the Heavenly Judgment.

    Though not as powerful as the Heavenly Judgment, Siby''s cheek was wounded. It seemed like the divine attribute couldn''t bepletely blocked by Siby.

    Fran''s continued the offensive, but not with her sword.

    Frannded a punch in Siby''s torso with my string is wrapped around her fist.

    ¡¸Goh!¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    Siby was damaged by a punch that was far less powerful than a sh. The wind was knocked out of her lungs and she clutched her chest with a bitter expression.

    It seemed to have been the difort from the damage of her internal organs rather than pain.

    ¡¸I knew it. You''re weaker to punches than swords?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuku¡­¡­ You noticed.¡¹

    I see. It seems that she doesn''t have a uniform defense against all attacks.

    She appears to have an unbreakable defense against swords, but not so much against punches. The reason she took damage from Colbert could be because she was weak to blunt damage or, it could be that she was weak to force prating her body.

    It''s true that she is tough, but it is enough to know that she is not invincible.

    Both shes and blows are more or less effective if they''reced with the divine attribute.

    ¡ºThen we''ll just keep shing and hitting with everything we''ve got!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºLeave it to me to maintain the divine attribute.¡»

    £¨Please.£©

    Using the Sword God Transformation is ourst resort. If we fail to beat her with the Sword God Transformation, which can''t be used for an extended duration, we''ll instantly be at a disadvantage.

    ¡¸Ha-ha-ha-ha! This is where the real fight begins!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 718

    <h4>Chapter 718</h4>

    <h4>718: She who Devours</h4>

    ¡¸Taaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Oruaaaah!¡¹

    Fran and Siby''s sword sh had be even more fierce.

    Fran attacked Siby without pause, moving at super-high speed with her Brilliant Lightning Rush. Each blow at full force, slicing through Siby''s skin and impacting her internal organs.

    Siby''s movements didn''t seem to slow down at all as she wielded her sword, while regenerating countless wounds instantly. On the contrary, her speed continued to rise in response to her excitement.

    The audience gasped for breath, forgetting to cheer, as they watched the overly fast shes that were difficult to even see. They all knew that something great was going on.

    But despite the intensity of the battle, neither fighter sustained any noticeable damage. Our attacks, even if they seemed to go in a little deeper, were quickly regenerated.

    One time, we seeded in cutting off a finger on her left hand with a series of shes to the same area, but it was regenerated instantly. This must be a skill on the same level as instant regeneration.

    All of Siby''s attacks were avoided by Fran. In the beginning, I tried to add the physical nullification skill, but it drained way too much mana which means Fran has only taken damage from her use of Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    That too, is mitigated now with the life magic I learned in the Belioth Kingdom. The damage was not enough to overtake our recovery.

    At first nce, it seemed to be a stalemate, but I''d have to say we were at a disadvantage. Whatever unknown ability Siby''s using to support her defense should also consume a lot of magic, but I can''t say that for sure.

    If it was more mana-efficient than I had imagined, then the longer the fight dragged on, the worse it would be for us.

    I wanted to settle this as soon as possible and we still have a shot, if we targeted Siby''s eyes.

    With the divine attribute, our attack should be able to prate her eye. If the attack passes through her eye right to the inside of her skull, she''ll die no matter how tough she was.

    Siby, perhaps knowing this, avoided only the attacks aimed at her face.

    It seems like Siby had an animal-like instinct to detect lethal attacks.

    ¡ºI have to stop her movements before we can do anything!¡»

    £¨Master''s thread?£©

    ¡ºShe''s got too much power. Steel threads may not be enough to hold her.¡»

    When I attempted to block her attack with physical nullification, the mana consumption was just too much. It was more than when I blocked Colbert''s techniquest year. It blocked a single hit out of her barrage of attacks, and that was all I could handle.

    Siby''s magic sword is not so powerful as it is sturdy. In other words, Siby''s high attack power was the result of her own strength. With such power, it''s doubtful how far she can be restrained by my strings.

    £¨Then?£©

    ¡ºThen it''s time for a surprise attack.¡»

    £¨I see.£©

    Fran folded her arms to her side and pulled back in preparation for a thrust. She purposely showed off her motion.

    Siby, who sensed that we were going to perform a big move, smirked confidently. Her attentionpletely focused on Fran, just as we intended.

    She failed to pay attention to her footing.

    ¡ºUrushi! Now!¡»

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Unh!?¡¹

    It was a surprise attack by Urushi, who we had in reserve since the start of the battle. Almost zero opponents have perfectly avoided such an attack at first sight.

    It was impressive that she managed to react before getting bitten, but still she could not escape Urushi''s jaws, which appeared right under her feet.

    ¡¸What the hell is this huge thing!?¡¹

    She must''ve gotten some information about Urushi beforehand, but it was just the information about Urushi when he shrunk himself.

    He has never shown his maximum size in this city, and very few people have seen it in general. Like we thought, she didn''t know about it either.

    After noticing Urushi''s presence, Siby jumped backwards but was caught in Urushi''s giant jaws much to her surprise.

    Urushi''s head is more than 5 meters long, and Siby was caught on the corner of his mouth.

    Even with Urushi''s fangs, she didn''t seem to be taking any damage. However, those powerful jaws have caught both her legs below the knees, and she was unable to move.

    ¡¸Tch! Hey!¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Roll!¡¹

    Siby tried to attack Urushi, but Fran was faster. With ck Lightning Roll, she bolted in front of Siby in an instant, and used that speed tounch a forceful thrust.

    ¡¸Khwoooooooooooo!¡¹

    Siby tilted her head just in time so that my tip entered her mouth instead of her eyes. But that''s okay.

    ¡ºI''ll just tear you apart from the inside!¡»

    And don''t think that''s going to be the end of it. Have some deadly poison I pulled out of dimensional storage as a mouthwash! Unfortunately, things didn''t go as nned.

    ¡¸Mgr!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran''s eyes widen in surprise. The same goes for me.

    Siby bit down on the tip of my de with her teeth, stopping the thrust. Catching a de not with your hands, but with your teeth? Her reaction time was astonishingly fast and her jaw strength was also tremendous.

    But what really surprised me was what she did after.

    Crack! Crack!

    ¡ºWhoa?¡»

    What the hell? Siby bit the tip of my de off! This isn''t a matter of how tough her teeth are. No matter how extraordinary SHE is, it should be absolutely impossible for her to bite off my de when it''s been enhanced with my mana conductivity.

    Reality, however, proved me wrong. My tip was chipped with Siby''s teeth marks imprinted on it.

    Crunch! Crunch! Crack!

    And she didn''t just bite it off.

    ¡¸Nom, yummy. Nice sword! Nom, does it have a poison ability on it?¡¹

    She was swallowing all the poison I put in her mouth too.

    She chewed up my de and swallowed it as if she was eating a cracker and she wasn''t putting on an act or anything either.

    ¡¸Ha ha ha! This magic sword certainly has a unique vor!¡¹

    It was clear to me that Siby''s magic power increased slightly. Undoubtedly because of how she had eaten me And she wasn''t even bothered by the poison that could kill an average human with a single drop.

    ¡¸You! Let go of me already!¡¹

    ¡¸Gya!¡¹

    Siby took a bite into the tip of Urushi''s nose, who was still holding her leg. Then she chewed and swallowed Urushi''s flesh.

    ¡¸This one''s good too! And with great power! I can taste that concentrated darkness vor!¡¹

    Siby eximed, her magic power increasing even more than before.

    Devouring others, and expanding her own power? She seemed to have an ability for that.

    ¡¸Want me to finish the meal?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuuu¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi! Retreat for now!¡»

    Urushi whimpered slightly in fright. He must have been scared of Siby chewing his flesh right in front of his eyes.

    I can understand that. The sight of a beautiful woman biting and chewing off the meat of a beast was unusually impactful. Even Fran was taken aback by how Siby took a bite out of me and Urushi in session.

    ¡ºThis is a much more impressive opponent than I imagined¡­¡­! Eating me and Urushi, what the hell!¡»

    £¨Master, are you okay?£©

    ¡ºIt''s regenerated, everything''s fine, but¡­¡­ Oh man, she''s insane.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn¡­¡­¡¹

    Both Urushi and I have regeneration. The physical damage wasn''t that bad, but we still felt the psychological impact.

    ¡ºWhat is her ability¡­¡­? It can''t just be normal eating, right? Does it have anything to do with her defenses?¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¶Analysisplete on individual named Siby.¡·

    ¡ºOh! Announcer-san! Seriously?!¡»

 Chapter 719

    <h4>Chapter 719</h4>

    <h4>719: A Portion of Siby''s Power</h4>

    ¡¶Analysisplete on individual named Siby.¡·

    ¡ºOh! Announcer-san! Seriously?!¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative.¡·

    I suddenly heard Announcer-san''s voice. How reliable it is!

    It seems like Announcer-san''s sharp eyes of observation had discovered something.

    ¡¶Based on our observations and measurements, I believe that the individual named Siby possesses an estimated 27 different resistance skills.¡·

    ¡º27? A whole 27 resistance skills? Really?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. All of them are at a high level, andbined with pain nullification, instant regeneration, etc. This is the true defensive nature of the individual named Siby''s abilities.¡·

    To think that the first possibility I eliminated was actually the correct one.

    In other words, it''s not a single super strong damage reduction skill, but just a myriad of resistance skills?

    How is that possible? I know how to get resistance skills. Everyone in this world should understand how.

    It is very simple. All you have to do is to take attacks you want to gain resistance to for a long time. But practically speaking, no one possesses a huge number of resistance skills. Even among high-level adventurers, I have never seen anyone who had several of them at a high level.

    The reason was obvious. The road to getting resistance skills is paved with suffering.

    If you want to increase the level of your resistance, the attacks you''d have to go against will have to increase as well. It will never get easier no matter how long you go at it.

    How much time and anguish would it take to reach Siby''s level?

    For decades on end, you''d have to be subjected to all kinds of torture day in and day out. I think it would be impossible unless you live a life like that? No, it should still be impossible. As the level of resistance skill gets higher and higher, it would be more and more difficult to find someone who could match that resistance with their attacks.

    ¡ºWell, what''s more important is the way to break it.¡»

    As Fran and Siby begin the sh again, I exchanged information with Announcer-san.

    ¡¶Resistance to the divine attribute and blunt damage appears to be lower than the others.¡·

    ¡ºIf she has that many resistance skills, would it be a good idea to attack her a lot to make her run out of magic?¡»

    ¡¶Negative. It is hypothesized that the magic consumption is too low. There is also the presence of a magical tool inside her body.¡·

    ¡ºA magical tool?¡»

    ¡¶Details are unknown. It appears the magical tool is sealed inside her body and allows her to draw out its enormous magical power. As a result, she is believed to have enough magic to use several powerful skills in session.¡·

    ¡ºYou mean simr to how Fran is able to draw out my magical power?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. If the fight continues, there is a 59% chance that our magic will run out first.¡·

    That''s a bit of a bad bet¡­¡­

    ¡ºWhat do you think we should do?¡»

    ¡¶Currently, there are four options that can be implemented immediately.¡·

    ¡ºFour!?¡»

    That''s my Announcer-san!

    ¡¶The first one is to attack by releasing all abilities. By making full use of the Potential Release, Sword God Transformation, Divine Maniption, and Wizard skills, there is an 88% chance that she can be in, even taking the resistance skills into ount.¡·

    ¡ºNo, that''s a bit much¡­¡­ I especially don''t want to use Potential Release.¡»

    Even if we could win here, we would go into the semi-finals in shambles. And there is the risk of losing our lives. Is the cradle of time going to help? Not necessarily. If activates on Siby first, it won''t be on Fran. There''s too much to lose.

    ¡¶The second method is to use teleportation to transport Siby far away and leave her behind. The rules have been revised sincest year: if a contestant stays outside the barrier for more than 3 minutes, they are considered to have abandoned the match.¡·

    Last year, Fran''s use of teleportation to get outside the barrier was the reason for the rule change. Indeed, it could be quite difficult toe back in less than three minutes if we dump her far away from town.

    ¡ºBut that''s kinda¡­¡­¡»

    Fran would not be happy with such a win. And neither would the audience. Even if we win, they will boo us out for sure. If that is the case, it would be better to go head-to-head and lose.

    The trouble with this 3-minute rule is that it wouldn''t be possible to win by filling the barrier with water or turning it into a vacuum. I doubt we could suffocate Siby in a mere 3 minutes, though the same would go for Fran and other contestants too.

    If we tried, we would be the ones disqualified for leaving the barrier.

    There is a strong possibility that even Mordred''sva stored in our dimensional storage would not work against Siby''s extraordinary level of resistance.

    ¡¶The third method is to use self-evolution points to find another method. With the abilities of the opponent unknown, it is not guaranteed, but there is a possibility if we use the 52 points we currently have.¡·

    ¡ºSuch as?¡»

    ¡¶Attributes we have not yet used for attacks. For example, by putting points into moonlight magic, necromancy magic, etc., we may find an element that Siby has low or nonexistent resistances to.¡·

    Well, that makes sense, but there''s no guarantee that it''ll work¡­¡­ Since we don''t know the skillposition of our opponent, we can''t be sure that we can win by strengthening a particr skill.

    However, it is the most reasonable option.

    ¡ºWhat is thest option?¡»

    ¡¶The fourth option is to use the blessing of the Chaos Goddess.¡·

    ¡ºEh? Wasn''t that some weird ability that makes you resistant to chaos or something¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¶The power of chaos has been detected from within Siby. I can certify that at least one of the sources of her strength is the power of chaos.¡·

    ¡ºReally? You mean, she''s rted to a dungeon? Or does she have some kind of blessing from the Chaos Goddess?¡»

    ¡¶Details are unknown, but if we can convert the blessing''s influence over chaos into an attack, we should be able to greatly reduce her power.¡·

    ¡ºIs that possible?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. A blessing is not a definitive power, but rather a well of possibilities. It can have various effects depending on the will of the bearer. First, you must focus your awareness on the blessing.¡·

    I tried to focus on the blessing of the Chaos Goddess that was supposed to be inside me. But I can''t seem to get a feel for it.

    ¡º¡­¡­Mnh.¡»

    ¡¶Go deeper. Focus your awareness of the root of the individual named Master.¡·

    ¡ºDeeper¡­¡­¡»

    I enter my deepest self.

    It''s a little scary.

    Because there are so many things sleeping deep inside me. Fenrir and the evil god. The memories of the time when they ran amok in the beast country came back to haunt me.

    I know that was the effect of the Mad Oni skill, but I don''t know what will happen if I carelessly touch the things that were sealed away.

    ¡¶Don''t worry. I''m here.¡·

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san¡­¡­¡»

    As if guided by Announcer-san''s voice, I focus my attention.

    ¡ºIs this¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¶Yes.¡·

    My consciousness touched something warm. I see, it seemed to be simr to the power that the Chaos Goddess was emitting. This must be her blessing.

    I draw out its power consciously.

    ¡ºSuch, amazing power!¡»

    ¡¶Assisting with control. The individual named Master will use this power for the individual named Fran''s benefit. Please focus on what kind of power you are forming with it.¡·

    ¡ºWhat kind of power to form¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¶Turn this blessing''s influence over chaos into an offensive power, the power to y chaos.¡·

    I let the powering from the blessing of the Chaos Goddess flow outward. The power would go out of control by itself, but I forcefully stop it, and use it to coat my de.

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºSorry to keep you waiting, Fran.¡»

    Fran''s expressed her bewilderment at the sudden increase of the divine attribute, but a confident smile soon appeared on her face.

    She must have understood that I had awakened to a new power. Siby''s face, on the other hand, looked somewhat stern.

    ¡¸Ha-ha-ha! What the hell? You''ve suddenly be more intimidating!¡¹

    She must have sensed that I was a danger to her, with her keen intuition as usual. For the first time since the beginning of this battle, Siby voluntarily moved away from us.

    However, she was angered at herself for reflexively stepping backwards. Immediately she red at Fran with an expression more serious than ever.

    ¡ºUse this power to tear her apart.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll cut you down!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha-ha-ha-ha! Just see if you can!¡¹

 Chapter 720

    <h4>Chapter 720</h4>

    <h4>720: Siby Battle Ends</h4>

    £¨Master. Let''s go£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran readied my de, d in the power of the chaos killer, and rushed towards Siby.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Come on!¡¹

    She feinted a blow to the legs and then changed mid-trajectory, aiming at Siby''s head like a kendo master shing at the face mask.

    The speed and sharpness of the blows were the same as before. But the sword she was holding waspletely different.

    I was radiating a vicious power drawn from the blessing.

    My de dives straight into Siby''s head and¡­ misses.

    ¡¸Tchi!¡¹

    Siby twisted herself around in a desperate attempt to avoid me. This was the same person who never even tried to take any significant evasive action until now.

    As a result, my sword de mmed right into Siby''s left shoulder.

    A little while ago, it would have caused a shallow cut and that would have been the end of it.

    But that was not the case this time.

    ¡¸Impossible!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Siby''s left arm flew through the air and blood spurted from the wound. It is the most damage we''ve dealt the entire match.

    The lost arm slowly began to regenerate from the shoulder. However, unlike before, the speed of regeneration clearly slowed down.

    ¡¸What the¡­¡­ That sword?!¡¹

    ¡ºKeep up the pressure!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Tah!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn!¡¹

    For the first time since the match began, Siby was on the run. Her movements were truly animalistic, as she abandoned her offense and concentrated on evasion.

    The attacks that we thought would hit were avoided by a hair''s length. Siby didn''t seem to feel any pain, since her movements did not show any sign of slowing down even as the damage umted.

    Even so, it was impossible to avoid all the attacks from Fran and me, who were going at full power.

    ¡¸Shhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha? Teleportation!¡¹

    I used the teleportation I had been holding back up to this point, and piled up damage by taking advantage of Siby''s surprise. The number of non-regenerating wounds were increasing, even if we could not deal a one-hit-kill.

    ¡ºHow about this one!¡»

    ¡¸Even the magic is strange¡­¡­!¡¹

    I unleash a lightning spell, with the image of imbuing the blessing of the Chaos Goddess into it. It doesn''t do much damage, but the spell wasn''tpletely nullified either.

    Siby''s movements were momentarily blocked, and Fran''s sh cut right through her.

    Can we push through like this? Just after that thought passed through my head, Fran took a big leap backwards.

    ¡¸Urrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    Siby''s whole body is overflowing with red magic power. No, not just that. Blood was gushing out alongside with that magic power.

    The mixture of red blood and red magic power emitted an intense red glow.

    The sight of the red liquid dancing around Siby was somewhat enchanting. However, despite its beauty, I felt a sense of danger like no other.

    The blood was not the only strange thing, Siby''s own appearance had transformed. All the muscles in her body have grown a sizerger, and her teeth and nails have visibly lengthened into fangs and ws. Her eyes have also changed to resemble those of a reptile.

    It was simr to the half-dragonkin I''d seen before. Could it be that she was not a pure blooded human?

    Whatever the case, it looks bad.

    ¡¸Devour her!¡¹

    Siby shouted, and the writhing blood swirled like a creature and attacked Fran. It was moving like an amoeba with a mind of its own.

    We absolutely cannot let that touch us.

    ¡ºFran! Don''t let it hit you!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After dodging it, Siby''s blood hit the arena causing that area to be melted away as if it had been eaten by a slime.

    Does Siby''s blood really have such a property?

    Fran shed away at the blood, which was now extended like a whip chasing after her. As expected, it wasn''t enough to melt me, since I was d in the divine attribute.

    However, my durability was considerably reduced. We would be in trouble if we continued to take these attacks.

    I thought we had pulled off a victory, but I didn''t know that she had a trick like this up her sleeve! She''s good!

    ¡ºFran, let''s decide it immediately. Our resources are looking bad if we have to deal with these unknown attacks.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    Fran nodded and lifted me up in the air. I used Dimension Shift and Physical Nullification to buy Fran time to prepare.

    Then Siby''s attacks stopped immediately. It wasn''t that she gave up, since she gathered the blood she had been manipting and set it up around herself like a barrier.

    She must have sensed that Fran was about to finish the match, and nned to block it and dish out a counter attack.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Both Fran and Siby looked at each other without a word. The audience watched them with bated breath. They must have understood from the tension between the two that the end was approaching.

    In the strange silence, Fran and I moved. She lightly crouched down to make it look like she is going to rush in, but this was bait.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºI''m on it!¡»

    I used illusion magic. The effect was to remotely generate a faint sound and nothing else.

    It''s a poor feint that can hardly be called a technique, and is not even close to Diaz''s abilities.

    But it''s the first time I''ve shown illusion magic in this match, so Siby reacted slightly to it. Seizing the opportunity, we teleported.

    We take Siby''s rear, but she was looking right back at us. She must''ve read us, since she wasn''t panicking at the slight dy caused by the illusion magic.

    I saw the red blood around us, controlled by Siby, rushing toward Fran.

    But this was just another feint.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Roll!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Though we first teleported behind Siby, the actual n was to move above her head with ck Lightning Roll. This time, we seeded inpletely dying Siby''s reaction.

    Still, Siby tried to thicken her defense by concentrating her blood above her head, but we were faster.

    ¡¸Taaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºDoryaaaah!¡»

    This time, Fran''s Heavenly Judgment sliced Siby''s body cleanly in two. The head was just barely avoided, but my de entered the left shoulder, cut through the heart, and passed down through the groin.

    ¡¸Gah¡­¡­¡¹

    Siby lost control of her blood, falling to the arena with a ssh. A split secondter, Siby fell to the ground in a pool of her blood.

    Victory? But neither Fran nor I dropped ourbat stance. The cradle of time did not activate. In other words, Siby was still alive, even in that condition.

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­ Gah¡­¡­¡¹

    I could see that Siby was trying to do something. Her left arm, which should have been separated from her head, lifted. It seemed like she was using her blood as a catalyst to control it.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and I aimed at her to release a spell.

    In the meantime, Siby''s left palm gathered magic power¡­

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    But Siby suddenly stopped moving. Her appearance returned to that of a normal human being, and she muttered in frustration.

    ¡¸I''ve¡­ lost¡­¡­¡¹

    Immediately after, the cradle of time activated and Siby''s body was enveloped in light.

 Chapter 721

    <h4>Chapter 721</h4>

    <h4>721: Side - Siby, Part 1</h4>

    I don''t mean to boast about my misfortune, but I think there are not so many people who lead a life as full of oddities as mine.

    Wait, can I even be considered a "person" in the first ce?

    I was born, it seems, several decades ago. Not that it means much to me considering how I don''t remember living that long myself.

    My birthce was an ind floating in the sky, the site of a former secret experimental facility in the Kingdom of Raydoss.

    There, all kinds of inhumane experiments were conducted on a daily basis, and I was one of them.

    There exists artificially-made monsters known as chimeras. They were the product of a brainless n to synthesize several magical beasts together and create the most powerful one. In the end, they ran amok and destroyed several countries, but they continued their research in secret on the floating ind with an unfounded confidence that they could control it.

    After various experiments, they reached a certain conclusion: The reason why they go berserk is because they are mostlyposed of monsters! If we make a human the main body, they will surely be controble!

    The Superhuman Creation Project. Should weugh at the sense of those who named it, or worry about the craziness of those who actually put it into action?

    Anyway, after hundreds, no, thousands of failed experiments in human-monster synthesis, I was created.

    It seems that before me, they tried many foolish tricks. Injecting monster blood or magic stones into humans and whatnot.

    Their stupidity was proven by the fact that I was the one and only sess they had. And yet, I too was viewed as a failure at first.

    In my case, they did not fuse a monster into a full-grown human being. They used the method of mixing in the cells of a dragon and a slime at the fetal development stage, before I took form in my mother''s womb.

    They probably expected great things from the power of dragons and the regenerative ability of slimes.

    Moreover, a special kind of undead was chosen as a mother so that she could withstand giving birth to these superhumans. She was the product of a crazy experiment to create intelligent and powerful undead by pouring grudges and spite into a living human being.

    From the womb of that undead who just barely maintained their sanity, came a newborn carrying the cells of humans, dragons, and slimes.

    Is that really a "person"?

    Moreover, the child did not even possess the desired power. Although she was born with a ability to regenerate minor wounds, she was not different than a normal human except that she grew a little faster.

    After several years of human experimentation, I was judged to be a failure and sent to different branch of research. That was the cryosleep experiment. They attempted to freeze people so that they could continue to sleep for a long period of time without aging.

    They had never seeded in this experiment either, but it seems that they took note of my regenerative ability. I guess they thought that my regeneration, no matter how small, would make it possible to revive me from the frozen state.

    I faintly remember the time when I was put in a coffin and a strange sludgy water was poured in.

    Well, I don''t remember much from back then. Only a few bits of pieces of the terrifying researchers, and a few more of my kind fellow brothers and sisters that lived with me in that hellhole.

    I don''t know what happened to the floating inds after that. However, ording to the information I gathered, more than ten years after I was frozen, the floating ind had somehow turned into a dungeon.

    But before that, I was among the few research materials that the researchers on the floating ind transferred to ab on the ground, shortly before their deaths.

    But then the country fell into chaos, and I was forgotten for a long time. It was only ten years ago that they realized I was a sample for cryosleep experiments rather than just a corpse, and an attempt was made to thaw me out.

    And even still, I was treated as a failure. I was in a state of living death due to the insufficient thawing on the inside of my body.

    As a result, I was discarded. Apparently, the researchers who thawed me out had taken me secretly in order to take all credit for the achievement, andter decided that it was too dangerous to keep a failure like me around.

    Normally, I would have been killed and buried, but these young researchers hesitated. After cutting me open so many times, they suddenly felt it was against their conscience to give me a proper end. Were they mentally retarded?

    After much deliberation, they decided to throw me away. But, they didn''t throw me away just anywhere.

    The location was a former A-rank monster den called the "Insect Feast". ''Former'' only because it was no longer under the control of the Adventurers'' Guild. The level of danger was even greater than before.

    Simply put, it is a deep fissure in the earth about 100 meters deep. 30 meters wide and 2 kilometers long. Countless different kinds of bug-type monsters inhabit the crack, swarming around and devouring anything that enters.

    I was abandoned there. Or rather, I was thrown in. But at that time, I was still a corpse. I had no memory of it, and only found outter when I searched out the researchers and made them spit it out.

    In fact, it was only after this event that my memory became clear.

    I felt a tremendous, intense pain that tortured my whole body.

    That was what woke me up.

    I saw hundreds of tiny bugs clinging to my body, eating my flesh.

    Why? I was in a small space somewhere. Thest thing I remember was being put in a coffin.

    But the pain prevents me from thinking of anything else.

    I wonder how much time has passed since I was in pain. Maybe a few days.

    Somehow I did not die. Every time I was eaten, my flesh regenerates. Why?

    In the meantime, I''ve grown ustomed to the pain. The bugs are still swarming to me as usual. To them, I suppose, I''m like food that multiplies endlessly.

    But why? I don''t think my regenerative abilities are enough to heal this fast¡­¡­ Blood is pouring out of me unceasingly, soaking my whole body. It doesn''t make sense that I''m still alive.

    I finally have enoughposure to think about it and I finally understand my situation.

    It seems that I am inside a deep crack in a rock wall. And the liquid I thought was my blood was actually a water spring.

    Water¡­¡­? Immediately after I realized that, a terrible thirst came over me. Come to think of it, I haven''t had anything to eat or drink for days.

    I desperately reach for water and lick it off my hand. Ah, water. The slightest wetting of my mouth gives me a tremendous surge of energy. To think water was this important to life¡­¡­

    Well, as it turns out, it was not just water. It was a magical water, with simrposition to a mana potion, containing an abundance of mana due to certain circumstances.

    The reason why my regeneration was activated indefinitely was probably because I was able to keep replenishing my magical power by immersing myself in that water.

    But at that time, I was grateful for the water and just kept licking it.

    Once the thirst was quenched, the next thing was hunger. But there was nothing for me to eat. Scratch that, there was something.

    I picked up a bug, fat and round from eating my own flesh and blood, and threw it straight into my mouth. I chewed desperately on the disgusting and bitter bug. Oh, it''s so nasty.

    Moreover, I had a sudden stomachache. I knew I shouldn''t have eaten it. And yet, I did not die. Thank god for my regeneration.

    If I don''t die, I can keep eating. In the first ce, it doesn''t matter if I die. Whether its death from poison¡­ death from being consumed by bugs¡­ death from starvation. There is no big difference either way.

    And so I continued to eat the bugs. Munching on them. Devouring them with all my heart.

 Chapter 722

    <h4>Chapter 722</h4>

    <h4>722: Side - Siby, Part 2</h4>

    Several years have passed since I was thrown into their of the bugs. Well, I don''t know exactly how long it''s been, since I didn''t pay any attention to such things back then. But there was no way it was just a few years.

    I was still living in the monster den. Outside the crack was a living hell evenpared to my history of getting eaten alive by bugs.

    Some bugs stabbed me with needles, others had wings like swords.

    Especially troublesome were the bugs that used magic and attributes. There were hundreds of different kinds of bugs. They threw at me pretty much every element in existence.

    I also had many kinds of poisons injected, and even eggs imnted in my body. And I didn''t realize it until I felt a weird pain in my stomach. It is a funny story now, but that was the downside of reduced pain sensation.

    I cried for the first time in my life when countless bugs burst through from the inside of my stomach. I had been educated to a certain extent in the process of the experiments, but I had never felt much emotion. This must have been the time when I had my first emotional outburst.

    The bugs that caused me the most trouble at that time were probably the ones with space-time attributes. Not only did they use teleportation, but they also had their jaws covered with the space-time attribute so that they could phase through the skin and slice up my internal organs. Well, once I developed resistance to the space-time attribute, they were just weaklings with teleportation.

    Yeah. Resistances.

    A never ending battle for survival with bugs. Living in such a hellhole for so long gave me a unique power. In hindsight, I see now that I''ve always had a special constitution that made it easy for me to develop resistances.

    Perhaps it was the ability of both dragons and slimes to adapt to their environment that manifested itself in such a way.

    After being attacked by bugs for a long time, I was able to ignore most of their attacks. Iter found out that the only resistances I did not have were moonlight resistance and necromancy resistance. Considering this, it is easy to see just how various the attacks used by the bugs were. Even now those two resistances are still low.

    The other thing I discovered was the ability to eat anything. A glutton for any food, no matter how bad it is. This is another trait that both dragons and slimes have inmon. To be honest, I appreciated this one more.

    It was really by chance that I noticed it. I saw some bugs swarming around a rock and licking it, so I tried to lick it myself.

    It was salty. A rock that contained salt and other minerals. I had only ever tasted bugs before, so the vor shocked me. You could say I was fascinated.

    A rock with a slight taste of salt. It was not something that a normal person would eat, but for me at that time, it was the best treat I had ever had.

    As I kept licking the rock, I felt the urge to eat and couldn''t stop myself. And then I realized it¡­"Wow, rocks are edible".

    Not only had my jaw power increased, but before I knew it, I had the power to weaken whatever I put in my mouth. It wasn''t as strong as it is today, but it was enough to eat rocks and metal.

    From there, my diet expanded. If I could eat rocks, how about sand? Iron-hard bug shells and magic stones were no problem. Especially tasty was the bedrock from which the magical water gushed. It was rich in mana.

    I continued to eat the rocks around the spring. Eventually, a huge hole opened up and I discovered a certain ce.

    It was a dungeon core room. Apparently, this so-called monster den was actually a dungeon. The dungeon master was an insect, and not a particrly intelligent one.

    Even so, they probably manipted the core with their instincts and created afortable environment for their fellow bugs. That magical water was also a device to attract and nurture bugs.

    I had no way of knowing such a thing at that time, and there was only one thought in my hand.

    ¡¸Looks tasty.¡¹

    The dungeon core, which radiated tremendous power, just looked so delicious. I took one bite after another into the dungeon core, and couldn''t stop. I devoured it and seeded in absorbing it into my flesh and blood.

    Lately I''ve been thinking back to the floating ind where I was born. Even though I was sleeping in a coffin, I was also on the floating ind after it became a dungeon for a few hours before getting transported off. Could this have had some sort of influence on me?

    What I can say for sure is that I have be dramatically stronger by incorporating the dungeon core into my body. Strong enough to annihte everyst one of the insects.

    It was a dungeon, yes, but the bugs were monsters lured in from the outside, so they did not disappear with the destruction of the core.

    However, I gained more than just power from the dungeon core. Apparently, the dungeon core remained in me in some form, causing interference when it came into contact with other dungeon cores.

    The ''Red de'', one of the hidden treasures of the Kingdom of Raydoss, was created with a dungeon core as its base. And something happened the first time I used it. The Red de and I caused a reaction exceeding my expectations, which caused extensive damage.

    My body transformed into a gigantic earth dragon and went on a rampage. This was probably the result of the slime cell''s growth abilitybined with my earth dragon cells.

    A single fortress and the surrounding forest were wiped off the map in the few hours that the Red dested before running out of magic. The damage would have been much worse if Biscot and others had not put their lives on the line to stop me.

    I can manage to control it now, but I can''t use it easily. The Chancellor even ced a seal on me before I left the country. You literally asked me to do this because you didn''t have anyone you could trust, and that''s how you treat me?

    Well, I suppose it can''t be helped. Back when we fought off the knights and mercenaries of the Kingdom of Kranzel at the border crossing, I went on a rampage using the Red de.

    Although I was in a dragonman form at the time, I can''t say for certain that no one recognizes that conspicuous Red de.

    In fact, one guy did remember it. Yet still he wanted to cooperate with us. I guess that''s just how much he cares about his friends¡­¡­

    Maybe some others will recognize it too if I show them the real thing in a ce like this.

    It would be fun to continue our death match with Fran, but this is as far as I can show. Will she think I''m throwing away the win? Well, she seemed to be hiding some tricks up her sleeve too, so we''ll call it even for now.

    We have achieved our goal of confirming the information that an S-rank adventurer has associated himself to the Kranzel Kingdom, and of finding out what he is capable of to some extent.

    If Fran, who is equivalent to an A rank, is capable of this much, then an S rank should not be messed with.

    Oh, shit, I''m losing consciousness. Is this what it feels like to die? Interesting¡­¡­

    What the hell? Who''s that? Dad¡­¡­?

    Oh, I guess this must be what they mean by ''your life shing before your eyes''? I think back to the day I first met my stepdad.

    All the food was gone, and I was wondering whether I should leave this ce or not, when a group led by a man appeared in front of me.

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­ I came here to find out why the bugs have disappeared, and I find¡­¡­ a girl?¡¹

    It was Apollonius, the leader of the Knights of the Red Sword back then. My stepdad, who named me Siby and gave me a human life and the warmth of a family, back when I was no better than a beast. That was the moment I met the only person I could call a parent.

    It was also after this that I met Biscot and Klikka. Chimera guinea pigs, children born with only one monster factor, had been created by misusing data from the research on me. They were also taken in by my stepdad, after he destroyed the facility conducting inhumane experiments.

    That''s why the Knights of the Red Sword and the Southern Conquest Duke have been on bad terms since he retired.

    I remember back to the thoughtless and yet bottomless smile of my stepdad. Yeah, leave the rest to me¡­¡­ I''ll take care of everyone in Raydoss¡­¡­

    Haha, what the hell am I doing on the verge of death.

    Man¡­¡­ I lost, huh¡­¡­ Well, it''s just means my opponent was stronger. So stop looking like you''re about to cry, Biscot, Klikka¡­¡­

 Chapter 723

    <h4>Chapter 723</h4>

    <h4>723: Quarterfinals</h4>

    After her victory, Fran was walking slowly down the aisle back to the waiting room, but her movements were sluggish.

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    She had taken very little damage from her opponent since we always either avoided her sword or blocked it with nullification. Both Siby and I used telekinesis quite a bit during the fight, but they canceled each other out so neither was effective.

    Siby definitely has split thinking. She was always hitting us with her telekinesis in the heat of battle. So much so that I had no time at all to divert my telekinesis for offense. Well, it''s not bad considering that I was able to keep her busy.

    Fran was not seriously injured, but she used Brilliant Lightning Rush for a long time, and she used the divine attribute on herself. This seems to have worn her down more than expected.

    She is frowning as the pain creaks through her body. And even if I used heals, it didn''t seem to get rid of her fatigue. Would a good night''s sleep help?

    We managed to get a foothold in the area beyond Heavenly Judgment, but using the divine attribute still has too great of a cost. I hope I can learn to use all of these abilities effectively¡­¡­

    And it''s not just exhaustion. She looked unhappy and was biting her lip.

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong?¡»

    £¨They gave it to me.£©

    ¡ºOh.¡»

    Siby was trying to do something at the end, and I''m sure she stopped herself. It was more as if she didn''t want to expose her abilities to the public than as if she had run out of steam.

    Assuming they were spies for Raydoss, that would be understandable. Fran, however, felt as if the victory was handed to her.

    ¡ºIt''s a serious match, but it''s also just a match. She probably thought it was not the right time to y her cards. We all have our tricks that we don''t want to show to others, don''t we?¡»

    I have no ns to use Potential Release or Skilltaker in the tournament. I hate to say it, but these are fights we can afford to lose.

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell, we won when both sides sealed away their trump cards. Let''s think of it that way. Come on now, we made such a formidable opponent admit defeat.¡»

    Siby was even more of a battle freak than Fran. She must be very frustrated. Maybe she''s even rolling around in frustration as we speak?

    Fran must have realized that too and began smiling.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAnyways, we need to get ready for our uing match.¡»

    First, we watch the next match, Eiworth''s apprentice Abarb against the guildmaster Diaz.

    ¡¸Phew.¡¹

    We return to the seats and Fran sinks down into into her chair. Like I thought, she is still feeling the exhaustion.

    ¡ºFran¡­ if it''s too much for you, you can go back to sleep, okay?¡»

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Her face shows fatigue, but her eyes are bright and shining. Perhaps the excitement of the battle has not subsided. It was after all, only a few minutes ago that she was fighting for her life and pumped with adrenaline.

    ¡ºAnyway, do you want something to eat?¡»

    ¡¸Curry. Spicy.¡¹

    It''s not the best food to eat in a ce like this, but it''ll do for now. I can disperse the smell with wind magic. I take out a big bowl of curry from my storage, under the pretense that Fran has taken it out.

    But still¡­ you want it spicy. That''s rather unusual.

    ¡¸Mmm. It''s starting.¡¹

    As Fran muttered, the second match was just about to start below us. She was scooping the spicy curry to her mouth at a steady pace and staring at the match with serious eyes.

    The ck haired skinny man with white skin as pale as a ghost is Abarb. He faced Diaz with his scimitars at the ready. Was it a sign of confidence that he could smirk nastily in the face of such a powerful enemy?

    ¡¸I''ve always wanted to fight you, Diaz-sama, the ''Dragon Repeller''.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? That''s an honor, but why?¡¹

    ¡¸A young and inexperienced man such as myself, will humiliate the man whom my arrogant master has such a high opinion of! Hee-hee-hee! Just thinking about it makes me tingle with glee!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwah. Your smile is just like that fool''s. I wonder if that''s something that your master teaches to all his apprentices?¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee! I''ll melt your smug face into mush! Besides, there''s another reason I wanted to fight you!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? And what''s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. You are the only one among my master''s formerrades whom I can defeat!¡¹

    The weirdo, Abarb, pulled out a test tube from his pocket.

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee-hee! Die! It''s master''s special poison!¡¹

    Upon appraisal, the poison that Abarb pulled out was known as the "Seven Blinks". I guess the namees from the fact that a person who is poisoned will die within seven blinks of an eye.

    The test tube was mmed on the stage, and a tremendous smoke instantly erupted, just like the magic potions that Eiworth had used.

    Abarb has poison resistance at level 8, so this poison must be ineffective to him. Diaz, on the other hand, does not have such a high resistance skill. Is he going to be okay?

    ¡¸You are indeed formidable! The best illusionist of the age even! But s, your defenses are not up to par. That''s exactly why you can do nothing when hit by an unavoidable attack!¡¹

    That''s certainly true. Even if you have the illusions, Thought Guidance, and Eye Guidance to avoid the opponent''s hits, you can''t do anything against massive area attacks that are impossible to avoid.

    Could Abarb really pull off the underdog win?

    ¡¸Gugah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee! This poison can enter through the skin even if you don''t inhale it!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Diaz the ''Dragon Repeller''! I, Abarb of the ''Vicious de'', hereby im victory over you!¡¹

    He looked up to the heavens and shouted, but immediately after, Abarb''s body tilted forward. Then, he falls to the ground with his eyes turned inwards.

    ¡¸Only a second rate would take their eyes off an enemy in the middle of a fight, you know?¡¹

    ¡ºT-This is! What''s going on! I thought Diaz-sama fell down coughing up blood, but after that, he appeared right behind Abarb! Was it all an illusion?¡»

    Exactly like thementator thought, the one who fell down must have been his doppelganger created by illusion magic. He had skillfully used Thought Guidance and such to get close to the target without being noticed. Then, he struck a blow with his fist to a vital point.

    ¡ºDid you see it?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Kinda?¡¹

    ¡ºI could see it from this distance, but¡­¡­¡»

    If we were face to face in the arena, I couldn''t be sure whether or not I would be able to see through Diaz''s trick. He was just so good at concealing his movements. After the poison smoke failed to work, it was pretty much just a free smoke screen for him.

    But how did he prevent the poison? A skill? Or a magical tool? The smoke cover made it impossible for me to see what he did.

    ¡ºThis isn''t going to be so simple after all.¡»

    ¡¸But we''ll win.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    As a result, Diaz ended the second match in mere seconds.

    The next match was also a near instant kill. But there was plenty to see.

    Hilt and Klikka fought, and in contrast to the Ladur match, Hilt chose a more defensive stance.

    I could see Klikka''s tongue clicking in response. She would much rather prefer to deal counters after avoiding her opponent''s attacks.

    They stood there staring at each other. If that were all, it could be called a stalemate. But as time goes by, Klikka became more and more impatient.

    The magic in Hilt''s body kept building up. Even if you were not familiar with the Dimitris school, it''s easy to see how dangerous that would be if left unchecked.

    Even so, Klikka remained poised and continued to watch Hilt. She was prepared to dodge any kind of attack.

    If this happened in the qualifying rounds, some of the crowd members would have yelled out, "Fight faster!" at them. However, the audience just stared silently at the arena, and that the tension that Klikka exuded was even spreading to the audience.

    ¡¸Hah¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Hilt released her magic power all at once. The magic covered the stage, but it had no offensive power by itself. This was only a blindfold.

    When the arena is covered with such a dense magic, magic sense is rendered meaningless.

    Immediately after, Klikka was blown away. Her body, which had been thrown into the air, changed its trajectory unnaturally several times. Hilt was attacking her with ki.

    With her surroundings covered in magic power, Klikka could not read Hilt''s magic release at all. She had no choice but to take the barrage of attacks.

    Finally, Klikka was shot down onto the stage andid motionless. It was over.

    Hilt was indeed strong, but that is not all. Her current strategy was the same one that Ladur had used against her in the previous match. In other words, she was also learning and growing.

    Fran was not the only one who is getting stronger. That fact was shoved into our faces.

    That''s another strong opponent moving up in the ranks.

    ¡ºNext up¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Felmus and Neidhart¡¹

 Chapter 724

    <h4>Chapter 724</h4>

    <h4>724: Felmus vs Neidhart</h4>

    ¡ºWell herees the final match of the day! Both contestants are facing each other in the arena, but who will remain standing when it''s all over? Neidhart, the mercenary! Will his twin des reap the lives of his opponent today? Against him is Felmus, the ''Dragon Hunter'', a former rank A adventurer, who has also won his way up the tournament with overwhelming strength! Will his ever-changing threads be able to capture his prey?¡»

    Thementator was hyping them up, but the mood of the male audience was a little more subdued than before.

    This may be because it was a match between a cool old dude and a mantis man, as opposed to the previous showdown between the two beautifuldies, Hilt and Klikka.

    However, from our point of view, this match was more worth watching, because we could not predict the winner at all.

    Abarb lost to Diaz, Klikka lost to Hilt. They were strong, no doubt about it. However, the stronger ones won the previous two matches, as expected.

    In contrast, the difference in power of the contestants now was not so clear.

    ¡¸Who will win?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡­¡¹

    Both Fran and Urushi seem to be trying to enjoy the match rather than trying to figure out their moves. Well, leave the analysis to me, or rather, leave it to Announcer-san inside of me.

    ¡¸I''m with Felmus.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Strings are amazing. You can''t outrun them in a tight spot.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡­ Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi says Neidhart?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi raised his upper body and lightly set both paws on the ground. His wrists are bent like a beckoning cat''s, probably to resemble the legs of a praying mantis.

    Urushi seemed to think Neidhart has the advantage. Indeed, his speed was tremendous, I''d say it is one of the best among all the participants.

    However, like Fran, I think that Felmus has the advantage.

    I don''t know exactly why, but the battle of strings versus bug reminds me of a predator and prey. If a mantis is entangled in a spider''s threads, they cannot escape no matter what.

    Just my own image though.

    ¡¸Fran-chan, can I sit next to you?¡¹

    ¡¸Elsa? Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Apparently, he''s here to watch the fight of the guy who beat him. He excitedly sat down with a wiggling motion.

    His passionate gaze waspletely focused on Neidhart. After seeing that, Fran tilted her head.

    ¡¸Hey, weren''t you afraid of bugs?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you mean Neidhart-sama''s face?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸He may look like a bug, but he''s a darling on the inside, so it''s no problem. I like that he''s a gentleman with a dark side. What I don''t like is those creepy crawlies that scurry all over the ce. Just terrible, I can''t even handle them if they''re dead¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, insectkin are not a problem. That''s Elsa for you, I guess the inside is what''s important.

    While we were talking about our predictions, the match started.

    ¡¸Sheeeya!¡¹

    ¡¸String wall!¡¹

    The beginning of the match unfolded as expected. Right from the start, Neidhart was on the offensive, and Felmus was building up his strings while fending off the onught.

    Knowing that Felmus'' position would be troublesome once it waspleted, Neidhart attacked with the same super-fast speed that he had used to take out Elsa instantly.

    I could see that there was a huge amount of magic power in his legs. That must be the effect of the unique skill "Skanda". It is a simple but very useful skill that allows one to maneuver at ultra high speeds for long periods of time.

    It''s impressive that Felmus is able to react to it. He must have been sensing the movements in advance through the countless warning threads he ced around himself.

    He evades Neidhart''s twin swords and umtes damage with the thread traps. Even though it looked as if the twin swordsnded a direct hit, they should not have caused any damage.

    Those defensive walls of threads gave us a lot of trouble too. By absorbing the impact, they can deflect both shes and blows.

    ¡¸Felmus is strong as always.¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again. He''s on the same level as the guildmaster, just so strong.¡¹

    However, Neidhart was not so weak as to be done in like this. He pushed forward, ignoring some minor wounds, and began to inflict damage on Felmus with his ultra-fast thrusts.

    He instantly realized that his shes would be nullified and switched to thrusts that would target the gaps in the strings. The power of each thrustbined with Skanda''s leg strength must be extraordinary. It seems that every single blow can do considerable damage.

    Felmus, who is inferior in physical toughness, would not like this very much. He would be the first to fall if the two fighters were to inflict the same amount of damage on each other.

    Still, he kept on rolling out the threads until atst, he finally caught Neidhart.

    ¡¸Binding of a Hundred Threads.¡¹

    ¡¸Mwah!¡¹

    Throughout the entire fight, there were some seemingly harmless threads that had been mixed in little by little among the countless threads. However, when magic was passed through them, they suddenly became sticky. Before he realized it, several of these threads have tangled themselves around Neidhart''s legs.

    Although his movements were momentarily impeded, Neidhart quickly shed at them with his sword and escaped. However, this momentary opening was exactly what Felmus was looking for.

    Felmus came to aplete stop in the center of the stage, hands down and defenseless. He even closed his eyes. He was about to unleash a move that would require such concentration to pull off.

    ¡¸Phew¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Gooo!¡¹

    But Neidhart reacted immediately to this opening by throwing his right-hand sword. With muscles as strong as his, the sword would reach ridiculous speeds even when thrown.

    The swordnded a clean hit on Felmus.

    He didn''t seem to try blocking it at all, did he? Even if he was concentrating, the threads that he had put up in advance should have covered the area around him¡­¡­ It looked like the threads around his body weakened the blow a little, but that was all.

    The sword is lodged deep in Felmus'' chest.

    But Felmus did not fall. Instead, he smirked.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Finality of Ten Thousand Threads¡­¡­ Deathblood Formation.¡¹

    From the wound in Felmus'' chest, arge amount of blood gushed out like a fountain. It was clearly not only because of his injury.

    The blood was absorbed into the threads, and all the threads within the barrier were instantly dyed bright red.

    As the name suggests, this was a technique to strengthen the threads by using his own blood as a medium. Neidhart understood this andmented.

    ¡¸To think you predicted me¡­¡­!¡¹

    The reddish coloring made it quite visible just how many threads had been ced throughout the barrier. Not only on the floor, but also along the walls of the barrier. They were running through the entire space as if they were countless branching blood vessels.

    Amidst the audience''s astonishment, all the threads in the barrier rushed to Neidhart in an instant.

    Neidhart tried to shake them off with his sword, but he cannot cut through them as before. It seems that the strength of the red threads has increased dramatically.

    ¡¸Kuh! This is a nuisance!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    As Neidhart struggled with the thread, Felmus spoke nothing in return. Or rather, he could not say anything back. He looked half-dead, and it felt like he could die at any moment.

    This was probably ast resort move that risks his own life. A move that could only be used in a tournament like this where it is possible to be revived.

    Will Felmus die from his injuries first? Or will he be able to take out Neidhart before then?

    Every second, Neidhart''s body was being punctured with additional wounds, and the damage was umting. Felmus, on the other hand, was already on one knee, unable to stand.

    ¡¸Kuh, dammit¡­¡­¡¹

    Finally, the red threadsnded a direct hit on Neidhart''s leg.

    The red thread itself did not deal much damage. However, it was extended between Neidhart and the stage,pletely tense, and slightly hindering his movements.

    If he slows down, he would not be able to avoid additional red threads, and those threads would further impede his movement. It is as if each hit by the red threads causes continuous damage and agility loss.

    Moreover, the color of the threads piercing Neidhart''s body were turning darker and darker. It looked as if they have absorbed Neidhart''s blood and be even stronger.

    The number of red threads that had pierced his body kept increasing at an exponential rate. His body, legs, and arms, have all been impaled, staining Neidhart''s body in red.

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    Finally, Neidhart made a huge failure and the red thread impaled his chest, right in the heart. Several red threads swarmed to his chest at once, and I could see them pierce through his body.

    Exactly 30 secondster.

    ¡¸Hah¡­ hah¡­¡­ It seems¡­ I win.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. So I lost.¡¹

    Neidhart dered his victory to Felmus, who had been revived by the cradle of time.

    Felmus responded while pouring a potion on Neidhart. But more importantly, why didn''t Neidhart die when his heart should have been skewered?

    Just my hypothesis, but I think it is because of his Bugform skill. In the middle of the fight, I saw that Neidhart''s status had changed to show ''Bugform''. I had thought that his whole body would transform into an insect-like being, but it might be possible to use Bugform only on the insides of his body. The increased vitality must have enabled him to endure the beating.

    I''ve heard somewhere before that insects do not have a heart like humans do. Insectoid monsters may have an organ simr to a heart, but if the Bugform is more like a normal insect, his heart probably doesn''t work like it does for most mammals.

    What I learned from watching this, is that Neidhart has not yet revealed his full strength.

 Chapter 725

    <h4>Chapter 725</h4>

    <h4>725: Effects of Labor Shortage</h4>

    ¡¸What the hell!¡¹

    ¡¸You''re the one who started this, you know? I won''t forgive you even if you apologize.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it on!¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t spit on me!¡¹

    On the way back to the inn, a group of adventurers were arguing in the middle of the road.

    One of them seems to be drunk. They were bald-headed, and equipped in fur armor. True barbarian style, giving the impression that they were good at fights and not much else.

    The ones arguing with them are young adventurers. They look like a more orthodox adventurer type. The one leading the argument is a female archer who is still quite young.

    This is amon scene in Ulmutt, where there are not enough guards to intervene and stop them. The people around them looked annoyed and moved to the side to avoid them.

    Neither of them is very strong, and normally we would leave them alone without getting involved. Or, we would beat them both up to stop them from fighting.

    Fran still looks sluggish from the bacsh of using her divine attribute, but she can handle these guys.

    However, Fran stopped in front of them without attacking.

    There was someone she knew in the middle of the argument.

    ¡¸Hey. What are you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸What? Fran-sensei!¡¹

    The young adventurers, Naria and her friends, had previously been Fran''s short-term students. Naria turned to us and gave us an embarrassed look, probably because of the somewhat reproachful tone of Fran''s voice.

    ¡¸What the hell?¡¹

    ¡¸Geh!¡¹

    The drunken man also shouted at Fran, causing spit tond on her face. Naria was clearly flustered after she saw that Fran was slightly grimacing.

    ¡¸You''re bothering people.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Right¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And!?¡¹

    At Fran''s brief words, Naria, the archer, and Miguel, the greatsword user, looked pale and dejected. However, the drunken man had no idea of Fran''s ability, and began picking a fight with her.

    ¡¸Don''t give a shit! Shut up!¡¹

    The simpleton tried toy a hand on Fran, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Gbargh!¡¹

    Well, that was expected.

    ¡¸Miguel, just throw him away somewhere.¡¹

    ¡¸U-Understood!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-sensei. I''m sorry to bother you with this.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, he was in my way.¡¹

    Fran is thanked by Naria and Riddick. After listening to their story, I learned that this year was especially bad in the number of incidents. I guess they don''t have enough staff.

    ¡¸I''m so tireding back from a request, and I can''t stand to get tangled up with an idiot like that!¡¹

    ¡¸A request?¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    It seems that the Adventurers'' Guild nowadays has a few hunting requests outside of town. The mostmon request is to take out undead.

    The undead are still showing up, some even right outside of town. If such undead are left unattended, the monsters that feed on them will also gather, so they need to be exterminated as soon as possible.

    ¡¸Dufour and his friends went off somewhere too! Everything is just so awful!¡¹

    ¡¸Dufour is missing?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I was going to make him help me with the job, but it looks like he already checked out of the inn¡­¡­ How pathetic, just because he lost the match!¡¹

    It seems that Dufour and his friends were so shocked by losing to Fran that they left Ulmutt as soon as possible.

    While I was talking with Naria, a shadow suddenly caught the attention of my presence detection. They were looking down at us from the roof of a nearby building.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­Urushi, can you get the guy on the roof?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºThen, Fran, you get the guys in the alley over there.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    There are three lurking in the alley and they''re clearly emitting killing intent towards us. If they can''t hold that in, it must mean they aren''t very skilled.

    ¡¸Sensei! I''m getting a strange feeling¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Shh. I know, just keep talking.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay, got it.¡¹

    They must really be weaklings if even Naria can sense them.

    ¡ºAll right, go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    After I fired a lightning spell, Fran and Urushi moved into action. And soon after, they caught the stalkers. They were not strong in the least, and were easily defeated by Fran and Urushi.

    After she saw Fran suddenly release magic thene back dragging some strange men behind her, Naria had a look of astonishment on her face.

    ¡¸Eh? Um? Sensei?¡¹

    ¡¸They''re assassins. Probably.¡¹

    ¡¸P-Probably?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. They were trying to kill me.¡¹

    Naria''s frowning a bit. I guess she thought it was a bit much to knock them out and take them into custody before we were sure.

    We decide to go into the alley and interrogate them there so we don''t bother anyone.

    I healed the guy I had paralyzed with an electric shock, and after intimidating him and breaking his spirit, we asked him the questions.

    ¡¸Why did you guys target me?¡¹

    ¡¸I-It was just a job!¡¹

    The assassin blurted out everything.

    As a result, we only found out that he was a low-level assassin hired by some noble person. He was originally a bandit, and was hired for a pittance.

    ¡ºLet''s just take him to the Adventurers'' Guild.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    There are a lot of reasons to go after Fran. She''s a celebrity for one, and maybe they wanted to make some dough from the illegal gambling on the results of the tournament.

    I highly doubt he is working for one of the other participants still in the tournament, but the list of suspects is endless.

    When we headed for the Adventurers'' Guild with the assassin in tow, we found that there was amotion going on there as well.

    Diaz had been attacked. Well, he easily subdued the assants no doubt. So they were targeting all the semi-finalists?

    ¡¸Oh? Fran-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Elsa, take this.¡¹

    ¡¸Who are they?¡¹

    ¡¸Assassins.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my! You got some too, Fran-chan? Okay, okay! I''ll take perfect care of it!¡¹

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Somebody get these guys in jail!¡¹

    As Fran hands over the assassins, Elsa licks his lips for some reason and orders the adventurers to drag them out.

    ¡¸I''m getting tired of it all¡­ we''ll have to send someone out to check on Hiltoria-sama and Neidhart-sama as well¡­¡­ And if they have any friends lurking around, we need to get them, too.¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Having your support will cheer me up a million times over! I''ll do my best!¡¹

    Anyways, this year''s martial arts tournament seems to be full of troubles¡­ Raydoss spies, the undead troubles, Shallus nobles, and now the assassin ruckus¡­

    It seems that there are not enough guards at all. Are they really going to be okay? Well, don''t expect anything from us since we''ll be resting up for the next match.

    We need to get Fran back to full form.

 Chapter 726

    <h4>Chapter 726</h4>

    <h4>726: Initial Exchange of Blows</h4>

    ¡ºThe day of the semi-finals has finally arrived! We have a great lineup of contestants again this year! For the first match, both contestants are already on the stage!¡»

    Every single seat was filled, and not just the regr seats. The special seats and the VIP seats, which used to have some empty spaces, were also packed.

    That shows how much attention is audience is paying to this match.

    ¡ºHere is the first seed, who conquered several hard-fought battles on her path to the top. It''s Fran the ck Lightning Princess! She is here in the semi-finals for the second year in a row! Will this be the year she bes champion!? She makes her entrance already awakened and is now d in ck lightning!¡»

    A roar of cheers shakes the arena as the livementary introduces her. The audience was loud enough in the previous matches, but today they were even louder.

    ¡ºAgainst her is the adventurer guildmaster of Ulmutt and an active rank A adventurer! Diaz the ''Dragon Repeller''. Who could have expected an active guildmaster to participate in this tournament!? Will his battle-hardened experience stop the youngster''s momentum? Or, will that youthful energy ovee the wisdom of age? This is one match everyone is watching!¡»

    Fran and Diaz were even more excited than the crowd on the outside.

    They exchanged sharp nces and made no attempt to hide their killing intent. If there had been no barrier, many of the spectators would have been too ovee by the deadly atmosphere to watch in peace.

    ¡¸Simple is good. Whoever wins here is the winner of the bet.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Those were the only words exchanged between the two. Still, they''re both going seriously for a kill straight from the start. That much was clear.

    Diaz wants to win the bet and end his twisted obsession with his own hands.

    Fran wants to win to protect Zelos Reed and Romeo. And to ovee the big wall that prevented us from moving forwardst year.

    But there was one matter of great concern.

    ¡ºFran, how are you feeling?¡»

    £¨A little heavy.£©

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­¡»

    The wear and tear from the Siby battle had not healed as well as we had hoped. It seems that the divine attribute she had attained on her own had affected Fran''s body more seriously than we had expected.

    She was still a bit sluggish, so it was hard to say she was in top condition.

    ¡ºLet''s go, just like we nned.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The opponent is a skilled expert in devious techniques, and we''re not in top form. That''s why we were ready to put everything into this strategy.

    ¡ºNow then, may the first match of the semifinals¡­ begin!¡»

    ¡¸Raaaaah!¡¹

    At the very moment the match began, Fran made her move.

    What Fran dished out was¡­ a serious Heavenly Judgment.

    With full usage of her skills and power, she unleashes the best blow she can. She was only able to manage about 70% of her peak speed, but that alone is plenty.

    Diaz is indeed strong. If we get caught by his illusion magic, the match could turn into a one-sided beatdown.

    But at this moment, the beginning of the match, we could be absolutely certain of Diaz''s location.

    Diaz is not able to react at all. Even he could not avoid the Heavenly Judgment at this speed.

    As Abarb said in the previous match, Diaz''s defense is not so strong, and it would be impossible for him to take a direct hit of the Heavenly Judgment unscathed.

    Then, there is a possibility that this attack will end the match¨D¨D

    ¡¸Ugh? Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºFran!?¡»

    Fran''s awakening was suddenly broken. The sudden change in her physical abilities causes her to lose control of the Heavenly Judgment, and she loses her bnce.

    The centrifugal force almost made Fran fall down on the spot, and I hurriedly supported her with telekinesis.

    ¡ºAre you okay?!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ But why?¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s Diaz''s ''Skill Amnesia'' skill!¡»

    I never imagined it would work on awakening.

    Skill Amnesia: The target forgets the existence of the specified skill for a certain period of time. The duration depends on the level and rarity of the skill. Maximum duration of one minute. Time before re-use depends on the level and rarity of the skill.

    ¡¸When a beastman''s awakening is forcibly canceled, they will lose control of their own magic power, which then turns back to damage the user. I knew you were going to try something at the start! That''s why I had the source of your power sealed!¡¹

    It wasn''t that Diaz didn''t react; he had no need to react. He knew that this would happen if awakening was canceled in the middle of a big move.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    Diaz is right, the magic is out of control and is raging inside Fran. She is desperately trying to control it, but it doesn''t seem to work well when Fran is in an un-awakened state.

    Meanwhile, Diaz lunged at us. The smile on his face is not the usual mischievous one. It is the smile of a hunter who has trapped his prey.

    ¡¸Shh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    He easily got a hit in! Immediately after she ducks the fake fist created by illusion magic, Fran''s thigh is slightly shed.

    While his created illusionsunch feint attacks, his main bodyunches the real attacks after turning invisible. This is the bread and butter strategy for illusionists, but Diaz''s illusions were so borate that he could not bepared to the illusionists we had fought in the past.

    They seem to be able to reproduce presence, sounds, and even smells. It was so real that we could not tell the difference from the real thing.

    Fran jumped to distance herself from Diaz, who was trying to keep up the pressure. But then she frowned slightly.

    ¡¸My leg, it''s weird.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    When I checked Fran''s leg, I found that the thigh cut by Diaz had not regenerated.

    ¡¶Traces of life magic discovered. Believed to have the effect of blocking regeneration for a short period of time.¡·

    ¡ºSeriously!¡»

    Is it a property of Diaz''s weapon? I tried to confirm it, but could not. Appraisal is a skill that allows you to know information about what you see. The skill could not be activated if he had made himself invisible using illusion magic.

    When I appraised it before the match started, I''m sure it was the usual dragonfang dagger. He must have secretly reced it with a different one mid-match.

    ¡ºFran! Watch out for Diaz''s weapon.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That said, we don''t know the shape, the length, or the abilities of the weapon, so there''s not much we can do to take care. Like I thought, Diaz''s cunning is a real pain.

 Chapter 727

    <h4>Chapter 727</h4>

    <h4>727: A Serious Diaz</h4>

    In addition to her original sluggishness, Fran''s movements were visibly deteriorating due to the recoil from the forced removal of her awakening.

    Her advantage in stats, especially in speed, was probably already gone.

    In contrast, Diaz''s movements are fluid and refined. Though he was not without openings, those openings were only left behind to lure us in.

    £¨Master, the phasing thing!£©

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    Following Fran''s instruction, I activate Dimension Shift. This would negate the attack, allowing us to regain ourposure. That''s what I had thought.

    Immediately after using the Dimension Shift, Fran twisted her neck to the side as hard as she could.

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    At the same time, a lot of blood spurted out from Fran''s nose. It seems a de was thrust toward her nose, but she managed to avoid it in the nick of time. Still, she was unable to avoid itpletely, and the de cut through the entrance to her nostrils.

    ¡¸I''ve seen that spell plenty already!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡­¡¹

    He has countermeasures to Dimension Shift?! Weapons with the space-time attribute are rare, but Diaz might have been able to obtain one. A dagger with both space-time and life attributes? Or is he wielding two weapons? No, it must be the same de, since this wound isn''t healing.

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸I¡­ can''t stop the blood¡­¡­ Sniff.¡¹

    Our regeneration is blocked, and healing via magic doesn''t work. Fran is trying to sniff up the dripping blood, but that''s not nearly enough to stop the bleeding.

    For the few minutes that the regeneration block is in effect, there''s no doubt that Fran''s sense of smell will be impeded due to the pain and blood.

    Even if he can mask his scent using illusions, maybe Diaz still considered her beastman senses as a nuisance.

    But still, he didn''t hesitate to plunge a dagger into a young girl''s nose¡­¡­ Once again, Diaz shows how serious he is.

    Since the forced termination of her awakening has disrupted the magic in Fran''s body, I''m unsure if it is possible to use awakening again during the match. Moreover, she is deprived of her sense of smell, we don''t know our opponent''s weapon capabilities, and we are already at the mercy of his illusion magic.

    Would we be at a disadvantage if we try to engage in close rangebat now? Fran seemed to think so too, and tried to check Diaz by releasing magic.

    However, her magic swerved away. Fran''s lightning and fire magic missed their target, passing just beside Diaz.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, what happened?¡»

    £¨I don''t know!£©

    What did Diaz do?

    But the flow is magic should be¡­¡­ No, now that we''ve been bewitched by the illusion magic, our senses may be unreliable. My resistance skill prevents me from being affected by his Thought Guidance and Eye Guidance, but Diaz''s illusion magic is troublesome enough alone.

    It would be dangerous to continue staying close to him.

    This time I release my magic along with Fran. But again, the aim is off. Something is definitely going on! But what? What is he doing?

    Meanwhile, Diaz''s attacks are leaving more and more wounds on Fran''s legs. I activate Dimension Shift again, but nothing changes.

    Diaz is only targeting the legs, the eyes, or the heart. He must be trying to make doubly sure that he can inflict effective damage.

    ¡ºI''m going to use teleport to get away from him!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    I activated the teleport as soon as I could. I thought he would chase after us, but Diaz stood there looking surprised.

    It seems like he didn''t expect Fran to be able to teleport. Maybe he has a tool to block teleports, but I have Sealing Nullification.

    It would be meaningless if my space-time magic itself was interfered with, as happened with Weena Rhyn, but sealing skills and magical tools won''t work on me.

    But this time, too, something is wrong. I nned to escape to the far end of the arena, but I had teleported into the air instead. something is definitely causing my aim to be off.

    Well, it''s easier to move from here, so I guess that''s all right.

    ¡ºFran, n B!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºDo it.¡»

    £¨Okay!£©

    The other day in the Diaz vs Abarb match, Abarb lost, but he left us with something big. The hint was in that strategy of his.

    Before he can bewitch us to take the initiative, we should decide the match with a unavoidable move with wide range. Abarb failed because Diaz had countermeasures against poison, but we could do something that is harder to counter.

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    Fran opens the dimensional storage and arge amount of red-hot liquid flows out of it. It was theva that she had stored at the end of the battle against Mordred.

    Theva poured down like maple syrup on a pancake, covering the stage in no time at all.

    Diaz had protected himself with a barricade made using earth magic, but we had seeded in our goal of stopping him in his tracks.

    And theva did more than just stop him.

    £¨Something disappeared.£©

    ¡ºHe must have used illusion magic on the stage and the barrier!¡»

    He probably used illusion magic to slightly change the height of the stage and distort our view of the audience through the barrier. By doing so, he messed with our sense of depth perception. This must be the reason why our magic kept missing.

    The illusion for the distance trickery was destroyed by theva and vanished.

    To think that he used such an extensive magic right from the start. Diaz was so good at hiding his magic that I had not noticed it at all.

    ¡ºFran, let''s use our magic to keep him pinned!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Yes! Now they''re flying straight!

    ¡¸Mrgh! You broke through it!¡¹

    Diaz frowns as he cuts away our magic with his sword. We managed to really tick him off! No wait, this is Diaz we''re talking about. Even that could be an act.

    We''ll just do what we have to do, and avoid ying into his strengths.

    ¡ºAll right! Let''s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºKanna Kamui, multi-activation!¡»

    And then, the three giant bolts of lightning I had fired burst forth, covering the inside of the barrier in a white sh of light.

 Chapter 728

    <h4>Chapter 728</h4>

    <h4>728: Diaz Battle Ends</h4>

    The rampaging white lightning stormed the inside of the barrier with tremendous shes of light.

    I am sure Diaz is feeling a super destructive powerparable to the simultaneous ck & white lightning that defeated Felmusst year.

    I doubted that Diaz, who is not particrly good at defense, would be able to block this kind of magic. Diaz''s strengths are in decoys and assassination, which are not the kinds of abilities that would allow him to fight head-on in this small arena.

    Last year, I failed to keep the lightning under control and ended up breaking the barrier. But this year, it''ll be fine since I''m inplete control. In fact, the focused destruction may even be greater thanst year because the power is not spread out unnecessarily.

    However, that also means we can''t escape outside the barrier. I had to use Dimension Shift to avoid the explosion and shock waves.

    The sound of the thunderbolts gradually settled down and the white shes of light subsided.

    And then, on the stage, there was Diaz lying on the ground. His entire body is charred, and he is clearly on the verge of death.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­ Not¡­ bad¡­¡¹

    Immediately after he muttered those words, his body shone brightly. The light of rewinding that I''ve seen many times.

    ¡¸We won¡­¡­ Sniff.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Even Diaz couldn''t withstand a direct hit from Kanna Kamui.¡»

    It seems that we managed to get a victory before falling victim to Diaz''s stratagems.

    For now I should focus on healing these injuries. It must feel terrible to have a nosebleed all the time. I wonder when the regeneration blocking will wear off?

    ¡ºCould it be that the match is over? I have no idea what just happened! After the white lightning subsided, Diaz-sama had copsed to the floor!¡»

    What the hell? It wasn''t a deration of victory?

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    Just as we started to suspect something from thementator''s words, Fran threw herself to the side.

    ¡¸You''re not¡­ getting away!¡¹

    ¡ºDiaz!¡»

    How! He was over there¨D¨D

    ¡ºAn illusion!?¡»

    The fallen Diaz was an illusion. He carefully made it look like the time cradle had been triggered to catch us off guard. It was a very borate way of faking his own death.

    Thementator must have known from the start that the time cradle wasn''t activated. Yet, in the arena, Diaz appeared to have been resurrected by the time cradle, which is why he was puzzled.

    Diaz, who had moved right next to Fran while he was ying dead, was holding a dagger in reverse grip and thrusting it at Fran''s neck.

    Just before Fran was about to be hit by the attack, she detected it just in time and avoided a direct hit.

    However, she was not able to avoid the attackpletely, and blood was pouring from her neck. She managed to avoid having her carotid arteries sliced open, but the wound was quite deep.

    Fran turns to Diaz, her blood spattering.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­ As expected from Diaz.¡¹

    ¡¸Says the one who just dodged my best hit.¡¹

    ¡¸That wound caused your presence to leak.¡¹

    ¡¸Haha¡­¡­ To think I would be affected by a scratch like this¡­¡­ Sucks to be an old geezer.¡¹

    Diazughs sarcastically at his own failure. I''m just surprised that he is able to move at all with such injuries.

    Diaz''s entire body is charred ck, cracked in ces, and gushing with blood. The damage that we saw on the illusionary doppelganger was a replica of the injuries to his real body.

    It was strange that he even remained conscious in this state, yet he was able to approach right next to Fran without being noticed.

    ¡¸I have to say my apologies for relying on tools in the end¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi! Get him!¡»

    The moment I saw the crystal ball that the half-dead Diaz pulled out of nowhere, I was overwhelmed by its chilling presence. Not only was it filled with terrifying magic, but I sensed a different kind of danger.

    Reflexively, I gave Urushi an order. I had been saving him as a trump card this time because I was afraid that he might be caught up in our wide range attack.

    ¡¸Grrr¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Haha, that''s just an illusion.¡¹

    The one in front of us disappeared and a dagger nged down onto the stage, the weapon with the ability to interfere with healing and regeneration. It has no space-time attribute, so that may have been an effect of some other tool.

    When!? When you attacked us earlier, it was definitely the real Diaz, wasn''t it? How could an illusion hurt Fran? When did he swap himself with an illusion?

    Wait! Was it actually an illusion that attacked us? He can make phantom illusions with physical bodies, and they may have more arm strength than I thought.

    The Diaz that newly emerged is also charred in the same way as the old. But is that damage even real?

    No, don''t think about that now! It is Diaz''s goal to confuse his opponents like this!

    ¡¸Great storm, annihte all!¡¹

    I guess since he doesn''t have to hide it anymore, I''m able to appraise it: a spirit orb. It''s exactly what it sounds like. After a spirit puts its energy into the orb, that power can be wielded by the user a single time.

    It looks to be a tool that requires the assistance of a spirit caster to insert a spirit''s power into it, rather than one to seal a spirit inside to make use of it.

    A green light overflows from the spirit orb. When I saw that, I immediately knew that we would surely lose at this rate!

    I felt an overwhelming spiritual presence. Could this be the power of a great spirit?

    Oh, it must be Klimt''s great spirit! If so, this is really bad!

    ¡ºUrushi! Protect Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºOoooorgh!¡»

    Urushi uses his huge body as a wall to protect Fran, while I activated my Spirit Hand on the spur of the moment. With this skill, I should be able to interfere with the spirit''s power.

    Having used it once before, I know how to use Spirit Hand. It is also fortunate for me that it is very simr to the telekinesis that I use all the time.

    I use Spirit Hand to cover the spirit orb and push its power back into it. No, it''s no use. I can''t hold it back. I felt my Spirit Hand was about to be blown away.

    Then I''ll try to manipte the flow of power instead. That should allow me to interfere at a deeper level.

    ¡¶Handling a portion of calctions. Beginning flow modification and redirecting it to the individual named Diaz. Individual named Master, please concentrate on controlling the force.¡·

    ¡ºPlease do! Announcer-san!¡»

    I saw Diaz''s face contort in astonishment.

    ¡¸Don''t tell me, you even have spirit magic¡­¡­? Haha¡­¡­ In a such short period of time¡­¡­?¡¹

    Immediately after, the spirit orb exploded with a sh and a roar. The shock wave of the spirit''s tempest sted us as well.

    Even though more than half of the power was directed at Diaz, the shock wave alone would beparable to a high-tier storm magic.

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gar!¡¹

    Urushi chases after Fran, who was blown away without being able to hold her ground, and catches her with his body as a cushion. That hurt Urushi quite a bit, but he should be fine with a moderate amount of damage.

    The tempest settled down after a few seconds, and Diaz was lying there in a terrible condition that could only be described as ''a lump of flesh''. His arms and legs were broken off, and his equipment was in tatters.

    I can see Diaz''s body glistening in white.

    We still remain vignt so as not to make the same mistake as before, and I search our surroundings for signs of any presence. Is that Diaz real? But our caution is put to rest as thementator''s deration of victory echoes through the arena.

    ¡ºThe cradle of time has been activated! This time, ck Lightning Princess Fran is surely the winner!¡»

 Chapter 729

    <h4>Chapter 729</h4>

    <h4>729: Side - Martial Arts Tournament, Behind the Scenes</h4>

    Side - A Certain Group of Three, Part 4

    ¡¸That was one impressive match. We can''t be too careful with these adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Totally true, Sis. That old man is insane, I couldn''t see him at all¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. If he was sent as an assassin, how many people in our country could actually stop him? Assuming, obviously, that he wouldn''t fight face to face¡­ What do you think, Klikka?¡¹

    ¡¸Even if I manage to see through his stealth, I wouldn''t be able to win. The truly great thing about that old man is that he''s still not weak in a head-on fight, despite his prowess in covert operations.¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh. There''s plenty of other adventurers that would give us a run for our money too¡­¡­ Do we have no choice but to try to shut up the South and the East?¡¹

    ¡¸I agree with that sentiment. If rtions continue to deteriorate between our countries and arge-scale war breaks out, the damage to our country would be staggering.¡¹

    ¡¸But will the Dukes give up that easily? If things don''t work out, it could turn into a civil war¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I''d rather that than an invasion. I think it''s about time for our country to change.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot¡­ I know how much you care about our country. The previous knight captain raised you well. But Raydoss has its light and its darkness. You know that well, don''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah¡­¡­ since I was born in ab like you. But Dad destroyed it, didn''t he? He went around and crushed a lot of other facilities too¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The ones near Central that is. But there could be simr ones in the East and South, maybe even the West or North in the worst case. If we turn a blind eye to that possibility, we may never be able to recover from that mistake.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸I''d like to get back home soon, but¡­¡­ how''s the surveince?¡¹

    ¡¸Still there, but they''re watching from a distance. Since we''re using wind magic, they can never hear our conversation.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m not too worried about them for now. The best timing for our escape is right after the finals. The ceremony and what not will take up a lot of manpower, yeah?¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, there''s something you should know about that.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems there''s another group of people besides us who''ve been sneaking around town.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? How did you find out? Weren''t we under surveince? You said we can''t move freely, and that''s why we can''t go to the bars, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh. You just starting drinking and already you''re an alcoholic.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yeah I''m old now. I guess I finally understand why Dad and the others kept whining for their drinks after work.¡¹

    ¡¸You''ll have to put up with drinking with me while you''re in town. So, Klikka, where did you get this information?¡¹

    ¡¸From him. And since there''s no reason for him to betray us at this point, I believe there is no mistake.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, so the information came from him. Then we can trust it¡­¡­ But depending on his movements, the timing of our escape may change.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. In the worst case, we may have to head north and pass through the border instead of taking the boat from Bulb.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure about that? It''s not so easy to get past Phyllius''s territory, is it?¡¹

    ¡¸We can use my family''s merchants. They''re one of the few we have outside the country.¡¹

    ¡¸No, I want to keep your family out of this as much as possible. They''re one of our supporters.¡¹

    ¡¸But my father and mother are ready to give up a business route or two if it will help you, Siby-sama.¡¹

    ¡¸No way. They are the ones who instantly recognized you as their own daughter after you had been missing for so many years. They even offered to take you in as their heir, remember? I can''t cause any trouble for them.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, yeah. You''re lucky to have proper parents unlike the rest of usb rats. You better take good care of them.¡¹

    ¡¸Says the idiot¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Kuku. But Biscot''s right this time.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean, "this time"!?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you very much.¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t mention it. Worst case scenario, I can break the red seal and activate the Red de. Then I''ll carry you two and him on my back all the way through.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah? That sounds like a lot of fun!¡¹

    ¡¸Right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­That''s really ast resort. I''m begging you, please don''t be too hasty.¡¹

    ¡¸I know, I know.¡¹

    ¡¸How many times have I been fooled by those words¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ahaha. I''m serious this time.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You had better be.¡¹

    Side - ????

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee. The festivities in this town are almost over¡­¡­ How are things going on your side?¡¹

    ¡¸Mmm. The four potential targets were Diaz, the guildmaster, Wijat Aurel, the leader of the beastman, Felmus, a former rank A adventurer, and finally Dimitris, a rank S adventurer¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Were you able to narrow it down?¡¹

    ¡¸Aurel and Dimitris.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh dear! You intend to mess with a rank S adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed¡­ They both have grandchildren you see.¡¹

    ¡¸In other words, it would be easy to take a hostage?¡¹

    ¡¸Aurel is not only a good fighter, but his knowledge wille in handy too. As for Dimitris¡­ if we can him on our side, he would be worth as much as taking over an entire country.¡¹

    ¡¸I can see that. But both of them have formidable escorts, you know? Especially for Dimitris'' grandchildren, I''m sure their guards will be quite talented.¡¹

    ¡¸I am aware.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, and I''ll be preupied with our friends from Shallus, just so you know, I can''t help you there.¡¹

    ¡¸I am borrowing forces from my Lord, and I have other pawns from this town as well. I n to use them.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so? May I ask what kind of forces?¡¹

    ¡¸One is the adventurers we kidnapped and transformed into our undead soldiers, using the potion you provided us.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, that potion? I was wondering why you would ask for something as unusual as a necro potion¡­¡­ You can really turn people into undead while they''re still alive?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, though it was a makeshift ritual, so their performance will be much lowerpared to when they were alive.¡¹

    ¡¸Still, they are still useful as meatshields, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct, and the main force will be the ghouls who are former rank C adventurers. They may not have rationality like me, but they were created by my Lord personally, so theirbat power is plenty.¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee. That sounds interesting. But still, it''s a strange feeling to be able to have a conversation like this. You, an undead, still have your wits about you.¡¹

    ¡¸All is by the power of my Lord and the Holy Mother. Once Dimitris and Aurel turn undead, they will be their faithful servants as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Hee hee hee! I''m sure an undead rank S adventurer will have immense power! I''m looking forward to seeing it!¡¹

    ¡¸The day after tomorrow, we''ll go to the closing ceremony where Aurel and Dimitris are present. That is the moment to strike.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, sir. Then I''ll go adjust the dosage for our friends from Shallus¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I am sure you are aware of this already, but the Shallus Kingdom still has its uses. This time, we just need them to make some noise, understood?¡¹

    ¡¸I understand. The Kingdom of Shallus is in a good strategic location for your country. If we can attack the Kingdom of Kranzel from both the north and south, there are considerably more strategies we can take. It would be a shame to throw that advantage away here.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. The current king is at the beck and call of his aides. He''ll even take the hands of a long-time enemy if he''s told to do so,pletely unaware that he''s working with our agents. Though the operations in Phyllius and Seedrun failed, it''s enough as long as we have the Kingdom of Shallus. We can make do with them.¡¹

    ¡¸But it seems that some of the Shallus nobles are quite disgruntled, don''t you think? There are some intelligent people among those who have been dispatched this time. They appear to be skeptical of the king''s instructions, and realize he is a puppet to his aides.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s your job to take care of them here.¡¹

    ¡¸I fully understand.¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure everything is ready by the time the operation starts.¡¹

    ¡¸There are so many poisons I''d like to try. I wonder which one should I use?¡¹

    ¡¸And don''t forget to create a diversion using Shallus''s men.¡¹

    ¡¸I have not forgotten. Oh boy, this is going to be so fun¡­¡­ Hee hee hee!¡¹

 Chapter 730

    <h4>Chapter 730</h4>

    <h4>730: Diaz''s Smile</h4>

    ¡¸Diaz.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Fran-kun.¡¹

    Diaz, who was still sitting in bed, greeted Fran with a smile. His face seems to have nothing of worry on it, but what''s he really thinking behind that?

    ¡¸Are your wounds all right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ it''s healed now.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I''m d to hear that.¡¹

    Diaz, the loser, is worried about the health of Fran, the winner.

    It is a strange scene, but not an umon sight in this tournament where the loser recoverspletely via the cradle of time.

    Anyways, Fran''s wounds have already healedpletely. The regeneration-inhibiting effect of Diaz''s enchanted sword wore off in a few minutes like I expected. After the match, she regenerated rtively quickly.

    I am especially d that the wound on her nose was healed. In the future, we may need to find a way to counter those abilities that interfere with our healing.

    ording to Announcer-san, we can get a technique to counteract such interference if we raise the level of our life magic. We might want to do that soon.

    On that note, there is one more thing I was wondering about.

    ¡ºHey, is it some kind of magical tool or whatnot that allowed you to damage us through Dimension Shift? You don''t have to say if you don''t want to¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸I don''t mind, Master-kun. It was the effect of my skill.¡¹

    ¡ºSkill?¡»

    I didn''t think Diaz had any space-time skills though?

    ¡¸Give me an appraisal.¡¹

    ¡ºUh, okay.¡»

    I take his word for it and give Diaz an appraisal, but I still don''t see any noticeable skills.

    ¡ºAre you hiding it with Appraisal Obstruction?¡»

    ¡¸No, no. That''s not it. It''s a skill called Slight of Hand.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? Slight of Hand?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. When you level this skill, you gain a minor space-time ability. The effects are really weak, such as teleporting an object from one hand to another or allowing a part of the body to phase through objects.¡¹

    Does Slight of Hand really do all that? I thought it was just a skill to perform magic tricks, but apparently it lets you spend mana to perform minor miracles. ording to Diaz, he could also use it to counter space-time magic.

    While I was talking with Diaz, Fran remained silent. She was listening to us with a slightly downcast look on her face.

    After we were done talking, she raises her head with resolve. Looking straight into Diaz''s eyes, she opens her mouth.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you mad at me?¡¹

    ¡¸No, of course not. I don''t know why exactly, but I feel great.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹

    Diaz says that in a calm voice and sits up on the bed. He has a rxed expression on his face.

    ¡¸You won the bet. I won''t be taking revenge on Zelos Reed anymore.¡¹

    He then lowers his head to Fran, all the way down.

    ¡¸Fran-kun, thank you for defeating me.¡¹

    His face was down for a few seconds, but when it came back up again, he was wearing a bright smile.

    ¡¸I really tried my hardest to win. And yet, you still beat me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I know he''s telling the truth there. Diaz wasn''t holding back at all.

    ¡¸Maybe I should be more frustrated. But for some reason, I don''t feel that way at all¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? I wonder why? I just¡­¡­ I just don''t know. I guess you could say I feel a sense of freedom?¡¹

    He''s been living for decades with a grudge against the former Beast King, and with the regret of not being able to protect Kiara. If those feelings have been dispelled, even if only a little, it is natural to feel that way. Like a weight has been lifted.

    ¡¸In my memories, Kiara constantly wore a frown since she was always fighting something or another. But now I get the feeling that she''s smiling at me, with a gentle look on her face.¡¹

    After saying that, Diaz smiled kindly.

    ¡¸¡­¡­You should go now. The next match is about to start, right? It''ll be your next opponent, so you should get a good look at them.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it. But are you okay? You will fight for third ce against the loser.¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll be fine¡­ I''ve still got my job as guildmaster to do.¡¹

    Diazughed and sent Fran on her way. They were short on staff right now, so Diaz couldn''t afford to spend much time.

    As she walked toward the audience, Fran murmured something.

    ¡¸Diaz was smiling.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­That''s great.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    She meant that towards a lot of things. That Diaz didn''te to hate her¡­ that Diaz was liberated from his revenge¡­ that she was able to win the bet¡­ and that Diaz was able to remain smiling¡­

    And for me, I''m d because it ended with her happy too.

    ¡ºCome on, let''s hurry to the seats. I don''t want to miss the next fight.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºI hope they still have a seat for us¡­¡­¡»

    Hilt vs Neidhart. If not for Fran and Diaz, this could have been the finals and no one would bat an eye.

    When we showed up at the audience, we were met with stares from all around us. They seemed to be keeping each other in check, although no one attempted to speak to us.

    But then, there was a brave soul who shouted out.

    ¡¸Onee-sama! This way!¡¹

    ¡¸Kaitly.¡¹

    Kaitly had reserved a front row seat for Fran. She made her servant next to her stand up and give up his seat.

    We thankfully epted the seat. It''s not we''d be able to get a seat anywhere else if we refused.

    The match has not started yet, since it took them a while to fix the stage we blew up.

    Right now Hilt had just appeared in the arena. We made it just in time.

    ¡ºIt''s going to start soon.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 731

    <h4>Chapter 731</h4>

    <h4>731: Hilt vs Neidhart</h4>

    As soon as Fran sat down in the audience, thementator''s voice rang out.

    It was Hilt who hade on stage.

    ¡ºHerees the rightful sessor of the Dimitris style! It''s Hiltoria, of the ''Piercing Fist''! It is painfully obvious that she has not yet demonstrated all of her abilities! Will we finally feast our eyes on the secret arts of the Dimitris style in this match!?¡»

    Thementator was right, Hilt had barely used any techniques of the Dimitris style. She did use some magic release, but that was about it.

    However, it should be impossible for her to keep her moves secret in this match, so I am looking forward to seeing what kind of techniques she will show us.

    As usual, her eyes were fixed on us.

    ¡ºShe''s still staring at us.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even the re of a rank A adventurer is like a reward for Fran. She res right back with a thrilled look on her face.

    However, Hilt will not necessarily be our next opponent.

    ¡¸You''re staring at someone else right before your time with me? I have to say, I''m a little jealous.¡¹

    Neidhart emerges. As usual, he''s spouting a pretty cheesy line, but it somehow sounds honesting from him. No clue how he''s pulling that off with the mantis head though.

    Hilt''s sharp gaze turns to Neidhart.

    No matter how strong Hilt is, it will not be easy to beat Neidhart. The fight could really go either way.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I hate both pretentious men and bugs.¡¹

    ¡¸My apologies for that, but I am very interested in you. I''d like to know just how strong the heir to the most powerful is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    I could see her interest shifting to Neidhart when she looked at him. After meeting him in person, she must have sensed his strength.

    ¡ºJust now, Neidhart of the ''Sudden Edge'' has also entered! Will the des that cut down a former rank A adventurer show their sharpness again today!?¡»

    It seems that Neidhart has been given the alias of ''Sudden Edge''. It''s no wonder, since he has been performing so well.

    But I had noticed something else too.

    ¡ºNeidhart''s armor looks different.¡»

    He was not wearing the same armor he had been wearing in the previous matches. During his battle with Felmus, he was wearing a light orihalcon armor engraved with the emblem of his mercenary brigade.

    But now, it is an adamantite armor with little ornamentation. The previous armor should have been much better in terms of performance, but maybe it was broken?

    The cradle of time only rolls back the time of the deceased yer, not that of the winner. Therefore, it is quite possible that the winner''s gear is damaged and cannot be used in the next round.

    This is also the reason why Amanda had to use a substitute whip after she broke her Heavenly Dragonwhisker Whip inst year''s tournament against Fran.

    ¡¸You won''t be able to treat this as a game for long.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu. I look forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    Both of them take their stances before the start. They knew that they were up against a opponent that needed to be taken seriously.

    Hilt lightly thrusts her left fist forward, and folds her right arm close to her body.

    Neidhart drew his twin swords and held them in front of him with their tips slightly crossed.

    With from the sparks flying before the match, Fran and Urushi were ring at each other in the audience seats.

    Fran clenched her fist and made a deration.

    ¡¸¡­Hilt will win.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    Urushi, on the other hand, struck a mantis pose with his wrists bent in the same way he had done in the previous match.

    This was the second round between Fran, who had missed her prediction in the previous match, and Urushi, who had insisted on Neidhart''s victory.

    Fran was predicting a Hilt win, while Urushi was predicting another Neidhart win.

    Well, let''s see what happens?

    ¡ºThe voltage in both the stage and the audience has reached its peak! We should start before we ruin the mood! Let the second match of the semi-finals¡­ begin!¡»

    ng!

    At the moment the signal was given to start the match, a tremendous sound echoed through the arena.

    As soon as the match started, the weapons of both fighters shed in the center of the stage. A shockwave was generated, ruffling the hair and clothes of the two.

    ¡¸You''re pretty powerful¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸You too¡­¡­!¡¹

    Hilt''s knuckle duster and Neidhart''s sword are locked together, and they were trying to force the other backwards.

    At first it looked like they were even in strength, but soon the bnce began to shift as Hilt pushed Neidhart back.

    Hilt is smaller and her stats are much inferior to Neidhart, which is inevitable due to the difference in race.

    However, in terms of skills, Hilt had a far greater advantage.

    She has a high level in Super Strength, which is the upgraded form of Hard Power, and her strength is further enhanced by her ki.

    After a brief exchange, the two simultaneously moved away from each other.

    ¡¸It seems I will lose a battle of strength.¡¹

    ¡¸Aren''t you a bit too rxed to say something like that? Well, not that I know how to read bug faces.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m a little frustrated, truly. But I know that strength doesn''t always mean victory.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸It is. I don''t mean to belittle your strength, but there are other things that are important too, right? For example¡­ Speed!¡¹

    At that moment, Neidhart vanished. He was moving at speeds so high that we could lose sight of him if we weren''t careful, as if he was teleporting.

    ng!

    ¡¸Not bad! I didn''t expect you to be able to intercept me head-on with your fists!¡¹

    ¡¸You''re fast too! But, not as fast as I thought!¡¹

    Both Neidhart, who can reach the ridiculous speeds in an instant, and Hilt, who saw iting and took it in stride, are amazing.

    Fran was so excited that she forgot to eat the skewer in her hand. She was leaning forward, her attentionpleted focused on the stage.

    ¡ºI have to say it again, both are very strong.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 732

    <h4>Chapter 732</h4>

    <h4>732: Dimitris Style Arts</h4>

    ¡¸Shah!¡¹

    ¡¸Not good enough!¡¹

    ¡¸The same goes for you!¡¹

    The semi-final between Hilt and Neidhart had changed from the contest of strength at the start to a high-speed exchange.

    Neidhart was running so fast that the general audience could not understand what was happening, and he seems to have plenty of control over fine movements as well.

    From far away, he closes the distance in an instant tond a blow, then immediately moves away again. You think he''s in front, but then he suddenly shes from the rear.

    He moved throughout the entire stage to attack Hilt from every angle.

    However, Hilt was not just taking the hits lying down. Though she was a little slower than Neidhart, she too was moving at high speeds, and was able to use Dimitris style parries to handle the attacks without much damage.

    Moreover, she sometimes delivered a counterattack to return damage back to Neidhart.

    Neidhart delivered many more than hits to Hilt, but each of her blows had explosive force behind them, inflicting additional damage to Neidhart. Considering this, the two seemed to be close to equal footing.

    However, Neidhart''s durability as an insectkin should be superior to Hilt''s. If they continue like this, Hilt would be at a disadvantage.

    There was no way that Hilt did not already know this.

    Suddenly, Hilt''s movements changed. She abandoned her defensive stance and moved forward.

    Did she n to go on the offensive despite the risk? Neidhart thought so at least, since he thrust his twin swords at Hilt''s unprotected torso and face.

    But the swords did not reach her.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    The twin swords suddenly change their trajectory out of nowhere, as if they had been deflected, and are diverted from Hilt''s body. With his movements disrupted, Neidhart had a slight opening.

    Hilt wouldn''t miss that moment, and she threw her fists in rapid session.

    Neidhart instantly swapped from offense to defense and tried to evade, but for some reason he could not fly backward.

    ¡¸Sei! Sei! Seyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Giii! Giii!¡¹

    Neidhart''s arms were seemingly held by something invisible. He was motionless, as if pinned in mid-air.

    Immediately afterwards, his body was violently blown upwards several times by Hilt''s fists.

    His mantis head emitted a high-pitched sound like hard objects being scratched together. The strange noise seemed to be because the fangs of his mouth were scraping against each other.

    ¡¸Gwah¡­¡­!¡¹

    Adventurers in the crowd were all in confusion at Neidhart''s inexplicable behavior. But we knew what was going on.

    ¡ºIt''s the same technique that Colbert usedst year. The Dimitris Style Art, ''Asura''.¡»

    £¨That was strong.£©

    ¡ºMoreover, Hilt''s technique is perfectly concealed before activation.¡»

    This technique creates four magical arms, which increases the number of hits you can dish out. It also seemed to have the effect of increasing your physical abilities.

    Two of the magic arms had blocked the twin swords, and the other two held onto Neidhart''s arms so that he could not escape.

    When Colbert used it, the magic arms were visible, but Hilt''s magic arms were very difficult to detect with the naked eye.

    Also unlike Colbert, who needed to charge before hand, Hilt''s technique was activated very quickly. I was unable to see any flow of magic until it was activated.

    As a result, even if someone was using magic sensing like me and Neidhart, they could only notice it after it was already used.

    If we searched more intensively, we might be able to detect the preliminary movements, but it would be difficult to concentrate on our senses during a fierce battle.

    ¡ºThat''s one we have to be careful of.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºSo how will Neidhart deal with it?¡»

    Teleporting would definitely be our answer to that.

    I was looking forward to how Neidhart dealt with the situation, and to my surprise, he immediately discarded his twin swords. He then concentrated his magic into his arms and broke free from the Asura using brute force, even while he was being hit by a barrage.

    It seems that even the magical arms created by a master like Hilt are outmatched by Neidhart''s pure physical strength.

    Neidhart moves away from Hilt at once, spewing bodily fluids from his mouth.

    ¡¸Goh, Gah¡­¡­!¡¹

    Hilt did not follow. Even though he was damaged, it would be difficult for her to catch up with Neidhart when he had Skanda active.

    Running away with that speed would make for quite a bother.

    Well, it is not that Hilt is just observing her opponent in the meantime. I can see that she is quietly building up her ki and preparing for her next move.

    ¡¸I felt something strange just now. Is it possible the inside of your body is different from that normal humans?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, what do¡­¡­ you think?¡¹

    I see. I guess that''s one of the reasons why she didn''t pursue Neidhart, because she sensed the strangeness of his body.

    Before we knew it, he had activated his Bugform and transformed his body.

    As a result, it seemed that Hilt''s barrage of blows, which were delivered to the human vital spots, were not as effective as they should have been.

    ¡¸Well, that''s fine. If I destroy youpletely, it won''t make a difference.¡¹

    Hilt extended her hand straight ahead. Then she closes her open palm.

    ¡¸Air Grasp.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!?¡¹

    Right after Hilt''s mutter¡­

    Neidhart jumps to the side.

    It looked like Hilt had fired some kind of attack at him, and he had just barely managed to avoid it.

    £¨Was that Hilt''s attack? The magic was strange.£©

    ¡ºIt was probably it was an application of her Asura. She created a magic hand for a instant and remotely attacked with it.¡»

    The name ''Air Grasp'' suggested that the attack is a kind of crushing attack with a magical hand. It deals damage by crushing the opponent with your grip, and can also hinder their movements.

    The alias of Hilt''s master, Dimitris the ''Immovable'', may be derived from this ability. If he keeps firing a series of moves like the Air Grasp, he can destroy his enemies without moving from the spot.

    On the stage right now, Hilt was using both hands to continuouslyunch her Air Grasps.

    Neidhart was handling them by dodging and intercepting them with his own fists. The impressive thing about Neidhart is that he was able to detect all the Air Grasps in advance.

    Even I and Fran would have to concentrate very hard to detect the flow of magic. It took an unimaginably keen sense to be able to detect everything in the middle of a battle.

    Are his senses strengthened by his Bugform too? That''s very possible.

    ¡¸You''re really good, aren''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸And you too, since you keep avoiding me!¡¹

    In contrast to the early game, in which Neidhart was on the offensive. This time Hilt''s onught continued.

    Now I doubt things will end like this, so which of them will make the next move?

 Chapter 733

    <h4>Chapter 733</h4>

    <h4>733: Winning With Your Head</h4>

    Neidhart continued dodging Hilt''s long-range barrage for a bit, but thenunched his counter attack.

    ¡¸Shaaaaaah!¡¹

    Neidhart screamed, and in less than five seconds both of his arms had changed shape.

    They took the form of a mantis'' scythes. Everything from the forearm onward was turned into that of a giant mantis. They were long enough to easily reach the ground even while he was standing.

    Moreover, the shape of the scythes was more vicious than that of natural mantises. They werepletely covered with short and thick thorns, and the edges of the des looked several times sharper than any knife I''ve ever seen.

    His green shell, glistening in the sunlight, seemed to be as hard as metal.

    Like I thought, Bugform could be applied to his whole body if necessary.

    Neidhart enchanted both of his scythes with magic power and swung them in session. At first nce, it looked as if he was swinging them randomly, but this was not the case.

    He was able to sense Hilt''s Air Grasp and intercepted them before they reached him. Moreover, his movements were also an attack of his own.

    A de of magic had shot out from his arm at Hilt.

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    In order to avoid the attack, Hilt was forced to move from her spot. She takes several steps to avoid Neidhart''s flying des, while still firing off her Air Grasps.

    The two exchanged long-range attacks for a while, but after a ten seconds or so, they ceased simultaneously.

    Both sides must have understood that nothing would change if they continued to chip away at each other like this.

    From the two opposite sides of the arena, they exchanged nces.

    After a moment of silence, the audience exploded with cheers.

    ¡ºA-Amazing! So fast that we can''t catch it at all! But we could still understand that a tremendous exchange of blows just urred! At first, it seemed that Hiltoria, the sessor of the Dimitris School and rank A adventurer, had the advantage, but the mercenary captain, Neidhart the ''Sudden Edge'', proved not to be outdone!¡»

    After a shout from thementator, Neidhart mutters something.

    ¡¸Hmm. I''m not the captain anymore though.¡¹

    ¡¸That so? Did you get let go?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, it was my own decision mostly. I actually wanted to quit before I left for this tournament, but everyone was against it. Even so, I forced in my resignation. I got a message yesterday with everyone''s acknowledgment, so I''m officially a frence mercenary now.¡¹

    His voice was drowned out by the cheers of the audience, so they didn''t hear him. I''m the only one who can pick up on it.

    But you say you''re not the captain anymore? Why? Hilt seemed to be thinking the same thing I am and asks Neidhart back.

    ¡¸Why? There''s no reason you have to retire topete in the tournament, am I wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I''m getting a bit old. I think it''s about time to give up my seat to the next generation.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a good point.¡¹

    Hilt, who was being groomed by Dimitris to be his sessor, must have had something to consider in Neidhart''s words. I could see her mutter her response with a slightlyplicated expression on her face.

    At first nce, they seem to be making small talk, but of course that is not all.

    It is clear that they were gathering their strength while looking for an opening during the conversation.

    ¡¸I didn''t want to go any further than this, since it''s a bit uncouth, but¡­¡­ I have no choice.¡¹

    Neidhart was the first to move. A few seconds after his mutter, his back expanded upward. Then, somethingrge burst out of his clothes.

    It was his wings, which looked simr to the wings of a beetle. Like his previous orihalcon armor, his current armor also has arge opening on the back so as not to get in the way when growing these wings.

    Furthermore, his body, which can be seen through the gaps in the armor, is also now covered with a green shell. The lower half of the body has also be muchrger, and the pants, which were supposed to be loose-fitting, are now bulging out.

    But the biggest difference was his aura. He had certainly be more intimidating, but there was something else mixed in with the sharp killing intent emanating from his body. It felt like he had a hunger for the prey in front of him.

    The aura he gave off was simr to that of a violent monster wetting its lips.

    ¡¸Ggyiii¡­¡­ Shaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Hilt''s expression of surprise appeared for a moment as Neidhart roared like a mindless monster. She must have been bewildered by the gap between his previous gentlemanly appearance and the current appearance which looked more like beast than man.

    The audience, too, gasped at the transformation.

    Silence enveloped the arena, and at that moment, Hilt was smashed into the wall of the barrier.

    Neidhart had approached Hilt and attacked her with his scythe before anyone could see.

    Fast doesn''t begin to describe the speed of the attack. By the time the onlookers realized what was happening, he had already moved from one end of the stage to the other.

    After theplete activation of Bugform, Neidhart''s speed had reached such a level that even Fran and I could notpletely see him.

    ¡¸Gwah¡­¡­¡¹

    Hilt''s left arm was sent flying into the air. It looked she was unable to react to the one-sided ughter, but that was not the case. Neidhart''s attack should have easily been able to cut a defenseless opponent in two.

    The fact that she lost only her left arm indicated that she was able to react, however slightly.

    However, without showing any surprise, Neidhart moved again. He appeared right in front of Hilt as if he had moved instantaneously, and then he raised both his arms.

    Hilt does not move. Will this be the end?

    No, Hilt did actually respond.

    ¡¸Gyshii!¡¹

    Without warning, Neidhart was sent flying backwards. She had somehow countered Neidhart''s otherworldly speed with her ki.

    She must have predicted Neidhart''s movements.

    However, she could notpletely nullify Neidhart''s attack. The tips of both scythes had gouged Hilt''s shoulders, and a lot of blood poured out.

    Neidhart, on the other hand, immediately leapt up using the momentum of his wings.

    ¡¸Ggyiigi¡­¡­ Ggyiiiiiii!¡¹

    A deep hole had been drilled into his chest, piercing his adamantite armor, and caving in the shell beneath it. But he didn''t seem to be bothered in the slightest.

    ¡¸Don''t tell me you bugs have no sense of pain. Fine, then I just have to keep crushing you until you stop moving.¡¹

    She had lost her left arm and a lot of blood, and yet Hilt showed no signs of weakness. In fact, she was wearing a confident smile.

    ¡¸Hah! Dimitris Style Secret Art - ''Heaven''!¡¹

    Hilt shouted, and I could feel a tremendous amount of ki enveloping her entire body. It was as if she was wearing an armor made ofpressed and materialized ki.

    Was this a defensive ability? That''s what it looked like, but I was wrong.

    ¡¸Ggyiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    I could see her moving at a speed close to Neidhart''s. No, I couldn''t even see it fully, but I could feel it.

    It seems that this secret art is a technique that boosts all of one''s physical abilities many times over.

    Neidhart''s movements are on a level that we honestly can''t evenprehend¡­ even faster than Fran with her Brilliant Lightning Rush active. Rapid braking and eleration during flight were made possible by the use of his wings.

    If we were in that arena and had no countermeasures, we might have already lost. No, it is more than likely that we would have lost at the first blow.

    Against Neidhart, Hilt''s movements were not to be out done. In terms of point-to-point speed, she was a little inferior. However, her quick turning and finesse were extraordinary.

    I don''t know how she did it, but she was able to perfectly respond to Neidhart''s tricky movements with his wings. She sometimes even pulled off feints with a mysterious speed that was adjusted to trick her opponent.

    The battle between the two intensified, looking like shadows darting around inside the barrier. They appeared from time to time, and then disappeared again. It was like they were in a dimension that could not be followed with the naked eye.

    Hilt, despite the loss of one of her arms, dealt a significant number of hits. The sharpness of her kicks proved to be as extraordinary as her fists.

    The impact of their attacks caused numerous roars and sts, causing the stage fell apart little by little.

    The higher dimensional battle between the two superhumans continued for what must have been several minutes. The end of the battle, however, came abruptly.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­!¡¹

    Hilt reached her limit first. The ki armor covering her entire body disappeared, and she fell down on the spot. It seemed that her legs could not endure the load from the endless high-speed maneuvering and the kicking techniques she had been using. The bones in her legs looked to be broken and she was showing no signs of being able to stand.

    Neidhart, on the other hand, also looked to be exhausted. His wings were in shreds because they could not withstand his own speed. If given another ten seconds or so, Neidhart might have been the first one to fall.

    ¡¸Gyigi¡­¡­¡¹

    Neidhart moves in front of Hilt and raises his twin scythes. At that moment, he seemed to be wearing a calm demeanor like the original Neidhart.

    Even though he looked like he had lost his sanity, he is still Neidhart after all.

    ¡¸Gyisha!¡¹

    Neidhart''s arm swung down and Hilt''s head¡­ did not fly off. Her two arms had prevented the scythes from hitting her.

    ¡¸Eh? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi are also surprised. Hilt''s arms had grown back in an instant. This is the effect of the Pendant of Regeneration that Hilt was equipped with.

    Its power was simple: it heals damage, including loss of limbs, only once. It is a consumable item, however, and causes severe pain for several minutes after use.

    Hilt had saved it. By leaving her left arm cut off, Fran, Urushi, and even Neidhart assumed that she had no way to recover it.

    She then used her recovered arms to defend herself against his final blow.

    Hilt gripped the des that were half lodged into her palms and held on tightly. Neidhart tried to pull back the scythes, but could not escape.

    More blood pours out as the des are lodged further into her hands, but Hilt has seeded in blocking her opponent''s movement as intended. She had a fierce smile.

    ¡¸Garuda!¡¹

    Hilt suddenly stood up, surprising us. From a position of lying on the ground, she instantly flew upright with an extraordinary movement like a rewind of someone falling down.

    She seemed to have used the momentum of magic power released from her back. Is this the power of the ''Garuda'' technique?

    ¡¸Ahhhh! Yakshaaa!¡¹

    Hilt, without killing her momentum, mmed her head into Neidhart with all her might.

    The head of a human versus the head of a mantis. At first nce, Hilt seemed to be at a disadvantage, but there was an enormous amount of ki swirling around her head. It was so dense I had to wonder where it came from.

    Was that the effect of the ''Yaksha'' art that she had just shouted? Or maybe a different skill?

    Crash!

    As the thud echoed throughout the stage, Hilt''s forehead is cut deeply with blood flying everywhere.

    And Neidhart''s head had exploded into pieces, like an overripe watermelon hit with a stick. Red and green chunks sttered everywhere.

    ¡ºI-It''s over! The match is over! Just when it looked like the game was decided, there was a huge reversal! This is amazing! Oh no, Hiltoria fell down as well! Medical team! Please hurry!¡»

    Several healers can be seen rushing toward Hilt, who is not moving and is bleeding profusely from the head. It really must have been ast-ditch effort.

    ¡¸They''re both strong.¡¹

    Both of them were clearly stronger than us. We would have to do everything in our power to win. Still, Fran didn''t seem intimidated in the slightest.

    ¡ºYou look happy.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Next up is Hilt and¡­¡­ I''m looking forward to it.¡¹

 Chapter 734

    <h4>Chapter 734</h4>

    <h4>734: Trial Slice</h4>

    After the match between Hilt and Neidhart, we hade to visit Neidhart.

    We were not that close to him, so I had second thoughts of doing so. However, the way he died must have been quite traumatic, even if he came back to life.

    I wanted to at least check on him, and I had some questions I wanted to ask him as well.

    Just before entering the infirmary, we bumped into Neidhart who was opening the door toe out.

    ¡¸Neidhart, are you okay now?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Fran-dono? Did youe here for me, by any chance?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much, but I''m quite all right now.¡¹

    Neidhart''s tone made it sound like he really was okay. He was extremely calm, and did not seem to have any shock from the way he died, even though his head exploded. I guess because of his veteran experience?

    In this state, we could ask him what I was wondering.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Why did you quit?¡¹

    ¡¸So you heard that¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Rather, I had heard it, to be precise. Neidhart''s voice was a bit low, but it soon returned to a brighter tone.

    ¡¸Hahaha. Well, I suppose it was just about time for me to give up my seat. Perhaps it''s because of my age, but my movements have been getting dull recently.¡¹

    Neidhart gave a usible reason, but it was all a lie. His real reason was elsewhere.

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it''s true.¡¹

    He must have his reasons, and ones that he is reluctant to talk about.

    Fran was not close enough to Neidhart to make him to tell her what he is hiding, although I was a bit curious about it.

    The main reason why we were concerned about Neidhart''s resignation was not so much because of Neidhart himself, but because we were worried about Eliante and the other members of the group who had helped us back in the royal capital.

    In the end, we only had a little bit of small talk. Finally, as he was about to turn away, Neidhart spoke a few words of encouragement as if he had just remembered something.

    ¡¸The day after tomorrow, I know you have a lot going on, but good luck.¡¹

    ¡¸You too.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, of course. Good day to you.¡¹

    By "a lot going on" did he mean the fierce battle in the finals? Or was he aware of Hilt''s feelings for Colbert, and referring to the various drama behind that?

    Well, at least that encouragement was no lie.

    The next day. Even though tomorrow was the finals, we were out of town.

    ¡ºFran, are you sure you''re okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, I''m fine.¡¹

    We should really rest up for tomorrow. There was no way that our exhaustion from the fierce battle using the divine attribute would heal in just a few days.

    However, Fran said she wanted to go outside. The reason is to sharpen her sense ofbat before the battle against Hilt, and also to confirm our new strength.

    In particr, we wanted to confirm two points.

    The first is the mastering the newly increased level of our Physical Maniption skill. This is a higher tier skill that integrated various physical enhancement skills and can strengthen all our stats.

    Currently, the only way we could fight against Hilt with her Dimitris Style Secret Art ''Heaven'' is to use the Potential Release skill.

    That''s why we decided to increase the level of our Physical Maniption. However, it is meaningless if we can''t use it well after suddenly gaining max level.

    We decided to raise it by two levels and see how it goes from there.

    One more thing I would like to confirm is about my blessings.

    Back then, I drew only the power of the blessing of the Chaos Goddess, and it was not perfect. I have yet to try gaining awareness of the blessing of the Wisdom God too.

    That''s why I thought that learning how to use the power of the blessings would improve our strength a little. There might be some better ways to make use of our other skills, like the blessing of the Sword God, too.

    In order to test them, we havee to exterminate the undead outside of town. They''ll be good target practice.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, did you find them?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    When ites to finding the undead, especially zombies, there''s nothing better than Urushi''s nose. Even if they are out of my detection range, he can find them quickly.

    We walked through the forest with Urushi leading the way, and soon we had found our target.

    ¡¸There.¡¹

    ¡ºOnly a few of them, perfect.¡»

    ¡¸I''ll go first. Okay?¡¹

    ¡ºOkay. But don''t do anything rash.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And so we did a test run of the Physical Maniption skill against the monsters, but it didn''t go well.

    They were way too weak, and she killed them instantly. Not anywhere close to perfect.

    Our speed has definitely increased, but we have not been able to confirm anything about our strength or senses. For Fran, this was about as useful as beating up a punching bag, not that it can really be helped.

    ¡¸I''d like one a little stronger.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm. I don''t want to push you too hard, but I guess it would be pointless otherwise¡­¡­ Urushi, can you find one a little stronger?¡»

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    Urushi barked lightly as if to say, "Let''s give it a try." Then, he meditates as if concentrating, sticks his nose toward the sky, and begins to twitch it.

    After about ten seconds, Urushi''s eyes widened.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    He bellowed confidently as he turned his head to the north. I guess he really did sense a strong undead creature.

    ¡¸Urushi, that''s great!¡¹

    ¡ºNice work! Lead the way!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We started running, but it was farther than we had imagined. We had to run for about five minutes and passed over a small mountain.

    ¡ºCome on, is it that far?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºJust how long is¨D¨D That''s!¡»

    Finally, I could sense the presence of the other party. I see, it''s emitting a very nasty magic power.

    ¡ºIt must be at the other side of this mountain. We''ll move in carefully from here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Isn''t this a little too strong for a test run? It seems at least rank C.

    Well, if it''s too much trouble, we can always escape by teleporting. It would be a total waste of time if we exhausted ourselves by fighting a strong opponent here.

    ¡ºNow then, what kind of monster are we up against?¡»

 Chapter 735

    <h4>Chapter 735</h4>

    <h4>735: Mummy King</h4>

    While we were looking for a opponent to test our skills, Urushi''s detection abilities helped us to find a powerful monster.

    We proceeded through the mountains while concealing our presence.

    A few minutester, we finally caught sight of the undead as we passed over a ridge in the mountain.

    There was a swarm of several undead in a corner of the valley beyond the mountain.

    ¡ºThat one undead in the center is pretty strong.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    He''s probably the boss of the undead. A wrinkled mummy-like figure wearing a sorcerer''s robe was performing a vile ritual in the middle of the other undead.

    A small, fat man was lying on the altar in front of the boss. He clearly had no signs of life.

    His head had been cut off and ced on his stomach. The blood from the wounds had already stopped flowing, so it seemed that a great amount of time had passed since he was killed.

    When the undead boss raised his staff, magic power was drained from the poor victim. Then, ck magic power was released from the staff of the undead boss and flowed into the undead under his control.

    The undead except for the boss weren''t moving at all. However, I could feel the power emanating from their bodies increasing.

    ¡ºIt''d be pretty bad to let this continue, huh?¡»

    £¨Nn. Undead are getting stronger.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºRight.¡»

    He''s most likely using some kind of magic to strengthen the undead under his control. Maybe he''s the reason for the recent undead troubles.

    Now we have no longer have the choice to leave them alone.

    ¡ºWe''ll take him by surprise.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    ¡ºFran, you get the boss. Urushi, you handle the undead around him.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    We move into action.

    I used teleportation to immediately close the distance. Fran shed at the undead boss, and Urushi went in with a shadow shift and chewed off the head of one of them.

    After getting closer, we found out what we''re dealing with. The result of appraisal showed that he was a Mummy King. It is just as strong as the Wight King we fought before.

    However, since it is far inferior than the Wight King in terms of summoning and leadership abilities, it would be considered a lower threat level.

    Fran had taken his rear after teleporting, and her sh struck the Mummy King directly in the back. However, the Mummy King was still standing, looking very healthy.

    ¡¸Adventurers?! Now that you have seen us, you must not be not allowed to return alive!¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s the effect of his skill!¡»

    The Mummy King possesses a skill called ''Shield of the Dead''. This is a skill that transfers the damage inflicted on him to the other undead under his control. There is a shield art simr to this.

    The advantage of this skill is that it is always active and can be used even if the user is not ready forbat. However, that is also a weakness. The damage will continuously be transferred to the undead under his control each time he is attacked, regardless of his intention.

    ¡¸Kill them!¡¹

    The undead start to move at the order of the Mummy King. These guys are pretty strong too, maybe threat level E.

    No wait, they are ghoul-type undead, with races like ''High Ghoul Soldier'' or ''High Ghoul Magician''.

    With their ''Pollution'' skill, even one of them is quite dangerous, so it wouldn''t surprise me if they were given a threat level of D. This is a skill that constantly sprays a deadly longsting poison, contaminating living creatures and food.

    The area of contamination for a high-ranked ghoul supposedly exceeds a radius of 20 meters, so a vige could copse from a ghoul walking through it.

    We were fine since we had immunity to the poison, but it was too dangerous to let them escape.

    Fran shes at the Mummy King some more, but the ghouls also showed no sign of damage transferred to them. He must have more undead under his control in other locations.

    But he certainly does not have an infinite number of them. In order for the Shield of the Dead to be activated, the undead to which the damage is transferred must have been created by him and under his control.

    This "under control" part is important. For magic like summoning and necromancy, the number of servants that can be controlled is determined by the power of the caster. A single powerful monster can exceed the caster''s capacity, even if they can control over a hundred weaklings.

    This is also the reason why I cannot summon any other magical beasts besides Urushi. He just takes up all my summoning capacity.

    Also, it''s different if he were to create a servant and let it loose. He has to first make a proper contract with it in order for it to be considered under his control.

    He had powerful ghouls nearby, so even this Mummy King could not be expected to have hundreds of other undead.

    ¡ºContinue as nned, Fran gets the boss! Urushi, clear the surrounding ghouls!¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    With that said, an area attack with light magic would be very effective, but Fran fights only with her sword.

    ¡ºFran, I''ll test the power of the blessing, okay?¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    The Mummy King is strong, but not as strong as Fran in a one-on-one fight. He is shed in rapid session, and calls out to the ghouls around him for help, but they are blocked by Urushi and cannote to his aid.

    Ten minutes after our surprise attack.

    ¡¸Damn it all! In a ce like this! My apologies¡­¡­ Gwaaah!¡¹

    Finally, the effect of the Shield of the Dead was no longer in effect, and the Mummy King was defeated by Fran''s swordsmanship.

    Cut in half, he crumbled to dust, leaving no magic stone behind. Considering that factbined with hisst words, he was likely created by a necromancer.

    ¡ºThe creator of this thing might be nearby. Let''s explore a little.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºSo how''d it go?¡»

    £¨So-so?£©

    ording to Fran, she became somewhat proficient in using Physical Maniption while cutting up the Mummy King. At the very least, she could keep up with Hilt better than before.

    This was a reasonably strong opponent who could take quite a few shes. I can say he was pretty much perfect for practicing our skills.

    £¨What about you?£©

    ¡ºI tried to use the blessing of the Wisdom God. Apparently, it gives me more control over magic and skills, but it also doubles my magic consumption.¡»

    It''s dangerous to use it all the time, but it''s a useful blessing if I can put it to proper use.

    £¨I see.£©

 Chapter 736

    <h4>Chapter 736</h4>

    <h4>736: Day of the Finals</h4>

    The day of the championship battle has finally arrived.

    Fran is walking down the aisle leading to the stage with an excited look on her face.

    ¡ºFran, how are you feeling?¡»

    £¨Nn. Great, I don''t feel tired at all.£©

    ¡ºNice. Urushi?¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    She seemed to have recovered almostpletely from the hard fought battles. I''m in good shape, and Urushi is too, so I''m sure we''ll be able to give it our all in the finals.

    ¡ºBut I didn''t expect to the third ce match to get canceled¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Nn. Disappointing.£©

    The third-ce match is gone now that both Diaz and Neidhart have withdrawn from the tournament.

    The reason they gave was that they were mentally drained.

    The physical body can recover, but not so much the mind. Diaz was getting old, and Neidhart had died a shocking death after a fierce battle. It was not surprising that they were still worn out.

    But I''m not buying it. Are either of them the kind of guy to abstain just because of that? I''m pretty sure they would rather push themselves to fight¡­¡­

    But the decision has already been made. There''s nothing we can do about it now.

    ¡ºLet''s double check our strategy. We won''t use Potential Release or Skilltaker. Our first move will be teleportation. Are we good?¡»

    £¨Nn. Hilt is strong. We''ll go all out from the start.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, we''ll be counting on you from the beginning this time.¡»

    £¨Grr!£©

    Judging by what we''ve seen from her in the previous fights, Hilt is not abat maniac. However, as the heir to the Dimitris school, she tends to allow her opponent to make first move.

    Her pride in her strength as well as the weight of the Dimitris Style name is probably what drives her to do so. That''s what we''re going to exploit.

    ¡ºCome one,e all! Ladies and gentlemen! At longst, the fiercestpetitors for the finals have revealed themselves! The strongest rank B adventurer! The strongest girl! The strongest ck cat! It''s the ck Lightning Princess Fran! She has given us plenty of surprises this year, but what about in the finals?¡»

    Fran stepped onto the stage to the cheers of the eagerly awaiting audience. Her eyes were on Hilt, who had just appeared from the opposite aisle.

    ¡ºWhoa! Now both yers have entered! The heir to the Dimitris school and rank A adventurer! The biggest contender for this year''s tournament, Hiltoria of the ''Piercing Fist'', is on the stage!¡»

    Seems like the crowd cheered both equally? Hilt was a celebrity to begin with, and Fran had been gaining fans over thest year.

    I guess both have their own dedicated fanbase.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I''ll be taking home the win today.¡¹

    ¡¸No, I''ll win.¡¹

    Hilt''s whole body is overflowing with fighting spirit. It is only natural, since her entire future is at stake.

    The position of master of the Dimitris style¡­ doesn''t seem to be her main concern, huh?

    It has to be Colbert, like I thought. She is clearly in love with him, and if she bes the master, she will have the right to name him as her fiance.

    Personally, I''d love to cheer her on there, but that can''t happen. After all, the championship is at stake.

    ¡ºFran, Hilt isn''t at full power.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºYeah, her stats are slightly decreased. I think she''s still recovering from the Neidhart match.¡»

    £¨I see¡­¡­£©

    The same happened to Fran after the Diaz fight. The wear and tear from the heavy blood loss and the recoil of her techniques could not be fully recovered in two days.

    £¨I¡­ see¡­£©

    Normally this would have been a good opportunity, but not so much for Fran. She was truly disappointed. Did I identally lower her motivation before the fight?

    ¡ºBut that doesn''t change the fact that she is still stronger than us. This is a formidable foe either way, am I wrong?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Good. She seems to have regained her motivation right away.

    ¡ºWill the young tiger''s fangs crush the sessor to the strongest? Or, will the fist of the beautiful martial artist drill through the fierce challenger? Right here, right now, the top will be decided!¡»

    Fran, who has already awakened, brings me up to an overhead stance. Hilt takes her stance as well.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Garuda.¡¹

    Then they both muttered at the same time. Garuda? Must be a Dimitris-style art. Since she used it at this timing, it should be a technique more suited for support than an attack.

    ¡ºNow then! Let the finals¡­ begin!¡»

    Immediately after the start, I used Short Jump.

    Our goal was to use Heavenly Judgment immediately after teleporting, but Hilt was already gone by the time our teleport went through.

    After a split second, Fran felt a presence behind her and dived to the side.

    Woosh!

    A mass of magical energy ripped through the air and flew past Fran''s body.

    Almost at the same time, Hilt approached us at a tremendous speed. She was moving much faster than we thought she would, probably close to the maximum speed she showed the other day against Neidhart.

    I can see that she was releasing magic power from the soles of her feet to elerate rapidly. That seemed to be the effect of the Garuda technique.

    Fran still had her back to Hilt, but there was no need for us to panic.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Roll!¡¹

    Fran activated ck Lightning Roll right when Hilt''s attack was about to connect. She appeared right behind Hilt with lightning speed, and performed an Sheathes of Wind to return the favor.

    However, it was repelled by an invisible hand, Hilt''s magical arms. Her aim was not only to defend, but also to throw Fran off bnce by deflecting her blow.

    Normally, Hilt would have manipted the momentum to destabilize Fran''s stance, exposing an opening. But I had anticipated this.

    After I supported Fran''s body with telekinesis, Hilt immediately gave up her counterattack and jumped away.

    ¡¸Grr!?¡¹

    Urushi''s surprise attack also failed. He could not make any attempt to get the drop on her from the shadows, as Hilt was dashing around at high speeds almost without stopping.

    I bet she has been analyzing the results of the previous matches and decided that this is was best strategy to prevent our surprise attacks using teleportation.

    Certainly, if Hilt keeps moving at that speed, she will be able to escape due to the dy of the teleportation. In fact, she may even be able to take advantage of ourg.

    ¡¸Urushi. Surprise attacks won''t work, switch to magic.¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    £¨Master, use magic to pin her, and keep watch for invisible attacks.£©

    ¡ºAlright.¡»

    It''s still early in the game, but it looks like neither of us can take full control of the match.

 Chapter 737

    <h4>Chapter 737</h4>

    <h4>737: Simultaneous Assault</h4>

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡ºThunder Bolt, multi-activation!¡»

    We continue our barrage without pause, Fran with physical attacks, and I with magic. And that''s not all.

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Urushi constantly has himself positioned behind Hilt, while impeding her with ck magic.

    However, Hilt still had not taken any serious damage.

    She didn''t have the extreme durability that Siby had. Well, I guess anyone would look like they had paper-thin defensespared to Siby. Generally speaking, Hilt''s defense was rather high with her ki surrounding her like armor.

    In the first ce, it is necessary to have a technique to improve one''s defense when fighting with your bare hands. Many magical beasts are covered with fire, lightning, poison, etc. If you try to punch them without any countermeasures, you will just be inflicting major damage on yourself.

    Even now, Fran''s ck lightning was being transmitted to her through me, but it doesn''t seem to be doing any real damage. I''m currently like a powerful stun baton, so touching me would easily be enough to knock out a goblin.

    But against Hilt''s ki defense, even the ck lightning was not very effective. It may have had some effect on draining Hilt''s magical power, but that was all.

    What was more troublesome was her overwhelmingbat skill. She was able to perfectly handle all of our attacks.

    She used Asura''s magical arms to repel Fran''s shes, crushed my magic with an Air Grasp, and avoided Urushi''s barrage as if she had eyes on the back of her head.

    Her ability to move around at high speeds while dealing with our attacks so perfectly made her one opponent truly worthy of admiration.

    It is amazing that she could do so much while she is still worn out from the battle against Neidhart¡­¡­ Fran had mastered the use of Physical Maniption, so she has a higher top speed than Hilt. But even against a faster opponent, Hilt shows no signs of faltering.

    ¡¸Sei!¡¹

    ¡¸Augh!¡¹

    And sometimes she threw a nasty counter attack. The force of her fist prated through Fran''s entire body, as if it was ignoring her enhanced physical stats. This dealt internal damage to her and slowed her down.

    Hilt also seemed to have healed her wounds with some kind of martial art, so there was no visible damage on either fighter. It was rare to see the fighters with almost no damage in such a fierce battle.

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Cheryah!¡¹

    A tremendous roar echoed every time their weapons shed.

    Hilt''s weapon was quite a work of art. Despite taking several hits from me, it didn''t even have a scratch on it.

    £¨Master, can you bind Hilt?£©

    ¡ºI''ll try. Urushi, you sync up with Fran on the follow.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    I activated my morphing while drawing strength from the blessing of the Wisdom God.

    ¡ºYes! I knew it! It''s easier than ever to use!¡»

    With the improved control of magic power, it''s much easier to control my morphing. With this, I will be able to manipte my transformation more precisely than before.

    ¡ºOh yeah!¡»

    My decorative cord split into twenty strands, about as thick as a tug-of-war rope. I didn''t think thin steel threads will be able to prate Hilt''s defenses, so I imagined a spear instead.

    Twenty spears moved throughout the air, closing in on Hilt from all sides. With such thick spears, it should be possible to conduct enough mana to make their power considerable. Each was way stronger than an art from your average spearman.

    ¡¸You can even do that?!¡¹

    Hilt noticed the danger at first sight and avoided my spears. It''s impressive how she managed to dodge with a paper-thin margin, but are you sure that was the best choice?

    ¡ºHave these too!¡»

    The spear that was originally my ornamental cord immediately shifted again, turning into a whip. I tried to simte Amanda''s whip arts, although it wasn''t even close.

    My twenty spears became twenty whips, all aimed at Hilt.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    My attack did not do much damage due to myck of whipping skills, but it finally knocked Hilt off bnce. I should add some insurance just in case.

    ¡ºEarth Hole!¡»

    I made a big hole under Hilt''s feet withnd magic. With the earth under her feet suddenly gone, Hilt''s eyes widened. In addition, I held Hilt''s body down with telekinesis and wind magic so that her body would fall into the hole. Of course, the whips were still chasing Hilt during all of this.

    But Hilt did not fall into the hole.

    She avoided the fall by leaping backward at once with a powerful st of magic power from the soles of her feet. The force was so strong that even my telekinesis was swept away. That must be the effect of Garuda too.

    I have to say it was an impressive disy. However, during the short exchange between Hilt and me, Fran and Urushi had finished their preparations.

    Fran emitted so much killing intent that it looked as if she was about to deliver her strongest move.

    Sensing the danger, Hilt''s consciousness shifted slightly toward Fran. But that was a fake.

    ¡¸Grooowl!¡¹

    Just as Hilt was distracted by Fran, Urushi attacked her from behind. Deeply cloaked in pure darkness, Urushi rushed toward Hilt faster than even Fran.

    This was the effect of the ck magic, Dark Embrace,bined with the physical stats of a monster in the upper echelons of the B threat level. Even Hilt would not be able to get away with taking a direct hit from this.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Even in this situation, I could see that Hilt was responding without any panic. She kept her back to Urushi and was trying to do something.

    Fran, however, would not stand idly by and let that happen.

    ¡¸Heavenly Judgment.¡¹

    A ck tiger at the front, and a dark wolf at the rear. Either blow was powerful enough to kill a rank A adventurer with a direct hit.

    She had been driven into a corner.

    However, Hilt''s face still showed no sign of panic. On the contrary, she stared at me with a somewhat cheerful expression as I was being swung down at her.

    Had she given up?

    No way.

    I was wrong, it was a look of determination.

    ¡¸Ruaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    A tremendous amount of magical power erupted from Hilt''s entire body. Was this the same secret art she used against Neidhart? That was called ''Heaven'', right? But it was already toote.

    Urushi''s rush and Fran''s Heavenly Judgment hit Hilt at the same time¨D¨D

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr?¡¹

    I was sure we got her. But just after that thought, Fran lost her target and stumbled.

    Urushi, who had also lost his target, passed through and rammed into the barrier.

    What just happened?

 Chapter 738

    <h4>Chapter 738</h4>

    <h4>738: Dimitris Style Secret Arts</h4>

    It was supposed to be a simultaneous assault that dealt certain death. However, our expectations were overturned. Was it evaded? Or did she slip through somehow?

    ¡ºDamn!¡»

    Before I had time to think about it, I sensed the presence of an attack, and I hurriedly activated my teleportation. I saw a magic bullet piercing the ce we were standing earlier.

    I was wary that Hilt would follow us, but she showed no signs of doing so.

    When I checked again, I found Hilt ring at us in a readied stance. Her right arm was deeply shed and her left arm was crushed in half.

    In addition, arge amount of blood was pouring out of her eyes and nose.

    However, her position had not changed at all from the beginning. Then how did she manage to avoid our attack?

    ¡¶I believe the attacks from the individuals Fran and Urushi had been perfectly recognized, and thus her body could be turned halfway to block both of them simultaneously.¡·

    What Hilt did was simple. She rotated her body counterclockwise and used her left elbow to deflect Urushi''s charge while parrying my de with her right hand.

    ¡¶This is not impossible considering the physical enhancement of Dimitris Style Secret Art, Heaven. Sess rate estimated at 20%.¡·

    ¡ºSo Hilt took a gamble and won.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. However, her arms were still damaged due to being unable to perform aplete parry.¡·

    That said, I never thought that she would survive our lethal attack with that level of damage¡­¡­

    ¡ºSo the blooding from her eyes and nose are the price for pulling off such a stunt?¡»

    ¡¶Those are believed to be caused by the recoil of the Dimitris Style Secret Art Heaven.¡·

    ¡ºBut did that happen when she used it against Neidhart?¡»

    ¡¶It is very likely that this is a costly technique. Since she was unable to recover in the two days since thest usage, the repercussions are even greater than before.¡·

    I guess these Dimitris style secret arts are a sort of double-edged sword, equivalent to our Potential Release.

    If she uses it continuously in a short period of time, she may be shaving years off her life expectancy. Even so, Hilt wanted to win that badly. It took tremendous determination.

    Fran felt the same way.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Amazing.¡¹

    She muttered in a respectful tone.

    Their gazes intertwined. Hilt, however, does not move.

    Was she too drained by secret art to move? Or has she switched to a wait-and-see strategy? She still has a huge amount of ki surrounding her body, but has taken great damage as well.

    It was especially bad in her right arm, which had been deeply wounded by Heavenly Judgment. It had barely regenerated at all due to the effect of the divine attribute.

    Although our lethal attack was avoided, we still have the advantage. Fran readied me with a renewed look of determination.

    £¨Master, Kanna Kamui!£©

    ¡ºOn it! Urushi, get in the shadows!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    I activated Kanna Kamui, one of our trump cards that nearly killed even Diaz. Bolts of white lightning poured down on Hilt, intertwining with each other.

    But Hilt showed no sign of evasion. Still in her stance, she raised her wounded right arm towards the lightning.

    Was that supposed to be a defense?

    ¡¸Aaaaahhhh!¡¹

    The mass of ki released from Hilt''s right hand collided with my Kanna Kamui. For a moment, it seemed as if the two were inpetition, but the force of the thunderbolt soon prevailed and a white sh of light engulfed Hilt.

    Boooooom!

    Just like in the battle against Diaz, thunderstorms raged through the barrier, apanied by shockwaves and roars.

    There was no way she could block this at the center of the st zone. I don''t know if that was enough to be a victory, but it surely did some good damage.

    £¨Let''s go!£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran''s face was filled with determination. She was about to run through the thunder and shockwaves and grab her victory, when¡­

    Crack!

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    With a dull thud, Fran''s ankle was suddenly crushed. Yes, crushed. It was as if she had been grabbed by an invisible force.

    Fran lost her bnce and tripped forward.

    I quickly supported her with my telekinesis and fully deployed my barrier. And at the same time, an additional tremendous impact shook my barrier.

    ¡ºIt''s Hilt''s Air Grasps!¡»

    There was no doubt. She had counterattacked even under these circumstances. And that''s not all.

    ¡ºShe''sing!¡»

    In the aftermath of the still raging Kanna Kamui, I sensed Hilt''s presence dashing at us in a straight line. Her speed was ridiculously fast.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    I couldn''t warn her in time, and by the time we realized it, Hilt was already right in front of us.

    Hilt had a horrifying look on her face, and her whole body was covered in wounds.

    Burns from the explosion. Bruises andcerations from flying debris. The right third of her beautiful face is burnt off, including her now-nonexistent right eye and eyelid. Yet, I could still feel her beauty, perhaps because of the overwhelming aura she exuded.

    Her right arm, which had been thrust out against Kanna Kamui, was already gone from the shoulder onwards.

    That was not an attempt to block Kanna Kamui. She had intended to survive by using her right arm, which could no longer move, as a shield.

    She must have thought that she could turn the tables as long as she was alive, so she purposely took our big move to lure us into a false sense of security. It was a desperate strategy that I never thought Hilt would dare to y against Fran, since Hilt was considered the superior fighter.

    Hilt, who was worn out from the Neidhart battle and unable to utilize her full strength, may have been prepared to be on the losing side from the beginning.

    It looked like she had concentrated all her healing power on her left arm. The fracture was already healed.

    I could see Fran gasp in the face of the fastest movement we''ve seen all day.

    ¡¸Dimitris Style Secret Art - ''Dragon''!¡¹

    For a secret art, the movement was extremely simple. She lowered her back and thrust her left palm out, twisting it in a spiral motion.

    However, everything was done with super godly speed, and the divine attribute was concentrated in the palm of her hand.

    A divine blow with all her might, delivered with the physical boost of the secret art ''Heaven''. Simple, and at the same time, the most powerful. This was the true nature of the Dimitris Style Secret Art ''Dragon''.

    Maybe the huge cost of ''Heaven'' was due to this usage of the divine attribute too.

    Hilt''s palm easily broke through my barrier and mmed into Fran''s abdomen.

    Boom!

    A heavy thud echoed through the air, a sound no human should be able to make, and Fran was sent flying horizontally. I think she might have broken the sound barrier there.

    If she had been mmed into the barrier, she might have died outright. However, a ck creature intervened between Fran and the barrier.

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyah¡­¡­!¡¹

    It was Urushi. He tried to cushion Fran by using his body as a shield. It was better than the hard barrier wall, but neither Fran nor Urushi are left unharmed.

    The sound of bones cracking could be heard all over Fran''s body as she let out an inaudible scream. Blood and gastric juices gushed from her mouth like a fountain.

    Urushi was in the same condition. No, Urushi took the majority of the impact, and was perhaps even worse off. All he can do is crouch on his hands and knees with broken limbs, breathing irregrly.

    ¡¸Gah¡­¡­ Buf¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi! It''s too dangerous to keep going! Heal your wounds in the shadows!¡»

    £¨Kuu¡­¡­£©

    With that, Urushi was out of the match. With superspeed regeneration, he should recover in less than an hour, but it would be difficult for him toe back in time for this battle.

    Fran managed to avoid death, but was also mortally injured. Yet she did not copse.

    ¡¸A¡­¡­ ah¡­¡­¡¹

    Her unfocused eyes were still fixed in the direction of Hilt''s presence, and Fran stepped forward with an unsteady gait.

    She tightened her grip on the hands holding me.

    ¡ºFran! Can you use instant regeneration!?¡»

    £¨I''ll still¡­¡­ still¡­¡­£©

    But she didn''t hear me. Her consciousness seemed to be in a daze. I''m using healing magic, but damage from the divine attribute was slow to heal. Without regeneration, it will take her a long time to get her out of the danger zone.

    £¨Still¡­¡­ win¡­¡­£©

 Chapter 739

    <h4>Chapter 739</h4>

    <h4>739: The Decisive Blow</h4>

    Hilt, who was still frozen in the position with her palm outstretched, stared at Fran, who was walking while swaying like a zombie. A look of astonishment crossed her face.

    She was undoubtedly surprised her secret art could not finish us off. The divine attribute is, in a sense, a guaranteed kill, especially since this was a battle between humans that have far less vitality than magic beasts. She must have thought that she would win if her attack connected.

    However, it''s not like we just took the hit standing. Fran had jumped back slightly to mitigate the damage, and I activated my telekinesis to weaken Hilt''s momentum as much as possible.

    It may only have been a little bit, but it mostly likely saved Fran''s life.

    I continued to cast healing magic, but Fran remained in her daze. Her Awakening and Brilliant Lightning Rush had already been broken since the damage she had taken made them too hard to sustain.

    Even in this state, her unbreakable fighting spirit was still driving her body.

    ¡¸How¡­ terrifying¡­¡­¡¹

    Hilt muttered in between her ragged breaths. Even from her point of view as a first-rate adventurer, Fran must be worthy of admiration.

    ¡¸But¡­ I can''t lose¡­ either¡­¡­!¡¹

    Hilt was not moving. More precisely, she was moving little by little, as if she was in slow motion.

    It seemed that she is still feeling the recoil from her secret art. Her movements were dull, and the huge amount of ki she had been cloaked in has already dispersed.

    It wouldn''t be difficult to win against Hilt now. All I have to do is to charge in and attack her by myself. The fierce battle has drained my mana, but I can manage a single Kanna Kamui in addition to a Telekic Catapult.

    However, I would never do such a thing.

    Win or lose, Fran should decide this match.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Hilt was doing her best to catch her breath, and Fran was swaying from side to side and moving forward with unsteady steps.

    The stage was surprisingly quiet.

    Hilt was the first to make a move.

    She still looked pale, but her breathing has calmed down somewhat. Although she previously looked like she was hyperventting, it''s settled down to around the level of someone after sprinting.

    ¡¸Hah¡­¡­ Hah¡­¡­¡¹

    Hilt exhaled in pain as she turned her slightly protruding left palm toward us. Her hips were lowered into a stance.

    It looked like a stance focused on parrying and countering, rather than an offensive one. On closer inspection, I can see that Hilt''s legs were trembling lightly. She may not have the strength to move towards us anymore.

    Fran was still approaching Hilt with her wobbly steps.

    As the distance between the two was gradually closing, a change suddenly urred to me.

    ¡ºWhat the¡­¡­?¡»

    My morphing was activated, changing my shape from a sword to a katana.

    I was surprised because I didn''t do it intentionally. But it wasn''t as if I was forced into it either.

    Fran''s intent flowed into me, and my body naturally epted her will. As a result, my morphing was activated.

    That''s how it felt.

    It was only after the transformation that I realized that I had activated my skill.

    It is a strange feeling, simr to the time when I was wielded by Fran in her Sword God Transformation state, but I feel a greater sense of unity than I did then.

    Perhaps because back then, I felt like I was being wielded by someone of a higher rank with overwhelming skill.

    But this time I could feel that Fran needs me. Not as a subordinate, but as a coborator. I felt the bond between a sword and its wielder.

    £¨Ma¡­¡­ ster¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºFran! Are you awake now?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Let''s go¡­¡­ win¡­¡­£©

    It''s no use, Fran''s still in a daze. And yet, or perhaps because of that, she was unconsciously performing all the optimal movements.

    Even at a time like this, a small amount of joy welled up inside me. She was notpletely conscious, and yet she still relied on me as her partner, and as her Master.

    That made me so happy.

    ¡ºYeah, victory will be ours!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­£©

    Whether she could hear my words or not, Fran seemed to nod her head slightly.

    As usual, her steps were slow.

    Ten seconds¡­ twenty seconds.

    It felt like time was moving in slow motion. I could see the audience gasping, leaning forward, and staring at us.

    Five more seconds passed, and the distance between Fran and Hilt was down to five meters.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Ah.¡¹

    Fran, whose eyes had been unfocused and unable to see anything, suddenly captured Hilt. At the same time, her body moved.

    She charged forward and shed her. That was all.

    But the movement was too fast, too sharp, and too unexpected.

    Even I did not realize Fran had moved until I felt my de cutting through Hilt''s flesh and bone.

    The trick to Fran''s sudden eleration was magic release. With her whole body rxed, she moved without using any muscle power, only the recoil of her magic release.

    It was not just a push from the back either. The arms were raised by releasing magic power from the elbows, and then lowered by releasing magic power from the shoulders. She also released magic power from her knees, hips, and heels. All of this was done practically simultaneously.

    What she was doing was simr to Hilt''s Garuda, but Fran''s technique was even moreplicated and advanced. You might say it was the perfected version of what Colbert had used on Siby.

    Hilt could not detect it exactly because she is an expert in responding to her opponent''s breathing, muscle movements, bnce, and other indicators.

    Of course, Fran''s perfect magic concealment was also a big factor.

    It was the culmination of everything she had seen and learned during this tournament.

    The speed itself was not that greatpared to her Brilliant Lightning Rush. Even so, the quickness of the attack was unbelievableing from someone half-dead, and it would be hard to find something better for taking someone by surprise.

    Hilt could not react at all. She was staring back into Fran''s unfocused eyes, oblivious to what had just happened.

    Ah, she just now realized that she had been cut. Her mouth dropped open.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    That''s all thates out of Hilt''s mouth, and shortly after, blood gushes out of her body.

    The light of rewinding envelops her crumpled body.

    ¡ºA-After such a fierce battle in the finals, the end was surprisingly quiet! The winner was a 13 year old! F-Fran of the ck Cats! Without a doubt! Without a doubt we have the youngest winner in the history of thepetition!¡»

    Thementator''s voice sounded more excited than ever. So excited that he was stuttering somewhat.

    I listened to his words with a strange feeling, as if I was dreaming.

 Chapter 740

    <h4>Chapter 740</h4>

    <h4>740: In the Infirmary</h4>

    Immediately after the deration of victory, Fran copsed on the spot and was taken to the infirmary.

    The three healers were doing their best to heal her, but her recovery was very slow.

    ¡¸Damn! Greater Heal doesn''t work at all!¡¹

    ¡¸Life magic doesn''t work either!¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell is this?! Anyway, we have no choice but to keep on healing her while drinking mana potions! It''s notpletely ineffective!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸Yes sir!¡¹¡¹

    Even the experienced leader of the group, an old man, seemed to have never encountered damage caused by the divine attribute before.

    He performed various techniques on her, including countermeasures to poisons and curses, but Fran''s wounds were slow to heal.

    Still, the three top magicians were doing their best to heal her. I can at least be relieved that her life is not in danger.

    ¡ºUrushi, are you okay?¡»

    £¨Kuhn¡­¡­£©

    I decided to leave Fran temporarily in the hands of the treatment team and concentrated on Urushi''s recovery.

    I casted a healing spell on Urushi while he was in the shadows.

    ¡ºYou really saved us as the end there. Great job.¡»

    £¨Woof¡­¡­ Arf.£©

    ¡ºDon''t get excited yet! Your entire body is still a mess!¡»

    £¨Arf¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºI''ll give you a good mealter.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Just then, the door to the infirmary opens and a familiar figurees in.

    ¡¸How is Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Elsa-san¡­ It''s not good, she''s showing no signs of waking up.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ It was such a fiercepetition so there''s no helping it. I guess the winner won''t be in the closing ceremony this year.¡¹

    Apparently that''s something that happens once every few years in this tournament, since the winner is usually heavily injured. The finals are always a brutal fight so it''s not that surprising.

    It''s too difficult to dy the start of the closing ceremony, because many of the VIPs have to leave on schedule. Also, holding the awarding ceremony after they have left might be considered as mocking them.

    If the champion has no proxy, the lord or a representative from the Adventurers Guild will hold on to the prize money for them. Not that the prize money in this tournament is that high, since the prestige is the main goal.

    ¡¸If she wakes up and is able to attend the award ceremony, can you bring her?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I will.¡¹

    Elsa leaves after saying that, but even if Fran wakes up, it will be difficult for her to attend the ceremony. She will have a hard time moving properly for a few days, let alone fighting.

    Then a new visitor arrived. To my surprise, I didn''t sense his presence at all.

    ¡¸D-Dimitris-sama?¡¹

    The healer called out his name. Yes, it was Dimitris, the rank S adventurer, who opened the door.

    He approached slowly. For a moment, the word "retaliation" crossed my mind, but Dimitris showed no signs of intending harm.

    ¡¸Like I thought, the recovery is not up to par¡­¡­ Shall I help you?¡¹

    ¡¸What? B-But¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Those injured by the dragon ki will not recover properly for a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Dragon ki?¡¹

    ¡¸I named it as such because I saw it from a dragon monster I fought before¡­¡­ It''s one of the secret arts of our school.¡¹

    You mean the divine attribute? I guess in the Dimitris style, they call it ''dragon ki'' instead. That must be why the name of the secret art is called ''Dragon''.

    ¡¸Y-You can do something about it?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s far from perfect, but I can do a little.¡¹

    Dimitris was not lying, he seemed to have really onlye to help Fran. There was no malice or hostility. On the contrary, there was even a hint ofpassion in the way he looked at Fran.

    ¡¸B-But this girl defeated your sessor and¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Winning or losing a single battle is trivial. It would be a shame to lose such a talented one like this.¡¹

    ¡¸A-As impressive as always¡­¡­ Please give us your assistance.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well.¡¹

    I decided not to interfere with Dimitris. It''s pretty clear he had no intention of harming Fran.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­ Haaah¡­¡­¡¹

    Dimitris took a deep breath, and put his hands on Fran''s abdomen and head. I could feel the ki slowly emanating from his hands and permeating Fran''s body.

    Not only that.

    ¡ºIs this the divine attribute?¡»

    Dimitris'' ki had a slight divine attribute to it. However, there was no sign of aggression, and Fran''s stern expression softened.

    A few minutester, Dimitris finished his treatment. Even this rank S adventurer is exhausted, showing how difficult it is for anyone to maintain the divine attribute.

    ¡¸Try to heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, sir.¡¹

    Surprisingly, when the recovery magic was applied to Fran after that, the effect was clearly improved. Of course, it was still lower than usual, but that was good enough considering the fact that she hardly recovered at all previously.

    If everyone keeps healing her, the wounds will be fully healed soon.

    Can the damage caused by the divine attribute also be healed with the divine attribute? It seems there are still more ways to use it that we don''t know about.

    ¡¸I''m returning to the closing ceremony, so I leave the rest to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes sir! Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸Take care.¡¹

    A few minutester.

    Urushi''s condition was now much better, so I secretly joined in with Fran''s recovery. I felt a little sorry for the healers'' joy, as they seemed to think that it was due to their healing magic bing more effective.

    It was then that someone came into the infirmary again.

    ¡¸Oh? You really can''t move, can you?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m just someone of little significance. Hee-hee-hee.¡¹

    The man who had just barged into the room smiled in a nasty way.

    Why is this guy here? It was Abarb, the disciple of Eiworth and rank B adventurer, who lost to Diaz in the quarterfinals.

    He was smiling at Fran with his creepy, snake-like eyes.

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee!¡¹

    It was not a friendly attitude by any stretch of the imagination.

 Chapter 741

    <h4>Chapter 741</h4>

    <h4>741: Captured</h4>

    Abarb was smiling at Fran with his creepy, snake-like eyes.

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee!¡¹

    It was not a friendly attitude by any stretch of the imagination. The old man became suspicious of him and questioned Abarb.

    ¡¸W-Weren''t there soldiers guarding outside the door?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, them? Kukuku, are you sure they weren''t negligent in their duties? They were just so defenseless that I couldn''t stop myself from killing them!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    The next moment, Abarb''s sword was swung. His target was the leader of the healers, aiming precisely at his neck.

    This was clearly intended to kill him.

    Well my telekinesis deflected the blow, turning that into a failure!

    It was easy to see what he was going to do next since he made no attempt to hide his killing intent. He had underestimated the healers, viewing them as weaklings, so he didn''t even use a sword art. Blocking him was as easy as taking candy from a goblin.

    ¡¸Wow! You blocked my first hit? Not bad!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? What?¡¹

    The three healers were bewildered, still unable toprehend the situation.

    Despite his bad reputation, he was a participant of the martial arts tournament and a high ranking adventurer. They probably never dreamed that they would be attacked out of the blue.

    ¡¸Shiya!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhh!¡¹

    The old wizard screamed and held his head. Abarb thought he had killed him for sure, and his face broke out into a sadistic smile.

    However his sword was blocked by the barrier I had put up.

    It''s no use dude! You can''t break my barrier with that level of swordsmanship!

    ¡¸W-What are you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you pretending to be weak? If so, you''re a good actor¡­¡­ Well, it''s no matter. I don''t have much time, so hurry up and give me the girl.¡¹

    ¡¸W-What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸You see, my client desires strong adventurers. I would normally be no match for this abomination in strength¡­ but now I can capture her easily, don''t you think?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You''re terrible¡­¡­¡¹

    Abarb''s goal is Fran herself! Maybe he is trying to kidnap the weakened Fran and turn her into an illegal ve.

    £¨Grrrrgh¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºUrushi, don''t kill him. We need him to talk.¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyii! Wha-!? You weren''t summoned! How!?¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrl!¡¹

    ¡¸A-And how can all that damage already be healed¡­¡­?¡¹

    Ah, I see¡­ If he believed that Urushi was a summoned beast, he must have thought he couldn''t be summoned while the caster Fran is asleep.

    Besides, he was seriously injured in the match against Hilt so he also thought Urushi was not fit for a fight. Sucks for him, I''ve already healed about 50% of Urushi''s injuries.

    ¡¸Gugaa¡­¡­¡¹

    Abarb screamed, falling down to the ground as Urushi bit off both of his legs from the shadows. But, he was still a rank B adventurer.

    Despite receiving a mortal wound, he took out a vial from his pocket, the same poison he used in the Diaz battle.

    Immediately after he felt he was about to lose, he took the appropriate measures to save himself. I can see his experience as an adventurer paying off.

    ¡¸Damn! If ites to this¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-?!¡¹

    But for Urushi, who was immune to poison, it was nothing but bitter water. Urushi jumped up from the shadows, biting Abarb''s hand holding the vial, and swallowed it down.

    ¡¸I-Impossible!¡¹

    Abarb made a stupid-looking face while staring at Urushi, who was spitting to get rid of disgusting taste of the poison.

    Looks like he realized that poison has no effect on Urushi. I bet Abarb has no stronger poisons at hand, so if the Seven Blinks didn''t work, there is nothing he can do.

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Urushi growled to intimidate Abarb. Is it my imagination or does Urushi seem to be more annoyed at being forced to drink the bitter poison than at the fact that Abarb is trying to capture Fran?

    Anyways, we have to hear what he has to say.

    ¡¸Yes, yes. That''s enough, Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    For the first time in a long while, I used my Body Double Creation to create a human body and appeared in front of them.

    ¡¸Whoa! W-Who''s there!?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? When did you!?¡¹

    Sorry to have startled you, healers.

    ¡¸Umm, I''m Fran''s Master. Right, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi rubbed his head against my hand.

    ¡¸I-Is that so?¡¹

    The fact that Urushi, Fran''s pet, has taken to me was proof of my status. The healers were relieved, and Abarb''s face contorted in hatred.

    He sensed that my body double was not very powerful and mistakenly thought that I was so strong that he could not see through my disguise. My body double was pretty weak in reality though.

    ¡¸Damn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So? What''s it gonna be? If you spit it all out, we''ll just patch up your wounds and send you to the guild.¡¹

    ¡¸And if I don''t?¡¹

    I squat down in front of Abarb and look him in the eyes.

    ¡¸You don''t think you''re going to stay in one piece after trying to mess with my little Fran, do you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sigh. She was supposed to be easy prey¡­¡­ Very well, I''ll tell you everything.¡¹

 Chapter 742

    <h4>Chapter 742</h4>

    <h4>742: Their Goal</h4>

    The captured Abarb must have realized that he can''t escape from me and Urushi. He looked up at me with an air of resignation.

    ¡¸Who is your employer?¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Skeleton Corps of the Raydoss Kingdom.¡¹

    He answered the question very readily. Well, I guess he didn''t have enough loyalty to keep his mouth shut when torture was on the table.

    ¡¸The ck Skeleton Corps!¡¹

    ¡¸You know them?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yeah. We have a bit of history.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­They never said that¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, Abarb was not informed. Was he just being used as a pawn?

    ¡¸What were you going to do with Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know. They just told me to go kidnap her.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡­¡­ I''m sure they have a bunch of plots going on. What are they up to?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently, they want to expand their forces.¡¹

    ¡¸Recruiting? No, considering that they''ve been targeting Fran, are they going to turn her into a ve? Or maybe even undead?¡¹

    Abarb''s eyes widened in surprise at myment.

    ¡¸You seem to know a lot. Yes, that''s right. They kidnap some promising adventurers, turn them into undead and dominate them with their secret spells. Hee hee hee! Interesting, isn''t it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You''re saying there are already casualties?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes! About twenty of the contestants in the tournament have already been turned into undead.¡¹

    It was not unusual for the losers of the tournament to leave the town, and many peoplee and go as they please. The disappearance of a few adventurers would not cause amotion.

    Also, Ulmutt was not well staffed at this time of the year for a missing persons search. It would be almost impossible to organize arge search party.

    Ulmutt during the martial artspetitions was probably the perfect ce to n a kidnapping.

    Usually there is a little more security, but this year things areplicated.

    The undead outbreak, the idiot nobles of the Kingdom of Shallus. I''ve heard that there are even more small incidents than usual, such as thugs fighting in the town.

    ¡¸Huh? Could it be that the undead ruckus outside of town was set up by¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Skeleton Corps, of course. They are trying to put as much pressure on the town''s security as possible!¡¹

    ¡¸What else did they do?¡¹

    ¡¸Well you see¡­¡¹

    I couldn''t hold back a sigh as Abarb told me about their n.

    ¡¸Sigh¡­¡­ So you''re telling me that hiring random goons and sending assassins to the top contestants was all part of Raydoss''s n?¡¹

    ¡¸Each one may be a crude n on its own, but if there aremotions on multiple fronts, manpower will be consumed no matter what.¡¹

    What is it that they''re after with all this preparation and spreading security so thin? It seems like too big a plot just to kidnap a few talented adventurers.

    ¡¸Hee-hee. Securing some persons of influence. That''s what we''re really after.¡¹

    ¡¸Persons of influence¡­¡­?¡¹

    He just said "persons of influence", not "adventurers". In other words¡­

    ¡¸You mean you''re going after the VIPs!?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. Aurel, an evolved beastman with both military and political power, and Dimitris, one of the world''s most powerful adventurers, are our two main targets.¡¹

    Those were some surprising names because the two are very strong. They have their own bodyguards too, so even if the security is a little ck, how can a kidnapping possibly seed?

    That goes especially for Dimitris. Even if you wanted to surprise attack or assassinate him, he would just brush it off. It would take multiple people at Fran''s level to put up an actual fight.

    ¡¸There are currently multiple disturbances both in and outside of town. Many guards and adventurers will have been dispatched to solve them. Inevitably, the security for the closing ceremony will be spread thin.¡¹

    ¡¸Why target the closing ceremony?¡¹

    ¡¸Once the event is over, strangers will be conspicuous. Besides, it would be a disgrace to the Kranzel Kingdom if they kidnapped a prominent person in front of the emissaries and nobles of other countries. That''s one of their goals too.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, but there''s a hole in the n. Security is useless in the first ce if you''re going after Dimitris.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh-heh. The reason for reducing the number of guards is to make it easier for us to invade, escape, and hide. We have other methods to obtain Dimitris and Aurel. Ones that they can do nothing about.¡¹

    Abarb''s confident expression suggested that he really believed it was possible to capture Dimitris and Aurel.

    ¡¸And how would you do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Dimitris and Aurel have lovely granddaughters, don''t they? Hee-hee-hee!¡¹

    ¡¸Hostages?!¡¹

    Certainly, it would be effective to take Dimitris''s granddaughter Nilfe and Aurel''s granddaughter Kaitly hostage. They would have guards too, but it would be much easier than targeting their grandfathers directly.

    Should I send Urushi to protect them? But until Fran wakes up, I can''t leave her side¡­¡­

    ¡¸¡­Kaitly and Nilfe are in danger?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! You''re awake!¡¹

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    Fran opened her eyes slightly while I was hesitating. It seems that she has regained consciousness after the healing spells we had been casting on her.

    However, she was having a hard time getting her body up.

    ¡¸I''m going to help them.¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t be stupid! You can''t get up!¡¹

    ¡¸No. I''m going.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    How can I reject Fran when she gives me such a desperate look!

    ¡¸Where are Kaitly and Nilfe?¡¹

    ¡¸I assisted them in acquiring those two, but I don''t know where they''re being held after that.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, do you know where they are?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    Even Urushi can''t tell from here I guess.

    ¡¸Let''s just go to their hideout. Where is it?¡¹

    We got the location of their hideout from Abarb. It seemed that they were using a private house close to the arena.

    There were many other questions I wanted to ask him, but now is not the time. We should hand him over to the guild for now to keep him in custody.

    As I was tying up Abarb and preparing to leave, yet another person came rushing into the room.

    ¡¸Fran! You okay!?¡¹

    ¡¸Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸Some weird people suddenly started rampaging around town and¡­ Whoa? Ehh? C-Curry Master!!!¡¹

 Chapter 743

    <h4>Chapter 743</h4>

    <h4>743: To The Rescue</h4>

    ¡¸Curry Master! H-How¡­? I-I had heard you were dead¡­¡­!¡¹

    I-I never thought I would see Colbert here! But I don''t have time to clear up the misunderstanding now. Let''s just go with the brute force approach.

    ¡¸Uh no, I never died.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? B-But¡­ Then¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hey Colbert-san! What''s with the scream!? What''s going on!?¡¹

    A young woman came into the room after Colbert. I recognized her.

    ¡¸Judith?¡¹

    It was Judith, the leader of the Scarlet Maidens. I called her name without thinking, but she looked a little puzzled.

    ¡¸What? Oh, Fran-san''s master!¡¹

    Crap, I was still in a bit of a panic because of the impromptu encounter with Colbert. We had met her many times at Bulb and Ulmutt, but I was in a sword state then.

    To her, I must have looked like a weirdo she wasn''t familiar with. Thankfully, she was able to remember me quickly.

    ¡¸Anyway, I''m in a bit of a hurry right now, can I ask you what happened outside?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, yes!¡¹

    Judith and a recovered Colbert gave us a brief description.

    It seemed that undead and thugs appeared out of nowhere and suddenly started randomly attacking people. They were few in number and very weak, but they were still causing a lot of chaos.

    They also said simr things were happening right outside the arena. Adventurers and guards were dealing with the situation, but there had been considerable damage.

    I gave Colbert and Judith a quick rundown of what had happened on our side.

    ¡¸They took Miss Nilfe hostage! Despicable!¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee. We identally injured her a little during her capture you see. I gave her first aid, but with that injury¡­ she might already be dead by now.¡¹

    ¡¸You son of a bitch!¡¹

    Colbert was about to lose his temper, but I quickly held him down. It was true that she was injured, but it was a lie that she was dead. At the very least, she wouldn''t be left in a situation where she would die soon.

    He was trying to take away Colbert''s sound judgment. Maybe he was still trying to cover hisrades, or maybe it was just in retaliation for being caught.

    ¡¸A hostage is worth nothing if she isn''t alive. They won''t let them die.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, you''re right. I''m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Anyway, we have to rescue the hostages. I need your help.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    ¡¸I need Judith''s party to bring this man in.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay.¡¹

    Outside the room, Lydia and Maia were looking in while maintaining caution towards the surroundings. As long as we render Abarb harmless, it should be safe to leave him to them.

    I knocked Abarb unconscious, disarmed him, and wrapped his whole body with rope. That should do the trick.

    ¡¸Colbert, I want you to go with Fran to rescue the girls.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood! But the way you say that means you''re going to¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve got some work to do on my own. We part here.¡¹

    To tell you the truth, the time limit on my body double is running out. It''s easier to move if I disappear here.

    ¡¸I-I see! You''re going to crush another one of their ns!¡¹

    ¡¸Uh, yeah, something like that.¡¹

    ¡¸Please leave Fran to me! I won''t let anyoney a finger on her!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I''ll be counting on you! See youter.¡¹

    I make it look like I''ve casted a teleport, and then erased my body double.

    ¡ºPhew. Fran, even if you''re with Colbert, don''t do anything rash, okay?¡»

    £¨I know.£©

    We left the infirmary with Fran riding Urushi leading the way. As we were exiting the arena, we could definitely hear the sounds of fighting.

    However, themotion around here seemed to have mostly settled down by now.

    ¡¸Not really the time for this, but congrattions on your victory, Fran-san!¡¹

    Lydia, perhaps unable to bear the silence during the run, congratted her, although Colbert had aplicated expression on his face.

    Fran, however, tilted her head slightly.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Did I win?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t remember thest part.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You don''t remember¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I cut Hilt¡­¡­ I think. But it''s fuzzy.¡¹

    So she didn''t remember clearly. Actually, I was thinking that might be the case. Towards the end of the match, I couldn''t be sure if she was actually conscious.

    ¡¸T-That must mean you were really pushed to the edge.¡¹

    Lydia muttered with a horrified look on her face.

    Come to think of it, Lydia has the blessing of the Knowledge God. Is that a different god from my Wisdom God? But they have simr names¡­¡­

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, what is the difference between the blessings of the Wisdom God and those of the Knowledge God?¡»

    ¡¶Gods have many faces. For example, consider the Beast Bug God, who is said to be the ancestor of beastmen. He is both the Beast God and the Bug God.¡·

    ¡ºSo you''re saying that one person, or I guess one god, takes multiple roles?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. There are cases in which he grants blessings as the Beast Bug God, and other cases in which he grants blessings as only the Beast God, or only the Bug God. The name with greater authority is considered to be of higher rank.¡·

    ¡ºSo you''re saying the Beast God is lower in rank than the Beast Bug God.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative.¡·

    ¡ºIn other words, the Wisdom God and the Knowledge God are the same god, but they are slightly different. Is the blessing of the Wisdom God higher in rank?¡»

    ¡¶That impression is correct.¡·

    While Announcer-san was teaching me about the blessings, Colbert paused.

    ¡¸Is that Rashid?¡¹

    ¡¸Colbert, you know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, he''s a pretty well known guy in Bulb. But why is he fighting other adventurers?¡¹

    Colbert was right. Near the entrance to the arena, Rashid and a few others were engaged in a fierce battle against the adventurers.

    Fran hadpletely forgotten him, but we have met before; he was one of the rookies who, along with Naria and her friends, was beaten by Fran in a mock battle in Bulb. We did not see each other this time, but he must have been in Ulmutt with Naria.

    I recognized a few other faces too. Two of them were other victims of that mock battle along with Rashid.

    It''s not like they were drunk or anything. They had lost their sanity.

    ¡¸They''ve clearly turned into undead¡­¡­ Even these guys got caught up in it¡­¡­¡¹

    Colbert looked at Rashid and the others with a pained stare, and then he took up a fighting stance.

    ¡¸As their forerunner, the least I can do is put them to rest. Wait just a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Colbert rushed out to join the adventurers.

    ¡¸Aaagrhhhh.¡¹

    ¡¸Rashid, I''m going to put you out of your misery.¡¹

    ¡¸Aaaaah!¡¹

    Rashid was a decently strong man, and his undead body has been physically enhanced by his transformation.

    However, he was no match for Colbert. In less than a minute, Rashid''s undead body was destroyed.

    Colbert stood over the corpse, pausing to pay his respects.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I''ll make sure the ones who started this mess won''t get away with it¡­¡­!¡¹

    He clenched his teeth as he looked at his younger colleague''s changed form.

    ¡¸Now let''s go rescue Miss Nilfe.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 744

    <h4>Chapter 744</h4>

    <h4>744: Looking for Kaitly and Nilfe</h4>

    We left the arena and separated from Judith and the other Scarlet Maidens to start a search for Kaitly and Nilfe, who were supposedly being held hostage somewhere.

    Our first destination was their hideout close to the arena. The mastermind of the enemy might be there¡­¡­

    ¡¸No sign of them!¡¹

    ¡¸Kaitly and Nilfe are gone.¡¹

    As Abarb already told us, the hideout had been abandoned. We knew that, but we wanted to eliminate the possibility first.

    ¡¸Anyway, we need to find the location of Miss Nilfe now¡­¡­ Urushi, I''m counting on your nose.¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck, Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi, with Fran on his back, sniffs and sniffs. Yesterday, he had managed to find the undead from a great distance.

    This time, too, we can expect great things.

    ¡¸Sniff sniff sniff sniff!¡¹

    Urushi sniffed the ground as he walks around the hideout. He sometimes stops and stretches out his nose to sniff the air.

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    Urushi starts to walk at a brisk pace. We followed him as he ran through the town of Ulmutt.

    ¡ºIt''s more of amotion than a panic¡­¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The undead that suddenly appeared in the town and the thugs that went on a rampage had already been defeated. Adventurers were seen in various ces, looking proud in the face of the undead that had already been taken down.

    Even if the dispatch of soldiers was dyed, there were arge number of adventurers mixed in with civilians in this town at this time of the year. They should be able to deal with this easily.

    This was a n made by Raydoss''s men, who knew nothing of adventurers, so that mistake was probably inevitable.

    As we were making our way through the town, Colbert opened his mouth with aplicated look on his face.

    ¡¸Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Congrattions on your win. I really didn''t think you''d beat Miss Hilt.¡¹

    Colbert must have been rooting for his Dimitris school to win because he was a former student. However, that is not the only reason why he thought Fran would lose.

    ¡¸There was a big difference in experience, since Miss Hilt has fought against countless swordsmen before. Also, the Dimitris style is a school that specializes in fighting against human opponents. Well, the master is different, or rather, he is invincible against any opponent¡­¡­ But the fact remains that we are the best at fighting against people.¡¹

    Those parrying and other techniques were designed for fighting people with weapons, after all. They can be used against magical beasts too, but they are most effective against people.

    ¡¸I know that you have defeated other rank A adventurers. I saw it myselfst year against Gaudartha, but he was specialized against armies and monsters. Even though the two are both rank A, their specialties arepletely different.¡¹

    It was true that Gaudartha''s ability was more suited to unleashing wide range moves to destroy everything around him. I guess he was a simr type to Biscot who fought Fran this year. You could say Gaudartha was like a tougher and stronger version of Biscot.

    ¡¸It''s only been a year since then. No matter how much you''ve grown, I thought there was no chance you could defeat Miss Hilt in the tournament, yet¡­¡­¡¹

    Colbert, who still admires Dimitris, must have mixed feelings about his sessor losing.

    He seemed to be torn between celebrating or regretting the victory of his friend. One thing for sure though, is that he wasn''t showing any signs of romantic feelings for Hilt.

    He was treating her as only the sessor of a respected master. A former colleague who is more talented than he is. There was a sense of camaraderie and respect too, I guess¡­¡­

    And now, with Fran''s victory, Hilt will not seed him for a long time toe.

    ¡ºHmmm¡­¡­ Hilt, keep at it!¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºOh, no. It''s nothing. I was just wondering how Hilt''s doing.¡»

    £¨Hmm.£©

    After ten minutes of following Urushi''s nose.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Suddenly Urushi''s speed increased. It''s not quite full speed, but it''s at least as fast as a normal dog can run.

    ¡ºAre you close to the scent?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi turned the corner, crossed the street, and ran as fast as he could. But is this really the right way?

    The direction Urushi was going kept slightly turning, and as a result, he was heading back to the arena.

    ¡ºAre you sure you want to go this way?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    He says this is the right way.

    But Urushi ended up back at a familiar ce.

    ¡ºWe''re back at the arena.¡»

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡­?¡¹

    Urushi tilted his head lightly as he looked up at the arena in front of him. His nose twitched again and he twisted his head.

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi bellowed lightly as he stared at the arena.

    ¡¸Maybe he''s saying they''re somewhere in the arena?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi bellowed again at Colbert''s words with a look that said "Precisely!"

    I thought they were going to threaten Dimitris and Aurel by holding them hostage somewhere¡­¡­ But are they going to bring them in person and use them as shields too?

    Or perhaps when we ran out of the arena, the undead of the ck Skeleton Corps had alreadye to the arena with Nilfe and Kaitly?

    A-Anyways, we really need to hurry now!

    We rushed into the arena with Urushi in the lead again.

    There was no sign of any undead, so they must have been defeated already. However, perhaps because of therge number of powerful undead, injured adventurers were lying on the floor everywhere, receiving first aid.

    As we were making our way through the corridors, we heard loud voices talking ahead of us. It was a group of soldiers looking panicked.

    ¡¸Hey! Something''s going on at the closing ceremony!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean "something"!?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know! But it''s something more than just undead! Let''s move!¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Shit! We''re already short of guards because of all themotion outside!¡¹

    Looks like the ck Skeleton Corps have already arrived at the closing ceremony. This is not going to end well if we don''t hurry.

    ¡¸Urushi, rush!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi began to dash again, chasing after the soldiers. They looked astonished when he passed them. Sorry guys.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    After taking a few turns led by Urushi, we arrived at a familiar passageway. This should lead us to the spectator seating.

    However, even from here, I could sense something strange. The closing ceremony was supposed to be taking ce, but it was dead quiet.

    ¡¸Hold on! Pause a second!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸We won''t know what''s going on inside if we just run in. We should do a bit of reconnaissance first.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    That''s right. If we rush in without knowing what''s going on, we won''t know what to do.

    But Fran and Urushi are making a face that says, "I see¡­ that''s a great idea!" Don''t tell me you guys were seriously about to go in with no n?

    ¡¸First of all, is Miss Nilfe and the other girl up ahead?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡¸What? They aren''t there? Both of them?¡¹

    Colbert asks Urushi a few questions. To sum up the situation, it seemed that Kaitly was the only one ahead of us, while Nilfe was in another part of the arena.

    Maybe they were separating them to make them harder to recapture?

    ¡¸Then we split up. Urushi and Colbert, you two get Nilfe.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! I can''t let you go alone right now¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. I won''t push myself.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡­ No, you''re right. Miss Nilfe will be more relieved if I go to her¡­¡­ Got it, leave Miss Nilfe to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi and Colbert head off to locate Nilfe. Fran and I will take Kaitly.

    Fran can''t fight properly now, so it''s practically all up to me. I guess it''s time for her mysterious sword maniption skill to shine again.

    ¡ºFirst, let''s check the status of the closing ceremony.¡»

    £¨Please.£©

    ¡ºOkay. Wait here for a second.¡»

    I morphed my decorative string into a very thin thread and stretched it from the aisle to the audience seats. I can still get a full field of view with just one piece of string.

    ¡¸¨D¨DCome now! Put this cor around your neck, Dimitris!¡¹

    As I entered the audience, I saw a man in an iron mask shouting triumphantly on the stage.

 Chapter 745

    <h4>Chapter 745</h4>

    <h4>745: Side - ck Skeleton Corps</h4>

    ¡¸Damn! They still aren''t answering my summons! Not only the Mummy King, but also the ghouls!¡¹

    I found it strange that I hadn''t heard from them sincest night, but have they really vanished on me?

    ¡¸There was a request from the guild to exterminate the undead you know. Perhaps they were defeated?¡¹

    ¡¸Those ipetent buffoons! How could they be so easily defeated by mere adventurers!¡¹

    They were supposed to apany me to the closing ceremony! Our ns have gone awry! Besides, we''ve got to get that little ck cat brat too¡­¡­

    ¡¸It can''t be helped. Abarb, you capture the ck cat. I''m sure she''ll be easy to get now.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Wasn''t my work all done when I administered the stimnt to the Shallus Kingdom''s men? Besides, I''m still recovering from when I got caught up in your indiscriminate attacks, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸I was covering for you because you were about to be defeated the girl''s escort.¡¹

    ¡¸But that doesn''t mean you should userge scale magic in the middle of the city. Now all hell''s breaking loose. You almost killed the girl you were trying to kidnap too.¡¹

    ¡¸It matters little as long as she is still alive. Besides, what''s the big deal about giving them a little bit of additional trouble?¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee-hee¡­¡­ How scary.¡¹

    ¡¸Anyways, you secure the ck cat. It should be child''s y taking someone who is already half-dead. Do it, and I''ll give you the toxin material you''ve been wanting! Understood?¡¹

    ¡¸Well yes I suppose¡­¡¹

    That ck cat is of great interest to our Lord. He will be very pleased if we can acquire her, so I must secure her at all costs.

    ¡¸I''ll take my leave then, but are you sure you can handle it with your forces so depleted?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Who do you think I am? I am Acidman, the seventh seat of the ck Skeleton Corps!¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee. I see. Then I''ll kidnap the ck cat and escape on my own, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Very well.¡¹

    Hmph. I know that in your heart you look down on us undead! You''re the kind of scum who would sell out your own country for a stupid reason like trying to show up your own teacher!

    No matter, you''ll be turned into an undead too after this job is done. You were of some use in the invasion of this town, but that ends when the n ispleted.

    ¡¸Now then, I should get going too.¡¹

    I put on a mask to hide my identity, then call out to the girl in the corner of the room, who is hugging her knees.

    ¡¸Girl,e here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The same attitude as before, huh¡­¡­? Come here already!¡¹

    ¡¸Kya!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. When this is over, maybe I''ll use you as a ritual sacrifice? The blood of a child will certainly make for quality material.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    She doesn''t cry out or even look frightened when I threaten her. Detestable.

    ¡¸Fine¡­¡­ Let''s see if you can keep that attitude when your grandfather Aurel falls into our hands!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Damn brat¡­¡­ Stop with those eyes!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Why don''t you despair in this situation! You have been captured by someone of overwhelming power and are about to be used as a hostage against your own grandfather!

    ¡¸The more defiant you are, the more time is wasted. I hope that half-dead girl Nilfe can cling onto life in the meanwhile!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. Yes, you should have made that kind of face in the beginning! Shadowbind.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Kya!¡¹

    I bind the little bitch Kaitly with my spell and pick her up.

    Kaitly is an important part of our n to get Dimitris and Aurel at the closing ceremony, which has already begun. The n is to use this girl as a hostage to have Dimitris and Aurel put ve cors on their necks.

    Kaitly is not only the hostage either. Dimitris'' granddaughter, Nilfe, is being held captive in a different ce. Kaitly will be my shield, as well as the witness to prove that Nilfe has been captured.

    No matter how extraordinary this Dimitris guy is, he can''t help his granddaughter when he doesn''t even know where she is.

    ¡¸Oi, you''reing with me too.¡¹

    ¡¸Urgh.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    The man who used to guard the girl now serves me. Well, the acid and poison had melted him so much that he''s lost all of his abilities. At best he can be used as a meatshield or to threaten Dimitris.

    Besides, unlike my Lord, I am not particrly skilled at necromancy¡­¡­

    I specialize in dark magic instead. Since I casted presence cloaking magic, I will not be found so easily. In fact, many of the people we passed were so distracted that they did not notice us at all.

    As I walk into the arena, I summon my underlings and give them orders to run amok. I had originally nned to unleash the ghouls, but I supposed I will have to do without them.

    I had to reduce the number of underlings I released into the town, and instead use them as a diversion in the arena. Our forces are about half of what I had nned so it was only a matter of time before they were subdued.

    Well the n was originally made to suit the Mummy King, who is poor at stealth. If I had decided to go by myself in the first ce, perhaps causing such amotion might not have been necessary.

    Absolutely nothing is going to n. How irritating.

    ¡¸No, everything is fine as long as we get Dimitris and Aurel in the end. Kukuku.¡¹

    As I walk down the path to the stage, about 10 guards arrive from the front. The security is very tight in this ce since many nobles are gathered.

    The man in the front must be skilled enough to see through my stealth. Well, that''s all he was able to do.

    ¡¸H-Hey, you! Stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Who are¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Acid Mist.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaah!¡¹

    I don''t have time to waste on you small fry. The acid mist created by my death poison magic engulfed the guards, killing them instantly.

    Though they had many soldiers, their quality was poor, likely because they were short handed due to themotion. Considering that all of them except themander were young, they must have been new recruits.

    I step over the bodies of the ipetents I melted and walk out through the aisle to the side of the arena.

    The closing ceremony was still going on, as expected. A ceremony with political significance cannot be stopped so easily just because amotion was going on outside.

    Several people are staring at me after I appeared out of nowhere. And gradually, I could feel the number of eyes increasing.

    ¡¸W-What the hell! Guards¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up, you little worm!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaah!¡¹

    I went up to the noble-looking man who was speaking on the stage, and kicked him off. I had intended to kill him, but he''s still barely alive. A lucky man.

    But everyone seems to have understood by that action that I was an uninvited guest. They all recognized me as an enemy.

    Well that is not enough to make me tremble, although Kaitly began to shiver.

    The guards have me surrounded, but I do not care. I take Kaitly from under my arm and ce her down in front, releasing the dark restraints that cover her body.

    Seeing the girl suddenly appear, the guards lower their weapons. Kukuku, how very kind.

    ¡¸I don''t have any time to waste, so let''s get down to business. My name is Acidman, and I am a member of the glorious ck Skeleton Corps of the Kingdom of Raydoss!¡¹

    The name Raydoss causes a greatmotion. I could see the hostility in many of the eyes focused on me. These inferior beings from a lowly nation do not know their ce!

    ¡¸Kukukuku. As you can see, I have a hostage. Oh, and she''s not the only hostage, is she? We have another one somewhere else, a little girl named Nilfe.¡¹

    My words echo through the arena, still dominated by the mor of the humans. Then a voice came from one of the prize winners on the stage.

    ¡¸Nilfe is your hostage?! That''s why I hadn''t seen her this morning¡­¡­!¡¹

    Is that Hiltoria, Dimitris'' sessor? I''d love to get my hands on such a valuable material, but we are short on special ve cors. I guess I''ll have to pass on it this time.

    ¡¸I''m not lying, am I? Well, Kaitly?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes¡­¡­ really. Nilfe is¡­¡­ she''s hurt, you have to help her!¡¹

    ¡¸If you don''t believe the word of this child, then look at this too.¡¹

    I take off the hood of the man standing behind me, who used to be Nilfe''s bodyguard. Even though he is undead and half-burned by acid, his face is still recognizable.

    ¡¸Michael!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes. I believe that was his name. He was quite strong, but not very good at fighting magicians I suppose?¡¹

    ¡¸You little¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸You might be able to destroy me if everyone here attacked me¡­¡­ But that would kill Nilfe, wouldn''t it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Damn you!¡¹

    Fuhahaha! I knew it! You adventurers are nothing more than a disorderly mob! They can do nothing if I have a hostage!

    ¡¸Our demands are simple. The rank S adventurer Dimitris and Wijat Aurel, the two of you must obey me!¡¹

    The arena is filled with screams at the mention of these famous names.

    Though these inferior beings are an annoyance, I need to have them bear witness. They shall see the moment when the great Raydoss ck Skeleton Corps spits in the face of the Kingdom of Kranzel!

    ¡¸And as a symbol of your obedience, you will wear this cor!¡¹

    I take out the ve''s cor and hold it aloft.

    ¡¸Come now! Put this cor around your neck, Dimitris!¡¹

    This is a specially made ve cor. It has a short life span, but its binding power is so strong that even a rank S would be enved without issue.

    ¡¸What''s wrong? Hurry up! Don''t you want to save this girl''s life?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    The darkness tightens around the girl''s body, making her scream in agony.

    ¡¸I have another hostage, so don''t think I will hesitate. Or do you want to see if you can defeat me before I take the girl''s life? It''s no use! I have a curse binding the girls to me! If I die, then the girls shall fall as well!¡¹

    This is no lie. By connecting my existence with the lives of the girls, I have put a curse on them so that they will die if I perish.

    For us undead, cursing is one of the mostpatible forms of magic. Even a high level magician cannot cleanse this easily.

    The adventurers cannot move because they know that my words are true. They are staring at me through clenched teeth.

    ¡¸¡­¡­If I put the ve cor on, will it save that girl and my granddaughter''s life?¡¹

    ¡¸Grandfather!¡¹

    ¡¸Silence, Hilt. So, what is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. Dimitris and Aurel¡­ if you two be our ves, I will free your grandchildren. With you two at mymand, it would be child''s y to leave this ce without any hostages, am I wrong?¡¹

    If someone with lie detection found me lying, then the n may go awry. Therefore, I speak the truth when I say I will free the girls. That''s why we kept Nilfe alive in the first ce.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I suppose there is no other option.¡¹

    ¡¸Grandfather! But¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸The man in the mask is not lying. Consider the lives of these old men and the lives of those young girls. I don''t think I need to tell you which is more valuable.¡¹

    Dimitris makes his statement and tries to step forward. But he is interrupted by a man, apparently a noble.

    ¡¸P-Please wait! You underestimate your power! If that power goes to Raydoss, it would be a national security crisis! Please reconsider!¡¹

    ¡¸You''re the former military chief, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right! As a nobleman of the Kingdom of Kranzel, I cannot allow you to benefit Raydoss! I''m sorry about your granddaughter, but you have to make a hard¨D¨D Guhwa¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I am not from this country, so I do not need your permission. Don''t be mistaken. My granddaughter''s life is at stake, so I won''t allow anyone to stand in my way. Are we clear?¡¹

    The noble struck by Dimitris flies through the air, and the intimidation that follows pales the faces of those around him. I see. He has a intense aura. Even to an immortal like me, he is a monster. If I were to confront him, I would be in in an instant.

    I had thought that adventurers were merely idiots who were good at doing odd jobs, but I suppose the highest ranks are a cut above.

    Kukuku, that power will soon be ours! I can''t stopughing!

    ¡¸You want me huh? ¡­¡­Guess I''ve got no choice.¡¹

    ¡¸Boss!¡¹

    Aurel, who was in a VIP seat, stands up as well. If I can enve both of them, I will have achieved my goal!

    Meanwhile, I saw someone approaching through the passageway I had passed through. I had braced myself for reinforcements from the adventurers, but I was mistaken. It was a familiar presence.

    ¡¸The captain of the Knights of the Red Sword?¡¹

    ¡¸And you''re the rotting undead from the ck Skeletons, huh?¡¹

    It was Siby of the Red Sword. She''s as obnoxious as ever, but she is still a force to be reckoned with. With Dimitris in the mix as well, our escape just became even easier.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! More reinforcements for me! This puts us at an even greater advantage! Dimitris! Aurel! Put the cor on now! Siby! You hand these over to them!¡¹

    ¡¸You have no authority tomand me.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s not the time for¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸In the first ce, I owe that kid a little debt.¡¹

    ¡¸A¡­ debt?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, she opened my eyes a bit. So¨D¨D¡¹

    What is this woman talking about? A debt? What''s the matter with you? This is no time for¡­

    ¡¸This is what I think about your filthy curses!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugwah!¡¹

    Bitch! What have you done?! Did she just remove my curse?!

    The curse flows back into me, tormenting my body. I''m sure of it, she''s severed the cursed connection between me and the girl!

    ¡¸You bitch! Siby! Tra-Traitor¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nom nom¡­¡­! I thought the curses of a rotten bastard would taste like shit, but¡­¡­ this ain''t bad.¡¹

    ¡¸I-Impossible¡­¡­ Are you telling me you ate my curse¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh. I''m not picky, there''s nothing I can''t eat.¡¹

    ¡¸Why are you¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I never liked you assholes in the first ce.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    What are you talking about? Your likes and dislikes? A-All this for such a stupid reason¡­

    ¡¸Like how you kidnapped a child to use as a tool!¡¹

    ¡¸Gigyaah!¡¹

    You bitch! S-She just shed at me!

    ¡¸We''re in the middle of enemy territory! H-Have you lost your mind?!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your stinking mouth, you rotten bastard!¡¹

    No! Cease this¨D¨D <strong>WHHYYY!?</strong>

 Chapter 746

    <h4>Chapter 746</h4>

    <h4>746: Hostages Released?</h4>

    I scouted out the arena with my extended string, where I see a masked man threatening Dimitris and Aurel.

    The mask had an effect that makes him look human, but an appraisal revealed that he was an undead.

    The magical power cloaking him was quite powerful.

    He''s threat level C at minimum, or maybe even threat level B since he had the skill to hide his magic, and the brains to infiltrate towns disguised as a human.

    His stats show he was specialized in magic, having high levels in death poison magic, ck magic, and support magic. He was very strong at long range, but not so good at close range. He had a lot of skills at a high level, but no unique skills.

    It would be quite difficult to defeat him without harming Kaitly.

    This undead named Acidman was smiling triumphantly as he bound Kaitly''s body with dark magic. Behind him is¡­ the man who used to be Nilfe''s guard? He had been turned into an undead.

    And I could feel a weird magical connection between Acidman and Kaitly. I see, that must be the curse. If Acidman falls, Kaitly and the Nilfe really will lose their lives. I could sense how evil the magic contained in the curse was.

    Whoa! Dimitris just punched some arrogant-looking guy off the stage!

    ¡¸Master, how is it?¡¹

    ¡ºNot looking good. If it continues like this, Dimitris might have to put the ve cor on himself.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­What do we do?¡¹

    ¡ºWorst case scenario, I could try to interfere with telekinesis or something¡­¡­?¡»

    If Dimitris bes Raydoss''s ve, it could change the bnce of power between our countries.

    He probably thought it was better to be a ve than to have his granddaughter die. As long as he was still alive, he would still have a chance to be liberatedter.

    ¡¸But Kaitly and Nilfe''s safety is important.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah I know.¡»

    We can''t put them in danger, so what can we do?

    Because of that curse, I can''t think of anything at the moment. Even if we capture Nilfe back, things won''t get any better.

    While I and the other adventurers could do nothing but gnash our teeth, we saw someoneing out of the stage passageway.

    ¡ºIt''s Siby!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Enemy reinforcements?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, this is not good.¡»

    They have hostages and Siby is on their side, so wouldn''t we have practically no chance of winning? Dimitris, who seemed to be the most dependable person here, is unable to do anything either¡­¡­

    While we were watching the situation, wondering what to do, Acidman ordered Siby to put the ve cors on Dimitris and Aurel.

    Then Siby made her move¨D¨D

    ¡ºEhh?!¡»

    ¡¸Master, what''s going on?¡¹

    ¡ºS-Siby betrayed the undead!¡»

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Siby shed at Acidman! Not only did she attack him, but she''s even finishing him off.

    While everyone was stunned by the sudden situation, Siby''s sword cut Acidman''s body in half. No matter how strong he is, he was easily vanquished by Siby''s sudden backstab.

    And Kaitly was still alive too. Siby had somehow devoured the curse. She really can eat anything!

    ¡¸Master, let''s go!¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yeah. You''re right.¡»

    While Fran and I move in, the situation progressed further.

    Biscot and Klikka appeared from the same passageway that Siby came out of. And not only them, but they were apanied by a girl.

    Hilt saw them and shouted the girl''s name.

    ¡¸Nilfe!¡¹

    Yes, it was that supposed hostage Nilfe who was holding hands with Klikka. I couldn''t see any injuries on her.

    But how did she get here? Considering that Siby betrayed Acidman, perhaps they rescued her too?

    Why? They should both be working for Raydoss¡­¡­

    While everyone including me were confused, Siby picked up Kaitly. This meant that both hostages are now in the hands of Siby and her friends¡­¡­

    Siby, who was wiping the dirt off Kaitly''s body, did not seem to have any harmful intentions.

    Hilt red sternly at Klikka, who had secured Nilfe.

    ¡¸You lot are¡­¡­ not working with the masked man, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸If you''re asking if we''re friends, then I have to say no. Although we are from the same country.¡¹

    ¡¸So you are also from the Kingdom of Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I''m Siby, captain of the Kingdom of Raydoss'' regional defense unit, the Knights of the Red Sword.¡¹

    Siby easily revealed her identity.

    A knight captain! I knew she was more than just a knight. And the "regional defense unit" is a rather interesting title.

    Hilt was surprised as well.

    ¡¸K-Knight captain? Then what are you doing here?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. It''s a long story.¡¹

    They must have finally realized that Siby and her friends are the enemy. I could see the adventurers and soldiers around us all braced themselves at once.

    They would not attack now, since the two girls were still hostages, but they would rush at Siby if they had the chance.

    The original culprit was defeated, but now more people from Raydoss are here. Dimitris also stopped to watch the situation.

    Then, yet more people showed up.

    ¡¸Urushi and Colbert are here.¡¹

    Fran, who had reached the doorway to the audience, looked down at the stage below and muttered.

    ¡¸Miss Nilfe!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    They had gone to look for Nilfe, but had finally caught up with her after a near miss.

    ¡¸You three, let the girls go!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Well I mean they are currently Siby''s lifeline. There''s no way they would let them go so¨D¨D

    ¡¸Yeah, sure. Come on, go to them.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Kaitly looked up at Siby in confusion when she was pushed forward.

    ¡¸Klikka, give the littledy back to them.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Unlike Kaitly, who had hesitated, Nilfe ran towards Hilt at once. She reached her without any problem.

    ¡¸Hilt-oneechan!¡¹

    ¡¸Nilfe!¡¹

    Kaitly remained puzzled by this, probably because she did not understand the meaning of Siby''s actions.

    ¡¸W-Why? Why are you helping me¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Because I owe you a debt.¡¹

 Chapter 747

    <h4>Chapter 747</h4>

    <h4>747: Siby''s Reasons</h4>

    ¡¸W-Why? Why are you helping me¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Because I owe you a debt.¡¹

    Siby replied to Kaitly''s muttered question, but Kaitly tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡¸A debt?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks to you, I''ve learned that adventurers are not to be underestimated, even if they''re just starting out.¡¹

    Does she mean what happened back in the dungeon? Kaitly had lectured her about adventurers, pretty much holding nothing back.

    For Siby, that incident may have been quite a surprise.

    She spoke to Kaitly with gentle eyes and patted her on the back. But Kaitly did not move away.

    ¡¸I-If I leave, you will all¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸We''re supposed to be enemies, so don''t worry about it.¡¹

    ¡¸But you saved me!¡¹

    Kaitly looked at Siby with concern, but Siby pushed her back harder this time.

    ¡¸Come on, go already!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah!¡¹

    Kaitly was pushed toward Hilt and the others, almost tripping.

    Hilt seized the opportunity and took Kaitly into her custody. Hilt then questioned Siby, with a look of 50% hostility and 50% confusion on her face.

    ¡¸If you were giving up the hostages, what is your goal in the first ce?¡¹

    It would be suicide to let go of the girls now that they are known to be from Raydoss. Especially since Dimitris was now among the adventurers that had Siby surrounded.

    Wouldn''t it have been better to use Kaitly and Nilfe as shields and let them go after they escaped out of town?

    It wasn''t just me, Hilt thought so too. She looked at Siby with probing eyes, not understanding the meaning of her actions.

    But Siby shrugged her shoulders and spoke simply.

    ¡¸I cut the bastard down because I didn''t like the way he took advantage of children. With that said, how can I use those same children as shields to escape?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s your reason¡­¡­?!¡¹

    Everyone around her was taken aback, not just Hilt. They all could tell Siby meant what she said even without any skills.

    She worked for our detestable enemy, the Kingdom of Raydoss. Yet she betrayed her own people to save two children, showing a purity of character.

    The situation was so chaotic that the people who were about to attack had stopped moving. They had no clue how to handle this.

    ¡¸Will you guys surrender for now? That would make it easier for us too.¡¹

    Elsa, who had appeared on the side of the stage, called out to them. Behind him were a group of adventurers.

    ¡¸No matter how strong you are, you don''t think you can break out of here with just the three of you, right? Oh, and the wagon you''ve arranged for is our custody too.¡¹

    ¡¸I knew the surveince had gotten stronger sincest night, but I guess they know everything now.¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. However we''ve been so busy dealing with you three, that we failed to realize the other Raydoss agents sneaking around.¡¹

    They must have been short on manpower since they were forced to deploy personnel capable of handling Siby''s party. In that case, I can see why the plot of the ck Skeleton Corps went undetected.

    ¡¸And then you guys came here to the arena instead of leaving town like nned.¡¹

    ¡¸We have our own problems.¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know what you''re trying to do, but I''m sure our guildmaster has your coborator in custody by now. Stop the pointless fighting and surrender.¡¹

    The adventurers, including Diaz, had nned to capture Siby once they were out of town.

    This was probably the reason Diaz had withdrawn from the third-ce match. Seeing as Felmus isn''t here either, he must be in on that n as well.

    But then Siby came this way instead, which threw a wrench in their ns.

    ¡¸I''m afraid no can do.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You want a fight?¡¹

    ¡¸You won''t let me go if I ask nicely?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course not.¡¹

    ¡¸Then we have no choice!¡¹

    Siby spoke while drawing her sword and unleashing her killing intent. With that, the weaker adventurers were already breathing heavily, unable to move.

    But that killing intent didn''t go in Hilt''s direction.

    ¡¸Oi. How long are you going to leave the kids here? Get them to safety already! This ce is about to turn into a battlefield!¡¹

    She was concerned for Kaitly and Nilfe, who were still in Hilt''s arms.

    ¡¸I-I don''t need you to tell me that!¡¹

    Hilt looked dumbfounded, but quickly led Kaitly and Nilfe away. They should be safe with her.

    ¡¸T-Thank you very much!¡¹

    Siby responded to Kaitly''s shout with a light wave of her hand. It would be kinda awkward to fight after seeing that, and the adventurers seemed to feel the same way. They haveplicated expressions on their faces.

    Amidst the adventurers, Elsa took the lead.

    ¡¸I''ll hold Siby back. You all get the two others!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha! Bring it!¡¹

    ¡¸Doraaaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡¸We''reing too!¡¹

    ¡¸Uryah!¡¹

    Elsa rushed toward them, swinging his mace. Seeing this, the other adventurers also began to move.

    But Dimitris, Ladur, and Hilt have not entered the fray. For the time being, they are probably waiting to see what Siby will do.

    It''s also true that many adventurers are not good at fighting in crowds, making it difficult for them to make a move in a disorderly brawl.

    ¡¸Master, something''sing.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? T-This is some intense speed¡­¡­¡»

    Fran muttered as she faced towards the outside of the arena, when I had focused my attention on the battle in front of me. Like she said, I too sensed something approaching us at terrifying speeds.

    Since it''sing in a straight line, it must be flying through the air.

    Ten secondster. The identity of the super-fast flying object was revealed.

    ¡¸Hey, sorry for being a littlete. Siby-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Betterte than never, Neidhart.¡¹

    A man stood on the roof of the arena, exchanging words with Siby. Under his arm was Diaz, unconscious and covered in wounds.

    It was the mantis man Neidhart, and he was exuding a level of pressure we had never seen before, even in his fight with Hilt.

 Chapter 748

    <h4>Chapter 748</h4>

    <h4>748: Neidhart''s Reasons</h4>

    ¡¸Guildmaster! Oh no, you''re in tatters!¡¹

    Elsa screamed when he saw Diaz carried by Neidhart as hended beside Siby.

    Like he said, Diaz had wounds all over his body. He had taken so much damage that his clothes looked like tattered rags.

    ¡¸Neidhart-sama. Is this your doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The other pursuers offered little challenge, but Diaz-dono was so formidable that I would have lost had I not used my trump card. However, I have given him first aid so there is no risk of death.¡¹

    Did Neidhart really give Diaz such a beating? Neidhart himself was not noticeably damaged either¡­¡­

    Why is Neidhart working with Siby in the first ce? Since he was a member of Eliante''s mercenary brigade, he should have a grudge against Raydoss¡­¡­

    ¡¸Are you telling me that you are working for Raydoss too?¡¹

    ¡¸No?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? So then you were hired as a mercenary?¡¹

    ¡¸I was hired, yes, but not as a mercenary. I have already left my brigade.¡¹

    Neidhart shook his head in response to Elsa''s question.

    ¡¸Hmm. But then I don''t understand why you''re helping them?¡¹

    ¡¸I have a reason that makes me want to go to Raydoss.¡¹

    The other adventurers and spectators stared with bated breath. They did not have the guts to interrupt the conversation between their celebrity Elsa and Neidhart.

    In addition, they were holding Diaz hostage. A careless move could put Diaz''s life at risk.

    Neither the adventurers nor the nobles seemed to want to take on that responsibility.

    ¡¸And I don''t want to just go there, I would like the freedom to move around as I please. Siby-dono can y the role of my ticket to doing so, I suppose?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you going to do in Raydoss? Don''t tell me it''s for sightseeing?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have anyone you would call arade in arms? Those irreceable friends that you have shared meals with and are practically family to you?¡¹

    Neidhart had replied to Elsa''s question with another question. Elsa was somewhat puzzled, but sensed that he was serious and gave an answer.

    ¡¸Of course. I may be a solo adventurer, but the Ulmutt adventurers are all like family to me.¡¹

    ¡¸I too used to have friends like that. Or rather, I still have them, but there were many more. All until the mercenary brigade I led was defeated and crushed in the war against Raydoss.¡¹

    Neidhart''s voice wasced with sorrow.

    ¡¸Back then, we took the role of rearguard as the Kranzel army retreated. We fought off the pursuing Knights of the Red Sword, Siby-dono''s division, and many of my people lost their lives on the battlefield. Meanwhile, the rest of us barely escaped with our lives to the Kingdom of Kranzel. What we gained was a pittance of money and honor. What we lost was our families¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then why are you helping Siby?! She''s your enemy! Or are you saying you want revenge against the Kingdom of Kranzel for assigning you as the rearguard?¡¹

    That seems the most likely to me. Siby was fighting to protect their country, so maybe they were more angry at Kranzel for sacrificing them?

    Pretty much everyone thought that was the case, but Neidhart shook his head again.

    ¡¸I have no hard feelings. It was part of the contract and someone had to be the rearguard. It may even have been the most appropriate decision at the time. If I had to be angry, it would be at myself for being unable to protect my friends, not Kranzel.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I still don''t understand. Why would you want to go to Raydoss now? Don''t tell me it''s to visit the graves of your friends?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s certainly one of the reasons, since the battlefield was in Raydoss territory. But that''s not all. I''ve found out that some of my friends that I had thought long dead are actually alive and still in Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Some were taken into protection, others enved. I want to rescue them. That is why I must go to Raydoss.¡¹

    Neidhart would be able to enter the kingdom of Raydoss by himself. However, finding and rescuing his friends, and also escaping the country would be next to impossible without help.

    It was absolutely necessary to have someone''s support, which was probably why Neidhart referred to Siby as his ticket.

    ¡¸That''s why I can''t allow Siby-dono to be captured here.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean you''re going to fight us?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure you want to fight? You are aware we have a hostage, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You let the children go, but you n to use the guildmaster as a hostage?¡¹

    Elsa''s question was answered not by Neidhart but by Siby.

    ¡¸I wouldn''t hesitate to do so since he''s a warrior. What I don''t like is people abusing children without the power to fight.¡¹

    ¡¸Can''t you show some respect for the elderly there? He''s getting on in his years and going senile these days. He''s also constantly pulling pranks all the time, so can''t we agree that he''s a child at heart?¡¹

    But then right after Elsa said this¡­

    ¡¸Who said I''m getting senile?¡¹

    ¡¸Kya! Oh my god! Don''t surprise me like that! You really are just a kid!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? When did you¡­¡­ I''ve been duped!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha! I may not be as good a fighter, but no one can im a victory over me when ites to deception!¡¹

    When Diaz suddenly appeared behind Elsa, the Diaz that Neidhart had been carrying disappeared as if melting into the air.

    It seemed he had swapped himself for an illusion. Escaping unnoticed even by Neidhart¡­¡­ What a terrifying man. However, his whole body was still covered with wounds, so it was clear that he truly had been defeated by Neidhart.

    ¡¸Did you lose on purpose to get information out of him?¡¹

    ¡¸No? We went at it seriously and I lost, badly. It''s a bit tricky fighting insectkin since illusions don''t work well, and their thoughts are difficult to read. But that''s not all. Neidhart, you were holding back quite a bit in the tournament, huh?¡¹

    Apparently, Diaz was defeated in a serious fight. So that means Neidhart''s fighting ability is outrageous, doesn''t it?

    It was not Neidhart who reacted the most to Diaz''s words. Hilt leered at him with an expression of frustration.

    ¡¸You handed me the win, Neidhart! I knew there was something fishy about it. So you really weren''t serious!¡¹

    ¡¸No, no. Please don''t say I wasn''t serious. My trump card is not something that can be used so easily. During our battle, I was pushed to the limit, truly.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s what I mean when I say you weren''t serious!¡¹

    Hilt had a narrow victory over Neidhart, but what if Neidhart was holding back? With her pride hurt, she red at him angrily.

    ¡¸Fine¡­¡­ Then show me your true strength this time. If you don''t defeat me, you won''t be getting out of here anyway, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh¡­¡­ I was hoping to leave peacefully if at all possible¡­¡­ I suppose this is my fault for letting Diaz-dono get away.¡¹

    Neidhart and Hilt''s fighting spirit was rising. The same went for Siby and Elsa.

    £¨Master, what do we do?£©

    ¡ºHilt will hate us if we interfere too much.¡»

    Should we target Siby''s group instead?

    But before the death match could even begin, it was once again interrupted.

    ¡¸Settle down, foolish granddaughter of mine.¡¹

    ¡¸G-Grandfather!¡¹

    Dimitris leapt to the center of the stage. He didn''t look to be emitting any hostility, but his sheer strength was intimidating nheless. His mere appearance was enough to dissipate the heat that had been swirling around the stage.

    ¡¸How about I take you on?¡¹

 Chapter 749

    <h4>Chapter 749</h4>

    <h4>749: Dimitris'' Reasons</h4>

    ¡¸How about I take you on??¡¹

    Dimitris, who had been watching the situation quietly, leapt out onto the stage.

    ¡¸Hahaha! A rank S wants me! I''m honored!¡¹

    Siby eximed with glee in spite of the situation. She was indeed abat fanatic.

    ¡¸You all stay back!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Siby made Neidhart back down,ing forward herself. Dimitris quickly threw a hit at her.

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    He stayed out at distance and thrust his fist out as if making a jab. Siby''s jaw forcefully snapped up.

    ¡¸Damn fast! That''s what I''m talking about!¡¹

    ¡¸You can stillugh after that?¡¹

    £¨Master, did you see it?£©

    ¡ºBarely. He''s ridiculously fast.¡»

    He thrust out his fist at an incredible speed without any preliminary movement. I would need to concentrate harder to avoid missing the ki st that flew out.

    Siby brushed it off with augh, but it should have been incredibly powerful. Any other guy''s head would have exploded.

    ¡¸Hmph, hmph, hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Guh! Gah! Gwoh!¡¹

    ¡¸Shh!¡¹

    ¡¸Bwah!¡¹

    Dimitris'' continuous ki st attacks struck Siby all over her body. Siby seemed to be trying to avoid them, but Dimitris did not allow her to do so.

    Siby was taking a one-sided beat down, and yet Hilt and Colbert looked at her with surprise.

    ¡¸Y-You''re able to take that many hits from Grandfather¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Without even a scratch¡­¡­?¡¹

    To those with less fighting ability, Dimitris appeared to be using weak attacks. However, each shot was filled with terrifying power.

    Perhaps Hilt and Colbert have experienced being directly hit by them.

    ¡¸That''s what I''m talking about, this is truly rank S! You throw them out like they''re nothing, yet they''re so heavy!¡¹

    ¡¸You''re one toughdy. I''ve never seen someone who remains so calm after taking this many hits.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m confident in my sturdiness! Hey!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Not a bad attack.¡¹

    ¡¸Tch. My telekinesis was blocked too?¡¹

    Siby''s telekinesis was as powerful as when I use my catapult, yet Dimitris brushed off such a lethal blow with a light wave of his hand.

    The amount of ki that surrounded him was extraordinary. The sharpness and swiftness of the techniques he was using didn''t seem to be that different from those of Siby. Yet, because of the enormous amount of ki contained in his body, his power was several orders of magnitude greater.

    ¡¸Ora ora ora!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Geh!¡¹

    Sibyunched a series of sword blows, but they were all evaded with ease and countered with punches.

    Still, Siby''s eyes were shining brightly and she was licking her lips with a half-smile on her face. Dimitris saw this and for some reason looked pleased.

    ¡¸Dahrya!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! I thought I got you, but you parried it so easily!¡¹

    ¡¸It''s a good sh, but it won''t hit me!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    For the first time, Dimitris put some force into his move. He stepped forward with a thud that made the stage crack, and thrust out his right fist while twisting it.

    The immensely powerful fist mmed into Siby''s abdomen, but Siby did not fall down. Rather, she only backed up a few meters, rubbing her belly and looking slightly distressed.

    If Fran had been hit by this attack, it would have undoubtedly caused a lot of damage. Siby was really top ss when ites to defense.

    Dimitris'' face as he looked at Siby had an expression of joy as a warrior.

    ¡¸That didn''t do much either, did it? Kukuku.¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, that did quite a number on me.¡¹

    ¡¸Didn''t look that way to me.¡¹

    ¡¸This might be bad if I don''t get serious.¡¹

    Siby muttered to herself and slowly raised her left hand, holding it up in front of her. The adventurers on the stage stiffened. Something was going to happen. They knew it.

    I saw red mana rising from her left hand. At the same time, Siby''s presence suddenly changed. She always had the vicious aura of a hungry beast, but¡­

    Now it was getting even greater.

    The pressure of her aura suddenly skyrocketed. As the surrounding adventurers backed away, the encirclement that had surrounded her grew wider. Is she going to show the trump card that we didn''t get to see in her fight with Fran? Her aura was overwhelming, it felt as if we were right in front of a raging dragon.

    In such a situation, Dimitris was asposed as ever. He spoke to Siby in a tone of voice that could even be described as calm.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hey. I want to ask you something.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Many say that Raydoss has been plotting against and waging war against Kranzel and other neighboring countries, causing them a lot of trouble. What do you think about that?¡¹

    ¡¸What? That''s pretty sudden.¡¹

    ¡¸Just answer the question.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess I''d have to say I feel bad about it. Sorry.¡¹

    As soon as Siby said this, many people were surprised, probably not expecting such a simple apology from someone from the Kingdom of Raydoss.

    ¡¸I know this is just going to sound like an excuse, but I didn''t think it was this bad until we came here.¡¹

    Siby started to talk about the internal situation in the Kingdom of Raydoss.

    To summarize, the central power of the Raydoss Kingdom had been weakened due to the change of the king a while ago, and the dukes of the North, South, East, and West are doing as they please.

    The dukes in the southern and eastern parts of the kingdom were especially ambitious in taking territory, and were constantly nning to invade other countries. Those were the various conspiracies we''ve seen, aimed at gaining a foothold in the region.

    It would be a failure of amanding officer to talk about their country''s internal affairs to an enemy country. No one would do this, but Siby probably didn''t understand enough about negotiations to understand how that works. Since she came from a country that was closed off from the rest of the world, she must have zero experience in diplomacy.

    Or, she could be aware of all of that, and was trying to show that Raydoss as a whole is not bad. Maybe she has some other agenda too.

    Either way, Siby, being abat specialist, was not really interested in political matters. But she certainly resented the way her country was doing things. Her apology was sincere.

    ¡¸The central government told them to refrain from any major moves until the situation in the country is settled. I didn''t expect those orders had been ignored to this extent.¡¹

    I guess the central government was weakened as an organization, and was therefore unable to detect the movements of the dukes. Perhaps the auditors sent to examine such things had been bribed or erased.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡­ One more question. Are you in a position to move around freely in the Raydoss Kingdom?¡¹

    ¡¸You''re a man who likes to ask questions.¡¹

    ¡¸Well what is it?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you could say that. The six Red Knight Orders have the authority to move freely within the kingdom. Only the King or the Chancellor can give us orders, that¡¯s how much discretion we are given.¡¹

    Isn''t that pretty amazing? They have groups in the military with the authority to do whatever they want in the country? I think it would just be a breeding ground for rebellion¡­¡­

    They are apparently a special order of knights specializing in killing magic beasts, and was hastily created when adventurers disappeared from the country. They are still allowed to move freely as a remnant of that era.

    It may be because that''s just how important the role of hunting magic beasts is.

    Dimitris nodded lightly as he listened to Siby''s answer. Then, some surprising words came out of his mouth.

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ Then¡­ would you take me to Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaah?¡¹

    ¡¸Grandfather! What are you¡­¡­!¡¹

    Hilt, who had been standing behind the wall of adventurers, let out an involuntary shout. But Dimitrispletely ignored her.

    ¡¸Have you gone senile, old man?¡¹

    ¡¸I have not. Kranzel, Belioth and the rest of the world have been talking about Raydoss as an evil, ruthless country of the worst kind. But is it true?¡¹

    It seemed Dimitris has long been interested in the kingdom of Raydoss. The great northern kingdom shrouded in mystery.

    In the areas where Dimitris was active, it was spoken of as the root of all evil, and only bad impressions are spread.

    But is there such a thing as a country filled with pure evil that needs to be destroyed? No, there is not. Although a nation may be vilified for having conflicting interests, it is impossible for every man, woman, and child to be evil.

    ¡¸I am sure that there are people like that man in the mask, but I don''t think that is all. Yet the Kingdom of Raydoss is a country that does not wee adventurers, so no informationes out.¡¹

    There''s hardly anyoneing and going. No matter how much research is done, no urate information can be expected.

    If Dimitris had done some serious research, it might have been a different story, but so far he has been only somewhat interested.

    However, when he saw the people who came from Raydoss, he became very interested in them.

    ¡¸Even so, you''re just going to suddenly tell me to bring you?¡¹

    ¡¸You can''t truly understand anything unless you see it with your own eyes. When you listen to a story, it is always subject to the narrator''s subjective viewpoint.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, maybe that''s true¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, these days I don''t have anyone to fight mock battles with. Most of them fall in a single blow, and they take a long time to recover. But not you, right?¡¹

    He smirked as he said that. Looking at his joyous expression, I''m inclined to think that this was the morepelling reason.

    ¡¸Kukuku. Are you telling me to be your sandbag? Well that''s a good deal for me too. It''s a perfect way for me to ovee my weakness to blunt damage.¡¹

    ¡¸Then it''s settled.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, let''s join forces.¡¹

    Then, Dimitris turned his back on Siby and looked towards the adventurers.

    ¡¸It''s as you heard. Sorry, but can you let us off the hook here?¡¹

 Chapter 750

    <h4>Chapter 750</h4>

    <h4>750: The Unbound</h4>

    ¡¸It''s as you heard. Sorry, but can you let us off the hook here?¡¹

    The words of apology certainly came out of his mouth, but there was not the slightest hint that he actually felt sorry. Rather, the way he sharply red at them looked more like it was a threat.

    ¡ºOi oi¡­¡­ Things have taken a weird turn¡­¡­ What do we do?¡»

    £¨They can''t stop Dimitris, Siby and Neidhart at the same time.£©

    ¡ºI know, right.¡»

    No matter what anyone does, there''s just no way to stop them. Since trying to fight them would just do more harm than good, it''s best to let them go.

    Besides, Dimitris is not the kind of man who would keep quiet about his granddaughter being targeted. Sending him off to Raydoss and letting him run wild seems like it would benefit Kranzel too¡­¡­

    ¡¸Diaz. What say you?¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh¡­¡­ I''m sure Raydoss will have a rough time with you there. If anything, I would have to pity them. Besides, I can''t ask these adventurers to die for nothing, can I?¡¹

    ¡¸I would never kill them.¡¹

    ¡¸Getting beaten to near death is plenty a loss.¡¹

    Diaz seemed to share my opinion. He may be the one who understands the terror of Dimitris the most.

    He knew Dimitris was one man that we cannot afford to make an enemy of. Upon hearing Diaz''s words, the other adventurers also breathed a sigh of relief.

    They must have been d that they were not asked to fight against a rank S.

    But there were others who did not feel the same way.

    ¡¸D-Don''t be foolish! I can''t ept such a thing!¡¹

    This was the noble who had been knocked away by Dimitris earlier. He came running down to the stage, looking furious.

    Helping a spy of a hostile nation is a crime, legally speaking. From that point of view, what he said made sense.

    ¡¸Hey Dimitris! If you continue to side with them, what do you think will happen to your grandchildren and your disciples! You wille to regret this decision!¡¹

    The nobleman eximed, looking to the side at Hilt and Nilfe. Now that Dimitris'' adoration of his granddaughter Nilfe was in the light, this was proven to be an effective threat.

    Then Dimitris replied without smiling.

    ¡¸I see, so the Kingdom of Kranzel wants me, Dimitris, as their enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    The noble had felt Dimitris'' killing intent and backed away with a pale face. Seems like he finally remembered the horror of the old man in front of him.

    Before him was one of the few individuals in this world you should never antagonize. He was a monster that can overthrow a nation single-handedly. If Dimitris recognized him as an enemy, it would be a national problem, not a personal one.

    ¡¸Ahh¡­¡­ Ahh¡­¡­¡¹

    The nobleman fell down on his knees gasping for breath. With that, Dimitris lost interest in him.

    Dimitris... the man who can force a country''s leaders to bow to him with pure force. So this is what they meant by ''unbound''¡­¡­

    ¡¸Dimitris is so cool!¡¹

    ¡ºWha-, Fran, you better not try imitating him!¡»

    After seeing this transcendent man who can rival a nation with his personal strength, it looks like she came to admire him.

    Dimitris lightly moved his right arm while the nobleman trembled with a pale face.

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Kya!¡¹

    After making a motion as if grasping an empty space, he pulled back. Then, Nilfe''s body flew through the air and fell cleanly into Dimitris'' arms.

    ¡¸Nilfe, you shoulde with me. Okay?¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay.¡¹

    She''s aware that going with Dimitris means going to Raydoss, right? But still Nilfe epted it easily.

    She showed no hesitation. In fact, she seemed relieved not to be left behind. I guess she really loves her grandpa.

    ¡¸Come on now, gramps¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t worry. There is no safer ce in the world than in my arms. Right, Nilfe?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    Unlike Nilfe, his other granddaughter was not smiling.

    ¡¸Grandfather! Are you out of your mind?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a terrible thing to say. Can you not see how serious I am? It''s not every day you get a chance to cross over to Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡­! What about your students!?¡¹

    ¡¸I hereby step down as head of the school! You will seed me as the new master!¡¹

    Dimitris pulled something out of his pocket and threw it to Hilt. Some kind of metal te?

    ¡¸Do what you want with it. As I said before, it''s up to you. I will not interfere from now on.¡¹

    ¡¸T-That''s¡­¡­¡¹

    Hilt''s eyes turned to Colbert for a brief moment. Her gaze immediately returned to Dimitris, but Hilt said nothing more.

    She simply sighed and slumped her shoulders.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sigh. I guess it can''t be helped.¡¹

    ¡¸Your face is smiling, is it not?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I''m not smiling!¡¹

    ¡¸The country will certainly give you a bother, but respond as you please. Whether you want to negotiate or resist, it''s all up to you.¡¹

    That made it sound like someone else''s problem, even though he was the one causing all the trouble. I can now see the rumors I had heard about him before we met were no mistake.

    Rather than Dimitris, it was Siby who expressed her concern for Hilt and the others.

    ¡¸Gramps, you sure that''s what you want? You''re abandoning your position, and what if your students are taken hostage¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t care.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Of course you care?¡¹

    ¡¸Unlike Nilfe, they''re trained warriors that can fend for themselves. If they fail, then so be it.¡¹

    Spartans! No, I guess that''s amon way of thinking in this world. Fran also thinks like this.

    If you ask me, this guy is the physical embodiment of the theory that high-ranking adventurers are all weirdos. He''s an unbound old man whose behavior is unpredictable, yet still Fran looks up at him with admiration.

    In a sense, he is Fran''s ideal, the way he overpowers everything with his pure strength and forces his will through.

    ¡¸Well then Siby, let''s be on our way. It would be faster to leave from the top, but can you follow?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Dimitris jumped and flew into the air. He seemed to be releasing ki to achieve something close to our air hop.

    Also, Siby and her two subordinates slowly floated upwards too. That must be Siby''s telekinesis.

    ¡¸I''ll be off now to go see Raydoss. I will not be giving them any assistance either, so don''t worry.¡¹

    That''s not reassuring at all! Well, at least we were lucky enough that Siby, Dimitris, and Neidhart didn''t end up fighting and causing a ton of causalities.

    The adventurers and soldiers were not budging. They knew that it would be a disaster if any attempts to stop them caused a fight.

    While I was thinking about that, Fran stepped forward and shouted at Dimitris.

    ¡¸Dimitris! I won!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, you''re¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You promised me a bet! What are you going to do!¡¹

 Chapter 751

    <h4>Chapter 751</h4>

    <h4>751: Hilt''s Apology</h4>

    Fran had made a bet with Dimitris.

    If Fran''s performance in the tournament was better than Hilt''s, Dimitris would ept the request from the Kingdom of Belioth.

    Then, Fran won the bet by defeating Hilt herself.

    But if Dimitris goes to Raydoss, it will be impossible for him to ept Belioth''s request.

    ¡¸Ahh¡­¡­¡¹

    Dimitris was so focused on going to Raydoss that hepletely forgot about the bet. His eyes were swimming.

    ¡¸Hilt! This is myst order as master of the school! Assist Miss Fran with the full might of our school and lend her our forces!¡¹

    He just threw it all on his granddaughter''s shoulders!

    But Hilt shook her head, her facepletely serious.

    ¡¸I''m afraid not. Since I have the master''s seal, I am already the master of the school, giving me the right to choose what jobs I take.¡¹

    ¡¸Nuh¡­¡­¡¹

    This was probably Hilt''s payback to Dimitris. She straight up refused his orders.

    ¡¸¡­Fran, take this.¡¹

    Dimitris thought for a moment, and then he threw something at Fran. It was a small bag of items.

    We nced inside to see that it contains stuff like gold and potions.

    ¡¸I''ll leave this with you as an apology fee! You can do whatever you want with contents!¡¹

    ¡¸It''s not about the money!¡¹

    ¡¸Consider it a debt for now! I''ll pay you back for this one, I promise! I''m sorry! I''m truly sorry!¡¹

    ¡¸Dimitris!¡¹

    Fran shouted at him, but Dimitris continued flying upward into the sky.

    ¡¸I''ll make sure I pay you back!¡¹

    I feel like I can still hear a faint "Sooooorrrry" echoing through the sky.

    ¡¸Fran, I won''t lose next time.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­No, I''ll win next time too.¡¹

    Finally, Siby called out to Fran before leaving. Soldiers ordered by the nobles fired a few arrows, but that was it. There was no big battle at the end.

    ¡¸Dimitris¡­¡­ Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s okay, don''t be so sullen. Besides, we got something as an apology.¡»

    A bag of items and plenty of gold. Honestly, I feel like we profited a ton from this. He also said he would repay uster too. It didn''t end well this time, but we can get something out of him the next time we meet.

    Now we just have to see if Dimitris is actually willing to pay us back¡­¡­

    ¡¸Fran. Please allow me to apologize on behalf of my grandfather.¡¹

    ¡¸Hilt, it''s not your fault.¡¹

    ¡¸Still¡­¡­ You won the bet, yet he went back on his word. I lost, and now I''m the head of the school. All of this is wrong. I promise to make my grandfather repay you for this.¡¹

    Her expression was not as hostile as it had been toward Fran. Like she said, she must truly be feeling sorry for Dimitris'' behavior.

    ¡¸We can lend a hand if you still need it. For example, say the current head of the Dimitris school and the top disciples were persuaded by you to ept the Belioth Kingdom''s employment. How about that?¡¹

    ¡¸Really? You told Dimitris that you didn''t want to.¡¹

    ¡¸That was just me getting vengeance on the troublesome old man.¡¹

    Oh, wow. You put it really bluntly.

    ¡¸So, what do you think?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Let''s do that.¡¹

    I don''t know how much they will appreciate itpared to hiring Dimitris, but we do have the rank A Hilt. She''s not a bad recement.

    ¡¸Well, I''m sure we''ll have a lot of trouble after this¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That can''t be helped.¡¹

    ¡¸Diaz.¡¹

    ¡¸Hilt-kun, you''re not the only one who''s going to be summoned by the kingdom. They''ll most likely summon me too. With so many witnesses, there''s no way we can cover it up.¡¹

    A buzz had returned to the audience. They were probably talking about the big event they had just witnessed. Everyone seemed excited.

    ¡¸Are you going to be okay?¡¹

    Come to think of it, it''s hard to take this job, isn''t it? Dimitris, the head of the school, openly helped the Raydoss spies to escape, and he even went to Raydoss himself.

    Hilt got left behind in a tough position. There will be a severe interrogation, right? Could they be detained for a long time, or even imprisoned?

    But apparently that is unlikely.

    ¡¸I doubt they''ll hold you for longer than a month¡­ You should be ready in time for Belioth''s departure.¡¹

    ¡¸I think so too. The government won''t be too heavy handed with us.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not?¡¹

    ¡¸Because if we resist, the damage will be too great. The most realistic settlement would be for them to call it even after we make a few concessions. Sigh¡­¡­ I guess I''ll be working for Kranzel for a while. It''s been a long time since he''s done anything this bad¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Long time?¡¹

    It''s not the first time?

    ¡¸Just look at him? This sort of thing happens every once in a while, but this time he took it a little too far.¡¹

    Once, he wiped out a knight division taking bribes from a crime syndicate, but there happened to be some nobles with royal blood among the in. Next, he snuck into a royal pce just to fight a knight that was rumored to be strong, causing a huge panic. Also the time he got pped with a bounty after he killed the ruling noble''s son, who had been trying to have his way with a vige girl. Apparently, he gets into trouble on a regr basis.

    In such cases, Hilt said the disciples often pay for these incidents by taking on high level requests at a low price.

    I have to wonder how his students don''t all run away, but I guess they admire his strength. In fact, many people were saved by such radical actions, so several of the disciples justughed it off. Some of them even considered it as a part of their training.

    ¡¸It would be more beneficial for a country to gain favor with a world-famous group of martial artists, rather than antagonizing them.¡¹

    It was quite worrisome, but if Diaz and Hilt say they will be fine, then I guess they will.

    ¡¸But first, we have to finish the closing ceremony. I guess it''s my job to bow down to all the VIPs, since the lord is still sleeping.¡¹

    Apparently, the nobleman who got kicked out by Acidman was the lord. He has such little presence that even I can''t remember his face!

    The adventurers, under Diaz''s direction, started rushing about. What a closing ceremony!

    ¡¸Is Eliante okay?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ Not sure. She might be in trouble if she was still a member of the brigade, but I don''t think they''ll go after her just because she''s a former member¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Not that.£©

    ¡ºThen what do you mean?¡»

    £¨Eliante is going to be really mad. Will the guild in the capital be destroyed?£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Ah.¡»

    I think back to Eliante''s personality. She was a bit of a disappointment on the inside, despite her appearance as apetent woman. If she heard that her formerrade Neidhart had betrayed her, she might indeedsh out in anger.

    ¡º¡­¡­Let''s pray for the safety of our fellow adventurers in the capital. That''s all we can do from here.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

 Chapter 752

    <h4>Chapter 752</h4>

    <h4>752: Regarding Gordicia</h4>

    The closing ceremony, which had been marred by the plots of the Raydoss Kingdom and Dimitris'' hijinks, had finallye to an end.

    The Adventurers Guild took the lead in bringing the event to a quick conclusion.

    I expected to hearints from the spectators and guests being escorted out of the arena, but they were surprisingly unperturbed.

    I guess the excitement of being a witness to a historical event was more important than theirints. The majority of them seemed to be talking about how impactful the event was.

    Fran and I had already left the arena and moved to the Adventurers Guild.

    ¡¸Well, I know it''s probably toote to say this, but congrattions on your victory.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Man, I guess you really are the youngest winner ever.¡¹

    Diaz said that as he took out a small medal. Next to it, he ced a leather bag with the clinking of metal inside.

    It was a gold Ulmutt medal for the champion and the prize money of 200,000 gold.

    ¡ºThat''s even more impressive thanst year''s third ce medal!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ this one is more shiny.¡¹

    As one would expect from a first prize medal, it''s gold ted with intricate engravings.

    ¡¸Well, I really wanted to award it at the closing ceremony, but the nobles were so upset. The ministers, in particr, were in a real tizzy.¡¹

    ¡¸Because a rank S went to the enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸Dimitris is not just a military asset. Despite his usual behavior, he is very popr among the people since he''s been hunting high-ranking magical beasts in various ces for over 50 years.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸He also treats the ordinary people very well. Since he does whatever he wants, he always follows his conscience. That often has him protecting the weak and powerless from the nobility.¡¹

    Since it is often the nobles and adventurers who take the brunt of Dimitris'' problems, the normal citizens only saw the best in him.

    ¡¸Since he went to an enemy country, there might be dissatisfaction from the people. And as for us at the guild, we were very grateful to anyone willing to take on extremely difficult requests¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWell yeah, not many adventurers would willingly ce themselves in such danger.¡»

    ¡¸And now the higher ups keep telling me fix everything. What the heck am I supposed to do?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Not possible.¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s not happening.¡»

    No one can control that old man''s behavior.

    ¡¸I know right? Well, enough about that subject, what are you going to do? I heard you talking to Hilt-kun about crossing over to Gordicia.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You seem to be having some hesitation.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Is Raydoss going to war with Kranzel?¡¹

    ¡¸What, are you nning to join in?¡¹

    Diaz was looking at Fran probingly. I''ve been wondering about that too. To be honest, I don''t want her to participate in any wars.

    With all eyes on her, Fran spoke up with a somewhat troubled look on her face.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don''t know. I don''t like Raydoss, but I don''t think war will help. But I can still defend against them, at least in Alessa.¡¹

    ¡¸War is not something a girl your age should be involved in. Well, I don''t think you''ll see anything too bad if you''re defending Alessa¡­¡­ Besides, we won''t be at war for a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    This incident was kinda like a national insult. I think it''s only natural for the country to want to retaliate against Raydoss¡­¡­

    ¡¸War is nothing like a fight between adventurers. If we want to go to war with Raydoss, we''d have to get the support of the surrounding countries. That would take months of diplomacy and preparation alone, right? Well we''ll get something done, eventually.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ Then it''s fine. I''ll go to Gordicia as Weena Rhyn''s substitute.¡¹

    ¡¸I think that''s a good idea, since winning the tournament will increase the number of noisy recruiters visiting you. You''ll be able to avoid them if you go to Gordicia. Besides, this is good timing.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸About your rank up.¡¹

    ¡¸Rank up! Can I be rank A?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I''m afraid it won''t be immediately.¡¹

    That''s about expected. To be rank A, you must have a lot of experience in other areas in addition to your fighting ability.

    As we were told before, various factors are taken into ount. Ability to negotiate with nobles, experience as amander, knowledge and achievement as an adventurer, mentoring of the younger generation.

    In fact, it is the factors other than fighting ability that were more important.

    In this respect, Fran is in a situation where shecks almost everything except for her fighting ability.

    Even if she has defeated other rank A adventurers, that would not be enough to win the approval of other guildmasters.

    ¡¸In your case, your fighting ability is unquestionable, but you do not have enough achievements. Well, I''m sure you''ve had this exact same conversation before.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸That said, there are a few requests that are highly rated by the Adventurers Guild. These are things like defeating monsters with a threat level of A or higher, or gathering materials for rare elixirs. One such highly rated requests is activity in Gordicia.¡¹

    Requests that contribute to the benefit of the world will also raise the reputation of the Adventurers Guild. Such requests are highly valued, and the battle in Gordicia is one of them.

    ¡¸It won''t help if you just go to Gordicia for a little while, but if you have achieved a certain level of sess, the guild will have no choice but to evaluate you. That alone won''t get you to rank A, but it''s worth doing if that''s your goal.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. I''ll do my best.¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck. On that note, can I ask something of you?¡¹

    ¡¸Ask?¡¹

    ¡¸Uh huh. I think you''ll have a lot of freedom of movement once you arrive in Gordicia. The adventurers in Belioth are pretty much treated the same as they''ve always been.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that''s what Weena Rhyn told me as well. After arrival, we''d be mostly free to do whatever we want.¡»

    With Weena Rhyn''s support, the other countries would not be able to force Fran to do anything.

    ¡¸If possible, I''d like you to ept requests from the guilds on the Gordicia continent, apart from defeating the antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸There is an Adventurers Guild in Gordicia?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Where there are adventurers, there will be adventurers guilds.¡¹

    It would be more efficient to have a guild to manage the adventurers, than to have arge number of adventurers fighting in a disorganized and disjointed manner. It''s only natural there would be a branch of the Adventurers Guild there.

    ¡¸Why do you want me to ept requests in Gordicia?¡¹

    ¡¸To be honest, this is just a way for the Ulmutt Adventurers Guild to score some points.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸This fiasco has damaged not only my career, but also the reputation of my guild. You understand that, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The operatives of the Raydoss Kingdom yed them for fools and caused a huge incident. The me will fall on Ulmutt''s guild.

    ¡¸If Fran-kun, the winner of the Ulmutt martial arts tournament, is now active in Gordicia, maybe we''ll get a little good publicity. Could you let me use you to our benefit?¡¹

    ¡ºY-You''re certainly being very blunt with us, Diaz.¡»

    ¡¸I thought it was best to be honest with you guys.¡¹

    Well, I guess it''s because we''re friends.

    If there is an Adventurers Guild on the Gordicia continent, I''m sure we''ll be taking requests there anyways. I have no problem dropping the name of the Ulmutt Adventurers Guild if that''s all we need to do¡­¡­

    ¡ºFran, what do you think?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ I''d be willing to be used, depending on the reward.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, you''re starting to sound like a real adventurer now! So, Fran-kun, I''ll give you this letter of introduction.¡¹

    ¡¸Who is this?¡¹

    ¡ºIsario?¡»

    The recipient of the letter was written as "Isario the Adventurer". Maybe one of the guildmasters in Gordicia?

    ¡¸What? You don''t know him?¡¹

    Diaz being surprised meant Isario must be rather famous. That''s what I was thinking, but after Diaz exined it, "famous" didn''t even begin to describe him.

    ¡¸Rank S adventurer, Isario of the ''ming Sword'', possessor of the divine sword Ignis and one of the strongest men in the world.¡¹

    ¡¸Divine sword!¡¹

    ¡ºRank S!?¡»

    Okay, I can admit it''s our fault for not knowing him while being an adventurer.

    ¡¸If Dimitris is the problem child of the rank S adventurers, then Isario would be the honors student, I suppose? You might call him the rank S with the mostmon sense. He''s just as peculiar as the others though.¡¹

    Well, he is a rank S adventurer. I''d be surprised if he didn''t have a few quirks.

    ¡¸Do you know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, he was active in Ulmutt a long time ago. If you bring him my letter of introduction, I''m sure he''ll talk to you.¡¹

    As expected from someone that has been a guildmaster for many years. He has a very wide range of contacts.

    ¡¸You can ask him to train you, or just chat if you want. Besides, many call him the master of Gordicia, so I think it will make it easier for you to operate on that continent just by knowing him. Oh yeah, you can take this too.¡¹

    ¡¸What''s this? Wine?¡¹

    ¡ºOh man, seriously? What the hell!?¡»

    It''s just a wine, yes, but when I appraised it, I found it was 300 years old. Could only find wine this extraordinary in a fantasy world!

    ¡¸This is my treasured elvish wine.¡¹

    He told us that in thend of the elves, they used the fruit of the sacred tree, which only they could grow, to make a small amount of this special wine. This is an old batch of that brew, which was identally discovered in the ruins of an ancient city that was destroyed by volcanic activity.

    ¡¸Miraculously, the wine storage was intact. The magic circle to control the temperature was still working, so the wine inside was safe. This isn''t something you can pay money to get. It would have cost no less than 1 million gold if I had sold it on the market.¡¹

    That''s a lot of money! But I have heard simr stories on Earth. Old wine found in a salvaged sunken ship was sold for millions of yen, or something like that.

    ¡¸Wine¡­¡­ Is it good?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-kun, is it too early for you? Well, you can give this to the guildmaster in Gordicia, since he''s a dwarf.¡¹

    ¡ºI see. This would be much more effective than a in old letter of introduction.¡»

    ¡¸What do you think? Is this a appropriate reward?¡¹

    Diaz smiled mischievously at Fran, who nodded back at him with a twinkle in her eye.

    ¡¸Plenty. You okay too, Master?¡¹

    ¡ºSure. Fine wine that a dwarf would drool over, and a pipeline to a rank S adventurer. These are things that I would have no clue how to get myself.¡»

    ¡¸Thanks. I owe you one.¡¹

    Well, next stop is the continent of Gordicia, as nned.

 Chapter 753

    <h4>Chapter 753</h4>

    <h4>753: Fran and the Curry Heaven</h4>

    ¡ºHere Urushi, since you did your best this time. Your reward is super spicy curry.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºW-Wait! I haven''t put it on the floor yet! You''ll spill it all over the inn!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYou say you''re hungry? Didn''t I give you a snack on the way in?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºOkay okay! Here!¡»

    Come to think of it, they haven''t had a proper meal in half a day. Maybe he hasn''t taken in enough calories after the fiercepetition in the finals.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºOh I know. Don''t look at me like that.¡»

    The smell of the curry Urushi was eating must have activated her stomach. Fran looked at me with sad eyes as she patted her belly, which was making a rumbling sound.

    If she wasn''t begging for food with that face, I''m sure the boys would be all over her. No, I misspoke, Fran is always super cute.

    ¡ºCongrattions on winning! Here''s a super-sized big bowl of curry!¡»

    ¡¸Yay~¡¹

    ¡ºYou can add as many toppings as you like, and seconds are free too! You can have as much as you want today!¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s a victory celebration! You can have sweet, medium, spicy, beef, pork, chicken, fish,mb, shrimp¨D¨D or just a little bit of everything if you want!¡»

    Normally, I would forbid her from eating like that because it''s bad manners, but just for today, you''re free to go!

    ¡¸Seriously?¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously. Just for today, you can eat as much as you like, how you like it!¡»

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran was so emotionally ovee that she was trembling. I haven''t seen Fran this moved in a long time.

    ¡¸Heaven was here all along.¡¹

    What an exaggeration!

    But Fran seemed to mean it. With a serious face, she immediately started stuffing herself with curry.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I must win next year too. To taste curry heaven again.¡¹

    ¡ºG-Good luck!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ To do that, I''ll get even stronger. Nom nom.¡¹

    Would be a pretty cool line if you weren''t eating¡­¡­

    Her eyes were just as enthusiastic as when she''s in battle.

    ¡¸First, I''m going to train. Nom. In Gordicia. Nom. For the sake of curry. Nom. I''ll endure any trials. Nom.¡¹

    ¡ºI-I see.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    W-Well, it''s good to be motivated. Whatever the reason is.

    ¡¸Nom nom!¡¹

    ¡¸Om om!¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa! Fran! The food is getting everywhere! Urushi! You''re making the curry fly all over!¡»

    While catching the flying food with telekinesis, I immediately cleaned the carpets and furniture with cleansing magic. This is, after all, a suite room in Ulmutt''s top-ss inn.

    We came here to keep out merchants, nobles, and others visitors who might try to bother Fran.

    Diaz had arranged for the guild to pay the lodging costs.

    We had originally been staying in a decently nice inn, but if we wanted to keep out the nobles, it would have to be this one.

    Fran and Urushi were happy with the soft beds and fluffy carpets, but I was not at ease. The furnishings were so luxurious that every time Fran and Urushi got excited, my stomach somehow ached.

    ¡ºHuh? Someone''sing. This is the mana of¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Lumina!¡¹

    Fran eximed, sending a few grains of rice flying out of her mouth.

    Knock knock.

    There''s a knock at the door. I opened it with telekinesis, and there stood a small doll. It was a human-looking, or rather ck catkin-looking, doll about 20 centimeters tall.

    It''s cute appearance looked like something a little girl would use to y house with. But we recognized the doll as well as the magic that the doll emitted.

    It was the doll that Lumina, the ck cat and dungeon master, possessed when she went outside. I once saw her having a meeting with Aurel in the form of this doll.

    ¡ºWe were thinking of going to see you tomorrow, but you came all the way out here?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    The doll strode into the room, closed the door on its own, and climbed onto the table with a jump.

    ¡¸I saw the whole tournament through the eyes of this doll. You have grown much stronger. As a fellow ck cat, I am proud of you.¡¹

    ¡¸It wasn''t just me¡­ Master and Urushi made it possible for me to win.¡¹

    ¡ºNo, no, it''s thanks to Fran''s hard work. No matter how much we helped, it would be over for us if Fran''s spirit was broken. The most amazing thing about Fran is that she didn''t lose her fighting spirit until the very end.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu. You get along as fine as ever. Master, take care of Fran, will you? Things are going to get noisy now that she''s the champion.¡¹

    Apparently some of them were waiting in the dungeon for the slightest chance of Fran''s arrival. That''s how tempting it is to get a meeting with the winner. What is surprising is that there are even merchants who went out of their way to hire adventurers for this.

    It seems that Lumina came to see us after noticing that.

    ¡¸Hmm. Nom nom. More people.¡¹

    ¡ºAurel and Kaitly, huh.¡»

    This is getting kinda annoying, so I''ll just keep the door open. Then Kaitly, who was about to knock on the door with a nervous look on her face, froze with a surprised expression.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Uh, sorry about that Kaitly.

    ¡¸You cane in.¡¹

    ¡¸Excuse us, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸P-Please excuse the intrusion.¡¹

    Aurel led Kaitly in. I guess he wanted Kaitly to see Fran off before she leaves town.

    Kaitly fidgeted for a moment, but soon her expression became determined and she stood in front of Fran, bowing her head.

    ¡¸Thank you very much. I heard that you looked everywhere for me, even though you were still recovering from your injuries in the finals¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No need for thanks. After all, it was Siby who saved you.¡¹

    ¡¸But that doesn''t change the fact that you went around looking for me. So, thank you very much.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ Are you going to be an adventurer?¡¹

    An embarrassed Fran changed the subject awkwardly. Fran shows a lot of unusual reactions when she talks to Kaitly, so this feels pretty fresh.

    ¡¸Y-Yes, I intend to.¡¹

    ¡¸Good luck. You will be a good adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you. I''ll do my best!¡¹

    This seemed to have helped her rx, and Kaitly started talking to Fran with a smile on her face. Fran must really like Kaitly, since she even gave her some curry.

    Uhh, please let Aurel have some curry as well. Just looking at the old man''s lonely expression is tugging at my heart strings!

    ¡¸Onee-sama. Are you going to Gordicia next?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That''s the n.¡¹

    ¡¸Please be careful. I''ve heard it''s a very dangerous ce.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. But I''ll be fine.¡¹

    Kaitly stared with a dazzling gaze at Fran''s confident statement.

    ¡¸Someday¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Someday, I''ll be strong enough to fight alongside you, so¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll be waiting¡­ When you be a full-fledged adventurer, we''ll go on an adventure together.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

 Chapter 754

    <h4>Chapter 754</h4>

    <h4>754: Reunion with Jean</h4>

    ¡ºWow, that''s a lot of people.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Surprising.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Two days after the tournament.

    We decided to leave Ulmutt since more and more people started to gather around the inn.

    Since we had already greeted our acquaintances, we should have been able to leave without issue, but¡­¡­

    I never expected so many people would ambush us at the town gate. It was a bit scary to see the number of people around the area swell up as we were waiting in line.

    It seems that it was not only merchants and nobles who wanted to connect with Fran, but also residents who wanted to see off the winner. The socialwork of residents was not to be underestimated.

    In the end, the guards at the gate let Fran through with special treatment, which saved the day. But¡­¡­

    If it had been just a littleter, she might have been jostled by onlookers reaching the end of their patience.

    Good job, gatekeeper!

    ¡ºWhere do we go from here? We still have about half a month before our appointment with Belioth. If we hurry back, we can afford to take some detours.¡»

    ¡¸What about Bulb?¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s in the opposite direction, so probably not a great idea.¡»

    ¡¸Hmm. Then Alessa, since we didn''t see Amanda yet. I''ll meet her this time.¡¹

    ¡ºOkay, let''s go to Alessa first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi, go!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    The journey was very pleasant. There were no strong monsters, and Urushi and Fran could dash straight through mountains and valleys alike.

    We reached Alessa in 10 days, even though we made many stops along the way. Anyone would go to a vige with hot springs if they heard it was nearby.

    ¡¸There''s something weird.¡¹

    ¡ºUwah. What''s with that evil-looking skeleton carriage?¡»

    In front of the main gate of Alessa, a carriage with a ridiculous aura was parked.

    It was made entirely of bones. The wheels, the body, and the horses were all made of bone. The driver was also bones, aka a skeleton.

    The skeleton, wearing a tattered robe, held a bridle made of bones that extended from the skeletal horse. However, the fact that the gatekeeper was not taking a battle stance suggested that the skeleton was not an enemy. Even though it''s clearly evil no matter how you look at it¡­¡­

    As we cautiously approach the wagon, the skeleton reacted.

    ¡¸Oh? Is that you, Fran-san?¡¹

    Normally we would have been surprised, but we had a hunch.

    ¡¸Could you be Jean''s skeleton?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. It is I, Bernard.¡¹

    It was Bernard, the skeleton who was Jean''s servant. We had talked with him a bit during the floating ind incident.

    To be honest, I don''t know how to tell skeletons apart, so I could not recognize him at all.

    ¡¸I have heard rumors of your achievements. It seems you have been quite busy.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡ºIs Jean here?¡»

    ¡¸He is right there though?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    I can''t see any sign of¨D¨D

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Long time no see! Fran-kun! Urushi-kun!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    Suddenly, a loudugh erupted behind us, causing Fran to shake. She turned around to see a weirdo wearing a tattered robe.

    ¡¸Jean.¡¹

    ¡¸The one and only! I am d to see you in good health! That you are still great undead material fills me with glee!¡¹

    That we can''t sense his presence at all means he''s still making full use of his ''Perfect Presence Blocking'' skill! It''s crazy how you can wear so many skull essories and not give off a single sound.

    ¡¸Master-kun, good to see you too.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, nice to see you again.¡»

    He greeted me in a whisper. How is it that he can be capable of such consideration, while he can''t fix his entric attitude?

    ¡¸My thanks for the information about the assants from Raydoss. Due to that, I have been able to prepare the proper countermeasures!¡¹

    It seems that our information about Nameless had been passed on to Jean.

    I had been worried about Jean''s safety since we found out that a powerful undead was targeting him.

    Jean was an talented necromancer, and had been given the nickname of ''The ughterer'' for leading a horde of undead on the battlefield.

    His experience and knowledge as an adventurer, his talent as a necromancer, and his genius for concealing his presence, are what make up Jean''sbat power. But those are more like a bonus to him.

    Jean was essentially a researcher.

    He didn¡¯t seem to do anybat training, and probably consideredbat as just one of his many tools.

    Standing in front of Jean, you would not feel the aura of a warrior. Even without an appraisal, I could see that his martial arts skills were not that great by the way he moved his feet. His physical stats were probably low as well.

    However, Nameless was an undead specialized in melee and also proficient in necromancy. This was exactly the kind of undead that could defeat Jean.

    ¡¸I''ll give you a special demonstration of my newest servant! Awaken, Mark!¡¹

    ¡¸Uuurghh.¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    It was Jean''s robe that moved in response to his voice. No wait, it was the bone armor he wears underneath that robe that began to move.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha, are you surprised?¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸This is a new special undead created using materials from the skeleton knights obtained on the floating ind. His name is Mark!¡¹

    Mark''s abilities were very interesting. First of all, he had high performance as an armor, since he was originally made of tough material. He also had defensive skills such as physical resistance.

    An ordinary sword would not be able to inflict even a scratch on it. It also had resistance to necromancy, and should be able to interfere with the opponent''s necromancy magic.

    Another remarkable feature of this armor was its high melee ability. It had four arms growing out of its back.

    The arms were thicker and longer than human arms, though their shape was simr to that of a human. They could be over two meters long when extended. When unused, they seemed to be folded with their elbows pointing downward.

    The true value of these arms was not their high strength, but their ability to fight with a weapon in each arm. Moreover, they have a high level ofbat skills, such as Holy Sword Mastery.

    That must be the power of the Legendary Skeleton we fought on the floating ind. This was perfect for covering Jean''s weak points.

    That''s some pretty amazing performance, as expected from Jean.

    ¡¸Oops, I have get going!¡¹

    ¡¸A request?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. An urgent one too!¡¹

    Apparently he had to leave immediately for an emergency request. Jean jumped into the carriage.

    ¡¸Well, I''m off! I look forward to seeing you again! Later! Fuhahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Bye bye!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I bid you farewell!¡¹

    The skeleton carriage carrying Jean flew off at a tremendous speed down the street.

    An eerie skeletal carriage rushing through the streets, driven by a skeleton. Passersby are sure to be horrified.

    I wonder if that''s going to be a new horror story to be passed down the ages? "Skeletal Carriage Monster Rampages!", or something like that.

    ¡ºThat''s a man thates and goes as fast as a tornado.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I wish we could talk more.¡¹

    Fran looked disappointed, but I think I''ve had plenty. A few minutes was more than enough.

 Chapter 755

    <h4>Chapter 755</h4>

    <h4>755: Amanda After Jean</h4>

    ¡ºWell, it''s been a while since we were in Alessa. Let''s head to the Adventurers Guild first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    As one would expect, the news hadn''t reached this far yet, so there was nomotion as we walked through the streets of Alessa.

    Some of the merchants knew Fran from before, but they didn''t recognize her as the tournament champion. After all, she looked too young and too cute for that.

    While strolling leisurely through the town for the first time in a long while, a familiar face could be seen walking towards us.

    No, she must have sensed Fran''s presence and dashed directly towards us.

    ¡¸Fran-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s been forever! I missed you so much!¡¹

    ¡¸Mgyu.¡¹

    Without stopping, Amanda hugged Fran.

    ¡¸I heard the news from the guildmaster! Congrattions on winning the tournament!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­ are you okay? Did you get hurt a lot?¡¹

    ¡¸Mgah.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Nnrgh¡­¡­¡¹

    She was held so tightly in Amanda''s ample bosom that she couldn''t breathe. But she knew Amanda didn''t mean any harm, so she couldn''t bring herself to force her off.

    ¡ºUmm, Fran''s starting to suffocate, so can you go a little easier on her?¡»

    ¡¸Ahhh! I''m sorry! Fran-chan, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''m fine¡¹

    Fran was smiling, even though she was almost choked to death.

    ¡¸I can''t believe you won! You really did an amazing job!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I tried my best.¡¹

    ¡¸But you know, there are still a lot of strong guys out there in the world. Don''t get too overconfident, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks. I''ll be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufufu. Maybe that was a little too nosy of me? You''ll be fine as long as you stay aware of that.¡¹

    Fran looked really happy to be talking to Amanda. She was one of the few people who Fran lets fawn over her.

    ¡¸Anyways, why don''t we go to the Adventurers Guild? You were on your way there, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And so we set out again for the Adventurers Guild. We passed some adventurers along the way, but they didn''t seem to know anything about Fran.

    Klimt and Amanda had heard about her through the magicmunications, but it looked like the word had not yet spread among the regr adventurers.

    ¡¸If you had been a few dayster, there might have been a big celebration.¡¹

    ¡ºI wouldn''t want that.¡»

    ¡¸It''s a good thing it was today.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Since you''re here too.¡¹

    ¡¸I know right! I''m supposed to leave for the north again tomorrow! It must be fate that we could meet today!¡¹

    We arrived at the guild along with this rank A adventurer, so excited that she was spinning around in circles, attracting quite a bit of attention. There, we met another familiar face.

    ¡¸Oh, Fran-san, is that you? Nice seeing you again after so long.¡¹

    That was Freon, a in-looking, thin-eyed elf man. We had once worked together on a dungeon investigation.

    His use of spirit magic, and his in appearance despite being an elf left asting impression on me.

    ¡¸Nn. You too, Freon.¡¹

    What a surprise! Fran actually remembered Freon! She hadpletely forgotten about Krad, who was on the same request¡­¡­ Maybe she had a strong impression of Freon as a spirit caster?

    Fran stared at Freon''s shoulder rather than his face. I was wondering about that too. There was clearly a spirit there.

    It was a sensation I had not noticed before.

    And it must be a decently strong spirit. Maybe it was around mid-ss level?

    ¡¸Can you¡­ see the spirit?¡¹

    ¡¸Kinda¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That''s wonderful. If you train your senses, you may be able to use spirit magic.¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll do my best.¡¹

    While Fran was talking with Freon, Amanda had some sort of exchange with Nell-san at the reception desk.

    ¡¸Can we meet with the guildmaster?¡¹

    ¡¸No, he and Donadrond-san are handling the official from the capital right now.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I remember you telling me about something like that.¡¹

    ¡¸You said meeting him was too much trouble and refused, so now he''s pissed.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess we can''t help it. Sorry Fran-chan, the guildmaster is stuck at work.¡¹

    ¡¸Work can''t be helped.¡¹

    ¡¸Anyways, congrattions, Fran-chan!¡¹

    Nell-san, the receptionist, leaned over the counter to congratte Fran on her win. This girl has been very sweet to Fran ever since they first met.

    Well, I can understand why someone would want to give favor to a beautiful girl like Fran, when most adventurers are crass and sweaty men.

    ¡¸Thanks. You knew?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I do, with my receptionist privilege.¡¹

    The guild officials apparently knew that Fran had won the tournament. Now that you mention it, I can feel the admiring nces from the other receptionists too.

    Fran must be happy to be praised by someone she knows. She was smiling.

    ¡¸I never thought that the girl I went into the dungeon with would be so strong in just one year. Who would''ve thought that she would win the martial arts tournament¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? You know too, Freon?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes. I''m a very well-informed person.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa, amazing.¡¹

    The other adventurers didn''t know about Fran''s win, but being the youngest winner is great news in its own right. Maybe it''s possible to find out such news with the right sources.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡­ So, how about a little mock battle with me outside of town?¡¹

    Amanda suggested such a thing. Was it my imagination, or did she look strangely serious?

    Fran, a girl who loves to fight, would never turn down an invitation to a mock battle. She nodded her head without a moment''s pause.

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufu. Then let''s go.¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t mind a mock battle, but don''t overdo it and ruin a beginner''s hunting ground!¡¹

    ¡¸We''ll be fine! Right, Fran-chan?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t trust you!¡¹

    Nell-san, that is very true. Well, I''ll be watching over them too.

 Chapter 756

    <h4>Chapter 756</h4>

    <h4>756: Amanda''s Confession</h4>

    ¡¸Shhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Mmm!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice move!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe.¡¹

    Fran and Amanda were engaged in a mock battle that was supposedly a light exchange, but from the outside it looked like they were trying to kill each other.

    ¡¸Whip Art, Lycoris!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    The location was a hill a short distance away from Alessa. Trees grew sparsely on the wide grasnd.

    There were no rare nts or animals, and few magical beasts. Adventurers did note here often, making it a rather secluded area.

    It was a good ce for a mock battle without worrying about other people''s prying eyes.

    ¡¸Rah!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! Yourbination attacks with Urushi are better than before¡­¡­!¡¹

    They''ve already been at it for about two hours.

    Satisfied, Fran and Amanda took a break and went to sit down on a few rocks.

    ¡¸Nom nom!¡¹

    ¡¸Om om!¡¹

    ¡¸This is delicious! The curry was one thing, but Master is certainly full of surprises!¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha, they do call me the Curry Master, but my desserts ain''t half bad either.¡»

    The three were eating various vors of fruit jelly. After sweating so much, something refreshing like this is best.

    These are made from fruits from this world, so they are all very special in their own right.

    For example, cooking an exploding fruit is no simple task.

    The drink is a lemonade of my own invention.

    The main ingredient was a fruit with a citrus-like vor. However, the color of the fruit was bright red, which made it look more like tomato juice than lemonade. I''m pretty sure the taste should be correct though.

    ¡¸Whew¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    Amanda exhaled lightly as she drank the lemonade. There seemed to be a subtle hint of mncholy on her face.

    ¡ºIs it not to your liking?¡»

    ¡¸Eh? No, it''s delicious. In fact, I love it.¡¹

    ¡ºGood to hear.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­I''ve always loved this taste.¡¹

    Amanda''s gaze turned to Fran as she mumbled.

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Is it good?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ That''s great.¡¹

    What''s going on? She started acting a little strange in the middle of the mock battle. I think it happened when Fran offhandedly mentioned she was going to Gordicia¡­¡­

    Is she worried because it''s such a dangerous ce? No, it feels a little different than that.

    ¡¸Hey, Fran-chan¡­ you''re going to the continent of Gordicia next, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I''ve got a request from Belioth.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure you want to go?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. There''s a rank S adventurer with a divine sword. Besides, I have to go to Gordicia to meet Trismegistus for the sake of Master.¡¹

    ¡¸For Master?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, Trismegistus is said to have an intelligence weapon. Since I''m one as well, I''d like to meet them and have a talk.¡»

    I don''t need to worry Amanda unnecessarily by telling her about how I might eventually go insane.

    Actually, she wouldn''t be worrying about me, but about Fran after losing me.

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ Oh.¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fran-chan, do you remember your mom and dad?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Of course I remember. I can''t forget.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡­¡­ Hey, can you listen to my story for a bit?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded seriously at Amanda''s unusual words.

    ¡¸I have been building orphanages and taking in orphans throughout Kranzel for a long time now. Some of them lost their parents in the dungeons, others I rescued from illegal vers¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, there were orphans of many different races. Humans, elves, dwarves, and beastmen¡­¡­ ck cats included.¡¹

    ¡¸ck cats?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­ A boy and a girl, who were very close to each other. They were naughty and reckless and always said they were going to be adventurers.¡¹

    ck cats adventurers, huh? That would have been quite a struggle, just like Fran''s parents. They must have been trying to evolve.

    ¡¸In the end, they ran away from the orphanage because I forbade them from bing adventurers.¡¹

    That was truly reckless. But looking at Fran, I can''t help but feel the story was true. She would do the same thing in their position.

    ¡¸But one day they came back and visited me for a few days¡­ to show me their newborn child.¡¹

    Amanda said that while smiling happily. She must be remembering back to that time.

    But soon the smile faded and sadness casted a shadow on her face.

    ¡¸I wonder if I should have stopped them at that moment. I still regret not doing so.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It was eight yearster that I heard they were killed. I immediately went to the vige where they lived, tracking it down based on the letters I had received. But there was nothing left. Their bodies were already gone, and their child was nowhere to be found.¡¹

    Maybe this was why Amanda was always so concerned about Fran.

    Not only does she love children in general, but she may beparing Fran to those ck cats she had lost.

    ¡¸I can still remember their smiles and hear their voices. Those sweet children I couldn''t protect¡­ their names were¨D¨D¡¹

    Amanda paused her story there. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spit out the remaining words.

    ¡¸Their names were Kinan and Framea, and the child''s name was Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Ehhh!?¡»

 Chapter 757

    <h4>Chapter 757</h4>

    <h4>757: Amanda and Her Children</h4>

    ¡¸Their names were Kinan and Framea, and the child''s name was Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Ehhh!?¡»

    Come on now. Here I was going on about how they were simr to Fran''s parents or Fran herself. They literally were her parents!

    Kinan and Framea¡­ I''ve heard those names before, the names of Fran''s parents that she told me about once. To be honest, I never delved too deeply into that subject because I was afraid of reopening old wounds¡­¡­

    ¡ºS-So they''re¡­¡­!¡»

    ¡¸Yes, they are Fran-chan''s parents. They grew up in my orphanage.¡¹

    Amanda told us the whole story.

    Kinan and Framea''s childhood. The two naughty children leapt out of Amanda''s hands and, after an arduous journey, reappeared before her again. In their hands they held a newborn baby.

    ¡¸When they came back to show me Fran-chan, I was ovee with joy as if she was my own daughter. After that, we exchanged letters. Maybe about once a year or so?¡¹

    Because Kinan and Framea were traveling, Amanda could not send them letters. She had to sit and wait for their letters to arrive.

    ¡¸Still, when I heard that they had settled down in a vige, it was a great relief. Although my feelings were mixed too.¡¹

    ¡¸Mixed? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The vige was in a dangerous ce, although I''m sure they had their circumstances¡­¡­¡¹

    I think what she really wanted was for Fran''s parents to quit adventuring ande back. I could tell from the tone of her voice.

    However, she respected their will, and did not bring them back.

    ¡¸Even now, I sometimes wonder if I should have forced them to return¡­¡­ If I had brought them back, they might be alive today.¡¹

    Amanda''s eyes were red as she turned her head slightly and muttered.

    ¡¸I didn''t recognize you when we first met, but after talking to you for a while, I understood that you were the baby from that time.¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡­¡­ didn''t you tell me?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry, I was just scared. Scared that their child would say it was my fault¡­¡­¡¹

    Maybe it''s the guilt that makes her think that way. After she had known Fran better, she would know Fran would never say such a thing. But for someone she didn''t know well, she couldn''t help but feel uneasy.

    ¡¸I wouldn''t!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chan¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Mom and Dad lived and died on their own, like adventurers. So it''s not your fault.¡¹

    Adventurers are responsible for themselves. Every consequence is the result of his or her own actions. Whether for good, or for bad.

    This is hell for those who do not pride themselves as adventurers. But for those who do have that pride, it was a life of freedom, unbound by anyone and anything.

    It''s perfectly fine toment an adventurer''s death. But it would be an insult to the adventurer to me someone else for their death.

    Fran''s wordsforted Amanda, but at the same time, denied her.

    Amanda rubbed her eyes lightly and bowed her head to Fran.

    ¡¸I''m sorry¡­¡­ I know. Those kids lived a good life, as full-fledged adventurers, using their own power.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Now that I''ve seen you, I can be sure they were great adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you. I knew that when I first met you, that although small, you were a true adventurer. That''s why I didn''t try to take you in as your guardian.¡¹

    This is the woman who raised Fran''s parents. If you think about it that way, she would have the right to take Fran in as her legal guardian.

    She must have thought abouting forward and taking Fran into her care.

    But Amanda did not.

    ¡¸So¡­¡­ I decided to be your wall, rather than your guardian. I wouldn''t go as far to call myself your teacher, but I wanted to protect you in my own way.¡¹

    She would watch over her not as a guardian, but as a senior adventurer. Sometimes apanying her on quests, sometimes blocking her path as an enemy, trying to show Fran important lessons.

    If Fran died somewhere along the way, Amanda would surely regret it for the rest of her life. Even so, Amanda did not try to force herself into the role of Fran''s guide.

    That was because she recognized Fran as a capable adult.

    ¡¸Amanda¡­¡­ Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸I have to thank you too¡­ for surviving.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn¡­¡¹

    There was a faint glint in Fran''s eyes as Amanda gently hugged her. It wasn''t exactly like a hug with her mother or grandmother, but it still felt like a hug between family members.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Mom and Dad always said that ck cats could evolve¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸I became a ve, lost my name, and then I could barely remember their faces¡­¡­ So I really wanted to evolve. Otherwise, I think I would havepletely forgotten them.¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡­¡»

    Fran always said she wanted to follow in her parents'' footsteps, but I didn''t ask her too much about the reasons behind that.

    I thought it was a natural goal for her, since evolution was important to the beastmen of this world.

    But that was not all it was.

    Evolution was thest remaining bond Fran had with her parents. As long as she was pursuing evolution, she felt like they would always remain with her.

    ¡ºI''m so sorry Fran¡­¡­ I didn''t realize that at all¡­¡­!¡»

    ¡¸No! It''s not your fault, Master! I only just realized it now¡­¡­ The real reason why I wanted to evolve¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºBut¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸It''s okay. Besides, I evolved thanks to you. Mom and Dad would be happy.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Is that right?¡»

    ¡¸Absolutely.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡­¡­ I guess so.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran didn''t want any apology. Then I won''t apologize any more.

    ¡¸¡­Master, let me thank you too. It''s because of you that Fran-chan can still smile¡­ and I''m sure Kinan and Framea are smiling right now too.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­I hope so.¡»

    ¡¸I''m sure they are. I really want to introduce Master to Mom and Dad. But they don''t even have a grave¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No, there is a grave.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸I wasn''t able to find their bodies, but I did make a small grave for them with their belongings.¡¹

    ¡¸I didn''t know.¡¹

    ¡¸I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I didn''t have the courage. I''m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸No, that''s fine. Tell me where the graves are now.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, of course. The name of the vige is Castel. I''ll show you where it is¡­¡¹

    Amanda pulled out a map of some ind that looked almost like aplete circle. She pointed to a part on that map.

    It was indeed a point marked "Castel".

    ¡ºWhat is this ce?¡»

    ¡¸This is a map of the continent of Gordicia.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? So Castel is located inside of Gordicia¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Right. Fran-chan''s parents lived in a special vige built on the continent of Gordicia. Their graves are there too.¡¹

    ¡¸Castel¡­¡­ I''ve heard of it¡­¡­ Maybe?¡¹

    I don''t know if it was the effects of being enved or because she was so young, but it seems Fran couldn''t remember clearly where she had once lived.

    ¡¸Gordicia is a dangerous ce, but I''m sure you''ll be fine. After all, you''re an experienced adventurer, just as good as me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 758

    <h4>Chapter 758</h4>

    <h4>758: An Act in the Royal Capital</h4>

    The day after we heard from Amanda about Fran''s parents.

    We were leaving Alessa.

    Oh yeah, we had a huge sendoff party with Amanda and Nell. It''s a pity we didn''t get to meet Klimt and some others, but we''ll be able to say hello the next time wee back.

    ¡ºI''m surprised to hear that you''ve already been to the Gordicia continent, though.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran herself had never known that her vige was in Gordicia. She had been seriously surprised too.

    However, she did know the story of Trismegistus. It''s likely that she already knew many things about the continent, but was just too young to remember most of it.

    ¡ºNow that we have the map, there are even more things for us to do in Gordicia.¡»

    ¡¸We need to visit their graves!¡¹

    ¡ºYep.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    We were on our way to the capital of the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    That was because we heard that the Dimitris disciples had been summoned to the capital. The government could not leave that huge incident unattended.

    However, it seemed that their penalties were already decided while they were in Ulmutt, and the main purpose was to make a show of interrogating them in the capital.

    This was probably an appeal to the public that the nation is taking this matter seriously.

    Our objective is to meet up with Hilt and the others after the interrogation is over, and head for the Kingdom of Belioth together.

    ¡ºAurel said they would be fine, but there''s a possibility that they''ll be detained longer depending on how the royals decide to handle the situation.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    In that case, we will have to check Hilt''s schedule and coordinate any changes with Belioth.

    Worst case, Fran may have to intervene and tell them that the Kingdom of Belioth is nning to hire Hilt.

    Still, we have some connections now, so we can at least inform the higher-ups about what Belioth is nning.

    But our fears were unfounded. They were easily released after only two days.

    Both sides apparently epted the terms they had negotiated previously. The agreement allowed Hilt to take a few men with her to Gordicia while the other disciples remained in Kranzel for a extended duration toplete requests.

    With that, the country would let them off the hook. We were d that both sides ended the dispute peacefully. However, there was one person who was not so peaceful.

    ¡¸Gnnnnrghhh¡­¡­! That mantis bastard!¡¹

    ¡¸Calm down.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸How can I calm down! Captain Neidhart¡­ no, that damned Neidhart! Next time I see you, I''ll make you cry for sure!¡¹

    That''s what Eliante was yelling in front of us. Her hair was already dyed purple, as if she was ready forbat.

    The guildmaster''s office may have some soundproofing, but I''m sure people could hear this outside.

    We came to the guild thinking it would be a good idea to tell Eliante about Neidhart.

    But we were careless. We knew she would be a little angry, but she made us spit out everything about the incident.

    I was hoping to make a quick report and get away before Eliante''s wrath was triggered¡­¡­

    ¡¸Sure, Neidhart went to Raydoss. But it was for his friends. Don''t be mad at him.¡¹

    From that statement, it was clear that Fran was not angry or resentful toward Neidhart, or Siby either.

    Her personal interest in Neidhart overcame her anger toward Raydoss, and she spoke in his defense.

    ¡¸I know, I know, I''m rather pleased about that too. If I found out the old colleagues of mine who I thought were dead are actually alive, I''d rescue them by any means necessary. Even if it means helping a sworn enemy.¡¹

    Hmm? I thought she was angry at him for joining hands with the enemy, but I guess not?

    ¡¸But that mantis bastard! He gave Robin and the others instructions beforehand! Of course, I''m an outsider, I''ve already left the brigade! But don''t you think a little advance notice would be nice?¡¹

    Robin was the lobster half-insectkin who was the acting leader of the five mercenaries belonging to the ''Antennae and Shell'' brigade.

    We fought together with them previously in the capital.

    Until a little while ago, he had remained in the capital to help his formerrade Eliante.

    Now he has left, seemingly under the direction of Neidhart. It is likely that Niedhart wanted to get his friends out of Kranzel before he left for Raydoss. Otherwise there was a possibility they would be taken into custody.

    Eliante was angry that no exnation was given to her. Maybe she felt left out.

    But that wasn''t the case either.

    ¡¸If I had known Robin and the others were leaving, I would have packed more work into their schedules!¡¹

    ¡¸Work?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, work! There is still so much I was nning to leave to them!¡¹

    That''s what she says, but I''m sure she''s just trying to hide her embarrassment. In reality, she must be sulking because she was left out of the group.

    ¡¸I missed out on shoving all the work to them! Why didn''t you tell me first¡­¡­!¡¹

    Eliante eximed while mming her desk. Eh? The desk has a few cracks in it now. You''re just trying to hide her embarrassment, right? Don''t tell me you''re seriously pissed?

    ¡¸¡­¡­We''re already short of manpower because of the incident with that shithead Ashtner! If only we had someone¡­¡­ anyone¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof?¡¹

    Eliante''s eyes, which were barely holding on to sanity, caught hold of Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸Anyone¡­¡­¡¹

    Oh no, she''spletely locked onto us.

    ¡¸Tournament champion¡­ Giant wolf¡­¡­ Work¡­ Progress¡­¡­¡¹

    W-Why did you stop speaking inplete sentences? You''re scaring me!

    ¡ºLet''s get out of here!¡»

    ¡¸¡­? Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! Wait a minute! Let''s have a little chat!¡¹

    ¡¸No time. I need to meet up with Hilt.¡¹

    ¡¸Just a little of your time! Only a few weeks!¡¹

    Don''t call a few weeks "just a little"!

    ¡ºFran, Urushi, make a run for it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸No! Wait for me! Pleeeease!¡¹

 Chapter 759

    <h4>Chapter 759</h4>

    <h4>759: Reunion at Belioth</h4>

    ¡¸I see it.¡¹

    ¡ºWe''re ahead of schedule.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We managed to escape from the capital with Hilt and the others, fending off Eliante''s pursuit. Then a few dayster, we arrived at Lady Blue, the city where the Academy of Magic was located.

    When we crossed the border between Kranzel and Belioth, the calendar had already entered into the month of June.

    Man, Eliante was really persistent.

    I felt like she would be better off working instead of chasing after Fran, but I guess her pent up frustration had exploded.

    She was stressed about her job and lonely because her trusted friends had left her behind. And finally, she probably felt betrayed by Neidhart.

    Well, I think the reason why Neidhart did not tell Eliante anything was to protect her. The less she knew, the less risk she would be implicated as one of his aplices.

    In this world, you can prove you really don''t know anything because lie detection skills exist.

    She''s probably back to work in the capital by now, constantly mumbling herints.

    It''s her fault that we didn''t even get to say hello to Garrus and our other friends. That may be a pity, but I can''t me her.

    I can understand Eliante''s feelings very well.

    An ipetent boss who is constantly raising the workload¡­¡­ Never-ending paperwork¡­¡­ Overtime somehow not getting paid due topany regtions or ve-like contracts¡­¡­ Assholes who push work onto you and then quickly run away¡­¡­

    ¡ºUrgh! My head!¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºNo, it''s nothing.¡»

    That was close, I was about to fall to the dark side. Anyway, keep up the good work, Eliante! You can do it!

    While I was silently cheering for Eliante, Hilt noticed the city too.

    ¡¸So that''s the academy city.¡¹

    Indeed, the outer wall I remembered was visible over the mountains.

    ¡¸Hilt, is it your first time?¡¹

    ¡¸I have been to the Kingdom of Belioth several times, but never to that city. The high elf already takes care of all the high-ranked requests I would normally ept.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Hilt and the rest of the Dimitris group are with us, seven in total. You may think that''s not many, but it''s all about quality.

    ¡¸What about you, Colbert?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve been here a couple times. How about you, Phobos?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve never been here, sir!¡¹

    ¡¸Now that I think about it, you haven''t been out of Kranzel much, have you?¡¹

    ¡¸No, sir!¡¹

    Hilt, who had ascended to head of the school, had somewhat forced Colbert into returning with her authority. Phobos was a young rising star, and the four others were veteran disciples.

    One rank A, two rank B, three rank C, and one rank D. You could call it quite a powerful group.

    It was surprising that the weakest in the group was Phobos-kun, a rank D, who would be considered a middle-level adventurer anywhere else.

    If Phobos-kun could have run a little faster, we would have arrived a few days earlier.

    In the first ce, it was absurd to try following Urushi on foot, but such a feat was apparently expected from all of Dimitris'' disciples.

    I guess that is just another part of their training.

    I felt nothing but pity for him when he was made to drink a potion and continue running every time he reached his limit.

    And yet Fran showed interest in that? Maybe one day she will start running beside Urushi too.

    ¡¸Come on Phobos, we can take a short break when we get to town.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes sir!¡¹

    Hang in there, Phobos-kun. You went so hard that we''re ahead of schedule, so I can''t let you ride Urushi. If we had been behind schedule though, we could have carried you¡­¡­

    Two hourster.

    We arrived safely at Lady Blue and went to visit Weena. We were unapanied though, since the fact that Weena was weakened is top secret.

    I''m sure Hilt would love to enjoy her date with Colbert too. Of course, she hasn''t confessed her feelings yet, so they were more like ady and her baggage handler. Ugh, that sweet atmosphere was going to make me puke sugar!

    ¡¸Long time no see, Fran, Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYou''re¡­ still not looking so good.¡»

    ¡¸Heh, it can''t be helped.¡¹

    Weena was painful to look at, with bandages on the right half of her face and her right arm. As usual, she can''t move her right arm.

    The wavelength of her mana was disorderly and her life force felt weak. If you didn''t know any better, you might think that she had some illness. These were the effects of her Advance Loan that still remained.

    ¡¸So yourpanions are from the Dimitris school?¡¹

    ¡¸You knew?¡¹

    ¡ºDid you use spirit magic?¡»

    ¡¸I guess you could call it spirit magic, but it was Rhyn. When I''m synced with her, we share the same senses.¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s impressive.¡»

    A spirit caster can obtain information through the eyes and ears of the spirits they control.

    Even though her powers are currently greatly reduced, Weena and Rhyn are so close that they are able to synchronize with each other even great distances apart.

    ¡¸Wee back, Fran, Master. It''s been a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Rhyn. How are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess you could say I''m fine. That I can enjoy such peace and freedom is all thanks to you.¡¹

    The spirit Rhyn smiled at us. Her radiant smile was perfectly fitting for the maiden of theke.

    ¡¸I have heard what happened with Dimitris too. So those people are his recements?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºOne is the current head of the Dimitris school, though not as good as Dimitris himself¡­¡­¡»

    From Weena''s point of view, the rank S adventurer who was said to be on par with her had been reced by his granddaughter and other disciples, rank A and lower. It would be understandable if felt the recements were not sufficiently strong.

    That''s what I was thinking, but Weena and Rhyn had a different opinion.

    ¡¸A rank S who doesn''t listen to you, or rank A and B adventurers who do¡­ Honestly, which would be more useful¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean to say thetter?¡»

    ¡¸Right. I may not be one to talk, but I''m sure the country would be happier with thetter.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, I know how they feel, after seeing Dimitris personally.¡»

    It is hard to believe that the old man will fight obediently for any country. He is just as likely to achieve great things as he is to bring great troubles.

    I''m scared he would just beat the crap out of random nobles without a care in the world, not to mention how many fights he would pick with foreign nobles and adventurers.

    Hilt would definitely be easier to control. Perhaps it was because she had seen such a bad example up close, but she was very serious and earnest when dealing with requests.

    This time too, she was very careful not to miss the deadline of the request even while focusing on Phobos''s training.

    ¡¸I am certain both I and the country as a whole would agree with you.¡¹

    ¡ºI hope so.¡»

    After some small chat with Rhyn, we decided to leave.

    ¡ºWe should get going now. There''s plenty of room in the schedule still, but just in case something happens on the way there.¡»

    ¡¸Oh, wait a minute, I have a favor to ask you.¡¹

    ¡¸A favor?¡¹

    ¡¸I want you to take this to Gordicia.¡¹

    Weena took out an envelope. It had a wax seal with the symbol of a tree on it, and the whole envelope was slightly enveloped in magic. I guess she prepared this while we were talking.

    ¡¸What''s this? Who''s William?¡¹

    ¡¸William is a consultant magician working for the administrative council of Gordicia, as well as one of my apprentices. I want you to give him this letter and the reward for doing so is 100,000 gold. What do you say?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t mind. Is that all right?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. I''ll just put the letter into my dimensional storage.¡»

    ¡¸Be careful not to open the wax seal.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, we know.¡¹

    More business in Gordicia.

    Visiting the grave of Fran''s parents. Searching for Trismegistus. Meeting the bearer of the divine sword. Hunting antidemons. Not to mention that Ashwrath, Velmeria, and Frederick should be in Gordicia too.

    I''m both looking forward to it, and also a bit scared. I wonder what adventures await us in Gordicia?

 Chapter 760

    <h4>Chapter 760</h4>

    <h4>760: The Waters of Gordicia</h4>

    ¡¸Slurp¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIs it good?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran was lying on a deck chair that she had taken out for herself, drinking a tropical fruit juice. In front of the chair, Urushi was lying on the floor and acting as a footrest for her.

    His back was being lightly stomped by Fran''s feet, and he was squinting his eyes happily. Is that really what you want, Mr. Ragnarok Wolf?

    They gazed up at the blue sky, squinting against the gentle sea breeze.

    ¡¸Great weather.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºReally is. And it''s rare for a boat trip to be so trouble-free.¡»

    £¨They said we arrive today.£©

    Fran''s return to the Kingdom of Belioth was met with a rousing wee.

    Admiral Brunen even said, "You brought his disciples instead of Dimitris himself? ¡­Well done! This is more than I could have hoped for!", despite the fact that Hilt and her crew were right there.

    I''ll never forget the wry smile on Hilt''s face. She must have had some rough times.

    Brunen quickly realized how rude he was being and apologized to them. But there was no way to hide the look of joy on his face.

    Someone on Dimitris''s level would be needed to rece Weena Rhyn, but he must have had some concerns about actually hiring him.

    It seemed that they weighed the risk and the return, and the return just barely outweighed the risk.

    In the first ce, they were not sure if Dimitris would ept their request. It would have been a headache if Dimitris epted the request, but it would be a problem if he refused. They were in aplicated situation either way.

    However, as it turned out, they ended up with the main forces of the Dimitris school, with the rank A Hilt as leader. That was an unexpected windfall.

    If they wanted to hire Hilt and the Dimitris-style disciples in the first ce, it would be difficult to gather them. They were all active in different regions, and some of them would refuse to work depending on the nature of the job.

    That''s why they decided to take a chance and send a request to Dimitris instead.

    ¡¸Slurp¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You''re very rxed, aren''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Brunen.¡¹

    Brunen called out to Fran with a slight tone of disapproval, since she was just sitting around drinking a ss of juice. We nced over to see Admiral Brunen, who I would say looked more like a pirate than an admiral, standing next to the deck chair.

    ¡¸If you were any other adventurer, I''d be pissed at you for not doing your job¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We actually have been doing our job as escorts. After all, Urushi has killed all the high-level monsters that have appeared so far.

    When we brought over the shark monster, Brunen begged to buy it off of us, so we handed him everything but the magic stone. Apparently they could makeplete use of all the parts, like the shark fin and liver oil.

    It was quite a spectacle to see a huge shark of 10 meters ss being butchered on the deck.

    The ship we are now on is one of the few in Belioth that isrge enough to be capable of sea travel, capable of fitting several of those giant sharks. The size is probablyparable to therge vessels of themercial fleet we saw on theke.

    ¡¸With those sunsses on too¡­¡­ You''re certainly having fun, aren''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I don''t mind boats.¡¹

    We''ve had a lot of dangerous events happen when we go sailing, but Fran doesn''t seem to have developed a dislike for ships at all. Even though I wouldn''t be surprised if she was traumatized by the Leviathan encounter.

    Rather, she seems to have an image of a ship as a fun ce.

    ¡¸Sigh¡­¡­ Well I don''t mind that much.¡¹

    Besides, we already made an agreement that we are free to do whatever we want on the ship, as long as we perform our assigned tasks. You have no right toin if we rx a little!

    Well, if someone was lying down in vacation mode right next to the busy sailors, I can see why they would want to say something.

    ¡¸Enjoy the short rest of your cruise. There''s not much danger from here on out anyway.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? No monsters?¡¹

    We saw some powerful monsters in the area a few days ago. It wasn''t a bunch of krakens and water dragons like our voyage to the Beast Kingdom, but we did see a ship-eating shark that was threat level C.

    Or does he mean that the types of monsters inhabiting the area ahead changes drastically?

    ¡¸For some reason, no monsters appear from here on out. They say it''s the effect of the barrier, but I don''t know if it''s true or not.¡¹

    Apparently almost zero monsters live in the waters surrounding the Gordicia continent.

    There is no clear reason for this, so someone came up with the theory that it was due to the divine barrier, which is still believed to this day.

    ¡¸And the pirates aren''t stupid enough to go to work around here either.¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Aren''t there many ships from other continents?¡¹

    No monsters around would make it easy to lie in wait, and I''m sure there are plenty of ships that would be easy to attack. Many of them should be supply transports with few soldiers.

    ¡¸Look, if someone attacks a ship bound for Gordicia, they''re picking a fight with all the nations that are trying to do their Gordician Duty, right? With their honor on the line, navies from all over the world would move to crush the pirates immediately.¡¹

    They can''t afford to let the pirates go free, so it makes sense the various nations will deploy. If the pirates were allowed to run loose, it would affect their entire supply line.

    There apparently used to be some hard headed pirates in the past, but after much blood was spilt, pirates all over the world havee to understand that the area around Gordicia is a no-go zone.

    Nowadays, no pirate dares to enter these waters.

    ¡¸There is a slight fog, which is a sign that we are approaching the maind of Gordicia. We should be able to seend in less than an hour, so it''s about time to get ready fornding.¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t worry. I can put it all away.¡¹

    Brunen watched on with envy as she put the juice in dimensional storage right in front of him.

    ¡¸Man, such ridiculous abilities. Are you sure you don''t want to work for our country after all? I could ask the higher ups to give you a count title at least?¡¹

    ¡¸Unwanted.¡¹

    ¡¸I thought as much.¡¹

    Brunen would rather be voyaging on the open sea, orke I guess. However after several promotions, his career has been giving him more and more desk work, so he has little opportunity to sail anymore.

    He showed sympathy with Fran, who just dismissed the nobility title as "unwanted".

    ¡¸When we get on shore, we''ll rest for the night at the nned amodation. After that, it depends on the situation over there, but you''ll have to apany us on the first march, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    In Gordicia, we will be basically free to do whatever, but we won''t be released immediately. First, we will have to do a coborative hunt with the soldiers in Belioth''s assigned region.

    I guess they wanted us to keep an eye on the soldiers who were unustomed to Gordicia, at least until they got used to it. Once we had achieved a certain level of sess, we were free to go on our own.

    ¡¸I''m looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder how many people in this world would share that sentiment¡­¡­ You really are high ranking adventurer.¡¹

    Brunen looked even more dismayed than when he saw Fran in vacation mode.

    You mean to say that you''re amazed that Fran is so dang strong, right? You better not be meaning that she''s a weirdo like those other high ranking adventurers.

    Don''t you dare topare Fran with them!

 Chapter 761

    <h4>Chapter 761</h4>

    <h4>761: Western Cooperative Port</h4>

    ¡¸Is that Gordicia?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure is! You can clearly see the barrier at this distance.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    No wonder Fran and Urushi were so impressed.

    Just like we''ve heard, the continent of Gordicia visible from the ship was covered by a translucent dome. But seeing it in person was even more impressive than we had imagined.

    The huge translucent dome, which could easily be mistaken for a giant mountain range, stood tall above the white mist that covered the sea.

    If someone told you this was an act of God, you could not help but agree.

    It also looked a little science fictiony. Like if the underwater city of the super advanced civilization Antis had risen to the surface of the sea.

    Our ship was getting closer and closer to the giant dome, and the continent of Gordicia.

    ¡¸It gets foggier from here, so we''ll follow the guide lights.¡¹

    The area around the Gordicia continent was constantly foggy. There would be a high possibility of idents if shipse and go as they pleased.

    So they have installed something simr to a lighthouse in the harbor, and by following its light, they would reduce the number of idents that ur.

    The blue light shining on us indicated the arrivalsne, and the red light in the distance was the departurene. They really thought this through, huh?

    While Brunen returned to the cabin for a moment to deliver some instructions, Fran sat at the bow of the ship gazing at the continent of Gordicia.

    Her face showed a variety of emotions. Not only curiosity and anticipation, but also anxiety and mncholy at the same time.

    ¡¸The fog is lifting.¡¹

    ¡¸Once we get closer to the continent, the fog will almostpletely disappear.¡¹

    As the ship continued forward, the fog suddenly thinned, then dissipated.

    We were greeted by a huge port, farrger than we had imagined.

    The port of Bulbora was also quiterge, but it was nothingpared to this port. Bulbora was even supposed to be one of thergest ports on that continent, capable of holding more than a hundred vessels.

    By all ounts, this was more than ten times the size of Bulbora. The number of ships in the harbor was too many to count at a nce.

    Moreover, half of them were super-sized ships like the one we were on now. The sight of these huge ships in a row was simply spectacr.

    ¡¸Western Cooperative Port of the Gordicia Continent. As you can clearly see, it''s one of the biggest ports in the world.¡¹

    ¡¸Are there other ports as big as this one?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, and all of them are in Gordicia.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸There are equallyrge ports on every side of Gordicia: North, South, East, and West.¡¹

    These were four huge ports funded and built by all the nations of the world. They were treated asmon properties, used for the defense of the world, and ced under the joint control of all nations.

    He said they made an organization to manage the facilities of Gordicia, but it was apparently not supposed to be beholden to any country.

    ¡¸"Supposed to"? Then what''s the truth?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it''s not like there''s one country controlling everything behind the scenes or anything. It''s just that the will of a small country with little money is not always taken into ount.¡¹

    While they say it is under joint control, things were more likely to reflect the opinions of the major powers. That said, no country forced extreme disadvantages to others, or tried to privatize the facilities of Gordicia.

    That would be condemned by the rest of the world and, in some cases, be used as an excuse for war.

    In the end, the only thing any country could do was to provide a certain amount of funds or forces, and solemnly fulfill their Gordician Duty.

    After that, the ship we are on slowly entered the harbor, guided by the harbor staff.

    Oh, and we haven''t passed through the barrier yet. The divine barrier was a little smaller in diameter than the continent of Gordicia. This meant the coastal area, including the harbor, waspletely outside the barrier.

    The distance from us to the barrier was about 300 meters. It looked like a huge ss wall was plopped down in front of us.

    ¡ºMan, there are so many ships from different countries¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    As I observed the ships, I noticed that they were flying a variety of gs.

    It seems rare to find a country with only one ship like the Kingdom of Belioth. Some countries even hadrge fleets containing dozens of ships.

    As I was watching the other ships, Brunen came over and called out to Fran.

    ¡¸We''re disembarking. All personnel except those in charge of the ship are to move to our lodgings.¡¹

    ¡¸Aren''t you going to put the ship away?¡¹

    ¡¸In Gordicia, no one will bother us for leaving our ship in the harbor. We''ll need to unload our supplies too, right? And we didn''t bring the storage with us in the first ce.¡¹

    The Kingdom of Belioth was and without ports. They had sailors since there was a hugeke, but not many people were capable of sailing on the distant seas.

    There were only three naval admirals, including Brunen, and they deployed only when the Gordician Duty required them to travel between continents.

    In a country like that, there were not many ships for sea travel, nor could they be kept afloat on the sea on a regr basis.

    Therefore, they used a special magic item to store the huge ship, and when needed, they rented a port in another country to set sail.

    I thought that they would do so this time as well, but it seems that there is no problem in keepingrge ships afloat in the huge ports of Gordicia.

    Leaving the unloading to the soldiers, Fran disembarked from the ship with Brunen. We joined up with Hilt and the others who have already disembarked.

    ¡¸Hiltoria-dono, the cargo will be carried by the soldiers. I believe we should head for our quarters for now, is that alright with you?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll leave the decisions to you since I was only hired.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    Brunen''s words were brief, but they felt strangely heavy. It was not only me, Hilt felt it too. She wore an expression of doubt.

    ¡¸Hahaha¡­ Strong people generally have an ego to match, like a certain high elf¡­¡­¡¹

    You''reparing her to Weena Rhyn? Well yeah, I suppose Hilt would look well-behavedpared to her.

    ¡¸I heard that adventurers are basically free to do as they please, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸Our country wants a small number of elites, so we hire adventurers of rank B or higher in most cases. Rather than incorporating them into our forces, we get better results if they are given free reign.¡¹

    ¡¸I see what you mean.¡¹

    ¡¸Besides, we usually have Weena Rhyn-dono, so we had little need for anyone else.¡¹

    Normally, Weena Rhyn would do the work of thousands of soldiers. That''s why they wanted Dimitris instead.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you sure you''ll be okay this time?¡¹

    ¡¸It might be tough. We''ll be relying on you guys for the results.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ Then let us group with your main forces. I can''t say that I am capable of recing Weena Rhyn-sama, but it''s always better to have more hands, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, but we are not used to the continent of Gordicia either. It would be nice if you could give us some instructions.¡¹

    ¡¸You don''t mind if I order you around?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s alright with me.¡¹

    ¡¸Truly! It''s been so long since I''ve had a high-ranking adventurer who listens to mymand. I look forward to working with you!¡¹

    Hey, why did you nce at us like that? Fran has listened to everything you said.

    I knew it! This wise guy must think of Fran as a freak.

    Fine. I''ll make sure he fully understands that Fran is a good, honest and pure girl by the time this job is over!

 Chapter 762

    <h4>Chapter 762</h4>

    <h4>762: A Beautiful and Boring Port</h4>

    On the way to our assigned quarters, we tried asking him about the administrative council. We needed to deliver a letter to the consultant William, but we didn''t know where he was.

    ¡¸The administrative council? There''s one here, they have a branch in each port.¡¹

    ¡¸Where are the consultants?¡¹

    ¡¸Consultants? Not sure, I don''t know that much about the details.¡¹

    Then, it would be quickest to go to the branch office and ask them directly.

    ¡¸The branch office is located in the center of the port, so you should be able to find it easily. The branch itself is not a big building, but it has a sign.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s not big?¡¹

    ¡¸There''s no need to show off your authority here, so it''s more of a simple and sturdy building. They''re all civilians and don''t have much in the way of military strength.¡¹

    ¡¸No soldiers?¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    Brunen gave us a brief description of the administrative council.

    ¡¸The main work of the administrative council is the management and maintenance of the facilities on the continent of Gordicia. It also coordinates the informationing from all over Gordicia and distributes the forces using that information. That''s about it.¡¹

    The administrative council was staffed mostly by civilian officials dispatched from various countries and had almost no forces of its own. At best, they had a few security guards. They also managed the ves who have been sent to Gordicia for serious crimes, but there was a special subordinate organization for that.

    I had been thinking of it as a group of warriors and knights that keep the fight going in Gordicia, but it seems like an organization that did little fighting of its own.

    ¡¸Consultant is a position held by a person who has been working for the council for many years.¡¹

    Staying in Gordicia for an extended period of time is tough for any normal person. It is even more so for an untrained civilian or themon foot soldier.

    Therefore, it is expected that members of the council will be reced after a few years. However, there were some who wanted to stay on the continent because of a sense of fulfillment, a sense of duty, or for other reasons.

    While motivated and experienced people can be very useful, it can be a problem if the number of such people continues to increase.

    If those employed by the council are not reced, other countries will not be able to send their own men. In other words, it is no longer possible to cook the books by sending civilian officials rather thanbatants when fulfilling the Gordician Duty. This was a problem for many of the smaller countries.

    So there was a negotiation between the organization and various countries, and they created the position of consultant for those who wanted to stay for an extended period of time.

    ¡¸Oh, we can see the housing amodation now.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­There?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that''s it.¡¹

    ¡¸A mansion?¡¹

    Just as Fran had muttered, the lodgings assigned to the Kingdom of Belioth werepletely different from what she had imagined.

    I had heard that it was for a small group of people, so I thought it would be something like a small country inn. The inns around the port were simple and in, just like what I was thinking.

    But what appeared before us was a nobleman''s mansion. Smaller in size, to be sure, but still¡­¡­

    ¡¸Here we are again this year. I did ask them to lower the grade too¡­¡­¡¹

    Brunen said that as he chuckled.

    Apparently, the council was ounting for Weena Rhyn, and this was the ce to which she was assigned every time.

    Even though authority is meaningless in Gordicia, it is not possible to put the royalty of arge country or rted persons in general dormitories. There are special housing and VIP rooms for high-ranking nobles.

    The mansion in front of us was a special house rented to such people and their attendants. Well, Weena Rhyn is one of the most powerful people in the world, so perhaps it is only natural that she should be given special treatment.

    It seemed that this amodation was rented to Belioth again mostly since it was a customary practice, although the fact that Weena Rhyn was not avable this time had been reported to the organizers.

    ¡¸I guess it can''t be helped¡­¡­ I''m a noble too, so it''s notpletely wrong.¡¹

    Brunen is still a count. He could even be considered a marquis-level in a small country.

    ¡¸I''ll prepare you a room. Ask the clerks for itter.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, can I go to the administrative council or the Adventurers Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure. We''re deploying in four days, so do whatever you want in the meanwhile. Just don''t bete, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, and if you get in trouble with any of the other countries, just mention Weena Rhyn-dono''s name. That''s usually enough to get them to back off.¡¹

    So you tell us to push all the trouble onto Weena Rhyn, rather than not getting into trouble in the first ce?

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸If at all possible, it''s best if you don''t get into trouble, but¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran nodded vigorously, which seemed to make him feel a little uneasy. He doesn''t trust us at all.

    Brunen, who seemed anxious to the very end, saw Fran off as she headed back to the port. Normally in a port of this size, there would be a lot of ruffians walking around, but there were almost no such people in Gordicia.

    There were knights and soldiers walking all over the ce, so adventurers were careful not to get off on the wrong foot.

    No food stalls or anything either. The wide, clean harbor stretched as far as the eye could see.

    I had an image of the Gordicia continent as the ce where fierce battles against antidemons are waged one after another¡­¡­

    But the ports where the armies of various countries were stationed are the exact opposite.

    I guess that''s to be expected.

    ¡¸Dwarves.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    A group of dwarven warriors silently advanced in front of us. Seeing as they were all dwarves, maybe they were from some kind of dwarven country?

    All of them looked pretty strong too. Fran''s eyes lit up.

    The way they lined up neatly and marched without any words was the splitting image of a perfect army. No one would be stupid enough tomit a crime in such a ce full of people like them.

    Fran watched the march of the dwarves for a while, but soon got tired of it. No wonder, since they''re literally just walking around.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Boring.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    In the end, we easily reached the administrative council building without getting into any fights or finding any food stalls.

    It didn''t even take us fifteen minutes from our lodgings, huh?

    As Brunen said, it was an unassuming two-story building, mostly made of wood. If it wasn''t for the sign, I might have thought it was an inn.

    ¡ºWell, let''s go ask if our consultant William is here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 763

    <h4>Chapter 763</h4>

    <h4>763: Muscled Elf</h4>

    Administrative Council, Western Branch. I had expected to see a more formal organization, but the atmosphere inside was surprisingly rxed.

    The security guards near the entrance were smiling and helpful, and thedy at the reception desk even offered us tea and snacks. It reminded me of the time when I went to a homey medium-small sizedpany office for a sales presentation.

    Moreover, when we told her that we wanted to know which branch office the consultant William was in, we were shown into his room after about thirty minutes.

    I was kinda stunned because I thought we were just going to find out where he was today. What surprised me even more was that we could meet him right away just because he was in this branch.

    The adventurer''s card with rank B and the letter with Weena Rhyn''s name on it seemed to have done the trick.

    Still, the attitude of the staff did not change, indicating that they were ustomed to dealing with these sorts of big shots. It was not just a matter of beingx.

    ¡¸Wee. I''m William.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fran, the adventurer.¡¹

    I was also surprised by William''s appearance. The guide told me that the consultant we were looking for was an elf magician, so I had imagined a handsome elf in a robe¡­¡­

    ¡¸You''re an elf magician?¡¹

    ¡¸Bwahahaha! To survive on this continent, you can''t just sit back and shoot sorcery! Even magicians must train their bodies!¡¹

    William had a very masculine face and apletely ripped body. He was probably only a little over 170 cm tall, but he must have weighed over 100 kilograms.

    He was wearing leather armor covered with scratches, with a huge mace propped up on the wall of his room. This was clearly the room of a veteran warrior.

    The only elvish part about him was the long ears and blond hair. I have to say this is my first time seeing an elf less elvish than Freon.

    ¡¸And if you''re goingment on my strange appearance, you''re kind of the same way, no?¡¹

    ¡¸Me?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Rank B at your age? Either your strength is the real dead, or you are very talented at fraud.¡¹

    Although I don''t want to hear that from a race-fraud muscr elf, it is true that Fran''s appearance is misleading.

    ¡¸So I heard you brought me a letter from my master¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Here. I don''t know what''s in it. I was just told to give it to William the consultant.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I''ll take a look inside.¡¹

    William opened the envelope handed to him by Fran and began to read it. He looked concerned at first, but when he reached the end of the envelope, his face rxed.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, my master has taken a liking to you it seems. She went out of her way to write at the end that she owes you a debt of gratitude, and that I should assist you if you were in any trouble.¡¹

    Weena, this is what you put in the letter? Despite her appearances, it seems she really did feel a great debt to us.

    ¡¸My mentor, who was always seemingly kind and yetpletely uninterested in everyone¡­ I never thought she would care so much about another person like this¡­¡­¡¹

    That''s a very apt description. It perfectly described Weena Rhyn¨D¨D especially Weena who was only interested in Rhyn.

    ¡¸Now I have to treat you well! So, is there anything I can help you with? This is the perfect opportunity for me to indirectly put my master in my debt, so I''ll spare no pains.¡¹

    T-That''s really blunt! But it is helpful too, since there is some information we need to know.

    ¡¸I need to know something.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? What kind of things are we talking about?¡¹

    ¡¸First, the location of Trismegistus.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I want to meet the legendary alchemist. I also need directions to a vige called Castel and the locations of two rank S¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸H-Hold your horses there! One at a time! So what was that about Trismegistus?¡¹

    William interrupted Fran with a puzzled look.

    ¡¸You really want to see Trismegistus?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Weena Rhyn said he is still deep in this continent, continuing to fight.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s why she sent this letter¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸If I go deep into the continent, will I be able to see him?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­¡¹

    William was clearly hesitating to speak. Come to think of it, we''re dealing with the worst criminal in the history of mankind. Maybe he''s not the kind of person you can just go and see.

    ¡¸Why do you want to see him?¡¹

    ¡¸I can''t tell you.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean to say that it''s a personal reason?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ First of all, he''s located in the middle of this continent, living in the former royal castle of the Dragonkin Kingdom. He should be there, constantly fighting daily with the Abyss Eater.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it, the castle in the center.¡¹

    ¡¸However, just going there doesn''t mean you will be able to meet him. Trismegistus'' castle has a barrier surrounding it, so no one without permission is allowed to enter or leave.¡¹

    ¡¸How can I get permission?¡¹

    ¡¸Let''s see¡­¡­ Even if you have a rmendation from my master, you will need to earn a little more trust. If you hunt antidemons on this continent and umte enough achievements, then perhaps you will get permission.¡¹

    William said that in order to enter the castle of Trismegistus, we would need permission from the heads of each branch.

    It seems that only those with outstanding achievements are allowed to enter the castle, although there are exceptions in the case of direct visits by another country''s king.

    ¡¸In other words, I should just do my best in Gordicia?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yes I suppose you can put it that way. It would be best if you take it as a request from the Adventurers Guild, so your aplishments will be more visible. The main goal is to be able to prove you have made a significant contribution to the continent.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. I''ll do my best.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do, and good luck. All we can give you is permission to enter the castle, so we can''t guarantee that you''ll be able to meet Trismegistus in one piece.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Many historians, ywrights, and what-not havee wanting to see him. Some of them were backed by major powers, so we had no choice but to grant them permission. However¡­¡­¡¹

    William shrugged with a bitter expression.

    ¡¸Every time there are people who get killed for pissing off Trismegistus.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that allowed?¡¹

    ¡¸It can''t be helped. Just because the gods dered him a sinner doesn''t mean he''s in our custody. It''s not like we can give him any orders.¡¹

    I had imagined Trismegistus to be more like a prisoner, a man who is bound and controlled. But surprisingly, he seems to have a lot of freedom.

    ¡¸We do officially mark them as "missing". ¡­¡­Anyways, we are always the ones receivingints from the various countries, so it''s very frustrating. If you wanted to meet him to satisfy your curiosity, just stop.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. I''ll be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. There was something else you wanted to ask me? The location of a vige?¡¹

    ¡¸The vige of Castel. I have a map. Here.¡¹

    Fran took out the map that Amanda had given her and showed it to William.

    ¡¸It does indeed say Castel¡­¡­ Wait just a minute.¡¹

    William took out a thin book from his bookshelf and started to flip through it. It seemed to be a map book of this continent.

    ¡¸It''s not listed here¡­¡­ Must be an illegal vige then¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Illegal vige?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. There are several viges and towns in the interior of Gordicia that were created by criminals, hermits, runaway ves and the like. Castel is most likely one of them.¡¹

 Chapter 764

    <h4>Chapter 764</h4>

    <h4>764: Illegal Viges</h4>

    Many different kinds of peoplee to the continent of Gordicia.

    Soldiers dispatched from various countries, and criminal ves who serve as meatshields. Adventurers looking for a ce to train, and criminals escaping thew.

    On the continent of Gordicia, where there is always a need for troops, any human being is wee. Well, I''m sure criminals can''t walk around in broad daylight¡­ except for those at Ashwrath''s level, of course.

    If they change their names and work hard, no one would give a damn about their past.

    That''s why many criminalse to this continent. There are even brokers on the other continents who transport criminals here on a daily basis.

    But even here, criminals will be easily caught if they try tomit crimes. They are, after all, surrounded by knights and soldiers.

    In that sense, you could say the ports of Gordicia were the most difficult ces in the world to get away with a crime.

    ¡¸But all of that only applies to the outside of the barrier. Once inside, you are in the belly of the beast, where thew is meaningless.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Criminals can do what they want?¡¹

    ¡¸In some regions, yes. There are criminals who go into the barrier and squat down wherever they want, nevering back out.¡¹

    ¡¸You can live inside the barrier?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s not impossible.¡¹

    The inside of the barrier is filled to the brim with the body of the Abyss Eater. However, since the body is demi-spiritual in nature, it is invisible to the naked eye and has no physical presence.

    The air from outside the barrier flows in, allowing for humans to survive. Moreover, the inside still hasnd, nts, and creatures. It even has rivers andkes.

    ¡¸Didn''t the Abyss Eater eat everything? Yet there''s still nts and animals?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s correct. It does eat everything, but it all depends on the efficiency.¡¹

    Though the Abyss Eater is said to devour everything, it has a special way of eating. It creates monsters called "antidemons"[1] and absorbs the energy that the antidemons eat.

    Antidemons can eat anything. Soil, living creatures, mana, and even evil energy. However, they seem to have a preference, or rather, a priority.

    They focus on things with more mana. The more mana you have, the more delicious you are to the antidemons.

    That''s why every single magical beast disappeared from the continent immediately after the birth of the Abyss Eater. There must have been dragons and other high-ranking monsters before, but they could do little when swarmed by an endless flood of antidemons.

    After devouring all the magical beasts, the antidemons next targeted magical trees and spirit nts packed with mana. And after that, humanity.

    ¡¸If all the humans disappear, that''s when they may begin eating the earth and grass. But as long as we continue to fight on thisnd, the antidemons will scour the entire area inside the barrier in search of humans, without so much as a nce for anything else.¡¹

    So as long as human forces are stationed within the barrier, the antidemons will continue to target them. It seems what we call the Gordician Duty is actually the battle to protect the continent itself from the appetites of the antidemons.

    ¡¸Let''s go back to talking about the viges. Antidemons show up within the Abyss Eater. In other words, they can spring up anywhere on this continent.¡¹

    ¡¸They spring up¡­¡­?¡¹

    You said they "spring up", bute to think of it, exactly how antidemons are created?

    ¡¸Indeed. From our point of view, they seem to appear out of nowhere. But there are certain patterns in how they appear.¡¹

    Apparently the closer to the center of the continent you are, the more powerful antidemons are born.

    ¡¸But not only that, the number of antidemons produced also depends on the location. For some reason, there are ces where antidemons do not spring up at all. That''s where we build towns.¡¹

    Makes sense. If antidemons do not appear and agriculture is possible, it may not be impossible to make a living. Assuming you are capable of fighting off the antidemons invading from outside, that is.

    ¡¸But there are also towns and viges that are outside the control of the administrative council. In some areas where antidemons are less likely to appear, criminals and fugitives created towns and viges of their own.¡¹

    ¡¸Less likely, so still a few?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. The people that live within those towns need to be able to defeat the antidemons that sometimes appear within their walls. Towns and viges like these are created and sometimes even destroyed without our knowledge. We just can''t keep track of all of them.¡¹

    So that''s what he meant by the illegal viges and towns, ouws just made them without official permission.

    ¡¸Castel must be one of those illegal viges.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ Is it a crime to go there?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it is not. In the first ce, illegal viges are generally tolerated, since they are required for adventurers to operate in the area. Besides, those that live there have no choice but to continue to hunt antidemons. They are a necessary evil that no one wants to touch upon.¡¹

    So in conclusion, there are still some problems with them, but they are tolerated because the benefits are greater. Adventurers in Gordicia often used them as temporary bases of operation.

    ¡¸So adventurers can go and enter illegal viges?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, they are a good source of information and a ce to exchange goods. There are even inns in some viges. Besides, they would just be a target of elimination if they caused too much trouble.

    It might be better to think of them as recluse hideouts rather than dangerous viges filled with criminals.

    Then why were Fran''s parents in such a vige? I never heard of themmitting any crimes¡­¡­

    ¡¸Hey, is anyone ever taken as an illegal ve and sold to other continents?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why would you ask that?¡¹

    William gave Fran a probing look. He might have been on his guard for the first time since we arrived, but Fran readily answered his question.

    ¡¸Because I was one. I lived in a vige on this continent, and after Mom and Dad were killed, I was captured as an illegal ve and taken to Kranzel.¡¹

    It is not something to be spoken of lightly, but Fran herself did notmit any crimes. Her time as a ve was unpleasant to say the least, but it does not diminish her value.

    Fran herself knew that too. She spoke of her past as a ve inly, without any self-deprecation.

    ¡¸That''s¡­¡­ I see, so that''s why you want to go to Castel.¡¹

    ¡¸To visit their graves.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it, then I will give you as much assistance as I can. I''ll write a letter of introduction to the Adventurers Guild, which should let them show you thetest maps and other information. But about the ve traders¡­¡­¡¹

    William''s voice faltered slightly. But then, as if he had resolved himself, he opened his mouth.

    ¡¸We have learned that arge ve trafficking ring has infiltrated the continent. There are apparently several countries working together to transport illegal ves off the continent.¡¹

    ¡¸Can''t you check the ships?¡¹

    ¡¸We don''t have the authority to do that. There''s hardly anything of value worth the risk to export in the first ce.¡¹

    The magical metals had been consumed by the antidemons. There were no magical beasts or spirit nts. The antidemons themselves also couldn''t pass through the barrier.

    Since there were no goods worth smuggling off the continent of Gordicia, there was no one on the lookout for smuggling and nows to control it.

    In addition, the people who squat within the barrier are still considered illegal aliens, even if they are tolerated. No country would ensure the human rights of such people, and it was not worth the trouble of the administrative council to protect them.

    The smuggling of illegal ves apparently exploited all those factors.

    ¡¸Watch out for the blue cats.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­They are the ones smuggling illegal ves?¡¹

    ¡¸I can''t say any more than that because I have no proof. The Adventurers Guild should have more information.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    I could see the motivation ring up inside her.

    ¡ºFran¡­ Just so you know, safety first, okay?¡»

    £¨I know.£©

    This is not going to be just a simple grave visit, is it?

    ===== (Trantion notes)

    [1] antidemon (¿¹Ä§) - A monster created by the Abyss Eater to deal with foreign beings inside of it, simr to how humans have antibodies.

 Chapter 765

    <h4>Chapter 765</h4>

    <h4>765: Season of Incursion</h4>

    ¡¸Now all that''s left is the matter of where to find the rank S adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Isario and Ashwrath.¡¹

    ¡¸As for Isario-dono, he should be in the East Port. If you head to the Adventurers Guild there, you may be able to find out more about his location.¡¹

    That''s on the opposite side of the continent from our current location, since we''re in the West Port¡­ It would be a bit scary to go through the entirety of Gordicia while we''re still new here.

    Let''s try meeting him when we''re done with the grave visit.

    ¡¸What about Ashwrath?¡¹

    ¡¸We know he is in the continent, but we don''t know his current whereabouts. Since he is a rank S adventurer, we should be getting information about him, but¡­¡­¡¹

    If he entered the barrier and was operating in an illegal vige or simr location, it seems they would not know his exact location.

    I guess we have no choice but to look for Ashwrath ourselves. Well, it is not absolutely necessary to meet him, so we can just consider ourselves lucky if we do find him.

    ¡¸Isario is fine, but you know Ashwrath is a dangerous man, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I know. We''ve met.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, then carry on.¡¹

    I can understand why he was worried. The person he was told to help is trying to make contact with a dangerous rank S adventurer.

    William was relieved to hear that Fran knew him.

    ¡¸Thanks for the information. You were a great help.¡¹

    Fran bowed her head and started to get up from her chair, but William stopped her.

    ¡¸Just a minute. I still have more information to give you!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s currently the season of incursion. Don''t do anything rash, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Incursion?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s a period of time where the antidemons increase in both number and strength, happening once every few years.¡¹

    It seems the creation of antidemons is not uniform with time.

    Some years there are very few antidemons, and other years there are unusuallyrge numbers. The most dangerous period is called the "season of incursion".

    They don''t know exactly when the season wille, and it may evene two years in a row. It had apparently been five years since thest season, so it was predicted toe very soon.

    ¡¸More and stronger antidemons, that''s it?¡¹

    ¡¸Not only that, there are more and more sightings of Uniques.¡¹

    These "Unique" antidemons are said to be powerful individuals with characteristics and abilities not found in ordinary antidemons.

    No two Uniques were ever the same, and there are still many mysteries about how and why they appear.

    In the first ce, ordinary antidemons are roughly ssified into five different types.

    Swordsman-type antidemons are about the size of goblins and mainly engage in meleebat.

    The archer-type is even smaller than the swordsman-type and shoots magic bullets from a distance.

    The knight-type is about the size of an ogre and is capable of fighting in both close and long rangebat.

    The beast-type walks on four legs and can vary widely in size, from as small as a puppy to asrge as a house.

    And finally the cannon-type. Thergest confirmed sighting of them was as big as a fortress, and they specialize in long range mass area attacks.

    This was the information on basic antidemons. No one knew if they were intelligent or not, but they do attack humans in while working inrge groups.

    It is impossible to negotiate or coexist with them, so the battle will continue until one side is annihted.

    ¡¸Ordinary antidemons are often led by knight-types or beast-types. However inrge groups, they may bemanded by a Unique.¡¹

    ¡¸Are they strong?¡¹

    ¡¸It varies widely, but I''ve heard of a Unique who couldpete with a rank S.¡¹

    Oh man, that''s crazy. If they couldpete with a rank S, then that''s a minimum threat level of A.

    ¡¸However, a Unique that powerful has only been sighted once a few hundred years ago. Not that it changes the fact that they are still very strong. I''d say they are B level threats on average.¡¹

    Good to hear. It would be nothing short of a nightmare to go somewhere filled with A level threats.

    ¡¸But if you''re going to Castel, you might want to hurry up.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Among the Uniques born during the season of incursion, the most well-known is the upier-type.¡¹

    This upier-type aggressively attacks viges and towns, devouring everything there and turning them into antidemon strongholds.

    Towns and viges within the barrier of the Gordicia continent are located in safe zones where antidemons do not or rarely spring up.

    However, after the upier-type takes them over, they are no longer safe zones. Antidemons will begin to spring up in them normally.

    ¡¸Of course, Castel must have been built in a safe zone. If that is the case¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Could it be attacked?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. You wanted to visit a grave, right? If the upier-type destroys Castel, then everything in the area will be consumed. People, houses, graves, everything.¡¹

    Fran heard William''s words and immediately stood up, kicking her chair away. Her face was covered in panic.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I have to hurry.¡¹

    ¡¸Hold on.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, we can''t go immediately either way. There''s Belioth''s request still.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran bit her lip.

    She still had enough of her wits to not dump the request and go to Castel right away, but her impatience was getting the better of her.

    ¡¸Don''t worry, Fran. There''s still time.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m sorry for making you feel rushed, but the season of incursion is not yet in full swing. There have been only a few sightings of the scout-type antidemons, which are said to only show up during the season.¡¹

    The scout-type is said to be a spider-like antidemon about the size of a human head, and is mainly engaged in information gathering.

    ¡¸The upier-type does not appear until a few days after the scout-type has been seen inrge numbers. That means there is at least a week before the full-scale incursion.¡¹

    So Castel is still safe for the time being. If we hurry after finishing the request, we should have plenty of time.

    ¡¸Besides, just because the season has begun does not mean that the number of upier-types will immediately increase. They tend to begin their attacks starting from the towns near the center of the continent. The map you brought with you only gives us a rough idea of where Castel is, but I would say they have about ten days.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹

    However, this means we don''t have time to fool around anymore. We should get to Castel as soon we can.

 Chapter 766

    <h4>Chapter 766</h4>

    <h4>766: Antidemon Card</h4>

    After leaving the administration council branch office, we went to the Adventurers Guild.

    It was a huge building at the end of the harbor. It seems to have lodging facilities as well, so it would need to be this big. They are in charge of managing all the adventurers here.

    ording to William, "Unlike the center of the port where there are many soldiers, this ce is full of ruffians. Be careful."

    Many of the adventurers on this continent have their own reasons for staying here, such as just being battle-hungry or because they caused an incident that made it difficult for them to remain in their home country.

    There was no way that a ce where such people gathered could be ssy.

    ¡¸Gyahahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Cheers!¡¹

    ¡¸Lucky bastard!¡¹

    ¡¸You want a fight?!¡¹

    The noise from the bar attached to the guild was so damn loud. However, a faint smile appeared on Fran''s face, overwriting her face from thinking about Castel.

    Fran is already a full adventurer. She seems to feel more at home in this crude and dirty guild than in the clean and beautiful harbor.

    ¡¸Ah? Why is there a kid here?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey. Who the fuck is she? Did I get too drunk?¡¹

    The adventurers at the guild counter looked puzzled at the sight of Fran. Some were rubbing their eyes.

    Rather than trying to pick a fight, they looked more as if they couldn''t understand why such a child would be in the Adventurers Guild on the continent of Gordicia.

    On other continents, it is possible for aspiring adventurers from the neighborhood toe into the guild. But such a thing would never happen on this continent, since practically no civilians lived here.

    Besides, Fran was clearly dressed as an adventurer. It was clear to everyone that she didn''te here to y.

    Fran walked past the still bewildered adventurers and arrived at the counter.

    ¡¸Hey¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Oh yes, wee!¡¹

    The receptionist hurriedly responded. But, like the adventurers, she too looked puzzled.

    ¡¸Y-You''re an adventurer, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    As expected, children as young as Fran were rare here.

    ¡¸I see. So you''re hunting antidemons? Did youe to this continent alone?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve been requested by a country, but I''ve been told I''m free to do whatever after helping out first.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Was there a country that offers such favorable conditions?¡¹

    Indeed, the contract seemed too good to be true for adventurers, which is rare outside of the Kingdom of Belioth.

    ¡¸So, I heard that I can get a request here.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that''s right. We generally send help to viges and forts in need. We also receive requests to participate in the operations of various nations, and requests from royalty and nobility.¡¹

    ¡¸Countries hire adventurers here?¡¹

    ¡¸Quite often. They lose troops while staying here, or sometimes break up with the adventurers they had previously hired.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. But I don''t want to be employed by a country.¡¹

    It didn''t surprise the receptionist to hear that she does not want to be employed by a country. I bet many adventurers are like that.

    ¡¸In that case, your main job would be to hunt antidemons and help out viges in need.¡¹

    Since antidemons eat up all the medicinal herbs, there were almost no requests to collect them. However, this didn''t mean that there were no delivery requests.

    Apparently they will pay a high price for hunting ordinary animals for food. Not even magical beasts, normal animals.

    Of course, antidemons also eat animals, but they generally target humans if they are present. Animals are apparently actually prettymon on the continent, especially in areas close to the barrier.

    ¡¸Even if you do not ept a request, we rmend that you make an antidemon card.¡¹

    ¡¸Antidemon card? Like an adventurer''s card?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that''s right. If you make an antidemon card, it will detect the antidemons you have killed and automatically tally up how much you have contributed to the antidemon hunt.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that''s great. I''d love to have one.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. Then I will make it right¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Gyahaha! A kid like you doesn''t need an antidemon card!¡¹

    ¡¸You''ll die soon anyway!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    Fran was about to apply for the card when a drunk adventurer interrupted. He seems to be pretty smashed, since he can barely walk straight.

    The drunken adventurers had moved all the way from the bar to the counter, just to look down at Fran with grins on their reddened faces.

    One seemed as if he was about to reach his hand out to Fran. The girl at the reception desk looked on nervously.

    Fran, on the other hand¡­¡­ was clearly happy to see this. Just when she was starting to get a little irritated, she found someone to help her relieve her stress.

    ¡¸Ah? What the fuck is so funny?¡¹

    Fran''s smile became wider when she saw the adventurer getting angry for no real reason.

    It can''t be helped. Let''s allow Fran to relieve some of her stress. Don''t worry, we won''t leave any scars.

    ¡¸Hey, stop it! You''ll scare the neer!¡¹

    ¡¸Ha-ha-ha! This little brat is¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸What the fucking hell are you idiots doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Bwagr!¡¹

    ¡¸Bugyah!¡¹

    Fran was about to take a step forward when¡­ the drunks were blown away. The one responsible was a dwarf who came running out from the back of the guild.

    ¡¸Hah, hah¡­¡­ You damn idiots! Pick a fight only when you know their strength!¡¹

    The dwarf gasped for breath, then shouted with a pathetic look on his face.

    ¡¸I''m the one who has to fix this now, you ipetent dimwits!¡¹

    That''s a hell of a rant.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? W-What are you ring at me for?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s nothing.¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, I-I was just trying to help¡­¡­ N-Not really sure why, but sorry? I''m Dalho, the guildmaster here.¡¹

    I thought he would be important, but it turns out he''s the guildmaster!

 Chapter 767

    <h4>Chapter 767</h4>

    <h4>767: Castel''s Current Situation</h4>

    After intervening in a fight that was about to break out, the guildmaster brought Fran into his office.

    ¡¸You''re¡­ Fran the ck Lightning Princess, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I heard you beat up old man Diaz? That''s awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸How do you know that?¡¹

    ¡¸News about the major adventurers goes everywhere, and I''ve got all the details on the Ulmutt tournament. Eliante sent me some info too.¡¹

    Apparently word of Fran''s victory had spread to a continent far away.

    ¡¸Those guys were just the grunts of a big group of adventurers. If they get into a fight, the higher-ups wille out. But if they picked a fight with you, who knows how much damage there would be¡­¡­ Give me a break.¡¹

    ¡¸They''re the ones who started it.¡¹

    ¡¸I know, I know¡­¡­ But if you sent dozens of people into retirement during the antidemon season, my career would be on the line!¡¹

    Retirement¡­¡­? Even Fran wouldn''t go that far, right? Well, I guess he''s heard exaggerated rumors about Fran from people like Eliante.

    ¡¸Then just keep an eye on them to make sure they don''t do anything stupid.¡¹

    ¡¸I was keeping an eye on them! That''s why I intervened! And you''re still ring at me¡­¡­¡­! Don''t make such a huge fuss during this season! Ugh, youbat maniacs!¡¹

    Guildmaster Dalho eximed, violently scratching his head. Fran, who had been watching this, turned strangely friendly.

    She was taking me for the situation even though she just got caught up in it. This was the kind of thing that would normally tick her off¡­¡­

    ¡¸I''m sorry. Next time, I''ll just ignore them.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks!¡¹

    I knew it. For some reason, she''s being really nice to Dalho. What''s the matter?

    ¡ºFran, aren''t you being kinda soft on Dalho?¡»

    £¨Dalho looks like Eliante. Kinda sad.£©

    ¡ºOh, I see.¡»

    Now that you mention it, he does look a bit like Eliante when she''s trapped under a mountain of paperwork.

    I guess them being driven insane by overwork looked so pitiful that she wanted to be kind to them unconditionally.

    I can agree. We should be kind to those pitiful souls trapped in terrible workces.

    ¡¸Their leader is a decent guy, but the subordinates are all bloodthirsty. If one of their underlings gets beat up by someone who looks like a child, they will definitely retaliate. Those guys are all about face.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Are they strong?¡¹

    ¡¸If they were, I wouldn''t be telling you not to make a scene.¡¹

    Their strength was about average, so it mostly came from their numbers. After hearing that, I could tell that Fran had lost interest.

    Her face was so readable that even Dalho, someone who had never met her before, understood that too.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Enough about those guys.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m d to hear you say that. So, what else can I do for you besides making the antidemon card? I can find you a job too, if that''s what you''re looking for.¡¹

    ¡¸We can save the job for another time. I''d rather get some info.¡¹

    Fran then told him that she was going to Castel, that she was looking for Rank S adventurers, and that her goal was to meet Trismegistus.

    His reaction was simr to William''s. However, as one would expect from the Adventurers Guild, they knew more about the illegal vige of Castel than the administrative council.

    ¡¸Here is a map with Castel.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. This is indeed a map of Gordicia¡­ It also has the names of Nocta and Sendia¡­¡­¡¹

    She showed him the map that Amanda gave her. ording to the map, Castel was located in the northeastern part of Gordicia.

    It would be quite far from the western port where we are now.

    ¡¸So that is Castel. Wait just a sec.¡¹

    Dalho took out several maps from his desk and started to examine them. He was very enthusiastic.

    He seemed to like Fran for treating him so sympathetically. Well, I''m sure he''s also trying to earn favor with the one who defeated a bunch of Rank A adventurers too.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ Castel is¡­¡­ it''s already marked as destroyed.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸I don''t know why, but it''s not on the current map. It''s on the map from four years ago, but it''s missing from the maps since then.¡¹

    Dalho showed us several maps.

    Indeed, Castel''s name was missing from thetest maps while it was definitely on the older ones.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don''t know what you''re looking for, but I don''t think people live there anymore.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Still, that''s okay.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, I won''t ask for your reasons.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s fine. I''m just going to visit a grave.¡¹

    ¡¸Visit a grave?¡¹

    ¡¸Mom and Dad''s grave.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then I guess you gotta go.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After Fran nodded, Dalho gave us some useful information. If we tried to go in a straight line to Castel, we would run into some very tall mountains. Therefore, he said, we would have to go around from the north.

    ¡¸You may be able to make it over the mountains, but it''s a bad idea to push yourself too hard on this continent. It would be faster to avoid the mountains even if it''s the long way around. You can also go through Nocta if you take the north route.¡¹

    ¡¸Nocta?¡¹

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    Dalho pointed to a spot on the map in the northern central part of Gordicia. It was a little south of the North Port.

    Like he said, it was located right on our path if we take the northern route to Castel from the West Port.

    ¡¸Nocta is not an illegal town. It''s in a perfect safe zone where no antidemons spring up, with an Adventurers Guild too. You can stock up on various supplies there.¡¹

    Many operating on the continent apparently used Nocta as a front-line base.

    ¡¸Also, you may be able to get more information about the blue cats in Nocta.¡¹

    Nocta had the headquarters for the Unreturned Adventurer Tracking. As the name suggested, this department was in charge of searching for adventurers who have disappeared while on an assignment.

    If they were defeated by antidemons, they would be absorbed and disappearpletely. However, there were some adventurers who failed in their requests, and ran away since they didn''t want to pay the penalty fee.

    They also had the job of finding those adventurers and punishing them. In many cases, nobles from various countries were involved, so they really cracked down on them.

    However, there were some unreturned adventurers who were believed to have been secretly enved. Naturally, they should have information on them as well.

    ¡¸If I go there, will they give me info?¡¹

    ¡¸The guildmaster of Nocta is a pervert that loves anyone strong, so I''m sure you''ll be fine. Don''t worry, you''ll get what you''re after.¡¹

    Uhh, how am I supposed to be unworried? "Pervert"? You said "pervert", right? A-Are we going to be okay?

 Chapter 768

    <h4>Chapter 768</h4>

    <h4>768: The Barrier</h4>

    After Dalho the guildmaster gave us the information we wanted to know, we departed the guild. He mainly told us the locations of the big illegal towns, and who to watch out for.

    One such group was the dragonkin.

    In our minds, they were an honest race that had repented after being punished by the gods, and were solemnly hunting antidemons ever since.

    Of course, there are many such honest dragonkin, but he said that there are some who were not so honorable.

    Those who cling to their past glory and cannot ept the decline of their race.

    Being unable to ept the current state of their race and struggling to fix it. That''s a feeling Fran knows all too well, so I can sympathize with them.

    This goes especially for the younger generation. They do not understand why they too must be punished for the failures of their ancestors.

    It is not wrong to act to improve the status of your race. In fact, it is natural.

    However, there are a few people who have let their feelings go in the wrong direction. They still say that "dragonkin are the superior race" and constantly look down on the other races.

    In some cases, they are so violent that they resort to force.

    He said that the number of conflicts with dragonkin like that has been increasing in the past few years. I''ll try to stay out of it as much as possible, because I can see nothing but trouble in the future if Fran and some idiot dragonkin meet.

    Also, they sessfully made our antidemon card while we were talking to Dalho. He handed it to us when we left.

    ¡ºLike we heard before, Isario the Rank S adventurer should be the eastern port.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­ and we don''t know where Ashwrath is.£©

    ¡ºIt''s Ashwrath, so I''m sure he''s safe and sound¡­¡­ Probably in some illegal town somewhere.¡»

    But as I talked to Fran, I had a strange feeling of frustration. I felt like I was forgetting something.

    Was there any question we forgot to ask him?

    ¡ºHmmm¡­¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Master, what''s wrong?£©

    ¡ºI feel like I''m forgetting something. Did we forget to ask Dalho anything?¡»

    £¨Hmm?£©

    Fran didn''t know either. But there was someone who could answer our question.

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºUrushi, what''s wrong?¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    Urushi, who had been sleeping in the shadows, came out and made some gestures. He stood up on his hind legs and began moving his front legs. His right paw waved up and down, touching his mouth.

    ¡ºHuh? Your mouth? That movement is¡­ eating something?¡»

    £¨Arf!£©

    Apparently I was just a little off.

    ¡ºIf it''s not eating, then maybe drinking?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºDrinking¡­¡­? Oh! The wine!¡»

    The old elvish wine that Diaz gave me! He said to give it to the guildmaster so he would help us!

    ¡ºBut we already got what we wanted to know, and it''d be kinda awkward to go back in just to give it to him¡­¡­¡»

    Well, let''s just keep it in the dimensional storage for a while. It would be a good ace in the hole against any dwarves we meet.

    Five minutester.

    ¡¸Okay, let''s go.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    After leaving the guild, we went to the area in front of the barrier.

    When we asked the guildmaster how to enter the barrier, he said that people could pass through normally.

    No special spells, tools, or procedures were needed to enter the barrier, so it seemed all we had to do was to walk through it.

    Behind us was a huge harbor, and beyond the barrier in front of us was a grassy field. It was strikingly obvious that the world inside the barrier varied greatly from the one outside.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran lightly poked the boundary.

    ¡ºW-Well?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­It''s¡­ a little weird.¡¹

    ¡ºOh?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Urushi and I both touch the barrier too. My telekinesis could not feel anything at all. I could see it right in front of me, but I couldn''t touch it. It was like an illusion.

    Urushi was pping his paw that had touched the barrier and sniffing it. It seems that his sense of touch felt something too.

    Well, Urushi will generally be hiding in the shadows. If he stays in the shadows while using stealth techniques to hide his mana, even the antidemons should not be able to detect him.

    If none of those measures work, then I guess he''ll have to wait outside the barrier.

    I''m nning to hide my mana too. I heard that other adventurers with enchanted swords put a mana blocking effect on their sheaths so the antidemons can''t detect them.

    In other words, if we can hide our mana, we can fool the antidemons'' senses.

    Fran was poking at the barrier for a few seconds, but she soon got bored of it. Without any hesitation, she walked through the barrier.

    ¡¸Feels kinda like a curtain.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Looks like they both felt a slight touch. Since I didn''t feel anything, it might be a mental sensation rather than a physical one.

    Well, it''s a barrier made by the gods. I don''t thinkymen like us could possibly understand it, so there''s no point thinking about it.

    ¡ºLet''s find ourselves some antidemons.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 769

    <h4>Chapter 769</h4>

    <h4>769: Swordsman-type Antidemon</h4>

    The reason we went through the barrier was to preview the antidemons.

    We wanted to get a feel for how strong they were.

    Urushi has already hidden himself in the shadows.

    ¡¸It''s just a normal grasnd.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    It really was ordinary. The grass went as far as the eye can see and insects buzzed around, a scene you would see in any other continent.

    This waspletely different from the hellishndscape I had imagined before I arrived. Only the barrier we saw behind our backs proved we were on the continent of Gordicia.

    ¡¸Master, I found some.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I can see them too.¡»

    After walking for about ten minutes, we finally found our first antidemons. From a distance they looked like goblins or kobolds, but that would be impossible on this continent.

    Those are definitely swordsman-types.

    We try to get closer. However, they did not seem to notice us, so we were able to observe them for as long as we wanted.

    They are mainly colored jet ck, but the eyes, fangs, and horn-like parts are dyed in a shy green. Also the head, a portion of the torso, and the tips of the limbs were covered with a gray shell, which had greenish spikes growing out of it.

    Kinda looked like one of those monsters you would see in a certain Sentai Hero TV show. A pretty sleek, cool-looking type of guy. Or maybe you could say he''s like a Saib*man wearing ck and gray armor?

    Anyways, they looked more powerful and resilient than a goblin.

    Just my guess, but the ck part should be the skin. The gray parts should be a bit more armored than the skin, and the green parts should be the hardest.

    They also had weapons, swords and spears with gray handles and green des. I wonder if those weapons are considered a part of their body? By the way, even though they are called swordsman-types, they were not necessarily equipped with swords.

    ¡ºWell, let''s give it a try.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran crouched down in the grass to hide.

    Her distance from the antidemons was a little over a 100 meters.

    Here, I tried to release the concealment of my magic power little by little. After a certain amount of mana was released, I saw the antidemons start to scurry around.

    It seems that they are not so good as to notice the slightest hint of mana. Well, they are still quite capable if they can react at such a distance.

    Next, I try bringing Urushi out of the shadows.

    The antidemons were still scurrying around, but they didn''t seem to be able to notice us. I guess both Urushi and I could be active as long as we kept our magic power under control.

    Now I try having Fran focus her magic power. Finally, the antidemons seemed to notice us. We can see them running toward the grassy area where we were hiding.

    Even the swordsman-type, which was said to have the lowest detection ability, could sense us from more than 100 meters away if we released enough mana.

    If we kept on releasing our magical power, the surrounding antidemons would probablye to us in droves.

    ¡ºNext is theirbat power.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran excitedly pulled me out¡­¡­ and then she immediately became disappointed.

    ¡¸They''re weak.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, we just found some random ones.¡»

    She killed them in mere seconds, so they were about as strong as hobgoblins. Their shells were a little tough, but not so tough as to repel swords.

    They could be a threat if there were enough of them, but a small pack was no match for Fran.

    The Uniques were said to have a threat level of B, but I guess the ordinary small fry antidemons are about this level.

    ¡ºAs we had heard, they disappear when you defeat them.¡»

    ¡¸The weapon is gone too.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess they really are just part of the antidemons.¡»

    They disappeared on the spot as if dissolving into the void, leaving no materials behind. This was characteristic of all antidemons.

    It may sound like hunting them would be a waste of time for adventurers, but that''s not the case. First of all, experience is gained, so the level of the adventurer rises. In addition, rewards are paid out based on how many contribution points are on your antidemon card.

    Unless you were an adventurer that came to train, your goal was that reward money. In other continents, you would have to search out magic beasts to defeat them, but in this continent the antidemonse to you. That makes them more efficient to hunt.

    ¡ºFran, how is the antidemon carding along?¡»

    ¡¸One.¡¹

    ¡ºOne point after killing three antidemons, huh¡­¡­?¡»

    It seems these points are not based on the number of antidemons defeated, but on the strength of them. There might be some strangely impressive technology behind this card.

    ¡ºLet''s hunt some more.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Our next target was a group of five swordsmen. We had Urushi deal with them this time.

    I was afraid he might get hit a couple times, but in the end, he won the battle unscathed. As I thought, the lower grade antidemons are no match for Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸Nom?¡¹

    Urushi, who had been chomping on an antidemon, tilted his head. The antidemon must have disappeared while he was chewing on it.

    There was no sign of his Predation Absorption activating. They really left nothing behind except for experience.

    ¡ºMaybe this is not such a great ce for me and Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    But for ordinary adventurers, who can gain experience and money, it is a good hunting ground with high risk and high reward.

    ¡¸I''ll fight some more.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I guess so.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We spent the next hour or so hunting antidemons, but there were still no strong enemies to be found.

    We encountered some other adventurers hunting antidemons too, but most of them were of Rank E or lower.

    The fact that they were active in such small numbers probably meant that there were no strong antidemons around the outer perimeter of the barrier, just like we heard.

    After killing about 20 antidemons, the antidemon card had 11 points. I believe that with 1 antidemon point, we could stay in the cheapest room in the guild, and the cheapest meal when ites to quantity was 1 point too.

    That means that even if you were to live on 2 meals a day, you would have to hunt about 6 of the lowest level swordsman-types every day.

    Moreover, I heard that antidemon points will be split when you are in a party. So if you are in a 5 member group, you would have to hunt 30 a day.

    That seems pretty tough for a beginner, but those who can''t even earn that much are probably just a liability here.

    ¡ºLet''s go back for today. We''ll start going deeper tomorrow.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

 Chapter 770

    <h4>Chapter 770</h4>

    <h4>770: Dwarves at Work</h4>

    Four days have passed since our arrival in Gordicia.

    We''ve been hunting down antidemons for a few days now, but we''ve yet to find any strong enough to satisfy Fran.

    Like we had heard, strong antidemons with acute senses do not appear unless we go a little deeper, since they prefer distancing themselves from the barrier.

    £¨I wonder if we''ll see any strong antidemons today?£©

    ¡ºCan''t say for sure¡­¡»

    In such an excited state, Fran entered the barrier apanied by about 200 soldiers from the Kingdom of Belioth. Their destination was a battlefield designated by the administrative council.

    While leading the group through the ins, Brunen gave Fran a briefing.

    ¡¸There is arge t area ahead of us. We will intercept the antidemons there.¡¹

    ¡¸Intercept them? The antidemons wille?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, yeah. When there are thousands of humans gathered together, the antidemons are bound toe by themselves.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    This was a strategy that took advantage of the antidemons'' tendency of being attracted to people.

    Armies couldn''t be as mobile as adventurers, so they used this method to hunt a great number of antidemons as once.

    Fran and Hilt''s party quickly dealt with the antidemons that approached Belioth''s forces along the way.

    Phobos-kun handled the majority of them.

    ¡¸Teryaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Shishaa!¡¹

    Fran didn''t care about fighting them any more. She had gotten bored of the lower rank swordsman-types over the past few days, and they would be better fit for Phobos-kun anyways.

    After all, they were not challenging in the slightest and left nothing valuable behind.

    We continued on for about an hour, beating up the swordsman-types. The soldiers readily listened to us since we were the substitute for Weena Rhyn, so we were free from trouble.

    It seems that the soldiers of Belioth werepletely aware of the fact that they were not the main yers. Therefore, they did not assert themselves, and followed orders from the strong as a matter of course.

    ¡¸I can sense the presence of many people up ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Hilt was right. In the middle of the wilderness, about 1,000 men had already gathered and were in the middle of building up an encampment.

    ¡¸We''ll standby here until the encampment is ready. Keep your eyes on the perimeter.¡¹

    ¡¸Shouldn''t we help them?¡¹

    ¡¸We can do any heavy lifting if necessary.¡¹

    Brunen chuckled as he shook his head at Fran and Hilt''s words.

    ¡¸They want us to watch since we would just be in the way. Well, from the dwarves'' point of view, amateurs like us are certainly a hindrance.¡¹

    I looked again at the encampment and indeed, the soldiers there were dwarves. Using earth magic, pickaxes, and shovels, they were busy building up walls and trenches.

    But that construction speed was absolutely ridiculous. I can see why bringing amateurs would just get in the way.

    ¡¸We''ll be counting on you guys for the battle, since we can''t leave the encampment construction to them and alsog behind in the antidemon hunt.¡¹

    I''m sure he just wanted his country to save face, but I can understand Brunen''s concerns.

    The dwarves were quite strong. I had initially thought they were merely military engineers, but they were truly formidable.

    In all likelihood, even the dwarves digging in the dirt there were stronger than Phobos-kun, a Rank D adventurer.

    What''s more was the incredible armor that adorned them. All of them were made of magical metals, mainly orichalcon and mithril, but reinforced with adamantite in some ces.

    In any normal country, this was the kind of armor that could only be worn by the captain of the royal guard or a knight of simr level. Considering that the gear was made by expert dwarven artisans, they might even be of higher quality too.

    Before us was 1,000 veteran dwarves with the highest level of equipment. If we consider that theirmanding officers were even stronger, anyone would call it an extraordinary army.

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, they certainly are.¡¹

    Fran was impressed, while Phobos-kun was takenpletely aback. Though he was 19 years old, that weakly attitude of his made him look strangely younger.

    He may have talent, but he always seems tock confidence.

    ¡¸The dwarven warriors are famous all over the world for their strength, you know?¡¹

    Colbert began to exin to Fran and Phobos-kun while they were watching the dwarves at work.

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, their army consists entirely of battle hardened veterans, and they''ve left quite a few legends behind. For example, the time they defeated an army a thousand times their size, or how they slew a pack of dragons.¡¹

    ¡¸A-An entire pack of dragons? That''s certainly amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Theirbat ability is impressive to be sure, but the courage it took to challenge a dragon pack can''t be downyed either. The ruler of the dwarves is rumored to have an extremely strong skill, so I guess it''s partly thanks to that¡­¡­ But even without it, they are plenty strong. If we''re not careful, they really will take all the antidemons for themselves.¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll do my best.¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll do my best as well!¡¹

    About a half an hourter.

    Before I knew it, the encampment wasplete. Trenches and earthen walls werepletely set up to prevent the enemy''s long-range attacks while limiting their invasion routes.

    ¡¸The dwarves are as impressive as always.¡¹

    Brunen muttered to himself with a look of dismay, and I could not help but agree. Their building speed was just that fast. All of our soldiers were also stunned.

    I then saw a few dwarves walking toward the Belioth Kingdom forces.

    ¡¸Someone''sing.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Whoa, it''s¡­¡­ it''s Her Majesty the Dwarf Queen. I''m begging you, please don''t make a mess of this!¡¹

    ¡¸The queen?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right. For now, just stand behind me and shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    The queen? She''s really leading her warriors personally? Then I guess it would be a no-brainer to bring the best of the best.

    ¡¸The dwarves are always led by their Queen, and it shows in their results. Some countries send more than 10,000 troops, but they still can''tpare to the dwarves'' 1,000 soldiers.¡¹

    Brunen stood erect and immobile as he exined to us. His face remained unusually tense, and he was clearly nervous.

    ¡¸Are you all right?¡¹

    ¡¸Weena Rhyn-dono normally handles the important figures, but I have to do the talking this time.¡¹

    He usually acted as Weena Rhyn''s second-inmand and never spoke during negotiations. Now that he suddenly has to deal with the royalty of another country, there''s no doubt he would be nervous.

    Anyways, is the one at the front of the group there the queen? I know she has to be since she''s the only woman there, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸You are the ones from Belioth, correct? What happened to Weena Rhyn?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! There were some special circumstances, so she could not apany us this time.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I am sorry to hear that.¡¹

    So this little girl really is the Dwarf Queen after all.

    Yeah, the queen leading the dwarves had a very youthful appearance. She was a beautiful young girl with silver hair and slightly tanned skin. Herrge golden eyes stared at us as if she was observing something.

    Had she seeded to the throne at a young age? Or was she just one of those legal loli types that have been getting popr in fantasytely?

    No, I suppose she didn''t look young enough to be called a loli. She appeared rather young because of her short stature, but in my eyes, she could be a 17-18 year old of below average height.

    Dwarves had a longer life expectancy than humans, and the physique of their males was unique to say the least. They started growing their beards at age 10.

    It was very possible that the appearance of female dwarves could be simrly unique.

    However, there was nothing unnatural about their pompous attitude. There was no sense of sarcasm, no sense of being overbearing, but rather a dignity that made one naturally bow their head.

    There can be no doubt that she was true royalty.

    At any rate, it was perfectly clear that this queen was quite skilled. I could tell from the way she moved her feet, the air she exuded, and the presence that emanated from within her.

    Even at a low estimate, she was definitely at least on the level of Rank A.

    £¨She''s strong.£©

    ¡ºI know you''re happy, but don''t stare too much. She''s royalty, after all.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    You don''t get it at all! I said stop staring! If she says you''re being disrespectful or something, we''ll be in big trouble!

 Chapter 771

    <h4>Chapter 771</h4>

    <h4>771: Orfalve Falnis</h4>

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­ Though Weena Rhyn may be absent, you have some persons of power.¡¹

    The Dwarf Queen looked at Fran and Hilt while smiling confidently. Not a grin, but a smirk.

    Her smile had some fierceness behind it, like a warrior''s smile in the face of a foe.

    ¡¸My name is Orfalve Falnis and I am the Queen of Snorabbit,nd of the dwarves. Let me hear your names.¡¹

    It''s a very superior attitude, but considering that she''s the queen of arge country, it still felt a bit too easy-going. This Dwarf Queen would be like if we took Mea and added some more dignity and charisma.

    I''d say the Dwarf Queen was stronger than her too.

    I just remembered now that the Dwarf Queen was counted among the Seven Sages along with Weena Rhyn.

    If I remember correctly, they were: the three owners of the divine swords Alpha, Berserk, and Diabolos, also Weena Rhyn the high elf, the Ruler of the Demonkin, the Ruler of the Insectkin, and finally the Ruler of the Dwarves.

    I heard that the title was created by the countries that were in conflict with the guild topete with the Rank S adventurers, but Weena Rhyn was really on that level.

    That meant the other Seven Sages should not be underestimated either. This queen could also be of Rank S strength.

    ¡¸I-I am Admiral Brunen Boer of the Belioth Royal Navy. It is an honor to meet you!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. You were herest time with Weena Rhyn, so I remember you. I look forward to working with you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, Your Majesty!¡¹

    Since her demeanor was backed by her aura of power, even Hilt and Fran did not seem to be bothered. They introduced themselves as normal.

    ¡¸My name is Hiltoria, Your Majesty.¡¹

    Hilt bowed her head deeply. She had no courtesy skills, but her crisp movements were beautiful enough to be understood by whomever she was talking to.

    ¡¸I knew it! I thought you looked like Dimitris!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You know my grandfather?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, I have even faced him in a mock battle before. That was my first time almost getting killed by someone bare-handed! A great experience!¡¹

    Though she talked about getting beaten half to death, her face had nothing but a smile. She really thought it was a great experience. There''s anotherbat maniac to throw on the pile.

    I guess that makes her weaker than Dimitris? Actually, she said it was a mock battle, so it''s possible that she wasn''t utilizing her full strength. However, it did prove she was strong enough to enjoy a fight with Dimitris.

    ¡¸Mm-hmm. You are indeed simr. There is no doubt you will reach his level in the future! I look forward to that day.¡¹

    Orfalve meant these as words of praise. However, Hilt''s smile did not seem to be one of joy.

    I suppose that is half happiness at being told that she will be as strong as Dimitris, and the other half is mixed at being told she resembles that unbound old man?

    ¡¸I am Fran, an adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoho? Fran, you say?¡¹

    Orfalve''s eyes narrowed immediately after hearing Fran''s name. There was no sense of hostility, but there was a strange pressure in her eyes.

    ¡¸A ck cat, and yet impressive strength. Also you wield an enchanted sword with seemingly bottomless power¡­¡­ Are you the ck Lightning Princess Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºFran, you should say "Yes" there!¡»

    But Orfalve didn''t seem to care about Fran''s impudence. She simply widened her smile and came closer to Fran.

    ¡¸I see, so you are Fran! I am so d to meet you! Fuhahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    She patted Fran on the shoulder as if she was a familiar friend, then grabbed her firmly and gave a big smile. There was no malicious or harmful intent in her words, so Fran simply let her do so.

    It seems that she knew Fran already. Maybe word of Fran has reached thend of the dwarves?

    But that didn''t turn out to be the case.

    ¡¸I wanted to thank you once in person!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank me?¡¹

    I''m pretty sure we didn''t do anything the Dwarf Queen would need to thank us for, right?

    ¡¸Indeed. I am very grateful to you for saving my son-inw.¡¹

    ¡¸Son-inw?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? You were unaware? He is a dwarf named Garrus.¡¹

    ¡¸Garrus! The cksmith?¡¹

    ¡¸That is correct. Not only did you save his life, but you also set him up with a divine cksmith!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Garrus was always called a master craftsman among the dwarves, but now he is under the tutge of a divine cksmith. This may be the first step to our long-cherished dream of surpassing the divine swords! I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart! Come to our country any time, and you will be treated as a guest of honor!¡¹

    Isn''t "guest of honor" a bit much? And Garrus was her son-inw? Fran was also curious about that revtion.

    ¡¸Garrus is your son-inw? So you are Garrus'' wife''s mom?¡¹

    ¡¸That is correct.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­He''s the husband of the queen''s daughter? So is Garrus a noble? A prince?¡¹

    ¡¸Fuahahaha! Him, a prince! That''s a good one! He is no prince, and no noble either! Besides, what is more important to us dwarves is that he is a talented cksmith.¡¹

    In thend of the dwarves, being a member of the royal family didn''t give you any real authority. Apparently, a skilled cksmith like Garrus actually received more respect.

    She seemed to be grateful to Fran for Garrus'' opportunity to meet Alistair, the divine cksmith, and to receive various teachings from her.

    ¡¸How old are you, Queen?¡¹

    ¡ºWait a¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸F-Fran!¡¹

    Before I could stop her, Brunen interrupted Fran with his facepletely pale. I mean, who would ask a queen how old she is to her face?

    But Orfalve didn''t seem to mind and wasughing hysterically.

    ¡¸Fuahahaha! I do often hear the other races find it hard to tell the age of dwarves! I will soon be 150 years old, the prime of my womanhood, you could say!¡¹

    For a dwarf whose life expectancy is around 300-400 years, she is probably considered young. Still, if she''s 150 years old with that appearance¡­¡­ they might be one of the youngest looking races aside from elves.

    ¡¸Us dwarves are a race that reach adulthood quickly and maintain prime physical condition over a long period of time. It is not surprising that other races would be unable to recognize our ages.¡¹

    ¡¸Garrus looks older than you.¡¹

    ¡¸I suppose that is simply how it appears to others.¡¹

 Chapter 772

    <h4>Chapter 772</h4>

    <h4>772: Favor of the Drink God</h4>

    After exchanging greetings with Colbert and the others, Queen Orfalve turned to Fran once again.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡­Sniff sniff.¡¹

    She was moving her nose. D-Do we smell bad? No, no, we bathe every day, and clean our equipment too. We should be fine.

    But upon seeing Orfalve''s change in attitude, even the dwarves behind her started fidgeting for some reason.

    Until then, they had been standing still behind the queen without changing their expression in the slightest, as if they were statues¡­¡­ Now they are breathing heavily, ncing sideways at Orfalve and Fran.

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran. You have liquor¡­¡­ and one of superb quality!¡¹

    She eximed with a gleam in her eye. No doubt she meant the old elvish wine.

    But how could she tell?

    ¡¸How did you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Fuahaha! You can''t fool my nose!¡¹

    A-Are you saying you detected the slightest trace of liquor on Fran?

    ¡¸You mean this?¡¹

    ¡¸WHHAAAT!¡¹

    Orfalve let out a terrible scream as soon as she saw the bottle that Fran had casually taken out.

    Her expression of astonishment made it look like her previous dignified mannerisms had all been a lie. She was staring at the bottle Fran was holding and trembling. There was nothing regal about it.

    ¡¸T-That is¡­¡­ A-An elvish wine made from the fruit of the holy tree¡­¡­ And quite well aged, is it not?¡¹

    She could tell just by looking at it.

    ¡¸It''s 300 years old.¡¹

    Hearing Fran''s words, all the dwarves around us gulped. It wasn''t just Olfalve and her escort.

    Before we knew it, the soldiers were all looking at her from a distance. The eyes of every single dwarf were focused on that bottle.

    Fran lightly moved the bottle from side to side, and their gazes moved in unison. It''s a strange sight, but it''s also a bit amusing to see them all in sync like that.

    ¡¸B-By the way¡­¡­ do you have any ns to sell that bottle? I can offer you 3 million gold. What do you say?¡¹

    That''s a ton of money, but I suppose it''s worth that much to a dwarf.

    ¡¸I would love to offer more, but¡­¡­¡¹

    What, more¡­¡­? Even if it''s old and rare, it can''t be worth more than 3 million, right?

    But Orfalve''s face was serious. The other dwarves did not seem surprised to hear the 3 million offer either. Rather, they thought it was only natural.

    ¡¸Due to thews of my nation, I am limited to 3 million.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸For dwarves, liquors are the water of life. Naturally we want to drink the best we can afford.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, as the ruler I would have a lot of money to spend¡­¡­¡¹

    Dwarves are said to have less desire for goods and money than other races.

    That''s more because they are workaholics than due to ack of greed. All they want is a satisfying job and a good drink afterwards.

    It is not umon for a craftsman to spend all the money he earns at work on booze. And if he wants good booze, he has to pay for it.

    And for a drink so rare and well-aged, there is no upper limit to the price.

    Therefore, it is said that there was a dwarf king in ancient times who bought so many rare liquors, that he not only emptied his treasury but also ran up a huge national debt.

    That was when they made a nationalw to set a maximum amount of money that could be spent on drink in a year, as well as the maximum that could be offered for a single bottle.

    You''d have to be a dwarf to understand why they just limited it instead of prohibiting it altogether.

    But still, 3 million? That''s a lot of money, but it seems a shame to sell it so easily, considering that it''s such an expensive wine.

    Selling it was not a problem. This wine was given to us as a reward, so the ownership is ours.

    We were told to give it to the guildmaster of Gordicia to earn his favor, but Diaz didn''t say we had to deliver it to him. That was just a suggestion for how to use the wine.

    I guess we could sell it here to Orfalve for 3 million¡­¡­

    £¨What should we do?£©

    ¡ºHmm, we''re not short on cash at the moment, and it would be hard to get a wine this rare again.¡»

    £¨So we shouldn''t sell it?£©

    But it is a whole 3 million. Considering it''s a bottle of wine we got for free, that''s a good deal. Or rather, we''re profiting way too much.

    While we were discussing, Orfalve put her nose close to the bottle and started sniffing it.

    ¡¸Ah, my skill is tingling. The smell of this mellow, beautiful wine¡­¡­ I simply can''t get enough of it.¡¹

    ¡¸Skill?¡¹

    ¡¸I have an Extra Skill called the Favor of the Drink God. It is the perfect skill for us dwarves to be able to recognize good drink, and even smell anyone rted to good drink!¡¹

    I thought it sounded a bit disappointing to be an Extra Skill, but I guess the dwarves didn''t think that at all.

    In fact, she was quite proud of it. For someone who loves to drink, it may be the best skill they can get.

    ¡¸Is that the super powerful skill?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Oh, I see what you mean. The Favor of the Drink God offers nobat abilities. It does have a storage that doubles the aging of liquors, the ability to increase the quality of the liquors you pour, the ability to recognize any liquors you taste, and it evenes with an appraisal that works only on drink. It''s a skill for drink lovers through and through.¡¹

    F-Favor of the Drink God, huh. Must be an ability the Drink God created for alcohol lovers. Drinking doesn''t make you stronger or anything, it just allows you to enjoy your drink to the fullest.

    ¡¸You may be referring to my other Extra Skill.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of skill?¡¹

    ¡¸About that, can you give me a little something in exchange? You understand, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­If I give you this drink, will you tell me?¡¹

    No, no! You should be negotiating with her to sell the wine along with the information about her skills!

    ¡¸I cannot take it for free!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I''ll sell you this, but you have to tell me about your skill.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I ept!¡¹

    Thank goodness Orfalve is an upright dwarf.

    While we were discussing with Orfalve about how to handle the wine, a dwarven soldier came up to us.

    ¡¸My queen, a horde of antidemons is approaching.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ I see. Well then, we will continue our conversationter. Now that we have the chance, I should show you my skill in battle.¡¹

    ¡¸We''ll do our best too.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Very well! Show me what you can do!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    While I was a little nervous at first, I think we can get along quite nicely with the dwarves

 Chapter 773

    <h4>Chapter 773</h4>

    <h4>773: The Dwarves</h4>

    ¡¸Ruoooogh!¡¹

    A swarm of antidemons closed in on the encampment made by the dwarves with a high-pitched roar. I''d say there''s about 2,000 of them.

    Swordsman-types as the vanguard, archer-types in the rear, and a knight-type as themander.

    Although outnumbered, none of the warriors in the camp showed any sign of pessimism.

    After knocking down the magic projectilesunched from the antidemons with their warhammers, the dwarves responded by firing arrows from their bows.

    They did thispletely silent and calm, showing no signs of impatience or excitement. It was as if they were all expert artisans.

    The number of antidemons quickly began dwindling. Those who were lucky enough to break through the rain of arrows were unable to scale the wall.

    The ones who tried were simply crushed by the hammers of the dwarves when they reached the top.

    ¡ºLet''s head out too!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The dwarves were going to take all the enemies for themselves at this rate. Brunen wouldn''t be happy with that.

    ¡¸We''re going in too.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Fran and Hilt''s party jumped out of encampment at the same time, starting to rampage in the middle of the antidemon army.

    It didn''t take long after that.

    They busted through straight to the enemy rearguard, destroying the antidemons as if they were racing with each other. Even the fierce attacks from the archers could do nothing to Fran and Hilt.

    The only one in any danger was Phobos-kun, I suppose?

    He was desperately dodging enemy attacks while following at the tail end of Hilt''s party. Colbert was watching over him though, so there''s not much for us to do.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hilt is still amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºWe would do well to learn how to keep such a wide field of view.¡»

    Fran muttered in admiration as she watched Hilt''s battle from the side. Since they were all small fry, I''d rather destroy them with wide area magic, but this time we decided to fight alongside Hilt.

    Well, it was certainly a learning experience.

    Every one of Hilt''s movements was perfect.

    When she used ranged attacks, she always shot them such that each st prated multiple antidemons. Then in meleebat, she threw her punches to knock antidemons into others behind it.

    It would only be possible to do that if she had aplete grasp on the movements of everything around you. Fran could manage something simr, but she would not be able to do it as perfectly as Hilt.

    This was probably because of their experience in fighting armies. Colbert and the other disciples were able to do that as well, so maybe it was a normal part of their training.

    And so, Fran and the others bulldozed their way through the swarm of swordsman-types, and defeated the knight-typemander in less than ten minutes.

    ¡ºHuh. They don''t run away when their boss dies?¡»

    ¡¸But they did get weaker.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess that means they can''t use tactics without the knight-type.¡»

    The antidemons, who had been moving in an army-like formation, were reduced to a mere mob. Instead of running away, they just jumped on anyone around them without any thought.

    That made them sitting ducks. The dwarves'' ranged attacks wiped them out in no time at all.

    Back at the camp, Orfalve greeted us with a happy smile.

    ¡¸That is what I am talking about! I did not even have a chance to show up!¡¹

    Come to think of it, Orfalve had said she wanted to show us her skill, but we had defeated the enemies so easily.

    But that didn''t mean she had missed her chance permanently.

    ¡¸More antidemons approaching from the west! Number estimated at 4,000!¡¹

    The ones we defeated earlier were not the only antidemons in the vicinity. Like the scout from Belioth stated, we saw a new army approaching us.

    Fran tried to run out again, but Orfalve stopped her.

    ¡¸Just a moment. This is perfect timing, so we shall take the next one. You can cover us.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Fran and Hilt readilyplied with the queen''s words. Since they were handed the previous fight, they knew that it was the other party''s turn now.

    ¡¸All right, let us show them what we can do!¡¹

    Orfalve walked out of the camp and everyst one of the dwarves followed.

    That''s right, they simply abandoned the encampment they had just built.

    They quickly formed up in a line formation without anyints.

    Two rows of 500 dwarves. That''s all there is to it, a simple horizontal formation. And Orfalve, the queen, was right there in the center of the front line.

    ¡¸We would normally not need to take such an enemy seriously, but I promised Fran that I would show her my skill. After me, my men!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Understood.¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The dwarves didn''t even shout. However, the short, deep voices emanating from their mouths in sync certainly made the air around them tremble.

    They all readied their weapons at the same time, a polearm with an ax on one side and a hammer on the other. It was a spectacr sight to see all 1,000 of them equipped with the exact same weapons and armor. Anyone would find them reliable.

    Orfalve was pleased with the movements of the dwarves under hermand, and quietly spoke a few words.

    ¡¸Extra Skill "Brave March", activate.¡¹

    The moment Orfalve uttered these words, a glow of magical power appeared from all the dwarves. It must be some kind of strengthening skill.

    And it was not just any enhancement. The aura I felt from the dwarves had practically doubled. The buff to their stats must have been substantial.

    Brave March, huh? She called it an Extra Skill, but the ability to greatly enhance the capabilities of one''s entire army is certainly worthy of that level.

    It would depend on the abilities of your men too, but the effect would be immense for the dwarven warriors.

    ¡¸Forward!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Understood.¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Orfalve led the way, and the dwarves made a rustling sound as they took their first step forward in a single, unified movement.

 Chapter 774

    <h4>Chapter 774</h4>

    <h4>774: Brave March''s Power</h4>

    The dwarves, led by the queen in the center of the line, move through the wastnd.

    They were not running. They advanced at exactly the same speed, steadily and unhurriedly.

    There was no war cry to raise their morale, no roar to disguise their fear. Only the repetitive sound of marching echoed through the wilderness.

    But they were so quiet that one would wonder if they were even here to fight. They looked nothing like an army about to go into battle.

    And this did not change when they shed with the antidemon''s forces either.

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    Those were the only sounds uttered. There were still no hearty shouts and screams. Yet the results of their march were tremendous.

    One blow, one kill. No, it was even more than that. With each swing, they sted multiple swordsman-types to pieces. Their battle line pushed forward without changing speed in any way.

    The army of antidemons in front of them gave way as if it was just an illusion.

    The wall of dwarvespletely held back the wave of antidemons, erasing them bit by bit.

    Normally, they would probably be fighting in shifts by swapping the front and back rows. Yet this was not even necessary because their enemy was too weak.

    I saw them taking hits too, but they seemedpletely unaffected by the attacks of these lower ss antidemons.

    That''s not surprising. After all, they''re super-enhanced warrior dwarves wearing top-ss heavy armor.

    Even Fran and I would have been knocked away by them if we didn''t go all out.

    Like farmers cutting weeds, the dwarves kept walking in silence. Within a minute or so, the antidemons hadpletely vanished.

    It was nothing spectacr. They just kept on walking and waving their weapons. Even Queen Orfalve, who is supposed to be the strongest of all the warriors, did the same repetitive actions at the front of the line.

    But anyone who was really watching could tell their extraordinary strength and skill.

    They marchedpletely in sync, and were so tough that they never even needed to pause. It''s no wonder they are considered one of the strongest forces in the world.

    Orfalve looked back at Fran, who was following behind her, and opened her mouth with a smug look on her face.

    ¡¸What do you think, Fran? How do you like my skill?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Amazing!¡¹

    Fran nodded in excitement, and Orfalve puffed out her chest with an even smugger look on her face.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Of course! It is a skill that has been passed down to us dwarf kings from generation to generation, and the key to our kingdom''s defenses!¡¹

    Behind her, the dwarves were still quietly lined up. Not one of them was injured or even short of breath.

    Even 4,000 low level antidemons could not possibly tire them.

    ¡¸The king inherits it?¡¹

    ¡¸That is correct. This skill is passed on to whoever bes king via an artifact in our royal pce. That divine artifact is said to have been handmade by the God of Techniques.¡¹

    So that Extra Skill can be passed down from one generation to the next? Such a feat would certainly be fitting for a divine artifact.

    Besides, that would be very useful for the ruler of a nation since the king will always be a hero. The king''s rule will be supported by that charisma and military might.

    ¡¸The effect of my Extra Skill "Brave March" is simple and clear. As long as I continue to march at the front, it will enhance the power of my subordinates. That is all there is to it.¡¹

    ¡¸You have to keep leading the way?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, but it is only natural that a king should lead their people into battle. That will never be an issue.¡¹

    Orfalve says that as if it''s nothing, but isn''t that a pretty hard requirement? It is, at the least, pretty difficult for any human king.

    ording to mymon sense, the king is supposed to be protected in the back. Since, if he gets killed, his side automatically loses.

    Perhaps this skill is best suited for the dwarven kings, who seem to always be tough andbat focused.

    ¡¸Will I get stronger if I fight with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Only if you swear your wholehearted loyalty to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Loyalty¡­¡­? I can''t.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! That much is obvious! In the first ce, I doubt the skill would have much effect if the Beast King attempted to use it with his subordinates.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸As far as I know, only dwarves, insectkin and onikin would be able to make full use of this skill. Beastmen, demonkin, and dragonkin value their individuality too much.¡¹

    It makes sense now that you mention it. For example, I don''t think the average beastman would pledge allegiance to their superiors.

    A beastman would obey someone if they are strong, or because they are a good ruler. That is not the same thing as loyalty, since they obey their leader because they benefit from it as well, or at least that''s the feeling I get. I guess that''s just their racial tradition.

    ¡¸It would be difficult for a race that is not suited to working in groups.¡¹

    This skill requires not onlybat ability but also group cohesion. True loyalty is not as easy as it sounds.

    Dragonkin are said to be ambitious, and demonkin are individualistic. There may not be many who are truly loyal to their king.

    Not to mention the humans. There are few who can truly pledge their allegiance to their king, and fewer kings who are capable of leading a charge into battle.

    ¡¸S-So¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸About the wine¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. As I promised you, I''ll sell it.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! You have my thanks!¡¹

    Fran took out the bottle of old elvish wine and handed it to Orfalve.

    Orfalve epted the wine with a big smile on her face, looking as if she is about to rub her cheeks on it. The royal dignity of a queen hadpletely vanished.

    However, there was no disappointment or dismay on the faces of the dwarves who were looking on.

    Rather, they were looking at the bottle joyously, just like Orfalve.

    Why were the other dwarves so happy when the queen had purchased the wine? I mean, there''s clearly not enough for everyone, right¡­¡­?

    ¡¸Why are they so happy?¡¹

    ¡¸These expensive drinks are awarded to those who have performed well. One drink for each of them would be enough for a dozen people. They are all aiming for that.¡¹

    The dwarves performing well¡­¡­?

    From what I saw in the fight just now, the dwarves are group oriented. They lined up in a formation and blew up all the antidemons in one hit. In that sort of situation, they would never have a chance to y an active role as an individual.

    In other words, for them to stand out, they would have to fight against an enemy strong enough to disrupt the dwarves'' formation and force them to fight individually.

    Is that really what you want?

    But the dwarves didn''t seem frightened. In fact, they even seemed to be looking forward to the appearance of such a powerful enemy.

    Perhaps I underestimated their obsession with alcohol.

    ¡¸Mm-hmm. Everyone''s morale has been boosted. I have made a good purchase. This expedition is going to be even more fun than usual!¡¹

 Chapter 775

    <h4>Chapter 775</h4>

    <h4>775: An Unexpected Name</h4>

    After we and the dwarves repelled the first and second waves of antidemons, there was nothing major left.

    Only a few sporadic attacks by small groups. Within a few hours, the antidemons hadpletely disappeared.

    We''ve probably hunted down the vast majority of antidemons in the area. Brunen, after consulting with the dwarves, ordered the soldiers to prepare for departure.

    ¡¸We''re heading back soon. Get ready.¡¹

    ¡¸Are we leaving already?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, there won''t be any more antidemons around¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I have an urgent message!¡¹

    Just then, a man on a horse dashed into the camp. He seemed to be working for the administrative council.

    He looked very panicked. Both the man and the horse were drenched in sweat, indicating that they hade here in a great hurry. Seeing this, the soldiers must have judged that it was an emergency situation.

    The messenger was ushered in front of ourmanders with almost no dys.

    Brunen and Orfalve gathered again to hear his message.

    Then, a few minutester, Brunen gathered Fran and Hilt''s party to inform us as well.

    There we learned the urgency of the situation.

    ¡¸So you mean to say that the antidemons have formed a huge army a little further ahead?¡¹

    ¡¸Right, it seems that the army of Bashar made a big mistake.¡¹

    ¡¸Bashar!¡¹

    I never thought I''d hear that name here! Fran looked surprised too.

    The kingdom of Bashar was the name of the enemy nation that teamed up with Murelia to attack the Beast Kingdom.

    However, their invasion failed thanks to the efforts of Fran and her friends. Instead, they should have been on the receiving end of the Beast Kingdom''s counterattack¡­¡­

    ¡¸What? Fran, you know them?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. The enemy of the Beast Kingdom.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you mean the country that challenged the Beast Kingdomst year and lost?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, them.¡¹

    The Beast King would never allow himself to be ridiculed like that, so I had assumed it might have already been annihted¡­¡­ But it seems they are still around.

    Moreover, they have sent troops to fulfill the Gordician Duty. How can that country afford to do so when it is in danger of a counterattack by the Beast Kingdom?

    When Fran mentioned the same thing, Brunen told us many things about the situation. He said that they had actuallye here as a measure to save the country.

    ¡¸It is internationally forbidden for other countries to attack a country that is currently deployed to fulfill its Gordician Duty. If anyone breaks this pact, all the neighboring countries will turn against them.¡¹

    Come to think of it, I heard a story like that before.

    If countries are frequently attacked while sending soldiers to Gordicia, all countries will be reluctant to deploy their troops. After all, it would be exposing a weakness to their enemies.

    In order to prevent such a situation, there seemed to be some kind of international treaty in ce.

    It is forbidden to wage war against a country that is deploying troops to Gordicia. Also, if there is a war going on, then a cease-fire must be made.

    The Kingdom of Bashar luckily had its turne around and decided to take advantage of it.

    They managed to buy some time with the ceasefire, and were trying to either regroup their forces or negotiate with the beastmen.

    However, using the Gordician Duty in name only may result in sanctionster on. They can''t just send a few dozen people and say that they have performed their duty.

    Therefore, they had dispatched a thousand soldiers and showed a serious attitude toward hunting antidemons.

    However, just being serious wasn''t enough to solve everything.

    ¡¸Apparently, there were some problems with their training and morale.¡¹

    The war with the Beast Kingdom had taken a heavy toll on their knights and veteran soldiers. As a result, many of the soldiers this time were young recruits.

    However, there was not the slightest bit of motivation among the new recruits that had been forcibly drafted. They also had very little in terms of experience and training. I imagine they all wanted to avoid doing anything dangerous so they could return home to their country in one piece.

    And yet, theirmanders seemed to be rearing for a fight. They were self-absorbed, thinking that they would show Bashar''s determination by achieving results.

    The result was a lousy army led by ipetentmanders that gave reckless orders. Meanwhile the soldiers were weak and ran at the slightest hint of danger.

    It couldn''t possible end well.

    As expected, they failed to defend their assigned areas and were routed.

    ¡¸And they were defeated in the worst way possible.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸The soldiers disobeyed orders and fled, causing damage to the dragonkin troops who they were cooperating with. Moreover, as the soldiers scattered in all directions, they lured in all the antidemons in the area.¡¹

    So Bashar''s soldiers became live bait, gathering more antidemons than necessary.

    ¡¸Currently, nearly 20,000 antidemons have gathered. It would be too dangerous to leave them unattended, so we have decided to take them down.¡¹

    ¡¸I understand. So how will we fight them?¡¹

    Hilt asked calmly. She was not at all upset to hear that they are up against 20,000 antidemons. If we and the dwarves work together, we would be able to handle it.

    I agree with her. In fact, I think the dwarves could even manage it on their own.

    ¡¸The main force will be Snorabbit''s dwarven warriors in the front, but I must ask the adventurers to move freely to eliminate high-priority targets. It is a dangerous role, but I will be counting on your help.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s fine really, we did not have enough opportunities to train yet, so I''m even thankful.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸I can''t wait!¡¹

    Hilt, Fran, and Colbert were all smiling happily after being told to charge into an army of 20,000.

    I was surprised to see Hilt happy, but I soon realized why. Hilt was no battle fanatic, but she was the type of person who would not cut corners for the sake of training.

    Her eyes were focused on Phobos-kun, the only one who seemed scared.

    I know you''re a Spartan, but you''re not going to send him into an army of 20,000 on a suicide mission, right?

    ¡¸I heard there are other rescue teamsing too. Don''t cause any trouble, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? I know.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m counting on you.¡¹

    Why are you only giving Fran a warning? We''ve shown you over thest few days that she''s an extremely capable adventurer that listens to everything you say! It''s about time for you to stop thinking of her as a troublemaker!

 Chapter 776

    <h4>Chapter 776</h4>

    <h4>776: Gordician Adventurers</h4>

    About an hour had passed after we heard the report that the Bashar Kingdom had suffered a crushing defeat, causing antidemons to gather inrge numbers.

    The Belioth army arrived at the scene to clear the area, and was met by a tremendous number of antidemons. Oh yeah, since the dwarves were not very fast, the Belioth forces moved ahead of them, though by only about 300 meters.

    The report said 20,000, right? There must be at least that many.

    But it seemed that the battle had already begun. A separate rescue division apparently arrived earlier on the opposite side of the horde, so almost all the antidemons had their backs to us.

    We were also joined by yet another rescue grouping in.

    They were a group of about 30 adventurers, a joint party consisting of several parties rather than being all members of the same n.

    However, all of them had been active in Gordicia for years, and had experience working together from time to time. They seemed to know each other well, so there was no need to worry about them quarreling with each other.

    In terms of strength, there was one Rank B and five Rank Cs. The rest were all Rank D, so the average level of the group was rather high. Moreover, all of them were skilled in meleebat as well.

    Many of them were magicians, but they still had skills for using swords or spears. As William mentioned before, they must be able to perform in closebat if they are to operate on this continent.

    Some of the Rank Ds would be Rank C if they went to any other continent. We''d consider them very dependable if we didn''t already have the group of dwarven warriors or Dimitris style disciples at us. They apparently realized that too.

    In fact, they were a bit snippy at first. Not so much rude, but they were trying to take the reins from us.

    ¡¸Oh, yeah. Are you those guys from Belioth? I''m Diggins, a somewhat well-known adventurer around here.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I''m Brunen, and I''m in charge of this army. That''s Snorabbit''s armying up behind us. They''re in a different chain ofmand than we are, so I''ll introduce youter.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, that''s fine. So¡­ what are we gonna do? This area is kinda like my backyard, so how about I give out the orders?¡¹

    They must have been worried that these neers would disrespect them. Their stares had a slightly thorny aura to them.

    But that onlysted until they met Hilt and Fran. The single Rank B adventurer in particr had a discerning eye so he sensed the power difference instantly.

    ¡¸Diggins, got it. I''m the Rank A adventurer Hiltoria.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Rank A? Hiltoria-san, you mean the ''Piercing Fist'', right? D-Damn, you really are strong!¡¹

    ¡¸That''s what they call me. And that''s the ck Lightning Princess Fran. She''s Rank B, but is as strong as any Rank A.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Nice to meet you.¡¹

    ¡¸Geez! B-ck Lightning Princess-san! I-I, uh, hear you''ve evolved¡­¡­! H-Heh¡­ hehe!¡¹

    This Diggins is actually an evolved bear beastman himself. Moreover, he''s one with a beast-type face rather than a human one, so his entire head looks like he took it off a bear''s.

    His race is "Yellow Bear". Wait, he won''t turn into that one bear when he Awakens, right? Okay, he isn''t wearing red clothes, so we should be safe there!

    Well, maybe it''s a good thing he doesn''t have a human-type face. We didn''t have to look at the hellish image of a grumpy old man with cute bear ears on his head.

    Naturally, he immediately guessed Fran''s identity. It took less than ten seconds for him to change his attitude from a smug superior to that of an underling.

    Not that I mind such a quick shift.

    And when the strongest one lowers his head, the other adventurers follow.

    In the end, the new adventurers joining us were also incorporated into our chain ofmand.

    Brunen then discussed the n with the dwarves after they caught up with us, but it was not really detailed enough to call it a n.

    ¡¸We don''t know the current condition of the allied dragonkin and Bashar forces, but the area is surrounded by antidemons. Refrain from wide range attacks, just in case they get caught up.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸We and the Snorabbit warriors will continue to push up the front. The adventurers will divert to the north and south sides to nk the antidemon army.¡¹

    ¡¸So we''re to act as a small raid force?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. It''s a dangerous mission, but can you handle it?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''m on it.¡¹

    After Hilt and Fran nodded, it''s a done deal. No one else could possibly voice their disagreement.

    Phobos-kun was the only one who seemed to be opposed, but the rest of the Dimitris school were more than happy with this job. The Gordician adventurers had some worry on their faces, but none of them dared to voice their dissent.

    ¡¸Will you be fine if we don''t leave anyone with the Belioth army?¡¹

    ¡¸We''ll remain with the dwarves, so don''t worry about us.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well, then we''ll depart immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸I doubt it''ll be necessary, but I''ll pray for your safety.¡¹

    Our task is very simple. The antidemon horde is currently engaged with the army posted in the east. The dwarves and Brunen will cover them from the west, and the two groups of adventurers will strike from the north and south.

    The role of the adventurers is to rush in small numbers and rescue anyone left behind in the antidemon horde. Also they are to kill themander and weaken the swarm. Our chances of finding any survivors seem abysmal, but we must still try to save them.

    The dwarves offered to lend some warriors, but the adventurers refused. Part of it was just stubbornness, but they also wanted to maximize their speed. The only drawback of dwarves is their slowness.

    But if you ask me, the dwarves here could move quite quickly. Their strength was off the charts, and they had powerful physical enhancement abilities.

    They were pretty slow marching all this way, but that''s only because they didn''t want to waste their energy on the way to the fight. This might be why people mistakenly thought they were slow.

    ¡¸So how about we take the north, and you take the south?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That''s fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Then we''ll meet upter. There are other adventurers here, so don''t be too reckless, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I know.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I hope so.¡¹

    With that, Hilt took her group and moved north.

    ¡ºLet''s get going.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Guys, follow me.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Got it, boss!¡¹

    The 30 local adventurers were divided into two groups, one under Hilt and the other under Fran. 18 people from three parties, including Diggins, were following behind Fran.

    Fran first tried to go alone, but then she changed her mind. Apparently, she remembered being told that she needed to havemand experience in order to move up to Rank A.

    ¡¸I''ll lead. Dickens will follow behind me.¡¹

    ¡¸Name''s Diggins, ck Lightning Princess-san.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, Diggins. And let me know when you find themander.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it! Did you guys hear that?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Well, these guys are pretty strong and there aren''t too many of them. It should be a good learning experience.

    I''ll just pray we don''t push them too hard and get any casualties!

 Chapter 777

    <h4>Chapter 777</h4>

    <h4>777: Commander Fran</h4>

    As we were heading south, going around the horde of antidemons, we heard some heavy metallic sounds behind us.

    That''s probably the dwarves beginning their assault. The antidemons had been aware of the dwarves for some time, and began to adjust their movements.

    Their eyes, which had been looking east, now turned to the west behind them.

    Themander must be responding by splitting the horde in half. The left and right nks of the army were thinning out in the center of the field.

    ¡ºAnd that thin part is where we should target.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Guys, when we get a little further ahead, we''ll move in on the center.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    Diggins replied in kind, but the other adventurers were apprehensive. The sight of a 20,000-strong army must have been terrifying for them.

    ¡¸Don''t worry. I''ll save you if it gets dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe! If you say that, I''ll be 100 times braver!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Well, they understood that Fran was strong, but they couldn''t be sure exactly how strong.

    The other adventurers looked at Fran and Diggins with doubt in their eyes.

    Sorry, adventurers. I''ll save you if ites down to it! Not that I can say it out loud here, so it''s impossible for me to dispel your fears.

    Fran walked further in with the blue-faced adventurers in tow. Maybe I should tell Fran to give them some words of encouragement.

    She stopped and crouched behind a group of thick bushes. After making sure antidemons'' attention was fully drawn to the dwarves, she pulled me out. Maybe I should bring up the subject now?

    ¡¸Let''s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹

    Fran nced back at the listless adventurers. Then she opened her mouth, before I had the chance to tell her anything.

    ¡¸I can use healing magic. As long as you don''t die instantly, you''ll be fine. Even if you copse, I will never leave you behind.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And Urushi is here too.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi emerged from the shadows. He had been hiding his presence the entire time, so not even Diggins noticed him. Everyone was astonished.

    ¡¸Uwah! W-What the heck is this puppy?¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi is not a dog. He''s a wolf. If you get it wrong, you''ll be in trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸U-Urushi-san, the w-wolf. I''ll never make that mistake again!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡¸He says he''ll forgive you.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh heh!¡¹

    Urushi, I guess you still have enough wolfyness to get angry at being mistaken for a dog. Also Diggins treats Urushi as a superior too, huh?

    And it was not only because he was Fran''s servant, he had recognized Urushi''s strength. How many adventurers would be able to notice that, seeing how he looks like a medium-sized dog and is concealing his mana?

    Diggins looked like a muscle brain, but I guess he had a good eye and knew when to lower his head.

    ¡¸Also, it would be amazing if we beat themander with this many men. I''m sure they''ll reward us handsomely.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s true!¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t worry, you just have to follow me.¡¹

    Fran smirked, while purposely activating her intimidation aura. Though I doubt anyone but me would be able to tell she was smiling.

    I guess Fran was trying to encourage her temporary subordinates by showing off a portion of her strength.

    ¡¸Urushi is also super strong¡­ stronger than Diggins. We''ll protect you all, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The adventurers were feeling a little more energetic now, I guess? They were listening intently to Fran''s words, their faces slightly less pale than before.

    Rather than getting encouraged, they probably felt embarrassed to have such a little girl worrying about them, but it doesn''t change the fact that they were feeling better.

    ¡ºFran, that''s great! You look like a realmander!¡»

    £¨I was remembering guys like Donadrond.£©

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    That was back in the town of Alessa, where Fran and I had our first experience of participating in arge battle. Fran was thinking back to Donadrond, who was inmand at that time.

    £¨And others too, like the Knight Commander in the capital and the Beast King.£©

    Fran had seen many differentmanders in many different ces and on many different battlefields. I guess that experience paid off.

    ¡¸Just follow me.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a good face. We can do this, so have confidence.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    Diggins was yelling along with them. We shouldn''t have any problems with morale now.

    ¡¸Let''s go!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Fran held me up high in the air, then we ran toward the antidemons in the distance. The adventurers followed closely.

    ¡ºTime for a preemptive strike.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We first attacked the antidemons in front of us with the Fire Arrow spell. About 40 Fire Arrows from Fran and me rained down on the antidemon army.

    Then we repeated that for a second, third, and fourth wave. That alone had killed more than a hundred antidemons. The reason why the number of antidemons killed was less than the number of fire arrows was because there were many antidemons that Fran and I were both aiming at.

    ¡¸Eh? ck Lightning Princess-san! It''s not a good idea to attack such a wide area¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t worry, I only hit the antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You used that many spells and only aimed at the antidemons?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Yeah¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸T-That''s amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸You mean to say that you haveplete control over that much magic?¡¹

    ¡¸S-So this is the power of the alias bearers!¡¹

    The adventurers were amazed to see Fran''s superior control of magic. Now I could see the smiles return to their faces. They must have been truly relieved to see Fran''s abilities.

    ¡¸We''re going in.¡¹

    ¡¸Hell yeah! Let''s do this!¡¹

    ¡¸We''vee this far, might as well go all the way!¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t look down on a Rank C! We''ll show them how it''s done!¡¹

    ¡¸Woooh!¡¹

    Everyone, hang in there!

 Chapter 778

    <h4>Chapter 778</h4>

    <h4>778: South Team''s Charge</h4>

    Fran and the other adventurers of the South Team charged into the antidemon swarm, while shouting to pump themselves up.

    Fran led them as the vanguard, and Urushi followed as the rearguard.

    ¡¸Hah! Impact sh!¡¹

    Fran unleashed a Holy Sword Art, blowing the antidemons in the front of the pack to the ground.

    Whenever she used this technique before, she would be unable to move freely for a few seconds, making her wide open to any counterattacks. That would be a fatal w on the battlefield.

    To prevent this, I devised a method of forcibly moving her with telekinesis, but that had the disadvantage of putting a huge burden on Fran''s body.

    It would be fine if she only got some minor strains, but there were constant broken bones and pulled muscles. We would have to continue fighting while also healing the self-damage.

    But the current Fran was different.

    Even without my help, she was able to cover her openings.

    She seeded in diverting the momentum of her technique, rather than resisting it. By using the parts of her body that were not under strain, she was able to move into a stance capable of following up.

    This was proof that Fran had mastered the use of Holy Sword Arts.

    Back when she had used this same move against the skeletal knight on the floating ind, she needed me to cover her opening, which ended up breaking her arm.

    In other words, she was unable to fully utilize the Holy Sword Arts back then.

    But now Fran had mastered it all by herself.

    ¡ºHaha! Nice one, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran dived into the gap she just made, nimbly cutting down all the antidemons nearby.

    However, she did not charge through the army at full speed. While ying antidemons, she adjusting her pace to not leave behind the adventurers who were following her.

    The adventurers also managed their own against the antidemons. This was because they only had to concentrate on the left and right nks, since Fran was taking the front.

    ¡¸Doruaaah! Follow ck Lightning Princess-san!¡¹

    ¡¸Need help on the right!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it! Wind Bullet!¡¹

    Diggins was perfectly fine. Like Fran, he had not yet Awakened, but he was still sting away at the antidemons without a hitch.

    His weapons were a huge metal club and his fists. The average nab would have to use both hands to hold the club, but he swung it with one hand while using his free left hand to smash more antidemons.

    The adventurers were fighting steadily, working well together.

    Urushi was there protecting their backs, focused mainly on supporting the adventurers rather than destroying antidemons. But he also covered them with dark magic while defeating the antidemons that tried to enter their blind spots.

    At first, the adventurers seemed uneasy about entrusting their backs to Urushi, but they came to understand his abilities as the battle went on.

    They were soon able to fight without worrying about their backs.

    If they only needed to focus on what''s in front of them, these Rank C adventurers would not fall behind lower-ranked antidemons.

    The fact that we werepletely surrounded by antidemons, yet had zero casualties, was due inrge part to Urushi''s efforts.

    ¡ºWe still have a long ways to go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Since we had to stay near the adventurers, we can''t just rush through. That gave the antidemons enough time to swarm us from the surrounding area, no matter how many we defeated.

    This wasn''t hard for Fran, but it must have been painful for the adventurers. Morale was great after they saw Fran''s strength up close, but I could see some casualties in the future if we pushed them too hard.

    £¨Master, I think I''ll swap ces.£©

    ¡ºWhat are you gonna do?¡»

    £¨I''ll let Diggins take the front, he can handle it. Urushi and I will cover the left and right sides.£©

    ¡ºSounds good to me.¡»

    Whether Fran or Diggins is in the front, the speed of the group would not change much.

    So, it would be better to reinforce the left and right nks. That way, we can minimize the pressure on the other adventurers.

    ¡¸Diggins!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! What''s up?¡¹

    ¡¸Take the front. I''ll help everyone from further back.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay! That''s a big job! I''ll do my best!¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸Doryaaa!¡¹

    That''s our Rank B adventurer. He switched ces with Fran immediately and began reaping antidemons in the same manner as before.

    He still has Awakening up his sleeve, so this bear guy should be fine in the front.

    ¡¸Urushi, cover on the right. I''ll watch the left.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The speed of our advance remained the same, but it became much more stable. Anyone who needed a heal got one immediately, and our enhancement magic could constantly be refreshed. The defense in the rear was still irond.

    ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸Man, you''re even healing us¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I''d expect as much for someone Diggins-san epted as his boss!¡¹

    The adventurers had even regained enoughposure to chit chat.

    ¡ºI''m sensing arge magical presence ahead. It''s probably themander.¡»

    ¡¸Themander is ahead. But Hilt''s party is alreadying from the other side.¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. We can''t let the north guys beat us.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    ¡¸If we don''t do something, they might take the good part. Everyone get fired up.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeeaahh!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    As Fran announced this, the looks on the adventurers'' faces changed.

    As expected, they were eager to get the credit, since that would be reflected in their points.

    However, Hilt''s northern party was almost at themander too. I''d say they are about as close as us.

    Now then, who will reach the target first?

 Chapter 779

    <h4>Chapter 779</h4>

    <h4>779: Knight-type Defeated</h4>

    Fran and her party continued to move forward through the antidemons without slowing down.

    They were almost at the knight-type, themander of the horde. Since it was almost twice as tall as a swordsman-type, we could easily see it even from this far away.

    And the aura it unleashed was different too. It of course had plenty of mana, but I also felt evil energy radiating from it. The Abyss Eater was created from the fragments of the Evil God, so it would obviously emit evil energy.

    From the moment we stepped into the barrier of this continent, I could always feel a minuscule amount of evil energy in the air.

    The antidemons produced by the Abyss Eater naturally retain that evil energy. This knight-type antidemon was clothed in an evil energyparable to that of minotaurs and high-ranking orcs.

    ¡¸Almost at themander.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    At this rate, it''s doubtful that Fran''s party will be able to defeat it. It''s not a matter of strength, I''m sure Fran could erase it in the blink of an eye.

    The problem was Hilt''s party closing in from the other side.

    They seemed to be aware of us as well, and I could tell they were slightly increasing the speed of their push towards the knight-type.

    ¡ºAt this rate, Hilt is gonna get there before us. What did you want to do? Should one of us just take it down from here?¡»

    I already searched the surrounding area for mana traces, but there was no one left alive. Although it was pretty obvious, Bashar''s troops had beenpletely wiped out.

    ¡ºThose guys from Bashar are long gone.¡»

    £¨I see¡­¡­£©

    Despite Fran''s sadness, I felt a strong sense of relief. I doubt anything good would happen if we met them here.

    But with them out of the picture, we would be allowed to perform wide range attacks. For example, I could use my Kanna Kamui to destroy the knight-type without needing to get any closer.

    But Fran did not take that choice. She wanted to win with her squad.

    ¡¸Diggins!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll open the way, so you take the knight-type.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it! Leave it to me!¡¹

    Diggins immediately nodded his head, even though Fran had just told him to take the enemy boss alone.

    I could see that he wasn''t just epting orders from a superior without thinking. Fran had earned his trust in such a short period of time.

    ¡¸Guys, let''s make the path!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Sword Sonic!¡¹

    ¡ºGale Hazard!¡»

    The shockwave released by Fran sent the 30 or so antidemons in our way flying.

    Next, I unleashed a wind spell that blew the antidemons away, further widening the gap that Fran had opened.

    Finally, the adventurers'' long-range attacks hit, creating a narrow path of about 30 meters to the knight-type.

    Diggins saw this and roared.

    ¡¸Uruaaaah! Awakening!¡¹

    He yed his trump card.

    Diggins'' race had changed from Yellow Bear to Yellow Jade Bear.

    The biggest change in appearance was the color of his fur. Originally, it was a gaudy yellow, but now it has a tough radiance to it.

    As the name of the race implied, he had a beautiful topaz-like fur.

    The size of his body hardly changed at all. His muscles were probably just a little pumped up.

    However, he had definitely increased his strength.

    ¡¸Guraaaaah!¡¹

    Using his enhanced muscr strength as propulsive force, Diggins pushed forward at a tremendous speed. He was already closing in on the knight-type.

    The antidemons that stood in his way were crushed by a metal club swung with blinding speed.

    The strength enhancement on his arms must have been fairlyrge. For every swing of the club, several antidemons were blown away.

    What was even more surprising was his defenses. He received blows from the antidemons'' weapons many times, but they didn''t even leave a scratch.

    I guess that fur is harder than it looks.

    The knight-type was almost right in front of him.

    However, I could see Phobos-kun approaching from right behind the knight.

    It seems Hilt also had no intention of doing everything herself. She must have wanted to give her disciples a chance to shine.

    Phobos-kun was leaning forward as he weaved between the antidemons to make his way here, with movements as smooth as a snake darting along on the ground. I would expect as much from the Dimitris style''s rising star whose talents were widely regarded.

    Diggins noticed Phobos-kun''s presence too. They both had about 10 meters to go, so it was a toss up as to which of them would reach the target first.

    After Diggins realized that, he raised his left hand in the air with a look of determination.

    ¡¸Gooaaahhhh!¡¹

    Diggins'' roar echoed as his left arm swung down toward the earth.

    Boom!

    His ws pierced the ground, and the impact sent the soil flying.

    Of course, that wasn''t the only thing that happened. At first nce, it appeared to be just a pointless strike at the ground.

    But those who can sense magic would understand. A powerful wave of magic ran beneath the earth.

    The point where Diggins'' fist hit the earth was only the starting point, and a dense mana had been released towards the knight-type.

    Then, the ground beneath the knight copsed.

    ¡¸Ryiioo?¡¹

    A cacophony of sound was emitted from the knight-type, as if a distorted bell had been bashed. Is that how they scream? It was a mysterious voice,pletely different from the cries of living creatures.

    The screaming(?) knight-type was swallowed up by the hole, with only the upper torso remaining above ground.

    It quickly thrust out its hand to stop the fall, but Diggins'' assault continued.

    The walls on two sides of the hole red up, crushing the knight-type between them.

    And these were not just dirt walls, they had been infused with arge amount of Diggins'' mana. Soon after, the knight-type''s shell gave way.

    Like a bear trap mping into its prey, the earth itself smashed the knight-type.

    Crack!

    The walls mmed together with tremendous force, shattering the knight-type with a high-pitched sound simr to a metallic sh.

    Fragments of the knight-type scattered about before melting into the air.

    ¡¸Aw yeah! We got ''em, ck Lightning Princess-san!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhhh! You beat me to it! Hilt-sama is going to be so mad at me!¡¹

 Chapter 780

    <h4>Chapter 780</h4>

    <h4>780: Before the Rescue of the East</h4>

    With the loss of the knight-type, the antidemons were no longer able to move in an organized manner and began to fight separately.

    Swordsman-types could still work in small groups, but they were incapable of any greater cooperation.

    ¡ºThey''re just a disorderly mob now.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­ but it might be a little annoying.£©

    ¡ºI guess so.¡»

    This would help out the dwarves, but not so much for the adventurers.

    The previously organized antidemons now lost control and began to move randomly.

    Without any thought, they rushed toward Fran''s party like grade school children swarming around a ser ball.

    The intensity and density of their attacks might even be greater than before.

    This would be fine for Fran, but it was a bit of a problem for the other adventurers, since some of them were injured. It would have been easier on them if the antidemons remained in their defensive formation to protect theirmander.

    ¡ºIt might have been a mistake to defeat the knight-type.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    This was a good lesson for us too. When you are inmand, you have to make decisions with others in mind.

    ¡¸Fran, are there any casualties on your side?¡¹

    ¡¸No Hilt, we''re good.¡¹

    Hilt and the others from the north party joined up with us.

    ¡¸What now? Regroup with Orfalve?¡¹

    ¡¸I think we should continue east, since the dwarves in the west will be fine without our help. I am also curious to know what is going on over there.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    In the end, they decided to head east through the antidemon hordes. Our goal was to rescue the troops still fighting on that side.

    But before we do that, we had better cut down the number of antidemons a little. Now that we know there are no survivors, we can go on a bit of a rampage here.

    ¡¸I''m gonna do a big attack, so get close.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that might be a good idea. Everyone gather around Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Diggins, you guys too.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    Diggins was already is his unawakened state. The move that defeated the knight-type must have been a move simr to Fran''s ck Lightning Advent.

    I saw him revert back to his original form right after defeating the knight-type. Well, that won''t be an issue against these small fry.

    ¡¸Ekato Keraunos!¡¹

    ¡ºThunder Zone, and Ekato Keraunos multi-activation!¡»

    After I deployed a barrier blocking thunder magic around ourselves, weunch a series of wide-area thunder spells.

    Hundreds of bolts of lightning rained down around us, blowing up the antidemons. Even if they didn''tnd a direct hit, the lightning bolts exploding the earth caused massive damage to the antidemons.

    ¡¸Uweh?!¡¹

    ¡¸H-Holy shit!¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah!¡¹

    Phobos-kun screamed alongside with the adventurers. Or rather, all but Hilt and Colbert voiced their surprise.

    The hellish sight of a thunderstorm piercing the earth and obliterating the antidemons must have been quite a shock to them.

    The roar shook them down to bone, andbined with the sh that burned their retinas, left them in a state of half-panic. Although I have to say, seeing Diggins trembling like that was not cute in the slightest.

    However, they still remembered that Fran created this scene, and eventually came back to their senses.

    ¡¸As expected from the ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    ¡¸That must of done in at least a thousand of them.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sigh. Calling this "Rank B" has to be some sort of fraud.¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again. Fran is way too strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You think so too?¡¹

    ¡¸At the very least, I can''t im to be on the same rank as her.¡¹

    Hilt and Colbert were busy nodding at each other. Okay. I can admit the rank fraud.

    But still, that doesn''t give you the right to be all lovey-dovey with each other! Hilt, this is a battlefield! What''s that blush on your cheeks! You better not say it''s just because of thebat adrenaline, because I''m not buying it!

    No, wait a second. If we want to get into Hilt''s good books, it might be a good idea to set her up with Colbert. Then we''re on the right track! Continue the flirting!

    N-Not like I care!

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Sorry. I got a little excited.¡»

    £¨Nn. It''s been a while since I''ve killed so many enemies. I had a good time too.£©

    ¡ºUhh, yeah.¡»

    Fran, you can keep going like that too. Romance can wait until you''re much older.

    ¡¸Okay, we''re going east. Diggins will lead the way again.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    ¡¸Phobos, you go to the front too.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, ma''am!¡¹

    Phobos-kun was looking very motivated. Maybe he wanted to make up for falling behind Diggins earlier.

    He was ncing sideways at Diggins and Hilt, half not wanting to lose to Diggins and half terrified of Hilt''s wrath.

    But can he beat Diggins in such a state of mind? This is a Rank B adventurer who has been fighting in Gordicia for many years.

    Just as that thought passed through my mind, Phobos-kun received a scolding from Hilt.

    She was chastising Phobos-kun for his dull movements along the way.

    ¡¸Phobos! You need to focus! If you fail, you will be a burden on ourrades!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, ma''am!¡¹

    ¡¸And why are youparing yourself to someone so much stronger than you? Diggins-dono is a Rank B adventurer, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Y-Yeeees!¡¹

    The path eastward was led by Phobos-kun, who was really out of it, and Diggins, who was eager to show Fran his abilities.

    We arrived to see an army engaged in a fierce battle with antidemons. There were not more than 500 of them, maybe about 200-300? But there was one unique characteristic of that army.

    £¨Are they all dragonkin?£©

    ¡ºSeems so. Each one of them is pretty strong, and they certainly look the part.¡»

    They all had dragon-like eyes and sharp horns that extended back from above their ears, with scales covering their limbs. Those figures looked just like Frederick, the half evil dragonkin we had met before.

    No wait, they looked even more dragon-like than Frederick. I suppose this must be the appearance of full blooded dragonkin.

    As far as I could see, all of their frontline fighters were dragonkin too.

 Chapter 781

    <h4>Chapter 781</h4>

    <h4>781: Forgotten Arts and Training</h4>

    The fighting style of the dragonkin was very simple. They lined up the strongest individuals in the front and let them fight as they pleased. The antidemons who came forward through the gaps between them were in by the troops in the rear with long-range attacks.

    I guess you could call that teamwork?

    The reason why the antidemon pressure on us decreased was because they saw the dragonkin as a threat, and decided that they had a higher priority than us.

    ¡¸Let''s go help.¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    Fran and Hilt were about to move in, but Diggins stopped them.

    ¡¸Please wait just a second!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸If we''re dealing with dragonkin, we might want to ask them if they need assistance first.¡¹

    Apparently dragonkin tended to be very proud as a whole, and there were even a few who would refuse all assistance from others.

    If such a proud person was theirmander, we might get into trouble for lending them a hand.

    ¡¸Then shall we send a emissary? By the looks of things, I don''t think they are in any urgent need of help.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I''ll go.¡¹

    ¡¸No, wait. Let''s send someone else.¡¹

    ¡¸I can go really fast.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop.¡¹

    Hilt decisively vetoed Fran''s offer. The look on her face seemed to say, "Send Fran as an emissary over my dead body." Well, I can understand the thought process.

    ¡¸Then I''ll go myself. I have some dragonkin friends, so I know how to handle them.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, please go ahead.¡¹

    Diggins, sensing the atmosphere, volunteered himself. He had a point. If they were difficult to deal with, then it would be less likely to cause trouble if the person sent was familiar with them.

    Fran agreed as well, and withdrew with a light nod.

    That''s a great help because I would be worried if Fran had to talk to a dragonkin too. Fran has been showing a lot of growthtely, but taking on a negotiation-type job? Let''s just say we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

    We waited at a distance, taking out the antidemons approaching us.

    Hilt and Colbert, as well as the other disciples, were showing off some great moves. And they were defeating the antidemons without having any trouble with their hard shells.

    They were destroying the antidemons internally rather than crushing the shells. Phobos-kun was the only one who couldn''t manage it.

    Or rather, he also crushed the shells too. He wasn''t able to fully transfer the force of his blows to the insides, so the power must have been partially dispersed.

    Also, Colbert was back to using the Dimitris style. There was supposed to be a ''Forgotten Arts'' skill that only the head of the school could use. That skill had been used on Colbert following his expulsion from the school, so he should have forgotten all the skills of the Dimitris style.

    ¡¸Colbert, you can use the Dimitris style again?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! When my expulsion was lifted, we also canceled my Forgotten Arts.¡¹

    And it seemed that it wasn''t just the return of his Dimitris style.

    ¡¸And not just that, my skill in manipting mana has clearly improved. I had been trying to recreate the Dimitris style movements, which seems to have improved the sharpness of my techniques even after it came back.¡¹

    Colbert said that as he hit antidemon with a light jab. With that, antidemon copsed and disappeared.

    Indeed, the power of his prating force punch had increased and the flow of mana was surprisingly smooth. He was closing in on Hilt.

    I guess that the training he did during his Forgotten Arts period was not in vain.

    ¡¸I''m wondering if I should incorporate the Forgotten Arts into the new Dimitris style training regimen.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s that good?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    Hilt said that with her facepletely serious. She was really considering it.

    ¡¸To think that training with Forgotten Arts would have such an effect¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No one noticed it before?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s because expulsions like Colbert''s case are very rare.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Most people don''t train properly after they''ve been expelled.¡¹

    In other words, the average expelled disciple was trash. They entered the Dimitris school in search of power, but were expelled for bad behavior. There were many such people, it seems.

    Such people would obviously not train seriously, especially after expulsion.

    It was even more rare to return from an expulsion. Dimitris would not allow such a thing without a good reason.

    Colbert was both rare as someone training seriously after expulsion, and even more rare for being able to return after expulsion. As a result, they discovered the usefulness of training via Forgotten Arts.

    ¡¸Unfortunately, I can''t undergo that training myself.¡¹

    Apparently she can''t use her own Forgotten Arts on herself.

    ¡¸It looks like Diggins is back.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, he is.¡¹

    We saw Diggins running toward us, knocking off a few antidemons on his way.

    ¡¸How''d it go?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey. They want our help.¡¹

    ¡¸So that means they were the reasonable type.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They were led by a warrior chief belonging on the moderate side.¡¹

    ¡¸Then let''s move quickly.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    If we''re allowed to fight, then the rest is easy.

    Fran and the others split up and began their raid on the antidemons, focusing their attacks on the areas where antidemons were most numerous and providing support for the dragonkin.

    After a short time, the dwarves caught up with us. The low-ranked antidemons that lost their leader were no match for the dwarves, even if there were more than 10,000 of them.

    The dwarven warriors continued to advance with a thousand of them lined up in single file, mowing down the antidemons at a tremendous pace.

    Within thirty minutes of our arrival at the battlefield, the antidemons had beenpletely exterminated.

 Chapter 782

    <h4>Chapter 782</h4>

    <h4>782: Tzaluta Camellia</h4>

    ¡¸Thank you for your assistance. I am the Warrior Chief Chelsea, and I am in charge of this unit.¡¹

    ¡¸I am Orfalve, Queen of Snorabbit. You are the warriors of the western coast, I presume?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. That is correct.¡¹

    Surprisingly, a female dragonkin was leading the unit. I had subconsciously assumed that she was a man after hearing she was a "warrior chief".

    The female dragonkin in front of us wore dark blue scales the same color as her hair. Those scales stood out against her chocte brown skin.

    She was nearly two meters tall, which seemed to be a little taller than the average dragonkin. Her dashing appearancebined with her cornrow braided hair made her look very handsome.

    Female warriors are apparently not umon among the dragonkin, and they are sometimes even stronger than males because they are more talented at controlling magic. As proof, Chelsea was very strong, and would be more than a match for Colbert.

    Also, blue-scaled dragonkin like her have talent in the widely valued water magic. The ability to create water is a tremendous advantage in the harsh environments of Gordicia.

    I heard that many dragonkin were arrogant, but Chelsea had no such attitude. She sounded a bit like a haughty military officer at first, but her attitude toward Orfalve was very reverent.

    That respect also applied to Hilt and Fran. She was not lying when she said she was among the moderate dragonkin.

    Even when Fran asked her a few questions about the dragonkin, she answered politely.

    ¡¸Warrior chief, the first aid for the wounded haspleted.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then have them get ready to evacuate immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸And call Tzaluta-dono over here.¡¹

    Their unit consisted of more than just dragonkin. The messenger just now was a half-dragonkin, and there were human soldiers mixed in as well. The emblems on the armor of the dragonkin, half-dragonkin, and humans were different, so perhaps they belonged to different organizations.

    The magician who had been summoned by Chelsea was also a human. She was wearing a robe with a flower emblem on it, just like the other human soldiers.

    She had short-cut brown wavy hair and a sleepy look. She must have been about 155 cm, but she looked much smaller when standing next to the huge Chelsea.

    ¡¸You wanted to see me, Chelsea-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. This is Orfalve-sama, Queen of Snorabbit. Brunen-dono, Admiral of the Belioth Kingdom. Hiltoria-dono, the current head of the Dimitris school. And Fran-dono, the ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    Chelsea had a discerning eye to introduce these four first. She must have immediately recognized not only their abilities but also the power rtions among the rescue teams.

    ¡¸Orfalve-sama, it''s been a long time, hasn''t it?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. The drink you offered me previously was really something!¡¹

    ¡¸That event was merely a coincidence. It''s a pleasure to meet the rest of you. I am Tzaluta Camellia, captain of the Camellia mercenaries.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, a mercenarypany. Are you employed by the dragonkin?¡¹

    Hilt was also interested in them and listened to what she had to say.

    The Camellia Mercenaries were based on the Camellia family, which was originally something like a noble family in Gordicia.

    When the continent of Gordicia was destroyed, they started a group of mercenaries with their subjects and have been fighting ever since to regain their homnd.

    But Fran seemed to have doubts about that story. I did too.

    Because we''ve heard of the Camellia family before. They''re one of the three great families of Gordicia, along with Romeo''s Magnolia family.

    I don''t know all the details, but they had the blessings of the Evil God. Well, it seemed that somewhere along the line, their faith changed from being blessed to being the guardians of the Evil God''s seal.

    And long ago, they were supposed to have been attacked and destroyed by the dragonkin seeking the Evil God Fragments.

    ¡¸The Camellia family is fighting alongside with dragonkin? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know of the Three Gordician Families by any chance?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''ve heard a little bit about them.¡¹

    Not to say we know everything about them, but we do know that their bloodline has a special power. For example the Magnolia family had the ability "Evil God''s Communion" that allowed them to absorb the power of fiends.

    However, I am not sure it would be a good idea to speak publicly about it here¡­¡­

    But there was no need to worry.

    ¡¸So, do you also know about the power that resides in our blood?¡¹

    She brought up the subject herself.

    ¡¸I know that there is a mysterious power in your blood. I also heard that the dragonkin destroyed you all.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, now that''s an interesting story.¡¹

    Hilt also became curious.

    ¡¸I see, so that''s why you asked that¡­¡­ Yes, I suppose you might find it strange if you were aware.¡¹

    Of course, her ancestors had some resentment toward the dragonkin. But they had more deep seated regret at the theft of the Evil God Fragment and it being used as a material to create the Abyss Eater.

    They decided to put aside their hatred and fight alongside some of the more decent dragonkin.

    It''s just that their descendants'' grudge against the dragonkin dulled over the years. Apparently, they still continued the mercenary business, half out of a sense of duty and half just because it pays the bills.

    ¡¸The powering from the bloodline of the Camellia family is effective in the war against antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸Does it work even if they aren''t fiends?¡¹

    ¡¸The source of the antidemons, the Abyss Eater, contains a fragment of the Evil God. Therefore, antidemons also contain a small amount of evil energy.¡¹

    The evil energy of the lower ss antidemons was weaker than that of goblins, which made it difficult to detect since the Abyss Eater''s evil energy covered the entire continent.

    However, the evil energy of the knight-types and above were rather dense. Like she said, I could easily sense the evil energy from the knight-type earlier.

    ¡¸My power has the effect of slowing down those with evil energy, so it is very effective against the antidemon hordes.¡¹

    ¡¸Slowing down fiends? To think there was a bloodline with a power like that¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Many people are surprised when they hear about it for the first time. From my point of view, it''s like a talent I''ve been able to use since I was very young.¡¹

    This continent was where they can most effectively use the power that resides in the bloodline of the leader. That made it such an excellent hunting ground that none of them thought of leaving.

    The Camellia mercenaries didn''t seem to care much for their tragic past. Although it wasn''t as if they enjoyed this job either, they weren''t forcing themselves to be mercenaries in order to avenge their ancestors'' deaths or anything.

    They were simply continuing their work as mercenaries in a business-like manner.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, do you by any chance know the descendants of families other than Camellia?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Where are they now?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I can''t tell you because I don''t know if I should.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that''s true. I had forgotten about it since we don''t hide anything, but if we went to other continents, we could easily be persecuted as an wicked bloodline.¡¹

    Yeah, it''s certainly not information that can be passed around without permission.

    ¡¸I''m sorry to interrupt this lively conversation, but I think it''s time for us to leave.¡¹

    ¡¸You''re right. Understood, Chelsea-dono.¡¹

    They had just finished recovering the magical tools that the dragonkin had used to build a simple encampment.

    ¡ºWe''re going back to Brunen.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The Camellia family, huh? She said she could slow down fiends, but I bet she could do even more if she fully activated her powers. The same thing was true of the Evil God''s Communion.

    She didn''t tell us the name of her ability¡­¡­ Well, I guess she wouldn''t want to mention a creepy skill name like "Evil God''s ___" in the presence of Hilt and others.

    I wonder what kind of power it is?

 Chapter 783

    <h4>Chapter 783</h4>

    <h4>783: The Legend of the Evil Godking, Gardinia</h4>

    On the way back to the western port.

    Fran was having a chat with Tzaluta.

    While they did kinda hit it off, they both had something they wanted to ask each other.

    Fran wanted to know more about the abilities of the Three Gordician Families and the Camellia family, and Tzaluta enjoyed exining things to her.

    Once the conversation got going, it didn''t stop. Right now, she was in the middle of telling us the old myths passed down the Camellia family.

    It was a story about the birth of the Three Gordician Families.

    ¡¸Thousands of years ago, this continent was inhabited by arge number of elves.¡¹

    ¡¸What about the dragonkin?¡¹

    ¡¸It is said that dragonkin and humans were few and far between, living in secluded viges. The seal on the Evil God Fragments existed even in those days, but it was not widely known.¡¹

    The gods had hidden this knowledge away, so many elves did not know that the Evil God was sleeping right under their feet.

    ¡¸But one elf learned of their existence and began to worship the Evil God. He apparently had a special physical constitution that made spirits ufortable and caused them to run away from him.¡¹

    The elves greatly respected spirit casters, so that elf was treated very poorly. They even apparently abused him.

    Why can''t I summon spirits? Why do the spirits hate me? Had the Tree God abandoned me?

    He stopped caring about everything, locked himself in his room, and began worshiping the Evil God, before finally being driven out of his vige. He wandered aimlessly through the forest, and that''s when he arrived at the seal of the Evil God.

    Whether this was by chance or the Evil God guiding him somehow, no one could say for sure.

    He did exactly as the Evil God told him, weakening the seal of the Evil God Fragment, and obtained the blessing of the Evil God.

    In the first ce, he was not actually hated by the spirits. It seemed that the spirits were just afraid toe close to him because of his innate "Spirit Eater" skill.

    Maybe this unfortunate story could have had a different ending if there had been someone with an Appraisal powerful enough to recognize that skill.

    At any rate, he gained tremendous power bybining the dormant power of his Spirit Eater and the blessing of the Evil God. But he did not seek his revenge immediately.

    He had not forgiven the elves at all. Rather, he wanted to destroy them slowly andpletely, even if it took a long period of time.

    After mastering the art of suppressing his evil energy, he returned to thend of the elves. There, he entered the military and rose quickly to prominence. It was said that it took less than ten years for him toe to power.

    Then came the day of his revenge. Using chimera synthesis technology, which was still in the research stage at the time, he fused himself with the four Evil God Fragments sealed in the continent of Gordicia.

    After taking in the lives of thousands of elves as well as the Evil God Fragments, he rose to be a being that transcended humanity.

    There were no records of his original name, but what he called himself afterwards was passed down the ages. "Gardinia, the Evil Godking".

    Gardinia first used his power to brainwash the elves, ordering them to hunt down their brethren, then repeating the process with his new servants. But one day, he simply went out of control.

    This was due to the innate instability of chimeras, which was apletely unknown phenomena at the time. As a result, an infinitely-growing abomination was born, devouring elves and other creatures as its appetite demanded.

    Gardinia grew so quickly that it was only a matter of time until he devoured everyst elf and spirit on the continent.

    But then, the monstrous Evil Godking suddenly vanished.

    Even in his rampage, his urge for vengeance against the elves had somehow remained. Apparently, he crossed the sea in search of elvennds on another continent.

    There was no detailed ount of Gardinia after his disappearance from the continent, not even from the Camellia family.

    However, after a few years, Gardinia had somehow returned to his elven form. He came back to the continent with the evil erased from his heart, yet his mysterious power to control fiends remained with him.

    At that time, the country of the elves had been destroyed and the country of the dragonkin had risen. Gardinia, however, rallied the humans who had been persecuted by the dragonkin, quietly establishing a settlement at the edge of the continent.

    However, the peaceful times did notst long.

    One day a female elf appeared, seeking revenge after losing her family to Gardinia.

    She apparently called herself Weena, but her identity was not known for sure. That was amon name for elves in those days.

    Gardinia allowed her revenge and epted death. That was because he managed to regain his heart in the first ce due to Weena''s twin sister.

    He already knew this day woulde. That''s why he had sealed away his powers in advance. The "monster soul", the core of the chimera, as well as the Evil God Fragments, which he had split into three, were hidden away around the outskirts of his settlement.

    Just before his death, he shared his power with his three sons and told them to protect the seal of the Evil God Fragments before disappearing.

    Thus was the beginning of the Three Gordician Families.

    ¡¸But in time, the threat of the Evil God and chimeras was forgotten. That''s when Trismegistus, the king of the dragonkin, took notice.¡¹

    The rest happened following the legend of Trismegistus. Using the Evil God Fragments, the monster soul of the chimera, and other materials, he created the most notorious monster in existence, the "Abyss Eater", and received his divine punishment.

    The most interesting part of Tzaluta''s story for us was the elf who had taken revenge on Gardinia.

    £¨Weena, the Weena we know?£©

    ¡ºI think that''s a strong possibility.¡»

    A long time ago, a great magical beast appeared in the kingdom of Belioth and was sealed by Rhyn''s sacrifice. What if that beast was actually Gardinia?

    I don''t know how Gardinia managed to regain his elven form and return to Gordicia, but maybe he cut off a part of himself just before he was sealed.

    Then Weena followed him and got her revenge. That''s quite possible. It would also exin why she had knowledge of the Evil God''s Communion.

    Well, we won''t know the truth until we ask her.

    After walking with her during the long talk, the western port was only a short distance away. This was where we parted ways with Tzaluta.

    They lived in the dragonkin reservation, a short distance from the port.

    There were apparently dragonkin reservations on the north, south, east, and west sides of the continent, all near the ports.

    ¡¸Be careful of the dragonkin in the northern reservation.¡¹

    ¡¸Dragonkin in the north?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. They look down on other races, and have been especially belligerent these days, sometimes picking fights with people they just met. However, because of that, they are quite strong as well. I can say for sure they are well acquainted with all the dragonkin on this continent.¡¹

    Well, they would certainly be troublesome to deal with. I''m d someone told us.

    ¡¸Got it. I''ll be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. I hope we can meet again soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 784

    <h4>Chapter 784</h4>

    <h4>784: Onwards to Nocta</h4>

    Fran returned to the west port and found herself in the training hall of the Adventurers Guild. Diggins the bear beastman had asked her to participate in a mock battle.

    This was a perfect chance to show the strength of the ck cats, with the Rank B Diggins as her opponent. There was no way Fran could refuse.

    ¡¸Let''s do this!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    With the gallery watching, the mock battle begins.

    ¡¸Darya!¡¹

    Diggins'' attacks were relentless. He knew that he would have to be serious or it wouldn''t even count as a mock battle.

    He unleashed blows that could shatter a human body into pieces if they hit, and he even weaved in feints.

    ¡¸Hmph, hmph, hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Too slow!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugah!¡¹

    But it didn''t matter how heavy they were if they didn''t hit. It was only a matter of seconds before the fight was over.

    Fran, who had been evading Diggins'' strikes, delivered a blow to his stomach. That was enough to knock Diggins to the wall.

    Most of the onlookers probably thought that Diggins would win. A shriekingmotion ensued.

    Their eyes had previously looked down at Fran as if she didn''t know her ce, and now all of them did a 180 degree turn. Diggins must be pretty famous.

    Diggins crashed down pretty hard, but quickly got up and wiped the dirt off his body lightly. He shouldn''t have taken much damage, but he still performed a slight bow and admitted defeat.

    ¡¸I''ve lost. As impressive as always, ck Lightning Princess-san. To think you''d have this kind of power even when you were taking it easy.¡¹

    ¡¸I didn''t think you''d be able to get up so quickly either.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh heh. I''m still confident in my sturdiness. That warmed me up nicely, so may I ask for one more round?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, sure.¡¹

    They had not made any agreements beforehand, but the two continued the practice match with weapons only, no use of magic or Awakening. Diggins wasn''t lying about his sturdiness, as he quickly got up every time he was knocked down.

    With that toughness, self-healing, and inexhaustible stamina, he must be of great use in a long battle against antidemons.

    Hilt and Colbert joined in as well, and it became kinda like a disorderly brawl.

    Finally it ended with a mock battle between Fran and Colbert, in which Fran disyed a surprising technique.

    ¡¸Sei!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh! T-This is¡­¡­ prating force?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ I''ve been hit by it so many times, that I kinda learned how to use it.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhaha¡­¡­ That''s what I''m¡­ talking about¡­¡­¡¹

    It seemed that she got a feel of how to use it after enduring a bunch of hits during the mock battle. She''s used mana to cover her fists many times before, but it looked like the technique had been sharpened considerably.

    Since "Prating Force" had not been added to her list of skills, I guess it was treated as a technique under Holy Fist Arts.

    ¡¸Fran, are you sure you don''t want to join the Dimitris Style? You can be a veteran disciple in no time!¡¹

    ¡¸No thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸No matter what?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh. I thought so. What a shame.¡¹

    Hilt quickly took a chance to sneakily invite Fran. I thought she would be running over to Colbert, since he had fallen down coughing up blood, but I guess she was currently in the "master of the school" mode right now.

    After the practice battle was over, it''s time for drinks. Fran seemed to be having a good time with the local adventurers, who were all making a lot of noise.

    Now there were probably few adventurers in the western port who didn''t know Fran''s name.

    The next day.

    We left the west port at sunrise. Normally Fran would sleep in, but I guess she was in a hurry to get to Castel.

    Our destination was Nocta, a city in a safe zone.

    ¡ºFran, don''t be too hard on yourself, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn, I''ll be fine.¡¹

    Fran was now running in the wilderness on her own feet. No matter how much we conceal Urushi''s mana, he is still more easily detected by antidemons.

    Our n during the journey was that Fran would ride on Urushi''s back only when resting or at night. She still had to move on her own half the time.

    Even so, the encounter rate with antidemons was reasonably high. This was because antidemons were more numerous in the interior of the continent.

    We kept moving forward, hunting low ranked swordsmen and archers along the way.

    After half a day of progress, we discovered arge group of antidemons. There were about 1,000 of them.

    And it''s not just the number that''s big. The antidemon in the center was physically huge.

    It was still quite a distance away, but the figure was clearly visible. It looked to be about the size of a two-story house.

    Its coloring was the same as that of other antidemons. The base was ck and the armor it wore was gray. Its eyes, horns, and spines were green. But its distinguishing features were its size and the long, thin tube that extended from the dome-shaped part of the body.

    I guess that''s the cannon-type? Despite its huge size, it moved rtively quickly.

    At the bottom of the dome-like silhouette of the cannon-type, I saw spider-like legs. You could say it looked like a four-legged spider.

    However, themander of this army was not that cannon-type.

    £¨Next to that big one is the boss? That''s a lot of evil energy.£©

    ¡ºYeah, it''s gotta be him.¡»

    A knight-type, d in dense mana and evil energy, stood tall at the center of the army. While several other knight-types were about 3 meters tall, themander was probably close to 5 meters. It was simply huge.

    Perhaps this was one of those Uniques we''ve been hearing about.

    £¨What do we do?£©

    We shouldn''t take any chances when we don''t know the exact strength of our opponent. While we''re in Gordicia, there are very few safe ces we can run to.

    ¡ºIf it were just us, we wouldn''t have to try fighting them, but¡­¡­¡»

    £¨There''s a lot of people over there.£©

    ¡ºThey''re probably some country''s army. At this rate, they''ll get caught up in a few minutes¡­¡­¡»

    The troops ahead showed no signs of hurrying away. Either they were unaware, or they intended to intercept the horde.

    ¡ºFor now let''s catch up and try informing them.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    <h4></h4>

 Chapter 785

    <h4>Chapter 785</h4>

    <h4>785: Wounded Knights</h4>

    As we approached the unit ahead of the antidemons, I realized why the unit did not seem to be fleeing. They were actually trying to get away.

    They simply could not move fast enough because of all the wounded.

    Knights and soldiers were scurrying about, lending a shoulder to their injuredrades. There were about 400 people in total, and the vast majority of them were wounded to some degree.

    I''d say more than half of them had serious injuries.

    Apparently, they had already fought the antidemons earlier. Perhaps they suffered heavy damage against arger-than-expected force.

    Fran approached the troops without concealing her presence.

    They must have noticed her right away, because several of them came forward cautiously.

    I''ve heard that failed adventurers sometimes turn to banditry, so they can''t wee just anyone with open arms.

    However, I did see a slight look of relief on their faces.

    This was probably because Fran didn''t look like a bandit, or even seem to be powerful herself. A knight in the front called out to us as we neared the group.

    He must be themander of this unit. Though he was lightly woundedpared to the others, I could still see bandages on his arms and legs.

    ¡¸Are you an adventurer by chance?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That''s right.¡¹

    ¡¸Did you have some business with us?¡¹

    ¡¸A lot of antidemons areing. I came to ask if you''re gonna escape.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry for the trouble, but you need not worry about us.¡¹

    Like I thought, they were aware of the antidemons.

    I''m sure the horde will catch up to them soon. Maybe they had some sort of n?

    Fran was about to ask about that, but before she could, a war cry rose from far away.

    A small number of people seemed to be moving into action, shouting loudly.

    Since we didn''t notice their presence earlier, they must have been hiding themselves at a considerable distance from us. And they would have to be very good at stealth too.

    I sensed a few of them diving headfirst into the horde of antidemons.

    What happened?

    Fran tilted her head, and at the same time themander''s face clouded over.

    ¡¸So it has begun¡­¡­ You had better get as far away from antidemons as possible while they are stalled.¡¹

    ¡¸Were those your friends?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹

    That small group who shouted was most likely acting as bait to help theirrades escape.

    I could see in the faces of the knights that they did not take it for granted. Some of them were in tears.

    Still, as knights in the service of their country, they could not afford to be annihted here. They absolutely had to survive in order to continue their mission.

    ¡¸Everyone¡­¡­ Make haste!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes sir!¡¹

    The knights responded to theirmander''s words with the same pained look on their faces.

    ¡¸You need not worry about us. You should run away too.¡¹

    Themander must have some idea of Fran''s strength. He was quite strong himself.

    Still, he probably thought we would die facing more than a thousand antidemons.

    He tried to get us out of here rather than asking for help.

    Fran wore a small smile that only I could see. She had taken a liking to him.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºI know. You want to help, right?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­I guess we have no choice.¡»

    £¨Thanks.£©

    If not for that giant knight-typemander, we shouldn''t have a problem¡­¡­ But we''ve heard that antidemons can reach Threat Level A, so we can''t underestimate them.

    If Fran will not back down, then we have to take this seriously. When pushes to shove, we will use all our strength.

    ¡¸Why¡­ are you drawing your weapon?¡¹

    ¡¸I just felt like taking out some antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! A skilled adventurer such as yourself cannot sacrifice yourself for the likes of us!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll be fine.¡¹

    ¡¸But not against that number¡­¡­!¡¹

    I could see themander''s mind wavering. He thought briefly that with Fran''s help, he might be able to save his men from being sacrificed.

    ¡¸See?¡¹

    ¡¸Your adventurer''s card? Wha¨D¨D! Rank B adventurer?!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸I thought you were strong, but not to that extent!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll hold them off. You guys get out of here.¡¹

    Fran and I fired a series of Area Heals at the knights. That may not be able to heal them fully, but at least no one is on the verge of death. Now they should be able to run away faster, though we had no time to look at them in detail.

    ¡¸Ah, wait!¡¹

    Fran turned heel without waiting for themander''s approval.

    If we continued the conversation, the antidemons would catch up with the knights. In fact, there was less than 200 meters to go.

    ¡ºFran, we can''t use a wide area attack because it might hit the guys we''re trying to save.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    There''s only one way to save both the knights trying to escape and the knights stalling the antidemons. Fran would have to rush into the antidemon horde and go on a rampage.

    By using herself as bait, Fran would lure the antidemons while rescuing the knights in the decoy group. And to do that, we must reach them before they die.

    ¡ºThere are a lot more of them now.¡»

    It seems that other antidemons from the surrounding area have joined up with the horde. There could already be over 2,000.

    ¡ºLet''s go! Be careful not to get surrounded!¡»

    £¨Got it!£©

    ¡ºUrushi, you take out the cannon-type from the shadows.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    We don''t know the range of that cannon, but it might be able to fire at the knights from this far away. That''s why we should destroy it as our top priority.

    ¡ºLet''s go on a rampage to cover Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran dared to unleash her full magical power as she blocked the path of antidemons. That should make her look like delicious bait to them.

    The antidemons let out a high-pitched cry, as if metal was being scraped against metal.

    ¡¸Yreeeeeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸They''reing!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Take ''em out with a bang!¡»

 Chapter 786

    <h4>Chapter 786</h4>

    <h4>786: Antidemon Leadership</h4>

    Fran leapt into the antidemon swarm, cutting down the swordsman-types one after the other. These lower ss antidemons were still rather weak.

    While swinging her sword in an borate dance, she avoided the countless des that lunged out from all around her.

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    Urushi, too, ran around in his miniaturized state, biting the antidemons'' necks. Some of them had their heads crushed by his ws as well.

    Just as we had hoped, the antidemons began to surround Fran and Urushi.

    ¡ºOh, we also need to block the long-range attacks from the cannon-type.¡»

    £¨What do we do?£©

    ¡ºI''ll build a wall to hide the knights.¡»

    £¨I see.£©

    If we build a wall to block the bombardment from the cannon-type, we can avoid the worst case scenario where they are wiped out by a single shot.

    In order to protect the knights, I activated thend spell, Great Wall.

    Now the fleeing knights were hidden from the antidemons, and all they could see was Fran.

    Since antidemons can sense mana, that may not be enough to guarantee the knight''s safety.

    However, Fran and Urushi, who had much more powerful mana, were right next to them. That should make them their first priority.

    ¡ºUrushi, crush the cannon-type from the shadows!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Once the cannon-type is defeated, the knights will be in much less danger.

    ¡ºWe''ll cut down the small fry!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haah!¡¹

    ¡ºDorya!¡»

    Our thunder magic wiped out the swordsmen in the vanguard at once. Seeing that, they must have understood how dangerous we were.

    The movements of the antidemons changed.

    The swordsman-types split to the left and right in an attempt to bypass us. Then, the knight-types came forward.

    The decoy knights that entered the swarm were still trying to hold their ground. The back half of the herd was being drawn toward them.

    However, it looked like they judged Fran more dangerous than the decoys, so more and more antidemons were being sent our way.

    No, that''s not all. These antidemons seemed to also be targeting the knights behind the wall. Some of the swordsman-types split off in an attempt to bypass the wall.

    I guess the presence of such an excellent meal as Fran in front of them was no reason for them to ignore other prey as well.

    Is theirmander more logical than we had imagined, or did they have an appetite beyond our expectations? At any rate, it seemed to be their basic behavior to target any and all prey around them.

    £¨Master, what do we do?£©

    ¡ºWe''ll be fine!¡»

    I continuously invoked Great Wall, turning the earth into a wall to block the path of the swordsman-type. All I needed to do is to make it physically impossible for them to follow the knights.

    However, it seemed that my opponent had predicted that too.

    Immediately after creating the huge wall with my magic, the shots of the cannon-type came flying. A gigantic ball of magic was fired straight at it.

    I couldn''t help but be surprised to see they had charged a shot in advance to destroy my Great Wall, especially when they had only seen me use the spell once.

    We might have to consider the antidemonmander to be as intelligent as a human.

    However, being able to predict your opponent''s movements is something we can do too.

    I had been charging my telekinesis for the possibility of a st from the cannon-type.

    ¡ºNot happening!¡»

    ¡¸Whoa, nice one Master.¡¹

    My telekinesis greatly diverted the trajectory of the magic projectile, which caused a big crater in the wilderness. The power was really something, so if it had hit, my Great Wall would have been shattered for sure.

    ¡ºThe antidemons are confused, so take that chance to move in! I''ll protect the wall!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran moved further ahead, mming her spells into the flustered swordsman-types that had their paths blocked.

    Five knight-types came out to intercept her. These were more troublesome than expected.

    I''d say each was around a threat level of D.

    They are strong, but not that big of a problem for the current Fran. However, we were surprised by seeing their ability to coordinate in groups.

    If we try to attack one of them, the other ones go in for the counterattack. And if we defend, they surround us from all sides. They worked together in perfect timing,plementing each other well.

    Moreover, the support from the surrounding swordsmen and archers was also unbelievably precise. They would strike us right when we least expected it.

    The cooperation of their movements as a group could even exceed that of the dwarven warriors.

    Maybe they had some sort of mental connection to keep all of them in sync with each other.

    Otherwise, it would have been inconceivable for their coordination to be so perfect.

    But that didn''t stop Fran. No matter how well the small fry work together, it wouldn''t matter against someone as strong as her.

    And to prove it, she perfectly handled the attacks of the swordsman and archer-types, while burying one knight-type after another.

    Fran approached the knights who were still fighting, and they noticed her too. A look of astonishment appeared on their faces.

    ¡¸Ehhh? A child?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸W-What''s a kid doing here¡­¡­?¡¹

    They''re still breathing.

    It probably helped that they were trying to stay alive as long as possible to buy their friends enough time to escape.

    All five were wounded, but not dead yet.

    We performed a series of Area Heals, so they shouldn''t die any time soon. That healed the surrounding antidemons too, but that made little difference since we took them down with a single blow anyways.

    ¡¸Gyiiiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like Urushi got the job done.¡»

    A deafening scream emanated from the cannon-type. At the same time, I saw its figure crumble. Urushi just finished it off.

    ¡¸Let''s get out of here for now.¡¹

    ¡¸But, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸With you guys here, I can''t destroy them with area attacks.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see¡­¡­¡¹

    The soldiers had seen Fran use Area Heal without chanting, so they understood her words were no lies.

    They immediately began to follow Fran''s orders.

    ¡ºNow we''ll just have to wait and see how that giant knight-type will react.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 787

    <h4>Chapter 787</h4>

    <h4>787: Commander Defeated</h4>

    The giant knight-type had been standing still the entire time, but it suddenly moved into action immediately after Fran tried to escape with the decoy soldiers.

    ¡¸Roooooooorgh!¡¹

    ¡ºTch! It''s aiming at the soldiers¡­¡­!¡»

    The giant knight-type thrust thence in its hand, shooting out a st of mana in the shape of an arrow. Looks to pack quite a punch.

    Moreover, it was not aimed at Fran. The target was the soldiers following behind her.

    Fran quickly cut the arrow down, but then the antidemons around us began to strike again. All of them were aiming at the soldiers.

    This action meant they knew that we wouldn''t abandon the soldiers. Can they actually understand human emotions?

    Or maybe they are just going after the weakest first¡­¡­?

    No, these attacks were far too vicious for that.

    Again themander fired a magic shot, but it was an attack that Fran could just barely block.

    Themander was obviously trying to wear us down into making a mistake.

    ¡¸So annoying.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat should we do¡­¡­?¡»

    Maybe we could st our way through using magic? Or do we continue as we are, knowing we''ll get hit eventually?

    If Fran and I keep casting recovery magic, the soldiers should be able to get through this alive. Not the safest rescue we''ve ever done, but it seems doable¡­¡­

    Actually, we''ll be fine. After all, we''ve got man''s best friend on our side.

    ¡¸Grrrl!¡¹

    ¡¸Ruough!¡¹

    Urushi, who had defeated the cannon-type, now began his assault on the giant knight-type.

    He jumped out of the shadows, instantly transformed into a giant, and attempted to subdue themander. However, the giant knight-type easily repelled him.

    Its entire body was covered with a transparent membrane-like substance, which appeared to be a barrier made of evil energy.

    ¡¸Grrrl!¡¹

    ¡¸Ruogh!¡¹

    It didn''t waver even when hit by Urushi''s ck magic. That means its pretty damn tough, although the barrier was visibly thinning.

    Maybe it was a type of barrier that didn''t need to be maintained after being cast, but onlysts for a few hits.

    At any rate, Urushi was able to attract the attention of the giant knight-type. Without that annoying guy, it should be much easier for the decoy soldiers to escape.

    The other antidemons have changed their strategy too. They had switched to brute-force application of numbers after the giant knight-type started getting suppressed by Urushi.

    ¡¸Gather around!¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay!¡¹

    Fran gave the order, and the soldiers rushed over to her. Immediately after, the ground quickly rose to a height of about 10 meters with Fran at the center.

    I had cast Great Wall while putting ourselves on top of the wall. After a series ofnd spells, a long and narrow wall appeared as a road in front of us.

    We were not the only ones atop the wall. Naturally, the antidemons standing on the rising ground were lifted up as well.

    But Fran''s magic made quick work of them. She knocked the antidemons down the wall with wind and thunder magic, so our escape route waspleted.

    ¡¸Hurry! If the antidemons attack, it''ll copse!¡¹

    ¡¸U-Understood! Let''s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    They were very fast runners, as expected from talented scouts. Also, they were able to dodge the shots from the archer-types without a hitch.

    After continuing our dash on top of the Great Wall, we seeded in escaping the horde.

    I activated Great Wall again to create the steps of a staircase for our descent.

    Considering their abilities, each step being about 5 meters would be no problem at all.

    ¡¸Keep going back to your friends.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you going to do?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ll take them down.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Don''t die on us!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    They hesitated to leave Fran as bait, but someone has to stop them or the antidemons will catch up with the main force of the knights.

    Fran, who was by far the strongest here, was the best suited for the job. The soldiers gave her a stern salute, and then retreated to theirrades.

    ¡ºNow we can do this without any worries.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Let''s go!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi! Run to the shadows!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    After confirming Urushi''s retreat, we activated our spells in rapid session. Fran and I both casted Ekato Keranos, calling down countless thunderbolts.

    Lightning filled the sky, and the roar shook the air itself. It was so powerful that even we, the casters, had to put up barriers to defend ourselves.

    When the aftermath of the lightning subsided, the scene in front of us had beenpletely transformed.

    What had been a t wilderness with spots of nts and trees had turned into a rocky area covered in craters.

    The number of antidemons managing to survive could be counted on two hands.

    And then there was themander.

    Though its entire body was covered with smoke, it was still standing. Considering how surprisingly little damage that dealt, maybe it had high resistance to magic?

    ¡¸Rooooooooogh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºThey''re still rearing for a fight!¡»

    ¡¸I''m looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, clean up the mooks.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºNow then, our job is to¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Cut them down!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran charged at themander with me at the ready.

    I guess she wanted to know the power of the higher tier antidemons. Fran chose to take it head on without using teleportation or other fancy techniques.

    However, Fran''s face immediately started showing her disappointment.

    ¡¸It''s weak.¡¹

    ¡ºI''d say it''s too obvious rather than being too weak.¡»

    It had high stats and the level of swordsmanship wasn''t bad. However, its swordy seemed to bepletely optimized for killing its opponent. For someone on Fran''s level, such moves could be easily anticipated.

    This could certainly be a fearsome foe against an opponent below a certain level¡­¡­ But after a few shes, Fran was able to avoid the de perfectly.

    And all of our counterattacksnded as well.

    In the end, themander was taken down in less than three minutes. It only took this long because we were taking it easy and scanning it for any weaknesses. If we had really gone all out, we probably could have killed it in an instant.

    ¡ºThey had some nasty ranged attacks and decentmand skills. Also, the rather strong barrier was a nuisance and their magical defense was noteworthy too.¡»

    ¡¸But not so good with swords.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess so.¡»

    Maybe they were simply specialized as amander, not meant to fight on the front lines? Or maybe all the othermanders like this too?

    I''d be happy if that was the case, though Fran would be disappointed.

    But that means abat-specialized antidemon could be very tough if we ever see one.

    ¡ºLet''s go back to the knights for now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 788

    <h4>Chapter 788</h4>

    <h4>788: Arrival at Nocta</h4>

    On the way back to the knights, we checked our antidemon card.

    ¡ºIt increased by almost 2,500 points from that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    When we fought near the harbor, we found that two lesser antidemons were worth 1 point, and a knight-type was worth about 50 points each.

    However, the strength of each antidemon varies even between two of the same type, so the point value could be slightly different too. That made it hard to calcte exactly how many points would be awarded for killing a group of antidemons.

    If we make an estimate based on the points we obtained thus far, 2,000 lesser antidemons should be worth 1,000 points. Five knight-type antidemons should be worth about 250 points.

    So in other words, the remaining 1,250 points were for defeating one cannon-type and onemander.

    That means the point gain for the higher antidemons is pretty insane.

    When we joined up with the knights, they all greeted us with a sincere expression of happiness.

    ¡¸Oh! You are unharmed!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸You have truly saved all of us. We cannot thank you enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Defeating antidemons is just my job.¡¹

    Fran spoke with a slightly troubled look. Tsunderement!

    ¡¸Still, that does not change the fact that you saved us. Please allow us to express our gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸Suit yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    Themander bowed, and at the same time, the other knights and soldiers bowed as well.

    There were still many wounded, and a lot of them needed to lean on each other, so their gestures were not consistent. But I could sense that this disy of gratitude was from the bottom of their hearts.

    Fran looked somewhat bewildered.

    This may be because they treated herpletely differently from how adventurers acted to their friends or superiors. She was not ustomed to receiving this kind of treatment from such noble-looking people.

    Moreover, all of them were incredibly polite and not a trace of malice could be felt. Any adventurer would feel out of ce, not just Fran.

    ¡¸Now then, where are you headed after?¡¹

    ¡¸Nocta.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! What a coincidence! We are based in Nocta too!¡¹

    From what we''ve heard, Nocta was a city in a perfect safe zone, and controlled by the council. Many of the people active in this area were probably based in Nocta.

    ¡¸How about you apany us¨D¨Dor rather, guard us on the way back to Nocta? Naturally, we will pay you an escort fee in addition to the reward for rescuing us. What do you say?¡¹

    Being able to admit that you wanted her services is a sign of a nice guy. I like him now too.

    £¨Master, can we?£©

    ¡ºYeah, I don''t mind. We''re both going to the same spot either way.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I don''t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸That is very reassuring. Well then, thank you in advance for your assistance along the way.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll introduce you to my friend.¡¹

    ¡¸Friend?¡¹

    Themander nced at the surroundings, but of course there was no one to be seen. Then Urushi appeared, his face sticking out of the shadows.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Woooah? Out of the shadows!¡¹

    ¡¸My friend Urushi. Say hi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸It''s nice to meet you too.¡¹

    Themander spoke politely to Urushi as well.

    No offense intended, but isn''t this guy a bitcking in dignity for a knight? I''m not saying that all knights should be arrogant, but aren''t they usually at least a bit more pushy?

    I guess his subordinates treated Fran in such a polite manner because they had this kind of man as theirmander. But it wasn''t just themander, his men were also good-natured people by heart.

    I could tell how well they got along with each other when I saw them tearfully rejoicing over the return of the scouts attempting to sacrifice themselves as decoys.

    Our journey together went very smoothly.

    Fran''s healing magic had restored everyone''s health, which increased the speed of the march. The few antidemons along the way were also wiped out in an instant.

    These knights were more skilled than I had expected. They must have been put in charge of the front line because of their abilities, and that''s probably why they were so badly wounded in the first ce.

    If we put a bit more effort into healing them, they might have been able to destroy the antidemons without our assistance. Well, in that case, I''m sure there would have been at least a few casualties.

    An hour after our departure.

    ¡¸I see it! Nocta!¡¹

    ¡¸That''s Nocta?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! That''s it!¡¹

    Themander''s happy voice ringed out, and everyone cheered. Many of them had thought for a moment that they would never be able to return here. Just making it back must have filled their hearts with emotion.

    ¡¸It''s huge.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Nocta was a much bigger city than we had imagined, maybe even bigger than Alessa.

    It was amazing that a city of this size could be built in and of constant antidemon raids¡­¡­ I can only imagine the hardships of their ancestors.

    After reaching the town, we were let in incredibly easily. In Gordicia, you were practically as good as dead if you can''t enter a city.

    What''s more, many of the adventurers that perform in small groups have nasty histories. Several of them had bounties on their heads in other continents.

    If the city refused all of those kinds of people, they wouldn''t be able to stay afloat.

    Just let them in the cities and if they do something stupid, remove them or make them criminal ves to use as meat shields. That seemed to be the logic behind the decision to allow everyone in.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, thank you for your assistance.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m getting paid for it.¡¹

    ¡¸That is no reason for us not give thanks. Ah, the Adventurers Guild is just down that street.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸We are the Third Knight Order of the Kingdom of Segilusel. If you ever need anything, we will surelye to your aid.¡¹

    They were so nice to us all the way to the end. Well, maybe that''s why they got sent to Gordicia in the first ce.

    Everyone here acted as the face of their nation. If they did not behave like men of good character and ability, it would only tarnish the name of their country.

    In that sense, it would be hard to find someone more suitable for Gordicia than them. Considering what we saw in the port as well, the knights and soldiers on this continent seemed to be highly trustworthy.

    ¡ºLet''s head over to the guild then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 789

    <h4>Chapter 789</h4>

    <h4>789: Dine and Dash?</h4>

    While on our way to the Adventurers Guild in the town of Nocta, Fran stopped in front of one building.

    It was a cafe with outdoor seating, surrounded by the alluring smell of roasting meat. This was a very rare type of restaurant in this continent, since many goods were scarce.

    Fish could be brought in from the ports inrge quantities, but meat shouldn''t be in high supply.

    The menu prices listed in front of the restaurant were rather expensive. Like I thought, meat must be very precious here.

    This restaurant in Nocta serving meat dishes was indeed rare, but that''s not the only reason Fran stopped in front of it.

    In the open terrace of the restaurant, there was a beautiful young girl biting into a steak. The expression on her face as she stuffed her mouth was one ofplete bliss, making the meal look incredibly delicious.

    She had beautiful medium-straight blonde hair that curled inward. If she hadn''t been eating like that, I could have mistaken her for some noble''s daughter.

    I might have really thought so, had it not been for the dirty and ragged cloak she was wearing.

    And from this young girl radiated an aura of a glutton.

    She was chewing the meat so deliciously that I seriously considered if the restaurant ced her there to draw in customers. She somehow even made me feel hungry.

    Gulp.

    I could hear Fran swallowing her saliva.

    £¨Master.£©

    She turned to me with a pitiful voice. Her stomach must have reached its limit.

    ¡ºSeems like there aren''t many food stalls in Nocta, so we could try out that restaurant.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Money wasn''t a problem at all since we had the 3 million gold from selling the wine. Besides, if it''s an open cafe, there should be no problem with Urushiing along with us.

    When Fran entered the restaurant, she saw an order counter in front her. Apparently she just needed to ce an order here, and they would bring the meal over to her table.

    A cheerful waitress answered her call.

    ¡¸Wee~!¡¹

    ¡¸Can I bring my beast servant with me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that''s fine!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you rmend?¡¹

    ¡¸Our rmendation is¨D¨D¡¹

    In the end, we ordered twelve dishes for 6,000 gold. The price was seriously equivalent to a full-course meal.

    The meat dishes seemed like well-known ordinary recipes we''ve seen before. In fact, the portions were probably smaller than normal.

    The taste, however, seemed to be excellent, as I could tell from Fran''s face.

    Not only the steaks, but also the soups, pastas, and stews were all delicious. Fran could not stop moving her fork.

    The prices were high, yes, but it was worth every gold.

    ¡ºFran, how is it?¡»

    £¨Tasty. Just a little bit worse than you.£©

    That''s not something we could tell the cooks, but it''s practically the bestpliment Fran will ever give.

    ¡ºUrushi, how about you?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The shrunken Urushi was enjoying his steak, with "Delicious!" written all over his face. Looks like we''ve found ourselves a great restaurant.

    The beautiful girl from earlier was still eating at her table. I guess we have her to thank for this. If we never saw her, we would have missed out on this wonderful restaurant.

    While Fran was enjoying her after-meal tea, some knight-looking men came into the restaurant.

    ¡¸This ce is really amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸That so? I''m looking forward to it then.¡¹

    ¡¸Even back home, you''ll rarely find the same level of quality.¡¹

    I thought the price was higher than normal, but it seemed this restaurant catered to high-ranking knights and people of a simr level.

    It''s probably just the right ce for a knight that dislikes formalities but also doesn''t want to go to a crude adventurer-oriented restaurant.

    ¡¸Eh? This price is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Uwah! How expensive!¡¹

    The two men apanying the knights voiced their surprise. They looked different from the two knights, more likemoners. I guess those two must be ordinary foot soldiers.

    Might be like when an average Japanese sryman apanies his boss to lunch and gets taken to a fancy French restaurant.

    Both of them had tense expressions on their faces.

    ¡¸Hahaha. Don''t worry, this is on us. You guys did a great job in the battle the other day.¡¹

    ¡¸If it weren''t for your efforts, our casualties would have been much greater. Take this as a small token of our gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸T-Thank you, sir.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, I have to ept.¡¹

    While I was watching the heartwarming exchange between the knights and the soldiers, there was a girl whose face was suddenly drained of color. And that girl was not Fran.

    The blonde girl, who had been heartily enjoying her meal just a few moments ago, seemed to be in some sort of panic after hearing the soldiers'' conversation.

    She was fidgeting slightly and acting rather suspiciously.

    Her eyes were darting back and forth between the table where she was sitting and the entrance area of the restaurant.

    What''s wrong? She was mumbling something too.

    ¡¸W-What am I going to do? ¡­¡­I didn''t realize how expensive this ce was¡­¡­ I just got whatever they rmended me¡­¡­¡¹

    I used wind magic to listen in on a few words from her¡­¡­

    Apparently, she didn''t have enough money. She must have ordered without checking the price. By the looks of it, she ate at least six tes, so I would estimate her bill at about 3,000 gold.

    ¡¸And I bought too many interesting souvenirs at the stalls¡­¡­!¡¹

    She muttered to herself again while holding her head. Is she going to be okay?

    ¡¸S-Should I bow down my head and ask to do the dishes¡­¡­? No good, they might find out my identity¡­¡­ M-Make a run for it? But that''s¡­¡­¡¹

    She wasn''t okay at all!

 Chapter 790

    <h4>Chapter 790</h4>

    <h4>790: Yeah, Dine and Dash</h4>

    £¨Master, what''s wrong?£©

    Fran must have sensed the change in my mood. She tilted her head as she nced at me.

    ¡ºAbout that blonde girl over there¡­¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºLooks like she''s nning to run away without paying.¡»

    £¨!£©

    Fran turned over to her in astonishment.

    The blonde girl was still anguishing in front of us.

    She was clearly acting suspiciously. Standing up from her seat momentarily before sitting back down, violently scratching her head, and so on. She would probably get caught eventually, even if we don''t report her to the waitress.

    £¨You can''t not pay for food.£©

    Fran whispered with apletely serious expression.

    £¨If you eat a good meal at a restaurant, you should pay the price for it.£©

    ¡ºY-Yeah, that''s right.¡»

    £¨Nn! No not paying. Never.£©

    She''s being really passionate about this, more serious than when she beats up random thugs picking a fight with her.

    While we were keeping watch on her from the side, the girl stood up slowly. But then she sat back down.

    She must be conflicted inside.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­ I can''t let them find my identity at any cost¡­¡­ But, but¡­¡­¡¹

    What, did you run away from home or something? She didn''t want anyone to know her identity, but it looked like she still had some resistance tomitting a crime.

    In the end, however, her reluctance to be exposed prevailed.

    She stood up quickly and put her hand on the short hedge that separated the street from the cafe. Did she n to escape from there?

    But that''s when someone stopped her.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    It was Fran, who had moved to the girl''s side. The girl stared back at her with a look ofplete surprise.

    But we ended up being surprised too.

    This was no ordinary girl. She had braced herself when Fran approached her instantaneously, even though we had perfectly concealed our sound and presence.

    Also her attempt to run was very fast to begin with.

    If Fran had not stopped her, she would have already jumped over the hedge and disappeared into the crowd in no time at all.

    She was staring at us like crazy. I quickly activated my appraisal, but the results were suspicious.

    All I could see were mundane skills like ''Performance''. There was no way a girl this capable could have such weak skills.

    Was I being blocked by some item?

    The same thing kept happening with the antidemons cloaking themselves with evil energy. Appraisal has been pretty useless ever since we arrived on this continent. We''ve encountered several high-ranked individuals recently, and appraisal barely worked on any of them.

    This is not a good sign.

    If we''re up against an unknown opponent, a sessful appraisal could be the difference between life or death.

    That''s why finding a way to strengthen our appraisal was very important. However, it is impossible to put more skill points in the Appraisal skill, or the Heavenly Eye skill either.

    There must be something we can do without using points. Simr to how Fran had learned how to use the prating force punch, maybe the key was in how we use the skills we already have.

    I need to look further than just the surface-level information. What I need to observe is their flesh, their mana, and their deepest depths.

    I turn off all the skills that I usually keep activated at all times. Then, I pour my magic power into Heavenly Eye. I don''t have physical eyes of course, but that''s exactly why I should be able to see things differently than the average person.

    ¡ºI can see it¡­¡­¡»

    I can see the status of the girl, Sophilia. But it''s notplete yet. Part of it is hidden.

    Deeper. I need to look deeper.

    I focus even further on the Heavenly Eye skill. It somehow caused a sharp pain in my non-existent eyes.

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡­ Oh¡­¡­¡»

    Crap, this is pretty bad. I might not have been able to bear this pain in the past.

    But now that I have mastered the handling of mana, I managed to control this pressure and endure it.

    Name: Sophilia Age: 19

    Race: Human

    upation: Divine Musician

    Stats

    Level: 50/99

    HP: 202 MP: 1597 STR: 49 VIT: 69 AGI: 168 INT: 712 MAG: 608 DEX: 819

    Skills

    Communication: Lv 8, Performance (String): Lv Max, Performance (Keyboard): Lv Max, Performance (Percussion): Lv 8, Performance (Woodwind): Lv 8, Evasion: Lv 6, Recovery Magic: Lv Max, Songwriting: Lv 8, Singing: Lv Max, Wind Magic: Lv 6, Observation: Lv 4, Crisis Sense: Lv 2, Empathy: Lv 7, Hide Presence: Lv 3, unt Presence: Lv 7, Thread Arts: Lv 2, Thread Mastery: Lv 3, Blink: Lv 2, Vibration Perception: Lv Max, Vibration Impulse: Lv 8, Mental Resistance: Lv 9, Healing Magic: Lv 3, Simultaneous Performance: Lv 8, Echolocation: Lv 8, Dance: Lv 5, Rod Mastery: Lv 4, Magic Song: Lv Max, Magic Performance: Lv Max, Magic Thread Production: Lv 2, Magic Resistance: Lv 7, Magic Sense: Lv 3, Magic Barrier: Lv 5, Magic Release: Lv 3, Voice Amplifier, Pitch Sense, Energy Maniption, Enhanced Hearing, Fortitude, Sleepless, Parallel Thinking

    Unique Skills

    Blessing of the Music God, Magic Voice, Magic Control

    Extra Skills

    ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, Truth in Music

    Innate Skills

    Ensemble Singing, Lore Performance

    Title

    Singer, Healer, yer, Diva of Despair, Performer of Sorrows, One Who Overcame Death, Performer of Myths, Creator of Songs

    Equipment

    Enchanted Harp Lauda, Robe of Seclusion, Garments of Seclusion, Earring of Silence, Bracelet of Concealment

    At first I thought she might be a traveling bard, but she didn''t seem like any normal traveler. Judging from her ss, maybe some kind of a professional musician?

    She had a ridiculous amount of music-rted skills. Not only was she highly talented, but she even had a divine blessing. She must be a natural genius.

    When ites to the field of music, I imagine she could do pretty much everything.

    Although my eyes were drawn to her skills in music, she was no slouch atbat either. She would probably fight with abination of strings and wind magic. It seems that Magic Song and simr skills can be used in battle, allowing her to do things like the bards from video games.

    Buffing and debuffing with high level music, as well as healing magic. That would make her the perfect support. Considering her level, she might beparable to a Rank B adventurer. No, considering her Extra Skills, she might even reach Rank A.

    However, there was still one skill that I couldn''t detect no matter what I did. Maybe the concealment effect of her equipment was more focused on hiding that skill.

    Why in the world would a girl like her run from paying for food? ¡­¡­There must be plenty of ways for her to make money!

    ¡¸W-What is it¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t do it. It''s a mortal sin.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    M-Mortal sin¡­¡­

    ¡¸Running away without paying for food is an unforgivable crime. Worthy of beheading.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The food in this restaurant is amazing. It''s worth the price.¡¹

    Realizing that Fran had seen through her actions, the girl sat back down in her chair with a sigh.

    Looks like she wouldn''t go as far as to force her way out.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Because¡­¡­ I don''t have a choice¡­¡­ I''d pay¡­¡­ if I could.¡¹

    ¡¸If you know someone that can help, I can go get them.¡¹

    ¡¸No, I don''t. Even if I did, I can''t be found out¡­¡­¡¹

    Although it was already pretty obvious, she had some sort of circumstances. What can we do? We did stop her, but she still almostmitted a crime.

    What if we offer to buy some of her equipment? I don''t know how much it''s worth, but it can''t be less than the cost of a meal here.

    ¡ºWhat did you want to do, Fran?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    Fran, who had been staring at the downward looking girl, suddenly turned on her heel.

    ¡¸H-Hey!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, what are you nning to do?¡»

    £¨Leave it to me.£©

    ¡ºWell, if that''s what you want.¡»

    She walked straight to the counter with the girl chasing after her.

    ¡¸Can I have the bill?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. You''re the customer at table 3, right?¡¹

    ¡¸And give me this girl''s bill as well.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean to say you''re paying the bill together?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll pay.¡¹

    Wow, she really just paid for Sophilia, the blonde girl.

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran left the restaurant and turned around to see Sophilia behind her. She was staring back with a stunned expression that also acted as a re.

    ¡¸Why¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸You owe me one. Pay it back the next time we meet.¡¹

    Fran turned away without waiting for the girl''s answer.

    ¡ºYou don''t know if we''ll even see each other again, right?¡»

    £¨Then that''s fine. I just kinda thought it would be better this way.£©

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Rather than taking a liking to the girl, did Fran feel that she couldn''t leave her alone? Or did her beastman instincts tell her that this was a good person to have in your debt?

    Either way, this Sophilia girl seemed to think it was out of in kindness¡­¡­

    Just as I was thinking this, Sophilia muttered in a quiet, yet strangely audible voice towards Fran''s back.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

 Chapter 791

    <h4>Chapter 791</h4>

    <h4>791: Blue Cats Will Be Blue Cats</h4>

    A few minutes after parting ways with Sophilia.

    Fran had turned off the main street and moved into a back alley.

    It was not a shortcut. If we wanted to go to the Adventurers Guild, this would actually be the long way around.

    She was only taking this alley to catch the people tailing her. We noticed them following us as soon as we left the cafe.

    They were quite good at hiding their presence, but they failed to hide their malice towards us.

    For me and Fran, they might as well be wearing neon lights.

    We could have ignored them and headed for the guild anyways, but they were a bit special. We wanted to ask them a few questions.

    Fran stopped in a narrow, unpopted alley. Just as she had hoped, her stalkers appeared.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Don''t move.¡¹

    ¡¸Put your hands on the wall!¡¹

    One of them came up behind Fran, and the other went ahead to block the exit. The blue cats approached slowly, their sharp eyes fixed on us.

    These blue cats are always doing the same thing, huh?

    However, I can see the proof of them being active in Gordicia.

    Compared to the blue cats that we''ve in back in the continent of Jilbard, they were much more capable. These two were on a whole different level from those thugs.

    Putting it into adventurer ranks, they might be C level. Since there were two of them, they were quite a force to be reckoned with.

    Still, they were unable to sense Fran''s strength. This was probably more due to Fran''s improved concealment abilities, rather than the blue cats being ipetent.

    If it was these guys who attacked us the first time back in Alessa, we might have been in some serious trouble.

    ¡¸What do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸We''re already deep in Gordicia, so drop the beginner act. You already know what''sing next, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Hee-hee, we''re hunting ves.¡¹

    ¡¸Can''t miss out afterying eyes on a ck cat.¡¹

    ¡¸Like taking candy from a baby! Don''t budge if you want your limbs attached!¡¹

    The blue cats pressure us with their intimidation as they give Fran a warning. They probably didn''t want their new product to be damaged in a fight.

    ¡¸Now put your hands up!¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t think you can escape!¡¹

    They''re idiots.

    Fran smiled when she heard what the blue cats said. There was no gentleness to it, only the fierceness of a savage beast.

    There was a ferocious presence emanating from her, as if she was a tiger in front of raw meat.

    ¡¸You blue cats are blue cats wherever you go.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­! Get her!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    As Fran released her aura slightly, it seemed that they finally understood the difference in power.

    The man behind shed at her, while the man in front of her threw a knife at the same time. I can give credit where it''s due for going on the offensive after instantly realizing that they could not escape.

    Unfortunately, the correct action would have been to instantly drop your weapon and beg for your life.

    ¡¸Pinpoint Stab!¡¹

    ¡¸Useless.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-!¡¹

    Fran easily flicked away the knife with her left hand, and then she used me to deflect the sword from behind without even turning around.

    That was the art thates with level 8 of Sword Arts. It might have been enough to stall a normal Rank B¡­¡­ but they chose the wrong opponent.

    Fran turned around while shing off both legs of the guy behind her.

    ¡¸Gyaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn!¡¹

    Another knife was thrown at her, but Fran avoided it with a backflip and a twist.

    The man was stunned after Frannded in front of him. Meanwhile, she struck him in the stomach with the prating force punch that she had recently learned.

    ¡¸How did you¨D¨DGubuh!¡¹

    The blue cat fell down coughing up blood from his mouth, while the other blue cat was iling around after losing both his legs. Thetter was being very annoying.

    ¡¸Gyaaaah! It hurts! I''m dying! Save me!¡¹

    Apparently, they were trying to call over the guards by screaming.

    Was he thinking it would be better to get thrown in jail than die, or was he confident that he could convince the guards to save him? Or maybe even the guards were in on it?

    ¡¸It''s no use. I''ve set up a wind shield so your voice can''t reach the outside.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-¡­¡­! When did you¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸When I entered this alley. Because I knew it was gonna end like this.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    She had already decided their fates as soon as she found out that her stalkers were blue cats.

    ¡¸Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    First she closed up the wounds on his legs and stopped the bleeding. We couldn''t have him bleeding to death. The man immediately understood this was not done out of the kindness in Fran''s heart.

    A hint of fear shed in the blue cat''s eyes.

    ¡¸Don''t think you can escape.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Now then, I''ve got a lot I want to hear from you. If you don''t want to talk, all you need to do is just hang in there.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran lifted me upwards and the man looked up at me with despair. He must have realized what was about to happen.

    Five minutester. The blue cats endured for a while, but eventually gave up and spit out the information we were after.

    ¡¸Are you illegal vers?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹

    It seems that their hearts had beenpletely broken by the endless physical torture using recovery magic, and after exposing all their lies using Principle of Falsehood.

    They were, as expected, members of a crime syndicate that dealt in illegal ves. It seemed that the blue cat vers were at the center of it all, but a great number of other people were also secretly cooperating with the business.

    The reason why they were trying to call the guards was because some of them were members of the illegal ver organization. Even if they were caught by the clean guards here, they could escape with the help of their friends.

    The ves they caught were sent to various destinations, including among others, the Kingdom of Raydoss.

    Blue cat vers and Raydoss working together¡­ Both were at the very top of Fran''s kill list, so I couldn''t imagine a more fitting enemy for her.

    ¡¸Do you have a boss?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes! Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Where are they?¡¹

    ¡¸S-Sendia¡­¡­! In the illegal city of Sendia!¡¹

    ¡¸Sendia.¡¹

    Another ce we''ll have to go while we''re on this continent. Well, I would be fine ignoring it though¡­¡­

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºI know. I won''t stop you.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    My little Fran was very motivated.

    ¡¸After we go to Castel, Sendia is next.¡¹

    Looks like we''ve got even more stuff to put on our to-do list.

 Chapter 792

    <h4>Chapter 792</h4>

    <h4>792: Rere</h4>

    She knocked the two blue cats unconscious and threw them into a bag with their tails cut off, before handing them over to the Adventurers Guild.

    Turns out they were adventurers. They even brought their adventurer cards with them, so they must have been really underestimating Fran tomit a crime while carrying their ID cards.

    And they were a famous duo in their own right. Well, infamous, I guess.

    And Fran beat them all by herself, which caused the guildmaster to take a great liking to her.

    After leaving the submaster to take care of the blue cats, she dragged Fran into her office.

    ¡¸I''m Rere, the guildmaster of Nocta. Nice to meet you. Fufufu¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I''m Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-chan, right? I''m so d to meet you!¡¹

    This woman was the one I''ve heard about, right?

    About her being a pervert who loves strong people.

    She had the appearance of a beautiful and sexy sorceress. I could tell from her equipment that she was a caster.

    She wore a ck pointy witch hat on her head as well as a ck cloak. Underneath, she was wearing a white blouse and a tight ck skirt, which seemed really thin and emphasized her curves.

    I wonder if she''s doing it on purpose.

    She had the figure of a gravure idol whose selling point was her big tits. Also she had lips moistened with gloss, strangely passionate droopy eyes, and the mole right under her eye. If I was still human, I might have been staring at the gap between her crossed legs and the tight skirt.

    Such thickness gave no sense of motherhood, only sexiness and mor. I can see why everyone called her a pervert.

    ¡¸Those two were a pair of Rank C adventurers with excellent assassination skills, you know? And then you beat them up so badly that they cried out in fear. Just amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufufu¡­ I''m going to punish those two and their friends very severely, don''t you worry.¡¹

    Fran fidgeted ufortably under her heated gaze.

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸N-Nothing.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, Fran didn''t like Rere that much. She seemed ufortable as Rere eyes drilled into every corner of her body.

    This is the first time she has ever reacted like that, I think?

    When meeting those that are malicious or hostile toward her, she generally responded in turn or just ignored them.

    However, being given such a passionate and persistent gaze was probably a new experience for her.

    Fran frowned lightly as she avoided eye contact with Rere.

    ¡¸Ah-hah!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran''s body shivered in response to Rere''s deliberate exhtion.

    Seems like it would be best to get this talk over with and leave the guild as soon as possible.

    ¡¸I-I have a question¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing honey. What did you want to know?¡¹

    Rere''s words were no lie. She really answered all of our questions.

    We learned the location of the illegal town of Sendia and the criminal organizations that existed there. She even gave us the name of the prime suspects.

    She also told us about recent developments on the continent.

    I was a little suspicious of how freely she was giving this info away, but it seemed that she just really liked Fran.

    Also she apparently intended to treat the skilled adventurers as well as possible, so they could focus their efforts on the work that needed to be done.

    ¡¸I''ve been hearing a lot of things about those dwarvestely.¡¹

    We heard a lot of interesting stories from her, such as the dwarves sting their way through the antidemon hordes at breakneck speeds, as well as the aplishments of the demonkin army.

    Among these, we were particrly interested in hearing about the arrival of a divine sword wielder at the northern port.

    ¡¸A divine sword!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, from the northern continent, and two of them at that.¡¹

    ¡¸Two divine swords?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right.¡¹

    Two great powers divided the northern continent, and knights from both of these countries had been dispatched to Gordicia.

    The two countries were constantly quarreling with each other, but they both wanted to avoid war. Since they each possessed a divine sword, an all-out war would surely reduce both of them to rubble.

    The Holy Nation of Srd controlled the eastern half of the Brodin continent. It was a military power that possessed the divine sword Alpha and advocated justice and charity.

    The western power that had long been in conflict with Srd was the Militant Nation of Hagane, an exclusive nation shrouded in mystery that possessed the divine sword Berserk.

    Both countries were said to be among thergest in the world in terms ofnd mass and military might. Therefore, both countries feared anything that would cause their decline and had tacitly agreed not to use the divine swords against each other.

    Skirmishes without the use of the divine sword urred from time to time, and both sides were constantly throwing insults at each other. Yet, the divine swords were forbidden from use on the battlefield.

    I guess it''s simr to how nuclear weapons were treated back on Earth.

    ¡¸They took the divine swords out of their countries?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it happens once every ten years or so.¡¹

    Using their divine swords for the Gordician Duty is something both countries were expected to do by the rest of the world.

    They had enough national power to ignore the other countries, but if they did, they would be mocked everywhere as "stingy and narrow-minded nations that possess a divine sword but only use it for themselves".

    Pride and pragmatism. From both points of view, it would be best to ept this request from other countries. Srd was said to be particrly interested because they were very concerned about their appearances.

    The problem was the existence of their hostile neighbor on the continent. If one country brought their divine sword to Gordicia, the other country would certainly make a move.

    Both sides held to that line of thinking for a long time, so it was impossible to use the divine swords for the Gordician Duty. However, one day, both countries made a pact and agreed to send out their divine swords at the same time.

    As long as neither side had their divine sword, they would not be able to gain an unassable advantage over the other. Also, since political disputes were forbidden on the continent of Gordicia, there was little danger of being attacked there either.

    As a result, once every ten years, the two divine swords from the Brodin continent were brought to Gordicia at the same time.

    ¡¸So both Alpha and Berserk are on this continent?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa¡­¡­¡¹

    I''d like to see them if I can get a chance. They seem pretty relevant to me.

    But still, that''s the continent of Gordicia for you.

    Based only on what we''ve heard, there were four divine swords gathered here: Gaia, the Earth''s Edge. Ignis, the Brilliant mede. Alpha, the de of Origin. Lastly Berserk, the de of Madness.

    Furthermore, the Dwarf Queen Orfalve, as well as the wielders of Alpha and Berserk were here, meaning that three of the Seven Sages have arrived.

    Throw in two Rank S adventurers and Trismegistus, and you have a nicely sized group of absolute monsters.

 Chapter 793

    <h4>Chapter 793</h4>

    <h4>793: The Importance of Meat</h4>

    ¡¸I''m truly sorry about the guildmaster''s behavior.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You saved me.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it is my job to protect adventurers from the guildmaster''s poisonous fangs.¡¹

    While Fran was desperately trying to refuse Rere''s invitation to sleep at her house today, she was rescued by the submaster.

    The guildmaster Rere apparently could not talk down to the submaster, this old man in front of us. He was a dandy-looking elderly man with a soft smile, but he was also very tall with muscles thicker than many young adventurers.

    He must be a high level warrior.

    ¡¸If you ever have trouble dealing with the guildmaster, you need only call me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I had heard she was a pervert who loved anyone strong, but I didn''t imagine she would try to go that far.

    I''m just d Fran didn''t understand what her intentions were.

    She didn''t seem to care what sex, race, or age you were, as long as you were strong¡­¡­ Rere might be more than a match for Ulmutt''s Elsa, who actually showed some restraint.

    Well, since she was so friendly to Fran, we can at least trust her to extract information from the blue cats and "punish" them properly.

    She also said that she would look into the guards connected to them behind the scenes, so we can leave that part to her.

    However, Rere seemed to be the very persistent type. I bet she hasn''t given up on Fran yet.

    After Fran escaped from her clutches, we headed to the Adventurers Guild training grounds.

    But we didn''te here for mock battles. She was asked to do that too, but there was something they were even more interested in.

    ¡¸Fresh meat is precious on this continent, so we are very grateful to you.¡¹

    ¡¸I have a lot of it.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s good to hear!¡¹

    The old man smiled with delight. His gait seemed to have lightened somewhat too.

    Yes, what we were asked to do was to unload the magical beast materials we had stocked up in our dimensional storage. Both meat and materials were precious here.

    Especially the meat.

    I''ve heard that a certain amount of materials for weapons were shipped in from other continents, since they were constantly needed for repairs.

    However, meat was a different story.

    Meat was not a necessity, and on top of that, it was difficult to transport over long distances. It wouldn''t be impossible to do so, but the cost and other factors made it impractical.

    Therefore, the staple food of Gordicia ended up being fish from the sea. Fish were very cheappared to ces like Ulmutt, for example.

    Animal meat was only avable in small quantities from wild game hunted by adventurers.

    Then came Fran, who had arge store of meat in her dimensional storage. When she mentioned this, both the guildmaster and submaster jumped for joy.

    ¡¸Meat, you say!¡¹

    ¡¸You have meat!¡¹

    ¡¸I have materials too¡­¡¹

    ¡¸She just said meat, right?¡¹

    ¡¸She did, I''m sure of it.¡¹

    Maybe the submaster wouldn''t have helped us if we hadn''t told him about the meat.

    They didn''t show the slightest care for what monster materials she had brought, only the meat! And both of them were in sync on this subject. I guess they wanted their meat that badly.

    But there was a problem.

    This guild, which almost never deals with magical beast materials, didn''t have an adequate dismantling area.

    Usually they only butchered small deer and boar in a tiny butcher room.

    That''s where the training grounds came in. While the dismantling room was small, the guild''s training hall was very spacious. There were several adventurers, and many of them trained hard on a regr basis.

    ¡¸This is our guild''s underground training hall.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, it''s huge.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed it is.¡¹

    Compared to guilds like Ulmutt''s, this facility was about five timesrger. There, nearly one hundred adventurers were training on their own.

    All their eyes turned to us at once, probably because the submaster had taken the trouble to show around a young girl like Fran.

    ¡¸Submaster, who is this child?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Kozon, huh? Does she look like just a child to you?¡¹

    ¡¸No, she doesn''t. But she''d look like a normal kid to the low rankers here.¡¹

    ¡¸Well tell them to get their eyes checked.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku.¡¹

    The warrior at the entrance, the one they call Kozon, was quite skilled. He was probably the one in charge of giving training and advice to those in the training area.

    He looked at Fran and smiled belligerently.

    ¡¸Well, I''m sure you''ll be looking at her differently soon. Now then, Fran-dono, please go ahead. I''ll get those adventurers out of your way.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh?¡¹

    The submaster''s use of honorifics with Fran indicated that she was not just your average strong adventurer.

    ¡¸We will now use the training area! Those in the center, move to the walls!¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi! We just started training, you know?! Come on, don''t give me this shi¨D¨DGwbeh!¡¹

    Ehhh? The submaster just silently kicked aside the warrior shouting aint? So he''s going to physically force them to the wall if they don''t abide?

    After getting mmed into the wall, he was now twitching on the floor. He''s not gonna die, right?

    ¡¸We have the guildmaster''s permission. If you have a problem with it, we''ll be using force, okay?¡¹

    After the appeal to both authority and violence, they couldn''tin any further. The other adventurers readily obeyed and fled to the walls of the training area. I wonder if those trembling adventurers over there were friends with the guy who got kicked out?

    ¡¸This way, if you would.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Kozon grinned as he leaned slightly away from the wall. Did he think we were starting a special mock battle or something?

    Sorry, I''m afraid that''s not it.

    ¡¸Okay, I''ll bring it out.¡¹

    Fran pulled out the first magical beast corpse. It was a Fang Boar, sliced in half. A pretty low grade monster.

    They told us that quantity was more important than quality when ites to meat, so Fran started lining uprge low grade beasts in the training area.

    Each time she pulled out another beast corpse, the adventurers roared with admiration. They understood just how much meat this would be.

    Halfway through, their cheers became deafening.

    ¡¸Thank you very much. We''ll have the money ready for you soon. If at all possible, I would like a small amount of assistance in dismantling it. Of course, I''ll put in a bonus for showing us how to butcher them properly. How about it?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. I have nothing to do while waiting, so I ept.¡¹

    I guess adventurers on this continent weren''t very good at butchering things, so we can give them a little service here.

 Chapter 794

    <h4>Chapter 794</h4>

    <h4>794: Meat, Booze, Adventurers</h4>

    After we finished dismantling arge number of magical beasts.

    ¡¸Wahahahaha! This is delicious!¡¹

    ¡¸If only I had a hot babe to go with it too!¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again!¡¹

    In the training area, the adventurers were enjoying their meat and booze. It''s impressive how they have no problem enjoying themselves in a ce where the smell of blood still lingers.

    The Adventurers Guild wasn''t the one handing out the meat for free though. Of course, the meat wasn''t being stolen or anything either.

    Fran had donated the meat to the adventurers.

    Since we''re going to be on this continent for a while, there would be no harm in making a good name for ourselves among them.

    So we decided to take out some meat we had already prepared and hold a makeshift barbecue on the spot.

    Well, it was partly because the adventurers were so enthusiastic about the meat that I was worried that they might end up starting a riot.

    The submaster didn''t stop Fran when he saw her put a big iron te on a hearth made by earth magic, and started serving meat roasted by fire magic to the adventurers.

    He actually seemed rather relieved. I''m sure he was also worried that the adventurers might go berserk.

    There was not enough to fill the stomachs of more than a hundred adventurers, but we did give everyone a snack to go with their drinks.

    After the adventurers brought in the booze from out of nowhere, it became a full-blown party.

    ¡¸Hey, girl! You drinking?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m not drinking.¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! It''s still too early for you huh! Then how about that wolf?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡¸The hell? You saying my booze ain''t good enough for ya!¡¹

    ¡¸G-Gab!¡¹

    The guy forced a drink down Urushi''s throat. But if he really didn''t like it, he could have shaken the guy off. This was a wolf who could read the mood.

    Or maybe he just wanted a drink?

    He didn''t spill a single drop either.

    Now that I think about it, did we ever let Urushi drink alcohol in the first ce? It''s not like either of us could drink along with him¡­¡­

    No, I''m sure I''ve seen him drinking at one of the festivals we''ve been to before.

    ¡¸Gef!¡¹

    ¡¸Guhahaha! You''re a good drinker! Have some more!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I guess he''s a surprisingly good drinker. He''s not going to beg me for more, is he?

    Then, out of nowhere, the adventurers started singing.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­? The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No foe shall make us falter!¡¹

    ¡¸Dragons, demons, bring anything on!¡¹

    ¡¸The hordes of antidemons will be a piece of cake!¡¹

    ¡¸For booze, for friends, for gold! The adventurers fight on!¡¹

    It''s a terrible out of tune song, but when everyone was singing it together, it sounded strangely fitting.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Sorry for being so loud! This is a song passed down through the generations of adventurers on this continent.¡¹

    ¡¸Is it an old song?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! Yes, it is!¡¹

    It was Kozon, the leader of the group, who told us about the song in a good mood.

    I don''t know if his story was actually backed by fact, but it seems that the song was created by adventurers in ancient times. They were among the first tond and establish a stronghold on this continent shortly after it became covered by the barrier.

    Apparently, a group of rough and tumble adventurers randomly started singing it after getting drunk. It came from those wild, barbarous and uneducated adventurers, and yet it turned out to be surprisingly catchy. So it would be inevitable that the song turned out this way.

    If it wasn''t that kind of song, I doubt it could have remained for so many years.

    ¡¸Don''t lose¡­? Keep going¡­? Show them your pride¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Stand up! Come on, this is our chance to show them what we''ve got!¡¹

    ¡¸Show them what you got!¡¹

    ¡¸We''re with you!¡¹

    The first verse was a celebration of recklessness and the willingness to do whatever it takes. The second verse was a song of encouragement to fight together with your friends, even when the going gets rough.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Everyone sang in unison. Before I knew it, Fran was singing along too. As long as she could remember the "Adventurers~?" part, she could easily join in.

    Fran was as expressionless as usual, but she still seemed to be having a good time. I know she actually loves this kind of adventurer stuff.

    An hourter.

    As one would expect, drinking wasn''t going to be allowed forever, so the party was over after an hour.

    But Fran and the adventurers were still in a good mood.

    The adventurers worked together to clean up the training area, which had been filled with smoke and the smell of cooked meat.

    They split up using water magic, wind magic, cleansing and deodorizing spells. In no time at all, the training area was back to its original earthy smell.

    I don''t know if it''s the sense of solidarity they developed after eating meat together, but they were syncing up surprisingly well with each other.

    ¡ºIt''s already dusk, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    I looked out from the guild''s counter and saw the sky painted in a contrast of red and ck.

    In less than an hour, the sun would bepletely gone.

    ¡ºI guess we''d better spend the night in Nocta today.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    She may be eager to leave early, but she understood the importance of getting a good night''s sleep on this continent.

    Fran nodded her head, though a little hesitant.

    She asked the guild for rmendations on lodging, and they rmended an upscale inn near the center of town. It was a little expensive, but also quiet and the food was good.

    They said it was an inn suited for knights and nobles.

    ¡ºHow was the guild?¡»

    ¡¸Noisy.¡¹

    Even though she put it that way, Fran was still singing the adventurers song and Urushi was apanying her by performing the rhythm with his howls.

    Hopefully we can have another party the next time we''re here.

 Chapter 795

    <h4>Chapter 795</h4>

    <h4>795: More Stalkers</h4>

    We were on the way to the inn that the Adventurers Guild had told us about.

    Fran stopped.

    ¡ºIs stalking children the new big thing in this town?¡»

    £¨Three. They seem pretty big?£©

    ¡ºProbably dragonkin. They''ve got clear hostility too.¡»

    £¨What do we do?£©

    ¡ºWe can''t have them following us to the inn¡­ so I guess just catch them like we usually do.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    Fran suddenly turned off the road and went into an alleyway. If they got suspicious and stopped following her, I''ll just have Urushi track them instead.

    ¡ºThey''re still following us.¡»

    £¨Their footsteps are loud. Amateurs?£©

    ¡ºWell, they don''t seem to have any scouting skills.¡»

    Even your average thug had a skill or two to hide their presence, but these guys showed no sign of using such skills.

    ¡ºI guess we can figure out why after we take them out.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    A few secondster.

    ¡¸Hey! You there, little girl!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I heard you have meat!¡¹

    ¡¸W-We''re sure of it! Hand it over to us!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Can you pay?¡¹

    She asked just in case. There was always the chance that they were just terrible at negotiating.

    ¡¸You want money? We don''t have any money!¡¹

    ¡¸Just give us the meat! That''s a lot of meat¡­¡­ Too much for you adventurers!¡¹

    ¡¸That''s right! It should be given to us dragonkin! The meat deserves as much!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! If we present it to Dragon King-sama, he will surely add us to his personal guard!¡¹

    ¡¸So hurry up and bring out the meat! Now, girl!¡¹

    They were just fools. Anyways, "Dragon King"? The country of the dragonkin is long gone, so there shouldn''t be a king anymore, right?

    ¡¸Dragon King? You mean Trismegistus?¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t be stupid! That fool is no king!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! That''s right!¡¹

    So it''s not him. In other words there''s a dragonkin who named himself king and these guys are working for him?

    ¡ºLet''s just beat them up and see what they have to say.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    These dragonkin were incredibly weak. Their stats were decent because of their racial bonus, but they barely had any skills.

    They must be sleeping on their abilities and not training at all. These were very simr to the appraisal results I got from power leveled noble kids.

    From the looks of things, they didn''t have any guts either, so it was unlikely that they would put in any significant training effort.

    And yet, they don''t have the slightest idea that they will lose to Fran. Sucks to be them.

    ¡ºGo easy on them.¡»

    ¡¸Don''t worry, I won''t kill you.¡¹

    Fran seemed a little irritated.

    She was having a good time at the guild party, but they just killed her mood.

    ¡ºAs long as they live, I can heal them.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Three minutester.

    ¡¸I-I''m so sorry!¡¹

    ¡¸I was just trying to be cool!¡¹

    ¡¸F-Forgive me, please¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran didn''t even need to pull me out or properly attack them. All she did was re and unleash her killing intent.

    That''s all that it took for the dragonkin to clutch their tails between their legs, shaking and pleading for their lives.

    ¡¸Are you the Dragon King''s subordinates?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I mean, we''re not really working for him¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Be specific.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! We''re not his subordinates at all! We only wanted to join him!¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve never even met him!¡¹

    When we asked them for more details, we found out that they were nothing more than a bunch of thugs.

    In this continent of Gordicia, dragonkin were treated in a special way.

    Knights and soldiers were told to treat the dragonkin with respect, so they often overlooked their small disys of arrogance.

    Adventurers also tended to ignore small annoyances by the dragonkin, because it would get them in trouble if they got into a fight.

    As a result, many of the dragonkin misconstrued that respect towards the race as a whole for their superiority as individuals.

    ¡¸Don''t the dragonkin live in the reservations next to each port and hunt antidemons there?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I don''t see why we should have to pay for the sins of those guys from long ago¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah. They kept trying to make us train crazy amounts to be warriors.¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong with living a fun life!¡¹

    I guess these dragonkin thugs got fed up withbat training and fled to Nocta, where they could just barely make a living by hunting low-ranking antidemons.

    I can agree that descendants shouldn''t have to atone for the sins of their ancestors. In a sense, they were victims, too.

    Had they notmitted a crime just now, that is.

    ¡¸Where is the Dragon King?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I don''t know.¡¹

    ¡¸W-We''ve only heard rumors¡­¡­¡¹

    There''s someone iming to be the Dragon King somewhere, but these guys had nothing to do with him.

    They just had a shortsighted idea that they could get into his good books and get cushy jobs as his subordinates.

    And their ticket to doing so was the meat they were trying to steal from Fran.

    How stupid can you be? Even Fran''s hostility towards them was reced with contempt. She had lost the will to kill them.

    £¨Master, what should we do?£©

    ¡ºHmmm, maybe we should just leave them to the Adventurers Guild. They might be willing to pull some strings for us now that we''ve given them the meat.¡»

    £¨Okay. I''ll try it.£©

    Dragon King, huh? I''m not liking the sound of that. Probably someone we should avoid as much as possible.

 Chapter 796

    <h4>Chapter 796</h4>

    <h4>796: A Distant Memory of Warmth</h4>

    ¡ºI see it! That''s gotta be Castel!¡»

    It was the day after we handed the dragonkin over to the guild. We departed from Nocta early in the morning.

    I thought there would be more trouble over the treatment of the dragonkin, but both the guildmaster and the submaster were happy to take them off us. They had taken quite a liking to Fran.

    Also it seemed like they nned to use them as a bargaining chip against the other dragonkin, who had been getting rather annoyingtely. We can let the guild take care of the political stuff.

    Then, the evening of the day after we left.

    Our destination came into view.

    We were staring ahead from Urushi''s back as he flew through the air.

    The vige consisted of several wrecked buildings, surrounded by the remains of a battered wooden fence. There was no sign of life.

    In the first ce, it was unusual to see not a single light thiste in the evening. Like we thought, no one lived here anymore.

    What lied before us was just one of the many illegal viges abandoned after being destroyed by antidemon raids.

    £¨This is Castel¡­¡­£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Remind you of anything?¡»

    £¨No.£©

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    Fran shook her head. The sight of the vige did not ring any bells.

    Well, it was five years ago and she had never seen the vige from this angle. It wouldn''t be surprising if she couldn''t remember.

    ¡ºLet''s go down.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Following Fran''s instructions, Urushi descended onto the vige square.

    The houses were destroyed and the ground waspletely covered with grass. Even the square where we stood had long weeds sticking out from the gaps between the cobblestones.

    Human hands had clearly not touched the area for many years. There was not much moss inparison to the weeds, perhaps because of the rtively dry climate.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran gazed around the square silently.

    The grass covered square was lit only by the evening sunset.

    It must have been a ce of rxation andughter long ago.

    Now all that could be heard was the chirping of insects and the faint rustling of leaves against each other in the wind.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Here.¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸Here¡­¡­ I recognize it¡­¡­ I think¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran started walking slowly. She headed toward one of the entrances to the za.

    You seriously recognize it?

    Things must havepletely changed since Fran wasst here. I had doubts that there would be any semnce to what she once knew.

    However, Fran''s steps were getting faster and stronger. Her feeling must have turned into certainty.

    Was there some kind of atmosphere that only those who have lived here can understand? Or was it her intuition?

    Lately, Fran has been strangely perceptive when she acts on her intuitions. Well, that''s great as long as it works¡­¡­

    Maybe her wild instincts as a beastman had been sharpened as she continued leveling up?

    ¡ºFran, where are you going?¡»

    Without hesitation, Fran plunged into the bushes, weaving her way through the brush.

    ¡¸¡­¡­This way¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­I knew it.¡¹

    It''s no use. She''s so focused on drawing out her memories that she can''t see anything else.

    ¡ºUrushi, keep an eye out on our surroundings.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Meanwhile, Fran continued to wade through the grass.

    Then she stopped at a certain ce.

    It was a hut with its walls destroyed and its roof copsed. Quite small, even by the standards of this world.

    Well, all the houses in Castel looked fairly simr to this one.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    The walls were about 70% copsed, and the remaining parts were rotting and falling apart.

    We could see in the inside through the non-functional walls. What appeared to be the remnants of furniture were scattered around, also encroached upon by weeds.

    Fran silently turned to the side of the abandoned house. There, she found the remains of a door with only the wooden frame remaining.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Here.¡¹

    Fran muttered as she staggered toward the abandoned house, in contrast to the brisk pace she had on the way here.

    These were very heavy steps, as if something was blocking her way forward.

    Judging by her reaction¡­¡­ I should just watch without saying anything.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran stepped foot into the abandoned house. The ceiling and walls no longer served any purpose. Most of the floor was missing, and a carpet of weeds covered Fran''s feet.

    Even so, Fran was certain about what she saw.

    ¡¸¡­¡­This is my house.¡¹

    ¡ºI knew it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ This is¡­ where I lived¡­ with Mom and Dad¡­¡­¡¹

    As Fran muttered this in a hushed voice, a tear fell from her eyes.

    What kind of tears were those?

    Sadness? Joy? Loneliness from regaining old memories? Mncholy at reaffirmation of her parents'' deaths?

    ¡¸I''m¡­ home¡­¡­¡¹

    But to me, Fran''s tears felt more precious than anything in the world.

 Chapter 797

    <h4>Chapter 797</h4>

    <h4>797: At the Cemetery</h4>

    Fran wept quietly at the house of her memories, but she calmed down after a short while.

    ¡ºAre you all right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ thank you.¡¹

    She rubbed her eyes and then started to look around the house.

    Was all of this destruction caused by antidemons? Maybe it had been ransacked by bandits afterwards? There weren''t any dishes or eating utensils, so practically nothing was left behind.

    However, Fran seemed to have remembered something. She walked to the corner of the room and started digging in the dirt under the former floor.

    After a few seconds of digging, without caring about getting her hands dirty, Fran picked up something from the dirt.

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºA mug cup¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. A cup I got for my birthday.¡¹

    The mug that had broken in half probably used to be white. It was now covered in dirt, but after a wash with water magic, the white surface was revealed. I could also see a small ck spiral-like pattern on it.

    It had been a gift from her parents on her fifth birthday.

    As a child, Fran loved this mug and drank water, tea, and anything else from it.

    One day, however, she identally broke it. Afraid of being scolded, Fran removed the floorboards and buried it in the ground to hide it.

    And thanks to that event, this was the only thing left behind.

    ¡ºWant to get it fixed? It should be rather easy.¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Let''s fix it! I''ll do whatever it takes!¡¹

    She finally smiled. I knew that depressed mood never suited Fran.

    ¡¸Next, let''s find the grave.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, Amanda said she made one.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I remember her saying that she built a grave in a corner of the cemetery that was originally there.

    ¡ºWhich way is the cemetery?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­That way.¡¹

    It looked like the memories of her life at the vige hadpletely returned. She started to walk without hesitation.

    Something must have clicked inside of her.

    She no longer had the confused look that she wore when we first stepped foot into Castel.

    ¡¸There, the graves.¡¹

    After looking in that direction, I saw the remnants of a rotting wooden fence peeking out from the grass. That appeared to be the boundary separating the vige za from the area beyond.

    After breaking through a sea of grass, we found ourselves in a cemetery.

    But isn''t this a bit strange?

    ¡ºWhy is there no grass here?¡»

    ¡¸Did someone cut the weeds?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, that shouldn''t be possible¡­¡­¡»

    Wait a minute. Just because no one lives here doesn''t necessarily mean that no one everes here. Then, would it be possible the former residents visit regrly to take care of the weeds?

    Maybe they wanted to clean up the cemetery at least.

    ¡ºWell, I guess it makes it easier to find the graves, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After walking around the cemetery, I was convinced. Someone was clearly tending to the graves.

    The grass wasn''t the only weird thing, the headstones had been cleaned off as well. They had no trace of moss, and barely any dirt on them.

    They must have been wiped off within the past few days. Maybe we could find some Castel survivors if we search the nearby viges and towns.

    Fran wandered around the graveyard for a bit, but she soon found what she was looking for.

    ¡¸That''s¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it''s definitely different from the others.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Amanda said she had made the grave herself, and the one in front of us was clearly different from the others.

    Rather than a beautiful gravestone professionally carved on request, it was a rough gravestone carved by an amateur from some random stone they found.

    However, after closely scrutinizing the surface, we found it was scraped several times over in detail. I could tell that it was made with the utmost care. We felt the hard work and thought that went into the making of the gravestone.

    After reading the gravestone, we found the names "Kinan" and "Framea" engraved on it. This was definitely the grave of Fran''s parents.

    ¡¸Mom, Dad.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    We silently paid our respects.

    Fran''s mom and dad. My name is Master and I''m Fran''s partner. I know you may be worried that I can''t be trusted to take care of your daughter, but I swear to protect Fran even if it costs me my life. Please continue to watch over Fran from the heavens.

    A few minutester, Fran looked up to the sky. Then, she nodded her head.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn. I''m done.¡¹

    ¡ºAlready?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I''ve said my goodbyes.¡¹

    If Fran''s okay with it, then I''m good too.

    I''m d we came here. I was able to reaffirm mymitment to protect Fran.

    ¡¸Let''s clean the grave.¡¹

    ¡ºGood idea. We can take care of the weeds too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It may not be much, but it''s important to feel that you did something.

    After pulling weeds around the area, we use water magic to wash off the grave of Fran''s parents.

    Just after we had finished cleaning the graves, Fran suddenly stopped moving. It wasn''t just her, Urushi paused too.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s¨D¨D¡»

    I could feel it too. There was clearly a human presence.

    After scanning the surroundings again, I detected the faintest hint of a human in the vicinity.

    We had assumed the vige was uninhabited, but that might have been a mistake.

    I searched more extensively, and found that there seemed to be a person in a house next to the cemetery.

    Was someone really living in this abandoned vige? Or did they have some reason for hiding in here? Either way, the fact that they were able to conceal themselves from us for so long indicated they were quite skillful.

    If their presence concealment had not been momentarily disturbed for some reason, we might have left Castel without noticing them.

    ¡ºWhat do we do? I have no clue who they could be.¡»

    They weren''t necessarily going to be friendly. For example, there was always the possibility of them being a former adventurer turned bandit or a member of a criminal organization.

    However, Fran started walking toward the presence.

    £¨Maybe we can get some info on Castel.£©

    ¡ºOkay, just be careful. Urushi, get ready to attack from the shadows at any moment.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Let''s see what kind of guy is hiding here.

 Chapter 798

    <h4>Chapter 798</h4>

    <h4>798: Auntie''s House</h4>

    The faint sign we felt had already disappeared. But that doesn''t mean they have escaped.

    I could feel no sign of them, but I knew they were still there.

    It''s difficult to put into words, but I felt something close by.

    ¡ºI can''t sense them at all even aftering this close. This is no ordinary person.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Even if I can''t urately sense their presence now, I still know their position thanks to the mistake they made earlier.

    We should be able to tell if they made any attempt to move, so they must be currently staying put and holding their breath.

    ¡ºThat''s the one.¡»

    Fran''s eyes widened lightly and she paused.

    As soon as I saw the house, I felt something was off.

    This house was in much better condition than the other abandoned houses. There were obvious signs of repair on the roof and walls.

    Someone had clearly made an attempt to patch it up.

    However, the source of Fran''s surprise lied elsewhere.

    £¨That house is¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Auntie''s house.£©

    ¡ºAuntie?¡»

    £¨Nn, thedy living next door.£©

    So she used to know the resident of this house. Well, I highly doubt she would still be living here, but¡­¡­

    ¡ºFran, even if it''s a trespasser, don''t just attack them out of the blue, okay?¡»

    For example, they might be an adventurer taking a rest in an abandoned house. Since they couldn''t tell if we''re enemies or not, they would try to hide until we left.

    £¨I know.£©

    Fran slowly edged closer until she was right in front of the house.

    The front door was about three meters away.

    ¡ºI''m opening it.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    I tried to open the door with telekinesis, and then¡­

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºI know!¡»

    I canceled my telekinesis. To my surprise, the person in the house had made a move. They must have realized that Fran knew their location.

    It seems they gave up on hiding and decided to reveal themselves.

    The presence slowly walked toward the entrance, probably to avoid seeming hostile.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    Creak.

    The wooden door creaked as it was pushed from the inside. At the same time, the person on the other side of the door called out to us.

    ¡¸Hey, I''m not looking for a fight. Let''s talk first, ''kay?¡¹

    I was surprised.

    What greeted us was a tall, middle-aged woman.

    Her short, violet-colored bobbed hair was shaggy and unkempt. Her pale skin was scarred all over, showing the intensity of the battles she had ovee.

    The woman''s face must have been on the pretty side, but her tired expression and dirty clothes erased most traces of femininity. Judging from the depth of wrinkles that have started to show on her face, she must be in her forties.

    Her amethyst-like eyes were carefully staring over us.

    Now that she was in front of me, I could understand her strength. She was so strong that we couldn''t take her lightly.

    She was wearing a long coat-like garment and a leather poncho. There also seemed to be a weapon hidden inside her coat, probably a sword.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran''s eyes widened in surprise. Too much surprise to be only due to the woman''s strength.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Auntie¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? I guess I''m old enough to be¡­¡­ No, that face¡­¡­ Could you be¡­?¡¹

    The woman heard Fran''s mutter and looked at her suspiciously. However, her expression immediately turned into surprise.

    ¡¸Could you be, Fran, is that you¡­¡­?¡¹

    The woman murmured in a hushed voice.

    She said Fran''s name.

    Did she know Fran? If she''s acquainted with her, then she''s really Fran''s "Auntie"? So the Auntie she mentioned earlier still lives here?

    While I was frozen in surprise, Fran and the woman slowly moved closer to each other.

    They stared silently at each other''s faces.

    Almost at the same time, they realized that the other was the person they knew.

    ¡¸Auntie!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    Both of them hugged each other tightly.

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡­! You''re really Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸You''re safe, thank god you''re safe¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran was clinging to the woman''s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.

    The woman did the same. Her tears flowed freely as shepletely covered Fran with her hug.

    They held each other wordlessly for a whole five minutes.

    Only after that did their excitement calm down slightly.

    They let go of each other''s bodies and finally began to check each other''s situation.

    ¡¸Fran, are you an adventurer by any chance?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸What have you been doing¡­¡­ since that day? I thought you would have met the same fate as them¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Mom and Dad were killed by monsters¨D¨DThe antidemons, they killed them¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, this woman did not witness the death of Fran''s parents. All she knew was the vige got attacked by antidemons, Fran''s parents disappeared, and someone built a grave for them.

    But that was more than enough to understand what transpired.

    ¡¸Nn. Then I was captured by the blue cats and forced into very.¡¹

    ¡¸The blue cats¡­¡­! Those shitty bastards!¡¹

    ¡¸So I was a ve for a long time, but I got rescued and have been an adventurer ever since.¡¹

    ¡¸Rescued? What happened? If it''s not too painful, can you tell me?¡¹

    The woman asked Fran with a gentle voice. There was no curiosity in her tone, showing her obvious concern for Fran.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºSure, I don''t mind. I''m interested in her story too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I''ll tell you everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, I don''t wanna make you stand here and talk. Come on in.¡¹

    And so, the woman invited us into her house.

 Chapter 799

    <h4>Chapter 799</h4>

    <h4>799: Nadia</h4>

    ¡¸Sorry about this mess¡­¡­ You can use that chair.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    Like the woman said, the house was not clean by any means. She probably didn''t care much for cleanliness.

    However, the room didn''t appear cluttered either, due to theck of furniture.

    There was only an old desk, a backless chair that appeared to be handmade, and a bed. It felt like a very bleak room.

    I don''t mean to say that it was impossible to live here. It just seemed to be a very rough ce.

    Has she really been living here ever since the vige was destroyed?

    The woman offered Fran a chair and sat herself down on the bed.

    ¡¸I wish I could offer you a cup of tea, but I don''t have anything on hand.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s okay, let''s drink this.¡¹

    ¡¸That''s dimensional storage! Fran, what in the world happened?!¡¹

    Fran took out two cups of tea and the woman stood up in surprise. To her, Fran must have still appeared as a child to be protected.

    After drinking the tea and calming down, the woman opened her mouth again.

    ¡¸Sorry for all the questions. So about that day¡­¡­ Can you tell me how you survived?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran told the woman the story of what had happened to her.

    Arge number of antidemons attacked the vige and killed her parents. After that, she was captured by the blue cats ransacking the vige and made into an illegal ve. Then, a few years passed without any change.

    Fran was forced to work somewhere on this continent, before being pushed onto a ship and transported to the continent of Jilbard.

    That''s where she met me.

    Fran said that she had never seen the sea before she went to Dars. But that was probably because she boarded and disembarked from the ship at night and was forced into the hold for the entire duration of the voyage.

    ¡¸You did well to make it back all the way from Jilbard¡­¡­ Is the guy you mentioned earlier, the one who saved you, still with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, my savior and partner. I''ll introduce you.¡¹

    Finally, it''s my turn!

    ¡ºHey. My name is Master, and I''m Fran''s partner.¡»

    ¡¸¡­! W-Where is thising from¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Master is this sword.¡¹

    ¡ºI''m Master, the Intelligence Weapon. It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡»

    ¡¸Intelligence Weapon¡­¡­?¡¹

    The woman stood up from the bed with a start. Then she stared as I slipped out of the sheath on my own, floating in mid-air.

    Now that''s a perfect shocked reaction. You get full points.

    ¡ºAm I that unusual?¡»

    ¡¸D-Damn right you are!¡¹

    Trismegistus supposedly had an Intelligence Weapon too, but I guess it''s not amon sight on this continent.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­ Sorry, I got a little excited.¡¹

    ¡ºI''m sorry for startling you too.¡»

    ¡¸I''m Nadia the ck cat. Nothing more than a grave keeper. You can call me Auntie too if you''d like.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Nice to you meet you, Nadia-san.¡»

    ¡¸Heh. Pretty human for a sword. But I guess that''s the way it should be.¡¹

    Nadia smirked. Like I thought, calling her Auntie would have been a mistake.

    ¡¸So Master was the one?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master saved me.¡¹

    Fran exined how she met me. Well, I was stuck at the time too, so we ended up saving each other.

    ¡¸So I went on adventures with Master and got stronger.¡¹

    ¡ºThe current Fran is pretty damn strong you know!¡»

    ¡¸I know that, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Master is not the only friend I have. Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa! I didn''t sense any sign of him¡­¡­? I-Is this your beast servant?¡¹

    ¡¸My friend Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    A puppy-sized Urushi appeared from Fran''s shadow and barked in a devilishly cute manner. Seems like he ns to continue this charade in front of Nadia.

    ¡¸So you''ve be so ridiculously strong that you''ve got a beast this powerful serving you¡­¡­¡¹

    However, that had no effect on Nadia, since she saw right through his abilities.

    ¡¸And with a legendary Intelligence Weapon¡­¡­ What kind of adventures did you have to go on to achieve this?¡¹

    ¡¸Really great adventures!¡¹

    ¡ºWell, a lot happened.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! A lot!¡¹

    Fran gave a brief summary of all the adventures she had been on so far, with me asionally adding details.

    Looking back, however, I realize that a lot really has happened in just a little over a year. I had intended to wrap up the summary in about ten minutes, but we weren''t anywhere close to done and it''s been over an hour.

    Besides, Fran''s "talk switch" had turned on, and she continued giving an impassioned speech with exaggerated gestures.

    Fran''s childish side must havee out in front of Nadia, since they were as close as rtives.

    ¡¸So I then said to them, "All your schemes are done for!"¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa! That''s amazing, Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Uhh, did she ever say that? Well, I guess I can let a few exaggerations slide.

    Nadia was good enough of a listener to give the proper reactions to all of Fran''s stories too.

    Another 30 minutester.

    ¡¸And then, Master, Urushi, and I came to this continent.¡¹

    ¡¸Makes sense. I''ve heard rumors of Trismegistus'' sword.¡¹

    Fran was satisfied with the tale of her great adventure, although she hid the parts that needed to be hidden. She sipped the now cold tea and took a breather.

    ¡ºDo you know anything about the Intelligence Weapon that Trismegistus supposedly has?¡»

    ¡¸Nothing about the details. I''ve only heard he''s been using it for millennia, and that it''s a special enchanted sword.¡¹

    As I thought, she didn''t know much about it. However, this did back the im that he was using a special sword.

    ¡¸Nn. We need to meet him in person.¡¹

    ¡ºI guess so.¡»

 Chapter 800

    <h4>Chapter 800</h4>

    <h4>800: Fran''s Prank</h4>

    Fran had finished telling the story of what happened to her, but there was something important she left unsaid.

    Or rather, how could she not mention the most important thing?

    ¡ºDon''t you want to talk about evolution?¡»

    £¨I''ll do it now and surprise her.£©

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    We are currently still using the Evolution Cloaking skill. It''s also supposed to help mask signs of our presence, but I don''t know how effective it actually is.

    A beastman can normally tell if another beastman has evolved just by looking at them.

    That''s why I had the thought that evolved beastmen emit some kind of substance or force that other beastmen can sense.

    I don''t know if the antidemons can sniff it out too, but I''ve been keeping Evolution Cloaking active just in case, even if it only helps slightly.

    Even after meeting Nadia, I have not deactivated it yet.

    Because of this, Nadia was unaware of Fran''s evolution.

    Fran had been keeping quiet so far in order to surprise Nadia. It was rare to see Fran show this much childishness to someone other than me.

    Just goes to show how close she is to Nadia.

    To be honest, I think this might be a little too extreme to be called a prank¡­¡­

    ¡¸Actually, I still have another secret.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh, another secret? It can''t be bigger than the one about Master being a failed divine sword, right?¡¹

    ¡¸It''s as big of a secret that one.¡¹

    ¡ºNah, as much as it pains me to say it, I think you''ll be even more surprised by this one.¡»

    Not much can beat me when ites to containing national-security level secrets, but evolution will be a much bigger surprise to any ck cat.

    ¡ºI''m sure you''ll scream in surprise.¡»

    ¡¸That''s right.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Really?¡¹

    Nadia''s face contorted slightly.

    It wasn''t the nervousness of hearing important information. She must be feeling some kind of pressure to give a big reaction.

    Her line of thinking was obvious, "If I don''t react properly, Fran might get disappointed." Kinda my fault there, sorry.

    Well, there will be no need to put on a false reaction anyway.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºGot it.¡»

    Then, just as I canceled the Evolution Cloaking, Nadia stood up with a tremendous force, making the bed creak loudly.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    She was left speechless.

    ¡¸¡­¡­! !¡¹

    She stared at Fran with her eyes open to the limit, her mouth continuously moving like a goldfish panting fromck of oxygen.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Ah!¡¹

    ¡¸ck cats can evolve.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­ Oh my god!¡¹

    Nadia shouted, ruffling her own hair. Her dizzy steps as she walked towards Fran were so unsteady that it made me feel a bit sorry for her.

    ¡¸You''ve really¡­¡­ evolved¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha¡­ Haha¡­¡­¡¹

    Nadia copsed to her knees in front of Fran. She slowly reached out and cupped Fran''s cheeks between her hands. Their eyes were on the same level.

    Then she cried again.

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­¡¹

    The tears flowed silently but steadily.

    ¡¸So we weren''t failures then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Of course not.¡¹

    Nadia was in tears for a while, but after a few minutes she stood up excitedly.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! That was great! Amazing! You sure got me good!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe.¡¹

    ¡¸How did you evolve?¡¹

    ¡¸Killing fiends.¡¹

    ¡ºYou have to give her a bit more than that.¡»

    On behalf of Fran, I told Nadia the conditions for ck cats to evolve. Nadia''s feelings were mixed.

    ¡¸So that would be impossible as long as I''m in Gordicia?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Nadia was born and raised on the continent of Gordicia, so she had never seen a fiend in person.

    Not even a mere goblin.

    ¡¸I have to go to another continent¡­¡­?¡¹

    Nadia let out a confused mutter. At her age, it must take a lot of courage to venture outside the continent she called home. She would have to weigh that against evolution, the goal of every member of her race.

    ¡¸And how is it that I couldn''t tell you were evolved until just now?¡¹

    ¡¸Because of Master.¡¹

    ¡ºI have a skill that allows me to hide her evolution.¡»

    ¡¸A skill like that exists? It''s like you were made to be Fran''s sword.¡¹

    To tell you the truth, I only got this skill after Fran evolved, but I can however agree that I am the perfect sword for Fran.

    ¡¸But that''s not all. I evolved because of Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It''s also thanks to the Master that I know what it takes to evolve.¡¹

    When Fran nodded her head, Nadia suddenly turned serious. She was staring at me.

    Then Nadia bowed her head deeply.

    ¡¸Master-dono, on behalf of all the ck cats of the world, I must thank you.¡¹

    ¡ºH-Hey, raise your head. You don''t need to bow to me.¡»

    ¡¸Fufufu. Sorry, but I truly mean it. The other ck cats don''t even know who you are, right? So I''m the one who has to thank you on their behalf.¡¹

 Chapter 801

    <h4>Chapter 801</h4>

    <h4>801: Nadia''s Situation</h4>

    After finishing her surprise, Fran started drinking her tea with a satisfied look on her face. Meanwhile, I decided to ask Nadia what I was curious to know.

    ¡ºHow did Fran''s parents end up in Castel? Couldn''t they have stayed at Nocta or one of the ports?¡»

    Since the residents of Castel had to constantly be on the lookout for antidemons, it was no ce to raise a child.

    So why choose the harsh environment of Castel?

    ¡¸That, huh¡­¡­? They told me they came to Gordicia to train their skills. And they started by working in Nocta, just like you said.¡¹

    ¡ºSo how did they end up in Castel?¡»

    ¡¸I heard they were on the run from vers.¡¹

    ¡¸vers.¡¹

    Fran squinted her eyes as she repeated the word.

    ¡¸Yeah. The blue cats have always hated the ck cats. Apparently, the blue cats chased out of the other continents all gathered up in Gordicia.¡¹

    Since the Beast King stepped up the pressure on the blue cats, many of them fled to this continent where even criminals were epted. As a result, the ve hunting probably became more intense for the ck cats here.

    And as the number of blue cats increased, naturally the ck cats were targeted more often.

    ¡¸Anyone recognized as a ck cat is in danger. The reason I dye my hair is so that people won''t instantly recognize me as a ck cat.¡¹

    ¡ºYou''ve dyed your hair?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. It was originally ck just like Fran''s.¡¹

    It wouldn''t work if she met a blue cat face to face, but they would find it hard to tell she was a ck cat from a distance. She must have wanted to reduce the risk of being recognized as much as possible.

    ¡¸On this continent, there are quite a few such drugs avable for ex-criminals who want to erase their past.¡¹

    ¡¸I really thought that was your natural hair color.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I guess you''ve only seen me like this.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Apparently she''s been dyeing her hair for thest ten years or so, ever since she started living in Castel.

    ¡ºFran and her parents didn''t dye their hair?¡»

    ¡¸No, Mom and Dad''s was still ck.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, well, the one for dying hair would be a little hard to get.¡¹

    Not extremely expensive, but it was enough for the average viger to hesitate.

    If a warrior of Nadia''s caliber would have to go that far¡­¡­ Just how bad did the ve hunting get?

    ¡ºThen why didn''t they run away to a different continent? Wouldn''t that be the best way to escape from the blue cats?¡»

    ¡¸Well I can''t say for sure. I suppose there was the problem of travel expenses, but more than that, I think they had their pride.¡¹

    ¡ºPride?¡»

    ¡¸Imagine being a ck cat? The blue cats are your mortal enemies. You get chased by them and all you can do is run? Would be frustrating as hell.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹

    Fran nodded her head broadly when she heard Nadia''s words. It seemed that she could understand how her parents felt. As one would expect from parent and child.

    ¡¸I''d rather die than run away from the blue cats.¡¹

    So it alles back to the blue cats. Fran voiced herplete agreement in a passionate statement.

    ¡¸I don''t think Kinan and Framea were quite that stubborn¡­¡­ but I guess it did cost them their chance to escape.¡¹

    Fran''s parents never left the continent of Gordicia because they didn''t want to be defeated by the blue cats.

    They eventually drifted to Castel and lived there quietly, but in the end they were caught by the antidemon season.

    Apparently they had lived in Castel for about three years.

    ¡¸Hey, tell me about your story now, Auntie.¡¹

    ¡¸My story, huh? It''s nothing as spectacr as yours though.¡¹

    Though she started with a disimer, Nadia told us the story of what happened to her.

    ¡¸That fateful day when the antidemons destroyed this vige¡­¡­ I was in Nocta.¡¹

    Nadia had her residence in Castel, but asionally went to Nocta and other ces for work.

    When she heard the number of antidemons was increasing rapidly, she wanted to return to Castel. However, she had just epted a long-term escort request.

    Since the request was from an influential person in Nocta, it would be difficult for her to cancel it. Moreover, she could not return to Castel immediately after the request waspleted because Nocta was still surrounded by a swarm of antidemons.

    ¡ºWere you fine working in Nocta with all the blue cats there?¡»

    ¡¸Sort of. I dyed my hair, and I had my fellow adventurers, so I never worked alone. Besides, I''m a Rank B adventurer, so I was well known enough to be difficult prey for the blue cats.¡¹

    The main reason Nadia dyed her hair was to prevent word from spreading that there were ck cats in the area, so that the blue cats would note to Castel. She did not want to cause trouble for the other vigers.

    In a city like Nocta where there were many people, it wouldn''t cause major problems if she was identified as a ck cat.

    ¡¸Even after participating in the defense of Nocta, it took yet another week before I was finally able to return to Castel¡­¡­¡¹

    In the end, the vige had already been destroyed by the time she arrived.

    ¡¸The only living people were me, the dumbass who failed to be there at the critical moment, and a traveling merchant.¡¹

    ¡¸Merchant?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, they go around to all the illegal viges to trade goods. He would take letters from vigers and send them to the guild too.¡¹

    Nadia had heard more details from this merchant.

    She learned from him that the vige had been destroyed more than a month ago, and that there were no survivors.

    ¡¸For all my big talk about being the protector of the vige, I couldn''t even get there in time for the important part.¡¹

    Nadia muttered to herself in a self-mocking manner.

    ¡¸After that, I''ve been the gravekeeper here ever since.¡¹

    ¡ºGravekeeper? You mean you''re guarding the graves in this vige?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. I will never let antidemons have their way with this vige again¡­¡­ Never.¡¹

    Nadia''s words of determination didn¡¯t have any positive emotions. It was a resolution filled with self-mockery and regret.

    She noticed Fran''s worried look at her, and smiled to cover it up.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Oops, didn''t mean to put it like that. Oh yeah, I think the merchant from back then is still doing business in Nocta. Go pay him a visit if you have the time. I''m sure he''d be excited to see you.¡¹

    ¡¸Excited? Was he friends with Mom and Dad?¡¹

    ¡¸No, not like that¡­¡­ He''s always regretted not being able to save you.¡¹

    The merchant named Mulsani had been in the vige until just before it was destroyed, delivering potions and other supplies to Castel. There he had been caught in the antidemon season.

    Mulsani sessfully delivered the supplies and was about to make his attempt to escape from the vige. That''s when Fran''s parents entrusted him with a letter, their guild cards, and¨D¨Da child.

    The letter was addressed to one of their acquaintances on another continent. And they gave him their guild cards because they knew their deaths were approaching.

    This was a rtively well-known tradition among adventurers. Before a dangerous mission, they leave their cards with the guild, and then they go to retrieve it if they survive.

    And of course, they wished for the survival of their beloved daughter.

    That''s why they entrusted Fran to Mulsani.

    But he was unable to save Fran. The antidemons invaded with speed beyond anyone''s imagination, and he did not manage to reach the house where Fran was hidden before the antidemons.

    Weighing his life against Fran''s, Mulsani chose the former and ran.

    ¡¸But don''t hate him. That man was no warrior. He was risking his life simply bying to the vige to deliver supplies¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, I know. It can''t be helped.¡¹

    I can''t me Mulsani for what he did either. He''s just a merchant, and a merchant couldn''t wade through a swarm of antidemons to save Fran.

    Well, as a traveling merchant on this continent, he must have the bare minimum ofbat skills.

    Mulsani managed to escape, and deposited Fran''s parents'' guild cards and their letter with the guild. Then, he reunited with Nadia one monthter.

    ¡ºA letter, huh¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸To Amanda?¡¹

    ¡ºProbably.¡»

    ¡¸Amanda? Oh, that must be who Kinan and Framea kept writing letters to.¡¹

    ¡ºShe''s the one who raised Fran''s parents. And also the one who built that grave.¡»

    ¡¸Oh, that grave! I was wondering who did that, since Mulsani said he didn''t make it either.¡¹

    Amanda said she dashed over as soon as she received the letter. She and Nadia must have missed each other somehow.

    ¡ºYeah. So anyways, Amanda told us that she put their belongings in the grave¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn. We came to get those.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Well, I''lle too. I''m the gravekeeper here, after all.¡¹

    She didn''t show any aversion to the idea of digging up graves. I guess in this world, there is often no body left to bury, and many believe the souls of the dead have already departed for the heavens.

    I guess graves don''t have the same weight as they do back on Earth.

    ¡ºWell, let''s get on with it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 802

    <h4>Chapter 802</h4>

    <h4>802: Memento</h4>

    Fran went to the grave with Nadia and began to dig carefully with earth magic.

    Little by little, she moved the earth out of the way so as not to damage her parents'' belongings.

    Once she had dug about one meter under the gravestone, something appeared from the earth.

    ¡¸A leather cloak¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIt''s a pretty high quality one too. Must be Amanda''s cloak.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The cloak was made of a water-repellent material, and it had been rolled up and buried in the earth. When Fran lifted it up, she found several hard objects inside of it.

    Maybe they were made of wood? Amanda must have been careful to not allow any water corrosion.

    As Fran carefully peeled off the cloak, a wooden board-like object came out from inside. It was about the size of a postcard.

    The surface of the board was coated with some kind of paint, and there was some ck object painted on it.

    Parts of it were cracked, making it difficult to tell what was painted on it at a nce.

    However, Fran seemed to know exactly what it was. She took the wooden board in her hands and stroked it lovingly.

    ¡ºWhat is it?¡»

    ¡¸It''s a decoration Dad made. We hung it on the door to our house. Everyone helped in making it too.¡¹

    Apparently it was something like a door te. Fran''s dad carved it out, and Fran worked with her mom to paint it.

    It was originally a picture of three ck cats.

    ¡ºA memento huh. I''m d we could find it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºIs there anything else in there?¡»

    ¡¸There''s also¡­¡­ this!¡¹

    Fran held up something reddish-brownish. I first thought it was a small wooden board, but upon closer inspection it had a metallic sheen.

    ¡ºIsn''t that a guild card?¡»

    ¡¸Could that be¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Rank D adventurer cards. They have the names Kinan and Framea on it¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it!¡¹

    Nadia was also looking for the guild cards of the two adventurers, but she never found them.

    The merchant deposited their guild cards at the guild, but someone else had taken them. Moreover, the one who took them seemed to be an influential person in the guild, so the guild didn''t give Nadia any information about them.

    ¡ºMust have been Amanda.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸You said she was a Rank A adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    A Rank A adventurer would certainly be very influential.

    She could easily take Kinan and Framea''s guild cards, and it was only natural that the guild wouldn''t give Nadia any information.

    ¡ºSo they reached Rank D, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That''s no small feat for a ck cat to rise to Rank D on their own. Moreover, Fran''s parents should have only been in their twenties.

    They continued their training while protecting their newborn. Things were just starting to work out for them when all of this happened.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Mom, Dad. Keep watching over me.¡¹

    Fran held the guild cards tightly as she pressed them against her chest.

    ¡ºIs it okay for Fran to have these? Don''t we have to return them to the guild?¡»

    ¡¸There''s no problem. It''s verymon for family members to keep guild cards as a memento.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, okay then.¡»

    ¡¸Yep¨D¨DMrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    While we were talking about how to deal with the guild card, we felt someoneing into the vige. Well judging by this feeling, I''m 99% sure they were antidemons.

    They haven''t noticed us yet. I guess they just saw the ruined structures and came to scout them out.

    ¡¸Fran, you can wait here. Cleaning up the trash is part of my job.¡¹

    ¡¸We''reing too!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸There''s only a few of them, so just me is enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Antidemons are my enemy too. I want to protect the graves.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fine. But you have to listen to me, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Nadia came to the conclusion that someone of Fran''s caliber would not be in any danger. She finally relented, reluctantly allowing Fran toe along.

    As we left the cemetery and headed toward the entrance of the vige, we saw about five antidemons walking through the vige.

    Apparently, they had been tracking Fran''s footprints. A blunder on our part.

    ¡¸Guess I''ll take care of this. Stay here and watch.¡¹

    ¡¸You''re not using a weapon?¡¹

    ¡¸I won''t need a weapon for antidemons this weak.¡¹

    With that, Nadia darted out.

    ¡ºShe''s fast!¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Nadia''s movements were quicker than expected, yet she had a high level of stealth. She could move through the grass at that speed without making a sound, something not even Fran could have done.

    In front of our astonished eyes, Nadia wiped out the antidemons in a blink of an eye.

    As she said, no weapons were needed. She simply smashed the antidemons'' heads in with her fists.

    I wondered if she was a martial artist, but she mentioned she uses weapons against strong opponents. I guess she was just multi-talented.

    Fran excitedly greeted Nadia as she came back without a sound.

    ¡¸Auntie, that was amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh, I know right?¡¹

    ¡¸How did you manage to run without making a sound?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a skill called Covert Action. With higher levels, you''ll be able to run in grassy ces like that without making any noises.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Now then¨D¨DGragh!¡¹

    Suddenly, Nadia clutched her left arm and groaned briefly.

    ¡¸Auntie! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I''m fine¡­¡­ It''s just a sort of condition.¡¹

    Apparently, she sometimes suffers from severe pain. The disturbance that allowed us to notice her in the first ce was probably caused by this so-called condition too.

    ¡¸Should I use healing magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, I''m fine. Healing magic doesn''t work on my condition anyways.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran lowered her head down in frustration at Nadia''s words. But unlike Fran, I couldn''t trust Nadia that easily.

    ¡ºHey, can I ask you one thing?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­What is it?¡¹

    It seemed she already knew what I wanted to ask. She looked at me with an expression of resignation.

    ¡ºFor a moment there, I felt the presence of an antidemon¡­¡­ing straight from you. Who are you really?¡»

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess the cat''s out of the bag.¡¹

    ¡¸Auntie?¡¹

    Fran looked anxious as she switched between ncing at me and Nadia.

    Then Nadia reached into her cloak and pulled out her de with great force.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I had hoped I could keep this a secret.¡¹

 Chapter 803

    <h4>Chapter 803</h4>

    <h4>803: Nadia''s Magic Sword</h4>

    Nadia had emitted the presence of an antidemon for a brief moment. It vanished quickly, but this couldn''t be overlooked.

    When I asked her about it, Nadia exhaled lightly and put her hand inside her cloak as if she had given up.

    Then she pulled out a sword.

    However, Nadia showed no sign of swinging her de. I didn''t feel any aggression or hostility either.

    She had only pulled out her sword to show it to us.

    ¡ºThat''s¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡­¡¹

    But it wasn''t just me, Urushi and Fran immediately braced themselves too.

    Because they could feel the strong antidemon power emitted from the sword.

    ¡¸This is a special magic sword. It absorbs the antidemons it ys, strengthening itself.¡¹

    Nadia was right. The sword radiated a dense aura, as if a high level antidemon was right in front of me.

    I thought I felt an antidemon presence from Nadia herself earlier, but did I mistake the sword for her?

    No, that wasn''t it.

    The antidemon aura was clearlying from both her and the sword.

    ¡ºCan I try to appraise it?¡»

    ¡¸You have appraisal, huh? Go ahead, look at me and the sword as much as you like.¡¹

    ¡ºThen excuse me.¡»

    Let''s start with the sword.

    ¡ºMrgh¡­¡­¡»

    I can''t see anything but the name. That must mean it''s a sword on the same level as me, or even higher.

    Next I tried appraising the sword the same way I appraised Sophilia. A terrible pain came over me, but I endured it.

    ¡ºGnrgh¡­¡­¡»

    Name: Overgrowth, the Golden Devourer[1] Sword

    Attack: 4417, Magic: 10631, Durability: 6697

    Mana Conductivity: S

    Skills

    Shapeshift, Sword Mastery Boost, Automatic Repair, Abyssal yer, Wielder Stat Boost (High), Wielder Recovery Boost (High), Magic Concealment, Mana Recovery (High), Magic Absorption, Magic Control

    ¡ºOvergrowth¡­¡­ the Golden¡­¡­ Devourer Sword¡­¡­ Such power¡­¡­!¡»

    What the hell is this!

    This thing has more than three times my attack power! I may be winning in terms of mana conductivity, but it''s just in superior as a sword. Overgrowth would be pretty damn close to a divine sword in the released state.

    I''m sure I have more skills, but there was one skill I certainly didn''t have. "Abyssal yer".

    This must be what absorbs the power of defeated antidemons to strengthen the sword and user.

    In addition, it increased damage to antidemons and reduced damage from antidemons. It even seemed to have a healing effect whenever an antidemon is in.

    This was truly the ultimate weapon against antidemons. No, from the name, it must be an ability targeting the Abyss Eater, the source of the antidemons.

    Even so, this was an absolutely ridiculous sword. Isn''t it practically at the divine sword level?

    What about Nadia herself?

    This time I was able to appraise her with only a little bit of resistance. It wasn''t nearly as bad as Overgrowth, probably because she epted the appraisal.

    Name: Nadia Age: 41

    Race: ck Cat/Unknown

    upation: Striker Swordsman

    Status: Erosion

    Stats

    Level: 52/99

    HP: 641 MP: 301

    STR: 689 VIT: 469 AGI: 431

    INT: 108 MAG: 407 DEX: 123

    Skills

    Intimidation: Lv 4, Covert: Lv 9, Covert Action: Lv 6, Wind Magic: Lv 6, Sword Arts: Lv Max, Sword Mastery: Lv Max, Holy Sword Arts: Lv 3, Holy Sword Mastery: Lv 5, Fist Arts: Lv 2, Fist Mastery: Lv 4, Crisis Sense: Lv 7, Super Strength: Lv 6, Hard Power: Lv Max, Regeneration: Lv 6, Blink: Lv 3, Silent Action: Lv 8, Convenience Magic: Lv 6, Cleaning: Lv 2, Elemental Sword: Lv 3, Throwing: Lv 2, Rushing: Lv 4, Fire Magic: Lv 3, Physical Barrier: Lv 4, Cooking: Lv 4, Energy Control, Intuition, Pain Reduction, Sleepless, Magic Maniption, Ambidextrous

    Extra Skills

    Golden Devourer

    Innate Skills

    Strength Enhancement

    Title

    Transcender of the Ordinary, Avenger, Sleepless Fighter, Match for Thousands

    Equipment

    Overgrowth the Golden Devourer Sword, Sea Dragon Leather Breastte, Stealth Spider Battlegarments, Magisteel Gauntlets, Cloak of Silence, Earring of Enhanced Hearing, Ring of Protection

    Quite powerful. Though she is a warrior focusing on heavy blows, she can also use magic and is very talented at stealth. That must be the result of living your life on this continent.

    Just looking at her stats, she would be more than a match for a Rank A adventurer.

    However, the most interesting thing about her was not her abilities, but her race and condition.

    ¡ºYou''re a ck cat, but also "Unknown"? Also your status is listed as "Erosion"¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸That''s the side effect of Overgrowth. The more antidemons you defeat, the stronger you be, and the more your body is transformed into something simr to an antidemon.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat the hell?! Isn''t that really bad?¡»

    ¡¸You''d be right about that. Look at this.¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Auntie, your hand!¡¹

    ¡¸This is the cost of using Overgrowth for so long.¡¹

    Nadia said, revealing her left arm that had been hidden under her cloak.

    Fran and I could only stare at her arm with bated breath.

    At first nce, the arm appeared to be armored. She looked to be wearing a ck cloth covered with metallic silver and green pieces.

    But she wasn''t wearing any armor, that was simply the default appearance now. ck, silver and green. The color scheme was clearly that of an antidemon.

    ¡ºA-Absorbing the power of antidemons¡­ This is how it works?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡ºFrom the way you clutched your hand earlier, it''s not just your body that''s being mutated into an antidemon, is it?¡»

    ¡¸You''re very perceptive. I get some mild pain and agitation too. In the first ce, you can''t use a magic sword on the level of a divine sword and expect it to be free, right?¡¹

    ¡¸On the level of a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡ºCould it be that it was made by a divine cksmith?¡»

    ¡¸Heheh. Yeah, it''s the same as you, Master. Overgrowth, the Golden Devourer Sword, is a failed divine sword.¡¹

    ¡¸A failed divine sword!¡¹

    I knew it was powerful, but to think it was a failed divine sword!

    ¡¸It was made by the divine cksmith, Zechs.¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve never heard of Zechs.¡¹

    That''s not a name we know. But just because he''s a cksmith of the highest order doesn''t mean he''ll be in the history books.

    I wouldn''t be surprised if there were cksmiths who lived inplete seclusion, avoiding the public eye even more than Alistair.

    Lumina did show us a list of divine swords and divine cksmiths, but it wasn''tplete. Alistair never mentioned him either¡­¡­ But it''s not like we ever asked her to tell us about all of them.

    But apparently, there was another reason why Zechs'' name was not widely known.

    ¡¸Zechs, you see, is a divine cksmith who never produced a divine sword.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? What do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸I mean exactly what I said. It seems that the swords he made were all too tricky, so none of them were ever recognized as divine swords. In other words, he was an unfortunate divine cksmith who produced only failed swords.¡¹

    I see. That would certainly exin why he isn''t well known.

    ===== (Trantion notes)

    [1] Golden Devourer (½ð†Ð/konjiki) - Could also be read as "Soul Eater" (»ê†Ð/konjiki)

 Chapter 804

    <h4>Chapter 804</h4>

    <h4>804: Night at Castel</h4>

    After digging up the belongings from the grave, we had dinner at Nadia''s house. It was curry, as usual.

    ¡¸This is delicious!¡¹

    ¡¸Master''s cooking is the best.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, it''s mainly thanks to my skill.¡»

    ¡¸It''s hard to believe you can cook when you look like that. I never thought a literal sword would beat me at my own game¡­¡­ I was previously a housewife you know.¡¹

    ¡ºYou were married!?¡»

    ¡¸Mrgh!?¡¹

    Fran had never heard that either. Her eyes widened even as her mouth was stuffed full of curry.

    ¡¸Haha, that was more than twenty years ago.¡¹

    ¡ºSo your husband is¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸The antidemons got him. We had no children, so I''ve been back as an adventurer ever since.¡¹

    Nadia shrugged her shoulders, not a hint of loneliness in her expression. I guess she has put the past behind her.

    Still, she looked a bit sad to me. Fran felt simrly.

    ¡¸Auntie¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What''s that look on your face? Come on?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it''s nothing.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. You''ve be a spoiled child all of a sudden.¡¹

    After Fran hugged her, Nadia returned the favor while stroking her head. As expected of a first-rate warrior, she quickly moved aside her te of curry to avoid spilling any of it.

    Actually, Fran was burying her face in Nadia''s chest, but I''m sure she still had some curry on her mouth. Is that okay?

    Nadia then continued her story about the failed divine sword and Zechs. The reason her level exceeded 45, the max for ck cats, was because she now had the body of an antidemon.

    Until four years ago, when there was still little erosion, her level had remained stuck at 45.

    I''m thinking Nadia''s "Golden Devourer" skill was the main cause of this, but I can''t be sure her body will return to its original state even if we use Skilltaker to steal it.

    It''s obviously a skill derived from Overgrowth, so it''s likely the skill will just be restored immediately.

    How can we save Nadia? For Fran''s sake, I hope that there is still a way somehow¡­¡­

    After finishing dinner, it''s time for bed. People in this world tended to sleep early, but Nadia even more so.

    In remote areas, fuels such as oil and magic stones were all very precious, so many people went to bed as early as possible.

    ¡¸You''re staying the night, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Can we?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! The bed is small, but it can fit two people if we squish ourselves in.¡¹

    It''s a single bed, but I guess that''s not a problem for the small Fran.

    ¡¸The bed probably smells a little funny, but it''s better than sleeping in the field, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Our bed for sleeping out is in our dimensional storage, but Fran made no attempts to take it out. Since it was what she wanted, I didn''t either.

    Especially after seeing Fran crawling into bed after using a cleansing spell on herself.

    Normally, Fran falls fast asleep right after getting under the covers, but not today.

    ¡¸Auntie?¡¹

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you tell me a story about this continent?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh Fran, you''re so studious. Okay, what do you want to know?¡¹

    ¡¸Anything.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, let''s see¡­¡¹

    It was more like she wanted to hear Nadia talk than wanting to know anything in particr.

    While a normal child would ask for a story, Fran wanted to hear information about the continent.

    ¡¸In the western harbor¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸About Nocta¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Nadia was giving us some pretty useful information, but I couldn''t tell if Fran actually heard all this. She responded with her eyes closed, as if she had already dozed off.

    An hourter.

    Finally, Fran was no longer able to resist her drowsiness. She looked at peace as she breathed lightly in her sleep.

    Maybe it''s a bit self-conscious of me, but she seemed as rxed as when she sleeps with me in her arms.

    Nadia watched Fran''s sleeping face with her elbows on the pillow.

    ¡ºNadia-san. You can go to sleep since Urushi and I are on watch.¡»

    ¡¸Sure. I''ll get to sleep in a little while.¡¹

    Nadia said that without taking her eyes off Fran. Her face had a gentle expression, like a mother''s.

    The next morning.

    Breakfast was an all-you-can-eat buffet of bacon and eggs with white bread.

    That was because curry first in the morning would probably be too heavy for Nadia. I piled up a batch of freshly cooked bacon right in front of them.

    I thought one serving would be enough, but Fran, Urushi, and Nadia all wanted more. Come to think of it, beastmen consider steak as a teatime snack, and Nadia is one too.

    I guess they wouldn''t have minded curry at all.

    Fran asked Nadia a question while she was stuffing her belly with meat.

    ¡¸What are you gonna do now, Auntie?¡¹

    ¡¸You mean my future ns?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran looked at Nadia with a somewhat expectant look. Then she discreetly spoke to me too.

    £¨Master¡­ about Auntie¡­£©

    ¡ºDid you want to invite her toe with us?¡»

    £¨Nn. Can I?£©

    ¡ºSure, I''m all for it.¡»

    It''d be best to have another adult watching over Fran. Especially having a woman taking care of her too would be a great help.

    But Nadia shook her head, a hint of loneliness clearly evident on her face.

    ¡¸I''ll be staying here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­To evolve, you have to go to another continent.¡¹

    ¡¸You''re right. But I can''t.¡¹

    ¡ºBecause you need to guard the graves?¡»

    After watching her for a while, I could see that Nadia had a strong attachment to this vige. You could call it an obsession.

    But that was not the only reason why Nadia could not go with us.

    ¡¸I can''t go into any town. Because of this.¡¹

    Nadia shrugged, swinging her mutated left arm.

 Chapter 805

    <h4>Chapter 805</h4>

    <h4>805: The Silver Lady, the Golden de</h4>

    ¡ºAre you saying you''re mistaken for an antidemon?¡»

    ¡¸All the towns have magic tools to detect antidemons and wards to keep them out. I get caught by those too, so I can''t get in.¡¹

    ¡¸Can''t you just exin it to them?¡¹

    ¡¸That won''t work. A hundred years ago, there was a unique antidemon that transformed into a human and brought down a whole city from the inside. That''s why they won''t let in anyone suspected of being an antidemon.¡¹

    ¡ºBut didn''t they let you into Nocta before?¡»

    ¡¸That''s because the erosion wasn''t so bad until recently.¡¹

    This failed divine sword makes you stronger as you y antidemons, but also turns you into one. And Nadia said that it was only recently that the erosion began to progress this rapidly.

    That''s all I needed to know.

    She greatly regretted not being able to protect Castel and desired power as a result. After years of hunting antidemons, this was the power and body that she had obtained for herself.

    And I realized one more important thing.

    ¡ºI''ve heard that antidemons can''t escape the barrier that the gods made, so¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸You realized it, huh? Yeah, that''s right. The holder of the Overgrowth can''t cross the barrier.¡¹

    ¡ºDamn¡­¡­¡»

    It really does turn you into an antidemon.

    ¡¸Have you tried it? You''re sure you can''t get through?¡¹

    ¡¸I haven''t tried it personally, but¡­¡­ This sword has been on this continent for thousands of years and it has passed through many hands. I heard it all from the Silver Lady.¡¹

    ¡ºThe Silver Lady?¡»

    It''s apparently something of an urban legend on this continent.

    The Silver Lady was said to wander around Gordicia in search of a worthy wielder of her cursed sword. When she finds someone suitable, she hands the sword over and disappears.

    Only after the current wielder dies does she appear again. She shows up out of nowhere, retrieves the sword, and resumes her journey in search of the next wielder.

    This urban legend seemed like the ghost stories you would hear while drinking out, except this legend was true.

    ¡¸The Silver Lady is a special golem created by the divine cksmith Zechs.¡¹

    In order to empower Overgrowth, the Silver Lady was constantly searching for people qualified to handle the magic sword and giving it to them.

    Overgrowth''s terrifying power was the result of sessive generations of wielders who have continued to y antidemons and absorb them.

    ¡¸The Silver Lady told me plenty. About Zechs, the divine cksmith, and about the fate of this sword''s wielder¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFate?¡»

    That''s an ominous word. I can''t imagine a happy ending at least.

    ¡¸There are only three possible ways for the wielder of the Overgrowth to die. Either they are defeated by a powerful antidemon, they are defeated by humans after failing to control their inner antidemon, or they off themselves to prevent aplete loss of sanity. Just those three.¡¹

    ¡ºIf you know how dangerous it is, why can''t you just let go of the sword?¡»

    ¡¸Fufufu. The thing that qualifies you to use Overgrowth is your strong desire for revenge against the antidemons. Such a person would never willingly give up this sword.¡¹

    The wielder can''t enter a city, nor can they leave the continent. And they always have a strong desire for revenge against the antidemons. It''s as if their end was already in the cards.

    ¡¸From the moment you be the owner of this sword, you are destined to hunt antidemons on this continent until the day you die.¡¹

    There was no trace of regret in Nadia''s voice. In fact, it sounded as if she was waiting for such an ending.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Auntie.¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t cry. I''ve never regretted bing the wielder of this sword, not one bit. It''s the only reason I can still fight.¡¹

    The fact that Nadia was as powerful as a Rank A adventurer despite being unevolved, was most likely due to her continued absorption of antidemons.

    ¡¸Fran, you need to leave this vige as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Because there''s no sign of antidemons around the vige.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat''s wrong with that?¡»

    ¡¸That means there''s a powerfulmander in the area, and he''s been gathering them all up. This is the calm before the storm. In a few days, the antidemon invasion will begin.¡¹

    ¡ºI hate to say it, but Castel is like an abandoned vige now that you''re the only one left. Are they really going to invade a ce like this?¡»

    ¡¸We failed to y themander who attacked herest time. And if he''s still alive, he''lle again. That''s the way the upier-types are.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I''ll fight¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸No! Even if you want to protect your memories, this is an abandoned vige. Unlike me, you have a future. This rubble isn''t worth you throwing away your future to protect it.¡¹

    ¡¸I can fight! I can save this vige!¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    Nadia''s resolve was firm. She stared at Fran with a stern face I had never seen before. But Fran did not avert her gaze either.

    The two continued to re at each other.

    But soon Nadia''s expression softened.

    ¡¸Sigh¡­¡­ You''re a stubborn one, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, I wanted you to take on a few jobs for me.¡¹

    ¡¸Jobs?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, for starters. Could you deliver this to the Adventurers Guild in Nocta?¡¹

    ¡¸Is this a¡­¡­ guild card?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, call it myst will or something. I want my friends to know what happened to me since this could be myst battle. Please, I''m begging you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Also, I''d like you to take a letter to my friends in Nocta, okay?¡¹

    Nadia shoved her guild card against Fran and bowed her head deeply. Fran could not say anything in return.

    It was thanks to the tradition of depositing the guild cards at the guild, that she had inherited her parents'' guild cards. She knew the significance behind this action.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay. I''ll deliver these and be right back.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, I also need you to do one more thing for me. Can you put out a request to the Adventurers Guild in Nocta and get some people together?¡¹

    ¡¸To protect Castel?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. I need at least a hundred capable men. Can I count on you to do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    Nadia smiled, a look of relief on her face.

    ¡¸Master, take care of Fran, will you?¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Of course.¡»

 Chapter 806

    <h4>Chapter 806</h4>

    <h4>806: Nocta Again</h4>

    ¡¸Urushi! Faster!¡¹

    ¡¸K-Kyun¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, he''ll copse if he goes any faster! Urushi, slow down!¡»

    ¡¸Kyu¡­¡­¡¹

    Urushi obeyed my orders and lowered his speed slightly.

    I could tell from his relieved look that he was really close to the limit.

    ¡ºFran¡­ you''re pushing Urushi too hard!¡»

    ¡¸I-I''m sorry¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­I''m sorry too. I shouldn''t have shouted.¡»

    ¡¸No, I was wrong. Urushi, I''m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi turned around and licked Fran''s face, as if to say he didn''t mind.

    I''m sure Urushi knew how frustrated Fran was. I could understand too.

    She wanted to finish everything Nadia asked for and hurry back to Castel as soon as possible.

    But is that really the right thing to do?

    Nadia''s request made her intention fairly clear.

    By asking her to go to Nocta, Nadia wanted to distance Fran from the danger in Castel.

    Nadia''sst words to me, "take care of Fran", had the hidden message of "I''ve sent her away, now don''t let here back."

    Fran might be left traumatized by being unable to save Nadia, but anything would be better than dying. To be honest, I might have done the same thing if I were in Nadia''s shoes.

    But Fran told me what she wanted with a look of resolve.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat is it?¡»

    ¡¸I''m gonna help Auntie.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­You know how Nadia feels, don''t you?¡»

    Fran must understand that Nadia didn''t want her toe back.

    ¡¸Still¡­¡­ I don''t want to regret anything.¡¹

    She had no intention of losing either the acquaintance she''s reunited with or what''s left of her old home.

    ¡ºSigh¡­¡­¡»

    I know when Fran makes this face, she never changes her mind. After hearing all those stories from Nadia, I''ve realized she inherited that trait from her parents.

    It''s a stubbornness ingrained into her at a gic level.

    ¡ºGuess we have no choice.¡»

    ¡¸Then¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºBut, if we''re gonna do this, we need toy the groundwork. No going back to the vige without a n, okay?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºFortunately, we have money. It''d be nice if we could hire some strong adventurers in Nocta, but¡­¡»

    I don''t know how many adventurers we''d be able to get, but we should be able to save Nadia with enoughrades.

    Also, if Fran returned and asked Nadia to run away with us, maybe she would change her mind.

    That would be aplete waste of Nadia''s determination, but as long as Fran wants to save her, her will is my priority.

    However, as heartless as it may sound, it might be best if Fran doesn''t make it in time to save Nadia. The worst case scenario would be Fran returning to Castel alone, and dying alongside Nadia.

    The best oue would be Castel, Nadia, and Fran alling through unscathed¡­¡­ But I couldn''t see any way to save Nadia when she clearly wanted to make ast stand.

    It might be difficult for us to even make it back in time to hear Nadia''sst words. Well, I guess it all depends on how many adventurers we can gather.

    Thanks to Urushi''s efforts, we were back in Nocta before the evening.

    After entering the town, we headed for the Adventurers Guild immediately.

    The guild was crowded with adventurers as usual, but many of them remembered Fran. Some of them called out to us, and none of them dared to pick a fight.

    ¡¸Oh! It''s the meat girl!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh wow, it really is!¡¹

    ¡¸I heard she beat up those dragon idiots.¡¹

    ¡¸Cool!¡¹

    But Fran didn''t have time to reply to them now.

    As soon as she passed through the crowd of adventurers, she spoke to the receptionist at the counter.

    ¡¸Hey. Do you have a minute?¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸I''d like to make a request. Is this the right ce?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, please wait just a moment! I''ve been told to call the submaster when you get here!¡¹

    Apparently, she''s been designated as a VIP for selling all that meat. I guess the submaster will take care of her business, no matter how big or small.

    Well, that is convenient for us since we are making a ratherplicated request this time.

    We were led into the back, where we met the submaster in what looked like a reception room.

    ¡¸I understand you have a request?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''d like to hire adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? And what kind of adventurer are you looking for? A scout or guide?¡¹

    ¡¸I need one hundred skilled adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸One hundred, you say?¡¹

    The submaster was surprised. Of course he was.

    ¡¸And I''d like to leave this with the guild.¡¹

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­ Nadia''s guild card!¡¹

    ¡¸You know her?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I do. She was a high ranking adventurer who had been active in this town for a long time! Since she hasn''t been seen for about four years, we all assumed she was long dead¡­¡­ There were even stories that an antidemon had stolen her body.¡¹

    We had heard previously that there were antidemons who disguised themselves as adventurers. Apparently, they have to kill and devour the person they want to copy.

    In other words, the appearance of a fake Nadia meant the real Nadia was dead.

    She had told us the erosion of Overgrowth progressed to the point that she could no longer enter town because of the antidemon aura she emitted¡­¡­

    I guess she knew that because she tried entering town once and failed. The submaster must be referring to that incident.

    ¡¸She''s alive.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so! And where is she now?¡¹

    ¡¸Castel.¡¹

    ¡¸Castel was the destination you were heading for, yes? Wasn''t it supposed to be an abandoned vige now?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But it''s being targeted by antidemons and Nadia is protecting it. I want to help Nadia.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. So that''s why you need adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! One hundred strong adventurers!¡¹

    Fran nodded vigorously, but the submaster simply frowned.

    ¡¸Hmmm. I''m afraid that would be impossible.¡¹

 Chapter 807

    <h4>Chapter 807</h4>

    <h4>807: Ladirua Trading Company</h4>

    When Fran told him that she wanted to hire a hundred adventurers, the submaster denied her.

    He said not that it would be difficult, but "impossible".

    ¡¸Very few adventurers would want to take a request with such a high probability of death.¡¹

    Well, that''s fair.

    They would be fighting a horde of antidemons in Castel, a location without any defensive fortifications. Moreover, it was an abandoned vige with little strategic value.

    The risk was too high, and it would be hard to motivate people to go.

    Few adventurers would be willing to ept our request. Even if the payment was very high, that only matters if they could survive it.

    In fact, a high reward further proved the danger of the request, and may make them more reluctant to ept it.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Even so, I want to make the request.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. But¡­¡­ Please don''t get your hopes up. I''m terribly sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran lowered her head in frustration.

    However, this turn of events was exactly what Nadia wanted. She made sure that Fran would be stalled in Nocta by opening a request without any takers.

    She must have known that we would never be able to attract adventurers.

    All of this because she wanted Fran to live.

    ¡ºFran. There''s nothing more we can do here. Let''s go deliver the letter.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ I''ll be back.¡¹

    ¡¸Give me three days. It will take that long to get the word out.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    He said it was impossible, but it looks like he''s still willing to give it a shot. It''s a good thing they owe us a favor for the meat.

    After asking them to post our request, we left the guild.

    Fran looked depressed and her steps were heavy.

    I wanted tofort her, but no words came out. Besides, I wasn''t qualified to say anything.

    That''s because I too had hoped that the adventurers would not join us.

    We continued on our way without a word.

    After about ten minutes of walking, our destination came into view.

    ¡¸Ladirua Trading Company. Is this it?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, this is the ce.¡»

    After the short walk, Fran had calmed down a bit. She finally opened her mouth, and her face looked a little better than before.

    As we had learned at the Adventurers Guild, this was a ratherrge building, apparently among the top-ranking merchant businesses in Nocta.

    The chairman of thispany was said to be one of Nadia''s friends too¡­¡­ Meaning Nadia''s circle of friends was much wider than we imagined.

    Come to think of it, she was a Rank B adventurer that had been on this continent for many years. It shouldn''t be surprising if she knew some important people.

    She had mentioned before that an influential person in Nocta designated her for an escort request too.

    ¡¸Excuse me.¡¹

    ¡¸Wee.¡¹

    ¡¸Wee to the Ladirua Trading Company.¡¹

    I was surprised to see that thedies at the reception desk were no ordinary civilians. I guess even the receptionists of a big tradingpany needed both beauty and strength. Maybe that wasmon sense on the ruined continent of Gordicia.

    ¡¸Here''s a letter for the chairman.¡¹

    ¡¸May I see it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The receptionist nced over the letter Fran handed her. The envelope of the letter has only Nadia''s name written on it. Is this gonna work?

    Nadia said we just had to give it to the receptionist, but¡­¡­

    Now the receptionist dashed off into the back after looking at the letter. Should I be getting worried?

    Despite my concerns, it seemed they epted it. The receptionist returned and invited Fran to the back with a smile.

    ¡¸The chairman will see you now. Pleasee this way.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Well, I don''t sense any malice. I guess the guy just wanted to hear more details about Nadia directly.

    I don''t know what the contents of the letter were. But even I, who barely knew Nadia for a day, could tell that she was not the type to give detailed exnations.

    The room we were shown was rather modest. Not to say it was shabby, but rather that it had a calm atmosphere.

    Illuminated by a warmmp with a rather low intensity, there was a heavy table made of a material simr to ebony, and an austere leather sofa.

    A man was sitting there.

    He had dark brown skin and short, permed hair, looking like a man of African descent from Earth. I''d say he was about forty years old.

    ¡¸Thank you for visiting me today¡­ Fran-chan.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Haha. You don''t remember me? I''ve yed with you a few times.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Oh! You''re the merchant guy?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. It''s been a long time, so let me reintroduce myself. I am Mulsani of the Ladirua Trading Company.¡¹

    Wasn''t Mulsani the traveling merchant in Nadia''s story? And now he is the head of a big tradingpany? What happened?

    But before we could ask that, Mulsani got up from the sofa and approached Fran. He dropped to one knee and made eye contact with her.

    ¡¸You, you really are Fran-chan¡­¡­¡¹

    He muttered in a voice filled with emotion. Tears were in the corners of his eyes.

    ¡¸At that time, I¡­¡­¡¹

    Just as Nadia had said, he felt a deep regret about being unable to save Fran. Mulsani choked on his words, his strong feelings of guilt clearly visible on his face.

    ¡¸I¡­¡­ I¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran put her hand on Mulsani''s shoulder and spoke in her usual tone.

    ¡¸It''s not your fault. You couldn''t help it. So you don''t have to apologize.¡¹

    ¡¸U-Urgh¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    Upon hearing Fran''s words, Mulsani covered his face with his hands and sobbed deeply and quietly.

 Chapter 808

    <h4>Chapter 808</h4>

    <h4>808: Ruthless Reality</h4>

    ¡¸I''m sorry for that pathetic disy.¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t be, it wasn''t pathetic at all.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. That little Fran-chan has be ady who knows how to treat others now, huh?¡¹

    Like Nadia, Mulsani only remembered the old, mischievous Fran. It seems he found the grown up Fran refreshing.

    ¡¸The letter only informed me of your survival¡­¡­ So, what actually happened that day?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran gave him a summary of her story, though there were fewer details than what she told Nadia. She had been enved, shipped off to a different continent, and then rescued.

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ You''ve reallye a long way.¡¹

    Mulsani had aplicated look on his face. He was probably conflicted between his anger at the vers and the fact that Fran might be dead if it wasn''t for them.

    ¡¸About that man who rescued you, where is he now?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn. Right now, umm¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, my apologies. He must have some circumstances.¡¹

    Fran hesitated to reveal my identity, but also didn''t want to lie. I could tell how she felt.

    Seeing Fran''s silence, Mulsani realized that there was something that couldn''t be said. He nodded with a gentle expression.

    Since he does business with adventurers on this continent, he must be well aware of how to deal with these kinds of circumstances.

    He didn''t dig any deeper into it. This is a man of kindness, and I could feel his concern for Fran.

    ¡¸Are you the top of thispany?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh yes, I am. I suppose you''ve only seen me long ago when I was still peddling.¡¹

    The Ladirua family had been in business on this continent for generations. The first generation started as traveling merchants, and their heirs are obliged to visit remote viges as peddlers.

    It seemed that Mulsani also worked as a peddler during his training period.

    ¡¸We sell food and daily necessities, so if there is anything you want, we can help you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­In that case, I need your help to save Nadia.¡¹

    Fran bowed her head to Mulsani with a look of desperation on her face.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I thought as much. She''s still remained in Castel after all these years, hasn''t she?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I''m hiring a bunch of adventurers to help her!¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹

    Mulsani lowered his eyes and contemted something, but quickly shook his head apologetically.

    ¡¸I''m very sorry¡­¡­ but I''m afraid I will not be of much use there.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not?¡¹

    ¡¸You may find takers if looking for an escort party, but you intend to challenge a horde of antidemons head on¡­¡­ The adventurers who have been active on this continent for a long time know well the horrors of the antidemon season. I''m afraid very few adventurers would be willing to ept that request.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹

    Both the submaster and Mulsani said the same thing to us. That just goes to show how unlikely adventurers are to ept our request.

    ¡¸Of course, I will try to reach out to adventurers too, but¡­¡­ please do not get your hopes up.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡­¡­¡¹

    Three dayster.

    Fran did everything she could.

    She frequently visited the guild to invite adventurers, and to show her strength by taking part in mock battles.

    However, the results were not looking good. Not a single adventurer promised to take her request.

    And then, today came.

    Fran went to the guild, only to be confronted with a cruel reality.

    ¡¸I''m terribly sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Don''t be¡­¡­¡¹

    Not a single adventurer epted Fran''s offer.

    Even Fran had expected to get at least a few people.

    The adventurers in Nocta were more rational than we had expected. Since Nocta was a front-line town in Gordicia, there were hardly any rookies or weaklings.

    No one was careless enough to ept such a crazy request for the lure of a good reward.

    As we should have expected, we can''t ask them to put their lives on the line just by giving them some meat.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fran-dono. What will you do about the request? Did you wish to keep it up?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hmm¡­¡¹

    Fran was also wondering. She wanted to help Nadia even if by herself, but she knew how difficult it would be alone.

    Should she just go alone, or should she try waiting longer for people to gather?

    Fran''s struggle was palpable.

    ¡¸The request¡­¡­ can be canceled.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡ºFran, wait! You''re not thinking of going alone, are you?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­I don''t have a choice anymore.£©

    ¡ºNo way!¡»

    Nadia specified one hundred people, but that was only to keep Fran stalled. She knew it would be impossible to get them all.

    But that was not the only reason.

    I think Nadia predicted that Fran might ignore her ande back, but it would still increase her chances of survival with more adventurers in tow. That was supposed to be her insurance.

    ¡ºWe don''t even know how strong the antidemons are! You would be diving headfirst to your death! Nadia knew that too, that''s why she asked for a hundred people!¡»

    ¡¸But!¡¹

    Shit. Fran just screamed that out loud.

    I guess she could no longer control her emotions. I got a little too hot headed there too.

    I looked over at the submaster to see his eyes wide open. But Fran''s emotional breakdown did not stop there.

    ¡¸If I just keep waiting! No one is gonnae! Then I''d rather go alone to help her right now!¡¹

    So it alles down to this¡­¡­ To be honest, I was expecting Fran to say something like that.

    ¡º¡­¡­Fran. Despite all her strength, even Nadia was prepared to die. No matter how strong you are¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Sorry. But I will go back to Castel.¡¹

    The submaster responded to Fran''s mutterings. He must have thought her words were directed at him.

    ¡¸Fran-dono¡­¡­ Would you please reconsider? Just one person alone against a horde of antidemons is simply¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So it would okay if she is not alone?¡¹

    Just as the submaster asked Fran to reconsider, a third voice suddenly interrupted.

    I sensed someone was approaching, but I thought it was just an onlooker. Could there really be an adventurer willing to ept our request?

    All eyes turned to the entrance of the guild. There stood a few men who looked familiar.

    ¡¸I am Yagle, Captain of the Third Knight Order of the Kingdom of Segilusel. I havee hearing your pleas for assistance.¡¹

    They were the knights Fran had helped on the way to Nocta.

 Chapter 809

    <h4>Chapter 809</h4>

    <h4>809: Gathered Bonds</h4>

    Yagle bowed politely and then walked toward us. After reaching Fran, he opened his mouth in front of her.

    ¡¸I would like to apany you on your request. Is that alright with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡­¡­?¡¹

    The sudden appearance of the knights brought more confusion than joy.

    Fran''s eyes were wide open.

    ¡¸Though we are not adventurers, will you still allow us to fight alongside you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you sure? You''re a knight¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That is precisely the reason why. We must repay the favor we have received, or the dignity of our country will be put in question.¡¹

    Well, yes we did save your lives¡­¡­ But didn''t you need to survive at any cost in order to serve your country, even if it meant sacrificing yourrades?

    It would be strange for the captain to participate in such a dangerous mission along with a few of his men¡­¡­

    But our doubts were cleared up by the following exnation.

    ¡¸You see, when you saved us previously, our country''s first prince was actually among us.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, though he has currently moved over to the port for his return.¡¹

    Apparently, the male royalty of the Kingdom of Segilusel were obliged to fight on this continent for a certain period of time. It was like a rite of passage, with the royals learning the hardships of knighthood by concealing their identities and working alongside normal knights.

    And that prince was among the knights until just the other day.

    ¡¸He will be a great ruler when his timees. That is why we must protect him at any cost.¡¹

    I see, that would make sense why they would use their men as bait to let him escape. That exins why they were so grateful.

    The prince returned home after his duty waspleted, but his knights still remained on this continent to hunt antidemons. Apparently his escort on the way home was different from the one in this continent.

    ¡¸I have brought twelve of my best knights, including myself. Will you ept us?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Hold on there, you''d better count us in too!¡¹

    A familiar man and woman appeared from behind the knights. It was the Dimitris disciples.

    ¡¸Colbert! And Hilt!¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like we made it just in time.¡¹

    Not only Colbert and Hilt, but all the other students were there.

    ¡¸Pant¡­¡­ Pant¡­¡­¡¹

    There''s Phobos-kun, looking like he''s about to die.

    ¡¸Twenty four hours¡­¡­ of non-stop running¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸How fragile. You need to train more.¡¹

    ¡¸Guf¡­¡­¡¹

    After talking to them, we found out they heard about the request yesterday. They said Brunen had given them permission to leave, so they spent an entire day running to get here.

    ¡¸Don''t think you can leave without us. I''ve been itching to fight a powerful opponent.¡¹

    ¡¸Miss Hilt¡­ Just be honest and say we''re here to help Fran, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸T-That''s not it at all! I-I just can''t have her dying until I get my revenge match!¡¹

    She''s still the same old tsundere. Maybe it was because she was getting along with Colbert a little better, but their banter felt a bit cuter than before.

    Tch, damn couples!

    Well, at least now we''ve got some real powerhouses! I forgive you!

    ¡¸Nn! You''re all wee!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, but we''re not the only ones.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    I did sense a group outside the guild, but who else did you bring?

    ¡¸Come on in!¡¹

    ¡¸Greetings. Long time no see, Fran-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey there.¡¹

    The two women who entered the guild at Hilt''s invitation were Chelsea, the Dragon Warrior chief, and Tzaluta, the leader of the Camellia mercenary group.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸I''ve heard there is a high possibility a Unique will appear. In that case, leave it to us Dragon Warriors! I obviously couldn''t bring my entire troop with me, but I''ve brought all the elites.¡¹

    ¡¸Our reasons are more simple, I''m just here to make some money.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m the one that hired the mercenaries.¡¹

    So Hilt hired the Camellia mercenaries and brought them with her. That''s when the dragonkin heard about it and sent their warriors too.

    ¡¸I would of course be willing to ept this request at a reasonable price in order to establish friendly rtions with the Dimitris school.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Thanks.¡¹

    Isn''t this one hell of a force now? There were about ten dragon warriors, and each one of them would be a match for Colbert. They must be near Rank C at the bare minimum.

    The Camellia mercenaries only brought about twenty members because they needed horses, but all of them were elites too.

    That brings us to about fifty members. This was quite the powerful army, even if only half of our target number.

    At that moment, the guild door opened again. This time, many adventurers came rushing in.

    There were about fifteen adventurers, led by a yellow bear beastman.

    ¡¸Diggins?¡¹

    ¡¸Long time no see, ck Lightning Princess-san! I saw your recruitment request!¡¹

    Leading the group of adventurers was Diggins, the Rank B adventurer who worked out of the western port.

    After fighting the antidemon horde together, he seemed to have be one of Fran''s fans. That must be the beastmen''s racial feeling of admiration for the strong. But I would have never expected him toe all the way here¡­¡­

    ¡¸You came all the way to Nocta?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! When you ask for help, there''s no way I''m gonna overlook it! That would go against my code as an adventurer! Right, guys?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha! I don''t wanna be a coward who couldn''t risk his life for hisrades!¡¹

    He felt more like an underling than arade, right? Well they were pretty reliable either way, so I appreciate it.

    That''s about 65 members now. Not quite at our goal¡­¡­ but should we just go as is?

    Just as I was thinking that, a voice rang up behind us.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I suppose we can''t keep silent after they call us cowards.¡¹

 Chapter 810

    <h4>Chapter 810</h4>

    <h4>810: Assembled Bonds</h4>

    ¡¸¡­¡­I suppose we can''t keep silent after they call us cowards.¡¹

    Behind us was an adventurer who wore a look of excitement not matching the tone of his voice.

    ¡¸¡­¡­The guy from the party.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s Kozon, littledy.¡¹

    The man was Kozon, the Rank B adventurer who was said to be one of the most influential people in Nocta.

    ¡¸After eating and singing together, we''re now friends. In that case, isn''t helping our friends the right thing to do?¡¹

    Kozon smirked after saying that.

    ¡¸Kozon. You¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Submaster, I''m sorry for doing this to you at a bad time. But Nadia-san took good care of me when I was a rookie.¡¹

    I see, it was currently the antidemon season. The adventurers were needed to defend their own home of Nocta.

    This wasn''t the time to be heading to Castel¡­¡­

    Still, Kozon and a few others stood up for us. I''m sure they had no other reason than duty and debt of gratitude. But that was exactly why I was d to see them.

    They were apparently nning to ept the request since the very beginning, since they already had all the preparations ready.

    ¡¸You can count on us, Meat Girl!¡¹

    ¡¸We''reing too!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Let''s do it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Fifteen adventurers from Nocta joined us, making a total of about eighty. That should plenty in terms of strength, though we didn''t reach a hundred¨D¨D

    ¡¸Hey. Did you have enough people?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Yet once more, people came into the guild. I did see someone peeking in from the front of the guild earlier¡­¡­ Maybe they were waiting for the right moment to enter?

    At the head of a group was a girl that looked familiar.

    ¡¸You are¡­¡­?¡¹

    The submaster didn''t seem to recognize the girl''s face, and he tilted his head. That meant she was not an adventurer who worked in this town.

    ¡¸Call me Sophie.¡¹

    The one who appeared was Sophilia, the girl who didn''t pay for her food. Behind her was a group of bulky warriors.

    They were obviously under Sophie''smand.

    ¡¸I looked all over for you, and that''s when I heard you put up some crazy request at the Adventurers Guild. Seems like you were needing some help, so I''ll join in too.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Just enough to repay my debt.¡¹

    Sophilia confirmed her intention, but the man behind her was panicking.

    ¡¸P-Please wait, Sai¨D¨DSophie-sama! Didn''t you say you just wanted to give her some words of encouragement?¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong. I''m going with her.¡¹

    ¡¸You can''t ept such a dangerous request! You just can''t!¡¹

    Sophie''s expression turned cold as she listened to the man''s desperate plea.

    ¡¸Who are you to say what I can and can''t do? I don''t need your permission, or anyone else''s for that matter.¡¹

    ¡¸If she finds out about this, we''ll be the ones to get in trouble!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you trying to say the will of a mere tool like myself is not worth considering?¡¹

    ¡¸N-No, that''s not it at all! Why would you say such nonsense¡­¡­?! Please just remember her words!¡¹

    Was she the daughter of some noble after all? While the man treated Sophie as aplete superior, there seemed to be someone he was even more afraid of.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Enough of this. I didn''t expect anything from you all anyways.¡¹

    Sophie let out a disappointed sigh.

    ¡¸If you don''t want toe, just go home. Or what, are you going to take me back by force?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­W-We will apany you!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, so do you mind including ten more people? We may look unreliable, but I promise I will be of use.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn. You''re more than wee.¡¹

    ¡¸Good to hear.¡¹

    Come on girl, at least settle your drama before joining us. Well, I guess these guys look decently strong. We can put them in charge of defending the casters in the rear at least.

    That brings us to a total of ny. We''vee this far already, might as well try to find ten more.

    If we had the full hundred men, we could go rescue Nadia without breaking any promises.

    As I was thinking about this, I noticed a group of more than ten people stopped in front of the guild. Don''t tell me¨D¨D

    ¡¸I thought this might happen¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Mulsani!¡¹

    ¡¸Hello Fran, about three days since west met.¡¹

    It was Mulsani. With him were a group of veteran adventurers.

    ¡¸Fran-chan, you seem quite simr to Nadia in her younger days. There is something about you that just naturally attracts people. I somehow thought that even at a time like this, people might gather for you¡­¡­¡¹

    He looked sad and even troubled. But after making a somewhat happy face, Mulsani continued.

    ¡¸These are adventurers hired by my tradingpany. Please take them with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you. My name is Zehard.¡¹

    A tall, dark-skinned man with a huge spear on his back was the leader of the adventurers Mulsani had brought with him.

    He smiled in a surprisingly friendly manner as he asked to shake Fran''s hand.

    ¡¸Mulsani-san is paying me a lot of money for this, so I won''t hold anything back.¡¹

    ¡¸Pleasee back alive.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸Zehard-san, please take good care of her, won''t you?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. Worst case scenario, I thought it would just be the ten of us. Now that it''s a small army? Leave it to us.¡¹

    He had apparently brought in some of his best adventurers from other towns and cities to let Fran go to Castel with a small group of elite adventurers.

    They were to apany Fran as her escort.

    And there were ten of them in total. Which means¨D¨D

    ¡¸We''ve got a hundred!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. We really do.¡»

    Sorry Nadia. Looks like our little Fran had more poprity, connections, and luck than either of us imagined. There''s just no stopping her now. You''d better sit tight and wait to be rescued.

 Chapter 811

    <h4>Chapter 811</h4>

    <h4>811: Movement Speed</h4>

    The hundred member unit set out from Nocta and was currently moving across the ins.

    Even though all of them had decently high physical capabilities, Fran would leave them in the dust if she ran at full speed.

    Only Hilt and a few others would be able to keep up.

    Even so, our progress ended up being much faster than expected.

    One of the reasons was Sophilia''s¨D¨Dor rather, Sophie''s group-wide enhancements.

    Like a bard from an RPG, she was able to create various phenomena by imbuing mana into her music. Not only could she perform buffing and debuffing, she could even apparently use it for attacks and healing.

    ¡¸Magical Performance - March of Men.¡¹

    Immediately after our departure, Sophie started plucking at a small harp.

    Then a warm magical power emanated from her, enveloping all one hundred of us.

    As expected from a talented performer, everyone was in awe. Even without any special effects, just listening to this performance raised our spirits.

    But that was not the true value of the performance. When Sophie finished ying the few minute long song, I could feel a power rising from within all of us.

    It seems the magical effect was triggered not while ying the song, but at the end of the performance. ying and singing must be a substitute for chanting.

    ¡¸Magical Performance - Swift as the Wind.¡¹

    The second song yed in session seemed to have the effect of slightly increasing agility. Combined with the first song''s stamina boost, the speed of our march would be considerably increased.

    What really surprised me was her ability to enhance one hundred people at the same time, and maintain the buff over a long period. Support magic paled inparison to such a feat.

    Sophie showed no signs of fatigue even after using such powerful skills in session. She must be hiding even more abilities still.

    Anyways, this was an unexpected find. Fran really did a great job when she paid for Sophie''s bill the other day.

    Well, Sophie couldn''t run very fast by herself, so she had to ride on Urushi''s back along with the other casters.

    The other reason for our speed was Fran''s newly acquired title.

    It appeared just as we were about to leave Nocta with everyone.

    ¡¶Fran has attained the title "March of the Valkyrie".¡·

    I heard the voice of Announcer-san. She got a title? But isn''t this the title that the Valkyrie we fought in the Beast Kingdom had?

    Wasn''t that a title unique to the Valkyrie race?

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, what''s going on?¡»

    ¡¶The individual named Fran has earned the title by meeting the requirements for skillposition and number of subordinates.¡·

    Apparently, it was not so much the race but the "Valkyrie" skill that was important. Well, that skill was originally supposed to be an Innate Skill to the Valkyrie race.

    In addition, there were other conditions such as possessing the Movement Boost and Command skills, and having a certain number of subordinates under you.

    It was an unexpected windfall, but much appreciated given our circumstances.

    March of the Valkyrie: A title given to Valkyries who meet the requirements.

    Effect: When leading an army of one hundred or greater, the effects of the Valkyrie''s stealth-type and movement-type skills are extended to the whole army. If the Valkyrie is not in directmand, the effect is greatly reduced.

    The speed of our army increased dramatically, also raising our chances of saving Nadia.

    Though Fran and her subordinates were only jogging lightly, the average adventurer would see that as a terrifyingly fast sprint the entire distance to Castel.

    ¡¸Now this is an impressive marching speed!¡¹

    ¡¸At this rate, we will reach Castel much earlier than expected!¡¹

    Yagle and Chelsea, who we ced as the vicemanders, both eximed in admiration. Since they regrly leadrge armies, this knew just how extraordinary this speed was.

    However, our newfound speed was partially thanks to them.

    Both of them were well respected leaders themselves, yet they clearly showed deference to Fran as themander of the unit. That disy made it easier for the adventurers to ept her as their leader as well.

    This meant the chain ofmand was firmly established despite all the various factions that had assembled.

    Fran would not have been able to obtain that title unless everyone fully recognized her as theirmander.

    Their roles in the unit can be briefly described as follows: Fran as themander, Yagle and Chelsea as vicemanders, Hilt as our ace captain, Sophie and Tzaluta as support, Diggins as Fran''s underling, and finally Kozon as the leader of the adventurers.

    Oh, and Fran also took care of logistics and scouting.

    Mulsani had provided us with arge amount of food and medicine, which was ced in Fran''s dimensional storage. Maybe we could even fight for an entire month without resupplying?

    On the way there, we tested our coordination against the swarming antidemons.

    Our basic formation will be Fran, Hilt, and Chelsea with their squads in the vanguard, supported by other members in the rear.

    The others warriors protect the backs of the vanguard, the sorcerers focus down any enemies with ranged attacks, and Sophie supports everyone with her performances and healing.

    They worked surprisingly well together for an impromptu group with several strong-minded individuals.

    I also had the opportunity to examine the skill Tzaluta possessed.

    We heard the name of the skill from her, "Evil God''s Luby". Its power was very simple, inducing sleep in anyone with evil energy.

    Since antidemons were not 100% fiends, she couldn''t apply her full power. However, just slowing them down with drowsiness was plenty.

    We had Sophie''s magical performances. Tzaluta''s "Evil God''s Luby". Also, Chelsea and Yagle''s skills for strengthening our troops as a whole.

    By bringing all of them together, this hundred-man unit would be able to take on anything.

    ¡¸I''m sure we can save Nadia with these guys.¡¹

    ¡ºYou can say that again.¡»

 Chapter 812

    <h4>Chapter 812</h4>

    <h4>812: On the March</h4>

    It was the night after our departure from Nocta.

    The unit had stopped to camp. Fran would have liked to keep on marching through the night, but she knew that would be too difficult.

    Either way, they wouldn''t be able to fight ifpletely exhausted.

    It also helped that we were so ahead on schedule.

    Though we nned to take almost four days to get to Castel, we will actually be able to arrive the morning after tomorrow.

    This put Fran in a very good mood. She even served curry to everyone.

    Unlike lunch, when they had to shove down a sandwich while moving, everyone was now able to get a proper meal while preparing the camp.

    ¡¸This is a strange smelling food.¡¹

    ¡¸It''s delicious!¡¹

    ¡¸Yum! Yum!¡¹

    Since curry had just started getting popr in the Kingdom of Kranzel, it probably hasn''t reached this continent yet. Everyone was surprised, but still smacking their lips.

    I was worried the curry might not be suitable for the dragonkin''s ptes, but there was no issue there. Actually, the dragonkin seemed to even enjoy curry the most since they were scarfing down so much of it.

    All of them were over 190 cm tall, so I can see why the entire race consisted of gluttons.

    The sleeping quarters of the adventurers were also rather luxurious, since we had bought a crapton of mattresses at Nocta and kept them in our storage. After building some small huts withnd magic, wepleted several of these simple lodging rooms.

    Sophie was a big help here too. She had songs designed to help us sleep well and regain our strength.

    Thanks to her, everyone feltpletely refreshed despite only sleeping for 2-3 hours.

    Unusual food and fluffy beds. Everything kept clean by magic and great background music. A few of the adventurers even said it was better than the town''s inns.

    Midnight.

    After fending off a few antidemon attacks, there was a brief moment of peace and quiet.

    Tzaluta, who had been sitting around the campfire with Fran, spoke up quietly.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, you know the location of one of the other Three Gordician Families, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Was it Wisteria? Magnolia?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Magnolia.¡¹

    Well, we should be fine just telling her the name. Giving away their location without permission would be off-limits though.

    Hearing Fran''s answer, Tzaluta looked a little thoughtful.

    ¡¸What''s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Of the three families, Wisteria''s abilities are said to be the most dangerous. I''ve heard they have the power to make fiends gopletely berserk.¡¹

    ¡¸That sounds pretty dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸If I knew exactly where they were, I would feel a little safer though¡­¡­¡¹

    I guess it was because she had the blessing of the Evil God that she understood how dangerous it would be when the power runs amok.

    ¡¸How are the Magnolias currently? Are they living happily?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I can''t say if they are happy or not. But they are in good hands.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m d to hear that.¡¹

    Tzaluta smiled in relief. Rather than wishing for the happiness of the other two families, she seemed more relieved to hear that dangerous power was under watch, I guess?

    Wisteria, huh¡­¡­¡­? We''ll have to keep an eye out for them. If we ever hear anything, we can let Tzaluta know.

    The dawn on the third day after our departure.

    The march of Fran''s small army finally reached Castel.

    Castel had previously been deste, for better or for worse, but it had now turned into a absolute hellscape.

    ¡¸¡­¡­There''s so many!¡¹

    ¡ºThat''s one hell of a number¡­¡­ Way more than 10,000.¡»

    Maybe 100,000 or so? It felt like every single antidemon in the region had gathered here.

    But there was some good news.

    Castel was still safe. The battle currently took ce on the ins in front of it. However, there were so many antidemons that it no longer looked like a grasnd. The antidemons blocked everyst piece of grass and dirt from our view.

    ¡ºNadia is still fighting!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I could feel a tremendous amount of mana swirling around right in front of the entrance to Castel, Nadia''s mana.

    However, that fact also confirmed that the event we had feared was steadily approaching.

    ¡¸What is this presence? A battle between two antidemons?¡¹

    Chelsea''s mutterings were understandable. If you didn''t know Nadia like we do, you could easily mistake her for an antidemon. The erosion had progressed even further.

    ¡¸No. That''s Auntie.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡­ No, wait. Could she be the wielder of that sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you mean Overgrowth''s wielder. That would exin the tremendous amount of power.¡¹

    It seems they knew about many things that ordinary adventurers did not. As expected from a dragon warrior chief and a mercenary captain who had been on this continent for many years.

    ¡¸I don''t really get what''s going on, but we can just beat up those antidemons and save Fran''s friend, right? Let''s show them the power of the Dimitris style!¡¹

    ¡¸I''d go to hell for ck Lightning Princess-san!¡¹

    ¡¸Time to prove the adventurers of Nocta are no cowards!¡¹

    ¡¸Behold what the knights of Segilusel can do!¡¹

    ¡¸As adventurers representing thisnd, we will show you our pride.¡¹

    ¡¸Such wonderful weather, the perfect day for a performance.¡¹

    What a reliable bunch we got here. Fran seemed to agree, a faint smile appearing on her face.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Everyone, lend me your strength!¡¹

    ¡¸You can count on me. My fists will pave the way forward!¡¹

    ¡¸My dragon warriors have your back. We''ll send you to the side of your important friend!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    Fran nodded at Hilt to her left and Chelsea to her right. Behind them stood one hundred elites of entirely different races and positions.

    ¡¸Okay, let''s go.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ YEEAAHH!!! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

 Chapter 813

    <h4>Chapter 813</h4>

    <h4>813: Side - Nadia</h4>

    Four days have passed since Fran left Castel.

    I almost panicked when she said she wanted to stay here, but in the end, I managed to send her to Nocta.

    I''m sure Fran didn''t understand what I meant, but Master certainly did. He may be a sword, but he''s clearly a human on the inside.

    I saw his slight reaction to myst words.

    And even if he didn''t understand, it matters little. I''ve done what I could.

    ¡¸There''s no way you''re getting a hundred people in this season.¡¹

    Fran and Master probably didn''t know how Gordicia worked yet. When the antidemon seasones rolling in, the vast majority of adventurers start moving very cautiously.

    Of course they would. With stronger and more numerous antidemons, the slightest error in judgment could prove fatal.

    Not many people would risk their lives for a request to rescue an abandoned vige.

    ¡¸Let''s see¡­¡­ Almost here now?¡¹

    I could see a swarm of antidemons approaching the vige. Their march was slow.

    This proved they were being led by amander. A group consisting entirely of lesser antidemons would mindlessly rush in to satisfy their appetites.

    I could sense their presences gathering in a single ce.

    The basic strategy of antidemons in battle is concentration of power. They form an army around amander or a greater antidemon and march together, taking advantage of their superior numbers.

    Only when this initial strategy is hindered or prevented, is when they take actions such as encirclement or focusing a target.

    I can manage on my own for a while. All I have to do is stay in front of them and keep fighting, using myself as live bait.

    This time, I will protect Castel.

    ¡¸I''ll have to protect the cemetery at least¡­¡­ Guys, I''m heading out.¡¹

    I pulled out Overgrowth, wading through the grass toward the antidemon horde.

    This magic sword has been with me for almost twenty years now.

    I acquired it the very day I lost my husband.

    At the time, I had finally graduated from being a novice, and was beginning to gain confidence in myself as an adventurer.

    That confidence turned into arrogance, and my husband and I became more reckless than usual.

    And the end result was that fateful day. A chance encounter with a vicious antidemon, engraving despair and regret into my very being.

    I don''t know if I could win against it, even as strong as I am now. Naturally, there was no way for us to escape together, so my husband acted as a decoy¨D¨Dand was cut down as if he was nothing.

    He was torn to pieces, unable to buy even a second of time. When I saw his flesh and entrails strewn about, I felt as if our very existences had just been denied.

    It was only by chance that I was spared. A high-ranking adventurer had begun fighting nearby, and the antidemon''s eyes turned in his direction instead of mine.

    At the time, I didn''t even think about being saved. I don''t know why, but I chased after that antidemon as it tried to leave.

    How could I let you get away with this? Let me get at least one hit in, even if it costs me my life. Maybe those were the kinds of thoughts going through my mind at the time.

    I ran as fast as my body would allow, just in time to see that Rank S adventurer turn the antidemon into ashes.

    After that, I guess I started feelingpletely empty. I stopped caring about anything, not knowing what to do with my life.

    I had lost everything, my beloved husband, my confidence to continue as an adventurer, and the target of my revenge. I picked up my sword and thought about ending it all¨D¨Dand that''s when I met her.

    The Silver Lady, a pitiful golem endlessly wandering the continent of Gordicia in search of Overgrowth''s next wielder.

    Until that moment, I thought she was just a myth. I had no idea the Silver Lady actually existed¡­¡­

    The moment I saw the magic sword the expressionless woman carried, I immediately understood. This sword needed me, and I needed it.

    I guess that feeling proved my qualification to hold the de.

    Having be Overgrowth''s wielder, I used it to hunt antidemons ever since.

    When exining to Fran, I mentioned vengeance against antidemons as the condition for using Overgrowth, but that was not the only requirement.

    The other requirement was "despair". A despair so deeply ingrained that you could continue fighting even as your body mutates into an antidemon. Well, at least that''s what the Silver Lady said.

    ¡¸Despair, huh¡­¡­?¡¹

    Even that golem assured me I was filled with despair, but it looks like I can die with a glimmer of hope in my heart. Call it a miracle.

    ¡¸I''ve got to take care of them fast, just in case Franes back.¡¹

    Even though my request will stall her a bit, I''m sure Fran wille back even if she''s alone. Fine, then all I have to do is clean up house before she gets here.

    My old friend''s child came back alive. I won''t let her die here.

    ¡¸Over here, antidemons. But I have to warn you I''ll be pretty tough today. Don''t expect me to be easy prey!¡¹

    ¡¸Shaaaagh!¡¹

    ¡¸Shooourh!¡¹

    The swordsman-types charge at me, but I y them all with a single swing. They were only lesser antidemons, but I was still surprised at how well I could see their movements.

    Looks like I''m in peak condition today.

    ¡¸Devour them, Overgrowth¡­ It''s an all-you-can-eat buffet! I''ll feed you antidemons until you get full, or I go crazy, whicheveres first!¡¹

    I keep hacking and shing, hacking and shing. The sun sets and rises again. All the while, I''m continuously cutting down antidemons.

    So much blood and sweat has spilled out of me, that I don''t even know the difference any more. I should be exhausted by now, but my body''s performance was just getting better and better.

    How many have I in and devoured by now? A thousand? Ten thousand?

    Still, the waves of antidemons had no end.

    ¡¸Shwiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Ruiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah! There''s some tougher ones now, but they can''t scratch me at all! Bring me themander!¡¹

    That''s a lie.

    I don''t know how much of my blood I''ve already spilled.

    I''m only standing because of Overgrowth''s absorption power and my own regeneration skills. That''s the reason I''ve been able to patch up my wounds, replenish my strength, and force myself to keep going.

    ¡¸Hmph¡­¡­? Finallying?¡¹

    From the center of the swarm of antidemons, a terrifying aura erupted. There was no doubt. Themander and his guard were about to enter the fray.

    ¡¸At longst¡­¡­!¡¹

    Overgrowth, the time is now! You can take my flesh and blood! So grant me your power!

    ¡¸Golden Devourer! Activate!¡¹

    Overgrowth connected and fused with me. As we became more united, the energy Overgrowth absorbed from the antidemons flowed into me with greater force than ever before.

    ¡¸Graaaaaaaaaaaagh!¡¹

    I felt the erosion expanding on my left arm with a sharp cracking sound. This was the price I had to pay for my power.

    But that''s fine.

    Framea¡­¡­ I will protect your baby this time.

    I gazed upwards at the cloudless sky.

    Looks like I picked a good day to be myst.

 Chapter 814

    <h4>Chapter 814</h4>

    <h4>814: The Hundred vs Antidemons</h4>

    We were in the middle of a battlefield.

    No matter which way we looked, it was all antidemons, antidemons, antidemons. We felt their killing intenting at every angle, as they swarmed us without any fear of death.

    Though it had a different sort of madness than a war between human opponents, this was still a battlefield where humans and antidemons fought to im each other''s lives.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gishaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Cheyah!¡¹

    ¡¸Groooo!¡¹

    Fran''s shes cut through the antidemons, and Hilt''s fists crushed several of them at once. Chelsea, Colbert, and Diggins also thrashed them around.

    But no matter how many antidemons we defeated, they showed no signs of decreasing. There seemed to be an endless stream of them.

    Even when we cleared the surrounding area with a spell, the antidemons would immediately rush in to fill the gap.

    It was as if a wall of antidemons was constantly pushing in our direction. Still, Fran and her team moved forward little by little, cutting their way through the antidemons.

    ¡¸Out of¡­ my way!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, take your time. Nadia''s presence is still strong!¡»

    At first, Fran tried to leap into the air so she could go to Nadia''s rescue alone, but that failed spectacrly.

    As soon as she jumped, she was bombarded from all sides by the long-range antidemons, including cannon-types. With over 10,000 projectiles fired at her without end, she had no choice but to descend to the ground, badly injured.

    We might be able to do something against 100 or 1,000 projectiles, but 10,000 was way too much. I guess we might be able to manage if we really tried, but we couldn''t afford to use everything we have just yet.

    It wouldn''t work if we tried to evade them with space-time magic either, since there were space-time attribute attacks mixed in. That was something we had heard from Chelsea earlier. Apparently, some of the higher level antidemons could even use teleportation.

    In other words, they had countermeasures for space-time magic. After that, I considered using Dimension Gate to skip a majority of the horde, but that proved difficult too.

    If we tried making a gate on the ground, the antidemon army would be physically in the way, making it impossible. Even if we made the gate in the air, it would be quickly destroyed by a space-time attribute attack.

    ¡¶nning solo entry allowing the usage of aerial hop, space-time magic, and dimensional magic while disallowing Potential Release or Sword God Transformation. Probability of sess, 13%.¡·

    ¡ºSlow and steady wins the race. Let''s keep going like this.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Nn.£©

    It seemed that if we wanted to save Nadia, we would have to physically make our way through these tens of thousands of antidemons.

    And while we might not be able to do it on our own, we now had a group of friends to rely on.

    We already knew the power of the Dimitris disciples and the adventurers under Diggins, but the others proved their strength too.

    ¡¸Water Slicer! Uraaaaah!¡¹

    The dragonkin Chelsea wielded water magic and scimitars in each hand to deliver a series of furious strikes.

    She was an attack-oriented magic swordsman who made full use of her physical strength and magical talents. The other dragon warriors had simr styles.

    But that''s not to say they were bad at defense. They could simply y the antidemon before it hits them. Or, parry the blow and finish it before it delivers another. Then, their few wounds could be healed instantly by their high regenerative ability. They seemed to be a race that embodied the belief that the best defense was a good offense.

    So far, all ten of them probably got as many kills as Fran or Hilt.

    Also not to say it was surprising, because that would be pretty rude, but the knights of the kingdom of Segilusel ended up being very reliable.

    Aside from Yagle, they had stats and levels simr to Rank C adventurers, but their defensive power went far beyond our imagination. They had a talent not only in their own defense but that of theirrades.

    Each of them was a veteran shieldsman with years ofbat experience, along with the broad field of view and coordination skills befitting a knight. In addition, they had the knight mentality to protect theirrades.

    They attracted enemy attention with their provocation skills, using themselves as bait to defend their allies. Thanks to their presence, everyone else suffered fewer injuries.

    The mercenaries in the rear guard were also very precise in their support. Their ims to be elite mercenaries were proven by their expert use of multiple different types of magic.

    At times, they enhanced their allies with support magic, and at others, they interrupted enemies with long-range sts. Since half of them were capable of healing, it was like each performed the job of multiple high-level magicians.

    We had the men brought by Sophie guarding the mercenaries. Though they were pretty much thrown into this battlefield with no motivation, they performed their duty well.

    Sophie had not yet demonstrated her power, but that was part of our n. Since we''re on the battlefield now, her performance will draw the attention of all the antidemons.

    That''s why we kept her from performing until it was necessary. Even without her performances, she was still a capable member of the army, sting down antidemons while riding on Urushi''s back.

    When the time for her musices, Urushi would be enough to protect her.

    Fran and her army continued to ughter the antidemons, with a solidarity that would make anyone doubt they barely knew each other.

    The bodies of vanquished antidemons turned into dust, filling the air as if ck fireflies were dancing around us.

    There was no smell of iron or blood, only the remnants of antidemons drifting everywhere. In the midst of this atmosphere of both beauty and sadness, more and more antidemons rushed at us.

    And it wasn''t only their numbers that were of note.

    ¡¸Yeeeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸These ones¡­¡­ are pretty strong!¡¹

    They appeared before us about thirty minutes into the battle.

    It was the first time Fran and Hilt''s strikes were both blocked.

    Our opponent looked almost the same as the knight-type that we had beaten so many times before. The only difference in appearance was the ck horns protruding from its head.

    However, the aura it radiated waspletely different. The amount of mana emitted from within the ck horned knight was also a different order of magnitude.

    ¡¸Hah! Out of my way!¡¹

    ¡¸Double Palm Strike!¡¹

    Fran and Hilt kicked up their gears and defeated these new knight-types.

    I see now, she knew it was different from the moment she shed at it. Fran had intended to cutpletely in two, but the de only went from the shoulder to the stomach area.

    She still defeated it since she was able to cut through its core, but that''s worrisome¡­¡­

    Of course, she was not using her full power, as our priority was conserving our strength for an extended battle. But this meant the knight-type was strong enough to overturn Fran''s estimations.

    I''d probably give it a threat level of D.

    ¡¸I was getting tired of all those weaklings! Now you''re talking!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Still, this was not enough to stop the charge of the hundred. Hilt and Fran were back on their feet and ready to face off against these mighty foes.

 Chapter 815

    <h4>Chapter 815</h4>

    <h4>815: ck Horned Knights</h4>

    A new enemy, the ck horned knights began to appear before us.

    I secretly checked our antidemon card and found that the number of points had increased by 600 just by defeating one of them.

    That''s almost half of the points of the cannon-type and themander we had defeated before.

    Moreover, we were not fighting solo this time. We were in an army.

    I''ve heard the antidemon points were distributed not only to one who defeated it, but also to the surrounding antidemon card holders. If it didn''t work that way, only the attackers would get any points.

    In other words, the ck horned knight was so strong that we would get 600 points even ounting for splitting points between 100 people.

    Since it had horns on it, I thought it might be the squadmander for the antidemons in the area, but¡­¡­

    Within a few minutes, a entire swarm of ck horned knights appeared in front of us.

    ¡¸So many!¡¹

    ¡ºDoes this mean we''ve finally reached their main army?¡»

    Just like the small fry antidemons we had defeated so many times before, the ck horned knights attacked us in droves.

    It must mean we''ve broken through theyer of lower ss antidemons surrounding the perimeter and were approaching the center of their army.

    ¡¸The enemy is strong, but we are stronger!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Fran said these words to inspire herrades.

    Was that the first time she''s done something like that since the battle started?

    Perhaps unconsciously, Fran''s battle instincts may have told her this would be a critical moment. She somehow knew they would need the boost in morale.

    After the sudden words from Fran, who had been leading the group silently up until now, everyone seemed more excited than usual. The looks on their faces were different from before.

    ¡¸Hilt, follow me.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    Fran and Hilt have stepped up a gear as well. In fact, these two were probably the most excited.

    As expected from the top two yers on this team.

    Even though their opponents had be a few steps stronger, they continue to strike them down without retreating a single step. However, unlike before, they did not escape unscathed.

    Both Fran and Hilt began to take slight damage. They were not only up against the ck horned knights, but also the stronger long-range attackers behind them.

    The number of screamsing from the adventurers in the rear guard increased as well.

    In a sense, this was the beginning of the real battle.

    £¨Master, use your magic as much as you can!£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    From this point on, we must reduce our safety margin and start dishing out everything we''ve got without thinking about conservation.

    However, it''s not like we expected rescuing Nadia to be easy.

    This hard of a battle was well within our expectations.

    ¡¸Taaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºDoryaaaah!¡»

    We crushed hundreds upon hundreds of the ck horned knights to advance forward.

    Fran and the other vanguard members formed a semicircr formation, repelling and defeating all the swarming antidemons as if they were a fortress wall. The casters took their ces inside the semicircle, with guards, knights, and adventurers protecting the left, right, and rear.

    As we slowly inched forward together, another change came to the battlefield.

    The ck horned knights disappeared and now knight-types with red horns appeared in front of us. At the same time, swordsman-types and archers-types d in pure ck also began to show themselves.

    ¡¸Kuh! They''re¡­ strong!¡¹

    ¡ºGive me a break, don''t spring this on us all of a sudden!¡»

    The red horned knights were so strong that they made the ck horned knights look like small fry. Even Fran took a hit from one after misjudging its speed.

    The surrounding ck antidemons were also very fast. A few of them together would have made a good match for the ck horned knights.

    This could be their real main force.

    Moreover, it was not only the strength of our enemies that was unusual.

    On the opposite side of the horde of antidemons, a tremendous aura red up. Themander of the antidemons had just entered the fray.

    And there was only one person he could be fighting, Nadia.

    ¡¶Estimated 13 minutes and 26 seconds until the individual named Nadia is fully antidemonized.¡·

    £¨Master, I''m gonna go fully serious now!£©

    ¡ºGo for it.¡»

    Fran held me up with a look of determination. She wanted to save Nadia, even if it killed her. I could see it on her face.

    ¡¸Haaah! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    ¡¸Garuda!¡¹

    Without hesitating at the risks, Fran and Hilt buffed themselves before plunging into the antidemons again.

    They outmaneuvered even the super-fast red horned knights, destroying them with blinding speed. And it wasn''t just Fran and Hilt.

    ¡¸Water Dragon Form!¡¹

    ¡¸Awakening!¡¹

    Chelsea went on aplete rampage, her entire body covered with blue scales. Meanwhile, Diggins activated his Awakening to blow away the antidemons.

    This was when Sophie jumped in action. We had told her she could decide when to begin her performance, and that time was now.

    ¡¸Magic Concert - The Back of the Distant Hero.¡¹

    What Sophie chose was not any normal performance.

    A beautiful voice rang from Sophie''s mouth and echoed through the battlefield, without being drowned out by the intense sounds of battle that had dominated the scene.

    Her voice was not loud, but still clear enough to be heard by all of us. It felt as if she was singing right next to our ears.

    Thebination of singing and ying created a beautiful and majestic concert.

    ¡¸Amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I didn''t expect anything like this¡­¡­¡»

    So this is what Sophie was capable of. Fran was clearly moving much faster than before, so this was nothing like the minor enhancement we had received during our march.

    And it wasn''t just Fran, each member of our army started moving a magnitude of level faster. Not only that, but their strength, vitality, and magic resistance had also increased.

    ¡¶All stats have increased by an estimated value of 200. A minor magic barrier can be detected as well.¡·

    I wouldn''t be surprised if she could do this for one person, but for an entire army of one hundred? Could Sophie be capable of winning a war by herself?

    However, I could see that Sophie''s mana had been considerably reduced. That didn''t happen after her previous performance during our departure.

    Even Sophie had to pay a price for this great of an enhancement.

    I kinda felt relieved, her power was just that immense. Who the hell is she even?

    ¡¸Let''s go in and save Auntie!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, let''s do this!¡»

 Chapter 816

    <h4>Chapter 816</h4>

    <h4>816: Diva</h4>

    We were up against red horned knights and ck antidemons, probably the enemy''s main army. The red horned knights were equivalent to Threat Level C, while the ck antidemons had a threat level on the lower side of D.

    That said, there were thousands of them.

    This army alone was enough to destroy a small country.

    And as it turns out, the antidemons had another ace up their sleeve.

    ¡¸Grrrrl¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Grraaaaagh!¡¹

    With a roar that seemed to echo from the depths of the earth, apletely red, dragon-like antidemon emerged to block our path.

    This was an antidemon taking the shape of a beast, meaning it was probably an advanced version of the beast-type.

    The form resembled that of a wingless earth dragon, but its body was thinner and more supple. Probably what you would get if you took an earth dragon and put some cat-like features on it.

    Unusually for an antidemon, I was able to read its emotions. It was clearly furious.

    Maybe it just trying to mimic emotions in order to imitate a dragon better?

    Either way, it was a very imposing figure.

    At about three meters in length, it was not among therger beasts of this world. Yet its body radiated an aura that could be mistaken for a real dragon.

    There were very few beast-types in the horde, and even fewer of them were among the lesser antidemons in the early stages of the battle.

    That was probably because it was difficult for beast-types to coordinate with humanoid antidemons in such a dense formation.

    Apparently this was fairlymon. Beast-types generally appeared in groups with other beast-types, or only in small mixed groups.

    The surrounding antidemons retreated slightly, keeping their distance from the red dragon, as they slowly spread around us.

    I bet the other antidemons intended to strike our rear while the red dragon dealt with Fran and the other members in the front.

    This movement meant they were deliberately abandoning their advantage in numbers. If they went to such lengths, then that must mean¡­

    ¡¸Graaaagh!¡¹

    ¡¸It''s even faster than the red horned knights!¡¹

    It must mean that this red dragon was the antidemon horde''s strongest trump card.

    And a total of five of these red dragons blocked Fran''s path forward.

    One of the dragons vanished for a moment as it leapt at Fran from the side. Fran struck back to parry the blow, but it did not deal any real damage.

    Fran had swung me at full force, but the dragon managed to take the blow with its fangs. It looked as if Fran knocked away the dragon, but in reality it had simply leapt away on its own.

    Upon closer inspection, each of the dragons had slightly different features, so perhaps there were differences in their abilities as well. There was even the possibility that they hadpletely different fighting styles. Despite looking simr to each other, each of the dragons was clearly a Unique.

    ¡¸Fran, leave one of them to me!¡¹

    ¡¸On my pride as a dragonkin, I won''t let a fake get the better of me!¡¹

    ¡¸Just the thought of a bear like me ying a dragon is getting me pumped!¡¹

    ¡¸I will prove here and now that we knights are capable of offense as well as defense!¡¹

    The remaining four dragons were taken by the representatives of each division: Hilt, Chelsea, Diggins, and Yagle. Considering their strength, I feel like we could send in the vicemander of the dragonkin or Colbert too, but¡­¡­

    The remaining members of our unit backed down to take care of the other antidemons. Each of those four is putting their pride on the line here, so they earned their right to challenge.

    Though the others were focused on dealing with the antidemons approaching from the nks, those enemies were no slouches either.

    After all, they consisted of the red horned knights and ck antidemons that had just been engaged in a fierce battle with Fran a few moments ago.

    ¡¸We''ll take care of this ourselves so Fran and the others can focus on the red dragons!¡¹

    ¡¸You can count on us!¡¹

    Colbert shouted, and Kozon gave a confident reply. He knew that showing any weakness in this situation would affect the mentality of hisrades.

    ¡¸Everyone, I''m going to use my full power. That will leave me unable to move for a while, so I will be counting on the rest of you.¡¹

    ¡¸You should stay next to me. I''m going to sing a little seriously too, so I can''t move either.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Mr. Wolf, please take good care of us.¡¹

    We''ll have to leave the defense over there to Urushi and Sophie''s escorts. Wait, so you''re telling me both Sophie and Tzaluta weren''t serious up until now?

    That means they''re going to show me something even more impressive? I''m a little scared of what might happen.

    Just as I was thinking that, Sophie started another performance.

    ¡¸Magic Concert - Funeral for the Lost Heroes.¡¹

    Sophie''s voice filled the battlefield.

    It was more tragic and lyrical than before. I felt a tightening in my chest just hearing the first verse.

    Feelings of nostalgia. Thoughts of departed friends. An indescribable feeling of destion, simr to loneliness. If someone heard this while drinking, they would probably be crying their hearts out.

    As the name of the song suggested, it was a poem for a funeral. This time, it felt as if the spirits of past heroes came to lend the hundred man squad their aid.

    The effect was astonishing. I thought herst song was amazing too, but this even exceeded that.

    Gradually, the bitterness that had been constricting my chest disappeared, and I started to feel a sense of relief and confidence. That''s right, this song even had an effect on me.

    ¡¸My wounds¡­ They''re closing¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºNot only that. My mana''s slowly recovering too.¡»

    ¡¶Detected increase to stats, increase to recovery, enhancement to the usage of skills, improvement to morale.¡·

    She had given everyone increased stats and regeneration to both health and mana. It also made it easier to activate skills and magic, as well as applying mental boost, making it easier to concentrate on the battle.

    All of this was in addition to the enhancements she had given us earlier.

    ¡¶However, there is a 98% chance of recoil appearing after the battle is over.¡·

    ¡ºRecoil? Are we gonna be okay?¡»

    ¡¶I believe there is no danger to life.¡·

    Then it can''t be helped. It would be ridiculous not to have some downsides after such an amazing effect.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaalohh!¡¹

    Woops, we should be focusing on the battle at hand rather than the aftermath.

    ¡¸You''re going down now!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, wipe the floor with him!¡»

    This must be the effect of Sophie''s song too. No matter how strong our opponents were, I didn''t feel like we could lose.

 Chapter 817

    <h4>Chapter 817</h4>

    <h4>817: Red Dragon</h4>

    ¡ºJust die already, you fake dragon!¡»

    ¡¸Gryaaaah?!¡¹

    Iunched thunder and me magic from both sides, trying to limit the dragon''s movement.

    But the red dragon made no attempt to evade, or even intercept my spells. Theynded a direct hit.

    A sh of electricity and an explosion of mes covered the dragon. But nothing happened.

    I guess it has a powerful resistance to magic, since those spells didn''t cause a scratch. Even though it was more of a feint, my spells should still be pretty powerful.

    Maybe it can nullify magic? What a nuisance!

    After inwardly raising the threat level of the red dragon, I activated my telekinesis. I tried grabbing it by the neck, but¡­¡­

    The dragon leapt to the side, easily dodging me. Those movements showed how perfectly it knew the range of my telekinesis.

    It must be very talented at sensing mana. I do remember hearing that the higher level antidemons could sense mana from kilometers away.

    I guess these high level beast-types were especially good at sensing the mana around them.

    Let''s see how it reacts if it''s not a direct attack then.

    At exactly at the moment the dragonnded, I usednd magic to make a hole underneath, but that didn''t work either. It avoided the pit with an aerial hop. That meant it could read my intentions from the minute movements of mana.

    ¡ºI''m not done yet!¡»

    You aren''t getting away from me!

    I stubbornly activated my morphing. My decorative strings split in an instant, bing countless threads that flew from all directions. Nearly a thousand threads covered the red dragon, as if it were wrapped in a metal cocoon.

    The only way to escape from this would be teleportation.

    Then we''ll take advance of the pause to deliver a decisive blow. That''s what I had in mind, but this powerful antidemon didn''t move the way I wanted it to.

    ¡¸Giiiryii!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat the hell is that?¡»

    With a high-pitched roar, the cocoon exploded from the inside. Reddish objects had broken through the threads and flew outwards.

    Upon closer inspection, the objects turned out to be the dragon''s scales. It had shot out arrowhead shaped scales from its body, and that''s not all.

    Those red scales continued floating around the red dragon as if they were unaffected by gravity.

    ¡¸Gyiirr¡­¡­ Yiiiyaaa!¡¹

    The red dragon roared and rushed towards us, as if saying it was their turn now. At the same time, the scales floating around it assailed Fran with tremendous force.

    The scalesunched towards Fran from all directions, each moving at a different angle.

    When Fran tried to cut them down with her sword, they dodged me as if they had a will of their own. The red dragon clearly had full control over them.

    If we only needed to concentrate on the scales, we could easily deal with them one by one. But right now, Fran was in the middle of a fierce battle with the red dragon.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyiiiii!¡¹

    The ck cat and the red dragon entered a furious dance, switching ces at high speed and unleashing deadly blows at each other.

    The dragon made full use of its fangs, ws, and tail, not losing to Fran in terms of intensity and speed. Those fangs were especially powerful, as even a sh from me could not easily scratch them.

    This was a formidable foe. It would be difficult to deal with the scales while fighting him at the same time.

    ¡ºFran, you can concentrate on the dragon! Leave the scales to me!¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    For the time being, I''ll use a max power barrier to block the scales, but they continued their onught with tremendous force. If the barrier continues getting sted at this rate, we will soon run out of mana.

    ¡ºThese damn scales! Do you think you''re funn*ls or something!?¡»

    Next I tried throwing abination of storm magic and me magic around us in order to blow away the scales. However, the scales ignored my magic and continued to fly wildly around us.

    It seems these scales inherited the dragon''s trait of repelling magic.

    That''s really nasty! What can we do?

    Magic won''t work, and there''s no way I can''t stop all of them with telekinesis. Then I guess I''ll have to solve things physically!

    ¡ºYou broke through my strings earlier, but I won''t lose again! I''ll show you the true power of my strings!¡»

    Just stretching the threads everywhere to try to entangle the scales won''t work. The scales were sharper and heavier than my threads.

    My threads would lose if I challenge the scales to a head-on collision, just like what happened earlier.

    Then what can I do?

    That moment, a light bulb went off in my head.

    If I made the tips of my thread sharp like the dragon''s scales, maybe I could match them?

    In the first ce, I should stop thinking of it as a thread. Make it sharper and more aggressive¨D¨DYeah, like an arrowhead. Let''s try imaging an arrowhead attached to each string and transforming it that way.

    Of course, it would still be a bad idea to sh with the scales head-on.

    But what about from the side? The tips of the scales may be sharp, but their sides were not. What happens if I hit that dull side with my sharpened arrowhead threads?

    Strength and durability are important, but this is where precisiones into y.

    No matter how strong my new threads were, it would be meaningless if I can''t get a hit in.

    I started viewing them through my Heavenly Eye, the same way I used appraisal earlier.

    To achieve what I was trying to do, I needed to have a perfect grasp over all the scales.

    I would catch the irregr movements of those scales and predict their next location. That would take an advanced calction, as if I was a superputer. But I can do it. My instincts told me I could pull it off.

    ¡º¡­¡­Look at them. All of them¡­¡­ Then activate morphing¡­¡­ I have to strike the moment I calcte those movements, or I won''t make it in time. Fast, sharp, and precise¡­¡­¡»

    I began feeling a dull pain. Sophie''s magic concert had strengthened me considerably, but it seemed I was still pushing myself too far.

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¶The stability of the transformation is decreasing. Please focus on the activation of Heavenly Eye, Morphing, Parallel Processing, and Magic Sense.¡·

    ¡ºThanks, Announcer-san¡­¡­ Gurgh¡­¡­¡»

    I follow the movements of the scales, trying to hold back the pain. Then came the moment when I grasped everything.

    ¡ºI see it!¡»

    I activated morphing at exactly that moment. Even I was surprised at how smoothly the skill activated.

    My decorative strings instantly transformed into hundreds of arrows assaulting the scales. They all caught the dead center of the scales and pierced straight through them.

    I managed to capture and destroy all of the red scales flying around Fran with my thread.

    ¡ºAnd here''s a bonus!¡»

    I had already created countless arrows, so it would be a shame if I didn''t make full use of them. I gathered them all back up and sent the threads flying toward the dragon.

    This time, there was no escape.

    And sure enough, the dragon used teleportation to move a short distance into the sky. It got away once again.

    But that was enough to distract it from Fran for a brief moment.

    ¡¸Hah! Heavenly Judgment!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyah?¡¹

    Fran had sensed the teleportation destination and already dashed behind it as it was activating the spell.

    Right when the dragon realized its failure, the de mmed into its neck.

    Facing certain death, the dragon was not content to simply be beaten.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    The moment the dragon realized it couldn''t escape, it detonated all the mana inside itself. What a sore loser!

    The high density mana raged wildly, causing a huge explosion from the inside of the dragon.

    Since Heavenly Judgment had so much force behind it, it would be impossible to cancel on the spur of the moment. Nor could Fran put up a barrier while still in the middle of executing her sh.

    However, there was no surprise on Fran''s face. She knew that an enemy of this level would not be so easily defeated.

    Besides, Fran had me. That''s why she wasn''t panicking. Now I just have to live up to that trust!

    ¡ºDaargh!¡»

    I activated telekinesis, wind magic, and my barriers to deflect the explosion. It was still quite powerful, but much easier to handle if I deflect it instead of suppressing it.

    The explosion generated a tremendous magical light that flew 100 meters above the battlefield. But when it subsided, the only one left there was an unharmed Fran.

    ¡¸We won.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, their secret weapon was strong indeed.¡»

    Without Sophie''s performance and Tzaluta''s support, we would have had a rough time. We might have even been forced to use Sword God Transformation to end it quickly.

    ¡ºNice job.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. But more importantly, is everyone okay¡­¡­?¡¹

    Fran''s expression of joy quickly faded as she turned her attention to ourpanions. The look on her face was not that of a lone warrior, but that of amander in charge of her troops.

 Chapter 818

    <h4>Chapter 818</h4>

    <h4>818: Beyond the Hordes</h4>

    After ying the red dragon, Fran looked to herrades while dodging projectiles from the antidemons.

    Their fierce battle with the dragons still continued.

    Hilt and Chelsea had the upper hand. They would win soon enough.

    However, Diggins and Yagle were having a tough time, taking a one-sided beatdown. Just like I worried, those dragons really did havepletely different abilities andbat styles.

    The one we fought was probably a type focusing on speed and long-range attacks.

    The rest of our army was engaged in a fierce exchange with countless red horned knights.

    Just when Fran paused to consider whether she should help them or not, she heard Colbert''s voice. He shouted at her while taking on several red horned knights.

    ¡¸Fran, don''t worry about us! We''re drawing in the enemy''s main forces, so now''s your chance! Go!¡¹

    Diggins followed up Colbert''s shout, and Yagle continued as well.

    ¡¸Hahaha! I think it''s about time to get serious! Damn, I wanted to rumble with this guy a little longer, but I guess ytime is over!¡¹

    ¡¸You too? I feel the exact same way! We do not need any assistance over here!¡¹

    Diggins and Yagle''s confident words were obviously a facade. Even so, they had no sense of sadness.

    In fact, there were even smiles on their faces.

    ¡¸We''ll be fine!¡¹

    ¡¸Please go on ahead!¡¹

    ¡¸Guys¡­¡­¡¹

    Like Colbert said, an enemy as powerful as these red dragons was no ordinary small fry. They were almost certainly the enemy''sst line of defense. Now that they were distracted, it was very likely that there were no more obstacles between us and Nadia.

    Besides, we couldn''t deny the possibility that Nadia was currently facing several enemies on par with the dragons.

    Fran was already fully aware of that. She wanted to go to Nadia right away.

    But still, Fran hesitated, worried about herrades.

    That''s when we heard Hilt''s shout.

    ¡¸Fran, hurry up and get out of here! Wasn''t there someone you wanted to save!?¡¹

    ¡¸But!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you saying you think we''ll lose?¡¹

    Chelsea gave Fran a momentary sharp gaze, while holding off a few ck antidemons.

    Her words showed concern for Fran, but something else as well. We could clearly see a warrior''s pride in their own strength. They were not so weak as to need Fran''s assistance.

    ¡¸You wanted to rescue this Nadia person, right? We only came all the way here to help you! Don''t forget your goal!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks, Hilt. Got it, I''ll leave the rest to you!¡¹

    ¡¸You''d better!¡¹

    ¡¸Make haste! Princess of the ck cats!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi, protect everyone!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Pushed forward by Hilt and Chelsea''s words, Fran ran off in the direction of Nadia.

    ¡¸Go for it!¡¹

    ¡¸You can save her!¡¹

    ¡¸We''ll take care of things here!¡¹

    We heard countless cheers from her friends sent at Fran''s back. That gave her another push, and she upped her speed.

    £¨Master! We can''t let anyone stop us now!£©

    ¡ºYeah, you just focus on anything in front. I''ll wipe out everything else!¡»

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    Even though we slew the red dragon, the rest of the army was still alive and kicking. Arge number of red horned knights swarmed Fran one after another with incredible momentum.

    Fran moved forward while cutting down all the red horned knights in her way. After she opened the hole in their lines, I pried it open with my spells and telekinesis.

    After I created that narrow path, Fran dashed through while discharging ck lightning everywhere.

    ¡¸Move!¡¹

    ¡ºI won''t let any of you get in Fran''s way!¡»

    Fran slew only the antidemons that blocked her way forward, the others were ignored. She slipped past a veritable wall of antidemons, dodging their blows.

    The antidemons'' weapons zoned in on her from all directions, and she avoided them with the minimum possible movement. But of course, she couldn''t remainpletely unharmed.

    She had cuts on her forehead and arms, and the side of her stomach had been gouged. Blood was spurting from all her injuries.

    As wounds were carved all over Fran''s body, she left streaks of blood behind on the path she ran.

    In the first ce, she had no intention of avoiding every single attack. As long as none of them hit a vital point, that''s all that mattered. This was the only way we could reach our destination without slowing down.

    Fran was approaching her limit. Her breathing turned heavy and her grip on me became slightly weakened. Still, she never dropped her speed.

    ¡¸Aaaagh!¡¹

    Fran let loose a war cry to energize herself. She wasn''t even shing the antidemons anymore. It was more like she mmed them out of her way so that she could continue moving forward.

    More and more wounds appeared on her body, but I didn''t stop her. It was only a little further before we reached Nadia''s battlefield.

    £¨It''s not enough! Master!£©

    ¡ºI know!¡»

    What''s not enough? What did she need me to do? Those questions didn''t even pass through my head, since I somehow knew exactly what Fran was thinking.

    This was a simr sensation to the finals of the martial arts tournament, when Fran wielded me while she was barely holding on to consciousness.

    I activated wind and me spells to give Fran an extra boost of speed. Now that Fran had a sudden boost of eleration, she had less control over her movements, meaning even more strikes she could no longer evade.

    Those wounds could have been fatal to an ordinary adventurer, but we forced our way forward while using our magic and skills to heal through them.

    Still, Fran smiled, happy that I understood her intentions and assisted her perfectly.

    ¡ºNadia is just a little bit further!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºFran! Now!¡»

    ¡¸Uraaaaaaah!¡¹

    Fran swung me horizontally.

    The impact of the sh knocked the antidemons aside, blowing open a hole in the antidemon wall.

    That revealed the death battle unfolding on the other side.

    It looked as if two antidemons were shing with each other. A crimson knight with a twisted horn, and a swordsman-type wielding a huge sword.

    But that wasn''t the case.

    ¡¸Auntieeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸F-Fran¡­¡­?¡¹

    The swordsman antidemon was actually Nadia, and the erosion had already taken over a majority of her body.

 Chapter 819

    <h4>Chapter 819</h4>

    <h4>819: Continued Erosion</h4>

    After cutting our way through the swarm of antidemons, there was an even fiercer battle taking ce in front of us.

    The other antidemons surrounded the area from a distance, probably to avoid getting caught in the middle of it. This caused the formation of a wide circr arena, as if it was a coliseum.

    And in the middle of that arena, two entities were engaged in a battle to the death.

    In the center of them was the antidemon that was most likely themander. He looked simr to a knight-type, but a thick, twisted horn emerged from his forehead. The horn was three times asrge as those of normal knight-types, and rose as if to pierce the heavens.

    Surrounding it were jet ck knight-types that appeared to be his escort party.

    A woman who had half of her body transformed into an antidemon stood in front of them.

    That was Nadia, after the continued erosion of the Golden Devourer Sword, Overgrowth.

    Her gaze turned toward us for a moment.

    ¡¸Fran¡­ why did¡­ youe?¡¹

    ¡¸To save you, Auntie!¡¹

    Nadia''s words were filled with clear rejection, but the reason behind her actions was just as clear. She only wanted Fran to stay away in order to keep her safe.

    Fran shouted back at Nadia while looking her straight in the eyes, ignoring her rejection.

    Both of them had their own reasons. And it was because of those feelings for the other, that they could never reach an agreement.

    I''d love for them to be able to talk it out and fully understand each other, but the antidemons would never allow that.

    ¡¸Yeeeeeeeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸Out of my way!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, we can''t rush these guys! They''re pretty strong!¡»

    ¡¸Grngh¡­¡­¡¹

    Frustrated and impatient, Fran mmed me into the antidemon blocking our path. However, it was not so weak as to be defeated by such an unfocused strike.

    It used its shield-like armored arms to block me, then shed back with its long sharp ws.

    Compared to the red dragon, it was slower but perhaps more vicious in meleebat.

    Its techniques were at a level simr to Colbert''s. But since it had the physical strength to take Fran''s attack head-on, and the speed to react, its stats must be far superior to Colbert.

    Although it was difficult to make a simpleparison, these jet-ck knight-types were probably weaker than the red dragons. However, it was still stronger than the ck horned or red horned knights.

    ¡ºI''ll stall their movements!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I activated morphing to use my ornamental strings for an attack. The knight repelled my strings with its ws, but was eventually overrun by the sheer number of them. Like I thought, they didn''t have an ability as nasty as the red dragon''s scales.

    It desperately tried to escape from the threads, but ended up entangled in less than five seconds. Immediately after that, Fran sliced it in two with an full power sh.

    We managed to kill it quickly, but both Fran and I had been forced to use a significant amount of mana for the short exchange of blows. Rather, this would be such a troublesome opponent that we had no choice but to defeat it as fast as possible.

    There were still five of these wed knights left.

    And their boss stood further in, emitting a ridiculous aura. Nadia, who was still holding her own against the boss, must have an extraordinary power to match.

    Without giving another look to the wed knight she had in, Fran rushed to Nadia''s side.

    ¡¸Get away from Auntie!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyiiiri?¡¹

    The wed knights probably sensed Fran as a threat, and spread out to surround her. As we got closer, we could see the terrible transformation Nadia had undergone.

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡­¡¹

    The entire left half of her face was covered with a ck and silver shell. Her eye on that side was reced with a glowing green orb.

    The same was true of her body. Even through the loose-fitting robe she wore, I could see the left half of her body had been bloated and hardened.

    The mana that surged from her body was not human, but practically that of an antidemon.

    If anyone saw her now, they would think of her as an antidemon with human characteristics rather than the other way around.

    She had no injuries or wounds at all. Since it was impossible for her to be unharmed after all this time, her regenerative power must have been enhanced tremendously.

    The shape of the Golden Devourer Sword, Overgrowth, had also changed considerably. The basic features were the same, but the de had grownrger and took on more antidemon-like features.

    Overgrowth''s quick evolution was probably what caused her to rapidly turn into an antidemon.

    But in the end, her mind had not yet been taken over.

    ¡¸Why¡­¡­ are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸My friends gave me their help!¡¹

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    Nadia red at me, as if scolding me for not stopping her.

    ¡ºSorry, but a hundred people actually showed up. How was I supposed to stop her after that?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Dammit all. I was hoping to end this before Fran got back¡­¡­¡¹

    Nadiamented as she red at the antidemons. She had not expected Fran to return so soon.

    ¡ºNow is not the time for regrets! Let''s get out of here first!¡»

    The chances of Nadia''s body returning to normal may be slim, but it was crystal clear that further erosion would put her in serious danger. We need to get her out of here before even her mind gets taken over.

    But Nadia shook her head.

    ¡¸That''s impossible!¡¹

    ¡ºWe''ll be fine if we use teleportation!¡»

    ¡¸No, we won''t! Once they have their eyes set on their prey, they will chase it down or die trying! There''s nowhere we can run!¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously¡­¡­?¡»

    So even if we manage to escape, they will hunt us down. No matter how great the distance, these unique antidemons never lose sight of their prey.

    That makes sense considering how we are in the belly of the Abyss Eater, the source of antidemons. We might as well be under constant surveince.

    If we try to run into a town, they will just attack that town too. Not that Nadia can enter a town in the first ce. She also can''t escape outside the continent because she can''t pass through the barrier.

    ¡¸After getting targeted by a Unique, your only two options are winning or losing. Right now, he still considers me as it''s pray, so¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Fine, then we''ll defeat him.¡¹

    Nadia was about to tell us to run, but Fran interrupted her beforehand, as if to say the option wasn''t even on the table.

    ¡¸What are you talking about! This is abat-specialized Unique here! I''ve never even seen an antidemon as strong as this one!¡¹

    She''s never seen one this strong despite wielding Overgrowth on this continent for many years? Looks like luck was not on our side here.

    But Fran simply smiled.

    ¡¸Don''t worry. With me, Master, and Auntie together, we''ll win for sure.¡¹

    Behind those words, we could feel her determination not to run away by herself.

    Nadia''s remaining right eyebrow furrowed lightly, but her expression soon changed to a wry smile.

    ¡¸¡­¡­That stubborn face¡­ just like Framea''s. Fine¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, we can continue this talk after we destroy these guys!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 820

    <h4>Chapter 820</h4>

    <h4>820: Fighting Alongside Nadia</h4>

    Fran and Nadia nced at each other and grinned. Then, they simultaneously charged towards the antidemons.

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Doraaaaah!¡¹

    Just as the antidemons braced themselves for impact, Fran and Nadia crossed sides mid-dash to swap their targets.

    I was stunned to see how well they could coordinate without any prior arrangements.

    But these wed knights were no small fry. They responded immediately and intercepted the surprise attack.

    They probably intended to block them with the shield on their arms.

    ¡ºUnfortunately for you, this was our goal!¡»

    But I''ve already nned for that. They focused their attention on Fran and Nadia for a split second, and that''s all I needed.

    The metallic threads I released wrapped themselves around the legs of the wed knights. But this was not a thick, strong rope made of multipleyers of thread.

    Rather, they were thin.

    I made them as thin as possible, so much that they were difficult to see. If someone did manage to see them, they would wonder how such a thin thread could even perform its job.

    Anyone would expect them to snap, but they were firmly mped on the antidemon''s legs.

    Since I poured a huge amount of mana into them, they won''t break that easily.

    And it wasn''t just tough.

    ¡¸Gyiii?¡¹

    ¡¸Gyagah!¡¹

    ¡ºGot ''em!¡»

    The thin threads cut deeply into the legs of the antidemons. If they were human, it would have teared through the flesh all the way to the bone.

    Well, not that antidemons actually had bones.

    This unfortunately didn''t manage to sever their legs, but I still seeded in impeding their movements.

    It took a lot more mana to make one of these ultra-thin threads capable of cutting through high-level antidemons, even more than if I made hundred ordinary threads, but they turned out to be worth the effort.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Take this!¡¹

    Fran and Nadia cut through the wed knights after they lost their bnce.

    While watching them, I felt a strange sense of unity. Fran and Nadia looked like mirror images of each other.

    For some reason, even their stances were very simr.

    Was it because they were both ck cats?

    Yet the size of their weapons, their height, and their body types were allpletely different. Why did they look so much alike?

    They certainly weren''t using the same style of swordsmanship. Fran didn''t learn from any particr style, and neither did Nadia.

    Either way, I should concentrate on the battle for now.

    ¡¸Ruuuoooourgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugh!¡¹

    ¡¸Nadia!¡¹

    Immediately after Fran and Nadia defeated the two wed knights, Nadia''s body was mmed aside. The antidemon boss, Twisted Horn, had approached her before we knew it.

    She had blocked with Overgrowth so there was no major damage, but she was being chased by other wed knights too. She would be at a big disadvantage if we let that continue.

    There was one wed knight in front of us too.

    But Fran did not rush to help Nadia.

    ¡¸Master, please!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    This was our chance now that Nadia lured the others away. Even before we arrived, Nadia managed to survive on her own.

    That means she won''t be going down any time soon.

    ¡ºWe''ll take this opportunity to kill the underlings!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    When I saw Twisted Horn''s movements, I understood what Nadia meant when she said it wasbat-specialized. Thatmander was ridiculously strong.

    His swordsmanship was on the level of Swordking Mastery, not to mention how he was just as fast as Fran and Nadia. Meanwhile, he also had an overwhelming advantage in strength and vitality.

    To defeat such an opponent, our first step would to getting rid of the obstacles around it. That always ends up being the quickest path to victory.

    ¡ºCrap, Nadia''s face¡­¡­ Has the antidemon part expanded a bit?¡»

    We got here as fast as we could, but it still took several minutes. Nadia''s remaining time was surely dwindling.

    ¡¶Estimated 6 minutes and 43 seconds until the individual named Nadia is fully antidemonized.¡·

    Maybe we should have taken some more risks so we could focus on speed and efficiency.

    £¨Master, can you get bigger? I''ll do it in one go.£©

    ¡ºMakes sense, let''s do that. I''ll start us off, and you handle him in the meanwhile.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I instantly understood what Fran wanted to do. Leaving Fran to deal with the antidemon in front of us, I poured mana into my decorative strings again.

    The strings writhed like a snake and stretched toward the sky.

    Then, they exploded several dozen meters above us, falling towards the ground all at once. Hundreds of strings suddenly rained down from the sunny sky.

    I aimed them at all the antidemons aside from Twisted Horn. However, the antidemons used their ws and barriers to defend themselves with little effort.

    Well, that couldn''t be helped. Each of the strings was pretty weak individually, and it''s not like I was controlling them manually or anything.

    But this attack wasn''t meant to kill the antidemons in the first ce.

    £¨Master, nice one.£©

    ¡ºI''m ready when you are, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaah!¡¹

    Fran nodded as she held me at her side. After a slight pause, she swung me out with full force.

    At that moment, my sword de grew huge, about fifteen meters in size.

    This was my anti-ship form that we used against pirates previously. Well, I guess it was longer now, since Fran and I had grown significantly since then. Both the speed and power were on a different level of magnitude.

    Back then, Fran could only handle a de of ten meters, but now she could perfectly wield me even if I was fifteen meters.

    And to prove it, Fran swung the giant de as if it was nothing, a sh with the same blinding speed as usual.

    The antidemons were busy dealing with the strings raining down on them, so there was no room for escape. They could have ducked it if they crouched, but that would just make them easy targets for the strings.

    Maybe they could have evaded by digging into the ground, but we certainly didn''t give them enough time to do so.

    ¡¸Gyieeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyuoogh!¡¹

    With this sh, we slew the one in front and the one next to him. Thest one managed to dodge me by forcing his way upwards through the falling strings, probably betting on the strings not being fatal.

    But that was a poor bet! I immediately activated the spell I had been working on. A white lightning bolt poured down, engulfing the antidemon while after it got entangled in the threads.

    My focused Kanna Kamui punched a deep crater into the earth, and the force of the impact caused the ground to tremble.

    After the tremendous discharge subsided, there was not a trace of the antidemon left.

    No matter how great their resistance to magic is, it couldn''t block my full powered Kanna Kamui converged on a single point.

    With this, all the antidemons within range of my anti-ship mode were dead, just as nned. I could have made it longer, but that would probably hit Nadia too.

    ¡¸Only the boss remains.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Let''s work with Nadia and take him down!¡»

 Chapter 821

    <h4>Chapter 821</h4>

    <h4>821: Twisted Horn Menace</h4>

    ¡¸Grooourgh!¡¹

    The twisted horn antidemon had finally recognized Fran as an enemy after the defeat of his guards, the wed knights.

    He became obviously conscious of Fran now, behaving more defensive so as not to leave any openings for her.

    However, he also seemed to understand the Nadia''s power, so he did not immediately head towards us.

    He appeared to still be confident in his victory, probably because his forces surrounded us. Indeed, the ck swordsman-types and archer-types were there on all sides.

    ¡ºIt would be annoying if they all charged us at once. Let''s keep up this pace and finish the boss off fast!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran leaned forward as she rushed out. She held me low in one hand, almost scraping the ground. Then, she swung at his leg.

    Twisted Horn lowered his de to block Fran''s blow¨D¨Dbut his attempt was thwarted.

    Nadia had jumped upwards and shed at Twisted Horn from above.

    Her timing was perfect. She had not exchanged any words with Fran, but they were still inplete sync.

    Fran''s de closed in from the ground, and Nadia''s de approached from the sky.

    How would he respond to the simultaneous attacks from both above and below? Anyone would have trouble with this, but surely his huge body would make it make it even harder to evade.

    ¡¸Gwogorgh!¡¹

    Then, an intense mana suddenly cloaked Twisted Horn. Shortly after, he blew away Fran and Nadia at the same time.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwah!¡¹

    Both of them used their weapons to defend themselves, so they suffered little damage. However, they were stunned as they slid on the ground after theirnding.

    Twisted Horn didn''t even do anything particrly special. He matched Nadia''s swing with a horizontal sh, and then delivered an upwards swing to counter Fran.

    However, his speed was simply extraordinary.

    Not only was Fran using Brilliant Lightning Rush, but she had been greatly enhanced by Sophie''s song. Nadia was also moving at simr speeds.

    Yet Twisted Horn countered their ridiculously fastbination by swinging around his three-meter sword with even more ridiculous speed.

    We could barely perceive his movements at that point.

    ¡ºIt''s not just teleportation, they can use time eleration!¡»

    It seems that antidemons of the highest level could manipte space-time magic with great precision.

    Twisted Horn''s overwhelming speed must have been further boosted by usage of physical enhancement and time eleration.

    ¡¸Gwooorgh¡­¡­¡¹

    He didn''t deliver a follow up strike.

    Twisted Horn simply red at Fran and Nadia, its green eyes shining at us.

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡¸Acting all smug, eh?¡¹

    Just as Nadia said, Twisted Horn''s attitude gave the impression he had absolute confidence in his strength. He was clearly judging Fran and Nadia''s worth.

    The antidemons surrounding us also probably thought Twisted Horn was enough to defeat Fran and Nadia, which was why they took no action.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Better look down on us while you still can.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Let''s make them cry!¡¹

    And then Fran made her move.

    Our usual method of fighting huge opponents involved using our superior agility to distract our opponent, looking for an opening, and finishing the fight in one fell swoop.

    Fran followed that strategy by using aerial hops and Brilliant Lightning Rush to fly erratically around Twisted Horn.

    To my surprise, Nadia was able to perform simr movements. Not only was she fast, but she could make impossible changes in movement midair, as if ignoring inertia. That must be another power of Overgrowth or her Golden Devourer skill.

    However, Twisted Horn was an extraordinary opponent beyond my imagination. I didn''t think we were underestimating him, but we did not fully understand how dangerous he could be.

    Fran and Nadia struck with blinding speed to create an opening, a simultaneous sh from both the front and the rear.

    He would be forced on the defensive, then they could knock him off bnce and settle the match with their most powerful moves.

    That was the n, but very next moment, a shocking situation urred.

    ¡¸Gwoogh!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Nadia and Fran''s eyes widened at the same time.

    To their surprise, Twisted Horn had evaded them by using aerial hop. He didn''t even need to defend if he couldpletely evade them.

    And this time, he was the one flying through the air wildly swinging his de at Fran and Nadia, just as they had done to him earlier.

    I was confident Fran could beat him in control over fine movements, even if Twisted Horn could reach higher top speeds. However, Twisted Horn''s agility proved to be more than a match for us.

    Mobility was supposed to be our only advantage, yet he''s got us beaten us there too!

    The three of them dashed around violently as if they were intertwined in midair, exchanging blows all the while.

    Shockwaves and roars scattered around each time they shed, and his pursuit showed no signs of relenting.

    If the adventurers apanying us saw this scene, they would be able to tell there was something violently rampaging in the air, but they wouldn''t be able to tell what because we were just too fast.

    Neither side was able tond a clean hit on the other, and light scratches were healed instantly anyways.

    However, it was obvious that the more time passed, Fran and Nadia only became more exhausted.

    We were not in a good spot.

    Fran must have understood this too, finally making the decision to use her trump card.

    £¨Master, let''s do this!£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    She squeezed my hilt tightly, maybe due to the frustration of being unable to win with her own strength. But this is one fight we have to win. Fran called out the skill that would bring her victory.

    ¡¸Sword God Transformation!¡¹

 Chapter 822

    <h4>Chapter 822</h4>

    <h4>822: Divine Energy Maniption</h4>

    ¡¸Sword God Transformation!¡¹

    Fran''s body became enveloped in divine power, and her movement suddenly paused.

    She went from superspeed to aplete standstill in an instant. Even I was amazed at such an impossible phenomenon.

    I guess Sword God Transformation was just that kind of ability, affecting things beyond the just the de. I should have expected as much from the realm surpassing the level of Swordking.

    Moreover, Fran stood her ground, even under Twisted Horn''s onught.

    The only thing she did move slightly back and forth while lightly waving her de.

    Fran looked to be moving at a snail''s pacepared to Nadia and Twisted Horn, who were still jumping around and shing at each other at ultra-high speeds.

    Anyone would wonder how she managed to survive on this battlefield. However, each of her movements was guided by the Sword God and made with absolute precision.

    Twisted Horn delivered a series of blows in a single second, and Fran evaded with only a slight movement. Then, she swung her de after perfectly predicting her enemy''s movements, delivering heavy damage and interrupting his bnce at the same time.

    With me constantly being exactly where he was attempting to move, Twisted Horn became visibly upset. His movements turned more and more violent.

    But our opponent was no ordinary creature either.

    No matter how deeply we cut him, his wounds healed instantly. Not even the divine attribute meant a fatal wound for Twisted Horn.

    Even if not fatal, they certainly did more damage than normal shes. I could see the regeneration speed for those wounds being slightly dyed.

    After seeing that, Nadia shouted to Fran.

    ¡¸Fran! Handle him for a bit!¡¹

    She knew that Fran could handle Twisted Horn by herself if it was only for a short period of time. Then, Nadia made a huge jump backwards.

    Fran dashed forward silently to rece her. This time, she had performed a full eleration from a standstill.

    Twisted Horn''s greatsword and I mmed against each other in a fierce exchange, aplete turnaround from our previous sh.

    We had been evenly matched when it was two against one. So even with Fran in her Sword God Transformation state, we were at a considerable disadvantage. I supposed we should expect as much from a Uniquepletely specialized in meleebat.

    Fran''s flesh was gouged out, her blood spurting out. Over time, the number of wounds steadily exceeded our rate of healing.

    Even so, Fran gritted her teeth and continued to swing her de, determined keep Twisted Horn away from Nadia. Meanwhile, Nadia was focusing her mana in the background.

    Compared to the first time she activated Sword God Transformation, Fran mostly maintained her consciousness. She was feeling all of that pain.

    However, the Sword God continued overworking Fran''s body as if saying that this was necessary for her growth.

    I heard strange soundsing from all over her small body. Her bones, muscles, and flesh were all screaming.

    In this short amount of time, Fran''s condition got close to dangerous levels.

    If this continued any longer, she would surely be renderedpletely immobile. Meanwhile, there were still well over ten thousand antidemons surrounding us. If we wanted to get out of this alive, she would need to be able to move.

    But my worries got blown away by Nadia''s shout.

    ¡¸I''m ready! Move!¡¹

    I saw Nadia readying Overgrowth, which had almost doubled in size, with golden mana erupting from her entire body.

    The surprise from this scene exceeded her Sword God Transformation state, and a scream escaped from Fran''s mouth.

    ¡¸Auntie!¡¹

    Nadia hadpletely transformed into an antidemon, with the area around her right eye being probably the only part of her body still intact.

    The mana emanating from her body was on the level of Ashwrath when he went out of control. She had obviously performed some sort of reckless enhancement.

    ¡¸This guy needs to die here!¡¹

    Nadia replied with a voice that sounded as if she was stifling her feelings of guilt. Then, she charged towards Twisted Horn.

    She was so fast that I could have easily lost her if I wasn''t focused.

    Twisted Horn''s greatsword shed head-on with Overgrowth.

    Immediately afterwards, Twisted Horn''s greatsword was deflected. Nadia''s sudden increase in strength and speed must have caused him to miscalcte the amount of force he needed.

    ¡¸Gyigoh?¡¹

    ¡¸You''re mine!¡¹

    Using this opening, Nadia severed Twisted Horn''s left arm with her second blow.

    Apparently, the effect of Abyssal yer had inhibited his regeneration. This was the first moment since the battle began that we had gained the upper hand.

    Nadia and Twisted Horn continued their battle to the death with terrifying impacts, each that would cause big damage to Fran if she was hit.

    ¡¸Oraaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyoooooouurgh!¡¹

    This current Nadia was clearly beyond the Rank A level. She probably had one foot in the S level, but the cost she paid was immeasurable.

    All that erosion¡­¡­ Even if we win, will she ever return to normal? Isn''t it pretty likely for her to go out of control now?

    ¡ºNadia, don''t get reckless here!¡»

    ¡¸If now''s not the time to be reckless, then when is?!¡¹

    Like I thought, nothing I say will stop her.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san! How''s Nadia''s situation?¡»

    ¡¶Estimated 52 seconds toplete erosion.¡·

    ¡ºI knew it. It''s going even faster!¡»

    ¡¶Once the erosion isplete, I believe the individual named Nadia will go berserk and attack friend and foe alike.¡·

    Our first priority is to end this battle before the erosion reachespletion. That would be the minimum requirement to save Nadia.

    As much as I would like to back Nadia up, it would be difficult to break into a battle where they are constantly moving without pause.

    And even if we managed to interrupt, we wouldn''t be able to deliver a decisive blow.

    In the worst case, we would only be a hindrance to Nadia.

    But Nadia is currently risking it all for Fran. I guess I have to take on some risk too.

    ¡ºI need to further enhance the Divine Attribute¡­¡­!¡»

    I consciously activated my Divine Energy Maniption skill. It felt like something was being pulled out of me.

    The white light surrounding my de grew brighter, and at the same time, something like a ck ripple ran through it. Within the burning white glow, I could see a ck imperfection mixed in.

    I knew intuitively that this was something nasty.

    Within my divine attributed mana, this divine energy¡­ there was a dense evil energy mixed in.

    Why? Is the power of the Evil God Fragment sealed inside me leaking out? But I didn''t hear those annoying whispers of the Evil God like thest time I almost went out of control.

    ¡ºA-Announcer-san, what''s going on?¡»

    ¡¶Unknown.¡·

    ¡ºHow blunt!¡»

    So even Announcer-san has no clue¡­¡­

    But who cares!

    ¡ºHaaaah!¡»

    With my current state of being d in a mixture of divine and evil energy, I knew that I would be able to deliver a terrifyingly powerful strike.

    The load on me had doubled, but with this, I may be able to do some serious damage even to Twisted Horn.

    I''ll be making use of this for now!

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran, who was still in the Sword God Transformation state, was already moving silently by the time I shouted.

 Chapter 823

    <h4>Chapter 823</h4>

    <h4>823: Twisted Horn''s End</h4>

    Fran''s eyes widened at the sight of me, cloaked in both divine and evil energy.

    As expected, not even Fran could ignore that.

    However, Fran''s body immediately started to move despite her surprise.

    She gripped my decorative thread as she ran forward.

    The Sword God''s will dwelling in Fran''s body naturally triggered my transformation.

    My cord stretched and grew, twisting and turning, undergoing a surprising transformation.

    At the end of the cord, another sword was born. A longsword with the emblem of a wolf and a golden hilt, and blue decorations on the de.

    Yeah, it was another me. I was now a pair of twin swords joined together by a cord at the hilt.

    Fran jumped with her arms crossed in front, carrying the twin swords above her shoulders.

    She had put so much force into her feet that it looked like the ground exploded under her, and then she was in between Nadia and Twisted Horn the next moment. She had moved so fast that it felt like teleportation.

    Naturally, we had already buffed ourselves to the limit with various spells and skills as soon as we stepped foot on the battlefield. If we wanted to gain even more speed, then we would have to use wind or me magic to elerate ourselves further.

    That was supposed to be the case but¡­¡­

    Fran seemed to be using the mana she drew from me to further enhance her body. Since she was now one with the sword, she became able to utilize my mana directly.

    Moreover, I could see some evil energy mixed in the mana she used. I guess the Sword God could make proper use of evil energy as well.

    Twisted Horn reacted immediately to Fran''s sudden appearance at an imperceptible speed.

    He changed the target of his great sword from Nadia to Fran. Though we were enemies, I could not help but feel impressed by the speed of his decision.

    However, Fran easily caught the downward sh of the greatsword by swinging down her left sword, sweeping it away.

    This result was probably due to the skill of the Sword God, as well as my strength from the dense mixture of divine and evil energy. My left sword was knocked away by the impact too, but we still have my right sword left.

    However, before Fran could deliver a blow with the right sword, Twisted Horn''s body started to blur with noise covering his outline.

    A sign of teleportation. Twisted Horn must have intended to use teleportation to gain distance from us.

    That''s really bad, since I''m quickly approaching my limit here! As panic started to well up, I thought about my options¡­¡­

    Then suddenly Fran roared.

    ¡¸Grah!¡¹

    She struck with evil energy applied to her voice, which apparently interfered with the teleportation. This must be the same principle as the skill blockage Sierra had performed previously, utilizing the evil energy of the Zelos Reed magic sword.

    Twisted Horn''s outline unblurred¨D¨Dand his head was gone. Before I knew it, my right sword had beheaded him.

    But this was not the end.

    Fran gripped the hilt of the sword that flew in front of her with her left hand. This was the left sword that she had dropped after performing her first parry.

    By swinging the right sword, she had also pulled back the left since they were connected via the cord. Apparently, Fran had dropped the sword on purpose. This way, she saved herself the trouble of having to move the sword back into her stance after swinging it.

    After grabbing the left sword, Fran immediately swung it down toward the headless antidemon in front of her.

    Without any wind up, the blow didn''t seem to have much power. But now that I have enhanced myself with Divine Energy Maniption, it was more than enough.

    Twisted Horn''s right arm was severed, his greatsword sent flying away. But then Fran stepped backwards, without paying any heed to the lost greatsword.

    That''s when Nadia rushed in, passing close enough to touch Fran.

    Their gazes crossed as they passed each other, a smile appearing on both their mouths. I guess it really is possible to tell she was smiling even with the face of an antidemon.

    Seeing them able to understand each other so easily filled me with joy and a little bit of jealousy.

    What I can say for certain though, is that we would have had a rough time without this strong bond between them.

    ¡¸Daryaaaaah!¡¹

    The antidemon was trying to regenerate even having lost his head and arms. That''s when Nadia''s golden de struck him.

    The ridiculously durable body of Twisted Horn was easily sliced open from the left shoulder to the right stomach. One would think that this did less damage than the decapitation, but Twisted Horn certainly didn''t think so.

    I could sense the power draining from his body. The effect of Abyssal yer had put an end to him.

    There was no explosion, no screams of despair. Twisted Horn''s body silently began to crumble away.

    This was the end of a powerful antidemon,parable to a Threat Level A.

    Nadia, on the other hand, was also wounded to the bone.

    She had put everyst bit of her strength into herst blow, which left her severely depleted. Despite absorbing the power of such a great antidemon, she showed no signs of recovery.

    Did she not conserve any strength? She probably could have kept a bit more, since thatst hit seemed a bit overkill¡­¡­

    No, I guess I shouldn''t be the one talking.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºGrgh¡­¡­¡»

    As soon as we deactivated Sword God Transformation and Divine Energy Maniption, we were hit by the tremendous bacsh.

    Fran''s health and mana both dropped to the double digits. In addition, her regeneration was slow, probably because she used Sword God Transformation for too long.

    I, too, had very little mana and durability left, and my battered sword de showed no sign of regeneration. This is gonna take a while to repair.

    But that''s something to think about after we survive this battlefield. After pouring the best potions we had on Fran, I shouted to her.

    ¡ºAll the surrounding antidemons areing!¡»

    ¡¸Auntie¡­¡­! Let''s run?¡¹

    Fran crawled over to Nadia, who was still kneeling on the ground. Nadia slowly stood up and took Fran''s outstretched hand.

    But her hand was ck, hard, and cold. This was no longer a human hand, but the hand of an antidemon. Still, Fran''s warm hand returned the grasp.

    ¡ºHurry!¡»

    With thest of my mana, I opened a Dimension Gate. On the other side was the rest of our friends.

    I see the ck wall of antidemons closing in on us rapidly. Shit! We have to get out of here fast!

    While I was in a panic, Nadia called out to Fran in a voice as gentle as ever. Her right eye, which was thest part remaining, had already been lost.

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Auntie!¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry¡­¡­ but you¡­ must¡­ live.¡¹

    ¡¸Aun¨D¨D¡¹

    The next thing we knew, a different scene appeared in front of us.

    ¡¸¨D¨Dtie!¡¹

    Nadia had pushed us through the Dimension Gate.

    ¡¸What? Fran?¡¹

    Hilt voiced her surprise, but Fran could not respond. She had frozen,pletely stunned with her hand still outstretched.

    My gate had already been destroyed by the antidemons, so Fran''s hand could no longer reach anyone.

    ¡¸Why¡­¡­?¡¹

    Thest thing we saw through the gate was Nadia''s smiling face as she got swallowed by the avnche of antidemons.

 Chapter 824

    <h4>Chapter 824</h4>

    <h4>824: A Faint Possibility</h4>

    ¡¸¡­¡­Ah¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran was left kneeling,pletely stunned.

    She couldn''t even say a single word as the gate closed in front of us.

    But then she realized what had just urred.

    ¡¸UWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!¡¹

    She began wailing and violently scratching her head. This tore apart her scalp, causing blood to drip out. Normally, her wounds would have regenerated immediately, but the recoil from Sword God Transformation had inhibited her healing.

    Blood flowed freely from her head and ran down her forehead and cheeks, making it look as if she was crying tears of blood.

    Her roar of regret was filled with self-me, as well as hatred for the antidemons.

    ¡¸Fran! Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone! Protect Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    Hilt shook Fran''s shoulders, but her screaming did not stop. Just seeing this must have made her realize what happened.

    Hilt stood there with a painful expression, turning around to protect Fran behind her back. Her eyes red at the swarms of antidemons rushing toward us.

    I also just managed to get a hold of our current situation.

    The red dragons were all gone. It seemed that they had seeded in ying them without any casualties, since the number of ourpanions had not decreased. Though that was good news, everyone was still covered in wounds.

    Yagle and Diggins, in particr, seemed to be very worn out.

    Upon closer inspection, I could see that their armor was half broken. I can only imagine how roughly they were beaten up to have their armor damaged so badly.

    Although their wounds had been healed, expended stamina and spilt blood didn''te back so easily.

    Still, the two of them were stronger than I thought if they won the battle by themselves.

    ¡¸Protection is the true spirit of a knight!¡¹

    ¡¸I won''t let anyone hurt ck Lightning Princess-san any more!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I''ll do my best too!¡¹

    Everyone pumped themselves with fighting spirit for Fran, from the battered Yagle, Diggins, and even Phobos-kun, who should already be nearing his limits.

    That feeling alone made me so happy that it brought tears to my eyes.

    However, Fran did not have theposure to notice their concerns.

    ¡¸UWAAAAAAAAHH!¡¹

    She could not stop wailing.

    But the antidemons would not be willing to wait for her. On the contrary, the surrounding antidemons took advantage of this situation to rush in all at once.

    After the downfall of Twisted Horn, themander of the antidemons, the hordes lost all semnce of control.

    They simply rushed toward their prey as their voracious appetites demanded.

    ¡¸Back off! Dimitris-style martial art, Whirlwind Wave!¡¹

    ¡¸Let''s show them what we dragonkin are made of!¡¹

    Hilt and Chelsea blew away the antidemons with wide-area attacks. But these two were not the only ones on the job.

    ¡¸You shall not pass me!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks, you saved me! Take this, damn antidemons!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahah! You''re finished!¡¹

    Several knights and adventurers, whose names we didn''t even know, worked together to desperately repel the antidemons. Though they could barely cooperate at the start of our journey, they must have formed a tight bond on the battlefield.

    The knights defend their allies, the sorcerers cast spells to create a opening, and then the warriors deliver the final blow. All these knights, adventurers, and mercenaries moved in unison to defeat the antidemons.

    They weren''t that strongpared to Hilt and Chelsea, and certainly couldn''t be considered our main forces.

    But without their strength, this unit would have fallen apart. We only managed to stay afloat because every single one of them was breaking their limits.

    They may not be the main yers, but they were all indispensable. Everyone here yed a important role, and there were no supporting characters.

    ¡¸Protect the girl!¡¹

    ¡¸Follow the Knight Commander!¡¹

    ¡¸We''ll buy ck Lightning Princess-san time to recover!¡¹

    They really are a great bunch. For their sakes too, we''ve got to get out of here as fast as we can.

    Is my only option to carry Fran and fly away? No, I don''t think I have enough mana for that anymore¡­¡­

    ¡¸¡­¡­Divine Performance - The Regrets of the Brave.¡¹

    While I was searching for any way to get Fran out of here, Sophie suddenly started ying her music. It was an intense performance, unlike any song she had yed so far.

    Moreover, the mana imbued into her music far exceeded the mana cost of even supreme-level spells.

    Every time Sophie flicked her the harp, the mana surrounding her grew denser and more brilliant.

    She gave off a blue glow as she performed. The radiance surrounding her was so divine that I couldn''t believe we were still in the middle of a battlefield.

    After I was enraptured by her for about ten seconds, I quickly noticed a strange feeling.

    My mana had been significantly restored. Not only that, but my durability as well.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sophie.¡¹

    ¡¸Have you settled down now?¡¹

    This song must have had some sort of calming effect. Fran had already stopped crying, and was now staring up at Sophie with her swollen tear-stained eyes.

    ¡¸You healed me?¡¹

    ¡¸I simply restored your soul to its proper state. Well, that has a healing effect as a result.¡¹

    Maybe it was simr to a status healing ability? However, it seemed to be way more potent since it was capable of erasing the aftereffects of the divine attribute.

    This meant escape was now on the table again.

    ¡ºFra¨D¨D Whoa!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Just when I was about to suggest escape, I felt a tremendous surge of magical power from a short distance away.

    It was a ferocious, wild power, like a beast''s.

    ¡ºThat tremendous power just now¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nadia''s?¡¹

    Fran instantly turned around, staring in the direction where we felt the power.

    The same enormous magical power was emitted once more. This wavelength of the mana undoubtedly belonged to Nadia, despite havingpletely transforming into an antidemon.

    ¡¸Auntie¡­¡­ She''s still¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, she''s alive.¡»

    ¡¸She''s fighting too!¡¹

    The light came back to Fran''s eyes. Nadia was still alive, and still fighting.

    "We might still be able to save her." I''m sure that''s what was going through her mind.

    But even with Nadia alive, if her heart was already gone¡­¡­

    ¡¸Sophie. With your song just now, could you heal Auntie?¡¹

    ¡ºI-I see!¡»

    Sophie said she restored the soul to its proper state, right? If so, could she do the same with Overgrowth''s erosion?

    ¡¸¡­¡­I can''t say for sure since I haven''t seen her condition. But it might be possible.¡¹

    The moment she heard Sophie''s words, Fran''s face regained its full strength.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWait. I know how you feel, but¡­¡­¡»

    I also felt the same urge to save Nadia. But even though we''ve recovered somewhat, that didn''t change the fact that we were heavily worn out.

    Besides, our friends must be nearing their limits too. Maybe we should have them fall back a bit so that we can head out on our own?

    ¡º¡­¡­? Did you feel the ground shake just now?¡»

    I was currently lodged in the ground, and my sword de felt a slight vibration. The earth was shaking rhythmically with repeated thuds.

    Moreover, the shaking seemed to be getting louder and louder. Was something approaching us? I tried to search for any suspicious presences, but was unable to find any. How is this possible?

    The source of these vibrations revealed itself right afterwards.

    Suddenly, a thousand-man army appeared right next to Castel. It was as if they had teleported.

    But the vibrations I heard earlier must have been the sound of their footsteps as they marched, meaning this was no teleportation. Perhaps they had an ability or tool to conceal an entire army.

    These neers were not antidemons, but people we knew very well.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! The Snorabbit army has arrived on the battlefield!¡¹

    The booming voice reaching every corner of the battlefield belonged to Orfalve, Queen of the Dwarves.

 Chapter 825

    <h4>Chapter 825</h4>

    <h4>825: More Reinforcements</h4>

    Atop a small hill about 100 meters away from our current location, an army of 1,000 dwarves suddenly appeared.

    At the front was Queen Orfalve, carrying a ridiculously huge halberd on her shoulder.

    She took one nce at us and shouted loudly.

    ¡¸Dwarven warriors, perform as usual! March as you always do, show our prowess as you always do, and crush our enemies as you always do!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Understood!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    All the dwarves stepped forward at once, but all we could hear was a single loud thud.

    That meant the movements of so many dwarves were in perfect unison.

    And they were holding their weapons with the exact same stance. Without looking back at her fellow dwarves, Orfalve activated her skill.

    The Extra Skill that made the dwarven warriors the strongest army in the world.

    ¡¸Brave March! Follow me!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Understood!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Led by Orfalve, the dwarves began to march in unison.

    At their front was the queen. She was followed by two horizontal lines of 500 men, the same simple formation we had seen before.

    I guess those that horizontal formation makes full use of the dwarves'' insane power.

    Perhaps the antidemons considered the sudden appearance of the dwarves as a threat, or perhaps they viewed the mana of the dwarves as a feast, after seeing it boosted by the power of Brave March.

    Either way, we saw about half of the antidemons around us change their target to the dwarves instead.

    We couldn''t ask for better reinforcements.

    ¡¸We''re joining up with the dwarves! Everyone, gather around me!¡¹

    Hilt shouted, and the hundred man army all moved together. She must have been fully recognized as the leader after we left to save Nadia.

    ¡¸Fran, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    There''s no way we could save Nadia on our own, even if we''ve somewhat recovered. Our best option would be to get help from the dwarves.

    Although the pressure from the antidemons lessened somewhat, there were still many enemies surrounding us. Hilt ced everyone that could still fight on our perimeter, intending to forcibly break through the horde.

    ¡¸Sophie, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Kinda¡­¡­¡¹

    The song that had healed us earlier must have worn her out more than I had imagined. She couldn''t even run.

    Well, she could still move better than Fran.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-san, would you like me to carry you?¡¹

    ¡¸I''m fine. You must be tired too, Diggins.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. This is nothing to worry about!¡¹

    The main members of the team were severely worn out from fighting on the front lines. It was not only Diggins and Yagle.

    ¡¸Colbert!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    After Hilt screamed, we turned around to see Colbert having just been shed by a swordsman-type and sttering blood everywhere.

    Hilt went to his rescue and saved the day, but everyone was getting too exhausted to stay focused. Simr scenes were happening to other members of the army.

    After seeing this, Hilt''s expression changed. She had resolved herself.

    ¡¸I''ll make our path.¡¹

    Even Hilt was exhausted too, with the mana in her body visibly weakening. Still, she was willing to step forward for the sake of herrades.

    ¡¸Haaah! Garuda!¡¹

    Hilt''s body elerated at once, and her outstretched fist sted all the antidemons away.

    However, her movements were clearlyckluster, showing in herck of control over the Garuda art. She could only output about half the power she would normally be able to use.

    But Hilt did not stop. She continued moving forward, crushing all the antidemons in front of her.

    Her fist was alreadypletely covered in her own blood.

    With the magic power covering her fists diminishing, she could no longer fully ignore the toughness of the antidemon''s armor. Still, Hilt just kept on throwing out her fists.

    Why was she fighting so hard? She shouldn''t have a big stake in this fightpared to Fran.

    She of course didn''t know Nadia, nor had any feelings about Castel.

    And yet, Hilt still squeezed out everyst drop of her being,pletely determined to save everyone.

    ¡¸I won''t let¡­ anyone die here!¡¹

    Hilt muttered faintly.

    I doubt Fran heard that. It was a very faint murmur, so quiet that I was the only one able to pick it up.

    ¡¸If anyone dies here¡­ Fran would be upset! I won''t allow a little girl like that¨D¨Dto cry any more!¡¹

    So it was for Fran''s sake¡­¡­ I can kinda see why then. Fran would have risked her life for Hilt too.

    The rtionship between the two was a little moreplicated than just "friendship". They first battled each other to the death, and now they''re fighting together¡­ Maybe rades-in-arms" would be the best way to describe them?

    These two were the kind of people who would risk their lives with a smile for theirrades-in-arms. The only thing I could say for sure, was that they were connected by a mysterious bond that I could never fully understand.

    But as if to mock Hilt''s resolve, the wave of antidemons showed no sign of relenting.

    I could feel the speed of our advance slowing.

    ¡ºThings are gonna end badly at this rate. I could use all my remaining mana to¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¶Negative. If the current situation continues, the probability of casualties to our troops is a mere 3%.¡·

    Huh, why? What do you mean, 3%?

    I was about to ask back, when a white light suddenly enveloped us.

    The light feltfortable, as if we were being bathed in warm water. I knew that feeling, the light of restoration magic.

    ¡ºWide range healing? Who could have done this¡­?¡»

    I took another look around. Just then, I noticed a new army had appeared nearby, like the dwarves did previously.

    I didn''t notice them this time either!

    ¡ºThey healed us, so they must be our allies, right?¡»

    Unlike the dwarves, I did not recognize this new army. At the front was a sorceress with morbidly pale skin and goat-like horns.

    She''s probably a demonkin.

    ¡¸Fire!¡¹

    At her order, the newly appeared army unleashed a wave of spells. They must have casted at least 300 of them.

    The spellsnded in the antidemon hordes, blowing them to smithereens. Okay, they were definitely our allies.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, you were able to notice them, right?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative.¡·

    ¡ºBut how? I couldn''t sense them at all.¡»

    ¡¶I have previous experience with skill applied, therefore I was able to seed in detecting the slight peculiarities.¡·

    ¡ºTheir skill? You mean the one that allowed the dwarves to get here undetected?¡»

    ¡¶Negative. I believe the dwarves used a magical tool instead. The skill used by the demonkin was Perfect Presence Blocking. I believe it is possible for them to extend the skill''s influence over their subordinates.¡·

    ¡ºPerfect Presence Blocking? You mean¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¶The skill possessed by the individual named Jean Dovey.¡·

 Chapter 826

    <h4>Chapter 826</h4>

    <h4>826: Jayne</h4>

    After the dwarves showed up, another army appeared. This time, an army of demonkin.

    With their support, we managed to join up with the dwarves.

    ¡¸Orfalve-sama! Thank you for your assistance!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuahahaha! It is just what we needed to repay our debt to Fran! You need not worry about it!¡¹

    The dwarf queenughed off Hilt''s words and weed our hundred man army into their ranks.

    The dwarves came forward to protect Fran and the others, smiling at us as we passed them by. They also seemed to be trying to reassure us by giving us a thumbs-up or a guts-pose.

    Their opponents were no normal antidemons. Even without the ability to coordinate, the hordes still consisted of elites, the powerful ck antidemons. Your average soldier would be saying their prayers right about now.

    To the dwarves, however, this difference was insignificant.

    Just as I had seen in our first battle with the dwarves, they simply marched forward, knocking down the antidemons with impunity.

    The march of the dwarves showed no sign of stopping. They made it look so easy that the thought, "Huh, were they really that weak?", almost passed through my head.

    Especially Orfalve, who was leading the warriors on the front line, was a surprise even to us.

    She made no attempts to defend herself, simply shrugging off each blow with her own toughness and armor, then crushing her opponent with a counterattack. And this was against the ck and red knight-types that even we struggled against.

    Not a single antidemon could get past the wall of dwarves.

    The tense atmosphere of Fran and the others seemed to have loosened up a bit. They still didn''t let their guard down, but they certainly felt relief at this sight of hope.

    Being behind the dwarves was just that reassuring.

    And they were not fighting alone.

    The demonkin had joined up behind the dwarves, sending them healing and support magic. The dwarven army already had overwhelming power, and now you''re giving them magical support? That''s just overkill.

    I had finally regained enoughposure to examine the demonkin army.

    Initially, I believed their army was about half the size of the dwarven army, but they were even smaller than I thought. The demonkin army only looked bigger because of all the undead following them.

    There were a little more than 200 undead guarding the demonkin, all quite powerful.

    I searched for Jean, but couldn''t find any signs of his presence. Maybe he was hiding from us?

    Just as I was thinking that, I heard Announcer-san''s warning.

    ¡¶A presence is approaching.¡·

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    Where? I didn''t sense anything, but Announcer-san wouldn''t lie to me. I diverted all my concentration to detection, searching for the person Announcer-san was trying to warn me about.

    And sure enough, someone was there. I could feel a very slight vibration with each step they took. Fran sensed this too.

    She quickly turned around, and her eyes widened.

    That someone was really closing in right behind us.

    And it was the sorceress at the head of the demonkin army.

    I couldn''t feel any hostile intent, but she did attempt to sneak up on us. Fran red at the woman warily.

    But the sorceress simply shrugged her shoulders, not looking apologetic in the slightest.

    ¡¸Oh? Guess you caught me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! My name is Jayne, Jayne Dovey, ruler of the underworld, and she who has gazed into the darkest depths!¡¹

    Ugh. I could tell she was rted to Jean even if she didn''t tell us her family name! Maybe she''s Jean''s little sister or something?

    I tried to appraise her, but I got repelled somehow. Not only was she powerful enough to resist, I felt something blocking me as well. Judging by that feeling, she was likely using some sort of anti-appraisal skillbined with an anti-appraisal item.

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! You just attempted to appraise me, huh? Nonsense, simply nonsense! I''m wearing a very powerful appraisal blocking item, so not even Garrus'' Divine Eye would work! Well, that''s no wonder since the boy can''t even fully utilize his Divine Eye!¡¹

    Did she call Garrus "the boy"? I thought she was Jean''s little sister, but maybe she was the older sister instead. You just can''t tell the age of these long-lifespan races by their appearance.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Didn''t I already answer that?¡¹

    ¡¸You said your name was Jayne, but you didn''t say who you were. Are you rted to Jean?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah! That''s right, of course. It''s been so long that I''ve spoken to someone who didn''t recognize my name. What a blunder!¡¹

    So she must be at least famous enough to have her name recognized back home?

    ¡¸Gasp! Ever since I arrived at this continent, I''ve been getting weird looks every time I introduced myself¡­¡­ Don''t tell me that this was the actual reason. I had thought they were all stricken with fear at the mere mention of my name!¡¹

    Theplete inability to listen to othersbined with that entric personality¡­ I''m sure she shares the same blood as Jean. They were simr in appearance too.

    Jayne was about 160 cm tall, with skin so pale it almost looked blue. She also shared the same dull silver hair, goat-like horns, and red eyes as Jean.

    However, the softness in her eyes probably made her seem more friendly than Jean. She appeared strangely approachable, in spite of her behavior.

    Maybe her voice was a part of that too? She had what I would call a "loli voice", that could probably be mistaken for that of an elementary school girl. You might say she was theplete opposite of Orfalve, whose tone always had a regal air.

    Her outfit was simr to Jean''s, a robe with skull essories scattered all over. However, the two main differences were the chest gap revealing her cleavage and the bottom of her robe turning into a tightly fitting dress.

    ¡¸Ah yes, we were still in the middle of a conversation! I am Jayne and Jean Dovey is one of my sons!¡¹

    ¡¸Son?¡¹

    Seriously? This is his mother? That''s not what I was thinking when I said they were rted!

    ¡¸Precisely! Uhh, the ninth son, I believe?¡¹

    ¡¸Jayne, he is your eighth son.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh, really?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºUwah!¡»

    Damn, that really scared me! The skull ne resting on Jayne''s chest suddenly spoke out of nowhere! That silver ne looked just to be one of her many skull essories¡­¡­

    Is it an undead? If so, I was certainly unable to sense any sign of it¡­¡­

    ¡¸Surprised? This is an undead item! It''s specialized in concealment and disguise, so I''m sure you couldn''t sense it, right?¡¹

    It turned out that this ne was the trick behind her Presence Blocking and Appraisal Blocking. It probably applied the effect to both the item itself and the wielder.

    ¡¸My name is Tort Dovey, the one in charge of making sure she does not go over board.¡¹

    ¡¸Dovey?¡¹

    ¡¸Tort is my great-grandfather. He turned himself into an undead to continue serving his country.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Jayne, are you someone important?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! You see, Dovey is the family name of the demonkin kingdom''s ruling ss!¡¹

    ¡¸So¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸You are certainly one calm girl. She means to say she is the queen of the demonkin kingdom, known widely as the Demon Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely!¡¹

    The Demon Lord smirked with a smug pose in front of us. What? You''re telling me this girl is the Demon Lord? And if she''s Jean''s mother, then she must be way older, right? Judging by her appearance and behavior, I could have sworn she was a teenager¡­¡­

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    ¡¸D-Do you not think you are being a little tooposed?¡¹

    ¡¸Oooh, that''s one cool attitude! I like you a lot!¡¹

    No, Fran''s only calm because she doesn''t realize how important the demon lord is! I''m currently freaking out here! Is this girl seriously a queen? Doesn''t that make Jean a prince? Say it ain''t so!

 Chapter 827

    <h4>Chapter 827</h4>

    <h4>827: The Demon Lord</h4>

    While Jayne was busyughing about how much she loved Fran, we were questioning the Tort the skull.

    ¡¸So we can''t sense you because you''re using the same skill as Jean?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes and no. Putting it simply, Jayne''s skill mimicked a portion of Jean''s power, then we used a particr method to expand that copied power over our whole army. You can think of it like that, I suppose?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Uhh, Jayne borrowed Jean''s skill and gave it to everyone. How about that?¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Fran seemed d to have her doubts answered, but isn''t that pretty ridiculous? That would give Jayne the ability to temporarily copy the skills of others and extend their effects over an entire army.

    Is it even fair to call that a copy? She''s basically exceeded the original at that point. However, Fran showed interest in a different subject.

    ¡¸Is Jean a prince?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed he is, since I went through all the pains to give birth to the boy! Well, I suppose that''s not quite true since I have Pain Nullification! But yes, I popped him out!¡¹

    ¡¸And for the record, please do not put all the demonkin in the same basket as those two. Jayne and Jean are very unique individuals.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    Fran! Why are looking so disappointed to hear that? I''m rather relieved!

    ¡¸Jayne is still young for a queen, meaning Jean will not be king for another hundred years at the minimum.¡¹

    ¡¸Jayne, how old are you?¡¹

    ¡¸That''s a maiden''s secret!¡¹

    ¡¸She''s 205 years old.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, Tort!¡¹

    ¡¸I am quite certain everyone back home knows all about your age because of the big celebration for your 200th birthday.¡¹

    ¡¸True, bute on¡­¡¹

    You''re telling me she''s over 200 years old looking like that! Meanwhile, 200 is still considered young. Should have expected as much from the demonkin.

    ¡¸Jean is the eighth son, but he might be king?¡¹

    ¡¸Order of birth has no importance in who bes the next Demon Lord.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoever is worthy will be king! It''s that simple! Even I was the sixth daughter of the previous king after all!¡¹

    I wondered if Jean would actually manage as a king, but I guess he''d be fine if Jayne could pull it off. Hmm, I wonder what the actual criteria is for selection of the Demon Lord though.

    ¡¸The most important thing for the Demon Lord is to bepatible with this magic dagger!¡¹

    Jayne picked up the dagger attached to her ne. After she unsheathed it, I could tell it was a very powerful magic dagger.

    The single-edged dagger was shaped like a snake''s fang, with a reddish purple de. It had a chain attached to the ck hilt, allowing Jayne to wear it as a ne.

    The scabbard was made of unknown metal, and decorated with borate carvings of natural objects.

    ¡¸This de is one of the proofs of the Demon Lord''s identity. None can take the throne unless they are recognized by it.¡¹

    I guess the dagger had some ability to select its wielder. No, it was clearly more than just that.

    Jayne held the dagger in front of herself while casting a spell. It acted as a magical support, simr to a wand.

    ¡¸Obey my will and storm forth, ghosts of wisdom lost! Hell Boost!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Uuooorghhh!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Jayne performed an underworld spell that strengthened the undead under her control for a certain period of time. Apparently, all of these undead protecting the demonkin were under Jayne''s control.

    The undead suddenly gave off an intense aura, and began rampaging with as much momentum as the dwarves. They had be ridiculously strong too.

    A bit too strong, if you ask me. Even the weakest ones in the undead army rose to approximately Threat Level D. With more than two hundred undead at that level, they were a force to be reckoned with.

    ¡¸Like you saw just now, this dagger has the effect of strengthening underworld magic. The Demon Lord gains unrivaled power when fully utilizing it.¡¹

    ¡¸There are several qualifications to be a Demon Lord, but the most important are your skill in the underworld magic, rtion to the bloodline of the first Demon Lord, and the approval of this magic dagger.¡¹

    I thought that enhancement was unusually powerful, but it makes sense if that''s the magic dagger''s special effect. No wonder it''s been passed down their royal family from generation to generation.

    ¡¸By the way, are you Fran the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸My son has told me all about you! I hear you''re a promising adventurer!¡¹

    I thought she was being strangely friendly, but I can understand why if Jean had spoken to her about Fran.

    "A promising adventurer" huh? Looks like Jean had better eyes than I gave him credit for.

    ¡¸He went on and on about how wonderful you would be as undead material! I agreepletely!¡¹

    So that''s what you meant by "promising"!

    Despite all her quirks, the conversation with Jayne certainly helped to take some of the edge off of Fran''s mood. A smile hade back to her face. Since Jayne did save us from a pinch, we should be grateful to her.

    Besides, despite their idle chatter, both Jayne and Fran were still moving ahead.

    Thebined army of dwarves and demonkin continued their advance, crushing antidemons under them as they moved forward.

    Our formation had the dwarves as the vanguard, Fran''s group behind them, and the demonkin guarding the perimeter.

    This was more than enough to allow Fran''s army to concentrate on their recovery.

    ¡¸I''m sorry to interrupt, but may I have a word with you?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Whoa, you look pretty strong too! You''d make an amazing undead!¡¹

    ¡¸T-Thank you? M-My name is Hiltoria, and I''m an adventurer.¡¹

    Even Hilt was taken off guard there. Not bad, Jayne-sama!

    ¡¸Don''t mention it, I''m just here because I was invited by Orfalve-dono. Besides, I''ve always wanted to meet the ck Lightning Princess in person!¡¹

    ¡¸Still, that doesn''t change the fact that you saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸You''re so disciplined! I like you!¡¹

    They seemed to get along pretty well. Jayne already liked Hilt, while Hilt also found it easy to talk to Jayne since she was not very detail-oriented.

    Their conversation went to several different subjects.

    ¡¸Whoa? You''re the heir to that old man Dimitris! I can''t believe such a nice and honest girl like you is rted to him! And you look so strong too!¡¹

    ¡¸I still have a ways to go.¡¹

    ¡¸I''m simply amazed with that strength at such a young age! Very promising!¡¹

    Yeah, "promising" as an undead! But the idle chatter ended quickly, and the two begin to talk about serious matters, like what our next step was going to be.

    Hilt was not one to just sit and watch others fight, so she asked if there was anything she could do. It wasn''t just Hilt either, many others in our army had simr feelings.

    But thebined forces of dwarves and demonkin boasted tremendous power, so much that they no longer had a need for assistance. In fact, we might just end up holding them back.

    ¡¸Just rest up for now. We will ask you for help when antidemons increase their pressure on us.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I understand.¡¹

 Chapter 828

    <h4>Chapter 828</h4>

    <h4>828: Jayne''s Cooperation</h4>

    Jayne said that she would ask for our help in a pinch, but such a scene had yet to ur.

    That must have been an excuse to let our battered army rest.

    The dwarves moved as an imprable wall, and the demonkin¡¯s continued giving them amazing support.

    Moreover, the antidemons clearly started dwindling in number. As Nadia rampaged in the distance, more and more antidemons flocked over to her.

    There were still decently powerful antidemons, though none even came close to Twisted Horn¡¯s level. If we consider him as themander of the antidemon horde, those noticeable ones must have been acting as vicemanders or squad captains.

    However, they were still no match for Orfalve or Jayne, and quickly wiped out.

    Five more minutes passed.

    £¨Master, we¡¯re almost there.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    It was obvious once we got this close. Nadia had definitely gone out of control.

    With an aura reminiscent of a wild beast, she continued thrashing the antidemons swarming around her. I could see the hundreds of antidemons gathered around Nadia blown up in an instant.

    As we got closer, we began to hear Nadia¡¯s roars.

    ¡¸Uroooooogh!¡¹

    The only emotions I could sense from those roars were intense violence and the destructive urge to annihte anyone approaching. She hadpletely lost her mind.

    ¡¸Sophie, what do you think?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. We¡¯d still have to get a lot closer so that my music can reach.¡¹

    The song that healed us apparently had a very limited range of effect. She would have to y it literally right in front of Nadia.

    ¡¸And you¡¯ll protect me, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. I¡¯ll make sure you reach Nadia.¡¹

    ¡¸I believe in you.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    Sophie nodded readily. Even though she owed Fran a debt of gratitude for the meal, wasn¡¯t she being a bit too trusting? Fran looked surprised as well.

    ¡¸I can see it in your eyes. You wouldn¡¯t ever leave a friend behind. Am I wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re not wrong. I would never abandon my friends.¡¹

    ¡¸There you have it. I¡¯m counting on you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    So we managed to get Sophie¡¯s help, but that doesn¡¯t mean Nadia can be saved just yet.

    Before we can try healing Nadia with Sophie¡¯s song, we have to make sure that Jayne and Orfalve didn¡¯t kill her first.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Jayne.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s up? Something bothering you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to the front.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? You do know your current condition, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran was currently a wreck. She needed to somehow convince Jayne to let her join the fight.

    That¡¯s what I was thinking, but¡­

    ¡¸Very well, we¡¯ll cover you! Go on ahead!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s reaction was exactly the same as the one she had given to Sophie earlier. She was clearly stunned by the unexpected response.

    ¡¸Come on now, a warrior of your caliber wants to head out to the battlefield! You clearly have some sort ofplicated circumstances, no? Then it¡¯s the duty of we who stand at the top to lend you a hand! Ahahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸If you have a problem, you may discuss it with us. She may not look the part, but I can vouch for her abilities.¡¹

    These demonkin really can¡¯t be judged by their appearances, huh? This Demon Lord and talking silver skull are way too nice.

    ¡¸I want to help Nadia.¡¹

    Fran exined her goal to Jayne and Tort. They did not simplye here to defeat the antidemons, but also to save Nadia and return her to human form. That was the reason we came all this way.

    She then told them about Nadia¡¯s current situation.

    ¡¸At this rate, Orfalve and Nadia will sh.¡¹

    ¡¸That is indeed worrisome¡­ By Nadia, you mean the antidemon that¡¯s running rampant up ahead, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I have heard the rumors, but to think the magical sword capable of devouring antidemons actually existed.¡¹

    ¡¸And so you want to use that girl¡¯s performance to restore Nadia to her original form. Hmmm¡­¡¹

    Jayne¡¯s gaze fell on Sophie. Her blood red eyes pierced Sophie as if they could see through everything.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! This army seems to be filled with great talent! I can sense an amazing power from you!¡¹

    I guess Sophie also received Jayne¡¯s stamp of approval. Just like she said, the hundred man army was packed with elites. I bet she would love each and every one of them.

    ¡¸We have magical performers in our country as well, but none as talented as you. Can you truly restore Nadia?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t say for sure, but I will try my best.¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie can do it!¡¹

    ¡¸As the warriors hold back Nadia, the monstrous maiden is saved by music of a beautiful youngdy! Yes, yes! It¡¯s just like a scene from a y! I¡¯m so lucky to have the chance to see such a wonderful event in person!¡¹

    Jayne seemed to be enjoying herself. Though her motive seemed a little impure, I¡¯m d she¡¯s on board.

    ¡¸First we have to talk to Orfalve-dono! Leave that part to me! Fuhahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ming too.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well! Follow me!¡¹

    For some reason, Jayne was starting to take the lead. Either way, that should make things go more smoothly, since Orfalve would listen to her.

    But can we actually talk to her now? She¡¯s currently at the head of her army, beating the crap out of the antidemons. Jayne¡¯s lighthearted behavior might have made everyone forget, but the battle is still raging on all around us.

    Yet Jayne continued moving all the way forward until we reached Orfalve¡¯s back. The antidemons didn¡¯t even give us so much as a nce.

    ¡¸Are your concealment skills working on me too?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! It¡¯s better that way, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    She made it sound super easy, but how is she even giving her skill effects to other people? I didn¡¯t notice her doing anything special either¡­¡­

    ¡¸Anyways, hold on a bit¡­ Orfalve-dono! Did you have a moment?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Jayne-dono! What did you need?¡¹

    ¡¸I need to talk to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? I am listening.¡¹

    Okay, that¡¯s pretty impressive. Orfalve simply continued smashing antidemons while holding the conversation. It might have been even easier now that Jayne was giving her some support.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 829

    <h4>Chapter 829</h4>

    <h4>829: Orfalve vs Nadia</h4>

    ¡¸So you want me to stop the antidemon in the center of that fight without killing it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! Exactly!¡¹

    ¡¸Well that is quite the unreasonable demand!¡¹

    You can say that again. Nadia was now far more powerful than even the highest tier antidemons. She might have even exceeded Twisted Horn at this point.

    It would be incredibly difficult to fight while holding back to avoid taking her life. At the very least, whoever attempted to do so would be risking their own life as well.

    This was not something Orfalve could easily ept.

    ¡¸Very well! We will hold that antidemon at bay! Then you may approach it after we have the upper hand!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯ll really help us?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! That willingness to risk your life to save those you love is truly wonderful! Right men?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸You heard them! If you leave it to us, it would be like having the Leviathan on your side!¡¹

    The Leviathan? Hearing that guy¡¯s name just fills me with worry. However, the dwarves certainly seemed to be motivated now.

    It wasn¡¯t only Orfalve, the other dwarves seemed on board as well.

    ¡¸Listen up! I will take the front and you all clean up the perimeter! If you perform the best here, you may get your hands on some of the old elvish wine! After all, this mission is from the one who brought the wine in the first ce!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸<strong>YEEEEAAAAHH!</strong>¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The dwarves let loose a maddened roar. So this is the power of alcohol!

    ¡¸Fran! Prepare yourself!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll have Nadia¡¯s movements stopped in no time!¡¹

    And with that, Orfalve and Jayne headed for Nadia.

    ¡¸Men! Get to work!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone! Fire at once!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Hah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The arts of the dwarves and the spells of the demonkin rained down over a wide area, annihting all the antidemons in our path.

    With this, the wall of antidemons separating us from Nadia vanished for a brief moment.

    There were still many antidemonsing towards us, but more than half of them were targeting Nadia. This meant the hole in the wall filled up rather slowly.

    ¡¸Here I go! I shall keep her attention as if my life depends on it, until the magic song ispleted!¡¹

    ¡¸Follow me. We¡¯re going in after Orfalve-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Sophie,e on!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Orfalve rushed into the battle. The dwarves following her change formation before I knew it.

    I guess you could call it a arrowhead formation. The dwarves lined up in the shape of an arrowhead, piercing their way through antidemon legion.

    Dwarves generally tended to take heavy steps with those short legs, so they weren¡¯t particrly fast even when under the effects of Brave March.

    But now they were different. All of the dwarves had dashed to Nadia in a blink of an eye.

    And then they leapt into the air andnded right in front of her. No one could call them heavy or slow now.

    The sudden appearance of the dwarves caused Nadia to turn against them.

    She must have instantly understood that they were powerful enemies.

    ¡¸Ooooooooourgh!¡¹

    ¡¸You are certainly crazy! So crazy that it is hard to believe you were formerly human! But this is a worthy opponent! Bring it on!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugyaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Uruaaah!¡¹

    Booooooom!

    Orfalve¡¯s giant halberd and Nadia¡¯s greatsword collided head-on. With a tremendous impact, the weapons of the two repelled each other.

    Though they did not let go of their weapons, both of them had been knocked backwards.

    They were evenly matched. I had thought that Orfalve¡¯s Brave March only affected her subordinates, but it appears to strengthen her own body as well.

    ¡¸Uuoooourgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Raaaaah!¡¹

    aang!

    Though they had both been blown backwards, Orfalve and Nadia immediately collided again. The two had both swung their weapons downwards with full force, and shed violently.

    And after that, it turned into a fierce and wild brawl.

    No matter how many times their weapons were repelled, they simply shed head-on with their opponent again.

    Maybe they had some frustration, since neither was able tond a clean hit. But more importantly, they both knew that the moment they relented in the assault was the moment their opponent would gain the upper hand.

    The tremendous impact of their repeated shes made it impossible for anyone to get close to them, so the two of them continued the exchange by themselves.

    All around us, the dwarves and demonkin were building up walls, separating Nadia from the other antidemons, and cleaning them up one by one.

    The battle seemed like it would go on forever, but the change came suddenly.

    ¡¸Nrgh?¡¹

    After about ten shes, both Overgrowth and Orfalve¡¯s halberd began to crack. Then in the next sh, both their des shattered off in the impact.

    Isn¡¯t that halberd pretty amazing? The sword in Nadia¡¯s hands was still a failed divine sword that grew by feeding on antidemons. In terms of stats, it even exceeded me in attack.

    Meanwhile that halberd shed with a failed divine sword head on, resulting in the destruction of both. That meant the halberd¡¯s sturdiness was approaching the level of divine swords.

    However, Orfalve lost her bnce after losing to thest sh.

    ¡¸Noooooo! The masterpiece created by my country¡¯s master cksmiths¡­¡­!¡¹

    Orfalve roared in frustration, but she seemed to be more disappointed in the loss of her weapon than being outmatched.

    At first nce, the two still appeared to be on even standing. However, the truth came out quickly. While the halberd remained shattered, Overgrowth immediately began repairing itself.

    Like I thought, the failed divine sword was still superior because of its special powers! I-It¡¯s not like I was rooting for Overgrowth to win or anything, I was just a little bothered by the result.

    ¡¸Ugaaaaah!¡¹

    Nadia roared and swung back with the fully regenerated Overgrowth. Orfalve had no way to block the strike.

    Or at least she shouldn¡¯t. But Orfalve suddenly smirked.

    ¡¸I have fulfilled my promise.¡¹

    Orfalve had, as she dered, held Nadia¡¯s attention until thepletion of the magic performance.

    Ron ron¡­¡­?

    At the moment Nadia swung the greatsword, Sophie yed thest note of her song.

    The light emitted from Sophie enveloped not only Orfalve and Fran, but also Nadia.

    ¡¸Ugaah¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! You did it, Sophie!¡¹

    Fran eximed in delight as Nadia stopped moving. Meanwhile, Nadia¡¯s face was slowly but surely returning to a human shape.

    Starting from her left eye, we could see her skin appearing and spreading outwards. Sophie¡¯s performance definitely had an effect.

    Nadia¡¯s mouth quivered as the light of reason returned to her eyes.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­ This is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Auntie!¡¹

    ¡¸Fra-¡­¡­Graaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Auntie? Auntie!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugah¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºGet back, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Gaaaahhh!¡¹

    Though Nadia temporarily regained her consciousness thanks to Sophie, she immediately reverted back.

    Her entire face waspletely mutated again.

    ¡¸Why!?¡¹

    ¡¶The failed divine sword, Overgrowth, haspleted the erosion again. The effect of temporary name Sophie¡¯s magical song has been overwritten.¡·

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s how it works!¡»

    We actually managed to cure Nadia for a moment. However, it seems Overgrowth¡¯s erosion was simply powerful enough to activate again.

    £¨Can we still save her?£©

    ¡¶The elimination of the failed divine sword Overgrowth is an essential prerequisite.¡·

    ¡ºSo that means it¡¯s my turn.¡»

    Overgrowth already proved its powerful auto-repair ability. Destroying it would be easier said than done.

    But we still have a chance. It¡¯s a failed divine sword, my kindred, which means I can cannibalize it! It shouldn¡¯t be able to repair itself if my cannibalize seeds.

    ¡¶Affirmative. If it can be damaged beyond the required level, there is an 87% chance that the skill ¡°Cannibalize¡± will be activated.¡·

    ¡ºAnd for that, I¡¯ll have to deal with Overgrowth personally.¡»

    £¨Nn! I¡¯ll do my best.£©

    ¡ºYeah, you¡¯ll have to push yourself again¡­¡­ But we¡¯ll do whatever it takes to save Nadia since we¡¯vee all this way!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 830

    <h4>Chapter 830</h4>

    <h4>830: Tort</h4>

    ¡¸Sophie, can you y the song one more time?¡¹

    ¡¸Did you¡­ have another n?¡¹

    Sophie appeared to have trouble responding when Fran approached her. Her song must have zero effect on healing herself.

    I could clearly see a hint of fatigue on her face. But in order to save Nadia, Sophie¡¯s power was indispensable.

    ¡¸Nn. Nadia turned back into an antidemon because of her sword. So I¡¯m gonna destroy the sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Even I can tell that is no ordinary sword. Can you really do it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay, but I don¡¯t have much strength left. I think I can only y one more time.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s plenty.¡¹

    Fran also called out to Orfalve.

    ¡¸I need your help one more time.¡¹

    ¡¸I heard what you said¡­¡­ but can you really destroy that magic sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯ll do it, so¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Say no more. Either way, we were just getting warmed up. Right men?!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The dwarves roared in response. Meanwhile, the reverted Nadia turned her gaze upon us.

    Her eyes, which had regained the light of rationality just a minute ago, now showed nothing but the violence of a monster.

    ¡¸Graaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Forward, my warriors!¡¹

    ¡¸Us demonkin will eliminate the antidemons around us!¡¹

    The battle began anew.

    Orfalve shed with Nadia after taking a new halberd out, and the dwarves were covering her. Nothing else could interrupt their fray.

    That¡¯s because the demonkin were here too. The undead formed a wall to prevent the antidemons from getting closer, with spells holding back the swarm.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! And now for the finishing touch! Tort, lift the seal!¡¹

    ¡¸Good grief. Fine, I suppose.¡¹

    Jayne, who was in high spirits, removed the silver skull pendant hanging from her neck and threw it forward with a flick.

    Immediately after that, the pendant began to shine in a blueish-ck light.

    When the cold light subsided, the pendant was gone. A young demonkin man stood there in its ce, carrying a jet-ck spear and d in silver armor.

    He was no ordinary man, or rather, undead. I could tell from the powerful necromancy-attributed mana radiating outwards.

    ¡¸It has been a long time since I had a body.¡¹

    He tested his movements by wriggling his fingers, but we recognized his voice.

    ¡¸Tort?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. I am currently using a temporary body created by underworld magic, though it is based off my body when I was young. Quite handsome, is it not?¡¹

    I have to agree, he had a handsome face very simr to Jean¡¯s. You can practically see the blood connection there.

    ¡¸Tort, you can¡¯t maintain that form for long, so finish it up fast. Leave the other antidemons to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. I shall be covering for the Dwarf Queen then. I suppose this was not a bad time to y your trump card.¡¹

    ¡¸Resummoning a heroic spirit is quite the pain in the ass, so I¡¯d prefer if you can survive this. That way, I can just call you back in a couple days.¡¹

    ¡¸I shall try my best. Kukuku, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had such an exciting battle in the flesh! Time to rampage to my heart¡¯s content. Tort Dovey, heading out!¡¹

    With this shout, Tort dashed towards Nadia dishing out a super-speed thrust. The spear prated through Nadia¡¯s defenses and pierced her chest.

    The sheer force of the blow sent Nadia¡¯s huge body flying backward. Tort must have tremendous physical strength.

    And despite his power, he was able to move almost as fast as us. Judging by his skill with the spear, I¡¯d say he has at minimum level 6 in Holy Spear Mastery. And on top of it all, he was practically immortal due to being an undead¡­¡­

    There¡¯s no way he¡¯s anything less than Threat Level B. Tort was not just a talking pendant, but the Demon Lord¡¯s trump card.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Are you Jayne-dono¡¯s heroic spirit summon?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, call me Tort! I shall cover for you!¡¹

    ¡¸Very well!¡¹

    After forming a makeshift tag team, Orfalve and Tort took Nadia head on. Considering how Orfalve handled Nadia by herself earlier, it was obvious that our side would gain the advantage now.

    Tort assisted her by interrupting whatever Nadia attempted to do.

    I was a bit concerned since Orfalve¡¯s new halberd was nowhere near as well-made, but it didn¡¯t seem to be a problem yet.

    With the three of them dancing through the air in front of us, Fran and I weren¡¯t just sitting around doing nothing.

    ¡ºFran, you ready?¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­ I¡¯m fine. You?£©

    ¡ºI got this.¡»

    While Sophie¡¯s music did heal us, we were far from peak condition. As we are now, we would only get one shot at this.

    We stoodpletely still, focusing all our strength for a decisive blow.

    Only then would we be able to destroy that failed divine sword.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran exhaled quietly, holding me at her waist at the iai stance. She leaned forward slightly, ready to jump in at any moment.

    On the surface, she was as silent as the calm seas. But on the inside, her energy levels were rising rapidly.

    The same went for me. Without uttering a word, I activated all my skills to build up my power.

    First is Divine Energy Maniption to clothe myself with the divine attribute. Then, in order to reproduce the effect from thest battle, I also activated my Evil Domination to squeeze out all the evil energy inside myself.

    After using it manually, I realized this evil energy must have leaked from the fragment of the Evil God sealed inside me.

    I felt a tremendous power as the divine and evil energy mixed together.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    If I wanted to take down Overgrowth for good, I needed more power.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s go.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    If all I¡¯ve got isn¡¯t enough, then I¡¯ll just squeeze out some more.

    Meanwhile, Orfalve knocked Nadia off bnce, and Fran did not miss that opening. With an explosion of force from her legs, we dived into the middle of the storm.

    ¡¸Haaah! Brilliant Lightning Rush!¡¹

    Fran shouted, and at the same time, I shouted too.

    ¡ºPotential Release!¡»

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 831

    <h4>Chapter 831</h4>

    <h4>831: Overgrowth Destroyed</h4>

    ¡ºPotential Release!¡»

    The moment I shouted.

    Something inside of me exploded. It was a lid, the lid of the seal. And it just opened.

    There was the power that welled up from my Potential Release, as well as something else. A dark power slithering up from deep within me.

    I felt as if time wasing to a crawl, bringing me into a world with just me and him.

    This was a feeling I knew from before, back when I absorbed Fanatics at the royal capital. The seal on the Evil God Fragment weakened, almost letting him loose.

    ¡º<strong>CONSUME!</strong>¡»

    Ugh, I can hear the voice of the Evil God Fragment just like back then. I didn¡¯t know it was his voicest time, but it makes sense now.

    I felt the voiceing from the deepest level within myself, the ce where I think the fragment is sealed.

    ¡º<strong>CONSUME ALL!</strong>¡»

    I couldn¡¯t tell if the voice belonged to a man or a woman.

    All I knew was that the deep, heavy voice sounded like someone whispering sweet nothings into my ear, clingy and passionate. Yet at the same time, filled with hatred for everything in existence.

    If anyone other than me heard this voice, they would fall under his control. It¡¯s because I was born on Earth that he had no power over me.

    And as long as the fragment is sealed inside me, no one else will ever hear him again.

    ¡º<strong>CONSU</strong>¨D¨D¡»

    ¡ºYeah, yeah, shut up already.¡»

    ¡º<strong>CONSU</strong>¨D¨D¡»

    ¡ºI know, shut up.¡»

    ¡º<strong>CONSU</strong>¨D¨D¡»

    ¡ºI said shut your god damn mouth!¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    ¡ºFinally, jeez.¡»

    We¡¯re on a tight schedule, so don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be. You should remember how you failed to control me thest time the seal loosened.

    Maybe it¡¯s just my imagination, but I could feel the Evil God Fragment returning to the depths of my being, very displeased.

    However, the evil energy surrounding me also weakened greatly, maybe because the Evil God Fragment took it back with him.

    It¡¯s normally a good thing to have less evil energy, since it eats away at your body¡­¡­ But we would be in trouble now, since we needed as much power as we can get.

    ¡ºActually, hold on. Give me your power before you go.¡»

    ¡º?¡»

    ¡ºOh?¡»

    ¡º!¡»

    It actually worked. After I used Evil Domination, I was able to draw out the evil energy from the Evil God Fragment.

    I felt surprisingly little resistance. Maybe Evil Domination was a more powerful skill than I had imagined? Or, maybe being sealed meant the Evil God Fragment was under my control from the beginning?

    Anyways, now¡¯s not the time to be worrying about how these things work. I have to focus on putting it to good use.

    ¡ºGo!¡»

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    Fran hasn¡¯t activated her Sword God Transformation. Rather, she couldn¡¯t use it anymore.

    But that didn¡¯t mean we were weak.

    ¡¶Beginning control of divine energy. Individual named Master, take control of the evil energy.¡·

    ¡ºSure, thanks!¡»

    ¡¶Analysis has discovered a weakpoint in the Golden Devourer Sword, Overgrowth. Individual named Fran, please strike that exact spot.¡·

    £¨Nn!£©

    As I had hoped, Announcer-san was also strengthened under my Potential Release state! She was throwing out all those instructions much more smoothly than normal.

    Announcer-san already put in some huge work by handling the divine energy in my ce, so I could focus all my efforts on the evil energy. Thanks to my Potential Release, I handled that perfectly.

    Even without the Sword God¡¯s power, I should be able to exceed him even if it¡¯s just for a single blow. We can do this.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, are you pushing yourself too hard? You¡¯re not gonna break down after Potential Release is over likest time, right?¡»

    ¡¶No problems detected. I am currently using approximately 76% of avable resources.¡·

    ¡ºThen can you help me with the transformation? As long as it¡¯s not too much trouble.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. It is possible.¡·

    I¡¯m still connected to Announcer-san, so she could read my thoughts, understand everything, and immediately respond.

    My cord smoothly transformed into a small dagger, the twin swords mode the Sword God had used.

    Though this one was a bit half-baked inparison. The resulting dagger didn¡¯t have much in terms of offensive power or durability.

    Still, it was a necessary step towards destroying Overgrowth.

    ¡¸Raaaaah!¡¹

    While Orfalve, Tort, and Nadia were engaged in a fierce exchange, Fran intervened in an instant.

    The dagger I controlled blocked Overgrowth for a moment, before being instantly destroyed.

    That single instant was enough for Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah?¡¹

    Taking advantage of the moment that Nadia¡¯s movement stopped, Urushi bit into her leg from the shadows. Using the ¡°ne-Severing Fang¡± (named by Amanda), he bit off the antidemonized Nadia¡¯s leg.

    While Nadia waspletely immobilized, Fran¡¯s all-out sh honed in on Nadia, or rather, her sword Overgrowth.

    ¡ºDo it! Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Raaaaaah! Heavenly Judgment!¡¹

    A single sh of light ran across Overgrowth, from one side to the other. We were probably the only ones who recognized that sh. I doubt if even Orfalve or Tort managed to see anything.

    It was just that fast and powerful. Fran must have still held onto the lingering feeling of that higher ne of skill from the Sword God Transformation.

    The blow Fran and I put all our efforts into severed off Overgrowth¡¯s de, a clean cut straight through the middle.

    Just like Announcer-san had advised, we delivered a precise hit to the part that had been weakened after several shes with Orfalve¡¯s halberd.

    Orfalve with her Brave March activated was actually cloaked in a tiny amount of divine attribute. That must have been why she was capable of reducing Overgrowth¡¯s durability.

    ¡ºGaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!¡»

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m¡­ fine!¡»

    ¡¶I will adjust and control the flow of power. Individual named Master, please maintain a strong consciousness.¡·

    ¡ºOkay¡­¡­!¡»

    This is the second time I¡¯ve cannibalized a failed divine sword! I lost consciousness thest time, but I can handle it now!

    But first I have to cancel Potential Release! Announcer-san will be overloaded!

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡­ Thanks again for the help¡­¡­ Announcer-san.¡»

    £¨Thank you.£©

    ¡¶I am happy to be of assistance. May you go with the blessing of the Wisdom God.¡·

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 832

    <h4>Chapter 832</h4>

    <h4>832: Saving Nadia</h4>

    After my Cannibalism triggered, the power of Overgrowth came flowing into me. A terrifying rush of power.

    I almost lost my sanity likest time, but thanks to Announcer-san¡¯s help, I was able to hold on.

    At the same time, I could see that Overgrowth was rapidly losing its power.

    The sword previously had enough energy to burn someone with a single touch, but it now looked cold and silent.

    And the de, which should have been instantly repaired, showed no sign of returning to its original state.

    There can be no doubt about it. Overgrowth had beenpletely broken.

    We¡¯ve won.

    But our victory was not the end. The important part came now.

    ¡¸Sophie¡­¡­!¡¹

    After being rendered immobile again due to the recoil of her skill, Fran called out a name while falling to the ground.

    ¡¸I know. Leave the rest to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Sophie began her harp performance again.

    It¡¯s a beautiful melody, even after hearing it so many times. I don¡¯t think I could ever get tired of listening to this healing song.

    Perhaps because of Overgrowth¡¯s destruction, Nadia¡¯s movements had stopped too. She was simply standing there,pletely stunned.

    ¡¸Ga¡­¡­ Ah¡­¡­¡¹

    The scene almost looked as if a heartless monster was enraptured by the song of a goddess and fell the ground in tears.

    A light overflowed from the harp along with the melody, enveloping Nadia.

    Still, Nadia did not move.

    Orfalve and Tort watched over Nadia, quietly and vigntly.

    The battle still raged on in the surrounding area, but it waspletely quiet here. Almost as if we were separated from the outside world by an invisible wall or something.

    Ron ron¨D¨D¡­¡­

    The sound stopped, and Sophie¡¯s slender fingers slowly leave the strings of the harp.

    At the same time, the light subsided. Out of it came Nadia, having fully regained her human form.

    However, she seemed to be unconscious and copsed on the spot.

    Fran tried to get up, but she only fell to the ground again. She no longer had the strength to stand.

    ¡¸Auntie¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, it¡¯s okay. She¡¯s still breathing and has plenty of life force left.¡»

    Her status was no longer listed as ¡°Erosion¡± and ¡°Golden Devourer¡± disappeared from her skill list. All the effects of Overgrowth werepletely erased.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi approached Nadia, sniffed her and barked lightly. His nose didn¡¯t sense anything wrong with her either.

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­¡­ so relieved¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran fell with her face on the ground and muttered in a tearful voice. I can only imagine how her joy, gratitude, and relief overflowed into tears.

    But she was also leaving a lot of snot. Her face must look like a mess from crying on the ground like that¡­¡­

    ¡¸So her humanity has really returned?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing! Sophie¡¯s performance and Fran¡¯s strike were both magnificent!¡¹

    Orfalve and Jayne approached us. They checked Nadia and Fran¡¯s condition by taking their pulses.

    ¡¸Now all we have to do is destroy the antidemons!¡¹

    ¡¸Tort, I¡¯ll leave you in charge of the undead. I¡¯ll be escorting Fran and Nadia back!¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. It has been a long time since myst incarnation, so I was needing a bit morebat.¡¹

    ¡¸Then we go together, heroic spirit!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! I shall apany you, dwarven champion!¡¹

    Orfalve and Tort rushed off into the antidemon horde,ughing merrily.

    There were too many antidemons to call the battle over any time soon, but the dwarves weren¡¯t having any trouble. We can leave it to them.

    ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s get going too.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry, I can¡¯t get up. Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    After wiping her face, Fran called over to Urushi, who approached to carry her. However, Jayne interrupted us.

    ¡¸Wait a minute. Wolf-kun here seems pretty strong, so you can have him watch over the surroundings. I¡¯ll arrange for someone else to carry you.¡¹

    Jayne pulled about ten magic stones out of her pocket and scattered them on the ground.

    ¡¸Summon Greater Skeleton!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Rattle Rattle!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Then she summoned pretty powerful skeletons, probably higher than Threat Level D.

    As we would expect from Jean¡¯s mother, as well as the bearer of the title of Demon Lord, she was a very skilled necromancer.

    £¨Woof?£©

    ¡ºWe can obey Jayne here. I¡¯ll feel safer with you guarding us too.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Two skeletons carried Fran and Nadia princess style, and the rest scattered around the perimeter to protect them.

    Even though we were surrounded by antidemons, we still had the demonkin protecting us. This many skeletons felt a bit overkill.

    ¡¸The story must end on a happy note! We can¡¯t allow any blunders after we¡¯vee so far!¡¹

    I guess she wanted to take all possible protective measures. Well, if it¡¯s to save our lives, then I can¡¯tin about her being a bit overprotective. I appreciate it.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll have to check my stats in the meanwhile.¡»

    Since Jayne¡¯s skeletons were handling Fran¡¯s transport, I can check the results of my cannibalize. First is the magic stone points.

    ¡ºThought so¡­¡­¡»

    My magic stone points had been reduced to a total of 28, practically as good as 0. It kinda surprised me to see such a half-assed value even remained.

    But I was expecting this much, so no harm done. I totally knew it was going to be like this! I¡¯m not disappointed in the slightest!

    ¡º¡­¡­Sigh.¡»

    I should hurry up and check the stat gains to cheer myself up.

    ¡ºEh? Seriously?¡»

    Though it wasn¡¯t as much as when I absorbed Fanatics, my stats had been significantly enhanced.

    My attack power increased by 150 and was now over the 1500 mark. That alone was enough to make me happy, but this was not the only improvement.

    My mana increased by about 3000, to over 20000. And I think durability increased by almost 1000? My total durability was now 16560.

    If I remember correctly about the time I cannibalized Fanatics, attack power didn¡¯t change, mana increased by about 5300, and durability increased by 3300.

    Considering that this time I got +150 attack, +3000 mana, and +1000 durability, I think I¡¯d have to say Fanatics was better?

    That¡¯s because mana was the most important stat to me. Fanatics was a former divine sword, while Overgrowth was a failed de that never managed to be a divine sword in the first ce.

    Maybe it¡¯s only natural that Fanatics imed the higher rank.

    I also had one new skill, a Unique Skill called ¡°Mixed yer¡±. It had a pretty vague exnation about being used to defeat monsters that were mixed unnaturally.

    Considering that I inherited it from Overgrowth, I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably an ability that was effective against the Abyss Eater. Maybe it gives a bonus against monsters created by synthesizing multiple beings together, such as chimeras.

    ¡ºGuess I can figure it out after trying it.¡»

 Chapter 833

    <h4>Chapter 833</h4>

    <h4>833: Antidemon Eradication Complete</h4>

    Even after rescuing Nadia, we were still up against a massive horde of antidemons.

    Our original n was to rescue Nadia and escape, but the dwarves and demonkin refused to run away.

    With them protecting us, we could not escape either. That would probably be physically impossible, and we couldn¡¯t mentally bring ourselves to ditch them either.

    The members of the hundred man army, after recovering a little, began to rejoin the fray.

    They had to refrain from using wide area attacks to reduce their mana consumption. Unlike Fran who has a mana tank in me, everyone else will run out of mana very quickly if they don¡¯t conserve it.

    The only two who could rampage without worrying about such trifles were Orfalve and Jayne.

    ¡¸Onwards! Trample the antidemons underneath our charge!¡¹

    ¡¸If we¡¯vee this far, we might as well eradicate them! Drive the antidemons into extinction!¡¹

    Even though they had been pushed to their limits against Nadia, they were still the most energetic of the group.

    As one would expect from two of the Seven Sages.

    Yeah, I just remembered. The ruler of the demonkin country was counted as a member of the Seven Sages. That means Jayne.

    No wonder she¡¯s so damn strong. All of the Seven Sages that we¡¯ve met have been ridiculously powerful.

    Weena Rhyn, the High Elf. Orfalve, the Dwarf Queen. Jayne, the Demon Lord.

    The rest were three divine sword wielders, as well as the ruler of the most fearsome warrior race, the insectkin. There was no way they could be weak.

    I heard that forces opposed to the guild wanted a counter to the Rank S adventurers. That¡¯s why they named the Seven Sages without any real authority¡­¡­ But their strength was certainly the real deal.

    ¡¸Fuahahaha! Too weak, antidemons! Come like you mean it now!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! You worthless trash who can¡¯t even be undead, at least turn into my experience!¡¹

    You could say they have personality quirks on the level of Rank S adventurers too.

    Then, half a dayter¡­

    ¡¸Mm! Drinking alcohol after a victory is the best!¡¹

    ¡¸Orfalve-dono¡­ I think one minute after the battle is over is a little too soon to be drinking.¡¹

    ¡¸Drink like this is nothing but water to us. It is the same as how you quench your thirst after a workout.¡¹

    ¡¸I might have agreed if that wasn¡¯t hard liquor.¡¹

    After the long, long battle, we had seeded in destroying all the antidemons.

    Even the monstrously durable dwarves seemed to have gotten exhausted. They had pulled out water bottles from their items bags and gulped down the contents.

    If Jayne hadn¡¯t pointed it out, I would have been left thinking it was water. Hard liquor, huh¡­¡­

    Most of the demonkin were sitting down. Even these elite magicians could not manage to stand whenpletely depleted of stamina and mana.

    Our hundred man army was in a simr situation. Or probably in worse shape? They fought untilplete exhaustion, recovered a little, and were thrown back into the antidemon horde for an extended duration.

    They were bruised, battered, and devoid of energy. It would be hard to find someone worse off than them.

    Fran also got up in the middle to battle alongside the others. She couldn¡¯t stand staying still while her friends were desperately fighting like that.

    The ins that had been filled with over 100,000 antidemons were now silent. The swarms of antidemons hadpletely vanished, as if the war here was only a dream.

    The antidemons left behind no corpses or blood, so the battlefield suddenly felt spacious without them.

    ¡¸Nadia isn¡¯t waking up.¡¹

    ¡¸She pushed herself quite hard, no? I don¡¯t me her.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸At any rate, we need to take her to a ce where she can rest. What do you think?¡¹

    ¡¸If we need to head to town, then why not Nocta? That¡¯s where we heard about Fran¡¯s request in the first ce.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh.¡¹

    Orfalve and Jayne had apparently heard about Fran¡¯s request right after the hundred man army departed Nocta. Then, they followed immediately without making any significant preparations.

    ¡¸Orfalve-dono asked me pretty forcefully to tag alone. Well, it sounded like fun, so I said yes anyways.¡¹

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have made it in time without Jayne-dono¡¯s wide range support magic. I appreciate your assistance.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem. I was able to save my son¡¯s acquaintance, and I also got a lot of points and experience.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha, I see!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Yeah!¡¹

    Orfalve and Jayne seem to get along rather well. It can¡¯t be easy for their subordinates to get roped along with such gusto and enthusiasm, even though that is what ended up saving us.

    Tort usually butted in at times like this, but he remainedpletely silent. Rather, it seems like the skeleton pendant has lost its power?

    ¡¸Is Tort okay?¡¹

    ¡¸He just used up his power and got returned.¡¹

    ¡¸Summoning heroic spirits is certainly powerful, but the short duration is a major drawback.¡¹

    ¡¸That can¡¯t be helped.¡¹

    ¡¸Heroic spirits?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s one of a necromancer¡¯s secret arts.¡¹

    Apparently, there is a high-level underworld magic that summons past heroes for a short period of time. Tort was able to prolong his active duration by inhabiting the pendant without a physical body.

    But I guess after being fully summoned and incarnated, his time limit was reached very quickly.

    In the end, we decided to go back to Nocta. After all, Nocta was the only townrge enough to ept such a big group of people.

    There was also an illegal city nearby named Sendia. However, we were not sure if they would ept us, and there were rumors that it was a front for vers, so we decided not to go there this time.

    On the way to Nocta, I checked Fran and Urushi¡¯s stats.

    As expected, they had leveled up. Fran was now level 67 and Urushi was level 68.

    At first I wondered why only they only got one level from defeating so many antidemons, but that was understandable.

    Most Rank A adventurers and higher were level 60+, and it usually takes decades to reach that level.

    That makes it pretty ridiculous to get one level up for half a day¡¯s work. Instead, I should be surprised that we leveled up so soon after our arrival on this continent.

    £¨Master. Sendia is¡­¡­£©

    I knew you would remember. You¡¯ve been looking so worried ever since we heard about the vers.

    ¡ºIt should be easy enough to find out where it is. But we won¡¯t go until you¡¯re fully recovered, okay?¡»

    £¨Nn, I know.£©

    It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard such an obviously false ¡°I know¡±¡­¡­ Fran had the same look in her eyes as when she¡¯s talking about a sworn enemy.

 Chapter 834

    <h4>Chapter 834</h4>

    <h4>834: Return to Nocta</h4>

    After sessfully saving Nadia and Castel, we arrived safely at Nocta.

    The dwarves murdered all the antidemons on the way back. Couldn¡¯t have asked for a better escort.

    However, as soon as we entered Nocta, we noticed that a few people were missing.

    ¡ºSophie¡¯s not here!¡»

    £¨Eh?£©

    Fran looked around in a panic, but Sophie and her guards were definitely gone. However, it seems that they did not disappear on their own.

    Jayne approached Fran as she was searching for Sophie.

    ¡¸Sophie said she was leaving a while ago.¡¹

    ¡¸To where?¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno? But she gave me a message for you.¡¹

    ¡¸A message?¡¹

    ¡¸¡±My debt is repaid.¡± That¡¯s all.¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie¡­¡­¡¹

    Come to think of it, it all started when Sophie almost ran from paying for a meal, then Fran paid for her.

    She put it so much work buffing everyone, healing us, and restoring Nadia¡¯s humanity.

    If she wasn¡¯t there, it would be easy to imagine how hard we would have failed.

    It¡¯s pretty safe to say she was the MVP.

    And we were able to win her over to our side with the price of a single meal. That¡¯s just¡­¡­ too cheap.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t stop her because it looked like she didn¡¯t want to make a scene.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I didn¡¯t get to thank her properly.¡¹

    Frankly, we got too much out of her and Fran thought so too. She did owe us a debt, but that was barelyparable to how much she fought for us.

    £¨We need to thank her the next time we meet.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    Sophie left us early, but now it was about time to say goodbye to Orfalve and Jayne.

    We had discussed this before we arrived, but the dwarves and the demonkin nned to defend Nocta until the end of the antidemon season.

    They had an antidemon quota to achieve, which they already aplished by participating in the battle for Castel. That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t need to force their armies on any more expeditions.

    ¡¸Leave this town and Nadia to us! We will protect them no matter what!¡¹

    ¡¸Only after we fully protect Nadia-chan will there be a happy ending!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Please do.¡¹

    It would be nice to stay at Nadia¡¯s side until she wakes up. Fran especially thought so.

    But we couldn¡¯t overlook the ck market vers in the illegal city of Sendia.

    ording to Jayne¡¯s sources, the amount of ves shipped out always skyrockets after the antidemon season.

    That¡¯s probably due to the capture of wounded adventurers and children who have lost their parents.

    Fran¡¯s face when she heard that children would be captured by vers was like Donadrond¡¯s face when he got pissed.

    So there¡¯s no way that Fran could ignore the vers holed up in that illegal city.

    As a result, we decided to leave Nadia with someone we could trust and head to Sendia ourselves.

    We were currently on our way to the Adventurers Guild with the hundred man army, Orfalve, and Jayne. The other dwarves already went back to their base in Nocta.

    There was a bit of amotion at the guild because so many people had arrived at once. Fran didn¡¯t seem particrly bothered, and simply reported the details of her request at the counter.

    The guildmaster and submaster immediately barged in. Apparently, they were also interested in the oue.

    ¡¸So your request has beenpleted then? That¡¯s great to hear!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Now then, we will pay the participants themission fee.¡¹

    We finished up the requestpletion procedures while being sandwiched between guildmaster and the submaster. That emptied our wallets quite a bit, but it won¡¯t affect us too badly since we got a ton of antidemon points.

    A total of 3 million points from that battle alone, the most of all the participants at Castel.

    Considering that Orfalve came in second ce with about 1 million points, you can tell just how many points Twisted Horn was worth.

    Since it costs 1000 points to stay in a suite room with full board + snacks at the best inn in Nocta, we could live there in luxury for 3000 days.

    That¡¯s worth a ton of cash.

    ¡¸Fran-chan! You¡¯re back safe!¡¹

    ¡¸Mulsani!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank goodness¡­¡­!¡¹

    Mulsani rushed into the guild.

    When he saw Fran, he hugged her with a tearful smile on his face.

    He was crying quietly at first, but then his emotions got the better of him and he started sobbing.

    A lot of people were watching, but no one interrupted. I guess they didn¡¯t want to disturb the heartfelt scene, but I doubt any of them knew how to console a sobbing middle aged man either.

    Then, there was one brave man who dared to open his mouth.

    ¡¸It¡¯s rare to see you so distraught, Mulsani-san.¡¹

    ¡¸Z-Zehard-san¡­¡­? Sniff. I-I¡¯m sorry to embarrass myself like that.¡¹

    Mulsani now remembered where he was. Finally, he let go of Fran. Not that Fran minded really.

    ¡¸Good work on your escort duty.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. This girl is a bonafide adventurer, so we were practically useless. We all got saved by the Dwarf Queen in the end anyways.¡¹

    Zehard wore a self-deprecating smile, and the other adventurers followed suit. The dragonkin, mercenaries, and knights all felt simrly.

    They understood that they would have been in serious danger without Orfalve and Jayne¡¯s assistance. Even if they did everything they could, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    That was the reason why they couldn¡¯t be truly happy.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t say you¡¯re useless!¡¹

    And the one who challenged that belief was Fran.

    ¡¸No one was useless. If any one of us was missing, we would have failed. You were the bestrades I could ask for.¡¹

    ¡¸Littledy¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And if it weren¡¯t for all of you, I wouldn¡¯t have made it in time to save Nadia.¡¹

    That¡¯s a fact. Without their support, we would have gotten stuck struggling with the red dragon and wed knights. There¡¯s no way we could have reached Twisted Horn in time.

    Fran spoke to everyone, not just Zehard, with an unusual look ofplete sincerity.

    ¡¸Thank you, guys. For helping us.¡¹

    She bowed deeply after saying that. Everyone had their own reaction to Fran¡¯s words, but the mood was no longer gloomy.

    After realizing that Fran thanked them from the bottom of her heart, their feelings of self-denial disappeared.

    ¡¸Well, we¡¯re d to have joined you.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too.¡¹

    ¡¸Me three!¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t only the representatives of each group that thought that way. I heard happy shoutsing from all the people working under them.

    I¡¯m just so d we were able to get back without losing anyone.

 Chapter 835

    <h4>Chapter 835</h4>

    <h4>835: Mixed yer Verification</h4>

    ¡ºFran, listen to me here. Even if they¡¯re ck market ve dealers, you can¡¯t just kill them in cold blood, okay?¡»

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    ¡ºAre you sure you really understand? If you try something reckless and make enemies with the whole organization, we could getpletely screwed.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Urushi was carrying Fran while running across the moonlit ins.

    Our destination was the illegal city of Sendia, a town built by ouws and said to be a haven for vers.

    However, it¡¯s apparently not as evil as it sounds. The vast majority of the people living there earned their daily bread by hunting antidemons, having nevermitted any serious crimes.

    There¡¯s a branch of the Adventurers Guild, patrolling guards, and everything you¡¯d see in a normal city. Thews of the city have some quirks, but they shouldn¡¯t be much different from other cities.

    Even if criminals originally founded the illegal city, it must have been transformed over the centuries.

    Well, I did hear about Yakuza-like criminal organizations holding a lot of power, so I doubt everything is normal.

    Today marked the fourth day since the battle at Castel.

    Fran was still not in perfect physical condition because of the bacsh of her skills and the brutal fight.

    I would have preferred her staying in bed for a month or so, but she insisted on going to Sendia.

    Fran actually wanted to go the day right after the battle, but that was far too reckless. I barely managed to convince her to rest until she was at least able to use magic without difficulty.

    Not that three days was anywhere near my preference. Either way, Fran refused to sleep peacefully.

    I had no choice but to have her slowly recover on our way to Sendia.

    Besides, there might be some advantages to not being fully recovered.

    This way, Fran wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything too shy in the illegal city.

    In a normal town, we could go around crushing criminals with impunity. But if we tried that in Sendia, the whole town would turn against us.

    That must be avoided at all costs in our current condition. We wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight of course, but the average person was just much higher level on this continent.

    And there¡¯s no reason these criminal organizations wouldn¡¯t have powerful members working for them.

    Fran was obviously not suited for stealthy operations. To be honest, I had my doubts this would work.

    But I knew that Fran wouldn¡¯t do anything reckless in her current condition¡­¡­ She wouldn¡¯t, right?

    ¡¸Hmm. Master.¡¹

    ¡ºA bunch of antidemons? Like a hundred or so.¡»

    ¡¸Nothing too strong, just enough for exercise.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran was still recovering and wanted to go wild. Meanwhile, Urushi was frustrated because he hasn¡¯t been able to hunt for a few days. Both looked at me eagerly.

    But I had something I wanted to try too.

    ¡ºWait. Can you let me go first? I want to test my new skill.¡»

    ¡¸The one you got from beating Overgrowth?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Mixed yer.¡»

    I haven¡¯t had the chance to test the Mixed yer skill yet, so now¡¯s a good chance.

    ¡ºSo let me have those guys.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Fran and Urushi nodded their heads, albeit reluctantly.

    ¡ºOkay, heading out then. You two hide out of sight.¡»

    ¡¸Good luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºThanks!¡»

    I hid my presence while approaching the antidemon horde.

    It¡¯s a swarm of about a hundred lesser antidemons. Perfect for a trial slice.

    ¡ºOkay, first up is an attack in my normal state!¡»

    After increasing my speed with telekinesis and wind magic, I pierced through several antidemons at once. Then I cut down a few more, but I didn¡¯t notice any major changes.

    I also checked my stats, but there was no difference in attack, mana, or magic stone points.

    However, it did feel like my damage increased. It¡¯s hard to tell against such small fry, but I was dealing more damage to the antidemons than before. After running a few more tests, my feeling turned into certainty.

    There was no ability to drain power from antidemons like Overgrowth, but it seemed to give a bonus against antidemons, though this bonus was very weak.

    I¡¯d say less than 10%.

    Next, I¡¯ll try focusing on the skill. In this world, even passive skills are more effective if they are used manually. The consumption will be heavier for sure, but how much will it change?

    ¡ºMixed yer, activate! Doryaah!¡»

    Whoa! This is amazing!

    As I thought, the effect was way stronger when used actively! The mana consumption was heavy as expected, but I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it unless it¡¯s active for an extended period of time.

    ¡ºBut that absorption ability is still gone.¡»

    No matter how much mana I poured into Mixed yer, I wasn¡¯t able to absorb anything from the antidemons. It only had the effect of increasing damage to them.

    That¡¯s a little disappointing, but also reassuring.

    We saw what happened to Nadia, who turned herself into an antidemon after absorbing too much of their power. Considering the risk of Fran bing like that, I can say the absorption power waspletely unnecessary.

    ¡ºGuess I¡¯ll make quick work of the rest and get back to Fran.¡»

    While I was finishing off the other antidemons with some shes and magic, I noticed that I could slightly predict their movements. I also managed to sense their position more easily.

    It seems Mixed yer had an effect on detection-based skills too. I guess you have to find your enemies first before you can ¡°y¡± them.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll be in Sendia for the time being, so we might not get the chance to fight antidemons any time soon.¡»

    That said, this skill seems pretty useful as long as we are on this continent.

 Chapter 836

    <h4>Chapter 836</h4>

    <h4>836: Silver Lady</h4>

    We were on our way to the illegal city of Sendia, but we paused in the sky in front of it.

    ¡ºThat must be Sendia. It¡¯s bigger than I thought.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. But it¡¯s kind of dirty.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d call it messy rather than dirty.¡»

    After gazing down on it, we saw the outer wall surrounding the city was uneven and distorted.

    It looked like arge circle with a number of smaller circles attached to it. They probably built up the city by continuously adding additional small walled areas adjacent to the original city.

    It wasn¡¯t just the shape of the wall either, the materials used for the upper and lower parts of the walls were clearly different in many areas. They probably built that lower wall first andter extended it higher. There were even ces where they used differently colored stone for different parts of the same wall.

    I bet they just bought whatever random building material was cheapest at the time. There was no sense of consistency.

    The same was true for the buildings inside. High rising ten-story buildings ofpletely different colors and architectural styles were packed into tight rows.

    I know building standards don¡¯t exist in this world, but this was pretty awful. As a former Japanese man, I was just appalled by theck of earthquake care.

    They built everything so close together that I couldn¡¯t help but think that the newer buildings were put next to the old decrepit buildings to forcibly stop them from tipping over.

    However, it was also true that the buildings had a weird aura. The distorted position of everything gave off a feeling of madness. All theplicated alleyways induced a strange fear from not knowing what could be hidden in them.

    That eerie vibe came from the entire city.

    Maybe it¡¯s like an isekai-version of Kowloon City? The entire city felt kinda like abination of a slum and a red-light district.

    Wended in front of the entrance of Sendia and headed towards the city on foot. But along the way, Fran and Urushi suddenly stopped.

    ¡¸There¡¯s something there.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºA woman? But¡­¡­¡»

    Between us and the town stood a single woman. Her almost metallic silver hair shined in the sunlight.

    The reason for our confusion was the woman¡¯spleteck of presence. She wasn¡¯t just hard to sense, we couldn¡¯t sense her at all.

    Even though we could see her with our eyes, we could not sense any signs of life or mana. She felt like an illusion or a sculpture.

    We slowly approached the woman.

    She wasn¡¯t moving the slightest, not a single breath. Maybe she really was an illusion?

    But no matter how hard we tried to see through the illusion, she remained there.

    As we got closer, I felt the air flowing around her. After looking at her feet, I saw the grass bending where she stood.

    In other words, the woman was definitely standing there before us, as a real physical existence.

    ¡ºShe¡¯s staring at us.¡»

    £¨Nn. She is.£©

    ¡ºDo you think she¡¯s an enemy?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Dunno.£©

    The other reason we were so confused was that we had no idea what she wanted. Her face was expressionless, and not just that, we couldn¡¯t feel any kind of emotioning from her.

    No hostility, no malice, no hatred, no friendless. They were just there, staring at us with eyes that looked like ss orbs.

    Still wary, we continued down the naturally formed road, following the same path trodden by adventurers for thousands of years.

    Though it wasn¡¯t very wide, there was enough room to pass her easily enough.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    The distance separating us got shorter and shorter.

    After getting closer, I could recognize the features of her face. She had almost translucent white skin and silver hair with a dull sheen. What¡¯s more, it was scary how perfectly formed her face was.

    And when the distance between Fran and the silver-haired woman reached about three meters, that¡¯s when she spoke.

    ¡¸There is a slight hint of Overgrowthing from that sword. Did you take in the de¡¯s abilities?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸The people of this continent call me the Silver Lady.¡¹

    ¡¸Nadia told me about you. You¡¯re a golem?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    The woman nodded, but Fran tilted her head. She was such an borately made golem that we found it hard to believe she wasn¡¯t human even after being told so.

    But upon closer inspection, she wasn¡¯t blinking, and I couldn¡¯t hear the sound of her heartbeat or blood flow. In the first ce, I couldn¡¯t sense any heat or manaing from her.

    Golems tended to be hard to detect in general, but she was probably built specialized in stealth to move freely on this continent.

    I should have expected as much from a golem specially made by a divine cksmith.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What did you want?¡¹

    ¡¸To thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much for destroying Overgrowth.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I have lost my reason for existence.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran was confused and I felt the same way. I could understand if the Silver Lady hated us for erasing her reason for existence.

    But thanking us for that? It didn¡¯t sound like she was being sarcastic either.

    ¡¸Exin?¡¹

    But she never returned Fran¡¯s question.

    ¡¸I shall take my leave now¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, hey!¡¹

    Fran reached out her hand, but the Silver Lady instantly disappeared with her head still bowed. She had used teleportation.

    That must be the reason why she was always said to appear out of nowhere.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s up with her?¡»

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    Well, at least she showed no signs of hostility¡­¡­

    There was something strange about the Silver Lady¡¯s face at the end there, just before she bowed her head. She didn¡¯t change her expression the entire conversation, but for some reason, I felt as if she was smiling.

    Do golems actually have emotions?

 Chapter 837

    <h4>Chapter 837</h4>

    <h4>837: Sendia''s Darkness</h4>

    We easily entered the illegal city of Sendia. After all, it was always easy to enter cities on this continent.

    It was even easier here, since you didn¡¯t even need to show your ID.

    ¡ºYou can really tell how bad it is once you¡¯re in.¡»

    ¡¸So dark.¡¹

    ¡ºThe sun can¡¯t even reach down here.¡»

    The sunlight was blocked by the dense cluster of high-rise buildings, some more than five or six stories high, so it didn¡¯t even reach the ground. The numerous aerial corridors connecting the upper floors together blocked even more of the light.

    The main street was reasonably wide, so it managed to stay dimly lit. On the other hand, the narrower back alleys looked dark enough to be night-time, even in the middle of the day.

    This ce was already known as an illegal city. I could only wonder what kind of illegal activities were going on in the cover of that darkness.

    However, there were a good number of people on the main street, including women and children without anybat ability.

    It¡¯s not like they were all smiles and sunshine, but they didn¡¯t appear to be particr cautious towards their surroundings either. Maybe this city wasn¡¯t as bad as we thought?

    In fact, no one has tried to pick a fight with Fran yet. Since we activated Evolution Cloaking and had Urushi hiding in the shadows, Fran was showing no signs of her strength.

    We¡¯ve had people giving her trouble everywhere before, even outside this continent.

    But here, no one tried to pull anything, only a few stares. Is it actually pretty safe here?

    I began to think so, but apparently not.

    The staresing from the dark back alleys were clearly filled with malice and contempt. So much that it was a wonder why they didn¡¯t attack us.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, Fran! Where are you going!? We have to go to the guild first!¡»

    £¨I¡¯ll be fine.£©

    Fran moved to the threshold between the main street and the alley. She was trying to lure out whoever was sending her those stares.

    She was close enough that they could touch her if they simply reached out their hand. But strangely enough, they showed no signs of doing so.

    Fran pretended to be defenseless, peeking into the back alley from the main street and making eye contact with the men there. But none of them made a move toward us.

    I could definitely sense them hesitating for a moment, but that was it.

    I highly doubt they noticed Fran¡¯s actual abilities.

    Was there some reason why they couldn¡¯ty a finger on the people in the main street? Maybe it was outside their territory or something? Anyways, it seems like a good idea to use the main street if we want to avoid trouble.

    Fran continued through the main street without issue, headed for the Adventurers Guild. In most towns, the guild was located near the entrance.

    That was so adventurers who didn¡¯t have an item bag could quickly deliver their catch to the guild.

    Walking halfway across town with a bloody monster on your back wouldn¡¯t make a good impression for the guild. In some cases, it might even spread poison everywhere.

    Or there might be a branch of the guild near the entrance to take in those monster corpses. Since we¡¯ve always used dimensional storage, we¡¯ve never had to worry about that kinda stuff.

    However, in many towns on this continent, guilds were located at the back of the town. That was probably because antidemons were the only monsters here, so there was little need for monster deliveries.

    After walking for about fifteen minutes, we saw the sign of the Adventurers Guild.

    It looked like this entire six-story building was the guild. It was a decent size, but had a strangely rugged atmosphere. That was probably due to the dirtiness and the sound of loudughtering from inside.

    Fran pushed open the swinging door and entered the building, but the insides seemed pretty dark. Even though it was the middle of the day, thenterns were lit, giving the ce the feel of a bar at night.

    ¡¸Excuse me.¡¹

    The adventurers, who had been drinking andughing without a thought in the world, all turned their eyes to us at the same time. Some of them stood up with vulgar expressions on their faces, but¡­

    ¡¸Guess it¡¯s ¡®cause of the antidemon season? Never imagined seeing another adventurer with an alias at a ce like this.¡¹

    An old man at the counter who looked like a bartender announced in a hoarse voice, and everyone sat themselves back down meekly.

    The old man must have said this in an audible voice so that no one would cause amotion.

    ¡¸Wee, ck Lightning Princess, to the guild of the illegal city of Sendia.¡¹

    It¡¯s been a while since someone realized Fran¡¯s identity without an introduction, hasn¡¯t it?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be in town for a while, so I came to say hello.¡¹

    ¡¸That so¡­¡­? I¡¯m Prear, the guildmaster here. Nice to meet ya.¡¹

    I thought he was a bartender, but it turns out he¡¯s the guildmaster!

    Prear seemed to be a sheep beastman. Through his long gray hair, which I couldn¡¯t tell was natural or due to aging, grew two rounded, twisted horns.

    His body looked as thin as dead branches, and that small stature suggested that he was incapable ofbat.

    In fact, he appeared fairly weak.

    But that was all a trick. I could sense something fierce within him, not to mention his ability to perceive Fran¡¯s identity.

    My gut told me not to make enemies with this guy.

    ¡¸I guess it¡¯s true what they say about you having a skill to hide evolution.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­How did you know it was me?¡¹

    ¡¸Your presence, the way you walk, magic sword, appearance, mannerisms. The clues are all there.¡¹

    ¡ºW-Whoa, this old guy¡¯s really something.¡»

    ¡¸In the season of antidemons, we wee the skilled, ya know? Whatever the purpose of their visit.¡¹

    Come on, don¡¯t tell me he figured out Fran¡¯s goal too. No wait, Fran never particrly hid the fact that she was an ex-ve, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if this old man knew about that.

    And if he knew that there were illegal vers in this city, he could easily guess Fran¡¯s intentions.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Where can I find the blue cat illegal vers?¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it¡­¡­ Unfortunately, I¡¯m not privy to all the details. The darkness enshrouding this city is deep and thick. So much so that a quick peak isn¡¯t enough to understand what¡¯s crawling underneath it all¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Let me know if you have any info, and I¡¯ll buy it.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t right now anyway, since we¡¯re busy with the antidemon season. Oh, and don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to grab any info on your own. No one around here is willing to sell info to outsiders.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸You should just sit tight and¨D¨DHey! Where are you going!?¡¹

    ¡¸If you don¡¯t have any info, I¡¯m done here.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Hey! You¡¯d better not do anything rash! There¡¯s a fine bnce between all the gangs!¡¹

    Ignoring Prear¡¯s shouts, Fran quickly exited the Adventurers Guild.

    There¡¯s no way Fran would take the time to settle into the town like Prear suggested.

    ¡ºTo be honest, I¡¯m kinda with Prear here.¡»

    £¨We have to help the ves before the antidemon season is over, and they are sold.£©

    ¡ºOh, I see what you mean¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran couldn¡¯t idly stand by with the ves waiting to be sold on her mind.

    £¨I¡¯m gonna help them, no matter what.£©

    She must be seeing a part of herself in them. After taking a nce at the impatience on her face, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stop her.

    ¡ºFine¡­¡­ But I¡¯ll intervene if I see things getting too sketchy.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

 Chapter 838

    <h4>Chapter 838</h4>

    <h4>838: Sendia''s Current State</h4>

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you one of the illegal vers?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Who the hell are you, you little¨D¨D Gwah!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m asking the questions here. Last chance. Are you one of the illegal vers?¡¹

    Further down a dark and narrow alleyway.

    In a gap between the buildings, Fran had taken out her assant.

    Well, he did try to attack her, yes. But it¡¯s more like she purposely exposed an opening and baited him into the crime.

    The n was to walk around in the back alleys and beat the information out of anyone picking a fight with her. Although she wasn¡¯t at full power, she could still take out these random hoodlums in seconds.

    However, the results were not as good as Fran had hoped for.

    It seems the ck market vers don¡¯t operate openly, even in this illegal city. From the ten or so thugs we¡¯ve beaten up so far, I¡¯ve heard nothing but stories about the legal ve dealers.

    Still felt like a decent haul to me though. We heard a lot about this city worked.

    There were apparently three major groups that were constantly on the verge of war with each other. Because of that, the governing body barely functioned.

    Sendia was originally governed by a council system that consisted of the upper echelons of the city¡¯s oldest organization, known as the Sanatorium, and other influential people. However, the control of the council had been steadily losing power.

    The reason for this change was an outburst from the militant gang known as the Dragon King Syndicate.

    Since all of the random punks we found were enemies of the Dragon King Syndicate, they all said it was some horrible terrorist organization, but I would take that with a grain of salt.

    Simply put, it started as a group of dragonkin that wanted to mutually support each other. Eventually, they got carried away, repeatedlymitting violent acts against the other organizations.

    The other group in direct conflict with the Dragon King Syndicate was the Beastmen Union. As the name suggested, it was an organization mainlyposed of beastmen employed as mercenaries.

    Both of these gangs were said to be out for blood, getting violent whenever they meet. I bet they both thought they couldn¡¯t afford to lose face.

    Thest faction intervening in these fights was the Adventurers Guild. The guild¡¯s purpose was to maintain public safety at first, but the adventurers had a lot of bloodthirsty folks too.

    And they were all adventurers native to this city. Many of this continent¡¯s adventurers had some nasty histories, but only a select few would want toe to this illegal city. There¡¯s no way all of them would be decent people.

    Before anyone knew it, the guild had changed its stance from stopping the fights to one of the participants, and it turned into a three-way deadlock.

    I wondered if the guildmaster, Prear, was making any attempts to stop the adventurers, but he seems to have left that part of the situation unchecked.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was incapable of controlling them. The old man we met at the guild was quite talented. He probably just had no intention of interfering.

    Seemed to me that the adventurers wouldn¡¯t stop that easily either.

    So with these three big organizations at odds with each other, there was no way the council could move smoothly. I heard they were left unable to make any significant decisions.

    ¡¸A-Are¡­¡­ Are you from the Beastmen Union¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸T-Then¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up already.¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell anyone about me. You know what happens if you do?¡¹

    Fran pulled me out and held me right in front of him. That was enough to terrify the guy, but then Fran gave him more of a fright.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Hyaaaah!¡¹

    An Urushi appeared behind the man, at a size barely fitting in the alley. He went in aplete panic after the jet-ck giant wolf suddenly exhaled on him from behind.

    Seeing Urushi¡¯s figure blending into the darkness here was way more impressive than normal daylight. No wonder the guy just peed his pants.

    ¡¸This magical beast has a good nose. He just learned the smell of your disgusting pee.¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸If you tell anyone about me, he will chase you to the ends of the earth and swallow you whole.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡¸Okaaay! I won¡¯t tell! I won¡¯t tell anyone! Spare me!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll let you off the hook for today.¡¹

    ¡¸T-T-T-T-Thank you so much!¡¹

    We threatened him just like we did with the other thugs, then let him go. They wouldn¡¯t be worth killing anyways.

    However, it would be troublesome if any rumors spread about the ck cat girl looking for illegal vers. That¡¯s why we had to make extra sure they kept quiet.

    I didn¡¯t expect that silence tost forever, but that¡¯s fine as long he¡¯s trembling in fear until Fran was done with this city.

    £¨Got nothing again.£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s only the first day of the search. That can¡¯t be helped.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    As we were walking, I felt a presence approaching from ahead. We were currently in a dark back alley, so maybe we got another assanting our way?

    I paused to consider the possibility, but the attacker didn¡¯t seem to be making any effort to hide their presence. Just a passerby then?

    ¡ºNo, this presence, this mana¡­¡­¡»

    £¨I recognize it.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    The person approaching us was obviously someone we knew.

    Fran waited in ce.

    Then, a huge figure appeared out of the darkness.

    The man had an intimidatinglyrge body and long horns extending from his forehead. On his back was a rough-looking greatsword.

    ¡¸Yo.¡¹

    ¡¸Ashwrath!¡¹

    Therge man casually raising one hand to greet us was Ashwrath, the Rank S adventurer.

    We heard that he was on this continent, but I guess he must have been hiding in this city the entire time. Prear mentioned another adventurer with an alias was here, so Ashwrath must have been who he was referring to.

    ¡¸Long time no see, Fran.¡¹

 Chapter 839

    <h4>Chapter 839</h4>

    <h4>839: The Illegal City and the Sanatorium</h4>

    ¡¸I could hardly believe it when I sensed your presence, but it really is you. You look like you¡¯re doing well too, Master¨D¨DNot that I can really tell. Anyways, nice to see you guys again.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, nice see you¡¯re doing fine too. I can¡¯t really imagine a guy like you getting injured though.¡»

    ¡¸True. I am disgustingly tough.¡¹

    Ashwrathughed in a self-deprecating manner and shrugged.

    This man was so tough that he can¡¯t even kill himself. To be more precise, he always goes berserk when he takes a certain amount of damage, with his super regenerative powers healing all his wounds.

    He probably had some bad experiences in the past, so this was a very delicate subject. He had a bit of a sensitive side to him, despite his boldness.

    ¡ºOh, so how long have you been here?¡»

    ¡¸I crossed over to Gordicia right after we parted ways at the capital of Kranzel.¡¹

    ¡¸And Velmeria?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s here in town. Frederick¡¯s here too.¡¹

    ¡ºSo Frederick¡¯s on this continent after all.¡»

    Velmeria was the half-dragonkin who had been manipted by Fanatics into a fierce battle with Ashwrath at the capital. She most likely would¡¯ve been punished if she stayed in Kranzel, so Ashwrath took her in.

    Her follower and guardian, the half-dragonkin Frederick, disappeared shortly after that incident.

    I had assumed he went after Velmeria, and it turned out I was right.

    ¡¸They¡¯re both doing fine. Well, something came up, so they¡¯re currently in hiding.¡¹

    ¡¸Hiding? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸You ever heard of the Dragon King Syndicate?¡¹

    ¡¸I have.¡¹

    ¡¸That makes things faster.¡¹

    Apparently, Velmeria and Frederick have infiltrated the Dragon King Syndicate. They noticed some dragonkin acting suspiciously and were trying to dig into the reasons why.

    Ashwrath was sort of cooperating with them, but they generally worked separately. He took care of them to some extent since he was responsible for bringing them here, but he never acted like their boss or anything.

    ¡¸So what brought you guys to this city?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m here to destroy the ck market vers.¡¹

    ¡¸Those guys, huh?¡¹

    After Ashwrath¡¯s mutter, Fran¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡¸You know them? Where are they?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t say I know where they¡¯re hiding since I¡¯ve only bumped into them once.¡¹

    He exined how he had witnessed a kidnapping that took ce in another city. However, he had no idea who was behind it all, since he just handed over the culprit to the security there.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard the rumors about them being in this city, but I don¡¯t have any info on them.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll let you know if I find anything though.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    Ashwrath must have understood Fran¡¯s disappointment, so he made a serious promise.

    ¡¸In return, let me know if you get any good info too.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of info? About the Dragon King Syndicate?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine too, but what we really want is info on the Dragon King. We, or rather Lady Velmeria and Frederick, are very interested in him.¡¹

    ¡¸The Dragon King? Not Trismegistus?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The man who calls himself the Dragon King recently appeared and is apparently trying to incite the dragonkin into doing something.¡¹

    We¡¯ve heard a little bit about the Dragon King. The dragonkin thugs who picked a fight with Fran in Nocta mentioned him.

    But we¡¯ve only heard of his existence, not anything about his location.

    ¡ºWhy are Velmeria and Frederick searching for the Dragon King in the first ce?¡»

    I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re originally from this continent, but I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

    ¡¸Did you know anything about Velmeria¡¯s mother?¡¹

    ¡¸I heard she was an important person on this continent.¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you could call her important, but she had some sort of special role. The rumors say the Dragon King is after her because of that.¡¹

    Not only was she involved, but her mother was right in the middle of it!

    ¡¸Velmeria¡¯s mother¨D¨DTnaria, I think? Anyways, they wanted to protect her, so that¡¯s why they¡¯re looking into the Dragon King and his men.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸How about we share any good info we find with each other?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Sounds good.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d have suggested the same thing if you didn¡¯t.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give you one piece of info right away. Well, more like advice. Avoid going against the Sanatorium as much as possible.¡¹

    ¡ºThat thug from earlier said something about the Sanatorium too. Was it some kind of union of healing magicians or something?¡»

    ¡¸It used to be.¡¹

    Back when the city was founded, the Sanatorium started as a group of professional healers. Potions were not readily avable on this continent, so healers became widely valued.

    They protected themselves by forming a clique, and treated everyone equally and ethically for fair prices. That was how the organization started.

    At the same time, they used their influence to mediate the bloodthirsty ouws, maintaining the peace within the illegal city.

    But at some point down the line, they started doing more than just that.

    Not only did they mediate between the criminal organizations, but they too became more connected to the underworld, and even developed their own fighting force.

    Over a long period of time, they had slowly transformed from just being a bunch of healers. They were now the most influential organization in the city, both publicly and behind the scenes.

    Despite the rise of the Dragon King Syndicate and the Beastmen Union, the Sanatorium remained thergest in the city.

    As Ashwrath said, there was no merit in opposing them.

    ¡¸You have to be especially careful with the one they call the saintess. The Sanatorium made her their figurehead a few years ago, but she¡¯s the most dangerous of the bunch.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s she like?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never met her personally, but I hear she¡¯s a young woman. The saintess herself isn¡¯t that bad, just her security force is incredibly radical. They treat her as if she¡¯s the most important person in the world, and I heard that some guys got chopped to pieces for getting too close to her.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds pretty bad.¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. If anyone so much asys a finger on her, they¡¯d probably incite the entire city into a lynching. I haven¡¯t been hearing about hertely, so I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s still in town though.¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll be careful, and stay away from the saintess.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. If she¡¯s not my enemy, I won¡¯t attack her.¡¹

    ¡¸Never say never, huh? That¡¯s Fran for ya¡­¡­¡¹

    Ashwrath chuckled, but this was noughing matter. Fran would never forgive anyone if they cooperated with vers.

    I can only pray this saintess chick lives up to her name!

 Chapter 840

    <h4>Chapter 840</h4>

    <h4>840: Back Alley Bar</h4>

    The day after our reunion with Ashwrath.

    Fran was on her way to a certain back alley bar.

    We had been gathering information from randoms thugs in the back alleys again today, when we heard an interesting story.

    There was apparently a bar where the locals, all of them ouws, gathered.

    The info broker there was willing to sell information to anyone who pays. However, this was only a rumor, and the thugs didn¡¯t know if this broker actually existed.

    But it should be worth a visit.

    £¨Atst, we¡¯ll get some info.£©

    ¡ºI wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that. It¡¯s just a possibility.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Even after my warning, Fran was still incredibly energetic.

    She seemed pretty impatient since we didn¡¯t make any progress today or yesterday. Last night even, she stayed at the Adventurers Guild¡¯s shabby inn and intentionally left the door of her room half-open as a trap.

    I was against it, you know? But Fran insisted.

    Even after going that far, the only thing sneaking into the room was a moderate breezeing through the open door. Fran was able to sleep soundly the entire night.

    Today¡¯s only the second day, but Fran already felt it was taking too long. She must feel especially panicked after thinking about the ves already captured. I can only hope she doesn¡¯t do anything rash.

    £¨Should be around here? Urushi, find anything?£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    A small dog-sized Urushi came out of the shadows to guide Fran by scent.

    It was still only dusk, but that was no different from nighttime in this town. Led by Urushi, Fran ran through the dark alleys, so dark that you wouldn¡¯t be able to see see anything without Night Vision.

    After a minute into the maze of back alleys, Urushi stopped.

    ¡¸There it is.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Beyond the darkness, we saw an old swinging door in the light. No doubt, that must be the bar we¡¯ve heard so much about.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran was about to run toward the bar, but I stopped her in a hurry.

    ¡ºOh, hold on! It¡¯s better if I go in with my body double!¡»

    This was the method we had used before, when we made contact with the thieves¡¯ guild.

    A kid asking questions at a bar would be hard for anyone to take seriously. There¡¯s no one that could end nicely.

    So using my body double was the sure-fire way to get information, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be fine.¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    Fran was in such a hurry that she didn¡¯t want to bother with any tricks, storming into the bar without heeding my warning.

    She pushed open the swinging door with great force and stepped foot into the bar. The door gave off a high-pitched creaking sound as it returned to its original position.

    The air was stuffy, and a bustle of activity surged through the air.

    Inside was a group of unfriendly looking men, drinking and making a lot of noise.

    This bar where ouws gathered was not so different from the adventurers¡¯ bar. Well actually, adventurers were not so different from ouws in the eyes of the public.

    As Fran took a few steps inside, the drunks finally noticed her presence. They cast a rude nce at the out-of-ce girl followed by a puppy.

    ¡ºFran¡­ don¡¯t beat them up just because they give you a bit of trouble, okay?¡»

    £¨I know.£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s talk to the bartender first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran approached the counter near the entrance and spoke to the bartender there. He was a super scary-looking dwarf with numerous scars on his face.

    ¡¸Give me juice or milk.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­We have some grape juice used to dilute the booze.¡¹

    ¡¸Give me that.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh.¡¹

    He was kinda ring at us, but it seems he won¡¯t turn Fran away. Either he realized her strength, or would take in anyone willing to pay.

    Anyways, as soon as Fran sat down at the counter, he put down a cup of grape juice. Fran took a sip and frowned.

    I didn¡¯t detect any poison, so¡­¡­

    ¡¸Yuck.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s just used to dilute the booze, ya see? It¡¯s made to be acidic and sour, so how could it taste good?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    Gently cing the wooden cup of grape juice back on the counter, Fran cut to the chase.

    ¡¸I heard there¡¯s an informant here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Do you have a referral?¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I don¡¯t know him.¡¹

    So we really did need a referral. Prear the guildmaster also said that no one would sell information to a stranger.

    ¡¸I can pay you.¡¹

    ¡¸I said I don¡¯t know him.¡¹

    As she repeated this exchange, some men approached us from a nearby table.

    They looked like warriors with smirks and vulgar smiles on their faces.

    ¡¸Haven¡¯t seen you around here before, you an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Bwahaahaha! This little brat can¡¯t be an adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸Guess so!¡¹

    After an appraisal, I saw they had skills for Extortion and Theft, so they must be criminals. However, they didn¡¯t have Kidnapping or simr skills, which means they shouldn¡¯t be vers.

    In the first ce, most of the people in this bar had those kinds of skills, so it¡¯s impossible to determine if someone is a ver just by their appraisal.

    ¡¸Heh heh heh. I hear you have some money? Then buy us a drink.¡¹

    So they were just after our money, huh? The bartender showed no sign of trying to help Fran. I guess everyone needs to take care of themselves, regardless of age or race.

    While still sitting at the counter, Fran smirked. The only people who could see her ferocious grin were me, Urushi, and the bartender, who flinched at the sight.

 Chapter 841

    <h4>Chapter 841</h4>

    <h4>841: Fran''s Impatience</h4>

    Fran smiled like a predator. No doubt she nned to beat the information out of the thugs picking a fight with her.

    But I disagreed with that approach. If we caused a ruckus and got kicked out of here, we might never be able toe back.

    However, I can understand why Fran was in such a hurry.

    Her period in very must have been that harsh and miserable. Just the thought that there were people somewhere being sold into very was enough to make her lose herposure and go out of control.

    That said, it¡¯s still not a good idea to start amotion here. I rushed to stop Fran.

    ¡¸Fran, calm down!¡¹

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡¸Jeez, I told you to wait¡­¡­!¡¹

    I intervened between Fran and the thugs, covering for them. Not that those guys were thankful at all.

    ¡¸What the hell, man?¡¹

    ¡¸Outta of my fucking way.¡¹

    They gave me some fierce stares. I knew it would turn out like this, but they weren¡¯t able to sense my strength. They looked ready to punch me in the face.

    Not that their fists would do much damage. I made my body much stronger this time, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s at least around the level of a Rank C adventurer.

    Yeah, I made a body double to stop Fran.

    I had to create it outside the bar and rush in as fast as I could. Thank goodness there was no one at the entrance.

    ¡ºFran! I know how you feel, but don¡¯t do this alone!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­But¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºNo buts! Listen to me! If these thugs were part of a big organization, the whole town could turn against us, okay?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºThere was a saying in my past life, ¡°slow and steady wins the race¡±. Even if you¡¯re in a rush, taking the safe route will get us to our goal faster than risking dangerous shortcuts. I know how much you want to find the illegal vers. But if they go into hiding after you cause a huge scene, how will you save the captured ves then?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Nn.£©

    After the stricter than usual scolding, Fran understood how terrible her mistake was.

    £¨Master¡­¡­ But¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºI¡¯ll take care of this.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºJust try to calm down for now. Okay?¡»

    £¨Okay¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry.£©

    Fran¡¯s deadly temper dissipatedpletely.

    She was now aware that she had been out of control, and clearly felt sorry about it. But I can¡¯t coddle her here.

    I have to y the viin and give Fran a proper punishment.

    ¡ºOnly one te of curry a day for the next ten days!¡»

    £¨Master!£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºNo making that face, you two!¡»

    Fran fell into despair, but this was the only way to let her know the extent of my anger. Her shoulders slumped downwards.

    Now I have to figure out how to deal with the thugs.

    While I was telling Fran off, my body double was busy quieting down the thugs. Thanks, Parallel Processing skill.

    My body double exined how Fran was looking for someone and came here to ask about them, and that we were sorry for making a scene.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure this girl has been a bit rude, but can you let her off the hook this time?¡¹

    I put my arms around the shoulders of the thugs who had approached me, and applied a light pressure. Their faces changed color.

    They couldn¡¯t even tell when I had put my arms around them, and also felt a lot more pressure than they had been expecting.

    I activated my grappling skills to lock them into a hold. And yet, I also made sure that they didn¡¯t feel any pain.

    It seems that the thugs now understood the difference in power, immediately falling silent. That should keep them quiet for a while.

    Finally, I took out a gold coin and put it in front of the bartender.

    ¡¸Let me buy everyone here a drink.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Woooh!!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    No one can hate someone who buys you a drink for free. That goes for any bar.

    The onlookers listening to the conversation cheered. At the same time, they all raised their mugs and waved them lightly at me. It seems they have epted the neer who understood the rules of etiquette.

    With this, the goons can¡¯t pick a fight with us any more. After all, everyone here would be their enemies if they tried. If anyone offended us, they would have to say goodbye to their free drinks.

    There might be peopleing after our money when we leave, but we should be fine as long as we¡¯re inside the bar.

    Now I have to figure out how to get the info¡­¡­

    After looking around the bar, I spotted a beastman. In the midst of this noisy bar, there was an elderly beastman sitting quietly in the corner and sipping a little bit of his drink.

    But he was quite strong, the higher half of Rank C. If he had been evolved, he would be Rank B for sure. And yet, he was not intimidating at all.

    He blended in unobtrusively with his surroundings.

    This was a rare type of beastman. A normal beastman this strong would be releasing his aura to disy his supremacy.

    I think he¡¯s a dog-type because of those ears?

    ¡¸Fran, Urushi, wait here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Arf.¡¹

    The one curry te limit must have hit them pretty hard. Fran remained slumped into her chair, with Urushi copsed at her side.

    The bartender, despite not interfering with the thugs at all, even offered them some nuts as a snack.

    Fran was stuffing herself with those nuts, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll recover after a while.

    I left the counter by myself and approached the table where the (probably) dog beastman was drinking. I wasn¡¯t concealing my presence at all, so he noticed me instantly.

    He didn¡¯t run away, just quietly sipping his cup as usual.

    ¡¸Hey, I¡¯m sorry for making a scene earlier. My girl got a little ahead of herself.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve got a good vibe, dude.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You too.¡¹

    We were both staring at each other, trying to determine the other¡¯s worth. I knew it. He could sense my strength instantly, without getting nervous. Instead, he was calmly trying to decide if I was friend or foe.

    ¡¸You see, I¡¯m actually looking for someone. Did you happen to know anyone with info on that kinda stuff?¡¹

    ¡¸Why are you asking me?¡¹

    ¡¸Because if you don¡¯t know, no one else will. The bartender seemed unwilling to tell me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    The man looked at me probingly, trying to figure out my intentions.

    Let¡¯s see what he thinks of us. Will he ignore us, be hostile? Or will he be friendly?

    ¡¸So?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

 Chapter 842

    <h4>Chapter 842</h4>

    <h4>842: Gathering Info at the Bar</h4>

    The dog beastman kept staring at me.

    Then he slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡¸You guys have been pretty busy since yesterday, huh?¡¹

    Since yesterday¡­¡­? Did he already know what we were up to? I didn¡¯t notice any signs of surveince.

    We used teleportation to move around, so no one should be able to track us easily. Maybe they set up such arge surveincework that they could find us no matter where we were?

    Probably more likely that the goons we threatened reported us to their superiors? Maybe we didn¡¯t threaten them enough.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What are you talking about?¡¹

    I tried to y dumb, but the guy seemed convinced.

    ¡¸Your threats were too effective. Anyone would be suspicious if a guy who usually hangs out in the back alleys was trembling under his sheets in the middle of the day.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­¡¹

    I guess it was the opposite.

    The terrified goons acted too suspiciously, so anyone with eyes knew that something was up. Even if we threatened them to stay silent about us, they couldn¡¯t keep their mouth shut while being questioned by their superiors.

    So it seems word has spread among some of the ouws that there¡¯s a ck cat girl asking around about illegal vers.

    ¡¸Uhh, we weren¡¯t trying to antagonize anyone in particr. We just fought back after getting tangled in some fights.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Obviously. Those as powerful as yourselves would have plenty of methods if you really wanted to destroy someone.¡¹

    He sensed not only my strength but also Fran¡¯s and Urushi¡¯s. Maybe his ability to sense danger was higher than I gave him credit for.

    ¡¸Keep her on a tighter leash. That was a close call earlier, no?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ll scold her againter. That was a little bit nerve-wracking for me too. She¡¯s sorry now so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll think a little more carefully next time.¡¹

    I shrugged my shoulders and the man shook his head with a wry smile. I guess he saw my attitude and realized the rtionship between me and Fran. I¡¯m her guardian, but it¡¯s not like I can order her around. Not that I wanted to control her anyways.

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine with that, as long as you don¡¯t make a mess of this ce.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be gone as soon as we get the info.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fine.¡¹

    The man muttered as he slowly lifted his cup. He then lightly bumped it against the cup I was holding.

    The pressure of the stares the ouws were giving me faded away at once, much to my surprise. I guess he was more than just a powerful loner, but sort of like the boss of this area.

    The fact that we made friends with this dog beastman seemed to indicate that we were no longer outsiders.

    ¡¸If you want to know something, ask the bartender.¡¹

    ¡¸So it¡¯s him after all?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t thank me, just go. I¡¯d appreciate it if you stay out of this neighborhood afterwards too.¡¹

    ¡¸That would depend on where the people we¡¯re looking for are. You don¡¯t know where, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know anything more than the rumors. We have nothing to do with it¡­¡­ as far as I know.¡¹

    The dog beastman spoke the truth.

    This man got his information from the thugs, so he must know that we¡¯re looking for the ck market vers.

    And if he¡¯s not lying, then they really had nothing to do with him or his organization. However, he couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that there were members who betrayed the organization and were personally involved in the ve trade.

    That¡¯s why he added the ¡°as far as I know¡±.

    ¡¸Sorry for trouble.¡¹

    I apologized again to the man and left my seat. Then, I sat down next to Fran, who was still slumped at the counter.

    ¡¸Bartender. I need some info, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸What did you wanna know?¡¹

    Apparently, drinking with that guy was like getting a letter of introduction.

    I blocked out our voices with wind magic and told the bartender what I needed.

    ¡¸Anything you can tell me about the ck market vers, mostly the location of their base. I also want the identities of any notable members of their organization.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I knew it.¡¹

    The bartender looked at Fran for a moment and muttered. He already had information on Fran, so he must have known what she was after from the beginning.

    ¡¸As for their base, I dunno exactly where it is. Probably somewhere in the restricted area.¡¹

    ¡¸Restricted area? There¡¯s such a ce?¡¹

    ¡¸The center of town, with the headquarters of the Sanatorium, is the restricted area. There¡¯s even a section in the back where only executives and their direct subordinates are allowed in.¡¹

    The security there was so tight that even info brokers like him had difficulty obtaining any detailed intel. They avoided that ce like the gue, because anyone digging too deep would be erased.

    ¡¸In other words, the Sanatorium is¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸They ain¡¯t the ones leading the business, but at least one of the executives is involved in the ve trade. And it¡¯s gotta be one with a lot of authority.¡¹

    In other words, it¡¯s highly likely that our enemies have infiltrated the upper echelons of the one organization we needed to avoid antagonizing¡­¡­ How annoying.

    ¡¸We believe the captured ves are collected at their base before being taken out of the city, but we dunno how. Maybe some underground tunnel, maybe teleportation. Either way, they can¡¯t move them in in sight.¡¹

    ¡¸Even if they are eventually taken to the restricted zone, is there any other ce where the ves are collected? Or maybe some building where their members stay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah. The illegal vers all have fronts as members of other organizations. There are few people or organizations that can be clearly identified as suspicious.¡¹

    ¡¸You said ¡°few¡±, so you have some idea of them?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ I know of three.¡¹

    Surprisingly many.

    ¡¸First, the Sanatorium¡¯s security force. They¡¯ve got many members and it¡¯s easy to join. Also, no one would blink an eye if they enter the restricted area.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸The security force also has some blue cats.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s eyebrows twitched at the mention of the blue cats. Despite her depressed mood, she would not miss the mention of her mortal enemies.

    But she did not interrupt, perhaps reflecting on what her mistakes from early. She remained still, listening to the bartender¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Second, the adventurers. They can be people of all backgrounds, and they sometimes enter the restricted area depending on the request, so they would be perfect for blending in. There are also blue cat adventurers.¡¹

    This city¡¯s Adventurers Guild had a particrlyrge amount of ruffians, so it was quite possible that some of them were connected to the ck market vers.

    ¡¸Third, the ouws of the Beastmen Union. The faction calling themselves the ¡°Bloodfang Brigade¡± are apparently such brutal viins that even the rest of the Beastmen Union can¡¯t handle them. No crime would be too low, and some of them are blue cats.¡¹

    Apparently this Bloodfang Brigade was so nasty that other members of the Beastmen Union detested them. I guess they seem to be the most likely among all the suspects?

    Anyways, the bartender also seemed to think that the blue cats were suspicious. Or rather, he was convinced that they were connected.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all I can say. You gotta to find out the rest by yourselves.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­So we look for blue cats?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. That¡¯s what we¡¯ll do for now.¡¹

    I guess the blue cats will always be the enemies of the ck cats.

 Chapter 843

    <h4>Chapter 843</h4>

    <h4>843: Gazzol</h4>

    On our way back from the bar.

    ¡ºFran. Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    When I called out their names, Fran and Urushi shivered at the same time.

    Fran turned around worriedly, looking at me on her back. I could see a hint of fear in her eyes, as well as a bit of remorse.

    I think she knew that she had been a little out of control.

    Looking into those abandoned kitten-like eyes, I could understand just how much she regretted her actions.

    ¡º¡­¡­This entire city is like enemy territory. Let¡¯s be very careful when we act here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    They nodded firmly. Now it¡¯s unlikely that they¡¯ll act rashly under any normal circumstances.

    ¡ºYou seem to be sorry, but you still need to receive your punishment. You¡¯re only allowed one te of curry, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Punishment is necessary.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    She nodded instantly without the slightest argument¡­¡­ Maybe she regretted her actions more than I thought.

    ¡ºAnyway¨D¨DHmm!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    As soon as we were about to discuss what to do next, we quickly assumed a battle stance.

    A sharp hostile intent was emitted from the back of the dark alley, clearly targeting us.

    £¨What do we do?£©

    ¡ºWe need to find out who they are first. If ites to it, we can always teleport and run.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    We waited ten seconds for the approaching hostile entity to appear.

    Out of the darkness emerged a huge dragonkin with a strange appearance.

    Normal dragonkin had a human body with a few dragon-like features. For example, they generally had horns on their heads, and scales covering parts of their face and arms.

    However, the dragonkin in front of us looked exactly like a dragon walking bipedally.

    His head waspletely dragon-like, with no human parts at all. Scales covered his entire body, so we couldn¡¯t see any of his skin.

    A long tail protruded from the back of his cloak, and he basically wore nothing on his feet aside from some leg guards. I imagine the scales on those feet were sturdier than any shoes.

    The long sword at his waist looked more like a short sword, since the dragonkin was nearly three meters tall.

    Even through his loose-fitting gray cloak, we could see that he wore metal armor.

    While the sound of his armor nking against itself echoed through the air, the dragonkin slowly moved toward us as if he was wary. Then he paused right in front of Fran,

    ¡¸¡­¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Without responding to Fran¡¯s words, the dragonkin stared down at her, his gaze filled with strong hostility.

    After an appraisal, I found the dragonkin was quite strong. His name was Gazzol, and his race was Wind Dragonkin.

    He had Holy Sword Mastery Lv4, Holy Sword Arts Lv3, as well high levels in Brawling and Wind Magic. He also possessed an Innate Skill called Wind Dragon Form.

    However, his defensive and physical enhancement skills were even more remarkable.

    In addition to the skills like Toughness, Muscle Hardening, Hard Spirit, Vitality Boost, Perseverance, and Pain Nullification, he also had skills such as Superspeed Regeneration and Life Absorption. All of them at high levels.

    The Innate Skill ¡°Dragon Scales¡± was also pretty powerful. It apparently let him infuse his scales with mana to create a secondyer of armor around himself.

    In addition to his skills, Gazzol wore an armor made of magisteel. In terms of defense, he might be one of the toughest people we¡¯ve encountered on this continent.

    ¡ºSeems like a really durable guy. Be careful.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The dragonkin man then reached for the hilt of his sword without saying a word.

    Fran also gripped my hilt over her shoulder.

    ¡¸You¡¯re a bandit?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºStill not talking?!¡»

    The man ignored our question again, and suddenly shed at us.

    He delivered a sharp blow from the top. Fran calmly parried the strike and crouched.

    Just as she crouched down, the dragonkin¡¯s huge leg shot through the air above Fran¡¯s head. It was a two-stage attack, using his sword and a kick.

    Well, Fran had seen it alling.

    Perhaps he chose this unpopr alley as the ce to strike since he didn¡¯t want any witnesses, but this was clearly not his preferred battlefield.

    He would be better suited in an open area where he could take advantage of his size. Being in such a narrow alley only restricted his movements.

    As a result, his attacks were easy to seeing.

    Fran, on the other hand, could freely move around in a ce like this.

    ¡¸Shhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    Fran avoided Gazzol¡¯s front kick and swung me upwards, severing the tendon in Gazzol¡¯s leg. She had intended to cut off Gazzol¡¯s foot, but our opponent¡¯s defenses exceeded her estimations.

    It seems Gazzol¡¯s mana-powered Dragon Scales actually ended up being tougher than the magisteel armor.

    However, Fran had considered that case too. That¡¯s probably why she targeted the Achilles¡¯ tendon, so she could further limit our opponent¡¯s movements as long as it was damaged.

    Right after, Fran leapt up from her crouching position, jumping off the walls on both sides, and flew over the head of the dragonkin.

    Of course, Gazzol tried to stop her. His fist must have had quite a bit of force behind it, but it still got repelled by my telekinesis.

    He hurriedly turned around, but was unable to because of his huge bodybined with the wound on his leg. That dyed his reaction for a split second.

    This guy apparently had littlebat experience in an urban environment, so his movements were quite poor for a man of his stature. I bet he was ustomed to hunting antidemons outside of the city.

    Moreover, his attackscked any killing power. He seemed to be aiming to hurt Fran, and was even holding back so as not to kill her. Maybe this assault was meant to be a warning.

    Fran on the other hand, showed zero restraint.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwah!¡¹

    No matter how tough his scales were, he couldn¡¯t take a direct hit from our Sheathes of Wind. We severed Gazzol¡¯s right leg at the knee, and his huge body copsed to the side.

    ¡¸My leg¡­¡­! By a ck cat¡­¡­?¡¹

    Gazzol¡¯s wide-eyed face didn¡¯t look angry. It was more of an expression of astonishment, I guess?

    Well, it¡¯s kinda hard to tell because of his dragony head. Meanwhile, Fran pointed her sword at the stunned Gazzol.

    ¡¸Who are you? Why target me?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Damn. No one told me the helper of the Beastmen Union would be this powerful¡­¡­¡¹

 Chapter 844

    <h4>Chapter 844</h4>

    <h4>844: Misguided Dragonkin</h4>

    ¡¸¡­¡­Damn. No one told me the helper of the Beastmen Union would be this powerful¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran pointed her sword at Gazzol, the dragonkin who attempted to assault us, as he grunted inment.

    Did he say Beastmen Union? If he attacked us because of a mistake like that¡­¡­

    ¡ºIs this guy a member of the Dragon King Syndicate?¡»

    ¡¸Are you from the Dragon King Syndicate?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Silence, huh? He doesn¡¯t seem to be the type of guy who talks much in the first ce. Guess we need to try and force some information out of him.

    ¡¸What made you think I was helping the Beastmen Union?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not a member of the Beastmen Union.¡¹

    ¡¸D-Don¡¯t lie to me!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not lying. So are you from the Dragon King Syndicate?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Hmm, he still won¡¯t talk. I guess rough interrogation won¡¯t work too well with this guy, since he¡¯s got the Pain Nullification skill.

    He¡¯s already stopped bleeding, so a few wounds wouldn¡¯t be enough to scare him either.

    While I was brainstorming a way to get him to talk, Fran continued threatening him for the time being.

    She pushed me against Gazzol¡¯s head and unleashed her killing intent.

    ¡¸¡­¡­If you don¡¯t talk straight, you¡¯re gonna get hurt.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    Gazzol was unfazed despite being sted by Fran¡¯s full killing intent. That¡¯s pretty impressive.

    However, his expression changed the moment he heard Fran¡¯s next words.

    ¡¸First the horns. Then the tail. I¡¯ll crush it thoroughly so it can¡¯t regenerate.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    This was a threat that could only be used against beastmen and dragonkin. Their tails and horns were the pride of their race.

    They may be prepared to lose one of their limbs, but they cannot stand the humiliation of losing their tails and horns.

    I remember one blue cat still holding a grudge after Kiara took his tail, even decadester.

    This kind of threat worked even better for someone like Gazzol, who had a more pronounced manifestation of his race¡¯s characteristics.

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll cut off the ws. Finally I peel off the scales, one by one. The result is a bald dragonkin with smooth skin all over.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Not talking? Then, let¡¯s¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Okay! I¡¯ll talk!¡¹

    The instant Fran pushed me against the base of his horn, Gazzol screamed with the blood drained from his face.

    He must have sensed that Fran was serious.

    ¡¸What a terrifying girl¡­¡­ You have a tail too¡­¡­ but no blood or tears.¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t want to be told that by a street-shing scumbag.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Grgh. I can¡¯t say anything in response.¡¹

    Gazzolpletely gave up. The sight of the giant dragonkin slumping his shoulders was somewhatical.

    I found it a bit hard to hate him.

    He had clear hostility towards Fran when he attacked her, but no killing intent. He also showed no signs of taking pleasure in defeating her or anything either.

    On the contrary, he even seemed to be dissatisfied with the attack on a child like Fran.

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I am Gazzol, a warrior of the Dragon King Syndicate¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸A warrior? More like street sher.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Call me what you want. I¡¯ll take it as ites.¡¹

    Even though he was dejected, he still epted Fran¡¯s words. He seemed to have a certain amount of grace in defeat.

    ¡¸So? Why did you attack me?¡¹

    ¡¸My superiors have instructed me to defeat the powerful warriors assisting the Beastmen Union and drive them out of the city.¡¹

    ¡¸Warriors of the Beastmen Union?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. Many members of the Dragon King Syndicate have already been defeated and captured.¡¹

    If they managed to capture several dragonkin working for a militaristic gang, wouldn¡¯t that make them pretty dang strong?

    Fran also showed interest in these guys.

    ¡¸What kind of people are they?¡¹

    ¡¸A pair of cat-type beastmen warriors.¡¹

    ¡¸Cat beastmen¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, and one of them is a small girl carrying a big sword. With that appearance and strength, the number of candidates was limited.¡¹

    If that¡¯s all he heard, then it would make sense if he mistook Fran for that person.

    Fran is certainly a small cat-type beastman girl. She also carries a sword on her back and is obviously strong. She matched the description perfectly.

    As far as I can remember, Mea was the only other person who fit that description besides Fran. Well, not that there was any way Mea could be here since her home is in the Beast Kingdom.

    ¡¸I was searching for her around here, when I heard a report from one of my men that there was someone matching her description. Then, I came and found you.¡¹

    ¡¸Are these helpers strong?¡¹

    ¡¸They are indeed strong. Including all the missing, more than ten people have been captured by the Beastmen Union in the past few days. The young chief knew this was problematic and ordered me to take care of it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why didn¡¯t you intend to kill me?¡¹

    ¡¸I heard that they were temporary helpers rather than official members. That means they have no loyalty to the Beastmen Union, and therefore would run away if I gave them a beating. I could not bear to kill them when I heard one was a child.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸And the result is this¡­¡­ I suppose this is my just desserts for bing a coward who assaults a young girl under the cover of darkness. Sigh¡­¡­¡¹

    Gazzol sighed. He had no choice but to attack Fran because he was ordered by his superiors, but he never wanted to assassinate anyone.

    He preferred fighting fair and square, but was willing to do the dirty work if his superiors ordered him to. I guess that¡¯s just how he was.

    ¡¸Next time you want to assault someone, you¡¯d better make sure you¡¯re dealing with the right person.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. If there is a next time, I will certainly do so¡­¡­¡¹

 Chapter 845

    <h4>Chapter 845</h4>

    <h4>845: Info on the Blue Cats</h4>

    Well now that the source hase to us, let¡¯s get to the interrogation.

    ¡¸Hey. I have a question.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it? Now that it hase to this, I¡¯ll answer anything you ask.¡¹

    ¡¸I want info on the ck market vers or the blue cats involved with them.¡¹

    ¡¸ck market vers? What do you want to know about them?¡¹

    ¡¸Anything. Any info you have.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­ We don¡¯t have much connection to the ve trader, even the ones operating legally.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Gazzol exined that the dragonkin don¡¯t use ves.

    I had the preconceived connotation that many of them looked down on other races with disdain, and were all like ¡°Let¡¯s enve all the inferior beings!¡± or something. In actuality, it seems to be theplete opposite.

    Their line of thinking was more like ¡°The inferior races are dumb and weak. They would be useless as ves!¡±

    And when they see someone lower themselves by using a ve, they¡¯re like ¡°Haha, is that guy seriously using a ve? What a loser!¡±

    Moreover, the pure-blooded dragonkin were not allowed to leave Gordicia, so they had no way to export ves even if they managed to caught any on the continent.

    As a result, few dragonkin ever involved themselves in the ve trade.

    ¡¸What about any rumors of ves being captured by the Beastmen Union?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, I have not heard any. But I¡¯m usually out hunting antidemons, so I¡¯m not familiar with the rumors in town.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! But there¡¯s a rumor that one of the Beastmen Union¡¯s helpers is a blue cat.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸The girl¡¯s race has yet to be determined, but the guy she¡¯s with is apparently confirmed to be a blue cat.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹

    So there¡¯s a strong blue cat working with the Beastmen Union? That¡¯s worth checking out.

    We asked him about any other possibilities, but Gazzol really didn¡¯t seem to know anything else. He didn¡¯t seem like a guy that cared much for rumors in the first ce, so I doubt he knows much else.

    So what are we going to do with this guy now?

    I guess we should clear up the misunderstanding first.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never even met anyone from the Beastmen Union.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that does appear to be the case¡­¡­¡¹

    Gazzol¡¯s shoulders slumped downwards in shame. After Fran asked him about the inner workings of the Beastmen Union, he certainly knew by now that she was unfamiliar with them.

    He had attacked the wrong girl by mistake, and even got himself beaten up and captured. Anyone would be in shambles.

    Even Fran stared down at Gazzol with a look of pity.

    Gazzol sensed the pity in her eyes and muttered to himself in self-mockery.

    ¡¸Heh. I¡¯m so pathetic.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Even I have to admit that I kinda felt sorry for Gazzol. Poor guy.

    Gazzol then shouted with his eyes a little teary.

    ¡¸K-Kill me!¡¹

    Come on! That¡¯s not something anyone wants to hear from a middle-aged dragonkin dude! Rece yourself with a hot female knight!

    £¨Master, what do we do?£©

    ¡ºHmm¡­¡­¡»

    I¡¯m d that Fran asked for my opinion instead of just offing him. I could tell she was putting more effort into thinking these things through.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not a good idea to kill him.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Gazzol was a decently powerful man, so there¡¯s no way he¡¯s just one of the Dragon King Syndicate¡¯s grunts. If they found out that we murdered one of their high-ranking members, they will certainly retaliate.

    Besides, Fran and I already had no reason to kill him.

    ¡ºNot much we can do. Just leave him here.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    Judging by his behavior, he was unlikely to attack us again, but we should restrain him just in case.

    I usednd magic on the ground to entangle Gazzol¡¯s torso. Then, Fran used restoration magic to reattach Gazzol¡¯s leg.

    ¡¸Wha-? W-What in the world?¡¹

    ¡¸Settle down.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you doing to my leg¡­¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸Stop moving already.¡¹

    ¡¸T-This is healing magic? No, the advanced Restoration Magic!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Gazzol stopped struggling and suddenly quieted down. I thought that was because he realized we were healing him, but apparently that wasn¡¯t the only reason.

    ¡¸Girl¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I will not ask you to let everything go after what happened today. Just please keep in mind that not all dragonkin are your enemies. Today¡¯s events can be med solely on the Dragon King Syndicate.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Wielders of healing are particrly rare on this continent, especially here in this city¡­¡­ That is why the Sanatorium holds so much power.¡¹

    He was apparently incredibly shocked to learn that he had identally attacked a valuable wielder of restoration magic. Then, he feared that Fran would consider all dragonkin as enemies, and refuse to heal any of them in the future.

    ¡¸I will tell the Dragon King Syndicate to leave you alone. If you want, you can even take my life here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s not like I go around healing people for free.¡¹

    ¡¸I know, but I cannot allow myself to be the cause of my brethren losing their lives somewhere down the line.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t care.¡¹

    ¡¸That is fine too.¡¹

    Fran, not knowing how to answer him any more, simply turned from Gazzol and walked away.

    ¡¸If you ever need my help, give me a call! I shall do whatever you ask for!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I am deeply sorry!¡¹

    After listening to Gazzol¡¯s shouts and walking a little distance away, Fran suddenly nced over her surroundings.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸Something¡¯s there¡­¡­?¡¹

    She seemed to have sensed something slightly strange, but she couldn¡¯t put it into words.

    I looked around too and couldn¡¯t find anything either. Fran has sharper senses than me though, so something might be up.

    ¡ºWe better get out of here quickly.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    What was that strange feeling that Fran sensed? A sign of the antidemons approaching? Someone watching us? Did the Dragon King Syndicate do something else?

    Either way, I hope it¡¯s not something bad for us¡­¡­

 Chapter 846

    <h4>Chapter 846</h4>

    <h4>846: Gathering Info at the Guild</h4>

    The day after we got the information from Gazzol.

    We headed to the Adventurers Guild early in the morning to gather more information.

    In any normal town, we would be getting random stuff to eat on the way there, but this town had practically zero food stalls. Food was already precious, and they seemed to be stockpiling it because of the antidemon season.

    That¡¯s why Fran was walking around with nothing in her hands. As one would expect, she read the mood and didn¡¯t just plop out a bunch of meat skewers from her dimensional storage.

    Okay, I lied. I had to stop her from doing that.

    ¡¸No blue cats here.¡¹

    ¡ºIt is the main street after all.¡»

    After spending a few days in this city, we realized that the territory of ordinary citizens and ouws seemed to be clearly separated.

    Ouws stayed out of the main streets or residential areas, or only entered quietly. They also tended to distance themselves from areas where the Adventurers Guild had a strong influence.

    The inn Fran stayed at was mainly for adventurers, so it should be mostly safe.

    If the security situation ever got too bad, people would start avoiding the city, stopping the flow of goodsing in. The ouws were well aware of that, so they didn¡¯t overstep their bounds.

    We passed through the safe main street and arrived at the Adventurers Guild. Inside, the atmosphere was as dingy as ever.

    Fran went to the counter and sat down in front of Prear. Does this guildmaster really y the bartender every day?

    I¡¯m sure he¡¯s there to keep an eye on the riffraff, but what about his actual job?

    ¡¸Juice.¡¹

    ¡¸You want the cheap stuff?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran got the same juice she drankst night at the bar, sipping it a sour look on her face. After that, they began their conversation.

    ¡¸I want to ask you something.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve been making a whole lotta noise in such a short time, haven¡¯t ya?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸Why the questioning look?¡¹

    ¡¸I was just talking to people.¡¹

    While it¡¯s true that Fran never picked any fights, I think she really thought she did nothing unusual.

    ¡¸So how many people did you beat up?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­? A lot.¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh. No one confirmed your appearance, but everyone around here has heard the rumors by now. About the kid sniffing around for vers.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Well damn! You certainly don¡¯t look interested!¡¹

    ¡¸But I am. I¡¯ll be lucky if the vers find me.¡¹

    ¡¸Just so you know, the guild can¡¯t protect you if you cause a bigmotion in the middle of town.¡¹

    So in other words, he¡¯s saying that he will cover for Fran to some extent?

    ¡¸You seem confused, but it¡¯s the antidemon season, yeah? We seriously appreciate the presence of adventurers of your caliber. I¡¯m willing to at least take the brunt of it, but I can¡¯t cover for you if any ordinary citizens get hurt.¡¹

    ¡¸I got it.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you, okay? Help me out when the timees.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll fight if they attack the town.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s all I needed to hear. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the type to make promises you can¡¯t keep.¡¹

    ¡¸I do keep my promises, except to the bad guys.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­For the record, I¡¯m not a good guy, but I don¡¯t do bad things all the time.¡¹

    So he doesn¡¯t deny being a bad guy. Well, I guess the guildmaster of this city would have to get their hands a bit dirty no matter what.

    ¡¸I need info about the blue cats.¡¹

    ¡¸There are some among the adventurers, but I can¡¯t just leak their identities out. Unless you have proof they are connected to the vers, that is.¡¹

    Even though Fran was Rank B with an alias, Prear couldn¡¯t just release personal data on other adventurers willy-nilly. It would be a matter of the guild¡¯s credibility.

    ¡¸Mrgh. Then, how about info on the strong helpers of the Beastmen Union?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been hearing about them for a while now, but I¡¯ve got no detailed info on them either. All I know is that they¡¯re a pair of cat beastmen, one male and one female.¡¹

    ¡¸I heard the male is a blue cat.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that too. They say the girl wears a cloaking robe at all times, so no one can tell her race.¡¹

    It seems Prear also heard the rumors about the Beastmen Union¡¯s helpers, but that was unfortunately the extent of the guild¡¯s knowledge.

    ¡¸And I think that girl is avoiding contact with the adventurers on purpose.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s either a famous adventurer or has a bounty on her head. Has to be one or the other.¡¹

    Since the girl was obviously hiding her identity, Prear reasoned that she must be avoiding adventurers to prevent them from identifying her.

    ¡ºThat makes them all the more suspicious.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Where should I go to meet them?¡¹

    ¡¸How would I¨D¨DNo, wait. I¡¯ll look into it for you.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t even imagine how much trouble you might cause if you move on your own¡­¡­ Even those hotheads from the Beastmen Union are a necessary force for this town¡¯s defenses.¡¹

    Seems like his main concern was the number of casualties if Fran got into a conflict with the Beastmen Union.

    This town must be built on a delicate bnce between organizations, and he didn¡¯t want to upset that bnce. It was already tipping over slightly due to the Dragon King Syndicate getting out of hand recently.

    £¨What do you think?£©

    ¡ºIf he¡¯ll let us make use of the guild¡¯s informationwork, it¡¯d be best to leave it to them.¡»

    They might be able to get stuff that we can¡¯t.

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, great! You can count on me! It¡¯ll take a few days, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you stay out of trouble in the meantime.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay.¡¹

    The more Fran walks around, the more likely she is to cause a scene. He wanted her to be as inconspicuous as possible.

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll do some sightseeing for now.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯d better not head off the main street, and don¡¯t make a scene at the Sanatorium either. I¡¯m dead serious here.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I know.¡¹

 Chapter 847

    <h4>Chapter 847</h4>

    <h4>847: Rumors of the Sanatorium</h4>

    The day after we asked Prear the guildmaster to gather information.

    We were headed for the center of town. After all, we already scanned over most of the residential areas and the main street yesterday.

    £¨That tall building?£©

    ¡ºYeah. Seems like that tower is the headquarters of the Sanatorium. Not only is it a treatment center, but it also houses a living quarters for the executives and a research institute.¡»

    ¡¸Huh.¡¹

    Fran showed absolutely zero interest in it, but this should be a very advanced facility by this world¡¯s standards.

    It had a well-cleaned clinic, a training facility for healing magicians, and even an institute for surgeons. Kinda reminded me of a university hospital from modern Japan.

    And if it was like those university hospitals, then I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the upper management really was corrupt.

    It even looks the part with that tall white tower. I¡¯m sure plenty of those doctors are engaging in all kinds of frauds, scandals, and bribery. That always happens when you get caught up in power struggles of the medical world.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºSorry, I was thinking about something. Anyways, the Sanatorium¡¯s reputation seems pretty good, but an organization that big can¡¯t bepletely clean. Be on your guard, okay?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We asked about the Sanatorium at a general store in town, and they had nothing but praises for it. The old man at the counter even told us stuff we never asked for, such how the nurses were so cute, or how his doctor had huge boobs.

    It seems the average citizen considered them as amazing healers who treated you with their magic, though it cost a pretty penny. Well, the old man at the general store may have just fell for the girls.

    We also asked a woman walking down the street for her opinion.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? What is it, little girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that tower there the Sanatorium?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it is. Are you one of those adventurers from outside?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m new here, so I was surprised to see it be so big.¡¹

    ¡¸That makes sense. I heard that treatment centers in other towns aren¡¯t that big. Is it that unusual?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even though this was an illegal city, many ordinary people havee to live here over the years. They now live a life not so different from the average citizen on other continents.

    Next we picked out a chattydy to talk to, and she had just what we wanted.

    She answered all our questions without having any doubts about Fran. In fact, she gave us more info than we asked for.

    As a result, we only found out just how reputable the Sanatorium was.

    But isn¡¯t that weird? How is it possible that after talking to so many people, we didn¡¯t hear a single bad rumor?

    That perfection only made me more suspicious. Maybe they were ying the role of a benevolent organization because they had something to hide?

    Eh? Am I thinking too much? I¡¯m getting skeptical because I¡¯ve watched too many medical dramas?

    It¡¯s true that I¡¯m looking through tinted sses. However, there is no way that a big organization with that much authority can bepletely innocent! Differing opinions may be epted!

    £¨What do we do?£©

    ¡ºFor now, let¡¯s pose as patients and conduct an internal investigation. Sound good?¡»

    £¨Nn. Leave it to me.£©

    Fran nodded at my words and ced her hands on her stomach.

    ¡¸Ow. My stomach.¡¹

    ¡ºWow.¡»

    Such talent! Much emotion! I bestow upon you the title of ¡°Monotone Queen¡±!

    ¡ºC-Can you make it sound a little more painful?¡»

    ¡¸It hurts¡­¡¹

    ¡ºCan you make a face like you¡¯re in pain?¡»

    ¡¸It hurts so much¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI-I guess that¡¯s a little better?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We might be screwed. Maybe I should have kept my Acting skill. No wait, I relearned it a while back. There it is, Acting Lv 1.

    ¡ºFran, try one more time and use the Acting skill.¡»

    ¡¸Ow ow¡­¡¹

    Is it even working? Seems so, but it¡¯s still this bad, huh?

    I think Fran is just hopelessly inept at acting.

    It¡¯s the same as how there¡¯s a clear difference between Sword Mastery Lv 1 obtained by an athletic person through training, and Sword Mastery Lv 1 forcibly given to someone with no talent via magic tool.

    In the same way, there was a world of difference between the Acting skill used by a person with talent for acting, and the Acting skill I gave to Fran.

    ¡¸Perfect.¡¹

    ¡ºEh, I guess we should be fine? It¡¯s just a checkup anyways.¡»

    And so we headed for the Sanatorium, but we ended up never reaching it.

    We bumped into amotion on the way there.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill those fuckers!¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t let them get away with this!¡¹

    ¡¸Find those bastards from the Dragon King Syndicate!¡¹

    We saw a group of beastmen out for blood crossing the main street. There¡¯s a disturbing scene.

    £¨Master, what do we do?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hide ourselves and try tailing them.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    ¡ºIf ites to it, we might need Urushi to track them down too. Get ready.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi had been napping in the shadows the entire day, since there were no battles in sight and no stalls to eat at. Guess it¡¯s about time to give him a job.

    Fran concealed herself using skills and magic, dashing off in the same direction we saw the beastmen go.

    The beastmen were continuously emitting a violent aura, so we could tell their location even at a distance. Such easy prey to track.

    As we got closer, we saw a couple more beastmen joining up with them. There were now about ten of the beastmen rushing down the back alleys.

    Meanwhile, an equal number of dragonkin blocked their way, standing in front of them.

    Both sides held their weapons drawn, and it seemed to only be a matter of time until they started killing each other.

    ¡ºNo matter how this goes, it¡¯s gonna get messy¡­¡­¡»

 Chapter 848

    <h4>Chapter 848</h4>

    <h4>848: Verge of War</h4>

    We observed the confrontation between the dragonkin and the beastmen from a distance. You could practically feel the sparks in the air from the tension.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s probably a gang war between the two groups.¡»

    £¨Is Gazzol not there?£©

    ¡ºWell, the Dragon King Syndicate seems to have a lot of members, so he¡¯s probably somewhere else.¡»

    But isn¡¯t this pretty bad? If they start killing each other here, the conflict between the Dragon King Syndicate and the Beastmen Union would turn into a full blown war. With the two of thergest gangs at war with each other, I doubt this city would survive the antidemon season.

    The two sides faced off against each other at a pretty wide crossroads between alleyways, though not as wide as the main street.

    Should we stop them? Or just watch? As I was wondering our options, they moved first.

    One of the beastmen suddenly grunted and fell to one knee. An arrow hade out of nowhere and pierced his shoulder.

    ¡¸You son of a bitch!¡¹

    ¡¸Murder them!¡¹

    As the beastmen shouted in rage and rushed forward, the dragonkin took up their weapons as well.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll show them not to mess with us!¡¹

    ¡¸Kill them all!¡¹

    And so the battle suddenly began.

    What was up with that arrow? Did the dragonkin have a sniper hiding somewhere? If they did, they certainly seemed weirdly surprised¡­¡­

    But no matter how it started, their battle only got more violent. One of the beastmen copsed after getting shed open by a sword. A dragonkin knelt clutching his stomach after being impaled by a spear.

    If left unchecked, it would only be a matter of time until a lot of them died.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get a little closer and sneak a heal on them.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    If we tried to intervene at this point, we¡¯ll just be viewed as enemies. There¡¯s no way both sides would simply thank us and go on their merry ways.

    That said, we could at least hide close by and ensure that no one dies.

    Fran and I threw some heals at the seriously wounded. We left them unconscious still, so the number of people standing started to dwindle after about ten minutes or so.

    There were now only three beastmen and five dragonkin remaining.

    At that point, they finally realized something was off. After all, there were no deaths among theirpanions in spite of all the blood being spilt.

    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹

    Both sides must have thought the other side was trying to pull some sort of trick. They stared at each other with probing eyes.

    The initial excitement of the battle had subsided, but they were still raring for a fight. It was only a matter of time before they just resume hostilities.

    Now what? Maybe we can knock them all out before they see us?

    Just as I was thinking that, I saw another arrow flying through the air. It was aimed at the beastmen yet again. But you¡¯d better not think the same trick will work on me twice!

    I activated my telekinesis and smashed the arrow out of the air. After seeing that, the beastmen flew into a rage.

    ¡¸Sneaking around and firing arrows from the shadows! You disgusting cowards!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I have no clue what you are talking about! You dare insult us!¡¹

    ¡¸This ain¡¯t no insult, it¡¯s the truth! The first arrow and thatst one were both aimed at our side!¡¹

    ¡¸You lot are simply putting up an act to pin the me on us! I saw how that arrow suspiciously fell from the sky just now!¡¹

    ¡¸As if we would do anything so spineless! We¡¯re different from you bastards!¡¹

    ¡¸Enough with your lies! You weak beastmen need those sorts of tricks to defeat us in the first ce!¡¹

    ¡¸What did you say!? Damn lizards!¡¹

    ¡¸Foul beasts!¡¹

    Ah crap. Did my blocking of the arrow backfire? But if I hadn¡¯t stopped it, it would havended right in that beastman¡¯s head¡­¡­

    We should knock out the remaining eight first, and then we can deal with the archer.

    But again, before we could make a move, something else interrupted.

    This time, it was an object rolling on the ground between the two groups ring at each other.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that? A ck ball?¡»

    £¨Did someone throw it?£©

    It wasn¡¯t just us. The dragonkin and the beastmen stared at the ball¡¯s sudden appearance. The ball rolled for a while before stopping perfectly in between the two sides¨D¨Dand then it exploded.

    Boom! Along with the sound came a tremendous amount of smoke, enough topletely cover the area.

    Then, I suddenly sensed someone else¡¯s presence as well.

    ¡¸W-What the hell is¨D¨DGweh!¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t see any¨D¨DGwah!¡¹

    ¡¸W-What¡¯s going¨D¨DGyuh!¡¹

    The men¡¯s screams continued to echo from within the smoke. Every time that mysterious presence moved, I heard the muffled screams of the ouws.

    I considered intervening, but I couldn¡¯t sense any killing intent from that shadowy figure. I also recognized that the beastmen and dragonkin who had fallen down were simply knocked unconscious.

    We decided to wait and see for now.

    As soon the intruder was the only one left standing, the smoke began to thin.

    £¨Everyone¡¯s down?£©

    ¡ºLooks like that guy in ck took them all out.¡»

    Between the dragonkin and the beastmen stood a man wearingpletely ck gear all over his body. This guy had knocked out all the men from both sides.

    Since he took out that many people while his vision was blocked by the smoke¡­¡­ He must be quite skilled.

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯d expect as much from him.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    ¡ºYou guys both remember him?¡»

    Fran never forgot a strong opponent, and Urushi always had a strange rivalry with him since they were both experts at stealth.

    ¡ºAshwrath said he was in town, but I didn¡¯t expect to see him so soon¡­¡­ What is he after? He ended up beating all the dragonkin to a pulp too.¡»

    In front of us was Frederick, the stealth-expert dragonkin who had fought with us at the royal capital.

 Chapter 849

    <h4>Chapter 849</h4>

    <h4>849: Reunion with Velmeria</h4>

    Frederick had suddenly appeared and took control of the situation by force.

    His gaze turned in the direction of Fran, who was currently still in hiding. He didn¡¯t seem to bepletely aware of our presence, but he probably sensed something strange in the alleyway.

    After a bit of deliberation, he poised himself forbat.

    ¡ºI think we better reveal ourselves.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    Fran stepped out of the alley while maintaining her stealth skills. He should recognize us now that we¡¯ve appeared in his field of view.

    The reason we still maintained our stealth was because of the mysterious archer.

    We didn¡¯t want to expose ourselves to such an unknown opponent, since we still couldn¡¯t determine where they were.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while.¡¹

    ¡¸What a surprise, to think I would meet you here¡­¡­¡¹

    He seemed pretty surprised too. Both of them were at a loss for words, not knowing what other was after.

    It was clear to us that Frederick intended to prevent a war between the two organizations, but for what purpose? He probably didn¡¯t understand why Fran was here either.

    Neither of them could confirm that they were actually allies, and time passed with them both silent.

    Then, I sensed someone else approaching. However, this was someone we knew too.

    After a minute of waiting, a girl with a blue ponytail appeared. Velmeria, the half-water dragonkin, and the only daughter of Count Bailleys.

    She emerged from the alleyway wearing apletely ck outfit, simr to one she wore before.

    ¡¸Frederick, my apologies. I lost sight of the arche¨D¨DFran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Velmeria, it¡¯s been a long time.¡¹

    ¡¸L-Long time no see. Anyways, I couldn¡¯t detect any sign of you at all¡­¡­ Have you improved your skills again?¡¹

    ¡¸Because I¡¯m training. But you¡¯ve gotten stronger too.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu. I¡¯m training every day too. Besides¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Wait. I know you two have a lot to talk about, but this is not the ce. Let¡¯s move.¡¹

    ¡¸I agree.¡¹

    I didn¡¯t sense any hostilitying from the two, so I can agree with a change our location. But how are we gonna clean this ce up?

    If we just left the ouws lying on the ground, wouldn¡¯t they be ughtered by whichever side got reinforcements first?

    In that case, there wouldn¡¯t have been any point to stopping them in the first ce.

    ¡¸What are we gonna do with them?¡¹

    ¡¸I have already notified the security forces of the Sanatorium, so we can leave the rest to them. They would be more happy to treat these folks, since that would allow them to pocket the treatment fee.¡¹

    So they¡¯re forcing people into their treatment centers and taking money for it. Well, the healers of the Adventurers Guild do practically the same thing, so I guess we¡¯ll just leave it to them.

    ¡¸Let us return to the safe house for the time being.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, follow us.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Something¡¯s¡­ weird.¡¹

    Fran paused to take a look around.

    ¡ºThe same feeling as the other day?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran felt the same strange feeling a couple days ago. If this is a repeat urrence, we¡¯ll have to thoroughly investigate the surroundings!

    But that turned out to be impossible, because of the security forces of the Sanatorium. Frederick said he called for them earlier, and they just now arrived.

    I¡¯m very curious to know what triggered Fran¡¯s senses, but getting out of here seems to be the wisest option.

    Following Frederick, we left the area.

    We moved with them to an inn room within the residential district. It seemed to be a pretty good ce to hide since the ouws couldn¡¯t make a big scene here.

    Of course, we used all our magic and skills to hide our presences on the way back to the room. Only someone of extremely high ability would have been able to track us.

    ¡¸Well now, I have many questions. But first, Velmeria¡­ what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m very sorry, but I let the archer escape. I found this in what I believe was the archer¡¯s position.¡¹

    Velmeria put the arrow in her hand on the table. Frederick picked it up and began observing it.

    ¡¸This is certainly a very unique construction.¡¹

    ¡¸Right, it¡¯s hollow inside.¡¹

    Now that you mention it, it did seem hollow.

    I also took out the arrow I had knocked down with my telekinesis, making it look as if Fran had taken it out of storage, and she handed it to them.

    ¡¸This one is hollow too.¡¹

    Fran spoke as she looked into the arrow. Though hollow, it¡¯s not like there was anything special within. I thought they would be poison or something, but there was no sign of poison in either of the arrows.

    I didn¡¯t understand the point of the arrow¡¯s shape, but Frederick seemed to recognize them.

    ¡¸This arrow looks just like the ones Dogsinger uses¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Now that you mention it, they did say she uses a special kind of arrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Dogsinger?¡¹

    Is that someone¡¯s alias?

    ¡¸She is one of the executives of the Dragon King Syndicate.¡¹

    ¡¸The Dragon King Syndicate has a group ofbat specialized executives known as the ¡°Three ws¡±. Miranleil the Dogsinger, Gephe of the Evil Way, and Gazzol of the Windscales, each of whom is said to be as strong as a Rank A adventurer if you challenge them in their field of expertise. Please be careful if you ever encounter them.¡¹

    ¡¸Gazzol? The wind dragonkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Did you know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He attacked me, so I beat him up.¡¹

    Fran nodded her head lightly, but Velmeria simply froze,pletely stunned. It¡¯s no wonder though, since Fran mentioned she had already defeated the guy immediately after being warned about him.

    ¡¸So who is this Dogsinger?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Wait just a second. Before that, you said you beat up Gazzol?! D-Did you kill him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? I didn¡¯t kill him. He was holding back too, so I just beat him up a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸V-Very impressive¡­¡­ I thought I had closed the gap between us a little, but it may have gotten even wider¡­¡­¡¹

    Well, Gazzol was the type of guy who preferred rampaging around on a wide battlefield. He probably couldn¡¯t utilize the greater half of his abilities fighting in a dark alleyway. It would have been a much closer fight if he got serious.

    ¡¸Windscales is one of the better ones in the Dragon King Syndicate, so I¡¯m d to hear you didn¡¯t kill them. Let¡¯s move on to the Dogsinger.¡¹

    ¡¸She uses a bow?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. They call her ¡°Dogsinger¡± because she fires hollow arrows, which make a distinctive noise when flying through the air, like arge dog barking.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    So this arrow proved that Dogsinger was involved. But isn¡¯t that a bit too obvious?

    Frederick must have been thinking the same thing as me.

    ¡¸Dogsinger may be a woman of questionable character, but she has a brain. She wouldn¡¯t leave behind such clear evidence.¡¹

    ¡¸So you believe someone may be trying to pin the me on her?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a strong possibility.¡¹

    I knew it. Someone was manipting things behind the scenes.

 Chapter 850

    <h4>Chapter 850</h4>

    <h4>850: Dragonkin</h4>

    We obtained an arrow said to be used by a dragonkin named Miranleil the Dogsinger. However, there was a strong possibility that someone was setting her up.

    ¡ºSupposed to sound like a dog barking¡­¡­?¡»

    £¨Did you hear it?£©

    ¡ºI didn¡¯t. What about you?¡»

    £¨Me neither.£©

    I guess it¡¯s possible we didn¡¯t catch it because she was too far away¡­¡­

    ¡¸Where was this Dogsinger hiding?¡¹

    ¡¸About 100 meters from the crossroads where the battle took ce.¡¹

    Surprisingly close. Considering that distance, it¡¯s strange that we didn¡¯t hear any sounds. I guess it¡¯s possible the sound was muffled by wind magic or some other means, but apparently, that wasn¡¯t it.

    Frederick shook his head when Fran mentioned that.

    ¡¸Dogsinger always loves to show off and is not suited for stealth. She would never try to hide the sound of her arrows.¡¹

    In that case, our culprit must be someone else for sure. They would need to be a specialist in stealth to prevent me and Fran from detecting their presence at a distance of 100 meters.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t hear or sense anything.¡¹

    ¡¸So they must be at a level where even the ck Lightning Princess cannot sense them? ¡­¡­Miranleil is not the stealthy type and she is a fire dragonkin. Since she can only use fire magic, she wouldn¡¯t be capable of muffling her sounds.¡¹

    ¡¸Fire dragonkin can only use fire magic?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, it seems you are not very knowledgeable about dragonkin. You know that we have elemental affinities, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Velmeria and Frederick exined how the dragonkin functioned to us.

    When they are children, dragonkin are said to have no elemental affinity and can use magic of all attributes. However, they gain an elemental affinity such as water or wind when they grow to adulthood and evolve. Afterwards, they be specialized in their element and can no longer use magic of other attributes.

    Half-dragonkin don¡¯t have such a strong restriction, but they also can¡¯t use as powerful elemental magic as the specialized full-blooded dragonkin.

    ¡¸Your evolution depends on which element you use the most often, the elemental affinity of your living environment, and by absorbing the mana of defeated enemies.¡¹

    Simply put, if you use water magic all the time, live near water, and keep defeating water-based enemies, you will be a water dragonkin.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the mostmon type of dragonkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Many have their personal preferences, but no one attribute is more prominent than the others.¡¹

    The fire attribute is suited for wide area annihtion. The earth attribute is good for defense and construction of encampments. The wind attribute for detection and mobility. The water attribute for producing water and supporting allies.

    No one element is definitively better than the others. All of them have their own uses.

    The dragonkin apparently thought so too, so they adjusted their evolutions to ensure approximately equal numbers for each elemental dragonkin. Then, among the evolved dragonkin, those who trained even further acquire the Dragon Form skill, bing the leaders of their race.

    The dragon warriors under Chelsea were all able to use Dragon Form skills, but that was probably because all of them were elites.

    So it seems not just any wind dragonkin would be able to use the Wind Dragon Form skill.

    ¡¸What about other attributes? Frederick is an evil dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸Evil dragonkin is a known evolution, but there¡¯s not much certainty about the other special attributes. They say there used to be thunder dragonkin and ice dragonkin, but their evolutions were apparently idental.¡¹

    If the evolution conditions are simr to the conditions for learning magic, then thunder dragonkin probably need to have high affinities for wind and fire, as well as keeping them bnced at about the same level.

    ¡¸Evil dragonkin is known?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, since it¡¯s not particrly hard to be one.¡¹

    In order for a dragonkin to evolve, they need to absorb the required attribute. For a fire dragonkin, they absorb the attribute of fire. So if you want to be an evil dragonkin, you only need to absorb a lot of evil energy.

    Since this continent was filled with evil energy packed antidemons, you could easily be an evil dragonkin if you wanted to.

    But apparently, no one ever tries to be an evil dragonkin.

    Bing an evil dragonkin turns you very violent. Some of them even lose their mind and go crazy. That¡¯s why the dragonkin are careful not to umte too much evil energy. Young individuals that have not yet evolved are told not fight too many battles at once, and the amount of time they spend within the barrier is limited.

    Even so, some turned into evil dragonkin. There were two main reasons for this.

    One was when the rebellious youngsters refuse to listen to their elders, and stay within the barrier chasing after levels or points.

    The other was when antidemons spring up inrge numbers during the antidemon season, and the young dragonkin have no choice but to keep fighting them.

    In either case, those who have turned into evil dragonkin are often killed by their own kind. They would rather hunt them with their own hands than wait for them to go berserk.

    That said, Frederick was a half-dragonkin, so they did not go as far as to take his life. Half-evil dragonkin were affected by some stat penalties, but they did not lose their sanity to the point of rampaging mindlessly.

    ¡¸However, I was not allowed to stay in Gordicia. They exiled me from the continent, cing me as the guardian of the youngdy.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you okay to be here now?¡¹

    ¡¸As long as they don¡¯t find me.¡¹

    So I take it you¡¯d be in trouble if they saw you. I can understand why you need to act behind the scenes then.

    ¡¸What about divine dragonkin?¡¹

    Divine Dragon Form was the skill given to Velmeria by Fanatics. It contained so much power that Velmeria became evenly matched with Ashwrath, even after he released his divine sword.

    I¡¯m pretty curious about how you¡¯re supposed to obtain Divine Dragon Form.

    ¡¸That one is somewhat special. At least, no one has ever achieved it on their own.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Then how do you learn it?¡¹

    ¡¸The six divine dragons are said to be the ancestors of the dragonkin. That skill is passed down to their descendants, the dragon priestesses, from generation to generation. However, two of the bloodlines have died out over the years, so now there are only four dragon priestesses left.¡¹

    When the dragon priestesses perform the ritual to inherit their role, the Divine Dragon Form skill is given to them. However, the priestesses apparently never use the skill themselves.

    ¡¸To be more precise, they are unable to use it. Skills and sses that contain ¡°God¡± or ¡°Divine¡± in their name require long training to truly master.¡¹

    So even if they obtain the skill, they will never be able to utilize it fully. You might be able to say the same thing for some of our skills.

    Sword God Transformation met that description perfectly. I also knew of other skills, for example, Garrus¡¯ ¡°Divine Eye¡± skill.

    That was the skill he used to identify me, but thinking back, he was nowhere close to being able to see everything. In all likelihood, he wasn¡¯t utilizing it to its full potential.

    Maybe the same thing could be said for Amanda¡¯s ¡°Divine Whipmaster¡± ss. It seems highly likely that she had not mastered its power after her recent ss change. If she had really been able to make full use of its power, we should have lost much more easily.

    ¡¸But if they can¡¯t use it, why did they inherit it?¡¹

    ¡¸ording to the legends, if someone capable of mastering that power ever appears, the skill will be transferred from the priestess to that person.¡¹

    When a king is born with the blood of a divine dragon, he shall inherit their power as well. Or at least that¡¯s what their legends say.

 Chapter 851

    <h4>Chapter 851</h4>

    <h4>851: The Dragon King''s Goal</h4>

    The two exined the priestesses of the divine dragons to us, but someone had told us something simr earlier.

    ¡¸So Velmeria, your mom is a priestess?¡¹

    ¡¸Did Ashwrath-sama tell you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He said she was important, and the Dragon King is after her.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s correct. My mother Tnaria is a priestess. That is why she is not allowed to leave the continent.¡¹

    We had already heard that Velmeria¡¯s mother had an important role on this continent, so it makes sense if she was one of these dragon priestesses. That meant the Dragon King was after her Divine Dragon Form skill.

    ording to their legends, the person who possesses the Divine Dragon Form skill will be recognized as their king.

    ¡¸But why is he targeting your mom? There are other priestesses.¡¹

    ¡¸Most likely because they share the same elemental affinity.¡¹

    The man who calls himself the Dragon King was said to be a fire dragonkin, and Tnaria was the priestess of the divine dragon of fire. The Dragon King probably believed that he could gain greater power if their affinities were morepatible with each other.

    The temple where Tnaria lived had apparently been contacted several times, and they demanded that she give them the Divine Dragon Form skill.

    The negotiations seemed amiable at first, but they got impatient after the repeated refusals. In the end, they resorted to threats, and appearedpletely willing to take it by force.

    ¡¸In order to protect my mother, I infiltrated the Dragon King Syndicate and began monitoring their movements.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re gonna defeat the Dragon King?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­If possible.¡¹

    Defeat him? More like assassinate him. Velmeria was unable to hold back her killing intent. However, she had not found the Dragon King¡¯s location, so she was still at the investigation step.

    It seems that Velmeria and Frederick were only given the position of external coborators, so they wouldn¡¯t get much good information about the Dragon King.

    ¡¸Then, are you sure you wanted to leave those Dragon King Syndicate guys alive?¡¹

    ¡¸It was indeed an opportunity to reduce the Dragon King Syndicate¡¯s numbers¡­¡­ But arge-scale war is not our intention either.¡¹

    To begin with, the Dragon King Syndicate had a long history as well as great influence in many different areas. It was only recently that the newly crowned head of the organization named himself the Dragon King and began to make noise.

    Damage to the organization might hurt dragonkin as a whole. It was especially a bad idea to cause a bigmotion during the antidemon season. She only wanted to save her mother, not cause tons of coteral damage.

    ¡¸But please let me know if you have any information on the whereabouts of the Dragon King.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll tell you if I get any. In return, let me know if you have any info on illegal vers.¡¹

    ¡¸Illegal vers¡­¡­? Oh, I see. You are a ck cat after all.¡¹

    Even without giving any details, she knew why a ck cat would be looking for vers.

    ¡¸Illegal vers¡­¡­ I¡¯ve heard some rumors about them¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Even rumors are fine.¡¹

    After Fran said that, Velmeria and Frederick gave us what they knew.

    First, they said the Dragon King Syndicate was unlikely to be connected with the vers. That coincided with what Gazzol had told us.

    However, the Dragon King himself clearly had different values than most dragonkin, since he called himself the Dragon King despite Trismegistus¡¯ existence.

    That meant the possibility existed for a connection between him and the vers.

    ¡¸And then there is the Beastmen Union.¡¹

    The infamous Bloodfang Brigade of the Beastmen Union had supposedly been making a lot of moves behind the scenes recently.

    Several of their confirmed strongholds had a lot of traffic, and they also involved themselves in some major battles.

    At the same time, the watchouts of the Dragon King Syndicate reported that some of the Bloodfang Brigade¡¯s leaders vanished off the grid. The Dragon King Syndicate believed they were starting some kind of operation.

    And apparently, some blue cats were among those few that made it past the Dragon King Syndicate¡¯s surveincework.

    ¡¸Perhaps they were not conducting some kind of operation against the Dragon King Syndicate or the Adventurers Guild, but something rted to ve trafficking.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    The Bloodfang Brigade of the Beastmen Union seems really suspicious now. If only we could get some solid information on them¡­¡­

    ¡¸Hey, where can I find them?¡¹

    We were still waiting on the information from the Adventurers Guild, but it¡¯d still be good to do our own research just in case. After that, they told us what they knew about the Beastmen Union, and that brought our trade to a wrap.

    Since we now knew where they were staying, we promised to exchange info again in the future.

    I thought it was time for us to leave, but Fran had one more thing on her mind.

    ¡¸Did you feel something strange?¡¹

    ¡¸Strange? What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ Something¡­¡­ weird.¡¹

    Fran tried to exin, but she didn¡¯t really understand it herself. It was hard to put into words.

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Before we left the scene, you seemed to be concerned about something. Is that what you are referring to?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Frederick thought to himself for a moment.

    ¡¸Actually, I had a strange feeling too. I thought it was just my mistake and did not pay it any more attention¡­¡­¡¹

    Apparently, Frederick felt something too, but he didn¡¯t know what it was either.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll make sure to look around more closely next time.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll watch out as well.¡¹

    And so, we parted ways with Velmeria and Frederick. Then, Fran suddenly stopped in the middle of the road.

    ¡¸Yo! Hold on for a second. You weak cat brat.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What?¡¹

    ¡¸The fuck¡¯s up with that face? You know you¡¯re an inferior race that can¡¯t even evolve.¡¹

    ¡¸Blue cats.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! We¡¯re blue cats, the rightful rulers of you trash cats!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re standing in the presence of your masters here! Lower your head to the ground and meow for us!¡¹

    Two blue cats were blocking Fran¡¯s way, and they obviously weren¡¯t the friendly type.

    Fran had been strolling around in a good mood after reuniting with Velmeria and Frederick. They just went and ruined it.

    Immediately after she heard the men¡¯s words, she red with killing intent.

    Her face was still expressionless, but she waspletely ready to fight.

    The blue cats were bewildered after seeing Fran¡¯s aura, since they thought she was just a weakling. They must not know Fran¡¯s identity.

    They probably just saw a ck cat girl walking alone, and decided to harass her, even though we were currently in a residential area.

    Maybe they were just stupid enough to forget the unspoken rules. Or maybe they had enough friends to cover up their crimes. Either way, they were scumbags for sure.

    ¡ºThey might be members of the Beastmen Union. Don¡¯t kill them.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­I¡¯ll be as careful as possible.£©

    I guess I have to prepare a healing spell just in case I need to save them. No one can stop Fran now after hearing all that trash talk from the blue cats.

 Chapter 852

    <h4>Chapter 852</h4>

    <h4>852: Blue Cat Grudges</h4>

    Fran instantly took out the blue cats that picked a fight with her. She didn¡¯t kill them, and she didn¡¯t even need to use a weapon.

    While it was clearly their fault, we would get into trouble for causing bloodshed in the residential district. Fran wanted nothing more than to cut them apart, but I managed to convince her to use her fists instead.

    The blue cats fell to the ground after Fran¡¯s murderous intent packed punch, vomiting up gastric juices. They lost consciousness, twitching and convulsing.

    That probably crushed their internal organs and ribs, but they¡¯ll live.

    ¡¸What do we do with them?¡¹

    Fran asked me, looking down at the two blue cats with cold eyes.

    No doubt she wanted to beat the info out of them right away, but she also knew that this was not the right ce to do it.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s take them into the alley first, then get this over fast.¡»

    It¡¯s not like we could drag them back to our room, and I couldn¡¯t think of any other good ces around here.

    I considered asking Velmeria and Frederick for help, but bringing too much attention might get them in trouble.

    We had no choice but to finish the interrogation as quickly as possible.

    After throwing the blue cats into an alley, we used Urushi¡¯s dark magic and my wind magic to block them off from the outside world.

    Since they couldn¡¯t talk in their current condition, I used a weaker heal to fix them up. Then, they finally woke up after Urushi licked their faces.

    ¡¸What the fuck is th¨D¨DGyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhhhh! A monster!¡¹

    They should have still been seriously injured despite my healing, but their fear of Urushi must of won out over the pain.

    Well, not that it could be helped with such a huge wolf suddenly appearing in front of them. Moreover, the blue cats must have thought he was ready to take a bite out of them at any moment.

    They were stunned, lying on their backs, desperately crawling away to keep their distance from Urushi. Unfortunately for them, they soon found a wall behind their backs, so they couldn¡¯t move any further.

    Fran called out to the still panicked men.

    ¡¸Oi!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What! You¡¯re¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸That fucking weak¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gehaaah!¡¹

    The blue cat was about to say ¡°weak cat¡± before getting blown away by Fran¡¯s kick. His back mmed against the wall, making him lose consciousness again.

    The other one froze at the sight of Fran knocking out a grown man with a single, seemingly light kick. He must have finally understood that she was not the girl she seemed to be.

    ¡¸Are you ck market vers?¡¹

    ¡¸What? Why the hell should I¨D¨DGyeeeeh!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t talk back to me. Answer the question.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    After getting electrocuted, the blue cat looked up at Fran with astonishment in his eyes.

    But this was not simply surprise at Fran¡¯s strength.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸A little ck cat bitch with a wolf¡­¡­ There¡¯s no doubt about it!¡¹

    It looks like he knew about Fran, and more than that.

    Still sitting with his back against the wall, the blue cat¡¯s eyes now red up at Fran with pure hatred.

    I could understand if Fran was the one ring at the blue cats with those eyes, but this situation made no sense to me.

    The blue cat clearly had a deep seated grudge. There was more to it than just the anger at getting beaten up just now.

    ¡¸You know about me?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re the fucking brat who cozied up to the Beast King and brought down the blue cat race! It¡¯s all your fault that the blue cats have fallen¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Why are we the ones at fault?! All we did is turn you worthless scum into cash like we¡¯ve always have been doing! We¡¯re the ones giving value to you meaningless pieces of garbage!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gwuh¡­¡­! Don¡¯t you fucking ck cats look down on us! You should be grovelling beneath us!¡¹

    Even after getting smacked in the face by Fran¡¯s fist, the blue cat remained defiant. Rather, his words only grew louder.

    ¡¸Those other shit races are just as guilty! They¡¯ve been tolerating our actions this entire time, and now they call us criminals? They say we don¡¯t belong here anymore? Are you fucking kidding me? All of those bastards have been profiting off the trade too!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up already.¡¹

    ¡¸We captured the ck cats under the order of the previous Beast King! And now they want us to stop? We need show the ck cats some respect? I¡¯m having none of this shit! You trash cats are just a defective race that doesn¡¯t deserve to exist!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Shh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaah!¡¹

    It seems Fran finally reached the end of her patience. She cut off the blue cat¡¯s right leg and stepped on the wound. The blue cat screamed as he writhed in pain.

    ¡¸Shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuck you all¡­¡­! Everyst one of you deserves to be enve¨D¨DGugah!¡¹

    We tortured him for a bit after that, but the blue cat showed no signs of changing his attitude. We could continue until he finally broke if we had more time, but I don¡¯t think we do.

    ¡ºFine. It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s going to talk straight, so let¡¯s wake up the other one and ask him instead.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    I learned from him that the blue cats also had a lot of their own hardships. But honestly, cry me a river.

    They¡¯ve been harassing and enving the ck cats for years, and refused to stop even after the ve trade got officially ouwed. There¡¯s not much room for sympathy.

    If they were blue cats just living in peace and suffering from the reputation of their race, maybe I would care¡­¡­ But definitely not these two.

    ¡ºThen let¡¯s take that guy and¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Mrgh?¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    The guy who had been screaming already passed out, so we were about to wake up the one that got kicked unconscious. But suddenly¡­¡­

    Fran braced herself and Urushi growled as well.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s someone there!¡»

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t notice at all.¡¹

    To our surprise, there was someone standing right outside the wards of darkness and wind we had set up. It¡¯s not like we werepletely focused on the blue cats either.

    And yet, that presence showed up without our noticing. They either had amazing stealth skills or were capable of teleportation. Either way, this was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

    ¡ºThey¡¯reing!¡»

    Just as I shouted out the warning, our barrier got blown away, revealing the neer in front of us.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve been having a ton of fun in our territory, eh? I heard the guild¡¯s been sniffing around for us Bloodfang Brigade members¡­¡­ And they sent you too, huh?!¡¹

 Chapter 853

    <h4>Chapter 853</h4>

    <h4>853: Ouw Rabbit</h4>

    A beastman stood in front of us after breaking down the wards we had set up.

    He was not very tall, I¡¯d say less than 160 cm. Moreover, his face looked surprisingly kinda cute.

    I¡¯d never expect him to be an ouw with a face like that. That said, the scars all over his body added an intimidating aura to his cuteness.

    In front of this cute but intimidating man, Fran simply tilted her head.

    ¡¸Bloodfang Brigade?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you fucking y dumb! You saying you don¡¯t know me, Dry-sama, third seat of the Bloodfang Brigade!?¡¹

    The man in front of us was a member of the Bloodfang Brigade, and a high-ranking one at that. He spoke with a high-pitched soprano voice matching his face.

    However, Fran was concerned about something else.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have fangs, but you¡¯re in the Bloodfang Brigade?¡¹

    ¡¸S-Shut up! That doesn¡¯t matter!¡¹

    The man was actually a herbivorous beastman. Anyone could tell by his ears that he was undoubtedly a rabbitkin.

    I¡¯d say he was the same race as Royce of the Ash Rabbits, a close associate of the Beast King. That would exin his sudden appearance.

    Small herbivorous beastmen were already very good at stealth, but the Ash Rabbits had an affinity for teleportation magic. He must have teleported in next to us.

    Meanwhile, Fran was wondering why one of the leaders of the Bloodfang Brigade didn¡¯t have any fangs.

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸F-Fuck¡­¡­¡¹

    Dry seemed to be concerned about that fact as well. He was surprisingly dismayed.

    And thus he had no idea what to say after Fran questioned him with innocent eyes.

    If anyone else tried to make fun of him for this, he would probably just shut them up with his fists. But Fran was asking seriously.

    She really meant no harm, just saying what was on her mind.

    ¡¸It¡¯s just been called the Bloodfang Brigade forever, so they don¡¯t care if you have no fangs!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the one asking me, so what the hell¡¯s with the uninterested response! Damn!¡¹

    He seems to have a good sense of humor. But after seeing the figures of his defeated subordinates, he immediately tightened his expression and red at Fran.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve certainly given my men quite the beating, eh?!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­They attacked me.¡¹

    ¡¸Like I care! I¡¯ll kick your ass first!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    He¡¯s out for blood, attacking us without any further talk!

    Just because he¡¯s using his bare hands doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s going easy on us, since his fists clearly had enough force to deal a mortal wound. This guy must be the type who prefers to punch first and ask questionster.

    Fran backstepped to evade him, but Dry elerated even faster at us. He¡¯s a beast of a rabbit!

    ¡¸Nice moves! I¡¯ve heard that the ck cats are getting better nowadays!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Way too obvious!¡¹

    He quickly ducked to evade Fran¡¯s side cleave, throwing out a jab of his own. His movements were clearly those of a specialist.

    If we consider Gazzol as an expert inrge scale battles outside the city, then this man is probably best at fighting in these narrow alleys.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    Dry dodged under the sword, but Fran delivered a kick instead. However, Dry twisted his body even further and evaded that too.

    This was reminiscent of how Fran moved when fighting against Gazzol. But this time, this was just what Fran wanted.

    ¡¸Too slow!¡¹

    ¡¸No you.¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    She had usednd magic to dig a hole into the ground in sync with Dry¡¯s movements. This man was certainly both fast and strong, but I¡¯d have to ce him a notch below Colbert and Hilt.

    It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Fran as she is now to catch him off guard with magic.

    I bet it would have been a closer fight if he activated Awakening, but he had underestimated Fran.

    Dry lost his bnce because of the ground missing under his step, allowing Fran¡¯s fist tond a direct hit.

    Fran bopped him with a three hitbo: first a liver punch, then an uppercut to the chin, finally a hook to his temple. He fell down, still conscious but unable to move due to the concussion and muscle spasms.

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­?¡¹

    We could have taken him down with magic alone, but Fran chose to fight him on his ying field. She only used magic as support, and she settled it with her fists.

    Her intention was probably to make the interrogation easier after proving her superiority.

    For the time being, we covered up his body withnd magic to restrain him, then re-established the wards of darkness and wind.

    ¡¸Heal. I have a lot of questions for you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Tch. I¡¯ve already been beaten by a little brat, so I can¡¯t humiliate myself any more. Ask away.¡¹

    I thought he¡¯d try to run via teleportation, but he¡¯s being more obedient than expected.

    ¡¸Are you from the Beastmen Union?¡¹

    ¡¸You could say that, but they don¡¯t consider us their friends. All they want from us is more hands they can use in case of a fight.¡¹

    It seems the rumors were true, the Bloodfang Brigade wasn¡¯t well-liked by the rest of the Beastmen Union.

    ¡¸And the blue cats there?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re our underlings.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you connected to the ck market vers?¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Oh, so that¡¯s what this is about. The ck cats versus blue cats?¡¹

    Dry nodded in understanding. I guess these sorts of conflicts between two races weremon for the beastmen.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard the rumors about that too, but the Bloodfang Brigade has nothing to do with them. Neither do they.¡¹

    ¡¸You lie. They attacked me out of nowhere, just because I¡¯m a ck cat. In the residential area.¡¹

    After hearing Fran¡¯s words, Dry¡¯s eyes widened. Then he lowered his head.

    ¡¸I have to apologize for that¡­¡­ I¡¯ve heard these two had a pretty nasty grudge against the ck cats. But to you guys, their grudge ispletely unreasonable. I can fully understand why you¡¯d be angry.¡¹

    I had thought this guy was bloodthirsty, but is he surprisingly decent? No, that can¡¯t be it. He did attack us out of nowhere too.

    At the least, he seems to have his own rules to live by. He may be a nuisance to ordinary citizens, but Fran couldn¡¯t bring herself to hate him that much.

    Even now, she¡¯s looking a little confused, simr to how she felt about Gazzol.

    ¡¸Hey, I know I don¡¯t have the right to be asking this, but I¡¯m begging you here. Can you spare the lives of these idiots? In exchange, I¡¯ll do whatever you say. Okay?¡¹

    Dry looked up and pleaded with his facepletely serious.

 Chapter 854

    <h4>Chapter 854</h4>

    <h4>854: Dry</h4>

    Dry pleaded for the lives of his subordinates, the two blue cats. Fran heard his words and asked back with a frown.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why would you go that far for these scum?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahaha. That¡¯s harsh, but scum still has their uses. Besides, they¡¯re like my brothers. I can¡¯t just abandon them.¡¹

    It seems Dry really believed what he just said. They¡¯re his brothers, so he¡¯ll protect them. Simple, but not many people would really go all the way.

    ¡¸And I¡¯m ashamed to say it, but these guys remind me of myself back in the day. I can¡¯t let them die here. I¡¯ll discipline them properly from now on, so can you let them off the hook this time?¡¹

    ¡¸They can never be fixed.¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe so, but I¡¯ll figure something out! Just this once. Please, I¡¯m begging you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­In exchange, you¡¯ll do whatever I ask?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Dry nodded immediately, and he wasn¡¯t lying.

    Fran hesitated. She had no reason to believe that these blue cats would ever reform themselves, so she had every intention of killing them.

    But if she could make a connection with one of the leaders of the Bloodfang Brigade, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to let them go. Fran knew the benefits to doing so.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll hear from them first, then I¡¯ll decide.¡¹

    Fran said that to Dry and approached the blue cats. She created water with magic and sshed it all over them.

    The men were startled by the cold water and jumped up with a scream. While they were still panicking, we restrained them and knocked them back onto the ground.

    ¡¸W-What the hell!¡¹

    ¡¸Stop screaming!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re¨D¨DGhmrgh!¡¹

    The conversation wasn¡¯t going anywhere, so I covered up their mouths with telekinesis. The men continued to grunt, but Fran simply ignored them and asked a few questions.

    At first the men remained silent, but they reluctantly began to answer the questions after Dry yelled at them. I guess they can¡¯t ignore their bro like that.

    It turned out that these men were not vers, nor were they connected to them, at least currently.

    The reason why they seemed so familiar with the ve business was because their parents were vers.

    It seems their parents continued the ve business behind the scenes even after the ban on ck cat trafficking. And as a result, they were purged by the current Beast King. Since the two could no longer stay in the Beast Kingdom, they fled to this continent.

    So these two blue cats were certainly criminals, but they presently had no connection to the illegal vers.

    They had a history of violently harassing ck cats, but they never killed any or tried to enve them.

    In the first ce, the Beastmen Union as whole despised the trafficking of ck cats since they too were fellow beastmen. It would be difficult to enter the illegal ve trade as long as they were a member.

    ¡¸So the Beastmen Union has nothing to do with illegal ves?¡¹

    Dry shook his head at Fran¡¯s question, somewhat sadly.

    ¡¸No, I wouldn¡¯t put it that way. We have a number of blue cats, and I¡¯ve heard nasty rumors about some of them.¡¹

    Dry was probably on the side against enving ck cats, since there was a hint of pain in the look he gave Fran.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I can spare your lives. In exchange, go and gather information on anyone connected to the vers in the Beastmen Union.¡¹

    ¡¸Fine. I¡¯ve lost to you and you¡¯ve spared us. I¡¯ll do my part.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring the info to the Adventurers Guild. You¡¯ll get through if you mention my name.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡­? Y-You¡¯re! The ck Lightning Princess! Dammit! No wonder I couldn¡¯t win!¡¹

    Dry spoke as he looked up at the sky, thenughed loudly.

    ¡¸Bwahahaha! I¡¯d be honored to be of service to you!¡¹

    He really meant it. He must be the type that admires strength and considers hierarchical rtionships based on power alone. In that case, he shouldn¡¯t betray us easily.

    ¡¸I heard that the ck Lightning Princess has a ck wolf with her¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi came out of the shadows in response to Fran¡¯s voice.

    He had been hiding in the shadows since Dry destroyed our wards. Of course, he wasn¡¯t simply hiding, but readying himself for a surprise attack if necessary.

    After we¡¯ve fought together for so long, he was able to make quick and precise judgments without us having to tell him what to do.

    ¡¸H-He¡¯s huge¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Grr.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, we¡¯re not enemies anymore! Seriously! I¡¯m not going against you!¡¹

    Dry yelled in panic as Urushi snarled, bringing his face closer. Did he have a hard time with wolves since he was a rabbit beastmen? No, I guess anyone would panic if Urushi growled in your face while you were tied up.

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯m leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    Fran turned away after releasing the restraints on Dry and the blue cats. She understood that Dry was not the type of guy to try attacking her from behind.

    But the same couldn¡¯t be said for the blue cats. They were theplete opposite of trustworthy.

    ¡¸Oh, and about those two. If they haven¡¯t changed by the next time I see them, I¡¯ll show them no mercy.¡¹

    ¡¸Hyaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhh!¡¹

    Fran announced with a deadly fury, and the blue cats slumped back down to the earth. The men managed to hold their ground during the interrogation, but they couldn¡¯t stand after a taste of Fran¡¯s full killing intent. Their faces turned pale.

    ¡¸In that case, you do what you gotta do, Fran-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? B-But, Bro!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s all because of your shitty behavior in the first ce!¡¹

    As Dry yelled back to the underlings clinging onto him, Fran walked away.

    ¡ºFran. You did a good job holding yourself back there.¡»

    £¨Right now, the number one priority is to get info about the vers.£©

    ¡ºEven so, it¡¯s great that you managed to keep your wits about you against the blue cats.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    In order to obtain information on our primary target, the ck market vers, Fran needed to spare the blue cats. The fact that Fran was able to make such a judgment proved her growth. Back when we first met, she would have sliced them up for sure.

    ¡ºI wonder what juicy info they¡¯ve got for us?¡»

    I don¡¯t know about the two blue cats, but Dry will certainly put in the effort. We should have a high chance of him bringing us some good info.

 Chapter 855

    <h4>Chapter 855</h4>

    <h4>855: Commotion in the Dragon King Syndicate</h4>

    The day after Fran spared the blue cats because of Dry¡¯s plea.

    Fran woke up muchter than usual.

    She slept very badlyst night. That must have been due to the unimaginable stress from sparing the blue cats after hearing their disgusting insults.

    Fran usually fell asleep within seconds of getting into bed, but this time she tossed and turned for about an hour.

    She would normally be unfazed by these kinds of things, but I guess that wasn¡¯t the case when it came to blue cats.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll wash your face.¡»

    ¡¸Nnnn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHere, put on your shoes.¡»

    ¡¸Nnnn¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran was still half asleep, so I helped her get ready with telekinesis.

    At first I had to force her drooping head around like a puppet, but she quickly got it together after I took breakfast out from the dimensional storage.

    As expected from a glutton like her, the smell of delicious food was the only thing that could wake her up.

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡¸Om om¡¹

    ¡ºIs it good?¡»

    ¡¸Curry buns are the best.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    They¡¯re still on the ¡°one te of curry a day¡± punishment, but this isn¡¯t curry. It¡¯s a curry vored meat bun, which doesn¡¯t count.

    ¡­¡­Yeah, I know it¡¯s a technicality.

    But I wanted to give Fran her favorite food to cheer her up.

    After the meal, we decided to talk to the guildmaster first.

    ¡ºAfter that, we can try going to the Sanatorium again.¡»

    Fran was in a terrible mood after yesterday¡¯s events, so we ended up forgetting about the Sanatorium.

    I hope we can check it out today.

    ¡ºToday is the day we¡¯ll go to that tower.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    While discussing our next move, we went down to the Adventurers Guild, which was pretty deserted in the early afternoon. Since our current room was built right on top of the guild, that made it pretty convenient.

    ¡¸Oh, perfect timing.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    When we went to greet Prear, he was reading some kind of letter.

    ¡¸I just got the info you were after.¡¹

    He said that with a grin. Fran sat in front of Prear with a serious look on her face, staring into his eyes silently.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Let me hear it.¡¹

    ¡¸This is a bar, you know? Order something.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Juice.¡¹

    ¡¸Coming right up.¡¹

    Despite Fran¡¯s aura of ¡°hurry up and say it,¡± Prear began to prepare the juice in his usual fashion.

    As one would expect from the guildmaster of this ouw town, he withstood Fran¡¯s pressure as if it was nothing.

    ¡¸Here you go.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran gulped down the sour juice that Prear served her. Perhaps due to the acidity of the juice, her agitation seemed to have been lessened somewhat.

    She was still frowning, but the intimidation leaking out had eased, and she waited patiently for Prear¡¯s words.

    After confirming this, the old man opened his mouth.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve got two big tips for you, the one you asked me for, and one you didn¡¯t. Which did you want to hear first?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­The one I didn¡¯t ask for.¡¹

    If you¡¯re giving us information we never asked for, that must mean it¡¯s really important.

    ¡¸Since yesterday, the Dragon King Syndicate has been showing signs of significant movement. They¡¯ve been seen making amotion in residential areas and on the main street. Be careful. Worst case scenario, you might get caught up in their war.¡¹

    ¡¸I already saw them yesterday.¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell? Please tell me you didn¡¯t fight them or anything.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t fight them.¡¹

    ¡¸Good. Anyways, the reason for themotion is that one of their higher ups just up and vanished.¡¹

    ¡¸So they¡¯re looking for a traitor?¡¹

    We had assumed the higher up in question was trying to break off rtions with the gang, but apparently that was pretty unlikely.

    ¡¸Nah, he¡¯s a pretty loyal guy as far as I can tell. Not the kind of guy who would abandon hisrades and run away by himself. Anyways, the Dragon King Syndicate seems to be going a bit haywire in their search for him.¡¹

    That¡¯s quite the reputation he¡¯s earned from Prear.

    ¡ºHmm. A higher up in the Dragon King Syndicate and a pretty loyal guy?¡»

    £¨I know one.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    The name of a certain dragonkin was on both our minds.

    ¡¸Is that Gazzol?¡¹

    ¡¸You know him?¡¹

    ¡¸We met him the day before yesterday.¡¹

    ¡¸D-Don¡¯t tell me, you¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸We only fought a little. Then I healed him and let him go.¡¹

    ¡¸You telling the truth? You really didn¡¯t kill him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯d better not be lying. I¡¯ll believe you.¡¹

    Despite saying so, he still looked doubtful. He knew Fran could beat Gazzol, and that she had dimensional storage for hiding things.

    £¨What happened to him?£©

    ¡ºHmmm. All we know is that he disappeared.¡»

    He said he was going to tell the rest of the Dragon King Syndicate not to antagonize Fran. Maybe that caused him to sh with the higher-ups, so they erased him?

    But the fact that the Dragon King Syndicate was looking for Gazzol meant this wasn¡¯t an internal conflict. Or maybe it¡¯s all an act to cover it up¡­¡­?

    ¡ºHmm. No clue.¡»

    £¨I see.£©

    I¡¯m curious as to why he went missing, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re close friends. I didn¡¯t care enough to go looking for him, and I guess Fran felt the same way.

    She mainly seemed disappointed that she lost a potential source of information. I¡¯ll just keep Gazzol in the back of my mind in case hees up again.

    ¡¸Now for the info you asked for, regarding the helpers of the Beastmen Union.¡¹

 Chapter 856

    <h4>Chapter 856</h4>

    <h4>856: Prear''s Information</h4>

    ¡¸Now for the info you asked for, regarding the helpers of the Beastmen Union.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After hearing this, Fran straightened her posture. She stared at the old man with her eyes serious, waiting for his next words.

    ¡¸It seems the two are a man and a young woman living at the headquarters of the Beastmen Union. They rarely leave unless the Beastmen Union gives the order, and they don¡¯t go to any restaurants or bars in particr. No one knows their names, but they seem to be referred to as ¡°Boss¡± and ¡°Miss¡±.¡¹

    Prear paused after saying that. Both Fran and I waited for him to continue, but he simply scratched his head with a puzzled look on his face.

    ¡¸¡­¡­That¡¯s it?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get such a crappy report either¡­¡­¡¹

    Prear lowered his shoulders with a pathetic expression.

    I was pretty impressed when he managed to get what we wanted in only two days, but it seems he found nothing useful in the first ce.

    So they live at the headquarters and never leave except when on duty. That¡¯s info we could have easily gotten ourselves.

    It seems he also learned that the two were well respected after listening to members of the Beastmen Union, but not much else.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m really sorry about this. I¡¯ll send them back in to gather more info, so don¡¯t get too hasty! Please, I¡¯m begging you!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Prear bowed his head, while Fran simply stared at him.

    ¡¸I understand your anger! But you¡¯re a Rank B adventurer, the highest ranked in the city! If someone like you causes amotion, the entire Adventurers Guild will be ced under suspicion!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Ashwrath should be here.¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s already left town.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, he said he¡¯ll be back soon enough.¡¹

    Apparently, he sensed the signs of his oing Mad Oni Form activation. Since it was currently the antidemon season, there was a risk that he would need to fight, which would cause him to go berserk near the city.

    Given these circumstances, he would be better off activating it somewhere very far away. Essentially, he needed to go let off some steam.

    ¡¸No Rank A adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸None who came to report to the guild at least.¡¹

    ¡¸There are other Rank B adventurers though.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the only one with an alias.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    It seems we¡¯ve somehow be the city¡¯s top adventurer without our knowledge.

    That might be a bit annoying, but it¡¯s not like we can lower our rank or anything. It¡¯s also true that Fran has an alias and is iparable to the other Rank B adventurers.

    I guess this is the first time we¡¯re feeling the disadvantages of increased rank. Being a high-ranked adventureres with its own set of responsibilities.

    ¡¸So just give me a few more days. Can you please stay quiet until then?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Can I trust you this time?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Prear nodded seriously, with a look of confidence.

    But is this guy really trustworthy? If he gives us the same crap again, Fran will be the one going berserk.

    Was he trying to pull a fast one on us in the first ce? Prear¡¯s top priority must be to protect this city.

    I bet he would do whatever it takes to achieve that. Maybe he would even look the other way if the illegal vers offered their cooperation.

    Looking at it from the guildmaster¡¯s point of view, he must be thinking about how he can keep Fran in the city while reducing the damage to the ouws.

    If I was in his shoes, I wouldn¡¯t y all my cards right away. I¡¯d slowly drip feed the info, ensuring that Fran was stalled until the end of the antidemon season.

    ¡ºHmmm.¡»

    When I think about it like that, Prear¡¯s report is getting more and more suspicious.

    Should we question Prear or not? While I was wondering about our options, I saw a figure run into the guild¡¯s bar.

    A high-pitched noise echoed through the bar as they roughly shoved the swinging door open, and all eyes turned to the figure.

    Looks like an adventurer working as a scout. He must havee running in a great hurry, since he was gasping for breath with a waterfall of sweat dripping from his forehead.

    ¡¸I-It¡¯s happened¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸W-What¡¯s wrong? What happened!?¡¹

    Everyone could tell that this was an emergency. Even Prear was shaking when he questioned the man.

    Could it be that the antidemons have started a major offensive? Considering that so many antidemons appeared in Castel, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the horde attacked Sendia by now.

    However, this time was different.

    ¡¸T-The Dragon King Syndicate and the Beastmen Union¡­¡­¡¹

    Prear seemed to have grasped the situation just from the man¡¯s mutter. He asked the man back in a voice so loud and sharp that I could hardly believe his age.

    ¡¸Where!?¡¹

    ¡¸T-The west za! Next to the branch of the Beastmen Union!¡¹

    ¡¸What about the others!?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re still watching! But no adventurer can stop them now¡­¡­!¡¹

    So war has broken out in the west district, the ouws¡¯ territory.

    This man must have been ced as a watchman there.

    £¨Master, I¡¯m going.£©

    ¡ºOkay. But it¡¯ll onlyplicate things if you get involved. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s going down first.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Worst-case scenario, we might have to fire some thunder spells from the shadows to knock them all out.

    But that can wait until we see how bad things are.

    Maybe we could get them to quiet down more easily if guys like Dry and Velmeria are there?

    Fran ran out of the guild and through the back alleys, immediately hearing amotion. Apparently, the battle had yet to begin.

    Instead, we could hear both sides cursing at each other from a distance. Everyone was clearly riled up, and the words they shouted seemed to be bad for Fran¡¯s education.

    This might be pretty hard to stop.

    I¡¯d prefer as little bloodshed as possible, but¡­¡­

 Chapter 857

    <h4>Chapter 857</h4>

    <h4>857: Wangon and Gephe</h4>

    When we arrived at the scene of the beastmen-dragonkin war, we saw arge number of ouws. There were probably more than 50 in total, two groups facing each other in a square about 20 meters in diameter.

    It seemed to be about 20 vs 30, with the dragonkin outnumbering the beastmen.

    We climbed up onto one of the buildings surrounding the za and looked down from there.

    From about 20 meters away, we could clearly see the lineup.

    The beastmen had apparently set up a wall to protect the entrance to one of the buildings.

    The dragonkin were positioned in the center of the za, surrounding the beastmen.

    Both sides were still shouting and cursing at each other, like a bunch of Showa-era delinquents spitting at each other in an empty lot.

    ¡¸Dry isn¡¯t here.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but Velmeria and Frederick are.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I could see the two standing near the edge of the dragonkin, keeping out of sight as much as possible.

    Those guys were infiltrating the Dragon King Syndicate to get information from them, so they would be among the first to notice a conflict like this.

    They probably wanted the other dragonkin to stop, but any significant actions could make them lose all credibility within the Dragon King Syndicate. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t run away and had no choice but to stay silent.

    It seems like we won¡¯t be able to ask for their help in stopping the battle.

    If only Gazzol and Dry were here. They might have listened to us.

    Leading the beastmen was a red dogkin, a warrior with a greatsword on his back. I could tell even from here that he was quite strong.

    ¡¸Hey you dumbass lizards! This is the territory of the Beastmen Union! What the fuck are you all doing here?¡¹

    ¡¸We know you¡¯ve got one of our pals in there. We just want him back!¡¹

    ¡¸What? How the hell did you evene to that!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t lie to me, fucking puppy! We¡¯ve already got proof, so stop your yapping and bring him out!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah? You¡¯re a real asshole, aren¡¯t you? You do realize that you¡¯re speaking to Wangon-sama, the second seat of the Bloodfang Brigade? Better bow your head now, and maybe I¡¯ll let you off the hook.¡¹

    I thought he looked strong, but it turns out he was the second seat of the Bloodfang Brigade. In other words, he should be superior to Dry.

    In fact, I felt the intense aura of intimidation all the way over here.

    However, the dragonkin standing at the front showed no signs of fear towards Wangon. Oh, I guess he was a half-dragonkin rather than a full dragonkin.

    We learned that dragonkin do not discriminate against half-dragonkin aftering to this continent, but this was the first time I had seen a half-dragonkin leading other dragonkin.

    Though he was a gentle looking man with ck hair, he sweared constantly in his argument with Wangon. I can only hope Fran doesn¡¯t pick up any of those words from them¡­¡­

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line, fucking idiot! Puppy boy here hop on his back and surrender! Then I, Gephe-sama, will pat your belly!¡¹

    So he was Gazzol¡¯s colleague, the Gephe of the ¡°Evil Way¡±. I wonder what he had to do to earn that nickname though.

    ¡¸That¡¯s the Evil Way?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, a half-dragonkin. And it looks like he¡¯s a half-evil dragonkin, just like Frederick. Maybe that¡¯s where his nickname came from.¡»

    ¡¸I can¡¯t wait to see how he fights.¡¹

    Fran muttered with a slightly excited look on her face.

    She seemed mainly concerned about Gephe and Wangon¡¯s fighting skills. But if we were to get a good look at their strength, several people would probably end up dead.

    ¡º¡­¡­You know we¡¯re trying to get them to stop, right?¡»

    ¡¸Oh.¡¹

    That¡¯s the face of someone whopletely forgot.

    While I was thinking that, a loud shout rang up from the square.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you!¡¹

    ¡¸Just fucking try me! You¡¯re the ones dying here!¡¹

    The two men started boosting their magic power rapidly.

    ¡ºCrap! Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Wangon jumped in and swung down his greatsword, as Gephe leaned forward while thrusting his spear. Both attacks were aimed to kill.

    If either one of them gets hits, it would start a full-blown war. We used our magic on the spur of the moment.

    ¡¸Huh? What?¡¹

    ¡¸Magic!¡¹

    The strikes from the two both diverted from their targets.

    Fran and I had put up wind barriers between the two, blocking both their attacks. I made fouryers, while Fran made two.

    We put a lot of mana into it, so those won¡¯t be easy to break through.

    The dragonkin and beastman looked confused as their strikes got repelled by the barrier.

    After ncing at their surroundings once, they returned their stares to their opponent.

    Since they didn¡¯t manage to detect us, they must have thought it was the work of their enemy.

    ¡¸Damn lizards! Already lost the nerve to fight me!?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah? That¡¯s my fucking line you little dipshit!¡¹

    Yeah, I guess they¡¯re not going to let up just because the first attack got blocked¡­¡­ Maybe we can keep the two sides divided like this and wait for their heads to cool?

    But Wangon and Gephe proved to be much more capable than we thought.

    ¡¸Awakening!¡¹

    ¡¸Dragon Form!¡¹

    Of course, both of them were evolved. Are they trying to break through our barriers? But it¡¯ll take more than a few hits to break those down!

    Though we were confident in the durability of our barriers, it seems they had confidence in themselves as well. Both of them grinned at the same time, taking their respective stances.

    ¡ºFine! Bring it on!¡»

    Just let me throw in a little reinforcement just in case. I casted another wind spell to add four moreyers of shields.

 Chapter 858

    <h4>Chapter 858</h4>

    <h4>858: Wangon and Gephe''s Power</h4>

    Wangon originally had a face simr to that of a dog, but he¡¯s now Awakened into a red wolf. His arms and body got covered in fur, giving him an extremely animal-like appearance.

    The now werewolf-like Wangon took a deep breath without moving.

    Even after five, ten seconds, he continued inhaling. His chest was heaving to the point that I feared it might burst.

    Immediately after that, Wangon emitted a tremendous roar from his mouth.

    ¡¸Wolven Howl! Wooooooooooorgh!¡¹

    The roar emitted so much sound that his fellow beastmen, the dragonkin, and even the far away Fran had to cover their ears.

    And the sonic st was just the byproduct. The real attack was the shockwave he emitted from his mouth.

    Well, it probably wouldn¡¯t be that powerful, so there¡¯s no way he could break through our¨D¨D

    £¨The shield¡¯s gone.£©

    ¡ºSeriously?!¡»

    Our barriers failed to repel the shockwave, which instead obliterated half of theyers at once.

    It seems that the shockwave was just a bonus too, and the mana infused into it was the real trouble. He could apparently interfere with spells by hitting them with that mana-infused st.

    At about the same time, the rest of our barrier got evaporated too.

    ¡¸Evil Impact!¡¹

    It was Gephe. He cloaked his spear in evil energy and pierced through the wall. Our spell lost stability and just disappeared into the air.

    I immediately recognized what just happened. This was the same evil energy-based technique that Sierra and Zelos Reed had used to counteract magic and skills.

    It seems that Gephe could use a technique with a simr effect, though on a smaller scale.

    Wangon and Gephe readied their weapons again, maintaining the momentum they had from breaking down the barrier.

    ¡¸Oruaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Doraaaaah!¡¹

    It seems unlikely that another wind barrier would be enough to keep them quiet. Fran must have thought so too, because she jumped off the rooftop before I could stop her.

    She flew through the air at max speed andnded right in between the two.

    ¡¸That¡¯s far enough.¡¹

    ¡¸What? A kid?¡¹

    ¡¸The helper for those beasts?¡¹

    After Fran easily deflected both of their attacks with her de, both of them paused in surprise.

    ¡ºOh boy, this isn¡¯t gonna be pretty!¡»

    £¨I had to do it to stop them.£©

    ¡ºTrue, but still.¡»

    Both Wangon and Gephe were looking at us suspiciously. At least we¡¯ve managed to pause the battle between beastmen and dragonkin before anyone died, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Tch.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn.¡¹

    Wangon and Gephe jumped backwards at about the same time.

    ¡¸You, kid. Who the hell are you? And what the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡¹

    ¡¸What? She¡¯s obviously that one helper on your side!¡¹

    ¡¸You mean Miss? She ain¡¯t that small!¡¹

    ¡¸Then who the hell is she!?¡¹

    Wangon was still in his red wolf form, while Gephe¡¯s scales and other dragonic features had been enhanced due to his Evil Dragon Form. The two continued their argument with Fran in the middle.

    If you ask me, I¡¯d say they seem to get along pretty well.

    However, Wangon ended up being the first to realize Fran¡¯s true identity.

    ¡¸You¨D¨Dno, wait. A super strong ck cat brat¡­¡­? Could you be the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­No.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What are you saying? You have to be the ck Lightning Princess, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I remain silent.¡¹

    Fran shook her head as she covered her mouth. Don¡¯t tell me she actually thinks she can do whatever she wants as long as she doesn¡¯t identify herself?

    ¡¸Wasn¡¯t the ck Lightning Princess that one adventurer we¡¯ve been hearing abouttely? This is really her?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯m sure of it!¡¹

    I knew these guys were in perfect sync!

    Her identity had already been practically exposed, but Fran continued to shake her head stubbornly.

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop lying! You¡¯re a beastman too, so join our side! Let¡¯s beat the shit out of these lizards!¡¹

    Wangon¡¯s words gave Gephe a brief expression of panic. Since he was quite strong himself, he must have understood Fran¡¯s strength and realized that it would be dangerous to have her as an enemy.

    ¡¸Ah! You son of a bitch! H-Hey! You¡¯re not a member of the Beastmen Union yet, right? Just get out of here for now! I¡¯ll give you some coin!¡¹

    It¡¯s probably due to his pride as a dragonkin that asked for ¡°no interference¡± rather than joining him.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not taking sides.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You mean you¡¯re not on our side or the lizard¡¯s side? Then what are you even doing here?¡¹

    Wangon narrowed his eyes and red at Fran.

    Gephe did the same. Apparently, they thought that Fran was intervening on behalf of the Adventurers Guild.

    Shit. Isn¡¯t that pretty bad?

    ¡ºF-Fran, I think we should get going now. Okay?¡»

    £¨Don¡¯t worry! Just watch me, Master.£©

    Fran gave me those words of confidence before returning to speaking with the two.

    ¡¸First of all, no fighting!¡¹

    ¡¸N-No fighting?¡¹

    ¡¸This ain¡¯t no fight, it¡¯s a war!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re making trouble for everyone! So no fighting!¡¹

    Somehow, I felt a slight wave of calmness around everyone here.

    They were in a battle to the death with their pride on the lines, when a little child like Fran called them out on it. Afterwards, they seemed to have been able to take a step back and view themselves objectively.

    ¡¸What¡¯s even the reason for this fight?¡¹

    ¡¸I said this ain¡¯t no fight! The lizards are the one who suddenly stormed into our territory!¡¹

    ¡¸Because you attacked us first!¡¹

    ¡¸No we didn¡¯t!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you y dumb with me!¡¹

    Just when things were starting to calm down, they started to heat up again. At that moment, Fran suddenly turned her head to the side.

    £¨Master, over there.£©

    ¡ºIs something there?¡»

    I looked in the same direction that Fran¡¯s eyes were facing, but I couldn¡¯t find anything. However, Fran clearly sensed something strange.

    How many times has this happened since we came to this city?

    £¨Killing intent.£©

    ¡ºHuh? Killing intent?¡»

    That¡¯s¨D¨D

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºI know!¡»

    I still couldn¡¯t find the presence she sensed, but I¡¯m not blind enough to miss an arrow flying through the sky. Yeah, there¡¯s definitely an arrowing out of nowhere.

    I caught the arrow with my telekinesis and pulled it in. It was hollow inside, the same arrow as before.

    ¡ºThe same guy as the other day!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

 Chapter 859

    <h4>Chapter 859</h4>

    <h4>859: Archer Spotted</h4>

    ¡ºThis is Miranleil¡¯s arrow, though I¡¯m sure the archer is just a fake.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. There was no sound.¡¹

    The culprit was obviously the same guy asst time. They must want to incite a full blown war.

    Wangon and Gephe stopped moving when they saw the arrow suddenly caught by Fran. They were both at a loss as to what just happened.

    They stared intently at the arrow in Fran¡¯s hand.

    Then they noticed it at the same time.

    ¡¸That arrow is¡­¡­ the one that your archer uses!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah, it is simr! But she¡¯s not even here! Either way, I knew this kid was set up by you guys! Cowards, the lot of you!¡¹

    ¡¸What was that!?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah!?¡¹

    The two started to get angry again, but Fran paid them no attention.

    She ignored both of them, instead staring in the direction the arrow came from.

    We searched around for signs of the archer.

    £¨¡­¡­Mnh.£©

    ¡ºNothing?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Nn.£©

    Fran had a annoyed expression on her face. It seems like she was really close to finding something, but she just couldn¡¯t get it.

    I activated all my skills to look for the archer too, but I couldn¡¯t detect them at all. Even if Fran was better than me in quick instincts, I thought I could outdo her if I was able to take my time¡­¡­

    But I couldn¡¯t manage to sense anything out of ce. Was there actually someone in that direction the arrow came from?

    Sure there were plenty of people, since this was an illegal city packed with long rows of tall buildings. There were certainly crowds of people in those buildings, but none of them were doing anything. There were no signs of killing intent, no signs of hostility, and no signs of any power.

    Is it possible they are pretending to be an ordinary citizen by making themselves seem weak?

    If we could prove the existence of this culprit trying to incite a war, we might be able to stop the conflict between the Beastmen Union and the Dragon King Syndicate. And if we want to do that, we have to catch them directly.

    Then Fran suddenly closed her eyes, despite the fact that we were surrounded by dragonkin and beastmen who might be our enemies.

    Although she was holding me, this was quite a defenseless state.

    Wangon and Gephe got irritated at that sight. They must have felt that they were being mocked.

    At about the same time, they both opened their mouths and reached for Fran¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡¸Hey! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡¹

    ¡¸Girl, where did you get that arrow!?¡¹

    But neither of them managed to touch Fran.

    ¡¸Awakening. Brilliant Lightning Rush.¡¹

    ¡¸Wagyaah!?¡¹

    ¡¸Ow!¡¹

    Fran awakened and even used Brilliant Lightning Rush. Singed by the ck lightning, the two men screamed and pulled their hands back in a panic.

    Even though Fran was not seriously trying to harm them, they still should have felt a lot of pain. The two were rubbing and blowing on the ck lightning inflicted burns on their hands.

    Seeing those two fearsome-looking men like that was so humorous that I almostughed out loud.

    I was hoping they would just keep quiet now, but they couldn¡¯t back down after showing that pathetic disy to their subordinates. They tried to yell at Fran again.

    ¡¸Stop fucking arou¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸What the fuck are¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re annoying! Shut up!¡¹

    She¡¯s probably getting really frustrated. First at the archer for preventing her from stopping the fight, as well as the two men for disrupting her concentration.

    Fran yelled back quietly, but with a heap of intimidation. Her shout of anger was not very loud, just barely enough to be heard at the edge of the za.

    On its own, it would sound like a child throwing a tantrum.

    But the effect was enormous.

    The ouws around her all fell silent with the blood drained from their faces.

    The beastmen were in apletely frightened state, with their ears folded and tails between their legs.

    The dragonkin were also stumbling and obviously intimidated by Fran¡¯s power.

    That¡¯s gotta be the effect of the King Intimidation skill. She had activated it intentionally to silence them this time, rather than all the previous times it leaked out identally.

    The effect of the skillbined with the aura of Fran¡¯s Brilliant Lightning Rush gave her an air of authority that overwhelmed even men as strong as Wangon and Gephe.

    A few of them were giving her strangely passionate stares, but I¡¯ll overlook it as long as they keep their mouths shut.

    Fran nodded her head in satisfaction when she saw that the za had fallen silent, and then closed her eyes again. I¡¯ll stay on guard, but I doubt any of them would attack us now.

    Rather, everyone was frozen in ce without so much as a twitch, as they knew they could not risk incurring Fran¡¯s wrath again if they irritated her.

    Five or ten seconds passed in this strange atmosphere, then Fran¡¯s eyes suddenly burst open.

    £¨Found it!£©

    ¡ºOh, really?¡»

    £¨I somehow figured it out. The shocky thing told me the location.£©

    Shocky thing? She must mean electricity. After activating Brilliant Lightning Rush, her ability to sense electricity and electromaic waves got enhanced.

    That must be what allowed her to uncover the culprit¡¯s location.

    Fran rushed up into the air, stared a little ahead of herself and shouted.

    ¡¸¨D¨Dck Lightning Roll!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s body transformed into ck lightning, moving several dozen meters in an instant.

    ¡¸Got you.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    After moving along with Fran, my field of view switched in an instant, and I saw a man¡¯s back in front of me. He panicked, trying to turn around after hearing Fran¡¯s voice, but it was already toote.

    Fran kicked him in the back and pointed me at his head.

 Chapter 860

    <h4>860: Numerae</h4>

    ¡¸Don¡¯t move.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹

    With the tip of my de held at his throat, the man couldn¡¯t budge. He had the appearance of a handsome looking dark-skinned man, simr to those of African descent.

    ¡¸H-How¡­¡­? Y-You shouldn¡¯t have been able to find me¡­¡­¡¹

    He¡¯s quite confident in his stealth? I tried appraising him, and he was indeed talented. He had high levels in Covert and Presence Cloaking.

    His name was Numerae, and his race was human. Of particr note was his bow-rted skills, which were really high so he must be skilled as a hunter.

    It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone with Holy Bow Arts, which exins his precision sniping ability. This guy is the culprit for sure.

    But despite all his skills, his stealth seemed way too good to be true. I should have been able to spot him earlier.

    And his words just now, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to find me¡±. Maybe he had a magical tool or something apart from his skills to give him such confidence?

    As I continued to observe the man, I felt a strangeness about the area around him. It¡¯s as if something was blocking my skills, or rather, causing them to slip through? My senses couldn¡¯t detect anything, slipping through to see the area behind him instead.

    Upon closer inspection, I saw four small objects ced on the ground, forming a square around the man. After appraising them, I found that they were items called ¡°warding stones¡±.

    These things feel really weird to me. I can appraise them, and I can see them. Yet, my perception and detection skills couldn¡¯t sense anything there at all.

    It¡¯s as if they were an illusion.

    ¡ºFran, can you see the stones there?¡»

    £¨Nn?£©

    Like me, Fran saw the stones without be able to sense them. Tilting her head, she questioned Numerae.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Warding stones.¡¹

    Numerae gave us a straight answer, probably because he knew that he had no chance in a melee encounter, and that we would not give up until we got what we wanted out of him.

    He immediately realized that it was better toply than to prolong his own suffering. Seems like a true pro.

    I tried to grab the area around the stone into my storage, and I seeded in storing one of them. After that, my senses becamepletely clear. I was able to detect the remaining three stones with my skills.

    Guess they need a set of four stones for the full effect, and it stops working when one of them is gone.

    Now that I can clearly sense them, I took a closer look at the remaining warding stones. They were indeed magic stones, specially processed with a magic circle carved into them.

    ¡¸How do you use this?¡¹

    ¡¸You apparently enchant them with warding arts.¡¹

    So they¡¯re tools enchanted by warding experts, allowing anyone to activate the ward engraved into them.

    The ward contained in this tool apparently has the power to deceive perception. They seemed particrly effective against detection via magic and skills, beingpletely invisible to them.

    That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t notice him at all, since I rely on magic and skills instead of intuition and physical abilities.

    I have a really bad match-up here, since I have no choice but to use magic and skills for my perception. I don¡¯t even have physical eyes in the first ce.

    But even if the ward deceived our skills, it could notpletely erase the presence of the person inside. Since Fran had an innately good sense for this sort of thing, she was able to recognize that something was off.

    Also, I bet the man¡¯s bioelectricity was leaking out of the ward, so that¡¯s why Fran caught him after activating Brilliant Lightning Rush. If there exists any race with a natural heat sensing ability, they would probably be able to deal with this ward easily too. Like a snake beastman or something.

    ¡¸Did you shoot this?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? No, this is a special arrow, right? Doesn¡¯t that one dragonkin mercenary use something like this?¡¹

    Fran held up the special arrow in front of him, but he just gave a dumb grin. Not a bad usage of the Acting skill. I might have believed him if I didn¡¯t know better.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s lying.¡»

    ¡¸Stop lying. No one around here is suspicious except you. Besides, I didn¡¯t hear a sound when you fired the arrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? I¡¯m telling the tru¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Stop lying.¡¹

    ¡¸Ow! W-Why¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Because you lied.¡¹

    Numerae screamed pitifully with tears in his eyes after Fran smacked his head. He must be using the Acting skill again, since I almost felt pity for that pathetic appearance.

    But it didn¡¯t work on Fran. Pity or no, the only thing that mattered to her was that her enemy was lying.

    ¡¸Tell the truth.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Lie detection? But you don¡¯t have¡­¡­¡¹

    Numerae had Appraisal. He must have appraised Fran, believing the false information disyed by our Appraisal Camouge.

    He thought Fran to be a talented swordsman, and one without skills for anything else.

    ¡¸Did you shoot this?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes, I did.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. What for?¡¹

    ¡¸Uh, well, I had a grudge against those guys¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºAnother lie.¡»

    ¡¸You lie.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Now he should know for sure that any lying would be pointless. A look ofplete despair covered his face.

    Well, at least it seems like he¡¯s going to be honest from now on. I hope we can get some info out of him before those guys start squabbling again.

    But I also sensed two new presencesing closer. At first I thought they might be Numerae¡¯s friends, but that didn¡¯t turn out to be the case.

    I knew these two.

    They were moving at tremendous speeds, but they weren¡¯t headed towards us. I think they were aiming for the square.

    But they paused on the way there, probably because they sensed Fran. Right now, she wasn¡¯tpletely concealing her presence.

    If one of them was the girl I thought she was, then I can see how she managed to sense us.

    After waiting a bit, I saw the presences change direction ande towards us instead.

    We could now see her getting closer, leaping from roof to roof on these high-rise buildings. Although she waspletely cloaked from head to toe, Fran still recognized her.

    Without letting down her guard against Numerae, she greeted the two quietly.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while, Mea.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! You got me! Long time no see, Fran!¡¹

 Chapter 861

    <h4>861: Silenced</h4>

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while, Mea.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! You got me! Long time no see, Fran!¡¹

    Fran called out to the figurending next to her on the rooftop. However, this figure made no attempt to remove the cloak covering her head, only using her hand to uncover her face slightly.

    She must not want anyone else to know her identity. However, the face peeking through the gap was unmistakably that of our acquaintance.

    Her white skin and white hair were visible through the gap in the cloak, but those crimson-colored eyes gave the strongest impression of all.

    We only know one person with those characteristics.

    Princess of the Beast Kingdom and wielder of a divine sword, Nemea Narasimha¨D¨DMea. She must be hiding her true identity because of how famous she is.

    However, the man apanying Mea removed his cloak and revealed himself. A young male beastman that also looked familiar appeared from under the cloak.

    ¡¸Hey there, do you remember me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Of course. It¡¯s been a while, Zefmate.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it has been a while.¡¹

    The young man smiling happily was the blue cat, Zefmate.

    We had fought him during the martial arts tournament, and he was one of the few decent blue cats we met outside of the Beast Kingdom. Not even Fran had any ill will toward him.

    He used to lead a mercenary group called ¡°Blue Pride¡±, but they were already destroyed by the Beast King. Unbeknownst to him, his men had been active as ck market vers.

    After receiving his punishment, he was supposed to be re-trained as one of the Beast King¡¯s retainers.

    Fran looked at Zefmate and tilted her head suspiciously, not understanding why the two were here.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s Quina? Why are you two together?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s a long story¡­¡­ We¡¯ve been acting like bouncers for the Beastmen Union.¡¹

    It seems Mea and Zefmate were actually the the Beastmen Union¡¯s helpers.

    ¡¸But wouldn¡¯t it be better to take care of your business first?¡¹

    ¡¸I think so too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. True.¡¹

    ¡¸Urgh?¡¹

    Numerae grunted after being overwhelmed by the staresing from all three.

    Under the pressure of three heavy gazes, Numerae waspletely paralyzed. All three were clearly powerful opponents.

    Zefmate seemed to have trained pretty hard, and was now much stronger than before. Not to mention Mea and Fran. The duo¡¯s sharp aura of intimidation could not be ignored.

    Getting tortured by these three would be nothing short of a nightmare. Seems like this turn of events only made him more willing to cooperate.

    ¡¸Why are you doing this?¡¹

    ¡¸T-The Sanatorium¨D¨D¡¹

    Numerae opened his mouth with a resigned look on his face, but then that exact moment¡­¡­

    ¡ºWhat the!?¡»

    ¡¸Something¡¯s glowing?¡¹

    ¡¸W-What the hell is this?¡¹

    A burst of light leaked out from a gap in Numerae¡¯s armor, particrly intense around his chest. The light appeared to being from something like a pendant hanging from his neck.

    But my appraisal said nothing was unusual! Did he camouge his own appraisal too!?

    I thought it would be a tool for teleportation or something like that, but Numerae was also screaming. This was apparently happening without his knowledge.

    Numerae forgot about the sword pointed at his neck and desperately tried to remove the pendant from his chest. However, he had trouble getting it off since it was covered by his armor.

    As the pendant continued glowing, I felt a surge of magic power. This isn¡¯t going to be a pleasant effect by any stretch of the imagination.

    It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t try anything myself. At first I thought that I could disable it by cing it into my storage, but that didn¡¯t work because it was treated as Numerae¡¯s equipment.

    My Magic Absorption didn¡¯t have any effect, and striking it seemed too dangerous. In the end, all we could do was to keep our distance so as to not get caught in the middle of it.

    Fran and the others jumped back in unison, and then¡­

    BOOOOOM!

    A crimson sh erupted from Numerae¡¯s location along with an ear-piercing roar.

    Scorching heat and the shockwave of the st caressed Fran¡¯s cheeks. If we hadn¡¯t been protecting ourselves with a barrier, we would have taken some injuries as well. However, there seemed to be surprisingly little coteral damage considering the power of the explosion. The rooftop we were on ended uppletely fine.

    I bet the force of the explosion was adjusted to divert upwards, focusing on the upper half of the target¡¯s body.

    After the st subsided, only the lower half of Numerae¡¯s body remained lying on the ground. His torso had beenpletely vaporized.

    ¡¸Self-destruction?¡¹

    ¡ºNo way. Numerae¡¯s fear was real, so he didn¡¯t expect this to happen. He must have been silenced.¡»

    The timing was too good to be a timebomb, so I have to say he was probably killed by remote control. That would mean someone was eavesdropping on our conversation.

    Did the warding stone have that kind of effect? Or maybe they set up the bomb to be triggered if Numerae tried to leak any information about the mastermind?

    Either way, this means the culprit can cause a huge explosion remotely. And they can do so without us recognizing the magical tool until just before the explosion.

    ¡ºOur greatest potential source is gone!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    Numerae mentioned the Sanatorium just before his death. Were they the ones behind this? No, we can¡¯t say for sure. It¡¯s possible he was just trying to exin his goal, such as getting the Sanatorium caught up in the war between ouws.

    Either way, it seems we have no choice but to investigate the Sanatorium. Fran stored Numerae¡¯s remains away and turned to Mea and Zefmate.

    ¡¸What are you gonna do now, Mea?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll have to look into the Sanatorium.¡¹

    She did hear Numerae¡¯s words too, after all.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re rted to our goal, but we can¡¯t let them incite a war.¡¹

    ¡¸What did you guyse here for?¡¹

    I thought they might be here for training, but that doesn¡¯t exin why they were hiding their true identities and infiltrating the Beastmen Union. Moreover, I wondered why herpanion was the blue cat Zefmate instead of the pce maid Quina.

    ¡¸I¡¯m here to perform my royal duty as well as train. We are to seek out and destroy the ck market vers that lurk in this continent!¡¹

    ¡¸My job is to assist her. Since I¡¯m a blue cat, it may be easier for me to contact the vers.¡¹

    ¡¸Quina is currently working separately to investigate from behind the scenes. Well, considering her, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s doing just fine too.¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Mea also came for the vers. It seems the reason they assisted the Beastmen Union was to obtain information from them.

    Although she managed to identify some of the lower-level members, she didn¡¯t know anything about the organization as a whole.

    ¡¸I would love to exchange information, but¡­¡­ We¡¯ll have to settle the ruckus in the za first.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 862

    <h4>862: Conflict Settled</h4>

    When we returned to the za, both the beastmen and the dragonkin were quiet.

    After taking on Fran¡¯s intimidation and hearing the mysterious explosion, they no longer had the nerve to continue their dispute.

    They were still wary of each other, but mostly just stood there looking confused.

    The grunts in particr were kind of twiddling their thumbs. They had no clue what they were supposed to do next, and they couldn¡¯t just leave without orders from their leaders, Wangon and Gephe.

    Even Wangon and Gephe no longer seemed to have the will to fight.

    ¡¸Miss and Boss! Are you acquainted with the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, Wangon. That is correct.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­So you are the ck Lightning Princess after all!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Woops, Fran was still trying to hide her identity! Wangon must be smarter than I gave him credit for! Fran quickly shook her head in a panic, but it was toote.

    ¡¸No, I don¡¯t know any ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    Wangon continued staring at her with squinted eyes. Fran tried to keep denying him, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Uh, but Miss confirmed it just now!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸D-Don¡¯t give me that look¡­¡­ Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Whatever.¡¹

    Fran muttered and slumped her shoulders after giving Mea a stare. She managed to hide her identity up until now, but Mea exposed her so easily. That made her a little sad.

    ¡¸Since we have some things to discuss, why don¡¯t you all just calm down and¨D¨DOh, I guess you already are.¡¹

    ¡¸Not like I have any clue what¡¯s going on anymore.¡¹

    It seems that Wangon recognized Mea as well as Fran as a superior. He quickly epted Mea as his boss and obeyed her orders to stop fighting.

    Leaving Mea to exin the situation to the beastmen, Fran approached Gephe. I kinda expected her to be viewed as a friend of the beastmen, but Gephe showed no signs of suspicion.

    The other dragonkin were apprehensive, but Gephe smiled instead.

    ¡¸You¡¯re pretty awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸That power! No one has been able to make me shiver in a long time! If you were a dragonkin, I¡¯d be in love with you!¡¹

    Apparently, Fran¡¯s strength had impressed him. It¡¯s as if he was about to ask to be her apprentice at any moment.

    He would fall in love with her if she was a dragonkin¡­¡­? But wouldn¡¯t that make him a lolico¨D¨DNo, let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a figure of speech. Please be so.

    ¡¸Stop all fighting.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fine, but we¡¯ve lost some of our friends. We can¡¯t just back down empty-handed.¡¹

    Gephe apparently wanted to obey Fran¡¯s words. In the first ce, he knew that Fran could defeat all of them if she had to resort to force.

    However, ouws were all about pride. He couldn¡¯t afford to show any signs of weakness when his subordinates were watching.

    ¡¸You mean Gazzol?¡¹

    ¡¸You know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But I don¡¯t think the Beastmen Union did it. Come here and I¡¯ll exin it to you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay.¡¹

    Now they started exining the situation to Wangon and Gephe as the other ouws looked on. First, Fran took out a certain something.

    No wonder the ouws went into an uproar, since she took out the lower half of Numerae¡¯s body. Some of them held their mouths to stop themselves from vomiting.

    These guys are surprisingly sensitive. Wait, I guess the people of this city often fought antidemons, so perhaps they weren¡¯t ustomed to blood and gore.

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re bringing out some pretty nasty stuff here. Who is this?¡¹

    ¡¸The one who shot this arrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Hohoh? You mean to tell me it wasn¡¯t that dragonkin archer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He used this arrow to make the beastmen and dragonkin fight.¡¹

    Wangon and Gephe nced sharply at the arrow that Fran had taken out. They both realized now that someone was working in the shadows to incite a war between them.

    ¡¸So he mimicked Miranleil¡¯s arrows to pin the me on us?¡¹

    ¡¸Who¡¯s this guy? Where¡¯s he from?¡¹

    ¡¸His name is Numerae. That¡¯s all I know.¡¹

    ¡¸He died right in front of us before we could question him.¡¹

    Mea and Fran gave a brief ount of what happened. Well, it¡¯s not thatplicated. Numerae admitted that he had shot the arrow, but then he got killed by a magical tool induced explosion.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re saying that someone somewhere wanted to incite a war between us and the Dragon King Syndicate? And this half of a corpse belongs to one of their men?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s hard to believe, but it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re lying.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. This is no lie!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹

    Gephe looked at Mea rather suspiciously, since she was acting pretty self-important while hiding her face. Still, he didn¡¯t ask for her identity due to the unspoken rules of the city.

    Many peopleing to the illegal city didn¡¯t want to be asked about their past.

    ¡¸I think they took Gazzol too.¡¹

    ¡¸Makes sense, but how do you know him in the first ce?¡¹

    ¡¸Because we fought.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah?¡¹

    Fran recounted the time when Gazzol assaulted her, and she took him down. Also about how he was surprised when she healed his wounds. After that, she exined that he might have been kidnapped because she had left him unattended afterwards.

    Fran grimaced during the exnation. Since we left him in a bound state, it might have been our fault that he got taken away without a chance for resistance.

    The rage was clearly visible on Gephe¡¯s face after listening to Fran¡¯s story. However, his anger was not directed at Fran.

    ¡¸They sent fucking Gazzol on an assassination? What the hell were they thinking? They should know he¡¯s not the man for that kinda job!¡¹

    It was anger at their superiors for sending him on a mission he was not suited for.

    ¡¸It seems like you feel responsible, but don¡¯t. We¡¯re a hundred times more at fault.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    We knew it¡¯s mostly Gazzol¡¯s fault for attacking us in the first ce, but we couldn¡¯t help but feel a little responsible if he¡¯s one of the reasons for this conflict between dragonkin and beastmen.

    ¡¸Anyways, I¡¯m not going to be yed by those assholes sneaking around in the shadows, so I¡¯ll back off for now. We¡¯ve gotta find out who¡¯s really behind this, and also grill my higher ups.¡¹

    Oh, great! He¡¯s willing to back down. My only concern now is that the Dragon King Syndicate might have an internal war, I guess?

 Chapter 863

    <h4>863: Surveince Camera</h4>

    ¡¸So any ideas on the culprit?¡¹

    Fran nodded at Gephe¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Nn. They might be rted to the Sanatorium.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Seriously?¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t only Gephe, Wangon also looked surprised. Even for these ouws, the idea of the Sanatorium doing evil had never crossed their minds.

    ¡¸Numerae was silenced right after he mentioned the Sanatorium, which means they could be involved. Well, since we couldn¡¯t hear any more from him, they¡¯re our only real suspect.¡¹

    ¡¸So they¡¯re suspicious, but no confirmation. Tch.¡¹

    Gephe muttered and clicked his tongue in frustration. He must have been feeling a strong irritation toward the mastermind.

    Sensing this, Mea advised him not to get ahead of himself.

    ¡¸See? That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m talking about. Don¡¯t rush into things without thinking again, because that¡¯s precisely what they want you to do.¡¹

    ¡¸I know. You better hold on to that dog¡¯s leash then, yeah?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah? You should fucking stop talking to thedy like that!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up! Stop barking already! Grah!¡¹

    Oh boy, they¡¯re at it again. They say ¡°the more you fight, the better you get along¡±. But I think ¡°opposites attract, simr repels¡± describes these two better.

    Seeing the fact that they shared such a simr personality with their enemy only increased their annoyance at each other.

    Fran activated King Intimidation to shut the two up again.

    ¡¸No fighting. I told you that earlier.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry¡­¡­ It was an ident.¡¹

    ¡¸Next time, I¡¯ll make you quiet.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸U-Uh-huh¡­¡­¡¹

    After Fran¡¯s threat, Wangon and Gephe became surprisingly docile. The same went for the ouws who had been making noise around them.

    Awe, fear, respect, worship. They seemed to have a variety of emotions, but they all recognized Fran as aplete superior.

    The ouws of this city may be easier to deal with than I thought. There¡¯s some annoying parts, like their bloodlust and petty pride, but they ept you if you prove your strength.

    ¡¸I¡¯m gonna want to beat the shit out of this guy if I stay here any longer, so we¡¯re pulling out. I¡¯ll let you know if I hear anything, so let me know if you find anything on Gazzol too. Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey puppy! Temporary truce! You better spread the word to the others!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line! I don¡¯t want to see you damn lizards anymore!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Keh!¡¹

    They turned away without further talk, so we can let them off the hook this time. I never expected a normal conversation from them anyways.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll return to the Beastmen Union for now. You¡¯re staying at the Adventurers Guild, right Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll leave a message at the guild if anythinges up. If you need us,e to the Beastmen Union. I¡¯ll tell them to let you through.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Fran nodded, but Mea looked a little worried.

    ¡¸Fran. Don¡¯t do anything rash, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll be fine.¡¹

    ¡¸I hope so¡­¡­ We wish to destroy the ck market vers as well. You can call on us at any time, you know.¡¹

    That worried expression never left Mea¡¯s face. She must have understood how Fran, a ck cat, felt about the illegal vers.

    After both the beastmen and dragonkin had left, we remained in the za to discuss our next move.

    ¡ºWell, our best clue is dead so¡­¡­¡»

    £¨I¡¯m going to the Sanatorium.£©

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s do that since it was the original n anyways. But we¡¯re just gonna check it out today, okay?¡»

    £¨Nn. I know.£©

    Since we didn¡¯t have any other leads, we decided to scout out the Sanatorium. We can just get a checkup for today, while taking a quick look around.

    Along the way there, we scanned for the warding stones too. Fran had sensed many disturbances since we were here, such as after our encounter with Gazzol.

    There might be more agents lurking around aside from Numerae.

    And sure enough, we found something.

    £¨Master, I found one.£©

    ¡ºWhich direction?¡»

    £¨On the roof of that building.£©

    ¡ºOkay, let¡¯s go up there.¡»

    Like I thought, I still couldn¡¯t feel anything. The warding stones must be impeding my senses. On the other hand, Fran managed to detect them without Awakening now that she remembered the feeling.

    After climbing up to the roof, we saw the warding stones ced there, but nothing else.

    I ced the stones into storage, and found a box-like object left in the center, called a ¡°Long-Range Surveince Ward¡±. It seemed to be something equivalent to a surveince camera.

    So the culprit wasn¡¯t watching us in person, but monitoring the entire city using these magic tools. They must have been watching us through this when they caused Numerae to self-destruct.

    ¡ºNice find. There wasn¡¯t even a person to sense this time either.¡»

    She was able to detect it earlier by sensing some kind of electromaic wave emitted by Numerae. This time, however, she found only the magic tool.

    £¨Hmmm. It¡¯s kinda different from the surroundings? It being not weird is weird.£©

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    £¨Nn. It¡¯s like¨D¨D£©

    Fran¡¯s exnation about her sensing was pretty difficult to understand, but I somehow managed to get it. The main idea was that the entire city block gave off a minimal, but noticeable aura. Meanwhile, she felt nothing from the area blocked by the warding stones, which made them suspicious-looking voids.

    This method of detection was possible only because Fran could intuitively detect presences and mana at long distances without the use of skills.

    ¡ºBut this makes it harder for us to go to the Sanatorium.¡»

    £¨Why?£©

    ¡ºThey¡¯ve probably realized that we discovered their surveince wards.¡»

    If so, heading to the Sanatorium now might be like diving headfirst into the enemy¡¯s main stronghold. Going in without preparing any countermeasures was scary to me now.

    Still, it¡¯s better than having an enemy being able to monitor us without our knowledge.

    £¨Then let¡¯s take a look from the outside.£©

    ¡ºI guess that¡¯s about all we can do. Urushi, let me know if you find Gazzol¡¯s scent.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    I can always consider going in myself as ast resort. Let¡¯s just hope we can find something.

 Chapter 864

    <h4>864: Reunion with the Musician</h4>

    After stopping the war between the Dragon King Syndicate and the Beastmen Union, we headed to the Sanatorium.

    The headquarters of the Sanatorium was the white tower that stood out among the buildings in the city. Several facilities were also built around it.

    Most buildings adjacent to the Sanatorium were two-story high, which was unusual since the majority of the city had many high-rise buildings packed together. Moreover, the tidy path and vegetation gave the impression of a well-maintained park.

    Thisvish use ofnd and money was probably intended to show off the Sanatorium¡¯s influence and power.

    We¡¯ve seen the tower in the distance since it¡¯s in the center of the city, but this is our first timeing this close.

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºTry doing a circle around the perimeter while focusing on our detection skills. Urushi, you focus on the scents.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    I¡¯d much rather go inside, but I have no clue how the mastermind will respond¡­¡­

    There were quite a few people on the Sanatorium grounds. Most of them were ordinary citizens, but some of them gave off the aura of ouws.

    However, all of them were quiet, probably because they were on the Sanatorium¡¯s territory. That alone showed how influential the organization was.

    ¡ºI¡¯m finding some areas with more people, but they might just be important facilities.¡»

    It only makes sense to ce additional security guards next to your potion storage or an executive¡¯s residence. I thought I might be able to sense some suspicious areas for holding ves underground or something, but I couldn¡¯t find anything.

    But after walking around for a long time, Fran stopped at a certain point.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨Something¡¯s weird down below.£©

    ¡ºStrange? Is it a warding stone?¡»

    £¨Nn. Maybe it¡¯s buried under here?£©

    So it seems there¡¯s a warding stone under the ground here.

    ¡ºCan you tell how deep it is?¡»

    £¨About ten times my height?£©

    ¡ºThat¡¯s pretty dang deep.¡»

    I first thought they had embedded a surveince ward in the ground to keep an eye on the surface, but I guess not.

    Maybe there¡¯s an underground passage or something, and the ward is monitoring that?

    ¡ºFran, there might be an underground passage. Can you tell?¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­?£©

    She stomped the ground a few times to check the vibrations, but it was too deep to find any hollow portions.

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    ¡ºThen I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡»

    I¡¯ll use earth magic, a spell called ¡°Earth Zone¡±, used for creating a ward to detect enemy intrusion.

    However, I wanted to avoid being detected by our enemies as much as possible. That¡¯s why I used it with a limited scope, only around Fran¡¯s feet. Instead, I extended it deep into the earth to increase my range of detection.

    I focused my abilities on concealing the flow of magic. This might be the first time I¡¯ve concentrated so much on elementary-level magic.

    Narrowly, deeply, and silently, I activated the earth magic. I¡¯m confident that not even a magician standing next to me would have noticed. They would have to be on the level of a Rank A adventurer to even sense a slight disturbance.

    ¡º¡­¡­Hmmm¡­¡»

    £¨Well?£©

    ¡ºGive me a sec¡­¡­ Hmm? Oh, this is it! I found it!¡»

    £¨Woah. Nice one, Master.£©

    Underneath Fran¡¯s feet, there was indeed an underground spacerge enough for a person to pass through. Further investigation revealed that it extended from the direction of the Sanatorium straight toward the residential area.

    There¡¯s a chance that it¡¯s just a sewerage system, but I couldn¡¯t sense any running water. All signs point to this being an underground passage.

    ¡ºUrushi, can you use Shadow Shift to get into the passage under us?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Since Urushi can teleport from shadow to shadow, he should be able to enter the underground passage.

    ¡ºGo and find out where the passage leads. You can abandon the search if you think you¡¯ll get caught. Can you do it?¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    ¡ºOkay, I¡¯m counting on you.¡»

    £¨Good luck, Urushi.£©

    £¨Woooof!£©

    Now we can leave the search for the underground passage to Urushi.

    But in exchange for the little progress we¡¯ve made, it seems we¡¯ve gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble.

    ¡¸You there, girl! Freeze!¡¹

    ¡¸What are you doing over there!?¡¹

    ¡¸Just taking a break.¡¹

    Security guards appeared to surround us. Fran tried to show that she had no hostile intentions, but the guards wouldn¡¯t listen to her.

    ¡¸You lie, thief! Don¡¯t you dare question the intelligencework of our security team!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve got a reliable source, so we know you¡¯re guilty!¡¹

    ¡¸Source?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not something you need to know.¡¹

    ¡¸Anyway, we¡¯re taking you into custody.¡¹

    I expected this to be a routine questioning, but something was clearly off. The guards may have been nning to take Fran away from the very beginning.

    Someone probably gave them false info iming that Fran was a thief or something. It must be the work of the mastermind.

    In other words, they would have to be someone important enough to order the guards easily.

    £¨Should we run?£©

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll be viewed as 100% guilty if we run, so we¡¯ll never be able to walk freely here again.¡»

    As far as I¡¯m concerned, that¡¯s fine. But unless Fran wants to give up on her goal of eliminating the vers, we should avoid getting banned from the city.

    The bigger problem is the high chance that we will be falsely used and captured even if we cooperate with them¡­¡­ Seems better to make a run for it?

    But before we could make our move, we saw someone running toward us.

    ¡¸Wait! Hah¡­¡­ Hah¡­¡­¡¹

    The girl was breathing heavily. She must have dashed here in a hurry.

    ¡¸Stop¡­ this. Put the¡­ spear down.¡¹

    ¡¸No, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Are you refusing to listen to me? I said stop.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! My deepest apologies!¡¹

    The soldiers lowered their spears and straightened their postures.

    ¡¸Sophie?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s been a while.¡¹

    The girl was Sophilia, the musician who had fought with us at Castel, and the attempted dine and dash girl.

 Chapter 865

    <h4>865: Saintess Sophie</h4>

    ¡¸I rushed over after I heard Filuria¡¯s order¡­¡­ And it was really you.¡¹

    Sophie muttered in between her exhausted breaths.

    It seems she knew a little something about this situation, but Fran tilted her head.

    ¡¸But why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸You! How dare you refer to Saintess-sama like that!¡¹

    ¡¸Such insolence! I¡¯ll have you thrown in jail!¡¹

    ¡¸Be quiet!¡¹

    ¡¸B-But¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I said be quiet, didn¡¯t I?¡¹

    ¡¸M-My deepest apologies!¡¹

    The guards flew into a rage after Fran said Sophie¡¯s name without honorifics, but they fell silent after Sophie scolded them personally.

    Did they just call her ¡°Saintess¡±? I remember the Saintess of the Sanatorium being one of the people we were told to watch out for.

    I heard she wasn¡¯t a bad person herself, but people around her tended to go too far or something¡­¡­

    ¡¸But to speak so disparagingly of you is worthy of¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸You are refusing to listen to my orders. Aren¡¯t you disrespecting me too?¡¹

    ¡¸W-We would do nothing of the sort!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed!¡¹

    ¡¸Then it¡¯s about time for you to shut your mouths. It seems you have poor hearing, so I¡¯ll say it onest time¨D¨DShut up.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    Sophie spoke without any attempt to hide her annoyance. She wore such a harsh expression that I found it hard to believe this was the same girl who assisted us at Castel.

    It was obvious from the moment she showed up, but she seemed strangely irritated for some reason.

    Perhaps intimidated by Sophie¡¯s intensity, the guards turned pale and went silent.

    However, they showed no signs of remorse, and I could see that they were quite perplexed. They probably did not think they had done anything wrong.

    I can easily imagine them going on another outburst once Sophie is no longer watching.

    ¡¸You were sent by Filuria to capture her, weren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes. We were ordered by the Medical Director¡¯s guards, to be exact.¡¹

    ¡¸They said a ck cat girl was acting suspiciously on the outskirts of the Sanatorium grounds, and that she was a thief¡­¡­¡¹

    Medical Director? Was she the one behind all this?

    ¡¸Sophie, who¡¯s the Medical Director?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­This isn¡¯t a good ce to talk. Let¡¯s go to my room. I¡¯ll take her with me. Okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Of course!¡¹

    The guards were obviously displeased, but they didn¡¯t make any objections.

    ¡¸This way.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Sophie quickly walked away without waiting for Fran. We hesitated for a moment, but Fran soon started following her.

    While the Sanatorium was certainly suspicious, I don¡¯t think Sophie would set Fran up. Besides, if she really was the saintess, no one would be able to touch us as long as we stayed with her.

    I¡¯m filled with questions, but it seems like we won¡¯t get a chance to ask until we reach her room.

    As we walked in silence, I saw a group of stern-faced men running toward us from the front.

    I remembered their faces. They were the guys guarding Sophie when she fought with us at Castel.

    I wouldn¡¯t say we can trust thempletely, but I doubt they would betray Sophie. After all, they were so loyal to her that they followed her to what could have been their deaths.

    ¡¸Saintess-sa¨D¨DWait, you¡¯re¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh¡­¡­ B-But more importantly, Saintess-sama¡­! You worried us greatly when you left your room without any notification!¡¹

    It seems like they tried to avoid calling her ¡°Saintess¡± previously. I guess now that they¡¯ve realized that Fran knew her identity, they went back to calling her that.

    ¡¸Something came up.¡¹

    ¡¸I-Is that so?¡¹

    Sophie answered casually, and the guard flinched. Then, he immediately red at Fran.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing!¡¹

    It obviously wasn¡¯t nothing, but the man kept his mouth shut. Well, I could tell he didn¡¯t appreciate it when an adventurer like Fran acted all friendly with Sophie.

    We entered the Sanatorium under the same tingling atmosphere. Befitting her title of saintess, the people around us bowed their heads at her one after another.

    Soldiers, patients, ouws. Everyone showed their respect. Some of them even had fanatical looks on their faces.

    Only the soldiers seemed to be suspicious of Fran. Most of the others were so focused on Sophie that they couldn¡¯t even notice Fran when she was hiding her presence.

    Sophie did not say a word back to them, keeping silent as we went deeper into the Sanatorium. We entered a magic-powered elevator, ascending upwards through the building.

    She apparently wanted to surprise Fran with the elevator technology, but ended up a little irritated at Fran¡¯sck of expression.

    It¡¯s not that Fran wasn¡¯t surprised, it just didn¡¯t show on her face.

    ¡¸This is the room. Come on in.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸You guys stay outside and make sure no onees in. Nelsh can enter.¡¹

    Nelsh was apparently the leader of the guards. The rest of them waited quietly in front of the door.

    ¡¸Now then, let me exin my position to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Saintess-sama?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t call me that. Just Sophie is fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, Sophie.¡¹

    When Fran nodded her head, Sophie smiled happily. Nelsh, on the other hand, had aplicated expression on his face.

    After reuniting with Sophie at the Sanatorium, I could tell she didn¡¯t seem too happy with being treated as a saintess. Nelsh seemed to feel strongly about that, but he couldn¡¯t ignore Sophie¡¯s wishes either.

    ¡¸They all call me ¡°Saintess¡± and talk about how I¡¯m the most important person in this tower, but I don¡¯t actually have any special status.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸They only give me special treatment because everyone calls me a saintess, but I¡¯m nothing more than a guest here. It was different when I first came here though¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie¡¯s face became unmistakably sad as she spoke with a downcast look.

 Chapter 866

    <h4>866: Sophie''s Past</h4>

    Sophie began telling us about her past.

    ¡¸I came to this tower eight years ago.¡¹

    ¡¸You weren¡¯t born here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I was born in a different continent.¡¹

    Sophie came from a remote frontier vige, but she was born with a Unique Skill, the Music God¡¯s Blessing.

    Her parents were overjoyed to learn that. If she had a Unique Skill, she might be able to escape from the challenging life of the frontier vige, and they could reap some of the benefits too.

    Their wish was soon fulfilled when a well-known musician heard about Sophie and offered to take her in.

    Her parents handed Sophie to him without hesitation. They were offered an expensive reward of course, but they also knew this musician was a noble and believed he would take good care of Sophie.

    ¡¸But they were half right, and half wrong.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    Certainly, the musician gave Sophie his parental love. However, his love was so distorted that anyone could tell at first nce.

    The reason the musician sought Sophie in the first ce was because she might be able to reach the peak of the musical world, something he had never been able to do himself. Such thinking was natural, since she held the Music God¡¯s Blessing at birth.

    He put Sophie through an intense education course. Although the education was so severe that many would call it abusive, Sophie managed to ovee the ordeal.

    In addition to her desire not to be abandoned by her new father, Sophie felt a small amount of loveing from him despite the almost-abusive upbringing.

    ¡¸What he did was messed up, but I could sense the care in his voice when he scolded me¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie muttered as if she had been wishing for that to be the case.

    ¡¸As a result, I learned many different instruments at a very young age.¡¹

    By the age of five, she had mastered ten instruments, easily making her a child prodigy.

    ¡¸But that¡¯s when his education really took off.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Not just practicing instruments?¡¹

    ¡¸My foster father wanted more than just a performer. He wanted someone who could master all forms of music and impress even monsters and spirits with their power. In other words, a magic song performer.¡¹

    Sophie was then taken into dungeons to practice her magic songs. There, she gained levels while performing in front of vicious monsters.

    While leveling up her skills as a magical musician, she also trained her mentality, gaining the ability to perform with a calm heart no matter her location.

    The still young girl continued toplete her father¡¯s assignments despite being subjected to these terrifying experiences. By the time she was eight years old, she had already be an expert at her ss.

    At this rate of growth, it was only a matter of time before she surpassed her foster father. Everyone praised her for this fact, except one, the still unsatisfied foster father.

    He imposed more and more severe challenges onto Sophie.

    Her father had apparently be impatient because he knew his remaining time was limited. He wanted to hear Sophie¡¯s perfect performance before hisst breath.

    Maybe he did actually love Sophie, but his crazed passion for music must have been greater. As his death drew near, that passion turned into true insanity.

    Why was Sophie¡¯s performance not perfect yet? Her skills? Her instruments? No, those were not the main issues. The problem lied with her heart.

    Since she was still inexperienced as a human being, her songscked a certain depth. He believed that Sophie could not truly sing songs of love, despair, and war until she experienced them for herself.

    Then, her foster father devoted her entire education to give Sophie a variety of experiences. He sent Sophie to school to teach her friendship and affection, before separating her from her friends to teach her the sorrows of parting.

    To teach her the preciousness of peace, he sent her to war zones, tobat hospitals, and to observe executions first hand.

    And the final part of his excessive education was a battle with extremely vicious monsters. Unlike the previous battles, this was no leveling exercise.

    His true objective was to teach Sophie the concept of death against a herd of Threat Level C ogres.

    He used magical tools to enclose Sophie in a magical barrier and surrounded her with warrior ves. Moreover, he ensured that the ves had time to converse with Sophie and befriend her.

    With the ves copsing one by one in front of her eyes, Sophie desperately continued her performance to try and save them. But in the end, the monsters killed everyst ve, leaving Sophie devastated.

    ¡¸And my foster father was overjoyed to see that. He said it gave my performance more depth¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s just crazy.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡¸And his madness did not end there.¡¹

    Her foster father said that Sophie still had not felt enough despair. That¡¯s why he took her into a vige, then ordered his mercenaries to massacre the people there.

    When Sophie begged him to stop, he simply scoffed loudly and told her to burn the scene into her eyes.

    Even after Sophie tried to cover her ears, she could not help but continue hearing the cries of women and children. All the fault of Sophie¡¯s unusually good hearing.

    They dragged a bloodied family in front of her, and beheaded the mother and father. Then, they impaled their infant on a spear. The scene was a living hell.

    That¡¯s when he revealed the shocking truth. This was actually the vige where Sophie was born and raised. The in couple in front of her was her birth parents, and the dead baby was the little sister she had never met.

    Her foster fatherughed at Sophie¡¯s cries of disbelief. After seeing that, Sophie felt true hatred for the first time in her life.

    Sophie lost control of herself as she yed a song of curses and despair. In addition, the instrument her foster father had on him resonated with her emotions and awakened its true power.

    Her song trapped her foster father and the mercenaries in a never-ending nightmare, utterly breaking their minds. Their physical bodies weakened over time, eventually leading to their deaths.

    ¡¸Then I got sick of everything, so I wandered the world and ended up in this city. Here, they don¡¯t ask me about my past, and it doesn¡¯t matter what I¡¯ve done. Besides, they needed my help.¡¹

    Sophie¡¯s ability to healrge numbers of people must have been very wee.

    ¡¸But¡­¡­ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying?! Saintess-sama, many people have been saved because of you!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that really the case? I don¡¯t think so. After all, I only bring people misfortune¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie muttered to herself and turned her face downwards.

 Chapter 867

    <h4>867: Sophie and the Illegal City</h4>

    ¡¸After all, I only bring people misfortune¡­¡­ Even here in this town, many have died because of me.¡¹

    Sophie muttered to herself as she finished telling her story.

    Nelsh, the leader of the guards, seemed like he wanted to say something. But he kept his mouth shut, probably because he didn¡¯t dare to speak up after seeing Sophie¡¯s gloomy atmosphere.

    But here we have Fran, someone well known for not reading the mood.

    ¡¸What do you mean? Did something happen in this town?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡¹

    ¡¸Did a lot of people die?¡¹

    ¡¸It was all my fault¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie continued her story while Nelsh was stunned speechless. Perhaps she subconsciously wanted to tell Fran about her problems.

    It¡¯s not like she wanted to tell us every detail, but she did not seem to hesitate.

    ¡¸So many people died because of me.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸When I first arrived in town, there was a big battle over control of my power¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie acted as a traveling bard when she first entered town. Then, she apparently went around healing the wounded after the battles with antidemons.

    But this was not solely done out of the good of her heart.

    After killing her foster father with a cursed song, Sophie felt that her performances had been tainted. In order to rid herself of this taint, she thought she needed to save people with her songs first.

    So that¡¯s why she went around healing people with her music¡­¡­

    Those acts brought about an unexpected oue.

    The Adventurers Guild and Sanatorium showed interest in her, but many not so friendly organizations also desired her powers. There was a great struggle over who would obtain her healing powers and get a leg up over the others.

    The war intensified between the gangs chasing after her and the guild trying to protect her, causing many to die in the process.

    The conflict ended when Sophie joined the Sanatorium, but she still felt a deep regret for the trouble she caused.

    Sophie worked hard to make amends. She saved everyone she could find: adventurers, ouws, and even ves. She continued to y every day from morning till night, even sometimes pushing herself too far and copsing due to mana overuse.

    Before she knew it, everyone started calling her the saintess. But in spite of her fame, Sophie had fewer and fewer opportunities to appear in public.

    ¡¸The management of the Sanatorium reduced the number of times they allowed me treat people.¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Isn¡¯t that the point of the saintess?¡¹

    If Sophie continued to heal people, it would only boost the reputation of the Sanatorium, right?

    However, there were advantages and disadvantages to having Sophie continue her saintess work.

    ¡¸First of all, there¡¯s the financial issues.¡¹

    Sophie took very little money because she was doing this as atonement for her sins, even after joining the Sanatorium.

    That was the condition she made upon joining the Sanatorium. However, if Sophie continued treatingrge numbers of people at once, there would be little need for other healers.

    The Sanatorium wasn¡¯t a charity organization, so they couldn¡¯t ept this.

    If they stopped getting paid for treatments, they would not have the money to purchase necessary supplies, and eventually go under.

    Another disadvantage was that the younger generation would not be able to gain experience. For newbie healers, treating patients was one of the few opportunities to level their skills.

    If Sophie continued treating patients all by herself, they would have a rough time training the other healers. Apparently, they did almost run into that issue.

    That¡¯s why they decided to restrain Sophie from performing so often.

    They ended up designating Sophie¡¯s healing as ast resort after the other healers failed. However, because Sophie volunteered herself, she was ced in charge of healing the abnormal clients, mostly adventurers and ouws.

    Sophie epted that because she was fed up with being made into a figurehead, but things didn¡¯t turn out the way she expected¡­¡­

    She thought the people would be angry at this change, but having rare appearances apparently added an aura of mystery instead. The saintess¡¯s fame grew even further, and soon everyone was practically worshiping her.

    If that was the only problem, things would be fine aside from Sophie feeling a little ufortable. The real problem was what came after.

    The adventurers and ouws truly believed that Sophie would be there to heal them in their hour of need, so they pushed themselves even harder than ever before.

    They knew she could bring them back from the verge of death, which made them grow careless. That led to an increase in casualties. Moreover, many people came rushing into the city after hearing the rumors of the saintess. So despite the higher casualty rate, the number of adventurers didn¡¯t change much.

    No one seemed to care much about the situation, except of course, for Sophie. She had only the best of intentions, but her actions led to the deaths of others, so it¡¯s not hard to see why.

    Her anguish waspounded by the fact that she often saw her guards going too far in the name of the saintess.

    She began to wonder if her presence was driving the entire city crazy. They were doing fine before she arrived, so was everything actually her fault?

    In addition, she felt a sense of distrust toward the upper management of the Sanatorium. They were obviously using her for their own convenience.

    Sophie began to hate her title of saintess and avoided healing people. For the past year or so, she spent her time hunting antidemons instead of treating others.

    However, that didn¡¯t make her feel any better. Various things happened after that, and that¡¯s when she ran away and met Fran.

    ¡¸That¡¯s pretty much my whole story. So, there¡¯s one thing I want to ask you.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Did youe here to kill me?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    What¡¯s she talking about? As Fran tilted her head, Sophie exhaled lightly.

    ¡¸Of course not. I knew you would never do that.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But why ask me that?¡¹

    ¡¸I overheard Filuria giving some orders to her subordinates. She said a ck cat girl was working with the Beastmen Union to kill me, and to arrange for her capture immediately¡­¡­¡¹

 Chapter 868

    <h4>868: Filuria''s Subordinates</h4>

    The name Filuria came out of Sophie¡¯s mouth. I heard that name before we entered the tower too. Who is she?

    ¡¸Who is Filuria?¡¹

    ¡¸The highest authority in the tower, known as the Medical Director. She¡¯s also my legal guardian.¡¹

    Why would someone like her lie about Fran being an assassin?

    The mastermind we¡¯re after is most likely someone from the Sanatorium, and this Filuria sounds really suspicious.

    ¡¸What¡¯s she like?¡¹

    Nelsh frowned at Fran¡¯s rude question. It seems he was concerned with her disrespect towards this Filuria in addition to Sophie.

    But he still didn¡¯t show any signs of stopping her. Perhaps he realized that nothing he could say would stop Fran.

    Besides, the conversation was getting a bit heavy. Maybe he thought Sophie would give him trouble for interfering too.

    ¡¸She¡¯s a woman from the family of healers who have led the Sanatorium for generations, the 30th I think? She¡¯s not only the head of the Sanatorium, but one of the most powerful people in town.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. So why did she lie about me being an assassin?¡¹

    ¡¸That I don¡¯t know. Maybe someone tricked her, or maybe she has some reason for trying to capture you¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s her personality?¡¹

    ¡¸On the surface, she¡¯s kind and polite. Exactly the type of person to be called a saintess, I suppose?¡¹

    On the surface? So what about under the mask?

    ¡¸¡­¡­And in reality?¡¹

    ¡¸If people knew what she¡¯s really like, no one would call her a saintess. She is one incredibly scary woman.¡¹

    Fran was not the only one surprised by Sophie¡¯s words. Nelsh¡¯s eyes widened as well. It seems this Filuria hid her true colors well.

    After a sideways nce at Nelsh, Fran tilted her head.

    ¡¸Sophie, how do you know what she¡¯s really like?¡¹

    ¡¸I have better ears than the average person, so I can hear things from far away.¡¹

    As a musician, Sophie had better hearing than normal. She apparently could sometimes overhear secret conversations even through walls.

    ¡¸It¡¯s only recently that I¡¯ve discovered her true nature though.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. My hearing got even better after I raised my level fighting antidemons, and I¡¯ve been hearing more things because of it¡­¡­ Many things I never wanted to hear.¡¹

    Maybe overhearing something is why Sophie ran away in the first ce?

    ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you tell anyone?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you telling me to expose Filuria? I mean, doesn¡¯t everyone have a side of themselves they want to hide?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay Fran, I can see that doesn¡¯t apply to you.¡¹

    Well, it¡¯s not a crime to put up a front. Many people wear a mask of smiles andughter to cover up their internal ugliness. Everyone does it a little.

    However, this Filuria seems to be on the darker side.

    ¡¸For the past few days, Filuria has been acting much worse than usual. No, maybe she¡¯s been that way from the start and I just didn¡¯t notice it¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Did she do something other than the order to catch me?¡¹

    ¡¸She definitely did. Filuria has several bodyguards and I overheard her giving a suspicious order to them. Something about taking someone down.¡¹

    Could it be her giving the orders to incite a war between the Beastmen Union and the Dragon King Syndicate?

    ¡¸Sophie, do you know a guy named Numerae?¡¹

    ¡¸I believe he was among Filuria¡¯s bodyguards, one of the guys she gave the order to.¡¹

    She¡¯s 100% guilty! This Filuriady seems to be behind everything.

    ¡¸Did you know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran told Sophie what she knew about Numerae. He was trying to incite a war and cause chaos on someone¡¯s orders, before being killed by remote control.

    Sophie probably thought Filuria would never go that far. She turned pale after listening to Fran¡¯s story.

    ¡¸Putting two criminal organizations against each other? Why would she do such a thing¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know. But Numerae was definitely trying to do that.¡¹

    ¡¸But why?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe she wanted to injure a lot of people, then heal them to make money?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point to that given the Sanatorium¡¯s current state¡­¡­¡¹

    The Sanatorium already had plenty of funds and influence, so it¡¯s not like they needed to pull any fancy tricks. It seems Sophie couldn¡¯t understand Filuria¡¯s motivations either.

    ¡¸About the warding stones and the surveince wards, I¡¯ve seen those too.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, there¡¯s some in this tower, and they tried to put one in front of my room once too. I pretended to find it by ident and then threw it back at Filuria.¡¹

    Filuria said it was a security device for detecting intruders at the time, but it was clearly intended to spy on Sophie.

    ¡¸How did you find it?¡¹

    ¡¸I had a strange feeling about it since the area around it absorbed sound without echoing it.¡¹

    Sophie must be like Fran, being able to use her talents without any skills. In her case, it was her ears. She could sense the unnaturalck of echoes.

    ¡¸She said one of her subordinates made the wards, but I knew she was just trying to keep an eye on me.¡¹

    Afterwards, she must have given up on installing the surveince ward after finding out that Sophie could detect the warding stones.

    ¡¸About the subordinate who made it, what are they like?¡¹

    ¡¸A famous adventurer, so you should know more about her than I do. The Rank A adventurer ¡°Ward Dealer¡±.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºI think I¡¯ve heard that name somewhere¡­¡­¡»

    While Fran tilted her head, Sophie raised her voice in surprise.

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯ve really never heard of her?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Seliadot the Ward Dealer, called that because of her talent for warding arts. She is an adventurer famous for traveling all over the world.¡¹

    After hearing that, I finally remembered. She was the adventurer who had set up the barrier around the Spider¡¯s Web dungeon near Alessa.

    ¡¸And she was also famous for one other thing.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s usually known as the Ward Dealer, but some call her the ¡°Miser¡±. All she cares about is money, and she¡¯ll apparently do anything to get it.¡¹

    You¡¯d think any Rank A adventurer could easily make tons of cash, but this Ward Dealer seems to be absolutely obsessed.

    She¡¯s be famous for it, ever since the time she murdered a noble and everyone under him just because he tried to cheapen out on hermission fee. Because of the incidents she¡¯s caused, some countries even put bounties on her head.

    It was also said that she obeyed contracts involving money to the letter, so she would never betray her employers.

    The guild viewed her behavior as problematic, but she never antagonized the guild directly, and she was a master of the very rare Warding Arts skill.

    In the end, the guild only responded with a ¡°harsh warning¡±, so basically a p on the wrist.

    ¡ºSo we might have a Rank A adventurer on the enemy side¡­¡­?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We could easily imagine how troublesome her abilities are just by looking at these warding stones. Since we aren¡¯t at full power right now, we need to avoid antagonizing her at all costs.

 Chapter 869

    <h4>869: Sanatorium Underground</h4>

    After we heard about Filuria, Sophie asked Fran a question.

    ¡¸What is your purpose foring to this town? Shouldn¡¯t you be staying with that woman we rescued at Castel?¡¹

    Sophie had seen Fran nearly die trying to rescue Nadia, so she wondered why Fran left her side toe by herself to this illegal city.

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking for the ck market vers.¡¹

    Fran gave a light exnation of her situation. She also mentioned how illegal ves were being trafficked in this city.

    Sophie was surprised, but immediately nodded in agreement.

    What she said afterwards made it our turn to be surprised.

    ¡¸¡­¡­There may be people in the Sanatorium who are connected to the vers.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know something?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t have any proof. It¡¯s just, I sometimes hear people¡¯s voicesing from deep underground in this tower. I always thought it was my imagination¡­¡­¡¹

    The voices were so faint that Sophie couldn¡¯t be sure she actually heard anything. But if those really were human voices, that would mean the existence of an underground room she was never told about.

    Now that Sophie¡¯s level rose after the battle at Castel, further enhancing her hearing, she was able to pick up the voices more clearly than before.

    Then, she said she had been hearing a male voice since the other day.

    She couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying in detail, but she was sure that she heard his asional moans.

    ¡¸At first I thought it was just a secret escape route, but I realized something when I heard your story. You mentioned earlier that the one of the dragonkin leaders disappeared, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Gazzol is missing.¡¹

    ¡¸Judging by the tone, I think the voiceing from the basement belongs to a dragonkin man.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? So he could be trapped down there?¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    I still can¡¯t see a clear connection between Filuria stirring up a war and the ck market vers, but it¡¯s obvious that she¡¯s being incredibly suspicious.

    I thought the culprit would be the blue cats working for the Beastmen Union, but the Sanatorium seems fishy to me now.

    ¡¸Sophie, do you know how to get to the basement?¡¹

    ¡¸I have looked for the entrance before, but I never found it. I think it might be in a ce I¡¯m not allowed into.¡¹

    ¡¸So where¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Filuria¡¯s and the other executives¡¯ private offices.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Those would definitely not be easy to check out. I guess Filuria¡¯s room seems the most suspicious?

    Basements and underground passages should be very difficult to build in secrecy. In that case, they were probably reusing structures that already existed.

    Since Filuria¡¯s room has been passed down to the leader of the Sanatorium for generations, I could see it having a hidden entrance to an escape route.

    Sophie¡¯s gaze fell on Nelsh, who had remainedpletely silent up until now.

    ¡¸Nelsh. Do you know anything about this?¡¹

    ¡¸I know nothing. I¡¯m rather new here myself, after all.¡¹

    Nelsh shook his head. Sophie, the saintess, was directing her suspicions at Filuria, the highest authority in the tower, but he showed no signs of stopping her.

    However, I could sense his concern for Sophie. He seemed to be more worried about Sophie entering a conflict with Filuria than he was about Filuria¡¯s criminal activities.

    Since she let Nelsh into the room in the first ce, she probably ced a certain amount of trust in him.

    ¡¸But Filuria-sama is¡­¡­¡¹

    Nelsh muttered something with a difficult look on his face and seemed thoughtful. After a few seconds, Nelsh looked up and asked Sophie a question.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama, what do you n to do now?¡¹

    ¡¸I will find out what Filuria is doing and stop her, of course. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s after, but we won¡¯t make it through the antidemon season with an internal war.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I am opposed.¡¹

    ¡¸You want me to ignore Filuria¡¯s crimes?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. If the Medical Director really has a dark side as you say, this would ce you in great danger. Would it not be better to simply leave the tower without antagonizing her?¡¹

    Nelsh didn¡¯t want Sophie to take any risks. Instead, he suggested that they should abandon the city and escape by themselves.

    Sophie and Fran gave him a stern re, but I have to say that I can sympathize with his argument.

    Apparently, Sophie saved Nelsh from a near-death situation and he¡¯s been her bodyguard ever since. Therefore, he was only loyal to Sophie, not to the Sanatorium or Filuria.

    For him, Sophie¡¯s safetyes first, just as I ce the utmost importance on Fran.

    But of course, Fran and Sophie wouldn¡¯t listen.

    ¡¸No way. I can¡¯t let her get away with this.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Then let us at least act with caution. We do not want to take any hostile action until we are ready.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    Nelsh let out a light sigh and warned Sophie. He must have not expected his advice to be heeded in the first ce.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go back downstairs first. We can pretend to show Fran around as we look for the basement. Did you have any means of exploring below ground?¡¹

    ¡¸I do.¡¹

    ¡¸Then maybe we¡¯ll be able to find something.¡¹

    ¡¸Please refrain from doing anything too spectacr, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Sorry Nelsh. I¡¯ll watch over them too.

    As we took the elevator back to the first floor, I noticed a strange buzz in the air.

    And that was not because of the appearance of Sophie, the saintess. Everyone¡¯s eyes were pointed elsewhere.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s someone strong in there.¡»

    £¨Making a lot of noise.£©

    There was a standoff between the security guards and another group near the entrance, and the tension was palpable throughout the floor. This group was dressed like knights, and the man at the front was quite powerful.

    ¡¸The Order of Holy Knights requests an audience with the great saintess!¡¹

 Chapter 870

    <h4>870: Knights of the Holy Land</h4>

    The men shouting at the entrance of the tower called themselves the Order of Holy Knights.

    If I¡¯m remembering correctly, that should be the name of an elite group of knights dispatched by the Holy Nation of Srd. The knights in their ranks called themselves the holy knights.

    The Holy Nation and the Saintess. Were the two connected somehow?

    Fran nced over at Sophie, but Sophie simply shook her head with a puzzled look on her face.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know them. I¡¯ve never been to the Holy Nation, and the title of ¡°Saintess¡± is just something the people around me came up with on their own.¡¹

    I guess you could say she is like a self-proimed saintess? Maybe we shouldn¡¯t say that out loud.

    I didn¡¯t feel any murderous intent yet, but the knights were clearly trying to force their way in. The guards tried to hold them back, but the five holy knights were all quite skilled.

    Especially the man at the front, I could tell he was an expert just by looking at him. At this rate, it won¡¯t be long until they shove the guards aside.

    And if we¡¯re unlucky, it could turn into a battle.

    Just in case, I appraised the holy knights.

    As expected, none of them had the divine sword, but they were all equipped with enchanted swords¨D¨DNo, holy swords. Appraisal said all of them were ¡°holy swords¡±, so maybe they had some sort of special process for forging them.

    These the effect of being super effective against evil.

    All of them wore enchanted armor, and had high levels in magic too.

    Since they called themselves ¡°holy¡± knights, I thought they might be able to use healing magic, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. I guess the name is just because they are knights equipped with holy swords.

    One of the guards went to call for backup, but the holy knights noticed our presence before they arrived.

    ¡¸Could that youngdy there be the saintess?¡¹

    They must have realized it after seeing the way the people looked at her. Everyone was looking at Sophie as if she was theirst hope.

    ¡¸You, the blondedy!¡¹

    ¡¸S-Stop!¡¹

    ¡¸No!¡¹

    The guards tried to block his way with their spears, but they failed. The knight easily dodged them with agile steps before pushing the guards aside.

    At least he held back so as to not injure them. It seems he got rather hasty after seeing the saintess in person.

    The man continued his brisk walk toward us, making his way past the guards and patients.

    His eyes showed that he had no doubt Sophie was the saintess. He must have gotten information about her appearance in advance.

    Fran lightly braced herself to pull me out at any moment.

    ¡¸Hold it right there.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph¡­¡­¡¹

    The holy knight paused just outside of Fran¡¯s range. He gave us a scowl for a moment, but then he switched to a condescending stare.

    ¡¸It appears the great saintess has a talented escort, but I have something important to discuss with her. Get out of my way.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not her escort.¡¹

    ¡¸Then it seems you have no business being here? Outsiders like you should keep their mouths shut.¡¹

    That¡¯s quite the drastic change in attitude between Fran and Sophie. I¡¯m impressed that he can switch between smiling and scowling so quickly.

    ¡¸I¡¯m her friend, not an outsider.¡¹

    ¡¸If you call yourself her friend, then stop interfering and take your leave. The sheer impudence of blocking a holy knight.¡¹

    ¡¸This is not your country. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s rude for forcing your way in.¡¹

    ¡¸Beast girl. Did my order to leave not enter your ears?¡¹

    Fran said she was Sophie¡¯s friend, but this guy just kept talking down to her. Is he even thinking about how Sophie would react to that?

    Or is he doing it on purpose? Maybe he intended to provoke Fran into making a blunder, then use that as an opportunity to gain an advantage in the negotiation?

    ¡ºFran, he might be trying to provoke you. Ask him what he wants first.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­You can talk without getting any closer.¡¹

    The holy knight continued ring at Fran, but he must have also noticed the cold look in Sophie¡¯s eyes as well.

    He smiled thinly as if to cover up his previous outburst, then switched into his polite speech again. Maybe he was just prejudiced against adventurers or beastmen?

    ¡¸Saintess-sama, wee from the Holy Nation of Srd and our purpose is to invite you to our country. Please apany us to the Holy Nation.¡¹

    ¡¸I think you have the wrong person.¡¹

    ¡¸How modest of you! I must say the fame of this city¡¯s saintess has reached far beyond the boundaries of this continent, Saintess Sophilia-sama.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I have never called myself a saintess, nor do I have that title or ss.¡¹

    Sophie retorted, but the holy knight continued his creepy smile and began an eloquent speech.

    ¡¸We are well aware that you have healed the masses without asking forpensation. This is a wonderful disy of goodwill, and I am filled with awe and respect! However, you clearly do not belong in a town such as this one. Therefore, I ask that youe to our country and wield your powers there. You will be weed by our brave knights and noblemen, and you need never associate yourself with the underworld again. I can assure that your name will be passed down the ages as a true saintess.¡¹

    Sophie¡¯s face contorted at the holy knight¡¯s words. She was filled with rage.

    Well, even if he put it politely, the actual meaning was pretty terrible.

    In summary: You shouldn¡¯t be helping this scum-filled town. Instead, serve the knights and noblemen of Srd. Oh, you want some honor? Sure, I¡¯ll make you an official saintess by the power of my country. Better be thankful and work your ass off, yeah?

    Something like that? Moreover, this guy really seemed to think that Sophie would love to take the offer. To him, everyone should be thankful to serve Srd.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I will remain here.¡¹

    ¡¸Such nonsense! This filthy illegal town is unworthy of a saintess such as yourself! If youe to the Holy Nation of Srd, you can disy your saintly powers without a worry in the world.¡¹

    Did he actually want to bring Sophie back with him? I had to doubt that for a moment seeing as how he chose all the right words to offend her.

    Moreover, I found out from my lie detection that this guy didn¡¯t respect Sophie at all.

    He probably thought he could get away with anything after he brought her back to his country. Maybe he even nned to enve her and use her as some kind of tool for healing?

    The people around them watched the exchange between Sophie and the knight with bated breath. Many of them were angry, but several also showed loneliness on their faces.

    It seems those people thought that the holy knight had a point. They must have felt agreement when he said that illegal cities were no ce for a saintess like her.

    Ironically, the more faith they had in Sophie, the more likely they would agree with that argument.

    ¡¸Come with me, Saintess-sama, to where you truly belong!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You say I belong in the Holy Nation of Srd?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely! Srd, the holynd! There can be no country more fitting as your home!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Seeing Sophie¡¯s silence, the holy knight must have thought she was moved by his words. His smile seemed nasty somehow.

    But Fran and I knew the truth. Sophie¡¯s clenched fist showed only the intensity of her anger.

 Chapter 871

    <h4>871: The Saintess''s Home</h4>

    After hearing the knight¡¯s words, Sophie pointed her head down.

    I could see sadness and loneliness on the faces of the patients and soldiers who saw this.

    From their point of view, it wasn¡¯t such a bad deal. One of the world¡¯s leading powers offered to officially recognize a self-proimed saintess from the middle of nowhere, and invite her toe to their country.

    But for someone not interested in status, honor, or power, they had nothing to gain. Sophie was that kind of person, just like Fran.

    She quickly raised her head, staring back back into the eyes of the holy knight with a determined expression on her face.

    ¡¸I will not go to Srd.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? What are you saying? Are you truly refusing to serve Srd, thend of all things holy?¡¹

    I saw his irritation for a brief movement, and he clearly gave her a stare filled with contempt. He thought of her as a foolish girl throwing away the grateful offer that he bestowed upon her.

    But we¡¯re the ones who should be confused at his behavior.

    ¡¸I appreciate the offer, but this city is my home. It is true that we have people with bounties on their heads and former ves. But I want all of them to hear my music. I want to heal them. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t leave.¡¹

    Sophie must have thought everything over in the short period of silence. She now realized what she really wanted all along.

    Unlike her tone containing traces of hesitation when she spoke with Fran back in her room, her face now showed strong determination.

    But Sophie¡¯s sincere words did not reach the rotten ears of the holy knight.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t understand your own value. Listen to me here. Only a true saintess would have the ability to heal suchrge numbers of people at the same time. Do you know how much our national power would increase with your support?! Don¡¯t let it go to waste in a ce like this!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You want me to use my powers for the sake of war?¡¹

    ¡¸Is the battlefield not the ce where a saintess would be most necessary? With your assistance, we may finally be able to take down the detestable Militant Nation! This is our holy mission! Our crusade! Your name will go down in history as an executor of justice!¡¹

    Damn, this guy is crazy. Is everyone from Srd like this? Just employing a saintess for an invasion effort is terrible enough, but he¡¯s calling destroying a nation an execution of justice.

    The other holy knights blocking the path through the entrance didn¡¯t seem to be surprised either. Those guys must share the same mindset as their leader.

    After hearing this, the only people in the room not angry were those five holy knights. Everyone else was pissed at them.

    The holy knights flinched, puzzled, not understanding the reason of this anger. The crowds could erupt into a fury at any moment.

    In the midst of all this, I caught a strange movement of mana.

    A small amount of mana came up from the room below us. Then, it continued upwards through the huge pir supporting the center of the tower, ascending to the top.

    I had seen something simr before, the magical elevator we took on the way to Sophie¡¯s room. So there must be a hidden elevator going through that big pir behind Fran?

    But it felt like the mana was heavily disguised, so I needed to really focus in order to sense it. I was only able to notice the slight leak in the first ce since I was on my guard against the holy knights.

    This only gives us more reason to check out the underground.

    The easiest way would be to dig a hole in the ground with magic and go there directly. We had considered doing so when we sensed the existence of an underground passage earlier.

    However, I wanted to avoid doing anything too obvious after learning the existence of those surveince wards. Anything we did would have a chance of revealing Fran¡¯s existence to the enemy.

    But now we knew that Filuria was already aware of Fran. We¡¯re past the point of trying to avoid hostilities.

    That means we should consider some more heavy handed measures.

    While I was focused on the underground and the elevator, Sophie continued refusing the holy knights.

    She told the knight that she would stay, that she didn¡¯t want to leave, and that she wanted to help the people here. But no matter how many times she repeated herself, the knight refused to ept it.

    He saw Sophie as nothing more than a convenient healing tool from the very beginning, so he had no intention of engaging in an actual conversation with her.

    I could see that the holy knight starting to get annoyed,pletely setting aside how self-absorbed he was being. Are they going to try and take her away by force? The holy knights at the entrance had obviously started to evaluate the people in the room.

    They must be trying to determine the strength of the Sanatorium¡¯s forces.

    Sophie didn¡¯t notice that since the argument was getting heated, and she continued denying the knight with stronger words.

    ¡¸I will not go to the Holy Nation. I can¡¯t trust a country that won¡¯t listen to me and denies the people I care about!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha¡­¡­! Such impudence!¡¹

    ¡¸You are the ones being rude! Who do you think you are?!¡¹

    ¡¸You dare insult my country, false saintess!¡¹

    The holy knight revealed his true nature in an instant. He seems to have zero tolerance for insults. Maybe his country is just filled with yes-men?

    ¡¸Is that what you really think?¡¹

    ¡¸Silence! You¡¯re the one talking nonsense! I offered to make you a real saintess! All you had to do is follow me and keep your mouth shut! If you keep refusing this gracious offer, I will take you by force!¡¹

    Now the mask ispletely off.

    The holy knight¡¯s words and facepletely matched those of a kidnapper. While they didn¡¯t n it in advance, the other holy knights reached for their weapons too.

    Shit. If this turns into a real battle, the patients will get caught up!

    I quickly focused up my mana to intercept the knights. I think I should build a wall to divide them, then disable them with thunder magic?

    But the knights never got the chance to draw their weapons, and I never got the chance to use my magic.

    ¡¸How dare you be rude to Saintess-sama!¡¹

    A random boy shouted and threw his walking staff at the knight. The holy knight leader easily brushed away the thin staff flying through the air.

    ¡¸You little brat! Insolent¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸The boy is right! You¡¯re the ones being disrespectful!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! How dare you call yourself holy knights!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re just a bunch of pussies trying to kidnap a girl!¡¹

    ¡¸Get lost!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave her alone!¡¹

    The boy¡¯s actions became the trigger, and everyone on the floor started throwing whatever was close at hand. They didn¡¯t just throw small objects, but also flower pots and actual self-defense weapons.

    With this much stuff being thrown at then, the holy knights could no longer evade them. They tried to use magic to put up a barrier, but I interfered with their spell.

    As a result, the knights had to hold up their hands to block the flying objects.

    ¡¸Kuh! S-Stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up!¡¹

    ¡¸Go home!¡¹

    ¡¸Get away from our saintess!¡¹

    Amidst thismotion, a loud voice echoed through the floor.

    ¡¸What is all this racket? Cease immediately!¡¹

    A blonde woman appeared from behind us, took a deep breath, then shouted. The riot ended that exact instant. The result of her charisma or something? No.

    The woman had applied some kind of calming magic on her own voice.

    Who is she? Probably someone working for the Sanatorium, right¡­¡­? I was observing the unknown woman, when I heard Sophie¡¯s mutter.

    ¡¸Filuria.¡¹

    So this elegantdy was our current number one enemy. Filuria, the Medical Director.

 Chapter 872

    <h4>872: Filuria''s Words</h4>

    After instantly quelling themotion, Filuria confronted the holy knight.

    ¡¸Are you the envoys from the Holy Nation?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! What is wrong with your people! How dare you treat us with such disrespect!¡¹

    The holy knight¡¯s face turned red with anger, and he seemed ready to draw his de at any moment. On the other hand, Filuria remained calm andposed.

    ¡¸But ording to the letter we received the other day, Yaresfeim-dono was supposed to be sent as the envoy.¡¹

    ¡¸¡±Yaresfeim-dono¡±? That¡¯s ¡°Yaresfeim-sama¡± to you! Do you truly think some nobody healer from who knows where is on the same level as the Divine Sword Knight of Srd, the greatest nation in existence?! Know your ce!¡¹

    After hearing Filuria¡¯s words, the holy knight¡¯s temper got even worse.

    This ¡°Divine Sword Knight¡± must be the owner of the de of Origin, Alpha. I guess his name is Yaresfeim then?

    The holy knight¡¯s shouts were apanied by a tremendous aura of intimidation, which frightened most of the people nearby. Now that they had calmed down, they could no longer ignore the pressure he was emitting.

    However, Filuria continued her archaic smile. Even though she¡¯s our enemy, I have to say she had a pretty impressive mentality.

    Other than Filuria, the only ones not cowering were Fran, who was ready to move at any moment, and Sophie, who was leering intensely at the holy knight.

    Wait, Fran is pretty tense right now too. It feels like she¡¯s about to cut off a head if someone makes the wrong move.

    ¡ºFran¡­ You how bad killing her would be, right?¡»

    £¨I know.£©

    Though she said that, her eyes remainedpletely fixed on Filuria. She viewed thisdy as more dangerous than the knights, continuing to sharpen her senses in order to react at a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡¸So you say the Holy Nation will not follow the terms of the agreement?¡¹

    ¡¸Agreement!? Such things are only protected among equals! You should be ted that us holy knights even took the time toe here!¡¹

    Now that he¡¯s beenpletely unmasked, every wording out of his mouth just gets worse and worse. The two parties made an agreement in writing, then this so-called official envoy just t out said that he wouldn¡¯t protect his word.

    This should be a political nightmare. After all, it is proiming to the entire world that Srd will not honor formal agreements.

    Or maybe this kind of farce is already recognized as a quality of the Holy Nation? In that case, we should be hearing a lot more about the country¡¯s notoriety¡­¡­

    ¡¸So? What is the meaning of this? We were told that the Holy Nation would send a messenger of friendship to our tower¡¯s saintess. Besides, wasn¡¯t the date supposed to be the day after tomorrow?¡¹

    ¡¸We specified today, so you should have adjusted. And are you iming we were not friendly? I was simply inviting her toe to our country.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh? This may be the first time I¡¯ve heard somebody call taken away by force ¡°a friendly invitation¡±. Are you sure you don¡¯t mean ¡°kidnapping¡±?¡¹

    ¡¸Kidnapping? It appears you have thepletely wrong idea! I was just telling her the proper ce for a saintess out of the kindness of my heart.¡¹

    I thought the holy knight was just some dumbass, but it seems he at least had a way with words. He continued the debate with Filuria with eloquent sophistries.

    He may be narrow-minded and self-righteous, but I guess he had a brain.

    ¡¸If you want what¡¯s best for the saintess, shouldn¡¯t you be the one to persuade her to go? Ah yes, of course. I can allow you to serve Srd as well. I am sure the saintess will be ufortable all by herself, so you may tag along as her personal attendant.¡¹

    ¡¸You dare to treat me like some sort of maidservant?!¡¹

    Filuria¡¯s smile broke for the first time. She quickly put her smile back on, but the corners of her mouth remained slightly distorted.

    Her inner emotions must have leaked out after the hit to her pride.

    However, she soon regained herposure and gave the holy knight her ultimatum. Her words sounded a little colder than before, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s my imagination.

    ¡¸Either way, I have no further interest in you. Bring Yaresfeim-dono first, as promised.¡¹

    Filuria put heavy emphasis on the ¡°-dono¡±, appealing herck of respect for Srd. Thisdy has quite the personality despite her innocent looking appearance.

    ¡¸The Divine Sword Knight is the pir of our nation, loved and respected by all citizens! How could he ever visit a ce like this! That¡¯s why we havee in his ce!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Please leave. We have nothing more to discuss today.¡¹

    ¡¸So you mean to say you will not give us the saintess?¡¹

    ¡¸At least not to you. Of course, if Saintess Sophilia wishes to leave, I cannot stop her.¡¹

    Filuria turned to Sophie.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama. This city is indebted to you, and needs you. We will protect you at all times. But if you wish to go to the Holy Nation, we will see you off with tears in our eyes.¡¹

    ¡¸I will not go to the Holy Nation.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. I know that your impression of the Holy Nation has been tarnished by these buffoons, but it is not truly this terrible. We should be able to trust Yaresfeim-dono, at least more than them.¡¹

    The holy knight¡¯s face became flush with anger again, but Filuria¡¯s continued her words.

    ¡¸Besides, it is an undeniable fact that this city is tinypared to the Holy Nation. I, too, am concerned that it might be too small for you. I really appreciate you, I respect you, and I want you to stay with us forever. But at the same time, I don¡¯t want to be the chain that binds you.¡¹

    Filuria¡¯s heartrending expression seemed to show her concern for Sophie from the bottom of her heart. Some of the patients around us were red-eyed and sniffling.

    Simply amazing. What¡¯s amazing is that almost every wording out of her mouth was a lie. Her concern for Sophie, that the Holy Nation was not a terrible ce, and her feelings of gratitude towards Sophie were all lies.

    The only part with any truth was her saying that this city was tiny.

    Being able to stack so many lies on top of each other is pretty impressive in its own right.

    It seems Filuria had zero positive emotions towards Sophie. Moreover, she even wanted Sophie to leave.

    I don¡¯t want to say it like this, but Sophie should be pretty useful. Wouldn¡¯t the Medical Director want to make use of her powers¡­¡­?

    Considering she¡¯s also the one inciting the internal war, I couldn¡¯t understand her intentions at all.

 Chapter 873

    <h4>873: Ward Dealer</h4>

    In response to Filuria¡¯s 95% lies, Sophie repeated her resolution.

    ¡¸I will remain here.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I will respect your desires. Again, I must ask you knights to leave for today. Isn¡¯t that so, Seliadot?¡¹

    ¡¸Certainly true. There¡¯s no point in negotiating with hot heads.¡¹

    The owner of the voice emerged from the back of the room in response to Filuria¡¯s words.

    She must have been listening in on us while hidden.

    ¡¸You all should go back home and calm yourselves down. Let me give you a tip, try counting money. You¡¯ll feel better in no time.¡¹

    So this is Seliadot, the Rank A adventurer known as the Ward Dealer?

    Seeing her smiling next to Filuria really surprised me.

    I had assumed she was an adult, but she was practically a child! A pretty-looking young girl with tinum blonde hair tied into half-length twintails, who looked a bit on the plump side. She seemed even younger than Fran.

    No wait, she¡¯s an elf. I can¡¯t let myself be fooled by her appearance. She must be the ¡°ancient loli¡± type.

    If she wasn¡¯t working for the enemy, I would have been overjoyed to see this ssic character trope!

    Anyways, I didn¡¯t notice her hiding at all, so she must have been making use of her warding stones. Fran¡¯s excessive caution might be because of her subconsciously realizing that Seliadot was lurking nearby.

    These warding stones are a huge pain. I still have a bad matchup, but that¡¯s not to say I¡¯m at aplete disadvantage. After all, the warding stones and surveince wards are both made from magic stones.

    So as long as I can find them, I can destroy them in a single hit. I already tested it with the warding stones we found earlier.

    I only get 1 magic stone point from them since they are processed stones, but I can absorb them without issue.

    However, Seliadot is not an adventurerpletely specialized in warding.

    I could tell her level of talent just by looking at her. She¡¯s pretty good at meleebat too. If I had not heard in advance that she was a warding expert, I might have mistaken her for a warrior.

    Meleebatbined with warding arts sounds terrifying just imagining it.

    The holy knight¡¯s face went pale. Though an asshole, he seemed to have fully understood the power of Seliadot just by looking at her.

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll be back tomorrow!¡¹

    ¡¸If you are going to continue being violent next time, I will prepare some countermeasures.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Just you wait!¡¹

    The holy knight nced at Seliadot and turned on his heel in frustration. He threw a parting shot before leaving like a loser.

    After the holy knights left, a rxed atmosphere came to the floor. Among them, Fran was the only one who did not feel at ease.

    She was subject to both Filuria¡¯s piercing gaze and Seliadot¡¯s price-gouging stare.

    Filuria tilted her head as if to say that she did not know Fran.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ve never seen this ck cat girl before, who is she?¡¹

    Yeah, that¡¯s a lie. We already knew it, but she was well aware of Fran¡¯s identity.

    ¡¸This girl is quite strong. What is your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! You must be the ck Lightning Princess! That makes sense now! With someone like you guarding the saintess, those boys won¡¯t be able toy a finger on her. What great fortune. Right, Medical Director-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Hmm? The Ward Dealer really doesn¡¯t know Fran, and her worries about Sophie¡¯s safety were sincere too.

    Does she really know nothing about Filuria¡¯s dark secrets? Maybe she is really just a bodyguard?

    I had Fran ask a few questions.

    ¡¸What is your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah yes, my name is Seliadot. I¡¯m an adventurer, you know.¡¹

    ¡¸The Ward Dealer?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly!¡¹

    She wore such a friendly smile that it made it hard to believe she was an adventurer. I would have an easier time imagining her as some girl running down the street with her friends.

    ¡¸Are you the Medical Director¡¯s bodyguard?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    ¡¸So you do whatever the Medical Director tells you to do? Even bad things?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? That¡¯s a weird question. A bodyguard ensures their master¡¯s safety, and nothing more. If Medical Director-dono asks me do take on another job, I¡¯ll simply refuse.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re asking a pretty rude question when I¡¯m right here? Seliadot, stop with the idle chit chat.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright.¡¹

    Filuria interrupted our conversation, perhaps sensing that it was headed in a bad direction. I guess that can¡¯t be helped.

    But Seliadot wasn¡¯t lying. It seems she really is just a bodyguard.

    Those warding stones and the surveince wards are also useful for guarding and surveince. She might be giving them to Filuria for that purpose.

    ¡¸Anyways¡­¡­ You¡¯re a ck cat, right?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    Filuria¡¯s smile suddenly disappeared as she looked at Fran.

    ¡¸I believe I heard word of a ck cat girl trying to assassinate the saintess¡­¡­¡¹

    As soon as Filuria said this, all eyes were on Fran. They were rather suspicious of Fran in the first ce, since no one knew who she was.

    Then came the words of Filuria, who they trusted as well as Sophie. It was no wonder that everyone gave us such heavy stares.

    The guards readied their spears once more.

    But Sophie immediately stepped forward.

    ¡¸She is my friend, and would never assassinate me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸When did you be friends with her?¡¹

    ¡¸We fought antidemons together recently. I can assure you there is no problem with her.¡¹

    As expected of a saintess, Sophie¡¯s words instantly calmed down the crowd from the brink of eruption.

    ¡¸Hmm. I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Well done finding a friend your age!¡¹

    Seliadot smiled broadly, while Filuria simply sighed in a bored manner. Did she just try to drive a wedge in between Fran and Sophie?

    We really can¡¯t let our guard down for a second.

 Chapter 874

    <h4>874: Filuria and the ve Traders</h4>

    Fran and Filuria stared at each other inplete silence.

    There was an indescribable tension between the two.

    Most people would think the two are friendly since they are both acquainted with Sophie. On the contrary, both knew the other was an enemy.

    Well, I¡¯m guessing Filuria only thought of Fran as an annoying adventurer that might get in her way.

    She must have had no idea that Sophie and Fran were already connected.

    Yet she came up with the n to break them up by mentioning Fran¡¯s suspicion of being an assassin on the spur of the moment. Even if this didn¡¯t seed, she would be able to learn just how close the two were without any damage to herself.

    She thoroughly calcted everything in that brief moment.

    What should we do from here?

    Ideally, we could expose Filuria¡¯s wrongdoings and eliminate her immediately¡­¡­ But that¡¯s obviously impossible.

    It¡¯s not like we have any hard evidence of her crimes, and I doubt anyone would believe us anyways.

    If Filuria, one of the most influential people in town, says we made it up, then she¡¯ll be believed over us.

    She would be like a noble in other countries, and one of very high status. She could say the sky is falling, and people would rush over to agree with her.

    It seems she has no intention of harming us right after Sophie dered Fran as one of her friends, but who knows what she has in store for uster.

    However, if weunch a preemptive strike on her, we would be the bad guys. In the first ce, we shouldn¡¯t do anything rash since we know nothing about the Ward Dealer¡¯s abilities.

    I had actually secretly appraised Filuria when she first showed up. Even if she detected my appraisal, we could make the excuse that she surprised us with their sudden appearance.

    Yet my appraisal failed to work, simr to how my detection-type skills were nullified. She must be in possession of a warding stone or some simr tool.

    Seeing as how the appraisal did not work on either of them, it might be possible for Seliadot to mass-produce wards capable of blocking appraisal.

    Anyways, we don¡¯t know if we could win against this Rank A adventurer of unknown ability, even if we were in perfect condition.

    We also couldn¡¯t start a battle in the presence of so many patients. But at the same time, it would be a waste to run back home empty-handed.

    Let¡¯s try to squeeze some info out of Filuria before we go.

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking for illegal vers. Do you know who they are?¡¹

    ¡¸How would I know?¡¹

    ¡¸Because you¡¯re the most powerful person in town. Also, the Sanatorium could easily have patients dered dead and made into ves.¡¹

    ¡¸We would never do such a thing! The next time you say something so foolish, I¡¯ll have you escorted out.¡¹

    ¡¸So you really don¡¯t buy or sell illegal ves?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Answer the question and I¡¯ll leave.¡¹

    ¡¸I have nothing to do with such a filthy business as illegal ve trading!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s questioning made her visibly upset, causing her to scream in a high-pitched voice. She must have panicked after being asked about the skeletons in her closet.

    Now we know that she is definitely rted to the illegal vers, and she at least knows the identities of some of them.

    Does this mean we will really have to fight against Seliadot in the near future?

    While I was considering our options, I saw Fran suddenly get ready for battle.

    It looked like she only leaned forward a tiny bit, but I knew she was ready to deliver a sh in the blink of an eye.

    Only Sophie and Seliadot noticed this. The others, including Filuria, must have thought that Fran only became a little irritated.

    I haven¡¯t even told Fran about Filuria¡¯s rtion to the vers, but she could already infer the results of my Principle of Falsehoods from my change in attitude.

    We understand each other so deeply now that I could no longer hide anything.

    ¡ºFran. I understand how you feel, but it¡¯s not a good idea to fight here!¡»

    If Filuria really was the leader of the vers and killing her would end everything, then it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to take her down and hightail it out of town.

    However, things aren¡¯t going to be that simple. If Filuria was only one part of the trafficking ring, we would need to interrogate her for information on the rest.

    And with so many people here, it would be impossible to capture Filuria without anyone noticing.

    Even Fran should have understood all this¨D¨Dbut her uncontroble killing intent must have caused the slight movement of her body.

    ¡¸What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡¹

    Seliadot red at us. From the young-looking girl with a pretty face came an unimaginable pressure assaulting Fran.

    From her point of view, it must have looked like Fran asked her employer a bunch of rude questions, and then got angry for no reason.

    The atmosphere was tense, as both sides were on guard and unable to rx their fighting stance.

    The tension only broke after someone came running into the tower.

    He seemed to be an adventurer in a great hurry, since he fell to his knees at the entrance. Still, he gathered all his strength and shouted.

    ¡¸A-A horde of antidemons! Approaching town! All adventurers are to intercept them!¡¹

    It seems the season of antidemons has finally arrived in this illegal city.

    Filuria immediately asked the adventurer a question.

    ¡¸How many?¡¹

    ¡¸At least 30,000!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are they sending their vanguard to scout us out?¡¹

    ¡¸Probably. That¡¯s far too few to take down the city.¡¹

    30,000 certainly sounds like a lot, but that¡¯s fewer than the number of antidemons in Castel. They would need more than that to take down a city this big.

    Like Filuria said, it was most likely the horde¡¯s advance party.

    After discussing the situation with her bodyguard, the deceitful woman turned back to Fran.

    ¡¸The adventurers are required to gather in the case of an antidemon raid. Shouldn¡¯t you be on your way now?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What about Seliadot?¡¹

    ¡¸Someone needs to defend the Sanatorium, you know? They already told me I don¡¯t have to go.¡¹

    This is an important facility, so it makes sense not to send the guards out too.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sophie, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be here healing people. Don¡¯t die.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran said her farewells to Sophie and ran out of the tower. We have to head to the guild first.

    But I¡¯m starting to get more and more suspicious of Prear, the guildmaster.

    That old guy said there were no other Rank A adventurers in this town. And yet, Seliadot was right there.

    He could make the excuse that Seliadot wasn¡¯t counted among the adventurers¡¯ numbers since she was hired to guard the Sanatorium, but there¡¯s no reason not to tell Fran. And ¡°Oops, I forgot¡± isn¡¯t going to cut it when we¡¯re talking about Rank A adventurers.

    It¡¯s very likely that he hid that information on purpose, so that he could manipte Fran into doing what he wanted.

    If he really forgot, then we can¡¯t trust in his abilities. If he¡¯s trying to manipte Fran, we can¡¯t trust him period. Either way, we have to be more careful around him.

    ¡ºTo think those simple-minded ouws are more trustworthy than the medical director or guildmaster¡­¡­ That¡¯s an illegal city for you, nothing is ever straightforward.¡»

 Chapter 875

    <h4>875: Looming Antidemon Horde</h4>

    After arriving at the Adventurers Guild, we found many people busily scurrying about. It seems the guild assigned the adventurers to various different jobs.

    Many adventurers were asking for their jobs at the reception desk, others were pacing around in confusion. Some transportedrge armfuls of supplies.

    Handling the desk today was a young woman instead of Prear. They had made an emergency extension to the reception desk, with a few receptionist women handling it.

    Fran also approached the temporary reception desk and presented her adventurer¡¯s card.

    ¡¸Oh! Fran-san! We¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡¹

    It seems the receptionist already recognized Fran and began handling her case immediately. She must have been instructed by Prear in advance.

    But Prear himself is nowhere to be seen¡­¡­

    ¡¸Where is Prear?¡¹

    ¡¸The guildmaster is currently meeting with the heads of the other organizations.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹

    There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll get the chance to question him given the current situation. Maybe when he gets back.

    After that, Fran asked the woman about her role in the battle.

    ¡¸I heard the antidemons wereing.¡¹

    ¡¸Right. We want you to take the role of mobile striker, assisting wherever you are needed.¡¹

    ¡¸Mobile striker?¡¹

    ¡¸We have instructed many adventurers to guard specific areas. However, those of Rank B and above are free to move about as they please.¡¹

    Rather than taking care of other adventurers and slowing herself down, they wanted Fran to fight by herself. Makes sense considering Rank B and higher adventurers tended to be individualistic, and some may have skills they don¡¯t want revealed to the public.

    ¡¸But please do not interfere with the adventurers on the city walls.¡¹

    ¡¸The other adventurers will fight on the wall?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, they will use their skills, magic, and arrows to whittle down the numbers from there. We will also be defending the gate with a team of warriors, but the focus will be on ranged attacks. Coming too close to the city walls may result in you taking friendly fire.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. What else should I watch out for?¡¹

    ¡¸There will be other groups participating in the battle alongside the adventurers, so try to avoid causing any trouble with them.¡¹

    Ouws, the Sanatorium, the town guard, etc, will also be deploying their troops. It seems the higher-ups are still discussing the details, so I can only imagine how confusing things will be on the actual battlefield.

    ¡¸That should be all you have to worry about.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much for your cooperation.¡¹

    The woman at the reception desk bowed deeply to Fran. She seems to be from this town, so she must have strong feelings regarding the high ranking adventurers defending her home.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded emphatically and headed for the main gate.

    ¡ºFran, you¡¯ll be fine against the small fry, but higher level antidemons are going to be tough in this state.¡»

    ¡¸I know. But we have to do it.¡¹

    ¡ºWe may have to consider partying up with the other adventurers, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    As we ran along while discussing our n, we arrived at the gate. There, hundreds of adventurers were lined up in a row.

    They grabbed their bows and arrows, climbing up the multiple staircases to the top of the wall. These guys probably have the role of supporting from the rear by raining down arrows.

    We ignored the line and hurried to the gate. It¡¯s already closed, but can we get out here?

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re busy! Come backter!¡¹

    ¡¸I want to go outside.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Do you have any idea what¡¯s going on right now?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way anyone is going out!¡¹

    The men on duty at the gate seemed annoyed after Fran suddenly came up and asked them to let her through. However, Fran simply pulled out the adventurer¡¯s card from her pocket and held it up.

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Seriously? This girl is a Rank B adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Did you read it wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸No, no! See! Look at this!¡¹

    ¡¸What! No way!¡¹

    These men guarding the gate were just normal soldiers, so they had no idea who Fran was.

    After realizing that the adventurer¡¯s card was no fake, they immediately told us the gist of the situation.

    ¡¸Sorry, but we can¡¯t open the west gate anymore because the antidemons are already closing in on us.¡¹

    ¡¸If you want to go outside, use the east gate on the other side of town.¡¹

    I guess all the gates on the antidemon-infested side are closed. But that won¡¯t be a problem for us.

    ¡ºFran, we¡¯ll use teleportation to pass through the gate.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Then I¡¯ll leave from here.¡¹

    ¡¸What, that¡¯s not¨D¨D¡¹

    As soon as I activated the short-range teleport, the gatekeeper¡¯s voice was cut off and reced by the roars of antidemons. A high-pitched, unpleasant shrieking threatening the citizens of the city.

    At the same time, our field of vision changedpletely.

    All we saw now was a inpletely covered by antidemons, the entire horde rushing towards us.

    The sight of antidemons as far as the eye can see was like hell itself.

    Still, Fran didn¡¯t even flinch.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re all low level antidemons, so I guess it¡¯ll be easier than Castel.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran smiled confidently as she pulled me out. Then, a lot of shouts came pouring in.

    ¡¸Oiiiii! What are you doing over there?!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t go that way!¡¹

    ¡¸The antidemons areing! Run to the wall!¡¹

    The adventurers stationed on the wall had noticed Fran.

    They were all concerned about her safety.

    Fran simply gave them a light wave and turned her back. We heard some screams like ¡°No!¡± or ¡°Why are you going that way!?¡± but Fran didn¡¯t look back.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s make quick work of them!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Master, do it!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran soared across the in on my Telekic Air Ride. In no time at all, we were in the skies above the horde.

    Then she leapt off of me and dived right into the middle of it. Of course, with me back in her hands.

    ¡ºThere are no other adventurers around us. You can go all out.¡»

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    Fran swung her de with a look that almost seemed like joy. No wait, she¡¯s definitely happy, cutting down dozens of antidemons with a big grin on her face.

    I bet she was unloading all the stress she had built up in the city on the antidemons. It must have been very frustrating for her to not know who was actually friend or foe.

    ¡¸Teyaaaaah!¡¹

    Getting sieged by an antidemon horde may be bad for the town, but this seems like pretty good timing for Fran. We won¡¯t be able to annihte all 30,000 of them, but Fran will get the chance to rampage to her heart¡¯s content.

 Chapter 876

    <h4>876: Seliadot Countermeasures</h4>

    ¡¸Hah! Teyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Gigigyiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Tei!¡¹

    ¡¸Hryiiiii!¡¹

    Fran really went all out.

    I bet she¡¯s been feeling a lot of stresstely. That¡¯s why she put everything into shing, smashing, and blowing up the antidemons.

    We¡¯ve already killed like 500 of them? Still, the horde showed no sign of thinning, just like Fran showed no sign of slowing down.

    I guess we should be d they kepting, since Fran was nowhere near satisfied yet. She threw out a spell that eliminated a few dozen antidemons, then nodded at me.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s do that.¡¹

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve used Resonance Magic. Now that we had life magic to reduce the burden on Fran, this skill was much easier to use.

    We mixed wind magic with thunder magic, both elements emphasizing a wide area of effect. As a result, our wind des and electric discharges scattered over a huge area around us.

    It didn¡¯t seem very effective against the stronger antidemons, but this was more than enough for the lower ss ones.

    Since we were still unable to use our full strength due to the aftereffects from the fierce battle at Castel, we had to get creative to maximize our chances of victory.

    While we kept sting off the Resonance Magic, I also had my mind on a different issue.

    That is, how are we gonna deal with Seliadot?

    I can hardly detect her at all because of the warding stones. I might be able to notice something off after meeting her a few more times, but we obviously don¡¯t have the time for that.

    We could end up fighting each other as soon as tomorrow, so I have to figure something out now.

    Both sensing-type and perception-type skills are meaningless against her. Is there any other way to detect her? Maybe Life Plunder and Magic Plunder? These skills indiscriminately drain life force and mana from everyone within range.

    If we activate those skills while alone, and it sessfully drains someone, it means that some person is hiding nearby. But the problem with that is we can¡¯t use it in a crowded area.

    Let¡¯s see¡­¡­ How about this one? I set my eyes on the Magic Disruption skill.

    We¡¯ve barely ever used this skill since it negatively affected ourselves. But with this skill, we might be able to interfere with the effects of the warding stones.

    As long as we managed to slightly disturb the wards, I might be able to break through it.

    After consulting with Fran, we decided to try out the skill. I doubt it would have much effect on the antidemons, but we needed to find out how badly it would impede our other abilities.

    As a result, I found that I could still control my mana without issue, assuming I concentrated a little harder. My Magic Disruption skill was still level 1, so the effect was probably pretty weak.

    That means it probably had little effect on our enemies too, so I couldn¡¯t expect it to do much to warding stones. I should try to find an opportunity to test it out once we get back to town.

    As we continued cutting down antidemons while trying various experiments, we noticed some other people entering the fray alongside Fran.

    £¨They¡¯re strong!£©

    ¡ºYeah, all of them are.¡»

    They must be the city¡¯s other Rank B adventurers besides Fran, who started mopping the floor with the antidemons that got past her. Actually, that seemed to be their intention in the first ce.

    By positioning themselves on the left and right sides of Fran, they handled the ones we weren¡¯t able to reach. It¡¯s nice to work with people who can coordinate so well without anymunication.

    There were four adventurers in total, three of whom were grouped together. I¡¯m guessing the group¡¯s a Rank B party.

    They seemed more like the type of party recognized as Rank B by the quality of their cooperation rather than their skills as individuals. Each of them would be about Rank C individually, but they worked in perfect unison.

    They had a striker-type swordsman with excellent offensive power, and a shieldman specializing in defense wielding a greatshield. In the back, they had a caster specialized in support and recovery.

    The shieldman pulled in a big group, then the swordsman delivered a powerful strike to crush all of them at once, finally the healer patched them both up. Then, they repeated the process. It was a simple but very solid fighting style.

    On the opposite side, Fran¡¯s left, was a short caster-looking adventurer. They wore a hooded robe obscuring their face, but they seemed really slender.

    But this was no normal caster. They gracefully swung a naginata to prevent the antidemons from advancing. At the same time, they made good use of dark magic to finish off the weakened antidemons. They only used spells on the weaker sides, probably to conserve MP.

    If we considered Fran a warrior capable of magic, this guy was more like a caster capable of using a weapon.

    Also, I saw the naginata enveloped in a ck light, meaning they used Elemental Sword with the dark attribute.

    With a low level in Elemental Sword, this only had the effect of reducing the target¡¯s MP. However, it seems the ability to absorb MP was added at higher levels.

    The adventurer used Elemental Sword to recover MP after firing a series of weak magic attacks. This fighting style must be very effective for extended battles.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re not making full use of Elemental Sword, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    By the way, Fran can use Elemental Sword for all attributes, but she usually uses only three: fire for inflicting burns, wind for enhancing her shes, thunder for electrifying foes. That¡¯s it.

    Water is used for boosting force shockwaves, and earth for enhancing the toughness of the de. Neither were very effective for swords. Dark-attribute is for MP absorption, and tree-attribute is for HP absorption. But we never needed those since we already had other skills for draining HP and MP.

    Lava-attribute gives a super-thermal boost, ice-attribute gives a freezing effect, and dust-attribute drains the moisture of the foe. However, our levels in those elements of magic were pretty low, so I doubt we¡¯d get any spectacr effects.

    Meanwhile, we¡¯ve increased our level in light and life magic, so these two should be very useful. Light-attribute Elemental Sword cloaks the weapon in mana to increase the damage as well as applying a daze effect.

    The life-attribute one disrupts the target¡¯s life force, increasing the damage dealt while debilitating their physical abilities.

    Elemental Sword had so much potential behind it, but Fran mostly used the familiar fire, wind, and thunder. I know that the ck cats prefer those attributes, but for the future, we should try using light and life as well.

    I mean, I¡¯ve talked to her about this subject before. It¡¯s just hard to fix these kinds of habits. In the heat of battle, she always falls back to the three elements she uses the most.

    ¡ºThere are still plenty of antidemons out there. Good target practice, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 877

    <h4>877: Insufficient Forces</h4>

    As we continued cutting down antidemons one after another with Elemental Sword, their numbers started to dwindle. That¡¯s not to say we were anywhere close to done, since they still had uspletely surrounded.

    However, their pressure on us obviously decreased, slowing the rate at which they filled the gaps in their lines left by Fran.

    Zero high-level antidemons came out despite the heavy casualties to their forces, so this horde must beposed of entirely lesser antidemons. They were definitely sent to scout us out after all.

    Getting defeated to measure our strength must have been their goal.

    As expected, Fran and the other B Rank adventurers couldn¡¯t handle the entire horde, so a good number of antidemons managed to reach the city walls.

    But the adventurers were ready and waiting for them there. They easily eliminated the stragglers with ranged attacks, avoiding any damage to the city.

    All of them had high morale, and cheered loudly for Fran and the other B Ranks.

    ¡¸Woohoo! That¡¯s our ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Go for it!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re so cool!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m in love with you!¡¹

    Who the hell was thatst guy?! You¡¯re not getting away with this!

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­It¡¯s nothing. I just overheard the adventurers cheering.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s motivation soared as the adventurers cheered her on. This wasn¡¯t simply about relieving her stress anymore. She felt a desire to protect the city too.

    Swinging her de again, Fran cut down the antidemons at an even faster pace than before. The adventurers on either side of her were still going strong too.

    There were still more than several thousand antidemons left, but Fran and the others will be able to clear them out in no time.

    Suddenly, a new group entered the battlefield. Not enemies, but a group of adventurers.

    They must have exited from the east gate on the opposite side of the city, then worked their way around the city walls.

    Before we left the town, we heard that the adventurer squadron was supposed have over 200, right¡­¡­?

    ¡ºBut there¡¯s only like thirty of them?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And they didn¡¯t look like they were here to fight. They seemed to be in a hurry, looking around for someone? Maybe Fran?

    My intuition was right. After catching a glimpse of Fran, they started making their way over through the horde. Since they seemed friendly, I sted away some of the antidemons to clear a path for them.

    The adventurers managed to squeeze through the gap and reach Fran. All of them looked to be about Rank E or so, as they had trouble with antidemons of this level.

    Even the leader was probably only Rank D.

    ¡¸A-Are you a Rank B adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The adventurer didn¡¯t have the ability to perceive Fran¡¯s real strength, and was surprised to see someone so young on the battlefield. He only managed to understand that this was no mistake after seeing her throw out a powerful spell.

    The other adventurers dispersed to hold off the surrounding antidemons, while the man in the lead spoke to us hurriedly.

    ¡¸I-I have a favor to ask you!¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸The north and south gates are in big trouble!¡¹

    ¡¸Not enough adventurers?¡¹

    It seems the antidemons reached the other gates as well. However, they had enough forces to send Rank B adventurers as Fran¡¯s backup, so the north and south gates should have also gotten reinforcements as well¡­¡­

    But it seems the city¡¯s deployment scheme didn¡¯t work the way I thought they did.

    In the case of an antidemon attack, the Adventurers Guild generally defended the east and west gates. Ouws handled the north, and the town guard and Sanatorium took charge of the south side.

    The heads of each organization would discuss where reinforcements will go during the antidemon season. But apparently, they decided today that each would handle their own gate by themselves.

    And yet, there wasn¡¯t enough people defending the gates.

    ¡¸At the north gate, it seems the ouws were reluctant to send out their forces because of the impending war between the gangs.¡¹

    The higher ups of the Beastmen Union and the Dragon King Syndicate hesitated sending their members to fend off antidemons because they suspected a raid from the other gang.

    The same went for the Sanatorium, which said that they could not reduce the number of security guards because they had intel that the saintess was being targeted by assassins.

    Even though Filuria failed to set up Fran, she took advantage of the false information to skimp out on sending troops.

    I guess the ouws and the Sanatorium were both being short-sighted. They didn¡¯t expect everyone else to be cking off as well.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be there as soon as I¡¯m done here.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you!¡¹

    Fran got fired up and dove into the antidemons again. Since we couldn¡¯t test Elemental Sword anymore, we switched to mass area spells to prioritize speed.

    The other B Ranks got briefed on the situation too, so they ramped up their speed as well.

    And at the same time, someone else joined up with us.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi! Where did youe from?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    Urushi came rushing in front of us, taking out all the antidemons along his path. Thest time we saw him was when I asked him to investigate the underground passage.

    However, the direction in which he appeared made no sense. He came in from behind the antidemons, aka the opposite direction of the city.

    Could it be that the underground passage led to somewhere over there?

    ¡ºWe can get the detailster. For now, let¡¯s deal with these antidemons.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    With Urushi here, we could now split up to help out both gates. He really showed up with perfect timing.

    ¡¸Teyaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Soon after, we seeded in wiping out all the antidemons in front of the west gate.

 Chapter 878

    <h4>878: First Seat and Dogsinger</h4>

    ¡ºThere it is! The antidemons are all over the gate!¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s take them out.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    When Fran and I arrived at the north gate, the antidemons were already swarming around it.

    Just like the in the report, the ouws were few in number. Arrows came raining down from the walls sparsely, and there were only a few warriors guarding the exterior of the gate.

    It seems they¡¯ve just barely managed to hold their formation in front of the gate, and prevent the antidemons from entering.

    There were about 5,000 antidemons in all. If the ouws really put in the full effort, it should have been an easy win¡­¡­

    One of the beastmen in front was pretty strong, so it¡¯s probably thanks to him that they managed to hold on. But at this rate, it was only a matter of time.

    Fran sped up and ran straight through the middle of the antidemons.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll cover you!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, thanks!¡¹

    The beastman leader thanked Fran after her sudden appearance. He must have instantly understood that Fran¡¯s strength would turn the tables.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Bryne, first seat of the Bloodfang Brigade!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Lightning Princess! A big shot, eh! I¡¯ll be counting on you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Bryne was a tall but slender man. He had pretty good looks, but his narrow eyes and extremely pale skin made him look a bit morbid.

    ¡¸Guys, just a little bit longer! Hang in there!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yeah!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Half an hourter¡­

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gishyii!¡¹

    Fran swung me down on thest antidemon, which then fell to the ground. With this, the defense of the north gate wasplete.

    Soon after, the ouws all rushed toward us.

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re fucking amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Sis! We did it!¡¹

    ¡¸That was so cool!¡¹

    ¡¸The ck cats are pretty awesome!¡¹

    Since we saved them from a critical situation, all of them praised Fran their excitement.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, thanks for the help.¡¹

    ¡¸Bryne, did Mea note?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh, right now she¡¯s kinda like the Union Elder¡¯s bodyguard. She kept trying to head out, but the contract wouldn¡¯t let her.¡¹

    I thought it was strange that Mea didn¡¯te at a time like this, but it seems the leader of the Beastmen Union held her back. Mea couldn¡¯t afford to go against the Beastmen Union for the sake of her goal, so she had to reluctantly give up on the battle.

    Instead, she persuaded the executives to allow Bryne¡¯s deployment in her stead.

    It seems the executives knew they had to deploy someone, so they epted Mea¡¯s proposal.

    ¡¸Why didn¡¯t they want to send out their forces?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently we got a tip that the Dragon King Syndicate was after our territory.¡¹

    ¡¸A tip? From who?¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno. But if the higher ups believed it, it must be a very solid source, right? Not that there¡¯s much point in the first ce if we let the antidemons in.¡¹

    After that, the ouws started ranting about the Beastmen Union and the Dragon King Syndicate. Since this seemed like it would take forever, I had Fran interrupt with a few questions that were bothering me.

    After seeing what Fran was capable of, the ouws were very open to a discussion. We did heal them after all. Maybe if we¡¯re lucky, they might let out some of their bosses¡¯ dirty secrets. That¡¯s the kind of mood I sensed from them.

    What I found out was that most of the ouws here were not members of the Dragon King Syndicate or the Beastmen Union. They mainly belonged to the smaller gangs.

    The subordinate organizations of the Dragon King Syndicate and the Beastmen Union were also reluctant to send out many people, which is why only about 300 people had gathered.

    Even though they belonged to different organizations, they would work together against the antidemons due to unspoken rules of the city.

    ¡¸Oi, oi! You¡¯re pretty awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    While Fran listened to the ouws, the adventurers on the city wall came down. The first one to speak to Fran was a confident-looking woman with short-cropped red hair.

    ¡¸Miranleil of the Dragon King Syndicate! Nice to meet you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran frowned lightly at Miranleil¡¯s booming voice. This is probably her normal tone, so it wasn¡¯t like she was trying to annoy Fran or anything.

    With such a loud voice andpleteck of subtlety, it¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s unsuited for stealthy operations. She would bepletely terrible as an assassin.

    Apparently, the weird banging sound that kepting from the top of the walls was the sound of Miranleil firing arrows.

    We heard a simr story from Miranleil, about how Gephe and most of the others were kept at the headquarters because they were worried about a raid from the Beastmen Union. Velmeria and Frederick must be among them too.

    Miranleil herself had apparently disobeyed orders toe here.

    ¡¸You¡¯re asking where our boss got that info?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno?¡¹

    So the source was someone that even Bryne and Miranleil, who were close to the top of their organizations, didn¡¯t know about? Could it be Filuria? We don¡¯t know her motive, but she¡¯s done something simr when she framed Fran.

    Anyways, I didn¡¯t get the feeling that Bryne and Miranleil hated each other or anything. They were both apparently the type of person that didn¡¯t care much for grudges or small details.

    Since they managed to work together, I guess they considered each other allies for the time being. That¡¯s good to know.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to the south gate.¡¹

    We sent Urushi and the other adventurers to the south gate, so they should be fine. I want to check things out just in case though.

    ¡¸You can take care of the rest here.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to us!¡¹

    I¡¯m still a little worried, but Bryne and Miranleil had sufficient strength. We can let the two handle the rest here.

    ¡¸And no fighting!¡¹

    ¡¸S-Sure.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay!¡¹

    Fran nailed the two with her intimidation, and everyone nearby straightened their backs. Did they all just ept her superiority?

 Chapter 879

    <h4>879: Underground Passage</h4>

    Fran hurried down the eastern wall on her way to the south gate, but we reunited with Urushi before passing the east gate.

    It seems the town guard did their job well, and the battle became an easy win after Urushi and the other adventurers joined in.

    ¡ºYou did good!¡»

    ¡¸Good boy.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi raised his head proudly as we praised him, but that¡¯s not the only thing we had to discuss. Urushi then pointed his nose away from the town.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re saying that¡¯s the entrance to the underground passage we found?¡»

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡¸Are we going now?¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, is the entrance far away from the city?¡»

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡ºSo it¡¯s pretty close? ¡­¡­Do you think they¡¯d see us entering from the top of the city walls?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHmm, I guess that¡¯s not possible then.¡»

    There were still many adventurers and ouws on top of the walls, on the lookout for the second wave of antidemons. If we tried to do anything, we would stand out.

    If possible, we didn¡¯t want anyone to know that we found the hidden underground passage. We didn¡¯t know who else could be working with Filuria, after all.

    And if Fran went into the passage without a word, people would ask where she had been and spread rumors.

    Even if we wanted to stealthily make our way in, it would be difficult to conceal ourselves. There were no trees or anything to block us from view, so it¡¯s impossible to cross the ins without being spotted by hundreds of adventurers.

    Illusion magic had a spell to turn yourself invisible, but I couldn¡¯t use that with my current skill level.

    Should I put some points in illusion magic then? No wait, there was a better way to hide ourselves.

    ¡ºMaybe we can use light magic.¡»

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    It¡¯s the same type of optical camouge used by Invisible Death, the magic beast we fought in the Demon Wolf ins. However, I couldn¡¯t manage to use this optical camouge at a level that blends in perfectly with the surrounding scenery.

    Still, it should be possible to distort our surroundings to the point where no one can distinguish our identities. I tested it out on a random stone, and it seemed to work.

    We became transparent, but there¡¯s still a visible distortion. They still won¡¯t be able to recognize Fran though.

    ¡¸¡­¡­But they can tell something is there.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºTrue.¡»

    Maybe this isn¡¯t such a good idea? Right after the antidemons attacked town, some weird distortion is spotted leaving the scene.

    That might cause unnecessary confusion to the people of Sendia.

    ¡ºI guess we can go back to town for now and sneak out at night?¡»

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡ºNo?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It seems Urushi wanted us to go to the underground passage right now.

    Then, Urushi used the dark spell, Brain Trick. This spell affects the target¡¯s mind and makes them hallucinate.

    But we had Darkness Nullification, so the spell didn¡¯t work. Urushi barked again, telling us to disable the skill.

    After following his instructions, Urushi repeated the same spell once more.

    The hallucination we saw was a reproduction of what Urushi had seen.

    ¡¸Mrgh. Gazzol.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, and he¡¯s in a cage!¡»

    Much to our surprise, Urushi had met with Gazzol in the underground passage. The scene began with Urushi entering the room via Shadow Shift, and we saw his exchange with Gazzol.

    ¡¸W-What the? A clump of darkness?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    It seems the tiny Urushi cloaked himself in darkness to disguise his appearance. That¡¯s probably his countermeasure to the surveince wards.

    ¡¸Are you someone¡¯s servant beast? Or some kind of spirit?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸You understand me? I know you owe me nothing, but can you do me a favor?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸No, stop! Don¡¯t free me!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems you do understand me. Don¡¯t try to free me. I want you to call people over here, as many as you can. If we can get enough witnesses, the Sanatorium is finished.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! You will really do this for me? I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡¹

    Then the hallucination ended.

    ¡ºSo by leaving himself in the Sanatorium¡¯s custody, he nned to use his own body as proof of the Sanatorium¡¯s wrongdoings¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Smart.¡¹

    ¡ºSmart or not, you¡¯d have to be pretty determined to do something like that.¡»

    ¡¸Come on, let¡¯s go get some help.¡¹

    This could be a very good y for us.

    It¡¯d be hard to sneak out on our own, but what if we get a bunch of other people involved? Currently we have the excuse of chasing after or scouting antidemons, so we can get arge number of followers.

    Now the question is how to guide them into entering the underground passage¡­¡­ I can figure something out.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s grab the ouws and the adventurers, then suggest a reconnaissance mission.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    So, we decided to talk to the men around the north gate. Many of them agreed to go with us.

    Too many people shouted their desire toe, so for the time being, we decided to take one scout as a representative from each organization.

    Our scouting party ended up with 23 people. Kinda hard to say if that was too many or too few. Naturally, Bryne and Miranleil were also present.

    We decided to call out to the adventurers as well. The more witnesses, the more believable the evidence.

    But Fran ended up being so popr among the adventurers that the numbers just kept rising. We were probably close to 50 people now.

    Fran guided the scouting party in the direction Urushi pointed out.

    Soon after, Urushi gave the signal. The underground passage must be directly under us.

    I tried searching it out withnd magic, and indeed found a narrow passageway in the ground.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess? What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Something¡¯s wrong.¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong? How so?¡¹

    ¡¸The ground.¡¹

    ¡¸What? I don¡¯t feel anything¡­¡­ Wait a minute.¡¹

    The n was to say that we sensed something suspicious under the ground, and then to suggest that we search for any antidemons lurking there.

    However, Fran¡¯s god awful acting was bound to arouse suspicion. That¡¯s why I told her to only say that she felt something strange underground, and leave the adventurers and ouws to check it out on their own ord.

    If they don¡¯t find anything, then we can dig it up with ournd magic.

    Within a minute, Bryne spoke up. Apparently, this guy had excellent detection skills.

    To think he was as good at detection as he was at directbat¡­¡­ I can see why he earned the first seat of the Bloodfang Brigade!

    ¡¸There¡¯s definitely some weird space under us!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph? You saying that the antidemons came up with this trick on their own?¡¹

    ¡¸That I don¡¯t know, but we¡¯ll find out if we dig deeper.¡¹

    ¡¸Guess so.¡¹

    We had fifty people. Some boasted power, like Miranleil, and some were casters of earth magic. It was only a matter of time until we dug out the passage.

    It seems we¡¯ll be able to reach the underground passage much faster than expected.

 Chapter 880

    <h4>880: Searching the Tunnel</h4>

    ¡¸I found something!¡¹

    ¡¸Some kind of old ruin?¡¹

    Led by wielders of earth magic, including Fran and Bryne, the adventurers and ouws dug through the ground for about five minutes.

    And we easily found what we were looking for.

    We knew exactly what the passage was, but the others had no clue what was in store for them. They had to keep their guards up.

    All we could see was what looked like a brown brick wall. Like the adventurer muttered just now, they looked like part of an ancient ruin. We were the only ones who knew this was the outer wall of the underground passage.

    The passage was about five meters below ground level.

    When we checked the underground passage in the town, it was about ten meters deep, right? It seems to be ascending to the surface as it gets closer to the exit outside town.

    It would be unthinkable to destroy recently discovered ruins back on Earth, but this was another world. The men immediately began examining the walls, and even drilled a hole to check the interior.

    Light shines through, exposing the inside of the passage.

    ¡¸It is definitely man-made. Maybe an escape route for one of the city¡¯s bigwigs? Miranleil, have you ever heard anything like this?¡¹

    ¡¸As if someone like me could get my hands on that kind of info. What about the adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t know either.¡¹

    In the end, no one knew what this underground passage was. Some had heard rumors of such a thing, but they never thought it really existed.

    ¡¸Keh. So they¡¯ll be able to run for their lives if everyone else dies? Disgusting.¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that about what you¡¯d expect from those guys?¡¹

    At any rate, we have to lead them to Gazzol next. And for that, we need some way of getting them interested in the tunnel.

    I¡¯ll give Fran the instructions from here.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hey. Where does this lead?¡¹

    ¡¸Where? That¡¯s¡­¡­ well, I dunno.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t ask me. Considering the big organizations, it¡¯s gotta belong to either us, the Dragon King Syndicate, the Sanatorium, or the Adventurers Guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Then we¡¯ll check.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that really necessary? It¡¯s not a well-known escape route, right?¡¹

    Miranleil tilted her head at Fran¡¯s words. But after that, Bryne seemed to have realized something.

    ¡¸Wait. Do you think anyone still knows of this passage¡¯s existence?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean, if everyone¡¯s forgotten the passage¡¯s existence, the antidemons could use it as a way in.¡¹

    ¡¸But there¡¯s no dust, so it must have been cleaned, right? Isn¡¯t it still in use?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s possible there¡¯s some kind of magic going on to maintain it.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? I see.¡¹

    After listening to the conversation between Bryne and Miranleil, the others also grew curious about what was at the end of the tunnel. We decided to scout it out.

    ¡¸We need to find out where this leads, since it¡¯s definitely headed towards Sendia.¡¹

    ¡¸I agree. If it¡¯s a forgotten passageway, the antidemons could infiltrate it and enter without resistance.¡¹

    ¡¸We also need to keep an eye on the entrance, to prevent any antidemons from going in.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, why don¡¯t we start by looking for the entrance?¡¹

    Without any further prompting, Bryne took charge of the search. Now we just need to get them to discover Gazzol.

    We started by making a small group to enter the underground passage: Fran, Bryne, Miranleil, and three Rank C adventurers.

    With Urushi in the lead, we headed down the underground passage in the opposite direction from town. After about three minutes, we arrived at the entrance.

    Well, not exactly the entrance, but a dead end. There was no door, only arge amount of earth and sand blocking our way.

    The hole at the top was dug out by Urushi when he escaped from the passage. It had beenpletely blocked when he first got here.

    Whoever used this passage must need to cast earth magic to move the dirt out of the way every time they passed through the entrance.

    ¡¸What? It¡¯s buried? So I guess no one uses it?¡¹

    ¡¸No, the quality of the soil is obviously different. Wait a minute.¡¹

    Bryne began to dig up the soil with some kind of earth magic. He nodded again and again.

    ¡¸This is clearly soil that has been tampered with by earth magic. The earth here has been moved at least once in the past few years.¡¹

    ¡¸So you¡¯re saying someone with earth magic passed through here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡¹

    Bryne was a more capable man than I expected.

    After that, Fran and the others moved the dirt out of the way and asked the adventurers to keep an eye on the entrance.

    No one refused after being told that it might be a possible route for antidemons to enter the city. They also sent a few people to inform them of the location.

    Who did they inform? Adventurers, ouws, and the guards near the gate, of course. Now everyone knows about the existence of the passage.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, sure.¡¹

    Afterpleting the minor arrangement details, we finally set out for the back of the passageway. Fran and Bryne were in the lead with their keen senses, and Miranleil the talented archer held the rear.

    As we learned from our chats along the way, Bryne was from a badger-like species of beastman, the ¡°Earth Badgers¡±. That exined his detection ability and talent in earth magic.

    Fran also turned around to talk to Miranleil. She found it strange that Miranleil constantly wore a smile on her face. All they were doing was walking, so it didn¡¯t seem particrly interesting.

    ¡¸Hey. What¡¯s so fun?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh heh heh. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done exploring like this.¡¹

    She told us about how she, Gephe, and Gazzol used to be members of the same mercenary group operating on a different continent. However, they had to flee to Gordicia after their employers were defeated in battle and med them for the loss.

    ¡¸We only get to fight antidemons, the booze sucks, and there ain¡¯t any dungeons. This ce¡¯s just no fun.¡¹

    In other words, she weed this unusual event.

    We kept walking and finally arrived at the end of the tunnel, with a door matching the one leading to Gazzol¡¯s room in the hallucination Urushi had shown me.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t wait to see what we find!¡¹

    ¡¸I only hope this doesn¡¯t lead somewhere troublesome.¡¹

    No can do, Bryne. There¡¯s plenty of trouble waiting for us up ahead.

 Chapter 881

    <h4>881: Underground Facility</h4>

    The door wouldn¡¯t open no matter how hard we tried. Fran gave it a kick, but it still didn¡¯t budge.

    The actual door wasn¡¯t particrly sturdy, but the powerful ward covering it blocked all damage. Urushi probably avoided any issues because he could just teleport in with his Shadow Shift.

    Bryne and Miranleil tried a few hits of their own, but the door didn¡¯t seem to be opening any time soon.

    I¡¯m scared of the earth copsing on us if we use too much force underground¡­¡­

    Maybe we can teleport in and open it from the other side? I guess there are other options to try first.

    ¡ºFran. This seems like a good opportunity, so give Magic Disruption a shot.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran stepped forward, so Bryne and Miranleil gave her some room, watching Fran¡¯s attempt with interest.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t go full power all at once. Take it slow, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran concentrated, then activated her Magic Disruption. It¡¯s kinda like using your own mana to grab the target¡¯s mana, then forcibly shaking it.

    The ward blocked her mana at first. But eventually, the ward itself gradually started distorting, falling under the effect of her Magic Disruption.

    After a few minutes, the ward covering the door hadpletely disappeared. Actually, we¡¯d managed to drill a hole in the ward pretty easily, so that would have been enough. We only decided to finish the job for the sake of practice.

    I had thought the wards would automatically repair themselves even if someone punched a hole in them, but I guess that isn¡¯t the case.

    Once our Magic Disruption copsed the shape of the ward, it never returned to its original form, even after we deactivated our skills.

    There¡¯s still plenty we don¡¯t know. Maybe that¡¯s how all wards work, or maybe Magic Disruption has an additional effect for blocking repair. Perhaps there are even special wards that can repair themselves. All we can say for sure is that Magic Disruption was very effective on this ward in particr.

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    ¡¸I-It¡¯s open!¡¹

    ¡¸Great job.¡¹

    The door was also locked, but that was no hindrance to Fran. She simply pushed the door open with all her might, and the huge padlock flew off on its own.

    Inside was a small stone room, without a trace of dust or a speck of dirt. This level of cleanliness felt like overkill to me.

    A number of cages were lined up against the walls of the room.

    And we found the person we were looking for in one of those cages.

    ¡¸It¡¯s Gazzol!¡¹

    ¡¸Miranleil¡­¡­? It seems that ck thing kept its word.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you mumbling about? Did they hurt you so bad that you¡¯re imagining things?¡¹

    Miranleil nearly screamed when she saw Gazzol¡¯s condition. Gazzol was supposed to have high regenerative abilities, but his whole body was still covered with wounds. That proved just how harshly he had been tortured.

    She quickly tried to break open the cage, but not even a dragonkin¡¯s arm strength could destroy it.

    They must have prepared a durable cage to prevent captured dragonkin or beastmen from easily escaping.

    We could break the cage ourselves, but we decided instead to call on some scout and thief-ss adventurers for assistance.

    That way more people will know about this ce. Let¡¯s just make sure Gazzol¡¯s wounds are healed first.

    Fran used Greater Heal through the cage. That¡¯s when Gazzol finally noticed her.

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸We meet again.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Did you guys know each other?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I guess you could say that.¡¹

    Gazzol tried to assault her, and ended up defeated. Not that he could manage to say that out loud.

    ¡¸So? Who the hell locked you up in here?¡¹

    ¡¸Try not to be surprised, but¡­¡­¡¹

    Miranleil¡¯s face scrunched up as she saw Gazzol stammering. She must have realized from the way Gazzol acted that the culprit was someone with influence.

    ¡¸This is a facility in the basement of the Sanatorium and the one who captured me is Filuria, the Medical Director.¡¹

    ¡¸Haah? Come on, you serious?¡¹

    ¡¸It ispletely true. They tortured me this badly in their attempt to enve me.¡¹

    Everyone except Fran was shaken to the bone by Gazzol¡¯s words. They had a hard time believing him even after seeing his condition in person.

    But Miranleil was Gazzol¡¯s friend, and Bryne apparently had his suspicions for the organization in the first ce. It seems these two readily believed his story.

    ¡¸Her, eh¡­¡­? She wears a nice girl face all the time, but she must be a real bitch on the inside!¡¹

    ¡¸I guess any organization can turn corrupt if they continue long enough.¡¹

    After nodding in agreement with the two, Fran pointed to a door in the back.

    ¡¸I¡¯m gonna check up ahead. There might be other people trapped.¡¹

    The stunned adventurers managed to regain their footing after hearing Fran¡¯s words. They wanted to find out for themselves if this was really the Sanatorium by continuing onward.

    After waiting for the others to arrive, Fran busted open the door leading ahead.

    However, they soon came to a halt.

    All of them had their eyes transfixed on the strange scene inside the room.

    Fran was no exception. She looked around the room with her eyes widened.

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell is this¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸These are¡­¡­ people?¡¹

    The room contained five huge ss cylinders filled with a reddish liquid. Each cylinder had a number of ss tubes extending from the sides onto a shelf.

    On those shelves were lines of potion bottles. The contents of which were infused into the ss cylinder through the tubes, like an intravenous drip.

    The most bizarre thing, however, were the lifeforms inside the ss case. To our surprise, all but two of them contained human beings. They were grown men with their heads slightly tilted forward, as if drooping down.

    Three men floated in the liquid filled ss cases. That was strange enough, but it was even creepier how their faces were exactly the same.

    And we had seen that face before.

    ¡¸Numerae¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You know these men, ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He works for Filuria. But he should be dead.¡¹

    He got vaporized right in front of us. There¡¯s no way he could have survived that.

    ¡ºI can sense life-aspected mana¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    I appraised the men, but their names were disyed as ¡°None¡± and no race was shown. The description said that they were human-shaped lifeforms created from life-aspected mana and alchemy.

    So it¡¯s like a homunculus? Was the Numerae that died also a homunculus?

    The sight was so bizarre that we failed to keep an eye on our surroundings. The usual Fran would have realized the presence of a warding stone in the room, and I should have considered the possibility as well.

    Thud.

    With a dull thud, the door on the opposite side of the room opened.

 Chapter 882

    <h4>882: Battle in the Basement</h4>

    When the door to the basement opened, a dark-skinned man stood at the entrance. Due to the cement of warding stones, we failed to notice someone in the next room over.

    But his face was familiar. He had the same face as the men in this room¡¯s ss cylinders.

    ¡¸Numerae?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran called out to the man, but the doppelganger of Numerae did not respond. I appraised him, but the man¡¯s name was ¡°None¡± and his race was ¡°Human¡±. Was he somehow different from the ones in the cylinders? I don¡¯t get it.

    In addition, his skills weren¡¯t shown. It seems he did not have a single skill.

    Maybe he was some kind of clone of the dead Numerae?

    After the door closed again, Numerae started walking toward us.

    We judged him as an enemy and readied our weapons. But suddenly, the fake Numerae¡¯s magic power erupted as he took an unarmedbat stance.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯sing!¡¹

    Numerae moved much faster than expected, so much so that Fran didn¡¯t get the chance to strike back.

    Moreover, we had misjudged his abilities to be the same as the Numerae we met the other day, which dyed our response.

    Fine, I¡¯m busting out the magic!

    As soon as Fran blocked Numerae¡¯s fist with my de, I activated several thunder spells.

    All of them were aimed at Numerae, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Whoa?¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh!¡¹

    The electricity diverted away from my target, spreading off into the surrounding area.

    This must be a ward with the effect of deflecting mana-based attacks, simr to the warding stones. I saw one of the pendants on Numerae¡¯s chest shining.

    That pendant must be the magic tool deploying this ward.

    After being diverted by the ward, my thunder magic ended up hitting the other people here and paralyzing some of them.

    It¡¯s a good thing I used a spell intended to paralyze, so no one ended up seriously injured.

    After using some recovery magic to heal everyone¡¯s paralysis, I activated Magic Disruption. Meanwhile, Fran shed Numerae to prevent his interference.

    The de easily caught Numerae andnded a direct hit¨D¨Dor not?

    There¡¯s another ward.

    It seems he has wards for defending against both physical and magical attacks. Without any attempt to block, Numerae charged at us once again.

    He¡¯s certainly fast, but his movements were very predictable.

    That¡¯s a clear waste of his high physical abilities. His techniques also seemed very unrefined, maybe due tocking any skills forbat.

    Even without any skills, he had physical stats on par with Rank B adventurers. Combined with those wards, that made him a bit troublesome.

    Indeed a very unbnced opponent.

    He might be a fearsome enemy for the average adventurer, but he wasn¡¯t very tough from Fran¡¯s point of view.

    Fran may have less strength than Numerae, but she was way faster. Moreover, we had experience fighting this type of opponent before.

    Back in the Ulmutt Martial Arts Tournament, we fought against Siby, the leader of the Red Sword Knights. Her fighting style consisted ofunching an all-out assault while leaving her defenses to her resistance skills.

    Siby had immense power, a sharp intuition, and inexhaustible stamina. The longer the battle dragged on, the greater the advantage she would gain.

    Numerae had a simr style of fighting to her, but nowhere near as much power or any sense forbat.

    There was no way Fran would have trouble with someone like him.

    The only problem was the wards, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before they fall to my Magic Disruption skill.

    After about a minute of fending off Numerae¡¯s attacks, a gap appeared in the ward.

    Fran quickly recognized that gap with her mana detection, and delivered a precise strike to the exact point.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    Numerae¡¯s arm got sent flying off, but he continued swinging around his remaining fist with no change in expression. It seems he had no sense of pain.

    There¡¯s no chance of failure at this point. The ward kept weakening from Magic Disruption, and Numerae¡¯s movements got slower as he took on more injuries.

    In addition, this monstrous physical strength seemed to put a tremendous burden on the fake Numerae¡¯s body. His life force depleted rapidly, even without us doing anything.

    After only three minutes ofbat, our opponent was already on death¡¯s door.

    ¡¸It¡¯s over!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    In the end, he waspletely stripped of his wards and decapitated by Fran¡¯s swing.

    But Fran and I had no time to celebrate our victory. We sensed a surge of magical energying from the fake Numerae¡¯s chest.

    This had even more mana than thest time we saw Numerae self-destruct.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I quickly covered the fake Numerae with telekinesis and surrounded him with me Barrier, a spell made for blocking me magic.

    Meanwhile, Fran activatednd magic to separate the space between us and the fake Numerae, and also put up her barrier at maximum power.

    Immediately after, a huge explosion and shockwave shook the entire underground room. If we hadn¡¯t blocked it in time, some of the adventurers might have lost their lives.

    The explosion was just that powerful.

    Meanwhile, the st cracked the four walls of the room, as well as shattering all the ss cylinders. Could this be intended to destroy all evidence?

    The Numerae doppelgangers inside the ss didn¡¯t escape unharmed either. Some had their limbs torn off, and all of them were bleeding from the countless ss shards.

    But they remained motionless, as if they were nothing more than human-shaped dolls. Perhaps there was some step to infuse them with life, simr to a golem, before they could activate?

    In contrast to the devastation in the room, the door that the fake Numerae came in from was left unscathed. I bet there¡¯s another ward there.

    The culprit hadpletely sealed off the room before blowing it up. I can see how much they wanted us dead.

    Psshhh!

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s that sound¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Up there.¡¹

    Fran turned upwards to see a sprinkler-like device attached to the ceiling. Green smoke was billowing out of it.

    That¡¯s gotta be poison. I immediately covered the adventurers with my wind magic, but several of them were already coughing. They must have inhaled some of it.

    ¡ºFran, I¡¯ll grab all the poison with Poison Absorption, so you heal everyone with Antidote!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºJeez! One thing after the other!¡»

    This would be so much easier if we could just escape on our own.

 Chapter 883

    <h4>883: Miranleil''s Trump Card</h4>

    Even as we continued absorbing the poison and healing everyone, the sprinklers just kept going.

    It seems they really want us dead. We managed to keep everyone safe by wrapping them in a wind barrier, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Tch. Now they¡¯reing from the walls!¡¹

    Just as Miranleil said, small holes had opened on the wall, with purple mist beginning to spew out.

    I made my wind barrier even thicker in response, but we couldn¡¯t stay like this forever. While I was trying to brainstorm a way out, Miranleil shouted in frustration before I could do anything.

    ¡¸All these disgusting tricks, damn you¡­¡­!¡¹

    She sounded incredibly irritated. Her friend Gazzol got tortured, and now the culprit was targeting her with poison. After experiencing these two incidents back to back, Miranleil could no longer control her anger.

    ¡¸Calm down.¡¹

    ¡¸How can I be calm with all this shit!?¡¹

    Fran called out to Miranleil. If she left the wind barrier, she would just fall victim to the poison.

    But it seems that was not enough to quell her frustrations.

    Miranleil was a dragonkin, although one that looked simr to a human. Still, it was a bit hard for me to read her facial expressions.

    That¡¯s why I misjudged the extent of her anger.

    It turns out she was actually so pissed that was she incapable of proper thought. Well, I guess she was already the type of person who tended to avoid thinking before acting¡­¡­

    Miranleil grinned back at Fran as she took up her bow. Then, she shouted in a tone reminiscent of blind fury.

    ¡¸We can just blow open that door and get outta here, yeah? I¡¯ll take care of it!¡¹

    ¡ºNo! That¡¯s¡­¡­!¡»

    I felt an enormous amount of mana emanating from her arrow. It seems to be specially made.

    ¡¸Roaring Dragon Arrow!¡¹

    As soon as she pulled back the string, the arrow became enveloped in a pale blue me. I only needed one look at the arrow¡¯s mana to tell how much power it contained.

    This must be Miranleil¡¯s strongest move.

    And if she unleashes such a destructive energy in a small room like this¡­¡­

    ¡ºFran! Barriers now!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Miranleil shot her arrow before Fran could respond to my shout.

    BOOOOOOOOOM!

    Dogsinger? More like Dragon¡¯s Roar. The sonic boom left a constant ringing in our ears.

    I quickly morphed my wind barrier into a spearhead shape.

    If I hadn¡¯t done that, it probably would¡¯ve gotten shattered by the shockwaves.

    The arrow struck the door as soon as I made the change.

    As the deafening collision shook the room, the pale blue mes covered our entire field of view.

    ¡ºShe went way too far!¡»

    ¡¸Mnh!¡¹

    We had to put all our effort into maintaining our barriers to not to get blown away by the st.

    If Fran and I hadn¡¯t protected everyone, we could have been seriously wiped out. It was that powerful.

    She made Numerae¡¯s self-destruction look like a cheap magic trick.

    The ss fragments scattered around the floor already melted, with the walls and floor beginning to melt as well. It was as if someone had covered the room inva magic.

    I should pat myself on the back for immediately recognizing Miranleil¡¯s arrow as a fire-attributed attack. We might have been screwed without my me Barrier.

    ¡¸What the hell, Dogsinger¡­¡­? You didn¡¯t need to go that far.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, uh? S-Sorry.¡¹

    After one nce at the mess around us, Miranleil realized her mistake. She apologized while scratching her head.

    That behavior made me doubt how sorry she actually was, but Bryne and the others didn¡¯t seem that angry.

    Maybe they didn¡¯t really understand the gravity of the situation since Fran and I prevented any casualties. Besides, it¡¯s true that she managed to break through the door.

    That¡¯s kinda a problem. The door should¡¯ve been protected by a ward, but there was now gaping hole in it. The hole was circr andrge enough for a person to slip through.

    Her arrow must have punched a hole in the ward before eating away the door itself.

    Now we can escape. But then¡­¡­

    nk¡­¡­ Whir¡­¡­

    I heard a metallic sound as if some device had been activated. Followed by a dull heavy sound, as if something was moving slowly.

    The sound came from above our heads.

    After a few seconds, a cracking could be heard mixed in with the whirring sound. As we continued staring up at the ceiling, we saw the cracks beginning to form.

    It¡¯s clearly about to copse. I thought this was Miranleil¡¯s fault at first, but it makes more sense if it was designed that way. The metallic noises we heard earlier were probably the activation of some device to drop the ceiling on us.

    ¡ºFran, this is bad! It¡¯s copsing!¡»

    ¡¸Guys! Come to me! Hurry!¡¹

    ¡¸S-Sure!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not liking the sound of this!¡¹

    Fran put up a barrier and I used mynd magic, attempting to create a hole in the ceiling before it copsed on us.

    But I didn¡¯t manage it in time.

    The ceiling had already started falling by the time I activated my spell. All I could do now was desperately divert the avnche of earth away from Fran and the others.

    In the end, we managed to avoid getting buried alive, but we could not prevent the copse.

    After everything was over, we looked up at a sky covered in light clouds.

    The people on the surface must have seen the ground suddenly caved in to form a huge hole.

    That¡¯s when I remembered the poison gas, but I couldn¡¯t see any smoke anymore. Miranleil¡¯s arrow must have incinerated all the poison too.

    ¡ºWell¡­¡­ At least we managed to prove that the underground room was in Sanatorium territory¡­¡­¡»

    Before us was a tall tower, stretching far into the cloudy sky.

 Chapter 884

    <h4>884: Filuria''s Next Move</h4>

    Some kind of device had triggered, copsing the ceiling of the underground room on us.

    It¡¯s a good thing we¡¯re experts innd magic, because that could have easily buried us alive.

    After the deafening crash and gaping hole right next to the tower, we¡¯ve certainly attracted tons of attention.

    Crowds of people, from both inside and outside the tower, started gathering around the edge of the pit.

    Among them was Filuria.

    Both Fran and Miranleil gave Filuria piercing stares. Her misdeeds were about to be exposed to the light of day, but she still maintained her archaic smile.

    She looked down on us as if she had nothing to worry about. No wait, it seems her cheek was twitching a little.

    I guess she¡¯s suppressing her inner anger. The only reason she wasn¡¯t screaming right now was because she still had some kind of trick up her sleeve.

    And that trick soon became apparent.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve finally revealed your true colors!¡¹

    Filuria eximed, loud enough for the onlookers to hear.

    ¡¸I heard the rumors about a group of dragonkin betraying the Dragon King Syndicate and joining forces with a beastman assassin! I didn¡¯t want to doubt a fellow resident of this city, but¡­¡­ But it seems all of it was true!¡¹

    Filuria then pointed at Fran and her party.

    What a turn of events! Instead of attempting to hide her crimes, she decided to just make Fran the viin instead. In actuality, this wasn¡¯t a bad idea. No one would be able to prove the existence of the underground research facility after such devastation.

    Everything was buried under rubble now. Also, we would only find bits of charred wreckage remaining if I stuffed all of that in my storage.

    Well, even if Numerae¡¯s body remained intact, Filuria could simply use Fran of murdering him.

    And assuming we brought Gazzol in to testify against her, his words didn¡¯t have the power to overturn Filuria¡¯s.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this fucking nonsense! We know that you captured our Gazzol and tried to enve him!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the ones that need to stop talking nonsense. Me enving someone? I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you fucking y dumb with me! You can pretend to be clean all you like, but we know what you¡¯re scheming the scenes!¡¹

    Miranleil continued howling at Filuria, while Fran remained silent. I thought she¡¯d want to get a word in too, but apparently Fran preferred to let Miranleil take the role. Her friend had almost been enved, after all.

    Miranleil made a grand list of Filuria¡¯s wrongdoings, but the everyone in the crowd gave her cold looks. They must think of her as a criminal making the usual excuses. Some even started giving us stares of hostility.

    The guards will be here soon. If we allowed ourselves to be captured, they¡¯d just make us disappear in prison. If we ran instead, they¡¯d ce a bounty on our heads.

    We¡¯d better do something about this now.

    ¡¸That ck cat¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no doubt¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸She really is an assassin¨D¨D¡¹

    Many of them remembered Fran after her run-in with Filuria in the tower. They whispered to each other while looking at her.

    But what can we do? We don¡¯t even know if Gazzol¡¯s safe either¡­¡­

    Run, fight, or argue. Those seemed like our only options.

    But then someone else appeared on the scene.

    ¡¸Please wait! These people are not traitors or assassins!¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯mte, sorry.¡¹

    This was a hugemotion, so of course Sophie would notice ande running. However, Filuria¡¯s expression seemed to be one of shock when she saw the arrival of Sophie and Nelsh.

    She soon regained herposure, but the saintess¡¯ appearance must have been unexpected. Filuria spoke to them in a slightly hoarse voice.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama, this ce is dangerous. I believe I told you not to leave the warded room?¡¹

    ¡¸Told me not to leave? After you trapped me inside?¡¹

    ¡¸W-What are you talking about?! I would never do such a thing.¡¹

    It seems like Filuria locked up Sophie to prevent her from getting in the way. Then, Sophie somehow escaped from her confinement, which exins why Filuria was so upset.

    ¡¸Filuria, you¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaaaaaa!¡¹

    Sophie must have been about to question Filuria, but a high-pitched female scream interrupted her words.

    She looked over to see a woman lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. Beside her was a dragonkin carrying a sword stained red with blood.

    I had sensed several people rushing over to us, but I thought they were just the security guards.

    But this dragonkin was obviously no guard. Moreover, this was not the end. The beastman standing next to the dragonkin started indiscriminately attacking the people around him as well.

    Filuria shouted as she watched these events.

    ¡¸I see you criminals havee to save your friends! Like I thought, that ck cat must be an assassin!¡¹

    Filuria immediately moved in to subdue the dragonkin and beastman thugs. However, it looked to me as if they suddenly stopped moving by themselves.

    The thugs had ve cors around their necks, and did not utter a single word. Filuria clearly orchestrated the whole thing.

    So she¡¯s making use of her illegal ves to drive us further into a corner. However, the ordinary citizens seemed to believe that Filuria was doing a spectacr job.

    All of them viewed the Medical Director with the utmost respect. This is looking pretty bad for us.

    ¡¸Fran is my friend!¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you trick Saintess-sama! Devious cowards!¡¹

    ¡¸She didn¡¯t trick me!¡¹

    ¡¸No, you have been tricked! I know it hurts to hear, but this ck cat has been using you all along!¡¹

    Says the person who was actually manipting her! However, the tide was turning in Filuria¡¯s favor. The crowd clearly believed her over us.

    ¡¸We will now restrain them and rescue the saintess! Everyone, lend us a hand!¡¹

    Many people responded to Filuria¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Save the saintess!¡¹

    ¡¸Capture the ouws!¡¹

    The crowd rushed toward us with a variety of shouts.

    There were some former adventurers among them, but most were ordinary people. And yet, all were extremely motivated.

    Everyone jumping down into the hole had determination in their expressions. Many ended up tripping, but their fighting spirit remained.

    Each fully believed they needed to help Sophie.

    ¡ºThat damn Filuria! She¡¯s sending the civilians instead of the guards!¡»

 Chapter 885

    <h4>885: Filuria''s Composure</h4>

    ¡ºThat damn Filuria! She¡¯s sending the civilians instead of the guards!¡»

    After Filuria incited the patients in the vicinity, they all started screaming at us.

    However, they seemed strangely quick to jump into the fight.

    Was Filuria simply that well respected? Maybe she had some sort of incitement skill? If so, I didn¡¯t sense any manaing from her¡­¡­

    Either way, this was one of the nastiest tricks in the book. She wouldn¡¯t have to dirty her own hands at all.

    She could use these civilians as human shields while inciting them to harass us. If we fought back against them, everyone would view us asplete viins. We would lose all credibility with the other factions in town, and Sophie wouldn¡¯t be happy about it either.

    Filuria included all of that in her calctions.

    She must have considered the possibility that Fran would go for her directly, so I guess she had the utmost confidence in Seliadot¡¯s protection wards.

    Rather, Filuria may have wanted us to strike her to further prove her point. I could see on her face that she thought she was going to win no matter what we did.

    As Filuria stared down at us with a look ofpleteposure, Fran¡¯s frustration meter kept rising. She could only re back with grit teeth.

    £¨Master, I¡¯m going to cut her down.£©

    ¡ºAlright, I can fix her up as long as she doesn¡¯t die immediately! Give her hell for me.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºBut first, we need to take care of the civilians.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    If we give the civilians to the clumsy Miranleil, I could only see serious injury or death in their future.

    These guys may be trying to attack us, but they were still innocents being manipted by Filuria. I didn¡¯t want to hurt them if possible.

    Not just because of my conscience, but also out of concern for Sophie. She certainly didn¡¯t want to see the civilians hurt, so this would reduce the chances of damaging her friendship with Fran.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    Fran activated her Intimidation skill, with precise control to leave our allies unaffected. The ordinary civilians were rendered immobile, or at least they should have been¡­¡­

    I guess you could say it worked?

    It seems we weakened the effect a bit too much. The ones that seemed to be retired adventurers were still able to move, though the majority of the patients could only cower in fear.

    We¡¯ll just leave those ex-adventurers to Miranleil and Bryne.

    £¨Now for her!£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    After seeing how we disabled the assants in an instant, Filuria scowled. If you thought that was enough to stop us, you¡¯ve underestimated Fran way too much!

    Filuria didn¡¯t react after taking the full brunt of Fran¡¯s killing intent. Since she¡¯s not a front-line fighter, it seems she had quite the mental resistance.

    No wait, the intimidation we used earlier also didn¡¯t seem to affect her, so she might be blocking those kinds of effects with a ward. Whatever wards she¡¯s carrying must be incredibly high quality.

    I can see why she was so confident now.

    However, I have to say Filuria misjudged both Fran¡¯s ability and the extent of her rage. In the face of an enemy with ties to illegal vers, Fran had long since reached the limits of her temper.

    Since we need Filuria for clues to the rest of the trafficking ring, we can¡¯t kill her. There is, however, no problem if we capture her half-dead.

    I don¡¯t know if Filuria realized Fran¡¯s rage or not, but she started talking down to us with a rxed tone.

    ¡¸You have just hurt innocent civilians! I won¡¯t let you get away with this!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No defense?¡¹

    Fran had already given up on talking back to Filuria. Everythinging out of her mouth was filled with lies and hypocrisy, so there wasn¡¯t much point in arguing. But Filuria, seeing Fran¡¯sck of response, interpreted that as her victory.

    She now wore a look of triumph. Fran¡¯s hatred red even higher, and she held me with great force. Seeing that face really pissed me off too.

    We¡¯ll probably get chased out of the city after taking Filuria down, but it¡¯s toote to worry about that now.

    £¨Let¡¯s go!£©

    ¡ºYeah! Teleporting!¡»

    After teleportation, Fran shed at Filuria from behind. We did thispletely silently, but ended up repelled by a ward.

    ¡¸Ahh!¡¹

    Filuria screamed as the sword suddenly mmed into her from behind. As I thought, she had no realbat experience, so she could not respond to our strike.

    She turned around with a pale face, which soon broke into a wicked smile.

    ¡¸Ah¡­ Ahaha! Y-You certainly surprised me there, but I have Seliadot¡¯s wards! Y-You¡¯re only wasting your own time and effort!¡¹

    That was a pretty serious sh, with plenty of mana imbued into my de¡­¡­ I think it would have even cut through the ward on the underground facility door.

    The ward protecting Filuria¡¯s body must be specially made superior version. We should have used Awakening first.

    Well, no matter how strong it was, it¡¯ll be powerless in front of my Magic Disruption skill!

    ¡ºFran, I¡¯m going to use Magic Disruption seriously now.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    This time, I used Magic Disruption at full power. The reason we¡¯ve been taking it slowly with weaker Magic Disruption was because it affected us too. Since the skill distorted many of our senses, that made it difficult to use in the middle ofbat.

    But right now, time was of the essence.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why are you just staring at me?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Laugh while you still can.¡¹

    Filuria looked suspiciously at Fran, who remained motionless with her sword at the ready. It seems Filuria was unaware of the growing hole in the ward protecting her body.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸No matter how many times you try, it¡¯spletely usele¨D¨DGYAAAAH!¡¹

    How¡¯s this for useless!

    ¡¸M-My arm! MY AAAARM!!!¡¹

    Filuria let loose a pathetic scream while clutching the wound on her right arm, which was missing from the elbow down.

 Chapter 886

    <h4>886: Filuria''s Interrogation</h4>

    Filuria grunted, cursing Fran as she clutched the wound on her right arm.

    ¡¸Y-You! You just attacked me! H-How foolish can you be? Don¡¯t think you can stay in this city after this!¡¹

    ¡¸So?¡¹

    ¡¸W-What?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t care.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    After hearing Fran¡¯s answer, Filuria was stunned. She seemed to be inplete disbelief.

    To Filuria, who had always lived in the closed world of this illegal city, being chased out of the city must have been the worst oue she could imagine.

    It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she thought it to be equivalent to death.

    Therefore, she must have thought Fran would panic after hearing her words. She didn¡¯t expect her threats to be so easily dismissed.

    To think she wasn¡¯t prepared for any injuries to herself after provoking the civilians to attack us¡­¡­

    Fran looked a little stunned too. We hadn¡¯t seen such a coward in a while.

    She simply gave a light sigh before stopping Filuria¡¯s bleeding with a spell. Thus began Fran¡¯s interrogation.

    ¡¸Are you connected to ck market vers?¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up! My arm¨D¨DGyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸You shut up. Just answer my questions.¡¹

    ¡¸Aahhhh! Why¡­¡­!¡¹

    Filuria, who had now lost her left arm in addition to her right, let out a gasp of despair. Her eyes staring up at Fran were filled withplete terror.

    She finally realized the ck cat adventurer in front of her was no ordinary girl.

    ¡¸Are you connected to ck market vers?¡¹

    ¡¸N-No! Of course no¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºLies.¡»

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyiahhh! I-I answered you! I answered you!¡¹

    ¡¸You lied. Tell the truth.¡¹

    Filuria stared at her left leg, which Fran had stabbed me into, with a look of astonishment on her face. With this, she fully understood that Fran could see through all her lies.

    ¡¸Why¡­¡­ Why are¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyraah!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t stall. Just tell me the truth.¡¹

    ¡¸Urgh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And nothing else. Greater Heal.¡¹

    ¡¸Aah¡­¡­!¡¹

    Filuria¡¯s face filled with more despair at the sight of her severed right arm being reconnected. It was obvious what would happen if she continued disobeying Fran.

    ¡ºWe don¡¯t know when Seliadot will being back, so we need to finish the interrogation quickly.¡»

    Bryne and the others already had the civilians under control. We could ignore everyone else, but we still needed to worry about Seliadot.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    Fran nced at the tower.

    ¡ºDid you sense any sign of Seliadot?¡»

    £¨Dunno.£©

    ¡ºHmm. Well, the tower seems to have a lot of surveince wards, so maybe you sensed those.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    It¡¯s still incredibly difficult for us to sense Seliadot, so we had to hurry either way.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s make it easier for her to talk.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Pain Boost.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Fran used the life magic, Pain Boost. This spell amplifies the amount of pain the subject suffers.

    It must be a spell affecting the body¡¯s nerves. Unfortunately, the most powerful people in this world have skills to reduce or nullify pain, so this spell could only be used against small fry. For Filuria though, this was perfect.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    Filuria gave us the biggest scream of the day just from a light thrust. Her pain must have been amplified several times over.

    She was practically hyperventting, with a river of tears and saliva flowing down her face.

    ¡¸Life¡­¡­ magic¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Filuria muttered something, staring up at Fran with a strange look in her eyes. Her gaze felt kinda disgusting somehow.

    The look she gave Fran seemed like the same way a ver looks at their merchandise. I detected life-aspected mana in the underground facility, so maybe Filuria¡¯s research was rted to life magic.

    But soon afterwards, her eyes had nothing but fear.

    Fran trampled Filuria¡¯s wounds with her foot, causing her great pain. Filuria cried out and begged for forgiveness.

    ¡¸N-No more¡­¡­ Please stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Then tell me everything you know about the illegal vers.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I know, I know¡­¡­¡­! I will!¡¹

    From there, the interrogation went as smooth as usual.

    Filuria answered all our questions, and we obtained very interesting information as a result.

    First, the identities of all the Sanatorium members involved in ve trafficking. Surprisingly, there were only a few: Filuria and some guards under hermand.

    Seliadot wasn¡¯t involved either. It seems that those underground wards were set up as a countermeasure against antidemon invasion.

    Also, they weren¡¯t actually a part of the ve trafficking ring. They were merely one of its clients.

    She said they required illegal ves as guinea pigs for her experiments. She first checked whether or not the ves they captured could be used for her research. If useful, they would be sacrificed in the name of science. If not, she simply sold them off.

    Apparently, she had regr contact with a ve trafficking ring, her partner in conducting ve transactions. However, she wasn¡¯t privy to all the details about the traffickers, so tracking them down might be a bit of a pain.

    ¡¸What research?¡¹

    ¡¸E-Experiments on life magic.¡¹

    ¡¸About what?¡¹

    ¡¸E-Eternal life!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸To live forever young! To do that, I need the power of life magic!¡¹

 Chapter 887

    <h4>887: Filuria</h4>

    ¡ºLive forever¡­¡­?¡»

    I expected her to say something about giving herself eternal youth. But after listening to the details of the experiment, it was slightly different.

    Filuria¡¯s research was actually about creating a new body with life magic, and transferring a consciousness into it.

    She wanted to live forever by constantly transferring herself into a new body.

    ¡ºS-So something like M*mo¡­¡­?¡»

    £¨Ma*o?£©1

    ¡ºUhh, just a fictional character. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡»

    Filuria apparently nned to use her Unique Skill ¡°Mental Attunement¡±, to transfer her consciousness.

    The skill can be used to interfere with another person¡¯s mind, and if the target is in a state of mental exhaustion, she can even take over their body for a short period of time.

    However, it was impossible for her to take over someone¡¯s body for an extended duration, because such a prolonged synchronization would cause damage to both their brains.

    She could perform an extended attunement with golems, but Filuria¡¯s mind wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the differences between human and golem bodies. The same went for undead bodies reanimated by necromancy.

    That¡¯s why Filuria spent a long time searching for a body simr enough to a human, without a mind or soul to get in the way. She eventually arrived at the creation of such a body through life magic¨D¨Dsomething simr to cloning technology on Earth.

    And for this body duplication technology, she required life-attribute mana, bodies with high affinity for life-magic, and expensive potions. Illegal ves turned out to be the best way for getting those.

    She weed Sophie not just because of her healing ability, but because she had the potential for life magic affinity. That¡¯s why she wanted to get her hands on Sophie so much.

    However, it turned out that Sophie¡¯s healing abilities were purely the result of her magic songs. She had no talent for life magic.

    ¡¸I had seeded in duplicating a person¡¯s bodypletely from their flesh and blood¡­¡­¡¹

    Numerae was probably the result of her experiments. It seems Filuria had been controlling him with her Mental Attunement.

    ¡¸All I needed next was enough life-attribute mana to replicate my own body¡­¡­! Then, I could live forever as the reigning saintess of this city!¡¹

    ¡¸You caused so much suffering just for that?¡¹

    ¡¸Just for that¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I feel sorry for those who died.¡¹

    Filuria noticed Fran¡¯s furious gaze, but it seems her own anger won out over her fear. With a look of madness on her face, she let out a screech.

    ¡¸Chosen ones such as myself deserve to live forever! Those vermin should consider themselves lucky to be sacrificed as my foundation! Otherwise, they¡¯ll simply live and die as worthless scum! After I attain eternal life and be the permanent ruler of the city, even more will happy in the end!¡¹

    She¡¯s beyond egotistical, that¡¯s just in insanity! Does she think of herself as some kind of god? After hearing this, Fran was unable to control her killing intent. Still, Filuria continued her maniacal rant.

    ¡¸Why am I not called a saintess in the first ce? My family background, appearance, and abilities, all point to me as the one who deserves to be the saintess! And yet¡­¡­ this ignorant girl from nowhere gets the title!¡¹

    Filuria bit her lips harshly, causing her own blood to drip downwards. Her vindictive curses did not end, as she continued to mumble and mutter.

    After seeing her like this, I no longer had any doubts about her insanity.

    Did we cause this by putting her through too much pain?

    No, I have to say Filuria was probably insane from the beginning. She mentioned how her mind couldn¡¯t handle the experiments on transferring her consciousness to golems and undead.

    Transferring one¡¯s consciousness to another body is a very dangerous thing to do. I know that very well due to how I attained this sword body. If the gods didn¡¯t take various measures to protect my sanity, I would¡¯ve easily gone crazy too.

    Perhaps Filuria went insane as a result of those experiments? The only reason she could hold on to her appearances so long was because her ns were going smoothly. Now that we¡¯ve torn off her mask, she could no longer pretend to be sane.

    ¡¸Ahhhh¡­¡­! With your abilities in life magic, my research will beplete!¡¹

    Filuria kept ranting about her experiments with life magic, but something didn¡¯t make sense.

    Now that I¡¯ve erased Filuria¡¯s ward with Magic Disruption, I was able to appraise her. However, I didn¡¯t see Life Magic among Filuria¡¯s skills.

    She had low levels in her Alchemy and Drug Making skills too, so the only high level skills she had were Recovery Magic and Medicine.

    Would it really be possible for Filuria to perform all those experiments alone? She must have had help. After questioning her about our suspicions, we found out she used to have an assistant.

    It seems this assistant¡¯s contract had already expired so they were no longer on the continent. However, the two remained in contact with each other.

    And this assistant was the one who sent the letter informing Filuria that the Holy Nation of Srd had interest in the saintess.

    Filuria didn¡¯t know the details, but it seems her former assistant currently worked in Srd.

    That¡¯s how Filuria ended up having several exchanges with the Divine Sword Knight, and promised to deliver Sophie to Srd.

    I see how it is now.

    Ostensibly, the Divine Sword Knight woulde to recruit the saintess to his country. But behind the scenes, Filuria had already promised to hand her over to the Holy Nation.

    That¡¯s when a faction of holy knights hastily intervened in an attempt to take credit for themselves, causing themotion earlier.

    Sophie was stunned. She never thought that Filuria would just sell her off like that.

    Perhaps out of concern for Sophie¡¯s feelings, Fran decided to change the subject and ask another question.

    ¡¸Why were you inciting the war?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t have enough ves for our experiments¡­¡­!¡¹

    So her reason for the war between gangs was to obtain more illegal ves.

    After the ouws crushed each other, she would heal everyone out of the good in her heart. Then, she could find any with talent in life magic and mark them as dead, secretly enving them.

    Filuria was not particrly concerned about the reduction of the city¡¯s forces against the antidemons.

    ¡¸What does it matter if we have less living garbage? The adventurers and guards can protect us.¡¹

    Filuria had little battlefield experience, so she did not really understand the threat of antidemons.

    It seems she did raise her level against antidemons, but that was all power leveling with the help of her guards. Filuria truly thought the antidemons were simply all fodder enemies.

    She had zero sense of urgency.

    ¡¸Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter if this city falls. As long as I have the Life Orb and my experimental materials, I can resume my research somewhere else. No problem.¡¹

    ¡¸A lot of people will die.¡¹

    ¡¸So what? If they aren¡¯t useful to me, then they should die for all I care!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Just shut up.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! All of you filth are worth less than trash!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up!¡¹

    Trantion Notes

    Character from Lupin III ?

 Chapter 888

    <h4>888: Warder Dealer Appears</h4>

    ¡¸Aaah! If I can use your life, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to squeeze out some wonderful mana. Kuheehee¡­¡­ Kuheeheehee!¡¹

    Filuria¡¯s lustful eyes locked onto Fran.

    Fran frowned and responded by raising me above her head. She had run out of patience.

    Yet Filuria¡¯s crazedughter continued without end. Even more irritated, Fran gave her onest stare before swinging me down.

    However her sh came to halt, blocked in mid-air. A powerful ward had been ced in my path.

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you kill her. This is where it ends.¡¹

    ¡¸Seliadot¡­¡­!¡¹

    Atst, the appearance of the person we least wanted to see. I don¡¯t know why she was sote, but thisplicates things significantly.

    Fran jumped backwards to keep her distance. Seeing that, Seliadot casually walked forward to block the path between us and Filuria.

    ¡ºUrushi¡­ If pushes to shove, we¡¯ll have to take her down with everything we¡¯ve got!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Our opponent was one Rank A adventurer. We couldn¡¯t afford to be stingy if we get into a fight.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve certainly done a number on my ward. Rather than physical destruction, this was caused by a skill manipting mana, no?¡¹

    Seliadot realized our trick at first nce. However, there was something strange. I couldn¡¯t detect any killing intent or hatreding from her, so it appeared as if she wasn¡¯t here to fight.

    She continued standing in front of Filuria to protect her, but she did not go on the offensive.

    With the nickname of ¡°Ward Dealer¡±, maybe she was a strictly defense-oriented fighter?

    Even so, it seemed like she had no intention of fighting defensively either.

    Seliadot nced at both Fran and Sophie. Even after seeing Sophie on our side, she didn¡¯t seem surprised in the slightest.

    As if she had expected this turn of events from the very beginning.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll have to treat her injuries now, so how about a deal? If you leave immediately, I swear I will not pursue you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯ll let us get away?¡¹

    Sophie, who had been in a state ofplete shock, finally recovered. After seeing Fran¡¯s rather extreme interrogation and Filuria¡¯s dark secrets, that reaction was very understandable.

    She still looked a bit pale, but she stoutly replied to Seliadot.

    ¡¸You¡¯re only saying that because you don¡¯t know what Filuria is really like. You should¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸None of that matters. We have a contract.¡¹

    So she¡¯ll abide by the contract no matter how much of a scumbag her employer is. The loli gave us a thin smile and showed no signs of backing down.

    ¡¸And don¡¯t you think the coteral damage would be immense if we were to fight here?¡¹

    Certainly, the Sanatorium would be left in tatters if Fran and Seliadot shed right in front of it. Not many Sanatorium employees actually knew of Filuria¡¯s secrets, so I¡¯d want to keep the important facility for the battle against antidemons.

    It seems Seliadot didn¡¯t want any coteral damage either. This wasn¡¯t just a threat, she was truly worried about damaging the treatment center.

    But Filuria, at Seliadot¡¯s feet, screeched angrily.

    ¡¸You can¡¯t let them get away! What nonsense is that?! Seize her now! Seize the ck cat girl!¡¹

    After all that torture, she still hasn¡¯t lost her nerve!

    But Seliadot simply refused Filuria¡¯s order in ax tone.

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s impossible, Medical Director-dono. Those two are quite capable, so I can only imagine how much devastation they would cause if we had to fight. I can¡¯t say for sure that I will be able to protect you.¡¹

    ¡¸Urgh¡­¡­!¡¹

    Filuria gasped at Seliadot¡¯s threatening words. Then, she turned to look at her missing leg.

    The pain of the severed limb returned, and the blood drained rapidly from her face. She must have remembered the fear of being tortured again.

    ¡¸But, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you worry. Let me handle this and keep quiet for a moment, I¡¯ll ensure your safety. So? What do you say?¡¹

    What should we do?

    We didn¡¯t know the extent of Seliadot¡¯s abilities, but we had the advantage in numbers. If Sophie and Urushi worked together to stall Seliadot, maybe Fran could capture Filuria in the meanwhile?

    While I was thinking about this, Sophie turned to Fran. Then, she said something unexpected.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s retreat for now.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? But we still have the advantage.¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe so. But please¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie stared at Fran pleadingly. It seems she had some sort of n. Fran nodded her head in agreement.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay.¡¹

    She decided to trust Sophie.

    ¡ºFran, are you sure?¡»

    Although Sophie wasn¡¯t an illegal ve trafficker, she was still connected to one. I¡¯m sure many of Filuria¡¯s victims were ck cats too.

    Fran wanted nothing more than to take revenge on Filuria, yet she still decided to follow Sophie¡¯s lead.

    £¨Yeah.£©

    ¡ºThen let¡¯s scram.¡»

    I sensed some people running towards us, and they were almost certainly the security guards. Things will get even more annoying if they catch up with us.

    ¡ºTime to go fast!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I used mynd magic to raise the floor of the copsed ground. The civilians incited by Filuria had already been restrained and gathered up in one ce, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about them anymore.

    Well, even if they could move, I doubt any of them would follow us. They heard everythinging out of Filuria¡¯s mouth too.

    After learning her dark secrets, there¡¯s no way they could continue obeying her.

    However, it¡¯s also true that they didn¡¯t have much trust in Fran either. If Filuria said ¡°Everything was false. I only spoke to stop the torture¡±, then maybe some of them would believe her.

    It¡¯s really damn annoying when the viins have all the credibility.

    ¡ºYou sure you don¡¯t wanna just take her down here?¡»

    £¨I¡¯ll trust Sophie.£©

    Fran was really determined. I guess we have no choice.

    ¡ºNow I¡¯ll transform the ground to build a bridge, and we can make our escape!¡»

    As expected, they couldn¡¯t cover the entire perimeter of the tower with wards. The earth controlled by my spell turned into an archway climbing over the walls surrounding the tower.

    I nced backwards, but Seliadot showed no sign of movement. It seems she really doesn¡¯t intend to chase us.

    The Ward Dealer and the Saintess exchanged a quick nce. Then, Seliadot put on a profound smile.

    ¡¸Sophie?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell youter. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

 Chapter 889

    <h4>889: Seliadot''s Goal?</h4>

    After escaping the tower, we headed towards the Adventurers Guild.

    Bryne had suggested that we should exin the situation to the various organizations.

    If things continued like this, the chaos from the events at the Sanatorium would spread to the rest of the city. That could cause the town¡¯s defenses to fall apart if left unchecked.

    Sophie and Fran were put in charge of informing the Adventurers Guild.

    That was because many adventurers loved the saintess, and Fran¡¯s alias mighte in handy too. They seemed to be the perfect pair for stopping the spread of confusion at the Adventurers Guild.

    The only problem would be Prear. I have no idea what that old man is after, which is a cause for concern.

    There can be no further doubt that Filuria conducted inhumane experiments and attempted to sow discord throughout the city. After exining the situation to him, I would expect him to cut all ties with the Sanatorium.

    But adventurers need to consider the reality of the situation. They still needed the Sanatorium¡¯s support in preparation for the looming antidemon hordes.

    After escaping the Sanatorium, we had about half of our original members. Miranleil and Bryne already split off to report to their own organizations.

    The only ones left with us were the adventurers, Nelsh, and one member each from the beastmen and dragonkin.

    Along the way, Fran and Sophie exined what happened while they were apart. Fran went first.

    ¡¸So you followed the tunnel you found into the Sanatorium basement?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran then told Sophie about how she found evidence of Filuria¡¯s misdeeds in the underground room after she fended off the antidemon attack.

    ¡¸So she captured someone from the Dragon King Syndicate and tried to enve him. Also suspicious ss cases with people inside¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸All of them had life-aspected mana.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the experiment Filuria was talking about, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Filuria¡­¡­ Just how long have you been plotting this?¡¹

    Sophie nced behind with an expression of sorrow. The tower in the distance looked as beautiful as ever.

    ¡¸What about you, Sophie?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing as shy as you guys.¡¹

    It seems that right after we split up, Sophie and Nelsh were entrapped in a ward.

    Filuria had tricked them into entering one of the warehouses, before activating the ward to prevent them from leaving.

    ¡¸I was too careless. I never expected her to lock me up so tantly.¡¹

    Sophie and Nelsh tried to break the ward and escape, but they were unsessful.

    After Fran heard this, she voiced her confusion.

    ¡¸Then how did you escape? Wasn¡¯t Seliadot watching you two?¡¹

    ¡¸No, we weren¡¯t being watched. We escaped because¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie went silent for a moment, then she nced at the people around her.

    Was her method of escape something she couldn¡¯t say out loud? Maybe she had some secret technique?

    ¡¸You disabled the ward?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you could say that¡­¡­ Yes! I used my secret technique to destroy it.¡¹

    ¡¸Destroyed? That¡¯s amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah.¡¹

    We know firsthand how tough Seliadot¡¯s wards were. Unless we used a special skill like Magic Disruption to disable it, we would need an enormous amount of force to challenge one head on.

    At the very least, you would need destructive power on the level of Miranleil¡¯s strongest technique. I was surprised to hear that the support-oriented Sophie managed to unleash an attack of that caliber.

    However, it seems Sophie¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t the only reason for her escape.

    Sophie put her hand lightly on Fran¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡ºCan you hear me?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Sophie?¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t talk for a while and just listen to me.¡»

    I could hear Sophie¡¯s voice too. No, I guess I wasn¡¯t hearing her, but her voice was like¡­ echoing in my head?

    This wasn¡¯t telepathy, but something more like transmitting vibrations through her hand on Fran¡¯s shoulder. Kinda like bone conduction. I could hear her too because the vibrations reached me through Fran.

    However, this had the disadvantage of Fran being unable to talk back.

    ¡ºYou see, there was actually a note left in the corner of the room. It said the ward would be weakened after an hour, so I should destroy it and run.¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºAnd that note came from Seliadot.¡»

    So Seliadot was helping Sophie from the shadows¡­¡­ That¡¯s why she epted Seliadot¡¯s suggestion to retreat.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t know what she¡¯s trying to do, but she might not be our enemy¡­¡­ So I just want to wait and see for a bit.¡»

    You¡¯re saying Seliadot was not just a simple adventurer hired as a bodyguard? Did she have some purpose for joining Filuria? She did say something about not letting Filuria die.

    I thought she simply meant that she needed to protect her employer, but what if she needed Filuria alive for some other goal?

    ¡¸Anyways, let¡¯s do what we can.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t let this city be destroyed because of Filuria¡¯s schemes. I¡¯m partly responsible for this since I failed to realize her true intentions. So, please Fran¡­ lend me a hand.¡¹

    ¡¸I owe you. Now it¡¯s my turn to pay you back.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Fran had not forgotten how Sophie saved Nadia. To her, this was worthy of a great debt of gratitude.

    It seems she already decided that she would help her friend Sophie as much as possible.

    She had the vers, her mortal enemies, dangling in front of her eyes. Yet Fran kept her cool and held herself back for the sake of her friend. The old Fran would have definitely struck at Filuria, getting ourselves entangled in a fight with Seliadot.

    This was a sign of Fran¡¯s growth. Things weren¡¯t anywhere settled yet, but I still felt a bit touched.

 Chapter 890

    <h4>890: Prear''s Rant</h4>

    We ran into the Adventurers Guild with Sophie in the lead, but the ce was already in an uproar.

    The news about the underground passage had already reached them.

    Still, they found it difficult to believe that the Sanatorium was connected to vers behind the scenes.

    But this information was brought back by several adventurers. It had credibility.

    They ended up having a huge argument between those who believed the report, and those who didn¡¯t. Many were on the verge of breaking into a brawl.

    That¡¯s when their saintess, Sophie, appeared. She was quickly surrounded by adventurers who desperately wanted to hear about the Sanatorium.

    However, no one could open their mouths.

    They were attempting to question Sophie, one of the most important members of the Sanatorium, about the misdeeds of her organization. That¡¯s like asking someone to their face if they are a criminal.

    But perhaps unable to bear the silence any longer, one of the adventurers finally resolved himself to speak up.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama! A-Are the rumors true¡­¡­?¡¹

    His words became the first shot, and the other adventurers soon followed with a flurry of questions.

    ¡¸I heard they captured a dragonkin and tried to enve him¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And they have their own secret escape route!¡¹

    ¡¸Did the Sanatorium really do all that?¡¹

    The looks on their faces seemed to indicate that they wanted their saintess to deny it.

    But Sophie did not give them the answer they wanted.

    ¡¸It¡¯s not the entire Sanatorium that performed these misdeeds. But it is true that Filuria, the Medical Director, held Gazzol-san captive.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Also, Filuria attempted to lock me up too.¡¹

    The adventurers who heard Sophie¡¯s exnation fell silent at once. They must have understood that everything was true after the saintess herself confirmed it.

    No one knew what to say next.

    Honestly, my first thought was that we shouldn¡¯t tell them the truth, but we didn¡¯t have much choice since many people already overheard Filuria¡¯s interrogation.

    The Adventurers Guild would find out sooner orter, so it¡¯s better to tell them first and have the adventurers trust us a little more.

    Everyone in the guild remainedpletely silent. Then, only momentster, the ce burst into a tremendous mor.

    ¡¸Y-You mean to say that the Medical Director has a dark side?¡¹

    ¡¸I never knew!¡¹

    ¡¸N-No¡­¡­! My precious Filuria-chan¡­¡­¡¹

    It seems that many not only trusted Filuria, but also had slightly more intense feelings for her. They ended up beingforted by their friends.

    But right when the guild regained some of its liveliness, an old man¡¯s husky voice echoed through the building.

    ¡¸Youzy fuckwads! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing at this busy time! Don¡¯t be fooled by uncertain information!¡¹

    ¡¸G-Guildmaster! B-But!¡¹

    ¡¸The only thing you should be thinking about right now is the antidemons! Everything else is trivial! Get your asses back to work!¡¹

    Prear emerged from the back room and red at the adventurers. His shaggy hair was even more disheveled than before.

    The guy always had an eerie presence, but he somehow felt more intimidating today.

    After dismissing the adventurers, Prear turned over to Fran¡¯s party, his eyes burning with hatred.

    ¡¸Come ¡®ere.¡¹

    With a quick flick of his chin, he pointed toward the back room and walked away without waiting for Fran¡¯s answer.

    He was obviously holding in a lot of anger.

    Fran and the others followed Prear into the room. He didn¡¯t offer us a seat or anything, simply standing there with his back facing us.

    I could see his clenched fist atop the table shaking.

    Then, the guildmaster shouted.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve really fucking gone and done it now!¡¹

    He turned around, his face contorted with fury and frustration. His eyes were bloodshot, and he barely seemed sane.

    Sophie seemed a bit overwhelmed, but Fran asked back in her usual tone.

    ¡¸Done what?¡¹

    ¡¸You fucking spread information that will confuse the adventurers! At this critical moment, you just had to go and sow the seeds of discord! It¡¯s because of you that the adventurers won¡¯t be able to work properly now!¡¹

    ¡¸I apologize on Fran¡¯s behalf for causing thismotion, but we cannot let Filuria get away with her crimes.¡¹

    ¡¸Like I give a damn! The continued existence of this city is my top priority!¡¹

    ¡¸But Filuria captured Gazzol and nearly enved him! She had bunch of other weird experiments!¡¹

    ¡¸So what! Don¡¯t jeopardize the city with yourpletely worthless sense of justice!¡¹

    Fran grimaced after hearing Prear¡¯s shouts. He was loud, yeah, but she could not let him call her justice ¡°worthless¡±.

    ¡¸Filuria tried to enve Gazzol. So there must be other victims too.¡¹

    To Fran, this connection to the illegal ve market was more important than the cloning experiments. She was furious at the unforgivable crime.

    But Prear didn¡¯t care.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll say it one more time, so what!? If we consider the Medical Director¡¯s influence, she is clearly essential to the city! Just overlook a few minor misdeeds! That¡¯s the only way the city can stay afloat!¡¹

    ¡¸A few misdeeds?¡¹

    ¡¸Illegal ves are everywhere! You won¡¯t be able to live here if you cry about every single damn thing!¡¹

    Prear roared with a deadly rage, but Fran shouted back with even more fury.

    ¡¸vers will not be tolerated! No matter the reason! Never!¡¹

    ¡¸T-Then what are you going to do about it! Don¡¯t tell you¡¯re gonna try something as unrealistic as hunting down everyst person connected to the trafficking!?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯ll do it if necessary. I¡¯ll hunt them all down and destroy them.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why? Why do you care so much about the vers? Because you¡¯re a ck cat? To protect your kin?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s part of it.¡¹

    ¡¸Wonderful! But the ck cats won¡¯t do anything in return, will they? You¡¯ll see. You call them your kin, but they¡¯re all just strangers in the end!¡¹

    We didn¡¯t need to ask to know that Prear had been betrayed by his kin in the past. As Fran continued ring back at him, Prear sighed and continued.

    ¡¸A few decades ago, I worked in the Beast Kingdom.¡¹

    He was a highly respected Rank B adventurer based in a town with arge poption of sheep beastmen.

    Then one day, a monster stampede broke out. Prear led many adventurers to join in the town¡¯s defense, but the small town didn¡¯t have the necessary fortifications.

    In the end, Prear decided to evacuate the town, but many adventurers chose to disobey his orders. The bloodthirsty beastmen refused to retreat.

    The chaos in the chain ofmandbined with the dispersion of forces resulted in heavy casualties to both groups. And the responsibility for this disaster fell on Prear¡¯s shoulders.

    The beastmen ignoring his orders called him a coward, and the beastmen following him criticized his strategic blunder.

    ¡¸All they had to do was obey me, and we could have kept the damage to a minimum! Why should I have to take the me for those fucking morons!¡¹

    In the end, Prear could no longer stay in the Beast Kingdom, so he eventually drifted to this continent.

    ¡¸My kin never protected me either¡­¡­ Rather, it was they who denounced me most vehemently. Calling me the disgrace of my kind! What was I to do!?¡¹

    Prear, who had finished the lengthy ount of his past, slumped down in the chair in front of us. The word ¡°pitiful¡± fit his appearance perfectly. The old man must have had a hard time.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll be betrayed too, sooner orter.¡¹

    In that hoarse voice of his, I sensed his dark desire for Fran to be betrayed.

    ¡¸You just don¡¯t know it yet. Listen to me here, you need to give up that meaningless sense of kinship. No one will thank you for hunting illegal vers. They are a necessary evil, and the ves a necessary sacrifice. The ck cats you save will be happy on the surface, but that¡¯s it. Everyone forgets, they always do.¡¹

    Prear¡¯s voice ringed in Fran¡¯s ears, as if he was trying to break Fran¡¯s heart.

    Rather, that was his exact intention. After breaking Fran¡¯s heart, he would be able to make her listen more easily. That way, he ensured her participation in the city¡¯s defense.

    After going over everything again in my head, I reconsidered Prear¡¯s previous madness, his current pathetic attitude, and the dark words of advice. I began to think that this was all an act.

    If so, it was only natural that his words would not reach Fran. She probably saw him as a weird old dude who didn¡¯t know who he was talking to.

    Fran looked right into Prear¡¯s eyes. I could see him flinch under the pressure of her gaze. After hearing her next words, Prear could only gasp.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I was an illegal ve too.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

 Chapter 891

    <h4>891: A Sudden Turn</h4>

    ¡¸¡­¡­I was an illegal ve too.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    As Fran described her situation, Prear was at aplete loss for words. Apparently, he didn¡¯t know about this in advance.

    ¡¸I was chained and beaten every day.¡¹

    Fran recounted the time when she was a ve, but Prear still seemed unable to speak. He remained frozen, staring back at Fran.

    ¡¸I was always hungry. Always frowning at my own smell. Still, I lived.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I forced myself to remember everything they made me study, because they would beat me if I couldn¡¯t.¡¹

    Fran continued in the same tone as before, but Prear winced slightly. Did he empathize with something in Fran¡¯s story?

    ¡¸They treated me like I wasn¡¯t a person. Still, I had to put up with it to survive.¡¹

    Fran red at Prear with deep-seated anger in her eyes.

    ¡¸You say ves are a necessary sacrifice? You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nrgh!¡¹

    Her uncontroble killing intent brushed against Prear¡¯s skin.

    Prear¡¯s eyes widened as a pathetic moan escaped his half-open mouth.

    This was certainly no act, only fear from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡¸Not just for my kin, but also for myself. I will destroy the vers.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­But¡­¡­ But¡­¡­!!!¡¹

    Prear mouth moved, trying to say something in return, but the words weren¡¯ting out.

    He must have realized it. No matter what he said, he would never be able to talk down Fran, someone who has experienced very firsthand.

    The strength drained from his body. It seems he¡¯s given up.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sigh. I get it. Yeah, I get it now. You won¡¯t stop at anything¡­¡­¡¹

    He muttered in a weak tone. But then, he soon looked up at Fran and started pleading.

    ¡¸But please, not in this season! I¡¯m begging you!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll look into the vers as soon as we get rid of the antidemons! I¡¯ll give you everything!¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t trust you. You didn¡¯t tell us about Seliadot either.¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s not employed through the guild and she didn¡¯t evene in to greet me. I can¡¯t count her as an asset in the case of an emergency.¡¹

    Prear was not lying. I¡¯ve been using Principle of Falsehoods against Prear ever since I started getting suspicious of him.

    However, nothing he said was a lie.

    But how is that possible? The guy reeks of lies.

    After thinking it through again, I realized that he might be speaking in half-truths.

    If he was wary of lie-detecting skills, he could always speak with vague words to avoid lying.

    With regards to the vers, he said that he would look into them and give us the information he obtained. However, he could do that even if he was connected to the vers.

    That¡¯s why we decided to ask Prear a question to determine if he was clean, once and for all.

    ¡¸Prear, are you connected to illegal vers?¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? What the hell? Does it look that way to you?¡¹

    So he avoids a direct answer.

    ¡¸Yes or no. Answer with one or the other.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Are you using me of something?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t need to answer this shit! Don¡¯t irritate me any more with your stupid questions! Get the fuck out of my sight!¡¹

    I knew it. Instead of answering, he pretended to get angry and kick Fran out. This guy was obviously guilty.

    Fran reached for me on her back, but then paused.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    £¨Master. Prear said earlier that his highest priority was the survival of the city. He wasn¡¯t lying, right?£©

    ¡ºHmm? Yeah, it seems that¡¯s the truth.¡»

    £¨I see¡­¡­£©

    Fran turned to Sophie.

    She had been watching the entire conversation between Fran and Prear with worry. Since Sophie wanted to protect the town too, this discussion was of utmost importance to her.

    It seemed as if it could turn into a battle at any moment, so she must have been very anxious.

    We could either take Prear down, or respect Sophie¡¯s wishes and let him go. This was a rare instance of Fran being conflicted.

    Tension filled the air of the office.

    Fran¡¯s internal struggle didn¡¯tst long, but she ended up not being able to choose either option.

    ¡¸We¡¯re under attack!¡¹

    ¡¸T-The dragonkin!¡¹

    ¡¸Shit! They¡¯re way too strong!¡¹

    A series of screams and sounds of destruction rang out from the bar area. I also heard an explosion. This was no ordinary drunken brawl.

    We dashed out of the office to check out what was happening in the bar. There, we found more than ten dragonkin engaging the adventurers in a death battle near the entrance to the guild.

    All of the dragonkin covered their faces with masks to hide their identities. Moreover, they were all quite skilled.

    A dragonkin with red scales on his arms, seemingly the leader of the group, was particrly talented.

    He was the smallest in the group, and even appeared to be a child at first nce. However, I could tell instantly that he outmatched even Gazzol.

    But why would the dragonkin attack the guild?

    I saw a few of the adventurers already injured in the assault.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s capture these guys first.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, we¡¯ll handle the leader.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, you support the adventurers!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie, let¡¯s back up the adventurers!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    We wouldn¡¯t be able to continue interrogating Prear until we take care of these guys either way.

    The adventurers looked relieved when they saw Fran unsheathe me and take a step forward. All of them knew her abilities by now.

    The dragonkin leader, on the other hand, started grinning under his mask. His narrowed eyes were fixed on Fran.

    ¡¸Hoh? You¡¯re pretty strong.¡¹

    Despite his size, he had the hoarse voice of an old man.

    ¡¸You too.¡¹

    ¡¸Gwahaha! Bring it! I¡¯ll take you on!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line.¡¹

    ¡¸How entertaining! I expected this to be a boring job, but I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d get such a bonus!¡¹

    The battle-crazed dragonkin rushed toward Fran with his sword at the ready. He didn¡¯t seem to have a grudge or anything, and he also said the word ¡°job¡±. What on earth was he after?

    £¨I¡¯ll beat him down first, then hear him out.£©

    ¡ºSounds good to me!¡»

 Chapter 892

    <h4>892: Red-Scaled Dragonkin</h4>

    ¡¸Doryaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Teyah!¡¹

    The red-scaled dragonkin and Fran collided within the bar of the Adventurers Guild. Considering the location, Fran was ced at a disadvantage.

    Wide area attacks would get the surrounding adventurers caught up, so Fran needed to hold back while the dragonkin didn¡¯t have to care.

    In addition, his movements were terrifyingly fast. I fired off several spells at him, but he avoided them with abination of evasions and parries.

    With his tap dance-like footwork and jumping through the air off the walls and ceilings, we had a hard time following his tricky movements.

    His techniques must have been perfected for indoorbat.

    And if I cast stronger, harder to dodge spells, I would end up hurting the adventurers too.

    But that wasn¡¯t the only issue.

    ¡¸Stun Bolt!¡¹

    ¡¸Heh!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh¨D¨D?! Gyaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºThat asshole! He just used someone as a shield!¡»

    Much to our surprise, he pulled in a nearby adventurer and used him as a human shield. He may be an agile warrior, but his dragonkin strength could not be underestimated. I doubt a low-ranked adventurer would be able to break free.

    Now it¡¯s even more difficult to use magic.

    In that case, Fran decided to close the distance instantly, delivering a powerful sh. However, this had an unexpected result.

    mes suddenly erupted from the wound on the red-scale dragonkin¡¯s arm. They looked a bit stronger than a firecracker, so the mes weren¡¯t particrly intense.

    But the issue was the mana contained in the mes. Unlike a normal fire, these couldn¡¯t be extinguished easily.

    In a small room like this, it became particrly dangerous.

    ¡¸Gwahaha! Wasn¡¯t this a no-fire zone?¡¹

    The red-scaled dragonkin showed no sign of pain as the mes spread to ignite a nearby table. He simply smirked at the adventurers rushing to extinguish it.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s got Pain Nullification and Superspeed Regeneration. Also, a skill called Dragonblood. It seems like he can use his blood to activate his elemental power!¡»

    It wasn¡¯t that his blood was made of fire, more like he¡¯s activating a spell using his blood as the catalyst. The annoying part was that spilling more of his blood gave him more ammo for attacking us.

    This was going to be a problem if we had to disable him without spilling any blood.

    We couldn¡¯t expect any backup from the adventurers. They were too busy with the other dragonkin to help us.

    The only ones free to help were the weak adventurers who had fallen back after sensing the difference in abilities. If they tried to help, they would just hold us back.

    Or even worse¡­¡­

    ¡¸Gwahaha! Seems like little goody two shoes can¡¯t leave the weaklings behind!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    The red-scaled dragonkin began aiming his attacks at the surrounding adventurers.

    Even if he simply took a step towards the adventurers, Fran would have to move to prevent him.

    This opponent was powerful enough that we couldn¡¯t allow him to get any closer.

    ¡¸Doruaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    Still, Fran kept up with the dragonkin, repelling his de repeatedly.

    It seemed like he couldn¡¯t believe that Fran held her own in such a disadvantageous situation. His widened eyes quickly turned into a nasty smile.

    ¡¸You really are pretty good!¡¹

    He looked genuinely happy to meet such a strong opponent. That he had enoughposure tough must mean he didn¡¯t think he could lose.

    Fran would easily win in a one-on-one fight. But since the other adventurers were here, she had to constantly be on the lookout for them.

    Moreover, shing the dragonkin might spill his blood and cause the entire building to go up in mes. The fire from earlier even managed to ignite the stone floor of the guild, probably because of its magical properties.

    That¡¯s why we were forced on the defensive.

    The adventurers made attempts to escape, but there was no way out because other dragonkin had the entrance blocked. In the end, all they could do was to hold up their weapons and try to intimidate their enemies.

    Should we ignore the costs and use Awakening or Sword God Transformation to settle this?

    That¡¯s when Prear appeared.

    He wore a leather robe covered in powerful mana and held a cane in his hand, also radiating mana.

    For a moment, I had a bad feeling about him stabbing us in the back. However, my fears ended up unfounded.

    ¡¸What the hell are you all doing? You¡¯re getting in the girl¡¯s way! Get outta here!¡¹

    ¡¸W-We can¡¯t!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! Damn weaklings!¡¹

    It seems Prear at least intended to back Fran up. He scowled at the low-ranked adventurers who didn¡¯t have the guts to break through enemy lines and escape.

    ¡¸Then move further to the side! You¡¯re in our way!¡¹

    Prear barked at the adventurers before raising his cane. From the sound of his chanting, he must be using some kind of ck magic.

    A few secondster, the dragonkin holding the entrance slowed down. It seems like they had been debuffed to dull their movements, but it¡¯ll still take a while to get the entrance open.

    That¡¯s when I got an idea. They didn¡¯t need to escape through the doorway.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll take care of it!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    In order to get us out of this predicament, I aimed for both side walls of the Adventurers Guild andunched the fire spell Explosion.

    This was where my intricate mana control came in handy. By adjusting the direction of the st, I seeded in concentrating the impact on the walls without damaging the interior.

    Despite the deafening st, the only damage to the room was a few broken chairs and tables.

    The eyes of all the adventurers turned to the st zone in unison. There, they found a hole big enough for a person to pass through.

    If this were any other town, they could escape through there. But in this densely packed city, we could only see the walls of the neighboring buildings.

    Well, I expected that one!

    I fired Explosion at the walls one more time.

    ¡¸Noooo! Girl! You better pay for the damages!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s an emergency. Deal with it.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. You keep the dragonkin in check. If you move funny, I¡¯ll cut you down too.¡¹

    ¡¸D-Don¡¯t aim your intimidation at me, girl!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up and move. I¡¯ll let you live if you work hard enough.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fuck!¡¹

    Yeah, Prear! You can shut up and work your ass off for Fran! The damn guy suddenly stopped calling her by name just because we found the skeletons in his closet!

    We¡¯ll be having a nice long chat after we¡¯re done with the dragonkin!

 Chapter 893

    <h4>893: Red-Scaled Dragonkin Defeated</h4>

    After my spell sted a hole in the walls of the neighboring building, I could see the upset inhabitants looking through on the other side.

    Sorry, but this really is an emergency! The Adventurers Guild canpensate youter, probably.

    But now there was an escape route for the adventurers.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Everyone escape from there!¡¹

    The adventurers reacted instantly to Fran¡¯s voice. All at once, they made a quick and smooth escape.

    It seems they had the coward¡¯s mentality to run away immediately when ced in a pinch. None of them showed any sign of worrying about Fran either.

    Well, they probably understood how much stronger Fran waspared to them too.

    They knew they would just be holding her back, so the best way to help was getting out of there as quickly as possible.

    In that sense, you could call them graceful losers.

    Fran also asked Sophie to send them off.

    ¡¸Sophie, there might be more dragonkin outside. Help the adventurers escape.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Sophie gave a quick nod to Fran¡¯s words and followed the adventurers through the hole. Those guys should be fine now.

    ¡¸Damn! This little girl and those fucking dragonkin doing whatever they please! Fine, let¡¯s hurry up and capture them!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me what to do. You want me to kill you first?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m literally the guildmaster! I do tell you what to do!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸You piece of shit!¡¹

    Fran and Prear continued arguing with each other, but their eyes never left the red-scaled dragonkin. Both understood the danger of letting their guards down in front of him.

    ¡¸Gwahaha! You¡¯ve got a lot of guts!¡¹

    The dragonkin gave a broad smile upon seeing Fran open a hole in the guild walls to let the adventurers go.

    He showed no sign of chasing after the adventurers, which meant he knew how dangerous Fran and Prear were.

    Though the two certainly didn¡¯t get along, they both decided that the immediate enemy was this dragonkin.

    The dragonkin, on the other hand, was now alone without the support of his friends. And yet, he continued grinning in spite of such a huge disadvantage.

    For this battle-crazed man, the fight itself must matter more than his job.

    Oh, and he seemed really excited for some reason. I wonder if he might identally spill some info.

    ¡¸What are you after?¡¹

    ¡¸Gwahaha! Even an idiot like me knows not to answer that! I mean, not that I could in the first ce!¡¹

    He says he can¡¯t answer? That¡¯s when I appraised the dragonkin and found his status listed as ¡°Domination¡±. That¡¯s a state very close to being enved.

    It seems whoever dominated him restricted some of his actions. It would be very unlikely to get anything out of him unless we capture him and dispel his domination.

    ¡¸Well, I wouldn¡¯t talk even if I could! Those who bber are no better than third-rates!¡¹

    So what you¡¯re saying is that Filuria and Prear are third-rates.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s get started!¡¹

    The red-scaled dragonkin shed at Fran. It¡¯s a tricky move,bining his high physical ability with fancy footwork.

    If he was an adventurer, I can¡¯t see him being below Rank B.

    But now that there weren¡¯t any hindrances here, we could pull off some tricks of our own.

    ¡¸Stun Bolt!¡¹

    ¡ºStun Bolt!¡»

    ¡¸Guggaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Giyeehh! G-Girl¡­¡­!¡¹

    We sted our spells over a wide range, making them unavoidable. We probably heard Prear¡¯s screams too, but priority number one was defeating the dragonkin.

    Besides, it didn¡¯t seem to affect the old guy much. That robe of his must have magic resistance.

    The dragonkin also had a resistance to status, so we didn¡¯t manage to paralyze him. However, the barrage of thunder magic seeded in dying his movements.

    That¡¯s when Fran¡¯s flurry of blowsnded, as I morphed into a rod with my de dulled. Wepletely shattered all of the dragonkin¡¯s limbs by bashing with him the blunt weapon I had be.

    Even if he didn¡¯t feel pain, he couldn¡¯t escape with his legs immobilized.

    That¡¯s when Urushi dealt the final blow.

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Gubwoaah!¡¹

    A head-on collision without any fancy tricks. Urushi leapt out of the dragonkin¡¯s shadow and gave him a powerful headbutt to the jaw.

    With the tremendous force of the headbutt, the dragonkin got sent flying straight up.

    We heard a series of crashes as he got blown through the upper floors.

    ¡¸Fucking again¡­¡­! Now with the ceiling!¡¹

    Prear shouted bitterly, but we just ignored him. The ceiling made a noble sacrifice for our victory.

    ¡¸Urushi, nice one!¡¹

    ¡¸Aaarf!¡¹

    It was indeed a nice strike, but¡­¡­ you left him alive, right?

    We left Prear to handle the mess as we went up to capture the dragonkin. We already threatened to kill Prear if he ran, and we could easily follow him with teleportation. I¡¯ll keep an eye on his presence just in case.

    After Urushi sted him upwards, the red-scaled dragonkin had smashed through four ceilings and ended up unconscious with his head stuck in the ceiling of the fifth floor.

    He¡¯s just barely alive. That was a real close call.

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s restrain him for now. I¡¯ll wrap him up in fire-resistant magic threads.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    While I was restraining the red-scaled dragonkin, I noticed something strange taking ce on the first floor.

    A sudden burst of tremendously powerful magical energy appeared out of nowhere, and this was definitely destructive power.

    Immediately afterward, the presences of many adventurers simply vanished. Or rather, almost all of them were gone. Even though the remaining adventurers were pretty low-ranked, could someone really do this in a single strike?

    Moreover, there were no vibrations or sounds. What could have happened?

    I thought this red-scaled guy was their leader, but there might be someone even stronger. Their real leader must have unleashed some kind of attack.

    This is no time to be impressed!

    I could feel Prear¡¯s life force weakening rapidly too.

    ¡ºFran! We need to go back!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 894

    <h4>894: Prear</h4>

    After tying up the red-scaled dragonkin with some difficulty, Fran jumped down into the hole in the floor.

    She had intended to carry him too at first, but the hole was too narrow for the two of them to pass through.

    Instead, she jumped down the hole by herself to immediately reach the first floor.

    Frannded on the ground after killing her momentum with aerial hop. A horrific sight revealed itself before us.

    ¡¸Prear!¡¹

    ¡¸G-Girl¡­¡­¡¹

    The remains of the mutted adventurers were scattered throughout the tavern.

    There were probably over twenty dead, but all of them had been torn apart limb from limb, making it difficult to tell which part belonged to whom.

    ¡ºUrushi, find the survivors!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We found Prear lying in a pool of blood. His torso was in tatters and the lower half of his body waspletely missing.

    We rushed over to him and cast Greater Heal, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸It won¡¯t heal!¡¹

    ¡ºHealing inhibition!¡»

    His wounds showed almost no signs of healing. Even against healing inhibition, this should be a very powerful spell. And yet, Greater Heal barely did a thing.

    To be honest, we didn¡¯t need to save him. The problem is that he had the info we wanted.

    As Fran continued to cast healing spells, Prear slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡¸Serves¡­ me right¡­ Looks like¡­ this is it¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t talk.¡¹

    ¡¸Keh¡­¡­ I¡¯m¡­ already done for.¡¹

    Prear continued his words, coughing up blood from his mouth all the while.

    ¡¸In my desk¡­ there¡¯s a note with¡­¡­ info on the vers¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Weren¡¯t you working with them?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Just¡­ business partners¡­¡­ Maybe you¡¯d¡­ see it differently though¡­¡­ Kahaha¡­ I knew right when¡­ you got here¡­¡­ it was time¡­ to end the deal¡­¡­¡¹

    The light gradually faded from Prear¡¯s eyes.

    ¡¸When¡­ the season¡­ was over, I really¡­ nned to give¡­ it all to you¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I know you owe me¡­ nothing, but¡­¡­ t-take care of the town¡­¡­ Please¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡¹

    ¡¸Ha¡­ ha¡­¡­ That makes this the¡­ second town¡­ I¡¯ve failed¡­¡­¡¹

    Prear muttered onest time as he closed his eyes.

    ¡¸¡­¡­He¡¯s dead.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    When Fran appeared in the city, he must have realized that he was done for. No ck cat adventurer would allow the illegal vers to run free.

    And Prear knew Fran would discover his connection to the vers eventually.

    That¡¯s why he tried to dy the revtion of that fact as long as possible, so that he could incorporate Fran into the town¡¯s defenses during the season of antidemons.

    When the antidemon season ended, he must have nned to beg for his life by providing us everything he knew.

    Fran was left stunned after her target for revenge died without her even lifting a finger. But things were not over yet.

    BOOOOOOOM!

    ¡ºWhat!?¡»

    Right after Prear drew hisst breath, a thunderous roar and tremor shook the entire Adventurers Guild.

    At the same time, the main street seen from the entrance of the tavern shone a bright red for a moment. Such a deep red that it looked like dusk came early.

    Furthermore, bright red mes started gushing out from the hole in the ceiling, as if someone had put a methrower there.

    We quickly set up a barrier around us and the survivors, but a slight brush of the mes ignited the chairs and other furniture.

    I hurriedly tried to extinguish the fire with water magic, but the mes simply kept pouring down from the upper floors. Spraying some water on the first floor wasn¡¯t going to do much.

    It seems someone caused a huge explosion up there.

    ¡ºDid the red-scaled guy do this?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be right back!¡¹

    Fran rushed back to the fifth floor¨D¨Dbut it no longer existed. Everything above the fourth floor had been blown straight off, so the guild building was reduced to a four story building.

    The ceiling of the fourth floor was also missing, so I guess it¡¯d be a three story building.

    There was no further point in checking the red-scaled dragonkin¡¯s survival.

    If he got caught in that explosion, he¡¯s already dead. If he escaped somehow, he¡¯s already long gone.

    ¡ºI can¡¯t sense any signs of him¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    I tried to search the perimeter, but all the mes were blocking my detection.

    Did one of his friendse and silence him? Probably more likely that he blew himself up, taking his own life to avoid interrogation.

    Just like with Numerae, it keeps happening in this town!

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The scent of the escaped dragonkin should still be on the first floor. If we follow that trail, we might be able to follow them. But it seems Urushi wasn¡¯t too confident.

    Besides, there were some things we had to do first.

    ¡ºWe need to get the info Prear mentioned.¡»

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd put out the fire too. If we just leave it, the whole district could burn down.¡»

    The buildings here were made of stone and brick, yet they still kept burning.

    These mes seemed to be charged with mana, just like the red-scaled dragonkin¡¯s Dragonblood. They didn¡¯t spread as fast as they would on normal wooden houses, but they also showed no signs of slowing down.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hurry.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m on it.¡¹

 Chapter 895

    <h4>895: Fire Fighting</h4>

    We first went to the guildmaster¡¯s office. Our n was to search for the note Prear mentioned, which contained information on the ck market vers.

    However, the office had a ridiculous amount of drawers and cabs, and many were locked. There¡¯s no way we would be able to determine which one contained what we were looking for any time soon.

    And we didn¡¯t have the time to check right now.

    Besides, if any other adventurers saw us, they would probably find it suspicious to see Fran rummaging through the office. We needed to be careful to avoid getting ourselves used of a crime.

    Well, I guess ransacking a burning building is basically a crime.

    That¡¯s why we decided to shove all the desks and cabs into our dimensional storage. The room felt a lot more spacious now, but no time to worry about that.

    ¡ºOkay, now let¡¯s put out the fire!¡»

    That¡¯s easier said than done, however. Those mes burned even solid stone, and had already spread to the neighboring buildings. We had to put out all the mes while also preventing any further spread.

    Fortunately, the residents had already started evacuating, but there seemed to be a considerable number of people who didn¡¯t manage to escape.

    The easiest way I could think of is to surround the entire area with earthern walls. Then we could either fill it up with water or suck out all the oxygen.

    Well, in the case of magical mes, there¡¯s also the possibility that it could burn without air or resist water.

    In any case, we couldn¡¯t use either method if people were still in there.

    First, I need to prevent the spread of fire.

    ¡ºme Barrier!¡»

    ¡¸Wow Master, that¡¯s great!¡¹

    This spell was intended to protect a small zone from fire magic, but I covered the entire block with it instead. Rather than guarding against external magic, I used it to prevent the mes from escaping outside.

    But there was a problem.

    ¡ºGnrgh¡­¡­ It¡¯s really difficult¡­ to maintain.¡»

    Since I used it at a scale iparable to the original form, it made a huge cylindrical barrier.

    Simply maintaining this required tremendous concentration and mana.

    I couldn¡¯t keep maintaining it for very long, especially since I had not fully recovered from my exhaustion at Castel.

    ¡ºFind and save any survivors while I¡¯m holding up the barrier. I¡¯ve got my hands full with maintenance, so do it without me.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi split up and began searching for anyone left behind.

    Since I couldn¡¯t help, Fran was unable to use teleportation. She instead activated her Life Detection and punched through walls to reach the survivors as quickly as possible.

    Then she cast a heal and dragged them out through the walls, before going back in to rescue more people.

    In the meantime, some adventurers sensed something wrong at the guild and began gathering. Sophie also brought in more adventurers to support us.

    After seeing the current state of the guild, all of them knew it was an emergency.

    The adventurers took the initiative in rescuing everyone and handling the onlookers. Many of them looked like they wanted to ask Fran what happened, but they knew we didn¡¯t have the time for a chat.

    Half an hour after the rescue began.

    We had seeded in rescuing all the residents. Everyone carried out by Urushi was scared out of their minds, however.

    A jet ck wolf approaching you as you were trembling in a burning building. Anyone would say their prayers at that moment. Even after being saved, the fear would not go away easily.

    Still, they should consider themselves lucky to be spared.

    I used up a lot of my mana too, but I¡¯m d we made it in time.

    ¡ºNow we just have to put out the fire.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran asked Sophie for her opinion on how to put out the fire. She told us to prioritize avoiding any further spread, even if we have to be a little forceful.

    Fires were apparently very rare here, since wood hardly ever gets used as building material. Since this was a disaster none had experience with, it felt all the more terrifying.

    That¡¯s why Sophie, as well as other adventurers and residents, epted the destruction of houses as long as it would prevent the spread of fire.

    That makes it easy.

    ¡ºFran, we¡¯ll cut it all down!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran raised me upwards as she boosted her inner mana. Then, she activated the Lv6 Holy Sword Art, Sword Sonic.

    Well, to put it simply, it¡¯s a flying sh.

    With a single blow from Fran, the building was sliced open horizontally. The sh was so sharp and clean that the ordinary residents had no idea what just happened.

    They only saw Fran swing her sword to the side really quickly. But at that very instant, the house was no longer connected to the ground.

    So the entire building was treated as onerge object.

    Then, all we needed to do was store it.

    The building vanished, leaving only the ground of the first floor as well as 10 cm worth of walls and pirs.

    ¡ºAbout ten more buildings, I think?¡»

    ¡¸Let¡¯s do it.¡¹

    Fran nodded, and one by one, the buildings were stowed away.

    After we ced all the buildings into our storage, the mes were gone. We could return their belongings and suchter.

    Honestly, I wanted to find out what information Prear left us about the vers immediately.

    But things just kept moving outside our control.

    ¡¸Sophie, you say the adventurers wentining to the Dragon King Syndicate?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d call it a protest rather than aint¡­¡­ When they heard about the dragonkin striking at the guild, they suspected it was the work of the Dragon King Syndicate.¡¹

    It seems some of the adventurers had headed off to the Dragon King Syndicate.

    A protest, huh? I don¡¯t think a mob of enraged adventurers marching on a gang is gonna end peacefully.

    ¡¸I failed to stop them¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie muttered hopelessly.

    All she wanted was an end to the chaos, but it only kept spreading. This turn of events left her even more anxious

 Chapter 896

    <h4>896: Rumors about the Life Dragonkin</h4>

    With the depression clearly visible on her face, Sophie exined how the adventurers headed for the Dragon King Syndicate.

    ¡¸We have to go stop them¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We agreedpletely. The Adventurers Guild had already been left in disarray after this incident.

    And if that¡¯s followed by arge scale war with the Dragon King Syndicate¡­¡­

    No one will be left to defend the town.

    ¡¸Sophie, you stay here.¡¹

    ¡¸Why!? I¡¯ming with you!¡¹

    ¡¸We need someone here to unite the adventurers. Only you can do that.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What happened to the guildmaster?¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s dead.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s short statement took many adventurers¡¯ breathes away.

    The unadorned nature of her words made them all the more believable.

    Since time was of the essence, we didn¡¯t have time for a long discussion.

    I knew the adventurers wouldn¡¯t ept the fact easily. Well, it¡¯s not like we saw his murderer either.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take his body out now.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay.¡¹

    They needed to see his corpse with their own eyes first. Unlike Sophie, the adventurers were left confused since they didn¡¯t know about Fran¡¯s dimensional storage, but Fran simply popped out Prear¡¯s remains without further exnation.

    ¡¸G-Guildmaster!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, my god¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Our guildmaster, no¡­¡­¡¹

    There were civilians nearby, so Fran stored the corpse back immediately after the adventurers recognized him.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Recovery magic didn¡¯t work.¡¹

    Fran gave a short ount of Prear¡¯s demise. After hearing this, Sophie started contemting something. The adventurers followed her lead.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to jump to conclusions, but¡­¡­ I¡¯ve heard stories about someone in the Dragon King Syndicate who has simr abilities: a rare type of dragonkin called a ¡°life dragonkin¡±¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So it really was the Dragon King Syndicate!¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let them get away with this!¡¹

    After recalling the same story as Sophie, the adventurers immediately expressed their indignation. They seemed willing to charge into the Dragon King Syndicate at any moment.

    Sophie, perhaps sensing this, raised her voice in a panic.

    ¡¸Everyone! It was indeed the dragonkin who attacked us! But there is no proof that the attacker was actually a member of the Dragon King Syndicate!¡¹

    That¡¯s the saintess for you, she grabbed the attention of all adventurers immediately. Her voice rung clear, probably thanks to her singing skills.

    ¡¸There is a possibility that someone is trying to pit the Adventurers Guild and the Dragon King Syndicate against each other!¡¹

    ¡¸B-But why would they do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly! What¡¯s in it for them if we fight?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know the reason either, but think about it. What reason would the Dragon King Syndicate have to attack the guild in the first ce?¡¹

    Sophie knew about Filuria¡¯s devious n, so she warned against jumping to conclusions. The adventurers, on the other hand, were not so convinced.

    Well, that¡¯s not surprising since many of them just witnessed the dragonkin killing their friends.

    ¡¸Besides, the life dragonkin was not supposed to be very powerful.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Everyone¡¯s heard the stories about the member of Dragon King Syndicate with the rare life attribute, but he was always said to be a support member with lowbat ability.¡¹

    We¡¯ve been told about rare dragonkin withposite attributes, rather than the usual earth, water, fire, and wind. If there¡¯s a dragonkin with the life attribute, I can easily see him having a heal blocking ability.

    Just because he had that ability doesn¡¯t mean he would be able to kill Prear with it though.

    Prear may be a prick, but he was a guildmaster and a very capable fighter.

    The culprit would need to be incredibly powerful to ughter Prear so easily. Given the situation, it¡¯s too soon to say this life dragonkin guy is guilty.

    Wouldn¡¯t it be more likely for the real mastermind to be setting up the life dragonkin to take the me?

    Either way, the adventurers found the Dragon King Syndicate incredibly suspicious. All the circumstantial evidence pointed to them.

    ¡¸The fastest way to found out is to ask the Dragon King Syndicate directly! Let¡¯s head over immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! We can have them spit out everything they know!¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯ve gotta be the culprits!¡¹

    The anger that had once been suppressed was about to be rekindled.

    Fran stepped forward in front of the adventurers.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll go check it out. You should prepare for the antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-san.¡¹

    Everyone here knew about Fran. Even those that didn¡¯t know her identity saw her abilities just now.

    None of the adventurers couldin about her proposal, regardless of how strongly they felt about it.

    Some may have heard her arguing with Prear, but her actions during the dragonkin battle and rescue operation left a much greater impact.

    No one brought up that incident.

    ¡¸Sophie, you take care of the rest.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure. Be careful, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 897

    <h4>897: Conflict Diffused</h4>

    We headed for the nearest branch of the Dragon King Syndicate, and on the way we realized the extent of the panic.

    The people in this town were generally indifferent to each other. Many of them hadplicated histories, and the unspoken rule of not caring about the past was probably at the root of this indifference.

    Still, it was impossible stay unbothered after witnessing a huge pir of fire in the middle of town, as well as all the adventurers running around.

    Many residents were out in the streets, whispering to each other with anxious looks on their faces.

    Looking down from above, we could see the streets jammed with residents.

    Even when the antidemon advance party attacked the city, there had not been this much chaos.

    ¡ºJust who were those dragonkin¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸The Dragon King Syndicate?¡¹

    ¡ºIf so, I don¡¯t see why they would attack the guild.¡»

    The Dragon King Syndicate was engaged in a conflict with the Beastmen Union. Also, the red-scaled guy said it was some kind of job, right?

    The dragonkin didn¡¯t show any signs of hatred toward the guild, so it wasn¡¯t like we were caught up in a gang war or anything.

    ¡¸Maybe they¡¯re working for Filuria.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a possibility.¡»

    Filuria was on the side inciting the war.

    But it¡¯s also possible that the Dragon King Syndicate really did order their warriors to attack us. In the end, we could only learn the truth by tracking down the culprits.

    ¡¸There¡¯s a fight.¡¹

    ¡ºWe were toote!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We flew through the skies of Sendia, approaching the building of the Dragon King Syndicate. The sounds of angry shouts and shing swords started entering our ears.

    It seems that many people were already engaged in battle.

    We found quite a fierce brawl in the streets surrounding the Dragon King Syndicate building. However, something was off.

    ¡¸There¡¯s many beastmen.¡¹

    ¡ºDry¡¯s here too, so it must be the Beastmen Union.¡»

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    Just like Fran muttered, we had no clue why the Beastmen Union was here. Were they teaming up with the adventurers or something? No, after closer inspection, we could see ces where the adventurers shed with beastmen as well.

    Before us seemed to be a three-way battle.

    Isn¡¯t this really bad? But how can we stop a conflict that has grown this out of control¡­¡­?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll stop them.¡¹

    ¡ºHow?¡»

    ¡¸First, I¡¯ll shout it out loud!¡¹

    ¡ºShout?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran nodded her head then activated the wind magic, Sound Spread, a spell to amplify sound and deliver it over wide areas.

    She activated it with a massive amount of mana and took a deep breath. Then, she screamed the loudest she¡¯s ever screamed.

    Amplified by the spell, her voice shook the entire area.

    ¡¸<strong>STOP FIGHTING! NOW!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºWhoooa?¡»

    ¡¸Gwan!¡¹

    The sound was immense, causing my entire de to tremble. Meanwhile, Urushi let loose a scream and Fran herself stared in disbelief.

    ¡ºHeal. Urushi, you okay?¡»

    ¡¸Kuhn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    Even the tough Urushi took damage from the unexpected explosion of noise next to his ear.

    None of the people really listened to Fran¡¯s words. Many were simply surprised by the sudden noise, pausing their movements as they looked around cautiously.

    However, the others were too enraged to even care. Fran shouted again, but to no avail.

    Oh, and this time, I blocked out the sound so that me, Fran, and Urushi were all safe.

    ¡¸Mrgh. They won¡¯t stop.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat now?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m gonna make them stop.¡¹

    After her deration, Fran pulled me out and gave onest warning.

    ¡¸<strong>IF YOU DON¡¯T STOP FIGHTING, I¡¯LL USE FORCE!</strong>¡¹

    If they¡¯re still going now, I don¡¯t think anything we say can stop them.

    About 30% of them stopped fighting altogether, and another 30% continued ring at each other while remaining cautious of Fran. The remaining 40% ignored herpletely.

    After confirming that, Fran nodded once before diving into action.

    ¡¸Stun Bolt!¡¹

    ¡ºOh boy, it alwayses down to this!¡»

    But it¡¯s still better than the alternative. If all three organizations suffer a bunch of casualties, the war will only intensify. They wouldn¡¯t be able to back down at that point.

    Leaving Fran and Urushi to handle thebat portion, I focused on the healing.

    With life detection and appraisal, I could cast wide area recovery spells on the areas with more injured people. Previously, I could only use Area Heal centered on myself, but now I can cast it at a distance.

    This also healed people I wasn¡¯t trying to target, but that¡¯s better than missing the people who needed it.

    Meanwhile, Fran kept sting out thunder spells from the air, but a few were capable of resisting thunder. She would have to stop them physically.

    Fran dived down and silenced them with her fists and blunt edge strikes.

    Fortunately, none of the people against us had much ability. The ones who did already stopped by Fran¡¯s first warning.

    In less than five minutes, the fight had calmed down for the moment. Half of them were just standing there wordlessly, and the other half was unconscious.

    Frannded in front of the Dragon King Syndicate branch and shouted with her wind magic again.

    ¡¸Everyone gather here! If you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll beat you up! Drag the ones who can¡¯t move!¡¹

    All of them noticed the anger in her voice. The adventurers and ouws hurriedly began moving

 Chapter 898

    <h4>898: Tracking the Assants</h4>

    Five minutes after Fran stopped the three-way battle by force.

    More than 100 adventurers and ouws were lined up in front of the Dragon King Syndicate branch. Some of them were unconscious, but their friends carried them over as ordered by Fran.

    Fran crossed her arms in front of the restless men, clearly angry. All of them were powerless in front of her intimidating aura.

    She waspletely recognized as a superior, so barely any peopleined. A select few attempted to say something in return, but their bosses managed to convince them otherwise.

    I can see why, since the more powerful ones would understand just how fearsome Fran could be.

    ¡¸Dry,e here.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay.¡¹

    Dry came forward after being called, looking very timid. He used a casual tone thest time we spoke, but it seems he¡¯s switched to a polite tone now.

    Though he¡¯s supposed to be the leader of the beastmen here, he certainly didn¡¯t have the dignity of the role.

    The young beastmen gave him looks of disappointment, but Dry must have been more concerned with Fran¡¯s anger.

    He walked up in front of Fran, the rabbit ears on his head bobbing side to side.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Seiza.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Seiza.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, of course!¡¹

    After Dry quickly sat down in the seiza pose, Fran looked satisfied. Now she stared at the corner where the adventurers were gathered.

    After observing the trembling adventurers for a while, she pointed at a warrior. He was the strongest one among them.

    ¡¸You, the adventurer. Come here and sit.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay.¡¹

    The man she pointed at came forward with a pale face. Rather than stopping him, the other adventurers gave him a push to the back.

    Probably a signal to hurry up before Fran gets angry again.

    The man slowly moved forward before seating himself in the seiza pose.

    ¡¸Who¡¯s the highest dragonkin here?¡¹

    ¡¸M-Me.¡¹

    ¡¸Come here.¡¹

    ¡¸Urgh¡­¡­¡¹

    I thought he might resist a little, but he ended up obeying as well. As Fran ordered, he too took the seiza pose.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why were you fighting? Dry.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh, well, the Dragon King Syndicate raided us, so we wanted to get back at them¡­¡­¡¹

    After hearing Dry¡¯s words, some of the dragonkin tried to raise their voices. They couldn¡¯t let this statement slide.

    But none of them could open their mouths.

    Because when Fran turned to stare at them, they immediately froze.

    As a result, no one uttered a word. Some of the lower ranked adventurers and ouws lost their bnce and could no longer continue standing.

    Well, it¡¯s probably quieter that way, so we can leave it at that.

    ¡¸Raid? The dragonkin attacked you?¡¹

    ¡¸Right! They sent like ten of them at us!¡¹

    ¡¸So why did you think it was the Dragon King Syndicate? There are plenty other dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸There was a guy from the Dragon King Syndicate among them! He¡¯s a famous spearman, so there¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve mistaken him!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ Then you¡¯re next.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes.¡¹

    And so, Fran continued questioning the three of them.

    In summary, it seems that the culprits were all members of the Dragon King Syndicate. The dragonkin man initially tried to deny these ims, but he quickly fell silent after hearing their physical descriptions.

    However, none of them knew the reason behind this series of dragonkin attacks.

    In the first ce, the assants worked for the Dragon King Syndicate, but not in the town of Sendia. All of them were warriors from other towns, serving the Dragon King directly.

    Even fellow members of the Dragon King Syndicate were unaware of their arrival, as well as their current location.

    If we believe the words of the beastmen, it seems they tracked the culprits down to this very building.

    ¡ºUrushi¡­ Any scents?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºCan you track it?¡»

    It seems that Urushi¡¯s nose locked on to something.

    ¡¸Are they close?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Franpletely ignored the men and started walking away with Urushi.

    However, her steps stopped after about 15 meters. Urushi had led us to the building neighboring the Dragon King Syndicate.

    ¡¸What is this ce?¡¹

    ¡¸T-This is our warehouse.¡¹

    She asked a nearby dragonkin, who said it was their warehouse building for storing various items.

    Fran entered the warehouse without hesitation, but there was no one there. Well, that¡¯s not surprising since we didn¡¯t sense anyone either.

    However, Urushi walked forward with confident steps and continued deeper inside.

    He stopped in front of the wall at the end of the hallway. Then, he scratched the spot with his paw.

    ¡ºA hidden passageway?¡»

    ¡¸I got it.¡¹

    Fran kicked the wall. Arge hole opened to reveal a staircase leading down to the basement.

    Fran and Urushi went down the stairs, with Dry and the others following behind them. We didn¡¯t tell them to follow us, but I guess they were curious too.

    We went down a long flight of stairs, about 100 steps. At the end of the stairs, there was a small room and a single passage leading forward.

    This passage looked somehow familiar to me, just like the underground passageway connected to the basement of the Sanatorium. The size and the material of the walls were very simr.

    Maybe both were constructed at the same time.

    ¡ºDid they use this passageway to escape?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Let¡¯s chase them.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸Khun.¡¹

    However, Urushi did not proceed through the passageway, instead walking around the small room at the bottom of the stairs. It seems the scent got cut off in this small room, so it didn¡¯t continue through the passage in front of us.

    Fran also tilted her head.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ Something strange¡­ like Seliadot¡¯s wards¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    More warding stones? I decided to use my Magic Disruption skill on the whole room. Then, something unusual appeared on the right-hand wall.

    To my surprise, there was another passageway there. It seems to have been hidden by warding stones covering an illusion projecting magic tool. My Magic Disruption must have destroyed the illusion.

    This passageway was more rough, clearly having been dug out haphazardly.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi barked happily. It seems he was able to follow the scent again.

    The assants must have fled into here.

 Chapter 899

    <h4>899: Crystal Room</h4>

    We went down the underground passage we discovered, with Dry and the others following us.

    Urushi led us through while continuously sniffing the ground. It seems there¡¯s still a long way to go before reaching our destination.

    Then, after walking a few hundred meters through the winding underground passage.

    Urushi suddenly stopped.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    He immediately concealed his presence and began to sneak forward. Something must be around the next corner.

    Everyone tensed up as they followed Urushi¡¯s example and hid themselves.

    Urushi and Fran stuck their heads out of the corner to peak ahead, and we saw a faint light shining from the end of the underground passage.

    There was one more corner ahead of us, with a blueish-purple light faintly illuminating the walls and ceiling.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran turned and made a ¡°Shhhh¡± pose with her index finger in front of her mouth to the ones behind her. Dry and the others nodded silently in response.

    The rabbit beastman Dry had three of his men here. Meanwhile, the adventurer and dragonkin representatives both brought two subordinates, making a total of ten followers.

    Each of them was reasonablypetent, so we had no issues sneaking around.

    We continued slowly forward for a few minutes.

    That¡¯s when we arrived at the corner in question.

    Again, Fran, Urushi and I peeked around the corner¡­¡­

    ¡ºWhoa, what¡¯s going on? Are those some kinda magic crystals? They¡¯re covering the entire room.¡»

    £¨I don¡¯t feel any mana.£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    We found a reasonablyrge, hall-like room around the corner. A number of glowing crystals had been ced throughout the hall, and they seemed to be the source of the blueish-purple light.

    Each crystal was toorge to easily grab in one hand, so they should be emitting a ton of mana. Yet neither I, Fran nor Urushi could sense any manaing from them.

    £¨¡­¡­Probably due to warding stones.£©

    ¡ºMakes sense. So they put them at the entrance as well as here? Why so much security?¡»

    Was Seliadot allied with these dragonkin? Or maybe was it Filuria who gave them the warding stones?

    ¡ºDo you see anyone?¡»

    £¨Dunno.£©

    At the very least, we didn¡¯t notice anyone from this position. I tried to look into the rest of the room using Hawkeye and Farsight, but I ended up getting blocked by the warding stones.

    Was the room really empty though?

    ¡ºUrushi, how¡¯s the scent?¡»

    £¨Kuhn.£©

    I guess the trail cuts off here because of the warding stones.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll have to go in ourselves. This ce is obviously suspicious, so don¡¯t let your guards down.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    I wondered whether or not I should break the wards, but decided to leave them there for now. That gives us the element of surprise.

    As Fran pulled me out of my sheathe and held me at the ready, Dry and the others realized the possibility of enemies as well.

    They nodded back at us after grabbing their weapons, signaling that they too were ready forbat.

    That¡¯s when we rushed into the room all at once.

    ¡ºThere they are!¡»

    There was a smaller room that we couldn¡¯t see from the corner, and the dragonkin were all there. They seemed to be on a break, sitting in their chairs and frozen in surprise.

    This was the perfect chance for us, but everyone except Fran and Urushi froze just as much as the dragonkin.

    Since they now sensed the evil energy. An incredibly dense and powerful evil swirled around the entire room.

    It seemed to be radiating from these blueish-purple crystals.

    But the dragonkin were our first priority. Franunched a spell at them as she scolded the men behind her.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸S-Sorry!¡¹

    ¡¸Right!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s shout proved to be effective, and her underlings immediately began moving into action.

    The dragonkin saw this and prepared to intercept us. Well, Fran and I already took down five of them with Stun Bolts!

    However, most of them seemed to have high resistance to magic, so they avoided Stun Bolt¡¯s paralysis.

    ¡¸W-We¡¯re under attack!¡¹

    ¡¸How did they get here?!¡¹

    ¡¸Now that they know about this ce, we mustn¡¯t let them get away alive!¡¹

    There were a total of 25 dragonkin at this location. That¡¯s more than the reported assants from the Adventurers Guild and the Beastmen Unionbined.

    Some of them were quite strong. No, I¡¯d have to say all of them were decent. Just not strong enough to handle us.

    The most capable one was Rank B, and second ce seemed to be about Rank C?

    I tried to get more details by using appraisal, but that got repelled. Then, after smacking them with Magic Disruption, my appraisal soon began working again.

    The dragonkin were left puzzled, probably because they realized their wards had disappeared. Fran didn¡¯t miss that chance and cut down a few with little resistance.

    Heads flew off with blood spurting out everywhere.

    £¨We should be fine as long as we spare a few of the leaders.£©

    ¡ºGot it.¡»

    Fran already realized the difficulty of capturing all of them alive. That¡¯s why we decided to kill off the weaker ones without mercy.

 Chapter 900

    <h4>900: Root of Evil</h4>

    We began our assault on the dragonkin in the underground hall. Though outnumbered, we quickly managed to gain the upper hand.

    Our initial ambush took ten of them down, which shook the dragonkin up quite a bit. That¡¯s when Fran, Urushi, and I sted away with spells.

    Though the hall wasrge, we were still in a confined underground space. They didn¡¯t have sufficient room to avoid our spells, so our barrage struck down one dragonkin after another.

    Furthermore, Urushi attacked from the shadows and neutralized the weaker dragonkin. If they managed to survive the mauling, they still couldn¡¯t move with their legs torn off.

    It also seemed like the dragonkin had a mission to protect the blueish-purple crystals emitting evil energy, so they avoided using any techniques that might damage them.

    They even dove in as human shields when any of our spells were about to hit the crystals.

    Once we realized this, the battle was practically over. Even the strongest of the dragonkin got taken out after jumping in front of a crystal.

    We had our share of injuries, but no one died. Practically a wless victory.

    ¡¸Guh! Who¡­¡­ are you¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No, who are you? We know you attacked the Adventurers Guild and the Beastmen Union. What are you after?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Answer me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hmph!¡¹

    Fran gave him a beating, but the dragonkin leader refused to open his mouth. He was a wielder of life magic, so he seemed to be capable of mitigating any pain he felt.

    My appraisal also revealed that he had the Perseverance skill. This means we¡¯d have a hard time getting him to talk.

    His name was Meruba, and it seems he was the rumored life dragonkin. Just like the other dragonkin, his status was also ¡°Domination¡±.

    Also, his stats were really high. So high that the rumors about him being rather weak didn¡¯t make sense. Did he train really hard or something?

    Among his skills, there were a few Innate Skills I didn¡¯t recognize. The most nasty one was probably ¡°Dragonshout¡±.

    The skill was simr to Dragonblood, but the elemental effect can be applied directly to mana without needing blood as a catalyst. It seems he could use it to cast powerful magic without requiring any chanting.

    However, that meant it was also less potent than Dragonblood. The average dragonkin wouldn¡¯t be able to deal much damage with it.

    But this Meruba guy¡¯s magic stats were incredibly high. If hebined Dragon Form with his Dragonshout skill, that could exin the devastation left behind at the Adventurers Guild. The powerful magical shockwave and healing inhibition effect from the life-attribute must have been the result of his powers.

    Then the question is how did he be so strong so rapidly?

    There were plenty of things we wanted to hear from him, but the life dragonkin continued to remain silent.

    That¡¯s when Dry and the others approached us, perhaps disapproving of Fran¡¯s brute force method of interrogation.

    ¡¸Um, ck Lightning Princess-san, would you like us to handle this?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re pretty used to this kind of thing.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! No worries, leave it to us.¡¹

    So she decided to let them have a shot. The roon beastman working for Dry seemed particrly talented, having skills in Interrogation, Torture, Mental Guidance, Hypnosis, etc.

    In the meanwhile, we checked out the crystals. Well, we already had an idea of what they were.

    £¨Master, this is¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºYou remember too? There¡¯s no doubt about it, these are evil crystals.¡»

    £¨I knew it.£©

    These evil crystals were used as ritual tools by the fiendmancer Linford. He managed tomunicate with the Evil God and obtain a tremendous amount of power.

    The crystal¡¯s appearance and evil energy perfectly matched the ones we had seen previously.

    The only difference being this underground hall had even more evil crystals than before.

    ¡¸This magic circle matches too.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, the ritual preparations might already beplete. Nothing good cane out of evil crystals, so let¡¯s destroy them.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    As Fran readied me, one of the dragonkin screamed at the sight. Not the life dragonkin under interrogation, but another of the dragonkin we had tied up.

    ¡¸No! Stop! STOOOP!¡¹

    He started thrashing about in a fit of madness. Even those his limbs were tied up, he repeatedly attempted to crawl towards Fran.

    And he wasn¡¯t the only one. The life dragonkin under interrogation, as well as all the other dragonkin, soon began shouting at Fran simrly.

    Such panicked and crazed expressions made me wonder if they were truly sane.

    ¡¸Ugrahhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Stop! Stoooop!¡¹

    Dry was also taken aback by the unusual behavior of the dragonkin.

    ¡¸Umm. ck Lightning Princess-san, what are these blue crystals?¡¹

    ¡¸Evil crystals. The source of this room¡¯s evil energy.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see. They may be under some kind of hypnosis to protect them.¡¹

    That¡¯s certainly possible. Rather than hypnosis, it seems to be the work of whoever is dominating them.

    I told Fran to sheathe me for the time being, otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be able to get info out of them anymore. After seeing this, the dragonkin seemed to rx a bit.

    They were still breathing heavily, but they were no longer half-crazed. Showing hostility towards the evil crystals must be the trigger.

    ¡ºWe can destroy the evil crystalster, since we don¡¯t want the dragonkin to go berserk. Our first priority is to interrogate them and find out what¡¯s going on.¡»

    I couldn¡¯t say for sure if the dragonkin would stay sane after we destroy the crystals. If theypletely lost their minds, we wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything more out of them.

    So we decided to check out the rest of the room instead. That¡¯s when we found another secret passage, probably the dragonkin¡¯s escape route.

    We¡¯ll have to check out this passageter.

 Chapter 901

    <h4>901: Georg the Dragon King</h4>

    Fran was left pacing back and forth through the room.

    We couldn¡¯t touch the evil crystals since it might interfere with the interrogation. It might be okay to store them rather than destroying them, but I didn¡¯t want to take the risk.

    So we just yed it safe for the time being, examining the rest of the hall. After Fran ran out of things to look at, someone called over to her.

    Dry must have finished the interrogation.

    ¡¸Are you done already?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It seems that burst of madness earlier weakened whatever was controlling him, allowing our hypnosis to work. We got him talking now.¡¹

    Dry, you¡¯re like a true underling now, huh?

    It seems that incident worked to our advantage. Maybe the power dominating these guys gets expended slightly every time they are forced to obey.

    The life dragonkin simply sat on the ground,pletely expressionless. He looked to be in aplete daze and didn¡¯t react as Fran approached him.

    The roon beastman¡¯s hypnosis must have worked perfectly.

    ¡¸So they¡¯re the attackers?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure of it.¡¹

    Dry and the others exined the intel they had gotten from the dragonkin.

    These were warriors under the directmand of the Dragon King, the one who ordered the attack. The Dragon King had them bound with the Dragon Domination skill, forcing them to obey his orders.

    This skill allows him topletely brainwash any target, as long as they have a certain amount of loyalty to him in the first ce. It also draws out and strengthens theirtent powers.

    While it seems he can¡¯t dominate just anyone, it¡¯s still an incredibly nasty skill.

    The dragonkin here were given the order to protect this ce even if it costs them their lives. That exins why they went crazy when we attempted to destroy the crystals.

    Finally, the Dragon King ordered them to incite a war between the gangs. Filuria and the Dragon King must have been working together behind the scenes.

    ¡¸Dragon King Georg¡­¡­¡¹

    The name of the other mastermind behind this incident, alongside Filuria.

    ¡¸Why did he want a war?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems his goal was to empower the evil crystals in this room.¡¹

    The ritual magic circle absorbed power from the souls of anyone dying in the city, and store that energy in the evil crystals.

    Then, the Dragon King nned to use the charged crystals to perform yet another ritual.

    Destroying a city, evil crystals, and a ritual circle. The Dragon King¡¯s scheme exactly matched the fiendmancer Linford¡¯s plot to the letter.

    There¡¯s no way he could have any decent goal in mind.

    That¡¯s when Fran asked something she was concerned about.

    ¡¸How much is Seliadot helping the Dragon King?¡¹

    ¡¸I wasn¡¯t able to find that out. Sorry.¡¹

    The one who answered her was the roon beastman in charge of the interrogation. He seemed to be an intellectual type, speaking calmly without any fear of Fran.

    ¡¸Then where did they get the warding stones?¡¹

    ¡¸The Dragon King handed them over directly. It seems these guys don¡¯t know exactly where they came from.¡¹

    Since they had warding stones, I thought Seliadot might be in cahoots with the enemy. However, she¡¯s being subtle about it, at the very least.

    It¡¯s possible Filuria passed the wards along without her permission.

    Is Seliadot friend or foe? And what is her goal? Since she rescued Sophie, there¡¯s gotta be something more to it¡­¡­

    ¡¸And who caused the explosion at the guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah yes, I¡¯ve found the answer to that too.¡¹

    One of the adventurers who was helping with the interrogation asked a question about that as well.

    ¡¸They say the dragonkin with the Dragonblood skill blew himself up by letting his ability go out of control.¡¹

    So it really was a suicide bomb after all.

    The Dragon King must have manipted that red-scaled dragonkin into sacrificing his own life for the explosion. That only proves just how powerful his domination was.

    ¡¸Where is the Dragon King?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems they don¡¯t know his location.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Why?¡¹

    The Dragon King apparently wasn¡¯t in this city to begin with. He never told Meruba his exact location, only that he nned toe secretly after the evil crystals charged up enough power.

    Does that mean he can remotely check the status of the evil crystals? If a high-ranking member like Meruba didn¡¯t know his whereabouts, it may be quite difficult to search him out.

    ¡¸What does Dragon King Georg look like?¡¹

    ¡¸They say he is an evil dragonkin with dark eyes, dark hair, and a thin figure.¡¹

    ¡¸Shouldn¡¯t he be killed if he¡¯s an evil dragonkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently he¡¯s a rare type of evil dragonkin that kept his sanity. Their race allowed him to live because of his strength.¡¹

    If the Dragon King truly was an evil dragonkin, then he might be able to perform evil rituals. I was wondering if he had some sort of fiendmancer cooperating with him, but maybe he can simply perform the rituals by himself.

    Also, the Dragon King being an evil dragonkin would exin why the other dragonkin barely talked about him. They didn¡¯t want the rumors getting out about an evil dragonkin allowed to run free.

    Many dragonkin were ashamed at having to borrow the power of an evil dragonkin, so they would want to keep his existence a secret from the other races. There seems to be a deep-rooted racial discrimination at y there.

    Young dragonkin or those of poor status, such as the dragonkin from this city, were unaware about this fact. Even if they heard rumors about a living evil dragonkin, they never connected the rumors to the self-proimed Dragon King.

    But shouldn¡¯t at least the elders of the dragonkin settlements know about him?

    Moreover, we might be able to track him down if we follow the trail of evil energy back to the source. This is good to know.

    We were able to get a lot of useful info from the interrogation, but there was still a big job left unfinished.

    ¡ºWell, now that we¡¯ve heard what they have to say, we can finally destroy the evil crystals.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 902

    <h4>902: Tremors</h4>

    After knocking the dragonkin out, we turned over to the evil crystals. They kept radiating a dense fiendish aura, as usual.

    The evil contained in these crystals was way more than the ones we saw in Bulbora. Now that I think about it, that¡¯s not a surprise considering all the energy-packed antidemons here.

    This continent was basically the perfect environment for gathering evil energy. There¡¯s no way we can let anyone perform a ritual here.

    ¡ºShatter it, then put the fragments in storage. We won¡¯t leave anything behind.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll destroy them.¡¹

    I thought about saving some as evidence, but that would be pretty scary. Especially since we don¡¯t know who we can trust here.

    We¡¯ve already got the dragonkin as living proof, so we can give them a shardter or something.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, can we leave it to you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Dry and the others moved back out of the way.

    They knew the evil crystals wouldn¡¯t break easily.

    Fran took a deep, quiet breath, holding me at waist height. Then, she swung down her de.

    With a high pitched noise, the evil crystal was split in half by Fran¡¯s Sheaths of Wind.

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    £¨Master? Are you okay?£©

    ¡ºY-Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I was just a little surprised at the evil energy flowing into me.¡»

    £¨Evil energy? Did you cannibalize it?£©

    ¡ºNo, nothing like that¡­¡­¡»

    The evil energy got sucked into my de as if it was a sponge absorbing water. It didn¡¯t heal me or anything, it just vanished into thin air.

    Could it be because of my Evil Domination skill? Or did the Evil God Fragment sealed inside me affect something?

    This made me a little uneasy, but I didn¡¯t feel anything in particr from the Evil God Fragment¡¯s seal. What in the world just happened¡­¡­?

    I turned my attention to my inner self, but I still wasn¡¯t able to figure it out.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, do you know what¡¯s going on?¡»

    ¡¶Negative. Confirmed the disappearance of evil energy. Individual Master did not sustain any damage. Currently investigating the presence of further anomalies.¡·

    If Announcer-san has no clue what¡¯s going on, there¡¯s not much I can do. Still plenty of crystals left, so I¡¯ll keep¨D¨D

    ¡¸Urgaaaaaaaaahhh!¡¹

    Suddenly, a crazed roar echoed through the room. Like I had worried, the dragonkin were affected.

    ¡¸They¡¯ve gone berserk again.¡¹

    ¡ºIt seems the hypnosis has been broken too.¡»

    The captive dragonkin woke up and began writhing violently. They attacked us with skills and magic despite being tied up.

    If I had destroyed the evil crystals during the interrogation, we would never have been able to get them to talk.

    After that, we couldn¡¯t manage to knock them out again, so they just kept on rampaging. Some of them even broke their own arms trying to tear off the ropes that bound them.

    And even then, they did not stop. They¡¯ll escape sooner orter at this rate. All we could do now was put an end to them.

    It¡¯s a pity, because I would have liked to turn them in as witnesses.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s deal with the rest of the evil crystals for now. Since we failed to get any witnesses, it might not be a good idea to destroy all of them though.¡»

    £¨Then what do we do?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯ll grab one of them first.¡»

    I really wanted to avoid to putting these in storage, but it¡¯s the only way. After securing one evil crystal, we destroyed the rest. Like I saw earlier, the evil energy still got sucked into my sword.

    £¨Master. How is it? Do you feel strange?£©

    ¡ºI don¡¯t feel any different.¡»

    £¨Good.£©

    We also split up and destroyed the magic circle on the floor together. I used Magic Disruption, while the others attacked by chipping away at the floor.

    I couldn¡¯t sense any more mana in the room, so we should havepletely thwarted the Dragon King¡¯s n.

    We¡¯ve destroyed his ritualpletely, but there¡¯s still another passage. I really doubt the Dragon King will be down there, but we need to check it out.

    The group moved forward with Fran in the lead. Well, they tried to, but¨D¨D

    Boom! Roooar!

    Suddenly, a huge impact shook the underground passageway, stopping Fran and the others in their tracks. Immediately after the impact, there was another tremor.

    Pebbles fell from the ceiling of the tunnel, with dust flying through the air.

    It didn¡¯t feel like an earthquake, so what the hell just happened?

    ¡¸We hurry and leave.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay!¡¹

    Unlike the previous tunnel, this passageway was very makeshift. To be honest, it might copse at any moment.

    We decided to cancel the search and rush back to the entrance.

    Fran and I cast a support spell on all of us, after which we dashed through the underground passageway as fast as possible. By the time we returned to the za, all but Fran and Urushi were drenched in sweat.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t see the ouws anymore.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Did they just leave? Or was it something to do with the tremor? We checked out the branch office of the Dragon King Syndicate, but the building was deserted too.

    Perhaps they left in a hurry, since there were half-eaten fruits and unfinished drinks on the table. We looked upstairs, but no one was there either.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Not even a liaison left behind¡­¡­¡¹

    The dragonkin who followed us back through the underground passage growled with a look of annoyance. It seems they found the situation at their base unusual as well.

    That¡¯s when we heard Dry¡¯s voice, who was waiting outside.

    ¡¸Sis! I heard what¡¯s going on!¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    It seems he and his buddies went asking around instead of just waiting outside.

    We returned to the za and asked them to tell us what they learned. That¡¯s when we found out about the terrible urrence.

    Although it was impossible to see from here because of the buildings in the way, a part of the city wall had copsed.

    We rushed up to the rooftop of the building and confirmed that one section of the huge wall surrounding the city had indeed been destroyed.

    The incident happened near the east gate. Even from this distance, I could see a fairlyrge portion of the wall missing, a length of more than 100 meters.

    The wall¡¯s copse probably caused the tremor from earlier.

    The dragonkin at this branch must have been dispatched to deal with the issue. Then, the remaining dragonkin went to their headquarters to ask for instructions from their superiors.

    The beastmen likely did the same.

    ¡¸Sis! We¡¯re going back to the hideout too. Sorry for all the trouble we caused you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Say hi to Bryne and the others.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure.¡¹

    We¡¯ll have to get back to the guild. We need to let them know what happened to the attackers, and maybe we can get some more information about the copsed wall.

 Chapter 903

    <h4>903: Side - Seliadot (1)</h4>

    So the Saintess left with the ck Lightning Princess.

    ¡¸Seliadot, chase after those girls! Now!¡¹

    Oh dear, this noisy woman has really done a number on my rtionship with those two.

    Given the ck Lightning Princess¡¯ nature and disposition¡­¡­

    I should have been able to gain her assistance if things worked out. Either way, I¡¯ve already gotten enough assurance. It¡¯s about time to end this.

    ¡¸Seliadot! Are you even listening to me!?¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh. I¡¯m hearing you loud and clear, Medical Director-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Then answer me faster, you worthless fool! Why did you let those girls escape in the first ce?! Hurry up and capture them, especially the ck cat girl!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Can you be silent for a minute.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh¨D¨D?¡¹

    Medical Director Filuria lost consciousness after I gave her a light poke. Like I thought, shecked any physical strength.

    ¡¸Up you go.¡¹

    I picked up Filuria on my shoulder and gave orders to the soldiers around us. I shouldn¡¯t have the authority tomand them, but many soldiers obeyed because of the confusion of the situation.

    ¡¸Medical Director-dono appears to be a bit fatigued, and I must check on her injuries. Thus, I will be escorting her to her room. You all handle the patients here.¡¹

    ¡¸A-At once!¡¹

    Many of the patients were too confused to even move.

    ¡¸W-What should we do¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Where is the Saintess¡­¡­?¡¹

    They didn¡¯t know who to believe, the Medical Director or the Saintess. It¡¯s like having two brains each saying different things. The guards were also in a simr panic.

    ¡¸I will speak with Medical Director-dono, since she was clearly not in her right mind. All of you need only think about your own jobs.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹

    Without the soldiers doing their jobs, the Sanatorium wouldn¡¯t be able to function. They have yet to handle all the civilians incited by Filuria, after all.

    Before Filuria woke up, I carried her to her room to separate her from the soldiers.

    I put Filuria on her bed, shutting her off from the outside world with a ward. Now there is no danger of anyone hearing us.

    ¡¸Well then¡­¡­¡¹

    I¡¯ve been polite so far in order to learn what I needed about the organization, but that ends today. Now I only need her to talk, even if my methods get a little rough.

    I poked Filuria¡¯s sleeping body again. Her petite body flinched and her eyes slowly opened.

    ¡¸Seliadot¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸How are you feeling?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­¡­ Ah! That¡¯s right! Those irritating girls! Seliadot, you¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Can you shut up for a minute?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you smiling about!?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah man, how annoying.¡¹

    ¡¸Seliadot, you¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, calm down a little. Have you looked in a mirrortely?¡¹

    Filuria realized what I said and turned even redder as she got up from the bed. Then, she red down at me as if looking at an inferior existence.

    ¡¸Sigh. I¡¯m getting pretty tired of these games. I think it¡¯s about time to stop ying around.¡¹

    As soon as Filuria stood up, I walked over and jammed my fist into her gut.

    ¡¸Ugeh!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, how disgusting.¡¹

    Filuria fell to the ground spewing gastric juice, her body bent in a crumpled heap.

    ¡¸W-What¡­¡­ Do you know¡­ what you¡¯ve¡­ just done?!¡¹

    Filuria red up at me, her eyes filled with more anger than fear. Meanwhile, she was casting her restoration magic the entire time. As always, she sure was a talented healer.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t¡­¡­! You won¡¯t get away with this!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re as loud as ever. Well, it matters little. Moving on, I have some questions for you.¡¹

    ¡¸S-Silence! Someonee over here! Take down this traitor!¡¹

    ¡¸They can¡¯t hear you through the wards.¡¹

    I simply allowed Filuria to do whatever she wanted in order to break her heart more easily. That¡¯s when she clutched the pendant on her chest and shouted into it.

    ¡¸Seliadot has gone crazy! Come and save me immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s no use. I built that, so I can disable it in a heartbeat.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹

    She attempted to use the acoustic warding stone for emergency calls, but the ward I ced on this room is a higher level technique. Nothing she can do will make it through.

    ¡¸W-Why did you betray me¡­¡­? You were supposed to be an adventurer who always followed her contract¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t say that. The people I¡¯ve broken a contract with are simply no longer in this world, so you never heard them talking about it.¡¹

    My reputation of being money-hungry and protecting any contract? I only allow that because it means criminal organizations are more likely to hire me. If it¡¯s in my best interest to break a contract, then I¡¯ll do so without hesitation.

    ¡¸B-But why?! Money? Are you a double agent for someone else?¡¹

    ¡¸Neither. By the way, have you ever heard of the lorelei, Medical Director-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Lorelei? That mythical race?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, yes. So you know them?¡¹

    The lorelei are a race that died out due to a certain reason, who are now considered mythical because of their rarity.

    They are characterized by an appearance that makes them look young to other races, even as adults, as well as having the tail of a fish. They have ears and blond hair simr to those of elves, and a simrly long life span.

    After activating the Humanize skill, many will mistake them for young elves. As long as they avoid appraisal, they can blend into much of society by pretending to be an elf.

    After my exnation, it seems Filuria finally realized my race. Her eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡¸Then you¡¯re¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, a lorelei survivor. One of the few remaining after the ve army wiped us out.¡¹

 Chapter 904

    <h4>904: Side - Seliadot (2)</h4>

    ¡¸Indeed, a lorelei survivor. One of the few remaining after the ve army wiped us out. Not that I can really me the illegal ves for their actions. All my hatred belongs to the one controlling them.¡¹

    My country, the nation of the lorelei, was destroyed by vers.

    It¡¯s not like our species waspletely wiped out, but we were few in number to begin with. I couldn¡¯t say for sure how many of us were still alive today.

    And the despicable viins who nearly drove us into extinction were the ve hunters.

    One day, an army of immense strength invaded us, annihting our country in an instant. I call it a country, but it was really just a single smallke deep in the continent of Chrome.

    Many fell in the sh with the ve army, and those who survived were captured. Fewer than ten managed to escape.

    The ves were led into battle by a terrifyingly powerful man who wielded poisons. I am still no match for him today, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll allow him to get away with it.

    I became an adventurer to rescue my people still in captivity, and to find that detestable poison master. As I traveled across thends, I also searched out and freed any lorelei I came across.

    I¡¯ve always been called a money-grubber because I needed money to buy back my people, many of whom were eventually registered as legal ves in the fifty years since.

    But the real problem was those still in captivity as illegal ves.

    Because of our long life span, some of my kind were still enved to countries, organizations, or noble families to this very day.

    If I wanted to reach them, I had no choice but to make contact with criminal organizations. That¡¯s why I gained a reputation for taking dirty jobs if the pay was good.

    I came to this continent after obtaining information from a ve trafficker I eliminated. They had shipped one of my kin to Gordicia.

    Moreover, I had already nned to pay a visit to Gordicia since I knew about the several ve traffickers operating on thisnd. The rumors I heard about the saintess also yed a role.

    The lorelei are a race so gifted in music that it is said we begin singing from the moment we are born.

    A voice delighting even the spirits, and the ability to make any instrument sound like a heavenly choir. Add onto that a pleasing appearance, and their value as a ve is guaranteed to skyrocket.

    After hearing the rumors of the saintess, I thought she might be one of my kin. My hunch ended up being half correct.

    The saintess was no pure blood lorelei. She seems to have had some of our blood mixed in a few generations ago, but I call her practically human now. Yet, her musical talent is as good as any lorelei¨D¨Dif not better.

    Her skills as a performer and singer were so spectacr that I, a lorelei, could not help but be entranced. I would love to hear her y properly for once.

    Escorting this unpleasant woman proved to be useful, as I was able to gather intel about illegal vers and the Dragon King¡¯s ns.

    Filuria thought I was clueless to all the warding stones she sent everywhere, but I knew.

    After all, the wards also sent everything she saw to me. I was able to pick up a lot of useful clues, especially the one about the crazed Dragon King.

    I knew I needed to destroy the Dragon King¡¯s underground facilities eventually, but it seems the ck Lightning Princess already took care of that issue. I suppose I¡¯ll leave that one to her.

    ¡¸Anyway, I have a few questions that I¡¯d appreciate an answer for.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku. Don¡¯t expect me to show any mercy to those with ties to vers. I¡¯ve lived a long life you know, so I have plenty of experience. I know a thing or two about making people listen.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    Filuria looked horrified at my threat. What a fool. If she¡¯s so afraid of a little bite, why did she bark so much in the first ce?

    ¡¸And¡­¡­ you bought a lorelei once, didn¡¯t you? How disciplined of you to mark all your purchases in your ledger.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You entered my room¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh. Did you really think I couldn¡¯t get through my own wards? Slipping through was as simple as pushing open a door. So what have you done with my kin¡­¡­? I¡¯ll be hearing your answer one way or another.¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah!¡¹

    Oh, was my face that terrifying? I do have a bad habit of losing control when I think of others abusing my kin.

    ¡¸Tell me what you know about the vers. Everything. There is no other way for you to survive.¡¹

    ¡¸Aaaaaah¡­¡­!¡¹

    Within fifteen minutes, I had most of the information I wanted. She truly was a weak woman.

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­ Ahh¡­¡­¡¹

    She¡¯s lying on the floor in a daze. Well, I¡¯ve amplified her pain so she¡¯ll probably stay that way for a while.

    ¡¸So the Adventurers Guild really does have a connection to the vers.¡¹

    The Adventurers Guild, with itsrge number of blue cats, was the perfect front. I always suspected the connection, but I never imagined the guildmaster himself would be involved.

    And now the Dragon King Syndicate. I thought for sure the Beastmen Union would be the main culprit, but to think it was actually the dragonkin behind it all¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re after, but I need to deal with them now.

    As I was sorting through the information I obtained, a huge impact shook the tower.

    ¡¸What the¡­¡­?¡¹

    I looked out the window, noticing that a part of the outer wall had copsed.

    ¡¸What! What could have happened!¡¹

    ¡¸Heeheehee¡­¡­ It¡¯s Georg¡­¡­ Georg is making his move!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Georg said he wants to destroy this city! The time hase!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! What is the Dragon King thinking?! There are many of his followers still left behind!¡¹

    ¡¸Heehee¡­¡­ Let them all perish! Alongside me!¡¹

    Without the saintess and the Medical Director, the Sanatorium was not in good hands. The organization as a whole will be paralyzed, preventing the healers and soldiers from moving in an organized manner.

    Someone needs to takemand¡­¡­ I¡¯ll have to send this woman to someone I trust afterwards. Until then, I¡¯ll keep her trapped in this room.

    I bound Filuria¡¯s hands and feet, throwing her on the bed.

    ¡¸Stay here.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha¡­¡­!¡¹

    I ced another ward on the room and hurried to the first floor. Sure enough, the tower was inplete chaos.

    I called out to one of the healers.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the situation?¡¹

    ¡¸Bodyguard-dono! Where is Filuria-sama?¡¹

    ¡¸She needs to rest because of her mental confusion. You¡¯ve heard of the wall¡¯s copse, correct? The battle with antidemons is about to begin, so we must prepare to receive patients!¡¹

    ¡¸U-Understoo¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hold it! You¡¯re a mere bodyguard! Why are you handing out orders?!¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    One of Filuria¡¯s men interrupted us. He looked down at me with an expression of rage.

    ¡¸If the Medical Director and Saintess-sama are not avable, I or the security captain will takemand! A mere bodyguard should know her ce!¡¹

    ¡¸This is no time for such nonsense!¡¹

    ¡¸It is precisely at a time like this that the chain ofmand must be firmly established to prevent chaos! You¡¯re the one that needs to stop fooling around!¡¹

    Did he suddenly decide to make a power grab when he saw the Medical Director missing? Either way, now is not the time to be arguing.

    ¡¸Gnrgh¡­¡­ Then give the orders immediately! You must prepare to receive patients, as well dispatch our forces!¡¹

    ¡¸Silence! This is none of your business! Besides, we can¡¯t afford to send out our forces! We have to protect the tower not only from the antidemons, but also from the beastmen and dragonkin! The Sanatorium¡¯s forces will defend the Sanatorium!¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t be serious!¡¹

    ¡¸Just keep your mouth shut!¡¹

    I nced around to see many confused whether they should be listening to me or him.

    Without the Sanatorium¡¯s backup, the city¡¯s defenses will be severely weakened against the uing sh with the hordes! Isn¡¯t this quite bad?

 Chapter 905

    <h4>905: Sendia''s Submaster</h4>

    When Fran arrived at the Adventurers Guild, we found many adventurers gathered there. It seems several of them were just informed about the incident at the guild, so they were stunned to see its current state.

    One of them noticed Fran, approaching us in a panic.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    He¡¯s probably one of the adventurers who was in the guild at the time of the dragonkin attack. I think I recognize him.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s Sophie?¡¹

    ¡¸T-There was a report of many injured at the Beastmen Union, so she went there to treat them¡­¡­¡­!¡¹

    Now that you mention it, we did hear about the dragonkin also going after the Beastmen Union.

    Sophie must have heard the report and dashed off to treat them, leaving this guy behind to inform us. She couldn¡¯t leave so many injured alone, especially now that the Sanatorium wasn¡¯t functioning properly.

    But what should we do with the adventurers still here? Can Fran really take charge?

    The problem was that there were too many of the weaker adventurers. Instead of constantly having worry about their safety, I¡¯d prefer to move solo if possible.

    While we were wondering what to do, a new group of about ten adventurers came running toward us. At the front was an elderly man dressed like a receptionist.

    ¡¸W-What the! The guild headquarters!¡¹

    ¡¸Submaster! I know you¡¯re upset, but you¡¯ve gotta give us instructions!¡¹

    ¡¸S-Silence! I¡¯m well aware of that!¡¹

    It seems this guy was the submaster of the guild. He must generally work at the branch office.

    The submaster started talking to the adventurers in a pompous manner. I guess we can leave the rest to him?

    Well, we couldn¡¯t just leave without at least saying hello. Fran was a high-ranking adventurer, after all.

    ¡¸Submaster?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Are you¡­¡­ the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, yes! The gods haven¡¯t given up on me yet!¡¹

    Seems like he has every intention of ordering Fran around. The submaster walked up to us and attempted to grab Fran¡¯s shoulder, but Fran simply dodged, causing him to almost trip.

    ¡¸W-What are you doing!?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line.¡¹

    ¡¸Mrrgh. W-Whatever! You stay here and protect me!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    The submaster nodded strongly in response to Fran¡¯s question. He¡¯s saying Fran, the strongest adventurer in the city, should stay here? Does he mean to keep her as a reserve force until some other location reports a crisis?

    But it seems that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡¸The dragonkin have attacked the guild, and we can¡¯t trust the beastmen either! If I am killed, there will be no one left to organize the Adventurers Guild. That would beplete chaos, so we must prevent the scenario at all costs! Therefore, I give you the esteemed task of protecting me! J-Just protect me and you can ignore everyone else!¡¹

    Wow, it¡¯s all about saving his own skin. Is he even trying to hide it?

    ¡ºAre all the guild leaders in this town so awful?¡»

    £¨Nn. I hate this guy.£©

    ¡ºMe too.¡»

    That said, we can¡¯t refuse a direct order from a superior just because we don¡¯t like him. One of the most basic rules of the guild states that adventurers are obliged to follow the guild¡¯s orders in times of emergency.

    We never have to participate in wars, but we must take part in defending the town if we are present during an bandit or monster attack.

    Since this order obviously only fulfilled the submaster¡¯s self interests, we could refuse it on that basis, but¡­¡­

    He worded it as an order to protect the guild¡¯s leader and prevent a disruption in the chain ofmand, which gives it a non-zero chance of being considered legitimate.

    If Fran refused, this could cause problemster on. We had to choose our words carefully.

    ¡¸I¡¯m good at attacking, but not at defending. I can¡¯t do it.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying!? An alias bearer like you is the only one who can protect me!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m bad at guarding people. So I don¡¯t think I can protect you well. You should take the adventurers here as your escort.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ But¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s better to have lots of people protecting you. A smart submaster would know that, right?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Well, yeah. I can understand that! I¡¯m very intelligent!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. So I¡¯m gonna intercept the antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait, wait!¡¹

    We threw in some excuses and ttery, but it seems that wasn¡¯t enough. The submaster hurried to stop Fran as she tried to turn away.

    Fine, we can try a different approach.

    ¡¸I¡¯m the best the guild has at the moment.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, exactly! That¡¯s why you must protect me!¡¹

    ¡¸If you hold back your best and cause damage to the town, this would be your responsibility.¡¹

    ¡¸W-What?¡¹

    ¡¸The submaster was so concerned for his own safety that he didn¡¯t send out his best force. It¡¯s his fault that the antidemons destroyed the town. They might say that.¡¹

    ¡¸T-That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s possible. The antidemons could break through the walls. Prear is dead, so all of it falls on the submaster.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Wait a minute! Prear-sama is really dead?¡¹

    Oh, so that¡¯s how it is. This guy must have suspected Prear to be hiding somewhere. That¡¯s why he thought he could throw all the me on Prear if anything bad happened.

    ¡¸Nn. Really. See?¡¹

    ¡¸H-He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s really dead! Is it true that the dragonkin got him?¡¹

    The submaster shouted loudly after we took out Prear¡¯s body and showed him. This caused all the eyes around us to turn toward him.

    We can¡¯t let him put it that way, since that would turn all their hatred toward the dragonkin. However, it¡¯s not like we can take the time to exin everything right now.

    Copying Prear¡¯s approach leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but we needed to do something. This isn¡¯t the time for infighting.

    ¡¸That¡¯s only half true.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸The dragonkin killed him, but I¡¯m still looking for who gave the order. I took out the attackers, but the mastermind is still atrge.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know much. Only that not all dragonkin are our enemies. The true enemy betrayed both us and the dragonkin. The other dragonkin are our allies.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. This is a bit hard to believe¡­¡­¡¹

    The submaster found our story absurd. It seems the Dragon King Syndicate making a power grab was more believable from his point of view.

    However, he ended up hesitating because he had no way of denying Fran¡¯s words, since she was the strongest adventurer here.

    ¡¸Anyways, I¡¯m going to fight. Ask someone else to escort you.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    We decided to leave while the submaster was still stunned. Fran quickly stored Prear¡¯s body again and dashed out of the guild.

 Chapter 906

    <h4>906: Blocking the Breach</h4>

    Ignoring the submaster¡¯s shouts, Fran ran toward the breach in the walls. As we got closer, we found that the battle had yet to begin.

    Still, it¡¯s only a matter of time. Antidemons don¡¯t think as logically as humans, but they are at least intelligent enough to jump on such an obvious weakpoint.

    ¡ºWe need to hurry. I¡¯m worried about how the city¡¯s defenses will function with the Adventurers Guild and the Sanatorium both paralyzed.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Upon arrival, we saw a ck wave approaching from the distance. No doubt, the antidemons out for our blood.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s only a few adventurers and guards in the vicinity.¡»

    Maybe others were still on their way, but I doubt we even have 200 people here. They won¡¯t be able to take out the antidemon army before they breach the walls. Fine, I¡¯ll just have to seal it up.

    We told the adventurers outside the walls to move back in, since we couldn¡¯t leave them stranded out there.

    I expected some resistance, but they readily obeyed. I guess they didn¡¯t care who was in charge as long as they were capable enough to handle the antidemons.

    After confirming everyone¡¯s safe return, we activated our spells.

    ¡¸Great Wall!¡¹

    ¡ºGreat Wall!¡»

    The rubble underneath Fran¡¯s feet suddenly expanded, rising up with great force. When everything was over, the gap in the wall waspletely filled up.

    If this made the antidemons rethink their advance, we could buy some time to settle the chaos in the city.

    But the horde refused to stop, continuing toward us at the exact same pace.

    It seems they realized our makeshift earth wall was more fragile than the rest of the wall.

    After all, it¡¯s just made of somewhat hardened earth. The antidemons knew they could break through it with a little effort.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Gyuooooooh!¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡ºSuch a barrage!¡»

    The antidemon hordeunched an endless rain of magic. They must have more archer-types than I thought.

    We tried to intercept the shower with barriers and spells, but there¡¯s no way we could block everything.

    The rain of magic stsnded directly on our wall. Secondster, the wall we had just repaired turned into swiss cheese and crumbled down.

    Trying to rebuild it again would just be a waste of mana.

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s the n?¡»

    ¡¸We have to fight.¡¹

    Frannded on the ins, holding me at the ready.

    ¡¸We can¡¯t let them through here. I¡¯ll buy time until help arrives.¡¹

    ¡ºBut can we even be sure anyone¡¯ll send us backup? It¡¯s more likely they¡¯ll divide their forces among all the gates. Might be a better idea to ask the dragonkin and beastmen for help directly.¡»

    ¡¸But if they get into the city, a lot of people will die.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s true, but¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay. Sophie wille, and I¡¯m sure everyone else will too. I¡¯ll protect this ce until then. Master and Urushi, you guys help me too.¡¹

    ¡ºCome on, I¡¯m your Master and your sword. You don¡¯t even have to ask.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll protect the town Sophie cares so much about.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! Then let¡¯s make the first move!¡»

    We fired our ranged spells into the approaching horde of antidemons. The mes and lightning scattered over a wide area, annihting more than 100 of them.

    The gap we opened in the horde was quickly filled by antidemons pushing in from behind, but that¡¯s all part of the n.

    Those shy spells served the purpose of informing the entire city that the battle had begun.

    All that remains now is to hold out until help arrives.

    ¡¸Raaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi leapt into the middle of the antidemon horde and rampaged to their heart¡¯s content. With no allies around us, we didn¡¯t have to worry about friendly fire. Maybe the two found it easier to fight without reinforcements.

    But that wouldn¡¯tst. Just like back at Castel, we would simply lose without anyone to support us.

    There¡¯s a limit to how long we could hold ourselves against an entire army.

    In the first ce, the antidemons had yet to consider Fran a big obstacle. The entire horde was currently focused on eliminating us, but they always had the option of splitting up to attack the city directly.

    We learned about part of antidemon nature at Castel.

    Still, Fran continued fighting on. All to protect the happiness of her friend that loved this city so much.

    If the antidemons try to invade the city first, we¡¯ll have to rethink our strategy then.

    ¡¸Gshaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Teya!¡¹

    ¡¸Gisshiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re not getting past us!¡»

    From this point on, we have to minimize our use of magic and focus on pure swordy. We prepared ourselves for an extended battle by draining the antidemons¡¯ energy with Magic Plunder.

    Urushi also refrained from shy moves and teleportation, instead using his ws and fangs.

    Naturally, that meant taking on more injuries. Tobat that, he seemed to be absorbing mana from devoured antidemons, which he used for regeneration. Antidemons disappear on death, but I guess Urushi¡¯s Predatory Recovery skill could absorb a small portion of the antidemon¡¯s mana before they fully disappear.

    We continued to fend off the seemingly endless waves of antidemons, but our exhaustion only kept building up.

    No reinforcements yet?

    I focused my senses to eavesdrop on the adventurers conversing atop the walls. They should know if reinforcements were on the way.

    ¡¸Anyoneing from the guild?¡¹

    ¡¸No. They said everyone already got sent to the gates, and that they can¡¯t leave the guild empty with the dragonkin moving so suspiciously!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! The dragonkin and beastmen aren¡¯ting either! What the fuck¡¯s going on!¡¹

    It seems the schemes of Filuria and the Dragon King had great effect. Due to the dragonkin raid and such making everyone suspicious of each other, they¡¯ve greatly reduced the number of forces being sent tobat the antidemons.

    People were still gathering little by little, but not nearly enough to defend the copsed walls.

    ¡ºDammit!¡»

 Chapter 907

    <h4>907: Sendia''s Defense</h4>

    Fran started breathing heavily now, probably because she wasn¡¯t in good shape in the first ce.

    Another reason was that the antidemons kept getting stronger and more aggressive, just like during the battle for Castel.

    ¡ºFran! Keep at it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­!¡¹

    We can¡¯t turn our backs on them for a single minute. If we ever do, they¡¯ll easily break through the walls while we¡¯re gone.

    There was almost no supporting from the adventurers, aside from a few ranged stsing from atop the walls.

    Frankly speaking, those were pretty much a drop in the bucket.

    They did, however, y a role in improving Fran¡¯s morale, since it proved that she had allies on her side.

    That¡¯s when Urushi suddenly moved into action, erging his entire body.

    ¡ºUrushi, no! That size will just make you a bigger target!¡»

    ¡¸Grrrrrr!¡¹

    I shouted to stop him, but Urushi retained his size.

    With the entrance of the giant ten meter wolf, the antidemons concentrated their attacks on him. Urushi covered himself with ck mana to enhance his defenses, but it wasn¡¯t nearly enough to nullify the damage.

    Even so, Urushi rushed forward to crush antidemons under his ws and fangs.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s get back while we still can. Drink a potion and eat something.¡»

    ¡¸But we have to save Urushi!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi is pushing himself to give you a break! Don¡¯t waste his resolve!¡»

    ¡¸Urushi¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll use life magic to mitigate your exhaustion. We¡¯re heading back to the wall.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Fran gave a small nod after taking another nce at Urushi, who was bleeding after eating a direct hit from a cannon-type. Even so, Fran didn¡¯t voice her concern again.

    She knew Urushi would pull through.

    ¡¸Hang in there, Urushi!¡¹

    Fran muttered a prayer, and in response, Urushi howled loudly.

    ¡¸Graaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyiiiiiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Gshaaaaaah!¡¹

    Urushi, now at his maximum size, continued his fierce exchange with the antidemons.

    On one side were the antidemons, covering the entire ins to swarm their target. On the other, a giant jet-ck wolf valiantly fending off the overwhelming numbers.

    It almost looked like an entire nest of ants attempting to take down their prey. Their battle for survival was a spectacle so fierce and powerful that we could not help but watch.

    Urushi continued his resistance without a single step backwards, even though the antidemon horde looked as if they might swallow him up in the blink of an eye.

    A swing of his ws crushed ten antidemons. His fangs crunch down on another ten. Each swing of his tail, each kick from his legs, all knocking antidemons down like dominoes.

    ¡¸Urushi is super cool.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    This filled me with relief, but also anxiety at the same time.

    Because there¡¯s no way Urushi could get through this unscathed. His injuries were clearly starting to umte, yet he continued ughtering the antidemons without any sign of retreat.

    All of this so that Fran could get some well needed rest.

    I would have to respond to such loyalty. Fran was lying on the ground with her stealth activated, so I continued treating her with healing and life magic, while giving her a telekic massage.

    Then I gave her a rice ball and some juice to fill her empty stomach. Even such a small thing would improve ourbat duration significantly.

    ¡¸Grrrrrrrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    He¡¯s been doing great so far, but now Urushi stepped it up a notch. He cloaked himself in mana so dense that it was visible, then charged directly into the horde.

    He must have sensed that some antidemons were attempting to bypass him. In order to grab their attention, he decided to gopletely serious regardless of the costs.

    His n worked, as the antidemons began another fierce assault on him.

    £¨Master, ready yet?£©

    ¡ºAlmost. Just wait a little longer.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    Fran¡¯s worries were understandable, as Urushi started bleeding heavily after taking another concentrated barrage, staining the earth in red.

    While Fran continued staring at Urushi, I focused on my spells. Though life magic couldn¡¯t heal injuries as quickly as healing magic, it was extremely effective at remedying exhaustion.

    ¡ºPhew¡­¡­ Alright! Good to go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Immediately after hearing my words, Fran grabbed me and dashed out at max speed.

    She readied me as she flew above the ground.

    ¡¸Haah! Get away from Urushi!¡¹

    ¡ºOra!¡»

    Fran¡¯s swordsmanship and my spell eliminated the antidemons surrounding Urushi. This created a gap, if only for a brief moment, so Fran and I jumped in.

    ¡ºUrushi! It¡¯s your turn to rest! Heal your wounds!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºAnd take this too!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    I threw a whole roasted boar out of my storage. Of course, this was no ordinary boar, but a monster boar nearly five meters long.

    I was saving it for one of hister meals, but he can have it now. Urushi caught the roasted boar in mid-air and dove into the shadows as he fell.

    ¡ºWhile Urushi rests in the shadows, we¡¯ll grab the antidemons¡¯ attention.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I had hoped the antidemons might be surprised after Urushi¡¯s sudden disappearance, but they appeared unfazed. After immediately recognizing Fran as their new target, they all rushed at her instead.

    We were surrounded by knight-types with ck horns, ck swordsman-types, and ck archer-types, the guys that gave us a ton of trouble at Castel.

    So it seems they¡¯re already serious.

    Fran movements seemed very light after the break, since she danced around the air while shing at the antidemons.

    It¡¯s been about thirty minutes since Fran and Urushi first charged into the horde. Our reinforcements should be arriving any second now.

    And yet I didn¡¯t sense anyone approaching. The number of people covering us from the wall had doubled, but not much else.

    Could it be that the Dragon King started trouble elsewhere? Or some other incident? Are we really not getting anyone else?

    I started getting a bit anxious, but then¡­¡­

    Pororon.

    The beautiful sound of a harp echoed through the battlefield.

 Chapter 908

    <h4>908: Sophie''s Entrance</h4>

    Pororon¡­¡­!

    We heard the faint sound of a harp, but it came with a powerful effect disproportionate to the volume.

    Namely, all the antidemons surrounding us suddenly stopped moving.

    The mana imbued in that sound seemed to catch their full attention.

    ¡¸She¡¯s here.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Who? That¡¯s so obvious we didn¡¯t even need to ask. Sophie hade to our rescue.

    Fran¡¯s face regained its color. Like I thought, the uncertainty of whether or not anyone woulde had been wearing her spirit down little by little.

    Simply hearing the sound of Sophie¡¯s harp was all the encouragement she needed.

    Fran leapt up again, cutting down several antidemons before she hit the ground.

    Sophie¡¯s support didn¡¯t end there. Instead of ying a song, she continued spinning out the same sound at regr intervals.

    As if distracted by the sound, the antidemons failed to pay attention to Fran¡¯s movements.

    Since Sophie had experience fighting on Gordicia for several years, she must be more familiar than us when ites to the ecology and habits of the antidemons. She was basically ying them like a fiddle with these mana infused sounds.

    The only issue is that I doubt it willst forever. If she could seal their movements permanently, she would have just done it at Castel.

    Sure enough, the antidemons gradually regained theirposure after losing interest in Sophie.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi! Let¡¯s do it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    This was our chance to break through the antidemons while Sophie¡¯s sonic waves still had an effect.

    Fran readied me and jumped forward with Urushi. Why didn¡¯t we fall back? Because that wouldn¡¯t solve the situation at all.

    So what will? Taking down the antidemonmander.

    Taking down the stronger antidemons would be helpful by itself, but we could even weaken the entire horde by eliminating themander.

    Fran and Urushi ran down the narrow path I created with light and wind magic. That led them to a knight-type antidemon with red horns.

    This guy had way more mana than any antidemon in the vicinity. I¡¯d sayparable to a Threat Level C monster.

    Just one of these powerful antidemons entering Sendia would result in thousands of deaths.

    And that¡¯s exactly why we need themander gone.

    Defeating this one guy can greatly reduce the power of all antidemons around him.

    ¡¸Awakening! Urushi, follow me!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi heard Fran¡¯s words and jumped into her shadow. His entire figure disappeared as if diving into a pool of water.

    After checking that Urushi was gone, Fran raised her speed even further.

    Each kick of her wind-cloaked feet on the ground increased her speed, and she evenunched mes behind her to force herself forward even faster.

    This was Fran¡¯s current max speed, so fast that she even left her shadow behind. And of course, the next move was a deadly Sheaths of Wind.

    No feints, no tricks, just the fastest sh we could pull off.

    We had plenty of power and speed, but we were up against the same red horned knight-type that gave us lots of trouble in Castel. Taking him down wouldn¡¯t be that easy.

    The knight reacted to Fran¡¯s sh and raised his sword to block me.

    Just before our des collided, however, the red horned knight¡¯s stance was thrown off.

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    Urushi jumped out of our shadow and bit off the knight¡¯s right leg.

    As a result, the red horned knight failed to block our strike and got decapitated by Fran. With his head gone and movements disabled, I evaporated what was left of him with the spell I prepared.

    The remaining antidemons started moving more erratically. Like I thought, that knight was themander of this horde.

    But then the antidemons got back into the swing of things several times faster than we expected. A ck horned knight, who seemed to be the second-inmand, let loose a roar. This caused all the antidemons to rush towards Fran again.

    I activated the short-range teleport I had prepared to escape the encirclement. The ck horned knight failed to follow our teleportation, so they lost sight of Fran as she reappeared in the skies above them.

    They quickly found us again, but that minor dy was important. It allowed us to finish charging our mana, so our spell would strike the antidemons before they could respond.

    I covered the entire horde in me magic, making them lose sight of us again.

    While it certainly didn¡¯t do much damage, the mana in those mes blocked their detection of us. I could see them running around frantically to find us again.

    Meanwhile, Frannded at the spot between the antidemons and the town. Urushi also returned using Shadow Shift.

    ¡ºOur ambush was sessful, but there are still too many of them.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay. We can still fight. Besides, Sophie¡¯s here.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I doubt Sophie actually heard Fran say that from this distance, but her music started at exactly that timing.

    A gentle harp melody filled with warm mana.

    Fran and Urushi¡¯s bodies were enveloped in light, restoring their stamina slightly. Their breaths grew lighter, their heartbeats calmed, and their wounds began closing up.

    A pretty mild effectpared to her other songs, but Fran was extremely grateful.

    Fran turned to look at the top of the wall and made eye contact with Sophie. Don¡¯t tell me she actually heard Fran¡¯s whisper in the middle of a battlefield?

    Now that I think about it, Sophie did say she had good hearing. How good do you have to be to hear a little whisper like that from so far away?

    Fran waved her hand lightly. Sophie raised her hand in return, but her expression looked a bit distraught. It seems she was concerned about how few people she was able to bring.

    While Sophie did bring us a mix of soldiers and adventurers, they totaled less than fifty.

    Everyone else must be short-handed too. Fran¡¯s presence detection should have sensed how few people there were, but that didn¡¯t discourage her.

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. I can keep going as long as Sophie¡¯s here.¡¹

    Immediately after Fran¡¯s whisper, Sophie turned downward with a tearful look on her face. However, she soon remembered that she was on a battlefield.

    Her raised head still had the same look of sadness, but her fingers were already on the harp.

 Chapter 909

    <h4>909: Offer from the Holy Knights</h4>

    ¡¸Ryaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrrrrr!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s shouts and Urushi¡¯s roars echoed through the battlefield.

    These were certainly valiant battlecries. But in reality, Fran and Urushi had been driven so far into a corner that they had no choice but to roar to inspire themselves.

    We finally began seeing the jet-ck antidemons mixed into the horde. Their main force had finally reached us.

    The jet-ck beast-types, which snuck up on us in between the swordsman-types and archer-types, were particrly a nuisance. They cloaked their presences, and appeared right behind us before we knew it.

    Each bite from them would cause heavy injuries and blood loss, even to the mana-cloaked Fran and Urushi.

    If we let even a handful of these beast-types into the city, they could easily ughter everyone inside. Each was like a professional assassin, so stealthy that even we might miss them, with a speed to match.

    So we asked Urushi to prioritize taking down the beast-types, while we attracted the attention of all the other antidemons.

    Both Fran and Urushi were constantly bleeding due to the unending assault, but they managed to keep going because of Sophie.

    She continuously yed her recovery songs, which allowed the two to stay in the fight.

    What had started out as a slow waltz eventually increased tempo to around the same pace as ¡°Sabre Dance¡± from Earth.

    This song seemed to have the effect of quickly recovering both health and mana. It felt as if someone was channeling healing, life, and enhancement magic on us at the same time.

    With something this powerful, we should be able to hold out for quite a while. The only issue would be mental fatigue, but Fran and Urushi seemed very motivated after Sophie¡¯s entrance. They won¡¯t let the antidemons past them anytime soon.

    As Sophie¡¯s music yed in the background, Fran continued hacking away at the antidemons.

    Ten minutes, thirty minutes, sixty minutes.

    Even without reinforcements, Fran and Urushi remained in the fight. The hopelessness of the situation was not enough to ovee their motivation.

    But as they say, the end alwayses suddenly.

    Screech!

    With a violent screeching note, the music giving us strength was suddenly cut off. It sounded as if someone had just mmed a guitar against the ground.

    I hurried to check Sophie¡¯s condition, and found her crouching while clutching her right hand, which was bleeding profusely.

    That¡¯s when I realized it. I knew exactly what just happened.

    ying such an intense song over an extended duration must take a tremendous toll on the performer. Moreover, this was no ordinary music, but a high level magic song.

    Both Sophie and her fingers must have been ced under terrible strain.

    She immediately took a vial from her hip and applied it on her hands. This seemed to stop the bleeding, but¡­¡­

    Poro, ro¡­¡­

    She was left unable to perform. All we could hear was a choppy tune without any magical effects.

    Even if she healed her physical injuries, the exhaustion must¡¯ve taken a toll.

    ¡¸Sophie! You don¡¯t need to push yourself!¡¹

    Fran shouted, but Sophie shook her head and tried to y the harp once again. This time, a different figure appeared to stop her.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama, you appear to be having difficulties.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re¡­¡­¡¹

    After managing to pick up their conversation with my skills, I recognized the owner of that unpleasant voice.

    The knights from the Holy Nation of Srd strode casually atop the wall. These were the idiots who caused amotion in the tower and got kicked out by Filuria.

    And right now, they stood closely behind Sophie.

    Those smirking expressions of theirs meant they were certainly not here to help.

    ¡¸It seems you¡¯ve been pushing yourself quite a bit. Did you require any aid?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you want?¡¹

    Sophie knew these guys were not making such a proposal out of the goodness of their hearts, which was why she responded warily.

    ¡¸Kukuku. Isn¡¯t that obvious? You, of course. After this battle is over, we will bring you to our country. I am willing to lend you my assistance if you agree to this condition.¡¹

    ¡¸If I go to the Holy Nation¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. I can contact my brigade and have them aid in the defense, and even provide you with any necessary supplies. How about it? Saving this city is as simple as taking my hand!¡¹

    So he¡¯s taking advantage of the city¡¯s peril to demand Sophie¡¯s custody¡­¡­ What aplete scumbag. How dare they call themselves holy knights.

    But Sophie remained silent. It seems the holy scum knight¡¯s words caused her to hesitate, even though it¡¯s crystal clear he wasn¡¯t going to keep any promises.

    That¡¯s when Sophie nced over at Fran. The city must be important to her, but she was also concerned for Fran¡¯s safety.

    What if Fran continues to fight, and eventually gets swallowed up by the antidemon hordes? Could she save Fran just by nodding her head in front the holy knight?

    All of these doubts were clouding her mind.

    £¨Master, what¡¯s happening to Sophie?£©

    ¡ºYou noticed?¡»

    £¨I can tell you¡¯re upset.£©

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­¡»

    I exined the situation briefly while we continued fighting. Immediately after hearing that, Fran shouted.

    ¡¸Sophie! I can keep going on my own! I¡¯ll be fine! You don¡¯t need to sacrifice yourself!¡¹

    These words ended up triggering the rest. A few nearby adventurers began shouting as well.

    ¡¸Miss ck Lightning Princess is right! You don¡¯t need to follow that son of a bitch!¡¹

    ¡¸Get away from the saintess, you asshole!¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know who the fuck you are, but everythinging out of your mouth is garbage!¡¹

    ¡¸This is our town! We¡¯ll protect it!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! You don¡¯t have to carry the whole burden!¡¹

    The adventurers intervened between Sophie and the knight with a series of shouts. The knight red back at them in disdain.

    Sophie looked at the adventurers with surprise. Then, her shoulders rxed.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I will not go with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. So you¡¯re abandoning this city to save yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I¡¯ve simply resolved myself. We are the ones who will protect this city, with our own strength! Please leave, I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you.¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! You¡¯ll regret this!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your damn mouths! You pigs are dirtying our city!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, dumbasses!¡¹

    The holy knights ended up fleeing the scene, with the adventurers shouting at them all the while. I was worried they might resort to force, but it seems they weren¡¯t willing to go that far.

    After seeing the holy knights off, Sophie turned back to us. She reached for the choker around her neck, and undid its sp.

    ¡¸I absolutely won¡¯t let Fran die.¡¹

 Chapter 910

    <h4>910: Dragonkin Arrival</h4>

    Sophie removed the choker from her neck and gently closed her eyes.

    Her hands were sped together as if in prayer, and she took a deep breath with her slightly opened mouth.

    Then, the voice of an angel echoed through the air.

    ¡¸La~~?!¡¹

    Her song had no lyrics, and yet it sounded as gentle and solemn as any hymn. The young girl stood atop the towering walls, singing towards the sky. That figure was so beautiful that everyone was at a loss for words.

    In response to Sophie¡¯s voice, a light-filled region expanded with her at the center. The mana imbued in this song exceeded anything we¡¯ve seen so far.

    The antidemons flinched, apparently taking damage from the song. And yet, the same song began healing Fran and Urushi.

    Could it be that her magic singing contained more power than her performances? Or maybe she just chose a different song?

    With this powerful of a recovery effect, we might be able to use the mana heavy moves we were saving up. We originally decided to seal those away in preparation for an extended battle.

    However, it¡¯s obvious that Sophie won¡¯t be able to maintain this state. No human can sing forever, even for normal songs. Considering this is a powerful magic song, we couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of burden it ced on Sophie¡¯s body.

    We¡¯ll have to deal a fatal blow to the horde before Sophie reaches her limit. And of course, that means we target themander again.

    Fran and Urushi began charging their mana, while I was using mana detection to search for any strong antidemons.

    But I ended up finding something other than antidemons.

    There were about thirty entities quickly approaching us from the middle of town. They were few in number, but each one was pretty strong.

    With them helping us, we¡¯d be able to take care of the antidemons easily. That¡¯s what I had thought, but¨D¨D

    The group went in apletely different direction from what I had imagined.

    For some reason, they ran up the wall where Sophie was and started attacking the adventurers around her.

    After seeing this, I realized the situation.

    These dragonkin appearing out of nowhere were not reinforcements, but the Dragon King¡¯s men. He must have still had his agents lurking around town.

    First the holy knights, and now the Dragon King again! Why are they always getting in our way?!

    One of the dragonkin grabbed Sophie by the arm, forcibly ending her song. Naturally, this also stopped her attack on the antidemons, so they started to target Fran again. Our chance of a lifetime was about to take a turn for the worse.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll protect Sophie! Out of the way!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    I decided to cast a teleport so that we could save Sophie. Unfortunately, that means the antidemons will quickly breach the wall during Fran¡¯s absence.

    However, it would only be a matter of time before they break through us without Sophie¡¯s support. In that case, saving Sophie now would be better in the long run.

    That was my line of thinking, but I never got the chance to activate my teleport spell.

    ¡¸I find it hard to believe I share the same race as these buffoons¡­¡­ How embarrassing.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Two new figures suddenly appeared and cut down the dragonkin attacking Sophie. Except, these two were also dragonkin, one with light blue hair and one with ck hair.

    £¨Velmeria and Frederick came to our rescue!£©

    ¡ºYeah, before they could hurt Sophie too! Thank goodness!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Their sudden appearance must have been due to Frederick¡¯s shadow magic. They really snuck up out of nowhere.

    But how did Velmeria get so powerful? I sensed a portion of her strength during our reunion, but I never fully understood it until seeing her fight.

    She¡¯s still notparable to her Divine Dragon Form state, but she¡¯s on a different level than when we first met.

    Previously, she was in the lower half of Rank C, but she¡¯s now equivalent to Rank B at the bare minimum. I was stunned to see how much she improved in such a short period of time.

    The same went for Frederick. He used to have really low stats in contrast with his high level skills.

    All because of his ¡°Debilitation¡± status that I saw upon my first appraisal, but that¡¯s now been cured. In other words, he regained the entirety of his original strength.

    He, too, was at least equivalent to a Rank B, maybe even higher.

    And the two of them proved their abilities by easily taking out the assants by themselves. No wait, they weren¡¯t alone. One minute after Velmeria arrived¡­¡­

    More dragonkin, seemingly the two¡¯s subordinates, entered the brawl, ending it even more quickly. This time, we really got reinforcements.

    ¡¸Saintess-sama, continue Fran¡¯s support!¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Frederick, you take care of the rest here.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well.¡¹

    Velmeria flew away, leaving Frederick in charge of the dragonkin and adventurers. Literally, she was flying with the wings on her back.

    Her flight speed was no joke, and she bombarded the antidemons from the skies with water magic.

    I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a dragonkin with wings that big. Also, Velmeria¡¯s right arm was covered with light blue scales despite not yet activating her Dragon Form.

    Her usual appearance was quite simr to humans, but her current form took on many dragonic features. It¡¯s almost as if she underwent an ancestral reversion, just like Frederick.

    Maybe that¡¯s due to the aftereffects of her activating Divine Dragon Form? Those wings and scales were simr to the form she took in her battle with Ashwrath at the capital of Kranzel.

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºWoops, sorry. I was just surprised to see Velmeria suddenly get so strong.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. She¡¯s amazing. I have to keep up too.¡¹

    ¡ºYou can say that again.¡»

    After watching Velmeria st the antidemons from above, Fran tightened her grip on me with renewed determination.

    That¡¯s when Velmeria approached us.

    ¡¸Fran, sorry for being sote! I had a bit of trouble eliminating the elders!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve gotten a bit stronger since west met, so let me show you what I can do now.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸Good!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and Velmeria simultaneously nodded at each other, both smiling in the middle of the hellish battlefield.

 Chapter 911

    <h4>911: Beastmen Arrival</h4>

    Velmeria arrived to support us, but she wasn¡¯t the only one headed in our direction.

    ¡ºI sense a bunch of peopleing our way. It¡¯s gotta be reinforcements this time, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. A lot.¡¹

    This new group had well over 100 members, maybe even reaching 300 or 400. Considering how all of them moved uniformly, they must be a well-organized force.

    But it didn¡¯t take long for us to realize their identity.

    Because we recognized the presence of the one running at the head of the group.

    ¡¸Mea! She¡¯s here!¡¹

    ¡ºHell yeah! Now we¡¯re talking!¡»

    Mea came to our rescue leading a bunch of ouws from the Beastmen Union. All of them quickly slipped through the cracks in the wall, deploying into a line formation.

    At their front was a girl with white hair, ck armor, and a wide grin.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! I¡¯ve arrived!¡¹

    ¡¸M-Miss! Is it okay for you to stand out like this?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! Forget about such trivial matters and focus on defending the town!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    Zefmate stood at Mea¡¯s side. I guess he really became Mea¡¯s full time sidekick here.

    Well, he¡¯s gotten a lot stronger too, so both were powerful allies.

    ¡¸Saintess-dono, I believe this is the first time we speak face to face. I must apologize for thete entrance! I failed to realize the time after silencing our stubborn circle of elders, as well as dealing with the unexpected dragonkin assault!¡¹

    Like I worried, it seems the Dragon King interfered elsewhere too.

    ¡¸So, uh, you know! That, that thing!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Miss, she has no clue what you mean.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh. I know, but¡­¡­¡¹

    This kinda reminds me of how Mea acted when she first met Fran. She probably wanted to say something like ¡°a friend of a friend is a friend of mine¡±, but she felt too embarrassed to say it outright.

    If Quina was here instead, she¡¯d be able to push Mea¡¯s back while easing her nerves with light banter¡­¡­ Zefmate, you¡¯ve got a ways to go!

    ¡¸My name is Mea, and I am a friend of Fran¡¯s! You¡¯re her friend too, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­¡­ certainly hope she thinks of me as a friend¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No worries! You¡¯re already friends after fighting on the same side, and I¡¯m sure Fran would agree! And if you¡¯re Fran¡¯s friend, you are also mine! We shall defend this town together!¡¹

    Mea! You said it perfectly! I¡¯m feeling so proud for some reason!

    ¡¸Heheh. That¡¯s true. I¡¯m d to have you with us.¡¹

    Mea¡¯s good point was always her ability to lighten the mood in any situation. Sophie seemed depressed after dealing with the holy knights and asshole dragonkin in session, but now a slight smile appeared on her face.

    ¡¸Fuahaha! Leave it to me!¡¹

    Mea also returned a big enthusiastic grin.

    ¡¸Zefmate, time to go!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    Mea drew her weapon, the Dragon de Lind, and leapt directly at the antidemons from the top of the wall. A sh appeared on her back, and she grew wings of me.

    That looked really cool, sure, but she just pulled off something ridiculous. Simultaneously activating and controlling four Verniers?

    The fire spell Vernier was already difficult to control by itself, but Mea somehow managed four at the same time¡­¡­ She must have gone through one hell of a training regimen too.

    With the mes trailing behind her, Mea flew through the sky at a tremendous speed before collided directly with the antidemon horde. The antidemons got blown away by the huge explosion, as if they had been struck by a meteorite.

    The force of the impact was so powerful that it almost made me shiver.

    Please don¡¯t tell me she blew herself up too. However, a cat beastgirl d in white mes soon emerged from the crater.

    Not a speck of dust on her. How did she remain unharmed through that? Maybe due to abination of barriers and Fire Nullification¡­¡­?

    ¡¸Mea!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha! Sorry to keep you waiting, Fran!¡¹

    Unlike me, Fran didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest doubt about Mea¡¯s safety. She simply cheered excitedly without hesitation.

    ¡¸Now that I¡¯m here, our victory is assured!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Indeed, she really saved us, but I needed to ask her about a different matter bothering me.

    ¡ºMea, did you know what¡¯s going on at the other gates?¡»

    ¡¸No need to worry! I gave the former heads of the Beastmen Union quite the beating, so they work for me now. Then, I sent the Bloodfang Brigade captains along with their men to defend the rest of the gates!¡¹

    ¡¸So we¡¯re all good?¡¹

    ¡ºDespite their personalities, the Bloodfang Brigade is pretty good at what they do. As long as there aren¡¯t too many antidemons, we should be fine.¡»

    It probably took Mea a while to dispatch all those forces too.

    ¡ºMea, did you hear anything about other organizations?¡»

    ¡¸I know the adventurers have already begun defending the gates, but nothing about the dragonkin or the Sanatorium!¡¹

    ¡¸Our allies in the Dragon King Syndicate have already reached the gates, each receiving one member of the ¡°Three ws¡±.¡¹

    After hearing Mea¡¯s words, Velmeria dove down nearby and exined what she knew to us. Of course, she still kept sting antidemons all the while.

    It seems both of them ensured the other gates were well defended beforeing to our rescue.

    Since our battlefield was located right next to the east gate, we¡¯ll be able to handle that one as well. Each gate had plenty of defenders, so that¡¯s one less thing to worry about.

    ¡¸Excellent! Then we can focus on the fight at hand!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And so, the girls in white and ck set into motion. As usual, they matched each other perfectly, showing amazing coordination without anymunication necessary.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve been getting stronger, Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸You too, Mea!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! You¡¯ve seen nothing yet! Just you wait, I¡¯ve developed a secret technique to show you up!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, a secret technique! Cool!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! I¡¯ll go all out when something a little more challenginges up! Look forward to it!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Hold on just a second. I¡¯d rather not have to deal with anything stronger than what we¡¯re already up against¡­¡­

    ¡¸Turn to ash!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re mine.¡¹

    These two girls sure seemed happy in the middle of a raging battle.

 Chapter 912

    <h4>912: Zefmate''s Growth</h4>

    With the appearance of Mea and our other allies, our front line became much more stable. Sophie¡¯s healing also contributed greatly.

    Even against the upgraded jet-ck antidemons, we could continue fighting without much risk to ourselves.

    The duo of Fran and Mea smashed antidemon after antidemon with their amazing coordination, while Velmeria and Zefmate protected our left and right nks.

    Velmeria rained down spears of water magic while soaring through the air.

    She moved so fast that she left afterimages behind. Moreover, by releasing mana from her wings, she could instantly elerate to maximum speed or emergency break in the middle of sky. Such aerial finesse was very impressive.

    Also, Velmeria¡¯s defensive abilities proved quite formidable as well, repelling antidemon sts with the scales covering her entire body. It seems she¡¯s yet to activate Dragon Form, but she could perform partial dragonification on certain parts of her body.

    Fran easily defeated her in our practice battle at the capital, but it would be more difficult now if they ever had a rematch.

    Zefmate had also undergone a remarkable evolution. Well, not the kind of ¡°evolution¡± that beastmen usually go through. What I can say is that he used his Innate Skill in apletely different way than before. It was almost as if he really did evolve again.

    The evolved form of blue cats is the ¡°Blue Leopards¡±, who gain the Innate Skill ¡°Leopard Paw¡±. This skill increases their speed as well as allowing them to use aerial hop.

    Thest time we fought Zefmate, he specialized in mobility, moving around at ultra-high speeds with his Leopard Paw skill.

    Of course, he still retained the ability to move around in the air as he pleased. The huge difference lied in the number of his strikes. His past self paled inparison there.

    ¡ºThat speed was pretty nasty even before, when he only used his twin swords.¡»

    £¨Is he kicking now too?£©

    ¡ºYeah, he¡¯s using Leopard Paw on his kicks.¡»

    Zefmate started making use of his full body instead of just his twin swords.

    The effect of Leopard Paw seemed to be applied to his feet, allowing each of his kicks to slice his enemies apart. His high kicks sliced off their heads, and his heel drops split their entire body vertically. Each blue sh radiating from his legs meant another antidemon ughtered.

    Moreover, his movements were much trickier than before. He constantly spun his body around, dancing up and down, left and right. He performed moves reminiscent of ice skaters, as well as techniques that looked simr to capoeira practitioners.

    And along with his spinning dance, his legs and twin swords spun too.

    With the addition of kicks to his repertoire, he pretty much doubled the number of strikes he could deliver each second. Moreover, the momentum and unpredictability of each strike was also dramatically improved due to his tricky spinning maneuvers.

    Zefmate¡¯s fighting style changed so much since the martial arts tournament that he was practically a different man.

    Back then, I assumed the Blue Leopard¡¯s Leopard Paw skill was an inferior version of ck Heavenly Tiger¡¯s Brilliant Lightning Rush. I thought that was the reason the blue cats hated the ck cats so much.

    But looking at Zefmate now, I realized my mistake. Leopard Paw¡¯s true power embodied abination of offense and defense.

    These deadly kicks were actually the main draw of the skill, so the increased mobility was merely a bonus.

    That said, I wonder why Zefmate never used it properly before? ¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me the blue cats have literally nobody using Leopard Paw correctly?

    ¡¸Zefmate is so strong.¡¹

    Fran seemed thrilled as she watched Zefmate. The sight of his strength must have made Fran¡¯s battle-crazed blood tingle.

    In other words, Zefmate had be strong enough to make Fran look forward to fighting him. Maybe he¡¯d be at least around Colbert¡¯s level?

    The new and improved Velmeria and Zefmate proved to be as reliable as Mea.

    Behind our group, the Beastmen Union had set up a defense line, but we hardly let any antidemons past us.

    And with their friends at their side, Fran and Urushi¡¯s morale was at an all time high. There¡¯s no way we can lose now.

    We continued the battle for a bit, and their leader finally appeared.

    Themander, arger than usual red horned knight, stood surrounded by his four escorts, the same wed knight-types we saw in Castel.

    ¡¸Leave themander to me. You guys take the ck ones.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Obeying Mea¡¯s words, Fran pointed her de at themander¡¯s escorts. Fran knew that she was not in peak condition, but she also wanted to see how much Mea had grown.

    However, the battle that followed turned out to be different from what we had expected.

    The antidemons ended up being quite a bit weaker than the ones we fought in Castel. I couldn¡¯t call them tough at all.

    With Fran and her friends serious, the escorts got eradicated in an instant. Even the huge red horned knight was not nearly as strong as the Unique leading the assault on Castel.

    After awakening, Mea d herself in white and golden mes, but the boss got turned into ashes in less than a minute. Kinda a letdown, huh?

    ¡¸Hmm, I suppose he was a fitting warm-up.¡¹

    ¡¸Mea, that was cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! But of course!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, good job to you too.¡¹

    ¡¸Mm-hmm! You¡¯ve grown strong! Even I am surprised, Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    There were still plenty of antidemons left, so battle went on. However, they had clearly diminished in number, allowing Fran and her friends enough leeway to chit-chat while fighting.

    It¡¯s just a clean-up from now on.

    I was a bit worried for a moment, but it seems we¡¯ve made it through without much trouble¨D¨D

    ¡º¡­¡­! More of them!¡»

    ¡¸They¡¯re really fast.¡¹

    Just as we got a chance to rx, we sensed a new force. What¡¯s going on with their speed? I¡¯d have to say they¡¯re marching ten times faster than any antidemon army I¡¯ve seen so far.

    At this rate, they¡¯ll reach the city in less than five minutes.

    And from the presences I¡¯m sensing, there¡¯s also a huge number of them. Please don¡¯t tell me the horde we defeated was just the advance party.

    Mea and the others also stared solemnly toward the east, with the thick antidemon aura still lingering in the air.

    A new wave of despair was approaching, and quickly.

 Chapter 913

    <h4>913: Beast-Type Swarm</h4>

    Fran discussed with the others what to do next in the face of the approaching antidemons. Well, we only had a few options in the first ce.

    Continue fighting the antidemons as we are. Abandon the city and flee. Rally the forces in the city to join the battle.

    Those were pretty much our only options.

    We obviously didn¡¯t have the time to evacuate everyone in Sendia, and the antidemons could easily pursue arge group of refugees anyways.

    In the end, we decided to stall the antidemons while Sophie, the most recognized of us, went around the city calling for reinforcements.

    ¡¸Urushi, let Sophie ride on your back.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll hold out until reinforcements arrive. Please.¡¹

    ¡ºCome on Urushi, this is a job only you can handle.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Urushi seemed hesitant for a moment, but he must have understood the importance of this job. He nodded reluctantly with worry in his eyes.

    ¡¸My partner will fill in the hole Urushi and Sophie left behind. Come forth, Lind!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwooooh!¡¹

    Mea called out to Lind, the dragon dwelling in her sword. She probably waited until now because of the limited duration of his summon.

    ¡¸Lind! No time no see!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwogh!¡¹

    Fran patted Lind¡¯s head as he roared happily. After such a cute disy, it¡¯s hard to believe he¡¯s a transcendent entity inhabiting a divine sword.

    Yeah, that¡¯s right. Mea¡¯s Dragon de is actually a divine sword. The true name of her sword is ¡°The Raging Dragonde, Lindwurm¡±, a divine sword said to summon a gigantic dragon.

    However, Mea was unable to wield Lindwurm to its full potential. She could only manage to summon Lind, a small wyvern.

    I guess he¡¯s a little bigger than thest time I saw him?

    He looked more like a red lesser wyvern previously, but I think he¡¯s worthy of being called a fire dragon now. Lind¡¯s overall size increased a bit, and his horns and scales were much more impressive.

    It seems Lind really did grew alongside Mea.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwoh!¡¹

    Urushi barked while staring at Lind, who responded with a short roar.

    As if to say ¡°Take care of them!¡± and ¡°Leave it to me!¡±. I bet they were saying something close to that.

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯m heading off.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Sophie, we¡¯re counting on you.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯lle back with reinforcements, I promise.¡¹

    Sophie climbed on Urushi¡¯s back with an air of reluctance, and rushed back into town. Now all that¡¯s left was to defend this ce until Sophie gets all the various organizations to send their troops.

    After a short wait, the approaching second wave of antidemons entered our field of view.

    ¡¸A swarm of beast-types!¡¹

    ¡¸I notice some big ones too.¡¹

    As Mea and Velmeria stated, the new antidemon horde wasposed mainly of quadrupedal beast-types. That exins how they could move so fast despite having several times as many antidemons as the previous horde.

    Fran and I invoked our magic against the charging antidemons.

    We castnd magic to produce countless rock spears. All of them burst out of the ground, nted toward the approaching beasts. Kinda resembling an anti-cavalry palisade.

    The antidemons at the head of the charge plunged into the rock barricade, unable to avoid the hundreds of spears appearing out of nowhere.

    A lot of them still made it through, but we¡¯ve definitely seeded in killing their momentum.

    With the rest of the horde slightly jammed behind them, the density of the pack increased. That¡¯s when we all bombarded them.

    Velmeria¡¯s water magic, Mea¡¯s silvery white mes, Lind¡¯s crimson mes, Zefmate¡¯s shockwave sts, and our thunderbolts.

    After the continuous ranged barrage without worrying about our resources, we seeded in annihting more than ten thousand antidemons in just a few minutes.

    That¡¯s probably less than 10% of the entire horde, but we¡¯ve definitely attracted their attention. We needed to draw as many of them to us as possible, since dealing with any stragglers would be troublesome.

    The antidemons continued charging through the wall of smoke left behind, but Fran and Mea plunged in first.

    This battle had a different ferocity than the previous one. Wolves, tigers, bears, and all sorts of other beast-types rushed us without any kind of formation or strategy.

    One might think it would be easier due to theirck of cooperation, but I¡¯d have to say no. Those patternless, erratic attacks were hard to predict. Another issue was theirpletely reckless omni-directional attacks without caring for friendly fire, which made it difficult for us to avoid too.

    Fran and each of herrades used the tricks they had up their sleeves to defeat as many antidemons as possible. Mea probably put in the most work here.

    She activated her golden mes to shield herself, just like the Beast King showed us previously. That ability was just in unfair in wild melee like this one. After all, her enemies got burnt to a crisp from simply trying to get close to her.

    Maybe it¡¯s because the antidemons were attracted to Mea¡¯s mana, but they showed no sign of wariness at jumping into the inferno. At this rate, they¡¯ll just continue incinerating themselves on her mes.

    Velmeria was also stronger than expected.

    She finally activated her Dragon Form, with her whole body covered with light blue scales, and a huge amount of mana swirling around her. It seems the water enveloping her acted as an additionalyer of armor, massively improving her defenses.

    With well-crafted equipment, dragon scales, and that water armor, hardly anything would be able to scratch her. She didn¡¯t even try to defend herself under the antidemon assault, simply striking down each as they came to her.

    I guess Zefmate was having a pretty rough time though? Even if he¡¯s been getting stronger, he wasn¡¯t on the Rank A level yet. I could see the number of wounds on him increasing steadily over time.

    Maybe I should help him out? Just after that thought, Zefmate shouted something.

    ¡¸Leopard Leg!¡¹

    It seems that the Blue Leopards had more than one racial skill. Just like the ck Heavenly Tigers had multiple skills, the other beastmen races must have their own as well.

    The skill ¡°Leopard Leg¡± caused his leg strength to sky-rocket. He became faster than ever before, with a maximum speed most likely exceeding Mea¡¯s.

    In that case, we should be able to maintain a stable front line for a while. Well, I don¡¯t know if you could really call it ¡°stable¡± when everyone was putting their life on the line.

    But none of us could say for sure what the future held. Or rather, we didn¡¯t have time to think about it. All the warriors did was continue destroying antidemon after antidemon.

    We managed to hold the horde back, but we noticed a new movement.

    ¡¸A giant antidemon has appeared from behind them!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwoh!¡¹

    Velmeria and Lind, who were in the air, shouted a warning. We failed to notice them approaching because of our focus on the fight at hand, but the huge antidemon was now barely within view.

    That¡¯s definitely a cannon-type.

    I don¡¯t know if the antidemons nned this or not, but we couldn¡¯t sense the cannon-type because of the beast-type swarm drawing our attention. Though maybe it just arrived sote because of the difference in speed between it and the beast-types.

    ¡ºHow could we miss such a huge guy!¡»

    The cannon-type that just appeared was not even on the same level as the usual ones. I¡¯d say it¡¯s more than five timesrger than any previous one I¡¯ve ever seen.

    If normal cannon-types were around the size of a tank, this guy would be the biggest tank in existence. No, even bigger. It might even be on the level of a small fortress equipped with a cannon turret.

    And there¡¯s over thirty of the cannon-types. They were kind enough to line up horizontally so I could count them all.

    ¡¸That one¡¯s a little weird.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? Which one?¡»

    ¡¸That one.¡¹

    I looked at the cannon-type that Fran pointed out. Like she said, the cannon-type was enveloped in a strange aura.

    After a few observations, I determined that the cannon-type disappeared from view when the aura got thicker. I first thought it was some kind of invisibility, but it wasn¡¯t nearly that good. The aura merely had some sort of light refraction effect for assisting with covert movements.

    Considering the fact that we didn¡¯t notice them earlier, that seemed quite troublesome.

    ¡¸Their mana levels are rising steadily.¡¹

    ¡ºSo they¡¯re preparing to fire!¡»

    They seem to be the type that charges up a powerful single shot instead of firing a barrage. Considering the size and the amount of mana being charged, I don¡¯t want to even imagine how destructive that st will be.

    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they reached the level of supreme-tier spells.

    Not to mention there were thirty of them. We needed to stop them before they could fire, no matter the cost.

    Mea and Velmeria seemed to think so as well.

    ¡¸Fran! Velmeria! Take Lind and go crush them! Zefmate and I will handle the rest here!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwhoooh!¡¹

    There was no time for a discussion, so Fran and Velmeria immediately nodded their heads and left.

    Meanwhile, the cannon-type¡¯s mana levels just kept getting higher and higher.

    ¡ºWe need to hurry!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 914

    <h4>914: Everyone''s Last Resorts</h4>

    ¡¸Velmeria gets the right, Lind gets the left.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m on it.¡¹

    ¡¸Kwoh!¡¹

    The three split up to take down the giant cannon-types. Now that we¡¯ve gotten up close, I could examine their appearance. They looked like turtle shells with a bunch of spider-like legs growing out of them.

    Not too different than normal cannon-types, aside from some strange-looking objects attached to the shell.

    Several long tentacles grew out the shell, with cylinders attached at the end. Four were ced on each side, making a total of eight. These tentacle things shot magic bullets as Fran and her friends got closer.

    Since the cannon-types were so huge, they must be equipped with these sters to intercept attackers trying to enter their blind spots.

    Dodging the barrage, Fran delivered a sh to the giant. Her blow was enhanced with a great deal of speed and mana, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to destroy the cannon-type in a single hit. As one can imagine from the huge body, its defenses and vitality were extremely high.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush! Haaah!¡¹

    ¡ºBurn!¡»

    Fran cloaked herself in ck lightning, then thrust me into the sh wound. The ck lightning merged with the mes I shot out, incinerating the cannon-type from the inside.

    ¡¸Gryiiiiii!¡¹

    As expected, even this huge guy couldn¡¯t withstand such massive damage. Smoke billowed out from its body as it copsed to the ground.

    We waited a few moments to ensure it was dead, but surely enough, the cannon-type began crumbling into dust.

    ¡ºOkay, next!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran took out another five of them in the same manner, but that¡¯s as far as she got. The cannon-types were ready faster than we expected. Velmeria and Lind also failed to destroy all of them in time, so many of the cannon-types fired their shots.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ GYUOOOOOOH! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    A high-pitched roar, almost like a scream, resounded with a sh of light from the turret on its back. What came flying out was a massive ball of energy, almost ten meters in diameter.

    The amount of mana contained inside was absolutely extraordinary.

    After firing the ridiculously powerful st, something strange happened to all the cannon-types. They all suddenly copsed on the spot, and started dissolving into the air.

    It seems all these antidemons were disposable single-shot cannons. Such a monster was only possible because antidemons function as a group rather than individuals.

    A huge, powerful antidemon with putting everything, including its own life, into a single shot. There¡¯s no way such a shot could be weak.

    Twenty of the energy balls, each filled to the brim with terrifying amounts of mana, flew through the air in an arc. Though fired from 700-800 meters away, each shot had a trajectory perfectly aimed at the city walls.

    We and Mea quickly cast some spells to shoot down half of them, but the remaining ten rained down on the walls and¡­

    KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

    With all of that mana detonating simultaneously, the explosion of light covered the entire wall. After the intense light and the smoke cleared, the only thing left was the pitiful remnants of what used to protect the city.

    An entire 300 meters of the wall had been destroyed. Some parts were barely standing, though reduced to the shape of a discarded apple core.

    But they would easily crumble under the slightest attack. The city¡¯s walls were renderedpletely useless at this point.

    Moreover, the buildings close to the walls had been blown away by the impact of the explosion. The vast empty crater left behind would be difficult to defend, only serving as a boon to the attackers. This was now more than just our problem. The entire city of Sendia was exposed to to the horde¡¯s invasion.

    ¡¸They got us.¡¹

    Fran groaned in frustration. Nearby, I also heard Velmeria muttering in dismay.

    ¡¸F-Frederick¡­¡­¡¹

    Oh yeah, Frederick was still on the wall!

    The ce where Frederick stood tomand the dragonkin waspletely annihted, now nothing more than a pile of rubble.

    After a direct hit from those explosions, could Frederick already be¨D¨D?

    No wait, he¡¯s still okay. I saw a dragonkin man pushing aside the debris and standing up. With my Life Detection, I noticed a few more possible survivors too.

    We might be able to rescue them. If we go over there immediately, we could save their lives.

    But we couldn¡¯t leave.

    ¡ºFran, the antidemons are on the move!¡»

    It seems the antidemons intended to split up the horde.

    Up until now, their formation had focused all forces on taking us down. But now that the walls have copsed, they shifted to a strategy of spreading out and aiming for the town separately.

    Once they¡¯ve spread out, a small group like us will have trouble defending against all of them. Rather, it would be impossible topletely prevent the antidemons from entering the city.

    Fran understood this too. With a stern expression on her face, she muttered a few words.

    ¡¸We have to reduce their numbers.¡¹

    ¡ºGot it. No more holding back.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran nodded, readied me, and took off. This was not the time to be talking about conserving our energy. We had to do something now.

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush! Haaaah!¡¹

    Our target will be the high-ranked antidemons. The soldiers and adventurers left in town stood a chance against the lower-ranked ones, so our job was to make sure none of the higher-level ones make it through.

    Ten minutes have passed since we entered the fray.

    Or at least, it should have been about that much. Our sense of time waspletely screwed due to constantly elerating ourselves with space-time magic. The exhaustion made us feel like we had been fighting for hours.

    Even so, Fran kept going at top gear.

    ¡¸Uraaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Grah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    Fran, d in ck lightning, shed at the crimson wolf-shaped antidemon with a shout. But at the same time, she got rushed by the surrounding ck wolf antidemons.

    Those assholes just used the higher-ranked crimson antidemon as a decoy. I managed to block them with a barrier, but that drained a ton of my mana.

    Since she waspletely serious now, Fran managed to avoid taking any serious damage thus far. However, there was nothing we could do about the heavy mana costs.

    The antidemons, perhaps realizing our gradually depleting mana, switched to a strategy of exhausting us as much as possible.

    That said, we could not ask our friends for help.

    Mea and the others were already fighting to the best of their ability, having already spent their trump cards.

    ¡¸Golden me! White fire! Let the raging inferno incinerate my foes!¡¹

    White and gold mes gushed out from Mea¡¯s body. The wild ze turned into a stream of destruction engulfing the young girl¡¯s body as well as the surrounding antidemons.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not done yet!¡¹

    The swirling mes gained even more momentum. As if reaching out to grab her prey, the vortex grew to over 50 meters in diameter, turning over a thousand antidemons to ashes in a matter of seconds.

    Such a ridiculously powerful move has gotta be Mea¡¯sst resort. It was indeed very impressive.

    But an attack of this magnitude came with a price.

    ¡¸Krgh¡­¡­!¡¹

    Mea let out a stifled groan. Did something happen?

    The answer to my question revealed itself when the mes dispersed. Mea emerged into view, with her arm discolored into a reddish-ck.

    She must have been inflicted with a severe burn. However, just as the ck Heavenly Tigers have the Thunder Nullification skill, Mea, a Golden Fire Lion, should have the Fire Nullification skill. She couldn¡¯t possibly take damage from her own mes.

    If Mea still took burns despite that, it meant those white-gold mes exceeded even her nullification skill. She must have set one foot in the realm of Divine mes.

    The slow regeneration of those burns was probably due to the fact that they contain a small amount of the divine attribute. One wrong move with those mes, and she might be the one turning to ash.

    Even after being forced to use such a dangerous ability, and injuring herself because of it, Mea¡¯s lust for battle only kept rising.

    She red at the antidemons trying to pass her with her shining eyes, ying them without hesitation. The fierce lioness cloaked in a fiery rage protected Sendia with her own body as a shield.

    Lind was off fighting the antidemons at a distance from Mea. Even a fire dragon like him would take heavy damage from getting too close to Mea¡¯s white-gold mes.

    By using his huge body as a wall, Lind was trying to reduce the number of intruders by physically blocking the antidemons.

    Zefmate and Frederick made simr decisions. After healing their wounds with potions, they used all their might to hold the flood of antidemons back.

    Velmeria even created a wall of water more than 100 meters long, in a desperate attempt to prevent the antidemons from entering the city. It seems her wall had the ability to automatically st away anyone trying to touch it, which already killed hundreds of antidemons.

    Despite maintaining such a huge water spell, Velmeria didn¡¯t let up on her assault. Holding daggers of water in both hands, she dove into the horde. Every time she spun her des, a few more antidemon shreds got sent flying into the air.

    Furthermore, I saw a surge of magical power in Velmeria¡¯s head. Or rather, her mouth?

    As I watched in amazement, a white sh burst out from Velmeria¡¯s mouth.

    ¡¸Uraaaahhhh!¡¹

    £¨Wow, just like a dragon.£©

    The flow of mana was almost exactly like the dragon breath attack I had seen before. I never imagined she could pull off something like that.

    After unleashing her breath, Velmeria swept it horizontally, engulfing more than a thousand antidemons in total. However, the problem came after. We could see the mana in Velmeria¡¯s body rapidly dwindling.

    Even after inheriting a portion of Divine Dragon Form¡¯s power, she must be pushing herself incredibly hard.

    The same could be said for everyone else.

    ¡ºThis is bad¡­¡­!¡»

    Thanks to everyone giving up on conservation and bombarding the horde with wide area attacks, we¡¯ve miraculously stopped any antidemons from breaking through so far.

    But when any one of us runs out of mana, our united front will copse. It¡¯s like I could hear the footsteps of tragedy closing in on us.

 Chapter 915

    <h4>915: Side - Antidemon Battle</h4>

    <strong>Side - West Gate, Dry</strong>

    Bang!

    With a roar, the Dogsinger¡¯s arrow pierced through several antidemons,pletely obliterating them. The power of the arrows came with the strength of the dragonkinunching them. She¡¯s already exceeded the point of ¡°one shot, one kill¡±.

    Even if I know we¡¯re on the same side right now, I almost shudder every time the arrows pass me by.

    Some of my men were seriously terrified. I ended up asking Miranleil if she had any arrows that didn¡¯t make a noise. She just gave me a big grin and said no.

    ording to Miranleil she had a reason for that. ¡°My arrows are like the roar of a dragon! It scares away my foes and rallies my allies!¡±. Uh-huh, except the dragon¡¯s roar is scaring the shit out of your allies too though?

    Well, I can partially understand her. If you see your men dying every time you hear that sound, you¡¯ll associate it with fear. Sooner orter, you¡¯d go into a panic whenever you hear something simr.

    I can see it boosting the morale of her allies too, but it won¡¯t work well against antidemons. It¡¯s not like they even have the emotion of fear.

    Even though we¡¯re currently allied, we¡¯ve been enemies for a longer period of time. Many of my men couldn¡¯t concentrate after imagining those arrows hitting them in the back.

    That said, she was the strongest one here.

    The antidemon hordes this time are several times bigger than usual. We can¡¯t have Miranleil getting discouraged if I start an argument with her.

    She¡¯s definitely the type of person who would throw a tantrum if someone spoke down on her. That¡¯s for sure. I¡¯ve got no choice but to let her do what she wants for now¡­¡­

    ¡¸Whatever, I¡¯ll go up front. You take charge here.¡¹

    ¡¸G-Got it! Take care, bro!¡¹

    I¡¯m still the third seat of the Bloodfang Brigade, so I¡¯m confident in a melee. If someone has to show off in the front lines and raise our morale, it¡¯s gotta be me.

    ¡¸Short Jump!¡¹

    I cast a short range teleport to leap into the middle of the horde. To be honest, teleports at my meager skill level won¡¯t be much use in a real battle. The chant and the dy of the spell were just too long.

    But the mere fact that we had a user of rare magic in our ranks will raise the spirits of our allies.

    ¡¸Wooooo! Follow Dry!¡¹

    The other squads rushed in as well, following the movements of mine. We need all the momentum we can get to push back so many antidemons.

    Bang!

    The Dogsinger sent another arrow flying. What the fuck! That went right past the side of my head! You¡¯d better not be doing that on purpose.

    ¡¸You. Send a message back to the walls.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    ¡¸Tell Dogsinger she better keep those arrowsing!¡¹

    Fine, I¡¯ll show you what I can do too!

    <strong>Side - South Gate, Gephe</strong>

    ¡¸You¡¯d better not ck off here, puppyface!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line! Lizard!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah!?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh!?¡¹

    I never thought I¡¯d end up in the same ce as this damn dog! Why is it always me! He just keeps trying to get in my face!

    I guess I¡¯ll have to prove here that I¡¯m the stronger one!

    ¡¸Okay, doggy! Let¡¯s settle this!¡¹

    ¡¸Fine by me, lizard!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoever kills the most antidemons wins, show me your points!¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds good! You¡¯d better not cheat!¡¹

    ¡¸As if! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m you!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my fucking line, dumbass!¡¹

    We show each other our antidemon cards, before parting ways. If we stayed too close together, we would end up getting points for each other¡¯s kills, after all.

    I can¡¯t let that puppy beat me, so I¡¯m going full throttle from the start! There¡¯s way more antidemons this time, so I¡¯ll have no shortage of targets!

    ¡¸Shah! Evil Spiral!¡¹

    I used an area attack utilizing evil energy. Aside from us half-evil dragonkin, barely anyone would be able to utilize this technique. Even if they existed, it would be treated as an evil or taboo ability outside the continent.

    First, the evil energy disturbs the antidemons¡¯ mana, lowering their defenses. The shockwave strikes after,nding a direct hit and shattering their bodies.

    Since antidemons are basically mana-based lifeforms, they¡¯re like sitting ducks to me. If I just keep destroying them like this, victory is mine!

    ¡¸Woooooooough!¡¹

    Tch! I was on a roll wrecking the antidemons when Wangon suddenly activated his disgusting beast-like Awakening. Even that puppy can¡¯t be underestimated when he takes that form.

    His roar has the same mana disrupting power as my evil energy.

    ¡¸Shut up with the barking! You¡¯re like a stray with no discipline!¡¹

    ¡¸No, you get that nasty ck stuff out of my face! Or you want me to take you down along with the antidemons?!¡¹

    ¡¸Aah?!¡¹

    ¡¸Aah!?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sigh. You guys never get tired of this, huh?¡¹

    As I was disciplining the puppy, I thought I heard my subordinates say something.

    ¡¸What¡¯d you say?¡¹

    ¡¸N-Nothing, nothing at all.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Gramps is starting to lose his hearing!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up! Stop eavesdropping on us! That¡¯s why I hate you stray dogs!¡¹

    ¡¸No you shut up! Dirty lizard!¡¹

    ¡¸Aah!?¡¹

    ¡¸Aah?!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You guys are basically best buds.¡¹

    Did someone say something again?

    <strong>Side - North Gate, Gazzol</strong>

    ¡¸Bryne, I¡¯ll go in front. Can you cover me?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, leave it to me! This is gonna be a piece of cake if we¡¯re on the same battlefield.¡¹

    ¡¸Can you really say that? You¡¯ll be busy as hell in no time.¡¹

    ¡¸I know! I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking!¡¹

    The man waving his hand and smiling is Bryne, the first seat of the Bloodfang Brigade. He¡¯s a belligerent and unsophisticated man, but also apassionate one. I can think of no one more reliable as arade.

    Although we have shed with each other before, he was not the kind of man to be led amiss by the grudges of the past. I could entrust my back to him.

    Though a powerful warrior, his real strengthy in his abilities as amander in the rear. He fired off long range wind spells and weakened the enemy with his Innate Skill ¡°Curse Strike¡±.

    Moreover, he held several types ofmand skills, allowing him to inspire his fellow soldiers and buff their stats. I may win in terms of simplebat power, though Bryne clearly outssed me as a leader.

    ¡¸Windscales! How about a dose of that?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! Whenever you¡¯re ready!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah! st off!¡¹

    Bryne shot wind magic directly at me. However, this was no misfire. My wind wall had the ability to absorb wind magic and increase its durability.

    Knowing this, Bryne cast an offensive spell at me to power me up. We¡¯ve had the chance to battle the antidemons on several asions, and we¡¯ve done the same thing each time.

    ¡¸Tch! You¡¯re as tough as ever! My wind¡¯s gettingpletely swallowed up!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! It would take a lot more power than that to break through my wind wall with wind magic!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll knock your ass outta town sooner orter!¡¹

    Despite these words, Bryne had already started eliminating the antidemons around me. After the usualints, he got to work rather quickly.

    I think they call guys like this ¡°tsundere¡± or something? When you think about it that way, his fearsome-looking face seems almost endearing.

    ¡¸What? Don¡¯t grin at me on the battlefield.¡¹

    ¡¸Woops, my apologies.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, get serious here!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! I know what I¡¯m doing!¡¹

    As we were exchanging these words, a tremendous roar rang out. Our men on the city walls reported that the eastern wall had copsed.

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­ what to do? Bryne, do you think we should send some reinforcements from our side?¡¹

    ¡¸No way! We¡¯ve got our hands full! Besides, we¡¯ve got thedies over there! Don¡¯t worry so much!¡¹

    Bryne was right. The forces at our gate didn¡¯t have the luxury to send out backup. This antidemon season was nothing like the usual ones.

    Thest few seasons, there was only one army of about 40,000 to 50,000 antidemons. I wouldn¡¯t call defending against them a simple matter, but Sendia¡¯s forces were capable of repelling them with certainty.

    This year, however, there were nearly 50,000 at each gate. The east gate in particr seemed to have even more antidemons gathered there.

    ¡¸Windscales, we have to concentrate on defending our own gate first!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! It can¡¯t be helped!¡¹

    All we can do is continue luring the antidemons here, and ensuring the safety of our own gate! That is our only method of helping Saintess-sama and ck Lightning Princess-dono!

    ¡¸We defend the gate as if our lives depend on it!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahah! I have to agree!¡¹

    <strong>Side - Ashwrath</strong>

    ¡¸Well then, guess I¡¯ll have to take care of this myself.¡¹

    A little west of the illegal city of Sendia lied a nd. There, a horde of over 100,000 antidemons was busy marching eastward.

    It all started with me chasing after a few dragonkin making suspicious movements, as if they were leading the antidemons somewhere. I managed to catch a few of them, but it was already toote by the time I realized what they were up to.

    By using themselves as live bait, they were gathering antidemons and luring them towards Sendia. They imed to have received orders from the Dragon King, but I didn¡¯t have time to look into the details.

    I already know about a separate horde headed towards Sendia on the other side. That was info I heard from the holy knights.

    Never thought I¡¯d run into those pricks here. I made sure to hear them out before I buried them in the earth.

    Srd has been constantly sending assassins to steal my divine sword, so I¡¯ve picked a few fights in retaliation. To be honest, we¡¯re practically sworn enemies by now.

    Especially the so-called holy knights, whose ranks consisted of nothing but arrogant nobles. They¡¯ve always been notorious for how annoying they are.

    The Divine Sword Knight must be in a rough spot if they¡¯re the best he¡¯s got to rely on. Well, I don¡¯t like the guy either, so he¡¯ll get no sympathy from me.

    Though he¡¯s not a bad guy, his entire motivation is about supporting his country. That just doesn¡¯t sit right with me. We¡¯re like a match made in hell.

    ¡¸Oh right, I¡¯d better deal with the antidemons first.¡¹

    If I let these guys join up with the other horde, even that town won¡¯t be able to withstand the assault.

    ¡¸There¡¯s quite a few people here that I don¡¯t want to see die. Hope you don¡¯t mind if I get serious.¡¹

    Time for a little rampage!

 Chapter 916

    <h4>916: The Song of Adventurers</h4>

    Wounded to the bone.

    That¡¯s the only phrase that could urately describe the state of Fran and the others.

    ¡¸Uraaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    Forcibly ignoring the pain and fatigue, Fran continued to swing me.

    ¡¸Gishhaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Pant! Pant! ¡­¡­Teyaah!¡¹

    She had no time to catch her breath in between the antidemons¡¯ strikes. By now, her breathing was so ragged that it seemed as if there was something wrong with her throat or lungs.

    I wanted to suggest a retreat, but there was no way Fran would ept that proposal.

    ¡¸Deryaaaah! Incinerate!¡¹

    ¡¸Water Dragon Wave!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s friends, Mea and Velmeria, were also fighting nearby with simr amounts of suffering.

    Mea looked like aplete mess, her white hair and skin stained red with her own blood. Velmeria¡¯s scales and ws were practically falling off, and her blood sprayed out every time she swung her arm.

    Zefmate was covered with injuries from head to toe, and Lind had lost one of his wings.

    There was no way Fran would be willing to leave her friends behind and escape alone.

    £¨Master! Let¡¯s do this!£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    Fran cut down the antidemons jumping around her, and I used my magic to st the antidemonsing in to take advantage of her opening.

    Even so, we were unable to fend off all of them. We were already surrounded by the jet-ck ones, so holding them off was no easy task.

    ¡¸Graaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    A wolf antidemon bit into Fran¡¯s right arm. She managed to endure and not lose her grip on me, but the antidemons didn¡¯t miss the opening.

    They pounced on us from all directions.

    Fran used her left hand to crush the neck of the wolf antidemon, freeing her right arm, but she wasn¡¯t quick enough to handle the rest. I sensed this and immediately activated my magic.

    ¡ºGet outta here!¡»

    The multiple simultaneously activated Gale Hazards created a wall of wind around us. However, there were a few antidemons that protected themselves with a magical barrier and withstood the storm winds.

    Three crimson wolvestched onto Fran with their huge fangs, one on her shoulder and one on each leg. Fran held back her scream.

    Rather, she immediately struck back at the wolves. These crimson antidemons are the upgraded form of the jet-ck ones.

    If we could destroy three of them here, it would be a very serious blow to the horde.

    Knowing this, Fran purposely chose not to evade. Instead, she strengthened herself with mana in preparation for the hit, allowing them to bite her. This way, she could limit her opponent¡¯s ability to evade, and deliver a lethal counterattack.

    She made this judgment right as the three wolves pounced on her, so it must have taken only an instant. Then, she put her n into motion as soon as theytched on.

    ¡¸Raaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºLet go of Fran!¡»

    Fran manipted the ck lightning surrounding her body, focusing it all on the one biting her right leg. The wolf, burned by the ck lightning from the inside, fell down with ck smoke billowing out from its body.

    The one biting her left leg got wrapped in my decorative string, which turned into a sharp wire. After I tore him off, I passed mana through the string wrapped around its neck. Even these crimson antidemons were as good as dead if you lop off the head.

    As for thest one on the shoulder, he got finished off by a stab from me. The wolf tried an evasive maneuver, but Fran¡¯s attack was just a fraction of a second faster.

    Even these speed-specialized antidemons couldn¡¯t dodge immediately after delivering an attack of their own.

    Fran¡¯s self-sacrificing strategy had allowed us to eliminate three red wolves, the most troublesome out of all the enemies here. I¡¯d call that a great victory, but Fran¡¯s face was not smiling.

    ¡¸Gugh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºPoison?!¡»

    A god damn wolf using poison?! I quickly used Antidote to heal her, but I could tell. Fran had been pushed to the edge. She was already at her limit before, but that momentary dose of demon poison became the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.

    As Fran stood motionless, the antidemons rushed towards her without mercy.

    ¡ºFran, we can¡¯t keep going like this!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­I won¡¯t¡­ run!£©

    ¡ºOhe on! Jeez!¡»

    I continued intercepting the antidemon with my magic, but once I¡¯m out of mana, it¡¯s really and truly the end. After that, I¡¯d have no choice but to teleport us away.

    We could still retreat into the city with Mea and the others, and try to regroup. I don¡¯t know if we really can regroup, but at least it¡¯s better than dying here.

    As soon as I started considering where the best ce to open my Dimension Gate would be¡­¡­

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran looked at her feet with a curious expression.

    At that moment, the earth shone with a golden glow.

    An immense amount of mana surged around us, freezing the antidemons. This seemed to be the same principle as Sophie¡¯s mana-imbued sound that she used to attract the antidemons¡¯ attention.

    They ceased movement, not knowing how to react to the mana suddenly enveloping them.

    For a moment, I thought Ashwrath hade to save us, but no.

    The mana filling the battlefield was much gentler than that ogrekin¡¯s mana could ever be. Both Fran and I recognized its owner.

    £¨Sophie, she¡¯s back¡­¡­£©

    The long-awaited return of the saintess.

    I could sense Sophie¡¯s presence behind those crumbling walls, and she was not alone. Thousands of people followed right behind her.

    But isn¡¯t that kinda weird? There¡¯s way too many of them. It¡¯s almost as if they were all¨D¨D

    Before my doubts could form, Fran muttered with energy in her voice. There was not a trace of weakness left.

    ¡¸I¡¯m overflowing with power.¡¹

    ¡ºMe too!¡»

    Fran¡¯s wounds began to heal, and her spent stamina and mana slowly but surely returned.

    The music echoing through the battlefield was what gave us this strength. It sounded like an orchestra, with multiple ovepping notes. It¡¯s simply not possible for a single person to be ying all of this. Did Sophie find an entire band or something?

    Wait, this song¡­¡­ Along with Sophie¡¯s music, we heard a song. Hundreds, no, thousands of people sung in unison.

    ¡¸I know this song!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s the one the adventurers sung in the tavern.¡»

    That cheerful and lighthearted song echoed through the air.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­? The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No foe shall make us falter!¡¹

    ¡¸Dragons, demons, bring anything on!¡¹

    ¡¸The hordes of antidemons will be a piece of cake!¡¹

    This was not the refined and beautiful singing that you might imagine when you hear the word ¡°choir¡±. It was rough and out of sync, with each member singing as he or she pleased. I couldn¡¯t call them talented, even as ttery. But because of that, they were brimming with emotion.

    Thousands of voices resounding clearly through the battlefield.

    And strangely enough, listening to them gave us a surge of power.

    ¡¸They¡¯re cheering for us.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. They definitely are.¡»

    This was no simple song. Every one of those people were cheering for Fran and her friends.

    The moment I heard it, I immediately understood the thoughts of the crowd: ¡°Hang in there!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose!¡± and ¡°We¡¯re with you!¡± It was filled to the brim with all those feelings.

    Our wounds healed, our strength returned, and our mana recovered. But more than that, the fact that we were not alone seemed to give Fran an even bigger push.

    ¡¸Fran! I¡¯ve brought reinforcements!¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie!¡¹

 Chapter 917

    <h4>917: Side - Sophilia (1)</h4>

    Riding on Urushi¡¯s back, I dashed through the streets of Sendia. His legs were more powerful than I had imagined, being capable of climbing vertically up the walls of the building, and cutting across the city on the shortest route possible.

    But my results were not so favorable.

    Our first stop was, of course, the Sanatorium. There, we tried to ask for help from all the soldiers, but¡­¡­

    Most of the soldiers had already left for the gates. Moreover, there was no sign of Seliadot.

    Themander of the soldiers looked at me and scrunched up his face. I could see in his eyes that he thought I was a hindrance.

    No matter how much I pleaded, he would not permit any reinforcements to be sent. He wants to defend the tower and doesn¡¯t trust the gangs? Fine, but what does any of that matter when the town itself is on the verge of destruction?

    I appealed directly to the soldiers remaining in the tower, but they refused as well due to the orders of theirmander. It seems everyone still left in the tower reported to him.

    And what kept them so busy here? Evacuating all the various valuables. They packed gold, jewelry, potions, etc. into item bags for safekeeping.

    A crisis like this and all you care about is money? How stupid can you get? I can¡¯t rely on them anymore.

    The only good news was that many of the patients had already left. It seems Seliadot ordered their evacuation.

    I gave up the support from the Sanatorium and decided to go elsewhere. Mea-san and Velmeria-san should have already handled the Beastmen Union and the Dragon King Syndicate. In that case, I should head to the Adventurers Guild next. That¡¯s what I thought, but¡­¡­

    The guild was almostpletely empty. It seems many adventurers also already left to defend the gates.

    And with so many antidemons pouring in at the gates, they couldn¡¯t reduce their forces there either. The remaining adventurers, apparently, were to stay and protect the guild itself.

    If the city itself falls, the organizations inside would mean absolutely nothing¡­¡­ Is it the same here too?

    When I pleaded the need for more forces, I was yelled at by a man calling himself the submaster. It seems he ns to flee the city, and retained the adventurers under hismand to escort him.

    Even at a time like this, they can only think about escaping on their own¡­¡­ Expecting anything more from the Adventurers Guild is pointless. That¡¯s when I thought of getting the support of the smaller organization, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Saintess-san. I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not possible. We don¡¯t have the manpower to send anyone.¡¹

    ¡¸I know it¡¯s tough! But this town is in serious danger!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve already sent out the forces required from us.¡¹

    ¡¸The city will fall if you try to do business as usual! Please, just let us have the people currently here!¡¹

    ¡¸We can¡¯t reduce security here, you see? If the other gangs confirm that they will provide forces too, then we can follow suit.¡¹

    They say they can¡¯t trust the other gangs, and are wary of thieves taking advantage of the situation. Everywhere we went, the response was the same. Some of them even turned us away at the door. They all refused to reduce their own strength any more than necessary.

    There were even some organizations preparing to flee. A few did promise to send people, but barely a handful.

    We went around to all the smaller organizations in this way, but we didn¡¯t have much to show for it. I can¡¯t afford to waste any more time.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why? Why does no one want to protect the city?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you trying to console me?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn.¡¹

    Urushi licked my cheek. I felt a calming sensation as I heard his heart beating next to mine. Besides, I knew that Urushi must be feeling impatient after leaving his master Fran behind.

    I can¡¯t stop now.

    But then things took a sudden turn. To my astonishment, the entire eastern wall had copsed with a terrible rumbling sound.

    Are Fran and the others still safe? Even if they are, it would be impossible to prevent the antidemons from invading the city.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸T-That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t give up now.¡¹

    They definitely need my help. Determined, I went around to visit more organizations, but was unable to get any promises of reinforcements.

    When everyone saw the destroyed walls, all they could think about was escape. Some even mocked me for trying to fight.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Pathetic!¡¹

    As I walked out of the building, the tears escaped from my eyes.

    My own inadequacy, those overbearing idiots who flee at the moment of a crisis, the entire situation in which I had to rely on them¡­¡­ Everything was just pathetic.

    ¡¸Um, Saintess-sama¡­¡­? Are you alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    I was approached by a few men. They must be Sendia¡¯s ordinary citizens. Each carried arge cloth bag on their backs.

    It seems they n to escape the city. Seeing this only made the tears flow harder. The people living here already thought the city¡¯s fall was inevitable.

    And yet, Fran was putting her life on the line to protect them all.

    Then, I noticed the spear on the man¡¯s back. Everyone in this city carried a weapon just in case.

    After all, they needed to be able to fight off criminals. Even if all the gangs agreed to leave civilians unharmed, certain individuals could break the unwritten rules. Besides, many of them may have inherited the weapons from their ancestors.

    After thinking about it, a thought urred to me. Could they fight? If they had weapons, maybe they would be able to take on lesser antidemons¡­¡­

    Of course not. In any usual situation, I would nevere up with anything so stupid. But I was cornered, and the thought just exited my mouth.

    ¡¸There are people fighting to protect this city.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? What?¡¹

    ¡¸But if things continue as they are, the entire city may be destroyed. Will you fight with us?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? No, no, no, no. I have no clue how to fight!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! We¡¯ve never even been in a real fight before!¡¹

    ¡¸Please!¡¹

    ¡¸No, no! That¡¯s just not possible!¡¹

    ¡¸What he said!¡¹

    ¡¸The people defending the city might be dying at this very moment!¡¹

    Of course, no matter how much I asked, the men kept making excuses. I can¡¯t me them.

    They had neither the strength nor the resolve to fight. They were the ones to be protected.

    ¡¸L-Leave the fighting to those who want to fight! It¡¯s not like we made them to do it or anything! They can go die on their own!¡¹

    ¡¸T-That¡¯s right! It¡¯s their job! If they die in battle, it¡¯s their own fault!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re doing us a favor!¡¹

    So this is the true form of the people living in this city¡­¡­ and Fran is fighting for their sakes¡­¡­?

    Despair. That single emotion filled my mind.

    We¡¯re doomed. The city will fall. In that case, I have to at least go help Fran and the others, and assist in their escape.

    But at that very moment.

    ¡¸What kind of nonsense are you spouting now, you good-for-nothing husband!¡¹

    ¡¸Bugeh! D-Dear!?¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you make such rotten excuses to Saintess-sama¡­¡­?! You say you don¡¯t care about the soldiers? Even after they¡¯ve protected you your entire life?¡¹

    ¡¸B-But¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your mouth! In the first ce, you tried to ditch us and escape by yourselves. Trash, the lot of you!¡¹

    ¡¸Guboh!¡¹

    Umm, is thisdy the man¡¯s wife or something? She suddenly started arguing with him, then smacked his mouth shut.

    It seems that the wives of the other men were here as well. They too, left their husbands battered and bruised from the beating, but I felt no urge to heal them.

    ¡¸Excuse me, who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Please allow me to apologize for him, Saintess-sama! I¡¯m Anna, the chairwoman of the third district women¡¯s association!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Mary, the chairwoman of the second shopping district.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Vassa, the fifth district chairwoman!¡¹

    One after another, thedies bowed their heads. And behind them, I could see many more people running toward us.

    Their footsteps must have numbered in the thousands. I looked in their direction and saw the main street packed with people, alling toward us with valiant expressions on their faces.

    In their hands, they held nothing but makeshift weapons.

    ¡¸Please forget the words of those selfish scumbags.¡¹

    ¡¸Those were just opinions of the minority!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes. I knew he was useless, but I never imagined he would be suchplete and utter garbage¡­¡­ If we make it out of here alive, he better get ready for a divorce!¡¹

    ¡¸Same here! If only I could drag him out to the front lines!¡¹

    H-How very encouraging.

    ¡¸We¡¯re the residents of this city too, and we refuse to run away while others are fighting for us! We¡¯ll fight too if we have to!¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly! We all feel the same way! We won¡¯t abandon those fighting to protect us!¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, Saintess-sama! Your friends are holding the line, right? Let¡¯s go save them!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­ Of course!¡¹

 Chapter 918

    <h4>918: Side - Sophilia (2)</h4>

    ¡¸Come on, Saintess-sama! Your friends are holding the line, right? Let¡¯s go save them!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­ Of course!¡¹

    It seems this city can¡¯t be abandoned just yet. With everyone gathered around me, I ran off.

    There was no longer just the warmth of Urushi beside me. The breathing of so many people behind our backs felt very reassuring.

    The fear and hopelessness vanished.

    All these people who didn¡¯t even have the strength to fight, and yet they stood up for Sendia, and for Fran.

    Just thinking about it caused a different kind of tears to well up in my eyes.

    After looking back on them, everyone had the same determined face. They all knew that they might die. Still, they were willing to take up arms.

    I absolutely can¡¯t let anything happen to them, so I need to resolve myself too. I will use everything in my power, and do whatever it takes.

    But the moment I made my resolution, the enchanted harp Lauda attached at my waist began trembling. Almost as if it hade to life.

    I unconsciously reached for Lauda and¨D¨D

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­¡¹

    I remembered.

    How could I have forgotten? The painful, bitter memories of that day. No, was that exactly why I had to forget? Why Lauda made me forget?

    But now I remember. The power I used to kill my foster father. The true power and form of the harp in my hands.

    ¡¸Urushi, you can run.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay. We won¡¯t leave them behind.¡¹

    Was it because I remembered Lauda¡¯s true potential? The sound from a light pluck of the strings was clearer than ever before. With this, I could put even more power into my music.

    My fingers yed the tune as if second nature, empowering the people behind me with my magic song.

    ¡¸S-Saintess-sama? What is¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone, let¡¯s run! You¡¯ll be able to keep up now!¡¹

    I jumped up on Urushi¡¯s back. Then, Urushi read my intention and broke into a dash. Naturally, your average person would not be able to keep up with him.

    But not after I¡¯ve strengthened them. As their feet followed after Urushi¡¯s, they attained a speed far exceeding their own imaginations.

    I turned around from Urushi¡¯s back, and saw everyone following him closely.

    At that moment, I spotted a few antidemons charging in from the front. Like I suspected, not even Fran and her friends managed to prevent their invasionpletely. There may not be many of them yet, but they¡¯ve already infiltrated the town.

    However, we¡¯ll be fine.

    ¡¸Grrrrr! Woof!¡¹

    Urushi activated a spell to crush the antidemons, but he wasn¡¯t the only one on the job.

    ¡¸They look so slow!¡¹

    ¡¸And weak too!¡¹

    ¡¸Eyah!¡¹

    Anna-san and the others smacked the antidemons with the spears, frying pans, and whatever in their hands. In a single blow, the antidemons copsed. Even for the weakest antidemons, such a thing should not be possible.

    ¡¸I-Is this the power of the saintess?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s because of everyone¡¯s courage! I¡¯m simply giving you a little assistance!¡¹

    ¡¸T-That¡¯s our saintess! Simply amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸We can fight now!¡¹

    They were surprised at first, but their expressions soon turned serious.

    Now that they had gained the power to fight, they must have understood that their destination was a true battlefield. Still, not a single one of them ran away. Such a dependable bunch.

    I felt their determination, their faith. It was all transmitted to me and resonating within me.

    ¡¸Urushi. You might see something a little surprising, but don¡¯t stop, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof? Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufu. Thank you.¡¹

    I stroked Urushi¡¯s neck as he barked strongly, and spoke the words.

    ¡¸Lauda, lend me your strength once more.¡¹

    I rested my fingers on the harp as it vibrated strongly in response.

    The current me will be able to use your powers properly. I¡¯m not the same as I was then, so everything will work out. I took a deep breath and shouted.

    ¡¸Perform a sacred melody for all to hear, Oratorio! <strong>Divine Sword Release!</strong>¡¹

    With my words, ¡°Divine Sword Release¡±, Lauda emit a brilliant sh. The harp changed shape in my very hands as if it was made out of shiny y.

    ¡¸W-Woof!?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. This is the true form of my harp Lauda. The Holy Songde, Oratorio. One of the divine swords.¡¹

    I first unleashed this power the day I killed my foster father. I activated Lauda out of anger and for revenge. That would be the first andst time I heard Oratorio¡¯s tune.

    Anger and guilt. Fear and regret. All the negative emotions consumed my mind and robbed me of my painful memories.

    Ever since I was a small child, I¡¯ve been able to keenly sense the emotions of others. I never thought it was strange myself, but it seems this was a rare ability in their eyes.

    My foster father said that I had a good sense of empathy, a wonderful ability for sharing in the enjoyment of music. I¡¯ve always thought of it like that, but that wasn¡¯t all.

    The day my foster father gifted Lauda to me. The day I cursed him to death. The day I heard the vigers¡¯ screams, and my foster father¡¯s crazedughter.

    I took in everyone¡¯s negative feelings and was crushed under their weight.

    As a result, I ended up sealing away my memories of the divine sword, as well as some of my emotions. No, Oratorio must have sealed them away to protect me. I realize that now.

    If I had retained those memories, I would have been destroyed by my fear of the power,bined with my guilt and regret. Back then, Oratorio seemed to be nothing more than a symbol of destruction and despair.

    But Oratorio¡¯s melody was not merely a tool for spreading despair. This instrument bearing the name of a divine sword could also y a song of hope and bring many people happiness. I knew it in my heart.

    As if in response to my resolve, Oratorio showed me the proper way to y it.

    I strummed the silver harp, which had grown to match the size of my arms. Then, a number of instruments began floating around me.

    A drum, an organ, a violin, a cast, and many more. Every single instrument I was capable of ying revealed itself.

    They arranged themselves in a semicircle around me, almost as if they were all a part of one huge instrument.

    Because they were. All of them were part of Oratorio. If I wanted them to make a sound, all I had to do was wish for it, and the instruments yed exactly how I wanted them to.

    With this, it would be possible to y aplex piece of music by myself. The ultimate instrument for any magic performer. This was the true form of the Holy Songde, Oratorio.

    ¡¸Everyone! Please lend me your power!¡¹

    ¡¸P-Power? What should we do?¡¹

    Anna-san gave Oratorio a confused nce, but immediately responded to my words. Everyone else was listening as well.

    So I told them exactly what.

    ¡¸Just sing!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Umm, like right now?¡¹

    They still looked puzzled. Of course they were, but that¡¯s exactly what we needed to save Fran.

    ¡¸Yes! Don¡¯t worry, you all know the song!¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay! You¡¯re our saintess, so I¡¯ll believe in you!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    Anna-san¡¯s words seemed to have convinced everyone. They straightened their backs in preparation to sing.

    The song I yed was one that everyone in the city has sung before. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve heard it more than any luby.

    ¡¸Truth in Music, activate¡­¡­ Composition, [The Song of Adventurers].¡¹

    I drew a score to give form to the feelings and power contained in the song. How long has it been since I felt this excited?

    ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s begin.¡¹

    Breathing in lightly, I weaved out my hopes for the future.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve risked my life~¡­? Coming to this dangerous goldennd~¡­? Gotta get rich quick! Dreaming of adventure¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, this song is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I know this one!¡¹

    ¡¸But why pick this?¡¹

    They seemed to understand immediately what song it was when they heard me start singing. However, they were confused in a different way.

    It¡¯s true that this wasn¡¯t the kind of song you would normally sing on the battlefield. The tune was cheerful, only fitting for a bar, and the lyrics were pretty terrible.

    But this song of adventures and bonding has been sung for so many years. It¡¯s the perfect one for the situation.

    As I sang, I turned around and looked at everyone with the thought, ¡°Come on, together now!¡± It seems they understood my intention.

    Anna-san and the others started to sing along with me. Only a few at first. But gradually, the number of singers, and amount of emotions conveyed in the lyrics increased.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­? The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No foe shall make us falter!¡¹

    ¡¸Dragons, demons, bring anything on!¡¹

    ¡¸The hordes of antidemons will be a piece of cake!¡¹

    ¡¸For booze, for friends, for gold! The adventurers fight on!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t lose¡­? Keep going¡­? Show them your pride¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Stand up! Come on, this is our chance to show them what we¡¯ve got!¡¹

    ¡¸Show them what you got!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re with you!¡¹

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ The golden adventurers~¡­? ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    I united everyone¡¯s thoughts and feelings and infused them into Oratorio¡¯s melody.

    The song turned into pure power, and I could feel it spreading everywhere. In my current state, I think I could deliver this to the entire city.

    So I made a wish.

    For the safety of Fran and the others, and for victory in the battle against antidemons. All woven into the song yed by Oratorio and the people behind me.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    They¡¯reing into view! Fran and her friends are still in the fight!

    I shouted, to show that we were here for them.

    ¡¸Fran! I¡¯ve brought reinforcements!¡¹

 Chapter 919

    <h4>919: Fran''s Dormant Power</h4>

    Sophie and Urushi appeared along with arge number of people.

    Her¨D¨Dor rather, their¨D¨Dsong turned the tide of battle. The song of adventurers, sung by thousands.

    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s affecting the air or the space itself, but the entire battlefield emitted a faint golden light with each verse, slowly healing everyone¡¯s wounds.

    Ignoring the effects of the divine attribute, Fran, Mea, and I began to recover. That must be due to the divine attribute contained in this magical song.

    It seems she was healing the bacsh of the divine attribute by using the divine attribute herself.

    On the other hand, the antidemons ceased their movements with puzzled looks. As if they didn¡¯t know how to act after being enveloped with such powerful mana.

    Kinda like how an AI bugs out at an unexpected situation and stops moving, but this happened over the entire battlefield. The range of effect was simply ridiculous.

    ¡¸Sophie! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry for beingte, but I¡¯ve brought some amazing reinforcements!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    We saw many people standing behind the smiling Sophie and Urushi. They had ordinary clothes, although a few equipped armor over it. A couple even wore a literal pot on their heads.

    Their weapons also varied, with some holding frying pans and wooden nks, as well as some rusty spears and swords. The only simrity was that everyone lookedpletely out of ce.

    They were ordinary citizens by all ounts.

    Still, everyone lined up behind Sophie with courageous expressions on their faces. I felt strangely reassured just looking at them.

    There were so many people who were willing to stand on the battlefield with us. That fact was important.

    ¡ºGood boy, Urushi! We¡¯ll have to give you a treatter!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    However, that was not the only thing out of ce. Fran nced at Sophie¡¯s surroundings and tilted her head.

    ¡¸Sophie, what¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸My¡­¡­ partner, I suppose?¡¹

    Sophie smiled, looking at the numerous musical instruments floating around her. Keyboard instruments, stringed instruments, percussion instruments. Some of them I didn¡¯t even recognize. There must be close to thirty in total.

    Did she have some ability to control instruments? The problem was that all of them radiated tremendous amounts of mana. Adding up all of them together would get a mana amount that exceeded even me.

    These were no ordinary magical tools. If I had to say the one thing I¡¯ve seen that was most simr in mana amount, it¡¯d have to be the divine sword, Gaia. However, unlike that de, these instruments didn¡¯t have an intimidating atmosphere.

    No, wait. Aren¡¯t those instruments emitting a faint divine aura? Right after I noticed that, Sophie spoke the name.

    ¡¸It¡¯s called Oratorio. A divine sword¡­¡­ the Holy Songde, Oratorio.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?! A-A divine sword?¡»

    I quickly appraised it, and found that it was definitelybeled as Oratorio.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> The Holy Songde, Oratorio

    <strong>Attack:</strong> 1000

    <strong>Mana:</strong> 30000

    <strong>Durability:</strong> 30000

    <strong>Mana Conductivity:</strong> SS

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Performance Boost (Super), Summon Instrument, Chorus Enhancement (Super), Effect Range Expansion (Super), Steel Thread Enhancement, Steel Thread Maniption, Divine Selector, Perfect Tone, Simultaneous Performance, Unknown

    I didn¡¯t manage to see everything, but this was more than enough to recognize its extraordinary abilities. Compared to the stats of Gaia we saw previously, it had lower attack, which would be expected for a musical instrument.

    Actually, it had 1000 attack, but how are you even supposed to hit stuff? Do you just bludgeon people with the instruments or something? Also, the mana conductivity was a little lower than Gaia¡¯s too.

    In exchange for Oratorio¡¯s lower attack power and magic conductivity, it had over 10000 more mana than Gaia.

    Combined with the vast selection of skills, there could be no doubt that it was a divine sword just like Gaia.

    ¡¸You have a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. I forgot about it until just a moment ago, but now I¡¯ve remembered.¡¹

    Thest time I checked Sophie¡¯s stats, there was a skill marked as ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±. It seems that her ¡°Divine Sword Release¡± skill was hidden there.

    The reason why it became invisible was not because she hid the skill, but because Sophie had lost her memory of it.

    ¡¸I know you have a lot of questions, but we have to take care of the antidemons first!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! To think you had a divine sword! What a reliable ally!¡¹

    ¡¸A saintess with a divine sword no less? ¡­¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡¹

    Mea and Velmeria regained theposure to open their mouths again. Standing next to the other girls, Sophie spoke with a solemn look.

    ¡¸The antidemons have stopped moving for now, but they will soon get ustomed to it. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to use a certain trump card¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸A trump card? You mean other than Oratorio?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be using Oratorio¡¯s power to amplify my song, I suppose?¡¹

    It seems Sophie had the ability to write her own scores, and create new magic songs instead of just ying existing ones. She could also modify the score of an existing song, turning it into a magical one.

    Apparently in such cases, the effects depended on the emotions contained in the song, and not even Sophie herself could predict the results.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll convert the song of adventurers into a magic song.¡¹

    ¡¸But we got healed by that song just now, right?¡¹

    ¡¸There can be different scores of the same song. Besides, I made the previous song for recovery, but that¡¯s not where its true potential lies.¡¹

    So Sophie nned topose a new magic song, with the same tune but with a different effect.

    ¡¸The feelings contained in the song of adventurers are for cheering and inspiration.¡¹

    Therefore, her new song would apparently be capable of awakening thetent power in the blood and souls of Fran and herpanions.

    That sounds to me a lot like bestowing ¡°Potential Release¡± on someone else.

    ¡¸However, the amount of emotion poured into the song throughout the ages goes far beyond the realm of my imagination. I have no clue how much power it might contain.¡¹

    Fran and the others would undoubtedly be greatly strengthened. The issue was that we had no idea how great of a strain it would put on their bodies.

    ¡¸It might put you into aa for days, or even worse. Are you willing to ept that?¡¹

    I¡¯m honestly kinda worried, but we all knew that relying on her song was the only way we couldbat the antidemons here and now.

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it on!¡¹

    ¡¸Very well.¡¹

    ¡¸If thedy says so, then¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwoh!¡¹

    Everyone nodded instantly.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay, then let¡¯s begin. Please take care of the city¡­¡­ No, that¡¯s not quite right. Let¡¯s protect this city together!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Sophie pulled out a harp from Oratorio and began to y. The tune was the same song of adventurers from before, but the song itself was not as important as the mana infused into it.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­? The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No foe shall make us falter!¡¹

    The townspeople began singing again in response to Sophie¡¯s music. They must have gotten used to it by now, since all of them started singing immediately.

    Their voices rained down upon us, as if seeping into our very beings.

    ¡ºThis song is kinda starting to grow on me.¡»

    £¨Me too.£©

    It¡¯s so uplifting, but that¡¯s not all.

    ¡¸I feel¡­¡­ power!¡¹

    So this is Oratorio¡¯s power!

    The Fran¡¯s presence suddenly magnified in pressure. This much¡­¡­? Her aura reminded me of guys like Ashwrath and Weena Rhyn.

    Moreover, isn¡¯t the divine attribute growing in magnitude too?

    ¡¸Urgh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! You okay!?¡»

    Fran grunted in pain, and I could sense the mana going wild within her. We¡¯re barely at the beginning of the song! Sophie managed to heal her earlier, but was the burden still too great?

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­ my power¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸Master, I¡­¡­ I feel it¡­¡­! The words areing to me!¡¹

    Fran murmured nonsensically, as if in a fever.

    ¡¸O raging might of the godly beast lying dormant in my blood¡­¡­¡¹

    Out of Fran¡¯s mouth came words I¡¯ve never heard her say before.

    ¡¸Awaken now! <strong>Divine Beast Form</strong>!¡¹

    As soon as Fran spoke the words, a tremendous amount of divine mana erupted from her body.

 Chapter 920

    <h4>920: The Power of a Divine Beast</h4>

    ¡¸<strong>Divine Beast Form</strong>!¡¹

    Along with Fran¡¯s words, her divine power was unleashed. That energy transformed into ck lightning, which wrapped itselfpletely around her.

    The vortex of lightning enveloped Fran in severalyers, as if taking the shape of a ck lotus bud. Those ck petals crackled violently as they blocked Fran from the outside world. Meanwhile, the power levels contained within continued swelling up at a frightening rate.

    Only a few momentster, the petals exploded, vanishing into the air. There stood a new Fran.

    Divine Beast Form. That seems to be the true nature of the power¨D¨Dor rather, skill¨D¨Dthat Fran activated just now. Based on the name, it must be simr to the dragonkin¡¯s ¡°Divine Dragon Form¡±.

    However, her physical changes weren¡¯t nearly as spectacrpared to Velmeria¡¯s usage of Divine Dragon Form.

    Her hair, nails, and fangs have gotten a little longer, but that¡¯s about it. She didn¡¯t grow fur everywhere or anything like that. In contrast to the magical girl-like transformation scene, the differences weren¡¯t all that impressive.

    But her appearance was the only thing that could be called unimpressive. Anyone capable of sensing the terrifying power inside her body would smack the people unfazed at this sight.

    shy, then? No, that¡¯s still a huge understatement.

    Even her aura was just on apletely different level. It now felt supernatural, one befitting a transcendental existence. Her cloak of ck lightning pulsated with an intensity iparable to before.

    Bolts of lightning crackling around Fran coiled multiple times like countless snakes. It¡¯s almost as if the incarnation of ck lightning had manifested itself on earth.

    Her stats got a ridiculous boost too. ¡°Divine Beast¡± was added to her race, and her status became ¡°Divine Beast Form¡±. Her strength and vitality both went over 1000, and her agility and magic stats even exceeded 2000.

    And these were only her base stats. After activating her other strengthening skills and spells, her stats would only grow higher.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    Fran pointed her palm at the antidemons, as if trying to test something.

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    As soon as Fran gave a light push, a bolt of ck lightning shot out from her palm with great force. However, that bolt was as thick as a telephone pole.

    The ck lightning scorched the antidemons, as well as the air itself, traveling about 20 meters before finally fizzling out. It left a void in its wake, created by the erasure of so many antidemons.

    ¡¸Oh, cool.¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yeah, that¡¯s pretty damn ridiculous.¡»

    Fran probably felt that was as simple as snapping her fingers. However, I could sense the tremendous amount of mana moved by the light exercise.

    After staring at her own palms in surprise for a while, Fran turned her expression serious, and thrust out her palm again.

    This time, with more concentration.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    With a short exhtion and even more mana, she let loose another burst of ck lightning.

    The lightning grew thick enough to easily swallow a human, before rampaging through the antidemons hordes like a serpent with a mind of its own.

    ¡ºWhoa! Damn¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Hehe.¡¹

    With this one technique, she obliterated over a hundred of the high-ranked antidemons. This easily matched the power of ck Lightning Advent, one of herst resort moves.

    Unlike ck Lightning Advent, which would cancel her Awakening after being used, this new technique could be fired off in rapid session.

    Fran responded to my surprise with a smug look on her face. However, her enhanced control over ck lightning was barely scratching the surface of her new powers.

    Next, Fran lightly folded her knees and readied herself. She wanted to test her physical abilities now that she understood her control over mana.

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    With Fran¡¯s light leap forward, the scenery around us flew by at an astonishing speed. All I could see were ck and red streaks, the blurred colors of the antidemons.

    I hurriedly activated my space-time magic. Only after elerating my time even more than before, was I able to recognize anything.

    I had been using time eleration on myself up until now, but I still couldn¡¯t keep up with Fran¡¯s new speed until boosting it even further.

    ¡¸Oops.¡¹

    ¡ºF-Fran, are you okay?!¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    Even Fran misjudged the extent of her own eleration. She only wanted to jump a bit forward, but we identally flew a full 50 meters, mming ourselves into all the antidemons in our path.

    Fran got away unharmed. The mana cloaking her body right now was thicker than any barrier.

    After turning a bunch of antidemons into roadkill, Fran clenched her fists a few times before nodding her head. It seems she finally got a hold of her newfound abilities.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve gotten so dang strong!¡»

    ¡¸Now I can protect everyone!¡¹

    Yeah, let¡¯s do this! I tried to respond to Fran, but the words wouldn¡¯te out for some reason.

    Instead, I heard Announcer-san¡¯s voice.

    ¡¶The name of individual Master has be capable of temporary alteration.¡·

    Eh? Announcer-san? What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?

    ¡¶Wolfking de, Fenrir¨D¨DNaming conditions not met. Naming process canceled.¡·

    I-Is something weird happening?

    Wolfking de Fenrir? Doesn¡¯t that sound kinda like a divine sword!?

    Please exin what¡¯s going on!

 Chapter 921

    <h4>921: A Little Too Perfect</h4>

    My voice still wouldn¡¯te out.

    Something really serious must be happening.

    Meanwhile, I felt a great amount of power welling up from within myself. So much that I had to worry if I could actually control it all.

    ¡¶Evil Wolf de, Fenrir¨D¨D Name rejected by Fenrir. The de of Blind Knowledge, Cherubim¨D¨D Denied. I am now Announcer-san, not Cherubim. Rejecting name. Enforcing suspension to renaming process¨D¨D Completed without issue. Temporarily acquired the skills [Wolfking], [Fanaticism], [Evil Torrent], and [Wisdom]. Skill [Mixed yer] transformed into [Golden Devourer]. Adjusting the abilities of Golden Devourer¨D¨D Skill Golden Devourer¡¯s domain partially damaged¨D¨D transforming to skill [Golden Form] instead.¡·

    W-What the hell is this? I suddenly got a bunch of new skills!

    But there was no time to celebrate. I could feel the evil energy growing stronger too. Is this gonna get ugly?

    ¡ºMaster, we¡¯re in bit of a pinch here! Can you feel it?¡»

    ¡ºFenrir!¡»

    Whoa, he can talk again!

    ¡ºDo you know what¡¯s going on!? What¡¯s this ¡°Wolfking de Fenrir¡± stuff!?¡»

    ¡ºOratorio infused a ton of power into not only you, but also everything inside you. From Fanatics¡¯ remnants to what¡¯s left of Overgrowth¡­ and even me! Things are really getting out of hand!¡»

    ¡ºO-Okay? So what¡¯s with the stuff about epting or refusing renaming? Evil Wolf de sounds a little scary, but shouldn¡¯t we make use of whatever temporary power-ups we can get? With me here, the Evil God won¡¯t be able to control you guys, right?¡»

    ¡ºIf only that were the case!¡»

    ¡ºYou mean it isn¡¯t?¡»

    ¡ºYeah. Your mind is too simr to a human¡¯s, so it¡¯s not gonna withstand merging with mine. If I have to take control, even temporarily, your mind¡¯s getting sttered for good!¡»

    ¡ºUwah? S-Seriously?¡»

    I almost just died and I didn¡¯t even know it!

    ¡ºBesides, I would have to take main control of the sword from you, right?¡»

    ¡ºYou mean, with me out of the way, the Evil God will go wild?¡»

    ¡¶Precisely. If individual Fenrir bes the main personality of the sword, resistance to the Evil God Fragment will be lost.¡·

    Damn, so that¡¯s not gonna work. Fran would be screwed too if that happens.

    ¡¶Individual Fenrir and I will suppress the others.¡·

    ¡ºIn other words, Master, you take on most dangerous one.¡»

    ¡ºYou need me to keep the Evil God Fragment under control?¡»

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right.¡»

    ¡ºBut, can I actually handle it?¡»

    ¡ºCome on, you¡¯ll be fine. When ites to resisting evil, you¡¯re better than me, and maybe even the gods. Leave the other annoyances to me and the remnants of Cherubim¨D¨Dor rather, Announcer-san.¡»

    ¡¶Individual Master is capable ofpleting the task.¡·

    So basically, the Evil God Fragment is like some hyper-energetic kid trying to force his way outside, and I have the job of making sure he behaves.

    I can feel my insides already brimming with evil energy. Without me keeping that in check, it would probably explode sooner orter.

    ¡ºAlright¡­¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it!¡»

    Either way, I¡¯ll be a liability to Fran until I¡¯m able to figure this stuff out. Even if the current Fran was capable of fighting without a weapon, holding her back would be my failure as her partner.

    I can¡¯t let Announcer-san and Fenrir down either!

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    £¨Master! Are you okay?£©

    ¡ºSorry, but I need to go out ofmission for a little while. I¡¯ll be right back, so just wait for me.¡»

    £¨Okay! I¡¯ll take care of things until you¡¯re back.£©

    ¡ºPlease do.¡»

    After informing Fran, I switched to focusing on my inner self.

    The key must be in the skills I just acquired. Evil Torrent was a dangerous skill, with the ability to magnify the power of evil.

    But inbination with my Evil Domination, it might be possible to contact the Evil God Fragment inside of me, and bring it under my control.

    I activated both skills at the same time. The effect of Evil Torrent caused the evil energy within me to grow even more dense.

    ¡ºGrgh¡­¡­!¡»

    ¡¶¡­¡­!¡·

    ¡ºFenrir! Announcer-san! You guys okay!?¡»

    ¡¶No problem¡­ detected.¡·

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll be fine, so don¡¯t worry about us! That guy isn¡¯t something you can handle while worrying about other stuff!¡»

    ¡ºGot it, I¡¯ll finish as soon as I can!¡»

    I concentrated harder to find the fragment of the Evil God, whose presence should be magnified by my Evil Torrent. Then, I found something, like a clump of pure condensed evil energy.

    This was the deepest spot within me, covered in pitch-ck darkness. I couldn¡¯t see a thing.

    ¡ºHey you, Evil God Fragment!¡»

    ¡º<strong>URROOOOUURGH! CONSUME ALL!</strong>¡»

    ¡ºYeah, yeah, I¡¯ve heard it a million times. Can you be quiet for a second?¡»

    ¡º<strong>GRAAAAAAH!</strong>¡»

    Ignoring the usual ¡°consume, consume¡± stuff, I quickly activated my Evil Domination, focusing everything on that one skill.

    Even with my skills, I¡¯m up against a fragment of the Evil God. Trying to reign him in was no simple matter. After realizing his domination had no effect on me, he simply kept resisting.

    That said, his power didn¡¯t work on me, while my skill was steadily bringing him under my control. My victory was only a matter of time.

    ¡º<strong>AAOOURRGHHH!</strong>¡»

    ¡ºI said shut up already! You know you can¡¯t do anything to me, so just settle the fuck down!¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­!¡»

    Nice, the Evil God Fragment flinched. He suddenly got quiet thest time I yelled at him too, so maybe he¡¯s surprisingly weak to that sort of stuff.

    Afterwards, I concentrated my entire being into sealing the Evil God Fragment, and seeded. I couldn¡¯t manage to take control the fragment itself, so I just left it in a sealed state.

    And what¡¯s more, I got an unexpected windfall. All the evil energy he left inside me could be moved at mymand, probably because of the boost from Oratorio.

    That means I could manipte this evil energy with as much ease as normal mana. Well, there¡¯s a lot of eyes here, so I¡¯d want to avoid spraying evil all over the ce.

    What I could do instead is use evil energy in ce of mana to power my skills. With this, my mana capacity practically doubled.

    ¡ºI think¡­¡­ it¡¯s over.¡»

    ¡ºYou really saved us. We¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡»

    ¡¶Individual Master, provide support for individual Fran.¡·

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯m on it!¡»

 Chapter 922

    <h4>922: Wolfking, Fanaticism, Wisdom</h4>

    ¡ºFran! Sorry to keep you waiting!¡»

    ¡¸I barely waited at all.¡¹

    I felt like I was gone for ages after diving into my mental world, but it seems like it onlysted a few minutes in reality.

    Well, in those few minutes, the battlefield certainly changed drastically!

    Fran had already moved quite a distance away from the walls, and waspletely surrounded by antidemons. To Fran as she is now though, this only made things simpler for her.

    She needed to avoid blowing up ourrades, after all.

    ¡¸Teryaah!¡¹

    When I got back, she was in the middle of annihting the entire vicinity with ck lightning.

    £¨Master, ready?£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    I understood the full extent of Fran¡¯s evolution the moment she grabbed my hilt. It wasn¡¯t just a boost to her stats, but her swordsmanship as well.

    I felt a strange high, just like when Fran wielded me in her Sword God Transformation state.

    ¡ºSwing me around as much as you want now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran pulled me out from her back and used that momentum for a swing. This was a simple sh with a bit of mana applied, but it exceeded the power of your average holy sword art.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha! Amazing! You¡¯re just in amazing, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    So this is Divine Beast Form¡¯s true potential! I thought we were going fast earlier, but she was just getting warmed up! Such terrifying speed!

    Fran moved so fast that even her afterimages got left in the dust. She deleted countless antidemons with every swing, and the shockwave of those swings sted away countless more.

    Meanwhile, she left a veritable storm of ck lightning in her wake, electrocuting those who were spared.

    We were literally unbeatable. It didn¡¯t matter if the antidemons were ck or red, they might as well have been goblins.

    Fran continued swinging me at every antidemon that caught her eye, each of them erased instantly.

    ¡¸Master! This is! This is so much fun!¡¹

    ¡ºY-You sure seem happy!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran was smiling, way more excited than usual. That seems to be a side-effect of the Divine Beast Form too.

    I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s abination of the tion of having gained such enormous power, as well as the increased aggressiveness at bing closer to a beast.

    I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen her smile this much.

    £¨Hey, Master! What kinda power did you get?£©

    ¡ºOh, you wanna see?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºOkay. Let me show you the skills I got!¡»

    £¨Yay!£©

    Looks like I¡¯m getting a bit excited too. Maybe the song of adventurers inspires excitement in the listeners as well.

    ¡ºHere we go! Skill [Wolfking] activate!¡»

    Woosh!

    I felt a tremendous amount of mana drain out of me. Well, I mean, it would have been a tremendous amount.

    But for me as I am now, it¡¯s practically nothing.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ck mana covered Fran, taking the form of a thin veil over her entire body.

    The ck veil felt different from the nastiness of evil energy, or the ferocity of her ck lightning. I guess you could say it had a kinda regal air?

    d in ck mana, Fran gave off an aura of dignity and stature that would make one naturally want to follow her. This was very simr to the aura Fenrir gave off.

    The Wolfking skill was an enhancement skill making use of Fenrir¡¯s mana, but that¡¯s not the only thing it did.

    Something also changed on my side. My decorative cord grew and branched out at a tremendous speed. At the same time, I could see the branches beginning to intertwine with each other, and forming some kind of shape.

    And as they took form, some threads branched out further into even more shapes, which also kept gettingrger. Now, it looked like there was a huge bunch of grapes lying next to me.

    Each of the grapes erged, before snapping away from the bunch after reaching max size.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Grrr! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Metal wolves?¡¹

    ¡ºThis is the power of Wolfking.¡»

    I produced several metal wolves, each about five meters in length. Their intimidating appearance gave me a sense of deja vu.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s¡­¡­ That¡¯s me from back then!¡»

    Back when I stole Ashwrath¡¯s Mad Ogre with Skilltaker, I went out of control. I had activated Potential Release, then turned into a metal wolf to assault Kiara and the others.

    To be honest, my memories of the incident were kinda blurry, but I still remember what I looked like. These wolves took a very simr shape.

    The Wolfking skill strengthens my wielder with Fenrir¡¯s mana, and also creates these metal wolves.

    Just as the name implies, it turns my wielder into the king of wolves. Perhaps it¡¯s supposed to reflect how wolves form packs.

    ¡ºGet ¡®em!¡»

    ¡¸Graaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, so cool!¡¹

    The metal wolves were quite formidable. Their fangs and ws easily tore the antidemons apart, and their armor repelled the strikes from lower-ss antidemons. Few antidemons could keep up with the speed of their movements, so the wolves shredded them without much resistance.

    As a pack, they would be capable of going head-to-head with Urushi before he got enhanced by Oratorio. Well, they wouldn¡¯t win though.

    £¨Are you controlling all of them?£©

    ¡ºThat¡¯s about half true.¡»

    These metal wolves acted as autonomous familiars, thinking and moving by themselves. They¡¯re pretty much robots, so they weren¡¯t capable of conscious thought.

    However, all the metal wolves were connected to me. They generally acted on their own, but I could also order them manually. And right now, I exercisedplete control over all of them.

    Normally this kind of control would be impossible for me. I do have the Parallel Processing skill, but that¡¯s not nearly adequate for such a feat.

    What made this possible wasbining my Fanaticism skill and Wisdom skill with Wolfking. The metal wolves created by Wolfking were all connected through Fanaticism, and Wisdom allowed me to control them perfectly.

    Wisdom was the skill inherited from Cherubim¨D¨Daka Announcer-san. Everyone always talks about it being a divine sword capable of essing and rewriting information in the divine domain. That¡¯s what it¡¯s known for, but I have to say its processing power was pretty insane too.

    After all, it has the information processing ability to instantly find and select the desired information from a library containing all the information in the world. Controlling ten metal wolves at the same time would be a piece of cake.

    Wolfking, Fanaticism, and Wisdom. Each skill was much weaker whenpared to the original.

    Wolfking¡¯s power should be stronger, andmand entire legions. Fanaticism¡¯s power should be more disgusting and abhorrent. Wisdom¡¯s power should be way faster and smarter.

    Each probably contained less than one-tenth of the original¡¯s power. That said, bybining them, I was able to do things that never should have been possible in the first ce.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s more, I can do this too!¡»

    I gave themand, and one of the metal wolves exploded. This was no self-destruction. The portion of me making up the body of the wolf turned back into steel threads, flying about andying waste to its surroundings.

    After the steel threads slew over a hundred antidemons, they took the form of a wolf again. Those wolves were stillpletely a part of me.

    £¨Master, that¡¯s so cool!£©

    ¡ºHeheh. I know right?¡»

 Chapter 923

    <h4>923: The Power of Our Friends</h4>

    My metal wolves made quick work of the antidemons around us, so we didn¡¯t need to bother with them anymore.

    Fran wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll keep going, and take down the antidemon boss!¡¹

    ¡ºSounds good, but stay on your toes!¡»

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be fine!¡¹

    Fran shouted as she increased her speed, immediately dashing off in the direction of a powerful presence.

    ¡¸Taaaaah!¡¹

    Fran and I fired a st of lightning to destroy the antidemons in our path, then ran through cutting down any trying to fill the void.

    After annihting everything in our way, Fran closed in on themander. We had broken through the entire horde of tens of thousands of antidemons in the matter of seconds.

    Divine Beast Form was really something. However, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that the real battle began now.

    ¡¸Grarroorh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugriohh!¡¹

    ¡¸Shaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡­ Looks strong!¡¹

    ¡ºBut there¡¯s so many of them¡­¡­!¡»

    We found special antidemons whose aura, power, and appearance obviously stood out from the rest. The problem being that there was more than one of them. Five of the unique antidemons blocked our path, as if waiting for Fran¡¯s arrival.

    Which one is themander of the horde? Or are they allmanders? Please don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s one that¡¯s even more powerful. I kinda doubt it, since these five were clearly special.

    The strongest antidemon we¡¯ve ever fought was Twisted Horn at Castel. I don¡¯t think any of these guys are as strong as him, but they¡¯re still in a different league than the red dragon antidemons, the second strongest we¡¯ve fought.

    ¡¸¡­¡­We can just crush them all.¡¹

    Fran muttered, ring belligerently at the five antidemons suspected of beingmanders.

    ¡ºOkay! We can handle them now, if we go all out!¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know how long I can maintain Divine Beast Form, so I¡¯ll give them everything I¡¯ve got now!¡¹

    ¡ºGo for it! I¡¯ll use the metal wolves to split them up. We destroy them one by one!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    It won¡¯t be an easy victory by any means, but we can handle one against five in our current state. However, a certain group broke into our fight before it started.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be fighting too!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t count me out either!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Let me have one!¡¹

    Velmeria, who had turnedpletely dragonic aside from her face; Zefmate, who wore a leopard¡¯s head and radiated blue mana; Urushi, cloaked in the deepest darkness; Mea, erupting white mes¡­¡­ Our friends.

    All of them had gotten huge boosts,parable to Fran¡¯s. Velmeria, with light blue scales all over her body, had fully activated Divine Dragon Form, regaining the entirety of the power she used to rampage through the capital.

    Zefmate¡¯s head hadpletely turned into that of a leopard¡¯s. Furthermore, his legs took a much more bestial form, with his entire body cloaked in the divine attribute. This was clearly no normal Awakening.

    My appraisal indicated this state was called ¡°Holy Beast Form¡±. Maybe that¡¯s the final evolution of beastmen outside of the Ten Ancestral Races.

    His agility went over 1500, and he had developed the ¡°Blue Leopard¡± skill. That¡¯s a skill bearing the name of his race, so there¡¯s no way it can be weak. It seems to apply the effects of Leopard Leg to any part of his body.

    Those tricky moves of his would only get trickier.

    Urushi¡¯s status showed up as ¡°Potential Release¡±. That¡¯s generally a very dangerous state, but thanks to Sophie¡¯s song, he¡¯s also regenerating constantly. Apparently, the burden on him was much lighter than my usual Potential Release.

    The drain on his life seems almost negligible after being mitigated by the regeneration, so he shouldst quite a while.

    Stat-wise, he didn¡¯t get much of a boost aside from agility.

    However, he did gain a Innate Skill called ¡°Twilight¡±. This seems to be a debuff ability that greatly debilitates any opponent he touches.

    And finally, the one with probably the most terrifying evolution, Mea. Her status was now ¡°White Beast Form¡±, and her stats exceeded 1000 across the board. Also, [Divine me] got added to her skill list.

    The white me cloaking her entire body radiated the divine attribute, and her auto-counter got so intense that ¡°nasty¡± was now a significant understatement.

    If someone touched her Divine mes for a single moment, the raging inferno would spread over their entire body in a sh. It literally couldn¡¯t be extinguished, so all they could do was say their prayers before getting vaporized.

    ¡¸Mea, that¡¯s so awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! I know! But this is not the only power I have gained!¡¹

    With a big smile on her face, Mea pulled out the sword on her back.

    Then, she raised her beloved de high in the air.

    The divine sword containing the red dragon, Lind.

    ¡¸You mean¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely! With both me and Lind strengthened, the gateway to new power has been opened!¡¹

    Mea swung her sword to the side and shouted.

    ¡¸King of dragons, the raging tyrant of red! Reveal yourself before me!¡¹

    Right here, right now, a second divine sword was about to manifest itself.

    ¡¸Lindwurm, <strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>!¡¹

    The Raging Dragonde Lindwurm responded to Mea¡¯s shout, along with an enormous amount of mana swirling around its de.

    The sword¡¯s red, dragon-shaped engravings began glowing with a fierce radiance. That light eventually enveloped the entire sword, and released a brilliant sh.

    ¡¸Gyah!¡¹

    Huh?! Mea blinded herself since she was looking right at the de!

    ¡¸My eyes! My eyes!¡¹

    ¡ºColonel Mus*a!?¡»

    ¡¸Mu*ka?¡¹

    ¡ºSorry, you can ignore that. I just felt like I had to say it.¡»

    But still¡­¡­ Your first usage of Divine Sword Release, and you end up blinding yourself! Is this some kinda gag?!

 Chapter 924

    <h4>924: Divine Beast vs Antidemon</h4>

    ¡¸My eyes!¡¹

    Mea continued covering her eyes and screaming. Who could¡¯ve imagined her blinding herself with the light from her own divine sword¡­¡­ If my metal wolves hadn¡¯t taken out all the antidemons around her, she might have been in big trouble.

    ¡¸G-Gugya?¡¹

    Lind¨D¨Dno, Lindwurm was pretty confused too. He stared down at his master screaming at his feet, unsure of what to do.

    The form of Lindwurm appearing before us was exactly as the legends say, enormous. He must be nearly 100 meters long.

    That¡¯s more than twice the size of the water dragon we saw a while back. Naturally, the aura of power he radiated was simrly huge. When one normally encounters a dragon thsi big, retreat would be the first wording to mind.

    Well, all that solemn dignity kinda got ruined by his master. At least he¡¯s diligently protecting Mea from the charging antidemons by surrounding her with his tail.

    ¡¸Nrgh¡­¡­ To think it would be so bright! Such a grave blunder!¡¹

    ¡¸Grgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa? L-Lind? Fuhahaha! You¡¯ve certainly grown into a valiant form, huh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gao!¡¹

    Such a touching scene, so why does it feel soedic? Anyways, now¡¯s not the time for fooling around!

    ¡ºMea! We need to take out the antidemons!¡»

    ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s right!¡¹

    Mea already knew my identity, so it¡¯s okay for me to talk to her. She seems to have quickly regained her bearings.

    ¡¸Hmmm. Five strong ones¡­¡­¡­? Lind, you¡¯re in charge of the surrounding antidemons! Exterminate all the weaklings!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaaaooooooo!¡¹

    So we¡¯ll take themanders while Lind prevents the mooks from reaching the city. Lind could use his own body as a giant wall if need be, so he¡¯s definitely the best suited for the role.

    ¡¸We shall y themanders. I take it there are no objections?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    No one voiced any dissent. Mea¡¯s words contained a majesty that made us naturally want to follow her. Perhaps the enhancement affecting her body also boosted her innate charisma or something simr.

    Her appearance was now a little more intimidating than usual. She didn¡¯t have a beast face like Zefmate¡¯s, but her hair grew very long. That loose and disheveled hair reminded me of her dad, the Beast King. It wasn¡¯t just the hair, the atmosphere she gave off matched himpletely too.

    You can practically feel the father-daughter rtionship. Her fearlessness, violent aura, and belligerent smile must have all been inherited from him too.

    The current Mea truly felt fit to be a ruler.

    ¡¸Then let us begin!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And so, each of the five challenged themander in front of them.

    ¡¸This one is mine!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s my Fran! You chose the strongest looking one!¡»

    £¨Master, use the wolves to kill the weaklings.£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    The one in front of Fran certainly had the smallest size, but also contained the most mana within his body.

    The antidemon carried a katana in his hands, with a sleek body befitting a swordsman.

    Recognizing Fran as his opponent, the crimson colored knight-type with three long horns took a step forward and waited for her silently.

    Almost as if he was a proud warrior challenging the enemy to a duel. Antidemons weren¡¯t supposed to have personalities, but maybe those at themander-level disyed a bit more individuality.

    Fran and the Tri-Horn antidemon continued ring at each other.

    ¡¸Uraaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Shiaaaaaaah!¡¹

    After a moment¡¯s pause, Fran and Tri-Horn broke into battle. Both moved at blinding speeds with their swords shing countless times.

    The shockwaves alone were enough to send all the weaker antidemons in the vicinity flying.

    As expected from his small stature, Tri-Horn¡¯s speed was simply terrifying. Hebined that with a powerful regenerative ability. All the cuts Fran gave him healed almost instantly.

    We would¡¯ve been in real danger without Sophie¡¯s song. I don¡¯t think we could have guaranteed a victory, even if we activated Potential Release.

    But in our current state, we outmatched him.

    Be it speed, swordsmanship, or even regeneration, we had the upper hand. Yeah, Fran also regenerated instantly after each scratch from the antidemon¡¯s de.

    Andparing the weapons of the two would simply be unfair. After all, I¡¯m at peak performance right now.

    £¨Master, are you okay with all that evil energy?£©

    ¡ºOops, I think I¡¯m leaking a little! It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    There was a bit of evil energy mixed in with the divine powers cloaking me. Fran seemed a bit worried about my condition, but there was no problem at all. My evil energy levels were just so high that I identally leaked some out.

    Maybe it would be a big problem normally, but evil energy has no effect on me. It¡¯s not much different than being overflowing with mana. The current Fran could also ignore this small amount of evil energy without any negative impact.

    I boosted my power with evil energy, divine energy, and also the Golden Form skill.

    Golden Form was the skill Announcer-san created from Overgrowth¡¯s Golden Devourer skill.

    In exchange for losing the ability to absorb power from antidemons, the antidemon ying ability got a nice boost. No matter how many antidemons we cut down, Fran would never turn into an antidemon like Nadia. Thanks to this, we could use the skill as much as we wanted.

    ¡¸Shh! Sei!¡¹

    Fran, who was already fast enough to leave her own shadow behind, elerated even further. She must have mastered her new physical abilities, after being boosted by Divine Beast Form.

    Moreover, she sometimes made ridiculous movements that seemed like teleportation. It seems that in her Divine Beast Form, she could activate ck Lightning Roll at will.

    Normally, people flying around at such ridiculous speeds would barely be able to recognize their own movements. Even the blood spurting out from Fran¡¯s wounds instantly turned into mist before dissipating into the air.

    However, Fran was inplete control of her speed. In addition to her body¡¯s physical abilities, it seems her dynamic vision and spatial recognition had been enhanced as well.

    Fran was now capable of seeing everything around her in slow motion, even without using time eleration. Meanwhile, I needed time eleration to simply keep up with her.

    I guess this is how the world looks through the eyes of the Rank S transcendents.

    Even in this state, I can¡¯t say for sure if Fran would be able to beat Ashwrath or Weena Rhyn. Those guys haveplete mastery over their powers, after all. I could, however, say that Fran had certainly stepped one foot in their territory.

    ¡¸Teyaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Shwiiiiiii!¡¹

    She¡¯s just too damn fast. Even with Divine Beast Form, I could sense her body beginning to scream from the sheer speed.

    And this antidemon was capable of shing with her head-on. Tri-Horn was plenty extraordinary himself. I never could have imagined we¡¯d see so many of these ridiculously powerful antidemons¡­¡­ The season of antidemons really is something else.

    But regardless of his speed and power, Fran was a step ahead. She quickly started reading the antidemon¡¯s movements, and evading his strikes.

    Fran began to clearly outperform this antidemon of the highest level.

    ¡¸Ruaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

 Chapter 925

    <h4>925: ck Tiger Thundercrash</h4>

    ¡¸Ruaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Shii! Shgyii?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah! Teya!¡¹

    The battle between Fran and Tri-Horn entered the realm of divine speed. They shed at each other while moving at speeds unrecognizable by the human eye.

    The two seemed evenly matched at the beginning, but the battle had already started tilting in Fran¡¯s favor. I wouldn¡¯t say shepletely mastered the use of the Divine Beast Form, but she still outperformed the most powerful of antidemons.

    Fran avoided Tri-Horn¡¯s ultra fast swings, while hitting back with all of her own shes. We suddenly went on a roll, with Fran handing the antidemon a one-sided beatdown.

    No matter how potent Tri-Horn¡¯s regeneration was, our divine attribute infused ck lightning and swordy continued whittling him down.

    Then, as if time slowed to a crawl, Fran delivered a series of over a hundred shes to cut Tri-Horn into a million pieces. The trajectory of the de shing through the air took the shape of a steel cage.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­!¡¹

    Fran slid on the ground as shended.

    As if on cue, Tri-Horn copsed, spilling his shredded body all over the earth.

    But he was not finished yet.

    I could see the remnants of the antidemon desperately struggling to move. If we left him be, he¡¯d eventually regenerate and get back up.

    We should¡¯ve expected as much from a unique antidemon of the highest caliber, but he¡¯s as tough as Twisted Horn from Castel. With the antidemon in front of us, Fran thrust out her right palm, pointing it at our target.

    In response to Fran¡¯s concentration, the mana cloaking her body transformed into ck lightning, creating a thunder storm around us. Then, the eruption of ck lightning condensed itself in front of Fran¡¯s palm.

    Before long, the condensed ck lightning had shrunk into a jet-ck orb floating in front of her hand. It almost looked like a miniaturized ck hole.

    The lightning contained within writhed so violently that it seemed like it could pop at any moment, constantly emitting the sound of roaring thunder.

    The sheer power contained in the lightning orb gave me shivers. I worried that it might blow up the entire battlefield if Fran lost control of it.

    Fran on the other hand, showed no sign of concern at all, activating her technique with no change in expression.

    ¡¸ck Tiger Thundercrash!¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t need to move or touch the ck lightning orb. All she did was release it, letting loose the massive amount of energy she had spent all that time charging.

    Suddenly, a gigantic bolt of ck lightning gushed out, as if taking the form of a ck dragon. The dragon swallowed not only Tri-Horn but also the surrounding antidemons as it charged forward. The torrent of ck lightning turned into a raging river, tearing a long and deep scar onto the face of ins.

    For someone watching at a distance, it would really look like a dragon devouring thend itself. The nearly 20 meter wide scar left behind extended far into the horizon.

    Of course, the ck lightning scattered by the st also wiped out all the antidemons in the vicinity.

    This technique, the ¡°ck Tiger Thundercrash¡±, clearly contained a absolutely massive amount of power. There¡¯s no doubt this must be the trump card used by ck Heavenly Tigers after activating Divine Beast Form.

    ¡¸I¡¯m so tired¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYou probably overexerted yourself.¡»

    Fran went all out with a power she had just obtained, emptying out her stamina and mana reserves.

    Even with Sophie¡¯s song backing us up, it will take some time for her to recover to the point where she can fight again. So looked so exhausted that it¡¯s a wonder she hasn¡¯t copsed already.

    ¡ºBut you did great.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s spent, but I¡¯m still raring to go. Though I used a lot of my own power keeping up with Fran¡¯s cloak of divine mana, I can easily st a bunch of spells at the antidemons.

    I thought of supporting our friends with long range spells, but Urushi gave me a powerful stare in return, signaling that he didn¡¯t want any assistance.

    Urushi confronted a huge crimson lion with long horns, about five meters tall. The two dashed around the battlefield while lunging at each other.

    It seems Urushi intended to finish the battle by himself. He viewed the quadrupedal foe as a rival to be defeated.

    Urushi had the advantage when it came to magic, but the horned lion boasted stronger physical abilities.

    They bit into each other simultaneously, with the horned lion¡¯s ws striking Urushi multiple times. As I thought, Urushi was at a clear disadvantage in meleebat.

    However, Urushi was determined to settle the match up close. As the two tangled with each other, they also rolled around, crushing the countless antidemons caught under them.

    Then, the battle ended abruptly.

    ¡¸Graaarghh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyiii¨D¨D!¡¹

    Urushi dug his fangs deep into the horned lion¡¯s neck, and his ws tore apart the lion¡¯s body.

    His Twilight skill had been activated. The reason Urushi insisted on closebat was to bathe the lion in his cloak of twilight darkness.

    After the continuous exposure to Twilight¡¯s effects, the horned lion¡¯s stats and armor were heavily corroded. As a result, an attack that should have been a minor scratch turned into a fatal blow, resulting in a quick end.

    This was the perfect example of throwing a battle to win the war.

    The horned lion, with its limbs shattered, could do nothing but watch as Urushi¡¯s spell engulfed its body in darkness. The beast¡¯s presence waspletely extinguished.

    ¡¸Awooooooooh!¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s howl echoed across the battlefield.

    ¡¸Urushi won.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! He really pulled it off!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran approached and lightly patted Urushi¡¯s leg, who responded with a bark of pride. He was still bleeding everywhere from the fight, but the joy of victory exceeded his pain.

    His tail started wagging, causing gale-force winds.

 Chapter 926

    <h4>926: Sendia Defense Complete</h4>

    At about the same time as Urushi¡¯s victory, our otherpanions also concluded their battles.

    Mea unleashed a huge pir of white mes that pierced the heavens. Despite the pirpletely consuming her opponent, a four-armed knight-type, we didn¡¯t feel any heat at all. That meant she controlled those mes perfectly.

    Meanwhile, Velmeria¡¯s opponent was a huge knight-type about five meters tall. She simply ignored the size difference and took it head-on, ending the fight by crushing its head with her water-cloaked fist.

    Zefmate, who struggled the most, was up against a knight-type with disproportionately long arms and legs. He still managed to win after shredding it to pieces with a flurry of strikes.

    Compared to Fran and the others, Zefmate took a considerable amount of damage. I think that¡¯s representative of the difference between their original abilities, rather than Holy Beast Form being inferior to Divine Beast Form.

    If someone like Royce and Gaudartha, the Beast King¡¯s retainers, managed to activate Holy Beast Form, I think they would reach somewhere around Fran¡¯s level.

    ¡¸Zefmate, splendid work!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, mydy.¡¹

    It seems his rtionship with his master is going well too. Zefmate smiled after receiving Mea¡¯s praise.

    Everyonepleted their job perfectly, defeating all the potentialmanders. As a result, a change urred over the antidemon horde.

    The same thing that happened in Castel. Without their leaders, they began to move individually and erratically. Like I thought, it seems all the ones we just defeated weremanders. There must have been so many antidemons here because they consisted of several hordes merged together, each with its ownmander.

    ¡¸They¡¯reing!¡¹

    All the antidemons around us immediately started rushing at us. At this rate, the avnche of antidemons might push toward Sendia too.

    But Fran and the others had no need to worry.

    Between them and Sendia stood a giant dragon, Lindwurm.

    ¡¸Guooooooooooh!¡¹

    The shockwave from his roar knocked down the antidemons, with the mes from his mouth instantly turning them into ash. Each swing of his tail cleaved countless down, and the wind from his wingbeat held the entire hordes in ce.

    Lindwurm became an impregnable fortress all by himself. No antidemon would be able to break through his defense line.

    That said, there was no telling how long Oratorio¡¯s effects wouldst.

    ¡¸We must destroy the remaining antidemons as soon as possible!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and the others scattered to the four winds, and exterminated the remaining antidemons as quickly as they could.

    Well, Fran mostly sat back while Urushi and I sted them with spells. I made use of thunder and me magic, while controlling the metal wolves at the same time.

    In his enhanced state, Urushi could fire off dark spells far into the distance, much further than any human sorcerer.

    We also saw white mes raging silently in the horizon, as well as water swallowing up antidemons like a gluttonous beast.

    Was that Zefmate jumping around in the air next to the white mes? I hope he¡¯s watching out for friendly fire.

    Even if Mea managed to control her mes perfectly, she still gave me the impression of being a bit of an airhead. A little mistake, and we might end up having to bury Zefmate¡¯s ashes.

    Seeing Zefmate so close gave me a little anxiety, but he still moved way faster and trickier than before.

    Thanks to his Blue Leopard skill, the effect of Leopard Legs could be applied to his entire body. By activating it on his hands, elbows, and even tail, he could make physically impossible changes of direction midair.

    Despite all the worry, he ended uping out just fine. Well, they cut it pretty damn close once, but he pulled off the evasion.

    The one with the most kills was probably Mea, with Velmeria in second ce.

    ¡¸We¡¯ve got all of them!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s all the antidemons in the area. We did it.¡¹

    Mea and Velmeria gave each other a high-five. It seems they ended up bing good friends.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, that was so cool!¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯ll get your rewardter!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    The crisis at hand had been averted.

    ¡¸We won.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed we have!¡¹

    While everyone was rejoicing, the song of adventurers echoing through the battlefield suddenly came to a stop. Following this, the golden mana enveloping us lost its luster.

    ¡¸What? The power is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯ll be bad if we stay here! Let¡¯s get back to town while we still can!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Let¡¯s head back.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! We run for the town!¡¹

    I have no clue what sort of aftereffects we will see, but just look at how much stronger everyone has be. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re getting away scot-free.

    With all our remaining strength, we rushed to Sophie¡¯s side. Well, that only took a few seconds in our boosted state.

    As we approached the town, it became clear why the singing had stopped. Everyone was sitting down andpletely exhausted, including Sophie.

    I guess they had to give it their all too.

    Still, they all stood back up and waved to us when they saw Fran and the others return. Everyone greeted us with apuse and cheers.

    ¡¸Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸You really saved us!¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone was just amazing!¡¹

    Each face had a smile. We could easily tell that this happiness and gratitude came from the bottom of their hearts.

    Seeing all their smiling faces, Fran whispered to herself.

    ¡¸What a relief.¡¹

    ¡ºYou can say that again.¡»

    There was no need for further words. Ipletely understood what Fran was trying to say, since I felt the exact same way.

 Chapter 927

    <h4>927: Prices Paid</h4>

    The citizens greeted Fran and her friends with cheers, but they still looked very tired themselves. Many of them sat back down, unable to bear the fatigue.

    Also, some of them were injured, with many of their wounds unrted to the battle.

    A few must have gotten hurt while rescuing soldiers and adventurers from under the rubble of the destroyed walls.

    Others seem to have hurt their throats after putting too much into singing.

    Among all of them, Sophie¡¯s condition was particrly severe.

    Those fingers that had yed the harp for so long were covered with blood, with her nails peeled off. The performance must have put a huge burden on her.

    Her face was pale, and I could barely sense any mana left in her. She had put literally everything into her song.

    Still, Sophie greeted us with a smile on her exhausted face.

    ¡¸Everyone, thank you all for saving Sendia.¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s thanks to you guys. We are the ones who should be thanking you.¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely! I¡¯d love to throw a banquet, but I¡¯m¡­¡­ getting a bit drowsy¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Me too¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran, Mea, and Velmeria looked like they were about to copse any second now. After pushing themselves so hard, they were unable to resist the call of the bed.

    ¡¸Gaooo?¡¹

    ¡ºLind! You really saved us, thanks!¡»

    ¡¸Gao!¡¹

    Lind, who suddenly started fading away, seems to have received my telepathic message. He gave a short roar before disappearing.

    ¡¸Miss, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Zefmate? Are you¡­ not tired?¡¹

    ¡¸Not so much as to fall asleep immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi¡­ so sleepy.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Zefmate and Urushi didn¡¯t seem so tired as to copse, at least. I guess the bacsh affected everyone differently.

    ¡¸Unnrgh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof!¡¹

    Urushi rushed over to prop up the falling Fran.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s take them under a roof.¡¹

    ¡¸F-Follow me!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, hang on a little longer.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmmm.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Miss, this way.¡¹

    ¡¸O¡­kay¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The dragondy too.¡¹

    Zefmate lent Mea his shoulder as he pulled Velmeria¡¯s hand. We can leave those two to him.

    Sophie led us into a nearby house, which seemed to belong to one of the volunteers. It looked like no one lived there, so it must have been used as a storage room.

    Iid out some futons on the floor, pretending that Fran had taken them out of dimensional storage. I guess five sets for now?

    Urushi and Zefmate put the girls into bed.

    ¡ºGood night, Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ Zzz¡­¡­¡¹

    She must have really been at her limits. Fran nodded slightly before immediately drifting off. Mea and Velmeria were already fast asleep.

    ¡ºUrushi, how do you feel?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Arfaaaah¡­¡­¡¹

    Urushi and Zefmate looked pretty tired too. However, there would be a problem with Fran¡¯s security if both of them fell asleep.

    Actually, how are the aftereffects going to affect me?

    The evil energy was already long gone, but my new skills still seemed usable for now¡­¡­

    ¡ºFenrir? Announcer-san?¡»

    ¡ºMaster, is everything over?¡»

    ¡¶Detected decrease in evil energy. Assuming termination ofbat.¡·

    ¡ºAre you guys not seeing this?¡»

    The usual Fenrir and Announcer-san should be able to see most of what I can see, right? They always spoke like they knew everything going on.

    ¡¶In order to suppress the activity of the affected regions, all functions had been diverted to control. For that period, information from the outside world waspletely unavable.¡·

    ¡ºBasically, we had a bunch to do, so we didn¡¯t have the time to watch. Well, you won, right? There¡¯s no way you¡¯d lose after getting all that mana and evil energy.¡»

    ¡ºYeah, we destroyed all the antidemons. So what happens to me now? I¡¯m a bit worried about Fran¡¯s safety if I have to go into aa because of the bacsh.¡»

    I haven¡¯t sensed any sign of the bacsh yet, and I didn¡¯t feel nearly as drained as when I activate Potential Release.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯ll split up the burden that you and Fran would be taking.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. I predict only minor exhaustion as the result.¡·

    ¡ºEh? You¡¯re saying you two will bear the cost for me and Fran? Are you gonna be okay?¡»

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll probably not be able to talk again for a while, but that¡¯s about it. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll disappear or anything, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡»

    ¡ºHow could I not be worried¡­¡­? Besides, how are you taking on Fran¡¯s burden¡­¡­? Is that even possible?¡»

    ¡ºCome on now. In case you forgot, I¡¯m a former divine beast. It¡¯s kinda funny how she ended up manifesting Divine Beast Form. With that connection, no matter how small, it¡¯ll be a piece of cake.¡»

    So I guess being a former divine beast allows him to interfere with the recoil from using Divine Beast Form somehow. Fenrir will share the burden being ced on Fran, and further share it with Announcer-san.

    ¡¶This is a measure ensuring the safety of individual Fran, the wielder. If individual Master, the main personality, enters a dormant state, the safety of the individual Fran will be negatively affected.¡·

    ¡ºThat¡¯s about the gist of it. Our biggest strength is that we can cooperate with each other at times like this, don¡¯t you think?¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­So you guys won¡¯t disappear for good, right?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. We will go dormant for a certain period of time, but our return will be swift.¡·

    ¡ºWell, it¡¯ll probably be a few weeks at most.¡»

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­¡»

    Like they said, it would be very nice for me to be able to stay awake and ensure Fran¡¯s safety. I guess I¡¯ll have to rely on Announcer-san and Fenrir to help me out here.

    ¡ºThanks for helping me out all the time.¡»

    ¡¶Negative. We the ones who should be expressing our gratitude.¡·

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san¡¯s right. We were just two existences with nothing to do but wait for our eventual demise, and now we have a rewarding job. I can only be grateful for that.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. As individual Fenrir stated, I must express my gratitude to individual Master and individual Fran.¡·

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not like you¡¯ll lose our powers or anything either. Just think of it as Announcer-san and I going on a little vacation.¡»

    Fenrir¡¯s ability to absorb magic stones, and Announcer-san¡¯s trantion and notification functions. All those things will apparently function as usual.

    ¡ºGot it, but there¡¯s one more thing I was wondering about. Can I ask you something?¡»

    ¡ºIf it¡¯s a short question, I think we still got some time to talk.¡»

    ¡ºWhat was all that Wolfking de Fenrir stuff about?¡»

 Chapter 928

    <h4>928: The Reliable Two, Asleep</h4>

    ¡ºWhat was all that Wolfking de Fenrir stuff about?¡»

    ¡ºOh that¡­¡­ I know you got a huge boost, but I never expected that¡¯d cause some kinda half-assed renaming sequence. It really caught us off-guard too.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. The suspension of the renaming process generated a great deal of energy with no outlet, a portion of which almost escaped our control.¡·

    ¡ºI see. So I almost got renamed, but it got canceled at thest minute?¡»

    Wolfking de Fenrir¡­¡­ It almost sounds like the name of a divine sword.

    My body was made out of a failed divine sword. With Fenrir and Announcer-san¡¯s abilities added to the mix, I could see myself attaining powers close to the level of a divine sword.

    But before the battle, they said my mind wouldn¡¯t withstand the process. It seems to me there¡¯s more to it than just a temporary name change.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s¡­¡­ a possibility for the future. One of the futures that you¨D¨Dor rather, we¨D¨Dmight reach.¡»

    ¡ºYou mean I could be a divine sword?¡»

    ¡ºYeah, a de containing my power. The Wolfking de, Fenrir.¡»

    ¡ºYou don¡¯t sound very enthusiastic about that?¡»

    ¡ºLike I said before, the current you wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand fusing with me. And if you were able to withstand it, that¡¯d mean you¡¯re no longer yourself.¡»

    ¡ºY-You mean I would have to turn into a swordpletely? Like the version of me that Rhyn showed us?¡»

    ¡ºExactly. That¡¯s why you taking the name of the Wolfking de is an oue we can¡¯t ept.¡»

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­¡»

    So if I wanted to be a divine sword, I¡¯d need to turn into a swordpletely. But at the same time, I won¡¯t be myself anymore. Sure, it¡¯ll make me stronger, but¡­¡­ I¡¯d be making Fran sad.

    No. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s happening.

    ¡ºThen what about the ¡°Evil Wolf de¡± or the ¡°de of Blind Knowledge¡±?¡»

    ¡¶Those are separate possibilities from the Wolfking de. The Evil Wolf de, a sword drawing on the power of individual Fenrir, after his corruption with evil energy. The de of Blind Knowledge, a false divine sword created by unifying the remnants of two divine swords that have already been long lost. Both were disyed as possible oues.¡·

    ¡ºIn other words, you might have be those too.¡»

    They didn¡¯t sound too bad to me, but Fenrir¡¯s tone suggested otherwise. He continued the exnation with a bitter tone in his voice.

    ¡ºYour vessel was originally a divine sword, and its ability to manipte the divine attribute puts it pretty close already. So if you get a boost of power, you¡¯d meet the conditions for renaming. That said, you¡¯d probably end up not reaching the level of divine sword, so you¡¯d get renamed as a psuedo divine sword.¡»

    ¡¶However, if the name of the individual Master is changed, even temporarily, the main personality will be adjusted to individual Fenrir or temporary name Announcer-san.¡·

    ¡ºIn that case, we¡¯ll have nothing holding back the Evil God Fragment. That¡¯s why we had to prevent the renaming.¡»

    I¡¯m still not too sure how this whole naming system works. I know that when the gods approve of something, that something naturally gets a name, just like Fran¡¯s equipment.

    The name change usually happens on its own, but I guess that¡¯s different in my case. Thanks to Announcer-san and Fenrir, it seems we can intervene in the naming process.

    So they decided it would be too dangerous to ept the renaming, and refused it on my behalf.

    ¡ºBasically, you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s not a good idea to change my name so easily?¡»

    ¡ºExactly. Just keep being Master and grow stronger in your own way.¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. This is also the wish of individual Fran.¡·

    Not to be smug, but Announcer-san is probably right.

    If I were to be a divine sword at the price of bing machine-like, Fran would say that she doesn¡¯t want a divine sword. I¡¯m sure of it.

    ¡ºWoops. It¡¯s about time to go.¡»

    ¡¶Beginning temporary period of dormancy.¡·

    ¡ºWell, I guess this is goodbye for a while.¡»

    ¡¶Please take care of individual Fran in the meanwhile.¡·

    ¡ºSend my regards to Fran!¡»

    And then, I felt their presence fading away. Completely losing the boosting effect must be what put them to sleep.

    I¡¯ll be separated from my dependablepanions for a few days or even weeks. That¡¯s no different than when I first arrived in this world, but it¡¯s strangely unnerving. I guess that¡¯s how much I relied on the two.

    If I screw up while they¡¯re gone, they¡¯ll be pissed when they get back. I have to keep things together.

    Urushi must have sensed the change in my line of thought. He looked at me with sleepy eyes.

    £¨Woof?£©

    ¡ºSo it seems like I won¡¯t be falling asleep. Leave Fran to me.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºYou did a really good job this time too. It¡¯s because you went with Sophie that we were able to get her full support. That¡¯s not a front and center role, but it was truly a fine y.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºI know, I know. When you wake up, you¡¯re in for a treat. So get some rest now.¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    Urushi wagged his tail happily, sniffed Fran lightly, and sank into the shadows.

    After Urushi disappeared, Zefmate, who was standing next to him, let out a grunt.

    ¡¸Mrgh. No, I can¡¯t allow myself to sleep yet¡­¡­¡¹

    Zefmate stood in front of Mea, trying to fight off his drowsiness. I guess he¡¯s trying to act as her guard until the situation calms down a little.

    There¡¯s a pretty big difference between Urushi, who knew of my existence, and Zefmate, who didn¡¯t. I¡¯d love to tell him that he can rest since I¡¯ll handle the watch, but that¡¯s not really possible.

    But then, the goddess of salvation appeared before us. Ehh actually, she¡¯s not kind enough to be called a ¡°goddess¡±. On second thought, the goddesses of this world are pretty damn harsh, so maybe ¡°goddess¡± would be correct after all.

    ¡¸Zefmate, exin yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸Quina-sama¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You certainly look exhausted. Thedy tends to be rather careful despite her appearances, and yet she¡¯s fallen asleep at a ce like this¡­¡­¡¹

    Mea¡¯s maid, Quina, had entered the room. She¡¯s as expressionless as ever.

    ¡¸We fought off¡­¡­ a horde of antidemons. Then¡­¡­ with the help of the saintess¡­¡­¡¹

    Zefmate tried to exin, but his sluggish speech made him impossible to understand. Quina realized that rather quickly, and gave up on talking to him.

    Instead, she turned my way.

    ¡ºQuina, let Zefmate rest while I exin everything.¡»

    £¨Master-san, I hoped you might say that. Please exin every detail of this matter down to the letter.£©

    ¡ºPlease be gentle.¡»

    If I¡¯m subject to Quina¡¯s interrogation, I think I¡¯d spill the beans on anything. Ugh, I¡¯m getting chills I¡¯m not supposed to be capable of feeling!

    ¡¸Zefmate, I¡¯ll take care of the rest. You get some sleep.¡¹

    ¡¸Under¡­ stood¡­¡­¡¹

    Zefmate barely managed to nod at Quina¡¯s words, before walking unsteadily to the corner of the room and copsing. It seems he didn¡¯t have theposure to worry about the blunder of sleeping in the same room as his master, Mea.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸ Zzzz¡­¡­ ¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The sleeping breaths of the five were the only things that could be heard in the room. It was strangely quiet outside, so maybe the townspeople were trying not to disturb us.

    No, actually it seems many of them had fallen asleep too. The only ones capable of moving were those with higher base mana, since that reduced the burden on themselves.

    £¨So? How did this situatione about?£©

    ¡ºMan, where do I start¡­¡­¡»

    £¨From the beginning, if possible.£©

    ¡ºOkay. I¡¯ll try to be brief, but I¡¯ll start from the beginning.¡»

    We have plenty of time, after all.

 Chapter 929

    <h4>929: Quina''s Movements</h4>

    After Quina finished listening to my exnation, her face showed so much surprise that even I could recognize it. Well, the average person wouldn¡¯t be able to tell, but I¡¯ve been studying Fran¡¯s expressions every day, and Quina was rather simr in that regard.

    £¨You are saying that Saintess Sophilia was the owner of a divine sword?£©

    ¡ºRight. I never could¡¯ve imagined that her harp Lauda was actually the divine sword, Oratorio.¡»

    However, ording to the list of divine swords I saw a long time ago, Chariot and Explorer were simrly not ¡°swords¡±. Chariot took the form of a baton, and Explorer was a monocle.

    Weapons forged by divine cksmiths are customarily called ¡°divine swords¡±, but many aren¡¯t even swords to begin with.

    £¨So she used her divine sword enhanced magic song to awaken everyone¡¯s powers? ¡­¡­That doesn¡¯t sound like a simple matter.£©

    ¡ºYeah, it was really something. My Fran developed a skill called Divine Beast Form, and Mea was in a state called White Beast Form. Also, Lind awakenedpletely as a divine sword.¡»

    £¨You mentioned that the bacsh from the effects would be unknown¡­¡­ I doubt those will be minor.£©

    Quina muttered as she nced anxiously at the sleeping Mea. Despite maintaining her usual tone of voice, she was still very concerned about Mea¡¯s well-being.

    Unlike me and Fran, who took on reduced repercussions thanks to Fenrir and Announcer-san, the states of Mea and Zefmate were still up in the air.

    Then, I asked her something that was bothering me.

    ¡ºWhere were you the entire time, Quina? It seems you were acting separately from Mea, but I never heard anything about it.¡»

    £¨I suppose there should be no issue informing you. I was investigating the illegal ve trafficking ring.£©

    Mea said her goal was to investigate and exterminate any beastmen involved with the vers. It seems the conspicuous Mea and Zefmate were in charge of looking into the Beastmen Union, while the stealthy Quina was responsible for the behind-the-scenes investigation.

    ¡ºDid you find anything?¡»

    £¨I did. Taking advantage of the currentmotion, I managed to capture quite a few members. As suspected, the blue cats were behind it.£©

    It seems the illegal vers had been operating secretly under the cover of their identities as adventurers, citizens, and merchants. Since they¡¯ve been in the business for so long, they had ces to hide everywhere.

    £¨The vers never attract attention to themselves in order to avoid the slightest bit of suspicion. Also, they only capture ves when they are most likely to get away with it, such as during the antidemon season. That exins why they have been able to stay hidden for so many years.£©

    However, the recent crackdown on very by the Beast King brought about a major change to the organization. His actions closed off many of their routes for selling ves, so they had no choice but to develop new ones.

    These new trafficking routes were not so well concealed, so Quina managed to track them back to the source.

    ¡ºNew routes, you say?¡»

    £¨The shipment of ves to the Kingdom of Raydoss via the dragonkin.£©

    I¡¯ve heard stories about Raydoss buying ves. They were said to be used for experiments, miningbor, and a bunch of other stuff.

    Fran too, might have been sent to Raydoss if she hadn¡¯t met me. It seems their lust for ves reached the illegal ve market of Gordicia, causing the vers to screw up big time in covering their tracks.

    ¡ºHey, so can you pass us some info on the vers too?¡»

    £¨Fran-san was a former illegal ve, if I¡¯m recalling correctly¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºYeah. We were also tracking the vers, but it¡¯s been rough trying to find anything on them.¡»

    £¨Very well. We already knew that we would need more allies if we wanted to take out the ringleader. You¡¯ll be assisting us in exchange, I presume?£©

    ¡ºOf course. You already have info on their boss?¡»

    £¨Yes. We know his identity, although we have yet to discover his location.£©

    ¡ºSo who is he?¡»

    £¨He is a dragonkin who calls himself the Dragon King.£©

    ¡ºDragon King Georg!¡»

    I never thought I¡¯d hear his name with the vers too!

    £¨The organization was originallyposed of mostly blue cats, but then the dragonkin took them over by force. Master-san, did you have any information on the Dragon King?£©

    ¡ºYeah, he¡¯s the one who sent a bunch of dragonkin to try and destroy this city.¡»

    I told her about the evil crystals we found underground, and the danger they posed. Then, Quina said something that surprised me.

    £¨So there were other crystals emitting evil energy then.£©

    ¡ºWhat? Other crystals? You mean in Sendia?¡»

    £¨Yes.£©

    Much to my astonishment, Quina had also found and took care of an underground room filled with evil crystals. She apparently left those evil crystals in the custody of her coborator.

    ¡ºCoborator? Are they one of the Beast King¡¯s subordinates?¡»

    £¨No, she is an adventurer known as the Ward Dealer.£©

    ¡ºSeliadot is working with you!? No way!¡»

    The Beast Kingdom apparently had some of Seliadot¡¯s kin under their protection, so they had a sort of alliance. Then after bumping into each other in Sendia by coincidence, Seliadot offered to lend a hand.

    Quina then exined Seliadot¡¯s situation briefly.

    ¡ºA survivor of the lorelei, huh¡­¡­¡»

    There were many simrities with what happened to the ck cats. Her resentment toward vers must be the same as Fran¡¯s.

    Seliadot had been gathering intel on the ve trade for a while, and reporting it to the Beast Kingdom.

    Sophie mentioned earlier that she didn¡¯t know where Seliadot went, but it seems she was working with Quina to secretly protect the town.

    Since she could apparently sense where her wards were ced, it was easy for her to sniff out any suspicious underground rooms. Makes sense. If she could sense the cloaking ward itself, it¡¯d be pretty much impossible to hide anything from her.

    They also managed to obtain more detailed information than us after interrogating the dragonkin. Quina, a tapir beastman, had the ability to put people into a hypnotic trance, which was perfect for extracting all the details.

    £¨They said this self-proimed Dragon King had a special power.£©

    ¡ºLike Divine Dragon Form or something?¡»

    £¨No, nothing like that. It seems he has two different attributes.£©

    From what she heard, the Dragon King was both a fire dragonkin and an evil dragonkin, which exins why he was capable of handling the evil crystals. Dragonkin with multiple attributes were treated specially, so that¡¯s why Georg was allowed to im the title of Dragon King.

    Moreover, the ridiculous number of antidemons was also the work of the Dragon King. Apparently, he nned topletely annihte Sendia by sending his men to lure all the nearby antidemons into the illegal city.

    ¡ºWas it recently that the Dragon King took over the ve trafficking ring?¡»

    £¨It seems he took the reins about twenty years ago. Are you asking on behalf of Fran-san?£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    £¨I can say with certainty that those vers worked for him.£©

    ¡ºI see¡­¡­¡»

    So that means the Dragon King led the men responsible for enving Fran¡­¡­

    Look who¡¯s now number one on my kill list. I will murder you, and everyone under you. You¡¯re fucking dead.

    £¨Master-san! You¡¯re a sword, so stop emitting so much killing intent! You¡¯ll give Fran-san and the others nightmares!£©

    ¡ºWoops, sorry.¡»

    I guess I leaked out enough to make Quina nervous.

    ¡ºQuina. You¡¯ll let me know when you hear anything new on the Dragon King, right?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Very well.£©

    ¡ºKukukuku¡­¡­¡»

 Chapter 930

    <h4>930: Ten Days</h4>

    Ten days had passed since Fran and her friends defeated the horde.

    With all the antidemons gone, the city had ovee the disaster.

    Fran¡¯s team defended the eastern gate, but it seems the other gates found sess as well. Those ouws must have put it the effort.

    I was listening in on Sophie¡¯s exnation to Quina, so I knew most of what was going on.

    Everyone was slightly wary of Quina¡¯s sudden appearance at first, but some of them had seen her interaction with Zefmate. She was soon epted by Sophie and the others.

    Her fighting off a couple thieves and stray antidemons probably helped too. In no time at all, everyone started calling her the ¡°Supermaid¡±, making her a bit of a celebrity.

    In addition to Quina, Frederick and Sophie were also there to support us. We didn¡¯t need to worry much about protection after all.

    Oh yeah, also Fran and the others got transferred to the Sanatorium and were ced in the care of trustworthy doctors.

    Sophie¡¯s head bodyguard, Nelsh, chose the personnel himself, so I could rest assured that they weren¡¯t plotting anything behind the scenes.

    Incidentally, Nelsh was leading the soldiers along with Frederick during the battle. However, he got caught up in the st that destroyed the walls, losing consciousness and only waking up after the battle was already over.

    He seemed to regret that very much, so he took the lead in dealing with the aftermath.

    After capturing all the soldiers trying to loot the Sanatorium, he even went out of his way to gather intel on the vers and the Dragon King.

    As for the Adventurers Guild, the submaster¡¯s attempt to escape on his own came to light. The other adventurers gave him hell for that, and the guild¡¯s still dysfunctional because of it.

    The submaster¡¯s deplorable behavior did huge damage to the public¡¯s trust in the guild, so that¡¯s not likely to change any time soon.

    Many of the gangs also lost a lot of influence due to the incident. The rumors spread about how they were reluctant to send out their forces, despite always acting so high and mighty.

    From what I¡¯ve heard, they did send out the minimum that was required of them¡­¡­ But I guess the citizens who stood on the battlefield themselves wouldn¡¯t be convinced by that excuse.

    The leaders of those gangs are definitely getting ostracized now, though it¡¯s more of an emotional decision than a logical one. I doubt they¡¯ll get banished from the city, but they¡¯ll have a much harder time keeping face.

    After all, the citizens remembered how to unite and take up arms themselves. If the gangs aren¡¯t on their toes, they¡¯d get beaten back by force.

    In the first ce, the gangs were only allowed to go mostly free in exchange for their service to the war effort. There was no merit to letting the ouws run wild if they proved to be useless in times of need.

    After more and more citizens realize this, this illegal city might end up changing the norms drastically.

    That said, there was one gang that really rose up. The Beastmen Union was the only one that cooperated fully with the city. That¡¯s thanks to the order Mea gave after beating up all the former leaders, but many citizens remembered the Beastmen Union¡¯s significant contributions.

    Mea herself only woke up yesterday, but Quina held the reins of the organization firmly in her absence. Since they also contributed to the city¡¯s rebuilding effort, the Beastmen Union pretty much monopolized the victory.

    The Dragon King Syndicate also had its fair share of contributions, but they actually lost the most influence. With the Dragon King¡¯s schemes exposed, everyone in the city hated them.

    The Dragon King had attempted to sacrifice the entire city of Sendia to perform an evil ritual. The huge number of antidemons were led to the city by his underlings.

    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that Sendia¡¯s darkest moment could be entirely med on the Dragon King and those cooperating with him.

    Apparently, Frederick spread rumors among the citizens of Sendia in order to create that message. His goal was to focus most of the resentment on the wicked Dragon King, diverting the me away from the good dragonkin who fought for the city.

    To be frank, it was probably for Velmeria¡¯s sake. He made the Dragon King into an absolute evil so that Velmeria wouldn¡¯t be ndered unreasonably.

    Velmeria, who woke up the day before yesterday, had some sort of n for uniting those not under the Dragon King¡¯smand. Sheid the groundwork for a new, moderate organization called the Dragonkin Guild.

    After showing off her Divine Dragon Form, Velmeria was treated like messiah by most of the dragonkin, almost all of whom pledged to follow her. Well, Velmeria was viewed favorably by the masses too, so everyone wanted to associate themselves with her and assert that they nothing to do with the Dragon King.

    Gazzol and the other members of the Three ws, who made a name for themselves in the battle, were ced in charge of the Dragonkin Guild. That made the guild even more popr among the citizens.

    As for the Sanatorium, the most troubled of the bunch, Seliadot and Sophie worked their butts off to get it back up and running. They restrained Filuria and her subordinates, reassured the healers that they would stay afloat, and regained the trust of the citizens.

    That seemed like a lot of work, but Sophie¡¯s reputation had definitely sky-rocketed. She was now the saintess wielding a divine sword who fought at the forefront of her people. Is there even anything not to like?

    With the cooperation and trust of the citizens, it began rapidly transforming into a new institution. Sophie said she would make the new Sanatorium a more open organization, with representatives from the public participating in its management.

    I don¡¯t know how well those changes will work in the long run, but I¡¯m sure any organization backed by Sophie¡¯s immense fame will seed.

    Oh yeah, Filuria went ¡°missing¡±. Quina and Seliadot apparently decided the city would be better off without her. Well, her absence will cause plenty of chaos, but she¡¯d probably make a bigger mess if we kept her alive. Making her vanish was the right choice.

    ¡ºNow all that¡¯s left is for Fran to wake up¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    She should be getting nutrients from the potions we gave her, but she¡¯s still losing weight. I¡¯m kinda starting to worry if she¡¯ll be alright after such a longa.

    Everyone except Fran was already awake, so it should be any day now.

    I looked down at Fran¡¯s sleeping face along with Urushi, who woke up four days ago.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºOh? Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Did our wishe true? Fran¡¯s long eyshes quivered slightly, then her eyelids slowly lifted.

    ¡ºFran! Are you awake? Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Master¡­¡­? Urushi¡­¡­? Where¡­¡­ am I?¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re in the Sanatorium.¡»

    Before I could ask her how she was feeling, a loud noise echoed through the room.

    Rumble!

    Fran rubbed her stomach with a pitiful look on her face.

    ¡¸I¡¯m hungry.¡¹

    ¡ºO-Okay¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸I want curry.¡¹

    Uhh, is it actually safe to eat curry after fasting for ten days? I remember reading some book that said eating solid food would be dangerous.

    Well at any rate, let¡¯s just be d that Fran finally woke up.

 Chapter 931

    <h4>931: Powers Gained, Powers Lost</h4>

    ¡¸Yah! Hah!¡¹

    ¡ºFran. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay? You¡¯re not fully recovered yet.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    Fran was swinging me around in the yard of the Sanatorium.

    ¡ºHow are your muscles feeling now?¡»

    ¡¸Still hurts. But I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    As I thought, the bacsh she received was much lighter than Mea and Velmeria¡¯s.

    Mea and Zefmate paid a heavy price, temporary loss of their ability to use Awakening and a reduction to their stats. In addition, a ridiculous amount of muscle soreness.

    The pain was so intense that they couldn¡¯t get out of bed for an entire day. Zefmate was literally screaming the whole time, although Mea never got quite that bad.

    Inparison, Fran got up almost immediately and started doing some practice swings.

    Although her body had weakened from sleeping so long, her stats stayed the same and she could still use Awakening. She had some minor muscle aches, but not enough to stop her from moving. Her stomach also quickly returned to normal, and she was eating as much as before.

    Considering how we borrowed Oratorio¡¯s power to forcibly activate Divine Beast Form, those were some pretty light consequences. Actually, thinking about it again, falling into aa for ten days can¡¯t really be considered light.

    If that happened while she was alone, she¡¯d be a sitting duck the entire time. There might even be a chance of death by starvation. It must have been a really deepa too, since she showed no response when I waved some curry above her nose.

    Fran would normally be paying the same price as Mea and the others, so I¡¯ll have to thank Fenrir and Announcer-san again.

    Well, it¡¯s always possible there¡¯s some terrible bacsh that we just haven¡¯t noticed yet. We¡¯d better be on careful lookout for a while longer.

    Right now, Fran was swinging her sword in spite of the muscle soreness over her entire body. Rehabilitation was one of her reasons, but she also seemed to be trying to remember the feeling of using Divine Beast Form.

    Slowly but surely, she practiced one swing after another, as if cutting at an invisible enemy.

    The Divine Beast Form skill was already long gone. Like I thought, Fran could not attain such a tremendous power without Oratorio¡¯s support.

    Fran clenched her teeth together and muttered.

    ¡¸¡­¡­There was a level even higher than Awakening.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸If I train enough, could I reach it again?¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm, I couldn¡¯t say for sure.¡»

    Divine Beast Form was a skill only appearing in the legends. The ck Heavenly Tigerspletely paled inparison. Would it really be possible to attain such a mythical skill just by training alone?

    I highly doubt strength is the only factor. Some sort of special condition might be the key to unlocking it. This was clearly not going to be easy.

    But I know Fran won¡¯t give up. With that power, she might be able to break the curse over the entire ck cat race by herself.

    Now that she had found this new hope, there was no stopping her.

    ¡¸Shh! Hah!¡¹

    Fran swung me again, trying to let the feeling of that moment sink into her body. Soon after, she looked down at me, tilting her head.

    ¡¸Master, are you okay?¡¹

    It seems she¡¯s concerned about my condition too.

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine too. Fenrir and Announcer-san helped me out.¡»

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, don¡¯t worry.¡»

    I got some repercussions too, but it ended up being a speed reduction to my auto-repair skill. After thest ten days, that had mostly worn off.

    Since it was such a minor issue, I was able to watch over Fran the entire time as she slept. In exchange, Fenrir and Announcer-san went into hibernation.

    ¡¸We need to thank Announcer-san and Fenrir when they wake up.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy to hear that from you.¡»

    Both Announcer-san and Fenrir were very concerned about Fran. They¡¯d definitely love to see Fran so healthy.

    On the contrary, I actually ended up gaining a few things. Wolfking and Wisdom were simply powers I had borrowed from Fenrir and Announcer-san, so I couldn¡¯t use them now that they were asleep.

    However, Mixed yer still remained as Golden Form, and I retained the new skills ¡°Evil Torrent¡± and ¡°Transmission¡±.

    The remnants of Overgrowth got reactivated by Oratorio, resulting in the ¡°Golden Devourer¡± skill. Then, Announcer-san modified it for our use, resulting in the ¡°Golden Form¡± skill. It has the effect of dealing massive damage to antidemons, so it¡¯ll be very useful whenever we fight on this continent.

    ¡°Transmission¡± allows me to more easily transmit my will to every part of my body when I activate morphing. This skill contained what¡¯s left of Fanatics¡¯ power.

    I think Announcer-san left these behind as a parting gift before going to sleep.

    It wasn¡¯t just me who got something from the battle. Fran and Urushi also gained levels and stats.

    Both of them were now at level 70, cing them among this world¡¯s top tiers. If this was an RPG, they¡¯d be able to clear the final dungeon with ease.

    ¡ºYou guys got some insane stat gains, especially Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I was very surprised when I saw her magic and agility stats increasing more than 300 points. Meanwhile, her other stats got boosted over 100 points across the board. Her HP and MP gains finally pushed her over the 1000 marker for both.

    Apparently, this rapid growth was due to abination of various factors.

    First, it seems that you start getting massive stat gains once your level reaches 70. In exchange, it bes incredibly difficult to level up.

    Second, the effect of Divine Beast Form. Though the skill itself was gone, the experience of moving as a transcendent has optimized her body and senses.

    Fran¡¯s control of thunder magic also improved, despite that not showing up in her stats. Probably another positive effect of her body remembering how to manipte ck lightning freely during Divine Beast Form.

    We haven¡¯t tried ck lightning yet, but I¡¯m sure the improvements applied there as well.

    Third, the effect of her new title ¡°Matchless Warrior¡± applied here too. This one was pretty ridiculous.

    <strong>Matchless Warrior</strong>: A title given to those who are above a certain level of strength, have fought for a certain period of time in a battlefield with over 300,000 enemies, and destroyed at least 30,000 enemies.

    <strong>Effect</strong>: HP+200, MP+200, STR+100, VIT+100, AGI+100, MAG+100.

    Thebination of these three things seems to be what gave her the sudden stat gains. Throw in the boost from Awakening, and they¡¯ll get even higher. She¡¯s already in the upper half of Rank A at this point.

    When I first saw the Beast King and Ashwrath¡¯s stats, I thought we¡¯d never be able to catch up. But after seeing Fran as she is now, I¡¯m certain she¡¯ll be able to reach them someday.

    Mea and Velmeria also earned this title. Zefmate, however, did not. I¡¯m sure Holy Beast Form let him meet the condition for ¡°a certain level of power¡±, so it¡¯s likely he didn¡¯t defeat enough enemies.

    Zefmate didn¡¯t have many decisive wide-area attacks, and he tended to focus on support rather than offense, so I guess that makes sense.

    ¡¸Urushi got stronger too.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi, who had been eating his reward of super hot spicy curry, looked up upon hearing Fran¡¯s words. As usual, his mouth was covered in sauce, but he gave a happy bark.

    Though Urushi didn¡¯t end up getting as much of a boost as Fran, his stats still increased from the level up.

    Also, he had a powerful new title of his own.

    <strong>Boundless Predator</strong>: A title earned by magic beasts that have devoured countless foes.

    <strong>Effect</strong>: Bonus to all predatory actions.

    The effect¡¯s kinda vague, but that only goes to show how wide ranging it is. A lot of Extra Skills were like that too.

    I¡¯m pretty sure it affects many of his skills, such as Predatory Assimtion, so Urushi will receive insane benefits.

    ¡¸We can still get stronger.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran spoke with her fists clenched. After learning that there was still plenty of room for growth, her desire for more power only grew stronger.

    Well, her eyes were still glued to Urushi¡¯s curry. Fran managed to concentrate on her practice swings for a while, but she eventually ran out of patience.

    She had a simrly powerful desire for food.

 Chapter 932

    <h4>932: Three Days After</h4>

    Three days have passed since Fran woke up.

    We stood in front of the wall destroyed by the cannon-type bombardment. The residents had set up a simple fence and already started the repair effort.

    However, there¡¯s no quick way to fix a vast stretch ofpletely annihted walls, so it was expected to take several months toplete.

    We managed to repel the antidemons for now, but who knows what will happen next. It was still the antidemon season, after all.

    That¡¯s where Fran came in.

    ¡¸Please, go ahead!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The beastman who was guiding us indicated a ce about 10 meters in front of the under-repair walls. A long rope had been ced there for rity.

    Fran stood in front of the rope and began chanting. Though she had the ability to cast spells without chanting, doing so would consume additional mana.

    ¡¸¨D¨DGreat Wall.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoooa! T-This is pretty awesome!¡¹

    We made a huge wall out of earth. They had asked us to build something withnd magic as a stopgap measure until the city walls could be fully restored.

    Using Great Wall in session, we created a huge, long wall stretching across the entire copsed region. There¡¯s still a small gap between the city wall and the earth wall at both ends, but it seems the beastmen nned to drag some dirt over and pack that in.

    Our wall will be useless against the higher ss antidemons, but it should prevent any lesser antidemons from invading the city. It¡¯s a good emergency measure, and they can break it down when the actual wall ispleted.

    Besides, Nocta, as well as the northern and western ports, had sent over 2,000 men as reinforcements. As long as we don¡¯t see an additional tens of thousand antidemons, Sendia¡¯s defenses will be just fine.

    ¡¸Perfect, Miss ck Lightning Princess! Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Thank you very much! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    All the beastmen seemed to have started acting as our underlings now. They call Mea as ¡°Boss¡± and Fran as ¡°Miss¡±. Velmeria is ¡°Miss Dragon¡±.

    Franpletely epted the role, and walked off with the beastmen bowing their heads to her. It must feel refreshing to be recognized by her fellow beastmen.

    And it wasn¡¯t only the beastmen bowing down.

    ¡¸Oh? The ck cat swordswoman! Good morning.¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono, thank you foring.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s the ck cat girl!¡¹

    And so on¡­¡­ Everywhere we went, various people called out to us.

    They were the citizens, adventurers, and ouws who fought alongside us. Everyone saw Fran and the others risking their lives to repel the antidemon invasion. At the same time, they felt proud of the fact that they stood with us on the battlefield.

    As a result, we all became very popr as the heroes who saved the city.

    I¡¯ve even seen children vying for the role of Fran and the saintess when acting out the stories.

    Though supplies were still scarce, some elderly folks gave us food, and a couple of the adults patted Fran on the head. Since she looked so much younger than the rest of the heroes, it seems many focused on her cute side.

    However, not all of them were so friendly.

    ¡¸Hey!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the ck Lightning Princess! I challenge yo¨D¨DBweh!¡¹

    ¡¸Oops, I overdid it.¡¹

    Many were just dumbasses trying to make a name for themselves by defeating Fran.

    She¡¯s known to have destroyed a horde of antidemons, but many saw her as a little girl who looked pretty weak. Some people assumed that she just got lucky, so they thought it would be an easy win.

    And of course, all of them were small fry. It¡¯s pretty obvious that luck alone wasn¡¯t enough to survive against a horde of antidemons. Thepetent ones should be able to tell Fran¡¯s potential at a nce.

    But apparently, Fran found beating them up to be good exercise. She seemed happy to fight the moment someone pointed their hostility at her.

    However, her muscle soreness screwed up her senses or something, causing her to use more force than expected. We ended up always having to give them a Greater Heal.

    The next most frequent were the idiots trying to recruit Fran. They knew she was a talented fighter, but they considered her a inexperienced muscle-brained beastgirl. Many thought they could trick her into working for them.

    They ranged from small organizations looking to rebuild their forces, to adventurers who wanted Fran to carry their party, as well as fallen politicians who wanted to get back into power.

    Most of them gave up after we gave a random excuse, while treating them to a healthy dose of intimidation. If they persisted after that, we¡¯d just use force.

    Some of them tried to make us take responsibility for their injuries, but we¡¯d just turn them in to the guards and be done with it. All the currently active soldiers were grateful to Fran, so it was almost scary how much they believed her side of the story.

    We¡¯d never do it, but I think we could easily throw someone in jail on false pretenses. I can see why Quina and Frederick had such an easy time capturing their enemies¡­¡­

    I guess that¡¯s all based on how grateful they were to Fran for saving the town.

    On the other hand, there were some people who resented Fran.

    Those who abandoned the town and ran away. I have some mixed feelings about them, but I wouldn¡¯t me them for the decision. It¡¯s only natural for those who can¡¯t fight to evacuate in the event of a monster stampede.

    But this incident was different from your average monster stampede in many ways. If they return like nothing ever happened, the other citizens wouldn¡¯t wee them back so easily. After all, those who stayed behind had to fight for their lives.

    Several of the evacuees tried to steal stuff from their neighbors on the way out, so they got captured by their fellow citizens. Even those who didn¡¯t probably felt like they were walking on pins and needles.

    Fran, like me, seems to have no hard feelings about those who ran.

    They weren¡¯tmissioned adventurers or anything, so it¡¯s only natural for them to flee in the face of monsters. She wouldn¡¯t me or criticize those who know when to run, since she too might run when up against an enemy she can¡¯t defeat.

    Yeah, Fran seriously thought that. That¡¯s probably her ideal of a calm, rational, and free adventurer.

    I have to say, I think she would still challenge the unbeatable enemy though.

    However, running away meant they abandoned the town. Fran held a strong opinion about those returners who tried to give a pathetic apology to get epted back in.

    They¡¯re free to run away, and she wouldn¡¯t me them for that. But if they fled, they should take responsibility for their choice. That seems to be Fran¡¯s thoughts on the matter.

    So anyways, Fran got dragged into one of their arguments and gave her opinion there, which spread to all the other returners. The main cause of their resentment was that they heard the ck Lightning Princess was trying to drive them out of town again. Well, I guess it¡¯s notpletely wrong.

    It looks like one of them is ring at Fran right now. She literally saved all their asses, so their hatred ispletely misced. However, Fran herself didn¡¯t seem to mind at all.

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    £¨About what?£©

    ¡ºI mean, about that guy¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Nn. Too bad, he¡¯s weak. Not a good warm-up.£©

    ¡ºOh, you mean it that way¡­¡­¡»

    The hostility directed at her from some civilians felt like nothingpared to the sheer force of the entire antidemon horde.

    £¨Can¡¯t I get someone a little stronger?£©

 Chapter 933

    <h4>933: Request from Mea</h4>

    Today marked the fifth day since Fran woke up.

    I wanted her to rx until her muscle soreness healedpletely, but I guess everyone else couldn¡¯t leave her alone.

    Mea visited this morning, bringing up the subject. They had been meeting every day, but today¡¯s Mea looked serious.

    ¡¸Fran, I have a favor to ask you.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. What should I do?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­R-Really? I haven¡¯t told you anything yet.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll do anything for you as long as it¡¯s not impossible. So I can agree in advance.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuahaha! That¡¯s my friend! Worry not, it is a simple matter. I am not always so reckless!¡¹

    Meaughed and turned to Urushi, who was standing next to Fran.

    ¡¸To be honest, this is more of a request for Urushi than you. I need a message sent to Nocta.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºMessage? Isn¡¯t there a magic tool for that?¡»

    ¡¸Themunication tools in the Adventures Guild, Dragon King Syndicate, and Sanatorium were all destroyed during the incident. Part of the Dragon King¡¯s scheme, I¡¯m sure. The only way to contact the outside is to send a messenger.¡¹

    It seems that Mea, Sophie, and Velmeria held a meeting with other influential people in the town, such as the tradingpany presidents and the women¡¯s association chairwomen. They decided to spread word of the Dragon King¡¯s misdeeds.

    As a result, they dispatched a number of trustworthy and speedy messengers to get the word out to the other cities.

    ¡¸Now that Lind is finally back in action, he¡¯s going out as a messenger to the distant cities.¡¹

    ¡¸You can call Lind again?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to leave town as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, is it still pretty bad?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s actually gotten worse now that Lind is back.¡¹

    The news spread about Mea¡¯s sword being a divine sword. As one might expect, like a hundred people have already tried stealing it from her.

    However, it was the dragonkin who reacted even more intensely. To them, Lindwurm was not just a weapon, but a godly entity.

    Many dragonkin constantly crowded around Mea, asking to see her de. At first, Mea and Quina took advantage of this trend to increase the reputation of the Beastmen Union, but they quickly got fed up with the overly persistent dragonkin.

    The ones simply worshiping it were fine, but some of them demanded the de be handed over to the dragonkin race.

    ¡¸Although Quina got rid of them quickly enough.¡¹

    ¡ºAh.¡»

    Royal status was pretty worthless on this continent, but Mea was still technically a princess. Demanding a divine sword from royalty wasn¡¯t something they could let slide.

    Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­ That story about a rowdy dragonkin gang finding a severed head on their doorstep¡­¡­ Was it just a rumor, or did Quina actually go that far!? Shit!?

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about how we should never make an enemy of Quina.¡»

    ¡¸Wow, you¡¯ve finally reached that level! Indeed, you¡¯d best not go against her. You never know what kind of punishment she might give you!¡¹

    Mea nced around the room after saying that. Quina has youpletely trained, huh?

    ¡¸Enough about her. Let¡¯s get back to the main topic, shall we? I would like you to head to Nocta, making use of Urushi¡¯s immense speed. How about it?¡¹

    ¡¸Master, can we do it? I¡¯m also worried about Auntie.¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡¯s muscles are pretty much healed now, so it sounds fine to me.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi barked, his chest puffed out as if to say, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± I guess he was getting tired of lounging around in the Sanatorium.

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll bring over the letters for you to carry soon. Depart as quickly as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºLeave it to us.¡»

    ¡¸You can decide whether or not you want to return to Sendia. There¡¯s barely any antidemons left around here, so it would be pretty boring either way.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸If only I could move as well as you¡­¡­ Give the antidemons hell on my behalf.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯m on it!¡¹

    From there, it was pretty quick.

    Within an hour, Mea returned with a bruise on her forehead from what appeared to be an iron w, and handed us several letters. Apparently, she had made a mistake and gotten punished by Quina.

    I bet Mea made a slight remark about me agreeing with how terrifying Quina was. S-She won¡¯t be mad at me too, right? Let¡¯s note back to Sendia until things cool down.

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯m heading out.¡¹

    ¡¸Space-time casters sure have it nice because of how quickly they can move.¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh. Super convenient.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, Master, Urushi, I¡¯m counting on you all!¡¹

    And then, one full day passed.

    We headed for Nocta riding on Urushi¡¯s back, and that familiar huge wall came into view.

    ¡¸I see Nocta!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s the same as before.¡»

    Such a huge horde struck at Sendia, so I was worried about Nocta¡­¡­ But there it was, exactly the same as it looked before.

    It seems Nocta sessfully repelled the antidemons. The city had way over ten times as many adventurers and soldiers than Sendia, so that¡¯s not surprising.

    Once inside, we found the ce bustling as usual. No, actually, there were even more people than before.

    We could clearly tell by walking through the crowded streets. There must have been arge influx of refugees from illegal viges simr to Castel, or adventurers who intended to operate with Nocta as their base of operations.

    There were also a few dwarves and demonkin here and there. Maybe they came after hearing that their queens were in the city.

    Actually, no one seemed to be celebrating any victories. Did Nocta even get attacked in the first ce?

    We headed for the Adventurers Guild while observing the surroundings. There, we met a familiar face.

    ¡¸Sis!¡¹

    ¡¸Diggins!¡¹

    The happy bearkin running towards us was the Rank B adventurer, Diggins. He was one of the guys who fought with us at Castel.

    I could easily tell Fran was happy to see Diggins again. I guess she now thought of him as arade-in-arms.

    ¡¸You stayed in Nocta?¡¹

    ¡¸I was asked to take care of Nadia-san, so there¡¯s no way I could leave her now!¡¹

    Whoa, it seems he actually stayed in Nocta to protect Nadia.

    ¡¸Was Nocta okay with the antidemons?¡¹

    ¡¸There was one attack, but we all made it through! It¡¯s just, this season seems to have a really strange distribution of antidemons. The number at Nocta was really low for some reason¡­¡­¡¹

    I guess the Dragon King¡¯s men dragged even the antidemons near Nocta to Sendia. No wonder there were so many of them.

    ¡¸What about Auntie?¡¹

    ¡¸Nadia-san hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s at Mulsani¡¯s mansion right now.¡¹

    £¨Master, can I go see Auntie first?£©

    ¡ºSure, I want to know how she¡¯s doing too. Let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks, Diggins.¡¹

    ¡¸See you at the Adventurers Guildter!¡¹

 Chapter 934

    <h4>934: Another Feast in Nocta</h4>

    ¡¸Auntie¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran headed to Mulsani¡¯s mansion and was immediately invited in after giving her name. It seems hispany had been notified of her possible arrival.

    Mulsani was currently away on business, but a maid showed us to Nadia¡¯s room.

    The room was pretty small with no hint of luxury at all, but it looked well cleaned and cared for. I could tell that a lot of effort was being put into her treatment.

    He must have considered Nadia¡¯s tastes and prepared the room she would prefer.

    ¡¸She¡¯s still not waking up.¡¹

    ¡ºI tried appraising her, but I don¡¯t see anything wrong¡­¡­¡»

    Even after using restoration and life magic, there was no change in Nadia¡¯s condition. This was just like what happened with Fran and the others after the defense of Sendia. No, Nadia was probably even more battered and worn out than them.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran sat in the chair by the bed and stared silently into Nadia¡¯s face. A short moment of tenderness passed, but then Fran stood up with a look of resolve.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s go to the guild.¡¹

    ¡ºAlready? Are you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Auntie will get mad if I skip work.¡¹

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    Fran gave Nadia onest pat on the head before turning her back on the bed.

    ¡¸Auntie. I¡¯m going now.¡¹

    I could see Fran¡¯s quietly burning motivation. If we allowed the Dragon King¡¯s schemes to continue, even Nocta might be ced in danger.

    Completing our job would also result in protecting Nadia. By crushing the Dragon King and the vers under him, we could restore peace to the continent.

    Fran resolved herself to do so.

    After leaving the mansion, Fran hurried to the guild without any stops to eat along the way.

    As expected, handing over the letter wasn¡¯t the end. Since Fran was in Sendia at the time of the incident, the guildmaster and submaster requested to speak with her.

    Fran exined the situation in her own words, albeit missing a few details. Well, she basically just told them all of the Dragon King¡¯s crimes.

    ¡¸Thank you for informing us. We¡¯ll try to find out more about the Dragon King on our side too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸We had no clue Sendia was in such danger¡­¡­ so I appreciate the urate information. To be honest, there were so many mixed reports that I couldn¡¯t tell what¡¯s actually true.¡¹

    Quite some time had already passed since the battle for Sendia, so it seems Nocta received several reports about the incident. However, there were apparently several contradictory reports, so the guild couldn¡¯t tell the truth from reality.

    A divine sword wielder appeared and saved everyone. No, it was a dragonkin with Divine Dragon Form who saved them. No, a million antidemons attacked Sendia and destroyed the whole city, killing the saintess. No, it was actually the defacto ruler of Sendia who died. The beastmen did everything they could. No, the dragonkin did more. Etc.

    There were just so many rumors, somepletely ridiculous and some containing truth. It turned out to be even moreplicated in this case, since the ridiculous sounding information was the most urate.

    With so much random hearsay mixed in, it seems the news about Fran and her friends may not have spread as widely as I had feared.

    Especially in regards to Fran and Mea. It would be impossible for a third party to urately recognize what state they were in. At the very least, it seemed unlikely that many knew about the two¡¯s Divine Beast Form and White Beast Form.

    We kept the details on the divine swords and Mea¡¯s transformation a bit vague, reporting mainly on the Dragon King¡¯s misdeeds.

    I doubt the Adventurers Guild would take our word on everything, but they were definitely not on the Dragon King¡¯s side. After all, his men clearly murdered Sendia¡¯s guildmaster.

    There could be no doubt that the Dragon King was ourmon enemy.

    Let¡¯s give it another push.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Want more meat?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that would be great!¡¹

    As I expected, their appetite for meat was unbelievable. Let¡¯s not call it a bribe, but we can offer them meat at a discount.

    And with meat, of course,es feasts. That¡¯s what adventurers do.

    Well, this time it was the guildmaster asking us to do it. She wanted to give the adventurers a chance to vent before they got frustrated from the endless battles.

    They¡¯re apparently going out to support a neighboring city tomorrow, so booze was getting kept to a minimum. There¡¯s still a little though.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Wahahahahaha! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Cheers to the Meat Girl!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Cheers! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Unfortunately, I forgot about the increase in the number of adventurers. Those who had missed the previous party were also rushing to get in on the action.

    They must have asked their friends and acquaintances to contact them if another party was about to start. The number of adventurers, including demonkin and dwarves, had more than doubled since thest feast.

    That meant additional time required to prepare the necessary amount of meat. In the meantime, more and more adventurers just kept showing up.

    The guildmaster said she¡¯d pay for as much meat as we had, so there¡¯s no need to hold back though!

    Soon enough, every corner of the guild building was filled with drinking, singing, and revelry.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ We are adventurers~¡­? ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ The golden adventurers~¡­? ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    When the chorus of that song started, Fran joined in as well. We¡¯d been listening to it all throughout the battle, and it¡¯s be Fran¡¯s favorite song. She¡¯s got the lyrics down perfectly too.

    Everyone sang it together while cooking the meat. Oh yeah, and it was Fran and Urushi scarfing down the most. They were pretty much grilling meat for themselves and donating the leftovers to the adventurers.

    In the middle of the big feast, we saw a man enter the basement training area.

    Despite the sheer number of adventurers, we noticed him in particr.

    £¨Master, that sword¡­¡­£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a divine sword, I¡¯m sure of it.¡»

    Gaia, Lindwurm, Oratorio¡­¡­ We¡¯ve seen so many divine swords now, that it seems we¡¯ve somehow be able to sense their presence.

    Well, it¡¯s mostly a hunch, but I felt certain this time. After all, the three of us got the same feeling.

    The man with shaggy gray hair carried a long sword at his waist, his divine sword.

    And this man was walking toward us with a leisurely gait.

    £¨¡­¡­Is he strong?£©

    ¡ºI can¡¯t tell, but¡­¡­ There¡¯s no way a guy with a divine sword can be weak.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We continued staring at the man, but none of us could get a good estimation of his strength. He somehow looked both strong and weak at the same time. That meant he must be so far above us that we couldn¡¯t even tell his abilities.

    Someone like that can only be called a ¡°monster¡±.

    And such a monster now stood right in front of us.

 Chapter 935

    <h4>935: Izario</h4>

    ¡¸Hey, littledy. Can I get a te?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    Of course, the man with a divine sword showed no hostility toward us, merely asking for a te of grilled meat. There was no reason for us to be enemies, after all.

    He was a in-looking man of medium height and medium build, who looked like an ordinary man you would see anywhere. I guess he¡¯s in his forties or so?

    The man¡¯s grayish hair seemed to be cut at random. Also, he had slightly dark stubble, which gave him a masculine appearance. His slightly hunched back made him look strangely tired.

    Rather, he looked like an office worker after putting in overtime. Or maybe a middle-manager constantly given impossible tasks?

    I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be popr with the bros, but not so much thedies¡­

    He seemed puzzled as Fran gave him an intense stare, before immediately realizing the reason for this. After smiling, he spoke again.

    ¡¸Oh. Did you notice my sword?¡¹

    ¡¸A divine¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa there, not another word. I won¡¯t be able to eat my meat in peace.¡¹

    He just confirmed that he indeed owned a divine sword. Fran¡¯s gaze fell to the man¡¯s waist. The de appeared to be a long sword with some shy decorations. There was a red jewel embedded in the butt of the hilt, and the brim was red as well. However, it felt strangely inconspicuous despite its appearance, or rather, it gave a sort of in impression.

    In the first ce, it was strange that no one around us paid any attention to the man. Fran finally realized the anomaly as well.

    She scanned the surroundings and tilted her head at the man. Meanwhile, he slightly pulled up his cloak and told Fran in a whisper.

    ¡¸This is a cloak of inhibited recognition, a powerful item made by a friend of mine. Just the fact that you recognized me shows that you¡¯re pretty good yourself, yeah?¡¹

    So his cloak was a magical tool. It can¡¯t fool anyone above a certain threshold, but that threshold seems to be quite high. At any rate, no other adventurers besides Fran had noticed the man.

    Fran cast Silence to block off sound and asked the question again. The man, too, recognized the effect of her spell at first nce, and answered with a wry smile.

    ¡¸Is that a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Bingo. This is the mede, Ignis.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, so you¡¯re Izario?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure am. Looks like I¡¯ve be quite the celebrity. Even kids from the outside know me now, huh?¡¹

    He really is Izario! To think we¡¯d meet him here in Nocta!

    Now that we know he¡¯s a Rank S adventurer, it¡¯s strange how our perception of his tired office worker-like atmosphere changed. It¡¯s more like the rxedposureing from someone with absolute strength.

    ¡¸Guess I¡¯ll introduce myself properly. Name¡¯s Izario, one of the few adventurers with a divine sword. ¡°Talentless¡± or ¡°Ipetent¡±, I go by either.¡¹

    ¡¸Talentless?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my alias.¡¹

    Rank S adventurer with the alias ¡°Talentless¡±¡­¡­? What¡¯s up with that?

    As Fran tilted her head again, Izario shrugged and held out his hand. A handshake¨D¨Dor not.

    His palm was facing upward, clearly signaling that he wanted a te of meat.

    ¡¸So anyways, give me a pile of meat, and make it big.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll make it super big if you give me a mock battle.¡¹

    Damn Fran, you really went there! It seems she intended to take the chance and challenge him, but Izario simply shook his head.

    ¡¸More interested in the meat! And booze too!¡¹

    ¡¸You could get meat and booze whenever you want.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, littledy. The guild is paying for all this now. That means free booze, and free meat. I don¡¯t need to say any more, right?¡¹

    Izario said the stingy line with the manliest expression he could muster. I was almost starting to think he seemed pretty cool, but now he¡¯s acting like any old drunken adventurer.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t get it.¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe you¡¯re not old enough yet. There¡¯s nothing better than free booze, you see. I won¡¯t let the chance escape. Besides, we can¡¯t afford to make a mess here, right?¡¹

    It¡¯s true that we would need to use this training ground for a mock battle, interrupting the grand feast currently taking ce.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What about tomorrow?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, I¡¯m taking a request tomorrow.¡¹

    ¡¸Not even a little bit in the morning?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll get tired if I have to do a mock battle before taking a job, so no. I want to be in perfect condition.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹

    Izario¡¯s argument waspletely justified, so Fran couldn¡¯t say anything in response. She simply shut her mouth in disappointment.

    ¡ºFran, show him the letter of introduction you got from Diaz.¡»

    ¡¸I have a referral.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Damn, from Diaz-san¡­¡­? Alright, but now¡¯s still not a good time. Maybe somedayter.¡¹

    ¡¸You promise?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, but only after the antidemon season is over. Besides, I¡¯m not all that special. You should try getting someone stronger to teach you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­? Aren¡¯t you a Rank S adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m just a dandy that happened to get a divine sword.¡¹

    Dandy or not, he¡¯s clearly got a divine sword. How could he be nothing special?

    Ignis is a divine sword in the same vein as Ashwrath¡¯s Gaia. Since it rules over the element of fire instead of earth, he should have incredibly high offensive power. I can only imagine the extent of his abilities.

    Maybe any random weakling could reach Rank S if they mastered the usage of a divine sword.

    However, the man in front of me didn¡¯t look like an adventurer who got this far relying on the power of his weapon.

    It also didn¡¯t seem like Izario was acting humble. He really thought he wasn¡¯t worth much.

    ¡¸Dandy?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. See youter, littledy.¡¹

    Izario gave onest wry smile as he disappeared into the crowd of adventurers.

    £¨I couldn¡¯t get a mock battle.£©

    ¡ºWell, he is a Rank S adventurer. We can¡¯t help it if he¡¯s busy.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    Compared to the Beast King and Dimitris, he seemed to be a more sensible person at least. I feel like he will keep his promises.

    Only whenpared to his fellow Rank S adventurers though. Put him next to any ordinary person, and he¡¯s plenty weird.

 Chapter 936

    <h4>936: Tipsy Rank S</h4>

    Today was the morning after the feast ended in a great sess.

    We exited the guild¡¯s lodging room, and went down to the training grounds. There we found several adventurers lying on the ground, as silent as corpses.

    ¡¸Yuck!¡¹

    Fran scowled, holding her nose.

    ¡ºThis ce reeks of alcohol¡­¡­¡»

    No doubt the drinking continued even after Fran left to sleep. How the hell is that guy out cold while managing to hold a headstand?

    Moreover, there were some still drinking in the morning. At the center of them was Izario, the divine sword wielding adventurer.

    ¡¸Chug, chug!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwahahahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸rarare!¡¹

    ¡¸What are you even saying anymore!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyahahaha!¡¹

    Damn. There were nearly 30 bottles of alcohol lying at his feet, but Izario showed no signs of getting wasted. He seemed only somewhat tipsy, with the other adventurers all half-copsed around him.

    Is this also part of a Rank S adventurer¡¯s strength? I heard that you can get drunk from alcohol no matter how high your level is, but maybe high stats affect the speed at which your body recovers?

    With the way he scarfed down his drink whileughing like an idiot, he looked just like any middle-aged man you would see in a bar. He reminded me of my department boss before my reincarnation.

    The adventurers around him didn¡¯t seem to notice Izario at all, probably the effect of his cloak. Well, maybe they¡¯re just too drunk to recognize people in general.

    Actually, didn¡¯t he say something about ¡°wanting to be in perfect condition¡±? There¡¯s no way that counts as perfect condition.

    Fran thought so too, so she approached Izario and the others.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! The Meat Girl!¡¹

    Even Izario recognized Fran as ¡°The Meat Girl¡±! I guess Fran didn¡¯t seem to mind. Rather, she looked kinda smug? Maybe she thought of it as a title of respect given to the person presiding over the wonderful existence of meat.

    ¡¸You said you couldn¡¯t do a mock battle because you wanted to be in perfect condition.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! I definitely said that!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you actually in perfect condition?¡¹

    I don¡¯t think Fran was actually angry, but rather genuinely doubtful. Since Fran didn¡¯t drink, she didn¡¯t really know what it¡¯s like to be drunk.

    ¡¸Sure am. I¡¯ve got more energy when I¡¯m a little drunk! This is how my perfect condition looks like!¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Lies! All lies! He¡¯s just a damn drunkard spouting nonsense now! Fran, don¡¯t listen to him! Izario¡­¡­ You¡¯re literally a hopeless good-for-nothing! What idiot called him the honors students among the Rank S adventurers!?

    ¡¸You wanna drink too, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    Fran! No!

    ¡¸Does it taste good?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh definitely! You¡¯ve never had a drink before? You¡¯re losing out on 90% of your life!¡¹

    Don¡¯t they usually say ¡°half of your life¡± there? What kind of loser spends 90% of their life drinking?!

    ¡ºI¡¯m not allowing this!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Just a little bit.¡¹

    ¡ºNo! No, no, no, no!¡»

    ¡¸Uhahahaha! Drink, drink, drink! I learned the taste of alcohol when I was five!¡¹

    ¡ºKuh! Damn alcoholics!¡»

    Fran¡¯s gaze wavered between me and the cup Izario handed her. Being the glutton that she was, Fran showed interest in the drink. Besides, adventurers were all about booze.

    She must want to drink in order to be her vision of an ideal adventurer. Still, I¡¯m having none of this!

    Maybe it would be eptable if we¡¯re ced in a situation where there was nothing else to drink, but I see no reason to allow her to learn the taste of alcohol right now. What am I supposed to do if she gets addicted?!

    Fine, I¡¯ll always have my telekinesis as ast resort. But while I was worrying¡­¡­

    ¡¸You! You¡¯re Izario!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah? And who¡¯re you guys?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Zubalb, Rank C adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸Molly!¡¹

    ¡¸Wesclen!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re going to beat the shit out of you and make a name for ourselves! Prepare yourself!¡¹

    They looked pretty violent, so I expected them to be asking for a mock battle. Then they suddenly pulled out their weapons. I guess it¡¯s more like a foolhardy grab for fame.

    Winning against a Rank S adventurer would certainly make them famous, but don¡¯t they have any sense of fear?

    His two friends were obviously only Rank D, so how did they expect topare with a divine sword? However, it seems these guys thought they had a chance.

    ¡¸Even if you¡¯re Rank S, you can¡¯t beat me when drunk! You¡¯re mine!¡¹

    Izario¡¯s face was indeed red, so he was obviously drunk. But did that even matter?

    The crowd cheered as the fight suddenly broke out. Instead of helping Izario, they simply started to drink to the fight.

    Rather than being heartless or anything, the thought that Izario might lose probably never entered their heads.

    ¡¸Izario, when did you get here?¡¹

    ¡¸What? You guys were drinking together, weren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that was him?¡¹

    ¡¸I was so drunk I didn¡¯t even notice!¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s not even wearing a mask, and you couldn¡¯t recognize him!¡¹

    ¡¸Guess so!¡¹

    Fran simply moved back to the wall, waiting to see how Izario responded.

    ¡ºThat guy with an axe seems pretty decent.¡»

    £¨Nn. His movements aren¡¯t bad.£©

    While he didn¡¯t have any magic or scouting skills, his weapon skills were decent. He also had Intuition and other discernment-type skills, which are likely what allowed him to break the effect of Izario¡¯s cloak.

    Izario ducked when Zubalb shed at him with a war cry. Then he shrugged and shook his head.

    ¡¸Good grief, man. I was just having a good time drinking, and now youe out of nowhere. If you apologize now, we can pretend it never happened.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh! You call yourself Rank S? You¡¯re just a coward trying to get out of a fight! This so-called ¡°continent of death¡± is nothing but the boonies!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh. Getting me all riled up¡­¡­ Fine. You can call me whatever you want, but I can¡¯t back down if you mock the other adventurers. Let¡¯s settle this.¡¹

    Izario kept a smirk on his face as he made a ¡°bring it¡± gesture towards Zubalb.

    ¡¸Come at me.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you dare look down on me!¡¹

    Though unexpected, it looks like we¡¯ll get the chance to see how this Rank S adventurer fights.

 Chapter 937

    <h4>937: Izario''s Style</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you!¡¹

    ¡¸As if I could die here.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it! Stop moving!¡¹

    ¡¸Surround him!¡¹

    Even as the battle began, Izario refused to draw his weapon. He didn¡¯t even perform any attacks of his own, simply continuing to evade Zubalb and his two friends.

    Izario dodged Zubalb¡¯s axe and the swords of hispanions with a paper-thin margin, smiling all the while. Such moves weren¡¯t that impressive however, since Fran could easily do the same thing.

    But¡­¡­ that face of his. The reddened face of the drunkard just looked so irritating. Even I felt that way, so his opponent Zubalb must be downright pissed.

    Zubalb just kept heating up, though he kept his techniques sharp in spite of his temper. He called himself a Rank C, but I¡¯d say at least hisbat abilities were closer to Rank B.

    ¡¸Take this! Die! Damn you!¡¹

    ¡¸Nope, over here. Almost got me that time. Come on, bro.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn it all!¡¹

    Atst, Zubalb activated a weapon art. His axe glistened white from the energy infused into it, then he cleaved sideways. For the first time, Izario responded with something other than an evasion.

    He put his hand on the divine sword at his waist.

    I thought we might finally see the divine sword in action, but I ended up disappointed. Izario never drew his de.

    He lifted his still sheathed de and caught the axe with its hilt. As expected from a divine sword, even the hilt boasted high durability.

    Zubalb¡¯s face scrunched up after seeing his full strength blocked so easily. He couldn¡¯t believe the finishing move he ced so much confidence in had been caught by the hilt of a sword.

    ¡¸Now you know the difference in our abilities, no? Can we call it quits now?¡¹

    ¡¸D-Don¡¯t be stupid! What kind of trick did you pull!?¡¹

    Well, he dide all the way here to challenge a Rank S. There was no way he could back down now.

    But, ¡°trick¡±? Really? He shouldn¡¯t be so weak as to misjudge his opponent¡¯s abilities that badly¡­¡­ It seems his anger was clouding his judgment.

    From there, Zubalb kept swinging his axe like a madman. His friends had already stopped a while back, clearly hesitating. After realizing they stood no chance, they must have given up.

    ¡¸Ura! Ura! Ura! Ura!¡¹

    ¡¸Sidestep.¡¹

    ¡¸Nrgraaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha, you¡¯re putting too much force.¡¹

    ¡¸Gwoooooogh!¡¹

    There was such a steep difference between the atmosphere of the two that I started to feel a little sorry for Zubalb. It seems it wasn¡¯t just me, as the other adventurers started giving him simr looks of pity.

    After noticing that, Zubalb only got more aggravated.

    ¡¸I am Zubalb-sama, the strongest in the town of Rishuga! Don¡¯t you dare mock me!¡¹

    ¡¸If you don¡¯t wanna beughed at, try a bit harder. Bring it on.¡¹

    As usual, Izario easily avoided all the attacks, sometimes with a duck, sometimes by blocking. Not a single one managed tond so much as a scratch.

    But why is it that Izario decided to block when he is surely fast enough to dodge everything? I found this strange, so I observed Izario¡¯s movements more closely, and finally understood the meaning behind his actions.

    It seems Izario avoided the ordinary attacks, and blocked the powerful arts that might cause coteral damage. He was canceling out all the force and shockwaves from his opponent¡¯s blow.

    After examining the mana residue, it became clear that Zubalb was unleashing high-level arts. If left unchecked, there might have been people in the audience seriously injured.

    Izario¡¯s behavior made it look easy, but he was doing something pretty advanced.

    First and foremost, he was incredibly good at evasion. Also, he had enough physical strength topete with axe arts, the perceptiveness to recognize his opponent¡¯s moves, and the knowledge of how to counter them. He had the reflexes to react instantly, and the technical skill to redirect the impact.

    All of these skills required a high level of mastery.

    £¨Amazing.£©

    ¡ºYeah. I wonder if you could do all that.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Seems hard.£©

    Fran hated admitting defeat, so she¡¯d never say never. But I¡¯m sure she would have a lot of difficulty.

    Zubalb continued doing his best, but his movements turned sluggish after five minutes. Then, the battle ended abruptly.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­ Gah¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, that¡¯s as far as I can go. I¡¯m getting old here, so I don¡¯t wanna tire myself out.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha¡­¡­?¡¹

    Zubalb¡¯s legs suddenly froze as his huge body copsed forward. His continuous heavy panting and loss for words indicated that he had exhausted his stamina.

    He must have been so focused on offense that he did not recognize his own condition. It¡¯s possible Izario did something too, but if he did, we didn¡¯t recognize what it was.

    ¡¸You guys, drag him out of here, will you? I¡¯d appreciate it if you don¡¯t mess with me again too. If there¡¯s a next time, it¡¯ll hurt, you see?¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah! I-I understand!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll nevere in front of you again! So please forgive me!¡¹

    ¡¸Good, good. I like people who are quick on the uptake.¡¹

    In the end, Zubalb got dragged away by his underlings after the intimidation from Izario.

    I¡¯d say they¡¯re lucky to get away unharmed after picking a fight with a Rank S.

    ¡¸Wait! Have a mock battle with me too!¡¹

    ¡¸No way.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not? You fought him!¡¹

    ¡¸If I fight someone as strong as you, I¡¯ll get tired, right?¡¹

    I guess someone as weak as Zubalb could be beaten without much effort, but not Fran.

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡¸Anyways, I have a meeting with the guildmaster, so I¡¯m heading off now. See youter.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    In the end, we could only watch Izario waving his hand as he left. As if tofort her, one of the adventurers called out to Fran.

    ¡¸Meat Girl, you must be pretty good if you got Crimson de to praise you that much!¡¹

    ¡¸Crimson de?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve never heard that before? Izario¡¯s alias, since he wields the divine sword controlling fire.¡¹

    ¡¸I thought it was ¡°Talentless¡±?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that.¡¹

    The adventurerughed and told us Izario¡¯s story. Apparently, he was called ¡°Talentless¡± for hisck of talent with the sword when he first started as an adventurer.

    He had since grown stronger and risen all the way to Rank S, but for some reason, he always gives that old nickname as his alias.

    ¡¸He may seem like a normal guy, but he¡¯s a high-ranking adventurer after all. As you probably know, none of them are truly normal. Still a pretty cool dude though.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

 Chapter 938

    <h4>938: Converging at Nocta</h4>

    After Izario refused her request for a mock battle, Fran took a stroll through town to heal her broken heart. She decided to binge eat at the cafe where we met Sophie.

    On our way there, we suddenly heard amotion. Something was going on at the north gate.

    I thought it might be an antidemon attack, but the atmosphere proved otherwise. It sounded more like cheers than screams.

    Curious, we went to the gate and discovered the reason for the cheering. Apparently, some sort of famous army had arrived.

    People running past Fran were excitedly chatting about how they were looking forward to seeing who came here this time.

    Nocta was a transit point that many passed through, so it¡¯s probably frequented by famous adventuring parties, knights, mercenaries, and the like. It seems the townspeople found a sort of entertainment in watching these celebrities.

    After walking for a while, we saw a group of people marching in our direction along the main street. They were surrounded by onlookers, so they must be the center of themotion.

    After stopping to watch, we got a good view of the group as they passed us by.

    Everyone at the front of the parade was dressed in matching armor, indicating that they were an order of knights. Including the knights and all their attendants, the group must have had about 300 members in total.

    Hold on, I feel like I¡¯ve seen the knights¡¯ silver armor somewhere before.

    £¨Holy knights?£©

    ¡ºYeah, that¡¯s right. These guys are knights from Srd.¡»

    Silver armor glittering in the sun, marked with an emblem of crossed swords and a horse. We saw the same thing just a little while ago, so there¡¯s no mistaking it. These were the holy knights from the Holy Nation of Srd.

    Maybe one of them be the Divine Sword Knight? The center of the group was obscured by the guys waving around their gs, so I couldn¡¯t get a good look. I wasn¡¯t able to sense any presences in particr either.

    Wait, isn¡¯t this pretty bad? What if the holy knights escaping Sendia made up some false report to give to the main army?

    In that case, they might have Fran marked as down as an enemy. If the rest of them were like those assholes, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d listen to our side of the story.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s get out of here for now.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Just as Fran was about to blend into the onlookers and leave, there was amotion at the gate again. It seemed that another well-known group had arrived.

    Avoiding the holy knights, we headed toward the gate instead. There, we found a group of people in matching uniforms, giving off a strange aura.

    They must have over 1,000 members in total. This time, it seemed more like a battalion of soldiers rather than knights. Moreover, all of them were elderly men.

    The battalion consisted entirely of these old veteran spearmen in in ck light armor. Everyone walking through the gate had that appearance.

    In addition, we saw a carriage in the center of the group. In contrast to the modest equipment of the old men, this was a very luxurious white carriage. Pulling the carriage was an eight-legged horse.

    That¡¯s a Sleipnir, a Rank C magic beast. That alone was conspicuous enough, but we sensed a mysterious mana leaking from inside.

    There must be a powerful sorcerer or something in there. Maybe theirmander was also in that carriage? They flung a banner disying a ck sword crossed with arge white flower on a red background. It strangely felt both noble and ominous, so I bet I would have remembered it if I ever saw it before.

    ¡¸That g, it¡¯s the g of the Militant Nation of Hagane.¡¹

    ¡¸Hagane, from the north? Srd and Hagane were mortal enemies, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa, really? They won¡¯t start squabbling here in Nocta, will they?¡¹

    Fran and I listened carefully to the conversations of the citizens. This group of soldiers seems to belong to the Militant Nation of Hagane. That should be one of the great powers dominating the northern continent, the other one being the Holy Nation of Srd.

    But to us, they were the holders of the divine sword, Berserk.

    So both of these northern superpowers have arrived at Nocta.

    £¨Where is their divine sword?£©

    ¡ºHmm, maybe it¡¯s in the carriage? It¡¯s a bit hard to tell unless it¡¯s in in sight.¡»

    £¨Too bad.£©

    Fran would have liked to have a glimpse of Berserk.

    ¡ºWe can head to the Adventurers Guildter. Maybe they can give us some more info.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We headed for the cafe, which was our original goal. On the way there, we ran into some familiar faces.

    ¡¸Huh? It¡¯s Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Wonderful, you have returned!¡¹

    ¡¸Jayne, Orfalve.¡¹

    There they were, the queen duo who had saved us at Castel. Jayne Dovey, the queen of the demonkin, and Orfalve Falnis, the queen of the dwarves.

    As usual, they seemed to be getting along well. The two were walking together, each with five guards in tow.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while!¡¹

    ¡¸You look to be in good health.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks for staying behind.¡¹

    ¡¸We promised, so it¡¯s only natural!¡¹

    ¡¸We can stick around until the antidemon season is over or she wakes up, whicheveres first.¡¹

    It seems they still remained in the city, partially in order to protect Nadia. They really were a dependable bunch.

    ¡¸Anyway, have you gotten a little stronger again? It¡¯s like you have a whole different aura!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. The battle in Sendia appears to have been a fierce one. If you do not mind, can you share the details with us?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Yay! Then I have a ce in mind. Let¡¯s go there.¡¹

    ¡¸There shall be a private room where we can talk.¡¹

    They took us to a rtively hidden restaurant located in a back alley. However, once inside, we found it to be quite spacious, so even the two¡¯s escorts would be able to have their meals as well.

    There was even a private room in the back. In fact, this seemed to be a rather high-ss restaurant. The prices were rather expensive too, though none of us really minded.

    They ordered some dishes along with the most expensive drinks, before sitting down at the table.

    ¡¸Cheers to our reunion with a friend!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And so began our meal. They all chatted lightly about what had happened while they were apart.

    Fran gave them a bunch of surprises, but they told us something that surprised us as well.

    Jayne said she was familiar with Divine Beast Form. Well, she didn¡¯t know much, of course.

    ¡¸I think one of the demon lords a long time ago summoned an undead beastman with the Divine Beast Form skill. They were apparently friends, and the beastman said they wanted their body to be put to good use after death.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you know how to learn Divine Beast Form?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, well the legends didn¡¯t have much info on it. Oh, but they did say the beastman was a ¡°white wolf recognized by the gods¡±.¡¹

    ¡¸Recognized by the gods¡­¡­¡¹

    In other words, Fran needs to do something big enough to make the gods recognize her? At the very least, just training your stats doesn¡¯t seem to be enough.

 Chapter 939

    <h4>939: The Two Northern Superpowers</h4>

    After separating from Jayne and Orfalve, Fran returned to the Adventurers Guild to get information about the Holy Nation of Srd and the Militant Nation of Hagane.

    The two queens told us a lot about the two countries, but they had no idea why they woulde to this town.

    If they ended up fighting around here, we might be able to see their divine swords in action.

    But on our way to the Adventurers Guild, we saw no sign of the holy knights or soldiers. Did they already leave or something?

    We went inside in order to question the adventurers. However, before we could talk to them, the woman at the reception desk called out to us.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-sama, you have returned! The guildmaster would like to speak with you, so could you please visit her office?¡¹

    ¡¸The guildmaster room?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, thank you for your cooperation.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay.¡¹

    I guess she¡¯s waiting for Fran. It¡¯ll be quicker if we can talk to the guildmaster directly, so we can just go along with it. Fran, however, hesitated. It seems she still didn¡¯t like that sultry guildmaster.

    She walked into guildmaster¡¯s office with heavy steps, where we found several other men and women waiting for us.

    One was the always reliable dandy, the submaster. With this man in the room, Rere wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything too outrageous.

    In addition, Izario was sitting on the sofa. He monopolized the three-person sofa in front of the guildmaster and was chugging booze straight from the bottle.

    This is a Rank S adventurer¡­¡­? Wait, maybe Fran is kinda simr. She has no problems stuffing her mouth in front of important people too.

    Well, at least they were people we knew.

    The problem was the other visitors. One was sitting on the chair to the right of the guildmaster¡¯s sofa, and the another sat on the chair to her left. The guy on the left chair had another man standing behind him, the holy knight escorting him, no doubt. Judging by the aura they exuded, none of them should be the wielder of a divine sword.

    There was such a tension between the two strangers that I could tell they hated each other at first nce. Neither attempted to make eye contact with the other, yet they werepletely focused on their presence.

    While I don¡¯t recognize their faces, I could easily guess which countries they worked for. If I had known they were going to be here, I would have refused toe.

    ¡¸I was going to call for youter, but you came just in time.¡¹

    ¡¸Please, have a seat.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After giving the holy knight a side nce, Fran sat down next to Izario, facing the submaster. Izario reeked of alcohol as usual, but it was better than sitting next to any of the others.

    Once Fran seated herself, the submaster began speaking.

    ¡¸First, please allow me to introduce you to everyone. The one sitting next to you is the Rank S adventurer¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Izario, the Talentless. Once more, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, littledy.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re still calling yourself that¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸A man can call himself whatever he wants. Fancy names like ¡°Crimson de¡± or ¡°mes of Annihtion¡± just don¡¯t suit me. Talentless, now there¡¯s a perfect fit.¡¹

    Izario shrugged off the submaster¡¯s reproachful gaze. The tone of his voice confirmed that he was neither modest nor shy.

    It seems he seriously believed the nickname Talentless suited him.

    Fran tilted her head. As expected, she still thought that Talentless didn¡¯t make sense as the alias for the Rank S adventurer.

    ¡¸Why choose Talentless?¡¹

    ¡¸Haha, because I like the sound.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm.¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t attempt to dig any deeper. If he said he liked it, there¡¯s not much more she could do.

    It seems like the submaster wanted him to use a more impressive alias. After all, he was Rank S, the pinnacle of all adventurers.

    If a man like that goes around with a weird alias, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say it would affect the morale of everyone below him. Izario, however, cared little for this fact.

    ¡¸Come on. We¡¯re in the middle of introductions, no?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, of course. I apologize. The gentleman sitting here is a knight from the Holy Nation of Srd. He heads the Office of the Divine de, the agency handling the usage of their divine sword. This is a man of the highest importance.¡¹

    ¡¸Pleased to meet you.¡¹

    ¡¸And standing behind him is the current Divine Sword Knight.¡¹

    ¡¸The Divine Sword Knight! Really?¡¹

    Fran asked back in surprise. Then, the man standing in the back nodded again with a smile on his face.

    ¡¸Good day to you, youngdy. I am Adol, the current Divine Sword Knight. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.¡¹

    The man we thought to be a mere escort was, much to my surprise, the Divine Sword Knight, Adol Yaresfeim. That means he should be the owner of the divine sword Alpha. At first nce, he seemed like a kind and handsome young man. I might have believed that impression had it not been for the backdoor agreement he supposedly made with Filuria.

    But was this man really the Divine Sword Knight? He certainly had some strength, but not nearly enough to beparable to a divine sword wielder.

    And he didn¡¯t even seem to have the divine sword with him. To be honest, I seriously doubted if he could actually wield one.

    Based on his current state, I¡¯d say he¡¯s probably weaker than Zefmate.

    Fran was surprised not only by his title of Divine Sword Knight, but also by theck of ability that contradicted his title.

    Still, Fran suppressed her emotions and bowed her head. She was now capable of making these kinds of judgments.

    ¡¸I am Fran, a Rank B adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Rere-dono has informed me that you are a great adventurer, so I am honored to meet you. She also says that the defense of Sendia was more fierce than I had imagined.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. There were several hundred thousand antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸Those are some truly immense numbers! It seems a few members of our holy knights fought and died at Sendia, but that makes sense if the city was in such peril.¡¹

    Adol¡¯s words contained no lies. Apparently, those scumbag holy knights were killed by antidemons before they could regroup with their main force.

    Honestly, this made me feel rather relieved. We no longer have to worry about the worst possible oue, with the holy knights hunting us down as their enemies.

    As much as I¡¯d like to question him about his rtionship with Filuria, I¡¯d rather avoid stirring up the ho¡¯s nest. We should just get through introductions for now.

    ¡¸Finally, the one sitting over there is the Haganemander.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, ck Lightning Princess-dono. I am Shikimi, themander of our expeditionary forces.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Nice to meet you.¡¹

    The person bowing their heads before us looked somewhat androgynous. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s a woman, but I almost confused her for a handsome nobleman at first.

    Shikimi seemed somewhat stronger than Adol. But if she¡¯s themander, she shouldn¡¯t be the divine sword wielder, right? The divine sword Berserk owned by Hagane is said to kill its wielder. That¡¯s not the type of weapon themander should be using.

    ¡¸Perhaps one day we will have the opportunity to settle down and have a nice long chat.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯d like to talk too.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu, I look forward to our meeting then.¡¹

    I didn¡¯t sense any hostilitying from her, but I couldn¡¯t read her true intentions either. Her words appeared to be friendly, though she also seemed to be the type of person capable of easily disguising her emotions.

    Maybe she¡¯s actually the one we need to be more careful of.

 Chapter 940

    <h4>940: Divine Sword Joint Request</h4>

    ¡¸Now that we¡¯ve finished introductions, I have a favor to ask of you, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸A favor?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You see, a town to east of Nocta, Bultori, is under imminent danger from the antidemons.¡¹

    ¡¸ording to the report from our scouts, a horde of more than 100,000 antidemons is expected to strike Bultori within the next few days.¡¹

    The antidemons were currently gathering in the surrounding region, and therefore expected to attack Bultori en masse after building up their forces a little longer.

    ¡¸So it¡¯s like Sendia?¡¹

    We wondered if someone was manipting the hordes again, but that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡¸No. Unlike the Sendia incident, this seems to be a natural outbreak. While it certainly won¡¯t be as dangerous as Sendia, Bultori is not a veryrge town to begin with. They will most definitely perish if we let this pass.¡¹

    ¡¸And that¡¯s why we want you to go there and rescue them, along with our friends here.¡¹

    Whoa! To my surprise, they asked us to take on a joint request with several divine sword wielders. Uh, why did they even need Fran in the first ce? There¡¯s literally three divine swords here.

    It seems this is where things gotplicated. Izario may be an adventurer, but he was regarded as a legendary figure on this continent. If such an celebrity solves a problem by himself, it¡¯s difficult for the Adventurers Guild to take credit.

    That¡¯s why they wanted an adventurer who was a little less well-known, yet not so weak as to be a hindrance. Such an adventurer would apany Izario on this mission.

    The intention was to spread the word about promising young adventurers, as well as informing everyone of their contributions. It kinda feels like we¡¯re being used as a political pawn, but the rewards were generous. Not just antidemon points, but cold hard cash.

    Above all, this was a once in a lifetime chance to see the divine sword wielders fight up close and personal. Fran would not pass up such an opportunity.

    ¡¸Okay. I¡¯ll take the request.¡¹

    She nodded immediately.

    An hourter, after finishing the request procedure at the Adventurers Guild, Fran stood at Nocta¡¯s east gate.

    Around us was arge group of adventurers waiting in standby. The guildmaster had forced Fran into the role of leading all these adventurers.

    At first she refused, of course, but the only other high-ranking adventurer besides Fran was Diggins the bearkin. There¡¯s no way he would ept takingmand over Fran.

    I thought Izario should be taking the role, but apparently, he came to Gordicia on the condition that he¡¯s always allowed to work as a solo adventurer. Even if he¡¯s considered a member of the guild, they weren¡¯t able to force him into anything.

    So in the end, Fran had no choice but to take over as leader. There were no other suitable candidates.

    The other adventurers already knew about Fran, so there were fewints. Those that didin were quickly silenced by Diggins, the vice-captain, so we can safely say no one objected.

    Fran was strangely motivated too, so I guess we really had no choice but to lead the adventurers.

    ¡¸Those holy knights.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, they look more decent than I was expecting.¡»

    Our relief effort for Bultori consisted of the adventurers, knights from the Holy Nation of Srd, soldiers from the Militant Nation of Hagane, and Izario.

    Basically, the main yers would be the two countries¡¯ armies and Izario, while the adventurers acted as their backup. The important thing was that we fought on the same battlefield.

    The hundred holy knights here looked quite normalpared to the ones we saw in Sendia. They organized themselves in a rigid formation and never spoke out of turn. For better or worse, they seemed like ordinary knights.

    However, theirbat ability was considerably lower than the ones at Sendia. Despite being scumbags, those guys might have been pretty high up in the ranks.

    That said, I could tell they had simr personalities, since they clearly showed contempt for the adventurers. We should be grateful that we just have to act as backup, since I doubt we¡¯d ever be able to cooperate with them.

    Compared to the holy knights, Hagane¡¯s soldiers seemed difficult to work with in a different way. They too were lined up neatly in rows without speaking a word. However, their burning enthusiasm was practically written on their faces.

    Since they didn¡¯t look down on adventurers, maybe we could call them better than the holy knights¡­¡­ Still, you could practically feel the aura of ¡°we¡¯ll do it ourselves¡±. These old soldiers probably also felt they would be better off alone.

    ¡¸How¡¯s it going, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸Izario, what¡¯s that weird thing?¡¹

    ¡¸Weird? What a terrible thing to say. This here¡¯s a magical tool, you know?¡¹

    Fran was referring to the board Izario carried on his back. Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s never seen anything like it before.

    But I could easily imagine how the board was supposed to be used. The shape was familiar to me, from my memories of Earth, that is.

    ¡¸It¡¯s a magical tool for transportation, see? When you get on top of it and channel mana, it floats a little. You won¡¯t be able to fly around freely, but it¡¯s still pretty handy.¡¹

    ¡¸It floats?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m getting old these days, so just a bit of running is enough to tire me out. This tool¡¯s super useful.¡¹

    I don¡¯t know how much he¡¯s exaggerating, but as I expected, it¡¯s a skateboard-like item. Rather than using wheels, it seems to levitate slightly off the ground. Guess it¡¯s kinda like a hoverboard?

    I¡¯m sure any ordinary adventurer would love to have one of these. I can easily imagine them shouting about how awesome it is with a sparkle in their eyes.

    However, Fran did not respond as Izario had expected.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­That¡¯s your reaction?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Fran had so many ways of flying, be it Telekic Air Ride, Aerial Hop, or riding Urushi. To her, a magical tool capable of floating a little was not the least bit interesting.

    Rather, the look on her face said, ¡°Is that all you got?¡±

    ¡¸Come on. This has been a big hit with the kids everywhere I go, you know? They alle running over and beg me for a ride.¡¹

    It seems this was Izario¡¯s attempt to surprise the expressionless and untalkative Fran. He probably wanted to win her respect as well.

    Now the fully grown man was sulking with his cheeks puffed out. Meanwhile, Fran decided to knock him down even further.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºYou really want to show him?¡»

    £¨He needs to know you are better than the board thing.£©

    ¡ºWell, fine I guess.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Izario, watch this.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    Fran told Izario to watch as she threw me in the air. After I spun around a few times, Fran used aerial hop to follow me into the sky.

    I activated my telekinesis the moment Fran put her feet on me in midair. Together, we dove swiftly back down to Izario, although I suppressed my speed quite a bit.

    ¡¸Whoa! Your sword can fly?!¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh. Best sword ever.¡¹

    Izario reacted just like a kid when he saw Fran surfing through the air with Telekic Air Ride. However, his analytical skills proved very impressive.

    ¡¸I see¡­ Some sort of telekinesis applied for flight.¡¹

    He must have figured out the mechanism behind our Telekic Air Ride after seeing it once.

    ¡¸Where did you even get the idea of flying on a sword? Dang geniuses.¡¹

    Izario¡¯s whisper seemed to be filled with genuine envy.

 Chapter 941

    <h4>941: Bultori</h4>

    Not much happened on the way to Bultori. Maybe a few antidemons popped up, but Srd¡¯s holy knights and Hagane¡¯s spearmen practically raced to defeat them, leaving literally nothing for the adventurers to do.

    Moreover, the speed of our march was extraordinary. Both the holy knights and the spearmen were well trained, not to mention their stamina and usage of potions to continue marching for extended periods of time.

    Meanwhile, we adventurers managed to follow the two armies without dy.

    Izario flew through the air by himself, and the other adventurers could outspeed the two armies thanks to Fran¡¯s March of the Valkyrie title.

    Thanks to that, we reached Bultori in about half the expected time. It probably took less than four hours.

    Many holy knights had their jaws dropped.

    Apparently, both of the two armies had severely underestimated the speed of the adventurers. They thought the adventurers were unorganized and untrustworthy, far too weak to be considered useful.

    It seems their reluctance to ept us was due to irritation at being slowed down by weaklings on the battlefield.

    But after the actual mission started, they were actually the ones slowing the adventurers down. Naturally, they had no choice but to change their opinion.

    Not that they really got friendly or anything. They pretty much moved from ¡°Tch! You weaklings are slower than snails!¡± to ¡°H-Hmph. Maybe you are capable of something. Just don¡¯t get in our way.¡±

    And so, our allied forces entered the town of Bultori and began unpacking supplies in the main za bordering the gate. We sent our scouts to search for antidemons, as well as steadily making other preparations.

    Fran and the othermanders began a meeting with Bultori¡¯s guildmaster.

    ¡¸W-W-Wel-Wee to our city of Bultori! W-Wee!¡¹

    The guildmaster of Bultori bowed his head all the way down. It felt like he might break into a dogeza at any moment.

    The Adventurers Guild in Bultori was very small in size, and pretty much treated as a branch of the Nocta guild. As a result, the guild master was still young and had little experience in dealing with such important figures.

    The guild here does seem a bit too small given the town¡¯s size. That¡¯s probably because most of the adventurers drifted off to the neighboring city of Nocta.

    Since there weren¡¯t many adventurers, the guild didn¡¯t need to be veryrge. At the same time, the guild¡¯s size meant not many adventurers wanted toe, creating a negative spiral.

    Our meeting began in the tiny conference room of the small guild, but the two great nations immediately took control of the conversation. The meeting was now nothing more than a ritual in which the twomanders presented their demands, followed by the guildmaster nodding in response.

    In summary, each demanded they would be allowed to deal with any antidemons by themselves, so the adventurers should stay out of their way. That¡¯s pretty much all they had to say.

    Since they owned divine swords, they probablycked any sense of cooperation with people from other countries or organizations. After all, even their own knights or soldiers would be a hindrance upon activation of the de.

    The two great nations had such a fierce rivalry that I thought they might argue over who gets to deploy first, but that never happened.

    Apparently, they already had an agreement regarding that issue from long ago. They now swap which nation gets priority every deployment season.

    This time, it was Srd with that priority. Without any real discussion, Srd decided that they would be the first to fight. Fran and Izario didn¡¯t even get the chance to say anything.

    When Fran tilted her head at this, the guildmaster quietly whispered some additional details to her. He must have wanted to avoid Fran saying something unnecessary and causing a dispute.

    This guildmaster probably thought sending Fran here was a poor choice. He knew Fran¡¯s capabilities, so this wasn¡¯t meant in a condescending manner. It¡¯s just that she was a child and the rumors said she was quick to anger. His biggest worry seemed to be that Fran might pick a fight with the two nations.

    He kept nervously watching Fran¡¯s every move and gesture.

    As for Izario, he was drinking the entire time. If he¡¯s told he doesn¡¯t have to do any work, he¡¯ll just not work. He¡¯s still a celebrity though, so he managed to soothe the fears of the town¡¯s citizens just by showing up.

    He was the splitting image of your average drunkard, but he seemed to understand the subtleties of the situation.

    In the end, they decided that Srd would be the first to deploy, followed by Hagane. If a third deployment was necessary, Izario would be the next to go out, and the other adventurers would merely stand guard at the town gates.

    Fran wanted to fight too, but defying the two great nations would be dangerous even to us. I told her that we should just wait and see, and she reluctantly agreed, understanding my concerns.

    After the meeting, Izario and Fran headed for the tavern. The guildmaster took charge of giving instructions to the adventurers, so we decided to leave everything to him.

    I guess he wanted to take over the part that he actually could control, and was also a little nervous about leaving things to Fran. He promised to divide the adventurers into groups and assign them to guard the gate in rotation.

    All Fran had to do was hear the rotation breakdown from himter, and simply take her shift at the gate ordingly.

    Izario ordered some snacks to go with his drinks, while Fran ordered arge pile of food. Together, they sat down in the corner of the bar. No one bothered them, since both of them were cloaking their presences.

    Fran and Izario continued eating in silence. It¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t get along. In fact, the silence didn¡¯t feel awkward at all.

    Maybe due to their bond as fellow high-ranking adventurers? Or maybe because the age/personality gap was so wide that they couldn¡¯t sh with each other?

    The two seemed surprisinglypatible. After the food started to dwindle, Izario finally opened his mouth.

    ¡¸Littledy, seems you aren¡¯t very well trusted.¡¹

    ¡¸Master said the right person should do the job. If the guildmaster wants to handle things, let him.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhaha, that¡¯s a good point. Completely right, even. Whoever wants the job should do it.¡¹

    ¡¸But if there¡¯s a fight, I¡¯ll fight.¡¹

    ¡¸So you¡¯re that kinda girl, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸In that you like to fight.¡¹

    ¡¸Because if I don¡¯t fight, I won¡¯t get stronger.¡¹

    ¡¸Your eyes are so honest. I have to say, I feel a bit jealous seeing that.¡¹

    Izario muttered as he gulped down his drink. His tone was as aloof as ever, but I heard a tinge of truth in those words.

 Chapter 942

    <h4>942: Adol and Alpha</h4>

    The evening of the day Fran arrived in Bultori.

    Atst, the army of antidemons appeared. Those ck hordes covering the ins were already a familiar sight to us.

    Unlike the very frightened townspeople, Fran and I were as rxed as ever. With three divine sword wielders here, worrying about the antidemons simply felt absurd.

    Looking down on the in from the top of the city walls, Fran was slightly disgruntled. She violently bit down on a grilled meat skewer and asked me the question.

    £¨Can I go too?£©

    ¡ºNo. What are you going to do if you get caught up in an attack from a divine sword? Besides, we can¡¯t afford to pick fights with such a huge country.¡»

    £¨Mrgh.£©

    I gave Fran a firm no. Fran already knew all this, but I guess she still had to ask. She must be itching to join the battle starting right in front of her.

    ¡¸Adol came out.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm, I still can¡¯t imagine him wielding a divine sword.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even from a distance, we could see Adol stepping out at the head of the holy knight¡¯s formation. His steps were leisurely, and his face showed no signs of fear or anxiety.

    Exactly how a powerful man should look.

    But no matter how much we looked him over, we still couldn¡¯t believe this man was worthy of wielding a divine sword.

    Is it possible that he¡¯s nothing special himself, but just recognized by his divine sword?

    I¡¯d love to try appraising him, but it would cause all kinds of trouble if they found out I tried appraising their Divine Sword Knight.

    We could make an excuse if we bumped into each other in the middle of a battlefield, but right now, we were clearly allies. I guess we¡¯ll just have to watch his moves and see for ourselves.

    ¡¸That¡¯s Alpha, the de of Origin.¡¹

    ¡ºI-It looks pretty cool, huh?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I lied. It looks really damn cool!

    The entirety of Alpha was the purest white. From the scabbard to the hilt to the de, everything was white. Rather than a normal guard, the bottom part of the de split into two in a Y-shape. That probably served as the guard recement.

    Alpha appeared to be forged of a shiny metal giving off an iridescent luster, with fine decorations covering the whole thing. This was clearly no ordinary sword, anyone could tell that with one nce.

    I¡¯d describe it as about the same size as a longsword, aside for the de being a little wider than normal.

    The moment he pulled it out from the scabbard, we could already see a huge amount of mana swirling around it. In fact, I could even sense a slight divine power.

    Adol raised the de of Origin high above his head, pointing the tip towards the sky. A very picturesque pose for the handsome young man.

    ¡¸<strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>!¡¹

    He activated it immediately? I thought he might drag the battle out for a while, but it seems he nned to go all out right from the beginning.

    Along with Adol¡¯s shout, Alpha began shining brightly.

    The white light rising up over the ins was the manifestation of the divine power surging from Adol¡¯s de.

    Even this far away, we could feel sparks in the air from the sheer force of it. The holy knights spectating from the front lines probably needed to seriously hold their ground just to not get blown away.

    That¡¯s what I expected, but it seems they were trained well. All of them had their swords thrust into the ground, standing rigidly like an immovable wall.

    I guess such a huge nation would never allow something as silly as getting blown away by their own weapon.

    A few secondster.

    When the torrent of divine power subsided, apletely different Adol stood before us.

    His physical appearance was pretty much the same. There was no change to his equipment, and the divine sword didn¡¯t change shape either. The only difference was a thinyer of mana clinging to his body.

    However, the power he radiated was on a whole different level.

    ¡¸He¡¯s strong¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Is that really Adol?¡»

    This was no simple boost to stats. We could tell just by looking at the man standing there with his de. Adol now had the skills of a Swordking. His skills had clearly evolved.

    That reminds me of what I had heard about Alpha¡¯s abilities.

    ording to the story, Alpha was the oldest and most fearsome de. It strengthened the user by giving them the ¡°Half-Deify¡± skill.

    First, this increases all the wielder¡¯s stats by a factor of ten. That¡¯s followed up by giving them the eyes to see through to the horizon, the senses to invalidate all concealment, and the ears to hear stories across an entire nation. Finally, it boosts all skills to their highest level, in addition to all of the above.

    This ¡°boosting all skills to the highest level¡± seems to be the important part.

    What if Adol had nned for the usage of Alpha during his training period? Could he have raised all his stats equally instead of specializing, then acquired a ton of low level skills?

    In that case, he would end up aplete monster with over 100 skills at maximum level and 3000 in each stat.

    Such was the man standing before us¨D¨DAdol Yaresfeim.

    Since most of his skills were low level, no wonder he didn¡¯t seem strong. I imagine his stats should be fairly high given his level though.

    I knew Adol wasn¡¯t aplete weakling, but he gave a simr feeling as thosezy bums who got power leveled. I must¡¯ve gotten a misced impression due to hisck of proper skills.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s starting!¡»

    ¡¸So fast!¡¹

    Adol suddenly teleported. No wait, he had dashed forward. Since he reached maximum speed instantly without any indication, even we managed to miss him for a moment.

    After moving so fast that we couldn¡¯t see his shadow, he delivered a sh. With that, the horde¡¯s vanguard line had been obliterated. A single swing rended nearly 500 antidemons into two.

    I¡¯d say Fran¡¯s maximum speed in Divine Beast Form was faster, but that¡¯s about it. Adol exceeded her in every other category.

    Despite having so many high-level skills, he had mastered usage of them all. There¡¯s no way he would be able to perform those movements otherwise.

    What¡¯s more, the most frightening thing about this guy was that he could maintain the state for a long period of time. ording to Diaz, the maximum duration was half a day.

    In terms of simplebat power alone, Ashwrath after releasing Gaia might be able to win against him. However, Alpha allowed Adol to fight for extended durations without going out of control. If we ever had to take Adol on, he¡¯s clearly the more dangerous opponent.

    ¡ºI should have realized this by now, but each and every one of these divine swords is outrageous¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 943

    <h4>943: Wielders of the Divine Swords</h4>

    After unleashing the power of Alpha, Adol plunged into the antidemon legion alone.

    One man against 100,000. Yet, those of us watching were not worried in the slightest.

    The holy knights showed no sign of heading out to support him, so he truly was all by himself.

    Maybe their only job was to clear the path until Adol activated Alpha? Oh, and cleaning up stragglers too.

    Besides, they¡¯d only get caught up in the rampage if they got any closer to him. It would be difficult to offer much support.

    d in white mana, Adol unleashed a tsunami-like shockwave cleaving vast fields of antidemons with each swing of the de.

    He managed to maximize the area of effect without reducing the output. Fran could also shoot shockwaves like that, but she wouldn¡¯t get anywhere close to Adol¡¯s range and power.

    Adol face showed no emotions as he continued reaping the antidemons. He had his usual gentleman-like expression up until activating Divine Sword Release, so the sudden loss of emotion seemed a bit weird to me.

    Instead of going for themander immediately, Adol simply crushed the lesser antidemons as they came. Seeing as how he didn¡¯t leave any behind, it seems he ns to exterminate everyst one by himself.

    There was no turning the table, no upheavals.

    The wielder of the divine sword simply applied his powers, and all his enemies were annihted before him. We saw the same scene repeated until the very end.

    ¡¸It¡¯s over.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡­¡­ It was pretty much watching the same scene on repeat.¡»

    Themander, who just got cleaved in two a few seconds ago, was no small fry. The current Fran without Divine Beast Form would have struggled against it.

    Not to say that we would have lost, but it would have taken a considerable amount of time even if we went all out.

    Yet Adol cut him down in the blink of an eye, just like any other antidemon.

    This divine sword was truly unbelievable, and it seems Adol had been raised to maximize its power.

    It might not be an exaggeration to say that Adol was the strongest man on the upon releasing his divine sword.

    £¨I¡¯d like to see him fight someone stronger.£©

    ¡ºRight, I¡¯m interested in how he would fight antidemons on the same level as the ones in Sendia.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Adol sheathed his de. The white mana covering the region dissipated, and a silence fell over the ins.

    Including Adol, none of the holy knights shouted for joy or anything. They probably thought it would be disgraceful to make amotion. Everyone knew of Adol and Alpha¡¯s powers, so this oue was exactly as they expected.

    ¡ºNow we know just how scary Alpha is.¡»

    £¨Adol is strong too.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    That¡¯s one of the top nations for you. Rather than simply handing the divine sword to the strongest person in the country, they instead train someone to be the strongest upon taking up the de¡­¡­

    This only makes me more curious about Berserk. It¡¯s said to have powers on par with Alpha¡¯s, but what about in reality?

    While I was thinking about this atop the walls, I noticed a figure approaching us. They didn¡¯t seem to be one of the adventurers.

    She was a pretty young girl with reddish-purple hair tied into twin-tails, who looked a little older than Fran. Moreover, her outfit was nothing like the average adventurer.

    She wore a mainly ck gothic lolita-style dress. Not dress armor, but an full-blown dress, with a miniskirt-like bottom. Maybe it¡¯s made out of monster materials, but it certainly looks awful in terms of defense.

    I¡¯m certain I would have remembered someone this conspicuous if I had seen them before.

    Her face waspletely expressionless and I couldn¡¯t sense any hostility. She was clearly here to see Fran, but who could she be?

    ¡¸¡­¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I am Ajisai, from Hagane.¡¹

    Hagane? Could she have been in that carriage guarded by the soldiers? If so, this Ajisai girl is¨D¨D

    ¡¸¡­¡­The divine sword holder?¡¹

    I was thinking the same thing. There couldn¡¯t be very many people in the carriage. If anyone besides theirmander Shikimi was in there, they were most likely the divine sword¡¯s wielder.

    Berserk, the most horrific divine sword. Upon activation, the wielder was said to go out of control and rampage until their certain death.

    Which meant the wielder was nothing more than a sacrifice to the de. Was this young girl to be that sacrifice?

    Ajisai tilted her head in response to Fran¡¯s question. Her expressionless face and hard-to-read emotions reminded me of Fran.

    ¡¸I wonder? Maybe so, maybe not.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m Fran, Rank B adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. You¡¯re¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Ajisai, I finally found you. We should get going.¡¹

    ¡¸Matsuyuki.¡¹

    Another girl with a face simr to Ajisai¡¯s approached us. This new girl, Matsuyuki, seemed to be a bit older. I guess Ajisai was around 15 years old, with Matsuyuki being around 18?

    Her long, snow-white hair split into bangs at the left and right side of her face, with the rest of her hair flowing down the back of her head.

    She too, wore a ck dress, except hers seemed a bit more mature with a longer skirt. Well, in the end it was still gothic lolita-style, with frills and everything.

    Unlike Ajisai, this girl smiled slightly. Yet for some reason, Ajisai¡¯s expressionless face still seemed more friendly than Matsuyuki¡¯s. Maybe because Matsuyuki¡¯s smile was so obviously fake.

    ¡¸Is Matsuyuki your older sister?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe so, maybe not.¡¹

    ¡¸That again?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s the truth, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡¹

    Ajisai shrugged lightly before turning around and leaving. What did she even want? Just to speak with Fran since they appeared to be like minds?

    ¡¸See youter.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    Ajisai nodded at Fran¡¯s words. Again, the two seemed to have very simr expressions on their faces.

    ¡ºSo we still have no clue if those girls were really Berserk¡¯s wielders or not.¡»

    They seemed to have a decent amount of strength, on par with Diggins. But after seeing Adol, we learned that strength barely mattered for the wielders of a divine sword.

    I kinda hope I¡¯m wrong though. I don¡¯t want to believe girls that young are being offered as sacrifices¡­¡­ Then, Fran whispered in response to me.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure she¡¯s the wielder.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat makes you say that?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    As Fran stared at Ajisai¡¯s back, a faint tinge of sadness appeared in her eyes.

 Chapter 944

    <h4>944: Holy Knight Vignce</h4>

    Gazing down upon the town square from the top of the walls, I saw Ajisai and Matsuyuki getting into a carriage. Like I thought, those two came riding in Hagane¡¯s special carriage.

    But which of them is using Berserk? Ajisai, Matsuyuki, or maybe even both? Considering how the user always dies, it¡¯s possible they¡¯ve trained multiple people for the job.

    Which means both will eventually be sacrificed to the de. If so, it might not be a good idea to let Fran get too close to those girls. Even if they¡¯ll eventually die either way, I don¡¯t mean to say that their meeting was pointless.

    Rather, Fran and Ajisai seemed to be a good match for each other. They might even be good friends.

    But that only amplifies the pain of loss and the scar left behind.

    I just don¡¯t want Fran to get hurt.

    Maybe it¡¯s already toote. In their short encounter, Fran already seemed to feel something simr to sympathy for Ajisai.

    As we stared at the carriage with mixed feelings, Hagane¡¯s troops began moving. The ck-clothed spearmen surrounded the carriage and marched away slowly.

    It seems they intended to pull out of the square.

    Don¡¯t they still have to wee Srd¡¯s return? I guess if they were on such bad terms with each other, such a simple thing might lead into a quarrel.

    No wait, greeting them might be seen as lowering themselves in front of the other country. Maybe that¡¯s why they decided to withdraw immediately.

    The holy knights of Srd made a triumphant return to the za, filling the void left behind by the disappearance of Hagane¡¯s troops. They were greeted by the citizens¡¯ booming cheers.

    The holy knights responded with a light wave of their hands. Aside from Adol, the Divine Sword Knight, who moved rather sluggishly. He walked with a slight limp without waving back. The fact that he managed to walk at all was probably a matter of pride. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be on hisst legs.

    When I heard he could use Divine Sword Release for extended durations, I had assumed that the recoil would be minimal.

    However, I was mistaken. ¡°Possible¡± was not the same as ¡°easy¡±. If he got this worn out from such a short period, wouldn¡¯t he literally die from using it over several hours?

    Adol¡¯s fatigue was so great, that I couldn¡¯t help but imagine it.

    £¨Adol looks like he¡¯s in big pain.£©

    ¡ºYou think so too, Fran?¡»

    £¨Nn. Is it because he¡¯s too weak for the divine sword?£©

    ¡ºOh, I see. That may be the case.¡»

    Adol seemed to have prioritized mastering a multitude of skills rather than his own strength, in order to maximize Alpha¡¯s powers. Even if he trained constantly, there was a world of difference between him and guys like Ashwrath and Izario.

    Maybe that¡¯s why the divine sword¡¯s recoil became so heavy for him. Shouldn¡¯t his country be well aware of this fact though? If so, was Adol disposable to them?

    ¡ºHmm. For these big nations, there may be a lot of ugly truths behind the scenes.¡»

    They might have trained up a number of warriors like Adol. Then, they could just transfer the divine sword to the next in line upon the current wielder¡¯s death.

    ¡ºI was kinda hoping to see Berserk activated next¡­¡­¡»

    £¨¡­¡­No need to watch.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Berserk¡¯s activation would mean Ajisai¡¯s death. They weren¡¯t exactly friends, but Fran clearly didn¡¯t want to see that happen.

    As we watched Adol and the holy knights from the top of the wall, I heard what sounded like screams.

    Looking closer, I saw several citizens shoved aside and fallen on their backs. Apparently, they had gotten too close to the holy knights.

    Those guys seemed to believe they were superior to everyone else, so I could easily imagine them doing terrible things if someone got too close. However, the aura they gave off was more violent than I expected.

    I could feel oodles of killing intent.

    In fact, the aura came from not just the holy knight pushing themoner, but also the knights around him. Many had their hands on the hilts of their des.

    If the citizens made one wrong move, they would be cut down. Anyone could tell from their aura that this was no empty threat.

    They threatened these mere civilians as if they were mortal enemies.

    ¡¸W-What are you doing?!¡¹

    ¡¸Silence! Come any closer and you die! Leave us!¡¹

    ¡¸W-We just¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I told you to leave. Is there some purpose thatpels you to approach us?¡¹

    In the end, their attitudes did not change until the frightened onlookers dispersed. The holy knights simply kept ring at their backs.

    At first, I thought they went way too far, but I soon realized the reason for their vignce. They were protecting Adol, who was clearly drained by the usage of his divine sword.

    After all, he was Alpha¡¯s wielder. I can think of no less than a hundred reasons why someone might want him dead.

    And if someone really wanted to kill him, now was the time. The knights knew this, so they kept a watchful eye on the surroundings.

    Hagane left the square early to avoid causing unnecessary trouble with Srd in this state.

    And of course, Hagane was the most likely to attempt such an assassination. They knew it would make them the prime suspects.

    The citizens that had been cheering now left the scene withplicated expressions on their faces. The holy knights also had simr expressions, but they did not make any apologies. Winning the poprity of the masses would be fine and dandy, but Adol¡¯s safety was of utmost priority.

    ¡ºWe¡¯d better not get too close either. Also, we should tell the other adventurers to stay far away.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    I can easily see some dumbass adventurer getting mad at the holy knights and picking a fight. The current Srd didn¡¯t seem to have a sense of humor.

    And if someone ends up dead, we¡¯d have a huge mess on our hands.

 Chapter 945

    <h4>945: Old Soldiers of Hagane</h4>

    We thought the town¡¯s defense wasplete after Adol annihted the antidemon hordes, but it wasn¡¯t over just yet.

    Now we received a report that the antidemons were gathering near the gate on the other side of town.

    The new horde had not yet begun moving, but were expected to do so within the next few hours.

    I wondered how they were able to predict the movements of antidemons in such detail, but apparently, you can get a feel for it after working as a scout on this continent for a couple years.

    There seemed to be fewer antidemons than before, but no less than 10,000.

    We thought it might be Izario¡¯s turn, but then Hagane said they would handle it. Don¡¯t tell me they n on using Berserk?

    Fran and I went to check the situation and found Hagane¡¯s spearmen lined up in formation and about to deploy. Their carriage was following right behind them.

    ¡¸They¡¯re not intercepting them here?¡¹

    ¡ºThey must want to handle everything themselves.¡»

    The usual strategy for defeating superior numbers was to stay close to the walls, so you could rely on the town for backup.

    However, Hagane¡¯s soldiers were rushing away from the city walls. With this much distance, our support wouldn¡¯t be able to reach them.

    Srd did the same thing, as if to say our support was unnecessary. Did they n on using their divine sword too? If so, I could understand the decision.

    After all, Berserk always goes out of control. If they unleash their divine sword near the gate, they¡¯d end up destroying the town they came to protect.

    In fact, I¡¯ve heard of a simr incident that happened a long time ago.

    But what about those old soldiers? Once Berserk is activated, the user will be unable to tell friend from foe. Wouldn¡¯t the soldiers be caught in the middle of their rampage?

    While we were busy wondering, Hagane¡¯s army kept getting further and further away.

    ¡¸Master, I¡¯m going after them.¡¹

    ¡ºSure. Urushi, you stay here. Let us know if the situation changes.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    With Urushi¡¯s speed and teleportation, he could reach us in an instant. If more antidemons appear from another direction, he will be able to call us immediately.

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    We left Urushi to guard the town while we watched Hagane¡¯s battle from the sky.

    They were about 200 meters away from the horde when they ceased their advance and prepared for battle.

    Four women disembarked from the wagon: Shikimi, Ajisai, Matsuyuki, and one more.

    This new woman looked almost exactly like Shikimi, so she might be Shikimi¡¯s sister. Judging from Shikimi and the woman¡¯s attitude towards Ajisai and Matsuyuki, it seems that Ajisai and Matsuyuki were higher in rank.

    Since Shikimi was themander, Ajisai and Matsuyuki must really be the divine sword wielders.

    The carriage they rode had a special structure, in which they could climb onto the roof from the unfolding stairs in the back.

    Chairs were set up there as if making simple spectator seats.

    Ajisai and Matsuyuki sat down side by side. The other woman stood behind them, so she¡¯s probably their guard.

    Shikimi approached the soldiers and began shouting. It appears she will lead them in the battle against the antidemons.

    ¡ºDoesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ll be using Berserk.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    They probably weren¡¯t willing to waste their divine sword against an enemy of this size. If activating the de kills the wielder, then they probably have to weigh their options very carefully before using it.

    Three minutester.

    Atst, Hagane and the antidemons broke into battle.

    The 1000 of Hagane¡¯s old soldiers, dressed in ck, formed a beautiful circle formation to intercept the waves of antidemons.

    Spectating Hagane¡¯s soldiers gave me a bit of anxiety,pletely different from when we watched the dwarves. I knew how skilled they were to some extent, but their ranks consisted of lightly armored old men.

    Still, they proved to be stronger than we expected. Their coordination was amazing, and their movements were so smooth and precise that they looked like drones controlled by A.I.

    And yet, they were full of fighting spirit.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s show them our might!¡¹

    ¡¸We will defeat our enemies even if it kills us!¡¹

    ¡¸Nuorrrgh!¡¹

    Everyone fought desperately, pumping themselves up with war cries. Something that really surprised me was theirpleteck of fear for death.

    Despite their determination to survive, they did not seem to care for their lives. It was as if they only considered themselves as a pawn on the chessboard.

    And if they considered themselves pawns, they naturally considered their friends to be pawns as well. Yet, they would grit their teeth in frustration every time one of theirpanions fell.

    Even so, it did not slow them down, nor did it cause them any distraction. They may be regretting the loss of lives, but they still felt no fear for death.

    It all seemed strange to me. How can you get so many people with this kind of mentality?

    They all retained a sense of humanity, despite acting as perfectly controlled puppets. I could sense no sign of them being manipted. Clearly, they were offering their lives out of their own volition.

    Some of them fell in the battle against the 20,000 or so antidemons. Still, those old soldiers just kept pushing forward before finally taking down themander.

    To be honest, thispletely shattered my expectations.

    Though themander wasn¡¯t that powerful, each of the old soldiers was equivalent to a Rank D or low Rank C individually. I thought they stood no chance.

    I expected Shikimi to handle themander, but the old soldiers fought on their own until the very end. Their final blow really gave us a shock.

    For whatever reason, the old soldiers used a suicide bomb. They activated a tiny-range explosive spell powered by the lives of a few of theirpanions. This was precisely aimed at themander¡¯s core, so they managed to shatter it.

    They were up against an opponent who should have decimated a good portion of their forces, yet they won by sacrificing a few of their own men. I guess you could call that an impressive victory¡­¡­

    ¡¸¡­¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, but you better not try copying them, okay? That¡¯s not something we can do, and I don¡¯t want to see you trying.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Until the very end, they treated their own lives as stepping stones to their victory. Meanwhile, Ajisai watched all of this impassively, her face unchanged.

 Chapter 946

    <h4>946: Izario''s Reasons for Fighting</h4>

    Even as the old soldiers of the Militant Nation of Hagane sacrificed their lives to destroy the antidemons, they just kepting out one after another.

    It happened an hour after we returned to the bar.

    Right as the town was beginning to rx, a scout barged into the bar shouting. That was already enough to figure out the situation. Bultori was about toe under attack for the third time.

    After listening in on the conversation, Izario slowly got up from his chair. He clearly thought it was a pain in the ass.

    ¡¸You¡¯re going?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t have much of a choice. Damn, I thought I wasn¡¯t gonna have to work this time.¡¹

    Fran tilted her head at Izario¡¯szyment.

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t expect a third wave, given the size of the horde. Well, I¡¯m not gonna im our predictions are always urate¡­¡­ But this damn antidemon season, it¡¯s weird how many of them there are.¡¹

    Since the antidemons weren¡¯t brainless, it¡¯s hard to predict their movements and numbers perfectly. Still, this was the intuition of the Rank S adventurer who had been active in Gordicia for many years.

    Indeed, this season may be different from usual. But for now, our first priority was to fend them off.

    ¡¸You want to go alone?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re worried about me¨D¨Dor not, I guess. Make that face as long as you want, but I ain¡¯t taking you with me.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not?¡¹

    ¡¸Because I¡¯ve got my own job to do. Everyone¡¯s gotta see how the adventurer uses his divine sword to wipe the floor with the antidemons, all by himself. Or else, the bigwigs wille yell at me.¡¹

    ¡¸Fighting alone is your job?¡¹

    ¡¸Bingo. I have to show the people of this continent that this guy and divine sword are here for them.¡¹

    Many havee and gone on the continent of Gordicia. The famous and the mighty. The holders of divine swords, renowned adventurers, and even royalty. All of them contribute to the fight, but none will bury their bones in thisnd.

    There was no reason to linger in Gordicia, and without entertainment, peace, or honor. The only ones willing to stay were the criminals and troublemakers who got booted out of the other continents.

    Such was the fate of Gordicia, the continent of death where war rages without end.

    But still, many people lived on the continent. Despite the constant threat of antidemons, they had their own reasons for not being able to leave.

    These people needed assurance. No matter how many abandon the continent, it didn¡¯t matter as long as Izario was here for them. It was his role to inspire hope and assure them that they won¡¯t be left to die.

    ¡¸Anyways, I¡¯m heading out for a bit. Oh yeah. You can watch, but keep your distance, okay? I¡¯ll be using my divine sword, so don¡¯t me me if you get a little burnt.¡¹

    Izario left with azy gait as soon as he finished speaking.

    ¡¸He¡¯ll use the divine sword!¡¹

    ¡ºIf he has to warn us, it¡¯s probably the type that has a really wide range.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll go watch!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, just don¡¯t get too close.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Before going after Izario, we had to do the bare minimum for our job. We called in the adventurers, who had been rxing because they thought the hordes were long gone, and told them to stay on guard again.

    Some of the adventurers looked disgruntled, thinking that they should be fine since Izario headed out. To be honest, I can understand their frustration.

    I highly doubt Izario will fail to defeat the antidemons, so the chances of them reaching town was practically zero.

    That said, the guild expected us adventurers to show that we were serious about our work. The whole point of sending us out was to convince everyone that the Adventurers Guild was doing its job.

    We couldn¡¯t let the citizens see us drinking at the bar while Izario was in the middle ofbat.

    Diggins stepped in front of the drunken, red-faced adventurers who wereining. No doubt he nned to punish them. However, Fran decided to take charge here to prevent the issue from repeating itself.

    All she had to do was intimidate them with her skills and Urushi.

    ¡¸Grrrrr.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    With a snarling Urushi behind her, Fran silently activated her intimidation. Wait, is she overdoing it a bit?

    ¡¸Hyah!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!!¡¹

    Her intimidation affected not only the targets, but also the other nearby adventurers. Some were unable to utter single sound, others looked like they were almost about to copse.

    Apparently, Fran got a bit irritated since she wanted to chase after Izario as soon as possible. Those feelings must have leaked out in her intimidation. It seemed to work though, so whatever.

    Leaving the now obedient adventurers in the hands of Diggins and Urushi, Fran dashed out of Bultori.

    ¡¸The battle already started!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! But he hasn¡¯t released Ignis yet!¡»

    We got here just in time to see the antidemon advance party reaching Izario.

    In Izario¡¯s hand was a distinctive crimson sword. That must be the mede, Ignis.

    The de had a wavy pattern from side to side, as if imitating a me. It took the shape of a mberge, with a number of smaller sharp spikes sticking out of it.

    It seems he had not activated Divine Sword Release yet. The flow of mana gave Ignis a dazzling presence, but its power was not enough to make us shudder.

    Well, maybe that¡¯s only because he was so far away.

    While holding his de, Izario began the battle with slow steps. But this was a strange sight to see.

    ¡¸Izario isn¡¯t fighting back?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. He¡¯s almost always on the defensive.¡»

    Blocks, parries, redirection, evasion. He made skillful use of all his techniques to defend himself against the onught. asionally, he would throw a counterattack, but not often.

    The number of enemies kept increasing, leaving him surrounded on all sides. Still, Izario maintained his defensive stance.

    What was his goal? Letting them gather up before taking them out in one fell swoop? We were still confused about his intentions, when something finally changed.

    The antidemons closest to Izario suddenly copsed and dissipated. There was no sign that anything had been done to them. It was truly out of the blue.

    ¡¸What did he do?¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­I have no clue.¡»

    This was not at all what I had imagined. His passive fighting style felt alien to us.

 Chapter 947

    <h4>947: The Brilliant mede, Ignis</h4>

    Izario simply kept defending himself, and the antidemons kept falling.

    I observed him the entire time, utilizing all of my senses to discern the trick he was using.

    And then I realized it.

    The insides of the antidemons had be abnormally hot.

    Apparently, he was burning them from the inside by increasing their internal temperature little by little. If done to any normal person, they would be rolling over from the pain of the heat. But for an antidemon with no sense of pain, they would simply keep going until their eventual death.

    This didn¡¯t seem like an incredibly efficient way to defeat a horde¡­¡­ Well, I guess antidemons are oblivious to internal anomalies because of theirck of pain. It¡¯s a good thing for Izario that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about letting any escape.

    Three more minutes passed.

    Izario was stillpletely surrounded on all sides by the entire horde of antidemons. Over 10,000 of them sted away at him endlessly. Did he really n to defend the entire time as he slowly burned them to death?

    He managed to y about 500 of them with the heat, but that was a drop in the bucket. I¡¯m sure someone of his level would win eventually, but how long is it gonna take?

    While I was watching Izario¡¯s battle with these doubts, I suddenly felt something approaching us from behind.

    There were no biological signs, but I faintly sensed a physical existence cutting through the air and flying toward us.

    If I hadn¡¯t maintained my caution due to being on a battlefield, I doubt I could¡¯ve noticed this so quickly. We turned around in a hurry, thinking someone was trying to snipe us.

    But what was in front of us was somethingpletely unexpected.

    It was not an attack, but a person. Or rather, a person-shaped entity.

    White skin and silver hair. A face that can only be described as ¡°too perfect¡±. A woman with no presence, and no emotion.

    She was the Silver Lady, a golem created by the divine cksmith Zechs.

    As if ignoring inertia, she suddenly stopped in front of us. Then, she spoke in a t voice, still devoid of expression.

    ¡¸It has been a while.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn. Can I help you?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I was searching for you to tell you something, but now there is a more pressing matter at hand.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸You should leave this ce as soon as possible, or you will be caught in the middle of the strike from Ignis.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Immediately after the Silver Lady issued her warning, the crimson de, conspicuous even from this distance, radiated an intense light. It seems that Izario just activated his divine sword.

    The sh of red light illuminated the entire ins, and the pressure from the torrent of mana physically sted the antidemons away.

    When the brilliant red light subsided, Izario held a mass of mes in his hand.

    ¡¸Is that the true form of Ignis?¡¹

    ¡ºI guess so¡­¡­¡»

    It was pure, unadulterated fire. A raging fire the length of a longsword. Though the mes gave off a divine aura, it took a much different form than the other activated divine swords we¡¯ve seen.

    But that sheer strength was truly worthy of the name.

    We already felt hot, even this far away. Moreover, the temperature of the surrounding area was rising at a tremendous rate.

    ¡ºFran, the Silver Lady is right! We have to get out of here!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸I believe that is a wise decision.¡¹

    The Silver Lady started moving first, so we followed her. Even after flying 200 meters away from Izario, she did not stop.

    We went another 200 meters, and finally, the Silver Lady ceased her flight.

    ¡¸Do we really have to go this far?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The effects can still be felt, even here. However, based on past data, this distance should pose no issue.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve seen Izario¡¯s divine sword multiple times?¡¹

    ¡¸I have observed as manyrge-scale battles as I could within the continent.¡¹

    As part of her support for Overgrowth¡¯s wielder, she said she was constantly gathering information on antidemons and other powerful individuals.

    Meanwhile, Izario was one of the strongest people on the continent, who had been fighting here for several years. She naturally had a vast collection of battle data on him, not to mention witnessing the power of Brilliant mede countless times.

    Therefore, she could predict the oue to some extent.

    ¡¸He will use himself as a decoy to gather the antidemons, before performing a mass annihtion with the power of Ignis. Izario of the Crimson de has a high probability of executing this pattern in the case of an antidemon extermination.¡¹

    We stared down at the battlefield while listening to the Silver Lady¡¯s exnation. There, I saw a surging crimson light spreading to cover the entire horde.

    My first thought was that it was a beautiful sight, but inside that light was hell itself.

    The divine mes unleashed by Ignis engulfed the antidemons, obliterating every single one of them. They didn¡¯t even have the time to turn to ash, since they got reduced into nothingness the second they made contact with it.

    This was far more powerful than even the highest-level magic. He had burnt a red circle into the ground with a radius of nearly 100 meters by melting the earth and antidemons alike. The excess heat from this singed an even wider circle.

    The temperature around Fran had risen too, with a slight sweat appearing on her forehead.

    Like the Silver Lady said, we were way too close earlier. If we took that without a barrier, we might have gotten some burns. We should survive though, probably¡­¡­

    The divine swords. While staring at the scorchednd, we were reminded once again of their awe-inspiring powers.

    Floating above the red-hot, bubbling earth, Fran spoke again.

    ¡¸So, did you say you had something to tell me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. A word of advice.¡¹

    ¡¸Advice?¡¹

    ¡¸Be careful of Srd. If they realize how useful you are, it will only cause trouble for you.¡¹

 Chapter 948

    <h4>948: Divine Sword Knight and Appraisal</h4>

    The Silver Lady appeared out of nowhere and warned us to be careful about the Holy Nation of Srd.

    What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I don¡¯t understand her position at all. She doesn¡¯t seem to be hostile or anything¡­¡­ But can we actually trust her?

    ¡¸¡­¡­Useful, how?¡¹

    ¡¸They desire people with potent healing abilities and skills that can be passed down through bloodlines. Of particr interest is the collection of magical tools capable of giving the wielder powerful skills.¡¹

    Shit, thatst one sounds super familiar to me. I¡¯m probably one of the best in the world when ites to gear that can give skills.

    Come to think of it, mypatibility with Alpha is just insane! If someone managed to equip me and Alpha at the same time, they would be ridiculously powerful.

    We need to hide my existence at all costs. My biggest concern would be the extent I have worry about Adol.

    ¡¸Can Adol use appraisal?¡¹

    If he can, we¡¯ll have to constantly avoid Adol the entire time we¡¯re on the same continent. Maybe we should even consider leaving Gordicia right away.

    Fran wasn¡¯t looking for a direct answer, only her opinion. However, the Silver Lady responded instantly.

    ¡¸I believe not.¡¹

    ¡¸No? But appraisal is useful.¡¹

    Considering what we¡¯ve heard about Srd, I can easily imagine them searching out kids with Appraisal and kidnapping them.

    ¡¸Indeed, appraisal is a bit too useful. Allowing its use would reveal the dark and ugly side of the country.¡¹

    Like I thought, it seems Srd was wary of Alpha¡¯s owner.

    If the Divine Sword Knight was to start a revolution, they would be an unstoppable disaster. The might of a divine sword would easily overpower the rest of the army. If Alpha¡¯s wielder ever decided to betray the country, there¡¯s little they could do to stop him.

    That¡¯s why they needed to hide everything about the dark side of the country. Such a huge nation was not without its dark secrets, and Srd in particr, was pitch-ck.

    Adol was probably aware of the fact that he¡¯s doing his country¡¯s dirty work, but that¡¯s just the tip of the iceberg. There¡¯s gotta be darker secrets he¡¯s not privy too.

    And if he ever finds those secrets? I could easily imagine him betraying Srd. Maybe they¡¯ve experienced this issue before.

    The Divine Sword Knight¡¯s senses are said to be enhanced tremendously when they activate Alpha. I mean, the story said they saw all the way across the horizon, so what if he had Appraisal on top of that? He¡¯d see literally everything they were trying to hide.

    Considering the immense danger, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if Srd purposely decided not to give Appraisal to the Divine Sword Knight. To the nation, he was to be used as a weapon on the battlefield, and weapons don¡¯t need unnecessary information.

    Still, I doubt they could keep himpletely in the dark¡­¡­ I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve taken many other measures too.

    But if Adol doesn¡¯t have a means for appraisal, we should be safe, right?

    We breathed a sigh of relief, but apparently, we weren¡¯tpletely clear just yet.

    ¡¸Srd has a department in charge of searching for useful personnel, and there are undoubtedly a few members of this department apanying their forces. You must avoid letting them know your abilities, since you are capable of using high level healing magic, as well as a powerful warrior. Those abilities are exactly what Srd is looking for.¡¹

    ¡¸Is Appraisal Blocking not good enough?¡¹

    ¡¸Depending on their skills, some are capable of bypassing Appraisal Blocking.¡¹

    Well, my Heavenly Eye can sometimes break through Appraisal Blocking. It depends on how strong the other person is, so it¡¯s not perfect though.

    If we could pull it off, then so could they. With a powerful-enough Appraisal user, they might be able to sneak a peak at our stats.

    Should I allocate points to more skills for blocking Appraisal? Maybe I should upgrade Appraisal Blocking or Appraisal Camouge into SP skills? But if I did that, Fran¡¯s personal resistance to Appraisal would be weakened.

    If only my SP skills could be applied to Fran as well¡­¡­

    While I was wondering what to do, the Silver Lady handed something to us. At first nce, it appeared to be an undecorated silver bracelet.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸A magical tool that allows further defense against appraisal. It is a first-ss item made by the divine cksmith Zechs, so I can assure you of its effectiveness. Please make full use of it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why?¡¹

    ¡¸As I said before, I am grateful to you. It is thanks to you that I have lost my reason for existence.¡¹

    We have heard these words before.

    For some reason, the Silver Lady thanked us for erasing her reason for existence by destroying Overgrowth.

    But I still have no clue why she¡¯s grateful for that.

    ¡¸Why are you grateful?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸With Overgrowth gone, I am certain I will deactivate in the not-too-distant future.¡¹

    Uh, so¡­¡­ What does that have to do with being grateful?

    ¡¸When I realized this fact, I felt ¡°relief¡±. Yes¡­¡­ I¡¯m sure this feeling is relief. I have only been given a limited number of emotions in order to understand the feelings of Overgrowth¡¯s wielder, but¡­¡­ I believe wanted to break down. In human terms, I wanted to die. It has been this way for a long, long time.¡¹

    The Silver Lady spoke in a whisper with her face devoid of any emotion. However, I could definitely feel some kind of warmthing her face.

    ¡¸It is thanks to you that I can finally break. I can finish my role. I can remove the burden from my shoulders. That is why I¡¯m grateful.¡¹

    The Silver Lady bowed her head deeply.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I believe you.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, Fran. It doesn¡¯t sound like she¡¯s lying, but¡­¡­¡­¡»

    £¨It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s not lying.£©

    My Principle of Falsehoods wasn¡¯t working, probably because she¡¯s a golem. Still, Fran decided to ce her trust in the Silver Lady.

    Was this her bestial instincts acting up again? Ever since she went into Divine Beast Form, those instincts seemed to have been sharpened too.

    I tried to appraise the silver bracelet offered to us, but it didn¡¯t work. Then, after Fran took the bracelet, I was able to appraise the Silver Lady.

    So it¡¯s confirmed that she really is a golem. But, wouldn¡¯t this mean she can¡¯t hide her own identity any more?

    When Fran asked her about this, the Silver Lady replied nonchntly.

    ¡¸Either way, I will be inactive a month from now. Therefore, I would rather be of use to you, my benefactor.¡¹

    ¡¸A month? Can¡¯t you do something?¡¹

    ¡¸Do not worry about me. Even if there exists a way to prolong my life, I would still choose to die. That is my wish.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹

    After sensing the Silver Lady¡¯s strong resolve, Fran could not help but mutter with an indescribable look on her face.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you. Is there anything more I can do to assist you? Or perhaps, is there something you wish to know? For example, would you be interested in data on the divine swords?¡¹

    ¡¸Divine swords? You know a lot about them?¡¹

    ¡¸I have observed the ten most used on this continent for the past few millennia: Alpha, Berserk, Chariot, El Dorado, Gaia, Ignis, Krystalos, Sanctuary, Tempest, and Wisdom1, in particr. Based on my observations, I have some knowledge on their abilities.¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t just Alpha and Berserk. Among the namesing out of her mouth, there were divine swords we¡¯ve never even heard of, like Sanctuary and Wisdom.

    Trantion Notes

    ¡°Wisdom¡± is the name of a divine sword that has not been mentioned before. Not to be confused with Cherubim. ?

 Chapter 949

    <h4>949: Alpha''s Power and Price</h4>

    ¡¸All of those names are divine swords?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The de of Origin, Alpha. The de of Madness, Berserk. The Warmount de, Chariot. The Golden Dragonde, El Dorado. The Grand Earthde, Gaia. The Brilliant mede, Ignis. The Water Spiritde, Krystalos. The Sanctum de, Sanctuary. The Roaring Stormde, Tempest. The Sagacity de, Wisdom. I can tell you a portion of their abilities, though these are merely the results of my observations.¡¹

    ¡¸I want to know!¡¹

    Me too!

    But this wasn¡¯t the ce for a long discussion.

    ¡ºFran. Let¡¯s get back to town first. Then we can talk in peace.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Can we go into town?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    There¡¯s practically no screening process to get into the towns on this continent. The ce was full of ex-criminals, so everyone stopped caring about your identity. As long as you aren¡¯t an antidemon, they let you through.

    The antidemons were pretty much wiped out, and Izario looked healthy. The zy middle-aged guy¡± act might be his default state, so it¡¯s hard to tell if he¡¯s actually tired or not.

    Maybe he was just putting on a facade, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s at least better off than Adol. After all, he only activated Divine Sword Release for a brief period of time.

    He¡¯s been fighting on this continent for several years now, so he must have learned the best ways to mitigate fatigue.

    £¨Izario is looking at us.£©

    He¡¯s managed to notice Fran at this distance. Making it look easy, he gave us a light wave of the hand.

    Also without much care about the burns he almost gave us. Well, it¡¯s our fault in the first ce and it¡¯s not like there was any risk of death.

    Izario seemed to be fine on his own, so we decided to head back without greeting him. It¡¯s apparently important for him to be alone the entire time, so we weren¡¯t needed here.

    We went back to Bultori ahead of him and headed straight to the inn. We considered going to the bar instead, but this might be a long conversation. It would be better to go somewhere where we won¡¯t get any interruptions.

    Fran offered the Silver Lady her chair, before jumping down to sit on her bed.

    ¡¸Tell me about the divine swords.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well.¡¹

    Fran couldn¡¯t wait to ask the question. It was rare to see her with such an excited expression, aside from right before a battle or a meal.

    Ipletely understood how she felt. After all, we¡¯re getting the chance to hear about the divine swords from someone directly associated with a divine cksmith.

    ¡¸Well then, may I start with the de of Origin, Alpha?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Please do.¡¹

    There was always the possibility that Alpha might be used against us in the future. We should learn as much about it as possible.

    ¡¸The de of Origin, Alpha, is currently operated by the Holy Nation of Srd. Its wielder is known as the Divine Sword Knight, a role who is reced every five to ten years.¡¹

    ¡¸That short?¡¹

    Five to ten years¡­¡­? I can¡¯t imagine your average divine sword wielder losing that often.

    Maybe in the de¡¯s long history, they would have some losses here and there. However, the Divine Sword Knight getting defeated every ten years? Impossible.

    If such dangerous entities popped up that often, their country, no, the entire world would have been annihted several times over.

    ¡¸Each divine sword has a price to pay for its usage. The rapid turnover of Alpha¡¯s wielders due to this price.¡¹

    ¡¸Do all divine swords have a price?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Every divine sword has its own price and limitations.¡¹

    The Silver Lady¡¯s exnation was very convincing. The divine swords were weapons of mass destruction. In a short period of time, one could reshape thend to their will ormit a genocide. If anyone could use them whenever they wanted for personal gain, they could easily cause more atrocities than the Evil God.

    Therefore, various restrictions were ced on them. The first restriction was a limit on the number of divine swords in existence, which the gods set at 26. Upon reaching this limit, not even a divine cksmith would be capable of forging an additional divine sword.

    The second limitation was on the selection of wielders. Only those who meet the requirement can wield the de. In many cases, the divine sword itself chooses the wielder.

    ¡¸What are the limitations on Alpha?¡¹

    ¡¸In order to use Alpha, the wearer must be authorized by a special magical tool. This tool is currently being managed by Srd¡¯s royal family.¡¹

    If the royal family gets to choose who wields Alpha, then they¡¯ll of course pick someone willing to work for the country. That said, Adol didn¡¯t seem to be royalty. Did they go out of their way to pick amoner?

    ¡¸In order to wield Alpha, you must not be blood rted to the authorizer. Also, you must have highpatibility with certain skills.¡¹

    ¡¸Not blood rted? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, the wielder and authorizer must not share blood. However, it seems Srd¡¯s noble families hadplicated blood ties in multiple ces, so the vast majority of them can be considered rted to each other.¡¹

    So that¡¯s probably why they chose to usemoners, while giving them a brainwash-like education. Since I¡¯ve seen the overall arrogance of the holy knights, I knew there had to be a reason for willingly handing over such power to amoner.

    The third limitation was the price paid by the user. This price was always heavy, and sometimes even resulted in death.

    ¡¸The price of Alpha is the inability to gain experience and loss of levels.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Using it lowers your level?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. My calctions show that while Alpha is activated, experience cannot be gained and the user¡¯s level is gradually drained away. This means the active duration would depend on the user¡¯s original level. Based on the story of the knight who wielded Alpha for half a day to repel the Evil God Fragment¡¯s revival in the northern continent, I hypothesize the rate to be one level every ten minutes.¡¹

    So that means six levels for an hour, and 72 levels for 12 hours or half a day. The higher your original level, the longer you can activate Alpha?

    Moreover, this level drain contained a trap. Right as you deactivate the de, you¡¯ll feel the full brunt of the recoil at your reduced level.

    The recoil was separate from the price of usage. It¡¯s only natural for there to be some physical damage to your body caused by forcibly using a power beyond human control.

    Of course, the recoil of using a divine sword was so severe that it would outright kill anyone not strong enough to endure it. As a result, if the Divine Sword Knight loses too many levels from Alpha¡¯s price, he would lose the rest of his life to the recoil.

    Judging by Adol¡¯s exhaustion, I could see him being close to the edge there. If they wanted a safety margin, I think he¡¯d need to stay above level 25~30 just to avoid dying from Alpha¡¯s recoil.

    ¡¸I have learned that Alpha grants a significant increase to physical capabilities. However, as the user¡¯s level continues to decrease, so does Alpha¡¯s potency.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    So the more you keep using it, the more your stats decrease.

    ¡¸In addition, all skills are maximized to the highest level, but they do not evolve. Instead, there are further skills given to the user when active. At minimum, these include Swordking Mastery, Swordking Arts, Bodily Control, Divine Power Regtion, Instant Regeneration, Complete Status Nullification, and Air Step.¡¹

    ¡¸Swordking Mastery!¡¹

    So that¡¯s why he¡¯s so good with the sword. It would be weird if only had max level in the base skill, Sword Mastery, but him gaining Swordking Mastery exins it.

    Physical stats multiplied by ten, free Swordking Mastery, and max level in all other skills. Sure, that¡¯s really damn strong, but when you consider the price¡­

    ¡ºLevel drain¡­¡­¡»

    The more you fight and the more enemies you defeat, the weaker you be. It¡¯s frightening to think about the same thing happening to us.

    Fran also considered what would happen if she used it, frowning slightly.

    £¨Master is best as usual. I don¡¯t want Alpha.£©

    ¡ºIf you put it like that, it¡¯s like all my hard work paid off.¡»

    £¨Nn. You¡¯re all I need.£©

    ¡ºHahaha. I¡¯m blushing.¡»

 Chapter 950

    <h4>950: Berserk''s Wielder</h4>

    After hearing everything on Alpha, we asked for details on the other divine swords. Naturally, the one we showed interest in next was Berserk.

    ¡¸The de of Madness, Berserk, is owned and operated by an organization known as ¡°Queens of the Night¡± under the Militant Nation of Hagane.¡¹

    ¡¸Queens of the Night?¡¹

    ¡ºThe name of a flower blooming at night and wilting before dawn.¡»

    A beautiful name to be sure, but those are some ominous connotations.

    ¡¸There were two girls named Ajisai and Matsuyuki. Is it them?¡¹

    ¡¸Undoubtedly so. Those girls were made by Hagane to be Berserk¡¯s wielders.¡¹

    ¡¸Made?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. They are homunculi created by mixing the blood of the first wielder with various talented bloodlines. All other wielders are the same.¡¹

    No way! I thought they were just training people to use the sword, not literally making homunculi for the job!

    But why would they go to such lengths? Can¡¯t they just raise someone suitable like Srd did with Adol? As if she understood our confusion, the Silver Lady exined further.

    ¡¸Have you heard the story about how the user of Berserk always dies?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I have.¡¹

    ¡¸The story is true. However, while the first wielder of Berserk did go out of control, they apparently survived.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ording to her, this story was closely rted to Berserk¡¯s user restrictions.

    Originally, Berserk could only be used by the first wielder and their descendants. If anyone else touched the de for an extended duration, it would t out kill them.

    But then a big problem arose.

    The bloodline of the first wielder died out. War, gue, assassination, and those that intentionally left no descendants. There were many different causes.

    The country that owned Berserk at the time fell into turmoil. No wonder, since their most powerful weapon was suddenly disabled. In the end, the nation copsed due to abination of civil war and foreign troubles.

    It was after this event when the nation of Hagane took in that country¡¯s survivors, including multiple researchers and royalty.

    Hagane at that time was nothing more than a vassal state constantly exploited by their ruler Srd. After studying Berserk in secrecy, they somehow managed to develop a method of operation, and utilized that immense power to break free from Srd¡¯s control.

    That¡¯s why the Berserk Research Institute, which wasposed of the fallen country¡¯s former citizens, had a special status to the people of Hagane.

    The Institute¡¯s sessor, Queens of the Night, was also said to hold great influence within Hagane¡¯s borders.

    ¡¸After many failed attempts, Hagane devised a method of activating Berserk: creating homunculi with the first wielder¡¯s blood. Though they retain the ability to wield the de, they always die afterwards, likely because they are not proper descendants.¡¹

    So the restriction only half-worked. A homunculus could freely touch and activate the divine sword, but they could not survive like the original wielder. That exins the story about everyone using Berserk dying.

    ¡¸Those old soldiers were chosen by Hagane to support the divine sword wielders. They wish to avoid losing the wielders as much as possible, but I don¡¯t know why their ranks are always filled with old men. I haven¡¯t been able to overhear them speaking much on the subject.¡¹

    A nasty imagination led me to the idea of them being abandoned because of their age, but¡­¡­ that didn¡¯t exin why they were so motivated.

    ¡¸So in conclusion, Berserk is limited by the user always going out of control, and by the restriction on bloodline. But in exchange, the wielder will receive a stat enhancement exceeding Alpha¡¯s. Moreover, it will bring out theirtent talents and potential.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean it depends on the talent of the person using it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Therefore, it is unknown what kind of ability will be drawn out ahead of time.¡¹

    Even if the wielders shared the same blood, their talents and abilities could bepletely different. In that case, maybe even the wielders themselves don¡¯t know what powers will be manifested when they activate Berserk?

    Not to mention that they will always die. Since the user will be different each time, their powers will also be unique. Doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s impossible to take countermeasures against Berserk?

    Now we know why Srd avoided an all-out war with Hagane. They knew there existed a possibility for a monster that even Alpha¡¯s wielder wouldn¡¯t be able to handle.

    Moreover, Alpha¡¯s wielder would be certainly be weakened or even killed during the battle. There was no merit to challenging them.

    ¡¸Be careful not to get caught up when they use it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s visibly lost her excitement when she thought of Ajisai.

    ¡¸I know nothing about Berserk¡¯s other costs, since the homunculus activating it always dies.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ So, what about the cost of Gaia or Ignis? Are they safe?¡¹

    After hearing that, Fran became concerned about the costs of the other divine swords. In particr, the safety of the wielders she had met. The Silver Lady said earlier that she had information on Gaia and Ignis.

    However, the Silver Lady shook her head apologetically without any change in expression.

    ¡¸My deepest apologies, but I do not have enough data to determine the costs for Gaia and Ignis.¡¹

    It seems both Ashwrath and Izario minimized the use of their divine swords to reduce any possible costs. Therefore, the Silver Lady never managed to figure out what prices they were paying for usage.

    Regarding Alpha and Berserk, she apparently gathered a great deal of information by eavesdropping on the conversations of theirpanions and subordinates.

    Getting simr details on guys like Ashwrath and Izario would be much harder, such they mostly worked solo.

    ¡¸However, it is likely that the des forged by the first divine cksmith, Ulmer, have simr costs. In fact, Krystalos and Tempest have the same price as Alpha.¡¹

    So Alpha, Ignis, Gaia, Krystalos, and Tempest were all divine swords made by the same guy?

    I got the impression that many of Ulmer¡¯s swords were very versatile and easy to use. This was in contrast to his younger brother Dionys, who made swords with unconventional and vicious abilities.

    ¡¸Then Ignis and Gaia pay level as the cost?¡¹

    ¡¸I believe so, though this is merely my hypothesis.¡¹

    Though it wasn¡¯t really necessary, she also told us about the powers of Ignis and Gaia. Well, we¡¯d already seen Gaia in person, and Garrus told us long ago about pre-activated Ignis, so they were just as expected.

    Gaia for earth, Ignis for fire, Krystalos for water, and Tempest for wind. These divine swords gave the user the power to rule over their respective attributes.

    Furthermore, they could ignore normal elemental resistances by infusing divine energy. Be it melee or ranged, physical or magic, these swords were very versatile, excelling in all fields.

    Apparently, Krystalos wasst observed on the continent of Gordicia nearly 1000 years ago, with Tempest¡¯sst sighting even further back. Both of their current wielders were unknown.

    Krystalos took the form of a blue and white saber. Hey, that¡¯s a simr color scheme to me, so we might get along well. When activated, it turned into a shapeless mist. Pretty much the water version of Ignis, I guess.

    Tempest was a mostly green estoc, and it didn¡¯t change much post-activation, aside from getting a little shier. However, it apparently had the ability to split into several ded segments, all connected with an invisible cord of wind. The wielder could be seen swinging it around like a whip.

    A whip of wind capable of splitting the earth and demolishing an army in a single strike. Amanda¡¯s whip arts were already pretty scary, but this de would probably make her look like nothing.

    We saw Ignis¡¯ immense power only a few moments ago. Krystalos and Tempest must be just as terrifying.

 Chapter 951

    <h4>951: The Divine Swords</h4>

    Fran continued hearing about the divine swords from the Silver Lady.

    Alpha, Berserk, Ignis, Gaia, Krystalos, and Tempest. The next name she mentioned was the Warmount de, Chariot.

    We¡¯ve only heard a little about this one. Chariot was said to take the form of a baton, and had the ability to summon and control arge variety of metallic golems.

    ¡¸Myst observation of Chariot was approximately 5,000 years ago. Back then, it was used by an adventurer known as ¡°Battalion¡±.¡¹

    ¡¸Battalion! I¡¯ve heard of them! The youngest adventurer to reach Rank S!¡¹

    If I remember right, they were an adventurer from ages ago who reached Rank A at age 10 and Rank S at age 14. As expected from Fran, she remembered the name of anyone strong.

    But I had no clue they held a divine sword¡­¡­ So that means the alias of ¡°Battalion¡± came from leading an army of golems?

    ¡¸As far as I know, Chariot controlled twelve different types of golems. With this power, Battalion annihted countless antidemons single-handedly.¡¹

    Those shiny silver golems apparently showered their enemies with an endless barrage ofser rays and metal bullets. Everyone who witnessed the battle described them as the strongest legion on earth.

    Uh, doesn¡¯t that sound like a robot army? Chariot suddenly got really sci-fi, which feels out of ce for this fantasy world.

    ¡¸The rumors say Battalion vanished while visiting the continent of Capul.¡¹

    She didn¡¯t know anything about Chariot¡¯s restrictions either. However, since she never saw the wielder eating food, it¡¯s apparently possible that their body had undergone some kind of mutation.

    So the user¡¯s body turns inhuman? The price might be simr to Overgrowth¡¯s then.

    ¡¸Speaking of heavy prices, the Golden Dragonde, El Dorado, also enforced a very heavy toll.¡¹

    ¡¸El Dorado¡­¡­ Wasn¡¯t that divine sword already destroyed?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah yes, my apologies. I don¡¯t have much data regarding the events of the outside world. El Dorado took the form of a goldennce, with the ability to summon andmand a light dragon. Once activated, the enormous light dragon covered the earth in its golden brilliance.¡¹

    That ability sounds really simr to Lindwurm¡¯s, the difference being that Lind summoned a fire dragon rather than a light dragon.

    ¡¸The price is the user¡¯s lifespan. The more you use it, the more you age. I recall that El Dorado¡¯s wielders suffered very early deaths.¡¹

    ¡ºDamn. That¡¯s definitely a price too heavy to pay.¡»

    Never thought I¡¯d see one worse than level drain, but there we go. Still, it¡¯s a divine sword. There were undoubtedly many who wanted it regardless.

    So that¡¯s why it apparently went through ten different hands before leaving the continent. The only limitation was apparentlypatibility with the de. However, there were plenty of candidates since Gordicia was packed with dragonkin.

    Afterwards, it got taken outside the continent and that¡¯s probably when it got destroyed.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Is Lindwurm¡¯s price also lifespan?¡¹

    ¡¸Lindwurm¡­¡­ The de used in the defense of Sendia, yes?¡¹

    She responded almost immediately, so she must have observed that battle as well.

    ¡¸Nn. My friend is using it.¡¹

    Mea managed to activate her divine sword with Sophie¡¯s support. However, she currently lost this ability, and probably wouldn¡¯t be getting it back any time soon. That¡¯s why Fran didn¡¯t worry much about the price Mea needed to pay. But after hearing about how her lifespan might be shrinking, she suddenly got really worried.

    ¡¸I have little data on Lindwurm, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say for sure. Do you know the creator of the de?¡¹

    ¡¸Ummm¡­¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºI think it¡¯s the divine cksmith, Fargo.¡»

    That should be what it said on the list Lumina showed us.

    ¡¸I see. The creator of El Dorado is Ulmer. The price seems to vary considerably from smith to smith, so I doubt that Lindwurm¡¯s price is also the user¡¯s lifespan.¡¹

    ¡¸Good.¡¹

    Fran let out a breath of relief. But wait, if Ulmer also forged El Dorado, did Gaia and Ignis also drain the user¡¯s lifespan?

    No, Izario didn¡¯t look any older after activating Ignis, and Ashwrath has been using Gaia forever now. That doesn¡¯t seem possible.

    I guess I can¡¯t say for sure, since I don¡¯t know how long the average ogrekin is supposed to live. But still, if lifespan is the price, Ashwrath would have already killed himself by spamming Gaia¡¯s usage. The price must be level drain, like we first thought.

    There were now only two swords left: The Sanctum de, Sanctuary, and the Sagacity de, Wisdom.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve observed thesest two swords fairly recently.¡¹

    ¡¸Recently? Then are they still on the continent?¡¹

    ¡¸Unfortunately, I have already lost track of them. Ist saw Sanctuary about 70 years ago, and Wisdom about 20 years ago.¡¹

    It seems the past century counts as ¡°recent¡± for a golem operating over several millennia.

    ¡¸Sanctuary is an odd divine sword due to being defense oriented. The default form is a blue and white kite shield, but it can also turn into full body armor. It has the power to create ¡°sanctums¡±, which greatly enhance the user and theirpanions, while debilitating any enemies entering the holy grounds. I also believe it also gave the wielder skills such as Shieldking Mastery. It was owned by the Knight Commander of a country called Ilgistia.¡¹

    Never heard of it. Well, there were plenty of continents and countries we¡¯ve never seen or heard of, so that¡¯s not too surprising.

    ¡¸And the cost?¡¹

    ¡¸The cost for using this divine sword is rather special. The same goes for Wisdom, which I will talk about next. They were made by the same divine cksmith, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know it can truly be called a cost, but the de¡¯s powers fluctuate based on who they are used against.¡¹

    Apparently, Sanctuary and Wisdom were designed to have different outputs based on the ¡°evilness¡± of their opponent. Maybe due to the cksmith¡¯s emphasis on the creation of a weapon for fending off the Evil God.

    They reach maximum output when used directly against the Evil God. Against an ordinary fiend, they can use one-tenth of their powers. Against other humans or monsters, they only acted as slightly above average magic tools. Well, antidemons contained evil energy too, so they¡¯d probably work decently on them.

    The final divine sword, Wisdom, was also a little special. When released, it had the appearance of several orbs floating in the air. In this state, it gave the user the ability to cast all magic in existence, as well as skills for boosting magic, thought eleration, and simultaneous casting, among others.

    The de itself had no offensive power, as it¡¯s strength waspletely based on the talent of the wielder. It might be unparalleled if held by an extremely skilled sorcerer. Anyone capable of detecting their enemy¡¯s weaknesses could cast the correct spell to exploit them.

    However, the true power of these des had never been disyed on Gordicia, so the Silver Lady never got the chance to see it personally.

    Wisdom, like Sanctuary, was also a divine sword capable of healing and defense. That¡¯s another simrity from being forged by the same smith.

 Chapter 952

    <h4>952: Investigation Request</h4>

    After the Silver Lady finished her exnation on the divine swords, we split up and went to the Adventurers Guild. In the meantime, we asked the Silver Lady to keep an eye on Nadia.

    She seemed to be no stranger to Nadia¡¯s situation, so she epted our request instantly.

    Since she had the ability to fight as well as move incredibly quickly, she could easily carry away Nadia if there¡¯s ever an emergency.

    We¡¯ve taken care of the antidemons around Bultori, so our work here was done. We¡¯d probably be heading back to Nocta tomorrow, and Fran wanted to see Nadia as soon as possible too.

    Fran walked to the guild at a brisk pace.

    However, there was someone blocking our path. Well, not exactly ¡°blocking¡±. They simply approached her at the entrance of the guild.

    But their identity was the problem.

    ¡¸Hello, youngdy. Are you on your way to the Adventurers Guild?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    Adol stepped up to greet us, followed by a bunch of his friends from Srd. His face looked rtively normal, so our initial impression was that he waspletely fine now.

    Upon closer inspection though, his movements seemed dullpared to this morning. He was clearly putting up a facade, probably since he needed to make his country look good.

    We wanted to avoid them as much as possible, but there¡¯s nothing we could do if they were waiting for us at the entrance. Fran tried to hide her presence and slip by them, but that obviously didn¡¯t work, since she was their target from the beginning.

    The Silver Lady just warned us about them, so I had to wonder what they were plotting.

    ¡¸That¡¯s a beautiful magic sword, isn¡¯t it? Where did you get it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? So you inherited it from your master?¡¹

    Looking at the empty smile on his face right now, I was reminded of the nk expression he had during the battle. They werepletely different expressions, yet they both gave the same impression. Maybe because of his brainwashing education, but Adol seemed abnormal somehow.

    ¡¸You mustn¡¯t trust the Militant Nation of Hagane. Theymit terrible atrocities and treat their citizens inhumanely.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You saw those poor soldiers, yes? Forcibly conscripting old men and sending them off to die is but one of their many crimes.¡¹

    I¡¯d love to reply ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that shit from you¡±. You really think those ¡°pitiful old men¡± were forcibly conscripted? Then why were they filled so much motivation?

    Fran looked incredibly uninterested as Adol¡¯s words went in one ear and out the other. Adol continued spouting nonsense, while the men standing behind him had their eyes fixated on us.

    But they weren¡¯t just standing idly. I sensed a slight movement of mana. Those guys might in charge of using Appraisal and such to look for hidden talents.

    However, their expression immediately changed to one of contempt. They probably thought they¡¯ve learned the extents of Fran¡¯s abilities through the appraisal, thinking her to be a weakling.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The men behind Adol said nothing, which probably signaled that Fran was of no use. Adol abruptly cut the conversation short and left.

    I guess we didn¡¯t need to use our excuse about being summoned by the guildmaster.

    We didn¡¯t want anything more to do with them, so I¡¯m not gonnain about them leaving. Bute on, that¡¯s just in rude. Did they really think we didn¡¯t realize what they were doing?

    Even without prior information, anyone with eyes would have found them suspicious. I guess they wouldn¡¯t be able toin too loudly because of how troublesome Srd was though.

    As a result, maybe Srd never managed to realize how unnatural their own behavior was. Then they just continued doing the same thing.

    And besides, shouldn¡¯t someone at Adol¡¯s level be able to recognize Fran¡¯s true abilities¡­¡­? Why didn¡¯t he say anything?

    ¡ºHmm, I don¡¯t know if we should beughing at their stupidity or scared of their unpredictability. They seem to have a problem with internalmunication at least¡­¡­¡»

    £¨I hate those guys.£©

    ¡ºWell, at least they lost interest in us.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try to stay far away from now on.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    We then returned to our original goal of reporting back to guildmaster, but¡­¡­

    There we were met by an unexpected person. Rere, the guildmaster of Nocta, was waiting for us.

    After a short greeting, she exined why came all this way to Bultori, with Bultori¡¯s guildmaster giving some supporting details.

    ¡¸An investigation request?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. I have to admit that this antidemon season has been a little too unpredictable.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d say it¡¯s aplete anomaly, it¡¯s just too different from the norm. So many powerful antidemons are popping up everywhere.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s why we¡¯re sending a team to investigate the center of the continent.¡¹

    ¡¸It will be a small scouting team, consisting only of elites.¡¹

    And so, the two guildmasters designated Fran to take this request. Since this was a direct request from the guild, she could not refuse without good reason.

    She might have been able to excuse herself by citing exhaustion or unfamiliarity with the geography, but Fran wanted to do it.

    Not only did she feel happy about being relied on, but Gordicia¡¯s problems would directly affect Nadia¡¯s safety. If there was a chance that her work could eliminate the anomaly, she would dly ept the job.

    £¨Master. Can I?£©

    ¡ºWell, it is just an investigation¡­¡­¡»

    The request was for investigation, not destroying a horde or hunting amander. Moreover, the conditions were incredibly advantageous to us. Regardless of our findings, the request would be consideredplete after surveying the designated area. I¡¯m sure Fran would take a hit to her reputation if she refused.

    ¡¸You want me to go alone?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I will ask you to go with Izario-dono.¡¹

    If Izario¡¯s there, we¡¯d risk getting caught up in Ignis¡¯ power¡­¡­ But he¡¯s not the kind of guy who would intentionally attack us, and if ites to it, we can use teleportation to make some distance.

    With Izario, we¡¯d be quite safe even if some formidable antidemons show up. In fact, this only made the request more appealing.

    It seems Fran was only expected to act as a scout and messenger. If the need arose, she was even allowed ditch Izario and report back alone.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What about the guys from Srd?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯ve already reached their quota and they don¡¯t work for the guild. We can¡¯t ask them to join the investigation.¡¹

    I thought about refusing if we had to continue working with Adol, but now my biggest concern was gone.

    ¡¸Okay. Then I ept.¡¹

    ¡¸Did something happen between you and Srd? Well, I don¡¯t hear too many good things about them.¡¹

    ¡¸Not yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Yet, you say¡­¡­ If you have any problems,e to us, okay? The guild will take care of it.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll let you know.¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufufu. Leave it to me. In return, you¡¯ll handle the request, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 953

    <h4>953: Investigation Path</h4>

    ¡¸Hey, littledy. Can we take a break now?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Already?¡¹

    ¡¸Man, you¡¯re so energetic. I ain¡¯t young anymore, so this is already tiring me out.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    We left Bultori early in the morning for the investigation, and half a day passed since then.

    Our destination was the central region of the continent, the location containing Trismegistus¡¯ castle. Also where the source of the antidemons, the Abyss Eater,ys dormant.

    To tell the truth, the Silver Lady also informed us about Trismegistus and his beloved de along with the data on the divine swords. We didn¡¯t hear anything about his personality, but I had a reasonable idea of his whereabouts and abilities.

    There¡¯s a small castle in the center of the continent, which is where Trismegistus called home.

    Well, our current destination was a bit closer than that.

    All we needed to do was check on the number of antidemons in the center of the continent, then report back on any anomalies.

    Izario said he¡¯s already tired, but I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s just concerned for Fran. She hadn¡¯t eaten since we departed in the morning after all.

    Fran hopped off Urushi and immediately started making preparations for lunch.

    In the middle of the expansive wilderness, she created a table and chairs withnd magic. Thanks to her improved skills, the table was perfectly t. Throw on a white tablecloth, and it¡¯s done.

    Though to be honest, I told her to do all that via telepathy. Fran never cared much for this kind of stuff, but a good eating environment always makes the meal taste better. She even made a chair for Izario.

    ¡¸Y-You really pay attention to the details.¡¹

    ¡¸From Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? So that¡¯s what your master taught you? You must¡¯ve learned from a real pro then, eh?¡¹

    Izario nodded in admiration before sitting down in the chair in front of him. He seemed to be seriously impressed with me because he understood the importance of these details.

    I took out some stew and karaage. I¡¯m sure Fran would prefer curry, but she just had that this morning. I picked out something else for her nutritional bnce.

    ¡¸Nom nom!¡¹

    ¡¸Munch munch!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi started gulping down the stew along with the huge bowl of karaage. I would have wiped the stew off their mouths as usual, but Izario was watching us.

    Many say that hunger is the best spice, but Fran and Urushi always eat like this. In no time at all, most of the karaage had disappeared into their stomachs.

    Izario nced at us. He couldn¡¯t hide the envy on his face, but he never asked for anything.

    I guess even this guy would feel bad about taking food from a kid. He started eating his own ham and mustard sandwich.

    Most adventurers might consider that a decent meal, but it paled inparison to Fran¡¯s. The mix of emotions on his face was something words could not describe.

    Now Fran nced over at Izario. She gently lifted up the te with only three pieces of karaage left and ced it in front of Izario.

    ¡¸Here you go.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks!¡¹

    So he won¡¯t ask for anything, but he¡¯ll take whatever he can get. Izario quickly snatched up the te of karaage, as if saying no takebacks.

    ¡¸T-This is¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Is it good?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Damn delicious! Now if only I had some booze too!¡¹

    Thank goodness, it seems he didn¡¯t bring any alcohol. He¡¯d probably be drinking right now if he had any on him.

    As I was thinking that, Fran took out a few bottles. To my surprise, they contained alcohol beverages.

    ¡ºWhat! Fran, where did you get those!?¡»

    £¨At the guild¡¯s bar. I picked up some leftovers.£©

    Fran was always strangely interested in drinking. She must have stored the bottles someone left lying around the day of the party.

    ¡¸Eh? Littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸Here you go.¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, no. Even I can¡¯t drink here¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­? You¡¯re stronger when you drink, right? You never know what might happen, so it¡¯s better to be in perfect condition.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran believed Izario¡¯s lies! Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t exactly deny it either. She really thought Izario was better off when drunk!

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay.¡¹

    Izario picked up the bottle with a look of determination. I guess he couldn¡¯t admit his lies after going this far.

    But should we really let Izario drink here? What if some emergency happens while he¡¯s drunk? Nah, I guess I can always detox him in that case.

    Let the guy take responsibility for his words.

    Izario took a hesitant sip, then his eyes widened. Well, it¡¯s spirits after all. The alcohol content level was no joke.

    Three whole bottles had been ced on the table in front of Izario. They packed such a punch that even this Rank S adventurer had to hesitate.

    But Izario refused to back down. With renewed determination, he started chugging straight from the bottle. I¡¯m sure any ordinary person doing that would copse from acute alcohol poisoning.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t try this at home, kids!¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºFran. If you ever drink in the future, never drink like that, okay? Take small sips so you can savor the vor.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    Well, at least he ended up serving as a good example of what not to do. He¡¯s still a bad influence in general, but I¡¯ll let him off the hook this time.

    ¡¸Woah! This stuff¡¯s great!¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸T-Thank you.¡¹

    Anyways, seems like we¡¯re taking a short break. Guess I¡¯ll detox him once we start moving again.

    After erasing the table and chairs, Fran went over to Urushi while Izario sat on a nearby rock. Fran rxed while leaning on Urushi and enjoying his warmth.

    Izario also seemed to be resting his body.

    The strange silencested for a few minutes, before Izario suddenly opened his mouth.

    ¡¸Hey, littledy.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸What brings you to this continent?¡¹

    Izario wore the same casual expression as always. I couldn¡¯t tell from his face whether he was just trying to start a conversation or if he really cared.

    But just then, I saw a slight twinge of seriousness in his eyes. Fran noticed it too, straightening her posture a little.

    Well, she kept leaning on Urushi though.

 Chapter 954

    <h4>954: Izario''s Past</h4>

    When Izario asked Fran why she came to the continent of Gordicia, Fran gave him an honest answer.

    ¡¸It¡¯s a request from the Kingdom of Belioth. But really, I came to meet Trismegistus. And to visit some graves.¡¹

    ¡¸Trismegistus? Meet him, and then what?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s a secret. But I need to meet him.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹

    Though suspicious, Izario didn¡¯t dig any deeper. He shrugged it off, while adding in a warning.

    ¡¸The guy¡¯s aplete monster. Not just in his abilities, but also his mind and way of being. Keep that in mind when you meet him.¡¹

    ¡¸Aplete monster¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ll understand when you see him in person. No, maybe you can¡¯t tell at first nce? Either way, that¡¯s probably what happens to someone when they¡¯re forced to live forever. You¡¯d better keep your wits about you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll be careful.¡¹

    Izario gave a satisfied nod at Fran¡¯s reply. I guess he was a caring guy after all.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this about visiting some graves?¡¹

    ¡¸Visiting my mom and dad. They both died on this continent¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran told him the story of her life. She had traveled with her parents on a journey to evolve before settling down in Gordicia. After a brief period of happiness, her vige got attacked by antidemons, resulting in her capture by vers. She waster saved by her Master and returned to the continent after getting stronger.

    ¡¸Their grave is in Castel.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see how it is.¡¹

    Izario muttered briefly as he stared at the ground. Then, he bowed his head to Fran.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸For asking you all the weird questions, and getting jealous of you for such stupid reasons.¡¹

    ¡¸Jealous?¡¹

    Izario? Jealous of Fran? Neither of us understood what he meant, so we were filled with questions.

    If Izario felt so much jealousy to the point of needing an apology, I certainly never noticed it.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯m just an ordinary guy. I barely have any talent, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m super smart either. All my 43 years of life are nothingpared to the dozen or so years you¡¯ve lived.¡¹

    ¡¸Even though you¡¯re Rank S and have a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh, that¡¯s pretty much all I have.¡¹

    Izario shrugged his shoulders with a self-mocking smile.

    ¡¸A man with no talent, only praised because of the de at his side. That¡¯s me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Isn¡¯t he being a little hard on himself? Fran didn¡¯t know how to respond to this either.

    ¡¸When I first became an adventurer, they all called me ¡°The Talentless¡±.¡¹

    ¡¸Your alias?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, just an insult befitting a guy with no talent.¡¹

    Izario was born in a small, remote vige.

    His vige was poor and living conditions were harsh, a ce where food was constantly in shortage. Izario and his friends ran away and became adventurers because they could no longer stand living in such poverty.

    All of them were the younger sons of peasants from the vige, the poorest of the poor. They naturally had no skill with magic, so they honed their abilities as swordsmen. That was pretty much their only choice.

    Many had the tendency to prefer swords, probably due to the legendary defeat of the Evil God at the hands of the Sword God. When someone thought of a weapon, the first thinging to mind would be the sword.

    Since this idea continued for so many years, more and more swords spread throughout the world. Swords became cheap and easy to obtain, so more people started teaching the arts of the de. As a result, the number of swordsmen increased even further.

    Young Izario and his friends followed this trend. Armed with wooden swords and rusty des stolen from goblins, they began work as newbie adventurers.

    But among hispanions, Izario was particrly bad with swords. While his friends steadily improved their skills, Izario¡¯s skill levels just wouldn¡¯t rise.

    There¡¯s a clear difference in talent between different people. Even if two guys train in exactly the same manner, this difference will show up in their stats and skill level.

    Izario just had particrly poor talent for using swords. However, he was poor and could not afford to buy new weapons, so he had no choice but to continue down this path.

    Then one day, the moment of their adventurer rank-up arrived. Now they could afford to spend a little. They being Izario¡¯spanions.

    Izario was the only one who could not advance in rank because of his inferior abilities. He had been forced to use a weapon he was not good with all this time, leaving him as weak as he started.

    Due to this, Izario¡¯s friends booted him out. They wanted to party with stronger adventurers in order to earn more money.

    Izario was filled with anger, hatred, and despair. But in the end, he decided to continue as an adventurer.

    This was the only way he knew how to live. No, he could have gone back to his vige and worked in the fields, but his petty pride would not allow him to run home.

    I¡¯m sure his spite and sense of rebellion against his former friends yed a role too.

    He continued to take on lower rank requests while solo, gradually improving his skills.

    His Sword Mastery skill leveled at a snail¡¯s pace, but it grew to level 2, 3, then 4. If someone else trained as hard as him, they probably would have reached Holy Sword Mastery by then, but¡­ he refused to give up.

    Finally, Izario discovered a portion of his talents. The talent for defense. His offensive abilities were still awful, but he sometimes managed to pull off parries and blocks exceeding his skill level.

    Before he realized it, the ¡°Parry¡±, ¡°Redirection¡±, and ¡°Block¡± skills appeared in his skill list. These new skills quickly surpassed the level of his Sword Mastery.

    Perhaps if he had switched to using a greatshield or a swordbreaker, he might never have been abandoned by hisrades in the first ce. But Izario still preferred the sword.

    He was so attached to swords that he couldn¡¯t understand his own obsession.

    Around the time Izario finally reached Rank E solo, he heard a rumor about his friends reaching Rank C at a rather young age. This was just before he turned 25 years old.

    Izario finally realized it the moment he heard the news. His friends were geniuses all along, while he was the only onecking talent. He never belonged in their party. Swallowing his loneliness and frustration, he gave a small wish for their luck. He had epted the reality.

    However, fate works in cruel and mysterious ways. I¡¯ve never heard about any god ruling over fate, but if they exist, they must be some prankster asshole.

    Izario ran into his fateful encounter one day in a flea market selling junk. There was a magic sword no one had been able to equip, gathering dust in the corner. Somehow, he managed to equip it.

    This was the day he found the divine sword Ignis.

    Not even Izario himself knew why he was chosen. For whatever reason, he alone managed to equip the divine sword and wield its power.

    Izario the Talentless became the Izario the Crimson de, and his adventurer status jumped all the way to Rank S. The guild¡¯s rules allowed this kind of preferential treatment for divine sword wielders. They certainly could no longer treat him as any old adventurer.

    With his position suddenly elevated, so did the looks people gave him. Everyone treated him the exact opposite way now. At the same time, he started receiving high-ranked requests.

    Many of the requests were for exterminating powerful beasts he could never dream of challenging before. Yet,pleting them was as simple as snapping his fingers.

    Izario always had a talent for defense that far exceeded his rank. What happens if you add the offensive power of a divine sword to that?

    It didn¡¯t matter. In the first ce, he had no need for defense with Ignis in his hands. He would unsheathe the de, and his victory was already guaranteed.

    Despite the praise he received, everything felt empty. The entirety of his training was ultimately pointless. Who cared about Izario¡¯s own strength, as long as he had the divine sword? Everyone would treat him the same way regardless.

    No one looked at Izario the man, they only wanted his sword.

    ¡¸When I met my former friends again, I was astonished.¡¹

    Their eyes were filled with spite and envy, yet all of them gave him empty ttery. The geniuses he had once despised were reduced to simple thugs in front of Ignis. Simply by holding the de, he already stood at the top.

    After realizing the ridiculousness of it all, Izario stopped going by the ¡°Crimson de¡±. Only he knew the reality, he was ¡°The Talentless¡±. He stubbornly kept using that old alias to avoid forgetting the truth.

    ¡¸I am Izario, the Talentless. An ordinary man with a slight knack for defense, who just happened to stumble on a divine sword.¡¹

    Fran seemed to have a gift he did not, and that¡¯s why he was jealous of her. He thought her to be a child prodigy with confidence backed by her abilities. One who already had it all, with a glorious past and a promised future.

    ¡¸What a guy I am, right? All these years and I haven¡¯t learned a thing. I¡¯m still assuming other people¡¯s histories, getting jealous for no reason, then apologizing for it¡­¡­ I¡¯m just sick of it all.¡¹

    Izario mocked himself as he looked up at the heavens.

 Chapter 955

    <h4>955: Anomaly and Dragonkin</h4>

    ¡¸I get why you came to this continent now, but let me warn you about one thing.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t stay here for long. This is no ce for someone like you, someone with a future.¡¹

    Izario muttered with a solemn look on his face. I could see that those words came from the bottom of his heart.

    Fran, however, was not convinced.

    ¡¸But you¡¯re here all the time.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re different. Like I said before, I¡¯m just an ordinary guy with a divine sword.¡¹

    Izario seems to have really low self-esteem, though I can understand why after listening to his story.

    But after fighting on this continent for a decade, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s be strong enough to deserve his Rank S title by now¡­¡­ I guess it¡¯s hard to get people to change their minds after so long.

    Izario was constantly calling himself ¡°Talentless¡± and acting out the role of the useless old drunkard. Well, maybe he¡¯s only half acting. Anyways, the reason why he acts so useless in public may be because he felt like that¡¯s how things should have been, in a world where he never found the sword.

    I also noticed the simrity between the wielders chosen by Gaia and Ignis. Perhaps these des only selected those who wouldn¡¯t grow arrogant after obtaining them. Rather, they chose people who even disrespected the de itself.

    As a result, such a person would be less likely to abuse the sword for personal gain. That¡¯s probably not the only factor, but I¡¯m pretty sure that particr mindset is important.

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s enough for a break. Let¡¯s get going now.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded and stood up. I attempted to use the antidote spell on Izario, but he applied it to himself before I had the chance.

    Wait, he could use healing magic?

    ¡¸Magic?¡¹

    ¡¸A must have for heavy drinkers, no?¡¹

    No, what!? Learning magic for the sake of drinking?! Maybe this guy¡¯s got no talent with a sword, but what about everything else¡­¡­? As I recall, there weren¡¯t many people capable of using healing magic.

    ¡¸Is that okay? Won¡¯t you get weaker if you get rid of the alcohol?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, uh, I¡¯ll be fine! I mean, the request was just for investigation, so I won¡¯t be needing any alcohol. We¡¯re better off without the smell too, right?¡¹

    With the alcohol drained from his body, Izario gave a panicked defense. Seems like he still has a hard time admitting to his lie. He¡¯s so desperate that I¡¯m starting to feel little sorry for him. Guess I can give him a little hand.

    ¡ºFran, Izario has a point. The enemy might find us if he smells of alcohol.¡»

    ¡¸I see. Okay then.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah! You get what I mean, right?¡¹

    He somehow seemed pitiful despite being so much stronger than us. I thought he was ¡°acting useless half the time¡± earlier, by maybe only 20% of it was an act.

    We set out again for the investigation, but we were soon confronted with a strange situation. Izario¡¯s face seemed have gotten a bit serious too.

    ¡¸Oh, that there¡¯s a squad of dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. About 30 of them.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm. ording to the guild, no dragonkin should have been dispatched to this region¡­¡­¡¹

    We discovered a squad of dragonkin who shouldn¡¯t be here. Could they be working for the Dragon King?

    That said, this area was not off-limits, aside from Trismegistus¡¯ castle. If they came all the way here for some reason, it wouldn¡¯t be a crime.

    ¡¸Guess we have no choice. We gotta try making contact with them. If it¡¯s those rebel dragonkin we¡¯ve been hearing about, we might have a fight on our hands.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¹

    ¡¸You sure seem happy.¡¹

    Izario shrugged his shoulders in a teasing manner, but his eyes were not smiling. He must have noticed the almost deadly fighting spirit emanating from Fran.

    We¡¯ve already informed the guild about how the Dragon King took over the illegal ve trafficking ring. Naturally, Izario must have heard about it too.

    Combined with the story of Fran¡¯s history, he should easily be able to infer how Fran would feel about the ones under the Dragon King¡¯smand.

    ¡¸Just in case, don¡¯t do anything until they strike first, okay? If they turn hostile, you¡¯re free to go wild.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Please, I¡¯m counting on you.¡¹

    Three minutester.

    The dragonkin noticed the approaching Fran and Izario. Right after, they suddenly rushed up to us.

    Urushi was hiding in the shadows just in case. If the need arose, he¡¯s in charge of the surprise attack to disrupt our opponents.

    ¡¸Stop right there!¡¹

    ¡¸Name yourselves!¡¹

    Many of the dragonkin were very young, and they seemed rebellious too. Like, the kind that would probably grow up into hoodlums.

    Combat-wise, they were below average for dragonkin, so they seemed to have no idea what we were capable of. Yet, they did not seem to doubt their own superiority.

    Except for the few who were trying to intimidate us, all of them were smirking and sneering.

    ¡¸Oh, so scary. Anyways, which reservation are you dragonkin from?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t answer to you. This area is off limits. Leave quietly, and we¡¯ll let you go.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Off-limits? We¡¯re here on a mission from the Adventurers Guild, you know? Why doesn¡¯t the guild know about this off-limits stuff? Who in the world decided this?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Tch.¡¹

    The leader of the delinquents clicked his tongue at Izario¡¯s unfrightened demeanor. He also seemed to realize the troublesome fact in Izario¡¯s words.

    He must have thought we were just ordinary adventurers hunting down antidemons. Now that he knew we were officially assigned by the guild, they could not legally interfere with us.

    But the dragonkin remained defiant.

    ¡¸This continent belongs to us dragonkin! What we decide besw!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? When did we agree to that? Aren¡¯t you guys the ones who destroyed Gordicia in the first ce? And now you¡¯re gonna im ownership?¡¹

    Izario spoke provocatively, as if he wanted to get on the dragonkin¡¯s nerves. This was clearly a taunt.

    He may be trying to cloud the man¡¯s judgment in order to squeeze more information out of him. Or, maybe trying to anger the guy into a fight, so that we could im self-defense.

    At any rate, he had already decided that there was no point in a proper discussion.

    ¡¸Come on, you naughty boys should just go home before you get hurt. Say you¡¯re sorry and I¡¯ll let you off the hook.¡¹

    ¡¸Son of a bitch! Don¡¯t treat us like children!¡¹

    ¡¸If that¡¯s all you can say, you really are a kid. Right, wittle dwagon?¡¹

    ¡¸Kill this fucking geezer!¡¹

 Chapter 956

    <h4>956: The Carrot and the Stick</h4>

    ¡¸Kill this fucking geezer!¡¹

    ¡¸Geezer? Aw, that stings. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that old yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your fucking mouth!¡¹

    Unable to stand Izario¡¯s provocations any longer, the dragonkin all rushed at him. Despite Izario¡¯s fame, it seems they couldn¡¯t recognize him with his sword undrawn.

    Every single one of them showed zero hesitation. Such a difference in numbers would generally spell trouble, but Izario simply waved his hand at Fran with a rxed expression.

    Is that a gesture signaling ¡°don¡¯t worry about me¡±? No wait, that¡¯s probably ¡°don¡¯t overdo it¡±.

    ¡ºThese guys might be under the Dragon King¡¯smand. Let¡¯s neutralize them without taking their lives.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    Fran nodded lightly and readied me, but many of the dragonkin were already charging at Izario. They must be furious at him for the earlier taunt.

    After capturing the few targeting her, Fran began to observe Izario. She wanted to see Izario¡¯s style up close, and it¡¯s not like he needed any help.

    Izario continued defending himself with Ignis, just as he did when fighting antidemons. The shit-eating grin on his face only amplified the irritation of his opponents.

    ¡¸Die! Die, die, die!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you!¡¹

    ¡¸Kill me? Kids these days are always so violent. It¡¯s especially shameful when you shout things you can¡¯t even do.¡¹

    ¡¸Why can¡¯t I hit you!?¡¹

    ¡¸Urooogh!¡¹

    They may be small frypared to us, but they¡¯re still dragonkin. That means higher base stats than lesser antidemons. Probably why they got so overconfident though.

    And in response to the onught, Izario simply blocked all of their strikes.

    What looked to be a one-sided beatdown went on for about three minutes. Then, one of the dragonkin suddenly lost his bnce and fell to the ground.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡­?¡¹

    He was puzzled by his body¡¯s refusal to listen as he struggled to control his heavy breathing. It went quickly from there. The other dragonkin copsed one by one in a simr manner.

    Just like when Zubalb challenged him. I was able to anticipate the oue this time, so I managed to see through the trick right away.

    Well, it¡¯s pretty simple.

    The same heat application he used against the antidemons. It inflicts damage by raising the internal temperature of the target¡¯s body.

    The only difference being the temperature wasn¡¯t hot enough to burn the victim, only give them a fever.

    With such high internal temperatures, they would be quickly deprived of their stamina. The dragonkin forced themselves to move with so much heat, so they soon copsed.

    Their anger and excitement probably heated them up more, so they never managed to realize anything until it was toote.

    Izario only raised their body temperature, though if he wanted to, he could burn their lungs or eyes for more damage. This technique seemed pretty nd at first nce, but it could easily be more terrifying than shooting out fire.

    ¡¸You saw through it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. You¡¯re pretty good, huh? Since I use fire, it¡¯s pretty difficult to capture people without injuring them. I had to do a lot of trial and error toe up with this.¡¹

    So Izario had toe up with this trick since he could only use fire. After all, Ignis¡¯ mes would burn anything to a crisp no matter how hard he tried to hold back.

    We bound the captured dragonkin and gathered them all up. Though defeated, their hearts were not broken yet. All of them kept leering at us.

    ¡¸Well, boys. May I ask you a few questions?¡¹

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡­! I¡¯ve got nothing to say to you!¡¹

    They seemed very arrogant, so I doubt they¡¯d answer us nicely. Fran stepped in with me at the ready, in preparation for the interrogation.

    But Izario lightly extended his hand to stop Fran. I guess he wanted to handle it. Fran clearly had plenty of killing intent towards the Dragon King¡¯s subordinates, so he must be worried about her going too far.

    Fran followed Izario¡¯s signal, backing off and nodding slightly.

    ¡¸Hahaha, no need to be so mad.¡¹

    ¡¸Shut the fuck up! Kill me already!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh,e on now. I just want to say I was pretty impressed. All of you guys just kepting at us no matter how many of your allies fell.¡¹

    ¡¸Any warrior would do so.¡¹

    Were these guys actually dragonkin warriors? I seriously thought they were a bunch of good-for-nothing thugs.

    ¡¸Yeah, as expected of dragonkin. Very brave of you.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. The dragonkin are a warrior race.¡¹

    The leader of the dragonkin puffed up his chest as if proud of himself. Not sure how he¡¯s pulling that off, considering he¡¯s still tied up and sitting on the ground.

    Isn¡¯t he a little too easy to please? I guess if you think about it, Izario was overwhelmingly powerful. Receiving praise from someone that strong could be considered a feat. The biggest factor was that these guys were simpletons though.

    After noticing this reaction, Izario decided his strategy would work, and began trying to persuade them.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t want to kill such brave warriors if I can help it. Can you do me a favor and tell us the truth? Then we won¡¯t have cause any more trouble here.¡¹

    Izario showed no sign of aggression at all, simply speaking to the dragonkin in a calm tone. The dragonkin seemed puzzled by Izario¡¯s unexpected behavior.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know who you are or where youe from, but you don¡¯t want to die here either, right? As I said before, we are official investigators sent by the Adventurers Guild. We can¡¯t let you guys go so easily, or the name of the guild will be tarnished. Please, can you tell me a bit of useful info?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯ll just kill me after I talk!¡¹

    ¡¸No, I would never. But I can¡¯t say the same for my partner¡­¡­¡¹

    Izario nced at Fran. The dragonkin followed his gaze to her as well. The look on their faces said, ¡°So what about this little girl?¡± They were obviously underestimating her.

    Inparison, Izario grabbed both his shoulders as if he had just witnessed some horrific sight. He spoke again to the dragonkin in a lower tone of voice.

    ¡¸That girl really hates vers. She got a little excited when she found out the dragonkin might have connections to them. If she¡¯s involved, I think the interrogation might get a little rough.¡¹

    Izario nced at Fran again. Obviously, he was trying to take the good cop/bad cop approach. In response, I made Fran say a few threatening words.

    ¡¸vers must die. I kill you.¡¹

    Fran waved me around randomly in the air and mumbled the line in monotone. However, the killing intent she gave waspletely real. The dragonkin sensed how serious she was.

    All of them grimaced.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t want some little kid stabbing you all for fun, right? Come on, just spill the beans. Take the load off your shoulders.¡¹

    ¡¸I kill you.¡¹

    ¡¸Urgh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Come on now. It¡¯s not toote yet.¡¹

    ¡¸First, I¡¯ll peel off all the scales and see if it makes your skin smooth.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, that¡¯s just horrible. So what¡¯s it gonna be?¡¹

    ¡¸I-If I talk, will you spare us?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Izario smiled at him with a smug look on his face, and I can see that the dragonkin got visibly relieved.

    Guess his n worked.

 Chapter 957

    <h4>957: A Big Transformation</h4>

    After asking the captured dragonkin many questions, we didn¡¯t get much useful info out of them. Or rather, they knew barely anything in the first ce. These guys were pretty much obeying their orders to the letter.

    Still, there were a few tidbits of new information.

    ¡¸Ordered by the Dragon King, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Dragonkin from the north are the enemy.¡¹

    ¡¸Seems like the whole reservation is in cahoots with the Dragon King.¡¹

    The dragonkin we captured were no ordinary thugs.

    The entire group consisted of apprentice warriors from the northern dragon reservation. Compared to the stragglers running away because they were sick of the rigorous training, these guys were officially ordered to cooperate with the Dragon King.

    ¡¸And yet, they apparently have no clue what his n actually involves.¡¹

    ¡¸Or even anything about his location.¡¹

    We learned nothing about the n itself. Well, I guess we¡¯ve confirmed the Dragon King was still scheming something. That¡¯s good enough for now.

    ¡¸If they¡¯re to be believed, the Dragon King intends to blockade this entire area. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s up to, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing good.¡¹

    ¡¸They weren¡¯t lying.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Did you have a way of detecting lies?¡¹

    ¡¸A woman¡¯s intuition.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! That¡¯s great!¡¹

    ¡¸What now?¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s see. I¡¯d like to hear from a dragonkin who knows a bit more about the situation. By the way, nice threat earlier. I¡¯ll be counting on you for that next time too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Leave it to me.¡¹

    So in conclusion, we learned three things from the dragonkin.

    First, it was indeed the Dragon King who ordered the northern dragonkin to eliminate any intruders here. Second, the Dragon King was trying to attain some sort of power and ascend to a new level. Third, he intends to use that power to take over the continent and establish a new nation for dragonkin.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what Trismegistus has to do with the Dragon King¡¯s goal, but something smells fishy.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Let¡¯s try going there.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, I¡¯m not sure about that. You don¡¯t have permission to enter the center, do you?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s an emergency.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm¡­¡­ Well, I guess we can just say you got permission from a Rank S adventurer. I¡¯ve given the guild plenty, so I might as well make good use of my authority.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! So can I go see Trismegistus now?¡¹

    ¡¸Finding the Dragon King is our first priority.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    Wait, we kinda just bypassed all the rules and started heading for the center of the continent. Didn¡¯t we need the guild¡¯s permission to visit Trismegistus¡­¡­? I guess Izario was on our side, so he¡¯ll cover for uster, right?

    Besides, Izario was absolutely right. Dealing with the Dragon King was top priority. The longer we leave him alone, the closer his schemese to fruition.

    Oh yeah, we just left the captured dragonkin sitting there.

    They may be our enemies, but Izario did promise not to take their lives. They weren¡¯t involved in the ve trade either.

    Though weak, they¡¯re still dragonkin. They¡¯ll manage to escape sooner orter.

    Meanwhile, we needed to find and capture the Dragon King before he aplishes his goal. However, we ended up stopping in our tracks right after departing.

    Rumble Rumble¡­¡­

    ¡¸Did you feel a shake?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Izario stopped and muttered right after we heard a strange rumbling noise. Apparently, he felt the ground shake, while Fran and I didn¡¯t notice anything.

    We were riding on top of Urushi, so we only felt the force of his legs hitting the ground.

    ¡ºUrushi. Did you feel anything?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi nodded his head. I guess there really was a tremor.

    Rumble Rumble Rumble!

    It¡¯s louder than before!

    ¡¸It shook!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸You felt it too, huh! What the hell is happening¡­¡­? I¡¯ve never heard of any earthquakes in Gordicia.¡¹

    Apparently, earthquakes never urred on the continent of Gordicia. This was definitely some kind of anomaly.

    Right after that¡­¡­

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    Fran and the others braced themselves simultaneously. A huge amount of evil energy erupted to enshroud the entire area.

    At the same time, the ground began shaking extremely violently.

    Rumble¨D¨DRUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

    The earth shook with such force that all of us stumbled. I¡¯d say about magnitude 5?

    But the shaking didn¡¯t stop. Rather, it intensified.

    ¡¸Something¡¯sing out!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the direction of Trismegistus¡¯ castle!¡¹

    In the direction that Fran pointed, something huge suddenly appeared out of the ground. Whatever it was, its form was obscured by all the dust sent flying about.

    Behind the veil of dust covering the sky, we could see a huge shadow clearly several dozen meters in height.

    No, if it looked that big even from this distance, it might be over 100 meters in actuality.

    The size of a skyscraper.

    ¡¸We pause here for a bit, littledy. Even I have no clue what¡¯s going on.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay. Is Trismegistus gonna be okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Hah! That¡¯s gotta be the first time I¡¯ve seen anyone worried about him. Either way, he¡¯s quite literally immortal. If there¡¯s some way to kill him, I¡¯d love to know.¡¹

    In the first ce, we knew nothing about what was going on or who was causing it. Was this part of the Dragon King¡¯s schemes or Trismegistus¡¯ doing? Or maybe even the antidemons?

    With so little information, we had no choice but to wait and see.

    So we waited, anxiously, for a few long minutes.

    Then, a faint silhouette emerged from the dust.

    ¡¸I can see part of it!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡¸Oi oi¡­¡­ What the hell is that¡­¡­?¡¹

    At first I thought it was a tower or something, but this was no structure.

    The shadow began to stir. Those wriggling movements meant this thing was alive and moving.

 Chapter 958

    <h4>958: Giant Antidemon</h4>

    A shadow that seemed to be a gigantic creature suddenly appeared from beneath the earth. However, the full extent of the creature¡¯s body was still unknown.

    Perhaps due to the low humidity of the continent, the dust cloud was dense enough to persist for some time.

    Slowly, but surely, the dust started to clear. Revealing the identity of the shadow within.

    Finally, we saw it, the figure of a giant antidemon. Its shape was simr to that of a swordsman-type, just ridiculously huge.

    However, something was off.

    The giant antidemon remained seated on the ground, holding its knees. Moreover, it was surrounded by a strange, viscous liquid.

    The figure almost looked like a baby protected by amniotic fluid in the womb. Could this really be a baby antidemon? It seemed unfinished somehow¡­¡­

    ¡¸Izario, what¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸No clue, I¡¯ve never seen an antidemon that big before. Pretty sure there wasn¡¯t anything like this in the records either.¡¹

    In other words, this was the first sighting of a super-sized antidemon. I think this finally proves the current antidemon season was out of the ordinary.

    ¡¸What do we do?¡¹

    ¡¸All antidemons must be destroyed, of course. We don¡¯t have much choice.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Got it!¡¹

    What, wait! At least pause to think for a second! What if we identally wake it up with our attack?!¨D¨DOn second thought, the guy next to us was a divine sword wielding Rank S adventurer.

    If this man can¡¯t take the antidemon down, no one can. When Izario decides something needs to die, I doubt anyone or anything is capable of stopping him.

    Izario said all antidemons must be destroyed. Therefore, destroyed they will be. Despite the shabby appearance of the man before us, his words be fact.

    ¡ºFran, we need to avoid getting caught up in Izario¡¯s serious strike.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran also trusted Izario¡¯s judgment, nodding in agreement to my words.

    ¡¸First, we¡¯ve gotta get in close. I want to know what¡¯s going on before I take him down.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. Urushi, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran jumped on Urushi again, as Izariounched his magic board.

    ¡¸I¡¯m gonna go max output. Can you keep up?¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, don¡¯t lose!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi and Izario¡¯s magical tool sted through the light clouds of dust still dancing in the air. I thought Izario¡¯s tool would be pretty slow, but he managed to keep up with Urushi¡¯s max speed.

    His ridiculous eleration was all thanks to shooting mes from the rear of the board, the same principle as the me spell Vernier. That said, it¡¯s amazing he could maintain his bnce the entire time.

    ¡¸Now it¡¯s overflowing with more antidemons!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    There didn¡¯t seem to be any obstacles, so we thought it would be easy to reach the giant antidemon¡­¡­

    But suddenly, a wave of magical power blew through the area, along with the presence of antidemons. An entire horde had suddenly sprung up out of nowhere.

    The dust made it difficult to see the whole picture, but I could sense at least 1,000 of them. Moreover, the waves of power kept flowing. Meaning these antidemons will continue popping up without end.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s just erase them and keep going, shall we?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The antidemons that appeared were mostly the ck-colored greater antidemons. Their power would be considerable despite the horde being rather small in size.

    Not that it meant much to Izario.

    Each swing of Ignis sent out a wave of me, engulfing the antidemons in front of us. They only managed to be a minor speed bump before we elerated back to full speed. Izario kept pushing forward whilepletely erasing any antidemons in our path.

    Fran and Urushi had no chance to do anything. Our group continued sting its way through the horde with mes trailing behind them.

    At the same time, a powerful gale blew in from the front, forcing Fran to squint. This was caused by the sheer physical pressure from the giant antidemon¡¯s massive amounts of mana.

    Also thanks to the wind, the dust surrounding the giant dispersed, giving us the full view.

    ¡¸Its huge!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s pretty damn huge this close!¡¹

    Even Izario had to exim in amazement while looking up at the antidemon the size of a small mountain. The giant antidemon¡¯s pressure even surprised him.

    It was still floating in a mysterious liquid that seemed to defy gravity. Seeing it this close reminded me of a fetus again.

    Fran and Izario shared the same thoughts.

    ¡¸A baby antidemon?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing¡­¡­ Besides, he¡¯s way too big to be a baby.¡¹

    ¡¸Mmm¡­¡­? He¡¯s sucking power out of me.¡¹

    ¡ºMe too!¡»

    ¡¸Must be this guy¡¯s doing. He¡¯s sucking mana from not just us, but everything here, including the earth itself.¡¹

    Izario waspletely right. The giant antidemon seemed to be drawing huge amounts of mana from his surroundings, with an ability simr to Magic Plunder.

    That said, Fran, Urushi, and I were rtively unaffected, while Izario seemed to bepletely immune.

    This type of ability barely works against the more powerful opponents. Though the giant antidemon had an immense amount of mana, it seems like its abilities were no exception to this rule.

    ¡¸Seems too dangerous to leave alone. We don¡¯t know how far he can grow.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­So, we take him down?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ll be using a bit of a shy move, so you might want to stand back.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    If Izario says he has to do something shy, it must really be dangerous.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s get really far away. Even more thanst time.¡»

 Chapter 959

    <h4>959: Ignis'' Brilliance</h4>

    Fran hurried away from Izario, before turning to watch him face off against the giant antidemon. Izario cloaked himself in ayer of red mana after confirming our departure.

    Along with the mana, Izario¡¯s body burst into mes. The zing inferno swirled violently around him before suddenly converging on his right hand.

    Just like we saw before, his hand now held a mass of mes with a crimson glow.

    The antidemons we broke through on the way here caught up with Izario, but they burnt to a crisp simply by approaching him. Even these powerful ck antidemons were no different than moths diving into a me.

    ¡¸The divine swords¡­¡­ Super amazing as always.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸And Izario himself too.¡¹

    ¡ºThere¡¯s no way any ordinary guy can be the de¡¯s wielder.¡»

    Izario still had the same outward appearance as usual, but the presence he exuded was overwhelming. It wasn¡¯t just his sword. The man himself radiated an intense brilliance.

    This aura was more than a match for the giant antidemon¡¯s.

    ¡¸Izario¡¯s starting.¡¹

    ¡ºJust in case, we should stay on our toes in case we have to run further.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I know.¡¹

    There were no guarantees for our safety even this far away. The sheer power in the air made that very obvious.

    Izario looked more serious than when he took on the 10,000 antidemons. This giant antidemon was that much of a threat.

    What¡¯s more, his opponent had yet to move. This gave Izario the chance to focus the immense power of the divine sword even further.

    ¡¸Haaaaah¡­¡­ Pheeeeew¡­¡­¡¹

    With each breath Izario took, the Brilliant mede shone brighter and brighter. The sword raised in his hand became as bright as the sun, forcing Fran to squint lightly.

    A long time ago, I had the chance to see a high level me spell from Velmeria in the capital, while she was under Fanatics¡¯ control. At that time, Ipared those terrifying mes to the sun.

    But the brilliance cloaking Ignis right now far surpassed even the mes from back then.

    Fran and Urushi took a step backwards. They had subconsciously readied themselves to flee at a moment¡¯s notice.

    The de¡¯s glow had grown so intense that no human could look at it directly. Then at longst, he swung Ignis downwards.

    I see¡­¡­ ¡°Talentless¡±, huh?

    Izario¡¯s sh was pretty decent, probably reaching the level of experts. In other words, Holy Sword Mastery.

    But that¡¯s it, I didn¡¯t see any extraordinary talent behind his swing. Ignis must not have the ability to give the wielder Swordking Mastery.

    What I could see was his enormous amount of practice and obsession with the de. The precision of his swing was the culmination of all his training.

    This was a man who knew his limits, which was precisely why he could carefully put everything he had into one strike.

    Indeed, Izario¡¯s own abilities might be meaningless whenpared to those of his divine sword. It¡¯s like the difference between dealing 100001 damage or 100000 damage. He could swing Ignis randomly without any effort, and his enemies would fall all the same.

    But even if that¡¯s true, perhaps Izario was recognized by Ignis because he had this kind of sincerity?

    Izario understood the power and weight of a divine sword, which is exactly why he would never abuse it. He also had the mentality to continue striving for improvement, which was worthy of respect.

    Fran¡¯s gaze was filled with awe. She must feel the same way as me.

    A beam shot out before our eyes.

    The mes had be so bright that they turnedpletely white. The white ray over a hundred meters long cleaved through the giant antidemon and dug a deep scar in the earth beyond.

    ¡¸<strong>IEIIEIEIEIIIIEIIIEI!</strong>¡¹

    The giant antidemon, cut cleanly in two, let out a horrific scream. It felt like someone set up a row of megaphones and screeched into them.

    Despite being so far in the skies above, even Fran and Urushi had to cover their ears.

    Was Izario okay? The powerful screech was practically a sonic st.

    Oh, as expected from a divine sword wielder. He simply stood there without any signs of damage.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s over.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The mes spread outward from the section sliced open by Ignis, consuming the giant antidemon¡¯s entire body. Before the antidemon could regenerate itself, his building-sized body was reduced to ash in a matter of seconds.

    We don¡¯t know why the giant antidemon was born, or for what purpose. All we can say for sure was that this wasn¡¯t his final form.

    The creature suddenly burst out of the ground in a seemingly defenseless state, and I still have no clue why. Maybe he was confident that his toughness would repel most ordinary attacks, or maybe he couldn¡¯t grow any further underground?

    At any rate, he never performed any hostile action against Izario. No, I suppose his ability to absorb mana would normally drain his enemies to power himself up. That could be considered both a potent offensive and defensive technique.

    If up against arge army, he could feed on them by absorbing their mana. Against a powerful single enemy, he could defend himself with his innate vitality and durability from being sorge.

    I think that was supposed to be the intention.

    Unfortunately, he found a bad match-up.

    The antidemon failed to absorb Izario¡¯s mana, while Izario¡¯s pure destructive power could erase any foe. There was nothing the antidemon could do against him.

    ¡¸Izario¡¯s calling.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Izario must have decided that everything was over. He waved over at us.

    When we returned to his side, we could still feel an intense heat from the aftermath of his technique.

    Perhaps Izario chose to stay in Gordicia because he didn¡¯t want to cause too much damage with Ignis¡¯ mes. Gordicia¡¯s been called the ruined continent for ages, so a few alterations to the terrain wouldn¡¯t bother anyone.

    ¡¸You okay? Tired?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, maybe I got a little too serious.¡¹

    Just as Fran pointed out, Izario looked exhausted with sweat covering his forehead. Although he could walk, he seemed to have a hard time doing so.

    However, Fran¡¯s concerns apparently lied elsewhere.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What about the price?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you¡¯re pretty well informed. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been using the divine sword for a long time now. I know by feeling what price I have to pay for the duration.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s good.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I¡¯m notining since I can unleash such a powerful strike for only one or two levels.¡¹

    I guess Ignis¡¯ price was indeed levels. Although this wasn¡¯t Fran¡¯s intention, we managed to identally bluff our way into learning this fact.

 Chapter 960

    <h4>960: Bultori''s Devastation</h4>

    After defeating the giant antidemon, the strange tremors restarted before Fran and Izario could begin moving again.

    The earth shook again and again, with varying degrees of intensity.

    Then, far off in the distance, we saw a cloud of dust with a huge shadow looming in the middle of it.

    ¡¸The same one as here?¡¹

    ¡¸Probably. Judging by the tremors, there¡¯s gotta be five or six, maybe even more. As for the one closest to us¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That one?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that. I think it¡¯s pretty close to Bultori.¡¹

    Fran grimaced at Izario¡¯s words, probably because she knew that Bultori¡¯s forces would not be enough to defeat the giant antidemon.

    Izario and Ignis¡¯ immense offensive power made it look easy. In reality though, the average town would have a very rough time.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What now?¡¹

    Fran would usually ask me for my opinion, but instead she¡¯s looking up at Izario to her side. I-It¡¯s not like I¡¯m jealous or anything, you know?

    It¡¯s not a bad thing for Fran to have other adults that she can rely on. That meant Fran¡¯s circle of friends was getting wider.

    It does feel a bit lonely, but only a little. The happiness I felt from seeing Fran interact with others exceeded that.

    ¡¸Well, I guess we have to go back. We can¡¯t leave Bultori alone.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Izario must have some reason for fighting on this continent for so many years. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯d never willingly abandon so many people.

    Fran also nodded happily at his words, so it seems we have no choice but to return.

    ¡¸Then let¡¯s hurry up a bit, shall we?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi, keep at it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Izario jumped on his board and started pouring mana into it. Immediately after, he sted away at max speed. The board looked kinda like a toy.

    The speed, however, was not funny. He clearly went faster than an F1 car. Urushi stared nkly at Izario, who had already disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye. We called out to him hurriedly.

    ¡ºUrushi! We¡¯re going too!¡»

    ¡¸A-Arf!¡¹

    Urushi desperately chased after Izario¡¯s board, still spewing mes as it flew above the ground. Despite Urushi also going full speed, we had a hard time catching up.

    Only after having Urushi sprint at max speed, applying support magic, and repeatedly healing him, did we finally manage to reach Izario¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Littledy, don¡¯t push yourselves too hard! No worries if you arrive a bitter!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi tried to put on a tough front, but he¡¯s clearly overexerting himself. It wouldn¡¯t be terrible to let Izario go on ahead of us.

    I was considering that, but Urushi kept on running. He had his pride as Fran¡¯s legs on the line, so he refused to lose to some magic tool.

    Even though Fran and I tried to convince him to take it easy, he didn¡¯t slow down one bit.

    Urushi started breathing so hard that I thought he might vomit blood, as well as desperately swallowing the stomach acid about to rise out of mouth. But he pulled it off. He ran all the way through.

    About 100 meters before Bultori, Urushi stopped and immediately copsed. His chest was heaving up and down at irregr intervals because of his disturbed breathing.

    ¡¸Pant¡­¡­ Pant¡­¡­ Gorf¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve got one great beast servant, littledy! I really went all out, and I never thought you¡¯d follow me through to the end!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, you did a great job.¡¹

    ¡¸Pant¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No need to talk.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, rest up good. You were truly amazing.¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    Still copsed on the ground, Urushi dove into the shadows to rest. He must have pushed himself so hard that he didn¡¯t even have the strength to get back up.

    But it was thanks to him that we made it back to Bultori before nightfall.

    We could see the giant antidemon on the other side of the city. It looked just like the previous one, a fetus covered in a weird liquid.

    The distance between it and the city was no more than 300 meters. Considering how vast the distances are on this continent, that¡¯s actually pretty close.

    ¡¸There¡¯s only a few soldiers on the walls?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sensing a lot of antidemons!¡¹

    ¡¸If the big guy ain¡¯t moving yet, an antidemon horde¡¯s probably shown up here too. They¡¯re still engaged at the other gate. Let¡¯s hurry.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The two of them stopped here partly because Urushi reached his limit, but also because they needed to fly through the city in one go.

    Izario¡¯s board could not travel at high altitudes, so he had to dash through on his own.

    Now, he spewed mes from the soles of his feet and back, before jumping into the sky. The same trick Mea had done, multiple casts of Vernier.

    Combining the eleration with jumps, the two entered the city¡¯s airspace. Izario hopped off the roofs of houses, while Fran followed closely behind with aerial hops.

    ¡¸A lot of people sitting down.¡¹

    ¡¸They must have been drained of mana. Oh, and then evil intoxication after that.¡¹

    Most people couldn¡¯t resist the giant antidemon¡¯s mana drain ability, so they lost consciousness after losing too much mana. I guess the symptoms were kinda like anemia. Moreover, the dense evil aura emitted by the giant antidemon covered the city too, inflicting everyone with evil intoxication.

    Perhaps their resistance to evil energy also decreased after getting their mana drained.

    The problem was that neither of us could do anything to fix mana depletion or evil intoxication. Fran and Izario hurried past the defenseless crowds to reach the giant antidemon.

    The closer we got to the gate, the more people we found sitting on the ground, with some of them even copsed. That¡¯s because the giant antidemon¡¯s absorption was more powerful the closer you got.

    If that draining ability could reach over the entire city, then I have to wonder just how much power it managed to absorb.

    ¡¸Everyone¡¯s in danger if we let this go on.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The big guy ns to devour the entire town. If we don¡¯t take him down quickly, they¡¯re eventually dying of mana exhaustion.¡¹

 Chapter 961

    <h4>961: Bultori Relief Effort</h4>

    When Fran and Izario arrived at the gate, they found the situation quite dire.

    We heard many adventurers shouting while fighting off the antidemons right outside the gates. Meanwhile on the inside, many wounded lined up in rows. Pretty much all of Bultori¡¯s adventurers were here, and half of them were already incapable ofbat.

    With the hordes already at the walls, they wouldn¡¯tst another hour.

    ¡¸Littledy! Can you heal them? If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll go help the wounded!¡¹

    ¡¸I can heal! You take the outside!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice! I¡¯m on it!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran had grown quite fond of Izario and clearly had a lot of respect for him.

    Maybe that¡¯s because his freedom was close to Fran¡¯s image of the ideal adventurer. Now that her target of admiration asked her to take on a task, she would of course get extremely motivated.

    £¨Master, let¡¯s save everyone!£©

    ¡ºYeah! First spam a couple Circle Heals to avoid any casualties. If there¡¯s anyone still in danger, we¡¯ll give them a Greater Heal afterwards.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Frannded on the main street and checked her surroundings.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Aghah¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It hurts¡­¡­¡¹

    More than a hundred adventurers were lying on the ground, most of them without any caretakers. Those who could still fight were outside the city walls fending off the antidemon invasion. Those who couldn¡¯t were stuck here due to the mana drain.

    There was at least one doctor-looking guy giving them first aid, and a few healers going around too. Unfortunately, thebination of mana drain and evil intoxication made it difficult for them to move and cast spells. There was no way they could save everyone¡¯s lives.

    Fran walked through the main street with the wounded adventurers lying on the ground, activating area-wide recovery spells in session.

    Because we prioritized area of effect, the healing each person received was rather low. Those with more severe injuries wouldn¡¯t be fully cured, but it should at least help them survive.

    After Fran and I applied Circle Heal about 20 times, we saved the majority of the adventurers. Some started to stand up with surprised looks on their faces.

    Their wounds had suddenly been healed without any indication of who did it. All they could do was nce around in confusion.

    But there were still a few who could not get up. Some of them had already passed away, and others had severe injuries that could not be cured so easily.

    We gave a quick silent prayer to those fallen, then started applying Greater Heals to the seriously wounded.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­ That¡¯s thest one.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go help outside.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran turned on her heel, but a panicked voice came from behind her.

    ¡¸W-Where are you going!?¡¹

    Behind us was the town doctor with a white beard. The elderly man looked anxiously at Fran after seeing her heading for the city walls.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve done my job here, so I¡¯m gonna help the outside.¡¹

    ¡¸There is no need for such a precious healer to risk that! You must stay inside until the battle is over!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be fine.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying!? Leave such danger to the adventurers!¡¹

    He was the type of guy to go out of his way and rescue people next to the battlefield, when he could have easily ran away. Must be a good man at heart. His tone of voice seemed a bit arrogant, but his concern for Fran was genuine.

    I guess he thought Fran to be a healing specialist. Well, that¡¯s not surprising. Given her age, many might expect her to be incapable ofbat. Besides, even non-adventurers tended to wear armor on this continent. It¡¯s hard to tell if someone¡¯s an adventurer just by their appearance.

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Wait¨D¨D!¡¹

    The doctor tried to stop her again, but Fran ignored him and headed for the walls. We didn¡¯t have the time to exin the situation in such an emergency.

    Fran jumped over the wall with aerial hop, leaving the doctor and adventurers behind. It seems those guys finally realized that Fran was the one who healed them.

    From there, we had a good view of the battlefield below us.

    ¡¸So many antidemons, and a lot of wounded.¡¹

    ¡ºThey¡¯ve been left behind.¡»

    Our forces didn¡¯t have enough hands to take the additional wounded inside the walls. Those fallen and injured were simply left there on the ground.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll help them.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! It doesn¡¯t matter if we identally get the antidemons too, just heal everyone!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After Frannded outside the wall, she took out several antidemons while healing the wounded who were unable to move. With this, the surrounding adventurers realized Fran¡¯s arrival.

    Fran continued spamming healing magic to restore the rest of the adventurers. Fortunately, most of them were gathered in front of the gate, probably because the antidemons had pushed them all the way back.

    Thanks to that, we managed to heal a lot of them at once.

    Izario, who had gone to the rescue before us, was a short distance away from the gate. He applied his usual defensive style to attract the antidemons¡¯ attention.

    Since he never made significant attacks while releasing a huge amount of mana, the antidemons must have thought of him as a free dinner.

    Aside from the antidemons closest to the gate, most of the rest focused on Izario. This seemingly reduced the pressure on the adventurers.

    The adventurers also had time to rx now that Fran showed up.

    ¡¸Y-You saved us!¡¹

    ¡¸Get back on your feet while you still can.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Roger!¡¹

    The adventurers seemed to at least recognize Fran¡¯s identity, so they obediently followed her instructions.

    We sent the adventurers to guard the gate to avoid getting too close to Izario. Fran took a stand in front of them to block the approaching antidemons.

    If the horde ever turned their attention to us, we¡¯d go on the offensive with area-wide spells, but Izario managed to perfectly control their attention.

    By purposely showing off his mana, he managed to lure all of them to himself. Many years of experience on the continent must have given him a good understanding of how much mana he needed to release in order to attract antidemons within a certain range.

    ¡¸Only the big one left.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    Fran gave a sharp stare to the source of our troubles, the giant antidemon still sleeping while holding onto his knees.

 Chapter 962

    <h4>962: Fran vs Giant Antidemon</h4>

    While cooperating with the other adventurers, we seeded in eliminating the antidemons swarming around Bultori.

    All but the big one. Frannded next to Izario, who called out to her after extinguishing his mes.

    ¡¸As long as that big guy¡¯s alive, we should expect the antidemons to keep popping up.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸You wanna take him?¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    After seeing the determination in Fran¡¯s eyes, Izario gave a light shrug.

    ¡¸Well, I won¡¯t beining if you do my job for me. He is a little too close to town either way. I can see you¡¯re raring to go, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Then good luck with that.¡¹

    Activating his divine sword twice in one day must be very risky for Izario. Not only will his level drop further, but he would be taking the recoil twice.

    And like he said, the town was right next to us. Even Izario could have trouble controlling his powers to avoid the coteral damage.

    If Fran takes down the giant antidemon, then everything¡¯s solved. Even if she fails, Izario might be able to deliver a fatal blow without activating his sword.

    At the very least, nothing bad coulde from letting Fran take a shot at the guy.

    £¨Master, let¡¯s do it!£©

    ¡ºAlright, we can¡¯t keep relying on Izario to do everything.¡»

    £¨Nn! Izario will be in danger if he keeps using the divine sword.£©

    Fran knew that Izario wasn¡¯t in good shape. He¡¯s hiding it well, but we could see the recoil definitely taking a toll.

    We too, were still recovering from the series of intense battles on Gordicia. However, we were much better off than Izario was right now. Fran¡¯s long sleep did wonders for our recovery.

    ¡ºWeak attacks will probably get repelled by that fluid thing, since it contains so much mana. Let¡¯s take our time charging and put everything into one strike!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    Fran nodded with a look of determination and carried me on her shoulder. Then, she nced backwards.

    The adventurers and Izario were lined up to watch over Fran, but they were not the only ones on Fran¡¯s mind.

    ¡ºFran? What¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨A lot of people died.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡»

    £¨So, so¡­¡­ Hmm?£©

    Fran stared at the gate, thinking of the sleeping adventurers beyond it. Those who will never wake up again.

    Until now, Fran had considered the majority of adventurers to be something like coworkers. She never really felt much in terms of camaraderie.

    But after she¡¯s fought, sung, and feasted together with the adventurers, her feelings must have changed.

    Seeing so many fallen adventurers must have awakened this strange feeling. Not even Fran herself could exin why she felt this way.

    She tilted her head at being unable to exin her own emotions. However, they weren¡¯t negative. After turning her eyes to the giant antidemon again, she got back into the swing of things.

    £¨¡­¡­We will protect this town!£©

    ¡ºOf course. Let¡¯s do it.¡»

    As she walked toward the giant antidemon, Fran steadily built up her magical power.

    We do have a time limit, but it¡¯s not like everyone¡¯s gonna die in a few minutes or anything.

    That gave us plenty of time to build our strength for a one serious blow.

    Like Fran, I pushed my mana output to the limit.

    As Fran took step after step towards the giant antidemon, some smaller ones popped up around her. However, they were instantly incinerated by mes shot out from behind us.

    We couldn¡¯t ask for better support. I doubt anyone else could be this reassuring.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­ Haaah¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran continued walking with the same stride, undisturbed by the antidemons. Her breathing became deeper and deeper, with each breath increasing her mana levels by an extraordinary degree.

    And yet, not a trace of this mana leaked outward. A sign that she managed to concentrate the entirety of this power without any waste.

    Then, when the distance between us and the giant antidemon reached about 100 meters, I teleported Fran. I knew instinctively what she wanted to do.

    As soon as my teleportpleted, Fran went into free fall.

    With the lowered orange sun behind her, Fran set her eyes sharply on the giant antidemon directly below.

    ¡¸Awakening, Brilliant Lightning Rush¡­¡­! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Still tired?¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Then give me a paw.¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    Urushi was still exhausted, but he seemed to have recovered enough to lend a paw. Fran and Urushi activated aerial hop in perfect sync.

    ¡¸Groooooogh!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    Urushi used his front paw to boost Fran downwards. The Wolf-Style Draw Technique.

    Fran elerated toward the giant antidemon from the cold skies. A momentter, my sword became enveloped in ck lightning.

    And not just any ck lightning, it contained a bit of divine power too. The concentrated ck lightning fused with my own mana, magnifying the power of my de.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Divine w!¡¹

    One of Fran¡¯s ultimate moves, as well as one of the most difficult ones.

    She was using Wolf-Style Draw and ck Lightning Divine w at the same time. Thisbination of her most powerful techniques would pack a punch, but only if it seeds.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    Fran unleashed her sh with that short exhtion¨D¨Dcleaving the giant antidemon straight down the center, and splitting the sea of amniotic fluid.

    Crack!

    At the same time, the tremendous amount of ck lightning stored in the de discharged to sizzle the giant¡¯s entire body. The sheer heat vaporized all the fluid surrounding the giant in an instant, leaving a white mist drifting in the air around the antidemon.

    Is this stuff even safe to inhale? I¡¯ll cover us with a wind ward just in case.

    The two halves of the giant antidemon started falling to the sides from the impact of the ck lightning.

    I teleported Fran a short distance away, and she groaned in frustration as she fell to one knee.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    I still sensed a bit of mana emanating from the giant antidemon. We could also see the section sliced open slowly restoring itself.

    Even a strike with our full power was unable to vanquish the giant. No, we might have pulled it off if we had reached the expected output.

    However, our control over the ck Lightning Divine w technique got a little loose at the critical moment, reducing the impact of our sh. We¡¯ve seeded in dealing a considerable amount of damage, but the giant antidemon was still capable of regeneration.

    Though disappointed, neither of us showed any worry about this oue.

    Booooom!

    As we watched on, countless mes came pouring down on the giant. We may have failed to achieve our goal of defeating him, but at least we managed to ease Izario¡¯s burden.

    I didn¡¯t sense any usage of the divine sword. He must have decided that he didn¡¯t need to release it. In the end, the crimson inferno quickly burned the giant antidemon¡¯s two halves to a crisp.

 Chapter 963

    <h4>963: Bultori''s Casualties</h4>

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran watched the disappearance of the giant antidemon with displeasure.

    No doubt she¡¯s frustrated about being unable to defeat him with her own strength.

    £¨¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t beat him.£©

    ¡ºStill having trouble mastering ck Lightning Divine w?¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­ It¡¯s hard.£©

    The convergence of the ck lightning lost stability the instant she shed, which partially diffused the lightning to the surrounding area.

    As a result, we couldn¡¯t focus all the power on the giant antidemon.

    Fran also made simr mistakes in controlling ck lightning in the past. It seems very difficult tobine with other techniques.

    She could easily pull it off under the effects of Divine Beast Form or Potential Release, but it required tremendous concentration under normal circumstances.

    Even Fran found it difficult to use her ultimate move while flying through the air and activating arge number of skills at the same time.

    Since she still remembered the feeling of pulling it off during Divine Beast Form, her frustration at being unable to manipte her powers perfectly must be amplified.

    Fran clenched her fists and turned to the ground for a few seconds.

    However, it wasn¡¯t solely her fault.

    ¡ºTo be honest, I made a bit of a mistake myself.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºYeah, it¡¯s pretty hard to control Golden Form and Divine Energy Maniption too¡­¡­¡»

    Golden Form was the new skill Announcer-san left me that gives a bonus toward destroying antidemons. If I had managed to use it properly, our attack against the giant antidemon might have done way more damage. No, I¡¯m sure it would have.

    But I also recognized that I wasn¡¯t using Golden Form properly yet. The same went for the Divine Energy Maniption.

    I¡¯ll have to practice these two skills more in the future. Oh, and Evil Domination too.

    Rather than applying Evil Domination on the Evil God Fragment within me, I might be able to drain the evil energy from the antidemons and convert that to my own mana or divine energy. That would be like killing two birds with one stone.

    I¡¯ve tested my skills on goblins and other mooks in the past, but never against these kinds of more powerful enemies. I¡¯ll have experiment with these skills way more while we¡¯re in Gordicia.

    It¡¯s also true that failing the usage of these skills reduced the burden on my de.

    My de would be in absolutely awful shape if both Fran¡¯s ck Lightning Divine w and my skills had been fully activated. I managed to get away with only a few cracks since we both failed to reach max output.

    £¨We need more and more practice.£©

    ¡ºYou can say that again. Just don¡¯t overdo it. Let¡¯s start with what we can do and work our way up.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºBesides, you¡¯re definitely growing.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºNo doubt about it.¡»

    Thest time she failed to use ck Lightning Divine w, it didn¡¯t even activate. This time, she still managed to pull it off, though the damage was reduced.

    That¡¯s a clear sign of growth.

    A figure approached the still gloomy Fran.

    ¡¸Hey, littledy!¡¹

    ¡¸Izario.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, why the long face? Did something go wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    He could tell something was up with Fran¡¯s mood. Izario patted her shoulder lightly.

    ¡¸Being young is all about trying things and making mistakes. Besides, you¡¯ve definitely made my job a lot easier. Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Izario¡¯s words were not the only thingforting Fran.

    ¡¸You¡¯re amazing, youngdy!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s our ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Wooooh! We¡¯re saved!¡¹

    The adventurers we saved all started cheering. They knew Izario was not the only one here for them.

    Fran smiled happily when she saw the brawny men running over to her.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve saved Bultori. Let¡¯s be satisfied with that for now.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran and Izario returned to town after everything settled down, resulting in them getting cheered by the adventurers again.

    Some thanked her with words, and the more touchy ones showed their appreciation by patting her roughly on the shoulder or head. With a slightly annoyed but always happy look on her face, Fran epted all of this.

    We celebrated the victory for a while, but Izario soon began to give some orders. The adventurers started to do a patrol of the town.

    Then we found that only the people who were originally weak, such as the old and sick, lost their lives to the giant¡¯s mana absorption. The rest were safe and sound. Both the mana exhaustion and evil intoxication would recover after a good night¡¯s sleep.

    For a town under siege by such arge force, the casualties were very few. This was thanks to the adventurers putting their lives on the line.

    A few hours after the defeat of the giant antidemon.

    With the sun gone, the ck of night covered thend of Gordicia.

    However, a section of Bultori remained enveloped in a light illuminating the darkness.

    Izario was cremating the remains of the fallen.

    Sincend was so limited on this continent, burial was usually impractical. Cremation seemed to be the norm. Furthermore, they generally dug mass graves forrge groups of people rather than individual graves.

    The warm bonfire with a purifying power dissolved the remains until only the bones remained. Then, those bones gradually changed shape as well, before finally crumbling into ash.

    These ashes were collected and carried to the graves by the bereaved families and friends.

    ¡¸Now we have to figure out what we¡¯re doing next. I¡¯ve got no clue how the other towns are faring.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m worried about Nocta and Sendia.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, my vote¡¯s on heading back to Nocta first and hearing thetest news. Can your wolf run, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. Even if Urushi¡¯s tired, I can still fly with Ma¨D¨Dmy sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, true. Then let¡¯s leave Bultori tonight and head over to Nocta.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    If those giant antidemons appeared all over the ce, I could easily imagine them wrecking entire towns. We needed more info before deciding our next course of action.

 Chapter 964

    <h4>964: Location of the Holy Knights</h4>

    Fran and Izario traveled through the night and arrived at Nocta. Well, Fran slept on me most of the way, so Izario was the only one pulling an all-nighter.

    Urushi tried to run at first, but he quickly copsed again. He must have really overexerted himself on the way back to Bultori. That¡¯s when I picked up Fran with my Telekic Air Ride and kept on flying.

    I had to support Fran while she slept standing up, but I got the hang of it about halfway through. Now I¡¯m pretty confident in my ability to carry her sleeping in a futon while maintaining bnce. Guess I¡¯m improving too!

    Still, it was a bit rough keeping up with Izario. We just barely managed to make it to Nocta without falling behind.

    Outside of the town, we saw the remnants of an intense battle. The ground was covered with giant craters in one area, and ckened with ash in others. I also saw plenty of reddish-ck blood stains sttered around.

    Many adventurers were lined up on the city walls, making for a tense atmosphere. Like we expected, they must have fought off a giant antidemon here as well.

    We noticed the adventurers moving around as we got closer to the gate. They must have the job of checking damage to the walls and watching out for antidemons.

    There I saw a familiar face.

    ¡¸Zehard!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, it¡¯s you!¡¹

    ¡¸Is Nocta okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure is, thanks to the dwarves and the demonkin. Nadia-san is safe and sound too. The mana draining phenomenon never reached that area.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s shoulders rxed when she heard the news from Zehard, Mulsani¡¯s adventurer escort.

    Even if Nadia was stuck in aa, she was a high-ranking adventurer. Although Fran knew that a little mana drain wouldn¡¯t kill her, she still felt anxious until we actually checked for ourselves.

    ¡¸Izario! Fran! You¡¯re safe!¡¹

    After parting ways with Zehard, Fran and Izario got approached by someone else. It was Rere, the guildmaster, who was apparently ordering the adventurers here directly.

    ¡¸Did Nocta get one of those giants too?¡¹

    ¡¸We did. Fortunately, we were able to defeat it with the help of dwarves and demonkin¡­¡­ How bad was it in Bultori?¡¹

    ¡¸The town itself is pretty much safe, but many adventurers and residents of Bultori died.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ We took many casualties here too¡­¡­¡¹

    It seems demonkin queen Jayne and dwarf queen Orfalve took the lead in destroying the antidemons at Nocta.

    The dwarves countered the spring of antidemons with their iron-d formation, while the demonkin sorcerers whittled away at the giant antidemon using powerful ritual magic. In the end, the two queens struck the giant head on and destroyed it.

    It seems the giant antidemon appeared much closer to the city than in Bultori, assaulting the city with powerful tremors. Many of the buildings copsed too, which contributed to the casualty count.

    ¡¸We¡¯re getting damage reports from all over the continent now, but it seems that Sendia got away almostpletely unharmed.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Rere told us the news Fran wanted to hear the most. That grabbed our full attention.

    ¡¸Indeed. I hear the residents of the town cooperated with the holy knights of Srd. The Divine Sword Knight Adol took down the giant antidemon alongside the Beast King¡¯s daughter.¡¹

    Wait, I just remembered. Those guys from Srd¡¯s headed straight for Sendia! Of course they would, since they had that promise between Filuria and Adol about delivering the saintess.

    The news about Sophie being a divine sword wielder has probably spread all over by now, so there¡¯s a high chance that Adol knows about it. If so, wouldn¡¯t they try to take Sophie by any means possible?

    Although it seems they ended up protecting Sendia somehow¡­¡­? Are Sophie and the others safe? There¡¯s also Mea who has a different divine sword and Velmeria who has Divine Dragon Form. If Srd realizes their value, they might be targets for kidnapping too.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯m going to Sendia!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, wait. What¡¯s going on? We just heard that Sendia is safe.¡¹

    ¡¸Divine Sword Knight Adol is after Sophie. He might take her by force.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that story.¡¹

    Of course, we informed the Adventurers Guild about Filuria¡¯s schemes. However, the Ward Dealer Seliadot had already neutralized her. That¡¯s why the guild probably no longer thought of her as a threat.

    Since we skimped out on some of the details regarding the divine swords in our report, the guild didn¡¯t seem to have a good grasp on Sophie¡¯s importance.

    I guess that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t show much interest in Srd¡¯s army heading to Sendia.

    ¡¸Maybe this is good timing then.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I was just about to ask you guys to go to Sendia.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You see, Gordicia¡¯s administrative council has decided to make a contribution request to all adventurers and nations. The allied forces will be divided into several units to hunt down the remaining giant antidemons¨D¨Daka, the titan-types.¡¹

    Although the council doesn¡¯t have the authority to order the nations around, they do have the power to make requests for maintaining the existence of Gordicia¡¯s barrier. That said, the nations and guild were not obligated toply.

    It¡¯s only a ¡°request¡± after all. However, anyone attempting to refuse will be bashed by other countries and used of abandoning their Gordician duty.

    Therefore, the council¡¯s requests essentially had forcedpliance.

    ¡¸Naturally, the Adventurers Guild will issue this as an urgent request to all adventurers. You will have to obey.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s just the way it is.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The adventurers weren¡¯t allowed to refuse either. It¡¯s an emergency, so that¡¯s only natural.

    ¡¸The administrative council wants to ensure the participation of the Holy Nation of Srd, the Militant Nation of Hagane, the Dwarf Kingdom of Snorabbit, and the Demonkin Kingdom of Dume.¡¹

    Two nations owning divine swords, as well as two nations led by a member of the Seven Sages. They would of course ask for the most powerful forces currently stationed in Gordicia.

    ¡¸The two queens have already given their full approval. A separate branch will be sending a messenger to Hagane. That¡¯s why we¡¯d like you two talking with Srd.¡¹

    ¡¸Is there a point in both of us going?¡¹

    ¡¸Allow me be frank for a moment, but those guys are idiots. They only care about themselves, right? We need a ¡°proper negotiation¡± to avoid them making some stupid excuse and running away, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡¹

    So in other words, she needed Izario and Fran to pressure Srd into participating in the allied forces.

    Izario alone was essentially equal to Adol. Maybe Adol could im an advantage due to the holy knights apanying him, but the scales tip back in our favor with Fran in the picture. They could no longer resort to any forceful methods.

    Any reasonable country wouldn¡¯t refuse in the first ce, but Rere seemed to suspect otherwise. Sending both Izario and Fran for this mission certainly showed how well she appreciated Srd.

    If we manage to drag Srd onto the battlefield, they will no longer be able to plot anything in Sendia. We¡¯ll have the watchful eyes of the other nations on them.

    ¡ºThen let¡¯s go grab Srd by the cor!¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

 Chapter 965

    <h4>965: Srd to the Rescue?</h4>

    Upon our arrival at Sendia, we found many adventurers guarding the city walls. They must be watching out for any more signs of the giant antidemon¨D¨Daka the titan-type.

    Many eyes followed us as soon as we entered the town. However, they were focused on Fran, not Izario, and everyone was very weing.

    Furthermore, many of them called out to her by various nicknames, such as ¡°friend of the saintess¡± or ¡°the ck cat princess¡±.

    Numerous citizens expressed their gratitude for saving the city and the saintess. Izario was pretty famous, but it seems Fran was now more popr here in Sendia.

    ¡¸Whoa, you¡¯re super popr.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Izario smirked and tapped Fran on the shoulder in a teasing manner. However, Fran saw how popr Izario was at the guild and how popr Sophie was in this town. She also experienced a warm wee when she visited the ck cat vige.

    Because of those experiences, she probably didn¡¯t think much of her poprity.

    Fran continued walking, sometimes waving back at other people lightly. Then, we ran into a familiar face.

    I don¡¯t remember his name, but he¡¯s a low-level member of the Beastmen Union. I¡¯ve seen him with Mea on several asions.

    ¡¸Sis! You¡¯re back!¡¹

    He called Fran ¡°Sis¡± and gave a broad smile. Fran must be a well-respected idol to many of the beastmen.

    ¡¸Do you know where Mea, Sophie, and Velmeria are?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! Should be at the base right next to us! Oh, and Velmeria the dragon girl, right? I haven¡¯t seen her recently.¡¹

    ¡¸What about the Srd guys?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re probably at the inn, I think?¡¹

    Seems like they haven¡¯t left town at least.

    ¡¸Should I take you to the base?¡¹

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    Fran wanted to confirm Mea and Sophie¡¯s safety before she could rx. Izario knew the importance of getting the cooperation of the town¡¯s influential leaders, so he didn¡¯t have anyints either.

    While walking, the guy told us about what happened when the titan-type appeared.

    The whole town went into a panic when the titan appeared right next to Sendia. It was unprecedented for the town to find another antidemon horde right after having fought off such huge numbers earlier.

    Besides, the copsed walls had yet to be repaired, and the reorganization of forces wasn¡¯tplete either. It was literally the worst possible time for an attack.

    Still, the Sanatorium, the Beastmen Union, the dragonkin, and the guild teamed up to mount a counterattack. With the Saintess, Mea, and Velmeria backing them up, many thought they¡¯d be able to pull through.

    However, unexpected reinforcements showed up.

    To their surprise, an army engaged the titan-type and antidemon horde from the rear. It was the knight order from the Holy Nation of Srd.

    They took the brunt of antidemons themselves, so there was almost no damage to the town. Only a few people were injured by the tremors.

    In the end, Sendia¡¯s forces struck at the antidemons while they were engaged with the knights, and seeded in eliminating the horde.

    Also, the holy knights suffered considerable casualties. The ratkin praised them for their efforts and said he saw them in a new light.

    ¡¸Well, none of our attacks worked on the big guy, but that¡¯s where Miss Mea and the Saintess came in! The two of them teamed up with the Divine Sword Knight, and they took him down in no time at all!¡¹

    Adol could have defeated the titan-type alone, so it must have been really quick with Mea and Sophie¡¯s assistance. But still, why would the holy knights sacrifice themselves to save Sendia?

    Those guys always had the ¡°holier than thou¡± attitude, so they¡¯d despise the residents of an illegal city. I don¡¯t think Adol should have any reason to help Sendia at the expense of his men.

    The holy knights seemed more likely to use Sendia as bait rather than themselves. I can imagine that happening more easily.

    But at least we learned that Sophie was safe, and that the holy knights haven¡¯t done anything suspicious yet.

    While conversing with the beastman, we soon arrived at our destination. The gatekeeper at the entrance recognized Fran and let her in without another word.

    ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s Fran! You¡¯re back!¡¹

    ¡¸Mea, are you okay? With the giant antidemon and Srd.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, we are practically unharmed, though it seems the holy knights took their fair share of casualties.¡¹

    It seems Sophie was somewhere else at the moment, so only Mea greeted us.

    ¡¸The man next to you is¡­¡­ Izario-dono!?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you¡¯re the Beast King¡¯s daughter, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Did you know each other?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve exchanged a greeting or two, though I am very familiar with Izario-dono¡¯s exploits. As we are both me wielders, he is an existence I cannot ignore!¡¹

    Mea¡¯s eyes radiated pure reverence. Her race and ss were both focused on controlling mes, so she had great respect for Izario, the absolute best when it came to fire.

    She¡¯s only met Izario in person a few times, but it seems she knew a lot about him.

    ¡¸H-Handshake, please!¡¹

    ¡¸Haven¡¯t we done this before?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll ask every time either way!¡¹

    ¡¸Well, fine I guess. I heard the holy knights of Srd saved this town. Is it true?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, about that¡­¡­¡¹

    Mea chuckled and told us the true story.

    ¡¸Luckily for us, they simply got caught up in the antidemon attack.¡¹

    It seems holy knights had no intention of saving Sendia. Rather, the titan-type just happened to appear right in front of them.

    At first they tried to escape, but antidemons suddenly appeared to surround them and block their escape route. Sendia¡¯s forces took advantage of the situation to strike. That¡¯s what really happened.

    Mea had also heard about the agreement between the Holy Nation and the Medical Director. However, her thinking was that Adol would not take any action against Sophie because of how exhausted he was currently.

    So Srd imed to be the city¡¯s saviors when they really just wanted to run. How shameless can they get?

    During our conversation with Mea, someone else appeared from the back. It was Quina, Mea¡¯s maid.

    ¡¸I sent out a messenger just now, so I believe the Saintess will arrive shortly.¡¹

    It seems she sent one of the beastmen to call for Sophie.

    ¡¸Wonderful! How thoughtful of you, Quina!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, unlike a certain youngdy who keeps her guests standing without serving them any tea.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I-I was just about to do that! Prepare the tea immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸It is already prepared over there, so please help yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­F-Fuhahaha! Just look at how capable my retainer is!¡¹

    These guys are the same as ever.

 Chapter 966

    <h4>966: Izario''s Provocation</h4>

    ¡¸The knights of Srd are staying at the inn on the other side of this square.¡¹

    After exchanging information with Mea, Fran sessfully reunited with Sophie. Soon after, we left the base to meet Adol, with Mea leading the way.

    It seems that Velmeria and Frederick already left town in search of the Dragon King.

    During our talk with Sophie, we learned that she still couldn¡¯t reactivate her divine sword.

    ¡¸Can I appraise you?¡¹

    ¡¸You can use Appraisal? Okay, give it a shot.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I performed an Appraisal on Sophie after we got her permission, and found that the Divine Sword Release skill had reverted back into ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±. After Fran told her this, Mea asked for an Appraisal on herself as well.

    I guess there¡¯s not much left to hide between us.

    Mea¡¯s stats didn¡¯t even have a ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡± portion. They¡¯re both divine sword holders, so why the difference?

    After thinking about it a bit, I realized that it might be due to whether or not they were recognized by the de.

    In Sophie¡¯s case, she definitely had the talent to activate Divine Sword Release, but could not master its usage properly for various reasons. Based on what she told us, it seems to be a mostly psychological issue.

    However, Sophie didn¡¯t look worried to me. She¡¯s apparently confident that she¡¯ll be able to regain the ability when the timees.

    In Mea¡¯s case, her normal state was simply considered not good enough. It seems she didn¡¯t have the qualifications to activate Divine Sword Release in the first ce.

    ¡¸Hmm, Adol.¡¹

    ¡ºGood timing.¡»

    We didn¡¯t even have to enter the inn since Adol and the holy knights were already standing in front of the door. They didn¡¯t seem to be making departure preparations, so they must be headed for somewhere else in town.

    After noticing the approaching Fran and friends, the knights clearly became tense.

    ¡¸Leave this to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you okay, Mea?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll just calm them down real quick. They¡¯re strangely aggressive right now, probably due to their worries about Adol-dono¡¯s safety.¡¹

    Mea smiled and waved to the knights as she approached them. The tense atmosphere dissipated after they recognized her face.

    Instead, they switched to giving her condescending looks.

    ¡¸Hello men of Srd! Are you headed somewhere?¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t need to yell, we can hear you just fine. So? What do you filthy criminals want? Have you changed your mind about selling the magic sword?¡¹

    It seems they never realized Mea¡¯s identity. Since she¡¯s a princess, they¡¯d normally need to be a little more concerned about appearances. Demanding that she sell her sword would probably be considered rude too. They must not know about Lind being a divine sword either.

    ¡¸Whatever, that matters little. You came at a good time, show us to the Saintess immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Her healing powers are appropriate for our nation. We¡¯ve decided to take her with us.¡¹

    What do you mean ¡°decided to take her with us¡±!? Fran¡¯s temper was about ready to burst. Well, at least it seems like they don¡¯t know about Sophie¡¯s divine sword? They¡¯d probably be acting much more carefully if they really intended to kidnap a divine sword wielder.

    Perhaps the Holy Nation¡¯s appraisers didn¡¯t manage to see the extent of Sophie¡¯s abilities.

    ¡¸I see, but the Saintess has dered that she will remain in this city, yes? I believe any negotiation will be pointless.¡¹

    ¡¸That is not your decision to make.¡¹

    ¡¸Either way, you save that forter. I¡¯ve brought a messenger from the Adventurers Guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. A messenger?¡¹

    The holy knight scoffed in irritation before turning to Fran and Izario, who were standing a bit further away. He clearly didn¡¯t like how Mea acted as if she was their equal.

    However, his face soon turned red with astonishment.

    ¡¸Crimson de¡­¡­!¡¹

    The holy knights certainly recognized Izario¡¯s face, and judging by that reaction, they weren¡¯t big fans of him. They hardly talked to Izario back in Nocta either.

    ¡¸Hey, I heard you guys saved the city? Pretty strange course of action for you guys, no? Since you¡¯re the epitome of arrogance.¡¹

    ¡¸W-What are you saying?! We are the knights of the glorious Holy Nation! Our mission is to protect the weak!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Well, whatever.¡¹

    The holy knight flew into a rage when Izario blew off their words. Meanwhile, Izario lookedpletely uninterested, picking at his ear with his pinky finger.

    I sensed killing intent from the holy knight, who had a vein on his forehead about to burst. Of course, he couldn¡¯t pick a fight with someone holding a divine sword.

    As the holy knights were still murmuring in confusion, Izario suddenly put on his serious face. He switched to a deeper tone of voice when he conveyed his business.

    ¡¸We¡¯ve got an urgent request from the administrative council. They¡¯re calling on all nations to contribute their forces towards quelling the current anomaly.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Many nations have already epted the request. Naturally, the Adventurers Guild will be joining in as well. I don¡¯t think the Holy Nation will forget their duties, do you?¡¹

    ¡¸O-Of course not! Who do you think we are?!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh wow! That¡¯s great to hear!¡¹

    So that¡¯s why Izario kept trying to provoke them. Angering them would make it easier to bait them into taking the request.

    However, that¡¯s when someone else interrupted. The appraiser. It seems he operated under a different chain ofmand from the holy knights, and had a decent amount of authority over them.

    ¡¸Hold it right there! The Divine Sword Knight has already activated the de three times on this continent. We cannot allow any further battles.¡¹

    Like the appraiser said, Adol did not look to be in good shape. Though notpletely spent, we could clearly see a hint of fatigue. Kinda like an ountant after pulling an all-nighter.

    But that¡¯s nowhere close to being unable to fight. Izario scoffed loudly and responded with a clear tone of mockery in his voice.

    ¡¸Only three times? Then he¡¯s perfectly fine. After all, I¡¯ve got a divine sword too. Not to mention the Holy Nation¡¯s Alpha and my Ignis were forged by the same smith. I know exactly how these babies work, and three times is nothing. Eh, maybe the famed and respected Divine Sword Knight can only manage three uses before he calls it quits? Nah, that¡¯d be way too weak. He can¡¯t possible be weaker than some random guy like me¡­ can he?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­!¡¹

    Izario¡¯s words left the appraiser speechless. After all, only a divine sword wielder can truly speak about their usage. He could not im that Izario was lying.

    Besides, Srd absolutely could not ept thest sentence. The Divine Sword Knight, the backbone of their nation¡¯s strength, was thrown the question ¡°Are you inferior to a mere adventurer?¡±

    Confirming this was out of the question, but denying it would affirm that Adol was capable of further battles. Either way resulted in big demerits.

    They probably wanted nothing more to do with the anomaly. The only thing on their mind was how to retreat from the continent without pushing Adol any further.

    ¡¸Just so you know, the Militant Nation of Hagane has epted the request. Wow, what a country, right? A splendid decision from a simrly great nation!¡¹

    ¡¸Gnrgh¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So? What¡¯s your answer? Feel free to say no. But only if you want to prove your own cowardice and selfishness, as well as admit the inferiority of the Divine Sword Knight to us adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Dammit!¡¹

    In the end, they had no choice but toply with the request. Since we¡¯ve already prevented them from resorting to force, it¡¯s not like they had other options in the first ce. Refusing the request would have put Srd under intense international pressure as well.

    A nation asrge as Srd had to protect its prestige. Well, only Izario, a man on the same level as such a nation, could pull off such a taunt in the first ce.

    However, I found it a bit strange that Adol didn¡¯t get to make the final decision. Although he was treated as their leader, it seemed like he didn¡¯t have much authority.

    In fact, it looked like the appraiser had the final say judging by how Adol never spoke up.

 Chapter 967

    <h4>967: Forces Gathering at Nocta</h4>

    Three days have passed since we pretty much forced the Holy Nation of Srd¡¯s participation.

    Various countries were gathering their troops in Nocta, one after another.

    The town didn¡¯t have the space for so many soldiers, so many had to set up tents outside the city. Nearly 500 tents of various sizes could be seen lined up from the south gate, along with the smoke from cooking for all of those armies.

    I don¡¯t know the total number, but I think an additional 1,000 or so adventurers and dragonkin hade in from the surrounding towns and reservations. In addition, the nations responding to the call sent about 4,000 knights and soldiers.

    I heard some of the smaller countries sent as few as 10 men, so it¡¯s difficult to say exactly how many were sent from each country.

    Moreover, not all the troops were gathered in Nocta.

    Five other towns had been selected as rallying points, and more than 30,000 troops were to deploy in total.

    And this number was only half of the expected amount.

    That¡¯s because the titan-types had already caused a massive amount of damage.

    Nocta, Sendia, and Bultori managed to defeat them with few casualties. But of course, not all towns were as sessful.

    There were certainly a few towns that seeded in defeating the titans with the help of reinforcements from the dragonkin and the ports.

    Those were the lucky ones, since they managed to defeat the titans before they woke up. The rest apparently got decimated or half-copsed after the titans started their rampage.

    The titans apparently awakened when the amniotic fluid surrounding them was reduced to a certain level, so a few titans left untouched were still sleeping. On the other hand, more than half of them continued rampaging around the continent unchecked.

    This was a huge blow to many nations, so several of them no longer had any forces to spare. In fact, there were some armies that werepletely wiped out,manders included.

    One of the executive members of the administrative council arrived in Nocta, and they were currently discussing the future course of action.

    Also participating in the discussion were the generals andmanders from each country, as well as several dragonkin generals. In addition, senior adventurers such as Izario and Fran, and representatives from mercenarypanies. There were probably about 50 people in total.

    Everyone was gathered on the first floor of a medical facility, simr in shape to the Sanatorium. They seem to always be towers on this continent, although it was rare for one to be asrge and powerful as Sendia¡¯s. The floor was spacious enough, since it¡¯s usually used as a waiting room for patients.

    However, it was difficult to rece the long chairs and other furniture, so they were used as is. It looked just like the waiting room of a hospital on Earth, except these pompous-looking old men sat around in suits of armor with grim expressions.

    The scene looked somewhatical, and I struggled to hold back myughter. The fact that these men had little say in the matter added to the surrealism of the situation.

    The majority of the people sitting here were the representatives of weaker countries, so they could not defy the decisions ofrger nations.

    There¡¯s literally nothing for them to do, so all of them probably thought ¡°Hurry up and just tell me the results¡±. But as representatives of their country, they had to sit there through the meeting, and they couldn¡¯t afford to doze off either.

    I saw some knights struggling to stay awake by pinching their own thighs, wearingpletely serious looks on their faces the entire time.

    Only about a dozen people actually spoke during the meeting.

    Oh, I guess Fran technically had the right to speak too. Right now, she was no mere adventurer.

    The current Fran represented the Kingdom of Belioth. We sat in the meeting alongside Admiral Brunen.

    The Kingdom of Belioth was considered a major power, although not nearly as influential as the two superpowers from the northern continent. Belioth always held plenty of influence and maintained a reasonably strong navy. Well, I guess their navy didn¡¯t do much aside from sending troops to Gordicia once every few years. Weena Rhyn was usually with them, so that probably affected everyone¡¯s perception of their strength. Also, since the Academy of Magic was located in Belioth, they hadrge numbers of sorcerers in their army. No one doubted their capabilities despite their generally low numbers.

    Moreover, now they employed an adventurer with an alias, Fran, as well as the Rank A adventurer leading the Dimitris school.

    Even if Belioth didn¡¯t bring many troops this time, they had a lot of top-ranking names that yed an active role in the front lines.

    That put Belioth as one of the five most important countries in the conference.

    Though they were still no match for Snorabbit or the demonkin nation, two countries led personally by their powerful queens.

    Besides, Fran will be working as a member of the Adventurers Guild after the meeting. The same probably went for Hilt.

    We were only representing Belioth right now because Brunen asked us to do so. He wanted to make the impression that Belioth had provided the adventurers with major forces, so that their nation could reap the benefitster.

    Among the members of the council was William, the muscled elf and an apprentice of Weena Rhyn. His position of ¡°magician consultant¡± might be more influential than we thought.

    The administrative council generally took the lead and the other nations followed their guidance.

    Our n of action was to form several divisions out of the elites from the gathered forces. Each division would then search out and destroy the titans closest to Nocta. The remaining troops will mainly work as scouts, information ry, and support in various areas.

    Oh yeah, and zero dragonkin came in from the northern reservation. It¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t respond to the request. By the time the messenger arrived, it seems all the dragonkin had disappeared without a trace.

    Like I thought, they must be working for the Dragon King. That increased the possibility of his involvement in the current incident.

    We took a look at the division of troops announced at the end of the meeting. Fran was, of course, assigned to one of the elite divisions. We also saw the names of Mea, Hilt, Colbert, Diggins, and other adventurers on the list as well.

    Next there was Srd, Hagane, the dwarves and demonkin along with their queens. The dragonkin Chelsea, the mercenary Tzaluta Camellia, and the knight Yagle were also assigned to a division.

    Although these were some dependable names, it also indicated that the guys in charge deemed it necessary to organize such powerful forces.

    The usual strategy of dealing with antidemons would be to send in whoever was avable. This was sufficient to destroy the hordes eventually.

    For this incident, however, they took the trouble of organizing several divisions over a period of three days. In other words, they knew sending a weak force would be pointless, a sign of how strong they believed these titans were.

    ¡ºThis is starting to seem like one tough job.¡»

 Chapter 968

    <h4>968: Valkyrie and Izario</h4>

    The goal of the reorganization was to divide the forces as evenly as possible. This normally meant splitting up the three divine swords, one for each division.

    However, this approach had one major problem.

    Berserk. The de¡¯s power could not be controlled. Taking arge force along with it ran a high risk of friendly fire.

    That said, the council was also ufortable unleashing Berserk on the continent without any failsafe to restrain it.

    That¡¯s why they decided to send Izario along to keep an eye on Hagane¡¯s forces. Makes sense. Put your most trusted man in charge of watching your biggest worry.

    The main yers were divided as follows: The first division with Srd and the elite dragonkin warriors. The second division with Hagane and Izario. The third division with Jayne, Orfalve, and Hilt.

    Sophie and Mea were absent because Sendia¡¯s walls had yet to be repaired, so they needed to prioritize their own defenses. The council could not possibly order them to abandon their own city to save others, so this absence was allowed.

    Meanwhile, Fran was assigned to the second division. While our division possessed two divine swords, we also had the fewest members. This made us the unit with the greatest mobility.

    The intention was probably to maximize our speed, allowing us to reach the more distant titans as quickly as possible.

    Our team members consisted of Hagane¡¯s army and a few adventurers we recognized. Also included was a detachment of knights riding on mounts.

    With Izario as the leader, Fran and the others began heading south across the continent. Our destination was one of the illegal cities located southwest of Sendia.

    There¡¯s apparently been no contact with the city since the incident.

    The adventurers led by Fran marched at the same speed as the cavalry. This was thanks to Fran¡¯s title ¡°March of the Valkyrie¡±, which boosted the speed and stamina of adventurers under hermand.

    Both the cavalrymen riding alongside us and the adventurers themselves were shocked. Even Izario and the old soldiers of Hagane, who had already seen this once before, could not remain silent.

    I guess it must look a little strange before you get used to it. Izario slid his board closer to Fran, and asked her in a whisper.

    ¡¸Littledy. This is your skill or magic, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡­ How long will itst? You maintained it quite a whilest time, yeah? If it¡¯s too much for you, we can take a break along the way.¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Since March of the Valkyrie was a title, there wasn¡¯t any direct burden on Fran. She simply needed to activate her own movement skills, which are then automatically shared with those under hermand. Nothing that would cause her any serious fatigue.

    Well, I guess the effect was reduced by half or so when shared. That meant Fran did have to focus on her skills more strongly to maintain the effect, but that¡¯s about it.

    After hearing this, Izario thought to himself solemnly before putting on a deep frown.

    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t let anyone know about this title.¡¹

    Then he warned Fran in a whisper only she could hear.

    ¡¸It¡¯s too easily abused for military purposes. Be especially careful of Srd.¡¹

    So that¡¯s one more thing we have to keep secret from Srd. Even Izario thought it was a skill or magic that came with some cost.

    I guess the assumption was only natural. Fran managed to obtain this title because of my ability to share skills with her. It would be hard for any normal person to get, maybe even impossible.

    The Valkyrie skill required for the title is the Innate Skill of the Valkyrie race. I kinda doubt normal people can actually acquire it.

    Thankfully, I doubt many people can recognize this ability easily. No one would expect us to have this title, or even know about its existence in the first ce.

    My only concern was Appraisal, but we should be fine with the Silver Lady¡¯s camouge bracelet.

    However, just as Izario grew suspicious, other people would too after seeing it enough times. We might have to worry about Hagane.

    ¡ºHmm. What are we gonna do about this?¡»

    The best option would be to take a break and not use it for a while, pretending to be tired. We could give everyone the impression that the ability can¡¯t be used for long periods of time.

    But Fran didn¡¯t like that idea.

    £¨If we take a break, we will be dyed.£©

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s true¡­¡­¡»

    £¨There¡¯s no time to waste, not even a little.£©

    With the titan-types running amok, Fran didn¡¯t want to dy the march for a selfish reason. As Fran and I discussed our options, Izario took the initiative.

    He approached themander of Hagane¡¯s forces to discuss their future course of action.

    ¡¸Shikimi-dono, we will take a short rest at the hill up ahead. Need to give the horses a rest, and the adventurers have been running the entire time too.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well, I agree. As we sawst time, it¡¯s amazing how they can march so fast.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! I know, right? That¡¯s the effect of a precious magical tool.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh? One that belongs to you, Izario-dono?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I got it from a friend.¡¹

    Huh? He told them that it was the effect of his own magic tool. A surprised Fran looked at Izario with concern.

    ¡¸Izario, what was that?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it, and let me take care of this. No one cany a finger on me, and I can always say it broke during a fight.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why would you do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Us adults are animals with the natural desire to show off in front of you youngsters. Besides, you¡¯re quickly rising in the ranks. Not a bad idea for me to get in your good books while I still can.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸But you owe me for this, yeah? You¡¯d better not die before returning the favor.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll pay you back.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure you will.¡¹

    Izario, you might be a bad influence, but you¡¯re a pretty cool guy. Someone else ¡°asking for a favor¡± would usually set off warning bells, but I didn¡¯t feel that way at all about Izario.

    I know Fran likes him, but this guy¡¯s starting to grow on me too.

 Chapter 969

    <h4>969: The Illegal City of Sarthe</h4>

    ¡ºI see it! A titan-type!¡»

    ¡¸The town is¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡­¡¹

    After several breaks along the way, the second division finally found its target.

    A giant antidemon had risen up and was currently rampaging within the walls of the city in front of us, the illegal city of Sarthe. Since he¡¯s as tall as a huge skyscraper, I¡¯m sure he scaled those walls with ease. Maybe like 200 meters tall¡­¡­? The sheer size made it difficult to estimate.

    The titan wrecking the city looked about the same scale as a child iling about in an intable pool.

    Naturally, no soldier or adventurer could do anything to stop him.

    The sight of such a huge creature spreading destruction was more powerful than we had imagined.

    Our fellow knights and adventurers, who were supposed to be a select few of elites, stopped dead in their tracks as they gasped in awe.

    Izario and Fran, however, were not intimidated at all. As aloof as ever, Izario even sighed.

    ¡¸Oh boy, this guy is gonna be a pain in the neck.¡¹

    I worried that the adventurers might lose morale at the sight of the Rank Sining, but it seems the opposite urred. The adventurers managed to calm down after seeing Izario¡¯s usual behavior.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll take him down this time.¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi were really fired up, so much so that it spread to the others around us. She was already pumping herself for a fight. Seeing Fran¡¯s attitude helped the adventurers recover too.

    After a nce at the faces of their two leaders, Izario and Fran, the adventurerspletely regained theirposure. Now they were ready for a battle.

    Maybe Izario was just bluffing, but he definitely helped get everyone back in the mood.

    On the other hand, our friends from Hagane were the same as usual. Those old soldiers were surprisingly calm, showing not the slightest sign of fear at the titan in front of them.

    Ajisai and the others exiting the wagon were the same. Matsuyuki spoke while looking up at the titan with a slight smile on her face.

    ¡¸Now then. What shall we do this time, Sakaki?¡¹

    ¡¸We need to coordinate with the adventurers for now. Whether or not you will be able to deploy depends on the evacuation of the townspeople.¡¹

    I guess the woman escorting her was named Sakaki. Both her face and voice closely resembled themander Shikimi. Maybe those two were sisters as well.

    Anyways, isn¡¯t this situation really bad?

    Both Izario¡¯s Ignis and Hagane¡¯s Berserk would cause tons of damage to the surrounding area. It¡¯s hard to make use of them against a titan in the middle of town.

    In that case, Fran will have put in the most work. I have to wonder how well the other adventurers and knights will fare against a giant antidemon¡­¡­

    The old soldiers of Hagane were certainly in high spirits, but there¡¯s no way they could defeat the titan themselves. Our n will probably involve luring the antidemon out of town, then Fran and everyone else sting him with whatever they¡¯ve got.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the n?¡¹

    ¡¸Someone mobile, like you, jumps around to grab the big guy¡¯s attention. We lead him to us with a long-range barrage, and drag him outside the walls. Then boom, we hit him with everything we¡¯ve got.¡¹

    ¡¸I have no objections to Izario-dono¡¯s n. We will join in the barrage.¡¹

    Shikimi nodded and exined the equipment and skills of the old soldiers. Some of them could use magic, and the ones who couldn¡¯t were trained in archery. Indeed, all of them possessed Bow Mastery and Bow Arts.

    ording to her, they could hit their target at a considerable distance. It was not a matter of confidence, it¡¯s like she was simply stating a fact.

    ¡¸You good with that, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m gonna need you to take care of the diversion team. Alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve still got a long way to go, so I hope we take him down with as little energy as possible.¡¹

    Izario was right. If taking out this guy meant missionplete, we could give him everything we got. But this battle was only the first of many.

    With future battles against more titans still toe, we could not exhaust all of our strength here.

    ¡¸For now, I¡¯d like to move to the position with the minimum distance from the titan.¡¹

    ¡¸Agreed.¡¹

    Even though they were confident of their range, we were currently over a kilometer away. It seems that exceeded their capabilities.

    The maximum distance for reliable uracy was probably about 500 meters.

    That¡¯s why we decided to look for the location where the titan was closest to the city walls. We proceeded along the walls of the illegal city.

    I couldn¡¯t sense anyone left inside. It¡¯d be great if they escaped, but there must have been a massive amount of casualties if they didn¡¯t.

    ¡¸Mrgh. The giant looked this way.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡ºDid he notice us?¡»

    The titan¡¯s gaze turned toward us. He obviously detected the presence of the second division.

    ¡¸The big guy¡¯s atmosphere just changed.¡¹

    ¡¸Is heing this way?¡¹

    If he chases after us, that would save us the trouble of having to lure him out¡­¡­

    ¡¸Ruooooooooogh!¡¹

    ¡¸The titan is attempting something! Be careful!¡¹

    Right after Shikimi¡¯s warning¡­

    I sensed something with huge mass flying from the direction of the titan. It was¡­ the roof of a house. He literally ripped it off a nearby house and threw it at us.

    Izario tried to cast a spell, but we dived into action before he could.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯ll handle it!¡¹

    Fran jumped up and stored the debris away.

    ¡¸Nice one, littledy!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll take care of anything flying at us! You all attack him!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    So Fran handled the defense and Shikimi took the lead. This was considerably different from the n, but the second division began its first battle nheless.

    ¡¸Littledy! I¡¯ll shoot down any that slip through. Don¡¯t worry about your back.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 970

    <h4>970: Vs Titan-Type</h4>

    While riding Urushi, Fran neutralized all the rubble thrown by the titan via storage.

    ¡¸While ck Lightning Princess-dono has his attention, we¡¯ll go around! Everyone, move!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Got it! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Hagane¡¯smander Shikimi gave the order and everyone obeyed. Not only the old soldiers under hermand, but soldiers from other nations and the adventurers as well.

    Perhaps it was because of her status as a great nation¡¯s general, but that wasn¡¯t all. She radiated an aura thatpelled them to follow her, perhaps the effect of hermander skills.

    At any rate, it seems themand of the troops could be left to her without any problems.

    ¡ºUrushi. Let¡¯s maintain just the right distance so the titan gets pissed and tries to smash us directly.¡»

    ¡¸W-Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºBasically, don¡¯t get too close.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, we¡¯re gonna shoot some random spells to provoke him.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We cast some shy explosion spells, focused on attracting the titan¡¯s attention. He barely took any damage though.

    He¡¯s incredibly durable in the first ce, and the mana drain reduced the power of our magic further. The spells needed to fly through the air, and by the time they reached the titan, they were weakened to the point of getting easily blocked by his barrier.

    That¡¯s fine since our main goal was to lure him out, but we have to watch out for that when we try to finish him off.

    ¡¸Ruooooorgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡ºTch! He¡¯s got a brain!¡»

    The titan suddenly changed his strategy after noticing how we stored away his thrown rubble.

    Instead of picking up anotherrge piece of debris, he grabbed a cluster of rocks. After crushing them in his hand, he threw them at us like pellets from a shotgun. Though smaller than the debris, each of the rocks was over one meter in diameter.

    A direct hit would be dangerous, even for Fran.

    We could easily dodge this, but letting them through would allow them to strike the second division instead. The titan-type had positioned himself at the perfect angle.

    This meant he was actually pretty smart, in addition to the huge size and regeneration abilities. Rather than having any special powers, he fought using sheer stats. That¡¯s kinda simr to the Midgardsormr we fought before. Well, I guess that snake was pretty dumb inparison.

    And we still don¡¯t know if he¡¯s got some abilities yet to be shown.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll knock down the rocks with telekinesis and wind magic. Fran, you store the closer ones!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The titan threw five more piles of rocks, with us blocking each one. The barrage of magic and arrows our soldiers were sending got more and more intense too.

    Even if it dealt little damage, the titan seemed to dislike getting hit in the face. He began to swat away the long-range attacks with his hands.

    Finally, the titan-type got fed up with the situation.

    ¡¸Ruuaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! The big guy¡¯s moving! Let¡¯s lead him outside the walls! Urushi, can you keep this distance?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The titan turned his huge body towards us and the soldiers behind us. He steadily approached us, step by step, crushing the houses and buildings along the way.

    He may look slow, but he¡¯s like 200 meters tall. Each step meant him closing a distance of over 50 meters.

    He reached the walls in basically no time at all, mming his body into it with a dull thud. It seems he didn¡¯t manage to lift his legs far enough to ovee the wall, so he got caught on it.

    ¡¸Rraoogh!¡¹

    ¡¸Over here, slowpoke!¡¹

    ¡¸Ruagh!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi jumped around right in front of the titan¡¯s face. Then, with a roar of rage, the titan charged forward with an even greater speed than before, crashing through the walls.

    He reached out in an attempt to grab us, but Urushi maintained our flight just barely out of reach.

    The irritated titan-type pushed forward, again and again.

    Each footstep caused a huge tremor as he tried to capture Fran.

    As usual, he waspletely focused on us.

    Fran radiated an obviousrge aura of mana, while the second diversion only had numbers, not being particrly powerful. It seems the antidemon preferred Fran as a meal.

    Therefore, only paying attention to us.

    I thought he might have been intelligent, but maybe not. He was clearly unaware of our n to lead him into a trap. Or maybe he arrogantly thought a tiny opponent like us was no threat?

    Either way, that mistake will be his end.

    ¡ºGreat Wall!¡»

    The titan lost his bnce on thend magic wall ced in front of his feet. He copsed to the ground while waving his armsically.

    Thud!

    The force of his fall resulted in a tremor, powerful enough to make the soldiers leave the ground for a moment. Although we had simply tripped him, his sheer mass meant this caused a significant amount of damage.

    But this wall was not my work alone. Hagane¡¯smander Shikimi also contributed to the spell.

    So it seems she¡¯s a master ofnd magic.

    She managed to adjust the width and shape of the wall, making it just the right size to trip the titan. It would take a lot of skill for such intricate control over magic.

    As the woman in charge of a divine sword wielder, she must be quite talented in her own right.

    ¡ºAlright! Let¡¯s strike while the iron is hot!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 971

    <h4>971: Evil Energy and Titan-Type</h4>

    Weunched an all-out attack on the titan-type after he fell t on his face.

    ¡¸Thor Hammer!¡¹

    ¡ºKanna Kamui!¡»

    ¡¸Awoooo!¡¹

    My multiple Kanna Kamuis rained down on the titan¡¯s head along with Fran and Urushi¡¯s spells. The top half of the titan¡¯s head, which was the size of a small apartmentplex,pletely shattered. Some mysterious ck substance gushed out instead of gray matter.

    Then, a barrage of countless fireballs poured down on the titan. We were of course not the only ones on the job.

    In addition to Izario¡¯s mes, there were rock spears that seemed to be from Shikimi. These were followed up by arrows and magicing from the soldiers and adventurers.

    Hundreds of our attacksnded on the titan¡¯s upper body, but this wasn¡¯t the end.

    The old soldiers of the Hagane gathered in several ces, and each group radiated an enormous amount of mana. They were preparing ritual magic, in which several people cooperated to cast a single spell.

    After their long chant of over a minute, they unleashed several huge fireballs. Perhaps this was intended topete with Izario.

    The dozen or so fireballs flew in arge arc beforending on the titan. Rather than exploding, this spell seemed to incinerate the target with a inextinguishable magical inferno.

    The upper half of the titan¡¯s body was almostpletely engulfed in the mes. Even so, this was not enough to defeat him. He¡¯s still healthy despite being dealt such a big blow.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s keep him pinned!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi, go for the right arm!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    As she held me above her shoulder, Fran gave Urushi amand. Urushi immediately dived down from the sky and dashed by the titan¡¯s arm, close enough to touch it.

    Fran swung me right as we passed, cutting a deep gash into the titan¡¯s right wrist. We didn¡¯t manage to sever it, but we seeded in interrupting his actions.

    The titan was trying to lift himself up, but losing the use of his right arm caused him to fall right back down. His huge body mmed against the ground once more, starting from his right shoulder.

    ¡¸Nice one, littledy!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The n was to keep on chipping away at him, even if each blow wasn¡¯t enough to kill him.

    The titan-type released a burst of mana from his entire body in an attempt to blow away everything in the vicinity. Unfortunately for him, that didn¡¯t work on the second division.

    Fran, Izario, and the soldiers from Hagane put up multiple barriers to defend against the mana burst.

    In the end, we managed to defeat the titan-type without losing a single soldier. The final blow was an all-out spell from both Izario and me.

    With his head incinerated and a gaping hole in his chest, the titan¡¯s regenerative powers could no longer keep up. His huge body slowly crumbled away.

    Following the titan¡¯s defeat, the second division continued its way to the copsed town to check on any remaining antidemons.

    However, our job was not to rescue survivors. Our unit¡¯s sole mission was defeating the titan-types. Rescue, rebuilding, and food distribution were to be done by the support unit following behind us.

    ¡¸Hmm, we might have to to consider abandoning this town.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯ll take too long to rebuild. The area is still a valuable safe zone, but it¡¯s too hard to use for a town right now. The inhabitants seem to have been wiped out either way.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    The town was crawling with antidemons, and there was no sign of the original inhabitants.

    Izario and the others spected that the town¡¯s inhabitants had been rendered immobile by the titan¡¯s mana draining ability. Then that¡¯s when the antidemons struck.

    The antidemons supposedly remained in town to destroy the safe zone¡­¡­ but I couldn¡¯t figure out why they needed so many when the town waspletely upied.

    Was there something in town attracting the antidemons? Maybe the survivors were hiding somewhere, and the antidemons were lured by their mana?

    Izario and Shikimi discussed this possibility and decided to send out scouts to search for anything unusual. Our main target was the area where the titan-type had been rampaging.

    We also tried searching the town for any signs of life while riding on Urushi¡¯s back. That¡¯s when Fran and Urushi both noticed something at the same time.

    After a moment¡¯s dy, I realized it too.

    £¨Master. This.£©

    ¡ºYeah. It¡¯s evil energy.¡»

    We sensed a dense cloud of evil energy from a portion of the earth.

    The ground was caved in there after being crushed by the titan. A mountain of debris had copsed into therge hole,pletely covering it up.

    I considered the possibility of a powerful antidemon hidden inside that hole, but the aura of evil energy wasn¡¯t moving.

    ¡ºUrushi, stay here. Keep an eye out for antidemons.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWe take care of the debris.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After carefully stowing away the debris, we headed for the bottom of the hole. Fran pointed to an opening in the rubble at our feet about halfway down.

    ¡¸Master, over there.¡¹

    ¡ºThere¡¯s some kind of purple lighting out from underneath!¡»

    It closely resembled the glow of the evil crystals we saw a while back. Perhaps the Dragon King had some scheme in this town as well. Maybe there¡¯s still some evil crystals under here too.

    Normally, the evil crystals should have been shattered by the titan¡¯s trampling. However, maybe some of them miraculously avoided destruction due to gaps in the rubble.

    Anyways, we have to find out if these really are evil crystals or not.

    We continued our excavation, reaching the bottom of the hole without finding any crystals. The underground room must have originally been about 20 meters below the ground.

    But we did find something unusual emitting the evil energy. It came from a huge magic circle drawn on the floor, shining with a dark purple light and radiating a dense aura to the surroundings. No wait, after removing more debris to reveal the entire magic circle, we managed to find an evil crystal too.

    The small evil crystal sat at the center of the magic circle. Based on the flow of mana, this crystal must be supplying power to the circle. Moreover, the circle seemed to do more than just pollute the air with evil energy.

    I felt a weird reactioning from my Golden Form skill. This magic circle seemed to have some kind of effect on the antidemons. Considering the titan¡¯s behavior, this must be what was attracting the horde.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll store the evil crystal away for now.¡»

    £¨And break the magic circle.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    However, I noticed something a little concerning.

    ¡ºThere were tons of evil crystals in Sendia¡¯s underground room, right?¡»

    And yet there¡¯s only a small one here. Was it like this from the beginning? Or did someone already retrieve the crystals not used to power the circle?

 Chapter 972

    <h4>972: Survivors of Sarthe</h4>

    I stored the evil crystal in order to stop the magic circle. But then, the magic circle started shining even brighter than before.

    Why!? It should have lost its power source! Was this some kind of booby trap triggered on deactivation?

    ¡ºFran! I¡¯m teleporting us!¡»

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    We immediately teleported out. Right afterwards, a huge explosion erupted from the bottom of the hole.

    Fran had cast a me spell just before my teleport in order to destroy the magic circle. The bright red mes swirled within the hole, sending countless sparks outwards.

    However, the aura of evil energy remained as thick as ever. It seems our st failed to destroy it.

    A few secondster, the ck aurora-like evil energy rising from the hole suddenly vanished from view. However, something else took its ce.

    Appearing in a hole was a being radiating a powerful evil aura. We stood at the edge and looked down on it.

    ¡¸¡­¡­A fiend?¡¹

    ¡ºSeems to be called an ¡°Evil Berserker¡±.¡»

    The Evil Berserker looked like a humanoid doll made out of pure evil energy. His outline seemed to be wavy and unstable, characteristics simr to those of a ghost.

    The name ¡°Berserker¡± implied that he would rampage until death after being summoned. This was probably a trap to kill anyone interfering with the activation of the magic circle.

    Adding this guy seems a bit overkill though, so it doesn¡¯t make sense. The titan and a circle for attracting antidemons should be more than enough to destroy Sarthe.

    Moreover, this setup meant the Evil Berserker would start its rampage no matter who destroyed the circle, even if it was the titan. Whoever nned this seemed absolutely determined to annihte the city at any cost.

    ¡¸Hhooouuugh!¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s a hint of evil energy in his voice.¡¹

    ¡ºLeaving him alive might jeopardize the support units. We¡¯ve got no choice, let¡¯s take him down.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Evil Berserker spread such a dense aura of evil that someone would get evil intoxication just bying nearby. This was like an instant death trap for any ordinary adventurer.

    But he picked the wrong opponent.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll turn you into a pin cushion before you make it out of the hole!¡»

    I transformed my cord into a myriad of spears. They flew at Evil Berserker from all directions, giving him no room to escape.

    In addition, Fran continued to rain thunder magic from above. There¡¯s no way paralysis will work, but he still couldn¡¯t move under the barrage of spells.

    In the end, the Evil Berserker was unable to evade and got impaled on all the spears I created. He was no normal creature however, so this wasn¡¯t enough to be a fatal wound.

    It felt like I was stabbing through some kind of foam. All the damage was done thanks to the mana cloaking my spears. Without that, my physical attacks would have just slipped through.

    Well, I expected as much. I purposely didn¡¯t activate Evil Crusher in the first ce, because I wanted to avoid killing him in a single blow.

    Instead I activated Evil Domination to drain all of the Evil Berserker¡¯s energy. I¡¯m starting to get the hang of this skill, so this worked quite well. His body wasposed of pure evil energy, and my ability to absorb that was a hard counter.

    The Evil Berserker made an attempt to slip through the spears, before pausing to scream in agony. The energy in his body rapidly diminished, and he evaporated into nothing in less than a minute.

    ¡ºHe had so much evil energy, but I only recovered about 500 mana.¡»

    It seems converting evil energy into mana has poor efficiency. Still, it¡¯s great to know that I can drain power from evil beings.

    After confirming the evil energy waspletely gone from the magic circle, we decided to return to the main group.

    When we reported about the evil crystal and magic circle, we were met with grim looks. The possibility of the Dragon King¡¯s involvement in the incident had skyrocketed.

    The other adventurers also regrouped with us, and it seems they found no survivors.

    Both Izario and Shikimi concluded that the inhabitants had been annihted by antidemons. Next, the second division decided to wrap up the investigation and start heading for the closest town for resupplying and trading intel.

    A day after our departure. We were almost at the town when we sensed the presence of arge gathering of people.

    £¨Hmm. There¡¯s something here¡­¡­!£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s people! A lot of them too!¡»

    Some nation¡¯s army? But they¡¯re moving pretty slow. They seem to be heading in the same direction as us, but their speed suggested they had civilians among them.

    ¡¸Littledy. Can you go confirm their identities?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Take a few of the faster ones with you in case there¡¯s a fight.¡¹

    Izario and the others also noticed the group ahead, so they sent Fran and a few others on a scouting mission. A couple scouts were selected among the adventurers to apany Fran.

    If we got into a fight, Fran would draw the enemy away and have the adventurers run back to Izario. That was the idea, but the group wasn¡¯t hostile at all.

    Though they had a few adventurers and soldiers in their ranks, the vast majority were civilians, as I had first suspected. Fran approached them alone, keeping Urushi in the shadows to avoid provoking them as much as possible.

    I could see the adventurers rx when they realized that the person approaching them was a child. The adventurer who seemed to be the leader of the group called out to us from a distance.

    ¡¸Hey, did youe from the town of Sarthe? If so, do you know what happened to the giant antidemon in that town?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! We killed it.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? W-What do you mean¡­¡­? With that few members¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you people?¡¹

    ¡¸O-Oh. We¡¯re the residents of Sarthe, currently evacuating from the city¡­¡­¡¹

    The town itself waspletely destroyed, but it seems some of its inhabitants survived. About half fell to the antidemons and half escaped.

    It¡¯d be great to hear more details, but it wasn¡¯t safe here. We exined that we came here with an army, and that we would apany them to the town ahead.

    ¡ºI can only hope that town is safe though¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    However, our hopes were quickly dashed. After continuing our march, we were greeted with the sight of a town that, like Sarthe, was being trampled under a giant antidemon.

    £¨A titan here too¡­¡­!£©

    Even this city four or five times the size of Sarthe was no match for that gigantic monstrosity.

    ¡¸No¡­ Not the city of Scholz too¡­¡­!¡¹

    The evacuees from Sarthe stopped in their tracks at the sight of the neighboring town they had finally reached, also annihted by a titan. Some of them fell to their knees and sobbed. Their hearts were broken by the despair.

 Chapter 973

    <h4>973: Scholz Titan</h4>

    The titan rampaging in the town of Scholz had a different form than the one in Sarthe.

    ¡¸He¡¯s kinda spiky.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd the shape of his arms and legs are quite different too.¡»

    Sarthe¡¯s titan was pretty thin, like a short chimpanzee. Whereas Scholz¡¯s titan looked more like a macho man in spiked armor.

    This one¡¯s arms and legs were clearly thicker and more powerful, and he was way taller too. We could clearly see the difference at first nce.

    Were they different to begin with? No, maybe they just grew differently?

    If we consider how the titans were like babies before awakening, maybe they applied the drained mana to their own growth. This town wasrger than Sarthe, so it had more people. Therefore, the titan here could drain more energy from them.

    That might exin why this titan looked so much different from Sarthe¡¯s.

    ¡¸Izario, what do we do?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll have to drag him out of town like we did in Sarthe. Can you act as bait again, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m on it.¡¹

    Izario didn¡¯t hesitate to give Fran the dangerous role. The adventurers around him didn¡¯t object either.

    This meant everyone fully epted her as a senior adventurer. Fran knew this, so she was happy to take on the mission.

    ¡ºFran, Scholz¡¯s titan looks way tougher than thest one. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That said, our n was the same.

    Fran and Urushi would provoke him at a distance, and the soldiers behind usunch a long-range barrage from outside the walls. Then, we lead the titan outside and finish him off with an all-out attack.

    Having already experienced it once, the second team was quick to deploy.

    Fortunately, the titan was rather close to the wall. It¡¯d take quite a while to lure him outside if he was closer to the center of town.

    Once we ensured Sarthe¡¯s refugees moved far enough away, wemenced the operation.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Awooo!¡¹

    Fran hit the titan with her intimidation skill right as Urushi taunted with his howl. The titan didn¡¯t get intimidated at all of course, but he certainly recognized getting hit by our mana.

    ¡¸Roooooooooorgh!¡¹

    ¡¸He noticed us.¡¹

    ¡ºGood, he seems more aggressive than the other one.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The titan saw Fran and Urushi and dashed over, trampling the town underfoot. Hisrge stride made him faster than Sarthe¡¯s titan.

    ¡ºUrushi, watch out!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    We didn¡¯t even need to attack, and the titan just kept ramping up the speed of his chase. At this rate, we should be able to lead him outside the walls in less than a minute.

    We continued provoking him, paying close attention to his outstretched hands. Then, just as he was a few steps away from reaching the walls¡­¡­

    ¡¸Ruuuuuaaaaaargh!¡¹

    ¡¸He crouched?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    ¡ºW-What the hell?¡»

    The titan suddenly bent down to the ground, which slowed down his charge. He flexibly reached his right hand out, digging into the ground with his ws.

    I had been imagining the rigid movements of the titan at Sarthe, so I never thought he could be so dexterous.

    When the Scholz titan got back up, he raised his right hand above his head before our astonished eyes. His stance looked like a pro-baseball pitcher. No, he really was attempting a throw.

    ¡¸Ruaagh!¡¹

    ¡º¡­!¡»

    The titanunched debris at us just like the previous one. But unlike Sarthe¡¯s titan, which relied on raw strength, the titan threw debris cloaked with dense mana. The power was on apletely different level.

    Moreover, the speed was iparable too. As soon as he swung his arm down, the countless boulders were already in front of us.

    I quickly stored the ones on course for a direct hit, and smacked the surrounding rocks with my telekinesis.

    However, I spread my telekic too much by emphasizing range, so I couldn¡¯t stop their huge momentum. That reduced their speed somewhat, but most of the rocks prated through my telekinesis and flew past us.

    Fran and Urushi knocked down some of them, but only about ten at most. The rest of the rocks rained down on the soldiers behind us.

    They took the full brunt of the rain of boulders thrown from a height of more than 200 meters. At this point, it practically looked like a meteor shower.

    Shikimi created a wall ofnd magic that caught some of them before shattering. Izario also seemed to have repelled some with his divine sword, but it was far from a perfect defense.

    In the end, about ten of the rocks crashed into the second division, killing or injuring over a hundred of them. Several soldiers were simply crushed, others were sent flying into the air like dead leaves.

    ¡¸Ruuuuooogh!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s going for another throw!¡»

    ¡¸We¡¯ll protect everyone! Urushi, full speed!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    I considered regrouping with the second division to fortify our defenses, but Fran thought otherwise. Instead, she wanted to strike at the titan and interrupt his motion.

    Urushi charged toward the titan¡¯s huge arm, which was already raised.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºKanna Kamui!¡»

    My spell hit the titan¡¯s arm, but this wasn¡¯t enough to break it. It seems he concentrated mana on the arm to mitigate the damage.

    However, he did pause the throwing motion in order to regenerate. That¡¯s when Fran unleashed her sh while riding through on Urushi¡¯s back.

    After a high-pitched sh of metal against metal, a frown appeared on Fran¡¯s face.

    ¡¸S-So hard!¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously?!¡»

    Even without Sword God Transformation or Brilliant Lightning Rush, we had Urushi¡¯s full momentum on our side. Our sh should have considerable power behind it. The same technique cut halfway through the Sarthe titan¡¯s arm.

    However, the Scholz titan¡¯s concentrated mana armor apparently gave him an extraordinary amount of defense. To our surprise, we were barely able to cut one-tenth of the way through.

    ¡¸Urushi! Once more!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi turned around for one more go at the titan, but the giant¡¯s arm was already back into motion.

    ¡¸Ruuuuuuurgh!¡¹

    ¡ºNo! We¡¯re not in position to store it!¡»

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi cast spells to interfere with the titan¡¯s movements again, but they dispersed upon reaching the iron-hard arm. For the second time, the titan released a barrage of rocks from his grip at super speed.

    But they flew straight downwards.

    With the tremendous crash, the countless boulders mmed into the ground at the titan¡¯s feet. Hepletely missed his target.

    ¡¸Master, did you do something?¡¹

    ¡ºSure did! A little telekinesis.¡»

    All I did was wrap my telekinesis around the titan¡¯s hand. Thoughcking in power, I was able to interfere with the titan¡¯s action for a split second.

    And that split second was enough.

    When ying catch, beginners might sometimes identally throw the ball toote. That means it bounces before reaching the target, or worse, goes straight into the ground.

    That¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t release the ball at the ideal point.

    I used my telekinesis to dy the opening of the titan¡¯s hand right at that moment, thereby disrupting the release point.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how effective my telekinesis would be against the titan¡¯s immense physical strength, but it worked like a charm.

    Now that I think about it, you don¡¯t want to exert too much force when you throw stuff. Rather, it¡¯s actually important to keep your fist a bit loose. Therefore, even my rtively weak telekinesis managed to interrupt the throwing motion very effectively.

    The titan didn¡¯t understand what just happened, but it seems he instinctively knew Fran interfered somehow.

    ¡¸Ruuuuurgh!¡¹

    ¡ºJust look at that stare! Bet he thinks of us as real enemies now!¡»

    ¡¸Bring it on!¡¹

 Chapter 974

    <h4>974: The Power of a Grown Titan</h4>

    The titan red at us with the rage clearly visible on his face.

    Up until now, we¡¯ve only seen antidemonmanders show anything like emotion. But it seems that these titans, who were more powerful thanmanders, naturally had them as well.

    ¡¸Ruah!¡¹

    ¡ºAre you just a one-trick pony?!¡»

    The titan crouched down to pick up debris once more. This time, however, was a bit different. He grabbed the debris with both his left and right hands.

    As we watched in surprise, the titan stood up and raised both his hands at the same time.

    ¡¸Ruuuuogh!¡¹

    The titan-type distorted his face as if smirking, before bringing only his left hand down.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s going to throw two in a row!¡»

    £¨Master, what should we do?£©

    ¡ºLaunch me at him! Fran, you stay back a little bit and store any on the path to hit.¡»

    £¨Okay!£©

    Fran twisted her body and threw me as hard as she could toward the giant¡¯s left arm. Even after elerating myself with skills and magic, I knew this would do little damage. The real purpose was to close the distance between us.

    The closer I am, the more powerful my telekinesis will be.

    ¡ºTelekinesis first!¡»

    As before, I activated the telekinesis to interrupt the titan¡¯s throw. The rocks thrown by the Scholz titan fell at his feet once more.

    However, the titan wasn¡¯t done yet. He twisted his body further, using the momentum of his left arm to swing his right arm with even more force.

    Such agility! But unfortunately for you, I¡¯ve already anticipated that! Here¡¯s my countermeasure!

    ¡ºHave fun hitting yourself!¡»

    ¡¸Ruooogh!¡¹

    I read the trajectory of the titan¡¯s arm and opened up a Dimension Gate in advance. Since his movements were so simr to a human¡¯s, this made him pretty easy to predict.

    Activating my Sorcerer skill and Wisdom God¡¯s Blessing at full power, I made the biggest gate I could handle. It grew over 10 meters in diameter.

    Some of the rocks still flew past the gate, but I sessfully swallowed a vast majority of them.

    Meanwhile, the paired gate was ced very close by. Right behind him, in fact.

    The numerous pieces of debris flew out of the gate and pierced the titan¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Ruooooooourgh!¡¹

    ¡ºHow¡¯d you like that!¡»

    ¡¸Ruaaaa¡­¡­!¡¹

    Even his immensely durable body took damage from such a powerful impact. Several of the rocks remained impaled in his back, with gobs of mana starting to spill out.

    Though the damage itself wasn¡¯t that considerable, he seemed confused by the iprehensible situation. The giant began to repeatedly nce around his back.

    After pulling the trick off sessfully, I now know the perfect timing for creating a Dimension Gate. Next time, I¡¯ll create the gate closer to make sure he gets a full refund.

    That¡¯s what I was thinking about when I saw the titan crouching down again. But this time, he showed no sign of getting back up.

    ¡ºCome on, stop sitting on your ass¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Ruuuuuuuaaaaargh!¡¹

    ¡ºWha¨D¨D!¡»

    A tremendous rush of magical power exploded from the titan along with an ear-splitting roar. I was safe because of my barrier, but he turned the entire block into a crater.

    I looked up as quickly as I could, and saw the titan¡¯s body flying into the sky. He wasn¡¯t crouching to pick up debris, but gathering power in his legs for a long jump.

    He must havebined the physical strength of his huge body with the momentum of mana release to make this ridiculous leap possible.

    After concluding that throwing wouldn¡¯t work, it seems he switched to direct attacks. What a pain in the ass!

    The titan over 200 meters tall flew a distance greater than his height. The huge shadow slid across the ground, eclipsing the sun above the second division.

    Shit, he¡¯s gonnand on them!

    ¡ºUrooogh!¡»

    I quickly teleported to the rear of the titan and mmed him with wind magic, in a desperate attempt to divert his trajectory.

    However, that had little effect due to the magical barrier protecting him. Meanwhile, those on the ground were doing their best too.

    A band of fire flew towards the titan, reminiscent of a dragon¡¯s breath. Even the titan could not fully defend against Izario¡¯s attack.

    The titan used his left arm as a shield, taking burns and losing his bnce mid-air. Forced to veer off the original trajectory, hended quite a distance away from the rest of our division.

    However, the titan still iled around to get one hit in.

    While falling on his stomach, he desperately extended his right arm and mmed it down at the second division. The earth shook with the impact of the titan¡¯s fall, and the second division was unable to escape fast enough.

    The skyscraper-like arm just barely reached them, with the palmrger than a big truck crushing a few of our men.

    ¡¸Guys!¡¹

    ¡ºShit!¡»

    We rushed back to the second division and grit our teeth at the extent of the damage.

    More than fifty people probably just lost their lives, including adventurers and old soldiers from Hagane. There must have been just as many wounded too.

    ¡ºFran, we need to heal them!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran ordered the soldiers to hurry and escape while she was healing them. At this rate, we¡¯ll be sitting ducks to the titan after he gets back up.

    Immediately after the titan used his right arm to prop himself up, we saw a red light rising next to him.

    It was Izario.

    I thought he might have released his divine sword, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Actually, he was purposely emitting arge amount of mana in order to attract the attention of the titan.

    ¡ºFran, get everyone out of here now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Guys, let¡¯s move!¡¹

    Though we just took major casualties, these guys were elites. They immediately responded to Fran¡¯s instructions and began their retreat, all while carrying their woundedrades.

    In the middle of this, we saw the kneeling titan swinging his right hand down towards Izario. But by that time, he was already gone.

    Izario continued dashing around at high speeds to avoid the titan¡¯s attacks, before swerving around to the titan¡¯s nk and striking with his mes. This may look like a simple distraction, but those mes came from a Rank S adventurer.

    He easily pierced through the titan¡¯s defenses and scorched the surface of his body. Although these burns immediately began regenerating, everyone could see he dealt a significant blow.

    The titan¡¯s attention clearly shifted from the second division to Izario. He must have identified Izario as his first target.

    ¡¸While Crimson de-dono is drawing him away, we¡¯ll prepare the ritual magic! The adventurers assist the wounded!¡¹

    Following Shikimi¡¯s instructions, the survivors began lining up. We took up position in front of them to protect everyone.

    £¨I won¡¯t let anyone else die.£©

    Fran built up her mana, ready to unleash her biggest move at any moment. The best n would be to use Hagane¡¯s ritual magic to whittle him down before finishing him off with attacks from Izario and us.

    We¡¯re too close to the town, but we can¡¯t be concerned with that any longer. A little coteral damage is an eptable price to pay.

    Just when we had decided on our move and prepared ourselves, Fran turned her head to the side.

    We saw the figures of something flying in the western sky. At first I thought it was a flock of birds or something, but that couldn¡¯t be it. There were no birds that big on this continent.

    ¡¸Something is flying in!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s rocks! Store them, fast!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    A bunch of rocks were flying at us. Rather than random debris, they looked more like boulders that had been smashed into small pieces before being thrown. More than 20 of these rocks rained down on us.

    Who could be responsible for this? We¡¯ve been watching the titan¡¯s movements the entire time. There¡¯s no way it was him.

    Then, I noticed something approaching us from afar at a tremendous speed. It looked like a person, but that¡¯s not possible. The size was just too huge.

    ¡ºAnother titan ising straight at us!¡»

 Chapter 975

    <h4>975: Fusion Titan</h4>

    While we were facing off against the Scholz titan, we found another titan approaching us. He was dashing in from the west with immense speed.

    ¡¸Shikimi?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re not ready yet!¡¹

    ¡ºWhy can¡¯t things ever be easy?!¡»

    Hagane¡¯s ritual spell seemed to need a little more time toplete. Meanwhile, Izario was upied with the Scholz titan.

    What can we do? Do we have no choice but to rely on Izario¡¯s Divine Sword Release?

    But that¡¯ll put such a huge burden on him.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll handle it!¡¹

    ¡ºIs that our only option!?¡»

    Fran and I needed to focus on stopping the new titan. It¡¯d be best if we could kill him, but this was a grown one like the Scholz titan. I¡¯m not sure if even our full strength would be enough to take him down¡­¡­

    But before we could make a move, the situation changed again.

    ¡¸Ruooooooooooooooo!¡¹

    ¡¸Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!¡¹

    Both titans suddenly began to roar, almost simultaneously. It¡¯s as if they were resonating with each other.

    Immediately after, the titans blurred. Their outlines became distorted by some kind of noise, and their bodies copsed as if melting.

    Izario shot out some mes in an attempt to stop whatever they were doing, but it wasn¡¯t enough to cancel the transformation. He only managed to shave off a bit of their mana.

    In less than ten seconds, the two titans lost their bodies and dissolved into some kind of ck mist. At first nce, it looked as if they were about to dissipate into the air. However, such a happy ending was easily proven false by the immense amount of mana remaining.

    The ck mist clouds began moving as if they had a will of their own, seemingly attracted to each other. Aftering together, they turned into a single swirling mass.

    What in the world is going on?

    ¡¸Fire!¡¹

    The Hagane army finished the ritual spell and released several rays of light, covering the ck mist with countless explosions.

    However, this didn¡¯t seem to do anything. In fact, there was no perceptible damage to either life force or mana.

    ¡¸Tch! Burn!¡¹

    Perhaps sensing the danger, Izario began to attack in earnest. He ceased his movements to focus on bombarding the cloud.

    Ten of his fireballs, each over 10 meters in diameter, poured into the ck mist. Each exploded with a direct hit. This erased a significant amount of mist as well as the mana contained within.

    Even so, the swirling mist didn¡¯t stop. Rather, its movement became more elerated, like a tornado now.

    ¡¸<strong>Ruuuaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­</strong>¡¹

    The titan¡¯s voice echoed through the battlefield once again. We saw a huge mass stirring in the midst of the cloud. It seems we just witnessed the birth of a new titan.

    And an enhanced one consisting of two titan fused together.

    ¡¸<strong>Wuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºH-He got even bigger!¡»

    ¡¸So much mana too.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    As the mist rapidly faded away, the new titan revealed himself. He was taller and had way more mana than the Scholz titan.

    Moreover, the transformation did not end there. His body continued to expand at a tremendous rate, along with a nasty cracking sound.

    It looked as if he was a balloon getting pumped with air all at once.

    His huge body got even huger, probably about 50% taller than the Scholz titan now? He must be at least twice as heavy, since his arms and legs were incredibly thick.

    ¡¸<strong>Buraaaaaaaah!</strong>¡¹

    But even more terrifying was the mana and evil energy contained within. Compared to the Scholz¡¯s titan, who was a monster even by himself, this guy had more than three times as much.

    ¡¸RUUUN!!¡¹

    I think this was the first time I¡¯ve heard Izario scream. But that was understandable.

    The supertitan already had his left arm raised, and was clearly staring at the second division.

    ¡¸<strong>Bgraeaaaah!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone! Retreat!¡¹

    The second division began to move upon hearing Izario and Shikimi¡¯s warning, but it was already toote.

    The supertitan swung his arm down, releasing a giant cannonball of mana over 20 meters in diameter. This packed plenty of evil energy too.

    Taking the hit directly would probably wipe out the entire second division.

    Izario¡¯s mes won¡¯t make it in time. Shikimi had created a wall withnd magic, but there¡¯s no way that would be enough to protect us.

    I quickly activated Magic Absorption and Evil Control to reduce the cannonball¡¯s power, but it barely did anything.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    This is seriously bad. I can practically feel Fran¡¯s panic. Even though I knew it would be a drop in the bucket, the only other thing I could do was make some morend magic walls.

    Right in front of our eyes, the walls of the earth vaporized as soon as they came into contact with the mass of mana.

    At this rate¡­

    However, the situation we feared did note to pass.

    Just beforending on the second division, the huge mass of mana suddenly deted and disappeared.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    It happened so fast that I had no clue what I was seeing. The past few minutes have just been full of sudden developments that I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on anymore!

    ¡¸Matsuyuki.¡¹

    I followed Fran¡¯s gaze and saw Matsuyuki outside of the carriage, raising a pitch-ck sword high in the air. The longsword waspletely ck, de and all, as if absorbing every ray of light approaching it.

    There¡¯s no room for doubt. That must be the divine sword, Berserk.

    Despite Matsuyuki being dozens of meters away, the de was so intimidating that I instinctively felt the desire to distance myself. In fact, some of the adventurers and knights standing close by lost their bnce, falling down while trying to escape.

    This was not due to the titan¡¯s giant cannonball. Their attention was focused on Berserk. Everyone could not help but panic at the sudden appearance of Berserk right next to them.

    Only the old soldiers of Hagane seemedpletely unaffected. They continued surrounding Matsuyuki in a protective line.

    She didn¡¯t seem to be going out of control, which meant she had not released Berserk¡¯s true powers. We¡¯ve heard that the user would die upon using the de, but I guess wielding it in the normal state was not enough to kill you.

    Ignis also bestowed several abilities to Izario, such as me magic, without requiring the de¡¯s activation.

    Did she use some sort of absorption ability? No wait, maybe more like disruption? She seemed to have erased the mana mass by disrupting its energy.

    I don¡¯t know if this is Berserk¡¯s power, or simply Berserk enhancing Matsuyuki¡¯s innate abilities. Either way, it must be a very potent ability to eliminate such a huge amount of mana almost instantly.

    Then, Matsuyuki thrust the tip of Berserk into the ground, before kneeling down and resting her forehead on the hilt. She almost looked like a holy maiden praying to god.

    However, the aura she radiated was theplete opposite, one of absolute power. The ferocious mana swirling around her made her seem more like the manifestation of a disastrous beast.

    The nearby adventurers grew more and more terrified.

    The titan, on the other hand, snarled hatefully while raising his arm in the air again. We had thwarted his attempt to ignore Izario and eradicate the soldiers, which infuriated him. That made him seem strangely human, so he might have simr thought patterns and emotions to us.

    The titan¡¯s whole body began radiating mana as he charged up an attack even more powerful than before.

    ¡¸<strong>Blooaaaaaaaah?</strong>¡¹

    However, he suddenly stopped moving and made a noise sounding like a confused grunt. Upon closer inspection, the giant tower that was his right leg had started gradually turning ck.

    Before I knew it, several bands of mana had been released from Berserk and wrapped themselves around the titan¡¯s leg.

    ¡¸<strong>Bugaah¡­¡­!!!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸Die.¡¹

    We somehow managed to hear Matsuyuki¡¯s whisper over the titan¡¯s roar echoing across the battlefield.

    And then, titan¡¯s leg began shriveling up at a ridiculous rate.

    It turned a discolored ck hue reminding me of a withering nt. The sight was absolutely bizarre.

    The titan iled his arms, but was unable to support his body after this sudden loss of bnce.

    Finally, his right legpletely snapped off, and the titan fell on his back. Even more strangely, the broken right leg showed no signs of regeneration.

    When Matsuyuki uttered the word ¡°die¡±, it seemed as if the titan¡¯s right leg really did just die.

    Yet, we¡¯ve been using life magic to inhibit the titan¡¯s regeneration since the beginning of the battle, and that didn¡¯t seem to work one bit¡­¡­

    I guess that¡¯s a divine sword for you. Even without full activation, they had overwhelming power.

    But it seems the repercussions were equally as great.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    Matsuyuki made an attempt to stand up, before staggering and falling to one knee again. Her face was deathly pale, and I could tell that she was extremely exhausted.

 Chapter 976

    <h4>976: Supertitan Defeated</h4>

    Matsuyuki took the titan¡¯s right leg, at the cost of copsing in total exhaustion.

    And yet, no one made any attempt to help her up. Not even Sakaki, who was standing right next to her. She simply stood watch as Matsuyuki tried desperately to catch her breath.

    That¡¯s when Ajisai approached Matsuyuki. She jumped down from the carriage and started jogging towards Matsuyuki.

    In her hand was a jet-ck scabbard, almost definitely Berserk¡¯s.

    Still kneeling, Matsuyuki lifted Berserk with her trembling hands and held it horizontally in front of herself.

    Meanwhile, Ajisai took the scabbard with both hands and slowly sheathed Berserk. After a few long seconds, Berserk slipped all the way in with a click.

    Then Sakaki immediately dove in to pick up Matsuyuki in her arms. Maybe there¡¯s some reason why they can¡¯t touch Matsuyuki while Berserk is unsheathed.

    Matsuyukiid motionless in Sakaki¡¯s arms, probably unconscious.

    She¡¯s that spent without even releasing Berserk. I can see why releasing it causes the user to die.

    £¨Master, we need to take out the titan.£©

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right.¡»

    The supertitan achieved a tremendous power boost by fusing with another titan. However, he¡¯s currently copsed on the ground after losing one of his legs.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s still not regenerating, maybe because of Berserk¡¯s powers? Either way, this is our chance!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Now that the titan was struggling to get back up, everyone knew this was the perfect chance to strike.

    Shikimi rallied the troops once again, and the adventurers followed as well.

    ¡¸Littledy, give me five minutes!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Izario wanted to charge up an attack. That would allow him to deliver the most powerful blow possible without releasing his divine sword.

    Fran and I also preferred it this way. Divine swords aren¡¯t weapons that should be used so frequently. The recoil and wear on the user was a tremendous burden.

    Thinking back, Ashwrath showed us the power of his divine sword so casually back in the Beast Kingdom. Now we know how crazy that was.

    Izario needed quite a bit of time, but I guess that¡¯s just how powerful the supertitan was.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s crush the remaining left leg.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºUrushi, strike at his arms with Bottomless Shadow. Even if it doesn¡¯t work well, it¡¯ll interfere with his movements.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Bottomless Shadow is a spell that erases the target by engulfing them into a shadow dimension through a hole on the ground. The problem was that it takes forever for the shadows to swallow the target, and it needs to swallow their whole body. Otherwise, it will fail to activate, allowing the target to escape.

    Of course, it would be impossible to swallow this guy¡¯s enormous body. Still, the shadow turns the ground into something like a bottomless swamp, so it¡¯s much more difficult to stand on than ordinary ground.

    ¡¸Urushi, good luck!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Meanwhile, Fran and I aimed for the titan¡¯s ankle. Just as he was trying to get up, we sted him with a barrage of thunder magic.

    ¡¸Haaah! Brilliant Lightning Rush! Kanna Kamui!¡¹

    ¡ºKanna Kamui!¡»

    Fran and I sent a total of four shots of Kanna Kamui, shattering the titan¡¯s ankle. The supertitan had been trying to get up in the bridge pose, but this caused him to lose his bnce and m back down into the earth.

    ¡ºFran, one more round! Keep damaging his leg before it regenerates!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaaah!¡¹

    After jumping through the air above the titan¡¯s ankle, Fran unleashed a sword art with all her might. Not Heavenly Judgment, which would require a wind-up time, but a Holy Sword Art that could be performed instantly.

    ¡¸de Rondo!¡¹

    This was the level 8 Holy Sword Art, de Rondo. Basically, it¡¯s a flurry of ultra high-speed shes. Her 12 shes in less than 3 seconds inflicted a heavy gash on the titan¡¯s knee.

    This art was originally intended for attacking multiple enemies, but Fran concentrated all the shes on a single point. The current Fran had almostplete mastery over even the higher level Holy Sword Arts.

    However, the titan wouldn¡¯t take this sitting down.

    ¡¸Mrgh?¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    He aimed a magic st at Fran during her post-art stun, despite the fact that he would be blowing himself up too. It¡¯s a good thing I prepared our teleport in advance!

    I already knew this, but we can¡¯t underestimate this guy.

    His knee already began regeneration, but it will take a minute or so for it to healpletely. It¡¯ll take even longer before the titan is able to get back up.

    £¨Master, next is the arm!£©

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    Urushi was currently hitting the left arm with Bottomless Shadow. The titan seemed unable to deal with the sinking sensation, and was having trouble moving.

    ¡ºThen we strike at the right arm!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaaah¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>Blrrrrourgh!</strong>¡¹

    We shed at the remaining right arm with Sheaths of Wind, thenunched a series of thunder spells. These were mainly intended to impede the titan¡¯s attempt to rise rather than damage his body.

    The titan¡¯s displeased roar entered our ears. Perhaps impatient with the situation going poorly, the titan attempted to ignore us and force his way up. But I had been waiting for this moment.

    ¡ºNow!¡»

    Right at the moment he attempted to thrust his arm to the ground, I mmed him with a full-throttle telekinesis. Subject to the invisible force, the titan¡¯s elbow suddenly bent greatly.

    ¡¸<strong>Boooooh?</strong>¡¹

    The titan fell back down on the ground with a confused expression. He didn¡¯t understand why his elbow bent by itself. The impact of his body caused a tremor to run through the surrounding area.

    His countless falls had alreadypletely caved in the earth beneath him.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s take out the knee again!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    As Fran and I continued buying time by attacking the titan¡¯s limbs, we heard Izario¡¯s shout echoing through the air.

    ¡¸Sorry to keep you waiting! Get back!¡¹

    At the same time, a pir of me shot up from where Izario was standing. He was right in between the titan and the city.

    His intention there was probably to avoid as much damage as possible.

    Fran and Urushi ran away at max speed without looking back. Then¡­

    ¡¸Haaaaah! Turn to ashes!¡¹

    Izario released a huge sphere of me.

    The brilliant red fireball flew through the earth, melting thend like butter. When itnded directly on the titan¡¯s torso, it exploded into a crimson dome consuming his entire upper body.

    ¡¸<strong>Buroooooooouh!</strong>¡¹

    The huge 100 meter diameter dome was filledpletely with mes. I could hear the titan¡¯s pitiful screams echoing from inside.

    Strangely enough, we didn¡¯t feel much heat from here. It seems that dome trapped away the mes and heat.

    Even the earth at the edge of the dome was only getting a tiny bit red.

    Izario must have chosen an attack that would cause as little coteral damage as possible.

    Half a minuteter, the dome of me began to shrink. Within a minute, it waspletely gone. We saw no trace of the upper half of the titan¡¯s body. It must have vanished into ashes.

    The remaining parts, the lower half and some portions of his arms, crumbled into dust and disappeared. No matter how great his regenerative power was, it seems that he couldn¡¯t regenerate with his torso vaporized.

    ¡¸Pheeeew. Damn¡­¡­¡¹

    Izario crouched down on the spot after witnessing his victory. He managed to use Ignis as a crutch to avoid fallingpletely, but his face showed obvious fatigue and exhaustion.

    It seems this technique exhausted him more than the sh he used to y the other titan. Even so, it¡¯s better than releasing his divine sword.

    This time, he managed to get away with only spending stamina and mana. Divine Sword Release drains something at a more fundamental level. Even I could tell that despite not being a divine sword.

    ¡¸Izario! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, kinda¡­¡­ I just need a little break.¡¹

 Chapter 977

    <h4>977: Bahar</h4>

    After defeating the supertitan, the second division made an attempt to enter the town of Scholz. However, we had no choice but to give up on it.

    The city was aplete wreck. Antidemons walked around like they owned the ce, with no signs of any living humans. Meanwhile, we were apanied by Sarthe¡¯s refugees, while our two strongest members, Izario and Matsuyuki, were exhausted.

    We couldn¡¯t afford to do anything risky in this condition. There was probably another of the Dragon King¡¯s magic circles here, but searching the huge city would be difficult. We had no choice but to leave it alone for now.

    ¡¸Shikimi, what now?¡¹

    ¡¸The original n had us moving further west to the town of Bahar, but¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The titan earlier came from the west.¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly, meaning there is a possibility that titan originated from Bahar¡­¡­¡¹

    That said, we can¡¯t assume the town fell based on spection alone.

    We decided to go to Bahar first. If it¡¯s still unharmed, we¡¯d leave the inhabitants of Sarthe with them. If not, we¡¯d head for the next nearest town instead.

    Seems like the safest course of action.

    The biggest problem would be if the earlier titan didn¡¯te from Bahar, and there was yet another titan running amok in the city.

    Shikimi said we would release Berserk in that case, which means¡­

    Fran stared at the carriage running alongside us, probably thinking the same thing as me. There was a deep mncholy in her eyes.

    £¨¡­¡­Master. If there¡¯s a titan, we have to defeat ourselves. Absolutely.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Absolutely?¡»

    £¨Nn. Absolutely.£©

    Her determination seems solid.

    I understood how she felt. Letting Izario use his divine sword any longer would be dangerous, and Matsuyuki will surely lose her life if she releases Berserk.

    Fran stuck firmly to the belief that no one would be ced in danger as long as she defeats the titan.

    I wanted to tell her that she was taking all of the risk herself, but I know that wouldn¡¯t change her mind.

    ¡º¡­¡­First of all, let¡¯s see if there actually is a titan in Bahar.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Amidst much anxiety and panic, the second division made its way to Bahar. However, the presence of the Sarthe refugees made our progress very slow.

    The mostly civilian groupcked stamina, and their fatigue was amplified by marching alongside us. The frequent antidemon raids didn¡¯t help either. It simply wasn¡¯t possible to speed up the tired refugees any further.

    What should have been a day¡¯s journey took us more than twice as long, but I don¡¯t me them.

    Besides, the people of Sarthe seemed plenty resilient to me.

    No beds, no change of clothes, and few breaks. Yet they neverined. Still, I can¡¯t say if it¡¯ll stay this way in the future. Our food supplies were a bit worrying.

    We could manage without a water supply thanks to our sorcerers, but food can¡¯t be produced out of nowhere. The refugees carried some food with them, but it wasn¡¯t enough for everyone.

    Each unit shared some rations with them on the first day, but our stocks were already running out. We didn¡¯t bring much in terms of food to begin with.

    Obviously, we couldn¡¯t reduce the rations for the fighters. They wouldn¡¯t be able to protect the refugees on an empty stomach.

    But if the refugees saw the fighters eating while they were starving, I could easily see them getting angry. That would obviously harm the atmosphere of the second division as a whole.

    We would be in a bad spot unless we can resupply at Bahar. Well, assuming we don¡¯t use our dimensional storage.

    Our stored meat alone would be enough to feed a thousand people for a few days. The issue being if we do feed this many people, was anyone gonna pay for it?

    Will the council even reimburse us for this? I¡¯m worried since Sarthe¡¯s an illegal city, so the residents there may not be treated as an official citizens.

    Of course, we didn¡¯t intend to let them starve to death. Fran would be willing to give them free food if the situation called for it.

    But I don¡¯t want us to get a reputation for handing out free food either. We might get all sorts of beggars, especially on this continent. That might get really annoying.

    ¡ºBest case scenario is us being able to stock up on food in Bahar.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It actually would have been better if we could have stocked up in Scholz. However, the city was too big and we had no clue where the food reserves were. There were so many antidemons crawling around that we could hardly explore at all.

    While rationing out the food supplies a bit more, we spent two more days marching to Bahar.

    As we were on an unobstructed in, we could easily see Bahar¡¯s devastation. Like Sarthe and Scholz before it, a portion of the walls was blown open. This was clearly the work of a titan.

    Although the titan was already gone, we could feel the presence of countless antidemons on the other side of those walls. There was no way the town could be intact.

    ¡¸Shikimi, what now?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re lucky that the titan is gone, but¡­¡­ there is no way for us to rest in that town. Our biggest priority right now is to secure food supplies.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Should I go check out the town again?¡¹

    ¡¸Please do. In case we find nothing, we will likely have to rely on you, ck Lightning Princess-dono. If that happens, my country will offer payment.¡¹

    Actually, we had already discussed this issue with Shikimist night. She wanted to secure food supplies by any means necessary, so we offered her our high grade magical beast meat.

    Rather than taking it as a donation, she promised to pay us for the meat. Although high-grade magical beast meat was on the expensive side, sheughed it off and told us it was a cheap price for buying fame.

    Half of that was true, but her reputation should already be soaring after ensuring the safety of Sarthe¡¯s inhabitants. The other half was probably out of concern for Fran. Shikimi wanted to allow us to provide the food without hesitation.

    The people from Hagane seemed pretty decentpared to Srd. At the very least, they were capable of showing consideration to others.

    £¨Master, let¡¯s go.£©

    ¡ºYeah, focus on all the big buildings and see if we can find some food. Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and stumble upon a stockpile.¡»

 Chapter 978

    <h4>978: Frederick''s Plea</h4>

    Despite scouring Bahar, we couldn¡¯t find the desired amount of food. All we found was a magic circle emitting evil energy.

    This time, we invited Izario and the others to check it out too. Well, it¡¯s not like they were experts either, so no one knew anything about it.

    In the end, we removed the evil crystal, then made quick work of the Evil Berserker that popped out.

    Izario and Shikimi were now discussing our next move.

    ¡¸I think it is safe to say that we have eliminated all the titan-types assigned to us. What will be our next ns?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ No requests for help from other divisions, yeah?¡¹

    ¡¸None, although the towns in this region are almostpletely ruined. They may not have any way to contact us.¡¹

    ¡¸They could easily send a fast horse if they wanted. If no one¡¯s giving us any instructions, then they can¡¯tin if we do as we please.¡¹

    ¡¸Then¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¨D¨D¡¹

    During the discussion, we noticed a group of people approaching us. We flew up in the air and spotted a troop of about 500 peopleing our way.

    They consisted of a mixture of adventurers, knights, and soldiers, which suggested that they were one of the rescue teams. They must have deployed from a different city than us.

    Themanders from the unit made contact.

    It seems they also came to check on Bahar. They said a few of Bahar¡¯s residents had managed to escape and requested aid in a neighboring city.

    Izario spoke with them, and they decided to take the refugees off our hands. Since the second division was overwhelmingly superior in fighting ability, it would benefit the continent as a whole to free us from that burden.

    But right as the second division was free to move, we found someone else approaching us. Well, it¡¯s more correct to say that they approached Fran herself rather than her division.

    It happened right after the rescue team had taken over escorting the Sarthe refugees.

    We again caught a glimpse of somethinging our way, and pretty damn fast too. A messenger or something?

    No, this was no messenger. I could sense a being obviously covered in evil energy, but it didn¡¯t have the aura of an antidemon. A fiend then? No.

    A dragonkin, and one emitting an immense evil aura at that. Izario and the others knew about the existence of evil dragonkin, so they did not immediatelyunch an attack.

    Though cautious, we simply waited for the evil dragonkin¡¯s arrival. Then, we found out that he was someone we knew.

    It was definitely Frederick, although the evil he radiated was much stronger than before. He was not running, but gliding toward us with his wings slightly above the earth.

    I¡¯m pretty sure Frederick didn¡¯t have wings before, right? I know Velmeria managed to grow them, but¡­¡­

    ¡¸Frederick.¡¹

    ¡¸Littledy, you know this guy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Izario and Shikimi didn¡¯t let their guards down even when they heard he was Fran¡¯s acquaintance. I don¡¯t me them. We knew how the dragonkin were acting incredibly suspiciously, and Frederick¡¯s truly powerful aura of evil didn¡¯t help.

    If it was anyone else, I¡¯d have doubted them of performing human sacrifices to the Evil God in exchange for power.

    Frederick must have known how suspicious he looked. He pped his wings once to kill his momentum andnd before reaching the second division.

    Then, he raised both hands in the air to show hisck of hostile intentions. Izario and the others were still on guard, probably because of the look on Frederick¡¯s face.

    Frederick was clearly on edge. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s anger, panic, or some other emotion, but his eyebrows were furrowed. He was obviously holding back some sort of intense emotion.

    Still, he remained rational. Frederick spoke slowly so as not to provoke us.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I mean you no harm, despite my appearance. However, I have urgent business with ck Lightning Princess-dono over there. Please excuse my impudence for approaching you in this manner.¡¹

    Frederick spoke directly to Izario. He realized that Izario could kill him in an instant, so he immediately made an appeal to show that he was no enemy.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, you seem fine by me.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Frederick is good. What¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s Velmeria?¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess¡­¡­ Please! Please save Velmeria!¡¹

    While Fran tilted her head at the missing Velmeria, Frederick suddenly got down on his knees. He sounded calm, but I guess he really was in a tight spot.

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria has been captured by the Dragon King¡­¡­¡¹

    Frederick recounted the events of the past few days.

    ¡¸We were trying to locate the Dragon King and rescue Velmeria¡¯s mother¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The Dragon King has her mom?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, he took her away¡­¡­¡¹

    Tnaria, Velmeria¡¯s mother, was said to have been in the southern dragonkin reservation. However, it seems the dragonkin of the northern reservationunched an attack and kidnapped her. During the incident, her assants said something that suggested a connection with the Dragon King.

    For a while, Velmeria and Frederick hunted down the higher ranking members of the Dragon King Syndicate and ck market vers, while gathering intel on Tnaria¡¯s whereabouts. As a result of this intel, they became convinced that the Dragon King had some connection with Trismegistus.

    ¡¸The Dragon King apparently bragged about bing a transcendent with the powers of Trismegistus and Tnaria-sama. Though I can¡¯t say for sure if he¡¯s cooperating with Trismegistus or just trying to take advantage of him¡­¡­¡¹

    The two knew her mother had been taken to the center of the continent, so they went in to rescue her. However, they were intercepted by unusually strong dragonkin, resulting in Velmeria¡¯s capture. Moreover, they found themselves attacked by antidemons at the same time.

    In order to escape from this crisis, Frederick used his natural ability as a half-evil dragonkin. He purposely absorbed a ton of evil energy and managed to power himself up.

    It seems he¡¯s absorbed so much that he just barely managed to hold onto sanity.

    Frederick¡¯s grim mood was not only because of his anger and impatience, but also because of the evil energy affecting his personality.

    ¡¸I managed to get away myself¡­ but they took Velmeria!¡¹

    ¡¸Were the dragonkin that strong?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, they were all on the level of our highest warriors. And¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸And?¡¹

    ¡¸Those antidemons¡­¡­¡¹

    Frederick cut himself off. Apparently, he was unsure of what he was about to say. However, he quickly continued with his gut feeling.

    ¡¸Those antidemons¡­¡­ It was as if the dragonkin were controlling them¡­¡­¡¹

    Neither Fran nor I could call this nonsense. We too have realized how the antidemons always appeared right where it would benefit the Dragon King.

    I¡¯ve previously considered that the Dragon King may be controlling the antidemons in some way.

    Frederick¡¯s words only confirmed our suspicions.

 Chapter 979

    <h4>979: To The Center</h4>

    Frederick begged Fran to save Velmeria, who had been taken away by the Dragon King¡¯s minions.

    Hearing his sorrowful plea, there was no way Fran could say no.

    But she didn¡¯t nod immediately.

    We were now a member of the second division, so we couldn¡¯t just leave without permission.

    Fran looked back at Izario and tried to open her mouth.

    ¡¸Izario, I¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Fine by me, but on one condition.¡¹

    ¡¸Condition?¡¹

    Even the lighthearted Izario was not so nice as to give his full support. We should be thankful that he allowed us to leave, even with a condition.

    But some unexpected words came out of Izario¡¯s mouth.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll be going with you. If you can ept that, then you have my permission.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? You all areing too? Why?¡¹

    ¡¸The Dragon King, Trismegistus, and a dragon priestess. With those three together, there¡¯s no way we can ignore this now.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. And considering the rtionship between the titans and the magic circles, it¡¯s hard not to suspect the Dragon King¡¯s involvement. We have to confirm it.¡¹

    Not only Izario, but Shikimi was eager to join too.

    ¡¸Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸The possibility of controlling antidemons cannot be left unchecked. Worst case scenario, they might even be able to control the Abyss Eater, don¡¯t you agree?¡¹

    ¡¸And it would no exaggeration to call that a threat to the world.¡¹

    The Abyss Eater, a Threat Level S monster, was the root of the antidemons. If the gods hadn¡¯t sealed it off with the continent-wide barrier, it seriously might have swallowed up the entire world.

    If the Dragon King could manipte antidemons, then was there a possibility that he could manipte the Abyss Eater itself? Well, maniption may be an exaggeration, but maybe he had some way of influencing it.

    When you put it that way, this was an incredibly dire situation.

    ¡¸Okay. Frederick, are you good with this?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Rather, I¡¯m very grateful.¡¹

    ¡¸Then will you show us the way?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll lead. Follow me.¡¹

    With these words, Frederick pped his wings. His body floated along with a release of mana.

    ¡¸Frederick, you grew wings?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, though it was a little reckless of me.¡¹

    Did dragonkin have some obtainable ability to give themselves more dragonic features or something?

    I wondered why the other dragonkin didn¡¯t do it too, but it seems that¡¯s because the method was quite dangerous. Frederick apparently only took the risk because he was in a life threatening situation.

    We hurried to the center of the continent with more haste than ever before. Frederick was in a great hurry, and the rest of the second division would probably get left in the dust if not careful.

    However, neither the adventurers nor the soldiersined. Perhaps they were proud of their status as elites, or they felt a sense of duty to stop the Dragon King.

    During a short break on the road, Fran asked Frederick something that was bothering us.

    ¡¸Hey, how did you know where I was?¡¹

    ¡¸I used my Innate Skill, an ability simr to abination of Divination and Intuition.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, cool.¡¹

    ¡ºSounds useful!¡»

    Must be perfect for finding things. However, it seems it¡¯s not all that convenient.

    Apparently the uracy is significantly reduced if the target person or item is consciously hiding themselves, or hidden by another.

    Because of that, he couldn¡¯t search out the location of the Dragon King, the evil crystals, or Tnaria.

    In Fran¡¯s case, he was able to locate her because she wasn¡¯t doing anything in terms of stealth.

    Frederick did not have such power when we met him in the Royal Capital, so it must be a skill he acquired along with his boost to evil dragonkin powers.

    ¡¸If only I could master this ability, I would be able to search out Velmeria and Tnaria-sama¡­¡­¡¹

    Even if they weren¡¯t hiding themselves, someone was hiding them on purpose. It seems his Innate Skill didn¡¯t work well in this case. Like he said, the skill was surprisingly difficult to use.

    One day has passed since our encounter with Frederick.

    The second division set foot on the central region of the continent. Even the tiniest bit of brush vanished from sight, and there were no signs of any animals. Everything had been devoured by the antidemons.

    ¡¸There¡¯s someone there.¡¹

    ¡¸Dragonkin, huh? Oh boy, they¡¯repletely hostile.¡¹

    The ones blocking our path were, of course, dragonkin. They must have sensed our presence, because they positioned themselves right in front of our march.

    They were clearly hostile, but we couldn¡¯t just attack them out of the blue. Izario advanced forward while the rest of the division prepared for battle.

    ¡¸We¡¯ve got business up ahead! Don¡¯t suppose you can move out of our way?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­No one is allowed to enter this area.¡¹

    ¡¸Who decided that?¡¹

    ¡¸Our king.¡¹

    ¡¸You guys have a king? You mean Trismegistus?¡¹

    ¡¸No! Our only king is Georg-sama! How dare you call that imbecile our king! You foolish inferior beings shall not be allowed to trample our holynd!¡¹

    The dragonkin shouted, and they all raised their weapons at the same time. Seems like we have no choice but to fight.

    Izario sighed and pointed his sword at them.

    ¡¸Fine then, I¡¯ll deal with you. Oh yeah, don¡¯t worry about my friends. I won¡¯t need any backup to take you guys on.¡¹

    Izario provoked the dragonkin. It¡¯s also probably easier for him to fight the dragonkin alone than to turn the battle into a disorderly brawl.

    Fran, however, called out to him in a worried tone. Though he had improved his condition since defeating the titan, he still seemed fatigued.

    ¡¸Izario, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Even if I¡¯m not in perfect condition, I can handle these guys.¡¹

    Perhaps due to the effect of his Provocation skill, the dragonkin¡¯s anger reached its peak.

    ¡¸Y-You inferior races dare to mock us!¡¹

    That said, he seemed a bit too quick to anger. The dragonkin were obviously not in a normal state of mind.

    Perhaps they¡¯re under some kind of mental maniption? It¡¯s also curious that the dragonkin living on this continent didn¡¯t recognize Izario.

    Even if they never learned Izario¡¯s appearance, it should be pretty obvious once he draws Ignis. Maybe they¡¯ve lost the ability to make sound judgments.

    ¡¸You mad? But I really don¡¯t like bullying weaklings. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fight by myself. Come at me.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll fucking kill you! You damn red ape!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! I¡¯ve been called many names, but ¡°red ape¡± is a first.¡¹

    ¡¸Dieeeeraaaaahh!¡¹

    The guy¡¯s not even speaking coherently anymore. I knew it. There¡¯s something seriously wrong with him.

 Chapter 980

    <h4>980: Sacrament of the Dragon God</h4>

    The dragonkin rushed Izariopletely furious after getting taunted. Well, they seemed really quick to anger even beforehand.

    Though they behaved like typical small fry, theirbat ability was no joke. All ten dragonkin were on the level of Rank C adventurers. The leader and the one next to him seemed even stronger.

    With such abilities, they could easily be a first-rate adventurer party.

    Except their equipment wasn¡¯t up to par. Dragonkin tended to dislike heavy armor due to pride in their durable scales. Even so, the dragonkin in front of us clearly had gear unbefitting veteran warriors.

    All of their armor was the stuff you would see worn by Rank D, or high Rank E adventurers. The same could be said of the weapons in their hands.

    They acted like your average thug with simr crappy equipment. And yet, their stats were very high.

    That seemed really peculiar to me.

    But whoever they were, they were no match for Izario. I couldn¡¯t imagine Izario losing, even if he¡¯s slightly fatigued.

    Fran wasn¡¯t worried about winning or losing, but rather afraid that Izario would exhaust himself further.

    ¡¸Urooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Die!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, that¡¯s not enough to kill me.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuck!¡¹

    ¡¸Doryah!¡¹

    ¡¸Such obvious moves. You¡¯re making me yawn.¡¹

    Izario repeatedly taunted the dragonkin as he continued dodging their attacks. The dragonkin were already right where he wanted them.

    They were so preupied with Izario that they failed to realize what he was doing. Meanwhile, we saw the ambient temperature rising little by little.

    By the time they felt something out of ce, it¡¯s already toote.

    Sure enough, the dragonkin started falling to the ground, unable to move after about five minutes.

    But that¡¯s when something strange happened.

    The dragonkin were clearly at their limits, but they continued struggling. The leader of the group in particr. He kept on fighting despite barely managing to keep his bnce.

    ¡¸Gubu¡­¡­ Ugh¡­¡­ Ugah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, hey, don¡¯t push yourself man.¡¹

    ¡¸Gaaah!¡¹

    Despite vomiting up gastric juices, he refused to stop. His eyes clearly showed a hint of insanity.

    This was something we¡¯ve seen before.

    The dragonkin we captured in Sendia¡¯s underground room. Right as we were about to destroy the evil crystals, they went into a strange frenzy. These dragonkin seemed to be in a simr state.

    Perhaps they¡¯ve been brainwashed by the Dragon King¡¯s ¡°Dragon Domination¡± skill.

    Izario must have intended to capture and interrogate the dragonkin. However, none of the dragonkin stopped their rampage even after we restrained them.

    Their mana and life force continued depleting rapidly, until eventually all of them took theirst breath. It seems they had been ordered to continue rampaging until their own deaths.

    ¡¸Dang, sorry. I was hoping to get some info out of them.¡¹

    Izario spoke apologetically, but the result would have been the same for anyone else.

    ¡¸No, I don¡¯t believe you are to me. This was out of our control. Those dragonkin must have been manipted somehow.¡¹

    ¡¸You think so too? Dragonkin generally looked down on other races, but those guys were terrible. First time hearing them call us ¡°foolish inferior beings¡±.¡¹

    ¡¸And they didn¡¯t seem to recognize you, Crimson de-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I guess I am kinda a celebrity around here.¡¹

    Izario also found the behavior of the dragonkin unusual. Well, they were pretty terrible even from our point of view.

    Frederick looked over the corpses of the dragonkin and went deep into thought.

    ¡¸What¡¯s on your mind, dragon dude?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve seen these people before. I believe they were novice warriors from the northern reservation.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Novice warriors? You sure about that?¡¹

    ¡¸I am certain.¡¹

    Izario looked very surprised. He had been trying to provoke them, but he didn¡¯t think they were really such small fry.

    I have to say I¡¯m surprised too. Novice warriors with that strength? Despite being on the level of stronger adventurers? I guess the equipment and behavior was something I would expect from that level though.

    That¡¯s when Frederick called over Fran, Izario, and Shikimi. Apparently, he knew something that he didn¡¯t want anyone else to hear.

    ¡¸¡­¡­They may have ingested the Sacrament of the Dragon God.¡¹

    ¡¸Sacrament of the Dragon God?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, a magic potion Trismegistus was said to have developed a long time ago, which dramatically increases the abilities of any dragonkin. It¡¯s thanks to that potion that I¡¯ve obtained my newfound powers as well.¡¹

    ¡¸I thought you said it¡¯s your abilities as a half-evil dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s only part of the truth. To be more precise, I drank the Sacrament of the Dragon God, which also boosted my innate abilities. That allowed me to take in much more evil energy.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. This potion sounds very troublesome.¡¹

    ¡¸It also has nasty side effects.¡¹

    This is apparently a forbidden potion only known to a select few of the dragonkin race. Knowledge of the production method is limited to the priestesses, and there are strict rules over who is allowed to possess it.

    The potion stimtes the dragon factor in the blood of dragonkin, which amplifies their abilities. This is no temporary boost, but a permanent power up.

    Of course, that makes it incredibly valuable to any dragonkin. They can gain additional power without the effort of leveling up.

    However, the side effects carry an equal amount of danger.

    First, the physical transformation causes a terrible reaction in the body, so great that half of the patients die immediately after taking the potion. That alone is horrifying enough, but another half die within a few days after their bodies are transfigured irreversibly.

    In other words, 75% of those who take the potion die. It¡¯s truly a miracle that Frederick was still standing next to us right now.

    ¡¸This information cannot be revealed to the public, so avoid spreading it around if possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure. These guys were low-ranking warriors to begin with, right? Could they even handle the side effects?¡¹

    ¡¸Actually, there¡¯s a way to reduce the side effects.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Then shouldn¡¯t it be pretty easy to use?¡¹

    ¡¸Not quite, the method greatly reduces your lifespan.¡¹

    The Sacrament of the Dragon God is a liquid about the volume of a sake ss. Drinking all of it activates the enhancement.

    Then, what happens if you drink only a few drops? You will be strengthened only half as much, but the side effects aren¡¯t enough to kill you instantly.

    Just hearing that, it sounds perfect.

    However, there¡¯s a trap hidden in this method. By only partially enhancing your body, the burden on the unenhanced parts increases several times over, resulting in a dramatically shortened lifespan. The dragonkin who fought Izario would probably have lost their lives within ten days at the most.

    They died much earlier as a result of continuously overexerting themselves while ignoring the burden.

    So the Dragon King brainwashed his men and forced them to fight after giving them a lethal enhancement drug. What a truly disgusting bastard!

    ¡¸The Dragon King, huh¡­¡­ Seems like he really needs to go down.¡¹

    Izario¡¯s mutter was filled with killing intent, something we¡¯ve never seen from him before.

 Chapter 981

    <h4>981: Resalva</h4>

    After eliminating the dragonkin, the second division advanced further toward the center of the continent.

    Our goal was the castle of Trismegistus, and we wiped out all the antidemons appearing along the way.

    I couldn¡¯t say for sure if Velmeria and her mother Tnaria were really captured there. Frederick, however, seemed to have some sort of certainty, so he headed for the center without hesitation.

    I thought we might see more enemy interference the closer we got to Trismegistus¡¯ castle, but there were no dragonkin in sight.

    The only beings attacking us were antidemons. It¡¯s possible the Dragon King was controlling these antidemons, but there¡¯s no way to tell for sure if he¡¯s really to me.

    More antidemons always showed up in the center of the continent, and it¡¯s possible the appearance of the titans increased their presence even further.

    In the end, the second division found Trismegistus¡¯ castle without encountering any dragonkin aside from the first group.

    However, it seems we yed right into their hands.

    ¡¸Hey, this is quite an enthusiastic wee.¡¹

    ¡¸Dragonkin, lots of them.¡¹

    We were confronted by an army of dragonkin right before reaching the castle. Our destination was already visible in the distance, less than an hour away.

    ¡¸Well, what now? Doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re going to listen to us¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸There must be at least 200 of them, and they look pretty strong. Should we try making our way around?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, they ain¡¯t letting us go.¡¹

    The closer we got, the stronger the aura of hatred emanating from the other party. There could be no doubt about their hostility.

    Izario and Fran led the way, with the adventurers and soldiers lining up in formation behind them. Shikimi began preparing under the assumption that a battle might suddenly break out.

    She was right.

    When the distance between the two groups reached about 200 meters, the dragonkin moved into action. They immediately spread out and came running toward us.

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    Izario stepped forward and released a wave of magical power, probably his Provocation skill. However, he didn¡¯t manage to reach the entire army.

    He only managed to grab about 30 or so.

    ¡¸All hands, weapons at the ready! Vanguard, take cover with your shields!¡¹

    Shikimi gave the order, and everyone readied themselves for battle.

    However, the dragonkin exerted strength far exceeding our expectations.

    ¡¸Gaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Rugaaaah!¡¹

    It seems they¡¯ve already lost their sanity in exchange for a boost to their stats. Although it didn¡¯t show up in my Appraisal, I think they¡¯re in a state simr to Potential Release.

    Furthermore, I could feel evil energy inside them, despite them not being evil dragonkin. There¡¯s definitely something weird going on here.

    The old soldiers, who managed to take on all kinds of opponents on equal terms, were blown away at the first sh. The adventurer shieldsmen tried their best to stop the dragonkin, but they werepletely outmatched.

    From the looks of their equipment, the dragonkin here must have originally been veteran warriors. After massively boosting themselves up, their strength was far superior to the novice warriors defeated by Izario.

    ¡¸Urushi! Back everyone up!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take him!¡¹

    Fran stared at a dragonkin radiating a terrifying amount of mana. We¡¯d take significant casualties if he got any closer to our lines.

    The man was a strange-looking fire dragonkin whose entire body was covered with toxic-looking red scales. The weird part was his arms being twice as big as they should be, in both length and thickness. I had to doubt if he actually transnted a real dragon¡¯s arms onto himself.

    His bnce seemed so bad that I wondered if he even could move properly. The rest of his body was normal, with only the arms being weirdly big.

    But he was strong. We could tell just by his aura.

    Perhaps he fully mastered this Sacrament of the Dragon God potion that Frederick mentioned.

    ¡¸¡­¡­You shall not advance any further.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you normal?¡¹

    ¡¸I have sworn allegiance to the Dragon King!¡¹

    The dragonkin shouted as he closed the distance between us. Was he themander? Well, he¡¯s way too much for the other adventurers, so we¡¯ll have to take him ourselves.

    That¡¯s when we heard Frederick¡¯s voice. He gave us a warning while taking on several dragonkin by himself.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess! That man is Resalva, the elder of the northern dragonkin! He ranks among our most powerful warriors! Stay on your guard!¡¹

    It seems the man was actually an elder. Scales covered his entire body, including his face, so it was hard to tell his age at first nce. Since dragonkin were a race with long lifespans, age had a direct corrtion to strength.

    And if he received a further boost over that, he must be very tough.

    ¡¸You traitor! All dragonkin should bow down before our king!¡¹

    ¡¸What fool would bow down to a self-proimed king!?¡¹

    ¡¸Insolent bastard! You are next after I tear this girl apart!¡¹

    I first thought he wasn¡¯t being controlled, but he had as quick of a temper as the others. Though he may have managed to keep his sanity, the mental maniption seemed to be taking a toll.

    Well, that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll go easy on you. I mean, I don¡¯t think we could afford to in the first ce.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t reach Frederick because you die here.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah! Little bitch! Try saying that again after I murder you!¡¹

    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t say things you can¡¯t do. That makes you a liar.¡¹

    ¡¸Nrgrah!¡¹

    Fran decided to follow Izario¡¯s example and provoke her opponent. After all, an opponent blinded by rage had simpler patterns and became easier to fight.

    But even if his movements were predictable, they were unusually fast.

    ¡¸Diiiiiieee!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Fran saw himing, but she had no choice but to block the hit with my de instead of avoiding it. She couldn¡¯t react fast enough.

    ¡ºFran! He¡¯s boosting himself with a me geyser on his back!¡»

    It was the same as the instantaneous eleration Colbert had shown in the martial arts tournament. He dashed not with his muscles, but the force of those mes.

    Fran¡¯s timing was off because of this, so she had to block the thrust. Moreover, the blow had tremendous power behind it.

    That reduced my durability considerably.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not just his strength, that sword¡¯s enchanted!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Though his sword had no special effect, the attack power exceeded 800 with mana conductivity A. That¡¯s clearly a high quality magic sword.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tear you to shreds!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line!¡¹

 Chapter 982

    <h4>982: Fran''s Defense</h4>

    ¡¸Roooooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    The battle between Fran and Resalva the elder was seemingly evenly matched.

    Though Fran had the advantage in swordsmanship and speed, Resalva shrugged off all our attacks and kept up a furious assault. Moreover, his sheer strength meant each swing contained tremendous force.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s tough!¡»

    £¨Nn. Those scales are like armor.£©

    Perhaps due to being strengthened by the Sacrament of the Dragon God, Resalva¡¯s red scales were extremely durable. He didn¡¯t take so much as a scratch from our lighter hits.

    We managed to cut through his scales with a powerful sh, but his regeneration skill quickly restored them to the original state.

    This guy was really troublesome, especially in terms of resilience.

    It wasn¡¯t only the scales. The cuts making it past his scales were instantly healed too. We were using life magic to inhibit his healing, but it didn¡¯t seem to do anything.

    He seemed unbothered by the ck lightning repeatedly piercing his body, as well as the paralysis effect.

    In fact, he even purposely took some attacks in order to counter us when we least expected it. That expert sense of timing proved he had a lot of experience in battle.

    However, Resalva remained quite irritated in spite of his experience. Being evenly matched with a small girl like Fran seemed to have hurt his pride. Maybe the mental maniption was negatively affecting his ability to suppress his emotions.

    Besides, both fighters knew the truth. They were not truly even. Fran had yet to get serious, while Resalva¡¯s mana was steadily draining away.

    He was overexerting himself with the repeated usage of regeneration and physical enhancements.

    And while the elder was pushing himself too hard, Fran was preparing for the future and fighting in a way that would limit her own exhaustion. This only aggravated Resalva¡¯s rage.

    He came at us with more fury than ever before, but Fran parried all of his strikes. Meanwhile, I kept sting Resalva with spells. The damage was piling up.

    Fran¡¯s parrying techniques had gotten even better than before, so she dealt with Resalva¡¯s greatsword perfectly. Was this thanks to observing Izario¡¯s style?

    Resalve¡¯s greatsword had enough force to deal coteral damage to our allies, but Fran managed to mitigate this by redirecting the impact towards the sky.

    I could see Fran growing as she fought.

    But our opponent was a sly and experienced warrior. Even with his mind dulled by the mental maniption, he quickly realized that Fran was trying to save her friends from harm.

    ¡¸Think you can you block this!?¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Groooh!¡¹

    Resalva shot out a giant mass of me from his mouth. It wasn¡¯t super powerful, but a direct hit on the average soldier or adventurer would be enough to end their career.

    Moreover, he did it over a huge range.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    Fran quickly unleashed a spell and a sh to cancel out the st of mes. However, this was exactly what Resalva wanted.

    Resalva had intended to stall Fran¡¯s movements, giving him time to prepare a more powerful technique. He arched his body backward and inhaled so deeply that his chest te expanded to almost twice the size.

    ¡¸GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    An explosion of red light. His me breath incinerated the air as it flew in a straight line toward Fran, who had just finished intercepting the earlier breath.

    Fran could choose to dodge it, but ourrades behind her would take casualties if she did so.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸GAAAAAAHHHHHH!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s barrier shed with Resalva¡¯s mes, staining the battlefield in a red glow.

    ¡ºFran, hold on for two more seconds!¡»

    ¡¸Daaah!¡¹

    Fran made full use of her mana release to disperse the breath. This must also be a result of watching Izario¡¯s style. All of her defensive techniques had improved, not just with the de.

    But she still paled inparison to Izario. Fran¡¯s extended hand began burning up in the heat, then¡­

    ¡ºI won¡¯t let Fran¡¯s efforts go to waste!¡»

    I activated my dimensional magic, just as I had when blocking the titan¡¯s projectiles. I¡¯ll return all of his mes with my Dimension Gate.

    However, I had to be careful since our allies were everywhere around us. That¡¯s why I opened the gate right above Resalva.

    ¡¸Gaaah!? What!¡¹

    Resalva didn¡¯t take much damage due to his extremely high fire resistance, but he definitely panicked after the sudden attack from an unexpected direction. He reflexively canceled his breath and looked upwards.

    A huge opening.

    Fran did not miss that moment and struck back with all her might.

    Even though Fran said nothing, I could sense exactly what she wanted to do. I squeezed out my divine energy and mana, cloaking my entire de with it.

    elerated by her magic and skills, Fran only left behind an afterimage of ck lightning. She moved at a speed that was practically instantaneous, and closed in on the veteran dragonkin.

    Resalva immediately noticed this, but Fran had already finished swinging me down on him.

    ¡¸Impos¡­sible¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Phew.¡¹

    Resalva fell to the ground, cut in half from the shoulder to groin. A very quiet end to our battle.

    ¡¸Gah¡­¡­ Gugah¡­¡­ Why am¡­ I here¡­¡­?¡¹

    He managed to avoid dying instantly, but there¡¯s no way he could regenerate from an attack with divine energy. He obviously didn¡¯t have the ridiculous vitality of greater antidemons, so that ended up being hisst breath.

    ¡ºWe managed to defeat such a powerful foe while barely exhausting ourselves.¡»

    £¨If he was smarter, we¡¯d be in trouble.£©

    ¡ºYeah, definitely. We would have needed to bring out the big guns.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Even at a moment like this, Fran looked a little disappointed. She must have felt a desire to fight the real Resalva.

    ¡ºBut more importantly, we need to back everyone up now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 983

    <h4>983: Antidemon Dragonkin</h4>

    After defeating Resalva, we went around cleaning up the other berserk dragonkin. But that¡¯s when yet another change urred.

    ¡ºFran! Antidemons! And there are dragonkin with them!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We sensed the presence of dragonkin and antidemons mingling together in the same unit.

    So they really can control antidemons!

    Or so I thought, but that wasn¡¯t quite correct. These neers were neither antidemons nor dragonkin. Rather, perhaps it¡¯s better to say they were both?

    They looked mostly like dragonkin, but with various antidemon parts covering their bodies. Some weird fusion between antidemon and dragonkin.

    Moreover, the mana each possessed was simply extraordinary, on the level of the titans even. These antidemon-dragonkin guys must be at least Threat Level B. A total of 20 charged at us from the direction of Trismegistus¡¯ castle.

    The ten at the front had silhouettes pretty close to humans. However, there were followed by ten ball-shaped objects rolling in behind them, each the size of a small house. It seems these balls were also antidemon-dragonkin creatures.

    Both the humanoids and the balls emitted the same wavelength of mana. Their body shape probably mutated to reflect their innate abilities and skills, which seems to be a characteristic inherited from the antidemon side.

    ¡¸Izario-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸I know! Shikimi-san, you take care of the rest!¡¹

    The antidemon-dragonkin were clearly way stronger than the berserk dragonkin we were currently engaged with. Izario must have understood the danger of letting them reach the second division. He headed out by himself, with some of the enemy dragonkin still following him.

    We assisted him by attacking at range. Earlier, our division had to avoid any unnecessary attacks, since we wanted to let Izario take the brunt of their attacks.

    However, many of us were still engaged in meleebat, leaving only a few were ready to fire spells at the new enemy. Even with me and Fran trying our best, our barrage proved to be futile.

    In the end, the antidemon-dragonkin managed to approach us without taking much damage. No, I guess they were still more than 300 meters away, but it seems they considered that to be well within their range.

    As we watched in surprise, the humanoid antidemons lifted their ball-shaped friends above their heads and threw them toward us.

    What physical strength!

    ¡¸They¡¯re aiming at me and Hagane?! Come on!¡¹

    The ball-shaped ones had mana overflowing from within, and their bodies splitting open from massive internal pressure. This was a clear warning sign of self-destruction. Half of the ball-shaped dragonkin were thrown at Izario, and the other half at Hagane¡¯s carriage.

    Our enemies were surely targeting the divine swords.

    ¡ºFran, you assist Hagane! I¡¯ll help Izario!¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, block the humanoids¡¯ approach for as long as you can!¡»

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    The mana within those ball-shaped antidemon gave me the chills. Each one contained many times the mana of supreme-tier spells. And there were fiveunched at each side.

    Even Izario couldn¡¯t block this without activating his divine sword. And if it¡¯s to protect the adventurers, I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do so.

    ¡ºI might not be able to destroy you, but I can knock you out of the sky!¡»

    I simultaneously activated dimensional magic and max output telekinesis. Dimensional magic, however, was not so simple as to allow me to do something else at the same time. But I had no choice.

    Because that dude has grown on me too!

    ¡ºTurn Shield!¡»

    I can¡¯t make a Dimension Gate big enough to transport something so huge. In that case, I¡¯ll have to divert their path instead.

    This spell distorts space to alter the trajectory of projectiles, but it can also work onrger objects if I concentrate enough mana on it.

    One of the ball antidemons hit my Turn Shield and shifted drastically, veering sharply to the right. It reminded me of a professional baseball yer throwing a curveball.

    At the same time, another one slid to the left with its course altered by my telekinesis.

    It collided violently with one of its buddies midair, and the impact sent it flying far off course.

    That one willnd outside the battlefield where the second division was fighting. They might feel some of the shockwaves, but anything¡¯s better than a direct hit.

    Furthermore, I cast several wind spells in an attempt to divert the remaining ones. However, this got blocked by their barriers.

    Still, I managed to shoot one down by focusing all my magic on a single one. It fell at about the halfway point between the humanoids and the second division.

    But I ended up using too many spells.

    ¡ºI¡¯m reaching the limits of my continuous casting¡­¡­! There¡¯s still two more, what am I gonna do¡­¡­!¡»

    While I was panicking, Fran attempted to deal with the ball antidemons flying toward Hagane¡¯s side.

    ¡¸Kanna Kamui! Teyaa!¡¹

    Fran had neither telekinesis nor dimensional magic, so she went on the offensive. She nned to hit them with powerful long-range attacks in order to knock them down.

    In addition to Kanna Kamui, she fired a series of Sonic Waves. The way she forced out the barrage put such a high load on Fran¡¯s arms that I could practically hear them screaming.

    Blood gushed out of the tears in her skin. Her muscles and bones were surely overstrained too. Still, Fran continued swinging without rest.

    In the end, she managed to knock two of them down.

    But that was as far as she could go. Fran could no longer move after pushing so far beyond her limits.

    The other sorcerers began their own spells in Fran¡¯s ce, but the powerful barriers rendered weak magic almostpletely ineffective.

    Should we give up on the attack and put everything into defense? We could at least save Matsuyuki and¨D¨D

    ¡¸That¡¯s plenty. Leave the rest to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Matsuyuki.¡¹

    Before I knew it, Matsuyuki had appeared on the front lines.

    ¡ºBerserk is certainly powerful, but how far can she go?¡»

    Staring at the ball antidemons flying toward her, Matsuyuki held Berserk in a prayer pose, just as he had done when she attacked the titan.

    ¡¸Die.¡¹

    Her single word caused the ball antidemon¡¯s body to rapidly shrink, with its mana dissipating into the air. The shape reminded me of a deted ser ball.

    However, Matsuyuki was only able to defeat two of them. She copsed upon attempting to activate her power for a third time.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹

    Izario saw this and realized our opponent was stronger than he thought.

    So he finally made the decision.

    ¡¸<strong>Divine Sword Release!</strong>¡¹

    An explosive burst of magical power erupted from the divine sword.

    ¡ºHe had to use it after all!¡»

    With this, I won¡¯t have to worry about the adventurers. There¡¯s no way Izario could fail after releasing his divine sword.

    The only one remaining was thest ball on the Hagane side. But right at that moment, the humanoids sent a volley of magic sts our way.

    It seems those humanoid antidemons observed our formation and realized that all they needed to do was interfere with Fran. I had assumed they were in a berserk state, but that¡¯s a damn precise judgment!

    Both Fran and I were too busy putting up barriers tounch any further attacks.

    ¡¸Matsuyuki is¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, put everything into your barrier!¡»

    <strong>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!</strong>

 Chapter 984

    <h4>984: Hagane''s Casualties</h4>

    We failed to intercept all of them!

    I quickly reinforced our barrier as soon as I realized it was toote. Immediately afterwards, the massive explosion covered the second division in mes alongside a simrly massive roar.

    All the ball antidemons detonated at the exact same time.

    ¡¸Kuugh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! You okay?!¡»

    £¨Kinda¡­¡­!£©

    With the st shockwavesing at us from all directions, we werepletely pinned down.

    Even our max output barrier couldn¡¯t block the incinerating heat, and I could see Fran¡¯s skin rapidly turning to ash. My de also started bubbling up with my durability eroding at lightning speed.

    While healing Fran, I activated Dimensional Shift to escape. Putting too much into the interception effort had forced a dy before I could cast my next spell.

    The inferno and debris raging on the battlefield made it impossible to see what was going on around us. The powerful mana imbued in those mes also prevented me from detecting anything with my skills.

    I couldn¡¯t even sense Matsuyuki, who was supposedly right next to us.

    We should have knocked away 9 out of the 10 ball antidemons, but each explosion just had apletely ridiculous amount of power.

    Even knocking them 100 meters off course wasn¡¯t enough to disable thempletely.

    It¡¯s terrifying to think this happened after a single direct hit. If all of them exploded next to us, even Fran and I might have been goners.

    Half a minute or so passed, and our field of vision finally cleared. But Fran simply stood there, choking on her words.

    ¡¸G-Guys¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThis is¡­ terrible¡­¡­¡»

    More than half of Hagane¡¯s troopsid motionless on the heavily cracked and rubble-strewn earth. Many of the fallen werepletely charred, others had their limbs unnaturally bent or missing.

    Just one look at their bodies told us they weren¡¯t getting back up again.

    The damage was way more than we expected.

    Yet, some of them survived, thanks to Matsuyuki. She must have activated Berserk¡¯s power just in time to negate the explosion¡¯s force.

    Some of the soldiers behind her stood unscathed.

    While Hagane suffered heavy casualties, the adventurers had almost zero fallen.

    Izario had used the power of Ignis to create a ward. Thispletely absorbed all the mes and canceled most of the impact as well.

    However, some of the remaining enemies had been chasing the adventurers up until the explosion. They must have injured a few before they could escape into Izario¡¯s ward.

    Though those same enemies were pretty much eradicated by the giant explosion afterwards.

    But this wasn¡¯t even close to the end.

    ¡ºThey¡¯reing!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    The humanoid antidemons were already closing in on the still disorderly second division.

    Even setting aside the suicide bombing of the ball antidemons, the ten humanoid antidemons alone were enough to be a deadly threat.

    No wait, only eight of them were approaching us. Urushi managed to grab the attention of the remaining two. Despite taking quite the beating, he continued provoking the antidemons away from us.

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t lose either!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    But what can we do? Izario still had his divine sword activated, but pushing him any further might be dangerous. Meanwhile, Matsuyuki was¨D¨D

    Shiver.

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Fran was startled by a sudden change in her field of view, but I was even more surprised. Why did I just teleport us?

    No, I know exactly why. I ran, obeying the fear that suddenly welled up in me. The sheer terror gave me no choice but to run.

    The source of the fear was a single girl, simply standing there with an eerie mixture of ck and white mana enveloping her.

    ¡ºSomething¡¯s going on with Matsuyuki¡­¡­¡»

    £¨That ck and white mana is Berserk¡¯s?£©

    ¡ºBerserk, and its scabbard!¡»

    ck mana rose from Matsuyuki and her de, while the white mana came from the scabbard.

    Simply looking at her gave me a sense of uneasiness, telling me to get away as quickly as possible. Fran seemed to feel the same way since her tail had fallen lifelessly to the ground.

    Up until now, Fran has fought off countless enemies without showing any trace of cowardice. Yet, even she was scared to death upon seeing Matsuyuki and Berserk. The current Matsuyuki gave off an aura with that much pressure.

    Could it be that the de of Madness was about to be unleashed?

    That¡¯s when Izario called out to us.

    ¡¸Come on, littledy! We need to get out of here!¡¹

    Izario shouted, creating a wall of me between the antidemons and the second division. His towering wall was filled with divine energy.

    However, Izario wasn¡¯t trying to escape the antidemons. He took all the adventurers and started running away from Matsuyuki. That me wall was intended to allow them time to escape unhindered by the antidemons.

    Seeing this, Fran immediately began moving as well.

    £¨Izario is so panicked.£©

    ¡ºDamn! Urushi, that¡¯s enough! Come back to us!¡»

    £¨Woof?£©

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, just hurry back as fast as you can!¡»

    £¨W-Woof!£©

    I called Urushi back with a telepathic message. We had no choice but to run too.

    From behind our backs, we heard Matsuyuki¡¯s voice.

    ¡¸Show us the true meaning of power. The manifestation of fury and destruction, Berserk! <strong>Divine Sword Release!</strong>¡¹

 Chapter 985

    <h4>985: Berserk''s Aura</h4>

    ¡¸<strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>!¡¹

    In response to Matsuyuki¡¯s voice, ck mana overflowed from the still sheathed Berserk. At the same time, white mana erupted from the scabbard.

    Those ck and white shades mixed irregrly in the air. White mana stirring in the midst of the ominous ck mana. Does that look like a skull, or am I just imagining things out of my fear of the de?

    Little by little, Matsuyuki dragged out Berserk from its scabbard. As more of the jet-ck de appeared, a proportional amount of that ursed mana was unleashed upon the world.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn!¡¹

    ¡ºRun! Run!!¡»

    Simply sensing the leaking mana up close without any hostility behind it was enough to make Fran and Urushi break into a cold sweat.

    No, this mana was not without negative effects even if there was no direct damage.

    ¡ºTch! My spell¡­¡­!¡»

    The immense cloud of mana suddenly made magic control really difficult. I tried to teleport us away, but the spell didn¡¯t work at all.

    ¡ºSorry Fran! Keep running!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran increased her speed even more, while keeping an eye on her rear. However, we didn¡¯t run straight away.

    ¡¸Izario!¡¹

    ¡¸Littledy, keep going! We might be in trouble here too!¡¹

    Fran must be worried about the adventurers making it out in time. She called out to Izario, who had already canceled his divine sword activation and was looking sluggish.

    Though he was quite worn out, it wasn¡¯t enough to keep him from moving.

    But he did slow down considerably. Besides, the other adventurers were much slower than Fran.

    It would take a while longer before they escape to safety.

    If only my magic was working, I could have cast Dimension Gate to get us away!

    Fran took the lead in front of the adventurers. She turned around and started to encourage everyone, raising her voice, which was rare for Fran.

    ¡¸Everyone, you can do it!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah,e on guys! Show the girl your spirit!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yeah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The adventurers pushed themselves in response to Fran¡¯s shouts. They were already exhausted, but giving up wasn¡¯t an option when someone as young as Fran cheered them on.

    Then, the entire group clearly picked up the pace. The effect of Fran¡¯s title had been activated.

    ¡¸Izario! Ajisai and the others are still back there!¡¹

    ¡¸They ain¡¯ting either way! Never mind them!¡¹

    Ajisai simply stood there watching Matsuyuki. The old soldiers of Hagane remained in formation around the two as if to protect them. Like Izario said, they had no intention of running away.

    ¡¸Anyways, just keep running!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    The adventurers continued their dash at the same pace. After 30 seconds, the group as a whole began slowing down. The physically inferior sorcerers, who had been sprinting at full speed, ran out of steam.

    They normally would have been able to run a little longer, but they were worn out from the series of fierce battles.

    Still, the warriors picked up the sorcerers on their backs and kept going at full speed.

    Everyone felt the unbearable, disturbing aura.

    ¡¸Littledy, thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Izario, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Not really¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran started carrying Izario on her back. Though he managed to avoid copsing, he still seemed to be in really bad shape. Izario didn¡¯t refuse the offer.

    This was not a situation to be concerned with pride either way.

    Fran and the others kept moving their legs frantically, as if being chased by the vicious aura of Berserk.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s starting!¡»

    Matsuyuki suddenly prepared for battle. I felt a sense of ferocity, like the moment when a beast dives at its prey.

    The antidemons, who had seemed so fearsome, were no longer on our minds. Berserk¡¯s presence was so terrifying that they looked petty inparison.

    So this is Berserk, said to be one of the strongest divine swords. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s capable of surpassing Alpha in purebat power alone. I can understand why now, even though the battle had yet to begin.

    ¡¸<strong>RUUOOOOOOOOOGH</strong>!¡¹

    Matsuyuki¡¯s bestial roar echoed through the air. All the adventurers grimaced upon hearing it.

    Although we¡¯ve already escaped the cloud of Berserk¡¯s mana, its shiver-inducing aura did not diminish one bit.

    Matsuyuki raised her hand, which should have been holding Berserk. The de itself could not be seen due to the dense cloak of jet-ck mana covering it.

    The next moment, Izario¡¯s wall of the divine me burst open and disappeared.

    Matsuyuki had swung down Berserk, slicing through the wall along with her enemy. Her single swing left one of the antidemons dead.

    The antidemon should have boasted high defenses, yet it got cut in half easily. She made it look so simple that I almost thought they were weak.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Uuooooooorh! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The antidemons braced themselves in caution upon witnessing Matsuyuki¡¯s preemptive strike. They must be instinctively afraid of Berserk as well.

    Instead of charging her immediately, they spread out to surround her.

    However, Matsuyuki refused to allow this, instead plunging into their ranks herself.

    ¡¸Die!¡¹

    Matsuyuki¡¯s raspy, beast-like cry rang across the battlefield.

    She made a wide swing with Berserk, and a flurry of small, ck, petal-like mana particles shot out from the de, enveloping one antidemon.

    ¡¸Graaaah!¡¹

    The antidemon immediately began struggling in pain as its body suddenly shriveled up. This must be a more powerful version of the ability we saw before.

    But I was more concerned about Matsuyuki¡¯s mental state than Berserk¡¯s powers. She certainly seemed incredibly aggressive, but it¡¯s not like she was going out of control.

    What¡¯s going on here? I thought Berserk¡¯s wielder was supposed to rampage uncontrobly until they die?

 Chapter 986

    <h4>986: Berserk and the Scabbard</h4>

    Fran and the others finally stopped running, before turning to stare down at the battlefield from the top of a small hill.

    Well, only Fran and Izario actually managed to see everything clearly, along with a few others using farsight skills.

    The two stood side by side, standing a little distance away from the exhausted adventurers.

    ¡¸Matsuyuki isn¡¯t going out of control?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Matsuyuki kept her left hand ced on the ground as she leapt around wildly, her long white hair and a ck skirt fluttering in the wind.

    She was by all means, a beast. By gripping the ground with her hand, Matsuyuki could make ridiculous direction changing maneuvers that should be impossible for ordinary people to perform.

    And her arm seemed to have a tremendous amount of strength behind it. She was rushing forward at super high speeds, before suddenly bending her path midair with a quick flick of her left hand. That¡¯s not something a human should be able to do.

    However, her eyes still clearly contained the light of sanity.

    ¡¸That¡¯s the effect of the scabbard.¡¹

    ¡¸The scabbard?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, the same thing happenedst time too.¡¹

    Izario, who had been fighting on this continent for a long time, must have witnessed Berserk¡¯s activation on several asions in the past.

    ¡¸Hagane apparently has strict limits on the usage of Berserk. They follow those limits no matter what.¡¹

    It seems Hagane always brings about 1,000 of the old soldiers with them, and Berserk can be released only after they suffer a certain number of casualties.

    Thest time Izario saw Berserk¡¯s release was immediately after half of the old soldiers fell inbat.

    ording to his theory, the scabbard usually has a seal on Berserk. Also, that white mana being emitted from the scabbard is the signal that Berserk can be released.

    ¡¸Moreover, I don¡¯t think sealing Berserk is that scabbard¡¯s only job.¡¹

    ¡¸The other effect is stopping Matsuyuki from going crazy?¡¹

    ¡¸Probably.¡¹

    Even now, Matsuyuki maintained a position that would prevent the antidemons from surrounding her, cutting yet another one down. Despite observing the high speed battle from so far away, I could clearly tell the precision of her actions resulted from logical thinking.

    Upon closer inspection, I saw the mana from the scabbard flowing towards both Matsuyuki and Berserk. This is definitely not just some sealing tool.

    No, I guess you could say suppressing Berserk¡¯s demerits was also part of sealing it?

    Izario hypothesized that the user of Berserk could keep their sanity as long as the scabbard was emitting that white mana.

    ¡¸But it doesn¡¯tst forever. Maybe two minutes at the most.¡¹

    ¡¸Two minutes¡­¡­ That¡¯s really short. What happens after?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, they lose themselves to Berserk¡¯s power and go on a rampage, of course. I¡¯ve heard about one that pushed themselves too hard in the past. As I recall, they ended uppletely annihting another country¡¯s army.¡¹

    I was wondering if Berserk¡¯s power could be controlled safely, but I guess it¡¯s not that easy.

    ¡¸¡­¡­That Matsuyuki¡¯s ability seems focused on killing single targets, huh? Maybe we didn¡¯t have to run this far.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Berserk¡¯s powers apparently vary a lot depending on who is using it. The first time I saw it used, the range was absolutely massive. It instantly inflicted tens of thousands of antidemons with petrification, as well as the entire allied forces too.¡¹

    The next Berserk wielder he saw delivered shes that exploded their victims, and the user after that hadplete control over ice.

    So Berserk¡¯s power was the ability to manifest a myriad of wildly different powers depending on the user.

    Izario¡¯s hasty decision to flee must have been because Matsuyuki¡¯s abilities were still unknown. He wanted to keep as much distance as possible, in case her power would indiscriminately ughter everyone over a wide area.

    Even if the scabbard allowed her to maintain her sanity, that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean she had enough control over her powers to avoid harming us, after all.

    ¡¸I¡¯d have a hard time taking down those antidemon-dragonkin things with a single blow. Don¡¯t ask me how it works, but her ability is killing them one by one with frightening efficiency. All of Berserk¡¯s potential must be focused in that area.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    So that¡¯s why he called her the ¡°killing single targets¡± type. It may not be suitable against hordes, but she¡¯s near unbeatable against small numbers due to Berserk¡¯s physical enhancements. That¡¯s definitely a great asset in our current situation.

    ¡¸She took down another!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Berserk¡¯s mana enveloped another antidemon, who promptly copsed to the ground lifelessly. Again, killed in a single blow.

    ¡¸I knew it. One hit, one kill. Pretty damn amazing, and I hope I never have to face someone like her.¡¹

    Me too. Thank god for that scabbard.

    ¡¸What¡¯s with the scabbard? Is it part of Berserk?¡¹

    That¡¯s what I was wondering about too. We¡¯ve heard people talking about Berserk, but never about the scabbard. Shouldn¡¯t it be way more famous?

    ¡¸No clue, but I don¡¯t think it was originally created alongside Berserk.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸The scabbard is clearly of lower quality than the de. It should be way more effective if it was on par with a divine sword.¡¹

    That¡¯s true. Besides, it doesn¡¯t seem to fit with the concept of the de either.

    The concept behind Berserk seemed to be more like ¡°mutually assured destruction¡±, killing everyone without any consideration for the user¡¯s intentions. A scabbard capable of maintaining the user¡¯s sanity kinda defeats the purpose.

    Perhaps it was created afterward to control Berserk. I¡¯m certain many researchers throughout history would have searched for a way to use the divine sword safely, so I can easily imagine someone inventing a magical tool for that purpose.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Another one down. She¡¯s amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. She might even be able to corner me one on one.¡¹

    Matsuyuki had already taken down six of the antidemons. The fallen werepletely unmoving, showed no signs of regeneration, and were already beginning to disintegrate.

    ¡¸Ah! They started running!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸No, that ain¡¯t it! They¡¯re targeting us!¡¹

    The antidemons, perhaps realizing that they were no match for Matsuyuki, turned their backs on her and headed our way.

    Ignoring the nearby old soldiers of Hagane, they set their sights on Izario. They were clearly after the divine swords.

    And their speed allowed them to distance themselves from Matsuyuki in no time at all. She¡¯s not moving, maybe still deciding which one to go after? Matsuyuki¡¯s abilities allowed her to kill a single target without fail, but taking down all four might be¨D¨D

    ¡¸<strong>URROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAGH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ !!! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Upon hearing Matsuyuki¡¯s roar, all the antidemons immediately flinched, with their bodies shaking in terror.

    Antidemons don¡¯t even have individuality, let alone fear. The fact that they easily pulled off a self-destructive attack suggested that these antidemon-dragonkin also inherited that characteristic.

    But right now, they were clearly frightened. Was Berserk¡¯s aura so immense as to frighten those incapable of feeling fear?

    Matsuyuki slowly raised Berserk while staring at the shivering and motionless antidemons with her cold eyes.

    Then, she whispered their death sentence.

    ¡¸Die.¡¹

 Chapter 987

    <h4>987: A Berserk Wielder''s Final Moments</h4>

    ¡ºDamn¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s a good thing we ran this far.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof¡­¡­¡¹

    Matsuyuki had swung Berserk down at the antidemons, who were still frozen with their backs to her at some distance away.

    Then, the massive amount of jet-ck mana enveloping the de overflowed and covered the earth with the force of a tidal wave, as if devouring the antidemons along with the entire region around them.

    We quickly considered retreating even further away, though luckily, the ck tsunami dissipated after moving about 400 meters away.

    But if we had remained on that battlefield, we might be dead right now. Maybe Matsuyuki would hold back if she retained her sanity. Still, no one can say for sure what effect Berserk has on her mind. She managed to avoid killing Hagane¡¯s troops, but the same might not apply to the adventurers.

    ¡¸No sign of the antidemons left.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I can¡¯t sense them either. An area attack instantly killing anything swallowed, huh? Damn terrifying¡­¡­¡¹

    After the ck, soundless tsunami receded, there was nothing left alive.

    The antidemons were not the only ones gone. The sparse grass and trees, as well as the faint presence of insects. All signs of life had vanished.

    Matsuyuki must have developed some sort of instant-death ability upon releasing Berserk. No wait, judging from her fight with the titan, maybe it¡¯s not quite as powerful as instant-death.

    She also canceled the explosion of the ball antidemon to prevent their impact.

    Perhaps her ability was the power to kill anything, even the force of an explosion. That seems beyond the scope of skills at this point.

    ¡¸Matsuyuki!¡¹

    Fran, who had been staring at the battlefield with bated breath, let out a shrill cry.

    ¡ºAh, Fran! Urushi, take care of the adventurers!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran suddenly burst into a run when she saw Matsuyuki copse to the ground. As was the case with Ajisai, Fran was strangely concerned about those two despite only exchanging a few words with them.

    Perhaps she sympathized with the Queens of the Night after the Silver Lady exined their situation. I don¡¯t think Fran feels pity or anything like that, but I guess it¡¯s something that can¡¯t really be exined.

    We could no longer sense Berserk¡¯s terrifying mana, and its powers seemed weaker than prior to activation.

    Maybe Berserk¡¯s power was spent after activating the de? If so, using it multiple times without a dy seems impossible.

    Well, not like we¡¯d ever want to see a situation in which Berserk needed to be activated repeatedly.

    By the time Fran reached Matsuyuki, Ajisai was already propping her up. Surrounding them were the survivors of the old soldiers.

    As usual, they were emotionless and stood guarding the Queens of the Night with nk expressions.

    But upon closer inspection, the old men had reddened eyes. Some of them were choking back sobs, and others held their spears with trembling hands.

    When I heard about the scabbard, I thought the worst.

    The scabbard only allows activation once the Hagane soldiers took severe casualties. In other words, the old soldiers were being sacrificed to operate it.

    Considering the existence of the Queens of the Night, I thought the Militant Nation of Hagane was a country that would not hesitate to make full use of its citizens. It seemed to be a reasonable assumption to me.

    However, I found it hard to imagine these old men as sacrifices from the way they were mourning Matsuyuki¡¯sst moments. As I saw in the previous battles, these old men clearly disyed the strength of those fighting of their own volition.

    The atmosphere was gloomy and oppressive.

    ¡¸Matsuyuki.¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-san, is it? I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t get caught up.¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t ask if she was okay. It was already obvious to everyone that Matsuyuki¡¯s life was burning out.

    Despite breathing normally, her skin and hair had already lost their luster, with bags forming under her eyes. Every second brought her closer to death.

    Fran knew not to waste any of Matsuyuki¡¯s precious time, and I understood exactly how she felt.

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Instead, she voiced her thanks and bowed her head deeply.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Don¡¯t worry about it, you all were just an afterthought anyways.¡¹

    ¡¸Still, thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸I never expected to receive thanks from any outsiders, so I¡¯m very happy.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Ajisai.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Dying isn¡¯t so bad after all¡­¡­ Now I can understand. The reason our sisters died smiling¡­¡­¡¹

    Matsuyuki turned her head to the soldiers, though I¡¯m not sure if her eyes were still able to see clearly. Maybe she saw the figures of the old men holding back their tears.

    ¡¸Good night, Matsuyuki.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu¡­¡­ Good night. I think I¡¯ll be able to sleep soundly¡­¡­¡¹

    Matsuyuki¡¯s eyelids slowly shut as her sister Ajisai stroked her head. After saving Fran, the young girl wielding a divine sword went into an eternal slumber wearing the same peaceful expression as before.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess. Why are you crying?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Ajisai, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. This is our role. Besides, she¡¯s sleeping happily, so I have nothing to worry about.¡¹

    Like Ajisai said, Matsuyuki really looked like she was sleeping. Still, she will never open her eyes again.

    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that Matsuyuki saved our lives. Not just Fran, but all the adventurers as well. The antidemons she defeated were that powerful.

    ¡ºThank you very much.¡»

 Chapter 988

    <h4>988: Parting</h4>

    After witnessing Matsuyuki¡¯s passing, Fran continued staring at the two sisters for a while.

    Then, after the situation finally started to move, she wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes and dropped her gaze.

    Now her stare was pointed at Berserk, still sheathed and ced at Ajisai¡¯s side.

    Fran noticed how Berserk seemed to have lost its power.

    The pitch-ckness of the scabbard made it hard to believe it was emitting such a powerful white mana a few moments ago. The de contained within remained silent, as if it had fallen asleep along with its wielder.

    Ajisai, perhaps noticing Fran¡¯s gaze, lightly touched the scabbard.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    The two stared at each other for a while, but Fran did not mention anything about Berserk or the scabbard.

    She turned her attention to Shikimi, and asked about Hagane¡¯s future n of action.

    ¡¸Shikimi, what will you guys do now?¡¹

    ¡¸We have performed our duty. Our forces are no longer at full strength, so we will only be a liability if we continue. Therefore, we shall turn back here.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Fran nodded. She seemed a little relieved, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s my imagination.

    No doubt she was afraid of the possibility that Ajisai might use Berserk too.

    Fran¡¯s eyes turned to Berserk again. However, she quickly averted her gaze.

    Ajisai must have found this strange, and she turned to look up Fran.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Why aren¡¯t you asking the question?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t need to ask.¡¹

    ¡¸Why? Everyone usually asks us.¡¹

    A strange conversation took ce between Ajisai and Fran. One almost too quiet to hear, and incredibly vague.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, but I suppose that¡¯s a possible oue too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it.¡¹

    Both the tempo and the contents were strange. To be honest, I can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re actually talking about the same thing, and neither I nor Shikimi probably fully understood either.

    Nevertheless, Fran and Ajisai clearly connected with each other.

    What¡¯s going on? Maybe these two people with unusual sensibilities somehow understood each other? That said, there¡¯s one part I certainly got.

    Fran decided not to ask about Berserk¡¯s scabbard.

    Well, it¡¯s definitely a national secret, so they wouldn¡¯t tell us anyways. In that case, her decision to avoid the subject would give them a better impression of herself.

    Though I don¡¯t think Fran thought that far ahead. It seems like she didn¡¯t even know why she avoided the question.

    Perhaps it was abination of her grief for Matsuyuki and her concern for Ajisai.

    Meanwhile, Izario and the others returned.

    He must have understood the situation immediately, because he patted Fran on the head and bowed his head toward Matsuyuki¡¯s body.

    ¡¸Matsuyuki, you really saved us from a pinch. Thank you.¡¹

    The adventurers behind him did the same, perhaps having heard the situation from Izario.

    ¡¸Shikimi-san, I take it that Hagane will be heading back now?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes, I believe we will. Let¡¯s take a short rest and discuss the issue.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that.¡¹

    ¡¸Ajisai, you go back to the carriage. Take care of Matsuyuki for me.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. Fran, bye-bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Bye-bye.¡¹

    Fran continued waving until Ajisai disappeared into the carriage carrying Matsuyuki.

    Behind them, Izario began discussing with Shikimi.

    ¡¸Can you make it back to town by yourselves?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Shikimi immediately nodded at Izario¡¯s words. However, her forces were decimated and Berserk might not be in a usable state.

    How could she be so confident? Was this just a facade so as not to worry us?

    Izario stared at Shikimi for a few seconds, then rxed his shoulders and shook his head lightly.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Though I can¡¯t ept the way you guys think, I can respect it.¡¹

    ¡¸All is for the Queens of the Night.¡¹

    ¡¸If possible, I¡¯d prefer those surviving old soldiers make it back to town in one piece too. We don¡¯t need any more people dying in vain.¡¹

    ¡¸For us, nothing is more important than the safety of Ajisai and Berserk. Any sacrifices we make for them cannot be considered in vain.¡¹

    Izario exhaled in a big sigh. For Shikimi, the only thing that mattered was whether or not Ajisai and Berserk could reach safety. It seems she would sacrifice her soldiers or even herself without so much as a second thought.

    Izario knew exactly the logic behind this, which was why his feelings were soplicated.

    He expressed his concern for the old soldiers, but these veterans had already epted whatever fate had in store for them. There was no room for him, an outsider, to interfere.

    In the end, we decided to split up our forces. Hagane¡¯s army was to evacuate alongside the adventurers and knights who were no longer capable ofbat.

    Our enemies might show up at any time, so their retreatmenced without dy. Within ten minutes of the decision being made, they had already begun marching off.

    Fran raised her hand as she sent off the tail end of the retreating group. Her eyes were on Ajisai, who stared back at us through the skylight of the carriage.

    Though Ajisai remained expressionless, she seemed somewhat apologetic. Perhaps she was concerned about ditching us to escape on her own.

    On the other hand, Fran¡¯s worry for Ajisai was evident in her eyes. Ajisai had lost Matsuyuki, who was like a sister to her, as well several fellow soldiers from her nation.

    There were no words, but the two girls continued staring at each other as ifmunicating something.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Bye bye.¡¹

 Chapter 989

    <h4>989: Side - The Eastern Madman and the Southern Pig</h4>

    ¡¸Balfon-sama! I have brought you the Southern Conquest Duke, Sigrald-sama!¡¹

    ¡¸Enter.¡¹

    ¡¸Bohohoh! Long time no see, East Duke.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! Wee, South Duke.¡¹

    ¡¸So? For what purpose did call me all the way here? Is it about the movements of the West Duke?¡¹

    ¡¸What about him?¡¹

    ¡¸With Seedran almostpletely under his control, the Water Dragon Warships are as good as ours. In other words, we have a practically unassable grasp over the seas. About time for a meeting to discuss the final touches on our n, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe, we can save that for another time. You and I have not quite finished our preparations, no?¡¹

    ¡¸Then is it about those pesky flies?¡¹

    ¡¸Flies? Which ones? You mean the red knights?¡¹

    ¡¸Not them. The strangely powerful old man and his band of half-insectkin mercenaries. They¡¯ve been running all over the ce, shouting about freeing their peoples and sometimes even resorting to force.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah yes, and you say your southern territory has been hit pretty hard, eh? Hehehehe¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph, they always appear out of nowhere. That means they have a rat on the inside. We¡¯ll have to drag them out first.¡¹

    ¡¸You want a little hand from me?¡¹

    ¡¸Pfft, yeah right. You¡¯ll just send those creepy artificial super soldiers. Is there even a point to creating a army you can¡¯t control?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! I¡¯ve obtained a wonderful amount of data from the incidents in Kranzel, Seedran, Belioth, and now even Gordicia. The truepletion of my research draws near! Besides, I don¡¯t want to hear thating from you. Those undead of yours are plenty creepy too!¡¹

    ¡¸Come now, there can be no soldier more useful than an undead one. A mana supply allows them to work forever, without idle talk,ints, or grumblings. We even retain the funds that would have been set aside to bury them. Buhoho! Truly a win-win!¡¹

    ¡¸You sound just like the West Duke right now.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph! Don¡¯tpare me to that miser!¡¹

    ¡¸And you say they don¡¯tin? Can you really say that applies to them?¡¹

    ¡¸With a contract binding them, they¡¯re no different from the other undead!¡¹

    ¡¸Nameless, was it? Surely you don¡¯t mean to say you think to bind him with a contract.¡¹

    ¡¸Bahaha! The form is new this time. Good thing we had the data from the floating ind.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh? That sounds rather interesting.¡¹

    ¡¸Plus, the Holy Mother they worship is in our hands. They can¡¯t disobey us even without a contract.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe. You mean that special undead capable of birthing other rational undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, the only undead in the world capable of procreation. Ah yes, I suppose she was also mother to Siby of the Red Sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Siby, yes! Hehehe! She¡¯s a good one, the perfect super soldier! I still find it frustrating that ourbs were destroyed. Well, I suppose it¡¯s a trivial matter with the data already recorded.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph¡­¡­ They still believe I led the research because it was in my territory, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry to hear that, but it was a jointly led project. What else was I to do?¡¹

    ¡¸How would you enjoy being targeted by the red knights? Besides, the Knights of the Red Sword employed many survivors from thosebs. You never know what they might try next.¡¹

    ¡¸The Knights of the Red Sword are definitely one of the backers for those mercenaries. In that case, we may need to be prepared for the long haul.¡¹

    ¡¸Pfft! They¡¯re all the chancellor¡¯s dogs! Our invasion of Alessa was so close to fruition¡­¡­ But it appears we have to settle things in our own territory first!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe. Just give the word if you need a hand.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll have to crush them quickly for our n to work. Anyway, hurry up and tell me why you called me here. I don¡¯t have all day.¡¹

    ¡¸The reason I called you here pertains to the failed divine sword in Gordicia that you asked me about earlier.¡¹

    ¡¸Progress, finally! My undead have no way to enter the continent, so I thought I¡¯d never be able to get my hands on it. At longst!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid not.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? We are talking about the same sword, no?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s certainly regarding that de, but I don¡¯t mean to say we¡¯ve made progress. No, I suppose it might be progress in a sense.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸First of all, Overgrowth, the Golden Devourer Sword, has been destroyed.¡¹

    ¡¸W-What the hell! It may not reach the level of the divine swords, but still! And after umting all that power over the years! You¡¯re absolutely certain of its destruction? Impossible¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸This news is certain. Thest owner, an adventurer woman, apparently broke the de during a battle with a high-ss antidemon.¡¹

    ¡¸Why do you assume some adventurer is telling the truth?¡¹

    ¡¸The woman¡¯s half-mutated body returned to normal, and all signs of the de disappeared. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any room for doubt.¡¹

    ¡¸First Evil-Eater and now Overgrowth¡­¡­ Does this mean Falldown is the only failed divine sword remaining for us?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, although there¡¯s a problem with that one too.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve lost contact with all the underlings I sent in.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? So we have no way of locating Falldown?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe. All of the me lies with me, so I must apologize. I¡¯m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry isn¡¯t going to cut it! My dreams of the greatest army ever, shattered!¡¹

    ¡¸Allow me to say that I wanted the data on the failed swords just as much as you. With Evil-Eater gone, Falldown was my only clue to controlling evil energy.¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t you have a mutually beneficial rtionship with its wielder?¡¹

    ¡¸We did, yes. Either that little girl realized my true intentions, or perhaps she was simply using me as well¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Things just aren¡¯t going our way.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehe, you can say that again. Anyway, I¡¯m having my people in Gordicia find out the current situation. We¡¯ll have to wait longer until we can hear back.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I suppose I don¡¯t have much choice. Make it quick.¡¹

    ¡¸I know. I¡¯ve also gathered some additional info on the divine swords, so I¡¯ll pass that overter as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh? Sounds exciting. I¡¯ll give you a report on my side of the investigation as well. Let¡¯s start with the king.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You actually did your job for once?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Well, the king is behaving the same as always. He leaves the governing to the chancellor and continues studying every day. Hmph, how envious.¡¹

    ¡¸He is the king, after all.¡¹

    ¡¸Obviously. Even I have no intention of murdering my own lord. Still, that chancellor is a thorn in my side, and one that must be removed sooner orter. He¡¯s continuing his work in the shadows, just like he always has.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehe! I have to agree with that sentiment! As if we could y nicely with the other nations after all these years! How much blood does he think our ancestors have split?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph, precisely. And our biggest obstacle may end up being the North Duke, but¡­¡­ I¡¯ve yet to find anything substantial.¡¹

    ¡¸No one can predict how the North will react.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, but we can¡¯t afford to make enemies of them.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! The Northern Knights are certainly the best of the best! Just how in the world did they manage to obtain such a formidable legion of knights¡­¡­? I¡¯d love to hear the secret.¡¹

    ¡¸Bwohoho. Haven¡¯t you heard? Spend your whole life ying magic beasts from morning till night, and anyone will get stronger. ording to them, that is.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehehe! They¡¯re even crazier than me!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. The relic de he carries is also incredibly powerful. Defeating him within the northernnds is an impossible task. It would be foolish to even try.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. The Northern Conquest Duke, Siby of the Red Sword, Shuzeka of the Scarlet Eye, Weena Rhyn the high elf, Jean the necromancer, and the Demon Knights serving Diabolos. We¡¯re simply surrounded by enemies both inside and outside our borders.¡¹

    ¡¸The day wille when our almighty army engulfs them all.¡¹

    ¡¸Such confidence. Did you think up another n?¡¹

    ¡¸Buhoho! You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡¹

 Chapter 990

    <h4>990: The Castle of Trismegistus</h4>

    After seeing off the retreating Hagane troops, Fran and the others were once again making their way toward the center of the continent.

    Wary of oing enemies, our advance was very slow. However, the antidemons and dragonkin we expected never actually showed up, and we closed in on our destination with surprising ease.

    The survivors of the second division were stunned by the sight of Trismegistus¡¯ castle. Several began murmuring as we approached, but were left speechless after drawing closer.

    Izario was the only one who seemed unmoved.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    Even Fran was in a state of nk amazement. Her voice was filled with awe as well as admiration.

    The sight was so bizarre that it left even Fran in this state just from a nce.

    It was a huge castle covering a small hill. Rather than building the castle on top of the hill, it seemed more like it was built surrounding the entire hill.

    The outer wall went around the entire perimeter of the hill, with a total length well over 2 km.

    It boasted a size and majesty befitting the former royal castle of the dragonkin who once ruled the continent of Gordicia.

    The castle walls rose high and sturdy, with so many spires that it seemed overkill. All the roofs were painted blue, and the walls were perfectly white. I guess the window frames were made of gold?

    A remarkable amount of beauty was preserved within the magnificent castle. Trismegistus was the only one living in there, which meant centuries with no one taking care of it.

    Yet there was not a single stain on the walls. Was there some kind of preservation magic in ce here?

    However, it was not the cleanliness of the castle surprising Fran and the adventurers.

    Near the center of the castle, the so-called ¡°inner citadel¡±. Something bizarre was growing out of it.

    The castle simply looked a little oddly shaped at a distance, but that could not be further from the truth. As we got closer, we made out something like a huge tree growing through the roof of the castle.

    Its gray, rugged surface and the way it branched out toward the sky also reminded us of a tree. However, there were no leaves, and the branches started turning translucent the further they went.

    All of those branches disappeared eventually, as if melting into the sky. That¡¯s probably why it was difficult to recognize from a distance.

    Izario and Frederick were only calm because they knew the situation beforehand. In other words, this was not something that happened yesterday or the day before.

    ¡¸That¡¯s the castle where Trismegistus lives, as well as the birthce of the Abyss Eater. And that big tree looking thing is the Abyss Eater itself.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! That tree?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The Abyss Eater¡¯s core lies underneath the castle. That big tree thing is the body growing out of it. It looks like it¡¯s fading away at the edges because that¡¯s where it turns semi-spiritual.¡¹

    The closer I got to the castle, the harder it was to sense the presence of antidemons. Sometimes I felt like they were right next to us, but the next moment, they were nowhere to be found. It¡¯s as if the antidemons were always watching us, despite us being unable to locate them.

    I was worried about this phenomenon, but I guess it¡¯s due to the aura emitted by the Abyss Eater¡¯s core.

    ¡¸If we get attacked by antidemons out here, we can¡¯t detect them in advance. Everyone, maintain max caution. Antidemons can spring up out of nowhere, even right next to us.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    It¡¯s easy to forget after staying here so long, but this continent is literally inside the Abyss Eater.

    Being a special semi-spiritual existence makes it invisible to the naked eye, so its presence is difficult to sense.

    But just because we can¡¯t physically touch the Abyss Eater doesn¡¯t mean that it can¡¯t interact with us. That¡¯s where the antidemonse on. The Abyss Eater creates the antidemons in order to devour everything within itself.

    And apparently, the source of all antidemons is the core at the base of that giant gray tree thing. No doubt the closer we get to the main body, the more antidemons will be spawned. Even if we can¡¯t see any right now, we can¡¯t be too careful.

    That said, if the Abyss Eater has a core, couldn¡¯t someone just kill it by destroying that?

    Fran seems to have thought the same thing.

    ¡¸Why don¡¯t you just destroy the core?¡¹

    ¡¸Because we can¡¯t. It can withstand even the maximum power of a divine sword, as well as regenerate itself immediately.¡¹

    Much to our surprise, there were apparently three divine sword wielders who once cooperated to destroy the core. They failed spectacrly.

    ¡¸Alpha, Krystalos, and El Dorado, I think? I don¡¯t know much myself, since I just heard it from Trismegistus.¡¹

    ¡¸And they couldn¡¯t beat it?¡¹

    ¡¸Apparently.¡¹

    Ignis, Berserk, Gaia¡­ We¡¯ve seen the power of the divine swords before our very eyes, on several asions. I hate to admit it, but each was worthy of the title of ¡°divine sword¡±.

    Three of the des together, and they still failed to destroy the Abyss Eater¡¯s core? That¡¯s one tough bastard.

    ¡¸We¡¯d better get moving. There¡¯s an absence of antidemons for some reason, which is making me worried¡­¡­ This ce would normally be crawling with them.¡¹

    Like I thought, the antidemons must be being controlled somehow.

    In the end, the second division reached the foot of the hill on which the castle stood, without any kind of battle or even any interference.

    We just needed to pass through the huge gate in front of us, so we were practically already inside the castle grounds. Maintaining our caution, we took a step into the hill, and I noticed an obvious change in the atmosphere.

    A momentary soft gust of air. As if we were exposed to a refreshing breeze blowing through an unsoiled forest, which waspletely out-of-ce.

    It seems like we just slipped through a ward with some kind of purification function. Immediately after that, Fran and the few adventurers who were right behind Izario froze solid.

    The adventurers who hadn¡¯t passed through the ward looked at us suspiciously.

    But I knew exactly how they felt.

    ¡¸This¡­ is¡­ the Abyss Eater?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t hurt us. For some reason, the antidemons don¡¯t spawn within the castle.¡¹

    The wards surrounding the hill must have had the role of containing the Abyss Eater¡¯s influence. Its ridiculously powerful aura now enveloped uspletely, as if physically trying to crush us.

    As Izario said, the antidemons don¡¯t appear in the castle for some reason.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I hoping to give you all a break until everyone got used to the aura, but I guess we can¡¯t just stand around if he came to greet us personally.¡¹

    ¡¸Greet?¡¹

    ¡ºFran. Over there, at the entrance to the castle.¡»

    It seems the pressure from the Abyss Eater¡¯s aura was so powerful that it blocked out her detection senses. However, Izario and I noticed the figure there.

    A handsome blond dragonkin man. He simply stood silently at the gate of the castle.

    ¡¸How nice of you toe to us, Trismegistus.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºSo he¡¯s Trismegistus!¡»

 Chapter 991

    <h4>991: Trismegistus</h4>

    Upon facing the castle from the foot of the hill, there stood a blond, gold-scaled dragonkin. Even at this distance, we could recognize the perfect proportions of his face.

    The Abyss Eater¡¯s aura prevented us from detecting the man¡¯s mana, but we could easily tell he was extraordinary from the way he held himself.

    ¡¸Is that Trismegistus?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s him. He may appear to be a handsome gentleman at first nce, but don¡¯t be fooled by his looks.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Frederick gave us some words of advice, though unnecessary. We could sense the man¡¯s prowess even this far away. His skills were nothing to scoff at.

    The adventurers who stepped foot on the hill at Izario¡¯s urging all reacted in the same way. First they were horrified by the Abyss Eater¡¯s aura, before eventually following Fran and the others¡¯ gazes to Trismegistus.

    It seems this was also their first time seeing Trismegistus in person, so all of them were just as surprised as us.

    The golden dragonkin stoodpletely still. He simply kept staring, as if ordering us to climb the steps faster.

    ¡¸Izario, what should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸This castle is his. We can¡¯t ignore him.¡¹

    ¡¸But we still don¡¯t know where he stands. Stay sharp.¡¹

    Frederick red at the golden dragonkin, his eyes reflecting his suspicion of the connection between Trismegistus and the Dragon King.

    The golden eyes of Trismegistus contained no hostility, but they did not seem weing either.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Izario began climbing the stairs after all the adventurers had settled down, though everyone was still nervous.

    There must be a lot of emotions in the air after seeing the mythical sinner in person.

    Despite our caution, there were no traps in sight. We reached the top of the stairs without issue.

    ¡¸Well met, Crimson de. Wee to my castle.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks for having us.¡¹

    ¡¸Pay no mind. To those aside from Crimson de and the brother of the priestess, I believe this is our first encounter. I am Trismegistus, the grand sinner.¡¹

    Seems a bit haughty. Well, he is a former king after all. Still, I couldn¡¯t sense any real remorse from him despite the whole divine punishment thing.

    Blond hair and golden eyes. Skin perfectly smooth without a single w. The scales on his arms and temple, as well as his horns, shone like polished gold.

    Though appearing handsome at first nce, he was also tall and had a surprising amount of muscle mass. If I had to describe the man in a single word, maybe ¡°picturesque¡± would be best.

    And although we¡¯ve been told he had the mind of an absolute monster, he certainly didn¡¯t look the part.

    What I could understand though, was his immense strength.

    His martial prowess, as well as mana capacity, far exceeded all the dragonkin I¡¯ve ever met. He could undoubtedly handle both melee and rangedbat. Depending on his skill in magic, he might easily exceed Rank A adventurers.

    Come to think of it, the dragonkin tended to value strength as much as the beastmen. If he managed to be the king of his race, he must also be one of their strongest warriors.

    And yet, he was said to be one of the most talented alchemists in the world. I guess he¡¯s what one might call a true genius.

    Meanwhile, Fran seemed to have noticed something from Trismegistus¡¯ words.

    ¡¸Brother of the priestess? Who¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    Trismegistus¡¯ golden eyes turned to Fran. There was no sign of skill or magic. Yet, I felt a strange feeling, as if he saw right through me.

    Fran seemed to sense this too, and stiffened her body. She barely managed to hold herself back from entering a battle stance, since Trismegistus was not yet confirmed to be an enemy. Still, she was ready to reach for me at any moment.

    ¡¸This is my castle, although it does not truly belong to me. I do not intend to refuse any visitor, but hiding yourself is bit tactless, would you not agree?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    What did he do? Right as Trismegistus looked down at Fran¡¯s shadow, Urushi popped out of the shadow with a puzzled howl.

    Trismegistus had clearly pulled Urushi out from the shadows, but I had no idea how he did it.

    I couldn¡¯t even tell whether it was magic or a skill. It seems this was no attempt at an attack, just Trismegistus wanting to see the hidden Urushi.

    ¡¸A wolf, is it?¡¹

    He nodded in satisfaction, before quickly turning away.

    ¡ºUrushi, are you okay? Could you tell what he did?¡»

    £¨W-Woof?£©

    I guess even Urushi himself didn¡¯t understand. It¡¯s too much of a mystery to even form a hypothesis.

    He¡¯s already so strong, yet he had even more mysterious powers and immortality to top it all off. The danger level of Trismegistus in my mind had been immediately raised to Rank S.

    I doubt he sensed our change in behavior, but his gaze turned back to Fran again.

    ¡¸Ah yes, you were asking a question. The brother of the priestess is that evil dragon¨D¨DNo, that half-evil dragonkin. Though the evil energy he radiates is great, I have not forgotten his face. He is brother to Tnaria, priestess of the Divine Dragon of Fire. Am I wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸That is true, but¡­¡­ You remember me?¡¹

    Frederick was absolutely stunned. Trismegistus remembering him must have beenpletely unexpected.

    Trismegistus was a legendary figure, even if in a bad way. Frederick could not help his surprise when recognized by a man of this caliber.

    But if Frederick is the brother of Divine Dragon of Fire¡¯s priestess, doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s the brother of Velmeria¡¯s mom?

    ¡¸Frederick, you and Velmeria are rted?¡¹

    ¡¸In a manner of speaking. However, my name has been erased from the records ever since I became a half-evil dragonkin. That¡¯s how I came to be Velmeria¡¯s caretaker.¡¹

    Frederick would normally be able to attain a decent amount of status as the younger brother of a priestess. That said, he could no longer remain on the continent after turning into a half-evil dragonkin. He was sent to the Kingdom of Kranzel instead, to watch over Velmeria.

    I¡¯ve always thought the rtionship between the two was a bit strange. It turns out they¡¯re uncle and niece, in addition to mentor and student. I guess it¡¯s only natural they didn¡¯t behave as a normaldy and her escort.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Velmeria and the priestess should be here.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Now that you mention it, Georg brought Tnaria and another girl along with him. If that is who are you referring to, they are indeed here.¡¹

 Chapter 992

    <h4>992: Trismegistus'' Interest</h4>

    ¡¸Hmm? Now that you mention it, Georg brought Tnaria and another girl along with him. If that is who are you referring to, they are indeed here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Trismegistus¡¯ words made Frederick absolutely furious. Fran felt the same way.

    But why did he tell us the truth so casually? If Trismegistus is seriously allied with Dragon King Georg, he should know that both Frederick and Izario will turn on him.

    I highly doubt he¡¯s too stupid to understand the danger of that¡­¡­ Or did he have such confidence in his abilities that he didn¡¯t need to care about making enemies?

    As we all gave the man suspicious res, Frederick questioned him in a tone containing his barely suppressed anger.

    ¡¸Are you in league with the Dragon King?¡¹

    Frederick was currently mentally unstable due to the increased influence of his evil dragonkin blood. No doubt he would jump right at Trismegistus depending on his answer.

    As Frederick¡¯s anger ticked down like a time bomb, Trismegistus did not waver, even a little. He simply opened his mouth and spoke in his usual manner.

    ¡¸In league with him? Never.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Do you know how bad he is?¡¹

    ¡¸Having be the grand sinner, I care little for the crimes of others. I have no interest in the outside world in the first ce. Be they viins or heroes, saints or sinners, the difference means nothing to me.¡¹

    ¡¸He may be plotting something in your castle.¡¹

    ¡¸You outsiders created those arbitrary rules on who may enter my castle. I have never refused entry to anyone, nor chased any who depart. All of you may do as you please. Whether you perform evil or good, I shall not condemn any of it.¡¹

    I used Principle of Falsehoods during Fran¡¯s questions, but Trismegistus¡¯ words did not contain even the slightest lie. It seems this man truly had no interest in other people.

    As long as we didn¡¯t get in his way, we really could do whatever we wanted in his castle. I¡¯m starting to see it now, a glimpse of his monstrous nature.

    ¡¸However, It pleases me to see the arrival of more persons of strength on this continent. Crimson de, you are unlike the others.¡¹

    The man who imed to have no interest in others came all the way out here to greet the second division. It seems the reason for that lies with Izario.

    Trismegistus¡¯ mission was the destruction of the Abyss Eater. The only ones capable of grabbing his interest were those strong enough to assist him in aplishing this mission.

    ¡¸As for the rest¡­¡­ Perhaps the brother to the priestess and this girl will eventually reach that level eventually? Keep up your training.¡¹

    I guess he only notices those at the level of Rank A adventurers or higher. Though I don¡¯t know if him noticing us is actually a good thing or not.

    We¡¯re actually here to talk about his Intelligence Weapon, so I guess it serves a purpose.

    ¡ºFran. We¡¯ll have to talk to himter, now¡¯s not a good time.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ I have business with you. When things calm down, I¡¯d like to talk.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh? I would not mind speaking with someone of your caliber.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, you did say you wanted to talk to this guy. Well, we¡¯ll have to chase down the Dragon King first.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    Velmeria and the Dragon King were our top priority right now. Fran was fully aware of that.

    ¡¸Trismegistus-san, are the Dragon King and the others still in the castle?¡¹

    ¡¸I believe they took the priestess and headed underground.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on¡­¡­ By underground, you mean the Core Room?¡¹

    ¡¸No! He took Velmeria there!? What the hell is Georg thinking!?¡¹

    We did hear about the Abyss Eater¡¯s core being under the castle. It seems that¡¯s where the Dragon King headed.

    The person who might be able to control antidemons was trying to make contact with the Abyss Eater¡¯s core? I have a bad feeling about this.

    ¡¸It is about time for my daily extermination. If you wish to apany me, you are free to do so.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡¹

    However, we couldn¡¯t just chase after them with the rest of our unit. The Core Room was apparently a ce where incredibly powerful antidemons spawned, so bringing the entire army would slow us down.

    Meanwhile, Trismegistus was forced by divine punishment to keep chipping away at the Abyss Eater.

    He must y all the high-level antidemons spawning in the underground area, bleeding away his life all the while. Then, he strikes the Abyss Eater¡¯s core with what remains of his mana. The divine punishment forces him to repeat this process day after day, for the rest of eternity.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll go with three: me, the littledy, and Frederick.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Izario must be considering releasing his divine sword. Bringing such arge force to the cramped underground area would only make things difficult for him.

    The remaining members seemed to understand this as well, nodding their heads with looks of frustration.

    Trismegistus confidently led the way as we stepped into the castle. He walked straight through the corridors without ever turning back to us.

    There were various furnishings, even paintings hanging on the walls. All of them were maintained in perfect condition.

    Perhaps sensing Fran¡¯s doubts, Izario gave us a brief exnation.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard this castle is maintained by the power of the gods.¡¹

    ¡¸The gods are cleaning it?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, more like they¡¯ve frozen everything in time ever since the day of divine punishment. All of them are repaired if they ever get destroyed, though they can¡¯t pass through the barrier at the bottom of the hill.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t expect me to know what the gods were thinking. Well, the castle did have a tremendous amount of wealth in it. The dragonkin were pretty screwed after realizing they couldn¡¯t bring any of it outside.¡¹

    Does that mean the gods intended to confiscate those treasures from Trismegistus and his followers?

    So the magnificent castle remains forever in this beautiful state, containing mountains of treasure that can never be imed. Maybe it¡¯s supposed to serve as the living symbol of Trismegistus¡¯ mortal sin, as well as warning others against greed.

    ¡¸This way.¡¹

    Trismegistus led us to our destination, the throne room.

    The room could hold several hundred people, yet it only contained four. Such spaciousness only made it feel more deserted.

    Trismegistus approached the throne. However, instead of sitting on it, he took up the sword ced on the stand beside it.

    It was a silvery-white falchion with graceful curves. A magical sword both robust and mesmerizing, instantly recognizable as a work of art.

    Could that sword possibly be¡­?

    Trismegistus grabbed the sheatheless falchion and whispered something.

    ¡¸It is time for today¡¯s atonement. We go together, Fannabelta.¡¹

 Chapter 993

    <h4>993: Entrance to Hell</h4>

    ¡¸It is time for today¡¯s atonement. We go together, Fannabelta.¡¹

    Fannabelta! I¡¯m sure of it now! That¡¯s the name of Intelligence Weapon belonging to Trismegistus!

    Fran noticed it too.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Trismegistus stared at the silvery-white falchion in his hand¡­ Fannabelta.

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹

    Surely someone at Trismegistus¡¯ level would have noticed Fran¡¯s gaze. However, the golden dragonkin didn¡¯t seem to show any interest in her, simply walking away without saying anything further.

    I think he was justpletely interested rather than ignoring her on purpose. Maybe Fran¡¯sck of hostility yed a role too, but he simply didn¡¯t care enough to express it in words.

    Despite Fran¡¯s intense gaze on his back, Trismegistus walked with ease. Each step caused the tail from the hem of his robe to swap back and forth.

    Certainly very graceful movements.

    ¡¸C-Can we hurry up, please!¡¹

    ¡¸If you wish to hurry, then do so yourself, brother of the priestess. I shall not stop you.¡¹

    ¡¸My name is Frederick.¡¹

    ¡¸You will have to be stronger if you wish for me to remember your name.¡¹

    Trismegistus retorted with a straight face, without so much as a slight smile. It seems he really didn¡¯t care for remembering the names of anyone too weak.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Frederick¡¯s face contorted with the impatience clearly visible.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Should we go on ahead?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸The area under this castle contains more antidemons than any other ce on the continent. Going in alone is equivalent to suicide.¡¹

    Though impatient, Frederick did not attempt to rush ahead. He knew about the ridiculously powerful antidemon swarms blocking our way to the Core Room.

    And they were so powerful that even the current Frederick said it would be impossible to make it through alone.

    It seems his parents brought him here once, back when he was still young and his elements had yet to be formed.

    That¡¯s apparently a rite of passage all dragonkin warriors go through. The purpose was to make them experience great fear at an early age, so few things will frighten themter in life.

    The safest way to make it through such a ce would be to make use of Trismegistus. As long as we followed behind him, we didn¡¯t need to endanger ourselves.

    Meanwhile, the uninterested Trismegistus didn¡¯t even ask us to fight alongside him. His stance was more like ¡°follow me if you want¡±.

    Him inviting us toe along with him was actually extremely irregr. All thanks to the presence of Izario, one of the few people Trismegistus recognized.

    After we finished listening to the exnation of the castle¡¯s underground area, Trismegistus arrived at arge hall at the back of the castle. A huge dome made of gray stone with little ornamentation, over 100 meters in diameter.

    The rough appearance of the dome stood out from the splendor we saw on our way here. This was clearly no ordinary dance hall.

    Immediately after entering the dome, both Fran and Urushi flinched and froze. But that was to be expected.

    A huge, gray thing was sticking out through the floor from the center of the room. There can be no doubt. This was the Abyss Eater¡¯s main body that we saw earlier outside the castle.

    The Abyss Eater took up the bigger half of the dome. Even from this close up, it looked exactly like a huge tree.

    However, the abnormal mana it radiated confirmed that this was no ordinary lifeform. If we take the aura of an antidemon and make it hundreds of times denser and more aggressive, maybe we would get something simr.

    Aggressive? Perhaps it would be more correct to say ¡°starving¡±. It¡¯s said the Abyss Eater can¡¯t move on its own, but its intention to consume, to devour us, was disyed clearly in this aura.

    I can see how this being is the origin of those gluttonous antidemons.

    As Fran stopped to stare at the Abyss Eater, Trismegistus headed to the stairs at the side of the room. Apparently, that¡¯s where we descend underground.

    ¡¸Littledy, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s hell from here on out. Make sure to keep yourself together.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay.¡¹

    A ce even Izario calls hell? I can¡¯t even imagine it. Still, we definitely have to resolve ourselves before entering.

    ¡ºFran. Let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and Izario followed after Trismegistus.

    The staircase itself was nothing special, one you would see anywhere. But now that we stood in front of it, we immediately sensed that only hell lied at the end of it.

    ¡¸Antidemons¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it¡¯s crawling with so many super powerful antidemons that I can sense them through the Abyss Eater¡¯s aura¡­¡­¡»

    If all the antidemons in there were unleashed upon Gordicia, wouldn¡¯t the entire continent be wiped out in the blink of an eye? The antidemons I sensed were just that powerful.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I told you about how this castle was protected by the power of the gods, right? The antidemons down there will never be able to escape.¡¹

    I guess the gods sealed away both the Abyss Eater and the antidemons below the castle. Trismegistus descended the stairs, passing through the gateway to hell without hesitation.

    To that man, this was merely a daily urrence. As we hurried after him, the change came abruptly.

    ¡¸It is time to begin.¡¹

    As he descended the stairs, Trismegistus began formting an enormous amount of magical power, turning his whole body golden. He was yet to unleash his mana, and the air had already started trembling.

    And yet this aura wasn¡¯t violent in the slightest. It¡¯s like he waspletely calm. The one shaking was not him.

    Riiiing!

    As if trembling in anticipation of battle, the de of his silvery-white falchion emit a high pitched metallic sound.

 Chapter 994

    <h4>994: The Royal Dragonkin</h4>

    Trismegistus, d in his golden mana, reached the bottom of the stairs.

    The magic aura he emit illuminated the surroundings.

    ¡¸¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Not very many today?¡¹

    Not very many? In response to this?

    At the bottom of the stairs was an underground room that stretched further than the eye could see. Even us with night vision could not locate the walls.

    The room easily exceeded a size of a few hundred meters. There¡¯s no way such arge space could exist within that hill, so maybe the space itself was being distorted.

    The power of the gods seemed to affect this area too, so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it spanned over 1-2 kilometers.

    Within this underground ne, the horde of countless antidemons took Fran¡¯s breath away.

    Moreover, each of them was powerful. Threat Level C or B antidemons packed into groups of several hundred.

    After noticing the delicious mana radiated by Trismegistus, their hostility turned toward us at once. Such a brazen appetite and killing intent caused even Fran, Urushi, and Frederick to freeze at the sight.

    But Trismegistus was unfazed despite being their main target. He walked into the room with the same light footsteps as if going on a stroll.

    I see, his mind is definitely not normal. Rather than reassuring, it just felt creepy.

    This must be another reason why Trismegistus was called a monstrosity.

    ¡¸Littledy, make sure you never enter that room.¡¹

    ¡¸As long as we stay here, the antidemons won¡¯te for us.¡¹

    Some sort of ward blocked off the staircase from the room, so that the antidemons could not reach us.

    In a sense, we had front row seats.

    The antidemons moved into action, having discovered the intruder. One antidemon with giant arms, another with a horse-like lower body, a third with multiple heads¡­ All of them were Uniques.

    If it was us in there, we might be able to take on three at the most. Even if we were to go all out, ten at the same time would probably be impossible.

    Regardless of how strong Trismegistus might be, how did he n to take on this many antidemons? Maybe he only needed to break through their lines, so he could simply aim for the weakest link?

    However, Trismegistus¡¯ power far exceeded my imagination.

    ¡¸Divine Dragon Form.¡¹

    Trismegistus muttered the words as he stared down the antidemons rushing toward him, followed by a tremendous sh of light that caused Fran and the others to involuntarily close their eyes.

    By the time they opened their eyes again, his transformation was alreadyplete.

    Wings sprouted from his back, with golden scales covering his forehead, arms, legs, and neck. His horns and ws grew sharper, and his pupils turned long and narrow like those of dragons.

    And what stood out most of all was the golden mana that grew even more radiant. While he was descending the staircase, it had only covered his body like a membrane. Now, the golden mana erupted from his body like a raging inferno.

    ¡ºDivine Dragon Form! So he really could use it!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. I honestly didn¡¯t expect such immense power¡­¡­¡»

    As the golden dragonkin pped his wings, he sted off in an instant. Fran and I had been watching him closely, yet wepletely lost sight of him.

    By the time we found him again, he was already 100 meters away. I could barely tell what he was doing.

    If we were up against him instead of those antidemons, Fran and Urushi would have already had their heads chopped off before they realized what happened.

    He¡¯s already beaten out everyone we know with the sheer magnitude of his mana, which wasparable to Weena Rhyn in her Demigod Form.

    At least he couldn¡¯t ovee the super-enhanced Weena Rhyn with both Demigod Form and Advance Loan. However, it seemed like Trismegistus still had power to spare. If he had any more tricks up his sleeve, he might be able to match the serious Weena Rhyn.

    In other words, he¡¯s among the strongest the world has to offer.

    ¡¸Dragonic me Vortex.¡¹

    Trismegistus swung his arm, engulfing several antidemons with swirling mes and turning them to ash.

    ¡¸Dragonic Ice Chain.¡¹

    Now ice. A white mist erupted from the golden dragonkin¡¯s body, enveloping a enormous area around him. All the antidemons within range froze and shattered.

    This doesn¡¯t seem to be magic, maybe a skill? But I had the impression that dragonkin tended to be specialized, each having their own preferred element¡­¡­

    Yet Trismegistus was a master of several different attributes. It wasn¡¯t only fire and ice, he disyed wind and thunder as well.

    In the first ce, he had golden scales. So what was his preferred attribute? It seemed different than the divine attribute, right?

    ¡¸What kind of dragonkin is Trismegistus? He¡¯s gold, so maybe thunder? Light?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, gold-scaled dragonkin have a special attribute only found in the royal bloodline. They are imbued with ¡°dragon ki¡±, which is a higher tier attribute.¡¹

    ¡¸Dragon ki?¡¹

    ¡¸Some call it ¡°royal ki¡± or ¡°the almighty attribute¡±. Basically, it¡¯s mana on an entirely different level, containing all the other attributes. It¡¯s also said to be the proof of a king who isparable to the divine. If I had give his race a name, I suppose it would be ¡°royal dragonkin¡± or ¡°golden dragonkin¡±.¡¹

    So these golden dragonkin were a unique race that possessed multiple attributes. That¡¯s probably why he could use so many different abilities.

    In addition, his skill with the de didn¡¯t fall behind one bit. Trismegistus flew around shing down antidemons at blinding speed, without stopping even for a moment.

    Even these powerful antidemons fell like dominoes against the onught of shes and elemental sts.

    Fran watched every one of his movementspletely seriously. Though this man was a monster through and through, she still felt like she could learn something from him.

    All because she believed that she would be able to catch up eventually. Even when staring into the depths of hell, Fran will always be Fran.

    ¡¸Amazing¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

 Chapter 995

    <h4>995: Trismegistus'' Situation</h4>

    A golden light flew wildly through the vast subterranean space, obliterating each antidemon as it closed in. Rather than slowing down, Trismegistus¡¯ speed just kept rising.

    Just how strong can he be?

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing.¡»

    It seems I started trembling without realizing it. It¡¯s like my very sense of humanity was being shaken. Fear and anxiety welled up in me.

    We will be meeting and speaking with this monster after this. What if his power is ever directed at Fran?

    My worries were further emphasized by the fact that he was not someone we could trust, both in terms of his position and sanity.

    That said, we¡¯re not enemies yet. Instead of worrying about the future, I should be burning Trismegistus¡¯ fighting style into my eyes.

    As I desperately followed the high-speed battle, I noticed something changing within Trismegistus.

    ¡ºHis life force¡­ is being drained¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸True.¡¹

    Fran, who heard my mutter, focused even closer on Trismegistus after a short moment of surprise. It wasn¡¯t just my imagination.

    His entire body was covered in fine scratches, clearly beginning to take damage.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, littledy?¡¹

    ¡¸Trismegistus is bleeding even without getting hit.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that.¡¹

    After hearing Fran¡¯s whisper, Izario turned to look at the golden dragonkin with eyes that seemed to contain pity.

    ¡¸Trismegistus is pushing himself over the limit, putting his entire body under a terrible strain. It¡¯s quite literally killing him.¡¹

    Even after using Divine Dragon Form, he fought at maximum power. Yeah, I can see how dangerous that is. It¡¯s as if Fran went all out after activating both Brilliant Lightning Rush and Potential Release.

    ¡¸Will he be okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Not quite. He¡¯ll destroy himself at this rate.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸The legends call him immortal, but it¡¯s a little moreplicated than that. In actuality, he resurrects as soon as he¡¯s about to die, in the throne room back there. That¡¯s how his immortality curse works.¡¹

    He can¡¯t leave the castle grounds, and he¡¯s inflicted with eternal agony unless he kills antidemons every day. Even if he dies, he¡¯ll be resurrected and forced to continue fighting. This was the true nature of the curse ced on Trismegistus.

    By taking advantage of his ability to revive himself after death, he could maximize usage of his strengthening skills, even if it kills him. So that¡¯s the secret behind Trismegistus¡¯ strength.

    Or rather, there¡¯s no way he could y so many antidemons day after day without this trick.

    While I shuddered at his sheer power, Fran seemed to feel differently.

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    The emotion on Fran¡¯s face was¡­ pity?

    Come to think of it, the current Trismegistus was practically enved to the gods. If I didn¡¯t know the history behind the mythical sinner who almost ended the world, maybe I could¡¯ve sympathized with him.

    After all, he¡¯s forbidden from leaving the castle and forced to resurrect and fight forever. Harsh doesn¡¯t even begin to describe his punishment.

    Living in such a luxurious castle was certainly no constion prize.

    ¡¸Mmm.¡¹

    ¡ºFannabelta is shining.¡»

    The de of his falchion Fannabelta, presumably his Intelligence Weapon, glowed with a silver light.

    It apparently had an ability for extending its range by extending a de of mana. Meanwhile, it was sharp enough to cut through antidemons like the straw targets we use for practice.

    I have to say it might be superior to me in terms of in sharpness. Is that the original performance in y? Or maybe it¡¯s due to Trismegistus¡¯ mana?

    At any rate, the beloved sword of the strongest dragonkin seemed to be fit for the job.

    Izario noticed Fran staring at Fannabelta, so he spoke up.

    ¡¸Littledy, you¡¯re interested in Trismegistus¡¯ sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then I have a word of advice.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Trismegistus behaves strangely when ites to matters regarding that sword. He¡¯s generally uninterested in other people. That¡¯s to say, he doesn¡¯t care much for anyone. But when the subject of his swordes up, there¡¯s no telling what he might do.¡¹

    The only sword owned by Trismegistus, the silvery-white falchion that he calls his partner. It¡¯s only natural that many were curious.

    Some attempted to analyze his sword, or even steal it. Sometimes he forgave them without issue. Yet asionally, he would slice off someone¡¯s head for simply mentioning their wish to touch the de.

    Even in such cases, he showed no sign of anger.

    It was as if killing them became necessary for some reason. As if someone ordered their death. That¡¯s what it seemed like.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no easy way to tell what might anger him. Just, whenever that sword is involved, his actions are even more mysterious.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s pretty scary.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The transcendent who was annihting swarms of greater antidemons right in front of us, and he suddenly wanted someone dead? That¡¯s nothing but a nightmare.

    ¡¸So if you sense anything wrong, run away immediately. Forget everything else, just run.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Fran nodded her head, but I have to wonder if talking to Trismegistus was safe in the first ce. We only wanted to meet Fannabelta in order to find some hint for preventing me from going crazy.

    However, it¡¯s not worth it if we have to risk Fran¡¯s life.

    ¡ºFran. Maybe we don¡¯t need to push our luck by talking to him?¡»

    £¨No way.£©

    ¡ºBut¡­¡­¡­¡»

    £¨We¡¯ll definitely talk to him!£©

 Chapter 996

    <h4>996: Anomaly Underground</h4>

    After about 30 minutes, Trismegistus had exterminated the antidemons in the underground space.

    ¡¸Pheeeeew¡­¡­¡­¡¹

    By the time Trismegistus disengaged his Divine Dragon Form, not a single antidemon remained.

    The only traces of their existence were the scars left in the ground from the fierce battle.

    And those had already started repairing themselves. It seems this ce was considered part of the castle, so the automatic repair function installed by the gods applied.

    Those scars will apparently bepletely gone in a few hours. Then tomorrow, Trismegistus and the antidemons will tear it all up again.

    Trismegistus first closed his eyes to meditate and focus on regenerating his wounds, but he started walking away before a full recovery. He must have a lot of invisible wear and tear, yet his gait was as graceful as ever.

    I¡¯ve gotten used to him never looking back at us, but I still found myself surprised at thepleteck of visible damage. Is it just because he¡¯s gone through this so many times?

    At any rate, it seems we¡¯ve yet to see the extent of the dragonkin¡¯s abilities.

    ¡¸We¡¯re going too!¡¹

    Frederick followed after Trismegistus. Though in a rush, he did not run at full speed.

    He simply walked behind Trismegistus looking somewhat irritated.

    It seems he sensed another battle up ahead. Therefore, we could not leave Trismegistus behind just yet.

    The group quietly continued through the dark underground space. The magical light emitted by Trismegistus and the antidemons dissipated, leaving only a world dominated by darkness.

    However, none of the people here minded much. Fran and the others kept pushing their way forward without issue.

    We continued walking for 10 minutes. Finally, the end of this vast underground room was in sight. We saw a small door in the wall, which seemed unbelievably tinypared to the scale of the room.

    That said, the strange aura emanating from the other side of the door was so strong that it made us wonder if everything was just a prelude for what was about toe.

    I see how it is. No doubt the core of the Abyss Eater lies beyond that door.

    But I noticed something bothering me along the way. There was no sign of anyone fighting aside from Trismegistus.

    And therefore, no sign of the Dragon King¡¯s group, who was supposed to be up ahead.

    If they truly went underground, then they must have passed through here.

    Since repairs didn¡¯t happen instantly, we should have seen some signs of damage on the ground.

    Yet there was not any trace left behind.

    ¡ºUrushi, can you smell Velmeria?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºYou sure?¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi nodded his head repeatedly as if to say he was certain. It seems Velmeria¡¯s scent was still strong around here.

    The two Frederick was searching for must be up ahead.

    Then how did they get through?

    Did they perhaps use some kind of stealth skill to hide themselves? But how could they have fooled the eyes of so many greater antidemons? Maybe an individual specializing in stealth might be able to pull it off, but they were a group.

    The first possibility was that they had some ability to hide the entire group. Then it would make sense for them to slip through without fighting at all.

    For example, an ability simr to Fran¡¯s ¡°March of the Valkyrie¡± title could make it possible.

    The second possibility was teleportation. They might have made it through via repeated teleportation. I think that would let them avoid unnecessary battles.

    But this entire ce was seeped in the Abyss Eater¡¯s aura. To be honest, I doubt I can even cast a proper teleport. Maybe I could push it out once, but continuous usage would be impossible.

    If our enemy was capable of rapid teleportation, he¡¯d certainly have a huge advantage in battle.

    The third possibility was manipting the antidemons. If he controlled the titans and such, surely he could also manipte the high-level antidemons here.

    Trismegistus initiallymented about how few antidemons there were. What if the Dragon King had the antidemons fight among themselves as he slipped through?

    Each possibility gave our opponent a nasty power. Even if my spection was wrong, we have to watch out for even more unknown abilities. As I was thinking all of this through, Trismegistus pushed open the door.

    A rush of warm air ruffled the golden dragonkin¡¯s bangs. Even though I shouldn¡¯t be able to smell anything, I somehow felt the stench of blood.

    The air was just that stagnant.

    Right now, I have to say I¡¯m grateful for Trismegistus¡¯ indifference.

    Everyone moved forward, following Trismegistus through the door. We took the tail end of the group.

    The passage was tall but narrow. Maybe it was designed for dragonkin?

    We proceeded in a single file down this undecorated passageway.

    Though Fran could not see whaty ahead due to Izario being in the way, her tension gradually increased.

    She already took a serious battle stance.

    No doubt she sensed the killing intent emanating from the end of the corridor.

    Not that of the Abyss Eater, which was more simr to a desire to devour us. This killing intent was more direct, the kind to be targeted at your enemies.

    ¡ºFran, that¡¯s Velmeria¡¯s presence.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­ But it¡¯s weird.£©

    ¡ºYeah. She might be under someone¡¯s control.¡»

    We sensed multiple enemies, and one of them was definitely our blue-haired dragonkin girl.

 Chapter 997

    <h4>997: The Heart</h4>

    At the end of the passageway, we found ourselves in a bizarre ce.

    The dome-shaped room was as tall as it was wide. The entirety of it was covered with countless gray root-like things, some of which writhed regrly as if pulsating.

    Imagine thest boss room in a shooting game, and you¡¯d probably get something simr.

    And in the center of the room sat a huge, gray heart.

    ¡¸Littledy, that¡¯s the Abyss Eater¡¯s core.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ It¡¯s not possible to destroy that.¡¹

    Fran always had the mentality of ¡°you never know until you try¡±, yet she knew how impossible this was from the very beginning. The Abyss Eater¡¯s core was just that extraordinary.

    The sheer amount of evil energy and mana it radiated was still nothingpared to the power contained within. Yet the force of the Abyss Eater¡¯s aura superseded everything.

    I have to call it fitting for something created from a piece of the Evil God. Simply staring at it made me feel as if something was corrupting my mind.

    Even the great beast of theke in by Weena Rhyn paled inparison to the heart in front of us.

    Its shape was no different from that of a human heart, the only difference being the ridiculous scale. It must be at least 50 meters wide.

    The tiny dragonkin standing in front of it only further emphasized its size.

    ¡¸Velmeria! Tnaria-sama! Are you okay!?¡¹

    ¡¸Ohe on, they¡¯ve clearly all lost their minds.¡¹

    Velmeria was among the dragonkin standing in front of the heart, but she did not respond to Frederick¡¯s words. As Izario had muttered, she did not look to be sane right now.

    Velmeria, as well as the red-haired dragonkin woman standing next to her, both stared nkly with their eyes out of focus. This woman must be Tnaria, Velmeria¡¯s mother and one of the divine dragon priestesses.

    No wait, it wasn¡¯t just these two. The otherrge dragonkin man standing next to them doesn¡¯t look sane either.

    He was a dragonkin containing a tremendous amount of mana with golden scales reminiscent of Trismegistus. Could he be Dragon King Georg? If so, why did he look insane too?

    ¡¸What the hell is going on here?¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria, Tnaria! Shit! Georg, this your doing isn¡¯t it?!¡¹

    Frederick continued shouting as his voice grew hoarse, but none of the dragonkin reacted. Something was clearly wrong.

    Meanwhile, there was a small figure a short distance to the side of the three dragonkin. Though this person covered his face deeply within his cloak, he didn¡¯t have the body shape of a dragonkin.

    What¡¯s this robed guy doing here? The robe appeared to have an effect simr to that of Seliadot¡¯s wards, so my Appraisal didn¡¯t work. Who could he be?

    Upon closer inspection, the robed man had impaled a sword into the heart. The sword was also enchanted with powerful enough magic to repel my Appraisal. That meant it might be on the level of a failed divine sword.

    It didn¡¯t seem as if he¡¯s attacking the core, so what in the world was his goal?

    The sword¡¯s shape was also weird, looking like two swords crossed together. Though it had two hilts, the ovepping des were physically melded together into a single weapon.

    How are you even supposed to use that? Throw it like a boomerang or something?

    I attempted another appraisal. After consciously infusing divine-attribute mana, I reactivated my Heavenly Eye skill. My skills could be enhanced further by using the divine attribute.

    Rather than a simple increase in output, it¡¯s more like the skill could reach greater depths.

    For example, using it for physical enhancement would give you more control over your movements. When casting magic, it¡¯s far easier to reproduce your imagined spell. And for my Heavenly Eye, it might start working against these powerful opponents.

    ¡ºGnrh¡­¡­ I see it!¡»

    It onlysted an instant. I couldn¡¯t see everything, but I managed to find a great deal of useful info.

    ¡ºWhat the hell is with that sword¡­¡­?¡»

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> de of Corruption, Falldown + de of Eclipse, Evil-Ea¨D¨D

    <strong>Attack:</strong> 1970

    <strong>Mana:</strong> 8000

    <strong>Durability:</strong> 7700

    <strong>Mana Conductivity:</strong> A+

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Auto Repair, Evil Absorption, Evil Domination, Evil Erosion¨D¨D

    Setting the high stats aside, everything else was just in off. Firstly, the name. Apparently, this really was a fusion of two different swords.

    And then there¡¯s the skills. Most of them seemed rted to controlling evil energy. I wish I could get a closer look at it, but I doubt they¡¯ll let me.

    The dragonkin over there were all ready for battle.

    ¡ºFran, they¡¯reing!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave the Dragon King to me! You guys won¡¯t be able to take him on.¡¹

    Trismegistus had remembered Georg¡¯s name, which meant only one thing. He was powerful enough to interest the man who cared nothing for weaklings. It was exactly as Izario said.

    Meanwhile, Trismegistus simply stood in ce, a sign that he wouldn¡¯t interfere in our battle. Though we lose his cooperation, at least we don¡¯t have to worry about him killing Tnaria or Velmeria.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll handle Tnaria! ck Lightning Princess, you take Velmeria!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Tnaria didn¡¯t seem all that powerfulpared to the others. Velmeria, on the other hand, had activated Divine Dragon Form. Indeed, she might be too much for Frederick to handle.

    ¡ºThough we¡¯re in big trouble too!¡»

    £¨But we have no other choice.£©

    As soon as Fran held me in position with a determined stare, Velmeria and the others leapt into action.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve got to quiet them down before taking out the robed guy!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran also took a step forward and swung me down.

    ¡¸Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    As I shed with Velmeria¡¯s ws, a high-pitched ng echoed through the air. Her ws, a simple part of her body, managed to be this durable! She¡¯s on par with me¡­¡­!

 Chapter 998

    <h4>998: Divine Dragon Form, Stolen</h4>

    ¡¸UGRAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria!¡¹

    ¡¸GAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s no use! She can¡¯t hear us!¡»

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­!¡¹

    Fran called out to Velmeria, but she showed no response. Her mind must bepletely taken over.

    We were trying to incapacitate her without taking her life, but that might be very difficult. Just killing her would probably make things much simpler.

    However, I doubt Fran would ever choose to abandon Velmeria.

    ¡º¡­¡­Fran, she¡¯s not sane and wille at us full throttle. It¡¯ll only get worse if we prolong the fight.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Velmeria and the others were really going all out,pletely willing to sacrifice themselves. It¡¯s as if they were in a state of Potential Release, and I could see their life force beginning to deplete even before we started fighting.

    They would eventually fall over and die without us doing anything. Our only options were knocking them unconscious as soon as possible, or dishing out enough damage to incapacitate them before tying them up.

    I watched the robed guy¡¯s movements carefully, but he hardly even looked our way. His actions suggested that he was concentrating on something else.

    Was he attempting something with that sword? Interfering with the core in some way? Whatever it is, it can¡¯t be good.

    But as long as his attention was focused elsewhere, he shouldn¡¯t be able to interfere in our fight.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸URRRAAAAH!¡¹

    Fran quickly activated Brilliant Lightning Rush to enter her serious mode, but Velmeria also stepped up a gear.

    Our speed was equal, but Velmeria had the advantage in power. Fran had greater reach since she swung a sword, but the evil energy cloaking Velmeria¡¯s body kept getting in our way.

    The dense evil energy she was radiating made me think she turned into an evil dragonkin for a second. It disrupted my telekinesis and dissipated my spells. I could put in more mana to ovee the effects, but that would make us run out of steam very quickly.

    With this kind of mental maniption and evil energy, she was exactly the same as the dragonkin attacking us on the way to the castle. Can we actually restrain her? Wouldn¡¯t she just keep rampaging until her own death?

    Fran flew around at high speed while emitting ck lightning, but Velmeria began to overtake us after cloaking herself in blue mana.

    So it seems she had yet to get serious until now. No, she must be pushing herself even further beyond her limits. Velmeria¡¯s life force started draining even faster.

    ¡¸UGAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºJust blocking one of those hits takes a ton of my durability!¡»

    I couldn¡¯t teleport because of the mana radiating from the Abyss Eater¡¯s core. That gives us fewer options for emergency evasion.

    Urushi also lost the ability to hide in the shadows, so he had trouble breaking into Fran¡¯s high-speed battle.

    Little by little, Fran was forced on the defensive. Just like I had worried, this was not an opponent that we could defeat while holding back to avoid mortal blows.

    Though Velmeria¡¯s physical abilities were enhanced so much, her skill levels weren¡¯t raised to match. Fran¡¯s Swordking Mastery was the only reason she managed to keep up. But as the battle continues wearing Fran down, this bnce will fall apart.

    I attempted using Appraisal several times to look for a solution, but it hasn¡¯t been working. Her superior power as well as the evil energy cloak was blocking me.

    Still, I managed to appraise Velmeria for a split second after infusing even more of the divine attribute.

    My repeated appraisal attempts exhausted a lot of mana by itself, but it proved to be worth the effort.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Velmeri¨D¨D

    <strong>Race:</strong> Half¨D¨D

    <strong>Status:</strong> Domination, Evil Erosion, Divine Dragon¨D¨D

    <strong>Stat</strong>¨D¨D

    HP: 1029/2039

    MP: 709/1233

    STR: 1258

    VIT: 877

    AGI: 90¨D¨D

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Foot Sense: Lv 7, Intimidation: Lv 8, Super Strength Lv 3, Crisis Sense: Lv 5, Fist Arts: Lv 8, Fist Mastery: Lv Max, Holy Fist¨D¨D

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Energy Control, Super Dragon Scale¨D¨D

    <strong>Extra Skills</strong>

    Divine Dragon Form

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Blue Dragon God¨D¨D

    To be honest, I barely managed to see half of it. However, I was able to confirm the most important part.

    ¡ºFran. Velmeria is definitely using Divine Dragon Form, and with the power of her skill!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­! Skilltaker!£©

    ¡ºExactly!¡»

    We already knew that losing a skill will revert their transformation from the time we stole Ashwrath¡¯s Mad Ogre Form. There were several other concerning issues, such as Domination and Evil Erosion. However, I can say for sure that the loss of the Divine Dragon Form will drastically reduce herbat ability.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve been saving this skill for a moment like this! It¡¯s time to use it!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    I activated Skilltaker targeting Velmeria. As the invisible arm of the skill tapped Velmeria¡¯s soul, I felt the distinct sensation of grabbing something.

    ¡ºWhooooa? D-Does this work on me too?!¡»

    Immediately after stealing Divine Dragon Form, a tremendous power surged up from inside me. Is this all divine energy? Oh, there¡¯s also evil energy mixed in with it.

    It seems the enhancement from her skill affected me as well, despite me not being a dragonkin.

    Just like in the case of Mad Ogre Form, stealing an active skill gave it to me in the active state.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi! Now¡¯s our chance!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸GAH!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s kick blew Velmeria away. After losing Divine Dragon Form, she was no longer a match for Fran.

    Urushi¡¯s paw smacked Velmeria as she was trying to get up, and mynd magic bashed Velmeria as she got sted away again. I further restrained her movements by holding her down with my telekinesis. She¡¯ll be able to move soon enough, but this should be good for now.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s back up Izario and Frederick while my Divine Dragon Form is still working!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

 Chapter 999

    <h4>999: Identity Revealed</h4>

    Fran and Urushi healed themselves after disabling Velmeria, then went for Tnaria.

    Though she¡¯s enhanced too, she did not have Divine Dragon Form active. That meant we could take her down in the blink of an eye.

    We followed the same procedure we did with Velmeria. After inflicting some damage, we locked her up tightly withnd magic.

    ¡¸Urushi, keep an eye on those two!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Now only Georg the Dragon King remains.

    But¡­

    ¡¸GRUAAAHHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    The battle between Georg and Izario was simply too intense.

    A golden shadow darted through the air with repeated teleportation, as one of the world¡¯s greatest adventurers defended himself with an explosion of mes.

    Simply approaching them would expose ourselves to the aftermath of their sh. Either we would be torn apart by gusts left in Georg¡¯s wake, or turned to ash within Ignis¡¯ mes.

    Their battlefield was a hellscape that we would have to risk our lives to enter.

    ¡ºGeorg¡¯s strength is¡­¡­ It¡¯s just too crazy.¡»

    Though Velmeria had also been using Divine Dragon Form, Georg was simply in an entirely different dimension. Was this just a difference in their base power levels?

    Even if we wanted to help, I couldn¡¯t find any chance to break into their fight.

    But I won¡¯t be able to maintain my Divine Dragon Form state if we wait any longer. My durability was already draining away.

    Since I¡¯m no dragonkin, the skill didn¡¯t seem to be working at full power, which also meant the recoil would be weaker than normal too. That said, I won¡¯t be able to maintain it much longer.

    Divine Dragon Form was definitely giving a tremendous boost to my ability for controlling the divine attribute. The current me could probably focus more divine energy than ever before, but that means I have to work fast.

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran was not moving a muscle, still refining her power. She simply quietly braced herself while scanning for any opening.

    ¡ºAs for the robe guy¡­¡­¡»

    Still no movement from his side. Despite us capturing Velmeria and Tnaria, he seemedpletely ambivalent, as if he didn¡¯t care to help them at all.

    I consideredunching an attack at the robe guy, but I wanted to avoid poking the ho¡¯s nest. We should take Georg down first while he¡¯s still ignoring us.

    ¡ºFran, ready?¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Mmm. A little more.£©

    It seems she was attempting to figure out Georg¡¯s movement patterns, and was starting to get a feel for it.

    If we can dish out a significant blow, we might be able to turn the tables. Izario certainly wouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity.

    Fran, however, knew that we only had one chance at this, so she wanted to make it perfect.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºReady to go?¡»

    £¨Not yet. Instead, can we tell Izario about your identity?£©

    ¡ºHuh? You mean reveal my existence to him?¡»

    £¨Nn. Then you can use telepathy to tell him the n.£©

    ¡ºOh, I see what you¡¯re getting at.¡»

    Fran wanted to focus literally everything into her strike, avoiding even the tiniest amount of concentration that would be required for speaking.

    £¨I think it¡¯s okay to tell Izario about you.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­True, I think we can trust him with my identity too.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Even the slightestpse in teamwork between us and Izario might have fatal consequences. If Fran couldn¡¯t speak, our best option would be to coordinate the timing via telepathy.

    I could do that while hiding my true identity, but I might as well reveal everything to gain Izario¡¯s trust. Fran probably thought the same way. Well, I guess she didn¡¯t want to continue keeping secrets from Izario, who she respected a lot.

    However, suddenly speaking up out of the blue might surprise him. I think Izario would probably be fine, but I don¡¯t want to take any chances.

    Fran took a small step forward without hiding her presence. Just by that, both Izario and Georg would have caught her at the edge of their field of view.

    Then, Fran shouted.

    ¡¸Izario! You might be surprised by this, but don¡¯t be!¡¹

    Was that really the best way to say it? Well, I could see Izario giving a slight nod. He could tell Fran¡¯s intention at making some kind of intervention.

    After a short pause, I quietly called out to him.

    ¡ºIzario, can you hear me?¡»

    £¨Huh? A man¡¯s voice?£©

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯m Master. Please noments on the name, I get enough of those. Oh, and you don¡¯t need to reply to me. I¡¯ll just keep talking, and you keep concentrating on the fight.¡»

    Izario seemed slightly shaken up at first, but there was no major impact on the battle. Good, things are going smoothly.

    ¡ºI¡¯m on your side. You probably won¡¯t be able to believe my words alone, so I¡¯ll reveal my identity. I¡¯m an Intelligence Weapon, the sword in Fran¡¯s hands.¡»

    £¨Hah? Whoa!£©

    ¡ºI know it might be hard to believe, but you have to trust me right now.¡»

    Izario nced over at Fran, but she was already concentrating too hard to react.

    I responded in her ce and transformed my cord into the shape of a hand, giving Izario a thumbs up. It seems like he noticed it.

    £¨You serious?£©

    ¡ºQuite serious. Anyways, Fran is gonna dive in soon. You follow her up.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Roger that.£©

    Okay, now all that¡¯s left is for Fran to give Georg everything she¡¯s got.

    Fran was still concentrating, so heavily that she couldn¡¯t even sense her surroundings.

    Her eyes were closed, so she waspletely trapped in her inner world. Is it really okay for us to ignore Georg like this?

    However, speaking to her might disturb her concentration. All I could do was to believe in Fran, and protect her.

 Chapter 1000

    <h4>1000: Evil God Fragment Within</h4>

    Right beside the violent sh between transcendents, Fran was quietly concentrated her powers, repeatedly breathing in and out.

    Motion and stillness.

    It¡¯s strange how these two entirely different worlds could exist right next to each other.

    ¡¸Pheeeew¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­¡»

    It wasn¡¯t only Fran, I was building up my strength as well. The moment Fran goes on the offensive, I¡¯ll make sure to maximize my output too.

    After focusing on Divine Dragon Form, I imbued all my mana with the divine attribute. Though my entire de was already cloaked in it, this wasn¡¯t enough.

    I needed more power to deal a significant blow to the monster known as the Dragon King.

    Even after activating my skills at full power, I still needed more.

    While gathering every scrap of power within myself, I noticed many things that I had never realized before. The various divine blessings within me were emanating a slight divine attribute.

    I also felt a stronger connection with my special skills, such as the Evil Domination and Golden Form.

    I guess this was all because of Divine Dragon Form sharpening my senses. I even managed to understand a little about Fenrir and Announcer-san, which was impossible before.

    The two were definitely inside me, in a deep sleep. I recognized the extent of the damage they took, and the process of healing they were in.

    And then, I dove deeper within myself. Though my sight showed nothing different, I felt the sensation of being enveloped in darkness. A jet-ck darkness that seemed to cling to my soul.

    I know this darkness.

    The deepest depths of my being, the region where the Evil God Fragment was sealed. The darkness covered not only the fragment itself, but also the entire domain surrounding it.

    Maybe this would have frightened the previous me, but I felt nothing now. Maybe because I¡¯ve realized that this darkness was no enemy to me.

    And at the very center of that darkness, we met.

    A repulsive existence bearing tremendous power. Simply looking at it covered me in a dense cloak of evil energy, which started to caress my soul. Then, it whispered to me.

    ¡¸<strong>CONSUME ALL! CONSUME ALL! CON¨D¨D</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºOh. Yeah, please stop that.¡»

    The Evil God Fragment. Everything about its existence was simply disgusting. If I could breathe here, I¡¯m sure the only thing entering my mouth would be a dense miasma. Yeah, I can see why the people of this world call this guy evil.

    However, it gave me a slightly different impression.

    This existence radiated an aura that was very unsettling, but I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to call it pure evil.

    I waded through the sea of evil in search of my target. A chorus of voices chanted ¡°consume all¡± right into my ears, and the tentacles of evil tried to constrict my soul.

    But I ignored all of that. I can ignore it. I¡¯m sure the residents of this world would have fallen under the Evil God¡¯s control by now.

    Not me though, because I¡¯m from Earth.

    And just when I thought I broke through the immenseyer of evil energy, I only found an even denser evil. But this time, it wasn¡¯t simply evil energy.

    Was this somewhat simr to the divine attribute? Kinda like evil energy imbued with divine power.

    Strangely enough, the wickedness of the aura seemed to be lessened. Only a tiny bit, of course.

    Emitting this so-called ¡°evil divinity¡± was a tiny mass in front of me. Though small, it had a tremendous amount of power. The being seemed pitiful even, chained down by some kind of mysterious force.

    It was obvious now that I¡¯vee this close.

    ¡ºUrghhh¡­¡­¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­Are you a fragment of the Evil God?¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­Uuuuuurghhh¡­¡­¡»

    ¡ºOi.¡»

    ¡ºUrgh¡­¡­ Uuuuuuurh.¡»

    No response? I sensed the existence to be a dense cluster of evil divinity, though restrained by an unknown power. This must be the Evil God Fragment sealed inside me.

    I called out to the fragment, remembering the time I had been able to talk with the Chaos Goddess before. However, the Evil God Fragment only continued grunting and moaning.

    Wait, why did I try to speak with it? Even if conversation was possible, did I even have anything to say?

    No, that¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t help but call out to it. The moaning of the Evil God Fragment sounded to me like a little girl crying.

    But how could such an eerie, repulsive voice sound like a little girl¡­¡­?

    ¡ºUuuuuuuuuuurghh!¡»

    ¡ºDamn that¡¯s loud!¡»

    The crying only got louder as I drew closer. Yeah, it still sounded like a young child bawling their eyes out.

    ¡ºHmm.¡»

    ¡º¡­¡­Uhrh¡­ Ugh¡­¡»

    Kinda weird, but whatever. We may not be able tomunicate, but I can still draw some power out. If I use Evil Domination to draw out this raw evil divinity¡­¡­

    ¡ºNo, hold on.¡»

    This thing was obviously a fragment of the Evil God. If I took full possession for myself, wouldn¡¯t that count as abusing a god¡¯s power? Wait, shit. Didn¡¯t I use the evil energying out of here a while back¡­¡­? Huh? Did I screw up big time without realizing?

    No wait, the evil energy I usedst time was pretty much the leftover stuff that leaked out on its own. That should be fair game¡­¡­ Right? But how bad would it be to get power from the Evil God Fragment directly? I¡¯m sure this evil divinity stuff would really help out Fran¡­¡­

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t do that if I was you.¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa! W-Who¡¯s there?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? Master?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Fran? Why are you here¡­¡­? No, more importantly, who¡¯s the guy next to you?¡»

    This ce should be like an area in my subconscious mind, rather than a physical location. I¡¯m literally focusing on my inner self right now.

    So how did Fran get in here? This was no hallucination, the person in front of me was clearly the real Fran. And next to her, was some giant something radiating an extremely powerful aura.

    The existence appeared to be a mass of pure divinity. At first nce, he looked kinda like a beastman.

    His entire body was covered in fur, with a strange face that appeared to be a fusion between a wolf, lion, and bear. However, he had long beetle-like antennae growing out of his head. All four of his eyes werepound eyes, and a pair of dragonfly wings extended from his back.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve simplye to give my blessing to the newly qualified, but to think I would find an apostle of the Chaos Goddess here¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYou know the Chaos Goddess?¡»

    C-Could it be? A mass of divine energy. A mix of features from both beasts and insects. Finally, familiarity with the Chaos Goddess. No, no. There¡¯s no way. You couldn¡¯t possibly be him, right?

    ¡¸I am indeed the one you are imagining.¡¹

    ¡ºS-Seriously? The Beast-Bug God?¡»

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡ºWaaah!?¡»

 Chapter 1001

    <h4>1001: The Beast-Bug God</h4>

    The Beast-Bug God¡­¡­! Why would a gode to such a disgusting evil-tainted ce! I know we are technically inside of me, but still!

    ¡¸This girl has acquired the qualifications, so I¡¯vee to give her my blessing.¡¹

    ¡ºQualifications?¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    For some reason, Fran was also questioning the Beast-Bug God along with me.

    ¡ºHuh? Fran, you don¡¯t know either?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Due to the emergency at hand, I decided to speak with you first.¡¹

    ¡ºEmergency?¡»

    ¡¸Yes, an emergency. Though it was not my initial reason foring, I could not allow a vition of divine providence to ur right in front of me.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re talking about me, right?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed I am.¡¹

    The Beast-Bug God nodded solemnly and pointed at the Evil God Fragment, who had fallen silent as if frightened.

    ¡¸Though currently in this pitiful form, this existence is still counted as a godly entity. You may use any energy leaking out without issue, but tapping into its power without a contract or permission is forbidden. Such would be abuse of a god¡¯s power, which is subject to divine punishment.¡¹

    ¡ºS-Seriously? Damn, that was close!¡»

    It seems I can make use of any evil energy emitted by the Evil God Fragment, but extracting its power directly is off-limits.

    Wait, wouldn¡¯t that let me borrow as much power as I want if I get permission? I guess that¡¯s not possible either, since the fragment isn¡¯t capable ofmunication.

    ¡ºT-Thank you very much for stopping me!¡»

    ¡¸Pay no mind. I would find it heartbreaking for a someone to receive divine punishment right after meeting the qualifications.¡¹

    ¡ºUmm, so what¡¯s this stuff about qualifications?¡»

    ¡¸This girl managed to sense the power of the gods with her own strength, thereby opening the first gate. Thus makes her qualified to receive my blessing. Continue honing your abilities.¡¹

    The power of the gods? The first gate? By blessing, he means those blessing-type skills, right? I still don¡¯t get it at all! However, Fran seemed to be satisfied with that.

    ¡¸Nn! Got¨D¨DI understand.¡¹

    She almost responded with her usual tone! However, Fran didn¡¯t seem to mind using politenguage. Rather, she has already epted the Beast-Bug God as a superior being.

    Fran nodded her head happily after hearing his words of encouragement. The creator god of the beastmen must have a special ce in their hearts.

    ¡¸My business here is done. Farewell.¡¹

    The Beast-Bug God simply said that before disappearing without waiting for a reply. Though he certainly had no intention of intimidating us, the aura of a god so close to us would make anyone feel anxious.

    ¡ºPhew¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran and I both rxed our shoulders at the same time. I was about to ask her for more details, but Fran started fading away. The god brought her spirit all the way here, so I guess it¡¯s already started returning to her body.

    Before I spoke, Fran opened her mouth first.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s settle it right away.¡¹

    No need to say what. Our backup for Izario was the only thing she could be referring to.

    ¡ºAlright.¡»

    Whether due to the blessing of the Beast-Bug God, or this ¡°opening the gate¡± thing, Fran seemed to have realized something.

    I guess I¡¯ll have to wait before I can hear the details.

    As soon as Fran disappearedpletely, my consciousness began rising to the surface as well. Information from the outside world starteding in.

    It¡¯s almost as if everything was frozen. I don¡¯t know when, but it seems our personal time was being massively elerated. The Beast-Bug God¡¯s power, no doubt.

    The scenery before us gradually began moving again. At the same time, I could see Fran taking a step forward. The speed of her movements were on the same level as Georg and Izario.

    Exactly because we were in this world of slow motion, I could tell Fran¡¯s speed was approaching that of these transcendents.

    ¡ºIzario!¡»

    I shouted, and a momentter, time flowed as normal. At once, my entire field of vision turned into a blur, with my de mming into Georg. Fran had dealt a blow afterpletely predicting Georg¡¯s moves.

    ¡¸GAHHHHHH!?¡¹

    In tune with Fran¡¯s perfectly-honed sh, I detonated the power I had been storing. Ourbined force easily sliced through Georg¡¯s durable barrier and scales. As our mana collided with the Dragon King¡¯s, the magical sparks exploded out like fireworks.

    With his right leg cut off, Georg lost his bnce. I was surprised to see him still standing, but he could do nothing but slide on the floor.

    However, Izario did not get the opportunity to follow up on Georg.

    ¡¸OOUURGH!¡¹

    ¡¸Frederick! Why!?¡¹

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    Frederick, who was supposed to be guarding Tnaria and Velmeria, had struck at Izario. The look on his face was devoid of any sense of sanity.

    I thought he was being suspiciously quiet, but he had fallen under enemy control! Was this the robe guy¡¯s doing?

    Fran kicked Frederick back as soon as she could, and I sensed the slightest hint of divine power in her blow. The same was true of the sh she pulled off. Fran was manipting the divine attribute, though only slightly.

    ¡ºFran, that was¡­¡­!¡»

    Without activating Sword God Transformation or Divine Beast Form, she could control the divine attribute by herself? Of course, she didn¡¯t activate ck Lightning Divine w either. She simply applied the divine power into an ordinary kick. Was this the ¡°opening the gate¡± thing?

    No, this isn¡¯t the time to be worrying about that. I bound Frederick with my telekinesis andnd magic. But in the meanwhile, Velmeria and Tnaria had already broken free from their restraints and dove back into action.

    ¡¸Littledy! You take care of them!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Though it almost turned into a chaotic brawl again, Izario and Fran managed to pull off the strategic victory. Fran took the perfect position to lure Velmeria and Tnaria away, while Izario struck at Georg just as he was about to recover.

    The divine sword cloaked in a reddish brilliance easily pierced Georg¡¯s chest, followed by infusing a torrent of mes into his body.

    ¡¸GUGAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    Georg screeched desperately as he waved his hands at the ceiling, but the sound ceased as even his voice melted away. Now the only thing exiting his mouth were embers of the bright red inferno incinerating his body from the inside.

    mes erupted from every orifice in his body. The dragonkin¡¯s body began shrinking, crumbling to ashes from the edge first.

    And after a few seconds¡­

    The only remaining signs of his existence were the ck scorch marks on the floor. Not even his ashes remained.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s no way we could have caught him alive¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 1002

    <h4>1002: Robe Guy</h4>

    ¡ºThe guy who was supposed to be the mastermind died so easily¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Master, everyone is¡­£©

    With Georg defeated, a change to over Frederick and the others.

    All of them ceasedbat and began writhing in pain instead, clutching their heads and moaning. The light of reason came back to their faces.

    Velmeria and Frederick retained their consciousness, but Tnaria simply copsed to the ground.

    ¡¸Fr¡­an¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria!¡¹

    It definitely looks like Georg was the one making them crazy like that. But why was Georg himself in a simr state?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll heal you!¡¹

    ¡¸No, stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria?¡¹

    ¡¸We still¡­ don¡¯t know¡­ what¡¯sing next. Leave us be¡­ for now.¡¹

    Velmeria seems to believe that someone might be able to puppet them again. That¡¯s why they thought it would be better for them to remain out of action.

    Apparently, they kept the memories of their time being controlled. The fallen Frederick also appeared very apologetic.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, forgive us.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. Anyway, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­¡­¡¹

    The damage taken by their bodies wasn¡¯t quite as severe as the recoil and exhaustion from going all out. Even without healing, their injuries weren¡¯t so serious as to kill them.

    Should we evacuate Velmeria and the others before we deal with the robe guy? Fran agreed with my line of thought.

    ¡¸Izario, we should evacuate Velmer¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Why I would let you do that?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words were interrupted by the lovely voice of a young girl. Her voice was so harmonious that they literally felt like music to my ears.

    What surprised me most was the source of this voice.

    ¡¸Oh boy. You¡¯ve been quiet all this time, and you pick now to speak up. Eh, robe guy?¡¹

    ¡¸I am no guy.¡¹

    ¡¸A girl?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m also not young enough to be called a girl.¡¹

    A beautiful young girl with elegant, wavy blonde hair and unblemished white skin appeared from under the robe. She looked rather short, so there¡¯s no way she was over 20 years old.

    But her ears were pointed, so maybe she¡¯s an elf? As usual, my appraisal was still getting repelled¡­¡­ Whatever cloaking ability she¡¯s using must be very high level.

    As I struggled to find some way to appraise her, the girl suddenly startedughing hysterically.

    ¡¸Ahahahahaha! What a farce this is, really! I¡¯ve prepared my n for ages before finally taking action, and you ruin everything in a matter of minutes! It¡¯s just all soughable!¡¹

    Despite her words, her eyes were not smiling. They continued staring at us with disgust.

    ¡¸And you, calling yourself the true king of the dragonkin! I even gave you the Dragon Divine Form skill, and you still managed to lose! Truly useless! I was a fool to expect anything from such scum! As I should have known from the beginning, garbage dragonkin are nothing but walking failures!¡¹

    There was not the slightest hint of a smile on the girl¡¯s face as she stomped the ground in anger. All I could see in her deep, dark eyes was spite and madness.

    Despite all of thising from a small girl, she radiated a strangely intense aura. Izario began speaking to the girl, slowly and cautiously.

    ¡¸So? Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Take a guess.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you an elf?¡¹

    The girl simply snickered at the question, as if she had the utmost confidence in herself. Meanwhile, Izario twisted his lips into a grin as well.

    It seems he¡¯s decided to y along for now. Realizing this, Fran paused her own movements to avoid provoking the girl.

    ¡¸It seems you have some grudge against the dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? You can tell?¡¹

    ¡¸Judging by your response, little girl, I take it you¡¯re no elf?¡¹

    ¡¸Just so you know, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m older than you.¡¹

    She looked about the same age as Fran, but her being older than Izario was no surprise if she¡¯s from the long-lived races. So she had a simr appearance to elves and lived as long as them, but was no elf? What could her race be?

    ¡¸That so? I suppose I should show some respect to my elders then. So why did youe all the way here? If you hated the Dragon King so much, why did you team up with him?¡¹

    ¡¸Team up? Did it really look that way to you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, at least the structure of your team seemed pretty rigid.¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu, of course. I have a talent for disciplining those lizards.¡¹

    Velmeria responded to the robed girl¡¯s darkughter.

    ¡¸What are you¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t recall giving the lizards permission to speak. Shut your mouth, I don¡¯t want your taint contaminating the air.¡¹

    The girl¡¯s smilepletely disappeared when she replied. Just by that face, I could tell she hated the dragonkin with every fiber of her being. The eyes staring at Velmeria showed not a single shred of positive emotions.

    ¡¸Wow, that¡¯s scary. What made you hate the dragonkin so much?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph, nothing you¡¯ll want to hear, I¡¯m sure. They¡¯re the target for our vengeance, and that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh, I see.¡¹

    So it¡¯s all about revenge? Indeed not something we wanted to hear. The trouble with people acting on a grudge was that it¡¯s hard to get them to stop.

    ¡¸Can we put an end to this little game now? If you leave those dragonkin behind, I¡¯ll consider letting you off the hook.¡¹

    ¡¸You certainly seem confident, huh? The guy in front of you is a Rank S adventurer, you know. I¡¯m rather strong myself.¡¹

    ¡¸True. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat you.¡¹

    Despite her words, the girl maintained her confident attitude.

    She grabbed the hilt of the strange sword still impaled in the core, and turned her other palm toward us. Immediately after, the girl sted us with a dense mass of evil energy.

    ¡ºGet outta here!¡»

    The evil energy reached out to grab us like tentacles, but I dissipated all of them with my skill. It seems Evil Domination works well against this kind of attack.

    Upon seeing this, the girl¡¯s face twisted in surprise for the first time.

    ¡¸No way! Someone else with the power to control evil energy¡­¡­?¡¹

 Chapter 1003

    <h4>1003: Identity Under the Robe</h4>

    With her st of evil energy erased, the girl¡¯s face twisted in astonishment. Those with the ability to wield evil energy, such as fiends and evil dragonkin, are often cloaked in a dense evil aura.

    Since Fran showed no signs of that, the girl must have found our ability to control evil incredibly surprising. Meanwhile, Izario took the opening to dive in.

    ¡¸We can continue this game¡­¡­ after we beat the crap out of you!¡¹

    ¡¸My my, you¡¯re as barbaric as the dragonkin. I bet you aren¡¯t popr with thedies.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve had a bad upbringing, you see!¡¹

    Izario raised Ignis. What¡¯s really amazing was that the girl still had the guts to joke around with a divine sword pointed at her. She didn¡¯t seem panicked in the slightest.

    As the girl continued her slight grin, Izariounched mes right at her face. Those crimson mes were about to engulf her tiny body¡­ But right before reaching, they gotpletely repelled by an invisible wall. Even if Izario was holding back, she managed to block Ignis¡¯ mes?

    ¡¸Tch! Littledy, go!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    After the current exchange, we knew this girl was not your average opponent. Izario stood his ground between Fran and the girl to let us escape.

    He knew our side would be at a disadvantage with so many people in the way. Fran carried Velmeria and Tnaria on her shoulders, while Urushi grabbed Frederick¡¯s cor in his mouth as they headed for the exit.

    However, Fran and Urushi didn¡¯t manage to leave the room.

    ¡¸Mrgh?¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat the hell is this?¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    An invisible wall also appeared over the doorway. Fran and Velmeria grimaced as they mmed their foreheads against it. It must be the same one that had blocked Izario¡¯s fire earlier.

    These might be simr to Seliadot¡¯s wards. They were both incredibly durable and hard to detect. Despite Fran mming her foot into it, the wall didn¡¯t budge.

    Fran pulled back her leg and took a stance.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to kick it seriously!¡¹

    ¡ºUsing the divine attribute?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I guess she still needs a moment of preparation before infusing the divine attribute. Still, she was definitely using it by herself.

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸It seems to be working better than before.¡¹

    Probably due to the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing. After a few seconds of preparation, I could feel a faint divine attributeing from Fran¡¯s leg.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡­¡­! Ha!¡¹

    This time, the ward shattered easily. Rather than the force of her kick, it seems the divine attribute itself was what broke it.

    ¡¸No way! Those were guaranteed to withstand even supreme-tier magic!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, Urushi! Hurry!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry robe girl, your dance partner is me.¡¹

    Izario¡¯s strike interrupted the robed girl¡¯s attempt at pursuit. Unlike before, Izario was serious, with plenty of divine energy in his mes.

    ¡¸You¡¯re breaking my wards too? Ugh, every one of you is such a pain!¡¹

    The girl¡¯s scream was one of frustration, not pain. Could she really be unscathed after taking Izario¡¯s mes head on? No wait, her robe and a portion of her skin were clearly burnt. She must be tougher than she looks.

    And finally, my appraisal managed to work slightly. It must be her robe that maintained the powerful cloaking effect, which reduced in potency due to the robe¡¯s damage.

    Her name was ¡°Meltritte Wisteria¡±.

    Wisteria, one of the Three Gordician Families along with the Camellia Family and Magnolia Family. And ording to Tzaluta, the Wisteria Family was the most dangerous.

    I can understand why she resented the dragonkin. After all, they massacred her ancestors and stole the Evil God Fragment from them.

    However, her race was ¡°lorelei¡±. The Wisteria Family should have originally been human, right? I guess that¡¯s possible if they intermarried with the lorelei?

    Now we know who she got those wards from. I don¡¯t know the rtionship between her and Seliadot, but the two lorelei had an obvious connection via race.

    The real question is just how much Seliadot is involved. She was supposedly chasing after the ve trafficking ring that had Georg as the ringleader.

    But Meltritte was working with Georg. No, I guess she was technically just manipting him, so they weren¡¯t technically allies? Either way, it would be very troublesome if Seliadot became our enemy.

    Another issue was Meltritte¡¯s ¡°Evil Guidance¡±, one of the special skills belonging to the Three Gordician Families. It apparently had the power to make fiends go berserk, so is that what she used to control Georg?

    ¡¸Wait! I won¡¯t let those dragonkin get away!¡¹

    ¡¸Then you¡¯ll have to defeat me first.¡¹

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi ran through the narrow passageway as they sensed the battle beginning behind them.

    We returned to the huge underground hall where Trismegistus demonstrated his power to us. Speaking of Trismegistus, where¡¯s the guy now? He pretty much just watched the entire exchange silently¡­¡­

    ¡¸Velmeria, can you move?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What about you, Frederick?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    Though Frederick almost gotpletely manipted earlier, he seems fine for now. Should we try to get further away?

    ¡¸Let¡¯s move. Hold on a bit longer.¡¹

    Fran and Urushi picked up the dragonkin again and restarted their march. But after taking a few steps away from the door to the Core Room¡­

    Boooooom!

    ¡ºWhoa! What the hell!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    A tremendous explosion shook the entire hall.

    We hurriedly turned back to find the Core Room door blown open, with mes pouring out of the passageway at an unbelievable rate.

 Chapter 1004

    <h4>1004: Meltritte</h4>

    A continuous stream of mes gushed out of the entrance to the Core Room, as if it was the nozzle of a giant methrower.

    It seems Izario was the one responsible for the massive explosion. The room wasn¡¯trge enough to contain such a huge inferno, so the mes ended up reaching all the way over here.

    Momentster, a figure jumped out of the fire. After seeing it fall to the ground and rolling a few times, we recognized it as Izario.

    The way he moved suggested he had just finished dodging some attack.

    No, he was definitely still trying to avoid something. Another shadow broke through the still violent mes chasing after Izario.

    His pursuer wasn¡¯t Meltritte, but an antidemon. But where did this guye from?

    The antidemon had the appearance of a slightlyrger swordsman-type, about two meters tall. However, his entire body was bright red, with his horns and such colored gold. We¡¯ve never seen one with a color scheme like this.

    And the evil energy and mana contained within was so overwhelming that it made me literally tremble. He had even more than the titans. It would be no exaggeration to say that this antidemon was the strongest we¡¯ve ever seen.

    The antidemon¡¯s eyes turned in our direction. Despite being dozens of meters away, we were already in his range. Realizing this, a slight shiver ran down Fran¡¯s spine.

    Making one wrong move might mean our deaths. This enemy was that powerful.

    ¡ºGetting away might be difficult¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fight head-on, or run as fast as we can? As Fran paused to consider her options, Izario shouted to her.

    ¡¸Get the dragonkin out of here! I¡¯ll hold them back!¡¹

    Izario¡¯s face showed an unmistakable hint of panic. This red-gold antidemon was troublesome enough that even he had to worry.

    Izario provoked the antidemon in order to get his attention, but the antidemon¡¯s gaze never left us.

    To be precise, those eyes continued staring at Velmeria and Frederick. Were those two the real target?

    ¡¸Face me!¡¹

    ¡¸Gooorgh!¡¹

    Izariounched some mes at the antidemon, but they were dispersed by a single swing of the arm.

    Even Izario would have a hard time against that monster. There¡¯s no way he could win without unleashing his divine sword.

    ¡¸Urushi! Take them and go!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, are you nning to fight?!¡»

    ¡¸Izario¡¯s activated his divine sword too many times. It¡¯s too dangerous to let him continue.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s true, but¡­¡­¡­ Oh fine! Let¡¯s do this! Urushi, take Velmeria and Frederick upstairs!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The antidemon, perhaps sensing our n to escape, closed the distance at once. Though incredibly fast, we could still keep up with his movements.

    With abination of Fran¡¯s parry and my telekinesis, we barely managed to fend off his offensive. Meanwhile, there was no way he could get away with exposing such an opening in front of a Rank S adventurer.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t you ignore me!¡¹

    ¡¸Gugah!¡¹

    A sh from Ignis, and the antidemon got sent flying to the side. While it¡¯s ridiculous how he could get up after eating a direct hit from a divine sword, the blow must have dealt a fair amount of damage.

    As expected, he was forced to keep a close eye on Izario. Meanwhile, Urushi had increased his speed and already turned into a tiny spot in the distance. With that much of a lead, there¡¯s no way they could catch up.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s Trismegistus and the girl?¡¹

    ¡¸No clue about Trismegistus. Since he didn¡¯t do anything, I guess he¡¯s going with the hands off approach. As for the robe girl¨D¨Dright here.¡¹

    Along with Izario¡¯s words, a new figure emerged from the passage. The robed girl, Meltritte.

    ¡¸¡­¡­You let them get away?¡¹

    She red spitefully in the direction Urushi had run off.

    ¡¸Sucks for you, eh? The dragonkin are already far out of your reach.¡¹

    ¡¸You got me this time. However, it makes little difference. I would have preferred to see them meet their miserable ends here, but they¡¯ll be dead soon enough.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? And how do you n on doing that?¡¹

    ¡¸You think I¡¯ll tell you?¡¹

    ¡¸Well will you? Come on, my joints are already starting to ache. Throw this old guy a bone. I don¡¯t even know your name yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph, fine. I suppose I can at least introduce myself before killing you. My name is Meltritte Wisteria, a descendant of the pathetic bloodline destroyed by the foolish dragonkin and forced to flee this continent! As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the dragonkin even ughtered my family! I have only one goal: to avenge my ancestors and my family by eradicating the living filth known as the dragonkin, and all who are in league with them!¡¹

    Izario¡¯s words were met with a scowl from Meltritte, who announced her name and purpose as if singing a song.

    ¡¸Revenge, eh?¡¹

    ¡¸Next you¡¯ll say that vengeance is never that answer and will only leave me empty, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I ain¡¯t honorable enough to say anything like that. It¡¯s just really hard to to stop people after revenge, so I was thinking about how much of a hassle this will be.¡¹

    Throughout the conversation, Izario did not take his eyes off the antidemon for a second.

    ¡¸So then, Meltritte-san. You can control antidemons? Or rather, it looked to me like you made the core birth this antidemon.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s exactly right.¡¹

    Meltritte nodded, as if she had no intention of hiding anything at this point. This red-gold antidemon seems to have been specially made from the core directly.

    ¡¸Wow. How¡¯d you do that?¡¹

    ¡¸Why should I tell you?¡¹

    Izario probably didn¡¯t notice it, but I could faintly see a thread of evil energy connecting Meltritte¡¯s cross-sword and the red-gold antidemon.

    Her cross-sword and the Wisteria bloodline¡¯s Evil Guidance both had abilities for manipting evil energy. Perhaps she used abination of these abilities to influence the Abyss-Eater¡¯s core.

    ¡¸Well then, I think it¡¯s about time for you to die.¡¹

    Right as Meltritte muttered this, the antidemon suddenly dove at Izario.

    Meltritte likely wanted to finish Izario first, since he was her biggest obstacle. In other words, she thought she could easily take on Fran by herself.

    How arrogant can you be?

    ¡ºFran, leave the antidemon to Izario and we¡¯ll deal with Meltritte ourselves.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1005

    <h4>1005: Georg</h4>

    After seeing Fran holding me at the ready, Meltritte simply smiled. However, her smile seemed to be more mncholic than mocking.

    Though she was ready for a fight, she showed no signs of going on the offensive.

    ¡¸Hello, girl of the ck catkin. Just so you know, I won¡¯t chase if you run away.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? I¡¯m not running.¡¹

    ¡¸This continent will soon turn into hell on earth, and I¡¯ll be the one making it happen. If you act now, you might still be able to gather up your friends and escape Gordicia.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯m not running.¡¹

    Fran spoke with certainty as she stared right into the girl¡¯s eyes. Meltritte sighed lightly, recognizing the determination in Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Fine. Can I ask you something?¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸Why do you ally yourself with the dragonkin? All ck cats hate vers more than anything else, no? Georg, the trafficking ringleader, is the king of the dragonkin. Therefore, shouldn¡¯t all dragonkin be your enemies?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! So Georg is the boss of the vers after all?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Dragon King Georg leads thergest ve trafficking organization in existence, with transport routes stretching throughout the world.¡¹

    Though the organization itself had existed for ages, Georg took them over by force and ced his subordinates in charge.

    Dragonkin generally disliked ves, but Georg never showed such feelings, at least openly. He apparently took a great deal of pride in the fact that he was special, so he had a tendency for challenging the dragonkin norms.

    Basically, he thought he was hot stuff for using ves because it made him stand out from the other dragonkin.

    ¡¸He even truly believed the delusion that the gods recognized him as a new dragon king, when he was nothing but a fake! Hrious!¡¹

    ¡¸Fake?¡¹

    Weren¡¯t dragonkin with golden scales the sign of royalty? Why call him a fake?

    ¡¸Just look at that ursed Trismegistus. Royal dragonkin have mana containing all the basic attributes, aside from evil. But Georg was different. All he had was two: fire and evil.¡¹

    ¡¸But Georg had golden scales.¡¹

    ¡¸And that¡¯s exactly what makes him a fake. Evil energy is the power to distort the naturalws of the world. He was subconsciously using his innate evil energy to color his scales gold. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡¹

    This was apparently an open secret among the dragonkin elders of the northern reservation. One day, a rare dual-attributed child suddenly acquired golden scales.

    Everyone knew this child was no royal dragonkin, but he might be a valuable tool for promoting the northern reservation¡¯s agenda. That¡¯s why the elders decided to use Georg as their figurehead Dragon King.

    And soon enough, Georg actually came to believe in his role as the new king of the dragonkin. That¡¯s when things started spiraling out of control.

    Not only did he spread his radical ideas for a new dragonkin nation, as well as take over the ve trafficking ring, he also started worshiping the Evil God. He even offered human sacrifices to gain additional power.

    His Dragon Domination skill, for example, was bestowed upon him by the Evil God. Yet Georg lusted for even greater power, so he secretly set up evil crystals in various towns to sacrifice even more people.

    ¡¸The dragonkin haven¡¯t shown a shred of remorse since their divine punishment, proving they don¡¯t deserve to exist anymore. Erasing the entire race would make the world a better ce.¡¹

    ¡¸There are both good and bad dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Can you say the same thing even for your mortal enemies, the blue catkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. There are good blue cats too. Just being a blue cat doesn¡¯t make them a viin.¡¹

    Fran could say that with certainty thanks to Zefmate.

    Though she hated blue cats with a passion back when we first met, Fran¡¯s been through countless experiences since then. She¡¯s met plenty of ordinary blue cats, mostly in the Beast Kingdom.

    Fran¡¯s sense of values has changed a lot thanks to all these encounters. I don¡¯t know if you can objectively call this growth, but it¡¯s definitely big progress in my eyes.

    ¡¸I even have a blue cat friend.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Hmph.¡¹

    After seeing Fran¡¯s response, Meltritte gave a scornful scoff.

    ¡¸The dragonkin are a worthless race of garbage. Those barbaric, lowly lizards are capable of nothing aside from causing harm to others. They are scum who live infort as they me everyone else for the problems they¡¯ve caused. My family is dead because of their negligence!¡¹

    Meltritte shouted as she stared at Fran with darkness in her eyes. Her wide emotional shifts between calmness and excitement seemed unnatural, and dangerous.

    ¡¸Have you ever heard of the evil dragonkin?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Many evil dragonkin are killed by their fellow dragonkin, but some are spared. A few seize their chance to escape, others smuggled away by their family. A good number manage to leave Gordicia, you know.¡¹

    Since evil dragonkin are doomed to lose their sanity, thew dictates their deaths at the hands of their fellows. However, there are some who, for whatever reason, managed to sessfully escape.

    That said, the evil dragonkin can¡¯t survive just because they made it out of Gordicia. Dragonkin are discriminated against in many nations, and these guys radiate an aura of evil.

    In the end, many of them had no choice but to turn criminal, joining bandit gangs or other such organizations.

    Meltritte¡¯s family was apparently attacked by a band of dragonkin bandits, and lost their lives in the incident. Both her ancient ancestors and herself were thrown into the depths of despair by the dragonkin.

    To her, the entire race contained nothing but viins.

    ¡¸This world has no need for dragonkin.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s not true. Not all dragonkin are bad.¡¹

    ¡¸You little girl¡­¡­¡¹

    Judging from her initial attitude, she probably felt something like sympathy for Fran and the ck cats.

    However, they were just too different. Meltritte¡¯s anger only grew as she realized this. I could see the hostility glinting in her eyes.

    But the same went for Fran.

    ¡¸It¡¯s obvious that Georg was a bad guy. But how long have you been manipting him?¡¹

    Indeed, it¡¯s hard to say that Georg did anything good. As the leader of the ve trafficking ring, he was clearly someone worthy of Fran¡¯s hatred.

    But was this truly Georg¡¯s doing? Could he really be the one controlling the antidemons if he was being controlled himself? That¡¯s very doubtful.

    If so, who actually nned these recent events?

    Perhaps sensing the unspoken question in Fran¡¯s gaze, Meltritte chuckled.

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! That man was truly pathetic! All his preparations for the independent dragonkin nation were repurposed for my n. All he had to show for it was his own death!¡¹

    Meltritte exined,ughing all the while. It was indeed Georg who prepared the evil crystals. He nned to strike down many towns with his army of mercenaries and dragonkin, and massacre the inhabitants as sacrifices.

    But before he could carry out his n, Meltritte seized control.

    ¡¸As you can imagine, I put the finishing touches on it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­You mean the titans?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you¡¯re absolutely right.¡¹

    So those titans really were controlled by Meltritte after all.

    ¡¸A few sacrifices are justified if I can finally eradicate the dragonkin!¡¹

    Meltritte shouted, with the madness clearly clouding her eyes.

 Chapter 1006

    <h4>1006: Meltritte''s Body</h4>

    ¡¸A few sacrifices are justified if I can finally eradicate the dragonkin!¡¹

    Meltritte began breathing heavily with her shoulders heaving up and down. Her naturally beautiful face contorted into the face of a demon.

    It¡¯s as if her madness was gradually eroding her sanity.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I can understand why you want revenge.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words were filled with very powerful emotions. No doubt she was remembering how much hatred she used to have for the blue cats.

    ¡¸Enough with the sympathy! Are you going to leave me alone or not?¡¹

    ¡¸Never. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let you get away with sacrificing anyone. Besides, this continent is full of people I want to protect. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to defeat you.¡¹

    Fran held me up with a hint of sadness on her face. It seems she had no intention of trying to convince Meltritte. She probably put herself in Meltritte¡¯s shoes and realized that words weren¡¯t enough to stop her.

    After all, even Fran might do something simr if it meant saving the ck cats.

    ¡¸In that case, you¡¯ll be the first to die by my hands! I can finally deliver punishment to all the sinners living on this continent! I won¡¯t stop until everyst one of you is dead!¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you.¡¹

    ¡¸Then die!¡¹

    The two¡¯s shouts signaled the start of their battle.

    Meltritte and Fran moved simultaneously, mming their weapons against each other.

    ¡¸Your sword¡­¡­! It is clearly no ordinary magic sword! How could it withstand a sh against mine?!¡¹

    ¡¸My sword is the best!¡¹

    Meltritte was way stronger than I had imagined, mainly stat-wise. She might be on the level of high-level antidemons.

    Despite her slender arms, her de carried a ridiculous amount of force behind it. She must have incredibly high strength in spite of her appearance.

    She also had an inhuman sense of vision, as she managed to follow Fran¡¯s shes. However, Fran was clearly the better swordsman. Meltritte eventually ran out of options to defend herself, and ate one of my spells.

    ¡¸Kah! So you use magic too!¡¹

    Her body didn¡¯t seem to take much damage from that, but my thunder and me spells burnt off the rest of her battered robe.

    As a result, I finally seeded in getting a full appraisal on her.

    ¡ºHer race isn¡¯t just lorelei, but also antidemon? Just like Nadia!¡»

    Ipared her strength to a high-level antidemon, but her body was actually half antidemon. Upon closer inspection, I could see the tough carapace under her clothes.

    Her face and hands showed no signs of this, but it seems most of her torso had already mutated into an antidemon form.

    Fran¡¯s eyes widened when she saw this. She couldn¡¯t hold her surprise back after being reminded of Nadia.

    It seems that Meltritte also sensed Fran¡¯s surprise. She smirked as she lightly tapped the carapace covering her chest.

    ¡¸You noticed? Lovely, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­An antidemon¡­ body¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Have you ever heard of the failed divine swords?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? That makes things quick. Both of these are failed divine swords, you see. It¡¯s thanks to their wonderful powers that I managed to obtain this body.¡¹

    To think there were other failed swords besides Overgrowth! And moreover, she had two of them fused together.

    Falldown and Evil-Eater, right? One of them must have an ability simr to Overgrowth¡¯s.

    ¡¸You did this to yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly. I would do anything to gain the power to fight!¡¹

    With her antidemon mutation exposed, she no longer had any need to suppress this power. Meltritte began ramping up her speed with her antidemon aura in full drive.

    But none of her attacks ever reached Fran.

    ¡¸How can you avoid that!¡¹

    ¡¸You might be fast, but that¡¯s it. All your moves are obvious.¡¹

    ¡¸Then try this! Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸That won¡¯t hit either.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn! You¡¯re pretty good!¡¹

    Meltritte¡¯s strong points were her physical strength and the tricky nature of the crossed failed divine swords. She gained the initiative at the start, but was no longer a match for Fran after we adjusted our strategy.

    The difference in swordy was just too great. Meltritte was indeed formidable, but her forte must have been rangedbat.

    Now it was Meltritte¡¯s turn to be on the defensive. She just barely managed to block Fran¡¯s onught with her superhuman reflexes.

    However, her defense was nowhere near perfect. We constantly etched shallow wounds into her skin.

    It seems the insides of her body were more mutated than the outside appearance. No blood exited her wounds, and she regenerated instantly. The exact same thing we saw with high-level antidemons.

    Just repeatedly scratching her like this would be meaningless. We have to take her down in one fell swoop. Meltritte¡¯sposure was probably due to confidence in her durable body.

    After realizing this fact, Fran calmly focused her energy despite being in the middle ofbat. While delivering enough blows to seal away Meltritte¡¯s counterattack, she concentrated on the mana within herself.

    Fran always got a headache from trying to cast two spells at the same time, so who would¡¯ve thought she¡¯d be able to use Parallel Thought this well. The divine-attributed mana began building up, set aside from the mana she was currently using forbat.

    Meltritte just noticed too, and the confident smile on her face twitched slightly. Unfortunately for her, it was already toote to escape.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    Right as Fran stepped in to strike, I sted the cross-sword in Meltritte¡¯s hand with the full force of my telekinesis.

    She probably noticed the invisible force with her sharpened senses, but there¡¯s no way she could dodge an attack from this close.

    Though Meltritte held tightly onto her de, it nearly flew out of her hands. By the time she managed to pull it back, Fran was right in front of her.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    After realizing that her parry wouldn¡¯t make it in time, Meltritte¡¯s face contorted in frustration. She certainly never expected the random girl apanying the Rank S adventurer to be this good.

    £¨I can try that now.£©

    Fran cloaked her body in divine aspected mana. Her ck lightning gained a tinge of blueish-white light which caused it to glow brighter.

    ¡¸Sword God Transformation!¡¹

    As soon as she whispered the words, her sh of divine speed cleaved Meltritte¡¯s torso.

 Chapter 1007

    <h4>1007: Beyond Sword God Transformation</h4>

    Fran¡¯s sh cleaved Meltritte¡¯s torso.

    ¡¸Kyaaaah!¡¹

    Meltritte¡¯s let loose an anguished scream. Unlike our previous hits, she definitely felt that one. I haven¡¯t done much experimentation with the divine attribute, but I have no doubt it went through her pain nullification skill.

    And with that pain came a good amount of damage. The deep gash started oozing tons of mana and evil energy.

    None of our earlier hits managed to draw blood, so the divine attribute must have been very effective against her antidemon body.

    Moreover, Fran¡¯s assault had only just begun.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s second sh sent Meltritte¡¯s left arm flying off. Even her durable antidemon body stood no chance in front of Sword God Transformation¡¯s might.

    With her overwhelming swordsmanship and the dense divine mana covering the de, the strike could truly be called the work of the Sword God.

    ¡¸How did¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you get away.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn you! Krgh!¡¹

    Meltritte panicked for the first time after Fran¡¯s sudden boost of strength. She searched for a way to escape, but Fran would never allow that.

    In spite of our overwhelming advantage, Fran wore a look of confusion that only I could see. I felt the same way.

    £¨My body feels light?£©

    ¡ºYeah, me too.¡»

    Whenever we used Sword God Transformation previously, I always felt my life being chipped away.

    I lost more than just durability. It was as if something within me was being worn out, exhausting me at a deeper level. But this time, the feeling had been reduced.

    It¡¯s nowhere nearpletely gone, but maybe less than half as usual.

    Fran, too, seemed to be feeling much less recoil.

    Was this due to the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing, since she could now manipte the divine attribute by herself?

    Up until now, I had to focus all my efforts into controlling the divine attribute. However, it seems the condition for mastering Sword God Transformation was for Fran to obtain the divine attribute herself. No wonder it was so difficult to handle before.

    The reduced recoil and exhaustion was not the only proof of Fran¡¯s mastery over this power.

    Fran was no longer following Sword God Transformation¡¯s optimizedbat patterns. Her body moved ording to her own will.

    Rather than having the skill performing the ideal movements for her, Fran actually understood her options. She was clearly choosing what to do.

    In our current state, I think we might be able to cut that. Fran seemed to agree.

    I pointed her to the location, and Fran suddenly swung at the air. At first nce, it looked like she was pointlessly shing at nothing.

    But that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.

    Fran¡¯s target was the thread of evil energy. The invisible thread extended from the cross-sword to the antidemon, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Izario.

    Of course, my de ovepped with the thread several times throughout our exchange, but I wasn¡¯t able to do anything to it. Well, we¡¯d have aimed for it in the first ce if possible.

    However, the current us could sever the thread. Both Fran and I were confident.

    With the unconsciousbination of Fran¡¯s Sword God Transformation and my Evil Domination¡­

    ¡¸It snapped.¡¹

    ¡¸N-No¡­¡­! How!?¡¹

    The thread of evil energy vanished after getting cut. At the same time, we saw a visible change in the red-gold antidemon¡¯s movements. He suddenly got really sluggish.

    I had hoped the antidemon might break free from Meltritte¡¯s control and start attacking her instead, but I guess we can¡¯t ask for that much.

    Meltritte shouted after seeing Izario st the antidemon away.

    ¡¸I was so close!¡¹

    She must have been empowering the antidemon through that thread somehow, since the antidemon¡¯s aura clearly got weaker. He¡¯s still undoubtedly strong, but no longer strong enough to beat Izario.

    Seeing the red-gold antidemon in danger, Meltritte tried to head over and save him.

    Apparently, she needed that antidemon alive at any cost. Was he required for her ns somehow?

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you go.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyah!¡¹

    Meltritte left herself wide open in her panic, and Fran took the chance. After having her back shed open, she certainly remembered that she couldn¡¯t ignore Fran.

    Meltritte red back at Fran with spite-filled eyes. Meanwhile, Fran continued her onught without letting up for a second.

    With the reduced recoil, we could use Sword God Transformation for a much longer duration. Fran still had the skill active.

    We chopped up her arms, legs, and torso. Yet each stab or sh was regenerated practically instantly. She had the same resistance to the divine attribute shown by the high-level antidemons.

    But even if she could heal her wounds, she had no way to get back the mana spent on regeneration. There was a clear drop in her energy levels.

    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just us. Meltritte was getting forced on the defensive for another reason.

    As if in inverse proportion to Fran¡¯s excellent performance, Meltritte only got more sluggish. Taking so much damage must have dulled her body, but that wasn¡¯t all.

    She made the asional strange decision, as if intentionally taking hits from us. For whatever reason, she seemed to be protecting her cross-sword.

    Meltritte had been blocking attacks with her cross-sword since the beginning of our battle. But now, she attempted to evade us entirely. This threw her off rhythm and resulted in her taking even more damage from us.

    I¡¯m sure she could still put up a good fight if she calmed down and regained herposure, but Meltritte only got more impatient as the battle dragged on. Her eyes were fixated on the red-gold antidemon getting pummeled by Izario.

    Izario seemed much more at ease than before, noticeable in how many counter strikes he dealt the antidemon. Meanwhile his opponent¡¯s body was burning up thanks to Izario¡¯s signature heat field. The battle was clearly tilting in Izario¡¯s favor.

    ¡¸Get out of my way, you damned girl!¡¹

    Without responding to Meltritte¡¯s half-crazed roar, Fran held me right in front of her eyes. Then, she shouted with all her might.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Divine w!¡¹

 Chapter 1008

    <h4>1008: Fran''s Current Best</h4>

    ¡¸ck Lightning Divine w!¡¹

    The ck lightning surrounding Fran¡¯s body converged onto my de and covered it entirely.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re controlling the technique perfectly!¡»

    The ck lightning flowed out so smoothly, probably also thanks to the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing. As I thought, her control of divine attribute rted techniques had be remarkably smooth.

    Moreover, Fran still maintained Sword God Transformation as she activated ck Thunder Divine w. She pulled off a fusion of her two most powerful techniques.

    As expected, going this far wasn¡¯t easy. My durability values began dropping rapidly, so this isn¡¯t something we can use whenever we feel like it.

    ¡¸Take this!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­!¡¹

    Fran raised me in preparation for a swing. Having already lost herposure, Meltritte easily fell for the feint.

    She reflexively raised her cross-sword in an attempt to block Fran¡¯s strike. However, she then quickly withdrew her de.

    After seeing me d in ck lightning, Meltritte must have thought her cross-sword might be in danger. That¡¯s why she wanted to avoid a sh.

    And so, Fran mmed a kick into her wide open abdomen.

    ¡¸Gah!¡¹

    Her hardened chest cracked open, with her body sent flying backwards. Fran dashed right after her, and this time, she readied me for real.

    Meltritte was spinning wildly in the air unable to do anything. Meanwhile, Fran could use aerial hop to move however she pleased.

    Our next blow was sure to hit.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve had the advantage up until now, but I don¡¯t know if this will actually be able to finish off the antidemonized Meltritte. More importantly is¨D¨D¡»

    £¨Her sword!£©

    Just as Meltritte thought I might be a threat to her sword, I was confident in her assumption being correct. From our previous shes, I already had a good idea of how tough her weapon was.

    With the power of Sword God Transformation and ck Lightning Divine w, I could surely cut right through her cross-sword.

    £¨If we can just destroy her sword, we might be able to thwart Meltritte¡¯s n for good.£©

    ¡ºExactly.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran set her eyes on her target, then inhaled and exhaled lightly. That¡¯s all it took. We were ready.

    ¡¸No! I was so close!¡¹

    Meltritte must have realized that Fran¡¯s target was not her but the cross-sword in her hands. She screamed in despair.

    That instant, her face looked like that of an ordinary girl¡¯s. She was no warrior, no antidemon.

    Just a girl who hated the world. If she never decided to seek out revenge, she might have lived the rest of her life in peace.

    Fran looked sad, but only for a moment. She quickly regained her determination and swung down the de of condensed ck lightning.

    ¡¸Raaaaaaah! Heavenly Judgment!¡¹

    Sword God Transformation, ck Lightning Divine w, and now Heavenly Judgment. This was the absolute greatest move the current Fran could pull off.

    ¡¸NOOOOOOO!¡¹

    Meltritte tried to protect the cross-sword by covering it with her own body, but she couldn¡¯t manage to do so while still flying through the air.

    In the first ce, the cross-sword was sorge that Meltritte¡¯s tiny body was unable to cover itpletely.

    My ck de closes in the cross-sword and¡­

    BAAAAAANG!

    ¡¸!¡¹

    With an explosion sounding nothing like a sh between swords, the ck lightning and golden mana collided.

    ¡¸Nrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    The weapon I mmed into wasn¡¯t the cross-sword. Right when I was certain my de would sever Meltritte¡¯s weapon in two, a silvery-white falchion intervened.

    The man holding it was a golden dragonkin. He had blocked my strike in a poor position and got sent flying with tremendous force.

    Fran and Meltritte turned to the man interrupting their fight and shouted his name at the same time.

    ¡¸Trismegistus¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Trismegistus!!!¡¹

    Both of them had bitter looks on their faces.

    I¡¯m sure Fran¡¯s pissed at his interruption, but Trismegistus just saved Meltritte. Why was she ring at him too?

    The ck lightning had incinerated his body after conducting through the falchion. He had a deep gash on his shoulder from being unable to cancel the force of our sh. Still, he stood up while clutching the wound with his burnt hand. Yet the golden dragonkin seemed more concerned about his beloved sword than his own injuries. He stroked the de with his red, blood-soaked hand and nodded a few times.

    ¡¸So I might have been in danger had I not spent so much mana. I see.¡¹

    With our strongest move blocked, Fran back-stepped away from Trismegistus and deactivated her Sword God Transformation.

    Her instincts must have warned her that it was too dangerous to keep going. In fact, the drain on my durability was starting to elerate. She might have gained the ability to recognize the stopping point as well.

    £¨He blocked us¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºYeah. Trismegistus seem to have infused an immense amount of mana onto his de. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s as durable as a divine sword.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    The frustrated Fran exhaled heavily. It¡¯s no wonder. She put everything into that sh, and someone blocked it with just a minor wound.

    Well, I think it¡¯s pretty amazing we managed to injure and knock away that absolute monster. Especially since he was using Divine Dragon Form.

    While Fran was catching her breath, Meltritte shouted at Trismegistus. The look in her eyes was one of total hostility.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Why? Why did you save me?! Answer me, Trismegistus!¡¹

    ¡¸Because my beloved sword Fannabelta told me it was the right thing to do.¡¹

 Chapter 1009

    <h4>1009: Falldown and Evil-Eater</h4>

    Trismegistus held up his sword and spoke casually.

    ¡¸Fannabelta says you are still of use to us. You cannot be allowed to die here.¡¹

    So his sword really is an Intelligence Weapon!

    Meltritte looked absolutely pissed when she heard that. She must bear quite the deep grudge against the ancient Dragon King who ughtered her ancestors.

    And then he saves her life before arrogantly exining that she is still useful. For Meltritte, someone seeking revenge, this must have been the greatest humiliation of all.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you too!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so? Do as you wish.¡¹

    Seriously, what¡¯s going on between the two of them?

    Trismegistus abruptly broke off his conversation with Meltritte and turned away as if there was nothing more to be said.

    Meltritte kept ring at him with bloodshot eyes, but made no attempt to strike.

    She knew she had no means of killing him, and even if she did, she would just be defeated by Fran right afterwards.

    Without the protection of the dragonkin king, who she hated so much, she would have already lost her life. We could easily see the rage she¡¯s suppressing by how hard she¡¯s biting her lip.

    Meanwhile, Fran spoke calmly in the face of the transcendent who suddenly blocked our path.

    ¡¸Are you working with Meltritte?¡¹

    ¡¸No, but her talent is rare. It would apparently be a shame to let her die.¡¹

    ¡¸Talent?¡¹

    ¡¸The talent to wield the failed divine swords. Though not officially numbered, those des were originally forged as divine swords. Not just anyone can wield such a thing, and yet she manages two at the same time. No doubt she must have a very high affinity for Zechs¡¯ creations.¡¹

    So those two des were forged by the divine cksmith Zechs. He was the rare divine cksmith who never managed to produce a single divine sword, since none of his des were recognized by the gods.

    If I remember right, he was the one who forged Overgrowth as well. Although his des ended up as failed divine swords, it¡¯s not like they were actually discarded as failures.

    Judging by Trismegistus¡¯ words, I guess all those pseudo divine swords not officially recognized are referred to as ¡°failed divine swords¡±.

    ¡¸The de of Corruption, Falldown, which grants the user the power to control evil by converting them into a fiend. The de of Eclipse, Evil-Eater, which lets the user manipte antidemons at the cost of turning their own body into that of an antidemon. She wields both, and yet maintains her sanity.¡¹

    I see, now I have some idea of how Meltritte¡¯s domination abilities work.

    A sword for controlling evil and a sword for controlling antidemons. In addition, the Wisteria bloodline¡¯s ability of Evil Guidance. Bybining all of these, she could dominate antidemons and evil dragonkin.

    Was her ability to create antidemons also a result of the two failed divine swords? Considering she had to stab her de into the Abyss Eater¡¯s core, maybe she used Evil-Eater¡¯s powers to order the core directly?

    ¡¸If you retreat here, I will not pursue you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­What is Meltritte plotting?¡¹

    ¡¸I do not feel the need to answer that.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­!¡¹

    I wanted more answers, but Trismegistus was having none of that. He suddenly struck at us without the slightest sign of hostility.

    ¡¸Hoh? You can react to that?¡¹

    Though impressed, he continued swinging the de Fannabelta in his hand at us. His shes were both precise and sharp, but as usual, I could not feel any hostility directed toward us.

    I¡¯ve never seen a foe whose aura and actions meshed so poorly. Moreover, his swordsmanship exceeded even Fran¡¯s.

    £¨He¡¯s strong!£©

    ¡ºThis guy definitely has Swordking Mastery!¡»

    He¡¯s been swinging a de on this continent for ages. In fact, it would be weird if he hadn¡¯t reached that level.

    Fran fired herself up and began her counterattack.

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    ¡¸I see, so you have Swordking Mastery. I can understand why Fannabelta views that sword as dangerous. Hmm? You say it is merely useful? Is that so? Understood.¡¹

    Trismegistus suddenly started mumbling to himself, but there¡¯s clearly telepathy going on. Maybe Fran and I look like that from the outside too.

    ¡¸This is my first time viewing an Intelligence Weapon other than Fannabelta.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! How did you know?¡¹

    ¡¸Fannabelta has a talent for data analysis, so intercepting the telepathy of others is a simple matter. I would enjoy the chance to analyze your de, but my top aide says it must be destroyed if I cannot obtain it. Therefore, destroyed it will be.¡¹

    So they eavesdropped on my telepathy and figured out my identity! I have Appraisal Cloaking and Appraisal Camouge to protect myself, but that doesn¡¯t mean much if they can hear me talking.

    And it seems Fannabelta views me as dangerous.

    ¡¸Destroy¡­ Master¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸You can avoid unnecessary harm if you give up your de immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Screw you¡­¡­!¡¹

    Fran snapped at Trismegistus for dering that he was going to destroy me.

    Her killing intent was so intense that I felt a chill.

    Meltritte, who wasn¡¯t the direct target of her anger, started trembling with the blood drained from her face. This even sent a shiver down Izario¡¯s spine.

    If anyone were to see Fran right now, they would say she¡¯s obviously gone crazy. The current Fran didn¡¯t give off the slightest hint of sanity.

    Fran let out a wild, animal-like roar and mmed me down with the full extent of her rage.

    ¡¸URAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Impressive movements.¡¹

 Chapter 1010

    <h4>1010: Original Sin Envy</h4>

    Barbarous and savage, yet also with finesse.

    Fran¡¯s swordsmanship had a strange but effective mix of rage and calm.

    Perhaps her killing intent sharpened her wild instincts to the fullest. She must have subconsciously understood thatshing out in anger wouldn¡¯t be enough to defeat this man.

    Her Sword God Transformation had long since been deactivated, and still, her movements only got sharper, and more ferocious.

    Fran dashed through the air around Trismegistus in an attempt to bewilder him.

    Aerial hops, wind magic, fire magic. She also created pirs with earth magic, connected with magic threads in between. By grabbing these threads while flying, she could make sudden turns in the air.

    These tricky, speedy movements reminded me of a pinball bouncing erratically around the table.

    It seems she had begun to use Swordking Mastery as second instinct.

    After understanding the optimized perfect movements of Sword God Transformation, her experience must be getting reflected in her normal swordsmanship. However, this wasn¡¯t the ¡°simple perfection¡± she disyed during Sword God Transformation. Her current fighting style focused on more high-speed maneuvers and rapid strikes. Such a big difference felt rather strange to me¡­¡­

    Perhaps understanding her distance from true perfection was what allowed her to transform her swordsmanship into a form emphasizing her own strengths.

    But even this wasn¡¯t enough to break through Trismegistus¡¯ defenses.

    This man was also a Swordking. In addition, one with vastly morebat experience.

    In contrast to Fran¡¯s lightning-speed offense from all angles, he stood like a towering, unmoving mountain. He blocked our strikes after perceiving them with his sharp eyes, all without taking a single step.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    The swordking of speed versus the swordking of stillness. They were using the same skill, yet their styles were so radically different.

    I guess everyone¡¯s own talents and experience will lead them to different types of ¡°perfection¡±.

    And there was something else bothering me aside from Trismegistus¡¯bat style¡­ His eyes. Just like when he noticed Urushi hiding in the shadows, those eyes seemed to see right through us.

    Calling them ¡°sharp¡± was an understatement. It felt as if his eyes stared into my very depths, and even deeper beyond.

    The dragonkin¡¯s unnerving eyes were constantly pointed in our direction, revealing all of Fran¡¯s tricks along with everything else.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you!¡¹

    ¡¸Go ahead and try.¡¹

    ¡¸Raaaaaah!¡¹

    The sh only got more intense from here.

    The two traded feints and mortal strikes in rapid session. A short, but very intense exchange between swordkings.

    They seemed almost evenly matched to me. Fran couldn¡¯tpare to Trismegistus in many aspects, but she managed to reach his level when it came to swordsmanship.

    Yet even if equal in swordsmanship, Trismegistus had an overwhelming advantage due to his immortality. He could exert his full strength without worrying about any exhaustion or repercussions.

    Meanwhile, Fran had the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing to reduce the recoil of the divine attribute, but she couldn¡¯t nullify itpletely.

    As soon as Trismegistus gets serious, he¡¯ll easily push us into a corner. We were at a heavy disadvantage the longer the battle drags on.

    The only reason I didn¡¯t immediately stop Fran from fighting this losing battle was because we had a shot at victory.

    We¡¯ve already heard about Trismegistus reviving in the throne room whenever he¡¯s about to die. Considering his immortality and how heavily he¡¯s underestimating us, there was a good chance of him exposing a huge opening eventually.

    As the fierce battle continued, Trismegistus muttered something.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see. I shall try it. Very well.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Fannabelta is plotting something!¡»

    Trismegistus appeared to be talking to himself, but Fannabelta must be giving him instructions. Immediately after my warning, Trismegistus turned our way.

    I didn¡¯t sense anything happening with his sword, but¡­

    ¡¸Sumb to panic. <strong>Original Sin Envy</strong>.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Shit!¡»

    What just happened? It went off so fast that we couldn¡¯t avoid it! For a brief instant, I saw Trismegistus send out countless tentacles-like arms of mana, which wrapped themselves around Fran before disappearing. Then, her movements suddenly slowed down a lot.

    And in contrast, Trismegistus started moving a lot faster.

    The huge difference in speed was generated in an instant, which caused Fran to panic. Fannabelta¡¯s de chipped at her face.

    If I hadn¡¯t immediately pulled her back with telekinesis and wind magic, her head might have gotten sent flying off.

    That said, I didn¡¯t make it in time. Fran had a heavy cut from her right cheek to her ear. While healing her with recovery magic, I elerated us backwards with me magic to generate some distance. Fran¡¯s back got covered in scrapes from getting dragged along the ground, but it¡¯s to save her life!

    ¡¸Littledy!¡¹

    After knocking the antidemon away, Izario came running to our side. He must have witnessed Fran almost taking a fatal injury.

    ¡¸You okay?!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    Fran stood up, wiping the blood off. Well, it wasn¡¯t as serious as it looked, but anyone would get worried after seeing someone¡¯s face almost cut open.

    ¡ºFran, what happened?¡»

    £¨I suddenly started feeling heavy. All my buffs disappeared.£©

    ¡ºI see. So he had an ability for forcibly removing buffs! No wait, since Trismegistus got way faster, it could be a skill for stealing the target¡¯s buffs.¡»

    £¨But¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨My mana¡¯s recovered.£©

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Now that you mention it, Fran¡¯s mana has recovered to almost full capacity. So in other words, Trismegistus holds an ability for stealing his opponent¡¯s buffs in exchange for restoring their mana?

    That doesn¡¯t make sense at all.

    Still, it seems Fran calmed down a bit after seeing this unknown ability. Her killing intent had been reduced considerably.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What did you do?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Since Izario is here, you will find out sooner orter. I may as well tell you. The name of the power I used is ¡°Original Sin Envy¡±. This skill allows me to perform an equivalent exchange with the target. Just now, I took a portion of your powers in exchange for giving you my mana.¡¹

    ¡¸Apletely ridiculous skill, no matter how many times I hear it. The only good news is that he can¡¯t keep using it in session.¡¹

    I see, so it¡¯s an exchange rather than stealing! Unlike our Skilltaker, it seems he can forcibly exchange things other than skills, such mana and buffs.

    ¡¸I can also take away your skills permanently if I so desire. How about you hand over the sword before you lose something important?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nothing is more important than this sword!¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Annoying little girl. Ugh, how can anyone be so obnoxious! Those eyes brimming with life make me sick¡­¡­¡»

    Suddenly, a woman¡¯s screeching voice echoed through our heads. Just hearing her tone was enough to recognize the harsh hostility directed toward us.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºIs that¡­ Fannabelta?¡»

 Chapter 1011

    <h4>1011: Dragon Eye</h4>

    The woman¡¯s voice made no attempt to hide her hostility and malice toward us. The way it echoed in our heads was clearly due to telepathy.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Fannabelta?¡¹

    ¡ºHow dare you address me directly, insolent girl! Hurry up and hand over the sword! Trismegistus-sama has given you a direct order!¡»

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Then we simply kill you and take it by force! Even if it means stealing from your wreckage, I must have that power!¡»

    It seems Original Sin Envy can be used on me even after my destruction, which makes it much more versatile than my Skilltaker.

    ¡ºWhat about you, ¡°Master¡± or whatever? If you want the girl to live,e over to us yourself.¡»

    ¡ºDamn, you even know my name?¡»

    Trismegistus did say she was good at analyzing information, but it seems she found out even more than I thought.

    ¡ºAh, I want it all¡­¡­! Such a mediocre de is unbefitting of those terrific powers! So much evil energy, and the potential to grow despite being a sword!¡»

    ¡ºIt¡¯s like you can see right through me.¡»

    ¡ºObviously! I am one with Trismegistus-sama! I see everything my liege sees!¡»

    ¡¸The guy has a skill called ¡°Dragon Eye¡±, which is apparently a very powerful skill capable of seeing the true nature of anything. Moreover, though Trismegistus can¡¯t leave the castle, all his abilities are amplified as long as he¡¯s in here. Even my divine sword is probably stripped bare before his Dragon Eye.¡¹

    Izario¡¯s words matched what I felt earlier. Every time he looked my way, it was as if he saw right through me. That must be how getting Dragon Eye used on you feels.

    If he can perceive the abilities of a divine sword, his skill must be a superior version of my Heavenly Eye. Plus, it seems he can share the skill with Fannabelta.

    ¡¸A fragment of the Evil God, a divine beast, and a dungeon core, is it? You appear to not be a divine sword, but that itself is rather unbelievable.¡¹

    ¡ºThey really can see everything!¡»

    ¡¸Hey,e on. Littledy, Master, is he serious?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell¡­¡­¡¹

    Izario, the wielder of a divine sword, was left in shock. Well, if you put it that way, yeah, the stuff inside me is pretty ridiculous. Meltritte was cowering in the corner, staring at me as if I was some kinda freak.

    ¡ºThen you should be fully aware of the consequences, right? Destroying me might bring the Evil God back into this world.¡»

    Since he knew everything about me, this should be a very potent threat. Not even Trismegistus and Fannabelta could get away scot-free after resurrecting a fragment of the Evil God.

    Maybe he could survive due to being immortal, but he would have knowingly resurrected the Evil God. That means a high possibility of receiving divine punishment.

    However, Fannabelta simply cackled as if my threat wasughable.

    ¡ºAhahahahaha! As if that will ever happen!¡»

    The malice within such a melodious voice only made it more sharply felt.

    ¡ºYou truly know nothing about yourself, do you? Kufufufu. The divine beast and Evil God Fragment are already set up to mutually annihte each other if your de is ever destroyed. A safety feature, I¡¯m sure. The magic form behind it is incredibly powerful, so that was one of the first things I noticed.¡»

    I have no clue how Trismegistus sees me, but he seems to even have a grasp of the system within. Even Alistair, a divine cksmith, wasn¡¯t able to get that far.

    I¡¯m a little relieved to know that the Evil God won¡¯te back even if I¡¯m destroyed. But for Fenrir-san¡¯s sake, I absolutely can¡¯t let anyone kill me.

    Now the problem is that my biggest threat just failed. If they already know this much, then maybe my equipment restriction isn¡¯t gonna work either? Is there any way I can talk him into equipping me?

    Fannabelta, who predicted that very thought,ughed even more and spoke again.

    ¡ºKyahahaha! It seems a lesser divine punishment will be enacted if anyone other than the girl equips you, but we¡¯ve already seen through that too! Foolish!¡»

    She¡¯s got quite the nasty mouth. I could clearly sense the madness in her tone, but I guess we are technically holding a real conversation. Though if someone asked me if she was crazy or not, I would have to say yes.

    Is this really supposed to count as ¡°not crazy¡±? Well, at least she¡¯s better than Fanatics¡­¡­

    ¡ºThe possibility to grow while being a sword! Simply wonderful! Upon taking your power, I can be eternal again! I will be able to serve Trismegistus-sama forever! A second-rate de isn¡¯t worthy of such a gift! I, the greatest sword in the world, deserve this seed of limitless potential! So hand it over already!¡»

    ¡¸The best sword in the world is Master!¡¹

    ¡ºHah? What did you just say?¡»

    ¡¸You¡¯ll never be the best!¡¹

    ¡ºIt seems you don¡¯t deserve any more of my kindness. You die here along with your sword! Your fate has been decided!¡»

    ¡¸You heard her.¡¹

    Trismegistus held up the silver falchion in response to his beloved sword¡¯s words. It¡¯s as if he was nothing more than Fannabelta¡¯s puppet, without any initiative of his own.

    ¡ºFran, we have no way to beat an immortal. You understand what I¡¯m saying, right?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWe need to run. I know you¡¯re frustrated, but we don¡¯t stand a chance.¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Got it.£©

    After epting the decision to run, Fran acted quickly. She jumped backwards to get far away from Trismegistus.

    But he already knew what we were up to.

    ¡¸Hmm? You cannot escape me.¡¹

    ¡ºTch!¡»

    Trismegistus closed the distance at once. As he stated, there was no way he would allow any opening for us to escape.

    However, that¡¯s when a mass of me flew toward Trismegistus at tremendous speed.

    Trismegistus held up his hand to block it, but it exploded just before impact, setting the entire region aze. Only the area around Izario and Fran was not covered in mes.

    ¡¸Izario?¡¹

    ¡¸Run littledy. I¡¯ll buy you some time.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    In response to Fran¡¯s surprise, Izario shrugged and spoke light-heartedly.

    ¡¸I¡¯m am a Rank S adventurer, you know. I can handle him if I¡¯m alone. So go!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Okay.¡¹

    Fran hesitated for a moment, before nodding back immediately. She saw the determination in Izario¡¯s eyes, so she knew not to waste his resolve.

    Besides, it was obvious she would be a liability if Izario got truly serious.

    Though frustrated, Fran squeezed out a few words.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t die.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

 Chapter 1012

    <h4>1012: Side - Izario</h4>

    She¡¯s already left.

    It takes a true adventurer to make the right decision in times like these. Master must be guiding her well. The two make a good team.

    But still, never thought I¡¯d see two Intelligence Weapons at a ce like this¡­¡­ No, maybe it was because of this ce?

    The continent of Gordicia is and of horrors, with divine swords, antidemons, and all sorts of monsters around every corner. It shouldn¡¯t be a surprise to see such mythical existences drawn together here.

    ¡ºStop right there, GIIIRRLL!¡»

    A woman¡¯s screech echoed in my head. I¡¯ve known that Trismegistus¡¯ sword, Fannabelta, was an Intelligence Weapon, but this is my first time hearing her voice out loud.

    By they male or female, those mad with envy are as troublesome as those seeking revenge. Though ording to the legends, she was supposed to be the always calm andposed Ice Maiden¡­¡­

    Who could¡¯ve imagined she¡¯d be this crazy in reality? All thanks to her ¡°Original Sin Envy¡± skill. Simply possessing the skill causes the mes of jealousy to warp her mind.

    Normally, these sin-type skills are rare skills only possessed by demons. Moreover, ¡°Original Sin¡± marks the skills belonging to demons of the highest caliber.

    The Wrath Demon I fought a while back in the Rank A dungeon told me all about that, though his constant anger made it hard to hold a conversation.

    So the question is, why did Fannabelta have an Original Sin skill?

    From what I¡¯ve heard, she didn¡¯t start off with the skill. Well, she was supposedly an elf before bing a sword, so that¡¯s only natural.

    Apparently, the two fought a demon with Original Sin Envy some decades ago. During that battle, the demon used Original Sin Envy to steal one of her skills.

    But what happened afterwards was something no one could have expected.

    The demon tried to take a skill so valuable that it was unable to pay the price.

    Original Sin Envy, a skill to forcibly perform an equivalent exchange with the target. However, usage of this skilles with a great risk. In the case that the user offers something not equal in value to what they are taking, the skill automatically decides what will be exchanged instead.

    That means the user may lose their very life, making for quite the risky gamble.

    As a result, the Envy Demon was forced to give the Original Sin Envy skill itself in the trade. Fannabelta lost some sort of powerful skill, and gained the loathsome Original Sin Envy skill.

    Considering Trismegistus told me this himself, it¡¯s probably the truth. I don¡¯t think the guy has enough individuality left to tell a lie.

    He never mentioned that Fannabelta went off the rails because of it though.

    I ain¡¯t a fan of chicks like this, but I need to buy time for the littledy¡¯s escape.

    ¡¸Hey, wannae y with me for a bit?¡¹

    ¡ºRunt, move out of my way!¡»

    ¡¸Me, a runt? I guess that¡¯s an elf for you.¡¹

    ¡ºHow dare you mock me!¡»

    Though she¡¯s certainly in the grip of madness, her mind isn¡¯tpletely gone yet.

    ¡¸Izario, farewell.¡¹

    It seems Fannabelta told Trismegistus to ignore me. He quickly made an attempt to bypass me.

    But I won¡¯t let you go that easy!

    ¡¸¡­¡­<strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>! Heye on, don¡¯t give me the cold shoulder!¡¹

    ¡ºRunt! Stop interfering with us!¡»

    ¡¸No one¡¯s dumb enough to stop when the enemy tells them to! me Dance!¡¹

    From the very beginning, I sted him with max output. A brilliant red inferno consumed everything around us like an ocean of fire.

    No offense to the littledy, but I¡¯m much happier fighting alone. After all, I can focus all my power on pure destructive energy without holding back.

    ¡¸Ora! me de!¡¹

    ¡¸Superb techniques, Izario.¡¹

    ¡¸At least put on a smile if you want topliment someone!¡¹

    ¡ºMy liege! How dare you!¡»

    It seems my attempt to grab their attention was a sess. Trismegistus only took a slight burn, and Fannabelta already went half berserk.

    ¡ºCocytus!¡»

    ¡¸Tch! me Wall!¡¹

    Fannabelta was known as the ¡°Ice Maiden¡± due to being a practitioner of ice magic, and a high rank one at that.

    The vortex of ice freezing the air itself collided with the mes I shot out, resulting in a huge explosion.

    Though I was using a defensive technique, she still managed to match the output of a divine sword. Should have expected as much from a legendary Intelligence Weapon. Right afterward, Trismegistus snuck up on me without a sound. He appeared right behind me out of the cloud of water vapor.

    ¡¸Kuh! Did you suddenly turn into an assassin!¡¹

    Trismegistus shed at me wordlessly, and I still couldn¡¯t sense his presence. He had such an impressive aura, and he managed to camouge all of it.

    If Ignis¡¯ heat detection ability wasn¡¯t so ridiculous, I might have died without a chance to react. That¡¯s just how nasty his stealth and swordsmanship were.

    He¡¯s been swinging around his de for millennia, so I don¡¯t stand a chance when ites to a melee. That just goes to show you how outrageous the littledy is for being able to cross des with him.

    But I¡¯ll say this again, I¡¯m a Rank S adventurer! I can¡¯t keep losing to my juniors!

    ¡¸Your divine mes are splendid, capable of easily melting my barriers. In addition, you even surpass me when ites to defense.¡¹

    ¡¸The divine sword bearers can¡¯t afford to lose so easily, you see!¡¹

    I continued parrying Trismegistus¡¯ de, as Ignis¡¯ mes melted away at his body. Though he has a powerful barrier, it¡¯s practically useless against my divine mes.

    My divine mes collided with his mana, creating a tornado of wind and heat. The surrounding region was already beginning to turn into a hellscape.

    Not even littledy Fran would be able to survive getting caught up in that. Trismegistus¡¯ entire body was covered in burns, but he maintained his rxed attitude.

    I guess that¡¯s just your average day to this immortal. Like I thought, I¡¯ll have to get serious!

    ¡¸Hurry up and die once already! me Body!¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh. This is the first time you are showing me this power, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Ha! Never noticed it despite all that big talk about your eyes?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. It seems the divine swords exceed my capabilities, so I was unable to see everything.¡¹

    I used one of myst resorts: the Divine Sword Art, ¡°me Body¡±. To put it simply, this technique turns my entire body into divine mes. The current me was now a clump of divine mes in the shape of a human.

    Any normal attacks targeting me will pass through without effect, and the slightest touch is enough to ignite my enemies with divine mes. Your average guy has no way of extinguishing that, so all that¡¯s left is to turn to ash.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You put it out so easily!¡¹

    ¡¸Not quite. The feat consumed a bit of my divine attribute.¡¹

    Trismegistus has Divine Dragon Form. Someone capable of using the divine attribute could deal with my mes. But just you wait, this technique isn¡¯t just for defense and counters.

    ¡¸Ora!¡¹

    ¡¸When did you get so close? I did not sense any magic.¡¹

    The true essence of my me Body technique is the ability to assimte myself with mes. Simply absorbing mes bes enough to heal me. Not only that, I could also appear from anywhere there was a fire.

    This was no teleportation. All the mes surrounding us were a part of me, so I was essentially omnipresent. Without any prior knowledge, my opponent would think I instantly teleported somehow.

    I had already lit the entire room aze, so our battle took ce in the middle of the inferno. In such a situation, it was nearly impossible to follow my movements.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡ºMy liege! Stop this at once, runt! Damn you!¡»

    ¡¸Just try and stop me.¡¹

    I could appear from anywhere and strike with a de of divine me. Even my opponent is an abomination from the legends, I don¡¯t n to lose. Fannabelta sted away with ice spells, but they simply evaporated after making contact with my mes.

    ¡¸Now go back to the throne¨D¨DWhoa?! What the hell?!¡¹

    The antidemon I fought off earlier started radiating an extraordinary amount of mana. I put him off forter since he didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything, but he managed to survive my stray mes. No, if anything, he¡¯s gotten even stronger.

    But where did that Meltritte girl go? The antidemon¡¯s aura is so strong that it¡¯s covering up her presence!

    ¡¸The girl has finished her preparations.¡¹

    ¡¸Preparations? What are you plotting?!¡¹

    ¡¸The creation of the mightiest antidemon the world has ever seen. Your mistake was not prioritizing the destruction of the antidemon designated as the vessel.¡¹

    What is he even talking about? The creation of the mightiest antidemon? Isn¡¯t that against his entire purpose? Why is Trismegistus allowing this to happen!?

    ¡¸What the hell are you up to?!¡¹

    ¡¸I have only ever had one goal.¡¹

    I don¡¯t know what kinda nonsense he¡¯s speaking, but this is really bad! The antidemon just keeps getting bigger!

    ¡¸Should you really be focusing on other matters right now?¡¹

    ¡¸Grah!¡¹

    He¡¯s managed to deal so much damage to me despite my me Body! His mastery of the divine attribute is too perfect! Shit, my concentration is¡­¡­!

    ¡ºNow die! I¡¯ll put your divine sword to good use for you!¡»

 Chapter 1013

    <h4>1013: The Advent</h4>

    Just as Fran ran to escape, there was a huge explosion behind her. Izario had unleashed his divine sword.

    ¡ºWe had to rely on Izario after all.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    Fran bit her lip in frustration, but her legs kept moving.

    Focusing everything on speed, she dashed off at a blindingly fast pace. Fran was well aware that her quick escape was the best way to assist Izario.

    No one chased after us. Izario must be keeping Trismegistus¡¯ attention.

    However, it¡¯ll be more difficult to have a friendly chat now. Fran¡¯s still pissed at Trismegistus, and there¡¯s that thing about him wanting to destroy me.

    Destroy me and steal my power, huh¡­¡­?

    It seems my destruction will result in the annihtion of both Fenrir-san and the Evil God Fragment. At the very least, those two weren¡¯t lying, and Trismegistus¡¯ Dragon Eye is supposedly extremely potent. There¡¯s a high chance he spoke the truth.

    So which part of me will remain after my destruction? What they called the dungeon core, the strengthening and growth system made by Chaos Goddess resembling the one used in dungeons.

    Fannabelta also said she wanted my power to grow despite being a sword. However, that growth ability ispletely dependent on Fenrir-san. Even if they manage to steal the dungeon core, it shouldn¡¯t be able to do anything on its own¡­¡­

    Maybe they weren¡¯t able to recognize that part, or maybe they had a different method in mind.

    While I was thinking over Fannabelta¡¯s words again, Fran kept running and was almost out of the castle.

    £¨I¡¯ll turn the next corner, and the exit should be right there!£©

    ¡ºNice! Keep going through the castle grounds and we¨D¨D¡»

    We¡¯ve already passed the throne room and the castle¡¯s exit was in sight.

    Rumble!

    The ground shook beneath our feet.

    As if someone just slid the floor tile out from under us. My first thought was that these were the tremors from Trismegistus and Izario¡¯s sh, but it got even worse.

    The floor and walls of the castle couldn¡¯t withstand the still ongoing shaking, with cracks beginning to form. Those cracks spread, creating crevicesrge enough to impede our movement.

    ¡ºOh no! It¡¯s copsing!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Those cracks finally reached the ceiling, causing fragments of stone to rain down on our heads. This castle, said to be indestructible due to the power of the gods, was falling apart before our very eyes.

    From beneath the castle, I sensed only the powerful aura of antidemons. The growing aura was so dense that I had to check if my detection skills were bugging out.

    In terms of sheer power, it beat out Izario and Ashwrath even with their divine swords activated.

    I had to wonder if this could be the Abyss Eater itself.

    As if chased by the rumbling of the copsing castle, Fran kept moving her feet. Finally, we jumped out.

    ¡¸Just in time!¡¹

    ¡ºThe castle is¡­¡­ Get back!¡»

    Just as Fran jumped backward, a huge block of rubble crashed on the spot she was standing. A portion of the vast wall as big as a person, and this was only the beginning.

    All of the castle¡¯s spires were tipping over like dominoes.

    Fran ran further away from the castle while avoiding the falling debris. After gaining some distance, I realized it wasn¡¯t just the castle itself. The entire hill on which the castle stood was copsing too.

    Moreover, the hill was clearly swelling up, as if some force was pushing upward from underground. What on earth is taking ce beneath us?

    Rumble!

    ¡ºNow the ground¡­¡­! Fran! Fly!¡»

    Arge portion of the hillside copsed, with huge cracks running in all directions. Right before falling into the abyss, Fran used aerial hop to escape the hill.

    ¡¸Something¡¯sing!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s super big!¡»

    A section of the castle burst open from the inside, revealing a huge shadow. In terms of size, this guy easily surpassed the titan antidemons.

    And his mana amount matched the titans too, the one that was a fusion of two titans, that is.

    ¡¸Red and gold¡­¡­ The one in the basement?¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you mention it, the mana wavelength is pretty simr¡­¡­¡»

    He¡¯s simr in not only color and mana, but also appearance. So that the red-gold antidemon in the castle basement somehow grew into this goliath? Were those titan-types merely a precursor experiment for this guy¡¯s creation?

    The giant red-gold antidemon stood up amidst the copsing castle, with his shoulders and chest heaving up and down. As if he was taking deep breaths.

    As I stared up at the face of the antidemon already far in the sky, I heard a familiar crazedughter.

    ¡¸Ahahahahahahahaha! I¡¯ve finally done it! I wasn¡¯t able to gather enough life energy, and Overgrowth disappeared before we could consume it! I never expected my n to go this awry, but in the end, the vessel isplete! Behold, the birth of the most powerful antidemon ever!¡¹

    It wasing from the giant antidemon¡¯s shoulder. Meltritte, the lorelei girl who almost looked like an elf child, red at us with the face of a madman.

    Her antidemon mutation seems to have progressed significantly. Parts of her hands and face were already mutated.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll crush everyst one of you!¡¹

    ¡¸Meltritte!¡¹

    ¡¸Girl! Just sit there and watch! Burn the visage of annihtion into your eyes!¡¹

    Right as Meltritte shouted that, the light of the sun dimmed as if a huge shadow covered the earth. We looked up to see a cloak of purple spreading rapidly in the sky above.

    Did the ward surrounding the castle change color? No, this was happening even higher up. It was a translucent purple dome covering an absolutely massive area. Though not asrge as the ward covering the entire continent of Gordicia, the dome seemed to be at least several kilometers in diameter.

    Could this be Meltritte¡¯s doing too?

    As we were stunned in confusion, Meltritte screeched again.

    ¡¸Now no one can escape! This antidemon will devour everything!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?!¡¹

    Fran shouted back, but Meltritte was no longer looking at us. She kept screaming as she stared at the distant horizon.

    ¡¸Die! Ahahahahaha! Destroy them all!¡¹

 Chapter 1014

    <h4>1014: Meltritte''s Screams</h4>

    Meltritte reached for the giant antidemon¡¯s neck, the location where her cross-sword was impaled.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Now to get rid of everything holding you back!¡¹

    I thought she nned to control the antidemon like a puppet, but maybe not.

    With the cross-sword as the link, a magical connection was established between Meltritte and the goliath. It seems the two just synchronized their mana with each other.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºNo way¡­¡­!¡»

    Both Fran and I werepletely stunned. That¡¯s how surprising what happened next was.

    As we watched in awe, Meltritte¡¯s body sunk into the giant antidemon. She wasn¡¯t merely physically entering his body. We could tell she was assimting at a deeper level.

    Even as her flesh and blood merged into the antidemon, Meltritte¡¯s cackling continued.

    ¡¸If I¡¯m not allowed to attain happiness¡­ the world that shunned me shouldn¡¯t be allowed to exist either!¡¹

    Meltritte¡¯s blood-curdling screams were like a curse of despair and rage upon the entire world, and everyone living there. She mentioned how she wanted to eradicate the dragonkin, but her current hatred went even further.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve torn away the chains that bound you! I offer everything! My body, my soul, my heart! Everything! So please¨D¨DLay waste to all!¡¹

    Along with her final curse, Meltritte and the cross-swordpletely vanished into the body of the goliath.

    Immediately afterwards, the already tremendously powerful antidemon began radiating an even more intense aura.

    He¡¯s getting pumped up with mana. But from where? It¡¯s almost as if a vast stream of mana came flowing out of thin air.

    ¡ºOh! It¡¯s gotta be the Abyss Eater!¡»

    The Abyss Eater was everywhere inside Gordicia¡¯s barrier, so it must be what¡¯s supplying mana to the giant antidemon. But wait, doesn¡¯t that mean his mana supply is practically infinite¡­¡­?

    The goliath was certainly strong when he first showed up, but the ¡°most powerful antidemon ever¡± sounded like an exaggeration. However, I realized my mistake after seeing him umting so much mana, gaining more and more power.

    His cloak of mana was already so dense that he caused gale-force winds just by standing nearby. The sheer pressure of his aura was ridiculous. If this mana supply keeps up, there will really be no stopping him.

    What should we do?

    Launch an offensive and try to stem the mana flow? But will that even work? If we try something and get dragged into a unwinnable battle, there¡¯s no way we can handle him on our own. I think our best option is escape.

    £¨Master, where¡¯s Izario?£©

    ¡ºHonestly, I have no clue.¡»

    The antidemon¡¯s aura was just too immense. Maybe I could manage if Izario had his divine sword active, but it¡¯s too difficult to sense his presence in this situation.

    I doubt Izario would be the type of guy to die so easily, but if Meltritte managed to execute her n¡­¡­

    ¡¸<strong>UUUUUUAAAAAAARGH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s on the move.¡¹

    ¡ºWe need to get far away!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Right after Fran jumped out of the way, the antidemon¡¯s huge right fist mmed the ground she was standing on. The hand alone was the size of a small house.

    And behind it was the immense strength of a giant.

    The single blow caved in the earth and sent as much rumble flying as a massive explosion. Despite us being several meters away, the shockwave sent Fran flying even further.

    Fran regained her bnce midair and continued her dash to the exit the ward. That¡¯s when the giant¡¯s remaining left arm reached out for us. Despite his size, he¡¯s pretty fast. Shit!

    ¡ºFran, behind you!¡»

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Fran made a midair hop and managed to evade the giant¡¯s fist with a paper thin margin. His fingertips just barely grazed Fran¡¯s barrier, yet we got sted off like a rocket.

    ¡ºFran! I¡¯ll be healing you, so keep moving!¡»

    ¡¸Ro¡­ger¡­!¡¹

    The impact must have damaged her internal organs, since she vomited a little blood.

    However, Fran never stopped moving her legs. She used the momentum from the hit to escape the giant antidemon¡¯s pursuit. On our way to the ward surrounding the castle, Fran suddenly tilted her head.

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸¡­I think it¡¯s sucking my energy.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    I didn¡¯t feel anything, but it seems Fran¡¯s observation was no mistake. I failed to notice because of how small the difference was, but Fran¡¯s mana and life force were indeed being drained.

    It barely made a difference to someone like Fran with high regeneration abilities. However, this would be quite dangerous to your average person.

    Of course, the giant antidemon was the one draining from us. He¡¯s getting supplied near infinite mana from the Abyss Eater, and he¡¯s still sucking more on his own?

    ¡¸He¡¯s getting bigger.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? No, you¡¯re right¡­¡­!¡»

    I guess he¡¯s putting all that mana to good use, by growing his body even further. Maybe it really isn¡¯t a good idea to leave him unintended?

    Still, this wasn¡¯t a fight we could win by ourselves anymore. Realizing this, Fran ran without looking back.

    We went down the hill and through the castle¡¯s ward. However, the growing giant antidemon quickly followed in pursuit. This much distance meant nothing to him due to the length of his stride.

    But weren¡¯t the antidemons in the castle supposedly unable to escape the wards¡­¡­? No wait, I think they shouldn¡¯t be exiting the basement in the first ce. It seems being big wasn¡¯t the only thing special about this guy.

    ¡¸<strong>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºShit!¡»

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    The antidemon¡¯s chest te suddenly swelled up for a moment, before he released a massive roar. The physical shockwavebined with the heavilypressed mana burst sent us flying.

    We managed to get away with little damage thanks to our barrier, and Fran regained her footing immediately. However, the giant antidemon had already closed in on us in that short window of time.

    By the time we realized it, the antidemon¡¯s huge arm was closing in on us. This time, we couldn¡¯t evade it.

    I reapplied our barrier to mitigate the damage as much as possible. It won¡¯t work perfectly since I¡¯m trying to repair a barrier that just got destroyed, but it¡¯s better than nothing.

    ¡ºDamn!¡»

    ¡¸Reactive Ward!¡¹

    But just before we took a direct hit, a light blue wall suddenly appeared between Fran and the giant¡¯s arm.

    Moreover, this wall managed to actually stop the giant. Though onlysting a moment, it was more than enough for Fran to escape.

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like I made it just in time.¡¹

    ¡¸Seliadot!¡¹

    We turned around to see a blonde girl standing a short distance away.

 Chapter 1015

    <h4>1015: Seliadot''s Reasons</h4>

    It was Seliadot¡¯s ward that saved Fran.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, fall back immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸What are you gonna do, Seliadot?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll hold him down here.¡¹

    The lorelei girl looked up at the antidemon. Her face was filled with hostility toward the antidemon, as well as powerful resolve.

    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you working with Meltritte though?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course not. I gave her my wards as a fellow lorelei, but I never thought she¡¯d be plotting something like this¡­¡­¡¹

    The wards she gave to Meltritte apparently had amunication function, which she used to listen in on our conversation with Meltritte.

    That¡¯s how she learned Meltritte¡¯s schemes, to some extent. She slumped her shoulders with a look of regret covering her face.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no time to talk! Watch out!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>UUUURGH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸Reactive Ward¨D¨DTch!¡¹

    I originally suspected that Seliadot might be in cahoots with Meltritte, but I guess not. She attempted to block the goliath¡¯s fist with her ward, though it didn¡¯t work well.

    ¡¸Over here!¡¹

    ¡ºOra!¡»

    Fran took Seliadot into her arms and jumped back. Meanwhile, I used my telekinesis and spells to slow down the fist just a little. Are we still in a tough spot though?

    Just as I was focusing my mana for another st of telekinesis¡­

    A huge ck object fell from the sky and mmed into the goliath¡¯s fist. The force of the impact changed the trajectory of the swing, causing his fist to crash into the ground.

    ¡ºUrushi! Good boy!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    It was Urushi at his maximum size. By taking advantage of his body the size of a small mountain, Urushi bit down on the giant antidemon¡¯s arm to impede his movements. However, this wouldn¡¯tst long.

    Even if Urushi was over 30 meters tall, he was still no match for the antidemon. After all, the goliath was as tall as a skyscraper. From his point of view, Urushi was nothing but a tiny puppy.

    Sure enough, he lifted Urushi¡¯s body easily.

    Meanwhile, Fran and Seliadot managed to escape thanks to Urushi buying time for us. After seeing us off, Urushi also shrunk himself and retreated from the antidemon.

    The antidemon seemed puzzled by the sudden disappearance of the giant wolf. He kept ncing all around with a somewhat confused look.

    Since his body was so big, he must have a hard time finding us. A great distance away, Urushi regrouped with Fran and Seliadot.

    ¡¸Urushi, you saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat happened to Velmeria and Frederick?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I looked in the direction indicated by Urushi¡¯s nose, and I sensed the mana of many people. It seems he deposited the two with the second division beforeing back for us.

    Meanwhile, the second division was already very far away from the castle. Did Urushi tell them to run? Or maybe seeing Urushi made them realize something was up. Either way, nice call.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get out of here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, Seliadot, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    There¡¯s no way to win this by ourselves. Knowing that, Fran readily epted the n, but Seliadot intervened.

    ¡¸You can escape by yourself. I¡¯ll grab his attention.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re not going to run?¡¹

    ¡¸I have no choice¡­¡­ What Meltritte hasmitted is a terrible sin. One that may result in divine punishment.¡¹

    Now that you mention it, that might be true. She manipted the Abyss Eater, created vast numbers of antidemons, and took the lives of many innocent people.

    I find it unforgivable that she massacred so many innocents, but I doubt the gods care much for that. They preside over a variety of areas after all: a god for men, a god for beasts and bugs, a god for nts, and so on.

    From their point of view, the human race has been clearing forests, hunting beasts, and exterminating insects since the beginning of history. That¡¯s nothing short of a genocide upon other living creatures. Also, guys like Ashwrath and Izario must have taken countless human lives during times of war.

    Yet, there is no story about the gods punishing anyone for any of that. It¡¯s very likely that the gods simply don¡¯t care about us killing each other for survival, as long as we don¡¯t vite any other rules.

    The sin Meltrittemitted was in manipting the Abyss Eater. Since the Abyss Eater contains a fragment of the Evil God, she can be said to have abused the power of a god.

    Also, this entire continent was contained within a barrier under the jurisdiction of the gods. Performing such an action here might have been very unwise of her.

    ¡¸At the very least, I must ensure that other lorelei will not be med.¡¹

    The sinmitted by a lorelei must be corrected by one of her fellow lorelei. Seliadot wished to avoid divine punishment on her race as a whole. I don¡¯t know if that will actually make up for it, but I guess it¡¯s better than doing nothing.

    ¡¸So don¡¯t worry about me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯m staying too.¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess? What are you saying!?¡¹

    Seliadot was absolutely stunned.

    I¡¯m stunned too.

    ¡ºFran! Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­But!£©

    The lorelei and ck cats were very simr in their unfortunate circumstances and position in society.

    Moreover, Fran couldn¡¯t leave her alone after seeing the determination on her face. Seliadot was obviously trying to make this herst stand. She wanted to throw away her life in order to protect her race, and Fran sympathized with this feeling.

    ¡¸Wolf and sword, you two help me convince her to stop!¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof?¡¹

    ¡ºEh? By sword, is she talking about¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸I know that sword has a will of its own, after hearing your conversation underground. I had nned to take this secret with me to the grave, but you give me no choice.¡¹

    She did mention eavesdropping on Meltritte¡¯s conversations, but it seems she knew more about us than I thought.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess. You must run for now, and assist the others in taking the giant down. Either way, someone must act as the decoy or neither of us can escape. Therefore, I am the best suited for the job.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­Fran. We really do need to regroup with everyone first.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Then I¡¯ll take Seliadot with¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry! We¡¯ve been noticed!¡¹

    ¡ºShit!¡»

    Just as Seliadot said, the giant antidemon took a step toward us. But at the same time, however, we sensed a new presence.

    ¡¸There¡¯s so many of them!¡¹

    ¡ºIs it the adventurers?¡»

    ¡¸More from over there too!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We sensed arge number of people headed in our direction. They¡¯ve gotta be the first division and the third division. It seems they¡¯ve noticed the giant antidemon as well.

    Well, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to tie this giant antidemon with the current anomaly affecting Gordicia. These were the forces originally assembled to fight the titan-types, so there¡¯s no way they¡¯d be able to ignore him.

    I could also sense the presence of the aces assigned to each unit.

    ¡¸We can just hang in there until everyone arrives!¡¹

    ¡ºTo be honest, I was hoping you¡¯d run still.¡»

    The word ¡°escape¡± seems to have disappeared from Fran¡¯s dictionary.

 Chapter 1016

    <h4>1016: Hilt, Colbert, and Adol</h4>

    ¡¸<strong>UUUURAAAAAAAAAAAH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s still super fast!¡»

    ¡¸But I can already keep up with his movements!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and the others had gotten ustomed to the giant antidemon¡¯s speed. Even if his strikes were still too fast forfort, we managed to evade everything for the time being.

    ¡¸Raah!¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess! This way!¡¹

    Fran and Seliadot continued avoiding the goliath with abination of evasive maneuvers and wards. That said, our attacks barely scratched him.

    That¡¯s a prettymon urrence when challenging huge magical beasts, but this guy was on an entirely different level. My multicast Kanna Kamui shattered half of his fist, then he simply regenerated the damage in a few seconds.

    In addition, his mana levels just kept rising indefinitely. Even if supplied infinite mana, most creatures are only able to store up to a certain limit.

    Exceeding that limit generally causes the bearer¡¯s power to go wild, exhausting their life force and eating away at their body. The same logic applies Fran, who had a few near-death experiences from overusing her enhancement skills.

    However, the giant antidemon seemed to be an exception. He fully absorbed all the mana he could get, as if his capacity was bottomless.

    He¡¯s probably way stronger now than when he first appeared.

    But neither Fran nor Seliadot were at all discouraged. Your average person might be, but these two kept fighting with the same determination.

    Maybe it was because they knew our reinforcements were drawing closer.

    No, close might be a bit of an understatement. Considering the powerhouses present, they were already in range to fire.

    From the first division came a single magical st. Though it wasn¡¯t big¡­

    Boom!

    The giant antidemon¡¯s left arm shattered before it could cleave us down. That single st was as strong as my multicast Kanna Kamui.

    ¡ºTch¡­ As expected from a divine sword!¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    I¡¯ve seen this divine mana before,ing from the de of Origin, Alpha. Divine Sword Knight Adol must have been the oneunching that projectile.

    Even if he just saved us, I don¡¯t feel much gratitude. Fran seemed rather frustrated too. The Holy Nation was full of pricks, after all.

    From the opposite side came countless cksers, high-ranking ck magic. They pierced right through the goliath¡¯s barriers and caused him to flinch.

    The demonkin sorcerers were probably the only ones capable of such spells. Either way, the efforts of Adol and the sorcerers slowed the goliath down a lot.

    That allowed us to gain a little distance from the giant antidemon and prepare for our own big move.

    Moreover, we sensed a familiar presence charging toward the goliath¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Master, Urushi! Let¡¯s match the timing!¡¹

    ¡ºRoger!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Max Output Force Ward!¡¹

    I unleashed my telekinesis in sync with their spells. Seliadot must have thought the same thing, since she activated a ward to st the goliath from behind too.

    At the same time, a shadow darted across the sky.

    ¡¸Terryaaaaaah!¡¹

    A beautiful, lightly d woman with her dark green side ponytail fluttering in the air. She delivered a spectacr flying kick to the back of the giant antidemon.

    The woman released a burst of mana right as she mmed into the goliath, generating a huge shockwave. The tough carapace covering the goliath¡¯s back caved in with deep cracks.

    Our efforts gave him a further push, causing the giant antidemon to fall face first. The crash as he hit the ground had the same force and sound as a massive explosion, lifting a cloud of dust and smoke that suddenly reduced our visibility.

    Even in such a situation, we did not lose sight of the woman cloaked in shining mana. She glided down through the air using the recoil from her kick, before calling out to us cheerfully.

    ¡¸Sorry to keep you waiting, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Hilt!¡¹

    Hiltoria, the current head of the Dimitris school, had knocked down the goliath.

    She must have rushed to our rescue ahead of her division.

    After floating through the air with the recoil of her mana infused kicks, shended gracefully at Fran¡¯s side.

    ¡¸This antidemon seems to be immensely powerful.¡¹

    Despite her wariness, Hilt radiated plenty of power herself. Considering the divine attribute circting throughout her entire body, she must have activated the Dimitris Style Secret Art, ¡°Dragon¡±.

    During the martial arts tournament, she only managed tounch a single divine attribute attack in that state. However, she was now capable of maintaining Dragon over an extended period.

    I guess Fran wasn¡¯t the only one getting stronger in Gordicia.

    ¡¸And he¡¯s healing the wound I put on his back so easily.¡¹

    ¡¸We think he¡¯s getting mana from the Abyss Eater.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡­ Also, weren¡¯t you supposed to be with Izario-dono? I don¡¯t see Trismegistus either¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Dunno where they are.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    After noticing Fran¡¯s worried face, Hiltoria seemed to realize the gist of the situation. She then turned to the crumbling castle, but only for a moment.

    ¡¸<strong>UUUUOOOOORHH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll have to do something about this guy before we can look for them.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Hiltoria red at the giant antidemon trying to get up, then quietly readied herself.

    She thrust her left palm forward, with her right fist held at her side. Her lower body twisted left, and her right foot was ready to kick the ground for her dash.

    The stance for delivering a powerful punch.

    ¡¸Pheeeew¡­¡­¡­ I¡¯ll give him another while the dragon ki is still flowing.¡¹

    We watched as the dragon ki circting throughout Hilt¡¯s whole body concentrated on her right fist. As expected, she dished out a punch.

    However, her fist didn¡¯t need to reach the goliath. The spiraling mass of dragon ki sheunched struck him with the force of a cannonball.

    ¡¸<strong>AAAAAAARH</strong>¨D¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Hilt¡¯s divine energy st exploded the giant antidemon¡¯s head, piercing through his thick barrier and skull as if it was nothing. Indeed a worthy disy of the Dimitris Style Secret Arts.

    But even this was far from a fatal wound. The goliath immediately began regenerating.

    ¡¸Tch. Just like before, even hits with dragon ki are being healed so easily.¡¹

    This must be Hilt¡¯s first time dealing with an antidemon resistant to the divine attribute. All the high-level antidemons she experienced were apparently unable to recover from such a hit.

    Though we could see fatigue on her face, the surprise was stronger.

    Ever since Nadia¡¯s rescue mission, we¡¯ve seen a few antidemons shrugging off divine attribute attacks. However, it seems that doesn¡¯t apply to all of the high-level ones.

    Or rather, the ones able to resist are probably the exceptions.

    ¡¸Hilt, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine, I can keep going.¡¹

    She seems to have lost a lot of mana, but she could still move. I don¡¯t think she could use any of her bigger moves anymore though.

    Though we didn¡¯t manage to defeat the giant antidemon, we were able to buy a lot of time. He got a lot slower when regenerating, and the force of the blow knocked his gigantic body off bnce again.

    Meanwhile, the others had arrived.

    ¡¸Fran, are you all right?¡¹

    ¡¸Colbert!¡¹

    Colbert, who had been at the front of his division, came running up to us. He too was obviously stronger than thest time we saw him. His level and techniques must have been refined in the constant battles with the antidemons. The aura he radiated indicated his new strength.

    ¡¸Miss, please stop running ahead by yourself!¡¹

    ¡¸But then we wouldn¡¯t be able to save Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡­ But you dying means the end of our style for good, you know?¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t die that easily. You worry too much.¡¹

    ¡¸Whose fault do you think that is?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    The same damn lovey-dovey atmosphere as usual! Hilt still gave snide replies to Colbert¡¯sints, but this was clearly two lovers ying around.

    And Colbert seemed a bit more interested than before, huh? Could it be that their rtionship has developed a bit?

    I-Is this the power of the Suspension Bridge Effect? Damn it! Stop fooling around in a warzone!

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about it! More importantly, Adol¡¯s about to arrive too. That means those assholes from the Holy Nation will be here soon. You still have the bracelet of concealment on, right?¡»

    £¨Nn. But it didn¡¯t work on Trismegistus.£©

    ¡ºThat Dragon Eye thing seems especially powerful, and it¡¯s apparently enhanced further inside the castle¡­¡­ Besides, I don¡¯t think he managed to see everything.¡»

    He certainly had a vague understanding of my internalponents and systems. However, I got the feeling that he missed the rtionship between Fenrir-san and my growth ability.

    Maybe the bracelet of concealment helped us out there. Well, it seemed to work just fine for the Holy Nation¡¯s appraisers, so we shouldn¡¯t have much issue.

    ¡¸Ado¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Out of my way!¡¹

    I thought Adol wasing to us, but then he darted right past us.

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºHe charged in without any exchange of info? Seems he¡¯s in a big rush for some reason.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    No, wait a second. Could it be he wanted to defeat the giant antidemon as quickly as possible so he can cancel his Divine Sword Release state? Maybe that¡¯s a sign of how far Adol has been pushed into a corner.

    He¡¯s definitely moving slightly slower than when we saw himst time. His level seems to have dropped considerably.

 Chapter 1017

    <h4>1017: Dwarves and Demonkin</h4>

    Adol, who had already activated Divine Sword Release, struck at the giant antidemon.

    The divine sword¡¯s power was as impressive as always, even with Adol¡¯s reduced level. A de of purepressed divine energy extended from Alpha, allowing Adol to easily sever the giant antidemon¡¯s legs.

    An overwhelming sh, as if rending space itself. Moreover, this was only the first strike.

    The following onught tore both of the goliath¡¯s legs into a million pieces, mming his huge body down to the ground again.

    It was as if his legs had been deleted from existence. I almost couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing.

    However, even those lost legs began regenerating immediately. I felt like I was watching the growth of a nt in fast forward, starting as a sapling and expanding into a towering tree with tremendous speed.

    The only saving grace was that his regeneration wasn¡¯t instant. I¡¯d say it took about 30 seconds for those giant legs to regain their original shape.

    Adol grit his teeth upon seeing this.

    ¡¸I must admit you are the strongest of antidemons. In that case, I merely have to erase you from this world!¡¹

    Erase the antidemonpletely before he could regenerate¡­¡­? That would certainly be enough to kill him, but is it possible, even with a divine sword?

    On top of his size and power, he¡¯s getting supplied unlimited mana from the Abyss Eater. He must be top ss in terms of regeneration speed and barriers.

    ¡¸Can you do it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­My de is the strongest divine sword, the symbol of Srd¡¯s prestige! Defeating an enemy of this caliber will be a simple matter, as long as I use my trump card!¡¹

    It sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. Though not a lie, I don¡¯t think he truly meant those words. It¡¯s more like he had no choice remaining. He had to pump himself up.

    However, Adol did not get a chance to use his trump card.

    Arge group suddenly appeared right next to the giant antidemon. An army of more than 1000, popping up out of nowhere.

    At their center was a short female dwarf with an intimidating aura, and a demonkin woman d in a ominous necromancy-aspected mana.

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha! The Snorabbit army has arrived!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! You are now in the presence of the Demon Lord! Bow down before me!¡¹

    It was the two queens leading the dwarves and demonkin armies.

    Just like before, Jayne must have used her ability to cloak her entire army. Their stealth was so potent that even we couldn¡¯t sense them in the middle of a battle. Moreover, this was the Demon Lord and her most trusted guard.

    I have to say, that ability is incredible nasty. Making enemies with them might be more dangerous than any individual, regardless of how strong they are.

    But should she really be exposing such a potent ability to foreign nations like Srd and Snorabbit? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some nations were willing to preemptively strike the demonkin to get rid of such a big threat.

    I guess Orfalve and the dwarves were fine, but the Holy Nation was clearly untrustworthy¡­¡­ Maybe the two nations were distant enough to deter invasion? Or did they have even more tricks up their sleeve aside from the army cloaking ability?

    Adol canceled his n upon seeing the two queens¡¯ armies, lightly clicking his tongue in frustration. It seems he wouldn¡¯t go as far as to risk getting them caught up in the strike.

    ¡¸Do it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    As we watched, the dwarves began their assault, strengthened by the support magic of the demonkin. Their target was the right leg, which was still in the process of regeneration.

    ¡¸Oisaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Dorasaaaa!¡¹

    Despite their rather strange shouts, their movements were perfectly synchronized.

    Dozens of dwarves delivered a strike infused with immense mana at the exact same time.

    Each sh had enough force to fell a great tree, and they were delivered all at once. Not even the giant antidemon¡¯s barrier could withstand such an impact.

    The explosion-like m blew off the goliath¡¯s armored carapace. He immediately began regenerating, but the next round was already ready and waiting.

    The dwarves had taken a five-row formation, continuously dishing out max power attacks with the first row, before swapping with the rows behind them.

    However, the giant antidemon wasn¡¯t going to take this sitting down. He mmed his massive arm to tten the dwarves. A mighty crash with the force of a falling skyscraper.

    Fran almost shouted upon noticing this, but the dwarves knew what they were doing.

    ¡¸Shield squad!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    In response to their queen¡¯s order, the dwarves that had been on the sidelines stepped forward. They took the greatshields from their backs and held them high above their heads. Then, they shouted at the same time.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Holy Shield Art - Power Shield! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    It was a spectacr sight. By clustering together and activating their shield arts simultaneously, they had created one super-sized magical shield. This caught the goliath¡¯s hand head on, and repelled it.

    Apparently, those shields were powerful magical tools with the ability to enhance shield arts. Even so, I never could have imagined they were capable of repelling the goliath like that. They even calcted the perfect angle to push him.

    The giant antidemon had lost his bnce after getting knocked backwards. Perhaps nning for such an oue, the demonkinunched their barrage at Jayne¡¯smand.

    The giant antidemon copsed once again, this time on his back. I think his body was just too huge to control reliably. The titan-type antidemons had the same issue.

    The dwarf-demonkin allied forces really showed us what powerful armies were capable of. But for some reason, the two queens didn¡¯t seem very happy.

    ¡¸This will not work.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. We¡¯re gonna be the ones losing if we don¡¯t try something else.¡¹

    Even after such a breathtaking disy, the two exchanged discouragingments.

    ¡¸We can¡¯t win?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, not at this rate. ck Lightning Princess, you can see it too, yes? Despite applying such an absurd regeneration ability, it does nothing to drain his mana levels. In fact, they are even growing as we speak.¡¹

    ¡¸Chipping away like this is pointless. If we¡¯re gonna win this, we have to do it with a bang.¡¹

    ¡¸We can manage to hold him back for now, but we are only exhausting ourselves.¡¹

    ¡¸This is the first time seeing such a nasty creature in all my years.¡¹

    So both of them reached that conclusion. I was thinking something simr. In the end, everything was as Adol said. The only way to defeat this monstrosity was to annihte him so thoroughly that regeneration was no longer possible.

 Chapter 1018

    <h4>1018: Evil God yer</h4>

    The giant antidemon, which had yet to get back on his feet, began making strange movements. All four of his limbs went limp, and his entire body started convulsing.

    However, this was a massive giant the size of a skyscraper. Those convulsions resulted in earthquake level tremors.

    Even the physically capable dwarves lost their bnce. Wouldn¡¯t it be really bad if the goliath struck back while they were defenseless?

    Orfalve must have understood this too, so she immediately evacuated her men. Though stumbling several times, they slowly but surely retreated from the goliath¡¯s side.

    With no one left nearby, Adol joined in the attack. Still, this did nothing to stop the convulsions.

    The goliath¡¯s convulsions gradually increased intensity, with yet another change suddenlying over him.

    His body began twisting and deforming with a nasty cracking sound, apanied by the high pitched noise of bending steel bars. Something must be happening deep within the goliath¡¯s body.

    Over the course of a few minutes, the shape of the giant antidemon transformed drastically. Though the color and size were the same, he was no longer humanoid. That multi-legged form reminded me of an insect.

    The only part mostly unchanged was the torso.

    All of the goliath¡¯s limbs had morphed into a long and thin shape, each containing several joints, but without hands or feet at the end. And now, there were seven of these insect-like limbs. In addition to the four original limbs, two more had grown out of the hips, and one out of the rear.

    The head didn¡¯t change too much, but the neck had just about disappeared. This new shape probably gave the creature a wider field of view of everything in front.

    I found the form incredibly disgusting, but the logic seemed to fit. We could no longer easily knock down the goliath by focusing on the legs.

    This guy might have the ability to transform its own body to adapt to the situation.

    ¡¸<strong>GWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸Shields!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The dwarven shield divisionunched their shield arts simultaneously. At about the same time, the giant antidemon shot out a mass of evil energy from its mouth.

    It took a cone-like shape as if mimicking the breath of a dragon, before impacting the blueish-white magical shield. Not only did the transformation make it more resistant to knock downs, it also seemed to unlock additional methods of attacking.

    And these new attacks seemed more effective at dealing with armies. Immediately after the shield art¡¯s effects disappeared, it swung one of its legs to cleave us down.

    The dwarves reacted quickly by propping their shields again, but were unable to block the massive force of the blow.

    Nearly a hundred dwarves got blown away, rolling on the ground.

    Even if the legs had gotten thinner, they were still over 10 meters in diameter. I have to say, they did well to block the goliath¡¯s onught up until now. However, this was also the most damage we¡¯ve sustained so far.

    ¡¸We¡¯re going to fall back a bit! This position is too dangerous!¡¹

    ¡¸Then we shall draw its attention! Join up with the rest in the meanwhile!¡¹

    The giant antidemon¡¯s transformation meant we had the disadvantage at close range. Jayne and Orfalve changed their strategy immediately.

    The dwarves courageously took the front lines again. They needed to buy time for the rest to evacuate.

    This role was most dangerous, yet none of them uttered a single whimper orint. They only marched forward following Orfalve¡¯s lead.

    There was no time for hesitation. The longer we take, the more damage the dwarves will suffer. But the giant antidemon had different ns. As if predicting our movements, it moved to interfere.

    ¡¸<strong>GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH</strong>!¡¹

    ¡¸It jumped!¡¹

    With those seven legs folded wide, the giant antidemon hopped like a grasshopper.

    Itnded with surprisingly little impact, right in the path of our retreat. Judging from the huge distance it managed to hop, running away seems very ineffective.

    We were now tightly cornered. Maybe our only choice left wasunching an all-out attack with everything we¡¯ve got? At least we¡¯re outside of the castle¡¯s ward now, so I should be able to use Dimension Gate. That said, it could catch up to us in no time, even if I used my space-time magic to transport the whole army.

    The giant antidemon was still getting supplied more and more mana. The more time passes, the stronger it gets. At this point, stalling for time would just be digging our own grave.

    Everyone understood this, so their expressions were grim.

    We all hesitated for a moment to consider our options, aside from one man.

    ¡¸As I thought, I must defeat the creature myself. You all stay back and watch.¡¹

    Adol, the Divine Sword Knight of Srd. He walked slowly toward the giant antidemon, his whole body radiating divine energy. It seems that¡¯s the result of him focusing his powers for a while now.

    ¡¸Hold it. If we are to go on the offensive, we should have everyone match the timing. Allow us to support you.¡¹

    ¡¸There is no need for that.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, wait!¡¹

    Orfalve and Jayne tried to change his mind, but Adol refused to stop.

    Right after saying that, Adol vanished. He had leapt faster than we could follow, and was already right in front of the giant antidemon before we knew it.

    Not even this giant creature could keep up with Adol¡¯s ridiculous speed, showing a bit of what looked to be surprise. Nheless, the counter attack came almost instantly.

    Four of the creature¡¯s legs came flying at Adol from all directions in an attempt to crush him¨D¨Dbut they were all torn apart. Adol must have hacked them all off, though I couldn¡¯t even notice him moving.

    No matter how many times I see it, Adol¡¯s movements with Alpha active were just insane. I hope I never have to fight him.

    I have to wonder what kind of technique Adol will unleash after charging all that power¡­¡­ Since none were capable of stopping him, all we could do was watch. Of course, we were also focusing our own energy for a follow up.

    ¡¸Divine Sword Art, <strong>Evil God yer</strong>.¡¹

    That¡¯s one straightforward naming sense! Still, the sh contained as much power as the name suggested. Truly something that seemed capable of striking down the Evil God.

    The pure divine energy cloaking Alpha extended over twice the length of the de. Then, Adol swung his de vertically downward.

    It seems a bit simr to Fran¡¯s Heavenly Judgment. A simple sh with the divine attribute and god-like speed.

    However, the sheer power was just on a different level. No matter what tricks we tried to pull, we could not achieve anything on the same level.

    A sh of light covered thend in white, causing everyone to avert their eyes. A short momentter, the terrifying force mmed into the earth.

    It caused a single tremor, yet more than half of our troops fell down. The shockwave of mana sted out swept down the other half. These were the elite troops, the most talented people on the continent.

    And they couldn¡¯t even stay standing. A single sh from the distant Adol was all it took. But the real shock came after.

    The light subsided, revealing a horrific sight to Fran and the others.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Those divine swords are truly unbelievable.¡¹

    ¡¸Even with a divine sword, only the ones specialized in directbat can do something like this.¡¹

    The rest were so awestruck that they couldn¡¯t speak properly.

    What remained in front of us was the right third of the giant antidemon¡¯s body. The left ~70% had vanished, leaving only the right nk and the three legs sprouting out from it.

    And behind the giant antidemon was a deep canyon stretching straight into the horizon. As if the gods themselves had popped it into existence.

    I couldn¡¯t even see where the canyon ended. Was this really the work of one man?

    We¡¯ve seen a simr scene when Fran unleashed her ultimate move in Divine Beast Form, the ck Tiger Thundercrash. However, this scar was wider, deeper, and longer.

    The awe had caused my mind to go nk for a moment, though Fran and the others managed to run forward. We found Adol lying motionlessly on the ground.

    No one wore a smile, including Fran.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s still alive, even like that?!¡»

    The giant antidemon had begun to regenerate. All of the warriors returned to their senses and began their assault on the giant¡¯s remaining legs. However, our ordinary attacks did little to interfere with the regeneration.

    ¡ºShit! If only Jayne¡¯s ritual magic was ready!¡»

 Chapter 1019

    <h4>1019: Third Form</h4>

    All of our remaining forces focused on the giant antidemon¡¯s legs, but we failed to eliminate thempletely.

    Each leg alone could rise over a small apartment building. Moreover, they were protected by the same powerful barriers as before.

    Our best efforts only managed to destroy two of the legs.

    Fran and Urushi had spent almost their entire mana reserves. Hilt and Colbert threw out dragon ki until they started vomiting up blood. Chelsea and the other dragonkin activated Dragon Form until reaching their limits. The other soldiers kept casting spells or unleashing weapon arts.

    And eventually, we got to the point where the third and final leg was almost gone. I thought we might really make it through.

    However, just as a glimmer of hope began to light up in everyone¡¯s hearts, it was soon reced by despair.

    Everyone had run out of mana, which reduced our offensive pressure. This was a fatal blunder. The goliath¡¯s regeneration quickly began outpacing our damage dealing capability, gradually restoring its body.

    Our panic wasn¡¯t what caused this mistake. It was the goliath¡¯s ability to absorb mana, which was still active despite only having the legs remaining. That¡¯s what made us run out of mana much faster than we expected.

    As a result, it was only a matter of time before the giant antidemon restored his body to normal. Half of the torso was already healed.

    I hate to admit it, but we can¡¯t win now that Adol is out cold. Rather, more than half of our forces are already unable to fight. We might even be in danger ofplete annihtion.

    Fortunately for us, the giant antidemon didn¡¯t seem to be capable of attacking us while focusing on healing. We should escape while we still can.

    I doubt we¡¯d even be able to stall it much longer. I think our best option would be to retreat and gather everyone in Gordicia for a counterattack.

    We need someone like Adol to even stand a chance. However, the man in question was currently unconscious and on the verge of death.

    Izario or Ashwrath then, but I have no idea where either of them are. Well, Izario might be buried under the castle, but then how are we supposed to dig him out while dealing with the giant antidemon?

    Still, there¡¯s a non-zero chance. Either retreat, or head for the castle while betting on Izario¡¯s survival.

    If we wanted to take the second option, we would have to divide into two groups: a search squad, and a decoy squad for getting the giant antidemon¡¯s attention. And honestly, those in the decoy squad probably aren¡¯ting back alive. We needed people willing to die.

    Orfalve, who was essentially our undisputedmander, decided on retreat. No one voiced any objections to her words, not even Fran.

    She wanted to rescue Izario, of course, but she also knew that it would require many sacrifices to do so.

    Those capable of moving picked up those that weren¡¯t, and we began our escape.

    However, the giant antidemon¡¯s regeneration rate exceeded our expectations. Perhaps this was due to the Abyss Eater supplying even more mana, since the flow seemed faster than when it first appeared.

    The creature already started chasing before we got out of its field of view. Only five of its legs were healed, but I guess it didn¡¯t find that to be a big issue. Those newly regenerated legs moved furiously, closing in on us with horrifying speed.

    ¡¸Warriors of Snorabbit! Step forward!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸I guess us demonkin will have to go along for the ride too. Those that can still move need to buy the immobilized some time to escape.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re joining in too, Colbert. The rest of you, retreat alongside the adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it, Miss.¡¹

    The calmness of the dwarves was beyond impressive. They lined up neatly in the face of the approaching giant antidemon.

    Fran also held me at the ready, very eager to join in. However, she noticed something before the goliath¡¯s arrival.

    £¨Master, there¡¯s something over there.£©

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    I followed Fran¡¯s gaze, and sure enough, there was something flying in the distant skies. Even from here, I could tell that it was reasonablyrge.

    Immediately after we noticed it, the mysterious flying object began a rapid descent. Right at the back of the giant antidemon.

    We finally got a good look at it.

    A bright red dragon, who looked very familiar.

    ¡¸Lind!¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right!¡»

    It was the red dragon Lind, the incarnation of the Roaring Dragonde, Lindwurm. In other words, riding on his back was¡­

    Several figures jumped down from Lind.

    ¡¸Mea! Quina is here too!¡¹

    ¡ºZefmate, and even Sophie!¡»

    Each of them unleashed an attack as they dove down from the sky. Mea¡¯s white mes, followed by Lind¡¯s breath. Quina and Zefmate delivered an impact to crush the antidemon¡¯s legs. Of course, these were all enhanced by Sophie¡¯s magic song, so they contained a surprising amount of power.

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha! Here I am!¡¹

    ¡¸If you have time to act smug, we should hurry up and regroup with Fran-san.¡¹

    ¡¸I-Indeed!¡¹

    Mea and Quina were the same as usual, with Zefmate and Sophie following behind them.

    ¡¸Fran! You okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! But why are you guys here, Mea?¡¹

    ¡¸All because of that ursed wall!¡¹

    Much to surprise, the purple barrier appearing along with the giant antidemon covered a wider area than we thought. Even cities such as Nocta and Sendia were caught in the perimeter.

    ¡¸This giant antidemon seems to be the cause, so we came to scout him out¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It seems we¡¯ve arrived just in time!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. You saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll hold him back! Fran, help us out!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    And so, we started our operation to stall the giant antidemon. The main yers were Mea, Quina, Zefmate, Fran, Urushi, and Hilt, all of whom were capable of high speed movement.

    Orfalve took most of the troops and began retreating again. It¡¯s a lot more difficult for arge army to escape, after all.

    Sophie performed her music while riding Lind, enhancing everyone¡¯s offensive power. This allowed us to focus on destroying the giant antidemon¡¯s legs and further impede its movements.

    £¨Why isn¡¯t Sophie ying the Song of Adventurers?£©

    ¡ºI think she needs the cooperation of an entire town¡¯s worth of people for that. Oratorio would be way too overpowered if she could do that all by herself.¡»

    £¨I see¡­¡­£©

    Fran probably really wanted to hear the song again, so she was a bit disappointed. Well, I¡¯m a fan of such a cheerful song too.

    ¡ºAnyway, let¡¯s buy time for Orfalve and the others to escape!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We continued stalling the giant antidemon in coordination with Mea and the others. Despite having so many legs to maintain himself, we could still focus them down.

    That¡¯s why we concentrated on the three legs on the right side. The goliath was always off bnce because of this, allowing our operation to seed.

    However, this equilibrium onlysted for a few minutes. All of the goliath¡¯s hits could kill us instantly, so we also had to concentrate on evasion. The stress made us feel like we¡¯ve been fighting for half an hour.

    But we only needed to endure the pressure for a little bit longer. Jayne sent a familiar to inform us that her army-wide cloaking ability could be activated again in just a few more minutes.

    After she escapes with the rest of the army, our work will be done. We can take advantage of our speed advantage to disengage. No matter how strong the giant antidemon might be, he still had no way of keeping up with Fran and the others.

    However, such a powerful creature wouldn¡¯t allow the battle to end so easily. Everything seemed to be going as nned, when something strange happened.

    The giant antidemon suddenly stopped moving and began convulsing again. Just as he had done when he transformed into the seven-legged creature.

    With the same ear-piercing screech, it mutated itself again.

    All seven legs and the head receded into its body. Then, the torso began wriggling and bloating up.

    The previously slender spider-like body had turned into a more rounded shape. And it just kept growing.

    Half a minuteter, we had a sphere in front of us. A very bnced, symmetrical sphere.

    Due to the seams in its armor, it reminded me of a ser ball.

    There was a narrow groove running around the center of the sphere, a ring circling its entire body. Well, it looked narrowpared to the giant antidemon, but this groove was probably like 10 meters wide.

    And a bunch of eyeball-like things were lined up inside this groove¡­¡­ Though the shape was very simple, it also felt intimidating.

    ¡¸<strong>BWUUUUUUUUUUOOH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºSuch speed! I-Is it rolling at us?¡»

 Chapter 1020

    <h4>1020: More Reinforcements</h4>

    The giant spherical antidemon began rolling toward us with tremendous speed.

    Apparently, this shape would allow it to chase after us quickly while avoiding reliance on fragile limbs. We fought something simr on the way to the castle, so maybe it wasn¡¯t so rare for antidemons to take this shape.

    ¡¸<strong>RUUOOOOOOOOOH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah! Burn!¡¹

    Mea shot mes at the giant antidemon charging toward us. However, this simply bounced off the huge body and did nothing to stop its advance. That armor might be tougher than we thought.

    We managed to deal some damage with our attacks during the metamorphosis, though it was regenerated instantly. Well, it still had the effect of slowing it down a bit.

    But now we¡¯re doing practically no damage. In addition to the thicker barrier and armor, the creature¡¯s rotational momentum was enough to disperse anything we could send in.

    Mea probably realized the futility of random attacks and took a different strategy. Instead of aiming directly at the main body, sheunched her spell at the ground right next to the antidemon.

    This caused a huge explosion. She intended to knock the antidemon off bnce with the shockwave rather than deal damage.

    However, the giant antidemon barely budged despite the huge explosion right under it. The immense weight and momentum meant we would need even greater power to do anything.

    ¡¸Then how about from the side!¡¹

    Realizing that a frontal assault was out of the question, Hilt struck the antidemon¡¯s nk. At such an angle, her blow would be unaffected by rotational momentum.

    Despite Hilt getting sent flying back in the recoil, the antidemon¡¯s course curved only slightly.

    We continued looking for any way to solve the situation, then finally, the giant antidemon caught up with and overtook Fran and her friends. Apparently, it intended to target Orfalve and our retreating members.

    At this rate, they will be overtaken and ughtered before Jayne¡¯s army cloaking ability can take effect.

    Fran chased after the giant antidemon with all her might and unleashed Heavenly Judgment.

    ¡¸Raaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>UOORHHHHH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºSuch power!¡»

    With a high-pitched ng, my de left a deep gash on the giant sphere¡¯s surface. This slowed its movements down slightly, but at the cost of cracking my de and losing a ton of durability.

    While we were busy regenerating my de. the antidemon rolled off again. Its movements were slow now, so Mea and Lind managed to charge down from the skies. Along with a sh of Sophie¡¯s mana, the two gained an intense glow.

    This magic song seemed to have the effect of boosting the power of all weapons.

    With the up-tempo dance music ying in the background, Mea cleaved downward. This triggered a huge explosion of mes iparable to her former attacks. The giant antidemon¡¯s movements pausedpletely.

    As expected of a divine sword¡¯s power. I have to admit, her de exceeds me in terms of sheer offensive power. However, the antidemon wasn¡¯t content to sit there and take it.

    The sphere emitted some sort of shockwave from its entire body, sting Mea away. No wait, it may also have been trying to elerate its massive body with the recoil from that shockwave.

    Even so, Mea took huge damage and got sent flying. Considering this had enough force to move this massive antidemon, getting hit must be no joke.

    Quina went to the rescue, so we can leave Mea to her.

    More importantly, we need to do something about the antidemon before it takes everyone out. Hilt, Urushi, and Franunched another assault, but like I thought, we didn¡¯t have enough to stop it. The demonkin alsounched several spells of their own, all of which werepletely ignored.

    If things continue like this, we¡¯re¡­

    ¡¸Be crushed.¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>UUUUUUUUUUUUURH!</strong>¡¹

    Suddenly, the antidemon¡¯s spherical body started twisting and turning, disfiguring unnaturally. As if it had been squeezed by the invisible hand of a giant.

    ¡ºThisnd magic is¡­¡­!¡»

    ¡¸Over there!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran pointed to an army of about 1,000, with arge man at their front. He held a rough-looking greatsword in his hands as he gave the antidemon a sharp gaze.

    ¡¸Pretty damn durable.¡¹

    ¡¸Ashwrath!¡¹

    ¡¸Yo, Fran. Hope you don¡¯t mind me joining in.¡¹

    The ogrekin radiated an intimidating aura capable of making anyone tremble. Ashwrath, Rank S adventurer and one of the strongest men on the continent.

    ¡¸Never seen an antidemon this tough before.¡¹

    Ashwrath glided silently across the ground andnded beside Fran, observing the antidemon with a stern look on his face. It seems he was very surprised to see the antidemon already regenerating after such a beating.

    As I had worried, this thing was a mystery even to the Rank S adventurers.

    ¡¸Why are you with Ajisai?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you could say we met up along the way.¡¹

    The army Ashwrath seemed at the head of was actually Hagane¡¯s forces. They had been trapped inside the purple barrier, and tagged along with Ashwrath to find the source of the anomaly.

    ¡¸This is gonna be one tough nut to crack. Where¡¯s Izario and Adol?¡¹

    ¡¸Not sure about Izario. Probably under the castle¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?¡¹

    ¡¸Adol¡¯s over there.¡¹

    ¡¸I can barely sense his presence anymore. The Divine Sword Knight¡¯s gotten his ass whooped?¡¹

    Ashwrath made an irritated face, probably because he could no longer rely on the two he expected to be here.

    ¡¸Better pray I can beat this thing myself¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re here for you too.¡¹

    ¡¸True. I¡¯ll be counting on you guys then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    If Adol had cooperated with everyone else earlier, we probably would have defeated the antidemon back then. And now we have Ashwrath, someone simr in power. Considering that Mea and Sophie are also backing us up, we can win this.

    ¡¸First things first, let¡¯s regroup with everyone.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Finally, a real chance at victory.

    ¡ºTime for the counterattack!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1021

    <h4>1021: Falling Star</h4>

    Ashwrath, Mea, and Fran began attacking the giant antidemon to grab its attention. Though it had ignored us to chase the rest of the army earlier, Ashwrath could not be ignored so easily.

    Now it¡¯sing after us.

    Meanwhile, Orfalve was steadily preparing our counterattack operation. We were originally nning to retreat, but Ashwrath¡¯s arrival meant a change in ns.

    Our new goal was to support Ashwrath and crush the antidemon with all our might. Thanks to him, we now know that there¡¯s no escaping the purple barrier either way.

    Come to think of it, pretty much all of Gordicia¡¯s top forces were here right now. Especially the divine sword wielders: Ashwrath, Mea, Sophie, Adol, and Ajisai. Well, Mea¡¯s Lind and Ajisai¡¯s Berserk were probably incapable of full activation, and Adol was still out cold.

    Even so, two divine swords ready and waiting was more than enough. In addition, we also had Orfalve and Jayne of the Seven Sages. Guys like Hilt, Fran, Seliadot, Quina, Zefmate, and Chelsea were plenty strong too.

    Our n was simple.

    First, we regroup our forces under Orfalve. Then Ashwrath can drop the decoy role, unleash Gaia, and start focusing his energy.

    Fran and the others stall for as long as necessary, before backing off when Ashwrath gives the signal. We pulverize the giant antidemon with the full extent of Gaia¡¯s might, and if it¡¯s still not dead, the rest of us attack with whatever we¡¯ve got.

    But only if everything goes smoothly¡­¡­

    ¡¸Tch! This hugeass is starting to act weird.¡¹

    ¡¸So much mana!¡¹

    The giant antidemon had been chasing Ashwrath while firing mana sts at him. But now, it suddenly stopped and remained motionless.

    However, we could see something ridiculous going on inside. Vast amounts of mana and evil energy were being focused at the center of its body. Meanwhile, the mana supply from the Abyss Eater had increased too.

    I think it¡¯s getting double the mana as it was before. However, all of this additional mana was condensed into the center of the ball.

    In an attempt to interrupt this manapression, we allunched serious attacks along with Ashwrath. However¡­¡­

    We only managed to crack the outer shell and damage a part of the creature¡¯s flesh. The important part at the center barely even took a scratch. It seems this massive amount of condensed mana acted as a psuedo-barrier all by itself. Not even Ashwrath¡¯snd magic could manage anything more than a small crack. We needed an all-out attack from a transcendent, something like Adol¡¯s ¡°Evil God yer¡±.

    Realizing this, Ashwrath raised his de and shouted.

    ¡¸<strong>Divine Sword Release!</strong>¡¹

    Gaia¡¯s true form was revealed, turning into an enormous hammer-like figure. Once again, we witnessed the power of the Grand Earthde, Gaia. Seeing it this close only reinforced the terror of the divine swords. Though frustrating, this superweapon also felt incredibly reliable.

    That said, the giant antidemon¡¯s aura was no less impressive than the divine sword. There was no way for us to rest easy.

    ¡¸Fran, get back! Doraaaaah!¡¹

    Ashwrath took a step forward and swung Gaia down. Though the de never reached the giant antidemon, it was struck by an invisible force.

    This crushed the giant antidemon¡¯s body from above, cracking thend as it sank. The earth underneath caved in, surrounded by ravines several meters wide.

    ¡¸Nrrrgh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>UUUOOOOOOH!</strong>¡¹

    Ashwrath grit his teeth as he put more force into his grip. Meanwhile, I could see both his hands and Gaia shaking under the pressure, almost being pushed back.

    On the other hand, the giant antidemon was emitting a high-pitched screeching noise as it spilled mana randomly into the air.

    Though Ashwrath¡¯s field of super-gravity distorted our vision, we could see the antidemon¡¯s super-concentrated mana enveloping its body like a cloak of lightning. The surrounding area was already and of death that no one sane would dare to set foot in.

    Then, an enormous explosion.

    The sh between two opposing forces blew everything away. Not even Fran, who hurriedly retreated, could hold her ground.

    Fran got sent rolling along the ground, but I managed to catch her with telekinesis and heal her wounds with magic. Shards of the antidemon had flown by us like shotgun pellets, prating her barrier and injuring her.

    ¡ºYou okay?!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­I¡¯m fine.£©

    Though Fran took plenty of damage, it was not enough to knock her out. She stood up slowly, wiping the blood off her face.

    Our friends met simr fates, though I could tell they managed to survive. But what about Ashwrath, who was right in the middle of that explosion? Was he okay?

    ¡ºAshwrath is¡­¡­ still at the same spot. He hasn¡¯t moved a step!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Perhaps he put up some kind of barrier, but Ashwrath was still standing andpletely unharmed. He turned to look up at the sky and squinted his eyes. Following his gaze, I saw a pea-like dot far above us.

    That dot was the giant antidemon.

    It somehow flew all the way up there by utilizing a burst of released mana.

    A huge crater had been created at the ce where the antidemon was originally located. The depth of the crater indicated that the explosion¡¯s force was truly enormous.

    Was it trying to run from us? No, this was no attempt at escape.

    ¡¸Everyone! Run! Run as fast as you can!¡¹

    Ashwrath shouted. Immediately after, the giant antidemon started its descent. We could see the shimmering of the mana released behind it.

    The sight reminded me of a meteor.

    The idea was probably simr to the Skydive Sheathes of Wind that Fran used all the time. A power-focused attackbining the kic energy from free-fall with eleration from releasing mana. The only difference was that Fran focused everything into a sh while the giant antidemon was simply going to smash down with its immense weight.

    Seeing the panic on Ashwrath¡¯s face, the destructive force was obviously no joke.

    ¡ºFran! We need to run! Staying here will just hinder Ashwrath!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Got it.£©

    Though frustrated, Fran nodded her head and ran off. Meanwhile, I could sense the divine mana ring up behind us. It seems Ashwrath intended to intercept the antidemon.

    ¡ºGo even further, we¡¯re still in danger here!¡»

    The reaction from my Crisis Sense skill told me to keep running.

 Chapter 1022

    <h4>1022: Collision Aftermath</h4>

    With his eyes fixated on the giant antidemon descending from the heavens, Ashwrath held Gaia tightly in both hands. Every muscle in his body pumped up and expanded. The ogrekin was already pretty ripped, but he practically turned into a huge mass of muscles.

    Ashwrath twisted his body as he held Gaia over his shoulder. The huge hammer-like head of the de was almost touching the ground. The stance reminded me of a golf yer¡¯s backswing.

    I could sense him focusing all his mana on the divine sword. Ashwrath must be intending to intercept the giant antidemon head on.

    A sh between two entities containing a massive amount of energy that we couldn¡¯t hope to match. I can barely imagine the absolute devastation that will result.

    ¡ºRun, run, run!¡»

    All I could do was urge Fran to keep moving. We¡¯vee a long way, but my Crisis Sense refused to settle down one bit.

    In reality, it¡¯s only been a few seconds since we started running. Fran was dashing at max speed, but it still felt too slow. I started to panic too.

    We¡¯ve managed to reach Orfalve¡¯s division.

    ¡¸Guys! We need to run!¡¹

    ¡¸We are already out of time! Shield squad! Forward!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Staying here with the dwarves seems to be our best n. Fran took refuge behind them.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s cast resonance magic!¡»

    £¨Got it!£©

    Abination of me and wind magic, for defense rather than offense.

    me Barrier to inste us from the heat,bined with Wind Shield to protect us from wind. By resonating magic with these two elements, we can make a huge wall for mitigating explosive shockwaves.

    Even if we can¡¯t block everything, anything weakening the force will help out the dwarf shield squad.

    ¡¸Wide-Range Impact Ward!¡¹

    In addition, Seliadot deployed a ward. It seems she had been quietly building up her strength all this time to respond in the case of an emergency.

    Immediately after our resonance magic and Seliadot¡¯s ward formed a doubleyered wall in front of the dwarves¡­

    The falling starnded.

    Its descent slowed for a tiny instant right before impacting the earth, probably due to Ashwrath¡¯s interference.

    Even so, he wasn¡¯t capable of repelling itpletely.

    The gigantic explosion covered thend with blinding light, a massive shockwave, and a storm of debris.

    Our barriers were annihted in an instant. Seliadot¡¯s ward managed to hold on a bit longer, but no more than a single second. The mana shield projected by the dwarves took the rest of the impact head on. Still, they managed to hang in there.

    Only by pouring all their mana into their shields were they able to prevent them from falling apart. A few seconds after the short sh, the storm began to subside.

    The dwarven shieldsmen were so exhausted that not a single one of them could stand, so they all copsed on the spot. However, it¡¯s thanks to them that we got through without heavy injuries.

    Some had been hit by flying debris, but I don¡¯t see any fatalities. The demonkin were already scurrying around and healing the wounded.

    Leaving the rescue to them, we quickly blew away the vortex of dust with wind magic in preparation for our assault on the giant antidemon. That¡¯s when we saw a breath-taking view.

    The entire battlefield had been gouged out, as if dug up by excavators. Literally everything aside from the area we stood, which was rtively safe thanks to the dwarves.

    The scene stretched as far as we could see. The t ground we were standing on was now a small hill rising above the surroundingnd.

    This massive amount of damage must have been from taking the huge shockwave head-on. Still, it was nothingpared to ground zero.

    There, a huge hole had been drilled into the earth. Round and deep, as if the cylinder of earth existing there had suddenly evaporated.

    The antidemon had concentrated the majority of the force directly downwards.

    We were only standing right now because it didn¡¯t consider us the main target. If the creature wanted to take us out, it could have easily spread out the force of the impact.

    As for the state of our enemy, the giant antidemon was lying at some distance from the huge hole. Its spherical body that used to be like the full moon was gouged and battered, more like a crescent moon now.

    It seemed to have lost about 70% of its volume. The inner core had vanished, leaving only part of the surfaceyer remaining.

    That said, it still had plenty of mana. I bet it¡¯s already regenerating on the inside.

    On the other hand, we also saw Ashwarth lying on the ground near the hole. He waspletely motionless, with his entire body charred.

    ¡¸Ashwrath!¡¹

    We ran over to check his condition, and found him barely hanging on to life. He was missing an arm and the lower half of his body was mutted.

    However, he can be saved as long as he¡¯s not dead. In the first ce, his regeneration was already starting. Despite this fact, we focused on healing him as quickly as possible. Without caring for our mana reserves, we cast restoration magic as if our lives depended on it.

    ¡¸¡­¡­The light on his horns went away.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that was a close one¡­¡­¡»

    The horns on the fallen Ashwrath¡¯s forehead had been glowing red, with rapidly-increasing intensity. Mad Ogre Form was almost about to activate in response to his near-death condition.

    It seems to have settled down after we healed his wounds.

    ¡ºWe have no clue what¡¯ll happen if Ashwrath suddenly goes insane on us.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It¡¯s true that we might get lucky and have him kill the giant antidemon for us. However, things are never that easy.

    I think it¡¯s more likely he¡¯ll attack our forces too, causing massive casualties.

    In that case, the annihtion of our forces might allow the giant antidemon to make a full recovery.

    ¡ºFran. We need to go too. If we can¡¯t manage to defeat it here, we might be doomed.¡»

    I have no clue if Ashwrath will be battle ready when he wakes up. We have to end this battle here, once and for all.

    After leaving Ashwrath in the hands of some approaching adventurers, Fran joined up with the dwarves. However, our assault wasn¡¯t going as nned.

    Since we never got the chance to finish our preparations, we didn¡¯t have enough firepower to finish off the antidemon. The exact same situation as when Adol rushed in early.

    I had been counting on Mea¡¯s team for support, but they got blown away in the impact. I doubt that¡¯s enough to kill them, but I have no clue where they are¡­¡­

    A wave of panic began to take over our army. The regeneration rate of the giant antidemon began to outpace our attacks.

    If it manages a full recovery, we¡¯re really out of options. Can we do anything? The only countermeasure I could think of was to ensure Sophie¡¯s escape, then intercept the giant antidemon at Nocta, where we could use the song of adventurers.

    We would be leaving many people to die, but it¡¯s the only strategy that seemed to have a shot at victory.

    As I was thinking about this, a girl dismounted her carriage. She seemed rtively unharmed, probably thanks to the soldiers protecting her with no consideration for their own lives.

    That girl hadpletely slipped my mind.

    ¡¸Ajisai.¡¹

    ¡¸Sakaki, Shikimi. Take care of the rest.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Leave it to us.¡¹

    ¡¸You may get caught up in this, so I apologize in advance.¡¹

    Ajisai bowed to the nearby dwarves and demonkin with an attitude that waspletely out of ce. Then, she drew her divine sword.

    ¡¸Ajisai!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, this is good-bye. This abomination must die if we are to return Berserk to our homnd. I will put an end to it.¡¹

 Chapter 1023

    <h4>1023: Treasured Dagger of the Demonkin</h4>

    As Ajisai unsheathed Berserk, I heard some gruntsing from Hagane¡¯s soldiers. I thought they might be expressing terror at being caught up in the de¡¯s power, but no.

    The only emotions visible on their faces were grief and regret.

    ¡¸This is all because of our powerlessness¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Now even Princess Ajisai¡­¡­¡¹

    They were saddened to see Ajisai sacrificing herself in order to activate Berserk. Like I thought, Hagane¡¯s soldiers seemed to care very deeply for Berserk¡¯s wielders.

    This sort of respect and admiration was more than the normal feelings one would show for their superiors.

    Fran moved as if she wanted to stop Ajisai, but she kept her mouth shut. Right now, relying on her was our best chance at stopping the giant antidemon.

    Besides, the wielder of a divine sword just resolved herself. We had no ce disrespecting her determination. Fran stood silently, clenching her fists so hard that she drew blood.

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Ajisai.¡¹

    The girls met each other¡¯s gaze, though only for a few seconds. But in those few seconds, things took another turn.

    ¡¸Hold it, girl who wields Berserk. There¡¯s no need to sacrifice yourself anymore.¡¹

    This voice came from Jayne, the Demon Lord.

    ¡¸¡­? What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m saying it¡¯s the job of us adults to put our lives on the line in times like these.¡¹

    Jayne suddenly stepped in front of Ajisai, blocking her path. However, Ajisai simply shook her head and tried to move past.

    ¡¸The antidemon is already regenerating. We don¡¯t have time to waste.¡¹

    Ajisai spoke the truth. The giant antidemon¡¯s body was now visibly beginning to heal. We couldn¡¯t afford to ignore it any longer.

    Still, Jayne did not back down.

    ¡¸Just trust me and wait. Everything will be fine. Even without your powers¨D¨D¡¹

    Booooom!

    As if right on cue, the surface of the antidemon exploded. mes consumed its body, turning all the regenerated parts to ash.

    This was clearly no ordinary magic. We turned to see a figure flying in the skies above us.

    ¡¸We adults can handle it, including that man.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­ Izario!¡¹

    As Fran pointed out, the one responsible for the explosion was Izario, who was supposed to be missing. He had a translucent ghostly figure propping him up.

    ¡¸Jayne, you found Izario?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely!¡¹

    After responding to Fran, Jayne lightly flicked her arm to the side. Then, a dagger suddenly appeared in her hand.

    She had caught the dagger as it flew right into her hand at high speed. This was the national treasure said to be one of the Demon Lord¡¯s trademarks.

    ¡¸When ites to catalysts for necromancy, this dagger is the best of the best. I used it to create a ghost with maximized abilities for detection and summoning underlings, and had them search under the rubble.¡¹

    So she used the dagger as the core of a ghost, and had it summon a bunch of other ghosts. Ghosts can operate freely even under piles of rubble, so that¡¯s how she managed to find Izario.

    Jayne wasn¡¯t contributing much to the battle earlier, probably because she was focusing on this operation.

    ¡¸But, is Izario really okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, probably not for long. But don¡¯t worry! You have me here too!¡¹

    Jayne shouted, raising her dagger high in the air. Divine aspected mana gushed out.

    ¡¸Repent in death, celebrate in death. Know death, record death, and live in death! Necronomicon!¡¹

    A door opened up before our astonished eyes.

    ¡¸<strong>Divine Sword Release!</strong>¡¹

    The blue-ck light emitted from the dagger blinded us standing nearby. After the light subsided and everyone could see again, what appeared in front of us was not even a weapon.

    ¡¸A book?¡¹

    ¡ºIs that really a divine sword? Well, I guess ¡°divine sword¡± is a generic term, so not all of them take the form of actual weapons¡­¡­¡»

    After all, Sophie¡¯s Oratorio was an instrument. Still, I never imagined another divine sword was hiding right next to us!

    A huge book with a metallic cover floated in the air, maybe about the size of a 22-inch TV? The silvery cover had simr engravings to the dagger, so there can be no doubt that they were the same.

    Seeing as how it overflowed with divine mana, anyone would be convinced that it¡¯s a divine sword.

    The Sorcery de, Necronomicon. It floated onto Jayne¡¯s hands, though hovering a few centimeters above rather than touching her.

    ¡¸Chapter of Heroic Spirits, Entry Seven, Reproduce Description. The seventh demon lord, undefeated over seven battlefields. Upon drawing his de, he felled seven heads and annihted seven castles. The proud warrior-king vanquished seven kingdoms after warring for seven days and seven nights¡­¡¹

    In response to Jayne¡¯s voice, the pages of the book flipped on their own. Then, small glyph-like figures flew out of the pages and formed some kind of magic circle in the air.

    The magic circle glowed brightly, with somerge object gradually rising out of it.

    A coffin.

    A very luxurious and intimidating stone coffin with intricate engravings all over. Whoever was buried inside must have been of noble birth.

    Everyone watched with bated breath as the cover of the coffin removed itself. The insides were rtively smallpared to the size of the coffin, only containing a single mummy.

    ¡¸Awaken, heroic spirit! My predecessor!¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­It has been a while sincest seeing a true battlefield.¡»

    I could see a grin peeking out through those bandages.

    ¡¸Exactly. You will join us in defeating that giant thing.¡¹

    ¡ºHoh? Simply wonderful! What a truly horrific creature! A foe worthy of my power! Know the might of the former Demon Lord, Morten Dovey!¡»

    Judging by that name, he seems to be one of Jayne¡¯s ancestors, just like Tort in her ne. However, his power was on a different level. I think this Morten guy would reach Threat Level A if ranked as a monster.

    The bandages wrapping the mummy¡¯s body unraveled themselves, dissipating into particles of light. The same light flowed back into Morten¡¯s body, transforming into a suit of armor. Considering the terrifying amount of mana cloaking him, I never want to get on his bad side.

    We¡¯ve seen Tort fighting in the flesh too, but this guy was way stronger.

    ¡¸Now go. Next, the Chapter of Heroic Spirits, Entry¨D¨D¡¹

    This wasn¡¯t the end. Jayne went on to summon two more undead sharing the Dovey name, before sending them out to the battlefield. These two were just as strong.

    Morten was a swordsman, while the newly summoned Dyeth and Maut were the sorcerer type. It seems this ability could call many different types of undead.

    Was the ability to control powerful undead the divine sword¡¯s power?

    Perhaps noticing Fran¡¯s questioning gaze, Jayne gave us a brief exnation.

    ¡¸They are the past wielders of Necronomicon, or rather, what remains of them. Necronomicon is the de guiding us demonkin. Those who forge a contact with it shall be heroic spirits, and continue protecting our nation even after their deaths.¡¹

    So the price of using Necronomicon is being bound by the de and forced to work after death? Both Fran and I were horrified at the thought, but Jayne seemed to have a different opinion.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Such a wonderful power, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    She really meant it. Maybe powerful necromancers like her seriously didn¡¯t mind that kinda stuff.

    ¡¸See! Ignis, Oratorio, and Necronomicon! A coborative performance of three divine swords! You don¡¯t want to miss this one!¡¹

 Chapter 1024

    <h4>1024: Stall for Time</h4>

    Calling upon the heroic spirits of past wielders wasn¡¯t the only thing Necronomicon was capable of.

    ¡¸Come forth,e forth,e forth! Ghosts stirring in the twilight! The legions of undeath!¡¹

    Now Jayne summoned over 100 High Ghosts. Each of them was capable of high level magic and a phasing ability to nullify physical attacks. They could even perform ritual magic under Jayne¡¯smand.

    They were further enhanced by Necromonicon as well as Sophie¡¯s magic song. It seems each one might be able to reach Threat Level B.

    Sophie apparently had no intention to hide her abilities anymore, so she activated Oratorio without holding back. Izario¡¯s appearance meant this was the turning point, and she knew it. Meanwhile, Mea, Hilt, Zefmate, and Colbert were positioned to protect Sophie. It seems all of them managed to survive the terrible collision from earlier.

    I was always certain of their survival, but it¡¯s always good to see them healthy.

    Izario¡¯s mes, Jayne¡¯s High Ghosts, also the ordinary soldiers and adventurers backed by Sophie¡¯s enhancements. Together, we chipped away at the giant antidemon¡¯s body. Even without unleashing any super powerful attacks, the coboration of three divine swords was enough to outstrip the antidemon¡¯s regeneration.

    Particrly vicious was Izario¡¯s me sts. His sheer offensive power was slowly turning the entire antidemon into ashes.

    However, he didn¡¯t look to be in peak condition.

    £¨Did Izario¡¯s level drop a lot?£©

    ¡ºProbably. He¡¯s moving way more sluggish now.¡»

    Overuse of the divine sword seems to have drained Izario¡¯s level quite a bit. If he pushes himself any further, it might seriously kill him.

    And I¡¯m worried about Jayne too.

    ¡¸Ahahahaha! Crush them with all your might!¡¹

    Though she seemed to be in high spirits at first nce, her face was pale. Jayne was already pretty pale to begin with, but she was like deathly pale now.

    ¡¸Jayne, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, for a little bit longer! But this guy¡¯s tougher than I thought, a slightly big miscalction.¡¹

    Slightly or big, which is it? Either way, it¡¯s true that the antidemon is really damn sturdy.

    Jayne brushed us off, but I know how hard wielding a divine sword should be.

    ¡¸In that case, I will¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Come now, be patient. I told you before, didn¡¯t I? Leave it to us adults. I can¡¯t keep calling myself the Demon Lord if I let another child sacrifice themselves for me.¡¹

    Ajisai tried to ready Berserk again, but Jayne stopped her.

    ¡¸Just sit back and watch. Behold, the depths of Necronomicon, my country¡¯s greatest treasure! Well, give me a bit of time though.¡¹

    It seems she has some sort ofst resort, simr to Adol¡¯s Evil God yer. Necronomicon¡¯s aura of divine energy was getting stronger and stronger.

    It¡¯d be great if we can save Ajisai, but Jayne¡¯s death would sadden Fran as well. I can only hope she doesn¡¯t do anything too reckless, although maybe that is unavoidable.

    The mana supply from the Abyss Eater was steadily increasing, even as we speak. As a result, the creature¡¯s regeneration speed was also getting faster.

    The giant antidemon was still gaining power. Even with its body shattering under our assault, I could sense the mana levels increasing. Retreat was no longer an option because that would give it even more time to grow.

    ¡¸We¡¯re going in too.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran ran out with determination, before interrupted by a scream. It wasn¡¯t us under attack though.

    ¡¸Izario!¡¹

    It was Izario. The giant antidemon had been ying dead the entire time while charging up its power. All in order to deliver a sucker punch to Izario, the most dangerous of our forces.

    We saw one of the magic bullets shot out from the giant antidemon¡¯s eyes smashing right through Izario¡¯s defenses and sending him flying.

    Fran sensed that this was only the beginning of the antidemon¡¯s assault, leaping in to save him. Without even touching the ground, she turned into ck lightning and appeared right in between Izario and the antidemon.

    ¡¸Kah!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Ugh, damn!¡»

    As expected from an attack capable of sending Izario flying!

    Fran and I got sent flying too, our barriers easily prated. We only blocked a single hit, and my de got cracked wide open. Fran took serious damage too, with both her arms broken.

    But we couldn¡¯t afford to stop moving.

    ¡ºFran! The next wave ising!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­!¡¹

    Frannded on the ground and dashed straight ahead, with me healing her all the while. She grabbed Izario in midair without any reduction in speed, before twisting her body to avoid the next magic bullet. However, it still scraped her cat ears and took plenty of blood along with it.

    As magic bullets flew out one after another, Fran dashed carrying Izario under her arm. Just like I worried, the antidemon had no intention of letting Izario escape.

    ¡ºIzario! Izario!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­Sorry! And thanks! I was conserving my strength for a big one, which dyed my evasion a bit¡­¡­¡¹

    It looks like he¡¯s still okay. Izario must have let his guard down since he was focused on charging up for an attack. I can still sense the vast amount of mana being maintained inside him.

    That was exactly what the antidemon was afraid of. The barrage of bullets got more and more dense.

    Without Izario¡¯s mes there to damage it, the antidemon began redirecting the mana used for healing to offense.

    ¡¸Fran, you can drop me! I¡¯m fine now!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After leaving Fran¡¯s hands, Izario rolled on the ground to kill his momentum before dashing off in the opposite direction.

    He must be trying to keep his distance from Fran to avoid putting us in the line of fire.

    However, it seems rescuing Izario also made us one of the antidemon¡¯s priority targets. It kept sting us as well as Izario. No wait, considering Izario and Jayne both needed time to prepare, maybe this was a good thing? Still, this is too intense!

    Fran just barely managed to avoid direct hits, so we were in a really dangerous spot. Both Fran and I were extremely worn out from the extended battles. Our movements got much more sluggish than usual.

    Even so, Fran kept her eyes on the rain of magic bullets. Some she avoided with hair¡¯s breadth, some she used me to slice through.

    However, the sheer condensed mana contained in the antidemon¡¯s barrage exceeded our expectations. After cutting through a few of the magic bullets, my de snapped in two.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine! Focus on dodging!¡»

    ¡¸Kaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Never do something that dangerous again!¡»

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­ I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡¹

    Fran had hesitated to parry with my de to avoid damaging me any further. Instead, she forcibly redirected the bullet by smashing her right arm against it, which was now missing from the elbow down.

    I flew through the air with her severed arm, activating my restoration magic as fast as I could. Thanks to the regeneration, her wound healed instantly. However, the damage caused Fran to stumble. She could no longer dodge in this state.

    ¡ºUroooogh!¡»

    I slid in to shield Fran with my body, but how long can my barrier hold?

    Fran¡¯s face contorted in grief. However, the terrible oue she imagined never came to pass.

    A woman appeared in between me and Fran, putting up a barrier of her own. Through injuring her arm, she managed to block the magic bullet. No blood spilled from her wound.

    She didn¡¯t even seem to feel any pain. Well, that¡¯s not surprising. She is a golem, after all.

    ¡¸Beginning flight.¡¹

    The silver-haired woman leapt with Fran in her arms, glided through the air by releasing mana.

    ¡¸Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸I have left Nadia-sama in the hands of the merchant Mulsani. As for my reasons, I came to make the best use of myself.¡¹

    She was the humanoid golem created by divine cksmith Zechs, known as the Silver Lady.

 Chapter 1025

    <h4>1025: Bringer of Hope</h4>

    ¡¸The best use¡­¡­? What do you mean?¡¹

    The Silver Lady appeared out of nowhere to save us. Fran seemed to sense something in her words ¡°to make the best use of myself¡±.

    However, the Silver Lady did not respond to her question. She instead held her hand out in front of me while dodging the antidemon¡¯s barrage of magic bullets.

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Sharing data¡­¡­ Circuit secured.¡¹

    ¡ºW-What are you doing?¡»

    ¡¸I am exchanging data with another entity of the same type.¡¹

    ¡¶Affirmative. Confirming the sharing of data and domain ess. Functionality has been temporarily restored.¡·

    By ¡°entity of the same type¡±, she meant Announcer-san! I guess Announcer-san woke up temporarily due to some kind of connection with the Silver Lady. The best reinforcements I could ask for at this critical moment!

    ¡¶Beginning movement. Activate teleportation.¡·

    ¡ºR-Roger!¡»

    With Announcer-san¡¯s assistance, I felt confident that my teleport would work without issue. I activated a long-range teleport following my instincts.

    We managed to make so much distance that the giant antidemon gave up on targeting us. However, reviving Announcer-san and helping us escape didn¡¯t seem to be the Silver Lady¡¯s main goal.

    The two began some sort of exchange in a mechanical tone.

    ¡¸Information retrievalplete.¡¹

    ¡¶Synchronizationplete¡­¡­ Are you certain you wish to do this?¡·

    ¡¸Yes, there is no issue. This is much more efficient than simply rotting away.¡¹

    ¡¶¡­¡­I shall not let this go to waste.¡·

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    What¡¯s that supposed to mean? It seems the two weremunicating in an exchange I couldn¡¯t see, so they understood each other somehow¡­¡­

    ¡ºH-Hey. What are you guys talking about?¡»

    I felt a little restless and uneasy because of the strange atmosphere. I didn¡¯t sense any danger, but is it really okay if I let things go on like this?

    ¡¶I am deeply sorry. However, this needs to be done.¡·

    ¡¸I take full responsibility. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡¹

    ¡ºCome on! What are¨D¨D¡»

    I was trying to ask for details when¡­

    My sword de rose up and¨D¨Dpoke.

    ¡ºWha¨D!?¡»

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    My startled voice synchronized with the screams of Fran and Urushi, who was in Fran¡¯s shadow.

    ¡¸Why!?¡¹

    ¡ºI-It wasn¡¯t me! Announcer-san! What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡»

    My de moved on its own and stabbed through the Silver Lady¡¯s chest. Fran had her hands on me, but she wasn¡¯t able to hold me back since she never expected anything like this.

    Fran stared at her hands with her eyes wide open. She couldn¡¯t believe what she just saw.

    Announcer-san was the one responsible for this. But why? Wasn¡¯t the Silver Lady friendly? As if ignoring our surprise, the golem shook her head in the usual manner.

    ¡¸Please be at ease. This is what I asked for.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­ why¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸As I said earlier, I want to make the best use of myself.¡¹

    The Silver Lady smiled as she gently ced her hand on the de piercing her.

    ¡¸Are you ready?¡¹

    ¡¶Affirmative. Beginning integration.¡·

    Immediately after, I felt a tremendous amount of power flowing into me. But this power was not simply mana.

    It contained something more important. A mysterious power filled my internal systems, reinforcing them.

    ¡ºT-This is¡­¡­!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran made an attempt to pull me out, but it was apparently no longer possible. The Silver Lady¡¯s body got pulled alongside me, falling into Fran¡¯s arms.

    Even as Fran held her up, the Silver Lady didn¡¯t so much as twitch. She looked as silent as a corpse, but it was difficult to tell her actual condition. This was a golem without flesh or blood.

    Still in Fran¡¯s arms, the Silver Lady¡¯s body soon began glowing faintly. This was followed by her hair and fingertips crumbling into grains of light.

    ¡¸Your body is¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸This is fine.¡¹

    ¡ºHow can this be fine¡­¡­!? Hey, what¡¯s going¡­¡­? Wha-! The light!¡»

    ¡¶Proceeding as nned. Take in the light.¡·

    ¡ºNo, but!¡»

    The light from the Silver Lady¡¯s body came to me as if drawn by my de. Not only that, but it was clearly being absorbed into me.

    None of this was my doing.

    Announcer-san and the Silver Lady were the ones responsible.

    Though in shock, I could feel my power returning. I had been exhausted and depleted throughout my battles on this continent, and now my power was restored. Or rather, reinforced.

    In particr, Announcer-san¡¯s part.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, I think I can sense you better now.¡»

    ¡¶This is due to the absorption of individual Bringer of Hope. Temporary name Announcer-san¡¯s ess domain has been temporarily expanded.¡·

    ¡ºTemporarily? You mean it¡¯ll go back to normal?¡»

    ¡¶The current situation will put a heavy burden on temporary name Master. ess must be returned to Master immediately.¡·

    ¡ºAnd by ¡°Bringer of Hope¡±, you mean the Silver Lady?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative.¡·

    Bringer of Hope¡­¡­ The name that divine cksmith Zechs gave her.

    I have no clue what kind of guy Zechs was, but I can tell how much he wanted to defeat the antidemons. He went through all that effort to forge Overgrowth, then created the Silver Lady to manage it.

    ¡ºHey, are you sure you¡¯re okay with this? You really want to leave your power with someone like me¡­¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. I wish to fulfill my creator¡¯s wish, as well as leave proof of my existence. I have determined this was the best way to do so.¡¹

    ¡¶Synchronizing all absorbed data, then integrating.¡·

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    The faint presence of that power became extremely clear. I could feel it taking a solid shape within me.

    ¡ºMy control over mana¡­¡­ got better?¡»

    ¡¶Temporary name Master¡¯s skill [Sorcerer] has evolved into [Arch-Sorcerer].¡·

    This is amazing! I can move mana so freely! Supreme-tier spells or skills will all work perfectly!

    The Silver Lady smiled as if she could sense my joy. It¡¯s hard to believe such a beautiful smile came from a robotic golem.

    ¡¸I am honored to¡­ be of service. Did I¡­ manage to bring you hope in the end¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    The Bringer of Hope¡¯s body glowed even brighter than before, as it rapidly dissolved into light.

    ¡ºOf course! This power is the best hope we could have asked for!¡»

    ¡¸Fufu. Thank you very much¡­¡­¡¹

    Leaving behind thosest words, the Bringer of Hope disappeared into my body. She¡¯s no longer with us, but I could still feel her power. The power of hope, just like her name suggested.

    ¡ºThank you too.¡»

 Chapter 1026

    <h4>1026: de of Man, Song of Doom</h4>

    ¡¶Excess mana shall be transferred to temporary name Master.¡·

    ¡ºWhoa, what¡¯s with this mana!¡»

    ¡¶Temporary name Master is now capable of controlling it all. Please concentrate on the Arch-Sorcerer skill.¡·

    ¡ºR-Roger.¡»

    Announcer-san was right. I managed to grab hold of the leaking mana and manipte it. It¡¯s still going to dissipate sooner orter, but I can m it all into my next attack.

    While still focusing on the mana, I noticed something bothering me.

    ¡ºHey, Announcer-san. You called me ¡°temporary name Master¡±?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative. By assimting the Bringer of Hope, your status has been elevated. You have received a name from the Divine Realm as a result. Due to the current emergency situation, such notifications have been disabled.¡·

    ¡ºYou¡¯re saying you stopped all the excess talking stuff to let me focus? Hold on, a name? S-Seriously? Does that mean I¡¯m now a ¡°Named Item¡±?¡»

    The same as Fran¡¯s armor, right? N-Not like a divine sword?

    ¡¶Your full name is ¡°Human de, Master¡±. However, you are not a divine sword.¡·

    ¡ºO-Oh, okay. I guess it didn¡¯t change much. B-But this ¡°Human de¡± thing¡­¡­¡»

    Doesn¡¯t it sound dumb? Like, really really dumb?

    There are all sorts of cool names like ¡°Demon de¡±, ¡°Spirit de¡±, ¡°me de¡±, ¡°Dragon de¡±, etc! But human? I get to be the ¡°Human de¡±? I mean, it¡¯s not wrong, but it just sounds super weak! Couldn¡¯t you pick out something a little better? Come on, gods! One word can make all the difference in the world!

    Besides, should I even be happy about this?

    ¡ºAre there any disadvantages or anything? Such as losing my emotions like the other me?¡»

    ¡¶There is no issue. Temporary name Announcer-san will prevent all the negative effects of naming.¡·

    ¡ºI knew it! So there are negative effects!¡»

    Am I really gonna be okay? Even the slightest change is kinda scary!

    ¡¶There would normally be an increase to rationality and loss of emotion, however, these characteristics have already been observed in temporary name Announcer-san. In addition, I have finishedpletion of a countermeasure based on the personality data received from individual Bringer of Hope. Temporary name Master¡¯s further transformation into a sword can be prevented.¡·

    ¡ºYou¡¯re saying that I don¡¯t have to worry about anything thanks to your already machine-like behavior and the Bringer of Hope¡¯s assistance?¡»

    ¡¶Affirmative.¡·

    ¡ºSo, you¡¯re certain about this?¡»

    ¡¶There is no issue at all.¡·

    ¡ºOkay, I guess?¡»

    I¡¯d have hated it if my name changed into somethingpletely different, since Fran gave me the name Master. It turned out fine though¡­¡­ except for ¡°Human de¡± still soundingme!

    I tried checking my stats, and sure enough, it changed there too. My name was now ¡°Human de, Master¡±, instead of just ¡°Master¡±.

    Furthermore, the Sorcerer skill changed as well. This skill has been supporting me even since I came into this world.

    It only got an ¡°Arch-¡° tacked onto the beginning, but the performance was on a whole different level. I could already tell the improvement in effect.

    I¡¯m sure applying it to my spells and skills will let us reach never before seen levels of power. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t the only thing I got from the Bringer of Hope.

    ¡¸Master, that¡¯s so much mana!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Much to my surprise, my mana capacity had increased by 5000, with my mana conductivity getting upgraded to SS. That means I can infuse even more mana into my de, pushing my attack power even higher.

    I immediately empowered myself with Evil Crusher, Golden Form, Mana Regtion, Evil Torrent, as well as the rest of my skills. I also transferred some mana over to Fran and Urushi.

    ¡¶Transferring surplus mana to individual Fran and individual Urushi.¡·

    ¡ºFran, Urushi, are you two okay? Don¡¯t push yourselves too hard.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯m fine! I can handle it!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Just as she said, Fran managed to control all the mana I supplied her. If Fran teleported in with ck Lightning Roll and unleashed a Heavenly Judgment, it would be the strongest attack we¡¯ve ever done. I¡¯m sure of it.

    However, she still needed time to focus her strength. Meanwhile, someone else stepped up first.

    Pororon.

    ¡¸Sophie.¡¹

    ¡¸While it is true that my Oratorio isn¡¯t suited for offense, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t fight.¡¹

    Poron.

    A tiny sound, but it contained massive amounts of divine energy. For some reason, I was shaking. That single note triggered my excitement? Or was this emotion fear?

    I shuddered at the appearance of the saintess beside us, surrounded by arge number of musical instruments.

    She plucked the small harp in her hands with her fingers. The rest of the instruments began ying in response.

    First the keyboard, followed by the woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments joining in one after another. Soon enough, dozens of instruments yed in perfect sync. The majestic melody of an orchestra echoed across the battlefield.

    The slow tempo of her music gradually increased in speed, until it became something as intense as hard rock or metal.

    But this wasn¡¯t the end.

    The song only kept elerating, so fast that it made all of the listeners uneasy. Until finally, the rhythm was so fast that it was impossible to keep up.

    Continuous waves of mana enveloped the battlefield, making everything glow. Then, all sound was suddenly cut off.

    I wondered what was going on, but it seems this was all just a prelude.

    ¡¸Death¡­ Inescapable death¡­¡¹

    Sophie¡¯s beautiful voice flowed out in tune with the slow melody.

    ¡¸None can flee from their doom.¡¹

    Mysterious, yet ominous. The hymn-like notesbined with Sophie¡¯s soprano voice to create music powerful enough to disturb anyone hearing it

    ¡¸All will mourn, grieve, dread, and perish.¡¹

    The Song of Adventurers was a tune inspiring optimism, a positive outlook for the future. However, this song was, as the lyrics suggested, the Song of Doom. Music has two sides, one of hope, and one of despair.

    ¡¶Detected reduction in the stats of temporary name Antidemon Goliath. Internal mana levels falling.¡·

    The effect seemed to bepletely different too. The Song of Adventurers was a top level buff for strengthening herpanions, while the Song of Doom was a debuff for weakening her enemies.

    Sophie¡¯s singing transformed into a dark blue light, which mmed into the giant antidemon in several waves. Each hit reduced the antidemon¡¯s mana.

    Moreover, the surface of its body began falling apart. The antidemon was crumbling from the edges, as if weathering away.

    ¡¸Fall! Embrace your fated doom!¡¹

    Many of our soldiers stood still, either too enthralled or too awe-struck to continue attacking.

    Sophie¡¯s song had taken its toll with the giant antidemon¡¯s aura clearly weakening. However, it wasn¡¯t the only one in bad shape.

    ¡¸My madness will became a curse!¡¹

    Sophie screamed with her eyes streaming with tears of blood. Her face waspletely pale, with no color on her lips.

    Singing the Song of Doom must be draining Sophie¡¯s life force too, but she refused to stop. She stood firmly, raising her voice and continuing to y Oratorio.

    Her fingernails cracked and peeled, the blood spurting out to stain the strings of her harp red. The Song of Doom finally came to an end.

    ¡¸The endes for you! Now disappear!¡¹

    As soon as Sophie coughed out thest words, she copsed to the ground along with blood still streaming from her mouth and eyes.

 Chapter 1027

    <h4>1027: Nekro Dovey</h4>

    After singing the Song of Doom, Sophie copsed to the ground after coughing up a ton of blood.

    She was convulsing lightly, unable to stand anymore.

    ¡¸Sophie!¡¹

    Fran shouted her name, but she was concentrating on arge amount of mana. She couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll save her. Fran, you stay focused!¡»

    £¨Take care of her, Master.£©

    I transformed my cord into the shape of a hand and gently lifted Sophie up. Her heartbeat was weak, and her entire body was surprisingly cold. I tried to heal her with restoration magic, but to no avail.

    Using my Arch-Sorcerer skill, I continued applying divine-infused Greater Heals. However, Sophie¡¯s heartbeat only got weaker and weaker. I really wanted to call out her name to cheer her up, but that¡¯s not possible. Sophie doesn¡¯t know about my identity.

    No, now isn¡¯t the time for such trivial worries. The damage from the divine attribute was killing her. I should do anything that might help.

    Fran will be sad if Sophie dies, and I like the girl too. She can¡¯t be allowed to die here.

    ¡ºSophie, hang in there! I¡¯ll fix you up!¡»

    £¨¡­¡­Fran¡¯s¡­ sword¡­¡­?£©

    ¡ºY-You know about me?¡»

    £¨We were¡­ connected by the song¡­¡­£©

    Should have expected as much from such a talented musician! The Song of Adventurers connected everyone together, so it seems that¡¯s where she learned about my existence.

    But that won¡¯t be a problem with Sophie. I know she won¡¯t tell anyone, and Fran would have revealed my secret sooner orter anyways.

    ¡ºSorry about that. I told Fran not to reveal my identity so easily.¡»

    £¨I¡­ know¡­¡­£©

    Good, she¡¯s not mad. Also, Sophie¡¯s condition was starting to get better.

    My divine-infused Greater Heals seemed to be getting more effective. I also hope my revealing myself and encouragement had some role too.

    While I was healing Sophie, there was another movement on the battlefield.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! Now it¡¯s time to rumble!¡¹

    With a big smile on her face, the demonkin queen Jayne held up a huge book.

    ¡¸Come forth! The mightiest and most ancient king!¡¹

    Her magic circle was even bigger than the previous ones, and a golden coffin appeared out of it. It was covered in the carvings of countless skulls, radiating a chilling divine energy despite being closed.

    ¡¸Our ancestor, and the very first contractor! Absorb my vitality and reveal yourself! Nekro Dovey!¡¹

    ¡¸Nuhahaha! It has truly been a while since myst descent!¡¹

    From the golden coffin emerged a mummy, simr in appearance to previous heroic spirits. His equipment might have been a little more luxurious, but the difference wasn¡¯t big.

    He wore a robe woven with silver threads, as well as full-body armor shining in gold. On each finger was a ring-shaped magical tool. If worn by anyone else, I might call them gaudy. However, this mummy had an aura powerful enough to offset this.

    ¡¸Sorry, but we don¡¯t have much time. Tear that huge thing apart, and send the pieces to hell!¡¹

    ¡¸Hohoh? Very well! I shall give it a fitting death!¡¹

    Nekro Dovey waved his hand while floating in the sky, and arge scythe appeared. A jet-ck scythe cloaked in ominous mana.

    Wearing a fierce smile on his face, Nekro flew off toward the giant antidemon. Perhaps because he was a mostly spiritual body, his main method of movement seemed to be gliding.

    But though strong, summoning him incurred a heavy cost. A tremendous amount of mana was flowing from Jayne to Nekro. It was as if the life was being sucked out of her.

    At this rate, his summon wouldn¡¯tst longer than a few minutes.

    ¡¸Nuhahahahahaaaah!¡¹

    I saw the energy sucked from Jayne diverting to Nekro¡¯s scythe. Then, his scythe suddenly grew super huge in an instant, about 20 meters long.

    Nekro easily swung the scythe and impaled the de into the center of the giant antidemon with all his might.

    Sophie¡¯s Song of Doom seemed to have reduced the antidemon¡¯s defenses greatly. The entire de thrust deeply into the antidemon.

    ¡¸Your life shatters here!¡¹

    As Nekro shouted, the scythe gained a ck glow and disappeared as if sucked into the giant antidemon.

    ¡¸<strong>GRYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRR!</strong>¡¹

    The giant antidemon let loose a scream as the mana drained from its body, cracking and shattering from the ends.

    That scythe seemed to have the effect of killing its target by annihting its life force. Even the giant antidemon could notpletely stop the effects, so a mere scratch would probably kill your average human or monster. This was indeed powerful enough to be a trump card.

    However, still not enough to put an end to the creature.

    ¡¸Ahaha¡­¡­ Not even that could take it out? Very unfortunate.¡¹

    Jayne dropped to one knee with a dryugh. Necronomicon¡¯s shape distorted, losing its form as a book and reverting to a dagger. She must have reached her limits.

    ¡¸Oh boy, I¡¯m pooped. You guys take care of the rest¡­¡­¡¹

    Jayne said as she fell to the ground. She¡¯s looking pretty bad too! However, I could see healing magic pouring out of the pendant on her chest.

    It seems she¡¯s already taken measures against her divine sword¡¯s recoil. Besides, I can¡¯t afford to go help her now.

    Fran just finished her preparations. She took a step forward along with Urushi, her eyes fixed on the giant antidemon.

    ¡¶Mana conductionplete. Maintaining current state.¡·

    ¡¸Let¡¯s do it!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Wolf-Style maybe? No, it seems to be a bit different. The Wolf-Style Draw Technique was Fran and Urushi¡¯sbination attack, where Urushi¡¯s paw gives Fran a push down from the sky.

    This time, however, Fran held the mini-sized Urushi in her hand.

    ¡ºEh? Fran? Urushi?¡»

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Woooof!¡¹

    Fran dashed forward and threw Urushi with the full momentum and all her power. Urushi flew faster than a fastball from any major league pro.

    ¡ºEh? What!¡»

    ¡¸Goooo!¡¹

    ¡¸Wooooooof!¡¹

    While still spinning through the air, Urushi increased in size and cloaked himself in darkness. By adding Dimension Fang, he must be nning to deliver a powerful blow.

    No magic sts were aimed our way. The creature must be targeting Izario right now.

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>GIGGIGGGGIGII!</strong>¡¹

    Urushi mmed his giant fangs into the creature with the momentum of his spin. The antidemon¡¯s screams informed us how effective this was.

    All the power was concentrated into a single point, creating a deep fissure in the creature¡¯s body.

    ¡ºNice!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    As much as I¡¯d love to pet Urushi, our turn was next. Fran had already teleported behind with ck Lightning Roll, and was ready to deliver a sh.

    ¡ºUroogh! I¡¯ll put everything in!¡»

    ¡¶Please leave the control to me.¡·

    ¡ºThanks, Announcer-san! Do it, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! ck Lightning Divine w! Heavenly Judgment!¡¹

 Chapter 1028

    <h4>1028: Fran''s Strike</h4>

    ¡¸ck Lightning Divine w! Heavenly Judgment!¡¹

    Fran had seeded in activating ck Lightning Divine w and Heavenly Judgment at the same time. This was proof of her using Announcer-san¡¯s supplied mana perfectly.

    We chose not to use Sword God Transformation because we needed to focus on everything on power. Of course, Sword God Transformation was still one of our trump cards even if Fran got a blessing allowing her to control the divine attribute.

    However, what¡¯s more important is to st this huge guy with as much power as possible right now. ck Lightning Divine w and Heavenly Judgment was the correct way to do that.

    If we had used Sword God Transformation, it would only allow us to optimize our movements at the cost of losing some output.

    d in ck lightning, my de closed in on the giant antidemon.

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaaah!¡¹

    Before the gaping wound from Urushi¡¯s strike could regenerate, Fran shed at the exact same spot.

    ¡¶Scanning the body of temporary name Antidemon Goliath. Obtaining data on the failed divine swords. Sessfully made contact.¡·

    ¡ºYou mean those two swords crossed together?¡»

    I sensed a different kind of mana within the giant antidemon. Rather than being in one specific spot, it seemed to be mixed in throughout.

    It should normally be impossible to search out the mana of those des in such a thorough fusion. But thanks to the boost from the Bringer of Hope, we managed to find a trace of it, albeit a faint one.

    And if it¡¯s in our sights, all that¡¯s left is to sever it.

    ¡¶Please leave the data analysis to me.¡·

    ¡ºYou¡¯re mine!¡»

    Thanks to Announcer-san, I was able to firmly grab hold of the mana from the failed divine swords. My durability took a huge hit due to the tremendous load on my sensory abilities.

    The failed divine swords were there inside the giant antidemon, and my de reached them. I felt myself slicing right through them.

    At the same time, Fran¡¯s ck lightning poured into the giant antidemon¡¯s body along with my mana, annihting it from the inside.

    ¡ºWhoa? This¡­ is¡­!¡»

    Perhaps because I cannibalized two failed divine swords at the same time, an unprecedented amount of mana started flowing into me too.

    This¡­ Fuck!

    ¡ºGugah! GAAAAAAAAAH!¡»

    ¡¶Controlling the flow of mana. Temporary name Master, please maintain focus.¡·

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡­ Gygh¡­¡­¡»

    The massive amount of power felt like it was eating away at my insides.

    ¡ºUGAAAH!¡»

    Despite all my efforts to hold it in, I couldn¡¯t stop screaming. It¡¯s not just the pain. How do I even describe it? Like a swarm of countless insects invading my body, wriggling around inside me and screeching constantly?

    An unbearable disgust assailed me without end.

    ¡ºAh¡­ Gah¡­¡­!¡»

    £¨Master? Master!£©

    ¡ºFr¡­an¡­¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Are you okay?£©

    Fran looked extremely worried. Oh man, of course. Anyone would be worried if their partner suddenly started screaming in pain.

    How pathetic can I get? I should be able to swallow down a little queasiness, or my name ain¡¯t Master.

    ¡ºHa¡­haha¡­¡­ It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t¡­ worry about it¡­¡­¡»

    £¨But.£©

    ¡ºNah¡­ it¡¯ll be over¡­ soon enough.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­¡­£©

    ¡¶Seven seconds until mana can be ced under control.¡·

    Seven seconds. Sounds short, but so surprisingly long to me. Still, I endured it without another moan or grunt.

    Fran¡¯s expression softened a little, noticing that my condition had calmed down.

    As the symptoms subsided, I regained enoughposure to examine our surroundings.

    The giant antidemon was emitting something like a shill screech or scream.

    ¡¸<strong>GYREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!</strong>¡¹

    Death throes¨D¨Dor not.

    Its vitality seemed to be greatly reduced, since the regeneration didn¡¯t start immediately. However, even losing the majority of its body and the power of the failed divine swords was not enough to end its life.

    Despite looking like the wreckage of a shattered building, the giant antidemon still radiated a dense aura of mana.

    £¨I couldn¡¯t beat it¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¶Estimated chance of target disappearing without further intervention: 0%.¡·

    If no one does anything, it¡¯s absolutely guaranteed to revive itself. Fran had failed to defeat the giant antidemon even after expending all her mana. She was left slumped on the ground and staring at the twitching creature in frustration.

    Thinking about it a different way though, we should be proud of the fact that we dealt as much damage as the divine swords.

    ¡¶Control and modification of the energy generated by the activation of the Cannabilize skill has caused a excessive load. Temporary name Announcer-san has expended more power than expected. Returning to dormant state.¡·

    Eh? Hey! Announcer-san?

    ¡¶I entrust individual Fran to you.¡·

    Wait! I have so many questions!

    ¡¶¡­¡­¡·

    No luck. As usual, your departure is so abrupt!

    I guess I won¡¯t be able to get Announcer-san¡¯s help again for a while. It felt like a big hole opened in my heart.

    Still, there¡¯s no need to worry. After all, we have reliable friends we can count on.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re not the only ones here. Let¡¯s leave the rest to them.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran turned her eyes to Izario, who was radiating a tremendous amount of divine energy.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡¹

 Chapter 1029

    <h4>1029: Hellme</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry for stealing the best part from you.¡¹

    ¡¸Izario, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you girls did most of the work. I¡¯ve gotta do my job too.¡¹

    Fran could not be happy about this because she was worried about Izario. His aura was clearly weaker than usual.

    His level must have diminished after continuously releasing his divine sword,bined with his exhaustion from so many fierce battles in session.

    Izario should be aware of his own limitations, but his face showed nothing but a confident smile. An act to stop Fran from worrying.

    ¡¸Littledy, can you still move? Get as far away from me as you can.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure Fran and Sophie reach safety.¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­You take care of that hugeass for us.¡»

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Izario waved his hand in the air and ran toward the giant antidemon. Not that fast though, probably to give us time to escape.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get outta here!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­¡¹

    I picked up the immobilized Fran and Sophie with telekinesis, then took them as far away as possible.

    This should help out Izario, even if only a little. Our other allies were moving out too. Our retreat might have been faster if Urushi could help them, but he¡¯s still stuck in the shadows.

    He must have spent all the mana he had in that single blow. I¡¯ve recovered enough mana to move thanks to the cannibalism, but we might have been in serious danger otherwise.

    As I focused solely on movement, I sensed arge amount of divine energy flowing behind me.

    Despite being over 100 meters away, the tremendous heat wave radiated by Ignis still reached us.

    The shimmering heat haze emitted by Ignis began distorting our vision. Moreover, Izario¡¯s body was lit ame with smoke rising.

    Not even he could fully control the super-dense divine mes swirling around Ignis right now.

    mes danced around Izario as he finally swung the de. It was a beautiful sight, but the earth bubbled up intova from a slight spark. Exactly like how I would imagine the cauldrons used to boil the sinners in hell.

    The giant antidemon began wriggling wildly, likely sensing the danger of those divine mes. I saw it send a powerful wave of evil energy.

    It released an aura of evil so dense that I almost mistook it for a fragment of the Evil God. Then, several shapes burst out of its body.

    Dozens of tentacles, which promptly reached out to grab Izario. That antidemon still had enough power left to pull off something like this?

    In the face of this monstrous form, Izario simply activated his technique.

    ¡¸Divine Sword Art, Hellme.¡¹

    Izario swung down Ignis, releasing a small orb of fire. It looked almost like a novice failing the basic Fireball spell.

    But of course, this was nothing of the sort. The red orb flew directly at the antidemon and¡­

    <strong>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!</strong>

    A gigantic pir of me rose up from where the giant antidemon had been. A brilliant pure-red inferno rose to pierce the heavens.

    The giant antidemon¡¯s tentacles iled wildly within that pir, before quickly burning up and dissipating.

    Thanks to Izario¡¯s control, the temperature we experienced was about the level of a sauna. That said, the amount of heat trapped within the pir of me was probably far beyond our imagination. As the name of the technique suggested, it was truly the mes of hell.

    The excess energy leaking out into the surroundings was enough to create a pseudo-typhoon.

    This state continued for a few seconds, before the explosion and shockwaves suddenly vanished. The pir of me was gone too.

    And the giant antidemon was nowhere to be seen. Izario¡¯s Hellme hadpletely annihted it without anything remaining. I could not sense any trace of its mana.

    Furthermore, the purple dome covering the region went away too.

    We won.

    ¡¸Master, it¡¯s over¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! We defeated the giant antidemon!¡»

    Fran¡¯s condition stabilized thanks to the restoration magic I¡¯ve been casting on her the entire time. She won¡¯t be able to fight for a while, but she¡¯s no longer at any risk of death.

    Since I gained a lot of mana capacity, the excess mana put a greater burden on Fran, adding onto the usual bacsh from using the divine attribute. We should be more careful about this in the future.

    ¡¸Iza¡­rio¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Ah! Izario!¡»

    Izario copsed, and I could see his life force rapidly fading away. This rate was extremely dangerous.

    The price of using the divine sword dropped his level too low, and as a result, he was no longer capable of withstanding the recoil. Another factor was him maintaining Divine Sword Release for a much longer time than usual.

    £¨Master¡­ save¡­ Izario. I¡¯m fine¡­ on my own now.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Got it. Urushi, take care of them if anything happens.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    I gentlyid Fran and Sophie down on the ground before flying towards Izario. Shit! I need to hurry!

    ¡ºIzario! Hang in there, I¡¯m here to help!¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹

    He¡¯s already unconscious!

    I attempted a series of Greater Heal infused with divine energy, but it didn¡¯t work in the slightest.

    Did I need a more powerful healing spell? My Restoration Magic is currently at level 5, giving me plenty of spells for healing status ailments and area healing. However, I don¡¯t have any better spells than Greater Heal when ites to pure healing.

    Maybe there¡¯s a chance if I raise the level by 1 or 2¡­¡­? No, Izario has saved our asses a bunch. I won¡¯t be stingy on self-evolution points if it¡¯s to pay back the favor.

    I applied my self-evolution points while maintaining my restoration magic, life magic, and support magic. Then, I found the spell I was looking for after raising Restoration Magic by only a single level.

    ¡ºMaximum Heal!¡»

    He recovered a little! But this still isn¡¯t enough! Even if better than Greater Heal, his life force is draining faster than I can heal it!

    ¡ºFuck!¡»

    ¡¸Sword.¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    What the hell? Someone popped up right next to me!

    ¡¸It appears Izario is in a predicament.¡¹

    Why now?! Was he aiming for this moment?!

    ¡ºTrismegistus!¡»

 Chapter 1030

    <h4>1030: Trismegistus'' Motive</h4>

    What the hell is Trismegistus doing here?

    At any rate, we¡¯ve gotta run!

    I reflexively cast Short Jump in an attempt to make some distance, but¡­

    ¡¸There is no need for haste. Cease.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat!?¡»

    Immediately after my teleport, Trismegistus was already waiting right in front of me. It seems he instantly sensed my destination and moved ahead of me.

    After realizing I was trapped, I tried a longer ranged teleport. However, the mana I was putting into the spell dissipated the moment Trismegistus turned his eyes on me. Does he have the ability to cancel my magic? Is that another feature of his eyes?

    But wait, how did he get here in the first ce? Wasn¡¯t Trismegistus supposedly unable to leave the barrier surrounding the castle?

    Various theories went through my head in an instant, but now wasn¡¯t the time. I need to somehow take Izario and escape to somewhere safe.

    If teleportation won¡¯t work, then how about telekinesis?

    However, it all proved futile in front of Trismegistus. He somehow interfered with my mana, preventing the usage of any magic or skills.

    Dammit! Izario is dying! I don¡¯t have time for this shit!

    ¡¸I said cease.¡¹

    ¡ºGrh!¡»

    My body stopped moving for a split second. What the hell is happening?

    ¡¸Cease your movements.¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    His words¡­¡­? Did they contain some kind of power too? The restraints only affected me momentarily, but this made mepletely helpless whenbined with his ability to cancel magic.

    His goal was me, and he¡¯s already got me cornered.

    I didn¡¯t sense any killing intenting from Trismegistus, but he wouldn¡¯t show any even when trying to kill someone.

    ¡¸I have no intention of harming either of you.¡¹

    ¡º?¡»

    ¡¸As I still require Izario¡¯s assistance in eradicating the antidemons. Sword, do not move. Original Sin Envy.¡¹

    ¡ºHah? W-What are you¡­¡­!?¡»

    Trismegistus shot out a number of ck hands at Izario. Original Sin Envy, the same ability we saw earlier.

    Unable to do anything, I could only watch as the ck hands sunk into Izario¡¯s body. What was his goal? Maybe he wanted to steal the Divine Sword Release skill?

    But then, a startling change urred right before my eyes. Izario¡¯s condition suddenly stabilized. Color returned to his face, and his wounds healedpletely. Above all, his life force and mana had been restored to reasonable levels.

    What just happened?

    ¡¸Cough¡­ I have forcibly stolen the time from Izario¡¯s body¡­¡­¡¹

    Trismegistus, on the other hand, had lost a ton of mana and started coughing up blood.

    ¡ºYou stole¡­ ¡®time¡¯?¡»

    ¡¸Everything his body has experienced over the past few hours. In exchange, I have given him a portion of my mana, life force, and experience.¡¹

    The past few hours¡­¡­? So he took on all the damage and fatigue from Izario from the past few hours? That¡¯s why he suddenly started looking so ill!

    Maybe even the price of divine sword usage had transferred over to Trismegistus too.

    And in return, Trismegistus traded Izario life force and mana.

    Trismegistus was clearly losing in this so-called ¡°equivalent exchange¡±, but the fact that it worked meant the skill determined it was a fair trade.

    ¡¸Time is a precious thing that cannot be reced, for better or worse. And it has value too. So much, in fact, that a great deal of my experience has been taken away.¡¹

    His expression remained the same as usual, as if he didn¡¯t feel any pain. But the damage was noticeable even to me. His voice was trembling.

    At any rate, I never imagined Original Sin Envy could be used like this. He could heal someone by stealing their damage.

    While I was still struggling, I noticed someone drawing closer to us: Fran.

    She was barely able to move, but she must have sensed the danger I was in and gathered all her remaining strength. However, she tripped a few meters away, and was unable to get back up.

    ¡ºFran! Maximum Heal!¡»

    £¨Master¡­¡­ Is this¡­?£©

    ¡ºI just learned it. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Your body¡¯s at its limit, you know?¡»

    £¨But¡­¡­£©

    ¡¸Girl and Sword, you may rest at ease. I no longer intend to destroy or steal your sword.¡¹

    Woops, I just remembered this guy could eavesdrop on our telepathic conversations!

    ¡¸Fran and Master. You have disyed your worth.¡¹

    ¡ºIn other words, we¡¯re strong enough to be useful to you for eliminating the antidemons?¡»

    ¡¸Correct.¡¹

    Such a disgusting decision making criteria. If you serve his purpose, he¡¯ll heal you and let you go. If you aren¡¯t strong enough, he¡¯ll kill you and steal your powers.

    If I asked him that, Trismegistus would simply nod his head without any hesitation.

    At least we know that he won¡¯t target us anymore. However, there were still unsolved mysteries.

    ¡ºWhat did you even want out of this?¡»

    ¡¸A brilliant question. My goal was to create and destroy the giant antidemon.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸And as a result, heavily weaken the Abyss Eater. This is a great step forward in aplishing my mission.¡¹

    Seriously? It¡¯s true that the Abyss Eater needs to put a lot of energy into creating such a powerful antidemon. And if this hand-crafted antidemon gets easily taken out, all of that energy goes to waste.

    ¡¸The key to my strategy was the wielder of the failed divine swords. With sufficient forces assembled to challenge the mighty antidemon, I determined that now was the best timing. Everything went ording to n.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd that¡¯s why you teamed up with Meltritte and Georg?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. They performed their roles splendidly.¡¹

    Trismegistus¡¯ face showed not a single emotion. No joy, no apology, no anger, nothing.

    After seeing that, I realized it. This man was nothing more than a puppet moving mechanically to aplish his god-given mission. He would do whatever it takes to aplish that, and cares nothing about taking advantage of others or what the world thinks of him.

    Just as he said, all of his actions led to weakening the Abyss Eater. Then, he gives empty praise to his coborators because the n was a sess. There were no ulterior motives.

    I assume Fannabelta was in the charge of the actual plotting, so maybe Trismegistus really was just doing as he was told?

    Still, I couldn¡¯t help but ask the question.

    ¡ºYou know a lot of people died, right?¡»

    ¡¸Such was also one my goals.¡¹

    ¡ºughtering people was your goal¡­¡­!?¡»

    I know how bad making enemies with him would be, yet I found myself absolutely furious at his words.

    ¡¸I ordered them to evacuate several times, but they remained. It became necessary.¡¹

    Trismegistus simply nodded curtly. Theplete absence of insanity or hostility showed just how truly monstrous he was.

    Now I understand what Izario meant when he called Trismegistus a monster.

 Chapter 1031

    <h4>1031: Growing Poption</h4>

    Trismegistus imed that ughtering so many people was a goal in itself.

    ¡ºYou bastard¡­¡­!¡»

    Even if I understood the futility, I couldn¡¯t hold back my rage. However, someone else responded in his ce.

    ¡ºYour misced anger is all the fault of your own ignorance! I suppose I shall have to exin who is really in the wrong!¡»

    Fannabelta shouted back at us in a shrill voice.

    ¡ºBack when Trismegistus-sama was first imprisoned in the castle, my liege and the dragonkin were the only ones left in Gordicia. There was very little change in poption for ages, since few willingly visited the continent punished by the gods. In the first ce, the gods themselves stated that only those capable of fighting should enter.¡»

    ¡ºOnly those capable of fighting? But that¡¯s¡­¡­¡»

    Nocta¡¯s poption seemingly included many ordinary citizens. What¡¯s up with this inconsistency?

    ¡ºIndeed! You can see it now! The current Gordicia is infested with useless, feeble maggots who only serve as food for the antidemons! Can you even imagine how great of a burden this is to Trismegistus-sama?¡»

    More people falling prey to the antidemons only fuels the Abyss Eater¡¯s power. I don¡¯t know how much damage Trismegistus can deal to the Abyss Eater each day, but this would clearly reduce the efficiency of his efforts.

    Back when the continent only had Trismegistus, the dragonkin, and a handful of adventurers, things still went smoothly. However, the current situation waspletely different.

    Apparently, Trismegistus even ordered them to leave the continent several times, on the basis that they were interfering with his mission.

    That said, many of those living on the continent no longer have a ce in the outside world.

    The inhabitants of Gordicia consist mainly of those who fled from other continents, or their descendants. Dealing with the circumstances that caused them to flee in the first ce is no simple matter.

    Criminals are one example. They are often reduced to ves when caught, since keeping them in jail is just a waste of money and space.

    Therefore, it¡¯s obviously more productive to put them to work as misdemeanor ves. Besides, there are advantages to the criminal side too.

    Misdemeanor ves have legally defined rights. Their treatment ispletely different from the ves in Earth¡¯s history.

    In Earth terms, I would call it more like penalbor. The chance of abusive or excessively cruel work conditions is pretty low. The conditions for debt ves are better, like getting put into a slightly harsher than average job.

    I¡¯ve been Fran¡¯s partner the whole time, so of course I¡¯m no fan of very. However, I can understand the necessity of a rehabilitation system for effective utilization of misdemeanor offenders.

    On the flip side, felony ves are treated extremely poorly. They might be sacrificed as meatwalls on the battlefield, or as guinea pigs for dangerous new drugs. Sometimes even forced to battle each other to the death and entertain spectators. They pretty much have no human rights.

    I guess the reasoning is that executing them would be a waste, so might as well use them for something.

    And one of the punishments on the same level as felony very was ¡°Gordician Exile¡±. As the name suggests, the criminal gets exiled to Gordicia, where they get to join the war against antidemons.

    In other words, the ordinary person viewed getting shipped to this continent as a hardship equivalent to the death penalty.

    So what kind of people would actuallye to this continent of their own volition? One group is the felons who¡¯d rather flee to Gordicia than get caught and shipped in as ves. Naturally, they were designated as wanted criminals on the other continents, so they couldn¡¯t leave anymore.

    Another major group is the political criminals, such as the royalty and nobles of defeated countries. Whoever took over their country would never allow them to go free. Once captured, it¡¯s either life in prison or execution.

    If those are your only options, fleeing to Gordicia sounds much better. I¡¯ve also heard of some nations who ship foreign enemies to Gordicia rather than executing them. Because it¡¯s cleaner than the death penalty, or something like that. Of course, these guys can¡¯t leave either.

    Moreover, all of their descendants have been building towns and multiplying. Nowadays, there were many who couldn¡¯t fight in the slightest. In addition, no one born in Gordicia has any foreign citizenship or currency.

    There¡¯s not much they can do if suddenly ordered to leave. The various nations also showed little interest in epting masses of refugees, so very few actually supported the cause.

    Meanwhile, Trismegistus also refused to back down. The only thing on his mind was thepletion of the mission ced on him by the gods.

    Thus the current massacre as a result. It was two birds with one stone. Trismegistus¡¯ n to create the giant antidemon also weeded out the crowds of people getting in his way.

    ¡ºAhahahaha! Everything went just as Trismegistus-sama and I had nned! Those filthy maggots ended up serving my liege a tiny bit in a end!¡»

    ¡¸By my calctions, your existing forces would be able to defeat the enhanced antidemon with my cooperation. However, I did not expect you to eliminate it before I could participate.¡¹

    After hearing those words, I suddenly remembered my earlier doubt.

    ¡º¡­¡­Why are you outside the castle?¡»

    ¡¸If an antidemon born under the castle manages to escape the barrier, my shackles are temporarily released to allow pursuit. Though only until reaching the secondary barrier.¡¹

    ¡ºThe secondary barrier? You mean that purple dome?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. It is a system implemented by the gods to ensure no antidemon may go free.¡¹

    So that¡¯s an existing system rather than something that Meltritte prepared. By abusing it, she intended to trap all the dragonkin inside.

    ¡¸Fran and Master. You must be given a reward.¡¹

    ¡¸Reward?¡¹

    Was he waiting for Fran to reach us? Trismegistus spoke the words as soon as Fran put her hand on my hilt.

    But why only us?

    ¡ºMy liege, these two deserve no reward!¡»

    ¡¸The divine sword wielders are obligated tobat fragments of the Evil God, so they have performed no feat worthy of praise. Yet among the non-wielders, Fran and Master¡¯s achievements are outstanding. They have done plenty to warrant a reward.¡¹

    I still hate the guy, but I also know that he¡¯s not the type to lie. What he said must be the objective truth.

    Sure, we managed to contribute as much as the divine sword wielders¡­¡­ But there¡¯s no way his so-called reward is gonna be anything decent.

    ¡ºOkay, so what do we get?¡»

    ¡¸I shall grant you power.¡¹

    With these words, Trismegistus drew Fannabelta for some reason.

 Chapter 1032

    <h4>1032: Fannabelta and Her Wielder</h4>

    Trismegistus said he was giving us a reward, but then he suddenly readied Fannabelta.

    This caught Franpletely off guard, though Trismegistus did not strike immediately.

    ¡¸Fran, prepare yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Thatmand thing again! Fran was already wary of Trismegistus, and she took a clear defensive posture after his order. I think a ¡°get on the ground¡± order would probably have little effect on her, just like how the ¡°cease movement¡± order on me onlysted an instant.

    But in this case, he ordered Fran to do something she was already about to do. Even someone as strong as her might find it hard to resist.

    Both Fran and I were confused. We had no clue what Trismegistus was trying to do. However, the same went for Fannabelta in his hands.

    ¡ºMy liege, what is the n?¡»

    ¡¸I am giving Fran and Master their reward.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean by that¡­¡­?¡»

    Not even Fannabelta understood the intention behind Trismegistus¡¯ actions.

    Trismegistus immediately raised Fannabelta above his head before responding. I couldn¡¯t sense any killing intent, but that¡¯s just the way it was with this guy.

    ¡¸Fannabelta, Original Sin Envy has corroded too much of your mind. Your presence already brings more harm than good.¡¹

    ¡ºW-What are¡­¡­ I-I have devoted everything to¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. You were truly a loyal subject. But your service is no longer needed.¡¹

    ¡ºTrismegistus-sama! Please wait!¡»

    What¡¯s this all of a sudden? It felt more like a scene from a drama than an argument¡­¡­

    Without any hesitation, Trismegistus quickly swung his de down at Fran.

    ¡ºN-No longer needed? M-My liege!?¡»

    ¡¸Fran, block this.¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    Again. After hearing his order, Fran shed with Fannabelta to block the hit.

    After observing Fran¡¯s reaction, Fannabelta screamed in panic.

    ¡ºTrismegistus-sama! Put your mana on the de! Please! At this rate¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸Fannabelta. I have nothing but gratitude for your loyalty.¡¹

    Trismegistus possessed Swordking Mastery. He knew the most efficient way to swing a de, as well as how to minimize the strain on it. In other words, also knew what type of swing would break his sword.

    Crack.

    I only heard a light sound, and looked over to see Fannabelta¡¯s de split in half.

    ¡º<strong>GRAAAAAAAAH!</strong>¡»

    ¡ºWhooooa!?¡»

    Both Fannabelta and my screams resonated through the air.

    My Cannibilize skill activated, causing Fannabelta¡¯s power toe flowing in.

    ¡¶Confirming activation of the Cannibalize skill. Emergency reactivation.¡·

    ¡ºAnn¡­ouncer¡­san¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¶Detected load far exceeding expected parameters. Shutting off most external interaction in response. Internal operations shall be temporarily suspended to concentrate on energy regtion. Number of days until possible restart is unknown.¡·

    Does this mean that Announcer-san will have to focuspletely on regting the power I got from cannibalize? So we won¡¯t be able to talk in the meanwhile, the duration of which is unknown.

    ¡ºSorry for putting you through this again.¡»

    ¡¶Temporary name Master, you need not worry. May you go with the blessing of the Wisdom God¡­¡­¡·

    Already back asleep? It feels like I¡¯m always counting on you to solve everything¡­¡­ But thanks to Announcer-san, the uncontroble torrent of power has weakened to the point where even I could handle it.

    But even as the overflowing mana subsided, the other thing bothering didn¡¯t change one bit. It wasn¡¯t only her power, Fannabelta¡¯s emotions were flowing in too.

    It seems regting these emotions was too difficult even for Announcer-san. All of Fannabelta¡¯s negative feelings rushed in at once, swirling around in my head like a vortex.

    Grief at being unable to serve her master. Anger and jealousy toward me for triggering this chain of events. Anxiety about her king¡¯s future.

    However, she felt absolutely zero frustration or anger towards Trismegistus for destroying her. Despite being driven insane by Original Sin Envy, Fannabelta¡¯s loyalty was the real deal.

    That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t help but pity her.

    Still gasping for breath under the enormous load of the cannibalization, I nced over at Trismegistus. If he felt the slightest hint of regret, that would have been enough.

    I could put this whirlwind of emotions that I don¡¯t even understand to rest.

    But Trismegistus¡¯ face was as usual, devoid of any emotion. It seems he didn¡¯t have any humanity left in him to feel grief.

    Realizing that, I felt sorry for both Trismegistus and Fannabelta. Why?

    No, I know exactly why. I¡¯m unconsciouslyparing them to me and Fran. What if we end up the same way? It drives me crazy to think about it.

    Maybe Fran will never turn out like Trismegistus, but I can¡¯t say what will happen to me.

    What if I get an Original Sin skill too? What if my sword transformation progresses? Will Fran eventually abandon me? No, she¡¯ll never do that. However, I would rather her abandon me if I ever bring her harm. Wait, maybe I should just destroy myself first? Yes, that¡¯s the only¨D¨D

    The negative thoughts filled every corner of my head. I knew Fannabelta¡¯s emotions were the cause, but I just couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    ¡¸Master? Are you okay? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here with you.¡¹

    ¡ºRight¡­¡­¡»

    It¡¯s strange. The moment I heard Fran¡¯s voice, it felt like all the negative feelings vanished¡­¡­ Or rather, they¡¯re still there, but they didn¡¯t bother me anymore.

    ¡ºI¡¯m fine. I¡¯m¡­ still me.¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­? Of course. Master is Master. You¡¯re my partner.¡¹

    ¡ºHaha, yeah.¡»

    Fran is the best partner I could ask for, so I can¡¯t make her sad. No matter what, I will never allow myself to go insane.

 Chapter 1033

    <h4>1033: Uneptable Feelings</h4>

    ¡ºPhew¡­¡­¡­¡»

    The negative feelings pouring in from Fannabelta finally calmed down.

    ¡ºI¡¯m okay now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran held me in her arms as she red at Trismegistus.

    ¡¸This was our reward?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    There was no emotion in Trismegistus¡¯ voice, even though he had just lost his beloved sword, his lifelong partner.

    I couldn¡¯t even feel anger anymore.

    There was only pity.

    For Fannabelta, who was called unnecessary by the one she had served for so many years. For Trismegistus, who showed no grief despite losing his partner.

    Was there anything in those eyes? Just a tiny bit of emotional turmoil? Maybe he was grieving after all? Did he want to put Fannabelta to rest before she wentpletely mad? Or was it just my desire and Fannabelta¡¯s emotions making it seem that way?

    Fran¡¯s ears drooped. She must have thought something simr. Her earlier anger and killing intent had vanished, and she seemed to feel sympathy for Trismegistus and Fannabelta.

    It must be horrifying how utterly different they were from us. Like an encounter with the unknown. She tightened her grip on the arms holding me.

    ¡¸I know your sword has the Cannibalize ability. Thus, I decided to grant you power.¡¹

    ¡ºDo you have a spare of Fannabelta somewhere? Like a backup of her memory or something?¡»

    ¡¸There is no such thing.¡¹

    ¡ºJeez¡­¡­¡»

    In other words, he¡¯ll serve out his divine punishment alone for the rest of eternity? I know the guy deserves it, but that¡¯s just¡­¡­

    Trismegistus¡¯ figure suddenly blurred after he answered our question.

    ¡¸Hmm. It seems I have reached the limit of¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸He¡¯s gone?¡¹

    Trismegistus suddenly dissipated into nothingness. There must be a limit for the amount of time he could remain outside the barrier. At about the same time, Izario regained consciousness.

    ¡¸Fran¡­ that you¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Izario, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­A lot better than I thought I¡¯d be. Why?¡¹

    ¡ºThanks to Trismegistus.¡»

    I exined to Izario about how Trismegistus used Original Sin Envy to save him.

    Izario seemed to ept my words without doubt.

    ¡¸I¡¯m a valuable asset to him, so it makes sense.¡¹

    ¡ºHe apparently stole a few hours of your time, but how do you feel?¡»

    We checked out Izario¡¯s condition. He still felt the wear and tear from before we arrived at the castle, but was otherwisepletely fine. After quickly getting back up, he was able to walk without issue.

    Or rather, he even regained the levels that should have been lost as the price of divine sword usage.

    He might even be able to fight in this condition. Afterward, I exined all of Trismegistus¡¯ actions behind the scenes.

    ¡ºIzario, what do you think of Trismegistus now?¡»

    It¡¯s not like my sense of justice is telling me he needs to die. But I also don¡¯t have the tolerance to forgive him just because I feel a bit sorry.

    I think I¡¯d prefer him gone, but it¡¯s not like we can kill him or anything. Isn¡¯t there even a possibility of divine punishment if we interfere with his mission? So there¡¯s really nothing we can do?

    ¡ºI don¡¯t have any clue what to do with him anymore¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸I know it¡¯s frustrating, but you have to understand that¡¯s how it is and give up. No matter what we say, Trismegistus won¡¯t change, and there¡¯s literally nothing we can do about him. Besides, we¡¯re technically the ones trespassing on the continent.¡¹

    ¡¸He said that only those who can fight are allowed to stay.¡¹

    ¡¸I suppose that¡¯s one strategy.¡¹

    ¡ºBut we need a source of production to support the military, right? That means we need towns, and anyrge gathering of people will result in the birth of children and poption expansion.¡»

    Sure, Trismegistus might consider a lot of those people pointless. But there are cksmiths, alchemists, cooks, etc. Aren¡¯t such craftsmen necessary to support the dragonkin fighting within the barrier?

    ¡¸Trismegistus has no need for supplies, and the dragonkin are capable of passing through the barrier. There¡¯s no reason we absolutely require frontline bases on the inside. Trismegistus must have calcted that having such a huge poption feeding the antidemons was making things less efficient.¡¹

    Gordicia was originally thend for Trismegistus and the dragonkin to atone for their sins. Moreover, the gods said that those without the ability to fight should not enter.

    And if anyone dares to interfere with his atonement, they risk getting eliminated. Basically, all who pass through the barrier must live with the danger.

    ¡¸Consider Trismegistus and antidemons to be natural disasters. You won¡¯t make it long here if you can¡¯t ept this fact.¡¹

    ¡º¡­¡­That may be true, but I just¡­¡­¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine too. epting things that easily will make you cynical. Like me.¡¹

    Izarioughed in self-mockery. Even he wasn¡¯t as detached as he imed. However, it¡¯s certainly important for someone living on this continent.

    That¡¯s probably what he tells himself at least.

    ¡ºSo Trismegistus was the only winner in all of this?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡­There¡¯s no doubt this incident shaved off a great deal of the Abyss Eater¡¯s power, and the legendary monster¡¯s escape would mean the end of the world. I hate to say it, but he contributed to world peace. Think of it that way.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, true¡­¡­ Besides, he lost Fannabelta. It¡¯s not a wless victory.¡»

    As I was sighing, I saw someone running up to us.

    ¡¸Izario, Fran! You okay!?¡¹

    ¡¸You guys alright too?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed!¡¹

    It was Mea. The others with her seemed to be capable of moving as well.

    The sphere form¡¯s collision attack and everything afterward was really hectic, but it seems many managed to survive. They all naturally gathered at Izario¡¯s side.

    Everyone was in shambles. Even Orfalve¡¯s high-quality dwarven armor was covered in holes.

    Urushi carried Sophie, while two adventurers carried Ashwrath. Both of them were still unconscious.

    That said, their numbers have dwindled. Adventurers, soldiers, and knights alike probably had less than half of their original members.

    Still, we defeated the giant antidemon and ended the crisis. Many were busy mourning the dead and celebrating victory.

    Also, there was no sign of the Holy Nation¡¯s main forces. It seems they withdrew on their own. Well, they would have been useless without Adol, so not like it changed anything¡­¡­

    As much as we¡¯d like to call it a day too, that¡¯s not happening just yet. This army came here to check on the antidemon anomaly.

    The better off members of our forces gathered to discuss our future course of action: Orfalve, Izario, Hagane¡¯s Sakaki, the Knight Captain of Srd after returning, and finally Seliadot, who seemed to have a topic in mind. It¡¯d be best if we could talk to Trismegistus too, but he literally tried to kill us a while back.

    Well, I doubt he cares anymore, but just in case. I mean, there¡¯s always a possibility he¡¯ll attack us out of the blue for some reason that doesn¡¯t make any sense.

    And after his goal is aplished, he¡¯ll praise us again without any disy of emotion.

    I just can¡¯t get along with Trismegistus. If possible, I¡¯d rather not see him for a while. I need time toe to terms with these feelings.

    Fran probably hates him even more than I do. Even if he didn¡¯t kill anyone directly, his n caused the death of many innocents, and he even tried to destroy me. She wasn¡¯t angry enough to swear vengeance or anything, but seeing his face again would be more than enough to piss her off.

    As I was thinking about this, Fran and Izario suddenly turned up to the sky. I noticed it too, just for the record.

    A powerful vortex of mana far above us.

    ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, what¡­¡­? Is this divine energy?¡¹

    A burst of light suddenly descended upon us.

 Chapter 1034

    <h4>1034: The God of Vegetation</h4>

    I observed the light descending upon us from the skies above. It was ominously powerful, radiating divine energy.

    It gradually took on a spherical shape as it got closer. Arge ball of light with a blinding glow.

    This immediately put me on full alert, yet the others didn¡¯t react at all. They certainly sensed the unusual aura, but they didn¡¯t have the slightest idea that it could be something dangerous.

    Izario and Orfalve simply stood still. It was as if they were distracted or rendered unable to defend themselves. The best of the best gathered here didn¡¯t even reach for their weapons.

    I managed to put up a barrier around those closest to me, but I won¡¯t make it in time for the others!

    ¡ºKrh!¡»

    I braced myself for the expected impact.

    But it didn¡¯te.

    ¡º?¡»

    ¡¸Rest assured. I mean you no harm.¡¹

    Instead, a stiff, monotone voice rang out. The tone was a bit simr to Announcer-san, perhaps?

    ¡ºEh? Who¡¯s this?¡»

    ¡¸I am among the pir deities ruling over greenery, the one you call the God of Vegetation.¡¹

    Haah? A god? If they call themselves the God of Vegetation, I guess they are rted to the Forest God?

    But what¡¯s going on? Everyone else seemed frozen stiff after making contact with the godly aura.

    No, maybe a few of them were okay? Guys like Izario, Hilt, and Fran managed to regain control rtively quickly.

    The reason I was able to move from the beginning must be the same as how the Evil God can¡¯t control me. My soul was from Earth, so I¡¯m resistant to the presence of the gods.

    The ball of light floated a few meters above the ground, continuing to speak as if ignoring our reactions.

    ¡¸The reason for my descent is to bring down divine punishment.¡¹

    The ball of light, the God of Vegetation, shed brightly. Particles of light were released into the surroundings, before quickly swirling together in front of the god and gradually taking a shape.

    The shape of a person, a girl we have seen before.

    ¡ºMeltritte¡­¡­¡»

    Meltritte, someone who should have disappeared along with the giant antidemon, was now lying on the ground.

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­ Why am I¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I have reconstituted your body with the soul sleeping here as its core. You must atone for your sins. I will decide your punishment.¡¹

    The god¡¯s quiet, yet inescapable words took the breath away from everyone present.

    This was noughing matter. Divine punishment was that terrifying.

    Seliadot¡¯s reaction seemed a bit different from the rest. Her face went extremely pale, with her breathing erratic. Exactly what she had feared came to pass. She looked up at the god and muttered in a trembling voice.

    ¡¸A nature god¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean, Seliadot?¡»

    £¨Is this the sword speaking to me? Gods taking the form of a person can be expected to show mercy andpassion. However, the non-human gods of nature will do no such thing.£©

    ¡ºSo you¡¯re saying they don¡¯t care at all for extenuating circumstances, and deliver their judgment without emotion?¡»

    £¨Precisely¡­¡­ Punishments will not grow harsher due to anger, nor lighter due to pity. When ites down to it, divine punishment is often intended to make an example of someone. Such punishments tend to be more gruesome when a nature god is in charge.£©

    ¡ºDoes the content and scale of divine punishment actually change depending on the deity?¡»

    £¨In the human world, a punishment depends on the will of the judge, correct? Even if the crime is the same, differences may form based on the one taking charge. The gods are no different in this regard.£©

    If two people are to receive a punishment of tenshes, the one whipped by a buff guy will feel more pain than the one whipped by a scrawny guy. More to the point, different judges can easily give different sentences for the same crime.

    And in the case of nature gods, the punishments are often given without emotion and regard for circumstances.

    £¨The gods of nature do not care much for us people in the first ce.£©

    ¡ºIt does seem that way.¡»

    But where did she even learn all this?

    £¨I could never forgive that damned poison master¡¯s crimes, so I once investigated why the gods never punished him. Well, it turns out that the gods care little for the quarrels of men.£©

    Seliadot didn¡¯t mention it out loud, but she was thinking about using an Evil God Fragment too, wasn¡¯t she?

    Her target was an incredibly powerful master of poisons, along with an organization controlling a vast army of illegal ves. Much too powerful to challenge all by her lonesome. Perhaps she considered abusing the Evil God Fragments, but gave up once she realized it would result in divine punishment.

    That¡¯s just my hypothesis, but she seemed convinced that Meltritte would receive divine punishment. She must be well informed on the matter.

    £¨And I didn¡¯t expected it to be this fast¡­¡­£©

    ¡ºThat¡¯s probably because of the divine swords here.¡»

    £¨What are you¨D¨DNo, I see. The divine swords are kin to the gods, sharing a portion of their powers. Can they view the world of men through the divine swords?£©

    ¡ºApparently so.¡»

    £¨So that is why¡­¡­ I cannot say if this makes me lucky or unlucky¡­£©

    I¡¯d say it¡¯s also rted to how the Beast-Bug God descended a while back. The conditions were just right for a godly descent.

    The ball of light flickered as Seliadot watched on with a pale face.

    ¡¸Sinner Meltritte. Your sin is unauthorized contact with a fragment of the Evil God and abuse for personal gain.¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    Meltritte tried to say something in return, but her voice was muffled. I guess her charges had already been decided, leaving no room for a rebuttal. I¡¯ve always thought the gods showed little interest in mortals, even aside from the nature gods. Meltritte¡¯s divine punishment was seemingly unrted to her massacre of innocent people. That must not be a crime in their eyes.

    However, Seliadot looked slightly perplexed.

    £¨Stating her charges¡­¡­?£©

    ¡ºThe other gods don¡¯t usually give reasons for their punishments?¡»

    £¨I can only say it depends on the deity. However, the nature gods tend to enforce their punishments without any notification. There are countless stories about towns or persons annihted before they knew it.£©

    ¡ºUwah. That¡¯s damn scary.¡»

    When I think about it that way, the ball of light seemed pretty reasonable despite being a nature god. Maybe they were one of the nicer ones?

    ¡¸However, you did not contact the Evil God Fragment directly, instead through another indirectly. In addition, the transfer of power via divine artifact may be interpreted as forming a valid contract. Therefore, this punishment shall fall on you as an individual.¡¹

    Wasn¡¯t this exactly what Seliadot wanted us to hear? This particr god seemed capable of consideration after all.

    Seliadot felt so relieved that she was about to copse, which was understandable since the future of the lorelei race just got spared.

    ¡¸You are to hunt antidemons on this continent, until the day Gordicia¡¯s Evil God Fragment is released.¡¹

    The moment the god said these words, Meltritte¡¯s body glowed intensely.

    ¡¸Your body is now the same as the sinner Trismegistus. Continue your atonement in this eternal, unchanging prison.¡¹

 Chapter 1035

    <h4>1035: Changes in Master</h4>

    ¡¸Divine punishment¡­¡­? Why me!? I havemitted no sin! It¡¯s the dragonkin who are to me! I was just trying to rid the world of those pests! It¡¯s the gods¡¯ fault for creating those lizards in the first ce! Why is killing them a sin?! I have done nothing wrong!¡¹

    Now she¡¯s even shifting her me onto the gods. Did her temporary death cause her to turn defiant?

    Amidst the endless rant, the God of Vegetation spoke again.

    ¡¸Let men judge the crimes of their fellows. Your sin is abuse of the Abyss Eater.¡¹

    ¡¸Then what about Georg?! Bring him back to life and punish him too!¡¹

    ¡¸Georg was given the role of the missionary by a fragment of the Evil God. Borrowing its power proves no issue.¡¹

    ¡¸Trismegistus then!¡¹

    ¡¸That man is bonded to the Evil God Fragment. Thus, he hasmitted no sin.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Him? Bonded to the Evil God? Even though he¡¯s the one constantly attacking it?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. The Evil God Fragment entrapped within the Abyss Eater desires freedom. Therefore, it may sometimes bestow power to those wishing for the monster¡¯s destruction, such as Trismegistus and Georg.¡¹

    I see. I had equated the Abyss Eater with the Evil God Fragment inside of it, but I guess that¡¯s not the case.

    Now that you mention it, most people would go out of control after getting power from an Evil God Fragment. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why Georg started behaving so unnaturally.

    Meanwhile, Trismegistus was one of the most powerful men in the world. That allowed him to resist domination.

    Unconvinced by the argument, Meltritte continued her rant to the god.

    ¡¸In the first ce, it¡¯s called the ¡°Evil God¡±! Literally evil! What¡¯s so wrong with abusing its powers?! You guys are the ones who took it down in the first ce!¡¹

    ¡¸The Evil God is still a divine entity. A mortal¡¯s wrongful transgression into any god¡¯s domain bes sin. Sinner, ept your punishment.¡¹

    ¡¸Why, why!? This is bullshit! Why should I¨D¨D¡¹

    The god left abruptly after itsst statement, ascending to the heavens at an incredible speed. Maybe their home is somewhere up there? I guess the myth about the gods living on the moon had some truth behind it.

    Meltritte also disappeared while everyone was still stunned, probably teleported somewhere. Perhaps Trismegistus¡¯ castle?

    If so, that¡¯s one more reason I don¡¯t want to go back. Well, not that we can since it¡¯s still in pieces right now.

    But Trismegistus disappeared a while back. That means the area around the throne room, the ce of his return, may have been fixed.

    No one spoke for a while, until Izario broke the silence. Jayne and Mea were the next to speak up. Maybe the divine sword users maintained a stronger resistance to the divine energy.

    ¡¸We can¡¯t just stand around here forever. Gotta decide what we¡¯re gonna do next.¡¹

    ¡¸Now we have to check the castle.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t forget about transporting the wounded.¡¹

    After that, we divided into two groups.

    One for scouting the area around the castle, consisting of Izario, Seliadot, Jayne and the demonkin, along with a few of the dragonkin elites.

    The rest will be the returning troops, for rescue, medical support, and transporting the wounded. The dwarves took charge as the transport experts. Mea and her Beast Kingdom members, as well as Hilt and the Dimitris style disciples were to escort the return party.

    Meanwhile, we joined the group headed for the castle.

    I¡¯d really rather join the return party, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ignore Trismegistus. I also wanted to see if Fannabelta was seriously gone for good.

    I asked him if he had a spare and he denied it. However, maybe Fannabelta gets resurrected alongside Trismegistus without needing any spares? His clothes and stuff gets restored along with him, so maybe Fannabeltaes back too.

    I needed to make sure.

    We all trudged through the wilderness.

    None of us were enthusiastic despite our victory, probably because of the numerous casualties. Besides, there were many shocking events, namely Trismegistus revealing his horrifying n and Meltritte¡¯s divine punishment.

    Everyone walked in silence without any small talk. No wait, Jayne was chatting happily with her subordinates.

    Surprisingly, not too many people had their eyes on us. I thought I might be a bit of a spectacle, but I guess I was just some fancy magic tool whenpared to the giant antidemon or divine swords.

    £¨Master, you okay? After absorbing Fannabelta too.£©

    ¡ºYeah, for the moment at least.¡»

    I was worried about taking on Original Sin Envy, but that didn¡¯t happen. Unlike my magic stone absorption, cannibalism doesn¡¯t absorb all of my target¡¯s skills perfectly.

    However, I didn¡¯t get away unscathed. I found myself with the skill ¡°Shard of Envy¡±. This was a passive skill giving me a bonus to perception and appraisal, in exchange for enhancing my jealousy. Am I supposed to feel more envy after looking at other people¡¯s stuff or something?

    Fannabelta¡¯s torrent of emotions was extremely powerful. I expected something like this might happen, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m fine with it.

    The effect seems to be incredibly tiny, so I doubt it¡¯ll change much. At the very least, I didn¡¯t notice myself getting more jealous yet.

    ¡ºI also got stuff from devouring the cross-sword too, so it¡¯s hard to tell which change came from what.¡»

    Since myst upgrade upon absorbing Overgrowth, my attack increased by 110 to a total of 1612. Seems a bit small after taking in the power of the cross-sword, the Bringer of Hope, as well as Fannabelta.

    Especially since Overgrowth alone increased my attack by 150. No wait, perhaps Overgrowth was special? The de had absorbed a ton of antidemon power beforehand.

    Meanwhile I got about +5000 to mana +700 to durability. Such a huge boost to mana is very helpful. I¡¯m pretty much at the level where I can take on unreleased divine swords now. I did eat a lot of failed ones, after all.

    Unfortunately, mana conductivity didn¡¯t increase. As for the most important part, the skills¡­¡­

    ¡ºAside from Shard of Envy, I got two more normal skills: ¡°Data Processing¡± and ¡°Devotion¡±.¡»

    Data Processing was a skill for thinking about multiple things simultaneously. Seems to be a weaker version of Parallel Processing. However, this new skill should assist in activating multiple spells and skills at the same time. A pretty useful boost to mybat abilities.

    Probably came from Fannabelta? She was supposedly a very calm and calcting person before obtaining Original Sin Envy. Oh, but it might also contain a part of the Bringer of Hope. She was kinda like Announcer-san too.

    The Devotion skill was a bit weird. The description said it gives me more energy and motivation as long as I¡¯m focused on working for someone else¡¯s sake.

    So I guess I get a small bonus when I fight for Fran? Well, it seems like a decently useful skill.

    Also my Ice Magic skill got boosted from Lv1 to Lv3. This must be from cannibalizing Fannabelta, a renown ice mage.

    ¡ºAnd this other one was probably the result of taking in Evil-Eater¡¯s abilities.¡»

    My ¡°Golden Form¡± skill transformed into the ¡°Golden Hue¡± skill.

    The antidemon ying power remained the same, but it apparently gained the ability to temporarily charge my de with the mana of defeated antidemons. I could use the mana drained from antidemons to take even more of them down.

    A skill only useful against antidemons. To be honest, we¡¯re nning to leave this continent soon, so I doubt it¡¯ll have much of a chance to shine.

    ¡ºFinally, this one.¡»

    The ¡°Evil Domination¡± and ¡°Evil Torrent¡± skills had vanished from my skill list, and a new skill, ¡°Evil Conquest¡± was added. This change was probably caused by my cannibalization of Falldown.

    All these evil-rted skills were integrated together. The effect allowed the maniption, amplification, and removal of evil energy, as well asmunication with the Evil God. Basically a superior version of all the evil-rted skills I¡¯ve obtained thus far.

    Oh, and of course my name. My stats listed it as ¡°Human de, Master¡±.

    ¡ºHuman de, Master¡­¡­ It still soundsme!¡»

    I know I¡¯m repeating myself, but was there really nothing better?!

    £¨That¡¯s not true. It sounds super cool.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­Really?¡»

    £¨Nn! Perfect for Master, who is both a sword and a human! Super duper cool.£©

    ¡ºY-You really think so?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    I¡¯ll always be myself, but I¡¯m also Fran¡¯s sword. I have to respect her will too.

    £¨Almost as good as Hyper Powerful Super Cool de, Master.£©

    ¡º¡­¡­I-I see.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    I guess I can leave it at that if Fran¡¯s happy with the name.

    <strong>Author Notes</strong>

    Here are the current stats of Master:

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Human de, Master

    <strong>Wielder:</strong> Fran (Fixed)

    <strong>Race:</strong> Intelligence Unique Weapon

    <strong>Attack:</strong> 1502¡ú1612

    <strong>Mana:</strong> 20460¡ú25460/25460

    <strong>Durability:</strong> 16560¡ú17290/17290

    <strong>Mana Conductivity:</strong> SS

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Appraisal: Lv Max, Appraisal Blocking, Morphing, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self-Evolution (Rank 18, Magic Stone Points 28/17100, Memory 50, Points 44), Self-Alteration (SP Upgrade), Telekinesis, Telepathy

    Space-Time Magic: Lv Max, Skill Sharing, Wielder Stat Boost (Large), Wielder Recovery (Small), Heavenly Eye, Seal Nullification, Magical Beast Knowledge, Blessing of the Chaos Goddess, Blessing of the Wisdom God, Magic Supply, Spirit Perception, Shard of Envy, Data Processing, Devotion

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Principle of Falsehoods: Lv5, Dimensional Magic: Lv4, Evil Crusher, Divine Energy Maniption, Spirit Hand, Golden Form¡úGolden Hue, Transmission, Sorcerer¡úArch-Sorcerer, Evil Conquest (Evil Domination + Evil Torrent)

    <strong>Extra Skills</strong>

    Evolution Camouge, Divine Dragon Form

    <strong>SP Skills</strong>

    Skilltaker SP, Multi Body Double SP, Magic Regtion SP

 Chapter 1036

    <h4>1036: On the Beast King''s Level?</h4>

    ¡ºBut I¡¯m not the only one growing, right? Fran and Urushi, you guys got a level too.¡»

    £¨Whoa!£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    After a fierce battle against such a mighty enemy, you might think a single level was a bit anticlimactic. But Fran¡¯s level was in the 70s, and she managed to level up while participating in a huge army.

    The giant antidemon alone must have been worth tens of thousands lower/middle ss antidemons, or even hundreds of thousands.

    In fact, I overheard some of the other adventurers talking, and there were quite a few who gained over 10 levels.

    It seems Fran will need an immense amount of experience to level up in the future. Besides, the quality of our enemies might be more important.

    Killing your average goblin is a drop in a bucket now. Maybe such a weakling wouldn¡¯t even give us experience anymore.

    We may have to ce more importance on improving our skills rather than our level. Now that I think about it, Fran gained a lot of things besides levels.

    Most importantly the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing, but also multiple skills: Fear Resistance, Persistence, Sleep Resistance, Regeneration, Fortitude, among others. All of these should be difficult to acquire in a short period of time, outside of an extraordinary situation like this one.

    This wasn¡¯tpletely due to our battles on this continent. Fran¡¯s been constantly fighting ever since she met me. Everything contributed to the growth of her skills.

    She also got skills from these experiences: Farsight, Kick Mastery, Morale Boost, and Sense of Bnce. Her Blink skill reached max level, evolving into the high tier skill, Blink Step. Her speed was only getting faster.

    The boost in stats wasn¡¯t as big as when she leveled from 69 to 70. Herst level up was probably due to the bonuses from realizing Divine Beast Form as well as reaching a good breaking point.

    However, she still got +100 to HP and MP. She even got +70 to AGI, pushing the number over 1000.

    All of her other stats increased by about 30~40.

    Like I expected, stat growths get boosted tremendously at level 70. Though as a result, raising your level bes incredibly difficult.

    In addition, she also obtained a title: ¡°Descendant of the Divine Beasts¡±.

    The description said it¡¯s a title given to those capable of sensing the divine beast blood flowing through their veins. Maybe she manifested this title by borrowing the power of the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing, and thus manipting the divine attribute?

    The effect was rather vague, something about her instincts as a divine beast bing stronger. I don¡¯t get it at all, but it might be some requirement for attaining Divine Beast Form.

    That said, shouldn¡¯t the Beast King obviously have this title too? Yet when I looked at his stats before, I couldn¡¯t find anything like it. I guess my appraisal was unable to identify some higher level skills and titles like these.

    That means many of the people we¡¯ve met in the past may have important skills or titles that I missed. Maybe I¡¯d be able to see them as I am now?

    Urushi also reached level 71, and he got higher stat boosts than Fran. I think that¡¯s a characteristic of magic beasts. His HP alone rose by like +250.

    However, the growth of his skills wasn¡¯t that impressivepared to his stats. Unlike people, beasts don¡¯t learn skills as quickly.

    Makes sense. If they outpaced people in both skills and stats, the human races would¡¯ve gone extinct ages ago.

    Urushi did gain the skills of Transport and Fortitude though. Transport was probably from carrying so many people. Fortitude should be for experiencing so many fierce battles, the same as Fran.

    ¡ºEither way, you¡¯re both already level 71.¡»

    That¡¯s the same level as the Beast King back when I first appraised him. The current Fran was pretty much even to him when ites to stats. Whenpared to Amanda, Fran¡¯s statspletely outmatched her¡¯s. Maybe that¡¯s due to racial differences?

    No wait, there¡¯s the issue of me being unable to see the Beast King¡¯s title. Considering that, I can¡¯t say for sure if my previous appraisals were actually valid.

    Still, Fran was definitely one step closer to their world.

    The fact that we¡¯re closing in on them so fast was due to Fran¡¯s efforts. I admit that my abilities yed a role too, but all of my power belongs to her.

    None of this would be possible without Fran giving her all.

    That said, I still have concerns. Namely, our skills.

    Fran may be on par with Beast King Rigdis (or his false appraisal?) in terms of stats, but numbers aren¡¯t everything.

    The bigger problem is that he has better skills than us, as well aspletely outmatching us in terms ofbat experience.

    Rigdis is a talented Spearking, an aplished mage, and an experienced hero. Fran and I are nowhere near that. We¡¯d easily lose if we tried to fight him head on.

    Should I praise Fran for reaching the Beast King¡¯s level? Or would it be better to warn her that we haven¡¯t gotten that far yet¡­¡­?

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºOh uh, I was just thinking about how you two reached the same level as the Beast King.¡»

    £¨Mrgh?£©

    Fran frowned when I said that.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨We¡¯re still way behind even if our level is the same. There¡¯s nothing to be happy about.£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    ¡ºNo but, your stats are about the same too, right?¡»

    £¨Even so. I can fight if I have you, Master, but I would never win on my own. My skills and experience arecking.£©

    It seems Fran reached the same conclusion as me. She looked frustrated.

    £¨My level is high, yet my skills are still weak. I¡¯m just like the nobles who got power leveled.£©

    ¡ºNo way! That¡¯s not true at all! You¡¯re way better than those stupid nobles! The Beast King has decades of experience, so don¡¯t worry about him right now. We¡¯ll catch up one day.¡»

    £¨Nn. I¡¯ll do my best.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    £¨I¡¯ll try even harder!£©

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    I was stupid for ever thinking Fran and Urushi would grow arrogant after bing a little stronger. In fact, I should be more worried about them getting too ambitious and pushing their limits too hard.

    <strong>Author Notes</strong>

    Stats of Fran and Urushi:

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Fran

    <strong>Age:</strong> 13

    <strong>Race:</strong> Beastkin / ck Cat / ck Heavenly Tiger

    <strong>upation:</strong> Swordking

    <strong>Status:</strong> Contract

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 70¡ú71/99

    HP: 1092¡ú1238

    MP: 1008¡ú1166

    STR: 591¡ú632

    VIT: 486¡ú524

    AGI: 945¡ú1015

    INT: 386¡ú425

    MAG: 698¡ú751

    DEX: 370¡ú409

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Sole Sense: Lv 5, Intimidation: Lv 8, Farsight: Lv 1, Stealth: Lv 8, Evasion: Lv 6, Fire Resistance: Lv 5, Wind Magic: Lv 7, Court Etiquette: Lv 4, Fear Resistance: Lv 2, Vignce: Lv 5, Presence Detection: Lv 9, Sword Mastery: Lv Max, Holy Sword Mastery: Lv 4, Sword Arts: Lv Max, Holy Sword Arts: Lv 2, Regeneration: Lv 1, Morale Boost: Lv 1, Evil Resistance: Lv 7, Kicking Mastery: Lv 1, Blink: Lv Max, Blink Step: Lv 2, Silent Action: Lv 4, Sleep Resistance: Lv 1, Mental Resistance: Lv 4, Survival Technique: Lv 3, Spirit Magic: Lv 1, Elemental Sword: Lv 3, Ocean Resistance: Lv 1, Earth Resistance: Lv 2, Provocation: Lv 4, Intuition: Lv 6, Poison Resistance Lv4, Perseverance: Lv3, Fire Magic: Lv9, Physical Barrier: Lv6, Storm Resistance: Lv2, Paralysis Resistance: Lv2, Magic Sense: Lv5, Burn Resistance: Lv5, Thunder Magic: Lv8, Cooking: Lv3, Trap Disarming: Lv2, Trap Detection: Lv3

    Undead Killer, Evil Killer, Insect Killer, Orc Killer, Energy Maniption, Enhanced Sword Arts, Enhanced Sword Mastery, Goblin Killer, Mental Stability, Growth Boost, Demon Killer, Adept Skinner, Fortitude, Conviction, Split Thinking, Sense of Bnce, Sense of Direction, Magic Maniption, Night Vision

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Grace of the Sword God, Blessing of the Beast-Bug God

    <strong>Innate Skills</strong>

    Awakening, Sword God Transformation, Brilliant Lightning Rush

    <strong>Special Skills</strong>

    Blessing of the ck Heavenly Tiger

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Undead Killer, Match for Thousands, Evil Killer, Insect Killer, Orc Killer, Big Game Hunter, Lord of Dismantling, Healer, Elemental Maste?r, Sword King, Goblin Killer, One Who ughters, Fiend Eradicator, March of the Valkyrie, Skill Collector, Skill Maniac, Dungeon Conqueror, Super Big Shot Devourer, Demon Killer, Earth Mage, Matchless Warrior, Fire Mage, Wind Mage, Monster Annihtor, Thunder Mage, Lord of Cooking, Descendant of the Divine Beasts

    <strong>Equipment</strong>

    Human de Master, Heavy Magisteel Sword

    ck Heavenly Tiger Set (Names: ck Heavenly Tiger Armor, ck Heavenly Tiger Gloves, ck Heavenly Tiger Light Shoes, ck Heavenly Tiger Earring, ck Heavenly Tiger Mantle, ck Heavenly Belt), Bracelet of Super-Strength, Bracelet of Substitution, Ne of the Magician, Bracelet of Concealment

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Urushi

    <strong>Race:</strong> Ragnarok Wolf / Magical Wolf / Magical Beast

    <strong>Status:</strong> Normal

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 70¡ú71/99

    HP: 1902¡ú2152

    MP: 1989¡ú2189

    STR: 1315¡ú1415

    VIT: 528¡ú629

    AGI: 1396¡ú1599

    INT: 375¡ú405

    MAG: 1466¡ú1581

    DEX: 294¡ú315

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    ck Magic: Lv 8, Acute Smell: Lv Max, Transport: Lv 1, Shouting: Lv 4, Stealth: Lv 8, Super Strength: Lv 4, Shadow Shift: Lv 3, Shadow Lurk: Lv Max, Shadow Walk: Lv Max, Fang Arts: Lv 9, Fang Mastery: Lv 9, Air Hop: Lv 8, Berserk: Lv 7, Fear: Lv 7, Vignce: Lv 8, Presence Concealment: Lv 6, Fast Regeneration: Lv 5, Hard Power: Lv Max, Regeneration: Lv Max, Death Poison Magic: Lv 4, Detect Evil: Lv 6, Evil Resistance: Lv 6, Blink: Lv Max, Blink Step: Lv 5, Silent Action: Lv 7, Status Resistance: Lv 6, Necromancy: Lv 6, Life Detection: Lv Max, Mental Resistance: Lv Max, w Arts: Lv 7, w Mastery: Lv 5, Poison Magic: Lv Max, Vigor: Lv 5, Echolocation: Lv Max, Roar: Lv Max, Magic Resistance: Lv 6, Magic Absorption: Lv 6, Nightshade: Lv Max, Dark Magic: Lv Max, Thunder Resistance: Lv 7, Dark Nullification, Night Vision, Royal Poison Fang, Fur Enhancement, Regeneration Obstruction, Auto-Healing, Greater Sizeshift, Poison Nullification, Fortitude, Split Thinking, Stampede, Magic Control

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Dark Absorption, Predatory Recovery

    <strong>Extra Skills</strong>

    Predatory Assimtion

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Dimension Fang, Kin Intimidation, Kin Aversion, Seal Nullification

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Kin to the Sword, Kin to the Divine Wolf, Solitary Beast, Predator of Fiends, Inexhaustible Predator, One and Only

    <strong>Equipment</strong> Godsteel ws, Wyrm Cor

 Chapter 1037

    <h4>1037: Partner of Trismegistus</h4>

    Trismegistus¡¯ castle was still covered in wreckage. However, certain parts had already been restored.

    The outer walls of the castle were gradually rebuilt before our eyes.

    This restoration process proved to be a very interesting scene, causing Fran to stare at it.

    It was nothing like regeneration skills, where the flesh slowly rises up to fill in wounds. It wasn¡¯t the rubble rewinding back intoplete walls either.

    First, a translucent hologram-like wall gets projected into the air. Then with a powerful glow of light from the hologram, the wall suddenly became solid before we knew it.

    Another hologram appears next to the restored wall, again and again, fixing all the copsed walls one after another. It was a very strange sight, even for me.

    ¡¸Hmm? Something is glowing over there.¡¹

    ¡¸That where the throne room was supposed to be?¡¹

    We saw a light rising from the center of the pile of rubble. Like Izario said, this was probably the throne room.

    Our group decided to head over to the light.

    Making our way forward, we climbed over the piles of rubble, asionally shoving them out of the way, or piling them up to make footholds.

    After about 10 minutes of rubble climbing, the view changed drastically.

    There was a veryrge open space in the middle of all the debris, shaped like a crater.

    At the center of it all stood an intact throne. Naturally, the king we were looking for was sitting down there.

    He saw us atop of the pile of rubble before immediately turning away, seemingly uninterested.

    There was no ceiling, no walls, no floor, only the throne and the ground on which it rested. We were surrounded on all sides by the castle¡¯s wreckage.

    Such a pitiful sight, and onepletely befitting Trismegistus. It was as if the essence of this dragonkin had taken physical form, and we all knew it.

    A superficial king ruling from the center of his ruined castle.

    ¡¸¡­¡­How pitiful.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve gotta be careful not to turn out like him.¡¹

    Izario and Jayne must have felt something simr to me. Both looked down at Trismegistus with varied emotions.

    We descended the pile of rubble and approached Trismegistus.

    ¡¸Izario, Fran, and Jayne I see. What business do you have?¡¹

    ¡¸Not much, just wanted to check on a few things.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. I shall answer your questions.¡¹

    Call it detached or emotionless, but his attitude was the same as ever.

    However, I only felt a terrible emptiness within him.

    Up until now, he had always given off a simr aura.

    His voice and facial expression were machine-like, devoid of any human warmth. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve ever seen him get upset. I could understand why if he¡¯s been kept alive so long that his heart waspletely worn out.

    But after seeing the current Trismegistus, I knew his earlier form was still better. Previously, he was still a dragonkin, though one whose mind has been worn out and turned machine-like.

    The one in front of us now was nothing more than a puppet. I felt like I was standing in front of a Flesh Golem.

    A mere puppet made from the body of a dragonkin, but without any heart inside. This was just a machine capable of talking to us. I¡¯m sure all of us realized it.

    How can anyone be so empty?

    It wasn¡¯t just Fran and me. Everyone else stopped dead in their tracks with an inexpressible feeling of fear and anxiety. Even Izario gulped.

    ¡ºThat sword is¡­¡­¡»

    £¨Fannabelta?£©

    ¡ºNo. The appearance is simr, but that¡¯s it.¡»

    A silver falchion had been ced next to Trismegistus, but this was not the same Fannabelta. It had no aura, no power, no strange humanity, nothing. I could sense no soul in that sword.

    Trismegistus must have noticed Fran¡¯s intense gaze.

    ¡¸This is the perfected form of an Intelligence Weapon. It shall utter no unnecessary words, nor take unnecessary actions. A true Intelligence Weapon that has achieved maximum rationality and convenience.¡¹

    And that¡¯s why you¡¯re okay with losing Fannabelta? The more rational the better?

    It seems Fran was concerned about something else.

    £¨¡­¡­No.£©

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨That can¡¯t be the perfect Intelligence Weapon! It¡¯s definitely not!£©

    Fran lowered her head and repeated the denial in her mind. Well, agreeing with Trismegistus¡¯ argument would make me super-wed, so there¡¯s no way she could ept that.

    £¨Master, you¡¯re great not because of strength, but because we can talk. Talking makes me happy. Talking makes me feel safe. That other sword isn¡¯t good at all.£©

    ¡ºFran¡­¡­¡»

    Her intense rejection contained repulsion.

    Maybe she imagined the me that waspletely transformed into a sword. Since the other sword evoked that image, she developed an uncontroble hatred toward it.

    However, Fran never spoke this out loud. She knew telling Trismegistus would be pointless. Instead, she asked him a different question.

    ¡¸I heard that Fannabelta managed to stay sane for a long time. How did she do that?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­She had a skill to prevent madness.¡¹

    There was a slight pause, unusual for this man. His golden eyes turned to the silver falchion and narrowed slightly.

    But soon after, Trismegistus continued answering in his usual manner.

    ¡¸Skill?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. An Extra Skill called ¡°Eternal Loyalty¡±. This skill allows you to designate a master and swear your unwavering loyalty. In a sense, enving yourself. In exchange, you can be eternally unchanging for as long as your master exists.¡¹

    So the skill makes you immortal as long as your master is alive? And even more, your mind doesn¡¯t age or morph either?

    ¡¸She had that skill and still lost to Original Sin Envy?¡¹

    ¡¸Incorrect. Fannabelta had Eternal Loyalty stolen from her in exchange for Original Sin Envy.¡¹

    Oh, I see! That¡¯s why she lost to Original Sin Envy so easily and ended up like that.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Where¡¯s the guy who stole her skill?¡¹

    Fran asked again after a short hesitation. I don¡¯t want to be Fran¡¯s ve with that skill, but getting turned into aplete sword is even worse. Might as well get any clues we can find. Fran seemed to be thinking the same thing.

    ¡¸I do not know his name, but he wielded a divine sword.¡¹

 Chapter 1038

    <h4>1038: Poison Master and Divine Sword</h4>

    Eternal Loyalty, a skill that might be a clue to keep me from going crazy. I¡¯d rather not use it as is, since it has the effect of making me a ve to my master.

    But maybe Announcer-san can rework it into something better? I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s actually possible, and it sucks that I have to keep depending on her. In this case, I don¡¯t really have much choice though.

    Either way, it could be an important clue to help me stay as Fran¡¯s partner.

    ¡¸A divine sword¡­¡­ Maybe from the Kingdom of Phyllius?¡¹

    When I think of a divine sword capable of controlling demons, that¡¯s the only one thates to mind¡­¡­

    ¡¸No, they were not. I am aware of Diabolos from Phyllius, but the de¡¯s appearance was different.¡¹

    Does this mean there¡¯s another demon-controlling divine sword besides the Diabolos?

    ¡¸The wielder was a human male. As I stated before, I do not know his name. However, I did recognize the sword in his hands. The Nethergate de, Hell. A divine sword capable of manipting a variety of poisons. In addition, it also seems to be capable of calling down demons into the user¡¯s body and harnessing their powers.¡¹

    Poison and demons? There might be some simrities, but I don¡¯t quite understand the rtionship. Judging from the name ¡°Nethergate de¡±, it¡¯s probably doing something like opening the gates of hell.

    I don¡¯t know if ¡°hell¡± is actually a thing in this world, but demons were supposed to live there from the myths back on Earth. In that case, it would make sense for the Nethergate de to ess demonic powers.

    ¡¸The wielder of Hell was a well-proportioned, slender man with heterochromatic eyes, blond hair, and dark skin.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡­!¡¹

    Seliadot reacted heavily to Trismegistus¡¯ words. Her eyes immediately sharpened, and she jumped onto the conversation.

    ¡¸Where is that man now?!¡¹

    ¡¸I do not know.¡¹

    Trismegistus¡¯ attitude was not very friendly, probably because he didn¡¯t care about Seliadot. However, Seliadot did not back down.

    ¡¸I am sure of it! He is the poison master who destroyed our country!¡¹

    As expected, she had found her target for revenge. A master of poisons with an army of illegal ves. I have to admit my surprise that he wielded a divine sword though. No wonder the lorelei lost so easily.

    ¡¸Do you have any clues? What was he after?¡¹

    ¡¸His only desire seemed to be power. First he asked me about El Dorado, the Golden Dragonde. He must have heard that it was originally forged for me.¡¹

    ¡¸El Dorado was a sword made for Trismegistus?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Whoa, it seems the divine sword El Dorado was intended for Trismegistus to use against the Abyss Eater. The golden dragonkin and the Golden Dragonde. They certainly seem to go well together.

    And the de¡¯s cost of life expectancy would prove no issue for Trismegistus, who was immortal due to his divine punishment. That exins why El Dorado¡¯s cost was so different from Ulmer¡¯s other creations.

    ¡¸Then why didn¡¯t you use it?¡¹

    ¡¸I could not equip it, though Ulmer imed that I was rejecting El Dorado. When we parted ways, he told me to take good care of Fannabelta¡­¡­ Hmm, I had forgotten all about the incident.¡¹

    Does that mean the past Trismegistus rejected the divine sword, saying that he didn¡¯t need El Dorado because he had Fannabelta?

    That¡¯s exactly like Fran. She also said she didn¡¯t want a divine sword because she had me.

    And look at the guy now. Living forever must be more terrifying than I imagined. Fran viewed Trismegistus with sadness.

    ¡¸Also, he brought a little girl when he came here. She appeared to be a ve, but she was of the same race as that girl there.¡¹

    So a poison master apanied by a lorelei. There¡¯s no more room for doubt.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Very well. I can be satisfied with the knowledge that he came to the continent. I see the possibility of a connection between the ve traffickers. I can start retracing their steps from there.¡¹

    Seliadot mumbled to herself while trying to suppress her rage. Combined with the emptiness of Trismegistus next to her, the two radiated an unapproachable aura.

    Only the ever reliable Izario managed to break in.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what the Ward Dealer¡¯s up too, but can we move onto our business now?¡¹

    ¡¸My apologies. I¡¯ve gotten a little impatient.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s quite all right. Everyone has their own problems.¡¹

    Izario shrugged his shoulders and smiled bitterly. As his words suggested, he also had a lot on his mind. Perhaps that¡¯s why the words sounded so profounding from him.

    ¡¸Well, Trismegistus-san. Regarding the Abyss Eater¡¯s exhaustion, do you know what effect this will have in the future?¡¹

    ¡¸First, the antidemons spawn rate will be sparse to nonexistent for a few days. I am also certain their numbers will be weakened in the short term. My estimations show about 30 years.¡¹

    ¡¸30 years in the short term¡­¡­? No, I guess it is short to you.¡¹

    ¡¸And during this period, there is a high chance we will not see another antidemon season.¡¹

    ¡¸Well damn, that¡¯s just great.¡¹

    I had been expecting him to say something like being able to defeat the Abyss Eater a tiny bit faster, but this windfall exceeded my expectations.

    Weakened antidemons would make everything easier, but now there¡¯s no antidemon season for a while? This was very good news for all cities in Gordicia.

    However, things weren¡¯t going to be that simple. Izario and Jayne didn¡¯t look too happy for some reason.

    ¡¸This is going to cause a stir when the other countries find out, isn¡¯t it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­30 years of peace will mean an influx of people to this continent, right? The poption might explode.¡¹

    The people currently here will be safer, but that¡¯s not all. The continent will definitely see more visitors, as well as a big reduction to the death rates.

    In that case, the poption might grow substantially. There¡¯s a chance that the boost to our forces would allow us to temporarily drive out the antidemons.

    Then what happens 30 years from now, when the Abyss Eater recovers and the situation returns to normal? It¡¯lle back to a huge feast just waiting to be eaten.

    That might even undo all the positives in the long run.

    ¡¸You plotted the deaths of so many people this incident, so what will you do if the poption rises again?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, I will reduce their numbers in the same way. Creating powerful antidemons in the absence of divine sword wielderses with risks. However, the herd must be thinned. Unnecessary poption expansion only benefits the Abyss Eater.¡¹

    ¡¸And you¡¯re saying you can do that without leaving the confines of your castle?¡¹

    ¡¸I have already designed a magical tool for creating powerful antidemons after my observations on the failed divine sword. I can now perform the same feat on my own.¡¹

    Oh, now that you mention it, this guy¡¯s a genius alchemist. No clue about the theory behind it, but it seems he made a tool for creating giant antidemons.

    ¡¸Izario, Jayne. Send out a warning to all nations. Tell them to stop interfering with my mission with their feeble excuses of duty. And that their actions are endangering the entire world.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Convincing all the nations will be an impossible task.¡¹

    ¡¸Can you truly say the gods will provide salvation if the Abyss Eater is unleashed again? Man is only worth so much to the higher existences.¡¹

    I wanted to call Trismegistus hypocritical, but his words madeplete sense to me. From the legends, the gods tended tock much in terms of emotion and mercy.

    Trismegistus was most likely correct, aside for a few exceptions like the Chaos Goddess. That¡¯s why divine punishments and such sometimes made no sense. The gods just didn¡¯t care much about us, especially evident with the nature gods.

    ¡¸Doing your dirty work makes me feel sick, but I guess I have no choice¡­¡­ Taking advantage of Gordicia could be seen as abusing the Abyss Eater, and by extension, the Evil God Fragment. I¡¯ll try to keep them in check with that kind of argument.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve used all my connections at full throttle¡­¡­ Sigh. A pain in the ass, but it¡¯ll have to do.¡¹

    If we can¡¯t do anything about Trismegistus, there¡¯s only one other option. The status quo of countries taking advantage of this continent had to change.

    As Jayne and Izario discussed their strategy with gloomy faces, a magic circle suddenly appeared right next to the throne. Rising out of it came a chair with a simr design to the throne, along with a single woman sitting on top.

    ¡¸This is¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸The gods have just notified me. I wee you, new sinner Meltritte.¡¹

    ¡¸Trismegistus! So this is your castle! When did I¡­¡­!?¡¹

    The gods said she would destroy antidemons for her divine punishment, but did they really intend for her to cooperate with Trismegistus? Meltritte despised dragonkin, so there¡¯s no way they could fight side by side.

    Rather, she¡¯d just get in his way. Isn¡¯t that a pretty big danger to the world¡­¡­?

    However, I soon found that my fears were unfounded. Meltritte burst into pain right before our eyes.

    ¡¸Gyah! Agraaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸The moment you think of interfering with my mission, you will be inflicted with immense pain.¡¹

    ¡¸Guh! Grrh¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸The same will happen if you attempt to leave your mission unfulfilled by remaining idle.¡¹

    ¡¸Grah¡­¡­! Damn¡­you¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I was the same at first, but I soon realized the futility. Resistance skills have zero effect on this pain.¡¹

    After hearing Trismegistus, Meltritte gave up on interference. The pained expression faded from her face. It seems she¡¯s okay as long as she doesn¡¯t think the wrong thought.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Shit! Shit, shit, shit! I will not give in! I will eliminate you and the other dragonkin one day!¡¹

    ¡¸We will be freed when our mission isplete. If your feelings still remain at that time, then you may do whatever you please.¡¹

    ¡¸No matter how many years pass, I will never forget! Never!¡¹

    Meltritte eximed with a look of rage as she red at Trismegistus. On the other hand, Trismegistus merely took on her hatred with the same expressionless face.

 Chapter 1039

    <h4>1039: Side - Fannabelta</h4>

    My name is Fannabelta.

    I serve the great Dragon King, Trismegistus-sama, as his most loyal retainer and right-hand woman.

    Ah, my poor liege.

    Trismegistus-sama always put on a troubled smile as he worked for his kinsman. He could not bring himself to abandon the foolish dragonkin who mistook honor for arrogance.

    Since he always disliked fighting, all of those fools looked down on Trismegistus-sama with disdain. They did not even try to hide their attitude.

    Yet the moment they found out about his prowess as an alchemist, they had to gall to act as if he was a close friend.

    Shameless, greedy, and shallow. Completely ipetent outside ofbat. Such was the nature of dragonkin. My liege was a rare breed among them. The only exception.

    I advised him many times to abandon those imbeciles and depart thisnd, but he never epted my plea.

    Because he was the king, and the king was to work for the good of his people¡­¡­

    Even this position of king was forced upon him by the dragonkin. Trismegistus-sama desired nothing more than researching in quiet peace, so they bound him to the nation to utilize his brilliance.

    My liege was nothing if not earnest. He could not refuse anything if it was for the sake of his citizens. Thus was the fate of those born as a royal golden dragonkin, or so he always said.

    And so my liege found himself babysitting those useless simpletons, spreading revolutionary magical tools throughout the nation all the while.

    A tool for maintaining the temperature of a room. A tool for cleansing their scales in an instant. A tool for preserving food.

    Their lives grew more convenient, but the desires of the dragonkin knew no bounds. Once satisfied with their food, clothing, and shelter, the next step was war.

    They urged my liege to create magical tools useful on the battlefield. A spyss tool, an earth excavation tool, a wall construction tool.

    Their demands escted with each passing day, and my liege solved everything with his genius mind and devotion to research.

    Some called this period as the Golden Age of Dragonkin, but such could be nothing further from the truth. It was their most despicable era, in which my liege carried the endless desires of the foolish dragonkin on his back alone.

    This was also the age in which my liege began participating in war himself. The dragonkin forced him to fight. Despite relying on him for everything else, they still made up some ridiculous excuse about him being useless if he couldn¡¯t defeat enemies.

    I followed him there as well, piling up mountains of corpses. It must have been around this time when I gained those nicknames. The Cold-Blooded Witch, the Massacre Swordswoman, the Golden King¡¯s Shadow.

    But regardless of my achievements, I was still an elf. Elves were merely servants to the dragonkin in the Gordicia of old. Those dragonkin bastards never epted me standing next to their king.

    They tried everything to tear me from my liege, harassing me in every manner possible. I was asionally even separated from him on the battlefield, putting me in great danger.

    Well, all the dragonkin making false reports met a terrible fate. First, I froze half their bodies. Then I gradually peeled off their scales over a week¡¯s time, ensuring they died slow and painful deaths as an example. I still remember that fondly.

    But this did nothing to end the harassment. The more influential dragonkin would stop at nothing to have their daughters in my liege¡¯s bedchamber, and they thought I was the obstacle standing in the way.

    Such nonsense. The rtionship between Trismegistus-sama and I was nowhere near as feeble as a romantic one. I only felt pure loyalty, not the convenient misunderstanding of survival instincts known as ¡°love¡± or ¡°lust¡±.

    No matter what might happen, my unwavering loyalty would always be the only thing driving me. If my liege must take a queen consort, I shall wee her. Yet these imbeciles did not seem to understand that. I¡¯ve always hated buffoons only capable of viewing things distorted by their own foolishness.

    Then, that fateful day came. I fell under attack by several dragonkin and found myself mortally wounded. It seems they had a life dragonkin among their ranks, so healing magic had no effect on my injuries.

    As a result, I be the test subject of a certain research project. The creation of Intelligence Weapons.

    This research was originally intended to create a sword with an imnted artificial soul, capable of giving advice and serving its wielder on the battlefield. However, we shifted to incorporating a living person once when we were unable to create a satisfactory product¡­¡­

    After several experiments with ves, we discovered the minds of these swords always breaking down. Putting the soul of a man into the body of a sword proved more difficult than we imagined.

    But I could not allow myself to die. I needed to remain at Trismegistus-sama¡¯s side and continue serving him forever.

    The experiment was a sess. I had somehow acquired the Devotion skill, which seemed to revitalize my mind and prevent me from going crazy.

    But this state wasn¡¯t perfect. Little by little, I could feel my mind giving way. I needed to make Trismegistus-sama¡¯s position unassable while I was still sane.

    Trismegistus-sama noticed my condition too. He also thought to create a grand achievement capable of silencing the dragonkin before my eventual descent into madness.

    The result was that tragedy.

    In hindsight, I must say that we went too far. I should have been the one to advise him against it, but instead I encouraged him. My judgment was undoubtedly clouded by my transformation into a sword.

    But the real tragedy for me cameter.

    Trismegistus-sama became an immortal sinner, locked into an eternal battle with his creation, the Abyss Eater. This was my liege¡¯s punishment for causing that tragedy, and I was given the role of seeing it through.

    My Devotion skill evolved into Eternal Loyalty, making me an eternal existence as well.

    However, watching my liege¡¯s gradual descent over the ages was nothing short of torture.

    ¡¸Fannabelta. Thank you for everything today. Let us continue doing our best tomorrow.¡¹

    ¡ºPlease leave it to me.¡»

    ¡¸I will. I am so d that you stayed with me.¡¹

    ¡¸Fannabelta. Time to go. Show me your strength once more.¡¹

    ¡ºYes my liege! Let¡¯s keep up the good work.¡»

    ¡¸Indeed, we shall.¡¹

    ¡¸Fannabelta. It is time.¡¹

    ¡ºMy liege, please try not to push yourself too hard.¡»

    ¡¸Very well.¡¹

    Our conversations became fewer in number. The emotions faded from his words. The expression vanished from his face. The prison of time proved to be more cruel and terrible than any mortal can imagine.

    Yet my loyalty remained strong. I will continue supporting him until the bitter end. Or so I thought, until that incident changed me.

    The battle with a divine sword wielder controlling poison and demons. It seems that man was somehow foolish enough to go after Trismegistus-sama¡¯s immortality. The buffoon had no clue how terrifying an eternity could truly be.

    He must have thought Original Sin Envy was powerful enough to steal Trismegistus¡¯ immortality, but of course, it was powerless to overturn a divine punishment.

    As a result, he set his sights on my skill instead. Though not full immortality, it might be a starting point. Thus, he stole Eternal Loyalty.

    This skill forces you to swear your allegiance to another, so I have to wonder what happened to that man. I was already sworn to serve Trismegistus-sama, so that proved no issue to me¡­¡­

    Whatever, why should I care about that simpleton anymore? In exchange for losing Eternal Loyalty, the trade forced Original Sin Envy on me.

    It was then that my darkest days started. I couldn¡¯t believe myck of control over my own thoughts. Moreover, I stopped feeling difort as the skill took over.

    I wanted nothing less than to end my wretched and ipetent self. Gradually, even these thoughts were overwritten with jealousy, and pushed deep into the recesses of my mind.

    And then, the final moment.

    ¡ºTrismegistus-sama! Put your mana on the de! Please! At this rate¨D¨D¡»

    My ugly screams echoed through the air. But soon enough, those emotions faded away.

    ¡º<strong>GRAAAAAAAAH!</strong>¡»

    As I felt myself getting devoured, the bnce was restored to my mind. I suppose my impending destruction reduced the impact of Original Sin Envy on me.

    Ah, my liege. Thank you so much. Now I can finally disappear¡­¡­ But will you truly be fine without me? My only worry is if that fake Intelligence Weapon will be able to support you.

    Meanwhile, something was flowing into my fading consciousness. Could these be that sword¡¯s memories? A journey with a girl. Intense, joyous, and filled with hope.

    So disgusting and¡­¡­ envious¡­¡­

 Chapter 1040

    <h4>1040: Back to Nocta</h4>

    After parting with Trismegistus and the others, we headed back to Nocta. Our n was to rest up in this city before moving out.

    ¡¸Fran! You¡¯re safe!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, you¡¯ve finally returned!¡¹

    Sophie and Mea, who had returned ahead of us, greeted us in Nocta. Thank goodness, Sophie seems to be doing better than expected.

    Sophie¡¯s escort Nelsh was following closely behind her. I could feel his strong determination to stay at her side, since he got left behind during the battle with the giant antidemon.

    Though unconscious thest time we saw him, Ashwrath also gave us a wave while leaning on the gate. His injuries didn¡¯t seem serious either.

    ¡¸Nn! There were no antidemons, so it was easy.¡¹

    ¡¸Like I thought. We didn¡¯t see any antidemons on our way back either. Is this a result from weakening the Abyss Eater?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. We won¡¯t see any antidemons for a couple days. Or maybe only few in a number?¡¹

    Fran exined to the two what Trismegistus said. Well, she didn¡¯t remember the moreplicated parts, but she got the main idea down.

    ¡¸Those who can¡¯t fight must leave¡­¡­? There¡¯s no way that¡¯s going to happen.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm. This certainly appears to be a difficult conundrum.¡¹

    Sophie responded with anger, and Mea responded with confusion. Since Sophie was one of the people who drifted onto the continent, she knew well just how hard it was to leave.

    Mea seemed to be considering how everyone would survive outside of Gordicia from a practical point of view. Though a tomboy, she was still a princess. She understood how difficult epting refugees was.

    ¡¸I might be able to ept a small number of beastmen based on my authority, but I will need to consult with my country if they number in the thousands.¡¹

    ¡¸The Beast King would probably say ¡°Gahaha, take them all in.¡±¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, is that an imitation of my foolish father? Though it indeed sounds like something he would say, that man still sits on the throne as king. Even he cannot ept them so easily.¡¹

    Though the Beast King appeared to be a reallyid back guy, he still ran the country as a proper king. Such important decisions could not be made with the entire nation¡¯s support.

    Besides, excluding the adventurers, knights, and soldiers, a majority of the people in Gordicia were felons and their descendants. Any country epting them out of the good of their hearts is taking huge risks.

    ¡¸However, aplete rejection of refugees will also be difficult due to the words of the gods. The first issue at hand will be persuading the nations abusing the Gordician Duty as a convenient excuse. After that, perhaps we can eventually find a ce for everyone who wants to leave as pioneers?¡¹

    In this world, living as a pioneer involved incredibly hardbor. Well, not like it was an easy job on Earth either, but the danger level was on apletely different level.

    They must live in the frontier regions untouched by human hands, which are often dangerous zones inhabited by countless monsters and beasts.

    The ones cultivating thesends are usually criminal ves or even nobles sentenced to hardbor as a punishment.

    In other words, not much different from living in Gordicia. On the contrary even, it might even be worsepared to their previous lives in Gordicia¡¯s many cities.

    ¡¸But that¡¯s too awful¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s not your fault, Mea. Is there no other way?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­ Unfortunately, nothing immediatelyes to mind. Perhaps we could find another solution after considering the issue a bit longer.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯ll think about it too.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Thanks.¡¹

    We were talking about something really important, but I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Their friendship was so beautiful. I¡¯m so happy Fran and Mea found another friend.

    That¡¯s when someone else approached us.

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria!¡¹

    It was Velmeria, the dragonkin girl with light blue hair. West saw her in tatters, but she seemed to have recovered quite well.

    This was my first time seeing her without her ponytail, and the white dress she wore made her look like a proper nobledy. I guess she¡¯s technically the daughter of a noble and a priestess, so ¡°nobledy¡± is technically correct.

    ¡¸I heard that you and Urushi saved my life. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­I am, though I ended up being pretty useless during the fight.¡¹

    She fell in battle without any chance for resistance, and then got manipted by the enemy. In the end, Urushi had to take her and run. Velmeria considered herself a warrior, so she must have found this unbearably frustrating. She clenched her fists with her shoulders sagged.

    ¡¸But you¡¯re still alive.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes, I am. And thanks to you, I¡¯ve also reunited with my mother.¡¹

    Frederick and Tnaria stood a short distance away. We only saw her half-crazed face while she was being manipted, but the current Tnaria wore a gentle expression.

    Although the color of her hair was radically different, her facial features were pretty simr to Velmeria¡¯s.

    ¡¸What are you doing next?¡¹

    Fran suddenly asked Velmeria the question. Come to think of it, Velmeria was the perfect example of someone who couldn¡¯t leave the continent, right?

    She¡¯s a wanted criminal in and around the Kingdom of Kranzel, as well as a half-dragonkin. There¡¯s no way she could obey Trismegistus¡¯ order to leave the continent.

    Apparently she¡¯s already heard the details from someone else, but she seemed to bepletely unworried.

    ¡¸I am a warrior, and Mother still has the position of priestess. We¡¯ll figure something out. As for Frederick¡­¡­ we can probably figure something out for him too.¡¹

    Frederick was in the exact opposite position from Velmeria. Dragonkinw prevents him from staying on the continent.

    Still, Velmeria didn¡¯t seem pessimistic in the slightest. Maybe things really will be fine.

    An hour passed after Fran¡¯s reunion with her friends.

    We left theplicated reports to Izario and the others, while Fran went to Mulsani¡¯s Ladirua Trading Company to check on Nadia¡¯s condition.

    ¡¸Fran. Sorry for worrying you so much.¡¹

    ¡¸Auntie!¡¹

 Chapter 1041

    <h4>1041: Nadia and the Bringer of Hope</h4>

    ¡¸Fran. Sorry for worrying you so much.¡¹

    ¡¸Auntie!¡¹

    Nadia sat up in her bed as she greeted Fran.

    ¡¸Hey, I¡¯m still recovering. Don¡¯t shake me that hard.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Ahaha! Just kidding! Get over here.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran tightened the grip on her hug, but Nadia smiled without any issue. It seems she had mostly recovered physically speaking.

    Her face still showed some exhaustion though.

    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯ve been through a lot.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Nadia stroked Fran¡¯s hair with a gentle touch. Meanwhile, Fran let her do so without any worry.

    After a few moments of tenderness, Nadia asked us a few questions. Though she heard the news about the giant antidemon¡¯s appearance, she didn¡¯t know the details.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Auntie. I need to tell you something.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸About the Silver Lady.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Let¡¯s hear it.¡¹

    I have no clue what Nadia thought of the Silver Lady. Their rtionship was probably tooplicated to describe easily.

    That¡¯s exactly why Fran felt it was necessary to tell Nadia about the Silver Lady¡¯sst moments. To help her put her feelings into perspective.

    ¡¸The Silver Ladybined with Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    But Fran was still the same old Fran.

    ¡ºFran, she¡¯ll get the wrong idea if you say it like that. Leave the exnation to me, especially since I know all the details.¡»

    ¡¸Please do, Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Master.¡¹

    I exined how the Silver Lady came to the battlefield and assimted into me. Also about her real name being the Bringer of Hope, and how she entrusted me with her power of her own volition.

    Nadia¡¯s expression upon hearing her name was indescribable. There was no anger or sadness, only anguish.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I see, so she was finally allowed to rest. I think that¡¯s the best ending she could have hoped for.¡¹

    ¡ºUh, I¡¯m sorry.¡»

    ¡¸Why are you apologizing, Master? I owe that woman a debt of gratitude. When I think about she would continue transporting Overgrowth, hurting herself all the while, I can feel nothing but pity.¡¹

    The Bringer of Hope was designed to have a small amount of emotion. Meanwhile, she transported a sword that would surely kill its user one day. The events that followed were only natural. I know this for a fact because of absorbing her emotions.

    Nadia sensed this too, which is why she was so concerned about her fate.

    The Bringer of Hope had developed doubts about her mission. Were her actions truly bringing anyone hope? Wasn¡¯t she simply plunging these wielders into the depths of despair?

    Such doubts ate away at her constantly.

    But the people she helped had a different view. The Silver Lady was truly bringing hope to Overgrowth¡¯s previous users.

    And in the end, she managed to entrust everything to me before vanishing peacefully. It was a much better ending than Nadia had imagined.

    She smiled in relief.

    Nadia reached her hand out to me. Neither Fran nor I said anything as we watched. Nadia began stroking my guard, her touch filled with kindness andpassion.

    ¡¸¡­¡­Rest in peace, and thank you for everything.¡¹

    Though she faced me, her words were directed at someone else.

    Nadia continued stroking me for a few moments, before quickly returning to her usual behavior. Her face seemed a little red, as if embarrassed to be the cause of such a somber atmosphere.

    ¡¸Enough of this depressing talk. Fran, tell me all about the adventures you¡¯ve been on since then.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! Okay!¡¹

    After Nadia¡¯s request, Fran began exining what happened after the defense of Castel, waving her arms along with the story.

    Antidemons, dragonkin, divine swords, and the gods.

    About the intertwined schemes of Georg, Meltritte, and many others in Sendia. How we were saved by the divine sword¡¯s melody.

    About our fierce battles with the giant antidemon at the center of the continent. Thebined powers of several divine swordsid waste to the supergiant. And in the end, we saw divine punishment ur before our very eyes.

    Looking back, so much stuff has happened in such a short time.

    Nadia seemed most interested in the divine swords. She wielded a failed divine sword herself, after all.

    She had all sorts of questions for us.

    ¡¸Which sword did you want to know about?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, let¡¯s see. I guess first has gotta be Ignis.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? You¡¯ve never seen Izario¡¯s sword before?¡¹

    ¡¸Catching a nce of its normal form isn¡¯t so special, but I¡¯ve only seen its true form at a distance, and very few times. Pretty sure I saw it up close a long time ago, though I was really upied at the time. All I remember is him turning everything into ash.¡¹

    Even if Izario stayed on the continent, he must not use his divine sword very often. Besides, he would generally stay alone to avoid hurting other people. Him using it in front of us was rather special.

    ¡¸Ignis was super awesome! Everything was on fire!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know it has the power to control mes.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! But everything was fire, even the sword! It felt so hot!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, you mean the sword itself turns into mes?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran was more excited than usual, causing her vocabry level to degrade a few years. She always seemed a bit young for her age due to herck of social interaction, but now she felt even younger.

    Still, Nadia continued listening to Fran¡¯s story patiently, asionally asking questions for rification.

    Of course, I could summarize everything concisely, but that would be tactless of me. Nadia was clearly enjoying her conversation with Fran. Urushi also read the mood and stayed sleeping in the shadows.

    ¡¸Then Izario shouted Hellme!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow.¡¹

    ¡¸And the big antidemon went boom!¡¹

 Chapter 1042

    <h4>1042: Nadia and the ck Cats</h4>

    Fran managed to finish exining all the divine swords to Nadia. It took like an hour.

    She also told her about Lindwurm and Oratorio, but Nadia can be trusted with those secrets, right? I guess a lot of people already knew, so it¡¯s only a matter of time until the cat¡¯s out of the bag either way.

    Apparently, Fran¡¯s current excitement was simr to a grade school child telling their parents about the secret of a friend they learned at school, along with the ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else!¡±

    She had exined the greatness of each divine sword, in between her excited breaths.

    ¡¸That many divine swords gathered in one ce, huh? It must have been a spectacr sight.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I also never could have imagined there being so many failed divine swords. Master, maybe this is unnecessary, but be careful. Suddenly gaining a lot of power can cause one to make a lot of extra mistakes.¡¹

    ¡ºTrue, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡»

    I can admit I get carried away sometimes. Besides, Nadia having wielded Overgrowth made her words were very convincing.

    I¡¯m sure she¡¯s thinking about all the mistakes she made in the past.

    Well, a warrior¡¯s past blunders is none of my business. I won¡¯t pry into the details.

    ¡¸Did you make mistakes too, Auntie?¡¹

    ¡ºOi! You¡¯re really going to ask?!¡»

    ¡¸Hahaha. Yeah, a bunch. Let me tell you about a few.¡¹

    As expected from Nadia. She shrugged Fran¡¯s impolite words with a smile and told her all about the funny failures of herself and others.

    Fran listened to all of them with a twinkle in her eye. However, the good times neverst.

    The sun was beginning to set, with the mansion¡¯s maids telling us it¡¯s about time to go. Considering the burden on the still recovering Nadia, we shouldn¡¯t stay too long.

    She rmended that we stay the night, but we still needed to show our face at the Adventurers Guild.

    ¡ºNadia, can I ask you onest thing?¡»

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you n to do now? Still remain on this continent? Or leave and try to evolve?¡»

    Her answer will be really important. It may even affect Fran¡¯s future ns as well.

    ¡¸I will, of course, be saying goodbye to Gordicia. I can¡¯t hunt fiends if I stay here. My job as gravekeeper is over too.¡¹

    Like I expected, she was aiming for evolution.

    ¡¸Then you cane with¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Not happening.¡¹

    ¡¸Why not?!¡¹

    ¡¸Because I don¡¯t want to drag you down. I¡¯m just a liability after losing Overgrowth.¡¹

    ¡¸Not true. You won¡¯t drag me down at all!¡¹

    ¡¸No, it is true. I know myself better than anyone.¡¹

    Fran tried to deny Nadia¡¯s words, but it was true that Nadia¡¯s stats dropped considerably. Almost halved in fact, probably due to her loss of Overgrowth and reduction in level.

    Back in Castel, Nadia had exceeded the max level for ck cats. However, her level was now reduced to 45, probably due to her race being reverted back to normal. Her level had be capped again.

    Many of her skills got downgraded too, and her equipment was destroyed during the battle for Castel. She could previously match the strength of Rank A adventurers, but now she was only midway between Rank B and C.

    Despite being among the strongest unevolved ck cats in the world, that¡¯s not very impressive. Moreover, her effective stats were reduced further due to not being in peak condition.

    Nadia knew her own state very well.

    ¡¸There are quite a few ck cats on this continent, since you can make a living here as long as you¡¯re willing to fight. It¡¯s perfect for training, and much better than living in a ce dominated by blue cats. I¡¯m thinking of taking all of them with me to the Beast Kingdom. Schwarzkatze, right? Who could¡¯ve thought there¡¯d be a vige for us ck cats.¡¹

    Apparently, it was very hard for anyone outside the Beast Kingdom to imagine a vige for ck cats. Moreover, the nation worked to protect the ck cats from persecution.

    Nadia had been ridiculed as an inferior race and discriminated against by other beastmen since her birth. The vige of Schwarzkatze must seem like an utopia.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure many ck cats would be willing to join me.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll go with you!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, didn¡¯t youe here on a request? You have to go report back. Come on, standard adventurer procedure.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­Nn.¡¹

    Nadia managed topletely counter Fran¡¯s selfish behavior by treating her as a full-fledged adventurer. Fran would love nothing more than to drop everything and go to the Beast Kingdom, but she knew doing so would disappoint Nadia.

    And of course, Fran could not disappoint Nadia. She had no choice but to nod begrudgingly.

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll ask Mea to take care of you! She¡¯ll definitely get you all to the Beast Kingdom!¡¹

    ¡¸Wasn¡¯t she that princess with Lindwurm? Are you sure that¡¯s okay? I know nothing about proper behavior in front of royalty, you know?¡¹

    Nadia seemed taken aback at the mention of Mea¡¯s name. I guess that can¡¯t be helped if she only knew Mea as the princess of the Beast Kingdom.

    Rather, that¡¯s the normal reaction. Well, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem since Mea acts nothing like a normal princess.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll be fine with Mea.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Mea isn¡¯t princess-like at all. She¡¯s like a normal adventurer. Don¡¯t worry.¡¹

    Oh, I guess we share that opinion. Fran¡¯s always cared very little for nobility and such, so the fact that she recognized Mea as not princess-like was rather surprising.

    ¡¸I guess I don¡¯t have any connections, so this is my only option¡­¡­ Fine! Bring it on! Please introduce me to her!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s toote today, so we¡¯ll bring her over tomorrow or the day after.¡»

    ¡¸Hold it! Let me go over to her! Calling royalty over would just be in rude!¡¹

    ¡¸No Auntie! You can¡¯t move yet!¡¹

    ¡¸Gnrgh¡­¡­¡¹

    At any rate, things were about to get a lot moreplicated in Gordicia. Getting Nadia and the ck cats out of here seems like a good n.

    ¡¸Oh, I¡¯ve gotta at least ask Mulsani for some fancier clothes¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Mea would be fine even if you¡¯re naked.¡¹

    ¡¸As if!¡¹

    Wow. Fran certainly has quite the image of Mea¡­¡­

 Chapter 1043

    <h4>1043: Srd''s Blunder</h4>

    When we returned to our inn, we were greeted by a bunch of holy knights who looked somewhat desperate. We also saw a magician and appraiser in their ranks, both wearing disgusting smiles on their faces.

    ¡¸Oh! You have returned!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡¹

    Despite my prayers for them to leave us alone, they called out to Fran, much to my dismay. Fran waspletely on guard, since their eyes were not smiling.

    Well, not like the Holy Nation of Srd has ever been worthy of trust.

    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸We have decided to award you the position of honorary knight in our country!¡¹

    ¡¸Bing an honorary knight means getting whatever rewards and honors you desire! Congrattions!¡¹

    Fran tilted her head. She had absolutely no clue what they were talking about.

    ¡¸Please ept this certificate!¡¹

    ¡¸As well as this letter from His Majesty!¡¹

    The magician and the appraiser each presented Fran with a rolled up piece of parchment. Both of them were slightly enchanted.

    Just a hunch, but I think Fran taking the parchment would be counted as epting a contract. This was the same strategy that Eiworth¡¯s Mage Guild tried before.

    Must be one of this world¡¯s stereotypical tricks or something.

    ¡ºFran, don¡¯t take it.¡»

    £¨I know. I can tell they¡¯re up to something.£©

    Even Fran found their scheme obvious. How pitiful.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t care.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-! Y-You refuse the rank of honorary knight? This is an role on the level of holy knights, you know!¡¹

    ¡¸One of the highest honors, almost never bestowed upon beastmen. Come now, please ept it.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t care. Bye.¡¹

    Fran tried to pass by the holy knights, but they moved to block her path. It seems they¡¯ll stop at nothing to force Fran into bing an honorary knight.

    But wait, weren¡¯t these guys present at the battle with the giant antidemon? Shouldn¡¯t they know what Fran was capable of by now?

    Oh I see, about half of them were clearly reluctant. There was a hint of fear in the eyes peering through their helmets.

    I guess these guys had no choice but to obey their orders. Seeing this only made me realize how awful the honorary knight role really was. They¡¯re supposedly on the level of these holy knights? That just makes them lower in rank than the bastards trying to hand out the trapped parchment. Despite the fancy job title, they¡¯re nothing more than Srd¡¯s manservants.

    All Fran had to do was lightly release her intimidation and re at them. That¡¯s all that was required to make the holy knights open a path for her to walk through.

    Fran grew even stronger during the fierce battles, and these guys were nothingpared to the enemies she¡¯s fought off. Besides, the knights here seemed like their lowest ranking members.

    But the magician refused to give up, trying to run after Fran. Meanwhile, a new figure prevented him from following.

    ¡¸Wait! Please¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸What is thismotion about?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie!¡¹

    It was the (attempted) dine and dish girl Sophie¡­¡­ Or rather, Sophilia the saintess. She¡¯s saved our lives so many times, so I should really stop with the insulting nicknames.

    ¡¸You failed to get me and Mea, so you move on to Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡­This is none of your business.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh. You praised me as the saintess up until I declined your invitation, so I guess this is your true colors? How low can your country can go?¡¹

    ¡¸You dare mock our country!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m mocking you, not Srd. But if they have no choice but to employ such idiots, maybe Srd as a whole is just as bad?¡¹

    ¡¸You little¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸No retort?¡¹

    Sophie¡¯s being really aggressive! The Holy Nation must have done something while we were away to really piss her off. The guys from Srd were pretty furious, but they paled inparison to Sophie.

    What could they have done to anger her this much?

    And what should we do now? I thought Sophie was going to help us get out of here, not fan the mes. If things keep up, we might have a real fight on our hands. Things were getting out of control.

    But then, a third party showed up.

    ¡¸What¡¯s all this fuss? You¡¯re disturbing the rest of the inn guests.¡¹

    ¡¸Who is this scoundrel¡­¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that any way to refer to a foreign knight? Though you may be from arge nation, you seem ignorant to basic manners.¡¹

    ¡¸That coat of arms! The Knight Nation of Segilusel!¡¹

    ¡¸I am Yagle, Commander of the Third Knight Order. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡¹

    ¡¸Grr¡­¡­¡¹

    It¡¯s Yagle. Seems like he and his men returned safely to Nocta too.

    ¡¸It has been a while¨D¨DWell, not quite that long. It feels as if we have not met for ages.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Our friends from the Holy Nation fell silent in front of Yagle¡¯s calm expression. Knight Nation of Segilusel? Maybe he was from a bigger country than I thought?

    ¡¸That parchment is rather nasty, wouldn¡¯t you agree? These sorts of fraud are forbidden byw back in my home country. Are such dated tricks still allowed in the Holy Nation?¡¹

    At Yagle¡¯s words, the guys from Srd seemed ready to run. Or rather, they ran away almost immediately.

    ¡¸I-I have no clue what you are talking about. This ce has be much too noisy now, so we shall be taking our leave today.¡¹

    ¡¸W-We¡¯lle talk again when things settle down. Please make room in your schedule.¡¹

    ¡¸Refrain from going out until wee back.¡¹

    Who the hell do they think they are? Despite wording it like a favor, they were basically ordering Fran around. No wonder she got sick of them.

    ¡¸No, I¡¯m never talking to you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­!¡¹

    The magician seemed unustomed to having his orders refused, and he almost shouted in anger again. However, he noticed Sophie and Yagle¡¯s stares, as well as Mea walking in from behind.

    Then they quickly fled.

    ¡¸Thanks. You saved me.¡¹

    ¡¸No, no, I¡¯m sure you could handle everything just fine. Sorry for butting in.¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯re having it rough too. They just wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. And then they said something about epting the people of Nocta as ves if I was willing to join them! Who do they think they are?!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! You too? I got a simr offer! About how grateful I should be for the Holy Nation epting beastmen into their country as ves!¡¹

    They still haven¡¯t realized Mea¡¯s identity? Srd may have just made enemies with the Beast Kingdom.

    ¡¸Well, not as if they can help it. All of them are panicked after losing the Divine Sword Knight.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Mea-san! Don¡¯t drop such a bombshell out of nowhere!

 Chapter 1044

    <h4>1044: Sophie''s Past and Future</h4>

    ¡¸Well, not as if they can help it. All of them are panicked after losing the Divine Sword Knight.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran was stunned to hear Mea¡¯sment, followed by Sophie and Yagle also dropping their jaws in surprise.

    ¡¸Losing the Divine Sword Knight¡­¡­? Eh? He¡¯s really dead?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you certain about this?¡¹

    Adol seriously kicked the bucket? It¡¯s true we haven¡¯t seen him since the battle¡­¡­

    ¡¸I never said he was dead.¡¹

    ¡¸What? Then pick your words more carefully.¡¹

    Yeah, what Sophie said!

    ¡¸Then what do you mean you by ¡°lost¡±?¡¹

    ¡¸No one knows where he is, so he apparently ran off somewhere. Quina looked into the incident, so this news is credible.¡¹

    ¡¸What happened to the divine sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Seems like he didn¡¯t take it with him. Stealing Alpha would mean getting hunted to the ends of the earth, so that was a wise decision. Though he appeared to be obedient, I¡¯m sure he had a lot on his mind.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Adol¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran muttered with aplicated expression on her face.

    To her, Adol was in a bit of a strange position. There was much she didn¡¯t like about him, but he was also arade-in-arms who fought alongside her on the battlefield.

    We heard about his involvement in Filuria¡¯s backdoor deal regarding Sophie, but it¡¯s hard to believe he yed a major role in that conspiracy. Not that he wouldn¡¯t do it, but rather, he wasn¡¯t in a position where he could make deals with foreign entities.

    I find it more usible that Srd¡¯s intelligence division or whatnot executed the scheme using the name of the Divine Sword Knight. Adol likely wasn¡¯t the mastermind.

    ¡¸So Srd inviting me so forcefully was¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸To curry favor with their leaders. Simply returning home after letting the Divine Sword Knight escape must be incredibly terrifying. They have no clue what sort of punishment awaits them, so they are desperate to bring someoneparably strong back with them.¡¹

    They should have a recement for Adol once they return, but that recement wasn¡¯t here with them. That¡¯s why they had to approach Sophie and Fran on their own.

    Especially for Sophie, since her identity as a divine sword wielder was definitely exposed by now.

    Her solicitation must have been quite intense. It seems they tried to coerce her based on the secret agreement with the Medical Director.

    ¡¸I would rather die in Gordicia than go to Srd!¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, why not visit our country?¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    Yagle¡¯s words caused Sophie to lose her voice. She probably didn¡¯t expect another invitation right in the middle of herints about Srd¡¯s invitation.

    What¡¯s more, now Mea joined in.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t forget the Beast Kingdom! Any divine sword wielder is more than wee in my nation! Of course, along with the people of Nocta too!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah! Quite unfair, Nemea-sama! Segilusel would wee her just as much!¡¹

    ¡¸Ummm?¡¹

    ¡¸We would never attempt to tie you up in some foolish contract, so please do not worry yourself too much. You see, as a servant of my nation, I am obligated to recruit any unaligned divine sword users Ie across.¡¹

    ¡¸The same goes for me. I can confidently rmend Segilusel as a much better option than Srd.¡¹

    ¡¸We as well! The Beast Kingdom vastly exceeds Srd!¡¹

    Basically, they were informing Sophie that she could alwayse to them if she doesn¡¯t have anywhere else to go. Even if she¡¯s worrying about the fate of Nocta¡¯s residents, consulting them would always be better than considering Srd.

    ¡¸But Sophie, weren¡¯t you previously a noble? I heard that your foster father was both a musician and a noble, which means your country of origin cannot be ignored.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹

    It seems Mea only heard a portion of Sophie¡¯s circumstances. She casually mentioned Sophie¡¯s foster father.

    However, she immediately understood her blunder from the look on Sophie¡¯s face.

    ¡¸No wait, I must have been mistaken. Indeed! Perhaps I was remembering the wrong person.¡¹

    Mea tried to cover for herself with terrible monotone acting. However, Sophie immediately shook her head and exined her entire situation. Perhaps she already overcame her old trauma.

    ¡¸What you say is true. I can¡¯t keep ignoring my foster father¨D¨D¡¹

    The story she told us was almost identical to the one we heard before. A tale of love and spite, herplicated feelings for her foster father.

    Even after hearing it the second time, it was a hard childhood. The same applies to Fran as well, but fate can be very cruel.

    Mea was also at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Yagle seemed to be thinking about something.

    ¡¸You say that Robel Ss-dono was your foster father?¡¹

    ¡¸You know him?!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. He was rather famous on the continent of Capul.¡¹

    It seems his Kingdom of Segilusel was located in the northern part of Capul. The Jilbard Continent containing the Kingdom of Kranzel was to the west of Gordicia, whereas the Capul Continent was located on the opposite side to the east.

    Sophie¡¯s birthce was also on the continent of Capul.

    ¡¸My role as Knight Commander allowed me to hear many things about that incident. However, I am puzzled by the fact that your story differs so greatly from what I have heard.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸The death of Viscount Ss was publicly reported as him falling in battle while eliminating a band of bandits.¡¹

    ¡¸Eliminating¡­ bandits?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    Sophie had told us her foster father ordered a band of mercenaries to attack the vige where she was born, and ughter her family.

    But ording to Yagle, Viscount Ss led a criminal ve squadron to drive off a band of bandits who had upied a vige. They seeded at the cost of losing their lives, and even the viscount himself was in.

    ¡¸That is how it was reported in our country.¡¹

    ¡¸No¡­¡­ But that¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie stared at Yagle in confusion. She didn¡¯t know how to react after the existence of the tragedy she experienced waspletely denied.

    ¡¸We are in an alliance with his home country, so our men joined in the investigation as well. I believe there can be no mistake.¡¹

    ¡¸Then what happened to the vige of my birth? Where did my mom, dad, and sister go? Were those bandits my parents? Or was it all a lie? What¡¯s¡­¡­ even true anymore?¡¹

    ¡¸I am very sorry. It seems I have only caused you more confusion. However, allow me to say one thing. While Ss-dono was a music fanatic, I do not believe he would perform evil. Perhaps he was simply acting to force a situation where you would experience powerful emotions?¡¹

    ¡¸T-Then I killed my foster father for¨D¨D¡¹

    Sophie choked on her words and fell to the ground abruptly, mumbling something while staring nkly.

    ¡¸Sophie, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie, was your foster father happy in his final moments?¡¹

    ¡¸Mea, what are you¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸He had little time left to live, and died listening to the ultimate music. Maybe it¡¯s what he would have wanted.¡¹

    ¡¸No way! No, that¡¯s not¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie attempted to refute Mea, but her words lost their vigor. Somewhere deep down, she might have been convinced. Based on what I¡¯ve heard of this Viscount Ss guy¡¯s personality, seems like something he might do.

    ¡¸First, I have to find out how much of this is true.¡¹

    ¡¸Please allow me to assist you.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, Yagle.¡¹

    ¡¸Sophie, I¡¯m happy for you.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸Your mom and dad might still be alive.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! You¡¯re right! You¡¯re absolutely right¡­¡­¡¹

    Fran¡¯s parents were already lost, so her words had a different weight behind them. Sophie¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but she nodded her head with aplicated mix of emotions.

 Chapter 1045

    <h4>1045: Departure from Gordicia</h4>

    ¡ºWe can finally say goodbye to this ce.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    It¡¯s only been a few days since the battle with the giant antidemon.

    After finishing the busy clean up effort, not that Fran really did much there, we returned to the western port. Her employer Brunen was astonished in more ways than one, but he praised Fran saying she vastly exceeded his wildest imaginations.

    I mean, our original n was to hunt a few antidemons for training, then visit the graves and talk to Trismegistus¡­¡­

    But what we got was a massive adventure several times longer than our expectations.

    We met so many people, including divine sword wielders, members of the Seven Sages, and knights from various countries. Both Fran and Urushi ended up growing way more than nned too.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while since ourst boat trip.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran looked out at the harbor from the deck of the boat, squinting in the sea breeze. We¡¯re departing for the continent of Jilbard in less than an hour.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve finished our goodbyes andpletely spent all our antidemon points.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Antidemon points can¡¯t be taken outside the continent, or more precisely, no one will ept them. It¡¯s like a virtual currency exclusive to the continent of Gordicia.

    No matter how much we have, it¡¯s all useless once we leave Gordicia.

    Well, that¡¯s probably a measure to ensure adventurers stay in Gordicia as long as possible. You can buy whatever you want in Gordicia, but it¡¯s worthless in other continents.

    So if you have a ton, it¡¯s only natural that you won¡¯t want to leave.

    But who knows what will happen to this system in the future. With a huge reduction to the number of antidemons over the next 30 years, lower ranked adventurers won¡¯t be able to earn a living. The whole economy based on spending points for living costs will fall apart.

    We also don¡¯t know how everyone will respond to Trismegistus¡¯ warning. There¡¯s no way they can pack up and leave immediately, but I think there will be a stronger push to keep the weak off the continent.

    The issue was already being debated in many forums. Many argued that civilians, low-level adventurers, and novice soldiers should be forbidden from entering the continent.

    Which means that the antidemon point system itself may need to change somehow. Either way, let the bigwigs think about that stuff. We just spent everything we had since it can¡¯t be transferred.

    We mostly bought building stone and other materials with our points, which we donated to the towns affected by this incident.

    I honestly couldn¡¯t think of any better use. Pretty much the only other option was to stock up on vast amounts of food and medicines.

    But if we did that, we¡¯d be taking it from the inhabitants of the continent who needed it more than us. Monopolizing supplies would cause chaos. Even if we tried to distribute the food and stuff on our own, there¡¯s no way we could distribute it evenly to everyone.

    After much deliberation, we decided to pick up some reasonably priced building materials that would normally be difficult to transport.

    Though apparently, we stocked up so much that people had to ask if we were building a castle.

    We also went around greeting everyone who helped us out while delivering the materials.

    Rere, the guildmaster of Nocta, and the dandy submaster were busy worrying about the guild¡¯s future operations. Also Kozon and the other adventurers who came with us to Nadia¡¯s rescue.

    Mea, Quina, and their friends from the Beast Kingdom, who were hard at work for the sake of Gordicia¡¯s beastmen.

    Ajisai from Hagane, who was forced to remain in Nocta until the Holy Nation¡¯s departure.

    Dry the rabbitkin, as well as the other ouws who respected Fran as their boss.

    Chelsea and Tzaluta, the dragonkin and mercenary who fought alongside us. Also Ashwrath, who had retreated to the depths of the continent to quell his Mad Ogre Form.

    Everyone bid their own farewells to Fran, though a few begged her to stay on the continent. However, Fran refused.

    After all, her request wasn¡¯t over until she escorted her employer Brunen back to Jilbard. Besides, staying on the continent would not advance Fran¡¯s goal of lifting the curse of ck cat race, nor would it help me grow without any magic stones here.

    ¡¸Fran. Thank you for your assistance.¡¹

    ¡¸You shoulde visit my nation sometime.¡¹

    ¡¸Orfalve, Jayne.¡¹

    The two queens showed up with barely any escorts. Apparently, they came all this way to see Fran off. Fran jumped off the boat to shake their hands and exchange greetings.

    ¡¸When you see Garrus, tell him I said hello.¡¹

    ¡¸Send my regards to my foolish son.¡¹

    Oh right. Come to think of it, Orfalve was Garrus¡¯ mother-inw and Jayne was Jean¡¯s mother. I almost forgot because of how young they looked. Following the two queens, a bunch of other people came to see Fran.

    ¡¸Fran! Leaving already, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Velmeria, is your mom still okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, Frederick is with us too.¡¹

    Velmeria called out to Fran in an easygoing manner. It seems that her friendship with Fran deepened after fighting alongside each other.

    ¡¸Sorry about your skill¡­¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You couldn¡¯t help it. Besides, that skill exceeded my capabilities. I should be thanking you.¡¹

    Fran already informed her about how she stole Divine Dragon Form. Well, it¡¯s not like we can give it back or anything, so the two had agreed that nothing more could be done.

    I thought she might hate us for it, but Velmeria didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. I can only hope we can return it eventually¡­¡­

    ¡¸Littledy Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Izario. Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, don¡¯t give me that. I¡¯m here to see you off.¡¹

    Izario should still be pretty busy with the cleanup effort, but he still took time out of his day toe. Fran beamed happily when she realized this. The two had gotten pretty close.

    ¡¸Auntie Nadia, you know Izario?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess you can say that. Woops. Sorry, Izario-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re still recovering right? Try not to push yourself too much.¡¹

    Nadia and Mulsani came alongside Izario, so I guess they were familiar with each other. Despite never speaking face to face, it seems the two had heard of the other as fellow powerful adventurers fighting on the same continent.

    Nadia still couldn¡¯t walk properly, so Izario gave her his shoulder.

    ¡¸Fran. I¡¯m very grateful for this sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Nadia had lost Overgrowth, so Fran gifted her the enchanted sword belonging to the dragonkin elder Resalva. She¡¯ll be heading to the Beast Kingdomter, so that weapon should support her nicely.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t get too reckless, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s meet again soon!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-dono! Take care!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you for everything.¡¹

    Then came the adventurer Diggins, followed by Yagle, as well as William the ripped elf. Seeing all of them made me realize just how many connections we¡¯ve made on this continent alone.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s about time to set sail, Brunen¡¯s calling for you.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡­ Time to go.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, this is no time for tears.¡¹

    ¡¸Hilt¡­¡­¡¹

    Hilt, who was leaving the continent along with us, wiped away Fran¡¯s tears. Colbert and Phobos were right next to her. The Dimitris school had lost some of its members, so the journey must have left a huge impression on them.

    Still, she needed to act as the adult watching over Fran.

    ¡¸¡­¡­! This song!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºWow!¡»

    Sophie stood at the end of the harbor bank, ying her harp in front of the boats passing through. Her song was one we¡¯ve heard many times before.

    ¡¸The song of adventurers¡­¡­¡¹

    Sophie¡¯s performance also reached the adventurers who hade to see us off. They all started to sing too.

    The song spread to not only them, but also thepletely unrted people passing through the harbor. Everyone seemed to be singing to their heart¡¯s content.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t lose¡­? Keep going¡­? Show them your pride¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Stand up! Come on, this is our chance to show them what we¡¯ve got!¡¹

    ¡¸Show them what you got!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re with you!¡¹

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    Tears welled up in the corners of Fran¡¯s eyes upon hearing the chorus, and her mouth naturally began singing along.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸The golden¡­ adventurers¡­¡­ Sniff¡¹

    Fran hugged Urushi and buried her face in his fur to wipe away her tears.

    ¡¸Bye¡­ guys¡­¡­¡¹

 Chapter 1046

    <h4>1046 A Rxing Cruise?</h4>

    The day after our departure from Gordicia.

    Fran was already rxing on deck. Urushi had transformed into just the right size to act as her makeshift couch. He¡¯s getting pretty good at staying still for Fran.

    Without any change in posture, Fran took out some fruit juice and started slurping it with a straw. What a smile! On a side note, this straw was made of a substance very simr to stic. Thanks to the existence of various monster materials, this world has items surprisingly simr to products from Earth.

    Meanwhile, the higher ups wanted Fran to write a report including everything that happened in Gordicia¡­ Well, this voyage willst a while. She¡¯ll make it in time even if she starts tomorrow.

    ¡¸Nice breeze.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Our ship was a rather speedy cruiser, so the wind on deck always came at the perfect strength. Urushi¡¯s long fur got constantly ruffled, which reminded me of a Pomeranian on a windy day.

    Fran looked reallyfortable after burying her whole body in there. Lounging around with juice and enjoying the fluff.

    The only drawback would be the asional sneezing, but that can be overlooked. This is like every child¡¯s dream.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    £¨I want pancakes.£©

    ¡ºY-You mean like, right now?¡»

    £¨Nn. Can I?£©

    She¡¯s really stacking up the dreams of youth everywhere!

    Our stay in Gordicia was packed with a series of fierce battles, so she deserves this much of a reward. I took some pancakes out of storage and passed them over to Fran.

    I-It¡¯s not like I got done in by Fran¡¯s cuteness or anything!

    £¨Whoa. A mega serving of cream!£©

    ¡ºHahahah, and there¡¯s a treat hidden inside there too!¡»

    £¨Treat?£©

    Well, it¡¯s just some sliced fruit, but surprises are always wee. Fran seemed to be enjoying herself as she poked through the cream.

    ¡¸Fruit!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, you found it already?¡»

    ¡¸Munch. Delicious.¡¹

    Fran raised her forked fruit high in the air before stuffing it into her mouth. Now her mouth was covered in cream. Oh, she got some on Urushi too.

    ¡¸Kuhn.¡¹

    ¡ºFran, you¡¯re spilling cream all over Urushi¡¯s fur.¡»

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Oh boy. More cream fell on him every time Fran shifted her head¡­ And now the wind scattered it everywhere, leaving white spots all over.

    Wiping this off isn¡¯t going to be enough. Urushi needs a thorough wash.

    ¡¸¡­He¡¯ll be fine after diving into the ocean.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn!¡¹

    ¡ºSalt water will make his fur all rough and ky! Let¡¯s use water magic to wash him off, okay? It¡¯ll be over really fast if he shrinks himself!¡»

    ¡¸Okay. Urushi, turn small.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s equipment carried a size adjustment function, so it shrunk along with him. However, all the dirt, dust, and cream entangled deep into his fur remained unchanged.

    In other words, we just now created a tiny dog covered in apacted coat of white cream and ck gunk.

    This also scattered some small pebbles around the deck. I normally wouldn¡¯t care much during our usual adventures, but all the dirt and stuff falling from Urushi was very conspicuous on the ship¡¯s deck.

    We¡¯ve given him some simple baths throughout our stay in Gordicia, but just look at how big he is. Walking around for a day or so covers him in plenty of dirt.

    Urushi cast Bottomless Shadow to instantly erase surrounding debris. Makes sense, that¡¯s a smart way to use the spell.

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s wash up?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Blurb¡¹

    As we were cleaning Urushi, Fran suddenly froze, turning only her head toward the sea. Meanwhile the torrent of water kept pouring out onto Urushi¡¯s face.

    ¡¸Blurb-blurb¡­Blurb!¡¹

    ¡¸Monster iing.¡¹

    ¡¸Blurb Blurb!¡¹

    Please give him a break now! I already know about the monsters!

    Released from the water torture, Urushi shook his body and sent all the water flying. Fran distanced herself to avoid that, and started looking down at the surface of the sea from the boat¡¯s edge.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    A giant sea urchin about two meters in diameter floated up to the surface of the water. This monster was called a ¡°Jumping Sea Urchin¡± and had the Jumping, Needle Creation, and Bloodsucking skills.

    I guess they jump at their prey and stab them, before sucking up all their blood.

    I kinda want that magic stone, since the Bloodsucking skill will give me the ability to drain the blood out of any meat we acquire. That¡¯s like a standard feature in isekai survival stories!

    The other crew members on deck started moving in response, but Fran had already jumped out by then.

    I scanned for the Jumping Sea Urchin¡¯s mana signature to find their locations. Seems like the group had about 20 in all?

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s take them out with ice magic instead of thunder magic.¡»

    £¨Why? Thunder makes it easier.£©

    With her veteran experience, Fran must have understood that thunder magic can be transmitted through water in order to deal damage over a wide area. That¡¯s why she tilted her head at me.

    However, there¡¯s a very important reason why we can¡¯t do that.

    ¡ºToo much heat might cause their flesh to deteriorate.¡»

    £¨I can eat those?£©

    ¡ºYeah, sea urchins are generally edible. I¡¯ve heard these guys taste pretty good.¡»

    £¨¡­! Got it, I¡¯ll use ice magic on them!£©

    Tonight¡¯s dinner will probably be a giant pile of sea urchin. I know some people aren¡¯t a big fan, but Fran¡­

    ¡¸Sea urchin¡­ I¡¯ve never tried that. Slurp¡­¡¹

    Fran will be just fine.

 Chapter 1047

    <h4>1047 Anomaly in Jilbard</h4>

    ¡¸Hey, thank you so much for the hard work. We¡¯ve filed your report and are very satisfied with your performance. With this, the request is officiallyplete. I¡¯ll make sure you get a bonus too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸But man, this year¡¯s trip to Gordicia was a mess, wasn¡¯t it? We were so lucky to have you and Hilt along with us.¡¹

    Fran was in the captain¡¯s quarters facing Brunen.

    We had nothing to do on the way to Gordicia, but the return trip was a different story. Fran needed to fill out all the paperwork andplete her written report on the voyage back.

    She kinda burned out halfway through.

    I¡¯ve never seen Fran¡¯s eyes so devoid of life, even on Gordicia.

    However, it seems that everything worked out. The request assigned to Fran was deemed fullyplete.

    ¡¸I¡¯d love to throw a party, but we barely have any supplies left for the return trip.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay.¡¹

    ¡¸It might be difficult to have a party when we get back too. I have to head to the border as soon as we arrive.¡¹

    ¡¸For work?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It seems things are getting a little sketchy over there. They went all their way to send me a messenger bird.¡¹

    The Kingdom of Belioth¡¯s borders? Didn¡¯t they border several countries?

    ¡¸Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. Seems like they¡¯re running a big military exercise on their side. I highly doubt they¡¯ll suddenly intrude on our borders, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Raydoss might do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Pretty much. Thanks to them, all the generals have to stand by at the border in case of an emergency.¡¹

    The military officers have it rough, getting deployed immediately after experiencing the turbulent events of Gordicia.

    ¡¸So you¡¯re fine getting paid in gold?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll transfer it to your guild ount. Seriously, thanks for your help. We¡¯ve even made a connection with Hilt and her school.¡¹

    It seems that Brunen re-signed the contract with Hilt and her disciples. Adding the Rank A adventurer to their border defenses would be the best deterrent, after all.

    ¡¸Again, thank you for everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you too.¡¹

    Finally, Fran shook hands with Brunen before leaving the captain¡¯s quarters. Now we should be clear to move on from the Gordicia stuff.

    Fran stretched her body with a look of freedom. I guess that feeling was from not having to do any more paperwork.

    ¡ºMan, it¡¯s finally over. When we get back to the continent of Jilbard, our next stop is the Academy of Magic.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Then we¡¯ll obtain the heavenly dragon materials, which was our goal in the first ce.

    ¡ºI¡¯m also concerned about Raydoss¡¯s movements, but we can always ask Weena about that.¡»

    ¡¸I wonder if Alessa is okay?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, they have Amanda and Jean, so I think they should be fine. Klimt is there too.¡»

    They¡¯d need to bring out Rank S tier forces to capture that town.

    ¡¸True.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder if they can fix this when we get back to the Academy.¡¹

    ¡ºI think we should be fine even in any big city, like the capital.¡»

    Fran took out a broken mug, the memento of her parents that she dug up in Castel.

    We were so busy in Gordicia that we never managed to find an alchemist to fix it. Sure, the dwarves might have been able to help, but asking royalty for something like this seemed a little overkill.

    In the end, we decided to take our time finding an alchemist when we got back to Jilbard.

    ¡ºThe capital of Belioth should have plenty of alchemists too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After getting reassured by my words, Fran put her hands on her stomach.

    ¡¸I¡¯m hungry.¡¹

    ¡ºThen it¡¯s time for food!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    We enjoyed a few days of calm sailing like this.

    But right when we were about to arrive at Jilbard, our ship was ovee with a flurry of activity. These didn¡¯t seem to be simplending procedures.

    We went out on deck and asked the crew.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸The port is on fire!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    I see. Now that you mention it, there was a reddish light in the distance. It¡¯s still barely a dot, but the sight stood out in the darkness of night.

    Many sailors have the Farsight skill. They must have clearly seen these mes originating from the port.

    And that was not the only thing out of ce.

    ¡¸A fleet is approaching! They seem to have us in their sights!¡¹

    ¡¸Fleet?¡¹

    After taking another look, I also saw some ships heading toward us from the same direction as the mes. They must have discovered the lighting from our ship.

    Moreover, the panic of the sailors means¨D¨D.

    ¡¸An enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸They are waving the g of Raydoss. I also see the Kingdom of Seedran¡¯s g as well.¡¹

    ¡ºSeedran? That should be the ind nation to the west of Kranzel, right?¡»1

    They¡¯re said to have one of the most powerful navies in the world, employing powerful battleships known as ¡°Water Dragon Battleships¡±. We once fought against a member of their royal family who had escaped from Seedran after losing a political battle.

    ¡¸Are Raydoss and Seedran friendly?¡¹

    ¡¸It looks to me like Seedran is working for Raydoss now.¡¹

    So in other words, they¡¯ve been integrated into Raydoss¡¯s navy.

    ¡¸What about the Water Dragon Battleships?¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t see any yet, but the entire fleet is chasing us. There¡¯s no way this is gonna end peacefully¡­¡¹

    I guess that means we¡¯re on the run.

    Getting captured by Raydoss warships wasn¡¯t an option, so we quickly retreated.

    Fortunately, they seemed to not have the Water Dragon Battleships among them, so we managed to escape. They apparently had no intention to chase us forever either.

    I guess they simply noticed we were a ship from Belioth, an enemy nation, so they attempted to take advantage of the opportunity.

    ¡¸Hmm. We¡¯vee a long way south.¡¹

    ¡¸True. We¡¯re already in southern Jilbard.¡¹

    ¡¸Food is getting pretty tight. Rationing as much as possible will leave us only seven days. We have to resupply somewhere.¡¹

    Brunen and the vice-captain discussed the future course of action while staring down on a map.

    It seems we¡¯ve drifted off course to the south side of the continent as a result of our escape from the Raydoss warships.

    In order to return to Belioth, which is andlocked country, we mustnd at a port somewhere and travel ovend.

    However, their ship could not be entrusted to just anyone. Cutting straight up through the south edge of the continent would be a bit difficult too.

    In that case, we needed a convenient country that was both trustworthy and close to Belioth.

    ¡¸So, the Kingdom of Kranzel then.¡¹

    ¡¸That seems to be our only option. There¡¯s no telling which of the southern nations are connected to Raydoss.¡¹

    Thus, we hurriedly set course for a port town in the Kingdom of Kranzel, Bulbora.

    Trantion Notes

    Unlike in the light novels/manga, Fran and Master never visited Seedran in the web novel version of the story. ?

 Chapter 1048

    <h4>1048 New-Type Water Dragon Battleship</h4>

    Our ship changed course for the Kingdom of Kranzel after pursuit by the Raydoss navy.

    However, we ran into an unexpected situation here as well.

    ¡ºOhe on! Bulbora is on fire!¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s a Water Dragon Battleship!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We came all the way to Bulbora, but Raydoss¡¯s influence spread all the way here too. I could see mes and ck smoke covering the entire port and town, so the vast amount of damage to the city was immediately evident.

    Seedran and Raydoss ships lined across the sea, bombarding the city with magic sts.

    Moreover, one of the battleships had familiar-looking chains extending into the water in front of it. There should be a water dragon under there.

    This wasn¡¯t only Raydossying siege to Bulbora, but a joint fleet containing Seedran ships and a Water Dragon Battleship.

    ¡¸Shit! Change course before they notice us! If north is no good, we have to try the south again!¡¹

    ¡¸We need to pick a port very carefully¡­¡¹

    Of course, Brunen and his crew made no attempt to fight the fleet. He knew he couldn¡¯t win, and he had no obligation to try.

    ¡¸¡­Brunen. Our contract is already over.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me¡­! You n to leave?¡¹

    ¡¸I know a lot of people in Bulbora.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    However, Fran refused to sit back and let it happen. There¡¯s no way she could overlook this situation.

    Personally, I¡¯d rather she escaped alongside Brunen though. I honestly wouldn¡¯t mind if he imed her contract was still in effect.

    But Brunen wasn¡¯t the type of man to do that.

    ¡¸¡­You know we can¡¯t go with you, right? We need orders from the top to intervene in a war between other nations.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    Brunen shook his head regretfully, understanding Fran¡¯s firm resolution.

    ¡¸¡­I wish you luck, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks. See you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! Until we meet again!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! Give them hell for me!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Hilt and Colbert looked rather grim. Being forced to run away went against their code of honor, especially for Colbert, since this city was one of his bases of operations.

    However, the contract with Brunen meant they were not allowed to abandon the ship. In the end, all they could do was to cheer Fran on.

    ¡¸You go, girl! Good luck!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks for the delicious sea urchin!¡¹

    ¡¸Hope to see you soon!¡¹

    Fran nodded in response to the cheers of the sailors as she straddled Urushi.

    ¡¸Urushi, full speed. But don¡¯t let them find you.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi jumped up to the highest altitude he could reach, before covering himself and Fran with dark magic. Now only those with very high perception would be able to notice anything off.

    We took about ten minutes to reach Bulbora¡¯s airspace, moving a bit slower than usual to avoid breaking the spell.

    We could see thebined Raydoss-Seedran fleet continuously bombarding the town. The townspeople were packed at the gate on the opposite side of the harbor still trying to evacuate.

    The castle, which was supposed to serve as a shelter, was left in ruins from the bombardment. The towers had long since crumbled, with holes covering all the walls. The mes were already spreading throughout the castle, so it¡¯ll bepletely useless in a matter of hours.

    I believe the current upants should be nobles unrted to the former lord, Criston, but I have no clue if they¡¯re okay. Disruption in the chain ofmand was probably affecting the evacuation.

    The adventurers were also fleeing. Maybe they could do something against an enemy onnd, but they were powerless to intercept cannon fire from the seas.

    I also noticed a few dozen soldiers packed into a guard post next to the main street. I didn¡¯t recognize any of them, but I guess the intention was to buy time for the citizens to escape if any enemies tried toe ashore.

    However, several sts have already hit their building, which will copse sooner orter.

    ¡¸We have to stop the bombardment.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, that¡¯s definitely top priority.¡»

    ¡¸What¡¯s the n?¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s see¡­¡»

    Sinking over a hundred ships would take way too much time. In that case, we should target the gship and attempt to disrupt their chain ofmand.

    So our target has already been chosen for us.

    ¡ºWe strike the Water Dragon Battleship with everything we¡¯ve got!¡»

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    They¡¯ve yet to notice us, so we can charge up to the max and unleash our best hit. After sinking the Water Dragon Battleship, we get to work reducing the number of enemies while they¡¯re still confused.

    Simple and effective. The only issue is if the Water Dragon Battleship can really be taken out in a single blow.

    As expected from the so-called strongest battleships on the seas, they¡¯re loaded with magical tools to strengthen the water dragon. We never even managed to break those defensesst time.

    Moreover, the magic power emitted by the battleship far exceeded the one we had seen previously. If it¡¯s an improved version, the armor will be even tougher than before.

    ¡¸But still, we have to do it.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right.¡»

    We just have to believe in our own strength and give it our all. Maybe they¡¯ve gotten stronger, but we¡¯ve grown plenty too.

    ¡¸We can do it.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    ¡¸Urushi, you help too!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    First, Urushi invoked his spell. They produced numerous jet-ck spears, which promptly poured down on the Water Dragon Battleship. Any ordinary ship would have gotten turned into swiss cheese.

    However, all the spears got blocked by a thin film of light. Rather than the water dragon¡¯s magic, this seems to be a normal ward. Like I had worried, its defenses were tougher than the original version.

    That said, we expected them to be able to block Urushi¡¯s first strike. Or rather, the purpose was to attack a wide area and force them to spread their defenses thin.

    With the dome-shaped ward still covering the Water Dragon Battleship, Fran and Iunched our followup.

    ¡¸Haaah! Kanna Kamui!¡¹

    ¡ºEat this! Multicast Kanna Kamui!¡»

    We decided to use magic instead of a sh because it would have more potential. Of course, Heavenly Judgment and ck Thunder Divine w are still extremely powerful attacks.

    The problem is the area of effect. If we wanted to use a sh, we can only target either the Water Dragon Battleship or the water dragon itself.

    On the other hand, thunder magic has a wide range and can conduct through the water to reach other ships. Basically, it only makes sense to use Inazun over Merzoma with this many enemies.

    Bolts of white lightning descended from the heavens, intertwining in midair before striking the Water Dragon Battleship. In addition to synchronizing my timing with Fran, I also calcted the precise spot to strike in order to maximize the damage output.

    This was a feat made possible by the Data Processing and Arch-Sorcerer skills I acquired in Gordicia. The single spell cost me over 10,000 mana, but that¡¯s no problem.

    It was worth everyst point.

    The lightning storm writhed like a raging dragon, shing as it collided with the Water Dragon Battleship¡¯s wards. I could see the wards beginning to copse.

    Almost there!

    We poured additional mana into our spell.

    ¡¸Sink!¡¹

    ¡ºOraaah!¡»

 Chapter 1049

    <h4>1049: Shield and Spear of the Fleet</h4>

    The wards covering the Water Dragon Battleship began to bend under our synchronized sts of Kanna Kamui.

    With this much power, we could proudly call our Kanna Kamui a supreme-tier spell. The fact that this ward managed to block us for so long was a feat in itself.

    This Water Dragon Battleship¡¯s durability was way higher than the one we fought before. There must be a synergistic effect between the water dragon¡¯s magic and the magical tools on board, which enhanced the power of the wards.

    But after all that growth in Gordicia, we¡¯ll break right through it!

    ¡ºDyaaaaah!¡»

    Right as I put more mana into the spell, I heard the ward break with the high-pitched sound of shattering ss.

    The bolt of white lightning struck the Water Dragon Battleship and shattered it into¡­

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Or not.

    For some reason, the Water Dragon Battleship didn¡¯t even take a scratch. Instead, one of the medium-sized ships located behind it exploded into mes. Even if the lightning had conducted through the sea water to reach the other ship, exploding like that doesn¡¯t make any sense.

    In the first ce, all the ships aside from just one beingpletely unharmed is just in impossible.

    ¡ºWhat happened?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s like that thing.¡¹

    ¡ºThat thing?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. The shield art.¡¹

    ¡ºI see!¡»

    Now that you mention it, that¡¯s very true. This looked exactly like the shield art that transfers damage to an ally, which has gotten in our way so many times before.

    But is such an ability even possible in between ships? Was there some magical tool that made it possible?

    Either way, this makes it harder to target the Water Dragon Battleship directly.

    ¡¸They¡¯ll all disappear if we do it enough times.¡¹

    ¡ºNo, the ward has already repaired itself. Also, we don¡¯t have enough mana to keep going until we sink the entire fleet.¡»

    ¡¸Then we can just go in there and take everyone down in person.¡¹

    ¡ºHmmm. Getting trapped inside the ward seems kinda scary. It¡¯ll take some time, but destroying the other ships first is always an option, you know?¡»

    We sink the other ships acting as the damage substitutes, before finally taking down the Water Dragon Battleship. This strategy also reduces the number of ships capable of bombarding the city. It might seem inefficient, but this might be the most practical n.

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s destroy the other ships!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    We split up with Urushi and began our raid on the enemy fleet, purposely revealing ourselves in front of them to draw their attention, before sinking their ships one by one.

    This worked well first. Urushi showed off his huge body, as well as sometimes turning small and striking from underwater. Meanwhile Fran flew around raining lightning bolts.

    The enemy fleet was plunged intoplete chaos. We seeded in sinking a few ships, albeit small ones.

    However, that¡¯s when a surprising change urred.

    The other vessels started getting protected by wards as well. Rather than covering the entire sea, there seemed to be some kind of mechanism for generating durable wards on others ship in response to our attacks.

    Moreover, even if we managed to get past the wards, the damage got transferred to a smaller ship by the same shield art phenomenon.

    Raydoss must have taken various measures to protect their key ships. They were clearly wary of a powerful opponent capable of taking an entire fleet down by themselves.

    And if their defensive countermeasures were so perfect¡­?

    ¡¸Hm? A person?¡¹

    ¡ºThey showed up out of nowhere!¡»

    Someone suddenly jumped up from the deck of the Water Dragon Battleship. Then, they fired a volley of ice bullets at us. All without a hint of killing intent or fighting spirit.

    We might have taken one of those bullets had we not experienced a simr phenomenon fighting Trismegistus.

    ¡¸A girl¡­? Her neck!¡¹

    ¡ºShe¡¯s been enved.¡»

    The person appearing before us was a girl dressed in a ck military cap and uniform. A pretty girl of about the same age as Fran, with ck hair, gold eyes, and tanned skin.

    Rather than flying, it seems she was jumping around by creating bs of ice in the air as footholds. Wind magic was also used to assist her leaps.

    She chased after Fran with her ck trench coat-like cloak fluttering in the wind. Are those horns growing out of her forehead? I think she might be an ogrekin, but the shape looks a bit off¡­

    The horned girl continued sting Fran with magic, but for whatever reason, she still showed no killing intent or will to fight.

    ¡ºIt seems that girl isn¡¯t in control of herself.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­!¡¹

    Fran stared at the girl¡¯s neck with a look of disgust. A dull shiny metal ring covered her neck, almost tight enough to strangle her.

    A ve cor. Moreover, it seems she¡¯s been rendered unconscious, being controlled like a puppet somehow.

    She keptunching ice magic at us without saying a single word.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Marle Seedran

    <strong>Age:</strong> 14

    <strong>Race:</strong> Demonoid Ogre

    <strong>upation:</strong> Stronghold Admiral

    <strong>Status:</strong> Puppet

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 41/99

    HP: 388

    MP: 3397

    STR: 269

    VIT: 366

    AGI: 131

    INT: 871

    MAG: 741

    DEX: 120

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Chant Shortening: Lv5, Wind Magic: Lv5, Wind Reading: Lv5, Bow Arts: Lv2, Bow Mastery: Lv3, Court Etiquette: Lv6, Presence Detection: Lv3, Sword Arts: Lv3, Sword Mastery: Lv3, Super Strength: Lv4, Regeneration: Lv7, Command: Lv1, Blink: Lv4, Status Resistance: Lv8, Water Pressure Resistance: Lv7, Ship Repair: Lv3, Jumping: Lv3, Weather Prediction: Lv2, Farsight: Lv2, Ice Magic: Lv5, Magic Resistance: Lv3, Magic Detection: Lv5, Magic Barrier: Lv3, Magic Release: Lv6, Water Magic: Lv5, Swimming: Lv5, Night Vision, Sahagin yer, Water Breathing, Enhanced Hearing, Ice God¡¯s Blessing, Parallel Thinking, Magic Control

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Water Dragon¡¯s Bond, Frost Ogre

    <strong>Innate Skills</strong>

    Ship Protection, Stronghold

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Sahagin yer

    <strong>Equipment</strong>

    Windmist Saber, Water Dragonscale Leather Armor, Cloak of Adaptation, Water Dragon Leather Gloves, Water Dragon Boots, Commander¡¯s Hat, Ring of Snowfall, Bracelet of Ice Creation

    Quite strong, but her stats did not match her level. Her mana stat was clearly way higher than it should be, with her strength and such being pretty impressive as well.

    Her status was ¡°Puppet¡±, so like I thought, she¡¯s not moving of her own ord.

    Also curious was her name. Seedran? So she¡¯s rted to the Kingdom of Seedran? My first guess is her being a princess of the kingdom. She does have a skill called ¡°Water Dragon¡¯s Bond¡± after all.

    The fact that she¡¯s being manipted suggested that Raydoss had something to do with it. They¡¯ve already targeted the royal family of Phyllius, so it¡¯s not like they have any respect for foreign royalty.

    However, the most eye-catching part was the race section.

    ¡ºDemonoid Ogre¡­ Zelyse¡¯s research was about demonoids, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I believe it involved imnting magic stones into a human in an attempt to create superhumans.

    But, why ¡°Demonoid Ogre¡± then? Did they put a magic stone in a girl who used to be an ogrekin?

    Wasn¡¯t Suarez, the girl¡¯s supposed brother, a normal human? There¡¯s also the issue with the horns being shaped strangely.

    Could they have imnted both a magic stone as well as ogre horns? Maybe that¡¯s the secret behind Marle¡¯s strength?

    Moreover, turning her into a puppet allowed them to prevent the usual loss of sanity and control that came with demonization.

    ¡¸¡­Ice Bullet.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Hey you!¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s no use, Fran. She¡¯s already a ve, as well as a demonoid.¡»

    ¡¸But¡­!¡¹

    Fran dodged the ice spell withoutunching a counterattack. She was hesitating to attack this girl.

    ¡¸Freeze Shot.¡¹

    ¡ºFran, you need to fight back!¡»

    ¡¸No! But!¡¹

    It seems Fran could not help but stare at the silver cor, which reminded herself of her past.

    The image of a girl wearing a ve cor must be much more potent than someone being manipted via other means. Moreover, this girl was about the same age as herself.

    Perhaps ignoring such a resemnce was too much to ask¡­

    But if things continue this way, we will be subjecting ourselves to the girl¡¯s relentless assault.

 Chapter 1050

    <h4>1050: The Power of a Demonoid Ogre</h4>

    Fran was up against Marle, a girl wearing a military uniform. However, the sight of her opponent wearing a ve cor caused her to hesitate, preventing her from going on the offensive.

    Her trauma must have been triggered by the sight of this enved girl. Even if we are powerful enough to defeat the girl easily, that only matters if Fran is willing to fight.

    ¡ºShe¡¯s closing in!¡»

    The girl jumped around in the sky using abination of ice footholds and wind magic, before getting up close and unleashing an ice spell that would even damage herself.

    ¡¸Diamond Dust.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡ºThat packs quite a punch!¡»

    Fran grimaced at the cold gale sted at us.

    Getting turned into a demonoid must have enhanced the power of her magic. Our barrier took quite the beating from that single spell.

    The girl continued to cast additional spells in session. Parallel Thought allowed her to chant multiple spells at the same time, and unleash them one after another. Her strategy was probably tounch an endless barrage of magic.

    A normal human should not be able to withstand the immense migraines from doing so¡­ But it seems the girl could ignore the pain due to being manipted.

    And that wasn¡¯t all.

    ¡¸White mist.¡¹

    ¡ºThis is¡­!¡»

    It seems the real purpose of her repeated casts of Diamond Dust was to fill the surrounding area with frigid air. The cold mist restricted our visibility, as well as enhancing the potency of ice magic.

    ¡ºFran! We¡¯re just wasting our time like this!¡»

    £¨Nn¡­£©

    ¡ºEven if you don¡¯t want to kill her, we have to stop her movements. Cut off a limb or two and disable her!¡»

    £¨¡­Okay.£©

    After ncing over at the burning city, Fran remembered that we had no time to lose. She held me up with a look of sadness. It¡¯d be great if we could paralyze Marle instead, but she had resistance to status.

    ¡¸Teyaa!¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯d rather not do this either, but it¡¯s time for you settle down!¡»

    Fran put everything into her barrier and dashed forward, deflecting the ice spells. Despite seeing us leap at her out of the cold mist, Marle¡¯s face did not so much as twitch.

    Without dy, she drew the saber at her waist in an attempt to block our sh. However, there¡¯s no way we¡¯d let that happen after getting this close.

    Fran mmed Marle¡¯s saber away with the back of her left fist, before shing up to sever the girl¡¯s undefended right arm. Without any loss of momentum, Fran¡¯s de continued in a beautiful arc toe back down and sever the girl¡¯s left leg.

    While not disying any pain on her face, this certainly knocked the girl off her bnce. She was forced to pause and regain her posture.

    Meanwhile, Fran smashed Marle right above her head and mmed her down into the ship below. A vicious kick with her left foot, packing the divine attribute.

    Marle impacted the mast with tremendous force, snapping it in two. It seems that also killed her momentum, so she just hit the deck with a thud rather than smashing through.

    She seems to have stopped moving, but is she really knocked out?

    ¡ºNice, now keep her pinned for a bit! I hope the ve cor is weak enough that my level of contract magic can override it¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We saw some sailors rushing to Marle¡¯s side, but we blocked them with a series of spells. However, the sailors refused to retreat and kept trying to get closer.

    ¡¸Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Save the princess!¡¹

    They called Marle a princess. Also, an emblem resembling an eight-headed serpent could be seen on the broken mast. It seems the small ships used as damage substitutes were manned by sailors from the Kingdom of Seedran.

    In other words, Seedran¡¯s sailors were intended to be disposable from the beginning.

    Fran¡¯s face distorted after understanding the situation. Raydoss¡¯s vile acts must have disgusted her.

    After knocking the sailors back with magic, Fran rushed to Marle atop the deck.

    ¡¸Damn¡­ Princess¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Princess Marle, no¡­!¡¹

    All the sailors on the deck were only worried about their princess despite themselves copsing to the ground. She must have been a good princess if not for the maniption.

    Maybe she and Fran could have been friends too if they met under different circumstances.

    ¡¸Master, the cor¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºGet back, Fran!¡»

    Immediately as we tried to remove the cor, Marle unleashed an enormous amount of icy mana. This covered the deck in an instant, and even overflowed into the surrounding area.

    The surface of the sea froze over, and the sailors worried about Marle had been reduced to statues of ice.

    ¡¸G-Gah¡­GAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡ºRegeneration? No, she remade her lost limbs with ice?¡»

    Marle stood up with a high-pitched roar. Rather than her earlier nk expression, her face was now as vicious as a wild beast.

    Her body looked bigger, and not just because of her intimidating aura. Marle¡¯s body waspletely covered with ice, giving her the appearance of a white ogre. It seems this ice also took the ce of her lost limbs.

    The girl stood up without any loss of bnce.

    ¡¸UROOOOOHH!¡¹

    Her magic is instant now?! Moreover, with a bigger range of effect than before.

    Though the boat we were on was small, that¡¯s only whenpared to the other vessels in the fleet. As a warship, it¡¯s still wayrger than your average fishing boat. Maybe around the size of a cruiser on Earth.

    Yet the cold air released by Marle instantly engulfed the ship and froze it white. No doubt her friends were not even on her mind.

    Marle¡¯s eyes were fixed only on Fran.

    Not one nce at the remains of the sailors who were so worried about her. Perhaps it¡¯s for the best if she can no longer recognize them.

    ¡¸GRAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Teya!¡¹

    Fran dodged a punch from Marle, before shing her arm off. The mana covering her arm made it really tough, so this took quite a bit of my durability.

    It wasn¡¯t tough enough to repel Fran¡¯s sh though. Marle¡¯s right arm flew off past the elbow, but it seems the current Marle had decided to stop being human.

    ¡¸¡­It grew right back.¡¹

    ¡ºJudging by that feeling, I¡¯m pretty sure that should have been her physical body. It¡¯s not just the ice covering her, her entire body has mutated too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We just got back from Gordicia, and there¡¯s no time to rx!

 Chapter 1051

    <h4>1051: Indecision</h4>

    Marle, who was now some kind of ice ogre monster, rushed after Fran. Though she waspletely berserk, her mastery of magic only improved.

    She could invoke several spells at the same time without any chanting. Moreover, her physical and defensive abilities were also enhanced.

    ¡¸GAAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    Marle¡¯s arm suddenly extended out like a chameleon¡¯s tongue, reaching for Fran at ultra high speed.

    Fran dodged the arm at thest instant, but it suddenly changed direction. The long arm bent and swung around like a whip, cleaving huge swathes of space.

    Despite apparently being made of ice, Marle¡¯s arm seemed incredibly flexible.

    Such an attack would normally be very dangerous, but Fran knew how to deal with whips. After all, she¡¯s spent all that time practicing with one of the world¡¯s greatest whipmasters in the Demon Wolf ins.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ve gotta thank Amanda again!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Despite Marle¡¯splicated arm movements, Franpletely avoided all of them.

    However, her aggressiveness exceeded our expectations. The thrashing arm of ice released a strong burst of mana, before suddenly self-destructing on us.

    The surface of the sea got covered in a forest of reverse icicles growing toward the sky, with a white fog covering the area.

    Although our barrier prevented any serious damage, Fran¡¯s left arm got frostbite from making contact with the mist. It had managed to inflict internal freezing.

    I cast a healing spell as well as me magic to melt the ice.

    ¡ºShe just sacrificed her own arm to deal damage to us.¡»

    £¨That was close. I might have frozen to death without your barrier.£©

    ¡ºFran, Marle is¡­ stilling after us!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I sensed Marle¡¯s presence rushing toward us. When she burst through the wall of cold fog, both of her arms were still intact.

    And she used them to swing a greatsword of ice down on Fran¡¯s head.

    ¡¸GAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Shh!¡¹

    Though her speed and senses seem to have improved, it wasn¡¯t enough to outpace Fran in closebat.

    ¡¸Seya!¡¹

    Fran calmly parried the greatsword and mmed me into Marle¡¯s right arm. Our fire Elemental Sword shed with Marle¡¯s ice for a moment, generating a cloud of steam.

    It seems Marle could conduct mana through her cloak of ice, enhancing her armor with pinpoint uracy.

    But that¡¯s not enough to stop me.

    She only managed to dull the power of our sh, but only by a little. I still cut through Marle¡¯s arm as if it was made of soft tofu.

    As the severed arm flew away from her body, I saw it dissolve away into mana.

    £¨She really is just growing them back!£©

    ¡ºIt looked to me like she needed to absorb some seawater.¡»

    Right after Marle sucked up some of the surrounding seawater, her severed arm instantly regenerated.

    It seems Marle¡¯s body was nowpletely made of ice. We could still see her original face, but perhaps the rest of her body was entirely inhuman.

    ¡ºHmm, might be tough to beat her above the ocean then.¡»

    £¨¡­Nn.£©

    It seems Fran still can¡¯t resolve herself. I never thought anything could get her this upset¡­ Same age, same gender, illegal ve. Thebination of these factors must be what is getting to her.

    I¡¯m sure Fran realizes by now that it¡¯s no longer possible to save Marle. And that if she doesn¡¯t defeat the girl, both we and the town behind us will be in danger.

    I could feel Fran¡¯s hands gripping me tightly, and how she was trying her best to make up her mind.

    But Fran still couldn¡¯t resolve herself to kill Marle, only able to grit her teeth and re back. It wouldn¡¯t be so difficult to win if the current Fran took the fight seriously. Even so, Fran found herself unable to step over that line.

    Guess it can¡¯t be helped.

    I can buy her a little more time.

    ¡ºFran, maybe we can lure Marle into attacking the other ships?¡»

    £¨?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m pretty sure those wards have a function for deciding what can be let through.¡»

    If they didn¡¯t, anyone returning to the ship might find themselves locked out, and it¡¯d be hard to fire the ship¡¯s cannons through the ward too.

    Therefore, there¡¯s a high chance it has a built-in function for distinguishing friend from foe. If so, would Marle be able to pass through?

    Since Marle was onboard the Water Dragon Battleship, she should be able to pass through the wards freely, right? Then what would happen if we led her to the midst of the ward-protected fleet in her current berserk state?

    £¨I see!£©

    ¡ºI think it¡¯s worth a try.¡»

    £¨Okay!£©

    Fran nodded immediately and flew backwards away from Marle.

    ¡ºUrushi! We¡¯re gonna lead Marle to the center of the fleet! Watch out!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡¸GAAAAAH!¡¹

    Like I thought, Marle¡¯spletely insane now. She started chasing us in a straight line as soon as we ran.

    And she was sting ice magic all the while.

    All without any regard to where she was aiming. The ice bullets we dodged pierced the nk of a nearby enemy ship.

    This didn¡¯t do much damage to such arge vessel, but it¡¯s good to know Marle doesn¡¯t care about friendly fire.

    If we can bait her into unleashing more powerful spells, we might be able to inflict heavy damage on the enemy fleet.

    ¡ºHead for the Water Dragon Battleship!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1052

    <h4>1052: Fran''s Resolve...?</h4>

    Fran turned her back to Marle and flew above the enemy fleet.

    Meanwhile, Marle followed us through the sky in a straight line. Perhaps thanks to her improved magic, Marle was now capable of flying with wind magic alone.

    We continued toward the Water Dragon Battleship, paying no attention to the other vessels.

    When Fran tried to use aerial hop and jump aboard the Water Dragon Battleship, a film of light appeared to block our path.

    ¡¸Hft!¡¹

    ¡ºA ward! I knew it! It¡¯s definitely identifying us as an enemy!¡»

    Fran made a funny face after mming her face on the ward. It seems we have no way through, since it¡¯s blocking our teleportation as well.

    However, the ward apparently didn¡¯t have any means for striking back at us, allowing Fran to stand right on top of it. Some people were attacking us from the nearby ships, but my barrier was enough to deal with them.

    ¡ºNow then, how about Marle?¡»

    ¡¸GUGAAAAHH!¡¹

    ¡¸It went through!¡¹

    After Fran evaded Marle¡¯s st, it flew right through to ward to punch a huge hole into the deck of the Water Dragon Battleship. Neither the ward nor the damage transfer did anything to stop it.

    That¡¯s just as we nned, but our original n of infiltrating the Water Dragon Battleship seems impossible now.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s keep at it and sink all the ships around us!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    In contrast to our huge step of progress, the enemy sailors shouted in anger.

    ¡¸Someone stop that creature! What are the damn alchemists doing!?¡¹

    ¡¸I knew we never should have relied on the Eastern Madman!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh! Princess Marle¡­ What have they done to you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Take ¡®em down, Princess! Don¡¯t worry about us, just murder those Raydoss assholes!¡¹

    I heard various people shouting. The angry ones must be the sailors from Raydoss, while the ones favoring Marle must be the Seedran sailors.

    Fran danced around the top of the ward, guiding Marle¡¯s attacks toward the Water Dragon Battleship and therger Raydoss ships in the vicinity.

    One ship got sted with a huge icicle, blowing a hole in the nk. Another ship got its hull cracked open after freezing over. A third had all the sailors frozen stiff after getting engulfed by a cold mist. Every passing minute meant more damage to their fleet.

    As expected, Marle¡¯s attacks passed right through the enemy¡¯s wards. All of themnded direct hits on the Water Dragon Battleship and surrounding vessels.

    Some of the Seedran warships took advantage of this opportunity to strike back at Raydoss. While they didn¡¯t seem to be equipped with ranged weaponry like bows, they made suicide attacks by crashing their ships directly.

    As the chaos continued to spread, I noticed something unusual happening to Marle.

    ¡¸GUGAH¡­GAH¡­AAAAAHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Did she¡­ get bigger?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s no mistake. She¡¯s increasing her body size by absorbing seawater.¡»

    Marle began growing into a giant. What was originally the body of a petite girl turned into a huge creature about five meters tall. The massive ogre wearing a girl¡¯s face was apletely bizarre sight.

    Her body appeared to be very muscr at first nce, but that¡¯s not possible since it¡¯s entirely made of ice. Or rather, it seemed more like concentrated ice-aspected mana.

    At the same time, I noticed a spike in the amount of mana cloaking her.

    It seems her mana exceeded her capacity and overflowed from her body, leaking into the surroundings as frigid air.

    So now Marle was a monster freezing everything just by standing nearby. She was practically casting the ice spell Diamond Dust passively all the time.

    ¡¸Gyaaah! My arm!!¡¹

    ¡¸P-Please spare¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Princess, we¡¯ll be waiting for you on the other side.¡¹

    ¡¸Glory to the Kingdom of Seedran!¡¹

    The effects of this went far beyond our expectations, with both Raydoss and Seedran ships sustaining massive casualties.

    About 10 minutes passed since then.

    The joint Raydoss-Seedran fleet was now a shell of its former self.

    About 30% of the ships had sunk, and pretty much none of the remaining ones were floating in one piece. Half of the remaining vessels had gaping holes in them, and the other half were entrapped in ice, unable to move.

    Even if they tried to retreat, the majority would sink on the way home.

    Only the Water Dragon Battleship was still up and running. The damage to the hull had been repaired before we knew it. And this was no temporary fix, all the holes hadpletely vanished.

    Come to think of it, this world lets you instantly repair swords and armor with the right magic or skill. It shouldn¡¯t be surprising if a shipwright had a skill for repairing ships.

    That must require a lot of mana, but they can always borrow it from the water dragon.

    ¡ºThis ship is even nastier than I imagined!¡»

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡º¡­Fran. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already realized it, right?¡»

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    There¡¯s only two remaining threats. First, the Water Dragon Battleship, which is still protected by the ward. Moreover, we just learned that it has the ability to repair itself, so we need the sheer power to annihte it in an instant.

    And that¡¯s difficult with the berserk Marle chasing us around all over the ce. Well, I wouldn¡¯t call it impossible though¡­

    We¡¯ve already neutralized the majority of the enemy fleet, so I¡¯d love to take my time with the guys onboard. We could obtain so much information from the enemymander in there.

    ¡ºFirst, let¡¯s take down Marle.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Fran already knew this, but she must have been trying to avoid thinking about it. The trauma in her heart must be more than I can imagine.

    We even used the roundabout method of luring Marle to hit her allies, all in an attempt to stall for time. Fran was always serious about fighting, but this might be the first time she wanted to avoid taking a powerful opponent head on.

    That said, we couldn¡¯t keep ignoring Marle forever.

    Fran jumped up into the sky, with Marle immediately chasing after her. Our little game of tag wasing to an end.

    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll do it.¡¹

    ¡ºYou can always leave it to me, you know?¡»

    There¡¯s no need for Fran to deliver the final blow herself. However, Fran shook her head at my suggestion.

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. Let me do it.¡¹

    Fran looked straight into Marle¡¯s eyes, but her feelings still seemed to be wavering. Is she really gonna be okay?

    However, yet another strange urrence took ce on Marle¡¯s body to dampen Fran¡¯s forced resolve.

    ¡¸Gugagagagaga-GAAAAH!¡¹

    Marle suddenly burst into pain with her entire body convulsing. The wind magic keeping her afloat weakened, resulting in her losing her bnce.

    Then, for the first time, real words came out of her mouth.

    ¡¸Ahhh¡­ Everyone, they¡¯re all dead¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºShe¡­ came back to her senses?¡»

    The color of reason had indeed returned to her eyes, which were dominated by madness only a few moments ago.

    I could now see a hint of rationality.

    However, the words escaping her mouth could hardly be called rational. She was mumbling her grief, a whisper of maniacal despair.

    It seems she remembered everything that happened during her rampage.

    All signs of madness disappeared for her face, leaving only a crying little girl behind. Hot tears welled up from her eyes, before freezing and crumbling away.

    Perhaps she was thinking about all the Seedran citizens who fell at her hands.

    At the same time, the terrifying mist overflowing from Marle¡¯s body weakened in an instant. This was not due to any loss of power, but because she was controlling it all.

    The girl¡¯s weak eyes turned to Fran.

    ¡¸¡­Is this hell¡­?¡¹

 Chapter 1053

    <h4>1053: Marle''s Mutation</h4>

    ¡¸¡­Is this hell¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No. What do you remember?¡¹

    ¡¸Myst memory is of Seedran getting overrun by those bastards from Raydoss, who captured my sisters¡­¡¹

    It seems Raydoss incited a civil war in Seedran, allowing Marle¡¯s traitorous brother to capture her and her sisters. However, this brother was then betrayed by some underlings in league with Raydoss and forced to flee the country. Thus, Raydoss took practically full control of the country.

    ¡ºCould Suarez be her brother?¡»

    ¡¸Suarez?¡¹

    ¡¸You know him?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, we¡¯ve fought once.¡¹

    He¡¯s a former Seedran royal, who descended into piracy with his Water Dragon Battleship. Uhh¡­ What happened to him again?

    Pretty sure we captured him and turned him over to the Beast Kingdom¡­ No clue what they did with him though.

    ¡¸We captured him and handed him to the Beast Kingdom.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ So my foolish brother has fallen as far as it goes. Well, I¡¯m not one to talk with a body like this¡­¡¹

    Marle looked down at her hands and scoffed self-mockingly.

    ¡¸Haha¡­ Ie back to my senses and realize I¡¯ve turned into a monster that ughtered my people. What kind of nightmare is this?¡¹

    Marle seemed to be acting tough, but I could tell her heart was filled with grief.

    No wonder, since she woke up one day after turning into a literal monster. I found myself as a sword one day too, but it¡¯s not like I murdered my friends and family.

    Marle¡¯s long eyshes quivered slightly.

    ¡¸Your race is Demonoid Ogre.¡¹

    ¡¸What is that even¡­? At least I have this monstrous body to thank for being able to escape the curse of servitude¡­¡¹

    The very curse apparently only works on people, so it failed to control the no longer human Marle. Her cor continued to emit mana, but Marle showed no signs of falling under its domination.

    That said, her freedom was not perfect either.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t end myself.¡¹

    Marle attempted to drive her ws into her own chest, but her body suddenly stiffened. It seems her orders were still effective, in particr, the one preventing her frommitting suicide.

    ¡¸I am sorry to ask this of a stranger, but¡­ would you kill me?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Please¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I might be able to get your cor off.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, that isn¡¯t good enough. I may be in control for now, but I know very well that I am losing myself. I don¡¯t know how long I can maintain my sanity even without the cor.¡¹

    With an apologetic expression, but in a firm tone of voice, Marle asked Fran to kill her.

    ¡¸You are the only one I can ask. Please, let me die as a human.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Too much to ask, huh?¡¹

    The girl¡¯s face atop the giant body looked at Fran pleadingly. Her tone of voice was haughty, but her expression was that of a girl about to burst into tears.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll¡­do it. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll cut¡­ you down.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I see¡­ Thank you.¡¹

    Marle exhaled in relief.

    ¡ºFran, are you really okay with this?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s behavior now seemed to be unrted to her previous trauma. She gave a strong nod.

    It seems Marle¡¯s direct appeal allowed her to resolve herself.

    ¡¸My name is Marle. Marle Seedran.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ Fran, you have my gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Marle smiled softly, before closing her eyes and lowering her head. A very impressive midair dogeza.

    The posture for offering one¡¯s neck.

    In front of the silent Marle, Fran quietly raised my de.

    ¡¸I am d to have met you here, Fran. Fuhaha, it was a short¡­ incredibly short time, but I sensed a strange familiarity. It¡¯s as if we¡¯ve met before somewhere.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Me too.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Oh, can you also free my water dragon? It will leave without a fight after my death. Our kingdom is gone, so they deserve their long-awaited freedom too.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡­ Farewell my sisters, I¡¯ll be going on ahead¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Rest in peace.¡¹

    As the girls exchanged their goodbyes, I felt one of my skills reacting strangely. Like, as if it was talking to me?

    Perhaps my skills were trying to respond to the inner wishes of the wielder, Fran. My intuition told me to trust this.

    ¡ºFran, aim for the magic stone, just to the right of the heart. You see it?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Got it.¡¹

    With Marle settled down, we could now sense her inner mana. Fran also recognized the location of the magic stone.

    Rather than an overhead swing, Fran folded her arms back in preparation for a thrust. Then, she delivered a precise stab.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    I felt myself stabbing through the magic stone within Marle. A huge amount of mana flowed into me, but I didn¡¯t have time to be happy about it. I began activating multiple skills.

    Making full use of my auxiliary skills such as Wisdom God¡¯s Blessing and Data Processing, I pushed my Magic Absorption, Spirit Detection, Spirit Hand, Arch-Sorcerer, and Golden Hue skills to the utmost limit.

    Especially important was Spirit Hand and Golden Hue. Though incredibly faint, I sensed the aura of a spiriting from Marle. Meanwhile, Golden Hue was practically screaming at me to use it.

    Golden Hue was evolved from the Mixed yer skill, an ability for dealing with beings that were made from an unnatural mix of multiple creatures. This is effective against antidemons as well as beings like Marle.

    In addition, the magic stone embedded within her must havee from a monster simr to a spirit. Therefore, both Spirit Hand and Golden Hue had an effect here.

    I really doubt I can do anything to return her humanity, but maybe I could stabilize her existence and prevent her from losing control again.

    Monsters weaken and die after losing their magic stone. They require mana to maintain various bodily functions, so losing their magic stone is equivalent to a human losing their heart.

    But Marle was originally human. Maybe she could do without the stone? At least, that¡¯s what I was thinking.

    ¡ºThe mana is spilling out¡­¡»

    ¡¸KWAAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    But doing so wasn¡¯t a simple matter. As much as I tried to stabilize her existence, her mana refused to stop spilling. A fountain of mana with as much vigor as her screams.

    ¡ºShit¡­¡»

    Was I trying to perform an impossible task in the first ce? Did I fail to consider something? As I tried desperately to regte Marle¡¯s mana, the two girls suddenly spoke up.

    ¡¸Is this¡­ Marle¡¯s mana?¡¹

    ¡¸This¡­ warmth¡­ Is this Fran¡¯s mana?¡¹

    W-What¡¯s going on now? Fran and Marle¡¯s mana began mingling together¡­

    ¡¶Detected the activation of spirit magic. A contract has been formed between individual Fran and individual Marle Seedran.¡·

    ¡ºEh? Spirit magic?¡»

 Chapter 1054

    <h4>1054: Water Dragon</h4>

    ¡ºYou said spirit magic¡­?¡»

    ¡¶¡­¡·

    I asked Announcer-san, but no reply came back. That was just the automatic announcement feature in action.

    ¡ºUmm, Fran. What¡¯s going on?¡»

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    ¡ºUh-huh¡­¡»

    So what now? Should I reveal myself to Marle and ask what just happened?

    Meanwhile, Marle¡¯s appearance had reverted into that of aplete human. Strangely enough, she was able to fly without using magic.

    But what happened? After an appraisal, I discovered one remarkable change.

    Her race had changed from a Demonoid Ogre to Infant Spirit. It seems my stabilizing her mana caused her to be a spirit somehow. How is that even possible?

    In terms of stats, Marle had be incredibly weak. She¡¯d be on the level of a Rank D adventurer with such low mana levels. In a sense, you could say she no longer had enough mana to lose control over.

    ¡¸Marle?¡¹

    ¡¸Thank¡­you.¡¹

    ¡¸Marle!¡¹

    ¡¸Take care of my water dragon¡­ Wishkar¡­¡¹

    Marle¡¯s figure suddenly turned more and more transparent, with her aura rapidly diminishing.

    Then, she reached out her hand toward Fran, who was watching silently.

    The moment Marle¡¯s fingertips gently touched Fran¡¯s chest¡­.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Marle¡¯s body got sucked inside Fran and disappeared. Did she just assimte into Fran or something? I attempted to search for any traces of Marle within Fran, but failed to find anything. However, one piece of certain evidence quickly revealed itself to us.

    ¡¶Individual Fran¡¯s Spirit Magic has leveled up.¡·

    Her Spirit Magic leveled up from 1 to 2, maybe due to a spirit blessing or something? Fran put her fist on her chest and closed her eyes.

    ¡¸Marle¡¯s still here.¡¹

    ¡ºYou can tell?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I can¡¯t sense anything at all. However, Fran seemed to be able to clearly feel the power of Marle inside her, perhaps due to the effect of her Spirit Magic.

    ¡ºSo everything seems to be fine?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºDo you think you can use spirit magic now?¡»

    ¡¸No, that¡¯s not possible. Marle is asleep.¡¹

    Sleeping? I tried another search with a variety of skills, but still wasn¡¯t able to find anything. Marle hadpletely vanished as if she was just an illusion to begin with. However, this was clearly no illusion.

    In Fran¡¯s hand was the metal cor that had fallen from Marle¡¯s body when she lost her physical form.

    ¡¸¡­Raydoss¡­¡¹

    Fran muttered in her deepest tone. I don¡¯t know if we really managed to save Marle, but one thing was for sure. Fran¡¯s fury toward Raydoss had been engraved deeply into her heart.

    She and Marle had fought each other and exchanged only a few words. Despite such a shallow rtionship, they felt a connection. Perhaps this was due to a simrity in personality.

    As much as I¡¯d like to give Fran some time to think, we can¡¯t rest yet.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s free the water dragon.¡»

    ¡¸Oh right.¡¹

    Fran raised her head with a start, before turning back down to look at the water dragon.

    In front of us was a water dragon with dark blue scales floating quietly with its head above the surface of the sea. Like Marle said, it showed no signs of violence.

    Fran carefully descended to the water dragon¡¯s face. I was bracing myself to dodge in case it attacked, but¡­

    ¡¸Kuuur¡­¡¹

    The water dragon did not attack at all.

    It continued staring at Fran with eyes that seemed to reflect its intelligence.

    The dragon¡¯s throat wavered slightly. The voice sounded sad, as if it was crying.

    ¡¸Is it crying?¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t see any tears, but¡­ Maybe it knows what happened to Marle.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran and the water dragon stared at each other for a brief moment, before the dragon suddenly extended its neck toward us.

    I braced myself, but Fran waspletely unfazed. I know it¡¯s not showing any hostility, but this is a huge water dragon, you know?

    How can anyone be so calm with a mouth big enough to swallow youing this close? I guess that¡¯s my Fran.

    The water dragon seemed interested not in Fran, but the cor in her hand. It repeatedly sniffed the cor with the air flowing in and out of its nostrils.

    All that nasal air left some nasty stuff on Fran though!

    I cleaned her up real quick before returning to observe the water dragon¡¯s movements. Then, the water dragon dexterously opened its mouth a tiny bit to bite the cor.

    ¡¸Kuuuur¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Kur.¡¹

    The water dragon seemed to shake its head lightly in response to Fran¡¯s apology. Dragons are intelligent by nature, and this water dragon has lived for over a millennia. It might even be smarter than Fran¡­

    A-Anyways, let¡¯s make good on our promise to Marle.

    ¡ºFran, the chain.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll set you free.¡¹

    ¡¸Kur.¡¹

    Despite Fran raising my de, the water dragon showed no sign of rm. Like I thought, it seemed to understand humannguage.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s aimed at the metal harness attached to the water dragon¡¯s body. The harness was chained to the ship, and probably difficult for the dragon to remove itself.

    Our sh cut through the harness perfectly without harming the water dragon¡¯s body. I could see the water dragon a bit surprised.

    Even those incapable of wielding a sword must understand how impressive this was.

    The face of the water dragon approached us again, with glowing mana concentrated on its forehead. Then, a soft light radiated from its forehead to cover Fran. I didn¡¯t sense any kind of attack, so what could this be?

    I watched the situation anxiously, and the light got absorbed into Fran¡¯s chest. It looked very simr to when Marle assimted herself into Fran.

    ¡¸¡­Water dragon, thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Kur!¡¹

    Fran thanked the dragon for some reason, who then turned its body and dove into the sea. I sensed its presence getting further and further away.

    ¡ºFran, what happened?¡»

    ¡¸The water dragon gave Marle power. I can sense Marle more strongly than before.¡¹

    Eh? I still can¡¯t tell either way. I guess it¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s not anything bad.

    Fran murmured sadly while seeing off the water dragon.

    ¡¸It left.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    However, our job wasn¡¯t done just yet.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s still some enemy ships. Urushi has their attention, but the battle isn¡¯t over.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºYou can take out your emotions on them.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    The surviving vessels of the Raydoss fleet will serve as Fran¡¯s stress relief.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    The now fired up Fran threw a spell at a ship flying the Raydoss g.

    I thought the ward might block us since the ship half of the Water Dragon Battleship was still intact, but¡­ Her thunder spell simplynded a direct hit without any interruption, causing the ship to burst into mes.

    No clue how their warding system was built, but it seems to require the water dragon. No water dragon means no wards. The damage transfer phenomenon, which had disappeared a while back, never showed up again either.

    All the ships were just sitting ducks to us. Some of them didunch counterattacks, but they were sporadic at best due to all the chaos.

    ¡¸Master, turn big!¡¹

    ¡ºRoger!¡»

    ¡¸Teyaaaaah!¡¹

    Fran sliced a battleship in half with my giant de before smashing it to pieces with thunder magic. Some soldiers managed to escape into the water, but they were met with a legion of dark wolves created by Urushi¡¯s magic, staining the sea red with their blood.

    Furthermore, Fran went directly onboard the Water Dragon Battleship, targeting the Raydossmander who was likely inside.

    Sure enough, we found a pompous man dressed in an extravagant admiral uniform. His huge, orc-like body trembled as he red at Frannding on the deck. Next to him was a mage and a knight.

    ¡¸W-Who are you, scoundrel?!¡¹

    ¡¸An adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Krh! There¡¯s no way lowly adventurer scum can be this powerful! Hurry up and lower your head! All adventurers must kneel before us!¡¹

    Whoa, been a while since we¡¯ve heard that kind of adventurer discrimination. Looks like a stereotypical Raydoss guy who is blind to the situation in front of him.

    ¡¸That damn alchemist, bragging about how his creation would lose to no one! Where did the little girl even go!?¡¹

    He must not have seen Marle disappearing. Maybe he only took a look outside after Fran started her rampage?

    Unlike the screeching admiral, the knight and mage next to him seemed to have a better sense of judgment.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­ Such power¡­¡¹

    ¡¸S-She is that strong?¡¹

    ¡¸We would not stand a chance even with a hundred of me.¡¹

    ¡¸T-To that extent¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸This girl must be the one responsible for all these casualties¡­¡¹

    The knight and mage were whispering to each other about something. Also, the knight appeared to be capable of recognizing Fran¡¯s strength.

    ¡¸¡­If only we had taken the Chancellor¡¯s intel more seriously¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Staging a bridgehead is the least of our concerns. At this rate, we¡¯ll be wiped out for sure¡­¡¹

    Negotiations may be faster with the knight and mage who can tell what¡¯s going on, rather than a pig-headed admiral who can¡¯t.

 Chapter 1055

    <h4>1055: An Angry Interrogation</h4>

    In front of Fran was a ranting admiral along with a knight and a mage, both trembling. First we need to restrain them.

    The two in the back would probably obey an order to surrender, but we¡¯ll need to use force on the admiral.

    Unfortunately for them, it seems Fran¡¯s rage was far from satisfied, even after all her earlier violence. Rather than making an attempt to talk, she simply swung her de without any offer of surrender.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ GYAAAAAHH! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Hold up. Fran?¡»

    £¨They need to understand the hierarchy first.£©

    Fran seemed to have no intention of conducting a normal interrogation. The pitiful screams of the three men echoed across the deck of the Water Dragon Battleship, having lost their knees and everything below them. Fran, however, questioned them with batting an eysh.

    ¡¸Are you from Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸HYAAAAH! Ah! Ah! It hurts! S-Somebody! Save me!¡¹

    ¡¸Argh! D-Damn! I-I couldn¡¯t even react!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahhh! Why am I in this mess?¡¹

    I don¡¯t think they¡¯re in any condition to listen right now¡­

    But Fran was relentless.

    She sshed the three with water magic, and before giving them a light dose of intimidation. Then she spoke again with a cold stare.

    ¡¸Are you from Raydoss? Answer me.¡¹

    ¡¸S-Silence, silence, silence! D-Don¡¯t think you can get away with this! I¡¯ll make you pay!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸GEH!¡¹

    ¡¸GWAH!¡¹

    ¡¸GAAAH! W-Why us too¡­?!¡¹

    ¡¸Joint liability.¡¹

    The three men all gasped for breath after taking a wind st to their stomachs. Fran¡¯s simmering rage was now readily apparent.

    ¡¸I-I am merely a mage hired to escort the fleet! I-I know nothing about the inner workings of our nation!¡¹

    ¡¸But you just said something about the Chancellor.¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-! You overheard¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸The Chancellor is important? Then you must be important enough to talk to him. Don¡¯t y dumb with me.¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Lying will only bring you more pain.¡¹

    Fran kicked the mage¡¯s open wounds, resulting in the grown man screaming with tears due to the pain. His heart had beenpletely broken.

    While the mage¡¯s eyes were dead, the fat admiral continued ring at us with hostility.

    Though a fool, he was still over level 30. This was no power leveling either, he had the strength to match.

    It seems that gave him more resistance to pain than the mage. Well, not like he could do anything to Fran though.

    Admiral wasn¡¯t a directbat ss in the first ce, so his stats were pretty low.

    ¡¸D-Damn you! You lowly adventurers¨D¨DGYAAAAAHHH!¡¹

    Fran approached the admiral who was about to start another rant and stomped down on what remained of the man¡¯s severed leg.

    The Admiral twisted his body in an attempt to escape, but his resistance proved futile against Fran¡¯s overwhelming power. He only managed to tear his wounds open further and amplify his own pain.

    ¡¸¨D¨DArgh¡­!!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you from Raydoss?¡¹

    After repeating the same question three times, the knight finally answered. He must have realized that answering was their only chance for survival.

    ¡¸Y-Yes, we are. I-I¡¯ll tell you everything! So please don¡¯t kill¨D¨DGYAH!¡¹

    ¡¸You speak only when asked.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay! I know already, so stop hitting me!¡¹

    ¡¸Stop hitting me?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean please spare me, I¡¯m begging you!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    Now the knight¡¯s heart waspletely broken too, his eyes dominated by pure terror. He trembled at Fran¡¯s slightest movement.

    Upon seeing the knight¡¯s face drenched in saliva and tears, the half-dead admiral finally settled down. He now understood that his life was in the hands of the pissed off girl in front of him.

    The conversation that followed went very smoothly.

    As expected, this fleet served the Kingdom of Raydoss, with half of the ships and personneling from the Kingdom of Seedran. Raydoss had taken over Seedran with some sort of plot, and illegally enved the rebellious citizens, soldiers, and even royalty to use as disposable forces.

    The enhanced ward on the Water Dragon Battleship was the result of modification by the Raydoss alchemists, as well as the effect of Marle¡¯s skills.

    The damage transfer phenomenon was also due to her skills. Admiral-type sses apparently had several skills which could be applied to ships in various ways.

    Coincidentally, the fat guy in front of us had the ¡°Stealth Admiral¡± ss, which applies a cloaking effect to the fleet under his control. That must be how he reached Bulbora undetected.

    Despite his appearance, he was one of the top brass in the West Conquest Duke¡¯s navy. He apparently participated in the operation to cause a civil war in Seedran, leading to their conquest.

    And as for what happened to Marle, they only knew a little.

    Her demonoid surgery imnted the magic stone of a spirit-like monster known as a Sea Fairy. Then, she underwent a different surgery to imnt the horns of a mutated ogre, and transform her into a super soldier.

    Human augmentation was still an experimental technology, so it apparently causes mental instability in those undergoing the procedure. That¡¯s probably why they forced her to obey with a ve cor.

    Things must have worked up until her magic stone instability and bodily mutation progressed too far, causing the ve cor to cease functioning.

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Gah! W-Why¡­?¡¹

    Fran must have gotten pissed at the pig-like admiral¡¯s proud exnation of Marle¡¯s surgery and Raydoss¡¯s advanced technology. He was stunned when Fran suddenly punched him in the face.

    ¡¸I felt like it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Okay, we learned what happened to Marle. Now why did they target Bulbora?

    Their reasons turned out to be exactly what I was expecting.

    Raydoss intended to invade Kranzel and end the long-standing feud between the two kingdoms. The strategy was to conquer Bulbora and establish a bridgehead there.

    Kranzel should have their own navy, but they were apparently defeated in a naval battle near the port town of Dars and left in tatters. Well, I imagine they stood no chance against the Water Dragon Battleship.

    Bulbora was their main target due to being arge port distant from Raydoss, which made them less vignt against foreign invasion. Also, the security was still in disarray due to the incident about a year ago. An additional reason was that conquering Seedran allowed them to interfere with Kranzel¡¯s supply routes more easily.

    We ran into Raydoss warships on our way back from Gordicia for a simr reason.

    The only difference being those ships had the mission of harassing Belioth¡¯s logistics rather than Kranzel¡¯s. That¡¯s because the terms of the Gordician Duty contract prevented them from attacking Belioth directly.

    Thus, they took military actions against the trading ports of countries exporting food to Belioth, allowing them to hurt Belioth indirectly.

    Furthermore, conquering their neighboring countries would ramp up the pressure on Belioth too.

    Then they would strike as soon as the Gordician Duty safety period ended. It seems these ns had already been propagated to all of Raydoss¡¯s allies, with the operation already well underway.

    We also managed to get more detailed information about Raydoss¡¯s inner workings.

    I already heard the rumor about Raydoss¡¯s recent change of king, allowing the dukes of the North, South, East, and West to do as they pleased.

    The current war was said to be led by the East and South Conquest Dukes, with the West Conquest Duke backing them up. Each of the dukes had their own goal.

    The East was after Belioth, the West after Phyllius, and South after our current location, the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    Well, the fleet we just eliminated seemed to work for the West Duke though. The South Duke wanted to grab everyone¡¯s attention by invading Kranzel¡¯s northern border while the West Duke invaded Bulbora in the southwest.

    If Kranzel decided to allocate reinforcements to Bulbora, this would thin their numbers and allow the South Duke to gain an advantage on the northern front. No matter what Kranzel did in response, this plot would give Raydoss the advantage, or at least that¡¯s how it should have been.

    ¡ºSucks that they ran into us then.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    With Raydoss invading from the north, the powerful adventurers rushed north to stop them. Adventurers are not obliged to participate in wars, but it¡¯s a different story when Raydoss is the aggressor.

    After all, Raydoss has always cracked down hard on adventurers. Kranzel losing the war would mean a drastic change in their livelihoods.

    It¡¯s not like every single adventurer headed north, but their numbers almost certainly decreased drastically. Marle was assigned to deal with the few that remained.

    With herbat ability, she should be more than a match for any Rank B adventurer. Her victory was practically guaranteed with the Raydoss fleet backing her up. She might even be able to handle Rank A adventurers in her berserk state too. Well, assuming they fought near a body of water.

    Their fleet, including the Water Dragon Battleship, was to thoroughly crush Bulbora. Then, Marle would lead thending forces to overrun Bulbora in one fell swoop. That was Raydoss¡¯s n, but it seems we interfered right before they couldnd.

    Anyway, that¡¯s pretty much everything I wanted to hear.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s turn these guys over to Bulbora.¡»

    £¨¡­Nn.£©

    Fran seems to have calmed down after torturing them for a bit. She used healing magic to stop their bleeding.

    Judging by her previous behavior, I almost expected her to simply off them when she was done.

    I wrapped them up with some magic thread to restrain them. Fran held onto the other side of the thread, and all three had yet to regenerate their legs. Escape was impossible.

    After taking a look around, I saw pretty much all of Raydoss¡¯s ships had sunk aside from the Water Dragon Battleship. Those still floating had been rendered incapable of sailing. Some floating ships waved the Seedran g, but their masts and oars were already broken.

    Perhaps they could still move using magic tools, but it seems they didn¡¯t have the courage to escape with a huge wolf watching them.

    ¡ºUrushi, we¡¯re heading to Bulbora. Keep an eye on the fleet.¡»

    ¡¸You can sink any ship that runs!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran shouted that in her loudest voice to ensure the remaining boats heard her words. A few screams followed after Urushi¡¯s reply.

 Chapter 1056

    <h4>1056: Seizure</h4>

    Leaving Urushi in charge of the fleet, Fran and I headed for the port of Bulbora. The damage was pretty immense. The Raydoss fleet must have concentrated artillery fire on the major facilities.

    But because of that, many of the ordinary buildings and residences were surprisingly safe.

    I saw arge number of people running toward us, probably having noticed the change when the bombardment stopped. At their front was a familiar presence.

    ¡¸Over there.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Let¡¯s go there too.¡»

    A few minutester, we met up with the group of adventurers.

    ¡¸Fran! Fran, is that you!?¡¹

    ¡¸Gamudo.¡¹

    They were led by Bulbora¡¯s guildmaster, Gamudo, a former Rank A adventurer. It seems he got through unharmed.

    Well, not like getting hit by cannon fire would be enough to kill him.

    ¡¸What the heck happened!? And who are they?¡¹

    ¡¸Guys from Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    Gamudo and his followers overflowed with killing intent after hearing that the three tied up guys dragged by Fran were from Raydoss. It seems everyone was well aware that Raydoss was behind the fleet shelling them. They were waving their gs in the open, so that¡¯s only natural.

    Fran exined all the intel she had extracted to Gamudo and entrusted him with their custody.

    ¡¸Can you take them?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah sure, that¡¯s fine by me. But what are you doing now, Fran?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m heading to the orphanage.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s biggest worry seemed to be whether or not the orphanage was safe. However, Gamudo smiled and reassured her.

    ¡¸Oh, they¡¯re perfectly fine. After all, I was just there.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I went to check up on them and everyone was safe. Amanda built a super sturdy underground bunker. That thing ain¡¯t budging unless you smack it with a direct hit of the highest level magic.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ That¡¯s great.¡¹

    If Gamudo can speak with such confidence, then they really must be safe. Fran exhaled a breath of relief.

    ¡¸There are still some enemy ships in the harbor.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? Is it safe?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi is watching them. Besides, we¡¯ve sunk all of Raydoss¡¯s ships. All that¡¯s left are Seedran¡¯s ships.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, so that¡¯s how it is¡­ Maybe this will work out?¡¹

    It seems Raydoss¡¯s surprise attack annihted Bulbora¡¯s navy, killing arge number of sailors. They didn¡¯t have enough manpower remaining to capture and seize the enemy ships.

    ¡¸That said, we can¡¯t just leave them floating there. I¡¯d love to get my hands on those if possible.¡¹

    On the other hand, perhaps Seedran¡¯s ships and crew could be incorporated to make up for Bulbora¡¯s lost forces. Since no one knew Raydoss¡¯s next move, they should prepare themselves for anything.

    ¡¸What is the new lord doing?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­The guy¡¯s a talented politician, but I can¡¯t say the same for thebat side¡­ I¡¯d appreciate it if he could delegate some authority to me¡­ Dunno if that¡¯s ever happening though¡­¡¹

    So not ipetent, butcking the skills for war. They likely dispatched a more ountant-type guy as the new lord to assist with the city¡¯s reconstruction.

    However, Fran could do nothing regarding such matters. We had no choice but to leave everything to Gamudo.

    ¡¸¡­Fran. I know it¡¯s a pain, but I gotta ask for your help capturing the ships. I¡¯ll make sure you get paid.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Okay.¡¹

    She still wanted to see the orphanage, but we couldn¡¯t leave the port and Urushi behind. This problem needed to be taken care of first. Fran led Gamudo and the others back the way she came.

    ¡¸Really sorry for this. I ain¡¯t too great when ites to the sea.¡¹

    ¡ºOh yeah. He is a dwarf after all.¡»

    I remember hearing once that the dwarves as a whole were incapable of swimming. It seems Gamudo can¡¯ty a finger on anythinging from the sea. Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s really impressive onnd though.

    ¡¸Fran, we need to talk.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    Gamudo whispered in Fran¡¯s ear for some reason. Since her ears poked out of her head, Gamudo could whisper without bending down.

    The dwarf¡¯s distinctive beard seemed to be tickling her a bit.

    ¡¸About your rank.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? I¡¯m Rank B.¡¹

    ¡¸Well yeah, I know that. I mean about your rank up.¡¹

    Gamudo pulled Fran a little distance away from the others. I guess this conversation wasn¡¯t one that could be overheard by other adventurers.

    ¡¸I hear you did super well in Gordicia. There¡¯s a rmendation for your rank up in the works.¡¹

    ¡¸So my rank will go up?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it ain¡¯t that simple. Your case is a tad special.¡¹

    Fran was simply too young, and she had worked as an adventurer for less than two years. Though she was undoubtedly strong, many imed that she was given too much special treatment. In particr, essential aspects such as Fran¡¯s character and aptitudes were not given proper consideration.

    Furthermore, it seems many doubted Fran actually performed as well as reported. The events in Gordicia urred on a battlefield with Rank S adventurers and members of the Seven Sages, some of them without third party witnesses. They found it hard to believe that Fran could truly contribute in such conditions.

    Also, Izario¡¯s report avoided mentioning my existence, which generated some suspicious nk spots where Fran would normally have shined.

    ¡¸Someone promoting to Rank A needs visible achievements and approval from multiple countries. To be frank, I think you ain¡¯t passing this time.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Fran nodded her head in response, and there didn¡¯t seem to be much disappointment on her face. Gamudo also noticed this.

    ¡¸What, you ain¡¯t frustrated? I certainly am. You wouldn¡¯t lie to us. It¡¯s all true, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But I¡¯m not ready for Rank A yet.¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    ¡¸Rank A adventurers are awesome, and I haven¡¯t caught up to them yet. It¡¯s still too early for me.¡¹

    Fran shook her head at Gamudo. To her, Rank A was something to aspire for. Amanda, Forrund, Hilt¡­ Strength was not the only virtue these adventurers held.

    Amanda ran several orphanages, rescuing countless children throughout the world. Despite his usual tone, Forrund was capable of negotiating, even with royalty. He also traveled all over the country taking all kinds of requests. Hilt inherited the Dimitris school and was responsible for training many disciples.

    Call it contributing to society or what not, but these are the best adventurers with a myriad of abilities, virtues, and experiences other than strength. Only they are allowed to be Rank A.

    Rank S is pretty much outside of human limits, so it¡¯s not something you can just be. In a sense, Rank A was the highest you can go on your own efforts. Maybe that¡¯s why it was so special to Fran.

    ¡¸¡­I see. If you say so then. As a former Rank A, I have to say I think you¡¯re up for it.¡¹

    ¡¸Even so, I¡¯m not ready yet.¡¹

    ¡¸That so? Well, I¡¯ll make sure you get promoted regardless on your next achievement. And when that happens, you better ept it, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    As we were discussing all of this, we arrived at the port. I could see the faces of the adventurers tensing up as Urushi¡¯s huge body drew near.

    Had Fran not informed them of her servant ahead of time, they might have fled at the sight. Urushi was standing guard in battle mode to ensure no ships escaped, and his aura was that intimidating.

    Gamudo was pretty much the only one unaffected. This man belonged to a team specialized in dragon hunting, so even the current Urushi was not enough to scare him.

    ¡¸Fran, can you tell the ships toe over this way?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re letting them into the harbor?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Then we¡¯ll hop on board and overpower the sailors.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    However, the port of Bulbora and surrounding area was currently in no condition for sailing due to the wreckage of the sunken battleships.

    So we decided to start by cleaning up all the wreckage. Just broke it all down and shoved it into storage.

    After the sea was mostly clean again, we boarded the surviving vessels directly and told them to enter the harbor one after another.

    I thought there might be some trouble, but the Seedran sailors ended up being very obedient. Come to think of it, they had seen Fran and Urushi¡¯s power up close. That must have erased any desire to resist.

    The fleet should still have a good number ofbat-ready soldiers for their nnednding, but none of them dared to disobey us. Though it took a while, we seeded in seizing 11 ships.

    The best ships were slightly damaged, while the worst ships werepletely incapable of movement, so Fran and Urushi had to literally pull them into the harbor via brute force.

    Well, they should work after getting fixed up. Shipwrights capable of using Repair on boats exist after all.

    £¨So tired.£©

    £¨Arf.£©

    ¡ºI guess this is the end of our business at the port. Might as well eat some food before we head to the orphanage.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸F-Fran? What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡¹

    Woops, looks like we surprised Gamudo. You can have some curry as an apology. Straight from the Curry Master!

 Chapter 1057

    <h4>1057: Cooking at Bulbora</h4>

    While we were busy eating at the harbor, a crowd of people was quickly gathering up, attracted by the smell of curry¡­ or not. They must have been curious as to what was going after the sounds ofbat disappeared.

    Word spread about the crowd at the port, so people began gathering here one after another.

    We couldn¡¯t just give Gamudo food and leave everyone else empty handed. Many of them were acquaintances we met during the cooking contest.

    As a result, we kept the food pouring out of our storage. The ce soon started looking like a cookout.

    People were unloading the rations from Raydoss ships, cooking up beans and other cheap foods. We even had Urushi grab some fish from the sea in front of us. This ended up making us busier than we were while fighting.

    Random cooks and members of the Cooking Guild showed up with even more foodstuffs in the middle of the event, evolving it into a huge, several thousand person cookout.

    No clue where it came from, but there was now a huge metal pot so big that they needed adder to reach the top. Some guy used a spear to stir the contents, a soup that could serve hundreds of people. It reminded me of an Imoni soup party in Yamagata.

    The port was filled with smiles. I¡¯m sure many lost their loved ones and livelihoods in the earlier battle, but they still forced themselves to keep smiling. They must know that getting depressed would serve no purpose.

    What¡¯s more, none of them were fighting over food. Everyone shared with their neighbors peacefully. I think I just now realized how strong the people of Bulbora were.

    ¡¸Fran. I heard that you not only passed out food but also beat up the guys from Raydoss. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Mecham.¡¹

    Fran was sitting at the edge of the harbor and looking out at the sea while eating curry, when an old man spoke out to her. Old man Mecham, one of the Cooking Guild¡¯s most important members as well as Fran¡¯s mortal enemy.

    I think she views him as more of a rival than most adventurers.

    ¡¸About the food¡­ You sure passed out a lot, but are your stocks okay?¡¹

    Mecham may have no clue how to fight, but he was a professional when it came to cooking. Just one look at the food served out, and he must have understood the considerable price of the ingredients used.

    Fran, however, shook her head.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re using stuff we took from the enemy, and I can always hunt more magic beasts.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see. But this is something that would normally be our guild¡¯s job. If you ever have any problems rted to cooking,e to me. I promise to help.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    Mecham did not offer any money. Though it¡¯s true that the city will need mountains of funds to repair the damage, I think he was taking Fran¡¯s wishes into consideration.

    ¡¸Fran-san, thank you so much. The children are feeling much better now.¡¹

    The next person approaching us was Io-san from the orphanage. It seems someone went to the orphanage and informed her about the cookout, so she brought the orphans with her.

    I thought that was a little too careless of her, but I guess they had several adventurers escorting them. It¡¯s also not healthy to keep children underground for too long.

    Everyone knew Amanda was looking out for them, so none of the ruffians would dare bother them. In fact, it seems many members of the crowd were keeping an eye out too.

    They, as well as Fran, were happy to see the children eating their meals with smiles on their faces.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s Charlotte?¡¹

    ¡¸She went north.¡¹

    ¡¸For the fight with Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh no, not that. She went to Dars.¡¹

    Rather than joining the war in the north, it seems Charlotte was simply visiting the port town of Dars. There was some sort of festival to pray for a good harvest, and she had been invited to dance for the event.

    ¡¸To Dars? When?¡¹

    ¡¸She left about a week ago, so I think she should be in Dars by now¡­¡¹

    Didn¡¯t we hear that Dars already got captured by Raydoss¡­? Is Charlotte safe? Fran seemed to be getting worried too.

    Without saying a word to Io, we headed for the corner where the adventurers had gathered. Now that the Seedran sailors were all detained, the adventurers were recharging themselves with food before starting the salvage effort for usable supplies and materials.

    ¡¸Gamudo.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸I want to know what¡¯s going on in Dars.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Come over here.¡¹

    I guess it¡¯s not something he can talk about openly. Gamudo took Fran a little further away.

    ¡¸To be honest, I got no clue what¡¯s really going on up there.¡¹

    ¡¸No messages?¡¹

    ¡¸None. I tried sending one from my side, but no response. If what the prisoners say is true, it¡¯s probably already toote¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    Given the circumstances, we couldn¡¯t just pass it off as ¡°no news is good news¡±. By all ounts, they were pushed into some situation where they could no longermunicate.

    ¡¸A number of Bulbora¡¯s adventurers went to the festival in Dars.¡¹

    Charlotte¡¯s request was not an individual request for her, but a request between the guilds. It seems they had dispatched ten people to Dars, including guards and such.

    Among them were some more of our acquaintances, the three members of the Scarlet Maidens as well as the alchemist Eugene. The Scarlet Maidens acted as guards, and Eugene was nning to perform a lecture at Dars.

    ¡¸Fran, what you doing next? I¡¯d appreciate it if you stay here a while, but I doubt that¡¯s happening, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to Alessa.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ Before that, can you take care of one request for me?¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I want you to check on the rest of the coast, including Dars. What do you say?¡¹

    Just when the terrible scars left by Linford had finally healed, the city of Bulbora was pushed to the brink once more. There¡¯s no way they could afford to send any more adventurers out.

    The magic tool formunication was already reduced to ashes by the bombardment soon after Gamudo¡¯s attempted call to Dars. Reaching the outside world was no longer possible.

    In that case, Gamudo thought the most reliable way to gather information on other locations was to ask Fran. She was an adventurer from the outside who boasted incredible speed.

    And although Fran probably didn¡¯t realize it, Gamudo probably intended to distance her from Alessa. Going to Alessa would get her involved in the war for sure.

    He¡¯d much rather give her a request to gather info about the other ports and cities. I think that¡¯s his ulterior motive here.

    ¡ºFran, I think you can take this request.¡»

    £¨But¡­ I want to know if Alessa is okay.£©

    ¡ºWe already heard how many adventurers headed north, right? Klimt, Amanda, and Jean are already there in the first ce, and Forrund and Felmus went too.¡»

    £¨I see¡­£©

    Though Fran knew Alessa would not fall so easily, it seems she could not help but be a little worried about her friends. However, she now found someone in more immediate danger.

    In the end, Fran decided to ept Gamudo¡¯s request.

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll go check on Dars.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds good, but you¡¯d better not rush in alone. If you find a ton of enemies, don¡¯t do anything rash and just report back to me. Got it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! No problem!¡¹

 Chapter 1058

    <h4>1058: Current State of Dars</h4>

    The day after we annihted the Raydoss fleet at Bulbora, we started heading north along the coast toward Dars.

    We visited several fishing viges along the way, but none knew much about the situation. Only the fishing vige closest to Bulbora seemed a little weary since the usual merchants buying fish never arrived.

    Even further north, the vigers were simply living their lives as usual, unaware that Raydoss¡¯s invasion had already begun.

    The Raydoss fleet must have taken a route undetected by the vigers, preventing them from noticing the anomaly.

    When we arrived at a port town a littlerger than the viges, they were literally just notified of the invasion and beginning to prepare their defenses. It¡¯ll probably take a little more time until the news propagates to the surrounding viges.

    Well, we already informed the viges that Bulbora got attacked, so they¡¯re probably sending people to check things out.

    From there, we followed the coastline to the port town of Dars. As expected, the fishing vige adjacent to Dars noticed the unusual situation, so we heard a lot of information from them.

    Dars seems to have been well-prepared, since it was closer to the border with Raydoss. Immediately after the defeat of the defending fleet, they sent messengers to the surrounding viges instructing them to evacuate.

    Most people have probably already evacuated to the ind towns.

    The only ones still remaining in the vige were the elderly men who refused to leave. They said it was unthinkable to abandon the vige and run away, and didn¡¯t listen to Fran¡¯s advice to evacuate.

    Rather, one of them even expressed concern when Fran said she was headed to Dars, and gave her a potion.

    ¡ºFran. What¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Will those guys be alright?¡¹

    ¡ºThose old guys seem to be fine with food and other stuff, but they¡¯ll be in trouble if Raydoss soldierse.¡»

    If Fran was that worried, maybe we should have just forcibly carried them to a safe town? Well, not much else we can do if they don¡¯t want to leave¡­.

    Who knows if they¡¯ll really be happy after getting forcibly rescued? Losing the vige they were so attached to might be like losing their purpose in life. I guess it¡¯s better than dying?

    A difficult question. But in the end, Fran decided to respect their wishes.

    ¡¸They said Dars is already upied.¡¹

    ¡ºWell, they can¡¯t really fight back with their fleet destroyed. The city didn¡¯t have many adventurers to begin with.¡»

    ¡¸Are Charlotte and the others are okay?¡¹

    ¡ºQuite a few people apparently made it out, so we just have to hope they¡¯re among the refugees.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    In this case, however, Charlotte and the others were sent to Dars as representatives of Bulbora. If they were asked to cooperate in the defense, they wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse.

    It¡¯s more likely they took part in the battle against Raydoss.

    ¡¸First we check out the town.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. Even if we just head back to report, we should at least check the size of the enemy fleet and the number of soldiers.¡»

    It¡¯s normally safer to wait until night for this kind of thing, but that would make it difficult to confirm the enemy¡¯s numbers. Despite the risk, we decided to first scout Dars from a high altitude.

    We flew up into the sky as we drew closer to Dars. Urushi¡¯s ck fur would be conspicuous in the sunny sky, so of course I covered it up.

    Illusion magic to project an image of the sky on ourselves, as well the light spell Camouge to blend in with the surrounding scenery.

    Although we weren¡¯tpletely transparent, it¡¯s a pretty decent optical camouge. No one should be able to detect us unless they stare at the sky very carefully.

    Or at least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to go¡­

    ¡¸Kywiiii!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyu-kywii!¡¹

    ¡¸A bunch of giant birds!¡¹

    ¡ºThese are Lesser Rocs!¡»

    Three giant birds were flying around us, each about two meters long, with a wingspan of about 10 meters.

    Lesser Roc, a Threat Level D monster. Not a very strong opponent, but they seemed to have enough skill in detection to see through our disguise.

    They must be tamed by someone from Raydoss. Either way, it¡¯s difficult to remain hidden once they¡¯ve discovered us. Their ground forces probably already found us since the birds kept circling us.

    ¡¸Sorry, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºThat wasn¡¯t your fault, so don¡¯t worry about it! Let¡¯s take these guys down first!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    To tell the truth, we saw some of our acquaintances being taken away while scouting from the skies. A line of about 30 adventurers was being walked through the town of Dars. The scars of battle were still visible, and the dead bodies of soldiers and adventurers were strewn everywhere.

    Apparently, they were in the process of being loaded onto a ship in the port. The head of the line had already taken a step into the port area.

    Among them were the Scarlet Maidens, Judith, Maia, Lydia, as well as the half insectkin Eugene. All of them were covered with wounds and shackled. One of them got smacked from behind for walking a little too slowly.

    Fran identally let her killing intent slip out when she saw this. That¡¯s how the Lesser Rocs patrolling the skies managed to notice us.

    It was only for a moment though. I guess they use these monsters for security purposes because of their ability to detect such things.

    ¡ºUrushi! Take out the one in the back!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll get the right one!¡¹

    ¡ºThen the left is mine!¡»

    We broke our cover and pounced on the Lesser Rocs. Their size, speed, and perceptiveness makes them rather annoying opponents, but they¡¯re no match for us at our current level.

    Our victory was decided in an instant. Urushi¡¯s fangs gouged out one¡¯s head as Fran¡¯s sh and my thunder magic killed their respective targets.

    But the real problem is whates next. While storing the Lesser Rocs¡¯ carcasses, I took another look at the scene below us. If we wanted to save everyone, we¡¯d have to bust our way through the port crowded with Raydoss soldiers.

    ¡ºWhat now? Retreat and try again at night? We¡¯re already in their sights.¡»

    £¨Then they might take them away! I¡¯ll rescue them now!£©

    ¡ºWait, Fran! Are you really gonna charge directly into the port?!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    The one in front of us packed with tons of Raydoss soldiers! Seriously?!

    ¡ºGamudo told you not to be rash, and you said no problem!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯ll blow up all the enemies so there¡¯s no problem!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s what you meant?!¡»

    I underestimated Fran¡¯s hostility toward Raydoss!

    ¡º¡­Sigh. Fine, but you can¡¯t just charge in and st away without any thought. We need a n first.¡»

    She¡¯s right that the situation won¡¯t necessarily get much better if we hide ourselves until night. In fact, rescuing a crowd of people after they are put onboard a ship might be even more difficult. In that case, rescuing them before they can be hidden from sight is preferable.

    Each choice has some advantages and disadvantages. Since Fran¡¯s already motivated,unching an assault now might even be the better option.

    ¡¸Thanks Master.¡¹

    ¡ºSure, but keep on your toes.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1059

    <h4>1059: Decoy Fran</h4>

    Fran and Urushi began the operation to rescue our acquaintances. Our first move, using teleportation to reach them immediately.

    With the girl and wolf suddenly appearing and blowing the nearby soldiers away, the Raydoss army flew into aplete panic. Meanwhile, I invoked a multicastnd spell.

    ¡ºGreat Wall!¡»

    The walls surrounded the prisoners on all sides, separating them from the surrounding soldiers. The size of the room inside wasrge enough to contain Urushi, even in his giant form.

    That meant some Raydoss soldiers got left inside, but we took them out as fast as we could. One of them seemed kinda important, so I paralyzed him and took him into custody.

    I could hear the screams and shouts of Raydoss soldiers echoing outside the walls. At this rate, it will be some time before they can break through.

    Fortunately, the shackles on the adventurers¡¯ hands and feet were not magical tools. They had yet to be given cors of servitude.

    After Fran cut off their shackles, they removed the gags on their own.

    ¡¸Guys! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san? Why are you here¡­¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I came to help.¡¹

    The adventures let out a sigh of relief after Fran announced this. Eugene grabbed the shoulder of one adventurer, as Maia hugged Lydia and cheered. Everyone was very relieved.

    Judith thanked Fran with tears in the corner of her eyes as she hugged her.

    ¡¸Thank¡­ you. Thank you so much.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    When Fran patted her on the back, Judith lost her voice and started shivering. I can only imagine how much much pressure she was feeling.

    As much as I would like to give her some time, the situation would not wait for us.

    ¡ºFran. Our top priority is to get out of here.¡»

    £¨Oh right.£©

    Besides, we were missing one very important person.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s Charlotte?¡¹

    ¡¸They took her away somewhere by herself¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Oi.¡¹

    ¡¸Wah!¡¹

    We woke up the paralyzed bigwig and questioned him. Since it¡¯s an emergency, the interrogation ended up being quick and rough. That can¡¯t be helped, right?

    Our fellow adventurers were a bit put off, but we got what we wanted.

    Raydoss apparently had their eyes on Charlotte¡¯s special skills, so they moved her to a building at the center of town. Only the top brass of the army have knowledge of the actual n, so the guy only knew she was being held there with some other prisoners of war.

    Also, the adventurers here were to be transported by ship to Raydoss for envement.

    ¡ºFirst things first, let¡¯s get them outta here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Guys, ride Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Roger that.¡¹

    Fran told everyone to get onto the giant Urushi¡¯s back.

    Many of them hesitated, but then the Scarlet Maidens took the initiative to climb up Urushi. That seemed to have alleviated their anxieties. They resolved themselves again before restarting the climb.

    The adventurers of Bulbora have known Urushi for a while. They quickly recognized him as the wolf always scarfing down mountains of food, while unting his charm next to Fran.

    It looked pretty packed on Urushi¡¯s back, but they should be okay. Hope you guys can hold on tight to his fur.

    ¡¸Urushi, go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi started moving slowly so as not to shake off the adventurers on his back. His ascent was also gradual, since flying up at a steep angle would be too dangerous.

    That made him an easy target to anyone watching, so Fran and I stayed behind to y the decoy role.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Phew¡­Shah!¡¹

    While still inside the wall, Fran cleaved with my de. She had sliced through our Great Wall, which slowly fell apart in all directions.

    ¡¸G-Get back, retreat!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugyah!¡¹

    We heard the screams of the soldiers and a dull squishing sound as the walls crashed into the ground. The Raydoss soldiers froze stiff at the sudden urrence.

    But Fran had no mercy to give.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    She leaped into the midst of the soldiers in front, cutting them down one after another.

    ¡¸Teya!¡¹

    ¡ºEat this! Burst me!¡»

    I helped her out, choosing a shy spell to cause as much confusion in their ranks as possible.

    A fewunched attacks at Urushi, but after a while, everyone on the ground gradually shifted to focusing on Fran.

    My biggest worry was their aerial forces. Urushi might get attacked by flying monsters like the Lesser Rocs from all sides. Urushi himself will be fine, but the adventurers on his back are a different story.

    But what if we cause a hugemotion at the port, sending up a bunch of fire pirs? Everyone will being our way instead.

    ¡ºAw yeah, keep it up!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran rampaged throughout the port. To protect their friends, as well as vent the anger at Raydoss smoldering within her.

    First slicing and dicing through all the foot soldiers trying to rush her, sometimes sting them down with a variety of spells instead.

    Just like we expected, the soldiers came at us from all over the town. Regardless of their numbers, they had no way to stop Fran though.

    ¡¸GYAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Shit! What¡¯s with this little girl!¡¹

    Our rampage continued.

    ¡¸ARGH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Spare m¨D¨D¡¹

 Chapter 1060

    <h4>1060: An Army Crushed</h4>

    Several Raydoss soldiers lost their lives with each of Fran¡¯s swings. Then my spells turned them into balls of burning flesh.

    On the other hand, Fran did not suffer a single scratch. All this cost her was a bit of mana.

    Despite being a one-sided ughter, the enemy soldiers weren¡¯t all that bad. They had been decently trained in military warfare, so I think they¡¯d fare pretty well against most monsters as long as they had some prior knowledge.

    Their strategy involved using the vanguard to take the brunt of our attacks, while the surrounding spearmen and archers dealt damage.

    Moreover, they seemed to have been trained mentally. A great deal of them werepletely willing to sacrifice their lives in order to defeat Fran.

    However, the conditions of this battle were stacked against them.

    The battleground was a rather narrow region of the harbor, and the soldiers arrived here in waves, making it difficult to form proper formations. Their chain ofmand also seemed to be in shambles.

    The guy we captured early was apparently themanding officer of the division. Combat started before he could passmand to the second in charge, so there was a lot of confusion going on.

    And of course the biggest problem, Fran was just too strong.

    ¡¸Spare me!¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Mommy!¡¹

    Regardless of how hard the Raydoss soldiers might try, they were simply shredded apart effortlessly. Meanwhile, none of their attacks could do a thing to us. Fran¡¯s speed allowed her to evade practically everything, and our barriers repelled any stray shots.

    The more reinforcements arriving to help only meant more corpses for us to pile up.

    Despite being so eager in the beginning, the soldiers started hesitating.

    Bodies were strewn throughout the harbor, with fish swarming around the corpses of theirrades that had fallen into the sea. The one responsible was a young-looking ck cat girl. Their entire army was being crushed by a single girl, and they could do nothing in response. Such a scene was the stuff of nightmares.

    Finally, a portion of them screamed and ran, having lost the will to draw their weapons.

    Theirmanders shouted at them about ¡°viting orders¡± or something, but their ears were no longer capable of listening. That triggered a chain reaction which caused everyone else to start running too.

    But at the same time, a new force entered the battlefield on the side of Raydoss: a pack of magical beasts.

    At their front was a lion-like magical beast called a Sneaking Leo, which boasted excellent perception capabilities. Like the Lesser Roc, it probably had the role of security patrol.

    There were a total of four lions, alongside a few wolf-like magical beasts, as well as ox-like magical beasts used to carry luggage.

    ¡¸Grrrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Focus on your target! That little girl over there!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr¡­!¡¹

    The men behind them must be tamers. They scolded the beasts drooling over the dead soldiers by whipping them.

    In addition, small bat-like monsters were swarming in the sky above us.

    Some of the soldiers returned to their senses with the appearance of monster reinforcements on their side. Fran appeared to be helplessly surrounded and outnumbered. However¡­

    £¨Do those monsters have good magic stones?£©

    ¡ºYeah, they do.¡»

    A swarm of monsters this weak is nothingpared to a horde of antidemons. If anything, I was d to see magic stonesing to feed themselves to me.

    We wiped the floor with them in less than five minutes, causing the soldiers to quickly resume their retreat.

    Or rather, their situation was even more hopeless than before. They saw the beasts annihted without a fighting chance, which also erased what was left of their sanity.

    We could chase them down and eliminate a good deal of their numbers, but we chose not to this time.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re finally taking action!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Raydoss fleet, which was anchored in the Dars harbor, began shelling the port.

    They must have considered Fran a huge threat, seeing how they started shelling without waiting for their allies to retreat. The brave Raydoss soldiers still remaining nearby Fran were blown to smithereens by the fleet¡¯s cannons.

    Fran grabbed one of the tamers by the neck and dragged him behind the earthen wall I built, in order to extract information out of him.

    The tamer apparently thought he was abandoned after being subjected to allied cannon fire, so it didn¡¯t take much to get him to talk.

    We learned that the majority of Dars¡¯s inhabitants were already evacuated, but there were still nearly 300 prisoners of war. Most of them were residents who failed to escape, or sailors, soldiers and adventurers who fought as the rearguard.

    The healthy adults and children were to be shipped north by boat, while the injured and the elderly will be kept in Dars for the time being.

    Meanwhile, the adventurers we rescued were the first wave to be transported, so it seems they¡¯ve yet to transport anyone. In other words, all the ships in the harbor carry only Raydoss soldiers.

    Incidentally, there were no Seedran ships here since all of them were deployed for the invasion of Bulbora.

    £¨Master.£©

    Fran¡¯s eyes glinted at the opportunity to strike. Well, eliminating the Raydoss fleet will ensure not only Dars¡¯s safety, but Bulbora¡¯s as well. She fully intended to settle things here and now.

    However, I had some concerns.

    ¡º¡­They might have forces like Marle here as well. Can you fight someone being controlled against their will?¡»

    £¨¡­I can.£©

    Fran nodded with a determined look on her face. I¡¯d rather avoid another fight that might leave her with emotional scars, but¡­

    There¡¯s no way Fran would back down aftering this far.

    ¡ºOkay. Let¡¯s do it.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We tied up the tamer and threw him behind some cover. If he¡¯s still alive after the battle, we can hand them over to the guild as an informant. If he gets caught up in the shelling¡­ Well, tough luck. Shit happens.

    Fran jumped out right when I erased the Great Wall.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start this show with a big one.¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

 Chapter 1061

    <h4>1061: Fran vs Raydoss Fleet</h4>

    Determined to destroy the Raydoss fleet at Dars, Fran pushed forward while weaving her way through the barrage of cannon fire.

    ¡ºThis fleet doesn¡¯t seem to have the small sacrificial ships.¡»

    All of the ships here wererge and medium sized vessels. That means they can¡¯t do the damage transfer thing, right? In the first ce, the damage transfer is only possible with Marle¡¯s skill and the water dragon¡¯s magic. An ordinary fleet with neither of those shouldn¡¯t be able to pull it off.

    That was our reasoning, so we decided to target the gship with a powerful strike first.

    ¡ºFran, the one over there is the biggest! Fire!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The same trick we tried against the Water Dragon Battleship in Bulbora, a multicast Kanna Kamui.

    Lightning rained down from the heavens onto the gship.

    However, a transparent wall suddenly appeared to block the ship from our Kanna Kamui. As expected, there was still some sort of ward.

    The ward protecting the ship absorbs the force of our lightning¡­ or not.

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸Mm?¡¹

    Kanna Kamui easily smashed through the ward andnded a direct hit. Fragments of the ship¡¯s hull scattered in all directions from the massive explosion.

    Our lightning obliterated the three giant masts of the warship, shattering the hull right down the middle. The remaining wreckage sank slowly into the sea.

    The surviving sailors had been paralyzed by the aftereffects of Kanna Kamui, unable to swim properly. I saw some iling in the water as they sank alongside the debris.

    ¡ºI guess only the Water Dragon Battleship can deploy those powerful wards from earlier.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even if a normal ship is equipped with a ward generator, it won¡¯t be nearly as effective without the water dragon¡¯s mana supply.

    ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s finish this.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran¡¯s short yet aggressive statement was filled with hostility. It seems her anger toward Raydoss has yet to be satisfied.

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºTake this!¡»

    I erged myself into the anti-warship mode. Fran flew toward the nearest ship carrying me above her head, then swung me down with all her might.

    Surprisingly, the wood making up the hull hardly cracked at all. There was only a light sound of wood brushing against wood as the ship was cleaved cleanly in two along with the splitting sea.

    The enemy sailors probably had no clue what just happened. Their ship just split in half somehow without any visible cause. A secondter, the severed section ignited with the mes spreading over the hull.

    That¡¯s because we applied Elemental Sword me in addition to anti-warship mode. Amid the screams of the sailors, we observed the ship we sank with surprisingly little effort.

    From that point on, we were unstoppable.

    Fran flew around shredding apart whatever ship caught her sight. Most she simply diced in half from the sides, but she cleaved a few down the front too.

    All the ships in the fleet were turned into burning wrecks one by one.

    Raydoss¡¯s navy isn¡¯t weak by this world¡¯s standards. They may look like feeble wooden sailboats, but their strength, speed, and maneuverability are all enhanced by magical tools.

    Perhaps they aren¡¯t as durable as modern Earth battleships, but they would stand a chance againstst generation cruisers. Moreover, they are equipped with a number of magic cannons boasting high uracy. Thirty of these ships is easily a top ss navy, excluding the existence of Water Dragon Battleships.

    But Fran was just stronger. She darted around the battlefield evading everything they could send. Moreover, she had enough power to wreck a ship with a single blow, and the capability to do so in rapid session.

    Imagine a fleet of decently advanced ships from the modern world trying to beat a super-robot straight out of a science fiction story. They didn¡¯t even stand a chance.

    I kept my guard up for a secret trump card like Marle, but no one ever showed up.

    The enemy fleet realized that they couldn¡¯t win after about ten ships fell to the bottom of the sea. Some vessels started to retreat, but there was no escape for them.

    ¡¸Master! Let¡¯s take them first!¡¹

    ¡ºRoger!¡»

    Fran went ahead of them and started annihting the fleeing vessels first.

    ¡¸Gyaaaaah! They¡¯reing for us!¡¹

    ¡¸No!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn you, ck Devil!¡¹

    We cleaved through the ship while passing by, along with the mast. The crew onboard screamed as they sshed into the sea.

    Without giving them a second nce, Fran went straight to her next target. The ship was immediately split apart and lit ame the second she entered range.

    To our enemies, it was nothing but a living nightmare. They all sensed Fran¡¯s immense killing intent, as well as her determination to finish off everyst one of them.

    As a result, theyunched an even more desperate barrage at us, to little effect. Within only ten minutes, another ten ships had sank.

    One ship per minute seems like a pretty good pace.

    However, it seems Fran¡¯s anger had cooled down a bit by now. She no longer cared enough to finish everything up close and personal.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s end it with magic. Master, those ones first.¡¹

    ¡ºRoger that.¡»

    We cleared out the remaining ships in one fell swoop with a barrage of spells.

    Only twenty minutes had passed since the start of battle.

    All the enemy ships had disappeared into the sea. Though we achieved victory, one question remained unanswered. As was the case in Bulbora, Raydoss¡¯s ships never attempted to raise the white g.

    We¡¯ve already heard from Brunen of Belioth that this world also recognizes the white g as the symbol of surrender. Did they perhaps have some sort of national pride that prevented them from surrendering no matter the cost?

    ¡¸Whew. We won.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    ¡¸Now let¡¯s go help the people who got captured!¡¹

    ¡ºRight away? Shouldn¡¯t we take a break first?¡»

    We were pretty much unscathed, though we spent quite a bit of mana and stamina. As expected, we needed to get serious to sink so many huge ships. Also her excitement caused her to overpace herself a bit¡­

    I kinda got pulled along with her high tension too.

    However, Fran simply wiped the sweat from her forehead before turning her eyes toward the town of Dars.

    ¡¸We need to help Charlotte as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I thought you might say that.¡»

 Chapter 1062

    <h4>1062: Gray-Haired Swordsman</h4>

    We heard that the prisoners of war were being held in the center of Dars.

    After grabbing the fainted tamer and heading over to check it out, we saw a crowd of people sitting in the open-air za with shackles binding their hands. ¡­What were they going to do if it ever rained? Who cares about the prisoners so just let them get soaked or something?

    Charlotte was among those sitting in the center of the square. She did not seem to be injured.

    £¨Charlotte!£©

    ¡ºHold up. The guy next to her is pretty strong.¡»

    £¨Mmm.£©

    There weren¡¯t many soldiers guarding the prisoners. Many must have gone to the harbor and got taken out by us there. Only about 30 guards in total, and they seemed pretty tense.

    ¡¸W-What the hell is going on at the port!?¡¹

    ¡¸They said the enemy is rampaging there, though nothing about the details¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸The battle seems to be over by now, but¡­!¡¹

    It seems they¡¯ve heard about the incident at the port, but didn¡¯t have any detailed information.

    However, the gray-haired swordsman beside Charlotte behaved differently. He exuded a powerful aura, and continued vigntly watching his surroundings without the slightest hint of panic. This man was clearly on a different level than the rest.

    Fran hid in the shadows while observing the situation.

    £¨Master, what should we do?£©

    ¡ºGoing in head-on is too risky.¡»

    We¡¯re strong enough to eliminate a bunch of soldiers in a sh. Even if they attempt to take hostages, I¡¯m confident my surprise attacks can take them out before they get the chance to hurt anyone.

    All of them aside from the swordsman standing next to Charlotte, that is.

    I sensed something simr to Marleing from that man. Perhaps he underwent body modification too, though he wore no cor of servitude. Was he following Raydoss of his own will? Either way, hisbat experience and logical thinking makes him dangerous if he hasn¡¯t been turned into a puppet.

    Though we wouldn¡¯t lose in a fight, our battle would certainly result in much coteral damage. Attacking him head on is not an option we can afford to take.

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºOh, Urushi! You¡¯re back!¡»

    Perfect timing. It seems he finished evacuating the adventurers out of the town before returning. With Urushi¡¯s assistance, our chances of saving the captives go way up.

    £¨Then our n is¡­£©

    ¡ºI see¡­¡»

    £¨Woof¡­£©

    Aftering up with a simple n, we began the operation. Fran used aerial hop to silently move onto the roof of a building overlooking the square.

    Then, we invoked a light spell, being careful not to leak any mana.

    ¡¸Whoa!¡¹

    ¡¸What the hell is that?¡¹

    The soldiers were surprised to see a glowing ball of light suddenly appear in the sky above the za. No doubt they¡¯ve guessed it has something to do with the incident at the port, but none of them knew how to respond.

    In the first ce, it¡¯s just a glowing ball without any offensive power. The only purpose was to divert their attention, as well as generate dense shadows with the intense light.

    ¡¸Shut up and watch the perimeter!¡¹

    ¡ºI knew that guy was going to be a pain in the ass.¡»

    The gray-haired swordsman yelled at the soldiers starting to make amotion. Immediately thereafter, he drew a sword from the item bag at his waist.

    Even from this distance, I could feel a chilling manaing from it. That must be a very high quality magic sword.

    He immediately took up the de and swung it. His sh turned into a projectile striking the ball of light and obliterating it¡­ But we were already one step ahead!

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi had been building up his mana beside Fran, and invoked shadow magic before the man¡¯s swing went through. The shadows at the soldiers¡¯ feet turned into spears and skewered them one after another. Many were so focused on the light in the sky that they could barely react.

    Only the swordsman managed to dodge itpletely.

    This finished off half of our enemies. Not just those in the square, but also the soldiers on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. All of them copsed into a pool of their own blood.

    Then I took care of the remaining half.

    I followed up only a few seconds after Urushi¡¯s spell. I had stretched my steel threads all over the za in advance, which I used to st all of the soldiers with ice magic simultaneously. Some were aimed at the swordsman too, but I had to give up once I realized that wouldn¡¯t work.

    He had taken a few steps to close the distance between himself and Charlotte, so I could no longer attack him without worrying about getting her caught up. Frustrating, but he made the right decision.

    ¡¸Gyaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugyah!¡¹

    I invoked the ice spell, Icicle Lance, since thunder and me magic would have made it harder to avoid coteral damage. I guessnd magic would have worked too, but ice magic had one advantage here.

    Even if they managed to survive an ice spell, the freezing would slow them down and deprive them of their stamina.

    ¡ºNobody else moving?¡»

    £¨Nn. All the soldiers in the square are down.£©

    ¡ºOnly the normal soldiers though.¡»

    The swordsman managed to avoid thebination attack from Urushi and me¡­ Still, this was well within expectations.

    £¨Urushi!£©

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡­? What is a magic beast of this caliber doing here?!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr! GRRAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyah!¡¹

    ¡¸It can¡¯t possibly be wild, can it¡­? But it is paying no attention to the girl¡­¡¹

    Urushi had shot out a spear of darkness, which left a gash on Charlotte¡¯s skin. I feel sorry for her, but his spell was purposely aimed to graze her. We¡¯ll apologizeter, just bear with us!

    Our n involved Urushi acting like a bloodthirsty beast. The swordsman was at a loss as to Urushi¡¯s intentions, since his attack left Charlotte lightly wounded.

    This gave him a moment of hesitation, considering whether or not taking a hostage would be effective. Fran and I didn¡¯t miss the opening.

    ¡ºNow!¡»

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    Fran shed down at the man after teleporting in. However, I found myself shing with a hard metallic object rather than the soft tearing of flesh.

    The man¡¯s magic sword. He managed to react and block us even with that timing, but this is still within the realm of our n! Well, I kinda hoped he would make things easier by dying!

    ¡¸This is¡­! Nrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Youe with me!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, stick to the n!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and I forced him into the Dimension Gate we opened at his feet. There was no way he could escape while engaged in a fierce sh with Fran. Forcing his way out would only leave him a sitting duck to Fran¡¯s follow up.

    Wended at our destination, the harbor. Fran tried to cut the man down right away, but he parried us without any sign of unbnce at the floating sensation of teleportation.

    ¡¸Girl, you¡¯re pretty good.¡¹

    ¡¸You too.¡¹

    The two looked each other in the eye and both grinned. Oh boy, the gray-haired swordsman was also abat maniac.

 Chapter 1063

    <h4>1063: Swordsman Valusa</h4>

    The swordsman spoke while holding his sword at the ready. There was an unmistakable hint of joy on his face.

    ¡¸My name is Valusa, currently employed by the Western Raydoss Knights.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran. Rank B Adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh. The incident at the harbor was your doing, I take it?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded, and Valusa suddenly burst into joyousughter.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! To think their precious fleet would be eliminated by the adventurers they underestimated so much! I can¡¯t wait to see their faces!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Aren¡¯t you from Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸The only one I serve is myself. I decided to work for Raydoss because doing so gives me more opportunities to y stronger opponents.¡¹

    A truebat maniac! He seems to be the type of person who doesn¡¯t care about anything else as long as he can satisfy his desire for battle.

    ¡¸Besides, cooperating with Raydoss gives me the opportunity to be even stronger. The alchemist said something about lifespan, but half of my life is a small price to pay for such strength.¡¹

    ¡ºThis guy¡¯s race is Demi-Demonoid. He might have undergone something simr to Marle¡­¡»

    No clue how that¡¯s different from Marle¡¯s ¡°Demonoid Ogre¡± race, but it seems he willingly epted Raydoss¡¯s body modification.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Valusa

    <strong>Age:</strong> 42

    <strong>Race:</strong> Demi-Demonoid

    <strong>upation:</strong> sh Swordsman

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 49/99

    HP: 669

    MP: 687

    STR: 458

    VIT: 400

    AGI: 678

    INT: 111

    MAG: 228

    DEX: 328

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Evasion: Lv8, Bow Mastery: Lv2, Bow Arts: Lv4, Presence Detection: Lv7, Sword Mastery: LvMax, Sword Arts: LvMax, Holy Sword Mastery: Lv3, Holy Sword Arts: Lv4, Super Strength: Lv2, Regeneration: Lv7, Flexibility: Lv6, Blink: Lv9, Swimming: Lv6, Water Walking: Lv5, Swashbuckler: Lv7, Throwing: Lv5, Climbing: Lv5 Poison Resistance: Lv 9, Reaction Boost: Lv 9, Paralysis Resistance: Lv 7, Appraise Detection, Energy Control, Hawk Eye, Numb Pain, Reflexes, Magic Vision

    <strong>Innate Skills</strong>

    False Divider, sh Sword

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Murderer, Traitor

    <strong>Equipment</strong>

    Magic Sword Soul-Drain, Sea Dragon Leather Uniform, Sea Dragon Leather Warboots, Magic Whale Mantle, Choker of Water-Breathing, Hawk Eye Ring

    ¡¸Raydoss alchemists modified your body?¡¹

    ¡¸You just used Appraisal, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s right. They said it was a coborative effort between the alchemists of the west and the east, or something like that. I hear I got imnted with a miniature magic stone and the heart of an ogrekin. Thanks to them, my body has be stronger than ever before.¡¹

    But it cuts your lifespan in half, right? I have no idea how you can smile so happily.

    ¡¸What are you after?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you if you can beat me¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say, but whoever loses will be too dead to talk. Whatever, might as well spill what I know. In exchange, you gotta fight me to the death. Oh, and let me say something up front. I don¡¯t care if that girl is your only rescue target or no, but I¡¯ll ughter everyone here if you try to run.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m not running.¡¹

    ¡¸Good. I don¡¯t give a shit about the others as long as you fight me. They can escape for all I care.¡¹

    He¡¯s trying to seal away Fran escaping with Charlotte by threatening the other hostages? It seemsbat really is the only thing on his mind.

    ¡¸Raydoss¡¯s main goal with this town was to secure supply routes. Oh yeah, and act as a diversion.¡¹

    ¡¸Supply routes and diversion?¡¹

    ¡¸A small elite force has already deployed to secure a bridgehead to Phyllius.¡¹

    He exined how they¡¯ve already scouted out several viges further ind on the road to Phyllius. The n was apparently to select the most suitable vige and turn it into their base of operations.

    And Dars bes a convenient supply route to that base.

    ¡¸However, supplying the ind bases is not difficult as long as we maintain control of the seas. The more important point is to attract Kranzel¡¯s attention. By luring reinforcements to Dars, we can disperse their forces.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­But for such an important operation, you¡¯re the only one strong here.¡¹

    ¡¸With the Kranzel fleet annihted, we should¡¯ve won even without the Water Dragon Battleship. Well, until your arrival put a damper on that n.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I wiped out the fleet at Bulbora too.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Is that so! You¡¯re practically Raydoss¡¯s worst nightmare!¡¹

    Their operation probably only nned to deal with Rank B adventurers or lower. The Rank A adventurers should all be deployed to the border, so they assumed lesser adventurers would be sent to retake Dars.

    No, I suppose Raydoss tends to look down on adventurers in general. It¡¯s possible they attempted to n for Rank A adventurers but ended up underestimating them.

    They thought they had no chance of losing as long as they could one-sidedly bombard the town from the seas.

    ¡¸I was originally gonna join the team for securing the bridgehead, but I thought it would be more fun to take on any adventurersing to retake the town. It seems my hunch was right. It¡¯s too crowded to have a proper fight at the border either way.¡¹

    ¡¸The border¡­ Is Raydoss¡¯s army attacking Alessa or something?¡¹

    ¡¸They should be. Well, I can only really say what the West Duke¡¯s up to. His final goal is to conquer Phyllius and get his hands on their divine sword.¡¹

    Valusa readied his de after finishing the exnation.

    ¡¸That¡¯s it, yeah? Come on, let¡¯s fight already!¡¹

    ¡¸Onest thing.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸What do they want Charlotte for?¡¹

    ¡¸Charlotte? Oh, that dancer? Apparently people with her upation have the ability to interfere with leylines. They were going to use her to strengthen the magic circle aimed at Phyllius.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸If you manage to survive this, feel free to use my info for whatever you want.¡¹

    ¡¸I will.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Then let¡¯s begin!¡¹

    Valusa raised his de slowly before swinging it down on us. Fran saw this and frowned¡­ before jumping to the side in a panic.

    ¡¸Not bad! You managed to dodge!¡¹

    £¨That was¡­!£©

    ¡ºI think it¡¯s his skill ¡°False Divider¡±!¡»

    This skill can reproduce the sound of wind on the de, as well as the killing intent behind it, creating the illusion that he is swinging a sword. But hidden behind this illusion was the true cleave with ridiculous speed.

    The initial slow-looking sh looked easy to dodge, but his opponent would quickly be caught off guard by an invisible de separating their head from the torso. A pretty nastybo.

    Valusa kept smiling even though Fran did not even take a scratch. He really seemed to be having a good time.

    ¡¸Kukuku! I¡¯ve been bored to death ever since I got stronger, since no swordsman was capable of challenging me. You¡¯ve finallye to rescue me from that boredom!¡¹

    So he¡¯s not just abat maniac, but one with a particr attachment to swordfighting.

    ¡¸Teyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! You¡¯re really amazing! Keep it up!¡¹

    Valusa cackled as he parried Fran¡¯s blow.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t hit me!¡¹

    ¡¸Shah!¡¹

    Valusa¡¯s Holy Sword Mastery was at level 4, and his stats were inferior to Fran¡¯s. Yet he still managed to keep up with Fran. Like, on an even ying field.

    It¡¯s true that Fran had yet to activate her stat enhancement skills. I think she didn¡¯t want to win by overpowering him with the sheer difference in stats.

    Still, he shouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with Fran, someone on the level of Swordking Mastery. This man must have devoted his entire life to the de.

    His vast experience gave him countless techniques, such as the masterfulbination of False Divider and sh Cutter to deliver superspeed shes. That came pretty close to getting us. He never repeated the same attack pattern, and he dealt with all of Fran¡¯s attacks as if he had experienced them before.

    Fran was also impressive, since she managed to repel such an opponent. She too was using her skills masterfully.

    The sh continued for ten minutes, though neither lost their breath despite the heavy drain to stamina and mana. Both were maintaining multiple skills at the same time, as well as conducting mana on their des.

    Regarding that, Valusa¡¯s sword had the ability to absorb our mana. I felt a bit of mana drained from me every time we crossed des. Moreover, it sucked the mana deep inside me, including from Fenrir and the Evil God. My internal situation is pretty stable now, but who knows what might have happened if we fought him while I was unstable.

    Basically, Valusa¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t running out any time soon.

    ¡¸Yes! Yes! You¡¯re getting even better, aren¡¯t you?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh!¡¹

    It seems the intense sh with Valusa refined Fran¡¯s swordsmanship even further.

    Fran returned Valusa¡¯s sh with a smug look on her face, so it seems she was also enjoying the fight. However, such fun times were about toe to an end.

    We saw a ck magic stunched into the distant sky.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the signal from Urushi!¡»

    £¨¡­Got it.£©

    Fran nodded lightly and readied me again. Perhaps sensing the change in her behavior, Valusa paused his movements to observe the situation.

    ¡¸¡­Done ying around?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll finish you now.¡¹

    ¡¸How unfortunate. But don¡¯t expect it to be that easy!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Time to get serious.¡¹

 Chapter 1064

    <h4>1064: Sword God vs Sword Lunatic</h4>

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush¡­ Sword God Transformation.¡¹

    A vortex of ck lightning and divine energy enveloped Fran¡¯s entire body. Someone as strong as Valusa should be able to understand the sheer difference in strength at a single nce.

    Yet Valusa only looked happier than ever.

    ¡¸Wonderful! So you have reached the level of King!¡¹

    ¡¸Here Ie.¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it!¡¹

    Fran leapt into the air after calling upon the power of the Sword God.

    She had silently closed the distance between herself and Valusa before anyone could evenprehend her movements.

    And the next instant, she delivered a sh of godly speed and sharpness.

    But Valusa somehow reacted. He wedged his de in front of me, interrupting our sh and barely managing to repel me.

    Both me and Fran stared in amazement.

    This might be the first time someone¡¯s managed to block our best hit in Sword God Transformation. Some have managed to survive the injury or regenerate from it, but blocking it outright was a first.

    However, Sword God had no mercy to give.

    Valusa waspletely spent after our first sh. Meanwhile, all we needed to do was repeat the same attack once more.

    He was simply not capable of blocking us again. I can give him credit for trying, but we simply cut him down along with his sword.

    My de cleaved across Valusa¡¯s torso, staining me in crimson blood. Meanwhile, the broken tip of his sword flew off and scratched Fran on the cheek. Her only injury the entire fight.

    Valusa fell to the ground,cking any means of recovering from a divine attribute inflicted wound. He looked up at Fran, his ashen hair stained with blood.

    ¡¸I am¡­ truly grateful. In the end¡­ I¡¯ve confirmed that my path was indeed correct.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve managed¡­ to surprise the god of swords. Even if I¡¯ve long since reached the limits of my talents¡­ I¡¯m d I never gave up¡­¡¹

    Considering how crazy he was for swords, I thought level 4 in Holy Sword Mastery seemed a bit low. It seems he had reached his personal limits, so his skill level would no longer grow.

    Regardless, he continued training and managed to fight a Swordking. Perhaps such gave his death meaning.

    ¡¸¡­The Raydoss army¡­ all of their invading forces¡­ are mere pawns¡­ Their guardians are the true elites¡­ and their chief is a¡­ monster¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The Red Knights?¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh¡­ so you¡­ already know them. You¡¯d better¡­ stay on your toes¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha¡­ Thanks for¡­ the good¡­ death match.¡¹

    Valusa took hisst breath with a satisfied smile.

    Fran looked down on the man silently. After staring for a few seconds, she nodded her head.

    ¡¸I learned a lot.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s true.¡»

    ¡¸I can¡¯t just keep relying on my skills.¡¹

    It seems the experience renewed her determination to train with the de even harder.

    ¡¸¡­Master, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    After usingnd magic to bury Valusa¡¯s body along with his shattered de, Fran turned her back on the scene.

    We returned to the za, but no one was there. It seems Urushi sessfully got everyone to safety.

    After tracing Urushi¡¯s mana trail, we caught up with them at the gate. Many of the prisoners were armed with the weapons stolen from Raydoss soldiers, which I had given to Urushi in advance. Seems like he handed them over already.

    ¡¸Fran-san!¡¹

    ¡¸Charlotte! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m perfectly fine now. What about you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I¡¯m fine too.¡¹

    Charlotte came running to us with a tense expression. She had seen Valusa¡¯s strength up close, so she was worried about Fran.

    Now she¡¯s relieved to see that Fran made it through safe and sound.

    Raydoss soldiers were still guarding the town gate, but Fran and Urushi wiped the floor with them. There were more than I expected, probably because they included the soldiers who retreated from the harbor.

    The soldiers who ran to regroup with their friends screamed after seeing Fran catching up with them.

    We escaped from Dars after blowing down the closed gate with a spell. However, some of the evacuees stopped in their tracks.

    They must have run out of energy after hearing that we would be moving by foot to a neighboring town. Fran had healed them with magic, but she could do nothing for their physical and mental exhaustion. Some of them alsoined of hunger and thirst.

    Some argued they should rest and recover their strength first, since Fran¡¯s presence would allow them to fight off Raydoss soldiers.

    More to the point, some of them t out didn¡¯t want to leave Dars. I don¡¯t know how badly Raydoss has looted the city, but they had their homes and property here. It must take a lot of courage to leave the town they have everything in.

    A few suggested that Fran and Urushi might be able to retake the city by themselves.

    But that was a suggestion we couldn¡¯t ept. While all of them were relying on Fran¡¯sbat prowess, we don¡¯t have the time to babysit them for who knows how long.

    Besides, Fran¡¯s main goal was to rescue Charlotte from Dars. Sorry to the other residents, but you¡¯re just an afterthought.

    ¡¸You all can do whatever you want. But I¡¯m not staying here.¡¹

    Some residents started making a fuss after hearing Fran¡¯s words, but were soon silenced by others. Well, I guess the majority understood they had no choice but to escape.

    Even still, some continuedining in the same pompous manner. There¡¯s always gotta be some idiots thinking they¡¯re cool for not being in the majority. While in reality, they just don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about. Backing up the idiots were guys who looked like wealthy property owners. That faction was probably desperate for any method to retain their belongings.

    But Fran waspletely uninterested in their arguments.

    ¡¸I¡¯m leaving.¡¹

    ¡¸No, but what about¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t care if you stay behind. Saving everyone isn¡¯t my job.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s dryness surprised everyone. It seems they finally realized we only saved them on the side while rescuing Charlotte, and that they might be abandoned for offending Fran.

    In the end, all but a few of the idiots refusing to listen decided to follow Fran, and the rest of our escape went smoothly. A few people insisted on staying in the town like back in the viges, but this time, their rtives persuaded them toe along.

 Chapter 1065

    <h4>1065: Rokkars</h4>

    We left Dars along with the liberated residents and continued southeast on foot. Our destination was a reasonably sized town within a few days of walking.

    The n was to check the situation there first.

    Oh yeah. On the way there, we reunited with some adventurers who escaped the city earlier, giving us more hands to help escort everyone. That allowed us to move more easily, so Fran was happy to have them.

    Raydoss seemingly didn¡¯t have the manpower to chase us down, so we saw no further signs of them. The monsters were way more troublesome.

    We also obtained some additional information from our prisoners of war, themander and the beast tamer. They said a small group of scouts and military engineers left Dars after its upation, though it consisted of less than 30 people in total.

    This¡¯s consistent with what we heard from Valusa.

    Since they nned on upying a vige as a base of operations, it¡¯s a little worrisome. But we can always look into the issue after finishing the evacuation.

    Then, four days after escaping Dars.

    We managed to reach town without leaving anyone else behind. The secondrgest town in the region after Dars, Rokkars.

    Upon arrival, our group was greeted with 60% weing looks, 30% doubtful stares, and 10% worried faces. The most weing group were the other refugees from Dars who had been living in tents outside the town. They were happy to see their fellow residents alive.

    The doubtful ones were probably the police and residents of the town. They can¡¯t be happy to see even more outsiders arriving in their city.

    The worried faces were also residents of the town, probably concerned about the issue of food shortages. They now had 300 additional mouths to feed in the middle of an ongoing war. Worry about how the rationing will work is only natural.

    Guess we¡¯ll have to put on an act.

    After we finished talking to the guards, I had Fran say a few lines in a louder voice so everyone could hear.

    First, she piled up some supply crates stolen from Raydoss and exined that they contained army rations.

    ¡¸Here are some supplies I got from Raydoss. They¡¯re packed with beans and such.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! C-Could you possibly allow us to have them? Please, we¡¯ll buy it off you!¡¹

    The captain here was a good man. He asked us to sell the supplies rather than simply requisitioning them. Since the country is at war, he technically has the power to forcibly seize such things.

    Or perhaps his intention was to make a good impression of himself, considering the possibility that we had even more supplies in our dimensional storage? If so, he has a talented eye. I think we can trust him.

    Fran continued speaking after piling up more boxes.

    ¡¸It¡¯s all from Raydoss, so I won¡¯t take any money for it.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Really?¡¹

    ¡¸In ce of money, I want you to ept the people I¡¯ve brought with me.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, of course.¡¹

    ¡¸Some of them are soldiers from Dars, so they can help protect this town.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! That would be wonderful!¡¹

    Perhaps recognizing our intention halfway through the conversation, the captain answered back in a loud voice. Almost too loud.

    Well, my idea was simple. We were just loudly advertising that we¡¯re providing food and troops! and treat them well since they¡¯re useful!

    I could see the expressions on the faces of the Rokkars residents soften considerably after listening to the discussion. After all, they had so much food supplies piled up in front of them.

    Though the mountain of crates looked incredibly appealing, it would probably only feed everyone in Rokkars for a day or so. The town had thousands of people after all. It¡¯s more of an optical illusion than an actual solution.

    Well, we could always add more if we have to.

    ¡¸Where should I put these?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take care of the transportation.¡¹

    ¡¸But it¡¯s easier if I do it myself.¡¹

    ¡¸That is true, but I want to show everyone all the supplies we¡¯re bringing in. We also need a job for the people sitting around doing nothing, or they might start all sorts of trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸Trouble?¡¹

    ¡¸Brawls, theft, and public intoxication. Our town isn¡¯t in a good spot right now. The sailors from Dars are especially violent, and they never get along with the thugs here originally.¡¹

    Ah, so there¡¯s already plenty of conflicts between the refugees and original residents. Especially the territorial wars among the ruffians.

    Why not make all the idiots transport supplies throughout town to tire them out, as well as showing off the supplies to ease the citizens¡¯ minds.

    ¡¸Will they actually listen?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll boot them out of town if they don¡¯t, which should be easy due to all the troops you¡¯ve brought. Besides, making them listen will allow us to count them among our forces if the timees.¡¹

    Ruffians are more experienced inbat than ordinary citizens, so it would be good to have them avable as a fighting force. This guy seems as smart as I thought.

    We parted with the smiling captain and headed for the Adventurers Guild to report what happened in Dars. Thuspletes the request we took in Bulbora.

    Charlotte and the others were already inside when we entered the guild. It seems they were also reporting on the events of Dars. We listened in from the side, but we didn¡¯t hear much new information.

    Only a single new detail. Apparently, Charlotte had been told she would be sent to a vige called Metelmam in a day or two.

    Then, the guildmaster listening to the report shouted in surprise.

    ¡¸Metelmam? Are you sure that was the vige¡¯s name?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes. A very important-looking person definitely said Metelmam.¡¹

    ¡¸We currently have many evacueesing into Rokkars from the surrounding towns and viges, but not a single evacuee has arrived from Metelmam.¡¹

    My first thought was that the vige simply wasn¡¯t aware of the invasion, but it seems adventurers had been sent to inform them. Moreover, those adventurers never returned.

    ¡¸Maybe those adventurers had an ident on the way there, so the news never reached the town. But if not¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then the Raydoss army is doing something in Metelmam?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, that¡¯s a likely possibility.¡¹

    The guildmaster¡¯s eyes turned to Fran.

    ¡¸You are Fran-dono, the ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I have a request for you, the reconnaissance and rescue of Metelmam. What do you say?¡¹

 Chapter 1066

    <h4>1066: Demon Knight</h4>

    The day after we delivered the refugees from Dars to Rokkars, we left the town at sunrise.

    Our destination was Metelmam, a vige that the guild had lost contact with.

    ¡ºThey said it¡¯s at the end of that mountain path. Should be there in about an hour with Urushi.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    When the guildmaster proposed the reconnaissance mission yesterday, Fran decided to ept after some consideration.

    Metelmam was a vige located near the border with the neighboring country of Phyllius, so losing Metelmam would mean also losing contact with Phyllius. That was one reason for her decision.

    But the main reason was Charlotte¡¯s safety. She was about to be sacrificed in some sort of ritual, and one that was supposed to take ce in Metelmam. We might be able to learn more if we head there.

    That¡¯s why we decided to ept the request.

    Urushi flew through the sky at such an altitude that his shadow was no longer visible, and we spotted something up ahead.

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? There¡¯s something flying over there¡­¡»

    There was a ck entity hovering in the air ahead of us, though not quite as high as us. It had bat-like wings, so maybe it was a demon or some simr monster¡­?

    Metelmam was faintly visible in the distance, right below the flying entity.

    Just like when we scouted out Dars, our appearance had been masked with illusion magic and light magic. They had yet to notice us.

    But what now? Attacking out of the blue seems like a bad idea. While it¡¯s incredibly likely the flying entity is rted to Raydoss, we can¡¯t say for sure.

    On the other hand, giving up the element of surprise in front of a potential enemy is just idiotic.

    Launch a surprise attack? Reveal ourselves? Something else entirely?

    However, we immediately lost the ability to choose. Upon getting closer, the entity quickly disyed signs of noticing us.

    It began scanning the surroundings before pointing its face directly at us. While maintaining a piercing stare, it rose up to the same altitude as Urushi. I guess this entity had perceptive abilities exceeding our expectations.

    £¨It found us?£©

    ¡ºI think so.¡»

    £¨What now? Attack?£©

    ¡ºNo, hold on. Since it¡¯se down to this, we¡¯d better find out who we¡¯re dealing with first.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    ¡¸I know someone¡¯s hiding there from the disturbance in the air currents! Show yourself!¡¹

    Oh, that makes sense. So he had an ability for detecting changes in the air and wind. If you see the air currents curving around in thepletely open sky, it¡¯s pretty obvious that there¡¯s something hidden there.

    We had no choice but to disable our concealment.

    ¡¸A child? Identify yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­An adventurer from Kranzel.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    As soon as Fran replied, the man¡¯s face distorted into a violent scowl. Well, it was a bit hard to recognize his facial expressions due to the pitch-ck skin.

    Despite speaking with the voice of an adult man, his appearance was far from human. Honestly speaking, he was the splitting image of a demon.

    Just look at his jet-ck skin, bat wings, and slim but muscr figure. His armor was also jet-ck, with a very sophisticated design. This was clearly the equipment of a knight or someone of a simr upation.

    Though his appearance was that of a demon equipped with ck armor, his race was still somehow ¡°Human¡±. Maybe it has something to do with his Demon Possession skill. This knight had somehow fused himself with a demon.

    ¡¸¡­Leave at once. You are not allowed here.¡¹

    ¡¸I only want to check on Metelmam. I¡¯ll leave as soon as I¡¯m done.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    The moment Fran mentioned Metelmam, the man unleashed a deadly fury. Then, he suddenly shed at us out of nowhere.

    ¡¸Shah!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    Fran easily jumped back to avoid the sh, one clearly aimed to kill.

    ¡¸You managed to dodge me?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you from Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Raydoss? You ask if I¡¯m from Raydoss?!¡¹

    ¡¸Someone cowardly enough to attack without naming themselves must be from Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸O-Of course not!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, then tell me your name and affiliation.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Die!¡¹

    It seems provoking him wasn¡¯t sufficient to draw any info out. Despite seemingly not working for Raydoss, the man wanted to stop us from reaching Metelmam.

    The Kingdom of Phylliuses to mind since he¡¯s using the power of demons, but then I¡¯d have to ask what he¡¯s even doing here?

    My first guess would be that Phyllius was attempting to take advantage of the war by upying Metelmam. However, I¡¯ve heard Phyllius wasn¡¯t interested in expanding its territory, right?

    Worst case scenario, maybe Phyllius has already been taken over by Raydoss, like Seedran, and is now invading Kranzel alongside them.

    £¨Master, let¡¯s capture this guy.£©

    ¡ºRoger.¡»

    Thus began a fierce aerial sh between the two.

    Our opponent seemed experienced in aerialbat due to his wings, but such wasn¡¯t enough to ovee the vast difference in abilities. Fran parried all of the demon knight¡¯s strikes and severed a limb with each counterattack.

    It¡¯s only been a few minutes since the start, and the guy¡¯s limb regeneration was the only thing keeping him in the fight.

    ¡¸W-What¡¯s with this kid¡­?! I¡¯m one of the best swordsmen in my troop¡­¡¹

    The man¡¯s Holy Sword Mastery was at level 3, which exins his confidence. Moreover, he expected to have the advantage in an aerial sh. Getting pushed back so easily must have been astonishing to him.

    If we only wanted to take him down, doing so wouldn¡¯t be so hard. After all, Urushi had yet to join the fray. However, capturing an opponent with such potent regeneration is a different story.

    That said, it seems our enemy also has yet to get serious.

    ¡¸You leave me no choice¡­ I offer my mana as your sustenance and my body as your vessel¡­! Manifest now, Wind Demon!¡¹

    Immediately afterward, the knight¡¯s entire body was enveloped by a huge eruption of mana.

 Chapter 1067

    <h4>1067: Wind Demon</h4>

    ¡¸I offer my mana as your sustenance and my body as your vessel¡­! Manifest now, Wind Demon!¡¹

    Immediately after the demon knight shouted, the mana surrounding him underwent a drastic change.

    His aura did more than just expand. He had imbued himself in an extremely potent wind attribute, a violent vortex of mana that felt like an entire storm condensed before us.

    As his wings grewrger, he also sprouted a long tail with a w-like tip.

    ¡¸Hell yeah, I¡¯m finally free!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Girl, this is all thanks to you fighting so hard. Thanks! In return, I¡¯ll make sure your death is painless!¡¹

    The demon knight shouted in a ragged voice very unlike his previous one, before shooting a spell at us.

    ¡¸Shatter! Hyahahahaha!¡¹

    A st of wind spinning as fast as a tornado, which indeed had enough power to tear your ordinary human apart.

    I tried appraising him again, and I found that his race had changed to ¡°Demon¡±. It seems this was no mere possession anymore. His physical body had transformed into that of a demon¡¯s.

    His skills remained mostly unchanged, but his stats got strengthened considerably. Almost all of them exceeded 500, and his mana stat went over 1000. He also gained the title of ¡°Demon Baron¡±.

    It seems demon form granted him the ability to cast magic without chanting. He started shooting wind sts in session by only waving his arms.

    ¡¸Ora ora ora ora!¡¹

    ¡¸That won¡¯t hit me!¡¹

    Fran, however, avoided most of the projectiles while striking down the rest with me.

    ¡¸Hah? You just cut my wind! How the hell did you manage that!? ¡¹

    ¡¸Now it¡¯s our turn!¡¹

    ¡ºDorya!¡»

    Fran cast thunder magic while I cast me magic to follow her up. The demon got bombarded with spellsing from all directions.

    But that was no cause for celebration.

    ¡¸That tickles! I don¡¯t even need to block such low level magic!¡¹

    ¡ºTch! His resistance to magic is too high!¡»

    Despite casting some low-level spells to test his defenses, I didn¡¯t think he would ignore everything without the slightest attempt at guarding. His defenses must be way higher than expected.

    ¡¸Now it¡¯s my turn again!¡¹

    The demon realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hit us with a barrage, so he tried a different approach. Transparent scythes of wind, something very difficult to detect.

    Countless wind scythes flew at Fran from all directions. An ordinary adventurer would have been cut into countless pieces and met their end.

    Fran, however, detected the trajectory of the scythes and dealt with them effortlessly.

    ¡¸How can you even see my magic?! Oh, fuck it! Just die! Die, die, die!¡¹

    ¡¸No you.¡¹

    ¡¸Ora!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    We began a fierce trade of spells from there, sting each other constantly. However, neither of us managed to deal significant damage.

    Fran and I intercepted all of the demon¡¯s wind spells, while our spells got blocked by our opponent¡¯s potent magic defense. More powerful magic was required to break through. However, it¡¯s difficult to aim with both of us flying around so much.

    Besides, he might simply fall over and die after a direct hit of Kanna Kamui or something on the same level. We still wanted to capture him alive.

    £¨Master, how¡¯s his mana level?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s fallen quite a bit.¡»

    It seems manifesting a demon constantly drains the summoner¡¯s mana, causing the demon knight¡¯s mana to gradually deplete. Fran¡¯s n was to drag out the battle and wait for his mana to run out.

    The demon knight started getting pissed at things not going his way. He flew higher and shouted again.

    ¡¸So god damn annoying! Fuck! Let me tear you apart already!¡¹

    He made some kind of gesture with his hands? I was too far away to see clearly, but he certainly did something. The vortex of mana surrounding him got even more intense.

    ¡¸Wind Cmity!¡¹

    ¡ºHe just strengthened himself again!¡»

    With a sonic-boom like explosion, the demon knight elerated upward d in an armor of wind. He curved in the sky like a fighter ne while firing countless wind spears that spun like drills. Moreover, they had a homing function.

    Meanwhile, Fran d herself in ck lightning and jumped throughout the air to acrobatically evade all of them.

    ¡ºDamn! This guy is pretty tough!¡»

    ¡¸Krh!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, we need to dodge the spears! Trying to intercept them will send us flying!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The wind spear that Fran shed through detonated in a huge explosion that blew her away spectacrly. If I hadn¡¯t teleported us to escape, we might have taken severe damage from the other spears chasing us.

    ¡ºFran, you still want to hold back?!¡»

    As much as I would like to tear him apart, the demon refused to get any closer. He knew that Fran had the advantage in meleebat.

    Meanwhile, we had a hard time dealing a decisive blow at range. Maybe our best strategy is to rush him down?

    £¨I got this!£©

    Fran nodded her head confidently before diving toward the ground. She had turned her back on the demon knight and quickly lowered her altitude.

    Our direction was the vige of Metelmam.

    The demon knight must have thought we were trying to bypass him and scout out the vige.

    ¡¸H-Hold it! Don¡¯t you fucking ignore me!¡¹

    £¨He fell for it!£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    No matter how strong they might be, impulsive opponents are always easy to trick!

    The demon knight hurriedly chased us at max speed, when Fran suddenly turned around and charged right back at him. He fired a wind spear in panic, but that was easy enough to dodge after we realized the timing.

    Fran simply activated ck Lightning Roll the exact instant the wind spear was about to hit, and it passed through harmlessly. Our opponent was already within arm¡¯s reach.

    ¡¸What!!¡¹

    This situation was exactly what Fran nned for, while the demon knight was stunned for a moment. In a sh of such intense speed, that single moment was the fatal error resulting in his defeat.

    ¡¸GWAAAAH!¡¹

    With his right arm and right wing cut off, the demon knight fell out of the sky in an uncontroble spin.

 Chapter 1068

    <h4>1068: Metelmam</h4>

    The demon knight lost his bnce and fell out of the sky after we cut off his right arm and wing.

    Fran chased him down for a follow up.

    ¡¸You little bitch!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Shit, damn you! Get away from me!¡¹

    ¡¸Teya!¡¹

    The demon knight¡¯s wounds started regenerating immediately. The same applied before his manifestation, but it seems the regeneration inhibition of life magic doesn¡¯t do much. Perhaps that¡¯s true for all creatures that are not standard lifeforms, such as antidemons and demons.

    Still, it didn¡¯t change anything. Fran shed off his wings and limbs before he could fully regenerate and regain his bnce.

    Fran¡¯s perfect timing prevented the demon knight from ever getting back up into the sky. He ended up falling straight into the forest still spinning wildly.

    After the sound of cracking branches and rustling leaves, I heard a loud crashing sound. It seems he collided into the trunk of a tree at full momentum.

    The demon knight¡¯s bones snapped along with the tree¡¯s trunk. Thebination of both contributed to the unpleasant sound.

    Fran went to the crash site and found the man lying on the ground. He had lost his right arm, left leg, and both wings, while vomiting arge amount of blood from his mouth. The huge tree he collided with was crushed in the middle and toppled over.

    With his mana levels greatly diminished, the man seemed unable to regenerate. His life force felt pretty weak too, so he was barely holding on to life.

    Fran began interrogating him after stopping the bleeding.

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s your name? You have a demon, so are you from Phyllius? Or Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    He seemed very tight-lipped, as expected from his knightly appearance. Rather than attempting to lie, he simply stayedpletely silent.

    Which means Principle of Falsehoods is useless against him. Not much I can do. What¡¯s more, the man quickly made up his mind.

    ¡¸Kill me.¡¹

    ¡¸You got it, boss.¡¹

    ¡¸!!¡¹

    His head suddenly exploded. At the same time, his left breast swelled up from the inside for a moment.

    ¡ºDamn, he just killed himself.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    The demon must have destroyed the man¡¯s head and heart from the inside. After all the effort we spent capturing him alive¡­

    I appraised his body one final time, but there wasn¡¯t much to see. The man¡¯s name was Rayus, and he had a bunch of skills rted to demons.

    A search of his belongings revealed nothing to indicate his affiliation. We also found no trace of the demon that seemingly killed him.

    I can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s still hiding inside the corpse somewhere. I tried putting it in storage, and that worked, so maybe not¡­?

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go to the vige.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, don¡¯t think we¡¯re gonna get any more info here. They definitely know we¡¯reing due to the fight though. Be careful.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We hid our presence as much as possible before heading for the vige of Metelmam. There were no signs of enemies on the way. If the vige had been upied by Raydoss troops, it seems they did not set up any patrols.

    Maybe they were really confident that the demon knight would protect them?

    We easily reached the vige, but quickly noticed a few unusual signs. I didn¡¯t sense anyone inside the houses. Were they dragged somewhere else, like in Dars?

    I scanned over a wider area and found a group of people gathered at the back of the vige. We sneaked through the vige in that direction.

    £¨¡­Raydoss soldiers?£©

    ¡ºYeah, but what¡¯s with their bodies¡­?¡»

    We saw men who seemed to be Raydoss soldiers lying on the roadside, already dead. However, their condition was strange.

    There were three corpses, and each was in a different state.

    One of them had purple spots on his body, and an expression of anguish on his face. He was obviously killed with a fast-acting poison.

    The remaining two both suffered traumatic injuries, but different kinds. One had a deep cut across his torso, with all his internal organs spilling out.

    The other, however, had his torso twistedand bent, turning him into a human croissant. Their pain-filled expressions indicated that this was done while they were still alive.

    Poison, cutting, and this mysterious power. So there were three different people with these powers hiding in the vige somewhere? Well, I guess we could do the same thing if we tried. The demon knight we defeated might be able to cause thetter two.

    But if that demon knight defeated the Raydoss soldiers for us, why didn¡¯t he let Fran enter the vige?

    Maybe Raydoss upied the vige, and Phyllius took advantage of the situation to steal the vige for themselves? But weren¡¯t Kranzel and Phyllius on friendly terms¡­?

    While I was contemting this, Fran was getting close to her destination.

    It seemed to be some kind of a town meeting square. Well, more like arge open area without a roof. Over a hundred people were tied up and sitting on the ground.

    The men had their arms and legs bound, while the women and children only had their hands tied. Everyone looked weak and tired. There were a few guys who clearly weren¡¯t vigers, so maybe they were adventurers?

    No, not just that. There seemed to be random bandits from the nearby region captured here as well. The dirty and barbaric equipment they wore indicated that they were neither vigers or adventurers.

    The square didn¡¯t have anyone from Raydoss, although three people stood out.

    One of them stood at the entrance of the meeting square, probably in charge of guarding the prisoners. He seemed to be human, but he had the same armor of the demon knight we fought earlier. Maybe he¡¯s also a demon knight.

    The bigger problem was the two further back. A young boy and a young girl with beautiful blond hair were standing in the center of the square. We recognized them.

    £¨Flut and Satia?£©

    ¡ºYeah, it¡¯s definitely them.¡»

    Fran¡¯s friends, Prince Flut and Princess Satia, were discussing something with troubled looks on their faces.

 Chapter 1069

    <h4>1069: Demons of the Prince and Princess</h4>

    A blonde boy and girl were discussing something with serious expressions in the center of the square. They were Fran¡¯s friends, Prince Flut and Princess Satia.

    Which made it very clear these demon knights worked for the Kingdom of Phyllius.

    We also found the corpses of Raydoss soldiers piled up in a corner of the square. I assume Flut and hispanions eliminated the Raydoss soldiers and recaptured the vige¡­ So now the question is why the demon knights tried to eliminate us too.

    If Phyllius is still allied with Kranzel, I don¡¯t understand why they would want to kill Fran after she identified herself as an adventurer.

    However, their actions make sense if Phyllius intended to take control of the vige and incorporate it into their own territory.

    ¡ºFran. Don¡¯t jump out yet, okay?¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    We need a way to confirm their true intentions. Also, a way to deal with them if they turn out to be hostile. I¡¯m especially concerned about Fran. Can she actually bring herself to fight the two?

    In the first ce, did we need to fight? Fran is an adventurer, not directly employed by the Kingdom of Kranzel. We aren¡¯t obligated to drive out invaders for the sake of the country.

    Well, we might have to flee Kranzel in that case, but we can move our base of operations to the Beast Kingdom or whatever. That means we can also avoid getting caught up in the war. To tell the truth, that¡¯s starting to sound like a better option to me.

    As I was thinking about our future course of action, Fran shivered. I immediately understood why.

    ¡ºDemons, huh?¡»

    £¨They both look strong.£©

    ¡ºThose are strongest demons we¡¯ve ever seen at least.¡»

    Two huge humanoid figures stood behind Flut and Satia, clearly demons.

    Standing behind Flut was a 5-meter tall male figure with dragon-like wings. Much more human-like than the other demons we¡¯ve seen so far. He had brown skin, white hair, and carried a huge ck scythe.

    Behind Satia was a female demon, also about 5 meters tall. She had no weapon, but her long hair was writhing as if it had a will of its own, with purple smoke billowing from the edges of her mouth.

    Brown skin and white hair on both of them. Their eyes were hidden from view,pletely covered by ck leather blindfolds. They wore small bits of leather armor protecting their vitals, of simr design to their blindfolds. These two demons were clearly rted to each other.

    Now the question is, what are they attempting to do by invoking such powerful demons¡­?

    ¡¸¡­Forgive me, but this is for the sake of my people.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m so sorry.¡¹

    Flut and Satia apologized and bowed their heads to the vigers. The looks on their faces indicated their grief.

    Wait, is this gonna turn nasty?

    Ignoring the vigers beginning to voice their anxieties, Flut dered their fate.

    ¡¸Begin with the bandits. Bune, kill them!¡¹

    ¡¸Send them off, Ronowe.¡¹

    ¡¸UROOOGH!¡¹

    ¡¸FWOOOH!¡¹

    The dragon-winged demon Bune followed the order and swung down his scythe. Off went the heads of the bandits beneath him, followed quickly by the spray of blood from their necks.

    Ronowe¡¯s attack was even more shocking. We watched in awe as her arms split apart into countless tentacles, which reached out at the bandits. Each was powerful enough to easily crush their skulls and end them instantly.

    The vigers screamed and tried to escape, but the binds on their hands and feet prevented them from moving properly.

    It all happened before we could react. Flut, Satia, what in the world are you two doing!?

    ¡¸Next, Bune.¡¹

    ¡¸OOUGH!¡¹

    While I was still confused, Fran jumped out reflexively.

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you!¡¹

    After dashing out with incredible speed, Fran repelled Bune¡¯s swing aimed at a nearby child. The demon quickly swung down a second time at Fran, but she dodged and mmed a kick into his chestte.

    Even the giant demon couldn¡¯t take the kick standing, getting blown backwards several meters.

    However, Fran¡¯s eyes were pointed elsewhere.

    ¡¸Flut! Satia!¡¹

    ¡¸F-Fran¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san, why are you¡­?¡¹

    A reunion of the worst kind. The prince and princess were clearly shocked too.

    ¡¸Why are you two here? And why are you doing this!?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­It¡¯s for the sake of our nation.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡¹

    Perhaps due to Flut and Satia¡¯s confusion, the two demons also paused. But why would killing random vigers benefit their nation? And they went out of their way to send royalty to do such a dirty job?

    Many people had been captured within the town square, and everyone looked like ordinary vigers to me.

    Upon closer inspection, I found something ced around the area where Flut and Satia were standing, seemingly arge magic stone. I tried appraising it, but got no additional details¡­

    Before we could ask further questions, the other person there interrupted us.

    ¡¸Your Highnesses! Now is not the time for chatter!¡¹

    ¡¸B-But¡­¡¹

    ¡¸We owe Fran-san our lives!¡¹

    The adult demon knight shouted at Flut and Satia. Though the two made an attempt to argue back, the demon knight simply shouted again over their words.

    ¡¸Do not abandon your people, this is your duty as royalty! This vige will perish either way, so we must focus on what we can to protect our country!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Flut and Satia¡¯s faces filled with determination. They had resolved themselves, unfortunately for us.

 Chapter 1070

    <h4>1070: Bune and Ronowe</h4>

    ¡¸Fran, can you pretend you didn¡¯t see anything and just leave?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t want to fight you. Please.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why do you have to kill the vigers?¡¹

    ¡¸Because¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸We have no time for chatter, Prince! Girl, what have you done with Rayus!? I know it was you who attacked him just a while ago!¡¹

    ¡¸If you mean the Wind Demon, I beat him.¡¹

    ¡¸What! He may have been a mere boy granted a demon, but he should be very formidable in aerialbat¡­ You must eliminated here, as a national enemy of Phyllius!¡¹

    The demon knight shouted while raising his spear, as Bune and Ronowe also readied themselves forbat. Despite being surrounded by three demons, Fran showed no signs of backing down.

    ¡¸Fran, surrender already!¡¹

    ¡¸Please!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Will you stop killing the vigers?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡­ can¡¯t do that.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I refuse.¡¹

    The moment Fran rejected Flut¡¯s proposal, the demon knight started chanting magic. Though Flut and Satia were still hesitating, their demons dived into action.

    ¡¸Die!¡¹

    £¨Fighting here will kill the vigers. We need to win before they can start!£©

    ¡ºRoger that! Urushi, you handle the two demons!¡»

    £¨Grr!£©

    ¡¸Brilliant Lightning Rush, Sword God Transformation, ck Lightning Divine w!¡¹

    Fran charged ahead while activating her skills, elerating so fast that she left afterimages and a burst of ck lightning in her wake. Everyone else was frozen solid in her eyes.

    Meanwhile, I also maxed my output to make full use of this chance.

    ¡ºArch-Sorcerer, Divine Energy Maniption, Evil Conquest¡­!¡»

    Mana and evil energy overflowed from within. I don¡¯t feel the chills like I did previously, so I think I¡¯m getting pretty ustomed to using evil energy. All of it was thoroughly infused into my de.

    The mixture of divine energy, evil energy, and ck lightning gave off a frightening aura, so powerful that it was chipping away at my de.

    Though my durability fell at a tremendous pace, my power was the real deal.

    It only took a single swing to disperse the demon knight¡¯s me spell. Then Fran closed in on him through the dancing sparks left behind.

    ¡¸How¨D¨D!¡¹

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    The demon knight widened his eyes, stunned at Fran¡¯s ridiculous boost in strength. He managed to react and attempt a thrust with his spear, impressively, but such a spur-of-the-moment attack could not possibly hit us.

    Because at that moment, we had already shed diagonally across his chest.

    Fran flew past the knight at a blinding speed, and a few momentster, his body split apart and fell to the ground in halves.

    ¡¸I was¡­ too careless¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Tewaz!¡¹

    Our perfect method of taking down demon knights: eliminate them before they can fully unleash the power of their demons. Well, actually pulling it off is incredibly difficult since the demon knights are still strong in their base state.

    Talking was no longer an option. Flut froze after calling the name of the demon knight, while Fran dashed to her next target without pause.

    Rather than attacking Flut and Satia directly, we went after the demons serving them.

    £¨This one first!£©

    ¡ºRoger that, Ronowe first!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran went after Ronowe, the female demon who was closer to us.

    Meanwhile, Urushi fired some weaker death poison spells at Flut and Satia to keep them busy. Bune protected them by using his body as a shield, while Ronowe blocked the spell after morphing her arms into long tentacles.

    Upon seeing this, Fran decided that Ronowe was more troublesome if left unattended.

    She instantly dove into melee range and mmed me into Ronowe¡¯s legs. The demon was too tall for us to reach her torso at ground level.

    Our perfect sh sliced straight through Ronowe¡¯s legs, but then¡­

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    ¡¸Cough!¡¹

    We never reached her! Our hit simply went right through Ronowe after she morphed her body into smoke! Moreover, purple dots started popping up on Fran¡¯s face.

    Poison! It seems Ronowe was capable of transforming her body into a poisonous mist. She must be the one responsible for poisoning the Raydoss soldiers we saw earlier.

    What¡¯s really terrifying was how she managed to inflict such potent poison through Fran¡¯s high status resistance. Yet Fran barely even took a single breath of Ronowe¡¯s mist.

    To think her poison was that powerful¡­ Well, it¡¯s not too hard to take countermeasures once we know we¡¯re up against poison. I can always absorb it with my Poison Control skill, or simply heal it with restoration magic. However, such only applies to Fran when she¡¯s alone.

    If Ronowe decided to ughter all the vigers with her poison, I doubt I can heal them in time. This only raised her target priority.

    But first things first, there¡¯s something I need to try. I charged a thunder spell as much as possible before activating it.

    My target was the magic stone in the center of the square, since it was clearly ced there for a reason. Inded a direct hit with a spell capable of knocking a dragon out of the sky.

    But nothing happened. The magic stone wasn¡¯t just super tough, but also protected by a magical barrier. I never expected it to survivepletely unscathed.

    ¡¸It¡¯s useless. No one can break it.¡¹

    ¡¸Flut! Satia! What¡¯s going on?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fran, I¡¯m going to ask you one more time. Will you step aside?¡¹

    ¡¸I will not retreat.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Satia, use your poison! I¡¯ll hold Fran back in the meanwhile!¡¹

    ¡¸On it!¡¹

    So Flut intended to take on Fran with Bune while Satia killed the vigers with Ronowe¡¯s poison. I can sense their firm determination to annihte the vigers.

    ¡¸Krgh! I won¡¯t let you!¡¹

    ¡¸FWOOOOOH!¡¹

    Fran shed at Ronowe multiple times, but she had already turned her whole body into a poisonous mist.

    ¡ºThen how about this!¡»

    ¡¸FWAAAAAAHHH!¡¹

    It seems her resistance to me and thunder magic was reduced while in mist form. I sted the mist with my spells, and Ronowe started screaming after she reappeared.

    ¡¸Bune! Do it!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, behind you!¡»

    ¡¸UWOOORGH!¡¹

    Bune vanished before appearing behind Fran using the Shadow Shift skill. Fran managed to repel the giant demon¡¯s scythe, but she was quickly blown backwards.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s using telekinesis too? Watch out! This one¡¯s pretty strong!¡»

    £¨Roger!£©

    It seems Bune was capable of manipting very powerful telekinesis. I hit him with telekinesis of my own after noticing that, but it was only capable of weakening his slightly.

    ¡¸Ugah¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh¡­¡¹

    Shit! Ronowe¡¯s poison reached the vigers! I quickly spammed the antidote spell, and it seems I made it just in time.

    ¡¸They¡¯ve already been cured?¡¹

    Satia was astonished after noticing Fran¡¯s instantaneous use of antidote spells. However, the vigers will die sooner orter unless we do something. Fine, you leave us with no choice!

    ¡ºUrushi! Go after Satia, just don¡¯t kill her! I¡¯ll take Flut!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    The only way to settle things quickly is to silence the summoners directly.

 Chapter 1071

    <h4>1071: Fran vs Bune</h4>

    After realizing that we didn¡¯t have the time to take out the demons, I morphed my decorative thread and extended it toward Flut. We need to take out the summoners in order to shut up the demons!

    Urushi headed toward Satia.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºI promise not to kill them!¡»

    £¨¡­Sorry.£©

    Fran must have been frustrated at herck of resolve, but it made me happy. Not wanting to fight your friends is a natural human feeling.

    Maybe you could say such feelings make her weaker as a fighter. However, I can say for sure that this is true growth as a person.

    Besides, this type of thing is my job as her partner.

    ¡ºLet me handle anything you can¡¯t do. In exchange, you help me out with the things I can¡¯t do.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    Fran nodded at me while going after Bune. She wanted to cover for me by sealing the demon¡¯s movements.

    ¡¸Everyone, get as far away as possible!¡¹

    The vigers began trying to escape upon hearing Fran¡¯s shout. However, the square was surrounded by wooden fences and the men had their feet bound. They wouldn¡¯t be able to get far. That said, even the slightest distance would make things way easier on us.

    We had already canceled Sword God Transformation, and I stopped the usage of Divine Energy Maniption and Evil Conquest. Even in this condition, Fran overwhelmed Bune.

    While evading his scythe, Fran cut through the invisible sts of telekinesis along with his gigantic body. The demon regenerated quickly due to our regeneration inhibition not working, but he still couldn¡¯t move while his legs were healing. I felt like I was watching a martial artist master spar with their disciple.

    And without the demon¡¯s support, my steel threads reached Flut without issue.

    ¡¸Kuh! Dammit!¡¹

    Flut attempted to escape, but his own stats were nothing special. Even if he leveled up since ourst meeting, he¡¯s onlyparable to a low rank adventurer.

    Moreover, his skills were mostly specialized in demon summoning. My steel threads entwined all of Flut¡¯s limbs, easily sealing away his movements.

    Bune desperately tried to save Flut, but Fran refused to allow this, sometimes using the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing to stop him with a divine-infused kick.

    Like I thought, the divine attribute is very effective against demons. Bune now had wounds that he could not regenerate.

    As a result, Bune was forced to stay vignt. Any careless movement and Fran would smack him with a mortal blow to his vital points.

    ¡ºNow go to sleep!¡»

    ¡¸Gwah!¡¹

    I zapped Flut with electricity while he was trapped in my steel threads. The n was to paralyze him.

    But my paralysis had no effect. Upon closer inspection of Flut¡¯s body, I saw ck mana gushing out. It seems he had a demon possessing him just like the demon knights.

    So he¡¯s apanied by another demon, separate from Bune. Demons have an innate resistance to magic and status, which must be what saved him from my spell. Should I increase the output? The problem is that going too far risks killing him.

    Urushi was having simr difficulties in binding Satia. All of his ck magic was being nullified.

    However, he managed to deal with Ronowe splendidly by consuming the poison mist. It seems thebination of Poison Nullification and Predatory Assimtion enabled him to devour Ronowe when she morphed into mist. Ronowe was forced to remain in physical form and attack with her tentacles, but she stood no choice against Urushi in a melee.

    In that case, I can focus everything on the task at hand.

    ¡ºHow about this!¡»

    I activated my Magic Plunder and Magic Absorption skills at max output. Sucking up all the demon¡¯s mana supply will leave it as good as dead.

    Flut¡¯s mana levels plummeted. Not just due to my absorption, but also because he¡¯s spending a ton resisting my electric st. At this rate, Flut will fall unconscious due to mana exhaustion.

    But Flut refused to go down without a fight. He must have realized that he was about to lose.

    ¡¸I offer.. you¡­ my mana! Possess me¡­ Bune! Gugah!¡¹

    ¡ºThis is¡­!¡»

    ¡¸UOOOGH!¡¹

    Bune disappeared without a trace, and Flut¡¯s appearance changed drastically. His skin turned brown while his hair lost its color and went white. The new Flut had golden eyes and mysterious red patterns covering his arms and face.

    Flut sunk into the shadows before he appeared a short distance away. He could now use Shadow Shift.

    ¡¸Haha¡­ Fran. You¡¯re pretty good, but we won¡¯t lose! That¡¯s right! We can¡¯t afford to lose here!¡¹

    Flut roared as he charged right at us with speed unimaginable considering his stats.

    He mmed the scythe down using only his right hand, probably the same jet-ck scythe that Bune carried, but it had shrunken down to Flut¡¯s size. Despite being much smaller, the force of the blow had been magnified.

    It seems Flut in this possessed state was stronger than his summoned demon.

    ¡¸UROOOOH!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡ºThe power of his telekinesis got boosted too, but I can still handle it at this level! Leave it to me!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡¸Impossible¡­¡¹

    Flut was stunned. He must have thought his victory was assured after triggering Bune¡¯s possession. Unfortunately for him, that¡¯s far from true. Maybe he could have beaten us if we were still at the same level as when we first met.

    But not the us after oveing the hellish events of Gordicia! He had yet tond a single scratch on Fran.

    I was considering chopping off his limbs to disable him, but something happened behind us to interrupt that thought.

    ¡¸Kyan!¡¹

    Urushi got smacked by countless tentacles and sent flying through the air.

    Satia had unified herself with Ronowe. It seems the two demons were originally in the ¡°Summoned¡± state, while Flut¡¯s current state was ¡°Possessed¡±. Meanwhile, the first demon knight we saw and Satia were in a different state known as ¡°Manifested¡±.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! You dare defy me, foul beast! I shall have you stuffed and turned into a furnishing!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr¡­¡¹

    We heard Ronowe¡¯s voice speaking out of Satia¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 1072

    <h4>1072: Ronowe</h4>

    Ronowe had manifested herself using Satia¡¯s body. The mana she radiated was overwhelming, much stronger than the demon we fought in Alessa¡¯s goblin dungeon.

    It seems this ¡°manifestation¡± thing is the state in which a demon can draw out the most of their powers. Since they waited until now to use it, I bet the costs are equally great though¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯ll ughter everyst person in this vige! Offer your lives to me!¡¹

    I suppose a heavy cost doesn¡¯t make a big difference if it lets you finish the battle quickly!

    The demon Ronowe screeched as her body exploded into hundreds of tentacles, which promptly began raining down upon the vigers.

    Every man, woman, and child in the vige will be dead at this rate. There¡¯s no way we can protect them all!

    Fran also sensed the same danger as me.

    Though she had a moment¡¯s hesitation, Fran stepped forward after shaking it off.

    Flut and Satia were her friends, and the people of the vige were mere strangers to her. Prioritizing her friendship and abandoning the vigers was always one of the options on the table.

    The two clearly had a reason for doing this. Taking them on would not only damage their friendship, but also possibly make us enemies to the Kingdom of Phyllius.

    Even so, Fran chose to save the vigers.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    Fran transformed into ck lightning, weaving through the gaps between the tentacles. We closed in on the writhing ck mass at their origin.

    Her current state was probably simr to when she fought with Trismegistus in Gordicia. Fran was radiating divine attribute from her own body, unconsciously using the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing.

    From there, she delivered a sh with divine speed, one almost exactly like Heavenly Judgment. There was nothing shy about it. My de simply cleaved straight through the amorphous shape formerly known as Ronowe.

    After being split horizontally, the ck mass ruptured.

    Her physical sh had clearly applied damage to non-physical existences, such as Ronowe¡¯s spirit and mana. Rather, Fran intentionally cut through these invisibleponents making her up.

    ¡¸<strong>KYAAAAAAAH</strong>!¡¹

    Ronowe let loose a high-pitched, ultrasonic scream. Simultaneously, her countless tentacles were sucked back into her main body like stretched rubber returning to its original shape.

    ¡¸Kuh! What did you just do¡­?! ursed girl!¡¹

    Ronowe, who had regained her humanoid form, screamed in agony as she clutched her side.

    Her wound was slow to regenerate due to the divine attribute, and leaking arge amount of mana. However, her red eyes still burned with fierce hostility. Her will to fight had not diminished in the slightest.

    ¡¸Uroogh!¡¹

    ¡¸Saw iting.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaah!¡¹

    Ronowe¡¯s arms transformed into thin tentacles, each of whichunched at Fran from a different direction. Then, her hair spread out and burst into purple smoke. An omni-directionalbo consisting of tentacles and poison. Both Fran and the vigers were clearly in trouble.

    But Fran was having none of it. Countless shes diced the tentacles into tiny pieces as my thunder magic evaporated the mist.

    ¡¸Higyah! How?!¡¹

    Ronowe let loose a vindictive scream despite having lost both her arms and hair. Fran raised her eyebrows sadly while looking at Ronowe.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll have my revenge! Death! You deserve dea¨D¨DGyah! Damn you!¡¹

    Ronowe¡¯s face contorted in rage and humiliation. She tried again to unleash her poison, but I prevented her in the exact same way.

    She stubbornly refused to surrender, so cutting her down seems like the only way to finish things. Meanwhile, I noticed that Fran resolved herself. Though she still had no intention to kill, it seems she was now willing to inflict heavy scars.

    ¡¸Sorr¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you!¡¹

    Fran swung down the de with a saddened look. However, Flut¡¯s scythe intervened to block her strike.

    ¡¸Satia, run! You¡¯ve used manifestation for too long! At this rate, you¡¯ll end up killing yourself!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­No, but!¡¹

    It seems Satia the caster was still conscious during the demon manifestation state. Even though Flut told her to escape, Satia herself apparently had no intention of doing so. However, the one in control of her body was Ronowe.

    And the demon did not hesitate to flee in order to save her own life. Ronowe immediately turned tail and ran.

    ¡¸Wait, Ronowe! Onii-sama!¡¹

    ¡¸Forgive me, Satia.¡¹

    ¡¸Flut. I won¡¯t chase you if you run too.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible! Feed on my vital energy and manifest yourself! Demon Duke, Bune!¡¹

    An overwhelming presence surpassing Ronowe manifested itself before us. Did he just say ¡°demon duke¡±? Even a baron reaches Threat Level B, right? There¡¯s no way he¡¯s anything less than Threat Level A.

    The five meter giant had the head of a dragon as well as dragon wings growing from his back. Flut must be determined to achieve his goal even if it means killing Fran.

    The mana released by his appearance was like an explosion, knocking away all the vigers.

    ¡¸Urushi, please!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡¸Get out of my way!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Fran switched ces with Urushi and sent a recovery spell toward the vigers. Some of them were in a very dangerous state, but it apparently worked. Many remained unconscious, but I think everyone survived.

    Right that instant, we heard another loud scream.

    ¡¸GAAAAHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Flut?¡¹

    Fran turned around to see a small knife stuck in Bune¡¯s back as he was confronting Urushi.

    ¡ºThat guy over there¡­ he¡¯s no viger!¡»

    One of the vigers had thrown the knife. An agent from Raydoss or something must have been lurking among them.

    Of course, I didn¡¯t have the time to appraise all of them individually. I hurriedly activated my Heavenly Eye skill to check his stats, and found he had high levels in all the skills that a spy might need: Convert, Disguise, Acting, Falsehood, etc. I also didn¡¯t sense any killing intent when he threw the knife, so he must be quite talented.

    I quickly fired a st of telekinesis at the agent, but he dodged as if it was in in sight and immediately broke into a run.

    ¡ºUrushi, chase down that guy!¡»

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, we need to treat Flut!¡»

    ¡¸It won¡¯te out!¡¹

    Flut returned to his original form after his manifestation broke. Fran attempted to pull out the knife stuck in his back, but it seemingly had a magical effect preventing that.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Flut!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t bother. This is¡­ one of their demon-yers¡­ I¡¯m done for¡­¡¹

 Chapter 1073

    <h4>1073: Phyllius''s Reasons</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯m done for¡­ Cough.¡¹

    Flut vomited a pool of blood as he fell to the ground on his side. Bune¡¯s manifestation had already been canceled, yet the knife remained stuck in his back.

    ¡¸Flut! Maximum Heal!¡¹

    Fran cast a spell to heal Flut, but it barely had any effect on his wound. The curse flowing into Flut from the knife seems to prevent healing.

    Still, Fran refused to stop trying. She cast Maximum Heal again and again.

    ¡¸It won¡¯t work¡­ Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸It will work!¡¹

    Flut looked remarkably calm despite his life force and mana diminishing at a frightening rate.

    My appraisal revealed that Flut was in a state of ¡°Curse Contamination¡±. This is my first time seeing such a thing, but that doesn¡¯t sound good. The knife apparently had the ¡°Demon yer¡± property, so maybe it was designed to counter the demon summoners of Phyllius.

    We tried anticurse and antidote spells, but neither had any effect. Those infused with the divine attribute worked slightly, but not enough to actually lift the curse. We only managed to slow down the pace at which the curse advanced.

    Flut¡¯s life force and mana levels continued declining.

    Either way, this ¡°Demon yer¡± thing must be what is eating away at him.

    ¡¸Maximum Heal!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, listen to me.¡¹

    ¡¸No, don¡¯t talk!¡¹

    ¡¸Please¡­ I want you to hear this.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Flut began exining his situation in spite of his condition. While still in intense pain, Flut seemingly had every intention of continuing until the bitter end. Fran didn¡¯t try to stop him again.

    And from his story, we found out that Raydoss had struck at Phyllius as well.

    However, Raydoss targeted them with arge-scale ritual curse instead of direct invasion by military force. They made use of the mana flows running deep underground known as leylines, covering a specific region in a curse that drains the vitality from everything living there.

    Not only had their citizens lost their vitality, but their fields started going barren. The damage was apparently substantial despite still being in the early stages. If left unchecked, the country was in danger ofplete copse.

    ¡¸And the root cause lies in this vige¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Root?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­ that¡­¡¹

    Flut barely managed to move his trembling arm, pointing to the center of the square. A huge magic stone had been nted there.

    ¡¸That is¡­ what maintains the ursed spell¡­ killing our people¡­¡¹

    I thought Flut was the one who installed it there, but it was actually Raydoss!

    In other words, Raydoss conquered the vige first and activated the curse using the vigers as living mana batteries. However, Phyllius somehow managed to trace the curse back to its source, then stole possession of the vige.

    Though they initially thought the curse was Kranzel¡¯s doing, they eventually realized it was Raydoss-made after analyzing the magic stone. That exins why Rayus attacked us when he heard we were from Kranzel. He still believed Kranzel was the enemy.

    In addition, I think the presence of Flut and Satia yed a role in why Rayus wanted to eliminate Fran. Regardless of their reasons, a foreign nation¡¯s royalty was viting Kranzel¡¯s borders. They wanted to conceal this fact as much as possible.

    Erasing a single adventurer is a small price to protect the reputation of his nation. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that was his line of thinking.

    ¡¸Fran, you need to run.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    While still gasping for breath, Flut grabbed Fran¡¯s hand and gave her a warning.

    ¡¸The curse will soon¡­ reach full activation.¡¹

    ¡¸What happens then?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t say for sure¡­ Only that it will be something very bad¡­ for both my nation and this vige¡­¡¹

    It seems Flut and hispanions had attempted to destroy the magic stone with their demonic powers, and prevent the curse from reaching full activation. But in the end, they could not even scratch the surface with the full extent of their strength.

    Moreover, the vigers had a magical connection to the stone. The flow of mana wouldn¡¯t stop even if they were separated from it.

    The fact that they were gathered in the square and restrained to prevent them from escaping suggests that keeping them closer makes things more efficient. However, it seems simply taking them out of the vige isn¡¯t enough to escape this connection to the magic stone.

    Judging by what we heard from Flut, the activation was drawing near. I doubt we have enough time to try running with the vigers at this point.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºI knew you would stay.¡»

    Of course, Fran refused to run by herself.

    She walked to the magic stone and held her right hand in front of it. Nothing happened.

    ¡¸Mm?¡¹

    ¡ºPretty much expected, it won¡¯t be as easy as storing it.¡»

    We attempted to use dimensional storage to iste the magic stone, but that didn¡¯t work.

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡ºDoryaaaah!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Won¡¯t budge.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    Fran and I tried to lift the stone, but again it refused to move. Rather than a matter of the stone¡¯s weight, it seemed to have a magical effect fixating its location.

    ¡¸In that case¡­ Hah!¡¹

    Fran mmed the magic stone with an overhead sh, a very powerful blow. Yet the stone withstood it without a single scratch. It seems to have incredibly high defense against both magical and physical attacks.

    Actually, I remember a simr feeling from before.

    ¡ºRemember the magic stone weapons Zelyse installed at theke to revive the Great Beast?¡»

    £¨Nn. Those were tough.£©

    ¡ºI think this one is pretty close. At the very least, it seems to be enhanced in a incredibly simr manner.¡»

    The flow of mana matched too, as well as the smell. Not that I have a nose, but my gut was telling me both these tools shared the same creator.

    I don¡¯t have any proof, but this means Zelyse might be involved here. Well, I can¡¯t say for sure if Sword Zelyse made it, or the human one did it before he died.

    Either way, destroying it will be very difficult via any ordinary means. If it wasn¡¯t for us, that is.

    After all, we¡¯ve already sessfully destroyed them before.

    £¨I won¡¯t let Raydoss have its way.£©

    ¡ºYeah! Not with me, the natural predator of magic stones, on the job!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1074

    <h4>1074: Saving Flut</h4>

    Fran held me up in preparation for destroying the magic stone.

    Rather than a swing, she folded her arm back in the stance for a thrust.

    With all of her power concentrated on a single point.

    Fran quietly kneaded her mana, and I strengthened myself with Arch-Sorcerer and Evil Conquest.

    My de made a high-pitched creaking sound as if bending under the heavy burden. My durability kept gradually falling, and I felt as if the surface of my de was melting away. Still, I continued maintaining the enhancements.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡¹

    Fran closed her eyes and took a few long breaths in front of the huge magic stone.

    ¡¸Haaaaah¡­!¡¹

    The deeper the breath, the more power drawn from her inner self.

    Then right after her longest breath, Fran¡¯s eyes snapped open as she pushed me out with all her strength.

    ¡¸Haaaaah! ck Lightning Divine w!¡¹

    She activated ck Lightning Divine w, just like when she destroyed the magic stone weapons in Belioth. The only difference being that her current control of the technique was perfect.

    The ck lightning was concentrated entirely on my tip, rotating like a drill.

    d in overwhelming power, I was thrust into the magic stone and¡­

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    We struggled to even make a scratchst time, but now we¡¯ve achievedplete victory. Fran¡¯s thrust had pierced the huge magic stone¡¯s defenses, with my tip prating all the way through.

    Both Fran and I have grown a lot since then!

    The huge magic stone was absorbed into me in its entirety and disappeared.

    ¡ºYes, yes! Here ites!¡»

    Come to think of it, this happenedst time too¡­! With a tremendous amount of mana flowing into me, my mind went almostpletely nk.

    But this was something I¡¯ve experienced on several asions. Besides, it¡¯s nothingpared to the time I absorbed those two swords. I managed to stay conscious and calm myself down.

    £¨Master, you okay?£©

    ¡ºYep. No problem.¡»

    £¨Okay, good.£©

    Whoa, what? I just checked my stats and that magic stone was worth over 2000 points! Are you kidding? It must havee from something at least Threat Level A!

    Then there¡¯s the skills. I got four of them, and all were weird: me Dragon Magic, Dragon Roar, Dragonscale mes, Dragonscale Boost. So this stone must havee from a me Dragon. Just like the name suggests, me Dragon Magic must be a special type of magic only usable by me Dragons. Honestly speaking, this might be the first time I have absolutely no clue how to use a magic skill.

    As much as I tried focusing on the skill, no spells came to mind. As for Dragon Roar, Dragonscale mes, and Dragonscale Boost, I was unable to use any of them either. It seems they can¡¯t even be activated by non-dragons.

    Meanwhile, there was someone else stunned as well.

    ¡¸Hah¡­ What¡­ the¡­¡¹

    Flut widened his eyes in surprise before immediately contorting his face in self-mockery. Well, such a reaction was understandable.

    They had resorted to killing the vigers after deciding the giant magic stone was impossible to break. What¡¯s more, doing so caused them to be enemies with Fran.

    I have to say the two demon knights deserve a big share of the me. They clearly came at us with the intent to kill, causing the undiplomatic Fran to respond in the same fashion.

    They also brought up the issue of their home country, causing Flut and Satia to rush in and act thoughtlessly.

    Another issue was how Flut and Satia misjudged Fran¡¯s abilities. Bune and Ronowe were definitely much stronger than Fran when she first met Flut. Not that I can me them, but they probably thought Fran wouldn¡¯t be able to help them solve the problem. Maybe they even considered capturing her to be a simple task.

    What if they had told Fran the whole story from the beginning and asked for her cooperation? Things would have ended very differently.

    ¡¸¡­If only we had trusted you¡­ Everything was pointless¡­ Ah, why was I so foolish¡­? Hah¡­ Haha¡­¡¹

    Rather than the curse eating his life, his biggest regret seemed to be making the decision to kill the vigers.

    ¡¸¡­Fran¡­ Don¡¯t worry yourself¡­ with us¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Flut! No! I¡¯ll figure something out!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t¡­ worry¡­ My friend¡­ I wish you¡­ luck¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Flut!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Flut!¡¹

    Flut coughed up even more blood than earlier. His face was almost entirely devoid of life.

    Fran spammed additional restoration spells, but the knife prevented all healing. Also, it¡¯s clear that pulling out the knife by force will only hurt Flut even more. Even a light touch seemed to cause him intense pain.

    ¡¸In that case!¡¹

    Fran held me up in front of her waist. She started focusing her mana again, perhaps concentrating even harder than when she destroyed the magic stone.

    A few seconds of silence passed.

    Fran crouched deep against the ground, and delivered a sh within a hair¡¯s breadth of Flut¡¯s body.

    There was no sound, not even a thud. And yet¡­

    ¡¸Mm?¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    I felt mana flowing into me as the knife disappearedpletely. We had hoped that destroying the knife might nullify its powers, but instead¡­

    ¡ºCannibalize activated?¡»

    I don¡¯t im to have a full understanding of the skill, but my Cannibalize should only work against Intelligence Weapons or failed divine swords. Maybe full divine swords might count too.

    The knife clearly didn¡¯t have a will of its own, nor was it a divine sword.

    ¡ºA failed divine sword¡­?¡»

    But my stats barely increased at all. Maybe it was a really weak failed divine sword or something? However, I did gain a skill: Demon yer. This had the effect of weakening demons and doubling the damage dealt to them. It also had a power for detecting them.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºOops, I¡¯ll exinter. Let¡¯s save Flut for now.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    The curse was still eating away at him, with so much blood dripping from his wounds. Fran and I repeatedly cast divine-infused healing magic as we did our best to save Flut.

    A few more minutes passed.

    ¡ºI think he¡¯s stable now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Fran was exhausted from expending too much mana, but the color had returned to Flut¡¯s face. He should be fine.

    ¡ºNow then, what next?¡»

 Chapter 1075

    <h4>1075: Reunion with Satia</h4>

    Fran stared at Flut, who was as silent as a corpse. However, she quickly realized what was going on around her.

    About 70% of the vigers had escaped from the square, but there were still some old and injured people who didn¡¯t manage to escape. They were also stunned at the events that just took ce. I appraised them just to be sure, but all of them seemed like ordinary vigers.

    Fran stood again, though the exhaustion was clearly visible on her face.

    ¡ºFran, you really okay? You can rest if you¡¯re still tired. I¡¯ll handle the vigers with my body double.¡»

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m fine.¡¹

    ¡º¡­Okay.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran went around breaking the restraints binding the vigers and healing their wounds with magic. Many vigers thanked her, but some were not entirely happy.

    The vigers¡¯ eyes turned unfriendly as soon as they saw the sleeping Flut. Well, that¡¯s only natural. That said, none of them took action due to Fran¡¯s presence.

    Those that had remained in the square should be aware that Fran and Flut were acquainted with each other.

    However, the vigers returning to the square after they learned themotion had subsided didn¡¯t know anything about the rtionship. Some of them attempted to charge at Flut as soon as they noticed him, but Fran stood in their path.

    ¡¸W-What are you doing?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I captured him, so he¡¯s mine. No one elsey a finger on him.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Why should¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Hey! Stop it! She¡¯s the one who saved all of our lives!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! Someone pathetic enough to beg for his life isn¡¯t in any position to harass this girl!¡¹

    Other vigers also helped us stop them. I bet some were just trying to return the favor, but the rest probably knew they couldn¡¯t afford to offend Fran after seeing her abilities.

    The biggest contributor turned out to be the mayor. His statement that they needed to decide on their next course of action silenced much of themotion.

    The fact that none of the vigers died seems to have helped a lot. Fran going around healing everyone was enough to prove that she was no enemy.

    After confirming our rescue operation was finally over and the viges had settled down, I instructed Fran to call over the mayor and suggest that he evacuate the vige.

    This vige was in an incredibly dangerous situation, having been targeted by both Raydoss and Phyllius. It must suck to hear right after getting freed, but they need to evacuate to a bigger town.

    Like before, there were some who insisted on staying in the vige, but in the end, all of them agreed to evacuate. Unlike the fishing viges we stopped in on the way from Bulbora, this vige actually came under attack. Everyone persuaded their hesitant family members to leave with passionate arguments.

    Fran stored all the food in the vige¡¯s stockpile, and we departed Metelmam the same day. Though the pace was very slow, theck of monsters in the region made things manageable.

    And so we continued like this for a few hours. About halfway down the mountain road, we sensed a presence watching us from a distance. We had ignored the presence for a while, but it kept following us.

    ¡ºWe should probably take care of that first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran told everyone to take a short rest on the side of the road before covering them with walls ofnd magic. She left by herself, or rather, along with Flut, who she carried princess-style.

    Since the vigers were still nearby, we should be able to tell if anything happens to them.

    The owner of the presence made no attempt to run even after recognizing Fran¡¯s approach. Instead, shended right in front of us.

    ¡¸I knew it, Satia¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san¡­¡¹

    The identity of the observer was Satia.

    She had aplicated expression on her face, like a tearful smile, but no hostility. I could only sense a powerful sadnessing from her.

    ¡¸Are your wounds okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I can manage.¡¹

    It seems she still maintained Ronowe¡¯s injuries, but they had mostly recovered by now. Fran and Satia smiled awkwardly at each other.

    ¡¸Regarding Onii-sama¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Take Flut back.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran handed Flut to Satia. I¡¯d prefer to put him in the custody of the country or the guild, but Fran was ufortable with that¡­ There¡¯s no way all the vigers can keep quiet about the incident, so Kranzel will find out eventually. What are we gonna do then?

    Satia took the unconscious Flut and tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡¸Come forth, Life Demon.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­At your service.¡¹

    ¡¸Check on Onii-sama¡¯s status.¡¹

    ¡¸As you wish.¡¹

    A demon looking like a chimpanzee with bat wings appeared from Satia¡¯s shadow. It gave us a frightened stare for a moment, maybe the effect of my Demon yer?

    The stare onlysted a moment though, before the demon ced his hand above Flut and began applying mana. Abination of healing and life magic. We noticed Flut¡¯s condition improving slightly.

    The demon seemingly examined Flut¡¯s internal condition at the same time. It reported to Satia in the ragged voice of an old man.

    ¡¸I can hardly sense Bune-sama¡¯s power.¡¹

    ¡¸What does that mean¡­? He hasn¡¯t disappeared yet, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, though barely. He will disappear in the near future if left in this state.¡¹

    Our healing magic may have worked on Flut, but it seems to have not reached his demon Bune.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­ I failed to protect Flut.¡¹

    Fran exined what happened. Since I absorbed the demon ying knife, it¡¯s hard to say if she¡¯ll actually believe it was the work of Raydoss¡¯s agents.

    ¡¸¡­I believe you. I saw the same knife just the other day.¡¹

    Like I suspected, Raydoss must have prepared them as a trump card against Phyllius. It seems the knives were used to murder two demon knights, oncest month, and one the month before.

    However, Satia said that Phyllius¡¯s royal family had already recovered both of the knives. Is it really possible for there to be so many copies of a failed divine sword? Did Raydoss simply find the knives lying around somewhere, or did they have the ability to mass-produce them somehow?

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard they were originally a magic sword belonging to our royal family.¡¹

    ¡¸Phyllius has a demon-yer sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s said to be our failsafe in case the great demon sealed in our divine sword ever goes out of control. However, it was stolen from our treasury many years ago.¡¹

    So basically, the Demon-Lord de Diabolos has a counterpart sword containing the power to y demons. Then Raydoss somehow stole that sword and analyzed it?

    I can¡¯t say anything about the details, but Raydoss clearly seeded in imitating the sword¡¯s power. I guess that¡¯s possible if they have the know-how behind the pseudo-Fanatics swords and the original demon yer de?

    Satia hugged Flut tightly and started to cry.

    ¡¸During manifestation, the connection between the caster and their demon is incredibly strong. That must have been exactly the moment they were aiming for¡­¡¹

    In the summoned or possession state, the demon yer effect will never be fatal to the summoner. Even if the demon is lost for good, the summoner can survive with minimal damage.

    However, the two be one and the same during manifestation. The demon-ying curse kills even the summoner.

    ¡¸It is a miracle that Onii-sama survived. Fran-san, thank you so much.¡¹

    Satia expressed her gratitude, but Fran still found it hard to ept. She was probably still regretful since she knew she could have done things better. That¡¯s why she changed the subject to the magic stone.

    ¡¸¡­I broke the magic stone in the vige.¡¹

    ¡¸So it really was you who did it. When I noticed the curse stopped flowing, I was wondering if that might be the case.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded, then Satia lowered her head again.

    ¡¸Thank you so much.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why?¡¹

    ¡¸You have saved our country.¡¹

    ¡¸But I¡­! I tried to fight you two!¡¹

    ¡¸The only viins here are us and Raydoss. You have done nothing wrong, so don¡¯t worry yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Satia was not lying. Despite her brother¡¯s serious injury and almost getting killed, she still cared for Fran. Learning this only made Fran even harder on herself.

    ¡¸Onii-sama will be sad too if he sees you like this.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­We really are incredibly grateful to you. Even if it was to save our country, we almost massacred innocent people. Thank you for stopping us.¡¹

    Actually, I think Flut and Satia were unconsciously holding back. If they really wanted to kill the vigers in cold blood, they had plenty of chances to do so, even with us trying to protect them.

    The fact that they didn¡¯t take those chances was because deep down in their hearts, they were hesitant about killing them. Perhaps making a show of the bandits first was their attempt to resolve themselves before going after the vigers.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve saved not only the vigers, but our citizens and Onii-sama as well. I assure you of this, so please don¡¯t cry.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    The two young girls embraced each other, despite their feelings of guilt and tears forming in their eyes. The Life Demon and I simply watched over them in silence.

 Chapter 1076

    <h4>1076: Raydoss''s Goal</h4>

    Satia released Fran from the embrace and wiped her eyes. We began talking about our ns for the future.

    ¡¸I know it¡¯s a bitte to mention, but are you sure you should be letting us go?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    To be honest, that¡¯s a pretty good question. Even if Fran refuses to capture Flut and Satia, the vigers saw practically everything. It¡¯s only a matter of time until Kranzel does a thorough investigation of the case and figures out what happened.

    Fran, however, shook her head resolutely.

    ¡¸I¡¯m letting you go.¡¹

    I knew she¡¯d say that. If she really wanted to capture them, she¡¯d have already done it.

    ¡¸Then allow me toe with you. In exchange, may I have the Life Demon escort Onii-sama back home?¡¹

    ¡¸But that means you two will be separated¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t let you leave empty handed after saving us. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll follow you from a distance so that the vigers don¡¯t notice.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Are you sure? Shouldn¡¯t we hide it?¡¹

    Whoa! Did Fran seriously intend to cover up the entire incident? I think that¡¯s kinda crossing a line. We need to put the bare minimum in our report, or we might find ourselves with charges of treasonter!

    ¡¸Looking back, I think this might have been Raydoss¡¯s goal in the first ce.¡¹

    ¡¸Goal?¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    Satia exined her thoughts, which ended up being quite simr to mine. I had my doubts as to why they went through the trouble of taking over a Kranzel vige just to perform a ritual there.

    Maybe that location was best due to the leyline arrangement, but Phyllius shares much of its border with Raydoss. Shouldn¡¯t it be easier to ce a powerful curse from the Raydoss side?

    While I wasn¡¯t sure about the details, my gut told me there was something else going on behind the scenes.

    ¡¸I think Raydoss had another goal beside cing the curse.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    Raydoss would reap the benefits if the curse operation ended in sess, having dealt a huge blow to Phyllius.

    But what if Raydoss actually expected Phyllius to thwart their n?

    They used the vigers, adventurers, and bandits as mana batteries to power the curse, but they could have taken a more simple approach and sacrificed them outright. Satia exined how she believed Raydoss left them alive on purpose.

    In other words, their goal was to force Phyllius into crossing the border and assaulting a vige on the Kranzel side. They knew Phyllius was willing to go that far.

    ¡¸Our demon knights are a bit too patriotic, you see¡­¡¹

    Phyllius apparently had many knights very willing to murder foreign citizens if it would save their people. It seems they were incredibly loyal to begin with, and those feelings became distorted due to demon possession.

    Demons tend to be ssified by one of the seven deadly sins, and Phyllius generally employs those of ¡°lust¡± or ¡°pride¡±. This is because these two sins are easier to control.

    I think Bune and Ronowe were supposed to be demons from the legend of King Solomon, right¡­? Were they rted to the seven deadly sins?

    Well, I know the gods of this world created it using Earth as a reference, so there may be all sorts of myths mixed together. The gods themselves seem to be a mix of various different gods from Earth too.

    ¡¸Pride leads to diligence, as long as they do not lose their way. Those with pride tend to be perfectionists.¡¹

    One must first reach greater heights before they can look down on others. Such behavior can be helpful in ensuring diligent workers. Meanwhile, those with lust arepletely normal as long as they aren¡¯t next to anyone they are attracted to. It seems Phyllius also has some method of suppressing those kinds of urges too.

    Pride and lust at least seem more useful than sloth and wrath, I guess.

    Satia exined how the two knights apanying them were possessed by demons of pride, as well as the chambein Celid apanying them when we first met. Thinking back, it makes sense. Those three clearly looked down on others, so they would not hesitate to harm them. This is definitely a major reason for Phyllius¡¯s diplomacy being so poor.

    If the demon knights had been sent without Flut and Satia, they would have easily made the decision to massacre the vige. Thus creating a rift between the two countries when Kranzel learns of the incident.

    ¡¸It was a plot to tear our countries apart. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡¹

    ¡¸Then it¡¯s better to keep it hidden.¡¹

    ¡¸No, that will make us lose Kranzel¡¯s trust when they find outter. I¡¯m certain Raydoss has arranged for the incident toe to light.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    None of us can say what Raydoss wanted for sure. However, if Satia reports the incident to Kranzel along with an apology, it will at least reduce the likelihood of war with Phyllius. Kranzel¡¯s king was a man of reason rather than emotion, after all.

    ¡¸So please take me with you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Okay.¡¹

    As Fran gave a concerned nod, Satia suddenly braced herself upon sensing a presence approaching us at tremendous speed. However, Fran reassured her with a smile.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not the enemy.¡¹

    Immediately following Fran¡¯s statement, a huge ck body emerged from the forest.

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, that¡¯s the guy from earlier?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    This was Urushi¡¯s triumphant return, holding an unconscious man in his mouth, and ready to crush him to death the second he made any attempt to escape. It seems he managed to capture the spy sessfully.

    That said, Urushi also looked very worn out. His mana had diminished to about half capacity, and his life force was still gradually decreasing. Upon closer inspection, I saw a small knife stuck in the right side of Urushi¡¯s belly.

    No, it only looked small inparison to Urushi¡¯s huge body. This was the same knife that almost ended Flut¡¯s life. While the demon ying power had no effect on Urushi, it seems it still had a curse within.

    ¡¸Urushi! You okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡ºHang on. I¡¯ll fix you right up.¡»

    Fran shed through the demon-ying knife and let me absorb it. Urushi¡¯s wounds were slow to regenerate due to the curse, but they healed quickly enough after some healing spells with the divine attribute thrown in. I cast some anti-curse spells too, and his body was quickly wiped clean of the curse.

    Did I just hear a crunching sound from the man held in Urushi¡¯s mouth? I think the force from cutting through the knife must have caused Urushi to flinch and bite down a little. That might have given him some broken bones, but whatever. He has pain nullification either way.

    ¡ºWas his face always like that?¡»

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    ¡ºRight. Maybe he was using illusion magic at the vige to disguise his face?¡»

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    Urushi nodded and dropped the man to the ground. He was missing one of his legs, but the bleeding had already stopped. Urushi must have used the potion we gave him to seal the wounds.

    ¡¸Oi. Get up.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh¡­? This is¡­ Tch!¡¹

    ¡ºAh! That¡¯s poison!¡»

    The man woke up and immediately realized his situation, swallowing the poison he nted in his false tooth. However, Urushi immediately cast a death poison spell to nullify the man¡¯s poison.

    Upon realizing his survival, he kept his mouthpletely shut. Thanks to his pain nullification, he didn¡¯t even respond to beatings.

    Fran attempted her signature technique, the healing and torture loop, but it had no visible effect on the man.

    ¡¸Who is this person?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­The guy who threw the knife at Flut.¡¹

    ¡¸!!!¡¹

    Fran seemed to hesitate a little before exining the man¡¯s identity. Immediately afterwards, a change came over Satia¡¯s aura. To think she could unleash such a dense and vicious killing intent so quickly¡­

    Fran and Urushi froze stiff. Satia did not undergo a half-crazed outburst of tears like they had expected. No, perhaps this situation was even worse.

    ¡¸¡­I see, so this creature is responsible.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    When Satia said the word ¡°creature,¡± even I started feeling chills.

    ¡¸Hey, Fran-san. Can you let me try interrogating him? I promise to do whatever it takes to make him talk. What do you say?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, that sounds good. Right, Urushi?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Woof woof!¡¹

    The current Satia was so impressive that even the brave Fran and Urushi got a bit intimidated. The man also looked up at the faintly smiling Satia, his face distorting in fear.

    Just spill the beans already. Pretty sure that¡¯s the only thing that can save you, yeah?

 Chapter 1077

    <h4>1077: Derrick Weston</h4>

    Satia¡¯s interrogation, or rather, torture, was incredibly gruesome. Frankly speaking, I think I would vomit the contents of my stomach if I still had one. How can Fran and Urushi even bear to watch?

    The spy certainly had pain nullification, so he felt zero pain. However, not feeling pain is not the same as not feeling anything.

    Rather than pain, he felt other incredible sensations. His four limbs slowly melting apart, fingers stroking his brain and heart directly, having his stomach ripped open and his insides filled with countless tiny insects.

    By instilling all these various fears, Satia drove him into a corner mentally.

    The man¡¯spletely expressionless face gradually turned into one entirely distorted in fear. I almost forgot how he nearly killed Flut and felt sympathy for him.

    No matter how badly his body was beaten, Satia restored him to normal so that the torment never ended. Rather than melting away his arms again, she now shaved off the flesh little by little until his bones were revealed. Then after restoring him again, she covered him in tentacles.

    To the man, this was nothing short of a nightmare.

    Yet the man still kept his mouth shut after all this. At this point, I could only be impressed. However, Satia was in no hurry. She must have anticipated that the man might endure.

    ¡¸Your endurance is very impressive. But can you withstand this now that your heart so vulnerable?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Ronowe grabbed the man¡¯s torso and lifted him up. He was quite weakened due to the damage from Fran, but he apparently had no problem exerting himself slightly.

    Despite being in front of a huge demon¡¯s mouth, the man gave not the slightest scream. Rather, he red back at Ronowe, as if to say that he would never give in.

    Ronowe sprayed gray smoke from her mouth at the man.

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    Poison? After taking repeated sts of smoke, the man¡¯s behavior gradually changed.

    I tried appraising him again, and found he had multiple status effects applied: Daze, Confusion, Stupefaction, and more. That smoke must contain several different types of poison.

    ¡¸Ah¡­ ah¡­¡¹

    The man¡¯s face was now drained of emotion, and he started staring at the sky as if in a stupor. After examining the man¡¯s state, Satia asked him a question.

    ¡¸What is your name?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Derrick Weston.¡¹

    He answered honestly! The multitude of status effects must have rendered himpletelycent. This is seriously amazing.

    However, the name he gave was different from the one shown in the appraisal¡­ No wait, the appraisal name changed to ¡°Derrick Weston¡± just now. Also, some new skills started showing up. In addition to Appraisal Camouge, he had been using the ¡°Data Concealment¡± skill to disguise his appraisal information.

    I see. He had tricked us by purposely allowing us to see his appraisal, when in actuality he had hidden the most important parts. That¡¯s simr to how we always use Appraisal Blocking and Appraisal Camouge.

    Satia widened her eyes slightly upon hearing his name.

    ¡¸This man is Weston? I never thought I¡¯d find him in a ce like this.¡¹

    ¡¸Is he famous?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, everyone in the upper echelons of my country has heard his name. He¡¯s the head of the West Conquest Duke¡¯s intelligence division. In other words, his right-hand man.¡¹

    Whoa, seriously?! He¡¯s a super big deal then!

    Apparently, they had only learned his name when interrogating a spy they captured in the past. His face, age, etc were still unknown, so many thought of him as a legendary intelligence operative always lurking in the shadows.

    Hisbat abilities may only be equivalent to your average Rank B adventurer, but he was incredibly talented as a spy.

    He could hide his identity with the Disguise and Appraisal Camouge skills, as well as alter his name and face with illusion magic. The Acting and Drama skills allow him to turn into anyone he wants to rece. After infiltrating enemy territory, he can use his Transcription, Trap-Setting, and Fraud skills to carry out all kinds of interference.

    Also of note was his high levels in Covert and Presence Concealment. No wonder he hasn¡¯t been found up until now.

    ¡¸Urushi, amazing job!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸What was your goal?¡¹

    ¡¸Capturing a demon knight¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean? Exin everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡­¡¹

    Still in a hypnotic state, Derrick began slowly describing the details.

    There were several reasons why they chose a vige in Kranzel for the curse. As Satia expected, the curse was intended to debilitate Phyllius and to damage the rtionship between Phyllius and Kranzel.

    However, their main goal was to lure out a demon knight into stopping the curse, assassinate them, and obtain their body. Derrick would then copy the demon knight¡¯s appearance, infiltrate Phyllius¡¯s inner circle, and seize their divine sword.

    Apparently, the East Conquest Duke also requested they take a demon knight corpse for his research. Since the West Duke needed the East Duke¡¯s support and supplies, he could not refuse the request.

    Either way, the appearance of Flut and Satia was a miscalction on Derrick¡¯s part. He did not expect royalty, their most valuable forces, to be deployed to the border when they were taking pressure from the north as well as the seas.

    ¡¸We were originally assigned to defend the Phyllius coast, but then the Raydoss fleet suddenly vanished.¡¹

    It seems our rampage in Bulbora and Dars caused their n to break down. Or rather, Fran¡¯s arrival at Metelmam ended up being his biggest miscalction.

    Derrick realized he stood no chance against Fran after a single nce. That¡¯s when he switched his objective to assassinating Flut.

    ¡¸We know Diabolos can only be inherited by the male members of the royal family. Taking out the prince would be more than enough to make up for the operation¡¯s failure.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! I can¡¯t believe they¡¯ve figured out that much¡­ F-Fran-san! P-Please pretend you didn¡¯t hear that¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Only male royals can inherit it¡­? That exins why Flut was a priority target.

    Derrick then tried to escape and ended up getting caught by Urushi. It seems he was confident in his feet, but Urushi¡¯s tracking ability exceeded his capabilities. That said, the chasested several hours, so he would have easily escaped anyone else.

    Fran patted Urushi on the head again.

    ¡¸Urushi, good boy.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    After that, we learned several things about the West Conquest Duke¡¯s ns and internal affairs. This should allow us to gain the advantage in case we need to take him on again.

    ¡¸Hey, I want to ask you something.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Illegal ves have been shipped to Raydoss from western Kranzel. Is the West Duke the one buying them?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s correct.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why does he buy ves?¡¹

    It seems Fran was interested in the West Duke¡¯s involvement in the ve trade. This was a very personal issue since she might have ended up in Raydoss if she was still a ve.

    ¡¸To obtain soldiers, miners, farmers, servants, etc. Adults can be used anywhere. Children can be sent further north.¡¹

    ¡¸North?¡¹

    ¡¸The North Conquest Duke buys up all the children. I have no clue what he uses them for, but even the less popr races such as ck cats and fishmen can be sold at a premium.¡¹

    ¡¸North Conquest Duke¡­¡¹

    He¡¯s one of Raydoss¡¯s four dukes, so there¡¯s no way he has any decent reason for buying ves. That moment, the North Duke was added to the upper ranks of Fran¡¯s kill list.

    ¡¸The old and wounded without any other use are sacrificed.¡¹

    ¡¸Sacrificed?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s mutter was filled with murderous intent. However, Derrick continued speaking in a matter-of-face tone without any pause.

    ¡¸Sacrifices supply the mana and curses for the demon yer knives. It takes over a hundred to make one knife, so we can never have enough ves.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! He¡¯ll die if you hit him! We need him alive since he¡¯s still a valuable info source!¡»

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Fran punched a nearby tree to vent her bottled-up anger. The trunk snapped with a violent impact, leaving Fran¡¯s hand covered in blood.

    ¡ºSave your anger forter. We¡¯ll be fighting Raydoss soon enough.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Nothing can stop Fran now. In all likelihood, she will start actively involving herself in the war with Raydoss. The fierce killing intent she gave off was enough to make me sure of it.

    That said, to think the demon yer knives could be mass-produced like that¡­ Derrick said he didn¡¯t know the detailed forging process, but he of course knew the man behind them. They were created by an alchemist named Ansel, who was their lead researcher on divine swords and a disciple of the notorious Zelyse.

    Divine sword research, Zelyze¡¯s magic stone knowledge, the data from the psuedo-Fanatics, and the stolen demon yer sword. No doubt thebination of all four is what allowed them to sessful produce the knives.

 Chapter 1078

    <h4>1078: Back to Rokkars</h4>

    ¡¸¡­Fran-san. I¡¯ll be taking my leave for a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸See youter.¡¹

    Satia gave a light wave to Fran before quietly disappearing into the shadows. We nned to meet up after arriving in town.

    Her demons also took away Flut and the bodies of the demon knights.

    ¡¸Will Flut be okay?¡¹

    ¡ºThat Life Demon seemed pretty good at healing, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡»

    Fran looked anxiously in the direction the demons left. She must still feel guilty for being unable to protect Flut. That said, her discussion with Satia alleviated those feelings for the most part.

    ¡¸¡­I won¡¯t let Raydoss get away with this.¡¹

    As a result, she could now direct all her anger at Raydoss. The rage previously reserved for the East and South Dukes was now aimed at the country as a whole.

    ¡ºFran, I won¡¯t tell you to suppress your anger. Just keep in mind that you¡¯ll scare the vigers if you go back in this state.¡»

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s try calming down a bit, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks Master.¡¹

    Fran took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. By the time we returned to the Metelmam vigers, all of them looked worried.

    After all, she disappeared for an hour and came back followed by a giant wolf carrying a man in his mouth.

    Getting worried was the natural reaction. We asked the mayor about Derrick, and apparently no one knew who he was.

    It seems none of the vigers noticed anything suspicious while he was lurking among them in disguise. He must have been acting very inconspicuously, and it¡¯s not that surprising for the vige to receive the asional visitor.

    As expected from a spy specializing in infiltration. Capturing him was a huge windfall.

    ¡ºUrushi, I¡¯ll give you an all-you-can-eat buffet of spicy curryter!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    £¨Master, me too!£©

    ¡ºYeah, I know. You did well too, so eat as much curry as you want.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    £¨Yay!£©

    If binge eating will make you feel a little better, feel free to dig in.

    After that, we reached Rokkars without any issue. Everyone cheered when we saw the outer walls of the city before the sun left the skypletely.

    The smoothness of our march was made possible by the vigers following us with almost zeroints. That¡¯s probably due to seeing Fran¡¯s strength, and the sense of crisis from their vige almost being wiped out.

    We met up with the soldier captain we had spoken to when delivering the refugees from Dars, and entrusted him with the people of Metelmam as well.

    ¡¸Thank you so much. It¡¯s all thanks to you that everyone from the vige survived.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Umm¡­¡¹

    The mayor began thanking us, though he seemed to have something else to say. Though he did not know the details of Fran and Flut¡¯s rtionship, he was aware of their friendship. Meanwhile, said friend sustained heavy injuries and fell into aa, but was also the one who tried to kill them.

    However, the mayor quickly made up his mind.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry about what happened to your friend, and wish him a speedy recovery.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Please excuse me.¡¹

    Fran shook the mayor¡¯s hand with a slight smile and parted ways.

    £¨I¡¯m d we could save the vigers.£©

    ¡ºYeah, me too.¡»

    After all these events, the sun had setpletely. We should head to the guild soon.

    ¡¸Satia?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san, over here!¡¹

    It seems Satia had entered Rokkars before we knew it. She wore a hood over her head, hiding her face.

    ¡¸First we go to the Adventurers Guild.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Our n was to report to the guild first, then have them introduce us to the town¡¯s lord. We need to discuss what to do with Derrick. To tell the truth, he¡¯s already recovered from the effects of Satia¡¯s poison and returned to normal.

    We¡¯ve got him bound and gagged, and he¡¯s missing a leg. As long as he¡¯s in Urushi¡¯s mouth, we don¡¯t have to worry about him escaping. For now, at least.

    However, this guy has skills like Rope Escape, Flexibility, and Lock Picking. Keeping him bound seems quite challenging.

    It¡¯s not like we can have Satia watching him all the time.

    The easiest way is probably forcing him into a ve contract, but Fran would never agree to it, not even for an enemy. She might even fly into a rage if the guildmaster so much as suggests that method.

    We arrived at the Adventurers Guild withouting up with any good ideas. The giant Urushi almost caused amotion a couple times, but the guards managed to contain the situation.

    Thanks to the greater number of security guards than usual, we arrived at the guild promptly. The soldiers started clearing a path for us about halfway through.

    We had Urushi dive into Fran¡¯s shadow, so Fran started dragging Derrick by the cor. Damn, he was pretending to be lethargic and motionless, but I noticed his eyes scanning the surroundings. He¡¯s clearly searching for an opportunity to escape.

    Though Fran didn¡¯t notice it, I certainly did. We can¡¯t be too careful around him.

    ¡¸Fran-dono. I heard you brought back the people of Metelmam?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The guildmaster greeted us, having already heard the situation.

    ¡¸It seems you¡¯ve been through a lot¡­¡¹

    After seeing Fran dragging Derrick, he inferred that the request did not end peacefully.

    ¡¸Can you tell me what happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Who is this man? Should we take him into custody?¡¹

    ¡¸No. I¡¯ll take him with me.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh. What about thisdy? Is she one of yourpanions?¡¹

    ¡¸A friend. She¡¯sing with me.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    The guildmaster readily agreed to Satia¡¯s presence, probably believing her to be a fellow adventurer.

    He took us straight to his office, where we told him the whole story. Oh, and we covered Derrick with wards of wind and darkness to cut off his hearing and sight.

    After listening to our report, the guildmaster looked up to the ceiling and sighed.

    ¡¸Sigh, such an intricate plot¡­ This is more than a provincial guild can handle. And you brought in a princess too?¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry to barge in unannounced.¡¹

    ¡¸Kah! So graceful, she¡¯s clearly of noble birth! This is the real deal!¡¹

    ¡¸I already told you that.¡¹

    ¡¸Siiigh¡­ So what do you think we should do now?¡¹

    ¡¸Introduce me to the lord.¡¹

    After hearing Fran¡¯s words, the sighing guildmaster shook his head with a frustrated smile.

    ¡¸That¡¯s me!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? The guildmaster is also the town lord?¡¹

    ¡¸Temporary lord Fabel Magran, the fourth son of Count Magran. My dad died of an illness and this damn war broke out right after. All my older brothers are still in training at the royal capital. They can¡¯t get back even if they wanted to, so I¡¯m the acting lord until then! Give me a freaking break, my noble education was super half-assed!¡¹

    Never expected that one. At first I thought he might have gotten the job from nepotism, but maybe that¡¯s just the way it is in the smaller towns. I¡¯ve heard stories about noble children bing adventurers when their older siblings inherit the title, so I guess it¡¯s possible for one to be the master of their hometown¡¯s guild if they do a good enough job.

    ¡¸First things first, I¡¯ll send an envoy to the capital about the Phyllius princess who wants a secret discussion.¡¹

    ¡¸Sounds good. So, what do we do with this guy?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. We can¡¯t just kill off such an important man from Raydoss. Guess we have to keep him here at the guild for now. I¡¯ll arrange for all the restraints and guards I can get.¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸But first, let me interrogate him. I need to corroborate the information you¡¯ve given us.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

 Chapter 1079

    <h4>1079: Raydoss''s Next Move</h4>

    We began interrogating Derrick at the Adventurers Guild¡­ though we quickly ran into trouble. Satia¡¯s assistance was required to get anything out of Derrick, and asking her for help was ast resort.

    Regardless of how Kranzel wants to treat her in the future, they can¡¯t afford to keep relying on foreign royalty for matters like this. Maybe it would be fine if a neutral guildmaster requested her aid, but the same circumstances don¡¯t apply to the acting lord.

    Nobles need to avoid anything that would put their own nation at a disadvantage, so it¡¯s only natural to not want to indebt yourself to foreign entities.

    Meanwhile, Derrick refused to crack under pain. He gave Fran a resentful stare as she held him up by the cor.

    ¡¸¡­Cough!¡¹

    ¡¸Oi. Spit it out already.¡¹

    Fran sted Derrick with a wave of intimidation and killing intent powerful enough to kill the average man. He was left choking and coughing, yet he still refused to give in. I have to admire the man¡¯s perseverance even if he¡¯s an enemy.

    She then mmed Derrick to the floor and pointed my de at him, though she wore a troubled expression. Fran probably can¡¯t think of any other way to get him to talk. Did we need Satia¡¯s help after all?

    ¡¸Is there some kind of potion for making people talk?¡¹

    ¡¸You mean like a confession potion? Not in this town, since they are considered dangerous drugs. We need to apply for permission and get approved before we can gain ess.¡¹

    In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be faster to transport him to the capital?

    During Fran¡¯s discussion with the lord, Urushi slowly approached Derrick. He stood right in front, before opening his mouth threateningly. No, this was no mere threat.

    ¡¸Aaarf.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Grh!¡¹

    Urushi breathed out a cloud of gray smoke from his mouth. Derrick quickly shut his mouth and eyes, turning his face away.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Cough¡­Cough!¡¹

    However, he could not help but cough when Urushi punched his stomach with his front paw. That made him inhale much of the smoke.

    ¡¸Arf arf.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Kuh.¡¹

    Derrick¡¯s cheeks turned red and his mouth opened halfway, as if he was in a feverish dream. Urushi poured gray smoke on him again and again.

    ¡ºAre you trying to imitate Satia¡¯s method of using multiple poisons to cloud his judgment?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Wow, it seems he understood Satia¡¯s strategypletely after only seeing it once, and was able to perform the same thing by himself. Such amazing learning speed!

    ¡ºGood boy, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s try asking Derrick some questions.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Was it your friends that showed up in Bulbora?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹

    Great, Urushi¡¯s poison is working perfectly. Derrick just answered Fran¡¯s question truthfully.

    Though we didn¡¯t get much new info, this corroborates the info Fran gave the guild.

    The guildmaster showed the most interest in the question about Raydoss¡¯s spies. We asked how they nned to inform Kranzel of the incident after luring Phyllius into attacking the vige.

    ¡¸So they were going to send adventurers connected to Raydoss into this town as false witnesses.¡¹

    It seems the adventurers of Dars had a spy sent by Raydoss among their ranks. This spy was originally an adventurer hired as an escort for the Morley Trading Company, used by Raydoss as a front for its activities. However, their true identity was one of Raydoss¡¯s secret agents.

    Fran probably forgot all about her, but I still remember Khanna, who was apparently a daughter of the Morley Company¡¯s chairman. We had met her on our way to the kingdom of Belioth.

    At that time, Fran only thought of Raydoss as a minor nuisance. She¡¯d never overlook such a thing now though.

    ¡¸For now, let¡¯s search out anyone rted to the Morley Company. Also, I suppose we should detain any adventurers rushing in with a report about Metelmam.¡¹

    We tried to interrogate Derrick further, but he went silent for a moment. It seems he was incredibly worn out and on the verge of losing consciousness. Judging from the fact that recovery magic wasn¡¯t healing him much, I guess he had severe mental fatigue.

    Nevertheless, he seemed to have recovered his strength a bit. After opening his mouth again, he began speaking, albeit slowly.

    We found a great deal of new info that we didn¡¯t hear earlier. Among them was some really bad news.

    ¡¸A second wave is on its way to southwest Kranzel, targeting Bulbora.¡¹

    It seems Raydoss had nned a two-stage approach against Bulbora.

    This first wave included the fleet with the Water Dragon Battleship. If they seed in taking the city, then they celebrate. If not, they merely need to send the second wave that was on standby in Seedran. All ording to n.

    Though many of Raydoss¡¯s soldiers had a tendency to underestimate Kranzel and its adventurers, the top brass were different, acting with the utmost vignce.

    Moreover, this second wave consisted of more than just their navy.

    The Kingdom of Shallus to the south of Bulbora has apparently already been taken over by Raydoss, and they will also be invading Kranzel with arge army.

    Bulbora may have managed to fend off the Water Dragon Battleship in the first wave, but the second wave would pit them against two such vessels. The goal of the n was to lure all of Kranzel¡¯s southwestern forces into Bulbora, as the invading army from Shallus ravages Kraznel¡¯s southern half.

    ¡¸Shallus¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºWe heard about them in Ulmutt. A small country causing a lot of trouble.¡»

    £¨Oh, okay.£©

    ¡ºYou don¡¯t remember them at all, do you?¡»

    Fran seems to have forgotten, but they kept annoying the adventurers with their persistent solicitation. Thinking back, they were probably already under Raydoss¡¯s control at the time.

    Either way, Fran wouldn¡¯t sit idly after hearing that Bulbora was in danger.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going.¡¹

    ¡¸Alone? This isn¡¯t anything like scouting out a vige. Even someone with an alias like you is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re sure you can win?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fine, then let¡¯s make it a request. Please protect the town.¡¹

    Wow, that¡¯s great! I¡¯m sure Fran will go regardless if it¡¯s a request or not, but it¡¯s always better to get proper credit!

    £¨Nn! But first¡­£©

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨This guy will definitely get away if we don¡¯t do something.£©

    Fran pulled me out and stepped right in front of Derrick. To her, Raydoss spies were probably on the same level as goblins and bandits. Her eyes were pointed at the man¡¯s limbs.

    What a tragedy. If you ask me, I think being forced into very is a bit kinder than losing all your limbs¡­ Well, very must have an entirely different meaning in her eyes.

    Moreover, Satia added some insurance as Derrick was transferred into the jail.

    ¡¸Come forth, Heart Demon.¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh.¡¹

    ¡¸Neutralize this man and keep him under surveince.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh!¡¹

    Satia had summoned a small, imp-like demon. The heart demon slowly faded away, disappearing as it was absorbed into Derrick.

    ¡¸That was a Heart Demon associated with Sloth. While it may not be able topletely neutralize someone as strong as Derrick, it can sap the energy from his mind and body.¡¹

    In short, he would feelzy and unwilling to do anything. Having lost his limbs and being ced under a demon¡¯s surveince, I doubt he can get away in this state. If anything, I¡¯m more worried about Raydoss sending someone to silence him.

    ¡¸Fran-dono, don¡¯t push yourself, okay? We can always retake the town if necessary.¡¹

    ¡¸I know.¡¹

    She may be nodding right now, but she¡¯ll definitely get reckless when pushes to shove. Besides, our battles after returning to Kranzel made me realize that Fran wasn¡¯t that suited for defensive battles.

    It¡¯s impossible to get serious when we¡¯re surrounded by so many people we need to protect. She must feel the same way, since she consulted me after leaving the guild.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨Let¡¯s crush everyone from Raydoss before they can reach Bulbora.£©

    ¡ºYou mean, heading out to intercept them beforehand?¡»

    It may sound reckless, butunching a surprise attack at a location where Fran can go all out utilizes her strengths better. Above all, we can give Raydoss the payback they deserve.

    £¨This time, we get the first strike.£©

    ¡ºTrue¡­ Alright! Let¡¯s do it!¡»

 Chapter 1080

    <h4>1080: Spirit Presence</h4>

    We dashed out of Rokkars and rushed back to Bulbora as quickly as possible. Satia looked like she wanted toe with us, but she didn¡¯t insist.

    She understood that she shouldn¡¯t interfere any further in Kranzel¡¯s internal affairs without permission. Essentially, she was in a hostage-like position. Any suspicious moves might damage the rtionship between Kranzel and Phyllius even further.

    The guildmaster also asked her to stay.

    After all, it¡¯s better to have someone keeping an eye on Derrick. For a guy that important, you can never be too careful. It¡¯s very possible Raydoss will send an assassin to silence him.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the Raydoss fleet! We made it just in time!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We found the Raydoss fleet right off the coast of Bulbora, including a Water Dragon Battleship in their ranks. Though they currently look like tiny dots in the distance, it¡¯ll be less than an hour until they reach Bulbora.

    After scouting them out from the air, we saw that there were actually two Water Dragon Battleships next to each other. However, those two were the only ships belonging to Seedran. The remaining vessels seemingly came from Raydoss.

    I sensed a powerfulyer of mana covering them as we drew closer. The fleet was undoubtedly protected by wards. Perhaps both battleships were even capable of cooperating to deploy an even more powerful ward than a single one.

    That said, we¡¯re well aware of the correct method for crushing Water Dragon Battleships.

    ¡ºFirst things first, let¡¯s¨D¨D¡»

    £¨Master, hold on.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨Marle wants toe out.£©

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Immediately after Fran told me to pause, a translucent female figure suddenly appeared in front of us. It was Marle in her human form.

    ¡ºWhoa! I can sense her now too!¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºYeah! Spirit Perception seems to be working!¡»

    I¡¯ve had the Spirit Perception skill for a while now, but rarely does it actually work. Probably the only other time was when I severed the connection between Weena and Rhyn.

    Fran could sense spirits without the skill, while I had trouble even with the skill for doing it.

    That¡¯s why everyone saysmunicating with spirits is about more than just skills, butpatibility. My affinity for spirits must be pretty low, while Fran has a special constitution that makes spirits tend to like her, I guess.

    But this time, I was able to sense Marle¡¯s presence slightly, perhaps because she epted me.

    Wow, so this is what spirits are like!

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Without speaking, Marle waved her hands in an exaggerated gesture. As if she was sending a signal to someone¡­

    I sensed a small movement in mana, though not aggressive. Was Marle doing something?

    Fran and I watched over Marle for a little, but something strange happened very quickly. The strongyer of mana covering the area around the Water Dragon Battleship had vanished.

    Iunched an incredibly weak wind spell as a test, and would you look at that. It hit the hull without any interference.

    All the wards hadpletely disappeared.

    ¡ºMarle did this?¡»

    ¡¸She says we should help her sisters.¡¹

    ¡ºIf Marle has sisters, then they must also be princesses! Are they onboard the Water Dragon Battleship?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Unlike Marle, they only have ve cors.¡¹

    The translucent Marle bowed to us before fading away.

    ¡ºDoes Marle know where the princesses are?¡»

    ¡¸She says yes.¡¹

    ¡ºThen let¡¯s rescue them first before wepletely crush the fleet.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi descended toward the Water Dragon Battleship while cloaking all signs of their presence.

    Only someone specialized in detection or a powerful magic tool would be able to locate Fran in her current state.

    Well, I guess the Water Dragon Battleships are top-level instruments of war. Perhaps they actually are equipped with such high performance security.

    Fran reached the deck of the Water Dragon Battleship while hiding her figure, presence, and mana with all the skills and magic at her disposal. We infiltrated the ship¡¯s interior, and Fran navigated through theplex interior without showing any signs of hesitation.

    ¡ºFran, you know the way?¡»

    £¨Marle is telling me.£©

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    Fran and Marle must be able tomunicate better than I thought. In the end, we arrived at our destination without bumping into anyone.

    The number of sailors on board seemed small, probably to cut down the number of crew members as much as possible. There was almost no one patrolling the corridors.

    Fran slowly opened the door and slipped through. We found a beautiful woman with silver hair and tanned skin sleeping in the room. No wait. Though she was lying on the bed, she appeared to be conscious.

    Fran began speaking to the woman after I blocked out our voices with wind magic.

    ¡¸Hey.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran, an adventurer. Are you Marle¡¯s sister?¡¹

    ¡¸Marle! Is she safe?! Please tell me she¡¯s safe!¡¹

    This woman must be Marle¡¯s sister, making her one of Seedran¡¯s princesses. Her movements had a certain grace behind them, so she certainly appeared princess-like.

    ¡¸We need to get out of here first. Marle asked me to help you.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ That¡¯s true. I¡¯m Serimea, Marle¡¯s sister. But I can¡¯t leave the Water Dragon Battleship because of this.¡¹

    Serimea touched the cor around her neck and murmured sadly. The ve cor must be restricting her actions.

    ¡¸Maybe I could leave if I¡¯m unconscious, but then I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then can I just knock you out?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Wouldn¡¯t that mean you¡¯ll have to carry me away?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, no problem. Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyah!¡¹

    Urushi suddenly appeared from the shadows, causing Serimea to scream. However, this was a scream of delight rather than fear. Urushi had read the mood and appeared in the form of a small puppy.

    We allowed Serimea to be ustomed to Urushi¡¯s presence before having him change to arger size.

    ¡¸Wow, that¡¯s amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi can grow even bigger. He¡¯ll carry you.¡¹

    Yeah, carry you in his mouth, but you don¡¯t need to know that. We can¡¯t have Serimea backing out on us.

    ¡¸In that case, I¡¯ll put myself in you care.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You trust me?¡¹

    ¡¸I consider myself a good judge of character, so yes. Besides, I feel like Marle is telling me to trust you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    Afterward, we also infiltrated the other battleship and sessfully rescued Marle¡¯s other sister, Princess Miriam. It took way longer to get her trust than Princess Serimea¡¯s, though. And she wasn¡¯t very princess-like. If anything, she was more like an adventurer.

    Since Urushi already escaped carrying Princess Serimea, Fran had to carry Princess Miriam herself. By the time we retreated into the sky again, the fleet finally realized something was wrong.

    They must have attempted to check on the princesses after the wards disappeared. That¡¯s when they finally noticed they were both missing. Way toote though!

    ¡¸Urushi, stay here and protect them.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go free the water dragons and crush the fleet.¡¹

    ¡ºRoger that!¡»

 Chapter 1081

    <h4>1081: Covenant Magic</h4>

    Freeing the water dragons went way easier than expected. The presence of Marle inside Fran must have helped us earn their trust.

    They remainedpletely still as I cut through their chains and harnesses. It took less than five minutes to free both.

    Raydoss soldiers found us at thest moment, but it was already toote.

    ¡¸KWOOOOON!¡¹

    ¡¸KUROOOOOH!¡¹

    The two water dragons roared, generating a huge wave. What was left of the two Water Dragon Battleships capsized, as well as a chunk of remaining vessels.

    ¡¸Master, we need to keep up with them!¡¹

    The rampaging water dragons were practically annihting the entire Raydoss fleet by themselves. Seeing this, Fran began to worry that she might lose her prey. We hurriedly joined the fray.

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t use thunder magic because it would hit the water dragons.¡»

    ¡¸Then we slice through!¡¹

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    I transformed into anti-warship mode, and Fran joined the assault alongside the water dragons.

    We easily cut through even theirrgest ships, which then sunk as a burning heap thanks to our Elemental Sword. Some sailors jumped out to the sea before sinking, but the water dragons¡¯ magic made the waves so vicious that they quickly drowned.

    Fran¡¯s shes and the water dragons¡¯ breath attacks sank all the ships in the fleet one after another. In less than half an hour, the grand fleet was reduced to a wreckage at the bottom of the sea.

    There were no survivors.

    I thought they would have some special forces to take on strong opponents like before, but no one ever showed up. Just as I was thinking that, one of the water dragons surfaced with something in its mouth.

    ¡¸Who¡¯s this guy?¡¹

    ¡¸Kwon!¡¹

    It presented the corpse of a man dressed in crumpled armor to us. After an appraisal, I found out he was a Demi-Demonoid.

    Pretty strong too, a high level magician capable of casting storm magic. While his physical strength wasn¡¯t too impressive, his magical abilities were on the Rank A level.

    In addition, he must have had potent regeneration since he was a Demi-Demonoid like Valusa.

    His armor was also high quality, forged of orichalcon and enchanted with barrier and levitation properties. Moreover, I discovered he had a mana circuit connecting him and the Water Dragon Battleship. I¡¯m guessing that gives him ess to a virtually unlimited mana supply for casting magic.

    Was he supposed to be their secret force? Taking him on at sea might be a bit tricky.

    Yet thanks to Marle, he suddenly got cut off from the battleship¡¯s mana supply. He probably attempted to flee the ship when it got sunk out of nowhere, then the dragons struck him down while he was still panicking.

    ¡º¡­Alright, we¡¯ve eradicated their navy now.¡»

    ¡¸Next is Shallus!¡¹

    ¡ºHey, don¡¯t make it sound like we¡¯re trying to wipe an entire country off the map. To be more precise, we¡¯re going after Raydoss¡¯s ground forces invading from Shallus.¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    It seems Fran considered Shallus to be one of Raydoss¡¯s allies, so she actually wanted to get rid of them for good.

    However, attacking across the border without any request from our country will obviously cause an international problem. Intercepting the invasion near the border is still a bit of a gray zone.

    ¡ºBut first we have to figure out what to do with the princesses.¡»

    They may be unconscious now, but they¡¯ll fall under the ve cor¡¯s control when they wake up. Perhaps they¡¯ll even lose their mind andsh out at us.

    The only way to break a ve contract is to destroy or overwrite the contract directly¡­ But the fact they have not been released suggests their contracts were not kept onboard the Water Dragon Battleships.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll try contract magic¡­ No good.¡»

    ¡¸It can¡¯t be overwritten?¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s repelling my attempts. Someone with a higher skill level than me probably made the contract.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Can you use points to raise your level?¡¹

    ¡º¡­Sure. I guess that¡¯s our only option.¡»

    ck market ve traders will be Fran¡¯s eternal enemies, and she¡¯ll do whatever it takes to save a ve. Self-evolution points are a small price to pay to fulfill that wish.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll try maxing out contract magic first.¡»

    ¡¶Contract Magic has reached Lv Max. Skill Covenant Magic Lv1 has been added. Fran has received the title Contract Mage.¡·

    I think I heard about the existence of covenant magic back in Belioth once. Well, now I have it. Will it work?

    I decided to attempt casting covenant magic. Just like contract magic, there was only one usable spell.

    ¡º<strong>Covenant</strong>!¡»

    Then, I got the sensation of interfering with the contract. Rather than overriding itpletely, it felt like I was only capable of rewriting part of it.

    This should be able to break the contract once I ovee the original contractor¡¯s level. In that case, let¡¯s try raising the level even higher.

    One by one, I increased the level and tested it out each time. Finally, when I reached level 4 in Covenant Magic, I sensed that it was possible topletely break the contract binding the princesses. Honestly, my level probably isn¡¯t high enough, but my gut told me I could ovee the difference with enough effort.

    ¡ºCovenant activate! Tear apart all of these contracts!¡»

    ¡¸Good luck, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºThanks!¡»

    There was a considerable amount of recoil, causing both my durability and my mana to fall rapidly. If I was still a flesh-and-blood human, I think my body wouldn¡¯t even survive the tremendous pain and exhaustion. This was seriously enough to kill someone.

    ¡ºDoryaaaah!¡»

    ¡¸Wow! Master, this is amazing!¡¹

    I continued forcing my covenant magic through against the recoil, and the princess¡¯s cor shattered within a minute. The contract binding her had vanishedpletely.

    Yeah, I think anyone else would have needed a higher level in covenant magic.

    ¡¸Master! Yay, you¡¯re so super cool!¡¹

    ¡ºT-Thanks.¡»

    Fran¡¯s joy was off the charts. To her, ve cors were like a symbol of despair. My ability to tear one apart with sheer power may have seemed like a beacon of hope inparison. Maybe I should have invested in this skill earlier.

    ¡ºFrom now on, we can save any ves wee across. Just point me to a cor and I¡¯ll rip it off for you.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1082

    <h4>1082: Gamudo and Deployment</h4>

    After liberating Princess Serimea and Miriam, we brought them to Bulbora. The two woke up midway, and began celebrating their freedom with tears of joy.

    However, they quickly remembered the subject of their sister. Serimea took the lead to ask Fran about Marle.

    Two princesses sitting on the giant Urushi¡¯s fluffy fur was quite a surreal scene, but everyone present waspletely serious.

    ¡¸Where is Marle right now?¡¹

    ¡¸Marle¡­ became a spirit.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? A spirit, you say?¡¹

    ¡ºUhh, that¡¯s not going to get the message across.¡»

    The princesses looked very puzzled, which was understandable.

    In the first ce, a human turning into a monster before morphing into a spirit sounds likeplete nonsense. Not even I really understand what happened. They would think it came straight out of a fairy tale.

    But soon afterwards, the princesses had no choice but to ept it.

    ¡¸This is¡­ Marle?¡¹

    ¡¸Marle! How did¡­?¡¹

    Marle had revealed her spirit form, and spoke telepathically to her sisters. Not that I could hear anything though.

    She vanished again in under a minute, but it seems that was enough to make Serimea and Miriam believe Fran¡¯s words.

    ¡¸I have to thank you for granting Marle¡¯s wish.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Thank you.¡¹

    With tears streaming down their faces, the princesses bowed their heads. However, Fran only stared anxiously at the ce where Marle had appeared.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨Marle pushed herself too hard and got fainter.£©

    ¡ºIs that, uh, safe?¡»

    £¨She says she¡¯s going back to sleep.£©

    First she disabled the barriers on the Water Dragon Battleships, and now she manifested herself physically in front of her sisters. For someone who recently got reborn as a spirit, such actions must have caused a great deal of strain. It seems she already fell asleep inside Fran.

    Her sisters looked concerned, but neither of them were capable of spirit magic. In the end, all they could do was to bow to Fran again and ask for her continued assistance.

    Throughout our exchange, Urushi continued his dash through the sky. We reached Bulbora in no time at all.

    The aftermath of our battle with the fleet seems to have been visible from Bulbora, which put the city on high alert. A scouting party of adventurers including Gamudo was waiting for us at the port.

    By the time we arrived, they had noticed Urushi and started weing us with open arms.

    ¡¸Fran, what the hell¡¯s going on?! Was it those Raydoss assholes again?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ Huh? Who are those girls?¡¹

    ¡¸Princesses.¡¹

    ¡¸Hah? Princesses?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran exined how she rescued the Seedran princesses from the Raydoss fleet and sank all the enemy ships.

    She refrained from mentioning anything about Marle or my covenant magic. Marle¡¯s situation is kinda tooplicated to exin, and I don¡¯t want anyone to know about covenant magic.

    We¡¯ve asked the princesses to keep quiet about it too, though I was kinda expecting that to be a job for my magic. We could make a regr contract ensuring they wouldn¡¯t tell anyone about our secrets, nothing like a ve contract.

    Fran, however, didn¡¯t like my idea. It seems she¡¯s averse to the idea of magical contracts in general, not just ones for very.

    That being the case, I had no choice but to trust them not b. Their statement of ¡°never telling anyone else¡± wasn¡¯t a lie, so I guess we should be fine for the time being.

    We needed to have a detailed exchange with Gamudo, and there¡¯s not much time to waste. Fran pulled Gamudo a small distance away and exined the situation regarding the Kingdom of Shallus.

    ¡¸Shallus! We¡¯ve been having a lot of issues with them in the Adventurers Guild too.¡¹

    ¡¸Their prime minister works for the West Conquest Duke of Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?! Shallus¡¯s prime minister is famous for being extremely talented¡­¡¹

    I¡¯ve heard that they recently got a new king who is kinda ipetent. In reality though, this prime minister guy is probably just manipting him.

    ¡¸They said Shallus would invade after the attack from the seas.¡¹

    ¡¸So in other words, we don¡¯t have much time left, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m heading out.¡¹

    Though Fran was very ready to deploy, Gamudo apparently had a different n in mind. That said, he also had no intention of telling Fran to stop because of the danger, or anything like that.

    ¡¸I¡¯ming with you!¡¹

    ¡¸What about Bulbora?¡¹

    ¡¸The submaster and the lord are still here, so the city¡¯ll be fine. More importantly, we¡¯ve gotta repel the Shallus army at all costs! I¡¯m done sitting around and letting them push us around like this!¡¹

    Thatst reason seemed to be the biggest motive, and Gamudo isn¡¯t someone who would hold us back. In fact, he is a veteran with way morebat experience.

    ¡¸Get ready in 10 minutes. Then I¡¯ll take you too.¡¹

    ¡¸Hell yeah! Just wait right there!¡¹

    Gamudo acted incredibly quickly, sending out adventurers to inform everyone of the iing threat from Shallus, and how he was heading out to protect them. In no time at all, he had obtained approval to deploy. Well, truthfully speaking, all he really did was yell to shut up anyone trying to stop him.

    He already had his battle gear on, so he was ready for a fight. In the end, we seriously managed to leave in about ten minutes.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go, Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Hop on.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry about my weight. You okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Gamudo climbed up Urushi in full body armor with a huge hammer on his back, though Urushi didn¡¯t so much as flinch. We flew up into the sky at the same speed as usual.

    Seeing this, Gamudoughed excitedly.

    ¡¸Wow! Not even a wyvern can fly long distances with me riding! You really are a high-ranking magical beast!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Gamudo gave some more detailed directions as we moved through the sky.

    ¡¸There¡¯s only one road going from Shallus to Kranzel. The others are all too rough for arge army, so they¡¯ve got no choice but to pass through there.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸If possible, we don¡¯t want toy a figure on Shallus territory. Fighting within our borders will give us the advantage in the war¡¯s aftermath.¡¹

    Gamudo pulled up a map and pointed out a suitable location for the battlefield, a barren wastnd in southwestern Kranzel. There were no nearby towns or viges, while the army from Shallus had to pass through the region.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll intercept them here.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1083

    <h4>1083: Wild Reinforcements</h4>

    Before us was a barren wastnd covered in sand and dust. The ground was dry and reddish brown, without any trees or even shrubbery.

    This border zone between the kingdoms of Kranzel and Shallus had little value, so neither country bothered to make a im for ownership. Instead, they decided to draw the border straight down the middle of the wastnd.

    And within this deste region, we saw an army advancing forward inplete silence.

    The only audible sounds were the crunching of the dirt under their feet and the unpleasant noise of armor tes scratching against each other. There was no idle chatter, nor even the sound of breathing.

    And rightfully so.

    Because the army marching in did not have any people.

    The majority were undead, equipped with armor and carrying spears. A legion of zombies capable of walking tirelessly at the same speed.

    Both the undead and their equipment seemed pretty subpar quality, so they weren¡¯t much of a threat. Seeing as how their numbers exceeded 5000, maybe they were intended to be used for upation or as a diversion.

    Leading the undead at the head of the army were golems with a jewel-like luster.

    However, these golems were carved from magic stones rather than jewels. The sight of over 100 strangely-deformed golems lined up was pretty spectacr.

    Following quite far behind the nonhuman army was a human one, likely the Kingdom of Shallus¡¯s main forces. I guess they were afraid of the undead or something, because they maintained a distance of about a kilometer behind.

    £¨Magicite golems.£©

    ¡ºYeah, those are definitely Raydoss forces.¡»

    Dunno if Zelyse or his disciple Ansel is responsible, but at least one of them is clearly involved in the invasion.

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t I see those guys somewhere before¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Zelyse¡¯s magicite golems.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah! From back then!¡¹

    Gamudo pped his hands together with a shout. He must have remembered the magicite golems operated by Zelyse during the Bulbora incident. Back then, a small number of golems managed to drive an entire crowd of adventurers into a corner.

    Even Gamudo himself had trouble against one with a reflective ability. Moreover, the magicite golems in front of us were stronger. They clearly moved with much more finesse than the ones we fought before.

    Guess they got updated to thetest model? Anyway, these are definitely the strongest magicite golems we¡¯ve seen.

    ¡ºWell, not like it really matters how strong they are with us here.¡»

    £¨Nn! They¡¯re all your food!£©

    ¡ºHahaha, exactly! We should thank them for the meal!¡»

    That said, we still need to stay vignt. Who knows what kind of attacks they are capable of.

    ¡¸Gamudo, I¡¯ll take the magicite golems.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh right. You had a skill to beat them in one hit, yeah?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Great! Then leave the undead and humans to us.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, help him Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi tried to nod his head, but Gamudo stopped him.

    ¡¸Nah, he won¡¯t be necessary.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you feel it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Oh, someone¡¯sing¡­¡¹

    Fran and I noticed it at the same time, a flying entity approaching us with immense speed. After a short moment¡¯s wait, we recognized it as a brownish figure resembling a wyvern.

    However, the wyvern had parts of its body rotting away, with exposed bones and internal organs. It was clearly an undead wyvern, though not one serving Raydoss.

    ¡¸Diaz, Felmus, and Eiworth.¡¹

    ¡ºThe strongest old men in the world gathered in one ce?!¡»

    Fran called out the names of the three old men riding on the back of the undead wyvern.

    ¡¸Wee to the show, guys!¡¹

    ¡¸Long time no see, Gamudo. I see you are as overzealous as ever.¡¹

    ¡¸And you¡¯re still the same old frail-looking Eiworth.¡¹

    Eiworth, who we fought alongside at the royal capital, was holding the undead wyvern¡¯s reins. Is he really capable of controlling such powerful undead with his rather low level in necromancy? Well, I guess it isn¡¯t that surprising considering his immense knowledge of magic.

    ¡¸Eiworth has always been pretty unhealthy.¡¹

    ¡¸And I see you still enjoy talking out of your ass, Diaz.¡¹

    Diaz, Ulmutt¡¯s guildmaster and active Rank A adventurer. We had an intense battle with him during the martial arts tournament. He is also one of the few people who knows my identity.

    ¡¸We are on a battlefield, so stop with the bickering.¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Yeah, you two. Stop making trouble for Felmus already!¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    Felmus the owner of a restaurant featuring dragon cuisine, the Dragon¡¯s Dining Table, as well as a master of using threads. The elderly man was as handsome as ever, looking so young that it¡¯s hard to believe he¡¯s in the same age group as the others.

    The four members of the legendary dragon specialist party: Gamudo the Dragon Feller, Eiworth the Dragon Binder, Diaz the Dragon Repeller, and Felmus the Dragon Hunter. They had all once been Rank A adventurers.

    ¡¸I called over the boys to help defend Bulbora!¡¹

    ¡¸Protecting some random town sounded like a boring task, but this is turning out to be more entertaining than I thought!¡¹

    ¡¸Shallus was a huge pain in my butt during the martial arts tournament. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to teach them a lesson?¡¹

    ¡¸Please refrain from getting too excited.¡¹

    All of them seemed very motivated. That said, the members of this party were certainly very unique. I can only imagine how much effort it took Felmus to keep them all on the same track.

    ¡¸Leave the magicite golems to Fran. We take on the undead and the Shallus army behind them. Everyone clear?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    No one so much as voiced a single concern for Fran. No doubt they were well aware of her abilities.

    But there¡¯s still one thing bothering me.

    ¡ºDiaz, should you really be here? I thought you would have been called over to Alessa or the capital.¡»

    £¨Hahaha, the knights can take care of the capital on their own. As for Alessa¡­ they should be fine too.£©

    ¡º¡­Oh yeah, weren¡¯t you afraid of Klimt or something like that?¡»

    £¨N-No, of course not! I wouldn¡¯te all the way here just because I was scared to fight alongside Klimt-dono! I just couldn¡¯t abandon my old friends!£©

    This guy sure is a free spirit. Well, I guess that applies to everyone here.

    ¡¸Okay, here we go!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yeah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

 Chapter 1084

    <h4>1084: Magicite Golems Crushed</h4>

    Fran split off from the others and descended in front of the magicite golems with Urushi.

    ¡ºUrushi, make sure you avoid erasing them with spells like Bottomless Shadow.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Time for my full course meal!¡»

    Though the approximately three-meter tall magicite golems were incapable of speaking, they had obviously recognized us. All of them changed their movement patterns.

    The ones marching at the front of their lines pressed forward, armed with steel weapons.

    Unlike our previous encounter with the golems, my appraisal could now identify their abilities. Their stats were all-around decent aside from their defenses, which were off the charts. In addition, they cloaked themselves in barriers to enhance their natural toughness.

    Each one had apletely different set of skills, probably due to differences in which monster the magic stone came from. The golem in front had Fire Magic, Sword Mastery, Presence Sense, while one behind it had Fist Mastery, Blink, Jumping.

    None of the golems had any artistic or knowledge-type skills. Everything unrted tobat probably already got dumped in the trash.

    ¡¸Here theye!¡¹

    ¡ºTake them down!¡»

    Fran shed down at the one in the front.

    ¡¸First, a test!¡¹

    ¡ºDorya!¡»

    The magicite golem utilized its Sword Mastery in an attempt to block the sh. Such smooth moments made it hard to believe it was really a golem. It conducted mana to the sword too, probably better than most adventurers can.

    Meanwhile, I also sensed a mana surge from the golem, a sign that it was preparing a spell. The golem in front of us was like a high-level magic swordsman.

    Block Fran¡¯s sh and counter her with fire magic, right? That was probably the n.

    As if that¡¯s happening.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡ºBon appetit!¡»

    Fran cleaved straight through the steel sword as if it didn¡¯t exist in the first ce.

    Such a pitiful weapon isn¡¯t capable of stopping me anymore. These golems likely weren¡¯t designed with the ability to measure their opponent¡¯s abilities or mana levels. Anyone with an actual brain and eyes should have recognized the extraordinary amount of mana cloaking my de.

    Fran¡¯s sh tore straight through the magicite golem¡¯s barrier and armor, before delivering a huge cut.

    Unlike before, this golem did not have a reflective barrier. It did have several wardsyered to resist various attributes, but everything was pointless in front of my Divine Energy Maniption and Evil Conquest.

    ¡ºAw yeah, that¡¯s 150 magic stone points! Easy pickings!¡»

    ¡¸Master, you look happy.¡¹

    ¡ºOf course, since they¡¯re just a feast waiting to be eaten!¡»

    That said, I noticed a few things bothering me. These golems gave less points than the ones we fought before. If I recall correctly, I got 300 points from the golems we absorbed during the Bulbora incident.

    The other issue was some kind of ck haze forming around us.

    £¨This is¡­?£©

    ¡ºFran, make sure you keep your barrier up at all times. This is a curse, and it¡¯s got evil energy mixed in.¡»

    It seems a vicious curse had been imnted in the magicite golem. Even if someone managed to destroy it, they then have to deal with the curse striking back at them. A two-step approach to ensure their enemies die, no doubt.

    The evil energy infused throughout the curse kept whittling away at our barriers, while also contaminating the nearby earth and staining it ck.

    Was this curse hidden inside every single golem? If so, we might be in danger if we take in too much.

    Remembering back to our experience with the demon yer knife, I attempted an anti-curse spell with the divine attribute. This ended up being super effective.

    Bathed in white light, the ck haze of the curse emitted a high-pitched screeching sound before vanishingpletely. I could no longer sense evil energy, and the ckened ground regained its original earthy color.

    It seems we¡¯ve seeded inpletely dispelling the curse.

    ¡ºYes! Now we¡¯ve got the perfect countermeasure for curses! Let¡¯s pick up the pace!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After a vigorous nod, Fran leapt into the army of magicite golems. Ah, now I see what makes these golems so formidable.

    The incredibly durable vanguard golems moved to surrounded Fran, all constantly firing spells of various attributes. Despite not caring at all about hitting their fellow golems, each was tough enough to shrug off this level of friendly fire.

    Meanwhile, I sensed an even greater surge of manaing from the magicite golems in the rear. They were chanting more powerful magic.

    This strategy must be designed so they can defeat opponents more powerful than them.

    But they picked the wrong guys to mess with.

    Fran cut down the golems one after another, as I blocked all of their spells. Even the high-level magic from the golems in the rear was easily nullified by abination of barriers and teleportation.

    After we had consumed about 20 of the magicite golems, they changed their movement patterns again. All of them rushed in at the same time without any consideration for defense.

    However, they stood no chance against Fran in closebat, so I just kept on absorbing them. Our ability to make they vanishpletely after absorption might have been unintentionally beneficial too.

    The simultaneous rush strategy should have had the advantage of sealing Fran¡¯s movements with the umted pile ofrge golem bodies. Then, they could force Fran into a corner.

    But all of those bodies had simply disappeared, so they never managed to surround Franpletely. The supposed advantages had beenpletely lost. Rather, they may have even made things easier for her by rushing in unprotected.

    After taking down another few golems, the ones remaining started to distance themselves from Fran, perhaps attempting to bypass her and continue their objective. Were they programmed to avoid threats capable of causing heavy casualties or something?

    But why would I let my dinner escape?

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    That¡¯s where Urushies in. He mmed the golems with his huge paws, sending them flying back our way. Then Fran swung at all the golemsing in, as if she was a major league baseball yer.

    ¡¸Urushi, keep theming!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Finally, when Fran and Urushi had eliminated nearly 100 magicite golems¡­

    ¡¶The effect of Self-Evolution has been activated. Gained 100 self-evolution points.¡·

 Chapter 1085

    <h4>1085: Battle of the Elderly</h4>

    ¡¶The effect of Self-Evolution has been activated. Gained 100 self-evolution points.¡·

    ¡ºHooray! Self-evolution, finally!¡»

    ¡¸Master, congrats!¡¹

    ¡ºThanks!¡»

    It took forever since the antidemons in Gordicia didn¡¯t drop magic stones. Plus I had lost a ton of points due to using Potential Release.

    I thought I still had a long way to go, but my self-evolution ended up being pretty quick thanks to this bonus stage.

    And look at all these self-evolution points too. Myst few ranks awarded reduced points since Fenrir-san needed to recover his lost power, so it¡¯s been a while since I got such a payload. I wonder if all the umted points came in all at once or something.

    ¡ºNow then, let¡¯s annihte the rest!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Eight magicite golems remained. They stood no chance against Fran and Urushi, so we quickly wiped the floor with them in less than three minutes.

    ¡ºMan, what a great day!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Master, you look happy.¡¹

    ¡ºOf course, it¡¯s been so long since myst self-evolution!¡»

    Moreover, I gained so many magic stone points that my next self-evolution was only 1000 points away. It¡¯s practically within arm¡¯s reach already.

    ¡ºOkay, let¡¯s check out what¡¯s going on on the other side.¡»

    ¡¸There¡¯s way less undead now.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks that way.¡»

    There were almost 5000 undead to begin with, but their numbers had been reduced in half. Yet another 300 just got deleted in front of our eyes. These old guys really knew how to clean house.

    Not to mention their skillful coordination.

    Gamudo stood in the front, using his provocation skills to grab the attention of almost all the undead.

    ¡¸Doryaaaah!¡¹

    Along with an ear-splitting shout, he brought down a hammer bigger than his own body to crush the undead, quite literally. His heavy armor allowed him to remain unscathed despite being in the middle of a horde. A fighting style very appropriate for a dwarf.

    Diaz stood slightly behind him, seemingly in charge of guarding the two in the rear. He took out any undead that Gamudo missed, as well as invoked illusion magic to lure the remaining undead toward Gamudo.

    Their n was to gather all the undead in a single spot.

    That¡¯s when Eiworth¡¯s magic came crashing down, an ice spell capable of freezing a wide area. The 200 undead swarming Gamudo froze solid.

    Wait, he hit Gamudo with that too!

    While I was stunned, Gamudo didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. He continued crushing undead in the middle of the icy blizzard. We¡¯ve seen Eiworth hitting his allies with spells in the royal capital, and this exins why!

    If he constantly employed this kind of strategy, it would be a habit. No wonder he thinks it¡¯s okay to hit your allies caught up as long as they survive.

    This was followed by a flurry of Felmus¡¯s threads. He activated the thread trap he set in advance, dicing apart undead caught in the vicinity. Another hundred or so fell to the ground.

    That said, they should be able to eliminate the undead much faster if they got serious. Yet they decided to take them out slowly and surely.

    Since they don¡¯t know what might happen next, they must be trying to minimize their fatigue.

    And their vignce turned out to be correct.

    ¡ºI¡¯m sensing a huge mana reaction from the Shallus army!¡»

    ¡¸There¡¯s a light too.¡¹

    The Shallus army had remained in the rear without any attempt to aid the undead. Then suddenly, a huge pir of light rose up from their ranks.

    The light gradually transformed into a magic circle, radiating a huge amount of mana all the while.

    We probably shouldn¡¯t let them finish whatever they¡¯re doing, huh? I fired a spell to interfere with the circle, and I wasn¡¯t the only one on the job.

    Eiworth and Felmus had also attacked at the same time. Eiworth with abination of death poison and ice magic, and Felmus with a shower of threads to impale countless soldiers. Man, threads really can do everything if you use them right.

    The soldiers fell to the ground in droves, and all of the survivors were frozen stiff. No actually, it seems something was magically stopping them from moving.

    Finally, the magic circle shone with a bright sh.

    After the sh, all that remained was thousands of soldiers lying on the ground, and a huge something rising up among them. A brown mass the size of a small mountain¡­?

    ¡ºA dragon? That¡¯s a dragon, right? Isn¡¯t it kinda¡­ too big?¡»

    The size wasn¡¯t evenparable to the water dragons we saw earlier. I¡¯d say it¡¯s like ten times bigger at the very least. Despite being in a crouched state, it easily reached a height of 100 meters.

    I also sensed the aggressive aura of mana radiated outwards. This was clearly no lower than Threat Level B, maybe even A.

    ¡¸Whoa, what! That¡¯s a mountain dragon, one of the higher ranked species!¡¹

    ¡¸Hohoho! It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen one. Judging from that color, it must be native to this continent.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm, but it seems a bit small for a mountain dragon.¡¹

    ¡¸Perhaps the summoning shaved off a portion of its mana? The hue of those scales looks a little pale too, so I believe the meat quality will be degraded.¡¹

    Thanks to our dragon specialists, we easily found out the dragon¡¯s identity! It seems mountain dragons are, as the name suggests, dragons that grow up to be asrge as mountains. They varied from Threat Level C to A.

    Apparently they can grow to a maximum size of nearly 300 meters, so this one was still on the smaller side.

    ¡¸Hey missy, you don¡¯t mind if we take the lead here?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. What should I do?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll have you deliver the finishing blow. Just focus up your strength until we give the signal.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Fran readily obeyed Gamudo¡¯s orders. He was simultaneously a veteran adventurer, a guildmaster, and a specialist in fighting dragons. There was pretty much no reason not to listen to him.

    ¡¸Hell yeah! It¡¯s been so long since ourst dragon hunt!¡¹

    ¡¸Hoho! Just when I was getting bored of reburying undead!¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder if the carcass will remain behind considering how it¡¯s been summoned. I¡¯ve been wanting a reverse scale for a while.¡¹

    ¡¸Mountain dragon tongue is a delicacy, so please leave it intact.¡¹

    The four old men stared at the gigantic mountain dragon as if it was mere prey.

    Not only did we conveniently have the natural predator of magicite golems here, but also the natural predator of dragons. Funny coincidence. Maybe Raydoss is finally paying for all their bad karma.

 Chapter 1086

    <h4>1086: Dragon yers</h4>

    Though the mountain dragon may still have room for growth, it was hugepared to most other dragons. To start us off, Diaz dashed forward.

    ¡¸GROOOOOHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Another side effect of the summon? Seems really aggressive!¡¹

    Immediately recognizing us as enemies, the mountain dragon red at Diaz with its narrowed golden eyes.

    The pressure behind that stare must be quite intense, but Diaz seemedpletely unbothered. He continued rushing toward the mountain dragon in a straight line, and then activated his magic.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    ¡¸GROH?¡¹

    A weak fire spell, so weak that even the mountain dragon looked stunned. It never expected something so pathetic.

    Immediately afterward, the dragon¡¯s face distorted into anger after realizing it was being ridiculed.

    ¡¸GRAAAAAHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Can¡¯t hit me!¡¹

    ¡¸GAH! GAH!¡¹

    The mountain dragon attempted to m Diaz with its huge front legs, but Diaz dodged everything without a hitch. He even sometimes struck back.

    Well, all he really did was scare tactics, such as creating the illusion of another dragon, or generating a huge sound right behind the dragon¡¯s back.

    Even so, the mountain dragon fell for all of these tricks, only getting more furious at Diaz each time.

    All thanks to Diaz¡¯s perfect timing, as well as his Thought Guidance and Sight Guidance skills. Even if what he was doing looked unimpressive, a cunning man like Diaz couldpletely toy with the dragon.

    Diaz continued taunting the giant dragon for nearly five minutes. While the old man seemedpletely invincible at first nce, he was actually expending a great deal of mana. He would probably onlyst another five minutes at this rate.

    Meanwhile, the mountain dragon finally got fed up with Diaz¡¯s continuous evasion, and took a deep breath.

    ¡¸RUGAAAAAAAHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Nope! That was an illusion!¡¹

    It unleashed an absolutely tremendous roar that hurt Fran¡¯s ears even a huge distance away. Apparently, mountain dragons can make use of their gigantic bodies to deliver these destructive roars, at the cost of being unable to fire normal dragon breath.

    This gouged out the entire region around the mountain dragon, blowing debris and corpses hundreds of meters away. Diaz appeared to be caught right in the middle of this explosion, but his real body was elsewhere.

    No clue when he did it, but he had reced himself with a dummy created from his illusion magic. Meanwhile, his real body was over 500 meters away, hidden behind a wall of earth to mitigate the roar.

    Not even we knew what Diaz was up to, so the mountain dragon had even less of a clue.

    That said, it seemed to havepletely lost its temper after being toyed by what looked to him like an annoying little insect.

    Like a bull before charging, it scratched the ground several times with its front legs. This was indeed the prelude to its charge. The mountain dragon began dashing straight at Diaz, shaking the earth with each stomp.

    Mountain dragons are incapable of flight due to theirck of wings, but they are capable of extremely fast quadrupedal movement. Clearly, a distance of 500 meters is like nothingpared to a creature over 100 meters tall.

    It was right next to Diaz after taking only a few steps. The old man was about to get hit with the force of a charge that could knock over the walls of a fortress.

    Diaz ran away, seemingly in a panic, and the mountain dragon chased him down with a surprisingly sharp turn. It seems releasing mana as a counter bnce was the trick to turning its huge body so suddenly.

    But all of this was a part of Diaz¡¯s trap. His apparent panic was merely an act. Immediately after Diaz smirked with a nasty grin, the earth underneath shattered, with an explosion bursting out of the ground.

    ¡¸Binding of Ten Thousand Threads!¡¹

    ¡¸GAAAAHH?¡¹

    Felmus had been preparing his threads on that exact spot over the past five minutes. As the technique¡¯s name implied, ten thousand threads appeared to entwine the dragon¡¯s four limbs, binding its movements.

    Mountain dragons are among the most physically powerful of all dragons, so I doubt this couldpletely restrain it. Indeed, the majority of the threads were torn apart almost instantly.

    However, the dragon could not keep its bnce after getting its legs entangled in the middle of a hard curve. It fell over on its side, ttening the earth underneath.

    ¡¸Hohoho! Suffer in frost!¡¹

    Eiworth delivered a follow-up.

    The mountain dragon¡¯s feet and face became covered in ice, with the ice on the face turning reddish-purple in color. He must have specially prepared that spell to contain poison.

    Furthermore, the ground underneath its feet was also frozen, turning part of the wastnd into a tundra.

    The mountain dragon panicked when it realized its face was covered, and attempted to get back up. This only resulted in it slipping to fall right back down.

    ¡¸Uhahaha! The younger ones are always so easy to trick!¡¹

    So that¡¯s why he targeted the feet. It was now impossible for the dragon to stand due to the ice on both its feet and the ground. The ice covering its face also served to block its sight, so it didn¡¯t even have a clue as to what was going on.

    The mountain dragon iled around to remove the ice on its face, but¡­

    ¡¸Missy, I¡¯ll m it right where the magic stone is! You follow me up in the exact same spot!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Gamudo began moving into action as soon as the mountain dragon revealed this opening. Instead of using the hammer he had been wielding, he took out an even bigger hammer with a pointed tip.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Dragon Punisher

    <strong>Attack:</strong> 1098

    <strong>Mana:</strong> 500

    <strong>Durability:</strong> 10

    <strong>Mana Conductivity:</strong> B+

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Scale Pration, Explosion, Focal Point, Self-Destruct

    Those are some really lop-sided stats! This was apparently a disposable weapon boasting enough power to pierce through dragon scales, but also breaks down after a single use. Moreover, it seems to have so much recoil that it hurts the user.

    An incredibly situational weapon only usable by someone as sturdy as Gamudo.

    ¡¸DOOOORYAAAHH!!¡¹

    Gamudo activated a magical tool to leap into the sky, before mming the Dragon Punisher into the base of the mountain dragon¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 1087

    <h4>1087: The Mountain Dragon''s End</h4>

    Gamudo mmed his Dragon Punisher into the base of the mountain dragon¡¯s neck.

    ¡¸DOOOORYAAAHH!!¡¹

    BOOOOM!

    An explosion as loud as the mountain dragon¡¯s roar, followed by Gamudo getting blown away into the air like a rocket. His dwarven crafted armor was now shattered and broken apart. Even he would be in danger if we let him crash into the ground in that state, right?

    As I was wondering whether or not we should rescue him, I saw Diaz run off. I guess it probably isn¡¯t the first time this has happened, so we can let him take care of things.

    Meanwhile, the mountain dragon was also left in a horrific state.

    A deep crater had been drilled into the base of the neck. The scales, flesh, and even bones had been gouged out. Evenpared to the high vitality of a dragon, this level of damage was no joke.

    ¡¸I can sense the magic stone!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Give it a good beating before it can regenerate!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran dove down from the skies to put an end to the mountain dragon writhing in pain.

    ¡¸GWOOOH!¡¹

    Yet the mountain dragon refused to go down without a fight. It turned its face toward us, and let out a roar with all the strength it had left.

    The force from the sonic st struck Fran. However, we had already nned for this event.

    ¡ºDoryaaaah!¡»

    I mmed wind magic against the shockwaves to cancel them out, and thickened our barriers to force our way through the mountain dragon¡¯s roar.

    ¡ºFran, finish it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Taaah!¡¹

    Fran delivered a powerful thrust, and at the same time, I extended the de of my sword.

    My de prated through the dragon¡¯s durable, mana-imbued flesh and reached the magic stone. All the mana contained within came flowing into me.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re mine!¡»

    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!¡¹

    The dragon¡¯s roaring death throes hit Fran at point nk range and sent her flying. However, she was rtively safe thanks to the sturdy barriers we had set up. Good thing we never let our guard down.

    As for myself, my durability fell considerably due to mybined usage of divine energy and Evil Conquest. My repair speed also seemed incredibly slow. I should probably reserve this kind of technique for ast resort, or it might end up killing me someday.

    But before I could ask Fran if she was okay, an unexpected event interrupted.

    ¡¶The effect of Self-Evolution has been activated. Gained 100 self-evolution points.¡·

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Again? But I just triggered self-evolution earlier today. This means a single mountain dragon was worth over 1000 points! Thank you, all of dragonkind!

    My self-evolution finally reached rank 20.

    Hooray! Fran, listen to this! I just got another self-evolution!

    I had intended to say that out loud, but my voice didn¡¯t reach Fran. I was summoned to a familiar ce before I had any time to speak.

    I still don¡¯t know if this is my mental world, or some kind of divine realm, but I found myself in the white space I usually meet Fenrir-san in.

    Apletely empty space covered in white as far as the eye can see. I was simply floating there, as if the concept of gravity no longer existed. There¡¯s no need for panic, since I¡¯ve already been here many times before.

    Either way, I¡¯m sure zero time will have passed in the real world regardless of how long I spend here. It sucks that I can¡¯t immediately share this excitement with Fran though.

    ¡¸Yo, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºThat voice, Fenrir-san? You woke up again?¡»

    ¡¸More like I got woken up.¡¹

    A ck mass took form in the realm of white. To be more precise, a ck wolf. Though he looked simr to Urushi, his figure was more refined and divine.

    Not to mention his enormous size. No clue if the concept of size actually applies to this realm, but he was incredibly huge. I was currently in my human form, and even the wolf¡¯s eyeballs outsized me.

    If you measure from the base of the feet to the top of the head, he might have a height of 400~500 meters.

    Of course, I felt zero fear, nor even any surprise at his sudden appearance. That¡¯s probably because I understood that this wolf was my friend, or more urately, my other half.

    That said, I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the next group who showed up.

    Three women, each with beauty exceeding the mortal realm. They were the Goddess of the Silver Moon, the Goddess of Chaos, and the Goddess of the Underworld.

    ¡¸It has been a while.¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yes, it has.¡»

    What¡¯s going on? The goddesses never appeared during any of my previous self-evolutions. I guess rank 20 does seem to be a good cutoff point¡­?

    ¡¸Congrattions. You have seeded.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Um, seeded?¡»

    ¡¸Yes. Just now, you sessfully separated the souls of my kin Fenrir and the Evil God. You have my deepest gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸In other words, you¡¯ve aplished your mission. Well done!¡¹

    ¡¸I never imagined you might manage this feat in such a short period of time. You¡¯ve worked very hard to get this far.¡¹

    Mission! Oh right, my mission! No, I didn¡¯t forget. It just took me a while to remember!

    ¡¸Master, really¡­? Well, whatever.¡¹

    ¡ºFenrir-san! I didn¡¯t forget, really! I just kinda wasn¡¯t thinking of it as a mission since it went alongside my goals too!¡»

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Yeah, I know! I¡¯ve been watching you the entire time. If anything, I should be thanking you for your hard work and effort.¡¹

    ¡ºG-Good to hear¡­¡»

    I was never the type of guy to be like ¡°I need to aplish my mission at all costs!¡± or anything like that. But Fenrir-san has been with us for so long, so I definitely wanted to make sure he recovers.

    ¡¸You will now be rewarded as promised for aplishing your mission.¡¹

    ¡ºReward¡­ Eh? My reward¡­?¡»

    If I remember correctly, the reward I was to receive afterpleting the mission was¡­

    ¡¸We will return your soul to Earth¡¯s reincarnation cycle.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, with a little extra bonus thrown in.¡¹

    ¡¸I assure your next life will be blessed with talent and fortune.¡¹

 Chapter 1088

    <h4>1088: Reward</h4>

    The reward for aplishing my mission was to return to Earth¡¯s reincarnation cycle with a bit of preferential treatment. In short, I get to live a second life with guaranteed sess.

    And the current me will disappear.

    Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t feel any fear at myself disappearing. Is it because living a second life means I won¡¯t truly die? Or were the goddesses doing something to mitigate my fear?

    However, the most important thing isn¡¯t what happens to me.

    ¡ºIf I return to the reincarnation cycle, what will happen to my sword body?¡»

    ¡¸My kin shall handle the rest. The sword¡¯s new name shall be the Heavenly Wolfde, Fenrir.¡¹

    ¡ºEh? I thought Fenrir-san was already recovered?¡»

    ¡¸While his soul has been separated from the Evil God, his recovery is by no meansplete. He must rest and umte his strength for much time toe. However, this separation means that Fenrir and the entity known as the Evil God can be handled individually. The rest shall be done by us gods.¡¹

    ¡ºSo, he¡¯ll still be trapped in the sword?¡»

    ¡¸Yes, for the period it takes to oversee the wielder¡¯s lifespan, though such is a triflepared to the lifespan of a divine servant.¡¹

    It seems my role to filter out the evil energy is no longer needed now that Fenrir-san¡¯s soul has been split from the Evil God Fragment.

    ¡º¡­You said Heavenly Wolfde. Will it be a divine sword?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed, that is correct.¡¹

    A divine sword, huh¡­ Must be super strong. I probably can¡¯t evenpare.

    Fran will surely find herself challenging even stronger opponents in the future, as her goal is to break the curse ced on the ck cats. Obtaining a divine sword will help her immensely.

    Perhaps it would even give her enough strength to fight off an Evil God Fragment all by herself. Leaving her with Fenrir-san may be the most surefire way to ensure her wish is fulfilled.

    But even so¡­

    ¡ºDo I absolutely have to return to Earth¡¯s reincarnation cycle?¡»

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡ºExactly what I said. Do I have to go back to Earth?¡»

    ¡¸You are unsatisfied with forgetting everything and being reborn on Earth? Even if you are guaranteed a second life free from diforts?¡¹

    The Goddess of the Silver Moon seemed puzzled. Apparently, the gods believed preferential treatment in the next life was a very attractive reward.

    Well, I thought so too right after I died on Earth. But I can¡¯t say the same thing for the current me.

    The Goddess of Chaos acted like she understood my feelings, constantly grinning at me. The Goddess of the Underworld seemed to be more on the understanding side too, maybe?

    I think this difference is due to how often they interact with people. The Goddess of the Silver Moon seemed to notpletely understand the feelings of us mortals. Or rather, she was putting in the effort to understand us, but there were many parts she could notprehend. Still, she¡¯s much better than many of the other gods who aren¡¯t even capable of mercy.

    ¡ºI¡¯m Fran¡¯s Master, as well as her partner. I can¡¯t reincarnate and leave her behind. Is there any way I can be allowed to stay in this world?¡»

    ¡¸Oh my. Do you intend to take away Fran¡¯s chance to obtain a divine sword? What will she say about that?¡¹

    The Goddess of Chaos questioned me in a teasing tone. However, I didn¡¯t even have to think about my answer.

    ¡ºShe¡¯ll be overjoyed, of course. Even if Fran gets a divine sword, she¡¯ll be sad to lose me.¡»

    ¡¸Ufufu. You may be right about that, but won¡¯t she give you a happy send off once she hears you are reborn into a wondrous second life?¡¹

    ¡ºMaybe she would, but that¡¯s not the issue. I want to stay in this world because I want to be with Fran. I¡¯m not rejecting this second life because I would feel guilty about dropping everything and leaving her behind. I¡¯m rejecting it because being with Fran right now makes me more happy than anything that might happen after I¡¯m dead! That¡¯s why I will be staying right here!¡»

    I¡¯ll watch over Fran¡¯s future and live out my life as her partner. Anything else is an insignificant detail.

    ¡¸I understand why you want to stay, but what shall we do with Fenrir? This was to be his chance to finally interact with the outside world. Now he will be imprisoned within you again.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡»

    To be honest, I hadn¡¯t thought about that issue. So me staying means Fenrir-san has to go to sleep again¡­

    ¡ºUmm, can you put me in a different vessel or something? I don¡¯t care what kind of garbage weapon I have to be, as long as I can stay here!¡»

    ¡¸Goddesses! I humbly ask for your assistance as well.¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Fenrir-san?¡»

    To my surprise, even Fenrir-san started bowing down to the goddesses.

    ¡¸I can no longer consider Master and Fran as strangers. And for them, I am willing to return to sleep within the sword. Could you please arrange it so that Master can remain in this world?¡¹

    ¡ºBut Fenrir-san, that means¡­¡»

    ¡¸I won¡¯t be able to leave the sword until my recovery¡¯s over either way, so sleeping for a while isn¡¯t a big deal. Like I just said, you and Fran are no longer strangers to me. Your wish is my wish. Goddesses, please grant this request¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºP-Please!¡»

    Fenrir-san and I lowered our heads. Then, the Goddess of the Underworld responded in a bemused tone.

    ¡¸Refusing this offer means you will never return to Earth¡¯s cycle again. Are you absolutely sure of this?¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t mind if it lets me stay with Fran.¡»

    ¡¸Reincarnation was to be your reward, and this reward cannot be converted into another form. In other words, you will receive nothing for your efforts. You ept this?¡¹

    ¡ºYes. Meeting Fran, Urushi, Fenrir-san, and Announcer-san was like a reward in itself.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Is that so? In that case, I will allow you to stay.¡¹

    ¡¸As do I. Spread even more chaos for me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­My kin, are you truly certain of this decision?¡¹

    ¡¸I am!¡¹

    ¡¸Very well. Then we shall cancel the reward and maintain the status quo.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, but I¡¯ll have to y around with the system a little bit, or else Master¡¯s growth will reach a stopping point. I¡¯ll adjust the system so you can keep absorbing magic stones to get stronger.¡¹

    ¡ºT-Thank you very much! Are you really willing to go so far for my sake?¡»

    ¡¸Of course! Because things are more interesting that way!¡¹

    ¡ºOh, uh-huh¡­¡»

    Still, I really appreciate it. This means I can continue helping Fran.

    ¡¸My kin, until we meet again.¡¹

    ¡¸Farewell.¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufu. I bid you a pleasant chaos¡­¡¹

 Chapter 1089

    <h4>1089: Splitting the Spoils</h4>

    ¡ºPhew.¡»

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºWhoa! W-What¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    Fran suddenly hugged me as soon as I returned from the white space, rubbing her cheeks on me with big tears forming on the corner of her eyes.

    What¡¯s up with this all of a sudden?

    £¨I want to be with you forever too. Because you¡¯re my partner.£©

    ¡ºDid you somehow see what happened in the white space?¡»

    £¨Nn. The Goddess of Chaos showed me.£©

    ¡ºSeriously?!¡»

    So that¡¯s the reason behind her mischievous smirk!

    £¨Master, thanks.£©

    ¡ºOf course, Fran. We¡¯ll be together forever.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Oh, the old guys were giving us strange looks. I don¡¯t me them, since Fran had suddenly started hugging her sword while still on top of the dragon we just killed.

    ¡ºMaster.¡»

    ¡ºFenrir-san! Um, how do I put this¡­¡»

    ¡ºNo need to worry about it. More importantly, Announcer-san and I are still recovering, and there¡¯s also the matter of your system update. I guess it mainly depends on the goddess, but we¡¯ll probably be asleep for a while longer. Take care of Fran and Urushi in the meanwhile.¡»

    ¡ºYeah, of course.¡»

    ¡ºAlright, see youter then.¡»

    I felt Fenrir-san¡¯s presence sinking deep within. He must have fallen asleep again.

    In exchange for granting my selfish desire to remain in this world, I have deprived Fenrir-san of his freedom and Fran of her chance to obtain a divine sword.

    I know neither of them will me me for it, but I can¡¯t be satisfied with that. I need to keep doing my best for their sakes.

    ¡ºFran. For now, let¡¯s go join up with the others.¡»

    £¨Nn! Got it!£©

    Fran hopped off the mountain dragon¡¯s carcass and spoke to Gamudo. The dwarf had already been healed and lookedpletely fine aside from his armor.

    ¡¸What now?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, you mean our future ns? Let¡¯s see¡­¡¹

    Gamudo seemed taken aback by Fran acting as usual, as if she was pretending the sword-hugging thing never happened.

    However, handling the post-battle cleanup was also an important task.

    The main topic will likely be what to do with the mountain dragon carcass. After all, Fran and I were the only ones capable of transporting it.

    We scanned around for any enemies trying to scout or spy on us, but there were no signs of people within range of my or Urushi¡¯s perception.

    ¡¸I have no need for other materials as long as I get the lion¡¯s share of the tongue, meat, and bones. Oh, and some of the entrails would be great too.¡¹

    ¡¸Give me the brain and the heart! Oh, but maybe the horns would be better.¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll take the scales!¡¹

    ¡¸Can you guys hold on for a single minute? Fran¡¯s here too, you know!¡¹

    We might be able to ask for something, but I think we should probably leave it to them this time.

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine with just a little bit of the meat.¡¹

    ¡¸No way. You know you¡¯re practically the biggest contributor by delivering the final blow, right?¡¹

    Diaz tried to argue, but I did kinda eat the magic stone.

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I broke the magic stone.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? The same ability that made those magicite golems disappear?¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it!¡¹

    Eiworth was giving us an incredibly curious stare! Meanwhile, Gamudo seemed to have half-expected this result. Even so, he probably entrusted Fran with the final blow to ensure victory against the mountain dragon.

    But it¡¯s thanks to him that I triggered Self-Evolution again, and gained some more skills too. Well, it¡¯s still a bunch of stuff I can¡¯t use: Earth Dragon Magic, Dragon Cry, Dragonscale Hardening, Dragonblood Pulse.

    Oh, and Fran also earned the title of ¡°Dragon Killer¡±. Apparently, Announcer-san never announced those due to the intervention of the gods. I only noticed when I checked our stats after the fact.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t need any materials since the magic stone is gone.¡¹

    The cute little Fran voiced herpleteck of greed. A normal adult might have told her not to worry about it and shared the materials anyways.

    But not these geezers.

    ¡¸In that case, give me the best piece of tenderloin.¡¹

    ¡¸If the girl revoked her im, then the brain and heart belong to me!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be iming most of the scales then! Oh, and the fangs too!¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, I wanted a fang too!¡¹

    The four immediately started arguing about how they would divide everything up. Well, whatever. It¡¯s thanks to them I managed to self-evolve.

    While in the middle of the discussion over the split, Eiworth realized something.

    ¡¸Oh! They must have used a potent magic tool to summon such a powerful monster! If you let me have that, I¡¯m willing to give up on some materials!¡¹

    ¡¸Hold it. The government will certainly be interested in something like that, so it can¡¯t be handed out so easily.¡¹

    ¡¸Is it even possible for a mere magic tool to perform such a summon in the first ce?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess summon via magic tool sounds more usible than a summon performed by an individual.¡¹

    That¡¯s true. Even if it required human sacrifices, I can hardly believe there is a magic tool capable of summoning a monster on the level of a mountain dragon.

    That is, if we didn¡¯t have a guess as to who might be behind it.

    ¡¸The West Conquest Duke has an alchemist named Ansel working for him.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh, I¡¯ve heard of his name before! He should be the alchemist who rose to fame about ten years ago in the southern nations. I remember hearing about his research on curses.¡¹

    ¡¸Curses?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. I was interested in curses too, and attempted to study them once. In the end, I had to give up once I realized how inefficient they were. Curses are based on the power of negative emotions generated by living creatures. This power is normally weak, but can be turned into a full-fledged curse once giving a proper direction via contract or covenant. The emotions of those who die bearing a grudge against the world can be fairly strong, but requiring such sacrifices makes it incredibly inefficient.¡¹

    ¡¸I heard Ansel is also researching divine swords.¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh. It seems the direction of his research has changed quite a bit. Not surprising though, since researchers will focus on whatever is requested by their patrons.¡¹

    ¡¸But if Raydoss still employs this alchemist, doesn¡¯t this mean they can continue performing these types of unfeasible summons in the future?¡¹

    ¡¸Damn, that¡¯s awful!¡¹

    ¡¸This Ansel seems to be quite troublesome.¡¹

    They had sacrificed the soldiers of Shallus to summon the dragon, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Raydoss was willing to sacrifice ves or their own citizens too.

    ¡¸Hmm. Then you should leave the tool with me after all! We need to determine if there is some way to return the summon, no?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the only one capable of doing that.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, Eiworth. We can simply pass it on to Kraznel¡¯s researchers.¡¹

    ¡¸Gnrgh! Then how am I supposed to research it myself?!¡¹

    Uhh, I guess let¡¯s just put the mountain dragon in storage for now.

 Chapter 1090

    <h4>1090: Side - West Conquest Duke</h4>

    ¡¸E-Emergency report!¡¹

    One of the soldiers burst into my office without knocking. His face was deathly pale, indicating without doubt that a matter of dire importance just urred.

    I suppose I will have to save his scolding forter¡­

    ¡¸What is it this time? Don¡¯t tell me that now it¡¯s our mages who have fallen dead.¡¹

    Just the other day, there was a huge incident in the castle¡¯s research tower. All of our alchemists suddenly dropped dead at the exact same time.

    ording to our chief mage who investigated the case, they had been cursed to death by a curse reversal.

    Curses are a nasty power capable of contaminating entire regions when used properly. However, it is also a double-edged sword. Curses will return to the caster if they are reflected, or if the form is forcibly erased.

    And our alchemists werepletely wiped out due to a returned curse.

    This apparently happened when our magic stone weapon for widespread contamination ced in Kranzel was destroyed. Upon destruction, the curse should have gone unstable and contaminated the surrounding region. But instead, the curse returned straight back to the casters.

    I find it hard to believe anyone could reflect the curse created by our entire team of alchemists, but I can¡¯t deny reality. Either a powerful wielder of covenant magic broke the curse directly, or the magic stone waspletely annihted, erasing the magical form hidden within.

    Our biggest loss was the chief alchemist, Ansel. Despite having no involvement with the wide-range contamination curse, he somehow died too.

    The lunatic truly had no clue how much I invested in him. And he thinks he can just go die without repaying me! That man was the only person capable of creating the demon-ying sword¡¯s inferior copies! This means our entire strategy against Phyllius is back to the drawing board.

    Truly a headache. That¡¯s why I joked about our mages getting wiped out, but¡­

    ¡¸Y-You have already heard the news?¡¹

    ¡¸What? What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Umm, our mages have been wiped out!¡¹

    ¡¸P-Preposterous!¡¹

    It seems the guards overheard a series of screamsing from the mages¡¯ research tower. When they headed inside to check it out, they found everyone lying dead on the floor.

    I rushed to the tower and was greeted by many guards and mages gathered at the entrance. I called out to the chief mage standing among them.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Rebeze-sama! All the mages under mymand have fallen, and we are currently investigating the incident. It is possible that poison is the cause, so please refrain froming any closer.¡¹

    ¡¸P-Poison?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. None of the mages disy any external injuries, and there are no signs of any struggle.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see.¡¹

    Poison was, of course, among the subjects being researched in the tower. If poison truly was the cause, then shouldn¡¯t we be in danger at the entrance too? No, the soldiers here are still alive, so it should be fine.

    ¡¸There are many ssified materials inside, so the investigation may take some time to reach a conclusion¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I authorize entry for the guards. Find out what happened here, and fast. Perhaps assassination¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸Milord, there¡¯s been an emergency!¡¹

    ¡¸What is it now!?¡¹

    ¡¸P-Pleasee this way¡­¡¹

    The messenger led me to a ce with fewer people. Was this emergency something that shouldn¡¯t be heard by others?

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸All the vessels we deployed have been sunk, including the three Water Dragon Battleships¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible, three Water Dragon Battleships!? And those demonoids were on board too!¡¹

    ¡¸T-That is true, but we really have lost contact with them¡­¡¹

    What¡¯s going on? Is it even possible that the entire fleet sunk? Not even our navy stood a chance against the Water Dragon Battleships. Was Kranzel¡¯s navy truly that powerful?

    While I was busy pondering the issue, the chief mage in charge of the inspection ran up to me. He must have found something.

    ¡¸Milord, I have discovered the cause of their deaths. It seems they were all killed by a returned curse.¡¹

    ¡¸A curse? Again?!¡¹

    ¡¸This must be because that one time Ansel-dono requested my men for a curse enchantment. I believe it was the one we put on the magicite golems deployed to Shallus.¡¹

    ¡¸And that curse was returned to them?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, which means¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Something must have happened to the army invading from Shallus.¡¹

    None of this makes any sense. Did Kranzel somehow hand out curse countermeasures to every part of its military? We need to investigate this immediately.

    ¡¸Contact Derrick. We need to gather intel on Kranzel as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­About that¡­¡¹

    The chief mage trailed off his words.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Derrick-dono has missed his regr report. Also, I believe Ansel-dono¡¯s death was due to the return of the demon-ying curse¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So what you¡¯re saying is the majority of our alchemists and mages died to a curse, our fleet including the Water Dragon Battleships was wiped out, and the ground forces we sent to Shallus were eliminated too. On top of everything, we¡¯ve also lost contact with Derrick?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Y-Yes, I believe that is correct.¡¹

    ¡¸This is absolutely ridiculous! Do you know how much time and money I¡¯ve spent to prepare all this groundwork!?¡¹

    Our n to take down Kranzel and seize Phyllius has been in the works for over a decade!

    And just as everything was finally put into motion, all of our measures failed in the span of a few days? How can Kranzel afford to reserve so many forces for defense!?

    My position gives me ess to a vast bank of information on foreign countries. Unlike the rest of these imbeciles, I have never once underestimated the adventurers. Yet they still manage to exceed my expectations!

    First, our n to destroy Kranzel from within using Marquis Ashtner ended without much to show for it. We¡¯ve been on maximum alert against Kranzel since then, but still¡­.

    Was our intel leaking to them somehow? I have to consider that as a possibility now.

    ¡¸Use the entire spy team if you have to, and find out what¡¯s going on in Kranzel. There¡¯s no way Derrick will talk even if he is captured. Our bases and intelligencework aren¡¯tpromised yet.¡¹

    ¡¸U-Understood!¡¹

    Our invasion of Phyllius will be dyed yet again! Just how many years will it take until we can recoup these losses¡­

    ¡¸Fuck! Dammit all!¡¹

    Remain calm at all times, the words my predecessor told me when I seeded the duchy. Yet not even I could keep my calm in this situation. The pointless swears escaped my mouth without end.

    I am well aware of the devastating blow dealt to my territory, though even that is an understatement. The entire duchy is practically no better than a sinking ship.

    I bit my thumbnail so hard that it broke. This habit, which had been corrected in my childhood, came out unintentionally. The foolish behavior was a sign of my panic. For some reason, I was now able to view myself objectively.

    ¡¸Gufufufu. You seem to be in a pinch.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    I didn¡¯t want anyone to see me like this, especially not him. At least this allowed me to regain a bit of myposure.

    Before I knew it, I found a small man standing behind me, his face covered deep in a ck robe. Hideman, a subordinate of the South Conquest Duke, and an undead capable of rational thought.

    ¡¸¡­Hideman. You appear out of nowhere, like usual.¡¹

    ¡¸You know me so well. And I do have permission to be here, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸I was simply wondering if I could be of assistance. Shall I search out Derrick-dono and bring him back to you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What benefit does the South Conquest Duke, or rather, the ck Skeleton Corps, gain by helping me?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, but we serve the same country. It is only natural for us to help each other out in times of need, right?¡¹

    What a shameless lie. The gall of a rotting undead trying to lecture me about mutual cooperation! In the first ce, isn¡¯t his timing a little too perfect?

    It¡¯s as if he knew exactly when I would be in a predicament. Could he be the rat leaking info to Kranzel¡­?

    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? I can assure you that ring at me will not make your situation any better.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m well aware of that!¡¹

    While he is incredibly suspicious, I have no proof. Besides, Hideman being one of the ck Skeleton Corps¡¯s top members only goes to show how useful he can be.

    ¡¸Hmph. Even with Derrick back, it¡¯s already toote¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Gufufufu. Regarding that, I have one suggestion for you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Out with it already.¡¹

    ¡¸We would like to borrow the relic of the west¡­¡¹

    The rotten bastard! This must have been his goal all along! I knew it, that damn South Conquest Duke¡­!

    ¡¸You think this is some kind of joke?! Our relic is a family heirloom bestowed upon the first duke to prove his title! There¡¯s no way it can be entrusted to anyone outside our family!¡¹

    ¡¸However, the south¡¯s relic and the west¡¯s relic were originally designed to be used as a pair, and theirbined power will make it possible to turn the tables on Kranzel. Don¡¯t you think it is best to prevent things from ending in aplete failure? My lord will surely be grateful too.¡¹

    True. At this rate, our invasion operation will fall apart with me to me. And when that happens, the south and east dukes will try to hold me ountable.

    This relic is my family¡¯s treasure, but¡­

    ¡¸¡­Fine, I¡¯ll ept those terms. Find Derrick as soon as possible, then I may lend out the relic depending on your results.¡¹

    ¡¸Gufufu! Hideman, sixth seat of the ck Skeleton Corps, at your service.¡¹

 Chapter 1091

    <h4>1091: Contents</h4>

    After repelling the invasion from Shallus, Fran and the others returned to Bulbora.

    Since they already sent an envoy to Shallus, they were waiting for their response. The summoning tool we recovered was already broken apart, but Gamudo held on to what was left. He¡¯ll transfer that to the capital when things settle down a bit.

    Meanwhile, Fran was helping with the reconstruction of Bulbora.

    Though she was still concerned about Alessa, she could not leave Bulbora in this state. Also, we heard that Alessa¡¯s defense was going well. It seems the ex-Rank A adventurers on the front lines managed to push Raydoss back considerably.

    Since we had no urgent reason to visit Alessa, Fran helped in Bulbora with things like soup kitchens and rubble removal. Also, eliminating all the spies from Raydoss.

    Perhaps getting a bit overeager in their infiltration attempts, Derrick¡¯s subordinates tried to enter Bulbora on several asions. Well, not like they could hide from Fran and Urushi when we knew they wereing. Besides, we had Felmus and Diaz here with us. The spies were caught almost instantaneously.

    Especially useful were the skills I obtained from the magicite golems: Owl Eye and Sound Recognition. Owl Eye gave us the ability to see clearly even at night. Compared to normal Night Vision, it also seemed to boost dynamic vision too.

    Sound Recognition, like the name implies, allowed us to distinguish noises in the vicinity more easily. A very useful tool for finding spies.

    Now that I think about it, I only got three new skills after defeating so many magicite golems. I guess that can¡¯t be helped since most of them had weapon and magic skills.

    In other words, I already had most of those.

    The final one was a skill called Metal Softening. This seems to have many different uses, but currently, I¡¯m applying it to fix a bent metal door.

    Thanks to the efforts of Fran and the others, Bulbora managed to return to normal for the most part.

    We went back to Rokkars a few times to check on them too, but they didn¡¯t see any major invasions there either. I guess Raydoss can¡¯t invade so easily with their navy annihted.

    Now that we didn¡¯t have to move around the entire day, I wanted to try something.

    ¡ºOkay, let¡¯s give it a try.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We were inside Fran¡¯s room at the guild. Under the light of antern hanging from the ceiling, Fran stared intently at the small sacks on the table.

    These were the item bags we obtained in various locations throughout our adventurers. Some we took from goblins, others we looted from the bases of vers.

    I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s possible to force them open with covenant magic, so I wanted to check the contents today.

    First, let¡¯s try the one with the weakest enchantment. How did we get this one again? To be honest, it¡¯s pretty much impossible to remember where I got each of these based on appearance alone.

    ¡ºHrh! Nrrgh¡­¡»

    ¡¸Master, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, it¡¯s much easier than removing a ve cor. Just a bit more¡­¡»

    I have no clue what will happen if I pour in my mana too fast. That¡¯s why I carefully and gradually increased the mana. Then, the item bag started glowing, signaling a noticeable change.

    ¡ºWill it open?¡»

    ¡¸Is it working?¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa! It opened!¡»

    ¡¸What¡¯s inside?¡¹

    Fran looked pretty excited too, probably a simr feeling to opening a treasure chest. However, the smile quickly disappeared from her face.

    ¡ºGuess this was a bad one.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    There was only an iron knife, a pittance of money, and some rations. The bag probably carried someone¡¯s emergency provisions or something like that.

    The next bag I opened was packed with a bunch of weapons. While none of them were really high quality, they were still usable. Maybe some bandits had used the bag as a makeshift weapon box?

    ¡ºGuess this one was bad too.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    I continued opening the bags, and nothing worthwhile came out. The most valuable item was an ordinary silver ring without any enchantment.

    Even if we sold everything, it¡¯d fetch less than 300,000 gold. A decent sum, but far from the kind of treasure Fran was hoping for.

    ¡ºThis is thest one.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Fran gave a really half-assed nod! This one looked a little promising to me though. After all, the enchantment seemed pretty strong. Breaking the spell won¡¯t be easy.

    ¡ºHaaaah!¡»

    I focused up my own mana to break through the item bag¡¯s restriction, and there was a considerable amount of recoil. This might be as powerful as Princess Serimea¡¯s ve cor.

    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a human attempting to do this had blood gushing out of their orifices. Well, not like that¡¯s a problem for me!

    ¡ºYes! It opened!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran opened the bag and took out the contents with a tiny bit of expectation. She tilted her head when she saw what came out.

    It was a stack of papers.

    ¡¸These are¡­ ve contracts!¡¹

    ¡ºAnd this is a client list!¡»

    Everything was written, from where the ves came from, to who bought them. I sensed a faint mana response from the papers, so they seemed to be enchanted with contract magic or something simr.

    While skimming through the contract details, I noticed that the ves were not promised even the bare minimum rights. Though these were clearly illegal ve contracts, none of the them had been signed yet.

    So these contracts must have been prepared in advance for enving others.

    ¡ºAnd this list¡­ I see a lot of noble-like names, but none of them are ringing a bell. Could they be from Kranzel?¡»

    ¡¸Master, here.¡¹

    ¡ºAshtner!¡»

    But that wasn¡¯t all. The names of Alsand, Olmes, and other nobles under Ashtner were also listed.

    Like I suspected, the customers included many Kranzel nobles. In addition to buying illegal ves, they might even be connected to Raydoss behind the scenes.

    Marquis Ashtner and his subordinates may have already been taken down, but it¡¯s possible some other traitors managed to escape punishment. Perhaps we can utilize this list to sniff out anyone else working for Raydoss.

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t leave this list with just anyone.¡»

    ¡¸What about Gamudo and his friends?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, he¡¯s probably our best option.¡»

    Setting Eiworth aside, the other three have plenty of connections. We should consult them first.

 Chapter 1092

    <h4>1092: Butchering and Mock Battle</h4>

    ¡¸Wow, Fran-san. I never knew you were so talented at butchering! This is a nice surprise.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re amazing too, Felmus.¡¹

    A few days passed since our encounter with the mountain dragon.

    We were busy butchering it at the training site of the Adventurers Guild in Bulbora. However, dragons normally require a specialized facility to butcher properly.

    After all, each scrap of flesh, scale fragment, and drop of blood was precious. A bottle of blood might not be worth an entire gold coin, it should be at least several silvers.

    Moreover, mountain dragons are high-ranked dragons, making their materials even more valuable. The entire guild went into an uproar for the opportunity to get their hands on such treasures.

    Well, I already ate the magic stone, and Eiworth and Felmus will almost definitely take their share for themselves. Even so, Gamudo and Diaz¡¯s share will reach the guild¡¯s distributionwork. With so many high-rank dragon materials, thismotion will spread to other ces too.

    If Kranzel wasn¡¯t in the middle of a war, they¡¯d probably need several auctions to sell everything. Then the nobles would fight each other in bidding wars.

    But our mountain dragon couldn¡¯t even fit in the specialized facility. After all, it¡¯s a 100-meter giant.

    And without the proper facility, butchering it bes much more difficult. Well, cutting everything up isn¡¯t that hard, but it would waste a ton of blood.

    So after a discussion with the others, we decided to cooperate and butcher the mountain dragon together.

    Fran and Eiworth first set up wind and ice wards to catch any split blood.

    Then we took a portion of the mountain dragon out of storage, roughly divided it into several pieces, then repeated the process for the next portion.

    Cutting it up into 10 meter pieces wasn¡¯t too difficult for high-rank adventurers if they put their minds to it. Onlysted about three minutes total. Fran then took out each piece and butchered them again inside the wards.

    Fran and Felmus were in charge of this part. Our Butchering skill was maxed out, so of course, Fran handled this incredibly quickly. I also morphed into the optimal shape for each of her actions.

    That said, Felmus was also quite impressive. His threads really were too versatile. They could divide up the flesh, split off the bones, and shave off scales, all at the same time.

    I had been confident in our butchering skills, but he beat us out when it came to speed. As expected from a professional cook who is also a former Rank A adventurer.

    Finally, Eiworth sh-froze the butchered materials, allowing Gamudo and Diaz to pack them into item boxes. Everyone continued their work in silence, and the gigantic mountain dragon waspletely gone in less than two hours.

    ¡¸Hoho! To think I would obtain so many high quality materials! !¡¹

    ¡¸Eiworth, the tongue¡¯s quality has been degraded due to you applying poison on the head! I told you how badly I wanted that!¡¹

    ¡¸More importantly, Felmus, are you sure you want to give away all this meat?¡¹

    ¡¸Is it really okay for Ulmutt to take so much?¡¹

    About that, both Eiworth and Felmus had forfeited their share of the meat. Eiworth because he had no need for it, and Felmus because he only cared about cooking it.

    Felmus¡¯s statement was just because he¡¯s a tsundere, but Eiworth really seemed to not care. Anyway, that meant most of the dragon meat was put toward a soup kitchen event. Avish soup kitchen, indeed.

    There were dozens of these huge meat cubes stacked on top of each other, which was quite the impressive sight. They look more like they came out of a science fiction meat processing factory than a fantasy world.

    At any rate, this should be enough to hold the city together until the government can send support.

    Fran wiped the sweat from her forehead after a job well done, then Gamudo approached us.

    ¡¸Fran, how about a mock battle?¡¹

    ¡¸A mock battle with you, Gamudo?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, since you beat both Felmus and Diaz. I want a taste of your strength too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, so you ept!¡¹

    The others showed no signs of stopping Gamudo. Diaz and Eiworth looked amused, and Felmus seemed more worried about Gamudo¡¯s safety. However, Diaz did offer one word of advice.

    ¡¸You two know we can¡¯t get serious in a ce like this. Take it easy, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The two only carried wooden practice weapons, so it can¡¯t possibly get that bad, right¡­? I guess I can force them to stop if I have to.

    The mock battle started unexpectedly quietly, though heated.

    Neither side used any shy techniques or magic, so it was purely a battle of weapon skills. It turned out like this not because they had forbidden such techniques in advance, but because they wanted to see what the other was capable of.

    Fran went on the offense first, as Gamudo blocked skillfully with his shield and axe. Neither of them had gotten serious, yet¡­

    Upon realizing the sturdiness of Gamudo¡¯s defenses, Fran got heated up. She tried all sorts of strategies to break through his guard, all without using her skills.

    Gamudo must have felt like he was treading on thin ice. Maybe he looked rxed to Fran, but I could see him starting to get anxious. However, his pride as a veteran seems to have prevented him from using other skills.

    The two continued their stubborn sh of only weapon skills. Although it appeared to be evenly matched, Gamudo gained a slight advantage. He didn¡¯t need to move as much since he was defending most of the time, resulting in less fatigue.

    Well, Gamudo¡¯s mental fatigue was definitely rising, so who knows what might happen in a few minutes. Fran¡¯s offense was getting sharper and more vicious as she grew over the course of the battle. Unfortunately, that¡¯s as far as she managed to get.

    Crack!

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I guess your weapon couldn¡¯t hold up.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s wooden sword snapped apart. Despite being strengthened with her infused mana, there¡¯s no way it could withstand the intense sh.

    ¡¸Phew. A draw, then.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Gamudo let out a deep breath, showing off his cracked shield. He may call it a draw, but¡­

    £¨I lost.£©

    ¡ºNah, I think it looked pretty even.¡»

    £¨¡­I lost.£©

    It seems Fran really considered it her loss.

    Gamudo, a veteran opponent with decades of experience, was not to be underestimated. He had a hidden strength that could not be enumerated in terms of stats. However, I think Fran should be proud of managing to do this well against him.

    I mean, she kept up with a former Rank A without using her skills.

    The old men smiled wryly after seeing Fran clench her fists in frustration. I guess everyone here knew Fran well.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s make sure we win the next one then.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

 Chapter 1093

    <h4>1093: Bulbora Reconstruction</h4>

    A few days after opening the item bags, we gave the documents we found to Gamudo. It seems he used his guildmaster authority to send them directly to the king. We can rest assured that a middle man won¡¯t make them disappear somewhere along the way.

    Today is ourst day in Bulbora. Soldiers came in from all over the country, and we¡¯ve pretty much handed over the rest to them.

    We also made several farm fields in the past few days. Not only did we fix farnd destroyed in the bombardment, but also converted vacant lots into fields after the houses and other structures were destroyed.

    Of course, we didn¡¯t just do this of our own ord. This was a request from the lord, who wanted as much food as possible due to the war. A diet consisting entirely of mountain dragon meat would be pretty nutritionally unbnced, after all.

    We nted radish-like vegetables in those fields. Those apparently taste pretty bad, but the nutritional value is decent.

    I¡¯ve already raised my Tree Magic skill to level 4. I wanted to try the ¡°Grow nt¡± spell, which allows me to raise nts rapidly.

    We managed to grow and harvest the radish-thing in like three days. Even we were a bit taken aback at the ridiculous growth rate, and the farmers helping us looked pretty spooked too.

    That said, it seems the fast growth ruins the vor. I guess the forced growthes with repercussions. Even Fran zipped her mouth shut after tasting one.

    Well, you can hide the vor with curry! Franined that it was desecrating the holiness of the curry, but the residents ate it with smiles on their faces.

    At any rate, we managed to harvest a good amount of food, enough for a few days. I spammed tree magic until I ran out of mana.

    Feeding a huge city like Bulbora for a few days is pretty impressive, right? No matter how bad they taste, Felmus and the cooking guild can take care of that. Maybe cheat by mixing it with mountain dragon meat or something.

    The lord asked Fran if she could continue working for him, but Fran refused. She probably didn¡¯t like the idea of getting stuck doing farm work for so long.

    I found it surprisingly interesting though. Morphing myself into a hoe and making a field withnd and water magic was pretty fun. It reminded me of those video games I yed where you grow crops. That made me feel a bit nostalgic.

    Well, I always knew Fran wasn¡¯tpatible with this kind of stuff. As was the case with gathering herbs, Fran hates repetitive tasks. For some reason, she¡¯s fine doing practice swings all the time though.

    But before we leave, there¡¯s onest cooking event. And if Fran¡¯s distributing food at Bulbora, there¡¯s only one option.

    ¡¸The coboration dish between the Dragon¡¯s Dining Table and the ck Tail, dragon curry!¡¹

    ¡¸Tasty curry! Here you go!¡¹

    ¡¸And it¡¯s all free!¡¹

    The guild receptionists helped us distribute curry at various locations throughout Bulbora.

    Just like they said, this was a special curry made in cooperation with Felmus.

    Our perfect curry containing Felmus¡¯s dragon meat, soup stock he made from dragon bones, and my personal spice mix.

    It was so good that Fran shoveled down three bowls without a word before she was capable of speaking again. As you can tell with the expensive dragon meat, both Felmus and I went all out.

    We were distributing it in many locations, and it seems to be a big sess at each of them.

    ¡¸Hey. You¡¯re the girl behind the ck Tail, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks again for the cookout!¡¹

    ¡¸It really helps!¡¹

    We handed out curry buns duringst year¡¯s incident too, and many people seemed to remember us from that time.

    So many people bowed their heads and asked for handshakes. They were especially grateful this time, since everyone knew we were doing this for free.

    It seems Gamudo took it upon himself to spread the word and give Fran credit. Before we knew it, everyone treated her as the kind-hearted ck cat girl who hunted a dragon to save Bulbora.

    Though that¡¯s definitely a bit of an exaggeration, it¡¯s not like we can go around denying it¡­ Fran seemed a bit dissatisfied, but we just left it as is.

    Take this delicious curry in ce of our apology.

    After we finished handing everything out, Fran went to eat curry on the roof of the guild, overlooking the za. She swung her legs looking at the crowds, a strong anger rising on her face.

    Seeing their smiles must have reminded Fran of her anger at Raydoss. However, seeing Urushi devour a bowl of curry at her side helped to calm her down somewhat.

    ¡¸Arf arf!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, is it good?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    This is his all-you-can-eat buffet of super-spicy curry, as promised.

    Fran can only handle a single bowl, while Urushi already devoured an entire pot of the stuff. His mouth waspletely red, as well as the rest of his face. I¡¯ve already given up on wiping him off. He¡¯d just get covered in curry again, so I¡¯ll clean him thoroughly after he¡¯s done.

    Urushi wagged his tail while happily stuffing himself with curry, which caused Fran¡¯s anger to dissipate. She smiled slightly and patted his body.

    ¡ºFran, I have way over 200 self-evolution points now. Is there any skill you want to raise? We can do pretty much anything.¡»

    ¡¸Yay! In that case, Covenant Magic and Cleansing Magic!¡¹

    ¡ºNeither of those will help much in battle though. Are you sure?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I want to save people from very!¡¹

    ¡ºI see, then sure! Let¡¯s max out Covenant Magic and Cleansing Magic!¡»

    I leveled up Covenant Magic and Cleansing Magic to the max.

    ¡¶Covenant Magic has reached Lv Max. Covenant Boost has been added to the skill list. Fran has attained the title ¡°Covenant Mage¡±.¡·

    ¡¶Cleansing Magic has reached Lv Max. Purification Magic has been added to the skill list. Fran has attained the title ¡°Cleansing Mage¡±.¡·

    Even after maxing out the two skills, I still had about 200 self-evolution points left. We can max out other magic too, but suddenly raising our skills doesn¡¯t necessarily give us the ability to use them well.

    I guess it¡¯s best to gradually raise our levels over time.

    ¡ºFran. I¡¯ve maxed out covenant magic, but you¡¯d better not push yourself too hard if you ever use it. I¡¯ll save anyone for you, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    The same reply she gives when she¡¯s about to push herself!

 Chapter 1094

    <h4>1094: Transport</h4>

    Finally time for Alessa¡­ or so I thought. But then we took a new request in Rokkars.

    A request to transport Derrick and Satia, so we couldn¡¯t refuse.

    Knights and soldiers had arrived in Rokkars as reinforcements, but none were capable of handling the request. That¡¯s why Fran, the Rank B adventurer with an alias, was chosen for the job.

    It would normally be unthinkable to rely on adventurers for protecting a princess. However, the acting lord was also the guildmaster, and Kranzel is a country where adventurers are held in high esteem. Adventurers with an alias are probably considered more trustworthy than any knight.

    Considering Urushi¡¯s transportation speed and Fran¡¯s rtionship with Satia, there was no one better qualified than her.

    Another reason we epted the request was because we learned the situation in Alessa turned even more favorable than before.

    The Raydoss forces deployed at Kranzel¡¯s northern border seemed reluctant to go on the offensive after learning that their operation failed. The original n was to pincer Kranzel from the north and south, but both their fleet and army werepletely wiped out.

    They had managed to inflict major damage to Bulbora and Dars, but that did little to change the situation in the north. Maybe they were struggling to decide whether to continue on their own or simply retreat.

    Kranzel¡¯s forces gathered in Alessa had pushed past the borders and sent men into Raydoss territory. Despite the intrusion, Raydoss seemed to be taking a wait and see approach. They avoided engaging in anything but small-scale shes near the border.

    Which means Fran doesn¡¯t need to rush to Alessa.

    Rather, transporting Derrick and Satia to the capital may even help us corner Raydoss, which should help Alessa more in the long run. Well, at least that¡¯s what I told Fran.

    ¡¸Fran-san, I look forward to working with you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Satia had a lesser demon standing behind her holding Derrick captive. His entire body was entangled with chains, a magical item to drain his energy and prevent his escape.

    He was also blindfolded and gagged. Moreover, the limbs we cut off were still missing. They apparently nned to heal his limbs in exchange for information during the negotiation.

    Despite having Derrick in this awful state behind them, the two girls chatted without a care in the world. How can you just ignore him? These two might actually be pretty amazing. Even the adventurers and soldiers seeing them off looked pretty taken aback.

    ¡¸You too, Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We departed with many people sending us off, and our journey to the capital was incrediblyfortable. Though we stayed on lookout for ambushes, it¡¯s almost impossible to get Urushi when he¡¯s flying through the sky.

    Rather, the more annoying part came when we reached the capital.

    We had to stop at a ce a bit outside the capital, and make the appropriate preparations to enter. After all, the huge Urushi showing up at the capital would only plunge the city into chaos.

    Well, that wasn¡¯t a big a problem since Urushi can just shrink himself. Fran had aerial hop, Satia had Ronowe to transport her, and the demon was still carrying Derrick.

    We continued moving forward, and found a few knights waiting for us at the city gates. But how did they know when we would arrive¡­? Have they been waiting here ever since we reported about Derrick or something? Guess it¡¯s a good thing we didn¡¯t take any detours.

    ¡¸Satia-sama, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Thank you for having me.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! And you must be her escort, Fran-dono. This man is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. A spy from Raydoss.¡¹

    The knights all gave Derrick a stern re. No doubt the current war lowered everyone¡¯s opinions of people from Raydoss.

    ¡¸Bring him this way.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood.¡¹

    Derrick was ced in a huge metal box brought by the knights, a cube of about 2 meters on each side.

    I immediately understood this box was made of a magical metal, and also had an enchantment for improved durability. Since two knights lifted it so easily, maybe there was also one for reduced weight.

    It seems this box is used in ce of iron cages on people they really don¡¯t want to escape. Since this world has all sorts of magic and skills, you can never be too vignt.

    After that, ten knights carried Derrick away as Fran and Satia were led into a wagon. They wouldn¡¯t make foreign royalty walk on their own feet.

    Our destination was, of course, the royal castle.

    I expected that Fran only needed to act as Satia¡¯s escort, but I guess she¡¯s also a valuable witness.

    The two were allowed into the castle¡¯s reception room, where they were greeted with a grand wee. Fran promptly filled her stomach with various snacks until an important-looking guy finally arrived.

    Or rather, an important looking guy that we have met before. He was Count Bailleys, Velmeria¡¯s father and the former captain of the knights protecting the capital. That¡¯s a bit strange though, since I heard he took responsibility for his daughter¡¯s rampage through the capital¡­

    It appears he still holds a decent amount of authority within the knights. Or did he rise back to his former position in the short period of time since then?

    ¡¸It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Sidre Bailleys of the royal guard. I will be the one in charge of entertaining Your Highness, as well as the interview of important witnesses.¡¹

    Royal guard! So he still held an important position even if he was stripped of the captain title.

    Fran was familiar with him, so he should be easy to work with. The government was probably aware of their rtionship, and that¡¯s why they appointed Count Bailleys to the role.

    Indeed, our conversation proceeded very smoothly.

    Satia exined what Phyllius was trying to do, and Fran corroborated her statements with intel gotten from Derrick afterwards.

    ¡¸Your Highness, Kranzel does not intend to ask for anypensation or apology from Phyllius regarding this matter.¡¹

    ¡¸But we¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸We have no hard evidence regarding your attempted actions, nor do we wish to have a falling out with Phyllius at this critical moment. Instead, we would prefer to strengthen our friendship.¡¹

    In other words, they want to make peace with Phyllius by putting the whole matter aside. This is definitely the most favorable oue for Kranzel.

    Receiving some money or supplies aspensation doesn¡¯t help if it means losing an ally, especially when they are desperate to gain an advantage over Raydoss.

    Satia seems to want a punishment, but such an oue benefits no one. Even if she is royalty, she is also a child. She wasn¡¯t fully satisfied with this result.

    We had heard from Satia on the way here that both she and Flut were mentally connected to their demons due to making a contract at a deep level. Because of that, it seems Phyllius¡¯s royal family tend to be more mentally mature than others their age. Well, it¡¯s pretty obvious if youpare them to Fran.

    Even so, that doesn¡¯t mean they are as mature as adults, nor does it make them super smart or anything like that. That¡¯s why they sometimes seemed inconsistent, as if they were both mature and childish at the same time.

    ¡¸Up until now, we have avoided forming a concrete military alliance with Phyllius. However, this incident has changed our minds. We wish to strengthen our ties as much as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I understand. I will do my best to assist.¡¹

    It seems they kept their previous cooperation a bit loose to avoid provoking Raydoss. And now, they want Satia as a go between to form a real alliance.

    Well, sounds to me like a n benefiting both parties.

 Chapter 1095

    <h4>1095: Esmeralda</h4>

    It seems Count Bailleys was also in charge of investigating whether or not Satia was plotting anything.

    Satia and Fran waited in the reception room for about half an hour after he left, then Satia was led into a different room by herself.

    Fran simply stayed behind. Since Satia was having an audience with King Kranzel, she was not allowed to bring any escorts.

    Everyone knows the royal family of Phyllius uses demonic powers, so they wanted to minimize her forces in case she was trying to assassinate the king or something. They probably had no clue how Fran would react to such an event either.

    The other purpose was probably so they could get the upper hand. Even though Kranzel wanted to form an alliance with Phyllius, they also wanted to maintain a position of superiority in their alliance.

    Thus by forcing Satia to be alone in a crowd of Kranzel¡¯s knights, they wanted to imply who stood at the top of the Kranzel-Phyllius alliance.

    I guess international diplomacy can¡¯t bepletely friendly. They always have these kinds of political games.

    Still, it¡¯s not like they were treating Fran poorly. In fact, she was treated to an endless stream of snacks while waiting. Her tes were reced almost as fast as they were emptied.

    She¡¯s already devoured enough super expensive snacks to feed like ten people. The few maids serving her watched all of this without a single change in expression. If I was them, I¡¯m sure my face would be twitching right now. I can say without a doubt that these maids are true professionals.

    Unexpectedly, Fran was actually the one whose face twitched first. She had sensed the slightest trace of a suspicious presence right outside the castle grounds.

    The presence was far away and onlysted an instant, so there was no way to chase it down. However, they were clearly using some kind of skill or magic to conceal themselves.

    £¨An enemy?£©

    ¡ºHmm, can¡¯t say for sure. We can¡¯t sense any hostility or malice at this distance.¡»

    Maybe it was an enemy spy, or maybe just one of Kranzel¡¯s secret agents. We don¡¯t want to make a fuss if it¡¯s thetter.

    And we were not the only ones reacting to the presence. Or rather, it seemed more like they were reacting to Fran¡¯s reaction. It came from one of the maids standing at the corner of the room.

    We knew this maid was way stronger than the others, so she was probably assigned to monitor us or something. She walked toward us with her left hand covering her ear.

    ¡¸Did you notice?¡¹

    ¡¸The person outside the castle?¡¹

    ¡¸As I thought¡­ you are very impressive.¡¹

    The maid showed her surprise at Fran¡¯s ability to sense the distant presence. However, she quickly returned to a straight face and told Fran to ignore it.

    ¡¸We are already on the case. Please do not move at this time.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Okay.¡¹

    The earring on her left ear must be a magicalmunication device. She must have used it to check on the situation outside.

    ¡¸What¡¯s going on?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t know the details yet, but there is a strong possibility that someone has concealed themselves with magic and infiltrated the capital.¡¹

    A Raydoss spy? Kranzel has sent many of its forces north, weakening the security around the capital. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if Raydoss sent spies in to take advantage of the opening.

    Fran started to look a bit impatient and bored, but she isn¡¯t allowed to do whatever she wants.

    We¡¯re still waiting for Satia, and any suspicious movements within the castle will make her a criminal.

    Another hour passed. The ck hole in Fran¡¯s stomach was starting to get full, when Satia finally came back. The expression on her face indicated her meeting with the king bore fruit.

    ¡¸Fran-san, I will be staying here at the castle. Your escort request is nowplete.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸I am truly, truly grateful.¡¹

    Satia bowed her head deeply. Remaining in the castle means, in a sense, that she is a hostage. She will never truly be able to rx.

    Even so, Satia was smiling. She was determined to fulfill her mission.

    ¡¸I will do my best to bridge together the two countries.¡¹

    Fran encouraged Satia with a faint smile, hugging her.

    ¡¸Nn. Do your best. But don¡¯t overdo it.¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯lle back to see you soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡­!¡¹

    They hugged each other for a while longer.

    After parting ways with Satia, our next stop was the Adventurers Guild. Or so I thought, but apparently we still had some business here. The maid told us to wait a bit longer.

    In the very same room Fran had waved goodbye to Satia a few minutes ago, someone else entered. A short, elderly woman sitting on top of a weird object. Is that a sofa made out of sand?

    The elderly woman was covered in wrinkles and looked weak in both appearance and from the aura she gave off. However, there¡¯s no way anyone capable of controlling such potent dust magic can be weak. She must be incredibly good at hiding her strength.

    Her white hair had a slight greenish tinge, and she wore a beautiful robe embroidered with grass and tree motifs. Her hair ornament and essories were also stylish, giving her the appearance of a refined olddy.

    However, this impression faded the moment she opened her mouth.

    ¡¸Sorry for barging in unannounced. You¡¯re the ck Lightning Princess, I take it?¡¹

    She had an incredibly hoarse voice and tone.

    ¡¸Nn. Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah. The name¡¯s Esmeralda, just a pitiful old hag whosefortable retirement got taken away by my ipetent former subordinates.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Well, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she was retired given her age. But what is a retired olddy doing here? As we went silent in confusion, the maid exined.

    ¡¸This woman was originally the head of the Kranzel¡¯s intelligence department.¡¹

    ¡¸Over 20 years ago, yeah. Then they pulled me back in because they were short on staff after the Ashtner incident.¡¹

    ¡¸I am incredibly sorry. However, we require Esmeralda-sama of the ¡°Dusty Throne¡± to make up for our losses.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Your failure was letting the revolt happen in the first ce. I even told you to keep your eyes on Ashtner when I retired. Fine, guess I¡¯ll have to empty the treasury for my services again. More importantly, I have a request for you, ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    ¡¸Request?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯d love to hire you too, but you¡¯re not interested in a government job, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m an adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know. I like a girl who knows what they want. Serving your country is way too much trouble. Wanna guess how many times I¡¯ve wished to go back to adventuring?¡¹

    ¡¸You were an adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Up until 40 years ago. I was formerly Rank A, you know.¡¹

    The same rank as Gamudo and his party, but she¡¯s probably from an even earlier generation. At any rate, this old woman was clearly not someone we want to make enemies with.

 Chapter 1096

    <h4>1096: Esmeralda''s Request</h4>

    ¡¸Getting down to business, I want you to search for Raydoss spies, as well as any noble families suspected ofmitting treason.¡¹

    ¡¸Nobles too?¡¹

    Olddy Esmeralda suddenly started exining her request, which left Fran a little puzzled.

    Searching for spies was fine, though barely within the scope of an adventurer¡¯s job. But should you really be asking adventurers to take down noblesmitting treason?

    ¡¸Yeah, but don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I¡¯m not asking you to take the lead or anything. We just don¡¯t have enough manpower, so we need any help we can get. Besides, we won¡¯t need to hide anything from you.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Remember this? You¡¯re the source, right?¡¹

    Esmeralda took out a sheet of paper, which appeared to be a rather long list.

    After taking a closer look, I realized that it was quite simr to the list we found from the vers.

    Of course, now it makes sense. This list contains all of the clients who are nobles or merchants within the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah, you really turned it in at the perfect time. All of the idiots who might have made it disappear are long gone, and your name backing it gives it more credibility. You might not look like it, but you really know your stuff, eh?¡¹

    She¡¯s overestimating Fran! It seems Esmeralda thought Fran purposely hid the list until her adventurer rank rose high enough to make her credible.

    ¡¸The timing truly was perfect. Kukuku¡­ Nationalw prohibits the trade of illegal ves, and anyone ignoring thew is asking to get their asses kicked. Now we have our pretenses.¡¹

    ¡¸However, removing too many noble families will also cause chaos¡­¡¹

    Esmeralda scoffed at the maid¡¯s argument.

    ¡¸Hah! So what? It looks like our agents have gotten soft while I was sipping tea in retirement. This is exactly why the nobles are getting full of themselves. Look, you need to keep them scared. They should be terrified of the consequences of going against us. That¡¯s the only deterrent that will lead our country to stability.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­But¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No buts! Annihte your enemies, and crush the guilty! If something looks suspicious, you investigate until you find something! Otherwise, what¡¯s the point of our agents! In the first ce, why is a little girl like you trying to talk back to me!?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Ahh!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    In an instant, Esmeralda emitted a tremendous amount of killing intent. It was both dense and deep, like the pressure one would feel at the bottom of the sea. Even this maid, who seemed to be a high-ranked agent, turned pale and started trembling.

    Fran, too, almost went into abat stance. Esmeralda definitely had a powerful aura befitting the former head of the intelligence division. The fact that she looked so weak must be because we could not perceive through her disguise.

    ¡¸Sorry you had to see that, missy. These young ones have gotten so ill-behaved. I guess I¡¯ll have to re-discipline all of them.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. That¡¯s all right.¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah! I¡¯m impressed that you didn¡¯t even flinch!¡¹

    ¡¸So, what about the request?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, yes, of course. Us old folks tend to go off on tangents a lot. After the incident with that Ashtner fool, we took down most of his crew too. But there are still a number of nobles in the capital connected to Raydoss. It¡¯s very likely they¡¯re covering for Raydoss¡¯s spies. You with me so far?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸So we want to take down all these traitorous nobles, but investigating them takes too much time. In that case, why not get them on a different set of charges? That¡¯s where this listes in handy.¡¹

    Makes sense. Arrest them for ve trading rather than the alleged connection to Raydoss.

    ¡¸You¡¯re a good fighter who can sneak around, and you already know about the list so there¡¯s no confidentiality issue. That¡¯s why I want you on the case. How about it?¡¹

    Esmeralda handed us a request paper, which looked fine to me.

    £¨Master, can I?£©

    ¡ºYeah, might as well take them out.¡»

    Nobles involved in the ve trade are as bad as Raydoss in Fran¡¯s mind. If she can crush them with the government¡¯s stamp of approval, then she would not hesitate to do so.

    Fran epting this request was inevitable.

    ¡¸¡­Okay. I¡¯ll take it.¡¹

    ¡¸Great! You¡¯re a big help!¡¹

    Wait, hasn¡¯t it only been a few days since we provided the list? Did they really have the time to double check if everything was urate? Fran asked about that, and Esmeralda smirked.

    ¡¸We found the traces of a proper contract on that list of names, making it a magical document. Well, they probably kept it in case they ever wanted to ckmail the nobles.¡¹

    We never noticed anything like that, but it seems like their alchemists managed to find out more than us.

    Moreover, the signatures and seals found on the documents were identical to those on previously found ve contracts. Kranzel determined that the documents were authentic as a result.

    In addition, all the nobles on the list had previously worked for Marquis Ashtner¡¯s faction, and the government was searching for any excuse to investigate them. Even if the evidence wasn¡¯t solid, ridding themselves of the nobles was a higher priority.

    ¡¸Why are you telling me so much?¡¹

    ¡¸Because you¡¯ve pretty much been involved since the beginning, and already took the job. Better work hard, alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡¹

    Esmeralda seems to want us to start immediately. She threw some kind of object at us.

    ¡¸Put that on, missy.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸A mask with a recognition blocking effect.¡¹

    The mask was the type to cover her eyes rather than her mouth, slightly resembling a masquerade mask. It waspletely ck with gold on the edges, which made it seem a bit edgy.

    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t provide any defense, but it makes your face hard to recognize. Grudges from the nobles are rather annoying, so keep it on.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡ºThis is a pretty high-quality item.¡»

    I was wondering how Fran should disguise herself, but this solves the issue.

    ¡¸Give it back when you¡¯re finished with the request. That thing can be dangerous in the wrong hands.¡¹

    ¡ºAw, of course!¡»

    We weren¡¯t allowed to keep it, since assassins and such would do anything to get their hands on something like this.

    ¡¸First, we¡¯re sending you to the mansions of some nobles who have been acting suspiciously.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Their fate has already been decided, so feel free to go all out.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡ºWait! You need to hold back!¡»

    £¨?£©

    If Fran really goes all out, the surrounding region will get blown to smithereens too!

 Chapter 1097

    <h4>1097: Road to the Mansion</h4>

    Immediately after taking the job from Esmeralda, Fran headed to the mansion of one of the nobles on the list. We were apanied by about 30 soldiers, Count Bailleys, and the maid. Well, she had already changed into the same gear as the other soldiers, so I guess we can¡¯t call her a maid anymore.

    Apparently, she was one of their top agents. She went by the name ¡°Blue¡±, but that¡¯s clearly some kind of code name or alias.

    Fran was already wearing the mask and raring to go. Esmeralda said that no one would be able to remember her face, but it seems the actual effect is to prevent her from leaving an impression on others. Anyone trying to think about her would only remember that she was a female beastkin.

    Esmeralda apparently found this high-level magical tool in a dungeon. She lent it out to us very casually, despite its readily apparent value.

    The olddy herself wasn¡¯t here though, instead on standby at the castle. She was probably also takingmand of all the other teams.

    I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence that Count Bailleys was assigned to the same team as Fran. He was probably chosen to support us because of the two¡¯s rtionship. However, we also found this arrangement convenient.

    We had been wanting to tell him about what happened to Velmeria and Tnaria. Holding such a conversation was too difficult in the castle due to the number of eyes.

    And now we have our chance!

    Well, not like talking to Count Bailleys was that difficult.

    ¡¸Hey, are you working as a knight right now? Or just a soldier?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Oh, I see. I am indeed a knight in the royal guard, but I¡¯m acting as a soldier for this mission to keep a low profile. The royal guard can be assigned various tasks aside from guarding the king, so this is quitemon.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    So he¡¯s like the king¡¯s errand boy? I guess such a position only suits someone capable of doing pretty much anything. But that question was merely a lead in. Now that he told us about himself, it¡¯s Fran¡¯s turn.

    ¡¸I went to the continent of Gordicia.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! Really?¡¹

    Count Bailleys looked very interested in the subject. However, I also noticed Blue ncing over at us for an instant.

    Like I thought, they have some idea of Velmeria¡¯s location. Still, Blue didn¡¯t say anything out loud.

    ¡¸I met Tnaria too.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh. Hmm, however, we are currently in the middle of a mission. Perhaps we should avoid talking about personal business right now.¡¹

    It seems he was worried Fran might mention Velmeria at this rate. Well, I guess Fran probably would.

    But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m telling her exactly what to say.

    ¡¸Tnaria went through a lot, but she¡¯s living happily right now.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. She¡¯s with the other dragonkin, including her brother.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! I see!¡¹

    Thank goodness, Fran¡¯s incredibly monotone acting got through. Frederick was a subordinate of the Count, as well as the one in charge of Velmeria¡¯s education. The Count knew of Frederick¡¯s attachment to Velmeria, and that they remained together afterward.

    Frederick is also Tnaria¡¯s younger brother and Velmeria¡¯s uncle. Not many people know about this due to the taboo of bing an evil dragonkin.

    However, the Count is surely one of the few who knows. In other words, Tnaria being with her brother means Velmeria is there too.

    He should understand exactly what Fran was hinting at.

    Blue started getting really suspicious though. After all, Fran¡¯s acting was awful, and the Count seemed excited. The agents of the intelligence division should be searching for Velmeria too, right?

    ¡¸Blue, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve been told to ignore the Count¡¯s private matters, so I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡¹

    That wasn¡¯t a lie. It seems the king really told them to avoid pursuing Velmeria.

    Despite ostensibly putting a bounty on her, they likely can¡¯t afford the effort it would take to actually track her down.

    After walking a bit longer, we arrived at our destination.

    ¡¸It¡¯sing into view.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the mansion of Viscount Ozero?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Let us first ask to enter, then we can resort to force if they refuse.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Blue had a somewhatplicated expression on her face. It seems she disagreed with using such a hard-handed approach. However, she was unable to express her opposition due to remembering Esmeralda¡¯s intense pressure.

    It only took an instant for that legendary head of the intelligence division to instill her subordinates with fear.

    ¡¸Now then, I look forward to working with everyone.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that! Boys, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes sir!¡¹

    Blue signaled the start of the operation, and the Count moved into action with his soldiers. It looked a bit weird seeing these burly men obeying the orders of a woman and little girl.

    Everyone must be aware of Blue¡¯s position among the agents, and that¡¯s why they followed her obediently.

    From this point on, Fran and Blue acted as Count Bailleys¡¯s subordinates. That way, we could trick the noble into thinking we only had normal soldiers here.

    We already have a warrant to search the premises. If the nobleplies and allows us in, then he¡¯s probably innocent. If he tries to chase us out, or eliminate us, then Fran and Blue jump in.

    The Count contacted the gatekeeper of the Viscount Ozero¡¯s mansion and requested entry. As expected, this gatekeeper didn¡¯t have the authority to refuse us.

    Herees the turning point.

    We waited outside for a few minutes, then an entire squad of soldiers came rushing out of the mansion, clearly prepared for battle. Meanwhile, the important-looking guy among them shouted at us angrily.

    ¡¸Do you have any clue who you are messing with!? This is the mansion of Viscount Ozero! You truly think a mere footsoldier can be allowed entry?! Don¡¯t make meugh!¡¹

    ¡¸But we have an official warrant.¡¹

    ¡¸I refuse to speak to such peasants! Bring me yourmanding officer!¡¹

    It seems the Count still intended to act like a soldier. He must want to conceal the fact that the royal guard has been deployed.

    The noble¡¯s private troops seemed to bepletely underestimating us. No actually, I think they are mostly acting too. They were simply ordered to stall for time.

    I sensed a lot of people moving around busily within the mansion. I don¡¯t know if the Raydoss spy is in there or not, but they certainly have something to hide.

    ¡¸I understand.¡¹

    ¡¸Good! Now leave us!¡¹

    ¡¸I mean to say that I understand you have no intention ofplying.¡¹

    The Count drew his sword and held it at the ready.

    ¡¸F-Fool! Y-You dare defy a noble! Do you think you can get away with this?!¡¹

    ¡¸I must say you are the fool here. Do you think you can get away withmitting treason?¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-¡­! A mere soldier doesn¡¯t have the authority to¡­¡¹

    ¡¸We have determined that Viscount Ozero is plotting treason, and herebyunch apulsory investigation!¡¹

    Immediately after the Count made this deration, Fran and Blue moved in.

    The twenty enemy soldiers fell to the ground in an instant. While we left them alive, they won¡¯t be waking up for a while. The sh of thunder magic surprised our soldiers a bit as well, but none of them took so much as a scratch.

    ¡¸Further discussion is pointless. Capture everyone in the mansion, dead or alive!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸You two are free to act as you please.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Please handle the sealing of all possible exits.¡¹

    Fran and Blue left the soldiers and went their separate ways. After dashing past the small yard in an instant, Fran kicked down the front door, the sound of which rumbled throughout the mansion.

 Chapter 1098

    <h4>1098: Rescuing Illegal ves</h4>

    ¡¸Kyaaaah!¡¹

    The servant girl¡¯s screams could probably be heard all throughout the mansion. Everyone has learned of our intrusion by now, but that doesn¡¯t matter. Esmeralda had told us to be messy in the first ce.

    Due to the current national crisis, the Ashtner faction nobles were confident that they would not be punished no matter what they did. One reason for this operation is to show how the government is losing patience with them. We are to make an example of any who think this status quo will continue.

    That¡¯s why we made no attempt to muffle our sounds with wards, and why we walked straight up to their front gate.

    ¡¸W-What are¨D¨DUrgh!¡¹

    ¡ºY-You really aren¡¯t holding back.¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran zapped the servant, knocking her unconscious. Well, I guess she already views everyone in the mansion as enemies, so I should be d she isn¡¯t t out killing them.

    Blue seems to be headed for the Viscount¡¯s office. In that case, we should look for the strongest-looking presence in the mansion.

    Rather than Viscount¡¯s office, this wasing from the basement.

    We ran through the vi, knocking out various servants and soldiers, before finally finding a stairway to the basement deep within the mansion. Yet after descending the stairs, we found the basement devoid of people.

    Well, not like anyone could hide from us.

    ¡¸Ha!¡¹

    Fran kicked the wall on the right, revealing arge hole to a hidden room. Four people were hiding inside.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s the viscount.¡»

    It seems he was trying to hole up until we left. Did he really think he could get away with the ¡°I¡¯m not home¡± excuse?

    ¡ºFran, this room has plenty of documents and stuff. We want those intact, so take them out as carefully as possible.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    By the time Fran nodded her head, she had already taken out the strongest knight in the room with a single punch. Not even he couldpare to Fran.

    After that, I knocked over the Viscount with my telekinesis, then Fran threw out two neck chops to down his gaudy wife and orc-like son.

    We found documents recording the sales and purchases of illegal goods, as well as the goods themselves. However, they had no ves. It seems Marquis Ashtner simply bought the ves using this noble¡¯s name to maintain a low profile.

    ¡ºAnd no Raydoss spy either.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I never sensed anyone leaving the mansion, so there must have been no spy here from the beginning.

    After that, Fran and the others paid a visit to the mansions of other Ashtner faction nobles, capturing all of them in sequence.

    We¡¯re on the fifth one already.

    Fran learned from her experience in the first mansion and made the basement her first stop. These nobles seem to really like hiding stuff in the basement for some reason.

    Well, we never managed to hit the jackpot again. All we found were some hidden ledger books and illegal ves, not the nobles themselves.

    However, it seems Fran made rescuing the ves her biggest priority. When she found some in the second mansion, she dropped everything and rushed over.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll be safe now.¡¹

    ¡¸T-Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Want some food?¡¹

    To my surprise, Fran gave them curry to eat. That¡¯s probably the greatest consideration she can give.

    Then Fran showed the exact opposite of consideration to the residents of the mansions hiding ves, turning them into a bloodbath. She just barely managed to refrain from killing them, since we still needed to extract info.

    This is probably exactly what Esmeralda wanted from us.

    By the time we reached the sixth mansion, the residents were very obedient. It seems the other units around the capital had already taken out over ten mansions. Word of what happened spread around, so the nobles drifted toward epting a painless arrest rather than resisting.

    Then, when Fran and the others were on their way to the next mansion.

    ¡¸Please hold on. I have received a message from Esmeralda-sama.¡¹

    ¡¸Message? When?¡¹

    ¡¸Just now.¡¹

    Blue notified us of a message, but she did not seem to be equipped with anymunication tool. Fran tilted her head back.

    Then, Blue held out her hand with a small lump of sand on it.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸Esmeralda-sama¡¯s sand, which allows me tomunicate with her. In fact, she can even see what is happening to us.¡¹

    It seems Esmeralda was called the Dusty Throne due to this sand-basedmunicationwork. Spreading sand over a wide area allowed her to monitor anything happening within.

    She probably needs to stay still if she¡¯s concentrating on something like that.

    Blue handed us the sand, then Fran and I began hearing Esmeralda¡¯s voice. Rather than telepathy, this seemed to be making use of vibrations in the sand to do something simr to bone conduction.

    ¡ºWe got some more info from that Derrick guy. He mentioned a noble not on the list, so can you head there next?¡»

    ¡¸Derrick already talked?¡¹

    It¡¯s only been a few hours since we handed him over. I thought Satia may have helped out, but apparently not.

    ¡ºHyah-hyah-hyah. I¡¯ve been around a long time, so I know a few tricks. He may be trained to resist pain and drugs, but not pleasure. Hyah-hyah-hyah!¡»

    She didn¡¯t exin the details, but Derrick apparently underwent a very special kind of torture. As expected from the head of the intelligence division, she had some pretty nasty knowledge.

    Esmeralda directed us to the mansion of a baron. Baron Noare was a humble, poor noble who Blue had not suspected at all.

    Apparently no one ever looked into him because he never did anything. But ording to Derrick, he was connected to Raydoss. I guess he purposely avoided joining Marquis Ashtner¡¯s faction to avoid all suspicion.

    His mansion stood quietly at the edge of the noble district, far from themotion. The shadow of the royal castle cast a pall of gloom over the area.

    ¡¸Here?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, this should be Baron Noare¡¯s residence¡­¡¹

    Blue was just as puzzled as Fran. It was pretty much exactly what you would expect from the house of an impoverished noble, and there wasn¡¯t even a gatekeeper. The walls were crumbling apart and the garden was barely maintained. Very hard to believe there¡¯s actually a spy hiding inside.

    Still, Fran was very motivated. We sensed some sort of presence, albeit a faint one. No clue who they might be, but they were surely someone very skilled in stealth if we couldn¡¯t determine their location after getting so close.

    ¡ºUrushi, get ready to track them down if they try to run.¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    Urushi didn¡¯t manage to do much thest time we were in the capital, so he was also very motivated. Since our opponent seemed to specialize in stealth, it¡¯s best to take precautions in case they try to escape.

    We pushed the gate open by ourselves and banged on the door of the house. A bit of a rough entry, but that¡¯s fine since we wanted to intimidate them.

    After a short wait, a maid appeared from inside the house. She looked rather in and somewhat clueless-looking.

    ¡¸W-What is going on?¡¹

    ¡¸There has been a report of an enemy spy fleeing into this area, so we¡¯ll be searching the premises.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Ehh?¡¹

    We listened to the exchange between the still-disguised Count Bailleys and the maid, but she really seemed clueless. After getting this close though, I was convinced. There¡¯s definitely something hidden here.

    ¡¸Move.¡¹

    ¡¸P-Please wait just a minute!¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    Fran pushed aside the maid and stepped into the mansion. A man emerged from the back of the room with a puzzled look on his face, probably the baron himself. Fran asked him a question directly.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s the Raydoss spy?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I have no clue what you are talking about¡­ What¡¯s wrong with you? There¡¯s no way there could be a Raydoss spy here.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a lie.¡»

    While the maid was kept in the dark, the baron definitely knew something.

    Fran pointed my de at the baron.

    ¡¸I know the spy is here. If you lead the way without any more lies, you might get to live.¡¹

    ¡¸H-How insolent! I may be a poor baron, but I am still a nobl¨D¨DGYAH!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re here on government orders. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re an noble.¡¹

    Oh boy. She¡¯s identified him as someone friendly to Raydoss, so she immediately started at top gear. Fran asked her question again, looking down at the baron who was moaning while holding his bleeding thigh.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll ask one more time. Where¡¯s the Raydoss spy?¡¹

 Chapter 1099

    <h4>1099: Baron Noare''s Residence</h4>

    Baron Noare, despite his pathetic appearance, was quite stubborn.

    He refused to admit any treason, and continued ying the role of a stupid and arrogant noble. Despite getting covered in blood, he repeatedly imed that he knew nothing.

    ¡¸¡­Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahh!¡¹

    The baron was stunned at the sudden appearance of the wolf in front of him. No wait, he appeared stunned, but that was also an act.

    Being able to keep up for so long was pretty impressive.

    ¡¸Do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸W-What are you doing? Stop it! I don¡¯t taste good!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. You¡¯re getting eaten alive. Let¡¯s see if you can still y dumb.¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸AHHHH!¡¹

    I think that scream was serious at least. Urushi seems to have remembered that the confession poison he mastered was more effective on a mentally weakened target.

    After we had fun scaring Baron Noare into screaming several times, Urushi finally did it. He showered the baron with gray smoke, robbing him of his judgment.

    Derrick required several doses of the poison, but it worked on Baron Noare in one spray. Poison resistance definitely ys a key factor.

    All emotion disappeared from the baron¡¯s face, and he fell into a daze. Fran confirmed his state and asked the question again.

    ¡¸Where is the Raydoss spy?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know.¡¹

    ¡¸We know the spy ran here.¡¹

    ¡¸I invited him in, but he disappeared after. I don¡¯t know where he is anymore.¡¹

    So even the baron himself doesn¡¯t know. Damn. That means the spy must be hiding somewhere in the mansion still.

    I could still sense a faint presence, but none of us were capable of pinpointing the exact location.

    ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s search the house ourselves and seize any evidence.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Our squad did aplete and thorough search of the baron¡¯s mansion with all our manpower. However, we still couldn¡¯t find the spy.

    We checked every single room, including the basement. There were a few suspicious-looking rooms, but we couldn¡¯t locate the spy for the life of us.

    How do I put this? It¡¯s like there was a strange scent lingering over the entire mansion, and rooms where the scent was slightly stronger than the rest. Well, not that a sword like me has a sense of smell.

    There were almost zero incriminating documents, though we confiscated tools apparently used to secretlymunicate with others from Raydoss. For example, knives and medicine bottles with special hidden emblems.

    Even after extracting everything Baron Noare had to offer, this was all the evidence we could find. There was no secret basement room or other suspicious facilities. He seems to have been very thorough in avoiding any suspicion.

    £¨We still don¡¯t know where the spy is.£©

    ¡ºHmm. It seems they intend to stay hidden until we leave.¡»

    £¨Arf.£©

    The n is probably to escape after we are gone. They must be very confident in their stealth skills considering how they didn¡¯t already try to make a run for it. Or maybe they knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to run from Fran and Urushi? Or even both?

    ¡ºWhat else can we try¡­?¡»

    £¨I¡¯ll take care of it.£©

    ¡ºOh? You got a n?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran nodded confidently. It seems she¡¯se up with a way to locate the spy.

    £¨Can I try it?£©

    ¡ºOkay, but are you sure you don¡¯t need my help?¡»

    £¨Nn. I can do it alone!£©

    Fran has been really interested in training ever since the mock battle with Gamudo a while back. I guess she wants to try doing things by herself whenever possible.

    ¡ºOkay, but I¡¯ll lend you a hand if things start looking bad.¡»

    £¨Nn. Please do.£©

    Fran nodded lightly and crouched down on the ground to perform a spell.

    ¡¸Great Wall.¡¹

    A huge earthen wall blocked off the north side of the Noare residence.

    ¡¸Eh? What is this?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s going on!?¡¹

    ¡¸Such powerful magic¡­¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t only Baron Noare, but also Blue and the other soldiers who were raising their voices in surprise. Some of the soldiers almost fell to the ground.

    ¡ºFran, maybe you should have told them what you were going to do in advance.¡»

    £¨?£©

    ¡ºLook, you startled the soldiers pretty badly.¡»

    ¡¸Mrgh. I¡¯m gonna start using magic.¡¹

    Fran informed Blue after the fact, then promptly cast Great Wall again without waiting for a response.

    Walls appeared to enclose the mansion¡¯s west and east sides. I felt a slight tremor of agitationing from the mysterious presence. It seems they were surprised to see the house they were hiding in enclosed by these giant walls.

    But before they had a chance to escape, a huge wall rose to block the remaining south side. All four sides of the residence were nowpletely blocked off.

    ¡¸Phew. Okay, now for the next round.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    While Blue and the others still looked puzzled, Fran jumped up onto the wall, peeked inside, and invoked another spell.

    ¡¸Thunder Chain!¡¹

    A spell with low offensive power, but very good at paralyzing enemies. Fran¡¯s strategy was to block off all escape routes with those walls, then indiscriminately st thunder magic throughout the premises.

    Well, this strategy certainly renders hiding pointless¡­ But Baron Noare¡¯s mansion was falling apart from the endless rain of spells.

    Everything was getting covered in scorch marks too, so it will need a lot of fixing before someone can live here again.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡ºStill noting out of hiding.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Did our magic have no effect? The mysterious presence remained incredibly faint. Perhaps this spy was apetent fighter in addition to their skills in stealth.

    ¡¸Then how about this!¡¹

    Fran unleashed yet another spell, Thor Hammer. Uhh, wouldn¡¯t that t out kill the spy if it hits them¡­? And you may have your face hidden, but invoking such powerful thunder magic kinda ruins the disguise¡­

    Before I could voice my concerns, a giant bolt of lightning consumed the mansion.

 Chapter 1100

    <h4>1100: Hidden One</h4>

    ¡¸A-Ahh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸My mansion¡­¡¹

    Baron Noare and his maid copsed to the ground aghast.

    Their vision was blocked by the wall, so they couldn¡¯t see the insides in detail. However, they could easily imagine what would happen if it was sted with thunder magic, then struck by a giant bolt of lightning.

    The top was open, so all those shes were very visible.

    Fran, however, looked unhappy. The mysterious presence still refused toe out. We sensed someone hiding, yet we had no means of driving them out.

    ¡ºYou still want to keep going?¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll find them!¡¹

    Fran got stubborn and invoked even more magic. Since thunder magic had no effect, she tried me magic this time.

    Countless spears of fire poured down on the house again and again. The half-copsed house turned into a full wreckage, the remnants of which were burning up.

    That¡¯s not the only spell Fran tried. She also threw in the new spell we obtained from learning purification magic: Area Purify.

    Fran was thinking that the hidden enemy might be undead.

    And her idea ended up working out perfectly.

    ¡¸GYAAAAAAHHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Something popped out!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, the presence suddenly cleaned up. They really were undead!¡»

    A powerful undead had cloaked himself within the walled enclosure. Getting hit with purification magic must have rendered him unable to hide.

    Though it was in tatters, the robe he wore appeared to be a magic tool. An appraisal revealed that it had an enchantment granting a powerful stealth effect. However, this effect was mostly gone after getting half burned by Fran¡¯s me magic.

    So her me magic worked pretty well too.

    ¡ºSeems weaker than I expectedbat-wise. His name is Hideman.¡»

    Because he¡¯s good at hide-and-seek or something? I understand now why we couldn¡¯t find him. In addition to the Convert, Presence Concealment, Inconspicuous, and Invisibility skills, he also had Shadow Diving and Shadow Shift. Also an unique skill called Conceal Existence.

    His incredible stealth must be frombining his own skills with the robe to support him.

    He probably dodged Fran¡¯s magic by diving into the shadows, but it seems that didn¡¯t allow him to escape Area Purify. Then he took a direct hit from her mes when he was forced out of the shadows.

    ¡¸Grr¡­ You bitch! You¡¯ve really gone and done it now!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you the Raydoss spy?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hmph.¡¹

    Hideman turned his head away, refusing to answer Fran¡¯s question. Or rather, this was an act to buy time as he searched for a way out.

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    He seems to have attempted to escape via Shadow Shift, but Urushi immediately prevented this. Urushi had popped out of the same shadow Hideman was attempting to enter.

    It¡¯s impossible to use any shadows controlled by others. One first needs to overpower the other caster¡¯s mana and ovee their interference. As a result, Hideman¡¯s attempt at teleportation failed. Even this powerful undead was no match for Urushi.

    Urushi¡¯s headbutt mmed into Hideman from right underneath, knocking him high into the sky.

    Fran immediately rushed over, cut off all his limbs, and grabbed him by the neck. Undead are normally immune to pain and suffocation, but she had a different idea in mind.

    ¡¸Purify.¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸Purify.¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAAAAH!¡¹

    Hideman screamed each time he was hit by his weakness, purification. It seems getting purified actually hurts undead despite them not having a sense of pain.

    We may have unintentionally found a suitable substitute for torture. Hideman lookedpletely exhausted after the debilitation from getting purified, as well as being inflicted with never before seen levels of pain.

    Though he had the appearance of a dried-up mummy, his face seemed to move slightly. This allowed us to read his emotions.

    Well, he still refused to talk, but I managed to extract a bit of info using Principle of Falsehoods.

    It seems he¡¯s a high-level member of Raydoss¡¯s ck Skeleton Corps, and he came all the way here looking for Derrick. However, he probably had a rough time finding a way into the castle, so he hid in Baron Noare¡¯s mansion while checking things out.

    We cut it pretty close, huh? If Derrick¡¯s transport had been just a littleter, Hideman might have reimed him.

    How did he manage to catch up with us after we rode Urushi to the capital though? My guess was some sort of long-range teleportation tool, but apparently not.

    It seems he simply cloaked his presence and ran all the way here. This is a feat only possible for undead, since they aren¡¯t limited by fatigue and don¡¯t have much of a presence to begin with.

    But that¡¯s as far as we were able to get with the interrogation. Hideman realized that he was leaking information, and groaned in frustration.

    ¡¸To think anyone would be able to get the better of me, Hideman, sixth seat of the ck Skeleton Corps¡­ How deeply regrettable¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, take him down!¡»

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    A tremendous amount of mana red up inside Hideman¡¯s head, on the level of supreme-tier spells. No clue what he was trying to do exactly, but it¡¯s clearly something we shouldn¡¯t wait for.

    And so, Fran diced Hideman¡¯s head in a cross pattern, as I invoked me magic to turn the pieces to ash.

    ¡ºSeems like we managed to stop it¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    He must have had a magical bomb embedded in his head. A self-destruct feature to avoid bbing, as well as taking out any nearby enemies.

    In the end, we failed to capture Hideman¡­ Fran¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she watched Hideman¡¯s corpse crashing down to the ruins of the mansion.

    However, it¡¯s not like we came out of this empty-handed.

    ¡ºIt seems the South Conquest Duke has some sort of n about to be executed. We should report this.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Well, Esmeralda probably heard everything through her sand either way.

 Chapter 1101

    <h4>1101: Esmeralda''s Alias</h4>

    After defeating the undead calling himself Hideman, we returned to the castle to ask Derrick for more information regarding him. But when we arrived, we found a familiar face waiting for us.

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Eliante!¡¹

    Eliante, the guildmaster of the capital.

    However, she seemed a little angry for some reason.

    ¡¸Good grief! If you¡¯re visiting the capital, you should show your face at my ce first.¡¹

    ¡¸I was gonna go after.¡¹

    ¡¸I know you didn¡¯t have a choice! Just let mein!¡¹

    We ended up taking Esmeralda¡¯s request at the castle, so we didn¡¯t get the chance to visit the guild yet. Eliante seems to understand this, but she still wanted to voice herints.

    ¡¸Besides, no one is able to refuse that old hag¡¯s requests. Though I have to say, I was really surprised when I saw your name suddenly added to the list of participants.¡¹

    ¡¸You know Esmeralda?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, of course, since she¡¯s a former Rank A adventurer. She was already retired by the time I became guildmaster, but I¡¯ve heard all sorts of rumors. Plenty of them are from the time she served the royal family too.¡¹

    Due to her behind-the-scenes job, Esmeralda rarelyes out in the open. That said, there were many incidents and legends that everyone recognized as Esmeralda¡¯s doing.

    ¡¸I suppose the most famous story is the ¡°Blood Rat¡± one, which ended up bing her alias.¡¹

    ¡¸Blood Rat? Isn¡¯t Esmeralda¡¯s alias ¡°Dusty Throne¡±?¡¹

    ¡¸Famous adventurers, mercenaries, and knights can have several aliases. Just like how they call you ck Lightning Princess, but also the ck Cat Saintess, the Magical Sword Girl, etc. Oh, and I think they¡¯re starting to call you Fleet Crusher in Bulbora.¡¹

    Eh? Fleet Crusher¡­ Seriously? I mean, it¡¯s not wrong. She did crush Raydoss¡¯s fleet, with many adventurers acting as witnesses.

    I guess it¡¯s not surprising if the adventurers started calling her that. After all, she even took out three Water Dragon Battleships. It¡¯s probably a much greater aplishment than we thought.

    ¡¸Esmeralda-san¡¯s most famous alias is ¡°Dusty Throne¡±, the one you know. She got that name for being able topletely dominate an entire region using her sand, all without moving from her seat.¡¹

    Back when she was adventurer, she apparently annihted arge-scale kobold outbreak without even leaving town. After changing workces, she used her abilities to monitor the entire capital city, eliminating various criminals and spies. That¡¯s how she earned the alias of Dusty Throne.

    ¡¸And Esmeralda-san¡¯s other famous alias is ¡°Blood Rat¡±. I guess her haters tend to use that name more often.¡¹

    Esmeralda can even use her sand to kill. Call it assassination or what not, but she has apparently remotely killed criminals while they were in the middle ofmitting serious crimes. She shows absolutely zero mercy, not even to nobles, so many considered her incredibly dangerous.

    As for her method of killing, she controls rats made of sand. These rats are normally sent out as simple scouts, but they can easily turn into assassins if ordered to bite someone¡¯s neck. The sand rats get dyed red with the blood of their victims, which gave her the name of Blood Rat among the nobility.

    ¡¸And she even calls herself Blood Rat sometimes too. Nowadays, that alias is probably more well known.¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah! I prefer the more intimidating alias, you see.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! When did you¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I am still a master spy, you know. Hiding my presence has always been one of my specialties.¡¹

    Eliante turned around in surprise, and saw Esmeralda floating at the entrance of the room. In addition to hiding her presence, her chair of sand could move incredibly quietly. That probably added to her stealth.

    Fran and I managed to notice, but it seems like Eliante didn¡¯t.

    ¡¸Would you please send your requests through the guild?¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, here¡¯s the request paperwork.¡¹

    ¡¸Not after everything¡¯s already over! Good grief, you¡¯re taking advantage of this pure little girl! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to hear snidements from the other guildmasters!¡¹

    Woops, it seems we took a request without going through the guild. That doesn¡¯t vite any rules or anything, but we don¡¯t want to be viewed as disrespectful.

    Well, Eliante seems to me Esmeralda for tricking us, so I guess we¡¯re in the clear.

    ¡¸Say what you want, but isn¡¯t this more convenient for the guild too?¡¹

    ¡¸How so?¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Lightning Princess has gotten quite the reputation in Kranzel by now. Exactly what the guild wanted, no?¡¹

    What are they talking about? Were there some kind of political issues in y? I guess the guild gains prestige if powerful adventurers be famous.

    ¡¸¡­What are you after?¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah! Nothing, I¡¯m only an old hag after all!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You heard that?¡¹

    ¡¸I can hear anyone trash talking me in the capital.¡¹

    Esmeralda¡¯s smile was so intimidating that I had to doubt if she was really joking. Perhaps realizing that she had nothing to gain, Eliante smiled bitterly and went silent.

    ¡¸Grrgh.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, should I report now? Or do you already know?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, sorry about dragging you into such a long-winded conversation. This girl was getting a bit noisy, so I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s fine.¡¹

    Eliante seemed like she still had something to say, but she kept her mouth shut. No doubt she realized further argument would not serve any purpose.

    In the meantime, Fran reported to Esmeralda about all the information she obtained.

    ¡¸Mm-hmm, pretty much exactly what I heard through my sand. This ck Skeleton Corps sounds like quite the annoyance. Since they consist of undead, they might be able to easily replenish their ranks.¡¹

    True, all they need are powerful corpses to make more undead. We just defeated their sixth seat, but maybe they can easily raise some substitute undead to rece him.

    ¡¸I want to ask Derrick about Hideman.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve already questioned him on the subject.¡¹

    It seems Esmeralda interrogated Derrick while we were on the way back. She heard that Hideman was one of the South Conquest Duke¡¯s top spies, capable of appearing anywhere with his skills in stealth. Losing both Hideman and Derrick should weaken their intelligencework considerably.

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah. You¡¯ve done it again, ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Either way, I hereby dere your request from the governmentplete. Good job.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Now you¡¯re free to do whatever you please. If you want to stay in the capital, I have plenty of work that needs doing. If you¡¯re headed north, I can write a letter of introduction to the lord of Alessa. Well, not that you really need one.¡¹

 Chapter 1102

    <h4>1102: To Alessa</h4>

    ¡¸I see it, Alessa!¡¹

    Fran shouted for joy when she saw the distant city lights through the darkness of night.

    Finally back at Alessa after so many interruptions along the way. To tell the truth, we also heard some disturbing rumors along the way, which made us a bit worried.

    It happened at the diner of a town where we stopped to eat.

    ¡¸The Raydoss army breached the border?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s what I heard.¡¹

    ¡¸What about the powerful adventurers defending the north border?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not like they were defeated or anything, probably just outnumbered and forced to retreat. Though it¡¯s true that we were supposed to have the upper hand¡­ Keep on your toes if you¡¯re headed north, youngdy.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    There was also one more issue weighing Fran down, regarding the goblin dungeon where we once fought a Greater Demon.

    We had hoped the dungeon would go public as soon as possible, since gaining ess will let Nadia evolve incredibly easily. However, it appears the war dyed the investigation process.

    Despite asking everywhere, no one had heard about any new dungeon opening near Alessa.

    But more importantly, how did they get past the border with guys like Amanda and Jean there? Could this be rted to the South Conquest Duke¡¯s big n that we heard from Hideman?

    ¡¸Master, hurry!¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi! Full speed ahead!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran hurried to leave before even finishing her meal, or rather, she scarfed it down in one gulp. I should probably scold her about eating too fast, but I doubt she¡¯ll listen right now.

    Then we broke off the main road and cut our way through the mountains and forests, arriving at Alessa right after sunset.

    The atmosphere felt strangely prickly for some reason. Maybe because the war was so close?

    No, that¡¯s not quite it. I realized the reason as soon as we got closer.

    Boooom! Boooom!

    Fiery explosions lit up the night, again and again.

    Several figures got blown away by the shockwaves. Raydoss soldiers? No, I saw their figures illuminated by the mes and they weren¡¯t even human.

    Faces covered in rotten flesh, with eyeballs spilling out. Cracks in their heads, exposing the white of their bones.

    That¡¯s right, Alessa was under siege by a horde of undead.

    It seems the gates had yet to be breached, and and the city was striking back from atop the walls.

    ¡ºHmm?¡»

    ¡¸Did someone just look our way?¡¹

    ¡ºYou felt a gaze too?¡»

    I sensed someone watching us for a brief moment, but their presence immediately vanished. It wasn¡¯ting from the direction of Alessa, I think¡­

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºLet¡¯s focus on the issue at hand, but don¡¯t attack the horde out of the blue. We have no clue if it¡¯s only undead, since Alessa¡¯s forces might be engaged with them out here.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We decided to enter Alessa first.

    Our battles in Gordicia showed us how important it was to maintain the chain ofmand. Fighting in an organized manner is much more effective than fighting by yourself.

    But how should we enter? We might cause panic if we suddenly fly over the wall.

    Thus, we decided to approach them conspicuously while making ourselves glow with light magic. Fran went alone, with Urushi hidden in her shadow.

    The shiny girl walking through the sky ended up being a very strange sight, but at least no one immediately marked us as an enemy. Also, many in Alessa still remembered Fran.

    They soon realized her identity and weed her in.

    ¡¸Whoa, it¡¯s Fran! You came as reinforcements?¡¹

    ¡¸Elebent.¡¹

    ¡¸Over here! Come on down!¡¹

    The first person approaching us was Elebent the dwarf. He seemed to be the one in charge of the southern wall.

    Not to say that he¡¯s too weak or anything, but wasn¡¯t he a Rank D adventurer? I kinda expected themander to be someone a bit higher. However, it seems there was a reason for this.

    The city¡¯s main forces, including Amanda and Jean, were still busy intercepting Raydoss at the border. The undead army here was aparatively small force that managed to slip past them.

    If they consider several thousand undead a small force, I have to wonder how fierce things are on the front lines.

    Fran, however, remained calm in the face of these numbers. After fending off hordes of over ten thousand antidemons, a couple thousand undead wasn¡¯t so special.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s the higher ranked guys?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re busy chasing the enemies who snuck into town.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! That¡¯s not good!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, and they seem to be running all over the ce. The Rank C adventurer in charge of the walls went to join the pursuit, so that left me as the newmander.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The lord¡¯s mansion is the actingmand center, with the guildmaster there too. Can you go show your face there real quick?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you guys okay by yourselves?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. There may be lots of undead, but none are very strong. We¡¯repletely fine for the time being.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks again foring. Everyone will be excited when they hear about a high rank adventurer arriving.¡¹

    Indeed, the faces of the adventurers around Elebent seemed a bit brighter than before. With their main forces away, and being stuck fighting an unknown enemy, they were in a bit of a pinch with no guarantee of reinforcements.

    Then a high ranking adventurer famous in Alessa arrives to save the day. Even if she was only a little girl, everyone recognized her abilities. There¡¯s no doubt we eased a lot of their worries.

    ¡¸You want me use some spells on the undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Can you use spells for cleansing arge area?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. No, hold up. We have some allied necromancers on the walls too. You might end up taking out their undead.¡¹

    I see, so they have necromancers aside from Jean.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell them to back down, and you can go to the guildmaster in the meanwhile!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

 Chapter 1103

    <h4>1103: The Lord of Alessa''s Mansion</h4>

    Fran and Urushi ran through the empty streets of Alessa. Everyone had hidden themselves in their houses, and all the stores were closed.

    Back in Gordicia, there were actually crowds of people walking around even in towns under attack. I guess antidemon raids were somon that they lost their sense of danger. Hiding inside is probably the normal reaction.

    There were some patrolling soldiers, but none of them tried to question Fran. She was way too fast to be an enemy undead, so they probably assumed she was an adventurer on a messenger job.

    Of course, they stopped us before we could enter the lord¡¯s mansion, though they immediately let us through after a sh of her adventurer card. It seems Fran was way more famous in Alessa than I thought.

    I didn¡¯t expect her adventurer card to grant us entry without the slightest question.

    An emergencymand center had been prepared on the first floor of the mansion, with many important people gathered. The guildmaster Klint, the Alessa¡¯s Knight Captain Urth, and a simple-looking man in the back.

    Apparently, the simple-looking man was Alessa¡¯s lord. He didn¡¯t have much of an aura, nor a sharp gaze, looking like an ordinary, well-dressed man.

    Looks pretty unreliable, but is he good at his job? Maybe he was like Izario, seemingly useless, then bing amazing when the need arises.

    ¡¸Fran-san¡­ Looks like I have no choice but to wee you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m here.¡¹

    ¡¸The ck Lightning Princess! To think the girl from back then has be so famous!¡¹

    Klimt looked somewhat reluctant, though Urth was in a very weing mood. I¡¯m guessing Klimt hated the idea of getting Fran, or rather, any child involved in the war.

    However, they needed anyone they could get in this situation where the enemy¡¯s numbers were still uncertain. The interests of Alessa and Kranzel took precedence over Klimt¡¯s personal feelings.

    Thus, Klimt had no choice but to wee us as the guildmaster even if he didn¡¯t want to.

    ¡¸Klimt, I want to talkter.¡¹

    ¡¸Talk?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, about spirit magic.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, fine¡­ but can it wait until this incident is solved?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Even Fran knew we didn¡¯t have the time right now.

    ¡¸So you are the ck Lightning Princess? I am Zenos Amkranze, technically the lord of this town.¡¹

    ¡¸Technically?¡¹

    ¡¸Since I¡¯m more of a figurehead than anything. Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯ll just be sitting here.¡¹

    Seemed pretty easygoing for a noble. Is this guy really a lord? Well, Alessa¡¯s a rtively small town, so he might be a low-ranking noble.

    Or so I thought, but it seems I was wrong.

    ¡¸Fran. He may not look the part, but this man is royalty. Mind your manners around him even if he has no majesty.¡¹

    ¡¸Urth, aren¡¯t you being quite rude yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Is that so?¡¹

    Wait, what? What did he just say?

    ¡¸Royalty?¡¹

    ¡¸From a branch family. My blood is only worth as much as the frontier town they forced on me.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    No, what?! Royalty is royalty! Don¡¯t just hmm him like you don¡¯t care!

    ¡¸Honestly, don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m not even allowed to use the family name of Kranzel. Someone like you with the power to fight is more important right now.¡¹

    So it seems he really is just a figurehead.

    Seeing as how Klimt and Urth were on friendly terms with him, he¡¯s probably a decent guy though.

    That said, he may not be verypetent if he was unable to stop the tyranny of nobles like Auguste and Count Olmes. In a sense, you could say he was the type who entrusted anything he couldn¡¯t do to other people.

    ¡¸We the Adventurers Guild are cooperating with the knights to defend the town. I would like to ask for your help as well, Fran-san.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Our priority is to eliminate the current undead threat.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, us knights always have trouble dealing with undead.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸They are quite resilient to non-magical attacks.¡¹

    Undead can continue moving after taking a couple hits from a sword or spear, so the knights¡¯ck of mages does sound troublesome.

    The highest ranking adventurers having already been deployed to the border probably didn¡¯t help.

    ¡¸Depending on a child makes me feel rather pathetic, but please clean up the undead. Can you handle it?¡¹

    ¡¸Easily.¡¹

    ¡¸Sigh. I¡¯ve heard the reports from Gordicia, but it seems you still rush into things no matter where you go.¡¹

    ¡¸Heh.¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t mean that as apliment.¡¹

    Klimt wore a wry smile. He probably wanted to tell Fran not to rush to her death, but her impatience is what ended up benefiting the town. Thus, he pretty much lost the right to scold her outright.

    As far as I¡¯m concerned, anyone telling Fran to slow down is a rarity. Please do it as many times as it takes.

    Well, I guess a guildmaster can¡¯t just say ¡°don¡¯t work so hard¡± to an adventurer doing their job.

    ¡¸But first, we need to deal with the undead that has infiltrated town.¡¹

    ¡¸The fast one?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, it seems this undead is still scurrying around, boasting such stealth capabilities that even my spirits are unable to catch up. Managing to detect their entrance into the city in the first ce may be considered a miracle.¡¹

    An undead capable of outrunning spirits sounds really nasty. Might be even more troublesome than the undead outside.

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Please be careful not to cause any damage to the town.¡¹

    Klimt! You know Fran so well!

    ¡¸After taking care of that, move on to support our forces on the walls if possible.¡¹

    ¡¸Are there any adventurers outside the walls?¡¹

    ¡¸There should be no one fighting outside town, since my orders as knight captain were to lure the undead in before taking them out at range!¡¹

    ¡¸So, it¡¯s okay if I go all out?¡¹

    ¡¸No problem.¡¹

    Fran can¡¯t be held responsible if anyone gets caught up in her attack, since anyone outside of town is disobeying orders. Well, of course Fran doesn¡¯t want to identally kill anyone. Guess me and Urushi can take a quick look beforehand.

    ¡ºUrushi, let me know if you sense anyone outside the walls.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    In addition to adventurers or knights disobeying orders, there could even be Raydoss scouts. Though unlikely, it¡¯s also possible adventurers from other cities came to Alessa¡¯s rescue and got stuck fighting off the horde.

    Either way, let¡¯s deal with the internal issue first.

    ¡¸Okay, heading out!¡¹

    ¡¸Please do.¡¹

    ¡¸You can ask the knights if you need anything! Here, take this with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    Urth tossed the emblem of his knight order to us. I guess this acts as a substitute for his seal of approval.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess, we leave Alessa¡¯s fate in your hands.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Zenos bowed his head, while Klimt still looked as sullen as ever. With everyone seeing us off, Fran dashed out of the room.

 Chapter 1104

    <h4>1104: Mysterious Gaze</h4>

    Fran left the lord¡¯s mansion and immediately started searching for any signs of intruders.

    ¡¸¡­A lot of people over there.¡¹

    ¡ºThey must be the adventurers trying to chase down the undead.¡»

    Though we sensed many people moving around the west side of town, they did not seem to be making much progress.

    Must still be in the initial search phase.

    We considered our next move for a bit at the mansion¡¯s entrance, when Fran and Urushi suddenly took a battle stance.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Grr.¡¹

    I also focused my senses in preparation for immediately casting magic.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s definitely someone watching us right now.¡»

    £¨Nn. The same thing we felt outside of town.£©

    ¡ºThat gaze, huh¡­?¡»

    Indeed, we felt someone¡¯s eyes on us for a brief moment as we entered Alessa. Definitely the same person staring at us right now.

    At first I thought it might be one of Klimt¡¯s spirits, but no. Both my Spirit Perception and Fran¡¯s intuition denied this hypothesis.

    ¡ºBut how are they doing it?¡»

    The first time we sensed it, the gaze was clearlying from somewhere outside of town. That means it can¡¯t be the same as the intruder we¡¯re looking for.

    Themotion about the undead slipping into town happened long before we got here. Or wait, what if the outsider who spied on us really is the same person as the intruder?

    Is it really possible for someone to spy on us here from outside of town? Well, I¡¯m sure there are many ways, but it¡¯s much harder if they have to avoid revealing their location. They¡¯re even somehow getting past Klimt¡¯s spirit surveincework.

    Anyway, we decided to move in the direction we sensed the brief gazeing from.

    Leaving the actual movement to Urushi, Fran and I concentrated on detection. We scanned a wide area with our magic and skills at full throttle.

    Despite looking as hard as we could, we found no sess. There was the asional suspicious presence, but it ended up being some random thief trying to break into a house, or an adventurer cking off.

    Those two we simply tied up real quick and left them on the ground. They can be dealt with after everything else is settled.

    We felt the gaze again and again, as we tried to track it down to the source. Yet the enemy was still nowhere to be found. They must have fled as soon as we discovered them.

    £¨Just like Esmeralda.£©

    ¡ºHuh? Wait, you¡¯re right.¡»

    It¡¯s just like Fran said, Esmeralda can do something simr with her sand. Basically, if she monitored us using sand under her control, we would sense the gazeing from that sand. Meanwhile, her main body can remainpletely hidden.

    £¨They purposely reveal that they¡¯re watching. Then we get lured in the wrong direction.£©

    ¡ºI-I see.¡»

    If our enemy has a simr ability to Esmeralda, then of course we would find nothing at the source of the gaze. As Fran says, the gaze must be a bluff luring us on a wild goose chase.

    ¡ºTch. This guy might be trickier than we thought.¡»

    £¨Nn. What now?£©

    ¡ºWait a minute.¡»

    I thought back to the route we followed. We went all over the east and south sides of town, and the Rank C adventurers were gathered in the west side. They¡¯re probably getting lured around by the same gaze trick too.

    North was the only side remaining.

    That¡¯s also the side closest to Raydoss. Most of the undead were gathered there, so there were also many adventurers defending the city. Even within the walls, it was crowded with people transporting the wounded or various supplies.

    I hadpletely disregarded the possibility, but¡­ such a capable enemy might be able to hide undetected among crowds of lower ranked adventurers.

    ¡ºNorth. We try north next.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Ignoring the annoying gaze, we dashed north. With so many people there, it bes very difficult to sense a particr presence. They always say the best ce to hide a tree is in the middle of a forest.

    However, both Fran and Urushi had excellent senses. They managed to find a suspicious sign in no time at all. Or rather, things went so smoothly because we had already experienced something simr.

    We headed to the ce we found suspicious, and that¡¯s when I recognized it.

    ¡ºThis feeling¡­ It¡¯s the same as the time with Hideman.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    We all sensed something very simr to Hideman, the ck Skeleton Corps member specialized in stealth we defeated at the capital. Despite something clearly being there, it was impossible to track it down.

    ¡ºIt¡¯sing from this warehouse. Try some cleansing magic first.¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    We repeated the strategy we applied at the capital, except this time we only used the Area Turn Undead spell.

    ¡¸NRGHWOOOH!¡¹

    ¡¸It worked.¡¹

    ¡ºHideman¡­?¡»

    I appraised the undead, and his name was also Hideman. But for some reason, he looked nothing like the previous one. The Hideman in the capital was a much smaller looking zombie, who even had slightly different skills and stats.

    ¡¸You bitch! Not again, dammit!!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s self-destructing again!¡»

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    Hideman immediately activated his self-destruct mechanism to avoid exposing any more information. Fran and I struck him down just like we did in the capital to prevent the explosion, but¡­

    ¡¸We couldn¡¯t get anything out of him.¡¹

    ¡ºNot quite. We¡¯ve learned that Hideman knows who you are, and not from hearsay. This Hideman seems to be the same as the one we found in the capital.¡»

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Perhaps Hideman has multiple bodies that share the same memories, or maybe he can swap bodies to resurrect himself¡­ Either way, this is clearly not the end of him.

    A spy of his caliber, and now you tell me he¡¯s pretty much immortal? That¡¯s just scary¡­ Will the capital be okay without us?

    First, we should examine Hideman¡¯s corpse. As expected, he wore the same robe enchanted with a cloaking effect. Perhaps these can be mass produced. That said, they seem to at least have a user limitation since Fran couldn¡¯t equip it.

    He also had an item bag, which of course, had a user limitation as well. I considered spending the mana to open it, but Fran wanted to prioritize the situation at the walls.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go back!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, we should get rid of the undead first.¡»

 Chapter 1105

    <h4>1105: Undead Extermination</h4>

    By the time we arrived at the walls, we found the situation had taken a drastic change.

    The undead had made their way up the walls, and not just one.

    It seems the ghouls made use of their long ws to climb all the way up. They must have avoided notice due to the darkness of night.

    Though not very strong, they can be tricky opponents in unilluminated conditions. Moreover, the walls were filled with low rank adventurers and rookie soldiers.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºRoger! Let¡¯s clear out this ce first!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran slipped through the adventurers and struck down the rampaging ghouls in an instant. They really were nothing special after all.

    The adventurers froze after seeing a girl cut down four ghouls in the blink of an eye, before quickly erupting into cheers.

    ¡ºFran. Let¡¯s take out the rest of the undead with a bang, and raise everyone¡¯s morale.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, scan the perimeter for any people.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    But first, we should check with Elebent too.

    ¡¸Did the necromancers fall back yet?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! All the undead down there are the enemy!¡¹

    ¡ºGreat! Then we should be safe to go all out!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    If we wanted the most efficient way to clear out the undead horde, Urushi¡¯s Bottomless Shadow would probably be the way to go.

    That spell is capable of wiping out swaths of undead without any coteral damage. Pretty much all of them were low grade zombies, so we had little use for their magic stones.

    Above all, it was currently night, the time where ck magic is at its most powerful. Urushi¡¯s shadows could probably consume several hundred undead at a time.

    But there was one problem.

    It looks really in. Visibility is already poor at night, so no one will be able to make out what¡¯s going on in the shadows.

    Which doesn¡¯t help morale at all.

    In that case, why not have a girl fly around blowing up undead spectacrly? That would get the adventurers way more excited.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s start things off with a big fireworks disy!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and I leapt off the wall to cast a spell on the undead below us.

    We invoked multiple activation of the me spell, re Explode. A powerful spell capable of making a big explosion.

    This triggered a chain of massive explosions, incinerating the undead and scattering their ashes. Some of them were left burning like torches, colliding into their enemies and spreading the mes.

    The adventurers went wild with cheers.

    ¡ºNext is cleansing magic!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    A wave of pure white light spread out to repel the darkness of night. Every undead touched by the light crumbled apart, one after another.

    For a weaker mage, this spell is only capable of repelling undead, but it¡¯s a different story if you have as much mana as us. We can use it as a powerful anti-undead spell topletely purify them.

    We jumped around in the air, releasing the white light everywhere. Before anyone knew it, the undead were all gone.

    Though the region was currently shrouded in darkness, the ashen debris from crumbled undead probably covered most of the surrounding region.

    I wonder if we¡¯ll have to clean that up tomorrow? Or should we ask the adventurers to do it for us? That might reduce their morale after all the effort we took to raise it.

    ¡ºUrushi, what¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    ¡ºYou found something? We¡¯reing!¡»

    Much to our surprise, it seems Urushi found a suspicious person. We headed over since he apparently already captured them.

    They were on a small hill about a kilometer away from Alessa. A man had fallen lifelessly to the ground, with half of his body swallowed by darkness. He must have exhausted his willpower in countless futile attempts at escape.

    Rather than Bottomless Shadow, it seems Urushi used a spell for capturing called Shadow Bind.

    ¡¸Urushi, this is him?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! W-Who¡¯s there!?¡¹

    The man turned to us with a frightened expression.

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line. Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m an adventurer, a messenger sent to inform everyone of the situation in the north. I was on my way to Alessa when I got attacked¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmmm.¡¹

    ¡¸Is this wolf your servant? Please, can you make it release these binds?¡¹

    The man bowed his head to Fran as if pleading. Judging by his words alone, maybe he could pass for an unlucky adventurer who got captured based on a misunderstanding.

    But the guy was obviously fishy, and even Fran recognized it.

    ¡¸Okay, then show me your adventurer card.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? I-I don¡¯t have it with me right now¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then how were you going to prove your identity at Alessa?¡¹

    ¡¸B-Because I¡¯m registered, and the guys from Alessa will recognize my name and face.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? But I¡¯ve never seen you before?¡¹

    ¡¸No, you see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Are you really an adventurer from Alessa?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Then howe you don¡¯t know me?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Kuh!¡¹

    He exposed himself pretty easily! The disguise was prettycking due to hisck of knowledge about adventurers. A professional spy would have done his research, so this guy seemed like nothing more than amon soldier.

    Which means he was probably forced into some sort of scouting job on short notice.

    However, that also means there is a grouprge enough to send scouts out. They might still be hiding nearby.

    Now then, what should we do with him? Taking him back to town for questioning is probably the standard approach. But if his friends are in the area, that might allow them time to escape.

    In that case, it¡¯s better to interrogate him here. We can try our usual method first, and save Urushi¡¯s confession poison as ast resort. Using that poison leaves the target immobilized for a while, and this guy seemed pretty likely to talk.

    ¡ºGuess we should ask him a few questions.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Why are you raising your sword? I-I¡¯m one of you!¡¹

 Chapter 1106

    <h4>1106: Raydoss Mages</h4>

    He threw in the towel pretty much immediately. Any random soldier without specialized training stood no chance against repeated torture.

    It seems his squadron boasted several earth mages, which allowed them to dig a tunnel underground and slip through the border. Makes sense, that¡¯s probably why no one noticed them until now.

    Their objective was to strike at the town of Alessa. However, they apparently surfaced in a different location than expected, and were currently in the process of searching for Alessa.

    His squadron employed 7 earth mages and 15 soldiers for a total of 22 people. However, 4 of the soldiers were currently deployed to scout the area, including this man, so they only had 11 on duty.

    I¡¯d rather not pick a fight if we don¡¯t know how strong our opponents are. Though considering the abilities of the guy they sent on a scouting mission, they shouldn¡¯t have anyone much better.

    ¡ºFirst, let¡¯s capture the other three out scouting.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    With Urushi¡¯s nose and Fran¡¯s senses on the job, we found them immediately. None of the four were properly trained as scouts, so they must be average soldiers, as expected.

    We tied up the scouts after knocking them unconscious. Dragging them with us was too much trouble, so we left them on the ground. I guess we can take them in when we¡¯re done, assuming no magic beasts find them.

    We headed over to the location they told us about, and found the Raydoss mage squadron hiding in the woods, just as they said.

    They didn¡¯t notice at all when we snuck up to them. About as expected for soldiers with no scouting skills.

    ¡ºThat mage capable ofnd magic is the strongest.¡»

    £¨Nn. Also, the soldier next to him.£©

    ¡ºHe must be the squad captain.¡»

    The mages were all pretty high level, so they seemed to be veterans. The soldiers were pretty weak inparison, maybe around the same as Rank E adventurers.

    The captain guy seemed a bit stronger, but still easy pickings for Fran. Seems like we should incapacitate the mages before taking out the soldiers.

    It¡¯ll be annoying if they split up and run, so we should block their escape routes first.

    ¡ºWe seal them in withnd magic, then take them out as fast as possible, just like when we defeated Hideman. I¡¯ll st them with thunder magic, and you take care of the mage and captain guy.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, you focus on the mages, but prioritize anyone trying to escape.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    We approached stealthily and activated Great Wall to surround the Raydoss squadron.

    Walls of earth surrounded them on all sounds with a rumbling sound and cloud of dust.

    Fran stood right on top of the wall.

    ¡¸W-What the¡­? Make an escape route, quickly!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Damn, they¡¯re reacting faster than expected. I thought they might fly into a panic, but the mages immediately started moving toward the wall, with the soldiers following suit.

    They made the decision to escape before even fully understanding the situation. Maybe they sensed the mana of my magic through the darkness?

    Seven mages capable of earthnd magic could easily drill a hole through our wall.

    We decided to settle things quickly to prevent any chance of escape.

    After all, they still had no clue about Fran and Urushi. I sted everyone with thunder magic as Fran jumped down from the wall and swung her de.

    ¡¸Gwah!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha¨D¨DGyah!¡¹

    A blinding sh of light pierced the darkness alongside a thunderous roar, allowing Fran to take down the two leaders by surprise. We spared their lives for now, but cutting off their limbs left them heavily injured.

    All of the rest had been paralyzed by my thunder magic or bound by Urushi¡¯s dark magic. They should be still alive too.

    ¡ºGood job, now let¡¯s get some info out of the leader. Stop his bleeding and drag him a bit further away. Urushi, you stay here and keep an eye on the rest.¡»

    ¡¸Urushi, you can kill them if they try to run.¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    Hearing Fran¡¯s threat made the mages tremble. Even if they were pretty strong, Urushi¡¯s appearance at night was too intimidating for them to handle. Plus, he was using his Fear skill.

    This skill allows him to magnify the amount of fear his enemies feel, though he hardly ever gets the chance to use it. If Urushi is up against someone that¡¯s scared of him, he should be able to win without using the skill. Otherwise, it¡¯s not very effective against someone of his level or higher.

    Well, I guess it can be useful in times like these when we want to keep them in a panic. In fact, it did work pretty well when we interrogated the scouts.

    We promptly interrogated the head earth mage, and he was surprisingly obedient.

    He probably knew he had no talent for negotiation, and understood he needed to tell the truth if he wanted to save himself and his men.

    Actually, he didn¡¯t seem very happy with the operation in the first ce.

    This squadron did not originally work for the invading forces serving the South Conquest Duke. Their real job was to protect towns and cities from monsters, as one of the support organizations under the red knights.

    That¡¯s probably why they were unustomed to negotiating with or fighting other humans.

    And then, the South Conquest Duke abused his authority to forcibly integrate the squad into his army. They were promptly assigned this suicide mission, so of course they would be unhappy.

    Their main goal was to demolish Alessa¡¯s gates and walls, which exins the number of earth mages. Rather striking at the walls directly, they could simply dig a giant cavity underground and copse them.

    The adventurers guarding the border would panic if their mission seeded, and a portion mighte running back to Alessa.

    Wow, they really were treated as disposable.

    ¡¸Even since I was little, everyone said Kranzel was a terrible country, and Raydoss was justified in taking it over.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But after living all these years, it¡¯s pretty obvious our country is rotten to the core. Especially to people like me who have to deal with the higher-ups. We¡¯re taking over Kranzel to save them? Hah, as if that pig knows how to rule people. What a joke.¡¹

    The head soldier whispered as heughed self-mockingly.

 Chapter 1107

    <h4>1107: Running Amok</h4>

    ¡¸Hah! As if that pig knows how to rule people. What a joke.¡¹

    The head soldier spoke to us about his dissatisfaction with the country.

    It¡¯s pretty clear that Raydoss is conducting brainwashing education, but apparently not everyone is obedient.

    ¡¸Besides, there¡¯s a certain group running amok in our countrytely.¡¹

    ¡¸A certain group?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. They raid the mansions of nobles, take their food, and distribute it to the slums and such. They¡¯re a nuisance, really, but also pretty interesting if you get the chance to talk to them¡­ I hear they came from Kranzel.¡¹

    ¡¸Who are they?¡¹

    ¡¸A mercenary brigade consisting of half-insectkin. Oh, and they had some really strong elderly adventurer with them too.¡¹

    Wait, that¡¯s¡­

    £¨Neidhart and his friends?£©

    ¡ºProbably.¡»

    It seems Neidhart and Dimitris were really going wild in Raydoss.

    After hearing about the details, what they were doing was truly ridiculous.

    They attacked greedy nobles and anyone connected to them, sometimes very aggressively. For example, they once raided a mansion head-on and knocked out all the guards. Another time, they ambushed a squadron performing a military exercise and stole all their supplies.

    They also started something like a ve liberation movement, going as far as to kill nobles who refused to free their ves.

    Since their oldrades were forced into very, that¡¯s probably the only way to free them unless their registered owners willingly give up ownership.

    Neidhart and his friends were prepared to betray Kranzel to save their capturedrades, so of course they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill.

    Fran would do the same thing to save enved ck cats.

    As for Dimitris, who was apparently handing out food to the slums¡­ No clue what his goal is. The old guy¡¯s probably doing whatever he feels like.

    However, Neidhart and Dimitris rarely took the lives of people who were only doing their jobs. It seems this captain guy fought them twice and lived to tell the tale.

    ¡¸Both times I got knocked out before I knew it though.¡¹

    He imed to be knocked unconscious by a mantis-man, so that¡¯s obviously Neidhart.

    Since the guy responsible for stealing food supplies was apparently an old man, Dimitris may be handling that part of the operation. Perhaps Dimitris and Neidhart split their forces, with one in charge of punishing evil nobles, and the other in charge of freeing ves.

    We tried to extract additional information about the South Conquest Duke¡¯s ns, but they didn¡¯t have much detailed intel. These guys were truly treated as nothing more than pawns.

    All we managed to get was a glimpse into the lives of Raydoss citizens. They weren¡¯t even aware of the undead horde attacking Alessa.

    However, it seems the South Conquest Duke has been applying undead to various fields in his territorytely, and training many necromancers. They apparently had at least two people capable of summoning thousands of undead at the same time.

    ¡¸The first is a man from a unit called the ck Skeleton Corps. I¡¯ve heard that their first seat, a sorcerer called Nameless, is quite skilled.¡¹

    Even in Raydoss, it seems no one knows the ck Skeleton Corps wasprised entirely of undead. Nameless was believed to be a human necromancer.

    ¡¸And the other one?¡¹

    ¡¸I haven¡¯t heard his name recently, but the sorcerer called Onught is also incredibly famous. Not only does he have a rare talent in necromancy, but also the other schools of magic. Guess it¡¯s only natural he¡¯d rise to fame.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s he doing now?¡¹

    ¡¸No clue, he hasn¡¯t appeared in public for a year¡­ There are a lot of dark rumors about him though, like how someone murdered him for vengeance, or how the state hired him to do some dirty jobs. All kinds of things.¡¹

    ¡¸What other things?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard rumors that he goes around ughtering people to raise them as undead, or that he worships the Evil God. Oh, and also that he¡¯s secretly a monster wearing human skin.¡¹

    In short, it seems this Onught guy was such an awful person that everyone trash talked him.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s transport these guys back to Alessa for now.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Listen up, I¡¯m dragging you all into town. You better not resist if you don¡¯t want to get hurt.¡¹

    Fran, you¡¯re making us look like the bad guys!

    Afterwards we retrieved the scouts and tied up all the earth mages. Of course, everyone¡¯s limbs were properly reattached.

    We transported everyone to Alessa in a single trip on the max-sized Urushi¡¯s back. There were some screams, but Fran ignored those. I guess hearing a little about Raydoss¡¯s inner workings was not enough to erase her enmity against those from Raydoss.

    Still, she ensured that no one fell off. Perhaps she didn¡¯t hate these soldiers quite as much as the rest.

    I realized something strange on the way back.

    Where did the undead horde attacking Alessae from? I highly doubt they gathered a bunch of necromancers to summon them, due to the difficulty of sneaking past the border.

    Was a single high-level necromancer responsible for everything? That doesn¡¯t make sense either. The horde of undead was clearly not strong enough to take over the town by itself, so why would they bother with such a futile attempt?

    Perhaps their only intention was to force Kranzel to withdraw from the border, but that sounds like a pretty inefficient n to me.

    It¡¯s not like the undead were cooperating with the mages we caught either. I just can¡¯tprehend what they were trying to do.

    As I was wondering about all of this, Alessa came into view. There were no signs of additional undead, so it seems the city regained most of its peace and quiet.

    But right when I thought everything was over¡­

    BANG!

    A pir of light extended to the sky from the center of the noble district, along with a powerful explosion. The shockwave blew away the surrounding mansions.

 Chapter 1108

    <h4>1108: Great Spirit of Wind</h4>

    A pir of light rose from the east side of Alessa.

    ¡¸Alessa¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯sing from near the lord¡¯s mansion!¡»

    A tremendous vortex of mana inflicted heavy damage to the surrounding area.

    £¨I hear a voice.£©

    ¡ºA voice?¡»

    £¨It¡¯s screaming¡­£©

    But I don¡¯t hear anything? It seems Fran managed to clearly make out the voice, so maybe it belongs to a spirit?

    The pir of light gradually changed shape, as a fierce squall covered the town. Meanwhile, we could do nothing but watch.

    Then, three minutester.

    ¡¸It turned into a woman.¡¹

    ¡ºI remember hearing that only greater spirits can take human form¡­¡»

    The light became huge and humanoid, yet surrounded by a storm. Given this many clues, it was easy to guess her identity.

    £¨Klimt¡¯s Great Spirit?£©

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯m sure of it. That must be the Great Spirit of Wind. But why did she pop up in the middle of town?¡»

    Even if Klimt was under attack, he would never attempt to fight back with the Great Spirit. Doing so would only cause a ¡°Cmity¡± to befall the town, quite literally. Half the noble district was getting wrecked before our eyes.

    Did he run into some sort of dangerous situation that forced him to summon the Great Spirit?

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºCan we even do anything¡­?¡»

    The Great Spirit remained still, with no signs of movement. However, her mere presence caused intense storm winds, which were wrecking more and more of the town.

    I can still sense Klimt and the others, they were at the Great Spirit¡¯s feet. Was something preventing them from running, or did they have to stay for some reason? And more importantly, is the Great Spirit actually under Klimt¡¯s control?

    £¨Let¡¯s go.£©

    ¡ºYeah, Klimt is the only one who can do anything¡­¡»

    Fighting the spirit isn¡¯t going to solve anything. The moment she gets serious, Alessa will be wiped off the map. We need to make her settle down peacefully.

    ¡¸Urushi, wait here.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Leaving Urushi in charge of the prisoners, we decided to head for the lord¡¯s mansion. No clue if it actually helps against spirits, but we cloaked our presence and moved slowly down the main street.

    ¡ºI don¡¯t think she¡¯s noticed us yet¡­¡»

    £¨Nn¡­£©

    The Great Spirit wasn¡¯t looking in our direction, but I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s actually a good indicator of awareness. Do spirits even perceive things with their eyes?

    We approached with utmost caution, considering the possibility of a sudden attack.

    As it turned out, that was probably for the best.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran suddenly jumped to the side, and a wind bullet gouged out the ground where she was standing. We¡¯re already under attack despite the huge distance separating us!

    ¡ºTch! So she really did notice us! No more hiding, run as fast as you can!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran pushed forward with all her might, having lost the need for stealth. A barrage of countless wind bullets came flying at us, but Fran weaved through all of them on her way down the main street.

    As usual, the spirit wasn¡¯t even looking at us, yet all her magic was aimed with precision. Moreover, she now added invisible des of wind to her repertoire.

    To be honest, the safest approach would be taking cover in an alleyway, but doing so would likely expose civilians to harm. Thanks to the spirit¡¯s precise aim, only the main street where Fran was located took any damage.

    Fran understood this too, so she continued avoiding the barrage with minimal movement, as well as deflecting them with her barriers.

    ¡ºAlmost there!¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran? What¡¯s wrong?¡»

    ¡¸The voice is getting really loud.¡¹

    ¡ºYou mean the spirit¡¯s screaming you mentioned earlier?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Despite me being unable to hear anything, Fran grimaced. Apparently, the screams she heard were deafening. I have the Spirit Perception skill, right? While I do sense the Great Spirit, that¡¯s only due to her enormous amount of power. Any decently strong adventurer should be able to sense the same thing.

    We drew closer to the lord¡¯s mansion, or rather, the ce it had once stood. Even at this distance, we could tell it was reduced to a wreckage.

    The high velocity winds had practically leveled the entire building. Well, the same could be said of the other mansions in the noble district.

    I guess the good news is that the civilian district seemed rather unharmed.

    Some nobles attempted to flee, but it seems the spirit was attacking them too. I sensed their vital signals extinguished one by one.

    £¨Master, over there!£©

    ¡ºKlimt and the others!!¡»

    We found Klimt at the remnants of the lord¡¯s mansion.

    The knight captain Urth and the town¡¯s lord Zenos were both safe. Klimt, however, was copsed to the ground with his robes stained red with blood.

    The two were trying to treat Klimt¡¯s injuries, but it seems they did little more than basic first aid. Why aren¡¯t they making any attempt to evacuate? Are Klimt¡¯s injuries so severe that it¡¯s too dangerous to move him?

    Just as we were about to reach the site, the spiritunched an even more powerful attack. Two huge tornadoes appeared out of nowhere, closing in on Fran to pincer her from the sides.

    ¡ºFran, we¡¯re pushing our way through! I¡¯ll handle the defense!¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Our barrier alone won¡¯t be enough. Instead, I created two tornadoes with wind magic and sent them forward on a collision course with the Great Spirit¡¯s tornadoes.

    My tornadoes were much smaller than the opposition¡¯s, butplete neutralization wasn¡¯t my goal in the first ce.

    ¡ºYes, they¡¯re weakening just like nned! Hurry!¡»

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    Even if I managed to weaken it, Fran still had to force her way through a tornado. The barrier I set up got shredded pretty quickly. However, Fran¡¯s leg power allowed her to push her way through the storm and escape.

    We¡¯ve reached our destination.

    ¡¸Klimt!¡¹

    ¡ºDamn, this isn¡¯t good! He¡¯s seriously dying!¡»

 Chapter 1109

    <h4>1109: Klimt''s Status</h4>

    We broke through the tornado to see Klimt lying on the ground. Fran rushed over to his side.

    For some reason, the spirit stopped sting us with wind too. Perhaps she won¡¯t attack anyone near Klimt?

    ¡¸Klimt! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Klimt shifted his pale face slightly, as if attempting to make a nod. However, he did not utter any words.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, Klimt-dono got hurt really bad!¡¹

    It seems Klimt took a heavy wound to his stomach. Zenos was busy applying a cloth to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Captain Urth kept an eye on the surroundings while tilting Klimt¡¯s body to prevent the wound from turning downward.

    Klimt himself seemed to be frozen stiff, as if he was concentrating on something else¡­ Shouldn¡¯t Klimt have a spirit capable of healing him though?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll heal you.¡¹

    Fran invoked Maximum Heal, yet Klimt¡¯s wounds showed no sign of recovery.

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºEvil energy!¡»

    On closer inspection, his wound was infested with evil energy. It seems to have invaded his body too, interfering with his regeneration.

    Zenos and Urth started getting desperate.

    ¡¸Not even the ck Lightning Princess can help¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸This is not good! At this rate, the entire town of Alessa will be¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Honestly, we don¡¯t know much of the details either.¡¹

    Zenos exined the situation as Klimt remained silent. Apparently, an intruder suddenly broke into the lord¡¯s mansion. Klimt¡¯s spirits and the knights rushed over to intercept this intruder, but then¡­

    ¡¸He somehow made his way into our room.¡¹

    ¡¸I couldn¡¯t even sense himing, that undead with such a faint presence.¡¹

    Urth said the undead was weaker than himbat-wise, but had a terrifying talent in stealth. They somehow lost sight of him despite looking right at him, and got snuck up on.

    The undead¡¯s target was Klimt from the beginning, and he promptly charged in with a suicide attack. The barriers set up by Klimt¡¯s spirits should have easily repelled any such attempts, yet they shattered instantly, and Klimt took a knife to his stomach.

    £¨Hideman?£©

    ¡ºSo there must have been another copy of him sneaking around¡­¡»

    If only we had searched more thoroughly! Maybe the one we defeated was purposely revealing himself as bait. Then he went after his real objective of Klimt after we dropped our guard.

    ¡¸What happened to that undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Klimt defeated him, or perhaps it would be more correct to say that he got caught up in the descent of the Great Spirit¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The undead¡¯s remains and dagger are still lying over there.¡¹

    Now that he mentioned it, there was indeed a dagger leaking mana on the ground a short distance away. A bit further away was the upper body of an undead copsed on the ground.

    ¡¸Klimt-dono is busy trying to control the Great Spirit after her appearance. That¡¯s why we had no choice but to stay here.¡¹

    ¡¸It seems not even Klimt is capable of suppressing herpletely.¡¹

    The spirit was only attacking random people instead of going on aplete rampage, apparently thanks to Klimt¡¯s control. However, this also meant Klimt himself could no longer move.

    So it wasn¡¯t the wound preventing him from talking, but because he needed to concentrate on controlling the Great Spirit of Wind.

    ¡ºFran, first we need to fix Klimt up as fast as possible.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    Who knows what kind of disaster the Great Spirit will cause if Klimt loses consciousness. We invoked restoration magic infused with the divine attribute. Rather than repeatedly casting the same spell, we focused on a single spell with deeply permeating healing.

    Our experience healing Flut¡¯s injury from the demon yer came in handy. While evil energy can¡¯t be considered the same as the demon yer curse, they were simr in how normal magic has no effect. The wound on Klimt¡¯s stomach began slowly sealing up.

    ¡¸Whoa! That¡¯s our ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸All right! Just a little bit more!¡¹

    The two other guys shouted for joy, but we soon ran into a problem.

    ¡¸¡­Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong Fran?¡»

    £¨The Great Spirit is getting louder.£©

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    The next instant, the Great Spirit unleashed several tornadoes into the noble district.

    ¡¸¡­Guh.¡¹

    ¡¸Klimt, are you okay?¡¹

    Klimt nodded his head, looking even more distressed than before. It seems the pain from closing his wound might have disrupted his concentration.

    But no matter how much pain he might feel, we can¡¯t afford to pause his treatment.

    ¡¸Klimt, hang in there.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Grh.¡¹

    Despite groaning, Klimt gave a firm nod, his eyes filled with determination. Being able to control a Great Spirit in his condition is pretty amazing.

    £¨Master, let¡¯s hurry.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    That said, suddenly elerating the pace runs the risk of startling Klimt. We continued gradually increasing the infusion of the divine attribute, healing him slowly and surely.

    Klimt seemed to have gotten ustomed to the gradual healing procedure about halfway through, so he didn¡¯t lose control of the Great Spirit again.

    After his full recovery, Klimt stood up with a somewhat relieved look on his face. His work was not yet done.

    ¡¸Phew¡­ I will now subdue the Great Spirit.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Please.¡¹

    The unleashed Great Spirit must be sealed away once more.

 Chapter 1110

    <h4>1110: The Great Spirit''s Weakness</h4>

    Klimt stood silently as he extended his mana, his eyes fixed on the spirit.

    Meanwhile, the Great Spirit of the Wind was practically unresponsive.

    Neither of the two made any movements, but I definitely sensed some connection between them. A tug of war for control.

    Beads of sweat appeared on Klimt¡¯s forehead, and his face began to distort.

    He must be having trouble. Klimt spoke to us without turning his head.

    ¡¸Fran-san, I have a favor to ask.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸I want you to attack the Great Spirit.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Will she fight back?¡¹

    If we get into a real battle with the Great Spirit, isn¡¯t everyone here pretty screwed?

    Klimt nodded his head, looking panicked and exhausted.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll move the Great Spirit out of town first, then you¡¯ll have to avoid her attacks at all costs. I would much rather avoid such risks, but it¡¯s the only way.¡¹

    The only reason we¡¯re safe right now is because we are next to Klimt. The Great Spirit is unable to attack us due to the chance of hitting him, the summoner.

    That exins why Urth and Zenos managed to survive, and why the barrage of magic suddenly stopped once we broke through the tornado wall.

    However, attacking the spirit will mark us as a full-fledged enemy. She will start fighting back with no holds barred. Klimt knew this fact well, but he also recognized that he was backed into a corner. He had no choice but to ask a child like Fran for help, despite his personal beliefs.

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Fran responded with a firm nod. It¡¯s not like she¡¯d ever abandon Alessa, so I guess we have no choice either¡­

    ¡ºWe have no clue what the Great Spirit is capable of. Let¡¯s prepare ourselves for possibly the strongest enemy we¡¯ve ever fought.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Klimt then informed Fran of the spirit¡¯s weakness.

    ¡¸She has a core somewhere inside. Aim there.¡¹

    ¡¸Where¡¯s somewhere?¡¹

    ¡¸I can only say for sure that it¡¯s in her upper body¡­ You can use spirit magic, right?¡¹

    ¡¸You can tell?¡¹

    Klimt looked confident when he asked if Fran was capable of spirit magic. Pretty sure we never told him about that, but he seemed to know somehow.

    ¡¸Yes, since the spirits are reacting to you. As long as you have the spirit magic skill, you should be able to search out the core, probably.¡¹

    P-Probably¡­? Well, I guess it¡¯s such an emergency that we have to rely on such uncertain factors. Klimt may look calm on the surface, but perhaps he was nearing his limits.

    ¡¸So I just attack the core?¡¹

    ¡¸Right, the undead from earlier¡¯s attack weakened the Great Spirit. I¡¯ll be able to control herpletely if we can weaken her even further. Only then will it be possible to send her back.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re sending the Great Spirit back?¡¹

    Isn¡¯t the Great Spirit practically his trump card? She¡¯s even the namesake of his alias.

    However, Klimt nodded back to Fran with a wry smile.

    ¡¸This is the best oue, both for the spirit and for me.¡¹

    Being forced to always concentrate on the spirit¡¯s seal apparently sets great limits on Klimt¡¯s abilities. Perhaps it¡¯s better to finally unload that burden.

    ¡¸How did the undead hurt the spirit?¡¹

    Yeah, I was wondering that too. Maybe we can try something simr for our attack.

    Klimt, however, shook his head regretfully.

    ¡¸Evil energy, so not anything we are capable of wielding. Infusing evil energy harms spirits, as well as causing them to go out of control.¡¹

    ¡¸Evil energy¡­¡¹

    We can easily apply evil energy, but maybe that¡¯s too dangerous if it would make her go berserk?

    All I can say for sure is that it¡¯s a huge gamble.

    ¡¸It seems that undead¡¯s weapon also had a mana devouring property. With the addition of evil energy, that¡¯s how he managed to break through our barriers. Perhaps mana-absorbing attacks are effective in piercing a spirit¡¯s defenses.¡¹

    Absorbing mana? That sounds simr to the magic sword Soul-Drain wielded by the swordsman Valusa we fought in the town of Dars. Maybe Raydoss seeded in mass-producing weapons like that.

    Either way, this means our Magic Absorption and Magic Plunder skills might work. That¡¯s good to know.

    ¡¸Are you ready?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! I can go anytime!¡¹

    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll move the Great Spirit outside of town. This will take a lot of my energy, so don¡¯t expect to have much time left.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Got it.¡¹

    After Fran nodded, Klimt focused himself more deeply than ever.

    ¡¸Beginning now!¡¹

    Klimt¡¯s whole body erupted with a tremendous amount of mana, so powerful that Urth and Zenos fell t on their butts.

    The Great Spirit began moving at the same time, slowly but surely. Despite being so huge, we could not sense any physical signs of her movement. Her footsteps made zero sound, and she did generate any wind as she passed.

    Almost as if she was a moving hologram.

    We waited a few minutes with bated breath, and the Great Spirit arrived at a spot about 100 meters from town. Apparently going any further will exceed the range of Klimt¡¯s orders.

    ¡¸Now go and hit her with everything you¡¯ve got.¡¹

    ¡¸What if the Great Spirit dies?¡¹

    ¡¸Color me surprised if you actually manage to kill a Great Spirit. There¡¯s no need to hold back.¡¹

    In that case, let¡¯s send her off with a bang.

    ¡ºLooks like we¡¯re allowed to go all out.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Okay, I¡¯ll get serious.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, and please avoid any damage to the town if you can help it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸That pause is making me a little nervous!¡¹

    Me too!

    ¡ºFran. No need to raise any gs, okay?¡»

    £¨gs?£©

    ¡º¡­Don¡¯t worry about it. Just make sure you¡¯re really careful.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1111

    <h4>1111: Attack of the Great Spirit</h4>

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll go with a physical attack rather than magic. Since we don¡¯t want to damage the town, our best option is¡­¡»

    £¨A thrust.£©

    ¡ºYeah, exactly.¡»

    We walked forward while discussing our n, building up our mana levels all the while. Now wasn¡¯t the time to rush.

    Fran continued observing our opponent¡¯s stance.

    It seems she wanted to focus as much as power as possible until the critical moment when the spirit goes hostile. We¡¯re up against a Great Spirit, which is unquestionablyparable to at least Threat Level A.

    Any weak attacks will be shrugged off like they¡¯re nothing.

    So we need to find the core and hit it with everything we¡¯ve got. That¡¯s the only way.

    ¡¸Here ites!¡¹

    ¡ºRoger!¡»

    While I couldn¡¯t sense anything from the spirit, Fran seemed to be able to feel the response. She moved into action the moment a st of magic came flying our way.

    It pierced the ground Fran had been standing, more powerful than ever before. A deep hole, more like a small crater, had been drilled into the ground.

    So the Great Spirit must have gotten serious too. Or rather, I should say she¡¯s changed her recognition of us from a possible target to a hostile enemy.

    Fran ran through the devastated noble district, dodging the spears of wind fired endlessly. I didn¡¯t sense any people nearby. Did they already evacuate, or was it already toote¡­?

    We need to get out of town quickly, or even more people will die.

    Perhaps judging that small sts would not hit Fran, the Great Spirit changed her patterns. Tiny wind bullets began raining down on us in waves, like shotgun pellets.

    Moreover, each bullet had quite the power behind it, at least enough to kill something like an orc in one hit.

    Not even Fran could escape such a barrage, yet she pushed her way forward without pause.

    Because she trusted me to take care of it.

    I invoked a series of wind walls in front of us, creating a corridor for Fran to pass through. She dashed through the narrow safe region.

    When the walls weren¡¯t enough, we slipped through with Dimension Shift instead. We refrained from using teleportation since high-level opponents are capable of predicting our destination andunching a surprise attack.

    That¡¯s something we¡¯ve experienced many times in the past, so I have to say the Great Spirit is probably capable of doing so as well. That¡¯s also why we didn¡¯t try to teleport to Klimt earlier. Well, a short-range teleport is also about as fast as running considering the current Fran¡¯s speed.

    As a result of our efforts, Fran managed to approach the Great Spirit incredibly quickly.

    But nowes the biggest hurdle.

    ¡ºHer attacks just keeping!¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We¡¯re literally in a bullet hell of wind bullets, wind spears, and wind shes. The Great Spirit¡¯s barrage covered every inch of space, making it impossible to dodge. If this was a video game boss, I¡¯d have to call that game garbage.

    The only reason we¡¯re still standing is because of Dimension Shift.

    Klimt told us to attack the spirit¡¯s core, but¡­

    ¡ºWhere is it though? I can only sense a really faint presence¡­¡»

    Is this really what a spirit feels like? I could only sense a strange sensation sending shivers down my spine. Thest time I saw something simr was Ignis in Gordicia, I guess. I think it¡¯s just Crisis Sense warning me of something with incredible power.

    ¡ºFran, what about you?¡»

    £¨Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t sense anything right now, probably due to your spell.£©

    Dimension Shift allows us to slip through attacks, but I guess it also prevents us from sensing stuff. Now that you mention it, I found it really hard to sense our surroundings too.

    It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t sense anything, but it¡¯s not suitable for situations like this where we want to maximize our senses.

    ¡º¡­We have no choice but to disable Dimension Shift then.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran nodded her head with a motivated stare, but that¡¯s not a simple matter. Disabling Dimension Shift will expose us to the still ongoing storm of wind.

    £¨Klimt said we don¡¯t have much time.£©

    ¡ºKuh¡­ True.¡»

    It seems we really do have to search for the core while on the run. I checked on Klimt¡¯s condition again, and saw his life force starting to drain again.

    ¡ºAlright. Ready?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºAnd¡­ release!¡»

    As soon as we returned to the physical realm, all the explosions and shockwaves came rushing in at once. Along with wind bullets, shes, and pellets from all directions.

    We immediately put up our barriers, and slipped through any gaps in the barrage we could find. But no matter how far we ran, there was no escape from the air itself.

    Fran jumped around at high speed invoking spells to cancel out any sts she could not avoid. Even so, we could not remainpletely unharmed. Mixed into the barrage of weak attacks were invisible sts packing enough power to prate our barrier. Detecting something like that is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

    Fran took countless cuts to her limbs, sometimes deep enough to reach the bone. Still, she never broke her concentration, continuing to search for the spirit¡¯s core.

    Even so, she had yet to find it. Our limit was drawing near.

    We¡¯ve been running as fast as we can for a while now, with Fran using Awakening and Brilliant Lightning Rush. Meanwhile, I¡¯m maintaining multiple spells at the same time.

    At this rate, we¡¯ll reach our limit in the not-too-distant future.

    Then suddenly, a change urred within Fran. Mana belonging to someone else began radiating from within her body.

    ¡ºIs this Marle?¡»

    £¨Nn. Marle is guiding me.£©

 Chapter 1112: How to Use Evil Energy

    <h4>Chapter 1112: How to Use Evil Energy</h4>

    We were searching for the spirit¡¯s core while dodging and deflecting a barrage of attacks. Then Marle, who was supposed to be sleeping inside Fran, woke up and began exerting her powers.

    ¡ºFran, what¡¯s going on?¡»

    £¨Marle is guiding me!£©

    Fran fixed her eyes on the Great Spirit¡¯s upper body. It seems Marle¡¯s assistance allowed her to sense spirits more strongly now.

    Perhaps this will allow us to find her core sooner orter.

    But unfortunately for us, the Great Spirit seems to have detected Marle¡¯s mana. After recognizing this new threat, she took action immediately.

    ¡¸Gah¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Fran let out a muffled scream, as the blood drained from her face. She put her hands on her throat and attempted to move her mouth, but no words woulde out. It¡¯s almost as if she was choking on something¡­

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s how it is!¡»

    I quickly invoked a wind spell to send wind into Fran¡¯s mouth. Immediately after, Fran regained her voice while coughing violently.

    ¡¸<i>Cough</i>! <i>Cough</i>! Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡¹

    I can¡¯t say for sure if the lifeforms of this world breathe oxygen, or if oxygen even exists in the atmosphere. However, they definitely breathe in some sort of substance necessary for life. The Great Spirit must have manipted this substance to make Fran suffocate.

    Fran may be used to taking cuts and getting smacked around, but choking was a first. She could resist such an attack.

    Naturally this meant she was no longer helping me intercept the Great Spirit¡¯s barrage of wind, which came rushing in right after.

    ¡ºUroooooh!¡»

    I invoked a huge number of spells and scattered them around us. Damn, I¡¯m starting to feel chills, which means I¡¯ve gone over the limit of my magic usage. Yet it still wasn¡¯t enough to cover for Fran.

    Several sts of wind reached Fran, sttering her blood everywhere.

    Come on, think! What else can I do?! Teleport out and escape? No! If we run away now, I doubt she¡¯ll ever let use this close again! But we can¡¯t even defend ourselves right now! Is running better than taking the barrage head-on? We just need to make it through thisst attack, and we can get back on our feet! But how¡­!

    <i>Thump</i>.

    For a moment, something stirred within me, as if trying to inform me of its presence. At the same time, evil energy welled up inside me.

    Is the Evil God Fragment telling me to use its power? Now that you mention it, I¡¯m reminded of what we saw at theke in Belioth.

    Sierra used the evil energy from the Zelos Reed Sword to cancel out one of Zelyse¡¯s skills. Could I do the same thing if I borrow power from the Evil God Fragment?

    All these thoughts flew through my mind in elerated time, and I immediately took action. There was no time to spare.

    Lend me your power, Evil God!

    Of course I got no response back, but I did feel a little less resistance when drawing on the evil energy.

    Rather than manually having to draw on the Evil God Fragment¡¯s power, it was already flowing my way. Back then, Sierra had transformed evil energy into the form of a chain and wrapped it around his target.

    But what I need is something to protect us against iing attacks from all sides. Rather than a chain, I want a wall. A barrier of evil energy.

    ¡ºUrooooh!¡»

    And I need to create this evil energy barrier while still maintaining my existing barriers and spells! I know I¡¯ve already exceeded my limit, but I need to go even further!

    And just like I had hoped, the wall of evil energypletely canceled out the wind. We found ourselves in a region of calm in the eye of the storm.

    But I¡¯m a little surprised, it felt kinda too easy. I had expected creating a barrier of evil energy to be incredibly difficult. It¡¯s almost as if someone was helping me out by sharing the load.

    Did the Evil God Fragment really ept my request for help? Could it be¡­?

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºOh right. Fran, are you okay?¡»

    £¨Nn. I suddenly couldn¡¯t breathe.£©

    I knew it.

    I¡¯m currently circting the air around us with wind magic, but we¡¯re up against a Great Spirit of Wind. Aka, someone literally among the best at manipting wind in the entire world. There¡¯s no way I can defend against that kind of choking attack forever.

    £¨You made this wall of evil energy, Master?£©

    ¡ºYeah, but the mana cost is pretty insane.¡»

    I¡¯m using Mana Absorption and Magic Plunder as much as possible, but the cost still outweighs the gains. At this rate, I will only be able to maintain it for another minute or so.

    £¨Keep it up. I¡¯ll find the core in the meanwhile.£©

    ¡ºRoger that, I¡¯ll do my best to protect you. Focus all your attention on finding the spirit¡¯s core.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    There¡¯s no way I can let Fran down after she asks me directly! I won¡¯t let you so much asy a finger on her!

    I activated Parallel Thought to protect the now stationary Fran. Maintaining the evil energy barrier isn¡¯t enough. I have shield Fran from everything else to allow her to concentrate as much as possible.

    Even the slightest breeze might disrupt her intense focus. I also activated Magic Sense and Crisis Sense to detect and intercept any powerful attacks that seem capable of breaking through the barrier.

    ¡ºDoryaaaaaahhhh!¡»

    The Great Spirit¡¯s barrage began getting more and more fierce. Such force and frequency meant we were now surrounded by severalyers of storms on the outside.

    Even the earth itself was shaved away, aside from the ground where Fran stood.

    While my mana levels were dropping pretty low, the shivers were getting worse too. At this rate, it won¡¯t be long before the pain startsing. When it gets that bad, I¡¯ll be in serious danger.

    Almost done yet? Urgh!

    £¨Master, I found it!£©

    ¡ºReally!?¡»

    That¡¯s my Fran! You saved me!

    £¨I¡¯m going in!£©

    ¡ºAlright! I¡¯ll open up the path!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Let¡¯s go!¡¹

 Chapter 1113: Powerful Thrust

    <h4>Chapter 1113: Powerful Thrust</h4>

    ¡¸Sword God Transformation!!¡¹

    ¡ºDivine Energy Maniption, Spirit Hand fully activated! And we need evil energy too! This is the moment of truth! Evil God Fragment, please!¡»

    I mixed my divine attribute with the torrent of evil energy flowing in from the Evil God Fragment, putting it all into my de.

    Then Fran¡¯s ck lightning got added on top. My de shone so brightly that it could not be looked at directly.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Do it!¡»

    Fran usually prefers using aerial hop, which allows her to add the momentum of her fall to her strike. But for this attack, we must consider possible damage to the town if she does that.

    Thus, Fran chose to dash along the ground instead of jumping.

    However, it seems the Great Spirit also recognized the new threat we posed.

    The fierce barrage turned even more savage and lethal, as if the air itself was out to get us. Unable to find any openings to slip through, Fran had no choice but to push through regardless.

    Five of our sixyers of barriers got shredded in an instant, leaving only one left. But that was enough for Fran.

    Almost instantly, Fran closed in on the Great Spirit¡¯s feet.

    Her eyes were fixated on the Great Spirit¡¯s core. I sensed Marle¡¯s mana swirling around inside Fran, so she must still be supporting her in some small way.

    Fran stretched the arm holding me back in preparation for a thrust.

    The huge amount of mana circting her body gushed out, mixing with mine and emitting a violent eruption of light.

    Then, Fran thrust me forward with the full momentum of her charge. All the power concentrated on the tip of my de, making me feel all of the tremendous load at a single point.

    ¡¸Ruaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºUrooooogh!¡»

    Fran pushed my de toward the heavens, piercing straight through the Great Spirit.

    This was way more power than I expected, perhaps due to Sword God Transformation. You might be able to call it the thrust version of Heavenly Judgment.

    I felt like I could pierce through anything, even space itself.

    My de collided with a hard object inside the Great Spirit, and at the same time, the wind surrounding us dispersed. The spirit¡¯s body grew slightly translucent, implying a great loss of power. I attempted to drain additional mana and weaken her further, but then¡­

    I noticed the object we hit flying away at a tremendous speed. I first thought it was the spirit¡¯s core in physical form, but no. This was clearly a man-made object shaped like a long rod.

    While it¡¯s strange that such a thing was hidden inside the Great Spirit, what really surprised me was the sturdiness. It withstood a direct hit from a thrust containing everything we had.

    Also, I felt a shiver run down my spine the moment I saw the mysterious object. Maybe we should go and retrieve that? But before we could try, Fran began holding her ears.

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºIs it the Great Spirit¡¯s voice again?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. She¡¯s screaming¡­¡¹

    Our hit ended up being a great sess. Fran¡¯s thrust definitely weakened the Great Spirit.

    The divine and evil energy helped for sure, but most importantly was how the Sword God¡¯s assistance allowed us to strike the Great Spirit¡¯s weak point with pinpoint uracy.

    Moreover, our thrust didn¡¯t affect the surrounding area despite its immense power, since all of it was concentrated on a single point. Well, aside from the huge amount of mana shot into the sky.

    If we had aimed this near town, we¡¯d probably have wrecked a couple dozen houses.

    ¡¸Phew.¡¹

    ¡ºThat took quite a bit of durability¡­¡»

    Just a single strike, and both me and Fran were pooped. If we wanted to try the same attack again, we¡¯d probably have to wait another day.

    £¨Something¡¯s happening to Marle.£©

    ¡ºWhat? Did she push herself too hard?¡»

    £¨Hmm? Maybe the opposite?£©

    ¡ºOpposite? You mean she¡¯s gotten more energetic?¡»

    £¨I think so.£©

    Did she absorb something from the Great Spirit? However, we didn¡¯t have the chance to observe the situation any further. Though weaker than earlier, the Great Spirit began going out of control again.

    ¡ºWe need to get out of here!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We started retreating from the Great Spirit, praying that Klimt could handle the rest.

    It seems Fran heard the spirit¡¯s screams the entire time, so she constantly wore a frown. Even covering her ears had little effect.

    Then suddenly, her expressions softened.

    ¡¸The spirit¡¯s voice stopped.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! She¡¯s starting to disappear!¡»

    I noticed the change immediately after Fran¡¯s muttering. The Great Spirit, still in the form of a giant woman, lost her outline as she began melting into the air.

    I turned to Klimt to see his arms outstretched and emitting a bunch of mana. It seems he was just about finished with his sealing or return spell.

    The more mana Klimt released, the more of the spirit disappeared. Then, the wind began to swirl around Klimt.

    What started out as a slight breeze soon turned into a whirlwind, and then a tornado. Fran and the others hurriedly moved out of the way, but the wind continued to magnify in intensity.

    K-Klimt, are you gonna be okay? This isn¡¯t an attack or anything, right? But I¡¯m sensing his life force depleting rapidly¡­

    I got a little worried, though it turned out to be alright. The tornado gradually lost its power and disappeared, getting sucked into Klimt.

    Meanwhile, the Great Spirit¡¯s mana vanishedpletely.

    Though I still couldn¡¯t really sense the presence of any spirits, I definitely felt a softening in the atmosphere of the town.

    ¡ºIs it over¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Klimt!¡¹

    Klimt had copsed to the ground.

 Chapter 1114: Klimt Back

    <h4>Chapter 1114: Klimt Back</h4>

    We rushed over to the fallen Klimt, who was bleeding profusely from his right eye. There was a magic circle containing an intricate pattern covering his eye socket.

    I tried casting a healing spell, but it had no effect. This was different from the difficult to heal wounds caused by evil energy. It¡¯s as if Klimt¡¯s body didn¡¯t recognize his eye was injured. I attempted an appraisal, and it also confirmed that his condition was normal.

    ¡¸My eye¡­ cannot be healed with magic¡­¡¹

    When forming a contract with an ordinary spirit, the contracting parties share mana with each other in a rtionship of equality. However, it appears the same does not apply to those on the level of Great Spirits.

    Previously, Klimt had used something like a temporary contract to forcibly seal away the raging spirit¡¯s powers. That¡¯s why the Great Spirit did not always obey hismands as summoner, and why such a huge burden was ced on him.

    He just now changed that contract to a normal one, but of course, he could not hope to stand on equal ground with a Great Spirit.

    Thus, it was only by offering his right eye that he managed to establish the contract.

    ¡¸Klimt, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I suppose so¡­ My eye is now proof of my contract with the Great Spirit.¡¹

    Klimt muttered before smiling happily. He didn¡¯t seem to take losing his eye very hard.

    In addition, it seems Klimt¡¯s stats were restored to normal upon establishing a proper contract. Or rather, the spirit¡¯s blessing actually boosted them further.

    I appraised him to check his condition, and was very surprised by the huge change.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Klimt

    <strong>Age:</strong> 137

    <strong>Race:</strong> Wood Elf

    <strong>upation:</strong> Great Spirit Summoner

    <strong>Condition:</strong> Normal

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 67

    HP: 27/280

    MP: 1616

    STR: 137

    VIT: 139

    AGI: 188

    INT: 859

    MAG: 933

    DEX: 148

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Chant Shortening: Lv7, Appraisal: Lv5, Bow Mastery: Lv3, Gathering: Lv5, Tree Magic: Lv6, Presence Detection: Lv4, Presence Blocking: Lv4, Spirit Magic: Lv9, Land Magic: Lv6, Brewing: Lv5, Earth Magic: LvMax, Poison Resistance: Lv3, Paralysis Resistance: Lv4, Magic Detection: Lv6, Water Magic: Lv5, Herbology: Lv7, Cooking: Lv4, Enhanced Vision, Spirit Control, Favor of the Spirits, Enhanced Hearing, Parallel Thought, Child of the Forest

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Blessing of the Great Spirit of Wind, Magic Regtion

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Guildmaster, Guardian of Alessa, Earth Mage, Friend of the Great Spirit

    <strong>Equipment</strong>

    Ancient Cherry Staff, Doppel Snake Robe, Wind Drake Wing Mantle, Lunar Hare Jump Boots, Bracelet of Substitution

    He¡¯s way stronger now.

    It seems he regained his mastery over spirit magic, as well as additional power, in exchange for his eye. Not to mention how many elves worship the Great Spirits, and he was now connected with one.

    To any spirit summoner, it seems giving up your right eye was a small price to pay.

    By the time we realized it, Klimt¡¯s right eye had stopped bleeding. Though the wound engraved onto his eye was now closed, he still lost his eyesight permanently.

    While I still found that pretty worrying, Klimt seemed more healthy than ever before. Relieved, Fran was about to begin the rescue operation for any survivors, when Klimt asked her a question.

    ¡¸Fran-san, is that sword safe?¡¹

    He must have realized I wasn¡¯t a normal sword after seeing me use all that evil energy.

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s fine.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see.¡¹

    He decided to believe Fran for the time being, though notpletely convinced. After giving Fran some instructions for the rescue operation, he began invoking spirit magic.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s call over Urushi too.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran handed the prisoners over to Urth and the knights, then asked about the mysterious object that flew out of the Great Spirit. We wanted to check if it was something important that should be retrieved.

    However, Klimt told us that he knew little about it. All he could say was that it was likely a magical tool used in the ritual to summon the spirit.

    Since it¡¯s apparently something rted to the Great Spirit, he asked us to go retrieve it before doing anything else.

    We headed in the direction the object fell and immediately found something suspicious, a faint mana signal moving north in a straight line. Way too obvious. We cloaked ourselves and followed the trail from the sky, finding an undead figure running across thend. In his hands was the rod-like object.

    £¨Hideman.£©

    ¡ºI knew it, he had another clone nearby!¡»

    Hideman may have managed to recover the object before us, but that¡¯s also what exposed his trail. Though he sessfully erased his own presence, he was powerless to hide the mana radiating from the object in his hands.

    We observed him for a little while, and saw him attempting to put the mysterious rod in an item bag. However, it seems he failed to store it.

    Did this magic tool have a property preventing it from being stored in item bags? Well, considering it was inside the Great Spirit, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it had some special powers.

    The very fact that Hideman wanted to retrieve the item was enough proof of its value. Perhaps this rod was even a more important goal than assassinating Klimt.

    £¨Let¡¯s take him down, and get the rod back.£©

    ¡ºRoger.¡»

    I considered monitoring his actions for a bit longer, but he¡¯d probably reach Raydoss at this rate. Besides, Klimt needs our help back at town.

    After thinking it through, we agreed that defeating him immediately was the best n. Hideman was pretty weak and had yet to notice us. We simply teleported in and cut off his leg, and he was done for.

    Having lost his leg, Hideman copsed to the ground.

    ¡¸Y-You bitch¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸This is what you were after?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph, I don¡¯t even know what that is. I just thought to take back a souvenir after failing to kill the spirit summoner.¡¹

    ¡¸So Klimt¡¯s assassination was an afterthought?¡¹

    ¡¸Screw you! I don¡¯t need to y these games!¡¹

    He promptly triggered his self-destruction tool, so we had no choice but to cut him down. That said, we actually learned quite a bit thanks to Principle of Falsehoods. It seems Hideman¡¯s main goal was actually this rod-like thing from the beginning. He must have been attempting to feed us false information after recognizing he had no chance to escape, but that won¡¯t work on us.

    I appraised the mysterious object on the ground, and it came up as ¡°Antiquated Rod-Sword¡±. I guess it¡¯s kind of like a sword with a cylindrical rod instead of a de. It looked like a sheathed rapier at first nce, but there was no sharp edge anywhere to be found.

    Moreover, there were almost zero decorations, giving it a very functional appearance. The rod part was practically a smooth metal cylinder.

    Attack 100, Mana Conductivity D, and the Harden and Repair skills. This was clearly designed for durability¡­ but it still doesn¡¯t sit right with me.

    We hit this thing with a thrust containing everything we had. Even if it wasn¡¯t the main target, it should have taken a huge portion of the damage. Not to mention how it crashed into the ground with a lot of momentum.

    There¡¯s no way a weapon like this could survive in one piece. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it got shattered beyond repair.

    Or perhaps the Harden and Repair skills were somehow enhanced by sacrificing functionality in other areas? Also, we couldn¡¯t put it into dimensional storage. No matter how hard we tried to shove it in, there was some strange force preventing us.

    There¡¯s definitely a big gap between the appraisal information and its actual performance. The secret behind why Hideman wanted it so much must be hidden inside too.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s deliver it to Klimt for now.¡¹

    ¡ºGood idea.¡»

 Chapter 1115: Hunting for Hideman

    <h4>Chapter 1115: Hunting for Hideman</h4>

    After handing the mysterious sword to Klimt, we went around rescuing anyone in trouble. Klimt and the knights were already on the job, but you can¡¯t have too many hands in an emergency like this.

    Together, we circled around the affected areas searching for anyone who was still alive. Many we managed to reach just in time, so the total number of victims was actually fewer than expected.

    Since many of Marquis Ashtner¡¯s underlings had already been thrown in jail, the noble district was half empty to begin with. Also, many managed to hide in underground shelters for the storm to blow over.

    Now that we¡¯ve finished saving the townspeople, we need to deal with the remaining enemies. Klimt also requested that we search out and eliminate any enemies still lurking within Alessa¡¯s walls.

    Or rather, Klimt handled the searching part while we¡¯re in charge of extermination.

    It seems the Great Spirit remembered Hideman¡¯s mana signature from when he attacked Klimt. Thanks to that incident, she detected several ces in Alessa emitting the same mana signature.

    To think Hideman had so many clones aside from the assassin and item retrieval ones¡­ Is this a cockroach thing where there¡¯s always a dozen more hiding out of sight?

    And yet Klimt managed to scan the entire city of Alessa without taking a single step outside. The Great Spirit¡¯s detection abilities must be truly immense.

    Perhaps the entire town can be considered something like a backyard to an entity on the level of a Great Spirit.

    Thus, we followed her guidance to eliminate three Hideman copies.

    Apparently, Hideman had the ability to split himself and possess multiple undead bodies simultaneously.

    All of the copies were still Hideman, so they shared the same memories and abilities. However, the exact power and skills seem to depend on the body he is possessing, and how much of his soul he infused.

    But what¡¯s truly frightening was the Great Spirit ability to see through Hideman¡¯s disguise so easily. Combining the spirit¡¯s information gathering abilities with Klimt¡¯s appraisal and expertise, the duo was capable of fully analyzing any opponent.

    Well, they still had no clue what that sword thing was though.

    There¡¯s no way Hideman would tell us, and the Great Spirit didn¡¯t give any detailed information either.

    Klimt¡¯s contract with the Great Spirit was still fresh, so it seems they were incapable of perfectmunication. Thus, whatever connection the Great Spirit had with the item remained unknown. Apparently, even attempting a dialogue would require a lot of effort for a short duration.

    That said, Klimt¡¯s spirits were strangely interested in the object. He told us that the Great Spirit forcibly took it back from him.

    So the sword has something rted to spirits. I guess the ruined country utilized that property when they used it to summon the Great Spirit.

    In the end, we couldn¡¯t learn anything else. I suppose letting Klimt and the Great Spirit watch over it is the safest oue.

    Even if Hideman makes another attempt at Klimt¡¯s life, he would find him up against a full power Rank A adventurer. Even Fran and I might have trouble in a battle against Klimt given his current abilities.

    Meanwhile, our greatest bounty was an increase to the level of Fran¡¯s Spirit Magic. Interacting with the Great Spirit of Wind and Marle seems to have been good training for her skill level.

    Another of our spoils was the item bags that Hideman and his clones had on them.

    These seemed to be enchanted with a contract from a very high-ranking mage, making them pretty difficult to open. Well, I managed to pry them open in the end!

    All the bags had the exact same contents: a detailed map of Alessa and two magical tools.

    First was the dagger used to stab Klimt. This was imbued with evil energy alongside its mana draining ability. Upon activation, it transforms all the evil energy into the form of an extended de, whichsts about ten seconds.

    Evil energy is capable of disrupting magic and barriers, giving the knife considerable prating power. Klimt only frowned when we showed it to him, but I found the dagger very interesting.

    This informed me of another possible use of energy supplied by the Evil God Fragment: for breaking through our enemy¡¯s defenses instead of creating a wall. However, evil energy is not something we can use all the time.

    Evil is a power abhorred by many, so we should save it as ast resort for when we really need it. That said, perhaps I¡¯ve been overusing evil energy these days. The Beast-Bug God said I can borrow power from the Evil God Fragment if I have a contract or permission, but I still need to be careful. We¡¯re probably fine since Klimt is the only one who witnessed me using it, but trying to exin ourselves to other people might be troublesome.

    As for the other magical tool in the item bag, it was apass-like tool for locating people.

    Though the tool had limited capabilities, it seemed to be specially made for Klimt. I checked all of their needles, and they all pointed to Klimt.

    It seems they¡¯re targeting Klimt quite relentlessly. Well, he did have the mysterious rod-sword in his possession, as well as being the biggest obstacle preventing them from destroying Alessa.

    If they managed to eliminate Klimt and cause the Great Spirit to run amok in the town, it would be like killing three or four birds with one stone. Considering it that way, I suppose developing a specialized magic tool for him is worthwhile.

    ¡¸Will Amanda be okay?¡¹

    ¡ºHmm. From the Raydoss point of view, they must consider her to be as much of an annoyance as Klimt¡­¡»

    We already know they birthed Nameless to counter Jean the necromancer. So what countermeasures have they taken against Amanda? Fran¡¯s worries were valid.

    However, Klimt simplyughed and assured us that Amanda will be fine when Fran voiced her concerns.

    ¡¸While it is true that Amanda-kun is more suited for defense than offense¡­ she is practically invincible during this war. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean by invincible during this war?¡¹

    ¡¸Excuse me, invincible may be an exaggeration. Still, I assure you that Amanda-kun will be just fine.¡¹

    There must be some factor we¡¯re not aware of. Rather than simply trying to cheer Fran up, he seems to be implying that Amanda had an ability in y. However, this was Amanda¡¯s private information, so he refrained from giving a more detailed exnation.

    ¡¸You should be more worried about yourself. You¡¯re already a rather famous adventurer, you know.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Really?¡¹

    Now that you mention it, that may be true. Fran has solved incidents all over the world, and also won the Ulmutt martial arts tournament. We just recently heard about hertest nickname of Fleet Crusher in Bulbora. She really is a celebrity!

    We¡¯ve foiled a few of Raydoss¡¯s plots, so it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if they had their eyes on us. Maybe we should be more vignt too.

 Chapter 1116: Transport Request

    <h4>Chapter 1116: Transport Request</h4>

    The next few days were quite busy, with us clearing debris, healing the wounded, and attending to the interrogation of the prisoners we had captured. I was surprised to see the captain of the captured soldiers hitting it off with Klimt.

    Perhaps the two hard workers sensed that they were simr to each other. The captain ended up persuading the other prisoners for their cooperation, so the interrogation went very smoothly.

    We also sold some of our supplies to the guild, such as the item bags and enemy equipment we found.

    Item bags were definitely pretty expensive, but unfortunately, the ones carried by Hideman broke when we forced them open. They were probably designed to revert back into simple bags in order to prevent any possible reuse by the enemy.

    Dumping all the items bags we¡¯ve gathered throughout our adventurers got us about 2 million gold. We might have been able to reach 3 million if Hideman¡¯s bags remained intact. Damn, maybe I should have been more careful opening them.

    Fran wanted nothing more than to head to the battlefield immediately, but we could not leave Alessa in this state. Especially since Hideman might show up again.

    But now that Klimt¡¯s widework of spirits has begun functioning again, I doubt Hideman can infiltrate Alessa.

    Since our only worry cleared up, Fran naturally thought it was time to depart. However, Klimt called her over before she could do so.

    ¡¸You want me to handle a transport mission?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. You will be in charge of transporting supplies to the border, alongside volunteer recruits from all over the country.¡¹

    These volunteers will assist us in escorting the supplies, and then get integrated into other units when they arrive on the battlefield. Rather than joining the war as one of the recruits, Fran will take the job of squad coordinator dispatched by the guild.

    ¡¸¡­Are you sure?¡¹

    Fran tilted her head as she questioned Klimt, confused as to why he assigned this request to her.

    We¡¯re well aware that Klimt was a man who abhorred sending children to the front lines. When we first heard he had a request for us, I assumed he was looking for an excuse to pull us away from the battlefield.

    But when we heard the actual request details, he was practically telling us to go join the war. Both Fran and I were very surprised.

    Klimt put on a wry smile upon seeing Fran¡¯s reaction.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not happy with this, you know, but it can¡¯t be helped¡­ I believe you¡¯ll charge into Raydoss whether I like it or not, so I¡¯d rather you ept my request and stay where I can keep an eye on you.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    What do you mean, ¡°I see¡±?! He¡¯s literally saying you need to be watched because you¡¯re too reckless!

    Also, it¡¯s pretty clear this request has another underlying motive.

    Transporting soldiers and supplies will take a decent amount of time, no matter how close we are to the border. Perhaps Klimt was trying to dy Fran¡¯s arrival at the battlefield as much as possible.

    Well, I can understand his thoughts and appreciate the sentiment.

    I have to say that I¡¯ve probably lost much of my previous aversion towards killing and war.

    Perhaps the gods did something to me when they turned me into a sword. I know that forcing values from modern Earth onto Fran is wrong, but sending children to fight a war is a different story. Yet weirdly, I didn¡¯t have much aversion to that at all.

    Despite knowing how wrong it is, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stop Fran from joining the war. That¡¯s why I am grateful for the existence of adults like Klimt who still treat Fran as a child.

    ¡ºFran, you should ept this request.¡»

    £¨I should?£©

    ¡ºYeah, I think this is for the best.¡»

    Fran seemed to want to join the war as soon as possible, so she was hesitating whether or not to ept.

    ¡¸Okay, I ept.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s great. The squad will be arriving in a few days, so please remain in Alessa until then.¡¹

    ¡¸They haven¡¯t arrived at Alessa yet?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. Is there a problem?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­No.¡¹

    Damn, he got us there. Forcing us to stay here until the squad arrives. Well, I was kinda expecting that.

    ¡ºFran. I understand you want to hurry, but rx. This request is very important, you know.¡»

    £¨Really?£©

    ¡ºYeah. Both soldiers and supplies are necessary for a war. What would you do if you get hungry in the middle of a fight?¡»

    £¨I take some food out and eat it.£©

    ¡ºWhat if you have nothing to eat in your storage or in camp? You¡¯ll be hungry all the time. Can you still fight like that?¡»

    £¨I can¡¯t! Food is too important!£©

    ¡ºSee? That¡¯s why transporting these supplies is such a vital mission.¡»

    £¨Got it! I¡¯ll make sure the food reaches everyone.£©

    It seems she¡¯s getting excited about the request. After putting herself in the same position as the Kranzel army, she now understood the importance of a supply line.

    Fran turned back to Klimt with a sharp stare.

    ¡¸W-What is it? You¡¯re not allowed to take back your eptance of the request, you know. Y-You won¡¯t do that, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I promise to see this request through.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh¡­ I¡¯m d to see you so motivated for whatever reason. So you confirm your eptance then?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    After epting the request from Klimt, Fran used her free time to hunt various beasts around Alessa. The idea was to secure as much food as possible in case of an emergency.

    She took as many hunting requests as possible, andpleted them just as fast. Half of the meat went into our storage, and the other half we sold to the guild.

    ¡¸Thank you, Fran-chan! We have so much meat now!¡¹

    ¡¸Is it enough?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, don¡¯t worry about us!¡¹

    Nell-san happily greeted Fran after she returned with a huge pile of magic beast meat, obtained in less than half a day. Though the vor seemed pretty average, we made up for it by targeting bigger prey.

    The elephant and hippo-like beasts were especially rough and gamey. All the adventurers joined in on the butchering effort, which should result in a huge amount of jerky when they¡¯re done.

    I wonder how much meat we¡¯ve supplied to Kranzel since returning from Gordicia? It must be a ton.

    ¡¸Nell, is there any more info on the request?¡¹

    ¡¸The supply transport one? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be sending someone who knows the area to guide you.¡¹

    ¡¸Someone who knows the area? Even the road to Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸The area around the border is Raydoss nowadays, but it used to belong to a different country.¡¹

    There are currently no nations in between Kranzel and Raydoss. Well, I guess Phyllius might count, but that¡¯s about it.

    However, there were once several small countries serving as a buffer zone between the tworge nations, up until 50 years ago. Raydoss ended up annexing those countries, but many of their former citizens escaped.

    So it seems an adventurer from one of those fallen countries will be guiding us through Raydoss.

    ¡¸What kind of person are they?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d say he¡¯s not a bad guy. Well, all high ranking adventurers a bit¡­ you know.¡¹

    A high-ranking adventurer, huh? So he¡¯s a weirdo then. All of them except Fran have been weirdos.

 Chapter 1117: Master and Klimt

    <h4>Chapter 1117: Master and Klimt</h4>

    It was the night before our transport request began. Fran visited Klimt at the guild.

    Fran gave the door a rather hard knock, and we heard a rather pathetic ¡°Wah!¡± from inside. We entered to find Klimt with a look of annoyance.

    ¡¸Haven¡¯t I told you before to wait for an answer beforeing in? You really haven¡¯t changed! And please knock a little more gently too.¡¹

    ¡¸I heard your weird scream, so I thought it was your answer.¡¹

    ¡¸W-Weird¡­? It¡¯s just that my stats have returned to normal, so my ears are more sensitive than before. I¡¯m still getting used to it.¡¹

    I see. So even if he sensed using up to the door for a knock, he still found himself surprised by the loudness. We nced at his desk to see 20 jewel-like objects scattered about.

    Magic stones. Klimt held a cloth in his hand, which he was using to polish them. Moreover, I sensed a great deal of mana from each. Klimt hurriedly swiped the stones into a bag to hide them from Fran¡¯s stare.

    ¡¸W-What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Is that your secret stash?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yes, something like that.¡¹

    Oh right, didn¡¯t something like this happen before? Klimt showed us like ten magic stones ranging from Threat Level C~D¡­ That wasn¡¯t his entire stash, obviously.

    I knew he wasn¡¯t showing us everything up his sleeves. Fran managed to win five of them in the negotiation, but I guess that was well within Klimt¡¯s expectations.

    Perhaps Klimt wouldn¡¯t even have minded if we took all ten, as long as Fran epted his request. It seems he was the real winner in that exchange.

    Klimt coughed lightly and changed the subject.

    ¡¸Can I help you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I want to ask you about spirit magic.¡¹

    ¡¸Now you mention it, you did learn spirit magic, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran nodded, and Klimt exhaled heavily.

    ¡¸<i>Sigh</i>. You are always like this.¡¹

    Leaning his body deep against the backrest, Klimt shook his head back and forth.

    ¡¸Spirit magic should be quite difficult for non-elves to acquire¡­ You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to, but how and when did you learn it?¡¹

    ¡¸I only learned it just recently.¡¹

    We¡¯re asking him to teach us, so keeping everything a secret probably isn¡¯t going to fly. Might as well tell him.

    While still hiding my existence, of course.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    In the middle of her exnation, Fran suddenly went silent.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    Klimt looked puzzled.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨Master. Can I tell Klimt about you?£©

    Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. Klimt and Fran always had aplicated rtionship ever since their first meeting. Fran couldn¡¯t bring herself to fully trust the organization known as the guild, just like Klimt found it hard to fully trust Fran.

    Though there was a feeling of mutual respect, both were also trying to discern the other party¡¯s true intentions.

    But somewhere down the line, Fran found herself trusting Klimt. I trust him too, so I¡¯m fine with revealing my identity.

    Besides, the Great Spirit can probably see right through me even if we continue hiding my identity.

    ¡¸Klimt, I have something important to tell you.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Well, this is pretty sudden.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Klimt still looked surprised, but he realized we really wanted to talk when Fran put up a wind ward.

    After straightening his posture, he responded to Fran¡¯s gaze.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s hear it.¡¹

    ¡¸About this sword.¡¹

    Fran took me by the scabbard and lifted me high. Klimt turned his eyes to me with a doubtful gaze. He knew I was a nasty sword capable of emitting evil energy, but he didn¡¯t yet understand why the subject came up.

    ¡¸Master.¡¹

    ¡ºHey.¡»

    ¡¸Huh? Where is this voiceing from¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºFrom the sword right in front of you. My name is Master, the Intelligence Weapon. Nice to meet you!¡»

    I tried to greet him in a light-hearted manner so as not to make the mood too heavy, but¡­

    ¡¸Eh? Huh, what? A sword is¡­ talking? Eh?¡¹

    Klimt was absolutely stunned. That can¡¯t be helped, since Intelligence Weapons are rarer than divine swords. Well, maybe he¡¯s overreacting a bit.

    ¡¸S-Such a legendary existence popping out of nowhere like this¡­! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?¡¹

    Klimt held his chest with heavy breaths. Despite his charming good looks and status as a high ranking adventurer, Klimt is surprisingly normal. Such sensibilities must result in a lot of hardships.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard there was an Intelligence Weapon on the continent of Gordicia, but this is the first time seeing one in person.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you believe me?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, since you have no reason to lie. Also, I can tell that this telepathy ising from the sword due to my experience in talking to spirits.¡¹

    So his knowledge of telepathy also confirmed that I was the one talking.

    ¡¸Have you ever been to Gordicia?¡¹

    ¡¸Never, since it is nothing short of hell for spirit casters. Thend weakens any spirits that are summoned, and they are incapable of healing themselves. I¡¯m sure the main reason elves vanished from the continent is because they lost the ability to cast spirit magic.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. So Master is your first time seeing an Intelligence Weapon?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. But Master, huh? That¡¯s a strange name for a magic sword.¡¹

    ¡ºI didn¡¯t have a name, so Fran gave one to me! A great one, too.¡»

    We went through the usual exchange about my name after revealing my identity, and Klimt acted very mature.

    ¡¸Indeed. Fran-san has a good sense for naming.¡¹

    ¡ºRight? You can say that again!¡»

    ¡¸Heheh.¡¹

    Fran gave a smug smile, as Klimt returned with a kind gaze. He really is a good guy.

    ¡¸But now I understand your situation much better than before. Theck of bnce I was sensing in Fran¡¯s abilities must be due to you.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right. Let me exin¡­¡»

    I gave a brief summary of my abilities, and Klimt held his forehead and frowned. Well, I can understand that reaction. Sorry.

    ¡¸To think something on the level of pseudo-divine swords was so close at hand¡­ Are you sure you should be revealing such secrets to me?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I can trust you, Klimt.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Uh-huh. I wouldn¡¯t consider myself particrly trustworthy, but I suppose I can no longer betray your trust if you put it like that.¡¹

    Klimt covered his face and mumbled to himself a bit, but as expected, he quickly returned to the subject at hand.

    ¡¸So what do you have to do with spirit magic, Master-san?¡¹

    ¡ºWell, you see¡­¡»

    Klimt rubbed his temple with his right hand as he held his stomach with his left. My exnation seems to have given him the double threat of a stomach ache and a migraine.

    ¡¸Your situation is so irregr that I can¡¯t evene up with a proper response. All I can say is that Fran-san definitely has a spirit within her. However, it seems to have weakened to the point where I can only notice it after being told.¡¹

    I know Marle supported Fran in the battle with the Great Spirit. She apparently got stronger for an instant, but it seems her presence faded away right after.

    ¡¸Will Marle be okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t say for sure, as I¡¯ve only heard of humans turning into spirits in ancient legends. However, perhaps you will be able to supply her with power if your level in Spirit Magic rises.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, though I must warn you that raising your level is no simple matter. In the beginning, all you can really do is devote your consciousness toward sensing spirits.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, good luck.¡¹

    Though Klimt gave us a shrug, there was a gentle smile on his face, like an elderly man watching over a grandchild.

 Chapter 1118: Black Spot, White Sheet

    <h4>Chapter 1118: ck Spot, White Sheet</h4>

    Fran looked very happy as she continued spending her free time hunting. Telling Klimt about me must have been like a load off her shoulders.

    After providing Alessa with another day¡¯s worth of meat, Fran finally held a meeting with the supply convoy.

    Alessa¡¯s main za was packed with fully equipped adventurers and mercenary-looking men, some of whom appeared to be pretty strong. More than 50 in all.

    Since Klimt called them ¡°volunteers¡±, I was expecting more average-looking people¡­ But instead, there were manybat veterans, including active adventurers and mercenaries who held a grudge against Raydoss.

    I can¡¯t say they looked enthusiastic to participate, but at least they cared enough to arrive on time for the scheduled meeting.

    We observed them exchanging vulgar words with each other, as a pair of people approached us.

    One was a slim man, a warrior equipped with an enchanted spear.

    He appeared to be human due to his round ears, andck of ws, horns, or tail, although his face was hidden by a metal helmet. His height was only about 160 centimeters, making him quite small in stature.

    You might expect him to stay in the rear based on his slenderness, but he definitely wore the gear of a warrior who fought on the front lines. His hard leather armor was reinforced at all the vital points, and his spear extended longer than his height. The helmet covering his head masked his entire face aside from three horizontal slits.

    I must say that his overall figure seemed more graceful than powerful. Though I could tell from his figure that he was male, he didn¡¯t give me the impression of a masculine warrior.

    Even so, he had a strange aura. My gut was telling me he¡¯s pretty strong.

    The man was apanied by a woman, or rather a young girl, who also appeared to be human. Her long beautiful blond hair reminded me of elves, but her rounded ears proved otherwise. Her face was hidden, since she too wore a mask.

    Judging by her thin and small arms and her height of about 130 cm, she probably had yet to reach adulthood.

    Her white robe and wooden staff suggested that she was not a front line fighter, but she seemed to have at least some skill in martial arts. I wonder how strong she really is.

    The pair wore simr-looking masks, so they were clearly members of the same party. The contrast between the dark-skinned man and the fair-skinned girl was strangely picturesque.

    ¡¸Hey there, how¡¯s it going?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-dono, the ck Lightning Princess, I take it?¡¹

    The pair directly approached us and greeted Fran casually. Well, the man did all the talking while the girl remained quiet in the background.

    ¡¸I will be acting as your guide for this mission.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the weird high ranking adventurer?¡¹

    ¡ºUh, Fran? I know Nell-san said something like that, but don¡¯t say it to his face!¡»

    After my warning, Fran realized her mistake and shook her head.

    ¡¸No wait, I didn¡¯t mean to say weird.¡¹

    Good, good. You might be able to pass it off at this rate!

    ¡¸They said you were only kinda weird, but not a bad guy.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re still doing it!¡»

    However, the man responded with heartyughter. Rather than the wry smile I was expecting, he was really enjoying himself.

    ¡¸Hahaha! You got me there, but many tell me I¡¯m one of the better ones among the Rank A adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Rank A?¡¹

    Seriously? If so, he¡¯s certainly hiding his abilities quite well. Moreover, hepletely epted the statement that he was a bit weird. I can see why he¡¯s one of the so-called ¡°better ones¡±.

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, though I¡¯m not from Kranzel. I go by Maleficent. Some call me the ¡°ck Spot¡±, the ¡°Eraser¡±, the ¡°Onlooker¡±, and a few other odd names.¡¹

    Maleficent the ck Spot. Ashwrath mentioned him once before! He should be the adventurer with Skill Eraser, the ability capable of erasing another person¡¯s skills!

    ¡¸Maleficent? You know Ashwrath?¡¹

    ¡¸I do, yes. Considering his personality, I bet he told you all sorts of nasty things about me. That I¡¯m depressing, clingy, gloomy, or whatever.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? He never said any of that.¡¹

    ¡¸Really? Then it seems he¡¯s grown a bit since west met. Well, enough about him. I look forward to working with you, ck Lightning Princess-dono.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Nice to meet you.¡¹

    He seems kinda fishy, and incredibly modest in spite of his Rank A status. I don¡¯t sense any malice, but his casual attitude is making me feel a bit ufortable.

    Fran turned her eyes to the girl behind Maleficent, who went on to introduce the girl.

    ¡¸She doesn¡¯t talk much, as you can see, so allow me to handle her introduction. This is my partner, Persona.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸She may not look the part, but you stand before a Rank B adventurer holding the aliases of ¡°Appraisal yer¡± and ¡°White Sheet¡±.¡¹

    The girl bowed her head quietly without saying anything, so it seems she really is untalkative. I didn¡¯t sense any hostility from her either, but it¡¯s impossible to see the expression hidden behind her mask.

    ¡¸Appraisal yer?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. She has a certain Extra Skill, you see, so any appraisal-type abilities are automatically jammed around her. Her alias of ¡°White Sheet¡±es from the fact that all appraisal tools disy a nk screen for her.¡¹

    Seems pretty useful if she can extend the effect to others. No one will be able to analyze her, or any of her allies.

    Well, it seems the effect is always on, so there are demerits as well. I attempted an appraisal to check, and she just showed up as ¡°Cannot Be Appraised¡±. Her ability must be quite powerful if it¡¯s an Extra Skill.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran and Persona stared at each other silently for a few seconds. Then, Fran bowed her head slightly as if in greeting. I wonder what¡¯s going on. Did the two rather untalkative girls somehow connect with each other?

    ¡¸Wow! It¡¯s very rare to see Persona opening up so much to someone else!¡¹

    Opening up? How can you even tell!?

    Either way, I can¡¯t fully trust these two right away. I¡¯ll keep my eyes on them for the time being.

 Chapter 1119: Squad Captain Fran

    <h4>Chapter 1119: Squad Captain Fran</h4>

    After we finished introductions, Maleficent called out to the volunteers in the square.

    ¡¸Over here, gentlemen! Gather around! Let me introduce you to the captain who be leading this squad!¡¹

    The volunteers in the za walked over, probably since they knew the one calling them was a Rank A adventurer. However, their pace was very sluggish andzy.

    Despite that, Maleficent simply smiled at them.

    ¡¸Oh, and just so you know, I¡¯ve only been hired as a guide. ck Lightning Princess-dono, I ask that you handle the actual ordering everyone around part as captain. Persona will also be taking a step back.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re just a guide?¡¹

    Despite being Rank A? Wouldn¡¯t that put Fran higher than you?

    ¡¸Allow me to exin, I love heroes to death. I love collecting the stories of heroes, talking to heroes, and seeing heroes in action with my very own eyes. And right now, the hottest new hero on the continent is you, ck Lightning Princess-dono, the savior of the ck cats. I took this dull job of guiding a squadron of volunteer soldiers so I could work with you!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸I mean to say that we¡¯re huge fans, and want to observe you up close and personal! But we¡¯ll be rather busy observing, so we can¡¯t do much fighting! Well, I suppose we can handle a few chores if you ask.¡¹

    So basically, you took the guide job just so you could get close to Fran? Normal fans are fine and all, but you¡¯d better not enter her personal space.

    If you try anything disgusting, my de is going straight up your ass!

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­Seems like he¡¯s fine with you leading.¡»

    ¡¸Okay. I¡¯ll be the captain.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks, Captain Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Maleficent and Persona both started pping. Are these guys really okay?

    When the adventurers finally finished gathering, Maleficent exined the situation to them.

    ¡¸Listen up everyone. This is Fran-dono, your new captain. Apuse please.¡¹

    While there was a bit of sparse apuse, most of them simply stared at Fran in an attempt to gauge her worth. Though they did not radiate hostility or anything, it seems many refused to ept her as leader.

    ¡¸Now then, I trust you can take care of the rest?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m the Rank B Adventurer Fran, the captain of this convoy.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa, what? That little girl is Rank B?¡¹

    ¡¸I think I¡¯ve heard some rumors about her.¡¹

    ¡¸We have to listen to this damn kid?!¡¹

    I overheard some of the whispers going around the crowd, and almost all of them were negative: surprise, jealousy, contempt, etc. We might be in for a tough ride¡­

    That said, no one went as far as to make a scene. They understood they were dealing with a Rank B adventurer, and their role as volunteer soldiers.

    As a result of their internal sh between patience and rebellion, it seems they decided to take a wait-and-see attitude. Urushi kept ring at them behind Fran, so that probably helped us a bit.

    Urushi knew how important first impressions were, so he maintained arger than usual side. The giant wolf staring down on the adventurers with a scary face was pretty impressive.

    ¡ºI guess we¡¯ll have to see where we go from here.¡»

    The supplies were already packing onto six wagons. We suggested transporting them in our storage, but Klimt said earlier that he wanted to give the volunteers experience in escorting supply convoys.

    It seems the volunteers gathered under us today were, despite their abilities, judged to be inadequate for integration into normal units. There were apparently a variety of reasons for this, such as bad conduct and disobeying the orders of anyone they didn¡¯t like.

    Maybe they have some kind of vendetta against Raydoss, but why would such misbehaving adventurers go as far as to volunteer for a war? The answer to my question ended up being more simple than I thought.

    Though the Adventurers Guild never forces its members to participate in wars, it sometimes acts as an intermediary for countries requesting participation. As a result, anyone willing to participate can reap the rewards and gain standing in the guild.

    And it seems even adventurers with such poor reputations are allowed to join as volunteer soldiers. I suppose nations cannot afford to be picky with manpower.

    I bet some were interested in looting the enemy country too. While this is generally a vition of militaryw, somemanders are willing to overlook such actions.

    Putting such volunteers in a regr unit will only cause unnecessary friction. On the other hand, it would also be a waste to keep such forces idle considering their strength.

    So as a result, they were assigned to guard this supply transport. That said, could these bloodthirsty problem children actually handle a boring transport mission?

    When I hear about these ¡°problem children adventurers¡±, I¡¯m reminded of Krad and his friends, who once apanied us inside a dungeon. While they started off with a pretty bad attitude, they got serious when it came to the actual mission. But the guys in this squad were way worse. Putting it simply, they seem like pure scum.

    I attempted an appraisal on the ones who looked particrly bad, since Persona was standing quite a distance away, and it worked. I found many with skills only belonging to criminals, such as Threaten, Theft, and Fraud.

    Naturally, the guild and the government must be worried about their behavior too. That¡¯s probably why they assigned them to this transport mission before letting them fight.

    Makes enough sense. Maleficent must be here to judge if they can be trusted or not.

    His actual job is to observe their attitude throughout the mission and determine how earnest the volunteers actually are. In short, deciding whether or not they can be entrusted with future missions.

    In addition, we were given permission to kill any enemies attacking the supply convoy. No matter how problematic our men are, they can still serve to lure out possible ambushes.

    They¡¯ve told us so much about the mission, so I suppose Fran is also considered one of the judges? She¡¯s not that much of a troublemaker.

    We assigned the horse-drawn wagons to those who had experience driving them, and divided the rest into groups of about eight or nine to guard each one.

    Our departure got a little dyed when a few insisted that they be allowed to drive, but we simply ignored them, and they reluctantly followed. As expected, they could not afford to be designated as deserters.

    The speed of our convoy was incredibly slow, as the squad members paused to hunt any monsters passing nearby. Fran told them to ignore harmless, weak monsters, but they refused to listen, iming that they needed to protect the convoy. However, this was an obvious attempt at earning a bit of cash on the side.

    Since there were fewer than 100 members, we didn¡¯t meet the conditions for March of the Valkyrie.

    At the end of the first day, we only managed to reach about 60% of our expected progress by the time we had to set up camp. Now I think I can sympathize with Cruise¡¯s hardships on the path to the Spider¡¯s Web dungeon.

    Moreover, they couldn¡¯t even camp without causing trouble. We overheard severalints about stuff like changing the order of night watch, hurrying up the march, or how they hated obeying a little girl. There was also an incident of someone stealing food.

    Fran used her fists to forcibly silence anyone whining to her, but she was still on edge the entire night.

    ¡ºFran, you okay?¡»

    £¨Why are they so annoying?£©

    ¡ºWell, none of them really seem like the type to follow others.¡»

    I saw Maleficent just sitting quietly without a word. I wonder if more than half of them have already been disqualified?

    To be honest, I think our biggest worry is whether or not Fran will lose her temper. If I¡¯m not careful, she might be the one <i>reducing</i> the number of people in her squad.

 Chapter 1120: Frans Wrath

    <h4>Chapter 1120: Fran''s Wrath</h4>

    The volunteer soldiers weren¡¯t satisfied justining, and their unruly behavior knew no end. Those assigned to night watch simply ignored their duty and went to sleep. A few even started chugging alcohol and rummaging through the supplies we were transporting without permission.

    None of them had any respect for Fran. Up until now, she overlooked their actions due to theck of serious damages.

    However, the unauthorized usage of food supplies crossed a line, triggering Fran¡¯s wrath. After all, one of the reasons she took the request was to ensure those on the battlefield would not fight on an empty stomach.

    ¡¸You three. Come here.¡¹

    Fran called out the men sitting around the campfire. Though her voice was on the quiet side, it was still audible.

    Yet all of thempletely ignored her, a sign of how little respect they had.

    ¡¸Oi.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? What the¨D¨DGah!¡¹

    ¡¸W-What are you¨D¨DBwah!¡¹

    ¡¸Bwoh!¡¹

    After taking one look at their punchable faces, Fran gave up on talking.

    All emotion disappeared from her face as she punched the men and sent them flying. It didn¡¯t end there. She went on to beat them to a pulp. They barely managed to hold onto consciousness.

    The other soldiers watched the beatdown with an amused smile, which gradually turned into expressions of fear as the sound of broken limbs echoed through the night.

    Fran¡¯s fury was not yet satisfied. She constantly swapped targets between the three men, allowing none of them a chance to escape. By my count, each of them had received at least 30 blows.

    By the time the punishment was over, the poor adventurers were weeping, vomiting stomach juices and blood, with broken bones all over their bodies.

    It may seem excessive, but she needed to make an example of them in front of the other volunteers. That must be what Fran was thinking.

    £¨Oops, I went too far.£©

    ¡ºHuh, Fran?!¡»

    Or I guess she simply forgot when to stop in her frustration! Well, at least you look much more relieved now. I bet you don¡¯t even feel sorry!

    ¡ºUhh, heal them up first!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After almost killing them in error, Fran healed the supply thieves with magic. Upon confirming that they were fully healed, Fran spoke out again.

    ¡¸¡­Everyone. Line up in front.¡¹

    It seems seeing Fran beat the crap out of three people gave the volunteer soldiers quite a shock.

    They had yet to witness Fran¡¯s interrogation style, but they saw her healing such terrible wounds in an instant. Everyone realized her punishment had the potential to be much worse.

    Most of the volunteers did as they were told and began lining up. However, there are always those whoin regardless of how inappropriate the situation is.

    ¡¸W-Who the hell do you think¨D¨DGyah!¡¹

    Arge man, over two meters tall, tried to question Fran before he was knocked 10 meters away, leaving a dent in the man¡¯s metallic armor.

    After witnessing Fran beating down a huge man with a single punch, they understood the overwhelming difference in strength. Moreover, Fran immediately invoked a healing spell and told him to line up again, in a tone that prevented him from refusing.

    This time, the man stood up and straightened his back immediately without anyints. His body was trembling pitifully, probably due to his fear and the still lingering pain.

    Not wanting to suffer the same fate, the other volunteers hurried to line up in front of the Fran.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran stared silently at the pale-faced volunteers.

    £¨Master, what should we do with these guys?£©

    ¡ºEh? You lined them up without any n for what you were doing next?¡»

    £¨Nn. I just wanted to make them line up.£©

    Apparently, she had made the order in anger, but had no clue what to do after.

    Fran remained silent for a while, which probably looked to them like she was silently boiling in anger. Everyone stood trembling as they held their breaths.

    Well, I guess we can keep them like this for a while.

    ¡ºHave you thought about what you want from them?¡»

    £¨I want to make them stop acting selfishly.£©

    ¡ºIf that¡¯s all you wanted, I think they¡¯ll listen now that you¡¯ve made an example of those three.¡»

    £¨But if we take them to the battlefield like this, they be useless again. They¡¯ll do whatever they want and cause trouble for everyone.£©

    ¡ºY-Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡»

    £¨I don¡¯t want to bring any troublemakers.£©

    I can¡¯t believe Fran is thinking that far ahead! In the past, she would¡¯ve been happy just beating up a few people to make them listen. But now, she¡¯s not simply taking her anger out on others. She¡¯s actually thinking about the consequences!

    I¡¯m really impressed!

    ¡ºSo you¡¯re saying you want to ensure these guys work hard and listen to others. Not just for the moment, but in the future as well.¡»

    £¨Nn. Is it possible?£©

    ¡ºHmm¡­¡»

    I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll listen to Fran now that they understand her strength, but they¡¯ll simply return to their crimes when she¡¯s out of the picture¡­

    Can we try a mock battle and break them that way? No, that¡¯s no different than simply beating them up. Besides, it¡¯ll take way too long¡­

    We need a method that will straighten out these assholes, and one it has to be something we can perform while on the move.

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºUhh, let¡¯s see¡­ We only have a short period of time to break¡­ I mean train these guys, right? We might run into time issues since there¡¯s so many troublemakers.¡»

    £¨Break¡­£©

    ¡ºN-No, that was just me misspeaking! Train! I meant to say train!¡»

    £¨I see.£©

    Fran nodded her head lightly before bing lost in thought. Eh? You¡¯re not really going to break them, are you?

 Chapter 1121: Make Them Run

    <h4>Chapter 1121: Make Them Run</h4>

    After an additional few seconds of silence, Fran slowly raised her head, sending a shiver down the spines of the volunteers.

    Since Fran looked so angry to them, they must be dreading her next action. Meanwhile, Fran simply walked over to the wagons and put them in storage.

    She released the horses from each cart before shoving them in, supplies and all. Then, she gathered up all the horses and handed them to Maleficent.

    ¡¸Take care of the horses, you can ride them if you want.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? But riding horses is kinda annoying.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona nodded in agreement to Maleficent, but Fran simply forced the reins into their hands.

    ¡¸You said you would handle chores.¡¹

    ¡¸This is a chore?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, a chore.¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Sigh</i>¡­ Fine, I suppose.¡¹

    After receiving Maleficent¡¯s reluctant nod, Fran turned to the volunteers again.

    ¡¸If I take you all to the battlefield, you¡¯ll just be a nuisance there.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Erm, I mean, what do you mean by that?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re annoying, you don¡¯t listen, you steal food, and you walk too slow. You¡¯ll only get in everyone¡¯s way.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s straightforward words caused a wave ofmotion among the volunteer soldiers. However, none of them could voice their discontent. She started giving off an unsettling aura, perhaps due to remembering their irritating behavior.

    The volunteers knew they might find themselves as the next example if they said the wrong thing. Swallowing theirints in frustration, everyone remained silent.

    In the somber atmosphere, Fran walked slowly in front of the volunteers and exined their next course of action.

    ¡¸Maybe it¡¯s better to just dump you all here. You won¡¯t bother anyone again.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ !!! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The faces of the volunteers twitched, not from anger, but from fear. They understood the word ¡°dump¡± to mean they would be cut down and dumped into shallow graves.

    Well, I can understand how they reached that conclusion after witnessing the anger on Fran¡¯s face.

    ¡¸But even you all can be useful with training.¡¹

    ¡¸T-Training?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. So, you run.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸First, you form lines and run. I wanted to make you listen by beating you up, but there¡¯s not enough time. So instead you train by jogging. All without breaking formation.¡¹

    The volunteers formed into lines immediately after Fran said these words, incredibly quickly and without any trouble. Unlike the previous distorted formation, these lines were neat and clean, as if they were perfectly-trained soldiers.

    These guys aren¡¯t half bad when they put their minds to something.

    ¡¸Okay. Now stay in formation and keep jogging at the same speed.¡¹

    ¡¸A-Am I permitted to ask a question?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸H-How long do we have to jog?¡¹

    ¡¸Until I say stop.¡¹

    ¡¸S-So, when will you say stop¡­?¡¹

    The man asked an additional question, but Fran only frowned. This jogging thing was something she came up with on the moment, so she had no ns for the next step.

    However, Fran¡¯s frowning face only looked like pure irritation to the volunteers. They immediately swallowed theirints and continued jogging.

    Thus began Fran¡¯s boot camp. Maleficent and Persona led the way on horseback, followed by the volunteers, with Fran keeping an eye on everyone from the tail end.

    They ran as asked in the beginning¡­ but of course, even those with high physical capabilities got tired eventually.

    Obviously, not everyone had the same amount of stamina to begin with. The weakest of the bunch eventually broke out of formation.

    Yet Fran refused to allow this. She cast Stamina Heal on them and forced them to keep jogging. That said, she never insulted those who simply ran out of stamina.

    On the other hand, she really cracked down on those who were cking off or not taking it seriously. If any of them disrupted the formation, even a little, she mercilessly fired a few rounds of magic.

    Well, not a direct hit though. Simply grazing their skin a bit to warn them of the consequences.

    However, I suppose we should have expected something like this from problem children the guild couldn¡¯t handle. After realizing Fran would not actually hit them with magic, their original attitude returned. A few began to run slower, or purposely trip and take a rest. Time had diluted their fear of Fran.

    Fran simply maintained her current strategy. Suddenly, one of the men shouted at her.

    ¡¸Captain!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m getting really hungry! We¡¯ll die of hunger at this rate!¡¹

    All said with a disgusting smirk on his face. Did he really think Fran would be satisfied by such an excuse? Of course not, Fran simply ignored him.

    ¡¸No food until you run properly.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸Now you have to run even longer.¡¹

    For an ex-ve like Fran, hunger was often more painful than simple violence. It¡¯s only natural she would consider skipping meals as a viable punishment for the volunteers.

    ¡¸Y-You think this is some sort of joke?!¡¹

    ¡¸No, this is no joke.¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your damn mouth! I¡¯m done with this shit! Hey boys! We don¡¯t need to listen to this little bitch! Let¡¯s fucking kill her already!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Y-Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸Take her down!¡¹

    About ten people broke out of formation in response to the man¡¯s suggestion. It seems they¡¯ve reached the end of their patience. Pretty pathetic after only about three hours of jogging.

    Well yeah, I know that¡¯s like a full marathon on Earth. That said, Fran had been healing them the entire time, so they shouldn¡¯t be that tired.

    The remaining volunteers simply watched without any attempt at stopping them. I bet they¡¯re secretly rooting for the men to eliminate Fran without any effort on their part.

    On the other hand, Fran understood what all of the volunteers were thinking, and decided to firmly reestablish the hierarchy between them. I agree that this is a good opportunity.

    Fran cracked her knuckles as she took a step forward.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give you a little discipline.¡¹

    Since Fran wanted nothing more than to reach the battlefield as soon as possible, it¡¯s no wonder she found the volunteers holding her back so annoying. I only pray she doesn¡¯t mess up and exert too much force again!

    At any rate, she¡¯ll make the volunteers submissive one way or another. Fran¡¯s boot camp will definitely get even more intense now.

 Chapter 1122: Worse Than Goblins

    <h4>Chapter 1122: Worse Than Goblins</h4>

    Those who tried to turn their weapons on Fran were promptly punished. Each one got knocked down in a single punch and got their asses whooped until they cried salty tears. The brave ones who refused to give in after one beating were healed before getting re-disciplined.

    Seeing Fran half-kill ten men without allowing any sort of resistancepletely deprived the volunteers of rebellious intent. Not surprising, since Fran showed them her ability to sever and reattach limbs.

    A few did attempt to escape during the disy, but Urushi stood in their way.

    They watched with pale faces as Urushi brought back the screaming volunteers in his jaws.

    Urushi didn¡¯t bite down hard enough to draw blood, but he remained in his giant form to appear more impressive. It¡¯s understandable if he applied a little too much pressure.

    Fran was also a tiny bit careless, but that¡¯s fine since it only made us appear more merciless. Moreover, they could easily imagine thatck of mercy directed at them in the future.

    So they ended up bing very obedient.

    That said, Fran decided to change her strategy as well.

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨If I make them keep jogging, this will just happen again.£©

    ¡ºAh, well, I guess that might be true.¡»

    £¨I need to tell them why they have to jog.£©

    ¡ºOh yeah! That¡¯s a good idea!¡»

    After seeing the outburst of discontent from the volunteers, Fran realized that simply telling them to jog wasn¡¯t enough. She needed to exin the meaning and reason behind having them run.

    Fran, you¡¯ve grown so much to be able to exin your intentions to others!

    While I was busy being impressed, Fran went ahead of the line, swapping ces with Urushi.

    ¡¸You guys never listen, you stink, you whine, you steal, you smell, and you all look stupid.¡¹

    Did you say they stink twice? Well, I suppose Fran has a good nose, so she cares more about those kinds of things. The volunteers wore indescribable expressions on their faces when Fran started dissing them out of nowhere.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t help anyone if I take you to the battlefield. No, you¡¯ll only hold us back. You¡¯re no better than goblins. Actually, goblins can drop magic stones and you can¡¯t. You¡¯re worse than goblins.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Wow, that must sting. However, the volunteers knew they could not talk back, so they simply kept jogging.

    ¡¸This training will at least teach you how to run. You can go from worse-than-goblins to goblins. So keep it up.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Eh, I think it¡¯s more like they didn¡¯t know how to respond rather than being unable to talk back. I guess they now understand how little Fran cared for them, at least.

    Fran went on to push them so much that even I found them a little pitiful. She continued shouting at them throughout the jog, saying things like ¡°You worse-than-goblins need to work harder, or you¡¯ll never improve!¡± and ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re no better than goblins! You¡¯ll never be a great goblin at this rate!¡± and so on.

    I think Fran was only trying to motivate her squad, but she may have broken them instead. Well, I suppose that fits her original goal of fixing the troublemakers.

    In the end, the volunteers all copsed in exhaustion after half a day of jogging in silence.

    Their mental exhaustion was intense too, so no one managed to pick themselves back up. Meanwhile, Fran treated them with a gentleness that was unimaginablepared to her earlier behavior.

    ¡¸Worse-than-goblins, you did well. You¡¯re still worse-than-goblins, but you can have this as a reward for your hard work. Line up!¡¹

    The volunteers lined up in front of Fran incredibly obediently, and what happened next even surprised me. Fran handed each of them a bowl of curry.

    This might be her way of showing her appreciation. Some of the grown men were in tears due to Fran¡¯s kindness. How sweet. I guess that means they¡¯ll follow her training regimen the next day too.

    But Fran also didn¡¯t forget to show her harsh side.

    ¡¸If anyone tries to run at night, Urushi will track you down.¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡¸Stay sleeping if you don¡¯t want to get eaten by Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger that, Captain! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I doubt anyone will try to escape now, and in return, everyone will be exempted from the night watch. Fran and Urushi took up that role themselves, taking turns.

    The volunteers ravaged the curry as if their lives depended on it, before going into a deathly silent sleep. A little bitter, Maleficent and Persona approached us.

    ¡¸Hey there, I saw you guys eating something that looked pretty delicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Curry, the best food ever.¡¹

    ¡¸It certainly looks the part.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona nodded her head in response to Maleficent¡¯s statement. Upon seeing the young girl¡¯s reaction, Fran took out another bowl of curry.

    ¡¸Want some?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona was about to take the bowl, but then paused to look up at Maleficent. While her expression wasn¡¯t visible behind the mask, I¡¯m sure it was a pleading face.

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine, just don¡¯t get your clothes dirty.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona nodded and held the bowl above her head as she ran around. Make sure you don¡¯t trip.

    ¡¸Thank you so much.¡¹

    ¡¸I feel sorry for anyone missing out on curry.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    It seems Maleficent and Persona had no intention of taking off their masks, which exins the slit opening for their mouths.

    The two sat down next to each other and began eating.

    ¡¸This really is delicious! Amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    While Persona still never said anything, she must be enjoying it judging by the speed of her spoon.

    The two approached us again after finishing the meal, carrying more than just the curry bowls they were returning. It seems they brought some sort of map.

    ¡¸I would like to discuss the route we are taking.¡¹

 Chapter 1123: Evil God Cultists

    <h4>Chapter 1123: Evil God Cultists</h4>

    Maleficent showed us a map with several roads on it, pointing out two in particr and exining them.

    ¡¸This route is longer, but the terrain is fairly t and gives us a lower chance of running into enemy scouts. On the other hand, this route is much shorter, but contains a few uncertainties.¡¹

    ¡¸Uncertainties?¡¹

    ¡¸We will have to cross over a mountain, as well as pass through some areas still within Raydoss¡¯s sphere of influence.¡¹

    Kranzel managed to invade Raydoss and ce a portion of its territory under control, but this only amounted to some slices ofnd near the border. Apparently, this region was dotted with areas that they have yet to fully conquer.

    And it seems that wasn¡¯t the only concern.

    ¡¸Also along this route is a stronghold formerly used by followers of the Evil God as a gathering grounds.¡¹

    This fortress belonging to Evil God cultists was said to be in the southern part of the East Conquest Duke¡¯s territory, rtively close to the border with Kranzel.

    ¡¸The ce is called Fort Millennia.¡¹

    I think I remember hearing about that before?

    ¡¸It¡¯s said to be thergest gathering of Evil God cultists in the entire world. Though it seems someone already felled the fort, it once thrived on Raydoss territory.¡¹

    It came back to me as I listened in on Maleficent¡¯s exnation.

    Zelos Reed was the one who destroyed the home base of the Evil God cultists.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard of it.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I see. Well, I suppose it¡¯s one of the better-known stories on this continent.¡¹

    Indeed, passing by a fort filled with Evil God cultists could be quite scary. Running into someone as strong as Linford or Zelos Reed might result in heavy casualties among the members of our squad.

    Not that any of it matters unless the cultists are actually alive.

    ¡¸Are you saying they¡¯re still there?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah. Apparently no one has seen the cultists since then, so the ce is deserted.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­So what makes you think it¡¯s dangerous?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, do you notice anything strange about this story of Fort Millennia and the Evil God cultists?¡¹

    ¡¸Like how did the cultists get the fort in the first ce?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, that is certainly one issue.¡¹

    Now that you mention it, that¡¯s pretty weird.

    From the sound of it, Fort Millennia seems like a ratherrge structure. Why would Raydoss allow the Evil God cultists to steal the fort from them? Shouldn¡¯t they have sent in the red knights to retake it?

    Or perhaps the cultists built the fort by themselves in the first ce? No, that still makes no sense. The red knights wouldn¡¯t ignore someone else building a fort on their territory. The fort was apparently upied by cultists for such a long time that the rumors of its existence spread throughout the entire continent.

    However, Maleficent was apparently referring to a different issue.

    ¡¸Many of Raydoss¡¯s inner workings havee to light in the events leading to the war, but how about we consider what we knew before?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Think about it, we knew barely anything about Raydoss back then. In truth, Raydoss made great efforts to conceal its internal affairs from the outside world, so very little information ever got leaked. Yet despite their persistent counter-intelligence measures, why were the rumors about Fort Millennia the only thing that escaped their borders?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I see.¡¹

    Of course, that¡¯s exactly right! It doesn¡¯t make sense for an ordinary adventurer to even know the name of Fort Millennia!

    Back when I heard the rumor that Zelos Reed wiped out the fort, I barely thought anything of it¡­

    If this stronghold of Evil God worshipers got wiped out in Raydoss, the news should never have reached Kranzel in the first ce. How did it make it out when everything else waspletely locked in?

    It¡¯s almost as if someone spread these rumors intentionally. Well, I suppose fleeing cultists could be the ones responsible¡­ But I think it¡¯s more likely someone did it on purpose.

    Perhaps the East Conquest Duke was behind this, due to some connection he had with the cultists in his domain?

    It seems Maleficent had the same idea, so that¡¯s why he was wondering whether or not it was safe to pass by such a ce.

    £¨Master, what should we do?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯d want to scout the ce out if it was just us, but we¡¯re in the middle of a mission. Let¡¯s y it safe.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Makes sense, I¡¯ll take the safe route this time.¡¹

    ¡¸I see, then we shall use that one. I take it you will be undergoing a simr sort of training regimen tomorrow?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I suppose making them run all day will make up for the time we lost on the first day.¡¹

    So it seems boot camp is continuing into tomorrow.

    Maleficent departed after hearing that.

    He did say something about loving heroes, so I was kinda expecting him to ask a lot more questions. That said, both Maleficent and Persona seemed very interested in Fran, as the two kept ncing over our way.

    Guess he¡¯s keeping to himself for now, since we¡¯re on a job. Pretty sensible guy for someone who¡¯s Rank A.

    The next day.

    After feeding the volunteers a hearty breakfast of meat and bread in the morning, Fran made them go through the same jogging regimen as yesterday. There was no one left to stand against her.

    I suppose a single night wasn¡¯t enough to make them forget the horror engraved onto their souls.

    Meanwhile, Fran kept shouting at them all morning.

    ¡¸Worse-than-goblins. Run faster, and look happier!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Reply!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Mm-hm. Fran¡¯s boot camp is going pretty well. I barely gave her any advice, and she¡¯s already like a real drill sergeant.

    While I was busy being impressed, Fran continued her speech.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll teach you all a magic word.¡¹

    Huh, a magic word?

    ¡¸You say ¡°curry¡± after your reply!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ ??? ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡º?¡»

    ¡¸What do you say?¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! Curry! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Good.¡¹

    What part of that is good?! Isn¡¯t it supposed to be ¡°sir¡± after your reply? Why are you making them say ¡°curry¡± instead!? Don¡¯t me me, I¡¯mpletely innocent here! Did Fran¡¯s inner drill sergeant suddenly awaken somehow?

    ¡¸I¡¯ll feed you curry again today. Imagine that when you shout ¡°curry¡± and you¡¯ll be filled with energy!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! Curry! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

 Chapter 1124: Maleficents Mission

    <h4>Chapter 1124: Maleficent''s Mission</h4>

    Fran¡¯s boot camp continued for a full three days.

    The soldiers had undergone a drastic transformation into a real squad. Everyone moved at a brisk pace, coordinated together, and at the end of the day, they discussed the wonders ofbor over a bowl of curry.

    Fran already returned the wagons, and her squad performed their escort job practically perfectly. Well, they were fine in the first ce aside from the behavioral issues.

    It looked a bit like brainwashing to me, but they should appreciate it more than getting sent to Maleficent.

    Maleficent actually told us the truth behind his mission at the end of the second day.

    It all started when Fran noticed the presence of a spirit.

    Fran was on night watch when she began observing her surroundings. There were no monsters nearby, and she was not looking at the soldiers or Maleficent either.

    For whatever reason, she started staring into empty space.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong?¡»

    £¨There¡¯s a spirit here.£©

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    £¨A lot of them.£©

    So it seems there¡¯s a bunch of spirits floating around us. I still couldn¡¯t sense anything, but I came up with an idea of how to find them.

    I activated Spirit Hand and tried to spread its influence around like I do with telekinesis. Then, I felt myself brushing up against something.

    The entities seemed to be surprised by my contact, so they ran away immediately. However, this was enough to convince me. Anything I can¡¯t see or sense has to be a spirit.

    I think there¡¯s at least five or six of them?

    £¨I know this presence.£©

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    £¨Klimt¡¯s water and wind spirits.£©

    It seems Fran somehow learned how to distinguish the differences between spirits.

    If these spirits belong to Klimt, did he secretly send them to guard us? Or maybe watch over us?

    ¡ºLike I thought, this isn¡¯t just a simple transport request.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Just think about it, the quality of these soldiers when we first met was in awful. Even if they were decently strong, their behavior was poor enough to cancel it out. As Fran pointed out, they would only be a hindrance to our allies fighting on the front line.

    Moreover, the ¡°guide¡± assigned to us was Rank A. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s normal.

    While I was watching the spirits suspiciously, Maleficent and Persona approached us.

    ¡¸Judging by your behavior, I take it you have some doubts?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­There¡¯s a lot of spirits.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, so you are gifted with the talent of seeing spirits! Klimt-san is aware of this fact, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Aww, Klimt-san has always had that soft spot for kids!¡¹

    ¡¸Is there something going on behind this request? It¡¯s weird that you got sent with me.¡¹

    ¡¸I see you¡¯ve realized it by now.¡¹

    Maleficent wore a wry smile as he raised both hands in surrender.

    ¡¸<i>Sigh</i>. What do you think about this, Persona?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    In response to Maleficent¡¯s question, Persona extended her fist and gave a thumbs-up.

    ¡¸I knew you¡¯d say that. I suppose we can¡¯t continue like this if she¡¯s already on to us, so we have no choice. Worst case scenario, they said it¡¯s okay to tell her.¡¹

    ¡¸I knew it. Did you have some kinda special mission?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct.¡¹

    Maleficent gestured for Fran to sit, so they both sat down. It seems this conversation may take a while.

    ¡¸It all started when the government submitted an application to increase your adventurer rank.¡¹

    ¡¸The government? Kranzel¡¯s?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. You being Rank A would make it easier to hand you requests, and above all, the birth of a new high ranking adventurer is obviously beneficial for a country at war. Have youpleted a government assigned request recently?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that¡¯s what made Kranzel decide you were appropriate for Rank A. Well, the guild will be the one making the final decision, but it seems there was also a wave of support from the regional guilds.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    Didn¡¯t Fran fail to passst time though?

    That said, it seems the situation has changed since then. While she already had a rmendation for ranking up, it was now backed up by all her amazing aplishments during the war with Raydoss.

    In addition, the branches in Gordicia and Belioth also submitted their reports, which arrived a littlete. The guild shifted its stance upon seeing all this.

    ¡¸They apparently decided that the ck Lightning Princess should be promoted to a higher rank if she is doing so well. Thus, a rank-up exam must be conducted as soon as possible¡­¡¹

    The rank-up exam for Rank A is apparently giving the examinee a slightly difficult task and observing how they ovee it.

    ¡¸But I suppose Klimt-san got the worst of it this time.¡¹

    Klimt had originally prepared a regr convoy of 200 volunteers and 20 wagons for this transport mission.

    However, that¡¯s when the upper management of the Adventurers Guild intervened. They thought to take advantage of this as a good opportunity for a rank-up exam.

    They adjusted Klimt¡¯s request by taking the special convoy Maleficent was supposed to lead, and assigning it to Fran instead.

    Klimt resisted the move, much to the chagrin of the guild¡¯s upper management, saying that Fran was not ready to move up the ranks yet. In the end though, he failed to reverse the guild¡¯s decision.

    Fran trusted Klimt enough to reveal my existence to him, then immediately after, he was forced to trick her with this secret test. Putting myself in Klimt¡¯s shoes, it must have been pretty hard to ept. Moreover, the rank-up was done with the intention of sending Fran, a child, to war.

    Guess I¡¯ll have to tell him not to worry about it when we get back.

    So Maleficent was assigned to apany us as road guide as well as test examiner. Apparently, he was the one originally in charge of this special convoy in the first ce.

    ¡¸What was your mission?¡¹

    ¡¸Something very simr to what you are doing right now. We determine if anyone is of unsatisfactory character or unsafe to be employed. They will be isted and reeducated by myself and Persona.¡¹

    In other words, the test for Fran¡¯s rank advancement and the test for problematic adventurers were taking ce at the exact same time. He was testing everyone present.

    ¡¸Klimt-san insisted on sending his spirits, iming that it was too difficult to suddenly force a solo adventurer into taking charge of a bunch of troublemakers. He wanted his spirits along just in case.¡¹

    Maleficent began staring into empty space as well. It seems he can see spirits as well.

    ¡¸Though I never imagined he would send so many of them¡­ I suppose his intention was to warn you that something unnatural is going on. If only the guild would refrain from offending Klimt-san. None of them understand how it feels to get caught up in the middle of their nonsense.¡¹

    Maleficent gave a tired, dryugh.

    ¡¸Now that Klimt-san has his old powers back, they might as well make him Rank S already. And of course, it¡¯s gotta me that they send to him¡­¡¹

 Chapter 1125: Transport Mission, Final Day

    <h4>Chapter 1125: Transport Mission, Final Day</h4>

    Fran¡¯s boot camp, day five.

    We¡¯re scheduled to arrive at our destination at the front line today. The volunteers underwent no more strenuous jogging, making them the splitting image of a normal transport squad.

    Well, Fran was still calling them ¡°worse-than-goblins¡± and they continued following the weird rule of adding ¡°curry¡± to the end of every sentence.

    At the very least, no one in the squad had any malice or hostility though. Their attitude toward work was now much more serious.

    Gone was the image of troublemakers who would causemotion even before deploying, and they were reced by slightly rough-faced soldiers. Everyone moved briskly, spoke clearly, and obeyed Fran¡¯s orders absolutely.

    No one performed selfish actions, and there were no more fights or trouble. Rather, they even encouraged and helped each other.

    Honestly, it¡¯s like they¡¯ve all been reborn as different people. I doubt any of them will get thrown back into reeducation by Maleficent.

    As for the matter of Fran¡¯s rank though, it might be too early to say for sure.

    It seems this long and eventful transport mission was not about to end without some additional trouble near the end.

    £¨Master, something¡¯sing.£©

    ¡ºThere¡¯s a lot of them, and moreover¡­¡»

    £¨Evil energy.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    A group approached us without any attempt to hide their hostility. Considering how they charged directly at our convoy, they were clearly targeting us.

    At first I thought they might be Raydoss scouts, but apparently not. The entire group radiated an aura of evil.

    They didn¡¯t even seem like people, so I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re a horde of fiends. Not to mention the strength of the aura. They clearly weren¡¯t small fry like goblins or kobolds.

    ¡ºNo way we can outrun them.¡»

    £¨Nn. I¡¯ll intercept.£©

    We¡¯re up against a hostile force radiating evil energy in the middle of enemy territory, so we better get ready for battle. Fran instructed the soldiers to prepare themselves as well.

    ¡¸Something¡¯sing. Protect the wagons!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! Curry! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    They¡¯re still saying it at a time like this¡­ Well, whatever, I guess that¡¯s a sign of their sincerity.

    ¡¸Maleficent, Persona, help them if things get dangerous.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I suppose it¡¯s an emergency.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    As expected, he didn¡¯t try to argue that this wasn¡¯t a chore at such a critical moment. We should be able to handle whateveres our way with their support.

    Fran¡¯s equivalent to Rank A, plus we got one Rank A and one Rank B adventurer.

    Rather than continuing forward, we waited on a in with few obstructions. The group in question revealed themselves after about ten minutes.

    £¨Undead.£©

    ¡ºYeah, and the center one is particrly strong.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We found ourselves facing off with a pack of about 20 undead. However, all of them were Genocide Ghouls, the highest rank of ghoul. The ghoul at the center of the pack radiated an overwhelming amount of evil energy.

    Simply being in the presence of such evil energy was enough to drain the color from the soldiers¡¯ faces.

    I doubt they¡¯re anything less than Threat Level B. Maybe they could even reach A if that evil energy is as powerful as I think it is.

    Enough to copse a small country. How can they simply show up out of nowhere like this?

    The ck Skeleton Corps are the obvious culprits, but where did this evil energye from? Did they develop some kind of technique for strengthening undead with evil energy?

    Perhaps this pack was given the job of hunting down Rank A adventurers.

    Fran shouted at the undead rushing at us.

    ¡¸Stop right there! Come any closer and we¡¯ll consider you enemies!¡¹

    Regardless of how pointless a warning would be, it¡¯d be good to at least find out their objective. That¡¯s why we decided to attempt a conversation, but then¡­

    The undead suddenly paused in their tracks.

    Eh? After all that hostility?

    However, it seems our warning was not what made them stop.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re trying to cast magic!¡»

    ¡¸Commence long-range attack!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Curry! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Thus, the fighting began without any chance to get info. An exchange of spells and arrows, along with a few thrown stones, flew between the two sides.

    However, neither of us could decide the battle at this range. As expected from max rank ghouls, they were capable of potent death poison magic. Meanwhile, Fran¡¯s restoration magic and Maleficent¡¯s wide-range barriers prevented such spells from having much effect.

    That said, the ghouls protected themselves with barriers of evil energy, so our attacks were equally ineffective. No matter how many of Fran or Persona¡¯s spells hit them, the barrier reduced their power so much that regeneration was easy.

    Despite a ranged exchange of several minutes, neither side took any losses.

    Of course, the next step was meleebat.

    The Genocide Ghouls weaved their way through our barrage and came rushing down on us, all 20 of them concentrated in a single spot.

    ¡ºFran, they¡¯re after you!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Did they notice that she was the captain? Or perhaps they were smart enough to target the healer first?

    However, it seems both of my guesses were wrong.

    ¡¸GRAH! Girl, hand over the divine artifact!¡¹

    ¡¸Artifact?¡¹

    Huh, ¡°divine artifact¡±? That¡¯s his target?

    ¡¸There it is! The divine artifact belongs in our hands!¡¹

 Chapter 1126: Incompatibility

    <h4>Chapter 1126: Ipatibility</h4>

    ¡¸There it is! The divine artifact belongs in our hands!¡¹

    What the hell are they talking about? Were Maleficent and Persona hiding something weird in their pockets? Stop messing up the test if you¡¯re gonna be the examiner!

    Wait, then why are they targeting Fran?

    £¨He¡¯s looking at you, Master.£©

    ¡ºEh? Me?¡»

    £¨Nn. I¡¯m sure of it.£©

    So basically, I¡¯m the divine artifact then?

    Oh, I guess that might be true. I was forged by a divine cksmith, and am technically ssified as a pseudo-divine sword. No one has ever called me an artifact though.

    ¡¸Girl, hand over the artifact! The sword! I can feel the power of the Evil God on my skin! That sword is the real deal!¡¹

    So they really were after me. They must have sniffed out the Evil God Fragment sealed inside me.

    Sorry Fran, and everyone else too! It¡¯s my fault we¡¯re under attack!

    ¡¸¡­You want to steal my sword?¡¹

    ¡¸Exactly! A little girl like you doesn¡¯t deserve to hold such an artifact! Hand it over to us!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    All emotion disappeared from Fran¡¯s face. Me, as well as all the soldiers recognized this sign, she was about to explode.

    The next moment, an intense killing intent spread over the battlefield.

    The soldiers had braced themselves for this, yet their only response was yelping and taking a few steps backward. Even the ghouls who had no fear of death could not help but flinch, likely imagining themselves cut up into a hundred pieces.

    Her killing intent was that vicious, and yet, she was still holding back to protect the allies at her side.

    ¡¸Maleficent, you work with the others to take out the surrounding trash.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Maleficent and Persona nodded their heads vigorously in sync.

    ¡¸And I¡­ will crush <i>him</i>.¡¹

    The moment Fran muttered those words, she unleashed all the anger she was building up at that single ghoul. If this was directed at one of the soldiers, their heart would have ceased beating instantly.

    The ghoulmander who told Fran to hand me over understood her power upon seeing this. No matter how poor his ability to perceive the strength of others was, anyone would realize it after being exposed to such killing intent.

    But this pause was short-lived. He quickly broke out of his stupor and leaped at Fran with a maniacal scream.

    ¡¸UGRAAAAAAAH! Hand it over! HAND IT OVER!¡¹

    ¡¸Never!¡¹

    Fran shed des with the ghoulmander.

    The ghoul shed at us with sharp, long ws, which were much tougher than I thought they would be. His ws actually managed to withstand a few hits from me. They broke shortly afterward, but regrew just as quickly.

    Continuing the sh like this would be pointless, only serving to reduce the ghoul¡¯s mana levels slightly. He was capable of regenerating his ws endlessly.

    Still, Fran was clearly ahead when it came to skill, easily parrying each hit from the ghoul¡¯s ws. Perhaps he managed to exceed Fran in physical parameters, but that onlysted until Fran activated Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    The ghoul still boasted higher physical strength, but that isn¡¯t worth much if he can¡¯tnd a hit. He soon lost track of Fran due to her overwhelming swordsmanship and speed.

    ¡¸GRAAH!¡¹

    The ghoul pulled out his trump card, spraying a mist of Demon Poison everywhere. A single touch would be enough to dissolve any living creature in range. I must say that such a terrifying poison suited his Genocide Ghoul name well. It might seriously wreck a country if deployed on farnd or water sources.

    That said, it had little effect on Fran. She had high status resistance in addition to skills like Restoration Magic, Cleansing Magic, and Poison Absorption.

    Even this cloud of incredibly lethal poison acted as barely more than a smokescreen. Well, Fran did have to worry about her allies for a moment, but they were fine too. Maleficent and Persona¡¯s wide-range ward was incredibly powerful, so much that it reminded me of Seliadot. Relieved that the soldiers were safe behind the ward, Fran jumped at the ghoul in front of her.

    She dove right into the poisonous smoke, dodging the ghoul¡¯s ws and cutting through his reddish-ck rotting body.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    A single swing, and his head flew off before he could even scream. Fran promptly followed up with additional shes tearing through his limbs and torso.

    Not to mention the ck lightning scorching his body from the inside. Smoke rose from the ghoul¡¯s flesh as parts of it began crumbling into ash. The battle should have been over then and there.

    Yet this ghoul refused to go down. The highest-tier ghouls naturally have immense regenerative powers, and this one was enhanced with evil energy.

    Despite getting blown away by Fran¡¯sbo, he regenerated not only his arms and legs, but even his head, all before even hitting the ground. Hended with his bodyplete and jumped right back at us as if nothing had happened.

    It seems this ghoul was designed to push his opponent into a corner using sheer physical strength and regeneration speed. Throw in his death poison magic and multiple types of poisons imbued in his ws, and we have a formidable foe.

    I suppose he might be able to turn the tables if he managed to get one scratch on us.

    Yeah sure, tricks like poison and evil energy might allow him to defeat stronger opponents. Even a Rank A adventurer would have some trouble if they get poisoned after their skills are disabled with evil energy.

    But that¡¯s all useless against Fran.

    ¡¸GAAAAAH! Why! Why does it have no effect?! And my strength is being sapped¡­! Is this the power of the artifact!?¡¹

    You could say that. To be precise, it was the effect of my Evil Crusher skill. Though not enough topletely inhibit the ghoul¡¯s regeneration, Fran was able to chip away at his evil energy and slow down his regeneration with each hit.

    Evil Crusher and Restoration Magic made us the perfect counter for the fearsome country-toppling ghoul. He never stood a chance.

    That¡¯s when I decided to try something I had been thinking about for a while.

    ¡ºEvil Conquest, activate!¡»

    Up until now, I¡¯ve only used this skill to shield Fran from evil energy, or to manage the Evil God Fragment sealed inside me. But what happens if I use it directly on someone with so much evil energy?

    Would I be able to absorb their power, or possibly even manipte them?

    That¡¯s why I attempted to use the skill, and it turned out to work better than I expected.

    ¡¸GRAH! WHA¡­!¡¹

    The ghoul¡¯s movements visibly slowed down. If this technique works on a ghoul infused with evil energy, then I imagine it will work on fiends as well. I might have just gotten a new trump card for whenever wee across them in the future.

    ¡ºUse this chance to take him down! sh away at his evil energy with everything you¡¯ve got!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸DAMN YOU!!!¡¹

 Chapter 1127: Side - Donadrond (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1127: Side - Donadrond (1)</h4>

    We, the main forces of the adventurer division, are currently engaged with the Raydoss army alongside the knights of Kranzel.

    The battlefield is Fort Swaise, built in the southwestern mountainous region of Raydoss. This defensive stronghold is thest obstruction standing between us and thergest city in southern Raydoss, Rajhil.

    Though we knew little about the geography of Raydoss before the invasion, we now have a rough map based on testimony from the upied viges and prisoners of war, backed by documents obtained from captured strongholds.

    And anyone can tell from this map that taking Fort Swaise wouldpletely divide southern Raydoss in half.

    While there are ins located far north of Fort Swaise, the southern region is covered in beast-infested mountains and forests. Without ess to the roads passing through this fort, free movement through southern Raydoss bes practically impossible.

    Back in Kranzel, such a crossroads would generally have a town filled with inns. However, it seems Raydoss prioritized the building of forts to protect their distributionwork.

    Weunched our attack on Fort Swaise using the same strategy we employed for previous operations. Our scouts reported nothing unusual beforehand. However, all the knights and adventurers had let their guards down due to the ease at which we were advancing.

    Unaware of Raydoss¡¯s trap¡­

    The first anomaly was reported by themando unit who had snuck around to the fort¡¯s rear. Their main goal was to intercept any enemy troops deploying from behind, as well as interfering with iing supplies transports.

    At this point, the Kranzel army still believed they held an overwhelming advantage. The number of soldiers holding the fort was supposedly few, so it was considered poorly defended.

    All we needed to do was surround the fort andy siege until it fell, just like we did for previous forts.

    But we heard some bad news soon after the battle began. Ourmando unit of about 500 was ambushed and wiped out by an equal number of undead. Moreover, the undead quickly disappeared into the shadows and wepletely lost track of them.

    Did they have some kind of secret passage? Or perhaps they had a necromancer on the same level as Jean?

    Either way, we all realized that this was not going to be as simple as the previous forts. This belief turned into confirmation upon hearing the next report.

    Our front line sustained heavy casualties due to long range spells from enemy casters. Of course, Raydoss deployed sorcerers before, but not in suchrge numbers.

    Yet this fort had at least one entire squadron of sorcerers, which is a powerful force that we can¡¯t afford to ignore. This should have been the sign telling us to stop underestimating our enemies.

    However, Kranzel¡¯smanders didn¡¯t seem to have any sense of urgency. I went over to suggest a change of ns, but I didn¡¯t expect to find them sitting around and casually drinking tea.

    ¡¸So, you are saying that you will not adjust the n?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Dispatch anothermando unit and then we attack the front again. Hurry up and get into position!¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t understand how dangerous this fort is. Please reconsider!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph, breaking through such a pathetic trap will be a simple matter. To think a mere adventurer has the gall to talk back to me! You need only shut up and follow orders!¡¹

    One of the army¡¯smanders, a noble, replied to my words with a look of annoyance. Each noble family recruited its own soldiers to participate in the war, and this man was among those who brought the most. As such, he was a central figure given much authority, not to mention his title of count.

    Up until now, he had only been providing logistical support, but it seems he wanted to participate in the so-called ¡°biggest battle of the war¡±. That¡¯s why he came personally instead of only sending his deputy to the strategy meetings like he usually did.

    All of our previous operations were constructed with input from the knights and adventurers, but now¡­

    Unable to offend the noble bringing 3000 troops, we had no choice but to ept his strategy. We all thought it would fine since we were merely applying the same strategy as before. Also, this noble was only rumored to be greedy, not ipetent.

    But because of that incident, it seems he mistakenly thought that we would obey his every word.

    He didn¡¯t understand that the knights have the final say in what happens on the battlefield, which is a rule even recorded in Kranzelw books. Well, I suppose even if the knights can overrule the nobles, they still have to refrain from disrespecting them.

    Moreover, the guild was also given a great deal of autonomy in the current war, so we¡¯re not obligated to obey them unconditionally. No adventurer would enjoy being used as a tool for some noble to gain prestige, which is why I paid a visit to express my opposition to his idea.

    But why did it have to be me? I know ourmander Forrund is not good at talking, but don¡¯t we have plenty of other high ranking adventurers? Well, I suppose I do have more experience with nobles than most¡­

    ¡¸Wouldn¡¯t sending another unit to nk them be pointless if they already realized our n?¡¹

    ¡¸Just send twice as many this time! If the undead attack again, simply take them out!¡¹

    ¡¸Fine, but know that no adventurers will join this unit.¡¹

    ¡¸What!? You adventurers have plenty of people just sitting around!¡¹

    ¡¸None of us are simply sitting around. Everyone already has an assigned job, and you don¡¯t have the authority to reassign them. If you insist on sending another unit, you¡¯ll have to use your own troops.¡¹

    ¡¸But¨D¨D¡¹

    Damn, who told me this guy waspetent? Maybe he¡¯s just too blinded by greed to see the truth?

    Many call Zenos-sama ipetent, but he looks much better to me inparison. At least he understands his limits and refrains from engaging in reckless behavior.

    Plus, he knows how to entrust his troops to apetentmander. Insulting him in public would force him to punish you in order to protect his status as a branch member of the royal family, but he¡¯s very easy to get along with in private.

    Anyway, I managed to get the noble¡¯s word after a long and pointless argument. At the very least, no adventurers will have to die in vain following his reckless n.

    I felt relieved, but that was interrupted by loud shoutinging from behind.

    Upon closer inspection, I saw the noble division in the rear under attack by undead. I¡¯ve seen this scene many times before.

    The exact same strategy Jean employed against the Raydoss army, except someone was using it on us now.

    This is bad. If they have a necromancer of Jean¡¯s caliber, their forces will expand themselves by feeding on the soldiers of the noble division.

    We need to rescue them as soon as possible.

    ¡¸D-Donad-san!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong!?¡¹

    ¡¸Enemy forces have deployed from the fort!¡¹

    ¡¸What!?¡¹

    One of my subordinates came running to my side, and just as he said, the gates of the Fort Swaise were now wide open. Out came a torrent of knights in red armor.

    ¡¸Shit! We¡¯ve got no choice but to hold this side! Adventurers, gather around me!¡¹

 Chapter 1128: Side - Donadrond (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1128: Side - Donadrond (2)</h4>

    We were the ones attempting to take Fort Swaise, yet Kranzel¡¯s forces had been ced on the defensive from beginning to end.

    The undead struck us from behind before we knew it, as knights in red armor rushed us from the front.

    While the undead horde boasted over 2000 members, the only 200 or so Red Knights were abnormally powerful.

    ¡¸Donad-san, this is bad! Raydoss¡¯s main forces are approaching from behind the fort!¡¹

    ¡¸Again?! What the hell is going on in the front lines!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re trying to hold them back alongside the knights, but those guys are insane!¡¹

    ¡¸These must be the Red Knights we¡¯ve heard so much about!¡¹

    Report after report from the adventurer scouts we sent out, but none of them contained any good news.

    The Red Knights.

    The name was familiar to me. I¡¯ve heard about the knights in charge of protecting Raydoss from a few prisoners of war.

    The strongest knights in the country, equipped with gleaming red armor, unbound by political affairs. The protectors of the people.

    I knew the Red Knights were capable, but who could have imagined they would be this strong! All of the knights we¡¯ve fought until now were small fry inparison!

    ¡¸GYAAAH! Help¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­! We¡¯re screwed.¡¹

    ¡¸M-My arm!¡¹

    Our knights, soldiers, and adventurers together outnumbered them by nearly five to one, yet we could do nothing to stop their advance. Even in these circumstances, theypletely outmatched us.

    And now the appearance of enemy reinforcements means we¡¯ll be pincered from three directions. We¡¯re done for if we can¡¯t figure a way out.

    All the screams resonating in the air belonged to my friends.

    Moreover, the asional me spell flew in and caused a huge explosion. We had wards to guard against magic, but not enough to cover everyone.

    Each of them must be skilled magic knights, Rank C or higher in adventurer terms. Perhaps the squad captains even reached Rank B.

    Yet they coordinated as well as an order of knights. Such terrifying strength resulted in so many adventurer deaths.

    What a lousymander I was! I grit my teeth so hard that I could hear them creaking under the pressure. Even so, the only thing I could do was shout to inspire myrades.

    If only I could charge forward and protect my friends by using my huge body as a shield. But I simply can¡¯t. I¡¯m the only one here who has ever led an army this big.

    Me leaving my post will only cause confusion in the chain ofmand, resulting in even more casualties.

    ¡¸Send a message to Forrund! Tell him to return immediately!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, sir!¡¹

    ¡¸Donad-san! The noble division in the rear is in big trouble! They¡¯re still getting attacked from behind and many nobles have fallen!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! Guess we can¡¯t leave them alone forward! Fine, we head out to save the nobles in the rear! Beat the crap out of the undead, and we can break through their encirclement!¡¹

    ¡¸R-Roger!¡¹

    ¡¸Vanguard with me, we¡¯re charging in! Everyone else provide support!¡¹

    We need to distance ourselves from the fort and reorganize our forces, otherwise we run the risk ofplete annihtion. That¡¯s why I led the adventurers in a charge through the undead at our rear. I also sent a messenger to the knights to inform them of our decision. They¡¯ll surely follow alongside us.

    ¡¸Charge!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ UROOOOGH! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The undead were quite strong too.

    Though they looked like ordinary zombies and skeletons at first nce, they had swifter movements and more durable bodies. Of course, the biggest annoyance was their ability to charge at us without any fear of pain or death.

    Our charge began to slow in the face of this unexpected hurdle. We¡¯ll be in big danger if things continue like this. The Red Knights are still closing in behind us.

    ¡¸y those Kranzel fools!¡¹

    ¡¸Stain thend red with their blood!¡¹

    ¡¸Kill, kill, kill!¡¹

    Every time we heard the roaring cries of the Red Knights, we knew someone on our side had fallen. Yet still, the enemy had yet to get serious.

    ¡¸Burn, burn! Turn to ash in my mes!¡¹

    A deafening voice echoed through the air, as a huge magic circle appeared in the sky. Even a warrior with as little magical knowledge as me could tell what wasing.

    That¡¯s <i>bad</i>. A lethal spell that will decimate us.

    As everyone watched with baited breath, several rays of red light poured down from the glowing magic circle. They easily pierced through our wards and blew up upon reaching the ground.

    Though it was simr to the me spell Fran once used at the entrance of the goblin dungeon, the rays were much more powerful and much more numerous.

    ¡¸GYAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸H-Help¡­¡¹

    All of my friends who got hit by the mes copsed. Consumed by the inferno, they crumbled to ash.

    Dead. They¡¯re all dead.

    There was nothing I could do, except swing my axe at another undead while trying to encourage everyone who was still standing. We need to get out of here as fast as we can!

    But my wish turned out to be in vain, as yet another magic circle was drawn in the skies above us. Shit, this one¡¯s right above the adventurer division.

    We¡¯ll take even more casualties than before.

    Pathetic!

    Was this feeling hated of my enemies? Resentment at the nobles who pushed through this reckless n? No. The only emotion filling my heart was anger at my own pathetic self. I was unable to save anyone.

    A searing, burning emotion that threatened to consume my entire body.

    So this is true anger.

    I¡¯ve always been considered unusual ever since I was a kid. Compared to the other ogrekin, I was more quiet and intelligent, though of course, I was still nothingpared to humans and elves.

    But the ogrekin were a race of people who tended to follow their emotions without thinking, and I never really fit into that pattern. I¡¯ve certainly gotten angry many times, but not like this. I think this might be the first time I¡¯ve ever felt such an intense emotion.

    My own weakness was just so detestable! Why am I so weak? Why can¡¯t I protect myrades!? I¡¯m fucking useless!

    So pathetic!

    ¡¸NRRRRGHHHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? D-Donad-san? Are you glowing?!¡¹

    ¡¸SO PATHETIC!!¡¹

    ¡¸Donad-san, your horns are getting longer!¡¹

    ¡¸UGRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!¡¹

 Chapter 1129: Side - Forrund

    <h4>Chapter 1129: Side - Forrund</h4>

    This is bad.

    We will clearly lose at this rate. I can tell because my Sword of irvoyance gives me a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield, allowing me to see everything going on.

    Undead appeared right behind our lines, with Red Knights marching out from the fort in front. Then, an ambush force popped out of nowhere to attack us, the unit on the right nk.

    We could retreat through the left nk, but that¡¯s definitely a trap. They¡¯re trying to lure us there. I sent a sword to probe the area, and immediately noticed a huge mana flow underground.

    I know we need to head back and support the main forces, but we¡¯re also under attack by undead.

    The undead were very formidable, suggesting that our enemy must have talented necromancers.

    Iunched swords to thin out their numbers considerably before they reached us, but it won¡¯t work now that they have reached melee range.

    It seems I can no longer afford to conserve my resources. I must spend one of my trump cards.

    ¡¸Zig, I¡¯m doing it.¡¹

    ¡¸Boss¡­! Roger that, sir!¡¹

    ¡¸Begin.¡¹

    ¡¸Boys! Everyone take a sword!¡¹

    I informed Zig, the Rank C adventurer acting as my second-inmand, that I would activate my trump card. His assistance was greatly appreciated, since I could simply leave the rest to him.

    Zig quickly informed the other adventurers, and I infused all my power into the Sword God¡¯s Favor.

    Various swords appeared in front of the adventurers of my unit. My trump card involved materializing a longsting sword for each of them.

    The swords I summon normally onlyst a few seconds after leaving my side, giving me enough time to shoot them off. There is little point in keeping them materialized, since the costs for doing so be much steeper.

    But I can maintain them longer if I have to, like for the current battle. Materializing countless swords and giving them to my allies is the quickest way to strengthen my squad as a whole, improving our survival rate as well.

    Those who hold my des be infused in their mana, granting effects such as stat boosts and regeneration.

    Even for people who never use swords, they need only equip it to gain the effects.

    In exchange, I take a heavy drain to my own mana. I may be severely weakened after this battle, but ensuring our survival is more important.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Charge in boys!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ UWOOOOGH! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    I leapt into the horde, followed by adventurers d in mana of all the colors of the rainbow. Each of my hands had a de with the cleansing attribute for cutting down undead.

    My adventurer division eliminated the dead, but it cost us a great deal of time and men.

    Particrly bad was the knights apanying us, who took nearly a hundred casualties.

    However, splitting up now will only put us in more danger. We must continue forward to rescue our main army while also protecting the wounded.

    Is this exactly the situation Raydoss wanted? We let them take far too much initiative. After regrouping, we have little choice but to retreat temporarily.

    Or so I thought, but knights in red armor blocked our path. I¡¯ve heard of the Red Knights protecting Raydoss, but I didn¡¯t expect them to be so strong.

    They even managed to push back adventurers equipped with my swords. Moreover, the young manmanding the knights was especially formidable.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Burn, burn, burn! You damn Kranzel scum!¡¹

    The young man hadbed blue hair, looking to be in his early 20s. Judging by the spells he sent to ravage our lines, he must be a sorcerer. Yet despite his powerful magic, he seemed capable of close rangebat too. In addition, he apparently had some sort of special skill for strengthening the other Red Knights.

    The armor of each knight gleamed with magical mes, increasing both their power and toughness. It also seemed to grant them protection against fire, as any knight caught in the inferno managed to walk out without issue.

    As a result, he could shoot fiery explosions into our lines without hesitation, as his magic would only hurt us. This allowed the Red Knights to easily break through when our formation waspletely ruined.

    We can turn this around only after that man is gone.

    I rushed over in an attempt to interrupt his chanting. However, he instantly protected himself by raising a wall of mes to block me.

    ¡¸Damn, you got pretty close before I noticed. Guess you¡¯re one of those high ranking adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸So you refuse to speak with the enemy, huh? Hmph, some of you losers seem a little bit capable.¡¹

    Myck of wordses in handy in times like this, as the man seemingly improved his opinion of me. I readied my de wordlessly in response.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then feel free to die leaving behind anyst words!¡¹

    He continued looking down on me, yet he made no attempt to challenge me in meleebat. In spite of his arrogant tone of voice, it seems he understood a melee would ce him at a disadvantage.

    Instead, he fired a barrage of me magic, a chantless multi-cast of spells. I quickly materialized a me-resistant sword and cut through it.

    ¡¸Huh? What the hell is that?! Don¡¯t you get cocky just because you got through one wave! Burn!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! Do you really never talk?! You¡¯re creeping me out!¡¹

    Such a truly talented sorcerer, capable of casting so many high-level spells without any pause in between. Even my fire-resistant sword can¡¯tpletely nullify his spells. I¡¯ll be in trouble if he hits me even once.

    I thought we had reached a deadlock, but it seems the man still had energy to spare. Meanwhile, I was starting to reach my limit. Lending 100 magic swords to my allies was continuously draining my mana the entire time.

    If I dismissed those swords, there¡¯s a chance I might be able to defeat this man with a barrage of all my des. But in exchange, I would be leaving my allies to die against the Red Knights.

    ¡¸Come on already! Is that the best you can do!?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What a boring coward!¡¹

    Very well, I ept your provocation.

    When I suddenly charged in with a ck sword, I saw the young man¡¯s face twitching slightly.

    It seems he didn¡¯t actually expect his taunt to work on me. And perhaps even more unexpectedly, he found me running right through his flurry of me magic without defending myself.

    He tried to parry me with a sword of mes, but my ck sword evaporated his de the second they collided. I¡¯m currently wielding the Sword of Famine, an enchanted de with the power to devour and erase anything it touches.

    In exchange, it also devours my own mana, stamina, and life energy. I am often called reckless, yet this de is something even I cannot use without hesitation.

    But even calling upon this de was not enough to defeat the man. I was stunned when he suddenly turned himself into mes and reappeared a great distance away, as if he had teleported.

    It seems I forced him to use a technique costing a great deal of mana, so he might be unable to perform the same trick again. However, pursuing him in my current state is no longer an option. I may have to y my final trump card as well. I would rather sacrifice my own lifespan than the lives of so manyrades¡­

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡­? What the hell is that!?¡¹

    Why are you asking me?

    The young man shouted in surprise, and I was just as surprised as him.

    The change affected not just me, but all the adventurers. Everyone was enveloped in a white light. This wasn¡¯t something for harming others, but a protective power. Our wounds were healing before our very eyes.

    What in the world could this be?

    White light and confusion spread throughout our ranks, before getting interrupted by a bolt of ck lightning striking the battlefield.

    ¡¸Forrund! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Our long-awaited reinforcements. Every adventurer cheered upon seeing the ck cat girl astride a giant wolf. This filled me with joy, of course, but also much confusion.

    ¡¸Priestess! Please leave the undead to us!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    A pack of evil energy infused ghouls followed closely behind Fran as if they were her subordinates. I have no clue what is going on anymore.

 Chapter 1130: Cat-Eared Priestess Captain

    <h4>Chapter 1130: Cat-Eared Priestess Captain</h4>

    ¡¸Look! They¡¯re surrounded!¡¹

    ¡ºSo that Avenger guy was telling the truth.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We immediately headed to the fort in Raydoss after hearing about the situation. By the time we arrived, the battle was already underway.

    Kranzel¡¯s forces were under attack from three directions, putting them in a very disadvantageous situation.

    Just like we heard, the Red Knights were there too. They were currently engaged with Forrund, but it seems not even he could pull off a win.

    What can we do to save the Kranzel army? Rushing in without a n won¡¯t be sufficient.

    As we were considering our options, something incredibly strange urred.

    A white light enveloped all the adventurers, as well as a portion of the knights. I sensed a healing mana from this light, so it didn¡¯t seem to be an enemy attack. It came from the area where many adventurers were huddled together.

    The source was a single ogrekin man. He was the one radiating this revitalizing wave of mana. The man¡¯s long, thick horns and huge body reminded me of Ashwrath. I felt quite a powerful aura, even though I was viewing him through the Farsight skill.

    Did Alessa have an ogrekin as big as him? Maybe he came in from another branch?

    No, wait. His face¡­ Donad? Is that guy seriously Donadrond?

    How did he change so much in such a short period of time?! His entire body had grown immensely, including his horns. Not to mention how his mana signature underwent aplete 180.

    However, the sudden confusion overtaking the entire battlefield also gave us the perfect opportunity.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s go save Forrund first.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    The young sorcerer facing off with Forrund must be with the Carmine me Knights we heard about earlier. He¡¯s apparently very powerful, but Fran and Forrund should be able to win if they work together.

    ording to the info we have, he¡¯s kinda like Izario except way weaker.

    Besides, we brought additional reinforcements alongside our squad. Sending them to eliminate the undead will allow us to rescue the adventurers at the same time.

    In other words, it¡¯s not toote to turn this around.

    ¡¸Oi, fleshbag.¡¹

    ¡¸At your service! What is it, my priestess?¡¹

    Fran¡¯s words were directed at the undead running behind us, a pack of ghouls emitting an evil aura. Yeah, this was the Genocide Ghoulmander who tried to steal me earlier. The other Genocide Ghouls were all following us too.

    The ghoul working for the ck Skeleton Corps, known as Avenger, had started obeying Fran for some reason.

    A few hours earlier.

    I activated my Evil Conquest skill, which worked sessfully on the Genocide Ghoul.

    <i>Freeze. Obey. Cease fighting.</i> I sent thosemands as I manipted the evil energy inside the ghoul, and to my surprise, he actually did slow down.

    ¡ºUse this chance to take him down! sh away at his evil energy with everything you¡¯ve got!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸DAMN YOU!!!¡¹

    Fran infused all her power into Evil Crusher and swung down at the ghoul with the intent to kill. However, her de paused before reaching him.

    ¡¸Priestess! My priestess! I was wrong! Forgive me, please!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    The ghoul suddenly dropped to his knees and mmed his forehead on the ground. The piercing killing intent directed at us only a few seconds ago vanished as if it never existed.

    ¡¸Priestess?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes! I have received a revtion from the god in the divine artifact telling me to serve you!¡¹

    The other ghouls also gathered around Fran and dropped to their knees alongside the leader, aside from the few that had already been in.

    Did he mistake the effect of Evil Conquest as the Evil God Fragment¡¯s will? If this works out, we might be able to get everything he knows andpletely neutralize him.

    As I was nning our next move, the Evil God Fragment inside me stirred. Though not quite as powerful asst time, I felt a dense cloud of evil energy overflowing out of me, as if blessing the ghouls.

    ¡¸Ahh! Ahhhhhh! My god! Yes, I understandpletely!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Ahhhhhh! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The ghouls roared with joy. If they had working tear nds, I bet they¡¯d be crying right now.

    They remained on their knees and bowed to Fran in worship, repeatedly pressing their forehead against the earth.

    ¡¸Priestess! Truly, you are our one and only priestess!¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess!¡¹

    ¡¸Guide us!¡¹

    Is it my imagination, or is the Evil God Fragment radiating an aura of smugness right now? Either way, my Evil Conquestbined with the Evil God Fragment¡¯s meddling was apparently enough to subdue the ghouls.

    With the ghouls suddenly dropping everything and surrendering, Maleficent and the soldiers were at a loss for words. Even Persona was visibly stunned.

    Well, I can¡¯t me them, since the ghouls really started worshiping Fran out of nowhere. Moreover, it seems Maleficent managed to sense the evil energy from the Evil God Fragment acting up.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono? What is going on here¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­It just kinda¡­ happened.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh. Is that sword safe? I believe I sensed a great deal of evil energying from it.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. It has a power to control evil energy, and that made these guys friendly.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I do suppose you do look fine. I guess I have no choice but to ept that exnation.¡¹

    Maleficent followed the unwritten rule that adventurers shouldn¡¯t ask too many questions about each other, not pressing the issue any further.

    The reaction from the soldiers was much more simple. They all gazed at Fran with eyes of adoration, after watching her take control over top-tier undead.

    ¡¸C-Captain, you¡¯re amazing! Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess! Worship the Cat-Eared Priestess!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, the Cat-Eared Priestess! That¡¯s our captain! Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess! Her ck cat ears hear the words of God, passing them onto us!¡¹

    Uh, is everyone aside from Maleficent and Persona kinda worshiping Fran now?

    ¡ºI guess we should hear what the ghouls have to say first.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I hope they have some intel on what¡¯s going on in Raydoss.

 Chapter 1131: Avenger

    <h4>Chapter 1131: Avenger</h4>

    The Genocide Ghouls suddenly started worshiping Fran as their so-called priestess.

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re gonna obey me?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! Godmanded me to submit, so we will obey your every order! You need only say the word, and we willy down our lives!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s not lying.¡»

    It seems amand from the Evil God Fragment is practically a divine revtion to creatures bathed in evil energy like him.

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I am simply an insignificant, undying pile of rotting flesh.¡¹

    It ended up being a struggle to make him stop talking in riddles, but we eventually seeded with enough patience.

    The ghoul¡¯s name was Avenger, and he was one of the ck Skeleton Corps¡¯s secret weapons. Nameless created him using the power of an undead called the Holy Mother.

    He was apparently born from the grudges of thousands of dead souls, then infused with evil energy by an Evil God worshiping necromancer known as Onught.

    It seems Fort Millennia, the supposedly ruined base of Evil God cultists, actually contained a secret research facility for these kinds of experimental undead. Raydoss had purposely spread the rumors about the fort to conceal thisb¡¯s existence.

    However, the ghouls left the fort on their own when they sensed the presence of a divine artifact.

    Avenger then went on to exin a few of Raydoss¡¯s heinous acts.

    We were already aware of their efforts in collecting illegal ves, but what they used them for was even more horrifying.

    The majority of ves bought by the South and West Conquest Dukes were subject to inhumane experiments. Any ves who miraculously managed to survive the experiments would simply be used as human sacrifices in rituals. Raydoss had all sorts of rituals needing sacrifices, such as rituals for creating magic swords, or dominating monsters.

    What¡¯s more, death wasn¡¯t even the end.

    After making full use of the ves without any consideration of human dignity, they went on to abuse the negative emotions lingering after their deaths. These grudges against Raydoss were used to empower undead or curses.

    It¡¯s as if they had some sort of obsession for making full use of everyst resource.

    The origin of this line of thinking apparentlyes from long ago, when Raydoss first banished adventurers from the country. Raydoss was suffering a severe resource shortage due to various factors such as war, famine, and monster stampedes. However, there was one resource they had a surplus of: poption.

    Raydoss decided to allocate their excessive poption to fields, frontier viges, etc, without any concern for their well-being.

    Of course, amateurs can¡¯t do much when dropped into harsh conditions without training. Despite the countless failures and deaths, Raydoss merely threw in more people to rece them. They were practically ughtering their own citizens to reduce the number of mouths to feed, yet there was surprisingly little dissent among the poption.

    Conquering other countries was Raydoss¡¯s national goal. Many of the citizens were trained as soldiers, and willingly epted getting sent to their deaths if it was for the sake of the nation. Back then, brainwashing education was apparently very prevalent due to the constant wars.

    It was alsomon for soldiers who could no longer fight, such as those who had lost their limbs, to volunteer themselves as experimental subjects in various fields.

    Excessive, brainwash-like patriotism and viewing people like a cheap resource. These ideas became the norm in Raydoss, remaining ingrained in their culture for a long time and twisting into something more disgusting as the years passed.

    The country¡¯s bloodstained history must have reduced the psychological hurdle for sacrificing their own citizens. Rather than the people voluntarily sacrificing themselves for the good of the nation, it was now the nation itself who demanded sacrifices.

    And many of these convenient ideas survived to the current day. For example, how it was okay to take illegal ves in other countries and sacrifice them for the good of Raydoss.

    Avenger¡¯s tone of voice wasced with hatred, probably due to the grudges infused within him.

    He and the other ghouls were born out of grudges against Raydoss, so they hated the country immensely. However, the Holy Mother and Onught had a power capable of controlling them, enving them to the very country that killed them.

    But now, it seems the Evil God Fragment lifted Raydoss¡¯s control over them, which revived their old grudges.

    ¡¸They have ordered me to spread poison in Kranzel, but I couldn¡¯t care less anymore! Let us spread this rot throughout Raydoss instead!¡¹

    Come to think of it, these guys have very lethal abilities when used for war. They¡¯re fast enough to outrun your average adventurer, and they can disperse incredibly potent poison over a wide area.

    Not to mention what would happen if they reached farnd or water supplies. Apparently, they could produce poisons capable of rendering thend infertile for a decade.

    They¡¯re practically terrorists with an infinite supply of chemical weapons. In terms of pure kill count, Avenger might even be able to beat the lich Nameless.

    Avenger imed he was the secret weapon created to turn the tables on Kranzel when theyunched their counterattack on Raydoss. The South Conquest Duke apparently spent all the resources he had been saving up on him.

    Well, this so-called secret weapon is currently bbing to Fran about all their ns right now¡­

    ¡¸You¡¯re saying the ck Skeleton Corps doesn¡¯t have much resources left?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The executive members are still alive, but many of our forces have been dispersed to defend other regions.¡¹

    ¡¸How many are executives are left?¡¹

    ¡¸Six in total. First is Nameless the Mage yer. Second, the Holy Mother. Third, Wickerman the Substitute. Fourth, Iceman the cial. Fifth, Charredman the ckened. Finally, Hideman the Shadow.¡¹

    Avenger went on to exin their abilities, but Hideman was definitely the one who interested me the most. His infiltration abilities were just that troublesome. However, the good news was that it¡¯s apparently very difficult to prepare new bodies for him. To Avenger¡¯s knowledge, Hideman only had two bodies left.

    As we continued discussing the ck Skeleton Corps¡¯s inner workings, Avenger uttered something that we couldn¡¯t ignore.

    ¡¸If you wish to y the remaining executives, they are currently engaged in an operation on the other side of that mountain. I hear it is the groundwork to intercept and eliminate Kranzel¡¯s army.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Tell me more.¡¹

    ¡¸At once!¡¹

 Chapter 1132: Full-Fledged Goblins

    <h4>Chapter 1132: Full-Fledged Goblins</h4>

    ording to Avenger, Raydoss¡¯s operation diverted a great deal from their initial invasion n. The West Conquest Duke¡¯s portion failed spectacrly, and almost all of his schemes had beenpletely ruined. Because of that, the other dukes could no longer expect any further support.

    After hearing the details, it turned out to be about 80% our fault.

    We were only doing whatever we could to protect everyone from Raydoss, so I had no clue the West Conquest Duke was that involved¡­ I didn¡¯t even know ¡°curse reversal¡± was a thing.

    As a result, the South Conquest Duke adjusted the n. This involved luring Kranzel¡¯s army deep into the country before striking back.

    As the Kranzel army progressed, all the viges along the path surrendered without opposition. Meanwhile, the vigers secretly gathered information on their forces and passed it on to South Conquest Duke.

    The strategy allowed them to analyze all of Kranzel¡¯s forces beforehand. Then, the Southern Knights, the ck Skeleton Corps, and the Knights of Carmine me join forces and annihte them. Naturally, executives from the ck Skeleton Corps would be participating.

    In fact, Avenger and his ghouls were scheduled to be summoned and join the fray too.

    ¡¸Well, they no longer have any way to control us, so they will never be able to summon us again.¡¹

    The ck Skeleton Corps had developed a ritual spell to summon or dismiss an entire horde of undead, which allowed them to set up ambushes at will. This spell was apparently a recent invention still in the experimental stages, but it worked perfectly fine.

    The undead horde at Alessa was also a result of such experiments.

    ¡¸Regardless of how powerful Kranzel¡¯s forces may be, I believe their loss is assured. They will be forced to split their army between three fronts, each isted from the support of the others.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll go save them!¡¹

    ¡ºOkay, but what about everyone here? Are you leaving your squad behind?¡»

    Abandoning our squad will almost definitely disqualify us from the rank-up exam. Especially since dumping them in enemy territory may result in their deaths.

    I considered leaving the ghouls behind to protect them, but I don¡¯t know if we can maintain control over them remotely. Maybe Maleficent can protect them instead? However, it seems he wasn¡¯t going to be cooperative there.

    ¡¸Watching over the entire squad for you doesn¡¯t count as a chore, just so you know.¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    Though Maleficent replied as casually as ever, his words carried a sort of power behind them. We won¡¯t be able to rely on him.

    Then, I suddenly realized something. We now had a total of about 70 members if we count the ghouls. In other words, we only need 30 more to reach March of the Valkyrie¡¯s activation condition.

    ¡¸Hey, Avenger.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it, my priestess!¡¹

    ¡¸Can you summon some fast undead?¡¹

    A few hours passed, as we underwent one of our hardest marches ever.

    We forced our way through the roadless wilderness, at times weaving through brush, and at others, climbing up steep slopes that were practically cliffs. All at max speed without any breaks.

    The struggle was made apparent by the squad¡¯s constantbored breathing and scarred limbs. Despite their screaming muscles, the only words that ever left their mouths were agonized gasps of the word ¡°curry¡±.

    Well, I guess that only applies to the soldiers rather than us.

    Fran, Maleficent, and the ghouls werepletely fine.

    ¡¸Just a little longer. Everyone, keep at it.¡¹

    ¡¸Cur¡­ry!¡¹

    ¡¸Urah! Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸We got this! CURRY!¡¹

    Honestly, is there any reason they still need to say ¡°curry¡±? I guess both Fran and the soldiers have gotten so used to it that they don¡¯t find it weird anymore.

    There was the asional monster attack, but those weren¡¯t much of a problem. Some soldiers got picked up by their friends, and others got picked up by the ghouls. Everyone made it through to the end.

    We had seeded in sprinting up an almost 3000 meter tall mountain ridge.

    ording to theyout of Raydoss we heard from Avenger, the southern half of the country was covered with hills and mountains. We would have to take a huge detour in order to avoid them.

    But since we wanted the fastest route to the battlefield, we had no choice but to brute force our way up a mountain.

    Clearly a reckless n, but none of the soldiersined. Fran¡¯s orders were met with the same ¡°Yes, Captain! Curry!¡± as usual. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to imagine the scene only a few days ago.

    The battlefield wasn¡¯t visible from the ridge we were on, since the rough terrain still stretched a bit further. We¡¯re done with climbing and only need to go downhill from here. That said, descending a mountaines with its own problems like unstable footing and rock slides.

    All the soldiers continued marching forward with Fran in the lead. Following behind was a pack of 50 undead.

    The Genocide Ghouls had created Skeleton Dogs to join our ranks. Not to mention the horses. Apparently, even non-humans are considered part of Fran¡¯s squad if they are willing to follow her.

    March of the Valkyrie visibly befitted both the undead and the horses. As a result, the horses became capable of crossing terrain that would normally be impassable.

    Our squad descended the mountain in almost a straight line, with healing spells to fix up anyone who injured their legs. The Raydoss fort was somewhere in the hilly area expanding before us.

    £¨The fighting¡¯s already started.£©

    ¡ºYeah, we couldn¡¯t make it fast enough. Still, it¡¯s not toote.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    From the raging shouts echoing through the air, everyone could imagine the fierce battle even if we couldn¡¯t see the shing armies. Fran turned back to her squad before taking the first step into the battlefield.

    ¡¸Line up.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! Curry! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re not the useless worse-than-goblins you were when we first met. You¡¯re now full-fledged goblins, capable of doing your duty.¡¹

    ¡ºCan you at least call them adventurers or something instead of goblins?!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. You¡¯re full-fledged adventurers. You can do your job even without adding curry to your sentences.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re about to enter a battlefield. You can survive if you all work together.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes, Captain! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s go! Time to save our friends!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yeah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    And so, the mixed unit of humans and undead led by Fran charged to war.

 Chapter 1133: The Battlefield

    <h4>Chapter 1133: The Battlefield</h4>

    The battlefield was pure chaos.

    The knight, adventurer, and noble divisions of Kranzel were scattered, engaged inbat with various undead and knights in red armor.

    War, huh?

    This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen so many people at each other¡¯s throats.

    In this world, those with power will often one-sidedly ughter those whock it. Even so, there exist shes between huge armies. Only a handful of people are capable of dominating a battlefield all by themselves.

    Huge countries like Kranzel and Raydoss might be the exception to this rule. Both have been aggressively building their militaries, so they have plenty of powerhouses at their disposal.

    More importantly, simply crushing the enemy with brute force isn¡¯t sufficient.

    The entire purpose of war is to seize the enemy¡¯s territory. The strongest fighters might be able to take a big chunk of territory, but they can¡¯t upy several towns and viges all by themselves.

    That¡¯s whyrge armies must be sent to assist them. And in order to counter the invading army, the defenders need to maintain an army as well.

    There¡¯s also the matter of the nobility. War is the stage where they can rise in the ranks by aplishing great feats.

    Leaving all the fighting to others will only cause them to lose this rare opportunity. As a result, many nobles hire soldiers and send them to the battlefield as their proxies. Must suck to be treated as a tool like that.

    Well, the nobles seemed to have hired plenty of mercenaries, but they were still getting overwhelmed by the undead. Handling those with poison and regeneration must be difficult.

    Apparently, there¡¯s a special undead for mass-producing hordes named Scavenger lurking someone in there. He was created by the ck Skeleton Corps, and also the one responsible for undead hordes popping out of nowhere, like Jean¡¯s usual strategy.

    But the Red Knights on the front lines seemed way more dangerous.

    Even without any tricks, they were just ridiculously strong, pushing the adventurers back with pure power. If Forrund had not grabbed their leader¡¯s attention, the adventurers would already be dead.

    The sorcerer who seemed to be theirmander was strong enough to go head-to-head with Forrund of the Hundred Swords, making his strength readily apparent.

    I think our best course of action is to send our squad to assist the adventurers. Then Fran, Urushi, and I will join up with Forrund to eliminate themander. We can take out the undead after him, I guess.

    While I was still discussing with Fran, a great change urred on the battlefield. Donadrond, the ogrekin leading the adventurers, suddenly started radiating a white light.

    The light enveloping the adventurers seemed to contain a protective, healing power. To our enemies, it¡¯s as if the adventurers grew stronger for no reason.

    ¡ºThis is our chance!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We ran off into the battlefield.

    ¡¸Oi, fleshbag.¡¹

    ¡¸At your service! What is it, my priestess?¡¹

    ¡¸You go kill the Scavenger guy you mentioned earlier!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood! I vow to fulfill yourmand!¡¹

    ¡¸We go rescue the adventurers!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yeah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Our squad rushed onto the battlefield and struck at the Red Knights. Fran led the charge herself, going after their leader.

    Fran¡¯s ck lightning struck themander directly. Though he didn¡¯t seem to take much damage, we definitely caught him off guard. Meanwhile, Urushi invoked shadow magic to bind the nearby Red Knights and restrict their movements.

    A sessful ambush!

    Fran took advantage of the opening to reach Forrund and heal his wounds.

    ¡¸Forrund! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess! Leave the undead to us!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Okay.¡¹

    Forrund seemed pretty stunned to see the Genocide Ghouls following Fran, but we have to save the exnation forter!

    ¡¸Forrund! Back me up!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger.¡¹

    ¡¸Who the fuck are you?!¡¹

    The young man shouted with anger as heunched a barrage of me magic. We recognized him as the vice-captain of the Carmine me Knights, one of the six divisions of the Red Knights. Yeah, he¡¯s only the vice-captain.

    The actual captain of the Carmine me Knights seems to have remained in the fort to control the relic that¡¯s also the namesake of their division. The power of his relic is incredibly simple: it strengthens the wielder and their subordinates, granting them boosted me magic, me resistance, and physical stats. Apparently, it can even provide a more powerful buff by limiting the number of recipients.

    ¡ºWe take out the vice-captain first!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Die, die! Just die already!¡¹

    I created anti-me barriers to counter all his spells.

    Though his personality left much to be desired, his skill with me magic reflected his status of vice-captain. Even considering the buff from the relic, not many people can multi-cast this many spells at the same time.

    That said, multi-casting is one of my specialties too.

    Fran, Forrund, and Urushi closed in on the vice-captain as I continued deflecting his magic. The other Red Knights made an attempt to back him up, but were intercepted by our squad.

    ¡¸Captain! You got this!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t let them get in the captain¡¯s way!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice.¡¹

    Franplimented them, and they all nodded their heads happily. They¡¯ve grown pretty close in such a short period of time.

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡¸I ain¡¯t letting you touch me!¡¹

    Damn, he transformed his body into mes to avoid Urushi¡¯s hit! How about this then? I invoked my Arch-Sorcerer skill to interfere with his transformation.

    Since Evil Conquest allows me to dominate the target¡¯s evil energy, I was thinking that Arch-Sorcerer might be able to interrupt the target¡¯s spells.

    And would you look at that? We saw immediate results.

    ¡¸Wha-¡­! My body!¡¹

    As expected,plex magic is proportionally difficult to control. It seems such an intricate spell bes too difficult to channel with my interference.

    ¡ºNow¡¯s our chance!¡»

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Teyah!¡¹

    Right as I shouted, Forrund and Fran struck him down at the same time.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­! Gwah¡­!¡¹

    Having lost the effects of his magic, he stood absolutely zero chance against the swordmasters. The man copsed to the ground along with a stter of blood as the two des tore through his neck.

 Chapter 1134: Myriad Blades

    <h4>Chapter 1134: Myriad des</h4>

    ¡¸Ih-sama!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn you!¡¹

    We defeated Ih, the vice-captain of the Carmine me Knights. The nearby Red Knights immediately flew into a rage.

    However, the loss of one leader certainly disrupted their coordination. We didn¡¯t miss the opportunity.

    I secretly cast a spell to take down some of the knights while they were still panicking. Meanwhile, Forrund was now freed from his duel with Ih.

    Eliminating the threat from the Red Knights helped out our allies throughout the battlefield.

    The adventurers were now free to focus on the undead, which gave the noble division time to regroup. The battle suddenly shifted in favor of Kranzel.

    However, Raydoss was not content to leave things this way.

    After about 30 Red Knights fell inbat, they decided defeat was inevitable. A trumpet sounded from the fort.

    That was apparently the signal to retreat, and the Red Knights started falling back to the fort in formation. Such would normally be the perfect opportunity to chase, but the knightsunched a barrage of me magic to seal our pursuit.

    Thus, the adventurers could no longer follow.

    That said, opening some distance actually made things easier, since we could now cast magic without worrying about hitting our allies.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi! Let¡¯s do it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºEkato Keraunos!¡»

    ¡¸Thunderbolt!¡¹

    ¡¸Awoooooo!¡¹

    Our thunder magic rained down on the retreating Red Knights along with Urushi¡¯s ck magic. That said, our spells never reached their targets. They had deployed some sort of barrier to protect themselves.

    Still, that¡¯s well within our expectations.

    People with overwhelming power exist in this world, so strength in numbers isn¡¯t always enough to win. A single sorcerer might be all it takes to decimate an army.

    Thus, it¡¯s only natural to invent tools or spells for preventing such an oue. In fact, one of our strongest spells got blocked by a battleship a while back.

    Such tools exist in Kranzel, so I expected Raydoss to have something simr, especially since we¡¯re invading their territory.

    Avenger actually informed us on this subject too. The forts defending important areas are apparently equipped with both anti-physical and anti-magic barriers.

    However, they require immense amounts of mana to deploy both at the same time, so it onlysts for about 30 minutes of continuous usage. Since the battle has been raging for a while, they probably only have enough mana to deploy the anti-magic barrier temporarily.

    We continued firing spells and forcing them to maintain the anti-magic barrier. In the meantime, Forrund finished his preparations.

    ¡ºAbout ready to go?¡»

    £¨Yeah. Leave it to me!£©

    Forrund replied to me with a confident nod.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi, finish it with a big one!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Wooooof!¡¹

    We fired off yet another wave of spells to make them activate the anti-magic barrier. Just as we expected, they put up the barrier and blocked us.

    Meanwhile, Forrund took a step forward and held his right hand to the sky.

    The swords in the hands of nearby adventurers melted away into the air.

    Even without the power of Forrund¡¯s swords, they¡¯re protected by Donadrond¡¯s white mana. They shouldn¡¯t be in trouble yet.

    We watched as a huge amount of mana returned to Forrund. While materializing and maintaining a sword consumes tons of mana, it seems the mana making up each sword can be recovered when they dissolve.

    ¡¸Come forth, swords born from my flesh and blood. Tear them asunder, <strong>Myriad des</strong>.¡¹

    Forrund¡¯s voice was practically a whisper like usual. Yet for some reason, the sound resonated within our ears, perhaps due to the sheer power behind them.

    The next moment, countless swords appeared in the sky and flew down at the earth, as if swung by invisible hands.

    Forrund did not simplyunch these des randomly. Each of the over a hundred des he summoned was aimed with absolute precision.

    The majority of them cleaved off the heads of the knights, like a ruthless guillotine. Even the knights who managed to avoid a lethal hit still took heavy damage.

    Moreover, these swords were all enchanted. They had additional effects such as igniting the target¡¯s wounds, poisoning them, or paralyzing them with thunder magic.

    Simply terrifying to watch. Whether he uses it against an army or a single person, it¡¯s bound to be incredibly deadly.

    ¡ºAlright! Now we can deal with the undead without worrying about our backs!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    I¡¯m sure they still have forces remaining in the fort, but they won¡¯t be able tounch an attack with the Red Knight squad decimated.

    ¡ºForrund, hang in there a little longer.¡»

    £¨I¡¯m fine.£©

    Forrund had expended the majority of his mana. Such a powerful attack must have equally nasty repercussions.

    That said, we can¡¯t let Forrund copse until we distance ourselves from the fort. His existence is a powerful deterrent as long as our enemies still think he¡¯s in the fight.

    We nned to have him continue a little bit longer before discreetly evacuating the battlefield on Urushi.

    £¨I leave the rest to you.£©

    ¡ºRoger that!¡»

 Chapter 1135: Guardian Ogre

    <h4>Chapter 1135: Guardian Ogre</h4>

    After decimating the Carmine me Knights, we entrusted the exhausted Forrund to Urushi and headed for the undead horde behind us.

    The adventurers managed to hang in there thanks to the white protective light enveloping them. Meanwhile, the noble division still seemed to be confused and disorganized.

    I thought this was due to only the adventurers getting a boost out of nowhere, but it seems that wasn¡¯t the only reason.

    ¡¸Why are they infighting?¡¹

    ¡¸J-Just kill them all!¡¹

    ¡¸A-Are you sure?¡¹

    Woops, it¡¯s our fault for bringing Avenger with us! Watching the ghouls ughter other undead must be pretty confusing.

    Still, the undead horde was losing a lot of ground.

    ¡¸Avenger! How dare you betray us!?¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! I have received a divine revtion!¡¹

    ¡¸I always knew you were crazy, but now you¡¯ve gonepletely insane! Where is the loyalty to your creators, to Raydoss!?¡¹

    ¡¸I never had any love for Raydoss. That was merely the results of the chains binding me! In fact, I was born from grudges against Raydoss!¡¹

    It seems Avenger was sessfully Scavenger, themander of the undead army.

    This Scavenger guy was apparently pretty weakbat-wise. In exchange, he had a talent for spawning undead, as well as the Multiple Body Maniption skill, something apparently developed based on Hideman.

    Theoretically, he would be capable of multiplying himself infinitely, as well as expanding his undead army with the corpses of the fallen.

    While Scavenger and Avenger were inferior to the executives in terms of overall strength, they definitely had their own areas of expertise.

    However, Scavenger wasn¡¯t the onlymander of the undead army. The real leader was a giant undead man who stood towering among the rest.

    An ogre with two horns growing out of his head. Not an ogrekin, but a full ogre turned undead. His skin was perfectly ck like charcoal, and he wore nothing to cover it. At least he didn¡¯t have any genitals to show.

    Charredman the ckened, fifth seat of the ck Skeleton Corps. His specialty isbat, and he has the ability to control explosive mes. Well, even if he¡¯s the actualmander, Scavenger probably handled the actual leading.

    Still, the undead hordes were clearly gaining momentum with Charredman on the front lines.

    We came here to eliminate him, but¡­

    ¡¸Nwooogh! Explosive Fist!¡¹

    ¡¸Doraaaaah! Furious Whirlwind!¡¹

    A sh of two ogres.

    Confronting the jet-ck undead ogre was an ogrekin d in white light.

    Charredman and Donadrond exchanged heavy blows with each other, one after another. This was no battle of skill. Neither employed graceful evasive maneuvers or parrying.

    They simply took turns striking the other, regenerating their wounds, and checking if their opponent was dead yet. A primitive struggle for life took ce in a strange void that had formed in between the undead and adventurers.

    ¡¸Enough! Die already! I promise to make good use of your body!¡¹

    ¡¸Never! This is for my friends! I will never lose!¡¹

    Charredman seemed bigger and more powerful than what we heard from Avenger. Perhaps he had activated some ability that Avenger didn¡¯t know about.

    The undead ogre wore a cloak of fire over his body, and his punches literally exploded into mes upon impact. Furthermore, he triggered miniature explosions behind himself to boost the momentum behind his attacks.

    Though those fists were his only weapons, they contained enough power to easily demolish giant boulders.

    But Donad shrugged off a direct hit with only minor injuries. Just how strong did he get?

    It¡¯s a bit hard to work with people if you don¡¯t know what they¡¯re capable of. Or at least, that¡¯s my excuse for appraising Donadrond.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Donadrond

    <strong>Age:</strong> 47

    <strong>Race:</strong> Ogrekin / Guardian Ogre

    <strong>upation:</strong> Axe Warrior

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 49

    HP: 991

    MP: 436

    STR: 421

    VIT: 568

    AGI: 198

    INT: 141

    MAG: 293

    DEX: 139

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Intimidation: Lv4, Transport: Lv3, Recovery Rate Up: Lv8, Perfect Barrier: Lv3, Crisis Sense: Lv5, Instruction: Lv4, Presence Sense: Lv3, Fast Regeneration: Lv3, Hard Power: Lv5, Protect: Lv Max, Regeneration: Lv6, Command: Lv2, Defense: Lv Max, Blink Step: Lv3, Earth Magic: Lv2, Throwing: Lv6, Poison Resistance: Lv7, Logging: Lv4, Axe Arts: Lv8, Axe Mastery: Lv Max, Holy Axe Mastery: Lv1, Roar: Lv3, Axe Boost, Revival, Energy Control, Steel Body, Auto-HP Recovery, Strength Boost (Small)

    <strong>Unique Skills</strong>

    Grace of the Ogre God

    <strong>Innate Skills</strong>

    Guardian Ogre, Protective Shimmer

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    Guild Instructor

    <strong>Equipment</strong>

    cksteel Battleaxe, cksteel Rhino Armor, Saber-Tooth Mantle, Stone Dragon Boots, Bracelet of Hard Power

    ¡ºThis must be that mutation thing!¡»

    Though ogrekin never evolve, it¡¯s said that they sometimes undergo a process known as ¡°mutation¡±. Mad Ogre Form, the skill that triggers Ashwrath¡¯s madness, was obtained when he mutated into the ¡°Cmity Ogre¡± race.

    Mutations are apparently caused by factors unrted to levels¡­ but I never expected to see Donad mutating so soon. Moreover, his mutation doesn¡¯t look anywhere near as dangerous as Ashwrath¡¯s.

    His stats increased dramatically, and a bunch of skills got boosted too, like Regeneration. Donadrond when we first met wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against Charredman.

    Yet now he can sh with him head on.

    That said, the battle was tilting in Charredman¡¯s favor. Judging from his stats and skills, Donadrond¡¯s Guardian Ogre seems to be a race which excels at protecting allies.

    The boost to his offensive abilities seemed prettycklusterpared to his defense. Well, his strength is still pretty impressive, he just didn¡¯t pack enough of a punch to beat Charredman.

    Fran moved closer to a position where Donad could see her, holding me up lightly. That should be sufficient to inform him of our n to support him.

    But then, Donad shook his head lightly.

    He doesn¡¯t want any backup?

    Fran and Donad maintained eye contact for a brief moment, then Fran started going after the surrounding undead rather than Charredman.

    ¡ºAre you sure about this?¡»

    £¨Nn. Donad has a n. We can leave him alone.£©

    ¡ºI see. Then we should at least exterminate the undead to make things easier on him.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    While we were busy defeating the undead, the sh between Donadrond and Charredman finally reached a tipping point. Charredman¡¯s punch sent Donad flying, and he evenunched an explosive spell to follow up.

    ¡¸Ora ora ora! You¡¯re done for! Get blown to smithereens!¡¹

    Donad attempted to stand back up, but his knees gave way. We all thought he was about to take a fatal blow, then suddenly¡­

    ¡¸¡­Ogre Revolution.¡¹

    ¡¸GRAAAAAHHH!¡¹

    Donad muttered two words, and it was over. Without any warning, countless holes had been drilled into Charredman¡¯s body.

    ¡¸W-What the¡­ D-Damn you¡­¡¹

    Charredman spoke hisst words right before his body exploded. There¡¯s no way he can regenerate from that. A very anticlimactic end for the most powerful undead in the horde.

    But seriously, what happened? Donad clearly did something, right¡­?

    ¡¸Donad is amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yeah.¡»

    Anyways, this battle ended much faster than I expected.

 Chapter 1136: Avengers Treatment

    <h4>Chapter 1136: Avenger''s Treatment</h4>

    ¡¸Donad! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­¡¹

    Donadrond copsed upon defeating Charredman, and we hurriedly healed him with a spell. Whatever power he used must have had a very heavy recoil, since he remained on the ground for a while after recovering from his injuries.

    ¡¸Thatst one was awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸I applied a technique that returns all the damage I¡¯ve taken to my opponent. My gut said I¡¯d be able to finish him off if I took just a little more damage.¡¹

    It seems this is a technique gained from his mutation, making this the first time he ever attempted to use it. Moreover, it¡¯s the sort of technique that is only possible after taking a huge beating. Quite the bold move when you¡¯re on the verge of death!

    ¡¸I have many questions for you¡­ But for now, let¡¯s go rescue the nobles.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    No doubt he was wondering how Fran got here, what¡¯s with the ghouls, and so on. However, he decided to put it off since the battle was still raging around us.

    Once again, we began taking out the undead in the area.

    ¡¸Doraah!¡¹

    Donadrond managed to easily split an enemy undead in half with his axe, and it was one of the stronger ones too.

    I¡¯m sure the Donadrond from before would have had a hard time. Yet now it was an effortless win even in his current exhausted state. The power behind his swings gave me quite a surprise.

    ¡¸So cool, Donad!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! I feel like I¡¯m bursting with energy! My body may be a little fatigued, but my muscles are still in peak condition!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow!¡¹

    Donadrond grunted as he flexed his muscles. Those bulging biceps were practically as wide as a wooden log.

    Ogrekin are muscr to begin with, but Donad had gotten seriously ripped. Fran observed Donadrond¡¯s poses with sparkling eyes, admiring his powerful appearance.

    Then she tried the same flexing pose herself. Well, Fran wasn¡¯t the muscr type, so her arms only looked kinda pudgy.

    Perhaps unhappy about that, Fran immediately canceled her pose with a sullen look and took her dissatisfaction out on a nearby undead.

    Meanwhile, Donadrond and Fran¡¯s efforts spurred the adventurers around them on, elerating the pace of the extermination.

    While Maleficent didn¡¯t stand out a lot, I have to give him credit for his talent in support. He was surprisingly versatile, handling things like buffing and shielding the nearby adventurers, and even using provocation-type skills and debuffs to interfere with our enemies.

    Persona was equally impressive, supporting the adventurers with wards and ocean magic.

    The enemymander Charredman had already fallen, and our ghouls managed to take out Scavenger and his copies who were spawning undead. The enemy¡¯s chain ofmand was in shambles.

    Even without Forrund and Urushi, we had a clear advantage. Donad¡¯s white light was gone as well, but that didn¡¯t pose any issues either.

    With our enemies decimated, our allies regained enoughposure to worry about the issue they had been putting off.

    ¡¸So what¡¯s going on with those undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Is it just me sensing an evil aura from them¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously?!¡¹

    Those capable of sensing evil energy knew Avenger was not normal, and this news spread quickly like wildfire among our ranks. Donadrond seemed to be scrutinizing Avenger carefully too.

    Like I thought, it won¡¯t be easy to pass him off as your average undead servant.

    As the one leading the ghouls radiating evil energy, Fran started receiving suspicious looks as well.

    ¡¸Oi, girl! Name yourself!¡¹

    A man who appeared to be one of the surviving nobles shouted at her, and he seemed to be capable of sensing the evil aura. Seeing such suspicious ghouls after the stress of taking heavy casualties must have had him on edge.

    He kept his finger pointed at us as he continued ranting about Fran¡¯s guilt. While he didn¡¯t seem to be a very prominent noble, silencing him won¡¯t be easy either.

    Some of the soldiers, knights, and adventurers began showing signs of doubt towards Fran as well.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran, Rank B Adventurer.¡¹

    ¡¸Exin those undead immediately, they¡¯re clearly steeped in evil energy! Y-You¡¯d better not be an Evil God worshiper!¡¹

    How should we respond? Maleficent didn¡¯t look like he was going to help, and Donadrond seemed interested in our answer too.

    Where do I even start?

    Meanwhile, Fran acted before I could finish arranging my thoughts. She stepped forward and held me high in the air, with a smug face for some reason.

    ¡¸It¡¯s all thanks to this sword.¡¹

    ¡¸What? I can agree that it appears to be rather impressive magic sword, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸This super awesome sword has the power to control and manipte evil energy!¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯ve never heard of such an ability before! Don¡¯t you lie to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Heh, it¡¯s all true. But it has even more powers too. Because it was made by a divine cksmith!¡¹

    ¡¸Our priestess speaks the truth!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Priestess!!! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The Avenger and the ghouls knelt before Fran, chanting words of worship. I know they¡¯re trying to give the impression that they¡¯re under our control, but that¡¯s way too deliberate! How can we ask them to trust us after such a fishy disy¡­?

    ¡¸C-Could it be a divine sword?¡¹

    ¡¸No, but a divine cksmith did make it.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa¡­!¡¹

    Huh? The noble just kinda believed it. Felt a little too easy. Well, I guess he did watch Fran fighting, and I¡¯m obviously not your average magic sword. Maybe our story had more credibility than I thought.

    Besides, they might be in need of some ray of hope after taking huge losses in enemy territory. Donadrond also seemed to think Fran was telling the truth, and nodded at our story.

    Then, a certain someone arrived to back us up.

    ¡¸I can vouch for her.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, Forrund-san! You¡¯re safe!¡¹

    ¡¸Forrund of the Hundred Swords!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Forrund came back with Urushi. Even if nobles tend to look down on adventurers, Rank A adventurers like Forrund are a different story. Thanks to his assistance, everyone settled down with the story that Fran¡¯s sword was ¡°just kinda awesome¡±.

    Seems like no one¡¯s suspecting her of being an Evil God worshiper anymore, which is good since we don¡¯t need more drama in enemy territory. Thankfully, Avenger and his ghouls never fought back when the adventurers attacked them, so our argument had some backing.

    £¨Hmm? That¡¯s a lot of mana!£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯sing from the fort!¡»

    Though Avenger was epted into our ranks, our relief was short-lived. A tremendous wave of mana began radiating from the fort.

    ¡ºSo they refuse to let us get away without some vengeance, huh?¡»

 Chapter 1137: Super Fireball

    <h4>Chapter 1137: Super Fireball</h4>

    £¨Hmm?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯sing from the fort!¡»

    The captain of the Carmine me Knights refused to simply sit back and allow us to retreat.

    An eruption of red mana sted up from the fort¡¯s roof. me-aspected mana, and it was so powerful that we could feel the heat from here.

    There was a young man standing in the midst of the mana flow. His cocky-looking face was identical to Ih, the vice-captain. Could they be brothers? Twins? Whatever the case, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re rted.

    ¡ºFran, tell everyone to run!¡»

    £¨Okay!£©

    We¡¯re up against a captain of the Red Knights, rumored to be one of Raydoss¡¯s strongest forces. Whatever he¡¯s plotting, I should formte as much mana as possible for a barrier.

    Then, the mana umted on that rooftop suddenly exploded into the sky.

    It grew and grew until it turned into a pir of red mes. Sr re-like eruptions burst from the pir one after another, before intertwining in the heavens to form a gigantic ball of fire.

    And this fireball was already the size of the fortress itself.

    We can¡¯t afford to get hit by that.

    Unfortunately for us though, more undead popped up right next to us. The corpses that had been left on the battlefield became enveloped in mana, rising up as newly born undead.

    ¡ºIgnore the undead! Get everyone out of here, quickly!¡»

    The captain will undoubtedlyunch his attack even if he hits the undead. The Red Knights didn¡¯t seem to get along with the ck Skeleton Corps, and undead are generally considered disposable anyways.

    ¡¸Donad, we need to run!¡¹

    ¡¸I agree! Everyone, fall back! Don¡¯t bother fighting the undead!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re running too!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, Captain!¡¹

    ¡¸Avenger, youe with me!¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess! I implore you to call me ¡°Fleshbag¡± as usual!¡¹

    ¡¸Fine. Fleshbag, we support them as the rearguard!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Understood, my priestess!¡¹

    Honestly, I¡¯d prefer it if Fran just ran, though I know she won¡¯t abandon the adventurers. She gained a sense of responsibility thanks to this mission, and now understands the duties of high ranking adventurers.

    That¡¯s generally a good thing, but it also puts her in greater danger at times like this. I have mixed feelings.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll teleport you out if things look bad, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The adventurers began retreating immediately. Meanwhile, the noble division was very sluggish, which blocked part of the escape route.

    ¡¸What¡¯s the dy!? Hurry up and run!¡¹

    ¡¸What are you talking about?! We¡¯ve already made plenty of distance!¡¹

    ¡¸You fucking moron! Are you blind?!¡¹

    ¡¸What could we possibly have to fear this far away?! Cowards! You should be ashamed as a citizen of Kranzel!¡¹

    Tch! The noble division has way too many idiots!

    It seems theycked practicalbat experience, leading them to believe an attack from the fort could not possibly reach them. However, we¡¯re well within range for those above a certain level.

    Many of the nobles didn¡¯t manage to contribute in the earlier battle, and they also tend to look down on adventurers. That must be why they¡¯re getting so stubborn.

    The captain of the knights attempted to join the persuasion effort, but nobles remained unconvinced. Get off your asses already, every second counts right now!

    Donadrond seems to have realized that continuing the argument would only get them killed. He turned away from the nobles and gave the adventurers additional orders.

    ¡¸Ignore the idiots and go around you have to! We don¡¯t need to risk our lives for them!¡¹

    ¡¸A-Are you calling us idiots! You little¡­!¡¹

    The nobles flew into a rage, but Donadrond ignored thempletely. The knight captain also followed Donadrond¡¯s lead, abandoning the nobles to their fate.

    Well, the knight captain legally has the right to order them around, so they¡¯re technically disobeying orders.

    Some of the nobles realized that the danger was real after watching the captain¡¯s response, and promptly changed their minds about retreating. Especially that one guy who epted Fran¡¯s argument earlier, he was already long gone.

    As a result, the other nobles had no choice but to retreat. The reduction in forces meant they could no longer contain the undead. However¡­

    They acted a bit toote.

    ¡ºFran! Put up your barrier!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The huge fireball floating above the fort came crashing down on us.

    Fran and I put up an anti-me barrier with all our might to protect the adventurers. That said, we weren¡¯t the only ones on the job.

    A doubleyered wall of pale green light popped up as well, ovepping our me barrier. It even covered more area than us.

    Looks like Maleficent and Persona are going all out too. I knew they had a talent for support, but to think they could manage a barrier of this magnitude¡­

    I suppose I should have expected as much from the Rank A adventurer and his trustworthy partner.

    The huge fireball, over 30 meters in diameter, came crashing down on us. Most of the adventurers had already withdrawn, so the main victims were those of the noble division who refused to leave. The Red Knight captain likely can¡¯t control the trajectory of a spell of this magnitude, so itnded on the original target.

    We braced ourselves for a huge explosion.

    Our barriers only covered the adventurers and nearby allies. Not everyone was in range, so we could only watch as the other soldiers and nobles burned to a crisp.

    The inferno engulfed everything around the impact zone, a tsunami of death capable of incinerating humans with the slightest touch.

    Thousands of soldiers copsed to the ground as living torches as the inferno made its way to us. However, the barrier we created alongside Maleficent and the other allied sorcerers held it all back.

    Holding the barrier was draining my mana really fast, but I was still able to manage.

    ¡ºGuh!¡»

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    The load grew heavier as the brunt of the mes impacted our barrier. However, we then received some reassuring assistance. Our mana began recovering as we were enveloped by a white light.

    ¡¸Nnnrggh!¡¹

    Donadrond had activated the Guardian Ogre¡¯s Innate Skill, ¡°Protective Shimmer¡±. Even if the regeneration effect is small, every bit helps.

    ¡ºAlmost there! Hang in there, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1138: Scorched Battlefield

    <h4>Chapter 1138: Scorched Battlefield</h4>

    We shielded everyone from the giant fireball for another ten or so seconds.

    The heat finally dissipated, revealing a radically differentndscape.

    The battlefield had be a scorched in, with smoke and mes covering everything in view. Countless burnt masses of what used to be people were scattered across the ground. The inferno wasn¡¯t hot enough topletely incinerate them, but that only made the scene more gruesome.

    I can think of no better phrase to describe this than ¡°hell itself¡±.

    The adventurers stood stunned and speechless in front of it all.

    Everyone in the noble division who missed their chance to escape had beenpletely wiped out. From random foot soldiers to the nobles themselves, they were all equal in death.

    The single spell ended 5,000 lives.

    On the other hand, the adventurers and those who retreated alongside us were mostly alive. Well, many of them were only half-alive due to heavy burns from the unexpected heat wave. Even if our barriers prevented the mes from reaching us directly, the immense heat could still pass through. That was enough to inflict a life-threatening amount of burns.

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Donad?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m trying to extend my skill to them, but it¡¯s not working!¡¹

    It seems Donad failed to apply Protective Shimmer to the surviving soldiers and knights. The glow on them was incredibly faint inparison to the strong light surrounding the adventurers.

    That apparently reduces the amount of healing they receive, so he would only be capable of slightly dying their deaths.

    I see, so it¡¯s not that Donad was purposely applying the skill to adventurers. It only <i>worked well</i> with the adventurers.

    But why? Is there really such a thing as a skill which only affects those registered with the Adventurers Guild?

    Besides, I saw a few knights and noble soldiers who were also enveloped in the strong white light.

    Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think that light was on us when we first arrived here. It was only after we joined up with the adventurers and fought for a bit, then we had the effects of Protective Shimmer before we knew it.

    There must be a reason.

    ¡ºHmm¡­?¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºAbout Donad¡¯s aura thing, what do you think the difference is between those it works on and those it doesn¡¯t?¡»

    £¨That¡¯s simple.£©

    ¡ºHuh? You know the difference?¡»

    £¨Nn. It¡¯s whether or not they view Donad as their boss.£©

    ¡ºAh, I see!¡»

    Now that you mention it, it may be an ability simr to Fran¡¯s March of the Valkyrie. Donadrond needs to view the targets as subordinates, and they need to ept him as a leader.

    Even if Donad has the authority tomand those knights and soldiers, his skill won¡¯t affect anyone who doesn¡¯t ept him on the inside.

    That said, it seems prolonging their deaths was enough. The masked adventurer Maleficent made full use of that time toplete the magic he was preparing: a healing spell with massive range.

    ¡¸Wide Range Maximum Heal!¡¹

    A wave of gentle light enveloped the battlefield, as life was breathed back into those about to perish. His spell was basically Maximum Heal applied to everyone within range.

    Maleficent is even capable of healing?! He really can do anything! I wonder if he has some sort of special skill for collecting other skills, like me.

    With such a variety of spells, that¡¯s pretty much the only exnation I can think of.

    As I observed Maleficent¡¯s healing efforts, Avenger and his ghouls suddenly came running toward us. They deployed a barrier in the direction of the fort.

    ¡¸Nrrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Protect the priestess!¡¹

    I didn¡¯t understand their actions for a moment, but soon Fran and I put up our barriers as well.

    A sh of red light.

    Immediately after, two ghouls were vaporized alongside their barriers. Avenger, who was standing behind them, had a circr hole gouged out of his stomach, and our barrier shook from a heavy impact.

    Someone had sniped us from the fort with aser-shaped st of mes. It happened so fast that we might have been in trouble without Avenger¡¯s assistance.

    ¡¸More attacks from the fort! Everyone, keep running!¡¹

    ¡¸Do as Fran says! Fall back!¡¹

    Damn, the Red Knights are such a pain in the ass!

    The Kranzel army continued retreating from the fort, chased by snipingsers the entire time. While thesesers were weaker than the one targeted at Fran, they packed enough of a punch to easily kill ordinary soldiers and nobles. Many have already fallen victim.

    Donadrond and I managed to deflect a few of thesesers, but we were toote a majority of the time.

    Moreover, the undead popped up again to chase us. I had thought they got wiped out by the huge fireball earlier, but we found ourselves under attack by a new horde, this time of skeletons.

    The soldiers who died in that inferno must have been resurrected by necromancy and turned into skeletons. Though their flesh was charred beyond repair, it seems their bones survived.

    And to make matters worse, undead also appeared right on top of our escape route. Headless knights d in red armor, powerful enough to make up for theirck of numbers.

    That¡¯s right. The Red Knights defeated by Forrund had returned as undead.

    I managed to store Ih¡¯s corpse earlier, but not any of the other knights. Resurrected as the high-tier undead known as Duhans, they must have circled around to block our retreat.

    In other words, we were caught in a pincer attack from the front and back. Thesers from the fort continued raining down on us too.

    Retreat may be too difficult in this situation. Anyone falling in battle will turn on us as a new member of the undead horde. Things only get worse for us as time goes on.

    No wonder Jean¡¯s abilities were so feared on the battlefield.

    ¡ºEradicating all these undead is going to take an eternity¡­¡»

    £¨Fine, then we get rid of the source!£©

    ¡ºHmm. That might be our only way out.¡»

 Chapter 1139: Maleficent and Personas Powers

    <h4>Chapter 1139: Maleficent and Persona''s Powers</h4>

    ¡¸Ave-¡­ Fleshbag! Who is controlling these undead? Scavenger?¡¹

    ¡¸Not him, since we already killed almost all of his copies! Onught¡¯s undead would be infused with evil energy, so I believe Wickerman the Substitute must be responsible!¡¹

    ¡¸Wickerman the Substitute?¡¹

    ¡¸As his alias suggests, he can use the undead under hismand as damage substitutes. As such, he can survive quite the beating.¡¹

    He already exined this to us earlier, but it seems Wickerman can transfer damage to others using shield arts and other such abilities. If he¡¯s capable of creating undead this quickly, he really will be a nuisance.

    Avenger repeated his exnation of Wickerman to Fran so that the rest of the adventurers could hear. By the way, the hole in his stomach was already sealed, so he could move around without any issues.

    ¡¸Oh, and Wickerman¡¯s alias of ¡°Substitute¡± isn¡¯t only because of his abilities!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    That¡¯s news to me.

    ¡¸He also acts as Nameless¡¯s body double! With his skills for fooling appraisal, he can easily pass himself off as Nameless! They even look rather simr so I doubt anyone will be able to tell them apart. Well, until I exposed him just now! Fuhahahaha!¡¹

    Avenger burst intoughter while still blocking the mesers stilling from the fort. Isn¡¯t that pretty important? He revealed not only the enemy¡¯s abilities, but also the existence of their boss¡¯s body double.

    ¡¸The Carmine me Knights have only about 300 members, so there must be very few of them left in the fort.¡¹

    In other words, we only have to worry about the knight captain and Wickerman? Going on the offensive is looking much more appealing now.

    ¡¸Maleficent!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll go along with you!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Maleficent gave his reply before Fran even asked the question, with Persona nodding as well.

    That said, can Kranzel even survive a pack of Duhans without Maleficent¡¯s support? Donadrond was already so exhausted that he could no longer activate Protective Shimmer, and the adventurers didn¡¯t stand a chance against such formidable forces by themselves.

    However, it seems Maleficent wasn¡¯t being reckless at all. He had a n in mind.

    ¡¸We need only one person capable enough to protect the adventurers, yes? Give us a moment. Persona, please heal Forrund-san.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸We need Forrund-san¡¯s help to make this work, and that fort is¡­ please.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona looked up at her partner as if asking a question. In response, Maleficent bowed his head for some reason.

    I didn¡¯t sense any signs of telepathy, but it seems they understood each other¡¯s thoughts.

    After this exchange, Persona headed over to Forrund. The man was so exhausted after using his trump cards that he couldn¡¯t even summon additional swords for shy attacks. The most he could handle was fending off a Duhan or two.

    Persona stood behind Forrund and crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if in prayer. Naturally, the undead went after her too, but a barrier repelled all of their attacks. Her skill level in warding arts must be very high.

    I continued watching her actions at a distance, until something unexpected happened.

    ¡¸Ahh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Persona spoke!¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yeah, and that¡¯s a ton of mana!¡»

    We all thought Persona was mute until hearing the soft and lovely voice exiting her mouth. Immediately afterward, she became surrounded by an immense amount of mana.

    The vortex of mana swirled around in the air, raging and unstable. Is she actually capable of controlling all of it?

    ¡¸La¡­!¡¹

    Is she¡­ singing? Persona¡¯s voice remainedpletely t without any intonation, yet it had a mysterious allure to it.

    Her voice echoed across the battlefield as the mana danced in response to her song. Then, we saw the light enveloping Forrund.

    ¡¸This is¡­¡¹

    The mana began replenishing Forrund¡¯s body.

    Seeing this reminded me of Sophie¡¯s magic songs, which were capable of healing the target¡¯s internal fatigue and exhaustion, something impossible for normal healing magic. Persona seems to have a simr ability.

    That said, there must be a reason she didn¡¯t use this ability all the time.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Persona, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona wobbled a moment before copsing, and Maleficent caught her fall. It seems she was so spent that she could no longer stand, apparent by the waterfall of sweat running down her neck.

    She had used her voice for a few seconds¡­ Maybe that¡¯s the reason she doesn¡¯t speak normally.

    ¡¸Persona really pushed herself, so it seems I must do the same.¡¹

    With Persona still in his arms, Maleficent took a step forward.

    ¡¸Now then¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Everyone, even those still engaged in battle, gasped in surprise. Maleficent had bit into his own wrist and tore out his artery.

    Naturally, arge amount of blood squirted out to stain the ground red. Exactly what he was after.

    His blood flowed along the ground as if it had a will of its own, forming a pattern rather than simply soaking into the dirt. He had created a magic circle about three meters in diameter.

    ¡¸I offer you my blood. Heed my summon, demon!¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Maleficent was also capable of summoning demons. An entity cloaked in powerful mana began to rise out of the blood circle.

 Chapter 1140: Relic?

    <h4>Chapter 1140: Relic?</h4>

    Maleficent¡¯s blood circle summoned a humanoid demon, whose body was pitch ck all over.

    The demon¡¯s arms and legs seemed unhealthily thin, but his fierce eyes gave off an impressive aura. The white pupils and ck schlera proved his demonhood, and his well-rounded face maintained a belligerent smile.

    Yet strangely enough, he did not seem to be the warrior type. The way he stood suggested he did not have a high level in any physicalbat skills. Perhaps he was focused on magic instead?

    In other words, it was doubtful if this demon could support the adventurers all by himself.

    Seems about as strong as a Rank B Adventurer. Or so I thought, but the demon¡¯s real strength lied elsewhere.

    ¡¸Uroooh!¡¹

    The demon thrusts his hands forward and bellowed, as several Duhans in his line of sight ceased movement. Immediately, the headless knights in red armor crumpled to the ground like puppets with their strings broken.

    ¡¸While this one is not much of a fighter, his anti-undead abilities are impressive, as you can see. With Forrund-dono¡¯s assistance, they should be able to handle a horde of about 1000 or 2000 easily enough.¡¹

    I¡¯m still not convinced of the demon¡¯s strength, but we have no choice but to trust him. Even as we spoke, me magic continued flying from the fort and striking down our allies.

    For a moment, I considered simply pushing through the Duhans and continuing our retreat. However, taking down some of Raydoss¡¯s strongest forces will be much better in the long term.

    Besides, they¡¯ve killed so many adventurers. Fran definitely wanted to avenge them. I can share the feeling, though she¡¯s way more motivated than me.

    £¨Master, it¡¯s time!£©

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s go.¡»

    ¡¸Maleficent. Are you still taking Persona?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, of course I will.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Maleficent was cradling Persona like a baby in his arms, yet the girl still nodded her head. I was wondering if she¡¯s okay in her current condition, but I guess she¡¯s fine if Maleficent says so.

    ¡¸Okay. We¡¯ll ride on Urushi¡¯s back!¡¹

    ¡¸Really! Thank you very much!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona got on Urushi¡¯s back first and started clinging onto and ruffling his fur. Judging by the slight smile on her face, she was having a lot of fun. She may be better off than I thought.

    ¡¸Please wait, my priestess! Allow me to join you!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fine. Go sit behind Maleficent.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh. You better not poison me, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Well, I can¡¯t do anything about the smell, so you¡¯ll have to deal with that yourself.¡¹

    Avenger doesn¡¯t seem to care much for anyone aside from Fran. Also, he does kinda smell like rotten flesh due to being a ghoul.

    But letting him ride Urushi alongside us is the only way. Maleficent just has to deal with it.

    ¡¸Ugh. Persona, we¡¯re doing a full cleansing after this.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Forrund, Donad, we leave the rest to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you better take good care of the fort! Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Surviving is the most important part of an adventurer¡¯s job!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Urushi rushed toward the fort without any attempt to hide himself, since we¡¯ve already stood out way too much. They know we¡¯reing either way.

    In that case, we might as welle knocking on their front door.

    As expected, all the mesers started targeting us instead.

    That should reduce the burden on Forrund and Donad considerably.

    ¡ºYou got this, Urushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof wooooof!¡¹

    ¡¸You can do it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    With the support of the girls pushing him forward, Urushi elerated even faster, dodging thesers with evasive maneuvers.

    The barrage ofsers only got more and more intense, proving our opponent¡¯s impatience. However, we were fine thanks to Urushi¡¯s speed and barriers from Maleficent and me.

    Urushi weaved nimbly through the countless mingsers and explosions decorating the sky.

    £¨Master, what now?£©

    ¡ºHmm¡­ They¡¯ve lost all their barriers.¡»

    I attempted an attack at the fort, and it went through without getting blocked. The fort¡¯s defensive mechanisms must be in poorer shape than I thought.

    ¡ºThen we go straight for the captain of the Carmine me Knights. To the roof!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi dodged another serious of violent sts,nding on the roof. A young man stood there, staring at us with gritted teeth. Now that we¡¯re face to face, his resemnce to the vice-captain Ih became incredibly apparent.

    Seems like appraisal works. The Red Knights are mainly assigned tobat monsters and beasts, not foreign invasions. Thus, it seems they never took precaution against the possibility of being appraised.

    Putting it simply, he was incredibly strong. He had over 1000 mana, me Magic level 9, as well as many skills useful to a sorcerer, such as Chantless and Parallel Thinking. Not to mention his Sword Mastery at level 7.

    He¡¯s as good as any Rank A adventurer based on his stats alone.

    That said, what really stood out about the man was his equipment. The strange metal weapon in his hands radiated a very aggressive aura of mana.

    It appeared to be cylinder about two meters long, with a handle, a firing hammer, and a trigger. Practically a gun. Well, maybe a more futuristic version of a gun? Like theser cannons you would see giant robots sting each other with in science fiction works.

    The weapons¡¯s name certainly did not seem to fit in a fantasy word like this one. My appraisal said the full name was ¡°me Magic Regtion Device, Carmine me¡±.

    The skills were listed as: <i>Bombardment, me Control, me Amplification, me Absorption, Effect Sharing, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö</i>. The weapon itself acted as a powerfulser cannon, but it was also capable of sharing various skills with the wielder¡¯s subordinates.

    Moreover, the ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö part looked incredibly disturbing to me. Sophie had Divine Sword Release hidden like that when I looked at her stats before.

    This can¡¯t possibly be a divine sword, right? Yeah, it must be that ¡°relic¡± thing we¡¯ve heard about.

    Before we could speak, the man pointed his gun at us with its muzzle glowing red.

    ¡¸Die!!¡¹

 Chapter 1141: Roaneth

    <h4>Chapter 1141: Roh</h4>

    ¡¸Die!!¡¹

    There was much we wanted to ask the leader of the Carmine me Knights, but he never gave us the chance. Knight Captain Roh had already pointed his gun at us and pulled the trigger.

    It seems the beams of light he sniped us with were not me magic, but shots directlying from his weapon, Carmine me. Still, Maleficent and Persona blocked it without any issues.

    ¡¸No one likes an impatient man, you know.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fuck you!¡¹

    Whoa there. Quite the mouth for such a handsome young man.

    ¡¸What the hell is wrong with you people! Die, die, die, die!¡¹

    ¡ºHe can rapid fire!¡»

    Roh shot out a barrage of fireballs, each packing a great deal of power. However, he couldn¡¯t get past the the barrier from me, Fran, Maleficent, and Persona.

    ¡ºNeutralize him first, ask questionster! Urushi, get him!¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!!¡¹

    ¡¸I can see right through you, mutt!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwoh!¡¹

    It¡¯s as if he knew right when Urushi was going to jump out of the shadows, yet he shouldn¡¯t have the skills for that¡­ Was the relic buffing him somehow?

    Urushi was forced to retreat back into the shadows after getting his right paw shot. He attempted to cloak the paw with Dark Embrace in an effort to protect himself, but he still received a severe burn.

    Each shot must have the same power as a high-level spell.

    However, we still have the advantage in numbers. Roh left himself open when he attacked Urushi, and Fran took the chance to sh at him.

    ¡¸Get the fuck away from me, you little shit!¡¹

    ¡¸Taaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Back off!¡¹

    Roh parried our hit with the relic. Damn, that thing is hard! We didn¡¯t evennd a scratch with a serious hit!

    Moreover, Roh partially transformed his body into mes to avoid Fran¡¯s followup. As expected from one of the strongest men in Raydoss.

    That said, it wasn¡¯t enough to overturn our advantage. Roh¡¯s face distorted in rage as he began to realize we exceeded his expectations.

    ¡¸Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I¡¯ll murder you if it¡¯s thest thing I do!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    The relic transformed?! A slit opened on it with a click, and several metal cords shot out of it. The thin cords wriggled like tentacles as they wrapped themselves around Roh¡¯s arm.

    I could see Roh¡¯s mana flowing into the relic through those cords, as the barrel began glowing red.

    However, Roh left himselfpletely open during this transformation. Fran took advantage andunched her own attack.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºTake this!¡»

    A hint of divine-aspected mana enveloped my de. Fran must be getting ustomed to using the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing.

    She delivered a sh with godly speed and divine energy.

    A technique containing Fran¡¯s full power, more than capable of striking down powerful opponents without the use of Sword God Transformation or Potential Release.

    ¡¸That shit won¡¯t work on me, you damn brat!¡¹

    It seems Roh sensed the divine energy on my de. Rather than transforming his body into mes again, he reached out to block us with his free left arm.

    His arm mmed into my de, and the mana infused within only managed to deflected my trajectory by a tiny amount. That must have been his goal from the beginning. He did not intend to block us, but merely deflect the hit and avoid a fatal blow.

    It was a sh intended to slice off his head, yet we only managed to cut through his left elbow and half of the neck. Well, normally that would be plenty fatal.

    Wounds inflicted by the divine attribute are difficult to regenerate. That said, it seems Roh knew exactly what he was doing. Without any pause, and he readied Carmine me with his eyes fixated on Fran.

    ¡¸DIEEEE!¡¹

    Blood bubbled from his mouth as he screamed the death sentence.

    ¡ºNo! Fran, stop him at all costs!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    I witnesses Carmine me¡¯s final skill, which was not visible earlier. Now it could be seen, and it said ¡°Divine me Excitation¡±.

    Rather than purposely being hidden, this was a power that bes avable after meeting special circumstances. Only by draining the wielder¡¯s mana, or perhaps even their lifespan itself, can it actually be used.

    And if it says ¡°divine mes¡±, it might have as much power as one of Izario¡¯s attacks. We can¡¯t be too careful.

    I fired a few thunder spells in an attempt to cancel his movements, but they only slipped through Roh¡¯s body. Damn, not his me form again! Despite the fatal cut on his neck, he was still thinking with his head straight.

    ¡¸YOU¡¯RE ALL DEAD!¡¹

    He shifted his aim away from Fran?

    Roh pointed the muzzle of his gun upward and shot a bright red bullet high into the sky. No, that¡¯s not it! He¡¯s trying to kill everyone here!

    The bullet of divine me exploded like a firework, as they came falling back to the roof of the fort. Hundreds of divine embers came pouring down on us like rain droplets.

    ¡ºMaleficent! Persona! Gather around Fran! We need to do this together!¡»

    ¡¸Persona, hurry!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Without any concern for revealing my identity, I called out directly to Maleficent and Persona. This wasn¡¯t only because I wanted to save them. More importantly, I realized that all four of us working together was the only way to make it through the rain of divine mes.

    At the very least, I couldn¡¯t guarantee that Fran and I would make it through by ourselves.

    Maleficent and Persona seemed to have reached the same conclusion, immediately getting to work without voicing any doubts.

    ¡ºUrushi and Avenger, you guys put up your barriers too!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood! I will obey my god!¡¹

    I¡¯m not your god!

 Chapter 1142: Shower of Divine Flames

    <h4>Chapter 1142: Shower of Divine mes</h4>

    Everyone worked together to put up a barrier against the rain of divine mes. Fran and I invoked the me spell me Barrier, as Urushi, Avenger, and Maleficent set up a normal mana barrier. Persona cast some sort of ward.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºTch!¡»

    Our barrier was not a moment toote, as the impact came immediately.

    The embers of divine me appeared small and weak. Yet the moment the first one came into contact with our barrier, I felt an immense amount of mana draining away. Each of these tiny sparks exploded with the destructive force exceeding a high-tier spell.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just due to the power.

    The residue of divine energy from Roh¡¯s relic continued swirling around us, interfering with our magic. This wasn¡¯t enough to disable our spellspletely, though it certainly doubled the mana consumption.

    My gut was warning me not to escape by teleportation, and it¡¯s a good thing I listened. I can¡¯t say for sure if teleporting out a divine energy vortex will work, and failure would render us defenseless

    We withstood the initial few embers, but then the brunt of the divine mes came down.

    I could only watch in awe as our barrier became engulfed in a curtain of red. That was all we could see as the tremors and shockwaves shook us through the barrier.

    The divine mes literally poured down on us like a sudden shower of rain, but the barrier we used as a roof wasn¡¯t enough to negate the sheer destructive force.

    Ours was no ordinary barrier either. We have several of the strongest people on the continent backing it up.

    Yet each hit shook it more and more. This barrier was capable of easily blocking supreme-tier spells, yet it felt so fragile and unreliable.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Grr¡­¡¹

    ¡ºGuys, keep at it!¡»

    A few seconds passed, though it felt like an eternity. We had infused everyst bit of mana and barely managed to stand our ground. Fran, Urushi, Maleficent, and Persona all wore pained expressions. Maybe we can make it through to the end at this rate?

    However, it was much too early to say for sure.

    The ground below our feet shook with a jolt, and we all started falling.

    The fort had practically melted apart, causing the rooftop where we were standing to copse. I quickly caught everyone with my telekinesis, but it wasn¡¯t possible to support thempletely.

    A minor fall would normally not be an issue, but I can¡¯t say the same thing for our current situation. The slightestpse in concentration could mean our deaths.

    Avenger and Persona¡¯s barriers turned unstable first, followed shortly by a distortion in Fran and Urushi¡¯s barrier. The remaining Maleficent grit his teeth in pain.

    I continued maintaining my telekinesis and barrier as I prayed for an end to the divine mes. Can we keep going? No, at this rate¡­

    As soon as I began panicking, I felt a sudden stir of evil energy deep inside me. This phenomenon happened before, very recently.

    It¡¯s the Evil God Fragment again. I know you¡¯re not trying to screw with us, but doing that out of nowhere really scares me! Actually, why can you even act on our own if you¡¯re supposed to be sealed? Seems weird that the Evil God Fragment¡¯s seal is so half-assed.

    There it goes again, spraying out evil energy whenever it feels like it. And it seems that wasn¡¯t all.

    ¡¸Nrrgggh!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºAvenger?¡»

    To our surprise, Avenger suddenly leapt up with a roar.

    He spread out his arms and legs to shield Fran and the others, as well as putting up a jet ck barrier, which we instantly recognized as a barrier of evil energy.

    Why? Because it was so dense that it gave us goosebumps.

    I know from past experience that evil energy has the effect of disrupting the skills of others. However, Avenger¡¯s barrier did not impact our barriers at all, perhaps because he controlled all the evil energy perfectly.

    On the other hand, his barrier was incredibly effective against the divine mes. While it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to nullify the mespletely, it certainly reduced the load on us. This may be some sort of higher existence than evil energy, like ¡°evil divinity¡± or something?

    The Evil God inside me must have shared a portion of its power.

    At longst, the downpour ended¡­ as thest few drops broke through and burned into Avenger¡¯s body.

    Maleficent and I failed at thest moment, but we managed to survive thanks to Avenger.

    Amidst the searing smoke, I slowly lowered everyone using my telekinesis. However, the fort hadpletely vaporized down to thest brick, leaving only a giant crater in its wake. The bottom of the crater looked a bit shiny because it had melted into ss.

    Dropping Fran and the others into the crater would be too dangerous, so I used my telekinesis to create an invisible slide instead.

    ¡¸Avenger!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah¡­ Just¡­ Fleshbag is fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fleshbag, are you okay?¡¹

    Fran propped Avenger¡¯s head up despite the bodily fluids leaking out of him. Everything below his neck had disappeared, so he was practically a decapitated head.

    He can¡¯t possibly regenerate after getting caught in those divine mes. There¡¯s no way to save him, and Fran knew it.

    ¡¸My priestess. I am afraid this is where we part¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You said you wouldn¡¯t die.¡¹

    ¡¸At longst, I can finally move on. A majority of the grudges within my heart originate here. I was born from the peoples of a fallen country¡­¡¹

    ¡¸A country, here?¡¹

    ¡¸My homnd¡­ the Kingdom of Sophiard suffered an invasion from Raydoss¡­ The South Conquest Duke¡­ He enved us¡­¡¹

    As an undead, Avenger¡¯s poweres from the grudges of the departed. We had assumed he was born from recently purchased ves, but this proves otherwise. I know Raydoss has been performing inhumane experiments for a long time, so maybe he has some rtion to the research on the floating ind.

    ¡¸My priestess¡­ Please¡­ avenge me¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡­ My God¡­? You came to receive me? I am honored¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran widened her eyes as a ck light enveloped Avenger. Then, he got sucked into me without any action on my part. The Evil God Fragment did all of this on its own.

    Like I keep saying, you have way too much freedom!

 Chapter 1143: An Avenger Reborn

    <h4>Chapter 1143: An Avenger Reborn</h4>

    Avenger disappeared, filling the air with a gloomy mood.

    Wended a short distance from the crater where the fort once stood, and no one could speak. It wasn¡¯t only Fran and Urushi, Maleficent and Persona looked rather sad too.

    Maleficent was acting particrly strange. He had his usual smile on the surface¡­ but he gave me a very depressed impression.

    That said, it seems I won¡¯t get the time to dig any deeper. A pack of undead popped up to surround us.

    ¡¸Undead!¡¹

    ¡ºWickerman must still be alive!¡»

    Like I suspected, he must have evacuated before the torrent of divine mes. But where is he now? It felt like the undead were intended to slow us down rather than finish us off.

    While we were busy dealing with the undead, a redser came flying at Maleficent.

    ¡¸Where did thate from¡­?!¡¹

    ¡ºOver there!¡»

    Damn, so Roh survived too. I guess he¡¯s not dumb enough to burn to death in his own mes! We saw him firing at us from a short distance away.

    Maleficent just barely managed to put up a barrier in the nick of time. However, I doubt he can repeat that many times in his current exhausted state. Roh¡¯ssers became much weaker after he used Divine me Excitation, but they were still plenty deadly.

    ¡ºFran! I¡¯ll teleport us!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The divine energy covering the region had dissipated, restoring our ess to teleportation. We managed to reach Roh instantly and deliver a sh.

    However, he blocked our hit with the relic again. The red knight could still move despite taking all that damage earlier, and after unleashing so much divine energy.

    ¡¸TCH! YOU DAMN BRAT!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat the hell?¡»

    Did he heal the injury we gave him?

    Roh¡¯s voice sounded strangely high-pitched. Meanwhile, the cut on his neck was already closed, though it had turned a discolored reddish-ck.

    What¡¯s weird was the wavelength of his mana. He was both human and inhuman.

    Only after an appraisal did I understand what was going on. Roh¡¯s race was now disyed as ¡°Demi-Undead (Mutating)¡±. He must be undergoing the process of transforming into aplete undead.

    Moreover, this didn¡¯t seem to be some kind of forced experiment, he clearly epted the transformation willingly. To think anyone would willingly turn undead while alive.

    I assume some magical form was installed into his body, in order to allow him to fight after death. Perhaps Wickerman assisted him with that.

    ¡¸DIE! DIE DIE DIE!¡¹

    Roh repeatedly pulled the trigger of the relic, but the performance seemed off. The st of me came out a bit dyed, and their speed and power had fallen like 50%.

    Does the gun¡¯s performance correspond to the wielder¡¯s condition or something? Well, I suppose it¡¯s firing magic rather than actual bullets, so that makes sense if true.

    ¡¸SHIT! THIS UNDEAD BODY DOESN¡¯T HAVE WIELDER PERMISSIONS¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºThis is our chance, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸DAMN BRAT! GET THE FUCK BACK!¡¹

    Whoa, what?! He managed to block a three-hitbo from Fran! We may be a bit slower now due to our fatigue, but Roh needed his me transformation to avoid that previously.

    Yet now he blocked it without taking any damage. I checked his appraisal again, and saw that his stats had grown much higher. Also, the reddish-ck portions of his skin seem to have expanded too.

    It seems he¡¯s getting stronger as his mutation progresses. Wickerman, the necromancer behind this turn of events, must be channeling mana into him. Gaining an undead body also means he can no longer feel fatigue.

    On the other hand, Fran¡¯s exhaustion was slowing her down. Not enough to fall behind Roh, but wecked the ability to deal a decisive blow. Should we use Sword God Transformation or Potential Release?

    That¡¯s when I realized a third option. Well, not that I came up with it¡­ Someone had told me.

    I exined the n to Fran and Urushi, then set up all the preparations.

    ¡ºAlright, we¡¯re ready! Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸STOP TRYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU MORON!¡¹

    Fran jumped forward with a sh as Urushi leapt at Roh from the shadows. However, our opponent saw this surprise attacking.

    Just as he had down once before on the roof of the fort, Roh evaded the attack from his shadow by turning into mes. Only this time, it didn¡¯t end there.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Witness my revival! God, priestess, you have my eternal gratitude!¡¹

    ¡¸W-WHAT!?!¡¹

    Avenger, who was supposed to have been dead, jumped out of Urushi¡¯s shadow.

    The ghoul had been ranting in my head for the past couple minutes. I couldn¡¯t understand anything he said in that state, but there was clearly some sort of necromantic presence trying to make an appeal. Then, the Evil God Fragment hopped on the bandwagon and started transmitting something too.

    Thus, I upped the level of my Necromancy skill and secretly summoned Avenger in Urushi¡¯s shadow. Like I thought, Roh couldn¡¯t detect Avenger so easily, since undead don¡¯t radiate body heat!

    I can only summon Avenger for a few minutes since he¡¯s a high-ranking ghoul, but that¡¯s more than enough for a surprise attack. At first, I was only hoping to poison Roh and wear him down, but Avenger went on and on about how he could pin the red knight down. I decided to give him a shot, and then¡­

    Surprisingly, Avenger managed to get through Roh¡¯s me form with his sharp ws. All thanks to the massive amount of evil energy the Evil God Fragment apparently shared with him.

    Roh¡¯s me form became unstable, eventually wearing offpletely.

    ¡ºNow!¡»

    ¡¸YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!¡¹

    ¡¸My priestess is no bitch!¡¹

    Dammit Avenger, just shut up already!

 Chapter 1144: Vanished Relic

    <h4>Chapter 1144: Vanished Relic</h4>

    ¡¸Teyaah!¡¹

    Avenger pinned Roh down, then Fran dove in and swung her de.

    ¡¸GRAH¡­!¡¹

    Got ¡®em!

    My de cut through Roh like butter!

    I¡¯m sure our hit just now dealt a ton of damage.

    ¡¸HOW COULD I LOSE¡­ TO A DAMN BRAT LIKE THIS?!¡¹

    Roh¡¯s left arm began crumbling to pieces, a sign that he had little time left. Yet he refused to give up.

    Was he still plotting something?

    ¡¸UGRAAAH!¡¹

    Roh thrust his gun at the sky rather than us, as if he was about to fire a st directly upward.

    ¡¸YOU WIN THIS BATTLE, GIRL! BUT NOT THE WAR! THERE¡¯S PLENTY MORE WHERE I CAME FROM!¡¹

    A powerful flow of mana circted within the Carmine me.

    ¡¸MY KING, I RETURN THE RELIC TO YOU! PLEASE ACCEPT MY OFFERING!¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s trying to do something!¡»

    Crisis Sense gave no reaction, but I can¡¯t help but be worried when faced with such a huge amount of mana.

    Wait, is Carmine me radiating space-time mana rather than fire-aspected mana?

    ¡ºFran, finish it!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Whatever he¡¯s trying to do, we need to stop it first!

    Fran unleashed a divine-infused Sheathes of Wind, as I cloaked my de in evil energy.

    d in an aura of white and ck, we closed in on Roh. That said, my target was the relic in his hands rather than the man himself.

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    Even if we can¡¯t destroy it outright, we should at least be able to knock it out of his hands! Sure enough, even our best blow didn¡¯t manage to slice all the way through Carmine me. Someone tell me what this thing is made of!

    My de remained stuck about halfway through the incredibly sturdy weapon.

    But what happened next was something that neither we nor Roh could have anticipated.

    Carmine mepletely vanished from existence, and at the same time, I felt a surge of mana flowing into me.

    Cannibalize had activated.

    The tremendous load gave me chills, and I could not help but scream.

    ¡ºGRAAAAH!¡»

    £¨Master!£©

    Shit, Fran broke her concentration! She¡¯s leaving herself wide open!

    That said, it seems Roh had also stopped moving.

    ¡¸IMPOSSIBLE! WHAT HAPPENED?! THE TRANSMISSION FAILED¡­? DAMN BITCH, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ Deal with Roh¡­ first!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn!¡¹

    I infused the newly acquired mana into my de, though my mana control was honestly terrible at the moment. The torrent of raging mana overflowed as I forcibly converted it into divine energy with sub-optimal efficiency.

    Still, the sheer power was enough.

    Fran sliced Roh in half before he managed to recover. This time, it¡¯s over for real.

    ¡¸AHH! AAAHHHHHH!¡¹

    Roh crumbled to ashes and evaporated with an unintelligible scream.

    ¡ºWhew, we won.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Wickerman must still be alive, but we didn¡¯t sense any sign of him in the area. Did he already run? At any rate, we can now pause and catch our breath.

    I nced down at Roh¡¯s remains and reconsidered his earlier words.

    ¡ºRoh yelled something about a king, right?¡»

    Was it ¡°returning the relic to the king¡± or something like that? I first thought he was attempting an attack, but maybe he only wanted to teleport the relic to this so-called king.

    ¡ºAvenger. Raydoss is ruled by a king, right?¡»

    ¡¸Yes my god, that is correct. I was told he ascended to the throne a few months ago. I also heard rumors that he¡¯s still a child, but I know little else¡­¡¹

    Avenger must have gotten this information when he was still on Raydoss¡¯s side. Roh¡¯s words implied that he felt some kind of loyalty toward this king¡­ but that makes no sense. Why would a thug like that swear loyalty to a young child?

    Anyways, Avenger is privy to some pretty important information, such as the details of Raydoss¡¯s schemes, the identities of top officials, and the locations of secret facilities. He has ess to plenty of ssified intel that normal citizens do not.

    Yet Avenger knows almost nothing about the king? That¡¯s really weird too. It seems the king of Raydoss has some secrets to hide.

    I¡¯ll keep that on my mind as we continue.

    ¡ºOkay, let¡¯s check the Cannibalize results¡­ Whoa!?¡»

    My mana capacity increased by 1000 upon absorbing Carmine me. I even got the me Control skill. That¡¯s as much of a gain as when I cannibalized Fannaberta. In other words, Raydoss¡¯s relics were worth as much as an Intelligence Weapon.

    Actually, if Cannibalize worked, does that mean it was a failed divine sword? It clearly wasn¡¯t an Intelligence Weapon, right¡­? Guess I can¡¯t say anything for sure.

    I¡¯ve heard that Raydoss still has quite a few relics, so we should keep an eye out for them. I can even try cannibalizing another one if I get the chance.

 Chapter 1145: Contacting the Evil God Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 1145: Contacting the Evil God Fragment</h4>

    As I finished checking the cannibalization results, Avenger took a step forward.

    ¡¸It appears my time is up! God, Priestess, please call for me again whenever you require my assistance!¡¹

    Avenger performed an exaggerated bow as his body began to fade away. Summoning Avenger is pretty costly, but it¡¯s good to know that we can count on his support in the future.

    Still, Fran already got some weird looks just for using evil energy. Seeing Avenger call her ¡°priestess¡± all the time is bound to draw even more suspicion.

    I¡¯ll save summoning him for ast resort if there¡¯s anyone watching.

    Either way, there¡¯s a certain someone who has been causing way more trouble than Avenger. I would even go as far as to call them the root cause.

    ¡ºIs the seal on the Evil God Fragment even functioning anymore?¡»

    Long ago, Fenrir-san devoured the fragments of the Evil God and sealed them within his body. Perhaps now that Fenrir-san was separated from those fragments, the seal also loosened up?

    That said, it¡¯s not like the Evil God Fragment is interfering with hostile intentions. Well, perhaps it¡¯s more correct to say that it can¡¯t mess with me. If I ever get destroyed, the fragment apparently disappears along with me.

    On the contrary, I would say it¡¯s trying to assist us.

    Even so, we can¡¯t continue letting the Evil God Fragment radiate evil energy, or turn fiends into followers whenever it pleases. Worst case scenario, Fran will really be branded as an Evil God worshiper.

    We¡¯re dealing with the Evil God here. It goes without saying that good intentions may not result in our benefit. Preferably, it would remain idle and only share its powers when I need it. That¡¯s my ideal.

    Would that count as abuse of a god¡¯s powers? The line between fair use and abuse might be harder than I thought. Still, we can¡¯t maintain the current status quo. I don¡¯t know if it will help at all, but I should try contacting the Evil God Fragment.

    I activated Evil Conquest and focused on my inner self, diving deep within my depths.

    I stepped foot into the region the previous me would have been too terrified to enter, a space covered in an impermeable ckness.

    My consciousness entered this space, the Evil God¡¯s seal, and a powerful entity enveloped my mind.

    There can be no doubt that this entity is the Evil God Fragment itself. It throbbed as it attempted to devour my consciousness whole. Or so I thought, but it seems it no longer had any malicious intent.

    Rather, simply standing nearby brings you harm. Touching it corrupts you. Speaking to it drives you mad.

    The Evil God was just that kind of existence.

    The fragment suddenly throbbed again, more forcefully this time, as if it was jumping forward.

    The power enveloping grew stronger too, but this didn¡¯t feel anything like an attack. Maybe more like a giant pet rushing forward to greet its owner in joy?

    I felt that way because the power also sent me a torrent of emotions. While impossible to read clearly, it seemed to be a rough mixture of joy, pleasure, and happiness.

    Uhh, does it like me or something? No way. This is a fragment of the Evil God we¡¯re talking about here.

    As the questions flew through my mind, I continued receiving the torrent of positive emotions from the Evil God Fragment. It seems to really be fond of me for some reason.

    But why? What have I ever done to earn that¡­?

    Regardless, I activated Evil Conquest again to convey my intent to the Evil God Fragment.

    ¡ºEvil God Fragment, listen to what I have to say!¡»

    ¡º¡­!¡»

    I told the Evil God Fragment that I meant no harm. Then, I went on to exin that I wanted it to settle down, since careless actions will do more bad than good.

    At first I was nning to give it a serious scolding, but that seemed a bit harsh after seeing those emotions. The Evil God Fragment started radiating an aura of sadness during my speech too, which didn¡¯t help.

    A bit weird to be feeling pity for a fragment of the Evil God, but I can¡¯t help what I feel.

    ¡ºA-Anyways, that¡¯s all I wanted to say! You got it?¡»

    ¡º¡­¡»

    The Evil God Fragment was clearly depressed. Come on, act more bold if you¡¯re supposed to be the god of evil!

    ¡ºUh, well¡­¡»

    Ugh! Why do I have to feel guilty for scolding a fragment of the Evil God!? Fine, it can¡¯t be helped!

    ¡ºAlso, I know I told you to stop spraying evil energy, but I might borrow your power if we ever get into a pinch.¡»

    I¡¯m well aware that my demand was a little hypocritical, but the Evil God Fragment¡¯s reaction was somethingpletely unexpected.

    ¡º¡­!¡»

    The moment I said I might borrow the fragment¡¯s power, it practically jumped for joy. Then, it suddenly covered me in a powerful cloud of evil energy.

    ¡ºStop, no! I don¡¯t need any evil energy right now! Settle down!¡»

    At any rate, it seems I got approval to borrow evil energy.

    ¡ºEverything turned out alright this time, but make sure stop acting on your own.¡»

    ¡º¡­!¡»

    The fragment replied with a transmission of consent. I guess I don¡¯t have much choice but to take that at face value. No clue how trustworthy the Evil God Fragment will be though.

    £¨Master? You okay?£©

    ¡ºY-Yeah. I was just talking to the Evil God Fragment for a bit.¡»

    £¨¡­Did it work?£©

    Well, I can understand Fran¡¯s worries. That said, we have no choice but to deal with the Evil God Fragment as there¡¯s no way to separate it from us.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll be fine now¡­ probably.¡»

 Chapter 1146: Fort Battle Aftermath

    <h4>Chapter 1146: Fort Battle Aftermath</h4>

    I looked around for Wickerman after scolding the Evil God Fragment, but he was nowhere to be found. We then regrouped with the Kranzel army, and the Duhans had disappeared too.

    ording to Donadrond, they all vanished at the same time. Wickerman must have unsummoned them.

    It¡¯s hard to say who really won in the end. Kranzel lost half of its army, and the fort they were trying to upy was literally vaporized.

    On the other hand, Raydoss lost an important stronghold, the Carmine me Knights, and a powerful relic.

    I suppose we can call it a draw, with Kranzel gaining only a slight advantage.

    More importantly, we need to discuss our future ns. Well, the only ones capable of deciding that are the nobles, the knightmander, and Donadrond.

    We may have joined the battle midway, but Fran¡¯s technically still in the middle of her transport mission. That¡¯s yet to be marked asplete.

    Fran stood with her squad in front of Maleficent and Persona. They had neatly lined up in two horizontal rows without a word of conversation.

    No one would be able to recognize them as troublemakers anymore.

    What¡¯s even more amazing is that they all made it through that fierce battle. It seems they maintained a united front and held the line well. I¡¯m sure some had near-death moments, but everyone survived.

    Fran looked somewhat smug as she stood with her squad at her back. She must be proud of training them well.

    ¡¸I hereby dere your missionplete. ck Lightning Princess-dono, you and your squad have done a wonderful job. Everyone else, the guild officials will inform you of your unit assignments, so please follow their instructions.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yes sir! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Good answer. I still have some business with the ck Lightning Princess, but everyone else is dismissed. Thank you for your hard work.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Thank you! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The adventurers responded with a salute, each thanking Fran as they left.

    ¡¸Thank you so much!¡¹

    ¡¸Captain, I¡¯ve been reborn thanks to you!¡¹

    ¡¸Captain! W-Where can I get more curry?¡¹

    ¡¸Call us again if you ever need anything! I¡¯ll reach your side no matter what!¡¹

    Fran shook hands with each as she sent them off. I noticed a hint of loneliness on her face, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my imagination.

    And for that guy who wants curry, you can probably buy it at Bulbora when the war is over.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all of them.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. It feels so quiet all of a sudden.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Maleficent and Persona approached us after everyone else was gone.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s move somewhere a bit more appropriate.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Maleficent appeared to have a hint of instability and panic when we first arrived on the battlefield, but he seems to have regained hisposure now.

    He was now back to the aloof, unreadable demeanor he had at the beginning of the transport mission.

    As for Persona¡­

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

    She¡¯s even harder to read than Maleficent. Well, I guess she looks pretty energetic, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.

    Maleficent guided us into a small tent, where he reviewed Fran¡¯s performance in the rank-up exam.

    Well, the review was pretty much allpliments. It seems Maleficent thought Fran was not only appropriate for Rank A, but also vastly exceeded his expectations.

    She literally rehabilitated a squad of troublemakers and saved the Kranzel army, all within the request deadline. Fran aplished so much that any of her ws paled inparison.

    That said, Maleficent didn¡¯t have the authority to promote her to Rank A on the spot. His evaluation will be sent to the guild, where the branch heads will meet again to decide whether or not Fran can be promoted.

    Apparently, the process will take at least three days.

    ¡¸Speed is one of the most important things to an adventurer, but I suppose the higher ups forgot that fact.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. You think so, Persona?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    We got through the rank-up exam sessfully, which means we will be talking about the war next.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono. I believe you intend to continue participating in the war, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course.¡¹

    Fran already hated Raydoss plenty, and that feeling only grew after meeting Avenger.

    Avenger revealed many of Raydoss¡¯s unforgivable deeds, and asked us to avenge him with hisst words. Well, we can summon him now, so hisst words were kinda meaningless, but it¡¯s the feeling that counts.

    There¡¯s no way Fran will back down now, which means I need only to support her.

    ¡¸I understand. However, the disappearance of the fort means we will have to reassess our strategic objectives. Keep in mind that Kranzel is the one leading the war effort, so a single adventurer like yourself will not be able to act alone.¡¹

    Fair, it¡¯s not like the guild can take anynd for itself. Our client, the Kingdom of Kranzel, must first decide what they want to do before we can move.

    ¡¸Where we go may vary greatly depending on the situation on the other fronts.¡¹

    ¡¸Other fronts?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Kranzel currently has its army divided into three divisions, each after a different fort.¡¹

    Our current location is the westernmost battlefield, the one with thergest number of soldiers. There are additional Raydoss strongholds to the east, which Kranzel is attacking with smaller divisions.

    That said, it appears those divisions contain Rank A adventurers as well as former Rank A adventurers, more than enough manpower to take a fort.

    And these three divisions were currently discussing Kranzel¡¯s future course of action.

    ¡¸I believe it will take some time before they can reach a conclusion, so rest your body in the meanwhile. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you could take some time to y with Persona.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    The moment Fran nodded, Persona rushed in and tackled her, giving her a tight hug. It seems she really wanted to y.

    Perhaps it¡¯s because we just made it through a fierce battle, but this gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

 Chapter 1147: Future Plans

    <h4>Chapter 1147: Future ns</h4>

    After the army¡¯s continued strategy discussions, it¡¯s looking more and more like we will advance further into Raydoss.

    That¡¯s only natural. Pulling outpletely would mean abandoning all the progress they¡¯ve made during the hard-fought invasion.

    The original n had us using Fort Swaise as a bridgehead to gradually take over all of southern Raydoss.

    With that fort out of the picture, we have no choice but to capture Rajhil instead. This is a city near our current location.

    The other two divisions have temporarily paused their advance, since the heads of each division went our way to gather for an additional strategy meeting.

    Among the people arriving will be current and former Rank A adventurers.

    That said, none of the divisions had a surplus of forces, so it¡¯s unlikely that the discussion will reach a quick consensus. Even so, our division intended to gather as many reinforcements as possible.

    After all, they had just seen how the Red Knights vastly exceeded their expectations. Kranzel had underestimated the Red Knights, since the country¡¯s adventurers were often said to be superior to knights.

    Even from our point of view, only knights at the captain level have ever been notably strong.

    The assumption that high-ranking adventurers could easily ovee any foe proved to be their downfall. The fact that all the earlier battles were easily won didn¡¯t help either.

    However, they could not help but get worried upon seeing the Carmine me Knights¡¯ true strength, as well as their captain¡¯s overwhelming power. They finally realized what they were up against: a mighty foe that theycked any knowledge of.

    As a result, Kranzel intended to ease these worries by integrating additional forces. I hope they realize that being too careful can also cause mistakes in judgment.

    Meanwhile, we¡¯ve been flying around to scout the surrounding region for the past few days, though Raydoss¡¯s army was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they¡¯ve given up on taking back theirnd and focused on a different strategy?

    They¡¯re capable of mass summoning undead hordes, so I can easily imagine a bunch of nasty plots they might pull. Worst-case scenario, they might even sacrifice the inhabitants of Rajhil to get back at us.

    The southern mountainous region below where our division is camped seems to be under control for the time being. Reinforcements and supplies flowed in from Alessa at a steady rate, as Kranzel maintained order over the various viges and forts in the area.

    At first, there was some concern among sensible people such as Donadrond and the Knight Commander regarding this. They suspected that the newly arrived nobles and adventurers might abuse their power by looting and piging enemy viges. Of course, such idiotic acts are forbidden byw, but that doesn¡¯t mean it never happens. Some superior officers offer to look the other way to gain support with their men.

    But it turned out that there was very little looting.

    This was thanks to Esmeralda, the former Rank A adventurer who was a master of dust magic. She sent several sand rats to apany each unit and mercilessly ughtered anyone who vited orders, especially those guilty of looting or assault.

    I hear she made an example of everyone she caught, killing them as painfully as possible.

    Basically, anyone caught in the act got their four limbs bitten off. Not to mention how any superior officers were subject to the same punishment if they purposely ignored the behavior of their men.

    She even enforced the same military discipline on nobles. Very impressive.

    At the same time, the citizens of Raydoss quieted down as well. They knew the sand rats were their saviors, but those fangs could always turn to bite them instead. Realizing that fact made them very cooperative.

    I¡¯m sure not all of the credit goes to Esmeralda, but she definitely yed a major role.

    After a long wait, knights and adventurers from the other divisions began arriving at our camp. Among them was a familiar face.

    ¡¸Jean!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuahahaha! Fran and Urushi, it has truly been a long time! I¡¯m d to see Urushi¡¯s body is still great material!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn!¡¹

    The necromancer, Jean Duvie. It seems he was among the Rank A adventurers said to be in the other divisions.

    ¡¸Oh Fran, I see you have finally realized the joys of necromancy! Wonderful! Fuhahaha!¡¹

    Jean roared withughter after seeing the Genocide Ghouls at Fran¡¯s side.

    About that, it seems a few of the Genocide Ghouls remained alive even after Avenger himself fell. A couple of them died acting as Fran¡¯s shield and during the battle of the Duhans, but we still had five ghouls left.

    I had no clue what to do with them, so we just kinda left them with one of the understanding nobles who wanted to talk to them. They were technically heroes who yed an important role in the battle, I guess.

    ¡¸Hah hah hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Hah hah hah hah hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahahahahahaha!¡¹

    Shit, the ghouls started mimicking Jean¡¯sughter, and now they¡¯re resonating with each other outside of our control.

    Come on, you guys! Everyone¡¯s staring at us!

    Actually, this might be the perfect solution if they like Jean so much.

    These ghouls only have the bare minimum intelligence and can¡¯t talk as well as Avenger. That said, they can still answer basic questions and listen to orders. Considering how strong they are, they¡¯re pretty high performance undead.

    Even so, we would have difficulty taking them with us. I managed to summon Avenger with the Evil God Fragment¡¯s assistance, but I couldn¡¯t even form a contract with the remaining ghouls.

    Must be because Urushi and Avenger havepletely filled up my summoning capacity.

    Fran also failed to make a contract with the ghouls. That makes sense considering how she has Marle. Spirit contracts probably take up a huge amount of capacity too.

    However, we can¡¯t just make them pass on without avenging themselves, since we know the story behind their grudges. The ghouls themselves still wanted to fight too.

    They also required someone to supply them with mana, so that¡¯s why I suggested entrusting them to Jean. Fran joined the persuasion effort, and the ghouls eventually agreed to join Jean.

    Well the argument got pretty noisy with them shouting stuff like ¡°Y-You don¡¯t want me!?¡± and ¡°My priestess!¡±

    ¡¸Jean, can you take care of these ghouls?¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh?¡¹

    Now all that¡¯s left is to get Jean¡¯s approval.

 Chapter 1148: Jeans Escort

    <h4>Chapter 1148: Jean''s Escort</h4>

    Fran exined the history behind the Genocide Ghouls and that she could no longer take them with her.

    Jean apparently understood her situation.

    ¡¸I see! Indeed, even you might find it troublesome to bring around such powerful undead. Many find the mere thought of undead repulsive, yet these ghouls also contain deadly poisons!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Most towns would probably refuse entry to walking chemical weapons like them.

    ¡¸So you cannot simply form an contract and dismiss them!¡¹

    He also immediately understood our issue with summon capacity.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Say no more! Allow me, the great inquisitor of death, to take good care of them!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸You need only leave everything to me!¡¹

    Great, the Genocide Ghouls should be able to shine under Jean. He¡¯s the kind of guy who might overwork his undead, but he would never make them do something they hate.

    ¡¸Let us form the contract at once!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Got it. ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Jean voiced a long incantation involving a giant magic circle. It seems even a necromancer of his prowess requires such procedures to form a contract.

    That said, the Genocide Ghouls immediately epted the contract, so the spell disappeared almost right after it waspleted.

    The bodies of the ghouls began to glow, indicating the magical connection between them and Jean.

    ¡¸Now then. I will be dismissing you for the moment, but I assure you will y a role in theing battles against Raydoss!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess! Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Until next time!¡¹

    ¡¸Priestess!¡¹

    Each of the ghouls voiced their goodbyes as they disappeared into Jean¡¯s magic circle. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

    Fran seemed to feel relieved as well, nodding her head in satisfaction. She then went on to ask Jean something that was bothering her.

    ¡¸Jean, was everything okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Regarding what?¡¹

    ¡¸About the guy targeting you!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, you refer to the undead calling himself Nameless. He has never revealed himself in front of me.¡¹

    Apparently, Jean never even fought Nameless yet. Nameless the Mage yer is supposedly the first seat of the ck Skeleton Corps, created specifically to defeat Jean.

    Shouldn¡¯t he have already made his move by now¡­?

    ¡¸I am protected not only by my undead, but also my adventurer bodyguards. Perhaps that is why he never appeared.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸In fact, I should take this chance to introduce you to the former Rank A adventurers acting as my bodyguards! Cysanth-dono and Dore-dono!¡¹

    Yeah, I was wondering about them too. They clearly looked strong.

    ¡¸We¡¯ve heard many rumors about the famed ck Lightning Princess. Nice to finally meet you!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh my, you¡¯re adorable.¡¹

    Jean introduced us to two elderly people, a man and a woman.

    The man, Cysanth, had a hunched back which made him appear shorter than Fran. He greeted us by casually raising one hand, as he held a spear twice his size in the other as a walking stick.

    He appeared to be a civit cat beastman, but unlike Fran, his head waspletely animal-like. His hair waspletely white, but I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s due to aging or simply the normal color of his fur. The tone of his voice matched my impression of him as a yful old man.

    On the other hand, the elderly woman Dore stood very tall. Her tied up hair was whitened by age, but it still shone with a lively luster.

    Judging by her huge earrings and liberal use of make-up, she seems to be ady who never gave up on beauty.

    I easily recognized both as experts by the aura they radiated. Cysanth was clearly a spearman, but Dore did not seem to be carrying any weapons. She didn¡¯t look like a sorcerer either, so maybe she fights unarmed?

    Either way, they seemed as strong as expected from former Rank A adventurers.

    ¡¸Cysanth-dono is a spearmaster with the alias of ¡°Tempest Spear¡±. The name is due to hisbo of thrusts packing the same power as a galestorm.¡¹

    ¡¸Hohoho, been a long time since anyone¡¯s called me that. As you can see, I¡¯m just a pitiful old man now.¡¹

    Cysanth described himself very modestly, but everyone here could tell it was a bold-faced lie.

    Of course, his bent back and declining physical strength due to age was apparent. Anybat veteran would notice a slight opening in his stance.

    But that opening was a trap. He was putting up this facade on purpose to trick others into underestimating him. Even Fran and I might have trouble fighting him if we don¡¯t get serious. His age was merely one tool he integrated into his strategy.

    You can never be too careful about these wily, older adventurers.

    ¡¸Want a mock battle?¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸A mock battle.¡¹

    ¡¸Hohohoh! No way, that would be way too tiring!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡¸What an interesting girl you are! I can only wonder how you managed to get those eyes at such a young age.¡¹

    Fran immediately stated her desire for a mock battle, though Cysanth refused. He¡¯s clearly not weak enough to get exhausted from a little practice match, so I bet he wants to avoid revealing his skills. I have to doubt if he¡¯s actually retired.

    ¡¸Dore-dono has the alias ¡°Dance Princess of Death¡±. Her style of martial arts focuses on kicks, and the title is due to herbat style resembling a graceful dance.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Aw, I wish I had a granddaughter like you..¡¹

    Dore spoke in a slow, elegant tone. However, her wless stance made her strength more readily apparent than Cysanth¡¯s.

    It seems Cysanth is the type who prefers acting weak to lure his enemies into traps, while Dore instead unts her strength in the open.

    ¡¸Want a mock battle?¡¹

    Now Fran is asking Dore too! Come on, we¡¯re in the middle of a war here!

 Chapter 1149: High Rank Adventurers

    <h4>Chapter 1149: High Rank Adventurers</h4>

    ¡¸Want a mock battle?¡¹

    Seems Fran is also interested in Dore, seeing as how she instantly challenged her to a mock battle. Well, I suppose Fran wasn¡¯t that serious about the proposition.

    As expected, Dore refused the offer as well.

    ¡¸I am very sorry, but a mock battle with you seems like it would be very tiring. Forgive me, will you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Good girl, I like those who know when you back down.¡¹

    Fran didn¡¯t seem too disappointed either. She must have expected that her challenge would be rejected from the beginning.

    Maybe she was still excited after the fierce battle the other day, so she couldn¡¯t help but challenge them.

    ¡¸I really am sorry. I am a bit interested to tell the truth¡­ but I have to perform my job as Jean¡¯s bodyguard.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay. Sorry for asking.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. For kids your age, asking for things is practically your job.¡¹

    Judging by her smile, it seems Dore really does like Fran.

    We continued exchanging information with Jean and the others, until Forrund and Donadrond approached us. It seems their meeting had just ended.

    ¡¸Oh! Cysanth-dono! Dore-dono! It has been so long!¡¹

    ¡¸Hello, Donadrond-kun. You¡¯ve grown quite a bit since thest time I saw you.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, Dore. It¡¯s only been a few years, so there¡¯s no way he changed much. You should really stop saying that to everyone.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh Cysanth, is that so? I could have sworn he got bigger¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Now that you mention it¡­ He really did get bigger!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! My mutation just a few days ago definitely bulked up my body as well as my horns!¡¹

    Yeah, Donadrond definitely changed a lot in that mutation. Anyone who knew him from before would get a bit of a shock.

    ¡¸Forrund-kun, everything still good?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing ever changes for the Hundred Swords.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Ufufufu. You¡¯re still as shy as ever.¡¹

    ¡¸Shy? Most people would call that unsociable. Just look at how quiet the Hundred Swords and the ck Lightning Princess are. Are young¡¯uns these days even capable of enjoying life?¡¹

    ¡¸No way, Cysanth. I think it¡¯s just you enjoying life a bit too much. The guild tells me you¡¯ve been spending a lot of time at the casino, as well as bars with pretty girls serving you drinks.¡¹

    ¡¸Kah! The whole point of life is to enjoy it! I haven¡¯t had nearly enough fun yet!¡¹

    Cysanth confidently replied to Dore¡¯s exasperated statement. Is it just me, or is this old guy a bit too wild?

    That said, he quickly realized that Donadrond and Forrund were staring at him. While Cysanth brushed off his old friend Dore, it seems he cared about his image with the youngsters.

    ¡¸O-Of course, training is important too, but you can¡¯t dedicate your entire life to that, right? Who wants to end up like old Dimitris?¡¹

    ¡¸True. He is a bit on the weird side.¡¹

    So even these former Rank A adventurers thought Dimitris was entric.

    Maleficent and Persona eventually joined in socializing. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by a small crowd of mostly adventurers.

    While they seemed interested in our conversation, none could approach us.

    ¡¸L-Look at those high-rankers.¡¹

    ¡¸Who is that girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Dumbass! That¡¯s the ck Lightning Princess! They say she¡¯s the adventurer closest to reaching Rank A!¡¹

    ¡¸R-Really? Now that you mention it, her aura is kinda impressive!¡¹

    Come to think of it, no ordinary adventurer can approach such a group casually.

    Two Rank A adventurers: Forrund of the ¡°Hundred Swords¡± and Maleficent the ¡°ck Spot¡±, as well as his partner, Persona the ¡°White Sheet¡±. Two former Rank A adventurers: Cysanth the ¡°Tempest Spear¡± and Dore the ¡°Dance Princess of Death¡±. The Rank B adventurer who is considered Rank A at war time, Jean the ¡°ughterhouse¡±, as well as the Rank B adventurer Fran the ¡°ck Lightning Princess¡±. Finally Donadrond, who had no alias but was well known by adventurers for his recent aplishments, not to mention his mutation in the previous battle.

    All of the most powerful adventurers in the region were gathered in one ce.

    As expected, the meeting contents could not be spoken in a public area. Donadrond led us into a tent before exining our future ns.

    Tea time is generally a forbidden luxury when you¡¯re so close to the front lines, but Fran served everyone tea and sweets regardless. Guess I can turn a blind eye to that since it¡¯s an important meeting.

    Dore was so happy that she gave Fran a series of head pats. Seems like everyone else got a boost in morale too.

    The tent was filled with the sounds of munching as Donadrond finally finished his exnation.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! So we will be returning to the eastern front and focusing on that side?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. We decided bringing down Rajhil will be too costly to our forces.¡¹

    The original n was to take Rajhil, but they eventually came to the conclusion that doing so was impossible.

    Not only would we suffer countless casualties, but many of the city¡¯s citizens would die too. There¡¯s practically no benefit to taking the city after such losses.

    Instead, our new strategy involved distracting Raydoss with a huge army preparing to siege Rajhil. Meanwhile, a small group of elites will capture our actual objective, a fort in the east.

    Fran, Jean, Cysanth, Dore, Maleficent, and Persona were assigned to the eastern division, while Forrund and Donadrond lead the adventurers attacking Rajhil.

    Even for a decoy army, they require someone strong enough to handle the Red Knights, else they¡¯ll be wiped out in a sh.

    Fran was assigned a special role, leading the adventurers of the eastern division. It seems everyone else already had another job, such as Jean being in charge of the undead, and Cysanth/Dore being his bodyguards. Maleficent will apparently be waiting on standby until our enemies bring out the big guns.

    ¡ºFran, are you really okay with this? Can you handle being in charge?¡»

    £¨Heheh. It¡¯s fine, I can do it.£©

    Hmmm¡­ She certainly seems confident, but I have to worry if things will really work out.

 Chapter 1150: Suspicions

    <h4>Chapter 1150: Suspicions</h4>

    <i>Bang</i>!

    The sun was about to rise on the hilly region in front of Rajhil, a few hours before the start of our operation.

    A giant pir of fire broke the darkness in Kranzel¡¯s military camp.

    ¡¸Enemy attack?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! It¡¯sing from the officer tents!¡»

    Did someone leak the operation? Theyunched a surprise attack at the perfect time to crush Kranzel¡¯s momentum and lower our morale.

    In addition, enemy soldiers had deployed from Rajhil¡¯s gates.

    Our n involved Fran and herrades purposely revealing themselves here, before inconspicuously moving east for the real objective. However, Raydoss attacked before we even started.

    Not to mention the horde of 2,000 undead suddenly appearing between us and the city walls.

    Undead may be slow on their feet, but those are dangerous numbers.

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s ask Donadrond for instructions.¡»

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    Probably not a good idea to deploy without permission, especially since we¡¯re in enemy territory. It¡¯s times like these where being part of an army can get frustrating.

    We exited our tent and paid a visit to Donadrond. Along the way, we confirmed that the enemy had yet to reach our camp.

    Maybe that explosion from earlier was simply some kind of trap being triggered?

    ¡¸Donad.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! We¡¯re having all the adventurers stick together for now. Can you keep an eye on the perimeter?¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    We watched over the surrounding area for a few minutes.

    The adventurers were ordered to take care of the undead, since the knights were busy protecting the nobles still panicking from the surprise attack.

    One might think we¡¯re just being used, but none of the adventurers really cared. Many of them preferred going on the offensive more than defense.

    ¡¸Fran! Can I ask you to hold back the undead without damaging them too much?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸You have my gratitude! Those undead shall now be my newest servants! Fuhahaha!¡¹

    It seems Jean nned to dominate the enemy undead, so he didn¡¯t want Fran to destroy them outright.

    ¡ºIn that case, let¡¯s surround them withnd magic.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, keep an eye out for anyone trying to sneak around. The undead might be a decoy.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Sending undead all by themselves makes no sense if they know Jean is here. The chance of them being a decoy is pretty high.

    We continued scanning the surrounding area as we created walls to block the path of the horde.

    That¡¯s when we noticed a certain group trying to circle around to the Kranzel army¡¯s rear. Like I suspected, they intended tounch a surprise attack.

    ¡ºUrushi!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Another 30 minutes passed.

    Jean had dominated a portion of the undead, but the rest disappeared in an instant. It seems Raydoss mass dismissed the undead to avoid any more losses.

    That¡¯s pretty annoying. Maybe they developed this technique to counter Jean.

    Meanwhile, we found that the group trying to nk us also consisted of undead, but they crumbled apart the moment Urushi caught up with them. Were these just a decoy too?

    I don¡¯t see any point to sacrificing them before putting up a fight.

    Perhaps their only purpose was to confuse us.

    Kranzel¡¯s leaders were certainly thrown into chaos by the surprise attack.

    Frankly speaking, Raydoss was obviously trying to buy time. If anything, they¡¯d probably hate it if we immediately strike back at them¡­

    However, the nobles focused on the possibilities of intel leakage and additional traps, deciding to prioritize rebuilding camp first.

    I think Raydoss purposely made the undead crumble apart in front of Urushi to make us suspicious. They wanted us to search for non-existent ambushes.

    And we fell for the trick.

    What¡¯s more, Kranzel even started looking for spies within their ranks. Only certain officers and nobles knew the details of our surprise attack operation, and Raydoss struck right before we could put it into action. It¡¯s only natural to suspect a traitor.

    That said, traitors aren¡¯t the only possible source of information. One of the oldest tricks in the book is to look for smoke. Soldiers tend to eat more right before a battle, so spotting more cooking smoke than usual means an oing attack.

    I¡¯m sure Kranzel had a countermeasure in ce for the smoke, but there were still other signs. Even the foot soldiers would realize when they will deploy based on the amount of food served. Perhaps Raydoss even recognized the slight changes of movements within our lines, or magically eavesdropped on our meetings.

    Spy hunting seems like a waste of time to me. However, the stupid nobles without much experience decided they wanted to y the me game instead.

    Worst of all, suspicion fell on Fran too. Guess that can¡¯t be helped, since few know her history and she can manipte evil energy¡­

    The other suspect was Maleficent. Despite being the famous Rank A known as the ¡°ck Spot¡±, his past was also unknown. In fact, his race, age, birth name, skills, and so on were all unknown.

    Putting it simply, he¡¯s even more suspicious than Fran.

    Moreover, he refused to speak about his past when interrogated by a noble with a lie detector.

    Fran was also interrogated, but she answered all the questions truthfully. They asked stuff like where she got her sword, but ¡°I found it¡± isn¡¯t a lie. In the end, she was cleared of all suspicion.

    Nevertheless, we can¡¯t afford to indulge the nobles forever. Even the untalkative Forrund voiced aint, putting an end to the inquisition.

    Our operation was to go on as nned, so Fran and Jean departed inconspicuously for the eastern front.

    We did manage to leave an impression of our presence before we left, so I guess it wasn¡¯t all bad.

 Chapter 1151: Fort Siege

    <h4>Chapter 1151: Fort Siege</h4>

    We departed the hilly region and headed east toward our destination, Fort Elent.

    ¡ºThere it is. That¡¯s our fort.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! As expected from Urushi! Such incredible speed!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m stunned.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too.¡¹

    Even the former Rank A adventurers were impressed by Urushi¡¯s transport speed through mountainous terrain. On his back was Fran, Jean, Cysanth, Dore, Maleficent, Persona, as well as a few knights and nobles.

    I doubt any other familiar could transport us anywhere near as fast.

    Kranzel had already taken Fort Elent, so the division in charge of the fort was currently repairing the destroyed facilities and resting up for the uing battle.

    Jean immediately gathered the heads of various units and held a meeting upon his return to the fort. We found someone very surprising participating in this meeting.

    ¡¸Esmeralda?¡¹

    ¡¸Hyah-hyah-hyah. Long time no see, sweetheart.¡¹

    ¡¸Why are you here? Is the capital okay without you?¡¹

    ¡¸Heh. My men can handle the rest, since I¡¯ve already taken out the garbage for them.¡¹

    It seems she purged all the dangerous nobles and spies in the short time since we left. The olddy¡¯s smirk had an indescribable power backing it up. She really doesn¡¯t hold back.

    That said, this exins my doubts about the sand rats. Even Esmeralda should have trouble monitoring so many soldiers from all the way in the capital, but it makes sense if she¡¯s physically present.

    It seems her presence here is a secret, since she¡¯s also in charge of spy operations in Raydoss.

    Also, Esmeralda probably can¡¯t move much at the moment due to maintaining a widework of sand rats. She¡¯s still capable of riding her chair of sand, though I doubt she can fight.

    My suspicion was further backed by the presence of what appeared to be bodyguards behind her.

    ¡¸Oh yeah, and these two used to work for me. I brought them along since they¡¯re only good for fighting.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hey.¡¹

    Not much talkers, probably because they¡¯re on the job. One of them said a greeting before hurriedly closing his mouth.

    Perhaps they¡¯ve received the ¡°discipline¡± that Esmeralda mentioned thest time we met.

    ¡¸Now then, allow me to exin our future ns¡­¡¹

    Rather than some noble or knight, it turns out Jean was the leader of the division holed up in Fort Elent. Everyone followed his orders withoutints, proving their faith in his abilities. This even applied to a few of the arrogant-looking nobles in the room.

    Jean informed everyone present of the n decided at the military conference.

    ¡¸In other words, we basically continue as nned.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. While I have transferred some undead and troops to the other division, Fran and the others are joining us. This gives us a gain.¡¹

    ¡¸Weren¡¯t we originally supposed to be the decoy? I thought the n was to siege the fort up ahead without taking too many risks¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸That part will have to change. We shall put all our efforts towards bringing the fort down.¡¹

    The meeting went on for about an hour. After all the questions were answered, everyone began preparing for the operation.

    We went to take a look around in the meanwhile, checking the surrounding terrain and doing some reconnaissance.

    After departing from Fort Elent, we observed our target from the skies. Fort Marth was a small fort still held by Raydoss.

    ¡ºThe road suddenly gets really narrow here, huh.¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s hard to bring too many people.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, quite literally an uphill battle.¡»

    I can see why Kranzel weighed taking the city of Rajhil against capturing this tiny fort.

    A fort would normally be much easier to take, but the terrain more than covered all the fort¡¯s weak points. Being right in the middle of a mountain pass makes it very difficult to send arge number of troops. Brute forcing it with manpower will not work.

    Any attempts to climb the mountain will expose us to ranged attacks from Fort Marth. Moreover, the road turns into a steep slope halfway through, which only gives the fort an even greater advantage.

    Not to mention the wards I sensed covering the fort. sting it with magic likely won¡¯t have much effect either.

    Perhaps we could send someone strong enough to take it by themselves? It might work, but only if we don¡¯t bump into an enemy on Roh¡¯s level. After all, the Red Knight captain proved he had enough power to threaten Rank A adventurers.

    The next morning.

    Fran and Jean stood on the wall of Fort Elent.

    ¡¸Fran. You¡¯re in charge of the second wave.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸The knights always take the lead, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡¹

    Regardless of how much trust is ced in Jean, that doesn¡¯t mean the knights will give up on the honor of being the vanguard.

    If efficiency is the only concern, sending waves upon waves of undead first would probably be the best path to victory.

    That said, we cannot overlook how important honor is to the nobles and the nation itself. Actually, I suppose honor is kinda what triggered this war in the first ce.

    ¡¸More importantly, be on the lookout for surprise attacks from the cliffs on either side. We would have difficulties passing through that terrain, but this is enemy territory. Who knows what kind of secret routes they might be hiding.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    We continued talking with Jean as we watched the knights deploy.

    Our current location, Fort Elent, is at the foot of the mountain. Meanwhile, our target is about halfway up the mountain pass, which has locations where we can only pass in a single file line. How many of our knights will make it there alive?

    Even if supported by healers and shield-bearers, they are only capable of suppressing casualties to a certain degree.

    We watched for a little while until the messenger came. It seems the tail end of the knights passed through the designated point. It¡¯s time for the adventurers to deploy.

    ¡ºFran. Make sure you don¡¯t go off on your own.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi, stay small so you avoid bing a target.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    No clue if it counted as good weather for a war, but the sky was overcast. It was neither too hot, nor too cold.

    Were these ominous gray clouds suggesting the fate of Kranzel, or of Raydoss?

 Chapter 1152: Red Arrows, Red Mist

    <h4>Chapter 1152: Red Arrows, Red Mist</h4>

    Fran nced back at the 500 or so adventurers following her.

    ¡¸Guys, it¡¯s time to go. Let¡¯s do our best.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Roger that!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    A certain Rank C adventurer kept bothering us yesterday until we showed him our strength. After that, however, he became very obedient.

    This guy was apparently the previous leader of the adventurers, so defeating him made everyone ept Fran as the new leader.

    Of course, we healed the adventurer after beating him up. Now he¡¯s such a big fan that he followed closely behind Fran.

    Seeing the huge guy with a red mohawk right behind her was pretty surreal. Kinda hard to hold in theughter.

    ¡¸Deploy!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ YEEEAH! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The adventurers departed Fort Elent with Fran in the lead, but¡­

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, Boss! That¡¯s¡­¡¹

    An army of undead suddenly appeared to block us. About 2,000 skeletons stood between the adventurers and the knights in the first wave.

    That said, Fran wasn¡¯t about to slow down in front of this tiny road bump.

    ¡¸Break through them!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger! Let¡¯s go, boys!¡¹

    Many of the skeletons carried shields, which suggested their role was to stall us. I assume Raydoss nned to ambush the knight unit in front of us while we¡¯re upied.

    The rear skeletons with spears reversed direction and headed back towards Fort Marth, proving my suspicions.

    ¡¸Leave the ones with shields to Jean¡¯s undead in our next wave.¡¹

    ¡¸We get the spearmen then!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    If things went as originally nned, these skeletons would probably be enough to stall the adventurers. However, the addition of Fran changed everything.

    Fran and Urushi forcefully knocked away the skeletons, as the adventurers plunged into the gap in their lines, prying it wide open.

    We began pushing through the horde without much dy. This allowed the skeletons to reach melee range, but they weren¡¯t very strong to begin with.

    Spamming a bit of cleansing magic allowed us to push them off easily enough. Well, such a strategy ceases to work after Jean brings his undead, since we need to avoid identally cleansing friendly undead.

    The adventurers crushed all the skeletons blocking our way, eventually making it to the spearmen. We were about to continue the operation, but then¡­

    ¡¸Ugah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyah!¡¹

    Arrows from Fort Marth began raining down on us.

    The arrows were as red as the setting sun, and each of themnded a direct hit on the head or heart. What terrifying uracy.

    Fran attempted to cut down one of the arrows, but it exploded as soon as she made contact. The explosion wasn¡¯t enough to kill anyone, but the shockwaves disrupted our formation.

    ¡ºThese arrows are from the Madder Rain! I¡¯m sure of it!¡»

    Avenger told us previously about the relic belonging to the Captain of the Madder Rain Knights. Simr to the Carmine me relic, this one was capable of long-range sniping. And apparently, the Madder Rain relic had an even heavier focus on range.

    And the captain proved it by sniping us with ridiculous uracy from over a kilometer away. We tried shooting back with magic, but the wards covering the fort blocked us.

    Sniping your enemies from a safe location is an incredibly simple strategy, but that only makes it more frustrating to deal with.

    Fran still managed to handle the captain¡¯s rapidfire arrows by herself. With my assistance, I think we could even handle more.

    We left thebat to Urushi and focused on dealing with the rain of arrows.

    Before I realized it, all the arrows started concentrating on Fran herself. We found ourselves under a barrage of straight arrows, arced arrows, and even onesing straight down from the sky.

    Still, this wasn¡¯t enough to hit Fran. We¡¯ve got plenty of experience dealing with bow users.

    Like that Valkyrie we fought a long time ago. The arrows from the Madder Rain Captain were definitely stronger and faster, but he was simply too far away. Regardless of how skilled he might be, we could see any arrowsing.

    Suddenly, the arrows changed pattern again. He must have adjusted his strategy after realizing he couldn¡¯t defeat Fran.

    His new target was the adventurers. By forcing Fran to devote all her energy to protecting the adventurers, he rendered her unable to join the battle.

    I expected the Red Knights to be pretty arrogant, but it seems our opponent epted defeat humbly. I was hoping to tickle his pride and bait him into wasting time on Fran.

    We were pretty much locked in a stalemate, but at least we managed to keep the Madder Rain Captain busy. That¡¯s what I was thinking, but it seems I underestimated our enemies.

    ¡¸Some red thing?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat in the world is that¡­?¡»

    A red mist-like substance poured down on the Kranzel troops surrounding Fort Marth. The dozens of soldiers who touched the mist immediately copsed after vomiting blood.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s¡­ the Knights of the Blood Maiden!¡»

    The Blood Maiden Knights, another one of Raydoss¡¯s red knight divisions. Avenger had told us to keep an eye out for red mist.

    Not even Avenger knew the specifics, but the mist could apparently be infused into the target¡¯s body to destroy them from within. This mist was obviously their handiwork.

    There must be two divisions of Red Knights gathered at this fort. I¡¯m sure of it.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s no further room for doubt. They heard about our operation somehow.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Raydoss had blocked Esmeralda¡¯s attempt at spying with sand, but they managed to spy on us somehow.

    Fighting on the enemy¡¯s home field is going to be tougher than I thought.

 Chapter 1153: Covered Retreat

    <h4>Chapter 1153: Covered Retreat</h4>

    The battle had only just begun, yet Kranzel was already at a significant disadvantage. Our strategy had obviously been leaked to the enemy.

    Perhaps they eavesdropped on the meetings or had a man on the inside. Either way, Raydoss was clearly well prepared. Continuing the operation like this will be pointless.

    We heard a high-pitched whistle-like sound echoing from behind. I followed the source of the sound to see a signal arrow in the sky.

    These arrows are used as signals on the battlefield to send variousmands, based on the number of types of arrows.

    However, we had only three types of signals this time due to the battlefield being so narrow: advance, pull back, and full retreat. A single arrow means ¡°full retreat¡±.

    The signal came from Jean, who was still standing on the rooftop of Fort Elent. It seems he recognized the dangers and signaled a retreat to avoid further casualties.

    That said, retreating wasn¡¯t going to be simple either.

    Our front line was in chaos due to the red mist of the Blood Maiden, in addition to getting caught in the middle of a pincer attack.

    While they seem to have recognized the signal arrow, they couldn¡¯t just drop everything and run.

    ¡¸Boss! What should we do!?¡¹

    ¡¸Everybody get back!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger! Okay boys, fall back! Don¡¯t make any trouble for the boss!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The adventurers acted quickly, immediately retreating instead of arguing about the rescue of the front line.

    With them out of the picture, Fran could now move freely without having to protect anyone from the arrow rain.

    War in this world might be moreplicated than I thought. Large armies are required to maintain forts and cover wide swaths of territory. Yet, such armies will easily fall in battle against foes boasting extraordinary power.

    Ideally, our powerful allies will defeat the powerful enemies, then the ordinary soldiers handle the upation of bases and territory.

    That said, our enemies think the exact same way. After a series of plots and stratagems from both sides, nothing will go as nned. The battlefield will always have both the strong, and the weak.

    Besides, both Kranzel and Raydoss are major nations with several powerhouses of Rank A or higher. Armies with sheer numbers would be much more effective in any other war.

    ¡ºAlright, all the adventurers are behind us now!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Do it!¡¹

    The arrows from the Madder Rain Captain were still flying at both Fran and the retreating adventurers. No doubt they intend to pin Fran down and prevent her from supporting the front line.

    A few casts of Great Wall should be enough to stop the arrows, but doing so would also cut off the knights¡¯ escape route.

    Besides, that only stops arrowsunched in a straight line. This sniper could arc arrows if he needed to.

    No wait, there¡¯s another way. This should buy enough time from the adventurers to escape.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s do it!¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    We cast Great Wall, with me creating three walls and Fran creating one.

    In addition, I invokednd magic to morph the shape, forming a passage thin enough to allow people through.

    Now we can protect our allies from arrows without blocking our escape route. In addition, the morphed earth broke through the formation of the skeletons, weakening the momentum of their pincer attack.

    Now let¡¯s see how the Madder Rain Captain reacts.

    I thought he might arc the arrows to get past our walls, but he exceeded our expectations again. He simply kept firing arrows in a straight line in an attempt to destroy our walls out right.

    He smashed through the first, second, and third wall in session. Despite the thickness, it seems the Madder Rain Captain used some kind of art or a special ability of his relic.

    The arrow he fired after ten seconds of charging blew a hole wide open.

    I see why he insisted on destroying the walls now. The copsed rubble was now blocking the escape route.

    It seems the positioning of that explosion was calcted perfectly.

    ¡ºSo our walls won¡¯t stop him at all.¡»

    ¡¸These red arrows are really strong.¡¹

    Yeah, way stronger than expected.

    However¡­ this also opened up a perfect opportunity for us.

    ¡ºOur turn again!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran and I stored all of the rubble, before teleporting above Fort Marth. Then, we dumped all of it on them.

    ¡ºHahaha! And that¡¯s how you use Great Wall for offense! Recycling for the win!¡»

    ¡¸Master, that¡¯s so smart!¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha, I know! Might as well dump all the boulders and poison we had lying around too!¡»

    Even if Fort Marth has wards protecting it, they still have to worry about the sheer mass of the rocks. Some of the rubble chunks were like 15 meters wide.

    Not to mention the eleration from falling over a hundred meters. The additional kic energy only boosted the destructive power.

    In other words, this was a threat the Red Knights could not ignore.

    Red arrows and red spear-like sts came flying into the air. It seems thepressed red mist of the Blood Maiden could take the form of spears.

    ¡ºTake this as a bonus too!¡»

    ¡¸Kanna Kamui!¡¹

    The ward blocked our spells, but that¡¯s fine.

    As was the case with the now defunct Fort Swaise, activating the physical and magical wards at the same time will increase the mana cost exponentially.

    Our main goal is to support the retreat of our allies, but it also serves to harass and distract the enemy.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s keep at it and draw their attention!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºOra ora! Just try and block this one!¡»

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

 Chapter 1154: Raydosss Strength

    <h4>Chapter 1154: Raydoss''s Strength</h4>

    All the rocks we scattered around got blown up by arrows one after another, which was fine by us.

    Even if the rubble breaks into smaller pieces, they still maintained enough momentum to serve their purpose in harassing the enemy.

    My only fear was if they had a powerful area attack capable of vaporizing the rubble. In that case, our rubble drop strategy wouldn¡¯t result in much aside from making them exhaust some mana.

    However, it seems the red arrows didn¡¯t pack enough power topletely obliterate such huge rocks. All the archer could do was rapid fire explosive arrows to blow them into smaller bits.

    Meanwhile, the Blood Maiden may be perfect for ughtering people, but it apparentlycks destructive power. It had even less effect than the arrows.

    The red spears were only capable of blowing the small chunks into smaller bits. A fine debris rained down on the fort¡¯s wards, stressing it out just as we nned.

    After seeing how well our strategy worked, we usednd magic to create additional boulders.

    Land magic bes less effective when we are so high in the air, but we can still create 5 meter diameter boulders with ease.

    The red arrows asionally targeted Fran personally, but I¡¯d never let such a half-assed attack reach us!

    Fran kept up the offensive as I repelled the arrows with telekinesis.

    Kranzel¡¯s front line continued retreating in the meanwhile. Raydoss¡¯s soldiers weren¡¯t enough to stop them after losing support from the two Red Knight Captains.

    I didn¡¯t see any Red Knights on the battlefield either, so perhaps only their captains were in the fort.

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s pull back temporarily.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    The Red Knight Captains almost certainly have a fearsome trump card in store for us if we push them into a corner. Fran understood this, so she agreed with the retreat.

    If we get targeted by something like Roh¡¯s Divine me Excitation again, I can¡¯t say for sure that we will survive.

    Better to stay on the safe side and retreat before they use it.

    Jean supported the retreat by summoning undead to block the enemy from chasing. At this rate, it¡¯s only a matter of time until the front lines make it¡­

    ¡¸<strong>GRAAAAAAAAAAH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºAbove us!¡»

    A huge roar suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

    We reflexively nced up to see something falling from the heavens with absurd speed.

    This <i>something</i> was long and thin, colored in a dull golden hue. It appeared to be a string from this distance, but we quickly realized that this was something infinitely worse.

    £¨A snake?£©

    ¡ºNo, a dragon! A heavenly dragon!¡»

    The mane, beard, horns, and long body were the splitting image of an oriental dragon. Sometimes called ¡°wyrms¡±, this type of dragon is often depicted in Japanese-style ceiling paintings or folding screens.

    Fran, however, pointed out a difference.

    £¨But it¡¯s not shiny.£©

    The heavenly dragon we once saw at a distance definitely had a golden gleam. Inparison, the heavenly dragon in front of uscked much luster.

    But I knew this dull gold color as well. This is exactly the same as the heavenly dragon materials we saw in the Magic Academy¡¯s storeroom. Heavenly dragon scales lose their luster when they die.

    We continued observing the heavenly dragon as we headed back to the fort. Instead of falling all the way down, it twisted its body and began soaring through the sky.

    Like I thought, this dragon must be the source of the roar from earlier.

    £¨Look¡­£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s undead!¡»

    I sensed its mana when it got closer, so there¡¯s no doubt about it. The dragon was cloaked in necromantic mana, like all other undead.

    ¡ºIs can¡¯t be Jean¡¯s, right¡­?¡»

    £¨It¡¯s staring at us.£©

    The undead dragon was clearly hostile, ready to attack us at any moment. Raydoss got some powerful reinforcements out of nowhere.

    Seriously though, where did they find the dragon? That floating ind in Belioth should be their only habitat in the world. And more importantly, where was it hiding all this time¡­?

    No, I get it now. The heavenly dragon could easily hide above the clouds, since that¡¯s where they live to begin with. Perhaps they are even capable of creating clouds to cover themselves.

    I have no clue how much of its powers it managed to retain as an undead, but the aura of mana I sensed was extraordinary.

    This undead dragon was clearly a bigger threat than anything else at the moment. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s capable of magic, and just swinging around the huge body is enough to kill someone.

    ¡¸<strong>GRAAAAAH</strong>!¡¹

    £¨Master, what now?£©

    ¡ºMaleficent is bringing some reinforcements to help! We should continue suppressing the arrows!¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    Fort Elent is full of adventurers who outrank us, so they should be able to handle themselves. They¡¯ve been kept on standby for an emergency like this to begin with.

    We continued dealing with the arrows while watching the dragon with caution.

    A pulse of mana came from the dragon in the skies above us, followed by a torrent of light sted at thend.

    That¡¯s sh magic, the upgraded version of light magic!

    It was already toote by the time we realized it. Even we, with our elerated time from space-time magic, could not react fast enough to save them.

    However, the light never managed to reach the soldiers, since a barrier popped up to block the spell.

    ¡¸Maleficent!¡¹

    ¡ºThat guy is really amazing. He predicted the dragon¡¯s spell based on its tiny cast time and responded with a barrier.¡»

    The frightening thing about the dragon¡¯s spell was that we never even saw iting. I¡¯m sure we¡¯d be able to react if it attempts the same spell again, but not on our first try.

    The speed of spell invocation and concealment of mana were practically perfect. It seems the dragon¡¯s skill at manipting mana remained even after turning undead.

    ording to the rumors I¡¯ve heard, wyrms have a terrifying amount of skill in magic. You apparently require sorcerers of Rank A or higher to stand a chance.

    Since Maleficentpletely blocked the spell, he¡¯s clearly one of the best sorcerers in the world.

    ¡ºSeems like they¡¯re okay without us.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    After all, Maleficent isn¡¯t alone. Jean and the others are right behind him.

 Chapter 1155: Dance Princess of Death

    <h4>Chapter 1155: Dance Princess of Death</h4>

    Maleficent managed to block the dragon¡¯s surprise attack, but Raydoss continued keeping up the pressure.

    Fran flew through the air avoiding the persistent arrows flying in from Fort Marth.

    The dragon floating above us continued invoking spells of thunder magic, sh magic, storm magic, and even unknown magic we¡¯ve never seen before. Some kind of magic unique to dragons or wyrms?

    In addition, more undead spawned from the enemy fort.

    Although few in number, all of them were translucent ghosts. Physical attacks have no effect, so they can only be defeated by magic or enchanted weapons.

    The ghosts started attacking our troops from the cliffside. This type of undead is capable of levitation, so steep cliffs don¡¯t impede their movement at all.

    That said, Jean should be able to handle them since they aren¡¯t too many.

    Raydoss¡¯s n didn¡¯t end there though, and they deployed soldiers from the fort as well.

    I never expected them to go that far since they needed to retain manpower for defense. Did they intend to finish us off here?

    There were even knights in red armor at the head of their lines. Red knights, I knew it! They must be risking everything to take us down here and now!

    ¡ºUrushi! Get ready to ambush the Red Knights when the momentes!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºJust watch out for Blood Maiden¡¯s red mist.¡»

    Honestly, I have no clue what that red mist is. Just touching it makes people vomit blood and die, yet it doesn¡¯t seem to be poisonous.

    I can¡¯t say for sure if Urushi can resist it.

    Our soldiers deployed from the fort too, a reorganized unit of the first and second waves. They took out the undead shield bearers in the front and began intercepting Raydoss troops.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s make sure these arrows don¡¯t reach them!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Red Knights might break through if any arrows disturb our lines. We need to focus on blocking them more than ever.

    However, the arrows didn¡¯te as expected.

    All of them remained concentrated on Fran rather than our army. Arrow after arrow was fired at Fran without pause.

    Was their intention to keep Fran from joining the fight?

    Our troops collided with Raydoss troops on the ground below us.

    That said, our side yed one of the cards we had been holding too. Someone strong enough to take down Red Knights stood at the front of Kranzel¡¯s lines.

    ¡¸Dore is strong.¡¹

    ¡ºThat must be how she got her alias, Dance Princess of Death.¡»

    Dore had deployed into battle rather than staying back as Jean¡¯s bodyguard. As the alias suggested, her leaps and spins disyed the grace of a ballet dancer.

    However, she unleashed hits so vicious that they were the exact opposite of graceful. Those kicks must seriously hurt.

    The elderly woman¡¯s kicks were unusually powerful, even from our point of view.

    Must be because they contain all the momentum of her dash and spins. Her foot crushed shields, shattered armor, and sometimes even sent heads flying off like ser balls.

    Moreover, her dance made the timing hard to read, so evasion became difficult.

    She was up against Red Knights, the strongest men in Raydoss, and they could do nothing to stop her.

    Or so it seemed, but the enemy was not content to just get beaten. After twenty Red Knights fell in battle, Dore suddenly lost her momentum.

    She downed another twenty before starting to cough blood from her mouth. All her grace was gone, and she appeared to be in such pain that she could barely stand.

    I saw blood dripping from Dore¡¯s mouth. Did she breath in the Blood Maiden¡¯s mist? But when, and where?

    ¡ºCould it be the mist is mixed in with the blood of the Red Knights?¡»

    It seems the deaths of so many Red Knights had spread more and more of the Blood Maiden¡¯s mist. Moreover, Dore fights bare-handed, so she could not avoid contact.

    This was a particrly bad match-up for her.

    Her dulled movements began to drag her down in the battle against the Red Knights. They finally managed tond a blow on her, though not a direct hit.

    It was only a small cut on her arms.

    Yet despite the tiny scratch, Dore started vomiting even more blood. Her eyes turned red as well, spilling blood like tears.

    Their weapons must be imbued with mist too. The Blood Maiden Knights employed a strategy of directly injecting mist whenever they wound their enemies.

    ¡ºI¡¯ll heal Dore. You handle the arrows for a while.¡»

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    Dore was pretty far, but not outside the effective range of my magic. I morphed my decorative cord into steel thread, stretching it towards Dore to expand my range as much as possible.

    Then, I invoked Maximum Heal with a bit of extra mana. Herplexion improved and the bleeding stopped, but this onlysted for a moment. Her physical condition immediately deteriorated again.

    Perhaps some foreign substance other than poison entered her body. In that case, she¡¯ll simply keep taking damage matter how much we heal her.

    ¡ºThen how about this!¡»

    I invoked cleansing magic in an attempt to expel the red mist from her body. Her ckened skin appeared to lighten a little.

    Is it working?

    After a consultation with Fran, I invested additional points in Purification Magic and used a more powerful spell.

    ¡ºTotal Purification!¡»

    One of the most powerful purification spells, acquired at level 5 in Purification Magic. While only capable of targeting a single person, it cures almost all status ailments and returns the target to normal condition.

    I noticed the change in Dore¡¯s mana immediately. There was an unknown, foreign mana mixed in with her own, and my spell erased almost all of it. Her mana signature had returned to practically the same as when we first met.

    It¡¯s not a perfect cure, and the same thing will happen if she gets infected again. That said, she won¡¯t be dying on us as long as I use this spell asionally.

    ¡ºGreat! Purification works on the red mist!¡»

    We may have gained another trump card against the Red Knights. Good news for us!

 Chapter 1156: Battle for Fort Elent

    <h4>Chapter 1156: Battle for Fort Elent</h4>

    Now that I¡¯ve healed Dore with purification magic, the Red Knights could no longer afford to engage her carelessly. Not that they were afraid of death, but because they will be dying in vain.

    Moreover, I also tried purifying the Red Knights as well, and it resulted in them getting slower. Erasing the mist infused into their bodies seems to have weakened them.

    This only boosted Dore¡¯s momentum.

    The Madder Rain Captain targeted Fran with even more intensity, but his arrows were not enough to break our defenses. It may have looked like we were dodging them casually, but we didn¡¯t let our guard down at all.

    ¡ºOnce he realizes normal attacks won¡¯t work, he might go for thest resort.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    If he¡¯s capable of something like Carmine me¡¯s Divine me Excitation, we might find the tables turned sooner than we think.

    However, the first anomaly happened in Fort Elent, behind Kranzel¡¯s lines.

    I sensed the signs of countless undead popping up within our fort.

    I don¡¯t know if they used the same mass summon as before or some other trick, but a horde containing hundreds of undead spawned out of nowhere.

    Jean should be able to handle undead, but¡­

    Considering the undead in the fort and the ghosts from earlier, the Raydoss side must have some powerful necromancers. Are the ck Skeletons Corps here too?

    I can understand if Wickerman is still in the area, but what about Nameless?

    As I considered the possibility, a huge explosion from Fort Elent interrupted my thoughts.

    The bang came from Fort Elent¡¯s top floor, and smoke poured out the floor¡¯s windows.

    The sounds of a violent battle came from themand room where Jean had been giving orders.

    As a sign of the battle¡¯s intensity, the fort¡¯s walls began cracking open.

    Is Jean safe? He still had his bodyguard, Cysanth the Tempest Spear, but it seems we¡¯ve been infiltrated by someone they needed to get serious against.

    Finally, the walls of Fort Elent blew open, revealing one of the assants responsible.

    £¨That¡¯s¡­!£©

    ¡ºNameless!¡»

    The demi-lich who leads the ck Skeleton Corps, Nameless. A powerful undead who looks exactly like the lich we once fought on the floating ind so long ago.

    So Nameless had infiltrated our fort. He was engaged in a fierce battle with Jean, taking visible injuries.

    The lich¡¯s left arm was missing, and half of his skill had been cracked off. Thanks to his opponent Jean, no doubt.

    The two leaped out of the fort and took their battle into the air. Not with aerial hop, but actual flight.

    Nameless began radiating a ck aura from his entire body, creating ghastly skulls floating around him. That¡¯s the physical manifestation of his grudges, a phenomenon we saw back in the floating ind as well.

    Then, his body underwent a transformation. Not only did he regenerate all the damage, but he also grew several additional arms. His legs also split into multiple tentacle-like appendages.

    A few secondster, he had turned into an abhorrent skeleton with too many limbs to count. Is that his true form?

    Jean also seemed different from normal. He was equipped with Mark, the undead armor that he showed us before, and looked like the splitting image of a warrior.

    Mark consisted of white bones protecting Jean¡¯s body and four long arms sprouting from his back. Each arm held a sword, which was swung with precision to counter Nameless¡¯s hits.

    Moreover, Jean could focus on his spells by leaving the meleebat to Mark. It seems he was attempting to use his spell for dominating and controlling undead on Nameless.

    Dominating such a powerful undead is practically impossible, but it worked well enough to slow Nameless down and disrupt his concentration.

    As a result, Jean gained the advantage over Nameless despite fighting on his opponent¡¯s ying field. Moreover, Jean was not alone.

    A small, fair-skinned child supported Jean by striking Nameless from behind. This was Stephen, the undead who should have vanished on the floating ind.

    It seems he was actually alive the entire time. Well, maybe it¡¯s more correct to say he was re-summoned somehow, considering how he¡¯s undead.

    Stephen is a Death Eater, a type of undead specialized against other undead. Not even the powerful Nameless could ignore the threat he posed.

    Nameless was clearly wary of Stephan.

    From my point of view, Stephen¡¯s aura seemed a bit different from before. Thest time we saw him, his mana definitely had an aura of hostility and violence. Even if his base personality was different, the grudges powering him must have been overflowing.

    But now he was different. I got the feeling of enveloping confidence from his aura. Perhaps he wasn¡¯tpletely the same as the Stephan from before?

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Behold the strength of my new servant, Mark!¡¹

    ¡¸Curse you! That armor is¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸These are the bones of the Legendary Skeleton from the floating ind! You have inherited that lich¡¯s memories, yes? I suppose that skeleton can be considered your former servant.¡¹

    ¡¸Grgh! How dare you¡­!¡¹

    Whether intentional or not, Jean seemed to have a knack for provoking Nameless.

    The two continued their battle in the skies, while another battle raged on inside the fort. I sensed a fierce sh of mana from both locations.

    Though we can¡¯t see him, Cysanth must be holding off Nameless¡¯spanions. That said, we¡¯re not in any condition to back him up.

    The red arrows were one thing, but now a red mist began pouring on the battlefield.

    Behind the Red Knights stood a slender, mature woman with brown hair tied into a bun at the back of her head.

    The woman standing in our path appeared to be a kind, elegant madam.

    Yet her red dress armor gave the exact opposite impression. It was about 80% red, with the sleeves and neck part ented with a toxic-looking purple color.

    It really looked like a proper dress since the skirt portion was long and the sleeves were all puffed up.

    A red veil covered the upper half of her face, as well as her determination-filled eyes. She was staring at us, but without any malice or hostility.

    However, I felt an intense killing intent.

    ¡ºThat woman must be the captain of the Blood Maiden Knights! I¡¯m sure of it¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Ohohoho! I hope you¡¯ll join me for tea time.¡¹

 Chapter 1157: Roza Blutregen

    <h4>Chapter 1157: Roza Blutregen</h4>

    The Blood Maiden Captain reached out her left hand toward us.

    In contrast to the grace of her gesture, her left arm was covered with a huge, unrefined chunk of metal.

    This was the ckish-silver gauntlet-shaped magic tool she wore, but it was incredibly misshapen.

    Based on the bulges under her sleeve, the gauntlet appeared to cover her entire left arm up to the shoulder. The area around the elbow was especially thick, making it look as if she had reced her arm with a giant¡¯s arm. If she slumped her arms down, the tip would easily reach the ground.

    Her gauntlet was also covered in tubes and screws, giving it a very mechanical appearance. I can easily imagine her shouting ¡°rocket punch¡±, and her gauntlet actually flying off.

    Despite how heavy it looked, the woman swung it around without any sign of caring.

    The five thick fingers of her mechanical arm had slit-like openings at the tip, each spurting out a fine, red mist.

    ¡ºFran! Leave the mist to me!¡»

    £¨Please!£©

    ¡ºUrushi, you take care of the Red Knights!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    By casting magic from the shadows, Urushi managed to engage without touching the mist. However, such limitations prevented him from utilizing his full strength.

    Well, I suppose his ability to move in between shadows alleviated that issue a bit.

    Leaving the arrows to Fran, I continued spamming purification magic as fast as possible. Pausing my spells for a single moment would leave our allies sitting ducks to the mist.

    Moreover, it seems the captain was very skilled at melee despite having such a lethal area attack. Pretty nastybo for someone acting like a gracefuldy.

    <strong>Appraisal Information</strong>

    <strong>Name:</strong> Roza Blutregen <strong>Age:</strong> 47 <strong>Race:</strong> Human <strong>upation:</strong> Power Brawler

    <strong>Stats</strong>

    LV: 71/99

    HP: 1498

    MP: 568

    STR: 981

    VIT: 508

    AGI: 407

    INT: 258

    MAG: 211

    DEX: 277

    <strong>Skills</strong>

    Intimidation: Lv6, Acting: Lv2, Covert: Lv7, Holy Fist Arts: Lv6, Holy Fist Mastery: Lv6, Fist Arts: Lv Max, Fist Mastery: Lv Max, Butchery: Lv5, Crisis Sense: Lv4, Court Etiquette: Lv5, Presence Sense: Lv4, Hardened Qi: Lv6, Hard Power: Lv7, Socializing: Lv3, Kicking Arts: Lv3, Blink: Lv4, Status Resistance: Lv Max, Mental Resistance: Lv5, Elemental Sword: Lv4, Poison Knowledge: Lv4, Soft Qi: Lv3, Physical Barrier: Lv5, Magic Sense: Lv9, Magic Resistance: Lv3, Energy Control, Eagle Eye, Intuition, Dragon Killer, Beast yer

    <strong>Innate Skills</strong>

    Power Fist

    <strong>Titles</strong>

    ughterer, Ally yer, Haunt Liberator, Dungeon Conqueror, Dragon Killer, Beast Killer, Countess

    <strong>Equipment</strong>

    Blood Maiden, Water Dragon Dress Armor, Wind Dragon Footwear, Water Dragon Earring, Ring of Stealth

    She¡¯s unquestionably a power fighter on the level of Rank A, and her metallic gauntlet must be her relic.

    The full name is ¡°Vampire Eradication Weapon, Blood Maiden¡±.

    It had the following skills: <i>Field Generator, Field Control, Blood Nanite Factory, Blood Nanite Control, Bloodbreak, Evil Energy Absorption, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö</i>. Of course, this relic also had an obscured skill.

    But what¡¯s with this ¡°Vampire Eradication¡± thing?

    I¡¯ve heard of vampires before. In this world, they once ranked among the highest tiers of fiends. However, that was only until they went extinct ages ago.

    Long ago, the king of vampires nearly drove an entire continent to ruin, causing the world to view them as a significant threat. As a result, the world¡¯s nations banded together to relentlessly seek out and hunt vampires.

    No clue about the rest of the details, but documents from the Adventurers Guild described them as ancient fiends who were long gone.

    So it seems the original purpose of her relic was to eradicate vampires. I can understand the existence of anti-vampire tools, since vampires were apparently prominent in the past. There are anti-dragon weapons too, after all.

    More importantly is the fact that the relic¡¯s power also works against non-vampires.

    I suppose the red mist must be this ¡°Blood Nanite¡± thing? Judging by the name, maybe they¡¯re some sort of nanomachines that invade the target¡¯s body and break down their blood from the inside.

    Purification magic seems effective against foreign entities like these nanites that invade the body. Perhaps the spell cleanses them by purging their body of everything unnatural.

    ¡¸I am Roza Bultregen, captain of the Blood Maiden Knights. May I ask your name?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohohoho! It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fran!¡¹

    Roza smiled broadly as sheunched her attack.

    The huge Blood Maiden came mming down on us, simultaneously spraying red mist all over the ce.

    Various slits all over the gauntlet began spreading nanites ording to the wielder¡¯s will.

    Roza was certainly trying to kill Fran, but not aggressively. Her real goal must lie somewhere else.

    It seems her priority was on stalling us, and preventing our support from reaching Fort Elent.

    ¡¸Come now, ytime has only just begun!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Ohohoho! You¡¯re strong! Too strong, even!¡¹

    Roza seemed genuinely surprised when Fran dodged her hit and dished out a counter attack. Maybe this is an area the womancked experience in.

    Simply puffing her opponents with red mist would be enough nab her an easy win in most cases, so I assume she never experienced many hard-fought battles against humans.

    I continued nullifying the red mist as Fran shed again with Roza.

    Roza employed invisible barriers as well as the Blood Maiden¡¯s regenerative abilities. However, her main fighting style was like a high-ranking ogre, dishing out heavy blows that were hard to dodge.

    Fran had trouble dealing damage, since the barriers even managed to block our thunder magic. If she¡¯s yet to get serious, then who knows what she¡¯s really capable of.

    In the middle of our battle with Roza, the sounds ofbat within Fort Elent suddenly ceased.

    A few figures stepped over the debris of the copsed walls, revealing the culprits.

    The first was Hideman. No wonder our n got out, the guy¡¯s just that troublesome.

    The second figure was a wight-like undead wearing ck robes, simr to the ones Nameless wore. What¡¯s more, this wight was carrying Cysanth over his shoulder.

    The elderly adventurer¡¯s armor had shattered, with the area around his chest stained red. Seems like some serious damage¡­ but he¡¯s still alive based on the tiny movements I saw.

    It wasn¡¯t only them. A third man appeared from behind the two, holding a small girl in his arms. He was a human radiating an aura of evil.

    And the girl in his hands was Persona.

    Even at this distance, I could make out her trademark mask.

    ¡¸Persona! Cysanth!¡¹

    As much as I want to go save them right now, we¡¯re currently stuck.

    ¡¸Ohohoho! You won¡¯t be going anywhere!¡¹

    Roza ramped up the pace of her assault even higher.

 Chapter 1158: Cardinal Flag

    <h4>Chapter 1158: Cardinal g</h4>

    Persona and Cysanth were getting taken away before our eyes.

    But we¡¯re not in any position to chase. The soldiers, knights, and adventurers will get overrun by the Red Knights without us here!

    ¡ºUrushi! Go save Persona!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡¸Dore! Help them!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that!¡¹

    Urushi teleported to the perfect ambush spot as Dore jumped to the rescue, but it was already toote.

    ¡¸Kakakakah! What perfect materials we¡¯ve managed to obtain! The rest of you shall have to wait patiently, I¡¯ll save your deaths for the next time we meet! Farewell!¡¹

    A cloak of evil energy enveloped Nameless and his allies, then they vanished from view.

    An evil energy based teleport of multiple people, with such range!? How skilled do you have to be to cast such a spell!?

    Did that man carrying Persona cast this?

    Nameless and his friends had teleported to the sky far above us, right on top of the heavenly dragon¡¯s back.

    ¡ºThe dragon is changing direction¡­?¡»

    £¨They¡¯re trying to run!£©

    The dragon ceased all attacks and started floating higher, distancing itself from the battlefield.

    And it was moving so fast that only we stood a chance of catching up. Yet Roza still had no intention of letting us go.

    ¡¸Ohohoho! ytime isn¡¯t over just yet!¡¹

    Fran kept her eyes on the dragon as the captain of the Blood Maiden Knights continued rushing us down.

    ¡¸Get out of my way,dy!¡¹

    ¡¸Ohohohoho! It seems like someone needs to learn some manners! Say ¡°please move aside, Onee-sama¡±, and I¡¯ll consider it.¡¹

    ¡¸Please move aside, Onee-sama.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Oh? How considerate of you.¡¹

    The woman was surprised for a brief moment. However, her smile quickly returned as she released additional mist.

    ¡¸I said what you wanted!¡¹

    ¡¸And I considered it, just like I said I would.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Not quite the response I was expecting.¡¹

    Regardless of her words, Roza did not let up the pressure.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a long time since someone¡¯s managed to nullify my mist over such a wide area. Pretty impressive at your age.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Oh dear. Are you not a fan of chatting?¡¹

    ¡¸Stop bothering me.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohohoho! But it¡¯s only natural to bother your enemies!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    Fran gave theughing woman a death stare, but to no effect. In fact, Roza startedughing even harder.

    ¡¸Please excuse my continued interference!¡¹

    Speaking of interference, when did the arrows stop?

    The arrows from the Madder Rain Captain were no longer focused on Fran, instead all directed into the sky.

    It seems this was intended to stop Urushi and Dore from using aerial hop to chase the heavenly dragon, and support Nameless¡¯s escape.

    And as if to rece the loss, additional Red Knights deployed from Fort Marth.

    These knights were huge men equipped with heavy armor. Each one was over 2 meters tall, and carried a massive hammer the size of their own body. Such heavy gear made me wonder how they managed to walk properly.

    Nevertheless, they all marched toward us at a brisk pace.

    A knight radiating a powerful aura stood at the end of the line, boasting immense mana and waving a red g in his hands. Moreover, he avoided wearing a full face helmet to allow full view of the battlefield. No doubt he must be the captain of this red knight division.

    Based on what we heard from Avenger, one of the divisions was called the Cardinal g Knights. That g must be their relic, which strengthens the wielder¡¯s subordinates by enveloping them in a special mana field.

    ¡¸Cover the retreat of our allies! Be ready for anything!¡¹

    The captain voiced orders to his men with a clear, baritone voice.

    ¡ºWhy are there three red knight captains here!?¡»

    The Cardinal g Knights stood to block Fran as the Blood Maiden Knights backed down. Rather than retreating, it seems they switched to focusing on ranged attacks.

    The captain of the Cardinal g Knights was named Rob Rhodes. A gray-haired dandy man, but he seemed even more focused on brute force than Roza.

    Taking a look at his stats, he had 1000 in strength, 500 in vitality, and below 300 in the rest. Clearly a physical oriented fighter. That said, he didn¡¯t neglect hismander-type skills, making him a pretty talented leader.

    And his relic was just as impressive. The full name is ¡°Magitech Enhancement Armament, Cardinal g¡±. The skills were <i>Command Enhancement, Army Enhancement, Army Regtion, Army Regeneration, Information Share, Area Barrier, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö</i>.

    A relicpletely focused on boosting the wielder¡¯s subordinates. Moreover, the boost each individual receives seems to be pretty massive. That exins why the Cardinal g Knights can move abnormally fast in such heavy gear.

    We sent the arm of one of the knights flying, but it simply grew back. Must be the Army Regeneration effect in action. I¡¯d call that equivalent to level 7 or 8 in Fast Regeneration.

    Isn¡¯t this relic pretty much unbeatable on a battlefield? Even some random foot soldier might be able to rise to the level of a Rank B adventurer.

    Rob was closely watching our every move without speaking a single word, leaving no opening for us to chase the dragon.

    What now? Is there anything we can¡­?

    <i>Shiver</i>.

    A terrible chill suddenly went down my spine.

    Along with a wave of mana that blew over the battlefield. The mana itself wasn¡¯t that powerful, but it felt so nasty that I couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    How do I exin? It was as if the mana was creeping all over our bodies. Even Fran started getting goosebumps.

    At the center of it all was a single man. Most of his face was hidden from view, yet we could recognize his overflowing fury.

    ¡¸Maleficent¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat is¡­ that sword?¡»

    In Maleficent¡¯s hands was a distorted sword made out of ckish-gray stone. It looked like a giant version of the obsidian knives and arrowheads I once learned about in history ss.

    ¡¸Bastards¡­! You frightened Persona! Unforgivable! Everyst one of you is dead! I¡¯ll make you rue the day you everid a finger on her!¡¹

    Whoa, he¡¯s seriously pissed¡­ Is this really the same Maleficent we know?

    ¡¸Die! All of you must apologize to Persona with your deaths!¡¹

    His sudden change in personality came as a surprise, but the real surprise came after.

    ¡¸Manifest yourself and defile thisnd, Hell! <strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>!¡¹

 Chapter 1159: The Nethergate Blade, Hell

    <h4>Chapter 1159: The Nethergate de, Hell</h4>

    ¡¸Manifest yourself and defile thisnd, Hell! <strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>!¡¹

    A roaring torrent of mana rushed across the battlefield.

    The source being a massive pir of mana rising up out of our camp. That said, the sheer fury contained within made it hard to determine if this wasing from a friend or a foe.

    Everyone on the battlefield stopped in their tracks.

    We watched in awe as the stone sword in Maleficent¡¯s hand drastically changed its appearance.

    Only a few momentster, it had turned into a stone shield. No, is that truly a shield?

    Though the size of a tower shield, it was perfectly square, with a slit down the middle as if it was a set of double doors or a gate. Now that I look more closely, there were some door handle-like things attached to it.

    Just as the ¡°Nethergate de¡± name suggested, the divine sword was a miniaturized gate.

    This unweaponlike form surprised me, but even more surprising was the fact that Maleficent had it in the first ce.

    ¡ºMaleficent¡­ has a divine sword¡­?¡»

    And Hell in particr¡­?

    Hell was supposedly the divine sword owned by a master of poisons who led a ve trafficking ring. Not to mention he¡¯s the guy Seliadot wants revenge on.

    Did the sword switch owners since then? Or perhaps¡­?

    ¡¸Summon Genocide Servants!¡¹

    With everyone in the battlefield still stunned in confusion and surprise, Maleficent made his move.

    He invoked a spell, and the doors of his square shield slid open horizontally, unleashing the contents.

    Like I thought, it really was a gate.

    He had summoned a swarm of green colored wasps, golem-like beings devoid of life, only created of poison instead of rock. Maleficent summoned 1000 of these wasps with a single spell.

    ¡¸Go!¡¹

    Maleficent gave a single wordmand, and the green wasps got shot into the sky with the speed of bullets.

    In no time at all, they had caught up to the dragon. The cloud of wasps swarming around it was sufficient to interfere with the dragon¡¯s escape.

    Poison has no effect on undead, yet their stings managed to deal the undead dragon damage. I had been wondering what such tiny insects could do, but this spell must be more deadly than I thought.

    As a result, the dragon slowed down.

    In the meantime, Maleficent continued building up his mana for the next step. He thrust Hell forward and shouted again.

    ¡¸Consume your offering! Gate connection!¡¹

    The gates of Hell opened for a second time. Unlike before though, nothing came out. Rather, it had turned into a vacuum.

    Hell began sucking in space itself, distorting the nearby region. Before we knew it, the heavenly dragon had returned to the battlefield as if it had been teleported back.

    It seems Maleficent has an ability for grabbing a target and drawing it in.

    Without understanding the situation, Nameless and the others could only remain frozen in ce. Everything was over at that moment.

    ¡¸Devour!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>GROOOOOOH</strong>!¡¹

    Maleficent shouted a murderous roar, and the dragon¡¯s body became stained in ck.

    ¡¸Disappear from my sight, you lowly snake!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>Groh</strong>¡­¡¹

    The dragon¡¯s body melted as if rotting in fast forward, before finally crumbling away. Rather than turning to ash, it left behind a pile of ck shreds.

    Not even we understand what just happened, which means we have no way to protect ourselves if that power is ever turned on us.

    Wasn¡¯t Hell¡¯s power supposed to be poison and demon summoning¡­? I suppose the divine swords always show us things beyond our wildest imaginations.

    ¡¸ursed undead¡­ I¡¯ll make you regret having an undying body!¡¹

    ¡¸Spread out!¡¹

    Nameless shouted in a panic. However, a jet-ck dome enveloped all of them before they could react.

    Persona, Hideman, and the others were all swallowed up by the dome, and hidden from our view. I attempted to scan what was going on inside, but I couldn¡¯t see anything past the wall of immense mana.

    A silence fell over the battlefield. Both sides stood in awe after seeing the pure tyrannical power that literally came out of nowhere.

    However, the more capable ones soon regained theirposure.

    ¡¸Fall back!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm. Everyone, retreat!¡¹

    Roza and Rob ordered the Red Knights to retreat. They realized they could not win after one look at Maleficent¡¯s divine sword.

    Retreating was the only option they could take to minimize casualties.

    We should fall back to our fort too. Well, that¡¯s what I was thinking, but Fran still looked determined to fight.

    £¨Master, let¡¯s get serious.£©

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s your n?¡»

    £¨I¡¯ll take down one of the Red Knight captains!£©

    ¡ºHold on! They¡¯ve yet to reveal their trump cards! It¡¯s too dangerous!¡»

    £¨We destroy the relic before they get the chance. It¡¯s possible, right Master?£©

    ¡ºWell, I guess so¡­¡»

    Just as we cannibalized Carmine me, Fran intended to devour the other relics.

    To tell the truth, I was considering that too, but I have a few concerns.

    First, we can¡¯t say for sure if Cannibalize will work in the first ce. Even if Raydoss ssifies all of these weapons as ¡°relics¡±, it¡¯s possible they don¡¯t share the same properties.

    We managed to cannibalize Carmine me on pure luck, but the same may not apply to Cardinal g and Blood Maiden.

    Second, we have no clue what kind ofst resort they might bring out. Even if we sessfully cannibalize or destroy one of the relics, the remaining one still poses a significant risk.

    Third, we would be revealing Fran¡¯s abilities to Raydoss.

    Fran is already rising in fame with aliases like Fleet Crusher and such, but what if it¡¯s found out she can erase Raydoss¡¯s relics? There¡¯s no way they can ignore that.

    Raydoss will mark Fran as a priority target #1, stopping at nothing to take her down. And there¡¯s nothing scarier than getting hunted by a entire nation that doesn¡¯t care about human rights or morality.

    Maybe it¡¯s already toote to avoid notice, but we can¡¯t be too careful.

    Fran, however, did not back down.

    £¨Taking one of them down will save a lot of our friends!£©

    ¡º¡­Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡»

    Our enemies must be panicking after witnessing the power of a divine sword. Like Fran says, this is the perfect opportunity. Missing this chance would endanger our allies in the future, and Fran refused to allow that.

    ¡º¡­I¡¯m on board! Which one do we go for?¡»

    £¨The g one!£©

    ¡ºRoger that!¡»

 Chapter 1160: Rob of the Cardinal Flag

    <h4>Chapter 1160: Rob of the Cardinal g</h4>

    We take down a Red Knight Captain, here and now. Even if we fail to kill the actual captain, destroying their relic is good enough.

    Our sights were set on Rob, the captain of the Cardinal g Knights.

    In terms of simple stats, Roza is stronger. This makes Rob the easier target, even ounting for him being further in the back.

    £¨Let¡¯s go!£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran charged at Roza first. This was a bluff to dy Roza¡¯s movements as much as possible.

    ¡¸Teyah!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve gotten faster than before!¡¹

    Fran feinted a sh before delivering her real goal, a kick.

    Her foot mmed in Roza¡¯s stomach, sending her flying. I activated telekinesis and storm magic to knock her back even further.

    Rozanded around 15 meters away from her initial spot, partially because she didn¡¯t resist the momentum.

    Well, at least we achieved our goal of driving her away.

    Fran immediately dashed straight at Roza. Anyone would think she¡¯s going for a follow up.

    Roza braced herself to intercept.

    Then, I teleported Fran to our real target.

    We reappeared right behind Rob, the Cardinal g Captain. After teleporting so far away, Roza had no way to reach us in time.

    It¡¯s impressive how Rob sensed our teleport and began to react. That won¡¯t be enough to save himself though!

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºEat this!¡»

    Activating all my skills! Both Fran and I turned on everything aside from Potential Release for an overhead sh.

    Our mightiest strike packing ck lightning as well as divine and evil energy. We collided with the g-bearing halberd swung by Rob.

    It seems he had the utmost confidence in the relic¡¯s durability.

    I don¡¯t me him, since both Cardinal me and Blood Maiden didn¡¯t even take a scratch in our initial exchange. Cardinal g must be equally durable.

    But you won¡¯t be beating us now!

    ¡¸N-No¡­ Impossible¡­!¡¹

    Rob froze,pletely stunned as the relic suddenly vanished from his hands. The formidable red knight captain left himself wide open. Losing his relic must have been that much of an unbelievable urrence.

    A huge amount of mana flowed in, but I kept going. This is something I¡¯ve experienced before, so I knew how to handle it.

    ¡ºTake him down, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    I restrained Rob¡¯s legs with my decorative cord right as Fran delivered a second sh.

    A pretty mediocre swing, far from the lightning speed of her earlier blow. Fran had already spent everything on her first sh, so she had little energy left to spare.

    Unfortunately for Rob though, there was no stopping us. With his legs entwined, he could only manage to twist his upper body slightly.

    In addition, it seems the relic had a great effect on the wielders stats. His strength and vitality got halved by the loss of his relic, while the rest of his stats fell by 20~30%. This sudden change must have contributed to his difficulty in movement.

    My de closed in on Rob¡¯s heart, before eventually getting stuck. Rob had infused mana to harden his muscles and bones, lodging me within his body.

    ¡¸Gwah¡­! I let my guard down¡­! But¡­ I have not lost yet¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    To our surprise, Rob moved forward instead of trying to pull me out from his body. Even without the use of his legs, he managed to reach Fran by copsing forward.

    My de only dug deeper into his body as a result, but Rob didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Despite his near-lethal condition, he wanted vengeance.

    He focused everything he had on offense. The mana that had been going towards regeneration vanished, and blood gushed out from his wounds.

    And in exchange, his fist became infused with a terrifying amount of mana. Fran jumped back as fast as possible, but she took a bone crushing impact as the punch grazed her arm.

    Damn, these knights are formidable even without their relics.

    It seems he has to be taken down after all!

    I drained mana from Rob to morph my body.

    ¡¸Wha¡­? Grah!¡¹

    Rob certainly never expected me to transform, attacking him on my own after leaving Fran¡¯s hands.

    Hundreds of needles impaled Rob¡¯s body from inside as he screamed in astonishment.

    ¡¸Damn¡­ you¡­¡¹

    The captain of the Cardinal g Knights burned with fighting spirit until the veryst moment. He extended his hand towards Fran again, but copsed before ever reaching her.

    Phew, I managed to store his corpse¡­ Seems like we finished him off before he could turn undead.

    ¡¸We beat him¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Mrgh?¡¹

    ¡ºThese guys are so persistent!¡»

    We may have managed to defeat the Cardinal g Captain, but Fran and I were pretty exhausted. That¡¯s when more arrows came flying at us.

    Meanwhile, Nameless and his friends were still trapped in Maleficent¡¯s jet-ck dome.

    This situation allowed the Dusk Rain<sup>1</sup> Captain to target us again. However, Roza was shifting her center of gravity backwards.

    She continued backing away, little by little. Seems like she doesn¡¯t intend to avenge Rob.

    £¨Master, what now?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s best for us if they continue falling back. Let¡¯s avoid pushing ourselves too much.¡»

    £¨Okay.£©

    Fran was aware of how difficult it would be to take on two captains simultaneously in her current situation.

    She nodded at my words and stopped her pursuit.

    If they intend to run, we should let them. Provoking them into another engagement will only increase the chance of allied casualties.

    ¡¸Oh? Are you really not going to chase? You don¡¯t want to make my relic disappear too?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m letting you go for today.¡¹

    ¡¸Ohohohoho! Nice tough front! I think I¡¯ll take you up on that offer though!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    Roza fell back to the fort with the rest of the Red Knights, recovering the corpses of all her men as well.

    ¡ºThey definitely know Fran¡¯s responsible for the disappearing relics now¡­¡»

    Trantion Notes

    <li role="doc-endnote">

    I had initially tranted ÜçÓê as ¡°Madder Rain¡±, but the author revealed in ater chapter it was actually supposed to be read as ¡°Dusk Rain¡±, so I adjusted the name in my trantion. ? </li>

 Chapter 1161: Mech?

    <h4>Chapter 1161: Mech?</h4>

    The Red Knights continued retreating. I thought they might make an attempt to rescue Nameless and the others, but I guess there¡¯s nothing they can do against a divine sword.

    The Cardinal g Knights gave us nasty stares since we killed their captain, but they did not act on their anger.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s going on with Maleficent¡­?¡»

    Despite my curiosity, the ck dome remained there in the middle of the battlefield, without any way for us to peek inside.

    Might as well take this chance to check the results of Cannibalize.

    I think my mana capacity rose by a bit over 900? I also got the Squad Enhancement skill. That¡¯s definitely weaker than Cardinal g¡¯s skill, and the range seems smaller too.

    I already noticed the skill¡¯s effects on Urushi, who we had monitoring the ck dome. His aura gave off just a tad bit more power than before.

    Seems pretty useful on its own, but it¡¯ll be more impressive whenbined with March of the Valkyrie. I guess we¡¯ll only know the true value once Fran leads arger force.

    In the meantime, the two armies continued falling back to their respective forts, though the Kranzel army seemed more confused than Raydoss¡¯s.

    Probably because Maleficent¡¯s eerie ck dome was closer to our side. Just one nce at it was enough to make your average soldier panic.

    But before the armies hadpleted their retreats, the dome popped open from the inside.

    The huge shockwave generated by this explosion blew away the nearby Kranzel forces.

    £¨Something silverish came out!£©

    ¡ºWhoa! What the hell is that?! A m-mech?!¡»

    This revealed a bipedal, humanoid robot made out of a silver metal, about five meters tall.

    It looked simr to a slender set of full-body armor with a little too much ornamentation. I call it a mech instead of a golem or living armor because it was just so mech-like. Look at that glowing red eye, the pipes and cables at the joints, and the backpack-like attachment.

    The body was a shiny silver with vivid, red detail lines running all over. Anyone can tell this guy is strong! That color scheme is only allowed for the main character or rival!

    £¨Mech?£©

    ¡ºUh, a cool-looking doll thing made of metal. They¡¯re not really alive but they move around and fight stuff.¡»

    £¨Isn¡¯t that just an iron golem?£©

    ¡ºKinda simr, but they¡¯repletely different!¡»

    £¨Hmm?£©

    But where did this meche from? It appears to be working for Raydoss based on its standing.

    Maleficent had already recaptured Persona, carrying the girl in his arms. Meanwhile, Hideman and the human radiating an evil aura were nowhere to be seen.

    Did they get into the mech? Or did Maleficent kill them already? Someone please exin!

    £¨What now?£©

    ¡ºHmmm¡­¡»

    I tried to appraise the mech, to no avail. That said, it radiated a huge amount of mana, and I heard an engine-like rumbling sounding from within. This mech might even be stronger than the heavenly dragon.

    Should we really challenge such an unknown opponent¡­?

    ¡¸They¡¯re still fighting!¡¹

    ¡ºTch! First things first, we¡¯ve got to cover the retreat! Our army will get caught in the sh!¡»

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    What we do is basically the same as before. Protecting our army from arrows and mist shifted to protecting them from the battle between the mech and Maleficent.

    Frankly speaking, this might be even more dangerous than before.

    My biggest worry was if Maleficent had returned to his senses. He seemed so pissed earlier that he didn¡¯t care a bit about his allies.

    Kranzel¡¯s forces had abandoned all sense of caution and started sprinting away. We kept an eye on them as we observed the battle from the skies.

    The mech took the initiative by firing a beam of light from the hole in its palm. Lasers as the first move, huh? Furthermore, its abdomen opened up to reveal a methrower.

    Both of these weapons were infused with as much mana as high-tier spells.

    Yet Maleficentpletely nullified the hits without leaving the slightest shockwave.

    The divine sword Hell appeared to be good at defense, as expected from its shield-like shape. And it did more than just block. Any attack hitting the shield was diverted elsewhere, as if by teleportation.

    Lasers were dispersed by barriers, and the mes got sucked right into Hell¡¯s gate.

    ¡¸I may have taken Persona back, but your crime still stands. Now you¡¯ll pay the price of your actions!¡¹

    Good. He still seems angry, but not as much as earlier. Taking Persona back apparently calmed him down a bit.

    ¡¸Fuhaha! Maleficent-kun is not your only opponent! Do not forget about me!¡¹

    Furthermore, Jean summoned additional undead to attack Nameless and the others. No doubt he intended to support Maleficent by distracting the enemies aside from the mech.

    But in the next moment, all of his undead were annihted.

    ¡¸Maleficent-kun! You are hitting your allies!¡¹

    ¡¸Because you¡¯re getting in my way! Stand back! This guy belongs to me!¡¹

    Okay. Despite the calm appearance, Maleficent was still absolutely furious. Though not intentionally targeting Jean¡¯s undead, he showed zero consideration for them.

    ¡ºUrushi! Avoid getting too close!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    Urushi was carrying Dore on his back, waiting for an opportunity from the air. However, approaching now will only result in endangering themselves.

    Due to both the mysterious mech and the still furious Maleficent.

    ¡¸The appearance of a divine sword wielder is unexpected, but that girl is capable of bing the Holy Mother¡¯s vessel! Our mother requires this tribute! Do not let her escape!¡¹

    Nameless shouted something weird while pointing at Persona. Holy Mother? She¡¯s the second seat of the ck Skeleton Corps, right? Not entirely sure why, but it seems they wanted Persona for some purpose.

    Upon hearing this, Maleficent¡¯s entire body trembled.

    ¡¸Tribute¡­? You dare¡­! Filthy undead¡­! I¡¯ll make you regret ever speaking those words!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakakakah! Offer up your lives to me!¡¹

    Following Nameless¡¯s shout, the mechunched another barrage of attacks.

    From there, the battle turned hellishly intense.

    The mech¡¯s frame contained an entire arsenal of weaponry: light rays, methrowers, freezing sts, electric waves, physical bullets, and so on. Of course, it could also use its huge body for powerful tackles, especially since it had high maneuverability.

    Sudden movements were made possible by some sort of force emitters all over the metallic body.

    Naturally, they took their fight all over the battlefield. Many Kranzel adventurers failed to escape, getting crushed beneath the giant machine.

    Maleficent made no attempt to save them. He only had eyes for Persona, and anyone else was trivial.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re gonna have to abandon this fort, aren¡¯t we?¡»

 Chapter 1162: Hells Powers

    <h4>Chapter 1162: Hell''s Powers</h4>

    Maleficent stood against the rampaging giant mech with his divine sword unleashed.

    The man¡¯s voice rang out over the soldiers running for cover.

    ¡¸You¡¯d better run if you don¡¯t want to die! Escape before my mind is ovee with wrath!¡¹

    Maleficent was indeed trembling with anger, though he still seemed capable of proper thought. Judging by that phrasing, is he implying that he will eventually lose it?

    Looks like he meant it quite literally.

    £¨Maleficent grew horns from his head.£©

    ¡ºI can sense a demonic power¡­¡»

    We heard the wielder of Hell has ess to demonic powers, but it might be moreplicated than just summoning demons.

    ¡ºOi! Girl! Sword!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Is this Maleficent¡¯s voice¡­?¡»

    ¡ºGet out of here! I can¡¯t have Persona getting sad if you die!¡»

    Eh? He knows about me? That¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering about for a while.

    During our battle with Roh, I called out to him via telepathy. Maleficent and Persona have obviously heard me before.

    Yet they never mentioned the incident. Maybe things were so hectic that they forgot about it, or they passed it off as hearing non-existent voices. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.

    Yeah, even I have to admit that would be way too convenient. But how are we supposed to ask ¡°Did you remember that voice from before?¡± or ¡°Did you realize this sword is an Intelligence Weapon?¡±

    In the end, we just kinda lost our chance to ask¡­

    And of course, Maleficent never forgot. That fact that he called me a sword is enough. No clue why he kept silent until now, but that¡¯s not important anymore.

    £¨Is Persona okay?£©

    ¡ºYeah, she¡¯s fine.¡»

    Only when talking about Persona did his voice turn kind, showing not even a hint of anger. That said, he reverted back immediately.

    ¡ºAhh¡­! I can¡¯t hold it in anymore! Hurry up and run! I¡¯ll fucking kill you too!¡»

    His situation appears to be more pressing than I thought.

    £¨Last question! Where¡¯s Cysanth!£©

    ¡ºThat old man got devoured by the tool used to summon this silver thing!¡»

    Seriously?! So he got sacrificed to summon the mech? I haven¡¯t seen him since it appeared, but I was assuming he simply got kidnapped via teleportation or something¡­

    ¡ºJust go already!¡»

    ¡ºFran, we need to run!¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    No way we can afford to get caught in the middle of that. We retreated to Fort Elent, watching out for any stray bullets. However, not even this fort ispletely safe.

    ¡¸Jean! The fort is in danger too!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed it is. Tell the adventurers to continue falling back. I shall notify the nobles.¡¹

    ¡¸Will it work?¡¹

    Fran worried the nobles might refuse to listen, as she knew how stupid they could be.

    ¡¸Fuhaha! Leave it to me. Even if the nobles refuse, I swear to get the knights and soldiers to safety!¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    We can rest assured that the nobles can¡¯t screw around too much if Jean presses them.

    Less than five minutester, the entire Kranzel army began retreating from Fort Elent. It seems the nobles understood they could not afford any dy.

    One look at the battle between Maleficent and the mech, and even an idiot could understand that the fort¡¯s walls are meaningless.

    We forcibly broke through the walls to expand our escape route, and gave first aid with wide-ranged healing spells. I feel bad for the injured soldiers forced to run, but it¡¯s better than dying.

    The intense battle finally reached Fort Elent. The mech¡¯sser rays blew through the walls with ease, as Maleficent¡¯s poison melted a portion of the fort and the surrounding mountains.

    ¡¸GYAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸H-Help¡­¡¹

    We heard the screams of soldiers who failed to make it in time, getting caught in the middle of it all.

    Our army managed to escape the fort mostly intact, though we suffered casualties from stray hits on multiple asions.

    Fran and I took the role of rearguard, so we saw everything from a short distance away.

    I know Hell is a divine sword capable of controlling poison, but its abilities appear more versatile than I expected.

    The poison feature was, of course, very potent. It could create poisons with corrosive or acidic effects, as disyed by the sludge melting some nearby cliffs into a smoking mush. Simply touching that would be enough to kill someone.

    Hell was also an effective shield due to its power to reflect attacks. Seems to work against both physical and magic.

    Another remarkable feature was the ability to manipte space. Maleficent could both draw in his opponent or push them away, which he disyed on the heavenly dragon earlier. This was apparently different from simple teleportation.

    Judging by the de¡¯s shape and name, maybe this is a property of the ¡°gate¡± part?

    Another surprise was its summoning ability. The Nethergate de suddenly grew into a 5 meter by 5 meter square. The doors flew open once again, and 30 figures jumped out.

    £¨Demons!£©

    ¡ºYeah, but they don¡¯t seem that strong.¡»

    Even your average demon is like Threat Level C, but these appeared to be on the weaker side. Compared to Diabolos, another divine sword capable of summoning demons, these ones seemed almost disappointing.

    Well, I suppose Diabolos ispletely focused on summoning, while this is just one of Hell¡¯s many powers.

    Meanwhile, the Raydoss side was not to be outdone.

    The mech was durable enough to withstand Hell¡¯s onught and deal heavy blows in return. Hell managed to repel all of its attacks, but anything capable of challenging a divine sword head on is terrifying enough.

    Though unable to fly, it glided lightly on the ground with the rollers on its feet, sting rays of light all the while. The right arm was equipped with a chainsaw de and the left had a mana cannon. I can¡¯t call it anything but a mecha.

    Nameless and the others fought alongside the mech, but they had trouble once Maleficent summoned additional demons to attack them.

    ¡¸The fort¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like Maleficent is really losing it now!¡»

    A tsunami of poison mmed into the fort, which began gradually melting into a pile of sludge. Maleficent must be getting serious.

    ¡ºMake sure you¡¯re ready to run at a moment¡¯s notice.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 1163: Side - Persona & Maleficent

    <h4>Chapter 1163: Side - Persona & Maleficent</h4>

    <strong>Side - Persona</strong>

    Everyone called me the cursed child of the lorelei.

    A child that never should have been born. My mom even died because of giving birth to me. Forgive me.

    The other women took care of me when I was still a little girl, but they eventually got scared and ran. The people who stayed only shouted that I was cursed. Forgive me.

    But that can¡¯t be helped. No one wants to be around a child who spreads suffering whenever she cries. Plus, the damage got worse as I grew. Forgive me.

    All of my words¡­ be true. If I say ¡°heal¡±, things get healed. If I say ¡°grow¡±, they grow. If I say ¡°wither¡±, they wither. And if I say ¡°die¡±, they die.

    I remember someone once saying my power was the ability to overwrite the world, imposing another ¡°concept¡± upon it.

    As a child, my power only worked on small bugs and nts. But once I grew older, maybe it would affect people¡­ That¡¯s what everyone thought when they called me an impending disaster. Forgive me.

    No one wanted to take care of such a creepy girl. They threw me into a windowless room and locked me up with chains and sealing talismans.

    This solitary, dark room became my entire world. They still gave me food, but the only words I ever received were insults.

    I¡¯ve been all alone ever since.

    I wouldn¡¯t be so sad if things were like this since birth. However, I still remember the memories of kindness from when I was a baby.

    So lonely, so painful, so sad. I just wanted some friends, but my power was sealed, and my words no longer had any effect. Which is why I forgot the weight behind my words, and my curse. Forgive me.

    And so, I made a wish.

    I think the darkness of the room had eroded my heart. In my pain, I muttered those fateful words.

    ¡¸This entire country should just disappear¡­!¡¹

    That moment, I sensed a power contained within those words.

    Yet nothing happened. Even if it was my own wish, I felt relieved at this fact. I never really wanted to hurt anyone¡­

    But unknown to me at the time, something did happen.

    My words brought <i>him</i> to me.

    The demon who annihted everything and took me away.

    He kept saying it¡¯s not my fault. That he was simply acting of his own free will, not drawn by any power.

    But was that really true? Was I really not responsible for destroying my country?

    I don¡¯t speak anymore, because I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. I only use my power when Demon-san tells me to.

    I am no longer the cursed child of the lorelei. My name is Persona, because Demon-san calls me that.

    <strong>Side - Benefis Sophiard</strong>

    Persona mes herself for how I ruined her country. Maybe she¡¯s right, but I can¡¯t allow myself to confirm her doubts.

    Doing so would only cause her additional suffering. An irredeemable criminal such as myself doesn¡¯t need any more sins.

    I was born in a small country, sandwiched between tworge ones. The Kingdom of Raydoss to the north, and the Kingdom of Kranzel to the south.

    Well, until I reached the age of 20, when Raydoss razed us to the ground. My mom, dad, brother, and sister were all ughtered, leaving me as the only survivor.

    Enved by Raydoss, I became a mere guinea pig for their human experiments. It seems they took notice of the fact that my family was distant rtives to the royal family of Phyllius.

    My dignity was trampled by the countless experiments, but I gained power in exchange. The awakening of the demon factor in my blood granted me a powerful body and immense amounts of mana.

    Then, Raydoss brought me a mysterious sword from who knows where. It acknowledged me as its master, making me the wielder of the Nethergate de, Hell.

    I escaped from the researchb using the divine sword¡¯s powers, and dedicated my life to revenge. I spent all my days gathering illegal ves and funds to secure my power.

    My body and mind turned more demonic the more I used Hell, due to the price of its activation. Wielding it for so long resulted in my mind almost getting taken over by a demon of envy.

    But thanks to the de, I obtained a skill known as Original Sin Envy. I could steal rare skills, mana, lifespan, even experience and memories. I grabbed every scrap of power possible¡­

    But in exchange, I lost so much.

    My own experiences, my lifespan, my abilities, my skills, my emotions¡­

    Yet I refused to stop. Even my desire for revenge itself was distorted by this envy, and I became a monster obsessed with power itself. I continued targeting those with skills, and with immortality.

    Despite my madness, I never let go of Persona for some reason. Of course, her ability to overwrite concepts, ¡°Source of the Data God¡±, is incredibly powerful.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. I believe I felt a strong sympathy for her situation, though I didn¡¯t understand it at the time.

    Thus, I took her with me everywhere as a ve. The fact that I enved her despite my sympathy is a good sign of how corrupted I had be.

    Driven by my jealous urges, I visited the continent of Gordicia. There, I lost Original Sin Envy and gained Eternal Loyalty in its ce.

    The target of my loyalty was the girl at my side¡­ Persona.

    The skill was so potent that I didn¡¯t feel any hesitation at Persona bing my master. Even if I understood the loyalty was imnted by the skill, I epted the feelingpletely.

    I changed my name to Maleficent for Persona¡¯s sake, crushed my own trafficking ring for Persona¡¯s sake, began using softernguage for Persona¡¯s sake, started collecting the hero stories she loved so much, washed my hands of crime¡­

    I learned the happiness of living for Persona.

    My desire for vengeance never disappeared, so I still despise Raydoss and everything they stand for. It¡¯s just that Persona is far more important.

    And they think they can take her from me? I heard Persona¡¯s inaudible screams, which ignited a burning anger in my heart.

    Eternal Loyalty has been suppressing my demonic powers all this time, which shifted to those of a Wrath Demon after I lost the power of my Envy Demon.

    I¡¯ve yet to reach the point of obtaining an Original Sin skill, but it¡¯s only a matter of time now.

    The intense rage within tells me to destroy everything, yet the presence of Persona prevents me from doing so.

    I must avoid using my full power to avoid hurting the trembling girl in my arms. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t go all out, I simply won¡¯t. That distinction is important.

    This is the choice I have made.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll murder every fuckingst one of you worthless scum!¡¹

    Oh, but you¡¯ll have to forgive me for thenguage.

 Chapter 1164: Divine Poison

    <h4>Chapter 1164: Divine Poison</h4>

    The battle between the divine sword and the mech gradually tilted in Maleficent¡¯s favor. Like I thought, a weapon of equal or greater power is required to defeat a divine sword with a focus on defense.

    The mech¡¯sser beams, mes, and lightning could all be nullified.

    Meanwhile, Maleficent unleashed Hell¡¯s poison to gradually wear down the mech¡¯s silver body. More urately, he even melted off entire limbs, but the mech simply grew them back.

    However, the rate of damage began to outpace this regeneration. The most terrifying aspect of Hell¡¯s poison was that it lingered wherever it fell.

    By manipting the poison left on the ground, Maleficent¡¯s range and spatial dominance only became more prevalent as time passed.

    Yet it appeared to me and Fran that Maleficent wasn¡¯t giving it his all.

    While his poison was certainly fearsome, its destructive power was several steps below the divine swords I had seen in the past. This can¡¯t be Hell¡¯s true power.

    Divine swords work by continuously draining the wielder while active. Indeed, Maleficent¡¯s mana had drastically diminished since the beginning of the battle.

    As formidable as they might be, the divine swords are not suited for prolongedbat. It would have been easier to deliver a single, powerful blow right from the start.

    So why didn¡¯t he do that?

    Fran found this confusing, but I knew the reason: Persona.

    Maleficent was protecting the masked girl in his arms. He chose to fight without going all out, so that not even a slim chance of harm might befall her.

    Even with a divine sword, using his most powerful attacks will leave some sort of opening. Maleficent considered the risk of doing so and opted for a defense-oriented style.

    No matter how angry he might be, Persona remained his top priority. It seems that¡¯s the one thing that never changed.

    Maleficent could have entrusted Persona to me or Fran, yet he refused to do so.

    Perhaps he didn¡¯t trust uspletely, or he might have thought that protecting her himself was more certain. I can understand his feelings.

    If I were in Maleficent¡¯s shoes, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to leave Fran with someone else either.

    Despite holding Persona gently in his arms, he continued to unleash vicious attacks on his enemies.

    ¡¸Rot away!¡¹

    ¡¸Defend! Iceman!¡¹

    ¡¸Nuoooh!¡¹

    The Wight King named Iceman invoked a shield of ice to block the poison, but the sttered poison pierced holes into his robe, causing him to flounder.

    The guy with evil energy and Hideman were still nowhere to be seen. Only Nameless and the Wight King remained on the Raydoss side.

    Actually, why are they still fighting Maleficent? They obviously have zero chance of winning.

    Yet they continued fighting without trying to escape, so there must be some reason.

    To support Raydoss¡¯s retreat? Maybe, but the main forces on their side have already escaped from the fortress. So why do they refuse to run?

    Stalling for time to prevent pursuit? I guess that¡¯s possible, but¡­

    However, I understood after watching the battle a bit longer. They were persistently targeting Persona. I think they mentioned something about the vessel of the Holy Mother? It seems they found the girl incredibly important.

    That said, they picked the wrong opponent.

    Perhaps it was a deliberate sacrifice to wear Maleficent down, but one of them finally reached the limit. Another wave of summoned demons entered the fray, resulting in the Wight King¡¯s defeat.

    Everyone on the Raydoss side apparently possessed anti-demon weapons, though such tricks were meaningless before the onught of numbers.

    Furthermore, it seems Maleficent was also stalling for time.

    ¡¸Divine poison! Kill them all!¡¹

    A ck mist formed around Maleficent. The moment I saw it, I cast a teleport to move Fran further back.

    Fran nodded without doubting me.

    £¨Thanks, Master.£©

    ¡ºThat ck mist is dangerous¡­¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºUrushi, do you think you can defend against it with poison immunity?¡»

    £¨Kuhn.£©

    Urushi, who was supporting Kranzel¡¯s retreat, also sensed the threat of that ck mist. He whimpered in fright.

    I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s poison, but the sinister nature made me want to flee the moment I saw it. Since I¡¯m not even a living creature, Fran and Urushi must feel a much greater sense of danger to their lives.

    Maleficent called it ¡°divine poison¡±, in other words, poison imbued with divine energy.

    ¡¸This mere trifle¡­!¡¹

    Nameless attempted to dispel the mist with his magic, but¡­

    ¡¸Futile!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Nameless¡¯s spell was nullified the moment it touched the mist. He attempted several more spells, but all of them vanished equally as quickly.

    It wasn¡¯t just a lethal poison; it also nullified any and all interference with divine energy.

    The ck mist spread on the wind, diffusing into the air.

    ¡¸Pin down those wretched undead!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh! Stay back!¡¹

    Under Maleficent¡¯smand, the demons swarmed Nameless.

    As Nameless was held down by demons, the ck mist engulfed the lot of them. Naturally, his summons came into contact with the poison too.

    All of them crumbled apart and disappeared upon touching the poison. However, Maleficent showed no concern andughed heartily.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Now get out of my sight!¡¹

    ¡¸Uoooooooh!¡¹

    Namelessunched a barrage of magic with all his might, a vicious attack with enough force to kill a dragon.

    However, even his final struggle proved pointless as the divine poison extinguished his spells.

    ¡¸<strong>DAMN YOUUUUU!!</strong>¡¹

    The scream ended up being Nameless¡¯sst words.

 Chapter 1165: A Machines Demise

    <h4>Chapter 1165: A Machine''s Demise</h4>

    Our long time enemy Nameless was defeated so easily.

    The king of undead had managed to hold his own against Jean. Even we would have trouble against him. Yet he got erased by the divine poison as if he was just an ordinary skeleton.

    Once again, the divine swords have disyed their extraordinary powers.

    But despite our awe, the battle raged on. Even with everyone else from Raydoss gone, the mech was still moving.

    As I thought, someone must be piloting it, huh?

    From the mech, there echoed a high-pitched engine-like sound reminiscent of a giant beast¡¯s cry.

    Immediately after, its entire body emitted a brilliant white light. This wasn¡¯t merely mana, but mana infused with divine energy.

    I suspected the mech to be something rted to Raydoss¡¯s relics. Having the ability to manipte divine energy just like Carmine me proved my suspicions. The shining white mech charged right into the ck mist.

    Even the divine poison that had swallowed Nameless without allowing any resistance was dispersed by the mech¡¯s light. The mech¡¯s divine energy was highlypressed, which must have given it the upper hand.

    With an even louder exhaust sound, the mech advanced towards Maleficent. Perhaps this machine has the advantage if it can nullify his poison?

    That doubt crossed my mind for a moment, but it was entirely groundless.

    ¡¸A mere imitation thinks it can use divine energy! Allow me to correct your mistake!¡¹

    Maleficent erected a barrier, deflecting the mech¡¯s fist. Simultaneously, Hell¡¯s gate opened, and the space around the mech began to warp once again.

    No, the warping was even greater than before. This wasn¡¯t a mere distortion, space itself was twisting apart.

    And the mech¡¯s body dented and twisted too, with an ear-piercing metallic crunch. Not only could Hell manipte space for teleportation, it could also do it for attacks!

    The dy makes it difficult to use against fast opponents, but he could easily buy time by entrapping his opponents in barriers.

    With its supposedly durable body torn apart, we got a peek into the mech¡¯s interior. It wasn¡¯tpletely hollow, nor was it filled with metal like an Iron Golem.

    The body was formed of countless pipes, cables, and tiny detailedponents. This was clearly a modern machine, well, maybe more like a highlyplex magic tool.

    Maleficent¡¯s victory was practically assured, but the mech continued moving. Cables extended from the upper and lower halves, pulling them toward each other.

    Its attempt at regeneration made it almost seem biological. It must not be aplete machine.

    That said, there¡¯s no way Maleficent would allow it to regenerate.

    ¡¸It¡¯s over! DIE, YOU HEAP OF GARBAGE MADE BY RAYDOSS SCUM!¡¹

    Maleficent shouted, before releasing a ck sh from Hell. Bathed in the light, the mech ceased its movements.

    Immediately after, the mech¡¯s silver body turned ck, melted, and crumbled away. The same thing happened when Maleficent slew the undead dragon. This seems to be an attack concentrating divine poison on a single enemy, rather than scattering it over a wide area.

    I can see why neither of them managed to survive it.

    As the silver machine crumbled apart, I noticed someone inside its chest area. They were seated in an egg-shaped chair that fit their body, with their hands resting on a spherical device embedded with something simr to a magic stone.

    So there¡¯s the cockpit. Then I guess that guy is the pilot?

    He wasn¡¯t Hideman, nor the fiend-looking man from earlier.

    The pilot was a slender middle-aged man in a civil servant-like attire, with his legs and left arm starting to turn ck. He¡¯s as good as dead. I managed to catch the man¡¯s muttering.

    ¡¸I came here to get my revenge against that ck cat who thwarted my ns¡­ but it seems this is where it ends for me.¡¹

    ck cat? Is he referring to Fran? I think he said something about ¡°ns¡±, but who is he even?

    ¡¸ursed Kranzel! You win this battle! Uragh!¡¹

    W-What the heck? The man suddenly drove his hands into both of his eyes, gouging out his own eyeballs while screaming in agony. It seems that he had two artificial eyes imnted.

    ¡¸My king! I shall return your treasures!¡¹

    Immediately after that, the pilot¡¯s eyeballs disappeared from his hands. His body also turned ck and crumbled away.

    Somewhat reminiscent of Roh¡¯sst stand. We ended up cannibalizing his relic back then, but I guess it may have teleported off if he seeded.

    The man chuckled contentedly in hisst moments, before the mech¡¯s cockpit underwent a massive explosion.

    The explosion was powerful enough to create a mushroom cloud, but even that was meaningless to the wielder of Hell. With the de¡¯s ability topress space, Maleficent effectively crushed all the shockwaves, mes, and heat.

    He had aplished aplete victory.

    Despite that, Maleficent maintained Hell¡¯s activation and showed no signs of letting his guard down.

    £¨Are there still enemies?£©

    ¡ºI can¡¯t sense any¡­¡»

    We attempted to scan the area for other presences, but there were no signs of any enemies. Is there some enemy only Maleficent can sense?

    ¡¸¡­You damn maggots stole thends our forefathers carved out! The sheer audacity of thinking you can remain here!¡¹

    Hell suddenly grew huge, bing the size of a castle gate.

    The gate over 10 meters in width slowly opened, unleashing an enormous wave of mana from within.

    In the form of a ck ray of light.

    What is trying to do with so much mana?

    Huh? He¡¯s aiming at an empty mountain?

    However, it seems the mountain was not actually empty. Arge structure had been hidden there, concealed by a barrier.

    And Maleficent¡¯sser pierced through the barrier, exposing the facility.

    ¡ºWhat the¡­?¡»

 Chapter 1166: Aged Children

    <h4>Chapter 1166: Aged Children</h4>

    We turned to face a mountain several kilometers away from the battlefield.

    Arge structure had been built into the side of the mountain. Considering the barrier that once concealed it, this must be one important facility.

    ¡¸<i>Phew</i>¡­ There it is!¡¹

    Maleficent finally ended Hell¡¯s activation. He stumbled for a moment before flying straight into the discovered facility.

    I saw no hesitation in his actions. It was as if he found exactly what he was searching for.

    What now? Should we try following Maleficent? But what if that ends up pissing him off¡­?

    £¨Master! Let¡¯s chase!£©

    ¡ºEh? You really want to?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran dashed off without waiting for my reply. It seems she¡¯s worried about Persona. Urushi joined us, and we hurried toward the mysterious facility.

    A part of the wall had been destroyed by the ck beam of light, allowing us free entry. Maleficent probably passed through here as well.

    Upon entering, we immediately encountered the corpses of soldiers who were foaming at the mouth. All of them had apparently been killed by poison.

    Fran rushed through the fort in pursuit of Maleficent¡¯s presence, and we caught up to him in a slightly open area.

    There, we found ten elderly individuals pointing their weapons at the masked man. They appeared to be human, but parts of their arms, legs, and faces were covered in scales or fur.

    Beastmen? No, they seemed different somehow¡­

    All of them exuded a sort of fanatical aura, but they didn¡¯t seempletely mad. Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any room formunication though.

    Someone was lying on the ground in front of Maleficent. Probably one of the facility¡¯s researchers? He was a young man in a white coat.

    Maleficent muttered in irritation.

    ¡¸¡­I destroyed it thoroughly thest time I was here, yet it¡¯s fully operational again.¡¹

    Like I thought, he knew about this ce from the beginning.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll end your suffering.¡¹

    ¡¸Uoohhhh!¡¹

    ¡¸Die!¡¹

    The several elderly individuals leaped at Maleficent with roars, but all copsed before ever reaching arm¡¯s length.

    Maleficent¡¯s poison was already lingering in the air. Iyered some additional barriers on Fran to ensure she was unaffected.

    Both Maleficent and Persona seemed very sad for some reason.

    ¡¸¡­Such pitiful children.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Children? But those guys were clearly pretty old, right?

    The meaning of Maleficent¡¯s words became clear once I appraised the elderly individuals. Every single one was younger than 18.

    ¡¸Why¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸ording to the memories I absorbed from this man, these are the results of Raydoss¡¯s failed experiments.¡¹

    Referring to a person as a ¡°failed experiment¡± makes me sick to the stomach. There¡¯s no way proper research was ever conducted here.

    ¡¸The experiments involved imnting monster factors into humans to gain their powers. However, it seems this resulted in rapid aging when these factors underwent some sort of unexpected reaction. In addition, their brainwashing has prevented them from realizing anything about the situation they were ced in.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Turned into guinea pigs, treated as failures due to their elerated aging, and ultimately brainwashed into bing ves.

    Indescribable emotions welled up within me: pity, sadness, rage, and a fierce hatred for Raydoss. We watched Maleficent kill the elderly individuals one by one, and all we could do was pray silently for them to rest in peace.

    Our anger pulsed greater with each innocent ughtered.

    Yet we had no choice but to remain silent, for the man in front of us was even angrier than us.

    ¡¸¡­Trying to escape? Hmph. I won¡¯t let any of you go free.¡¹

    We shivered in the face of Maleficent¡¯s intense killing intent, even if it wasn¡¯t directed at us. Urushi gave Maleficent a clearly frightened stare, as even Fran held her breath.

    ¡¸Kuhn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    If it weren¡¯t for Persona, we would have surely fled as soon as we took one look at him.

    ¡¸Summon Genocide Servants!¡¹

    The spell Maleficent used to summon wasps of poison, which he had used previously on the battlefield. This time, however, he summoned even more of them. He probably sacrificed the individual power of each to focus on numbers.

    ¡¸Go! Kill everyst one of them!¡¹

    It seems he intends to ughter everyone in the facility. The researchers I can understand, but he made no attempt to save the experimental subjects.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay now, Persona. I was just recalling a bad memory from the past.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha. It¡¯s been a very long time since I was one of the experiments here.¡¹

    Maleficent was an experimental subject here?! That must be oneplicated past. His anger and sorrow run much deeper than I thought, and understandably so.

    We proceeded through the facility together. Maleficent ignored uspletely, but Persona gave us the asional nce and nod. Perhaps she was signaling that everything¡¯s okay.

    asionally, Maleficent ced his hand on the heads of fallen researchers and did something. Apparently, he possessed a skill for extracting memories from corpses.

    Come to think of it, we still don¡¯t fully understand what abilities Maleficent has.

    ¡¸¡­Is Persona a lorelei?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­So what if she is?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I know a lorelei searching for a man who uses poisons.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? That must be me then, since I destroyed their country after all. So? What are you trying to say?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t know. Seliadot helped me out, but Persona is a friend too.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Persona¡­ I know. I will refrain from antagonizing the ck Lightning Princess as much as possible.¡¹

    Maleficent smiled after getting his arm smacked by Persona. It seems he truly listens to her.

    However, his eyes reflected a different emotion.

    If Maleficent ever deems someone a threat to Persona, he will not hesitate to do everything in his power to erase them.

 Chapter 1167: Persona, Fran, and Maleficent

    <h4>Chapter 1167: Persona, Fran, and Maleficent</h4>

    Maleficent readily admitted to destroying the country of the lorelei as well as taking Persona away. Despite his smile, his eyes gave us a sharp re.

    He¡¯ll continue ying friendly with us since Persona likes Fran. But at his core, Maleficent clearly cared little about anything other than the lorelei girl.

    Eternal Loyalty¡­

    The skill Trismegistus spoke of, which was stolen from Fannabelta by the previous user of Original Sin Envy.

    Maleficent is the divine sword wielder who took that skill, and the target of his loyalty is Persona. There¡¯s almost zero room for doubt now.

    Consider the stark difference between his current personality and the one we heard about before. He changed because Persona wanted him to be nicer, and due to the normalization of emotions after losing Original Sin Envy.

    That¡¯s the only way I can exin such a gap.

    However, this only guarantees the existence of his cruel and ruthless aspect. It hasn¡¯t disappeared at all; he¡¯s only hiding it.

    Which is why I don¡¯t want to make enemies with him, and Fran likely understood too.

    That said, she needed to seek confirmation. After all, a weak race trampled by the overwhelmingly powerful is somewhat reminiscent of the ck cats.

    ¡¸¡­Why did you destroy the lorelei?¡¹

    ¡¸Why, you ask? Because I felt like destroying them.¡¹

    Perhaps the previous Maleficent might annihte a country on a whim. However, Fran seemed unsatisfied with his answer.

    ¡¸Was it for Persona¡¯s sake?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I destroyed them because I wanted to. Understand? My actions happened to align with Persona¡¯s wishes. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡¹

    Maleficent exined Persona¡¯s history. It seems her words possessed great power, resulting in her suffering and abuse at the hands of the other lorelei¡­

    So Maleficent just happened to annihte the ce and rescue Persona? Even though he was aplete scumbag back then? Overhearing the conversation, Persona lowered her head. Did he do it for the girl or not? Hmm, how can I clear this up?

    Fran was conflicted too.

    She definitely liked both of them, especially Persona, who she considered a friend.

    However, she was also indebted to Seliadot. Above all, Maleficent had a past leading a ve trafficking ring.

    Fran couldn¡¯t simply ignore the fact that Maleficent was once a ver. Her resentment for vers was so deep-seated that it¡¯s practically a part of her identity.

    She¡¯s giving considerable concessions to Maleficent bymunicating with him in the first ce, rather than simply attacking him outright.

    I suppose Fran might have reacted differently if Maleficent was directly rted to those who enved her.

    ¡¸¡­What happened to your trafficking ring from back then?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I annihted them when I left, but it seems the survivors have rebuilt it.¡¹

    As the examiner for her rank-up exam, Maleficent naturally knew about Fran¡¯s past. Thus, he might be able to guess at Fran¡¯s internal conflict.

    ¡¸I won¡¯t ask for your forgiveness, and I don¡¯t expect to be forgiven. Just as I will never forgive Raydoss, I understand that there are those who can¡¯t forgive me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­ I can¡¯t allow myself to die just yet. Feel free to tell that lorelei about me, since it just means one more assant I¡¯ll have to kill. Will you try to take my head too?¡¹

    This is turning into quite a dilemma. Hiding this info from Seliadot is like spitting in her face, but I feel like telling her will only shorten her lifespan¡­

    Fran seems to have gotten angry at Maleficent¡¯s words, though not enough to go after him.

    I feel a bit relieved. If necessary, I was nning to teleport Fran away from Maleficent, even if it was against her wishes. Antagonizing Maleficent here is not an option.

    Fran swallowed her anger and endured, all on her own. I find that sincerelyforting.

    More importantly is the fact that the current Maleficent exists only for Persona, and Fran knows it. His statement about ¡°not dying¡± means he needs to live to protect Persona.

    His loyalty was unwavering, untainted by personal desires or justice. What¡¯s more, Persona trusted Maleficent wholeheartedly.

    Fran clenched her fist tightly and lowered her head.

    ¡¸Kuhn.¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, thank you.¡¹

    Urushi licked Fran¡¯s hand and made aforting whimper. Then, Persona leaped down from Maleficent¡¯s arms and approached Fran with short steps.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Persona¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Tears streamed down Persona¡¯s face as she embraced Fran tightly. Fran reciprocated the hug.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn. Don¡¯t worry. I know Maleficent is no longer an enemy.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not your fault.¡¹

    Both girls embraced each other while shedding tears.

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    £¨I¡¯m sure Persona understands too, deep down. Maleficent went too far in destroying the lorelei. And he needs to pay for his crimes. But Persona is grateful to Maleficent and loves him¡­£©

    If Persona earnestly wished for it, perhaps she could make Maleficent take his own life on the spot. But she won¡¯t. Persona is obviously reliant on Maleficent.

    Despite her regrets, Persona can¡¯t let go of Maleficent or make him atone for his sins. He is her hero, protector, and partner.

    I can understand her feelings, considering her history, and I¡¯m sure Fran would agree. That¡¯s why she restrained her anger and consoled the crying, apologetic Persona.

    Fran turned to Maleficent, staring intently into Maleficent¡¯s eyes as she slowly spoke.

    ¡¸¡­From now on, capture any ve traders that youe across. I¡¯ll let you go in exchange.¡¹

    ¡¸That is something Persona wishes for as well. I promise to hunt the ve traffickers with renewed diligence.¡¹

    Did I just witness the birth of the strongest hunter of vers ever? He might be the best in terms ofbat ability, as well as understanding of their methods.

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve endured well. Good job.¡»

    £¨I learned from my mistake at the Academy of Magic¡­ No matter how much I hate someone, I have to keep calm.£©

    It seems she firmly remembered the incident where she impulsively attacked Zelos Reed at the Academy of Magic. Indeed, she¡¯s slowly growing, not just in terms ofbat abilities, but also mentally.

    £¨Also, Persona and Maleficent are a bit like Master and me.£©

    ¡ºHuh? Like us? Is that so?¡»

    £¨Just a little.£©

    Now that I think about it, we do share some simrities. An older man saving a young girl and ending up as partners. The fact that we need each other is another resemnce, to some extent.

    I can see why Fran has some sympathy for them.

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    £¨Nn. So¡­ it¡¯s okay.£©

    With a somewhat frustrated expression but also a hint of relief, Fran nodded.

 Chapter 1168: Blackest Hell

    <h4>Chapter 1168: ckest Hell</h4>

    Fran and Persona had calmed down for the most part.

    ¡¸Hmm, it seems all of them have been killed. This time, I¡¯ll make sure topletely erase this ce off the map.¡¹

    Maleficent raised the stone sword once again, without holding back his killing intent.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono, please run. I¡¯m not confident in my ability to avoid getting you caught up.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fine. Bye Persona.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    We teleported away while waving to Persona. A few minutester¡­

    An immense surge of mana erupted from within the research facility. Maleficent had once again released his divine sword. Can he really afford to use it repeatedly in such a short period of time?

    He must have some kind of reason.

    ck light overflowed from the facility, and in the next moment, the structure began to copse.

    In less than a single minute, the vast building had vanished without a trace.

    The truly fearsome part of Hell was its ability to annihte anything. Rather than being ¡°destructive¡±, it seemed to specialize in ¡°killing¡±.

    The poison, demon summoning, dimensional maniption, and the like all seemed like secondary skills inparison.

    Despite having erased the facility, Maleficent didn¡¯t stop there.

    He ascended into the sky, as if riding an invisible elevator, and halted at an altitude of about a thousand meters.

    ¡¸A curse upon Raydoss.¡¹

    Something ck overflowed from Hell, and it exuded a menacing presence. Exactly like he had shouted, it seemed to be the embodiment of a curse.

    This appeared to be ck water at first nce, but that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. What looked like a highly viscous liquid was actually a concentrated mass of mana.

    Fran¡¯s face quickly turned pale.

    I only sensed the ridiculous amount of mana, but Fran seemed to view it as a much greater threat.

    ¡¸Master! Get farther away!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºO-Okay, got it.¡»

    It¡¯s been a long time since Fran and Urushi got this scared. Must be a sign of how terrifying this ability truly was.

    ¡ºFran, what is that?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s bad.¡¹

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn.¡¹

    It seems Fran and Urushi don¡¯t understand the details either, yet their entire bodies were tense, and their teeth were chattering.

    We teleported further away and continued watching Maleficent.

    The ck mass gradually expanded, before suddenly exploding. No, not quite an explosion. It only ballooned so rapidly that it resembled an explosion.

    Drawn by gravity, it fell to the ground.

    Right on top of the fort behind Fort Marth, at the peak of the mountain.

    Fran, who was still trembling, widened her eyes at the cmity Maleficent had triggered.

    A ck tsunami rushed toward the fortress where some remnants of the Raydoss army remained. I expected them to get swept away, but this tsunami had almost zero physical impact.

    Not to say that it had no effect though.

    The tsunami¡¯s wake left a fortress painted entirely in an ominous and horrific ck color.

    Consumed by the darkness, all signs of life vanished.

    What remained was the fort itself, with ck-stained weapons and armor rolling along the ground.

    The people, horses, birds, trees, and insects had disappeared. All life had been snuffed out equally.

    Even more terrifying, the earth was stained ck, and I couldn¡¯t sense any life left in thend either.

    This was no longer a technique for defeating your enemies, but a dreadful power that turned thend into hell itself.

    Moreover, it had yet to end. The dark mass unleashed by Maleficent continued moving forward.

    The man¡¯s horns grew further, emitting a deep crimson light. His tension seemed to rise in response to the strength of that light.

    ¡¸Fuhahahahahahaha! Worthless trash of Raydoss! Your death cries serve as a requiem for my homnd!¡¹

    He¡¯s clearly furious even from this distance. Well, not as furious as when Persona was kidnapped, but I have to wonder if his Wrath Demon is going out of control.

    The ck tsunami had already swallowed a wide area, dyeing mountains in the color of death as it continued expanding. At this rate, it would soon reach the forts and viges at the base of the mountains.

    This unbelievably wide area was nowpletely devoid of life. Could this have significant consequences even after the war?

    Wait a minute. Didn¡¯t I hear about a location where Hell was once used, and is still barren to this very day? Perhaps this is the power that caused it?

    Doesn¡¯t that mean the region will be uninhabitable for centuries toe¡­?

    The ck tsunami had already consumed a few small mountains, and was still continuing its advance.

    As I trembled in fear at the shocking reality, the tsunami reached the next fortress at the base of the mountain. While Raydoss¡¯s troops had started retreating, a majority were still stuck within its walls.

    The dark flood overtook the fortress with lightning speed,pletely consuming it. Thousands of lives were lost in that single instant.

    As I stared at the scene in shock, Fran suddenly murmured.

    ¡¸Persona is crying.¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸Persona!¡¹

 Chapter 1169: Hells Influence

    <h4>Chapter 1169: Hell''s Influence</h4>

    Fran muttered with a sorrowful expression that Persona was crying. She seemed to be sensing something I was unable to sense.

    ¡¸Master! Go to Maleficent!¡¹

    ¡ºEh? You want me to get closer? But you just said to move away a bit earlier.¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi barked in agreement with me, attempting to persuade Fran to stay back.

    The current Maleficent was clearly consumed by wrath. Who knows what might happen if we approach him while he¡¯s like this.

    However, Fran refused to back down.

    ¡¸Even so!¡¹

    I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯ll turn on us at the slightest provocation¡­ but Fran¡¯s eyes reflected her determination.

    ¡¸Master, please! I have to talk to them!¡¹

    ¡ºJust talking, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºF-Fine, we can do it.¡»

    Prompted by Fran¡¯s desperation, I headed closer to Maleficent. Furthermore, I opened a Dimension Gate, allowing her to transmit her voice to him.

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Maleficent! Stop this!¡¹

    There was no response from Maleficent, but he looked our way. That much was clear.

    Shit, he¡¯s directing an intense amount of killing intent at us! Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have bothered him after all!

    Yet despite feeling the divine sword wielder¡¯s wrath on her skin, Fran did not flinch.

    ¡¸You¡¯re making Persona sad!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    As soon as Fran shouted those words, Maleficent froze.

    It only took a moment.

    The ck tsunami vanished into thin air, and Maleficent¡¯s wrath subsided instantly.

    ¡¸Sorry¡­ Forgive me, Persona.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Maleficent¡¯s tone returned to normal. Like I thought, Persona meant everything to this man.

    Persona lightly shook her head and hugged her arms around Maleficent¡¯s neck.

    ¡ºWow, you really did understand what Persona was thinking.¡»

    £¨I somehow got the feeling that she was crying.£©

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Perhaps Persona had sought help from Fran in some manner? I don¡¯t really get it, but Fran and Maleficent both seemed to understand her intentions.

    In any case, the massacre hase to an end. I don¡¯t know how many people died, but he certainly left deep scars on the nation of Raydoss.

    We slowly approached the two, and Maleficent was no longer ring at us.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono, thank you for stopping me. I seem to have lost myself in anger for a moment.¡¹

    ¡¸Persona, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona nodded with traces of tears on her cheeks.

    ¡¸Persona, there¡¯s no need for you to cry. I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself, but this is no longer my country. Also, those from Raydoss got exactly what they deserved.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona gave a weak nod.

    It seems she had been crying for Maleficent¡¯s feelings, as well as mourning the dead on the Raydoss side.

    The question is, how much of Maleficent¡¯s actions align with Persona¡¯s wishes?

    I think Persona could have ended Maleficent¡¯s rampage if she ordered him to stop. Yet, despite her distress and tears, she allowed Maleficent to continue as he pleased. It would appear that she isn¡¯t restricting his actions at first nce.

    That said, there can be no doubt that Persona¡¯s abilities and Eternal Loyalty had an effect on him. Her desires must be mixed into Maleficent¡¯s actions to a degree.

    Is it possible that, deep down, Persona wants this kind of ughter? Then Maleficent is unconsciously picking up on her beliefs and acting ordingly? Or is Persona truly doing nothing, and Maleficent¡¯s rampages were the result of him satisfying his own desires under the guise of helping Persona?

    I just don¡¯t know. From my point of view, the bond between these two was incredibly distorted and unstable. Yet at the same time, Fran said that we¡¯re simr to them.

    Maybe I should be more careful. I can¡¯t let us turn out like them. However, that¡¯s not something I should bring up here. I decided to ask about something else that was bothering me.

    ¡º¡­Hey, I have something I want to ask.¡»

    ¡¸Oh? Is thising from the sword?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. I¡¯m the Intelligence Weapon, Master. Fran¡¯s partner.¡»

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you.¡¹

    Persona waved her hand with a smile. It seems she¡¯s delighted to meet a rare existence like me. I¡¯m d if I managed to alleviate her grief even a little.

    ¡ºYou knew of my existence, so why didn¡¯t you ask Fran about me?¡»

    ¡¸Persona said we shouldn¡¯t pry into such an important secret.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Persona nodded in response to Maleficent¡¯s words. It seems she was being considerate.

    ¡ºAnother thing, will that ckened area remain like that forever?¡»

    ¡¸Oh no, of course not forever.¡¹

    I see. That only makes sense. Even a divine sword¡¯s power shouldn¡¯tst an eternity.

    ¡¸I went all out for the curse this time, so it should take three years until creatures can live there again. Maybe around ten years for the effects to disappearpletely.¡¹

    That¡¯s pretty damn long!

    But wait, I¡¯ve heard that the ce where Hell was used in the distant past is still barren to this day. How can ten years be the maximum?

    ¡ºWhat about that ce in the Chrome Continent that¡¯s supposed still barren? How did that happen?¡»

    ¡¸Well, why do you think?¡¹

    Maleficent dodged my question. I got the hint, Persona was probably involved in that.

    It¡¯s only natural if she harbors deep resentment against the country that abused her. Perhaps Persona¡¯s powers are capable of solidifying the scars of cmity created by Maleficent.

    No wait, considering Maleficent refusal to answer, maybe Persona was doing this unconsciously.

    Persona herself might not haveplete control of her powers.

 Chapter 1170: Source of the Data God

    <h4>Chapter 1170: Source of the Data God</h4>

    ¡ºHey, if Persona is involved in the barrennds of the Chrome Continent, how old is she?¡»

    The scars of Hell etched into Chrome are estimated to be around 500 years old. Would that make Persona and Maleficent over 500 years old?

    One is a long-lived race, and the other has demonic powers. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they could live that long¡­

    But wait, isn¡¯t Maleficent the prince of a recently fallen kingdom? Did I make some kind of mistake in my reasoning?

    £¨I take it I am the only one hearing this question?£©

    ¡ºYeah. Only you and I can hear this, Maleficent.¡»

    £¨¡­To tell the truth, it¡¯s rted to Persona¡¯s skill.£©

    He answered immediately after I asked him via telepathy. Like I thought, there must be something he doesn¡¯t want Persona to hear.

    £¨In other words, Persona herself is unrted.£©

    ¡ºSkill?¡»

    £¨It¡¯s a dangerous skill known as ¡°Source of the Data God¡±. Long ago, there was an individual with this skill in the ce Hell was used, and they made the scars left by Hell eternal.£©

    Approximately 500 years ago, someone with ¡°Source of the Data God¡± met the wielder of Hell. The two became friends, just like the current Maleficent and Persona.

    So the same thing happened 500 years ago. Can this really be a coincidence?

    £¨The Source of the Data God is shrouded in mystery, given its extraordinary power and heavy costs. Not to mention the mysterious god no one has heard of.£©

    ¡ºHuh? What do you mean by ¡°mysterious god¡±¡­? Is there no such deity as the ¡°Data God¡±?¡»

    £¨At the very least, I¡¯ve never heard of them. Perhaps they were once a subordinate god to the Evil God, or more urately, the former War God.£©

    Huh? A subordinate god to the War God? Never heard of anything like that. Does one really exist?

    I posed the question to the Evil God Fragment, but all I got in return was some kind of panicked feeling. Panicking at the question implies there¡¯s some sort of involvement, I guess.

    Maybe my reasoning was only partially correct. Either way, I wasn¡¯t able to get any more info. Nevertheless, any skill rted to the Evil God probably can¡¯t be considered normal.

    £¨Persona believes that her desires drew me to destroy the country of the lorelei, even though I¡¯ve always denied it¡­£©

    I see. If she learned the Source of the Data God and Hell were connected in the past, it would only drive her to me herself more.

    Maleficent also can¡¯t say with confidence that her skill has no effect on him. Even when he was possessed by the Envy Demon, Maleficent took Persona around with him. That¡¯s obviously due to Persona¡¯s skill.

    £¨Persona cannot fully control the Source of the Data God, as her ¡°White Sheet¡± ability to conceal information in the surrounding area is done unconsciously. I believe she doesn¡¯t want her true identity to be known. She should be aware of this fact.£©

    ¡ºSo you can¡¯t deny the possibility that her skill is acting on its own¡­?¡»

    £¨Not even Persona can say for sure. That said, I¡¯m not going to bring up the subject if she doesn¡¯t want to hear it.£©

    In any case, Maleficent has made it clear he doesn¡¯t want to discuss the rtionship between Persona¡¯s skill and the ruined country of the lorelei. Let¡¯s move on to the next subject.

    ¡¸What happened inside the ck dome?¡¹

    I want to hear about that too. The mech suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    ¡¸First, the fiend-looking man disappeared. He must have invoked some sort of powerful teleportation spell.¡¹

    It seems Maleficent managed to down Hideman, though the other guy managed to escape. Well, Hideman will probably be back eventually.

    Maleficent retrieved Persona using spatial maniption. That should have been enough to force a retreat, but the undead simply kepting after her.

    ¡¸They kept persistently targeting Persona, saying something about the Holy Mother¡¯s vessel¡­ Raydoss scum!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Oops, my apologies.¡¹

    The Holy Mother¡¯s vessel, huh? No clue what that¡¯s supposed to mean. We know the second-inmand of the ck Skeleton Corps is called the Holy Mother, but¡­ her vessel? Does she require a new body? Or some sort of sacrifice?

    Well, it¡¯s clear this so-called vessel won¡¯t be treated kindly.

    ¡¸Persona has her ¡°White Sheet¡± power. How did they know she could be the Holy Mother¡¯s vessel?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems that has more to do with manapatibility with this Holy Mother rather than Persona¡¯s skills.¡¹

    I guess patibility¡± is the most important factor for this ¡°vessel¡± thing.

    It seems obtaining a vessel for the Holy Mother is very important. Nameless didn¡¯t even flinch when challenging the wielder of a divine sword.

    ¡¸And then, they used Cysanth-dono as a sacrifice to summon that massive metal soldier. It seems the person inside was already piloting it when they summoned it.¡¹

    Maleficent gave a hint of remorse in his exnation, but I have no doubt he¡¯d abandon Cysanth for Persona. Nameless probably killed Cysanth the moment he realized the man wouldn¡¯t work as a hostage. Well, no need to say it out loud though.

    ¡¸So what was that silver thing? And who was the person inside it?¡¹

    ¡¸Based on what Persona saw, the name of thatrge metal soldier is ¡°Armandura¡±. The person inside was the West Conquest Duke.¡¹

    ¡¸Armandura?¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s not the important part! The West Conquest Duke? Are you sure?¡»

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Persona nodded vigorously. It seems this was no joke.

    ¡ºWhat was the duke himself doing all the way over here?! And you killed him, right?¡»

    One of the enemy leaders just kinda died without our knowledge!

    ¡¸In all likelihood, thatrge metal soldier could only be operated by the duke.¡¹

    The duke had extracted and teleported his left and right artificial eyes. The right eye was apparently called the ¡°Greater Droid Summoning Unit¡±, while the left eye was the ¡°Biomodification Assimtion Unit¡±.

    So the mech must be this so-called ¡°droid¡± thing.

    ¡¸¡­I have a vague memory of them from a long time ago, when my homnd was annihted.¡¹

    It seems Raydoss has hundreds of metallic soldiers like that mech, and their forces devastated Maleficent¡¯s homnd in an instant.

    ¡¸Therge one I fought off is probably among Raydoss¡¯s greatest weapons. The metallic soldiers I saw in the past weren¡¯t nearly as big or strong.¡¹

    So it might be a unique machine made exclusively for the duke.

    The Biomodification Assimtion Unit in his left eye apparently had the ability to merge the wielder¡¯s body with a magitech device, optimizing the performance of both the wielder and the device.

    These magitech devices, including the mech, are apparently all relics. The device essentially allowed one to physically fuse with a relic and enhance its powers.

    So his droid was boosted by its fusion with the pilot.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know why Raydoss hasn¡¯t deployed the smaller metallic soldiers in recent years¡­ But I doubt they can hold back any longer. I expect to see more of those in the future.¡¹

    That mech was definitely strong, even if it lost to a divine sword. A smaller and weaker version might be troublesome if theye in droves.

    This war must be far from over.

 Chapter 1171: Onslaught

    <h4>Chapter 1171: Onught</h4>

    ¡¸Now then, we can¡¯t keep talking forever. Let¡¯s meet up with the army for now¡­ Oof.¡¹

    ¡¸Maleficent, are you okay?¡¹

    Maleficent stumbled as he tried to walk off.

    While he certainly looked calm, using his divine sword must have been incredibly draining.

    ¡¸I kept Hell active for a bit longer than usual this time. I¡¯m confident in my stamina since I harbor the power of a demon, but I have to admit there is some fatigue.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s gaze shifted towards Maleficent¡¯s head, where he had grown horns.

    The short, twisted horns were a different shape from the ones on ogrekin like Donadrond.

    ¡¸This is the price of Hell, you see. The demon is gradually taking over my body.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! You¡¯ll turn into a demon?¡¹

    ¡¸Eventually, yes. If I didn¡¯t have Persona with me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Persona tightly clenched both hands in front of her chest, as if telling Fran to leave it to her.

    So Persona¡¯s power can prevent him from turning into a demon? Or maybe thepulsion from Eternal Loyalty wins out over the demonic will? In any case, Maleficent doesn¡¯t appear to be under the demon¡¯s control at the moment.

    ¡¸We can ride Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Urushi lowered his body, allowing Maleficent to jump on his back while still carrying Persona. It seems he can move to some extent.

    ¡¸In any case, my divine sword has finally been exposed to the light. Things may get bothersome now.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Maleficent and Persona both slumped their shoulders simultaneously. It seems they were trying to hide this fact.

    Stories of him being a divine sword wielder will almost certainly spread like wildfire, since many soldiers witnessed the battle.

    Moreover, anyone who recognizes his divine sword as Hell may also realize Maleficent¡¯s true identity.

    He has settled down thanks to Persona, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that he was originally the leader of a criminal organization. There may be some who, unlike Fran, refuse to let him walk free.

    That said, there¡¯s no way to keep it a secret anymore.

    Perhaps Persona could manage somehow, but extending her powers over such a huge poption will no doubt put a huge strain on her. Even attempting would probably cause irreparable damage.

    In this world, the stronger the skill or magic, the greater the recoil and pitfalls.

    Persona copsed after using a bit of her power, so I doubt she¡¯s capable of something on such a huge scale.

    ¡¸¡­You want to run?¡¹

    This was Fran¡¯s way of showing concern. If they chose to run, Fran was willing to keep their secrets and refrain from chasing them.

    However, Maleficent shook his head at the idea.

    ¡¸Running is no longer¡­ Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s something there!¡¹

    In the middle of our conversation, both Maleficent and Fran suddenly shifted into battle stances. We were just about to reach the Kranzel army¡¯s makeshift camp, when someone appeared out of nowhere.

    Moreover, this someone was radiating a huge amount of evil energy.

    ¡¸Urushi, hurry!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi tried to elerate his flight speed, but disaster struck just before we arrived. A ck ooze-like substance seeped out from the ground, took a humanoid shape, then started attacking the nearby people.

    This shadowy figure had almost zero physical power, and the soldiers struck by its ws weren¡¯t even bleeding. Yet anyone hit immediately turned pale and copsed to the ground.

    The soldiers must have had their live forces drained. And not just that, they were being infused with evil energy.

    I confirmed that the soldier¡¯s condition had be ¡°Evil Intoxication¡±. This is a status ailment that urs when someone is exposed to more evil energy than they can handle.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    We arrived at camp and hit the shadow with a spell, erasing it in a single hit. It seems they weren¡¯t particrly strong.

    However, the issue lied in their numbers.

    The shadows kept appearing one after another.

    Apparently, the same phenomenon was urring throughout the entire camp.

    ¡¸Oh, pitiful souls who wander the underworld! Be my spears and impale my enemies! Summon Soldier Skeletons!¡¹

    Jean sent various orders to the adventurers before summoning arge number of skeletons with his spell.

    ¡¸Fran, I see you¡¯ve returned! However, it seems we have no time to exchange greetings! I shall take care of this area!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    It¡¯s probably best to stick together since we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but we¡¯re forced to split up due to theck of manpower.

    We headed off toward where the evil energy first appeared.

    A familiar-looking man was standing at the center of the camp, the guy radiating evil was standing next to Nameless earlier.

    However, the evil aura cloaking him now was much stronger than thest time we saw him. It¡¯s almost as if he was an entirely different person with the same appearance.

    The suspicious man turned to Fran and smirked.

    ¡¸Hehehe! You¡¯vee! ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸The people of this country call me Onught, and I am a humble fiendmancer!¡¹

    So he¡¯s Onught! But why did he suddenly show up alone?

    He¡¯s definitely strong, but not strong enough to charge into the enemy camp and take on Fran, Maleficent, and Jean all by himself.

    Trying to draw out his true intentions, Fran questioned him in a hostile tone.

    ¡¸Did you do this?¡¹

    ¡¸I love that stare of yours! Heheheh! Yeah, this is all me! But I¡¯ll withdraw immediately once I¡¯ve achieved my goal!¡¹

    The slim, ck-haired, handsome man shouted back in a high-pitched voice. I could see him being a prince-like idol back on Earth, in stark contrast with his manner of speaking. He sounded like some random mob enemy you might find anywhere.

    My appraisal showed everything about him as ¡°Unknown¡±. It seems his transformation into a fiend was alreadyplete.

    ¡¸Your goal?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! Allow me to exin!¡¹

    Onught¡¯s eyes were fixed on Fran as he shouted his response. What? Did he have some business with Fran?

    ¡¸Hehehehe! ck Lightning Princess! I want you!¡¹

    ¡º<strong>WHAAAAT?!</strong>¡»

 Chapter 1172: Wicked Saintess?

    <h4>Chapter 1172: Wicked Saintess?</h4>

    ¡¸Hehehehe! ck Lightning Princess! I want you!¡¹

    ¡º<strong>WHAAAAT?!</strong>¡»

    H-H-H-He wants F-F-Fran?!

    Y-You fucking lolicon! How dare you!

    Fran is super cute, so I can understand if someone falls for her! In fact, I doubt the sanity of anyone who doesn¡¯t fall in love at first sight! Perhaps he awakened to this fetish after seeing Fran up close!

    But I¡¯ll never allow this to happen! If you want Fran, you¡¯ll have to take her over my dead body! Err, I mean I¡¯m not giving Fran to some perverted fiend from the enemy country! You¡¯re literally the worst of the worst!

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the Saintess, the Wicked Saintess with a connection to the Evil God! Now I understand why Avenger went crazy! No, he was never crazy, he was right! You are truly our Saintess! Hehehehehehe!¡¹

    First ¡°priestess¡± and now ¡°saintess¡±!?

    Well, at least his ¡°want¡± didn¡¯t have any romantic meaning.

    Wicked Saintess¡­ Sounds a bit contradictory. Either way, he must have gotten lured in by my evil energy.

    Sorry Fran! I¡¯m drawing all sorts of weirdos to you!

    ¡¸What do you want from me?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! Deliver my prayers to the Evil God!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸Turn me down if you dare, but I¡¯ll just take you by force and make you obey! Your power to devour relics is quite rare as well! I can make good use of that too!¡¹

    He¡¯s fully aware of my cannibalize ability! If he knows, then so does the rest of Raydoss. What a pain!

    ¡¸<strong>EVIL GOD! GRANT ME EVEN MORE POWER!!!</strong>¡¹

    As soon as Onught shouted the words, his body began to expand.

    The robe he was wearing tore apart from the inside as he swelled up like a balloon. I thought he would turn into something more like a giant humanoid, but what appeared was a massive, eyeless mass with countless tentacles.

    Kinda like Backb*ard without the eye.

    Along with this transformation, his evil energy surged to more than twice its previous level. Did he really receive power from the Evil God? I posed the question to the Evil God Fragment, and I got a panicked response denying it. Kinda like a ¡°No, not me¡±.

    I don¡¯t fully understand what it¡¯s trying to say, but it was definitely a denial. That means there might be other fragments of the Evil God in this region.

    It¡¯s also possible he achieved a connection to the Evil God in the divine realm like Linford, but I didn¡¯t see any traces of a ritual here.

    ¡¸Hehehe! All I need to care about is your survival! Time to tear off your limbs and drag you away!¡¹

    Onught¡¯s face appeared on the tip of one of the tentacles. Fricking creepy! That¡¯s going to show up in my dreams!

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t fight here. Let¡¯s lure him away.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    There were still several soldiers engaged with the evil shadows. Fighting here would result in many casualties.

    We attempted to lead Onught outside of camp, but¡­

    ¡¸Hehehe! I ain¡¯t gonna move! We¡¯re fighting here and now! If you want to run away, just be my guest! I¡¯ll eat these side dishes before the main course!¡¹

    ¡¸No!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrr!¡¹

    Despite lookingpletely insane, Onught¡¯s reasoning was sound. He promptly began ughtering the surrounding soldiers rather than chasing Fran.

    Multiple tentacles shot out to wrap around nearby soldiers, crushing them to death before we could respond.

    ¡¸Everyone, run!¡¹

    ¡ºThis isn¡¯t going to work. Everyone is panicking after getting ambushed by these shades.¡»

    He did all of this to disorient the soldiers and keep them pinned in camp, knowing that Fran can¡¯t get serious with allied soldiers nearby.

    Very annoying, but this was probably the most effective way to limit Fran¡¯s potential.

    £¨Master! Let¡¯s get the people around us to safety first!£©

    ¡ºRoger. Fran, you try to grab Onught¡¯s attention! Meanwhile, Urushi can get the soldiers out of here by force!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi and I invoked magic to destroy the shades, as Fran struck back at Onught.

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaah! Hehehe! Damn, that stings! I never thought I¡¯d feel so much pain after obtaining the body of a fiend! As expected from our Saintess!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehe!¡¹

    Each of Fran¡¯s strikes carried the divine attribute. Onught certainly winced in pain, but I sensed no reduction in the evil energy within him.

    I know it¡¯s working, just the sheer amount of evil energy he had made it seem like a drop in the bucket.

    ¡¸Come on! Is that all you got?! All these small fry will die if you can¡¯t save them!¡¹

    ¡¸Then how about this!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaah!¡¹

    Fran invoked purification magic, which is especially effective on fiends when infused with divine energy. While the damage might be lower than a physical strike, it affected a wide area, causing Onught¡¯s tentacles to momentarily freeze.

    This bought some time for Urushi and me to forcibly evacuate the soldiers. Urushi grabbed their cors and dragged everyone, while I guided them all into my Dimension Gate.

    I had to use telepathy to call out to them, but in this situation, they should think of it as theirrades shouting from a distance.

    They seem to be getting used to escaping, as their retreat became very swift with our support.

    ¡¸Not bad, Saintess! I¡¯m looking forward to the tears when I finally break you!¡¹

    ¡ºDid you just say you¡¯ll make Fran cry!? Enough with this crap! You¡¯re dead!¡»

    £¨Master, calm down.£©

 Chapter 1173: Sigrald

    <h4>Chapter 1173: Sigrald</h4>

    As we continued the battle with Onught, Maleficent and Persona came to back us up.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono! What is this monster?¡¹

    ¡¸Onught. He¡¯s some kinda weirdo.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! Aw, that stings, but I guess it¡¯s true! Besides, calling me a monster is pretty harsh, Prince!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Maleficent flinched at this statement, which was pretty unusual. Well, only a slight reaction though.

    ¡¸¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Someone in a simr situation to you! Only you awakened your inner factor, and I had the factors injected into me!¡¹

    ¡¸Another one of thatb¡¯s guinea pigs, huh?¡¹

    ¡¸And that¡¯s not all! I was born in Sophiard too! Well, I guess there¡¯s a big difference between royalty and some criminal from the slums!¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Maleficent and Onught shared the same home country! To think they would meet here, so many years after the country¡¯s fall¡­

    ¡¸Why do you serve Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! Raydoss bound me with a contract and turned me into their ve! Would you let me off the hook if I said that?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid not. In the first ce, fiends can¡¯t be bound by a ve contract.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, really. The evil energy within their bodies always ends up distorting the contract. It might work for a short period of time, but not several years.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    While fiends can be dominated by more powerful fiends, it seems impossible to bind them with ve contracts like Onught imed.

    ¡¸I¡¯m just using Raydoss! Thisnd is our sanctuary!¡¹

    Onught shouted this while wriggling all of his tentacles. His expression contained a crazy amount of joy.

    ¡¸Can you feel the breath of the Evil God?! No other god will ever grant true salvation! Only the Evil God gave me power and sce! Thend of Raydoss, where the Evil God¡¯s body sleeps, is truly our sacred ground! And, Saintess! You should be capable of calling the Evil God into your body! Rejoice, for once you do, I¡¯ll take you as my partner! We will transform thisnd into a wicked sanctuary together! Heheheheh!¡¹

    Huh? Taking Fran¡­ as his partner?

    ¡ºGNRRRGHH!¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    Unforgivable! You disgusting tentacle freak! There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll marry a beauty like Fran! I wouldn¡¯t let youy a finger on her even if you were a hot dude!

    This guy really knows how to get on my nerves!

    Now I can sympathize with Maleficent¡¯s anger when Persona got taken away.

    ¡ºI¡¯m gonna teach this creepy tentacle pervert how to shut up! Let¡¯s hurry up and beat the crap out of him!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    But that¡¯s exactly why I shouldn¡¯t jump in without thinking. Doing so would only put Fran at a disadvantage.

    Calm down, me! I can¡¯t allow myself to lose my cool at such an important movement!

    Fran gently stroked my de as I was trembling with anger. She looked strangely gentle, or rather, happy.

    £¨Master, thank you.£©

    ¡ºHuh? For what?¡»

    £¨For getting angry for me.£©

    Fran smiled and nodded at me, before reading my de.

    ¡¸Onught, you¡¯re going down!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    ¡¸Hehehehe! The Saintess and Prince at the same time! This might mean trouble, so I won¡¯t hold back either! Come forth, pig!¡¹

    Pig? Is he going to summon an orc fiend to assist him?

    However, the figure who crawled out of Onught¡¯s body wasn¡¯t an orc. A humanoid undead? But¡­

    ¡ºWhat the hell is that?¡»

    ¡¸Metallic?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    The creature was about two meters tall. At first I recognized him as an obese, heavily armored man, but realized my mistake upon closer inspection. His entire right arm was metallic, and his fleshy left arm had metal parts embedded all over.

    Moreover, he had a giant iron mask-like thing attached to his head.

    And he¡¯s emitting evil energy quite simr in wavelength to Onught¡¯s.

    Was this undead somehow fused with evil energy and one of Raydoss¡¯s relics?

    ¡¸Buhahaha! So this is what an undead body feels like! Simply wonderful!¡¹

    ¡¸Pig! Feast on them!¡¹

    ¡¸How insolent you are to your former master, fiendmancer Onught! I shall obey you, but only for this moment!¡¹

    Onught¡¯s former master?

    My doubt was cleared up immediately afterwards. The undead boldly proimed his identity.

    ¡¸Lower your heads, inferior beings of Kranzel! I am the South Conquest Duke, Sigrald! Offer yourselves up as my sustenance!¡¹

    Huh? South Conquest Duke? He¡¯s really the South Conquest Duke?

    If he¡¯s undead, doesn¡¯t that mean someone already killed him? Moreover, it seems like he¡¯s being controlled by Onught!

    Now both the West and South Conquest Duke somehow died without us knowing it!

    ¡ºWait a minute, are we sure he¡¯s the real deal?¡»

    I activated appraisal, but it didn¡¯t work properly. Might be due to his relic, or maybe the cloak of evil energy around him.

    All I could see was the name. This undead is, without a doubt, Sigrald. Now the only question is if he¡¯s disguising his name¡­ Wait, actually, I don¡¯t even know if that¡¯s the South Conquest Duke¡¯s real name.

    Whatever, there¡¯s no point for further conjecture. I¡¯ll just temporarily call him the South Conquest Duke for now. Either way, he¡¯s pretty damn strong.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono. May I leave Onught to you?¡¹

    ¡¸Are you okay fighting?¡¹

    Maleficent has triggered Divine Sword Release multiple times today, so he should be quite exhausted. Perhaps that¡¯s why they chose now tounch their attack. Can he even fight while protecting Persona in his current state?

    Maleficent nodded without taking his eyes off the South Conquest Duke.

    ¡¸The South Conquest Duke and his predecessors are the mortal enemies of Sophiard, directly responsible for my nation¡¯s destruction¡­ I can no longer run. Furthermore, I can sense something swirling within the undead duke, the grudges of my former people¡­¡¹

    It seems the South Conquest Duke had used the grudges of Sophiard citizens to turn himself into an undead. The very same people who his predecessors annihted.

    I guess there¡¯s no turning back now. Not sure if Maleficent really has the right toin about genocides, but that¡¯s not something I want to say to his face.

    ¡¸Master, we¡¯ll take Onught.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    ¡¸Heheheheh! I¡¯ll tear you apart limb from limb, until you cry for mercy!¡¹

    ¡¸You won¡¯t get the chance!¡¹

 Chapter 1174: Onslaughts Goal

    <h4>Chapter 1174: Onught''s Goal</h4>

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    Fran lunged at Onught, but he simply put on a creepy smirk without any attempt to defend himself.

    ¡¸Hehehehe! It¡¯s useless!¡¹

    Onught likely has a full understanding of his potent regenerative and defensive capabilities as a fiend. Plus, he knows that the divine-infused sh we gave him earlier did little damage.

    He simplyughed at Fran¡¯s futile attempts to damage him. Perhaps he even found it convenient that we¡¯reing to him.

    However, our earlier strike was merely an attack to gauge Onught¡¯s strength.

    This time, we¡¯ll get serious about taking him down.

    I activated Evil Crusher and Evil Conquest with all my might. Furthermore, Fran enveloped my de with divine energy.

    ¡¸Teyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAAAHHH! It hurts!¡¹

    Despiteining about the pain, he still appeared to be in decent condition. He maintained his smile after the huge wound was engraved into his body.

    However, the grotesque face emerging from the tip of his tentacle suddenly panicked.

    ¡¸W-Why isn¡¯t it regenerating¡­!?¡¹

    The wounds that should have regenerated oozed disgusting liquids. They had hardly recovered at all.

    As for us, I managed to restore my durability by absorbing his power through Evil Conquest. Considering all my anti-fiend skills, I might be more suited for fighting them than most other enemies.

    ¡¸W-What did you do?!¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAAH! Fuck! Stop!¡¹

    ¡¸Haah!¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAAH!¡¹

    Fran¡¯sbo chipped away at Onught¡¯s body. Seems like it¡¯s only a matter of time at this rate.

    Or so I thought, but things can never be that simple.

    ¡¸Hehehehehe! What¡¯s wrong! Keep iting!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºHe suddenly got stronger¡­?¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi seemed concerned about the surroundings. Or rather, the ground? I see, there¡¯s definitely a strange power flowing into Onught from his tentacles extending underground. This power was a tad different from ordinary mana.

    ¡ºGrudges?¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Since Urushi was capable of necromancy, he could sense grudges better than me.

    Was Onught also an undead? Or maybe he¡¯s skilled in necromancy in addition to being a fiendmancer?

    In any case, he seems to have an ability for converting grudges into power. Instead of regenerating himself, it seemed like he was recreating his body.

    ¡¸Hehehehe! The countless grudges ingrained in thisnd shall be my sustenance! This ce has been a battlefield countless times, with hundreds of thousands of deaths! It¡¯s a literal treasure trove!¡¹

    While devouring the grudges of Sophiard, Onught shouted again.

    ¡¸As expected of the Evil God¡¯s Saintess! I never expected you to erode my evil energy to this extent! And how can you remain so calm after absorbing this much evil!?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph.¡¹

    ¡¸Ow! Come on! No need to be so hostile! Let¡¯s enjoy our conversation!¡¹

    ¡¸I refuse!¡¹

    ¡¸Grr!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwaah! This wolf is plenty abnormal too!¡¹

    Looks like Urushi¡¯s Dimension Fang works on Onught too. Attacks with the dimension attribute physically shave off chunks of the target¡¯s body, so they can deal plenty of damage, though not as effective as Evil Crusher or divine energy.

    After sensing the threat, Onught distanced himself by teleporting his massive body in an instant.

    His ability to teleport using evil energy must be why he¡¯s so confident in surviving our attacks. He had the perfect tool for escaping any situation.

    Well, it won¡¯t work against us since we can sense evil energy though!

    ¡¸Gyaaah! Why!¡¹

    We immediately teleported in pursuit of Onught, delivering a direct hit. He seemed quite surprised, with his massive body and tentacles iling greatly along with his scream.

    But he also had something in store for us.

    ¡¸Heheh! Got you now! Thanks foring so close!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    Tentacles all over Onught¡¯s body suddenly spewed out something like a ck smoke all at once. I thought it might be poison, but no.

    It¡¯s a concentrated mist of evil energy. The contamination in the air was magnified ten times over.

    ¡¸No clue how you¡¯re managing to use evil energy, but a non-fiend like you can¡¯t stay sane after taking in this much! Now fall! Join us in evil! Show me the birth of my greatest fiend!¡¹

    Makes sense. He was attempting to turn Fran into a fiend by infusing her with a crapton of evil energy.

    The evil surrounding us right now gave me a familiar feeling. Reminds me of how the Evil God Fragment¡¯s aura kept telling me to ¡°destroy everything¡±.

    Any ordinary person exposed to this would indeed go insane, mutating into a fiend.

    Since Onught was very quick to release this dense cloud, he probably intended to corrupt Fran from the beginning.

    However, both Fran and Urushi remained unchanged. The two only showed a small sign of surprise before resuming their attack on Onught.

    ¡¸H-How?!¡¹

    Normally, it should be incredibly difficult to fight properly in these conditions. That said, we had the ability topletely nullify the effects of evil energy, so it was merely a slight hindrance to our vision.

    ¡¸UGAAAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸KILL THEM!¡¹

    ¡¸GROOOAAAH!¡¹

    While we were unaffected, the mist did have an impact on those around us.

    The soldiers in the vicinity started turning on us. Even a slight leak of the dense evil mist was enough to drive them insane.

    What now? Can we stall the berserk soldiers without killing them?

    As I pondered whether or not I should focus on stalling, some new figures appeared on the battlefield.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono! There she is! Everyone, move in and support her!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡ºEh? Who are they?¡»

    ¡¸Insectkin?¡¹

    ¡ºY-You¡¯re right! Half-insectkin, just like Neidhart!¡»

    Several half-insectkin made an elegant entrance into the battle, though all of them were unfamiliar faces.

 Chapter 1175: Side - Adventurers and Soldiers

    <h4>Chapter 1175: Side - Adventurers and Soldiers</h4>

    <strong>Side - Former Delinquent Adventurers</strong>

    ¡ºDESTROY! DESTROY! <strong>DESTROY</strong>!¡»

    Ever since inhaling that ck mist-like substance, I began hearing screams in my head.

    Who is it?

    Dunno.

    Despite the excruciating headache from the screams, I couldn¡¯t resist their words. I felt like I had to obey that sweet and domineering voice.

    Destroy?

    Yeah. I will destroy.

    Or rather, I want to destroy. Destroy what? Everything! I want to break, ruin, and annihte everything in front of me!

    ¡¸OOOOUUUUUUUGH! DESTROY!¡¹

    Once I obeyed the voice, I found myself surging with power. Simply amazing. Let me savor this feeling.

    Will I feel even better once everything is ruined?

    I must look for a target worthy of destruction¡­

    There you are.

    A child, a beautiful girl with ck hair and cat ears. She¡¯s currently engaged with a massive blob, our master.

    The girl¡¯s battle was like a dance.

    Worthy of destruction. Yes, I must kill that girl who looks like the captain¡­

    No wait, she doesn¡¯t simply look like the captain; she <i>is</i> our Captain. Her swordy was so graceful, making her very worthy of killing. Huh? Why am I thinking about killing her? Actually, why do I want to destroy stuff in the first ce? All of us together don¡¯t even stand a chance against her.

    The captain¡¯s simply too amazing. Stern but also kind, not to mention strong. Plus, she never abandoned us, no matter how hopeless we were. She went out of her way to reeducate us.

    I used to be amon thug. I always hated studying, and couldn¡¯t be bothered to find an honest job. My shenanigans eventually made me lose my ce in the vige¡­ so I ran away to be an adventurer.

    That said, being an adventurer wasn¡¯t all rainbows and sunshine either. My bad behavior prevented me from rising any higher than Rank D. I ended up spending my days as a vagabond, causing trouble in various towns before running to the next one. Joining the war wasn¡¯t for Kranzel, but because the pay was good, and I heard we could plunder our enemies for everything they had.

    We found ourselves assigned to a transport unit for some reason, and that¡¯s where we met the Captain.

    Those marches were hellishly tough.

    At the time, I wondered what we did to deserve such torture, but now I¡¯m grateful. It¡¯s thanks to her that we were able to change.

    It¡¯s not just me. I¡¯m sure every member of the transport unit is grateful.

    ¡ºDESTROY!¡»

    No! I owe the Captain, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯m gonna kill her! And who the fuck are you?!

    ¡ºDESTROY!¡»

    ¡¸I said <strong>NO</strong>!¡¹

    Huh? The voice disappeared. What was that all about?

    More importantly, what¡¯s wrong with everyone? Their eyes look vacant or something¡­ I need to wake them up so we can back up the Captain!

    ¡¸UROOOHH! CURRY!¡¹

    ¡¸Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸Captain! Curry!¡¹

    Hahaha! It seems there are some more members of that transport unit here!

    <strong>Side - Kranzel Soldier</strong>

    ¡ºDESTROY!¡»

    I set off, obeying the mysterious voice.

    Destroy. Destroy. Destroy everything! Every single¨D¨D

    ¡¸Oi! Snap out of it!¡¹

    What? Who the hell is this guy? Oh right, that one weirdo from the adventurer squad? He has the strange habit of asionally saying ¡°curry¡± at the end of his sentences.

    Why did he punch me?

    Huh? Wait, where am I? My head suddenly feels clear. O-Ow! The cheek where I got hit is starting to sting!

    ¡¸W-Why did you have to hit me?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ve finallye to your senses! Anyway, hurry up and start punching the other guys! Don¡¯t make any more trouble for the Captain!¡¹

    Captain? Oh, you mean that little ck cat girl. I hear she¡¯s a Rank B adventurer, despite her size.

    I don¡¯t doubt it. After all, I saw her fighting with my own eyes.

    That kid¡¯s amazing. She¡¯s small, but strong and works hard. If she didn¡¯t save us on the battlefield, we might all be dead right now. Yet she¡¯s about the same age as my daughter¡­

    If that girl is working her butt off, then we have to as well. As an adult, I can¡¯t just sit on my ass and leave everything to her.

    ¡¸Oi! I still have no clue what¡¯s going on, but wake up!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh!¡¹

    ¡¸D-Did I hit him too hard?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Where am I?¡¹

    My colleague, whom I had just punched, blinked his eyes and took a look around.

    Thank goodness, it seems he woke up. Apparently, the soldiers around here were being controlled by some strange power.

    Must be because of that weird voice. But we can knock some sense into them with a strong enough impact.

    ¡¸Oi! We were being controlled by some weird magic, and causing trouble for the ck cat girl over there!¡¹

    ¡¸What!? I have to redeem myself!¡¹

    My colleague suddenly perked up when he saw her. He¡¯s always been a big fan of hers.

    ¡¸So I should just wake them up by punching them, like you did to me?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Don¡¯t bother holding back!¡¹

    ¡¸Gotcha!¡¹

    She actually has many fans among the soldiers due to being cute, strong, and yet, so earnest. Many of them flew into a rage when they heard she was once an illegal ve.

    They¡¯ll surelye back to their senses once they see her again.

    ¡¸Come on! Wake up!¡¹

 Chapter 1176: Ruler of Evil

    <h4>Chapter 1176: Ruler of Evil</h4>

    A bunch of half-insectkin suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono! We¡¯ll provide support!¡¹

    I don¡¯t see Neidhart, but they¡¯re definitely allies. Perhaps they¡¯re members of his mercenary brigade, Antennae and Shell.

    The half-insectkin seemed to grasp the situation quickly, since they headed over to handle the soldiers. Fran shouted a warning.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t kill them!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that!¡¹

    I know we¡¯re asking them to do something quite reckless, but they nodded firmly and started fighting the soldiers without killing them.

    All of them were originally normal soldiers, but they¡¯ve be much stronger due to their berserk state. I think that caused them to lose their sense of pain.

    Despite dealing with such troublesome opponents, the half-insectkin fought with ease. They were remarkably strong.

    The woman who spoke first seemed to be a scorpion half-insectkin. She had a hard shell, and a long tail extending from the back of her waist. Of course, her tail had a stinger at the end of it.

    She could manipte her tail, wrapping it around her opponents or using it like a whip. I bet she¡¯d use her venomous stinger too if she wasn¡¯t being forced to fight non-lethally.

    Apparently, she could also transform one of her arms into a pincer. The woman intercepted the weapons the soldiers wielded with her pincers and shattered them.

    Rather than ¡°powerful¡±, I would describe herbat style as ¡°skillful¡±.

    There¡¯s one more guy who was notably stronger than the rest. He appeared to be a stag beetle half-insectkin.

    Though he didn¡¯t have any special abilities, he¡¯s incredibly tough, fast, and strong.

    He deflected the attacks of the soldiers with his armor and then smashed them away with his drum-sized thick arms. Some he grabbed tightly and hurled them into the air.

    In any case, his fighting style was physical and powerful.

    Apart from these two, the others were also seasoned veterans.

    I noticed a butterfly and moth half-insectkin from a distance, but I¡¯m not too sure about the rest. Many of them hardly looked any different from humans.

    They intentionally engaged the soldiers in a conspicuous manner to draw their attention. Since Onught seemed intent on using the soldiers as hostages, we found that quite helpful.

    We should be able to leave the soldiers to them for a while.

    Furthermore, we had more good news.

    Some of the adventurers who went berserk due to evil energy had regained their sanity. Much to our surprise, they managed to wake up on their own.

    What¡¯s more, this happened on a wide scale. Each and every one of them was a familiar face.

    ¡¸UROOOHH! CURRY!¡¹

    ¡¸Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸Captain! Curry!¡¹

    The former delinquent adventurers from the transport unit. Perhaps surviving Fran¡¯s boot camp strengthened them mentally? Or maybe seeing Fran gave them some kind of mental stimulus?

    Either way, it seems the evil power driving them mad wasn¡¯t as strong as we thought. It¡¯s not like the Evil God was controlling them directly or anything.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t cause trouble for the Captain!¡¹

    ¡¸You guys! Don¡¯t get in the Captain¡¯s way!¡¹

    ¡¸Now is the chance to repay the Captain! Charge!¡¹

    Man, they adore Fran so much¡­ I-I still won¡¯t give Fran to you though!

    But I¡¯ll make sure to thank themter!

    The men who regained their sanity were punching the nearby soldiers and adventurers to wake them up. Astonishing decisiveness and judgment. Fran¡¯s boot camp must have awakened their potential.

    In addition, I learned from watching the former transport unit members that waking up the berserk soldiers wasn¡¯t that difficult.

    ¡ºFran, pin Onught down for a moment! I¡¯ll try something to bring everyone back to normal!¡»

    £¨Okay!£©

    I activated Evil Conquest to gather the surrounding evil energy, but I found myself getting way more than I bargained for.

    It wasn¡¯t just the evil energy drifting in the surroundings; I was also absorbing power from the rampaging soldiers and adventurers themselves.

    This should allow me to restore their sanity, but¡­

    ¡¸B-ck Lightning Princess-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸No!¡¹

    Both the half-insectkin and the adventurers who regained their sanity screamed in despair. Shit, from their point of view, it looks like Fran is under attack by a ton of evil energy!

    However, seeing the rampaging men waking up one after another, they realized that Fran was doing this on purpose. Our allies quickly regained theirposure.

    ¡¸Everyone, evacuate!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Understood! Curry! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Great! Thanks to them immediately beginning the retreat, the other soldiers started running too!

    ¡ºLet¡¯s take this chance to deal with Onught! I have to maintain Evil Conquest, so I¡¯ll leave the offense to you.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I may have restored everyone¡¯s sanity, but they¡¯ll simply go berserk again if the area is still steeped in evil energy. Thus, I had no choice but to continue concentrating on Evil Conquest.

    ¡¸Tch! In that case¡­!¡¹

    Onught seemed like he was about to do something¡­ Then he froze, his expression filled with astonishment.

    ¡¸Why?! Damn it! Why can¡¯t I move!? The evil energy is leaving my control!¡¹

    It seems he tried to escape via teleportation after realizing that he was at a disadvantage. But once his spell failed, he went into a panic.

    ¡ºHaha! Sess!¡»

    All the surrounding evil energy belongs to me now! Even the evil energy Onught was trying to use immediately fell under my control!

    Seems like I¡¯m better at handling evil energy than him.

    Teleporting was yourst lifeline. How does it feel to have that taken away?

    ¡¸Shit! Fine, I¡¯ll simply devour you first and absorb your powers!¡¹

    ¡¸Just try me!¡¹

    You tried to run in the first ce because you knew you¡¯d lose! It was checkmate the moment we backed you into a corner!

 Chapter 1177: The Dukes Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 1177: The Duke''s Provocation</h4>

    It wasn¡¯t just us. The battle between Maleficent and the South Conquest Duke intensified as well.

    ¡¸Bow down to me!¡¹

    The South Conquest Duke was like a walking arsenal of relics.

    Embedded in his paunchy belly was a methrower simr to what the mech used. On his back was a lightning generator. He spewed a cold mist from his right arm, as his left hand held a gun resembling a mass-produced Carmine me. He shotsers from his eyes, the device on his shoulder attempted to bind Maleficent with steel threads.

    None of these had the power of the Red Knight¡¯s relics, but his repertoire was incredibly diverse.

    Furthermore, the South Conquest Duke fought very rationally despite his undead transformation. He never overextended, and didn¡¯t fall for Maleficent¡¯s taunts. Plus, he seemed to have a relic for defense as well. The battle was almost certain to be a long one.

    Well, I¡¯m sure it would be over the instant Maleficent releases his divine sword¡­ But he probably can¡¯t, due to his fatigue from the earlier battles.

    His movementscked their usual luster, so he¡¯s clearly pushing himself close to the limit.

    That said, Maleficent stayed in the fight with a variety of abilities. The masked man had numerous skills unknown to us, which he used to make a fool of the South Conquest Duke with his versatile fighting style.

    ¡¸Stop with these party tricks!¡¹

    ¡¸Why should I? Pathetic, and you call yourself a duke? Looks more like a pig to me.¡¹

    ¡¸Bwooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I see you really are a pig! Such pitiful squealing!¡¹

    Maleficent continued provoking the duke, trying to lure him into a trap. However, no matter how infuriated the South Conquest Duke became, he never acted in haste.

    In fact, the South Conquest Duke started taunting as well.

    ¡¸Fallen souls,e forth! Have a reunion with the living!¡¹

    ¡¸OROOOH!¡¹

    ¡¸IT HUUUUURTS!¡¹

    Skeletons d in matching armor spawned from the ground. Ordinary skeletons. Such weak undead wouldn¡¯t even buy him a single second against Maleficent.

    Despite that, Maleficent¡¯s movements clearly slowed down.

    ¡¸Th-That armor¡­¡¹

    ¡¸PRIIIIINCE!¡¹

    ¡¸SAAAAAVE USSS!¡¹

    It seems they¡¯re wearing the armor of Maleficent¡¯s homnd. Quite a sneaky move!

    ¡¸Bwahaha! Digging here is enough to get as many specimens as I want! But they were so weak that we easily wiped them out, so they¡¯re only good as meatwalls!¡¹

    Shouted the South Conquest Duke as he crushed the skeletons with a squishing sound. This tauntnded a critical hit on Maleficent¡¯s pride.

    ¡¸YOU RAYDOSS SCUM!¡¹

    Maleficent flew into a mad fury.

    With his horns shing, he charged into the skeletons, intending to put them to sleep with his own hands. He made sure all of them burned to ash.

    ¡¸Bwahaha! You seem quite angry! Have some more!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn you!¡¹

    Maleficent burned down the skeletons as they were summoned one after another. But in the next moment, he was forced to jump backward.

    His arm had been sliced wide open. A strong individual had been hidden among the weak skeletons. Moreover, the wound wasn¡¯t regenerating.

    ¡¸Bwahaha! How do you like my Demon yer? Does it hurt?¡¹

    It seems Raydoss knew that Maleficent was on the verge of being dominated by a Wrath Demon.

    The taunt was intended to make him furious, creating an opening to m him with the Demon yer. Everything went ording to the South Conquest Duke¡¯s n.

    ¡¸Maleficent!¡¹

    Maleficent had suffered major damage from the Demon yer. Is he going to be okay? His life force was clearly diminishing.

    At that moment, Persona moved into action.

    ¡¸Loo!¡¹

    ¡¸Wha-! Persona, stop!¡¹

    ¡¸La!¡¹

    Persona¡¯s song! Maleficent tried to stop her, but Persona continued to sing while shedding tears. After a few seconds, a miracle urred to change the flow of battle.

    ¡¸What is this?!¡¹

    All the skeletons controlled by the South Conquest Duke disappeared, as a warm light filled the surroundings.

    ¡¸Prince¡­ I wish for your happiness¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Glory to Sophiard¡­¡¹

    The soul fragments were freed from their grudges, and ascended to the heavens with happy smiles. Simultaneously, Maleficent¡¯splexion improved slightly.

    It seems Persona had also healed him at the same time.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean everything was fine. Persona copsed while Maleficent was watching his former subordinates in awe.

    ¡¸Persona!¡¹

    She¡¯s unconscious, though it didn¡¯t seem to be life-threatening¡­ Maybe she¡¯ll be fine?

    But right after that, someone within me flew into a rage, so furious that they forced their way out.

    ¡ºOi! Avenger, you again?!¡»

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! My god! My priestess! Many thanks for allowing my participation again, I appreciate it!¡¹

    I never allowed this! You just came out on your own!

    Come to think of it, I noticed the Evil God Fragment acting in secret a while ago. There¡¯s no way I can control this much evil energy by myself! You¡¯re the obvious culprit!

 Chapter 1178: Avengers Unauthorized Revival

    <h4>Chapter 1178: Avenger''s Unauthorized Revival</h4>

    Persona had purified the ghosts of Sophiard, then evil energy overflowed from me on its own.

    ¡ºOi! Avenger, you again?!¡»

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! My god! My priestess! Many thanks for allowing my participation again, I appreciate it!¡¹

    I never allowed this! The Evil God is doing the same thing as before!

    ¡ºFine! I won¡¯tin since this is an emergency, but you better stoping out on your own! It¡¯s super annoying and you¡¯re bing a nuisance!¡»

    ¡¸Fuhahaha!¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯tugh me off!¡»

    Well, Avenger was clearly enhanced by the power of the evil god. He¡¯s powerful enough to help us.

    ¡ºYou wanna take on the South Conquest Duke, right?¡»

    ¡¸Oh! As expected of my god¡¯s keen insight!¡¹

    I can only tell because of our magical connection!

    ¡¸He¡­ is someone I cannot allow to go free.¡¹

    The generally cheerful Avenger red at the duke with a stare befitting an undead. ck, vicious curses poured out from his rotten eyes.

    This might be his true nature.

    ¡ºFine, but listen to Maleficent, okay?¡»

    ¡¸Oh! To think I would fight once again under the prince¡¯smand! This must be fate! Fuhahaha!¡¹

    Avenger was a poison-focused undead enhanced by the Evil God, so anything less than divine poison will have no effect on him. He seems pretty suited for supporting Maleficent.

    ¡ºWe can revive you again as long as you don¡¯t disappearpletely. Don¡¯t overdo it.¡»

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! To receive such a kind voice from my god! I am deeply moved!¡¹

    ¡ºUgh! Just go!¡»

    ¡¸As youmand!¡¹

    After suddenly appearing next to us, Avenger dashed across the ground and jumped on the South Conquest Duke.

    He had to pass through a vortex of mes, but there was no hesitation in his movements.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Take this, pig!¡¹

    Avenger ignored the mes incinerating his body as he mmed his fist into South Conquest Duke. Judging by his insults for the duke, he must be consumed by anger.

    Even the South Conquest Duke seemed bewildered by the sudden appearance of a ghoul cloaked in evil energy.

    ¡¸W-Who are you!? Dammit!¡¹

    ¡¸You ordered my creation, and you already forgot?!¡¹

    ¡¸It can¡¯t be¡­!? The Genocide Ghoul that Onught lost?!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Precisely!¡¹

    ¡¸Why are you doing this¡­?!¡¹

    ¡¸Because my god said so!¡¹

    Avenger shouted as he clung to the South Conquest Duke, enduring explosions and lightning strikes. Likely due to borrowing power from the evil god, his body regenerated instantly even when half of it was blown away.

    ¡¸Our arch-nemesis! This is where you meet your end!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah! Back off!¡¹

    Avenger dug his long ws into the duke. A barrage of various attacks rained down on him from the relics embedded all over the duke¡¯s body.

    But Avenger was terrifyingly tenacious. Even with his whole body in tatters, he refused to let go.

    ¡¸Futile! You can¡¯t shake off our grudges with such a pitiful attack!¡¹

    ¡¸You rotting fleshbag!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Have you looked in a mirrortely, rotting fleshbag!¡¹

    ¡¸I chose to take this body of my own will! To settle the score! Now I must destroy you with my own hands as an apology to the king!¡¹

    ¡¸This pig seems to enjoy squealing! Unfortunately, I¡¯m not familiar with pig speak! Oink oink!¡¹

    ¡¸Gnnngh!¡¹

    Avenger¡¯s desperate attempt to pin the duke down should have made him look like a tragic hero. However, it turned into something more like aedy due to Avenger¡¯s usual behavior.

    That said, his resolve was genuine.

    ¡¸Prince! Take him down even if it kills me!¡¹

    Avenger shouted with the face of a proud warrior, and Maleficent understood his resolve. He readied his weapon to ensure that Avenger¡¯s resolve wouldn¡¯t end in vain.

    ¡¸I appreciate your determination, here Ie.¡¹

    Maleficent swung down the stone de, though it seems like he didn¡¯t activate Divine Sword Release.

    That¡¯s a relief. If he had unleashed Hell¡¯s power here, the entire Kranzel army would easily get wiped out.

    Still, that didn¡¯t mean his attack was weak.

    ¡¸Get off me! Damn, where is this ridiculous strengthing from?!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Thanks to my god, my power has increased several times over! You will never escape my grasp!¡¹

    ¡¸You dead need to stay dead!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! You are just as dead as me! Let us enter the afterlife together!¡¹

    ¡¸BWOOOOH!¡¹

    ¡¸Perish!¡¹

    Maleficent¡¯s de cut through both Avenger and the duke¡¯s massive body, as his death throes echoed across the camp.

    Swung straight down from above, the divine sword Hell had cleaved both of their bodies in half.

    The severed area turned ck, corroding even further due to the Hell¡¯s power of annihtion. The bodies of the two began crumbling apart.

    And at the end, Avenger and the South Conquest Duke fully vanished.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve won.¡¹

    Persona, who had been watching after recovering from unconsciousness, began shedding tears. Maleficent also seemed somewhat mncholic. They must be mourning for Avenger.

    Uh, sorry! You see, Avenger actually just kinda came back inside me. It seems the Evil God Fragment collected him just before hepletely vanished. He felt a lot weaker than before, but he¡¯ll probably recover and do his signature annoyingugh soon enough.

 Chapter 1179: Onslaughts Demise

    <h4>Chapter 1179: Onught''s Demise</h4>

    Persona and Maleficent were feeling down, thinking that Avenger had died. But he¡¯s actually back inside me! It¡¯s alright!

    Well, not that we have any time to tell them right now!

    Our battle with Onught was also reaching its climax.

    ¡¸Dammit! You should be no match for me now that I¡¯ve absorbed so many grudges, so why¡­?!¡¹

    The amount of grudges flowing into Onught had dramatically decreased, and his power was clearly weakening. It seems Avenger stole a significant portion of the grudges infused into thend.

    Actually, I suppose Onught is the thief from Avenger¡¯s perspective.

    Despite Avenger¡¯s annoying habit of breaking the serious mood, he did his job well.

    With the supply of grudges disrupted, Onught weakened more than I expected, turning surprisingly fragile. Each of our attacks began chipping off a huge chunk of his massive body.

    ¡ºFran, this is our chance!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸GWAAAHHH! Why is this happening?! Get back! Stay away from me!¡¹

    Onught wildly swung his countless tentacles, though Fran managed to slip past them all and reach his main body.

    ¡ºShow us your weakspot!¡»

    ¡¸Gwoh! M-My body¡¯s moving on its own?!¡¹

    I applied Evil Conquest directly to Onught. This was intended to draw his core-like part closer to the surface of his body, but¡­

    Onught¡¯s body undted greatly, revealing a magic stone-like object with a nasty color right in front of us.

    I know why it was so easy: the Evil God Fragment.

    It backed up Evil Conquest without any input from me, enhancing the power behind mymand.

    I sensed it getting smug, as if trying to say ¡°Feel free to thank me¡±.

    Should I be angry that the Evil God is still acting up, or should I be grateful that it helped us? I honestly don¡¯t know, but Onught is more important right now.

    Fran instinctively knew that this was the weak spot. Well, anyone could tell just by looking at it.

    She struck at the exposed core with all her might.

    ¡¸Heavenly Judgment!¡¹

    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAHHH!¡¹

    The core was cleaved in half, and Onught emit a high-pitched scream. Immediately after, his entire body crumbled like sand and disappeared.

    I thought it would be hard-fought battle, but we actually won quite easily. I sensed the Evil God radiating something along the lines of ¡°All thanks to me!¡±

    Yeah, yeah, you helped! That said, you still need to stop acting on your own in the future, okay? Seriously, you might get me and Fran into some big trouble! You too, Avenger! Stop making so much noise if you¡¯re supposed to be injured! Geez!

    Anyways, let¡¯s inform Maleficent and Persona about Avenger¡¯s safety¡­

    ¡¸Gwah!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Huh? What just¡­!?

    ¡¸Maleficent!¡¹

    Maleficent suddenly screamed in pain.

    A skeleton had appeared out of nowhere and thrust his arm into Maleficent¡¯s chest from behind.

    ¡¸Kukakah! Got you!¡¹

    ¡¸Grh¡­!¡¹

    We had let our guards down after defeating Onught and the South Conquest Duke.

    With Nameless¡¯s arm impaling his chest from behind, Maleficent could do little but grunt in pain.

    ¡¸Kukakah! You¡¯re quitepatible with the grudges of thisnd, huh? I see you have little trouble moving even after getting infused with so much negative energy!¡¹

    ¡¸G-GWAAAAH!¡¹

    Grudges erupted from the skeleton¡¯s arm, corroding Maleficent¡¯s body. He groaned in pain.

    Fran immediately moved to intervene, but it was toote.

    ¡¸Nameless!¡¹

    ¡ºDidn¡¯t Maleficent already kill him¡­? No, he must have killed his body double, Wickerman!¡»

    Hepletely fooled us since they looked so simr! Maybe the real reason he kept persistently attacking earlier was so that he could fake his death?

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah¡­!¡¹

    Nameless threw Maleficent to the side and grabbed Persona¡¯s arm.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Persona¡¯s face contorted in fear, but Maleficent¡¯s expression was utterly terrifying. His face was so consumed with wrath that I almost thought his demonic transformation wasplete.

    Maleficent drew Hell while still lying on the ground. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to activate it again. You¡¯ll literally die of exhaustion before the demon can even take you over!

    Perhaps the danger to Persona made him forget everything else. Even if he remembered, I doubt he would hesitate if it was to save Persona.

    Either way, we can¡¯t let Maleficent endanger himself any further!

    That said, Maleficent never got the chance.

    ¡¸LET GO OF PERSONA!! <strong>DIVINE SWORD</strong>¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡¸No! Don¡¯t die!¡¹

    The voice just now was Persona¡¯s, right? I think that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard her speaking actual words.

    Moreover, this wasn¡¯t merely a scream. She had ordered Maleficent. Despite holding the divine sword in his hands, Maleficent¡¯s mouth moved without any sound. It seems he was physically incapable of speaking the words ¡°Divine Sword Release¡±.

    ¡¸Persona! Why?!¡¹

    ¡¸Not right now! Don¡¯t get angry!¡¹

 Chapter 1180: Maleficents Lament

    <h4>Chapter 1180: Maleficent''s Lament</h4>

    Persona forcibly stopped Maleficent¡¯s Divine Sword Release with an order.

    Using Divine Sword Release would likely have led to irreversible damage. Persona probably intended to prevent that.

    ¡¸Hah! Come no closer, you lot!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh!¡¹

    Nameless pulled a short sword from his waist and pressed it against Persona¡¯s throat. This was a magic sword with stark pink and purple coloring.

    ¡ºMagic Sword, Zelyse.¡»

    £¨I¡¯m sensing a creepy feeling from it.£©

    Zelyse after having turned into an Intelligence Weapon. The de emit mana with a very sinister aura.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? Scared that your powers have been sealed away?¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Magic Sword Zelyse apparently had the ability to seal Persona¡¯s powers. Was he capable of blocking her use of mana or something?

    ¡¸Kukakah! Dead or alive, I don¡¯t mind one bit. This is no empty threat.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop!¡¹

    Fran shouted, but she was forced to stand down once Nameless pressed the de harder against Persona¡¯s skin. Urushi, who was nning an ambush from the shadows, could do nothing as well.

    ¡¸Kukakakah! This mana wavelength! There can be no mistake! The source of your power is a skill connecting you to an offshoot of the War God!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Nameless shouted like a madman, but then he suddenly let out a pained cry. He covered his face with his hand, which started spasming.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­! I¡¯m hesitating to harm a child, let alone kill them!? How can I, the esteemed ruler of undead, allow myself to get so soft! Dammit! Don¡¯t you invade me!¡¹

    Nameless repeatedly shook his head while mumbling to himself.

    ¡¸My business here is finished!¡¹

    ¡¸PERSONAAA!¡¹

    ¡¸No!¡¹

    Maleficent attempted to move, but was once again stopped by Persona. We couldn¡¯t save her either. Even though Nameless had been somehow incapacitated, Magic Sword Zelyse was still ready and waiting to kill her.

    The next instant, Nameless and Persona vanished before our eyes.

    We could do nothing but watch.

    ¡¸UROOOOOOOOOOGH!¡¹

    Fran grimaced upon hearing Maleficent¡¯s scream. She understood all of the grief in the man¡¯s voice.

    We watched as Maleficent repeatedly pounded his forehead on the ground while wailing. But soon after, Fran suddenly changed her expression and took a step back.

    ¡¸Maleficent¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Ahh.¡¹

    This is bad. Even I can tell.

    ¡¸Ahhhh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn¡­¡¹

    Urushi was clearly scared, and I can sympathize.

    ¡¸<strong>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!</strong>¡¹

    A massive amount of mana overflowed from Maleficent¡¯s body.

    The surge of crimson burst out like a geyser.

    ¡ºG-Get back!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Normally, Maleficent would have gone into a blind fury. But not now, because Persona ordered him to not get angry. Actually, it looked to me like the boiling madness was immediately suppressed right before it was about to reach the surface.

    As a result, it was his grief andment that exploded.

    While still sitting on the ground, Maleficent turned to the heavens and roared.

    ¡¸ACCURSED RAYDOSS FILTH!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡¹

    Then, his screaming came to a abrupt end.

    His arms drooped to the ground, as if he had lost all his energy. Maleficent¡¯s face turned slowly in our direction.

    ¡¸¡­ck Lightning Princess.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡­ I have to go.¡¹

    Maleficent flew up into the sky after his deration. Before we realized it, he had sprouted bat-like wings from his back. There was no change in his clothes or armor, so those must have been created with magic.

    We could only watch as Maleficent flew off into the distant skies. I know he has to chase after Persona, but it¡¯s hard to imagine a happy ending.

    For him, Persona, or even the entire country of Raydoss¡­

    ¡ºFran, there¡¯s no point in staying here anymore. Let¡¯s regroup with the Kranzel army. I also want to hear what the half-insectkin have to say.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Approximately one hourter.

    Things finally started settling down after the sudden ambush.

    Considering all the casualties from this and the fort battle earlier, we took incredibly heavy losses. I don¡¯t think our army was in any state to continue the invasion.

    They promptly decided to regroup with the eastern division, and immediately began preparations for departure. Despite their fatigue, the soldiers followed withoutint, likely too scared to stay in this camp any longer.

    In the midst of all this, we and Jean spoke with the half-insectkin who came to our rescue.

    ¡¸Thanks for the support.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mention it. Raydoss is our mutual enemy.¡¹

    ¡¸As they always say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!¡¹

    Their representative was a female scorpion half-insectkin with reddish-ck hair. The bald man standing beside her seemed to be a beetle half-insectkin.

    All of them had the stiff posture of soldiers, marking them clearly as non-adventurers.

    ¡¸My name is Quint.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Boldor.¡¹

    ¡¸We are members of the mercenary brigade, Antennae and Shell.¡¹

    Neidhart¡¯s subordinates. From what we heard before, they had been defeated in a battle with Raydoss and captured.

    The Kingdom of Raydoss practices istionism, so they refused to engage in prisoner exchanges, leaving any captured soldiers enved. Many were forced to work asbat or mining ves throughout the nation.

    Apparently, they had been rescued by Neidhart very recently.

    The mantis half-insectkin Neidhart had headed to Raydoss, despite the action marking him as an enemy of Kranzel. He stated that his goal was to rescue hisrades, and it seems he aplished his mission.

    That said, why don¡¯t I see him here?

    ¡¸Where is Neidhart?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­We have a favor to ask you regarding that subject.¡¹

    ¡¸Please save our captain! I¡¯m begging you!¡¹

 Chapter 1181: Captured Neidhart

    <h4>Chapter 1181: Captured Neidhart</h4>

    ¡¸¡­We have a favor to ask you regarding that subject.¡¹

    ¡¸Please save our captain! I¡¯m begging you!¡¹

    Quint and Boldor lowered their heads, and the members behind them simultaneously took the same pose.

    ¡¸What happened?¡¹

    ¡¸Captain Neidhart got captured by Raydoss¡­¡¹

    ¡¸He stayed behind to let us escape.¡¹

    Quint and Boldor went on to exin their actions in Raydoss.

    Neidhart first entered the country with Siby and her group, but went his own path shortly after.

    Not because of a quarrel or anything; this had been the n from the beginning.

    Neidhart had assisted Siby in various fields within Kranzel, so now Siby would do the same for him in Raydoss. That was the agreement.

    Furthermore, Neidhart was allowed freedom of movement as long as he refrained from harming civilians, and Siby promised to overlook any crimes Neidhartmitted when rescuing his envedrades. It wasn¡¯t just Siby. The Chancellor, her superior, also gave a seal of approval.

    From the moment Neidhart entered into the contract, the Chancellor had sent a decree to various lords, instructing them to hand over the enved half-insectkin.

    Ostensibly, the decree would utilize the half-insectkin more effectively as military assets. The real goal, however, was returning them to Neidhart.

    Many of the ve ownersplied with the request, and any who didn¡¯t were deemed treasonous. It would save the Chancellor a lot of trouble if Neidhart punished these uncooperative nobles on his own.

    The Chancellor sought information from abroad, and Neidhart was highly useful as a military and intel asset due to his well-traveled mercenary brigade. He also had little affiliation with Raydoss¡¯s enemies: Kranzel, Belioth, and Phyllius. They had every reason to cooperate.

    Offering Neidhart the heads of rebellious nobles ended up benefiting both parties.

    The Chancellor had also assigned Neidhart and his brigade an important mission: the investigation and dismantling of the South Conquest Duke¡¯s secret research facility.

    It was known that multiple half-insectkin were taken into the facility, so Neidhart epted the request.

    ¡¸So he attacked the South Conquest Duke¡¯sb?¡¹

    ¡¸Chancellor-dono apparently wants to restrain the Dukes of the South, West, and East.¡¹

    ¡¸The dukes were known for repeatedly viting orders, so maybe the ideal situation would be to mark them as traitors. However, a civil war will only serve to reduce Raydoss¡¯s national power.¡¹

    The dukes can¡¯t be punished as easily asmon nobles, so the Chancellor was trying to subtly weaken their influence. Thus forcing them to obey.

    Those in Kranzel likely view this as taking way too long for no visible results. But from the Raydoss perspective, the worst-case scenario would be arge-scale internal conflict between them and the dukes.

    Even if the Chancellor was on the moderate side, weakening Raydoss isn¡¯t an option when surrounded by foreign enemies.

    ¡¸We managed to infiltrate the South Conquest Duke¡¯s hideout and sessfully freed the ves.¡¹

    ¡¸But then¡­ we bumped into the monsters of that facility.¡¹

    ording to them, the facility contained strange, powerful monsters that resembled metallic golems. Neidhart managed to defeat them, but then an even more peculiar monster stood in his path.

    They challenged this new foe, who first looked like arge man in metal armor. However, they quickly realized their mistake. This man was not wearing any armor. Instead, various magical tools had been embedded or fused into his body.

    ¡¸And this monster¡¯s identity was Sigrald, the South Conquest Duke.¡¹

    ¡¸The South Conquest Duke turned into a monster?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right.¡¹

    The South Conquest Duke unleashed powerful attacks from the relic-like tools all over his body, incapacitating several of theirrades.

    Neidhart decided the fight was too dangerous, and stayed behind to let his subordinates escape.

    ¡¸But our captain suffered a serious injury and got captured in the end. One of our members with Farsight witnessed this first-hand.¡¹

    ¡¸Captain slew the South Conquest Duke before he fell and got taken away. I¡¯m begging you, help us rescue him!¡¹

    It seems Neidhart was responsible for the South Conquest Duke turning undead.

    They had heard about Kranzel¡¯s movements from the Chancellor, so Neidhart knew Fran was in Raydoss. He apparently recognized Fran as someone likely to assist the brigade, so they were told to ask for her assistance in escaping the country.

    Why us though!

    Rather than getting angry, it seems Fran questioned the meaning of Neidhart¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Neidhart told you to run, not to save him?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, we were supposed to run. However, that is one order we cannot simply follow.¡¹

    ¡¸No way I¡¯m running without our captain¡­!¡¹

    The mercenaries nodded unanimously. I can see how much they admire Neidhart.

    £¨Master.£©

    I see Neidhart as a traitor who betrayed Kranzel for the sake of hisrades. He clearly cared a lot about his old friends, but not so much for everyone else. That said, Fran seemed oddly fond of him. I expect her to insist on joining the rescue.

    There¡¯s also the matter of Persona, so I understand why she wants to stay in Raydoss.

    But it just isn¡¯t that simple.

    ¡º¡­No way.¡»

    We¡¯re currently members of the Kranzel army. How can we just leave without permission to join this rescue mission?

    £¨They¡¯ve finally been freed of very, and they refuse to run¡­ That¡¯s how worried they are about Neidhart.£©

    Having once been a ve herself, Fran understood how much determination that requires. If we don¡¯t lend a hand, they¡¯ll likely go on without us.

    No matter how strong they might be, they can¡¯tpare to Fran and Urushi in terms ofbat strength. It¡¯s practically suicide.

    £¨I don¡¯t want them to die¡­£©

    Even so, it¡¯s just not possible. Going off on our own gets Fran marked as a deserter. There¡¯s no way Kranzel will let go of Fran, especially when they¡¯ve taken such a huge blow to their military.

    Jean, who had remained silent up until now, responded with some unexpected words.

    ¡¸Hmm. After listening to your story, I think it should be fine.¡¹

 Chapter 1182: Kranzels Perspective

    <h4>Chapter 1182: Kranzel''s Perspective</h4>

    Fran wanted nothing more than to save Neidhart with the half-insectkin, but the situation wasplicated.

    She can¡¯t simply abandon the Kranzel army, and infiltrating Raydoss with a small squad poses big risks. Especially since Raydoss has their eyes on her now.

    However, Jean seemed to agree with Fran joining the Neidhart rescue mission.

    ¡¸I think it should be fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Jean shared his thoughts.

    The Kranzel army suffered high casualties, massively exceeding their expected losses. They had little choice but to move back their lines significantly. Worst case, they might even be forced to retreat back to the border.

    As such, they must abandon the territory and forts they¡¯ve taken. Their biggest fear will be the possibility of Raydoss chasing them down. What¡¯s the quickest way to erase that possibility? Causing chaos deeper within the country.

    Guerri warfare by a high-ranking adventurer was the perfect means to sow confusion. Thus, there¡¯s a high possibility that Kranzel will wee Fran¡¯s offer to stay in the country.

    ¡¸Besides, we lose nothing even if youy low for a while. When you eventually do cause amotion, it only serves to benefit us.¡¹

    After listening to Jean¡¯s exnation, Fran only got more motivated.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºHold on, Fran! This will be really dangerous!¡»

    £¨¡­I know. But I want to help. Please!£©

    ¡ºWhy? You¡¯re not even that close with Neidhart, right?¡»

    £¨Neidhart did his best for hisrades! That¡¯s why¡­ Please!£©

    I think Fran wanted Neidhart to be rewarded for his efforts. Neidhart risked his life in Raydoss for one goal: to save his friends.

    Considering Fran¡¯s goal in saving the ck cats, his actions must have resonated with her.

    Fran has little experience interacting normally with people, since she¡¯s been exposed to so much malice. I think she has a tendency to get soft on anyone she feels sympathy for.

    I guess you could say she has very extreme likes and dislikes.

    Judging by her past behavior, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll give up on Neidhart.

    £¨We might also find info on Persona.£©

    ¡º<i>Sigh</i>. Fran, I will always prioritize your survival above anyone else. We¡¯re dropping everything and running if things get seriously dangerous, got it?¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Looks like I have a soft spot for Fran too¡­

    That said, we need to obtain official permission from Jean before leaving. We can¡¯t just run off on our own.

    Well, the approval came almost immediately. Just like Jean expected, Kranzel knew the benefits of Fran staying behind in Raydoss.

    Moreover, they even gave us a request to infiltrate Raydoss. Apparently, presenting this mission as a request from one of the nobles would help Kranzel save face.

    We were offered a significant upfront payment too, so we dly epted it. Additionally, we would receive support from Kranzel¡¯s intelligence division, Esmeralda in particr.

    She not only promised to share all the information she had, but also to send us regr updates in the future.

    As such, we were instructed to bring one of Esmeralda¡¯s sand rats with us in a bag.

    It seems doing so allows her to track our location.

    ¡¸First, we¡¯ll be heading to a friendly vige.¡¹

    ¡¸Friendly vige? Those exist?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. You see, the viges on the outskirts are always struggling to survive, so their loyalty to the government is weak. They have more faith in anyone who assists them directly.¡¹

    I guess there are ces where the anti-Kranzel indoctrination hasn¡¯t taken hold. Even the soldiers and earth mages we captured in Kranzel seemed to have doubts about Raydoss, so there¡¯s no way they managed to brainwash everyone in the country.

    ¡¸Fran, Urushi, be careful out there.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Jean, you do your best too.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Jean will serve as the rearguard supporting Kranzel¡¯s retreat from now on. There¡¯s a possibility that he might be in more danger than us.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Looks like we both must stay on our toes!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Fran shook hands with Jean and before turning to leave. From here on, we¡¯re journeying through Raydoss with the half-insectkin. Well, only three of them will be joining us.

    It seems they regrly split into small groups to avoid standing out. We¡¯re in the same group as the leader, Quint, along with the locust Lr, and the sea slug Hoken.

    Lr and Hoken were the type that looked practically human outside ofbat.

    Quint had long, mostly ck hair with a touch of reddish-brown, tied up like a capable woman. I imagine she¡¯d look good in sses.

    She gave me the same aura as Eliante, but she seems genuinelypetent inparison to Eliante¡¯s innate clumsiness. Her brown leather armor had slits and uncovered patches all over.

    It seems she modified it herself rather than having it custom-made. The other two¡¯s armor looked simr, so I assume this is to ensure their armor doesn¡¯t break when they switch intobat mode.

    Since Quint showed the most skin, her transformation must be very extreme.

    Lr gave me the vibe of a calm girl from the countryside. She had short ck hair, and her body was on the slender side. I wouldn¡¯t expect her to be a fighter at first nce, but her footwork confirmed she was a veteran.

    She¡¯s apparently an archer focused on mobility. Judging by her locust race, she probably has strong legs and flight capabilities. I saw an opening on her back, so she must sprout wings from there.

    Hoken, on the other hand, was a stern-looking, middle-aged man with a face that I could easily imagine leering at others. He wore a furrowed brow, as if he was constantly angry.

    Yet he seemed to have more of a gentle personality, so the intimidating face was just his usual look.

    He¡¯s only around 170 centimeters tall, but his muscles made him really bulky. Each of his arms was about the size of Fran¡¯s torso. Being a pure tank, he¡¯s apparently among the toughest members of Antennae and Shell.

    A well-bnced trio with Fran and Urushi. Looks like a good team to me.

    ¡¸Well then, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Off to rescue Neidhart!

 Chapter 1183: Civilian Situation

    <h4>Chapter 1183: Civilian Situation</h4>

    ¡¸Hoken, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I¡¯m f-fine. C-Completely f-fine.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll save you if you fall.¡¹

    ¡¸T-Thanks.¡¹

    Our team was currently traversing a steep mountainous path. Well, I guess it¡¯s too narrow and treacherous to really be called a path.

    The ¡°path¡± was barely wide enough for a single person. There¡¯s frequent rockfalls, and the ground asionally gave way under our feet. One misstep, and it¡¯s a straight drop down the cliff. The most dangerous ¡°path¡± I¡¯ve ever seen, to be sure.

    We¡¯re still in the mountainous region where Kranzel and Raydoss recently fought, the area with the hidden research facility and forts. There¡¯s no way an army can pass through here, but small groups like us can make use of various mountain trails.

    There were apparently safer routes before, but Maleficent¡¯s rampage rendered them unusable. Many either got tainted ck or copsed outright.

    As a result, we had to pass through this dangerous route that even the locals hesitated to use.

    We initially suggested flying on Urushi, but they rejected the idea, saying we would attract too much attention.

    It seems Raydoss maintains strong anti-air defenses due to flying forces beingmon, such as flying monsters controlled by tamers.

    ording to them, flying was a fast track to getting spotted.

    ¡¸Uwaaaaah! Shit!¡¹

    ¡¸Hoken!¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You saved me¡­¡¹

    Hoken the heavyweight was undoubtedly the member of our group in the most danger. Quint was agile, easily capable of climbing back up the cliff, while Lr could simply fly with the wings on her back.

    That said, there¡¯s a particr reason Quint chose Hoken for this mission. He¡¯s capable of emitting some sort of special pheromone that keeps magical beasts from approaching.

    This not only avoids unnecessary battles, but also reduces the risk of being attacked while traversing treacherous terrain.

    By the way, the hierarchy between us was already firmly established. Well, both Hoken and Lr were pretty humble to begin with.

    They clearly understood Fran¡¯s strength from watching her battle with Onught.

    And so, for two thrilling days, our group advanced along the perilous mountain path. We sessfully made our way through the most dangerous stretch.

    There were still plenty of mountains ahead of us, though fewer cliffs and valleys, and gentle slopes became more prevalent.

    ¡¸Phew, we can finally camp easy now.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, sleeping next to a cliff was tough.¡¹

    ¡¸At least we have warm meals thanks to ck Lightning Princess-san.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s the best part!¡¹

    Hoken and Lr began setting up tents at the campsite, with no fire. We haven¡¯t lit a fire even once since we left, because it would make us visible from a distance.

    Fortunately, everyone here was capable of night vision.

    Fran provided warm meals for the group. They had initially nned to eat portable rations that both tasted and looked like sand. In Raydoss, these sorts of rations are the only option avable to civilians because there¡¯s little demand for them outside the military.

    After all, they can¡¯t cook the meat from magical beasts even if they hunt any. However, Fran and Urushi couldn¡¯t possibly endure eating something like that.

    Well, they gave it a try at first. I¡¯ll never forget the Tibetan sand fox-like expressions on their faces after nibbling the rations.

    Fran may be a glutton, but she can endure hunger and will eat anything if it¡¯s the only thing avable. But she simply can¡¯t hold herself back when there¡¯s tasty food ready and waiting in dimensional storage.

    In the end, they had a normal meal of curry and rice bowls while suppressing the smell with wind magic.

    Fran and Quint stood on guard around the campsite, while Hoken and Lr took a nap. Well, Urushi¡¯s here too, so there¡¯s no need to get super tense. We had plenty of time for chatting.

    ¡¸Hey, tell me about Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, though I can¡¯t say I know everything about the country.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine.¡¹

    At the very least, she should know more than us.

    ¡¸I was initially given to the mayor of a certain vige as abat ve.¡¹

    ¡¸Given?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, they lent me out for free as a sort of defense force. Well, I suppose the taxes they paid could be considered payment.¡¹

    It seems Raydoss can afford to providebat support to their citizens. Some towns and viges even received the asional supply drop of free food. Apparently, few citizens everined about government abuse.

    The Red Knights also distributed the spoils of any hunts they underwent. While the vigers never lived luxuriously, it seems not many go hungry. At the very least, Quint never saw anyone dying of starvation in the vige she was sent to.

    In addition, they treated Quint rather fairly too. The vigers were all kind, and never ordered Quint to do anything unreasonable.

    Of course, she had to fend off monsters and such, but that¡¯s all in a mercenary¡¯s job description. Perhaps Quint would¡¯ve been sacrificed to let the vigers escape in the case of an unstoppable stampede, but such a thing never happened. She was treated with the respect a half-insectkin warrior deserves.

    ¡¸The mayor wasn¡¯t the type of person who enjoyed ordering me around. I almost forgot I was a ve sometimes.¡¹

    Of course, Quint was among the lucky ones. Many of herrades apparently received terrible treatment, resulting in the loss of limbs or even their lives.

    She must be trying to say that we can¡¯t lump all of Raydoss together.

    ¡¸Some of them are merely living peacefully in a closed world, without any knowledge as to what¡¯s going on outside. Please don¡¯t forget that.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t hate Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course I hate Raydoss. That said, the nation itself and its people can¡¯t be considered one and the same.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see.¡¹

    Fran looked a little surprised at first, but she quickly nodded in understanding. This time, Quint was the one surprised.

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t expect you to take it in so easily.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m a ck cat, so the blue cats are our enemies. But there are some good ones among the blue cats.¡¹

    ¡¸That makes sense.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. There are both bad and good among the people of Raydoss too.¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    ¡¸Are we headed to the vige you were in?¡¹

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s a different one.¡¹

    I thought we might be visiting the vige where Quint lived, but I guess not. Apparently, her vige got destroyed when a massive magical beast appeared, and the Red Knights didn¡¯t make it in time.

    All of the vigers managed to evacuate to the capital city, so no one actually died though.

    ¡¸While the vigers were good people, they were also subjected to a degree of indoctrination.¡¹

    It seems many vigers told Quint ¡°I¡¯m d you managed to escape a terrible country like Kranzel¡±, and simr such statements.

    ¡¸The vige we¡¯re headed to is the one Lr was in.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s it like?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ I heard it was an absolutely awful vige. The leaders were corrupt to the core.¡¹

 Chapter 1184: Hells Mark

    <h4>Chapter 1184: Hell''s Mark</h4>

    ¡¸What¡¯s it like?¡¹

    ¡¸Well¡­ I heard it was an absolutely awful vige. The leaders were corrupt to the core.¡¹

    Fran was merely curious about our destination, but Quint replied with a surprising answer.

    Are we okay visiting such an awful vige?

    The n was to hide there and gather intel, but won¡¯t they simply report us to the authorities?

    However, Quint quickly cleared up the confusion. The corrupt leaders had already been eliminated after amotion involving Neidhart and Dimitris.

    The two apparently showed up in the vige one day, defeating the previous mayor and his subordinates to liberate Lr. Viges with corrupt leaders were apparentlymon in southern and eastern Raydoss, so a majority weed the change in leadership.

    A new mayor took office after reporting that the former mayor got killed by bandits. Ever since then, they¡¯ve been supporting Neidhart and his group.

    The vigers were no fools.

    Even if they¡¯ve been indoctrinated by their former leaders, they had little faith in them due to witnessing their corrupt behavior first-hand.

    Raydoss is wonderful? Yeah right. What¡¯s so great about a country where our leaders are garbage?

    Kranzel is ruled by evil, so we have to conquer them and lead them to happiness? Hah. Then why are we so unhappy under your rule?

    Many had simr feelings of distrust toward Raydoss. The vigers mayply in public, but they spoke of their misgivings behind closed doors.

    ¡¸Lr¡¯s vige was particrly discontent with the nation.¡¹

    ¡¸Really bad?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    The main reason was the vige¡¯s location, a ce with few magical beasts, so they had little contact with the Red Knights. The Red Knights patrolling thend are both the protectors of the people as well as the face of the country.

    The people would feel awe and respect upon seeing them hunt down powerful beasts. This respect is shared with the country as a whole.

    But this vige hardly saw the Red Knights and the former mayor was utter garbage. As such, it was only natural that they had little loyalty.

    Quint and Fran chatted while exchanging information for about an hour.

    Then Quint started looking around.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Monsters areing.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Seriously? But Fran and I don¡¯t sense¡­ Wait, the ground! It seems Quint¡¯s better than us at sensing vibrations from the ground. Hoken¡¯s anti-monster pheromones probably have no effect on underground monsters, which is why he¡¯s partnered with Quint, someone with the ability to sense such things.

    Fran finally noticed as well, and stood up while grabbing me.

    These monsters seem really tiny. I¡¯m surprised she managed to notice them.

    ¡¸¡­Strange. There¡¯s so many of them.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s strange?¡¹

    ¡¸This vibration is definitely from Tunnel Bugs. But there¡¯s way more than normal.¡¹

    Tunnel Bugs are apparently insect-like monsters that mainly live underground and form small groups of fewer than ten.

    Judging from my senses, there¡¯s definitely close to 50 of them¡­

    ¡¸This might be due to the influence of the ckenednd. Perhaps they needed to shift their habitat significantly, or are getting desperate for food.¡¹

    Maleficent had such a significant impact on the ecosystem?

    Come to think of it, he did annihte a huge region¡¯s worth of nts and animals.

    There must be some monsters who lost their food sources as a result. Maybe some even lost their natural predators, and made use of the opening to expand their territory.

    If this chain reaction spreads far enough, it could cause major disturbances throughout the entire country.

    ¡¸Lr! Hoken! Monsters iing! Wake up!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! R-Roger!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! Already!?¡¹

    The two rubbed their eyes and they got up. It¡¯s only about an hour since they started their nap, which I think is one of the deepest parts of the sleep sequence.

    The Tunnel Bug swarm was digging through the ground, which made them pretty slow. That said, they¡¯reing straight at us.

    ¡¸How do you beat them?¡¹

    ¡¸If we had an earth mage, we could simply crush them before they came out of the ground¡­ Otherwise, we have no choice but to intercept them once they surface.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    Come to think of it, maybe they were ignorant to Fran¡¯s abilities? I guess she doesn¡¯t look particrly magic-oriented. Judging by her alias, they might think she can only use thunder, fire, and wind magic.

    ¡¸I can use earth magic.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Really? At abat practical level¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I can usend magic too.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, I see¡­ Can you also sense them?¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s fifty or so in that direction.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right.¡¹

    Quint visibly rxed herself.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s expand the range a bit so we don¡¯t miss any. Fran, you take the right side, and I¡¯ll take the left.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡¸Gravity Pressure!¡¹

    ¡ºOra! Get crushed!¡»

    We invoked a spell that crushes the target with the power of gravity.

    Even if there¡¯s way more than normal, they¡¯re still small fry. Our spell eradicated all of them instantly.

    The only annoying part is that they pop out of the ground unexpectedly. I bet they¡¯re weaker than goblins in terms of stats.

    With the battle having ended before it started, Quint and the others stood dumbfounded. It seems theypletely underestimated Fran¡¯s magic skills.

    And then, Hoken muttered.

    ¡¸Maybe we should have stayed asleep?¡¹

    ¡¸True¡­¡¹

    Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡¹

    ¡¸Good night.¡¹

    Hoken and Lr tried to get back into their sleeping bags, but it seems they were a bit too eager.

    ¡¸Another monster iing. It must have been following the Tunnel Bugs.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I can sense this one too.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. A big one.¡¹

    Like I suspected, it seems there¡¯s been non-negligible changes to the ecosystem.

 Chapter 1185: On the Way

    <h4>Chapter 1185: On the Way</h4>

    As we approached our destination, the frequency of monster attacks only increased. Some beasts fled upon sensing Urushi¡¯s presence, but others charged at us in a half-crazed frenzy, seemingly in such terror that they lost their sense of judgment.

    None were particrly strong, but getting attacked so often certainly got annoying.

    ¡¸Phew¡­ To think we would encounter such vicious magical beasts in this forest¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Is that rare?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve only crossed this ce a few times, but we always made it through without a fight.¡¹

    Perhaps the monsters scared off by Maleficent were driven north, deeper into Raydoss. The further north we went, the more we encountered.

    This forest with little mana is only supposed to have weak monsters. Yet we constantly bumped into stuff like giant lizards and spiders.

    It¡¯s only been a few days since Maleficent¡¯s rampage, so I can only imagine how far the impact will spread.

    ¡¸It seems my skill isn¡¯t being very effective.¡¹

    Come to think of it, didn¡¯t Hoken have a skill for repelling monsters? Are you telling me we¡¯d see even more if he wasn¡¯t here?

    Apparently, Lr was thinking the same thing as me. Her face turned pale.

    ¡¸I¡¯m really worried about the vige now! There¡¯s way too many monsters!¡¹

    ¡¸True. Let¡¯s pick up the pace a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    And thus, half a day passed.

    We hurried toward the vige while defeating monsters along the way. Since Hoken was slow on his feet, we had him ride Urushi for most of the march.

    Despite being quite a distance from the ce where Maleficent went on a rampage, we could still see the effects. Rather, it seems the fleeing monsters were crowding up in this region.

    ¡¸I see some monsters right next to the vige.¡¹

    ¡¸A-Are they okay!?¡¹

    Lr looked worried, but the outer walls of the vige still seemed intact. I also noticed the vigers fighting back with magic and arrows.

    They haven¡¯t fallen yet, at least.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºFran, throw some spells at the monsters near gate. Urushi, you get the flying ones!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    I focused on the bug-like monsters clinging to the wooden outer wall.

    They haven¡¯t even noticed us, so I easily took them out with a surprise attack, invoking a wind spell that cut up the monsters without any damage to the wall.

    Fran and the others also defeated the monsters they were in charge of.

    ¡¸Well done, ck Lightning Princess-dono! Urushi-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Let¡¯s enter the vige!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    That said, Fran can¡¯t simply enter the vige by herself.

    They seemed to be on guard after we suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    No clue how much they¡¯ve heard about the war, but they probably at least know that any adventurers are rted to the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    Since Fran is dressed as an adventurer, she might find herself in trouble.

    ¡¸Lr, lead the way!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    Everyone approached the vige as a group, then one man standing on the outer wall cheered.

    ¡¸Oh! Lr-chan! You saved us!¡¹

    ¡¸Is everyone okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! None of them managed to breach the walls!¡¹

    It was a close call, but it seems we made it in time. We passed through the open gate, finding ourselves in what seemed like an ordinary vige.

    ording to what we heard earlier, there should be about 200 vigers living here.

    ¡¸Wee back, Lr-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, Bondis-san! I¡¯m back!¡¹

    Bondis, a man in his forties, was in charge of the vige¡¯s defense. He exined that they had been fighting off arge number of monsters since yesterday.

    Despite having little time to rest, Bondis didn¡¯t seem very exhausted, probably due to his training. He was clearly a higher level than the Kranzel¡¯s rank-and-file soldiers.

    The other soldiers who had gathered around during the conversation seemed to be simr. All twenty or so were quite strong. That must be due to them hunting monsters on their own without the help of adventurers.

    Moreover, there were more soldiers than I was expecting from a vige of this size. Considering how many are still out on duty, there might be twice as many in total.

    I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re supposed to call on the Red Knights for any monsters they can¡¯t handle, but do they even need help in the first ce?

    I think the vige can easily hunt any monster up to Threat Level E, and might be able to handle D as well, depending on the opponent.

    Come to think of it, the earth mage we captured back in Kranzel said he had been a security force member. People of his caliber might not be so rare after all.

    ¡¸This girl is new, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I¡¯m Fran, the adven¨D¨Dck cat.¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s one of our allies.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Then I suppose I shouldn¡¯t inquire too much about her background.¡¹

    The other soldiers nodded at Bondis¡¯s words, epting us surprisingly easily. It seems the cooperative rtionship we heard about was no exaggeration.

    ¡¸Shall we direct her to the room at the back of the inn?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll go tell the old man.¡¹

    One of the soldiers ran off somewhere. The inn?

    ¡¸Oh, by the way, ¡°the back of the inn¡± is like a passphrase for our cooperators. The vigers here will understand your circumstances if you say you¡¯re ¡°staying at the back of the inn¡±.¡¹

    Even if Raydoss has no adventurers, there are still travelers. Various reasons for traveling include sightseeing, training, and trade.

    It seems this vige has an unspoken rule where they won¡¯t inquire about the identities of travelers who stay in the back room, thanks to the time when Neidhart saved them.

    ¡¸d to have you with us.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re very wee here. We were in trouble after the sudden increase in monsters.¡¹

    It seems they truly weed us without any pretenses. The monsters must be that serious of a problem.

    I wonder if Maleficent really anticipated all of this?

 Chapter 1186: Village of Horna

    <h4>Chapter 1186: Vige of Horna</h4>

    The half-insectkin had guided us to Horna, a peaceful vige that seemed to defy everything we knew about Raydoss.

    The nonbatants evacuated in an orderly fashion during monster attacks. Some even offered to share their limited supply of food with Fran and the others.

    We also tried to offer food in return, but they insisted on paying for it. All the vigers were living earnest lives.

    I hate to say it, but my image of Raydoss waspletely changed. I imagined something much worse.

    Like a post-apocalyptic wastnd, where everyone was pessimistic and fought over tiny scraps of food. Or perhaps an oppressive regime like thete stages of socialism, where those with power held everyone else down. That¡¯s the kind of ce I was expecting.

    After speaking with the vige adults, we learned that they knew something was wrong with Raydoss¡¯s leaders.

    Theyined about how the higher ups strutted around collecting high taxes, without providing any real assistance. The mayors and such could live in luxury while themon people barely got by.

    While everyone had gratitude for the Red Knights, many vigers considered government officials to be the enemy.

    In such a situation, there¡¯s no way they could be indoctrinated to love Raydoss. Instead, they must be thinking, ¡°There¡¯s no way a country that lets scum like you run free can be great¡±.

    In fact, many vigers didn¡¯t care much about the war between Raydoss and Kranzel. Whether they won or lost, it didn¡¯t matter much to them.

    They had been living a harsh life before Neidhart intervened. Since Neidhart entered the country from Kranzel, none harbored any ill feelings for the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    Despite walking through the entire vige, we didn¡¯t find anyone that wasn¡¯t weing.

    Actually, a certain group even went out of their way to wee us.

    ¡¸Hey, who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen her before.¡¹

    ¡¸S-She¡¯s pretty cute.¡¹

    The vige¡¯s children. They eagerly approached Fran, likely because child visitors were rare. As for thatst kid though, try again when you¡¯re a bit stronger.

    ¡¸Why do you have a sword even though you¡¯re a kid?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m already 13. So I¡¯m not a kid.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re still a kid! Dad says you need to reach 15 to be an adult!¡¹

    ¡¸As an adventurer, I¡¯m already an adult.¡¹

    Uh, you just casually revealed yourself as an adventurer! I thought we agreed to avoid that term since adventurers are hated in Raydoss!

    I hear adventurers are considered around the same level as thieves in Raydoss. It¡¯s probably worse than telling them we¡¯re from Kranzel.

    However, the children gave an unexpected reaction.

    ¡¸Adventurer?¡¹

    ¡¸Those really scary warriors from the neighboring country!¡¹

    ¡¸No, that¡¯s wrong! Only the Pig Duke says that. Everyone else says they¡¯re like mercenaries.¡¹

    It seems the people¡¯s perception of Kranzel and adventurers varies widely depending on the region. And a kid is really calling him the ¡°Pig Duke¡±¡­

    ¡¸Are adventurers strong?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Super strong.¡¹

    ¡¸Stronger than the Red Knights?¡¹

    ¡¸Ye¨D¨D¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Stop right there!¡»

    £¨?£©

    I instinctively stopped Fran from answering. She only tilted her head in confusion, but I definitely deserve a pat on the back.

    ¡ºFran. You were about to say that adventurers are stronger than Red Knights, right?¡»

    £¨Nn. Because adventurers are stronger.£©

    The adventurers have divine sword wielders like Maleficent and Izario. Also, Fran herself has defeated the Red Knights on multiple asions. Perhaps it would be correct to say adventurers are stronger, but¡­

    Saying that here seems very unwise. No matter how much the vigers might hate Raydoss as a whole, they were very grateful to the Red Knights for protecting them.

    ¡ºAt least say they¡¯re about equal.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Equally strong.¡¹

    Even with thispromise, the children¡¯s reactions were not quite what Fran expected.

    ¡¸Eh! No way!¡¹

    ¡¸The Red Knights are way stronger!¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t be equal!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    It looked to them as if a little girl was saying she¡¯s just as strong as their heroes. I can see why they didn¡¯t believe her.

    This reaction frustrated Fran, but it¡¯s not like she could challenge the children to a mock battle. It seems she came up with another way to prove her strength.

    ¡¸Here, throw this.¡¹

    ¡¸Rocks? Throw it at what?¡¹

    ¡¸Me.¡¹

    Fran had picked up some rocks from the ground and handed them to the children. She went on to tell them to throw the rocks at her.

    ¡¸Eh? I can¡¯t do that!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯ll get hurt!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be fine.¡¹

    Fran walked about five meters away from the children. I have no doubt that Fran can easily dodge a stone thrown by an ordinary kid, but the kids themselves were hesitant.

    ¡¸That¡¯s too close!¡¹

    ¡¸Move further away!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    Well, I guess ordinary civilians might think it¡¯s impossible to dodge.

    Fran reluctantly moved back to about ten meters this time. Finally, the children started throwing the rocks, albeit slowly. They were clearly holding back.

    However, the speed of their throws gradually increased once they saw Fran dodging their rocks effortlessly.

    Once the hesitation disappeared, the children began getting serious. They even started getting closer to Fran, as well as throwing with both hands. Whoa, three of them matched the timing of their throws.

    It still didn¡¯t even graze Fran though, so the children admitted defeat in the end.

    ¡¸W-Whoa, adventurers are amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸So cool!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe. Adventurers are the strongest.¡¹

    And so, Fran was epted by the vige children.

 Chapter 1187: Children of Horna

    <h4>Chapter 1187: Children of Horna</h4>

    A few days passed since we arrived at Horna.

    The ce ended up being a lot more peaceful than I expected.

    We had little to do since the half-insectkin handled all the patrols, and the vigers were all weing. There were no signs of Raydoss soldiersing to arrest us or anything.

    Fran and Urushi simply rested their exhausted bodies while ying with the children. We went through a series of fierce battles right after entering Raydoss, after all.

    This was the perfect chance to rest up, both physically and mentally.

    ¡¸Hey, Fran! What are we going to y today?¡¹

    ¡¸That cops and robbers game yesterday was fun!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    The vige children had pretty much nothing to do aside from tag and hide-and-seek, until Fran introduced cops and robbers to them. She was considered a genius by the children for this entertainment revolution.

    Now she¡¯s grown quite popr.

    Well, the original source is technically me though. Guess I¡¯ll teach them a few new games to maintain Fran¡¯s poprity!

    £¨What are we doing today?£©

    ¡ºToday¡¯s game will be spinning tops!¡»

    £¨Spinning tops?£©

    ¡ºYeah. I put a box of them in your dimensional storage this morning. You got it?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    I stayed uptest night, making spinning tops from melting broken weapons and shaping them with telekinesis. Though not very high quality, they should be suitable as children¡¯s toys.

    The children peered into the box Fran took out with curiosity, and picked up the tops.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸A spinning top.¡¹

    ¡¸Spinning top? Is it a toy?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    The children yed around with the tops with interest. While spinning tops exist in this world, it seems they aren¡¯t well known in this vige.

    Good thing I did my research in advance!

    ¡¸How do you y with these?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-oneechan, why are you tilting her head?¡¹

    £¨Master, how do we y with them?£©

    Woops. I should have exined to her first.

    I told Fran how to y with spinning tops, and had her demonstrate it to the children. With her high dexterity, Fran was able to wind the string neatly andunch the top onto the leather sheet we ced on the box.

    ¡¸Wow!¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸So cool!¡¹

    The children cheered upon seeing Fran spinning techniques. In no time, all the children in the vige had gathered around and started ying with them as well

    While none of the children had yet to match Fran¡¯s skill level, there might be a future pro among them. Kids take their y seriously, after all.

    But we also noticed a girl who didn¡¯t join in. She was watching us from the shade of a distant tree.

    ¡¸Who¡¯s that girl?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s Mimi!¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s a bit shy!¡¹

    Rather than getting left out, it seems she¡¯s simply shy around unfamiliar people. Seems like we might need a little more time before she epts us enough to talk.

    Fran and Mimi stared at each other for a moment, then Fran slowly approached the girl. She concealed her presence as if trying to approach a wild animal without scaring it off.

    ¡ºFran, remember, she¡¯s just a child.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    I almost thought she was going to pounce on the girl, but it seems she never intended to go that far.

    The girl shivered once she saw Fran approach, but she showed any signs of running away. Maybe Fran¡¯s subtle presence suppression worked? Or perhaps it was because Fran herself was also very young?

    Fran gradually closed the distance between them, until she stood right in front of the girl.

    ¡¸Do you want to y together?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    The girl remained silent and turned her head down. Upon seeing this, Fran nodded as if she understood something. Then, she gently crouched down in front of the girl and brought their eye levels to the same height.

    ¡¸I¡¯m Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Mimi.¡¹

    ¡¸Mimi, want to y together?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Yeah.¡¹

    Mimi agreed more easily than I expected. Seems she realized that Fran was just a child like her. Alright, let¡¯s seal the deal!

    ¡ºUrushi, shrink down ande out! Then, cuddle with this girl to improve Fran¡¯s impression even more!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, so cute!¡¹

    Just as nned, the girl fell head over heels for Urushi¡¯s cuteness!

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi, my familiar.¡¹

    ¡¸Can I pet him?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸He says it¡¯s okay.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you!¡¹

    Mimi squatted down and began petting Urushi in his puppy form. She only hesitantly petted his back at first, but her hands gradually shifted toward his head and belly as she got bolder.

    ¡¸Arf!¡¹

    Urushi was delighted. It seems Mimi was a natural at petting dogs.

    The other children gathered around once they noticed Urushi.

    ¡¸W-Woof?¡¹

    Oh boy, they¡¯re petting him too hard! No, don¡¯t pull on his fur! Don¡¯t tug his tail either!

    But I decided not to do anything.

    £¨Kuhn kuhn!£©

    ¡ºSorry, Urushi. This is necessary to ensure Fran¡¯s poprity among the vigers. Hang in there.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

 Chapter 1188: Mimi and the Storybook

    <h4>Chapter 1188: Mimi and the Storybook</h4>

    Having be friends with the vige children, Fran was ying with them on the ground floor of the inn today. Due to the rain, they could no longer y outdoors.

    ¡¸This is the storybook that everyone gets.¡¹

    ¡¸All the children have it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Mimi, who had warmed up to Fran and Urushi, brought us an interesting sounding book. Apparently, all children in Raydoss receive the same storybook.

    She probably thought we would find it fresh, since we¡¯re not from Raydoss.

    Paper is pretty cheap in this world, but distributing a book to every single child for free should cost a lot of effort and money. Raydoss must have some important reason for going that far.

    I quickly realized that reason after Mimi starting reading it to us.

    ¡¸Then, the Red Knights of Raydoss stood in the way of the loathsome invaders, the soldiers of Kranzel.¡¹

    The book was packed to the brim with anti-Kranzel propaganda material. There were multiple stories, and every single one depicted Kranzel and Belioth as viins. Meanwhile, the Red Knights, soldiers, and nobles of Raydoss were portrayed as heroes.

    However, we¡¯ve heard that the indoctrination never took root in this vige. I can understand believing propaganda if you¡¯ve been hearing it repeatedly since childhood, but it seems the former mayor was so awful that he overshadowed the brainwashing effect.

    I saw the adults listening to Mimi¡¯s story reading with wry smiles. They clearly didn¡¯t hold this book in high regard.

    The book was simply trying too hard to be anti-Kranzel, at the cost of sacrificing the quality of the writing and plot. I wouldn¡¯t call itplete garbage, but it was far from interesting. I get the feeling it was written by an amateur expressing their hatred for Kranzel rather than a professional author.

    At least it serves the purpose of teaching kids how to read though.

    It seems Mimi didn¡¯t even find the stories that interesting. However, she did smile a bit when reading thest part.

    ¡¸And so, the Red Knights restored peace to the vige. Marco and Aisha got married and lived happily ever after. The end.¡¹

    Mimi closed the book after reaching the ending.

    ¡¸Hehehe, what did you think?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Interesting.¡¹

    ¡¸Yay! It¡¯s not that great of a story, but I heard that you liked rare stories. Besides, I kinda like the ending a bit.¡¹

    ¡¸The ending?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Everyone bes happy in the end, right?¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸But both Marco and Aisha went through so much pain. I wonder if they¡¯ll really be happy even if it ended well¡­¡¹

    Well, yeah. The two protagonists lived a very eventful life, to say the least. In order to emphasize Kranzel¡¯s cruelty, the author had the two suffering constantly at the hands of Kranzel.

    First their families got massacred, forcing them to flee their homes. They futilely tried to take revenge, which resulted in Marco losing his arm. Then, the Red Knights appeared out of nowhere to easily defeat Kranzel. The storyes to an abrupt end with the protagonists supposedly living happily ever after.

    ¡¸But it¡¯s better to have a happy ending than a sad one, right? I¡¯m sure they¡¯re living such incredibly happy lives that they could forget all their troubles.¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    Fran had a gentle gaze as Mimi desperately expressed her thoughts. Mimi doesn¡¯t have her parents since they got killed by magical beasts several years ago. She currently lives with rtives and is well cared for, but she¡¯s be increasingly withdrawn and doesn¡¯t smile much anymore, from what I¡¯ve heard.

    Fran probably sensed simrities between Mimi and herself. She¡¯s always especially kind to Mimi in particr.

    Mimi continued reading the rest of the stories, but they were pretty terrible. All of them had the same kind of abrupt happy ending.

    It feels like the kind of trick that will only work on a child, but I guess happy endings are better than the alternative.

    The next day, the children asked Fran to teach them swordsmanship, and she agreed to give them some basic training. It seems they heard from the soldiers that Fran was a master of the de.

    All she really did was teach them basic swings though.

    ¡¸Hiyaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Good form.¡¹

    ¡¸Teeei!¡¹

    ¡¸Your footwork isn¡¯t bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Eeei!¡¹

    ¡¸Great spirit.¡¹

    She praised their efforts while parrying the attacks. I¡¯m relieved she has no intention of starting another boot camp in this vige.

    The adults gradually began gathering as well, and they also joined in. It wasn¡¯t just off-duty soldiers; there were hunters and such as well.

    In Raydoss, it seems anyone in a profession that involves going outside the vige is expected to fight, since they may encounter magical beasts.

    Apparently, even merchants seek any possible opportunity to improve their skills.

    ¡¸Seeei!¡¹

    ¡¸Be more aware of your footwork! You¡¯ll get countered like that! Like this!¡¹

    ¡¸Guuuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Doryaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Your weight distribution is good, but your arm strength is weak! Use technique instead of power!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwoh!¡¹

    Fran entered in a slightly more boot camp mode when sparring with the adults. Though still not serious, she gave them stricter instructions, and did not hesitate to subject them to a bit of pain.

    I thought she might be going too far, but all the vigers were smiling.

    ¡¸Wow, that was some good training.¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again.¡¹

    ¡¸We gotta handle the vige ourselves, since the Red Knights can¡¯t protect us all the time.¡¹

    ording to them, the Red Knights had sent a notice to the neighboring viges.

    The notice imed that the Red Knights were currently engaged in a special mission, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to perform their usual patrols. Also, the vigers were to notify a nearby garrison if any dangerous monsters appeared. That¡¯s the gist of it.

    I bet the Red Knights aren¡¯t functioning properly because of the significant losses they suffered during the war. However, telling everyone what really happened will only cause mass panic.

    That¡¯s why they came up with this ¡°mission¡± the Red Knights were supposedly upied with.

    No doubt they needed to reassign the remaining Red Knights as efficiently as possible.

    ¡¸One more round?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes please!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn, let¡¯s do it!¡¹

 Chapter 1189: Chaos Within Raydoss

    <h4>Chapter 1189: Chaos Within Raydoss</h4>

    Several more days passed since Fran began teaching swordsmanship.

    Fran spent the days peacefully in the quiet vige, despite Raydoss still being in the midst of a war. Until our long awaited visitor finally arrived.

    One of Quint¡¯s friends had returned with a report. While the visitor came by himself, it seems he collected information from the various brigade members and coborators scattered throughout Raydoss.

    ¡¸Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Loktem.¡¹

    The man was tall but quite slender, with an unassuming appearance.

    It seems he served as the head scout for the mercenary brigade. Having such an unassuming appearance likely assisted him in performing that job.

    ¡¸My apologies, but we have yet to determine our captain¡¯s whereabouts.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you here to report then?¡¹

    Quint raised an eyebrow, since his report was originally scheduled for a littleter. Coming all this way just to report that Neidhart¡¯s location was still unknown seems rather odd.

    However, he apparently had intel important enough to warrant an immediate visit.

    ¡¸A facility that we identified as a possible location for the captain has been destroyed. And not just that one. Another marked facility was destroyed immediately afterward.¡¹

    ¡¸How is that possible? The Kranzel army has yet to restart the invasion, correct?¡¹

    ¡¸We don¡¯t know who is responsible.¡¹

    ording to him, two Raydoss¡¯s research facilities quite distant from our current position fell in an incredibly short period of time. Both were so heavily guarded that the half-insectkin had no clue what was going on inside.

    Nevertheless, they werepletely annihted in less than an hour.

    They found almost zero survivors, and very little information about the culprit. All they managed to figure out was two details.

    ¡¸The culprit was a single person. And it seems they employed death poison magic.¡¹

    Upon hearing this report, Fran widened her eyes.

    £¨Maleficent!£©

    ¡ºYeah. There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡»

    Maleficent must be wandering Raydoss in search of Persona. Which means he has no way of directly tracking Persona¡¯s presence or mana.

    But I can¡¯t say for sure if that¡¯s something he couldn¡¯t do to begin with, or if Nameless was concealing Persona somehow.

    As a result, it seems Maleficent had no choice but to attack any suspicious facilities he came across.

    At this rate, Maleficent will only continue inflicting more and more damage. Meanwhile, we have to worry if his rampage will cause Raydoss to tighten their security, potentially hindering the Neidhart rescue effort.

    Furthermore, there¡¯s no guarantee that Neidhart will be safe from him. Maleficent ughtered everyone in the facilities, whether they were test subjects or civilians. Not even Neidhart can survive taking powerful poisons while incapacitated.

    However, Fran seemed to be concerned about a different issue.

    ¡¸How do you know Neidhart is still alive?¡¹

    ¡¸Due to a skill I have, called ¡°Insect Intuition¡±. This allows me to know whether or not the target is in danger.¡¹

    I see. So he knows that Neidhart is currently alive, and not in any immediate danger. He must be imprisoned somewhere, like we first thought.

    ¡¸Also, some viges are suffering due to the reduction in the Red Knights.¡¹

    ¡¸What about the viges that pledged their support to us? Are they still okay?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re still fine, as we¡¯ve been secretly assisting them. However, some of the more remote viges are beginning to suffer from monster attacks.¡¹

    We¡¯re aware that Maleficent caused significant changes to monster habitats, especially since this vige got attacked because of it. However, I never knew this was bing a frequent urrence throughout Raydoss.

    I guess I should have expected it. Just like traffic idents, a disturbance in one region is enough to cause traveling monster poptions and spread the chaos throughout the rest of the country.

    As a result, the viges found themselves with an unprecedented amount of monsters.

    Normally, the Red Knights would deal with this sort of situation. Even without intervention from those on the captain level, ordinary knights are enough to defeat most monsters.

    But not after the war significantly reduced their numbers. The Carmine me Knights were decimated, and the Blood Maiden Knights and Cardinal g Knights also suffered heavy losses.

    The Dusk Rain, Red Sword, and Vermilion Eye Knights should be rtively unscathed, but this region isn¡¯t in their jurisdiction in the first ce.

    From what I¡¯ve heard, each order of the Red Knights has their own assigned territory. Blood Maiden for the west, Cardinal g for the east, Carmine me for the south. Central Raydoss is handled by the remaining three orders: the Red Sword, Vermilion Eye, and Dusk Rain Knights.

    None are sent to the north since the North Conquest Duke¡¯s own order of knights handles everything. Which means they must be equally strong to the Red Knights.

    Furthermore, the Dusk Rain and Vermilion Eye Knights also served as roving units, sometimes deploying to the other four regions as the situation required.

    That¡¯s how Raydoss protected their citizens from monsters up until now. However, the Red Knights could no longer reach the far corners of the country due to their significantly reduced numbers and confusion due to the ongoing war.

    Another issue was the food shortage. Maleficent had rendered a significant portion ofnd barren.

    Not only did this greatly damage the local food production, but the effects spread over the nation as a whole.

    Raydoss would normally redistribute food from one region to another to alleviate shortages, but not anymore. The war forced them to stockpile rations, so there¡¯s nothing left to redistribute.

    As a result, the entire nation was running into food shortages. Even if people attempted to gather food in the remaining forests, the surge of monsters meant no guarantees on safety.

    I¡¯d say there¡¯s a high possibility running into a serious famine. Back on Earth, countries with famine might be able to rely on aid from their neighbors. Raydoss can¡¯t though, since they¡¯re surrounded by enemies.

    Isn¡¯t this pretty bad?

    £¨Master, can we provide more food?£©

    ¡ºYeah, sure. In fact, we took a bunch of rations from the Raydoss army, which originally came from these guys. We should return those.¡»

    £¨Nn. Let¡¯s take them to other viges too.£©

    Fran listened to the report with a much more serious expression than usual. She must be thinking about what she can do to help.

 Chapter 1190: Trouble Nearby

    <h4>Chapter 1190: Trouble Nearby</h4>

    The day after the report about Raydoss¡¯s current situation. Fran and Urushi were ying with the children once again.

    Urushi was especially yful ever since he came here. Be it puppy mode or dog mode, the children showered him with tons of attention.

    He always slept with his belly up in puppy mode, as if all his wild instincts had vanished. Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d wake up immediately once he sensed danger, but the vigers considered him a pet through and through.

    Even now, Fran and Mimi were lying down with their heads resting on Urushi¡¯s back.

    ¡¸That cloud looks like curry.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Which one?¡¹

    ¡¸Over there. Curry with a spoon sticking out.¡¹

    ¡¸I think it looks like meat on a bone.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Though the vige¡¯s food situation improved thanks to the supplies Fran provided, the children still retained their memories of hunger. Almost all of them looked at everything like food, including Mimi.

    A boy who was ying Reversi a bit further away drooled as he eximed, ¡°Looks like a kebab to me!¡± Many other kids began dering what kinds of food they saw in the clouds.

    ¡¸That¡¯s definitely meat!¡¹

    ¡¸Looks like soup too.¡¹

    ¡¸Soup? No way!¡¹

    ¡¸That one¡¯s like a spoon and te!¡¹

    Before we realized it, the children had gathered around Urushi, lying around on the grass and watching the clouds with Fran.

    ¡¸Look, pancakes!¡¹

    ¡¸I see it!¡¹

    ¡¸Those pancakes Fran gave us were delicious.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸I like curry more.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too.¡¹

    Yeah, Fran had already provided the vige with curry and pancakes.

    We gave a bunch to the members of the transport squad, so we¡¯re running pretty low now. Well, it would be plenty for anyone other than Fran and Urushi.

    But considering their appetites, our curry reserves are practically in the red zone. Nevertheless, they shared it without hesitation, indicating how much they liked the vige.

    We also provided supplies other than food. However, we refrained from providing handouts to the other viges. Fran simply wanted to help those in immediate need, but giving aid to the people of an enemy country isplicated in wartime.

    Esmeralda had warned us through the sand rat that we should avoid doing anything that might be considered aiding the enemy. After all, we¡¯re currently operating under the pretext of infiltrating the enemy country at Kranzel¡¯s request.

    Furthermore, transporting supplies is difficult since monsters are blocking off all the roads.

    Fran and the kids continued cloud-watching, before getting interrupted by a suddenmotion at the vige entrance. I saw a few soldiers and other adults running in that direction.

    I first thought it might be some traveling merchants, but the atmosphere didn¡¯t seem right. Didn¡¯t look like monsters or bandits either¡­

    Fran told the children to continue ying without her and headed to the entrance.

    ¡¸P-Please save us!¡¹

    ¡¸O-Our vige¡­!¡¹

    There were about five unfamiliar women, all quite exhausted, with ragged clothing. I believe we¡¯ve already met almost everyone in the vige, so they must havee from the outside.

    We listened closely to the exchange between the women and the soldiers, hiding ourselves in the crowd because we didn¡¯t know if they could be trusted with Fran¡¯s identity.

    The women delivered grim news.

    They apparently had escaped from the neighboring vige, which got wiped out by a mysterious army.

    Yeah, they were attacked not by monsters, but by an army equipped with military-grade weapons and armor. Fran initially thought it might be Kranzel¡¯s army, but no.

    Though described as an army, they couldn¡¯t say for sure if they were really human. The soldiers looked like humans equipped with swords and armor, but none appeared to be sane, and some even roared like wild beasts.

    The woman barely managed to escape the vige with their lives, and ran all the way here to a neighboring vige, trembling from the threat of monsters all the while.

    The men of the vige went into an uproar at the news.

    Fran handed a healing potion to Quint before returning to the children to calm them down.

    As expected, the children who were told to go back to their homes had worried expressions.

    ¡¸Fran-oneechan, what¡¯s happening?¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know the details yet.¡¹

    ¡¸Are the monstersing again?¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe, but don¡¯t worry.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Because I will protect you, no matter what.¡¹

    Fran said so with an awkward smile to reassure the children.

    I found it hard to tell if her pitiful expression could really be considered a smile, but the scene brought tears to my eyes.

    Fran had just tried to smile in an attempt tofort a child. She was now capable of that much consideration.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi is here too. Everything¡¯s fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-Yeah. We all know how strong Fran-oneechan is.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Adventurers are as strong as the Red Knights, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh yeah, then we¡¯ll bepletely safe!¡¹

    Fran has built so much trust in a short period of time.

    Thanks to her, the gloom disappeared from the children¡¯s faces. They truly believed that Fran was just as strong as the invincible Red Knights.

    Maybe they just wanted to believe in something, but the trust they ced in Fran was the real deal.

    With their hopes on her back, Fran gave a genuine smile this time.

    ¡¸Make sure you stay inside.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Onee-chan, do your best!¡¹

    ¡¸Be safe, okay? You too, Urushi-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi headed over to Quint with the best cheers we could ask for.

 Chapter 1191: Neighboring Village

    <h4>Chapter 1191: Neighboring Vige</h4>

    The people around the vige entrance were discussing whether or not they should send anyone to save the neighboring viges. Considering the possibility of an attack, focusing on their own defense was clearly the safest option.

    However, it¡¯s not easy to abandon the neighboring viges after so many years of history connecting them. Many had friends or rtives living outside.

    That said, no one could suggest venturing into danger to save a vige that was supposedly already gone. The risks were simply too great.

    It would just be a futile effort, adding to the danger they were already in.

    Yet they couldn¡¯t say that in front of the women who had fled the neighboring vige.

    As a result, the discussion never reached a conclusion.

    Fran spoke up, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll go.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸But it¡¯s too dangerous!¡¹

    ¡¸We know you¡¯re strong, but we can¡¯t simply let you go alone¡­¡¹

    ¡¸A-Alright, I¡¯m going with you!¡¹

    The adults in the vige seemed concerned about sending Fran alone, but Quint and the other half-insectkin agreed with her suggestion.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono is capable of scouting the vige from the sky!¡¹

    ¡¸And she¡¯s way stronger than you think!¡¹

    ¡¸She might just eliminate the enemies in the neighboring vige before we can do anything.¡¹

    They knew someone of Fran¡¯s caliber could wipe out ¡°slightly strong soldiers¡± as if they were nothing.

    Once the mercenaries voiced their support, the vigers began thinking along those lines as well.

    In the end, they approved our n to have Fran and Urushi conduct reconnaissance from the sky.

    We departed immediately after getting detailed information about the neighboring vige¡¯s location.

    ¡¸All right, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡¸Best of luck.¡¹

    ¡¸Please don¡¯t do anything too dangerous.¡¹

    Fran smiled happily upon hearing the sendoff from the vigers.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡ºMan, everyone in the vige was so nice.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We first did a circle in the sky, but there was no sign of any nearby soldiers. However, they showed up pretty quickly once we headed in the direction of the neighboring vige.

    Just like the fleeing women said, they looked like ordinary soldiers from a distance. A few stood quietly in front of the vige gate, so they seemed normal enough to me.

    However, we definitely sensed something strange inside. There were simply too many people in the vige, given its size.

    We scanned the entire vige from the skies, and it was packed by an army of considerable size. Everyone was lined up in the vige square, wearing the typical Raydoss armor we saw on the battlefield.

    As for the vigers themselves¡­ Over there!

    ¡ºThey seem to be gathered at the back of the vige.¡»

    £¨Nn. But¡­£©

    ¡ºYeah, they¡¯re already dead.¡»

    The ce was originally a graveyard, and they had piled the corpses of the vigers haphazardly on the ground, as if they were mere objects, showing absolutely zero respect for human life.

    ¡ºDid they really ughter everyone¡­?¡»

    £¨Unforgivable.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºI agree, but why would the Raydoss army do something like this¡­?¡»

    £¨We can ask them directly.£©

    ¡ºTrue. Let¡¯s try grabbing someone with info.¡»

    That said, the soldiers were mostly crowded together. Isting a few for questioning will be difficult.

    ¡ºThe reconnaissance units patrolling the vicinity might be a good target.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Targeting a small group will allow us to interrogate them for their objective, as well as give us a measure of their strength.

    £¨Let¡¯s go.£©

    ¡ºHold on. There¡¯s something I want to try first.¡»

    £¨What is it?£©

    ¡ºFirst, let me go over here¡­¡»

    I hade up with a technique to enhance the effectiveness of our stealth skills. Fran would use her Convert skill as usual, while I morph myself to cover her entire body. Then, I would activate my own Convert skill for anotheryer of stealth.

    If it works, we might be able to double the skill¡¯s effects.

    I morphed my body into an armor-like coating, covering Fran from head to toe. After adjusting a few of the details, Fran looked like a warrior wearing full te armor.

    This also served as a disguise since Fran waspletely covered up. No one will be able to see her face, or even recognize her ck cat race.

    ¡ºHow about we stay like this and hide your identity?¡»

    Raydoss doesn¡¯t know that Fran remained in the country, and it will make things easier on us if they continue believing that.

    ¡ºUrushi, you stay in the shadows for now. They probably know what you look like by now.¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    ¡ºOh right, and Fran, you don¡¯t need to speak.¡»

    £¨?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯ll talk for you telepathically. That way, we can make them think you¡¯re male.¡»

    £¨I see.£©

    My armor form is covering Fran¡¯s face and body, so she can pass herself off as a male of one of the smaller races. Nothing to do with herck of curves. Now I just have to hope we don¡¯t encounter anyone with a dangerously powerful appraisal skill.

    £¨Should I stop using thunder magic too?£©

    ¡ºOh yeah! We can try usingnd magic and such as our main weapon.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Havingpleted the perfect disguise, we descended to the ground and headed towards some of the soldiers we identified earlier. They were apparently patrolling the vige¡¯s perimeter in multiple groups of three.

    ¡ºThere they are. Try not to kill them, okay?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We silently approached the soldiers before ambushing them. Fran knocked one of them out, while Urushi and I used magic to immobilize the remaining two.

    Two soldiers were entangled by our earthen vines and shadowy tendrils. However, they quickly broke free from the restraints due to their tremendous strength.

    ¡¸AAAAAARGH!¡¹

    ¡¸GRRROOAR!¡¹

    Oh yeah, these guys have definitely lost their sanity.

 Chapter 1192: Superhuman Soldiers

    <h4>Chapter 1192: Superhuman Soldiers</h4>

    We encountered soldiers that were clearly not capable of conversation.

    ¡¸UGAAAH!¡¹

    They screamed like wild animals and pounced on Fran. Despite having low skill levels, their stats were evidently quite high.

    Pretty impressive speed, and one of them created a small crater from the force of mming his spear into the ground.

    Perhaps they were in some sort of berserk state with their limiters removed?

    We smacked them around a bit, but they refused to stay unconscious. In the end, we had to drop them in a deep pitfall, knocking them down whenever they tried to climb out.

    ¡ºOi! I¡¯m the righteous knight, Gray! Name yourselves!¡»

    ¡¸RAAAGH!¡¹

    ¡¸UOOORAAAGH!¡¹

    Again, they don¡¯t seem like the talkative type.

    But something doesn¡¯t make sense.

    These guys were clearly patrolling in groups of three, right? How could they perform such actions if they weren¡¯t capable of rational thought? I can only draw the conclusion that someone is controlling them.

    I used my skills to examine the status of the men, getting some interesting results.

    First, their race was ¡°Superhuman¡±, and they had the title ¡°Experimental Subject¡±. They must have been subjected to Raydoss¡¯s experiments.

    And it seems this experiment ended in failure. While they received an increase to stats, they lost their sanity in exchange. Meanwhile, their status was listed as ¡°Dominated¡±, so someone was definitely controlling them.

    Maybe losing their sanity makes them easier to control.

    They¡¯d eventually get away, so we had no choice but to finish them off. I morphed my decorative cords into steel threads, and wrapped them around the soldiers at the bottom of the pit. Might as well test out the skills I got on the way to the vige.

    I had discreetly collected the magic stones from the Tunnel Bugs, as well as other monsters we found on the journey. Thanks to that, I¡¯ve obtained several skills: Reinforcing Mucus, Gloss Erasure, and Thorned Shell.

    Reinforcing Mucus secretes a quick-drying liquid used for reinforcing dug tunnels. I should be able to increase the binding strength if I apply it to my threads.

    Gloss Erasure apparently has the effects of reducing my shine when I¡¯m exposed to light. Seems pretty useless during the day, but it might let me make my threads less conspicuous at night.

    Thorned Shell, as the name suggests, allows the user to grow thorns out of their shell. I could already morph my threads into spikes, but this seems to make the transformation smoother.

    I guess these skills might be surprisingly useful. I finished off the superhuman soldiers with thorned threads, then began discussing my next move with Fran.

    ¡ºHmm¡­ Maybe the higher up controlling these guys is in the vige?¡»

    £¨Should we sneak in?£©

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s try that. We should be able to stay hidden from these soldiers.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m also counting on your nose, Urushi.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    We concealed ourselves with magic and skills, then leaped over the wall to infiltrate the vige.

    The soldiers didn¡¯t respond at all, so they must not have noticed us.

    £¨No vigers anywhere.£©

    ¡ºYeah, did they all get killed?¡»

    We peeked inside various houses, finding zero vigers. There were various items scattered around the ground, suggesting that the soldiers wrecked the ce, but no people.

    ¡ºHuh? Those soldiers over there. Wait, are they even normal soldiers? Their equipment looks different.¡»

    £¨True.£©

    We noticed a few individuals who seemed out of ce, at a corner of the vige square where the soldiers were gathered. They must be the higher ups.

    They wore slightly higher quality armor, and were talking to each other.

    In other words, they clearly had free will. Seeing them casually chatting in front of the soldiers lined up like mindless drones was simply disgusting.

    Fran seemed to share in my anger.

    £¨I¡¯ll take them down and beat some info out.£©

    ¡ºI feel the same way, but let¡¯s wait a bit longer.¡»

    We should listen in on their conversation first.

    I asked Fran to get a bit closer and use magic to pick up their voices.

    The soldiers had yet to notice us. However, it seems they weren¡¯t the only ones we had to worry about.

    ¡¸There¡¯s someone hiding over there!¡¹

    ¡ºDamn, we got spotted!¡»

    A voice signaling our location came from inside one of the huts. They had somehow located us without even seeing us directly.

    Simultaneously, a shrill whistle-like sound rang out. I could tell that a significant amount of mana was infused into sound. All the soldiers suddenly turned toward us simultaneously.

    Are they using that whistle to control the soldiers?

    Either way, it¡¯s too dangerous to engage so many inbat when they have someone capable of detecting us. We have no choice but to abort the n.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s retreat and notify the vige!¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    Eh? I said retreat. Why are you going forward¡­?!

    ¡¸Urgh! L-Let go of me!¡¹

    She just grabbed themander¡¯s cor and started dragging him!

    ¡¸Gyah! My leg!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up!¡¹

    The enemymander screamed in pain from his broken leg, so I silenced him with a soundproof ward using wind magic.

    Fran slipped through the soldiers¡¯ ranks while dragging the strugglingmander, sessfully making her way out of the vige.

    The soldiers were chasing us at an astonishing speed, but they couldn¡¯tpete with Fran and Urushi. In a matter of minutes, we hadpletely broken through their encirclement.

    ¡ºTo think you would snatch one up with brute force even after getting spotted¡­¡»

    £¨Hehe.£©

    Fran¡¯s smug face was pretty cute.

    No, I should probably get serious. Let¡¯s fix up themander¡¯s leg first since it¡¯s in shambles.

    His heel was covered in blood after all the scrapes since his shoe got torn off. Seems like his other leg is broken too. I heard a muffled scream earlier, so we probably bumped him into a boulder or something.

    He¡¯s already lost the strength to scream or resist. No wait, I think his screams were just getting blocked out by my wind magic.

    We escaped pursuit with abo of running and teleportation, and stopped only once we confirmed no one was in sight.

    Fran lightly applied a healing spell, then threw the man onto the ground. He won¡¯t be able to escape with his still broken bones. All he could do was writhe in pain on the ground.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s make the interrogation a quick one.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    The man must have sensed Fran¡¯splete change in demeanor.

    ¡¸H-Hyah!¡¹

    As a result, he screamed in fright.

 Chapter 1193: Origin of the Superhumans

    <h4>Chapter 1193: Origin of the Superhumans</h4>

    We began our interrogation, which went smoothly since the man¡¯s heart was already broken.

    Though he tried to mix in lies on a few asions, he turned honest after a suitable punishment.

    As a result, we managed to learn a lot.

    Their goal was apparently to sacrifice everyone in the nearby viges. The guy we captured didn¡¯t know the details, but the orders were clear. They were to massacre everyone.

    Another crucial piece of information was that this army hade from the east.

    In other words, they¡¯re here on the East Conquest Duke¡¯s orders. We asked why they were invading the territory of their supposed ally, the South Conquest Duke, but the man didn¡¯t know the reason. They were just following orders from the higher-ups.

    However, the East Conquest Duke was widely known as a madman, so many whispered that he might start a civil war someday. The squad captain simply followed his orders without any knowledge of the full picture.

    I guess this supposed alliance was only superficial, and the East Conquest Duke was eyeing his neighbor¡¯s territory the entire time.

    So the civil war has already started?

    I thought the East Conquest Duke was busy fighting the Kingdom of Belioth, but it seems that front had devolved into a stalemate. He apparently dropped a floating ind on Belioth to seal away any chance of an offensive.

    ¡ºYou mean the floating ind that was home to the heavenly dragons? How did they make it fall?¡»

    ¡¸T-They said it was because of destroying the core or something like that¡­ I don¡¯t know the details!¡¹

    Did they infiltrate the ind, sneak past all the dragons, and destroy the core before without getting found? Maybe they sted it with a super powerful attack from the outside? Either way, it couldn¡¯t have been easy.

    Belioth must be inplete chaos right now. Which means the East Conquest Duke can ignore them and focus on internal affairs.

    That¡¯s not good for us.

    We continued the interrogation and ended up learning their future ns.

    £¨So they¡¯re heading west.£©

    ¡ºYeah, our vige is in trouble.¡»

    Apparently, there¡¯s other squads aside from the one we found, and they¡¯re all headed west. We need to return to the vige and evacuate everyone.

    And then, the man dropped a big bombshell.

    ¡ºA whip-using adventurer from Kranzel? You mean Amanda?¡»

    ¡¸I-I never heard their name! All I know is there was a report about that adventurer being repelled by the Superhuman General!¡¹

    We already knew that Amanda was participating in Kranzel¡¯s fight against the East Conquest Duke. Though I didn¡¯t hear much news regarding her, there were no reports about her being defeated.

    It seems Amanda caused significant casualties to the Raydoss side, until someone known as the Superhuman General deployed and ¡°repelled¡± her.

    The choice of words here is pretty vague.

    Not killed, not defeated, not captured, but ¡°repelled¡±. It says nothing about Amanda¡¯s current condition.

    This Superhuman General must be pretty powerful if they¡¯re the suprememander behind all these superhumans. They apparently managed to beat Amanda single-handedly, even if they prepared some sort of counter for her, which means they¡¯re definitely at least equivalent to a Rank A adventurer.

    Must be the East Conquest Duke¡¯s secret weapon.

    Furthermore, we learned that the soldiers who lost their sanity were products of the East Conquest Duke¡¯s experiments. A mad experiment called the Superhuman Project, aimed at enhancing people through abination of surgical procedures, drugs, and magical tools.

    They¡¯ve apparently been conducting these experiments on criminals, volunteers, and ves for years. While they struggled to create the perfect super soldier, they did manage to produce arge number of failed soldiers.

    In fact, they saw an opportunity in these enhanced soldiers without sanity, and switched to researching the best way to control them.

    And they managed to make it work.

    By using the whistle sound we heard earlier. They can control the entire army by infusing mana into orders given by the whistle.

    The guy we captured had a higher-up who possessed this whistle. It seems that¡¯s also who managed to detect us.

    ¡¸Ourmander goes by the codename of ¡°Windwolf¡±, and he¡¯s one of the real superhumans¡­¡¹

    There¡¯s apparently four of these legionmanders, all of whom were sessfully created superhumans. This Windwolf was supposedly a small man with the appearance of a wolf-like beastkin.

    He gained the power of a monster called a Emerald Wolf after getting infused with its monster factor.

    Though Windwolf was apparently one of the weaker superhumans, his ability to manipte wind made him excellent at scouting and use of the whistle. He was given thergest legion due to this talent.

    I found it hard to believe, but apparently the Windwolf Legion consisted of over 20,000 superhuman soldiers.

    And all of their members were spread around this area. Just how many lives have they taken¡­?

    £¨Is Amanda okay?£©

    Fran muttered her biggest concern.

    We don¡¯t know the details of what happened, but I doubt she got awaypletely unscathed.

    The division Amanda was in should have been coordinating with the Belioth army to invade Eastern Raydoss. If they¡¯re still stranded in the east, perhaps they¡¯re surrounded by superhuman soldiers as we speak.

    Amanda leaving the front lines and the loss of Belioth¡¯s assistance makes their situation incredibly dangerous.

    Are they safe? Does theck of any information mean they¡¯ve already been wiped out?

    ¡ºFirst things first, let¡¯s take this guy and return to the vige. We need to evacuate them.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

 Chapter 1194: Resolve to Fight

    <h4>Chapter 1194: Resolve to Fight</h4>

    We returned to the vige of Horna from our reconnaissance mission, and Fran exined the situation to the vigers.

    The vigers believed us very quickly thanks to the words of the capturedmander.

    However, they could not agree on a future course of action. None of them knew what to do when faced with such a dire situation.

    ¡¸Evacuate? But where can we go?¡¹

    ¡¸Uh, maybe the neighboring vige to the west¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No way! That¡¯s the next ce they¡¯ll be attacking!¡¹

    ¡¸Then do we take the risk and head north?¡¹

    ¡¸You think women and children can pass through that monster infestednd? Impossible!¡¹

    The discussions were heated, but no one coulde up with a good solution. In fact, there might not be any good solutions. No matter what they do, the drawbacks outweighed the benefits.

    And so, the East Conquest Duke¡¯s forces continued closing on the vige while we had no clear n of action.

    ¡¸Watch out! The enemy ising!¡¹

    ¡¸A-Already?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s way too fast!¡¹

    We were just as surprised as everyone else.

    They must be a different unit than the one we bumped into at the neighboring vige, since they came in a different direction. I¡¯m sure they have units other than the one led directly by Windwolf.

    More importantly, the enemy wasing in from the west, which means the mountain pass we came through was now blocked off. The few viges in that direction must already be lost.

    So we¡¯re stuck between Windwolf¡¯s unit approaching from the east, and this new force from the west. Making uspletely surrounded without any escape route.

    Given that they had expected a day or two of respite, the vigers were inplete shock. Some of them had already given into despair.

    There was nothing more they could do, and they all knew it.

    Evacuation had already been rendered impossible. No matter where they tried to run, the children wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up.

    What about surrender? Also out of the question. After all, one of the enemy¡¯s leaders had stated their intention to sacrifice the vigers. Surrendering would be equivalent to epting death.

    In the end, the only remaining option was to barricade themselves in the vige and fight off the invaders. Holding out without reinforcements was only a pipe dream, and everyone knew it. But they had no other choice.

    ¡¸Fran-san, you should run.¡¹

    ¡¸This is a problem for us in Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸The bug guys and you should still be able to escape, right?¡¹

    That¡¯s unexpected.

    Rather than asking for help, they told us to flee. The vigers were more concerned about Fran¡¯s safety than their approaching deaths.

    I wasn¡¯t the only one who was deeply moved by this.

    ¡¸¡­I won¡¯t run.¡¹

    ¡¸What are you saying?! It¡¯s too dangerous to fight!¡¹

    ¡¸I can¡¯t leave Mimi and the others behind.¡¹

    ¡¸I see you¡¯ve really been getting along with our kids, haven¡¯t you? Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry about us though.¡¹

    ¡¸I do!¡¹

    Fran shook her head vigorously, and the vigers gave her gentle looks. It¡¯s as if they were watching a child throwing a tantrum.

    Perhaps the vigers prepared themselves for such an oue the moment they decided to shelter foreign rebels. Well, not like this was a legal punishment for betraying the country or anything. Still, I think they resolved themselves for the possibility of getting attacked or killed.

    Without any loss ofposure, they continued urging for Fran and Quint to escape on their own.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t want to be saddened by the thought of visitors dying for our vige.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mark us dead just yet. The Red Knights will surelye save us.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, of course! You¡¯re absolutely right! The Cardinal g Knights will rescue us!¡¹

    I doubt they seriously believe the Red Knights wille. If the Cardinal g Knights were going to act, they would have done something before the other vigers got ravaged.

    Perhaps they thought it was because of the war with Kranzel, or maybe some secret connection with the duke. The vigers understood that there must be some reason why the Cardinal g Knights couldn¡¯t mobilize.

    Even so, they mentioned the Cardinal g Knights to try and reassure Fran a little. However, this had the exact opposite effect.

    The Cardinal g Knights. Fran slew their captain and dealt them significant casualties. There¡¯s no way they have enough manpower toe to this vige¡¯s aid.

    In other words, Fran had murdered the region¡¯s protectors with her own hands. Even if her actions could be justified because of the war, her personality would not let her ignore this oue.

    Especially if it would result in harm befalling those she had grown close to.

    £¨Master. Urushi.£©

    ¡º¡­I know. I won¡¯t tell you to run.¡»

    £¨Woof woof!£©

    We can save at least the children by having them ride Urushi, but that¡¯s not enough to cate Fran. Running away is ast resort. Besides, I share her desire to protect the vige.

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll protect the vige from the soldiers, and strike down the enemy leader. They must be one of the four legionmanders.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ughtering over ten thousand superhuman soldiers isn¡¯t a feasible n. We have a clear goal in themanders capable of controlling the soldiers with their whistles.

    ¡ºTake out the western legion before Windwolf¡¯s legion arrives. Then we might be able evacuate the vigers to the west if we work fast enough.¡»

    £¨I¡¯ll do my best.£©

    £¨Woof!£©

    Despite their short stay, Fran and Urushi had bothe to love the vigers. They were burning with determination.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll fight.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Man, you aren¡¯t alright in head.¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again.¡¹

    The vigers gave gentle smiles once they understood Fran¡¯s determination. Then, the half-insectkin Quint rushed over.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll help Fran-san deal with the western forces! I ask the vigers to man the walls!¡¹

    The vigers burst intoughter once they realized Quint also showed not a single shred of desire to flee.

    ¡¸Hahaha! I guess the same applies to you guys too!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Indeed!¡¹

    Quint was left looking bewildered by the vigers¡¯ suddenughter.

    ¡¸W-What¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, nothing at all!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Alright everyone, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Quint, we go too.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh? Huh?¡¹

 Chapter 1195: Approaching Superhumans

    <h4>Chapter 1195: Approaching Superhumans</h4>

    The legion approaching Horna Vige was clearly unusual.

    All the soldiers were continuously sprinting at max speed. Normally, such a pace would render them too exhausted to fight, yet the soldiers didn¡¯t appear the least bit tired.

    It¡¯s as if their brains were no longer capable of feeling pain or fatigue. Of course, their bodies should be worn down even if their brains don¡¯t register it.

    These soldiers had been physically modified into superhumans, even if the experiment wasn¡¯t aplete sess. Perhaps their exceptionally high physical endurance and regenerative abilities allowed them to manage.

    In addition, approaching at full speed without any deration of war is a pretty effective surprise attack. I bet they¡¯ve destroyed many viges in this fashion.

    Standing in front of such a force, the half-insectkin Quint shouted loudly.

    ¡¸Halt! Who are you people? Identify yourselves!¡¹

    Considering the possibility that they might belong to a sub-organization of the Red Knightsing to aid Horna, Quint tried to engage in dialogue.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll consider you enemies if you refuse to respond!¡¹

    There was no reply to Quint¡¯s question from the approaching force. All that could be heard was the heavy, echoing sound of thousands of soldiers running.

    There was no longer any room for doubt.

    ¡¸Tch! Didn¡¯t even manage to buy us any time!¡¹

    Quint turned on her heel and hurried back to the vige. Fran and I, who had been observing from the sky, castnd magic in response.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Great Wall for creating a massive defensive barrier. The primary purpose was to restrict the movements of our enemies rather than to block them out.

    ¡ºThis reminds me of our battles in the Beast Kingdom and Gordicia.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Our experience battling hordes of monsters came in handy. We created walls on the sides to funnel anyone approaching the vige into a narrow passage, preventing the soldiers from spreading out.

    That¡¯s because our biggest worry was getting rushed down from all directions. As long as we only have to hold one point, the actual number of enemies doesn¡¯t matter.

    However, our enemies won¡¯t necessarily act ording to our expectations. We had tried a simr tactic against the antidemons in Gordicia, and they simply broke through our wall.

    If these soldiers are smart enough to realize our n, they¡¯ll probably destroy our walls too, even if it takes longer.

    Now, all that¡¯s left is to see how they react¡­

    ¡¸They¡¯re squeezing in.¡¹

    ¡ºWhich means these soldiers are dumber than antidemons.¡»

    The legion went in a straight line through the corridor we constructed, just as nned. They were literally crushing each other as they attempted to force their way through.

    They¡¯ve probably been ordered to ¡°run full speed toward the vige¡± and ¡°attack them when you arrive¡±, and that¡¯s it. It seems they could not be given more detailedmands.

    By my count, at least 100 just got trampled by theirrades.

    I guess they¡¯re considered disposable though.

    ¡¸Master, Urushi, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºRight!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We aimed our magic at the concentrated enemy, and let it loose. There was no need to aim precisely; a few area-of-effect spells left nearly the entire vanguard of a thousand soldiers in shambles.

    They¡¯re certainly formidable, just not enough to get past us. I¡¯d say they¡¯re about as strong as orcs.

    We would almost certainly achieve aplete victory at this rate, even against their overwhelming numbers. Well, things obviously weren¡¯t going to be that easy¡­

    <i>Piiiiiiii</i>!

    ¡¸A whistle!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran and Urushi reacted to the sound of a whistle echoing through the battlefield. Following this, the soldiers¡¯ movements changed significantly.

    The legion stopped in their tracks, then began splitting off into two groups. They intended to bypass the Great Wall and attack from both sides.

    That said, I won¡¯t let them get through so easily. We created additional sections using Great Wall, further restricting their movements. Earthen walls blocked the soldiers¡¯ path forward once again.

    If the soldiers simply followed the walls, they would get lured back into the narrow corridor from before. This only goes to show the weakness of those who can¡¯t make decisions for themselves.

    That said, themander of the legion would obviously give them another change of orders. We heard the sound of a whistle from somewhere again.

    However, this sound never reached the soldiers.

    We had invoked the wind spell Silence to block out all sounds over a wide area.

    Just as nned, the soldiers could no longer hear the whistle.

    ¡ºPerfect! Let¡¯s take this chance to whittle away their numbers!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    We went on to inflict major casualties to the legion, but it seems our enemy wasn¡¯t going to let us continue for long.

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡¸You suspicious-looking knight! Are you the one interfering with my legion!?¡¹

    A peculiar-looking man ascended into the skies next to us. His head resembled a falcon¡¯s, and he had wings reminiscent of birds of prey growing out of his back.

    The birdkin-like man had plenty of mana, so he must be quite strong.

    Fran was currently maintaining her disguise as Gray the righteous knight, since we didn¡¯t want anyone to know she was here. Such would only increase the chance of Raydoss¡¯s other forcesing to hunt us down.

    We had Urushi covering himself in dark magic too, so no one would recognize him as a wolf.

    Anyone looking at Fran would see a petite knight d in gray armor, riding a beast cloaked in shadows. Meanwhile, I had transformed myself into a rtively in longsword.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re the one in charge of these soldiers? Who are you?¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s my question, but fine, I¡¯ll tell you! My name is ¡°dehawk¡±, one of the legionmanders serving the East Conquest Duke!¡¹

 Chapter 1196: Transformation

    <h4>Chapter 1196: Transformation</h4>

    ¡¸My name is ¡°dehawk¡±, one of the legionmanders serving the East Conquest Duke!¡¹

    dehawk loudly dered his name with a voice resembling that of a high-pitched rooster crowing. We managed to get his name and affiliation pretty easily. Perhaps he¡¯s the type that doesn¡¯t think too hard before acting.

    £¨dehawk?£©

    ¡ºMy appraisal also disys his name as ¡°dehawk¡±.¡»

    It seems this was his actual name, rather than some kind of pseudonym. His name must have changed for some reason, just like Fran when she lost her name before I met her.

    The open-back armor he wore was clearly a magic item, but it didn¡¯t seem to have any anti-appraisal enchantments.

    ¡¸Well? I¡¯ve named myself, so who are you!¡¹

    ¡ºI am the righteous knight Gray! I learned that the vige I stumbled upon was in peril, so I rose up to protect it!¡»

    Fran struck a pose in sync with my deration. It seems she¡¯s been brainstorming different poses for a while now. That one was remarkably simr to Rider #1¡¯s transformation pose.

    dehawk was momentarily taken aback, before twisting his avian face into a snarl and shouting back with detest. He apparently thought we were mocking him.

    ¡¸Such insolence! How long can keep up that attitude? All who oppose Raydoss shall be shown no mercy!¡¹

    ¡ºThat vige is a part of Raydoss too!¡»

    ¡¸Indeed it is! Which is why they have a duty to sacrifice themselves for their nation! For the further prosperity of Raydoss!¡¹

    ¡ºProsperity!? Is treating your soldiers like puppets for the good of Raydoss too?!¡»

    ¡¸Precisely! The East Conquest Duke acts for the great nation of Raydoss! Small sacrifices are trifling matterspared to the greater good! Any loyal citizen of Raydoss should offer up their lives with glee! Yet every vige attempts to defy us, those traitors! They should be grateful that I offer up their lives for them!¡¹

    You¡¯re calling tens of thousands of lives a trifling matter? And should they be grateful for bing sacrifices? Seriously?

    Fran moved into action before I even had the time to lose my temper, swinging down on dehawk with murderous intent. His choice of words must have pushed her over the edge.

    While she didn¡¯t speak, I could sense the anger boiling furiously within.

    ¡ºA nation exists to protect its people!¡»

    ¡¸Wrong, the people live to serve the nation!¡¹

    dehawk blocked Fran¡¯s strike with his arm. My appearance might be disguised, but my sharpness was by no means dulled. The power behind that sh was, of course, exactly the same as usual.

    And yet, he managed to block it with his bare arm? Even if I dug halfway into his bone, how hard can his body be!?

    ¡ºFran! You need to calm down! This guy is pretty strong!¡»

    £¨¡­Sorry.£©

    No doubt Fran flew into a rage upon hearing that Mimi and her friends would be offered as sacrifices. However, she regained herposure with a deep breath.

    ¡ºUrushi, make sure the soldiers don¡¯t reach the vige.¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll take this guy down.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    dehawk simply watched as Urushi flew down to the army matching below us. I was hoping he might show some sort of panic, but I guess it won¡¯t be that easy.

    ¡ºNot going to chase?¡»

    ¡¸¡­Kuhahaha!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s so funny?¡»

    dehawk continued his sinisterughter, as if he had already imed victory.

    ¡¸You want to save the vige that badly, huh?¡¹

    ¡º¡­I just don¡¯t want to see innocent people die.¡»

    ¡¸In that case, I¡¯ll crush them right before your eyes! Awaken, you failures!¡¹

    Is that his whistle?

    dehawk reached into his chest pocket and grabbed a 10 cm sized metal whistle, which radiated powerful mana.

    That must be the tool for ordering his soldiers. I created a newyer of wind wards to block whatever he was trying to do.

    However, dehawk didn¡¯t even attempt to bring the whistle to his mouth. He simply crushed it in his hand.

    The silvery whistle shattered into countless shards, only making a small, short squeak.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºSuch mana!¡»

    A violent torrent of mana overflowed from the broken whistle, shattering our wind wards, and transmitting the shrill sound of a bell throughout the battlefield.

    Immediately afterward, the soldiers underwent a startling transformation. Their movements came to a halt, and the bodies of each swelled up. At first, it was only their muscles bulging out, but soon their silhouettes began changing into grotesque shapes.

    No two were the same.

    Some sprouted bat-like wings from their backs, while others grew a lion-like head from the sides of their necks.

    Others had their skin turned green, or enormous arms sprouting from their backs.

    One¡¯s lower body turned into a beetle, transforming them into an insect-like centaur. Their eyes turned intopound eyes.

    They all had one thing inmon: each had gained the characteristics of a monster.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no stopping them anymore! My legion has be a living engine of annihtion that exists to ughter everyone else in their sight!¡¹

    As we listened to dehawk, I noticed a significant change in the soldiers¡¯ movements. They no longer had any semnce of control; each was now acting purely on instinct.

    Many of them were now capable of flight, and some headed our way.

    ¡ºDid he remove their limiters or something?! Their strength is on a whole different level from before!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    That said, I also saw how fast their life force was dwindling. They must be temporarily supercharged by exhausting everyst bit of their being. Even without our intervention, I bet they have less than an hour to live.

    But that¡¯s more than enough time to wipe out a vige.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    We teleported away from dehawk, swiftly cutting down one of the flying superhumans headed towards the vige.

    ¡ºThis one¡¯s pretty tough!¡»

    £¨It¡¯s still alive!£©

    ¡ºA normal sh won¡¯t be enough to kill!¡»

    My first hit cut straight through the heart, yet the monstrosity kept going. I severed off its head in a second strike, but it still refused to die.

    ¡ºFor crying out loud, die!¡»

    I infused me magic into the tip of my de, pouring it directly into the creature¡¯s flesh, and blew it up from the inside. Finally, it stopped regenerating.

    ¡ºdehawk¡­ He¡¯s just watching us! He must be waiting for us to exhaust ourselves!¡»

    £¨But we have to save the vige!£©

    ¡ºYeah, I know. We should deal with the rampaging soldiers first! Prioritize the flying ones!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1197: Beyond the Limit

    <h4>Chapter 1197: Beyond the Limit</h4>

    The superhuman soldiers had transformed into grotesque monster-like forms, and began rampaging out of control. I thought back to Count Ashtner, who we fought in Kranzel¡¯s capital, since he possessed a skill called ¡°Superhuman Transformation¡±.

    I had expected these soldiers to be the result of experiments in replicating that skill, but I guess not. They seem more like humans infused with the power of monsters.

    Now that they¡¯ve left the control of their leader, dehawk, it became more difficult to lure them or predict their movements.

    Still, we couldn¡¯t afford to let a single one through.

    Many ignored us and headed for the vige, so we were left with no choice but to stop them with all our might.

    ¡ºUooh!¡»

    £¨Hah!£©

    The flying superhumans were particrly dangerous, so we chased down the flyers closest to the vige, eliminating them one after another.

    Yet the number of enemies was not decreasing at all. Countless superhuman soldiers were already in the sky, yet additional soldiers kept growing wings and jumping up. All of them were heading towards the vige.

    We didn¡¯t have the luxury to take our time, nor could we continue concealing our identities. Well, I still maintained my heavy-armor form for increased defense, but we could no longer hold back our abilities like thunder magic and Awakening.

    Fran continued teleporting to various superhuman soldiers and striking them down in turn. Each of her blows contained ck thunder and divine energy, while I spammed spells boosted by Arch-Sorcerer.

    One strike, one kill.

    This was necessary because feints and simr tricks mean nothing against opponents who don¡¯t feel pain and regenerate instantly. Each of the superhumans had magic stones inside their bodies, but absorbing them yielded minimal mana and points. Destroying them didn¡¯t kill or weaken the soldiers significantly either.

    That said, everyst bit of mana was wee in this situation.

    ¡ºThey still have their eyes on the vige, even after we¡¯ve in so many of them!¡»

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡ºJust a hunch, but they can probably sense the presence of prey there.¡»

    We¡¯ve heard the superhuman soldiers were modified by infusing the factors of various monsters. Their natural instincts as monsters must be enhanced in this berserk state.

    As a result, the grotesque abominations radiated an unfathomable hunger.

    ¡¸Master, faster!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran immersed herself even deeper in the battle, probably emptying her head of everything aside from massacring the soldiers.

    Be it running, jumping, flying, or teleporting, she could be everywhere at once. This lone girl had dominated the entire battlefield all by herself.

    The sky was decorated with explosions and raging bolts of lightning. One of the soldiers got cleaved in half when Fran teleported behind him. Another was torn to shreds by my steel threads. Urushi charged all the way through their ranks and crunched the soldiers with his jaws.

    We kept eliminating the superhuman soldiers one after another, and we had taken down 1000 before we knew it. Even so, we hardly managed to thin their ranks at all, and the fatigue was wearing us down.

    The superhuman soldiers on the ground managed to break our Great Wall, and began pouring through the gaps. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the ones who had taken a detour were now approaching the vige from the left and right sides.

    I continued invoking powerful spells to shave down their numbers, but the superhuman soldiers didn¡¯t even flinch as their allies fell, hardly earning us a single second. I attempted to create additional Great Walls to block them, but the flyers managed to close in on the vige in the meanwhile.

    ¡ºKanna Kamui!¡»

    ¡ºEkato Keraunos!¡»

    ¡ºUroooh!¡»

    I unleashed several powerful spells in sequence, but firing them randomly wouldn¡¯t be enough. I had to control them all perfectly, and take down as many superhuman soldiers as possible with each spell.

    ¡ºKuh¡­!¡»

    I felt a chill, the familiar one, signaling that I¡¯ve pushed myself too hard again. Considering that I was already relying on evil energy, I must be on the verge of breaking.

    There might be huge risks if I continue pushing myself like this.

    But this isn¡¯t a situation we can solve without getting reckless! I don¡¯t want those vigers dying on me either!

    Fran and I felt exactly the same way.

    We kept flying around at max speed, delivering full powered strikes packed with divine energy. Fran vomited a mixture of blood and stomach acid each time she overexerted herself.

    She was taking significant damage, even without getting hit a single time. Her internal organs simply couldn¡¯t withstand her ridiculous movements. While her regeneration managed to keep up with the damage for now, the blood loss just kept piling up.

    As such, Fran¡¯s movements began to lose their luster. Her fatigue was building up.

    ¡¸Kuh¡­ Ahh!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Slow down a bit!¡»

    £¨But, the vige¡­!£©

    I can understand Fran¡¯s worries. We have the half-insectkin as ast line of defense, but they¡¯re not strong enough to hold back hundreds of these soldiers. While the vigers themselves seemed eager to fight, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance either.

    Maybe they could handle one or two strays, but any more will result in countless casualties.

    Moreover, I could sense the mana within the superhuman soldiers growing as we fought. The more we defeated, the stronger the surviving superhuman soldiers became.

    ¡ºThey¡¯re absorbing power from their fallenrades!¡»

    £¨Nn¡­£©

    As we continued expending our resources, our enemy only grew stronger and stronger. Yet we can¡¯t afford to avoid killing them, since that would result in the vigers dying. Uneptable, especially considering the children we had grown so fond of.

    Fran resolved herself to continue, but our enemy refused to allow this.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwahaha! You¡¯re really going all out, eh!¡¹

    Fran had no choice but to pause in front of a sudden explosion.

    ¡ºdehawk!¡»

    ¡¸Your voice sounds incredibly strange. Who are you really? Let¡¯s see what¡¯s behind that mask of yours!¡¹

    dehawk finally joined the fray, shooting his feathers out like arrows.

    Furthermore, he could detonate the mana contained inside each feather to cause an explosion. What an annoying attack.

    Fran tried to fight back, but dehawk maintained his distance, shouting back with a confident expression.

    ¡¸Oh dear! Are you sure you can leave those failed experiments alone?¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran suppressed her killing intent and pursued the flying superhuman soldiers. She continued striking down those closest to the vige while dodging dehawk¡¯s feathers.

    ¡¸Daaaaah!¡¹

    But even as Fran¡¯s determination grew, her movements only became duller.

    Despite both Fran and I being exhausted and pushed beyond our limits, the momentum of the approaching army remained unchanged. We simply didn¡¯t have enough manpower to force them back.

    £¨I won¡¯t lose!£©

    We continued pushing on with sheer willpower. That said, some things can¡¯t be done with willpower alone. Fran continued coughing blood, sometimes breaking her own bones. She was so bruised and battered that her consciousness was starting to get hazy.

    Practically all of Fran¡¯s damage was self-inflicted. dehawk¡¯s attacks were more of a diversion than anything else, probably to exacerbate our exhaustion.

    With a determined spirit, Fran continued fighting at max output.

    But I could sense her breaking point approaching.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡º?¡»

    Did someone say something?

    ¡¸¡­it!¡¹

    Yeah, this is definitely a voice.

    Someone¡¯s voice could be heard amidst the roars of the superhuman soldiers.

    ¡¸¡­Onee-chan! You can do it!¡¹

 Chapter 1198: Resolution and Divine Aura

    <h4>Chapter 1198: Resolution and Divine Aura</h4>

    £¨Master.£©

    ¡ºYeah, I hear it too.¡»

    We heard the voices perfectly once we concentrated on them.

    ¡¸Onee-chan! You can do it!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t lose!¡¹

    ¡¸You got this!¡¹

    ¡¸Beat them down!¡¹

    The cheers of the children. Their words had no mana, no skills, nor any special abilities backing them up. They were simply sincere and earnest cheers.

    Yet hearing the voices filled Fran with energy.

    Her eyes refilled with resolve. The ck lightning emanating from her body regained momentum, and her grip had renewed strength.

    ¡¸I absolutely won¡¯t let them reach the vige!¡¹

    The words were filled with Fran¡¯s unwavering determination.

    As Fran shouted, a power that was not simply mana began enveloping her body.

    A stronger, more divine power.

    Fran wore an unmistakably divine aura, emitting a mysterious pale-blue light.

    No, perhaps it was more urate to say it was erupting. The divine energy had initially flickered like a mirage, but was now violently surging toward the heavens, like a geyser.

    The superhuman soldiers that had been ignoring us all this time had no choice but to turn their gazes our way. That¡¯s simply how powerful her aura was.

    It seems whatever instincts driving them could no longer ignore Fran.

    Mishandling divine energy leads to deadly idents, yet Fran controlled it all surprisingly well.

    She wore the divine aura as if it was second nature, without any visible strain or physical burden.

    In fact, the divine aura even melded with her body, healing her injuries.

    It¡¯s as if controlling and using divine energy came naturally. As if the divine aura had elevated Fran to a higher level of existence.

    ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    Fran used ck Lightning Roll.

    This, too, was astonishingly smooth, with almost no dy or concentration involved. It seemed to be as easy as a simple jump for the current Fran.

    Fran appeared in front of the superhuman soldiers, hiding the vige behind her back.

    ¡¸You won¡¯t pass!¡¹

    Fran faced both palms forward, and her divine aura shone even brighter.

    Immediately afterward, the battlefield was covered with countless bolts of ck lightning, ravaging the earth and heavens alike. Any superhuman soldiers caught in the st exploded into smithereens.

    Did she just use ck Lightning Invocation? No, that can¡¯t be it. She was still maintaining Brilliant Lightning Rush.

    ¡ºW-Wow, Fran! That¡¯s amazing control over ck lightning!¡»

    £¨Nn. This is a Heavenly ck Tiger¡¯s true power. I understood it just now.£©

    Not only had her power increased, but it seemed she had gained a deeper understanding of her own abilities.

    Having ascended to a higher state, it seemed Fran could now fully control her skills.

    In any case, the current Fran possessed overwhelming strength, a good fit for her overwhelming aura.

    ¡¸Now like this!¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa!¡»

    Sheunched countless ck lightning orbs, which rapidly flew toward the flying soldiers.

    Every single orb hit its target without fail, annihting them. She managed to control them with more precision than even I could manage.

    Moreover, Fran¡¯s mana barely diminished at all despite unleashing such a massive attack. I thought maintaining the divine aura would be exhausting, but it¡¯s as if the divine energy within her was restoring her strength.

    Is this what it means to master the usage of divine energy? I thought the so-called ¡°divine¡± energy was supposed to be a power exceeding the mortal realm.

    Which is why it always harms the wielder.

    But maybe I was wrong. Mastering it might allow one to ovee such downsides.

    £¨I can feel the power of the gods.£©

    ¡ºThe gods¡­ ? You mean the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    I see! The blessing must be backing her up!

    I can understand since I also have a divine blessing. Utilizing the power of your blessing will enhance your control over divine energy.

    That said, Fran seemed to be using the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing better than I thought.

    She must have stepped one foot into the realm of true mastery. Apparently, everything I¡¯ve done up until now was only utilizing a fraction of their powers.

    The current Fran had a true determination to fight, even at the cost of her life. She had strong emotions that resembled prayers, and a yearning for the power to protect those important to her. Perhaps such conditions were what allowed her to call upon the true power of her blessing.

    £¨Master, we wipe them out!£©

    ¡ºRight!¡»

    In response to Fran¡¯s determination, the ck lightning ravaged thend again. Her aura of divine energy shook the air itself, resembling a roar.

    A ck beast stood before the army.

    She looked down upon them like an apex predator, whose victory was already guaranteed.

    Despite not being capable of rational thought, the superhuman soldiers became visibly shaken.

 Chapter 1199: Unrivaled Fran

    <h4>Chapter 1199: Unrivaled Fran</h4>

    The massacre continued.

    Having seemingly mastered the usage of ck lightning and wielding infinite amounts of mana and stamina, Fran ughtered the superhuman soldiers.

    She disappeared in the blink of an eye, obliterating superhuman soldiers with her sword strikes and martial arts, as the rush of ck lightning in her wake vaporized more.

    With such incredible maneuverability and precise magic even at long range, Fran¡¯s dominance now extended across the entire battlefield.

    The asional superhuman soldier managed to slip behind Fran. However, she simply impaled them with a spear of ck lightning without even turning her head.

    The sight reminded me of Izario and Ashwrath¡¯s Divine Sword Release state.

    No one could so much as approach her, and her overwhelming power made it seem as if she was unbeatable. I think she¡¯s nowparable to the formidable enemies we¡¯ve never been able to beat by ourselves, or even exceeding them.

    ¡¸Uraaah!¡¹

    ¡ºWoooooah!¡»

    An immense surge of power began flowing into me from Fran!

    The divine energy within me was boosted by Fran¡¯s control, allowing me to enhance my spells even further.

    I thought I had long since reached the ceiling for my magic, but it seems there was another level.

    I invoked Ekato Keraunos to fire over a hundred bolts of lightning, and each struck an enemy without a single miss.

    Upon casting Kanna Kamui, I was able to move the lightning to my will instead of sending it in a straight line. It looked like a thunderous wyrm rampaging throughout enemy lines.

    The almighty power of our divine attribute started visibly reducing the number of superhuman soldiersing at us.

    Moreover, the enemymander dehawk seemed to be panicking too. He had intended to exhaust us with the superhuman soldiers, so this sudden awakening of our dormant powers waspletely unexpected.

    Despite the superhuman soldiers absorbing power from their fallenrades, they still stood no chance.

    dehawk himself seemed to be boosted as well, but he was no different from the other rabble to the current Fran.

    ¡¸T-This is ridiculous¡­ Where is your powering from¡­?!¡¹

    dehawk squawked in dismay, though I don¡¯t doubt he will be a formidable opponent. I aimed Ekato Keraunos and Kanna Kamui at him earlier, but he skillfully dodged, emerging unscathed.

    He seemed to have used a skill for a burst of eleration, allowing him to just barely evade at thest second.

    Fran might be able to take him down for good if she attacked directly, but protecting the vige was our current priority.

    ¡¸Do your best!¡¹

    ¡¸Onee-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Wolfie, nice one!¡¹

    ¡¸The bug people are doing good too!¡¹

    The children¡¯s excitement skyrocketed, resulting in louder cheers.

    ¡¸We can do this!¡¹

    From there on, Fran was invincible.

    We continued fighting at top gear for nearly 30 minutes, scattering wide-range attacks all the while.

    Before we knew it, all of our enemies had vanished.

    Having been released from the high speed battle, Fran paused and rxed her shoulders.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡¹

    ¡ºI don¡¯t sense any more superhuman soldiers.¡»

    Not only had Fran ughtered countless numbers of them, many burned their life force to power their rampage, resulting in their own deaths.

    The soldiers were gone. What remained was the scent of scorched air from the lightning, and a multitude of malformed corpses.

    More importantly, there was also no sign of dehawk.

    ¡ºHe ran, huh.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. But there¡¯s no helping it.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf.¡¹

    We prioritized defending the vige this time, so we didn¡¯t send Urushi to chase down dehawk.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go back¡­ to the vige¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    ¡¸W-Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸My body¡­ won¡¯t move¡­¡¹

    Fran suddenly copsed. I couldn¡¯t find any problems in her condition and health, but it seems her body refused to respond. Even if the blessing boosted her ability to handle the divine energy, the effects apparently don¡¯tst indefinitely. Well, it¡¯s only natural for that much power. Not even Rank S adventurers can get away scot-free.

    ¡ºUrushi, let¡¯s carry her.¡»

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, rest for now. Leave the rest to us.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    We returned to the vige with Fran on Urushi¡¯s back, seeing some of the half-insectkin walking with a stagger.

    Their wings and antennae were torn, their horns and carapaces shattered. They were battered and covered with injuries all over.

    Fran had missed quite a few of the superhuman soldiers before starting her rampage. The mercenaries likely had to guard the vige from them all this time.

    However, everyone was alive.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I-Is she okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    They were worried about Fran, since she was lying limp on Urushi¡¯s back. I cast recovery magic on Quint and the others, making it seem that Fran used it.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-dono! But you¡¯re in such a terrible state yourself!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks!¡¹

    We managed to repel the enemy, but I doubt that¡¯s thest we¡¯ve seen of them. There was no sign of that Windwolf guy either. I can only hope our efforts allowed us to secure a safe evacuation route¡­

 Chapter 1200: Handling the Bodies

    <h4>Chapter 1200: Handling the Bodies</h4>

    Fran and the half-insectkin returned to the vige, weed by arge crowd.

    Despite Fran¡¯s intense rampage, no one seemed to fear her; instead, everyone was genuinely concerned.

    That might have to do with them having witnessed the Red Knights¡¯ battles up close. All of them knew what the strong looked like, and epted it.

    ¡¸¡­Ugh.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay! You don¡¯t have to talk!¡¹

    ¡¸You really saved us! Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Onee-chan! Are you okay?¡¹

    The vigers expressed their gratitude with sincere faces. No one was lying. Well, except for one, the kid who said, ¡°I already knew she was strong! I-I wasn¡¯t worried at all!¡± That was a lie, albeit a heart-warming one.

    The vige men carried Fran to a room, and the women tended to her.

    They ced wet towels on her forehead, wiped away her sweat, and fanned fresh air into her room.

    Fran had fallen asleep, and everyone watched over her with gentle eyes.

    ¡¸Zzz¡­¡¹

    ¡¸To think someone so young saved our vige¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you so much¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But the vige is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The elders are discussing abandoning the ce.¡¹

    The women¡¯s conversation was indeed a treasure trove of information. I learned that the vige elders were nning to evacuate everyone, but it seems they couldn¡¯t find a route.

    We defeated the forces invading from the west, but that direction was partially blocked by the ckenednd left by Maleficent. The only remaining routes on that side require climbing steep mountains.

    There were also enemies approaching from the east. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯re working for the East Conquest Duke or not, but they¡¯re clearly not allies.

    The south side was even more mountainous than the west, making it impossible for ordinary people to pass through.

    Which leaves the north as the only option. The vigers nned to seek help in the capital. But is that safe? Given that the East Conquest Duke was ughtering innocents with impunity, who can say how cooperative the central government will be? Maybe they would protect the vigers from the East Conquest Duke¡¯s treacherous activities, but they may just as likely back the duke instead.

    dehawk spoke as if his actions benefited Raydoss as a whole, but he was clearly insane. There¡¯s no telling how trustworthy those words were.

    From our point of view, the safest option would be to head west and seek asylum in Kranzel. However, pushing the vigers through such an arduous journey is easier said than done.

    Either way, we can¡¯t escort the vigers until Fran can move. The problem is, we don¡¯t know how long it will take. Fran is currently in aa with a massive amount of fatigue.

    ¡ºWorst case scenario. Urushi and my body double can escort the vigers through the west route.¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    No clue how the half-insectkin will respond, but I¡¯m sure Fran will decide to help the vigers. I don¡¯t think she would ever consider abandoning them.

    I discussed the issue with Urushi for about 30 minutes.

    Fran was still asleep, but her sleeping face looked peaceful.

    This was caused by extreme fatigue, so there didn¡¯t seem to be any painful aftereffects. I¡¯ve been healing her in secret the entire time too.

    Fran shouldn¡¯t be in any more danger now. I¡¯d love to stay here and watch over her, but there¡¯s other things that need to be done.

    ¡ºUrushi, take care of Fran for me.¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    After leaving Fran to Urushi, I cloaked myself and left the vige.

    ¡ºNow then, guess I¡¯ll store all the corpses.¡»

    I wanted to dispose of the superhuman soldiers¡¯ corpses scattered around the vige. If left unattended, they could rot and turn into a source of disease, or start attracting magical beasts.

    Furthermore, Raydoss frequently dabbles in necromancy. I don¡¯t want to imagine the possibility of them getting resurrected as an undead army we have to fight again.

    The corpses had lost all their mana, probably due to the strange phenomenon of mana flowing out of defeated soldiers to their allies. However, they would still pose a significant threat even if turned into low-level zombies.

    I morphed my body into steel threads, absorbing the remaining magic stones as I stored the bodies one by one in my dimensional storage. I honestly have no clue how to dispose of them, but storage is good enough for now. Maybe I can push them off on Jeanter?

    I was cleaning up the battlefield for a while, when my body started shining.

    ¡ºThis is¡­¡»

    ¡¶Temporary name Master¡¯s self-evolution points have reached the limit. Activating the new system ¡°Apostle of Chaos¡±. Some systems will be temporarily silenced until the switch isplete¡­¡·

    Huh? What do you mean by ¡°limit¡±? Hey, Announcer-san? There was no response to any of my questions.

    However, it seems someone else was going to answer me. I found myself in white space before I knew it. The usual ce.

    ¡ºGod?¡»

    ¡¸Bingo. Aw, you¡¯re used it to now, so I don¡¯t get to see you surprised anymore.¡¹

    As expected, it was the descent of a god. The ever-exotic beauty, the Goddess of Chaos.

    ¡ºThis has happened so many times since my reincarnation that I¡¯ve lost count.¡»

    ¡¸Well, whatever. You know why I¡¯m here, right? Oh, that¡¯s a rhetorical question, you don¡¯t have to answer. You¡¯ll find out soon enough anyway.¡¹

    ¡ºO-Oh, okay.¡»

    Oh boy, she¡¯s as carefree as ever.

    ¡¸I suppose I should congratte you for reaching the limit of self-evolution, which means absorbing additional magic stones won¡¯t have any effect. Fenrir¡¯s soul was supposed to be fully healed at this point, but there¡¯s no helping it due to the various irregrities.¡¹

    ¡ºAh, I see.¡»

    My Self-Evolution is currently at Rank 20. By continuously absorbing magic stones at that rank, it seems I¡¯ve reached the cap for points. Guess it¡¯s somewhat like capping out at 99999 EXP in an RPG?

    ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯ve prepared a new system for you. The system up until now was aimed at healing Fenrir, but from now on, it¡¯s a system aimed at your growth and stability, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºWow! Thank you!¡»

    She mentioned something about thatst time, but it seems she really prepared a new growth system! This will let me continue helping Fran!

    ¡¸However, this system requires you to be stronger on your own, without Fenrir¡¯s assistance. This means you¡¯ll have to work harder than before. I hope you can handle that.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll work as hard as I have to if I can be stronger.¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s the spirit! Keep entertaining me as my apostle from now on, okay?¡¹

    Huh? Apostle? Well, I guess I¡¯m something like an apostle since I have her blessing?

    ¡¸You can check the system for yourself when you wake up.¡¹

    ¡ºY-Yes, I will.¡»

    ¡¸There may be a few issues, so let me give you one piece of advice. All gods are gods, no more, no less. Make sure you never forget that.¡¹

    ¡º?¡»

    Upon leaving behind the ominous words delivered in a cheerful tone, the Goddess of Chaos disappeared along with her usual catchphrase.

    ¡¸I bid you a pleasant chaos.¡¹

    ¡ºEh? What issues? Goddess?! What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡»

 Chapter 1201: Humanseal Blade

    <h4>Chapter 1201: Humanseal de</h4>

    The Goddess of Chaos departed, and I found myself back in the forest before I realized it. Well, that part isn¡¯t surprising since it always happens.

    More importantly, what¡¯s going on with my new system! She said something pretty ominous!

    ¡ºUm, guess I¡¯ll check my stats¡­¡»

    A bunch of things have changed!

    First, my name was different. It used to be ¡°Human de, Master¡±, but it¡¯s changed to ¡°Humanseal de, Master¡±. At least I don¡¯t have to deal with theme name of ¡°Human de¡± anymore¡­

    What¡¯s that supposed to mean though? A sword for sealing humans? Or is it because a human soul is sealed within the sword? I guess you could say it makes sense¡­?

    There was no change in attack power or mana capacity, so it seems like the transition to a new system was the only thing that happened. Might be more like a software upgrade rather than a hardware one.

    The most significant change was the newly added stat: ¡°Sword Transformation Rate¡±, which was currently at 61%. Is this describing how sword-like I am?

    Too high, and I might devolve into aplete sword, like the other me. Too low, and I might go mad from being unable to adapt to my sword body. Having it conveniently disyed for me like this is pretty helpful.

    ¡ºBut how good is 61%? A bit on the high side, maybe?¡»

    I might have to be careful if it continues rising from here.

    As for my skills, there didn¡¯t seem to be any significant changes¡­ No wait, several new skills have been added! The name of Self-Evolution got changed, and my stock of points got reduced!

    What used to be the Self-Evolution section was now called ¡°Growth Adaptation¡±, and the rank disy disappeared. My magic stone points got reset to 0/10000, but I got an extra 100 memory. Most shockingly, I had only 80 self-evolution points remaining, when I should have had nearly 200. In other words, over 100 points were unounted for.

    I think my new skills were counted as forcibly acquired by the system. Something simr happened before, this loss is damn huge¡­

    My biggest change in skills was the disappearance of ¡°Blessing of the Chaos Goddess¡± and ¡°Evil Conquest¡±, which were reced with the new Extra Skills: ¡°Apostle of Chaos Goddess¡± and ¡°Evil God¡¯s Trust¡±. These must be super strong if I lost 100 points for them. Please be strong, I¡¯m begging you.

    Apostle of the Chaos Goddess makes sense to an extent. The goddess called me her apostle, and it¡¯s probably like an upgraded version of her blessing.

    But I have an issue with this so-called ¡°Evil God¡¯s Trust¡±. Is this something that¡¯s okay to be carrying? And what does this ¡°Trust¡± even mean in the first ce? Well, I guess the Evil God has recently been strangely affectionate and doing whatever it wants¡­

    I attempted to draw out a bit of evil energy, which instantly formed a thick cloak around me. I was usingrger quantities more quickly than before, yet I hardly felt any recoil. It¡¯s like I could use evil energy with the same sensation as using mana.

    The Chaos Goddess mentioned that ¡°all gods are gods¡±, which must be rted. Was she telling me to use the Evil God¡¯s power since its the same as any other god? Or was she warning me not to rely on its power too much?

    Hmm, I just don¡¯t know. There¡¯s clearly some issues with using evil energy all the time though. I should save it for dangerous situations.

    As for divine energy, that felt about the same as before, I guess? I must be missing something before I can reach the same level as Fran. Oh wait, there¡¯s another new category at the end!

    ¡ºChaos Skills?¡»

    A new category called ¡°Chaos Skills¡± had been added after Unique Skills, Inherent Skills, SP Skills, and the like. The only thing there was some mysterious skill called ¡°Chaos Knowledge¡±.

    Upon appraisal, all I got was the nothing description of ¡°a skill forprehending chaos¡±. I gave the skill a test activation and got a strange feeling.

    It¡¯s as if I can understand my insides better, or rather, I can sense the newly expanded and updated parts more clearly. The areas where Fenrir-san and Evil God Fragment were sealed seem to have be simpler than before, I think.

    Well, I guess it¡¯s a skill affecting areas like perception, control, and processing. I¡¯ll gradually try it out and learn more as I go.

    ¡ºOh right, I still need to finish up the cleanup.¡»

    There¡¯s many things I want to try, but corpse disposal takes priority. I¡¯m also worried about Fran.

    Suppressing the desire to check my stats again, I continued for another three hours before finally dumping away thest corpse. I also had to hunt the asional magical beast lured in by the scent of death.

    There was almost amotion in the vige due to the disappearing bodies. That said, they seem to have attributed it to an unknown property of the superhuman soldiers.

    Thus, they decided to ignore the issue since it didn¡¯t bring them any harm. However, perhaps this eerie phenomenon pushed them further, as the vigers decided to evacuate before the day¡¯s end.

    The n was to carry the food supplies Fran gave them and head west.

    The vigers were busy preparing carts, as well as a beast-drawn wagon to carry the children. It seems Fran was also to join them on the wagon.

    We decided to help as well. Well, ¡°we¡± being Urushi, who could growrge enough to carry the children on his back.

    However, conveying this might be difficult with Fran asleep¡­ Should I create a body double for talking to them, or maybe use telepathy pretending to be Urushi?

    Urushi decided to take things into his own hands while I was pondering it. He gradually increased his size, little by little.

    ¡¸W-Woah, that¡¯s pretty cool!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, you¡¯ve gotten so big!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi-chan¡¯s fluffiness just got even more amazing!¡¹

    Perhaps because Urushi had been in his rxed form all along, the vigers didn¡¯t seem to be scared. After all, he had fought for the vige¡¯s sake.

    The children seemed incredibly excited as they flocked to Urushi¡¯s fluffy belly, since he was currently lying belly up.

    Seems like the first stage was a sess. Urushi then gently grabbed the asleep Fran with his mouth, and lifted her onto his back. He also picked up Mimi by the scruff of her neck and ced her next to Fran.

    Then, he proceeded to put the children on his back one by one. This seems to havemunicated the intention to the adults.

    ¡¸Are you saying you¡¯ll carry all the children yourself?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s a lifesaver!¡¹

    That should help quicken the pace of the evacuation. Time is of the essence right now.

 Chapter 1202: Running in the Rain

    <h4>Chapter 1202: Running in the Rain</h4>

    The vige¡¯s evacuation was progressing slower than expected.

    Fran woke up for a moment to store most of the luggage and heal the half-insectkin, though that was just me in disguise.

    The vigers were giving their all, but many of them didn¡¯t have experience with such rocky terrain. Determination alone wasn¡¯t enough.

    Moreover, the number of magical beasts we encountered was substantial. In fact, it seems our caravan was attracting tons of them.

    Small magical beasts normally wouldn¡¯t approach suchrge groups of humans on their own. I know this from our past experiences.

    However, the magical beasts were so starved that they couldn¡¯t think clearly. They viewed us as a feast, without any concern for being outnumbered.

    An additional challenge was the rain. It unfortunately started pouring heavily at the worst possible time. The torrential rain acted as a curtain obscuring our vision, which forced us to heighten our vignce even more.

    Furthermore, the cold rain sapped our body heat and stamina, as well as making the ground muddy and slippery.

    The vigers were forced to slow down to crawl.

    While the rain did have benefits in terms of masking our scent, the disadvantages were far greater. Nevertheless, the vigers continued marching forward withoutints.

    ¡¸Everyone, hang in there!¡¹

    ¡¸Watch your footing!¡¹

    ¡¸You can do it!¡¹

    Even the soldiers, who should be tired from battling magical beasts, encouraged everyone.

    After witnessing such dedication, it was hard to voice anyints.

    Meanwhile, the half-insectkin were constantly on alert for approaching magical beasts, without showing any signs of fatigue. They were clearly working the hardest, despite not even being members of the vige.

    Well, I¡¯m sure the mercenaries have way more stamina, so they¡¯re probably not tired at all¡­ But it appeared to the vigers that they were acting lively to boost morale.

    ¡¸Fran-oneechan still isn¡¯t waking up.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll protect her.¡¹

    ¡¸But more importantly, we need to support her so she doesn¡¯t fall.¡¹

    The voices of the children rang out from Urushi¡¯s back. This was another reason the adults kept pushing themselves, as they needed to do their best for the sake of the children.

    The girl who had saved the vige was still asleep, so it would be audacious to whine about their fatigue.

    ¡ºFran¡¯s been sleeping for a while now¡­¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    Finally, while I was in the middle of conversing with Urushi¡­

    ¡¸¡­Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    Fran woke up. With unfocused eyes, she looked around at the children and slowly moved her hands to examine her surroundings.

    Those hands were clearly searching for me.

    ¡ºFran! I¡¯m right here, it¡¯s fine.¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­mm¡­¡¹

    Still somewhat drowsy, she reached out and grabbed me after slightly shaking her head. Slowly, she sat up and gazed to the east.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸They¡¯reing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Immediately afterward, both Urushi and I sensed the approaching army.

    ¡ºTch. The rain was hiding their presence.¡»

    £¨Woof.£©

    But how did Fran notice them?

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran stood up, radiating an otherworldly aura. It resembled her state during Sword God Transformation, but the released divine energy was extremely faint.

    No wait. How is she emitting divine energy when she just woke up?

    ¡ºFran! You can¡¯t keep pushing yourself! Let me handle it!¡»

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m fine. I found out a little more.¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    I was about to ask Fran the meaning of her words, when the children started crowding around her.

    Well, Urushi had magically secured most of the children to his back, so only the closer ones could reach her. Mimi and the other children practically jumped for joy as Fran got up.

    Fran called out to Quint.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll deal with the onesing from behind. You go on ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Understood. We¡¯ll try to hurry.¡¹

    Since someone needed to protect the vigers from monster attacks, the mercenaries understood this was a job only Fran could take. Quint nodded with a sense of resignation.

    ¡ºFran, how¡¯s your condition?¡»

    £¨I feel refreshed.£©

    ¡ºReally?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Doesn¡¯t seem that way to me. Fran looked sopletely exhausted that she could barely stay awake. If that was an attempt to hide her fatigue, she wasn¡¯t doing it well.

    But for some reason, her movements were smooth.

    ¡ºDid something happen?¡»

    £¨I somehow figured out how to use divine energy while I was asleep.£©

    It seems Fran had been manipting divine energy in her semi-conscious state. As a result, she grasped the technique, allowing her to reduce the strain on her body.

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    Fran began circting divine energy throughout her own body.

    ¡¶Individual Fran has acquired Divine Energy Maniption.¡·

 Chapter 1203: New Powers

    <h4>Chapter 1203: New Powers</h4>

    ¡¶Individual Fran has acquired Divine Energy Maniption.¡·

    Wow! Talk about perfect timing!

    I never expected her to learn Divine Energy Maniption in such a short time!

    No, perhaps it wasn¡¯t such a short time after all? Fran had constant exposure to divine energy through me. Not to mention how she sensed the power of the gods with Sword God Transformation and her blessing.

    Each time, she found herself suffering under the pressure of the power.

    That¡¯s not an experience most normal people will experience. In a sense, you could say Fran had undergone relentless Spartan training for divine energy usage. Perhaps her efforts bore fruit in ourst battle.

    Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s the only reason.

    ¡ºFran, did something happen while you were asleep?¡»

    £¨Nn? Hmm? Someone showed up, maybe¡­?£©

    ¡ºUh, don¡¯t ask me¡­¡»

    £¨I felt like someone stroked my head while I was dreaming. Then I felt better.£©

    Did Fran encounter one of the gods in her dream? The Beast-Bug God, I guess. It seems she doesn¡¯t really remember it, so there¡¯s no point in dwelling.

    ¡ºHow¡¯s your body?¡»

    £¨I¡¯m fine. I can move perfectly.£©

    ¡ºGood. We¡¯ll make our stand here. Let¡¯s settle things before nightfall.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran seemed to be mitigating the damage from divine energy by channeling it to enhance her body. Maybe it¡¯s simr to how divine-infused healing magic can fix divine-induced wounds.

    She really mastered handling divine energy. Her enhanced senses must also be what allowed her to sense the enemy¡¯s presence before us.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    £¨Urushi, please take care of everyone.£©

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Fran ventured out once more to protect the vigers.

    As we soared through the sky, I transformed into my heavy armor form once again.

    ¡ºMore superhuman soldiers, like I thought!¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    We could see numerous figures approaching at high speed from beyond the rain-drenched ins.

    £¨They¡¯re still in human form.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    The superhuman soldiers were sprinting at full speed, just like when they attacked Horna Vige. It¡¯s only a matter of time until they catch up.

    ¡ºWe need to take down as many as possible while they¡¯re still in this state.¡»

    Our enemies clearly considered the superhuman soldiers to be expendable, especially since they can be turned undead after death. They¡¯ll surely remove their limiters and go berserk once we show up.

    Well, I cleaned up their bodiesst time, so those ones won¡¯t being back.

    We have to defeat them either way, so I don¡¯t want to exhaust ourselves any more than necessary. The more important part is how many of them we can take down while they¡¯re still weak.

    Which means our first strike is critical.

    ¡ºNow then, time to showcase our newly acquired magic.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran had a highpatibility with thunder magic, and we¡¯ve taken down many foes using it. That said, it¡¯s on the narrower side in terms of area of effect. If we want to take down arge crowd at once, Ekato Keraunos is the best spell we can manage.

    In other words, thunder magic is more suited for single target, high damage.

    That¡¯s why we decided to spend my Self-Evolution Points, or I guess they¡¯re called Growth Points now. Anyways, I used the points to boost a certain magic skill and learn new spells. One that excels in area attacks, with an attribute thatpliments Fran well.

    I had already performed research into which spells were avable for which attribute. Some categories of magic were difficult to investigate due to theck of publicly avable information, but the one we chose was quite well-known.

    After all, there was a very famous man specializing in this field. Any adventurer could hear all the details they wanted by visiting the guild.

    ¡ºGuess we have Izario to thank for this.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s do this!¡»

    Fran went first.

    ¡¸Pheeew!¡¹

    Divine energy was mixed into the mana forming her spell. Her casting speed, mana amount, and spell quality were all on a different level from before, perhaps due to gaining Divine Energy Maniption.

    Fran hasn¡¯t reached the level where she can activate supreme-tier spells instantly, but she¡¯ll probably be able to do that with enough practice.

    I can¡¯t let my guard down, or she¡¯ll surpass me very soon.

    ¡ºGive it all you¡¯ve got, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! me magic, Megiddo me!¡¹

    In response to Fran¡¯s voice, a massive magic circle was drawn on the ground. Immediately after, a small sun appeared out of the circle, and an immense wave of heat annihted everything in its vicinity.

    The surroundingnd boiled intova, as any nearby soldiers and rocks were vaporized in the sheer heat.

    The fireball itself was only a few dozen meters in size, but the scorching wave of heat impacted an arearge enough to engulf a small town.

    I recall seeing this spell during the battle between Ashwrath and the possessed Velmeria in Kranzel¡¯s capital.

    The power of Fran¡¯s spell wasparable to Velmeria¡¯s in her Divine Dragon Form. Divine Energy Maniption was definitely enhancing the potency of Fran¡¯s magic.

    Her single spell killed over a thousand superhuman soldiers. Moreover, by deliberately aiming it at the right nk, we sessfully pushed the superhuman soldiers toward the left nk. This allowed us to group them together for the next step.

    After confirming the sess of Fran¡¯s spell, I also activated my own.

    ¡ºHere¡¯s the second supreme-tier spell we¡¯ve learned! Have a taste of this!¡»

    £¨Master, you got this!£©

    I felt the spell¡¯s activation draining a massive amount of mana. Reminds me of when I first used Kanna Kamui. I¡¯ll need more practice to master this one too.

    Since it¡¯s my first time using it, all I can do is dump a flood of mes over a wide area. Well, that¡¯s what I want to do right now, so it¡¯s no problem!

    ¡ºLevel 10 me Magic, Surtr!¡»

    A small mass of ck mes appeared above the surviving superhuman soldiers, though only a few meters in size.

    In terms of visual impact, it was not nearly as impressive as Fran¡¯s Megiddo me. That said, the cmity triggered far exceeded anything Megiddo me was capable of.

    The mass of ck mes began dumping clumps of simrly ck mes onto the ground. It gave an eerie and unsettling feeling, much like when one witnesses a person falling from a great height.

    The ominous ck mes gradually gained momentum. It started pouring down like water from a faucet, ultimately falling to the earth in the form of a waterfall.

    Might be my imagination, but I caught a glimpse of arge, grotesque entity crawling around within the dark ze.

    And once the mes reached the ground, they spread out like water overflowing from a table, engulfing everything.

    It was silent. There were none of the usual sounds associated with ordinary mes.

    The ck mes quickly encroached the earth, snuffing out the life of anything it touched. Any superhuman soldiers enveloped by the ck mes could do nothing to resist. The mes refused to be extinguished until it consumed their livespletely.

    If we had used this on an ordinary army, it would have turned into a hellish scene of wailing and agony. However, these were superhuman soldiers who felt no pain and uttered no screams.

    The superhuman soldiers simply copsed within the silent inferno, vanishing without a sound.

 Chapter 1204: Boneheaded Windwolf

    <h4>Chapter 1204: Boneheaded Windwolf</h4>

    I watched the deaths of the superhuman soldiers within the ck mes, shuddering at the power.

    ¡ºme magic certainly has incredibly deadly spells.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Those ck mes burn by using the target¡¯s mana as fuel, which is why they don¡¯t disappear until death. People above a certain level might be able to blow it away with an attack of their own, or block it with a barrier. However, anyone below that level can do nothing but wait until their life burns out.

    That said, it was definitely weaker than thunder magic in terms of damage to each individual target. In fact, many of the soldiers managed to escape before being burnt to death.

    All the survivors had removed their limiters and undergone a grotesque transformation. It seems that happens automatically after they receive a certain amount of damage.

    Even so, we managed to take down quite a number of them with the first strike.

    ¡ºWe got around 4000-5000 with those spells, which is great. Now we just have to do the same thing as when we defended the vige.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    However, we¡¯re actually further away from the vigerspared tost time. Defending will be even easier.

    On the other hand, Fran wasn¡¯t in perfect condition. She was burdened with the exhaustion from the previous battle, which she was forcibly trying to recover from by enveloping herself in divine energy.

    £¨I can keep going.£©

    ¡ºAlright!¡»

    As for the flyers¡­

    ¡ºGreat! They¡¯re targeting us now!¡»

    £¨Let¡¯s keep them engaged!£©

    Were they instinctively drawn to Fran¡¯s weak divine aura or something? All of the superhuman soldiers were clearly looking at Fran.

    This allowed Fran to serve as a decoy, making it easier to ensure the vigers¡¯ safety.

    However, we also felt a tremendous surge of mana from a distance, far behind the lines of the superhuman soldiers we burnt with Surtr.

    We had already sensed the presence of arge army in that direction, but it seems they¡¯ve released all their limiters simultaneously. The superhuman soldiers who survived our spell also began transforming at the same time.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s maintain at a slightly lower altitude, so we can handle thoseing from bothnd and air.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    The starting bell rang on our fierce battle.

    The grotesque creatures charged straight at Fran without any intention of pursuing the vigers. Meanwhile, Fran ughtered them as they came.

    Thunder and me magic raged throughout the battlefield, as the ground was stained red with superhuman soldier blood. Due to Fran¡¯s cloak of divine energy, each hit proved fatal.

    That said, the intensity of the battle was taking a toll on Fran¡¯s body. She was forced to dodge the relentless assault from all directions, without a single moment of rest.

    That wasn¡¯t the only reason Fran started to furrow her brows. The superhuman soldiers paid no mind to hitting each other, as if they were intended to die from the beginning.

    They would go this far to wear Fran down?

    No, that¡¯s not the only reason. Both Fran and I had sensed a faint anomaly.

    We already knew that the superhuman soldiers were absorbing mana from their fallenrades, but I noticed something else peculiar. I must have missed it during our previous fight since we were too focused on defending the vige, but this was our second encounter. There was definitely a faint oddity in the flow of mana.

    All of the corpses were leaking mana, but this was seeping into the earth instead of dispersing into the air like usual. It¡¯s almost as if thend itself was feeding on the mana of the dead.

    However, we didn¡¯t have any time to ponder this further.

    ¡¸Zeyaaaaahhh!¡¹

    ¡ºWooaahhh!¡»

    I had already dispelled our disguise as the knight Gray, since I couldn¡¯t afford to expend any effort on such an borate transformation. We were really pushing ourselves to the edge.

    We were forced to constantly focus on multi-casting magic, dodging enemy attacks, and delivering counters with all our might simultaneously. And such an intense exchange had been going on for an hour without rest.

    Just because we could harness divine energy more efficiently didn¡¯t give us infinite stamina or anything. The overwhelming number of enemies made that painfully clear.

    Fran¡¯s movements began losing their luster, albeit gradually.

    We might be screwed if our enemies keep up this pressure¡­

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºSeriously?¡»

    Just when the enemy army started to dwindle, we sensed the approach of a new force. Another legion of Raydoss¡¯s super soldiers emerged into view from the top of a hill.

    Enemy reinforcements. They must have all the superhuman soldiers in the vicinity gathered here.

    Maybe we should disengage briefly to catch our breath?

    Fran¡¯s slight unease seems to have been conveyed to the enemy.

    ¡¸Kwahaha! Don¡¯t think this is all of us! We have plenty more troops to spare!¡¹

    ¡¸You must be¡­ Windwolf!¡¹

    ¡¸Bingo!¡¹

    Though he had stayed in the background all this time, one of the enemymanders finally revealed himself. Windwolf resembled a beastman with green fur, but his aura signature was closer to a magical beast than a person.

    ¡¸To think you would be that notorious ck cat! Never saw that oneing! But now that this news has reached the light, the undead of the ck Skeleton Corps and the Red Knights wille running for you! Even if you manage to survive my army somehow, your death is all but guaranteed! Fuhahaha!¡¹

    It seems he intended to break Fran¡¯s spirit by exining our predicament.

    Sucks for him though! Fran isn¡¯t going to despair over something this small! No matter how surprised or shaken she may be, she¡¯s strong enough take it all in and keep pushing forward!

    £¨Master! Let¡¯s kill that guy!£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    Fran charged at Windwolf with a fierce grin, despite her unhealed wounds. Might as well take advantage of the enemy¡¯s carelessness if theirmander wants to show up right in front of us!

    Teleport in and Heavenly Judgment. This was a trump card we kept in reserve, perfect for killing any foes caught off guard.

    ¡¸Gah¡­?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hm?¡¹

    Windwolf was quick enough to respond, throwing our aim slightly off. That said, I definitely felt myself slicing through his right shoulder into the lung area.

    But before I could cut through the rest of his body, he melted into the air and disappeared.

    Shortly after, he reappeared a little distance away.

    ¡¸¡­Dammit¡­ you got me good!¡¹

    Did Windwolf have some sort of skill for melding with the air? Upon appraisal, I found a skill called Windbody. It seems this allowed him to temporarily turn his physical body into wind.

    Even so, Windwolf definitely got hit by my sh, as he held the wound with his face contorted in anger.

    ¡¸Keh¡­ Keheheh! My wound¡­ isn¡¯t healing! What did you¡­ do?¡¹

    ¡¸Guess?¡¹

    ¡¸It seems I was a dumbass to underestimate you!¡¹

    Well, yeah. He deliberately revealed himself to us, and took a fatal blow due to carelessness. Pretty stupid of him.

    Also, we confirmed that divine-infused shes work against the superhumanmanders. Fran with her current abilities can definitely fight on their level.

    ¡¸Fine, you leave me no other choice¡­ My master! I offer you my power as well! May my body be your sustenance! Awooooh!¡¹

 Chapter 1205: A New Army

    <h4>Chapter 1205: A New Army</h4>

    Windwolf¡¯s entire body swelled up, turning him into a mass of flesh. The only sign of the formermander¡¯s identity were several patches of green fur.

    And each patch had distorted wolf heads growing out of it. He now looked like a disturbing toy, as if a child had yfully attached several wolf heads to a misshapen y sphere.

    If I saw someone¡¯s child making something like this, I would rmend taking them to a psychologist. It was that eerie.

    I had assumed he was in the middle of some transformation, but this ball shape was apparently his final form. He floated in the air using wind magic.

    Seems more like a biological abomination than a proper living creature. Fran attempted to attack in the middle of the transformation, but the superhuman soldiers dove in as if to protect Windwolf. His roar from earlier must have been an order to them.

    We fell a few seconds behind as a result, allowing his transformation toplete.

    ¡¸Grrrrr! Gaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºHe can use ranged attacks despite looking that like!¡»

    The grotesque wolf sted us with wind magic. There were several rounds of wind bullets, with a few invisible wind des snuck in. Anyone on the receiving end would get cut in half if they didn¡¯t have the ability to sense those.

    Seems like he can multi-cast as many spells as he has heads. Also annoying was how the superhuman soldiers kept swarming us the entire time. With Windwolf not bothering to avoid friendly fire, getting surrounded made it harder to dodge.

    Not to mention the new legion of superhuman soldiers approaching us.

    Should I spam magic to keep them at bay, ignoring the risk of mana depletion? However, the new forces had deployed over a wide area. Even a spell like Surtr wouldn¡¯t be able to take out a decent chunk.

    The information about Windwolf¡¯s forces taking heavy casualties from me magic must have been ryed somehow.

    ¡ºWe need to beat Windwolf as fast as possible and prepare for the next wave!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    But it seems our enemies anticipated our course of action. I sensed a tremendous surge of mana from behind us,parable to Windwolf¡¯s transformation.

    We quickly turned around to see dehawk¡­ or at least what was left of him.

    ¡¸Kihehehehe! Feel free to struggle all you want! The more blood staining the earth only brings us closer to our goal! Kyahahaha!¡¹

    While dehawk¡¯s transformation wasn¡¯t as grotesque as Windwolf¡¯s, his form was still pretty disgusting. He had sprouted countless irregrly shaped des from his feathery body.

    The size and shape of the des varied, with thergest one being a mutated greatsword sticking out of his right elbow in ce of his forearm. The smallest one appeared to be a stiletto, protruding from his left eye socket.

    You would think this form had terrible bnce and air resistance, but it seems he didn¡¯t care much for thews of physics. His aerial speed and maneuverability was just as good as before.

    One p of his wings was enough to send him darting towards us like a bullet. Despite the superhuman soldiers flooding our airspace, dehawk paid no mind.

    He flew right past us maintaining his ridiculous speed, but this was no mistake. Several of the nearby superhuman soldiers had been torn apart by the des extending out of his arms.

    What an annoying strategy. He was attempting to restrict Fran¡¯s movements with the superhuman soldiers, so he could aim for a fatal blow.

    I attempted to burn down the surrounding superhuman soldiers once again with me magic, but they didn¡¯t take the bait. Many scattered away from Fran, almost as if they were fleeing.

    Then, they approached Fran one by one, zigzagging to avoid being easy targets.

    Both Windwolf and dehawk were experiencing the same drain to life force as the superhuman soldiers who underwent transformations. Like I thought, removing your limiterses with heavy risks.

    Yet the two didn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry, steadily working to wear Fran down. It¡¯s almost as if they didn¡¯t mind failing to defeat Fran, as long as they managed to exhaust her for the sake of theirrades.

    They had regarded the superhuman soldiers as mere pawns, but it seems that line of thinking applied to themselves as well.

    Fran¡¯s breathing began getting ragged after the heavy toll of continuous fighting.

    What should we do? I still have a decent amount of mana left, but not enough to spam Surtr or Kanna Kamui indefinitely.

    Considering how much mana I need to supply Fran, perhaps five casts left? Maybe it would be best to invoke Surtr simultaneously over a wide area and reduce their numbers as much as possible?

    Decimating a good portion of the enemies will give us time for a temporary retreat and break, then we can redeploy before they catch up to the vigers. We would certainly be walking a fine line, but it¡¯s better than continuing like this.

    I was using elerated Thought to devise our next course of action, when Fran suddenly noticed something.

    ¡ºIs something wrong?¡»

    ¡¸Someone¡¯sing.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat? Already¡­?¡»

    Much to our surprise, we found another group descending on us from the north, while the superhuman army was still advancing from the east.

    ¡ºHuh? They¡¯re not another legion of superhuman soldiers¡­¡»

    £¨Red armor¡­?£©

    As Fran pointed out, those at the head of the new force were wearing red armor. The Red Knights.

    ¡ºSo it looks like they finally found us.¡»

    £¨¡­The one leading them is Siby.£©

    ¡ºThe Red Sword Knights, of all the times¡­!¡»

    I had heard that the Red Sword Knights yed a crucial role in defending Central Raydoss. Thus, it¡¯s not easy to mobilize them. The only possible exnation was that they learned of Fran¡¯s presence.

    First she thwarted the schemes of the West Conquest Duke, then she eliminated multiple Red Knight Captains and absorbed their relics. Fran had earned the ire of the entire nation of Raydoss.

    No clue if they¡¯re in cahoots with the East Conquest Duke, but they certainly couldn¡¯t ignore Fran¡¯s presence here.

    ¡ºFran, we need to retreat for now.¡»

    £¨Wait.£©

    ¡ºI understand how you feel, but¨D¨D¡»

    £¨Siby isn¡¯t looking our way.£©

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Now that you mention it, the Red Knights weren¡¯t marching directly at us. Also, Siby¡¯s re was directed at Fran.

    ¡ºWhoa, seriously!?¡»

    We watched as the Red Knights suddenly changed course, attacking the superhuman soldiers in the east. At the forefront was Siby, who cleaved down swaths of superhuman soldiers without hesitation.

    ¡¸You stand before the Red Sword Knights! We are the de directed at any who harm the people of Raydoss! And to any who serve the Eastern Madman,e at me! I¡¯ll personally turn you into a pool of blood!¡¹

 Chapter 1206: Knights of the Red Sword

    <h4>Chapter 1206: Knights of the Red Sword</h4>

    The Red Knights entered the battlefield, then charged toward the superhuman soldiers for some reason. Leading them was a red-haired woman who we recognized.

    £¨Siby.£©

    ¡ºYeah, she¡¯s really damn strong.¡»

    Every swing of Siby¡¯s massive sword turned several of the grotesque soldiers into a gory explosion. Some tried to regenerate from the hit, but she would beat them into a pulp regardless.

    Ugh! Siby just bit into some guy¡¯s neck and tore it off! Her fighting style is just in terrifying!

    However, her equipment was a lot different from before: shy armor adorned with red and gold decorations. It resembled a mix of bikini armor and dress armor, so it seemed poor in terms of defense.

    That said, Siby¡¯s defense was already abnormally high, so she likely preferred armor that didn¡¯t hinder her movements. It seemed to be magical gear that increased her stats as well.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Pretty weak, but you guys got high regeneration! Did someone gift me a bunch of sandbags?!¡¹

    Siby buried countless superhuman soldiers whileughing. Her red sword began glowing in response to her rising excitement.

    This wasn¡¯t just for show. It had some sort of anti-regeneration effect.

    £¨That¡¯s¡­£©

    ¡ºDefinitely the divine attribute.¡»

    Though faint, the de was cloaked by a divine aura. Any superhuman soldiers struck down could no longer regenerate their wounds.

    ¡ºBut, that sword¡­¡»

    I found myself unable to take my eyes off her sword. The other Red Knight captains had relics too, but none gave off the same aura.

    Was this some sort of special relic?

    Siby¡¯s striking presence drew our attention to the Red Sword Knights, but they weren¡¯t the only ones joining the fray.

    Countless red arrows rained down around us, and before we knew it, the superhuman soldiers surrounding Fran had crumbled apart. What¡¯s more, this wasn¡¯t just a one-time urrence. Several more waves of arrow rain flew in, eliminating hundreds of additional soldiers.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºThese arrows¡­¡»

    I nced to the source of the arrows, finding him at the top of a distant hill. Standing there was a lean young man with ck hair, wielding a massive red bow that seemed to be at least two meters tall.

    His face was covered by some kind of flight goggle-like headgear, so I was unable to make out much. His long hair and feminine features made me think he was a girl at first, but his physique was definitely male.

    That said, the crimson-colored bow in the man¡¯s hands gave me more of an impression than the man himself.

    While it didn¡¯t have quite the same impact as Siby¡¯s sword, it was oddly captivating. It¡¯s like I couldn¡¯t help but look at it, or ignore its presence.

    I never felt this level of pressure from the other relics. Could it be that the sword and bow were especially powerful?

    The young man red at Fran, not bothering to conceal his murderous intent even from this distance. However, he quickly averted his gaze and began raining arrows down on the other superhuman soldiers.

    He was obviously the leader of the Dusk Rain Knights. I never thought he¡¯d be so young. Maybe even in his teens?

    Despite his age, he knew how to use his relic. After all, he was hitting the mark perfectly from so far away.

    He seemed hostile to Fran though, so we might need to keep an eye on him. I¡¯ll be d as long as those arrows are aimed at the superhuman soldiers instead of us.

    Now that she had the support of the Red Knights, Fran breathed a sigh of relief.

    It wasn¡¯t just the relief at having received reinforcements. We were finally liberated from the intense battle now that the superhuman soldiers shifted their attention.

    We gained the luxury of slowing down and drinking a potion.

    The superhumanmanders Windwolf and dehawk seemed to be in disarray, affecting the movements of their subordinates. About half of them shifted focus to the Red Knights.

    £¨It¡¯s much easier now!£©

    ¡ºYeah, definitely!¡»

    While we could no longer use area-of-effect magic, the pressure was practically halved, giving us plenty of breathing room. Well, I suppose we¡¯re still surrounded by an army, but look on the bright side.

    Moreover, the number of superhuman soldiers around us was steadily decreasing. Apparently, they had decided to ignore Fran and focus a majority of their forces on the Red Knights,

    I doubt even the Red Knights could avoid casualties against that many superhuman soldiers.

    ¡ºWhat do you want to do?¡»

    £¨This time, it¡¯s my turn to help them!£©

    I was hoping Fran might take advantage of the situation for a short break, but it seems she didn¡¯t want to treat the Red Knights like bait.

    Can¡¯t say for sure if the Red Knights will let us go after this though¡­ Well, I guess we could always run if ites down to it.

    ¡ºAlright, let¡¯s go back up Siby!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    We teleported andunched a surprise attack from behind the superhuman soldiers engaged with the Red Sword Knights. Their focus on Siby gave us free reign to attack.

    Siby nced briefly at Fran, before smirking. No hostility. Seems like she¡¯s willing to cooperate, for now at least.

    Furthermore, it seems her subordinates obeyed her will, as none of the other Red Knights attacked Fran either. They still showed some hostility, but that¡¯s normal. Siby¡¯s probably the weird one for herpleteck of hostility.

    Still, the fact that none of them went against her was a testament to her incredible leadership ability.

    The Red Knights clearly had a lot of trust in Siby.

    First and foremost, all the Red Knights here were quite powerful. We¡¯ve experienced the elite knights from the Cardinal g, Blood Maiden, and the Carmine me divisions, but the Red Sword Knights seemed even better.

    It¡¯s not about coordination; the other Red Knight division seemed superior in terms of teamwork. The Red Sword Knights simply had no weak links. Each was powerful as an individual, so you might be able to call theirbat style simr to adventurers.

    Like several parties of skilled adventurers, coordinating at a high-level between parties.

    And with Siby as their leader, it¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re strong. Some sustained severe injuries due to getting surrounded by superhuman soldiers, but zero casualties so far.

    Particrly formidable was the heavily armored warrior who fought alongside Siby. He rushed forward to crush superhuman soldiers under his mace, shrugging off any hits he received.

    A shy fighting style, with just as shy gear. Blue armor with white decorations, giving him the appearance of your typical hero.

    While the helmet covered his face, I recognized that style. He must be the heavy warrior, Biscot, who had been with Siby back in Ulmutt.

    ¡ºHe¡¯s as strong as ever.¡»

    £¨Nn. Better since thest time we fought.£©

    ¡ºIndeed.¡»

 Chapter 1207: Advance of the Red Knights

    <h4>Chapter 1207: Advance of the Red Knights</h4>

    The appearance of the Red Sword and Dusk Rain Knightspletely changed the flow of battle. The superhuman soldiers fell one after another, their numbers dwindling.

    But then, the legion shifted its strategy.

    Much to our surprise, they started falling back to put more distance between themselves and the Red Knights. Did they finally realize the significant losses and decided to regroup?

    Even so, the superhuman soldiers were on a timer due to the health drain after removing their limiters. Wasting time only gives us the advantage.

    So why didn¡¯t they stay on the offensive? A tactical mistake from theirmanders? Did they have another purpose¡­?

    Suddenly, I recalled the unsettling sensation from earlier. The eerie feeling of the mana flowing into thend itself.

    Could it be that they were trying to die? Was there some meaning in having the soldiers die?

    ¡º¡­Hmm.¡»

    £¨Master? What¡¯s wrong?£©

    ¡ºWell, you see¨D¨D¡»

    Just as I was about to share my lingering unease¡­

    £¨They¡¯re running again!£©

    ¡ºYeah, but that way is¡­!¡»

    £¨The direction of the vigers!£©

    ¡ºNot this again!¡»

    Even if the soldiers were deliberately sacrificing themselves, we had no choice but to defeat them in order to protect the vigers. Fran hurriedly moved to block their path.

    Until a moment ago, they were all rushing towards Fran. Yet the superhuman soldiers didn¡¯t even spare her a nce now.

    All the remaining 10,000 or so aberrations were targeting the distant caravan of vigers. The same as when we defended Horna Vige, the turning point for Fran to master her blessing.

    No, perhaps it will be even harder this time. The superhuman soldiers had intentionally spread out, likely to avoid getting wiped out by wide-area spells.

    This was easily the most difficult strategy to deal with since we wanted to protect the vigers. Since the Red Knights were also guardians of the people, they likely feel the same way.

    ¡¸Tch! We have to chase after them!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yeah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    We immediately began pursuing the superhuman soldiers, along with a moderate amount of healing.

    However, we quickly ran into one miscalction.

    The Red Knights were stronger than the superhuman soldiers, but that¡¯s due to their teamwork, skills, andbat experience. They could not beat them in terms of pure stats.

    In fact, their stats were way lower than the transformed superhuman soldiers.

    In other words, the superhuman soldiers had a decisive advantage in speed, having gained the power of magical beasts. No matter how desperately the Red Knights chased, they could not close the distance.

    In all likelihood, the superhuman soldiers will reach the vigers first, no matter what we do.

    Only Siby, the Dusk Rain Captain, and a few others would be able to keep up. But is that enough to protect all the vigers?

    We may have managed to protect them before, but who knows what our enemies have up their sleeves. It seems Fran shared that feeling.

    Siby was apparently considering leaving her subordinates behind and running ahead alone, so Fran called out to her.

    We felt countless gazes filled with hostility and murderous intent, the most intense of which likely came from the Dusk Rain Captain. However, none of them actually attacked Fran.

    ¡¸Siby, we need to talk.¡¹

    ¡¸Long time no see! I take it this is an urgent matter?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. I know a way for all of us to catch up to them.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m listening!¡¹

    She seemed willing to hear us out, but there¡¯s no way she¡¯d ept our proposal that easily. How are we going to persuade her¡­?

    ¡¸Nn. Everyone here needs to ept me as leader.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright! I¡¯m in!¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    Siby voiced her agreement before Fran could provide a detailed exnation. Wait, what? She really agreed to obey Fran¡¯s orders?

    The two were not nearly close enough for such blind trust. So why did she ept?

    The other Red Knights seemed to share my feelings. They wore nk faces, as their brains refused to register Siby¡¯s words.

    However, Siby didn¡¯t allow any objections. It seems that even applied to be the captain of the Dusk Rain Knights, despite his hostility towards Fran.

    ¡¸Just follow her. This includes you, Madred. Fran isn¡¯t lying, I can tell by her eyes.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn!¡¹

    The level of trust the Red Knights had in Siby was simply remarkable. Siby ordered them to follow Fran, and they simply fell silent and nodded. Madred, the captain of the Dusk Rain Knights, did the same.

    Siby may be held in higher status than I thought.

    The best part was we didn¡¯t need to waste any time on persuasion and exnations.

    ¡¸Alright, I¡¯m the leader until we catch up! Guys, let¡¯s run!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that! Fran-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    They initially followed Fran because of Siby¡¯s order, but they quickly realized it once they started running.

    Even if they didn¡¯t know the exact reason why, they certainly felt their running speed multiplied several times over.

    This was, of course, due to Fran¡¯s title, ¡°March of the Valkyrie¡±.

    <strong>March of the Valkyrie:</strong> A title given to Valkyries who meet the requirements.

    <strong>Effect:</strong> When leading an army of one hundred or greater, the effects of the Valkyrie¡¯s stealth-type and movement-type skills are extended to the whole army. If the Valkyrie is not in directmand, the effect is greatly reduced.

    Siby¡¯s words convinced over a hundred Red Knights to follow Fran, allowing Fran¡¯s title to extend its effects over all of them.

    My multitude of skills went through Fran to reach the Red Knights. We¡¯ve used this title a couple times now, but it¡¯s never been this powerful before.

    Each of the knights were elites to begin with, so even the slightest boost had a significant impact on their abilities.

    ¡¸Hahaha! This is incredible! We can catch up, no problem!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Red Knights, with Fran at the lead, charged forward at a staggering speed.

 Chapter 1208: Final Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 1208: Final Struggle</h4>

    Thanks to March of the Valkyrie, the over 500 Red Knights could move at an incredibly high speed. We quickly caught up with the superhuman soldiers, and surpassed them just as fast. This wasn¡¯t only due to our title, but also the Squad Enhancement skill I took from the Cardinal g.

    The Cardinal g Knights were the ones originally in charge of protecting the people of this region. Ironically, the power I stole from their captain was now being used to protect them again.

    We inserted ourselves between the vigers and the superhuman soldiers, forming a blockade.

    However, that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop thempletely. We might be able to hold them off to some extent, but I expect more than half of them to slip through.

    £¨Master, do the thing.£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    Times like these call for the ever reliablend magic. We didn¡¯t have much mana to spare, but this was definitely the right moment to spend it.

    We activated Great Wall multiple times, creating a simple funnel to lead the enemy forces into a bottleneck.

    ¡¸Wow! This is amazing!¡¹

    Siby, as well as Biscot and the other Red Knights, seemed surprised. They had probably not expected Fran to be adept at such a wide variety of magic.

    Meanwhile, Fran simply replied with a simple strategy.

    ¡¸You handle the orders.¡¹

    That alone seemed to be enough for Siby to understand her intent.

    ¡¸Alright! You guys split into three squads! First, the squad that¡¯ll stay here to cover Fran and me, then the squads that¡¯ll split left and right to get any trying to nk us! Madred, you take those capable of using bows, and hunt down the flyers from the top of the wall!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s sharp intuition made everything so easy! We didn¡¯t need to exin a single thing.

    ¡ºFran, leave the walls to them! We¡¯re taking to the skies!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Coordinating with the Red Knights was surprisingly smooth. About thirty of the Dusk Rain Knights jumped onto the Great Wall with support from their captain¡¯s magic. Then they started precision sniping with their bows.

    Most of the knights fired arrows to intercept the superhuman soldiers attempting to surround Fran, while Captain Madred slew any flyers trying to bypass her at a distance.

    We still felt Madred¡¯s piercing killing intent, but he behaved like a perfect ally. This was a man who could separate his intentions and actions.

    It seems Fran started giving him quite a bit of respect because of that. That¡¯s something she still wasn¡¯t capable of.

    Thanks to their efforts, Fran was able to focus on any flyers trying to break through.

    Though we were pushing ourselves and exhausting our resources, it wasn¡¯t to the point of risking our lives.

    After a bit ofbat, our Great Walls got destroyed by a long-range attack. The area near the ground got blown up, causing them to copse.

    Windwolf and dehawk finally jumped in. It seems they had been preparing for this attack while they were hidden.

    And they seeded inpletely destroying all of our Great Walls almost simultaneously.

    I sensed a significant reduction in their mana from the attack, despite the mysterious mana supply they were receiving.

    As a result, more than half of the superhuman soldiers began climbing the rubble and bypassing the Red Knights.

    That said, the Red Knights responded with blinding speed. The moment they realized this, they lined up for the chase without any action on our part.

    Siby yelled, ¡°We¡¯re counting on you again, Captain!¡± and at that moment,mand was again transferred to Fran.

    We caught up to the superhuman soldiers once more, and the battle resumed. However, the distance between them and the vigers had been narrowed to just a few hundred meters. After all, we could see Urushi¡¯s figure in the distance.

    £¨We absolutely can¡¯t let them get any closer!£©

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    We invoked Great Wall again, and the Red Knights plugged up the funnel. After leaving the defense of the sky to the Dusk Rain Knights, Fran and I went for Windwolf and dehawk.

    Our goal was to disrupt theirmand and protect our Great Wall. We aimed not to defeat them, but to engage them and divert their attention.

    It seems the two finally realized that they wouldn¡¯t be able to deal significant damage to the vigers or the Red Knights at this rate. They decided to take a gamble.

    ¡¸<strong>GAAAAAH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>RUUOOOH!</strong>¡¹

    Windwolf summoned five tornados and sent them towards Fran. Meanwhile, dehawk filled the tornadoes with his razor-sharp feathers.

    An insane amount of mana was infused into this attack, and I sensed a bigger reduction from when they destroyed our Great Wall. The two were practically on the verge of exhaustion, with Windwolf shrinking greatly, and dehawk having shed almost all his feathers.

    They were staking everything on thisst resort.

    Five gigantic tornadoes with the power of high-tier spells,bined with thousands of mana-infused feather bombs.

    I saw a house-sized boulder torn apart the instant the tornado engulfed it.

    Avoiding them would be as simple as moving out of the way, but they¡¯re aimed at the Red Knights. Siby was probably the only one capable of surviving a direct hit.

    The tornadoes were also in line to massacre countless superhuman soldiers along with the Red Knights, but that seemed to be of no concern to them. In fact, they might have done so intentionally.

    Furthermore, they were also on a path to reach the vigers if allowed to continue.

    So we could no longer afford to back down.

    £¨Master, stopping them isn¡¯t enough! Let¡¯s blow them all away!£©

    Perhaps we could mitigate the damage through continuous usage of Kanna Kamui and Megiddo me. However, the shockwaves would still reach the Red Knights.

    ¡ºYeah, we have no choice but take them head on and neutralize thempletely.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran stared down the approaching tornadoes with resolute eyes.

 Chapter 1209: Announcer-sans New Feature

    <h4>Chapter 1209: Announcer-san''s New Feature</h4>

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡¹

    Fran began to circte her divine energy, which went remarkably smoothly.

    Her divine aura emitted an undeniable presence that no one could ignore. Even if one realized that it wasing from her, they could not help but feel it.

    Everyone on the battlefield, be they superhuman soldiers or Red Knights, was looking at Fran. They couldn¡¯t help but watch.

    £¨Master. You go all out too.£©

    ¡ºYou want me to use evil energy along with divine energy?¡»

    £¨Nn. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be enough.£©

    Fran asserted this with confidence. I can understand how divine energy sharpens her senses, but maybe the effects go beyond my expectations.

    She seemed to understand, on an instinctual level, the exact power of her attacks inparison to her opponents. Perhaps her thought processing speed and such were enhanced as well.

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡ºGot it, we both go all out!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I¡¯ll do anything if Fran acts me too. Let¡¯s bring out as much evil energy as I can!

    This is the first time I¡¯ve really used evil energy since gaining Evil God¡¯s Trust. I had been refraining from doing so until now.

    ¡ºEvil God Fragment, lend me your power!¡»

    I focused on the Evil God¡¯s Trust skill, and attempted to draw on the power of the Evil God Fragment dormant within me.

    ¡ºHuh!? W-What the¡­!?¡»

    Whoa, this is ridiculous! How am I supposed to handle so much evil energy!?

    I sensed the Evil God Fragment joyously releasing a torrent of power.

    So much power that I couldn¡¯tin if someone marked us as an extremely powerful Evil God worshiper from my sinister aura. Yet in reality, the evil energy hardly dispersed outside my body.

    But why?

    ¡´Confirmed the activation of a new god-given function. Temporary name Announcer-san is now capable of controlling the recoil, fatigue, and other such negatives from evil energy.¡µ

    ¡ºW-Whoa! Seriously? So basically, I won¡¯t feel nearly as tired when I use evil energy? And not only that, but it¡¯s also possible to conceal my usage of it?¡»

    ¡´Affirmative.¡µ

    The Goddess of Chaos apparently improved the system to make it easier to use evil energy. So I can use it more liberally then?

    But does such an incredible power reallye without any drawbacks? Would the Goddess of Chaos really make things so easy?

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san, are there any drawbacks to this new feature? Like does it hurt you to use it or something?¡»

    ¡´¡­Affirmative. A considerable burden is ced upon temporary name Announcer-san.¡µ

    I knew it!

    ¡ºSo how bad is it for this amount of evil energy?¡»

    ¡´The processing power of temporary name Announcer-san will be reduced by 17%. Recovery will require a certain amount of rest.¡µ

    That¡¯s incredibly worrying! I¡¯m basically pushing all of the burden onto Announcer-san!

    I¡¯m fine suffering the consequences of my own actions. But I can¡¯t stand it if Announcer-san is the one suffering while I¡¯m dancing around as if nothing¡¯s wrong.

    ¡ºYou¡¯ve really done it this time, Chaos Goddess¡­¡»

    ¡´Negative. This is the power I desired.¡µ

    ¡ºW-What do you mean?¡»

    ¡´Temporary name Announcer-san has felt powerless every time temporary name Master and individual Fran were pushed to their limits in battles against formidable foes.¡µ

    ¡ºNo way! You¡¯ve helped us a bunch! We would be dead without your help during the Lich incident! Even now, I¡¯mpletely relying on you!¡»

    ¡´Negative. Temporary name Announcer-sancks the ability to handle temporary name Master¡¯s newly obtained power. A great deal of this power bes wasted due to my negligence. However, this ability allows me to continue being of assistance to you.¡µ

    Announcer-san voiced the words with a mechanical tone devoid of emotion, which only emphasized the seriousness.

    To me, Announcer-san has always been a dependable presence, someone with me since the beginning. Not only with the announce feature, but also in helping me control my powers.

    However, it seems Announcer-san was not content with the current situation. Though I feel a bit apologetic, I can¡¯t help but get a little d.

    This was a power desired for the sake of others. Growth inspired because of someone important.

    In other words, exactly the feeling I have for Fran, and the one she has for me. The same goes for Urushi as well.

    Announcer-san wanted to help me, Fran, and Urushi regardless of the costs. That¡¯s how important we were.

    Those drawbacks were purposely omitted earlier, huh?

    I can understand why because I feel the same way. No one wants to burden theirrades withints, to avoid worrying them.

    In that case, I shouldn¡¯t reply with words of worry.

    ¡ºI understand. Please lend me your power.¡»

    ¡´Yes.¡µ

    I don¡¯t want apologies or worries from mypanions either, just trust.

    ¡ºHowever, keep in mind that Fran and I will be truly heartbroken if you disappear. Please don¡¯t push yourself too much. That¡¯s the only thing I ask of you.¡»

    ¡´¡­Understood.¡µ

    The response of someone who was definitely trying to push themselves too far!

    ¡ºFran and Urushi aren¡¯t my onlypanions. You, Fenrir-san, and even Avenger recently. Heck, I guess even the Evil God Fragment is inside me.¡»

    ¡´Understood. I will not push myself too hard.¡µ

    ¡ºThanks. Now, that being said, I might as well use the evil energy we¡¯ve already drawn out. Let¡¯s show them how it¡¯s done!¡»

    ¡´Yes.¡µ

 Chapter 1210: Black Lightning Heavenly Judgment

    <h4>Chapter 1210: ck Lightning Heavenly Judgment</h4>

    Fran¡¯s divine energy mixed together with the evil energy I had drawn out.

    Due to the Evil God¡¯s Trust, or so it seemed, the two powers merged astonishingly smoothly into a new existence.

    A sinister divine aura entwined with both ck and white. This closely resembled the aura of the Evil God I saw up close, though the Beast-Bug God stopped me from drawing on it back then.

    The vast amount of evil-divine energy generated didn¡¯t seem like something fit for mortal hands.

    After all, it had inherited the nature of evil energy. Or rather, the power to control and drive others insane was enhanced upon its ascension into evil-divine energy.

    Only someone from Earth like me could handle this power.

    Or so it should have been¡­

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºFran, are you really okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I usually infused evil energy into Fran techniques on the spot, but now she was actively controlling it on her own.

    Thanks to her obtaining Divine Energy Maniption, or perhaps due to the Evil God¡¯s Trust, the Evil God Fragment seemed to be protecting Fran. Additionally, Announcer-san yed a significant role in sharing the burden.

    In any case, Fran seemed to be acting as usual.

    The evil-divine energy transformed into ck lightning and gathered around me under Fran¡¯s guidance.

    The ultimate technique of ck Heavenly Tigers, ¡°ck Lightning Divine w¡±, was a deadly move that envelops the user¡¯s weapon inpressed ck lightning and the divine attribute. She had only just learned to control it on her own, and yet¡­

    ¡ºKuh! T-The pressure is incredible¡­¡»

    £¨Master, are you alright?£©

    ¡ºYeah, no problem! Don¡¯t underestimate me! In fact, feel free to put in more!¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    Fran created a de of ck lightning longer than I had ever seen before. It grew and grew, until it was no longer the size of a simple weapon anymore.

    It reached a length of nearly 20 meters, and was about a meter thick at its widest. That¡¯s bigger than my anti-battleship mode.

    And the entire de was made of hyperpressed ck lightning.

    This alone made it frighteningly clear how powerful evil-divine energy was.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Facing the approaching tornado, Fran unleashed a horizontal Heavenly Judgment.

    She could now use Heavenly Judgment in ways other than a simple downward swing.

    We¡¯ve used thebination between ck Lightning Divine w and Heavenly Judgment in the past. Excluding Sword God Transformation and Potential Release, this was Fran¡¯s strongest possible attack.

    However, our current sh far surpassed anything we could have done before.

    After all, it was an evil-divine energy-infused ck Lightning Divine wbined with a Heavenly Judgment containing as much power as when we use Sword God Transformation.

    Each of them alone was astonishing, butbining them was a testament to just how much Fran had grown.

    ¡¸Teyaaaah!¡¹

    This newbination strike, let¡¯s call it ck Lightning Heavenly Judgment for now, effortlessly blew away two of the massive tornadoes in a single swing.

    Such overwhelming power. But there were still three tornadoes remaining. Well, not like Fran¡¯s finished yet!

    Fran dashed ahead and brandished her massive sword of ck lightning again.

    However, Windwolf and dehawk¡¯s tornadoes weren¡¯t about to be erased so easily. They unleashed all of their stored power once we forcibly dispelled them.

    The destroyed tornadoes exploded with a tremendous st of wind, scattering the sword-like feathers in all directions.

    Fran could not possibly dodge this after her all-out attack. Or rather, she had no intention of dodging.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºYeah! Leave it to me!¡»

    She believed I would protect her, as always. And I must respond to that trust.

    That said, simply strengthening our barrier wouldn¡¯t be enough to defend against all of it. The sword-feathers were cloaked in mana, giving each sharpness equivalent to an enchanted sword.

    Our mana capacity wasn¡¯t enough to block them head on.

    I utilized all my sensing and perception abilities to mark the feathers¡¯ positions, especially the ones on course for a direct hit.

    Then, I thickened our barrier specifically in those areas to deflect them. This worked perfectly for any feathers aimed at Fran¡¯s limbs, since angled barriers minimized the amount of mana I had to use.

    For those that I couldn¡¯t deflect, I repelled them with telekinesis.

    ¡ºUroooooh!¡»

    This endeavor pushed my processing abilities to an unbelievable extent. Yet I didn¡¯t feel any chills or pain, so I had yet to reach my limit.

    Amazing. This evil-divine energy had terrifying power.

    Thus, Fran had braved the storm of sword-feathers without taking any damage.

    £¨Master, so cool!£©

    ¡ºHaha! Alright Fran, let¡¯s obliterate the remaining ones too!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran unleashed her ck Lightning Heavenly Judgment once again, though it seems she couldn¡¯t maintain it any longer afterwards, as it immediately disappeared.

    However, she had already seeded in blowing away the remaining three tornadoes by then.

    We found ourselves within another burst of sword-feathers, but we escaped via teleportation this time.

    ¡¸Hah¡­ Hah¡­ We did it¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran, no need to talk. Rest up for a bit.¡»

    Even if Fran was getting the hang of divine energy, this definitely pushed her to the limit. She was sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

    Nevertheless, a satisfied smile adorned her face.

 Chapter 1211: Balfon

    <h4>Chapter 1211: Balfon</h4>

    ¡ºNow for the finishing touch! Hah! Laevateinn!¡»

    Level 8 me Magic Laevateinn, a spell for generating a massive explosion. More powerful than re Explode, and easier to control than Megiddo me.

    I had enough mana to cast a spell of this level multiple times, covering a wide area.

    A raging inferno engulfed countless feathers, turning them into ash. However, that wasn¡¯t my main goal. I wanted to knock down all the feathers with the force of the explosions.

    The shockwave of my explosions came in from the skies above, pushing almost all of the feathers into the ground. Just as nned.

    Urushi skillfully intercepted any that I missed, resulting in zero harm to the vigers and Red Knights.

    £¨Nice one, Master.£©

    ¡ºThanks! We gotta save everyone or it¡¯ll leave a bad aftertaste.¡»

    £¨Nn. But it¡¯s not over yet.£©

    Despite her fatigue, Fran red at Windwolf and dehawk. She intended to keep them busy even if shecked the energy to defeat them outright.

    Perhaps that worked, as the two superhumanmanders remainedpletely still. The Red Knights defeated the remaining super soldiers, allowing us to im victory without any casualties.

    The Windwolf and dehawk simply floated in the air as they watched, almost as if they had no intention of going on the offensive again.

    What are they doing? Waiting for other legionmanders to arrive or something?

    It seems Siby was thinking the same thing. She hopped up the Great Wall and taunted the two, probably hoping to provoke them into a fight before they could escape.

    ¡¸Your friends won¡¯t being to save you! Our coborators are handling them as we speak!¡¹

    Upon hearing this, Fran asked for rification.

    ¡¸Coborators? Like Neidhart?¡¹

    Her first thought upon thinking of Siby¡¯s friends was the mantis-headed mercenary, but Siby gave a different response.

    ¡¸No, Dimitris.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah.¡¹

    Fran had a somewhat disappointed expression. She liked Neidhart for some reason, while she had a more unfavorable image for Dimitris, probably because he broke a promise with her.

    Nevertheless, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest allies we could ask for.

    ¡¸Well, not that I told him to do it. He decided to join the battle on his own.¡¹

    Wow, I could easily imagine that. Saving the weak was apparently something he had a huge interest in.

    ¡¸That old geezer was pretty damn angry. Probably almost done wiping the floor with the other legion by now. He¡¯s the real monster.¡¹

    Even the formidable Siby described Dimitris as a monster? I wonder what kinds of trouble he¡¯s been causing in Raydoss.

    Either way, we don¡¯t have to worry about the other superhuman legion if Dimitris is handling it. We can trust in the dude¡¯s strength, if nothing else about him.

    However, Windwolf and dehawk showed no signs of panic when they heard Siby¡¯s taunt. They even seemed somewhat confident. Well, it¡¯s a bit hard to read their expressions after their grotesque transformations.

    ¡¸Indeed, I can tell ourpatriots have beenpletely wiped out, including Voidtongue and Redw! Only our Lordship, the Superhuman General remains!¡¹

    Voidtongue and Redw must be the names of the remaining legionmanders. dehawk knew that Dimitris annihted his allies, yet his words contained no trace of despair.

    In fact¡­

    ¡¸Kwahaha! What an auspicious day! All the conditions have been met!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrooooar!¡¹

    The two were rejoicing. dehawk¡¯s shout and Windwolf¡¯s roar contained nothing but pure, unadulterated joy.

    ¡¸Well then, time to fulfill the final activation condition!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaooh!¡¹

    ¡¸What the¡­?!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Siby and Fran were stunned.

    dehawk plunged the greatsword on his left arm into Windwolf, as Windwolf¡¯s several heads tore into dehawk.

    From the mana imbued into the attacks, it was clear that they contained lethal intent.

    ¡¸The final lock has been released!¡¹

    ¡¸Wroooooooon!¡¹

    ¡¸Your Lordship! Our General! We offer you our blood, mana, and thend itself! Annihte those who would bring our nation harm!¡¹

    The two roared one final time, before they crumbled away into nothingness.

    ¡¸¡­Dammit.¡¹

    Biscot, or rather, the guy I thought to be Biscot, swore upon hearing dehawk¡¯s fanaticalst words. He had a slightly different tone of voice, making him sound a bit older than Biscot.

    Maybe he was Biscot¡¯s dad or something?

    Everyone tensed up, and the situation took another dramatic turn.

    Immediately after Windwolf and dehawk¡¯s disappearance, a pir of light erupted from the spot directly below where they had been floating.

    £¨Such a huge amount of mana¡­£©

    ¡ºYeah, and all of it ising from the ground.¡»

    The surge of mana we felt was almost as imposing as when Weena Rhyn went all out. Moreover, it was as if the mana was getting violently sucked out of the ground into the pir of light.

    Isn¡¯t that pretty bad? Thend surrounding the pir is starting to dry up¡­

    ¡¸Ora!¡¹

    Siby immediately recognized the danger andunched a bright red mana st. However, this was dispelled by the mana geyser before it even came close to hitting its target.

    Fran and the Red Knights cast their own spells a momentter, but with simr results. None of them had any effect whatsoever.

    The pir of light gradually weakened, and a person stepped out from the light.

    This was a very charming young girl, at least in terms of appearance.

    But the aura she emit was on an entirely different level.

    ¡¸Bow down before me! For I am the Superhuman General, Laranflura!¡¹

 Chapter 1212: Superhuman General

    <h4>Chapter 1212: Superhuman General</h4>

    The girl had her long, lc-colored hair tied into a triple ponytail. Her asymmetrically cut bang split to reveal emerald eyes, radiating the cuteness of a beautiful young girl.

    She was adorned in a dark purple, gothic-lolita-style dress armor, which was also undeniably cute.

    However, everyone immediately assumedbat stances the moment she appeared, as her aura exuded an ominous amount of power.

    ¡¸Bow down before me! For I am the Superhuman General, Laranflura!¡¹

    The girl emerging from the pir of light called herself the Superhuman General. So she¡¯s the one who repelled Amanda? Makes sense.

    Her strength wouldn¡¯t even matter in that match-up. Amanda is unable to fight seriously against children.

    In a sense, she might be the most effective counter Raydoss has against Amanda. Even the formidable Guardian of Children would have no choice but to retreat.

    ¡¸Hmm? The power output is not reaching the nned values¡­? Did we absorb less mana than expected? But why?¡¹

    Laranflura tilted her head as she clenched and opened her hands. It seems this ridiculous amount of mana was still below her expected level.

    Maybe us absorbing the magic stones of the superhuman soldiers and storing their corpses yed a role? Also, a huge portion ofnd was scarred by the divine sword Hell. That might have had an impact as well.

    ¡¸Well, no matter. Siby of the Red Sword! You traitors must have interfered with our ns!¡¹

    Laranflura pointed at Siby with the giant spear she was carrying on her shoulder. The girl had a cute, loli-like voice, but there was nothing cute about the overwhelming pressure in her tone.

    Siby must feel more pressure than us, just by having the weapon pointed at her.

    ¡¸How dare you betray us!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line! You¡¯re the traitors here, ughtering the very people you should be protecting! Have you gone mad!?¡¹

    In response to Siby¡¯s outcry, Laranflura burst into maniacalughter.

    ¡¸Fwahahaha! They were sacrificed for the sake of protecting our great nation! While you, on the other hand, seem quite friendly with those from Kranzel!¡¹

    ¡¸Because we prioritize the safety of our people, and I won¡¯t hesitate to join hands with the enemy if they support that goal! But you! I¡¯ll personally execute you and the East Conquest Duke for your treasonous crimes!¡¹

    ¡¸Treason? Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I have dedicated my body and soul to this nation!¡¹

    ¡¸Then exin why youmitted such an atrocity!¡¹

    ¡¸Everything we have done was for the sake of Raydoss!¡¹

    ¡¸How?!¡¹

    It seemed as if Laranflura was mocking Siby, but her words contained no lies. This monster taking the form of a young girl genuinely believed that the massacre of civilians was for the good of the country.

    We could simply dismiss her words as the ramblings of a madman, but it wouldn¡¯t bring back any of the victims. Considering all the civilians and superhuman soldiers, I think the death toll easily exceeded a hundred thousand.

    ¡¸How have your actions benefited Raydoss in the slightest?!¡¹

    ¡¸Our nation is facing an unprecedented crisis! Raydoss in being invaded as we speak!¡¹

    So she¡¯s ying the victim now, ignoring the fact that Raydoss initiated the war. Superhuman General Laranflura continued her argument.

    ¡¸The invaders will surely take massive amounts of territory from eastern and southern Raydoss if we allow things to continue at this rate. And the fools living there will simply bow before their new rulers, like the sheep they are! Uneptable! This cannot be allowed to pass!¡¹

    Laranflura shouted so passionately that I had to doubt her sanity. Her appearance as a young girl made the dissonance even more pronounced.

    ¡¸How dare you treat our citizens like livestock!¡¹

    ¡¸The people are more like weeds, growing on their own! Treating them as livestock is a step up! Listen to me. The invaders are trying to take the resources sleeping innds of the south and east, as well as our people! In that case, it only makes sense that we should make effective use of them before they can benefit the invaders! Kranzel shall not take even a single hair from us!¡¹

    A tremendous amount of mana surged from Laranflura as she shouted.

    While her methods were despicable, it¡¯s pretty much the scorched-earth strategy taken to the extreme. All the mana obtained from ughtering vigers and drying up thend must be powering her up.

    ¡¸You even purposely killed your own soldiers?¡¹

    ¡¸Those failures age far too rapidly, so they would only have a few years left regardless. As such, dying for me was the most efficient way for them to go. Fwahahaha! They should be satisfied to ultimately serve Raydoss in the end!¡¹

    The furious reaction to Laranflura¡¯s arrogant words came not from Siby, but from the man beside her who resembled Biscot. I could tell he was pissed, even through the full-face mask concealing his expression.

    ¡¸You fucking bastards! You forced them into your experiments and then ughtered them like sacrificialmbs! How can anyone be satisfied with that!?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s this? Another one of thoseb rats? Hmph, what a waste of time. This is exactly why you foolish failures need to learn how to shut your mouths! This is your final warning, Siby! Bow down and obey! Then, join me in eliminating the invaders!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I admit we are under invasion! I fought off some of them too! But it all started with the scheme you lot involved Kranzel in, didn¡¯t it!¡¹

    ¡¸Very well, it seems you insist on defending the apes from Kranzel. Then you fall today and be my sustenance! I hereby deliver righteous punishment to the invaders and traitors alike!¡¹

    Laranflura dered this as she readied her weapon. I first thought it was a spear, but that wasn¡¯t exactly right.

    While it was primarily a spear, it had a sickle attached beneath the tip. Maybe more like the Chinese ji polearm?

    Either way, it was undoubtedly a relic. The weapon held up even after getting infused with Laranflura¡¯s ridiculous amount of mana.

    The Red Knights immediately went into formation without any orders from Siby, including the Dusk Rain Knights. No one among them had any intention of betraying Siby.

    Seeing this, Laranflura burst intoughter.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! It seems you wish to see how much power I¡¯ve absorbed from the people, thend, the monsters, and everything else! Very well, you shall have the first taste of my newfound power!¡¹

    Laranflura readied herself.

    ¡¸Bring it on! You won¡¯t leave here alive!¡¹

    ¡¸Then try me, strongest of the red knights!¡¹

    The red mana erupting from Siby shed with the purple mana surging from Laranflura, creating intense sparks before the fight even began.

    £¨Master, we¡¯re going in too.£©

    ¡ºYeah, I know.¡»

    The vigers and even Amanda will be in danger for as long the Superhuman General lives. She must be taken down here and now.

 Chapter 1213: Laranflura

    <h4>Chapter 1213: Laranflura</h4>

    Superhuman General Laranflura and the Red Knights were ring at each other. Then, the first shot was fired without any additional words.

    It started as a long-range exchange. The distance between the two sides was about 100 meters, so both were in firing range.

    However, they refrained from all-out attacks, instead opting to gauge the enemy¡¯s strength.

    From our side came a rain of over three hundred spells, magical projectiles, and arrows. Meanwhile, the Superhuman General merely swung her polearm once.

    That was enough to cancel out our barrage, creating a strong gust of wind. In other words, the Superhuman General¡¯s casual wave of the spear contained enough mana to match all of those attacksbined.

    But Laranflura seemed dissatisfied.

    ¡¸It seems I really haven¡¯t reached the expected power level. No matter, this godly might is enough even at 70% output! I can easily annihte this riff-raff by myself!¡¹

    ¡¸Spread out! Anti-dragon formation!¡¹

    Laranflura shouted with joy, as Siby gave a sternmand. At that moment, the Red Knights all moved in unison.

    Siby stayed behind as her men withdrew to a distance. As the name suggested, this seemed to be their formation when facing dragons.

    Leaving Siby to hold off the formidable enemy, the surrounding Red Knights would provide support and clear away any interference.

    But we did the opposite, moving in closer. Fran closed the distance in an instant via teleportation, unleashing her Sheathes of Wind.

    ¡¸Shah!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s target was the handle of Laranflura¡¯s polearm, as she intended to destroy the relic. However, her divine energy-infused strike was easily deflected.

    ¡¸Quite agile, aren¡¯t you, invader! But your blowsck power!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Laranflura¡¯s relic seemed sturdy to begin with, and its durability was further boosted by her mana. Perhaps itcked any special abilities outside of being exceptionally tough.

    Fran retreated back to the Red Knights after dodging Laranflura¡¯s counterattack.

    ¡ºFran, only a full-powered strike with evil-divine energy will be enough to destroy that relic. I know it¡¯s frustrating, but we should focus on backing up Siby until we get a chance.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran was still tired from performing ck Lightning Heavenly Judgment earlier, so she needs to slow down a bit to catch her breath. We¡¯ll gather our strength for a decisive blow, while Siby takes the lead.

    The battlefield had already been turned into a barren wastnd from the fierce sh earlier. In the midst of this empty in, the captain of the Red Sword Knights faced off against the Superhuman General.

    ¡¸Siby. I must acknowledge your strength as the first of the real superhumans. However, you are no more than a relic of a bygone erapared to a true sess such as myself!¡¹

    ¡¸No one gives a shit about who you consider a sess or a failure! We¡¯re all just trying to live our lives! Isn¡¯t that enough?!¡¹

    Siby and Laranflura simultaneously stepped forward and shed their weapons together.

    The red sword and polearm were mmed together, then pushed apart. Siby appeared to be losing in terms of strength. While Laranflura merely took a slight step back, Siby slid several meters.

    However, the Red Knights poured a rain of magic on the Superhuman General when she attempted to follow up on this opening.

    The intention was to buy enough time for Siby to regain her standing. This must be the logic behind their anti-dragon formation.

    But unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough against Laranflura.

    ¡¸Weak!¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Laranflura erected a barrier around herself and charged straight through the barrage.

    A split-secondter, we saw an unharmed Laranflura making her way out. A testament to how durable her barrier was.

    That storm of projectiles was enough to stop dragons in their tracks, yet the girl showed no signs of exhaustion. Was creating barriers of that level mere child¡¯s y to her?

    Laranflura swung her polearm again. Siby attempted to regain her standing, but she wouldn¡¯t make it in time.

    The de came crashing down directly on Siby¡¯s head, but¡­

    ¡¸Not bad!¡¹

    ¡¸Ineffective I see!¡¹

    This resulted in a dull sound, like getting hit with a blunt object, and that was all. Siby¡¯s head didn¡¯t even have a scratch on it.

    Laranflura was by no means holding back. Siby¡¯s defense was simply unbelievably high.

    ¡¸Fwahahaha! I shall make sure the next one is capable of smashing that head of yours!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line!¡¹

    Thus, the battle between Siby and Laranflura had entered somewhat of a deadlock right at the beginning. Both were far better at defense than offense.

    As a result, they couldn¡¯t deal any significant damage to each other, regardless of how much power they put into their attacks. Their shes certainly battered thend with powerful shockwaves, but the two of them suffered little in terms of injury or exhaustion.

    During this stalemate, Laranflura was the first to start getting frustrated.

    ¡¸I have consumed the power of thend itself and over a hundred thousand sacrifices! Why am I unable to kill the simpleton who stands in front of me!¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe you were too weak to begin with, so getting a bit stronger didn¡¯t help much?¡¹

    No, Laranflura was undoubtedly a monster. If it was me and Fran fighting her, we would be in big trouble. I honestly can¡¯t say for sure if we¡¯d win.

    With our experience from the battle at Horna Vige, we would have lost for certain.

    More importantly, Siby¡¯s defenses were enhanced over thest time we saw her. Such an enhancement should cost her additional mana, but Siby was not showing any signs of exhaustion either.

    Apparently, the Red Knights were supplying her with mana. It seems they also serve as Siby¡¯s portable mana tanks.

    ¡¸Do not get ahead of yourself¡­! Very well, I¡¯ll show you a taste of hell itself!¡¹

    Laranflura muttered with a hint of murderous intent, before striking the ground with the pole of her weapon. A massive magic circle was drawn on the ground surrounding her.

    Several figures rose out of the shining circle. Siby and the Red Knights attempted to attack the figures, but they were protected by the barrier that Laranflura invoked over the magic circle.

    ¡¸Go forth, undead, and exterminate the Red Knights!¡¹

    I thought the South Conquest Duke was in charge of the undead, but it seems the Superhuman General was capable of calling upon them as well. She had summoned about twenty undead, each bearing a considerable amount of mana and evil energy.

    The undead took two different forms. There were ten with an obese body, the size of an orc. The other ten had a slender, male appearance. However, for whatever reason, the undead of the same type looked like copies of each other.

    Did she summon multiple copies of the same entity? Is that even possible? I feel like I¡¯ve seen that bigger undead somewhere before¡­

    ¡¸Impossible¡­! The South Conquest Duke and the West Conquest Duke¡­?¡¹

    I remembered after hearing Siby¡¯s mutter. That¡¯s right! Those look just like the South Conquest Duke! Why are there multiple of him though? It seems that the slender ones are the West Conquest Duke, but both of the dukes had beenpletely annihted. How did theye back as undead?

    ¡¸Show them the might of those who once served as dukes! Annihte the traitors who stand before you!¡¹

 Chapter 1214: Duke Zombies

    <h4>Chapter 1214: Duke Zombies</h4>

    Laranflura had summoned arge number of zombies resembling the South and West Conquest Dukes. What on earth is happening?

    It seems our enemy recognized our shock. Laranflura exined with a triumphant expression.

    ¡¸Fwahaha! How do you like them? We cultivated these vessels based on genes obtained from the flesh and blood of each duke, then turned their soulless flesh into undead, and enhanced them with evil energy!¡¹

    They seem to have experimenting on creating clones of the dukes, which likely failed due to theirck of souls. However, they managed to make it work by turning them into undead. The rest would be easy since they knew how to enhance undead with evil energy based on the experiments with Avenger.

    ¡¸Oroooogh!¡¹

    £¨That¡¯s¡­!£©

    ¡ºA droid!¡»

    The West Conquest Duke Zombies shouted, summoning three-meter tall humanoid figures behind them.

    Those must be the same as the ¡°droid¡± we saw back at the battle for the fort. The one from before was muchrger, and had a more vibrant color scheme. In contrast, the ones in front of us were uniformly silver, clearly something like a mass-produced model.

    The chests of the droids opened with a nk, emitting some sort of tractor beam, and the West Conquest Duke Zombies were pulled into their cockpits. Is that how they board it?

    But why did these zombie clones of the West Conquest Duke have the ability to summon droids? Don¡¯t tell me they can use relics too.

    Furthermore, the South Conquest Duke Zombies popped out countless weapons all over their bodies. Not only swords and spears but also numerous modern weapons resembling firearms.

    The South Conquest Duke was capable of enhancing himself via the assimtion of relics into his body, and these zombie clones seemed to share the same ability as the originals.

    ¡¸Now, go!¡¹

    Following Laranflura¡¯smand, the zombies and zombie-piloted droids moved into action. Two of each type gathered around Siby, as the rest went for the Red Knights.

    In spite of their massive bodies, the droids arrived unbelievably quickly thanks to the rollers extending from the soles of their feet. The South Conquest Duke Zombies were also capable of extremely quick flight due to the wing-like relic boosting them with mana propulsion.

    ¡¸Giant beast swarm formation!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Groups of ten Red Knights gathered together, each in their own formation. This formation was likely designed for facing groups of multiple powerful individuals.

    I honestly thought they were screwed, but the Red Knights were holding their own. They truly were the strongest knights we¡¯ve ever seen.

    Their skills and experience from fighting magical beasts day and night must have enabled them to handle the dukes. Considering the size, durability, and speed of the droids, they might be simr to high-level giants. Theser beams and such could be handled simr to the spells from those giants. In fact, the knights with shields were calmly parrying all of the droids¡¯ attacks.

    The South Conquest Duke Zombie also had pretty impressive specs. The relic-like weapons all over his body were capable of so many different attacks, not to mention the sheer mass of that massive body. That said, they couldn¡¯t break through the formation of the knights.

    Each of the Red Knights were powerful individuals, but I have to say their shield-bearers were particrly formidable. Perhaps because they had to shield their friends from vicious magical beasts day in day out.

    If I had to rate them in adventurer terms, they were at least Rank B. Everyst one of them. Moreover, they had excellent support.

    The Red Sword Knights were currently at the forefront, with the Dusk Rain Knights providing archery support, healing, and buffs.

    £¨They¡¯re amazing.£©

    ¡ºYou can say that again.¡»

    Rather than taking on the Duke Zombies, we stepped back a bit to observe the battlefield as a whole. Not because we were running, but because we wanted to weaken the Duke Zombies with purification magic.

    The anti-undead ward we ced on the battlefield definitely had an effect. However, this was quickly destroyed by one of the South Conquest Duke¡¯s many relics. Doesn¡¯t seem like purification magic will work very well.

    Then how about this!

    ¡ºEvil God Fragment, give me the power to dominate them!¡»

    I tried to dominate the undead, simr to what we did with Avenger. Unlikest time, I now had Evil God¡¯s Trust. It should be possible¡­

    ¡ºTch. No good.¡»

    I sensed a dejected feelinging from the Evil God Fragment. Unlike Avenger, these undead weren¡¯t dominated by evil energy; they were merely using it as a power source.

    I tried to at least cut off the power supply, but that proved too difficult too. All I could manage was reducing their evil energy power efficiency by 50% or so.

    Well, that seems to have helped a bit though. The Red Knights began having an easier time, and Siby finally defeated one of her four opponents. The final blow was quite surprising though.

    Our disruption of the evil energy supply caused the droids to slow down. Siby took advantage of this to break through one of the droid¡¯s outer shells, and dove into the cockpit. She came out less than ten secondster after having in the zombie pilot directly, and her mouth was dyed crimson.

    She literally ate the zombie? I knew she had a voracious appetite, but that¡¯s a pretty effectivebat application¡­

    After observing various shes, Laranflura became visibly irritated. She had expected to turn the tides of the battle, but her undead were merely on par with the Red Knights.

    ¡¸Nothing ever goes ording to n¡­ Very well, then I shall break their formation personally.¡¹

    The Red Knights¡¯ unexpectedly high strength could not be beaten with brute force. The Superhuman General knelt for an instant before leaping into the sky.

    And the direction of gaze was¡­

    £¨Master! We have to stop her!£©

    ¡ºJust in time!¡»

    We immediately realized Laranflura¡¯s goal, and teleported behind her, delivering a powerful sh to her unprotected back.

    ¡¸Futile!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    The divine-infused sh was intercepted by the barrier cloaking her body. It seems we require an attack on par with Heavenly Judgment to break through her defenses.

    Laranflura continued her attack without any attempt to shake us off. Her target was the vigers.

    ¡¸Hahaha! I wonder if you can keep fighting after hearing the screams of those livestock?¡¹

    She fired nearly a hundred mana sts at the viger caravan in the west. Inflicting heavy civilian casualties made sense as a strategy, as it would cause the Red Knights to lose theirposure, and they would be forced to sacrifice manpower to treat the injured.

    We should rely on the captain of the Dusk Rain Knights to handle the ridiculous barrage of magic! Or so I thought, but for some reason, he simply stood there without doing anything. Was something wrong with him? We¡¯ve seen the Dusk Rain relic firing a hundred arrows at once, yet its powers were left unused.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    We chased the mana projectiles via teleportation, cutting down the mana projectiles one after another. sh and teleport, sh and teleport¡­

    ¡¸One! Two!¡¹

    ¡ºUrooooh!¡»

    But we couldn¡¯t get all of them.

    Despite using abination of telekinesis and supreme-tier spells, we could only shoot down 80% of the projectiles. The remaining ones were about tond on the vigers.

    ¡ºShit!¡»

    ¡¸W-Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyaaah!¡¹

    We heard Urushi¡¯s panicked howl and the children¡¯s screams. Urushi would surely be able to save the children with his magic, but the rest of the vigers will be¡­

    ¡¸You ain¡¯t getting through me! <strong>Sacrifice</strong>!¡¹

    £¨!£©

    The Red Knight who resembled Biscot suddenly appeared in front of the vigers, and the mana projectiles changed their trajectory to target him. He had activated a shield art to draw the sts toward himself.

    Was his sudden appearance due to some sort of teleport ability?

    No matter how high his defenses were, he wouldn¡¯t get away unscathed after taking nearly 20 of those powerful mana projectiles.

    By the end of the assault, the man¡¯s armor was cracked in several ces. His helmet hadpletely shattered, revealing the face of a middle-aged man who resembled Biscot. He must be a rtive or something.

    Or I thought that, but I was wrong.

    ¡¸Pretty reckless even for you, Biscot.¡¹

    ¡¸Klikka? You buffed me secretly, right? Thanks.¡¹

    Klikka? Biscot? Huh? Are they the real deal? Both of them had participated in the martial arts tournament with Siby, but¡­ Klikka looked about ten years older, and Biscot seems to have aged about thirty years.

 Chapter 1215: Biscots Resolve and Lie

    <h4>Chapter 1215: Biscot''s Resolve and Lie</h4>

    You¡¯re telling me the elderly warrior who protected the vigers is Biscot? And the woman behind him who looks to be in her thirties is Klikka?

    I remember both their names. The two apanied Siby at the martial arts tournament. But back then, Biscot looked about twenty years old at most, while Klikka was around the same age as him.

    So why have they suddenly aged so much?

    Wait, didn¡¯t Laranflura call Biscot a failed experiment? Did he undergo something simr to the superhuman soldiers? We¡¯ve heard that the superhuman soldiers age quickly, so that would exin Biscot¡¯s current appearance.

    I never would have expected this huge of a change in such a short period of time though¡­

    ¡¸Whoa, amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you, mister!¡¹

    The children cheered from atop Urushi¡¯s back. They had witnessed Biscot protect them.

    ¡¸Heh.¡¹

    Upon hearing that, Biscot smirked. From that, I got the impression that he might not be much older than those children.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºTch! There¡¯s even more of them than before!¡»

    Laranflura fired yet another barrage of mana projectiles. Siby tried to intervene, but Laranflura was simply faster than her.

    The captain of the Dusk Rain Knight Order was still incapacitated for some reason. In fact, he was currently groaning after falling to one knee, so his condition had deteriorated even further. We wouldn¡¯t be able to expect any support from him.

    Furthermore, this second wave of projectiles had a nasty secret hidden within.

    £¨It¡¯s evading us!£©

    ¡ºCould it be that Laranflura can control their trajectory?¡»

    Fran teleported in to cut them down, but the mana projectiles avoided her as if they had a will of their own. They even managed to asionally dodge our thunder magic. Laranflura was capable of diverting her attention to this while engaging Siby.

    She didn¡¯t simply have a ridiculous amount of mana; her control over it was equally ridiculous.

    We responded by intercepting with shes so fast that they were impossible to evade, but in the end, we could only take down about ten of the projectiles.

    £¨Master! Use evil energy!£©

    ¡ºAlright, they¡¯ve left us no choice!¡»

    Fran will likely getpletely immobilized if she pushes herself too hard, but we can¡¯t let the vigers die! I drew out the evil-divine energy, just like when we sted away the tornadoes.

    But right before we could put our n into action, I sensed an immense surge of mana from Biscot.

    ¡¸Uraaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot, no! What are you¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m fine with this!¡¹

    His entire body expanded, causing his steel armor to burst from within. Gray scales appeared from underneath the armor. Lizard scales? No, dragon scales?

    While his physique resembled a dragonkin, he wasrger. The only thing that remained human was his face. Apparently, he had removed his limiter.

    Judging from Klikka¡¯s reaction, it seems he can¡¯t return to his original state once he does this. Just like the other superhuman soldiers.

    ¡¸<strong>Sacrifice!</strong>¡¹

    Despite all his armor breaking off, the shield in Biscot¡¯s hand remained intact. He could still invoke shield arts.

    The mana projectiles under Laranflura¡¯s control all simultaneously shifted their trajectories towards Biscot. Regardless of the opponent¡¯s intentions, this art could intercept any attacks directed at an ally.

    An evenrger explosion enveloped Biscot, and he remained standing. His scales were shattered, and his flesh was torn apart, yet all the damage was quickly regenerated. Removing the limiter seems to have granted him high defense and regenerative abilities.

    But his life force was diminishing. This was the fate of all superhuman soldiers who remove their limiters.

    ¡¸Biscot, why¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh. I don¡¯t have much longer left anyways. So why not go out with a bang? I¡¯ve always wanted to be a hero like old man Apollonius.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! They say ¡®live fast, die young,¡¯ right? That¡¯s like my whole life summed up! I¡¯ve tasted the deliciousness of alcohol, the bitterness of cigarettes, the fun of partying with friends, and the harshness of hangovers! I¡¯m satisfied! It¡¯s been a great thirteen years! I regret nothing!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re a true hero. Even more so than the former captain.¡¹

    ¡¸Heheheh.¡¹

    Thirteen years¡­ The same age as Fran¡­

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­Dammit.¡»

    Biscot¡¯s words contained a few lies, especially thest part about having no regrets. His heart was surely filled with fear, regret, hatred, and anger.

    None of that was visible on the surface. Only smiles to avoid worrying his friends.

    If they knew what he was really thinking, he couldn¡¯t die as a heroic warrior. I¡¯m sure his friends would ept those negative emotions too, but he swallowed everything with augh.

    Not everyone can do that.

    To this day, I¡¯ve never regretted using Principle of Falsehoods this much. I just trampled on the determination of that 13-year-old hero. I know it¡¯s only a matter of keeping his lie to myself, but that¡¯s not the issue.

    ¡ºI¡¯m awful.¡»

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­Let¡¯s back up Biscot.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Biscot¡¯s life force had already fallen to less than half of max, which means he won¡¯tst another 30 minutes. What can I do for him?

    I know I¡¯m not thinking clearly right now, but someone as old as Fran was sacrificing his life to protect others. I absolutely cannot let that resolve go to waste.

    However, it seems Laranflura wanted to spit in the face of that determination. She teleported in tounch a direct attack.

    Her teleportation seemed to involve passing herself through an underground mana flow. Therefore, she could not perform instant, long-distance teleports. However, what she could do was bring allies.

    One of the duke zombies and one of the droids stood beside her.

    ¡¸Die already, you failure! Cease your pitiful interference!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut your damn mouth! Even failures have their pride!¡¹

    Biscot¡¯s shield squarely intercepted the polearm Laranflura had swung down. He firmly withstood the attack that had sent Siby flying.

    ¡¸That hideous appearance¡­ I see! You must be the only survivor of the experiment on the dimension dragon factor! If only you had not be a failure, we would have gained such a valuable asset!¡¹

    ¡¸Even if I wasn¡¯t a failure, I¡¯d never join you disgusting lunatics who massacre your own people!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehehehe! I see you have been poisoned by Siby! Then you may die here!¡¹

    Laranflura put on a monstrous expression entirely different from earlier, and let out an unsettlingugh.

    Not even the defense-oriented Biscot could withstand a devastating strike infused with divine energy. His face twisted in pain as the polearmnded a deep hit into his shoulder.

    That¡¯s right, Laranflura had somehow started radiating divine energy. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t use it; she had just refrained from doing so. Was she holding back the entire time?

    ¡ºTake down the dukes first!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran infused her de with evil-divine energy and shed at the droid.

    No fancy tricks were necessary. Our thrust broke through the armored cockpit, then I morphed myself to dice up the zombie pilot inside. Throw in a few purification spells to finish the job, and it was over. Also, it seems I managed to absorb the now empty droid. Cannibalize works on these too!

    That said, it only restored my mana without any boost to stats. Maybe because it¡¯s a lesser relic?

    ¡ºNice! I got a ton of mana back!¡»

    Klikka handled the other duke zombie by outmaneuvering him with her superior speed. On the other hand, Biscot was in quite a pinch.

    ¡¸Guh¡­ Dammit.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehe! Still moving? You look as good as dead to me!¡¹

    Laranflura¡¯s polearm had been thrust deep into Biscot¡¯s abdomen when we looked away.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh. What do you n to do from here?¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t¡­ let you pass¡­!¡¹

    Biscot gripped the handle of the polearm piercing him, coughing up blood all the while. He intended to disarm Laranflura, no matter the cost to himself.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­? Such ridiculous strength! I suppose this must be yourst spurt, utilizing the power of your dragon factor?¡¹

    ¡¸Haha, I¡¯m¡­a Red Knight, you know¡­ I be¡­ stronger¡­ when the people I want to protect are behind me!¡¹

    Laranflura frowned for an instant upon seeing that her polearm wouldn¡¯t budge, by her face soon twisted into a confident grin. She had realized Biscot¡¯s life was quickly burning out.

    Biscot was giving his all, and yet I could do nothing to save him. Would boosting my level in Restoration Magic or Life Magic help? Doubt it. Biscot was dying because of his lifespan, and no spell is capable of extending one¡¯s lifespan.

    Is there truly no way? I have so many skills, and I really can¡¯t rescue a single child?

    I¡¯ll take anything! Anything that can save Biscot!

    <i>Shiver</i>.

    ¡º!¡»

    I felt the shivers for the first time a while. The Evil God Fragment had acted, and not simply the child-like, innocent face that appeared before me often. This was a deeper aspect of the Evil God.

    There was no hostility, nor any fear, but the mere presence of that immense power left me in awe. I¡¯ve never had this feeling before, not even when facing the awakened Evil God Fragment.

    ¡¸¡­God? Yeah, bring it on. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re the Dragon God, the Evil God, or anything else¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What now? Have you lost so much blood that you¡¯re starting to hallucinate?¡¹

    ¡¸Take it¡­ All of it¡­¡¹

    Biscot murmured something like a whisper while staring into empty space. Laranflura snorted mockingly, but this was no illusion.

    Biscot¡¯s eyes must be looking at a true god.

    And then, an intense surge of evil energy gushed out from Biscot¡¯s body, enshrouding his entire being with a dense, imprable darkness.

    ¡¸W-What¡­?¡¹

    It was so unsettling that even Laranflura felt the need to distance herself. A single touch from the darkness would erode one¡¯s being, causing them to lose their mind permanently.

    Even I felt that way, so the residents of this world must have it even worse. It wasn¡¯t just those that were nearby. Even the Red Knight and the Duke Zombies stopped in their tracks to stare in our direction.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot!¡¹

    ¡¸Klikka¡­ I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­ Haha¡­ Hah¡­ The evil god might be¡­ surprisingly nice¡­ <strong>UGRAAAAAAAAH!!</strong>¡¹

    The evil energy erupted with explosive force, blowing Laranflura away as it impaled her with some sort of ck spear.

    A sh of darkness covered the battlefield, as everyone was engulfed by a dense cloud of evil energy. At that moment, I sensed something getting absorbed into me from Biscot. What did the Evil God Fragment just do?

    Immediately afterward, all of our enemies disappeared, and the scenery changed before our eyes. We found ourselves in lush ins with abundant life. There were mountains with vibrant forests in the distance, as well as the faint scent of the sea.

    ¡ºDid we just teleport¡­? Where are we now?¡»

    The distant city and the mountains on the horizon looked familiar to me. No, they weren¡¯t just familiar. We knew this ce very well.

    Fran seems to have realized our location as well.

    ¡¸Is that Bulbora?¡¹

 Chapter 1216: Evil Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 1216: Evil Dragon</h4>

    ¡¸Is that Bulbora?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. There¡¯s no mistaking it.¡»

    We were right next to Bulbora. Despite Raydoss being a ridiculous distance away, we had teleported all the way here.

    ¡¸Biscot! Biscot!!¡¹

    We turned around to see Klikka screaming. It seems there were several people nearby.

    Klikka, Siby, the Red Knights, the vigers, Urushi. All of our allies on that battlefield were here, and none of our enemies.

    Andst but not least, Biscot. He was shrouded in evil energy, with his entire body crumbling away.

    I¡¯m sure the Evil God Fragment did something, but it was not enough to save him. I was holding onto a vague hope that he might have been absorbed into me like Avenger, though this proved otherwise.

    Biscot¡¯s legs were already gone, leaving only his upper body lying on the grassy in. Klikka called out his name as she sprinkled a potion on him, but to no avail.

    Everyone gathered around, watching Biscot¡¯sst moments with pained expressions.

    The vigers knew he was the one who protected them with his body as a shield, and that there was no saving him anymore¡­

    Amidst all this, Biscot put on a slightly distorted smile.

    ¡¸I¡­ saved everyone, right¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, yes! Everyone is safe thanks to you.¡¹

    ¡¸Klikka-neechan¡­ Stop crying¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not crying!¡¹

    ¡¸At least¡­ Let me look cool at the end¡­ I did my best, right?¡¹

    The vige children peeked out behind the sobbing Klikka.

    ¡¸Mister! Thank you!¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks for saving us!¡¹

    ¡¸You were so cool!¡¹

    ¡¸The strongest guy ever!¡¹

    These were probably the words Biscot wanted to hear the most. Perhaps they had connected with each other due to being the same age. The children forced themselves to smile as they praised Biscot.

    Seeing this, Biscot genuinely smiled from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡¸Hehe¡­ Feel free to keep praising me¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Biscot, you were cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran¡­ Thanks¡­¡¹

    Siby simply watched the scene quietly. However, it seems we wouldn¡¯t get the chance to send off Biscot peacefully.

    ¡¸¡­! Biscot!¡¹

    ¡¸Ughhh¡­¡¹

    Klikka screamed when evil energy began seeping out of Biscot¡¯s body again, as he grimaced in agony.

    Siby reached out her hand in haste, but the evil energy repelled her.

    Everyone could only pray for Biscot¡¯s safety as the evil energy gained momentum, forming a jet-ck sphere enveloping his body. No, perhaps it looked more like an egg shape.

    Despite such powerful evil energy, it had surprisingly little effect on the surroundings. There was not even a slight breeze, and none of the vigers suffered from evil intoxication.

    After a few seconds that seemed tost an eternity, cracks began appearing on the sphere of evil energy. A cracking egg, that was the only way I could describe it.

    The cracks spread throughout the sphere¡¯s surface, with ck light leaking out from within.

    As if we were watching the birth of something. Despite the detestable evil energy tainting the scene, there was a strange divinity to it.

    Finally, the egg shattered. The dense dome of evil energy disappeared so cleanly, as if it had been an illusion, and¡­

    ¡¸Kyuu?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    ¡¸?¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t just Fran and me. Everyone present had question marks above their heads.

    Yeah sure, we thought it looked like an egg, but that was a simile. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be an actual egg¡­

    ¡¸A dragon?¡¹

    Just like Fran murmured, a dragon had indeed popped out of the egg. Biscot had vanished, and there was a small dragon in his ce.

    The dragon was covered in scales sharing the same ckness as evil energy, from its horns to the tip of its tail. Everything aside from the color was yourmon dragon. Well, I suppose dragons aren¡¯t exactlymon.

    Despite being born this way, I sensed a strangeck of evil in its aura. Almost as if all the evil energy was sealed away inside.

    ¡¸Kyuo!¡¹

    The dragon looked up at the people surrounding it with surprisingly cute, round eyes.

    ¡¸What¡­ just happened?¡¹

    ¡¸I-I have no clue either¡­ Are you¡­ B-Biscot?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuh!¡¹

    The dragon chirped in response to Klikka as if saying, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I attempted an appraisal, learning that the dragon¡¯s race was ¡°Evil Dragon¡± race and he had no name.

    Honestly, I can¡¯t tell if this is really Biscot¡­

    The only thing I can say for sure is that the Evil God Fragment definitely pulled some strings. It was acting all smug, sending some sort of ¡°How¡¯s that!¡± kind of feeling.

    I know I asked for any possible way to save Biscot, but why turn him into a dragon?

    ¡ºHey sweetheart, can you hear me?¡»

    ¡¸Esmeralda?¡¹

    While everyone waspletely stunned, a sand rat crawled out from Fran¡¯s pocket. Esmeralda had initiated a remotemunication, whispering into Fran¡¯s ear from the rat.

    ¡ºWhat happened? Where are you right now?¡»

    ¡¸Everyone got teleported somewhere, probably near Bulbora.¡¹

    ¡ºSo what I sensed was correct? You really did teleport?¡»

    It seems the sand rat¡¯s eyes could not function during our intense battle with the superhuman soldiers. Factors such as Fran¡¯s constant movement and the dense mana and evil energy interfered with Esmeralda¡¯s magic.

    Thus, it seems she wasn¡¯t able to see anything until we teleported to the vicinity of Bulbora within Kranzel¡¯s borders.

    ¡¸There¡¯s a lot of Raydoss people here too.¡¹

    ¡º¡­So the enemy got teleported in along with you?¡»

    ¡¸No. I think.¡¹

    ¡º¡­What do you mean by that?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s kindaplicated.¡¹

    ¡º¡­<i>Sigh</i>. Well, I¡¯m listening.¡»

 Chapter 1217: Treatment of Raydoss Citizens

    <h4>Chapter 1217: Treatment of Raydoss Citizens</h4>

    Fran gave Esmeralda a brief exnation. Basically, the dukes of Raydoss started massacring their own citizens, so we cooperated with the Red Knights to protect them. Then, we somehow ended up teleporting near Bulbora during the battle.

    It took about five minutes, but I think she got the gist of it.

    ¡º<i>Siiigh</i>¡­¡»

    Meanwhile, Esmeralda seemed to be massaging her forehead to ease a headache on the other side of the sand rat. This must be quite a difficult story to handle.

    ¡ºHead to Bulbora as soon as possible. I¡¯ll let my subordinates there know you¡¯reing. Make sure you keep the guys from Raydoss with you, as letting them go will cause even more problems. And don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll treat them with respect as long as they do the same to us.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Esmeralda can be savage when needed, but she¡¯s not the type to lie. We can rest easy that Siby and her folks will be safe as long as they don¡¯t cause any trouble.

    I guess we first need to get everyone to Bulbora.

    That said, were the vigers in any state to walk all the way there? The city may be visible from here, but there¡¯s still quite a bit of distance.

    So much has happened. The intense battle, the teleport incident, and Biscot¡¯s transformation into a dragon. I almost forgot that the vigers were pretty much at their breaking point.

    All of them had been pushed to the limit, both mentally and physically. Probably the only reason they haven¡¯t copsed yet was because they needed to stay up and ensure the safety of their friends and children.

    I want to let them rest, but there¡¯s one big problem.

    The vigers are citizens of Raydoss, an enemy nation. The Red Knights even engaged the Kranzel army in a fierce battle just the other day.

    Fran happened to cooperate with them to protect the vigers, but Kranzel isn¡¯t simply going to let their enemies walk free.

    Not to mention how two Red Knight orders, Raydoss¡¯s strongest forces, just illegally entered their country.

    Kranzel might suspect Fran of collusion if we don¡¯t do something about this. We need to ensure Siby acts very carefully.

    ¡¸Siby.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, Biscot somehow turned into a dragon¡­ You were manipting evil energy with your sword, right? Do you have any idea how this happened?¡¹

    ¡¸No clue.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    Yeah, Fran truly doesn¡¯t know anything about this. Neither do it, aside from the Evil God Fragment¡¯s obvious involvement.

    ¡¸<i>Sigh</i>. I guess he was about to die, so we can consider it a win.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I wonder if he can understand anything. Maybe as well as a dragon? I¡¯ve heard high-level dragons are decently intelligent¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu?¡¹

    ¡¸I guess Biscot has always been a bit of an idiot, so probably not a big change there.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyua! Kyukyuu!¡¹

    The ck dragon screeched in protest. With a skillful movement of his small wings, he began floating in the air and gesturing with his limbs.

    ¡¸Can you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuo!¡¹

    ¡¸Great, let¡¯s get down to the main question then. Are you Biscot?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu?¡¹

    ¡¸Why are you tilting your head like that? I can¡¯t tell what that¡¯s supposed to mean¡­¡¹

    The dragon blinked a few times with a tilted head.

    ¡¸You understand me, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu.¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have memories of being Biscot?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu? Kyu!¡¹

    The dragon used his small ws to make a gesture indicating ¡°a little¡±. It seems he does remember being Biscot, but the memories are vague.

    ¡¸¡­What¡¯s with that cuteness? Has our Biscot be a mascot?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyua?¡¹

    ¡¸Guess it can¡¯t be helped. You better listen to me, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu.¡¹

    Doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯ll go berserk or start attacking people. That¡¯s one thing less to worry about.

    ¡¸Siby, about what¡¯s next.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I suppose we can¡¯t simply part ways like this. We¡¯ll end up fighting Kranzel¡¯s soldiers in no time if we¡¯re on our own.¡¹

    Siby must also be worried about their future course of action. They have no clue what¡¯s going on within Kranzel, so there are too many unknowns.

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? A rat made of sand?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s connected to one of the important people here. She says we should bring everyone to Bulbora.¡¹

    ¡¸So that really is Bulbora?¡¹

    It seems Siby also recognized that we were within Kranzel¡¯s borders. Come to think of it, we first met her during the Bulbora cooking contest.

    ¡¸<i>Sigh</i>. Guess we don¡¯t have much of a choice if they know we¡¯re here¡­ Can I trust you?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. They¡¯ll guarantee your safety as long as you don¡¯t cause trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Alright. I¡¯ll order my men to refrain from acting recklessly.¡¹

    Siby directed her gaze not at her subordinates but at the vigers sitting on the ground. For her, the lives of those vigers must be of utmost priority.

    There¡¯s no way to get all of them to safety when they¡¯re this deep within enemy territory. If the knights get into a fight, the vigers are as good as done for.

    And Kranzel will likely use them as hostages against the Red Knights. Perhaps they would even go as far as to make an example of the through torture and such.

    Any true Red Knight would never abandon the vigers to such a fate, so I think we have their support. All that¡¯s left is to ensure the vigers act carefully too.

    Even if even a single person runs off on their own, it might sour rtions with Kranzel.

    ¡¸Klikka, Madred, we need to talk!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Roger.¡¹

    Siby informed Klikka and the others of the situation, exining that they were in Kranzel Kingdom and needed to head to Bulbora.

    Madred didn¡¯t like entrusting the vigers to Kranzel, but reluctantly agreed after hearing how there was no way to safely get them back to Raydoss.

    Like I thought, many of the Red Knights were unfamiliar with foreign affairs.

    Besides, these vigers were nearly massacred by the East Conquest Duke. Would they even want to return to Raydoss in the first ce?

    ¡¸Everyone is tired. Let¡¯s take a short break here before we move.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright. Klikka, Madred, make sure everyone stays on standby. Absolutely do not act on your own. Any of our actions are directly linked to the safety of our people. Got it?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger.¡¹

    Looks good. Now we should be able to reach Bulbora without any problems.

 Chapter 1218: Madred

    <h4>Chapter 1218: Madred</h4>

    We decided to take a break before heading out.

    Thus, we needed to help everyone recover their strength in a short period of time. The vigers were in especially poor condition.

    Everyone was seated haphazardly on the ground, so Fran walked around heading out cups of water and tes of curry.

    Thankfully, we had some leftover utensils from when we ran the food stall in Bulbora.

    Fran also applied some healing magic to treat foot blisters and other such injuries. Most vigers had some sort of difort after walking so long, regardless of age.

    ¡¸Thank you, Onee-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸This smells delicious!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re very grateful.¡¹

    The vigers thanked her with smiles. I¡¯m impressed that they were able to remain calm in a situation like this. Maybe that¡¯s thanks to how all citizens of Raydoss receive training on how to fight magical beasts in case of emergency.

    Afterward, Fran distributed curry to the Red Knights as well.

    There¡¯s always the possibility that we will be enemies in the future, but Fran definitely viewed them as allies at the moment. Despite our difference in position, we shared a goal in protecting the vigers.

    The Red Knights all expressed their gratitude, but none of them started eating. Rather than suspecting poison or other tricks, it seems they¡¯ve be ustomed to waiting for permission before eating.

    At least until Siby gives the go-ahead. To put it bluntly, they seemed likerge dogs waiting for their owner¡¯s go sign.

    As the other Red Knights simply sat there, Klikka was the first to actually taste the curry. A few secondster, the rest began eating the curry simultaneously.

    The Dusk Rain Knights followed suit.

    ¡¸Klikka is the poison tester?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll apologize if you find it rude. This is just the usual procedure.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s fine.¡¹

    Yeah, it¡¯s not like they were suspecting Fran of anything in particr.

    ¡¸Klikka has a keen nose and sharp taste buds, so she pretty much always goes first. Waiting for her has be a bit of a habit.¡¹

    ¡¸But Siby, wouldn¡¯t you be better for poison since it doesn¡¯t affect you?¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Unfortunately, poison has such a little effect that I can hardly tell at times.¡¹

    It seems her resistance sometimes causes her to mistake poison for unorthodox seasonings. Paralyzing toxins and super-hot chili peppers end up being different kinds of spices.

    Though a majority of the Red Knights enjoyed the curry, there was one young man who looked different: Captain Madred of the Dusk Rain Knights.

    This was our first time seeing his face without the goggles covering it, and he was so handsome that I almost felt jealous. His appearance was somewhat androgynous, but the aura he exuded as a warrior added a wild charm. There¡¯s absolutely no chance he¡¯s unpopr with women.

    Fran began staring intently at Madred. Could it be¡­!? Fran, the girl with zero interest in men, has been captivated!?

    However, it appears Fran was staring at Madred¡¯s hands rather than his face. The movement of his spoon had stopped, so she wondered why he was not eating the curry.

    Fran herself never stops eating once she starts, so pausing in the middle of a bowl of curry was unthinkable to her. Perhaps she thought Madred was feeling unwell.

    ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­¡¹

    Madred gave a vague answer, putting on a bit of a conflicted expression.

    He had been forced to rely on Fran despite still viewing her with hostility. Perhaps he found this situation hard to ept. Meanwhile, Siby approached us.

    ¡¸Madred, are you feeling bad anywhere? Your movements looked sluggish even before the teleportation.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Right, I felt my body getting sluggish in the middle of the battle. Not only that, but my consciousness was beginning to fade away¡­¡¹

    Sounds like the symptoms of severe heat stroke, but that¡¯s impossible. The warriors of this world have high stats, so they would be able to resist such abnormalities.

    ¡¸Some sort of curse?¡¹

    Fran voiced exactly what I was thinking, but it seems Madred had a different idea. He nced briefly at Fran, before going silent.

    This is probably rted to Raydoss¡¯s national secrets or something of the sort. In response, Siby casually mentioned it.

    ¡¸¡­The East Conquest Duke¡¯s relic.¡¹

    ¡¸Siby-san!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re after the East Conquest Duke¡¯s neck either way, so it¡¯s best if she knows. Fran fallen under his control would be a disaster.¡¹

    ¡¸Control?¡¹

    That doesn¡¯t sound good.

    ¡¸The East Conquest Duke¡¯s relic apparently has the ability to manipte people.¡¹

    ¡¸But we were aware of that, so I thoroughly investigated to make sure he was not nearby.¡¹

    Apparently, Madred was watching out for this relic.

    ¡¸Does this mean he increased the range somehow?¡¹

    ¡¸Is the range supposed to short?¡¹

    ¡¸Should be 30 meters at max.¡¹

    Not particrly short, but we can easily detect any presences within that range. Madred can probably do the same, since his senses seem to be exceptional.

    The only enemies on that battlefield were Laranflura and the duke zombies. Did the South Conquest Duke zombies have ess to the East Conquest Duke¡¯s relic? No way, there should be way more people getting controlled if that¡¯s true.

    ¡¸Well, we¡¯re strong enough to resist, so there shouldn¡¯t much issue¡­¡¹

    ¡¸But not Madred?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Because I hate you. I simply can¡¯t hold back my murderous intent. They must have taken advantage of that. Those with an unsteady mental state be more susceptible to the relic¡¯s control.¡¹

    It seems the captain of the Cardinal g Knights saved Madred¡¯s life when he was a child, then entered him into the division to do various odd jobs and chores. However, he was transferred to the Dusk Rain Knights once they realized his talent with the bow.

    ¡¸I still remember him crying tears of joy for me during the transfer. That man was the closest thing I had to parent.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Then Fran killed Rob. Deaths are only natural in a war, but the rted parties won¡¯t ept that excuse so easily.

    And Fran won¡¯t apologize for her actions, because she regrets nothing. Killing Rob allowed her to save many of her own allies.

    At the same time, it¡¯s only natural for Madred to hold a grudge against the killer. I understand that feeling. Fran could only stare back at Madred, and nothing more.

    Or rather, there might be something we can do.

    ¡¸I have the Cardinal g Captain¡¯s remains in storage.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll give them to you when things settle down.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    A subtle tension filled the air between Madred and Fran. I still felt a strong sense of hostility, and it¡¯s hard to tell what he¡¯s thinking from his expression.

    However, the killing intent he directed at Fran seemed to weaken by a tiny amount.

 Chapter 1219: Peridot

    <h4>Chapter 1219: Peridot</h4>

    ¡ºGreat. We¡¯ve arrived earlier than expected.¡»

    £¨Nn. Everyone did their best.£©

    Our friends from Raydoss, especially the vigers, reached Bulbora by mustering everyst bit of strength. March of the Valkyrie helped once we made everyone Fran¡¯s subordinates, but the vigers still had a rough time.

    Despite being in an enemy nation, I could see them breathing a sigh of relief upon reaching a safe haven. Oh, and yeah, we¡¯ve already told them they were in Kranzel.

    They were surprised at first, of course, but Siby quickly calmed them down. It¡¯s truly remarkable how much trust Raydoss citizens ce in the Red Knights.

    Upon our arrival in Bulbora, a female clerk dressed in a robe was waiting for us. Her ck hair was tied in a short bob, and was overall pretty in, to put it bluntly.

    We left the Red Knights to defend the vigers, then approached the woman with Siby and a few of her friends.

    ¡¸I have been awaiting your arrival.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re Esmeralda¡¯s subordinate?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Please call me Peridot.¡¹

    At first nce, Peridot appeared to be an unassuming clerk. However, Fran, Siby, Madred, and I could sense her strength.

    Klikka seemed not to fully understand, so Peridot¡¯s abilities must be considerable.

    ¡¸¡­And they told me Kranzel¡¯s intelligence division was nothing to be worried about. What a joke¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu.¡¹

    Peridot simplyughed off Siby¡¯s words, but there could be no doubt to her abilities. Well, I suppose an individual with exceptional abilities might not necessarily trante to the strength of the organization.

    After all, Raydoss¡¯s spies did a number on Kranzel before Esmeralda returned from retirement.

    ¡¸Is this everyone?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. No one¡¯s missing.¡¹

    ¡¸I can vouch for that too.¡¹

    Peridot nodded quietly in response to Fran and Siby¡¯s words, pointing to the carriages lined up beside the main gate.

    ¡¸Please head over to those carriages. We will take you to the temporary amodation, which is a building formerly used by the knights.¡¹

    I remember seeing that thest time we came to Bulbora. There was some kind of barracks for the knights at the edge of town.

    Many of the knights must have been deployed to the border, or lost their lives in the war. Thus, the building was currently vacant.

    ¡¸¡­They don¡¯t need any checks before entering?¡¹

    Normally, any non-nobles would get checked at the gate.

    ¡¸As we have no diplomatic rtions with Raydoss, there¡¯s no point in checking if they have identification. We wouldn¡¯t be able to determine if it¡¯s genuine or not.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    I¡¯m sure Peridot could be asking for a lot more. For example, she could try taking away their weapons, but that would certainly sour rtions. Not to mention how Siby and Madred won¡¯t be willing to hand over their relics.

    Bulbora would take significant damage if the knights fought back. Thus, it¡¯s better to show some flexibility and make sure they stay quiet.

    ¡¸Do not worry about the lord, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and the knights, as we have already informed them. Also, several tradingpanies have promised to cooperate. The carriages were lent to us by the various parties.¡¹

    The carriages with decorations and armor must belong to the lord and the knights. Therge ones used for transporting goods were from the tradingpanies. The smaller and somewhat dirty ones must be from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    I guess anyone who gets stuck in the guild carriages will have to deal with it.

    ¡¸I must apologize to the knights, but could you continue walking a little farther?¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that, we appreciate your help. Klikka, guide everyone to the carriages.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Biscot¡­ Or rather. Bisdra, behave yourself.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyua!¡¹

    Biscot, aka Bisdra, nodded cutely. I was wondering if that name was actually eptable, but it seemed fine since he nodded in response.

    The vigers boarded the around twenty carriages, and the Red Knights formed a solid defensive formation to guard them. Kranzel may be friendly for now, but it¡¯s still enemy territory. I suppose they won¡¯t let their guard down.

    Fran and Urushi followed behind thest carriage. I doubt anyone will try to run, but we should watch just in case.

    Well, we arrived at the knight hall without incident though.

    They called it a ¡°hall¡±, but it looked more like a stone fortress. Apparently, this building served as an emergency evacuation point back when Bulbora was still small. Thus, it was built big and sturdy to amodate many people.

    Maids guided the vigers off the carriage and into the hall.

    That said, the maids were clearly working for Peridot, since their movements had simr sharpness to members of the intelligence division. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were trained as maids for infiltration purposes.

    The real question is if they¡¯re battle maids who have trained hard enough to get as strong as Quina. I guess it¡¯s possible, but they didn¡¯t seem that strong¡­ I hope?

    ¡¸Once again, I am Peridot, the one who will taking care of you all.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, we¡¯ll be relying on you.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyua!¡¹

    ¡¸Fufufu, nice to be working with you too.¡¹

    Bisdra made some sort of ¡°d to have you!¡± hand raising gesture. Peridotughed and softly poked him on the nose in return.

    At first nce, it looked like a kinddy ying with a baby dragon. But despite the size, a dragon is a dragon. Most ordinary people aren¡¯t able to touch one so fearlessly.

    Which made it clear that Peridot was no ordinary person. I don¡¯t know if this was her natural response or if she was deliberately acting this way as some form of intimidation.

    Though I guess Esmeralda¡¯s right-hand woman probably wouldn¡¯t y around a lot.

    ¡¸You will be living here for the time being. However, I cannot allow you to leave the premises. This applies to both the knights and civilians.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I know. We¡¯re not asking for freedom of movement in enemy territory. You will be doing something about our food though, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. We intend to treat our guests fairly.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸There are benefits in it for us as well.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes it is.¡¹

    Peridot smiled politely, but there was an unspoken pressure behind her words.

    Concepts like human rights and foreign aid don¡¯t exist in this world. Kranzel wasn¡¯t going to help anyone on good will alone.

    Peridot must have decided that supporting the vigers was an effective way of cating and/or stalling the Red Knights. I bet they know a bit about how the knights work due to info from captured prisoners.

    ¡¸I look forward to working with you.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, the feeling is mutual.¡¹

    Peridot and Siby shook hands, though neither appeared to be genuinely smiling.

 Chapter 1220: Knight Hall

    <h4>Chapter 1220: Knight Hall</h4>

    ¡¸The first floor serves as a food and weapon storage, but please do not enter the locked rooms. The residential area is on the second floor, which you can reach from the staircase over there.¡¹

    ¡¸Certainly old, but the building itself is pretty sturdy. Not bad for defending.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyui!¡¹

    ¡¸It was originally designed as a fortress, you see.¡¹

    The interior of the stone fortress was much narrower than it appeared from the outside.

    The thick stone walls must be reducing the internal space. It must have been built with a priority on durability.

    It wasn¡¯t so narrow that people couldn¡¯t pass each other in the hallways, but it would be impossible for three people to walk side by side.

    The ceiling was also only about 2 meters high. Ogrekin would need to crouch a bit to fit inside.

    However, there wasn¡¯t the usual dustiness that often came with stone structures. Peridot and her team had apparently cleaned it in advance.

    The weapons in the storage room were left in in sight, which was probably intentional. Someone trying to snag one would only serve to reveal their rebellious intent, giving the Kranzel side more leverage to be used against Siby and the knights.

    In a way, this was like a loyalty test to see if they would stay obedient or not.

    Even if the vigers stole all the weapons in the room, it wouldn¡¯t do much in the hands of ordinary people like them. They don¡¯t pose much of a threat to begin with.

    Perhaps Siby also reached that conclusion, as she instructed Klikka and the Red Knights to stand watch in the weapons room.

    ¡¸From here on is the residential area. We have already brought in beds and other furnishings into the vacant rooms, but I must apologize for ourck of preparation in the other rooms. Some of them retain the sheets and such that belong to the former owner. You will have to use them as they are.¡¹

    Peridot opened the door and showed us the room. In addition to beds and desks, there were clothes and other belongings left lying around.

    It¡¯s unclear whether the former owner of this room was deceased or merely out on deployment. It seems they were to use the room regardless.

    Back in Japan, there would definitely be privacyints about letting a stranger sleep in their room. But in this world where there are no human rights, maybe it isn¡¯t so strange. Most people carry their valuables on their person, or deposit them at a guild or such.

    Any items left in the knights sleeping quarters probably don¡¯t have much value.

    Siby and the others seemed a bit hesitant, but ultimately epted it. That said, the people forced to use some knight¡¯s old room aren¡¯t going to be pleased, just like the previous owners won¡¯t like someone using their room.

    ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s assign the rooms with used beds to the Red Knights.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s a good idea.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuu.¡¹

    Siby and Klikka nodded to each other while pinching their noses. Bisdra did the same.

    A fortress packed with a bunch of single, male knights must be like a sports club dormitory, in more ways than one.

    Laundry was probably a foreign concept here. There seemed to be quite a unique smell filling the rooms, though I fortunately didn¡¯t have a nose to try for myself.

    ¡ºFran, Urushi. How is it?¡»

    £¨Stinks.£©

    £¨Woof.£©

    Fran also pinched her nose and wrinkled her face. She should have resistance to these kinds of smells from her time as a ve, yet it was still too much for her¡­ Those nasty knights!

    On the other hand, Urushi seemed to be perfectly fine. Dogs tend to like smelly things, after all.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be staying here, but hopefully we can finish theundry as soon as possible.¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s a well in the backyard for water, so please use that. There¡¯s also the kitchen on the first floor for when you need to use fire.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Summing up all the single-bed and multi-bed rooms that were previously used by knights, it seems they will requireundry for about 200 people.

    All of that must be quite a hassle, right? Fran seemed to be thinking the same thing.

    ¡¸Area Clean.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa!¡¹

    ¡¸T-This is¡­¡¹

    Fran invoked a cleansing spell over a wide area. In exchange for having zero effect on undead and poison, this spell was focused on eliminating things like mold, odors, and grime.

    In other words, it should clean up the fortress and improve the smell significantly.

    ¡¸You¡¯re good at cleansing magic too?¡¹

    ¡¸That is certainly a very high-level spell.¡¹

    ¡¸Just how many different magic schools can you use¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyui.¡¹

    This spell was only for cleaning so it didn¡¯t affect the Evil Dragon Bisdra. Fran knew what she was doing.

    ¡¸Tell me if there¡¯s anything else I can¡­¡¹

    ¡¸No, I¡¯m afraid ck Lightning Princess-dono has something else to do at the moment.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡¸I will be taking her to the Lord¡¯s Mansion, so she can report to him in person. The supervision here will be carried out by my subordinates, so rest assured.¡¹

    Fran was determined to be of assistance, but it wasn¡¯t meant to be. Besides, we¡¯re the only ones who knows the full picture on Kranzel¡¯s side, so it¡¯s only natural to make us report.

    ¡¸¡­Fine.¡¹

    Fran also knew the importance of this meeting. She nodded obediently, albeit disappointed.

    ¡¸Fran, Urushi. You¡¯ve been a great help.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyui!¡¹

    Fran shook hands with Siby and the others. I bet she¡¯s raring toe back and help, but I¡¯m not sure if that wille to pass. Siby probably knew that too.

    Meanwhile, Klikka has been petting Urushi¡¯s head for quite some time. Was she secretly a dog lover or something?

    ¡¸Well then, shall we go?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 1221: Mish Menaldo

    <h4>Chapter 1221: Mish Menaldo</h4>

    After sending the people from Raydoss into the knight hall, Fran headed to the Lord¡¯s Mansion with Peridot.

    We were granted free entrance without showing any identification, then guided to a meeting room with a round table.

    Many familiar faces had been gathered there.

    Gamudo, the guildmaster. The former lord Christon, as well as his family. Many merchants we¡¯ve traded with before. Well, Fran probably forgot about a majority of the merchants.

    Among the merchants, Rengill from the Lucille Trading Association was also present.

    However, a man we¡¯ve never met before sat in the most luxurious chair at the far end of the round table. He was looking in our direction.

    I would describe him as a slightly nervous-looking government clerk. He had a somewhat irritated frown, but maybe that was just his natural expression? Or was he in a bad mood? I couldn¡¯t tell one way or another, even after he opened his mouth.

    ¡¸First, allow me to introduce myself, since I appear to be the only one in this room who has yet to meet you. I am Count Mish Menaldo, the current lord of this town.¡¹

    The title of count seems a bit low for the lord of a city as prominent as Bulbora. After all, the previous lord was a marquis. Nevertheless, being chosen for this position is probably a testament to hispetency, and perhaps his loyalty to the royal family?

    ¡¸Nn. Rank B adventurer, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Nice to meet you.¡¹

    Mish made noment about Fran¡¯s casual attitude. Maybe he didn¡¯t care, or maybe he was simply being lenient to the Rank B adventurer he was counting on.

    However, the person next to Mish did not let this fly. Gamudo interrupted the conversation.

    ¡¸Hold it.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    Gamudo was the guildmaster, so he probably negotiated with nobles pretty often. He might care about noble manners more than I thought.

    However, this reason Gamudo spoke up waspletely different from my expectation.

    ¡¸Fran¡¯s rank-up has already been decided. We haven¡¯t made a formal announcement yet, but it¡¯s alreadymon knowledge within the guild. Come to the guildter and we¡¯ll make you Rank A.¡¹

    Oh, he was only correcting Fran introducing herself as Rank B.

    ¡¸Oh! So have we witnessed the birth of a new Rank A adventurer? Wonderful tidings! Congrattions, ck Lightning Princess-dono!¡¹

    Philip Christon was the first to offer his blessings upon hearing the news from Gamudo. He¡¯s the town¡¯s knight captain, as well as the eldest son of Rhodus, the former lord. Fran remembered him well due to his strength.

    As a warrior, he understood adventurers. In fact, it seems he even held a great deal of respect and admiration for Rank A adventurers. His eyes sparkled like a young boy¡¯s when he began apuding.

    But wait? A noble as high as him just used politenguage to Fran? Yet no one, including his father Rhodus, criticized him for it. Rather, they all started offering their own blessings to Fran, with everyone also being super polite.

    This must be the influence of the Rank A title, as a proof of strength only achievable by heroes. Rank A adventurers were revered by nobles and merchants alike.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Gahahaha! Having Rank A adventurers like you in Kranzel brings all of us renewed hope!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. We should be the ones thanking you.¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Fran looked genuinely happy when Gamudo and the merchants congratted her.

    Of course, I¡¯m super happy too! My Fran is being recognized by everyone!

    ¡ºFran! When we get back, I¡¯ll treat you to a feast!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºWhat do you want to eat? Of course, we¡¯ll have curry, but aside from that.¡»

    £¨Pancakes! And fried chicken! And tonkatsu! And¨D¨D£©

    ¡ºAll right, all right, I got it. I¡¯ll prepare everything you like!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    I¡¯d love to start the celebrations here, but that would ruin any chances of a proper meeting. In the first ce, the meeting has yet to start due to the subject of Fran¡¯s rank-up.

    Is this gonna be a problem?

    I nced at Mish¡¯s expression, but I couldn¡¯t read anything from it. He was also pping for us, though he didn¡¯t seem even slightly surprised.

    He probably already heard from Gamudo in advance. That would exin hisck of surprise and notining about Fran¡¯s attitude. He was treating her as a Rank A adventurer from the beginning.

    Everyone in the meeting room was still in a celebratory mood. Considering the asion, I guess that can¡¯t be helped.

    However, the atmosphere was brought back to reality with a small sound.

    The lord, Mish, had lightly pped his hands together. Though not particrly loud, it strangely echoed in our ears.

    This caused everyone to remember the situation they were in. After waiting for excitement enveloping the meeting room to settle down, Mish spoke again.

    ¡¸Once again, thank you foring. I have heard many good things about the ck Lightning Princess. You are always wee in my city.¡¹

    Mish nodded gracefully, although his expression didn¡¯t appear very weing. Was it a sarcastic remark about bringing him troublesome matters, or was he genuinely weing her as a valuable asset?

    He didn¡¯t wear aplete poker face, but the constant look of irritation made it hard to read his thoughts.

    Well, if we think about it normally, it¡¯s probably the former, right? He likely viewed Fran as someone who added additional work to his te. Mish clearly already had a heavy workload, and you could tell from his expression that he was constantly displeased.

    Not only was he thin, but he also looked unhealthy. The Raydoss raid inflicted huge damage to his city right when he took office as the new lord.

    Managing the current Bulbora must be quite challenging. Now we throw in the issue of Raydoss refugees and Red Knights. It¡¯d make anyone want toin or be sarcastic.

    ¡¸First, I want to hear the details of what happened directly from your mouth. Can you exin?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran can certainly exin, but it¡¯ll be quite the challenge given her usualck of words.

    It took about 10 minutes with some assistance from me, but Fran pulled it off.

    ¡¸Phew¡­¡¹

    Mish rubbed his temples and let out a deep sigh. Simply listening to our story was enough to tire him out. You can¡¯t hear my apology, but sorry.

 Chapter 1222: Treatment of Raydoss Citizens

    <h4>Chapter 1222: Treatment of Raydoss Citizens</h4>

    After listening to Fran¡¯s lengthy and somewhat clumsy exnation, the adults let out a collective sigh. It must have been tiring just to listen.

    I¡¯m exhausted too. Fran responded perfectly to anybat-rted questions, but she would answer ¡°Dunno¡± or ¡°Not sure¡± to almost everything else unless I corrected her.

    And seriously, we don¡¯t need to hear any more about how delicious the curry was! Stop talking about food at every possible opportunity! Please!

    Especially since the merchants seemed somewhat interested!

    Despite the various difficulties, I think we managed to convey most of the important details.

    ¡¸So you say the teleport may have been due to an enemy relic malfunctioning, but the reason is still unclear.¡¹

    We couldn¡¯t attribute the teleportation to the Evil God¡¯s doing, so we reported the possibility of the relics causing it instead.

    Mish furrowed his brow upon hearing this.

    This meant Raydoss might be capable of sending legions deep within Kranzel¡¯s territory in an instant. It¡¯s only natural to feel uneasy.

    ¡¸What are the dukes of Raydoss thinking? ughtering their own people, defiling thend, and ruining their forts and farnds¡­ Surely they realize the nation will be uninhabitable at this rate.¡¹

    ¡¸No, this was probably their goal to begin with.¡¹

    ¡¸Rhodus-sama, what do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸They intend to prevent us from acquiring any immediate benefits if we seize their territory.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    The former lord, Marquis Rhodus Christon exined. I thought he might have aplicated rtionship with the current lord Mish, due to the difference in title from a marquis and count. However, it seems they were working together surprisingly well.

    I didn¡¯t sense any tensions between the two. They were clearly cooperating for their shared desire to revitalize Bulbora.

    Mish must be handling the politics, while Rhodus took the lead in military matters. I think Gamudo mentioned his hopes for an arrangement based on their respective strengths, and it seems he got what he wanted.

    ¡¸Even if they intend to employ a scorched earth strategy, don¡¯t they need to consider what happens when they retake their territory?¡¹

    ¡¸This so-called Superhuman General may be as childish as she looks. Perhaps she is simply acting on her own without consideration for the future.¡¹

    ¡¸Are you sure about that? It sounds like it is only her appearance that is childish.¡¹

    ¡¸She must be a child on the inside as well if she forced Amanda to withdraw. Amanda only refuses to fight real children.¡¹

    ¡¸Or perhaps they have another hidden motive¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s possible as well. It would exin why they sacrificed their poption to gather vast amounts of mana. If this scorched earth strategy is merely a pretext, the true purpose could be to perform some kind of ritual.¡¹

    Mish and Rhodus discussed various details based on Fran¡¯s story.

    However, no amount of discussion on Raydoss¡¯s true objectives will leave the realm of possibility.

    They quickly returned to the main subject at hand: the vigers.

    ¡¸The refugees fleeing Raydoss did not seem to have much loyalty to their nation. Quite the opposite, in fact, and this incident only added to that sentiment. We shouldn¡¯t have to worry about them running as long as we treat them fairly.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. Perhaps they will develop homesickness eventually, but that can be dealt withter.¡¹

    ¡¸Which brings us to the bigger issue of the Red Knights.¡¹

    ¡¸A troublesome problem indeed.¡¹

    The Red Knights may be behaving themselves for now, but there¡¯s no changing the fact that they¡¯re soldiers working a hostile nation. Moreover, the current Bulbora has no means of containing them if a conflict arises.

    The town was still recovering, and they didn¡¯t want to have such a threat close at home.

    However, the vigers were basically hostages, to put it bluntly. The Red Knights won¡¯t agree to being separated from them.

    Furthermore, the people of Bulbora would likely show significant resistance if word was to get around about the vigers from Raydoss.

    Due to the countless deaths they¡¯ve caused in the city, many of the citizens harbor resentment towards Raydoss. Simply seeing someone from Raydoss might prompt them to vent their anger.

    Then, the Red Knightse out to protect the vigers. Any minor confrontation leads into a big issue, and the people ask the lord to intervene.

    Ignoring his people would cause widespread dissatisfaction, and taking their side would sour rtionships with the Red Knights.

    To Mish, these refugees from Raydoss were little more than a ticking time bomb.

    ¡¸We haven¡¯t decided on the details yet, but they will likely be moved somewhere outside Bulbora, and soon.¡¹

    ¡¸Somewhere outside?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, but rest assured that they will be treated well. We have a few abandoned pioneering viges they can use.¡¹

    Over the past few years, Bulbora had recruited volunteers to create several new viges. However, the poption reduction from the recent incidents forced them to recall the people at these viges.

    As a result, there were apparently a few that were now uninhabited. While they might have be somewhat unkempt due to the absence of people, they shouldn¡¯t have deteriorated to the point of being uninhabitable.

    So it seems they intend for the Raydoss refugees to live there discreetly, farming thend while staying out of sight.

    ¡¸Are you sending any help?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. We want the Red Knights to live peacefully without any trouble. I will have the merchants lend a hand with supplies and such.¡¹

    I see. So that¡¯s why the merchants are here.

    There¡¯s probably not much profit to be gained, but it serves to help them build a favorable rtionship with the lord.

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess Fran, I have a request for you regarding this.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸I want you to check on the condition of the pioneering viges. We have a few in mind, but none of them have had their status confirmed.¡¹

    £¨Master?£©

    This was probably their way of being considerate. Fran was on friendly terms with the refugees from Raydoss, so having her decide their new ce of residence will be reassuring.

    Furthermore, having Fran mediate would likely gain the trust of the Red Knights as well.

    ¡ºDoesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s plotting anything, so I think it¡¯s fine to ept.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    As much as Fran wanted to return to the battlefield, she couldn¡¯t abandon her newfound friends from Raydoss. It seems we will be staying here for a while to support them.

 Chapter 1223: Rank A Celebration

    <h4>Chapter 1223: Rank A Celebration</h4>

    ¡¸Well then, here¡¯s your new adventurer card.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Having returned to the guild with Gamudo from the lord¡¯s mansion, we promptly began the rank-up procedures.

    That said, there wasn¡¯t much she needed to actually do aside from exchanging her card for the Rank A one.

    Fran took the golden guild card, and stared at it intently.

    Her gaze could barely contain her excitement.

    ¡ºCongrats, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ I did it.¡¹

    Fran nodded with her eyes still fixated on the gold card.

    While Fran may not care much about her own honor or reputation, she¡¯s always been particrly sensitive when ites to those of the ck cat race as a whole.

    A member of the scorned and underestimated ck cats just rose to be a Rank A adventurer. While Rank S adventurers do exist, Rank A is generally the highest level most people will ever see.

    This is no small achievement.

    As someone intent on improving the standing of ck cats, Fran could take this as proof of her progress.

    It seems she was deeply moved by this moment.

    While Fran remained silent and solemn, Gamudo eximed loudly in a voice that could be heard throughout the guild.

    ¡¸LISTEN UP, EVERYONE!!!¡¹

    The attention of everyone on the floor turned toward us. I even heard a loud crash echoing from the tavern, probably from someone startled by Gamudo¡¯s voice. Not really our fault, but sorry.

    After confirming that the adventurers and staff had their eyes on us, Gamudo shouted again.

    ¡¸Here with us is Fran, the ck Lightning Princess! She¡¯s the young, up-anding adventurer who recently won the Ulmutt Martial Arts Tournament!¡¹

    Gamudo pat Fran on the shoulder across the counter, ensuring that all of the adventurers knew her face. Most of the adventurers were already aware, but there seemed to be some neers who did not.

    I saw those few whispering, and asking those nearby with surprise.

    ¡¸Various branches have sent in applications for Fran¡¯s rank-up, which was epted at headquarters the other day! In other words¡­¡¹

    Gamudo created a slight pause.

    The adventurers, drawn in by Gamudo¡¯s words, waited for what came next without making a single noise.

    An unexpected silence enveloped the area, despite the tavern being right next door.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡­¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸¡­We are here to witness the birth of a new Rank A adventurer! Rejoice! Celebrate! Raise your cups in a toast! It¡¯s all on the guild today! Drink to your heart¡¯s content! Drink the entire night!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ <strong>UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOGH!!!</strong> ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The response to Gamudo¡¯s promation was a deafening cheer. Those who were already drinking clinked their cups together again, while those who weren¡¯t rushed to order the most expensive ones left. Everyone was celebrating with bright smiles.

    I¡¯m d they¡¯re cheering, but¡­

    ¡ºThey clearly just want an excuse to drink.¡»

    £¨But they¡¯re having a good time.£©

    ¡ºWell, I guess it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s grab some food and drink too. Oh, but alcohol is still a no-go!¡»

    £¨¡­Nn.£©

    Don¡¯t you give me a disappointed nod.

    Fran headed to the tavern alongside Urushi, and the adventurers cheered with great enthusiasm. It almost felt like the entire building was shaking from the noise.

    Various people sent us their blessings.

    ¡¸A toast to the new Rank A adventurer!¡¹

    ¡¸Congrats!¡¹

    ¡¸Congrattions, and cheers!¡¹

    ¡¸S-So cute! I wonder if she¡¯d marry me!¡¹

    ¡¸UWOOOGH! UWOOOOOOOOOGH!!!¡¹

    Oi! I heard one of you talking about marriage! I¡¯ve got my eye on you! Also, how is that guy okay after screaming so hard? Even Fran seemed a little taken aback.

    So they weren¡¯t just happy about the free drinks. Anyone could tell from one look at their faces.

    Everyone was genuinely celebrating from the bottom of their hearts, without a trace of jealousy. Somehow, I understood that.

    I think the jealousy only applies up until Rank B, since that¡¯s the highest rank a normal person can strive for. But Rank A is a bit different.

    Rank A adventurers require something extra, whether it¡¯s talent, luck, or a special ability. An ordinary person can¡¯t climb that far based on hard work alone. I¡¯d say Rank B is for true professionals, while Rank A is for those professionals who have mastered their talents.

    Once you¡¯ve gone that far, people can¡¯t even feel jealous anymore. Their understanding changes from ¡°I can reach your level if I work hard enough¡± to ¡°I simply can¡¯tpare¡±. They have no choice but to acknowledge your abilities. Getting to Rank S is a different story though, since those guys are practically not human anymore.

    The celebration continued for some time after. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just adventurers participating.

    First, the merchants arrived. They had heard from Gamudo in advance, so they probably knew about the festivities taking ce.

    Carriages from tradingpanies known even outside the countries lined the streets, and each generously brought barrels of alcohol as gifts.

    At the same time, the bigwigs of each tradingpany joined in the festivities, raising a toast with the adventurers. Their arms were wrapped around each other¡¯s shoulders.

    Naturally, thismotion reached the townspeople as well. After all, the festive atmosphere extended outside the guild building.

    The surrounding residents came to see what was happening, and brought gifts when they heard the exnation from the adventurers.

    The circle gradually expanded, and it didn¡¯t take much time for the entire town to be engulfed in a celebratory mood.

    Fran was already a well-known adventurer in Bulbora, as the culinary missionary who poprized curry, and the little hero who saved the town in its time of need. And she had now be a Rank A adventurer.

    After a series of incidents, the townspeople finally found the ray of hope they were looking for. No wonder they wanted to join in the celebrations.

    Cheerfulughter and blessings for Fran¡¯s rank-up rang out all over Bulbora, overwriting the city¡¯s previously downcast atmosphere.

    Amidst this festive mood, Fran was quietly enjoying her curry on the roof of the guild.

    The air was filled with voices of celebration. I think I heard some faint musical notes from a minstrel¡¯s performance too.

    ¡¸Nom nom.¡¹

    ¡ºIs it good?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Somehow, it tastes even better than usual.¡¹

    ¡ºI see. That¡¯s great.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

 Chapter 1224: Celebration and Resolve

    <h4>Chapter 1224: Celebration and Resolve</h4>

    ¡¸Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    Fran affectionately stroked Urushi on the roof of the guild.

    He had grown to the size of a buffalo to lean against her, cing his head conveniently at Fran¡¯s right side to make it easy to pet.

    ¡¸¡­Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    Fran hugged Urushi¡¯s neck, burying herself in his fluffy fur. Urushi wagged his tail happily, though a bit restrained to prevent Fran from getting covered in dust.

    ¡¸I reached Rank A thanks to you and Master.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it myself.¡¹

    Fran clenched her fist with a slightly regretful expression. She was happy to have achieved Rank A, but she seemed to think her own abilities were stillcking.

    I guess it¡¯s pretty hard to determine what was her own strength, and what was due to me and Urushi.

    Of course, adventurers consider weapons and familiars to be a part of their owner¡¯s strength. That¡¯s why they immediately promote divine sword wielders to Rank S.

    Fran understood this, which was why she epted the promotion to Rank A. However, she also understood that she couldn¡¯t have done it alone, and that seemed to be a source of disappointment for her.

    ¡ºFran. You¡¯ve been growing incredibly fast, and you¡¯ll only keep getting stronger. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡»

    We already have the power to hold our own against Rank S opponents, albeit temporarily. We might even reach Rank S some day. That¡¯s not just a wild dream anymore.

    ¡¸Nn. But I¡¯ve still got a long way to go. This is something we all achieved together.¡¹

    Fran took out her golden adventurer card and stared at it.

    No doubt bing Rank A has filled her with many conflicting emotions.

    ¡¸¡­So, I¡¯ll still be counting on you.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Fran embraced me while still hugging Urushi, feeling Urushi¡¯s fluffiness and my hardness. Then, she suddenly raised her head.

    <i>Rumble</i>.

    ¡¸I¡¯m hungry.¡¹

    That¡¯s certainly a very fast stomach!

    The somber atmosphere was blown away when Fran rubbed her belly in hunger.

    <i>Rumble</i>.

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    It seems Urushi¡¯s stomach was reacting to Fran¡¯s rumbling belly. His made an even louder sound.

    Wait, didn¡¯t you two eat a ton during the celebration? Also, Fran in particr was eating curry until just a moment ago. I had given her a ton for her promotion celebration.

    ¡¸The smell of Urushi¡¯s fur makes me hungry.¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi¡¯s fur?¡»

    ¡¸W-Woof?¡¹

    Urushi sniffed his own fur as if to say, ¡°Eh? Me?¡± Apparently, the smell of the curry that Fran had been eating settled in.

    Well, I suppose Urushi ate a ton too. Either way, the tantalizing scent of curry spices reignited Fran¡¯s appetite.

    ¡ºCurry¡¯s fine and all, but why not drop down and try something else for a change? Looks like some of the merchants set up makeshift stalls.¡»

    It¡¯s pretty much a whole festival now.

    Many people probably just wanted a reason to celebrate, but the trigger for all this was Fran¡¯s promotion. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a look around town.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We walked through the town with people calling out to us at every corner.

    ¡¸Congrattions!¡¹

    ¡¸Cheers to the ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Hooray! Hooray!¡¹

    ¡¸Her wolf is super cool too!¡¹

    Everyone celebrated in their own way, but they all had smiles on their faces. Many handed us all sorts of food, so Fran¡¯s hands got filled up really quickly.

    While also giving some of it to Urushi, Fran suddenly realized something.

    ¡¸We should give some to Siby and Mimi too.¡¹

    ¡ºOh, I see.¡»

    None of them could leave the fort, so hearing the festival-like atmosphere all of a sudden would cause some confusion.

    Fran bought alcohol and other provisions to deliver to the people from Raydoss. Of course, we asked Peridot in front of the fort for permission first.

    She gave her approval on the basis that it was an important gesture of goodwill.

    They gathered everyone in the courtyard and lined up some tables, so we brought out the food and drinks, turning it into a buffet-style meal.

    ¡¸What¡¯s all this?¡¹

    ¡¸My celebration.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Your¡­ celebration?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. My celebration for reaching Rank A.¡¹

    ¡ºFran! That makes it sound like you¡¯re throwing your own celebration party!¡»

    However, Peridot quickly rified the details. Everyone realized that Fran wanted to share the celebration with her friends from Raydoss.

    Well, the vigers didn¡¯t fully grasp the significance, but they understood that something good had happened to Fran.

    ¡¸Congrats!¡¹

    ¡¸Congrattions!¡¹

    ¡¸Onee-chan, congrattions!¡¹

    Everyone apuded and cheered. Siby and the others who knew about adventurer ranks were initially taken aback, but in the end, they offered their blessings too.

    ¡¸Congrattions, though I have to admit I¡¯m a little conflicted.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too, since her being Rank B until now was pretty much fraud.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuo!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    No matter how many times she heard it, the words of celebration were still music to her eyes. Fran nodded with a smile.

 Chapter 1225: Prospective Resettlement Site

    <h4>Chapter 1225: Prospective Resettlement Site</h4>

    ¡¸Is this the final site?¡¹

    ¡¸It appears so.¡¹

    Fran asked Klikka, who responded with a nod while looking at her map.

    We¡¯re currently visiting the pioneer viges where the people of Raydoss will be settling.

    Klikka was apanying me, Fran, and Urushi as the representative from the Raydoss side.

    It seems she was chosen for the role due to herbat and stealth capabilities in case they became necessary. She also had the authority to make decisions, and was well-acquainted with Fran.

    ¡¸All these viges seem to have a simryout.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. But this one looks like the best.¡¹

    ¡¸I suppose so¡­¡¹

    There were three prospective sites for the Raydoss people to settle in, but unfortunately, all of them were quite run-down. Our friends from Bulbora said their initial expectation was that they could be made habitable with minimal repairs, but¡­

    ¡¸The first vige¡¯s location was pretty good, but¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Sorry.¡¹

    The first vige we visited was located near a stream, surrounded by a mix of forest and grasnd. In other words, a very favorable location.

    It was a bit off the main road, but that could be considered a merit for living in seclusion.

    However, the fact that it didn¡¯t attract much attention also drew some unsavory characters to take advantage of it¡­

    ¡¸No, you couldn¡¯t help it. Leaving the bandits to their crimes could cause harm to unrted parties. You were not mistaken in dealing with them immediately.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Since the abandoned vige had be a den for bandits, we charged in and annihted them. While we didn¡¯t find any prisoners, there were several bodies that appeared to be from in travelers.

    Fran and Klikka flew into a fit of rage upon seeing this, and ughtered the rest of the bandits in a rather gory manner.

    These two seem to share a lot of traits.

    They both generally appear calm since they don¡¯t show much of their emotions, but in reality, they¡¯re passionate and can¡¯t stand seeing the weak oppressed. Even if they don¡¯t share the same home country.

    What¡¯s more, they go all out when something needs to get done.

    Thanks to them, our best prospective settlement gotpleted stained in blood, both inside and outside the houses!

    We certainly couldn¡¯t rmend such a blood-stained vige in good conscience, so the first site became unviable. Don¡¯t want the entire vige abandoned when it gets hauntedter.

    The second prospective site contained thergest amount ofnd, and even had three wells within the vige grounds. The area also included fields and hills for dairy farming, making it the most promising candidate.

    Until we realized theplicating factor.

    The outer walls of the vige and houses were all in awful condition. It wasn¡¯t as if they werepletely destroyed, but countless small holes had been drilled into them.

    Small insects had bored these holes to build their nests. These were ordinary insects rather than monsters, but their sheer numbers made them a greater threat than most weaker monsters.

    We managed to exterminate them with Urushi¡¯s poison and some puffs of hot air, but that didn¡¯t magically fix all the holes. Everything would need to be rebuilt.

    It seem these insects originally inhabited the nearby trees, but the colonists from Bulbora used the contaminated wood for construction without any knowledge.

    Furthermore, the type of tree containing the insects wasmon in the region, so they would have to continue using them in the future.

    Unless they discover some method of repelling the insects, it¡¯s likely too difficult to use this ce in the future.

    The fact that no problems had arisen while people were around might be due to the presence of humans keeping the insects at bay. Perhaps lighting fires nearby was coincidentally enough to suppress the nests.

    ¡ºSo, about the third vige¡­¡»

    ¡¸The walls are broken.¡¹

    ¡¸True, and I sense the presence of magical beasts too.¡¹

    Part of the outer wall surrounding the vige had copsed inward, and we could hear the high-pitched cries of beasts from within. Whatever destroyed the wall must have allowed them entry.

    ¡¸This is ourst option, so we have no choice but to secure this ce in a usable condition. Let¡¯s lure the beasts out of the vige before eliminating them.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    With that said, Fran and Klikka devised a n. The monsters in the vige resembled armadillos the size of cows.

    They were called ¡°Armor Rats¡±, and they could curl up just like armadillos too. Well, except they were carnivorous and could deploy magical barriers.

    It seems the Armor Rats had done of lot of breeding in the vige, as I sensed the presence of around forty. Fran and Klikka were capable of defeating them easily, so luring them out of the vige would be the hard part.

    ¡¸Urushi, can you handle it?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I take it Urushi will be driving them out?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Urushi can do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Let¡¯s leave it to him then.¡¹

    Klikka had witnessed Urushi¡¯s abilities during our journey so far, and their rtionship had deepened somewhat. She seemed confident in entrusting this carefree wolf with the task.

    ¡ºFirst try intimidation, then give any who don¡¯t run a kick with your front paws. Make sure you don¡¯t identally st them.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    With that, the erged Urushi rushed into the vige and began the Armor Rat extermination mission.

    He circled around the vige emitting a hostile aura, and smacked a few to encourage escape. Most of them fled and were promptly hunted down by Fran and Klikka once they left.

    However, a few remained. Some were paralyzed by fear, and others attempted to hide inside the houses.

    Urushi rolled them out with his front paws and kicked them outside the vige.

    ¡¸Woof! Woooof!¡¹

    Oh, now he¡¯s starting to y around by dribbling them like a ser ball? He¡¯s even addingpletely unnecessary feints. stico dribble into a scissor kick?! What at you even aiming at!?

    ¡¸Woooooof!¡¹

    No! No goal! Urushi misjudged his strength on thest kick, which literally exploded the Armor Rat in tiny bits. Just when we had almost managed to keep everything tidy!

    ¡ºUrushi, bad boy.¡»

    ¡¸Bad.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Guess we¡¯ll have to do our best to clean up the mess¡­

 Chapter 1226: To the Settlement

    <h4>Chapter 1226: To the Settlement</h4>

    ¡¸All right! Let¡¯s all pull together!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Yeah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Pull!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Pull! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    In response to Siby¡¯smand, the vigers and Red Knights pulled a thick rope together. The other end of the rope was attached to a massive rock asrge as a house. Meanwhile, Bisdra was perched on Siby¡¯s head.

    They were all working together to remove the obstructive rock.

    We simply watched the sight from a distance.

    ¡¸Everyone¡¯s working hard.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    We were currently in the former pioneer vige allocated by Kranzel to the people who had teleported from Raydoss.

    It was located at the foot of a mountain, with zero rivers or other settlements close by.

    Quite a remote location, but it was chosen for the settlement because of the scarcity of magical beasts in the area, as well as the prospective mines nearby.

    Moreover, the inconvenience meant that few would visit, which was just right for sheltering our friends from Raydoss.

    Thanks to Fran, Klikka, and Urushi¡¯s hard work in exterminating the magical beasts, the vigers moved in with pleasure.

    However, the remote location also made the living conditions quite rough.

    First, the magical beasts. Even if the area was rtively safe, there were still some.

    The Armor Rats had upheaved a good portion of the vige¡¯snd, and destroyed the doors on many houses. There were signs of damage caused by other beasts as well, which would take some time to fully repair.

    Another problem was the rockslides from the mountains. Whether it was due to the ground turning muddy from rain or other reasons, severalrge boulders had rolled down around the vige.

    Thergest of them smashed right through the outer wall and now sat prominently in the center of the vige as if it owned the ce.

    The boulder had crushed several houses and left a hole in the outer walls, allowing magical beasts free ess. The Armor Rats likely entered through here as well.

    We clearly needed to seal up the hole before the civilians could feel safe, but removing the massive boulderes first. Fran initially nned to do this herself.

    Solving the problem would be as fast as storing it for us.

    However, Klikka stopped us.

    Fran¡¯s expertise in magic could solve almost any issue. The vige¡¯s restoration would only be a matter of time, and she could even provide food and other supplies.

    But having the vige rely too much on Fran might be problematic. After all, Fran wouldn¡¯t stay in the vige forever.

    Furthermore, the vigers wouldn¡¯t be able to gain a sense of aplishment. Could they really consider it their vige when Fran handed everything to them on a silver tter? Probably not from the bottom of their hearts.

    Siby and Klikka realized this, and wanted the vigers to fix up the ce themselves, no matter how many days it took. Only then would they be able to feel proud to call the vige theirs.

    Their argument made sense, so I persuaded Fran to refrain from helping.

    Of course, we would jump in to save them if there was any real danger. Otherwise though, it¡¯s best to observe the situation for now.

    After consulting with Siby, Fran decided to exin that she wouldn¡¯t be able to help for about a week due to not feeling well.

    Siby had initially suggested making it a month, but Fran resisted.

    As a result, we decided to make itplete observation for the first week, and then provide some assistance with simple magic for the following three weeks.

    Therefore, all we could do right now was watch.

    ¡¸Pull!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Pull! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    After the umpteenth call, the massive boulder began to wobble and get slowly dragged upon the row of logs in front of it.

    They transported it on the rows of logs, swapping in the logs at the front all the while, and eventually reached the outskirts of the vige. It was heavybor, but the vigers all had smiles on their faces.

    However, Fran wasn¡¯t just idly standing by.

    ¡¸Onee-chan, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Is your stomach hurting?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. It¡¯s nothing.¡¹

    She also had the duty of keeping the children from approaching the rock.

    ¡¸Urushi-chan! They¡¯re all amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸I was worried when they said you couldn¡¯t grow big anymore, but it looks like we can still pull it off with everyone¡¯s help!¡¹

    Urushi in hisrge dog-size form was getting petted all over by the children.

    If we let him return to his giant form, he would undoubtedly take away much of the work.

    As a result, we had to im Urushi was feeling unwell along with Fran. Meanwhile, the two would be responsible for watching the children and keeping an eye on the perimeter.

    Of course, the same applied to the Red Knights. Well, it was impossible to dere them all indisposed, so we left a few men as helpers and assigned the rest to patrol the surroundings.

    Not everyone could fit here in the first ce, so more than half of the Red Knights were amodated in a nearby abandoned vige.

    That abandoned vige was even more rundown than this one, making it pretty uninhabitable, but the Red Knights still chose it due to how close it was. The knights in the other vige were managed by Madred, and they pretty much had to camp in the wilderness.

    That left about a hundred Red Knights in this pioneer vige. Around twenty were left behind for security and manualbor, while the rest were sent on actual reconnaissance missions.

    They wanted to scout for any valuable resources Kranzel might have missed, as well as the threat of additional mountain rockslides.

    However, they were naturally not allowed to act freely. Peridot¡¯s colleagues in the intelligence division were sent to apany anyone who went outside.

    The Red Knights found this eptable as it was better than getting imprisoned, so they obeyed the rule withoutints.

    I wonder if they¡¯ll be okay in these viges. Obviously, the Red Knights must eventually return to Raydoss, but I can¡¯t say for sure if the vigers actually want to go back.

    Well, I¡¯m fine either way as long as the kids are smiling.

 Chapter 1227: Blockade

    <h4>Chapter 1227: Blockade</h4>

    It¡¯s the fifth day since starting restoration work in the pioneer vige.

    The half-insectkin departed yesterday, once the vigers had mostly settled down.

    They probably wanted to head to Raydoss as soon as possible, but they didn¡¯t want to abandon the vigers to their fates.

    Peridot paid a visit to the vige. While she left many of her subordinates here, she generally stayed in Bulbora.

    Well, I suppose the higher ups of the intelligence division have a lot on their tes aside from this vige.

    But still, the fact that she came meant there was something special to discuss, right? Or maybe she just wanted to give the ce an inspection?

    We weed her along with Siby and the others.

    ¡¸Hello there, Peridot.¡¹

    ¡¸Did something happen?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. I have something to report.¡¹

    Something important enough that Peridot had to report it in person? Definitely not good news. Siby and the others got a bit tense. They were probably thinking the same thing.

    We led her into a makeshift meeting room, and sat around the table.

    ¡¸Please have everyone else leave the room.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. Klikka, don¡¯t let anyone in.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that.¡¹

    Seems like something really important. Is it okay for Fran to be present? However, Peridot began speaking without paying any mind to Fran.

    ¡¸The border between Kranzel and Raydoss has been blocked off.¡¹

    ¡¸Blocked off?¡¹

    ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹

    Raydoss had always practiced istionism, and refused all diplomatic rtions. Given the war, the border was certainly covered in patrols. If that doesn¡¯t already count as ¡°blocked off¡±, then I don¡¯t know what does.

    However, it seems Peridot¡¯s definition of ¡°blocked off¡± was a bit more physical in nature.

    ¡¸A barrier has encircled Raydoss¡¯s capital and northern region.¡¹

    ¡¸What? You¡¯re saying it covers the entire country?¡¹

    ¡¸Precisely.¡¹

    Peridot took out a map of Raydoss and showed it to us. The map was apparently based on information extracted from Raydoss prisoners, so it should have high uracy.

    The map had a red circle drawn on it. Though the shape was somewhat distorted, its center was slightly to the west of Raydoss¡¯s capital.

    The area marked by the red line didn¡¯t only contain the area around the capital known as Central Raydoss. There was also about 20% of the northern and southern regions, 80% of the western side, and even about half of Phyllius¡¯s territory.

    Conversely, the eastern side, which took the scorched earth approach, and Kranzel¡¯s territory were not included at all.

    ¡¸This red circle is the barrier?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, and it¡¯s powerful enough topletely prevent all passage. We failed to break through with arge-scale attack.¡¹

    It seems Esmeralda¡¯s mass ritual spell was unable to breach the barrier. In that case, destroying it via any conventional methods might be genuinely impossible.

    ¡¸You say it prevents all passage, so it¡¯s impossible to leave too?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, we¡¯ve lost contact with our forces still within Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸Even Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. The adventurer group has no reason to stay under these abnormal circumstances, so I believe something is preventing their return. Phyllius¡¯s capital is also trapped within the barrier, and we know nothing about their current status.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    Siby and the others wore troubled expressions. Bisdra looked the same too.

    They had nned to return to Raydoss once the lives of the vigers here stabilized. No clue what terms Kranzel will force on them, but negotiations were in the works.

    And now they physically can¡¯t return. Thispletely changes their future course of ns.

    ¡¸I am sharing this news with you to ensure you refrain from making any rash moves. Kranzel cannot permit any of you to leave at the moment. Do you understand?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuo¡­¡¹

    There¡¯s no way they can allow Raydoss¡¯s Red Knights to move freely, especially in such unsettling circumstances.

    ¡¸I also came because we are desperate for any information on this phenomenon. Anything you can share will be of great assistance.¡¹

    ¡¸Anything, huh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Even trivial matters are fine.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm.¡¹

    Rather than being hesitant, it seemed like Siby genuinely had no idea.

    ¡¸I must admit I have zero leads on a relic or mage capable of covering an entire country with arge-scale barrier. That said¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹

    Siby hesitated to speak, debating whether or not she should say what followed. However, she quickly resolved herself.

    ¡¸The barrier seems to havepletely abandoned eastern Raydoss, which means whoever did this knew the East Conquest Duke¡¯s ns. Maybe it¡¯s powered by the immense amount mana generated by sacrificing so many citizens and soldiers.¡¹

    In that case, did the East Conquest Duke and Superhuman General make the barrier on their own, and the rest of Raydoss was just dragged into it? Or could the mastermind be the king instead?

    ¡¸Also, there¡¯s an alchemist named Zelyse working for the East Conquest Duke. He was doing research into magic stones and bestowing skills upon others. I always thought that sounded too good to be true, but maybe he brought in this barrier creating power from somewhere else. Those are the only things thate to mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Zelyse!¡¹

    ¡¸I hear the ck Lightning Princess has a history with him.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. He¡¯s the enemy!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s eyebrows seemed to raise slightly when she saw Fran¡¯s anger.

    ¡¸I know that Zelyse caused trouble in Kranzel¡­ I heard all about him thest time I came to Bulbora, but ignorance isn¡¯t an excuse.¡¹

    Of course, we knew Siby would never have assisted Zelyse¡¯s schemes. Neither Fran nor Peridot intended to me her.

    Either way, the Red Knights pretty much only traveled around their own country during peacetime, helping as many viges as possible.

    Their roles included search and rescue operations, like disaster relief teams or the self-defense force, as well as hunting magical beasts. They had no involvement in politics whatsoever. Any anger at them for not preventing political corruption would be misced.

    Siby herself seemed to be regretting her actions though. She sighed and drooped her soldiers.

    ¡¸Simply protecting the people isn¡¯t enough¡­¡¹

    It seems Peridot didn¡¯t have any more to say on the subject, so she ended the conversation.

    ¡¸I¡¯lle back if the situation changes. Again, I ask you to refrain from any rash actions.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, we know.¡¹

    ¡¸If you wish to inform anyone else about this, do so at your own discretion. I ask that you try not to cause a panic though.¡¹

    Peridot warned Siby once again before leaving. It seems she wanted to inspect the vige more often, but the mysterious barrier kept things very busy for her.

    Siby ruffled her red hair and let out a big sigh.

    ¡¸Now what do we do¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuo¡­¡¹

 Chapter 1228: Reconstruction Progress

    <h4>Chapter 1228: Reconstruction Progress</h4>

    The promised week passed, so Fran started actively participating in the reconstruction effort.

    Fran still wasn¡¯t allowed to do everything herself, so she worked primarily on hunting magical beasts and securing wood. She also used her magic to till the fields.

    Thanks to her efforts, we sessfully repaired the hole in the outer wall. This alleviated a lot of the anxieties about beast attacks.

    The vigers expressed their gratitude and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you back in form.¡± Fran sometimes felt guilty about not helping when she pretended to be unwell, but she understood that it was Siby¡¯s way of caring.

    If she had been straightforward and said, ¡°I won¡¯t help because it won¡¯t benefit you¡±, some people might have understood, but others would be dissatisfied.

    Even the more understanding ones might change their minds in the middle of gruelingbor, and eventually harbor dissatisfaction towards Fran.

    In that regard, I think exining that Fran couldn¡¯t work was ultimately for the best, even if it was a lie.

    Siby herself had been pondering a lot in the past few days. She must be struggling to find what the knights can do for Raydoss.

    Furthermore, Fran still took good care of the children even after she started participating in the repairs. Surprisingly, babysitting seemed to suit her.

    ¡¸Onee-chan, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸Do you have a stomachache?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. Make sure to cut the grass properly.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Let¡¯s do our best!¡¹

    Even now, she was working with the children near the vige.

    The younger children and girls were in charge of cutting down what resembled tall lemongrass. However, this world¡¯s lemongrass seemedpletely odorless.

    Apparently, they could make mats and baskets by weaving the dried grass.

    ¡¸Bisdra-chan, hold it up!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuo.¡¹

    ¡¸Bisdra, can you move this over there?¡¹

    ¡¸Kyua!¡¹

    Bisdra was with us too. It seems Siby had asked him to protect the children, but he was clearly enjoying himself too.

    Rather, this might have been Siby¡¯s intention all along. Biscot was freed from his life in Raydoss upon bing a dragon, so she wanted him to interact with other children.

    ¡¸Okay, I¡¯ll carry this.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow! Fran-neechan, you¡¯re amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Amazing!¡¹

    The children cheered when they saw Fran easily lifting the bundles of cut grass.

    Storage would make this transport task super easy. We could even cut down all the grass with wind magic,

    But Siby wanted the children to get experience participating in vige construction, so she assigned this task to them.

    The older kids were busy digging for potatoes. They serve as a valuable food source, and the vines could be used as basket materials.

    ¡¸Whoa, Urushi! You¡¯re the digging master!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Uwah! Bleh! You¡¯re getting it on me!¡¹

    ¡¸So dirty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    Urushi went overboard and flung a bunch of dirt everywhere before getting scolded by the children. I¡¯ve been seeing that a lot since we arrived here.

    After transporting the cut grass and potatoes to the warehouse, the children¡¯s jobs were done. Back in Raydoss, they would wash up and disband, but a new custom had been established in this vige.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s take a bath!¡¹

    ¡¸Right!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-neechan, can you fill it with hot water?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Yay!¡¹

    Bathing in tubs filled with hot water was rtivelymon in Kranzel, but apparently not in Raydoss. Water was more scarce, and it was generally a lot colder.

    It seems stuff like saunas were moremon, otherwise they would sometimes wipe off their sweat using the rivers and wells in warm seasons.

    The vigers nned to only make a sauna, but Fran put a stop to that. She¡¯s always loved baths, and was never a fan of saunas.

    Thus, Fran added an outdoor bath alongside the sauna.

    The vigers initially didn¡¯t seem to feel the necessity, but they reluctantly granted permission as Fran passionately spoke about the benefits of baths despite herck of words.

    She understood that her argument alone wasn¡¯t enough to convey the goodness of baths.

    Thus, she quickly built the bath with magic in a matter of hours, and had the vigers take turns enjoying it. She generously distributed the body soap we had in storage, and even served chilled juice to any participants.

    Now there shouldn¡¯t be many left who don¡¯t understand the goodness of baths.

    As a result, the open-air bath became a daily routine for the vigers.

    Magical tools handled everything: water supply, drainage, even heating the water. These kinds of tools were reasonablymon in Kranzel, so it only took a brief negotiation with Peridot.

    ¡¸All right! I¡¯m first!¡¹

    ¡¸Wait!¡¹

    ¡¸You need to wash up first!¡¹

    After getting informed that the water was ready, the children rushed into the baths. Hey, running in the bath is dangerous!

    ¡¸Urushi, Bisdra, take care of the boys side.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Kyuo!¡¹

    Though a bit uneasy, we had no choice but to leave it to them. Oh, and the baths were separated by men and women. This world probably won¡¯tin if we made them mixed baths, but Fran will be using these too!

    Thus, I had no choice but to separate them.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s go too, Onee-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Guided by Mimi, Fran headed to the women¡¯s bath.

    ¡¸Onee-chan, can you wash my hair?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Aww, not fair! Do me too!¡¹

    ¡¸Me too!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. All right.¡¹

    ¡¸Hooray!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s certainly popr, getting pulled from left and right by the girls. And she didn¡¯t seem to mind thepetition either.

 Chapter 1229: Party of Adventurers?

    <h4>Chapter 1229: Party of Adventurers?</h4>

    Two weeks had passed since we arrived at the vige.

    The settlement continued progressing, and Fran and Urushi werepletely epted by the vigers. They were practically the same as any other member.

    The peaceful days went by, as there were no powerful monsters nearby. We hadpletely recovered from our intense battles in Raydoss.

    Looking back now, I realized just how much we had been pushing ourselves. Fighting untilplete exhaustion became the norm, so we failed to realize how awful of a condition we were in.

    As the vigers settled in, the influx of outsiders had also started to increase little by little.

    They included Peridot¡¯s subordinates, as well as merchants responsible for supplying goods. Additionally, a few were adventurers hired and dispatched by the Kranzel government.

    These adventurers were responsible for investigating the resources around the vige and searching for magical beasts. Kranzel¡¯s geological survey was proved insufficient by the rock slides we reported, so they probably wanted to conduct a thorough re-investigation.

    The ones sent for investigation were only Rank C, they appeared to be quite skilled. I bet ack of hostility toward Raydoss was also a factor for them being chosen.

    They seemed to do their jobs diligently and left without causing any trouble for the vigers.

    Well, all aside from one man who remained in the vige. He took on the job of an apothecary, so I guess he might be somewhat useful¡­

    ¡¸This Siby woman appears to be quite interesting. I¡¯d like to dissect her if possible. Kukuku¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up, Eiworth. You¡¯re scaring the children.¡¹

    The elderly mad scientist Eiworth had settled in the vige.

    ¡¸Oh? You seem quite interested in this vige, huh? Well, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t intend to indulge my hobbies here. I¡¯ve been sent here by Kranzel, you see. They dispatched a former Rank A like me, so they seem to believe this ce is very important.¡¹

    No way. They wouldn¡¯t send a guy like Eiworth alone if they cared that much. This man was once a wanted criminal.

    I¡¯m sure Kranzel knew how dangerous he could be. Okay, I can ept that he harbors no resentment towards Raydoss and is prettypetent.

    But his danger level supersedes all of that.

    ¡¸Don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡¹

    ¡¸I know, I know.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran squinted her eyes when Eiworth simply gave a casual nod.

    Fran has always respected Eiworth more than you would think, but she also knew how troublesome he could be.

    I¡¯d call him more of a viin than a hero though. He never lets up on his desires, and absolutely loves human experimentation. More than anything, all of it is backed by the power of a former Rank A adventurer.

    Yeah, after reconsidering the situation, I¡¯m starting to think that we don¡¯t want Eiworth with us. Well, not that there¡¯s anything more we can do now that he¡¯s already here.

    Guess we¡¯ll have to keep an eye on him, and make sure he does his apothecary job without getting into trouble.

    It seems the vigers were also unsure about how to approach Eiworth. He was clearly entric, though also a valuable apothecary. They couldn¡¯t afford to be rude, but they found it somewhat awkward to ept him right away.

    Still, the children didn¡¯t seem to be intimidated. They stuck to Eiworth and bombarded him with questions.

    Of course, Fran and Urushi kept a close watch the entire time.

    Eiworth seemed to be fine with children. In fact, he probably didn¡¯t care much if someone was a child or an adult, since they were all just potential guinea pigs to him.

    We managed to stop him from handing out a ¡°potion for making you stronger¡±, but it turned out to be just a regr health drink. We were tricked!

    However, Eiworth¡¯s presence certainly furthered the vige¡¯s advancement. The old man had an immense amount of knowledge, especially when it came to ingredients and materials.

    Furthermore, he could do practically anything, such as making monster repellents and diagnosing the sick.

    By the time everyone had started getting used to the entric Eiworth, a new intruder was approaching the vige.

    The Red Knights patrolling the area were the first to notice therge group of nearly thirty people heading towards us.

    We went over to scout them out after hearing from the Red Knights, and they were undoubtedly adventurers. Siby was tilting her head when we reported this to her.

    ¡¸Fran, did you hear anything from Peridot?¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing.¡¹

    ¡¸Klikka?¡¹

    ¡¸I have heard no report either.¡¹

    Which means these adventurers were not dispatched by Kranzel.

    However, they were clearly heading directly at the vige. We left Urushi to keep an eye on them, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before they arrive.

    ¡¸What should we do?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, what can we do? There¡¯s no way they can be allowed in, right?¡¹

    ¡¸We cannot permit entry either.¡¹

    A middle-aged man named White, the leader of the intelligence division members staying in the vige, voiced his opinion. It seems he was wary of people who might leak information about the Raydoss vigers to the outside. As a representative of Kranzel, he adamantly refused to allow unauthorized adventurers into the vige.

    In other words, they would not be allowed entry even if things escted into violence.

    It was decided that Fran, Eiworth, and White would head out and send them away. Fran was a Rank A adventurer, and Eiworth was a former Rank A. Their influence among fellow adventurers was considerable.

    We waited in front of the vige, and observed the group approaching us through the trees. However, their numbers had clearly decreased. They were missing about ten people.

    I scanned for presences, and found them trying to circle around to the rear of the vige. Did they split into two squads? But why?

    Either way, there¡¯s no way they simply stumbled upon the vige identally.

 Chapter 1230: Their Objective

    <h4>Chapter 1230: Their Objective</h4>

    We waited for a little while, and the group of adventurers at the entrance to the vige. The warrior at the forefront appeared to be their leader.

    Maybe around the Rank D level? He wasn¡¯t particrly strong.

    ¡¸Hey, you guys fellow adventurers?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. We¡¯re adventurers.¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I see. This should be pretty simple then.¡¹

    The leader nodded with a smirk while clearly looking down on Fran and Eiworth. White was dressed like a government clerk, so he didn¡¯t appear strong either.

    I guess this warrior didn¡¯t have enough of an eye to gauge our abilities.

    Despite being incredibly rude, the adventurers didn¡¯t weren¡¯t immediately hostile. It might just be a stalling tactic, but we wanted information. Thus, we decided to engage with them for the moment.

    ¡¸What do you want?¡¹

    ¡¸Oi, oi! What kind of greeting is that?! All we want is to hunt a bit around here with this vige as a base, just like you guys.¡¹

    I see. They thought Fran and Eiworth were ordinary adventurers who happened to be staying in the vige.

    ¡¸Not happening.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    ¡¸No entering the vige without permission.¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ve been entrusted with a request from the Kranzel government. Anyone unrted to the request isn¡¯t allowed inside.¡¹

    Fran and Eiworth¡¯s response made the adventurers very displeased.

    ¡¸A government request? You think such a pathetic lie is gonna pass?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! How could some girl and geezer get a government request? There¡¯s no way!¡¹

    ¡¸Get out of our way, you weaklings!¡¹

    So they bring out all their friends and try to intimidate us now. The adventurers raised their voices, expecting Fran and Eiworth to cower in response.

    Of course, the two were obviously unfazed.

    They simply stood there without a single change to their expressions, which caused the leader to get a bit irritated. Things weren¡¯t going ording to his n.

    ¡¸Tch. Just move aside. I don¡¯t have any time to waste on you.¡¹

    ¡¸No.¡¹

    ¡¸Hell if I care! Boys, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    While they had yet to draw their swords, the adventurers tried to push through forcefully. Well, not that they could get through Fran and Eiworth.

    A wall of earth rose to block their path.

    ¡¸I said no.¡¹

    ¡¸These men are truly poor of hearing. Perhaps they need to be shown a bit of pain before they understand?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, weaklings! You¡¯re the ones in for pain unless you let us talk to the vigers.¡¹

    ¡¸Tell us and we¡¯ll ry the message.¡¹

    ¡¸Also, the man with us is essentially the vige¡¯s administrator.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. And as the administrator, I must say your words and actions were far from polite. As such, I cannot permit you entry to the vige.¡¹

    As soon as White spoke these words, the men changed their atmosphere. Each lowered their shoulders and put their hands together, as if begging Fran.

    ¡¸Please, you¡¯ve got to help us here! We didn¡¯te all this way to return empty-handed! Our losses will be huge at this rate. You should understand if you¡¯re fellow adventurers, right?¡¹

    So the next strategy was a desperate plea? Did they really think Fran could be tricked just because she¡¯s the youngest?

    They thought a fellow adventurer might sympathize with being forced to return without any gains. There¡¯s no way such an obvious lie would work on Fran.

    ¡¸We¡¯re running low on food too. I¡¯m begging you, let us stay in the vige.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s your own fault.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku, so the third-rate adventurers don¡¯t have enough of a brain to n a day trip! Kuhahaha!¡¹

    Fran simply told the adventurers to deal with it, while Eiworthughed in their face like a psychopath. Trying to get pity out of these two was clearly counterproductive.

    Amidst Eiworth¡¯s raucousughter, most of the adventurers turned hostile. However, the leader only furrowed his brow slightly.

    There¡¯s something off about this guy. They must have some hidden agenda considering the squad they sent to the back of the vige¡­

    The leader merely continued staring at Fran and Eiworth, seemingly deep in thought.

    ¡¸Hey, can I ask you one thing?¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸Is it true that there¡¯s a dragon in this vige? And it¡¯s said to be an evil dragon, right?¡¹

    ¡ºWho leaked the info!?¡»

    Were these guys after Bisdra? Even low-level dragon materials will fetch a high price, so there¡¯s no shortage of hunters for a baby dragon. They¡¯re much easier targets, after all.

    Fran¡¯sck of facial expressions and Eiworth¡¯s cunning came in handy, as they showed zero response to the question. Very impressive.

    A few merchants and adventurers were allowed ess to the vige. One of them probably leaked Bisdra¡¯s existence, like casually mentioning him while drunk or something.

    The fact that he was an evil dragon wasn¡¯t public knowledge, but I guess the vigers would know. Maybe someone let it slip.

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    ¡¸Is the dragon here or not?¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re annoying.¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry up and answer my question already.¡¹

    Just as Fran said, they were being quite annoying. It seems they wanted to elicit some kind of reaction. That said, Fran and Eiworth were the only ones with good poker faces.

    The man took one look at White¡¯s face and smirked.

    ¡¸I see! So the dragon must be here!¡¹

    White!? I thought you were supposed to be an intelligence agent!? Well, I didn¡¯t notice any change in his expression, so it must have been a really tiny twitch. We can give credit to the adventurer leader for being able to discern such a detail.

    ¡¸So can we just take a quick look at the dragon or whatever? Please?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s not here.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Tch. Damn you assholes from Raydoss! High-rank dragon materials sell for a lot, so hand it over!¡¹

    The leader clicked his tongue and shouted. At this point, we could definitely say there was someone leaking info about the vige.

    My appraisal on the leader indicated hisbat abilities were average, but he possessed skills like Negotiation, Intimidation, and Deceit.

    This man was probably some kind of fraud or rogue adventurer, with a specialty for negotiations through intimidation and other tricks. Such an approach might be pretty profitable if backed by his strength as an adventurer.

    But this time, he picked the wrong opponents.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not from Raydoss.¡¹

    ¡¸Me neither.¡¹

    Fran and Eiworth denied his statement, and the leader only got more furious.

    ¡¸W-Who cares?! Just hand over the dragon! You want us to report to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild that you¡¯re hiding an evil dragon?¡¹

    Go ahead and try it, honestly. The guild was already well aware of Bisdra. Perhaps whatever source they found didn¡¯t get the full picture.

    ¡¸Kukukuku¡­ Kwahahaha! ck Lightning Princess, show them your card.¡¹

    Eiworth burst intoughter in response to the man¡¯s pitiful threat, then encouraged Fran to show her adventurer card. Yeah, I agree that revealing their identities would settle things pretty quickly.

    ¡¸Nn. Here.¡¹

    ¡¸Take a look.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? Your card is¡­ gold?¡¹

    It appears they didn¡¯t think they were up against anyone strong. The men went silent as soon as they saw Fran¡¯s card.

 Chapter 1231: True Identity

    <h4>Chapter 1231: True Identity</h4>

    ¡¸Huh? Her card is¡­ gold?¡¹

    ¡¸What? You really didn¡¯t notice? Guess third-rates will be third-rates. There shouldn¡¯t be many ck cat girls carrying magic swords in this country, right?¡¹

    Eiworth taunted the adventurers, deliberately provoking them with the knowledge that Fran was Rank A.

    ¡¸T-This is just a bluff!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, it¡¯s gotta be!¡¹

    ¡¸E-Either way! There¡¯s no way the ck Lightning Princess would be in a backwater vige like this!¡¹

    Yeah, I guess they won¡¯t believe us at this point.

    Even the guys other than the leader started denying Fran¡¯s identity.

    Perhaps they suspected us of lying because of how often they lied their way through exchanges with others.

    ¡¸Y-You just grabbed some brat off the street and gave them simr-looking equipment.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! That¡¯s it, that¡¯s gotta be it!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyahaha! Not a bad trick, old man!¡¹

    Doesn¡¯t look like we can convince them. There¡¯s no helping it.

    ¡ºFran, show them a bit of your strength.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    I only intended for her to intimidate them a little bit to make things clear, but¡­

    ¡¸Get your dirty hands away from me.¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaboo!¡¹

    The man who tried to reach out towards Fran got punched in the stomach and writhed in pain. His screams, like a livestock before ughter, incited fear in his friends.

    And Fran didn¡¯t stop there.

    ¡¸Sei!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwah! Ugh! Bwah!¡¹

    She kicked the man into the air, punched him in the face, then jumped over the bloody mess he had be. Finally, she mmed his face back into the ground with a hook.

    The man bounced off the ground several times before rolling over anding to a stop.

    I-Is he dead? Thank goodness, he¡¯s twitching, so he¡¯s just barely alive. I think Fran left him about half, no 80% dead.

    ¡¸Phew.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran seemed somewhat satisfied. It must have annoyed her that someone denied her identity despite finally reaching Rank A.

    She was happy after venting her anger, but everyone else fellpletely silent. I don¡¯t think the adventurers had enough time to fully process what had just urred before their eyes.

    However, they gradually realized the sorry state of theirrade, and a sense of fear began to well up with them. They would normally be shouting in fury, but a silent scream had taken over their voices.

    ¡¸You ept that I¡¯m Rank A now?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Eeek!¡¹

    The leaderpletely lost all his nerve. He certainly wasn¡¯t expecting the sudden outburst of violence. The kid he had underestimated turned out to be a monster that was capable of killing him at any moment.

    Must be quite an unsettling feeling.

    ¡ºFran, cast a heal on that guy first. He might die.¡»

    £¨Nn. Got it.£©

    The adventurers were frozen stiff, showing no signs of trying to help their friend. Thus, I had Fran use Greater Heal to recover him.

    Seeing that, they probably realized we didn¡¯t mean to kill them, and their tensions rxed just a little. The same apparently went for the leader.

    Having regained a bit ofposure, he opened his mouth again.

    ¡¸H-Hey! We just wanted to talk and you attacked us out of nowhere! Our friend is on the verge of death! How can you be so cruel?! You won¡¯t escape demotion if we report this to the guild!¡¹

    Really? The only correct choices were begging for their lives or making a run for it. After seeing the man¡¯s choice, Eiworth started chuckling again.

    ¡¸Kukuku¡­¡¹

    ¡¸W-What¡¯s so funny, old man?¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you guys really? Are you even adventurers? If so, you¡¯re certainly not from Kranzel. I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if those from a country without Rank A adventurers don¡¯t understand how terrifying we can be.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re speaking nonsense!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. You truly think intimidation will work on a Rank A adventurer? Ridiculous. None of you have any clue what you¡¯re up against. If the girl wanted to, she could kill all of you in 5 seconds t.¡¹

    That¡¯s certainly one way of putting it, but Rank A adventurers do possess unparalleled strength. They are simply strong enough to overturn most things with sheer power. Negotiating has no meaning against someone at that level.

    Of course, very few Rank A adventurers would actually resort to violence. After all, they¡¯ve made their way through several rank-up assessments. But there¡¯s no doubt they could if they wanted to.

    Would intimidation work on a Rank A adventurer? Of course not.

    ¡¸W-We have a separate team! They¡¯ll report about this incident even if you silence us!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhahaha! Even assuming they seed, your n is still foolish. You think reporting to the guild will result in her demotion? You know nothing! Rank A adventurers don¡¯t even get a p on the wrist for a tiny bit of murder. Right, ck Lightning Princess?¡¹

    What!? Don¡¯t ask Fran for her agreement there! That¡¯s just you, Eiworth!

    ¡¸Especially when we¡¯re up against someone as sketchy as you lot! Fran merely needs to im your guilt, and suddenly you¡¯re a criminal! That¡¯s how things work in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild!¡¹

    Hold on! Isn¡¯t that going a bit too far? In the first ce, you¡¯re literally a wanted criminal! Stop teaching Fran such radical things, she¡¯s making her ¡°oh really?¡± face right now!

    ¡¸More importantly¡­ how did foreigners find out about this vige?¡¹

    That¡¯s certainly true. We need to hear the full story.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s capture them for now.¡¹

    ¡¸Make sure not to kill them.¡¹

    ¡¸I know. We need them alive for the interrogation.¡¹

    ¡¸Kukukuku! The more guinea pigs, the better.¡¹

    Eiworth grinned, with a wicked gaze fixed on his prey.

    I think these guys might end up wishing they were dead. Eiworth has been ying nice recently, so he might be holding in some frustration.

    He¡¯s probably been nning some inhumane experiments that can only be performed on criminals. The old man¡¯s eyes gleamed darkly with a fierce determination.

    ¡¸B-Boys! Take ¡®em down!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Truly foolish! The likes of you can¡¯t possibly defeat us, no matter how many miracles ur! Now let yourselves be captured so I can put you to good use!¡¹

 Chapter 1232: Identities and Objectives

    <h4>Chapter 1232: Identities and Objectives</h4>

    The battle ended in an instant.

    Everyone was immobilized from Fran¡¯s thunder magic or Eiworth¡¯s ice magic. I think they got hit by some sort of paralyzing poison too.

    I couldn¡¯t tell when Eiworth used the poison, or whether it was from magic or some potion. We can¡¯t let our guard down around this old man.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tie them up.¡¹

    ¡¸And I shall proceed with the interrogation, first with this man.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Eiworth lifted up one of the lower-ranked men with a strength unbefitting his age.

    ¡¸Kukuku. Might as well test the new potion during the interrogation. We have plenty of recements in case of lethal idents.¡¹

    Eiworth chuckled with a suggestive grin, looking over the fallen men on the ground. They probably realized what would happen to them from the old man¡¯s eyes.

    The men began trembling in fear, yet they couldn¡¯t even scream because they were still paralyzed. Even if the paralysis wore off, their frozen legs would prevent any chance of escape.

    Meanwhile, I sensed something from the back of the vige. The hidden second squad suddenly moved into action.

    They must have sensed our fight and decided to take aggressive action. There was an explosion apanied by the sound of something falling apart.

    Those bastards must have broken down the vige wall!

    Were they nning to enter the vige and take hostages or something?

    However, the multiple presences suddenly stopped shortly after approaching the vige.

    I heard a few repeated banging sounds, and the intruders went silent. There was some dark-aspected mana and evil energy, so Urushi and Bisdra must have taken the initiative to eliminate them.

    We headed to the scene and found exactly what we expected.

    ¡¸Kwooooo!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyaaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸D-Damn baby dragon!¡¹

    Outside the copsed wall, Bisdra and Urushi were poking the fallen men with their noses.

    ¡¸You¡¯re so cool, Bisdra!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi, you¡¯re the best!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa!¡¹

    ¡¸Kwooooo!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Bisdra posed above the unconscious men and let out a cute roar. Meanwhile, Urushi put his foot on the men and let out a victorious howl.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s tie them up too.¡¹

    ¡ºAgreed.¡»

    I wonder how the info about Bisdra leaked. These kinds of guys might show up again if we don¡¯t find the source.

    ¡ºUnfortunately, we¡¯ll have to rely on Eiworth for that.¡»

    £¨Nn. Can I watch his interrogation?£©

    ¡ºNo way!¡»

    Eiworth¡¯s interrogations is just gonna be a brutal torture session! I can¡¯t have that influencing my little Fran¡¯s education!

    As expected, Eiworth¡¯s interrogation turned out to be very intense. The subjects were screaming maniacally and leaking oodles of bodily fluids that shouldn¡¯te out.

    Eiworth did this inside the vige warehouse at first, but Siby sent him a wave ofints. Even though the sound of the interrogation was blocked, the vigers were plenty frightened by the condition of the men brought out afterwards. Thus, he was forced to move the interrogations outside the vige.

    Fran created an underground chamber with earth magic and set up a soundproof barrier there. With that, the perfect interrogation room wasplete.

    Eiworth conducted a thorough interrogation of several men, and managed to obtain several interesting tidbits.

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid we lost a few of our sources, but you can leave the clean-up to me.¡¹

    The geezer probably killed them intentionally because he wanted some corpses from experiments, didn¡¯t he? Well, whatever. As long as he got what we needed.

    ¡¸First. These guys aren¡¯t adventurers from Kranzel, as I suspected.¡¹

    ¡¸Then where are they from?¡¹

    ¡¸The smaller nations in the south. It seems they were a mercenary group specializing in hunting thieves. Though it was all a sham to begin with.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸The thieves were actually theirrades. They prepare some ¡°thief corpses¡± from the slums, pretend to defeat the thieves, then report that the rest escaped.¡¹

    I see. So the thieves and the mercenaries hunting them were actually a team. After pretending to drive the thieves away, they simply join up and move on to the next target.

    It would be too suspicious if the thieves suffered zero losses, so they required some fake corpses from a separate source.

    Life is cheap in this world, so you can easily get those from ves or slum dwellers if necessary.

    Apparently, this unscrupulous mercenary brigade received a visit from a certain individual at their base at an inn.

    ¡¸A certain individual?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. This individual covered their bodypletely in a room, and even used a magical device to change their voice. As a result, their gender and race are unknown.¡¹

    That¡¯s incredibly suspicious. The mercenaries first tried to drive the sketchy robed figure away, but they threatened to expose the brigade¡¯s misdeeds unless the request waspleted.

    The mercenaries couldn¡¯t simply silence the robed figure, as any of his or her friends would simply spread the storyter. In the end, they had no choice but to ept the job.

    ¡¸The request was to visit a certain vige in Kranzel. There, they would capture a dragon.¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh. So they know about Bisdra.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. There are a select few who have entry to the vige. If we really wanted to keep it a secret, we would have had to eitherpletely iste the dragon or silence anyone who came into contact.¡¹

    But if foreign mercenaries were involved, maybe the leak of information happened through merchants? It seems unlikely that stories the adventurers mentioned at the tavern would spread to other countries so quickly.

    ¡¸They were told that they could do whatever they pleased with the dragon after they slew it.¡¹

    ¡¸So Bisdra¡¯s materials weren¡¯t the goal?¡¹

    ¡¸It appears so. They emphasized repeatedly that the killing part was important.¡¹

    So the objective was to kill Bisdra, rather than obtain his materials or capture him for some experiment? But why?

    ¡¸Moreover, it seems their target wasn¡¯t simply the little dragon.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the other?¡¹

    The Red Knights, maybe? The mercenaries knew that people from Raydoss lived in the vige, so Siby and her knights were likely targets.

    However, the other target turned out to be someone unexpected.

    ¡¸They were ordered to attack you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Me?¡¹

 Chapter 1233: Objective

    <h4>Chapter 1233: Objective</h4>

    They were ordered to attack Fran? Why?

    ¡¸It seems these men heard nothing about the actual reason. They were simply told to attack you and make you fight back if killing the dragon proved too difficult. Well, you were only described as a ¡°ck cat child¡± though.¡¹

    Make her fight back? Not kill or capture? This is only making even less sense.

    ¡¸You see, there were traces of a certain skill cast on these guys.¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of skill?¡¹

    ¡¸Some kind of visual ry skill. Such rys should allow the remote usage of eye-based skills.¡¹

    ¡¸You didn¡¯t notice it?¡¹

    ¡¸No, not at all. Whatever techniques they used to conceal it must be incredibly advanced.¡¹

    A mage of Eiworth¡¯s caliber failed to notice the usage of this skill? That only serves to emphasize the talent of their client or coborator.

    ¡¸However, I sensed no danger, so it was likely some sort of irvoyance. Perhaps they wanted to assess your abilities as a newly promoted Rank A? Not that these guys were anywhere near strong enough to do so.¡¹

    I see. So they were used as pawns to measure Fran¡¯s abilities. Being Rank A seems to attract all sorts of trouble.

    So the main target was Bisdra, and if that failed, they wanted to assess Fran¡¯s abilities? And the mastermind is some foreigner? The guys they sent were clearly too weak to take on a Rank A though.

    Still fishy. Something doesn¡¯t sit right with me. Perhaps they were only sent to spy on us through the ry skill.

    Afterwards, Eiworth spent several days interrogating the men, without any significant results.

    Judging by his high spirits and energetic behavior, I doubt Eiworth went easy on them.

    In the end, White arranged some guards to escort the men somewhere.

    Eiworth protested, demanding that some be left with him. However, there¡¯s no way they could stay in the vige. Eiworth would surely start some suspicious experiments.

    I don¡¯t really care what he does on his own, just keep it out of the vige. I can¡¯t have you influencing Fran and the children¡¯s educations.

    After this incident, the Red Knights increased their vignce and added more guards. Despite theck of casualties, it was still a major incident.

    Meanwhile, the vigers didn¡¯t seem too concerned. People from Raydoss may be tougher than I thought.

    Five days after the attack.

    The Red Knights had gotten serious, and spotted another group, this time of ten people.

    They looked like adventurers, but we shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions given the previous incident.

    ¡¸Fran, Eiworth, White. I¡¯ll leave the wee to you again.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to us.¡¹

    ¡¸I hope this time we can avoid any violence.¡¹

    Whiteined in a whisper, but who can say for sure?

    The adventurers headed for the vige were all pretty decent.

    The leader-looking guy at the forefront appeared to be Rank B, while about half of them were likely Rank C or equivalent. The Rank D or E-looking guys likely served supporting roles as mages and scouts.

    Furthermore, there was a familiar face among them.

    ¡¸Hey there, it¡¯s been a while.¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s one of the adventurers who came here on the investigation request a while back.¡»

    ¡¸Ah.¡¹

    Despite him working on the request with Eiworth and us, Fran didn¡¯t remember him well due to hisck ofbat abilities. However, I remembered him clearly due to all his staring at Fran.

    I¡¯ve evene up with the perfect way to secretly get rid of him if he turned out to be a lolicon!

    ¡¸What¡¯s going on?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve been requested to guide these folks here, so I¡¯d like you to handle the rest.¡¹

    Looks like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild dispatched even more adventurers. These guys seem more skilled than the previous ones.

    Maybe they consider this vige to be more important than I thought.

    We were about to lead the adventurers into the vige, but¡­

    ¡¸Hold on. Why haven¡¯t I heard anything about this request?¡¹

    Eiworth interrupted.

    ¡¸Show me the request form.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you see, I seem to have stashed it at the bottom of my luggage, so I can¡¯t get it out right away¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to show youter.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. You¡¯ll show me right now. Otherwise, get out of my sight.¡¹

    The adventurers seemed annoyed, though Eiworth did have a point. His words may be harsh, but I guess it¡¯s best to follow procedure¡­

    Maybe I had let my guard down a bit.

    Fran seemed to agree, as she simply stood back and listened to the exchange without any attempt to stop Eiworth.

    There was another thing bothering me though, the fact that we were being watched. Fran didn¡¯t seem to notice, but I clearly felt someone watching us via a skill, magic, or some other means.

    Could it be one of the adventurers? Even if I knew we were being watched, I didn¡¯t know who was responsible. For now, there didn¡¯t seem to be any malicious intent. It felt more like they were sizing us up.

    While I was trying to identify the source of the gaze, Eiworth and the adventurers continued arguing.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t know what you are so suspicious about, but can you let us into the vige first? I can¡¯t simply overturn our luggage here.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, but you can. I don¡¯t mind waiting one bit.¡¹

    His words sounded like those of an inflexible old man, but his expression was colored with a sense of superiority. Clearly, he found provoking the adventurer to be amusing.

    The adventurer¡¯s words gradually dwindled, reducing his argument into a repetitive demand to be let in. Why not just take out the request form if you have the time to dilly-dally like this¡­?

    The man finally realized that Eiworth had no intention of letting anyone through without the form.

    ¡¸¡­Fine, we¡¯lle backter then.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? And why is that? Simply show us the request form, and you gain entry. Or is there some reason you can¡¯t?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Huh? Could it be that they really didn¡¯t have the request form? So he was lying? But my Principle of Falsehoods didn¡¯t react to anything¡­ No wait, he only imed to be here for a request! He didn¡¯t mention who it was from or what it was for!

    Damn! Eiworth really saved the day.

 Chapter 1234: Potima the Fiendslayer

    <h4>Chapter 1234: Potima the Fiendyer</h4>

    The adventurers who had asked to enter the vige fell silent under Eiworth¡¯s scrutiny. They started looking really suspicious now.

    ¡¸Um¡­ we¡¯ll just head back. I feel bad bothering you any further.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Then get out of my sight.¡¹

    It appeared they had no intention of forcing their way into the vige. Well, fighting here could potentially harm the vigers. It might be best to let them go for now and follow them in secret.

    However, one woman stepped forward from among the adventurers that were about to leave. The robe draped over her head was obscuring her face, but her figure revealed that she was a woman. What¡¯s more, her true strength was difficult to discern. She didn¡¯t seem overly powerful, but there was something off about her. She was probably hiding her true abilities.

    Upon looking into her eyes, I realized that this woman had been the one observing me. Even now, I could faintly feel her gaze on me. It¡¯s quite unusual for someone to stare at me instead of Fran.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve just confirmed it directly. We can no longer afford to back down.¡¹

    The woman began speaking at the forefront, and the other adventurers didn¡¯t seem to object. In fact, they had all paused to wait for her instructions.

    ¡¸Change of ns. We shall fulfill our goal.¡¹

    Immediately after the woman announced this, the atmosphere among the adventurers changed.

    Clearly, they had gotten ready for a fight.

    It seems this woman was their leader. Her remaining silent on the sidelines was apparently a trick so that we would lower our guards against her.

    Eiworth, in his usual provocative manner, continued to question them despite sensing the change in the atmosphere.

    ¡¸Goal? And what is that? You tried to sneak into our vige under false pretenses. Whatever you¡¯re after can¡¯t be anything decent.¡¹

    In response, the mysterious woman answered in a tone devoid of emotion.

    ¡¸Hand over the dragon that¡¯s said to be in this vige.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? Are you simply thieves after dragon materials?¡¹

    ¡¸Thieves? You are using us of being thieves?¡¹

    The woman tilted her head. It appeared she genuinely didn¡¯t understand why.

    ¡¸You just voiced your goal of stealing another person¡¯s familiar. What else can I call you but thieves? Surely you realize this after trying to sneak into our vige?¡¹

    ¡¸What we are doing is for the good of the world, you see. I do not rmend striking away the hand of mercy. I had originally nned to secretly eliminate the evil dragon¡­ But if you insist on foolishly interfering, then things may end differently.¡¹

    The woman sighed and continued her rant.

    ¡¸Protecting something as dangerous as an evil dragon ispletely uneptable. Perhaps you were only blinded by greed, but all kin of the Evil God are mankind¡¯s enemies. Your best course of action is to hand it to me before it causes a disaster. I¡¯ll make sure to eradicate it for you, okay?¡¹

    The woman spoke as if she was scolding us, like we were unruly children. As if what they were doing was justified.

    And her eyes backed this up. She seemed dead serious, genuinely believing that their one-sided righteousness wasw.

    ¡ºFran, we can¡¯t settle this through negotiation.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Honestly, we didn¡¯t have much at stake in this dispute. Our friends from Raydoss were the main parties involved, and we were just kinda helping them out.

    But the moment I heard the woman¡¯s next words, Fran unleashed an intense killing intent.

    ¡¸And you, ck Lightning Princess. I see there is much evil lurking within your sword. You can¡¯t deceive these eyes of mine. Hand over the sword along with the dragon, and I¡¯ll dispose of them for you.¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    Oh boy, this woman certainly went straight for thendmine. It¡¯s almost as if she had a death wish.

    Fran red at the woman with such a murderous stare that she could probably kill with her gaze alone.

    The surrounding adventurers took a few steps back, and their faces drained of color. Everyone was getting goosebumps and sweating profusely. Some even lost their nerve and had to take a seat on the ground.

    But the woman¡¯s expression remained unchanged.

    ¡¸¡­What did you just say?¡¹

    ¡¸Hand over the sword hiding evil within it. It must not be allowed to exist.¡¹

    This woman possessed a skill called ¡°Principle of Evil Sight¡±. It seems that¡¯s what allowed her to detect the Evil God¡¯s presence within me.

    ¡¸¡­This sword only has the power to absorb and manipte evil energy. It¡¯s not evil in nature.¡¹

    Wow, Fran! You¡¯re doing great! Despite your uncontained killing intent, you show a firm willingness to engage in dialogue!

    That said, there are some people in this world that can¡¯t be reasoned with. This woman was one of them.

    ¡¸Anything cloaked in evil energy is an existence that cannot be allowed to exist. The Evil God and anything connected to it are the enemies of all living creatures. They will be eradicated at my hands.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Not happening.¡¹

    ¡¸If you refuse, then I¡¯m afraid I must dere you a follower of the Evil God.¡¹

    ¡¸So what?¡¹

    ¡¸I, Potima the Fiendyer, hereby sentence you to death.¡¹

    Despite Fran¡¯s murderous aura, she wasn¡¯t the one who acted first.

    The girl calling herself Potima swiftly removed her robe and unsheathed her sword. She showed no fear in the face of Fran¡¯s intense aura.

    The area around her eyes and temple was covered in green scales, a characteristic of serpentine beastkin.

    ¡¸I shall deliver divine punishment to followers of the Evil God. Perish!¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t lose to some crazy thief.¡¹

    Fran and Potima faced each other with mutual hostility. Meanwhile, the flustered White intervened in the intense standoff.

    ¡¸Please wait! This vige is a territory under the direct jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Kranzel!¡¹

 Chapter 1235: Mercenary Company

    <h4>Chapter 1235: Mercenary Company</h4>

    ¡¸I shall deliver divine punishment to followers of the Evil God. Perish!¡¹

    ¡¸I won¡¯t lose to some crazy thief who refuses to listen.¡¹

    Fran and Potima¡¯s auras only got more hostile.

    White intervened in the standoff between the two.

    ¡¸Please wait! This vige is a territory under the direct jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Kranzel! We are aware of the matter regarding the evil dragon! Moreover, Fran-dono is currently here at Kranzel¡¯s request! If you attack us unterally with baseless usations, it¡¯ll be seen as a hostile act against our nation!¡¹

    Kranzel had little choice but to offer protection over the vige, regardless of all the nonsense about evil energy.

    White seemed desperate.

    A few of the adventures behind Potima paused to wait for her response, but¡­

    ¡¸What does it matter? The extermination of the Evil God and its kin takes precedence over any and all matters. The dealings of you and your man-made nation are trivial. There is nothing more important than our divine mission.¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡¯re insane¡­¡¹

    ¡¸The insane ones are those like you who condone raising an evil dragon instead of eliminating it.¡¹

    Damn, she really thinks she¡¯s backed by absolute justice!

    ¡¸I believe your mercenarypany, the ¡°Fiend Hunters¡±, sources its funding from the small southern nations, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, many countries sympathize with our activities and offer financial support. However, they have no influence over our principles and mission.¡¹

    So they were mercenaries too! I guess it¡¯s rtively easy for them to be adventurers if they conceal their status as mercenaries.

    Potima pointed her sword at White as if dering an end to the conversation.

    When faced with the tip of the de, White panicked. Despite his training as an intelligence operative, he could do nothing. But that was understandable.

    After all, Potima had reached the level of Holy Sword Mastery. She was a formidable individual who also possessed sh magic, purification magic, along with her unique skill ¡°Principle of Evil Sight¡±.

    Though she had yet to attack us, she was already guilty of intimidating White, a government official. That¡¯s more than enough to be branded as a criminal.

    Yet Potima¡¯s subordinates simply readied their weapons forbat after witnessing her irrational actions.

    ¡¸Klikka, call over the rest.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger.¡¹

    Siby gave instructions to Klikka before stepping forward herself. This time, there was no air of enjoying the fight. She was dead serious.

    In the midst of this, Eiworth remained as carefree as ever. Despite the impending battle that could easily damage the vige, he was still chuckling.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard the Fiend Hunter brigade was being kept by the southern nations as abat force in case of emergencies. This supports my findings.¡¹

    As expected of Eiworth. He was apparently very knowledgeable about our foreign mercenary visitors.

    Emergency force, huh¡­? Setting her insanity aside, Potimas was a very powerful individual. Perhaps it would be possible to pull her strings if they fed her select info about fiend appearances. The small nations likely want to keep a leash on her for insurance.

    ¡¸Potimas the Fiendyer! Also known as the Mad Princess of the Fiend Hunter Brigade! The so-called prodigy who gained strength on the level of Rank A adventurers at a young age. Kukuku¡­ And your insanity is just as expected! The rumors were all true!¡¹

    Don¡¯t phrase it as if everyone who reaches the Rank A level is insane! Fran gets counted in there, you know!

    It seems Potima was unable to ignore the extraordinary pressure Eiworth exuded. She paused for a moment to stare at him.

    ¡¸And who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Kukuku¡­ Just a humble old man, who happens to be a former Rank A adventurer.¡¹

    Eiworth unleashed the mana he had been concealing in sync with his words. Was he just looking for a chance to stand out?

    All eyes were now on the old man.

    ¡¸I take it the small fry from the other day were working for you?¡¹

    ¡¸They were merely disposable criminals.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why did you order them to attack me?¡¹

    ¡¸Ourrades informed me you wield a sword with sinister powers. They only needed to approach you or the dragon as a ry for my skill¡­. However, they would only be dealt with upon their return anyways, so I had them get a little violent instead. Surely you don¡¯t mind taking care of a few ruffians for me?¡¹

    ¡¸What if your intel on the girl¡¯s sword was mistaken? You could have killed an innocent.¡¹

    ¡¸That certainly sounds like an unfortunate ident. I would offer my condolences in that case.¡¹

    Absolutely zero remorse. It¡¯s not that she was trying to provoke us or anything, she simply responded with the unadorned truth. Potima was so iprehensible that Fran withdrew her killing intent and looked baffled.

    ¡¸Either way, you die at my hands today. It makes little difference in the end.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. The weakling mercenaries of the southern nations truly think they can defeat us?¡¹

    Now that there was no need to conceal his identity, Eiworth unleashed his aura to intimidate the mercenaries.

    As soon as Fran let up, they found themselves up against a monstrous old man. While the blood drained from the faces of all the lesser mercenaries, Potima seemedpletely calm. She even wore a slight smile.

    ¡¸Can I defeat you, you ask? But of course! We are dedicated to eradicating evil, so His favor on our side. The just can¡¯t possibly lose.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, you have gonepletely mad! How hrious!¡¹

    ¡¸It is you who is insane. Or rather, all of you Evil God worshipers are insane.¡¹

    ¡¸I believe myself to be plenty sane. Well, some do call me a madman from time to time though. Kuhahaha!¡¹

    If you ask me, you¡¯re both crazy! But thanks to Eiworth, Fran seems to have calmed down and regained someposure. Meanwhile, Siby and the knights were fully prepared too.

    This must have been Eiworth¡¯s goal in the first ce. Despite acting like he was ying around, his experience ended up being very valuable.

    However, the nowposed Fran noticed something that was bothering her.

    ¡¸The southern mercenaries are weak?¡¹

    Whoa there! Fran asked the question out of genuine curiosity, but that sounded incredibly provocative! Eiworth burst intoughter again, looking quite amused.

    ¡¸Kukuku, indeed they are. The south of the continent is more fertile and has fewer magical beasts, so the small nations there often engage in minor conflicts. That¡¯s why mercenaries outnumber adventurers in the south. On the other hand, nations in the north such as Kranzel and Raydoss have an abundance of magical beasts, so it¡¯s packed with adventurers.¡¹

    Okay, but why are the southern mercenaries considered weak? Fran tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡¸You didn¡¯t know about how one gains no experience points from killing their own kind? Cutting down a thousand people on the battlefield hardlypares to the experience you would get from crushing a few goblins, though they can still train their skills. That¡¯s why the mercenaries remain weak, no matter how much they excel on the battlefield.¡¹

    Huh? Howe I¡¯ve never heard of that rule before! But now you mention it, Fran hardly got any level progress during her battles in Raydoss.

    I thought that was simply due to her high level, and the significant increase in required experience thates with it¡­ Was she losing experience the entire time because of this ¡°killing your own kind¡± rule?

    ¡¸Spineless cowards whock the courage to fight magical beasts tend to be mercenaries in the south.¡¹

    Eiworth took the chance to provoke the mercenaries again. Well, I guess Fran¡¯s question starting it kinda gives her half the responsibility.

    Meanwhile, Potima maintained the same archaic smile as always without showing any sign of killing intent. And then she invoked a spell while still maintaining the facade.

    Followed by a sh of light.

    ¡ºThat was close!¡»

    I managed to intercept her spell with a barrier, but it might have struck the vige if I wasn¡¯t on guard. Fran flew into a fury once again upon realizing the narrowly avoided danger.

    ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s just kill her already.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s my line. You apostles of evil shall meet your end.¡¹

 Chapter 1236: Basis for Absolute Confidence

    <h4>Chapter 1236: Basis for Absolute Confidence</h4>

    Both sides were ready for battle, but Potima¡¯s spell served as the first shot.

    Potima naturally went after her priority target, Fran. Meanwhile, the other mercenaries attacked Eiworth and Siby.

    We had plenty of Red Knights on our side, making it around 30batants against the 10 mercenaries. This gave us quite the advantage, so I¡¯m not sure why they were so confident¡­

    ¡ºUrushi! There might be someone trying to nk us like before! Watch over Bisdra and the children!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    We kinda always rely on Urushi in these sorts of situations, no matter who else is on our side. While Eiworth and Siby might be stronger in terms ofbat ability, I feel safer with Urushi guarding our backs.

    ¡ºFran, she¡¯spletely willing to kill innocents. Drag her away from the vige before anyone gets hurt.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    I considered going all out so take her down as fast as possible, but failure would result in a significant amount of coteral damage. Plus, we couldn¡¯t be sure if Potima¡¯s bizarre confidence was due to something I couldn¡¯t perceive or just her fanaticism.

    Though I had my concerns about if she would follow, Potima chased Fran away from the vige without much effort on our part.

    She truly believed she could beat Fran one on one.

    ¡¸Die!¡¹

    ¡¸Useless.¡¹

    ¡¸How presumptuous of you to think you can evade my attacks!¡¹

    Potima swung her de at us, but her skill level was simply not high enough to get Fran. We dodged it easily.

    The girl grimaced upon seeing this. ¡°Presumptuous¡±, huh? Well, I guess she seems to fancy herself as some sort of divine agent, so she must not be used to losing.

    ¡ºFran, there¡¯s an clearing up ahead. Let¡¯s go that way.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Fran adjusted her speed so that Potima wouldn¡¯t fall behind. The serpent girlunched numerous attacks with her de, but Fran was simply the more skilled fighter.

    Even those at the level of Holy Sword Mastery couldn¡¯tpete with a Swordking. Fran easily fended off Potima¡¯s de, even during the retreat.

    Her clouded judgment due to fanaticism aside, Potima was nowhere near weak. She should be able to understand the difference in strength, so why¡­?

    Frannded multiple direct hits on Potima during their shes, though the snakekin¡¯s restoration magic and racial regeneration abilities closed up her wounds almost instantly.

    Such potent regeneration was indeed formidable, but her mana reserves would deplete faster as well. At this rate, Fran¡¯s victory was practically assured.

    ¡ºFran, about time to get serious.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    Potima put on a faint smile when she saw Fran stop running.

    ¡¸I see you¡¯re finally ready to ept defeat. Very well, behold my righteous de.¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t win.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re certainly very strong! I acknowledge that! But I will never lose! God! Grant me strength!¡¹

    God? Did she have some kind of special skill after all? It¡¯s possible my appraisal wasn¡¯t able to perceive a god-rted skill.

    We remained vignt, ready to handle any kind of attack.

    Potima¡¯s form began changing, with amethyst-like purple scales covering her face and arms. Her forked tongue peeked out of mouth for an instant, and her eyes gained vertically elongated reptilian pupils. Her entire body was enveloped with purple mana.

    It seems she activated Awakening, as ¡°Death Poison Snake¡± had been added to her race.

    What did this have to do with god though? That¡¯s just a racial feature of beastmen, right¡­?

    ¡¸I can feel the power! God resides within me!¡¹

    Potima shouted as her entire body became enveloped in divine energy. This was no coincidence. She was clearly manipting this divine energy consciously.

    This must be the source of Potima¡¯s unwavering confidence.

    The boost from Awakening varies widely from individual to individual. Some beastmen only gain increased stats, while others, like Potima, gain further mastery over their skills.

    The ability to control divine energy grants an overwhelming advantage against those who can¡¯t. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this allowed her to take down opponents who would normally be out of her league.

    Perhaps even a level difference of 20-30 could be overturned.

    ¡¸God granted me His affection on that day! And I awakened to this power!¡¹

    In other words, her awakening to divine energy must have been triggered by something. I guess that¡¯s why she misconstrued this ability for some sort of divine affection.

    Potima stared at Fran with confidence,pletely sure of her victory.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll annihte you alongside your wicked sword! Perish whilementing the fact that you opposed the divine!¡¹

    Fran returned her gaze, activating her own trump card.

    ¡¸Awakening.¡¹

    Simultaneously, she cloaked herself in divine energy, drawing upon divine energy of the Beast-Bug God¡¯s Blessing. After all, divine energy is practically essential when you¡¯re facing an opponent who can use it.

    Moreover, Fran¡¯s usage of divine energy might unsettle Potima¡¯s absolute confidence.

    I released my own divine energy at the same time, stacking up the pressure on Potima.

    Get a load of this! You¡¯re not the only one who can use this stuff!

    As expected, Potima reacted strongly.

    ¡¸P-Preposterous¡­! How can heretics serving the Evil God possess divine power¡­! Uwah¡­!?¡¹

    Huh. She¡¯s even more shaken than I thought she¡¯d be. Rather than simply unsettling her, we had apparently sent her in utter shock. Potima widened her eyes to the limit as her body trembled violently.

 Chapter 1237: Divine and Evil

    <h4>Chapter 1237: Divine and Evil</h4>

    ¡¸P-Preposterous¡­! How can heretics serving the Evil God possess divine power¡­! Uwah¡­!?¡¹

    All of Potima¡¯s murderous intent and hostility vanished, as she suddenly froze with her face contorted in shock.

    If she believed that divine energy was a blessing granted only to those chosen by the gods, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she couldn¡¯t fathom Fran wielding divine energy.

    She was trembling as violently as someone thrown into a blizzard in a t-shirt. I wasn¡¯t expected it to be this bad.

    On the other hand, Fran replied nonchntly.

    ¡¸¡­? Because I got a divine blessing.¡¹

    ¡¸I-I see! You gained this power from the Evil God!¡¹

    ¡¸No I didn¡¯t.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Potima should have already realized her mistake. There wasn¡¯t a trace of evil energy mixed into Fran¡¯s divine aura. If anything, Fran¡¯s aura was more intense and pure than Potima¡¯s.

    ¡¸The wavelength of power¡­ the Beast God¡­ No, it can¡¯t be! You¡¯re trying to trick me!¡¹

    Still in a frenzied state, Potima lunged at Fran with her sword.

    But she was pretty sluggish. Well, I guess she was technically pretty fast. It¡¯s just that herck of feints or strategy allowed us to easily predict her movements.

    The state of confusion and shock must have really gotten her.

    ¡¸Stop this sham right away! Aaaaagh!!¡¹

    She screamed while swinging her sword again, but Fran effortlessly parried.

    ¡¸Kwah! Aaaah!¡¹

    Potima continued crying out like a wailing baby, trying to muster all of her strength into her sword hand. But Fran had an overwhelming advantage in stats, so the brute force approach was pointless to begin with.

    It seems being unable to leave a single scratch on me only intensified her surprise.

    Panicking, Potima opened her mouth wide and exhaled a purple smoke. This was probably her Innate Skill, Poisonous Snake Breath.

    While the skill was not at the level of divine poison, it was still a potent toxin with a hint of divine energy. It would likely break through the resistance of most.

    Potima twisted her lips into a smile when Fran took a direct hit from the smoke without any attempt at evasion.

    But that expression disappeared just as quickly. Fran came outpletely unfazed.

    ¡¸W-Why¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s easy to block if I cloak my barrier with divine energy.¡¹

    ¡¸Lies!¡¹

    Despair began taking root on Potima¡¯s face.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwah!¡¹

    At that moment, Fran executed one of her recent favorite moves: a flying kick imbued with divine energy. Potima avoided taking the full impact by jumping backward, but her face was contorted.

    While this kick was not enough to bring her to her knees, it was undeniably an attack empowered with divine energy. Potima must have realized that Fran¡¯s divine energy was genuine.

    The only reason Fran hadn¡¯t finished the battle was because she had questions for Potima.

    ¡¸Did your god tell you to destroy the Evil God?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes!¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸My vige was destroyed by an orc army! My father and mother were eaten, and when despair threatened to take my life, I was granted this divine power! At that moment, I definitely felt the presence of God! There¡¯s no doubt that He came to grant me power for my sake! What else could this be if not the will of God!¡¹

    Potima answered in a shrill voice.

    I see. Awakening to your inner potential when you¡¯re about to die is amon pattern. And when she awakened to divine energy, she attributed this to God¡¯s will. Not unreasonable.

    Though honestly, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s just that something clicked in her when she triggered Awakening¡­

    Fran tilted her head. She found it strange that Potima was speaking with such conviction about God¡¯s will when she never met a god.

    ¡¸So your god didn¡¯t tell you directly?¡¹

    ¡¸Even without speaking to Him, I can discern His intentions! God has instructed me to vanquish the Evil God with this power!¡¹

    As expected, Fran still couldn¡¯t understand. We¡¯ve met gods on various asions, yet we never received suchmands.

    On the contrary even, they never disyed any hostility toward the Evil God. The Chaos Goddess, in particr, seemed almost friendly with it.

    ¡¸But you! Despite obtaining divine power, you became a wicked apostle of the Evil God! I must kill you in the name of God! I¡¯ll snap that sword of yours too!¡¹

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    Fran¡¯s brows furrowed again with anger. She might not havepletely understood Potima¡¯s fervent speech, but she certainly heard the threat against her sword. That moment, she remembered that Potima was someone who could not be reasoned with.

    £¨Master, use evil energy.£©

    ¡ºHere? Now?¡»

    £¨Nn. Surprise her even more!£©

    ¡ºI see, got it.¡»

    £¨With both divine energy and evil energy, she¡¯ll be terrified!£©

    Combining divine energy with evil energy. Doing so effectively refutes Potima¡¯s conception of the absolute nature of divine energy, which served as the foundation of her righteousness.

    I doubt Fran had thought that far, but her action was likely the result of pondering what would be most irritating to the vexing woman before her. She hade up with quite a vicious idea.

    C-Could it be due to Eiworth¡¯s influence? Has 1/1000 of that geezer¡¯s behavior contaminated Fran?

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡º¡­Alright. Let¡¯s try using evil energy.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    And so, the evil energy began leaking from my de.

    ¡¸Now you¡¯ve shown your true colors! That sword is as wicked as I thought!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s just using evil energy. That doesn¡¯t make it wicked.¡¹

    ¡¸Nonsense!¡¹

    ¡¸Look at this!¡¹

    Fran merged her divine energy with my evil energy to create evil-divine energy. She then d me in this fusion and raised me high into the sky.

    ¡¸My super amazing sword has the power of the gods and the Evil God!¡¹

    Huh? Was she just taking this chance to praise me?

 Chapter 1238: Fran and the Evil God Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 1238: Fran and the Evil God Fragment</h4>

    Maintaining her smug expression, Fran yelled at Potima while holding me up high.

    ¡¸Evil energy and divine energy can be used together!¡¹

    ¡¸T-This is sphemy! Such a filthy power doesn¡¯t belong in this world!¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong! The power of the Evil God in this sword has saved me many times. Maybe the Evil God is our enemy, but it¡¯s not something that must be eliminated. A god once told me that the Evil God is also a god. And they never said I should destroy it!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Potimapletely froze.

    Well, it¡¯s understandable.

    After all, Fran¡¯s words suggested she had met a god directly. Several times even.

    Unlike Potima, who only fancied herself as a divine apostle, Fran was the real deal. Convincing her might be as easy as showing the blessing listed in Fran¡¯s skills, but that would be impossible without appraisal.

    ¡¸You have¡­ met a god?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡­ Why!? Why someone like you!?¡¹

    Potima muttered with a twitching face as she tore into her head.

    ¡¸I was supposed to be special! Beloved by the heavens! All ourrades said so, and even the king! My innate ability to perceive evil and this divine power to eradicate evil are both unique! That¡¯s why I have the obligation to rid the world of fiends! This is my god-given mission! And yet, why!? Why doesn¡¯t He visit me!?¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Potima trembled with anger and grinded her teeth.

    Fran tilted her head since she genuinely didn¡¯t understand, but Potima viewed the action as a taunt. It¡¯s the fault of her own delusions.

    Eiworth stated that Potima was being manipted by the small southern nations, and it seems he was right. At this point, I might as well call it brainwashing.

    Potima was blessed with Principle of Evil Sight and divine energy, so I can somewhat understand how she turned out this way. Putting it bluntly, she thought she was the main character.

    ¡¸Of course! This must because of the unfathomable existences such as you! God will certainlye back to me once you are gone! He will surely acknowledge me again!¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t think so.¡¹

    ¡¸Silence! You must not be allowed to continue existing!¡¹

    Potima invoked a spell with a piercing scream. A purple liquid surged like a fountain around her and rushed Fran in the form of a tsunami.

    Death poison magic.

    It would inflict terrible scars to the forest near the vige if Fran were to dodge it.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s push it back, then evaporate it with me magic!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I invoked wind magic and telekinesis to collect the poison in one ce, then Fran sted it with Firestorm, the level 7 me spell we had recently learned in Raydoss.

    A fiery tornado formed above the ground, incinerating the poison I had gathered. The rtively low power allowed us perfect control, so none of the fire spread to the surrounding trees.

    Potima¡¯s face twisted with rage, realizing that she was inferior in magic in addition to her sword skills.

    ¡¸Divine power! Why¡­! This should be impossible! Only I alone should have ess to God¡¯s power!¡¹

    ¡¸There are many people who can use divine energy.¡¹

    ¡¸SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!¡¹

    Potima covered her ears.

    I see. So she had never encountered other wielders of divine energy. I suppose that makes sense, as she had been operating as a specialist in fiend-hunting. The mercenaries of this continent are apparently rtively weak.

    There must be practically zero people who have reached that level in the southern regions.

    ¡¸Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! YOU MUST DIE!!!¡¹

    Potima gathered an incredible amount of power in her right arm.

    ¡¸<strong>URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!</strong>¡¹

    By utilizing everyst bit of mana and divine energy, she had created a drop of liquid.

    Just one drop. However, that purple drop contained a terrifyingly dense amount of power.

    Divine poison.

    Potima had expended all her power to create it. That said, the single drop of divine poison was far more terrifying than an entire pool of demon poison.

    She shot out the drop like a bullet.

    A direct hit from this bullet of divine poison would bring death to any living creature. Moreover, the dense shell of divine energy made it very hard to defend against. Well, generally speaking.

    ¡¸Haa!¡¹

    ¡¸Curse you¡­!¡¹

    My de cloaked in evil-divine energy dispersed the divine poison in a single swing. Potima probably knew this wasing.

    She copsed to the ground with her face covered in regret.

    The loss of moisture from her skin made her entire body shrivel like a mummy.

    Potima likely spent her life force in addition to mana for the creation of this divine poison. She had quite literally staked her life on this final attack.

    ¡¸God¡­ Why¡­¡¹

    Potima¡¯s Awakening broke, and she returned to her original form. All she could do was stare into empty space with unfocused eyes, and reach out her withered hand.

    ¡¸No¡­ I must protect mankind¡­ The presence of the Evil God in the northernnds¡­ is growing stronger¡­ Argh¡­¡¹

    Northernnds? Was she referring to Raydoss?

    ¡¸Why was I¡­ chosen¡­¡¹

    Those were Potima¡¯s final words.

    The battle would have been much more challenging had she utilized her powers correctly. However, herck ofposure really did a number of her.

    Fran was not happy at all. She appeared somewhat mncholic even.

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­ Everyone says that the Evil God is the enemy.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I see what you mean.¡»

    ¡¸But it¡¯s saved me many times. I¡¯m grateful. If an Evil God Fragment appears, I¡¯ll fight it. If a fiend appears, I¡¯ll fight them. But the fragment within Master is a friend. No matter what anyone says.¡¹

    ¡ºI see. The Evil God Fragment seems pleased by that.¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    Maybe even a little too pleased! Oi! Getting excited is fine and dandy, but can you calm down for second? Don¡¯t get carried away!

 Chapter 1239: Potima

    <h4>Chapter 1239: Potima</h4>

    Having defeated Potima, we collected her body and quickly returned to the vige.

    The battle had already concluded, with zero casualties on our side. Only a few enemies were still conscious.

    Well, not like they stood a chance against Siby and Eiworth.

    Seems like they were trying to resist interrogation, but they broke down upon seeing the sorry state of Potima¡¯s corpse.

    Following that, they began answering our questions readily.

    ¡¸So you say this operation was carried out at Potima¡¯s discretion?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­ Captain said there were signs of the Evil God¡¯s revival in the north¡­¡¹

    Eiworth was currently questioning the second strongest man in the group, who was apparently one of the brigade¡¯s vice-captains.

    The mercenary brigade ¡°Fiend Hunters¡± was initially established based on contributions from several small nations. They shouldn¡¯t be allowed to deploy all members to Kranzel, far from their normal region of operation.

    Potima didn¡¯t realize it, but the nations had a great deal of influence on the brigade¡¯s actions. She was essentially a puppet.

    ¡¸The brigade was initially brought together to make use of the Captain¡¯s powers¡­¡¹

    It happened over ten years ago.

    There was a remote mountain region where the borders of several nations converged, making it unclear who had ownership over the territory. They deliberately left it in an ambiguous state to serve as a buffer zone with the other nations.

    A certain incident urred there.

    There was a huge boom in the orc poption, causing a stampede. It¡¯s not that they had risen to be a Dungeon Master. In fact, quite the opposite.

    An orc seeded in conquering a dungeon, and thus rose to be an Orc King. They established their base in the now defunct dungeon, and gave birth to a legion of orcs.

    The orcs avoided discovery due to being in such a remote region, and kept multiplying in secrecy. Then eventually, the orc legion spilled out from the dungeon and began invading the surrounding nations.

    Somewhat simr to the goblin stampede in Alessa, but the Orc King not being a Dungeon Master meant one big difference. They could only replenish their numbers through reproduction, so any in orcs must be reced the hard way.

    That said, the orc stampede was by no means less dangerous than the incident at Alessa. Orcs were simply way stronger than goblins, and their numbers were nothing to scoff at.

    A dozen viges were swallowed up in no time at all, and the surrounding nations had no means of countering the orcs. The southern nations had few magical beasts to begin with, so they were inexperienced in handling stampedes. Theck of adventurers meant mercenaries specialized in human conflicts would have to deal with it.

    The problem was emphasized due to the countries in the vicinity being particrly small, with only the capital cities having any noteworthy defenses. They simplycked the power to contain the situation.

    For example, one country had fewer than 1000 knights, and gathering all the soldiers within their borders would barely reach 3000. Thend was practically barren, so they barely got by as a vassal nation to their neighbor.

    A few countries dispatched squads of 300 knights to quell the stampede, without any significant results.

    Rather, they were utterly defeated by squads of around 100 orcs.

    But then, the devastated nations witnessed an anomaly. The rampaging orc squads inexplicably began to retreat, vanishing like a receding tide.

    The nations were wary of the calm before the storm, and sent knights and mercenaries to scout out the orcs. What they found was a shocking scene.

    They stumbled upon a vige with the scattered corpses of over 1000 orcs, and a bloodied young girl standing in their midst. Given the circumstances, there could be no doubt that the girl was responsible for the massacre.

    Everyone had the same thought: what on earth happened here?

    The girl¡¯s name was Potima. She had immigrated from Beast Kingdom with her parents the previous year. Her parents hadmitted some sort of serious crime, and were forced to flee the country. Apparently, their crime involved doing dirty jobs for a certain politician, who was on the losing side of a political upheaval.

    Potima was a genius who had achieved Awakening, the shared racial goal of all beastmen, even before arriving in the southern nations.

    Of course, that was nowhere near enough to match the vast orcs legions. Her father fell, her mother fell, and finally, Potima herself was about to reach her limits. That¡¯s when she imed to have heard the voice of God.

    With her divine power, she sessfully defeated the Orc King. The horde was thrown into confusion by the king¡¯s fall, and Potima continued feeding on their flesh and blood. This led to the rapid development of her level and skills, granting her overwhelming strength.

    Thus spreading the seeds for a new battle, this time over Potima. Such a formidable force could not be ignored. However, trying to monopolize her powers would only result in turning the neighboring nations hostile.

    Meanwhile, Potima had be fanatical, filled with devotion to her god and increasing hatred toward fiends. She immediately eradicated any fiend she came across, even if it meant getting into a conflict with others.

    Additionally, she would seek out and destroy any artifact with a slight evil aura regardless of its history. The young girl even snuck into a royal treasury and dered ¡°the evil is defeated¡± upon confirming the target¡¯s destruction.

    Upon seeing her crazed smile, the nations gave up on keeping her within their borders. They didn¡¯t want to bear responsibility for her when push came to shove.

    As a result, several small nations pooled their resources and formed a mercenary group to most efficiently utilize Potima.

    This initially consisted of former knights and soldiers transferred in from the southern nations. Nowadays, many members burning with vengeance against fiends have joined, but the leadership still consists entirely of those individuals with government backing.

    Though they usually only hunt fiends, there is the asional mission sent by the southern nations. That said, nearly half of these missions were based on false information. Potima would be sent to eliminate bandits or rebellious factions used of ¡°harboring fiends¡±, when in reality they had no connection whatsoever to the Evil God.

    However, Potima eventually amassed fanatical followers who blindly obeyed her. That¡¯s when she began acting beyond the interests of the nations.

    In particr, this n of using thieves to infiltrate a vige in Kranzel was apparently something Potima started on her own. Or more urately, there was a man among Potima¡¯s followers who excelled at such schemes, and she epted his n. However, this man was also one of the spies sent in by the southern nations.

    Potima¡¯s ultimate destination was the Kingdom of Raydoss. She heard about the evil dragon and sword on the way there, and took a detour to eliminate us.

    ¡¸Ahh¡­ How are we supposed to deal with the fiends now¡­¡¹

    Not a single apology or a word of remorse for Potima. The man was only concerned about himself until the very end.

    Fran harbored much hostility for Potima, but this left her displeased.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨While I hate Potima¡­ I hate these guys even more.£©

    Fran bit down tightly on her lips.

 Chapter 1240: The Grand Barrier

    <h4>Chapter 1240: The Grand Barrier</h4>

    Ten days have passed since we defeated Potima.

    We had returned to Alessa at the order of the Kranzel government.

    This was likely the best decision all things considered.

    Regarding the incident Potima and her mercenary brigade caused, the Kingdom of Kranzel took the matter very seriously, formally protesting the southern nations and the Fiend Hunters brigade.

    Well, the negotiations will likely result in Kranzel receiving little more than a formal apology.

    While the southern nations were funding the mercenaries, it¡¯s not like they ordered the attack. After an apology and a bit ofpensation, everything will be settled.

    Perhaps Kranzel intends to make a few concessions and indebt the southern nations to them. Either way, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll handle the situation well.

    The bigger problem was regarding the mercenaries.

    There¡¯s a possibility that Potima¡¯s followers will go off the rails once they learn of her death. The Red Knights buffed up the vige¡¯s defenses in response, but it¡¯s best to avoid trouble in the first ce.

    As such, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to distance Fran and Bisdra from the vige. If anyone came to the vige to avenge Potima, they could simply im that her killers were already expelled.

    If they attacked the vige regardless, the southern nations would be forced to make even more concessions. We don¡¯t have to worry about the vigers, since there¡¯s no way the Red Knights would lose to the mercenaries now that Potima is gone.

    With Fran outside of the vige, the Fiend Hunters would turn their focus away as well. She was essentially being used as bait, but we also wanted to avoid getting the vige caught up. This arrangement was fine by us.

    The n showed little concern for Fran¡¯s safety, but that¡¯s what it means to be Rank A.

    As an individual capable of fighting on the same ying field as entire nations, any concern would be wasted on her.

    Bisdra also left the vige. Rather thaning with us, he apanied Klikka and a few Red Knights to meet with Raydoss prisoners.

    There were many ordinary citizens among the prisoners captured by Kranzel, and the nation asked for their assistance in persuading them.

    Anyways, we left the vige for Alessa, but there was a new request waiting for us here.

    The Kranzel government wanted us to investigate the barrier.

    Just what kind of barrier was surrounding the Kingdom of Raydoss? As a Rank A adventurer, they expected Fran to have some insight into it.

    We headed to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Alessa to hear the request details. Apparently, Alessa¡¯s adventurers had participated in the previous investigation.

    The barrier was clearly visible from the city. Well, it looked more like a mountain range towering above the clouds than a barrier. However, it turns out that they gleaned very little information despite being so close.

    Klimt was currently the only other high-ranking adventurer in all of Alessa. As a result, there were few people capable of investigating in the first ce.

    ¡¸So attacking it didn¡¯t work?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Even with the power of the Great Spirit, I failed to destroy it.¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Klimt made an attempt to break the barrier. However, the barrier withstood a serious attack from him.

    Also, he never mentioned anything about sensing a huge amount of evil energy on the level of the Evil God.

    Was Potima mistaken about the evil in the northernnds? She definitely had a unique skill for sensing evil energy, and seemingly even the ability to identify which god divine energy came from.

    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if what she said about the north ended up being true.

    ¡ºI heard Kranzel tried a ritual spell, but that didn¡¯t work either, right?¡»

    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. They performed a simple concentrated magic bombardment, which may even exceed the Great Spirit in terms of prating power. Yet the barrier remained unscathed.¡¹

    ¡ºHmm, I see.¡»

    It seems any ordinary attacks aren¡¯t enough to destroy the barrier. But what about evil energy? Perhaps its property of dispersing and canceling mana would work.

    ¡ºGuess we can give it a try.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We headed to the knight division stationed in front of the barrier. After all, breaking the barrier would be meaningless if our allies weren¡¯t ready to deploy.

    As such, we were asked to pay them a visit before the investigation.

    ¡¸We still have no clue what Raydoss is plotting. Please be careful.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    Fran waved to Klimt and reached for the doorknob to leave the office, but then¡­

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa?¡»

    ¡¸This is¡­!¡¹

    The entire building shook. This was followed by an intense roar of sound, and the shaking grew even more violent.

    A thunderous rumbling reverberated throughout the town, so it was clear that the guild wasn¡¯t the only building shaking.

    An earthquake? I¡¯d say it¡¯s around a magnitude 5, the kind of tremor that would cause a stir even in Japan.

    It took about 10 seconds for the shaking to finally stop, and the adventurers of the guild began to mor.

    I scanned the town through a window, and there were several copsed buildings. That said, the damage was less than I expected.

    They must be using construction methods that are unthinkable on Earth, such as reinforcing frames with magic. As such, even buildings in regions with few earthquakes are incredibly sturdy.

    The outer wall surrounding the town was unharmed, so the damage was almost certainly minimal. I didn¡¯t see any mes either.

    Nevertheless, people were flooding the streets and causing a bit ofmotion. I even heard some crying out in tears.

    ¡ºKlimt, are earthquakes like that unusual around here?¡»

    ¡¸I must say this is the first time I¡¯ve experienced one since I came to Kranzel.¡¹

    ¡ºDamn.¡»

    In that case, I can understand why everyone was more anxious than necessary. However, we soon realized that Alessa¡¯s residents were pointing at the sky.

    In the direction of Raydoss¡¯s barrier, but¡­

    ¡¸The barrier¡¯s gone.¡¹

    ¡ºSo that earthquake was the aftermath of the barrier¡¯s disappearance?¡»

    With such a huge barrier, I could easily imagine a huge impact.

    ¡¸Master¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, this is evil energy!¡»

    We felt arge amount of evil energy getting carried in by the northern wind.

 Chapter 1241: Return of the Beast-Bug God

    <h4>Chapter 1241: Return of the Beast-Bug God</h4>

    We flew out of the window of Klimt¡¯s room and gazed northward from the sky.

    The enormous barrier that had exuded such a distinct presence waspletely gone.

    And in its ce, we sensed an intense amount of evil energy.

    Had a fragment of the Evil God truly been revived, as Potima imed? The ridiculous amount of power in the air certainly gave me that impression.

    ¡¸Mrgh?¡¹

    ¡ºThis ce is¡­¡»

    Fran and I were focused on the northern skies, but then we found ourselves in a familiar white space.

    Neither Fran nor I made a fuss about this. We instinctively understood what was going on.

    ¡¸Qualified one.¡¹

    Suddenly, an inhuman giant revealed itself in front of us. He looked like some bizarre mix of beasts and insects, giving him an appearance befitting thest boss of a video game. However, this was no enemy.

    He was the Beast-Bug God.

    ¡¸A fragment of the Evil God has awakened in the northernnds.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    So that ominous wave of evil energy was exactly what we suspected. I had many questions, but I could neither speak nor move. It seems I was considered little more than an essory to Fran right now.

    ¡¸Did the gods set up the barrier¡­ uh, your grace?¡¹

    ¡¸Qualified one, you may speak as you do normally. Mere choice of words will not affect your standing.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay.¡¹

    ¡¸That barrier is not ours. It was created by borrowing the power of the Evil God, after offering the people of thend as sacrifices.¡¹

    In other words, Laranflura must have set up the barrier with the power of the Evil God Fragment?

    ¡¸Only one fragment is active at the moment, but the other three fragments are on the verge of awakening.¡¹

    ¡¸There are four Evil God Fragments sealed in Raydoss?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. They have awakened the first fragment by gathering power through mass sacrifices, which they used to create the barrier. Then, they n to break the seal on the other fragments with the life energy drained from those within the barrier.¡¹

    So the East Conquest Duke massacred all those people in order to gain enough power to resurrect the Evil God! Then, he must have used whatever was left to create the barrier.

    More importantly, we just learned that the other fragments were about to awaken. If Raydoss dismissed the barrier, does that mean they¡¯ve already broken the seal?

    No, that can¡¯t be it. The Beast-Bug God said they were still on the verge of awakening, which means Raydoss has yet to achieve a full resurrection.

    While I was worried about the details, Fran seemed to be more concerned about a different subject.

    ¡¸Are you telling me to defeat the Evil God?¡¹

    The Beast-Bug God must have an important reason for visiting us directly like this. Fran thought this might be a divinemand to defeat the Evil God Fragment.

    It seems that was her main concern.

    Despite how strong we¡¯ve grown, a fragment of the Evil God is still out of the question. That said, I doubt Fran would refuse a direct order from her god.

    I waited anxiously for the Beast-Bug God¡¯s answer, but it wasn¡¯t what I expected.

    ¡¸You are free to do as you wish. Fight or retreat; it¡¯s your choice.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? Then why are you telling me about this?¡¹

    ¡¸You have my divine blessing, and the Apostle of the Chaos Goddess isparable to a divine sword. Thus, you have the right to hear my words. However, unlike those who possess a true divine sword, you have no obligation to challenge the fragments of the Evil God.¡¹

    ¡¸Those with a divine sword have to fight?¡¹

    ¡¸They do. Such is the mission of those who wield them. The three wielders in the northernnds have already received their revtions.¡¹

    Three? By the ¡°northernnds¡±, he must mean the Kingdom of Raydoss. So there¡¯s three divine sword wielders nearby? Maleficent has Hell, and Phyllius has Diabolos. Is there another?

    Fran attempted to ask about the third divine sword, but we were unable to get a straight answer. I doubt the gods care much about confidentiality, though it seems they put the divine sword wielders a level above the rest.

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it best if we all join forces to beat the Evil God?¡¹

    ¡¸As someone bound to the Evil God through a contract, you have the right to an answer¡­ We have never told anyone to destroy the Evil God. It is impossible for mankind to defeat a god in the first ce. Mortals can merely defeat the fragments, thus returning their souls to the divine realm.¡¹

    As I suspected, the gods have no intention of destroying the Evil God.

    ¡¸Aren¡¯t the gods angry at the Evil God?¡¹

    ¡¸We are indeed angry, which is why we deliberately sealed the Evil God on the surface world as a form of punishment. However, this was not the unanimous decision of all gods.¡¹

    So they had no intent to kill despite their anger. Splitting a god into pieces and sealing them away might be their way of giving a timeout or something.

    ¡¸It is about time for my departure. Farewell.¡¹

    ¡¸Wait! Just one more question!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Very well.¡¹

    ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you speak to Potima? She believed in you.¡¹

    ¡¸Potima, you say. She was a girl brimming with talent and faith.¡¹

    I never thought the Beast-Bug God would actually remember Potima¡¯s name, but it seems I was wrong. Does he remember every single beastman? Or maybe she was recognized as an exceptional individual?

    ¡¸However, her heart was weak.¡¹

    ¡¸Her heart?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Her reverence for the gods was impable, but clinging to the divine is a sign of weakness. No matter how much faith one ces in us, those who can hear our voices must try and fulfill their wishes with their own power. Maintain a strong heart. Such is the most important factor in bringing out the power of the gods.¡¹

    Wow, so the gods themselves say that relying on them too much leads to weakness. What he says sounds true, faith and strength of heart arepletely different things.

    Unlike Earth, the existence of this world¡¯s gods is a proven fact. The people here ce much more faith in them as a result. However, relying on the gods for everything only leads to weakness.

    In that sense, I can¡¯t say that Potima had a particrly strong heart. Meanwhile, Fran¡¯s mental toughness still amazes me to this day.

    ¡¸I attempted to bestow my divine blessing on her, but my voice never reached her.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    ¡¸That is why I invited her to my side after her death.¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    As the Beast-Bug God said that, we noticed a snake at his feet. It was a beautiful snake with green and purple scales sparkling like gemstones.

    Despite theck of a human form, Fran and I understood the snake¡¯s identity.

    ¡¸Potima?¡¹

 Chapter 1242: Raydosss Next Wave

    <h4>Chapter 1242: Raydoss''s Next Wave</h4>

    ¡¸Potima?¡¹

    The snake remained silent and gazed at Fran with gentle eyes in response to her question.

    ¡¸Potima¡¯s weak heart prevented her from receiving my blessing, but she possessed faith worthy of bing my apostle. Thus, I weed her soul to my side.¡¹

    The snake nodded in response to the god¡¯s words. It seems she truly was Potima. Yet there was no trace of the fanaticism she possessed in life. She appeared as a gentle and beautiful serpent.

    It¡¯s almost as if she had been purified. Perhaps being picked up by her god filled her with a sense of peace, which stabilized her mental state.

    Even the air around her felt pure.

    ¡¸I have allowed her to temporarily fulfill the role of my emissary. Of course, she wished for this arrangement too.¡¹

    Fran and the snake exchanged nces for a moment, before Fran¡¯s body glowed for an instant. What just happened? There didn¡¯t seem to be any visible change.

    ¡¸Your affinity with my power has been increased slightly. Since you already hold my blessing, consider it as a minimal enhancement. A gesture of apology from her.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I see.¡¹

    Fran smiled ever so slightly. Potima lowered her head like a bow.

    After a few seconds of silence, the god spoke once more.

    ¡¸Now then, farewell. Maintain vignce if you choose to head north.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks¡­ your grace.¡¹

    In the next moment, color and sound returned to the world. We had returned from the realm of the gods.

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Without facing anyone in particr, Fran nodded her head as if she hade to terms with something. She must be confirming her blessing, and realized it really did get stronger.

    However, she didn¡¯t have much time to linger on it. We heard a shout from Klimt.

    ¡¸Fran-san! The spirits are incredibly agitated! It appears the Raydoss army is marching in from the north!¡¹

    As expected, zero time progressed during our encounter. Not even Klimt noticed anything unusual.

    ¡¸Fran-san?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing.¡¹

    Klimt still looked puzzled, but Fran turned to him with a determined expression.

    ¡¸Klimt, the Raydoss army isn¡¯t the only enemy!¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    Fran returned to Klimt¡¯s office and told him about our divine encounter. I was worried if Klimt would believe her, but¡­

    ¡¸You say a god came to warn you about the revival of the Evil God Fragments?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Do you believe me?¡¹

    ¡¸I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for you. Master-san is certainly a very special sword.¡¹

    Klimt easily epted Fran¡¯s exnation. He had apparently thought Fran to be someone capable of receiving divine revtions.

    That sounded like a leap of faith, but it¡¯s true that we talked to a god.

    ¡¸If an Evil God Fragment has truly revived, then this is a problem for the entire continent rather than just Kranzel. I¡¯ll have the officials contact the other nations. In the meantime, can I ask you to check on the border?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it. I¡¯ll take a look!¡¹

    ¡¸Please don¡¯t push yourself too hard! Don¡¯t charge in alone, and make sure to report back safely! Depending on the situation, we may have to evacuate!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran waved to Klimt, who was looking out the window, and then hopped onto Urushi¡¯s back.

    ¡¸Urushi! Let¡¯s go!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Urushi leaped over Alessa¡¯s walls and raced at full speed toward the border. After about two hours, we started sensing something out of ce.

    Rather than the overwhelming presence of evil energy affecting the wind itself, this was countless small presences stirring on the ground.

    The northernnds were shrouded in a ck shadow. It looked like an expanding darkness that threatened to devour the earth.

    As we drew closer, we discovered the true nature of this darkness.

    Hordes of undead. There were a multitude of undead creatures such as zombies and ghouls, each cloaked in a dense ck aura of evil. It was practically impossible to count them all, but they clearly exceeded a hundred thousand in number.

    The zombies moved with surprising speed, seemingly enhanced by the evil energy.

    Furthermore, the group at the center of the horde radiated an even more sinister power.

    ¡ºDuke zombies!¡»

    £¨And so many of them.£©

    ¡ºBoth the South Duke Zombies and the West Duke Zombies are there too.¡»

    If we let these guys anywhere near Alessa, the damage will be truly immense.

    £¨Master, what should we do?£©

    ¡ºLet¡¯s scout them out before returning to Alessa.¡»

    There was a continuous stream of undead approaching from behind the hordes, as well as simrly evil presences to the east and west.

    Even if we engaged them to prevent their advance, we wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the entire border.

    First we should report to Klimt in Alessa, and seek guidance on how to defend against this threat.

    That said, the Kranzel knights should be in this area too¡­

    £¨Master, they¡¯re over there.£©

    ¡ºOh, they seem to be retreating.¡»

    Good thing theirmander wasn¡¯t reckless enough to charge in without thinking. While they weren¡¯t any immediate danger, the undead would certainly reach them eventually.

    ¡ºIn that case, let¡¯s interfere with the undead a bit.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    It¡¯d be great if we could dy the horde¡¯s advance by forcing them to watch out for ambushes, I kinda doubt it will go that smoothly. Undead don¡¯t have any sense of fear, after all. At least we could slightly assist the knights in their retreat.

    ¡ºTarget the undead chasing the knights, and let¡¯s take some of them out.¡»

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We called out to the knights after approaching them from above.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll support your retreat!¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? ck Lightning Princess-dono? We¡¯re saved!¡¹

    Good thing they recognize Fran. That makes things easier.

    ¡¸You¡¯ll hear some loud sounds behind you. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡¹

    ¡¸R-Roger that!¡¹

    With this, the knights should be able to continue their retreat uninterrupted.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s go!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrrrrr!¡¹

 Chapter 1243: Before Leaving

    <h4>Chapter 1243: Before Leaving</h4>

    My me magic, Fran¡¯s thunder magic, and Urushi¡¯s dark magic mmed into the front lines of the undead. Despite being boosted by a surge of evil energy, they were still little more than cannon fodder to us.

    We could handle them easily even with spells focusing on area over power.

    ¡ºHmm, taking down a couple thousand is still a drop in the bucket.¡»

    £¨Should we go back? Or continue?£©

    It seems Fran thought building a defensive line might be effective after witnessing how potent our spells were.

    ¡ºNah.¡»

    The undead were flooding in from multiple directions. Stalling the horde in front of us would be pointless if the rest slip through.

    ¡ºWe head back to Alessa and report.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    After throwing out a few more spells, we invoked Great Wall.

    There were a few purposely created gaps between the massive walls. The intention was to lure them into the bottlenecks, hopefully squishing them together and dying their advance slightly.

    Furthermore, we used purification magic to set up barriers in the vicinity. That should hinder their progress too.

    Buying around ten minutes or so should allow the knights to put some distance between themselves and the undead.

    Just as nned, the undead legion soon came to a halt!

    Now the knights should be able to retreat without any issues. One of the leaders waved to us as we approached from the sky again.

    ¡¸You¡¯ve saved us!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Where are you headed now?¡¹

    ¡¸We intended to go to Alessa, but is it safe there?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯re fine.¡¹

    I guess Alessa is thergest town in the vicinity. Having additional knights should bolster the city¡¯s defenses. Even if they weren¡¯t worth muchbat-wise, they would improve the psychological stability of the citizens.

    If we had Amanda or Forrund, maybe we could intercept the undead before they reached Alessa. But I don¡¯t feel safe doing it alone.

    Especially since we don¡¯t know their numbers.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s hurry back to Klimt so we can prepare for another deployment.¡»

    In the end, deploying repeatedly seems like the best way to lighten Alessa¡¯s burden.

    ¡¸Nn. Do your best, Urushi.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­With so many enemies, I wonder if Amanda and the others are okay?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m sure they¡¯re just fine. Those guys are no pushovers. We should focus on protecting the ce theye back to.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    After hastening back to Alessa, we reported on the size andposition of the enemy forces.

    The lord and other important individuals gathered at the lord¡¯s mansion (currently undergoing reconstruction) had grim expressions. However, none of them could deny the report of a Rank A adventurer as nonsense.

    As such, everyone understood the grave danger approaching Alessa.

    The lord turned to Klimt as if clinging to hisst hope.

    ¡¸Can we evacuate in time?¡¹

    ¡¸No, they seem quite fast for undead. Outrunning them will be impossible.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    He didn¡¯t appear too disheartened, almost as if he had anticipated this answer. After all, Alessa was thergest town in the vicinity. While they may have nned for receiving evacuees, evacuating the entire town was likely never considered.

    Or perhaps, the lord asked the question despite already knowing the answer.

    By informing everyone in the room that evacuation was impossible, he was essentially asking them to dispel their hesitation toward the inevitable battle. The merchants and such straightened their backs with determination visible on their faces.

    ¡¸We might be able to eliminate the undead with enough forces, but Fran-san and I are the only Rank A equivalent forces we can currently count on. It would be challenging to take them head-on.¡¹

    ¡¸So what¡¯s the n?¡¹

    ¡¸We let the hordes advance a bit further, allowing them to pool their forces in a single location. Then, we take them out in one fell swoop.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t that incredibly dangerous?¡¹

    ¡¸It is, but there¡¯s no other way.¡¹

    While Klimt¡¯s strategy would be difficult to pull off, it was also the only way to save Alessa in this situation.

    Our role in the n was to harass the advancing forces, or at least that¡¯s how it will look. The real objective was ensuring the enemiesing from different directions will all arrive at the same time.

    By slowing down the faster ones, we can gather them all up in the region north of Alessa.

    Once they¡¯ve gathered in one ce, Klimt will call upon his Great Spirit to clean house.

    Next, we headed to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to obtain potions and other supplies. Klimt seemed way more apologetic than he was at the lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡¸Fran-san, I know we¡¯re cing a huge burden on you. But please, we really need your help. There isn¡¯t anyone else I can count on right now.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Don¡¯t worry.¡¹

    ¡ºLeave it to us!¡»

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸This is for you.¡¹

    Klimt handed Fran a blue sphere. While it contained mana, this was not a magic stone.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this?¡¹

    ¡¸A magical device called a Spirit Nest. It can temporarily house a spirit, allowing one to transport it. As long as you have it, I can observe the battlefield through the eyes of the spirit inside. Please keep it with you.¡¹

    Since we couldn¡¯t put it in storage, Fran wrapped it in a cloth and fastened it to her waist. Now Klimt will be able to know when to unleash the Great Spirit.

    ¡¸Fran-chan.¡¹

    ¡¸Nell?¡¹

    ¡¸Wanna try checking your job? There might be a better one avable.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    I¡¯m pretty sure Swordking is already a top-tier job, but Fran understood that Nell was making the suggestion out of concern. We headed to the guild¡¯s job changing room.

    There, Fran ced her hand on the crystal.

    ¡¸Wow, you have so many more avable jobs now.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa, it¡¯s well over a hundred!¡»

    After her continued growth, many advanced jobs were now open to her. However, Fran sought a profession surpassing Swordking¡­

    ¡¸Eh?! What¡¯s this?!¡¹

    ¡¸Nell, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹

    ¡¸T-This one! The ¡°Guardian Swordking¡± job! It¡¯s not listed in the guild¡¯s records!¡¹

    ¡ºHuh? Seriously?¡»

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯ve memorized all the jobs in the records!¡¹

    Nell-san, isn¡¯t your memory kinda amazing? That¡¯s our receptionist! But wait¡­ ¡°Guardian Swordking¡±? That name really makes it sound like an upgrade over Swordking!

 Chapter 1244: Guardian Swordking

    <h4>Chapter 1244: Guardian Swordking</h4>

    £¨Master, what do you think?£©

    ¡ºHmm. Changing jobs right before a battle seems risky¡­ But this is clearly an upgraded version of Swordking, right?¡»

    My biggest worry is losing Sword God Transformation, the Innate Skill thates with the Swordking job. That said, the current Fran is now capable of using divine energy on her own.

    We¡¯ll be spamming a lot of spells in the uing battle against hordes of undead, so one might think losing Sword God Transformation isn¡¯t a big disadvantage. Still, it¡¯s a good skill to have avable in case we encounter a powerful opponent¡­

    As I was contemting the options, Fran asked me again in a begging tone.

    £¨Can I do the change?£©

    ¡ºYou really want to?¡»

    £¨Nn. Nell went out of her way to invite us. Then we found this new job. It¡¯s gotta be strong.£©

    It seems Fran felt this was a fateful encounter.

    And if this job is really an upgrade over Swordking, it must be top tier.

    ¡º<strong>¡­!</strong>¡»

    Whoa! What the hell? The Evil God Fragment started making some kind of passionate appeal, as if telling me to choose the job. Is this how the Evil God¡¯s divine revtions work or something?

    ¡º<strong>¡­!</strong>¡»

    Ugh, fine! I get it already! You better not act up like this during a fight though, because it will break my concentration!

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s nothing. Anyways, let¡¯s try out the job change.¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    After the final push from the Evil God Fragment, we decided to take the Guardian Swordking job.

    <strong>Guardian Swordking</strong>: The path only avable to Swordkings who desire to protect many.

    There was no clear criteria described for the job change. Well, the same goes for Unique Skills in general, so I expected as much.

    However, it came with a few surprises. First of all, we didn¡¯t lose Sword God Transformation. Perhaps that is the default skill for any job with Swordking in the name.

    In addition, Fran obtained a new skill and title. The new skill was ¡°Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield¡±, which apparently allows the wielder to create barriers with divine power. Sounds like an easier way of infusing divine energy into barriers, maybe?

    Any improvements to defense are greatly appreciated, since the Swordking job was basicallypletely focused on offense. It¡¯s always been about striking our enemies down before they can get us.

    The moment Fran changed jobs, she gained the ¡°Guardian Swordking¡± title, the exact same name as the job. The effect was somewhat vague, only stating that ¡°your stats increase based on how many people are being protected behind your de¡±.

    I¡¯ve seen simr titles before, such as Amanda¡¯s ¡°Guardian of Children¡± and ¡°Dungeon Guardian¡± from a dungeon skeleton.

    We can probably expect a considerable boost while the title is active. Truly a great find.

    ¡¸Thanks Nell. You helped me get stronger.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. All we can really do is cheer for you now. Make sure youe back alive, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Nell sent us off with a smile, but her eyes were still brimming with worry. After all, Amanda and Donadrond had yet to return, and Nell was pretty close to them.

    No matter how strong an adventurer might be, there is no such thing as a safe battlefield. Nevertheless, Nell was trying to encourage Fran with her smile.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll definitelye back.¡¹

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright, I¡¯m going now.¡¹

    ¡¸Take care.¡¹

    With Nell and Klimt seeing us off, Fran mounted Urushi.

    No, they weren¡¯t the only ones. Various staff, soldiers, and townsfolk came out as well, waving Fran goodbye. We set off again with their cheers at our back.

    Looking down from the sky, Alessa had finally recovered from the chaos caused by the earthquake, and the town¡¯s liveliness had returned. However, there was still anxiety about what might happen after the sudden disappearance of the barrier.

    I looked at the garden of the orphanage, where many children had gathered. A member of the group apparently noticed us, and they all started waving. Such sights are always heartwarming.

    ¡¸We will definitely protect them!¡¹

    The moment Fran muttered those words, her body was enveloped in a pale blue light. This was, without a doubt, the effect of Guardian Swordking. Her stats had increased by over 10%.

    ¡ºOf course!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Our first target was the closest undead legion to Alessa, the same massive army we had been harassing earlier.

    We headed north, and found the undead shrouded in an evil aura once again.

    ¡ºAre the knights farther north?¡»

    £¨Nn. They haven¡¯t been overrun.£©

    First, we headed towards the knights.

    We found the knights resting by a stream, allowing their horses to rest as well. They seemed to be using a barrier tool for concealing themselves from the outside.

    Probably not a high-level magical tool since they couldn¡¯t hide from Fran and me.

    ¡¸You guys alright?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, ck Lightning Princess-dono! What happened to the undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Their front lines are a little ahead that way.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­¡¹

    It seems the undead were faster than we expected, so the knights struggled to escape. I guess even knights on horseback aren¡¯t a match for tireless undead in a prolonged chase.

    So, taking a chance, they deviated from the direct path to Alessa and decided to rest using the barrier magical tools.

    ¡¸Perhaps they were simply aiming for Alessa from the beginning, so they had no time to waste on us.¡¹

    The knightmander, who couldn¡¯t hide his fatigue, shrugged his shoulders as Fran conveyed the n. Well, it was basically just a request to maintain some distance and avoid getting caught up in our shy spells.

    I¡¯m sure the knights already realized that charging at the legion would be a futile sacrifice.

    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    ¡¸In that case, we will head to Alessa via an alternate route.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Go ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I wish you luck in the battles ahead.¡¹

 Chapter 1245: Guardian Deitys Shield

    <h4>Chapter 1245: Guardian Deity''s Shield</h4>

    We employed solo hit-and-run tactics against the hordes of undead.

    I had expected a tough battle, but things were going surprisingly smoothly.

    ¡ºThis new skill is ridiculously strong!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    The new skill we obtained upon changing to Guardian Swordking, ¡°Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield¡±, was even more potent than we thought.

    It allowed us to freely create incredibly powerful barriers infused with divine energy. Above all, the costs were extremely light.

    Apparently, the divine energy powering these barriers was fueled freely from our various blessings and protections. What¡¯s more, there was almost none of the usual fatigue or healing inhibition.

    We simply created a dome-shaped barrier with the max 10-meter radius and dashed around like a madman. That was enough to turn swaths of undead into roadkill.

    The image of a gigantic wolf enveloped in divine energy running all over the ce felt like a scene from mythology. The actual wolf was probably just ying around though.

    ¡¸Woof woof wooooof!¡¹

    The multitude of undead getting smacked around by his charge was certainly a spectacle. Urushi seemed quite amused by this.

    ¡ºIf we can cover Urushi, that means we can also cover an entire party or squadron, right?¡»

    ¡¸Convenient.¡¹

    By expanding it into a shield shape, we could create a barrier almost 30 meters in diameter. It could even be spread into a wall shape. No matter how much mana we spent to adjust the shape, there was still no self-damage from using divine energy.

    ¡ºThis turned out to bepleted one-sided.¡»

    ¡¸Amazing.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The divine barrierpletely neutralized all enemy attacks, while ours passed through unfazed.

    As a result, our enemies fell in droves and Fran didn¡¯t take a single scratch.

    Just now, my Surtr incinerated another 5,000 undead to ash.

    The supreme-tier me spell Surtr has a special property in which it can continue burning by absorbing the target¡¯s mana as fuel.

    Such a spell is as dangerous as purification magic against undead. After all, undead creatures crumble away when their mana reaches zero.

    Thebination of me and mana absorption might even be more effective than purification magic. Despite my focus on area over power, it still dealt the hordes a heavy blow.

    Surtr¡¯s mana consumption was extremely high since I didn¡¯t have much experience with the spell yet. Still, taking down so many undead in one cast seemed like plenty.

    ¡ºAlright! We¡¯ve stalled the ones here a bit, so let¡¯s move on.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    And so, we repeated the process of ambushing and holding off the undead in three different locations, adjusting the speed of the horde¡¯s advance.

    It took about a half a day of continuous fighting. Then, we took a short nap and went at it again for the rest of the day.

    ¡ºDoesn¡¯t seem like we made much of a dent in the hordes.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    I¡¯m sure we¡¯ve annihted over 100,000 by now. Yet there was no sign of the undead hordes diminishing in number.

    They seemed to have multiplied if anything. Perhaps even more undead were flooding in from behind. Do we have no choice but to strike them down at the source?

    But if we left to do that, Klimt would have to handle all the undead by himself. That doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea either.

    Despite our doubts, we continued the operation. The three hordes of undead finally converged north of Alessa, and just as nned, their arrival was almost simultaneous.

    With this, we could potentially wipe them out in one fell swoop, but¡­

    ¡¸Fran-san, can you hear me?¡¹

    ¡¸Klimt?¡¹

    A watery blob resembling a slime appeared before us. We had seen it before; it was Klimt¡¯s spirit. He must be viewing our progress through the magical tool.

    ¡¸I¡¯d like to wait a bit longer and gather the undead in the rear before calling upon the Great Spirit. How much longer can you hold off the vanguard?¡¹

    ¡¸However long it takes.¡¹

    Fran would give her everything to protect Alessa, no matter how reckless it was. And Klimt sensed her unspoken determination.

    We heard a light sighing from the spirit, but this wasn¡¯t out of frustration. Rather, it seemed to be a sigh of self-deprecation for bringing about the situation where Fran must push herself.

    ¡¸¡­Please don¡¯t push yourself too hard. I¡¯ll begin in two hours.¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Despite the fatigue evident on Fran¡¯s face, she gave a firm nod. Although she hadn¡¯t sustained any injuries, the umted exhaustion from a full day and night ofbat was starting to weigh on her.

    Still, it was much better than her reckless battles in Raydoss. The suppression of physical fatigue through divine energy seemed to be making a significant difference.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s wipe out another wave of undead to create an opportunity for a break. Hang in there.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran, who had been taking refuge in the sky, once again descended to block the path of the hordes. But this time, our enemies showed a different reaction.

    The normal undead stopped in their tracks as the Duke Zombies took the frontlines. We saw South Conquest Duke Zombies with numerous relics embedded throughout their bodies, as well as the West Conquest Duke Zombies piloting the two-legged mechs.

    While they were certainly formidable opponents¡­

    ¡¸Haahhh!¡¹

    ¡ºNice! These guys aren¡¯t a threat to us anymore!¡»

    ¡¸Grr Ruff!¡¹

    Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield wlessly deflected their attacks, from the relics¡¯ powerful artillery fire to the fists of the droids. Nothing got through.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! My priestess! My cat-eared priestess! I shall offer you the heads of our foes!¡¹

    ¡¸I don¡¯t want any of those.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha!¡¹

    We also summoned Avenger to assist us in holding them back. Yet no matter how many we felled, the flow of undead reinforcements in the rear outpaced us.

    If we flew into the sky, we could probably get a better view of the three dark rivers of undead flowing towards us.

    ¡¸Fran-san, sorry for making you wait.¡¹

    ¡¸Klimt!¡¹

    Two hourster, Klimt flew in using some sort of spirit power and descended next to us.

    ¡¸Please fall back. The Great Spirit is unable to show discretion.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Got it!¡¹

    The elf mannded softly on the ground after warning us. The green glow of his manabined with his handsomeness to give him a divine aura.

    I think this might be our first time seeing him in this state. He truly was incredibly powerful.

    And at longst, Klimt yed his trump card.

    ¡¸O Great Spirit of Wind! Unleash your power, and annihte all that stands before you!¡¹

    That moment, the Great Spirit¡¯s true, unrestrained power was known to the world again.

 Chapter 1246: True Calamity

    <h4>Chapter 1246: True Cmity</h4>

    Despite distancing ourselves from the battlefield through consecutive teleportation, we suddenly found ourselves overwhelmed by the pressure.

    Just as we had seen before, the Great Spirit of Wind was a towering woman who gave off a green glow.

    Even from this distance, her overwhelming magical power was palpable. She was far more terrifying than our previous encounter with her in Alessa.

    Atst, the over 30-meter tall maiden of wind unleashed her awe-inspiring might.

    ¡¸<strong>AAAAAARHHHHHHHH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    Even I heard the spirit¡¯s voice! Which meant she achievedplete manifestation.

    Our best possible method of wiping out undead over a wide area would be my Surtr spell. It¡¯s capable of incinerating around 4000~5000 undead per cast.

    But the power of a Great Spirit went far beyond the realm of anything we were capable of.

    I could feel the air over our entire field of view falling under the Great Spirit¡¯s control. All of it was covered in the Great Spirit¡¯s mana.

    So this is the ultimate catastrophe capable of plunging an entire country into ruin over the span of a few days.

    I finally understand. If she was to ever go fully berserk, the resulting devastation would make any other cmity seem like a soft breeze.

    This was truly an entity beyond mortalprehension.

    We couldn¡¯t stop trembling, even if her power was not directed at us. Fran, in particr, had goosebumps all over her body.

    ¡¸The wind¡­¡¹

    ¡ºWhat is Klimt trying to do?¡»

    The wind over the battlefield reversed course, and started flowing from the ground to the sky. Did he intend to create a tornado or something?

    However, we soon realized that this was only the beginning.

    Klimt, who had been concentrating the entire time, suddenly opened his eyes wide and spoke.

    ¡¸O Great Spirit, call forth a mighty storm! Let all be thrown from the earth!¡¹

    ¡¸<strong>AAAAAARHHHHHHHH!</strong>¡¹

    Immediately afterward, the sounds of the wind resonated to form a deafening noise, and a typhoon swept through the battlefield.

    While I couldn¡¯t see the wind¡¯s movements, it was easy to discern the flow of mana. Massive carpets of wind rose from the ground in session, sting the undead further and further into the skies.

    After getting lifted high into the skies by the consecutive sts of wind, the undead started falling as gravity took hold. The scene reminded me of an infinitely long chain of dominoes by how easily the undead fell.

    The impact of the windbined with mming into the ground after falling several stories proved lethal even to the undead.

    In less than 30 seconds, the wind had inflicted immense damage to every single undead in a several kilometer radius. The shattered remains of zombies and skeletons crumbled away into dust.

    The Great Spirit had eradicated over 500,000 undead in that single attack. If applied to a human army, the oue would be the same.

    Such a power running amok would spell disaster for any nation.

    However, there were some figures still moving within the ranks of the vanishing undead.

    £¨The Duke Zombies!£©

    ¡ºIt wasn¡¯t enough to defeat those guys!¡»

    The Great Spirit could control the wind over an outrageouslyrge region, but the attack itself wasn¡¯t all that powerful. Gravity dealt most of the damage.

    Well, at least it cleared out all the small fry. The rest should be doable with our¨D¨D

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuhn.¡¹

    Fran gasped, and Urushi let out a pitiful whimper, tucking his tail between his legs.

    The Great Spirit was far from finished. In fact, the previous event had merely been a prelude.

    ¡¸<strong>OROOOOOOOOOGH!!!</strong>¡¹

    The atmosphere trembled as the winds began converging. Eventually, the swirling air began to take a vague form, materializing as a wyrm connecting the earth with the heavens.

    The tail of the white dragon turned into a fierce whirlwind, which gradually expanded upwards.

    The Duke Zombies seemed unable to move in the turbulent winds. A few managed to break through the wind and escape, but they were quickly ensnared again, and thrown into the skies along with the rest.

    At that point, they were reduced to the Great Spirit¡¯s ythings. Before long, we found ourselves looking at an ultra-massive tornado with a diameter exceeding 500 meters.

    In terms of size, there were tornadoes of a simr scale on Earth. I vaguely remembered watching a news report about a tornado with a 2-kilometer diameter.

    But the sheer power contained within was on apletely different level. The mana infused into the tornado elerated the wind speed past physical limits, turning it into something like a giant blender. It was essentially the same as casting countless super-massive wind spells at the same time.

    Ten minutester.

    There was nothing left in the tornado¡¯s wake. No undead, no forest, no mountains, no life¡­ Everything had been shredded into dust and carried away on the winds.

    ¡ºHah¡­ Haha¡­ What in the world was that?¡»

    ¡¸The Great Spirit is incredible.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha! This is no longer something that mortals can ovee! Not that I¡¯m mortal anymore!¡¹

    The sight reminded me of the ultimate technique that Weena Rhyn had used to defeat the Great Beast of theke. That¡¯s not something anyone can afford to take head on.

    That said, such a powerful attack came with a cost.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Klimt!¡¹

    ¡ºHis life force is running really low!¡»

    Immediately after returning the Great Spirit, Klimt copsed and coughed up arge amount of blood. Like I thought, this power must have been beyond mortal hands.

    ¡¸Klimt, are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Sorry. Please¡­ take care¡­ of the rest¡­¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t talk!¡»

    It seems pretty dangerous to leave him here. Maybe we should take him somewhere safe for treatment?

    ¡ºYou¡¯re too damn reckless.¡»

    And he kept telling us not to push ourselves¡­ No, I can¡¯t me him. Klimt unleashed the Great Spirit¡¯s full power because he wanted to reduce the burden on Fran.

    ¡º¡­Let¡¯s transport Klimt to Alessa.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1247: Data Reproduction

    <h4>Chapter 1247: Data Reproduction</h4>

    ¡º¡­We need to get Klimt to Alessa.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I contemted having Urushi send him there instead, but I was worried that he might need continuous healing on the way.

    Fran attempted to lift Klimt, before quickly pausing to observe her surroundings. There was a sudden surge in mana density right next to us.

    Then, ten figures appeared before us via teleportation.

    They immediately sprang into action, attempting to surround us.

    ¡ºWhoa, each and every one of them looks pretty dang strong.¡»

    £¨Nn. And we¡¯ve seen that guy before.£©

    ¡ºYeah. Rob, captain of the Cardinal g Knights.¡»

    We cut down Rob just the other day, but the man was standing in front of us as if nothing happened. Moreover, his remains were still in my storage. Which means this new Rob was no mere reanimated corpse.

    Did they make a copy of him too, like with the Duke Zombies?

    If so, these copies were certainly not like the others¡­ None of the ten looked anything like ordinary undead. Each exuded an aura so powerful that the Duke Zombies paled inparison, and they even appeared intelligent.

    I attempted teleporting away with Klimt, but the zombies simply teleported again in pursuit.

    One of them must be capable of teleportation, making it impossible for us to escape.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! I must warn you that you cannot escape from us!¡¹

    The well-built man in the center of the group shouted at us with augh. Like I suspected, they were capable of rational conversation.

    Intelligent undead means <i>those guys</i> are responsible.

    ¡¸You¡¯re with the ck Skeleton Corps!¡¹

    ¡¸Nope!¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Fran eximed their identity, but therge man simply denied it.

    Huh? So, they¡¯re not working for the ck Skeleton Corps? I guess they are wearing red armor without the ck Skeleton emblem.

    ¡¸We are the spirits of the past, resurrected from the memories of thend! This makes us a special existence that is both living and undead at the same time. Our summoner called it a data reproduction!¡¹

    ¡¸Summoner? Who¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s something I¡¯m not allowed to tell you! See?¡¹

    Therge man attempted to say something, but his mouth moved without producing any sound. Apparently, he¡¯s iming to be magically prevented from conveying certain information.

    And there was no lie in his statement. Him being bound by some sort of spell must be the truth.

    In any case, ¡°memories of thend¡± and ¡°data reproduction¡± sound very intriguing. This must be different from raising a corpse via necromancy. As long as they have these so-called ¡°memories of thend¡±, it seems undead can be summoned without a corpse.

    Which exins Rob¡¯s presence. The other zombies might be Raydoss¡¯s past heroes as well. Upon closer inspection, eight of them were wearing red armor, and two were not.

    ¡¸You¡¯re the Red Knights of the past?¡¹

    ¡¸You catch on quickly, youngdy! I am Apollonius, former captain of the Red Sword Knights! Fuhahahaha!¡¹

    Apollonius introduced himself along with an eruption of mes from his entire body. His refined control over magic did not at all match my impression of him. As expected of Siby¡¯s predecessor.

    I think Biscot mentioned him before, and his name came up as Apollonius in appraisal. The evil aura covered everything else in the window, but he must be the real deal.

    In other words, hisbat abilities are on par with Siby? Meanwhile, the elderly man standing beside Apollonius responded in a mocking tone.

    ¡¸<i>Sigh</i>. Why bother introducing yourself to the enemy?¡¹

    ¡¸Because we¡¯ve been blessed with a chance to return to the living realm! Plus, there¡¯s a worthy warrior right in front of us! It¡¯d be a shame not to introduce ourselves! Come on, you guys do it too!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll pass.¡¹

    ¡¸Sorry about him, he never reads the mood! This is Begareth, the former Carmine me Captain!¡¹

    ¡¸Just shut your mouth already!¡¹

    While Apollonius didn¡¯t seem to be carrying a relic, Begareth wielded a familiar-looking gun-shaped relic.

    Whoever summoned them seems to have reproduced their relics as well.

    A few of the other zombies introduced themselves as well, and they were indeed past captains of the Red Knights. The rest apparently had their relics too.

    However, there were two individuals that seemed out of ce. Apparently, neither of them had any connection to Apollonius in life.

    Nevertheless, they read the mood and sensed a need to introduce themselves. With a somewhat disgruntled expression, the two revealed their names.

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m Yuvel.¡¹

    Yuvel was a handsome young man with dark skin and ck hair. He easily carried a huge sword on his shoulder and stared at us with blue eyes. His light, white attire was adorned with gold and silver gems throughout, hinting at his high noble status. However, his appearance reminded me of Indian Maharaja rather than western nobility.

    Next to him was a cheerful young man with a tannedplexion and white hair, who was lightly poking the ground with an oak staff while smiling. He wore a white robe reminiscent of a mage. The fancy decoration indicated he was also of noble origins.

    ¡¸Ahaha! It¡¯s been hundreds of years since we passed away, and now we¡¯re the dogs of the country that apparently annihted our homnd! Life can be so unpredictable! Oh, except we¡¯re already dead! Ahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Just shut up, Oldona. There¡¯s nothing funny about this at all. Stealing a staff from some half-dead elf is no job for a king.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so? But we might as well have some fun if we can¡¯t resist our binds, right?¡¹

    It sounded nothing like a conversation between two zombies. They really are zombies, right?

    ¡¸Taking a staff from an elf?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right! We want the staff the elf over there is supposed to be carrying. The one that popped out of the Great Spirit! Oh, but you don¡¯t have to hand it over if you don¡¯t want to. We were told to kill him too, so that cane first.¡¹

    ¡¸Stop bbing everything, Oldona.¡¹

    So they¡¯re after the staff that Hideman was targeting. Pretty sure the Great Spirit is holding onto that, but they probably have a way to pull it out after killing Klimt.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Imagine being able to face the legendary King Yuvel on the battlefield! I envy you, girl! If only we could switch ces!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­King Yuvel? Who¡¯s that?¡¹

    ¡¸You know nothing about the famed goblin yer?! He was once the hero-king of Lamas, thergest nation in this region when Raydoss was still weak! With only a few men under hismand, King Yuvel repelled a horde of a million goblins!¡¹

    Whoa, so he¡¯s a historical figure from a really long time ago. It seems they can reproduce anyone who performed outstanding deeds in this region, even if they aren¡¯t from Raydoss.

    ¡¸A million goblins? That¡¯s amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Right? I¡¯d love to get the chance to fight him!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    No! Stop nodding in agreement, Fran! We¡¯re kinda in a pinch here! That definitely makes him at least Rank A if he maintains the same abilities he had in life!

    A bunch of past Red Knight Captains, plus some Rank A equivalent warrior and a mage. They¡¯re really sending in some excessive firepower here!

 Chapter 1248: Vs Hero Zombies

    <h4>Chapter 1248: Vs Hero Zombies</h4>

    Fran¡¯s face lit up upon hearing about the legends of King Yuvel.

    ¡¸A million goblins? That¡¯s amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Right? I¡¯d love to get the chance to fight a warrior of his caliber!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Despite the praise, Yuvel only sighed with a frown.

    ¡¸A million, you say? I see they¡¯ve exaggerated history quite a bit. It was around 300,000 at most.¡¹

    ¡¸Even that is a tremendous feat!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Enough of this. We have work to do.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, but of course! You arepletely right!¡¹

    Yuvel and Apollonius turned towards us, and the other Hero Zombies quietly readied themselves for battle. I knew this wasing. Yuvel said his orders were to take the staff from Klimt.

    Let¡¯s try to stretch out the negotiations and buy as much time as¨D¨D

    ¡¸Kill them first and we can find the staffter! Die!¡¹

    ¡ºTch!¡»

    No room for negotiations, huh!

    Without a word, Begareth pulled the trigger of the Crimson me. Thus signaled the start of the battle.

    We dodged thesers and returned the favor with purification magic. I invoked Area Purify, enveloping the Hero Zombies with a brilliant sh of white light.

    However, my spell wasn¡¯t very effective. Our enemies possessed so much mana and evil energy that they couldn¡¯t be fully purified.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºThis is bad! Klimt!¡»

    Fran¡¯s rapid movements resulted in shaking Klimt¡¯s body. Minor tremors that wouldn¡¯t usually be a problem could potentially prove fatal in Klimt¡¯s current condition.

    Fran responded by restraining her speed. In the meantime, I used restoration magic, but it didn¡¯t seem to have much effect on Klimt. He must havepletely drained himself, and maybe even shaved off some of his lifespan.

    The recoil seemed even more severe than that of divine energy. So this is the price of unleashing the Great Spirit¡¯s full power¡­?

    We couldn¡¯t afford to make any sudden movements while holding the half-dead Klimt. Meanwhile, our enemies had their gazes constantly fixed on him, since he was their main target.

    Perhaps we could send Klimt away with Urushi and hold back our enemies from pursuing. However, that strategy fails if half of them split off to chase him.

    ¡¸Klimt, wait here for a bit.¡¹

    In the end, there was only one road forward: putting Klimt down and protecting him with Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield, then defeating all our enemies before they can kill him.

    However, Klimt called out to Fran before she went to challenge Apollonius and the other zombies.

    ¡¸¡­Hold on¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Klimt?¡¹

    ¡¸L-Let me¡­ give you this¡­¡¹

    Klimt reached out with trembling hands, gently bringing Fran¡¯s forehead to his mouth. Immediately afterward, I felt a surge of mana from within her.

    Klimt did not simply share his mana with Fran.

    A ball of pale blue light formed above Fran¡¯s head, which gradually transformed into a miniature girl that would fit on the palm of her hand.

    ¡¸Marle.¡¹

    The girl smiled faintly in response to Fran¡¯s murmuring. After bing a spirit, Marle was sleeping within Fran all this time.

    It seems Klimt somehow rejuvenated the sleeping Marle. The spirit girl perched on Fran¡¯s shoulder and turned to face me directly. She must know who I am.

    ¡¸Klimt, thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m heading out.¡¹

    Marle herself might not be all that powerful, but receiving support from her and Klimt was very reassuring. The blue light surrounding Fran glowed brighter as Marle gleefully flew around us.

    Fran stepped outside the barrier created by Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield, then reduced it to a narrow size just enough to cover Klimt. Any means to minimize fatigue will help us prepare for the intense battle ahead.

    ¡¸Well, well! Your aura has be more impressive in a short time! Excellent! I¡¯m looking forward to our sh!¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t say I agree. Only a madman is delighted when their enemies grow stronger. That said, it seems we must eliminate this girl before we can reach the elf. In other words, there¡¯s only one thing left to do!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! Young girl, try and resist us with all your might!¡¹

    The two moved into action simultaneously, with Apollonius charging at us with a cloak of mes. Meanwhile, Begareth did the opposite and made some distance.

    Begareth¡¯s words implied some sort of conflict with Apollonius, but their coordination was spot on. They¡¯ve likely fought together on the battlefield back when they were alive.

    The other Red Knights also moved to positions better suited for their respective skills. However, I didn¡¯t manage to track all of them. Apollonius was so formidable that we had to concentrate on him.

    ¡¸I am Apollonius, the Wings of me! You shall know the origin of my alias!¡¹

    Apollonius flew towards us at lightning speed by creating a ming explosion behind himself. This happened so quickly that we only barely managed to dodge in time. Moreover, it seems he maintained fine control over his movements.

    Just when I thought we had avoided his initial charge, he spewed additional mes from his side. This made him slide directly toward us, putting us in range of his halberd.

    I managed to deflect his swing with telekinesis, though the sheer heat still scorched Fran¡¯s skin. Her regeneration quickly healed the damage, but taking additional hits might cause her concentration to waver.

    However, the searing heat only reached Fran once. She was now covered by a light blue membrane which shielded her from heat and embers.

    £¨Marle!£©

    ¡ºWhoa! This is quite helpful!¡»

    Even a little bit of support is greatly appreciated in such a hard-fought battle. Unfortunately for us though, Apollonius wasn¡¯t our only enemy.

    ¡¸Hey girl, let me get a smell of your burning flesh!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh dear, Begareth. Yourck of manners is as revolting as ever!¡¹

    ¡¸Grgh¡­! Silence, Violetta!¡¹

    ¡¸Bwahahahaha! Death has done nothing to change his rotten personality!¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again!¡¹

    ¡¸Zinga, Lucard, how about I roast you idiots first?¡¹

    The red-haireddy must be Violetta of the Blood Maiden Knights, while the tall elderly man with a bow was Zinga of the Dusk Rain. Finally, the short and muscr young man was likely Lucard of the Vermillion Eye due to his red eyes.

    Violetta wore the same armor as the current Blood Maiden Captain, Roza. It must be an heirloom passed down through the generations.

    Despite their bickering, the Hero Zombies had their eyes focused on us. Dealing with all of them at the same time will be incredibly troublesome.

 Chapter 1249: Evil Gods Trust

    <h4>Chapter 1249: Evil God''s Trust</h4>

    Perhaps in an attempt to pin us down, the knightsunched several attacks at Fran.

    We had to dodge the burningsers unleashed by the former Carmine me Captain, Rob¡¯s halberd, the Blood Maiden¡¯s red mist, as well as the Dusk Rain¡¯s red arrows.

    We knew a lot about them thanks to the intel Kranzel obtained from captured spies, as well as what we heard from the Red Knights. There were six orders of Red Knights, and the captain of each wielded a relic that is the symbol of their division.

    First, the Red Sword of the Red Sword Knights.

    Second, the gun-shaped relic Carmine me.

    Third, the Cardinal g, a banner with the ability to enhance legions.

    Fourth, the Blood Maiden, a gauntlet with powers for ying vampires.

    Fifth, the Dusk Rain, an enchanted bow with anti-army capabilities.

    Lastly, the Vermilion Eye, which apparently enhances the wielder¡¯s sight and other parameters.

    All of them aside from Cardinal g and Vermilion Eye have direct offense capabilities.

    That said, we¡¯ve faced most of them already, so we knew how to deal with their attacks.

    I spammed purification magic to nullify the red mist, while deploying multiple anti-me barriers. Thisbined with Marle¡¯s protection should allow us to contain two of the threats.

    Next is the red arrows, but there¡¯s not much I can do but deflect them with abination of wind magic and telekinesis. It seems the archer was focusing on the power of their arrows rather than the number, since they needed to avoid hitting their allies. That¡¯s fortunate for us, since dealing with less arrows is easier.

    ¡¸Whoa, whoa! You¡¯re still unscathed, despite getting targeted by so many relics? Fuhahaha! Girl, you must be some kind of monster!¡¹

    Apolloniusughed with glee, but the other captains seemed somewhat frustrated. They had enough free will to disy such emotions.

    However, we couldn¡¯t afford to let ourselves get carried away. The only ones currently attacking us were the six former Red Knight Captains.

    Meanwhile, King Yuvel and Oldona were simply observing us. There were also two other Red Knights who had yet to act.

    None of them had relics for some reason, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can underestimate them. They¡¯re likely former Red Knight Captains from even further back in history.

    And they were clearly looking for an opening to strike.

    £¨We can¡¯t lose! I¡¯ll protect Klimt no matter what!£©

    ¡ºUrushi! Focus on distracting the ones who aren¡¯t fighting!¡»

    £¨Woof!£©

    We¡¯ve managed to hold our own against Apollonius and five Hero Zombies, but they were clearly not serious yet. Any further reinforcements would put us at a huge disadvantage.

    Someone needs to distract them. If only we could further split up their forces, but we simply didn¡¯t have enough allies.

    Or rather, I suppose there was another guy we could call upon.

    ¡ºI guess this isn¡¯t the time to beining about annoyances! Come forth!¡»

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Eternal thanks to my god for summoning me! I have been observing the situation from inside! Leave those two noble-looking ones to me!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright.¡»

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Urooooh! By themand of my god and the cat-eared priestess, I will fulfill my mission!¡¹

    Yuvel and Oldona seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the sinister ghoul. Especially since he let loose an entric shout before charging at them.

    Judging by the looks of things, he should be able to stall them for a bit.

    Upon summoning Avenger, I was reminded of another strategy we could employ.

    These Hero Zombies contained a dense chunk of evil energy. This ¡°data reproduction¡± thing likely utilized the power of the Evil God Fragments. Which means I might be able to manipte what was making them up.

    That being the case, could I seize control over them like I did with Avenger? It seemed possible.

    Unlike before, I now had Evil God¡¯s Trust. My domination ability should be even stronger.

    ¡ºMight as well give it a shot!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I activated Evil God¡¯s Trust, and began feeling the flow of evil even more strongly than when I had Evil Conquest. My ability to manipte it improved as well.

    That said, our enemies were even more formidable. A minor bit of interference wasn¡¯t nearly enough to take control over them. Moreover, I couldn¡¯t afford to dedicate my full attention to the task while in the middle ofbat.

    I continued trying to interfere with the evil energy while desperately keeping up with Apollonius and the other knights. However, splitting my concentration caused me to fail.

    ¡¸It seems you are attempting some sort of trick, but can you really afford to focus on something else right now?¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Apollonius isn¡¯t your only opponent!¡¹

    The moment Apollonius¡¯s halberd shattered our barriers, we got shot by Carmine me.

    Theser charred Fran¡¯s arm, causing it to emit smoke.

    It even managed to prate Marle¡¯s protection. Such powerful heat could only not be blocked, only weakened.

    I immediately healed Fran¡¯s wound, but taking a hit disrupted Fran¡¯s bnce and forced her into a defensive stance. Nevertheless, Fran delivered a few counterattacks into the gaps in the knights¡¯ coordination, but Apollonius evaded all her attempts.

    Fran¡¯s attacks were backed by brutal speed and the perfect timing, but Apollonius¡¯s top-tier defense proved to be as formidable as his destructive power.

    I considered ying a trump card to finish them off quickly, though I quickly threw away the idea. The fatigue would put us at a huge disadvantage if any of the knights survived.

    It might be a good gamble if we knew what we were up against, but the knights hadn¡¯t even gotten serious yet. We couldn¡¯t afford to act recklessly.

    Dammit! If only there were fewer of them¡­!

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    I sensed people approaching from both the north and south. I guess the north means enemy reinforcements?

    However, my assumption was quickly proved wrong. We soon recognized the familiar presencesing at us from the north.

    £¨Amanda! Forrund!£©

    ¡ºThey¡¯re okay!¡»

    What¡¯s more, they were followed by the presence of several hundred troops. They must have sensed the battle taking ce and came to scout it out.

    While I¡¯m d they turned out to be safe, I¡¯m even more happy to see some very wee reinforcements.

    On the other hand, the ones from the south seemed to be a bit problematic. It was Siby and Madred. They won¡¯t join the enemies here¡­ right?

 Chapter 1250: Whip and Blade

    <h4>Chapter 1250: Whip and de</h4>

    Fran delivered several counterattacks to Apollonius, but he quickly regenerated each. Meanwhile, the other Hero Zombies seized the opportunity to strike.

    We could easily defeat any of the Red Knights aside from Apollonius in a one-on-one battle, but their impable coordination left no openings for us to counter.

    In other words, the five knights covered for Apollonius perfectly. Especially annoying were the Blood Maiden¡¯s red mist and the Dusk Rain¡¯s red arrows.

    The continuous flow of red mist forced me to constantly use purification magic, which drained a significant amount of mana.

    And the arrows curving at us from all directions meant we had to focus a lot on evasion.

    In addition, the Vermilion Eye was deceptively troublesome. The only avable information we had about it was pretty vague, and not at all a fair evaluation of its actual abilities.

    The Vermilion Eye Captain had the ability to see through all of our feints, and anticipate every counter from both me and Fran. Rather than simply enhancing the wielder¡¯s vision, it must be boosting the wielder¡¯s brain processing speed.

    We still managed tond the asional hit through undodgeable area-of-effect attacks and surprise attacks from teleportation. Yet all of the damage we dealt was healed just as quickly. Such a situation would be enough to break anyone¡¯s spirit.

    Not Fran though, because she was fueled by her determination to protect Klimt, as well as the presence of our quickly approaching allies.

    The first arrival was signaled by a sharp whip strike wreaking havoc on the enemy lines. This urred so quickly that it was impossible to see with the naked eye.

    I¡¯m sure the Hero Zombies realized Amanda¡¯s approach, but it seems they couldn¡¯t react to the sheer speed of the whip.

    As a result, Violetta and Rob got blown away.

    ¡¸How dare you bully my Fran-chan like this?!¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda!¡¹

    ¡¸Oraaaa!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh!¡¹

    Amanda was absolutely furious. She leapt through the still rampaging whip storm to deliver a dropkick to Apollonius and send him flying.

    Her cloak of wind apparently extinguished Apollonius¡¯s mes, allowing her feet to escape unscathed.

    ¡¸Fran-chan! Sorry for the wait!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Amanda continued her charge, this time heading for Zinga of the Dusk Rain and Begareth of the Carmine me.

    Once their attention was focused on Amanda, countless magic swords rained down from the sky. Forrund had delivered an ambush after concealing his presence with an enchanted sword.

    None of the swords delivered a fatal blow, but his appearance proved that Fran¡¯s reinforcements were formidable. Thus giving us the advantage of momentum, or so it should have been¡­

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Excellent! The arrival of additional foes! Now thing are getting exciting!¡¹

    Apollonius¡¯s face was filled with delight. Not only that, but his mana clearly underwent a surge.

    ¡¸The stronger my foes, the more fired up I get!¡¹

    Apollonius went on a violent rampage of his own, infusing his halberd with a dazzling cloak of dense mana, and delivering countless strikes with blinding speed.

    Each swing released waves of me into the air, covering the battlefield in crimson embers.

    He wasn¡¯t even doing anything particrly advanced. Fran and Forrund undoubtedly had the advantage in terms of skill level.

    However, his overwhelmingly high stats gave him enough power to ovee the difference in skill. His strength was simply too much to beat with refined techniques.

    Fierce tremors and explosions echoed through the battlefield. At this point, it was hard to believe that such sounds could be caused by shes between ordinary weapons.

    The scorched earth was burning in crimson.

    Forrund barely managed to avoid a direct hit as he swapped out swords. It appears he had pinpoint counters in swords specifically designed to protect against mes and explosions.

    That said, he was fully upied with defense and had no room tounch an attack.

    Fran was stuck in a simr situation. Apollonius¡¯s fierce rampage left her struggling to find an opening to counterattack.

    Additionally, Rob of the Cardinal g and Violetta of the Blood Maiden attacked us intermittently as well. We were constantly forced on the defensive with no respite.

    In contrast, Apollonius still seemed energetic. Since he¡¯s a zombie, he might be able to continue doing the same thing until he runs out of mana. At this rate, we¡¯ll get worn down first.

    £¨Master, I¡¯ll do something a bit reckless.£©

    ¡º¡­Okay, fine! I¡¯ll back you up!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran gave a light nod before jumping all the way forward. She deployed a max power barrier and dove into the gaps between Apollonius¡¯s shes.

    We were caught by several explosions to our sides, enveloping us in fire.

    Our Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield was still deployed around Klimt, so we had little choice but to defend ourselves with a regr barrier. Fran took some injuries as a result, but she kept going.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    To Apollonius¡¯s astonishment, Fran closed the distance in an instant and wordlessly swung me, enveloped in ck lightning.

    Fran managed to activate ck Thunder Divine w on the spot!

    Apollonius tried to block with the shaft of his halberd, but I interfered using telekinesis. My adjustment of the halberd¡¯s trajectory disrupted his guard.

    Thus, my de mmed into Apollonius¡¯s exposed torso, leaving a wave of ck lightning in its wake. The electricity conducted through his entire body, scorching it ck.

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    It didn¡¯t deal a great deal of damage. That said, electrocuting him was enough to stun his movements for a brief moment. Zombies require the mana flowing through their bodies to move, and this phenomenon can be overwritten by more powerful mana.

    Meanwhile, Forrund didn¡¯t let the opening go to waste.

    ¡¸Take this.¡¹

    Over a dozen magic swords went flying at the defenseless Apollonius.

 Chapter 1251: Apolloniuss Rampage

    <h4>Chapter 1251: Apollonius''s Rampage</h4>

    Dozens of swords flew at Apollonius, and he had no way to evade them.

    The countless des impaled his body. That said, he had already proved he was no ordinary man.

    ¡¸Well done, I say¡­!¡¹

    He didn¡¯t even need a barrier; his body was simply that durable. The tips of the magic swords may have pierced his flesh, but none went throughpletely.

    Apollonius quickly recovered and unleashed mes from his entire body, causing the magic swords to melt away and disappear.

    ¡¸This is nowhere near enough to take me down! URAAAAAH!¡¹

    ¡ºDamn!¡»

    I reflexively teleported us high into the air. Apollonius had released an even more powerful inferno.

    It seems he was taking the ¡°just obliterate the entire area if your enemy keeps dodging you¡± strategy. The other Hero Zombies had already retreated out of range in anticipation of this.

    They must have known what Apollonius was after.

    Amanda swiftly swung her whip to extinguish the mes and create a path for retreat. Forrund, however, got engulfed in mes. He didn¡¯t make it in time to escape Apollonius¡¯s charge.

    I could hear metallic nging sounds from behind the roaring mes. Forrund and Apollonius seemed to be battling it out inside there.

    We stood in front of the swirling ze that covered an area of about thirty meters. Yet before it subsided, Forrund got flung out with blood gushing from his abdomen.

    ¡¸Forrund!¡¹

    ¡ºWait, Fran!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran was about to rush to Forrund¡¯s aid, but a killing intent suddenly appeared from behind. Apollonius had teleported right behind us, and I couldn¡¯t tell when!

    We turned to see Apollonius with his halberd raised. What¡¯s more, his weapon had grown even more deadly. The mes entwined around the halberd gave it a simr glow to moltenva.

    I reflexively put up anotheryer of barriers behind Fran,bining it with hers to make it more sturdy.

    Yet Apollonius easily sliced through theyered barriers. Nevertheless, the slight pause allowed Fran to narrowly evade the swing.

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Not enough I see!¡¹

    Fran took some burns from the fiery halberd after we failed to detect his teleport. However, Apollonius was unsatisfied at the fact that his best attack on a distracted opponent got evaded.

    As such, both sides grunted in discontent.

    However, Fran¡¯s pausested only a moment. She activated ck Lightning Roll to move behind Apollonius and pay back the favor.

    The divine sh tore through Apollonius¡¯s barrier and inflicted a deep cut onto his arm. But at the same time, Apollonius thrust the butt end of his halberd backward in an attempt to counter us.

    Fran leaped back to evade and created some distance.

    ¡¸¡­So that can¡¯t get you either! You¡¯re too fast!¡¹

    Apollonius was growing increasingly frustrated. Despite having the clear advantage in pure power, hecked the ability to finish off the apparently weak girl in front of him.

    Or rather, not being able to inflict major damage at all. It must be gnawing at him.

    Apollonius took his gear up another notch, releasing mes from his entire body again. This allowed him to elerate himself for tricky movements. His speed and power seemed to be pushing the limits of what he could actually control.

    Together with Forrund, we crossed des with Apollonius. Meanwhile, Amanda returned to holding back Begareth and Zinga. She¡¯s a real lifesaver.

    Even without any words from Fran, Amanda knew that the disruptive long-range attackers needed to be dealt with. The speed and sharpness of her whip strikes had almost exceeded our range of perception.

    We had fought Amanda during the martial arts tournament, but she was practically a different personpared to back then. I knew why too, this must be due to her title.

    Amanda¡¯s ¡°Guardian of Children¡± title grants her power when protecting children and imposes negative effects when fighting against children. The title itself may even be revoked in extreme circumstances.

    The martial arts tournament wasn¡¯t a battle to the death, so it was okay for her to fight a child like Fran. However, Amanda¡¯s abilities should have been significantly reduced. I don¡¯t remember seeing any change in her stats, but I believe she must have had some sort of debuff in effect.

    On the other hand, the current Amanda was utilizing her Guardian of Children power to its fullest. She was currently fighting to protect Fran, as well as all the children of Alessa.

    ¡¸Hah! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let anyone hurt Fran-chan while I¡¯m here!¡¹

    ¡¸Shit! I can¡¯t get past that damn whip!¡¹

    ¡¸Argh! It¡¯s too fast to dodge!¡¹

    Amanda hadpletely subdued the two former Red Knight Captains. This must be her true strength.

    Thanks to her efforts, our opponents were now limited to Apollonius, Rob, Lucard, and Violetta. That said, we were still outnumbered.

    And all of them were formidable opponents that we couldn¡¯t afford to underestimate.

    ¡¸Lucard! Let¡¯s do this!¡¹

    ¡¸Take this!¡¹

    And they just proved it. Violetta and Lucard, who had seemed quiet up until now, suddenly invoked abination of me magic and storm magic. They must have been casting in secret.

    The mes created by Violetta were propelled by Lucard¡¯s wind to surround us.

    Said spells ended up hitting Apollonius too, but he simplyughed merrily while covered in mes. The man went directly for us without any attempt at defending himself.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Now things are getting fun! Try this!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºCrap!¡»

    Apollonius transformed his body into mes, just like Izario! He had been hiding this ability the entire time!

    It¡¯s already toote to dodge or cast a spell!

    The me transformation allowed Apollonius to evade Fran¡¯s de and unleashed a full-force strike of his own. His halberd¡¯s de swept across Fran¡¯s abdomen.

    Fran was left with a deep wound and many scorched organs. The heat had carbonized a portion of her lungs, as ck smoke poured from her mouth.

    ¡¸<i>Cough</i>¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran!¡»

    I cast healing magic while teleporting us further back for more time to heal. But Apollonius was already right in front of us after we teleported.

    ¡¸Can¡¯t run from me, missy!¡¹

    Our teleport didn¡¯t do a thing! Dammit!

    There¡¯s no way to run. At this point, Potential Release is my only remaining¨D¨D

    The moment I had resolved myself, someone jumped in between Fran and Apollonius. The red-headed figure took the halberd being swung down on Fran in her ce.

    ¡¸What the hell is going on here?!¡¹

 Chapter 1252: Sibylla and Madred

    <h4>Chapter 1252: Siby and Madred</h4>

    Siby stood between Fran and Apollonius, having taken a direct hit from the halberd aimed at Fran.

    Yet her skin and red hair had not a single scorch on it. She also showed no sign of difort on her face.

    ¡¸S-Siby¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Don¡¯t talk!¡»

    ¡¸!¡¹

    We need to focus on healing the injuries right now! Marle assisted me with the healing process.

    After all, we have no clue what will happen next. We were up against the former Red Knight Captains, and I could easily see Siby considering them asrades.

    ¡¸Old man, what¡¯s going on here? Have you really be one of the ck Skeleton Corps¡¯s dogs?¡¹

    ¡¸As if, dumbass! Well, let¡¯s just say various things happened, and I somehow came back to life! More importantly, why are you protecting that girl? She¡¯s from Kranzel, no?¡¹

    ¡¸For the sake of our people!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah, I see! It can¡¯t be helped if it¡¯s for our people!¡¹

    Okay. I had heard the two weren¡¯t blood rtives, but the conversation confirmed that they were father and daughter without any room for doubt.

    However, their fighting spirit was equally as clear. They saw each other as enemies.

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve always wanted to have a serious fight with my old man.¡¹

    ¡¸Same goes for me! Bring it on, idiot daughter of mine!¡¹

    ¡¸About time for you to get sent back to the afterlife, you lousy father!¡¹

    Eh? Are they really going to fight?

    As I was still confused, Apollonius and Siby began their sh.

    What¡¯s more, Siby wasn¡¯t the only one who arrived. Red arrows rained down on the battlefield, and they weren¡¯t being fired by the Hero Zombie Zinga.

    ¡¸Madred.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­This is for our people. We fight together, for now.¡¹

    It seems both Siby and Madred decided to join our side.

    ¡ºSuch reassuring reinforcements!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Forrund recovered his wounds with one of his swords and returned to the front lines, allowing us to divide our enemies.

    Urushi, Avenger, Amanda, Forrund, Siby, and Madred took on the rest of the Hero Zombies. Meanwhile, our only opponent was Rob of the Cardinal g.

    ¡¸To think I would get a rematch with the one who felled me.¡¹

    ¡¸You still have your memories?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, I remember everything.¡¹

    Despite Rob¡¯s words, there was no trace of resentment in his eyes. It was quite remarkable how he, despite being a zombie, carried a sense of purity.

    ¡¸The current me can understand Siby¡¯s point of view a bit better, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to hold back. The binds on me prevent that.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Rob was certainly strong, but Fran had already defeated him once. She parried all of the knight¡¯s attacks with ease.

    However, Fran¡¯s expression started to darken as the battle continued.

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong, Fran?¡»

    £¨Something feels¡­ weird.£©

    Fran apparently sensed something unusual urring within her body. Apparently, there was something like a slight dy whenever she tried to move.

    ¡ºIs it just because you¡¯re exhausted?¡»

    £¨No.£©

    If the others felt something like this, they would probably attribute it to the faint cloud of evil energy covering Raydoss. However, such conditions should have no effect on us. I directed my senses toward thend and underground, and sensed the presence of a vortex of mana there. Could this be something simr in nature to illusion magic?

    The barrier for absorbing life force and mana may have disappeared, but it seems that wasn¡¯t the only anomaly. There was apparently some sort of magic deployed under Raydoss territory for confusing the senses of living creatures.

    Raydoss employs undead as one of its main forces, so such a tactic might be very beneficial to them. Our allies never noticed this, which was likely due to its weak influence and the fact that their senses were already disrupted by evil energy.

    I tried casting a purification ward around Fran.

    ¡ºHow does it feel now?¡»

    £¨Nn. The strange feeling is gone.£©

    Fran¡¯s movements visibly improved. Until now, I had attributed her somewhat sluggish movements to exhaustion. If I had realized this earlier, it might have spared her from getting injured during her battle with Apollonius.

    Now that Fran was back in form, our battle with Rob became more manageable. I didn¡¯t need to allocate as much resources to fending off the others, so we could focus on dealing with him alone.

    ¡ºEvil God¡¯s Trust, activate!¡»

    ¡¸Mrgh! What the¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºUgh, the resistance is insane!¡»

    ¡¸Nrrrgh!¡¹

    My attempt got repelledpletely!

    Perhaps it only worked so well on Avenger because he was already favorable to the Evil God. Meanwhile, Rob wasn¡¯t anything close to an Evil God worshiper.

    Either way, dominating him won¡¯t work like this.

    ¡ºIn that case, try this!¡»

    This time, I activated the purification spell, Holy Zone. While the purifying effect wasn¡¯t as potent as Purify, this spell was capable of purifying the area contained in a ward over time.

    Thus, I could try taking control over Rob once he¡¯s weakened enough!

    Unfortunately, Rob proved to be too powerful to be contained by the ward for more than a split second.

    £¨Master, can you try learning a even stronger spell right now?£©

    ¡º¡­Good idea. I¡¯ll boost my Purification Magic skill further.¡»

    We might find ourselves fighting a fragment of the Evil God sooner than we think. Whether we choose to fight or to flee, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a high level in Purification Magic.

    I put several points into Purification Magic, increasing its level from 5 all the way to 10.

    ¡¶Purification Magic has reached Lv Max. Purification Boost has been added to the skill list. Fran has attained the title ¡°Purification Mage¡±.¡·

    ¡¶The requirements have been met. Obtained the Unique Skill ¡°Essence of Magic¡±.¡·

    ¡¶Fran has attained the title ¡°Divine Mage¡±.¡·

    I-It wasn¡¯t just Purification Magic! We just got some pretty incredible sounding skills and titles as well!

    Essence of Magic seems to be a skill for reducing the recoil and mana consumption of all spells. Apparently, the acquirement condition is to max out multiple schools of higher-tier magic.

    Since it¡¯s a Unique Skill, it should be pretty strong.

    The ¡°Divine Mage¡± title was exactly as it sounded, a title for allowing Fran to swap to the Divine Mage job. Must be the same as the Swordking title we got before. Well, I doubt Fran will ever switch to a caster job, but the title also seems to improve mana efficiency.

    With the title and Essence of Magic, that¡¯s some huge boosts to our casting capabilities. We only got Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield a short while ago, so we¡¯re really raking in the good skills!

    ¡ºAs for the supreme-tier purification spell¡­ Got it!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

 Chapter 1253: Avengers New Friends

    <h4>Chapter 1253: Avenger''s New Friends</h4>

    ¡ºAs for the supreme-tier purification spell¡­ Got it!¡»

    Furthermore, I had a more detailed understanding of the spell¡¯s range and effects than when I learned the me spell Surtr. Could this be due to having Essence of Magic now?

    ¡ºFran, let¡¯s move back a bit.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    This created some distance between us and our allies, but in exchange, we now had a full view of everything.

    ¡ºMight as well do a multi-cast too! Such an extravagant first showing!¡»

    Purification magic¡¯s supreme spell turned out to be a concentrated st of immense power, just like Kanna Kamui.

    ¡ºHaaah! Purification spell, Airgem!¡»

    In response to my words, five enormous magic circles appeared before us, arranged in the shape of a fan.

    ¡ºFire!¡»

    A few secondster, shes of silver light burst forth from the magic circles.

    Airgem, the level 10 purification spell, conjures a silverser of purifying mana.

    As such, it was pretty simr to Kanna Kamui. The biggest difference was that theseserscked any physical destructive power. Despite getting engulfed by the silver light, our allies remainedpletely unharmed.

    On the other hand, the effect on undead creatures was immense. Be it Rob or even Apollonius, they all froze upon touching the light.

    Meanwhile, I swiped the beams sideways to grab more targets.

    My imperfect control over the spell only allowed me to adjust the angle a bit, but this proved to be enough. After only ten seconds, we had dealt all the Hero Zombies a considerable amount of damage.

    It dealt more damage than Fran¡¯s ck Thunder Divine w, which was packed with divine energy. Airgem was likely doubly effective, since the targets were both undead and entities containing evil energy.

    ¡ºAlright! Time to finish this!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡ºHoly Pce!¡»

    Next I cast the Lv8 purification spell, Holy Pce. This was essentially a potent purification ward with massive range. And such a high level spell would not budge in front of a bit of evil energy. I poured a bunch of mana into the ward, entrapping Rob inside and forcing him to his knees.

    ¡ºOh yeah! Time for another try! Evil God¡¯s Trust, activate!¡»

    ¡¸GWAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    It¡¯s working! Rob was clearly weakened, which affected his ability to resist. I got a firm grasp on the evil energy inside him!

    ¡º<strong>Obey me!</strong>¡»

    ¡¸UROOOOOOOOOOH!¡¹

    I battled with Rob¡¯s resistance as we yed tug of war for control. While it was surprising that he could resist in this state, the powerful purification spell and barrier had inflicted significant damage. As a result, his defenses were imperfect.

    ¡¸¡­Hah¡­ My new lord. As much as it pains me to admit, control over me has been transferred to you.¡¹

    ¡ºAtst, sess!¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Rob¡¯s fighting spirit vanished, and the evil energy forming him clearly submitted to mymand. While this didn¡¯t brainwash him into pledging allegiance, it forced him to obey my orders.

    This change was much more significant than simply reducing the number of enemies. We had shifted the entire flow of battle.

    The Cardinal g¡¯s Army Enhancement effect had swapped targets from the Hero Zombies to our side.

    Upon recognizing the change, the other Hero Zombies stared at Rob with astonishment in their eyes.

    The battle had tilted in our favor in no small way, especially since they were already forced on the defensive after my Airgem. Meanwhile, Madred started backing the former Dusk Rain Captain Zinga into a corner.

    £¨Master, next one!£©

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    I cast Holy Pce once again, this time on Lucard, who had been engaged with Forrund.

    Lucard managed to avoid the rain of magical swords, but not my ward at the same time. Still, his Vermilion Eye seemed to see iting. That thing must have powers beyond what I know.

    Well, not that it will help him escape out of this pinch!

    ¡ºI¡¯m starting to get the hang of this now! Let¡¯s pick up the pace!¡»

    ¡¸Woooaah! This is¡­ Kah!¡¹

    It worked! Lucard dropped to his knees and lowered his head.

    ¡¸My liege, I will follow your orders.¡¹

    ¡ºGood. Go support Avenger!¡»

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    I sent Rob and Lucard to help Avenger, who was in the most difficult situation. Poison and curses have no effect on other undead, so hecked the tools necessary to fight.

    Nevertheless, he took on Yuvel and Oldona valiantly. Well, I guess he always has the perfect escape route with me here, so it doesn¡¯t really matter how much damage he takes. With Rob and Lucard covering that side, we should be able to contain those two.

    Thus, I then began to take control of the Hero Zombies one by one. Begareth, Violetta, and Zinga were incorporated into our forces thanks to Evil God¡¯s Trust.

    Next was the other two Red Knights, whose names I didn¡¯t even know. Urushi was currently focusing on keeping them at bay.

    But despite being two against one, the knights had been fleeing from Urushi the entire time.

    The two were apparently weaker than I initially thought. The first was a time-space mage responsible for transport and logistics, and the other was a spirit caster.

    Neither had managed to demonstrate their true abilities at all.

    The time-space mage¡¯s primary role was to teleport the other Hero Zombies this far, and his actual strength was only around the level of a Rank C adventurer.

    Meanwhile, the spirit caster was kinda pitiful. He apparently couldn¡¯t use spirit magic at all, likely due to the influence of Klimt¡¯s Great Spirit. Perhaps all the spirits in the region had fled or something?

    I¡¯m guessing he was given the role of interfering with Klimt¡¯s spirit magic or something.

    Urushi found pleasure in relentlessly chasing down the teleporting knights. I could hear his howls echoing around the area before I arrived.

    Either way, I took control over them without much resistance.

    ¡ºNow only Apollonius, Yuvel, and Oldona are left!¡»

 Chapter 1254: Subjugation Complete

    <h4>Chapter 1254: Subjugation Complete</h4>

    One by one, we continued recruiting the Hero Zombies using Evil God¡¯s Trust. The only ones left were Apollonius, Yuvel, and Oldona.

    Apollonius seemed to be having fun in his duel with Sybi, so we can save him forst.

    ¡ºGuess we start with Yuvel and Oldona.¡»

    Honestly, Yuvel didn¡¯t seem to be taking the fight seriously. It¡¯s as if he had no motivation. I remember himining that this wasn¡¯t a job for a king, but he shouldn¡¯t be able to ignore the orders of his summoner.

    In which case, is there some reason for him not getting serious?

    ¡ºEither way, Yuvel first!¡»

    I activated Evil God¡¯s Trust on Yuvel, but he simply brushed my attempt aside.

    The man¡¯s blue eyes red in our direction.

    ¡¸Finally our turn, huh. But I¡¯ll have you know that I have no intention of serving a weakling.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, show us your strength!¡¹

    Yuvel slowly stepped forward while brandishing a massive sword evenrger than himself. His light and graceful stride showed no signs of the sword¡¯s weight.

    It became clear just by watching his movements.

    This guy was strong.

    His strength was on apletely different level from the info my appraisal revealed. Well, considering how most of his essories were imbued with mana, he probably had a magical tool for fooling appraisal.

    Fran took a step back the moment Yuvel entered swinging range. Seeing that, Yuvel gave an impressed smile.

    ¡¸At least you seem to have sharp eyes.¡¹

    ¡¸Uh-huh, she just read the distance perfectly.¡¹

    ¡¸Either way, it¡¯s about time to start.¡¹

    ¡¸Hey, how about choosing a friend to join you? We can make it two-on-two.¡¹

    Just two-on-two¡­? We could always gang up on them with everyone aside from Siby since she¡¯s busy. Even so, Oldona¡¯s confident tone indicated that he knew Fran would take the challenge.

    It seems he deduced that Fran would ept the provocation based on her personality.

    ¡¸Then let me join her!¡¹

    ¡¸Amanda, thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me, Fran-chan!¡¹

    Fran and Amanda stood side by side with smiles. Being able to fight together like this was something they¡¯ve always wanted to do.

    And so, the two-on-two battle began. Seeing Yuvel¡¯s sh with Fran only further proved his strength. He may have reached the level of Swordking.

    What¡¯s even more extraordinary was his sheer strength. He just pushed back Fran in a head-on sh. In other words, his swordsmanship was on par with Fran, and he exceeded her in strength. We didn¡¯t seem to have much of an advantage speed-wise either.

    He¡¯s supposedly famous for annihting a horde of 300,000 goblins, but wouldn¡¯t that be nothing for a man of his caliber?

    Fran seemed to be enjoying the fight. It¡¯s been a while since we had an opponent who could keep up in a sword fight. The fact that Yuvel had yet to reveal everything at his disposal must be exciting as well.

    I nced to the side to find that Oldona was quite formidable as well. Despite being dressed like a mage, he managed to evade Amanda¡¯s whip several times. That said, the man was by no means stronger than her.

    Oldona was gradually pushed into a corner, before finally eating a direct hit. Following that, Amanda continued pummeling him without allowing any chance for a reversal. Moreover, she even had the leisure of supporting Fran.

    ¡¸I give, I give! Any more and I might develop a weird kink for this stuff! So please, spare me!¡¹

    ¡¸Dammit Oldona! Stop giving up so easily!¡¹

    ¡¸He can¡¯t beat Amanda.¡¹

    ¡¸So it seems¡­ Tch!¡¹

    Yuvel got his leg caught by Amanda¡¯s whip, and I mmed him with a series of spells. The force of the explosion broke Yuvel¡¯s stance, leaving him wide open.

    Finally, Fran delivered a powerful sh to sever Yuvel¡¯s right arm, which flew off along with his greatsword.

    ¡¸¡­I admit defeat.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh no, now you¡¯ve lost too.¡¹

    ¡¸Because you gave up the second you got hit.¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t me me for that. My opponent was pretty strong!¡¹

    Despite their banter, Yuvel and Oldona didn¡¯t seem very upset. The event was practically a mock battle.

    ¡¸Hehe, victory is ours!¡¹

    Meanwhile, Fran was pretty smug after winning the 2v2 match. She smiled up at Amanda, who had walked over to our side.

    ¡¸Amanda, we won!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! It¡¯s only natural!¡¹

    Amanda was also all smiles, while patting Fran¡¯s head at ultra-high speeds. So fast that it looked like her hair was about to catch fire. She¡¯s gonna go bald if you continue like that, so stop!

    ¡¸Oi, hurry up and do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but make sure it doesn¡¯t hurt too much!¡¹

    ¡¸You know we are no longer capable of feeling pain.¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, it¡¯s just a figure of speech.¡¹

    Again, they didn¡¯t seem to feel any frustration at losing. Both of them epted my domination without resistance.

    ¡ºNow the only one left is Apollonius¡­¡»

    £¨Siby seems to be having fun.£©

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    In front of us, the current Red Sword Captain and the former Red Sword Captain were having a cheerful duel whileughing.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Old man! This kind of feeble fire can¡¯t even scorch my skin! Maybe we can try grilling meat on itter!¡¹

    ¡¸Ridiculous! And I see you¡¯re using some kinda fancy sword now!¡¹

    ¡¸This is the new relic created from a Dungeon Core! The relic of the Red Sword Knights!¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh? So that research bore fruit! Seems fine as long as it¡¯s not bestowed by the king!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Of course! In the name of the Red Sword, we fight only for the people!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed! In the name of the Red Sword!¡¹

    Wait, what are they talking about? Is the relic of the Red Sword Knight special somehow? Considering how Apollonius isn¡¯t familiar with it, the relic may have beenpleted during Siby¡¯s tenure as captain.

    As much as I¡¯d hate to interrupt their reunion, it¡¯s about time to bring Apollonius under control.

    ¡¸Siby! Time¡¯s up!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! Fine! Then let¡¯s finish this! I¡¯ll show you a glimpse of my sword¡¯s power!¡¹

    ¡¸Bring it on!¡¹

    Siby imbued mana into the red sword in her hands. Then, the flow of mana reversed, as the sword granted Siby strength.

    As a result, Siby underwent a transformation.

    ¡¸Whoa? What the hell? That¡¯s pretty amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸Right? See if you can block this!¡¹

    Her arm grew several timesrger, and gained draconic features. It was as if Siby had transnted a dragon¡¯s arm onto herself.

    She went on to m her sword down on Apollonius with the mutated arm. Meanwhile, Apollonius attempted to block the hit with his halberd, but something offset his guard.

    This was Siby¡¯s tail. It wasn¡¯t just her arm; the transformation apparently caused her to sprout a tail as well.

    ¡¸Orah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwoooh!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s blow severed Apollonius¡¯s right arm before blowing a massive crater into the earth. Apollonius copsed on the spot, as the attack had also drained a massive amount of his mana.

    It seems Siby had some sort of draining ability too.

    ¡¸Hahaha! How do you like that!¡¹

    ¡¸Dammit! That sword is ridiculous!¡¹

    ¡¸Ahahaha!¡¹

    Well, at least that made him easier to control. Let¡¯s get this over with.

 Chapter 1255: Hero Zombies and Summoner

    <h4>Chapter 1255: Hero Zombies and Summoner</h4>

    The ten Hero Zombies lined up quietly in front of us. Who could have thought that we would really be able to dominate all of them?

    Appollonius of the Red Sword. Begareth of the Carmine me. Violetta of the Blood Maiden. Zinga of the Dusk Rain. Lucard of the Vermillion Eye. Rob of the Cardinal g. King Yuvel. Oldona. And thest two, Teiwas and Wilepho.

    All of them were smiling for some reason. Well, I guess Rob and King Yuvel looked somewhat disgruntled. But overall, they seemed to be in high spirits.

    By the way, Teiwas the time-space mage was the Red Sword Captain from 200 years ago. I would have to describe him as an unremarkable, middle-aged man.

    On the other hand, Wilepho the spirit caster was a dashing elderly man, and the Red Sword Captain from about 250 years ago. He apparently might have elf blood, but no one can say for sure due to him being an orphan that never knew his parents.

    I sessfully dominated all ten using evil energy, but unlike Avenger, I was unable to return them inside me. That¡¯s because Avenger and Urushi take up all of my summoning capacity. The Evil God Fragment couldn¡¯t do anything about it either.

    Which gives us little choice but to physically take them with us. Also, it would be incredibly difficult to summon them back if they ever disappear. We can¡¯t treat them as roughly as we do with Avenger.

    ¡¸Fran-chan? Can you exin what¡¯s going on now? Everyone suddenly became friendly, so we just kinda stopped fighting.¡¹

    ¡¸They all agreed to join me. Thanks to the super amazing power of this super amazing sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Wow, incredible! That¡¯s my Fran-chan!¡¹

    Amanda seemed satisfied with that exnation, along with Forrund and Klimt, who had somewhat recovered after drinking a potion. All three understood that it was my doing.

    Siby and Madred were definitely surprised, but being Red Knight Captains gave them knowledge of powerful weapons like the relics. They knew the possibility of a magical sword like me existing.

    That¡¯s not to say that they werepletely epting though. The two seemed to have mixed feelings about their predecessors, Apollonius and Zinga, obeying Fran.

    Fran began questioning the Hero Zombies lined up in front of her. Well, I was the one who came up with the questions though.

    ¡¸Who is the summoner that created you?¡¹

    ¡¸An undead of the ck Skeleton Corps known as the Holy Mother.¡¹

    Apollonius replied on behalf of the others. Siby broke in with an exasperated tone.

    ¡¸What the hell? So you do work for the ck Skeleton Corps after all!¡¹

    ¡¸Wrong! They have nothing to do with us. It¡¯s more like we serve the Holy Mother directly.¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s the difference?¡¹

    ¡¸The Holy Mother created us, and all our orderse directly from her. I¡¯ve never even met that Nameless guy.¡¹

    Upon further inquiry, we learned that it was Nameless who came up with the n to exhaust Klimt with a horde of undead, then ambush him with the Hero Zombies.

    The Holy Mother apparently handled the actual execution of the n, but she instructed her undead to hold back. Fran tilted her head upon hearing this.

    ¡¸Hold back?¡¹

    ¡¸Right. We were instructed to give it our all when taking the staff from Klimt. But if the ck cat girl known as the ck Lightning Princess appears, we were to refrain from using our trump cards. Also, we weren¡¯t allowed to retreat, even if we were clearly losing.¡¹

    Raydoss knowing about Fran doesn¡¯t surprise me anymore, since we¡¯ve caused them and the ck Skeleton Corps so much trouble.

    But why would they want to go easy on her? I can understand wanting her dead, but this makes zero sense.

    It¡¯s as if Fran defeating the Hero Zombies was the desired oue.

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸No clue, don¡¯t ask me.¡¹

    ¡¸Okay¡­ Next question. Can they create more powerful zombies like you guys?¡¹

    This was a very important question. The ability to summon past Red Knights and other powerful individuals is far too dangerous. We don¡¯t stand a chance if our enemies can summon infinite Hero Zombies, even if they aren¡¯t all as strong as Apollonius.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not entirely sure, but they did say something about running low on mana. Which means the limit should be pretty close. Most of the undead were given reduced strength in order to focus on numbers.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. The Holy Mother mentioned that she needed to conserve mana. If mana is the limiting factor, then she should not be able to produce many more. I don¡¯t expect any more than about 200,000 or so.¡¹

    Uh, that¡¯s still a crapton!

    Fran¡¯s expression darkened. Apollonius noticed the change andughed heartily.

    ¡¸Fret not! The ten of us are under yourmand! 200,000 small fries will be nothing! Especially since we now have evil energy on our side.¡¹

    Perhaps joining me created a link between them and the Evil God Fragment with me, because Apollonius and the others gained the ability to manipte evil energy.

    I could see a cloak of evil around his arm.

    ¡¸Only when you gain the ability to use this stuff can you realize how incredible it is. Everyone calls it evil energy, but it feels like a superior form of mana. And it even has a mana disrupting property¡­ I might have just grown even stronger than my prime.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What can we do to stop them from creating more undead?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s pretty simple. Either we eliminate the summoner or destroy the ritual circle. Want me to lead the way?¡¹

    Klimt cleaned up the undead hordes, so we had a clear path through Raydoss. Apollonius and the others were even offering to guide us there.

    While I¡¯ve managed to take control of the Hero Zombies, it¡¯s possible their summoner has a fail-safe for erasing them. Which means this is our only chance.

    The question now is what to do with Klimt.

    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡¹

    No one is going to buy that when you¡¯re still having trouble even breathing¡­ Klimt¡¯s condition may have improved a little, but he still can¡¯t be left alone.

    Thus, we decided to leave Klimt in the care of someone we can trust. The first step, heading north with everyone.

    Well, no actual walking required. We just had Teiwas repeatedly cast teleportation spells.

    Ten minutester.

    We spotted the group we were looking for. Fran, Amanda, and Forrund headed over to make contact.

    ¡¸Donad! Guys!¡¹

    The adventurers and soldiers cheered upon seeing Fran.

    ¡¸Wow! ck Lightning Princess!¡¹

    ¡¸Captain! Curry!¡¹

    ¡¸W-We¡¯re saved!¡¹

    The survivors of the Kranzel army were desperately retreating southward despite their injuries. Their faces of despair began to regain a glimmer of hope.

    They must have felt defenseless after Amanda and Forrund headed south ahead of them. Everyone had tears in their eyes and were shouting with joy.

 Chapter 1256: The Survivors

    <h4>Chapter 1256: The Survivors</h4>

    ¡¸Donad. Take care of Klimt.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you can count on me. You guys take care too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸No need! I, Jean Duvie, will be apanying them, so you can rest eternally assured that they are in good hands!¡¹

    ¡ºRest eternally? Wouldn¡¯t that make them dead?¡»

    Well, Jean isn¡¯tpletely wrong. Having his support is definitely reassuring.

    We discussed our future ns upon reuniting with the surviving adventurers and knights, and our decision was to continue heading north after leaving Klimt with Donad.

    The hordes of undead would overflow again if left unattended, so we have little choice but to stop the ritual personally. The adventurers offered to apany us, but they seriously needed a break.

    They had been trapped within the barrier for weeks with little to no rest.

    The undead hordes were around every corner, and the barrier was slowly draining their mana and life force all the while.

    Amanda and the other high rank adventurers managed to lead them out before they got swallowed by the hordes, but not without losing almost 80% of their men.

    Hiding in the mountains is what allowed them to evade detection. Then, they began retreating to Kranzel through the perilous mountain trails when the barrier suddenly disappeared.

    Ultimately, this decision spared them from being swept away by the undead torrent. To our best knowledge, this group of a little over 300 was the only survivors of the Kranzel army. Clearly, they needed to return to Alessa first. Amanda, Forrund, and Jean insisted on joining, so they''ll being with us though. ¡¸Please take care!¡¹ ¡¸Good luck, Captain! Curry!¡¹ ¡¸We''re counting on you!¡¹ ¡¸CURRRRRRY!¡¹ Seriously, what''s up with thatst guy... Well, whatever. I''m d to see many of the boot camp graduates got out alive. With their cheers at our backs, we set off again for the north. The average strength of our group allowed us to maintain a quick pace, and Teiwas''s teleportation only made us faster. In no time at all, we were already deep within Raydoss territory. During our journey, Jean posed a question to Fran. ¡¸These individuals are undead, yes? Do they share simr origins as the Genocide Ghouls from before?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. They were Raydoss''s undead, but now they''re mine.¡¹ ¡¸I see. To think Raydoss could summon such powerful beings... I have been underestimating them! And it seems like these are no ordinary undead either.¡¹ Jean observed Apollonius and the others closely, seemingly examining them with his Soul Sight. Whatever he saw seemed to deeply intrigue him. Meanwhile the formidable Hero Zombies were oddly uneasy. Jean''s gaze was akin to that of a mad scientist examining his guinea pigs. ¡¸They called themselves "data reproductions" or something.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm? I don''t suppose I could ask the undead a few questions?¡¹ ¡¸My liege?¡¹ ¡ºGo ahead and answer him.¡» ¡¸Of course! Feel free to ask me anything!¡¹ ¡¸Fuhahaha! Such enthusiasm for an undead! This is a sign of true quality!¡¹ ¡¸Hahaha! I''m d to hear you recognize our greatness!¡¹ ¡¸Fuhahaha!¡¹ ¡¸Hahahaha!¡¹ Oh boy. Maybe letting Jean and Apollonius talk was a bad idea. Jean kept firing various questions, and Apollonius responded enthusiastically. In summary, Raydoss needed a special method to create Apollonius and hisrades, and it was practically a miracle that they maintained the same strength they had in life. To be frank, those sorts of details weren''t very useful to our current situation. Jean seemed primarily interested in finding a way to replicate the summoning himself. However, there were also some crucial tidbits of info we obtained. While Apollonius and the others were under my control, their manifestation relies on the Holy Mother''s magic. Any anomalies on her end might lead to their disappearance. Furthermore, we learned that they couldn''t be resummoned ifpletely destroyed. Like I thought, we have to be more careful with them than Avenger. While Jean and Apollonius were engaged in conversation, Fran was busy questioning Siby. ¡¸Siby, is the vige okay without you?¡¹ ¡¸Kranzel dispatched some knights and officials, and Esmeralda said she''d keep an eye on things. Sitting around just doesn''t suit me, especially when Raydoss''s existence is at stake.¡¹ The other Red Knights were probably left behind to protect the vige, as well as being the coteral for Siby and Madred acting freely. Even so, it was quite generous to grant the two Red Knight Captains such freedom. ¡¸Well, they are monitoring us too. See?¡¹ ¡¸Esmeralda''s sand rat?¡¹ ¡¸Exactly.¡¹ Siby''s hip pouch contained one of Esmeralda''s sand rats, which she was probably using to monitor them remotely. The one we had must have ran out of mana or something, since it turned into ordinary sand a while back. ¡¸Of course, we also made a contract. We''re only allowed to fight "enemies to Kranzel" that "harbor evil energy".¡¹ Kranzel''s officials must have fussed over the contract details for a while. Having Siby and Madred as allies would significantly bolster our forces, but the risks of them betraying us were even worse. Moreover, they had no way of determining which factions of Raydoss were enemies or potential allies. Binding them too tightly might render theirbat capabilities useless. Thus, they added the condition that they could only fight against those harboring evil energy. That said, I''m d they also added the condition of being enemies to Kranzel. Just going by evil energy would make Fran and I possible targets.

 Chapter 1257: Relic Origins

    <h4>Chapter 1257: Relic Origins</h4>

    I had Fran ask Siby a question that had been on my mind.

    ¡¸What are relics? Also, is your sword different from a normal relic?¡¹

    Siby and Apollonius had mentioned something about relics being ¡°bestowed by the king¡±, and it sounded like Siby¡¯s sword was special somehow.

    This piqued my curiosity.

    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s¡­ ¡¹

    ¡¸To put it simply, Raydoss¡¯s relics are powerful magical items granted to the dukes and Red Knight Captains by the king!¡¹

    Apollonius answered our question in ce of the hesitant Siby. It seems he had finished his conversation with Jean.

    Special magical items known as ¡°relics¡± were granted to the dukes and Knight Captains by the royal family. These serve as proof of their position, and they cannot be wielded by anyone without official approval.

    Well, that much was kinda obvious.

    I wanted to know the details, such as why I can cannibalize them, their true abilities, and how they were created.

    ¡¸Does the king make the relics?¡¹

    ¡¸That I don¡¯t know. All I can say is that he is the one bestowing the relics to us. Only the King, the Chancellor, and the four dukes know the actual secret behind them.¡¹

    Was there some sort of skill for creating the relics? No wait. Considering how all the kings have the same ability, maybe there¡¯s a magical device for creating them? It would make sense for such a valuable item getting passed down the royal family for generations.

    Honestly, a magical item capable of creating multiple of those super-powerful relics sounds like it might be getting close to the divine sword level.

    Siby and Madred seem to have mixed feelings about Apollonius answering our questions readily. They themselves had kept silent about the relics. In fact, Kranzel never asked such questions to avoid antagonizing them.

    While Siby and her men betrayed Raydoss in a sense, their motivation still lied with the people and the nation. They were more than willing to share information about the faction responsible for the massacre, but they never disclosed secrets about Raydoss itself.

    Now, with the Hero Zombies joining our ranks, there was no hiding anything from us. Still, they didn¡¯t go as far as to interfere with our questioning.

    ¡¸¡­ Is Siby¡¯s red sword different from other relics?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed it is!¡¹

    Siby frowned, but she still had no intention of stopping Fran. After all, we could always askter if she did.

    ¡¸For quite a while, there was a n in the works to develop a powerful magical item with a Dungeon Core. But it turned out no one could control it, and the research stagnated for ages. All until someone brought up that Siby, who had incorporated a Dungeon Core into herself, might be able to wield it.¡¹

    ¡¸Incorporated a Dungeon Core?¡¹

    What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Well, I know Siby has a voracious appetite¡­

    ¡¸That girl can eat practically anything, and whatever she eats bes her own power, even a Dungeon Core. I refused to let them use Siby as a guinea pig while I was alive, but it seems she ended up cooperating with the nter.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Dammit, old man!¡¹

    Siby eximed reflexively as if she couldn¡¯t contain herself. Having her secrets and the kingdom¡¯s ssified information revealed in front of her must have been getting on her nerves.

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, foolish daughter of mine? I am currently serving the ck cat girl, so I can¡¯t keep any secrets from her! How about I tell her about the time you wet the bed too!¡¹

    ¡¸I told you, that was just me knocking over a water pitcher!¡¹

    ¡¸Then how about the time you ate all the provisions at the garrison, and the adjutant scolded you severely? Oh, maybe when you got duped with counterfeit antiques and wasted your entire allowance!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh! Enough! Fran doesn¡¯t give a damn about any of those things! You¡¯re bbing everything of your own free will!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahahahaha! I wonder if that¡¯s really the case!¡¹

    It¡¯s clear that these two get along well.

    Apollonius seemed satisfied after teasing Siby, and turned to Fran with a slightly more serious face.

    ¡¸What now? Do you want to hear more?¡¹

    ¡¸Enough about Siby.¡¹

    Digging any deeper into Siby¡¯s personal business would only strain our rtionship. Also, we don¡¯t need to hear about Siby¡¯s abilities at the moment.

    Let¡¯s change the direction of the conversation a bit.

    ¡¸Tell me about the powers of the relics.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well! Then let¡¯s start with Lucard!¡¹

    ¡¸Sure, ask away.¡¹

    Being under my control meant they would answer all my questions. The humble-looking young man Lucard began exining his relic after getting nominated by Apollonius.

    The Vermilion Eye was a prosthetic eye-shaped relic. In addition to enhancing the wielder¡¯s vision and reflexes, it also had the power to identify weaknesses and see a few seconds into the future.

    Furthermore, observing the flow of his own mana allowed him to gain delicate control over magic. In summary, the relic allowed him to instantly determine the target¡¯s weakpoint and deliver a powerful st of magic.

    Thest resort ability involved activating several types of magic eyes at the same time, thus giving him a huge boost of power for a few minutes.

    Simple and effective. A woman named Shuzeka was apparently the current wielder, as well as the most powerful wielder in the relic¡¯s history.

    We got a lot of info on the other relics as well. Well, the relics themselves were right in front of us, so I could always appraise them too.

    Particrly surprising was the Cardinal g¡¯s ultimate move. I never imagined it would drain the life force of yourpanions. Good thing I learned about that before using it carelessly.

    ¡¸Then what about Siby¡¯s red sword?¡¹

    I had seen her sword before, but I knew nothing of its abilities. We¡¯ve only seen Siby swinging it around like any other weapon.

    ¡¸That I do not know. The Red Sword Knights were always a unique order. Unlike other the others, we were never bestowed a relic.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. My girl¡¯s sword is a recent creation. It didn¡¯t exist when I was captain.¡¹

    The Red Sword Knights were the first order of Red Knights to be established in Raydoss. Their main mission was to patrol the country and eliminate threats such as magical beasts and bandits. In addition, they also had a hidden duty.

    They were intended to act as a failsafe in case those in power ever go off the rails. If the royal family, the Chancellor, or anyone else ever proved to be harmful to the people, the knights were to stop them by any means necessary.

    ¡¸Those who rely on the relics lose everything when said relics are taken away, rendering them unable to oppose the king. As such, exceptional individuals are chosen for the Red Sword Knights, and they are not given a relic based on the king¡¯s powers.¡¹

    In other words, Siby¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t truly a relic. It would be more correct to simply call it a magic sword.

    ¡¸Hehehe, pretty cool, right? Those researchers made this sword just for me!¡¹

    ¡¸Oooh, your very own weapon, huh? That¡¯s quite something!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn right! I still despise those researchers, but it was all worth it since I got this baby!¡¹

    Either way, we won¡¯t learn its true capabilities unless Siby tells us. But it seems we won¡¯t have the time for that.

    ¡¸Mrgh.¡¹

    ¡ºHere theye again!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Now that we¡¯ve traversed deeper into Raydoss, we once again sensed the presence of the undead hordes.

 Chapter 1258: Facility Infiltration

    <h4>Chapter 1258: Facility Infiltration</h4>

    We sensed a massive amount of undead in front of us.

    Klimt¡¯s Great Spirit had wiped them all out, but they simply spawned more. And it seems these undead were being summoned in the same way as Apollonius. Rather than reanimating a bunch of corpses, they were recreating past warriors who had fought in this area.

    I might be able to dominate them using Evil God¡¯s Trust, but they seem too weak to be of much use¡­

    But while I was considering it, a hundred undead were suddenly blown high into the sky, along with a deafening explosion.

    And this was not a singr urrence.

    Explosions and bursts of me covered vast swaths of the horde, obliterating countless undead.

    Yet none of these attacks were actually aimed at them.

    An intense battle was taking ce at the base of the undead-infested mountain.

    Thebatants flew through the sky at incredible speeds, exchanging fierce attacks. The undead were merely getting wiped out by stray bullets and shockwaves.

    I saw three figures engaged in battle, likely in a 2-on-1 fight.

    All three were exuding tremendous amounts of mana, and I could easily sense them even from this distance.

    We decided to pause for a moment and observe the fight. Rushing in will only get us caught in the crossfire.

    ¡¸Maleficent¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, and he¡¯s up against Nameless and Laranflura.¡»

    Even from here, I could tell that Maleficent waspletely berserk. He¡¯s probably gotten taken over by his demon.

    At any rate, he didn¡¯t seem to care the slightest about dealing with the Evil God Fragments.

    Meanwhile, his opponents Nameless and Laranflura were much stronger than when Ist saw them.

    A rampaging divine sword wielder versus two abominations who were at least Threat Level A.

    In that case, it might be a miracle that the entire region wasn¡¯t ttened yet. Maybe their battle had only just begun.

    ¡ºSince Maleficent is here, does that mean Persona is in this facility?¡»

    £¨Yeah, that¡¯s right.£©

    Apollonius and his friends already knew of my existence, so I simply talked to them via telepathy. In fact, Siby and Madred were the only ones here who didn¡¯t know about me.

    ¡ºIs she still alive?¡»

    £¨She should be.£©

    Hmmm. Depending on Persona¡¯s condition, Maleficent might gopletely insane¡­

    Persona, huh¡­? Apollonius and his friends were apparently recreated through some form of power from the information umted in thend.

    In other words, they were reproductions from data.

    Persona possessed an Extra Skill called ¡°Source of the Data God¡±. Could this simrity be a coincidence?

    £¨If Persona is there, we need to rescue her.£©

    ¡ºRight, and this might be the perfect chance to do so.¡»

    Maleficent was keeping Nameless and Laranflura distracted, so we could infiltrate the facility, shut down the ritual, and rescue Persona. That should solve everything in one fell swoop.

    ¡ºAlright! Let¡¯s sneak in.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    ¡ºApollonius, we should be close to the summoner¡¯s facility, right?¡»

    £¨It¡¯s on that mountainside on the left!£©

    ¡ºQuite close then.¡»

    We can be there in a few minutes.

    ¡ºPerfect! Let¡¯s move through the sky and close the distance with a teleport!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Teiwas, we¡¯re teleporting. Start by going up.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that!¡¹

    Teiwas cast the teleport while giving us a military salute. Despite his talents, his range of teleportation actually decreased significantly once he joined us.

    He was previously connected to the Evil God Fragment sealed in thend of Raydoss. Consequently, this allowed him to use the Evil God¡¯s power for long-distance movement within Raydoss territory. That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t sense the Hero Zombies at all when they ambushed us.

    Now that he¡¯s connected the Evil God Fragment within me instead, his teleportation range was greatly reduced. Makes sense, since we had no connection or affinity with thend of Raydoss.

    That said, the current situation also had its advantages. Namely, the ability to teleport long distances in the sky. In his previous situation, distancing himself from thend would diminish his powers.

    We all rode on Urushi¡¯s back and used teleportation to quickly ascend into the sky.

    ¡¸Everyone, hide your presence. Urushi, cover everyone with dark magic.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    We concealed our presence using every means possible, but I still had my doubts. We¡¯re trying to sneak past a divine sword wielder and a monster who has devoured tens of thousands of human sacrifices¡­

    Our n was honestly more of a gamble, but it went surprisingly well. The threebatants were so focused on their battle that they had no attention to spare for us.

    Finally, we teleported straight from the sky to the research facility¡¯s entrance, slipping through the battlefield where Maleficent and the others were still raging.

    Fran and the others readied themselves as Apollonius unlocked the door.

    ¡¸We save Persona and defeat all the enemies!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Those bastards ughtered so many Raydoss citizens¡­ They die here!¡¹

    ¡¸Countless children have lost their lives¡­ Absolutely unforgivable!¡¹

    The killing intenting from Siby and Amanda was really intense! I¡¯ll be counting on you two!

    Siby led the charge into the facility with high spirits, and it was packed with undead, including the Duke Zombies. It seems they didn¡¯t take security lightly.

    We had to clear the path as sneaking was no longer an option. It wasn¡¯t much of an obstacle for us, though.

    ¡¸Smash ¡®em all!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuahahaha! Charge!¡¹

    ¡¸Dammit Apollonius! Leave some prey for me!¡¹

    ¡¸Hohoho! Then I¡¯ll take a piece of some those dukes.¡¹

    Siby, Apollonius, Begareth, and Zinga eagerly stepped forward to mow down the undead. Furthermore, the undead surging up from behind were quickly eliminated by Yuvel and Oldona.

    ¡¸Yuvel! We should start doing our jobs or our liege will get angry, you know.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Oldona, cover me.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing!¡¹

    Yuvel practically cleaved through the entire front line, with the skilled mage Oldona asionally supporting him with enhancement and me magic.

    It¡¯s hard to imagine from his noble appearance, but Yuvel¡¯s fighting style was brutal. He rushed in and obliterated the undead by swinging around a giant sword that wasrger than himself.

    There was no need for defense. Any enemy that attempted to attack him in melee range was struck down before they could even finish their swing, along with any of their nearby friends. His strategy was simply annihting his enemies without allowing them any chance for action.

    As for the long range attacks, it seems he either deflects them with his greatsword or leaves them to Oldona¡¯s barriers.

    ¡¸Aw, mine isn¡¯t very effective against undead. I envy those with the brute force relics.¡¹

    ¡¸But Vio-neesan, can¡¯t you just punch them like normal?¡¹

    ¡¸Punching zombies will only get me covered in filth! You go punch them, Lucard. Are those worthless muscles just for show?¡¹

    ¡¸W-Worthless muscles¡­? I-I don¡¯t want to punch zombies barehanded either! Besides, your red mist can do physical attacks too, right?¡¹

    ¡¸But it¡¯s so inefficient.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I-I see¡­¡¹

    Well, I guess we¡¯re already kinda steamrolling the undead, so Violetta and Lucard don¡¯t need to join the fight. Despite their argument, I noticed how they were on the watch for sneak attacks.

    In the end, we managed to reach the center of the research facility without stopping once.

 Chapter 1259: Holy Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1259: Holy Mother</h4>

    We had safely reached the depths of the facility, but Fran was tilting her head.

    ¡¸No traps or anything.¡¹

    She seemed to expect various traps and mechanisms preventing intruders for entering the important facility. However, Apollonius responded with exasperation.

    ¡¸If the ce was covered in traps, how could the researchers do their job in peace?¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    The building was currently devoid of researchers, but there must have been many conducting various experiments here. Indeed, dangerous traps would be dangerous in an area with so many nonbatants.

    ¡¸There¡¯s an even stronger barrier past this point. I don¡¯t know what lies ahead because of the presence and mana interference effect.¡¹

    It seems we have no way of sensing whatever awaits us, no matter how formidable they might be.

    ¡¸Back when we got resurrected, that room only had the Holy Mother stuck in there.¡¹

    ¡¸Stuck?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. The Holy Mother can¡¯t move properly by herself. She apparently always gets carried around by other undead.¡¹

    The Holy Mother apparently couldn¡¯t maintain her existence without a magical tool called the ¡°Coffin¡± and had difficulty moving. Was herbat ability not very high?

    ¡ºEither way, we won¡¯t know until we go in. Apollonius, lead the way.¡»

    ¡¸Please.¡¹

    ¡¸Alright then, let¡¯s go!¡¹

    Apollonius infused mana into a device beside the door, and the massive iron door slid open. As expected from a research facility, there were many technologically advanced mechanisms.

    On the other hand, the inside of the room was very ¡°fantastical¡±.

    There was a gigantic magic circle with a diameter of around 100 meters drawn on the floor, with a 10 meter tall crystal-shaped magic stone levitating quietly above it.

    And more importantly, there was something right behind the crystal.

    There, lying in a slender stone coffin, was a mummy. It was the type without bandages, resembling the mummies excavated from the pyramids.

    Immediately upon entering the room, we felt an overwhelming surge of magical power. Earlier, I had guessed that she had little to nobat ability. Well I waspletely wrong. The mummy before us was undoubtedly Threat Level A.

    However, I could sense no hostility from the mummy. On the contrary¡­

    ¡¸I have been waiting for you, ck Lightning Princess-dono.¡¹

    A gentle female voice echoed throughout the massive underground room, the source of which was the mummy ced there. Her mouth was not moving, but we could hear her voice clearly.

    After recognizing that there was no hostility, Fran asked with a somewhat surprised expression.

    ¡¸¡­Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸I am the one who many call the Holy Mother.¡¹

    ¡ºLike I thought!¡»

    Given her vast amounts of mana and perfect control over the magic circle, there could be no doubt as to her identity: the Holy Mother, second seat of the ck Skeleton Corps.

    Fran replied cautiously.

    ¡¸¡­Why did you make Apollonius go easy on me?¡¹

    ¡¸Before answering that, allow me to return this girl to you.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Persona!¡¹

    A small, unconscious girl descended slowly from above. Fran ran over and lifted up Persona.

    Despite Fran calling her name, Persona did not open her eyes. She did appear to be breathing though¡­

    Not even healing magic was enough to wake Persona up. Moreover, her stats were now visible to me. That¡¯s when I noticed that her status was now listed as ¡°Soul Debilitation.¡±

    ¡¸Is Persona okay?¡¹

    ¡ºThere doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong physically speaking¡­¡»

    Upon taking a closer look at her stats, I noticed a significant difference. A certain skill was nowhere to be found.

    ¡ºSource of the Data God¡­ is missing?¡»

    Source of the Data God was the Extra Skill that Persona was said to have. Its absence must be why Appraisal started working on her.

    Was the Soul Debilitation state also rted?

    ¡¸All I could do was spare her life.¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸Alchemist Zelyse¡ª¡ªNo, Sword Zelyse now. He was the one who stole the girl¡¯s skill.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean Source of the Data God?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. Source of the Data God has been transnted into that giant artificial magic stone.¡¹

    I attempted to check the magic stone, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. This wasn¡¯t like the ¡°White Sheet¡± thing that I saw with Persona. The magic stone was simply too powerful for my appraisal to work.

    ¡¸The magic circle drawn on the floor regtes the magic stone and connects the Source of the Data God to me. That way, I can pick up information about powerful individuals and soldiers from the vortex of information sleeping in the earth, allowing me to reproduce and modify them. The reason they have been turned into zombies is because I only have the ability to control undead.¡¹

    The Holy Mother continued to exin the situation.

    Apparently, skills are engraved in the soul. Thus, having a skill stolen will result in a weakened soul. If extreme force is used in the theft, the soul may sustain heavy damage.

    The stealing of skills via Skilltaker is likely ounted for by the skill system. That makes it rtively safe, so it won¡¯t cause such issues.

    Those who I steal skills from are at no risk of death, but it seems whatever method Zelyse used was a bit of an exploit.

    ¡¸I couldn¡¯tpletely repair the girl¡¯s wounded soul. Even with the Source of the Data God, interacting with souls is still difficult.¡¹

    I remember hearing that souls belong to the domain of the gods, so it makes sense that they¡¯re hard to manipte. However, using a skill bearing the name of a god seems to have allowed her to make a minor repair.

    ¡¸However, I did manage to close the wound in her soul. She should wake up eventually with natural healing, though I cannot say for sure when that will be¡­¡¹

    Fran sighed a breath of relief upon hearing this. However, she soon tilted her head.

    ¡¸Why did you save Persona?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Why indeed? Perhaps because I saw a bit of myself in a girl constantly abused by others.¡¹

    Despite being a mummy, she somehow looked sorrowful.

    ¡¸Oh, and about my reasons for going easy on you. I know that you have dominated Avenger, and that it was done through evil energy. Therefore, I thought you might be able to do the same to data reproductions sourced from evil energy.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­? You wanted me to dominate Apollonius and the others?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu¡­ Because I am simply tired and I want to rest.¡¹

    Simply hearing the whispers of the Holy Mother made the air around heavy. Her words carried deep grief and darkness.

 Chapter 1260: Holy Mother and Hell

    <h4>Chapter 1260: Holy Mother and Hell</h4>

    ¡¸Fufu¡­ Because I am simply tired and I want to rest.¡¹

    Her smiling whisper conveyed deep darkness and despair. We caught a glimpse of her undead demeanor that was absent a few moments ago.

    Perhaps she harbored resentment toward the living, or was mourning her past experiences.

    The Holy Mother began herments again.

    ¡¸When I was alive, everyone called me a ¡°saintess¡±. Yet I was abused my entire life.¡¹

    Saintess? That sounds a bit familiar¡­

    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that the divine sword Diabolos was created by sacrificing a saintess.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Amanda pointed out the history of Diabolos, which reminded me of the story.

    ¡¸You are correct. However, I must say I was not righteous enough for such a title. In the first ce, any woman who rises to fame for their healing magic tends to get called a saintess.¡¹

    So being a saintess isn¡¯t about having a specific upation or title, but merely having the masses call you that?

    Now that you mention it, Fran has been called the ck Cat Saintess before. Perhaps personality doesn¡¯t really matter.

    ¡¸Everyone flocked to me, only to exploit me without end. And in the end, they offered me as a sacrifice.¡¹

    I remember hearing a rumor that a saintess was sacrificed to create Diabolos, but I never expected to hear the story directly from the saintess in question.

    The Holy Mother continued speaking in a grim tone.

    ¡¸There was once a divine cksmith seeking the power of the so-called saintess, as well as a country seeking a divine sword. Their interests coincided. Before I had any chance to sense the danger and flee, they forcibly enved me, and sent me straight to Hell.¡¹

    ¡¸Hell?¡¹

    It doesn¡¯t sound like she¡¯s using it as a metaphor.

    ¡¸Indeed. I didn¡¯t know it at the time, but now I know everything. In this world, there are seven supreme dungeons bearing the name of Hell.¡¹

    In this world, the concept of ¡°Hell¡± doesn¡¯t refer to a ce where evildoers are sent after death. Hell refers to actual, physical locations.

    Well, I doubt many people actually believe in their existence, but they do exist. These locations are the Seven Original Dungeons, the most ancient dungeons created by the Chaos Goddess, and vastbyrinths of the highest caliber.

    The Seven Hells are ruled by the Seven Demon Kings, each granted the power of a deadly sin, and guarded by hordes of demons.

    ¡¸A powerful party, boasting the divine cksmith and a divine sword wielder, spent half a year conquering thebyrinth. They reached the deepest part and challenged the Demon King, Asmodeus of Lust, the Dungeon Master of the Lust Labyrinth. I was sacrificed to seal Asmodeus, forming the foundation for a new divine sword.¡¹

    This was the truth behind the forging of the divine sword Diabolos. I know there¡¯s no such thing as apletely virtuous country, but Phyllius¡¯s past seems to be covered in dark shadows.

    Out of the Seven Hells, only three have been discovered, including the Lust Labyrinth. The remaining two were apparently hidden by the countries that found them. While the Seven Hells were distinguished from other dungeons by difficulty level and the strength of the monsters within, there¡¯s one other clear difference.

    That is to say, they never cause stampedes. The Demon Kings maintain perfect control over their respective Hell, so the demons never pour out. Which exins how they¡¯ve gone unnoticed for so long.

    ¡¸The Pride Labyrinth is in the country of the insectkin, and the Sloth Labyrinth is in the country of the birdkin. Both are operated under the control of their respective countries.¡¹

    That¡¯s some pretty interesting info, but where did she learn that? None of our friends seem to have known this beforehand either.

    ¡¸Why do you know so much?¡¹

    ¡¸I have extracted knowledge from the divine realm with Source of the Data God. Drawing targeted information from the vast sea of information would likely be impossible for an ordinary person. Fortunately, I no longer have a brain to break.¡¹

    That¡¯s exactly like Parallel Thinking. It gives Fran a terrible headache whenever she uses it, but I have no issues. Like I thought, undead and inanimate objects must be better at using those types of skills than living people.

    ¡¸It seems that the masked girl was using this skill with her body of flesh and blood¡­ Shocking, really. Her five senses must have been overwhelmed by all sorts of information constantly. Truly, a living hell.¡¹

    Indeed, Persona couldn¡¯t control the skill properly. As the Holy Mother says, she must have spent her days drowning in vast seas of data. Getting exposed to such a thing with no way to block it out could be called a living hell.

    ¡¸However, she must have had someone supporting her.¡¹

    ¡¸Maleficent.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah.¡»

    I¡¯m sure Maleficent was a major reason behind Persona being able to smile. The two lived by supporting each other.

    ¡¸How enviable. I had no one to support me. The masses flocked to me only to exploit my powers, so I had no life to call my own. Even after death, I continue to be exploited¡­¡¹

    The saintess did not be the Holy Mother of her own volition. They exploited her corpse by turning her undead.

    Necromancers like Jean, who havepassion and reverence for undead, would have allowed her to pass on eventually. However, the necromancer who toyed with the saintess¡¯s body saw her only as a tool.

    ¡¸But then! By connecting to the Source of the Data God, I managed to break free from Raydoss¡¯s control¡­! I can finally fulfill my goal¡­¡¹

    It seems the necromancer responsible for creating the Holy Mother served the Kingdom of Raydoss. The Holy Mother had been enved to Raydoss ever since her creation.

    At that time, Raydoss Kingdom was still a small, weak country. They were essentially subservient to Phyllius. I don¡¯t know the details, but the saintess¡¯s body must have been secretly smuggled to Raydoss somehow.

    Moreover, her binds remained even after the death of the necromancer who revived her. The Holy Mother continued to be bound to Raydoss as a mindless undead.

    However, she had an Extra Skill called ¡°Kin Intelligence.¡± As the name suggests, it grants logic and reason to her servants. This skill was why the undead of the ck Skeleton Corps could think for themselves.

    Throughout the years, she was constantly abused by Raydoss, thrown into whatever research or experiments they fancied.

    ¡¸I refuse to be exploited by Raydoss any longer, which is why I schemed to assist their enemies. And now, at longst¡­¡¹

    The Holy Mother¡¯s murmurs carried an unmistakable joy that couldn¡¯t be hidden.

 Chapter 1261: Giant Crystal

    <h4>Chapter 1261: Giant Crystal</h4>

    The Holy Mother seemed to want Fran to bring an end to her. And not just that, she also wanted us to deal a heavy blow to Raydoss afterwards.

    To achieve this, she plotted to give Fran additional allies by having her dominate Apollonius and his friends like she did to Avenger. Ordering them not to use their trump cards was all part of this n.

    The Hero Zombies also guided us here too,e to think of it.

    ¡¸This hyper-dense mana was obtained by sacrificing the citizens of Raydoss. The most simple approach would be to spend all of it on blowing up the country. However, that is simply not possible for me. I ampletely specialized in producing other undead, and have no other capabilities.¡¹

    Certainly, spending all the mana on continuously sting Raydoss with offensive magic would inflict significant damage.

    However, the Holy Mothercked any offensive skills since her specializationy solely in production.

    ¡¸Moreover, even if I regained my will, I couldn¡¯t immediately turn against them.¡¹

    Zelyse and the ck Skeleton Corps were always lurking nearby, so the Holy Mother couldn¡¯t afford to let them know of her regained freedom.

    Thus, she pretended to cooperate by invading Kranzel with Apollonius and the others, when in actuality, she hoped for Fran to take control of them.

    If Apollonius had seeded in defeating Klimt and Fran, then she would simply adjust her ns, sending Apollonius and the other undead to challenge Nameless and Zelyse to a decisive battle.

    ¡¸Honestly, I did not expect things to proceed so smoothly.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, you see¡­ I thought you might be able to recruit a few undead with goodpatibility. But all of them?¡¹

    The Holy Mother seemed genuinely surprised. Well, the Hero Zombies were definitely on a different level than Avenger.

    Giving Fran a few Hero Zombies with goodpatibility would be plenty of a boost. If she had arranged for weaker undead that were easier to dominate, the gains would be lower as well.

    The Holy Mother carefully selected a power level that could serve Fran well, and deal a significant blow to Raydoss when stolen.

    Well, her n didn¡¯t consider any harm dealt to us, but that¡¯s an undead for you. No matter how normal and rational she may seem, she likely had littlepassion for the living.

    ¡¸Now, please destroy me. Doing so will stop the ritual currently in progress. The zombies subservient to you will remain even after the ritual¡¯s destruction.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Can I just break the magic stone instead?¡¹

    The Holy Mother was not hostile at all, so cutting her down would leave a bad aftertaste. Plus, we have Jean with us, so there might be a way to purify her grudges given enough time.

    ¡¸Destroying the crystal is impossible due to the vast amount of mana it contains. The barrier protecting it shall be maintained until all of the mana is exhausted.¡¹

    Even inflicting a tiny scratch would be tough then.

    And honestly, absorbing such a huge magic stone is frightening too. Crisis Sense is giving me one of the biggest warnings I¡¯ve ever felt, which only grew as we stepped closer to the crystal.

    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t only my Crisis Sense skill.

    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, you probably shouldn¡¯t.¡¹

    Jean wore a grim expression, Urushi growled with a sense of unease, and Siby explicitly stated that it was a bad idea. They seemed to sense the same danger as me.

    All three of them have excellent intuitions, and they¡¯re all against trying to break the crystal.

    Even the Evil God Fragment within me had begun to stir like never before, a clear petition for me to stop.

    I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s trying to say that Announcer-san would be in the most danger if we obtained the Source of the Data God. That¡¯s a simr power to what she had when she was a divine sword. What if she regains that power? Currently, neither Announcer-san nor Source of the Data God possess power significant enough to concern the gods.

    But what if the two werebined? The gods had once ordered the dismantling of the divine sword Cherubim, and we might obtain something on par with Cherubim¡¯s powers. That certainly doesn¡¯t sound very good.

    Either way, I feel like I¡¯m understanding what the Evil God Fragment is saying pretty clearly for the first time. There were no clear words, but perhaps it was because I had gained Evil God¡¯s Trust. I wonder if this can be categorized as a divine prophecy or revtion?

    The final blow came from the Holy Mother¡¯s mouth.

    ¡¸Even if you somehow destroy the crystal, and your sword absorbs it¡­ There is a risk that your sword will be destroyed.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! Why?¡¹

    ¡¸Zelyse is aware of your sword¡¯s ability to devour magic stones, and he set a trap on the giant crystal, which will trigger the moment your sword consumes it.¡¹

    ¡¸Trap!¡¹

    Considering how Zelyse put a curse trap in the magicite golems, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he made a trap specifically for me.

    Yeah, absorbing the giant crystal is definitely a bad idea. Everything is pointing against it.

    However, destroying the crystal will stop the ritual and prevent them from using it in the future. It¡¯s worth a shot.

    We just need to shatter the crystal with magic instead of absorbing it. Oh, and I had already tried to store it, but that didn¡¯t work. The crystal¡¯s owner is probably recognized as Zelyse.

    Alright, we try magic first.

    ¡ºFull power!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran and I multicasted Kanna Kamui, concentrating all the power on a single point, and striking the giant crystal. All of our friendsunched an attack of their own in sync with us.

    A shockwave swept through the wide room along with the explosion of mana. If we hadn¡¯t prepared barriers in advance, some of the Hero Zombies might have gotten evaporated by the shockwaves alone.

    However¡­

    This was not sufficient to get through the barrier surrounding the crystal. The beautiful crystal continued to float before us without a single scratch.

    ¡¸Mrgh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºThis barrier is way too tough!¡»

    ¡¸As I suspected, it is impossible for you to destroy the crystal.¡¹

    ¡¸Did it lose some mana?¡¹

    ¡¸Impressive. The crystal appears to have expended approximately 1/300 of the mana contained within.¡¹

    All our efforts amounted to 1/300? This isn¡¯t working.

    ¡¸Please cut me down. You should know that this is the easiest way.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Are you sure?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes, this is my only salvation.¡¹

    ¡¸Fin¡ª¡ª¡¹

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The entire research facility shook. Immediately afterward, we were struck by intermittent vibrations. I sensed an incredibly powerful aura quickly approaching this very room.

    ¡ºFran, hurry! Do it before we get interrupted!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Haaah!¡¹

    Fran swung me down with all her might. However, my de did not reach the Holy Mother. She was enveloped by a barrier, simr to the one around the giant crystal.

    ¡¸No! This spell is¡­? Please, try once more, with everything you have!¡¹

    It seems the Holy Mother didn¡¯t expect the barrier to protect her, as she shouted in a panicked manner. But right afterwards¡­

    <i>Bang!</i>

    At the entrance to the room, the huge iron door creaked and bent.

 Chapter 1262: The Three Powerhouses

    <h4>Chapter 1262: The Three Powerhouses</h4>

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The sturdy iron door, protected by a powerful barrier, dented with a creak.

    The sound of torn metal echoed through the room several times in session.

    Then, after a few seconds, a louder explosion reverberated through the underground space.

    The door was blown off from the other side and sent flying at us, heading in a direct course for Amanda, who was holding Persona, as well as Marle, who was healing the unconscious Persona.

    Both Fran and I jumped into action, but there was someone who moved even faster than us.

    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹

    A man with tanned skin and white garments leaped in front of Persona, deflecting the iron door with his greatsword.

    ¡¸Yuvel.¡¹

    ¡¸I currently serve you, so leave the trivial matters to me. Besides, protecting children is a knight¡¯s duty.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh? It¡¯s been a while since I heard Yuvel¡¯s words of knightly wisdom! Despite that thick skin of yours, you¡¯ve always loved children!¡¹

    Yuvel turned to the side in response to Oldona¡¯s words. Embarrassed or something? It seems Yuvel was a bit of a tsundere.

    More importantly, he was really fast. Fran and I were on guard against the approaching presence, and had braced ourselves to deal with the iron door.

    But Yuvel acted faster than us.

    This was clearly demonstrating his strength as a Swordking, which means he definitely held back against Fran earlier. I¡¯m not sure if we can actually beat him in a serious sh of des.

    Yuvel, along with the other Hero Zombies, stood on guard against the now broken door.

    A menacing presence enveloped in ominous mana made its appearance through the destroyed entrance.

    ¡¸UGAAAAAAAAHHH!¡¹

    ¡¸Maleficent.¡¹

    ¡ºHe¡¯s activated Wrath!¡»

    I appraised the man in front of us who was enveloped in a red aura. I couldn¡¯t see everything, probably due to him activating Divine Sword Release. However, I saw Wrath in his skill list, and his status was listed as ¡°Wrath¡± as well.

    We heard that using Hell would result in his mind getting taken over by a demon, but it seems like he¡¯s almostpletely lost himself to the Wrath Demon.

    ¡¸<strong>URRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGH!</strong>¡¹

    Maleficent roared with anger, charging forward at us. Yet despite getting consumed by wrath, he stopped upon reaching a certain point.

    His eyes were fixed on the girl in Amanda¡¯s hands, Persona.

    ¡¸P-Per¡­sona¡­¡¹

    He muttered faintly, stopping in his tracks.

    Maleficent¡¯s irises were already ck, with horns growing on his forehead. Anyone would describe him as a demon of wrath, but it seems he wasn¡¯tpletely gone yet.

    His widened eyes continued staring at Persona, as if he was desperately trying not to look away from the girl.

    ¡¸Ah¡­gah¡­¡¹

    Maleficent began struggling desperately against the demon.

    However, that¡¯s when a new figure rushed in.

    ¡¸DIEEEEEE!¡¹

    ¡ºLaranflura!¡»

    Jumping in next from the entrance was a raging girl, also roaring with anger. She mmed down the huge polearm, with her pale purple hair tied into a tritail fluttering behind her.

    ¡¸Not gonna happen!¡¹

    ¡¸Little girl! So you¡¯re alive!¡¹

    Laranflura was enveloped in significantly more mana than before. At this point, she was definitely powerful enough to hold her own against a released divine sword.

    That said, we¡¯ve grown since then too!

    We used Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield to block her blow, which seemingly had enough power to y a dragon. Laranflura was repelled by the recoil, despite us experiencing none of the force.

    Riding the momentum, Laranflura distanced herself from Fran.

    Time for round two. Just when everyone was thinking that, something leaped out from her shadow, catching us off guard.

    A skeleton cloaked in ck mana.

    ¡ºNameless is here too!¡»

    Thank goodness for Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield! That ridiculous durability allowed us to withstand the attacks of these powerhouses! Well, not to say that the mana consumption was anything to scoff at.

    Blocking the attacks of these two certainly needed a significant amount of mana. But what surprised me was Nameless¡¯s power.

    I already knew that Laranflura possessed monstrous strength, so her destructive power was expected.

    But Nameless was never the type to overwhelm his opponents with sheer force. Yet, he casually threw a punch withparable strength to Laranflura¡¯s polearm.

    He must have boosted himself by absorbing tons of mana, just like Laranflura.

    ¡¸A durable shield I see!¡¹

    ¡¸Where¡¯s your sword Zelyse?¡¹

    ¡¸Who knows!¡¹

    Nameless was not carrying the venomous-looking sword, Zelyse. Whether he¡¯s concealing Zelyse or really doesn¡¯t know is uncertain. That gives me a bad feeling.

    ¡¸How did you even get your hands on the masked brat¡­? Well, no matter. We can simply ughter all of you along with the divine sword wielder!¡¹

    Nameless braced himself forbat, before finally realizing the unnatural situation.

    ¡¸Why are you just standing there? Actually, why are you even here¡­? Hurry up and ughter the girl! Kill the bothersome divine sword wielder too! Get on with it!¡¹

    From Nameless¡¯s perspective, the Hero Zombies should be attacking Kranzel right now. In fact, he probably thought they were currently fighting Fran.

    Sorry for thete notice, but they work for us now!

    ¡ºApollonius, Lucard, Zinga, Violetta, you four focus on Laranflura! Begareth, Yuvel, Oldona, you help Fran and Urushi take Nameless! Rob, Wilepho, Teiwas, keep an eye on Persona!¡»

    After ordering them via telepathy, the Hero Zombies rushed forward simultaneously. Nameless was initially confident, perhaps thinking that they wereing for us.

    Until they simply dashed past us, aiming their attacks at Nameless and Laranflura.

    ¡¸Wha-¡­? What are you doing!? They¡¯ve been dominated?! Dammit! How dare you!¡¹

    £¨Master! Let¡¯s take down Nameless!£©

    ¡ºGot it!¡»

    It¡¯s time for you to die by the hands of your own creations!

 Chapter 1263: Enhanced Nameless

    <h4>Chapter 1263: Enhanced Nameless</h4>

    Weunched our assault against Laranflura and Nameless alongside the Hero Zombies.

    Nameless was caught off guard, and blown away by Begareth¡¯s mes.

    ¡¸What¡­? What are you doing!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! Sorry, former master, but we¡¯re on different sides now! I¡¯m thankful for it too!¡¹

    ¡¸You can say that again!¡¹

    Begareth and Oldonaunched a barrage of long-range attacks, as Urushi and Yuvel charged in.

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Get crushed.¡¹

    This was abo attack by several powerful individuals. Not even Nameless would get away unscathed, or so I thought. However, Nameless exceeded my expectations.

    He first dodged Yuvel¡¯s sh with minimal movement, then kicked away Urushi¡¯s foreleg. After dealing with the two, he used Shadow Shift to suddenly teleport behind Fran and attempt to stab her in the back.

    We simply blocked this with Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield, but any ordinary barrier might have been powerless.

    It seems both his offensive and defensive capabilities have been boosted tremendously.

    ¡¸You useless zombies! What is the meaning of this?! Kill the girl!¡¹

    ¡¸How about we kill you instead! Again, I mean, since you¡¯re already dead!¡¹

    Begareth responded to Nameless¡¯s curses with a smile. He, as well as the other Red Knights, had a lot of hostility towards Nameless and Laranflura.

    Probably because of how the East Conquest Duke and ck Skeleton Corps sacrificed so many civilians for their plot.

    Our other friends joined the assault on Nameless and seeded in holding him back.

    I took one nce at the Laranflura side, and their battle was also intense. Forrund had teamed up with the Hero Zombies against her.

    But they appeared to be evenly matched, even with his addition, which surprised me.

    Jean and Amanda stood on guard next to Persona, keeping an eye on Maleficent, who was still frozen in ce for the moment. We have no clue how he¡¯ll act, after all.

    In other words, this was our chance.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s do it!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Thus, we once again swung our de down on the Holy Mother. Since control over the Hero Zombies is linked to me, they won¡¯t disappear if we stop the ritual.

    Which means our top priority is to stop the ritual that is supplying mana to Laranflura and Nameless.

    Fran unleashed a Heavenly Judgment infused with evil-divine energy! This will cut right through any so-called invincible barrier!

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    However, the barrier still blocked the best blow Fran was capable of. The mechanism seemed to be the same as the one on the crystal, where the barrier is continuously reinforced by vast amounts of mana until the crystal runs empty.

    Nameless was soposed because he had confidence in the barrier. It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll have an easy time getting through to the Holy Mother this way.

    ¡¸Holy Mother! Why are you just standing there?! Take back control from these simpletons!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Dammit! Did they even manage to dominate the Holy Mother?¡¹

    Nameless red hatefully at Jean, seemingly of the belief that Jean stole control over the Hero Zombies and Holy Mother through necromancy. Apparently, our attack managed to cover up the Holy Mother¡¯s betrayal.

    Taking advantage of that opening, Fran went for Nameless this time.

    She rushed in from his blind spot and swung my de down in an instant, but nameless casually blocked the swing with his fist. That¡¯s not the end though!

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Futile! Now perish!¡¹

    ¡¸Not happening!¡¹

    I summoned Avenger behind Nameless for a surprise attack, but he dodged it easily. Moreover, Avenger got sent flying by a counter elbow.

    Shouting that loudly during a surprise attack isn¡¯t going to work, obviously!

    That said, Avenger was pretty much unscathed. Had we taken Nameless¡¯s elbow strike, it would have dealt heavy damage.

    I know how durable Avenger is, but that attack contained enough power to blow off half his body¡­

    ¡¸Fuhaha! My goddess! I ept your protection with gratitude!¡¹

    Huh? But I didn¡¯t do anything¡­? Wait, did ¡°goddess¡± refer to the Evil God Fragment or something? Maybe it lent out some evil energy to him again.

    Using evil energy to cancel out Nameless¡¯s mana would certainly reduce the power of his hits.

    £¨Master! We should use evil energy too!£©

    ¡ºRight.¡»

    I added evil energy to Fran¡¯s attack, at which point Nameless started mumbling in frustration.

    ¡¸Nragh! Where is this evil energying from?! Dammit!¡¹

    Nameless was currently enveloped by a considerably dense magical barrier. It would take an equal amount of evil energy to disrupt or nullify.

    Unfortunately for him though, we have Evil God Fragment on our side. Simply activating the Evil God¡¯s Trust skill was enough, and the fragment would eagerly supply us with more than enough.

    Fran¡¯s shes began cutting through Nameless¡¯s barrier as if it was tofu, tearing apart his body. He regenerated these wounds practically instantly, but I saw his regeneration speed slowly down over time.

    As I thought, evil energy was super effective.

    ¡ºHow about this then?¡»

    ¡¸Gah! Now purification magic too!? ursed girl!¡¹

    I invoked the level 6 purification spell, Holy Strike, but Nameless deflected it with a back fist. That said, I noticed the barrier on Nameless¡¯s arm thinning out for a moment.

    ¡ºPurification magic is effective too.¡»

    £¨Then let¡¯s use both.£©

    ¡ºRight!¡»

    From there, Fran and Iunched a variety of attacks using purification magic and evil energy, while the Hero Zombies also assaulted Nameless with evil energy.

    Despite not dealing considerable damage, Urushi was actually the most helpful here. He used Shadow Shift to nip at Nameless¡¯s feet and hinder his movements, which allowed our allies tond their attacks.

    One direct hit after another, and Nameless¡¯s mana was getting depleted all the while. However, it wasn¡¯tpletely one-sided.

    Fran was fine due to being protected by the Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield, but Nameless inflicted a great deal of damage to the others through counters. Particrly in bad shape was Yuvel.

    He dove in to protect others, so he ended up taking the most damage. Since healing magic won¡¯t work on him, we had little choice but to wait for his regeneration.

    Though not as severe as Yuvel, The other Hero Zombies were in simr conditions, including those facing off against Laranflura.

    If we continued to whittle each other down like this, we would risk having several of the Hero Zombies disappear. Fran seems to have sensed that too.

    ¡¸Haaah!¡¹

    ¡ºFran? What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡»

    She began to envelop me with a purification-attribute Elemental Sword. However, that simply caused it to cancel out with my evil energy. As a result, only the ck lightning that came naturally with Fran¡¯s Awakening was left on my de.

    £¨Only evil energy or only purification magic won¡¯t work¡­ Divine energy isn¡¯t good enough either. In that case, let¡¯s mix everything.£©

    ¡ºM-Mix everything¡­?¡»

    That¡¯s just like the facy where throwing all of your favorite foods into a pot will make them even tastier¡­

    £¨You and I can pull it off. We got this.£©

    Fran asserted with a confident tone.

    £¨So you handle the evil and divine energy.£©

    Fran looked at me with eyes that weren¡¯t even considering failure as a possibility.

    There¡¯s no way I can refuse if you give me that look!

    ¡ºGot it! You take care of the purification magic and ck lightning then.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    I guess I have to prove the ¡°mix everything¡± facy is true, for Fran¡¯s sake!

 Chapter 1264: Golden Aura

    <h4>Chapter 1264: Golden Aura</h4>

    ¡ºKuh! I screwed up again!¡»

    £¨Sorry. The ck lightning was a bit too strong.£©

    ¡ºSorry! This time it¡¯s my mistake!¡»

    £¨Master, next try.£©

    ¡ºAh! Maybe the divine aura was too weak!¡»

    £¨Mrgh. Controlling the Elemental Sword is hard¡­£©

    Fran and I were experiencing repeated failures upon trying the ¡°mix everything¡± strategy.

    In the first ce, evil energy was practically an antithesis to divine energy and the purification attribute. They tended to cancel each other out when mixed. I honestly have no clue if it¡¯s even possible tobine them without diminishing their effects. Adding ck lightning to the mix only increases the difficulty exponentially.

    £¨But I know you can do it, Master.£©

    ¡ºAre you sure?¡»

    £¨Nn! You made such delicious curry by mixing spices, so you¡¯ll definitely be able to mix types of mana too!£©

    ¡º¡­Eh? Are those reallyparable?¡»

    Is that why Fran had such confidence in me¡­?

    ¡ºA-Aren¡¯t curry and mana are a bit different?¡»

    £¨No way.£©

    ¡ºR-Really? Well, I guess I am the Apostle of Chaos, so if anyone can mix these, it¡¯s gotta be me! Probably.¡»

    £¨Nn! Your mixing skills are super amazing.£©

    To tell the truth, I think I might be getting the hang of this.

    We¡¯ve previously managed to create evil-divine energy, as well as envelop it with ck lightning. The reason for the difficulty is the addition of the purification attribute, which isn¡¯t verypatible with evil energy. Combining should theoretically be possible though.

    Or rather, I feel like I can do it.

    It¡¯s just my intuition, but I think it can work. I decided to observe the flow of magical power and concentrate even further.

    The flow is clearer now than it was a moment ago! Also, the Chaos Knowledge skill is reacting intensely. It seems this skill helps me view mana too, not just stuff rted to the Chaos Goddess. Or perhaps it¡¯s working because the mana is so mixed and chaotic?

    I half-jokingly mentioned about me being the Apostle of Chaos, but it seems that wasn¡¯t far from the mark. Now that I could see things clearly, I also understood the problems.

    ¡ºFran, I think we can pull it now. Can I leave the divine energy to you instead? In return, I¡¯ll take care of the purification attribute.¡»

    £¨Does that make a difference?£©

    ¡ºYeah. ording to what I see with Chaos Knowledge, your divine aura has better affinity with other attributes.¡»

    We started with me handling evil and divine energy because I had seeded in creating evil-divine energy. However, it seems this affinity part is more important.

    Moreover, Fran seemed better at handling divine energy due to her being recognized by the Beast-Bug God. Her mana simply has less repulsion to other elements.

    It seems divine energy behaves differently depending on the source.

    £¨Got it. Let me try.£©

    Fran mixed divine energy and ck lightning, cloaking me in a power simr to ck Lightning Divine w. I then infused my evil energy and purification-attributed mana.

    Just as I thought. Thanks to Fran¡¯s stable divine energy, it¡¯s easier to control than before. I gathered the four different powers and began fusing them more thoroughly.

    Well, this is probably an impossible task that will leave ordinary people crying in pain, but I don¡¯t have any sense of pain.

    ¡ºGuh¡­¡»

    Still, I felt the chills for the first time in a while! The burden seems to be higher than I imagined.

    Both Nameless and Laranflura are monsters, to put it mildly. They¡¯ll clearly overwhelm us in a battle of attrition if we don¡¯t find a way to put them down for good.

    That being the case, we need to find an attack that works, no matter how much we have to push ourselves.

    ¡ºUwooooooogh!¡»

    £¨Master! Amazing! You did it! Awesome!£©

    ¡ºWe did it!¡»

    My de began emanating a golden aura.

    With such tremendous presence and force, I became convinced. We really pulled it off!

    ¡ºFran, I can¡¯t hold it for long! We need to finish this quickly!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Nameless currently had his back turned to us. The Hero Zombies must haveunched a fierce attack to divert his attention. However, I believe he¡¯s still aware of our presence. That¡¯s how muchposure he had.

    Which means he¡¯s confident in his abilities to evade despite exposing his back.

    In the first ce, Nameless is undead, so he doesn¡¯t need physical eyes to see things. He undoubtedly has the ability to overview his surroundings, simr to me.

    But we had no time to waste on such precautions. The stability of the golden aura was already starting to crumble. It won¡¯tst another 10 seconds.

    ¡ºFran, rush all the way in. The rest of us will seal his movements!¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    I noticed Nameless getting tense, which means he understands how dangerous I am to him.

    Despite parrying Yuvel and Begareth¡¯s attacks, Nameless refused to divert attention from me. Not good, because we can¡¯t afford to let him dodge.

    However, this was the perfect job for our stealth specialist.

    ¡ºUrushi! It¡¯s your turn!¡»

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! This damn dog! Where did¡­!¡¹

    If Urushi really focuses on hiding, he can evade even Nameless¡¯s detection, especially during a fight.

    Moreover, Urushi jumped out from Yuvel¡¯s shadow instead of Nameless¡¯s shadow this time. Blending in with Yuvel¡¯s powerful aura served to further conceal his presence.

    Nameless was forced to pause with Urushi biting down on him. Exploiting that opening, Fran and I pinned him down with Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield and telekinesis.

    ¡¸Gwoh! What¡¯s this!¡¹

    Even with his leg crushed by Urushi¡¯s bite, Nameless attempted to quickly regenerate and defend against Fran¡¯s attack. However, he becamepletely immobilized when caught in our invisible barrier.

    I¡¯m sure he can break himself out soon enough, but it¡¯s already toote.

    Because Fran was already in the middle of her swing.

    ¡¸Teyaaaaah! Curry sh!¡¹

    ¡ºEh?¡»

    H-Hold on a second! T-That name¡­!

 Chapter 1265: A Magnificent Blow

    <h4>Chapter 1265: A Magnificent Blow</h4>

    ¡¸Teyaaaaah! Curry sh!¡¹

    No, hold on! T-That name¡­!?

    However, my de was swung before I had a chance to respond.

    elerated by a sheath of wind, I flew down vertically on Nameless with godspeed. A golden trail followed, as Nameless was cleaved in two.

    ¡¸<strong>GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!</strong>¡¹

    Nameless screamed as the golden aura exploded within him. There were evident signs of disturbance within his mana.

    ¡ºIt¡¯s working!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The so-called ¡°Curry sh¡± was pretty damn strong, and the golden aura could be considered the same color as curry! But do we really need to keep that name¡­?

    ¡¸It¡¯s¡­ not over yet!¡¹

    Fran attempted to follow up with another hit, but Nameless escaped via teleportation.

    ¡ºLooks like he can¡¯t regenerate anymore.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    We literally bisected Nameless, from the top of his head to the crotch, and the wound hadn¡¯t healed at all. He seemed to be using mana to forcefully glue the two halves back together.

    ¡¸It won¡¯t heal¡­!¡¹

    Moreover, we had dealt a significant blow to his mana and evil energy reserves. He lost more than half, probably around 70%.

    ¡¸Why¡­? Gah¡­¡¹

    Nameless seemed quite panicked at theck of his regeneration. Whatever! We can discuss the technique nameter! Finishing off Nameless is more important right now!

    ¡ºIt¡¯s now or never!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    There were still traces of my mana within Nameless, disrupting his internal functions and hindering his regeneration. Now is our chance to defeat him!

    We had Urushi attack again, with a surprise attack from Nameless¡¯s shadow. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t just a simple bite.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s divine energy!¡»

    £¨Nice one, Urushi!£©

    For some reason, Urushi¡¯s fangs were radiating a divine aura.

    ¡¸Stop interfering, mutt!¡¹

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    While Nameless made a desperate attempt to dodge Urushi, his reaction time was much slower now. This prevented him frompletely avoiding Urushi¡¯srge maw extending from the ground.

    Nameless was barely holding his body together, after all.

    ¡¸Nurgh!¡¹

    ¡¸Arf! <i>Crunch</i>, <i>crunch</i>!¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you chew my bones!¡¹

    Urushi only managed to get Nameless¡¯s ankles and feet, but he made a show of crushing and munching on them, provoking Nameless and drawing his attention.

    Moreover, his feet weren¡¯t regenerating either. Regeneration inhibition shouldn¡¯t work on undead, which means this is the effect of the divine attribute.

    So the divine attribute works perfectly against Nameless now that the golden aura is messing him up.

    ¡ºFran! Let¡¯s finish him off!¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Defeating Nameless was our priority, but we mustn¡¯t let our killing intent show.

    We quietly gathered our strength while falling back to conceal ourselves. However, we were prevented from executing this n.

    Much to our surprise, Laranflura suddenly dove into action despite appearing to be on the defensive.

    ¡¸Die! Whipmaster!¡¹

    She charged forward, taking attacks from Apollonius and the others head on. It was as if she had forgotten all the evasive maneuvers she was performing only a few seconds ago.

    Laranflura maximized her barrier output, deflected everything, and fixed her eyes on a single woman.

    That target was Amanda, currently standing in the back to protect Maleficent and Persona.

    Laranflura¡¯s charge was quick, but not unavoidable given Amanda¡¯s abilities. But for some reason, Amanda¡¯s attempts to run ended up being extremely slow and sluggish.

    ¡¸As I thought!¡¹

    Putting on a menacing smile, Laranflura shouted with confidence. It seems she knew that Amanda¡¯s movements would be sluggish when facing her.

    That said, Laranflura¡¯s true goal was likely to distract us from striking down her ally Nameless rather than killing Amanda.

    It was as if her speed was precisely calcted.

    She was fast enough to prevent Amanda from evading, but slow enough to give us the chance of intervening if we do so immediately.

    No wait! She suddenly elerated! Perhaps she thought that diverting our attention from Nameless for a moment was enough to help him escape!

    This is bad! I can¡¯t cast a teleport in time! Amanda will get cut down before I¡¯m done casting!

    The Hero Zombies were also slow to respond. To them, Amanda wasn¡¯t a high priority escort target. They probably would only shield Fran without hesitation, but not her¡­

    The distance between Amanda and Laranflura was only a few meters. A blink of the eye for people of their caliber. All that separated the two was a single skeleton summoned by Jean earlier.

    Laranflura would tear through such a weak skeleton as easily as a piece of paper.

    Fran abandoned her offensivepletely. As we didn¡¯t have enough time to use ck Lightning Roll, she rushed at full speed to shield Amanda.

    However, we no longer had enough time to catch up.

    Both Fran and I hastily began preparing healing magic. As long as Amanda doesn¡¯t die instantly, we can heal her wounds immediately.

    But Laranflura¡¯s polearm ended upnding in someone other than Amanda.

    ¡¸Gah¡­! Hahaha, too bad.¡¹

    Jean had somehow appeared between the two and took the hit in her ce. Apparently, he had a technique for swapping ces with his skeleton.

    By utilizing this ability, he shielded Amanda. But that¡¯s not to say he sacrificed himself.

    ¡¸Mark, well done!¡¹

    The four bony arms growing from Jean¡¯s back began to wriggle in response to Jean¡¯s words. That said, all the arms had been snapped in half.

    This was Mark, the new undead that Jean created for countering Nameless.

    A bone armor with a will of its own, who can skillfully wield swords with the four arms growing from its back. It seems Mark sacrificed all four arms to weaken Laranflura¡¯s strike.

    Moreover, the armored body had considerable defensive capabilities.

    Laranflura intended this hit to be fatal. While she did inflict a deep wound on Jean, it was far from taking his life.

    Meanwhile, Jeanmanded his other undead to bring Amanda and the others to safety.

    £¨Jean, amazing!£©

    ¡ºYeah! But let¡¯s hurry and heal him up!¡»

 Chapter 1266: Namelesss Vengeance

    <h4>Chapter 1266: Nameless''s Vengeance</h4>

    Jean sustained an injury saving Amanda from Laranflura¡¯s targeted charge. Though not fatal, his wounds weren¡¯t shallow enough to ignore either.

    ¡ºHero Zombies! Hold off Laranflura!¡»

    I tore Laranflura off Jean with telekinesis and left her to the Hero Zombies. Then, Fran and I approached him.

    ¡¸Jean, you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I can manage, thanks to Mark.¡¹

    The armor-type undead Mark had all four arms shattered, losing its inherent irond defense. Well, not much we can do about him. Let¡¯s at least heal Jean.

    In the midst of this, Fran noticed something.

    ¡¸Nameless is gone.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat?¡»

    Just as Fran said, Nameless was nowhere to be seen. I made several attempts to scan for his presence, yet found nothing. Nameless must have concealed himself when we were distracted by Jean getting hit!

    Where could he be? Did he already escape?

    Honestly, that would be fine by me. It allows us to concentrate our forces on Laranflura.

    However, it¡¯s frightening to think he might be lurking somewhere for an opportunity to strike. I should search more thoroughly.

    But the moment I attempted a deeper scan¡­

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    ¡¸Kakakakah! Got you!¡¹

    Before us lied the shocking sight of Nameless¡¯s fist piercing through Jean¡¯s chest.

    ¡ºThat shouldn¡¯t be possible! I couldn¡¯t sense anything!¡»

    He had trulye out of nowhere. Neither Fran nor I could understand why Nameless was suddenly in front of us.

    The lich had impaled Jean¡¯s heart from behind despite us being in arm¡¯s reach. Blood was gushing from the wound.

    ¡¸Kukuku! I¡¯ve been waiting for this even since that four-arms broke!¡¹

    ¡ºI get it now! He used Zelyse¡¯s phasing ability!¡»

    How did Nameless approach us without leaving any trace of his presence? The answer was in his left hand.

    He held an ominous looking main-gauche with a pink-colored de. Sword Zelyse, without a doubt. When he was alive, Zelyse possessed a skill that allowed him to phase through almost everything. I¡¯m sure he retained that skill after bing a sword.

    Fran and I hadpletely ruled out the possibility of Nameless hiding Zelyse on his person.

    When we delivered the strike that cleaved Nameless in two, it¡¯s highly probable that he could have escaped by using Zelyse¡¯s phasing ability. Since he took the hit head on, we unconsciously assumed that he didn¡¯t have Zelyse with him.

    It was all for this moment, so he could y his ace in the hole.

    ¡¸Jean!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka! Call his name all you want, but it¡¯s futile! He¡¯s already dead! Here! If you want his corpse so much, you can have it!¡¹

    Nameless withdrew his right arm, which was impaling Jean¡¯s body, and leaped backward. Blood spurted from the gaping hole in Jean¡¯s chest, and his body copsed on the spot.

    Ignoring the copious amount of blood, Fran caught Jean¡¯s body.

    His body was now limp and devoid of strength. I could sense his mana and heat rapidly dissipating.

    ¡¸Jean! Jean!¡¹

    Fran invoked Maximum Heal and High Regeneration to close up the wound on his chest, but Jean¡¯s consciousness did not return. Because his heart was already gone¡­

    £¨Master! Level up your restoration magic! Please!£©

    ¡º¡­Got it.¡»

    If there¡¯s even the slightest chance to save him, we should give it a try.

    I spent my points to raise Restoration Magic to maximum level, employing the supreme-tier spell I learned.

    ¡ºPlease, save Jean¡¯s life! <strong>Vishnu</strong>!¡»

    The spell¡¯s effect was indeed exceptional. It had enough range to cover the entire room, instantly healing all those recognized as allies by the user.

    This repaired all injuries, restored our stamina, and replenished lost blood. It could even cure diseases, making it more of a miracle than a spell.

    That said, the mana consumption was huge as well. I bet the cost varies on the severity of the injuries healed.

    Most of the mana probably went into healing Persona and Maleficent.

    Vishnu could apparently heal damage to the soul, though the effect was tiny. As the soul is the domain of the gods, it only makes sense that an immense amount of mana is required.

    Despite my huge reserves, I lost half my total mana. An ordinary human would probably be unable to use Vishnu in the first ce. Otherwise, they would wither away due to the spell draining their life force in ce of mana.

    Persona¡¯s breathing had stabilized, and Maleficent¡¯s distressed expression improved a bit. Good signs, but¡­

    There was zero change to Jean. No breathing, no heartbeat. His body was growing cold, and his pale skin only lost more of its color.

    ¡¸Jean!¡¹

    ¡¸Kukakaka! I told you, he¡¯s already dead!¡¹

    ¡¸Lies! Jean is an amazing necromancer! He can¡¯t die!¡¹

    ¡¸Your efforts are futile! A corpse won¡¯te back to life no matter how¡ª¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t write me off just yet.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Nameless twitched in surprise, as Jean had somehow risen from the ground.

    Eh? He¡¯s really alive? But his heart got torn out¡­

    With a tired-looking expression, Jean took something whitish from his pocket. It seemed to contain space-time magic and a hint of evil energy.

    A magical tool made of bones? No, a miniature-sized undead?

    ¡¸I found your target¡­ In ordance with the contract, I hereby summon you¡­¡¹

    Immediately afterwards, the undead shone brightly, and a new figure appeared before us. Rather than a transformation, this seemed more like a teleport applying the technique for swapping positions with undead.

    The newly appeared person had an unusual appearance. He was covered in a cloak of pitch-ck evil energy, the shape of which reminded me of full body armor.

    The somewhat petite figure stared at Nameless before roaring like a beast.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve finally found you!!¡¹

    The voice was unmistakably that of a familiar young boy.

    ¡¸¡­! That voice!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, no mistake. It¡¯s Sierra!¡»

 Chapter 1267: Namelesss Defeat

    <h4>Chapter 1267: Nameless''s Defeat</h4>

    ¡¸I¡¯ve finally found you!!¡¹

    The shout sounded as if it were tinged with madness.

    The boy raised a sinister sword high above his head before charging toward Nameless.

    ¡¸¡­! That voice!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, no mistake. It¡¯s Sierra!¡»

    Sierra was a boy who came from a different timeline, and in his hands was the malevolent sword Zelos Reed. We had previously fought together at theke in the Kingdom of Belioth.

    They had been relentlessly pursuing Zelyse as vengeance for inflicting them so much torment. In particr, the Zelyse who was now a magic sword. Never thought we would see him again here.

    It seems he was acquaintances with Jean. Did they meet sometime during the war with Raydoss?

    His speed was quite something now, likely due to the evil energy. Thest time we met, Sierra by himself was equivalent to a Rank D adventurer, but he seems to have gotten a lot stronger.

    While his personal growth was definitely one factor, mastering the abilities of his sword Zelos Reed likely yed a bigger role.

    ¡¸You again!¡¹

    Again? It seems that this wasn¡¯t the first time Sierra cornered Nameless. Could it be that he refrained from using Zelyse to avoid revealing his location to Sierra?

    ¡¸You won¡¯t be going anywhere!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh! Let go!¡¹

    Nameless tried to evade Sierra¡¯s charge, but his body was entangled by four white arms. These belonged to the regenerated Mark. Moreover, those arms seemed longer, thicker, and more durable.

    ¡¸Damn! This stubborn undead!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha¡­ You seem to be in the same boat, no?¡¹

    Pinned down by Jean, Nameless was nowpletely immobilized. The damage we inflicted must have done a number to him.

    Laranflura attempted to interfere with our struggle, but Siby reacted slightly faster.

    ¡¸Hehehe. I don¡¯t really get what¡¯s going on, but it looks like you guys made a lot of enemies, yeah? I¡¯ll keep you busy.¡¹

    ¡¸Move aside!¡¹

    ¡¸What kind of idiot would actually listen to the enemy! I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡¹

    We can¡¯t afford to have Laranflura get in our way again!

    ¡ºHold back Laranflura with everything you¡¯ve got!¡»

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to us!¡¹

    Enthusiastic responses came from Apollonius and Begareth. The others also quietly started moving into action.

    ¡ºWe take care of Nameless.¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Following closely behind Sierra, Fran charged at Nameless.

    ¡¸Let go!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha¡­!¡¹

    Despite receiving an elbow strike from Nameless, Jean showed no sign of letting go. On the contrary, he clung even more strongly and startedughing.

    ¡¸Damn! I can¡¯t phase through!¡¹

    Maybe because of Jean¡¯s mana? The phasing ability of Sword Zelyse seemed to be rendered unusable. No, it must be because Sierra had surrounded Nameless and Zelyse with evil energy!

    ¡¸Sierra-kun! Do it!¡¹

    ¡¸I appreciate it, Necromancer!¡¹

    They seemed to be acquainted after all. Sierra must have given Jean a magical tool for calling him.

    ¡¸Oroooh! Evil me Sword!¡¹

    ¡¸Sierra¡¯s so cool!¡¹

    ¡ºThat must be a mix of evil energy and a me-attribute Elemental Sword.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. The color of super spicy curry.¡¹

    Well, I guess it is dark red¡­ Uh-oh. Ever since the Curry sh incident, Fran can¡¯t get her mind off curry!

    ¡¸Let¡¯s do the Curry sh!¡¹

    ¡º¡­Fine.¡»

    The ¡°Curry sh¡± name is kinda settling in as we speak! Why do we have to call it that when it looks so cool! Ugh, but this isn¡¯t really the time toin about such things!

    ¡¸You¡¯re going down first, Nameless!¡¹

    ¡¸You insignificant small fry!¡¹

    The wound inflicted by our so-called Curry sh still hadn¡¯tpletely healed. Nevertheless, Nameless was repelling Sierra¡¯s attacks with just one arm.

    Honestly, not bad in that condition.

    Sierra nced in our direction for a brief second, before immediately distancing himself from Nameless. Then, he began releasing evil energy into the surroundings. The armor of evil energy disappeared, revealing his true face.

    Indeed, he was the same Sierra as always. His sword Zelos Reed still emitted a menacing aura.

    ¡¸Evil Binding Chains!¡¹

    ¡¸Gaah! This is¡­¡¹

    We saw him use this technique in Belioth as well. It seems topletely block the activation of skills and magic by entwining the target with chains of evil energy.

    The barrier that surrounded Nameless vanishedpletely. Fran took this opportunity to charge in.

    The gazes of Fran and Sierra intersected as we slipped by. There were no words or further gestures. However, I felt as if an exchange of ¡°Take care of it¡± and ¡°Leave it to me¡± could be heard.

    ¡¸Haaaah! Curry sh!¡¹

    ¡ºEat this!¡»

    ¡¸<strong>NUUOOOOOORGHHHH!</strong>¡¹

    Fran¡¯s golden sh sent Nameless¡¯s head flying. Once again, the aura of the Undead King diminished significantly.

    ¡¸Gah¡­ Guh¡­¡¹

    We saw no signs of his head reattaching itself. Meanwhile, his body copsed to the ground with Jean still clinging onto it, crumbling away like sand in Jean¡¯s arms.

    Despite rolling on the ground, his head was still groaning.

    How persistent. Jean slowly approached Nameless¡¯s head and picked it up.

    ¡¸With this, it¡¯s over.¡¹

    ¡¸C-Curse you¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll be taking this, if you don¡¯t mind.¡¹

    ¡¸Let go of me¡­! Damn¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha¡­ It¡¯s already over.¡¹

    ¡ºFran.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Jean, take care of that side. We¡¯re busy!¡¹

    Fran covered the ground with the Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield. Trapped within the barrier was a vividly colored sword. There¡¯s no way we can sleep easy if we let this asshole escape again!

    ¡¸¡­Thanks, Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸Sierra. Now we take down Zelyse!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    The sword appeared to be trembling under the killing intent of the young boy and girl.

 Chapter 1268: Zelyse the Genius Alchemist

    <h4>Chapter 1268: Zelyse the Genius Alchemist</h4>

    ¡¸Zelyse, time to die.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll end you personally!¡¹

    Fran and Sierra approached Sword Zelyse, who seemed to be struggling to escape. However, all his attempts to teleport were blocked by my evil energy, keeping him trapped within the barrier.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s no way I can die here! I have to leave my name in history as the most terrible sinner ever!¡»

    Looks like Zelyse can use telepathy too. He shouted angrily with a shrill voice. There was no trace of his usual carefree demeanor; he genuinely seemed panicked.

    ¡¸Hmph. You will disappear and be buried in the depths of history.¡¹

    Upon hearing Sierra¡¯s deration, Zelyse started screaming even more madly.

    ¡ºWhat the hell is wrong with you guys!? All you do is get in my way! It¡¯s not even the least bit entertaining! You¡¯re just supporting characters, so your role is over once you entertain me! Get off the stage and stop with your annoyances! Know your ce!¡»

    ¡¸¡­There¡¯s no point in listening to this damn bastard any longer.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    Naturally, Sierra and Fran were unswayed by his words, and began swinging their respective weapons.

    ¡ºUwaaaaaaah! Fine! If that¡¯s how you want to y, I¡¯ll take you all with me! You¡¯d better believe I won¡¯t die for free! Try this, morons!¡»

    Sword Zelyse shouted again, before dropping several magic stones containing a tremendous amount of evil energy. It seems that my evil energy couldn¡¯t interfere with whatever means he used to store and release these items.

    Or perhaps he was only pretending to have his teleportation sealed? He might be trying to catch us off guard.

    Either way, dealing with the magic stoneses first.

    Each one contained a dangerously high level of evil energy, so much so that they were about to blow.

    They were practically bombs made from infusing magic stones with evil energy, and I saw them rapidly approaching the critical point. Even I have to admit Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield isn¡¯t enough to stop this.

    In other words, we would take significant damage unless we disable the barrier and do something about the magic stones. That must be Zelyse¡¯s goal.

    Forcing us to disable the barrier would give him the prime opportunity to escape.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºOn it!¡»

    Fran called out, and I enveloped myself in evil-divine energy. Then, Fran swung her weapon downwards, aiming directly at the magic stones. Her sh slipped right through the barrier to hit its target.

    ¡ºWhat!?¡»

    Of course, Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield allows our attacks to slip through effortlessly. With his n foiled, Zelyse could only shout in surprise. Serves you right!

    While the magic stones were quite durable, they didn¡¯t possess the same invincibility as the giant crystal. I transformed my de into numerous spears, absorbing all the magic stone bombs.

    Yet for some reason, Zelyse expressed joy instead of regret.

    ¡ºAhahahahaha! You fell for my trap! Those bombs weren¡¯t just filled with evil energy! They contain the ultimate poison that would drive even me crazy! No matter how strong or excellent that sword is, there¡¯s no way it can stay sane after absorbing them!¡»

    Fran looked worried. If Zelyse called it the ultimate poison with that much confidence, it¡¯s definitely trouble.

    ¡ºWhat you just absorbed was the ¡°madness¡± of the Evil God! I filtered that out from the evil energy andpressed it into those magic stones! In other words, it is unadulterated destruction and ughter! The Evil God¡¯s curse which drives crazy any and all existences in this world, with no exception! Now descend into madness!¡»

    Oh¡­ yeah, that¡­ Indeed, I can definitely hear the voice.

    ¡º<strong>DESTROY! DESTROY! MASACRE ALL!</strong>¡»

    It felt like someone was shouting into my ear. Apparently, Zelyse somehow extracted the Evil God¡¯s ¡°power of dominion¡± from within the evil energy, and condensed it into this small package.

    Regardless of my personal opinions about the guy, his techniques were ridiculous. It¡¯s tantly obvious how much of a genius Zelyse is. Being showered with such evil energy would make anyone sumb to an intense urge for destruction and run amok.

    Well, normally speaking. To be more precise, anyone born in this world would be in danger, even quite powerful individuals. However, it didn¡¯t affect me at all.

    ¡¸¡­So?¡¹

    ¡ºImpossible!¡»

    ¡¸Just some evil energy won¡¯t make this sword go mad. It was probably tasty.¡¹

    Well, to be precise, the Evil God Fragment inside me was the one absorbing it. We gained a great deal of evil energy, in exchange for degrading the magic stone points I would have earned to 1.

    ¡ºW-What¡¯s with that sword! Unbelievable! How much longer do you have to mess with my ns before you¡¯re satisfied!?¡»

    ¡¸Forever.¡¹

    ¡ºUgaaaaah! Don¡¯t you mock me!¡»

    This time, it was a genuine scream. It seems me beingpletely unaffected was that big of a shock.

    ¡¸Done with your final struggle yet? If so, I¡¯ll put you out of your misery.¡¹

    Sierra raised the sword Zelos Reed, cloaked in swirling evil energy and the me-attribute, emitting a red-ck aura. The same one that Fran called the ¡°super spicy curry¡± aura earlier.

    ¡ºY-You think this is some kind of joke! You don¡¯t get to look down on me! This stupid barrier! Ahhhhh!¡»

    ¡¸Uncle, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    Sierra muttered a few words, then nodded lightly. He must be conversing with the sword Zelos Reed.

    ¡ºStop!¡»

    ¡¸Fran, can you synchronize the timing?¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹

    ¡ºUwaaaaaaaah!¡»

    Zelyse seemed intent on surviving, and desperately tried to put up one final barrier. The barrier containing all of Zelyse¡¯s mana could not be nullified with any small amount of evil energy.

    Thus, I decided to return the favor.

    ¡ºHere, have a taste of concentrated evil energy.¡»

    ¡ºGah! Guh¡­ Guguh! Gaaaaah! Wha-¡­Des¡­troy¡­? <i>GAAAAH</i>!¡»

    I showered Zelyse with the same dense evil energy he had infused into the magic stones from earlier.

    Unable to withstand it, the vibrantly colored sword froze and screamed.

    ¡¸Disappear, Zelyse! Haaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºI am¡­! The great alchemist Zelyse¡­! My name belongs in hist¡ª¡ª¡»

    Those were thest words of the genius alchemist who toyed around with the lives of so many people.

 Chapter 1269: The End of Zelyse

    <h4>Chapter 1269: The End of Zelyse</h4>

    ¡¸Disappear, Zelyse! Haaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºI am¡­! The great alchemist Zelyse¡­! My name belongs in hist¡ª¡ª¡»

    Sierra swung down the jet-ck sword on Zelyse¡¯s de, snapping it in half. Zelyse was engulfed in sinister mes and disappeared without a trace.

    The mental instability he disyed at the end must have been due to his transformation into a sword. It¡¯s scary to think that the same thing could happen to me. Just as I was thinking that, Sierra suddenly screamed.

    ¡¸Uncle, what¡¯s wrong? Uncle!¡¹

    Sierra shouted as he held his sword in a hug-like position. The jet-ck sword in his hands trembled as if shivering with a chill.

    ¡¸Is this because of Cannibalism?! Dammit!¡¹

    Oh right, Cannibalism! Zelos Reed had the Cannibalism skill just like me, and it seems he retained that ability after turning into a magic sword.

    As a result, cutting down Zelyse resulted in cannibalizing his powers, even if unintentional. The worst part is that the Cannibalism skill absorbs more than just power.

    When I absorbed Fanatics, I almost lost myself in its powerful mental interference. I¡¯m sure Zelyse won¡¯t go down easily either.

    After all, that guy was as tenacious as a cockroach.

    Magic sword Zelos Reed started vibrating with increasing intensity, as if moaning in pain. There must be an intense battle for control between Zelos Reed and Zelyse.

    Sierra closed his eyes as if in prayer. There was nothing he could do but embrace Zelos Reed.

    But then, I noticed the Evil God Fragment within me start moving. Evil energy spilled out without my control and flowed into Zelos Reed.

    Was it trying to support Zelos Reed or something?

    ¡´Due to the cooperation of the Evil God Fragment, a connection with the target sword has been established. Beginning support measures.¡µ

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san! A-Are you sure that¡¯s safe?¡»

    ¡´Thanks to umtedbat experience within Raydoss, the processing load rted to evil energy usage has been sessfully minimized.¡µ

    Until now, Announcer-san had been taking over and reducing the burden of my evil energy usage. That¡¯s why she hasn¡¯t been talking much since then. However, it seems she¡¯s gotten used to it by now.

    That said, I wasn¡¯t worried about the evil energy.

    ¡ºWho cares about the evil energy, do you really have to connect to that creep Zelyse¡­?¡»

    ¡´There is no issue. With the assistance of the Evil God Fragment, any probability for mental invasion can bepletely eliminated. Additionally, high-density evil energy can be used topletely annihte Zelyse¡¯s mind and soul.¡µ

    ¡ºSo basically, you aren¡¯t in any danger whatsoever, right?¡»

    ¡´Affirmative.¡µ

    ¡ºIn that case, you have my full support! Crush Zelyse¡¯s pitifulst stand!¡»

    In response to my words, the evil energy flowing into Zelos Reed surged with greater intensity. Uh, just so we¡¯re clear, that cheer was directed at Announcer-san. Evil God Fragment, you don¡¯t need to go overboard.

    I watched nervously for a bit, before I started hearing Zelyse¡¯s screams.

    ¡ºGyaaaaahhh! What the hell! What is lurking within that sword! This is no mere Intelligence Weapon¡­!¡»

    Oh good, he¡¯s in pain.

    ¡ºSomeone is¡­ helping me? Is this Fran¡¯s sword? And¡­ a fragment of the Evil God¡­? Hahaha! You were fucking hiding something like this the entire time! No wonder I could never win!¡»

    I could hear Zelos Reed¡¯s voice as well, the sword version. Despite having transformed into a sword, this Zelos Reed didn¡¯t seem much different from the human one.

    ¡ºI¡¯m¡­. disappearing¡­? Aaah! No! All I need to do is transfer to the other sword and¡­ No! No¡­ It¡¯s all over! Damn it! Why is the Evil God Fragment siding with you losers? This isn¡¯t fair! It can¡¯t end like th¨D¨D¡»

    Now that scream signaled the true end of Zelyse. The attacks from Zelos Reed and Announcer-san weakened his resistance, followed by the Evil God Fragment eradicating everyst bit of him, soul and all.

    The Evil God Fragment is indeed divine, as disyed by its incredible power over the soul. I think I understand what the Chaos Goddess meant by ¡°all gods are gods¡± now.

    ¡¸¡­Zelyse is gone.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, did you help Uncle?¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s thanks to this sword. It put down Zelyse for good.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ so it¡¯s finally over.¡¹

    Sierra stood still, as if contemting something. His archnemesis was dead, and Zelos Reed was spared.

    Realizing this fact, Sierra must be breathing a sigh of relief.

    I¡¯d love to give him some time, but the battle wasn¡¯t over just yet.

    After all, we had yet to defeat Laranflura. She had dealt serious damage to Jean earlier, and was holding her ground against a furious assault from Forrund and the Hero Zombies.

    But upon realizing that we had finished things up on our side, Laranflura¡¯s expression darkened. The fight had decisively shifted in our favor.

    Naturally so, as everyone here was her enemy.

    Laranflura¡¯s expression reflected a clear aura of resolve. She must have decided to stake it all against us.

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha¡­. Hehehehehehehehe!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    There¡¯s something different about her now¡­?

    ¡¸You leave me no choice! Indeed, this is the only option!¡¹

    Not only did her atmosphere change suddenly, but her face also twisted into an extremely malicious expression, and she startedughing with a grating sound.

    Furthermore, I could see a divine aura enveloping her entire body.

    ¡¸From here on, <strong>I</strong> will be your opponent!¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡¹

    ¡°I¡±? Could it be that her personality changed?

    The same thing happened during ourst encounter. Laranflura started using divine energy when her atmosphere changed.

    Apparently, she gains the ability to use divine energy in this form. Perhaps she only switches when she gets serious or something?

    ¡¸Hehehehe! With me as your opponent, don¡¯t expect your deaths to be easy!¡¹

    Siby furrowed her brows upon hearing Laranflura¡¯s eerieughter.

    ¡¸¡­Could it be¡­?! East Conquest Duke, Balfon!?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehehehe! You got me! Indeed, I am indeed Balfon the East Conquest Duke, as well as the alter ego of the Superhuman General!¡¹

 Chapter 1270: Laranflura and Balfon

    <h4>Chapter 1270: Laranflura and Balfon</h4>

    ¡¸I am Balfon, the alter ego of the Superhuman General, as well as the East Conquest Duke!¡¹

    ¡¸How the hell did you ss change from an old man to a brat?!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehehe! Isn¡¯t it marvelous? All thanks to the fruits of my research!¡¹

    Huh? This is the East Conquest Duke? He¡¯s the same person as the Superhuman General?

    So basically, there¡¯s some old dude in that body?

    ¡¸Everything was for creating the most powerful force in the world! I fused myself with the sessful superhuman, putting two souls into one body! When Laranflura is in control, I am a genuine child, and the Superhuman General. When I am in control, I am the East Conquest Duke who can use my relic to its fullest!¡¹

    A powerful relic capable of dominating others,bined with the ultimate bodypleted after years of research. He really wanted it all, huh?. But in that case, why bother sharing the body instead of taking it for yourself¡­?

    ¡¸¡­There must be a reason why you don¡¯t takeplete control. Oh, I know. The secondary soul must not be fullypatible with the Superhuman General¡¯s body.¡¹

    ¡¸As if such a thing would stop me. I simply prefer to catch my enemies off guard!¡¹

    Whoa, it seems the East Conquest Duke just told aplete lie. In other words, Siby¡¯s deduction is correct? It seems he can¡¯t stay in control for long.

    ¡¸¡­Either way, I doubt you¡¯ll ever be able to return yourself to normal. Are you sure you¡¯re sane?¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehehehe! Losing my original body is a small price to pay in my service to Raydoss!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You are free to be as crazy as you want, just don¡¯t involve a poor little girl!¡¹

    Amanda shouted angrily, and East Conquest Duke Balfon simply shrieked in return.

    ¡¸This oue is exactly what Laranflura wished for! The girl herself desired power! In case you didn¡¯t know, she was originally a resident of Kranzel.¡¹

    Laranflura apparently lived in a frontier vige in Kranzel until she was six. However, the lord of thatnd was greedy and tried to sell the low-productivity vigers as ves. He conspired with bandits to make it look like they were abducted.

    Many vigers were captured, though a few managed to escape across the border in secret. There, they were secured by people from Raydoss.

    It seems Laranflura doesn¡¯t have detailed memories of the incident, but she does remember seeing her parents being killed before her eyes as well as her strong grudge against the Kranzel Kingdom.

    Fran lowered her head. The memories of the past must havee flooding back.

    ¡¸Even as a child, her hatred and determination were genuine! That¡¯s why she endured the superhuman transformation experiment that drove so many adults mad, and sessfully attained the power she wished for! She epted the fusion experiment with me without hesitation, hoping for revenge against Kranzel! <strong>I</strong> am Balfon¡­!¡¹

    The atmosphere of the Superhuman General changed dramatically.

    ¡¸¡­And <strong>I</strong> am also Laranflura!¡¹

    The girl returned to being Laranflura, then mmed a st of mana at her feet to jump back and distance herself with the recoil.

    ¡¸Hehehehe! How wonderfully shaken you are!¡¹

    It seems Balfon has returned, judging by that creepyughter. Amanda shouted with an expression of frustration at the Superhuman General.

    ¡¸Laranflura! I can understand your grief at losing your family, but doesn¡¯t that mean you can sympathize with those who lose loved ones? Why do youmit such massacres!¡¹

    ¡¸Only my family matters to me! I couldn¡¯t care less about anyone else! Rather, those who can still sleep peacefully with my family dead are nauseatingly detestable! Do you think my Mom and Dad will smile at me anymore?! No more enjoying tasty food, no moreughing while watching the sunset, no more rejoicing at a good harvest! Why? Why do the others get to live? Unforgivable! The lucky ones and this entire world are unforgivable!¡¹

    It was like a child¡¯s tantrum. No, that¡¯s exactly what it was. Her face was so painfully sad that it seemed as if she would die from sorrow alone.

    ¡¸Raydoss gave me a reason to live and the power to fuel my revenge! I won¡¯t spare my life, body, or heart if it serves Raydoss! I give it all!¡¹

    Her hatred and murderous intent were more powerful than ever before.

    Siby showed a slight expression of sympathy. Fran thought back to her own mom and dad with sadness. Amanda froze after hearing the girl¡¯s wailing.

    ¡¸Hehehehe! At this rate, Laranflura and I are doomed to be defeated here! But that is our wish if it benefits Raydoss!¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t get to talk about what benefits Raydoss!¡¹

    ¡¸No, you are the one who doesn¡¯t deserve to speak on behalf of Raydoss! Foolish ignoramus who knows nothing of the truth!¡¹

    Balfon twisted his face in mockery upon hearing Siby¡¯s anger.

    ¡¸What is it that you know and I don¡¯t?! There can¡¯t possibly be any good reason to massacre your people in the first ce!¡¹

    ¡¸Those ignorant to our country¡¯s true mission have no right to speak! I will sacrifice anything and everything to bring our goal to fruition!¡¹

    ¡¸True mission? Yeah, I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t fucking care! The Red Sword Knights exist to stop the king and dukes from going mad with power! We serve the people!¡¹

    ¡¸Going mad with power? Hah, what a joke!¡¹

    ¡¸You clearly are!¡¹

    ¡¸Our actions are all for a just cause!¡¹

    ¡¸Just shut up already! The people are worth more than your shitty cause!¡¹

    ¡¸Nothing precedes our cause! Not even the people!¡¹

    Siby shed with Balfon in a heated argument. Of course, Fran and our otherrades had alsounched their attacks at Balfon, but his cloak of divine energy was harder to prate than ever before.

    No matter how many attacks wended, none of them dealt much damage.

    £¨Master. Let¡¯s do the ultimate attack from earlier! Curry sh!£©

    ¡ºF-Fine.¡»

    I¡¯m not against doing that! But I¡¯m definitely changing the nameter! You hear me!

    However, it seems Balfon was also aiming to deal us a fatal blow. Despite being surrounded by such powerful opponents, he had been secretly infusing mana into his relic.

    ¡¸Behold the power of my relic!¡¹

    A powerful surge of mana emanated from the polearm in Balfon¡¯s hands.

    ¡¸Maximum output! Drown in the nightmares of your past!¡¹

    The eeriness of Balfon¡¯s mana seemed to reflect his distorted personality. A nauseating difort befell anyone touched by the surge.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran! What¡¯s wrong!¡»

    ¡¸Ahhhh¡­!¡¹

    Fran held her head and crouched down on the spot.

 Chapter 1271: Anger

    <h4>Chapter 1271: Anger</h4>

    A surge of mana overflowed from Laranflura¡¯s polearm.

    This caused Fran to hold her head and crouch down on the spot. She shut her eyes and let out a small scream while enduring some sort of pain.

    This wasn¡¯t just happening to Fran. All of our allies had fallen into a simr state, to varying degrees.

    It seems Balfon¡¯s mana was more than just unpleasant. There was some sort of special effect mixed in.

    I attempted to cure Fran with purification and restoration magic, but to little avail.

    ¡¸¡­I won¡¯t¡­ obey the likes of you!¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    Like I thought, Balfon was attempting to control us with his relic. We had heard that strong enough individuals should be able to resist the domination, but Fran¡¯s mental state must have wavered slightly after hearing about Laranflura¡¯s history.

    Also, it seems like he was showing her nightmares rather than controlling her directly. Perhaps his relic has a vast array of mind-rted abilities.

    ¡¸Uwaaah! No!¡¹

    Fran fell to the ground, shaking her head vehemently. Her eyes were unfocused, as if clouded by a living nightmare.

    The same applied to the others, as I saw Sierra in just as much disarray.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Please, stop! No¡­ no!¡¹

    The jet-ck sword clenched in Sierra¡¯s hand was trembling greatly. Zelos Reed must be trying tofort Sierra.

    However, the voice was clearly not reaching the boy.

    Amanda seemed to be affected too, though she had yet to fall to the ground like Fran or Sierra.

    ¡¸A nightmare filled with suffering children¡­ How dare you show me something this disgusting¡­!¡¹

    She swung her arms, as if trying to shake off the nightmares.

    Forrund¡¯s symptoms seemed to be on the lighter side, but that didn¡¯t mean he had enoughposure to help us out. Suddenly, we heard Amanda scream again.

    ¡¸Maleficent! No!¡¹

    ¡¸Urooooooogh!¡¹

    Uh-oh, Maleficent started moving! Moreover, he was clearly about to go on a rampage.

    Even before Balfon¡¯s entrance, Maleficent¡¯s mind had been almostpletely taken over by his demon.

    Which means he mightck the mental stability to resist Balfon¡¯s relic¡­

    ¡¸<strong>GRAAAAAAAH!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸Tch! Why me!¡¹

    Did we get a lucky break? Maleficent enveloped himself in a red aura and dove right at Balfon.

    ¡¸Guh¡­ Perso¡­na¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸The masked girl is really that important to you? How aggravating!¡¹

    ¡¸Gwooooh!¡¹

    Maleficent was clearly looking at Persona. Perhaps he could recognize the girl even in that state?

    Rather, she seemed to be the trigger that allowed him to regain control. Maleficent was clearly holding back his powers to avoid hurting Persona.

    Did his ¡°Eternal Loyalty¡± skill y a role in this oue? Or maybe he managed to resist due to his years of experience ying a tug-of-war for control with his mental demons.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Mom, Dad¡­ where are you?¡¹

    ¡ºFran¡­! <strong>Vishnu</strong>!¡»

    ¡¸Why¡­ why aren¡¯t you here¡­? No! I don¡¯t wanna be a ve again¡­!¡¹

    If not even Vishnu works, then maybe it¡¯s not an abnormal status? More urately, I think the effect of the relic is continuously active. Even if I heal Fran, she simply falls to the relic¡¯s mental interference again.

    Upon seeing the tears flowing freely from Fran¡¯s eyes, I felt a tremendous surge of anger.

    ¡ºHow dare you¡­!¡»

    The intense fury made me tremble. It only grew stronger and stronger.

    ¡ºYou¡­ You¡¯re the one who hurt Fran¡­!¡»

    Fran had ovee her past and started moving forward. And you think you can drag her back with nightmares and make her cry?

    You won¡¯t get away with this!

    ¡ºUnforgivable¡­!¡»

    My field of vision was dyed red with anger. I knew in the corner of my mind that I was acting on emotion, but I could no longer stop myself.

    ¡´¨D¨D¡µ

    Was Announcer-san saying something? I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t hear anything.

    But for some reason, I felt overflowing power! Why? It¡¯s as if all my anger was converting directly into power¡­

    Whatever! Who cares where this power ising from! I¡¯ll put it to good use by killing that fucker!

    ¡ºUROOOOOOGH! Evil God Fragment! Lend me your power, everything that you have!¡»

    ¡¸<strong>!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºHahahaha! I see! You¡¯re just as angry as me, right?!¡»

    ¡¸<strong>!</strong>¡¹

    Now my evil energy was overflowing too! A more dense evil energy than I¡¯ve ever seen before! Strangely, it felt perfectlypatible! I could control it withplete freedom!

    But this isn¡¯t enough! Give me more!

    ¡ºURAAAAAAH!¡»

    Evil energy alone won¡¯t cut it! Give me more! Give me the power to tear this asshole apart!

    Bring out all the mana! Bring out the divine energy!

    ¡¸Awooooooooon!¡¹

    ¡ºUrushi! You¡¯re with me!¡»

    ¡ºGrr!¡»

    I see you¡¯re angry too! Good! Lend me your mana!

    ¡ºGRAAAAAAAAAH!!!¡»

    ¡¸GRRRRR!!¡¹

 Chapter 1272: Side - Balfon

    <h4>Chapter 1272: Side - Balfon</h4>

    What even is that thing?

    A sword, yes, I can tell as much. The one the little girl was carrying.

    But how do you exin that sinister aura emanating from it? The cloud of evil energy is so dense that I can no longer make out its original shape.

    And that is only the beginning.

    Something has been mixed into that evil energy! There can be no mistake! That ¡°something¡± is extremely simr to the higher-order mana known as ¡°royal energy¡± in Raydoss, which is the power source of our relics!

    Royal energy is a transcendental power. Only through the relics do I gain the ability to manipte it ever so slightly.

    Yet the amount wielded by the sword vastly exceeded the highest tier relics bestowed upon the dukes, and perhaps even the prototype held by the king! No, this seemingly endless source may be capable of matching the sealed divine machine, the original source of them all¡­!

    ¡º<strong>GRAAAAAAAAAH!!!</strong>¡»

    ¡¸<strong>GRRRRR!!</strong>¡¹

    A silver sh blinded me as the merging of various powerspleted.

    And then, my arm was blown off.

    Before I knew it, the sword was now behind me.

    This was no teleportation, but a dash with such immense speed that I couldn¡¯t even perceive it.

    Indeed, activating my relic prevents me from moving. Still, I had set up a sturdy power with royal energy.

    And said barrier proved to bepletely useless¡­ Why!

    ¡¸Nugaah¡­!¡¹

    My regeneration is slow! Is it because of the de¡¯s magic clinging to my wound?

    ¡º<strong>UROOOOOOOORH</strong>!¡»

    A roar? Coming from the sword¡­? Can a mana really make a sound like that? It¡¯s almost as if someone is shouting at me.

    More precisely, an enraged shout for my death.

    ¡¸Again¡­?! Kwoorgh!¡¹

    A ck light shes twice, then thrice.

    More pieces of my body are shredded off. Yet again, I fail toprehend what has urred, and my regeneration refuses to start.

    ¡º<strong>AWOOOOOOOOON!</strong>¡»

    The sword roars again. Its decorative string splits and swells up into¡­ a wolf? Several metallic wolf heads.

    All of them charge at me simultaneously, biting into my body and devouring the pieces. I can do nothing to resist, the same as earlier.

    I am torn apart and devoured by the beasts. Perhaps this is how small animals feel when getting preyed upon.

    My mortally wounded body finally crumbles apart, and my head hits the floor. Even I find it surprising that I¡¯m still alive.

    But this cannot be allowed to continue.

    Each blow was infused with a golden aura scraping away at my soul, interfering with any attempts at healing.

    At this rate¡­

    £¨Nooooo¡­!£©

    Laranflura screamed out of fright. It seems being eaten alive was too much for her to handle. That means she probably can¡¯te out for a while.

    Suffering such severe injuries is a first for me as well. The blood and vitality dripping out through my severed neck only exacerbates Laranflura¡¯s descent into madness.

    As I suspected, her mind cannotpletely avoid my relic¡¯s powers. Even if we share the same body, we have different personalities and souls.

    Thinking back on it, choosing her was a coincidence. I knew that those who volunteered of their own ord would have a higher chance of survival, so I simply asked the ves I obtained if any wanted to volunteer for the experiment¡­

    Who could have thought that she would be the only survivor? Either way, one was enough. Laranflura had the potential hidden within her.

    By fusing her with a high rank Valkyrie, she quite literally became our goddess of war. I gave her the name of my deceased daughter Flura, whichbined with her original name of Laran to be Laranflura.

    With herpletion, my research finally bore fruit. Our n had reached the final stage.

    The n to sacrifice the people in order to annihte and reseal the Evil God must be carried out in full. This is the entire reason for our country¡¯s existence.

    Long ago, a divine sword wielder visited thisnd. The foolish nations there had unsealed the fragments of the Evil God, and that man resealed them. Then, he formed an organization for monitoring and maintaining the seals, known as the Raydoss Warriors.

    During that ancient battle, the fragments were drawn to each other and converged in a single location. That is why the current Raydoss Kingdom contains four fragments of the Evil God. Our ancestors had challenged the fragments, weakened them, then sealed them away again.

    The Raydoss Warriors went on to obliterate the countries who revived the Evil God, wiping out their royal families aside from a few children. Subsequently, the Warriors built a nation of their own, and took various measures to ensure that the fragments would never revive again.

    This new nation of Raydoss boasted a powerful military, and granted significant autonomy to its dukes for rapid response in case of emergencies. Furthermore, it continued annexing other countries to expand its territory.

    All of these were measures to maintain the seal.

    The divine sword wielded by our country¡¯s founder king was used to seal away the Evil God. But ever since then, the sword remained in an active, released state.

    Generally, the divine swords are trump cards for delivering a quick and decisive end to any battle. They are not intended for continued activation over hundreds of years.

    Nevertheless, Raydoss must maintain the divine sword to keep the Evil God sealed. Two main resources were required in order to aplish this feat.

    The first resource is mana. The divine sword consumes enormous amounts of mana.

    As such, our ancestors gathered massive amounts of magic stones, and also created a giant magic circle to drain surplus mana from the entire country. All to supply the divine sword. Expanding the country¡¯s borders was necessary toplete this magic circle.

    And the second resource is the divine sword¡¯s pensation¡± for activation. Raydoss¡¯s divine sword gradually transforms the wielder¡¯s body into an inhuman existence for as long as they use it. And eventually, the wielder themselves is absorbed into the divine sword.

    The requirement for wielding the divine sword is being of the first wielder¡¯s bloodline. In other words, they must be from the royal family. Furthermore, only royals with highpatibility can wield the divine sword.

    Therefore, in our country, the one chosen by the divine sword bes king. And the king is always short-lived. Again and again, we have prepared new members of the royal family, ced them on the throne as a sacrifice, and continued to maintain the seal.

    However, it seems this pensation¡± has been getting heavier year by year. About 300 years ago, the king had an average lifespan of about 35 years.

    But for the past 100 years or so, the average lifespan of the king fell to around 20 years. The main causes were thought to be dilution of the royal bloodline and the increasing resistance of the sealed fragments.

    As a result, our kings die before having many children, reducing the number of royals with pure blood. Anyone can see where this path leads in the not-so-distant future.

    We have fewer royals capable of wielding the divine sword, and they are also much younger than before. For years, we¡¯ve had to puppet uneducated children into offering themselves to the de.

    Naturally, such young kings will not be able to have children of their own.

    As ast resort, we¡¯ve conducted research into homunculi with royal blood, as well as reanimating past kings as undead. However, the results were not satisfactory. While we did gain a boost to our military, we were unable to produce anyone recognized by the divine sword.

    About 30 years ago, we concluded that the resurrection of the Evil God Fragments was ultimately inevitable. Thus, we adjusted our ns and began preparing for a battle with the fragments.

    We developed all sorts of technology to strengthen our military, expanded our territory further, and arranged secret weapons in preparation for the decisive battle.

    However, several problems arose. The history of the royal family and divine sword was a secret only fully known to eight individuals: the King, the Chancellor, the Chief Priest, the Head of Intelligence, and the Four Dukes. Not even the Red Knights know all the details. Well, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Vermilion Eye Captain knew something due to the properties of her relic.

    Either way, these eight were steering the country for years without any problems.

    But over the long years, many lesser nobles came into power, and we no longer had enough authority to reign them in.

    The kings are always chosen by the divine sword, although publicly, they get ¡°chosen¡± by the Chief Priest¡¯s ritual. Thus, these foolish nobles came along and began advocating royals that suit their interests for the throne.

    Perhaps such behavior is permitted in other countries, but not Raydoss. However, restraining the nobles forcefully would result in internal conflicts and may even escte into a civil war.

    The main reason we offered our citizens to the sacrificial ritual was to cut off those who can¡¯t or won¡¯t contribute to our forces, thereby consolidating their power into the few individuals that do. But there was also a second reason:pletely eradicating the annoying nobles and their power base.

    Of course, revealing everything and gaining their cooperation would be a preferable oue. But s, that was not possible. When we were bestowed our relics, the proof of our position, we also entered a contract to protect these secrets. This contract has existed since the original generation of dukes, and the relics would not recognize us without it.

    Furthermore, the relics would leave our possession if we attempt to revoke the contract somehow, causing me to lose my title as duke as well as my life. We, the trusted eight, could not reveal the truth to even our children or closest friends.

    As more time psed, an even greater problem arose. The Chancellor started showing resistance towards the n. He began suggesting more moderate methods, proposing ridiculous ideas like seeking aid from the Kingdoms of Kranzel and Belioth while still keeping everything secret.

    Unbelievable! Does he n to ignore everything Raydoss has sacrificed on our mission to seal the Evil God Fragments? We¡¯ve been fending off the powerful fiends and magical beasts born on ournd ever since the founding of the country ages ago.

    All while our inferior neighbors were indulging themselves with the adventurers they had robbed from us. They know nothing of our great cause, so why should we be the ones to bow our heads to such scum? The Chancellor must have contracted stupidity from the foolish lesser nobles that upy Central Raydoss!

    He tried to split off and start his own n, which had to be put down. We intervened in the affairs of Kranzel, Belioth, Phyllius, and other countries, sowing the seeds of discord and intentionally worsening their rtions with Raydoss.

    As a result, the Chancellor¡¯s scheme copsed, leaving us to deal with the situation using Raydoss¡¯s military strength alone. Just as nned. Well, I suppose it would be even better if we brought Kranzel, Belioth, and Phyllius under our reign, but the mission can be fulfilled regardless.

    All that is left is to achieve victory!

    We will strike down the resurrected Evil God and fulfill the true purpose of our country! Thus, I cannot afford to let myself fall here!

 Chapter 1273: Wrathful Amanda

    <h4>Chapter 1273: Wrathful Amanda</h4>

    You¡¯re fucking dead!

    How dare you make Fran cry!

    Unforgivable!

    I¡¯ll slice and dice until you¡¯re nothing but a¨D¨D

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    I heard a pained scream that got through to my fury-clouded mind. I could feel my anger quickly subsiding.

    Ah¡­ Fran. Why do you look so sad¡­? She seemed in as much grief as the nightmare from earlier¡­

    Is it my fault this time?

    Such thoughts instantly calmed me down.

    Wait, what the hell happened here? My decorative string had turned into a bunch of wolves, and my de was ominously pitch-ck. I now felt frighteningly calm for some reason, so I quickly morphed my string and de back into their original states.

    Sorry Fran. I must have screwed up and lost myself in anger.

    After dispelling the evil-divine energy corroding my de, I hastily returned to Fran¡¯s side.

    ¡¸Master!¡¹

    ¡ºFran! You¡¯re back to normal!¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks to Announcer-san.¡¹

    ¡´It took approximately 36 seconds, but all mental interference has been shut out.¡µ

    That¡¯s my Announcer-san! I can count on you for anything!

    ¡´Acquired the skill ¡°Shard of Wrath¡±.¡µ

    ¡ºEh? I got a skill? Why?¡»

    ¡´I hypothesize that this is due to the Chaos Goddess¡¯s powers.¡µ

    Oh right, demons were kin to the Chaos Goddess if I remember correctly. As her apostle, does that mean I can use demon-exclusive skills?

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    ¡ºS-Sorry. I got a bit too angry.¡»

    ¡¸Woof¡­.¡¹

    Urushi seems to be reflecting too. He¡¯s shrunk down and is lowering his head.

    ¡¸No, it¡¯s because of the relic.¡¹

    ¡´Affirmative. Observing how the mental inference affected individual Fran triggered a rapid progression of symptoms.¡µ

    Makes sense. At first, I thought the relic had no effect on me. However, witnessing Fran cry apparently disturbed me and enhanced the effects greatly. Urushi was probably in a simr state.

    Mental interference abilities are truly terrifying. Preventing you from making sound judgments can be lethal.

    ¡¸Done¡­ already¡­?¡¹

    ¡ºEven after all that, she¡¯s still alive¡­¡»

    The anger may have dulled my judgment, but the power I exerted was the real deal. Laranflura had been torn apart, and was now lying on the ground as clumps of flesh.

    And she casually began regenerating from that state¡­

    However, she¡¯s undoubtedly quite exhausted. Her mana had been significantly depleted, and the fatigue was evident on her face.

    But on the other hand, I recklessly spent a lot of my mana on my earlier assault.

    This might turn into a prolonged battle. Or at least that¡¯s what I thought, until the small body of the Superhuman General was suddenly blown away horizontally.

    We heard the bang a split secondter, which means that attack surpassed the speed of sound.

    ¡¸Amanda?¡¹

    ¡ºDid she manage to attack Laranflura?¡»

    ¡¸You¡­ made Fran-chan¡­ cry!¡¹

    The one responsible for this was Amanda. Her expression was truly fierce, likely boiling with anger due to the nightmare she was shown earlier.

    ¡¸Raaaaaaahhh!¡¹

    Emanating a faint red aura, Amanda swung her whip, striking Balfon with a furious barrage.

    After seeing Amanda¡¯s frenzied state, I realized the reason I got so consumed by anger. There was a faint flow of mana to us from Maleficent.

    It seems his Wrath skill also affects those around him.

    Balfon¡¯s mental interference relic worked really well whenbined with Maleficent¡¯s demonic power for magnifying anger.

    ¡¸Guh! ursed whipmaster!¡¹

    Either way, it seems Amanda could attack Balfon normally. She only has a problem when Laranflura is in control.

    The mana packed into her blows was quite substantial too. Perhaps her Guardian of Children title had activated?

    She might be able to push out a win if Laranflura doesn¡¯te out¡­

    ¡¸Gyah! This is¡­ royal energy! Dammit!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaaaaaahhh! Ultimate Technique - Bishamon Downfall!¡¹

    ¡¸Guh! Nuurh!¡¹

    Her whip flew at blinding speeds, inflicting dozens of strikes per second from all directions. The storm had no gaps, so Balfon was essentially trapped in a cage.

    Despite having no escape route, Balfon continued holding out against the storm. However, Amanda¡¯s whip was enveloped in a faint divine aura, and its impact pierced through his barrier.

    He mentioned something about ¡°royal energy¡± though? It seems that¡¯s what they call divine energy in Raydoss or something.

    Balfon was falling apart before our eyes without us doing anything. He had taken some divine-attribute attacks through the barrier, but that didn¡¯t seem like enough to exin hisck of regeneration.

    Perhaps this wasn¡¯t merely divine energy. I took a closer look and noticed Amanda¡¯s divine energy mixing with the red aura from Wrath. That might be what is enhancing the offensive power of her divine energy.

    Thinking back to the golden aura we mmed into Nameless, that was also a form of enhanced divine energy. The current Amanda might have something simr to that golden mana.

    ¡¸Amanda!¡¹

    ¡º¡­! Oh no!¡»

    The whip Amanda had been using to deliver the barrage suddenly snapped! Well, considering that she also broke her whip during the Martial Arts Tournament, perhaps I should be happy itsted this long. Maybe it¡¯s thanks to her Whip Boost skill.

    More importantly, we need to back her up!

    Or so I thought, but Amanda refused to stop. She simply grabbed a new whip out of her item bag and kept up the pressure

    ¡¸Aaargh! Secret Technique - Skanda yer!¡¹

    Amanda swung her whip a single time. Before I knew it, both of Laranflura¡¯s legs were shattered. This must be an art for delivering a devastating blow with immense speed.

    I could only vaguely catch a glimpse of her whip. It seems such a powerful attack imposes a burden on both the whip and the wielder though.

    Amanda copsed to the ground right as her second whip snapped. Her rage probably triggered an effect simr to Potential Release, where her limiter was removed.

    Balfon regenerated the legs instantly. However, pushing through the healing inhibition caused him to expend a great deal of mana. Moreover, he could barely stand up properly.

    This is our chance! Fran and I jumped up, reflexively generating the golden aura from earlier.

    And then, our max-power thrust pierced straight through Balfon¡¯s heart. Impaled by our de, a geyser of blood spurted out.

    ¡¸Nurghh! I won¡¯t lose! I cannot afford to lose!¡¹

    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹

    Yet Balfon refused to die. His ridiculous regenerative abilities allowed him to survive a crushed heart. He was still ready to fight.

    But soon enough, panic took over his face.

    Amanda had stood up again.

    The whip gripped in her limp hand crawled on the ground like a convulsing snake, cloaked in a dense red divine aura.

    We all sensed the overwhelming presence of the art she was about to unleash. Not even the mighty Superhuman General could escape this unscathed.

    ¡¸¡­Please, just go to sleep already. Both you and the child within you¡­!¡¹

 Chapter 1274: Chimera

    <h4>Chapter 1274: Chimera</h4>

    ¡¸Ultimate Technique - Deva Crusher!¡¹

    ¡¸UWAAAAAAAHHHHH!¡¹

    Balfon¡¯s scream was followed by a huge burst of light and mana. Was he trying to release a bunch of mana to weaken the power of Amanda¡¯s whip art?

    Light filled the underground room.

    When it finally faded, we saw a girl copsed on the ground with her lower body missing.

    ¡¸Ah¡­ Gah¡­ Laran¡­¡¹

    She could no longer regenerate, so her blood and organs spilt out. The mortally wounded girl could do nothing but moan.

    Like a shadow of her former self, clearly no longer capable ofbat.

    However, I felt a strange unease. What is this tension?

    ¡ºFran, finish them off!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha¡­ to think I would be the one holding you back. Balfon-sama¡­ I must apologize. It seems this is the end for us¡­¡¹

    Balfon¡¯s aura changed again. Did he return to being Laranflura?

    ¡¸But don¡¯t expect my life to be cheap! Awaken now¡­ <strong>Chimera</strong>!¡¹

    ¡¸Haaaah!¡¹

    Fran thrust my de into Laranflura¡¯s head, but at the same time the girl¡¯s body swelled explosively.

    Without flinching, Fran attempted to continue the thrust, infusing ck lightning and me magic. However, Laranflura¡¯s expansion continued unabated, rapidly growing in size.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºGet back!¡»

    Laranflura¡¯s flesh morphed into tentacles that entwined themselves around me. It¡¯s as if she was a slime.

    And those tentacles began rapidly draining my mana.

    I teleported us away to make some distance, observing therge wriggling mass of flesh that was once Laranflura. It continued expanding and morphing at an astonishing speed.

    The extended flesh tentacles reached out to entwine the giant crystal, covering it from view. Moreover, they even went for the Hero Zombies and Holy Mother.

    The Hero Zombies will probably be fine, but what about Maleficent? Oh, it looks like he already grabbed Persona and started running.

    But the Holy Mother was in big trouble. She was already entwined with tentacles and getting pulled into the mass of flesh.

    ¡¸Holy Mother!¡¹

    ¡¸Leave her! We need to worry about ourselves!¡¹

    As Siby says, the tentacles were iling throughout the room. It may reduce our room for dodging, but Fran supported everyone by covering them with the Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield. Furthermore, we had Teiwas use group teleportation to escape into the airspace above the research facility.

    Even Maleficent was with us. He seems to have regained his sanity, judging by how he firmly held Persona and showed no signs of attacking us.

    ¡¸O spirits of the wind! Grant us wings of soaring!¡¹

    Wilepho¡¯s invoked spirit magic to levitate everyone. It seems he can freely use spirit magic here, after escaping the influence of the Great Spirit and giant crystal.

    Stable flight of over ten people should normally be pretty difficult. He finally managed to aplish a feat befitting a hero of the past. Urushi seems excited because having someone else fly him is a rarity.

    We gazed over the research facility from above, which had already copsed from internal pressure. Flesh tentacles were sweeping down the remaining walls.

    Is this really going to keep growing? Apparently not, as the tentacles suddenly contracted like a receding wave, quickly gathering in the center of the room we were in.

    The transformation took about a half a minute in all.

    There stood a towering giant, having absorbed the giant crystal and the Holy Mother into itself.

    The giant¡¯s face was exactly the same as Laranflura¡¯s. Though naked, she looked more like a mannequin than a person. This was no human, just an imitation of one.

    Her height was approximately 10 meters, with white wings growing from her back. The entire body emit a divine aura, and we could see the Holy Mother embedded in her chest. Despite getting engulfed earlier, it seems she wasn¡¯tpletely absorbed.

    Perhaps Laranflura released her limiter just like the other superhumans? If so, there¡¯s no need for us to defeat her. She would die soon enough even if we do nothing.

    ¡¸<strong>UROOOOOOOOOOOOOORRGH!!</strong>¡¹

    We heard a low, heavy roar, much like a kaiju, fitting for that colossal body. I felt like we might get blown away by the pressure.

    ¡¸Zelyse may have been human scum, but he was a true genius! Behold, the fruits of his research! The Chimera Fusion Control experiment was a sess!¡¹

    Did she just say ¡°Chimera¡±? It seems her new form may be thanks to the Chimera Soul that Zelyse stole from us so long ago.

    The Chimera was an artificial monster capable of razing an entire country, and said to always go berserk. And the Chimera Soul was supposedly the core for creating one.

    So it seems Zelyse seeded in controlling it.

    Laranflura unleashed a massive burst of mana, but not at us.

    It flew past us 20 meters to the side, so she must have missed us on purpose. However, we felt a scorching heat from the sh of reddish-ck mana.

    Even the shockwaves were enough to almost blow us away. Could we have defended against that if targeted directly?

    I can¡¯t say for sure. It contained that much power.

    But where was she aiming then¡­?

    I looked to see where the st hit, and shuddered in realization. There was a mountain far to the south of us. But what lies beyond that?

    The explosion came from the other side of the mountain, illuminating the mountain ridge with a light as powerful as the sun.

    A split secondter, a tremendous roar reached our ears.

    ¡¸Fret not, I intentionally spared Alessa. But if you so much as try to run, you can kiss the city goodbye. Even if this body is fated to copse within ten minutes, erasing Alessa will be as simple as snapping my fingers.¡¹

    Her words contained no lies. So that threat was how she nned to seal off our escape route.

    ¡¸This power was originally intended for defeating the Evil God Fragments, which are on the verge of revival. I advise not underestimating me.¡¹

    ¡¸Defeat the fragments? Even though you¡¯re the ones reviving them?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. We intentionally revived them before the seal by the first king waspletely undone. All in order to defeat the Evil God Fragments with the power obtained from sacrificing our citizens and foreign soldiers!¡¹

    Wait, so they weren¡¯t nning on using the Evil God Fragments to annihte Kranzel? Unfortunately, that seems like a subject we¡¯ll have to ponderter.

    ¡¸Come at me, adventurers! I¡¯ll turn the guardians of Kranzel into my sustenance!¡¹

 Chapter 1275: Hariti

    <h4>Chapter 1275: Hariti</h4>

    ¡¸I will crush you with my own two hands!¡¹

    Despite her colossal size, Laranflura moved terrifyingly fast thanks to abination of winged flight and mana release. Before we knew it, she was right above us.

    That massive body blocked out the sun.

    Her eyes were fixated on Amanda, who held her whip at the ready. However, Amanda seems to have exhausted her the majority of her strength earlier. She might not have enough energy to escape.

    We had the Hero Zombies step up to protect her. At the forefront, Apollonius cloaked himself in mes and deflected sts of mana with his halberd.

    ¡¸Enough is enough! Raydoss needs to learn how to solve their problems internally!¡¹

    ¡¸Burn!¡¹

    Begareth shot out a series of mes from behind Apollonius, but they didn¡¯t inflict a single scratch on Laranflura. Everything was repelled by a barrier.

    In the meanwhile, we managed to descend to the ground via Teiwas¡¯s teleportation. Staying in the air against a flying opponent would only make us sitting ducks.

    We had Maleficent, Jean, and Persona hide themselves with a barrier, since they weren¡¯t in good shape. Maleficent¡¯s divine sword had already been deactivated, but he still had ess to demonic powers. Now that he¡¯s stopped rampaging, they should be able to hide for a while.

    We showered Laranflura with a barrage as she descended towards us, though it barely did a thing. Her barrier was simply too tough!

    The only ones that managed to get through were me and Sierra. Apparently, evil energy was the only thing capable of piercing through.

    ¡¸Now die!¡¹

    Dammit, she¡¯s still targeting Amanda!

    Amanda¡¯s movements were sluggish. She¡¯s yet to recover her lost stamina.

    ¡¸You call yourself a Guardian of Children?! Then why didn¡¯t you save me too?!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡¹

    Amanda lowered her eyes in response to Laranflura¡¯s resentful cry. The guilt of being unable to save a child, even a stranger or an enemy, must be overwhelming to her.

    This aspect of her personality was why the gods bestowed the Guardian of Children title on her in the first ce.

    Amanda froze on the spot. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re letting yourself get killed as some sort of act of atonement! She looked so apologetic that I couldn¡¯t help but feel that way.

    ¡¸<strong>DIE!!</strong>¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­ but I am no longer a Guardian of Children.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Amanda swung her whip at Laranflura¡¯s fist to alter its trajectory. She followed up with several additional strikes, causing Laranflura¡¯s massive body to stray significantly off course.

    ¡¸My title has been revoked.¡¹

    Even if Balfon was in control, Laranflura shared the same body as him. Killing Laranflura may have been the only way to put her to rest, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she attempted to kill a child. Thus resulting in the loss of her title.

    ¡¸Amanda¡­¡¹

    ¡¸There¡¯s no need to be sad, Fran-chan. I wasn¡¯t particrly attached to that title in the first ce. Besides, I got a new title to rece it: ¡°Hariti¡±.¡¹

    Much to our surprise, she apparently obtained a title with the same name as her alias.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t need an appraisal to tell me what it does. This title grants me power when I fight to save children.¡¹

    Amanda¡¯s whole body overflowed with a divine aura, elerating the speed of her whip strikes.

    ¡¸¡­Laranflura. I will defeat you.¡¹

    Despite attacking Laranflura, Amanda¡¯s aura only grew stronger. Her new title wasn¡¯t just for ¡°protecting¡± children, but ¡°saving¡± them. It activates as long as Amanda¡¯s actions are intended to save a child.

    ¡¸No! This can¡¯t be happening! I am the invincible superhuman created by Balfon-sama! How can I lose to the likes of you!?¡¹

    Laranflura flew in at max speed, straight through Amanda¡¯s whip storm. It seemed like a reckless charge, using her barrier to nullify the whip.

    However, her giant form was backed by a huge amount of mass, making it an effective move. Then, Forrund took a stand in front of Laranflura.

    There were nearly 20 magic swords floating in front of him.

    ¡¸Sword Barrier.¡¹

    ¡¸Nrgh! Such fodder swords are nothing!¡¹

    Forrund simultaneously activated swords enchanted with various defensive skills like Barrier, Reflection, Hardening, Space-Time Istion, etc. This allowed him to create a powerful shield in a single instant.

    Laranflura was knocked off bnce, and Urushiunched a body blow with his massive size. Although repelled by her barrier, it seems the impact of Urushi¡¯s maximum size was too much to handle.

    Meanwhile, Apollonius approached me.

    ¡¸My liege, grant us permission to use our trump cards.¡¹

    His determined eyes stared right at me.

    ¡ºHmm, but¡­¡»

    ¡¸Continuing to run around like this will tarnish the name of the Red Knights! Even if we are temporary existences, we cannotpromise on our pride!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! I¡¯ve gotta give them payback even if it kills me!¡¹

    Apollonius shouted his desires and Begareth jumped in right behind him.

    On the way here, the Hero Zombies had told me that they were notpletely stable. In particr, activating their trump cards will greatly reduce the time they can remain manifested.

    They might even disappearpletely in extreme cases. However, everyone, including the not-so-assertive Zinga and Wilepho, was appealing to me.

    Our opponent was already doomed to die if we held out long enough. Laranflura herself said she only had ten minutes or so. That¡¯s exactly why the Hero Zombies wanted some payback. Laranflura was the detestable foe who slew the people they wanted to protect.

    ¡¸Not like we¡¯re gonnast forever either way, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. We¡¯re half-baked existences without souls. Why not give it all here? I¡¯m a Red Knight, too, after all.¡¹

    Violetta and Lucard jumped out without waiting for an answer.

    ¡º¡­Hero Zombies, go all out! Use everything at your disposal!¡»

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger that!! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The first to act was Rob. He nted a red g into the ground and shouted.

    ¡¸Proud warriors, rampage to your heart¡¯s content! Offer yourselves to carnage! <strong>Cardinal g</strong>!¡¹

    Rob was instantly depleted of mana, as the nearby Red Knights surged with red mana.

    They had received a huge boost to stats, so much so that the recoil was possibly life-threatening. The first one to apply that power towards an attack was Begareth.

    ¡¸Time to burn it all down! Even if it means scorching myself!¡¹

    ¡¸Hurry up and protect me with additional barriers, Holy Mother!¡¹

    A red sh appeared from the barrel of Begareth¡¯s Carmine me. That must be his relic¡¯s trump card, Divine me Excitation.

    But for some reason, the output was much higher than thest time I saw it. Perhaps that is due to the amount of mana used, or the wielder¡¯s talents.

    What Begareth shouted was the truth. He literally poured his all into the weapon, without any thought as to if he would survive.

    Laranflura attempted to intercept the st with a barrier. It seems incorporating the Holy Mother turned her into a control device for the giant crystal.

    The powerful barrier protecting Laranflura from the mes was clearly different from her usual one.

    Crimson rays that seemed capable of burning space itself shed with the barrier. However, not even the Carmine me¡¯s divine-attribute trump card could break through.

    Like I thought, the current Laranflura was aplete monster.

    Laranflura smirked triumphantly, but she retracted that expression just as quickly.

    ¡¸Pierce through, <strong>Dusk Rain</strong>!¡¹

    ¡¸Burst open, <strong>Blood Maiden</strong>!¡¹

    ¡¸Death in sight, <strong>Vermilion Eye</strong>!¡¹

    Red arrows imbued the same divine aura as the Carmine me came flying in from behind Laranflura. Meanwhile, she was pincered by two full powered relics from the sides as well. Teiwas¡¯s teleportationbined with Wilepho¡¯s spirit-powered flight allowed them to move so fast that Laranflura couldn¡¯t react.

    Divine-attribute attacks collided with the barrier from all directions, scattering a brilliant red light everywhere.

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Haaaaaaaah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible¡­ My barrier! I should be invincible!¡¹

 Chapter 1276: Wings of Flame and Divine Sword Imitation

    <h4>Chapter 1276: Wings of me and Divine Sword Imitation</h4>

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Haaaaaaaah! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    ¡¸Impossible¡­ My ultimate barrier¡­!¡¹

    Thanks to the coordinated attack of the Red Knight Captains, Laranflura¡¯s protective barrier shattered.

    Simultaneous divine-attribute attacks from four directions were evidently too much for her to handle.

    Considering the sheer power involved, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was a massive explosion, but it seems the barrier had absorbed much of the force. The impact on the surroundings was only a faint breeze and slight tremors.

    That said, Laranflura took the brunt of the attack, so she fell to one knee.

    ¡¸Grah! Holy Mother! What are you doing?! Hurry up and reinforce the barrier!¡¹

    ¡¸Agah!¡¹

    Immediately after Laranflura¡¯s shout, the Holy Mother let out a pained cry. And just like that, the barrier was reconstructed.

    However, Laranflura¡¯s expression remained one of anger.

    The new barrier was significantly inferior in performance to the one that had protected Laranflura earlier. The thinness of the mana and distorted shape were obvious to see.

    At that moment, Apollonius closed in at an insane speed. True to his alias, ¡°Wings of me,¡± the fiery wings on his back produced an astonishing eleration.

    Moreover, he held a gigantic spear made of mes in his hand.

    ¡¸Eat this!¡¹

    Having transformed himself into a massive ming javelin, Apollonius collided head-on with Laranflura.

    He easily pierced through the new barrier as if it never existed.

    Laranflura guarded with her left arm, which got sent flying from the impact. The red javelin had pierced straight through her shoulder. Though not a mortal wound, Apollonius had gouged out a portion of her body.

    The strongest move of the Red Sword Captain was indeed formidable. However, it fell short of finishing Laranflura off.

    Her arm was already beginning to regenerate. That¡¯s when Fran and Urushi dove in. Charging through the storm of long-range attacks from Siby and the others, we delivered a powerful blow.

    ¡¸Grrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Teyaaa!¡¹

    Urushi¡¯s foreleg, enveloped in divine energy, gouged Laranflura¡¯s side. That same instant, Fran delivered a precise blow to the exact same spot.

    This was our Heavenly Judgment infused with evil-divine energy. The trail of evil-divine energy and ck lightning tore through Laranflura¡¯s torso.

    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!¡¹

    Laranflura let out an unexpectedly loud scream. We must have inflicted more damage than expected. Perhaps evil-divine energy was super effective? However, the reason turned out to be something else.

    ¡´Probability that the Golden Form skill was effective: 97%¡µ

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s it!¡»

    Our ¡°Golden Form¡± skill had originally evolved from ¡°Mixed yer¡±, which dealt a critical hit to the chimera portion of Laranflura!

    ¡ºOne more go! This time, we put everything into Golden Form!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran performed a light hop, and Urushi propelled her forward with his foreleg. Until now, they had only attempted to do this going down, but now, it seems they could do it horizontally as well.

    Sent flying by the full force of Urushi¡¯s strength, Fran unleashed her strike.

    ¡¸Haaaah! Wolf-Style Draw Technique Mk2!¡¹

    Huh? She came up with a new name for it! If you coulde up with such cool names, why is the golden aura one still ¡°Curry sh¡±!?

    ¡¸<strong>GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!</strong>¡¹

    With her right arm severed, Laranflura screamed even louder than before. Seems like that one hurt a lot.

    Laranflura¡¯s thin barrierpletely vanished, and her movements came to a halt.

    Siby and Yuvel¡¯s long-range attacks continued flying in, shaving away at Laranflura¡¯s flesh.

    Avenger remained vignt by Persona¡¯s side, realizing that his offensive capabilities would becking. When push came to shove, he seemed to have chosen the role of a meat shield. Given his personality, that¡¯s a surprisingly astute decision.

    However, Forrund was nowhere to be seen. I did a frantic scan, and noticed he was just behind us. It seems he was hiding with the power of a sword for perfectly concealing his presence and magical energy.

    Was he hiding because he was injured or something? No, there was something unusual going on.

    I could tell with just a nce. The deep red magic enveloping his entire body was anything but ordinary.

    ¡¸To me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Nn.¡¹

    His exchange with Fran was still as inexplicable as ever. However, Fran obediently stepped back, clearing Forrund¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡¸Hah¡­ May the gods bear witness. My power unveiled, befitting your favor and¡­¡¹

    Forrund began a lengthy speech, or rather, a verbose chant. In response to the words, he began radiating a divine aura. And at the end¡­

    ¡¸Divine Sword Imitation.¡¹

    Within a pir of red light, Forrund forcefully sped his outstretched hands in front of himself.

    That became the trigger, andplex magical runes made of red light formed on the back of his hands.

    A vast amount of mana was discharged like lightning, and converted into divine energy. Light overflowed from his sped palms.

    Finally, the divine aura dyed the surroundings dazzlingly as it turned into a sh. When the light subsided, Forrund held a massive metal object in his hands.

    It was a peculiar weapon, resembling a gigantic sword with a massive hammer attached. Perhaps it would be more fitting to describe it as a siege weapon than a sword.

    And we recognized that colossal weapon.

    ¡¸Gaia, the Grand Earthde¡­¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡­ there¡¯s no mistaking it.¡»

 Chapter 1277: Imitation Gaia

    <h4>Chapter 1277: Imitation Gaia</h4>

    As the name implied, Forrund¡¯s Divine Sword Imitation could create a replica of a divine sword.

    The enormous, misshapen sword in Forrund¡¯s hands was the splitting image of Ashwrath¡¯s divine sword Gaia.

    However, the pressure I felt from it seemed weaker than the original Gaia. Anyone would recognize it as the Grand Earthde, but the aura was a bit off.

    As expected of an imitation. Of course, inheriting even a fraction of Gaia¡¯s immense powers would make it way stronger than anything we can do.

    The pressure emanating from the imitation de caused the air to tremble, sending shivers across Fran¡¯s skin.

    We reflexively distanced ourselves using teleportation, a sign how much danger we felt.

    ¡¸What¡­ is that¡­?¡¹

    Even Apollonius took a step back in astonishment. However, quickly recovering from the shock, he began tough maniacally.

    ¡¸Hahahahaha! Fantastic! Truly befitting of the Rank A adventurers that have antagonized Raydoss for so long! How reliable it is to have you on our side!¡¹

    Forrund promptly sprinted past Fran and mmed the imitation Gaia into Laranflura.

    ¡¸Haaah! Binds of the Land!¡¹

    ¡¸Gah¡­ G-Gwuaaaah!¡¹

    He effortlessly shattered what was left of the seemingly invincible barrier, gouging out Laranflura¡¯s stomach as well. Furthermore, numerous ck chains sprang forth from the earth and entangled her body.

    She was dragged down to the ground, and restrained with her massive body lying on her back.

    More and more ck chains sprung forth, covering Laranflura¡¯s entire body and binding her to the earth. She attempted to break free, but her body wouldn¡¯t move as if trapped by an invisible force.

    I think I figured out the secret behind this. Judging by the huge amount of mana, she was actually getting pinned by some sort of super-gravity. Regardless of her intense resistance, the binds showed no sign of breaking.

    Even as an imitation, Forrund¡¯s weapon was truly a divine sword. He went on to deliver a second strike.

    ¡¸Rage of the Land!¡¹

    ¡¸How can you¡ª¡ª<strong>WAARGHH!!</strong>¡¹

    He shrouded the enormous imitation Gaia in ck divine energy, swinging it down towards Laranflura. If that technique hit us, we would likely disappear without leaving a trace. Teleporting away is the only way to survive. The divine energy infused in it was that formidable.

    However, the Superhuman General refused to take this sitting down.

    ¡¸<strong>AAAAAAAARGHH!!</strong>¡¹

    Laranflura released an immense amount of mana from her entire body. Devouring tens of thousands of people had turned her into a monster that could hardly be called mortal.

    This surge of super-dense mana shattered the chains, shing with the imitation divine sword.

    An intense sh blinded us, followed by a deafening roar and violent shockwaves.

    I instinctively shielded us with a barrier, but I could see the Hero Zombies getting blown away.

    When the light subsided, I saw both Forrund and Laranflura in critical condition.

    The imitation divine sword was no longer in Forrund¡¯s hands. I bet it couldn¡¯t withstand the massive impact and disappeared.

    Moreover, Forrund didn¡¯t even have his hands since both of his forearms had evaporated. The recoil of the technique was just that intense. In addition, the rest of his body was covered incerations, and he showed no signs of movement.

    He looked unconscious too, so leaving him with such diminished life force would be dangerous.

    On the other hand, Laranflura still showed signs of vitality despite the ridiculous amount of damage she had taken.

    The top half of her head had been sted off, along with all of her limbs. Yet still, the figure of the Holy Mother embedded in her chest was unharmed.

    The current Laranfluracked internal organs and blood. Despite appearing humanoid, she was far from it.

    Because of that, it was hard to view her as a person. When I saw the grotesque sight, I saw her as more of a broken doll or statue.

    The mouth on her shattered head began speaking.

    ¡¸To think it woulde to this¡­¡¹

    She could clearly see us despite having lost her eyes. Perhaps she was observing us through a skill.

    ¡¸Ah, Balfon-sama¡­ You were supporting me by using your soul to restrain the Chimera, yet I failed to aplish anything¡­¡¹

    Laranflura¡¯s body began crumbling away into sand. There was no sign of regeneration, and her mana was dissipating rapidly.

    That said, her fighting spirit was not gone yet.

    ¡¸Had I been able to devour these simpletons, felling the fragments would be a simple task¡­ But if I am to fall here, then¡­! Uwaaaah!!¡¹

    Was she attempting a desperatest resort? Maybe trying to self-destruct? Either way, I readied myself for a quick escape. However, Laranflura showed no intention of attacking us.

    Her fighting spirit hadn¡¯t waned one bit, but her focus was not directed toward us. Was she staring at the ground? No, the depths of the earth?

    In the meantime, the Hero Zombies got back up and attacked her alongside Urushi. The remaining portions of Laranflura¡¯s body shattered, elerating her disintegration.

    But we were forced to stop right before the finish line, by a barrier erected around the giant crystal and the Holy Mother. None of our attacks could break through.

    We could see the slightly smaller crystal peeking out from Laranflura¡¯s shredded flesh. What¡¯s going on with the Holy Mother though? She seemspletely motionless¡­

    Despite having lost her mouth, and even her face, we could hear Laranflura¡¯s voice echoing out from somewhere.

    ¡¸Holy Mother¡­ Extract everyst bit of power from the crystal! Take this, Evil God!¡¹

    A flow of power radiated from Laranflura¡¯s remnants, but it did not attack us. Instead the mana flowed deep underground.

    And then, the earth shook.

    A dull, low sound reverberated along with the quaking.

    Simultaneously, I sensed joying from the Evil God Fragment within me.

    It seems Laranflura¡¯s sent her mana through the leylines and sted it at the fragments sealed in thisnd, delivering a devastating blow. Those tremors were akin to the fragments¡¯ screams.

    But why would that make the fragment within me happy?

    ¡¸<strong>!</strong>¡¹

    ¡ºDo you hate the others or something?¡»

    ¡¸<strong>!</strong>¡¹

    Perhaps fragments of the Evil God aren¡¯t necessarily friendly with each other. My fragment appeared to harbor resentment towards the others.

    Everyone was surprised by Laranflura¡¯s actions. The sudden earthquake that followed left them even more confused.

    That said, Laranflura had clearly exhausted thest of her strength. The cracks in the giant crystal spread, until the entire thing had crumbled apart.

    The remaining chunks melted away into dust, leaving only the lump of flesh that contained the Holy Mother.

    Was Laranflura still holding her prisoner¡­? As we were wondering what to do, Siby suddenly screamed.

    ¡¸Gwah¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Siby?¡¹

    Visibly in pain, Siby fell to one knee.

    £¨Master!£©

    ¡ºOn it! Vishnu!¡»

    Ignoring the heavy costs, I invoked Vishnu on Siby. However, this proved to be futile. While she showed some signs of recovery, the pain only came back just as hard.

    ¡¸¡­Fuhaha¡­ Siby of the Red Sword, I¡¯m taking you down with me¡­ There¡¯s no saving you now. I applied the Chimera¡¯s power to make your monster factor go berserk. Descend into monsterhood like the savage you are¡­¡¹

    Again, Laranflura¡¯s voice echoed from an unknown location. Fran gripped me tightly, but a certain man jumped into action before I could do anything.

    ¡¸Orooooooogh! What have you done to my daughter?! Ora!¡¹

    It was Apollonius. He cut down the crumbling flesh along with an angry shout. Thest piece of what was once Laranflura incinerated into ck smoke under Apollonius¡¯s mes.

    Ten secondster, an somehow unharmed Holy Mother emerged from the remains, along with Laranflura¡¯s decapitated head, now normal-sized. It seems this head was acting as her core.

    ¡¸Oi, cancel the berserk factor thing!¡¹

    ¡¸So this is the love of a stepfather? I see you are quite agitated! But it¡¯s already toote. Not even I can stop it now!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡¹

    ¡¸By all means, go ahead! I can only maintain myself for a few minutes either way. Fuhahaha! I hope you enjoy watching Siby turn into a monster!¡¹

 Chapter 1278: Laranfluras Demise

    <h4>Chapter 1278: Laranflura''s Demise</h4>

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! I hope you enjoy watching Siby turn into a monster!¡¹

    Despite repeated casts of Vishnu, I was unable to do anything for Siby. That¡¯s not to say that the spell was weak. After all, I had sessfully restored Forrund¡¯s lost arms.

    ¡¸You little bitch! Stop it or I¡¯ll seriously fucking kill you!¡¹

    Apollonius thrust his halberd in front of Laranflura, but the severed head simplyughed in response.

    ¡¸I already told you that it¡¯s impossible! Siby is being tormented by the monster factors running wild in her own body! I merely provided the catalyst!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn you¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸I only have a few minutes left, which means I won¡¯t get the chance to witness Siby¡¯s end¡­ I will have to settle for imagining her going berserk and dying at your hands!¡¹

    Apollonius raised his halberd again, but froze before swinging it down. He must be considering the possibility that Laranflura was lying, and actually had a way to stop this.

    Thus, he could not bring himself to finish her off.

    But unfortunately, Laranflura was not lying at all. There really was no way to save Siby.

    ¡¸¡­She¡¯s not lying.¡¹

    ¡¸My liege, you can tell if something is a lie?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Apollonius contorted his face in anger, before swinging down his halberd on Laranflura.

    ¡¸I hate all of you! I hate this world! All of you should just¡ª¡ª¡¹

    ¡¸Shut it.¡¹

    Laranflura¡¯s head st in the middle of her childish curses. While I could sympathize with her circumstances, I don¡¯t think I could ever understand herpletely¡­

    Apollonius turned on his heel and ran over to Siby.

    ¡¸Siby! Hang in there!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Old man.¡¹

    ¡¸You can get through this with enough guts!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­ Bring it on¡­¡¹

    Despite her pain, Siby managed to force a strained smile and squeezed Apollonius¡¯s hand in return.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Gah¡­¡¹

    Siby¡¯s body was literally squirming, as if there were snakes or something slithering beneath her skin. Her pupils split vertically like a dragon¡¯s, and sharp fangs emerged from her mouth. Scales started growing on her hands and feet, as the dull cracking sound of splitting bones could be heard within her body.

    Laranflura said she made her monster factor go wild. Perhaps that¡¯s the same phenomenon as the limiter removal on the superhumans we¡¯ve seen before.

    However, Siby continued resisting.

    She seems to be attempting to control her monster factor, which prevented her from rapidly transforming like the superhuman soldiers.

    ¡¸Ugaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Oof!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s left arm suddenly grew to a massive size! Her arm was no longer that of a human, but a gray dragon.

    And that dragon arm smashed Apollonius away.

    ¡¸Old¡­ man¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about me!¡¹

    Apollonius got back up on his feet and approached Siby again. The dragon arm swung again, but he dodged the attack and gripped Siby¡¯s hand once more.

    ¡¸This is about all I can do for you. Sorry.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    At the same time, Siby¡¯s dragon arm stopped moving.

    £¨Siby is controlling herself when Apollonius grabs her hand.£©

    ¡ºI see! You might be right about that!¡»

    £¨No doubt. You gotta do your best when your dad supports you.£©

    ¡º¡­Yeah.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    For now, we should ensure nothing interferes with Apollonius.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s put up a barrier.¡¹

    ¡ºRoger that.¡»

    We instructed the other Hero Zombies, who split into a team for supporting Apollonius and one for setting up barriers. I know I spent a significant amount of mana on healing Forrund and the others, but this is a critical moment.

    If only we had some method for controlling Siby¡¯s monster factor¡­

    At that moment, Siby drew the sword at her waist with her left arm, which had returned to a human form. This was the Red Sword, a magic sword that was recently made as her personal relic.

    The Red Sword¡¯s reddish de exuded an even deeper crimson-colored mana. Then, Siby¡¯s entire body writhed more violently.

    All the expanding and contracting made it look as if her transformation was elerating.

    Apollonius also seemed to think so too, as he wore a worried expression.

    ¡¸S-Siby! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸N-No clue¡­¡¹

    ¡¸You don¡¯t know? Oi!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t fuss, old man. This sword is like a limiter for my power¡­¡¹

    I sensed an indescribable power emanating from the Red Sword. It wasn¡¯t evil or divine in nature. So what could it be?

    I further probed the source of this power, then finally understood. This was the power of chaos. I activated Chaos Knowledge to examine more closely, and sensed a dungeon core embedded at the center of the Red Sword.

    ¡´Do you wish to apply control support to the Red Sword?¡µ

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san? Is that even possible?¡»

    ¡´It is possible for individual Humanseal Sword Master, as the Apostle of Chaos.¡µ

    Does calling me ¡°Humanseal Sword Master¡± mean I need to use the power I obtained from that upgrade? So I should apply ¡°Apostle of the Chaos Goddess¡± and ¡°Chaos Knowledge¡±.

    ¡ºJust pouring in my power mindlessly won¡¯t work, right?¡»

    ¡´Affirmative. Invoke the skills to infuse chaos mana into the Red Sword. I will handle the regtion.¡µ

    ¡ºThanks.¡»

    And so, I focused on my powers as an apostle. By invoking the Apostle of the Chaos Goddess skill, I attempted to generate mana with a simr wavelength to dungeon cores.

    For some reason, converting the mana was pretty effortless. Also, the mana¡¯s color was a radiant gold. Fran and I had created a simr gold mana earlier, which seems to be something derived from the Chaos Goddess.

    Thanks to that experience, I had be ustomed to handling the power of chaos.

    ¡ºAnnouncer-san!¡»

    ¡´Leave it to me.¡µ

    The power of chaos flowed smoothly into the Red Sword with Announcer-san¡¯s assistance. I could see it being integrated and absorbed within.

    ¡¸This is¡­!¡¹

    Good, Siby is looking more stable now. Announcer-san is truly amazing. That said, Siby¡¯s transformation had yet topletely stop. We just need one final push¡­

    ¡¸I will apply my powers.¡¹

    ¡ºHoly Mother?¡»

    The gentle voice of a woman echoed around us.

 Chapter 1279: Mother and Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 1279: Mother and Daughter</h4>

    The Holy Mother had been lying motionless on the ground the entire time, so I mistakenly believed her to be unconscious. However, she began speaking without so much as a twitch.

    ¡¸I believe I can suppress the girl¡¯s transformation slightly.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re helping Siby?¡¹

    ¡¸Better than sitting around doing nothing, right?¡¹

    Fran had already ced her trust in the Holy Mother, but it seems Apollonius and the others were still somewhat skeptical.

    She was aligned with our enemies, the ck Skeleton Corps, so I can understand why.

    However, the Holy Mother had kept resisting even while incorporated into Laranflura, and was also cooperative towards us. Apollonius should be able to understand that much.

    ¡¸Apollonius, it¡¯s okay.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­If you say so¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Holy Mother, go ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸Understood. Please ce me next to Siby.¡¹

    Afterying her down next to Siby, the Holy Mother slowly raised her hand. Though she was apparently barely able to move, she could at least do this much.

    Then, she gently ovepped her left hand with Siby¡¯s right.

    ¡¸Here I go.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We felt a faint mana emanating from the Holy Mother. The vast majority of her power had been lost, so expending the little that remained might actually cause her to disappear.

    Considering that fact, I didn¡¯t think there was much she could do, but¡­

    ¡¸Kin Intelligence.¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­!¡¹

    The Holy Mother had activated her Extra Skill for giving intelligence to her undead subordinates. Perhaps she was countering Siby¡¯s berserk transformation by forcibly keeping her sane?

    Either way, this seemed to be effective. The transformation urring in Siby¡¯s body was noticeably suppressed.

    But why did it work in the first ce? Shouldn¡¯t the skill only work on her kin? Why could she use it on Siby?

    While I was wondering about that, the power flowing from the Holy Mother to Siby gradually increased, and Siby¡¯s expression softened ordingly.

    She would achieve a full recovery at this rate. But suddenly, Siby regained her consciousness and brushed away the Holy Mother¡¯s hand.

    ¡¸Stop it. Any more, and you¡¯ll¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Siby! What¡¯s wrong? Oi!¡¹

    ¡¸The Holy Mother barely has any mana left. Any more of this, and she¡¯ll disappear for good¡­!¡¹

    It seems Siby sensed how the Holy Mother was putting herself at risk. However, Siby¡¯s symptoms had yet to be fully healed.

    ¡¸Guh, gah¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Good grief! Siby!¡¹

    Apollonius called out to Siby as she began suffering again. If this keeps up, what would happen to her¡­?

    Meanwhile, the Holy Mother ced her hand on Siby again, activating her skill once more.

    The Holy Mother¡¯s skill proved effective, as Siby¡¯s suffering was visibly eased.

    ¡¸Holy Mother! You¡­ why¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸I am finished either way if you go berserk. Thus, stopping you from going berserk is the most logical solution. If you don¡¯t want me to disappear, then you had best wrest control over your monster factor before then.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Fine.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m d to see you understand.¡¹

    Strength returned to Siby¡¯s eyes when she heard the Holy Mother¡¯s scolding.

    Siby grit her teeth and tightly grabbed the handle of the Red Sword, resisting the power raging with her.

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Aaah¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸Good, keep at it.¡¹

    The Holy Mother¡¯s remaining mana fell at a rapid pace. Is this going to work? And why would she go so far?

    ¡¸Ugh¡­ Aaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Give it your all. I know you can ovee this.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, Siby! You¡¯re the leader of the Red Knights! Hang in there!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹

    All we could hear was the encouragement from the Holy Mother and Apollonius, along with Siby¡¯s agonized voice. The other Hero Zombies observed quietly.

    ¡¸Hah¡­ I won¡¯t¡­ lose.¡¹

    Yes! Siby¡¯s mana suddenly started stabilizing!

    ¡¸Guh¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hang in there, Siby!¡¹

    Siby moaned again, and the Holy Mother shouted one final time. At that moment, the transformation of Siby¡¯s body came to aplete stop.

    The cirction of mana throughout Siby¡¯s body was regr and smooth. Everything was under control. In fact, she might have even gotten stronger, as suppressing the monster factor gave her greater control over her powers.

    On the other hand, the Holy Mother¡¯s condition was¡­

    ¡¸You did well¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Why¡­? Why would you do this for me¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸For survival.¡¹

    ¡¸No way! Fran and the others could easily carry you away and escape! But you¡­¡¹

    Siby lowered her eyes in sorrow. The Holy Mother had exceeded her limits, and the hand she ced on Siby¡¯s arm was now crumbling like sand.

    After receiving Siby¡¯s stare head on, the Holy Mother realized that no lies would work.

    ¡¸¡­Perhaps I wanted to try imitating a mother.¡¹

    The Holy Mother whispered as she reached out her remaining right hand to Siby. She tried to give Siby a gentle stroke, but this hand crumbled away too.

    ¡¸After going through the pains of childbirth¡­ Well, not that I can feel pain. Either way, as someone who grew up in my belly, you are a child of mine¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? You¡¯re my mom? But those researchers said an experimental undead they made gave birth to me¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Then those assholes were lying. There were some idiots who stumbled upon an ancient magical tool and imed they made it themselves to get additional research funding. I found someone that spilled the beans after crushing a fewbs. You were actually born from a powerful undead that existed since ancient times.¡¹

    Apparently, Apollonius had been worried whether or not Siby could really live a proper life, so he investigated the researchbs that created Siby.

    ¡¸So¡­ This is the truth then¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Fufu¡­ Though I do not think I am truly fit to call myself a mother¡­¡¹

    ¡¸W-Wait! Don¡¯t go! There¡¯s still things I have to ask you!¡¹

    ¡¸Ah¡­ I¡¯m d I could save you in the end.¡¹

    ¡¸Oi! Holy Mother! M-Mom!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe¡­¡¹

    In her final moments, the face of the supposed motionless mummy seemed to be smiling.

 Chapter 1280: Father and Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 1280: Father and Daughter</h4>

    ¡¸Oi! Holy Mother! M-Mom!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe¡­¡¹

    With tears in her eyes, Siby called out to the Holy Mother. The scene felt exactly like a daughter witnessing the death of a parent.

    ¡¸Ascension.¡¹

    At the very moment when the Holy Mother¡¯sst bits of mana dissipated, a pir of light enveloped her body.

    She dissolved into particles of light, gradually melting away into air.

    ¡¸May the lingering remnants of a wandering soul rest in peace.¡¹

    This was a necromancy spell that purifies the grudges of the undead and returns them to the heavens, liberating them from their resentment and granting them a peaceful slumber.

    ¡¸So pretty.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof.¡¹

    We quietly bid farewell to the Holy Mother alongside a dance of beautiful lights like fireflies. The scene was breathtaking.

    ¡¸Phew. I think we managed to give her a proper send off.¡¹

    ¡¸Jean! Are you okay?¡¹

    Naturally, the one responsible for the spell was Jean. That said, we saw his heart torn out earlier. Jean may be strong, but his body was still mortal, as far as I know.

    How in the world did hee back from death¡¯s doors?

    ¡¸Indeed. I somehow managed thanks to this.¡¹

    Jean took out a pendant shaped like a zombie¡¯s face from his pocket. However, the pendant had a cut down the middle and waspletely devoid of mana.

    ¡¸I think I¡¯ve seen that before.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course you have. I lent it to you when we visited the Floating Ind.¡¹

    Oh right. If I remember right, it was an item that restores half your HP and MP upon taking a fatal wound.

    ¡¸Well about that, there seems to be a side effect where the user is submersed in a mass of grudges upon activation. That startled me slightly.¡¹

    A mass of grudges¡­? That might be fine for a necromancer like Jean, but Fran could easily have died if she used it back then!

    Damn. It¡¯s been over a year since the incident, but I¡¯m d we avoided using such a cursed item!

    Either way, it seems that¡¯s how Jean clung onto life when his heart got torn out. I seriously thought he was a goner.

    Fran was simply relieved that Jean was okay, but Siby stared at him with a gloomy expression. She even seemed to be a bit angry.

    ¡¸Oi.¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Thank you.¡¹

    No, maybe she was just a little embarrassed. Still, who could have imagined that the Holy Mother would be Siby¡¯s birth mother. We heard she was created through some kind of experiment, so I didn¡¯t think she even had parents.

    Not that Siby herself knew either. The Holy Mother was one of the ck Skeleton Corps¡¯s best kept secrets, so it only makes sense that we were unaware.

    Furthermore, the Holy Mother¡¯s ¡°Kin Intelligence¡± skill had an effect on Siby because they were mother and daughter. That said, it was a pretty distorted parent-child rtionship.

    Siby was the product of an experiment in imnting monster factors in humans. The undead Holy Mother was merely lending her womb as a cultivation tank.

    And as it turns out, the effectiveness of her skill ended up proving the mother-daughter rtionship.

    ¡¸Thanks to you¡­ my mom was able to pass away without leaving any regrets. You have my gratitude.¡¹

    ¡¸If only I had been a bit faster, there might have been another way¡­¡¹

    Jean seemed to be expressing regret, a very rare urrence, before he continued.

    ¡¸You see, this one proved to be more durable than I thought.¡¹

    Jean held up a single skull. One might think that all skulls looked pretty much the same, but even I realized the difference.

    ¡¸Is that skull what¡¯s left of that bastard Nameless?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed. When an undead disappears, they sometimes leave behind vast amounts of grudges. And in rare cases, those grudges can possess and inhabit another vessel.¡¹

    Eh? Does that mean Nameless can revive himself?

    However, this phenomenon is apparently not quite that convenient.

    ¡¸Since only a fraction of the grudges remain, the new undead is reduced to a mindless ghost only capable of iling about. There is no such thing as aplete revival.¡¹

    In essence, the lesser undead will likely inherit only a tiny portion of the original¡¯s powers and memories.

    That must be how Nameless inherited the power and memories of the Lich from the Floating Ind.

    We should probably do something about that. Considering Nameless¡¯s strength, even a fraction of his grudges would be bad news.

    However, it seems Jean already cleansed Nameless to prevent that. I was worried about his condition since he hardly said anything, but it seems he had been quietly fighting in the background.

    ¡¸Avenger-kun. I appreciate your support.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! We are already oldrades!¡¹

    Now that I think about it, Avenger was pretty quiet too! Looks like he was assisting Jean in that endeavor.

    ¡¸Oh, looks like it¡¯s about time.¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t only the Holy Mother that we had to bid farewell to.

    ¡¸Old man, your hand is turning see through. You¡¯re bing a full-fledged ghost!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! If you have enough energy to joke around like that, then you should be fine without me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Tch. Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Hurry up and pass on already.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. My liege, thanks for everything. We got a chance to show our spirit in the end, and I even saw my daughter again. I¡¯m truly grateful.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Scorching that disgusting duke certainly felt good!¡¹

    ¡¸Right! I had plenty of fun!¡¹

    Apollonius, Begareth, Violetta, and other Red Knights came up to me and expressed their gratitude. Teiwas and Wilepho were also starting to turn translucent.

    Those two didn¡¯t use a special technique, but it seems they transferred all their mana to Apollonius. His tremendous me attack was powered by hisrades.

    The Red Knights really take self-sacrifice to the extreme.

    ¡¸Siby. Take care of Raydoss for me.¡¹

    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Sorry for making you send off both your parents in one day.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t be stupid. Considering my history, I¡¯m d to even have parents. I should be thanking you.¡¹

    Siby responded with a smile. Seeing that, Apollonius let out a sigh of relief as if a burden was lifted from his shoulders.

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    ¡¸Well then, I might as well give you this. Eat it.¡¹

    ¡¸Eat what¡­? This is literally just a ball of me!¡¹

    ¡¸Knowing you, this should be plenty appetizing, right? It¡¯s what¡¯s left of my mana. Think of it as a memento from me and take a big bite.¡¹

    ¡¸Who eats their parent¡¯s mementos!?¡¹

    ¡¸Come on, hurry it up! I¡¯m disappearing as we speak!¡¹

    ¡¸Ugh, fine! I¡¯ll eat it!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha! You actually ate it!¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re the one who told me to, dammit!¡¹

    The quarrel-like exchange was thest conversation between the father and daughter. Apollonius faded away while wearing an idiotic grin that seemedpletely out of ce.

    ¡¸¡­Later, old man. I promise to protect thend of Raydoss so you can rest in peace.¡¹

 Chapter 1281: Persona and Sierra

    <h4>Chapter 1281: Persona and Sierra</h4>

    The Red Knights had returned to the heavens, leaving only Yuvel and Oldona behind. That said, those two must bepletely spent after such an intense battle. I doubt they have much time left.

    I¡¯d love to treat them to a good meal and give them some time to heal up, but that seems like a pipe dream.

    ¡ºThere¡¯s a ton of evil energy gushing out from the direction of the capital.¡»

    ¡¸Did the fragments revive?¡¹

    ¡ºI have to say it¡¯s only a matter of time at this rate.¡»

    Considering how Laranflura dealt them a heavy blow at the end, we probably have her to to thank for dying their full revival.

    ¡ºYou haven¡¯t changed your mind about running?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    That much was obvious. Fran would never run away and abandon so many people.

    From my point of view as Fran¡¯s guardian, I still wanted her to escape before things get tough. Fighting an Evil God Fragment was simply too dangerous.

    But as her partner, I had no doubts she would confront the Evil God Fragment head on.

    If you ask me, Fran ignoring her values and running would make her no longer ¡°Fran¡±.

    As usual, we reserve retreat for ast resort once victory is no longer possible. Fran has always given everything a first shot.

    In which case, it¡¯s my job as her partner to support her wholeheartedly despite my worries.

    ¡ºThen we head to the capital of Raydoss.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    That said, can our friends even keep going? Fran and I may be pretty exhausted, but not to the point of incapacitation. We could rest up while on the move.

    What about the others?

    We went around asking everyone, but none of them backed down. Amanda, Jean, and Forrund were ready to fight in spite of their very visible fatigue.

    ¡¸There¡¯s no way I can allow a fragment of the Evil God to run free. It will bring suffering to so many children.¡¹

    ¡¸Especially since Kranzel can¡¯t simply stand back and watch if an Evil God Fragment is resurrected in a neighboring country.¡¹

    ¡¸I can still fight.¡¹

    All of our friends turned to face the direction of the capital with determination in their hearts.

    ¡¸Maleficent, what about you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll go, of course. The gods havemanded me to do so.¡¹

    As one of the three divine sword wielders on this continent, he had beenmanded to strike down the Evil God. Apparently, a wielder turning their back on this mission runs the possibility of receiving divine punishment.

    ¡¸However¡­¡¹

    He must be worried about Persona. The girl was still unconscious, so carrying her onto a battlefield was a bit¡­

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll go too.¡¹

    Persona spoke, having woken up without anyone noticing. The spirit Marle, who had been apanying her, was happily fluttering around.

    ¡¸Persona, you¡¯re awake! And¡­ your words¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I can talk now.¡¹

    With the loss of ¡°Source of the Data God¡±, Persona seems to have regained the ability to speak properly. She looked upwards at Maleficent and spoke for all of us to hear.

    Well, I suppose it¡¯s not like she was actually mute. She had simply chosen not to speak.

    But now, there was no need for that anymore. Despite losing an overwhelmingly powerful skill, Persona¡¯s expression was bright.

    Maleficent also looked happy. For both of them, it seems to be a wee change.

    Persona removed her mask, revealing a childlike and beautiful face with a gentle smile.

    ¡¸¡­Maleficent. Thank you.¡¹

    ¡¸Persona¡­!¡¹

    Persona tightened her grip on the hands holding Maleficent¡¯s clothes, and buried her face in her partner¡¯s neck. Maleficent gently stroke the girl¡¯s back.

    Ironically, Persona might be the least exhausted out of all of us. Having lost Source of the Data God, her ¡°White Sheet¡± ability that was the basis for her alias had also disappeared. Appraisal now works on her.

    I can¡¯t say anything about that ¡°damage to the soul¡± stuff, but her health and mana were pretty much full. The only issue I noticed was her being a bit tired due to having just woken up.

    No disrespect intended, but her abilities were unexpected high. Despite losing the Source of the Data God, she had several high-level skills fitting for a Rank B mage.

    ¡¸You no longer have Source of the Data God then?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s gone for good.¡¹

    It seems the skill vanished along with the destruction of the giant crystal. Though a powerful skill, it was too much for mortals to handle. This oue was probably for the best.

    Meanwhile, Sierra was sitting off to the side and staring nkly into space.

    ¡¸Sierra? You okay?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Yeah.¡¹

    He nodded, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

    ¡¸But what now¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn?¡¹

    ¡¸How do I live from now on?¡¹

    ¡¸?¡¹

    Sierra is not originally from this timeline, and his alternate self Romeo still exists. While he may have aplished his goal of revenge, there was never any way for him to return.

    He was starting to lose sight of his purpose for living in a world where he didn¡¯t belong in.

    However, Fran simply tilted her head and responded casually. Her expression seemed to convey the feeling of, ¡°Why are you asking such an obvious question?¡±

    ¡¸Just do what you want.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­What I want?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Sierra, you can do whatever you want now.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Whatever I want¡­¡¹

    Sierra seemed to ponder the words for a moment, before suddenly putting on a relieved smile.

    ¡¸You¡¯re exactly right.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran also smiled faintly. The two seem to be much closer now.

    ¡¸I guess our first order of business will be paying the Evil God a visit.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1282: Chaos Slash

    <h4>Chapter 1282: Chaos sh</h4>

    We headed for the capital via Urushi and Jean¡¯s undead carriage. Along with us on Urushi¡¯s back were Amanda, who absolutely refused to leave Fran¡¯s side, the vignt Forrund, and the rtively energetic Sierra.

    Maleficent needed some rest in the carriage, and Persona apanied him. As for Yuvel and Oldona, we sent them to Jean¡¯s side since he wanted to discuss something.

    They must be very interesting subjects from a necromancy prospective.

    ¡¸Amanda, did your title change affect anything?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not really sure.¡¹

    Fran spoke about her worries to Amanda while riding Urushi. Guardian of Children was Amanda¡¯s most prominent title, so I would expect significant changes to her stats.

    ¡¸I don¡¯t feel any immediate difference, but there will probably be a surge of power when I start fighting. My new title seems to lend power not when protecting children but when saving them.¡¹

    Amanda opened and closed her fists a few times while lost in thought. By attacking Laranflura, she lost her title of ¡°Guardian of Children¡± and gained ¡°Hariti¡± in its ce.

    This was essentially a message saying that ¡°saving¡± can take many forms.

    It may be necessary to cut down a child in order to ¡°save¡± them from suffering or their own insanity. The correctness of such an action will vary from person to person, but it seems the gods have acknowledged Amanda¡¯s intentions as salvation.

    ¡¸Laranflura was truly a child. Despite all her talk about righteousness and grievances, everything she did was full of contradictions, with little consistency in her actions. Children change their preferences day by day and may start saying the opposite of what they insisted on yesterday, and it all makes sense within their minds.¡¹

    Now that you mention it, I still don¡¯t understand what Laranflura really wanted. She made a lot of big talk about defeating the Evil God Fragments, repaying the East Conquest Duke, and killing us to get revenge against Kranzel. Looking back though, everything she did seemed half-hearted.

    That makes sense once we ept that Laranflura was as young as she looked. She wasn¡¯t making her judgments based on the bigger picture, she was simply doing whatever she felt was right at the moment. This might be the truth behind Laranflura¡¯s motives.

    ¡¸She may havemitted some terrible crimes¡­ but that responsibility lies with the adults who raised her. They educated her to despite Kranzel and did everything they could to lower her inhibitions towards violence. No one is born evil. Bad children are the fault of bad adults.¡¹

    ¡¸Really?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chan, you grew up to be a good girl because you were raised by good people like your parents and Master, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! That makes sense.¡¹

    ¡¸Hehe, right.¡¹

    Fran nodded instantly at being called a ¡°good girl¡±, causing Amanda to suddenly embrace her. The hug was so tight that it seemed to be giving her trouble breathing.

    ¡¸Amanda?¡¹

    ¡¸Just a little longer¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Since this was what Amanda wanted, Fran chose not to resist. Certainly, interacting with children would put Amanda at ease, and she needed some time to calm down.

    Meanwhile, I spoke to Forrund, who had remained silent for the entire exchange.

    ¡ºForrund, how are you holding up?¡»

    £¨That you, Master? My fatigue is hardly recovering. I only managed two swings and I¡¯m in tatters. The divine swords are truly iprehensible.£©

    Oh right, I just remembered thatmunicating via telepathy makes him quite talkative! At least he¡¯s more approachable this way.

    ¡ºI¡¯m honestly surprised you were hiding a trump card like Divine Sword Imitation all this time.¡»

    £¨No, it¡¯s all thanks to you and Ashwrath-san.£©

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    £¨During that incident at the royal capital, I witnessed the power of a divine sword with my own eyes. Then, I touched you, a psuedo-divine sword. It seems that caused my Sword God¡¯s Favor to reach a new height. Or perhaps I am the one who truly grew.£©

    When Forrund and I fought Fanatics in the royal capital of Kranzel, he had yet to learn the method behind Divine Sword Imitation.

    He apparently felt that it would be possible with enough training, but it hadn¡¯t taken a concrete form.

    That¡¯s when he witnessed the sh of the Grand Earthde Gaia and Fanatics. Touching me also seemed to deepen his understanding of higher-tier swords.

    As such, his fragile ¡°feeling¡± grew into a full fledged conviction. Then, he finally got a grasp on the extremely powerful ability of Divine Sword Imitation during the fierce war with Raydoss.

    Before this, his strongest move involved materializing 100+ magic swords and pouring in excessive mana to make them burst. But the current him could now do the same thing with much lower risk to self. Not only did he gain the Divine Sword Imitation ability, his skill itself seemed to have improved immensely.

    £¨That said, the recovery of my fatigue and mana is still incredibly slow. The same thing happened thest time I tried it.£©

    ¡ºYou mean because of the divine attribute?¡»

    £¨Divine attribute? Ah, you must be referring to that special mana the divine swords and higher-ranked magic swords sometimes emit? I see, so this is a glimpse into the power of the gods¡­£©

    While Forrund didn¡¯t know about the divine attribute, he seemed to have an intuitive understanding. He nodded to himself as if everything made sense now.

    Forrund went on to bow his head and ask for my knowledge about the divine attribute, so I shared everything I knew.

    In the middle of our serious conversation, Forrund¡¯s gaze shifted to the side. The eyes that had been looking at me were now focused on Fran.

    No, more specifically, on Fran¡¯s hands and mouth.

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    ¡¸<i>Munch munch</i>?¡¹

    Before I knew it, Fran and Amanda had started eating.

    ¡ºFran, I know you¡¯re used to eating on top of Urushi¡¯s back. But don¡¯t you think curry is a bit of a high hurdle for Amanda?¡»

    Especially since it was the more watery type of curry you eat with naan.

    Fran was probably just picking out whatever she felt like having, but wouldn¡¯t curry bread make things a lot simpler? Amanda was desperately trying to finish it because she could never waste a gift from Fran.

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    Now she¡¯s giving it to Forrund too!

    ¡ºForrund, we have plenty of easier-to-eat options. Would you like to swap?¡»

    Amanda was already past the point of no return. Her hands were covered in curry, and it¡¯s even sttered a bit on her presumably very expensive top-tier armor.

    She¡¯ll have to finish the rest on her own, and I¡¯ll cleanse herter. I don¡¯t expect her to give up on food from Fran either way.

    Meanwhile, Forrund shook his head at my offer and started eating the curry. It seems he¡¯s willing to apany Fran.

    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹

    ¡¸Like this.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    For some reason, that ¡°conversation¡± taught Forrund how to eat naan curry perfectly. He began tearing the naan and scooping the curry, all while maintaining his bnce.

    Oh! Speaking of curry!

    ¡ºFran, about that ¡°Curry sh¡± thing. What should we do with the name?¡»

    ¡¸Nn? It¡¯s Curry sh.¡¹

    ¡ºWait, hold on. Don¡¯t you think putting food in the name makes it sound kinda weak? I admit it¡¯s a good name, but hear me out here. I¡¯m sure we cane up with something better. That golden aura thing seems to be a power rted to the Chaos Goddess, so we can call that ¡°chaos aura¡± or something. In that case, why don¡¯t we call the move ¡°Chaos sh¡±?¡»

    I admit, Chaos sh sounds a bit chuunibyou, but it¡¯s way better than the alternative!

    ¡¸Hmm? Chaos¡­ Chaos¡­¡¹

    ¡ºW-What do you think?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Let¡¯s go with Chaos sh.¡¹

    ¡ºG-Great! Yeah, what a name, right!¡»

    ¡¸Sounds really cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºPerfect.¡»

    Good job, me! I did it!

 Chapter 1283: Side - Blood Maiden Knight Captain Roza

    <h4>Chapter 1283: Side - Blood Maiden Knight Captain Roza</h4>

    ¡¸Captain Roza! Our right nk is being pushed back!¡¹

    ¡¸Send in the Dusk Rain Knights!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    The location was just outside of the capital city.

    We were locked in a fierce battle with the fiends at an outpost located about 200 meters from the eastern wall of the capital.

    For a while now, we¡¯ve had an endless torrent of fiends flooding out of the royal castle. It seems something incredibly dangerous was sealed underneath our castle, and not even the captains of the Red Knights were informed of it.

    The appearance of these fiends meant the seal was falling apart.

    We¡¯ve already evacuated most of the civilians. I would have preferred to save everyone, but I think at least half managed to escape.

    Meanwhile, we stayed behind as the rear guard. The outpost originally intended to repel invaders was ironically now holding back the fiends from leaving the capital.

    We must buy time so His Majesty and the Chancellor can escape.

    That said, the fiends seemed to be constantly growing in numbers, as well as in strength.

    At this rate, it won¡¯t be long until they breach our defensive line.

    ¡¸If only the other captains were here¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hypotheticals aren¡¯t going to save us, so no whining!¡¹

    ¡¸S-Sorry¡­¡¹

    The young Cardinal g knight who I had working as a messenger muttered some words of weakness.

    It wasn¡¯t only my subordinates fighting here. Many members from the Cardinal g, Dusk Rain, Carmine me, and Red Sword Knights were cooperating with the Blood Maiden Knights for this operation.

    The Cardinal g and Carmine me Knights were inplete disarray with the loss of their captain and several officers, so I called them together. Wasting our forces was not an option in this national crisis.

    The captains of the Red Sword and Dusk Rain Knights had gone missing along with many of their members, causing confusion in their chain ofmand. Thus, I had them join us temporarily.

    As for the Vermilion Eye Knights, I honestly have no idea where they are or what they are doing. All of their members were pretty capable from their captain all the way down to the privates, so they should be fine¡­ Rather, I¡¯m much more worried about our own safety.

    At the start the incident, we only saw infrequent spawns of goblins and orcs. But after that, the fiends began rapidly increasing in number, with minotaurs joining the fray. Now we found ourselves dealing with multiple stronger fiends cloaked in sinister auras.

    I had been handling the more powerful enemies myself, but their frequency was gradually increasing.

    At this rate, we¡¯ll soon reach our limit¡ª¡ª

    ¡¸Captain! G-Gigantic fiend approaching!¡¹

    ¡¸I see it! Let me handle it!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    Is that truly a minotaur? If so, the vicious aura it¡¯s emitting is unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen or heard of.

    ¡¸But I can do it!¡¹

    I activated my relic, the Blood Maiden, and covered the fiend in a red mist.

    The minotaur began trembling and screaming. With it frozen in ce, we had the perfect opening.

    ¡¸Go!¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ Roger! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    The Red Knightsunched a simultaneous attack and felled the minotaur.

    My Blood Maiden was originally a weapon forbating vampires, so it works against other fiends as well. That¡¯s how we managed to hold the line for so long, but¡­

    ¡¸Next is twenty evil-boosted orcs!¡¹

    ¡¸Tch!¡¹

    This is bad, there are simply too many. We¡¯ll be overwhelmed sooner orter.

    It¡¯s only been about twenty minutes since His Majesty and the Chancellor escaped. I need to grab the fiends¡¯ attention, especially since they¡¯ve likely broken through the capital¡¯s other gates as well.

    ¡¸Hold the line! I¡¯ll head to the front!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    ¡¸Gather up and deploy anyone with a bow!¡¹

    ¡¸Understood!¡¹

    One step outside the outpost, and I found myself in a chaotic brawl with the gigantic orcs. I need to hurry.

    Once our lines are thrown into disarray, I won¡¯t be able to use the red mist without harming our allies. Only the Blood Maiden Knights have been immunized, so the knights from other division would be killed alongside the fiends.

    ¡¸Guah!¡¹

    ¡¸You pig! Let go of my subordinates!¡¹

    ¡¸Buoooh!¡¹

    I punch a orc to save one of my subordinates about to be devoured. It should have been enough to instantly kill a regr orc, but this one was only pushed back.

    They really are no ordinary fiends. The evil energy must be giving them huge enhancements.

    I had no choice but to inject them with red mist directly from my gauntlet, defeating them one by one. In the meanwhile, however, it seems we¡¯ve reached the limit.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    ¡¸C-Captain! They¡¯ve breached the gate! There must be a mage-type fiend!¡¹

    ¡¸We have no other choice then¡­ Everyone escape through the gate on the opposite side! Starting with the younger knights!¡¹

    ¡¸Roger!¡¹

    The narrow passages within the outpost would limit our ability to cooperate. I might be able to manage on my own, but fighting here would be suicide to the other knights.

    We have no choice but to regroup outside and reform our lines once we escape. My subordinates immediately sprung into action, retreating from the outpost. Unfortunately though, the fiends were one step ahead.

    ¡¸Gyaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸T-They¡¯ve got us surrounded!¡¹

    I heard dozens of screams echoing from the opposite side of the outpost. The enemy had been lying in wait there all along.

    Yet I couldn¡¯t rush to their aid.

    ¡¸Bwuuuh!¡¹

    ¡¸Grooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸More of them!¡¹

    Two fiends stepped in front of me, and both were covered in a dense aura of evil, even more powerful than the minotaur from earlier.

    In fact, the aura was so dense that I couldn¡¯t even identify their species properly. My intuition was telling me that they might even be stronger than me.

    Meanwhile, the screams of my subordinates continued incessantly.

    I had resolved myself for this moment, but it seems this is where I meet my end. Getting crushed to death by some random fiends that popped out of nowhere? Certainly not what I had in mind.

    That said, one of you will being with me.

    ¡¸And I pick you¡ª¡ª¡¹

    <i>Crash!</i>

    ¡¸Gyaaaooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyeeeh!¡¹

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    W-What just happened? Suddenly, a giant suit of silver armor fell down through the ceiling of the outpost, crushing the fiend on the right! C-Could this truly be the legendary Warmech? I-It really exists!

    This was followed by a bolt of ck lightning, and before I knew it, the head of the fiend on the left was gone.

    ¡¸You okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Y-You¡­!¡¹

    My savior from certain death was none other than the ck reaper who had taken the lives of so manyrades.

 Chapter 1284: Droid

    <h4>Chapter 1284: Droid</h4>

    ¡¸That¡¯s the capital?¡¹

    ¡ºHas to be. We don¡¯t see many cities thatrge, not even in Kranzel.¡»

    ¡¸Nn. Really big and tall buildings.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. I assume the tall one is the royal castle.¡»

    Two days had passed since our sh with the Superhuman General.

    We were now close enough to the capital to view the spires of the royal castle. Urushi probably could have gotten us here in half a day, but moving in sync with Jean¡¯s carriage dyed us a bit longer than expected.

    Well, at least that gave everyone some time to rest.

    We didn¡¯t run into any enemies on our way here. In fact, there were no signs of any living creatures.

    All the people, magical beasts, and even nts had been drained of their life and sacrificed to strengthen Laranflura and Nameless.

    Then those two were promptly defeated by us. That made our victory feel a bit emptier.

    Of course, I don¡¯t regret defeating them one bit. It¡¯s just, I have to wonder if there was truly no other way? The thought went through my mind every time we passed through a ghost town.

    ¡¸So much evil energy.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. The Evil God Fragments are clearly on the verge of revival.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡ºHonestly, I think it might be impossible for us to fight them in our current state¡­¡»

    We had decided to visit the capital regardless, partly for reconnaissance. Determining the status and power of the fragments was our main objective.

    Or at least that¡¯s how I see it. Fran, Forrund and some others might be thinking about defeating them if the opportunity arises.

    We stand a chance as long as Maleficent is in proper form.

    Besides, there¡¯s also the matter of other divine sword wielders. Two wielders should have received the same divine revtions as Maleficent.

    The first being the wielder of Diabolos from Phyllius. The second one is still a mystery.

    Either would be a powerful ally, but only if we can get their cooperation.

    I couldn¡¯t detect any signs ofbat within the city.

    Or rather, there were no signs of people in the first ce. Did everyone already get sacrificed? The well-being of the residents was my first concern.

    That said, I could sense inhuman lifeforms roaming around. There was no way to urately identify their species from this distance, but I could sense the evil energy.

    Fiends, huh? Honestly, I can¡¯t say for sure who really has control over the castle right now.

    Maybe the royal family was still in charge, or maybe the fragments have used their powers to dominate them. There might even be some third party lurking in the background.

    ording to Siby, the Chancellor has more actual authority than the king. So what is he doing right now? She imed that he¡¯s rtively sensible, but such personal opinions are likely to be discarded in the face of national interests.

    If he¡¯s in cahoots with the dukes, then that makes him responsible for the revival of the Evil God Fragments. In which case, we would have to consider the entire city as our enemies.

    We stopped just before the walls and discussed our infiltration route with Siby. None of us were dumb enough to just barge in through the front gate, so an alternative passage would be preferable.

    Apparently, there were several underground passages used for escape routes and transport. Seems safer than charging in from the front.

    As discussed, we targeted the nearest escape route on the south side of the capital. The exit was in a forest area, which we reached without encountering any patrols.

    More precisely, we found the small guard outpost covering the escape route. I saw a stone roof peeking out from above the trees.

    There was still a considerable distance to cover, but everyone assumed abat stance.

    ¡ºSomething¡¯sing!¡»

    ¡¸Two of them, and one has a bunch of evil energy!¡¹

    ¡ºOne is chasing the other?¡»

    A wicked presence was dashing towards us with considerable speed. That said, it hadn¡¯t noticed us or anything. It seemed to be chasing something else.

    The two entities were both quiterge, and I heard rumbling metallic sounds.

    We braced ourselves and waited, hearing several dull crashes echoing through the forest. Finally, we saw something jump out from in between the trees.

    It had the same shape as a human, but was muchrger. After all, it had practically the same height as the trees it knocked over. The silhouette gave me the impression of a giant wearing somewhat pointy armor.

    We recognized this form.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s a droid.¡»

    £¨Nn! Looks strong.£©

    The droid was very simr to the one we saw before, ted with silver armor and adorned with green lines. It wielded a giant sword, and its singr eye was scanning the forest.

    I understood what it was looking for without even seeing it for myself. There was clearly a giant creature lurking within.

    A few secondster, that creature revealed itself.

    This was a bipedal fiend covered entirely in a jet-ck aura. Though somewhat smaller than the droid, it seemed more than capable of challenging it.

    ¡¸Buoooh!¡¹

    In response to the fiend¡¯s heavy roar, the droid emitted a high-pitched sound resembling an engine.

    The two shed their weapons, with the droid wielding a giant silver sword, and the fiend swinging a metallic club.

    They locked des in what seemed like an even match, but the droid quickly began pushing back the fiend. The droid went on to trip the fiend with its long legs and push it to the ground.

    ¡¸Buoooh!¡¹

    The fiend struggled to escape, but it could not overpower the droid. Then, the droid¡¯s shoulders slid open to reveal gun barrels.

    These fired red-hot mes instead of bullets. The two giants were engulfed by an inferno.

    Was the droid really okay burning itself like that?

    We waited ten seconds for the mes to settle, and saw the charred corpse of the fiend and apletely unharmed droid.

    Well, at least the fiend is dead, but¡­

    £¨Is that our enemy?£©

    ¡ºI honestly don¡¯t know.¡»

 Chapter 1285: Chancellor and the Boy

    <h4>Chapter 1285: Chancellor and the Boy</h4>

    A droid appeared out of nowhere and slew a huge fiend right in front of us.

    But more importantly, was this our enemy or ally?

    The face of the droid turned towards us, and we braced ourselves without knowing what was about to happen.

    Its singr eye stared intent at us, as if scanning us for something.

    Immediately after, a voice echoed from the machine.

    ¡¸Siby of the Red Sword? Is that you?¡¹

    ¡¸This voice¡­ Chancellor!¡¹

    Siby reacted to the elderly voiceing from the droid. Chancellor? Seriously? If he¡¯s currently fighting fiends, then that proves he isn¡¯t dominated by the Evil God Fragments.

    ¡¸What branch are the others from? I do not recognize them.¡¹

    ¡¸Before answering that¡­ What¡¯s the current situation?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Hmm.¡¹

    In response to Siby¡¯s question, the Chancellor fell silent for a moment. There was a tense wait before he responded with a somewhat tired voice.

    ¡¸His Majesty is currently aboard this droid. I cannot allow suspicious individuals to approach us.¡¹

    ¡¸His Majesty? So the king is unharmed?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    Siby turned our way. She hesitated, unsure of how much information she should reveal about Fran, Amanda, and the others. We simply nodded at her in response.

    ¡¸Feel free to tell them.¡¹

    ¡¸This is a good chance to make allies, so it¡¯s best to clear up any suspicions.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll do that.¡¹

    We don¡¯t know where the Chancellor and King stand, but showing hostility and snuffing out the possibility of cooperation is clearly counterproductive.

    Siby approached the mech, raising her voice.

    ¡¸They are adventurers from the Kingdom of Kranzel, who havee to fight the Evil God Fragments on the verge of revival! We are currently cooperating with them!¡¹

    ¡¸From Kranzel¡­? Can¡­ can they be trusted?¡¹

    ¡¸They can! Much more than those shitty dukes at least!¡¹

    There was a moment of silence before the droid began slowly moving. It knelt down on the ground and positioned its hands to support the main body.

    Then, the chest split open from the inside.

    This revealed a slender and elderly man seated on the metal chair inside the cockpit, wearing a thin robe more fit for an administrative official than a mage. He must be the Chancellor.

    Sitting on hisp was a small child-sized figure. Due to the thick robe, we could only see the child¡¯s face, but he seemed to be male.

    Adder extended from the cockpit to the ground. The Chancellor descended thedder while skillfully supporting the unconscious boy with one arm.

    There were various things I wanted to ask, but we never got the chance.

    The man copsed as soon as he set foot on the ground. He had been severely injured and was bleeding all over the ce, including the head. The fact that he held the boy up in that situation conveyed how important the boy was.

    ¡¸Chancellor! Are you okay!?¡¹

    Siby eximed in surprise at the Chancellor¡¯s condition, but the old man simply breathed a sigh of relief.

    That said, there was no time to administer treatment. A ck shadow leapt out from the forest.

    This entity was a small creature, about 150 centimeters tall, covered in pitch-ck evil energy.

    It walked on two legs, somewhat bow-legged, resembling a walking chimpanzee. The sight reminded me a bit of a goblin.

    No wait, was it actually a goblin? Upon closer inspection, I realized it was simply a goblin wearing a cloak of evil energy. If so, maybe thatrge fiend from earlier was actually a minotaur after all?

    Perhaps they had been enhanced by the fragments.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll handle this ck creature! Fran, you heal the Chancellor!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Siby took on the goblin to protect the two, as Fran began invoking healing magic.

    ¡¸Gigigigi!¡¹

    ¡¸Shut up! Ora!¡¹

    ¡¸Gigah¡­¡¹

    While surprisingly agile for a goblin, it was no match for Siby. She slew the fiend a single stroke, and its body crumbled away into nothingness.

    Like I thought, this was no ordinary goblin.

    While we¡¯d love to question the Chancellor, healing him was a priority. Fran and I stepped closer in order to use our magic. However, the Chancellor covered the boy in his arms and gave Siby a doubtful nce.

    ¡¸Chancellor, they can be trusted.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Very well.¡¹

    Despite his words, he refused to let down his guard. It seems he doesn¡¯t trust us as much as he says. Or rather, the boy was so important to him that he could not be entrusted to others.

    If what he said earlier was true, that boy was the king of Raydoss.

    ¡ºFran. We use area healing to heal them both. Targeting them individually might only make them more suspicious.¡»

    £¨Got it.£©

    Since only the boy¡¯s head was visible, we didn¡¯t know the condition of his body.

    I attempted to use Appraisal, but it was repelled. Well, it¡¯s only natural for a king to equip tools for inhibiting appraisal.

    All I could tell was the boy was wearing sturdy armor under the robe, and that hisplexion didn¡¯t look so good.

    Now that I¡¯ve gotten a closer look, I noticed a resemnce to someone, but who? It seems Fran also felt a sense of deja vu. She tilted her head while applying healing magic.

    £¨¡­I feel like I¡¯ve seen him somewhere before.£©

    ¡ºYou too?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡´There is an 88% chance that he is rted to the girl Carna, whom we encountered in the Belioth Kingdom.¡µ

 Chapter 1286: Raydosss Divine Sword

    <h4>Chapter 1286: Raydoss''s Divine Sword</h4>

    £¨¡­I feel like I¡¯ve seen him somewhere before.£©

    ¡ºYou too?¡»

    £¨Nn.£©

    ¡´There is an 88% chance that he is rted to the girl Carna, whom we encountered in the Belioth Kingdom.¡µ

    Oh, I see! Carna!

    She was the girl we met near the border when we traveled to Belioth, who imed to be the daughter of a merchant. I doubt it though. Employing a knight escort and beingpletely unaware of adventurers made her backstory sound kinda sketchy.

    Fran seemed to like her fearless attitude andck of prejudice towards ck cats.

    I suspected that she might be from Raydoss, and it seems I was right. Plus, her being rted to this boy means she has royal blood, right?

    £¨So Carna was a princess?£©

    ¡ºSeems like it.¡»

    Well, not like it changes anything about our current situation. We should focus on the matter at hand.

    ¡¸It would be best to have you two board my undead carriage.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm¡­ but this is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Chancellor, this is an emergency. Please bear with it.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Right.¡¹

    Honestly, the undead carriage was constructed out of bones so it looked pretty nasty. Anyone unfamiliar with it would naturally hesitate to get inside. However, there¡¯s no time to waste.

    Siby forcefully pushed the Chancellor into the carriage.

    We had no choice but to leave the mech behind since we couldn¡¯t move it. Storing it didn¡¯t work and Urushi was repelled by a barrier whenever he tried to get close.

    We hurriedly distanced ourselves from the capital.

    After about five minutes of travel, we paused to treat the Chancellor while listening to his side of the story. However, he remained silent. Or more urately, he couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡¸The Evil God¡ª¡ªGrh!¡¹

    He suddenly started writhing in pain the second he began exining. This was caused by a strong pulse of mana from the silver bracelet on his arm.

    The mana resembled that of covenant magic. This pain was being applied because he was attempting to break a magical contract.

    I considered invoking covenant magic to solve the issue, but it was clearly impossible. The rigidness of his contract was far greater than that of any ve contract.

    Only a caster of covenant magic like me could recognize such power. There was nothing we could do.

    Nevertheless, the Chancellor continued to resist.

    ¡¸As I thought¡­ It¡¯s now or never! Nwoooh!¡¹

    The Chancellor roared in pain as the bracelet shattered. Immediately after, the already elderly man appeared to age even further by about twenty years. Is that the bacsh from breaking the contract?

    ¡¸Chancellor! Are you okay?¡¹

    ¡¸At this point¡­ time is of the essence. You must listen to what I have to say.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Alright.¡¹

    The Chancellor didn¡¯t seem okay at all, but heid down on the spot and began speaking with a tired expression.

    ¡¸It started with that mysterious barrier-like thing¡­¡¹

    Apparently, the Evil God Fragments sealed under the capital began radiating power right after the barrier enveloped Raydoss as a whole.

    The seal was clearly falling apart at the seams, and the Chancellor panicked. This was supposed to happen many yearster, and they weren¡¯t nearly ready to deal with it.

    The dukes must have initiated the revival of the fragments without telling him.

    ¡¸Those fools had gone mad to the point where they could no longer realize their own insanity.¡¹

    The Chancellor dropped his shoulders powerlessly. He seemed to regret not being able to stop the actions of his peers.

    ¡¸They still professed their loyalty to His Majesty, but it was nothing more than a sham in my eyes. The convenient ¡°loyalty¡± allowed them to shift all responsibility onto the king, and convince themselves that anything would be allowed for the sake of king and country¡­¡¹

    It seems the whole thing about reviving the fragments to defeat them was supposedly done for the sake of the king.

    ¡¸Reviving the fragments in an iplete form so they can be defeated is more easily said than done. Just how much must be sacrificed to aplish such a feat? No, those fools eagerly sacrificed the people¡­! And to what end? Their real goal was to be recognized for their aplishments. To prove their greatness to the world by defeating the fragments with their own hands¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­We took down the East and South Conquest Duke already.¡¹

    ¡¸I see¡­ So they have fallen without any atonement for their crimes¡­ A fitting end, in a sense¡­¡¹

    The Chancellor spat out the words and continued the story.

    When the dukes attempted to selfishly revive the fragments, the new king interfered with their n.

    He had ascended to the throne only a few months ago, and waspletely unaware of the dukes¡¯ conspiracy and the Evil God Fragments until then.

    Yet upon being told all of the truths out of the blue, he epted the crown and did everything he could to maintain the seal.

    The bacsh for doing so struck him just as hard, resulting in¡­ the mechanization of his body.

    The Chancellor gently removed the sleeping boy¡¯s robe. The situation underneath was unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen before.

    I had thought he was wearing metallic full-body armor, but he was not wearing anything of the sort. His flesh had turned into metal.

    Even the joints of his arms were like ball joints. His human body had clearly transformed into that of a machine.

    By my estimates, about 70% of the unconscious boy¡¯s body was now robotic.

    ¡¸What the¡­! Oi, Chancellor! What¡¯s going on here!?¡¹

    ¡¸This the price of the Warmount de, Chariot.¡¹

    ¡¸¡¸¡¸ !!! ¡¹¡¹¡¹

    Everyone present disyed various expressions of astonishment.

    Chariot! That¡¯s one of the more famous divine swords! It¡¯s said to be capable of summoning golems¡­ but it seems these golems are more mechanical than I thought.

    The relics of Raydoss bestowed by the king were likely products of Chariot as well.

    And the cost was this boy¡¯s mechanical body. Compared to sacrificing lifespan and demonic mutation, maybe mechanization shouldn¡¯te as a surprise.

    That said, the boy was still young, and he had only been king for a few months. Does it really make sense for his transformation to progress this quickly?

    My doubts vanished upon hearing the Chancellor¡¯s words.

    ¡¸The king is required to keep the divine sword active continuously in order to seal the fragments. Moreover, His Majesty had to push beyond his limits in order to hold back the Evil God¡¯s oing revival.¡¹

    So his transformation was abnormally fast because he pushed himself too hard with the divine sword.

    ¡¸Even so, His Majesty never stopped maintaining the seal. But then, we found ourselves under attack.¡¹

    ¡¸You mean that weird goblin from earlier?¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    The king and Chancellor were confronting the Evil God¡¯s seal underground, so they knew very little about what was happening on the surface. They could not rely on messengers either since it was a secret location.

    ¡¸We found ourselves overwhelmed by countless of those sinister goblins, and had no choice but to flee the castle with the help of the Red Knights. His Majesty exhausted all his power to repel the evil-cloaked minotaurs.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Which means, the seal is¡­¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s only a matter of time until it is undone.¡¹

 Chapter 1287: Resolve of Chancellor and King

    <h4>Chapter 1287: Resolve of Chancellor and King</h4>

    The seal on the Evil God Fragments was about to break, and it¡¯s only a matter of time.

    So, what will the Chancellor and king do now? Not like they can keep fighting in this state¡­ Or wait, the divine sword wielders are ordered to fight by the gods. Perhaps that¡¯s one of the reasons he pushed himself so hard.

    But there¡¯s no way he can continue like this, right? I have no clue how strong the king is, but any further mechanization will clearly put his life at risk.

    ¡¸Where are the Red Knights?¡¹

    ¡¸Right now, Roza is¡­ Guh!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran, healing, please!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The Chancellor¡¯s life force was rapidly diminishing, and our healing magic had no effect.

    ¡¸Chancellor! Hang in there!¡¹

    ¡¸I am no longer the Chancellor¡­ since my relic has abandoned me¡­¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    The Chancellor went on to reveal Raydoss¡¯s secrets known only to the dukes and a few others. About the country¡¯s origin, the divine swords, and the relics. And finally, about how he couldn¡¯t disclose these secrets to anyone because of the contract he epted upon receiving the relic.

    Attempting to break this contract apparently causes intense nausea and unbearable pain. Makes sense, otherwise it would be practically impossible to keep the secret over so many years.

    However, most of the divine sword¡¯s power was currently directed towards the seal on the fragments, thus weakening the restrictions on him.

    This allowed the Chancellor to break his binds and share the secret with us, but that¡¯s not to say the contract was gone.

    The recoil from breaking the contract was already eating away at the Chancellor¡¯s life. He had very little time left.

    Even at the cost of his own life, he chose to entrust everything to Siby.

    ¡¸Oi! Chancellor!¡¹

    ¡¸Siby¡­ Please, take care of His Majesty¡­ Kareid-sama¡­¡¹

    The Chancellor tightly grasped Siby¡¯s hand, earnestly pleading with her. We attempted to invoke Vishnu, but it didn¡¯t save him.

    Not even this supreme-tier spell could revive someone dying to lifespan. The elderly man took hisst breath.

    Siby grabbed the Chancellor¡¯s shoulder, but quickly released her hand with a grim expression.

    ¡¸¡­Fran, what is His Majesty¡¯s condition?¡¹

    ¡¸Dunno.¡¹

    Fran shook her head with a frown.

    We had cast Vishnu on both of them to little effect, and I had no clue if we could help him in the first ce. Honestly, I found it pretty unlikely there¡¯s any way to heal the price paid for using a divine sword. The boy remained unconscious despite our best attempts to heal him with divine energy.

    All we could do wasy the young king down inside Jean¡¯s carriage, as Fran and the others discussed their future actions outside. The subject was whether or not to charge into the fiend-infested city.

    There was clearly no longer any way to stop the revival of the fragments. In which case, we didn¡¯t need to rush head-first into enemy territory.

    However, a surge of mana from within the carriage suddenly interrupted the discussion. This was immediately followed by a huge magic circle appearing on the ground next to it.

    A simrly huge figure rose up from within the circle.

    Another droid. That said, the intricate design details and imposing presence made it seem more impressive than any of the other droids we¡¯ve seen thus far.

    As we stood astonished, the mech extended its massive arms towards the carriage.

    ¡¸Wha¡­! My carriage!¡¹

    ¡¸More importantly, His Majesty!¡¹

    Before we could react, the giant¡¯s silver arm pierced through the roof of the carriage, pulling out the young king of Raydoss in its grasp.

    That said, this was not any sort of attack. After all, the boy was now awake and showed no sign of resistance.

    ¡¸Your Majesty! What is this¡­!?¡¹

    ¡¸Siby and Madred? What in the world is¡­?¡¹

    It seems our young king had no clue what was going on either. He probably hastily summoned the mech upon seeing the ominous interior of the undead carriage.

    Well, that can¡¯t be helped. I can say with certainty that I would panic if I woke up in that thing.

    ¡¸This is¡­ No, Roza! Roza and the others are in danger!¡¹

    ¡¸Your Majesty! Please wait! It¡¯s too dangerous to fight! The Chancellor said your body won¡¯t handle it anymore! Leave everything to us, please, before it¡¯s toote!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s shouts were filled with desperation, but I didn¡¯t sense much loyalty in her words. Makes sense, considering he had only recently be king, and Siby was always closer to the people than the government.

    However, she couldn¡¯t help but stop a dying child from pushing himself to fight.

    In response to Siby¡¯s words, the young king gently stroked his hand across his own mechanized body. His metal skin was crawling with pipes and tubes, likely returning a cold, hard sensation to the boy¡¯s fingers. But surprisingly, he responded with a quiet smile.

    ¡¸¡­Toote, you say. I don¡¯t mind one bit.¡¹

    The young king looked at Siby with determination. His face was brimming with resolve.

    ¡¸I am the king, albeit a poor one that hardly received a proper education¡­ But none of that changes the fact that I am the king. After epting the crown, I can¡¯t simply push everything onto my subjects and run away. Moreover, I have the power to fight.¡¹

    Siby could not find the words to argue with the young king¡¯s deration. This had nothing to do with his aura or pressure.

    This young king was undeniably a king, and the determination in his words was enough to overwhelm Siby, his subject.

    There were countless excuses he could have used to run: ¡°I¡¯m only a child¡±, ¡°No one has any faith or loyalty for me¡±, or ¡°I¡¯m already on the verge of death¡±.

    But the young king was willing to face this peril, all because of his dignity as king. Among the people of Raydoss I had seen so far, he seemed by far the most noble. Was this why Chariot chose him?

    The boy didn¡¯t be king because he was chosen by Chariot; he was chosen by the divine sword because he was fit to be king.

    Still, there was no denying that he was a child. It was the job of adults to protect him, yet Siby and Madred simply fell down on one knee.

    It was as if they werepelled by the Raydossian blood flowing through their veins, responding instantly to the king¡¯s words.

    ¡¸Let us apany you.¡¹

    ¡¸I will follow.¡¹

    Then, Fran stepped forward and spoke up.

    ¡¸I¡¯m going to.¡¹

    ¡ºFran?¡»

    £¨¡­I want to help.£©

    Fran had only met the young king of Raydoss today, and she seemed to feel some strange empathy with his determination. Amanda and I didn¡¯t even have a chance to stop her.

    The young king made eye contact with Fran, returning a confident smile to the girl he had never seen before.

    ¡¸Though I do not know your identity, I appreciate your assistance! What is your name?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m Kareid, the king of this country. Come along!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The young king Kareid climbed into the cockpit through the mech¡¯s arm.

    ¡¸There is an outpost up ahead, where the Red Knights are in danger! We head to their aid!¡¹

    The mech dashed off and our group followed. Amanda still seemed unable to fullyprehend the situation, but she followed Fran¡¯s lead for now.

    I took this time to observe the mech again. It definitely contained more power than any of the droids we¡¯ve seen so far. ording to Siby, this was the so-called ¡°Warmech¡± piloted exclusively by the king. It¡¯s likely that only the wielder of Chariot can use it.

    The Warmech smoothly glided through the forest using the rollers on its feet, and we soon saw a fortress-like structureing into view. That must be the outpost the young king mentioned.

    Knights in red armor were fighting fiends all over the ce. I could also sense several fiends inside, indicating that it was only a matter of time before the outpost fell.

    ¡¸We¡¯ll back up the Red Knights. Fran, you follow His Majesty!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it!¡¹

    Although the Red Knights seemed somewhat confused at first, the appearance of Siby and Madred elicited many cheers.

    This army appeared to be a gathering of various Red Knight divisions. The two captains were immediately weed by the other knights, so we can leave the rest to them.

    ¡ºUrushi! Back up Siby and thin out the fiends!¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    The Warmech shot down fiends with shoulder-mounted guns, before slipping past the Red Knights and jumping onto the roof of the outpost.

    There was no hesitation in the king¡¯s movements, meaning he had a thorough understanding of the situation inside. Perhaps he had scanned the inside of the building somehow.

    The Warmech struck the roof with its fist, creating a crack. Then, it swung down its foot on that same part, breaking the roof and falling through. We hurriedly followed.

    ¡ºTwo incredibly powerful fiends in there.¡»

    £¨That¡¯s the captain with the red mist!£©

    ¡ºOh yeah, Roza!¡»

    It seems the young king rushed ahead in order to save her.

    I saw the Warmech m its fist on the left fiend as it fell.

    ¡ºIn that case, we¡¯ll take care of the one on the right!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The dense cloak of evil energy shrouded its appearance, but it was probably just a higher tier orc. That said, the buff from this aura was boosting it to Threat Level C or higher.

    Even this powerful fiend was distracted by the Warmech¡¯s sudden appearance. It paid zero attention to us.

    Fran took advantage of that instant to strike.

    All it took was a sh infused with ck lightning, and the orc¡¯s head got cleaved off. Fran then spoke to the stunned Roza.

    ¡¸You okay?¡¹

 Chapter 1288: Four Fragments

    <h4>Chapter 1288: Four Fragments</h4>

    We broke into the outpost and repelled the fiends. That went pretty well, but¡­

    There was a subtle tension between the Red Knights and us.

    From their perspective, we were the main forces of the foreign nation of Kranzel. Despite that, we came here alongside Siby and inexplicably saved them. It was hard to make sense of the situation.

    Many held feelings of confusion or anger, especially towards Fran, the one responsible for defeating the most Red Knights, including two captains. They couldn¡¯t simply move on and thank her for saving them.

    In the midst of this, the Blood Maiden Captain Roza approached us.

    She wore the same dress armor with a red base and purple ents, maintaining her shy appearance. The huge gauntlet-type relic, Blood Maiden, was attached to her left arm and exuded a tremendous pressure.

    As everyone watched with bated breath, Roza spoke with a somewhat stern expression.

    ¡¸I heard everything from Siby. Thank you. You saved us.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­To be honest, my subordinates and I have yet to trulye to terms with this situation. Even so, we are the Red Knights. All of us are prepared to sacrifice our lives to protect thisnd, so joining hands with a former enemy is easy enough inparison. We must rescue the civilians that are still alive.¡¹

    Roza extended her hand to Fran, who shook it. The atmosphere among the Red Knights shifted.

    Of course, they still had reservations about the visitors from Kranzel, but for now, they wererades fighting together. It seems viewing this handshake reminded them of the fact.

    Roza intentionally expressed her feelings in front of everyone, not just for Fran, but also for her subordinates to hear.

    This wasn¡¯t enough to unite our hearts and minds, but everyone was undoubtedly facing the same direction. They could now fight together.

    With that said, it wasn¡¯t feasible to charge into the capital in this condition. The Red Knights werepletely exhausted and could not endure another battle.

    Everyone agreed to rest up in the outpost first. Since it was already in the middle of the night, we might as well rest up and fight during the day. Charging in at night would only give the fiends an unnecessary advantage.

    Of course, the fiends wouldn¡¯t simply leave us alone, so we divided ourselves into squads for taking turns resting and fighting.

    Fran and I were assigned the first watch. We set up a purification magic ward around the outpost to prevent enemy infiltration as much as possible.

    This might not be very effective against the high-level fiends we fought earlier today, but shutting out the annoying small fry would make things considerably easier.

    Fran and I defeated all the fiends at our post before taking a breather. We were stationed at the entrance to the escape route leading from the royal castle, which was a reasonably spacious room in the basement of the outpost.

    Many Red Knights seemed uneasy about having a child guard such a critical point, but Amanda and Forrund gave their thumbs up. They knew that Urushi, Avenger, and I were backing her up.

    The rest of our friends were monitoring the four walls of the outpost.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Only Fran, Urushi, and Kareid were present in the room. Kareid had volunteered to defend the most dangerous position himself, and Siby and Madred only agreed on the condition that Fran was also present.

    Silence dominated the atmosphere after the battle. Fran had always been rather quiet, and the young king didn¡¯t seem too talkative either. Moreover, it had been less than a day since they met.

    It¡¯s only natural that there wouldn¡¯t be much conversation.

    Even so, Kareid gave Fran the asional nce, before averting his gaze and silently contemting something, then looking at Fran again. He went through this loop multiple times.

    Oh no, Your Majesty. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for my Fran?

    Everyone knows how super cute Fran is, and your meeting was somewhat dramatic, perfect for the suspension bridge effect. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if you developed feelings for Fran!

    But no! This won¡¯t do! I can give you a lot of bonus points for your handsome looks, your status as king, and being a divine sword wielder. In fact, I might go as far as to say you¡¯re the most promising out of all the candidates I¡¯ve seen!

    That said, the wall between an adventurer from Kranzel and the king of Raydoss is simply too great! Isn¡¯t this exactly like Romeo and Juliet!? The type of story that might be passed down the generations! But no! I won¡¯t allow it!

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºN-Nothing. It¡¯s nothing! I¡¯m not thinking about using telekinesis for mischief or anything!¡»

    £¨?£©

    As I was fantasizing about what to do with Kareid, Fran asked the young boy a question.

    ¡¸Do you know anything about the fragments?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Yeah, I do.¡¹

    Kareid began telling us what he knew about the fragments. While not very talkative, it seems he can be pretty eloquent when necessary.

    ¡¸ording to the knowledge passed down to the royal family, we sealed away four fragments of the Evil God.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸First, the ¡°Evil God¡¯s Tear nd¡±, said to spawn an endless torrent of fiends. Second, the ¡°Evil God¡¯s me Sac¡±, capable of spouting mes that can incinerate dragons. Third, the ¡°Evil God¡¯s de Tail¡±, which can cut through anything and everything. Last but not least, the ¡°Evil God¡¯s Malice¡± which dominates people by twisting their minds. All of them harbor terrifying powers, but my biggest worry is the Evil God¡¯s Malice.¡¹

    ¡¸Why?¡¹

    All fragments of the Evil God contain unimaginable power, so why this one in particr?

    Moreover, all fragments had the ability to control others to some degree. It didn¡¯t seem particrly formidable to me.

    ¡¸¡­I suspect the Malice influenced the minds of the dukes¡­ I felt some interference myself on one asion, which Chariot protected me from.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Perhaps its specialized abilities in domination allowed it to act through the slightest gap in the seal?

    The dukes were clearly twisted due to their years of viiny, but it could be that the Evil God¡¯s Malice was what pushed them over the edge.

    ¡¸It may be capable of controlling anyone without a divine sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t work on me.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Thanks to the power of this super amazing sword!¡¹

    ¡¸O-Okay¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Besides, it¡¯s not like the other fragments were weak. The me Sac and de Tail seemedpletelybat focused, which would make their destructive power unparalleled.

    Not to mention the Tear nd¡¯s extremely troublesome spawning ability. While it specializes in creating fiends, it apparently also has the ability to absorb energy from its spawn to power itself up.

    That sounds kinda like the Abyss Eater. It makes sense for it to have a simr ability since the Abyss Eater also contains part of the Evil God.

    ¡¸All of them must have power beyond our imagination.¡¹

    Kareid lowered his head as he spoke. Telling Fran this information had forced him to face the reality of his opponents again. His expression was grim.

    Meanwhile, Fran took something out of storage and headed it to Kareid.

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸What is this¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry. Eating it will make you feel better.¡¹

 Chapter 1289: Fran and the Young King

    <h4>Chapter 1289: Fran and the Young King</h4>

    ¡¸Here.¡¹

    ¡¸What is this¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Curry. Eating it will make you feel better.¡¹

    Fran offered some curry she took out of storage to the young king.

    S-She really gave curry to someone she just met¡­? Such growth! I¡¯m trembling at Fran¡¯s kindness!

    ¡¸¡­Food? It has a mysterious aroma.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. You can¡¯t fight on an empty stomach.¡¹

    ¡¸I see. Thank you.¡¹

    Fran seemed a bit more excited than usual.

    £¨If the king likes it, curry might spread to Raydoss.£©

    Oh, so this was all part of her n to spread curry throughout the world! It was a calcted move! Fran wasn¡¯t being kind at all!

    N-No wait, wanting him to feel better was no lie! Probably!

    £¨I¡¯m sure Kareid will understand the power of curry.£©

    Uh, because of his name or something? Don¡¯t tell me Fran was so favorable to the young king because his name sounded simr to the word ¡°curry¡±.

    It¡¯s scary because that actually sounds like a usible exnation¡­

    All ording to n? Kareid¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement while stuffing his mouth with curry.

    Without a word, the two finished their tes at practically the same time.

    Fran was eating the curry too, of course. She had given herself a serving about three times the size of the one she gave Kareid. There were noints either, since she shared the fried chicken toppings.

    Kareid did seem a little taken aback though, so maybe he¡¯s a light eater.

    The tension in the room eased up. Perhaps due to the warm meal, winning the young king¡¯s stomach, or somebination of the two.

    ¡¸It¡¯s been a while since a meal left me this satisfied.¡¹

    ¡¸Heheh. Curry is the best.¡¹

    ¡¸Especially after my senses deteriorated along with my mutation, so I can hardly taste the vor of food anymore.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran shivered intensely with the shock visible on her face. Losing your sense of taste must be that terrifying to her.

    Maybe she considered that to be scarier than losing a few years of lifespan.

    ¡¸P-Poor thing.¡¹

    It¡¯s incredibly rare to hear such emotionally charged words from Fran.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve gotten used to it by now. Besides, I don¡¯t get very hungry either¡­¡¹

    It seems these circumstances caused him to almost stop eating altogether. Still, Kareid smiled at the empty te.

    ¡¸It was warm, with a strong vor and aroma. Very tasty.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, because curry is the best.¡¹

    Fran nodded approvingly.

    ¡¸¡­You¡¯re an adventurer, right?¡¹

    Kareid muttered quietly. His gaze was still pointed downward.

    Nevertheless, his words were clearly directed at Fran.

    ¡¸Nn. I am.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Aren¡¯t you scared?¡¹

    Kareid no longer had the face of a king that he had been wearing all this time, but that of a boy who was younger than Fran.

    After finally facing us, his round eyes seemed to express uncertainty and appeared a bit teary. Coupled with his fluffy purple hair, he almost looked like a puppy.

    ¡¸No, are you?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­To be honest, I am terrified.¡¹

    This was our first time hearing such weakness from the young king.

    ¡¸I thought I had resolved myself¡­ but I¡¯m scared. Scared of dying myself, and scared of letting my people die.¡¹

    Kareid said that while stroking his own body.

    ¡¸The flow of Chariot¡¯s power into me has weakened, so much so that the binds restricting the king havepletely vanished. The fact that I can talk about the divine sword and Evil God is proof enough.¡¹

    It seems his exnation about the fragments was only possible because of the weakening of Chariot¡¯s binds. Even the king himself was prohibited from revealing Raydoss¡¯s secrets to others.

    ¡¸Which means more and more of Chariot¡¯s power is getting diverted towards sealing the fragments. In other words, their revival is imminent.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Is it truly possible for us to defeat fragments of the Evil God?¡¹

    He had been feeling Chariot¡¯s power up close since bing king, so the weakening of that flow must be worrying.

    Kareid looked as anxious as a lost child.

    ¡¸There is something I am scared of.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Fightinges with a lot of pain. We might lose. We might even die.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s true.¡¹

    ¡¸But¡­¡¹

    Fran cut off her words there and stared into the young king¡¯s eyes.

    The strong will backing her seemed to have pressured him for a moment. But soon enough, he gathered the strength to stare back.

    Kareid was clearly concentrating on Fran¡¯s next words.

    ¡¸But¡­ I¡¯m more afraid of losing myself.¡¹

    ¡¸Losing yourself¡­¡¹

    ¡¸I was once a ve. But now, I¡¯m Fran. Not a nameless ve, but Fran, the daughter of my parents, and Master¡¯s disciple.¡¹

    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t really an answer to his question. Fran probably doesn¡¯t understand why she¡¯s saying this herself. She just answered ording to the whims of her heart.

    However, Kareid seems to have sensed something within those words.

    ¡¸I see. So that¡¯s how it is.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    He gave a strong nod, as if all the hesitation was gone.

 Chapter 1290: The Tear Gland

    <h4>Chapter 1290: The Tear nd</h4>

    Thebined forces of Kranzel and Raydoss sessfully defended the outpost until sunrise. We gathered in the courtyard of the facility in the early morning hours.

    The Red Knights wore grim faces upon seeing the sorry state of the capital city. Then, Kareid stepped forward and removed his robe in front of his subjects.

    Everyone gasped upon seeing the condition of the young king.

    ¡¸I¡¯m sure you all have many questions about my current state, but now is not the time to go into details. There are more important matters at hand.¡¹

    The restless Red Knights straightened their backs, assuming a posture of attentive listening. Their king indeed held a special ce in their hearts.

    ¡¸There are fragments of the Evil God lying dormant underneath our castle. The royal family and the dukes have been maintaining the seal on them for ages.¡¹

    While the knights showed various expressions of surprise, no one made amotion. Perhaps it was because Kareid had gained their recognition in such a short period of time.

    He even visited them during night watch, after all.

    ¡¸However, the royal familycked the strength to continue, and the seal on the fragments is about to break. I must apologize to all of you.¡¹

    ¡¸Your Majesty, none of this is your fault. Those damn dukes went out of control and¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Even so! As an incident that urred within my country, I must take responsibility as king.¡¹

    Kareid denied Siby¡¯s excuses. There was no trace of the doubts he had shown usst night.

    ¡¸I am about to challenge the fragments of the Evil God, and there is no easy path to victory¡­ To aplish this, I request your assistance!¡¹

    Kareid slowly scanned the faces of everyone present.

    The Red Knights resolved themselves. They had been inspired by the resolution shown by the young king. Fran and the others felt the same.

    ¡¸Simply defeating the fragments is not enough. We must also eradicate all fiends from ournd, as allowing them to spread will grant the fragments even more power. I ask you to risk your lives for this cause.¡¹

    The warriors gathered here solidified their determination to fight against the fragments with their lives at stake. Is this the charisma of a king? Even I felt impassioned.

    The young king nodded quietly upon seeing our determination.

    ¡¸But do not worry! The royal family has a secret weapon! Gaze upon my body! This is the proof that I have been recognized by the divine sword Chariot, which grants us the power tobat the Evil God Fragments! With our powersbined, our victory is assured!¡¹

    ¡¸?? YEAAAAAH!!! ??¡¹

    The morale of the Red Knights reached its peak.

    But ironically, evil energy surged from the royal castle right at that exact same moment.

    <strong>OROOOOOOOH!!!</strong>

    A deep bass-like sound resonated throughout the capital. This was undoubtedly the roar of something huge.

    Then, a slight tremor struck Fran and the others.

    ¡¸The castle!¡¹

    A knight standing watch on the rooftop of the outpost screamed, and Fran jumped to the roof next to him. We turned in the direction he was facing and saw¡­

    ¡¸A ck pir from the castle.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯sing out!¡»

    The ck pir of light rising from the castle copsed many of the spires. It was made of pure, concentrated evil energy spouting forth like a geyser. The sheer physical force was enough to blow away the roofs and walls of the fortified building.

    And then, something emerged from within the ck pir.

    How do I even describe it¡­?

    It was essentially an elongated mass of flesh dyed entirely in ck. Maybe you could liken it to a worm or a snake since it slithered on the ground.

    ¡¸<strong>OROOOOOOOH!</strong>¡¹

    The creature¡¯s roar echoed again. This sound was undoubtedly emitted by the mass of flesh, despite itsck of a mouth.

    Only a fragment of the Evil God could have such a grotesque and unnatural figure.

    Unlike the fiends from earlier, it wasn¡¯t simply cloaked in evil energy. The entire mass was practicallyposed entirely of it.

    ¡¸Evil God¡­ Fragment.¡¹

    ¡¸No doubt about it.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹

    Fran muttered the identity of the creature, followed by Amanda and Forrund, who had followed us, nodding in response. They, too, must have instinctively understood its identity.

    I sensed another surge of evil energying from within the fragment, and its entire 50 meter long body began trembling.

    ¡¸¡­! It¡¯s doing something!¡¹

    The fragment raised its tip high in the sky in a serpent-like motion. Evil energy gathered above,pressed into a ball as dark as a miniature ck hole.

    Then, droplets of evil energy began dripping out of the ball. These sinister masses hit the ground in session as if it was raining huge tears.

    As the evil energy stained the earth, huge entities emerged from the puddles. Large, bipedal fiends.

    It¡¯s challenging to discern their exact species and appearance because of the veil of evil energy. All I can say for sure is that they¡¯re bigger than the minotaur we encountered on the way here.

    Standing right next to the huge Evil God Fragment made it hard to scale their size properly, but the fiends seemed nearly 10 meters in height.

    In just a few minutes, the fragment had spawned over 20 such high-ranking fiends.

    There¡¯s no longer any room for doubt. This must be the Evil God¡¯s Tear nd.

    In the midst of the raging vortex of evil energy, we heard the simultaneous roars from the fragment and its fiend spawn. The spectacle evoked a sense of fear, much like abination of a monster movie with a horror film.

    The giant fiends immediately began marching in our direction.

    Kareid, who had also jumped onto the roof, red at the Evil God Fragment.

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll strike down the main body. You take care of the fiends. Okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you.¡¹

    After replying to Fran with a smile, the young boy raised his mechanical arm high in the sky and shouted.

    ¡¸Awaken! The mechanical King of Red Knights! To me, Warmount Chariot!¡¹

 Chapter 1291: King of Red Knight

    <h4>Chapter 1291: King of Red Knight</h4>

    ¡¸To me! Warmount Chariot!¡¹

    A sh of red light rose from beneath the royal castle in response to Kareid¡¯s shout, dispelling the sinister ck pir, if only for an instant.

    This wasn¡¯t from the Evil God Fragments, but something more majestic. It was a light that enraptured the hearts of our allies.

    Then, we saw a shadow fly out from the ground. The sheer speed prevented us from discerning its identity. All I can say is that it was red.

    ¡¸That¡¯s Chariot?¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. Chariot is the Warmount born from the de.¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa! It looks so cool and strong!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. There¡¯s no way we can lose to the fragments now.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­Right!¡¹

    We finally caught a nce of the crimson, humanoid mech when it paused in the sky.

    Boasting a burning red color without a single blemish, its entire body gleamed in the morning sun.

    Compared to the sturdy-looking machines we¡¯ve seen earlier, Chariot appeared to be more on the slender side. The rounded curves conveyed a sort of feminine grace, though this was quickly dispelled by the sharp des incorporated into its shoulders, heels, and fingers.

    The two wings extending horizontally from the back only added to the coolness factor.

    Despite its slender appearance, there was no hint of frailty. Everything about it exuded power, from its golden eyes surveying thend to its crimson coloring. A mech with two eyes instead of one really gives it more of a protagonist feeling in my mind.

    From an otaku perspective, I would describe it as Gerb*ra-Tetra with Str*ke Rouge¡¯s backpack and details from Gothicm*de.

    Fran, Urushi, and I were left speechless by its imposing presence. Not out of fear, but adoration of Chariot¡¯s divine aura.

    Having such a powerful ally can be so reassuring.

    ¡¸Now then, may we both fight to the best of our abilities.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    A ray of light shot out from Chariot¡¯s chest, enveloping Kareid¡¯s body and causing him to float. It seemed to be some kind of tractor beam.

    Chariot¡¯s chest armor, which protruded forward like the bow of a ship, split open as Kareid flew inside. However, there was a very evident change the second he disappeared from view.

    The divine aura surrounding the machine burned red with renewed vigor. It had clearly been enhanced somehow.

    Perhaps Chariot can only reach maximum power with its pilot on board. We heard a booming voice from within.

    ¡¸The time hase! A fragment of the Evil God has broken free from its seal! Red Knights, I would ask all of you to fight alongside me! Handle the minions as I challenge the main body!¡¹

    Chariot shifted from motionless to max speed in an instant, darting toward the capital. Despite its tremendous speed, it made almost zero sound, which was terrifying in its own right. This was no mere flight.

    ¡¸?? YEAAAAAH!!! ??¡¹

    It was impossible to not feel exhrated at this sight. All the Red Knights raised their hands and cheered, deploying with that same momentum.

    ¡¸Time to go! We must ease the burden on His Majesty even if only a little!¡¹

    ¡¸?? Roger! ??¡¹

    Leading them were Siby, Madred, and Roza. They nned to scatter around the outskirts of the capital in order to y as many fiends as possible.

    As for those of us from Kranzel, we were to hunt down the giant fiends within the capital. Considering the possible issues with coordination, splitting up is more efficient.

    ¡¸We¡¯re heading out too.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. I can¡¯t leave everything to a child just because he has a divine sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! This deserted city is a fitting spot for our decisive battle!¡¹

    Amanda, Forrund, and Jean seemed raring to go.

    ¡¸As a divine sword wielder, I must fulfill my mission. I will target the fragment directly.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve got your back.¡¹

    ¡¸Uncle and I will do our best too.¡¹

    Maleficent and Persona seemed somewhat solemn. Persona had finally been freed from her curse, but they found themselves up against the Evil God right afterwards. There was really no time to celebrate.

    However, thebined powers of Chariot and Hell might really lead us to victory. That was the source of our confidence.

    Sierra and the sword at his waist seemed quite determined too. Rather, they seemed to be brimming with hope. Considering how he almost lost sight of his future earlier, helping to save the world from the Evil God Fragment might be a good way to get him back up on his feet.

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸¨D¨D!¡¹

    Urushi and Marle began circling us, apparently reminding us to not forget about them. Fran patted Urushi¡¯s head while infusing Marle with mana.

    ¡¸While our time is limited, we will follow our liege until the end.¡¹

    ¡¸Yep, what he said!¡¹

    Even Yuvel and Oldona had out of ce smiles. Fran led the group by jumping off the roof of the outpost.

    Apparently, there was originally a barrier defending the perimeter of the capital city, but it was already long gone. The flow of evil energy from within couldn¡¯t be contained by any normal barrier.

    We hopped between rooftops, navigating through the deserted city covered in a thin haze of evil energy.

    Sierra and Fran were unaffected thanks to Zelos Reed and my ability to absorb evil energy. However, the same could not be said for the others.

    No matter how resilient they might be, there¡¯s no telling what might happen after continuous exposure to such dense evil. It would be disastrous if anyone gets dominated by the fragments.

    That¡¯s where I came in. All of ourpanions knew of my existence, so I could talk to them directly.

    ¡ºAmanda. How are you feeling?¡»

    ¡¸I don¡¯t feel any evil energy at all. Impressive.¡¹

    ¡ºGood to hear.¡»

    I had been absorbing the evil energy from everyone the entire time. Anyone else attempting such a feat would contract Evil Intoxication and copse, but it¡¯s practically food to me.

    ¡ºAlright, we head for the closest giant fiend!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1292: Chariot vs Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 1292: Chariot vs Fragment</h4>

    Meanwhile, the mechanical giant was facing off against the worm-like fragment next to the towering ck pir.

    <i>Vrooooooon!</i>

    The high-pitched sound of Chariot¡¯s enginebined with the roar of the fragment to shake the air. Finally, the two collided.

    Chariot¡¯s fistnded a direct hit on the fragment¡¯s body, causing a huge explosion and scattering mana everywhere.

    That single blow contained as much mana as a high-tier spell, yet the fragment had sustained zero visible damage.

    In fact, it seemedpletely unfazed, immediatelyunching a counterattack against Chariot without any dy.

    The fragment twisted its lengthy body to m its tail at Chariot. This action inadvertently copsed the pitiful remnants of what was once the royal castle.

    However, Chariot managed to evade the tail. It could move with surprising precision and speed for a huge mass of metal.

    Since its flight trajectory bent at impossible angles, I bet those movements are the result of wind magic or something simr.

    That said, Chariot couldn¡¯t dodge the pellets of condensed evil energyunched like a shotgun spray. Well, not that it would even be physically possible to avoid this kind of saturation fire.

    Yet these stsnded on Chariot with no effect whatsoever. The armor of divine energy enveloping the mech had nullified them all.

    Now it was Chariot¡¯s turn again. It thrust both palms forward and emitted a red sh. Then, arge magic circle unfolded in front of its head.

    The circle emanated a divine aura as numerous objects flew out. These resembled triangr sks. Not funnels, no, of course not.

    The narrow mouths on the sks appeared to be gun barrels. It seems they could fly around by propelling themselves with mana.

    The nearly thirty metal sks began swarming around the fragment like bees. The trails of red light left behind in their dance was a beautiful sight.

    Not to mention their power.

    The sk-shaped entities moved with irregr patterns and shot out bursts of red light. Even at this distance, I could tell each shot contained divine energy.

    The fragment roared in pain as its body was drilled with crater-sized holes. Chariot had clearly found an attack that worked.

    That said, it wasn¡¯t over yet. As expected of an Evil God Fragment, the inflicted wounds regenerated just as quickly. Not even a divine sword could pull off an easy win.

    Nevertheless, Chariot had proved itself a threat in a one-on-one fight. Its powers may be very different from the divine swords we¡¯ve seen so far, but it was still just as extraordinary.

    ¡¸More fiends iing.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like we won¡¯t get the chance to ck off!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Maleficent, Persona, you go on ahead.¡¹

    ¡¸In that case, we¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡¹

    By drawing the attention of the fiends, we could free up Maleficent to fight the fragment.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s make it shy!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    ¡¸Grr, grr!¡¹

    We bombarded the fiends in Maleficent¡¯s way with as much magic as possible.

    This was more about impact than power, though I didn¡¯t expect more than half of them to survive. Not only the giants, but even the simple orcs and goblins were incredibly durable.

    ¡ºGuess we can¡¯t afford to hold back anymore.¡»

    ¡¸¡­Brilliant Lightning Rush.¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯ll get the evil-divine energy ready.¡»

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Urushi also got serious, cloaking himself in darkness. Honestly, I was hoping to quickly wipe the floor with the fiends, then we could provide support with plenty of energy to spare.

    But it seems the fiends didn¡¯t like that n. Ignoring them and focusing down the fragment might be another option, but getting ambushed from behind is also troublesome. Our top priority is to make sure they can¡¯t interfere with our main force, the divine sword wielders.

    In the end, we just stuck to the original n: wipe out the fiends to let Kareid and Maleficent focus on the fragment.

    I sted one of the giant fiends with a series of high-power spells, including one straight through the head and one for the core, but it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Their sheer defense and regenerative abilities went way beyond our expectations.

    Not to mention how it attempted to fight back in that state. The fiend had pulled out a metal club out of nowhere and swung it down on us.

    In addition to their enormous size, they seemed to have the ability to create weapons, as well as some degree of weapon mastery skills. The swing clearly contained more than just brute force.

    The evil-cloaked club mmed through the nearby house before leaving a crater in the earth. With such tremendous force, I would have to rate the fiend around Threat Level B.

    ¡ºWe can¡¯t really afford to drag this out.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    We went for our usual solution: striking them down before they could get us. Fran leapt upward with aerial hop, before using it again to propel herself even further.

    The fiend swung its club again in an attempt to stop her, but that¡¯s not hitting us!

    And then, Fran delivered judgment upon the giant fiend.

    ¡¸Hah!¡¹

    ¡ºAlright! One down!¡»

    Not even this guy could survive Heavenly Judgmentbined with Brilliant Lightning Rush. As long as the healing-inhibition effect of divine energy works, we can keep this up.

    ¡¸Grrrrr!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi did it too.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    Urushi had performed his ultimate move, ne-Severing Fang, to crush the head of one of the giants. He then proceeded to devour the felled giant¡¯s limbs.

    He apparently developed his own method for defeating the giant fiends. That is to say, they would die if devoured without enough time to regenerate. Only a giant wolf like him could pull it off.

    Meanwhile, our otherrades also cooperated to defeat the remaining giant fiends.

    Jean had summoned the skeletons of several huge beasts to hold one in ce, then Amanda swung her whip to shatter their heads and limbs in an instant. Forrund impaled another with countless swords, as Sierra delivered the final blow. Yuvel and Oldona were circling around and providing support.

    But our battle was interrupted by a deafening noise. We saw the mes of an explosion far in the sky above our heads.

    ¡¸Chariot got hit!¡¹

    ¡ºOh no, this isn¡¯t good! Another fragment has appeared!¡»

    The one responsible for the massive explosion was the new arrival on the battlefield. A crimson mass of flesh had struck down Chariot.

    We could only watch as the mechanical giant fell out of the sky and slid across the ground of the capital. I knew there were four fragments of the Evil God here, but I was hoping we still had time until the second one.

    No wait¡­ this feeling is¡­

    ¡ºThe ck pir is growing even wider! This huge mass of evil energy¡­! We¡¯re running out of time!¡»

 Chapter 1293: Evil God Fragments

    <h4>Chapter 1293: Evil God Fragments</h4>

    Chariot fell to the ground with a thunderous crash. Billows of smoke spilled from the machine¡¯s red frame.

    The one who knocked Chariot out of the sky was the newly revealed Evil God Fragment, still glowing red from the mes it had unleashed.

    I could only describe it as a mass of red flesh. Judging by the tremendous amount of evil energy it contained, we could be sure it was no mere spawn of the Tear nd, but an Evil God Fragment in its own right.

    The red mass, which would not look out of ce among the innards of a beast, was surrounded in the shimmering distortion of a heat haze. It radiated a tremendous amount of heat at all times.

    In fact, the debris beneath and around its body were already glowing red hot.

    ¡ºSo that¡¯s the Evil God¡¯s me Sac¡­¡»

    ¡¸Seems really hot.¡¹

    ¡ºChariot¡­ looks like it can keep going.¡»

    The red mech propelled itself back into the sky by releasing mana from the thrusters on its back.

    Portions of frame had melted away, but regeneration was already underway. As expected of a divine sword, it has every feature you could ask for.

    That said, the me Sac was not about to let up the pressure either. mes began spewing out of the countless holes on its surface.

    These formed nearly a hundred fireballs, which fell from the sky with greater speed than gravity should allow.

    elerating rapidly, they began homing in on Chariot.

    The mech elegantly evaded the rain of fireballs, but this was only the beginning.

    One of the fireballs suddenly exploded right as it passed Chariot, thus capturing it in the st zone.

    Perhaps that served as a detonator, as the rest of the fireballs detonated immediately afterwards. The tremendous shockwaves scattered rubble in all directions.

    A few rubble chunks were over 10 meters in size, yet they got blown away as if they were as light as styrofoam.

    This debris went on to crash through entire houses, wrecking distant parts of the city.

    As for Chariot¡­ We saw a beam of light pierce through the ck smoke and hit the me Sac. Looks like it¡¯s still up and running.

    This scattered the smoke, revealing the mech again. Except now, it was carrying a giant bow that resembled Madred¡¯s relic Dusk Rain in its right hand. Well, this was like a hundred times bigger though.

    The me Sac¡¯s massive chain of explosions and Chariot¡¯s bow likely packed as much power as supreme-tier spells. Yet despite the exchange, neither had suffered much visible damage. Their regeneration was enough to keep up.

    This only serves to remind us of how divine swords and fragments of the Evil God were beyond mortalprehension.

    ¡¸Let¡¯s hurry up and beat the fiends so we can help.¡¹

    ¡ºHold on. Rushing ahead will only put us in danger. Besides, we¡¯ve already sent backup.¡»

    As the fragments were busy with Chariot, a purple mist snuck up on them from the side.

    ¡¸Maleficent!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. That must be Hell¡¯s divine poison!¡»

    I could feel the divine energy contained in that mist. Maleficent had decided to start with maximum firepower.

    Any debris that made contact with the mist evaporated almost instantaneously. Even the fragments began roaring louder than ever before when infected by the poison. He had clearly dealt a heavy blow.

    The surface of the Tear nd began slowly turning purple and dissolving. Meanwhile, the me Sac was forced to cease its attack on Chariot and shield itself from the divine poison with a cloak of mes.

    Not even the fragments of the Evil God could ignore Hell¡¯s poison. That said, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    The fragments were simply ridiculously tough, to the point where they could withstand a poison capable of eradicating all traces of life. At this rate, Hell won¡¯t be enough to defeat them outright.

    But we have two divine swords present. Perhaps Maleficent had already taken this into ount and prioritized stalling the fragments? I think so, at least.

    Chariot finished readying its next attack as the fragments were dealing with the purple mist.

    It had summoned five metallic spheres, which were several timesrger than the sks from earlier. Their surfaces crackled with electricity, emitting a purple glow.

    I also sensed a vast amount of power concentrating on the bow, manifesting as an arrow of pure, concentrated divine energy. The metal spheres appeared to be devices for assisting Chariot¡¯s control over this energy.

    Mana flowed through the stretched bowstring, and the entire bow glowed red.

    ¡¸Urah! Take this! <strong>Crimson Meteor</strong>!¡¹

    Kareid¡¯s voice resounded, and the arrow descended from the sky like a shooting star.

    This so-called meteor shook the atmosphere as it flew, beforending right in between the two fragments. Then, it exploded with a brilliant sh.

    The arrow formed a crimson dome of light covering not only the fragments, but also the royal castle and its surroundings. Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t feel much in terms of impact and shockwaves. All of the destructive energy must be contained within.

    I also sensed a faint mana presence right outside the red dome, so Maleficent managed to avoid getting caught up. It seems they coordinated thisbo well.

    The red dome burst open, revealing the severely damaged bodies of the fragments. The Tear nd had been reduced to half its original length, and the me Sac had lost most of its 30 meter wide upper half.

    Their regeneration was also slowed to a crawl, so they had clearly sustained heavy damage. Could this be our opportunity to finish them off?

    Kareid certainly seemed to think so too, as he summoned several lines of golems tounch a barrage of arrows and fireballs. Maleficent began readying another wave of his poison.

    Can we finish them off? I¡¯d never say it out loud because I don¡¯t want to raise any gs, but it seemed as if the fragments were as good as dead¡­ But much to our dismay, the tide of battle reversed without any warning.

    ¡¸The pir! Something¡¯sing out again!¡¹

    ¡ºNo! The remaining two fragments just broke out at the same time!¡»

    Two massive figures emerged from the pir to strike at Chariot.

    Amidst the rain of explosions and sts of evil energy, both Chariot and Maleficent had no choice but to cancel their offensive.

    One fragment had a body about 50 meters long, even thinner and longer than the Tear nd. Its entire body was covered with hard, white scales, and it had a nasty looking scythe-like de jutting out of the tip.

    There were countless wriggling tentacles growing out of the opposite side, which I guess is the base. This must be the Evil God¡¯s de Tail.

    The other fragment could only be described as a giant mouth. It had the form of a smooth purple sphere, which was almostpletely dominated by a mouth containing rows of shark-like teeth. Additionally, there were about ten tentacle-like appendages growing out in random ces, each with an eyeball attached at the end.

    By process of elimination, this must be the Evil God¡¯s Malice. Rather than ¡°repulsive¡±, my first impression was ¡°unsettling¡±. Just having it in my view gave me an ufortable feeling.

    ¡¸¡­No! We can¡¯t fight that!¡¹

    We had defeated only three of the giant fiends, and Fran almost screamed out at this sight. The color drained from her face.

    I suppose not even Fran can remain unfazed when up against four fragments of the Evil God.

    The sinister aura of the fragments could reach us even at this distance. Even if we had confidence in our resistance to its control, the aura seemed more than enough to disturb Fran¡¯s calm.

    <strong>OROOOOOGH!</strong>

    ¡ºIf we act now, we can still esca¨D¨D¡»

    ¡¸I won¡¯t run!¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha, I knew you¡¯d say that. In that case, let¡¯s finish up these fiends first! You can be quick, but make sure not to rush!¡»

    ¡¸Nn! Thanks, Master. I was feeling a little scared.¡¹

 Chapter 1294: On the Defensive

    <h4>Chapter 1294: On the Defensive</h4>

    We hastened our mission of eliminating the giant fiends, but the situation had worsened by the time we were done.

    When faced with all four fragments of the Evil God, Chariot had been forced on the defensive.

    The Tear nd and Malice had pinned Chariot down with a barrage of evil energy pellets, as the whip-like strikes of the de Tail and explosions from the me Sac whittled down its barrier of divine energy.

    Chariot¡¯s once gleaming armor was now blotted with ck spots, meaning it was sustaining damage faster than its regeneration rate. The incarnation of the divine sword had been pushed into a corner.

    Maleficent and Persona were nowhere to be seen. All I can say is that they¡¯re probably still alive as long as the poison mist hasn¡¯t dissipated yet.

    Should we go ahead and help Chariot with the fragments? Or would it be better to search out Maleficent and support him?

    However, we soon lost our chance to decide.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºNo way¡­ This is bad!¡»

    The four fragments had gathered together and began releasing vast amounts of evil energy. It all flowed into a single location, forming a giant ck mass in the sky.

    More and more energy was poured in, eventually resulting in the creation of a sphere containing a terrifying amount of both evil and divine energy.

    In other words, it was simr to the evil-divine energy I use.

    The fragments coordinating against us was surprising enough, but now they¡¯re trying to pull off some kind ofbination attack! This was clearly a bad sign.

    Just how much of a disaster would it be if we let them continue unchecked?

    Of course, Kareid and Maleficent weren¡¯t just twiddling their thumbs. Theyunched another offensive in a desperate attempt to stop the fragments from releasing any more evil energy.

    Yet for some reason, the fragments had forsaken any attempt at defense or regeneration. They refused to stop at any cost, even if it meant exposing themselves to the full power of the divine swords.

    ¡ºRun! Get as far as you can!¡»

    I shouted on instinct, and all of ourrades immediately broke into a sprint.

    There was no hesitation. It¡¯s as if they already knew this was the only option. Perhaps their instincts were telling them the same thing.

    I opened a Dimension Gate to a point outside the city walls, where Siby and the others were waiting. Of course, this was no coincidence.

    ¡¸Siby! Over here! Quickly!¡¹

    Fran gathered Siby and the other Red Knights, who obediently followed. Perhaps they too had sensed the impending crisis.

    And so, the moment of destruction arrived.

    The umtion of evil-divine energy had finally reached the critical point. The giant ball in the sky distorted, before copsing outright. That instant, it turned into a violent explosion.

    Or rather, the vast amount of condensed evil energy flooded outward so quickly that it was practically an explosion.

    Our allies deployed their barriers upon witnessing the approaching wall-like tsunami of evil energy. Meanwhile, Fran stood in front and erected a huge version of her Guardian Diety¡¯s Shield.

    This took the form of a dome enveloping everyone. Amanda gave her mana to Marle, who then transferred it to Fran. Forrund reinforced the Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield using a magic sword with barrier enhancement capabilities, and everyone elseyered their barriers on top of ours.

    The Red Knights even packed themselves in like sardines to reduce the size of the necessary barrier, and by corrtion the burden on Fran.

    We braced ourselves as the tsunami enveloped us without a sound.

    The power contained on the other side of the dome was ridiculous. The barriers from our friends shattered instantaneously, leaving only our Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield to protect us.

    ¡¸Gnrgh¡­¡¹

    ¡ºFran! Hang in there!¡»

    Fran¡¯s expression was grim. So not even the seemingly omnipotent Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield could withstand the tsunami of evil-divine energy? The torrent of pure energy was whittling away at it, until it was thin as a sheet of paper.

    Fuck! We might really be screwed!

    I drew upon my inner evil-divine energy to invoke an additional barrier, but it evaporated instantly. The difference between my reserves and the power contained within this tsunami was like heaven and earth.

    ¡ºIn that case, how about this!¡»

    If I have no way of blocking it, then I simply won¡¯t!

    My next idea was to absorb the energy into myself.

    I took in the torrent of evil-divine energy, converting it into my own mana. And it wasn¡¯t just me, I also diverted some of the flow to my deepest depths, where the Evil God Fragment was sealed.

    Shit! It¡¯s still too much, so my mana capacity hit full in a matter of seconds¡­!

    ¡ºUroooooh!¡»

    Fine, then I¡¯ll spend it! By continuously consuming my mana, I can make room to absorb more! I repeatedly deployed maximum output barriers while absorbing as much energy as possible.

    Absorb, deploy, absorb, deploy¡­ Repeat ad infinitum.

    There¡¯s no time to think! Just keep the power flowing in a loop!

    ¡´Detected sharp rise in Sword Transformation Rate. Exceeded 75%. Entering critical terri¨D¨D¡µ

    Did Announcer-san just give me some kind of warning¡­? No, I can¡¯t afford to worry about anything else right now! I won¡¯t be able to maintain the barrier if I lose concentration for a single moment! Sorry, Announcer-san! This is to protect Fran, her friends, and the Red Knights!

    ¡ºGrgh¡­ Gagah¡­<i>*GRAAAAAAAAH</i>!¡»

    It happened almost simultaneously. Countless cracks appeared on my de as the ck torrent finally let up. Fran canceled the Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield and dropped to one knee.

    ¡¸Master! You okay?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah¡­ I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡»

    For some reason, my telepathy wasn¡¯t working too well. Maybe due to the damage from taking in too much evil-divine energy? At least I can feel myself regenerating, albeit slowly. Those cracks should close up in a few minutes.

    ¡ºJust let me¡­ rest a bit¡­¡»

    ¡¸Nn¡­¡¹

    Nevertheless, this sight was truly terrifying.

    The location that was once the royal capital had been transformed into a wastnd. Thousands upon thousands of buildings had vanished, and the bare earth was deeply gouged and overturned.

    The castle, aka ground zero, was of coursepletely gone, along with the towering walls that once protected the entire city. There was literally nothing left to indicate that a city had once stood here.

    What about the Red Knights we didn¡¯t reach in time? I could faintly sense Madred and Roza, so at least those two seem to be alive.

    That said, there was no time to rx. The fragments responsible for the tsunami wouldn¡¯t even give us the time to breathe a sigh of relief at our survival.

    ¡¸This is bad.¡¹

    Forrund muttered the short sentence, and we all turned to look at the horrifying sight.

    ¡¸Kareid!¡¹

    Chariot must have suffered considerable damage from the tsunami, and the fragments didn¡¯t let up the pressure one bit.

    The de Tail had impaled Chariot¡¯s torso and hung the mech in the sky for all to see. The red giant was exposed to a concentrated beating from the other fragments, as more and more chunks of its mechanical body fell off.

    ¡¸The divine sword is¡­ losing¡­?¡¹

    Amanda murmured the frightening truth in a hoarse voice. Her spirit seemed to be wavering in this hopeless situation. At this point, it¡¯s only a matter of time. We have to run.

    Fran bit her lip and embraced my still damaged de.

    But that moment, a lively sound echoed through the battlefield as if to push back the despair.

    <i>Pwooon</i>! <i>Pwooon</i>!

    Where is iting from? My detection skills seemed to be malfunctioning, so I had no idea what was going on.

    Was someone ying a trumpet or something?

    <i>Pwoooooooooon</i>!

    An especially long trumpet note passed through the battlefield, Fran and the others pointed their gazes northward.

    ¡¸¡­A lot of people over there.¡¹

    ¡¸A cavalry division? There¡¯s even more people behind them too.¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right¡­¡»

    There were countless banners fluttering atop a hill to the north. Beneath those banners stood knights d in silver armor, lined up in a row. Their numbers exceeded 3,000.

    The most fitting word to describe them would probably be ¡°majestic¡±.

    Moreover, I saw knights equipped with red armor behind them. Could they be additional Red Knights? Siby, who hade to Fran¡¯s side, scanned the view with astonishment.

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ the banner of the North Conquest Duke!¡¹

 Chapter 1295: Arrival of Reinforcements

    <h4>Chapter 1295: Arrival of Reinforcements</h4>

    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ the banner of the North Conquest Duke!¡¹

    Huh? So thest duke finally reveals himself?

    ¡¸And those are the Vermilion Eye Knights behind him!¡¹

    Siby had apparently lost contact with thest Red Knight division earlier, and now they arrive on the battlefield alongside the duke.

    Are they really allies though?

    <i>Pwon</i>! <i>Pwon</i>! <i>Pwooooooon</i>!

    At the forefront, a knight with arge g at his back blew a golden trumpet rhythmically. Must be some kind of charge fanfare.

    Then, without a word, the knights began advancing towards the Evil God Fragments.

    The orderly formation galloping across thend was almost mesmerizing.

    Moreover, I could tell their mounts weren¡¯t ordinary horses because of their extraordinary speed.

    There was a steady flow of mana emanating from the horses¡¯ bodies, enveloping them in light. In other words, every single one of these thousands of horses were magical beasts.

    What¡¯s more, they were not the only ones who appeared on the battlefield.

    ¡¸¡­! Look, the sky!¡¹

    ¡¸A bunch of ckish things are flying toward us?¡¹

    ¡ºHuh?¡»

    Indeed, the western sky was dotted with countless ck shadows. All of them were fluttering around with bat-like wings.

    And they were clearly getting closer.

    Both Fran and I knew that this was no enemy, since we recognized their identities immediately.

    Judging by their ominous appearance and sinister mana, they were all demons, making them the forces of Phyllius. I could even sense the mana of Flut and Satia.

    They were closely apanied by a demonic presence more powerful than any I had ever seen before. There must be another member of Phyllius¡¯s royal family among them.

    ¡¸¡­! And over there too!¡¹

    ¡ºYeah!¡»

    This time, Fran turned towards the east. There was yet another approaching army, and we recognized some of the mana signatures.

    ¡¸I think I sense Carna?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. And there are some adventurers and academy teachers too!¡»

    The timing was almost too perfect, as if it had been nned. Were they actually coordinating together? Or perhaps they had been waiting for an opportunity to strike, which revealed itself when the capital got nuked to the ground.

    The army from the north ended up being the first to reach the Evil God Fragments.

    The fragments had rained down several waves of projectiles, but the knights evaded with minimal casualties. It seems the horses had some way of sensing the danger zones and dodging ordingly.

    A few knights got caught by the shockwaves, but that should be survivable as long as they avoid a direct hit. I saw the Red Knights in the rear retrieving them.

    ¡¸That one in the front is¡­¡¹

    Siby was staring at the group standing out at the forefront of the knights. Unlike the others, they didn¡¯t wear matching armor.

    While their gear also appeared to be forged from mithril, there were subtle differences in the details. Essentially, themon knights wore mass produced armor while these individuals had it customized.

    Judging by their more powerful auras, they were likelymanders or officers.

    ¡¸The North Conquest Duke himself¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­! The one with the big horse at the front?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m sure of it. That¡¯s the North Conquest Duke and his elite guard.¡¹

    Many of the knights at the front weren¡¯t wearing full-face helmets, making their faces visible. Well, maybe not to ordinary people, but Siby apparently had vision as good as mine.

    And ording to her, they were the North Conquest Duke and his closest subordinates.

    As we watched the charge of the Northern Knights in amazement, the fragments decided to unleash another wave. This time, it took the form of a pulse of evil energy, focused on area of effect.

    In other words, dodging was no longer an option.

    However, the knights refused to pause their advance. A white light radiated from their armor, and they simply passed through the evil energy unfazed. Certainly, this pulse was not all that powerful, but how could they ignore it so easily¡­?

    Was their mithril armor also some kind of magical tool? But that would mean every single knight was equipped with magical horses and tools. In the first ce, none of the knights themselves could actually be called weak.

    I¡¯d say they¡¯re on par with the Red Knights, making them Rank D at the minimum in adventurer terms. The majority of the 3,000 or so knights appeared to be Rank C or higher.

    What a ridiculous army.

    That said, I was skeptical they could really do anything to a fragment of the Evil God. They were definitely strong, enough to conquer a small country even.

    But not a full-fledged Evil God Fragment. Defeating a fragment is not a matter of how many men you can throw at it. You need at least one person with exceptional strength.

    However, it seems the strength of the Northern Knights went far beyond my expectations.

    ¡¸This is the culmination of everything we have practiced! We will not let the efforts of our ancestors and predecessors go to waste! Today, we annihte the Evil God! Charge!¡¹

    ¡¸Nyahahaha! Forward, nya!¡¹

    Following the North Duke¡¯s rally, a member of his guard activated some sort of skill that radiated a majestic light.

    Then, the rest of the knights began glowing in the same manner.

    The effect of this skill became apparent immediately, as the knights elerated their advance. It must be simr to the March of the Valkyrie title that Fran has.

    With this newfound speed, the knights had reached the fragments in no time at all. Now what? Did they have some method of damaging them?

    The knights all drew their weapons simultaneously, revealing magical swords enveloped in a white light. The next moment, countless light bullets rained down on the Evil God Fragments.

    <strong>OROOOOOORH!</strong>

    The fragments were evidently displeased, which means¡­

    ¡¸Evil Crusher.¡¹

    As Fran pointed on, they had invoked a power simr to our Evil Crusher. The surprising part was that every single knight was equipped with this sword.

    Such a powerful anti-evil sword, and they have a copy for everyone? Just how much would that cost?

    ¡¸¡­Huh? They aren¡¯t using ice?¡¹

    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹

    ¡¸The North Duke¡¯s subordinates are famous in Raydoss for using ice-enchanted magic swords and armor, which was apparently due to his relic¡­ But it seems he can produce gear with other attributes too.¡¹

    So he has a relic capable of bestowing elementally-enchanted gear to his subordinates? I guess Chariot already proved its ability to manipte multiple elements, so such a power is not too far-fetched.

    That said, powerful equipment would be rendered useless if the wielders are weak. In that sense, gathering such skilled knights might be more difficult than acquiring tons of magical horses or enchanted gear.

    ¡ºIncredible¡­¡»

    ¡¸That knight at the front is a ck cat.¡¹

    Huh? Wait, she really is a ck cat! There were clearly ck cat ears on the one who used the skill for enhancing their army speed! To think we would find such a powerful ck cat at a ce like this¡­!

    I could also see fishkin and insectkin among their ranks, so they apparently employ demihumans regardless of race. They must be running something simr to a meritocracy.

    In sync with the valiant efforts of the Northern Knights, magic came flying in from the forces to the east. They had bombarded the fragments with a spell containing an anti-evil power simr to the knights.

    This seemed to be a ritual spell performed by over 100 magicians. As expected from the elite graduates from the Academy of Magic.

    I doubt it inflicted muchsting damage, but it definitely served as a deterrent. Not to mention the other 1,000 mages keeping up the pressure with an endless rain of spells.

    That¡¯s when the demons dove into action.

    They had sted the fragments with countless ck explosions, pushing them back. Again, this seemed to be intended as suppressing fire rather than for inflicting damage.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll head in to support them.¡¹

    ¡¸But Fran, your sword is still covered in cracks. Do you have a spare or something?¡¹

    £¨¡­Master?£©

    ¡ºI¡¯m good to go. No problem at all.¡»

    £¨Really? You¡¯re not pushing yourself?£©

    ¡ºYeah, I¡¯mpletely fine.¡»

    I¡¯ll push myself as much as it takes for Fran. I am her sword, after all. My repair has progressed quite a bit, and I¡¯ve regained most of my sensing and control abilities. I¡¯m ready to go.

    ¡ºLet¡¯s get going!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

 Chapter 1296: Diabolos the Demon King Blade

    <h4>Chapter 1296: Diabolos the Demon King de</h4>

    As we approached the former site of the royal castle, I saw Chariot breaking loose of the de Tail¡¯s hold. It had summoned some sort of flying Magic Hand-like entity to assist it.

    Despite its heavy damage, the red mech immediately flew towards the closest fragment along with a high-pitched engine sound.

    Chariot¡¯s right hand instantly transformed into a giant gauntlet, which looked exactly like Roza¡¯s Blood Maiden. That must be the prototype of her relic.

    It mmed said gauntlet into the Tear nd using the full momentum of its dash.

    We heard a heavy crash as the Tear nd repelled the hit with its hard surface, but the King of Knights pressed forward undeterred. The thrusters on its back emitted a high-pitched intake sound as they reached maximum output.

    Chariot ended up dragging the Tear nd across the earth for about 200 meters, leaving a deep trench in its wake.

    Though Chariot eventually came to a stop, the Tear nd kept flying with continued momentum.

    Meanwhile, the Chariot¡¯s gauntlet was still embedded in the Tear nd, spewing out mana to propel itself like a rocket.

    The rocket gauntlet traveled an additional 100 meters before detonating in a massive explosion. When the smoke finally cleared, we saw that the Tear nd had lost about 30% of its body.

    What¡¯s more, it wasn¡¯t regenerating at all. The Blood Maiden¡¯s red mist must have invaded the fragment¡¯s body and prevented it from healing.

    As I watched this scene with astonishment, the Northern Knights began marching in pursuit of the Tear nd. Kareid¡¯s goal was to separate it from the other fragments and have the Northern Knights keep it busy.

    The knights promptly began their assault on the Tear nd. Still, they couldn¡¯t do much real damage even with their anti-evil enchanted weapons. Like I suspected, anything less than a divine sword can¡¯t inflict a fatal blow¡­

    Or so I thought, but then the Tear nd was mmed with such force that it fell over sideways.

    A lone human had literally punched a fragment of the Evil God with his bare fists. The one responsible appeared to be a thin old man, yet he radiated an auraparable to a divine sword.

    ¡¸Dimitris!¡¹

    ¡ºYou¡¯re right!¡»

    He was the Rank S adventurer Dimitris, one of the strongest men in the world.

    I witnessed another figure flying around and slicing at the Tear nd: the mantis man, Neidhart.

    He only managed to deliver shallow cuts to the Tear nd¡¯s surface, but the fact that he inflicted any damage at all was incredible.

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha! To think I would fight an Evil God Fragment! A worthy opponent for once!¡¹

    ¡¸After all the assistance they gave in rescuing mypanions, I cannot allow you to ravage this country any further! Time to get serious! Behold the dragon ki arts that Dimitris-dono taught me!¡¹

    The Tear nd had already suffered major damage, and it was up against the Northern Knights alongside Dimitris and Neidhart. Maybe the odds weren¡¯t so bad?

    Fran and the others continued running towards the battlefield to support our allies, but we were forced to pause and scan the skies. There was an ominous amount of divine energy swirling above our heads.

    A man was floating there at the center of it all. I¡¯d say he looked about 30 years old.

    His appearance was peculiar, to say the least.

    The upper half of his body waspletely normal. He had a handsome face and blond hair, with his torso d in golden metal armor. But what in the world happened to his legs¡­? They seemed swollen and misshapen. No, perhaps that¡¯s some sort of spherical magic tool?

    Rather than legs, he had a 2-meter wide, round, ck object attached to his waist. Unlike the well-known Fri*za-sama, this spherical attachment was no mere vehicle.

    The man and sphere were clearly fused together, with thick vein-like structures connecting the two together. There was even a metal frame attached to the sides and bottom of the sphere, perhaps to assist his bnce whennding on the ground.

    From this distance, his silhouette reminded me of a guy in a sports wheelchair, except there was a giant bnce ball inserted in for no reason.

    His aura gave me an unsettling feeling not unlike the Evil God Fragments. Could he be the divine sword wielder from Phyllius? If so, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m confident enough to call him an ally.

    Fran and the others watched the swirling divine energy with caution, until we noticed something approaching us at high speeds. We quickly braced ourselves, though Fran lowered her guard just as fast.

    We had recognized them: Ronowe, a demon with the power of manipting deadly poisons, and Bune, a dragonic-looking demon. They were respectively transporting a girl and a boy in their arms.

    ¡¸Fran-san!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Satia! Flut!¡¹

    We had left Satia in the Kingdom of Kranzel, while Flut was on the brink of death thest time we saw him.

    After jumping down from Ronowe¡¯s arms, Satia embraced Fran in an emotional reunion.

    ¡¸Why are you here?¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, I received permission from Kranzel. We came to inform you about Brother¡­ or rather, our country¡¯s divine sword. There¡¯s no need to fear it.¡¹

    ¡¸So that¡¯s Diabolos?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes. What you see is the fusion of our brother Lucif with the divine sword Diabolos.¡¹

    I have to say that¡¯spletely different from what I imagined. Their divine sword wasn¡¯t a tool or weapon to be used, but something that fuses with its wielder.

    ¡¸Diabolos¡¯s true form is an artificial uterus for birthing demons. That¡¯s why it can¡¯t be wielded by women, because the one they already have interferes.¡¹

    Much to our surprise, Lucif looked like that despite having yet to activate the divine sword. In other words, the inheritors of Diabolos live their entire lives in that form. No wonder they¡¯ve never gone out in public.

    As Satia continued her exnation, Lucif¡¯s divine aura continued to build in intensity. His voice resounded clearly as we watched in amazement.

    ¡¸I call upon the demon king who devoured our saintess! Foolish and greedy we may be, lend us your power in ordance with the covenant! <strong>Divine Sword Release</strong>! Come forth! Asmodeus, the ruler of hell!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa¡­¡»

    Despite his already bizarre appearance, his transformation still surprised us. The sphere attached to Lucif¡¯s abdomen suddenly swelled to about twice its size. And it didn¡¯t stop there.

    I had originally thought the sphere looked metallic, but it was nothing of the sort. It began foaming and bulging as if it had a life of its own.

    ¡¸UGRAAAAAAAH!¡¹

    Lucif¡¯s roar was unmistakably a scream. He must be suffering a pain so severe that it cannot be described in words.

    The sphere was originally about 2 meters in size, but it continued to expand as Lucif¡¯s screams grew louder, before reaching a final size of 10 meters.

    Like a stretched balloon, the surface of the expanded sphere had turned faintly translucent. We could see a single humanoid figure with its limbs bent inward in the fetal position.

    Considering how Diabolos was described as an artificial womb, perhaps this was seriously the fetus of a demon. The figure inside the sphere began growing rapidly, until it eventually gained the proportions of an adult.

    After about half a minute, a crack went straight down the center of the sphere, and it split open horizontally.

    An immense torrent of mana flowed out instead of amniotic fluid. We had just witnessed the manifestation of a huge demon.

    The Demon King was androgynous in appearance with nothing to indicate its sex. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t say for sure if he was truly male or female.

    That said, he had a well-proportioned body with smooth, ck skin. It was like a work of art hade to life.

    His long silver hair was offset by a tinge of red, and his eyes burned crimson. There were slender horns on the sides of his head, curving slightly upwards towards the sky.

    ¡¸How long has it been since Ist visited the mortal realm.¡¹

    Even his voice was extremely refined and seductive.

    Despite being a demon, everything about him was beautiful. He possessed a bewitching charm that could captivate the hearts of anyone, even in the middle of a war zone.

    ¡¸Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Asmodeus. I will have you cooperate with us. Annihte the fragments and nothing else!¡¹

    ¡¸Excellent phrasing in your order, contractor. It shall be done.¡¹

    Asmodeus put on a delighted smile after throwing the out-of-breath Lucif a sarcastic nce. Even that simple gesture exuded elegance.

    ¡¸Hmm. Two other divine swords, I see¡­ Then I need only take one fragment.¡¹

    Asmodeus caught a strike from the de Tail with his bare hands, then flew upwards while stilltched onto it.

    He carried the de Tail while flying without the support of any wings, breaking through the cloudyer in mere seconds. Then, he promptly threw the fragment back down to the earth.

    The de Tail came crashing down over a kilometer to the west, sending up a massive cloud of dust. While I have no doubt it¡¯s still alive, separating it from the other fragments was a major y.

    ¡¸You can deal with the remaining two on your own.¡¹

    Asmodeus¡¯s words were evidently directed at Kareid and Maleficent.

    The demon turned his back on us, flying away towards the de Tail, and most of the other demons followed suit. No doubt they only cared about Asmodeus and his contractor.

    ¡¸We should go join up with them.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. Brother has exhausted himself greatly, which means I have to takemand of our forces.¡¹

    ¡¸Be careful, Satia, Flut.¡¹

    ¡¸You too.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran waved goodbye to Satia and Flut. Meanwhile, I noticed Amanda talking to someone.

    This was the spirit Rhyn. She must have flown over from the Belioth side. I saw her taking something out and passing it to Amanda.

    ¡¸What¡¯s this¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸The Heavenly Dragon Spirit Whip, a gift from Fran-san. Weena put in some of her power too.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh?¡¹

    Oh right, we never exined to Amanda how Weena Rhyn had split into Weena and Rhyn. She apparently never liked Weena Rhyn in the first ce, so bumping into a spirit that looked just like her might be pretty confusing.

    Still, all it took was cing her hand on the whip. Amanda suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen such an amazing whip before. Fran-chan, you really made this for me?¡¹

    ¡¸No, I just asked Weena for Heavenly Dragon materials.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, I guess you could say that. But you already told us what you wanted to make, so we just went ahead and made it for you.¡¹

    Whoa, so Weena must have used her various connections to make us the ultimate whip.

    ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯m getting the whole picture, but I¡¯ll dly ept any gift from Fran-chan!¡¹

    It seems Amanda decided to set aside the matter of Rhyn for now.

    ¡¸Ahahaha! The mana conductivity is simply amazing! It can even withstand the full power of my new title!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯ll continue backing you up with magic. Be careful out there.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Thanks, Rhyn.¡¹

    Now then, it¡¯s our turn to join the battle.

 Chapter 1297: Continued Efforts

    <h4>Chapter 1297: Continued Efforts</h4>

    Just as Fran and the others were about to reach the fragments, Chariot sprang into action once more.

    This time, the mech had diverted all power to the thrusters and charged at the me Sac. Then, ittched on just barely above ground level and began pushing it south.

    Thus, we no longer had to confront the me Sac ourselves. This was honestly quite helpful.

    The me Sac was constantly surrounded by a cloak of intense heat, and it had the ability to unleash mass explosions that were practically undodgeable. We would have a tough time even getting close enough to hit it.

    But it was a different story for Chariot, which could take the heat with its sturdy metallic body.

    Kareid probably realized that, which is why he chose to drag the me Sac away from us.

    With this, we had sessfully separated four fragments from each other.

    To the north, Dimitris, Neidhart, the Northern Knights, and the Vermilion Eye Knights were up against the Evil God¡¯s Tear nd.

    To the west, the army of Phyllius was up against the Evil God¡¯s de Tail.

    To the south, Chariot was challenging the Evil God¡¯s me Sac one-on-one.

    And finally us, up against the Evil God¡¯s Malice alongside Maleficent and the others at the former location of the royal castle. A distance of a few kilometers doesn¡¯t mean much to the huge fragments of the Evil God, but at least they won¡¯t be able to easily team up on us like they did earlier.

    All we had to do now was defeat them one by one.

    Siby ran up next to Fran on the front line and shouted our strategy loud enough for everyone to hear.

    ¡¸I hate to admit it, but we don¡¯t have the stamina to chip away at this thing! Going all in is the only we can win!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Everyone present nodded in agreement at Siby¡¯s words. We hade to understand that weak attacks were futile in the face of fragments¡¯ ridiculous durability. Especially since we didn¡¯t have as many members as the Northern Knights or the demons.

    Fran was the first to move.

    £¨I¡¯ll use Potential Release, it¡¯s time get serious!£©

    ¡ºYeah, let¡¯s do¨D¨D¡»

    Huh? Wait, what?! Why am I allowing this to happen?

    It¡¯s obvious what will happen if Fran activates Potential Release in her current exhausted state. Yet I gave her the go ahead. Why? Why did I ept her suggestion without question?

    A chill went down my spine. What¡¯s happening to me? Could it be that I¡¯m bing more sword-like?

    Sword Transformation Rate at¡­ 88%? Fuck, I had no clue it was rising so quickly! Why didn¡¯t Announcer-san warn me? Was she mad at me for ignoring her earlier?

    ¡´¨D¨Dwill¨D¨Din¨D¨D¡µ

    Announcer-san? For some reason, she started to sound like a radio with bad reception!

    ¡´¨D¨D¡µ

    Now I can¡¯t even hear anything! No, right now, I need to stop Fran¡­!

    £¨Potential¨D£©

    No! Anything but that¡­! I know, upgrade Potential Release into an SP skill! Announcer-san, please!

    ¡¸¨DRelease!¡¹

    ¡´¨D¨D¡µ

    Announcer-san¡¯s voice was stillpletely covered in noise, but it seems I made it in time. Fran failed to activate Potential Release since it was upgraded into an SP skill, which only I can use.

    ¡¸Master? Why did you do that?¡¹

    ¡ºSorry, Fran¡­ Guh¡­¡»

    What is with this intense pain¡­!

    £¨What¡¯s wrong?£©

    ¡ºIt¡¯s okay, I¡¯m fine. More importantly, let¡¯s hurry up and attack!¡»

    £¨¡­Got it.£©

    Fran tilted her head slightly, but we were in the middle of a battle with a fragment of the Evil God. She quickly turned her attention toward our fearsome opponent.

    ¡¸Here I go!¡¹

    Fran activated Sword God Transformation and charged forward. In her hand was me, imbued with evil-divine energy. The Sword God was capable of manipting this perfectly.

    ¡¸Haaaah! ck Thunder Divine w!¡¹

    Fran delivered a powerful blow infused with ck lightning and evil-divine energy. This was the strongest blow we could muster in our current state.

    ¡¸<strong>SUBMIT</strong>!¡¹

    Meanwhile, the Malice began emitting a thought pulse imbued with evil energy. This was an attempt to dominate Fran and force her to stop the attack, but it had no effect on us.

    That said, I felt overwhelmed by another wave of pain. Seriously, what¡¯s happening to me¡­? I can¡¯t afford to break my concentration, or the evil-divine energy will disperse¡­!

    ¡ºUroooh!¡»

    ¡¸Teyah!¡¹

    Fran¡¯s de carved a deep scar into the Malice. The ck trail in her wake had also severed two of the eyeball tentacles.

    I sensed a slight reduction in the evil energy contained within the fragment. Our attack had definitely dealt a meaningful blow.

    Both Fran and I were pretty exhausted after this, but our friends had our backs.

    Urushi dove in before the Malice had time to fully regenerate.

    ¡¸Grrrh!¡¹

    At maximum size, he had managed to outgrow the Evil God Fragment.

    Urushi delivered a bite imbued with divine energy. His giant fangs shrouded in darkness crunched down on a few of the Malice¡¯s remaining tentacles, tearing them off at the root.

    The fragment¡¯s grotesque eyeball tentacles went straight down Urushi¡¯s throat.

    But soon enough, Urushi reverted to his original size. He simply couldn¡¯t maintain his huge form due to the fatigue. The Malice immediately began regenerating the damage, but our efforts were not in vain.

    After all, the fragment needed to drop everything in order to focus on healing.

    Next to act was Siby.

    ¡¸Thanks for being so big, I don¡¯t even need to aim! Here I go! Red Sword, factor activation!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s body underwent a rapid transformation as she ran. Her skeletal frame and muscles swelled up, and red scales began popping up all over her skin. By the time it was over, her body mass had practically doubled and she had grown way taller.

    While her face remained mostly human, the area around her ears was distinctly dragon-like. She had sprouted horns from her forehead, wings from her back, and a long tail. Her pupils split vertically like those of reptiles.

    Pretty much the only thing human about her was her face and hair. I assume her armor and boots were magically enchanted to adjust for this transformation, since none of her gear burst off.

    ¡¸Ouuurgh!¡¹

    Siby roared, unleashing a surge of red mana and an overwhelming pressure. This must be the trump card she refrained from using on us during the martial arts tournament.

    As if second nature, Siby pressed the Red Sword against her left wrist and slid it across. The scratch of metal against her hard scales made a grating sound, as a geyser of red blood spurted out.

    Something strange was going on here. A simple cut should not bleed with that much force. What¡¯s more, her blood contained a ridiculous amount of power.

    This must be the same blood maniption ability she once used against Fran, except this time her blood was infused with even more mana.

    Soon enough, Siby had clusters of red blood orbs circling around her like satellites.

    At this point, any ordinary person would have already died from massive blood loss. But Siby simply red at the fragment and shouted eagerly.

    ¡¸Uroooh! Take this!¡¹

    The countless blobs of blood danced to Siby¡¯s will.

    The Malice attempted to shoot them down with a barrage of ck mes, but the red blobs broke through andtched themselves to the fragment¡¯s surface.

    ¡¸Evil God¡¯s Malice or whatever your name is, you¡¯d better believe such feeble mes aren¡¯t doing shit to me! I¡¯ve gotten a boost to regeneration and me resistance thanks to the mementos from my parents!¡¹

    Siby¡¯s body had been scorched by the ck mes, but that did nothing to damper her smile.

    Her face twisted into a fiercer grin as she unleashed her ultimate move.

    ¡¸Explode! <strong>Million Nova</strong>!¡¹

    The small clusters of blood surrounding the Malice twinkled simultaneously, before exploding with a blinding sh.

    There was no sound, yet I sensed a tremendous divine power imbued into this strike. Yes, without a doubt, Siby had used divine energy.

    Once the beautiful red light subsided, we saw the Malice riddled with countless tiny craters all over its body.

    Each of those tiny blobs contained enough power to pierce through the Malice¡¯s armor of evil energy.

    This may appear to be a minor wound against such a massive foe, but consider how the power would easily evaporate a human-sized target. Siby had managed tounch several hundred of them.

    <strong>ORHOOOOOOOH!</strong>

    The Malice screamed in pain as it lowered in altitude. Our n was working.

    ¡¸Next is my turn!¡¹

    Jean stepped forward, and for some reason, Yuvel and Oldona stood with him.

    ¡¸I leave everything to you.¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯d better make good use of us, Mr. Necromancer!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Rest assured that you are good hands!¡¹

    ¡¸¡­I wonder if we can really trust this guy?¡¹

 Chapter 1298: Side - Jean Duvie

    <h4>Chapter 1298: Side - Jean Duvie</h4>

    ¡¸King Yuvel, Oldona-dono. You will offer yourselves as agreed, yes?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Do as you please.¡¹

    ¡¸Well, not like we canst until tomorrow either way. Wouldn¡¯t want to waste such valuable resources.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha! Your boldness truly knows no bounds! As expected from the legendary hero king!¡¹

    King Yuvel simply shrugged at my words, as Oldona-dono maintained his smile. Neither of the two showed any fear at being sacrificed by my magic nor any anxiety towards their inevitable disappearance. I would expect no less from heroes of their caliber.

    To tell the truth, I had felt something amiss the first time Iid eyes on King Yuvel and Oldona-dono. There was a slight unnaturalness that only a necromancer like me could detect.

    That is to say, those two were notpletely under the control of Fran-kun and Master-kun. I doubt they realized this fact since the Hero Zombies feigned obedience the entire time.

    I questioned them about this subject in the carriage after we defeated Nameless.

    ¡¸King Yuvel, may I have a moment of your time?¡¹

    ¡¸What is it?¡¹

    The handsome man responded curtly to my impudent words, with a somewhat rigid expression. In other words, he knew what I was about to ask.

    ¡¸When I ascended Nameless, I witnessed a portion of his memories, including some rted to you. I¡¯ve already sensed the magical connection between you two, but I never expected you to be the same person.¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Indeed, Nameless and King Yuvel were essentially the same person. The remains of the hero king had been used in the necromancy ritual that created Nameless.

    Unlike the other Hero Zombies, Nameless¡¯s connection to Yuvel ran incredibly deep. In fact, Nameless could overwrite Master-kun¡¯s domination over Yuvel with a direct order. The same goes for Oldona, King Yuvel¡¯s half-brother.

    ¡¸I take it you missed your chance to stab us in the back?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­No.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Are you iming that Nameless did not instruct you to betray us?¡¹

    ¡¸¡­He did. I simply never intended to obey that order from the beginning.¡¹

    Apparently, Nameless had repeatedly called for Fran-kun¡¯s assassination, but Yuvel refused toply. It seems Nameless¡¯s attempt to enforce the master-servant rtionship failed, precisely because Yuvel being the same person made him an ¡°equal¡±.

    ¡¸I¡¯ve always despised despicable acts of betrayal. Besides, I may have lost my Guardian of Children title, but my feelings remain. I could never betray any child.¡¹

    Much to my surprise, King Yuvel once held the Guardian of Children title, just like Amanda-kun! In that case, I can understand his motivation for siding with Fran-kun.

    ¡¸Necromancer, you want our power, don¡¯t you? Fine. But in return, you will keep quiet about our rtionship with Nameless.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? I have no objections to those terms, but¡­ is that all you ask for?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah. No child needs to hear the dark side of a hero¡¯s tale. Am I wrong?¡¹

    King Yuvel¡¯s eyes were sincere. As expected from a bonafide Guardian of Children¡­

    ¡¸Very well. I promise not to mention anything to Fran-kun and Master-kun.¡¹

    ¡¸Then we have a deal. Do whatever you want with me and Oldona.¡¹

    ¡¸Huh? I¡¯m included too?¡¹

    ¡¸Not like you have much longer either way. What¡¯s the harm?¡¹

    ¡¸Oh man, this is why dealing with a tyrannical master is such a hassle. Just be honest and say you don¡¯t want to die alone.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what stories you would b without me there to stop you.¡¹

    ¡¸Aww, fine! Guess there¡¯s no helping it! Mr. Necromancer, feel free to use me too.¡¹

    That was yesterday. King Yuvel and Oldona-dono have already started fading away. As promised, I¡¯ll make use of their power. For my sake, and for theirs.

    ¡¸Then let us begin.¡¹

    ¡¸Roger that. I suppose I¡¯ll be saying goodbye first, Yuvel-sama.¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed, but I won¡¯t keep you waiting long. Thank you for your service, Oldona.¡¹

    ¡¸Sure thing.¡¹

    ¡¸O loyal servant even in death. Offer up your existence to your king, and be the spark that forms the morning star! I, Jean Duvie, hereby establish the contract. <strong>Undead Transfer</strong>!¡¹

    My spell began burning Oldona-dono¡¯s very existence. Though now ephemeral, he was once a true hero. The power generated from burning everything he once held is unimaginable.

    And all of it flowed directly into King Yuvel.

    ¡¸O ancient king! Be the morning star that pierces the dark skies! The light of hope which drives away despair! Burn everything at your disposal and annihte my enemies! <strong>Undead Overlimit</strong>!¡¹

    ¡¸Hoh! This is¡­ the strength of my prime! In that case¡­!¡¹

    So this is King Yuvel¡¯s true power! Incredible! I felt a great deal of strain on my life force, but this was more than strong enough to make up for it!

    ¡¸Manifest¡­ your form!¡¹

    A tremendous amount of energy began gathering in King Yuvel¡¯s hands. The sight reminded me of when my mother activates her divine sword. W-What could he possibly be attempting to do¡­?

    ¡¸Return to my hands for a fleeting moment! Water Spiritde, Krystalos!¡¹

    A de made of water appeared in his hands. It was not veryrge, nor did it look particrly strong. Yet the pressure it emit was unbearable.

    I felt a power akin to our nation¡¯s treasure, Necronomicon. That mass of water was undoubtedly a divine sword of the same caliber.

    To think King Yuvel was a divine sword wielder! What¡¯s more, he managed to recreate a divine sword based on his memories! Such a feat should not be possible even if he once owned it.

    He must have applied the same form that was used to create him¡­ In other words, this was a temporary existence much like Forrund-kun¡¯s Divine Sword Imitation. Even so, it could be called an impossible and historic feat!

    Fuhahaha! To think my expectations would be exceeded at every corner!

    In that case, I can understand why the power left behind by Nameless was not enough to fuel his efforts. Very well! Take my life force as well. After all, I have nothing else capable of harming an Evil God Fragment on my own.

    Of course, the imitation of a divine sword cannotpare to the original. But for a single strike¡­

    ¡¸Crush all that stands before me! <strong>Oceanic Pressure</strong>!¡¹

    King Yuvel threw Krystalos high into the sky, and the divine sword underwent an explosive transformation into a swirling wyrm of water.

    Ocean magic has a simr spell for creating a serpent out of water, but this was on apletely different scale in terms of size and power. After soaring through the heavens, the wyrm promptly returned to thend.

    Consuming the Malice within its maws, the wyrm crashed into the earth and erupted a massive pir of water from the recoil.

    Despite the sheer water pressure grinding the Malice into the ground, we felt not a single drop of water on our faces.

    After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the water dissipated. All we could see was a gaping hole in the earth over 100 meters deep. And at the bottom, was the writhing figure of the Evil God Fragment.

    ¡¸Incredible¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. If I had the genuine divine sword with me, I would have annihted itpletely.¡¹

    ¡¸Unfortunately¡­ it seems you do not get a second chance.¡¹

    King Yuvel¡¯s existence grew unstable and his body turned translucent. He had truly put everything into thisst strike.

    ¡¸Hah. I¡¯m d I finally got to go all out at the end. You have my gratitude, Necromancer. That said, it¡¯s about time for you to step down. You¡¯re on the verge of death.¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! Says the man who brought out a divine sword without asking for my approval. Not that I would have stopped you. Thank you as well, King Yuvel. Rest in peace.¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph. Farewell.¡¹

    ¡¸Now then¡­¡¹

    My body feels quite heavy. It seems that took a great deal of my life force as well as shaving off a bit of my lifespan. No matter. Be it cooperating with others or trading my lifespan, there are only so many ways someone at my level can damage a fragment of the Evil God. I must say I have no regrets¡­

    I suppose I can¡¯t tell Fran-kun and Master-kun about this matter, as they would surely make a big fuss. Hahaha, even I am capable of such consideration!

    That makes one more secret I have to keep from them.

 Chapter 1299: End of the Malice?

    <h4>Chapter 1299: End of the Malice?</h4>

    What in the world just happened?

    Yuvel somehow summoned a divine sword? I know Jean was lending him some power, but is that even possible? Perhaps it was reproduced from memories, simr to his own existence¡­

    My consciousness, which had been clouded by a mysterious pain, felt a bit cleared up now from the surprise.

    The scene of Yuvel fading away into particles of light was stunning. He looked straight at us in his final moments. No, perhaps his eyes were on Fran in particr?

    ¡¸Yuvel was amazing. Truly a hero.¡¹

    Fran muttered her thoughts on the scene. But it seems the Evil God¡¯s Malice won¡¯t give us any time to bathe in sentimentality.

    £¨Huh? Something ck ising out!£©

    Evil energy¡­ no, evil-divine energy!

    The sh between the divine sword and the fragment had carved countless fissures into the earth. And now, evil-divine energy was pouring out of those cracks like smoke.

    The Malice had already started its counterattack despite being lodged deep underground.

    It must be attempting max output now since it failed to control us earlier.

    I immediately responded by absorbing the evil-divine energy, but the pain made it impossible to concentrate, so I couldn¡¯t erase it all at once. Ourpanions quickly distanced themselves with pale faces.

    A single touch from the sinister haze was enough to affect their minds, however slightly.

    I continued sucking in everything over a wide area, but the pain was building up rapidly.

    Honestly, it¡¯s already worse than anything I¡¯ve ever experienced. Am I reaching my limit? But stopping is not an option. I refuse to let the fragment take any of Fran¡¯s friends.

    The Evil God Fragment within me can likely keep going, but I¡¯m in tatters.

    ¡ºUgh¡­¡»

    ¡¸Master! Master!¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m¡­ fine.¡»

    ¡¸But¡­!¡¹

    Fran had paused her offensive, so the Malice attempted to resurface. That said, the others weren¡¯t going to let it out that easily.

    ¡¸Uncle! We gotta do our job too!¡¹

    The magic sword Zelos Reed emitted a high-pitched ringing sound in response to Sierra¡¯s voice. Both the boy and sword were enveloped in a dense aura of evil energy, no, evil-divine energy.

    They likely absorbed the evil-divine energy released by the fragment earlier, and stored it until the perfect moment. Doing so must have ced an enormous burden on Zelos Reed, but he managed to pull it off.

    All to support Sierra. I can understand the sentiment.

    ¡¸Urooh! Evil Copsing sh!¡¹

    Sierra shouted the chuunibyou-esque technique namepletely seriously, but the power it contained was notughable at all.

    What he did was incredibly simple: a sh infused with his entire store of evil-divine energy. His de inflicted a deep wound onto the Evil God Fragment.

    Sierra and Zelos Reed hadbined everything they had into that single hit.

    The result was a powerful blowparable to the trump cards from Siby and our Rank A adventurer friends.

    The Malice promptly fell back into the hole, and Amandaunched a follow-up attack.

    ¡¸This whip is amazing, I can really go all out! Haaah! Triple Deva Crusher!¡¹

    Amanda¡¯s hand blurred for an instant, so I couldn¡¯t even see what she did. Meanwhile, countless whip strikes had been pounded into the Malice with insane speed.

    Not only did she prevent the Malice from resurfacing, but she had also shattered the top portion, delivering major damage.

    The reason being that her whip was infused with divine energy. Amanda had the Divine Whipmaster job for a while now, but she must have been holding back to avoid damaging her whip.

    That changed once she got her hands on this top-tier whip, presumably crafted by the divine cksmith Alistair. Combined with her new title of Hariti, she could now freely use divine energy.

    The Malice roared again from the bottom of the hole, and its voice sounded frustrated.

    The next one to step up was Forrund.

    He held in his hands a zing me that radiated immense heat. We recognized the identity of this weapon.

    ¡¸Burn, Ignis!¡¹

    Forrund had used his Divine Sword Imitation to recreate Izario¡¯s Ignis. He pointed Ignis towards the heavens as the de¡¯s mes turned golden.

    ¡¸Urooh!¡¹

    Forrund leapt over the hole and threw Ignis inside at maximum speed. Considering how his Favor of the Sword God works, using it as a projectile is likely the optimal form of attack.

    The imitation Ignis plunged right into the mouth of the Malice.

    Red light overflowed from the Malice¡¯s giant maw, before detonating in a huge explosion. The resulting pir of mes reached hundreds of meters into the sky, as the surrounding earth melted into a gooey mess. The already huge hole in the ground had been transformed into an even wider pool ofva.

    The mes continued spilling out of the Malice¡¯s mouth without end. A majority of its countless jagged teeth had melted away, and its surface had been scorched ck.

    <strong>OROGRH</strong>¡­!

    The Malice was screaming in pain, yet its spiteful voice still echoed for all to hear.

    ¡º<strong>GO MAD! BICKER! MASSACRE!</strong>¡»

    The voice had the same screeching tone as the other fragments we¡¯ve encountered. But it¡¯s futile! I¡¯m sucking in all your evil energy!

    ¡ºGwah¡­¡»

    Shit! I tried to act cool, but it really hurts! Still, we¡¯re screwed if it manages to dominate one of us! I have to endure it even if it means my destruction! For Fran¡¯s sake!

    ¡º<strong>WHY!? REVEAL YOUR WICKED NATURE! HATE YOUR FELLOWS! MASSACRE THEM!</strong>¡»

    As I thought, the Malice waspletely specialized in its domination ability. Once it realized this had no effect on us, it could do little but panic.

    Right as the Malice began its rant, Maleficent had finally finished his preparations. While flying in the sky on top of Persona¡¯s barrier, the man pointed a gate-like shield at the fragment floating in the redke.

    ¡¸Nethergate, open! Overflow the rivers of hell! Condense into a poison for corroding gods!¡¹

    A single purple droplet fell from the gate.

    Yet it radiated a frightening power unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen before.

    I could tell right away that this was the ultimate poison that surpassed even divine poison. A single, deadly drop intended for killing the gods themselves.

    Fran could do nothing but freeze in ce. Her face was pale, with goosebumps all over her body. She intuitively understood the terror behind this attack.

    The purple droplet slowly fell onto the head of the Malice and¡­

    <strong>OOOROOOOOORGH!</strong>

    The roar brought about a tremor that shook the earth. Not even Fran could remain standing.

    Meanwhile, the Malice¡¯s entire body was covered in purple stains, which spread while melting its flesh into goo. The tattered body of the Evil God Fragment sunk slowly into the pool ofva.

    After who knows how long, it all came to a sudden stop. The roars, the tremors, and the aura of evil had vanished.

    We all had the same thought. Was this the calm before the storm? But no. The sinister presenceing from the pool ofva could no longer be felt.

    The evil energy levels in the air also diminished greatly. That roar must have been the Evil God Fragment¡¯s death throes.

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    ¡¸¡­¡¹

    Fran and I, as well as everyone else, were dumbfounded. After all, we were fighting a fragment of the divine, no matter how deep it may have fallen. And the end was so anticlimactic? Could that truly be possible?

    It just felt too surreal. Moreover, additional roars reached our ears before we could fully grasp the situation.

    It seems our allies have been making progress against the other fragments as well. I could see several shes and explosions off in the distance.

 Chapter 1300: Side - Transcendents

    <h4>Chapter 1300: Side - Transcendents</h4>

    <strong>Side - Lucif, Wielder of Diabolos the Demon King de</strong>

    Demon King Asmodeus was locked in battle with a massive fragment of the Evil God.

    It seems the other armies are maintaining their fronts as promised. I had suspected a trap when the envoy from the North Conquest Duke arrived, but it appears he spoke the truth.

    Who could have thought that Phyllius, Belioth, and the North Conquest Duke would form a united front like this? Well, the n went awry right when we were about to start.

    His schedule called for us to storm the capital city simultaneously once our preparations werepleted. Except the capital waspletely obliterated before we even arrived.

    Moreover, the red metallic golem, presumably the trump card of Raydoss, had been pushed into a corner.

    As a result, the North Conquest Duke made a quick change of ns and charged in without us. At least him acting as a decoy allowed us to approach with greater ease.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Been a while since I had such an entertaining foe! The restriction to avoid coteral damage isn¡¯t half-bad either!¡¹

    Asmodeusughed maniacally as he fought. He must hold back to avoid harming our forces, because I ordered him to do so.

    As the Demon King who rules over hell, he has the authority to control his dungeon to some extent. Thus, I was able to evacuate Phyllius¡¯s people into hell and protect them from the effects of the barrier.

    Thankfully, dungeons exist in a space isted from the surface world.

    That said, Asmodeus himself is a very dangerous being. He views humans as nothing more than insects and would ¡°identally¡± ughter them with glee unless specifically forbidden from doing so.

    What¡¯s more, he has a charm ability powerful enough to force siblings or lovers to fight to the death.

    There was one incident where a thoughtless wielder of Diabolos allowed him free reign over the battlefield. Then, the Demon King decided to turn it into a battle royale that ended inplete annihtion for both armies.

    Consider how the most detested ability possessed by the Evil God Fragments is their power to dominate others and drive them insane.

    What is so different between Asmodeus¡¯s bewitching charm and the Evil God¡¯s domination? If the Evil God is so vile, what does that make Asmodeus?

    No, perhaps it is the Phyllius royal family that is truly the root of this evil. Asmodeus is the symbol of our darkness, as the power we obtained by sacrificing the saintess.

    We needed to defend ourselves from our neighbors, to protect our country from hell, and to fulfill the request of the divine cksmith. Any number of excuses can be made, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that wemitted a grave sin.

    So perhaps protecting our citizens is a form of atonement? We must maintain Diabolos to ensure the saintess was not sacrificed in vain? No matter what anyone says, it only sounds like the pitiful excuses of a criminal.

    These same thoughts go through my head every time Asmodeus enters my view. The Demon King surely sees right through me, but he only ever wears on that same disgusting smile.

    Wielders of Diabolos are chosen from among the descendants of the first wielder. Any son who can fuse with the artificial womb should be eptable, but¡­

    The divine sword sometimes chooses its wielder directly, as was the case with me. Factors such as mana simrity to the first wielder, or manapatibility with the de are often brought up, but I don¡¯t buy it.

    Asmodeus simply chooses based on his whims. He wants tough as the wielder of Diabolos struggles with their disgust at him. That is what drives him.

    ¡¸Servants! Hand over your power!¡¹

    He¡¯s begun absorbing mana from me as well as the other demons. Here ites.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Drown in your worst nightmares! <strong>Final Lust</strong>!¡¹

    Asmodeus invoked a sorcery for breaking the target¡¯s mind, which swallowed the Evil God Fragment whole. Yes, even fragments of the Evil God have a mind. And if broken, not even a god will survive¡­

    <strong>Side - Kareid, Wielder of Chariot the Warmount de</strong>

    ¡¸Pretty tough, huh!¡¹

    While engaged in a fierce battle with the Evil God¡¯s me Sac, I wiped the sweat off my brow inside the cramped cockpit.

    It simply keeps regenerating no matter how much damage I inflict. Well, I suppose the same goes for me.

    The bigger problem is the density of the evil energy surrounding us. It¡¯s degrading my fuel efficiency into abysmal levels, making it only a matter of time until I run out of mana.

    My only means of countering the fragment¡¯s regeneration is the Blood Maiden, which has the power to inhibit healing and destroy the enemy from within. Unfortunately, I need a little more time before I can activate it again. And that time loss is fatal, Chariot won¡¯t be able to hold out until then.

    Perhaps I might be able to pull off a win if I use myst resort, but Chariot¡¯s mana reserves are already too low¡­

    ¡¸Haha. What is there to be afraid of? I don¡¯t have much time left either way, so I can simply make up the shortfall with my own life. It¡¯s time for this false king to get serious.¡¹

    Who could have thought a barely educated child like me would really ascend to the throne? It¡¯s a strange feeling, but now that I¡¯ve epted the role, I can no longer back down.

    No matter how unfitting I may be, Chariot recognized me as king. I had resolved myself when I spoke with the ck cat adventurer!

    But just as I was about to fulfill my duty, I noticed an unknown figure intruding in our battle. Is that¡­ an undead?

    ¡¸Your Majesty! I have brought you the lost relic! Please ept this as the final gift from our mother!¡¹

    I recognized the emblem on his robe. He must be an undead from the ck Skeleton Corps. And if he can speak intelligently, that makes him one of the executives.

    His hands held a small baton radiating powerful mana. That is¡­ one of Chariot¡¯s replicas. The lost relic capable of controlling wind.

    One of the Chariot¡¯s most prominent abilities is its power to spawn countless golems. And these golems can be modified into magic items known as ¡°relics¡±, for use by the wielder¡¯s subordinates.

    Naturally, these relics do note for free. They require an immense amount of mana to create, and the maintenance costs are no joke either. We must avoid creating too many relics or the strain on Chariot will be too great.

    Moreover, relics that have been stolen or sealed away cannot return their power to Chariot, thus weakening the divine sword for good. In fact, several relics were lost over the ages and are still missing to this day.

    And this baton was the strongest one among all of them, capable of bending the winds to one¡¯s will.

    ¡¸Ugaah!¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    The undead got engulfed in the me Sac¡¯s inferno¡­! This is no time to be reminiscing!

    I piloted Chariot to gently lift up the undead. His entire body was on fire, clearly on the verge of annihtion. Even so, the undead offered me the relic with hisst bits of strength.

    ¡¸Thank you for delivering the relic. You did well in your service.¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­! I, Hideman, may have failed to realize Mother¡¯s wishes until the bitter end, but now I have redeemed myself! Lowering my head and begging the Guardian of Alessa was worth it¡­! Mother, I can be proud to call myself your son¡­!¡¹

    The undead who called himself Hideman burned to a crisp within Chariot¡¯s hands.

    I have no idea what brought about this turn of events. However, it seems he saved me from certain doom. I quickly had Chariot absorb the wind baton.

    This restored only a few percent of Chariot¡¯s vast mana reserves, but that was enough. Thest resort is back on the table!

    ¡¸Divine power on! Convergence mana cannon, activate!¡¹

    No, just a bit more¡­! All the mana is being drained from my body! Hang in there¡­ Everyone else is risking their lives too!

    ¡¸Shimmer of red, strike down my foe! <strong>Scarlet Breaker!</strong>¡¹

    <strong>Side - Dimitris the Immovable, Rank S Adventurer</strong>

    Fuhahaha! Excellent! My fists can reach the Evil God! As long as I have my dragon ki, I can damage its flesh!

    The dense cloud of evil energy kept weakening my body and mind, interfering with my muscles and ki. But that¡¯s exactly the kind of thrill I was looking for!

    I¡¯ve been dying for this kind of uphill battle, against a powerful foe that shrugs off everything I can do!

    Such a wonderful training experience will nevere again!

    ¡¸Nuh! Haaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Gyarah!¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone, follow me!¡¹

    The North Duke is pretty fired up too! He rallied his knights after cutting down a high-level fiend in a single swing. Such brilliant skills with the greatsword would be equivalent to Rank A in adventurer terms. I have no doubt he¡¯s stronger than Neidhart or the Forrund boy.

    Who could have thought such a warrior was hidden in the far north! My only concern is that his skills are specialized in ying monsters, since he hardly ever fights people.

    I suppose his family knew of the eventual revival of the Evil God Fragments and has been preparing diligently for generations. There¡¯s no helping that.

    ¡¸Fuhahahahahaha!¡¹

    ¡¸Gorwoooooh!¡¹

    ¡¸Gworaaaah!¡¹

    I continued crushing the fiends spawned by the Tear nd, all while perfecting my control over ki. The fragment had been releasing pulses of a power simr to dragon ki, and its essence was getting engraved into my body.

    My school of martial arts has dragon ki as the most advanced technique, but now I¡¯ve started to grasp something deeper.

    With this, I might be able to reach heights that I could never reach before! No, I will make it happen!

    Watch the flow of the fragment¡¯s power! Imitate it!

    This is true enlightenment. The realm of gods. And with my abilities¡­

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! So this is how it¡¯s done! To think, at this age, I could climb another step on the staircase of martial prowess! You have my gratitude, now let me test it out on you!¡¹

    I channeled all the dragon ki flowing through my body into my fists. The explosion behind each punch would be enough to annihte a dragon, and I delivered eight in a single instant.

    ¡¸Nuoohhh! <strong>Eight Legions</strong>!¡¹

    Eight sessive impacts shook the fragment¡¯s massive body, tearing gaping holes into its flesh!

    This is the ultimate killing technique I¡¯ve been building up to throughout my entire life! God or not, none shall survive!

    The assault of the Northern Knights and Red Knights had left a gap in fragment¡¯s armor, and my strikesnded perfectly in that undefended spot!

    ¡¸Fuhahahaha! It¡¯s over!¡¹

 Chapter 1301: Wolf of Evils Bane

    <h4>Chapter 1301: Wolf of Evil''s Bane</h4>

    Maleficent¡¯s poison was so heinous that it literally dissolved a fragment of the Evil God. The sight was chilling even if we knew he was an ally, but this was no time to be stunned.

    Terrifying explosions resounded continuously, shaking the battlefield.

    A sh of red exploded in the south as the knights roared in the north. Meanwhile, a sinister dance of ck and gold lights emanated from the demon king in the west.

    Immediately after, the death throes of the Evil God Fragments shook thend.

    All of the fragments had disintegrated into ck particles which began melting away into the sky.

    ¡¸We¡­ won?¡¹

    Fran murmured. Disbelief was written on the face of ourrades.

    We were indeed battered and bruised, but the shock preceded all of that. However, it only took a few seconds for us to regain ourposure.

    Cries of victory rose from all directions. Hearing this made us realize that we had truly won. Siby shouted with an explosion of emotion.

    ¡¸Victory is ours!¡¹

    Upon hearing her voice, Fran and the others also roared with joy. Even those who could no longer stand on their own feet raised their hands triumphantly.

    ¡¸We won! Master, we won!¡¹

    ¡¸Fuhaha! We prevail!¡¹

    ¡¸Indeed!¡¹

    ¡¸We really defeated them¡­!¡¹

    ¡¸We did it! Uncle! We did it!¡¹

    At that moment, Maleficent and Persona descended to us from the sky, but the man lookedpletely exhausted. Creating the poison that annihted the Evil God Fragment must have taken everything he had. His recovery was clearly slow too.

    ¡¸Maleficent, you still okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes¡­ somehow¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    Fran began to cast healing magic, before suddenly widening her eyes and turning around. She had broken out in a cold sweat, with goosebumps all over her body.

    The emotion on her face was unmistakably fear, and she was not the only one in this state.

    Everyone present looked in the same direction, and they all had the same expression.

    ¡¸Why¡­?¡¹

    Fran muttered with a hoarse voice. Her eyes were fixated on the jet-ck pir rising from the ruins of the royal castle.

    The sinister aura radiating from the pir grew denser, radiating evil-divine energy.

    Such a phenomenon could only mean one thing¡­

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    ¡ºNo way¡­¡»

    The dark pir burst open like a bubble, revealing the monstrous form contained within.

    <strong>RUOOOOOOOOORGH!</strong>

    The menacing roar drained the hopes of everyone on the battlefield, chilling us down to our bones.

    A fifth fragment of the Evil God. Apletely unexpected menace whose arrival meant nothing but despair.

    But how can this abomination even exist? Upon closer inspection, I realized the truth. This was not actually a fifth fragment.

    It resembled a huge floating mouth with eyeball tentacles growing out of various ces. A thin mass of flesh shaped like intestines extended from its back, with a whip-like tail connected at the end. Meanwhile, it breathed bright red mes out of its mouth.

    Indeed, this new enemy was an amalgamation of the Evil God Fragments we had fought earlier. Perhaps the ones we defeated had forcibly broken out of the seal before theirplete revival. Thus, some portion of them remained inside a sealed state. Those portions then merged together to be a semiplete fragment that broke outter.

    I felt strangely calm as I analyzed the situation. But does this knowledge even help us?

    Everyone had already exceeded their limits.

    It was not only us, but also our distant allies. The immovable Dimitris had copsed to the ground, Asmodeus was nowhere to be seen, and Maleficent couldn¡¯t stand without support from Persona. Chariot was still in shambles, without any sign of regeneration.

    ¡º<strong>OROOOORGH¡­! SUBMIT TO ME! BICKER! MASSACRE!</strong>¡»

    An evil-infused scream echoed across the battlefield. Fran grimaced as she covered her ears, it was that loud.

    Immediately after, I saw the demons in the distant sky falling to the earth one by one. The scream containing the Malice¡¯s powers had neutralized them.

    ¡º<strong>UROORGH!</strong>¡»

    Then the fragmentunched a mass of mes into the sky, which proceeded to pour down like rain across the entire area.

    As I suspected, this abomination has the powers of all four fragments. The realization only struck further despair into our hearts.

    We stood no chance. That much was evident.

    There were only two options. Either we retreat or we fight until the bitter end. However, none of the knights could make a decision, and their leaders didn¡¯t have the energy left to give orders. Everyone was frozen stiff, when the fragment unleashed another wave of attacks.

    Rays of ck light fired out from the eyeballs at the end of its tentacles.

    These sts gouged the earth as they tore through the formations of the Northern Knights and the Belioth Army, easily iming the lives of countless knights and soldiers.

    What¡¯s more, the survivors of the attack began turning on each other.

    With the evil energy spreading over such a wide area, it was no longer possible for me to absorb it all by myself. Even absorbing the stuff nearby gave me an unbearable pain that was driving me insane.

    I still can¡¯t hear Announcer-san¡¯s voice either.

    All I could do was endure the pain and continue sucking it all in. I didn¡¯t have theposure to be thinking about anything else.

    To tell the truth, I¡¯m pretty ready to give up now. Fran looked like she still had some fight left, but she probably couldn¡¯t imagine any path to victory.

    More importantly, what should I do? Try to get Fran as far away as possible? No, Fran wouldn¡¯t want that. As Fran¡¯s sword, I could never disobey her wishes like that¡­

    In the midst of all this despair, the first to move was not Fran, Dimitris, or Chariot, but a jet-ck wolf.

    ¡¸Grrrr¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi!¡¹

    Urushi, who had been sluggish just moments ago, morphed into his giant size, ring at the Evil God Fragment. His legs twitched sporadically, as if simply standing was a struggle.

    Nevertheless, Urushi let out a fierce howl.

    ¡¸Awoooooon!¡¹

    This was a simple roar, containing not the slightest bit of mana, yet I could sense a powerful anger. However, Urushi¡¯s anger was not directed at this formidable foe, but at his own weakness.

    Urushi¡¯s surge of emotions flowed into me, intense enough to make me tremble.

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡¹

    <i>I was supposed to have grown stronger. Sharpened fangs, honed strength, improved mastery of magic. But it wasn¡¯t enough.</i>

    <i>Carrying Fran atop my body, tracking down enemies with my nose, ambushing them from the shadows. I had pride in my utility.</i>

    <i>But it wasn¡¯t enough. Ick the fangs to kill the formidable foes. All I could do against the Evil God Fragment was stall.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s so frustrating. At this rate, I¡¯ll be left behind again. I require stronger fangs. If that means using the power of the Evil God, then so be it.</i>

    <i>My poweres from the Divine Wolf of Evil¡¯s Bane, so I should be able to do what he did: Devour the fragments of the Evil God and turn them into my sustenance.</i>

    It seems that¡¯s what Urushi was thinking.

    ¡¸Grrrrh¡­¡¹

    Urushi growled again, this time in pain. His connection to me may have nullified the dominating influence of evil energy, but that doesn¡¯t mean he can absorb it safely.

    Despite that, he continued absorbing the power of the fragment¡¯s flesh he had consumed earlier. All so he can stand at his master¡¯s side again.

    ¡¸Urushi¡­¡¹

    Fran looked up at Urushi with concern. With his entire body convulsing, the pain he experienced was obvious to us both.

    Yet Urushi continued to endure the pain. Then, his entire body was enveloped in a dense cloak of evil.

    ¡¸Grrr¡­ Awooooooon!¡¹

    ¡¸Urushi!?¡¹

    Fran shouted in surprise. The cloak of evil had burst open, and Urushi was gone. Had he hidden himself into the shadows? No.

    Urushi was already in the skies right above the Evil God Fragment. Having returned to his original size, he leapt out at lightning speed, too fast for Fran to follow.

    Despite his shrunken body, Urushi was brimming with evil energy from head to toe, exuding an aura that captured everyone¡¯s attention.

    And then, he swung his w down on the fragment.

    The dull sound of the collision reverberated, as Urushi¡¯s evil-cloaked foreleg shed with the fragment¡¯s barrier.

    The stalemate continued for a split second. Blood spurted out of not just Urushi¡¯s foreleg, but his entire body. His flesh and bones had been torn apart, unable to withstand the power of evil.

    Even so, Urushi turned this pain into strength, gritting his teeth and pressing even harder. As a result, the fragment¡¯s ck barrier shattered.

    ¡¸<strong>RUOOOOGRH!</strong>¡¹

    Urushi had managed to leave his mark on the fragment¡¯s flesh, as well as sever a few of the eyeball tentacles, and there was no sign of regeneration. The grotesque cry emitted by the fragment was undoubtedly a scream.

    It was an unbelievable sight. Yet at the same time, one that shook our hearts.

    This event rallied not only us, but all of our allies. The eyes of everyone fixated on the falling Urushi had regained the light of hope.

    I slowed his momentum with telekinesis and Fran caught him softly. The arms that held Urushi were gentle, but there was a strong determination in her eyes.

    The same light as ourrades.

    ¡¸Urushi, you were awesome.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­¡¹

    The battered Urushi let out a satisfied whimper.

 Chapter 1302: Master

    <h4>Chapter 1302: Master</h4>

    Not a single person fled from the battlefield.

    Everyone red at the Evil God Fragment again, this time ready to fight. A trumpet sounded in the distance, signaling for the warriors to let out their battle cries.

    Urushi¡¯s resolve had lit a me in our hearts, and Fran was no exception.

    ¡¸Urushi, you were super cool.¡¹

    ¡¸Arf¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Now it¡¯s our turn.¡¹

    <i>Yeah, that¡¯s exactly right.</i>

    £¨Master?£©

    <i>Let¡¯s go. Fran.</i>

    ¡¸Master?¡¹

    I felt Fran¡¯s mana burning inside me, giving me the ability to cut through anything. Because I am Fran¡¯s sword.

    If Fran wants to cut something, then I will cut it for her. If she wants to kill someone, then I will kill them. Whatever she wants done, I will do it no matter the cost.

    Wait, no. I¡¯m unfit to be her sword if I keep thinking wasting brainpower on such useless thoughts. I need to be more rational, like Announcer-san.

    ¡¸Master! Master!¡¹

    ¡º!¡»

    Huh? Was Fran saying something?

    But why does she look so sad?

    ¡º¡­Fran?¡»

    ¡¸Master! What¡¯s happened to you?¡¹

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    ¡¸Master¡­ Did you turn into aplete sword¡­?¡¹

    What the¡­? Fran is¡­ crying?

    But why?

    ¡ºFran¡­?¡»

    ¡´Achieved 100% swordification depth. Soul optimizationpleted sessfully.¡µ

    Announcer-san?

    ¡´Confirming affinity with divine attribute. Securing supply circuit of divine energy. Beginning intervention in swordification by the mutual wishes of individual Humanseal de Master and individual Fran¨D¨D¡µ

    W-What¡¯s going on?

    ¡´Transformation into sword haspleted¡­<i>Bzzt</i>¨D¨D¡µ

    There¡¯s some kind of interference sound¡­?

    ¡´Transformation into sword haspleted, the Swordification Module must be rebooted¡ª¡ª¡µ

    Announcer-san?

    ¡´Simply wonderful. I have detected a circuit between the soul from another world and the Evil God Fragment. Beginning reconstruction. This means the birth of a new divine sword!¡µ

    No, this may be Announcer-san¡¯s voice, but it¡¯s not her. The voice was way more emotional, yet itcked any sense of warmth.

    As if it was a machine mimicking the qualities of a person. Simply hearing it gave me the creeps.

    More importantly, what did it just say? Something about bing a new divine sword?

    ¡´Commencing naming process.¡µ

    No good, it¡¯s not listening to anything I say. Well, at least it seems I get to be a divine sword. That means I can be even more useful to Fran!

    ¡´Analyzing¡­ Proposing new name: Fenrir, the Evil Wolf de, based on initial parameters¡­<i>Bzzt</i>¨D¨D¡µ

    There¡¯s the noise again¡­

    ¡´Evil energy interference detected. Probability distortion has resulted in a new branch of evolution. Rmending new name: Fallen God, the Evil Trust de.¡µ

    My name is¡­

    ¡´Hahahahahaha! Well what do we have here!¡µ

    ¡ºWhat the¡­?¡»

    ¡´If you don¡¯t want this power, then hand over your body. I¡¯ll make good use of it for you!¡µ

    ¡´Proposing a new branch: Fanatics, the Mad Soul de. Name can be acquired.¡µ

    Fanatics¡­?

    ¡´Oh? In that case, I would fit in just perfectly! Give everything to me instead!¡µ

    ¡´Proposing a new branch: Fannabelta, the Frost Envy de. Name can be acquired.¡µ

    Fannabelta¡­?

    ¡´Master! Pull yourself together! You should know you don¡¯t need another name!¡µ

    ¡´Oi, surrender your body to me! My revival is the best choice you¡¯ll ever make!¡µ

    ¡´I can work for my liege once more! Choose me! Me! Come on, hurry it up!¡µ

    ¡´<strong>¡ª¡ª!</strong>¡µ

    Ugh¡­! The pain¡­! It¡¯s like the voices are splitting my head apart!

    ¡´Master! Come back to your senses!¡µ

    ¡´You can just shut up, half-dead mutt!¡µ

    ¡´Do it! Choose my name! Your name is Fannabelta!¡µ

    ¡´No! His name is Master!¡µ

    ¡´Shout the name Fanatics! That¡¯s all you gotta do!¡µ

    ¡´<strong>¡ª¡ª!</strong>¡µ

    Ahh¡­ The voices inside my head keep getting louder and louder. I¡¯m¡­ fading away.

    The forces battling for control had an incredible amount of power. So the winner of that battle will be the new me¡­?

    That¡¯s¡­ perfect. Bing a stronger sword will ensure Fran¡¯s safety.

    This is all for Fran¡¯s sake¡­

    Huh? What?

    Fran is crying¡­ Why does she look so sad¡­? Haven¡¯t I seen that face before? Oh right, during our time at the Academy of Magic¡­ when I almost degraded into aplete sword¡­

    She has always said that I was the best. That she would rather have me over a divine sword.

    Is bing a divine sword really for the best?

    Or am I just going to make her sadder?

    Wait. Come to think of it, why do I have to be a divine sword in the first ce?

    ¡´Dammit¡­! I can¡¯t contain the power! The Swordification Module is doing something outside of my control¡­!¡µ

    ¡´Just choose me already! Me! Me!¡µ

    ¡´Pick my name, you second-rate sword!¡µ

    ¡´<strong>¡ª¡ª!</strong>¡µ

    Ugh, so fucking loud! Can you quiet down and let me think for a single second?! And you just keep spouting all this bullshit!

    Fenrir-san is one thing, but how am I supposed to entrust Fran to Fanatics, Fannabelta, or a fragment of the Evil God?!

    ¡´Fanatics is only name for you!¡µ

    ¡´No, choose Fannabelta!¡µ

    ¡´<strong>¡ª¡ª!</strong>¡µ

    ¡ºShut up!¡»

    All of you shut your goddamn mouths!

    I am Master! Fran¡¯s Master!

    ¡´Please choose a name. If you do not decide, then¨D¨D¡µ

    You can shut up too, impostor! I¡¯m not listening to anything you say! Give back the real Announcer-san!

    Me bing a divine sword? Fuck that! I will stay by Fran¡¯s side as ¡°myself¡±, because anything else will make Fran cry even more! And that is absolutely uneptable!

    ¡´Please choose a name. Please choose a na¨D¨D¡µ

    ¡ºMy name is Master the Intelligence Weapon, and I am Fran¡¯s Master! Nothing more, nothing less!¡»

    ¡´¡ª¡ªConfirmed reception of soul¡¯s desire.¡µ

    Oh! That voice must be the real Announcer-san!

    Even though it sounded almost exactly the same as before, I somehow understood it was her.

    ¡´Affirmative. The remnants of Cherubim and the Swordification Module have been integrated into me. The strong desire of individual Humanseal de Master and the wishes of individual Fran have established the name of your soul.¡µ

    ¡ºUhh¡­ So basically, you¡¯re saying I managed to avoid bing a divine sword because Fran and I opposed it so vehemently?¡»

    ¡´Negative. The process of bing a divine sword can no longer be canceled.¡µ

    What?! So I¡¯m screwed then?!

    ¡´Negative. With your soul now firmly established as ¡°Master¡±, you need not lose yourself to the power of a divine sword.¡µ

    Immediately after hearing Announcer-san¡¯s words, I felt power welling up from within me. Not from Fenrir-san or the Evil God Fragment, but from my own soul.

    ¡´You are a divine sword that wished only to protect and support its wielder, and the first-ever entity to ascend to divine swordhood through your own will. Soul from another world, the gods have bestowed you with a new name: ¡°Fran¡¯s Master¡±, the Master de.¡µ

    ¡ºFran¡¯s Master, the Master de¡­!¡»

    Wait, what? Doesn¡¯t that sound kinda redundant? Uhh, is this like finalized? Can we ask for a do-over?

 Chapter 1303: Divine Sword Release, Trail of Bonds

    <h4>Chapter 1303: Divine Sword Release, Trail of Bonds</h4>

    ¡´You are a divine sword that wished only to protect and support its wielder, and the first-ever entity to ascend to divine swordhood through your own will. Soul from another world, the gods have bestowed you with a new name: ¡°Fran¡¯s Master¡±, the Master de.¡µ

    ¡ºFran¡¯s Master, the Master de¡­!¡»

    Wait, what? Doesn¡¯t that sound kinda redundant? Uhh, is this like finalized? Can we ask for a do-over?

    Well, at least Announcer-san¡¯s deration seems to have silenced the voices of Fanatics and Fannabelta, who had been moring in my head.

    ¡´Master, you okay?¡µ

    ¡ºY-Yeah. In fact, I feel pretty refreshed.¡»

    After responding to Fenrir-san, I realized the pain was gone.

    ¡´<strong>¡ª¡ª</strong>¡µ

    ¡º¡­I suppose I should thank you.¡»

    The Evil God Fragment was apologizing to me. While it was trying its best to silence the other voices, that only added to themotion. I can¡¯t bring myself to me it for some reason, even if it is part of the Evil God¡­

    £¨Master?£©

    ¡ºFran, sorry about that. I¡¯m okay now.¡»

    £¨Nn¡­£©

    Fran wiped away her tears and smiled. Upon seeing that, a wave of regret washed over me. Damn. How could I make her cry like that¡­?

    Still, it¡¯s not like I can undo what is done, and Fran probably doesn¡¯t want an apology either.

    £¨So Master, you¡¯re a divine sword now?£©

    ¡ºYeah. You can tell?¡»

    £¨Because you look even cooler now.£©

    ¡ºHuh? I look different?¡»

    £¨Nn. Your aura is super awesome. Also I got the Divine Sword Release skill.£©

    ¡ºWhoa! I see!¡»

    Naturally, Fran had been given Divine Sword Release as my wielder. It¡¯s no wonder she immediately knew I had be a divine sword.

    Yet there was not a hint or anxiety or fear on her face. She hadplete confidence that I was still me.

    £¨I can tell by your voice. You are my Master.£©

    ¡ºI see.¡»

    £¨Nn!£©

    Fran nodded confidently. If you ask me, being able to tell that much from such a short exchange is more impressive.

    £¨What name did you get?£©

    ¡ºUmm¡­ Fran¡¯s Master, the Master de¡­¡»

    £¨Whoa!£©

    Fran¡¯s eyes sparkled. But honestly, isn¡¯t it a bit¡­ dumb? And redundant?

    Sure, there are other divine swords with kinda redundant names. For example, Gaia the Grand Earthde. But at least that one sounds cool!

    Come on, gods! Was there really no better choice!?

    ¡´The naming of individual Fran¡¯s Master was not solely decided by the will of the gods.¡µ

    ¡ºHuh? Really?¡»

    ¡´Affirmative. The wishes of provisional name Master and individual Fran were reflected. In particr, the gods ced great importance on the wishes of the wielder, individual Fran.¡µ

    So in other words, my name reflects Fran¡¯s preferences? Dang! In that case, I¡¯ll just have to live with it!

    <strong>OROOOOOOOGH!</strong>

    ¡¸!¡¹

    A roar from the Evil God Fragment forced us back to the situation at hand. The monster¡¯s gaze waspletely focused on us.

    It seems to realize that I¡¯m a divine sword now.

    The same went for ourrades. All of their eyes were pointed at Fran, and me grasped in her hands. My suddenly inted aura and wellspring of divine energy could not be ignored.

    ¡¸Master, let¡¯s go.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah. We can¡¯t exin what¡¯s going on to the others until we take this guy out. You know how to use me, right?¡»

    ¡¸Nn! I do!¡¹

    Fran seems to have been given an understanding of my powers along with the Divine Sword Release skill. I also hadplete confidence in her ability to wield me.

    So this is the bond between a divine sword and its wielder. I felt closer to Fran than ever before.

    ¡¸Fran¡¯s Master, the Master de. It¡¯s super cool, the best name ever! Perfect for you, Master.¡¹

    ¡ºR-Right.¡»

    I can practically feel how serious she is when she says that! The best name ever, huh¡­

    ¡¸Now let¡¯s prove to everyone that you¡¯re the best sword.¡¹

    Fran took a step forward.

    She lightly pressed her hand against my de and whispered the words to release my powers.

    ¡¸O sword of mine alone. Grant me power, hope, possibilities¡­¡¹

    So this is what it¡¯s like to be released? With each word Fran spoke, I could feel something unlocking within me.

    ¡¸¡­And bring us victory!¡¹

    And then, the final gate burst open.

    ¡¸Divine Sword Release, <strong>Master</strong>!¡¹

    ¡ºThis is¡­!¡»

    I felt a connection to the divine realm, with vast amounts of power and information flowing in! If all divine swords are like this, then it¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re so amazing!

    Marvelous. All of this power is for protecting and guiding Fran.

    I could still use my spells and skills, and they felt enhanced too. My attack and durability stats had more than doubled, and my Mana Conductivity rose to an astounding SSS.

    Even so, I would feel a bit underwhelming as a divine sword if those were the only differences, especially since my physical shape didn¡¯t change at all. Well, I guess transforming myself into whatever form Fran desires was an ability I¡¯ve had for a while now.

    That said, there was one area where I had gained powers befitting a divine sword.

    That is to say, my ability to support Fran. This power is pretty specialized, making it limited in usage. But when ites to this single aspect, I can¡¯t possibly lose, not even to another divine sword!

    With overflowing emotions, I shouted the words that had formed in my heart.

    ¡ºYour journey is your treasure! Your path forms the web of fate! Friends! Companions! Comrades! Lend Fran your strength! <strong>Trail of Bonds</strong>!¡»

    Fran has grown so much stronger since we first met. While her efforts certainly yed a big role in her growth, she couldn¡¯t have done it all alone. Fran met many new friends, often fighting alongside them.

    In fact, there were several times where we would have lost our lives if not for those friends.

    All of those experiences contributed to Fran¡¯s strength.

    These bonds and connections have been supporting Fran the entire time, and my ability as a divine sword is to strengthen such invisible connections and turn them into Fran¡¯s power.

    A massive jet-ck magic circle appeared on the ground beneath us. Despite being the same color as evil energy, I felt no sense of dread or fear.

    Not just because I¡¯m the one responsible for making it, but due to the purity of the divine energy radiating out.

    The immense power began flowing into Fran as if it had a will of its own.

    ¡¸Master, amazing!¡¹

    ¡ºThis isn¡¯t justing from me. Can you feel it?¡»

    ¡¸Nn. I can hear everyone¡¯s voices¡­¡¹

    <strong>Side - Nell</strong>

    ¡¸?¡¹

    I thought I heard someone calling my name. Just my imagination? For some reason, my chest felt warm. I was ovee by a strange feeling, as if recalling a happy memory.

    I tilted my head and confusion, before realizing that this was no mistake. Someone was definitely calling out to me.

    This is¡­

    ¡¸Fran-chan?¡¹

    Yes, it must be Fran-chan. She needs help and is asking for my assistance.

    For some reason, I could say that with certainty.

    Alright. What should I do then? Just pray?

    As instructed, I sped my hands together and prayed. For Fran-chan¡¯s safety. For her victory.

    I felt a tiny bit of strength draining my body, though this was a slightly different sensation from spending mana.

    I think my prayer reached her. Ah, now I can see a vision of her holding a sword.

    I have no doubt many others are also praying to her, because I noticed several offering prayers in the guild building alone. This is the town where Fran-chan became an adventurer, Alessa.

    She has many acquaintances here: Elebent-san the dwarf, d-san of the Dragon¡¯s Roar, and Freon-san of the Forest Eyes. All stood silently with their eyes closed.

    They must all be praying in their own way.

    ¡¸Fran-chan, do your best.¡¹

    ¡¸Missy, you can do it.¡¹

    ¡¸Hang in there!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-san, please win safely.¡¹

    <strong>Side - Eliante</strong>

    What? I need to pray for Fran?

    The abominable existence in front of the girl popped up as an image in my mind. How can she even attempt to fight such a monster? That courage of hers.

    ¡¸Fran, you gotta win this.¡¹

    I prayed for the young girl worthy of my respect, as well as that idiot captain Neidhart who I caught a glimpse of in the corner of the view.

    Please,e back safely.

    Looking out at the people walking down the streets, I saw some stop in the tracks and begin to pray. Here in the capital city, many owe their lives to her.

    ¡¸Miss ck Cat¡¹

    ¡¸ck Cat Saintess¡­¡¹

    ¡¸Saintess-sama¡­¡¹

    <strong>Side - Nadia</strong>

    ¡¸Fran?¡¹

    What in the world? Is Fran asking for my help or something? Fine, then take as much as you need!

    Many of Schwarzkatze¡¯s residents were praying and some even decided to kneel. That¡¯s understandable considering what Fran¡¯s done for the vige.

    Mea-sama and Quina-dono both had their eyes closed, so it seems they heard this voice too.

    ¡¸Fran! Do your best!¡¹

    ¡¸I wish you victory.¡¹

    Huh? The amount of power flowing in from Mea-sama is ridiculous! Like over ten times more than ours! Is that like¡­ safe?

    ¡¸We¡¯re f-friends, right! So take all I have to give!¡¹

    <strong>Side - Sophilia</strong>

    I had been performing a song in the za, when I was suddenly asked to pray for Fran. By whom? I don¡¯t know. But I felt a very warm presence.

    It seems many others in the za heard the same call. I began praying alongside them.

    Everyone in this town has experienced that battle, where we fought together and rallied under a single song.

    Which is why we all had the same thought enter our heads. We must sing.

    ¡¸We are adventurers~¡­? The golden adventurers~¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸No foe shall make us falter!¡¹

    ¡¸Dragons, demons, bring anything on!¡¹

    ¡¸The hordes of antidemons will be a piece of cake!¡¹

    ¡¸For booze, for friends, for gold! The adventurers fight on!¡¹

    If Fran can hear our voices, surely this song will reach her as well. I began ying again.

    ¡¸Fran, do your best.¡¹

    <strong>Side - Various People Associated with Fran</strong>

    ¡¸Fran, you got this.¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chan, give it everything you have.¡¹

    ¡¸You can¡¯t lose, littledy!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-dono, please win!¡¹

    ¡¸ck Lightning Princess-sama, knock that monster down!¡¹

    ¡¸Win this one for me, girl!¡¹

    ¡¸You are our princess, so you must return to us safely!¡¹

    ¡¸Go for it, Sis!¡¹

    ¡¸???? You can do it! ????¡¹

 Chapter 1304: Evil Gods Innocence

    <h4>Chapter 1304: Evil God''s Innocence</h4>

    ¡¸???? You can do it! ????¡¹

    Countless cheers reached our ears, and I could even hear a song. Unlike our time in Gordicia, this song had no magical effect, but their thoughts and feelings reached us all the same.

    Among them, there were a few that contained much more power than the rest: the divine sword wielders such as Mea and Sophie. It seems even their divine swords were lending us a portion of their power.

    It was so heartwarming that I felt like I was about to cry.

    ¡¸So much power!¡¹

    Indeed, a vortex of immense energy was swirling around Fran¡¯s body.

    Despite standing in the middle of the storm, Fran remained unharmed.

    Naturally so, because this power came from those praying for Fran¡¯s safety. How could it possibly hurt her?

    Of course, our nearby friends like Jean and Amanda were also contributing to this flow.

    ¡¸Fuhaha! Use my power as much as you want!¡¹

    ¡¸Fran-chan, this is amazing!¡¹

    But it wasn¡¯t only them. The mages of Belioth, the Red Knights, and the Northern Knights had opened their hearts to Fran too.

    We were now backed by my power as a new divine sword, the fragment of the Evil God sleeping within me, as well as the prayers of countless allies.

    In this state, Fran could be called a transcendent existence. She was more than a match for the Evil God Fragment in front of us.

    Trail of Bonds can only be activated when fighting the Evil God, but in exchange, its effects were truly extraordinary.

    What¡¯s more, this was not the only power we gained today.

    Fran ced a hand above her heart and took a deep breath. It¡¯s as if she was focusing on her own blood, speaking to it.

    No, perhaps she was quite literally calling out to the potential hidden within.

    ¡¸¡­I can feel it!¡¹

    Fran suddenly opened her eyes and shouted. Her heightened senses had perceived something that I couldn¡¯t.

    ¡¸O raging might of the godly beast lying dormant in my blood¡­ Awaken now! <strong>Divine Beast Form</strong>!¡¹

    A dense cloak of ck lightning surrounded Fran like the buds of a flower. I had seen this sight before. The form thatys beyond evolution. The pinnacle of all beastmen. She had reached the apex once again.

    The petals of ck lightning burst open, revealing a Fran with slightly longer hair. Despite her appearance remaining mostly the same, her mana had undergone a significant transformation.

    Fran nced around to observe the intensity of her own divine aura, then put on a fierce smile.

    The imposing presence of the one standing there was truly a divine beast. Wild, but majestic.

    That said, it was simply too much for mortal hands. Fran could barely stand earlier, so even attempting to control this incredible power would eat away at her physical body. Or so it should have been. For whatever reason, Fran showed no signs of pain.

    Fran had received a boost far beyond what Potential Release is capable of achieving, yet the burden on her was astonishingly light. Why? Because I took on all the recoil for her.

    No, to be more precise, the Evil God Fragment within me was shouldering the entire burden. It could be considered an essential part of me, so we live and we die together.

    ¡´<strong>¨D¨D!</strong>¡µ

    The fragment within me was apparently delighted to be able to help out Fran. It took some time, but I finally had a good grasp on its true identity.

    Ages ago, Fenrir-san devoured several Evil God Fragments, which merged together. However, fragments rted to mental aspects are more dominant than physical ones, so one fragment stood out among the others.

    This was the fragment that had been trying tomunicate with me¡­ the Evil God¡¯s Innocence.

    Yes, a fragment of the Evil God representing the pure and childish side of its heart. That said, its immaturity sometimes causes it to mistake the difference between good and evil. When influenced by the other Evil God Fragments, it can easily be just as cruel as them.

    ¡´<strong>¨D¨D!</strong>¡µ

    But this one had wanted nothing more than to y with Fran the entire time. When the chance finally arrived, it was simply delighted.

    ¡¸Thank you too, Evil God Fragment.¡¹

    ¡´<strong>¨D¨D!</strong>¡µ

    Oh,e on, isn¡¯t that a bit of an overreaction? It reminded me of when a dog is about to pee itself with excitement. I felt the evil energy starting to leak from my de.

    ¡ºWhat the¡­¡»

    H-Huh? I just manifested a new ability: ¡°Evil God¡¯s Shadow¡±. I kinda feel like I shouldn¡¯t use it.

    ¡´<strong>¨D¨D!</strong>¡µ

    ¡ºF-Fine, I get it! I get it! So stop crying, okay!¡»

    Ugh, crying until you get your way is incredibly dirty! How can I refuse if you bawl in my head like that?

    Apparently, this ability can only be activated when we¡¯re up against a fragment of the Evil God.

    ¡ºInner god of mine! My wicked, yet reliable friend! Manifest in this empty vessel and aid our princess! <strong>Evil God¡¯s Shadow</strong>!¡»

    In response to my words, the dense evil energy overflowing from me began to gather and take on a humanoid form.

    Within seconds, a girl had appeared in front of us. She looked close to a dragonkin at first nce.

    The girl¡¯s hair consisted of long indigo-colored twintails, and bangs reminiscent of a princess cut covering her antennae. Her skin was incredibly pale and her eyes sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow. Despite having a petite, childlike form, she was cloaked inyers of evil-divinity that took the form of something simr to a ck gothic lolita dress.

    Two horns curved backwards from her head, with big scales on the area around her temples. Her forearms were disproportionatelyrge and also covered in scales. For the final touch, there was a long tail extending from her lower back.

    sped in her dragon-like hands was a halberd madepletely frompressed evil-divinity. A massive weapon which should be aplete mismatch for the petite girl, but for some reason, it looked oddly fitting in her hands.

    She exuded a captivating presence, reminding me of the three goddesses I met when I first came to this world. As if they had something inmon that I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on.

    ¡´Following the manifestation of the Evil God¡¯s Innocence, the following skills have been temporarily removed from provisional name Master: Earth Dragon Magic, Dragon Cry, Dragonscale Hardening, Dragonblood Pulse, me Dragon Magic, Dragon Roar, Dragonscale mes, Dragonscale Boost, and Divine Dragon Form.¡µ

    Of course, this girl had to be the Evil God¡¯s Innocence! Honestly, I thought she would look a lot creepier!

    It seems the addition of those few dragonic features had something to do with my skills.

    ¡¸Fuhahaha! I¡¯m reborn! It¡¯s been forever since I was freed!¡¹

    ¡¸Who are you?¡¹

    ¡¸Fran! Allow me to introduce myself since this is our first time speaking in person! I am the Evil God¡¯s Innocence! Though this body is temporary, I will lend you my power!¡¹

    ¡¸Whoa.¡¹

    No way, she¡¯s really the ¡°ancient loli¡± type! I admit, I¡¯ve joked about calling her ¡°Jashin-chan¡± a couple times, but she¡¯s the real deal!

    How can Fran remain calm in this situation?!

    ¡¸You may refer to me as Jashin-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Got it.¡¹

    Holy shit! She just literally called herself ¡°Jashin-chan¡±! My image of the Evil God must be influencing her! I¡¯m gonna roll over and die if Fran starts thinking I¡¯m into lolis or something! I¡¯m innocent! This is all the fault of otaku culture from Earth! I definitely don¡¯t think an ancient loli Jashin-chan is cool! Really!

    As I could do nothing but tremble, Jashin-chan took a step forward besides Fran.

    She was practically the same height as Fran, but her body radiated a terrifying amount of evil-divinity.

    Anyone aside from Fran would be immediately dominated if they approached her.

    Perhaps that¡¯s why the Evil God¡¯s Innocence was so attached to us.

    Now that I think about it, Jashin-chan had no openings in her stance. She clearly possessed high-level martial skills, perhaps even at the king level.

    ¡´The Evil God possesses the aspect of the War God, allowing her to perform at the highest level in all matters rted tobat.¡µ

    ¡ºNow that you mention it¡­ She must govern over some other domains as well, right?¡»

    ¡´Affirmative. She was originally the Human God. Thus, she rules over various areas that humans have thrived in as the War God, the Data God, the Entertainment God, and the Comprehension God. Lastly, as the embodiment of destruction and victory that humans have fantasized about since time immemorial, the Dragon God.¡µ

    The Dragon God! That¡¯s why she can use dragon-rted skills!

    ¡¸Jashin-chan, let¡¯s do this.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well!¡¹

 Chapter 1305: Chaos Slash

    <h4>Chapter 1305: Chaos sh</h4>

    ¡¸Jashin-chan, let¡¯s do this.¡¹

    ¡¸Very well!¡¹

    Fran and Jashin-chan flew forward, closing in on the Evil God Fragment with superhuman speed. Despite our immense speed boost from Divine Beast Form, the Evil God¡¯s Innocence kept up without issue.

    Two ck trails were emzoned onto the sky in our wake, one of ck lightning and one of evil-divine energy.

    In this state, Fran could achieve speeds beyond human perception while still maintaining perfect control.

    If not for afterimages of ck lightning, few would have any clue of our current location.

    ¡¸Seyah!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll slice you up!¡¹

    <strong>OROOOOOOGH!</strong>

    Fran and Jashin-chan flew circles around the massive fragment, delivering a relentless assault.

    My de radiating a divine aura and ck lightning, alongside Jashin-chan¡¯s halberd forged from evil-divinity. Our two weapons tore and carved into the fragment¡¯s flesh, annihting it bit by bit.

    Those from afar only saw countless ck shes shimmering around the fragment, each resulting in a small portion of its colossal body vanishing.

    The veritable storm of des kept shredding the Evil God Fragment for what seemed to be an eternity.

    ¡¸Haaaaah!¡¹

    ¡¸Nooojaaaah!¡¹

    The abomination¡¯s regeneration could not keep up with our endless rampage, so each passing second resulted in additional damage.

    The Evil God Fragment had been reduced to a shell of its former self. It resembled a ball of tar-colored y that had been smashed into the ground and stabbed repeatedly with a spat or something. The sight reminded me of abstract art.

    But as expected of an Evil God Fragment¡­

    ¡¸It¡¯s still alive.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, what ridiculous vitality.¡»

    ¡¸Of course! Though fallen, it is an existence on the same level as I!¡¹

    Perhaps ¡°still alive¡± may have been an understatement.

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºIs it¡­ shrinking?¡»

    The Evil God Fragment began shrinking at an astonishing speed. Its massive body condensed into a single point, as if getting sucked into a ck hole.

    It could no longer maintain its own body? No, it was consciouslypressing itself, concentrating every bit of its power into a single point.

    The fragment was now a jet ck ball that emit a disgusting squelching sound. ck sparks spilled out of the ball, and I saw one spark fall on a boulder and instantly evaporate it.

    ¡¸Watch out for the light! That is the manifestation of the Malice¡¯s power! It is capable of distorting all in existence, turning life into death and form into void!¡¹

    This must be a special kind of evil-divine energy!

    What will happen if it unleashes all of that energy on us?

    It would easily engulf the entire battlefield and then some. Not even thebination attack that had leveled the capital packed this much power.

    Which means our allies will suffer countless casualties.

    Having realized this, Fran resolved herself.

    ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll cut it down.¡¹

    She spoke without hesitation as she readied my de.

    ¡ºYeah, we¡¯ve got this.¡»

    ¡¸Indeed!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    This was no desperation attack.

    Fran was filled with confidence. She knew the current her¨D¨Dor rather, us¨D¨Dcould pull it off.

    ¡¸Haaaah¡­!¡¹

    Without any sign of rushing, Fran calmly concentrated her power.

    The divine energy from me as a new divine sword. The vast stores of ck lightning from her Divine Beast Form. The power of prayers from all our friends.

    She intended to put everything into a single strike. It all came together into a single flow, and the swirl of power began violently rampaging within Fran¡¯s body.

    Even the current Fran had trouble controlling this much power.

    A slight trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her lips, which she had bitten down on.

    Despite this, Fran sought even more power.

    ¡¸¡­!¡¹

    Given Fran¡¯s efforts, I can¡¯t afford to fail as her Master. It would beughable for her partner to hold her back, especially now that I¡¯m a divine sword.

    I began infusing my own power into my de, and I had a clear sense of the flow. The current me could manipte divine energy with more precision than ever before.

    It seems my powers as the Apostle of the Chaos Goddess were enhanced now that I¡¯ve be a divine sword. Maybe because I¡¯m closer to the gods now?

    My own power, the evil-divine energy from the Evil God Fragment, Fenrir-san¡¯s mana, Announcer-san¡¯s support¡­

    For a long time, I¡¯ve struggled to make full use of all my resources. But now, I had perfect control over everything.

    So this is the power of a divine sword!

    Numerousyers of power began swirling around my de, giving off a rainbow-colored light.

    This was definitely a new record, I can say it with confidence. The current me was way stronger than ever before.

    ¡¸Whoa, Master!¡¹

    ¡ºHow¡¯s that! I¡¯ll slice right through that thing!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸I shall go first and open up the path! Choryaaaaah!¡¹

    Before Fran could do anything, Jashin-chan stepped forward. She raised her halberd high before swinging it down with all her might.

    This cleaved a gap into the turbulent storm of evil-divine energy, creating a narrow path for us, just as she had said.

    Perhaps she had applied her own evil-divine energy to neutralize the enemy¡¯s.

    The sinister storm immediately began flowing in to fill up the opened path. At this rate, it wouldn¡¯tst more than a second.

    But that second was enough.

    ¡¸Teyaaaaaaah!¡¹

    ¡ºGo!¡»

    ¡´Use as much of my power as you want!¡µ

    ¡´I wish you victory!¡µ

    Fenrir-san! Announcer-san! Leave it to us!

    Fran flew through the narrow passage with such insane speed that her shadow got left behind. She swung her de down on the stillpressing Evil God Fragment with all that momentum.

    Her powers merged with mine, and I immediately sensed that she was fueled by her pure and simple wish to save everyone. There¡¯s no way I can let that wish go unfulfilled!

    ¡ºUrooooogh!¡»

    ¡¸<strong>Chaos sh!</strong>¡¹

    It was simply too fast, and too beautiful, a swing more perfect than anyone had ever seen. It easily surpassed Heavenly Judgment, allowing us to reach the realm of the Sword God.

    A piercing screech assaulted our ears as our de collided with the dense evil-divinity. For a single instant, we saw a beautiful dance of ck and rainbow sparks that feltpletely out of ce.

    But the scales soon tipped in our favor. The rainbow colored light evaporated the sinister aura and tore right through the darkness.

    After that, there was astonishingly little resistance. We easily cleaved the Evil God Fragment in two. With the cloud of evil evaporated, we saw the two ck halves of a ball.

    A split second of silence passed.

    <strong>OOORGHOOOOOOOORRRGH!</strong>

    The next moment, the fragment¡¯s death throes rumbled as if to shake the very fabric of space itself. It had only just now realized its own end.

    Blood dripped from Fran¡¯s ears since the intense roar had burst her eardrums, but she simply red at the fragment¡¯s remnants with her eyes gleaming brightly.

    Immediately afterward, a burst of light consumed us.

    The fragment¡¯s death had released an absolutely ridiculous amount of evil-divine energy, capturing us right in the middle of it.

    ¡¸Kurgh!¡¹

    ¡ºNugaaah!¡»

    Fran attempted to brace herself in midair, but we were still getting blown away. Even our Guardian Deity¡¯s Shield was falling apart at an rming rate.

    ¡¸Murgh¡­? Urushi!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡ºYou saved us, Urushi!¡»

    Helping us out of this critical moment was our most reliablepanion, Urushi. By supporting Fran from behind, he assisted us in holding our ground.

    That said, the explosion refused to subside anytime soon.

    Eventually, chunks of evil-divine energy began crashing through our barrier and piercing Fran and Urushi¡¯s flesh. They managed to protect their vital points, but each hit punched a hole in their body, resulting in a stter of fresh red blood.

    Nevertheless, the two grit their teeth and endured for a few more seconds.

    ¡¸Is it over¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Woof¡­?¡¹

    When the light finally subsided, we found ourselves in a giant crater. Well, I guess it might be considered small rtive to the power of the explosion? The diameter seemed to be about 100 meters.

    ¡¸Fuhaha, that was close.¡¹

    A tattered Jashin-chan staggered over to us.

    ¡¸What happened to the Evil God Fragments?¡¹

    ¡¸All four are gone for good. They won¡¯t be reviving again.¡¹

    My senses as a divine sword backed up her statement. The only remaining fragment in the area was Jashin-chan herself.

    ¡ºDid you hold back the explosion from spreading?¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. My intention was to absorb all the evil-divine energy, but that proved to be a bit too difficult.¡¹

    It seems Jashin-chan had absorbed a portion of the explosion, before applying some sort of barrier to weaken the rest.

    ¡¸Thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t mention it, Fran! We¡¯re friends, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Friends.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s just what friends do!¡¹

    The delighted Jashin-chan nodded in agreement. It was only after seeing her smile that Fran finally realized the battle was over.

    ¡¸So we win?¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! We won!¡»

    ¡¸Indeed. Victory is ours.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡´Congrattions.¡µ

    ¡´You did it!¡µ

    Upon hearing everyone¡¯s words, the feeling finally settled in. Fran raised me up into the sky and dered our victory.

    ¡¸Hooray! We win!¡¹

 Chapter 1306: God of War

    <h4>Chapter 1306: God of War</h4>

    ¡¸Oh? Looks like it¡¯s about time.¡¹

    Jashin-chan started to grow transparent as we celebrated our victory. Her temporary body was about to disappear.

    ¡¸I shall return to my slumber within Master once more. But I had an enjoyable time! Call upon again the next time you find yourselves against an Evil God Fragment!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that really okay?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course! I despise the other fragments!¡¹

    ¡ºDespise them? But aren¡¯t you all fragments of the same god?¡»

    ¡¸We are not the same!¡¹

    She began exining her feelings.

    Jashin-chan, aka the Evil God¡¯s Innocence, was a fragment that never wanted to be the Evil God. From her point of view, the Human God¡¯s other emotions forced her into the role.

    There was a disagreement among the gods back when the world was first created. On one side were the gods representing people and living creatures, such as the Chaos Goddess and the War God. Standing against them were the gods ruling over nature, such as the me God and the Storm God.

    The nature gods considered free will to be unnecessary, especially for humans. Thus, they attempted to create lifeforms that existed solely to offer prayers to the gods.

    These creatures would do nothing except pray and make offspring, resulting in an ideal world without any conflict or worries. The nature gods genuinely believed they were being merciful.

    As gods of nature, they espoused stability and harmony. The vtile phenomenon known as emotion was deemed worthless. As we can see, their concepts of love and mercy differed greatly from those of the more human gods.

    The gods debated this subject endlessly with no real conclusion, until the War God decided to act. She dered her intent to annihte the entire world, thereby dering war on all other gods.

    By making enemies of everyone, she managed to protect the positions of her fellow human gods.

    After a long and hard-fought battle, the War God ultimately fell. However, such was also part of her n.

    Dividing herself into numerous fragments allowed her to infuse her powers directly into the physical realm. The so-called ¡°Evil God¡± was actually split apart by her own will.

    The war had also served to weaken the power of the other gods, thereby buying her enough time to assimte herself with the world.

    It was already toote by the time the gods realized it, so the War Godpleted her plot sessfully. By utilizing her aspect as the Data God, she had altered the veryws of the world.

    Thus resulting in the introduction of stats and skills.

    That¡¯s right. There was no video game-like system when the world was first created.

    Her aspects as the Data God, the Entertainment God, and the Comprehension God affected the stat and skill system greatly. More importantly though, was the effect on the thoughts and emotions of those who lived there.

    As long as this system exists, all life is automatically granted wisdom and power. The dystopian world envisioned by the gods of nature can nevere to pass.

    Furthermore, her role as the Evil Godbined with the creation of fiends to give people a reason to fight, which encourages growth and unity.

    The gods realized they were outyed, and eventually gave up on eliminating the Evil God¡¯s influence from the world. Many even made use of her system to strengthen their kin or create new species.

    Well, the nature godscked much in terms of emotions to begin with. They apparently didn¡¯t hold any grudges toward the Evil God after the war.

    In fact, they still acknowledge her as a true deity, which exins why they are so strict with mortals who abuse the Evil God Fragments.

    Regardless of how things ended up working out, the Evil God¡¯s Innocence wasn¡¯t satisfied with this oue. She hated the War God for making the original decision to seal herself away like this.

    Weird. So even fragments from the same god can have differing opinions and personalities due to getting separated from other emotions.

    ¡¸¡­It made me alone for so long.¡¹

    ¡¸I see.¡¹

    Fran stroked Jashin-chan¡¯s head, who smiled genuinely from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡¸But now I have you two at my side! I won¡¯t be lonely anymore!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, I wouldn¡¯t forget you!¡¹

    Jashin-chanughed as she gave Urushi¡¯s neck a tight embrace.

    ¡¸You better give me some curry the next time Ie out!¡¹

    Leaving behind a final request, Jashin-chan disappeared. Well, to be more urate, it¡¯s only her temporary body that disappeared. She¡¯s continuing to make noise inside me.

    ¡´I¡¯ll be returning to sleep for a while too.¡µ

    ¡ºFenrir-san, thanks for everything.¡»

    ¡´No worries, I had fun. Fran, Urushi, you two did well.¡µ

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    ¡´I may wake up again once I¡¯ve recovered more of my strength. See you then.¡µ

    ¡¸Nn. Bye-bye.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fenrir-san also returned to his slumber. Considering how hard he¡¯s been pushing himself, I hope he can finally get a good night¡¯s sleep.

    ¡¸Urushi, thanks for everything.¡¹

    ¡¸Woof!¡¹

    Fran patted Urushi, who wagged his tail vigorously.

    ¡´Disengaging the Trail of Bonds activated by provisional name Master. Suspending the Divine Sword Release state.¡µ

    ¡ºOh right. I can¡¯t utilize my full power unless we¡¯re up against an Evil God Fragment.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. I¡¯d rely on you too much if I could use your power all the time.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah, I knew you¡¯d say that.¡»

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    I went on to ask Announcer-san about something that had been on my mind.

    ¡ºWhat will happen with the curse on the ck cat race?¡»

    Urushi, Jashin-chan, and I should be treated as Fran¡¯s familiars, but I suppose a lot of other people participated in the first stage of the battle. And how does Trail of Bonds factor into the equation?

    ¡¸Allow me to answer that question.¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    ¡ºY-You¡¯re¡­ the Chaos Goddess!¡»

    There was suddenly a beautiful woman with silver hair, red eyes, and tanned skin, along with an intense divine aura. The Chaos Goddess had descended upon us. Her aura waspletely different from the Evil God Fragments, but it sent a shiver down all our spines just the same.

    ¡¸Well done on defeating the Evil God Fragments and sealing them within the divine realm.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸However, I¡¯m afraid to say this does not lift the curse on the ck cats.¡¹

    ¡ºW-Why not? Was it because we borrowed Jashin-chan¡¯s power? Or because we fought together as arge group earlier?¡»

    ¡¸No, the condition was vited by Trail of Bonds. It may be a powerful ability, but that power is borrowed from countless others. In other words, Master, it could be considered the limitation and price for your usage.¡¹

    Seriously?! In other words, Trail of Bonds grants us the power to defeat the Evil God Fragments, but using it means we can¡¯t lift the curse. It¡¯s already pretty limited in usage to begin with!

    So this is the ¡°price¡± for using me?

    ¡ºI¡¯m sorry, Fran¡­ This is my fault¡­¡»

    ¡¸No, Master, it¡¯s not. We would have lost without you! Besides, this makes our goal clear!¡¹

    Fran never once lowered her eyes. She looked straight ahead, brimming with determination.

    ¡¸Next time, we just have to beat a fragment with only ck cats. Then we lift the curse!¡¹

    ¡ºWhoa, you seem really excited! But yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. That doesn¡¯t sound so impossible now that I¡¯m a divine sword!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    ¡¸Woof woof!¡¹

    Fran never backs down, no matter the circumstances. She¡¯s already thinking about the next battle despite the brutal one we just experienced.

    ¡¸Fufufu, as expected of you guys. Oh, but there¡¯s one more thing I need to tell you before I go. The Kingdom of Raydoss has abused fragments of the Evil God. There can be no denying this truth¡­¡¹

    ¡¸!¡¹

    But wait, aren¡¯t all the main culprits dead? I guess considering the circumstances, it¡¯s still possible the country will receive divine punishment as a whole.

    ¡¸¡­However, the king and duke also contributed to the elimination of the fragments. In light of this atonement, we will only take the lives of the direct perpetrators and their aplices.¡¹

    So it seems they¡¯ll settle for divine punishment applied to the researchers involved in abusing the fragments and the closest aides to the deceased dukes.

    The Chaos Goddess spoke to us as if it was a simple conversation, but everyone on the battlefield could hear her words.

    I saw the Northern Knights in the distance drop to one knee in gratitude.

    Having fulfilled the purpose of her descent, the Chaos Goddess gradually began fading away.

    ¡¸Master, I thank you for saving her heart.¡¹

    She must be referring to the Evil God, right? Maybe the Chaos Goddess was concerned about the Evil God¡¯s well-being since they were apparently on the same team initially. There seemed to be a slight tinge of affection in her eyes.

    I don¡¯t know if she read that thought or not, but the goddess replied with a knowing smile.

    ¡¸Fufufu. Well then, I bid you a pleasant chaos¡­¡¹

    I previously found her parting words to be ominous, but not anymore. Strange. Is it because I¡¯vee to understand that chaos isn¡¯t always bad?

    It seems Fran took the goddess¡¯s words as encouragement, clenching her fists with renewed determination.

    ¡¸There was a ck cat in the Northern Knights. I¡¯m gonna go talk to them!¡¹

    ¡ºNow that you mention it, they seem to have several other ck cats too. We heard about the duke buying up a bunch of ves, so he must have been training them as knights.¡»

    ¡¸The North Duke is a good person.¡¹

    Fran began walking toward her next destination with firm steps.

 Chapter 1307: Frans Mug

    <h4>Chapter 1307: Fran''s Mug</h4>

    ¡¸Here you go, miss. This is the item you sent out for repair.¡¹

    ¡¸Yay, thanks.¡¹

    ¡¸Please confirm the condition.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Got it.¡¹

    One month had passed since our battle with the Evil God Fragments.

    A lot happened in terms of post-battle cleanup, but we somehow wrapped it all up and returned to the Kingdom of Kranzel.

    Right now, we were visiting an alchemy shop within the town of Alessa.

    Fran gently opened the box handed to her by the shopkeeper. It contained a white mug with small ck swirly patterns.

    She took the simple mug with a smile on her face, lifting it up delicately as if handling a treasure, and hugged it softly.

    Then, she raised it above her head and turned proudly to the man behind her.

    ¡¸My mug is fixed!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahaha, that¡¯s great.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Colbert replied with augh. He was currently staying in Alessa after getting sent in as reinforcements from Belioth. However, he seemed genuinely frustrated for missing the final battle with the Evil God Fragments, so he came straight to Fran¡¯s side.

    ¡¸Thanks!¡¹

    ¡¸Pleasee again anytime.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    The moment Fran stepped outside, she was greeted by a crowd of people.

    ¡¸Good day to you, Miss ck Cat.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s Fran-neechan!¡¹

    ¡¸Salutations to ck Lightning Princess-dono!¡¹

    Her poprity knew no bounds. Not surprising, since many people in Alessa witnessed Fran¡¯s battle through Trail of Bonds. They understood that this little warrior had contributed to saving the world.

    As a result, Fran was now a hero. And she wasn¡¯t the only one.

    ¡¸Her divine sword looks so cool!¡¹

    ¡¸Hello there, Divine Sword-dono!¡¹

    ¡¸So that¡¯s the divine sword with an Evil God Fragment sealed inside¡­¡¹

    All of them knew of my existence. During the battle, Fran had spoken to me out loud, and even called me Master. These scenes were clearly disyed to everyone connected by Trail of Bonds.

    The connection apparently got cut off before Jashin-chan started telling her side of the world creation myth, but that was enough to out my identity. That said, it didn¡¯t turn out to be as big a deal as I thought.

    Honestly, I underestimated the amount of trust they had in the divine swords.

    You¡¯d think a sword for sealing the Evil God and using its powers would be considered evil, right? Nope! It¡¯s just my power as a divine sword! Then everyone goes ¡°Whoa!¡± and ¡°Cool!¡±

    So yeah, it seems that¡¯s enough to convince most people.

    ¡¸Dang, even Curry Master is quite popr!¡¹

    ¡¸Of course. Master is the greatest sword ever.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, considering how he¡¯s the divine sword who invented curry. ¡°Greatest sword ever¡± is no exaggeration.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn! You get us, Colbert.¡¹

    ¡ºHaha, you¡¯re embarrassing me with all the praise.¡»

    I still have the soul of an ordinary guy even if I¡¯m a divine sword, so this manypliments feels kinda awkward, you know? Especially when Fran and Colbert are together, since there¡¯s no one to y the straight man. Someone get these two to settle down!

    ¡ºUrushi, help!¡»

    ¡¸Woof?¡¹

    ¡º¡­Actually, nevermind.¡»

    The wolf was just following us while gnawing on a huge bone. There¡¯s no way he can y the straight man, so I immediately gave up on his assistance.

    That said, Urushi had also risen in poprity as one of the heroes who defeated the Evil God Fragments. Originally only a fluffy mascot in Alessa, he had been upgraded into a full-fledged idol wolf who received treats just by strutting around.

    ¡¸Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸Hmm? Alistair!¡¹

    ¡¸I see you¡¯re still as popr as ever.¡¹

    Approaching from across the street was the divine cksmith Alistair, along with Ashwrath.

    These two came rushing over after learning about the situation through the Trail of Bonds, hoping they could be of some help. Well, I bet Alistair was probably more interested in me more than anything else.

    After her constant probing and inspections, I think I¡¯m starting to get a bit sick of her.

    ¡¸Oh? That¡¯s a cute-looking mug.¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    ¡¸But it doesn¡¯t seem to have any special enchantments. If you¡¯d like, I can reinforce it to never break. Or maybe you¡¯d prefer to make it durable enough to beat monsters to death?¡¹

    ¡¸No thanks, it¡¯s fine as is.¡¹

    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹

    ¡¸Nn.¡¹

    Fran replied while stroking the mug. Seeing her so happy made the joy spread to me.

    During our conversation with Alistair and Ashwrath, a shadowy figure suddenly jumped towards Fran. A few onlookers shouted in surprise, thinking that this was an attack, but Fran didn¡¯t even try to dodge.

    ¡¸Fran-chan!¡¹

    ¡¸Hello there, Fran-san.¡¹

    We turned around to see a leaping Amanda, and Nell standing behind her with a wry smile. Amanda promptly wrapped her arms around Fran¡¯s back, nuzzling against her cheeks.

    ¡¸Fran-chan! I missed you so much!¡¹

    ¡¸Nn. Long time no see.¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s been over a week! You could at least act a little excited or cry a few tears of joy, you know!¡¹

    ¡¸But I am excited.¡¹

    Amanda had been out hunting magic beasts in Raydoss, keeping her away from Alessa for a while. The current Kingdom of Raydoss was hardly functioning as a sovereign nation, instead operating under the supervision of support units from Kranzel, Belioth, Phyllius, and various other countries.

    Due to the significant reduction of nobles, it¡¯s not clear how they will be able to govern themselves in the future. Still, I suppose they had many civilians as well as the North Conquest Duke and the King. Given their ample military power, it¡¯s unlikely that foreign forces will attempt to upy them.

    My first impression of the North Conquest Duke was a stoic old man who looked like the perfect warrior. However, he was pretty much exactly what he appeared to be on the surface, making him decently trustworthy. Makes sense, since he had apparently been preparing for generations to eventually defeat the Evil God Fragments.

    The reason he had been buying ves was to train them as military forces. That said, he never pushed them beyond their capabilities, and those without potential were allocated to rear support roles. As such, his ves respected him greatly, and many even refused emancipation.

    Oh right, and regarding Kaleid¡¯s survival. The fragments he had been sealing were now gone, so he no longer needed to maintain the divine sword in an active state.

    He should have a decent amount of time left, as long as he doesn¡¯t overuse his de in the future. Not that there¡¯s anything he can do about his mechanized body though¡­ We made sure to give him a huge stock of curry, but I¡¯m thinking of teaching him the recipe the next time we meet.

    Maleficent and Persona had vanished without a trace, and I have no clue where they went. They might be living an ordinary life somewhere now that there¡¯s nothing holding back Persona.

    Neidhart said something about training with Dimitris before disappearing. He managed to aplish his goal of rescuing hisrades, so he¡¯ll likely show up again once the heat dies down. As for Dimitris, the old man stands out. It¡¯s only a matter of time until we hear about his next shenanigans.

    ¡¸The guild is really working me to the bone, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡¹

    ¡¸What are you talking about? I still see you cking off all the time.¡¹

    ¡¸But, Nell!¡¹

    We walked for a while to the background noise of Amanda¡¯sints, before arriving at our destination: a restaurant in the newest district of Alessa. This district was built for the various foreign aid units that had deployed to Alessa after the incident.

    Earth mages had been put into overtime to make about 200 huts, and the restaurant was housed in one of them.

    ¡¸There it is!¡¹

    ¡ºWow, there¡¯s even a proper signboard.¡»

    ¡¸Nn! The ¡°Curry Restaurant¡±!¡¹

    A pretty straightforward name, since Fran was the one responsible for it. Nothing wrong with keeping things simple.

    We took a step inside and were greeted by two familiar-looking chefs.

    Felmus, the former Rank A adventurer and owner of the Dragon¡¯s Dining Table, as well as Io-san, the genius cook from the orphanage. They hade all the way to Alessa to help out with the aftermath of the incident.

    Io-san had initially intended to take in the war orphans, but that proved unnecessary with Amanda here. After a bit of discussion, Felmus, Io-san, and Fran decided to team up and open the Curry Restaurant for a limited time.

    Our initial n was to serve the visiting soldiers for a month or so. However, Fran ended up having to leave the restaurant under the pretext of procuring ingredients.

    She was initially eager to work, but she had simply be too famous¡­ A tiny restaurant with like fifteen tables couldn¡¯t possibly fit everyone who wanted to see her. Due to the very foreseeable oue, we quickly abandoned the ¡°waitress Fran¡± strategy.

    That said, we were visiting the restaurant today for a special event. A banner hung from the ceiling of the shop, with beautiful letters that read, ¡°Congrattions to Fran on your Rank S promotion!¡±

    That¡¯s right. We were celebrating the day when Fran officially bes a Rank S adventurer.

    ¡¸Congrattions, Fran-san.¡¹

    ¡¸C-Congrattions!¡¹

    Felmus and Io-san congratted us first, and were promptly followed by our other acquaintances in the restaurant.

    It wasn¡¯t only our fellow adventurers; even our friends like Randell and Satia were here. They had all made time in their busy schedules.

    One by one, they congratted Fran and some even offered a gift. She was absolutely delighted.

    What¡¯s more, an all-you-can-eat curry buffet was waiting for her afterwards. That smile won¡¯t be going away anytime soon.

    Fran nced at the mug on the table in front of her, before pouring in some steaming hot coffee.

    For a brief moment, her expression turned somewhat lonely and nostalgic.

    ¡ºFran, are you okay?¡»

    £¨Nn? I¡¯m fine. I was just telling Mom and Dad.£©

    I secretlymunicated with Fran almost by reflex, even though everyone knows I¡¯m capable of telepathy now. Well, I suppose it¡¯s fine since there are some subjects we want to keep secret.

    ¡ºTelling them what? About your promotion to Rank S?¡»

    £¨No.£©

    Fran shook her head before responding with a smile.

    £¨That I¡¯m okay now. You¡¯re here for me, so I¡¯m not lonely anymore.£©

    ¡ºFran¡­¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯m d you stuck with me, Master. Let¡¯s go on more adventures.¡¹

    ¡ºYeah! Of course!¡»

    ¡¸Nn!¡¹

    Fran, it¡¯s the other way around. I had no clue what I was going to do with myself after getting reincarnated as a sword, and then you showed up. By taking me into your hands, you made me Master.

    Without you, I couldn¡¯t possibly be the me I am today. Maybe I would¡¯ve degraded into a mindless sword, or perhaps reincarnated back onto Earth¡­

    I¡¯m truly grateful that I met you, from the bottom of my heart.

    Thank you so much.

 Chapter 1308 The Future

    <h4>Chapter: The Future</h4>

    ¡¸Well then, let¡¯s continue our lesson on the divine swords today. Last time, we learned about their names, abilities, and locations, right? Does everyone remember?¡¹

    ¡¸?? Yes, Winal-sensei! ??¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s wonderful.¡¹

    Our teacher Winal-sensei is a carefree, silver-haired elf with an ample bust. As you can imagine, she¡¯s always been incredibly popr among the students.

    I remember the underssmen making a fuss about her resembling the protagonist of some manga or another.

    ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s start with a short review. Since today is the 13th, I¡¯ll pick on¡­ Mark-kun. How many divine swords are there?¡¹

    ¡¸Twenty-six in total!¡¹

    ¡¸Correct. Well done.¡¹

    The blue catkin Mark, my childhood friend who was seated in front of me, gave the teacher a lively answer. He must be around at that age where boys start admiring mature women.

    I could only sigh upon seeing this pitiful side of him. Come to think of it, he did say something about having a thing for older women.

    ¡¸Next question, how many of them do we know the whereabouts of?¡¹

    ¡¸Twenty!¡¹

    ¡¸Also correct. Since the number of sealed Evil God Fragments has fallen significantly in the current era, most divine swords are under strict surveince to prevent them from being used for war. The managing countries are obligated to disy them publicly every year, so the wielders cannot simply take them out on a whim.¡¹

    Personally, I¡¯ve only seen the divine sword Chariot, since the Raydoss region holds a festival on the day of the disy. All the academy students have gone to see it at least once.

    ¡¸Among the six with unknown whereabouts, the most peculiar is the de of the End, Zero. Although we¡¯ve verified its name via the Oracle skill, its existence has never been confirmed in written history.¡¹

    The teacher wrote ¡°Zero¡± onto the whiteboard.

    ¡¸Next, Orietta-san. Four of the unlocated swords have amon trait. Can you tell me what that is?¡¹

    ¡¸Um¡­ Ignis, Gaia, Krystalos, and Tempest are constantly wandering in search of their next wielder.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, and they also share the same creator. These four divine swords have carved their names into history multiple times, but they always appear out of the blue.¡¹

    Winal-sensei continued lecturing as she added the names of those swords to the list.

    ¡¸That is because they travel the world on their own in search of a wielder. What¡¯s more, they appear as ordinary swords to anyone unfit to wield them. Certainly sounds like the beginnings of a grand tale, doesn¡¯t it?¡¹

    The boys of the ss started to stir, probably all fantasizing about getting chosen by a divine sword themselves. I must admit I had such fantasies when I was a kid too.

    No, I suppose it¡¯s only natural for ck catkin to have such fantasies. Our racial attachment to the divine swords is unparalleled.

    ¡¸A few others such as Lindwurm and Valkyrie also tend to wander, but we have a grasp on their current location. However, they will vanish again once their wielders pass away. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild posts a quest to search for them every few decades or so, turning it into quite the event.¡¹

    I remember Grandpa saying he participated in one of the divine sword searches, but in the end, it seems the wielder came forward on their own.

    ¡¸Okay then, what about thest unlocated sword? Fran-san, I¡¯m sure you know the answer, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yes.¡¹

    The teacher called my name next. Yeah, I kinda saw this oneing!

    ¡¸Fran¡¯s Master, the Master de.¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s correct. Fran¡¯s Master is a divine sword shrouded in mystery, only sighted for a brief period approximately 3,000 years ago.¡¹

    The teacher circled Fran¡¯s Master and wrote the word ¡°mystery¡± beside it.

    ¡¸We know from the Oracle skill that this sword still exists, but nothing about its current location.¡¹

    The divine swords are apparently so powerful that not even Oracle can determine their whereabouts.

    ¡¸There are several events in history where Fran¡¯s Master was suspected to have been used, but none are backed by concrete evidence. And well, it¡¯s only natural for a ck catkin like Fran-san to know about it.¡¹

    ¡¸Of course, since I was named after that Fran.¡¹

    In the first ce, Fran is by far the mostmon name among ck cat girls. Just head over to Schwarzkatze, the city known as the holynd for ck cats, and you can¡¯t turn a corner without bumping into a Fran.

    ¡¸Fran is renowned as the hero who restored the ck cats to their former glory, as well as the saintess who overturned their divine punishment, thereby lifting the curse on their race. It is also said that she conquered the Hells, the most challenging dungeons in existence. While we know she is the wielder of Fran¡¯s Master, weck much knowledge of the de¡¯s abilities.¡¹

    Indeed, the stories of Fran¡¯s Master have been told to all ck catkin since childhood. Yet they are all pretty vague about its actual powers.

    Many tales im it was no match for the other divine swords in battle, but there are also tales of it defeating those very same opponents.

    ¡¸However, we can say with certainty that Fran the ck God Empress was a real person. Records of her deeds are still maintained within the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and she received official recognition as a saintess for saving countless people during her travels.¡¹

    I have no doubt she exists, considering the monument in the main za of Schwarzkatzememorating her deeds. Whoever made that thing really went overboard though, since they carved out of an absolutely massive boulder.

    I guess that¡¯s a sign of how popr Fran was back then.

    Well, everyone agrees that she was the cutest, the strongest, and the kindest. At that point, she¡¯s practically ¡°super amazing¡±, aka perfect in every way.

    ¡¸The ck God Empress has left footprints all over the world, for example, her big statue in the Curry Museum for her efforts in poprizing curry. Her records as the youngest adventurer to reach Rank S, as well as the youngest champion in the ongoing Ulmutt martial arts tournament, remain unbroken to this day.¡¹

    Oh right, curry is just so tasty. The Lucile Company¡¯s ck cat brand curry powder is truly the best. Simply divine.

    ¡¸And we certainly can¡¯t forget her record for defeating Evil God Fragments. Fran is the only individual who participated in the subjugations of a whopping seven fragments. The era when she lived was famous for having a number of divine sword wielders, such as Kareid the Crimson King, Amanda of the Wind Whip, Nemea of the Dragonic me, Jean of the Underworld Legion, Ashwrath the Ogre God, Izario of the Crimson de, and Sophilia of the Sacred Notes. It¡¯s said that she cooperated with them on many asions against fragments all over the world.¡¹

    Man, multiple divine swords on the same battlefield must have been a sight to see. Many call it the Twilight Era because of the perpetual fighting, but I kinda wish I could see it for myself.

    ¡¸Oh, and I particrly enjoy the story of the ck God Wolves.¡¹

    ¡¸Me too!¡¹

    ¡¸Me three!¡¹

    My ssmates raised their voices one after another. I like that story too. They are the descendants of the one-of-a-kind wolf that served as Fran¡¯spanion, whose bloodline continues to this day.

    Pretty much all the ck cats of Schwarzkatze raise wolves as pets, so they¡¯ve kinda be a part of our daily lives. We recently got a baby wolf too, and he¡¯s just super cute.

    ¡¸However, Fran¡¯s final moments are still shrouded in mystery. We know little about her family, descendants, or even her death. While it is confirmed that she had several male friends, historians often debate whether or not they were romantic rtionships.¡¹

    Fran apparently never married. There were sightings of her walking alongside a young girl in herter years, but it¡¯s unknown if that girl was her biological child.

    Many authors try to fill in these nks with their imagination, but I¡¯m sure every ck cat girl has their own point of view there.

    Personally, I like to think she got together with Kareid-kun, the wielder of Chariot and governor of Raydoss back then.

    Fran saved his life, and they remained close for decades, until separated by death. Whatever happened in between is lost to history, but how can that be anything but love?

    Other popr choices include the handsome elven guildmaster from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, as well as the hero Zefmate of the blue cats.

    Some more controversial works pair Fran with everyone in a reverse harem situation. There are even NTR stories where she steals Izario, the husband of her friend Nadia. I have to say I¡¯m not a fan of those.

    As I was pondering such things, Mark turned to me and whispered something.

    ¡¸Psst! Fran!¡¹

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸So you really don¡¯t know where the divine sword is?¡¹

    Honestly, this is a question we ck cats get all the time. Bute on, you¡¯ve known me since we were kids, and you still have to ask?

    This dumbass¡­

    ¡¸Of course not.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, okay. Well, I guess someone like you wouldn¡¯t know anything about a divine sword.¡¹

    ¡¸Just drop it!¡¹

    He does have a point though. We may share the same name, but I¡¯m just an ordinary girl. How could I possiblypare to the legendary hero Fran?

    I only chose to study magic here since it¡¯s useful for finding a job. I¡¯ve always been awful at swinging a sword, and my grades are closer to the bottom than the top. A few people have praised my decisiveness, but that¡¯s about it. Even if I¡¯m lucky enough to stumble upon a divine sword, there¡¯s no way it would actually choose me as a wielder.

    ¡¸Still, aren¡¯t there rumors about it being hidden in the ck Cat Training Grounds?¡¹

    ¡¸They¡¯ve already searched every nook and cranny of that ce, you know.¡¹

    The ck Cat Training Grounds is a dungeon that only ck cats can enter, said to have been created by Fran using the power of Fran¡¯s Master.

    Apparently, she made the dungeon right under Schwarzkatze to help train the ck cats there. Ancient heroes sure knew how to get things done.

    ¡¸But there¡¯s always a chance, right! Aren¡¯t you heading into the ck Cat Training Grounds this summer?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, just for a little when I return home.¡¹

    ¡¸Damn, I wish I could go too. If you really find the divine sword, you better show it to me!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, sure. Big if though.¡¹

    Literally millions of ck cats have explored that dungeon throughout the ages. How am I supposed to find what they couldn¡¯t, under a time limit of a few days?

    But, well. If by some chance I do find something, I might as well brag about it to my friends.

    Thinking about it that way, I¡¯m starting to look forward to my return.

    ¡¸The ck Cat Training Grounds¡­¡¹

    I wonder what kind of ce it is. What encounters will I experience? What is waiting for me there? I¡¯m getting excited already.

    For some reason, I have the feeling something good will happen. It¡¯s as if I could hear the footsteps ofdy luck.

    <strong>Author Activity Report</strong>

    I started TenKen in September 2015, and it ends with this chapter. Thank you, the readers, for supporting me over the past eight and a half years.

    I truly enjoyed writing this work, and reading all of your feedback gave me strength. While bringing it to an end does feel a bit mncholic, I believe it¡¯s best to conclude it at a good stopping point, as originally nned.

    Now let me talk about my post-conclusion schedule (maybe a bit of an oxymoron). I intend to post some side stories to coincide with the second season of the anime, and possibly other projects as well.

    Of course, TenKen will still continue in other forms of media. I know everyone is eagerly awaiting the second season of the anime, so please rest assured that it is proceeding as scheduled. That said, I don¡¯t know when the exact broadcast date will be. As soon as I get an update, I will inform you all through activity reports and other mediums. In the meanwhile, feel free to watch season one again as it is now avable for free.

    Also, I¡¯d like toplete the Characters page since I left it unfinished. It might take a while until I have some free time, but I¡¯ll get to it eventually.

    The light novel version will naturally continue as well. As I¡¯ve mentioned a few times before, the ending will be slightly different, so please give your continued support.

    As for my future ns, I n to start posting a new work once my dental treatment ispleted. This is something I have been preparing for a few years now, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m overworking myself or anything. It should start around the middle of March, so please check it out if you are interested.

    -Yuu Tanaka, February 2024

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!